They stood staring at each other, words failing as their eyes locked after years, their hearts flipping at the mere sight of each other. He watched as Irene ripped her gaze to the side, his own landing on Suho, eyes widening as he looked between the two. "I'll leave you to it then Irene..." Suho began, feeling the tension, that they were suffocating on. "I hope you have a great first night back in Korea after five years..." he stated, satisfied at the way Jackson flinched. He looked at Irene who remained in pure silence, before walking away.

His eyes glossed over her form. She had grown more beautiful, beautiful was an understatement retorted his heart eagerly, the mature look that she carried enhanced her already goddess like face, her hair shorter than when she had left coming just past her shoulders, her eyes, the eyes he fell in love with looked tired, almost fed up with life, they had lost the spark that they once carried but it was cemented under the facade she was always fascinated with keeping up,his heart restricting as his mind taunted him again blaming him.He recalled the time when they were dating and the separation they endured as result of his stupidity, time would slow to a trickle and those sunny weeks were an age. Now he would give anything to go back and find a way to spend that time by her side, savouring those moments instead of wishing them away. He wished he could just stop moving forwards and exist in that moment together. Not thinking. Not breathing. Just not apart. Then he stood  closer to her just to feel her body heat before bringing his head close to hers, his arms finding her waist as his heart took the driving seat, his mind shouting in protest as it possessed him to hug her.

For a life time.
           For a minute.
                        For a second.

She inhaled his scent for a split second before pushing him back her eyes wild in disgust at the audacity. "Where's my son?" Her voice finally enabling sound as she ripped her own gaze away from his form, cursing to the above that he had gotten handsomer...his hair slicked, a lighter colour than she remembered. Age had done him well, the matureness cemented in his features as she felt her heart skip a beat. But unlike Jackson, Irene always had better control of her heart. It was one thing that he hated, the way she would bury her emotions as though they were nothing or a sign of her weakness. His eyes searched hers "Our son." He corrected firmly watching as she rolled her eyes pushing at his chest before walking into the house as she called out "Jay?" "There's other people sleeping you know...." he pulled her bags in that she left at the door "I'm not staying here, you can leave them outside." He continued to grab her bags "Where's my son Wang?" "Asleep like a normal five year old would be...Joohyun it's 2 in the morning, you've been on a what...fifteen hour flight and I know your tired, just rest we can talk about this later." "First of all don't call me that, that's for family and friends and we are nowhere near either, second of all you don't know me, so stop talking shit, give me my son and I'll be out of your way so you can get that beauty sleep,because gosh you need it." She watched as his face recoiled in satisfaction "Okay you want to do this now? Fine..." he pulled her towards the kitchen "What the fuck Irene...." she rolled her eyes shaking her head "you were fucking pregnant and you kept me in the dark for five fucking years, our son, my blood, had to come and find me and reach out to me whilst I had no fucking idea that he existed... and your storming in here, adamant to take him away... no....I'm not allowing it, you can't rob me off that." "And what about what you've  robbed me off Wang...are we conveniently just gonna forget about that? Yes I didn't tell you, yes I robbed you of five years but that's on you because you were the one to pull the trigger on us, on our relationship, I wasn't the one sleeping around with a woman or god knows how many, your getting the punishment that a cheater should get, and I'm not about to apologise for the way that I chose to repair what you broke, you left me, I just ran after you did." He pushed her up against the wall. "Stop being so immature, you made a choice you could have reached out, I would have never turned you away-" "Oh I'm being immature, who was the one who couldn't keep it in his pants? Who was the one who acted like a child by cheating, yet I'm the immature one...okay."  She shook her head, fighting against his arms, "You never would have turned me away, well why is it different since I was carrying your child, huh? Why is it that you turned away when I wasn't pregnant? Why wasn't my love enough for you to hold on?" She watched as his eyes tensed. The silence settling in as they breathed heavily in sync, eyes lined with unshed tears, hearts filled with unsaid words. "Did you know the night I cheated that you were pregnant?" He watched as she looked at him. "No, I found out after I had collapsed from exhaustion, from the shit you put me through that I was pregnant." His eyes closed. "That award night...that was you giving me some form of contact with our child..." his eyes opened, watching as she flinched at his words, nodding before looking down. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. "Not good enough." Was her response. "I want my child." "Our child..." "Stop, we are going around in circles." "Only because your being unreasonable, it's two in the fricking morning-" "I'm being unreasonable..." she laughed bitterly continuing, "yeah I'm the one who's being unreasonable, It wasn't you who was pregnant, having to carry a child for nine months, the pain of standing sitting, sleeping you didn't experience that, neither where you in the delivery room when i was losing my will to live. It wasn't you who was tormented by a replica of you for the past five years. What I wanted to forget, what I wanted to bury; it came out in Jay, the looks, the fencing and basketball, the spicy food. I left Korea, I left you, but I have been tainted by you since the second I left....so yes I'm being unreasonable, because whilst it was painful to have to remember you it kept me alive. He kept me alive. He gave me a purpose, and I'm not about to let you take that from me. You've already taken my heart, your not taking my son. I won't let you." He watched as tears fell from her eyes, as she wiped at them violently, turning from him, trying to hide the vulnerability that she had showcased. He closed his eyes, a tear trailing down his cheek as he turned wiping it too. He had hurt so many people, and he could see the after effects of his mistakes. He had destroyed so many lives. Jay's. Wendy's. Mark's. The rest of the girls and guys. Hers. And his own. He slammed his fist on the counter, causing Irene to jolt and turn to him, she watched the fury and pain dance in his eyes, as she ran forth without thinking, without listening to her brain, she grabbed his hand, scanning it "Gosh Jackson what the hell did the kitchen counter do, you still haven't learnt to control that anger, stop hurting yourself..." "You still care..." he whispered, her eyes locking on his as she dropped his hand, stepping back. "No I don't..." he watched the lie leave her lips, not commenting.

