NaNo Project: CHAPTER TWO
Eleven Months of Night
This chapter has lots of stuff going on! Hope those of you reading it like it! :) Thanks again, Jamie (
astrangerenters) for all my pretty icons and graphics!
Chapter Two
He was completely disheartened to see that Victoria was still there when he returned to the bar. “I thought you were leaving,” he said in a frigid voice.
“Were you nice?” she demanded. “Or did you say some stupid Jack-ism and reveal your true colors already?”
He didn’t respond, just made straight for the bar. She followed though; the God damned woman was relentless. “I’m trying to work,” he finally barked at her.
“You were an ass, weren’t you?” She shook her head in disgust. Eyeing him suspiciously, she sat down at the bar. “You get that she’s off-limits, right?”
Slamming a glass down on the counter, he finally turned to look at her. “Leave,” he snapped.
“I can’t until I’m sure you’re not going to fuck this up for everyone.”
“Tory! I’ve got a fucking bar full of paying customers that I need to deal with. I don’t have time to sit through a lecture on propriety. I’m a grown man, for Christ’s sake!”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Of course you are,” she muttered. “But the fact of the matter is … bodyguards do not sleep with their charges. Don’t shake your head at me, you know I’m right. The sooner you get her to trust you and talk to you, the sooner this will be over, for all of us. And contrary to popular belief, Jack, sleeping with her isn’t going to accomplish anything. Especially not with your track record.”
Jack sighed heavily. “So what exactly do you propose I do with her?”
Victoria looked at him as though he’d grown a second head. “Haven’t you ever had any friends?”
“Not women,” he said glibly.
“Cute, very cute. Well, guess what? You’ve got one now. And she could probably use a little understanding. Considering everything -- ”
Victoria’s sentence was cut off by the sound of an enormous thud from upstairs. Jack felt his stomach drop … only a crash of massive proportions could cause a sound loud enough to be heard over the noise in the bar, and several of the bar patrons looked around to see where the commotion was coming from.
Jack had a pretty good idea. “Oh, son of a bitch,” he practically growled, vaulting over the bar and sprinting toward the stairs in the back. Victoria started to follow him, but he held out his arm to stop her. “You don’t want to follow me right now,” he told her. “Shit,” he muttered.
Stupid. He’d been just plain stupid. He’d completely neglected to tell her which door she shouldn’t open …
He paused at the landing on the top of the stairs, and listened at the door. He heard Cerberus’ familiar growl, though it seemed … off … somehow. He wondered for a second whether or not he was going to find a maimed young woman bleeding in his hallway when he went in.
Just as he was about to open the door, he heard another sound. Laughter? Feminine laughter? Well, that couldn’t be right … Pushing the door open forcefully, he darted inside and looked around frantically. “Persephone, are you …” But what he saw made him trail off in mid-sentence.
Seph was sitting on the floor of the hallway, laughing hysterically as Cerberus happily slobbered all over her. Jack’s brow knitted. Cerberus didn’t like anybody. Some days, Jack thought that the dog barely tolerated his presence. And he wasn’t an affectionate creature.
He cleared his throat, and Seph turned to face him, still laughing as she tried to gently push the overly affectionate dog away from her. “You didn’t tell me you had a dog,” she said cautiously. She laughed again as the dog playfully nipped at her pant leg and shook it gently. “What’s his name?” she asked, leaning forward and scratching Cerberus’ head gently.
Jack felt like he’d been hit with a ton of bricks. He’d raced up here, terrified that his dumbass dog had gotten a hold of his charge and done her bodily harm, and instead had found her sitting on the floor, laughing, while said dumbass dog appeared to be reveling in her attention.
He was staring again. “Well,” she said with a heavy sigh, “if you’re not going to tell me his name, could you at least call him off so that I can stand up?”
Jack managed to find his voice again, and snapped sharply, “Cerberus! Heel!” The damn dog didn’t move. He looked at Jack -- haughtily, even! -- and laid his big head down on Seph’s leg.
