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#jopov
romanken · 2 months
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When jopson .when jopson dying of scurvy and starving. crawls on his hands and knees and. pushes away food. Because all he wants is to get to crozier
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FIC: Time Comes Around
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The idea had come to her finally on one long stakeout, scrunched up in the front seat of the Impala as she and Sam played 20 Questions quietly to the sound of Dean’s gentle snores from the backseat. She’d turned her hand to check the time for the nteenth time when the idea had struck her. Jo had completely bombed the rest of her round with Sam and left him to do the watching out for the “whatever a coven is when it ain’t witches” as Bobby put it of sirens - eyes glued instead to her phone as she’d started researching just how possible or not it was.
That there were full-on do-it-yourself kits and places to buy all the mechanism pieces was an amazing find. Likewise was finding out she could send in her own designs for the outer visible parts to be manufactured and sent to her. That she could specifically work one of the tiny sunflower designs etched into her own skin into the outer framework was enough to make it feel personal even if she didn’t have the technology available to laser print it herself. That everything else would be put together by her own hands worked just fine when those extra details could be personalized as much as possible.
There was also the fact she could work at home in her study quietly - the door open and listening out to the sounds of her lover’s movements and activities without having to hide away what she was doing. She didn’t have to cover anything up or pretend she was working on some big case. He could look right in and see her tinkering, even come in to press a kiss to her forehead or bring her a cup of coffee and a cookie as she spent time practicing and learning the craft. All without any separation but still nothing secretive between them, but a gift he wouldn’t have seen coming anyways she was sure. Jo knew he’d look at her work as he pressed his lips to her crown or his nose to her hair, and she knew he probably thought she was tinkering with some kind of tracker or EMF reader or some other tech for her work that wasn’t worth his worrying or questioning. It felt all the more special to know he would be surprised despite her being open with it this year.
The rest of her plans though were hashed out easily enough after inquiring what the other wanted that year - a brief discussion of “Whatcha want ta do this year, hunny?” “Oh, nothing big. You don’t have to do anything-” “We’re doin’ something!” “Hmm… If you’re sure. I just want to spend time with friends and family.” was all that was needed to start the ball rolling. Organizing the various friends and family members to all come on the day was easy enough, the perks of nobody having a traditional job and all of them willing to take advantage of a chance to catch up when they can. Well, mostly easy enough, but Jo didn’t mind doing some cajoling and eye-lash batting followed by a simply stated “Grey would like it” or “You owe me” to get her way. That she wasn’t entirely sure how and what they’d end up with was a little disconcerting, but the main part was planned and Jo trusted she’d be able to make do that there’d be no issues.
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The snow the week before had long melted away and the ground moved from muddy back to firm underfoot by the time the day rolled around, perfect fall picnic weather even if the skies were promising something cold and wet later that night from the way the clouds were a rolling grey mass on the edge of the horizon. Grey’d checked the forecast religiously all night as Jo’d gone to sleep, mumbling a concern about unexpected weather or having to change their plans if it got too cold or got wet as she fell asleep beside him. One worry she didn’t need to have if he could watch it for her instead, checking the weather app almost as much as he played his games as the other slept. Thankfully it had held off, and Grey’d been able to gently inform his love of that after he’d woken her just after dawn.
Jo’d insisted he gets some sleep in, but it wasn’t easy for him to listen to her request when he could be spending the few hours before catching up with their friends in bed cuddling with her. It was a lot harder to rest and let her pack their picnic basket and take their girl out for her morning business, but he knew there wasn’t a chance otherwise of Jo letting him try to help just yet in the day. She seemed less tense than last year at least, and that settled a lot of his fears and concerns that his love had stretched herself too far like he always felt he had to do. That had been comforting enough to soften the blow of being asked to waste some hours asleep rather than with her even if he knew they’d likely have a long, busy day ahead of them.
As the morning passed in a blur of kisses and soft words, warm arms wrapped about each other and some videos played on one another's phones heads tilted in together to watch cheek to cheek, Grey smiled to himself when they finally set out and Jo’s gloved hand was threaded through his - her cold fingers poking out of the fingerless ends wrapped around his warmer hand, and her cheeks that cool-kissed pink blush he loved so much. Swinging their joined hands between them gently, Grey was blessed with one of those curious little smiles as the other looked over at him.
“Hmm?” Jo hummed out questioningly, blinking at him a few times before she adjusted the basket slung over her other shoulder carefully. “What’cha lookin’ at Hunny?”
“Just the prettiest sight in all the world.” “Hmm, no, you’re not looking forward.”
Grey let out a warm laugh at that, dropping her hand to instead wrap around her waist with a smile. “No, silly. I meant you, pretty one, though you’re right our girl is the prettiest pup there is.” He grinned down at Jo for a second before jerking his head to point towards their dog who was happily wandering in front of them on her leash - tail a floating mast of silky fur as she zigzagged across the path before them between sniffing at flowers, lamp posts and parked cars all alike. “Did I mention how thoughtful it was to do this nearby and somewhere suitable so we can give her an outing, though?”
“I think only once or twice.” The dazzling smile he got in response filled him with warmth as he tugged Jo in closer with the hand on her waist, somehow making that smile even brighter as Jo let out a soft giggle. “It just made sense, and if it does end up raining-”
“It won’t. I checked the forecast.” “But if it does.” “But you see it won’t.”
“You stubborn man!” Jo giggled all over again, batting his chest with the hand that held his before, before stabilising her grip on the picnic basket instead. “Anyways - if it does, then we’re also close to the bar and Sophie’ll just not open until later. I told her to take the afternoon off as it is. Think Harry’s takin’ her to some movie.”
“Oh, so he’ll be a mess worrying at lunch, huh?” “Totally. But thankfully no dreadful advice to come from Ed this time around.”
They shared a laugh then, almost tripping over Nana’s extended leash as their girl sat down waiting on them in their slow dawdling towards the local park along the lakeshore. Jo had suggested it because of the old wooden rotunda that would give them a break from any bad or overly good weather, and a spot for everyone invited to make their way to. They were well on their way to be twenty minutes early, but Jo had supposedly packed a few bags she needed him to summon up when they got there and had talked about some setup needing to be done that Grey had chuckled overhearing such a thing for a casual picnic get together - but as they reached the park gates and he paused to shorten Nana’s leash before opening the gate and waving a hand to guide both his girls through, he was surprised to see his sisters standing near the rotunda already with arms waving and muffled calls of greeting from over the distance.
