For All Time: A Gothic Fairytale 9/10
Title: For All Time: A Gothic Fairytale
Author: darkfaery1
Chapter: 9/10
Series: TDS/TCR
Genre: Gothic AU
Chapter pairings: Jon/Amy, 'Stephen'/Paul
Chapter rating: PG-13
Content: slash and het sex, Gothic violence, language, angst, slavery, evil!Jon.
Word count: 2025
Chapter summary: Jon tells Amy the truth.
Author's note: I apologize profusely for the wait for the final chapters of this story. There's just one more chapter after this, which I promise to post sooner rather than later. Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this story.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is not intended to portray the life or defame the character of any actual person. Any similarity between the fictional version of the person portrayed here and the actual person is purely coincidental. No money is being made from this work of fiction. It is not intended to infringe upon any copyrighted material. Any mention of any copyrighted material is reasonably protected by the Fair Use Rule of the United States Copyright Act of 1976.
Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight
It was well before sunrise when Amy knocked softly on Jon's door. She didn't really expect him to answer, but hesitated a moment before turning the doorknob and letting herself in. Jon continued to snore.
"Jon?" she called, but still he didn't stir. Amy gingerly reached for his bare shoulder and shook him.
"What? What's wrong?" Jon bolted up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to focus on the intruder.
"Nothing's wrong," she said, sitting next to him on the bed.
Jon sighed in irritation. "Then why in god's name are waking me up at this hour?" He took her hand to soften the edge to his words. "Have you come to torture me some more?"
"I was thinking…"
He groaned. "So you have come to torture me."
Amy harrumphed and tried to pull away from him. Jon caught her around the waist and flipped her onto her back on the other side of him. Amy let out a little scream of surprise, then felt that exquisitely pleasant jolt in her belly that distracted her from her original purpose. He hovered over her, playfully licking the tip of her nose, then dipping his tongue between her lips. As Jon nuzzled her neck, Amy ran her fingertips up his arms and down his back; she stopped abruptly at the base of his spine. "You're not wearing any clothes." She quickly sat up and tugged her nightgown up around her neck, belatedly shocked by her own wantonness.
Jon laughed lightly and lit a candle. "I don't usually at this time of night." While Amy averted her eyes, he retrieved a crumpled shirt and trousers from the floor and donned them. He flopped down on the bed and gazed at her bleary-eyed. "Now, what did you want to tell me that couldn't wait till daylight?"
"It seems silly now," she said, embarrassed, "but I thought we could leave for Boston this morning."
Jon stared at her in surprise. "Anxious to get it over with?"
Amy smiled. "Something like that. As soon as Stephen makes his statement to the notary, we can leave."
Jon's blue eyes turned almost grey as a troubled look crossed his features. "I've been thinking about that. What if Stephen won't cooperate? He hates me; he doesn't think I'm good enough for you." He grinned. "He's right, of course. Surely you don't need him to get your annulment. We'll say he abandoned you. That would explain my accompanying you."
"I suppose--"
"And we'll likely miss the coach if we wait for a notary." He glanced at one of the half-dozen clocks in his room. "It's nearly four now. Hurry and pack, then we'll go. I'll write a note explaining things to Stephen and Paul. We can have a quick breakfast in town before we leave."
There was something strange about Jon's almost frantic insistence that they leave right away, but Amy imagined he was more anxious than she was to start their new life together. "All right," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "I won't be long."
Jon regretted many of his actions throughout his life, but only two currently mattered: the curse, of course, and his unfortunate dalliance with Stephen. It was obvious Stephen hadn't told her; perhaps Paul convinced him not to. But after Stephen's hostility towards him at dinner last night, Jon was increasingly afraid Amy would discover the truth before she fell in love with him.
While Amy packed her things, Jon stuffed his clothes in an old seabag, then dug through a chest for the little money he possessed, as well as some old jewelry and a broken gold watch he had found in the attic. With a healthy dose of remorse, he went downstairs into the kitchen and emptied the tea box where Paul stashed the household money. Jon wrote a hasty note explaining their departure and promised to repay him.
Suddenly he heard glass shattering and ran upstairs to Amy's room. In her rush to get ready, she had bumped against a small table and sent a vase full of flowers crashing to the floor. Jon's chest tightened when he heard Paul and Stephen stirring next door. Both men sleepily rushed into Amy's bedroom.
"Are you all right, Amy?" Paul asked.
"I'm fine," she said, blushing. "I'm so sorry I woke you."
Stephen glanced at his wife with her packed bag, then at Jon, his bleary eyes narrowing. "Where are you going at this hour?"
