(Batman fic) Speak, chapter 16
Title: Speak
Author: larissafae
Fandom: Batman, Nolanverse.
Pairing: Jack/Rachel
Chapter rating: R.
Final word count: 69,495
Warnings: Light bondage-ish play, lots and lots of fluff. Out the ears, I mean.
Disclaimer: If they were mine, this wouldn't be a fanfic, now, would it?
Summary: A rehabilitated Jack Napier is brought into police custody after his wife of four years, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, falls to her death from their apartment. The only ones who seem to be on his side are Gordon and Rachel, who are haunted by the fact that 'rehabilitated' doesn't always mean 'cured'.
Notes: Once more, I've researched bondage and the BDSM lifestyle a good deal, and what Rachel is dealing with in this chapter actually happens. I'd like to think I've dealt with it realistically, but if any of you have experience with it and I've got it wrong, PLEASE les me know asap; I don't need to be spreading misinformation around. Again, message me for links if you're curious.
Previous chapters:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11* Adult themes, 12, 13, 14* Adult themes, 15* Adult themes
Rachel sighed and curled up behind Jack, throwing her arm around his chest and hugging him tightly to her as he slept. His medication was hitting him particularly hard today, which was why she was laying in bed with him and not working. He was restless during the night and slept the day away, and had been stuck in that infuriating pattern for the past week. Today she hadn't even been able to get more than a grunt from him, and had called in sick for both of them. She kissed his bare shoulder and stroked her thumb over his scars, recalling what he'd told her a few weeks ago.
“I used to cut myself.”
“All over?”
“I don't remember how I got to my back . . . long blade, maybe.”
“. . . Why?”
“I don't know, and I don't want to know. I felt better when I did it . . . I felt something, which was better than nothing.”
He'd pulled her close at that point, eyes shadowed as he brooded over a past that haunted him even when he couldn't remember why, and now Rachel squeezed tears from her eyes as she held his sleeping form, wishing a million and one things had been different for both of them. The meds had kicked in later than Dr. Morgenson had predicted, but the man had been right about Jack being useless once they had.
Having to miss work to take care of Jack put enough stress on Rachel, and to make it worse, she was starting to feel an uneasy sort of need building in her. She had to physically stop herself from putting on low-cut blouses and high-cut skirts when she got ready for work, and Hideki had pulled her aside briefly the other day, concerned about her suddenly more flirtatious nature. His firm grip on her arm had made her gasp and lean into the touch, and he'd let her go as soon as he'd realised it was turning her on. Rachel had almost cried at the loss of physical contact, hating that she didn't know what was wrong with her all of a sudden. Jack would know, she was sure, but he was rarely coherent these days.
A few hours later Hideki had called her into his office and sat her at his desk, reading from some web page he'd found about submissive frenzies. She'd trembled as she recognised all of the symptoms he'd listed, slumped in relief to know that it was a natural occurrence. She still hated it, but he'd been very firm in assuring himself that she understood what was happening, that when a submissive wasn't with their dominant for whatever reason, they would go into a literal withdrawal period, then subtly broadcast themselves as available to new dominants.
That part had made her sick to her stomach. Rachel didn't want a new dominant. She wanted Jack, but he was completely out of it, which was why she was determined to not leave his side today. If he'd known the meds were going to affect him this much, she knew that he'd have mentioned this to her, made sure she knew how to deal with it. Rachel bit her lower lip and buried her face in his strong, broad back, trying not to cry.
She woke up some time later and Jack had shifted in his sleep, facing her and slipping his arms around her. It was the first time he'd moved this much in three days, and Rachel almost wept with joy. She kissed him eagerly, but he was fast asleep, and it disappointed her. Still, him moving like that was an improvement, and Dr. Morgenson had said that as soon as he started moving around again, he'd be up and about soon after.
A few of the ladies from the support group Morgenson had told her to go to had dropped by once Jack had finally passed out from the drugs in his system, making sure he and Rachel were eating and bathing, and sometimes just keeping her company as she watched over him. In fact . . . She raised her head and listened, and smiled when she heard Alfred puttering around. He'd shown up at her door unexpectedly but welcome, claiming to be on loan from Bruce for however long she needed him. Whether or not Bruce had thought of it or just approved of it Rachel didn't know, but she'd been in tears of gratitude as she'd let him in.