“Cerberus,” Seph said quietly, stroking the dog’s ears absently. “I should‘ve guessed.” She looked up at Jack. “He’s really going to be unhappy when I stand up. Poor little sweetie.”
“Cerberus is not a sweetie,” Jack said narrowly.
Seph rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, of course not. He’s a big, beastly, killer of a dog. Is that better?”
“No, you don’t understand,” Jack said. “Cerberus doesn’t like anybody. How did you find him, anyway?”
“Would you give me a hand?” Seph asked, finding it difficult to get back to her feet while she had a hundred pound rottweiler resting in her lap.
Jack walked toward her and extended his hand. He helped her to her feet, tugging just a little harder than he really needed to, and she collided with him, her hands pressed up against his chest for just a split second before she backed up, stumbling slightly. He reached out to steady her, and let his hands linger on her arms. She couldn’t back up any farther without tripping over Cerberus, so she pulled her arms free and brushed off the front of her pants ... any excuse to not having him touching her. It was ... unsettling. And she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
“Thanks,” she muttered, noting that even though she had broken contact, Jack hadn’t moved, and was definitely invading what she considered her personal space. Was it a bodyguard thing? To get so close? Remembering his earlier comments, she was more apt to believe it was something else. The idea both worried and intrigued her, though she didn’t understand why. “And to answer your question, I was looking for the bathroom. Since you didn’t tell me where it was, I just opened the first door I came to and …”
Jack just shook his head. “That was my fault. I’m sorry.”
Seph’s eyes widened slightly. “You do know that word. I was wondering. Anyway, it’s not a big deal … I got to meet Cerberus, here.” She smiled, and the dog looked up at her from where he lay, looking forlorn, his head resting on his paws.
“It could’ve been a big deal,” Jack said. “Cerberus usually attacks strangers. It’s a character flaw. Right, Cerb?” he nodded his head at the dog, who was still looking longingly at Seph. Jack understood the feeling perfectly.
Be nice. Victoria had told him to be nice, that the key to everything with this girl was niceness. Maybe there was some truth in that. She’d seemed perfectly pleasant -- albeit a little stressed, but understandably so -- before he’d started wisecracking earlier. Truth be told, he probably deserved that tongue-lashing she’d given him …
Right now, all he knew was that she was standing only a few feet from him, leaning against the wall, with a small smile playing on her lips -- and she was just beautiful. He cleared his throat and she looked at him. “I think we got off to a bad start,” he said simply. “Friday nights are crazy down at the bar, and I tend to get a bit wired, so I say some stupid things.”
Seph nodded. “If you say so,” she said with a shrug.
“I’m apologizing here!” he protested.
“I get that. But that doesn’t get you off the hook, okay?” Sighing deeply, she looked at him. “I’ve had a bad day. The worst damn day a person could have, actually. And the guy who is supposed to make sure I stay safe turns out to be a …” she trailed off. “Well, you get it, right? Why I’m mad?”
“Yeah, I get it,” he said sullenly. “And I realize it was inappropriate. It won’t happen again … unless of course you want it to.” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
Seph glared and shook her head, at the same time fighting back the urge to laugh. “Are you kidding me? They really really didn’t put my life in your hands, did they? Tell me, please, that the real bodyguard is going to show up soon. And that he’s gay.”
“Sorry. You get me,” Jack responded, shrugging. “And I am most definitely not gay. Don’t worry, Sweetheart. I’m good at my job. I’m actually the best.”
“And I’m really grateful, I am. But don’t call me Sweetheart. And just so we’re clear … this is a business relationship. Keep that in mind, okay? I have enough to deal with, do you get that?”
“Business, huh?” he said coolly. “Fine. Then we can’t be using nicknames. You can call me Mr. Hayden."