Irene turned wiping another tear in what she thought was a less conspicuous movement, but he saw it. "Mum...." they heard call out. Irene took rushed steps towards Jay who rubbed his eyes "Baby....are you okay?" He nodded as Irene wrapped her arms around him, Jay finding his around her seconds later. "Are you and Dad fighting..." "No baby...we were just talking." Irene said, as Jackson and Jay made eye contact. "Do you feel up to leaving?" "Mum...." Jay began as Irene created some distance "You look tired..." "I'm fine baby, we can go now, where are your things?" Jackson grasped her forearm, her eyes closing at the contact "Your staying here." He said firmly. "Mum I want to sleep." She nodded, giving in as she watched Jay retreat. "He's in my room I'll sleep on the couch." "No it's fine I'll just come back in the morning." "Do you have somewhere to go?" He questioned "I'll figure it out." "Your not leaving, I watched you walk out that door five years ago and it was the biggest mistake of my life, I'm not about to repeat that. Go to Jay, I'll sleep on the couch." He left her, not giving her chance to argue. He took her bags into his room, pointing to the bathroom as he watched her go into it. He sat by Jay, who woke up instantly "You should be asleep mister." "Dad, Mum is gonna leave." He simply stated "She won't, she's gonna sleep next to you, I'm a light sleeper so don't worry I'll wake up and catch her if she tries to okay." He said winking at him. He kissed Jay's forehead as he tucked him in, patting his head until he nodded off back to sleep, Irene watched from the door, her heart failing to believe what was happening, it was something she always wished for but believed would never happen, she dreamed of them being a family. A proper one. The three of them. But her mind knew better, this was never going to last. This was not built to last. Jackson looked up, their eyes locking as he saw the yearning in her eyes, she recovered seconds later, the numb facade plastered back on as she moved closer checking on Jay, "he just fell asleep." She heard him vocalise, she nodded, grabbing her phone to set an alarm, she was getting the hell out of here and nothing was stopping her. She avoided eye contact turning away from him as he whispered "Goodnight." She closed her eyes as he moved around, refusing to say it back, he sighed mentally, knowing she wasn't asleep, he still bent down kissing her forehead. He watched, his heart quenching as she turned away from him. He got up turning the lights off and walking out after turning to watch her for a second. He sat on the couch, arranging the pillows and duvet. He closed his eyes tear after tear falling as he tried to drift away. His heart as unsettled before she arrived.