There was a polite knock on the bedroom door. “Rachel? It's time to eat.”
She unwound herself from Jack and sat up, giggling in near hysterical joy as he shifted and buried his head in her lap. She adjust the t-shirt of his that she was wearing, smoothed her hair down, and called out to Alfred. “Come on in.”
His smiling face greeted her as he pushed the door open, holding a tray of food that made Rachel's mouth water from the smell alone. “Good; I was afraid you might be sleeping. He's moved?”
She nodded, eyes glowing with excitement. “He ought to wake up tonight or tomorrow.”
“I'm glad,” her friend said quietly. He set the tray of food across her upper thighs and then went to Jack's side of the bed, sitting down gently and hoisting Jack into a sitting position. This had become routine, Alfred gently forcing soup down Jack's throat while Rachel ate her own food and watched him like a hawk. Then he would watch over them both as she slipped into dreams, and as Rachel's eyes closed, she sent thanks to whoever had gifted her with such amazing people in her life.
~
“Whuddyuh doin' . . .” Rachel turned around and beamed at Jack, fluffing her curled hair. “L'k funny . . .” Jack was slurring his words almost to the point of incomprehension, but at least he was awake and talking. His eyes squinted at her. “C'mere . . .”
She went to him and sat down on the bed, leaning over to fuss with his blankets. He stared at her hair, then snorted faintly. Rachel leaned over and kissed him.
“I love you, Jack,” she whispered.
“L've y' too . . .” That made her almost cry and she giggled, snuggling next to him as he shifted to throw his arm haphazardly over her stomach. Then he sighed. “T'ch y's'lf . . .”
“What?” Rachel whispered as her heart stopped.
He grunted and tried to bite her shoulder, but all that he was capable of was resting his teeth against her skin. “Tusssha sulf,” he repeated, rolling bleary eyes up at her.
“Touch myself?” she asked as her heart started pounding. He grunted, sounding vaguely pleased, and Rachel quivered as he squeezed her hand when she put it on her belly.
“Wa'a hep . . .”
That made Rachel laugh and she tilted her head down to kiss Jack's forehead as she covered his hand with hers and pulled it under the covers and between her legs, sighing with pleasure as his fingers twitched against her. She corrected him, helping his fingers along, keeping her eyes glued to his as she whimpered. It was a damn good thing Alfred wasn't there at the moment. Jack was humming in fits and starts, more of a faintly musical grunt than anything, but it made Rachel's whole body tense up with pleasure. Her orgasm hit her with little warning and she cried out, her back arching off the bed, and Jack just grunted with amusement as she settled down again.
“Be'er?” he mumbled into her shoulder.
“So much,” Rachel groaned, then turned over to kiss him. He responded as best he could, then sighed and closed his eyes, exhausted from that little exertion. Rachel let him slip back into sleep, holding him to her tightly.
~
“Where is this?”
He was helping her scrapbook and Rachel looked up from the page she was working on, her hair in high pigtails and curled, thigh-high white stockings on her legs and Mary Janes on her feet, which were swinging idly in the air as she lay on her stomach. She was wearing cream panties with pink ribbon highlights and a matching bra, with a lollipop stuck in her mouth, and that was all. Jack was on a semi-Lolita kick.
“Upstate; Mom owns a summer home up there. I haven't been there for years.” She sighed fondly and Jack seemed hesitant as he gazed at the picture of the beach front house. “It's on two acres, I think.”
He licked his lips and then looked at her with an oddly serious expression on his face, then nodded and put the picture down. “Must be nice.”
“I love it there,” she said wistfully. “It's quiet, and cosy, and out of the way. The town isn't very large; certainly not like Gotham.” Jack nodded attentively as she made a face. “I think you'd like it.”
“Looks great.” He tapped his fingers on his legs, then got up and wandered off. Rachel let him go without comment, concentrating on her assigned page. It wasn't until he lay down next to her, their shoulders brushing, that she looked up again. He pushed something at her. “Not too good at this no matter how much I practice, so why don't you just open it and tell me what you think.”