“Oh thank goodness they’re here already!” Jo’s pleasure was obvious as she too waved broadly towards the other two women before glancing towards him. “I figured Ombre’d love a chance to play some fetch with Nana, and Shada does like to make everythin’ so pretty?”
“You sure know how to delegate, so clever.” Grey chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead as they moved to join his sisters before pulling away to accept hugs and cheek kisses in greeting from the both of them. “Hi, you two!”
“Big brother!” Ombre’s cry was definitely louder than necessary but brought a smile to his face at how excited and happy his sister was smiling at him as she flung herself into a hug against him. “Bonjour! You are older and happier, bon!” The blonde bounced back in a flounce of a pink floof and fluffy white faux fur trim as she turned her attention onto the equally joyful dog wrapping around her stockinged feet. “And you are happier too, petit chiot.”
Grey smiled letting the blonde shadow go just to wrap the dark-haired one into a tight hug instead as Shada grinned up at him and came forward towards him. That hug held for a moment longer than the previous before the brunette shadow stepped back with her own smile. “Hi Grey, how’s your morning been?” Shada asked gently as she tilted her head. “Do you have many other plans for the day?”
“Not really so far as I know,” he replied quietly, shrugging a shoulder and turning to wave a hand towards Jo before blinking in surprise at the space he’d last known her to be in empty and then looking around for a moment before spotting her working to set down their picnic basket in the rotunda. Waving a hand towards her, Grey shrugged again. “Depends what Jo’s got planned really, I just asked to see you all.”
“Oh? Is everyone coming?” “Do you mean is Dean going to be here?” “Well, dah.”
“He and Sam are supposed to be, yeah,” Jo called over from the rotunda, her back towards them as she moved to unpack whatever she had squirreled away that morning. “Or at least they said they were comin’ last weekend.”
“Oh goody,” his sister basically purred the word out with a wicked smirk before she bounced over to help Jo with the baskets. “Did you need a hand?”
“Hun, can you summon those bags so we can get set up and..” The blonde hunter shrugged off her leather jacket and threw it over the railing as Shada came to stand beside her and shrugged off her own black coat. Grey nodded and after a moment had the array of bags Jo’d packed earlier assembled in the rotunda itself as he looked about curiously. Jo smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek before grinning wider. “And how ‘bout while Shada and I do this, you go play with Ombre and Nana? Keep those two from runnin’ off missing somewhere.”
Grey grinned, a hand pressing his fingertips against his cheek for a second before nodding and heading back to the grass to help unclip Nana’s leash from where Ombre had been holding onto it despite being tangled in the cord. Holding his hand out, he quickly summoned one of the dog’s favorite toss toys and held it to his sister. “Want to play?”
Laughing together, Grey barely noticed the time passing as he and Ombre took turns tossing the stuffed teddy bear toy that was the dog’s favorite soft toy. Nana ran back and forth, fetching happily each time that it was thrown and getting more than enough head pets and back scratches each time she returned all lopping tongue and wagging tail. They didn’t even notice the final touches being added to the space they’d be picnicking in until Jo’s voice called out loudly to them to ‘get their butts over here’ as the rest of their group started to arrive.
Somehow both surprisingly and unsurprisingly to Grey as he moved over to greet the first next arrival was Amon’s appearance beside the rotunda steps - unsurprising for him to simply appear the way his sisters’ did and that the demon was well able to do; but surprising that he’d donned the same human face as the last time.
“No no, you stay down there-” “You being rude right now, Jo?” “Nah, it just means I don’t have to crack my neck ta talk to you.”
Grey let out a laugh as he reached the other man’s side to see the demon giving his blonde a bemused look - Jo’s height only just shorter than Amon’s from her spot at the top of the trio of steps up to the gazebo floor compared to the ground that the other was standing at. That she was still shorter than the smirking demon brought another laugh out of Grey’s mouth as he found the pair of them turning to look at him. “You might just have to still, Jo.”
“Meanie!” Jo chirped back at him with a playful pout and a stamp of her foot, before turning on her heel in a whip of blonde hair to head back to unpacking their basket full of food to be sat out with Shada and Ombre’s help.
There was a second before Grey managed to shake his head from staring happily after Jo’s departure to turn back to greet his friend, smile wide and blushing slightly at the look he was getting from the older man. “Hey, thanks for coming.”
“I believe it’s becoming a bit of a tradition at this point,” Amon replied gruffly for a moment before his face shifted from the firm look into a returning smile. There was even no awkwardness this time as Grey moved forward into a quick but tight hug with the same pat on the back of his shoulder that fell just the right side of fatherly before they parted in sync and headed up the few steps to join Jo and his sisters’. “I much prefer the setting this year, though.”
“That’s unsurprising,” Grey smiled back ruefully, shrugging a shoulder as he moved to sit down on one of the spread-out blankets despite the fact they weren’t on the ground. “Besides, no need to worry about salt lines or moving the trap rugs here too, right?”
“I would say that is an advantage for yourself and your hunter.” “It didn’t take anything much to fix last time, but I’m sure it’s more comfortable here for you than there, right?” “You would be right, Grey.” “Well, that’s the most important thing! That everyone is comfortable.”
