Oh, Jake.Jake, Jake, Jake!

What will we do with you,Jacob Finch?

A (very short) PGT Side Story

Jake Finch never intended to cheat on his wife, Anna. It just somehow seemed to happen. Temptation

would walk through his front door, and before he could stop himself, he’d be caressing a pretty woman’s

cheek, or accepting a flirt. As long as Anna didn’t find out, he tended to think of it as innocent fun.

The slaps and arguments he got when she did find out, though, weren’t fun. Not fun at all.

“Jacob Finch!” Anna yelled out in anger and pain as she walked in the room to see Jake caressing Maggie

on the cheek.

The pair waited for Maggie to make a hasty exit from the apartment, and then Anna turned the full force

of her anger and hurt onto Jake.

“How can you do this to me? You promised me, on our wedding day, that your philandering days were

over. You promised me! And I walk into our living room to find you making moves on Maggie, of all

people! She’s your distant cousin of some sort! Not that that matters.” Anna’s anger started to wind

down, as the hurt took over. “Why can’t you just be happy with me?”

Anna’s face was angry and tortured as she stopped and stared at him. “Do you have anything to say for

yourself?”

“I’m sorry, Anna. I’m so sorry I ever hurt you. I know you deserve better than me. But I hope you’ll give

me a second chance. Let me prove to you that I can do better.” Jake’s words seemed to ring false even to

him, but he really did mean them. He would try so hard to behave. He loved Anna too much not to try, at

least. He just hoped he had it in him to honestly change.

“You’re sleeping on the couch tonight,” was all Anna could get out. She then turned away from him, and

Jake silently walked to the bathroom to wash his face.

Anna went into the other room to take care of their son, fighting to hold back her tears until she could be

alone. She loved him so much. What if he could never change? What if she lost him? She was sure her

heart would be torn right out of her chest if that happened. She didn’t know if she’d be able to go on.

When John Lee was safely tucked into his crib that night, Anna stalked through the living room and went to bed, where

she was finally able to let her tears fall.

She supposed it was partly her fault. She knew what Jake was like. He’d romanced other girls right in front of her in

college. But when he proposed to her, she thought that all would end. She had even asked him, on their wedding day,

and he had promised to be faithful to her.

She knew full well the risk she was taking, loving Jacob Finch. But he had owned her heart since she was 14, so she had

to take the risk.

Sleep finally came in the middle of the night, but it wasn’t smooth.

The next morning, after a fitful night of sleep, Anna stumbled out to the kitchen to make John Lee’s

morning bottle. As she waited for it to be ready, she looked over at Jake, sleeping on the sofa. He looked

so cold. She should get him a blanket.

But then the hurt washed back over her, and she strengthened his resolve. Let him be cold.

She took the finished bottle of smart milk out of the maker, and went into her son’s room. The sight of

his little toddler smile always had the ability to lighten her heart, no matter how much she was hurting.

The next few days passed quietly. Jake apologized over and over again, trying desperately to get her to

forgive him.

At first she was stone cold to him, but as time went on, he was wearing down. He’d flash her that sexy

grin, and she would almost warm up to him.

Then she would remember what he had done, what she was afraid he’d do again, and she would turn

away. Jake would be sad to see her turn away, but he just kept trying.

In time, though, he won her over. Or wore her down. She wasn’t sure. But she was once again in his arms, and it felt like

home. It felt right.

“You know I love you with all of my heart, Anna. You’re the only woman I’ve ever really loved. You’re the mother of my son. I

can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

“The fact that I know you really mean that is the only reason I’m taking you back,” Anna replied. “I love you, Jacob Finch.”

“I love you, Anna Tester Finch.”

Anna melted into his arms, hoping with all of her soul that their problems were over – but fearing that they weren’t.

Life in the downtown Finch household quieted down a bit after that. Jake was true to his word, and

remained faithful to Anna. She even started to relax a bit.

As for John Lee, he was blissfully unaware of the tension that had been raging between his parents, and

in fact, by the time he was ready to transition into a child, that tension was gone. Anna had finally

completely forgiven Jake, and was trusting him.

And in fact, as she watched him bring his son to the cake, and help him blow out his candles, she was so

glad that she had relented. It was good to have their family whole for such a happy event.

Jake and Anna watched their son transition into an active, adorable child, and their love felt renewed.

All John Lee could see, though, was that he was suddenly huge!

“Wow, Mommy, Daddy, look how big I am! I can go to school now, yay! I can’t wait to meet all the other

kids!”

“Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little while, son,” Jake laughed. “At least until morning!”

The next few years passed in a blur of activity. Jake and Anna both worked hard on their careers, but

made sure to make plenty of time for each other, and for John Lee.

As for John Lee, he had a blast making friends with some of his cousins from New Riverblossom, and

enjoyed studying and learning just as much as he enjoyed playing with his friends.

It was a very happy time for the little family of three.