Rachel frowned in puzzlement and picked up the small box in front of her, teeth cracking the lollipop as she unwrapped it and hummed. Jack pushed a plate at her.
“Spit that out, first.”
She rolled her eyes to the side to regard him, then shrugged and took the candy from her lips, giving it a good lick before setting it on the plate and turning back to the box, which held a smaller box. She sighed and pulled that one out, unwrapping it to find yet a smaller box inside. Rachel rolled her eyes and idly plucked the gold ribbon from this newest box, fully expecting an even tinier box to be encased inside it.
She blinked when she opened it. Well. It was square, at any rate. It certainly sparkled too much to be a box. A little small, too. Far too round on the bottom. Fit perfectly on her left ring finger, and there was a matching slave bracelet that attached to it, it looked like.
The frantic drumming of fingers on her stack of coloured paper drew Rachel's attention from studying the gold and diamond ring she'd slid on out of curiosity and she turned to look at Jack. He was breathing too fast, and his face was a little red. He swallowed sharply and blinked at her, and then the enormity of the situation sunk in and Rachel realised just what exactly she'd put on.
Then, then her heart stopped and she stared at him in shock before she started to shake and splutter. Jack bit his lower lip as Rachel's eyes filled with tears, and as they started to fall down her cheek she flipped on her side and threw her arms around Jack, bursting into tears.
“Oh, God, Jack, yes,” Rachel sobbed, hysterical laughter making her convulse as she clung to him, kissing his face as she laughed and cried. “Yes yes yes yes yes!” She squealed with joy as Jack started laughing with her, wrapping his arms around her waist and rolling onto his back, a huge grin of relief on his lips as he held her just as tightly as she was holding him. She couldn't believe it. After nearly two years, Jack had just given her an engagement ring. He'd proposed. Oh, God, and she'd said yes. They were going to get married. He wanted to marry her.
Jack pulled her down for a bruising kiss and she returned it, gasping into his mouth and digging her fingers through his hair, still crying even as he started unfastening her cute little bra.
It was a long time before Rory felt safe enough to crawl out from under the couch.
~
Rachel stood up and the group in the dining room fell silent, looking at her expectantly. She was grinning like a fool and had a hold of Jack's hand, resting it on his shoulder as she stood next to him, and then she cleared her throat.
“Well. I know Mom and Dr. Morgenson both know why you're all here, and Bruce, thank you so much for having us all over.” Her friend nodded with a smile. “Ah . . . well.” She laughed, absurdly nervous, and Jack rubbed his cheek against her hand to calm her down. “Well . . .”
“We're getting married,” Jack interrupted her as he stood up. He slung his arm around her waist and raised a challenging eyebrow at the six people who had no clue what this dinner was about, daring them to protest.
If there were any, though, Hideki's whoop of pure joy drowned them all out and he flung himself out of his seat and at Jack and Rachel, wrapping them in a big bear hug. Bruce was surprised, but he didn't seem too terribly shocked, which meant that her mother had to have warned him that something was up. That or he was more comfortable with Jack than Rachel had thought. Gordon, Raoul, Charles, and Alfred looked pleasantly surprised, and after Hideki had been pried off, Rachel and Jack were offered congratulations and well wishes. Alfred refilled their wine glasses and the couple was offered a toast, then Jack cleared his throat.
“We were also thinking of moving,” he said. “Out of Gotham.”
That brought a shocked silence to the table and seven pairs of eyes stared at them; Dr. Morgenson was the only one who knew of their wishes in that regard.
“Where to?” Hideki finally asked, his voice a pitiful whine.
Rachel was blushing as Jack rubbed her shoulder with his thumb and looked at her mother. “Well, Mom, we were thinking of the beach house in Loleta . . . if you're willing to sell it to us. And if we can get permission for Jack to leave Gotham. It all hinges on that.”
Bethany had tears in her eyes as she got up and threw her arms around Rachel, hugging her fiercely before turning to Jack and hugging him, too. He returned the embrace with only a little hesitation, and then Bethany wiped at her eyes.
“You can have it,” she said as her voice shook. “I'm not going to make you pay, Rachel. Don't argue with me.” Hideki was still whining about Rachel leaving him. “Have you set a date?” Bethany asked, ignoring him.