Seph nearly threw up her hands in exasperation. “Mr. Hayden? We’re going to be living under the same roof. I’m not calling you that, Jack."
Jack opened his mouth to say something when a throat was cleared behind him. He turned around to see that Victoria had finally grown tired of waiting around and had come upstairs. “Is everything okay?” she asked. Cerberus immediately started to growl and bared his teeth.
“Cerberus! Knock it off!” Jack shouted, but the dog continued it’s menacing behavior.
Seph turned around and knelt beside the dog. She didn’t touch him, she knew better than that, but she whispered to him soothingly. “Shh, shh, Cerberus it’s okay,” she said. The dog seemed to respond almost immediately to her and stopped growling. Seph reached out her hand, let him sniff at and lick it, and then pushed his head under her hand so that she would pet him.
“How’d she do that?” Victoria asked in a quiet voice.
Jack’s eyes didn’t leave Seph as he answered, “I really have no fucking clue.” He finally turned to Victoria. “Everything’s fine here, I’ll walk you out.”
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Victoria looked at him expectantly. “So?”
“Fine. I’ll be nice,” he said with no emotion in his voice.
“Good.” She stopped with her hand on the door. “Just so you know, when I took this job, I didn’t know what I was getting into. But now that I do know, I have to say it. I hate what Birdwell is using her for. I hate that she’s nothing but information to you people. But it’s not my place to question the Corporation, and I don‘t want to end up dead for saying the wrong thing.” She shook her head. “But she’s a good kid, Jack. And God knows, you could use a little good. You’ve been living in the dark for so long … Just … take care of her. And yourself.” Lowering her voice, she leaned toward him. “You can’t trust them.” With that said, Victoria turned and stepped out into the icy cold of the night.
Jack stood there for a few moments, pondering what exactly Tory had meant. Couldn’t trust who? Did she know something that she wasn’t saying? It wasn’t likely, being as she lived out in Missouri, and the Corporation was based in Rochester … but still. She had unsettled him a little. And he didn’t like that feeling. Didn’t like it one God damn bit.
This chapter has lots of stuff going on! Hope those of you reading it like it! :) Thanks again, Jamie (
astrangerenters) for all my pretty icons and graphics!
Chapter Two
He was completely disheartened to see that Victoria was still there when he returned to the bar. “I thought you were leaving,” he said in a frigid voice.
“Were you nice?” she demanded. “Or did you say some stupid Jack-ism and reveal your true colors already?”
He didn’t respond, just made straight for the bar. She followed though; the God damned woman was relentless. “I’m trying to work,” he finally barked at her.
“You were an ass, weren’t you?” She shook her head in disgust. Eyeing him suspiciously, she sat down at the bar. “You get that she’s off-limits, right?”
Slamming a glass down on the counter, he finally turned to look at her. “Leave,” he snapped.
“I can’t until I’m sure you’re not going to fuck this up for everyone.”
“Tory! I’ve got a fucking bar full of paying customers that I need to deal with. I don’t have time to sit through a lecture on propriety. I’m a grown man, for Christ’s sake!”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Of course you are,” she muttered. “But the fact of the matter is … bodyguards do not sleep with their charges. Don’t shake your head at me, you know I’m right. The sooner you get her to trust you and talk to you, the sooner this will be over, for all of us. And contrary to popular belief, Jack, sleeping with her isn’t going to accomplish anything. Especially not with your track record.”
Jack sighed heavily. “So what exactly do you propose I do with her?”
Victoria looked at him as though he’d grown a second head. “Haven’t you ever had any friends?”
“Not women,” he said glibly.
“Cute, very cute. Well, guess what? You’ve got one now. And she could probably use a little understanding. Considering everything -- ”
Victoria’s sentence was cut off by the sound of an enormous thud from upstairs. Jack felt his stomach drop … only a crash of massive proportions could cause a sound loud enough to be heard over the noise in the bar, and several of the bar patrons looked around to see where the commotion was coming from.