John Lee Finch was destined to be a heartbreaker when he grew older. He was such a handsome little

man, and so good to his friends and family. Jake and Anna couldn’t have been prouder of him.

They had chosen to only have one child, but they never felt the need for another. John Lee was all they

needed or could ever want. (Although, truth be told, each had, at times, imagined a little girl. It was

never to be, though.)

They were content, and the incident with Maggie was all but forgotten.

Before they knew it, John Lee had turned into a teenager. Bad transition clothing aside, he had turned

out pretty well so far, if his parents did say so themselves.

John Lee looked at his parents after he had finished growing, and when they asked him if he had decided

what he wanted to do with his life, he declared that yes, in fact, he had.

“I want to be a chef. I want to learn how to make the most intricate, delicious, mouthwatering meals, and

I want to make them for the women I date, so that they know how much I appreciate them. Women are

awesome!” (He rolled romance, and wants to be a Celebrity Chef.)

The peace that had lasted so long exploded one night, when Jake was visited by his (distant) cousin

Amanda. A small flirtatious gesture was exchanged between the two ex-lovers, and Anna, who was just

coming down to call Jake back up for dinner, erupted in fury.

Stomping her foot, she unleashed her wrath on the man in front of her. The man she had loved. The man

she now couldn’t help but hate, if only a little bit.

“You lying, cheating son of a bitch! How dare you, on our own property, cheat on me again!”

She couldn’t help herself – she had to slap him. She had to express her anger in a physical way! She

wanted to bring Amanda down to the ground too, but she knew the real villain here was Jake. She was

aiming her anger at its proper target.

“You don’t care how happy our family has been, you don’t care how much I love you, and you obviously

don’t care about me! I can’t take this anymore!”

Jake was shocked at what was happening. He had known what he was doing was wrong, but his common

sense was overridden by his flirtatious nature. He couldn’t seem to stop himself.

Just like he couldn’t seem to stop himself from slapping back as good as he had gotten. Something he

knew was a mistake even as his hand was reaching out.

Amanda slowly walked away, seeming almost to hate leaving the scene of the fight she had been

instrumental in starting. But she had a husband at home, and she knew she needed to return to him, and

thank her lucky stars that he hadn’t been there to witness what Anna had.

Then again, maybe they wouldn’t even notice if she hung around just to see what happened.

“Oh my God, Anna, I’m so sorry!” Jake exclaimed, as he was finally able to pull his hands away from her

face. He watched in horror as his palm print slowly appeared on her light green skin, and her expression

turned even more stony than before.

“Honest, honey, I’m so sorry. I never should have hit you back, no matter what! I know that. And I should

never have touched Amanda! I don’t know what came over me! I know it’s wrong, but I just can’t refuse

a flirt. But I’ll do better, I promise!”

As for Anna, she pulled away from Jake, shock invading her whole being. Had he really…did he

really…slap her? Had he really raised a hand to her? She knew he was a romancer at heart, but she never

thought he would hit her! She couldn’t believe it. The stinging in her cheek proved it, though.

Also, was that slut Amanda really hanging around, swinging, like nothing had happened?!?

“We are DONE, Jacob Finch. You have cheated on me for the last time, and you have DEFINITELY hit me

for the last time. You can have him, Amanda, I’m done!”

“I want you OUT, Jake. Just leave – I’ll send your things to your parents, and you can pick them up. I never

want you to walk through my front door again! I’ll be filing for a divorce in the morning!”

“Anna, no! I’m so sorry! I can be faithful, I can! Just give me one more chance!”

“No, Jake. I just can’t do it anymore. My heart can only break so many times! I’m done!”

Jake hung his head. He knew Anna. She was telling the truth – she really was done. And he deserved it.

“I really am sorry, Anna. I wish I could turn back time and stop this from happening.”

As she turned away in resolute silence, he sighed. “Will you tell John Lee I’ll call him tomorrow? I’d like to

try to find the words to explain this to him, to make sure he knows I still love him, no matter what.”

At Anna’s stern nod, he said, simply, “Thanks.”

Jake slowly walked away, his heart breaking at what he knew he had lost forever. He left the lot, headed

to a nearby motel. He found a local bar first, though, and went in to drown his sorrows.

When Jake had left, vanishing into the darkness of the city streets, Anna wheeled on Amanda, who was

still hanging around.

“As for you, you home wrecking hussy, you’ve had a great night, haven’t you? You broke us up! He’s all

yours now! Or will your husband have a problem with that?”

When Amanda didn’t reply, Anna poked her in the chest. “Get the hell off my property, you husband

stealing slut!” Amanda slunk off the lot, her metaphorical tail between her legs.

When Amanda had finally left, Anna was free to break down. She stood there, sobbing, without even

hearing her neighbor and friend, Craig Ray, walk up to her.

“Anna? Are you all right? How can I help you?”