“Not yet,” Rachel admitted. “We were thinking a small ceremony, maybe at the courthouse, with pretty much just everyone here.”
“Can I be best man?”
“More like the maid of honour,” Gordon commented. Hideki turned red, and so did Raoul, but Jim was ignoring them.
Alfred nudge Bruce and her friend cleared his throat. “Why not have it here?” he asked. “There's no reason not to.”
“Oh, yes, there is reason not to,” Rachel told him firmly. “If we have it here, you'll try to pay for everything.”
He shrugged and flicked his hand like her refusal was an annoying fly. “So? I can afford it; it's the least I can do.”
Rachel turned to her fiancé (fiancé!) for support. “Jack . . .”
He just shrugged. “Hey, if Bruce wants to foot the bill, I'm fine with that.” He laughed when Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes, then kissed her temple. “What's to stop him from depositing money in your account if you insist on paying for the wedding?” he reasoned. Bruce raised his eyebrows like he hadn't considered that, and Rachel threw her hands up in defeat.
“Fine,” she sighed. “You can pay.”
“Next month's good, if you want it right away,” Bruce said.
“That's perfect,” Jack said before Rachel could answer. “Thank you.”
The other man just smiled slightly and nodded.
~
The wedding was small, as promised, just Bruce, Alfred, Bethany, Charles, Gordon, Dr. Morgenson, and Raoul and Hideki. The Justice of the Peace was a close friend of Alfred's and sworn to secrecy, and it had been easy for Hideki to get Judge Bowen to revise Jack's parole so he could move out of Gotham. It turned out that her brother was an attorney in Loleta, and looking for a law partner. She'd given him Rachel's number and he'd been delighted that the District Attorney for Gotham City was moving to his town and would need work; he'd offered her a partnership in his law firm on the spot. Jack's encouraging swat on the rear had prompted her to accept the offer of a job, if not full partnership, and then their life was a whirlwind of packing and putting their affairs in order. Charles was determined to keep Jack in her employment, scheming as fast as her formidable mind could scheme, planning ways to keep him reliably in touch for whatever she might need him for. Hideki was almost in tears every time he looked at her, though he always cracked up when Jack was mentioned, because the man had chosen to take Rachel's last name.
Then, finally, after another month and a half of the press going crazy over the news of their marriage and Rachel's announcement that she wasn't going to run for D.A. again, it was time for them to load up Rachel's car with the last of the things they hadn't already shipped to their new house, courtesy of Bruce, and their friends and family gathered at Bethany's house to bid them farewell.
There were tears in Rachel's eyes as she hugged her friends tightly, promising to stay in touch and visit often, after they'd gotten settled in. Then Bruce was urging her into the car, murmuring about how late it was getting and Rachel didn't want to go, but Jack was there with that wonderful, adoring smile on his face so she gave a last round of hugs, wiped the tears from her eyes, and got in next to him. Bethany and Hideki wee sobbing in each others' arms as Jack and Rachel drove off, sharing a smile as they headed toward a new life together.
End notes: All right, this is it. The end. Poof. Gone. I'm done. I've had so much fun writing this fic, you've got no idea, and I want to thank everyone who's read it and commented; even if you haven't left a review, thank you anyway. Everyone's support has been overwhelming, and I love you all more than you know.
Now, on to a few things I know you're screaming about. One, I've left a whole lot of loose ends hanging out there like Jack going commando. I know; this is on purpose. Fairly soon I'll be starting the sequel, which is titled Sing, and I hope you all read it and enjoy it as much as you have Speak. Two, I forgot about the pony I was supposed to put in chapter 14 until it was too late; I promise I'll put it in Sing. Third, this chapter was fairly rushed, I know, and I apologise; my only excuse is that I had the distressing tendency to write stories and then stop just before I finish them, and never touch them again. I really didn't want this to happen to Speak.
I think that's it. I mean, other than I'm sorry for the extreme corniness of that last part. Ugh, can I get any more romance novel-ish? I'm so sorry. ^_^ So, I don't know when I'll start Sing, but hopefully I'll see all of you there. I love you and thank you so much for sticking with me!
