{Reader's POV/ Four days after Stan's murder}

"A..A... A-Chooo..!"

Startled by my sudden sneeze, I hurriedly rubbed my red nose and frowned at how cold my skin was.

"I..I'm home..!", I rasped out painfully as my dry throat rejected to let me speak properly. I scrunched up my face and sneezed once more as I hung up my trench coat.

Jack looked up from where he was laying down and hummed as he flipped through the channels on the tv. I knitted my eyebrows and threw a pillow at his lazy figure, "Aren't you going to ask me how my day went?", I chided sarcastically as I turned to walk to the kitchen.

Jack let out a sleepy yawn and grinned as he switched the tv off. "Sooo, how was your day~??", he gibed as I looked at him from over my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and blew into a tissue, "Wasn't half bad, my new boss really liked me and I've made a few friends. Other than this stupid weather, I feel great!", I chirped with a smile and watched as Jack anxiously reached for the remote again.

I perched my lips and frowned as Jack secretly tried to turn on the tv. "Go ahead, I need to make dinner anyway", I sighed and shook my head as Jack eagerly went back to watching the news.

As I chopped the vegetables in front of me, my mind wondered off to what happened yesterday. Jack had noticed my mood change and asked me what was wrong. Half-scared and half-worried of his reaction, I hesitantly told him everything.

To my surprise, he didn't mind at all.

After that had been lifted off my shoulders, I gained this sudden urge to do more for him. So, for the last couple of days, I've been letting him do whatever he wanted—from eating all the sweets he offered me, to letting him parade around the streets in search of his next victims.

Wether we were on good terms or not, he was still the same psychotic murderer I met in that alleyway.

And after learning about his past, I was more sensitive to his bizarre tastes and tried to not care for when he'd leave for the night to kill until his heart's content.

Believe me, I was opposed to his murderous ways, but as much as I hated the idea of him killing innocent children... I just couldn't bring myself to tell him otherwise. Especially because I've grown to accept him and, now that I've fallen for him, I've become blind to his sadistic needs.

*Ding Dong*

Jack raised his upper body from the couch and stared intently at the door. I quietly stepped out of the kitchen and stared at him in confusion. "A stranger, never seen him before", Jack grunted and rose off the couch.

I nodded my head and opened the door.

"Hello there, is Miss (L/N) here?", a young man with fair skin and sandy, brunette hair inquired as I stood behind the door. I smiled warmly, "Yes, that's me", I replied and opened the door a little wider to let him see me more clearly.

The young man smiled and nodded his head, "Oh! It's nice to meet you Miss (L/N)! I've been wanting to talk with you for some time now," he beamed as he stood in the chilly air. I nodded my head and waved inside as I too felt the pesky cold nipping at my skin.

"Oh really? That's odd, I don't think we've met before... You do seem familiar though..", I wondered to myself as I lead the fair-skinned man into my home. He sat down on the couch and smiled as I approached him.

"Would you like some coffee?", I asked and the young man nodded his head bashfully. "If it's not too much trouble...", he replied as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. I smiled and shook my head, "Not at all! Just give me a quick sec", I raised a finger and quickly stepped back into my kitchen.

I noticed Jack leaning against the wall as I swiftly poured the young man a cup of coffee. "You seem awfully chipper", Jack snorted.

I frowned and cocked my head as I dipped cream into the cup, "What do you mean? I treat everyone like this." Jack rolled his eyes and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me to wonder what was wrong with him.

Could he be...?

I shook my head before finishing the sentence and walked back into the living room with two mugs of coffee in my hands. The man accepted the beverage with a smile and we were soon seated down across from each other.

"So, where have you seen me before...uh.."

The young man's eyes widened and he chuckled sheepishly, "Gabriel, I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier..", he apologized before answering.

"I saw you on the news when you were in the hospital... I also saw the little boy you saved..", he began, "I just admired how you opening risked your life for a complete stranger, especially when you knew the killer would go after you."

I sipped my coffee and felt my cheeks slightly burn as Gabriel praised me. "That's why I came... I wanted to meet you in person and see for myself that there's still hope for humanity", the brunette finished.