Amy started to speak, but Jon stopped her with a glance. "We're going to breakfast in town; perhaps do some shopping afterward."
"Then why is your bag packed, Amy?"
Paul put his hand on Stephen's shoulder, but he shrugged him off. "You're running away with him aren't you?" he said, pointing an accusing finger at Jon.
"We'll be back in a few weeks," Amy told him gently. "After we're married. Please take care of Dusty while I'm gone."
"You'll marry him over my dead body!" Stephen lunged for Jon, but Paul easily held him back. "Stephen, just let them go!"
Jon put his arm around Amy and picked up her bag, quickly ushering her out of the room and down the stairs. Stephen stood on the landing and yelled after him, "Why don't you ask your lover what he did to me while I was ill when you and Paul were in town?"
Amy stopped abruptly, turning around to face her husband. "What are you talking about, Stephen?"
"I didn't mean it, Amy," Jon admitted before Stephen could reveal the details. "I loved you from the beginning, but you rejected me."
Amy went pale. "What did you do?"
Jon swallowed hard. Stephen and Paul had descended the stairs and were listening as well. The truth was his only option. "I tried to seduce him. I kissed him and I--touched him the way you did me last night."
Amy covered her face with her hands, taking deep breaths in an effort not to burst into tears. "I should have known you were just like them," she uttered, motioning towards Paul and Stephen. "I knew deep down that you just wanted me to break your curse, then you'd toss me aside for someone else--another man, apparently."
Jon took her by shoulders and almost shook her. "That's not true, Amy! I have been with men as well as women, but I never loved any of them, except you. Give me another chance and I'll prove it to you--"
She pushed him away violently. "I'm going home to Boston today, but I'll be damned if I give you another chance to make a fool of me!" Amy ran upstairs, finally venting her rage with tears. She came down a short time later with Dusty's traveling cage in tow. Without a glance at Jon, Amy loaded her things on the wagon and waited for Paul and Stephen to take her into town.
Stephen regarded Jon fearfully on his way to the barn, but Jon couldn't blame him, as much as he'd like to. It was his own shortcomings that had destroyed his happiness. Nothing had changed in two hundred years.
As Jon watched the wagon disappear into the forest, he imagined he could see the Black Witch who cursed him smile down at him in satisfaction. Until this moment Jon had never truly understood the hell to which she had cursed him.
To be continued…
Author: darkfaery1
Chapter: 9/10
Series: TDS/TCR
Genre: Gothic AU
Chapter pairings: Jon/Amy, 'Stephen'/Paul
Chapter rating: PG-13
Content: slash and het sex, Gothic violence, language, angst, slavery, evil!Jon.
Word count: 2025
Chapter summary: Jon tells Amy the truth.
Author's note: I apologize profusely for the wait for the final chapters of this story. There's just one more chapter after this, which I promise to post sooner rather than later. Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this story.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is not intended to portray the life or defame the character of any actual person. Any similarity between the fictional version of the person portrayed here and the actual person is purely coincidental. No money is being made from this work of fiction. It is not intended to infringe upon any copyrighted material. Any mention of any copyrighted material is reasonably protected by the Fair Use Rule of the United States Copyright Act of 1976.
Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight
It was well before sunrise when Amy knocked softly on Jon's door. She didn't really expect him to answer, but hesitated a moment before turning the doorknob and letting herself in. Jon continued to snore.
"Jon?" she called, but still he didn't stir. Amy gingerly reached for his bare shoulder and shook him.
"What? What's wrong?" Jon bolted up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to focus on the intruder.
"Nothing's wrong," she said, sitting next to him on the bed.
Jon sighed in irritation. "Then why in god's name are waking me up at this hour?" He took her hand to soften the edge to his words. "Have you come to torture me some more?"
"I was thinking…"
He groaned. "So you have come to torture me."
Amy harrumphed and tried to pull away from him. Jon caught her around the waist and flipped her onto her back on the other side of him. Amy let out a little scream of surprise, then felt that exquisitely pleasant jolt in her belly that distracted her from her original purpose. He hovered over her, playfully licking the tip of her nose, then dipping his tongue between her lips. As Jon nuzzled her neck, Amy ran her fingertips up his arms and down his back; she stopped abruptly at the base of his spine. "You're not wearing any clothes." She quickly sat up and tugged her nightgown up around her neck, belatedly shocked by her own wantonness.
Jon laughed lightly and lit a candle. "I don't usually at this time of night." While Amy averted her eyes, he retrieved a crumpled shirt and trousers from the floor and donned them. He flopped down on the bed and gazed at her bleary-eyed. "Now, what did you want to tell me that couldn't wait till daylight?"
