Absolution

It is easy to forget... But not so easy to forgive.

For most, the idea of confessing our wrongs is an undesirable feat, an action that only brings more grief than the initial wrong-doing brought upon us. For most, secrets are better left that... Secrets.

But, sometimes, they become so terrifying to bear alone that they must be shared; sometimes, just getting it off our chest can bring relief. But, in the end, guilt may always win out -- especially for one woman who knew the threads of her hypocrisy may be the unraveling of an already threatened marriage...

But maybe, just maybe, he'd forgive her more than she could forgive herself.

---

It had been days since Meredith had last seen Shamus, when he had charged out of her house in an angry mess of rumpled shirts and frustration. She was proud of herself, that she had done the right thing... At least, eventually. In fact, as days turned into weeks, Meredith thought she could forget that her run-in with Shamus had ever even happened, and that things would just go back to the way they were.



But things didn't just go back to the way they were -- they got even better. Meredith realized that lately, she and Jebidiah felt almost as close as they did when they first got married, all those Sim-long ages ago. When she looked through those ridiculous thick-framed glasses of his, the flattered young girl in her felt more connected with him than she ever had... It was like, for the first time since they moved to Twinbrook, she felt happy.

Except for one thing, that is; and as more time passed, the more Meredith realized that this bright point in the relationship with her husband would remain a facade until she told him the truth.



So, one morning after the kids left for school, she finally decided to do just that.

"Jeb..." Meredith's voice was uneasy as she interrupted her husband during his morning ritual of watching the news. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Jebidiah was already aware something was wrong the moment he saw the look on her face, so he prepared himself for the worst as he turned off the TV and stood up from the couch. "Sure, what's up?"



"There's... Something I need to tell you," Meredith began, already becoming very animated with her speech. "Things have been really great between us lately, and I just couldn't bear the thought of keeping this from you any more... I didn't want you to find out from someone else and get the wrong idea, because I really just want you to understand that it wasn't my intention to hurt you, I just was really confused and hurt at the time and--"

"Meredith... Think you could get to the point sometime by next month?"

"Jeb, I had an affair."



For a long, long moment -- the longest Meredith had ever felt in her life -- Jebidiah remained silent. His eyes turned away from hers, and he reached his hand to rub the back of his neck... obviously releaving some tension appearing fast from what his wife had just revealed.

Meredith instantly began to chew her nails, intently looking at Jeb for any sign of a response. Was he even going to look at her? Get angry? Something? Her heart was beating so fast, she swore she could heart it drumming in her ears.



Finally, after what seemed like infinity, Jebidiah asked, "With who?"

"Shamus... Shamus Drudge, Eva's husband. Things between them have been really sour lately too, and he'd been trying to hook up with me for a while. And then, that day that you blew up at me and told me everything was my fault, I just sorta... lost it. I gave in and-- well... I did something I shouldn'tve. I'm so, so sorry, Jeb."



When Jeb still didn't say anything in response, Meredith began to plead. "Please, Jeb, understand that I love you more than anything in the world... You're the only thing that keeps me going, most days, I don't know what I'd do without you... I understand if you want to leave me, but I need you to know that even if that's what you want, I never, ever meant to hurt you... I just need you to know I love you."



"Meredith..." Jebidiah firmly grabbed her by the shoulders, and knelt down to look into the eyes of her bowing head. "Oh, Meredith... I would never leave you. You are everything to me, Mere. With everything that I've put you through, I'm surprised that you only just now ran to someone else for comfort. It's me that should be apologizing to you, for putting you in that position."



"So... You're-- You're not mad?" Meredith's voice was shaky -- at best.

"Well, I'm certainly not happy," Jeb responded with a shrug, briefly looking away for a moment. "But there is no way I can blame you for this when I know I've put you through so much worse. And what I said... It was wrong. I'm the one that got us here. All I did was put you into a position to make difficult choices, and what happened with Chandra... It wasn't your fault. I've been so angry with myself, that I'm taking it out on you... And I shouldn't."



He quickly swept Meredith into a hug -- so tight she swore she could feel the tears being squeezed out of her.

"I'm going to do my best to make up for my short-comings, from now on," Jebidiah continued, holding his wife through her quivering sobs. "We're going to make this work, no matter what."



As they pulled each other into a kiss, Meredith couldn't help but think back over the past few years, the events that led them to where they were today... And she knew, just as she always had, that she had made the right decision, marrying Jeb -- she would love him, always, no matter what.

---

For the third time that week, Bradley found himself in the company of the most wonderful girl he'd ever met. Emerald Greenwood: brave, smart, caring, and funny -- to him, at least. Despite the fact that he felt utterly useless in her presence, and verbally tripped through almost everything he tried to say, his level of happiness had grown exponentially from the first day she decided to really enter his life.