~ Larissa
Author: larissafae
Fandom: Batman, Nolanverse.
Pairing: Jack/Rachel
Chapter rating: R.
Final word count: 69,495
Warnings: Light bondage-ish play, lots and lots of fluff. Out the ears, I mean.
Disclaimer: If they were mine, this wouldn't be a fanfic, now, would it?
Summary: A rehabilitated Jack Napier is brought into police custody after his wife of four years, Dr. Harleen Quinzel, falls to her death from their apartment. The only ones who seem to be on his side are Gordon and Rachel, who are haunted by the fact that 'rehabilitated' doesn't always mean 'cured'.
Notes: Once more, I've researched bondage and the BDSM lifestyle a good deal, and what Rachel is dealing with in this chapter actually happens. I'd like to think I've dealt with it realistically, but if any of you have experience with it and I've got it wrong, PLEASE les me know asap; I don't need to be spreading misinformation around. Again, message me for links if you're curious.
Previous chapters:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11* Adult themes, 12, 13, 14* Adult themes, 15* Adult themes
Rachel sighed and curled up behind Jack, throwing her arm around his chest and hugging him tightly to her as he slept. His medication was hitting him particularly hard today, which was why she was laying in bed with him and not working. He was restless during the night and slept the day away, and had been stuck in that infuriating pattern for the past week. Today she hadn't even been able to get more than a grunt from him, and had called in sick for both of them. She kissed his bare shoulder and stroked her thumb over his scars, recalling what he'd told her a few weeks ago.
“I used to cut myself.”
“All over?”
“I don't remember how I got to my back . . . long blade, maybe.”
“. . . Why?”
“I don't know, and I don't want to know. I felt better when I did it . . . I felt something, which was better than nothing.”
He'd pulled her close at that point, eyes shadowed as he brooded over a past that haunted him even when he couldn't remember why, and now Rachel squeezed tears from her eyes as she held his sleeping form, wishing a million and one things had been different for both of them. The meds had kicked in later than Dr. Morgenson had predicted, but the man had been right about Jack being useless once they had.
Having to miss work to take care of Jack put enough stress on Rachel, and to make it worse, she was starting to feel an uneasy sort of need building in her. She had to physically stop herself from putting on low-cut blouses and high-cut skirts when she got ready for work, and Hideki had pulled her aside briefly the other day, concerned about her suddenly more flirtatious nature. His firm grip on her arm had made her gasp and lean into the touch, and he'd let her go as soon as he'd realised it was turning her on. Rachel had almost cried at the loss of physical contact, hating that she didn't know what was wrong with her all of a sudden. Jack would know, she was sure, but he was rarely coherent these days.
A few hours later Hideki had called her into his office and sat her at his desk, reading from some web page he'd found about submissive frenzies. She'd trembled as she recognised all of the symptoms he'd listed, slumped in relief to know that it was a natural occurrence. She still hated it, but he'd been very firm in assuring himself that she understood what was happening, that when a submissive wasn't with their dominant for whatever reason, they would go into a literal withdrawal period, then subtly broadcast themselves as available to new dominants.
That part had made her sick to her stomach. Rachel didn't want a new dominant. She wanted Jack, but he was completely out of it, which was why she was determined to not leave his side today. If he'd known the meds were going to affect him this much, she knew that he'd have mentioned this to her, made sure she knew how to deal with it. Rachel bit her lower lip and buried her face in his strong, broad back, trying not to cry.
She woke up some time later and Jack had shifted in his sleep, facing her and slipping his arms around her. It was the first time he'd moved this much in three days, and Rachel almost wept with joy. She kissed him eagerly, but he was fast asleep, and it disappointed her. Still, him moving like that was an improvement, and Dr. Morgenson had said that as soon as he started moving around again, he'd be up and about soon after.
A few of the ladies from the support group Morgenson had told her to go to had dropped by once Jack had finally passed out from the drugs in his system, making sure he and Rachel were eating and bathing, and sometimes just keeping her company as she watched over him. In fact . . . She raised her head and listened, and smiled when she heard Alfred puttering around. He'd shown up at her door unexpectedly but welcome, claiming to be on loan from Bruce for however long she needed him. Whether or not Bruce had thought of it or just approved of it Rachel didn't know, but she'd been in tears of gratitude as she'd let him in.
