The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
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marysuevirusTitle: The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
Chapter Fifty Eight: A Grand Affair
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.
Author's Notes: finally. fucking finally! that's all i can say. we get to this. technically, i had a chapter written and ready to go. (its been sitting in my drafts for ages) but i decided that i didn't want to post it all in one thing. so i split it into pieces and built other scenes around it. and here's what we get. whatever this is
The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link
The table in the dining area was silent and somber in the light of a new day. Rhia stared at the other faces clustered around her with a considering eye. No one looked as if they'd slept very well and she wondered, if only for a moment, if they'd all suffered through the same hellish nightmares she had. Then she decided that they hadn't, because no one else looked as shell shocked as she felt.
Nathaniel had, after pulling the details of her vision from her, suggested that the two of them go to the Circus to be with the rest of the pard and Jean Claude's people. She'd gotten the feeling that he'd thought they'd run into Aedan before sunrise, which would have gone a long way toward calming Rhia's nerves. But hardly anyone had been wandering the Circus when they'd finally arrived and so the two of them had gone straight to bed. Rhia could remember falling asleep with Nathaniel curled around her like a protective blanket. That's how she'd woken up, too, his breath stirring the hair resting against the back of her neck with each exhale. She'd laid in the warm circle of his embrace for a good long while, simply enjoying the uncomplicated feelings of love and safety that such a thing brought.
After he'd woken, they'd simply snuggled against one another for a long time until her stomach had rumbled, letting them know it was time to put food in it. And so they'd wandered to the kitchen. Where they'd found a small group sitting around the table, doing a whole lot of nothing.
Isis sat with her arms wrapped around herself, most likely wishing that Damian was there to hold her. Janika was also alone, but her hands were curled around a cup of coffee, steam rising from the cup to let them know that it was hot. Minette was huddled between Jason and Micah. Micah looked calm enough, but the hand on Minette's hand held tight, which made Rhia wonder if he was as unaffected as he appeared. Jason stared blankly at the table, his chair inched as close to Minette's as possible so that he was physically touching her. For once, it didn't look like that touch was doing either of them any good. Because Minette looked as if someone had killed a beloved pet.
No one had said anything as of yet, though Rhia suspected no one needed to. It was obvious they'd all heard about what had happened last night. And each of them had come to the same conclusion that Rhia had. Aedan had been involved in that mess.
Rhia wanted to break the silence, wanted to ask Minette since she knew the other woman best what this last crime scene would do to the necromancer. They all knew that each scene had been worse than the last, that the mounting violence had been doing strange things to Aedan. And Rhia had no doubt that this one would fuck her up in ways they couldn't comprehend. But Rhia didn't know how to do it without disturbing the fragile peace that they all had. And it was fragile. So fragile that a breath drawn the wrong way would shatter it. So she kept the question to herself, wondered how long the silence would last before it splintered and cracked.
As it happened, it was the woman weighing heavily on Rhia's mind that broke the silence. By strolling almost lazily into the room wearing an over-sized t-shirt and a pair of leggings while trying to finger comb some amazingly large snarls from her hair. It was plain to see she'd just crawled out of bed and she looked... rested? Rhia puzzled over that. Last she'd known, Aedan wasn't sleeping. So what had changed that?
She ambled over to the refrigerator, a massive stainless steel thing that looked more like an armoire than a fridge, and opened the door to peer inside. Seconds later, she shut the door and reached up to open the can of Coke she'd withdrawn from the interior of the box. Then she wandered over to the table and sat, sipping at her chosen beverage as her eyes slid around the table. "Every last one of you looks like you've just come from a funeral," she told them.
It was Minette who roused herself from her horror and her surprise first in order to answer. "And you look like you've slept." It came out sounding more like an accusation than anything else.
"Yeah. Its a thing I tend to do on occasion. You should try it once in a while," Aedan returned. She sounded... playful? Okay. Something weird was going on here.
"But... Last night," Minette replied, tone suggesting that should be all that needed saying. Maybe it was, because Aedan's look sobered quickly enough.
"What about it?"
"You were at the crime scene, weren't you?" Minette asked her. The woman's voice was nearly a whisper, as if she feared invoking the wrath of some ancient, powerful deity who took great joy in casting pain down upon the mortal plane.
It took Aedan a moment to answer. Rhia saw the way her face closed off, the way the light left her eyes until everyone was staring at emptiness. It was almost the same emptiness that the vampires had, and it was scary to see it on a human being's face. "I was there."
"How bad was it?" Minette's voice came out as a whisper. Jason and Micah reacted to some change in Minette that Rhia couldn't sense. Micah's hand tightened on Minette's arm and Jason inched even closer.
"You don't really want to know, Minette." Though Aedan's tone was even and almost pleasant, the look on her face made the words seem like her own accusation. Rhia wondered at that, but the moment passed when Isis uncoiled her arms from around herself and settled her hands on the table. Nervous habit saw her twisting her fingers around one another.
"I saw the news, Aedan. The media wasn't releasing any information." It was an invitation to talk about what she'd seen.
"Because the police aren't releasing any information," Aedan told her. It was a polite way of saying that Aedan wasn't going to give them what they were looking for.
"It was the demon summoner, wasn't it?" Rhia asked softly. Aedan shifted her attention to the witch and stared for a moment. Then something in her look changed and Aedan's lips twisted into a frown.
"It was." She said it almost cautiously, as if she was testing the waters. They stared at one another across the surface of the table, the necromancer and the witch, and Rhia saw it when understanding dawned in Aedan's eyes. Then the look was gone, and Aedan's face closed down even further than it had previously, which was something of an accomplishment. Aedan's gaze flicked Nathaniel's way for a moment. Whatever she saw in his eyes only added to the emptiness. When Aedan's attention returned to Rhia, she could see a touch of sadness and pity lurking in the back of her stare. "I'm sorry, Rhia. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
Rhia looked for something to say. How did one respond to an apology made over a nightmare when the person offering the apology had actually seen the nightmare live and in person? She didn't know. But it ended up not mattering because Minette's gaze slid between the two women, back and forth several times, before she sat up in her chair. "Wait a minute. Rhia, are you saying you had a vision about whatever happened at that crime scene?"
"No," Rhia shook her head.
"She didn't have a vision. She Saw it." The way Aedan spoke made it clear that the word 'saw' was capitalized. It was an odd, important distinction that Rhia was trying hard not to analyze too closely. Minette's attention slid to Aedan, but Aedan was watching Rhia with sorrow-filled eyes. "Basically when I did. As if she was seeing it through my eyes. And that's a horror I don't know that I'd wish on my most hated enemy."
"But... you can't do that!" Minette's words were definitely an accusation. That caught Aedan's attention and she finally turned a look toward the other woman.
"We can't really quantify what Rhia can and can't do. Just because she's never Seen an event happen in real time before doesn't mean she isn't capable. It means that whatever powers she has are not as set and defined as we thought. I think that goes for all of us, actually."
Minette stared at her friend, mouth hanging open in shock. She was obviously having problems with something. "You sound so calm and rational about all of this," Minette finally replied. And this time, it was an accusation. And then some. Rhia had to wonder what Minette was accusing Aedan of, exactly. "You must have seen something superbly horrible last night. I don't know about anyone else, but I got hit with the sensation that the scene you were at was... beyond description. Beyond definition. And yet, you're as calm as I've ever seen you."
Aedan lifted a brow at the other woman. "Your point?"
Something in Aedan's tone saw the other woman backing down. Just a little bit. Every single eye at the table was riveted on the two of them, waiting to see what would happen next. Their interaction made it obvious that there were still some lingering issues between them they hadn't worked out yet. Rhia was starting to wonder if such an event would come to pass, because Aedan struck her as the type who didn't forgive and didn't forget. And, despite her power and her status, Minette almost acted like she was afraid of the other woman.
For a few moments, it looked like Minette was going to let it go and not pursue it any further. But the way Micah's hand tightened on Minette's own must have given her courage. The way Jason's hand stroked her arm must have convinced her to continue. Because Minette pinned Aedan with a look that was sharp and assessing. "My point is that you're far too calm for what you must have seen last night. You forget. I've known you for a long damn time. I know exactly how all the death and horror affects you. And I know that you bottle all of this shit up inside, hold on to it. You do that with your anger, too. Until you have no choice but to explode. I've seen it happen. You should be freaked out and angry and guilt-ridden and a whole plethora of other things. But you're not."
Aedan said nothing, merely gave Minette another look that was filled with disdain. It was likely not meant as an invitation to continue, but the Nimir-Ra took it as one, anyway.
"The only time you're ever calm about this stuff is if you've talked to someone," Minette paused. Rhia saw a sadness and confusion fill Minette's eyes. "You don't talk to me about the crime scenes anymore."
"You stopped wanting to know what I saw," Aedan reminded her. It wasn't mean or defensive. Merely a point to be made. If the other scenes Aedan visited looked anything like the one Rhia had dreamt of last night, she couldn't blame Minette for not wanting to know about them.
"Fair enough. Do you blame me? I've seen how you react. Either you get so angry that I feel like you're going to hurt people or you bury it deep inside. And then you don't eat or sleep. And you drink. You don't do calm," Minette told her. Rhia shouldn't have been surprised by Aedan's less than healthy coping mechanisms. But she was. And it made her wonder just how Aedan had managed to visit so many crime scenes without going mad or falling apart.
"There's something wrong with me being calm?" The question was asked with a touch of humor before Aedan took another drink from her can of Coke.
"There is when that's not normal for you," Minette snapped. She was apparently having a hard time figuring Aedan out. That made two of them. "You should be raging like a storm. Ranting and raving about how horrible everything is. Or holed up inside of yourself. Not being calm and collected. Not making lame jokes. Not being so relaxed. Its almost like you..."
Minette's words trailed off on a loud, obnoxious gasp and she really stared at Aedan. Her eyes got round as saucers and one hand lifted so she could point a finger accusingly at the other woman. "You got laid!" Minette announced. "You actually slept with him."
Everyone turned to look at Aedan, who was still calm and collected and not at all put out by the other woman's theatrics. "Yes. And?" Aedan asked dryly.
"Oh, my God! Its about time!" Minette shot back. The look of disbelief faded away into something a little slyer and far more knowing. "How was it? Did he wear you out? Did he go down on you? Tell me everything!"
Aedan took another drink and leveled a look on Minette. "I don't kiss and tell."
Isis' gaze shifted from Aedan, to Minette, then back to Aedan. Her eyes went wide. "Whoa! Did you finally get naked with Jean Claude?"
"Its about damn time," Janika interjected, not bothering to wait for Aedan to confirm that bit of news. She shared a look with Aedan that Rhia had a hard time deciphering. Until a soft smile spread across Janika's face. And was then mirrored by Aedan. Rhia considered it a moment. Then she decided that their personal business was just that. Unless they chose to make it her business, as well. So she let it go and focused on the more important part of the conversation.
"Does this mean you two are a couple now?" Rhia asked, trying to figure it all out. Last she'd heard, Aedan and Jean Claude were barely on speaking terms. Their relationship had been a series of ups and downs that suggested some kind of strong emotions between them. This development was good. At least on the surface. She just didn't want to see Aedan step blindly into a serious relationship with someone she barely knew or might have problems with.
"I don't know. We didn't talk about attachments. There wasn't much thought given to that. What happened between us was a spur of the moment thing," Aedan admitted. She frowned, face taking on a look that suggested she was thinking about it.
"Well, what do you want from him, sweetie?" This question came from Janika. Aedan looked up, the frown deepening.
"I don't know. I guess I want something that lasts. I don't want him to think he has to have sex with me because its expected or whatever. I want it to be genuine. And I think it is. Whatever it is," Aedan replied. She let her gaze slide around the table. "I don't want it to simply be sex. I want more than that. But I don't know if he knows what he wants. Not to mention it hasn't really been all that long since Anita died. He still has that to process and the feelings that go along with it to sort out. So I don't know. Maybe we're a couple?"
"Are you going to keep going on dates with him?" Rhia wondered. For that one week, when the two of them were dating, Aedan had seemed happier. It had almost felt like she and Jean Claude were teenagers. Because, to be perfectly honest, most of their dates had been kind of ridiculous. But maybe, given Aedan's serious nature, maybe that ridiculousness was exactly what she'd needed.
"Dates would be good." That statement prompted a soft smile. It was, perhaps, the softest look Rhia had ever seen on the other woman's face.
