The last six months had been a disaster for Jacob, all told; heâ€™d lost three close friends, his entire inheritance, thousands of dollars of equipment and the respect from any peers in the arena of paranormal investigation. The news story about what had happened in Crenshaw Manor had been picked up by the national press and â€˜PSIâ€™ was now a dirty word in the legitimate ghost hunting community. Because when it was all said and done, all evidence they might have caught while doing an investigation that was so supernaturally charged it actually almost killed them all, was now gone forever at the bottom of a smoldering crater.<br/><br/>Thankfully Tori was still there for him, as well as Fish. Tori had offered her mother, Tina Morrisetteâ€™s apartment up for a place to crash, normally Jacob wouldnâ€™t inconvenienced her mom like that, but he honestly didnâ€™t have another option. His first thought was to ask Fish to crash at his place, but Al admitted that heâ€™d been bunking at Kassidy Konsignment before the Crenshaw case, Greg and Shanna let him have the back room. Now that theyâ€™d passed on, that wasnâ€™t an option so he was as homeless as Jacob. So now, Jacob felt the same of not only himself, but his friend as well, as unwanted house guests.<br/><br/>Thankfully Tina got on great with Fish; a few weeks after theyâ€™d moved in Jacob had come home and caught the two of them screwing on the couch, he never ended up saying anything to Tori about it though.  However, the feeling wasnâ€™t mutual for Jacob, and Tina had made it abundantly clear.<br/><br/>He could still remember the night theyâ€™d all sat down after dinner and a few too many glasses of wine, Tori started filling her mom in on what had really happened, not the media version, but what had really happened. Tina had sat and listened to the whole tale, Tori of course omitted the some of the more graphic sexual content, but honestly told her mom what had really happened, the honesty in her eyes was undeniable, but her mother wasnâ€™t having anything to do with it. She waved her hand at Tori, dismissively and then set right in on Jacob.<br/><br/>â€œJacob, you are handsome young man, I will admit thatâ€¦â€ She had giggled and finished her glass of wine in a single gulp. Everyone looked at each other, honestly wondering if Tina was actually going to hit on Jacob in front of her daughter after she recited the horror story theyâ€™d all been through.  â€œâ€¦. and I know that my beautiful daughter is capable of getting an even handsomer man if she sees fit, but I am Toriâ€™s motherâ€¦..Yes maybe I didnâ€™t birth her, but I still raised her, and I am telling you that there are certain instinctual urges that I donâ€™t have any power overâ€¦..I am her mom, and no matter how old she gets I will still always feel the need to protect herâ€¦.even if from herselfâ€¦..As such, you are a threat to my daughters safetyâ€¦.You have already almost gotten her killed once, and in no part of her torrid little tale did she mention you coming to her rescue like a shiny knight in armorâ€¦.So as far as I am concerned you are â€˜bad newsâ€™â€¦. â€œ Tina had said in an authoritative tone.<br/><br/>â€œMA!â€ Tori had yelled out in embarrassment.<br/>Jacob had clutched Toriâ€™s thigh to let her know it was alright and responded in turn, â€œYes ma-am-â€œ heâ€™d started to say before getting cut off.<br/><br/>â€œI am not finished! Iâ€™ve heard this little ghost story and I can tell you I smell bullshitâ€¦..I know the symptoms, Iâ€™ve seen the signs and Iâ€™ve been through it myselfâ€¦..Tori changed her whole persona, cut her hair, startedâ€¦.â€™self-mutilatingâ€™ with all those new piercingsâ€¦.They are all common signs of a young woman that has beenâ€¦.RAPED! Yes thatâ€™s right, I know this because Iâ€™ve been to all the groups, having been violated when I was still a young girl . Which also happens to be the reason I couldnâ€™t have children of my OWN!...Jacob!  Iâ€™ve been through it before!â€¦.She wants to change her appearance because subconsciously she believes that her old appearance had something to do with whatever trauma YOU put her through!â€ Tina berated Jacob.