Strawberry Banana #18, Cinnamon Swirl #16, Milk Chocolate #24
Author: winebabe
Title: One Foot Out the Door (In Love)
Story: The Gemini Occurrence
Rating: PG (Content: kinda skeezy adult/minor relations, but nothing intimate.)
Flavor(s): Strawberry Banana #18: self defense; Cinnamon Swirl #16: fool's gold; Milk Chocolate #24: calculation
Topping(s)/Extra(s): Hot Fudge
Word Count: 1136
Summary: 2015; Jude and Laurence come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Notes: Jude Downing, Genevieve Kessler, Laurence Kessler, Evette Kessler. Pre-canon.
10 Years Earlier
Genevieve Kessler is a captivating child, and Jude can't help when he falls for her--hard.
She's 15 and sitting by herself at a table in her parents' dining room, holding a glass of red wine like a young woman and staring absently out the bay window. Her hair is long, dark, and curly, tied with a ribbon and hanging down against her back as she leans on her one elbow. When she turns and meets his eyes across the room, her lips are stained red from the wine. She doesn't smile, and that's when Jude decides he has to have her. Anyone who can look as beautiful as she does when she's clearly miserable is a masterpiece, he thinks.
"Why aren't you enjoying the party?" Jude asks her, once he's crossed the room and pulled out the chair beside her.
Genevieve still looks deliciously petulant when she looks up at him, through her dark lashes, and tells him, "I never enjoy Daddy's parties."
That's all it takes, really. She still calls her father 'Daddy.' She sits by herself in the middle of parties, getting clumsily drunk on a full glass of wine she must have poured for herself. Jude looks at her and thinks he knows her. He thinks he knows everything he needs to. It'll be easy to win over Genevieve Kessler.
"Aren't you lonely, though?"
Genevieve purses her lips, like she's thinking of what she should say. Jude follows her gaze as she looks into the next room, in the direction of her parents. "No," she says finally, turning back to her wine glass. "I'm never lonely."
"You're never lonely," Jude repeats. "Well, I don't think that's true."
She narrows her eyes at him and brings her glass up to her lips. "Well, you don't know me. So you can't judge me."
"Oh, I know more than you think," he counters, and Genevieve only looks disinterested. "You and I are alike."
"Oh really? And how is that?" She sips her wine and looks up at him. He can see the spark of curiosity in her blue eyes and he feels like he's hooked her in.
"I know your parents. I'm sure you know mine. I've been where you are, sweetheart, and I can tell you, I know it's hard." Jude watches as Genevieve drops her gaze, and even though he's being incredibly vague, she's found something she's considered to be truth in his words and latched on. "It is lonely, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Genevieve says quietly, her hands wrapped around her wine glass. "But why do you care?" she says, suddenly defensive, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. "I don't even know you. And you're much older than I am."
Jude smiles. It's refreshing to see someone so feisty, and he chalks it up to her youth. "I care because someone as beautiful as you shouldn't look so sad."
Genevieve doesn't look at him. She remains silent for a long time, and when it becomes apparent that she doesn't have anything else to say, Jude excuses himself from the table. As he returns to the crowd once more, he casts a quick glance over his shoulder and catches Genevieve watching him. Really, that's all it takes.
At the next party, Jude goes straight to Laurence Kessler. He's sitting at his home bar, a glass of scotch in one hand, with his wife at his side. They both look like they could be the subjects of a painting, so still and stoic, and Laurence barely acknowledges Jude's appearance.
"Excuse me, Mr. Kessler," Jude says, and Laurence turns to him, his eyebrows raised in an apparent appraisal of the young man standing before him. "I'd like to speak to you about your daughter."
"What has she done now?" he asks, heaving out a sigh, and beside him, Evette tenses.
"I'll go find her," she says quickly, getting to her feet, and she's gone before Jude can think of a way to rectify the misunderstanding.
"She hasn't done anything," Jude insists, and Laurence looks skeptical. "I know she's young, and I apologize if this is inappropriate, but I'm...interested in her."