"It seems silly now," she said, embarrassed, "but I thought we could leave for Boston this morning."
Jon stared at her in surprise. "Anxious to get it over with?"
Amy smiled. "Something like that. As soon as Stephen makes his statement to the notary, we can leave."
Jon's blue eyes turned almost grey as a troubled look crossed his features. "I've been thinking about that. What if Stephen won't cooperate? He hates me; he doesn't think I'm good enough for you." He grinned. "He's right, of course. Surely you don't need him to get your annulment. We'll say he abandoned you. That would explain my accompanying you."
"I suppose--"
"And we'll likely miss the coach if we wait for a notary." He glanced at one of the half-dozen clocks in his room. "It's nearly four now. Hurry and pack, then we'll go. I'll write a note explaining things to Stephen and Paul. We can have a quick breakfast in town before we leave."
There was something strange about Jon's almost frantic insistence that they leave right away, but Amy imagined he was more anxious than she was to start their new life together. "All right," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "I won't be long."
Jon regretted many of his actions throughout his life, but only two currently mattered: the curse, of course, and his unfortunate dalliance with Stephen. It was obvious Stephen hadn't told her; perhaps Paul convinced him not to. But after Stephen's hostility towards him at dinner last night, Jon was increasingly afraid Amy would discover the truth before she fell in love with him.
While Amy packed her things, Jon stuffed his clothes in an old seabag, then dug through a chest for the little money he possessed, as well as some old jewelry and a broken gold watch he had found in the attic. With a healthy dose of remorse, he went downstairs into the kitchen and emptied the tea box where Paul stashed the household money. Jon wrote a hasty note explaining their departure and promised to repay him.
Suddenly he heard glass shattering and ran upstairs to Amy's room. In her rush to get ready, she had bumped against a small table and sent a vase full of flowers crashing to the floor. Jon's chest tightened when he heard Paul and Stephen stirring next door. Both men sleepily rushed into Amy's bedroom.
"Are you all right, Amy?" Paul asked.
"I'm fine," she said, blushing. "I'm so sorry I woke you."
Stephen glanced at his wife with her packed bag, then at Jon, his bleary eyes narrowing. "Where are you going at this hour?"
Amy started to speak, but Jon stopped her with a glance. "We're going to breakfast in town; perhaps do some shopping afterward."
"Then why is your bag packed, Amy?"
Paul put his hand on Stephen's shoulder, but he shrugged him off. "You're running away with him aren't you?" he said, pointing an accusing finger at Jon.
"We'll be back in a few weeks," Amy told him gently. "After we're married. Please take care of Dusty while I'm gone."
"You'll marry him over my dead body!" Stephen lunged for Jon, but Paul easily held him back. "Stephen, just let them go!"
Jon put his arm around Amy and picked up her bag, quickly ushering her out of the room and down the stairs. Stephen stood on the landing and yelled after him, "Why don't you ask your lover what he did to me while I was ill when you and Paul were in town?"
Amy stopped abruptly, turning around to face her husband. "What are you talking about, Stephen?"
"I didn't mean it, Amy," Jon admitted before Stephen could reveal the details. "I loved you from the beginning, but you rejected me."
Amy went pale. "What did you do?"
Jon swallowed hard. Stephen and Paul had descended the stairs and were listening as well. The truth was his only option. "I tried to seduce him. I kissed him and I--touched him the way you did me last night."
Amy covered her face with her hands, taking deep breaths in an effort not to burst into tears. "I should have known you were just like them," she uttered, motioning towards Paul and Stephen. "I knew deep down that you just wanted me to break your curse, then you'd toss me aside for someone else--another man, apparently."
Jon took her by shoulders and almost shook her. "That's not true, Amy! I have been with men as well as women, but I never loved any of them, except you. Give me another chance and I'll prove it to you--"
She pushed him away violently. "I'm going home to Boston today, but I'll be damned if I give you another chance to make a fool of me!" Amy ran upstairs, finally venting her rage with tears. She came down a short time later with Dusty's traveling cage in tow. Without a glance at Jon, Amy loaded her things on the wagon and waited for Paul and Stephen to take her into town.
Stephen regarded Jon fearfully on his way to the barn, but Jon couldn't blame him, as much as he'd like to. It was his own shortcomings that had destroyed his happiness. Nothing had changed in two hundred years.
As Jon watched the wagon disappear into the forest, he imagined he could see the Black Witch who cursed him smile down at him in satisfaction. Until this moment Jon had never truly understood the hell to which she had cursed him.
To be continued…