There was a polite knock on the bedroom door. “Rachel? It's time to eat.”
She unwound herself from Jack and sat up, giggling in near hysterical joy as he shifted and buried his head in her lap. She adjust the t-shirt of his that she was wearing, smoothed her hair down, and called out to Alfred. “Come on in.”
His smiling face greeted her as he pushed the door open, holding a tray of food that made Rachel's mouth water from the smell alone. “Good; I was afraid you might be sleeping. He's moved?”
She nodded, eyes glowing with excitement. “He ought to wake up tonight or tomorrow.”
“I'm glad,” her friend said quietly. He set the tray of food across her upper thighs and then went to Jack's side of the bed, sitting down gently and hoisting Jack into a sitting position. This had become routine, Alfred gently forcing soup down Jack's throat while Rachel ate her own food and watched him like a hawk. Then he would watch over them both as she slipped into dreams, and as Rachel's eyes closed, she sent thanks to whoever had gifted her with such amazing people in her life.
~
“Whuddyuh doin' . . .” Rachel turned around and beamed at Jack, fluffing her curled hair. “L'k funny . . .” Jack was slurring his words almost to the point of incomprehension, but at least he was awake and talking. His eyes squinted at her. “C'mere . . .”
She went to him and sat down on the bed, leaning over to fuss with his blankets. He stared at her hair, then snorted faintly. Rachel leaned over and kissed him.
“I love you, Jack,” she whispered.
“L've y' too . . .” That made her almost cry and she giggled, snuggling next to him as he shifted to throw his arm haphazardly over her stomach. Then he sighed. “T'ch y's'lf . . .”
“What?” Rachel whispered as her heart stopped.
He grunted and tried to bite her shoulder, but all that he was capable of was resting his teeth against her skin. “Tusssha sulf,” he repeated, rolling bleary eyes up at her.
“Touch myself?” she asked as her heart started pounding. He grunted, sounding vaguely pleased, and Rachel quivered as he squeezed her hand when she put it on her belly.
“Wa'a hep . . .”
That made Rachel laugh and she tilted her head down to kiss Jack's forehead as she covered his hand with hers and pulled it under the covers and between her legs, sighing with pleasure as his fingers twitched against her. She corrected him, helping his fingers along, keeping her eyes glued to his as she whimpered. It was a damn good thing Alfred wasn't there at the moment. Jack was humming in fits and starts, more of a faintly musical grunt than anything, but it made Rachel's whole body tense up with pleasure. Her orgasm hit her with little warning and she cried out, her back arching off the bed, and Jack just grunted with amusement as she settled down again.
“Be'er?” he mumbled into her shoulder.
“So much,” Rachel groaned, then turned over to kiss him. He responded as best he could, then sighed and closed his eyes, exhausted from that little exertion. Rachel let him slip back into sleep, holding him to her tightly.
~
“Where is this?”
He was helping her scrapbook and Rachel looked up from the page she was working on, her hair in high pigtails and curled, thigh-high white stockings on her legs and Mary Janes on her feet, which were swinging idly in the air as she lay on her stomach. She was wearing cream panties with pink ribbon highlights and a matching bra, with a lollipop stuck in her mouth, and that was all. Jack was on a semi-Lolita kick.
“Upstate; Mom owns a summer home up there. I haven't been there for years.” She sighed fondly and Jack seemed hesitant as he gazed at the picture of the beach front house. “It's on two acres, I think.”
He licked his lips and then looked at her with an oddly serious expression on his face, then nodded and put the picture down. “Must be nice.”
“I love it there,” she said wistfully. “It's quiet, and cosy, and out of the way. The town isn't very large; certainly not like Gotham.” Jack nodded attentively as she made a face. “I think you'd like it.”
“Looks great.” He tapped his fingers on his legs, then got up and wandered off. Rachel let him go without comment, concentrating on her assigned page. It wasn't until he lay down next to her, their shoulders brushing, that she looked up again. He pushed something at her. “Not too good at this no matter how much I practice, so why don't you just open it and tell me what you think.”