“I said we should get some cushions, Jo.” Shada’s remark cut over the small group, flinging a hand down in exasperation, only to get an equally exasperatedly flung hand to the sky in response from the other. “I know you wouldn’t at a picnic-picnic, but the weather’s too wet to be on the ground so why don’t we just-”
“That wasn’t a complaint, Shada, I promise.” Grey quickly jumped in as he noticed Jo’s flailing getting smaller and her shoulders slumping in defeat, making to stand up, hovering between fully up and fully seated awkwardly as he glanced between the two women as they both seemed to tense up and pause. As if trying to determine the truth to his tone and words, both sets of brown eyes on his for a long moment before they both seemed to take his word for it - Shada moving to flip her hair over a shoulder with a nod before she moved to sit down on an open patch of a blanket and start setting out platters decoratively with her little sister, and Jo’s shoulders slumping even a little further before jerking back sharply up again, cautiously moving around to continue her unpacking. Grey let out a quiet sigh as he settled back down, glancing over at the quietly curious look he was getting from both his little sister and friend. “I think Jo might be a bit stressed out.” He murmured the words quietly out the corner of his mouth, a hand moving to rub at the back of his neck uncertain if he should have interrupted earlier or asked for something easier for the day or changed it with the weather recently, worries bubbling under the surface as he watched his blonde sister shuffling and fluffing her skirts from the spot she’d taken beside the older demon. “Hopefully everyone is...gets along today. Maybe we should’ve warned Sam and Dean-”
“Don’t worry, boy,” Amon’s gravelly voice cut over his worrying equally as sharply as his sister’s had Jo, but rather than put him on edge it made the fears swirling around Grey’s mind settle as if rubbed away with sandpaper. “I doubt they’d even recognize anything of worth to not get along.”
“You mean those dumbasses don’t actually remember the things they read?” Jo quipped back as she set out the last of the food containers and held a can of Guinness up at the older man with a questioning smile before it grew wider and more amused as she handed the drink over and fetched out a soda for herself and Grey too. “You wouldn’t be wrong. Those two wouldn’t remember the names of any of you big wigs even if it was right under their noses.”
“A pity, you’d think they’d be better at it by now.” “Ya would, but then they get a bit confused between you guys and the feathered assholes all the same.” “Can’t blame them there, the translations are always so impeccably bad that such lists which were written as concurrent comparisons get turned into a singular one.” “You mean that if someone translated the second list first you could be mistaken for a halo holder?”
“Watch your tongue, lest someone bite it off at such insults.” Amon’s words sounded biting, but Grey found himself laughing along with the blonde at the twitch of a smirk on the other man’s face before Jo moved to explain the joke to the other women as they finished making the platters look as beautiful as he was sure they would taste. Both men fell into an easy conversation - discussing abstractly what each had been up to and what they had planned for the rest of the year casually as they sipped their drinks in unison.
There was a loud bark from where Nana had been tied up on a long leash cord to the bottom of the rotunda steps, catching the group’s attention as the trio of men approached. The three were all talking amiably to one another as they got closer before the tallest, Sam, noticed they’d been spotted and grinned widely at the group before calling out a greeting, “Hey guys! We the late ones?”
“Nope!” Jo popped the ‘p’ in the middle of the word, leaping back up to her feet before rushing over to help Harry with the baskets he was carrying. “Though you seem to be missing one?”
Sam let out a hearty laugh as he and Garth swung the esky they held between themselves up the stairs and set it down to the side. “No sorry about that Jo, and Grey-” The tall hunter sent an apologetic look towards him that had Grey tilting his head in confusion until Sam continued, “Dean got a call right as we were heading out-”
“A call?” “Well, not literally. Cas stopped by asking for help with something or other to do with something of his usual types of issues.” “Oh, not another angelic war happenin’ ‘gain?”
Sam gave a shrug as he moved over to give Jo a quick squeeze of a hug and accepted with that same puppy-dog smile a ruffle of his long hair before moving over to greet Grey properly. “Who fucking knows, really. Whatever it is, it’s a Dean problem, not a Sam problem.” Sam let out another laugh as he held a hand out to Grey. Frowning for a second, Grey found himself smiling as they shook hands and the tall hunter even leaned down to give a typical guy-shoulder-hug before moving around to say hi to the other shadows.
“And given that, I figured I’d share a ride over. Sorry, we were late though,” Garth’s greeting and apologies were somehow even more heartfelt, and the tight hug was as friendly and comforting as always - and something Grey couldn’t help but be amused that he’d gotten used to. The other man gave him a friendly smile and waved his hand towards the sky. “It’s been a few days since the last moon, so I overslept a bit this morning before we headed off so that delay was my fault.”
“No one would ever blame you needing to catch up on sleep,” Grey smiled back, shaking his head at the other thinking in any way that any such excuses needed to be made, before fist-bumping Harry as he made his way past with Jo to start unloading the styrofoam containers he’d brought with him. Looking over Garth’s shoulder, he frowned slightly noticing the confused looks on his sisters’ faces as they greeted the other two before looking curiously at the third Grey was currently accepting a hug from. Tilting his own head for a moment as they separated, Grey felt like a lightbulb went off as he turned back to his friend. “Oh, hey, you haven’t met my sisters yet properly have you?”
“No!” Garth exclaimed with a wide smile and shifted to tug his jacket a bit back down his arms from where it had pulled up, turning with Grey to see the rest of the party. “But I’m going to go ahead and guess these are them.”
“Shada, Ombre, come meet Garth properly - watch out man, Ombre’s as big a hugger as you.” Grey teased slightly as the women got up and moved around to meet the hunter. “I could’ve sworn we’d hung out before-”
Shada shook her head at his mumbling, rolling her eyes in a way that made him feel the love behind her teasing as she came forward to greet the other monster with a dainty handshake and warm smiles. Ombre was equally as eager to meet another of Grey’s friends, all smiles, and Grey let out a laugh at the two very big huggers of the group both diving straight into one before Garth moved past to hand Jo some Tupperware container and give the second blonde an equally big hug. Sam had greeted Shada and was helping Harry with unpacking a few bags of chips and pre-made salad mixes into a few bowls under the pointing finger from the dark-haired shadow. Grey looked about at what to do to make himself helpful and was surprised to see nothing left for him to do.
Settling back down onto one of the blankets, sat between his friends and across from Jo, Grey found himself smiling as they all seemed to settle in passing around drinks and bowls to fill up plates with the ad-hoc mix of home-baked treats like mini-pies and sausage rolls by Jo, the delicate French pastries brought by his sisters, the salads and chips from the hunters, and the surprisingly good cold noodle dish brought by Harry that “Sophie happened to bring in”. It was clearly a mixed bag of things, but everything looked far too interesting and delicious to hold back.