Jack had a pretty good idea. “Oh, son of a bitch,” he practically growled, vaulting over the bar and sprinting toward the stairs in the back. Victoria started to follow him, but he held out his arm to stop her. “You don’t want to follow me right now,” he told her. “Shit,” he muttered.
Stupid. He’d been just plain stupid. He’d completely neglected to tell her which door she shouldn’t open …
He paused at the landing on the top of the stairs, and listened at the door. He heard Cerberus’ familiar growl, though it seemed … off … somehow. He wondered for a second whether or not he was going to find a maimed young woman bleeding in his hallway when he went in.
Just as he was about to open the door, he heard another sound. Laughter? Feminine laughter? Well, that couldn’t be right … Pushing the door open forcefully, he darted inside and looked around frantically. “Persephone, are you …” But what he saw made him trail off in mid-sentence.
Seph was sitting on the floor of the hallway, laughing hysterically as Cerberus happily slobbered all over her. Jack’s brow knitted. Cerberus didn’t like anybody. Some days, Jack thought that the dog barely tolerated his presence. And he wasn’t an affectionate creature.
He cleared his throat, and Seph turned to face him, still laughing as she tried to gently push the overly affectionate dog away from her. “You didn’t tell me you had a dog,” she said cautiously. She laughed again as the dog playfully nipped at her pant leg and shook it gently. “What’s his name?” she asked, leaning forward and scratching Cerberus’ head gently.
Jack felt like he’d been hit with a ton of bricks. He’d raced up here, terrified that his dumbass dog had gotten a hold of his charge and done her bodily harm, and instead had found her sitting on the floor, laughing, while said dumbass dog appeared to be reveling in her attention.
He was staring again. “Well,” she said with a heavy sigh, “if you’re not going to tell me his name, could you at least call him off so that I can stand up?”
Jack managed to find his voice again, and snapped sharply, “Cerberus! Heel!” The damn dog didn’t move. He looked at Jack -- haughtily, even! -- and laid his big head down on Seph’s leg.
“Cerberus,” Seph said quietly, stroking the dog’s ears absently. “I should‘ve guessed.” She looked up at Jack. “He’s really going to be unhappy when I stand up. Poor little sweetie.”
“Cerberus is not a sweetie,” Jack said narrowly.
Seph rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, of course not. He’s a big, beastly, killer of a dog. Is that better?”
“No, you don’t understand,” Jack said. “Cerberus doesn’t like anybody. How did you find him, anyway?”
“Would you give me a hand?” Seph asked, finding it difficult to get back to her feet while she had a hundred pound rottweiler resting in her lap.
Jack walked toward her and extended his hand. He helped her to her feet, tugging just a little harder than he really needed to, and she collided with him, her hands pressed up against his chest for just a split second before she backed up, stumbling slightly. He reached out to steady her, and let his hands linger on her arms. She couldn’t back up any farther without tripping over Cerberus, so she pulled her arms free and brushed off the front of her pants ... any excuse to not having him touching her. It was ... unsettling. And she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
“Thanks,” she muttered, noting that even though she had broken contact, Jack hadn’t moved, and was definitely invading what she considered her personal space. Was it a bodyguard thing? To get so close? Remembering his earlier comments, she was more apt to believe it was something else. The idea both worried and intrigued her, though she didn’t understand why. “And to answer your question, I was looking for the bathroom. Since you didn’t tell me where it was, I just opened the first door I came to and …”
Jack just shook his head. “That was my fault. I’m sorry.”
Seph’s eyes widened slightly. “You do know that word. I was wondering. Anyway, it’s not a big deal … I got to meet Cerberus, here.” She smiled, and the dog looked up at her from where he lay, looking forlorn, his head resting on his paws.
“It could’ve been a big deal,” Jack said. “Cerberus usually attacks strangers. It’s a character flaw. Right, Cerb?” he nodded his head at the dog, who was still looking longingly at Seph. Jack understood the feeling perfectly.