They spent endless hours sitting and talking -- sometimes about nothing at all -- just to be in each others' presence... And when worlds failed them, they would just sit beside each other, enjoying the company while sending heartfelt glances back at each other.

Bradley still wasn't exactly sure how to interpret the signals she was sending him, but he didn't particularly care -- she was such a good friend to him, the first true friend he'd ever had, that the idea of it being no more than that didn't bother him at all.



After quite a while of sitting near the beach and staring over the lake, Bradley figured it wouldn't hurt to break the silence and get a change of scenery.

"You want to get up and walk for a while? I saw a killer view of the lake the other day, and it probably wouldn't hurt to stretch our legs a bit -- not that sitting here is bad, I really enjoy it -- but it was just... you know... I think you might like to see-"

He stopped talking as soon as he realized that his face felt like it was burning; but luckily, Emerald's sweet chuckle was accompanied by a soft, "Sure, Brad."



As they walked, Emerald suddenly ran off in another direction, and Brad had a hard time keeping up. "Emerald, wait up! Where are you goi... Oh."

As Emerald held up the butterfly she'd caught with her bare hands, he couldn't help but realize how beautiful she was. She seemed so natural and at peace with nature, as if she was one with her surroundings... Untamed, innocent, lovely. She wasn't the cute little girl he'd crushed on in grade school, anymore: this Emerald was so much, much more.



Once they approached the spot Brad had been talking about, he pulled her to a stop, and then lightly shrugged. "I know it's not much, but as we were driving over this the other day, I realized it's one of the highest spots this side of Twinbrook... You can see so much further from here than at the beach, anyways."

"Ooh, you're right, Brad!" Emerald said excitedly, clasping her hands together. "I never would have thought of it! We drive across here all the time, but I never really thought to stop and really look from here. It's so beautiful..."

"Just like you..." Bradley mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Emerald said, turning to look at Brad as he heard him speak.

"Oh, I said, 'it's a great view'," he muttered back. "You're such a coward, Brad... Just tell her she's pretty! It's not that hard..."



As she finished completely soaking in the sights, she turned back towards him, and took his hands into hers. Man, did he love that... In fact, he couldn't think of one thing he didn't like about her. She was... perfect.

"Thanks for bringing me over here, Brad," Emerald began, her smile still unfading. "It's always really nice to see something from another perspective. No one really else gets that... That some things are so much better if you just look at them a different way."



The feeling of her hands on his was still a little awkward, but Brad didn't mind... Emerald always took the reigns, anyways. He didn't care what she did... She could do no wrong by him.

He just wished he could pause that moment forever.



Finally, Bradley's wishes were beginning to come true. Someone really was able to like him. But, while something was only just beginning to blossom for Bradley...



... things for Travis had already flowered, propogated, and flourished. There is little more to say than that.

Maybe these teenage years wouldn't be so bad, after all.

---

"So... We meet at last, Shamus Drudge." In the emptiness of the Red Rendevous, Jebidiah's voice sounded like a gunshot going off at the base of Shamus' neck.



"Holy Plumbbob, you shouldn't sneak up on a man like that!" Shamus said as he clutched his chest and looked up from his solo game of foosball... only to find the face of Jebidiah Kane smiling back at him.

And it wasn't a good smile.

Once Shamus finally realized who it was, his blood began racing as he tried to come up with something smart to say. "Look, Jebidiah, I can explain--"



"I don't want to hear your excuses, Shamus!" Jeb retorted, raising his hands. "Your drivel is wasted on me. I imagine it'd all be lies anyways, or an attempt to try to lay the blame on someone else!"

"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, you haven't even heard my side of the story, yet."



"And I don't need to! I simply don't care how you see this, Shamus. You seduced my wife, you took advantage of her when things were difficult -- there is absolutely no excuse for that."



"Yeah, well she wouldn'tve come running to me for comfort if you'd actually been a half-decent excuse for a husband!" the hypocrite yelled back.



However, Jebidiah Kane does not stand for hypocrisy! At least, not from a man who insulted his dignity! It was time to show Shamus how a real man settles disputes...



.. And for a little while, Shamus actually put up a pretty good rustle.



But, he made one crucial error -- he underestimated the determination of a jealous husband... And found himself flung into the air, and knocked onto his behind.



As Shamus picked his shattered pride off the floor, Jeb sealed the deal to ensure they were enemies for life -- and had only a few final words for his wife's begrudged ex-lover:

"If I ever see you again, near my wife, my house, my children, or anything else I hold dear, you'll pay, Shamus... You'll pay."

"Don't you worry, Jebidiah," Shamus spat in retort. "You won't have to worry about that ever again."

Hopefully, Shamus knew what was better for him... It certainly wasn't worth the trouble, anymore...
... Not when faced with the malicious force that is Jebidiah Kane.