Random Randomness

  Duke woke the next morning to Jennifer trying to get out of bed quietly. With better stealth, he moved to grab her - covering her mouth and pulling her back into bed with him. She shrieked under his hand and flailed at the air a moment before he had her pinned beneath him again. “Where do you think you’re off to, Princess?”



Jennifer felt all at once charmed, amused and annoyed. “To get ready for work. Are you going to make me late?” She pulled him down for a kiss and felt her insides warm, felt him position himself above her, felt the world disappear as he entered her. She clasped him to her, burying her face in his neck as her nails dug into his shoulder. She breathed in his scent and with her lips and tongue took in his taste. She felt him bringing her close to that edge where it seemed like the tether between her soul and her body frayed. She felt the constriction around her heart, the suffocating feeling of not daring to tell him how she felt. She felt when he neared the same edge, felt his rhythm alter. She could have sworn she felt even his heartbeat. When she cried out his name he kissed her until it seemed their heartbeat was the same one.

Long moments later he released her. He rolled to lay at her side, his hand trailing from her face down to her hip. She smiled up at him.

{I was playing around with the notion that Jennifer wouldn't be able to tell Duke she was in love with him for various reasons, fear the primary one. In the end, I realized that not only was Duke more afraid of being in love with someone than Jennifer is, his fears are layered and take several darker turns. Jennifer's child hood is drastically different from those of her friends in Haven. "Wonderful parents who are the reason she's never been arrested or had a credit score under 650" are the type of very thoughtful and well planning people. Jennifer also has a lot of mannerisms that remind me of Charlotte on Sex and the City and one of my favorite expressions that Carrie ever used for Charlotte was "Daddy's little Episcopalian Princess." = Jennifer to a 'T'. So instead, this scene lent its shading to chapters 8 and 10}

_______________________________________________________________________________

{I had this scene written before I even knew that Macha would be re-Troubling Duke. When she did, I went back to ammend it, thinking I would still use it. I was trying to work with some of the expressions and gestures that Duke used that seemed to have an almost undue influence if not outright control over Jennifer. Particularly in Lay me Down when she was reluctant to act as a Trouble Blood Test for him. The expression on his face had nothing of pleading in it and seemed to be an almost impatient command. That was fascinating to me; and equally fascinating was that she not only allowed it but complied to it. That moment strikes me as being an important marker in the development of their relationship in terms of its establishment and their personal rules of engagement. And it throws the balance of power primarily toward Duke. That's a power imbalance I've actually tried to equalize while writing Stay. I also had a lot of fun getting Maeve to lampshade it for us all. Again, while this, as a scene will almost certainly never show up in the story, I continue to use it as a reference point and it shades the over all story. Very especially in Chapters 14 to (possibly) 17.}


       “Can you tell me what’s going on with Duke?” Audrey asked.

Maeve cast a sideways glance inside the bar where Duke was serving drinks.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean with him and Jennifer. He seems to be able to tell when she’s nearby or if she’s scared, upset, whatever. He even seems to be able to tell if she’s on the Rouge or not.”

Maeve looked only a little surprised. “Duke is a little more in tune with the world than most people, it’s been a way of life and a way of survival for him,” she hedged.

“I’ll grant you that, but this is a little more than Duke’s usual ability to tell you the moon phase and tide. You’ve mentioned that obsession was sort of a family issue with us?”

“Yeah. And it is beginning to affect Duke. It’s sort of affecting men all over town where Jennifer is concerned. It’s even worse than with you. And you, as you’ve noted, regularly have men clustered around you. Reason number two hundred and thirty fucking four she should have stayed in Boston.”

“Why is it worse with her?”

Maeve took a moment to look around to make sure no one was paying them attention.

“Lux desidirium universitatis.“ At Audrey’s blank stare she translated: ‘Light is the desire of the Universe.‘ You and Macha both had to infuse me and her with blood to keep us alive in that Underworld chamber. She’s half human but carries the blood of the three favored daughters of the Danaan tribe. THAT’S why she’s a mark for assassination by anyone who may not want me on the throne and it’s also why human men are drawn to her. Now, here in good ol’ supernatural Haven…”

“Like pouring gasoline on fire,” Audrey concluded.