"I think dates will almost be a given." The comment came from an unlikely source and all eyes turned to Jason. He'd lost some of the numbness that had clung to him earlier and he looked a little more like himself. Still a touch freaked out, but not as much as before. Jason was staring at Aedan as if he'd never seen her before. Maybe there was something different about her that Rhia couldn't sense or see. "He gets invitations to all kinds of functions. The ones that came before..." his voice trailed off a moment and silence took over. Then Jason physically shook himself and pushed on. "The ones that came before that night on the road were for him and Anita. People liked to see him with his human servant. It made the Master of the City seem more approachable. More... "
"Human," Aedan supplied for him. She sounded like she had a very low opinion of that idea.
"Yes," Jason nodded. "Exactly. And Jean Claude likes to be seen. He especially likes to be seen with an attractive woman on his arm."
Aedan snorted and drank more of her Coke. "He'd be better off taking Rhia with him, then. Or any of you." Everyone at the table except for Minette gave Aedan a look, as if they couldn't believe she'd said that. She ignored the look, telling Rhia that she honestly believed what she'd said.
"Stop that," Minette ordered. "You're beautiful. And he sees it. Don't make me kick your ass for being stupid."
"Minette is right, Aedan." Micah's voice was calm and peaceful, as it generally was. But there was an underlying thread of steel there that said maybe he hadn't liked her comment very much and he wanted her to understand that. For her part, Aedan looked absolutely unfazed by the whole thing. "I have never seen Jean Claude devote so much attention to any woman he wasn't attracted to. He finds you attractive. Very attractive, obviously."
Aedan gave him a look that might have had a little more scorn in it than she'd meant it to have. Rhia recognized it for the diversionary tactic it was. Then she shrugged. "I have power. Power he needs. He finds that attractive. Not me." Her tone was very matter of fact. As if this was simply another statement similar to saying water was wet. Almost before she'd even finished that statement, she spoke again. It was an effective way to keep anyone from trying to argue with her on the last point. "Also, there is a huge difference between being attractive and being beautiful."
It was a not very subtle rebuke. Aedan rose from her chair, taking the can with her. They all watched as she finished her Coke off and dumped the can into the bin. Then she headed for the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready for work. I have a full schedule tonight and I need to get in early to do some paperwork." Seconds later, she was gone.
"Did we just get schooled?" Minette asked, gaze sliding around the table so that it landed on each person sitting there.
"No," Micah said with a shake of his head. There was a touch of laughter in his voice. "I just got schooled. Jean Claude has got so much trouble on his hands."
~*~*~*~*~
"Miss Kinkade, I've got a gentleman here to see you. I realize you've got a fairly tight schedule tonight, but he's insistent," Craig, the night secretary, said into the phone. His eyes never looked away from the man standing across from him as he listened to whatever Aedan said on the other line. "Very good, Miss Kinkade. I'll inform him and send him back."
The receiver was returned to its cradle as Craig scribbled something on the open page of the book in front of him. Then he lifted his head and gave his best professional smile. "Miss Kinkade said she can spare five minutes. You can go back now. End of the hall. Last door on the left." One hand gestured toward the hall as a visual guide as to which way he was supposed to go.
He nodded his head in thanks, then turned and made his way up the hall. Her office was easy to find, the door sitting ajar. He didn't bother announcing himself, simply stepped into the silent room and pushed the door closed behind him. She was bent over a file, pen moving slowly over a yellow legal pad set over to the side. She did not look up, nor did she speak. So he crossed the floor and took a seat across from her. And waited.
It was silent, save the soft scratch of the ball point moving over the paper, for all of thirty seconds before she heaved a sigh. "Look. I seriously only have five minutes. So either say what you're going to say or leave. I don't have time for this. And you're lucky I'm not charging you for my time."
"Well, I guess I should be glad you're functioning after last night," he drawled slowly. Aedan lifted her head and frowned.
"Edward? What are you doing here?"
"Do I need a reason to visit?" he asked her. Before she could come up with an answer, he pushed on. "In case you've forgotten, I'm being paid an extremely obscene fee to play babysitter to you by your boyfriend."
Aedan rolled her eyes at that. "I don't need a babysitter. I got a full day's sleep and had real food before coming to work and everything. Which you would have known, had you actually been here."
"You know full well I had to make a trip back to New Mexico. Check in with Donna and make sure the kids were behaving themselves. It looks like I shouldn't have bothered. Everyone was fine and you were over here, having all kinds of fun without me," he commented. "And I'm still your babysitter until I hear otherwise from your boyfriend."
Aedan set her pen down and folded her hands across the surface of her desk. "Yes. I had so much fun last night and you missed it. You missed me nearly losing it and blowing chunks all over the crime scene. Multiple times. You missed me having so much trouble getting the key into the ignition of my car that Jean Claude broke through my shields to use our connection so he could tell me he was coming to get me because he didn't want me driving. You missed buckets of blood and guts and babies torn to shreds and body parts and..."
"Aedan, stop. Take a breath," Edward cut across her tirade. She stopped and blinked at him, as if only just realizing that she was getting maybe a touch hysterical. She obviously had no clue that she was white as a sheet. Which meant it had been probably the worst crime scene she'd visited. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge it all back up. I can't imagine what it must have been like."
She stared at him for several long seconds, eyes clouded with remembered horror. Then she finally blinked and the look was gone. She returned her attention to the file before her. "If you came to make sure I survived that hell, you needn't have bothered. I told you. I slept the day away. A dreamless, restful sleep. I ate when I got up. A full meal. I'm as right as I'm going to be after having seen something like that. You can go do whatever it is you do when I'm not being a pain in anyone's ass."
He ignored that and circled back to her previous speech. "So your boyfriend didn't want you to drive. Does that mean he actually picked you up at a crime scene?"
"No. He picked me up a few streets over. Where I drove my car. Because the press was there and I didn't feel like it was a good thing to have a breakdown in front of all those cameras. And before you say anything, I was cautious and careful. And I pulled over as soon as I was well away from the scene," she told him. Then she frowned at him. "And please stop calling him my boyfriend. He isn't anything of the sort."
She said it like it was a well known fact. Like Edward hadn't known the vampire longer than she had. Like he didn't know how the undead bastard worked. Anita had been adamant, back in the beginning, that she'd never fall prey to his charms. At first, it had looked like she'd meant it. But time had passed. Jean Claude had pressed. And she'd ended up giving in. Look where that had gotten her.
"Maybe not now, Aedan. But give him time. He'll find a way past your defenses. Either he'll charm you until you drop your walls or he'll simply wear you down. You can't let him do that. Look at what being close to him did to Anita. I don't want to see that happen to you," he told her quietly.
"Its a little too late to be worried about that, isn't it? They already want me dead," she replied. As if he needed the reminder that she'd put a target on her own back.
"I'm serious, Aedan. Don't let him in. Don't let him charm you out of what you have left of your heart. Nothing good will come of it," he told her. She looked entirely like she wasn't going to listen. So he felt it necessary to push the point. "Don't let him try to steal the last bit of your heart, Aedan. He's smart and he's cunning and he'll find a way past your defenses. He'll wait until you're at a low and then he'll..."
His words trailed off as he stared at her. Halfway through his speech, she'd dropped her gaze back to her desk and was presently doing her best to look as if she was merely busy and not avoiding looking at him. But he'd known Aedan long enough to know her tells. And this was a tell. One that was practically screaming at him. It didn't take him long to figure out what it was she didn't want him to know. "Oh, my God. Aedan. You had sex with him already. Didn't you?"
The undertone of disappointment in his voice, which he hadn't meant to let her hear, brought her head up. Her gaze locked with his and she snarled at him. "What I have or haven't done with him, or anyone else, is none of your business. I'm an adult and I make my own decisions. I don't need your permission to fuck anyone."
"Aedan." He shook his head. He should have known Jean Claude would use something like an extremely traumatic crime scene to take advantage of her.
"No, Edward. You don't get to lecture me on this. Don't even think about trying. I can tell by looking at your face that you think he used me for his own ends. Poor little Aedan. So freaked out by the shit she's seen that she falls willingly into the cunning vampire's arms." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "I hate to disappoint you, but that isn't what happened. He was going to put me to bed and let that be the end of it. I was the one who instigated everything. I'm the one who wanted to have sex. That's all on me because I wanted to, just once in my life, feel like a normal fucking human being. Not someone's toy. Not someone's tool. Not some fucking freak of nature. A normal fucking human. I think I'm entitled to just that small bit of happiness."
"You could have looked for that happiness with someone else," he reminded her.
"With who? Someone normal? Who do you know that's normal that would want to get involved in my insane life? No one, Edward. That's who. There isn't a single normal human on the face of the planet that would want to get involved in my shit. Except you, apparently, because you're always up in my shit. You offering me that slice of happiness?"
"You know I'm not," he replied quietly. Even if he hadn't been involved with Donna, he wouldn't want to go there.
She snorted. "Just like I said. There isn't a normal human on the face of this planet who would want to put themselves into the world I live in."
"You don't know that. You haven't met all the humans on the face of the planet," he said.
"You have? How many people do you know, that you've personally met, that would be up for what my life is like? How many do you know that wouldn't run screaming the first time I came home covered in someone else's blood? Or my own." He hated that she sounded so pessimistic. That wasn't who she was supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to be so cynical at such a young age. "Anyone who willingly wanted to be part of my life would either be some kind of groupie, and I wouldn't allow someone like that among the vampires, or a hunter trying to make another kill from the inside, who would die by my hand before they even got close enough to hurt anyone I cared about."
The look she shot him made it clear she meant every word she said.
"You make it sound like there isn't a single soul on this planet who would want you for you. For nothing other than your personality and your companionship."
"Jesus fuck, Edward," she laughed. It was the unhappiest sound he'd ever heard. "Have you actually met me?"
"I just don't want you to get hurt because of him, Aedan," he told her. She shrugged.
"I'm going to get hurt, no matter what I do or who I do it with. This way, I can at least do it with someone who understands what I am. Not someone who has an unrealistic concept of what it is I can do." She shook her head at him, the look she wore suggesting the conversation was over. "Your five minutes are up. I have a very busy, very tight schedule and if I give you anymore time tonight, it'll get fucked up. Believe it or not, I want to go home and sleep after work. I still feel like death warmed over."
He heaved a sigh and rose to his feet. "Don't think that this conversation is over, Aedan. I don't think you understand what you've gotten yourself into. But I know when to stop beating my head into the brick wall. So I'll go and let you work. But we will revisit this discussion again when you don't have work to protect you. And you will listen to me." He made sure she heard the promise in his voice. It might have come out sounding more like a threat. If it had, so be it.
He let himself out of the office without another word.
~*~*~*~*~
"Good evening, ma mie," Jean Claude said into the phone. He felt Aedan pause on the other end of the line, then felt the rush of warmth she tried hard to keep from him. It was a definite change from the agitation he'd felt from her earlier. He'd been tempted to call her then, just to check and ensure she was well. But he'd let it go. And then an interesting piece of mail had landed on his desk. And he'd found that he needed to call her anyway.
"Hi," she replied. He heard the faint sound of cloth rubbing against leather as she shifted in her chair. He imagined she was putting work aside for a moment, making herself comfortable for the duration of their call. "To what do I owe this interruption?" The question came out normally, little by way of heat or accusation in her voice. More likely it was a welcome distraction from her paperwork.
"I have received an invitation to a gala event. It is for both of us," he informed her.
"Like a black tie kind of affair?" she inquired.
"Of course."
There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "I guess that means I have to go shopping. Because I don't have anything that would work for a black tie affair. When is this event?"
"Less than a week," he said. She muttered a few very bad words.
"That's kind of last minute, isn't it?"
"It is very last minute." To be honest, he was surprised he'd received an invitation. There had been few of those to major events since Anita's death, which had been an unasked for blessing. Because it had meant not having to answer questions or deal with things he wasn't prepared to deal with yet. "But the MarSin Gala is one of the biggest and most important galas in the city. It is attached to a charity that tries to help an assortment of groups in need. It is considered a big deal to receive an invitation at all."
"Not for you. You've been invited before." There was certainty in her voice that made him smile.
"I have. But many people in the business world believe it is unwise to ignore the Master of the City."
"Especially when that Master of the City tends to have very successful businesses that help boost the city's tourist trade."
"Just so," he replied. Her intelligence pleased him to no end, though he couldn't put a name on why. Or he chose not to do so just yet. "Do you think you can rearrange your schedule to attend the gala?"
"I'll see what's on the books. Try to do what I can to keep the customers happy." She sounded like she wasn't quite sure she really wanted to do that. But he knew she understood the importance of this event.