I set my mug down and clumsily waved my hands in front of me, "That's very nice of you to say, but I'm nothing special. I just ran off with the boy before the killer could catch me, nothing spectacular to say the least", I admitted.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, Jack walked into the living room and sat down next to me. His dark eyes scanned over the young man and he frowned the moment he noticed his smile.

"Is something wrong..?", Gabriel asked as he watched me look over to the 'empty' seat next to me. I shook my head and smiled, "Oh it's nothing, so, Gabriel, why did you decide to come see me now, it's been weeks since that was all settled."

The brunette smiled back as he combed a hand through his hair, "But it's still not over."

I knitted my eyebrows and leaned in closer as I processed his words. "What do you mean?", I asked. Gabriel crossed his legs and set his mug down on the coffee table as he spoke, "The police still haven't caught the culprit right? The shows not over until they arrest the guilty."

I nodded my head and hummed as I watched Jack glare daggers at the man. For whatever reason, the monochrome clown didn't find Gabriel very pleasant to look at.

"You have a strong sense of justice don't you Gabriel? You almost remind me of someone...", I trailed off as my attention went elsewhere. Then suddenly the young man shifted in his seat and pinned his gaze more intently on me, "Like who?", he asked.

"This Officer that used to worry about me. He was so nice, he even offered to set up security cameras around my block to look out for the killer", I bubbled as I pointed toward my window. Gabriel nodded his head and raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't happen to know what he's been up to, would you?"

Gabriel's question unnerved me and I quickly frowned at his curiosity, "No, I'm sorry. He was originally supposed to have visited me with a group of police but they never came. I thought it was odd but I haven't given it much thought"

The young man nodded his head and hummed, "that's too bad. I hope the killer doesn't try and take advantage of the situation", he cautioned.

"Yeah... But I think I'll be fine—"

"And why is that?"

"Oh uhh... No reason, it's just if the killer was still determined to kill me, he would have done it already, don't you think?"

"Good point, but doesn't it seem odd the culprit managed to kill the little boy but left you without a scratch?"

"The police arrived before he could do anything to me."

"And yet, he still hasn't come back and it's been, what was it you said...weeks now?"

"Yes... But, like I said, the Officer and the hospital had kept a close eye on me."

"You do realize the Officer was killed and his body was found just a few days ago, right? His men are also still missing to this day."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea... My parents and the Officer thought it would be best if I stayed away from the news. Said something about it possibly causing trauma."

"I see... But still, why aren't you scared? The Officer you claim was protecting you is now dead. The police station hasn't made an effort to send reinforcements and now you're out of the hospital where the nurses can't watch over you. Why is it that you're not scared?"

"What, do you want me to be scared?"

The room went silent and the young man held back his tongue. Jack sniffled a laugh and chuckled as he saw the angry expression on my face, "He's in for it now~!", he taunted mischievously.

I let out a huff and rose off my seat, "I'm sorry if I'm assuming incorrectly, but I get the feeling that you're trying to accuse me of being the murderer", I snapped at the brunette and made his eyes go wide.

He must have thought I wasn't smart enough to figure out his game.

"No, I—"

I raised a hand in the air and silenced him, "Stop, just be quiet and get the hell out of my house!", I interrupted and pointed toward the door. Jack snickered in his seat and watched the amusing scene with glee.

The young man frowned and tried to open his mouth to object, but I shook my head and took out my phone.

"Get out. Or I'm calling the police."

Gabriel let out a sigh and nodded his head as he stood up to walk to the door. I pinched my nose in frustration as I watched him twist the doorknob and ready himself to leave.

He smiled warmly before opening the door, "Stan", he mocked.

I raised an eyebrow and my face contorted into confusion. Jack reacted the same and stared at the young man intently.

"Stan, Gabriel Stan is my full name. I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier", Gabriel smirked before closing the door behind him, leaving me appalled.

My mouth gaped open and my body turned ice cold.

Suddenly, looking back to his appearance, the image of Officer Stan flashed in my head. He looked just like his father, same hair, same brown eyes, and same sense of 'justice'.

I turned back to look at Jack and noticed his wide eyes glued to the door. He wasn't taking this any lighter than I was.

"Charlie has a son..?"