Losing Jack, Gaining A Ring, and Tumbling Through A Looking Glass
He's handsome. Oh, hell, he's gorgeous, and he's interested in her. And even better, she's interested in him. It's different from the other men she'd dated. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to let him meet her mother.
He is always a gentleman, even when she dropped him to the ground in training. His kicks, as she said, left something to be desired...
She straightened her tights as she opens the door to let him into her place with a smile.
"We were just talking about you," she says with a smile.
He smiles back at her. "Do you need more time?"
"No, I think we about covered it."
He walks into her apartment, hand behind his back with flowers. Presented to both women of the house, of course, with one held back for her.
Dinner progressed better than usual, with the typical small talk about the place she lived, the renovations her mother wanted to do and other things, before it got to the touchy topic of her father. That was dropped as quickly as Alice could drop Jack to the floor.
When her mother left to give them some time to herself, Alice curled up a little in her chair. Jack got a quick text, and his entire demeanor started to change. He got anxious.
"What's up?"
"How would you like to meet my family?" he asks.
She smiles a little. "Are they coming to town?"
"No, we'd have to go there."
"Oh," she says, looking momentarily confused. "Okay, when?"
"How about tonight?"
"Are you crazy?" she asks, bemused, sitting up a little.
"It'll be an adventure," he says. "Some things are more exciting on the spur of the moment, don't you think?"
"No. Not when they involve meeting your parents. Jack, I would have to get myself together..."
"Alice, you're perfect as you are, and we could be back by Monday morning."
"But I know nothing about them. I'm...What if they don't approve of me?"
"They'll...they'll approve of you when they see you with this," he says, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out a small box.
She looks at it and looks to him, before taking it out of his hands and examining it for a moment. He steps behind her, tossing his jacket down and reaches around her.
"It's got a hidden catch," he says quietly, his fingers on the box as well, showing her how to open it. Inside is an antique ring, with a ruby.
"Wow, it looks really old," Alice says, eyes narrowing slightly to examine it closely.
He runs his fingers through her hair, breathing in the smell of her. "It's been in my family a very long time."
She turns around, box held up, with a confused look on her face. "Are you giving me this?
"Would you like to try it on?" he asks with a bit of a smile.
Her eyes flick between the box and his face. "Jack, a ring means something. This is too fast." She puts the box, with the ring back in his hand, pulling her own back like the wooden box burned her fingers. "No, it's way too fast."
He looks at her, very seriously as she shakes her head. "Okay. I'm sorry I got the wrong idea. Maybe after you've seen my home, met my friends..." Jack takes a step forward, and she matches in backward.
"No, I can't come with you, Jack. Not tonight," she says, looking away and sighing a little. "Maybe we should just take it easy for a while. See how we feel in a few days and..."
"Alice, I..."
She cuts him off, not able to deal with it yet. "Just give me some time." Alice looks down, and away, before turning away from him, and heading toward the door. She opens her mouth when she faces him again, pointedly waiting for him to leave. When he walks forward, and seems reluctant to leave, she opens the door for him.
"Good bye, Jack," she says, with a small smile, looking him in the eye. He wraps his arms around her in a hug, hand lightly resting in her hair, before he walks out of her apartment.
She sighs as she makes her way to the couch, lounging with one foot up and the other on the floor as her mother interrogates her about the ring. She feels like she's in a therapist's office with her mother sitting in the chair, asking questions. Especially with the lecture, that she states she doesn't need. And then it goes from bad to worse.
"Honey, listen. Just because Daddy left doesn't mean they all will," her mother says, settling on the sturdy wooden coffee table.
Alice gets up, ready to respond, when she feels...the wooden box in her pocket. "The ring!" she says, frustrated and slightly bemused. "He slipped it in my pocket. There's no way."
Alice pulls herself to her feet without another word, and starts to march herself towards the door. Who does he think he is, trying to do that to me? she things as she hurries down the steps and pushes the door to her building open.