"Will you allow me to assist you in purchasing a gown for the event? I would be pleased to do the honor of giving you such a gift." He distinctly recalled her saying she didn't want to be a kept woman. So surely she would accept a gift from him for such an important occasion.
She took her time in considering his request before letting go a short, soft sigh. "I suppose. I mean, I know nothing about this event so having input would likely not be a bad thing."
"You do not sound convinced," he said. He could hear the reluctance in her voice. His words were an invitation to speak her mind. Perhaps if they tried to actually communicate instead of simply glaring at one another, their lives together might be easier.
"It isn't that. Its just.. Everything is still very much up in the air where we're concerned." She paused a moment or two before he heard a very soft exhalation of breath. As if she was steeling herself for something. "I don't know where last night puts us. I suspect you don't really know, either. This is very new territory for me. When I told you I never did the things normal teens did, I wasn't kidding. Which means there was no dating. And I never had boyfriends. Or girlfriends."
"Whatever relationship we have, or do not have, does not affect that you will occasionally need to appear in public, on my arm, as my human servant. This is one of those occasions," he told her gently.
"I understand that. I really do. But that still doesn't change that I do not know how to act in social situations such as this. I've never done anything like this before. I don't want to embarrass you or myself. We both know I'm not a very diplomatic person."
He chuckled softly at her last statement. "You can be very diplomatic when you try, ma mie. But you have nothing to worry over. You will be with me and I can offer assistance if a situation arises with which you are uncertain. You will not embarrass either one of us."
She sighed again, louder this time. He felt something fleeting behind it. "I'm sorry. I'm just kind of on edge. I'm really out of my comfort zone."
"Do you want to discuss it?" he offered. "Did you suffer nightmares while you slept? Images of last night?"
"No. I wish that's all that had me on edge," she admitted. "To be honest, I think you helped keep the nightmares away. Thank you for that. Thank you for pulling me out of that hell. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there for me."
The honest sincerity in her voice warmed him. "I will always be there for you when you need me, ma mie."
"Thank you, Jean Claude. That means a lot."
"Will you tell me why you were agitated earlier?" he inquired softly.
"Earlier?" she echoed. For a moment, he thought she might try to brush it off, but then she gave a huff of a laugh. "Oh. Right. Earlier. My babysitter stopped by. He heard about the crime scene from last night. He wanted to make sure I was okay."
"And that upset you?" Jean Claude was puzzled. Why would Edward's visit upset her?
"Not in and of itself," she replied. "It was when the topic of discussion turned to you that it got really bothersome."
"Ah. I see. He tried to warn you away from me?" That sounded very much like something Edward would do.
"Yes. He seems to think you'll put my life in danger. He seems to think that you're the reason Anita's life was in danger." Jean Claude had suspected that Edward blamed him for Anita's death. To have it confirmed so bluntly was depressing, though not surprising.
"He does not like me. Or any other vampire," Jean Claude said softly.
"No. He doesn't. He doesn't like that I'm tied up in your life and your affairs. Though I don't get why its such a big deal to him. He would have happily killed me when we first met," she told him. It was as much as she'd ever told him about her life before coming to St. Louis. He put that aside for the moment so that he could very carefully parse her words. There was something buried within them that she hadn't told him yet. Something that would explain the agitation he'd felt earlier.
"He knows you and I had sex," Jean Claude guessed.
"Yeah. He isn't happy about it," she admitted.
"I am sorry to have put you in such a situation, ma mie," he apologized.
"Don't be. You weren't the one who wanted to have sex. That was all on me. He'll live. He might not like it, but he'll live. Let me worry about him." She made it sound like Edward wouldn't do anything in his powers to keep the two of them apart if that was what he wanted. He decided not to call her on that and instead turned his attention back to the reason he'd called her in the first place. "We should purchase a gown for this gala as soon as possible. In case any alterations are needed."
He swore he could hear her roll her eyes over the phone. The image of that made him smile for some reason. Then there was a soft tapping noise, the gentle click of keys being pressed. "Okay. I have my schedule pulled up. Let's talk about galas and shopping."
~*~*~*~*~
The gown was like nothing she'd ever owned before, much less imagined wearing. True to his word, Jean Claude had arranged for an evening shopping trip at one of the most exclusive boutiques in the city. The owner, someone who'd practically been salivating at the idea of selling something to the Master of the City, had kept the shop open just for them. And he'd set up a fashion show to properly display his wares. Model after model had come from a back room to parade before them in long, gorgeous gowns. They'd all had elegant hair styles and expertly done make up. Jewels had flashed and sparkled at their throats and ears. Aedan had been more than a little intimidated by the whole thing.
She hadn't really cared for many of the gowns they'd been shown. They'd all been too long or too revealing or too something. Very few of them had felt like something she'd wear. She hadn't been kidding when she'd said she'd never had reason to wear those. And from a practical stand point, none of them had worked. No matter how many times Jean Claude had assured her that she wouldn't need to be armed at this gala, she still couldn't shake the feeling that she needed something she could carry weapons with. So it had taken them more than two hours to find a dress she'd liked well enough to wear for a full evening. And it was definitely not a dress one could conceal a weapon under.
Which was why she felt almost naked in the floor length gown and the rich velvet wrap she wore over it to cover her shoulders. The dress she'd finally agreed to was strapless and sleeveless. It had a sweetheart bustline that was covered with lace and rhinestone floral applique designs. More of the designs crept down the form-fitting bodice to dot the gown here and there around her waist and hips and thighs. The material hugged her form until it reached her knees, where the skirt flared out on a mermaid's tail, with even more of the applique work running around the hem. The gown was made up of two layers. The under layer was a deep, sapphire blue silk that matched Jean Claude's eyes almost perfectly while the over layer was of black mesh. It looked like she was cloaked in the night sky.
To finish off her look, someone had been paid a good deal of money to pull the top of her hair back and work it into an intricately twisted knot, then put thick sausage curls into the hanging ends. There were a pair of hair sticks tucked into the bun at an angle, each one's top encrusted with winking stones. She'd been made up, with light colors applied to her skin so that it appeared she was barely made up at all. There was a touch of shimmer on her eyelids to add color, as well as on her lips. And there was the eyeliner and mascara that helped make her eyes stand out. A choker of stiffened lace encircled her throat. It was the same lace that had been appliqued to the gown, complete with rhinestones and a single black tear drop pearl hanging from it. A soft velvet wrap kept her shoulders warm and the heels she wore were high, and encased in silver.
Jean Claude was a calming presence beside her, midnight hair shining against the duller black of his evening coat. Of course he'd gone with his own fashion sense, choosing to wear a tux that would have been at home on a well-to-do gentleman of the mid-1800s than on a modern man. The coat had tails in the back that hung to his knees. The front had satiny lapels that shone against the matte black of the coat. The front bottom came to points, with satin covered buttons that were mere decoration, because the edges of the coat did not meet. Instead, they remained open at the waist to show the vest he wore beneath it.
The vest was a deep, midnight blue that somehow looked like it matched her dress with its two layers of color. The vest was embroidered with fleur de lis in silver thread and there were only a few buttons on the front, located down on the bottom. That meant that a good expanse of his snow white shirt was left exposed to view. It had one of those straight, high collars that hugged his throat. His tie was a black silk bow tie, with pointed ends just like those she'd seen in photos and period pieces. He looked good enough to eat.
Aedan watched as the limo eased its way through a crowd of people, most with cameras and microphones, toward the gaping entrance into a parking garage. She shot a look his way, her question obvious by the confusion on her face. "The gala has a press room where only invited reporters are allowed to wait. Anyone who so chooses may go there and have their photo taken for the next issue of whatever newspaper or magazine the reporter and their photographer represent."
"I... think I like that idea. And we can absolutely avoid the press room because I am not ready to be out to the rest of the world yet. It was bad enough having to be outed to the preternatural world," she replied softly.
"I am sorry that you had to suffer through that. There was no other way," he told her quietly. He sounded sincere in his regret. Aedan smiled and reached up to lay a hand against his cheek. It still felt weird to touch him like this, in such an intimate manner, as if it had always been her right.
"Water under the bridge, right? Let's hope that tonight goes far better than that night did."
"Yes. Let us hope." The smile he gifted her with was soft and small and secret. She was tempted to lean up and press a kiss to his lips, but the car was coming to a halt. That, and the Wicked Truth were sitting there, watching them. Not that she thought the brothers would have problems with a show of affection. But it was all still very new to Aedan and she just wasn't sure what she was ready to share with everyone else yet. So she let her hand drop and settled back in the seat with her side pressed against Jean Claude's body.
When the car came to a full and complete stop, Truth pushed the door open and stepped out onto the concrete floor of the parking garage. After a moment of looking around, he turned and offered his hand. "If you'll allow me, Aedan?" he said. It surprised her, just a bit, because most of the other time she'd been in the Wicked Truth's presence, they'd both chosen to remain silent. She wasn't sure what had changed, but she didn't think it was such a bad thing. She offered him a smile and laid her hand in his.
"Thank you, Truth," she replied and allowed him to help her from the car. When she was on her feet, she went up on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You look very handsome tonight."
He did. He and his brother were both in modern day tuxes, their vests a brighter shade of blue than Jean Claude's and embroidered with silver thread. She didn't think there was a specific pattern, but how was she supposed to spend time staring at the vest when it was much more interesting to stare at his face. She had no doubt that the expertly tailored coats hid weapons, as there was no way Jean Claude would go anywhere without armed guards with the threat of the Harlequin hanging over her head. But there were no tell-tale bulges that spoke of firearms.
"And you are beautiful," he returned. She would have sworn he was only repaying her kindness, but the heat in his eyes said he believed it. And she was forced to remember the time she'd been sandwiched between himself and his brother, riding both of them and the arduer to completion because of Augustine and his desires. That memory brought a faint blush to her cheeks.
"She is very beautiful," Jean Claude said, then simply flowed out of the car as if he was liquid. She knew it was vampire grace and vampire tricks, but it was mesmerizing to watch. She could watch him, and any other vampire, move all day long. He took his place at her side and put his hand on the small of her back. A hint of added pressure in his touch saw her start forward toward the doors of the elevator that would no doubt take them to the location of this gala event. A pair of men dressed in their own tuxes stood guard at the doors, no doubt to prevent any unwanted guests from accessing the party.
Truth took his place before the two of them, long hair swaying against the back of his tux jacket as he walked. The coat did nothing to hide the delicious turn of his ass under the well fitted trousers he wore and she allowed herself a few moments of simply staring at his backside as it worked. She didn't miss the way Jean Claude's lips quirked up into a knowing smile, as if he was amused by her sudden interest in the men around her.
It wasn't so much that she was just suddenly interested in looking at all of the gorgeous men around her. She'd always noticed their almost unnatural beauty, had always been caught up and enrapt by it. But she'd never before really allowed herself to admit as much to herself. Something, some weight, had been lifted from her shoulders that night with Jean Claude. She couldn't explain it any other way. She just suddenly felt like she was capable of taking a moment to explore their physical beauty.
She felt Wicked fall into place behind them, bringing up the rear of their little group. She wasn't sure what the people who'd put the gala together would think of Jean Claude arriving with a pair of armed vampires at his back, but she suspected the organizers would bend over backward to make him feel welcome. She wasn't going to worry overmuch about how the Wicked Truth would be received. No doubt the women in attendance would be glad to see them.
The four of them stepped into the elevator, which was manned by another tuxedoed man. He offered them a faint, professional smile, and then pushed a button. Twentieth floor. The top of the modest building.
The ride up was made in silence. Any other time, it would have put Aedan on edge. But she was surrounded by death, the power of each of the vampires with her curling around her like some kind of protective blanket. Being wrapped in that much power made her feel safe. And cherished.
As they neared their floor, she watched as Jean Claude reached into his coat. His hand came back out with a white rectangle embossed with silver writing. Their invitation, no doubt. The moment the door slid open, Truth stepped out before them. She and Jean Claude followed, his hand casually handing the invitation to someone standing to the right of the doors. The man glanced at it briefly, no doubt checking the name on the card. If he was impressed, it didn't show. He only nodded his head and motioned toward the interior of the room into which they'd just stepped. "Thank you and enjoy your evening, sir. Miss."
Then they were moving forward.