All in all, the lunch went well - Jo, Sam, and Garth bickered about some case they’d all worked on recently that Grey didn’t want to think much about after overhearing Garth complaining that he was not comfortable with Jo “playing bait so much”; Ombre and Harry talked about some book series they’d both been reading, while Shada spent most of the lunch asking him and Amon about their history together. After Jo’d pulled out another container full of brownies and blondies, the dynamics shifted again and Grey was bemused to watch Jo pull Amon into a discussion about something she’d come across and couldn’t translate, while Sam began a game of eye-spy with Ombre and Shada, and Grey found himself talking about just how bad some of the shows he and Harry used to enjoy had gotten. It felt like something magical to him every time that he looked up and could see almost all those he cared about sitting around and breaking bread and enjoying each other’s company just as much as he did theirs. It was something he would never have expected to happen, and the peaceful hour of their lunch passed in a blink of an eye.
“Well, if everyone’s mostly done-” Jo stood up as the last few mouthfuls were eaten and more drinks were passed about from the esky, hands tugging nervously to tug her shirt and jacket back into position as she moved about to where her bag rested. “-I know I didn’t say anythin’ ‘bout presents when invitin’ everyone-”
“Don’t worry Jo, you aren’t the only one who thought about it,” Sam drawled with a smile of his own, rolling his eyes before he dug a small card from his back pocket and reached over the mostly eaten scattering of plates to offer it out towards Grey. “Here, man, Dean and I thought you might like this.”
Grey blinked in surprise and took a moment before he managed to realize it was a gift, reaching forward to take the brown envelope uncertainly. He frowned slightly back at the smiling hunter before looking down and breaking the paper seal open to find a postcard - a brightly colored front stating proudly ‘Greetings from Missouri - Heart Of America’ - looking back up at him before he flipped it over to find a gift card for some hotel chain on the back that seemed a little higher brow than he’d usually have expected the hunting brothers to have frequented. “Uh-”
“We know you and Jo like to spend time at home when you’re both free but…” Sam’s smile got a little wider for a second before his cheeks turned a soft pink and he coughed quietly. “It’s always good to get away for a weekend too sometime. There’s, uh, places all over the country part of that group.”
Sam’s blush got darker still at the giggle that came up from Jo beside him, an elbow finding its way against the taller hunter’s rib cage with a huff of surprise. “I see through this, Sammy, you just want an excuse to be asked to babysit Nana for a weekend.”
“Hey, that’d just be a bonus if asked-” “Besides, they’d ask me given I am closer.” “Shut up Harry, you don’t know that.” “Sure I do!”
The laughter from the group covered over the long pause as Grey turned the gift card and postcard over in his hands for a long moment - not sure how to respond for a moment. It was thoughtful, and it wasn’t like Grey hadn’t thought he should take Jo away sometime again - just for them - and it was very much a thoughtful and simple gift that the Winchester brothers even thought to give was beyond expectation.
“I- thanks Sam.” Grey finally got out, smiling softly down at the brightly colored design of the card before looking up with an even wider smile at the hunter. “This is great, thank you. I… I really appreciate it, it’d be nice to go away for a weekend or something for sure. Thanks.”
That there was then a dark blue wrapped present shoved into his hands from the man to his side was even more astounding as Harry grinned at him in his next round of confusion. Looking up from the researcher’s present to see those sat about all likewise retrieving from some pocket or basket or just from thin air a gift or envelop, Grey felt himself blushing darkly to realise that they had all brought something just for him. Just to share a piece of time and thought they’d put aside over the last year to think about him and get something for him.
Blushing, Grey gently unwrapped the present from Harry, frowning for a second in confusion at the plain black book before noticing the title on the spine. “Oh! This is that new movie-”
“Yeah, man, there’s like… so many books of the series,” Harry smiled brightly as Grey flipped it over to the back to speed read the blurb heralding it as the first in the iconic sci-fi series, letting out a bit of a chuckle. “And since I got you to agree to go see it next weekend, figured you might need a bit of an idea of what we were going to see.”
“That’s very true. I was very, very confused when I tried watching the original movie.” “The bad CGI definitely didn’t help make it any clearer-” “Or the bad acting!”
Both men let out a loud laugh as Grey neatly folded up the wrapping paper before sitting the book and postcard down beside himself gently, grinning at each other.
The next gift was a box containing two thick woolen sweaters in a dark navy and black that felt deliciously soft and warm as he ran his fingers over them from his sister, Shada flipping her hair over a shoulder and delivering the package with a sweetly sassy claim that she hoped he would take the hint. Laughing to himself at it, Grey laughed even lighter and harder upon opening the pastel-pink wrapped gift from his other sister that was a light blue knitted scarf that she claimed would “match anything, right?”. Both of his sisters got tight hugs and effusive thanks about helping him climb out of the fashion-hole he lived in, which both seemed to preen under such thanks and pleasure expressed towards them.
Amon had seemingly been both more and less prepared than the others, producing a small box containing a small pouch intricately decorated with Celtic designs. Grey raised an eyebrow as he looked in the pouch to see a selection of silver and wooden discs, confused as he flicked through them carefully before doing up the pouch straps again, looking confused at the demon.
The other appeared to take pity on him at that point, brow quirked up in response before he gestured between Grey and his blonde hunter. Speaking softly as not to be overheard, the Amon spoke gently. “Not so much a present for you to have, Grey, but a bit of… protective insurance. For someone you care for.” The demon gave a shrug as Grey glanced between the pouch and where Jo was sitting with his sisters talking over the woolen gifts before he turned back to his friend with a look of understanding. “You are hard to give gifts to, boy, but I know you’d rather have something to protect her than something for yourself.”
“You know me so well,” Grey mumbled his reply, eyes a little misty looking as he leaned over to give the other a tight, firm hug for a long moment, before pulling back and setting the box down with his book and card. “Thank you, really.”
“It was nothing,” the gruff reply brought a smile to his face as Grey looked back at his older friend for a long moment until the last of his friends’ gifts were handed over distracting him.