"You're interested in my 15-year-old daughter," Laurence repeats, and Jude thinks he's blown it. Of course, it sounds disturbing coming from a man ten years her senior, and no father ever wants to hear some man is attracted to his daughter. But then Laurence cracks a smile and motions to the empty seat his wife had vacated. "You're Downing's boy, right?"
"Yes, sir. Jude."
"Jude," Laurence repeats. "Let's chat."
The next time Jude speaks to Genevieve, he's accompanied by her father, who takes her aside and speaks to her privately beforehand. She smiles at him this time, and she looks absolutely radiant; he knows he's not supposed to, but he can't help it when he kisses her before he goes. Her little hands ball around the lapels of his suit as she stands on her tiptoes, and there is a quick moment where he feels sorry for her. She's desperate when she kisses him back, and Jude thinks he knows why. Laurence Kessler is tactful, manipulative, ambitious. The one thing he's not is kind.
"Daddy said you plan to marry me," Genevieve says after, lingering in the doorway while moths circle above them in the light.
"Yes," Jude says, because it's already been agreed upon. Laurence spoke to his parents already; the Downings are a respectable family, and he's worried about his only daughter. Marrying well ensures her a bright future. The way they'd phrased it, it sounded like Jude was doing Laurence a favor instead of the other way around. "I plan to."
"You hardly know me."
"I've loved you from the first moment I saw you," Jude replies and watches with satisfaction as a blush rises to Genevieve's cheeks. She's so young, he thinks. She's too young to understand the nature of the transaction she's become a part of. "Besides, I'll get to know you before then."
Genevieve nods, as if it all makes sense to her. "Well, when will the wedding be?"
"Not a day before your 18th birthday."
"The day of, then," she says, and Jude laughs.
"The day of," he agrees, and Genevieve nods very seriously. The air is thick with the smell of flowers from the bushes surrounding the house, and the humidity clings to his skin. He plucks a purple flower from its bush and presents it to Genevieve, who both smiles and rolls her eyes at the gesture. "Until next time, my dear."
"Goodbye," she says and tucks the flower behind her ear. Jude can hear the front door shut behind him as he walks back to his car, but movement behind the curtains tells him Genevieve is lingering, still watching him from the window.
Title: One Foot Out the Door (In Love)
Story: The Gemini Occurrence
Rating: PG (Content: kinda skeezy adult/minor relations, but nothing intimate.)
Flavor(s): Strawberry Banana #18: self defense; Cinnamon Swirl #16: fool's gold; Milk Chocolate #24: calculation
Topping(s)/Extra(s): Hot Fudge
Word Count: 1136
Summary: 2015; Jude and Laurence come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Notes: Jude Downing, Genevieve Kessler, Laurence Kessler, Evette Kessler. Pre-canon.
10 Years Earlier
Genevieve Kessler is a captivating child, and Jude can't help when he falls for her--hard.
She's 15 and sitting by herself at a table in her parents' dining room, holding a glass of red wine like a young woman and staring absently out the bay window. Her hair is long, dark, and curly, tied with a ribbon and hanging down against her back as she leans on her one elbow. When she turns and meets his eyes across the room, her lips are stained red from the wine. She doesn't smile, and that's when Jude decides he has to have her. Anyone who can look as beautiful as she does when she's clearly miserable is a masterpiece, he thinks.
"Why aren't you enjoying the party?" Jude asks her, once he's crossed the room and pulled out the chair beside her.
Genevieve still looks deliciously petulant when she looks up at him, through her dark lashes, and tells him, "I never enjoy Daddy's parties."
That's all it takes, really. She still calls her father 'Daddy.' She sits by herself in the middle of parties, getting clumsily drunk on a full glass of wine she must have poured for herself. Jude looks at her and thinks he knows her. He thinks he knows everything he needs to. It'll be easy to win over Genevieve Kessler.
"Aren't you lonely, though?"
Genevieve purses her lips, like she's thinking of what she should say. Jude follows her gaze as she looks into the next room, in the direction of her parents. "No," she says finally, turning back to her wine glass. "I'm never lonely."
"You're never lonely," Jude repeats. "Well, I don't think that's true."
She narrows her eyes at him and brings her glass up to her lips. "Well, you don't know me. So you can't judge me."
