"After a long time of courtship, he proposed. Of course, I said yes. I thought he was my soulmate, my prince charming. Even though he was a bit aloof, and slightly more stoic than I liked in a man... He doted on me quite a bit and helped my family with expenses at no cost to us. I even asked him not to, but he insisted saying it was something he should do. I should have known then." Another breath was drawn in by Jade's vestigial lungs, and so she continued, "He took me to see his family. I knew he was a Grimnight... Everyone knew it. I thought he was a branch family member. I mean they were always the ones that looked after the mine for the main family. It wasn't until I met his family, his father, his brother, that I found out he was a direct descendant to the main family!"

Jack wasn't shocked, but he could tell Leslie was shocked, though she chose not to say anything.

"His family was strictly against us for marrying. They said that I was a commoner, and not worthy of him. They even went so far as to call me a small-time fling in the nicest of ways and in the worse ways they said I was a common whore!" Jade said through gritted teeth.

"Yes. I was a commoner, but Nick was my prince charming. He told them that he didn't care what they thought, and after much agony for them, they banished him from the main clan. He, of course, married me. At the time, I didn't fully understand. I was just a young girl in love. We didn't have a hard life. He still managed the mine, and he still helped my family. But... He grew distant from me. Before he married me, our... Intimate times where..." Jade looked at both Jack and Leslie, but steeled herself, "Our intimate times were passionate but after marriage... It was difficult to even get him to have such an encounter, and when we did... I could tell he didn't feel like it. I tried to communicate to him through such encounters, but his mind was only blank during out unions like he was just going through the motions. I felt lonely for a long time, but I could only chalk it up to his family pressures, and the stress of managing the mine. I mean he kept insisting on more mining and digging deeper."

Jade sighed with loneliness, "I should have known then... Another reason I suppose. I was lonely, and my parents started to pester me to give them a grandchild. I wanted children, as well. So, I talked to Nick about it. He refused. Simply refused. He gave all kinds of reasons, none of which I thought were valid enough, but I wore him down over time. When he finally agreed... He didn't want to conceive through... union."

Jade again stole glances at both Jack and Leslie. Jack wasn't too sure about how to conceive children, so he tried to listen as closely as possible. Leslie, on the other hand, did know. She wasn't conceived through a Soul Union?

"He even paid to have a birthing ritual. I mean if money was a problem to have children, why pay for it like that. He didn't have any soul damage that I know of that would have prevented us from having a child during a union, but again I digress..." Another sigh. Jack counted this as the forth sigh, and so shook his head.

"So, we got a mystic to complete the ritual, and so I carried your embryonic soul. I nurtured your soul until it was strong enough to inhabit its own body. Through another ritual, we summoned your childhood body, and place your soul there, Leslie. During the most wonderful event of my life... Your father wasn't there. He went to the clan to handle affairs and business. He didn't even spare the time to see the ritual complete." Jade had black tears at the corners of her eyes.

"I brought you home. You were such a smart little girl. You learn to walk and talk in half the time as the other boys and girls of the mine. Of course, your father didn't seem to care all that much, until one day he took you on a trip to the main clan. When you guys got back, you would tell him all the things that went on in the clan. He would listen deeply and praise you for it."

Leslie nodded to this. This was indeed true, but she always thought her father was just too busy for her until then. She was so happy to spend time with him.

"Time went on like this, and you had your coming of age ceremony. I was so proud of the new vessel summoned, even now you're the apple of my eye. Haaaa~ Your father had other business to attain too."

Leslie remembered that, but didn't think much of it. She showed off her looks when he got back, but she did remember that when he got back... It was with news regarding her betrothal.

"Then he came back with his wretched news. The Grimnight clan cared less for us, until it suited them. They wanted to force you into a marriage, as the daughter of a main clan descendant to return to the main clan. You know the rest from there, but then you don't know what happened after." Jade paused, while facing Leslie.

"Yes. I was, of course, exiled, and you helped me to get here." Leslie said this, as she placed her hand on her mother's hand to comfort her.