Garth grinned widely as he’d handed over a bright yellow, thick box with Grey’s name written on it. He smiled even wider as Grey’d raised an eyebrow seeing the equally bright-looking card inside on the top - before Grey himself had found it hard to stop a matching smile responding at seeing a sketchpad and watercolor book both with correspondingly bright, yellow sunflowers on the top. “To match the things,” Garth said with a very wicked smile, before sticking his tongue out at Jo when she looked into the box and then poked her fellow hunter in the ribs. “Hey! I’m being encouraging!” The pair’s laughter was joined by the rest of the group as Grey set that box to the side with a smile for his friend before being pulled into one of those massively amazing hugs as he expressed his thanks.
“Mine’s last, I think.” Jo chirped as she moved around from sitting beside Sam and Garth to next to Grey, scooting in between him and Harry rather than try to push the demon over to make room. She handed over a small, delicately wrapped box that felt heavier than most of the rest. “I do hope you like it, hun.”
“Of course I will,” Grey vehemently claimed before he even moved to open it, leaning over despite the crowd to press a quick but gentle kiss against her lips. There was no way he wouldn’t like whatever she’d gotten him, even if it was a box of air he’d enjoy it. “Don’t even think I wouldn’t.”
“Wish we got that kind of certainty.” Harry quipped from Jo’s other side as Grey’d pulled back, getting a round of laughter or smirks from the rest as everyone settled into conversations all over - the same way they’d been quiet between presents being opened but not putting so much pressure on watching Grey as he’d received and thanked each person for each other.
Jo herself blushed slightly, leaning into Grey’s side like a warm sun radiating that strength and warmth out to him as he gently opened the wrapping to find a wooden box inside the wrapping. He could feel her tensing up as he turned the box over in his hand curiously before finding the latch to open the lid - and the quiet suck in of air as if she was waiting with bated breath for his reaction on seeing the gift. On seeing the silver watch with the darkly tanned leather straps facing up towards him - the hands spinning around and the cogs all visible beneath showing the inner workings of the device, the bright golden outlines of half a sunflower against one side of the watch face - as he set the box down gently to lift it free of the plush supportive box innards. Grey blinked in surprise, running his fingers over the protective glass front as he stared cautiously at the design before recognizing the exact petal lines and marks as those he’d once drawn and since had run his fingers over on silky soft skin for ages. Turning over the watch in wonder, he blinked in surprise to see the same design etched into the silver back of the watch with an additional inscription of ‘J+G’ in the heart of the flower. It left him gasping, as he turned the watch over and over in his hands in wonder at such a beautiful and detailed gift.
“D’ya like it?” The question was so soft as Jo leaned into him, chin hooked over his shoulder as her eyes seemed to dart between his face and the watch face. He couldn’t get the words out for a long moment, his thumb simply rubbing over and over across the watch face, before she reached down to flip it over. “I… I also added this-” Grey’s eyes blew wider at the realization that Jo had made the watch itself then blown even further into the realm of surprise at seeing her open the small back section to see the inner working protected behind another thin pane of glass. Protected from catching up one of the tiny golden threads that made up a curled lock of hair, tied together with string, that fit perfectly into the space but also matched perfectly to the hair tickling his chin from Jo’s head as she tilted to look at him. There was a second before she moved to shut the lock back into place, cheeks a bright red. “I… it’s silly, but I wanted you to have a bit’a me with you same as I have you with the..with the sunflowers.”
Grey didn’t think his eyes could get any wider at any more revelations until that moment, staring in shock as he looked back at her carefully, setting the watch gently around his wrists blindly and fumbling to do it back up before catching her lips in another kiss. Trying to pour into it the whole swirl of emotions he was feeling in that moment as he gently brushed her hair back from her cheek, thumb running over her cheekbone as gently as he had the watch face, for a long moment before pulling back.
“That- Jo… Thank you so much, it’s beautiful,” he struggled to get the words out, swallowing thickly around the lump he could feel in his throat, thumbs brushing both her cheeks gently as he had eyes just for her right then. “I can’t believe you made this, that’s-”
“I can’t do a lotta things, hun, but I thought I could-” “You do so many things-” “But I could make that, somethin’ like that. You really like it?”
Grey nodded his head rapidly in the face of Jo’s earnest and uncertain question, pulling her in for another kiss, before shifting back and frowning slightly. “I do. I do like it. I love it, it’s beautiful. It’s just-” He paused for a second looking at the watch carefully before looking back up to her face. “Are you sure you want me to have the, uh, you know that I could, um, use that to find you, right? That having a bit of you means I could...could find you, come to you, track you, right? Are you okay- sure and okay with that?”
The look of confusion that crossed her face unsettled him for a moment, moving his hands to plan to remove it before her own fingers ceased his fumbling with the latch of the watch bands. “I’m okay with that. I’m totally okay with that, hun. I trust you.”
“You-” “Yes, I’m sure, Grey.” “But-” “What’d I just say?”
Grey swallowed down not only the lump but the desire to ask a third time if she was sure and okay with it, blushing brightly in the face of her bemused but loving face, before leaning in to kiss her a third whole time in as many minutes.
He only pulled back upon hearing a cough from over his other shoulder, pulling away and turning to look at the bemused smirking demon as Amon raised a singular brow at him over his drink. Flushing hotly, Grey glanced around to see how everyone else was equally amused but studiously looking away from the couple as Jo leaned into his side and he couldn’t help but let out a laugh at how light he felt right then. At just how right his world felt surrounded by his loved ones and getting to spend time reflecting on that in that moment. He couldn’t hold back the smile as he squeezed his love’s fingers before turning back into the conversations starting back up around him. Everything felt right as he felt his hand squeezed back in return.
---
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FIC: SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE III
PART ONE
PART TWO
“Now, you need to make your eyes really wide-” Jo’s ears perked hearing the false whisper from somewhere behind her as she worked at the stove. Biting down on the inside of her cheeks to keep from smiling, the blonde continued to work on the pancakes for breakfast - using her squeeze bottle to pour the batter out into the shape of a batarang before spelling out her boy’s name inside before flooding the middle as she listened to the talk. “Nice and big like that, yeah. And then what do we say to Mommy?”
