Marked Me Like a Bloodstain - 18+

Flash forward and we're taking on the world together

A/N: 12 months later, Jake and Manon have settled into real life. It's time to catch up with them and see what happens next.

I apologise for the long wait! I wasn't ready to say goodbye. I also had to finalise some things and finally got everything together last night! I hope you enjoy it.

We began this story with Manon. She was the beginning of everything and so we will end with her too. I hope it's everything you wanted from this story.

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Manon

Jessy: I've finished for the day. Jake gave me the afternoon off when he got back. I'll see you on Monday!

Manon grinned as she replied to her friend, turned assistant, and stuffed her phone in the car console as she left the airport parking lot and began the journey home. A year. A year had passed in the blink of an eye since they'd wrapped up the Hanson case. Like someone hit fast forward, the seasons were changing, sparkling morning dew turned to glittering frost, and much of Duskwood's great forest shed its summer leaves and awaited the rebirth of spring. The pines remained evergreen, and their scent grew sharper as winter's creeping chill turned the earth solid and settled into the land. All of it had been marked by gentle, sweet nothings, fingerprint bruises on her thighs, and more than one sleepless night when she and Jake fought. It didn't happen often, but two very stubborn people living, working, and loving together were bound to butt heads now and again. And she very much enjoyed what came after those fights.

Jake, Lilly, and Hannah waited for everything to calm down before the sisters approached their dad. Nathan Donfort was accosted after returning from another business trip, and his smarmy grin was soon wiped away as Hannah unleashed months of bitterness on her dad while Lilly grinned from the sidelines. She demanded to know why he hadn't stepped up for Jake, and when Nathan said he never loved Jake's mother, Hannah gave him the dressing down he sorely needed.

The man was a shell of himself; his daughters practically ignored him around town, and their mother kicked him out once she knew. But Heather was more cunning than any of them knew. She was well aware her husband played away, but the secret child he abandoned was the last straw. Nathan had nothing left once she kicked him out and took him for all he had. It was very satisfying, but Jake felt guilty for weeks until Hannah and Lilly assured him their mom didn't blame him and had only stayed as Nathan controlled all the finances. His "father" was a Grade A pig and had reaped what he sowed. Manon felt no pity for him.

Their three months off passed in a haze of desire, long, lazy days wrapped around one another and dinners with their friends. Her heart still ached for those days of peace and solitude, but their new life was everything she hoped it would be. Jake was still working alongside Steve to ensure everyone after him got their day in court. So far, a few lower-level ingrates had been taken out of the game, found dead with two gunshot wounds to the back of the head and a suicide note in their pocket. The politician and his son were obviously working hard to keep Jake chasing his tail. But her man was nearing the end and had discovered their hideaway; it wouldn't be long before he was entirely free.

Even though it wasn't constant, working together had been a learning curve. After one too many spats over dinner about a case they were on, she decided to ban all work talk after hours, or they'd be at each other's throats every night. It wasn't that they disagreed. They usually agreed it was Jake's tendency to be overprotective of her and her instinct to lash out when she felt someone didn't think her capable. She knew how stupid that was, and no one knew better than Jake what she could do.