Rachel frowned in puzzlement and picked up the small box in front of her, teeth cracking the lollipop as she unwrapped it and hummed. Jack pushed a plate at her.
“Spit that out, first.”
She rolled her eyes to the side to regard him, then shrugged and took the candy from her lips, giving it a good lick before setting it on the plate and turning back to the box, which held a smaller box. She sighed and pulled that one out, unwrapping it to find yet a smaller box inside. Rachel rolled her eyes and idly plucked the gold ribbon from this newest box, fully expecting an even tinier box to be encased inside it.
She blinked when she opened it. Well. It was square, at any rate. It certainly sparkled too much to be a box. A little small, too. Far too round on the bottom. Fit perfectly on her left ring finger, and there was a matching slave bracelet that attached to it, it looked like.
The frantic drumming of fingers on her stack of coloured paper drew Rachel's attention from studying the gold and diamond ring she'd slid on out of curiosity and she turned to look at Jack. He was breathing too fast, and his face was a little red. He swallowed sharply and blinked at her, and then the enormity of the situation sunk in and Rachel realised just what exactly she'd put on.
Then, then her heart stopped and she stared at him in shock before she started to shake and splutter. Jack bit his lower lip as Rachel's eyes filled with tears, and as they started to fall down her cheek she flipped on her side and threw her arms around Jack, bursting into tears.
“Oh, God, Jack, yes,” Rachel sobbed, hysterical laughter making her convulse as she clung to him, kissing his face as she laughed and cried. “Yes yes yes yes yes!” She squealed with joy as Jack started laughing with her, wrapping his arms around her waist and rolling onto his back, a huge grin of relief on his lips as he held her just as tightly as she was holding him. She couldn't believe it. After nearly two years, Jack had just given her an engagement ring. He'd proposed. Oh, God, and she'd said yes. They were going to get married. He wanted to marry her.
Jack pulled her down for a bruising kiss and she returned it, gasping into his mouth and digging her fingers through his hair, still crying even as he started unfastening her cute little bra.
It was a long time before Rory felt safe enough to crawl out from under the couch.
~
Rachel stood up and the group in the dining room fell silent, looking at her expectantly. She was grinning like a fool and had a hold of Jack's hand, resting it on his shoulder as she stood next to him, and then she cleared her throat.
“Well. I know Mom and Dr. Morgenson both know why you're all here, and Bruce, thank you so much for having us all over.” Her friend nodded with a smile. “Ah . . . well.” She laughed, absurdly nervous, and Jack rubbed his cheek against her hand to calm her down. “Well . . .”
“We're getting married,” Jack interrupted her as he stood up. He slung his arm around her waist and raised a challenging eyebrow at the six people who had no clue what this dinner was about, daring them to protest.
If there were any, though, Hideki's whoop of pure joy drowned them all out and he flung himself out of his seat and at Jack and Rachel, wrapping them in a big bear hug. Bruce was surprised, but he didn't seem too terribly shocked, which meant that her mother had to have warned him that something was up. That or he was more comfortable with Jack than Rachel had thought. Gordon, Raoul, Charles, and Alfred looked pleasantly surprised, and after Hideki had been pried off, Rachel and Jack were offered congratulations and well wishes. Alfred refilled their wine glasses and the couple was offered a toast, then Jack cleared his throat.
“We were also thinking of moving,” he said. “Out of Gotham.”
That brought a shocked silence to the table and seven pairs of eyes stared at them; Dr. Morgenson was the only one who knew of their wishes in that regard.
“Where to?” Hideki finally asked, his voice a pitiful whine.
Rachel was blushing as Jack rubbed her shoulder with his thumb and looked at her mother. “Well, Mom, we were thinking of the beach house in Loleta . . . if you're willing to sell it to us. And if we can get permission for Jack to leave Gotham. It all hinges on that.”
Bethany had tears in her eyes as she got up and threw her arms around Rachel, hugging her fiercely before turning to Jack and hugging him, too. He returned the embrace with only a little hesitation, and then Bethany wiped at her eyes.
“You can have it,” she said as her voice shook. “I'm not going to make you pay, Rachel. Don't argue with me.” Hideki was still whining about Rachel leaving him. “Have you set a date?” Bethany asked, ignoring him.