<br/>â€œMaâ€™amâ€¦I wound neverâ€¦â€ Jacob had trailed off, respectfully letting Toriâ€™s mother vent.<br/>â€œIâ€™m not saying that â€˜youâ€™ did, but you are responsible for putting her in that position and that isnâ€™t OKâ€¦.In short; YOU are BAD for my daughter..â€ Tina had started in again before Toriâ€™s embarrassment cut her off again.<br/>â€œMA!  What the FUCK? Jacob isnâ€™t â€˜badâ€™â€¦.â€ Tori said throwing her hands in the air. She knew Jacob was willing to take the verbal punishment but her own modesty wasnâ€™t, whether Jacob could endure it or not.<br/>â€œToriâ€¦. I know Iâ€™ve raised you with open philosophies about personal religious beliefs; but I am drawing the goddamn line here!...and this is not OK!....This is for your own good, and one day, maybe youâ€™ll even thank me!â€ Tina had said, shushing her daughter and returning her attention to Jacob.<br/>â€œJacob, You may stay for nowâ€¦ but mark my word, â€˜mister-handsome-pantsâ€™â€¦.I am watching your every move! And if you think I am going to wager my daughters safety for her happiness, YOUâ€™RE DEAD WRONG!!â€¦.Are WE clear?â€ Tina had stared at Jacob with same cold conviction the daemon Megot Vazhoul had used the last time they had talked, when sheâ€™d talked to me.<br/>It was awkward, to say the least, but the truth was Toriâ€™s mom had a point, and Jacob knew it, â€œyes maâ€™amâ€ He had answered and that was the end of that particular conversation.<br/><br/>The nightmares were also particularly bad... He often dreamed of a happy life with Tori and kid. A house and a fancy car just like the Talking Headâ€™s song promised, but then they would always twist into a darker direction at the last moment. Just as the realism of the details of these sublime illusions came into fruition, heâ€™d been confronted with a scene from the blacked out demon-rape session at the Crenshaw Manor. Sucking, Fucking,<span style="font-weight: bold">ENJOYING</span>the sexually powerful magiks that were in play that night. Every time he woke up in a cold sweat, knowing that the Daemon had had his woman before him and gagging on the fact. When heâ€™d finally managed to regain sleep again, they would be of the cold dead bodies of his friends. They still squirmed, writhing down in the oily abyss that is the home of the monster that took them; and not only that, he could see himself down in the pit that consumed them as well.<br/><br/>He had never waken up screaming, he knew full well that Tina was right; TorI was indeed worse off than him with concerns of physical and  mental stresses, so he wasnâ€™t concerned with his own wellbeing. He could sense it on her, and even though they hadnâ€™t had sex in weeks, they made love that night of the confrontation with her mother. It was realer than anything heâ€™d ever experienced in his life and it was almost as if Tori had something to prove.<br/><br/>So here we are today and Jacob works as a â€˜baristaâ€™ at Starbucks, for his girlfriend/lifepartner/manager that got him the job. He is no longer the dark cool semi-rich stud that wooed her, but a live-in-mooch that could only pay bills this month after selling his dead fatherâ€™s 68 Dodge Charger in his mind.<br/><br/>Jacob walks in the door of Toriâ€™s momâ€™s apartment and is greeted by his ecstatic girlfriend cheering about some contest in New Orleans.   She lays on the thick of it, selling the exciting adventure to her obviously depressed man.<br/>â€œBabeâ€¦.babyâ€¦What are we gonna go down there for?...I donâ€™t wanna get laughed atâ€¦.And  thatâ€™s obviously what they are offering â€¦.They know we donâ€™t have the equipment or the personnel  to compete in that sort of event! â€œJacob said, obviously exhausted from his day at work; not to mention the negative experience he and all his late-friends had received.<br/><br/>â€œBullshit man!â€ Fish interrupted, â€œWe started off this thing with lessâ€¦I have got a pretty good scavenged set upâ€¦.lets do it!â€<br/><br/>â€œWHAT? NO! NO, absolutely NOT!â€ Tina cut in. â€œI am not about to go an watch my â€˜baby â€˜ an d my â€¦.â€™new friendâ€™ go off on some CRAZY FUCKING ADVENTURE THAT GETS THEM KILLEDâ€¦NO! I FORBID IT!!!!!â€ Tina cried out.