“Oh, Craig! I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do to help. I just caught my husband cheating on me. I told

him I wanted a divorce, and I kicked him out. And it hurts so much!” She broke back down into sobs, her

heart feeling like it had shattered and was laying at her feet in the playground sand.

“Why wasn’t I enough for him? Why couldn’t he love me and only me?

What’s wrong with me?” This last was said in a sad, small voice that her friend hated hearing.

He pulled her into a friendly, consoling hug. “Darling, you are worth ten of your husband, if I can be so

bold to say. If he can’t keep his affections to you alone, then the problem lies with him, not with you.”

Anna’s tears soaked the shoulder of his suit, as she stood in his embrace. It was so nice to have a friend

there to console her and listen to her, now, when she needed it most. She was so lucky he had moved

into her building.

Finally, she pulled away.

“You are such a kind man, and such a good friend. Thank you for your nice words.”

“Do you need anything, my friend? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, please. Just go home to your apartment. I’m going to stay here and compose myself for just a

minute. Then I need to go inside and tell my teenaged son why his father isn’t coming home tonight.”

Craig didn’t like leaving her alone on the playground, but he had no choice to do as she wished. “Just

please call me if you need anything. I am here for you.”

Anna thanked him, and then watched him walk away. Tears burst from her again before she could stop

them, and she just stood there for ten minutes, crying. Finally, she composed herself and walked slowly

home, to tell her son…well, she didn’t know what she was going to tell him, but she’d find the words. She

had to.

The next morning, Jake signed the lease on a cheap apartment a couple of blocks away from Anna and

John Lee. He couldn’t afford much, because he had refused to take any of the money out of their joint

savings account , but he really didn’t care where he lived. He just needed a roof over his head and a bed

to sleep in at night. He took it furnished. Actually, the furniture was nicer than he would have thought it

would be, given the price of the place. Not that it mattered.

Once he had signed the lease and pocketed his keys, he wandered around, investigating his new home.

It didn’t take him long to find the communal bar, and it was a welcome sight. A little “hair of the dog,” so

to speak, was just what he needed this morning. It had been a long night. He had spent most of the

night in a bar, moaning to the bartender about what a jackass he had been, and about how it had cost

him the love of his life, the mother of his son. The bartender listened sympathetically, and kept the

drinks coming.

Every bar has a closing time, though, and when it came time to go, he shoved Jake out the door, shaking

his head. Jake had stumbled into a cheap motel, and spent the early morning hours sleeping on top of

the grungy looking bedspread.

In addition to the bar, Jake’s new apartment building also had a community hot tub. He changed into his

trunks to enjoy a soak, but decided before he did that he should call John Lee, to let him know where he

was.

He was intrigued to watch one of his neighbors – a hot redhead – slip into the tub of hot water while he

was on the phone.

“John Lee? It’s Dad.” Jake listened as his son let loose a stream of questions and accusations.

“Son, I’m so sorry. You should know that my leaving is not your Mom’s fault, and it very definitely has

NOTHING to do with you. I made a mistake, a big one, and your Mom was right to throw me out.”

John Lee got silent for a minute, and then asked his Dad if he was going to see him anymore.

“John Lee, I want to see you anytime you’ll have me. I took an apartment that was only a couple of

blocks away. You’re welcome to come over anytime you want.” Jake looked at the beauty in the hot tub.

“You might want to just call first, so that I know you’re coming,” he added. “You know, so I can clean up.”

“I love you, son.”

…..

“No, this is NOT your fault. I promise. Come see me soon, okay?” Jake listened as his son said a

mumbled, “sure,” that didn’t sound very sincere, then he said good-bye and hung up. He had to make

sure his son knew that no matter what, he would always love him.

His conversation over, Jake placed his cell phone on top of the bar and slipped into the hot tub, where he

found himself faced not just with the redhead, but also with a truly attractive dark haired woman.

He thought he might just like this single life after all. He had given married life a try, but the truth was,

he might just be more suited to being a bachelor. No ties meant no heart breaks, right?

So ends Jake’s short side story. All of these things happened on their own – I never initiated any of the

flirts or slaps. I did, however, tell Anna to break up with him the last time. She had been put through

enough, don’t you think?

Also, Jake better get used to picking up his trash can. Hee.

(There’s one more picture I have to show.)

Only Jake would have this kind of romantic luck. He moved into this apartment, and two of his three

neighbors are young women (and I haven’t even seen the third). He and Calista Fuchs (serenading him

here) have two bolts naturally, so ever since they made friends, they’ve been flirting with each other. I’m

sure they’ll be hitting the bed or hot tub soon after I go in to play him through summer.

Thank you for reading! I’ll be back with an update of the main PGT legacy soon. It’s been a long time! I’m

so glad to be playing and writing the Finches again. ☺ Also, I’m very new to this slideshare thing, so if

you see any problems or have any tips to make them better, please let me know! Thanks.