The sun had only just started to rise around seven in the morning, the house completely silent. Low on sleep, Irene woke up; quickly showering and picking Jay up, she grabbed her luggage careful not to wake anyone in the process, she walked out making it to the door, as she made an attempt to get out. She felt a hand on her waist minutes later pulling her towards them, her eyes flaring up to meet Jackson's tired ones. "Let me go." She whispered. "No." He replied begrudgingly. He took Jay out of her arms, despite her desperate attempts, he walked back to his room laying Jay back to sleep, who cuddled against the soft pillow soundly asleep. Jackson sighed, walking back out facing Irene, who glared at him. "You want some coffee?" He offered pouring himself a cup as he tried to focus on her. "Give me my son." "Irene..." "I want to go.... I'm not staying here. I'm not staying with you." She spat, turning away from him. He sighed, as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Will you just listen to me..." "No." she shouted back. He placed  his cup on the counter, picking her up bridal style and carrying her to the private recording studio room that had sound proof walls. He silently thanked his past self for designing the penthouse the way he had. He carried her in, as she punched at his chest, kicking her legs in protest. He sat her down, locking the door so that she could not try and run from him. She ran for the door, forcing him to spin her around and pin her to it. "Irene...." "No...." "Please..." "No." she said firmly. "I love you." He whispered back, watching her eyebrows tense, her eyes look up at him in disgust and hurt, the way she looked at him when she caught him cheating. "Stop lying. You don't. In fact you never did Jackson and that was always the problem..." she ripped her gaze away from his shoving his chest until his arms fell. She reached the door stopped by his voice "is that really the way you felt...the way you feel?" She looked back at him, she moved closer to the door. "Stop running Irene, and let's talk about this, we need the closure and we are only going to get that from each other." "I DONT WANT IT." She screeched "I DONT WANT THE FUCKING CLOSURE BECAUSE THEN ITS ACTUALLY OVER." Her eyes widened in recognition at what she said, his eyes looking up with a sense of hope, she looked at him knowing she needed to destroy what she had just sparked. "You want to talk, fine, let's talk. You asked if that's the way that I felt, yes...I felt like that for months. A three year relationship Jackson, we committed to each other for three years and in the grand scheme of things that meant nothing to you, because you were willing to throw it all away, for Youngji. You knew how I felt about her, she was your best friend at one point turned lover, she took up so much of your life and I never once complained because I saw the importance of the relationship you two shared. But I refuse to be constantly humiliated, and that's exactly what you did whenever when we were together, you would bring her, you would want to catch up with her rather than me when we hadn't seen each other in months. You hung up on me if she was calling because she meant more. She always did. And the fact of the matter is that she always will...." "Irene." "No I'm not done....the worst part is you knew...you knew how afraid I was of people and of being hurt...And after all the time and effort you put into building my confidence and trust in you-you broke it in the worst possible way. Of all people in the world to do that I'll never understand why you did that to me." "Irene, please." "No, I didn't come back to Korea to live in the past, I've been burdened by you enough. You've taken me completely, I have nothing else to give to you. No I refuse to give you anything else. What we had...we had when we had it, but if you think for a second that I'm going back there with you again then your delusional. Me coming back to Korea is not for you, neither was it supposed to be Jay coming back for you. We have lived without you for five years, we can continue to do so." She took a threatening step forwards "So stop filling my child with false hope just like you did with me, your heart is big but it does not have room for me and Jay, so stop misleading my child because when you fuck up again I do not want to have to be nursing my own heart will healing my sons." She stepped back "But hey I wasn't planning on bringing up the past. That's on you." "Let me fix this...."he started as she looked up at him "let me fix this for Jay...for you." "And how do you plan on repairing something that is completely broken?" She asked, searching his eyes "I'll find away." He said determined. She smiled softly at him shaking her head before turning away and opening the door. He trailed after her, eyes locking with the rest of the gang. Her eyes lining with tears as she looked at the boys who stared back at her.

TBC

-Authors note
Hope you enjoy this one. Many bombshells. Do you think things are gonna start getting better or worse for them? Let me know your thoughts on today's chapter. I look forward to hearing back from you guys. Lots of love and best wishes, I hope you have had an amazing week, and that this update will help take a load off if it wasn't great.