“Mommy, can we have blueberries too?”
“That’a boy.” Jack’s whisper disappeared in favor of the warmth in his tone as he smiled down at the boy. Jo glanced over her shoulder, catching the amusement in those blue eyes for a moment before looking back at her pancake. “Let’s go, huh?”
“Yes!” Billy’s voice was high and excited, and Jo schooled her face into a look of surprise as she flipped over the current pancake and then looked down at her son when he tugged on the hem of her sleep shirt. “Moooommy!”
Blinking a few times, Jo smiled down at her sweet boy before answering. “Yeah babyboy?”
“Mommy, I… Umm..” Jo fought down a laugh watching the sudden look of confusion swallowing the young boy’s face, Billy’s eyes blown wide and worried before he held a hand to his lips in thought. Glancing up, she could see Jack’s shoulders shuddering with concealed laughter, before the tug of Billy’s hand caught her attention again. “Mommy, can… can we have blueberries too?”
The way his finger tapped against his bottom lip and his green eyes were big and open and pleading, Jo knew immediately that she was absolutely screwed dealing with him going forward ever saying no. Puppy dog eyes added to that soft pleading tone was just too potent and she let out a small whine of frustration realising just how screwed she was.
“Oh darling boy, of course you can.” Kneeling down as she turned the temperature of the pan down lower in her off hand on the way, Jo leaned in to press a kiss to his forehead with a loud ‘mwah’ noise. “You get Jack to help you grab them out and wash them proper, alright?”
“Yes Mommy!”
Sending a tiny, pretend scowl over her son’s head towards the smirking man, Jo turned back to the pan and checked the base of the current pancake before sliding it out and onto the boy’s black and red plate before starting on the next pancake for the other adult. Slowly drawing out a spider followed by its web, she flooded the gaps between as she kept one ear out for any trouble from her men as she carefully made Jack’s pancake, and then a cutesy looking mallet for her own pancake design; Jo bit down on a chuckle hearing her love explaining carefully how to rinse and then dry the blueberries and pile them into a little bowl to share on the table. Looking over her shoulder as she flipped her pancake, she looked on fondly as she watched the little blond boy carry his bounty of blueberries onto the table like they were something special.
“Alrighty boys, who’s ready for pancakes?” She chirped happily as she flipped her pancake out onto her own plate and turned off the burner for now, picking up all three plates carefully before carrying them to the table herself. “I know I am.”
“Me me me!” Billy cried happily, clambering into his seat and kicking his feet joyfully, before letting out an excited squeal seeing his little batarang pancake. “Batcake! It’s a Batcake!”
“Now, is that what Batman eats for breakfast?” Jack replied curiously, pressing a kiss to the little boy’s head as he sat a sippy cup of juice in front of Billy before placing a glass of the same down for himself and another for Jo with another kiss to the crown of her head that made her tingle all over with how right this all felt. “Oh!” The surprised noise made her smile as she looked over to the look of pleased surprise on his face at seeing his own pancake design. “Jo…”
“What? Only the best for my boys!”
The chuckle she got in response was cut through by the shrill sound of a ringtone from the end of the table where their mobiles were kept in a basket, keeping technology out of family meal times at a suggestion from Jack’s that made Jo feel so special and focused on when that was first suggested. The sound cut off pretty quickly, and both adults rolled their eyes, whoever it was would be called back later. As soon as it stopped though, it started again. And then the other phone was going off as well. And then the duller sound of the singular landline from the front hall chimed in as well.
“What the fu-” Jo cut off her swear with a glance at her son, the need to cut down on her swearing around the last year really having become prominent after a few too many comments from his daycare teacher, but found it hard not to finish as all three phones quieted and then started ringing again. “Okay, rule break?”
“You help Billy with his bluebs, I’ll check what’s up.”
“Thanks, hun.”
Jo let out a soft sigh as Jack set his utensils down and stood up to fish his ringing phone out of the basket and answer it, as well as taking her distractingly ringing phone, out to the hall while she refocused on breakfast.
Billy ate not only his first batarang, but another two full pancakes and almost the whole bowl of blueberries through the meal, sipping his juice and asking with those big green puppy-eyes to go to the playground that afternoon; and Jo got through another pancake all her own as well as her juice and a cup of matcha before their missing member finally reemerged. Followed unexpectedly by Ellen and Bobby, still in their shoes and holding Billy’s overnight bag.
“Nanny! Bobby!” Billy screeched happily, flinging himself away from where Jo had been getting him to help her with unstacking the dishwasher while they’d awaited Jack’s return. “What’re you doin’ here?”
“Billyboy, we thought you might like a weekend sleep over?” Ellen said happily as Bobby had bent down to scoop up the excited, wiggly boy. “We missed you so much, and you haven’t been over in ages.”
“Mom, you babysat last week-” Jo started with a frown at the unexpected arrival, glancing at the clock and fully surprised to even see her step-dad so awake and focused at such an early hour, let alone dressed and at her own house. “What’s-”
“Jobug,” her mother spoke softly, as Bobby turned towards Jack to double check on any extra toys to pack for Billy’s weekend, as she’d come up to wrap Jo up into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know you didn’t mean this to happen-”
“What to happen?”
“You just talk to Jack, okay Jojo? You take the whole weekend, my darlin’ girl, you take the love you deserve okay?”
“Mom?” Jo was beyond confused, wide eyed and uncertain as she received a kiss to the forehead from both her parents in a whirlwind of quietly spoken words between the other three adults that made no sense to her before her son was whisked off to his grandparent’s place amid happy cries of adventure leaving her bewildered and confused as to what just happened. “What-”
There wasn’t even time for her to vocalise her questions - what happened, what was going on, what was wrong, was everyone okay - before she was pulled into and wrapped up in loving arms and felt a strong hand gently soothing over her hair and down her back.
“Jo, love, I’m so sorry.” Jack’s voice was rough and hoarse, and as she looked up at him she could see something swirling in his eyes that troubled her. “I’m sorry. I should’ve protected you, I should’ve known, I’m sorry.”