"Jack!" she calls, looking for him, before running a few paces to the alley next to her building. She hears a cry, and instinctively takes off at a full sprint towards the sound, skidding past an opening where two men are hitting Jack, and stuffing him into a van. She calls his name again and tries to get to him to help. The white van peels out before she can make it. She chases after it, until she's winded and the van is out of sight.
A man walks out of the shadows in a dove-gray suit with long white hair pulled back from his head in two flat pony tails down his back. "I'm afraid he's gone," he says, sounding like he's not afraid nor sorry about it.
"Who are you?" Alice asks, scared, winded and angry. Obviously Jack is in trouble, and she sent him away.
The white haired man, as he gets closer, answers her. "A friend of Jack's," he replies, a glint of light catching on his white rabbit pin on his lapel as he circles around her. "I'm here to help him."
"Then why didn't you?" she accuses, eyes not leaving him as he moves around her. "Who are those guys?"
The man continues to circle her, seemingly at his ease. "Jack took something that didn't belong to him. We need it back."
She takes a step back, weight shifting between her legs, involuntarily starting to take a fighting stance, just in case. "What are you talking about?" Her hands go behind her back as she unlocks the box.
He holds out his hand to her. "The ring, Alice."
"How do you know my name?" she asks as the box clicks. "Where have you taken Jack?"
"He's quite safe," the white haired man says.
"Then bring him back, and let him tell me himself, " she demands.
The man turns his face very slightly. "I'm afraid he's got to go back with me to face charges." The box clicks again. "So you do have it."
Oh, this is not good.
He reaches out for her, and she scrambles to keep his hands off her, before she turns and grabs his lapels, pushing him up against the wall. "No! Where have you taken Jack?"
The man's hands, and walking stick come up, and she drops the box, as he wraps the cane around her. When he sees the box on the ground, he shoves her to the side, hurries to scoop it up and runs off. She picks herself up off the ground, and without taking more than a second to orient herself, takes off running after him.
"Wait!" she yells, as they enter a dark building, with only a few sparse, bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. "Hey! Stop!"
She ducks through a doorway, and looks around, climbing a rickety metal staircase, which leads to a fairly open room.
At the other end is a large gilt mirror. She tries to skid to a stop...but doesn't quite make it...
He is always a gentleman, even when she dropped him to the ground in training. His kicks, as she said, left something to be desired...
She straightened her tights as she opens the door to let him into her place with a smile.
"We were just talking about you," she says with a smile.
He smiles back at her. "Do you need more time?"
"No, I think we about covered it."
He walks into her apartment, hand behind his back with flowers. Presented to both women of the house, of course, with one held back for her.
Dinner progressed better than usual, with the typical small talk about the place she lived, the renovations her mother wanted to do and other things, before it got to the touchy topic of her father. That was dropped as quickly as Alice could drop Jack to the floor.
When her mother left to give them some time to herself, Alice curled up a little in her chair. Jack got a quick text, and his entire demeanor started to change. He got anxious.
"What's up?"
"How would you like to meet my family?" he asks.
She smiles a little. "Are they coming to town?"
"No, we'd have to go there."
"Oh," she says, looking momentarily confused. "Okay, when?"
"How about tonight?"
"Are you crazy?" she asks, bemused, sitting up a little.
"It'll be an adventure," he says. "Some things are more exciting on the spur of the moment, don't you think?"
"No. Not when they involve meeting your parents. Jack, I would have to get myself together..."
"Alice, you're perfect as you are, and we could be back by Monday morning."
"But I know nothing about them. I'm...What if they don't approve of me?"
"They'll...they'll approve of you when they see you with this," he says, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out a small box.
She looks at it and looks to him, before taking it out of his hands and examining it for a moment. He steps behind her, tossing his jacket down and reaches around her.
"It's got a hidden catch," he says quietly, his fingers on the box as well, showing her how to open it. Inside is an antique ring, with a ruby.
"Wow, it looks really old," Alice says, eyes narrowing slightly to examine it closely.
He runs his fingers through her hair, breathing in the smell of her. "It's been in my family a very long time."
She turns around, box held up, with a confused look on her face. "Are you giving me this?