The entire room seemed to come to a stop as they began working their way into the crowd. People stopped what they were doing. Conversations fell off. All eyes turned their way. Aedan tried not to be self-conscious about it all. But it was hard, because she wasn't used to this much scrutiny. And they were looking at her. Of that, she had no doubt. The Master of the City had just arrived with his new human servant on his arm. It had only been a couple of months since the death of his previous human servant. Everyone was curious as to who had caught his eye. And why.
The whispers started almost as soon as they passed. Aedan did her best to ignore them and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. The heels gave her an extra four inches and made her nearly as tall as Jean Claude. Nearly, but not quite.
They were making their way toward a small group clustered together near the far wall. Aedan suspected that she would come face to face with the gala's organizers when they got there. A touch of nerves grabbed onto her, made her slow her steps for just a few paces. She had no doubt that these people had known who Anita was. Maybe they hadn't known her personally, but they'd known who she was. And they were going to compare Aedan to the dead woman. It was an intimidating thought. But she pushed it aside and let calm settle over her again. She wasn't Anita and being judged against a dead woman would only make the other side look like idiots.
It felt like it took an age for them to cross the broad expanse of the room. She was acutely aware of all eyes upon them, of the gathered throng weighing and measuring her against some, as yet, unseen ruler. She could feel the power of other vampires among all the humans, could feel the frenetic energy of lycanthropes dancing along her skin. It told her that Jean Claude and the Wicked Truth were not the only preternatural in the crowd. She had to wonder who else had been invited to this little shindig and if it was anyone she knew.
After what seemed an age, they finally came to a halt at the edge of the small group. Truth moved to one side of them and Wicked moved to the other sandwiching Jean Claude and herself between them so that they could be unobtrusive and still do their jobs as guards. The small group broke up and Aedan was surprised to find herself face to face with Aaron Singleton. The last she'd seen him, he'd been staring murder at his brother-in-law. "Miss Kinkade. What a pleasure!" he said. Then his gaze slid to her right and his eyes widened just a bit. "I was unaware you knew the Master of the City. Welcome to the MarSin Gala event."
"We are pleased to have been invited," Jean Claude replied, reaching a hand out to shake Singleton's. Then he turned a faint smile on her. "You did not tell me you knew our host, ma mie."
"I didn't know he was our host. I only met Mister Singleton last week. I raised his father from the grave because there were questions about his will."
"Please. Call me Aaron. Mister Singleton was something people called my dad," the younger Singleton said. He looked slightly flustered, making Aedan feel instantly more comfortable. "And you're being modest, Miss Kinkade. If not for you, we never would have known my father was murdered. And my step-mother might have gotten away with it. My sister's husband, as well."
Aedan felt Jean Claude's eyes land on her once again, this time with an intense feel of scrutiny to them. She ignored him for the moment and latched on to a somewhat safer subject. "How is your sister doing? I can only imagine the shock she suffered that night."
Aaron huffed out a sound. "She's hiding the hurt and betrayal behind her warrior's face. That's what Dad used to call it. It was the look she got when she was going to muscle her way through some uncomfortable piece of emotion. She's much more like our father than I am in that respect. I tend to deal with my emotions instead of bottling them up. But it was much harder on her growing up, because he and my mother expected her to be better than me. More."
"That is generally how women are treated by most people," Jean Claude interjected. Aedan glanced at him to find he was still looking at her intently. The comment was obviously meant for her.
"That would explain why Dad seemed taken with you, Miss Kinkade," Aaron replied.
"Please. If you want me to call you Aaron, you have to call me Aedan. Its only fair," she returned.
"Your father was taken with Aedan?" Jean Claude asked, turning his attention to Aaron.
"Oh, yes. She's the reason we know my step-mother and brother-in-law murdered my father. If not for Aedan's assistance in the matter, they might have gotten away with it. She somehow kept the entire group gathered in the cemetery in line with just a few words. Its no wonder Dad took notice. He likes strong, forceful people." Jean Claude definitely eyed her on that. Aedan felt distinctly like she was a pheasant under glass. If he started asking questions, she was going to squirm.
"Aedan is definitely a force to be reckoned with," Jean Claude returned, a smile coming to his face. It gave her the impression that he knew just how uncomfortable she was at the moment. "She and I have butted heads many times since she arrived in St. Louis. Is that not correct, ma mie?"
"Its a talent," Aedan replied.
"A talent that brought you to the attention of the Master of the City?" Aaron asked. He was obviously intrigued by their relationship. And that meant he wouldn't let up until he had his answers. She suspected that Aaron was just like his father in that regard. It was a characteristic that made the elder Singleton a good businessman and it would serve the son well in the years to come.
"One of them, yes," Aedan agreed. Then she took a breath to fortify herself and continued on. "You see, Aaron, I'm not merely an animator. I'm an actual necromancer. Which is not as common as people like to think it is. As such, it gives me quite a bit of power over the dead. That power makes me extremely interesting to the vampires."
"So you're saying you're his... What? Paramour?" Aaron asked. Aedan cringed at that term. It made things between her and the vampire at her side sound so dirty. Honestly, her intimate relationship with Jean Claude was no one's business but her own. And those she chose to share it with.
"Aedan is my human servant," Jean Claude replied, a touch of ice in his voice. He'd obviously taken offense at her being called a paramour, too.
The revelation made Aaron blink at them both. It lasted for several seconds, as if they'd somehow managed to shock him into silence. Aedan tried hard not to let her temper get the better of her, but he was gaping at her like she was some exotic prize that he'd failed to win. Which was odd, because they'd only met the once. Unless he was of the same mind as his father. "But.. I'm sorry. I knew that the Master of the City had taken a new human servant. That story has been all over the press the past couple of months. But I honestly didn't expect..."
Aedan shot him a look because she had a sneaking suspicion what he'd expected. Which was why he trailed off into nothing. "You didn't expect what? Someone of my obvious talent and intelligence to fall prey to that kind of thing?"
Singleton looked chagrinned at that comment. Which told her that it was exactly what he'd been thinking. "Aedan is not a slave to my will," Jean Claude said. There was distaste in his voice, as if he didn't like that idea anymore than Aedan did. His words seemed to bring Singleton out of his stupor because he almost physically shook himself. "The title human servant means nothing more than a mortal who serves a vampire. Aedan has free will and can do as she pleases. I do not and cannot force her to do anything she does not wish to do. It is a common, and continued, misconception among mortals that a human servant is little more than a slave."
"I'm sorry. I had no clue." Singleton sounded sincere. Aedan was willing to let it go. But she thought maybe she had an opportunity to teach him a thing or two.
"Most people don't. Too many people try to romanticize what a vampire is and isn't. Between television and movies and books, there are a lot of things out there that simply aren't true. People should educate themselves about vampires by asking those who know. Some vapid writer who waffles between being religious and the vampire queen of literature isn't your best source." She felt a touch of Jean Claude's amusement feather down her spine before it was gone. He was apparently enjoying this portion of the evening. "That isn't to say that there aren't vampires out there who are as bad as they're made out to be. They were human once. Human nature varies as much as anything else on the planet does. Those kinds of things don't disappear just because that particular human has been changed."
Aaron looked shocked by her revelations. No doubt, as most people fell into one of two categories where vampires were concerned. Either the vamps were graceful, beautiful, angelic, romantic creatures who could do no wrong or they were foul demon spawn from the depths of hell sent to earth to destroy mankind. Truth was, they were no better or worse than mortals. The only difference was that the vampires had power that they willingly used. Mortals tended to be powerless and, thus, easy prey. Which was why people like herself and Edward and the RPIT team were important.
"What else don't I know about vampires?" Aaron asked. There was a touch of self-deprecating humor in his voice, but it was hard to find under the honest sincerity. She shook her head.
"I don't think that's why we're here tonight, is it?"
"Would you consider becoming an advisor to the MarSin Foundation, Aedan? We could use your expertise where the vampires are concerned. I could definitely make it worth your time," Aaron offered. In that moment, Aedan found that he was far more like his father than he was willing to let on. There was a look in his eye that said if he was able to do it, he would collect her and add her to his trophy room.
"I'm sorry, Aaron. I have far too many responsibilities as it is. And I'm afraid I know nothing about your foundation," she admitted. She wasn't about to let him know that this was the first she'd ever heard of it.
Her words saw him switch over from affable young man to shrewd businessman in the blink of an eye. His gaze slid to Jean Claude in an assessing manner that Aedan wasn't sure she liked. As if Singleton suddenly found the Master of the City lacking for some reason. His gaze returned to her face and he stepped to the side to reveal a table behind him. A large portrait of a young woman who looked amazingly like him and his sister sat upon the table's flat surface, surrounded by bouquets of fragrant flowers. It was an older picture, based on the style of the woman's dress, but she was smiling and beautiful and filled with youth. Something told Aedan it was one of the last pictures ever taken of the girl.
"The MarSin Foundation is named for my youngest sister. Marla Singleton. She was a teenager when an accident befell her that devastated my mother and father both." Singleton sounded like his father as he spoke, voice filled with that same commanding quality she'd heard in a dead man's voice not more than a week ago. It was the kind of voice that demanded respect from all who were allowed to hear it. "Many years ago, when my sisters and I were still little more than children, the family was on a trip to our cabin in the woods. Rustic roughing it for rich people. Which meant we were far enough away from civilization for people to not be an issue. But not so far that we were cut off from civilization."
Aedan nodded. She knew the type of cabin he was speaking of. They were generally all wood and glass with every modern amenity a person could want.
"The three of us were outside, playing some game. Hide and seek or something like that. A child's game. Our dog was with Marla. The dog was always with Marla. She just kind of drew animals to her without even trying. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. Wild animals came to her as if they were her pets. I was seeking. Marla and Alana were hiding. And, out of the blue, the dog started barking. Madly. I'd never heard the dog bark like that before." The expression on Aaron's face softened as he fell back into memory. Aedan inched closer to Jean Claude, because she had a sneaking suspicion she knew where this story was going. He slid an arm around her, offering her his support without saying a word.
"And then Marla was screaming in pain, crying and yelling and begging for help. The dog yelped, then went silent. Naturally Alana and I ran to find her. What we stumbled upon..." Aaron's voice faded into nothing, his memories rising up to overwhelm him.
"It was a lycanthrope, wasn't it?" Aedan asked.
Aaron blinked and focused on her. There was a startled quality in his gaze that suggested he hadn't realized he'd zoned out. "Yes. A werewolf. It was gnawing at her as if she was a bone. Alana and I threw rocks at it, screamed at it to leave Marla alone. It might have attacked us, too, if not for my father. Dad came running into the clearing with a shotgun in hand and he opened fire on the wolf. Hit it dead in the chest. The damn thing roared and reared back, ready to charge my dad. So he shot it again. In the head this time. When it dropped, he pulled a machete out of nowhere and took the damn thing's head off."
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"Marla survived the attack, surprisingly. Of course my parents raced her into town, to the nearest hospital. They wanted to lock her away. She was just a child. But Mom and Dad were having none of it. Marla came home with us. Mom and Dad found a pack that would help her. She grew up into a well-adjusted, kind, beautiful young woman." One hand gestured toward the picture on the table. "When Marla was old enough, she decided she wanted to advocate for lycanthropes' rights. Too many of them were being treated like plague victims."
"She made a target of herself," Aedan said quietly.
"She did. And it got her killed. Mom and Dad were beside themselves. It was Mom's idea to start the MarSin Foundation. A foundation that is dedicated to helping lycanthropes all around the country. Especially victims of attacks like Marla."
"It is a good charity. One I support enthusiastically," Jean Claude said, his hold on Aedan tightening. She suspected he knew just how much she needed that touch right now. Why did children always upset her the most?
"There are too many who are victims," she replied. "Its good to know that there are people like you and your parents who are willing to help them. I wish there were more."
"As do I, Aedan. Which is why I think you'd be an excellent addition to the foundation. As an advisor. I know you said you already have too much on your plate. But please think about my offer. Maybe together, we can change some people's minds."
"I'll consider it, Aaron. But that's all I can promise right now."
"That's all I ask," he smiled. Then he looked around at the room and the people surrounding them. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a party to start."
Chapter Fifty Eight: A Grand Affair
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.
Author's Notes: finally. fucking finally! that's all i can say. we get to this. technically, i had a chapter written and ready to go. (its been sitting in my drafts for ages) but i decided that i didn't want to post it all in one thing. so i split it into pieces and built other scenes around it. and here's what we get. whatever this is
The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link
The table in the dining area was silent and somber in the light of a new day. Rhia stared at the other faces clustered around her with a considering eye. No one looked as if they'd slept very well and she wondered, if only for a moment, if they'd all suffered through the same hellish nightmares she had. Then she decided that they hadn't, because no one else looked as shell shocked as she felt.