“Wha- what is going on, Jack?” She asked firmly that time, staring up at him and feeling her face twisting into a scowl at the sympathetic sadness flashing across his face chased along by some guilty look. “Jack fuckin’ Grey, you tell me right fuckin’ now what’s goin’ on!”
The quiet that followed on from her growled words echoed in the quiet space of their home, and Jo felt uneasy at how cautiously the other looked at her - his hand still gently rubbing at her back as the other held her steady - as he chewed his lip before saying softly. “The article came out… And I think you should read it with me.”
THE FUTURE MRS. GREY?
The Modern Fairy Tale Inside The Wedding Of The Year
By Chuck Shurley
Just off the main shopping district of the West Side there is a place where fairytales begin. Inside a deceptively worn building there was the start of many stories that are shaping the news of tomorrow - and I was fortunate enough to uncover the true Cinderella story that was unfolding in secret behind all the cameras and spotlights on the wedding of one French aristocrat-turned-investor Ian Essaim and socialite Shada Grey.
As all good fairy tales must start - this story started once upon a time…
Once upon a time, there was a new American Sweetheart in the form of the beautiful so called Shada Grey. She portrayed a version of herself to the cameras that was viewed as bubbly and perky, with a love for eclectic fashion. Those who knew the woman that would become this girl would say her acting skills were wanting for all she did was play herself on the silver screen - just with a wardrobe founded by and crafted by a studio and their stylists rather than the money from her brother’s pockets. The sister of famed and elusive artist, Jack Grey, who has shied away from the spot light after what was described as a ‘manic depressive episode’ by some - Shada Grey has captured the imagination of those who strive for the women of Golden Era Hollywood wrapped up in a pair of Louboutins and Prada. The Darling of America and the fairy tale princess having a fairy tale wedding.
However, there was another woman who has the capability of capturing the hearts of the country who will be standing five steps back from the princess on her wedding day.
…There was once another young woman with a wedding on the horizon. Joanna Beth Harvelle was getting married to the love of her life, an idealistic captain in the Marine’s called William Mark Reynolds. A pivotal moment in any woman’s life, and the same type of event that I have been lucky enough to be covering for the aforementioned Essaim/Grey wedding this year. But this story could not be further removed than that story - this story is of loss and love instead.
Miss Harvelle and Captain Reynolds were married from the court house, the only photo of their day a Polaroid taken by the bride’s mother on the steps outside. The bride wore a white dress from the bargain bins, and the pair spent their wedding night bidding one another farewell in preparation for the groom’s deployment two months later. In contrast, Miss Grey and Mr Essaim’s wedding is being held at an undisclosed location costing seven-figures, the bride will be wearing a custom Vera Wang and the whole wedding is being documented by not only print media such as myself but covered in depth by Miss Grey’s television show in a ten-episode special season and by most other media outlets.
But as fairy tales go - there must always be an early loss. Hansel & Gretel their abandonment, Rapunzel the pricking of a finger upon the spinning needle, and for our Cinderella was the loss of her love. Captain Reynolds was killed in action six months after his wedding, leaving a pregnant widow behind to receive his Purple Heart and put the pieces of her life back together. When speaking with Joanna, known affectionately by most as Jo, about that point in her life - the clear sorrow is still evident in her voice and the listing of her husband’s achievement. However those clouds passed quickly with the birth of their son, William Dean Harvelle who is nearly five at the moment of writing and has a love for frosting sugar cookies, and her “other baby” as the blonde would say.
Metallicake has become an icon in the city over the four years of operation from the old warehouse building just off the beaten track. According to it’s owner, many souls have found their way to her door through word of mouth and the scent of baked goods on the air. One particular soul was, indeed, drawn there out of the rain and drawn back time and time again as anyone who has tried the baked goods from this modern day Cinderella’s kitchen would attest - coming back is inevitable. According to Ms Harvelle, her ties to the Wedding of the Year began almost three years ago when Jack Grey returned to her bakery and subsequently fell in love with the flour-coated princess.
Entering the building you will see exactly the impact of this diamond in the rough woman who carry’s a purple, bruised heart for the loss of a national hero. Ms Harvelle has drawn not only the eye but the artistry out of the most elusive and most revered artist of his time in the country to her walls among other things. Those who visit Metallicake are greeted with an ever changing mural designed, refined and painted painstakingly by the famed Mr Grey. From the photos provided by the baker herself, and a subsequent valuation by several esteemed art buyers - the walls of the bakery itself are worth more than the cost of the elaborate wedding the bakery will be producing a mammoth cake for and then some. The tattoo parlour next door, owned by a man known as the ‘Doctor Badass of Tattooing’ Ash Miles, shares equally in Ms Harvelle’s fortune with not only signed art work on display but also the unique privilege of being the only authorised tattoo artist of such artwork. This work, as well as his own, is on display not only in INKED magazine and this publication, but upon the very body of Ms Harvelle so far.
Being a muse and accomplished baker does not appear to be the extent of this Cinderella’s ambitions though. Listening to the way Ms Harvelle would speak of love and marriage - a self-proclaimed realist who expects little more from her life, supposedly - and her joy for both bride and groom to be, one cannot believe to suspects she’ll long be a widow rather than to take up the name almost as soon as American Sweetheart Shada Grey surrenders it.
When sent to the small converted warehouse to cover the baking and artistry connected to the creation of what will be an extravagance on-top of the already fantastically over designed and over quaffed wedding, the preparation was to hear about the difference between genoise and chiffon sponges, the merits of fondant and buttercream, and inevitable discussion about the endless creation of edible flowers. And that is what was covered, and yet so much more.
Ms Harvelle has a skill with words and with applying them to the work she does. She is an artist in her own right, but with shaping the perceptions of those around her. She can talk at length and display great skill with the multiple display cakes that were crafted and recorded in a special behind the scenes look hosted on Rolling Stones website at time of publication. However she can also draw others into her theology on the connection between her work and the world around her.