"Would you like to try it on?" he asks with a bit of a smile.
Her eyes flick between the box and his face. "Jack, a ring means something. This is too fast." She puts the box, with the ring back in his hand, pulling her own back like the wooden box burned her fingers. "No, it's way too fast."
He looks at her, very seriously as she shakes her head. "Okay. I'm sorry I got the wrong idea. Maybe after you've seen my home, met my friends..." Jack takes a step forward, and she matches in backward.
"No, I can't come with you, Jack. Not tonight," she says, looking away and sighing a little. "Maybe we should just take it easy for a while. See how we feel in a few days and..."
"Alice, I..."
She cuts him off, not able to deal with it yet. "Just give me some time." Alice looks down, and away, before turning away from him, and heading toward the door. She opens her mouth when she faces him again, pointedly waiting for him to leave. When he walks forward, and seems reluctant to leave, she opens the door for him.
"Good bye, Jack," she says, with a small smile, looking him in the eye. He wraps his arms around her in a hug, hand lightly resting in her hair, before he walks out of her apartment.
She sighs as she makes her way to the couch, lounging with one foot up and the other on the floor as her mother interrogates her about the ring. She feels like she's in a therapist's office with her mother sitting in the chair, asking questions. Especially with the lecture, that she states she doesn't need. And then it goes from bad to worse.
"Honey, listen. Just because Daddy left doesn't mean they all will," her mother says, settling on the sturdy wooden coffee table.
Alice gets up, ready to respond, when she feels...the wooden box in her pocket. "The ring!" she says, frustrated and slightly bemused. "He slipped it in my pocket. There's no way."
Alice pulls herself to her feet without another word, and starts to march herself towards the door. Who does he think he is, trying to do that to me? she things as she hurries down the steps and pushes the door to her building open.
"Jack!" she calls, looking for him, before running a few paces to the alley next to her building. She hears a cry, and instinctively takes off at a full sprint towards the sound, skidding past an opening where two men are hitting Jack, and stuffing him into a van. She calls his name again and tries to get to him to help. The white van peels out before she can make it. She chases after it, until she's winded and the van is out of sight.
A man walks out of the shadows in a dove-gray suit with long white hair pulled back from his head in two flat pony tails down his back. "I'm afraid he's gone," he says, sounding like he's not afraid nor sorry about it.
"Who are you?" Alice asks, scared, winded and angry. Obviously Jack is in trouble, and she sent him away.
The white haired man, as he gets closer, answers her. "A friend of Jack's," he replies, a glint of light catching on his white rabbit pin on his lapel as he circles around her. "I'm here to help him."
"Then why didn't you?" she accuses, eyes not leaving him as he moves around her. "Who are those guys?"
The man continues to circle her, seemingly at his ease. "Jack took something that didn't belong to him. We need it back."
She takes a step back, weight shifting between her legs, involuntarily starting to take a fighting stance, just in case. "What are you talking about?" Her hands go behind her back as she unlocks the box.
He holds out his hand to her. "The ring, Alice."
"How do you know my name?" she asks as the box clicks. "Where have you taken Jack?"
"He's quite safe," the white haired man says.
"Then bring him back, and let him tell me himself, " she demands.
The man turns his face very slightly. "I'm afraid he's got to go back with me to face charges." The box clicks again. "So you do have it."
Oh, this is not good.
He reaches out for her, and she scrambles to keep his hands off her, before she turns and grabs his lapels, pushing him up against the wall. "No! Where have you taken Jack?"
The man's hands, and walking stick come up, and she drops the box, as he wraps the cane around her. When he sees the box on the ground, he shoves her to the side, hurries to scoop it up and runs off. She picks herself up off the ground, and without taking more than a second to orient herself, takes off running after him.
"Wait!" she yells, as they enter a dark building, with only a few sparse, bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. "Hey! Stop!"
She ducks through a doorway, and looks around, climbing a rickety metal staircase, which leads to a fairly open room.
At the other end is a large gilt mirror. She tries to skid to a stop...but doesn't quite make it...