Nathaniel had, after pulling the details of her vision from her, suggested that the two of them go to the Circus to be with the rest of the pard and Jean Claude's people. She'd gotten the feeling that he'd thought they'd run into Aedan before sunrise, which would have gone a long way toward calming Rhia's nerves. But hardly anyone had been wandering the Circus when they'd finally arrived and so the two of them had gone straight to bed. Rhia could remember falling asleep with Nathaniel curled around her like a protective blanket. That's how she'd woken up, too, his breath stirring the hair resting against the back of her neck with each exhale. She'd laid in the warm circle of his embrace for a good long while, simply enjoying the uncomplicated feelings of love and safety that such a thing brought.
After he'd woken, they'd simply snuggled against one another for a long time until her stomach had rumbled, letting them know it was time to put food in it. And so they'd wandered to the kitchen. Where they'd found a small group sitting around the table, doing a whole lot of nothing.
Isis sat with her arms wrapped around herself, most likely wishing that Damian was there to hold her. Janika was also alone, but her hands were curled around a cup of coffee, steam rising from the cup to let them know that it was hot. Minette was huddled between Jason and Micah. Micah looked calm enough, but the hand on Minette's hand held tight, which made Rhia wonder if he was as unaffected as he appeared. Jason stared blankly at the table, his chair inched as close to Minette's as possible so that he was physically touching her. For once, it didn't look like that touch was doing either of them any good. Because Minette looked as if someone had killed a beloved pet.
No one had said anything as of yet, though Rhia suspected no one needed to. It was obvious they'd all heard about what had happened last night. And each of them had come to the same conclusion that Rhia had. Aedan had been involved in that mess.
Rhia wanted to break the silence, wanted to ask Minette since she knew the other woman best what this last crime scene would do to the necromancer. They all knew that each scene had been worse than the last, that the mounting violence had been doing strange things to Aedan. And Rhia had no doubt that this one would fuck her up in ways they couldn't comprehend. But Rhia didn't know how to do it without disturbing the fragile peace that they all had. And it was fragile. So fragile that a breath drawn the wrong way would shatter it. So she kept the question to herself, wondered how long the silence would last before it splintered and cracked.
As it happened, it was the woman weighing heavily on Rhia's mind that broke the silence. By strolling almost lazily into the room wearing an over-sized t-shirt and a pair of leggings while trying to finger comb some amazingly large snarls from her hair. It was plain to see she'd just crawled out of bed and she looked... rested? Rhia puzzled over that. Last she'd known, Aedan wasn't sleeping. So what had changed that?
She ambled over to the refrigerator, a massive stainless steel thing that looked more like an armoire than a fridge, and opened the door to peer inside. Seconds later, she shut the door and reached up to open the can of Coke she'd withdrawn from the interior of the box. Then she wandered over to the table and sat, sipping at her chosen beverage as her eyes slid around the table. "Every last one of you looks like you've just come from a funeral," she told them.
It was Minette who roused herself from her horror and her surprise first in order to answer. "And you look like you've slept." It came out sounding more like an accusation than anything else.
"Yeah. Its a thing I tend to do on occasion. You should try it once in a while," Aedan returned. She sounded... playful? Okay. Something weird was going on here.
"But... Last night," Minette replied, tone suggesting that should be all that needed saying. Maybe it was, because Aedan's look sobered quickly enough.
"What about it?"
"You were at the crime scene, weren't you?" Minette asked her. The woman's voice was nearly a whisper, as if she feared invoking the wrath of some ancient, powerful deity who took great joy in casting pain down upon the mortal plane.
It took Aedan a moment to answer. Rhia saw the way her face closed off, the way the light left her eyes until everyone was staring at emptiness. It was almost the same emptiness that the vampires had, and it was scary to see it on a human being's face. "I was there."
"How bad was it?" Minette's voice came out as a whisper. Jason and Micah reacted to some change in Minette that Rhia couldn't sense. Micah's hand tightened on Minette's arm and Jason inched even closer.
"You don't really want to know, Minette." Though Aedan's tone was even and almost pleasant, the look on her face made the words seem like her own accusation. Rhia wondered at that, but the moment passed when Isis uncoiled her arms from around herself and settled her hands on the table. Nervous habit saw her twisting her fingers around one another.
"I saw the news, Aedan. The media wasn't releasing any information." It was an invitation to talk about what she'd seen.
"Because the police aren't releasing any information," Aedan told her. It was a polite way of saying that Aedan wasn't going to give them what they were looking for.
"It was the demon summoner, wasn't it?" Rhia asked softly. Aedan shifted her attention to the witch and stared for a moment. Then something in her look changed and Aedan's lips twisted into a frown.
"It was." She said it almost cautiously, as if she was testing the waters. They stared at one another across the surface of the table, the necromancer and the witch, and Rhia saw it when understanding dawned in Aedan's eyes. Then the look was gone, and Aedan's face closed down even further than it had previously, which was something of an accomplishment. Aedan's gaze flicked Nathaniel's way for a moment. Whatever she saw in his eyes only added to the emptiness. When Aedan's attention returned to Rhia, she could see a touch of sadness and pity lurking in the back of her stare. "I'm sorry, Rhia. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
Rhia looked for something to say. How did one respond to an apology made over a nightmare when the person offering the apology had actually seen the nightmare live and in person? She didn't know. But it ended up not mattering because Minette's gaze slid between the two women, back and forth several times, before she sat up in her chair. "Wait a minute. Rhia, are you saying you had a vision about whatever happened at that crime scene?"
"No," Rhia shook her head.
"She didn't have a vision. She Saw it." The way Aedan spoke made it clear that the word 'saw' was capitalized. It was an odd, important distinction that Rhia was trying hard not to analyze too closely. Minette's attention slid to Aedan, but Aedan was watching Rhia with sorrow-filled eyes. "Basically when I did. As if she was seeing it through my eyes. And that's a horror I don't know that I'd wish on my most hated enemy."
"But... you can't do that!" Minette's words were definitely an accusation. That caught Aedan's attention and she finally turned a look toward the other woman.
"We can't really quantify what Rhia can and can't do. Just because she's never Seen an event happen in real time before doesn't mean she isn't capable. It means that whatever powers she has are not as set and defined as we thought. I think that goes for all of us, actually."
Minette stared at her friend, mouth hanging open in shock. She was obviously having problems with something. "You sound so calm and rational about all of this," Minette finally replied. And this time, it was an accusation. And then some. Rhia had to wonder what Minette was accusing Aedan of, exactly. "You must have seen something superbly horrible last night. I don't know about anyone else, but I got hit with the sensation that the scene you were at was... beyond description. Beyond definition. And yet, you're as calm as I've ever seen you."
Aedan lifted a brow at the other woman. "Your point?"
Something in Aedan's tone saw the other woman backing down. Just a little bit. Every single eye at the table was riveted on the two of them, waiting to see what would happen next. Their interaction made it obvious that there were still some lingering issues between them they hadn't worked out yet. Rhia was starting to wonder if such an event would come to pass, because Aedan struck her as the type who didn't forgive and didn't forget. And, despite her power and her status, Minette almost acted like she was afraid of the other woman.
For a few moments, it looked like Minette was going to let it go and not pursue it any further. But the way Micah's hand tightened on Minette's own must have given her courage. The way Jason's hand stroked her arm must have convinced her to continue. Because Minette pinned Aedan with a look that was sharp and assessing. "My point is that you're far too calm for what you must have seen last night. You forget. I've known you for a long damn time. I know exactly how all the death and horror affects you. And I know that you bottle all of this shit up inside, hold on to it. You do that with your anger, too. Until you have no choice but to explode. I've seen it happen. You should be freaked out and angry and guilt-ridden and a whole plethora of other things. But you're not."
Aedan said nothing, merely gave Minette another look that was filled with disdain. It was likely not meant as an invitation to continue, but the Nimir-Ra took it as one, anyway.
"The only time you're ever calm about this stuff is if you've talked to someone," Minette paused. Rhia saw a sadness and confusion fill Minette's eyes. "You don't talk to me about the crime scenes anymore."
"You stopped wanting to know what I saw," Aedan reminded her. It wasn't mean or defensive. Merely a point to be made. If the other scenes Aedan visited looked anything like the one Rhia had dreamt of last night, she couldn't blame Minette for not wanting to know about them.
"Fair enough. Do you blame me? I've seen how you react. Either you get so angry that I feel like you're going to hurt people or you bury it deep inside. And then you don't eat or sleep. And you drink. You don't do calm," Minette told her. Rhia shouldn't have been surprised by Aedan's less than healthy coping mechanisms. But she was. And it made her wonder just how Aedan had managed to visit so many crime scenes without going mad or falling apart.
"There's something wrong with me being calm?" The question was asked with a touch of humor before Aedan took another drink from her can of Coke.
"There is when that's not normal for you," Minette snapped. She was apparently having a hard time figuring Aedan out. That made two of them. "You should be raging like a storm. Ranting and raving about how horrible everything is. Or holed up inside of yourself. Not being calm and collected. Not making lame jokes. Not being so relaxed. Its almost like you..."
Minette's words trailed off on a loud, obnoxious gasp and she really stared at Aedan. Her eyes got round as saucers and one hand lifted so she could point a finger accusingly at the other woman. "You got laid!" Minette announced. "You actually slept with him."
Everyone turned to look at Aedan, who was still calm and collected and not at all put out by the other woman's theatrics. "Yes. And?" Aedan asked dryly.
"Oh, my God! Its about time!" Minette shot back. The look of disbelief faded away into something a little slyer and far more knowing. "How was it? Did he wear you out? Did he go down on you? Tell me everything!"
Aedan took another drink and leveled a look on Minette. "I don't kiss and tell."
Isis' gaze shifted from Aedan, to Minette, then back to Aedan. Her eyes went wide. "Whoa! Did you finally get naked with Jean Claude?"
"Its about damn time," Janika interjected, not bothering to wait for Aedan to confirm that bit of news. She shared a look with Aedan that Rhia had a hard time deciphering. Until a soft smile spread across Janika's face. And was then mirrored by Aedan. Rhia considered it a moment. Then she decided that their personal business was just that. Unless they chose to make it her business, as well. So she let it go and focused on the more important part of the conversation.
"Does this mean you two are a couple now?" Rhia asked, trying to figure it all out. Last she'd heard, Aedan and Jean Claude were barely on speaking terms. Their relationship had been a series of ups and downs that suggested some kind of strong emotions between them. This development was good. At least on the surface. She just didn't want to see Aedan step blindly into a serious relationship with someone she barely knew or might have problems with.
"I don't know. We didn't talk about attachments. There wasn't much thought given to that. What happened between us was a spur of the moment thing," Aedan admitted. She frowned, face taking on a look that suggested she was thinking about it.
"Well, what do you want from him, sweetie?" This question came from Janika. Aedan looked up, the frown deepening.
"I don't know. I guess I want something that lasts. I don't want him to think he has to have sex with me because its expected or whatever. I want it to be genuine. And I think it is. Whatever it is," Aedan replied. She let her gaze slide around the table. "I don't want it to simply be sex. I want more than that. But I don't know if he knows what he wants. Not to mention it hasn't really been all that long since Anita died. He still has that to process and the feelings that go along with it to sort out. So I don't know. Maybe we're a couple?"
"Are you going to keep going on dates with him?" Rhia wondered. For that one week, when the two of them were dating, Aedan had seemed happier. It had almost felt like she and Jean Claude were teenagers. Because, to be perfectly honest, most of their dates had been kind of ridiculous. But maybe, given Aedan's serious nature, maybe that ridiculousness was exactly what she'd needed.
"Dates would be good." That statement prompted a soft smile. It was, perhaps, the softest look Rhia had ever seen on the other woman's face.
"I think dates will almost be a given." The comment came from an unlikely source and all eyes turned to Jason. He'd lost some of the numbness that had clung to him earlier and he looked a little more like himself. Still a touch freaked out, but not as much as before. Jason was staring at Aedan as if he'd never seen her before. Maybe there was something different about her that Rhia couldn't sense or see. "He gets invitations to all kinds of functions. The ones that came before..." his voice trailed off a moment and silence took over. Then Jason physically shook himself and pushed on. "The ones that came before that night on the road were for him and Anita. People liked to see him with his human servant. It made the Master of the City seem more approachable. More... "
"Human," Aedan supplied for him. She sounded like she had a very low opinion of that idea.