“Not yet,” Rachel admitted. “We were thinking a small ceremony, maybe at the courthouse, with pretty much just everyone here.”
“Can I be best man?”
“More like the maid of honour,” Gordon commented. Hideki turned red, and so did Raoul, but Jim was ignoring them.
Alfred nudge Bruce and her friend cleared his throat. “Why not have it here?” he asked. “There's no reason not to.”
“Oh, yes, there is reason not to,” Rachel told him firmly. “If we have it here, you'll try to pay for everything.”
He shrugged and flicked his hand like her refusal was an annoying fly. “So? I can afford it; it's the least I can do.”
Rachel turned to her fiancé (fiancé!) for support. “Jack . . .”
He just shrugged. “Hey, if Bruce wants to foot the bill, I'm fine with that.” He laughed when Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes, then kissed her temple. “What's to stop him from depositing money in your account if you insist on paying for the wedding?” he reasoned. Bruce raised his eyebrows like he hadn't considered that, and Rachel threw her hands up in defeat.
“Fine,” she sighed. “You can pay.”
“Next month's good, if you want it right away,” Bruce said.
“That's perfect,” Jack said before Rachel could answer. “Thank you.”
The other man just smiled slightly and nodded.
~
The wedding was small, as promised, just Bruce, Alfred, Bethany, Charles, Gordon, Dr. Morgenson, and Raoul and Hideki. The Justice of the Peace was a close friend of Alfred's and sworn to secrecy, and it had been easy for Hideki to get Judge Bowen to revise Jack's parole so he could move out of Gotham. It turned out that her brother was an attorney in Loleta, and looking for a law partner. She'd given him Rachel's number and he'd been delighted that the District Attorney for Gotham City was moving to his town and would need work; he'd offered her a partnership in his law firm on the spot. Jack's encouraging swat on the rear had prompted her to accept the offer of a job, if not full partnership, and then their life was a whirlwind of packing and putting their affairs in order. Charles was determined to keep Jack in her employment, scheming as fast as her formidable mind could scheme, planning ways to keep him reliably in touch for whatever she might need him for. Hideki was almost in tears every time he looked at her, though he always cracked up when Jack was mentioned, because the man had chosen to take Rachel's last name.
Then, finally, after another month and a half of the press going crazy over the news of their marriage and Rachel's announcement that she wasn't going to run for D.A. again, it was time for them to load up Rachel's car with the last of the things they hadn't already shipped to their new house, courtesy of Bruce, and their friends and family gathered at Bethany's house to bid them farewell.
There were tears in Rachel's eyes as she hugged her friends tightly, promising to stay in touch and visit often, after they'd gotten settled in. Then Bruce was urging her into the car, murmuring about how late it was getting and Rachel didn't want to go, but Jack was there with that wonderful, adoring smile on his face so she gave a last round of hugs, wiped the tears from her eyes, and got in next to him. Bethany and Hideki wee sobbing in each others' arms as Jack and Rachel drove off, sharing a smile as they headed toward a new life together.
End notes: All right, this is it. The end. Poof. Gone. I'm done. I've had so much fun writing this fic, you've got no idea, and I want to thank everyone who's read it and commented; even if you haven't left a review, thank you anyway. Everyone's support has been overwhelming, and I love you all more than you know.
Now, on to a few things I know you're screaming about. One, I've left a whole lot of loose ends hanging out there like Jack going commando. I know; this is on purpose. Fairly soon I'll be starting the sequel, which is titled Sing, and I hope you all read it and enjoy it as much as you have Speak. Two, I forgot about the pony I was supposed to put in chapter 14 until it was too late; I promise I'll put it in Sing. Third, this chapter was fairly rushed, I know, and I apologise; my only excuse is that I had the distressing tendency to write stories and then stop just before I finish them, and never touch them again. I really didn't want this to happen to Speak.
I think that's it. I mean, other than I'm sorry for the extreme corniness of that last part. Ugh, can I get any more romance novel-ish? I'm so sorry. ^_^ So, I don't know when I'll start Sing, but hopefully I'll see all of you there. I love you and thank you so much for sticking with me!
~ Larissa