"Oh, I know more than you think," he counters, and Genevieve only looks disinterested. "You and I are alike."
"Oh really? And how is that?" She sips her wine and looks up at him. He can see the spark of curiosity in her blue eyes and he feels like he's hooked her in.
"I know your parents. I'm sure you know mine. I've been where you are, sweetheart, and I can tell you, I know it's hard." Jude watches as Genevieve drops her gaze, and even though he's being incredibly vague, she's found something she's considered to be truth in his words and latched on. "It is lonely, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Genevieve says quietly, her hands wrapped around her wine glass. "But why do you care?" she says, suddenly defensive, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. "I don't even know you. And you're much older than I am."
Jude smiles. It's refreshing to see someone so feisty, and he chalks it up to her youth. "I care because someone as beautiful as you shouldn't look so sad."
Genevieve doesn't look at him. She remains silent for a long time, and when it becomes apparent that she doesn't have anything else to say, Jude excuses himself from the table. As he returns to the crowd once more, he casts a quick glance over his shoulder and catches Genevieve watching him. Really, that's all it takes.
At the next party, Jude goes straight to Laurence Kessler. He's sitting at his home bar, a glass of scotch in one hand, with his wife at his side. They both look like they could be the subjects of a painting, so still and stoic, and Laurence barely acknowledges Jude's appearance.
"Excuse me, Mr. Kessler," Jude says, and Laurence turns to him, his eyebrows raised in an apparent appraisal of the young man standing before him. "I'd like to speak to you about your daughter."
"What has she done now?" he asks, heaving out a sigh, and beside him, Evette tenses.
"I'll go find her," she says quickly, getting to her feet, and she's gone before Jude can think of a way to rectify the misunderstanding.
"She hasn't done anything," Jude insists, and Laurence looks skeptical. "I know she's young, and I apologize if this is inappropriate, but I'm...interested in her."
"You're interested in my 15-year-old daughter," Laurence repeats, and Jude thinks he's blown it. Of course, it sounds disturbing coming from a man ten years her senior, and no father ever wants to hear some man is attracted to his daughter. But then Laurence cracks a smile and motions to the empty seat his wife had vacated. "You're Downing's boy, right?"
"Yes, sir. Jude."
"Jude," Laurence repeats. "Let's chat."
The next time Jude speaks to Genevieve, he's accompanied by her father, who takes her aside and speaks to her privately beforehand. She smiles at him this time, and she looks absolutely radiant; he knows he's not supposed to, but he can't help it when he kisses her before he goes. Her little hands ball around the lapels of his suit as she stands on her tiptoes, and there is a quick moment where he feels sorry for her. She's desperate when she kisses him back, and Jude thinks he knows why. Laurence Kessler is tactful, manipulative, ambitious. The one thing he's not is kind.
"Daddy said you plan to marry me," Genevieve says after, lingering in the doorway while moths circle above them in the light.
"Yes," Jude says, because it's already been agreed upon. Laurence spoke to his parents already; the Downings are a respectable family, and he's worried about his only daughter. Marrying well ensures her a bright future. The way they'd phrased it, it sounded like Jude was doing Laurence a favor instead of the other way around. "I plan to."
"You hardly know me."
"I've loved you from the first moment I saw you," Jude replies and watches with satisfaction as a blush rises to Genevieve's cheeks. She's so young, he thinks. She's too young to understand the nature of the transaction she's become a part of. "Besides, I'll get to know you before then."
Genevieve nods, as if it all makes sense to her. "Well, when will the wedding be?"
"Not a day before your 18th birthday."
"The day of, then," she says, and Jude laughs.
"The day of," he agrees, and Genevieve nods very seriously. The air is thick with the smell of flowers from the bushes surrounding the house, and the humidity clings to his skin. He plucks a purple flower from its bush and presents it to Genevieve, who both smiles and rolls her eyes at the gesture. "Until next time, my dear."
"Goodbye," she says and tucks the flower behind her ear. Jude can hear the front door shut behind him as he walks back to his car, but movement behind the curtains tells him Genevieve is lingering, still watching him from the window.