"Yes," Jason nodded. "Exactly. And Jean Claude likes to be seen. He especially likes to be seen with an attractive woman on his arm."
Aedan snorted and drank more of her Coke. "He'd be better off taking Rhia with him, then. Or any of you." Everyone at the table except for Minette gave Aedan a look, as if they couldn't believe she'd said that. She ignored the look, telling Rhia that she honestly believed what she'd said.
"Stop that," Minette ordered. "You're beautiful. And he sees it. Don't make me kick your ass for being stupid."
"Minette is right, Aedan." Micah's voice was calm and peaceful, as it generally was. But there was an underlying thread of steel there that said maybe he hadn't liked her comment very much and he wanted her to understand that. For her part, Aedan looked absolutely unfazed by the whole thing. "I have never seen Jean Claude devote so much attention to any woman he wasn't attracted to. He finds you attractive. Very attractive, obviously."
Aedan gave him a look that might have had a little more scorn in it than she'd meant it to have. Rhia recognized it for the diversionary tactic it was. Then she shrugged. "I have power. Power he needs. He finds that attractive. Not me." Her tone was very matter of fact. As if this was simply another statement similar to saying water was wet. Almost before she'd even finished that statement, she spoke again. It was an effective way to keep anyone from trying to argue with her on the last point. "Also, there is a huge difference between being attractive and being beautiful."
It was a not very subtle rebuke. Aedan rose from her chair, taking the can with her. They all watched as she finished her Coke off and dumped the can into the bin. Then she headed for the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready for work. I have a full schedule tonight and I need to get in early to do some paperwork." Seconds later, she was gone.
"Did we just get schooled?" Minette asked, gaze sliding around the table so that it landed on each person sitting there.
"No," Micah said with a shake of his head. There was a touch of laughter in his voice. "I just got schooled. Jean Claude has got so much trouble on his hands."
~*~*~*~*~
"Miss Kinkade, I've got a gentleman here to see you. I realize you've got a fairly tight schedule tonight, but he's insistent," Craig, the night secretary, said into the phone. His eyes never looked away from the man standing across from him as he listened to whatever Aedan said on the other line. "Very good, Miss Kinkade. I'll inform him and send him back."
The receiver was returned to its cradle as Craig scribbled something on the open page of the book in front of him. Then he lifted his head and gave his best professional smile. "Miss Kinkade said she can spare five minutes. You can go back now. End of the hall. Last door on the left." One hand gestured toward the hall as a visual guide as to which way he was supposed to go.
He nodded his head in thanks, then turned and made his way up the hall. Her office was easy to find, the door sitting ajar. He didn't bother announcing himself, simply stepped into the silent room and pushed the door closed behind him. She was bent over a file, pen moving slowly over a yellow legal pad set over to the side. She did not look up, nor did she speak. So he crossed the floor and took a seat across from her. And waited.
It was silent, save the soft scratch of the ball point moving over the paper, for all of thirty seconds before she heaved a sigh. "Look. I seriously only have five minutes. So either say what you're going to say or leave. I don't have time for this. And you're lucky I'm not charging you for my time."
"Well, I guess I should be glad you're functioning after last night," he drawled slowly. Aedan lifted her head and frowned.
"Edward? What are you doing here?"
"Do I need a reason to visit?" he asked her. Before she could come up with an answer, he pushed on. "In case you've forgotten, I'm being paid an extremely obscene fee to play babysitter to you by your boyfriend."
Aedan rolled her eyes at that. "I don't need a babysitter. I got a full day's sleep and had real food before coming to work and everything. Which you would have known, had you actually been here."
"You know full well I had to make a trip back to New Mexico. Check in with Donna and make sure the kids were behaving themselves. It looks like I shouldn't have bothered. Everyone was fine and you were over here, having all kinds of fun without me," he commented. "And I'm still your babysitter until I hear otherwise from your boyfriend."
Aedan set her pen down and folded her hands across the surface of her desk. "Yes. I had so much fun last night and you missed it. You missed me nearly losing it and blowing chunks all over the crime scene. Multiple times. You missed me having so much trouble getting the key into the ignition of my car that Jean Claude broke through my shields to use our connection so he could tell me he was coming to get me because he didn't want me driving. You missed buckets of blood and guts and babies torn to shreds and body parts and..."
"Aedan, stop. Take a breath," Edward cut across her tirade. She stopped and blinked at him, as if only just realizing that she was getting maybe a touch hysterical. She obviously had no clue that she was white as a sheet. Which meant it had been probably the worst crime scene she'd visited. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge it all back up. I can't imagine what it must have been like."
She stared at him for several long seconds, eyes clouded with remembered horror. Then she finally blinked and the look was gone. She returned her attention to the file before her. "If you came to make sure I survived that hell, you needn't have bothered. I told you. I slept the day away. A dreamless, restful sleep. I ate when I got up. A full meal. I'm as right as I'm going to be after having seen something like that. You can go do whatever it is you do when I'm not being a pain in anyone's ass."
He ignored that and circled back to her previous speech. "So your boyfriend didn't want you to drive. Does that mean he actually picked you up at a crime scene?"
"No. He picked me up a few streets over. Where I drove my car. Because the press was there and I didn't feel like it was a good thing to have a breakdown in front of all those cameras. And before you say anything, I was cautious and careful. And I pulled over as soon as I was well away from the scene," she told him. Then she frowned at him. "And please stop calling him my boyfriend. He isn't anything of the sort."
She said it like it was a well known fact. Like Edward hadn't known the vampire longer than she had. Like he didn't know how the undead bastard worked. Anita had been adamant, back in the beginning, that she'd never fall prey to his charms. At first, it had looked like she'd meant it. But time had passed. Jean Claude had pressed. And she'd ended up giving in. Look where that had gotten her.
"Maybe not now, Aedan. But give him time. He'll find a way past your defenses. Either he'll charm you until you drop your walls or he'll simply wear you down. You can't let him do that. Look at what being close to him did to Anita. I don't want to see that happen to you," he told her quietly.
"Its a little too late to be worried about that, isn't it? They already want me dead," she replied. As if he needed the reminder that she'd put a target on her own back.
"I'm serious, Aedan. Don't let him in. Don't let him charm you out of what you have left of your heart. Nothing good will come of it," he told her. She looked entirely like she wasn't going to listen. So he felt it necessary to push the point. "Don't let him try to steal the last bit of your heart, Aedan. He's smart and he's cunning and he'll find a way past your defenses. He'll wait until you're at a low and then he'll..."
His words trailed off as he stared at her. Halfway through his speech, she'd dropped her gaze back to her desk and was presently doing her best to look as if she was merely busy and not avoiding looking at him. But he'd known Aedan long enough to know her tells. And this was a tell. One that was practically screaming at him. It didn't take him long to figure out what it was she didn't want him to know. "Oh, my God. Aedan. You had sex with him already. Didn't you?"
The undertone of disappointment in his voice, which he hadn't meant to let her hear, brought her head up. Her gaze locked with his and she snarled at him. "What I have or haven't done with him, or anyone else, is none of your business. I'm an adult and I make my own decisions. I don't need your permission to fuck anyone."
"Aedan." He shook his head. He should have known Jean Claude would use something like an extremely traumatic crime scene to take advantage of her.
"No, Edward. You don't get to lecture me on this. Don't even think about trying. I can tell by looking at your face that you think he used me for his own ends. Poor little Aedan. So freaked out by the shit she's seen that she falls willingly into the cunning vampire's arms." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "I hate to disappoint you, but that isn't what happened. He was going to put me to bed and let that be the end of it. I was the one who instigated everything. I'm the one who wanted to have sex. That's all on me because I wanted to, just once in my life, feel like a normal fucking human being. Not someone's toy. Not someone's tool. Not some fucking freak of nature. A normal fucking human. I think I'm entitled to just that small bit of happiness."
"You could have looked for that happiness with someone else," he reminded her.
"With who? Someone normal? Who do you know that's normal that would want to get involved in my insane life? No one, Edward. That's who. There isn't a single normal human on the face of the planet that would want to get involved in my shit. Except you, apparently, because you're always up in my shit. You offering me that slice of happiness?"
"You know I'm not," he replied quietly. Even if he hadn't been involved with Donna, he wouldn't want to go there.
She snorted. "Just like I said. There isn't a normal human on the face of this planet who would want to put themselves into the world I live in."
"You don't know that. You haven't met all the humans on the face of the planet," he said.
"You have? How many people do you know, that you've personally met, that would be up for what my life is like? How many do you know that wouldn't run screaming the first time I came home covered in someone else's blood? Or my own." He hated that she sounded so pessimistic. That wasn't who she was supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to be so cynical at such a young age. "Anyone who willingly wanted to be part of my life would either be some kind of groupie, and I wouldn't allow someone like that among the vampires, or a hunter trying to make another kill from the inside, who would die by my hand before they even got close enough to hurt anyone I cared about."
The look she shot him made it clear she meant every word she said.
"You make it sound like there isn't a single soul on this planet who would want you for you. For nothing other than your personality and your companionship."
"Jesus fuck, Edward," she laughed. It was the unhappiest sound he'd ever heard. "Have you actually met me?"
"I just don't want you to get hurt because of him, Aedan," he told her. She shrugged.
"I'm going to get hurt, no matter what I do or who I do it with. This way, I can at least do it with someone who understands what I am. Not someone who has an unrealistic concept of what it is I can do." She shook her head at him, the look she wore suggesting the conversation was over. "Your five minutes are up. I have a very busy, very tight schedule and if I give you anymore time tonight, it'll get fucked up. Believe it or not, I want to go home and sleep after work. I still feel like death warmed over."
He heaved a sigh and rose to his feet. "Don't think that this conversation is over, Aedan. I don't think you understand what you've gotten yourself into. But I know when to stop beating my head into the brick wall. So I'll go and let you work. But we will revisit this discussion again when you don't have work to protect you. And you will listen to me." He made sure she heard the promise in his voice. It might have come out sounding more like a threat. If it had, so be it.
He let himself out of the office without another word.
~*~*~*~*~
"Good evening, ma mie," Jean Claude said into the phone. He felt Aedan pause on the other end of the line, then felt the rush of warmth she tried hard to keep from him. It was a definite change from the agitation he'd felt from her earlier. He'd been tempted to call her then, just to check and ensure she was well. But he'd let it go. And then an interesting piece of mail had landed on his desk. And he'd found that he needed to call her anyway.
"Hi," she replied. He heard the faint sound of cloth rubbing against leather as she shifted in her chair. He imagined she was putting work aside for a moment, making herself comfortable for the duration of their call. "To what do I owe this interruption?" The question came out normally, little by way of heat or accusation in her voice. More likely it was a welcome distraction from her paperwork.
"I have received an invitation to a gala event. It is for both of us," he informed her.
"Like a black tie kind of affair?" she inquired.
"Of course."
There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. "I guess that means I have to go shopping. Because I don't have anything that would work for a black tie affair. When is this event?"
"Less than a week," he said. She muttered a few very bad words.
"That's kind of last minute, isn't it?"
"It is very last minute." To be honest, he was surprised he'd received an invitation. There had been few of those to major events since Anita's death, which had been an unasked for blessing. Because it had meant not having to answer questions or deal with things he wasn't prepared to deal with yet. "But the MarSin Gala is one of the biggest and most important galas in the city. It is attached to a charity that tries to help an assortment of groups in need. It is considered a big deal to receive an invitation at all."
"Not for you. You've been invited before." There was certainty in her voice that made him smile.
"I have. But many people in the business world believe it is unwise to ignore the Master of the City."
"Especially when that Master of the City tends to have very successful businesses that help boost the city's tourist trade."
"Just so," he replied. Her intelligence pleased him to no end, though he couldn't put a name on why. Or he chose not to do so just yet. "Do you think you can rearrange your schedule to attend the gala?"
"I'll see what's on the books. Try to do what I can to keep the customers happy." She sounded like she wasn't quite sure she really wanted to do that. But he knew she understood the importance of this event.
"Will you allow me to assist you in purchasing a gown for the event? I would be pleased to do the honor of giving you such a gift." He distinctly recalled her saying she didn't want to be a kept woman. So surely she would accept a gift from him for such an important occasion.
She took her time in considering his request before letting go a short, soft sigh. "I suppose. I mean, I know nothing about this event so having input would likely not be a bad thing."
"You do not sound convinced," he said. He could hear the reluctance in her voice. His words were an invitation to speak her mind. Perhaps if they tried to actually communicate instead of simply glaring at one another, their lives together might be easier.