"When I was able to get you here, that's when I found out everything. Me and your father were summoned before the Elders of the Clan, and the Clan Head. I found out that your father wasn't just a direct descendant, but was the brother of the Clan head. They competed to become clan head, and he lost. He didn't care about being Clan head, but he competed for the position only for another woman. The Clan head would be married to another clan princess... Nick... Nicholas was in love with her, in love with Lorraine Kain of the Kain Clan." Again, Jade spoke with gritted teeth. Hatred could been seen flashing across her green eyes.

[Kain Clan? The Kain family of Stonedge? Craig's problem family?] This all seemed too interwoven for Jack's taste... He felt slightly speechless on this revelation. It was a small world after all, huh.

"He failed to become clan head, and on the day of his brother's wedding, he left the clan. At his request, the former clan head allowed him to take over as the overseer of the mine. That's where he met me... He... He only married me to spite his family. I learned this from his own mouth before the Elders of the clan, after your exile. He got into an argument with his brother, the clan head, and all the other skeletons in his closet spilled out... He never loved me. He was still in love with his brother's wife..." The tears on Jade's face streamed down them.

"I thought he was only saying this to anger his family, so when the family had decided to send him back to the mine, to work inside the mine, no longer an overseer, and separate me from him... to oversee a, what I thought was a bar... I asked him to tell me the truth... Do you know what he said to me?" Jade sobbed.

Both Jack and Leslie were waiting. It was unknown when Leslie's tears again flowed.

"I jumped into his arms seeking comfort, but he knocked me away, He told me... He said, 'You are no wife of mine. You were only a tool I used to piss of my Elders. Get out of my sight. I have no use for you.'" Jade covered her face, as she sobbed.

At some point, Jack rose from his small chair, with his hands clenched into fists. He anticipated many things, but he didn't expect it to be this heartless. He didn't know how many years they were married, but he only married her to piss of his family? He then just throws her away like trash when it was revealed, and he had no purpose for her anymore?

[This worthless son of a bitch.... I should bring him back just to kill him myself!] Jack seriously contemplated this, a gross misuse of his power.

"Father would never say that!" Leslie cried while watching her mother.

Jade sobbed out, "Leslie... Did he ever say he loved you? He never even told me he loved me... I always... I always thought he was just a reserved man... I should have known. Did he ever have anything to do with you, besides picking your brain about the clan?"

Leslie paused, and thought that over. It was indeed true! She had no way to respond.

"He only took interest in you, because you could bring him clan gossip. If you weren't of any use, he would never have bothered with me or you. That terrible terrible man."

Leslie's image of her father shattered in her mind. The image of her perfect family along with it. She had entertained for many years that she would once again meet her father and mother, who were living in peace in the country side... They would be happy together, and she would tell them all about the capital. She would share with them her troubles and joys. She would bring a husband with her, and maybe kids. She wanted to make them both proud, and today... It all came crashing around her. Her father never cared for her. Maybe some part of her heart knew he was aloof and stern, but she never thought for a moment he didn't care. Greater than hate... This was indifference.

It took a few moments for Jack to calm down.

"I see. Then I have no need to bring back such a... To bring him back. I'm sorry I offered, Jade." Jack said to Jade, he didn't know how he felt at the moment. Somewhere between anger and helplessness. He moved over to Leslie, and placed his hand on her back.

Feeling Jack's touch, Leslie looked up at Jack.

[Am I just a tool to him, as well?] Leslie wondered, even her father who she thought so much of done thing... Was Jack the same?

She spoke up, "I... I need time to digest this. I'm going to go to my room. Thank you, mother, for telling me this. I needed to know this." Leslie got up from her chair and walked out of the room. She didn't even bid Jack goodnight.

Jack stood there with his hand still stretched out from rubbing Leslie's back, as she left him in the room with her mother. He was at a complete loss.

[What is this feeling I have?] Jack felt a sort of tightness. A tightness where he thought he would have a heart. He knew he didn't have one. He even looked down at his rib rage that was barely exposed from the top of his robe and seen clear through it. So why did his heartache?