“I think of it more like perfume, but yeah. Flame accelerator, meet flame. So, Duke is getting obsessed with her on levels akin to you and Pwyll.”

“That’s… scary. I thought he was just in love with her.”

“He is. And he’s NOTHING like Pwyll. That was a bad example. And even I have to admit that they’re good together. Like you and Nathan. Man, faeries are going to be telling human tales about epic love and shit. But Duke IS beginning to think of Jennifer as more of an extension of himself. Love is a scary place for Duke, isn’t it?” Audrey nodded. “As his bond with Jennifer has strengthened and the threats against her stack up, everything else that is scary begins to funnel into one focus: Protect himself and everything that is his and he’s been viewing Jennifer as his since at least you got back, possibly before. Having a physical relationship with her… more fuel for the fire. His own brother attacking her… more fuel. Knowing she’s a mark for assassination….”

“I got it. Does HE know?”

“We talked about it the afternoon before Macha showed up. I think he’s so… overloaded he can’t really conceive of it. You know, think his way through it. He’ll get a refresher course in a couple of minutes.”

“What? How?”

“Because Jack Driscoll is going to ask Jennifer for a dance. Duke WON’T want to be a douche bag. But Jack WILL be a douche bag and hold her a little too close, put his hand on her ass because…. Well, reference our previous discussion, he just can’t help himself, especially when he’s drunk. Then, our Duke will be asserting himself and his claim.”

“You know that this is going to happen and you’re going to let it?”

“Yes, and no. I’ll have Duke on Kick ‘Em Jenny Neck before you can say ‘damn, that bitch is fast.’ And then I’ll need you to take care of Jennifer.” She registered Audrey’s shock. “It will all be over before you know it -- or anyone else for that matter.”

“Did you know I was going to ask you about Duke?”

“I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t.”

The song on the loud speakers switched to a mid-tempo song and Maeve sat up and eyed Audrey. “You ready?”

“What? Now?”

“I’m too sane to be looking that far forward.” She grabbed Audrey’s Manhattan and made a quick drink of it. “You need a refill. So do I.” Audrey followed her into the bar and saw Jack holding his hand out to Jennifer in invitation. She laughed at him but accepted the invitation. Audrey sought out Duke and found him leaning casually against the wall opposite from where Jack and Jennifer were dancing. He was talking to some of the patrons but his focus was shifting and narrowing in on Jennifer. His body posture remained casual but anyone who knew him well enough would see the tell-tale tension that rippled across him. She didn’t see Maeve at all. Looking at Duke’s face, Audrey could tell when it happened. She turned to see Jennifer working to pull herself out of Jack’s arms and turned again to see Duke emerging from the shadows just before he seemed to be pulled back into them and disappear. She held her breath for a few seconds and still didn’t see Duke. Deciding that Maeve had indeed got him out of there she turned back to Jennifer, who also seemed to be looking for Duke. When she caught Jennifer’s eye they moved toward each other.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Did you see that? God, he’s drunk. Um, do you know where Duke is?”

“I think he’s outside with Maeve.”

“Oh. Good. Because I really don’t want him and Jack getting into a fight because Jack is kind of a D.B. when he’s drunk.”

By the time Duke realized what was happening he was already on the island. He turned on Maeve. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Making time for that long over due discussion about you screwing my daughter. And keeping you from ruining a pretty decent friendship.”

“Jack needs to --”

“Drunk Jack isn’t going to hurt sober Jennifer or anyone else.” She held up Audrey’s empty tumbler and showed it to him. “Wait here a moment. I have something to show you.”

It only took her seconds to return with the glass full of ocean water. She balanced it in the palm of one hand and used the other to flick her fingers against the rim, causing it to chime and then for images to begin to appear. Like a smaller version of what she had done with the bowl. But these were images of him and Jennifer, when they met, when he took her to Haven and carried her away from the storm, shielded her from the Guard. All the times he’d protected her, even from Nathan. She ran a finger over the rim of the glass and the image paused on Duke telling Nathan that he didn’t want Jennifer involved in hunting for the incineration trouble.

“Where DID you want her then, Duke?”