"It isn't that. Its just.. Everything is still very much up in the air where we're concerned." She paused a moment or two before he heard a very soft exhalation of breath. As if she was steeling herself for something. "I don't know where last night puts us. I suspect you don't really know, either. This is very new territory for me. When I told you I never did the things normal teens did, I wasn't kidding. Which means there was no dating. And I never had boyfriends. Or girlfriends."
"Whatever relationship we have, or do not have, does not affect that you will occasionally need to appear in public, on my arm, as my human servant. This is one of those occasions," he told her gently.
"I understand that. I really do. But that still doesn't change that I do not know how to act in social situations such as this. I've never done anything like this before. I don't want to embarrass you or myself. We both know I'm not a very diplomatic person."
He chuckled softly at her last statement. "You can be very diplomatic when you try, ma mie. But you have nothing to worry over. You will be with me and I can offer assistance if a situation arises with which you are uncertain. You will not embarrass either one of us."
She sighed again, louder this time. He felt something fleeting behind it. "I'm sorry. I'm just kind of on edge. I'm really out of my comfort zone."
"Do you want to discuss it?" he offered. "Did you suffer nightmares while you slept? Images of last night?"
"No. I wish that's all that had me on edge," she admitted. "To be honest, I think you helped keep the nightmares away. Thank you for that. Thank you for pulling me out of that hell. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there for me."
The honest sincerity in her voice warmed him. "I will always be there for you when you need me, ma mie."
"Thank you, Jean Claude. That means a lot."
"Will you tell me why you were agitated earlier?" he inquired softly.
"Earlier?" she echoed. For a moment, he thought she might try to brush it off, but then she gave a huff of a laugh. "Oh. Right. Earlier. My babysitter stopped by. He heard about the crime scene from last night. He wanted to make sure I was okay."
"And that upset you?" Jean Claude was puzzled. Why would Edward's visit upset her?
"Not in and of itself," she replied. "It was when the topic of discussion turned to you that it got really bothersome."
"Ah. I see. He tried to warn you away from me?" That sounded very much like something Edward would do.
"Yes. He seems to think you'll put my life in danger. He seems to think that you're the reason Anita's life was in danger." Jean Claude had suspected that Edward blamed him for Anita's death. To have it confirmed so bluntly was depressing, though not surprising.
"He does not like me. Or any other vampire," Jean Claude said softly.
"No. He doesn't. He doesn't like that I'm tied up in your life and your affairs. Though I don't get why its such a big deal to him. He would have happily killed me when we first met," she told him. It was as much as she'd ever told him about her life before coming to St. Louis. He put that aside for the moment so that he could very carefully parse her words. There was something buried within them that she hadn't told him yet. Something that would explain the agitation he'd felt earlier.
"He knows you and I had sex," Jean Claude guessed.
"Yeah. He isn't happy about it," she admitted.
"I am sorry to have put you in such a situation, ma mie," he apologized.
"Don't be. You weren't the one who wanted to have sex. That was all on me. He'll live. He might not like it, but he'll live. Let me worry about him." She made it sound like Edward wouldn't do anything in his powers to keep the two of them apart if that was what he wanted. He decided not to call her on that and instead turned his attention back to the reason he'd called her in the first place. "We should purchase a gown for this gala as soon as possible. In case any alterations are needed."
He swore he could hear her roll her eyes over the phone. The image of that made him smile for some reason. Then there was a soft tapping noise, the gentle click of keys being pressed. "Okay. I have my schedule pulled up. Let's talk about galas and shopping."
~*~*~*~*~
The gown was like nothing she'd ever owned before, much less imagined wearing. True to his word, Jean Claude had arranged for an evening shopping trip at one of the most exclusive boutiques in the city. The owner, someone who'd practically been salivating at the idea of selling something to the Master of the City, had kept the shop open just for them. And he'd set up a fashion show to properly display his wares. Model after model had come from a back room to parade before them in long, gorgeous gowns. They'd all had elegant hair styles and expertly done make up. Jewels had flashed and sparkled at their throats and ears. Aedan had been more than a little intimidated by the whole thing.
She hadn't really cared for many of the gowns they'd been shown. They'd all been too long or too revealing or too something. Very few of them had felt like something she'd wear. She hadn't been kidding when she'd said she'd never had reason to wear those. And from a practical stand point, none of them had worked. No matter how many times Jean Claude had assured her that she wouldn't need to be armed at this gala, she still couldn't shake the feeling that she needed something she could carry weapons with. So it had taken them more than two hours to find a dress she'd liked well enough to wear for a full evening. And it was definitely not a dress one could conceal a weapon under.
Which was why she felt almost naked in the floor length gown and the rich velvet wrap she wore over it to cover her shoulders. The dress she'd finally agreed to was strapless and sleeveless. It had a sweetheart bustline that was covered with lace and rhinestone floral applique designs. More of the designs crept down the form-fitting bodice to dot the gown here and there around her waist and hips and thighs. The material hugged her form until it reached her knees, where the skirt flared out on a mermaid's tail, with even more of the applique work running around the hem. The gown was made up of two layers. The under layer was a deep, sapphire blue silk that matched Jean Claude's eyes almost perfectly while the over layer was of black mesh. It looked like she was cloaked in the night sky.
To finish off her look, someone had been paid a good deal of money to pull the top of her hair back and work it into an intricately twisted knot, then put thick sausage curls into the hanging ends. There were a pair of hair sticks tucked into the bun at an angle, each one's top encrusted with winking stones. She'd been made up, with light colors applied to her skin so that it appeared she was barely made up at all. There was a touch of shimmer on her eyelids to add color, as well as on her lips. And there was the eyeliner and mascara that helped make her eyes stand out. A choker of stiffened lace encircled her throat. It was the same lace that had been appliqued to the gown, complete with rhinestones and a single black tear drop pearl hanging from it. A soft velvet wrap kept her shoulders warm and the heels she wore were high, and encased in silver.
Jean Claude was a calming presence beside her, midnight hair shining against the duller black of his evening coat. Of course he'd gone with his own fashion sense, choosing to wear a tux that would have been at home on a well-to-do gentleman of the mid-1800s than on a modern man. The coat had tails in the back that hung to his knees. The front had satiny lapels that shone against the matte black of the coat. The front bottom came to points, with satin covered buttons that were mere decoration, because the edges of the coat did not meet. Instead, they remained open at the waist to show the vest he wore beneath it.
The vest was a deep, midnight blue that somehow looked like it matched her dress with its two layers of color. The vest was embroidered with fleur de lis in silver thread and there were only a few buttons on the front, located down on the bottom. That meant that a good expanse of his snow white shirt was left exposed to view. It had one of those straight, high collars that hugged his throat. His tie was a black silk bow tie, with pointed ends just like those she'd seen in photos and period pieces. He looked good enough to eat.
Aedan watched as the limo eased its way through a crowd of people, most with cameras and microphones, toward the gaping entrance into a parking garage. She shot a look his way, her question obvious by the confusion on her face. "The gala has a press room where only invited reporters are allowed to wait. Anyone who so chooses may go there and have their photo taken for the next issue of whatever newspaper or magazine the reporter and their photographer represent."
"I... think I like that idea. And we can absolutely avoid the press room because I am not ready to be out to the rest of the world yet. It was bad enough having to be outed to the preternatural world," she replied softly.
"I am sorry that you had to suffer through that. There was no other way," he told her quietly. He sounded sincere in his regret. Aedan smiled and reached up to lay a hand against his cheek. It still felt weird to touch him like this, in such an intimate manner, as if it had always been her right.
"Water under the bridge, right? Let's hope that tonight goes far better than that night did."
"Yes. Let us hope." The smile he gifted her with was soft and small and secret. She was tempted to lean up and press a kiss to his lips, but the car was coming to a halt. That, and the Wicked Truth were sitting there, watching them. Not that she thought the brothers would have problems with a show of affection. But it was all still very new to Aedan and she just wasn't sure what she was ready to share with everyone else yet. So she let her hand drop and settled back in the seat with her side pressed against Jean Claude's body.
When the car came to a full and complete stop, Truth pushed the door open and stepped out onto the concrete floor of the parking garage. After a moment of looking around, he turned and offered his hand. "If you'll allow me, Aedan?" he said. It surprised her, just a bit, because most of the other time she'd been in the Wicked Truth's presence, they'd both chosen to remain silent. She wasn't sure what had changed, but she didn't think it was such a bad thing. She offered him a smile and laid her hand in his.
"Thank you, Truth," she replied and allowed him to help her from the car. When she was on her feet, she went up on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You look very handsome tonight."
He did. He and his brother were both in modern day tuxes, their vests a brighter shade of blue than Jean Claude's and embroidered with silver thread. She didn't think there was a specific pattern, but how was she supposed to spend time staring at the vest when it was much more interesting to stare at his face. She had no doubt that the expertly tailored coats hid weapons, as there was no way Jean Claude would go anywhere without armed guards with the threat of the Harlequin hanging over her head. But there were no tell-tale bulges that spoke of firearms.
"And you are beautiful," he returned. She would have sworn he was only repaying her kindness, but the heat in his eyes said he believed it. And she was forced to remember the time she'd been sandwiched between himself and his brother, riding both of them and the arduer to completion because of Augustine and his desires. That memory brought a faint blush to her cheeks.
"She is very beautiful," Jean Claude said, then simply flowed out of the car as if he was liquid. She knew it was vampire grace and vampire tricks, but it was mesmerizing to watch. She could watch him, and any other vampire, move all day long. He took his place at her side and put his hand on the small of her back. A hint of added pressure in his touch saw her start forward toward the doors of the elevator that would no doubt take them to the location of this gala event. A pair of men dressed in their own tuxes stood guard at the doors, no doubt to prevent any unwanted guests from accessing the party.
Truth took his place before the two of them, long hair swaying against the back of his tux jacket as he walked. The coat did nothing to hide the delicious turn of his ass under the well fitted trousers he wore and she allowed herself a few moments of simply staring at his backside as it worked. She didn't miss the way Jean Claude's lips quirked up into a knowing smile, as if he was amused by her sudden interest in the men around her.
It wasn't so much that she was just suddenly interested in looking at all of the gorgeous men around her. She'd always noticed their almost unnatural beauty, had always been caught up and enrapt by it. But she'd never before really allowed herself to admit as much to herself. Something, some weight, had been lifted from her shoulders that night with Jean Claude. She couldn't explain it any other way. She just suddenly felt like she was capable of taking a moment to explore their physical beauty.
She felt Wicked fall into place behind them, bringing up the rear of their little group. She wasn't sure what the people who'd put the gala together would think of Jean Claude arriving with a pair of armed vampires at his back, but she suspected the organizers would bend over backward to make him feel welcome. She wasn't going to worry overmuch about how the Wicked Truth would be received. No doubt the women in attendance would be glad to see them.
The four of them stepped into the elevator, which was manned by another tuxedoed man. He offered them a faint, professional smile, and then pushed a button. Twentieth floor. The top of the modest building.
The ride up was made in silence. Any other time, it would have put Aedan on edge. But she was surrounded by death, the power of each of the vampires with her curling around her like some kind of protective blanket. Being wrapped in that much power made her feel safe. And cherished.
As they neared their floor, she watched as Jean Claude reached into his coat. His hand came back out with a white rectangle embossed with silver writing. Their invitation, no doubt. The moment the door slid open, Truth stepped out before them. She and Jean Claude followed, his hand casually handing the invitation to someone standing to the right of the doors. The man glanced at it briefly, no doubt checking the name on the card. If he was impressed, it didn't show. He only nodded his head and motioned toward the interior of the room into which they'd just stepped. "Thank you and enjoy your evening, sir. Miss."
Then they were moving forward.
The entire room seemed to come to a stop as they began working their way into the crowd. People stopped what they were doing. Conversations fell off. All eyes turned their way. Aedan tried not to be self-conscious about it all. But it was hard, because she wasn't used to this much scrutiny. And they were looking at her. Of that, she had no doubt. The Master of the City had just arrived with his new human servant on his arm. It had only been a couple of months since the death of his previous human servant. Everyone was curious as to who had caught his eye. And why.
The whispers started almost as soon as they passed. Aedan did her best to ignore them and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. The heels gave her an extra four inches and made her nearly as tall as Jean Claude. Nearly, but not quite.