Be nice. Victoria had told him to be nice, that the key to everything with this girl was niceness. Maybe there was some truth in that. She’d seemed perfectly pleasant -- albeit a little stressed, but understandably so -- before he’d started wisecracking earlier. Truth be told, he probably deserved that tongue-lashing she’d given him …
Right now, all he knew was that she was standing only a few feet from him, leaning against the wall, with a small smile playing on her lips -- and she was just beautiful. He cleared his throat and she looked at him. “I think we got off to a bad start,” he said simply. “Friday nights are crazy down at the bar, and I tend to get a bit wired, so I say some stupid things.”
Seph nodded. “If you say so,” she said with a shrug.
“I’m apologizing here!” he protested.
“I get that. But that doesn’t get you off the hook, okay?” Sighing deeply, she looked at him. “I’ve had a bad day. The worst damn day a person could have, actually. And the guy who is supposed to make sure I stay safe turns out to be a …” she trailed off. “Well, you get it, right? Why I’m mad?”
“Yeah, I get it,” he said sullenly. “And I realize it was inappropriate. It won’t happen again … unless of course you want it to.” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
Seph glared and shook her head, at the same time fighting back the urge to laugh. “Are you kidding me? They really really didn’t put my life in your hands, did they? Tell me, please, that the real bodyguard is going to show up soon. And that he’s gay.”
“Sorry. You get me,” Jack responded, shrugging. “And I am most definitely not gay. Don’t worry, Sweetheart. I’m good at my job. I’m actually the best.”
“And I’m really grateful, I am. But don’t call me Sweetheart. And just so we’re clear … this is a business relationship. Keep that in mind, okay? I have enough to deal with, do you get that?”
“Business, huh?” he said coolly. “Fine. Then we can’t be using nicknames. You can call me Mr. Hayden."
Seph nearly threw up her hands in exasperation. “Mr. Hayden? We’re going to be living under the same roof. I’m not calling you that, Jack."
Jack opened his mouth to say something when a throat was cleared behind him. He turned around to see that Victoria had finally grown tired of waiting around and had come upstairs. “Is everything okay?” she asked. Cerberus immediately started to growl and bared his teeth.
“Cerberus! Knock it off!” Jack shouted, but the dog continued it’s menacing behavior.
Seph turned around and knelt beside the dog. She didn’t touch him, she knew better than that, but she whispered to him soothingly. “Shh, shh, Cerberus it’s okay,” she said. The dog seemed to respond almost immediately to her and stopped growling. Seph reached out her hand, let him sniff at and lick it, and then pushed his head under her hand so that she would pet him.
“How’d she do that?” Victoria asked in a quiet voice.
Jack’s eyes didn’t leave Seph as he answered, “I really have no fucking clue.” He finally turned to Victoria. “Everything’s fine here, I’ll walk you out.”
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Victoria looked at him expectantly. “So?”
“Fine. I’ll be nice,” he said with no emotion in his voice.
“Good.” She stopped with her hand on the door. “Just so you know, when I took this job, I didn’t know what I was getting into. But now that I do know, I have to say it. I hate what Birdwell is using her for. I hate that she’s nothing but information to you people. But it’s not my place to question the Corporation, and I don‘t want to end up dead for saying the wrong thing.” She shook her head. “But she’s a good kid, Jack. And God knows, you could use a little good. You’ve been living in the dark for so long … Just … take care of her. And yourself.” Lowering her voice, she leaned toward him. “You can’t trust them.” With that said, Victoria turned and stepped out into the icy cold of the night.
Jack stood there for a few moments, pondering what exactly Tory had meant. Couldn’t trust who? Did she know something that she wasn’t saying? It wasn’t likely, being as she lived out in Missouri, and the Corporation was based in Rochester … but still. She had unsettled him a little. And he didn’t like that feeling. Didn’t like it one God damn bit.