“I wasn’t even thinking of…”

“Well, you were and you weren’t. I mean, she’s pretty and you’re not blind. But I know you didn’t have those kinds of designs on her fully developed yet. Which makes my question all the more pointed: Where. Did. You. Want.  Jennifer to be at that time?”

Duke met her eyes and saw that she had dropped her human mask. She stood revealed as the fae she was; beautiful and terrible and it made him feel oddly at ease with telling her. Maeve and her kind were capable of some pretty evil things. He had a feeling she would understand. “I wanted her on the Rouge. I wanted her safe and away from all the Troubles but I wanted her near. I wanted her to help us find Audrey and then…”

“Then you just wanted her.”

He nodded in agreement.

“Do you realize what’s happening?”

“Is that what my Trouble is going to be like now?”

“It’s more an aspect of her Trouble, so to speak. You’re going to have to learn to curb your jealous tendencies with her and TRUST her. You’re also going to have to have a little more Faith.”

“Faith in what?”

“The universe. Hell, me if nothing else. And trust me for no other reason than we have the same goals and interests.”

“You’re wanting Jennifer to go back with you.”

“No, that’s you projecting onto me. I want Jennifer to make a free and clear choice - for a change.” Maeve tapped the rim of the glass again and the image shifted again, this time to he and Jennifer next to Wade’s body. She was flinching away from his touch, and then, with a look from him, moved to offer herself. Duke looked away. “No. No. Don’t look away. I mean, that’s pretty fascinating, don’t you think? Just a look and you can get her to do what you want. She totally submits to you right there. Wow, I wonder what’s happening there. She really seems to trust you! Right?” She was deliberately making her tone grating and sarcastic, needling him relentlessly with it. She dragged her finger counter clock-wise around the rim and when she stopped he was holding a gun on Jordan and Jennifer was backing him up. Trusting that he had a reason to shoot Jordan a third time. “Yep! A lot of trust right there.” As though the glass was a film reel she could control she circled her finger clock wise back to the moment that Jennifer recoiled from him and then obeyed his unspoken request, when she told him he wasn’t like her brother and he made her feel guilty for trying to protect herself.

“You have a lot of power over my daughter, Duke Crocker. You and I both know you’re a master of manipulation but Jennifer has always been a particularly easy mark for you. Why do you think that is?”

“She’s not a mark.”

“Not in your typical sense, no. Your intentions with her are about as honorable as you get. But you wanted something from her and you can always get her to comply. On the other hand, you’re constantly worried about her whereabouts. You can even tell when she’s on or off your boat, you know when she’s near. Hell, your bond is so strong you can pick up on her emotional state. And you RESPOND to that. Using it both to her and your advantage.”

“What’s your point, Maeve?”

“Do you recall the night I  told you all the story of Rhiannon and Pwyll. The origin of the Troubles as you know them? Do you remember when I pointed out the theme of obsession in Rhiannon’s story and said that it was an issue with us? Do you remember the next day when we talked about the universal craving for light? You’re obsessed with Jennifer, Duke. You’re carefully grooming her to build her life on and around you. You’re letting your tragic history with women form the framework of that life too. You’re so traumatized by Julia, Evi, even Audrey and I’m not sure who else, that you’re missing all the important cues.”

He simply stared at her and she knew he was trying to defend himself from the inside out, preparing to shut down and shut her out.

“Fae mate for life, Duke. No matter what else goes on in our long, long lives, we return to our mates. Jennifer is not immortal. Neither are you. But her instincts with you are fae just the same. She SEES you Duke. She sees you and recognizes you. YOU are hers just as much as you view her as YOURS. She’s not likely to choose Albion over you, Duke. But she DOES deserve to make that choice.”

He sighed in resignation. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Be aware. It’s all you really can do. Literally let nature take its course here. Be honest. And let Jennifer be open and honest with you.”

“What feels natural is to go back in there and kick Jack Driscoll’s ass.”

“No, what feels natural to you is to remind the world that Jennifer will be going home with you tonight and every other night thereafter. Whaling on Jack is only one expression of that and a bad one to choose. I am not ready to face and fight William and the Formorians yet, and I am going to need to know that I can rely on you to think clearly and strategically when the time comes. Jennifer is going to need you thinking clearly. So please, pull your head out of your ass, let Jack apologize drunkenly for touching Jennifer’s and go back to running your bar.”