They were making their way toward a small group clustered together near the far wall. Aedan suspected that she would come face to face with the gala's organizers when they got there. A touch of nerves grabbed onto her, made her slow her steps for just a few paces. She had no doubt that these people had known who Anita was. Maybe they hadn't known her personally, but they'd known who she was. And they were going to compare Aedan to the dead woman. It was an intimidating thought. But she pushed it aside and let calm settle over her again. She wasn't Anita and being judged against a dead woman would only make the other side look like idiots.
It felt like it took an age for them to cross the broad expanse of the room. She was acutely aware of all eyes upon them, of the gathered throng weighing and measuring her against some, as yet, unseen ruler. She could feel the power of other vampires among all the humans, could feel the frenetic energy of lycanthropes dancing along her skin. It told her that Jean Claude and the Wicked Truth were not the only preternatural in the crowd. She had to wonder who else had been invited to this little shindig and if it was anyone she knew.
After what seemed an age, they finally came to a halt at the edge of the small group. Truth moved to one side of them and Wicked moved to the other sandwiching Jean Claude and herself between them so that they could be unobtrusive and still do their jobs as guards. The small group broke up and Aedan was surprised to find herself face to face with Aaron Singleton. The last she'd seen him, he'd been staring murder at his brother-in-law. "Miss Kinkade. What a pleasure!" he said. Then his gaze slid to her right and his eyes widened just a bit. "I was unaware you knew the Master of the City. Welcome to the MarSin Gala event."
"We are pleased to have been invited," Jean Claude replied, reaching a hand out to shake Singleton's. Then he turned a faint smile on her. "You did not tell me you knew our host, ma mie."
"I didn't know he was our host. I only met Mister Singleton last week. I raised his father from the grave because there were questions about his will."
"Please. Call me Aaron. Mister Singleton was something people called my dad," the younger Singleton said. He looked slightly flustered, making Aedan feel instantly more comfortable. "And you're being modest, Miss Kinkade. If not for you, we never would have known my father was murdered. And my step-mother might have gotten away with it. My sister's husband, as well."
Aedan felt Jean Claude's eyes land on her once again, this time with an intense feel of scrutiny to them. She ignored him for the moment and latched on to a somewhat safer subject. "How is your sister doing? I can only imagine the shock she suffered that night."
Aaron huffed out a sound. "She's hiding the hurt and betrayal behind her warrior's face. That's what Dad used to call it. It was the look she got when she was going to muscle her way through some uncomfortable piece of emotion. She's much more like our father than I am in that respect. I tend to deal with my emotions instead of bottling them up. But it was much harder on her growing up, because he and my mother expected her to be better than me. More."
"That is generally how women are treated by most people," Jean Claude interjected. Aedan glanced at him to find he was still looking at her intently. The comment was obviously meant for her.
"That would explain why Dad seemed taken with you, Miss Kinkade," Aaron replied.
"Please. If you want me to call you Aaron, you have to call me Aedan. Its only fair," she returned.
"Your father was taken with Aedan?" Jean Claude asked, turning his attention to Aaron.
"Oh, yes. She's the reason we know my step-mother and brother-in-law murdered my father. If not for Aedan's assistance in the matter, they might have gotten away with it. She somehow kept the entire group gathered in the cemetery in line with just a few words. Its no wonder Dad took notice. He likes strong, forceful people." Jean Claude definitely eyed her on that. Aedan felt distinctly like she was a pheasant under glass. If he started asking questions, she was going to squirm.
"Aedan is definitely a force to be reckoned with," Jean Claude returned, a smile coming to his face. It gave her the impression that he knew just how uncomfortable she was at the moment. "She and I have butted heads many times since she arrived in St. Louis. Is that not correct, ma mie?"
"Its a talent," Aedan replied.
"A talent that brought you to the attention of the Master of the City?" Aaron asked. He was obviously intrigued by their relationship. And that meant he wouldn't let up until he had his answers. She suspected that Aaron was just like his father in that regard. It was a characteristic that made the elder Singleton a good businessman and it would serve the son well in the years to come.
"One of them, yes," Aedan agreed. Then she took a breath to fortify herself and continued on. "You see, Aaron, I'm not merely an animator. I'm an actual necromancer. Which is not as common as people like to think it is. As such, it gives me quite a bit of power over the dead. That power makes me extremely interesting to the vampires."
"So you're saying you're his... What? Paramour?" Aaron asked. Aedan cringed at that term. It made things between her and the vampire at her side sound so dirty. Honestly, her intimate relationship with Jean Claude was no one's business but her own. And those she chose to share it with.
"Aedan is my human servant," Jean Claude replied, a touch of ice in his voice. He'd obviously taken offense at her being called a paramour, too.
The revelation made Aaron blink at them both. It lasted for several seconds, as if they'd somehow managed to shock him into silence. Aedan tried hard not to let her temper get the better of her, but he was gaping at her like she was some exotic prize that he'd failed to win. Which was odd, because they'd only met the once. Unless he was of the same mind as his father. "But.. I'm sorry. I knew that the Master of the City had taken a new human servant. That story has been all over the press the past couple of months. But I honestly didn't expect..."
Aedan shot him a look because she had a sneaking suspicion what he'd expected. Which was why he trailed off into nothing. "You didn't expect what? Someone of my obvious talent and intelligence to fall prey to that kind of thing?"
Singleton looked chagrinned at that comment. Which told her that it was exactly what he'd been thinking. "Aedan is not a slave to my will," Jean Claude said. There was distaste in his voice, as if he didn't like that idea anymore than Aedan did. His words seemed to bring Singleton out of his stupor because he almost physically shook himself. "The title human servant means nothing more than a mortal who serves a vampire. Aedan has free will and can do as she pleases. I do not and cannot force her to do anything she does not wish to do. It is a common, and continued, misconception among mortals that a human servant is little more than a slave."
"I'm sorry. I had no clue." Singleton sounded sincere. Aedan was willing to let it go. But she thought maybe she had an opportunity to teach him a thing or two.
"Most people don't. Too many people try to romanticize what a vampire is and isn't. Between television and movies and books, there are a lot of things out there that simply aren't true. People should educate themselves about vampires by asking those who know. Some vapid writer who waffles between being religious and the vampire queen of literature isn't your best source." She felt a touch of Jean Claude's amusement feather down her spine before it was gone. He was apparently enjoying this portion of the evening. "That isn't to say that there aren't vampires out there who are as bad as they're made out to be. They were human once. Human nature varies as much as anything else on the planet does. Those kinds of things don't disappear just because that particular human has been changed."
Aaron looked shocked by her revelations. No doubt, as most people fell into one of two categories where vampires were concerned. Either the vamps were graceful, beautiful, angelic, romantic creatures who could do no wrong or they were foul demon spawn from the depths of hell sent to earth to destroy mankind. Truth was, they were no better or worse than mortals. The only difference was that the vampires had power that they willingly used. Mortals tended to be powerless and, thus, easy prey. Which was why people like herself and Edward and the RPIT team were important.
"What else don't I know about vampires?" Aaron asked. There was a touch of self-deprecating humor in his voice, but it was hard to find under the honest sincerity. She shook her head.
"I don't think that's why we're here tonight, is it?"
"Would you consider becoming an advisor to the MarSin Foundation, Aedan? We could use your expertise where the vampires are concerned. I could definitely make it worth your time," Aaron offered. In that moment, Aedan found that he was far more like his father than he was willing to let on. There was a look in his eye that said if he was able to do it, he would collect her and add her to his trophy room.
"I'm sorry, Aaron. I have far too many responsibilities as it is. And I'm afraid I know nothing about your foundation," she admitted. She wasn't about to let him know that this was the first she'd ever heard of it.
Her words saw him switch over from affable young man to shrewd businessman in the blink of an eye. His gaze slid to Jean Claude in an assessing manner that Aedan wasn't sure she liked. As if Singleton suddenly found the Master of the City lacking for some reason. His gaze returned to her face and he stepped to the side to reveal a table behind him. A large portrait of a young woman who looked amazingly like him and his sister sat upon the table's flat surface, surrounded by bouquets of fragrant flowers. It was an older picture, based on the style of the woman's dress, but she was smiling and beautiful and filled with youth. Something told Aedan it was one of the last pictures ever taken of the girl.
"The MarSin Foundation is named for my youngest sister. Marla Singleton. She was a teenager when an accident befell her that devastated my mother and father both." Singleton sounded like his father as he spoke, voice filled with that same commanding quality she'd heard in a dead man's voice not more than a week ago. It was the kind of voice that demanded respect from all who were allowed to hear it. "Many years ago, when my sisters and I were still little more than children, the family was on a trip to our cabin in the woods. Rustic roughing it for rich people. Which meant we were far enough away from civilization for people to not be an issue. But not so far that we were cut off from civilization."
Aedan nodded. She knew the type of cabin he was speaking of. They were generally all wood and glass with every modern amenity a person could want.
"The three of us were outside, playing some game. Hide and seek or something like that. A child's game. Our dog was with Marla. The dog was always with Marla. She just kind of drew animals to her without even trying. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. Wild animals came to her as if they were her pets. I was seeking. Marla and Alana were hiding. And, out of the blue, the dog started barking. Madly. I'd never heard the dog bark like that before." The expression on Aaron's face softened as he fell back into memory. Aedan inched closer to Jean Claude, because she had a sneaking suspicion she knew where this story was going. He slid an arm around her, offering her his support without saying a word.
"And then Marla was screaming in pain, crying and yelling and begging for help. The dog yelped, then went silent. Naturally Alana and I ran to find her. What we stumbled upon..." Aaron's voice faded into nothing, his memories rising up to overwhelm him.
"It was a lycanthrope, wasn't it?" Aedan asked.
Aaron blinked and focused on her. There was a startled quality in his gaze that suggested he hadn't realized he'd zoned out. "Yes. A werewolf. It was gnawing at her as if she was a bone. Alana and I threw rocks at it, screamed at it to leave Marla alone. It might have attacked us, too, if not for my father. Dad came running into the clearing with a shotgun in hand and he opened fire on the wolf. Hit it dead in the chest. The damn thing roared and reared back, ready to charge my dad. So he shot it again. In the head this time. When it dropped, he pulled a machete out of nowhere and took the damn thing's head off."
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"Marla survived the attack, surprisingly. Of course my parents raced her into town, to the nearest hospital. They wanted to lock her away. She was just a child. But Mom and Dad were having none of it. Marla came home with us. Mom and Dad found a pack that would help her. She grew up into a well-adjusted, kind, beautiful young woman." One hand gestured toward the picture on the table. "When Marla was old enough, she decided she wanted to advocate for lycanthropes' rights. Too many of them were being treated like plague victims."
"She made a target of herself," Aedan said quietly.
"She did. And it got her killed. Mom and Dad were beside themselves. It was Mom's idea to start the MarSin Foundation. A foundation that is dedicated to helping lycanthropes all around the country. Especially victims of attacks like Marla."
"It is a good charity. One I support enthusiastically," Jean Claude said, his hold on Aedan tightening. She suspected he knew just how much she needed that touch right now. Why did children always upset her the most?
"There are too many who are victims," she replied. "Its good to know that there are people like you and your parents who are willing to help them. I wish there were more."
"As do I, Aedan. Which is why I think you'd be an excellent addition to the foundation. As an advisor. I know you said you already have too much on your plate. But please think about my offer. Maybe together, we can change some people's minds."
"I'll consider it, Aaron. But that's all I can promise right now."
"That's all I ask," he smiled. Then he looked around at the room and the people surrounding them. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a party to start."
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(no subject)
Date: 2018-05-22 02:21 pm (UTC)Gads...this is getting more and more interesting as this goes on. :-)
I love Edward and Aedan's convo. That crack about having ever met her....they're similar and yet so not. I know he's concerned about her, especially where JC is concerned, but damn she must feel a bit smothered sometimes...*snickers* I do love their interactions. :-)
Also I think I'm loving how this party is looking (yes, I'm that shallow). So much pretty, so good a cause. Something 's bound to go wrong...LOL ;-)
I wish I could write better comments, but I hope you get I'm totally digging this fic.
Even if I do hate and envy your abilities. ;-) xxoo
(no subject)
Date: 2018-05-22 10:05 pm (UTC)the party should be interesting. i've just got to get it fully formed in my head. woo. go, stupid brain.
thanks for taking the time to read and comment, bb. glad you enjoyed it
(no subject)
Date: 2018-05-26 07:38 pm (UTC)Gee, I wonder who that might be? LOL
On to the next chapter ... in a bit.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-05-26 11:09 pm (UTC)and i can't imagine who that might be. (i thought it was totally fitting and just couldn't help myself.)