“People are like cakes,” Ms Harvelle said. “And everyone pairs with someone else perfectly. Take Shada for example - she’s so sunny and bright and vivacious. Full of spirit and life and carefree. She also has a little bite to her when protecting those she loves, but is simply so versatile and beloved it’s hard to remember she can be sweet and sour.” In this journalists time spent with the bride and bridal party so far, this interpretation appears to be true, though perhaps only just from the magic weaved by Ms Harvelle rather than any truth. “And Ian is so grounded and down to earth despite how he may appear, he too is versatile and always there for people. He’s a genuinely kind man, and they both work so well together. Sunshine and earthiness, but altogether sweet.” Ms Harvelle weaved her story together in her cake baking, and the slice of lemon chiffon cake with a blueberry and basil frosting that was served up as a demonstration of the couple was phenomenal not only in tasting, but in the craftsmanship of the story telling.
When asked about herself, the widow is far less vocal and considered. “Me? I’m just flour!” The lack of concern or thought evident, but the nature of her choice showing how pivotal her role in the creation of not only the physical cakes to be loved and adored, but the metaphorical cake of life and her underappreciated value is.
Watching Ms Harvelle work and seeing the creations coming out of her small kitchen, one would believe there was an army of bakers behind the scenes crafting the wide array of baked goods and speciality items which fill the counter of not only the storefront but several other establishments around the city. But instead, there is a one-woman powerhouse working diligently, day in and day out.
On the week I followed Ms Harvelle through her daily routine as she developed, trialed and presented the socialite couple with their wedding cake options, the true meaning of hard work was on display.
The days started before the sun rose three days out of five, and Ms Harvelle was always wide awake as we met at her bakery. From there I witnessed the whirlwind that was something out of a movie scene itself. Her world feels like a montage of beeping alarms, constant tray movements, and endlessly creaming butter and sugar. The tireless Cinderella toiling away that has no time for anything but baking, cleaning and yet sings as she works without a single mouse around to lend a hand, before closing shop as the sun would go down and she would head home before doing it all again.
One would be mistaken to think she had time for nothing else but the extravagant cake that would need to be presented at the end of the week, but life goes on.
A lengthy photoshoot for INKED magazine on one day, and a day’s shopping for dresses with the rest of the specifically chosen bridal party to reflect that ‘down to earth’ narrative of the wedding couple were somehow sandwiched in between the tireless work to create fondant ruffles, edible floral arrangements and all sorts in between for the discerning eye of America’s Sweetheart to dissect by week’s end.
And yet on top of these inconveniences - of which Ms Harvelle never had anything less than a smile and a warmth when speaking of completing these tasks for her friends and loved ones - she still has a life.
Her Prince Charming in the form of the aloof Mr Grey would visit the bakery each day to bid her well wishes, steal a kiss and perhaps walk her home to the brick townhouse Mr Grey bought twelve years ago and according to sources moved his soon-to-be fiancé and son into two years prior. Her role as a mother is still needing to be completed each day, and watching mother and son interact - there is no question that this Cinderella finds time to be both baker and mother to her fullest. And her role as bridesmaid and friend seems to be never ending either, with the beauty taking the bride out for lunches and always having time to fend off frenzied, worried phone calls and provide the soothing voice of reason among the socialite crowd on display regularly throughout the week.
Perhaps it is naïve to believe in fairy tales and magic in today’s age where romance is a fabricated story pumped out through television and movies, where women compete against one another for the so called Bachelor, and a woman playing herself had caught the imagination of the country.
And yet, in this story where the bride and groom met over a coffee in the small kitchen of a tiny bakery, perhaps the true Cinderella story does exist and the real Cinderella doesn’t need any saving by a prince - she’s happy with the flour, cocoa and soot on her face - but instead will bring her prince back to the fire with her.
---
Hollow. That was the word to describe how she’d felt with every word of that reading. Absolutely hollow.
What she’d expected after the confusing appearance of her parents to whisk away her boy and the unreservedly supportive hold that she’d been wrapped up in as Jack’d guided her through to the lounge and onto the couch to read the beautifully presented and laid out article on his laptop. The cover photo was beautiful - the gorgeous three layered mock up with the gentle sunlight catching the glimmering gold specks on the fondant photographed so beautifully - and as he’d brought the article up Jo hadn’t even read the title as she’d initially excitedly pointed at the embedded video at the top and focused on wanting to watch that before reading any silly words. Jack hadn’t stopped her, and had rubbed her shoulder and quietly reiterated how lovely her work looked and how amazing a baker she was and how lucky his sister was for her to work on the masterpiece for her and how well she discussed the techniques and design choices as they’d watched the video. That she had finally registered the title of the article halfway through the video below it changed the sweet taste of maple syrup still lingering in her mouth to something bitter tasting like bile as she smiled and nodded through the remaining minutes of the video before she couldn’t stop herself reading the article.
Hollow, and wide open. As if she was a pumpkin carved out and put on display. A cream puff full of air and such a flimsy shell of existence without the filling to stablise her if left in this condition. Like a meringue - fragile and likely to collapse in on herself if the oven door was opened too early.
That photo - her pregnant and haunted in the illfitting black dress shaking hands with the man who’d sent the other to war and brought him back to her in a coffin - was in there. The one she’d asked not to. Right beside a picture of her tugging on her new love’s scarf and their smiling and in love in her sacred kitchen space.
She’d felt torn open and like her skin had been peeled off and displayed for anyone and everyone with each cut into the private bubble she’d been living in broken open within the writer’s words. She hated it.
And worst of all, Jack’s hands had rubbed at her comfortingly, and he’d spoken gently that it wasn’t her fault for being trusting, and that he was sorry she had this happen to her, and that he loved her and supported her just made her feel all filled up with love and support all over again even as she was left open and empty he was there to comfort and helped to fill the void left behind by those black and white words. And she’d broken down in a way she hadn’t for years - she’d actually found herself crying at the fresh loss of that protective scab that had kept her intact all along now she had someone to let her deflate like a forgotten souffle.
Once she’d finally stopped crying - babbled words between the gasps as she’d tried to explain what she was crying over of ‘sorry’ and ‘so long ago’ and ‘not like that’ - Jo was surprised to see the love and concern pouring out of the other’s blue eyes as he watched her carefully, not at all guarded the way she’d expected at finding out about her hiding yet another big secret from him. Hiding her history yet again.
“Here,” His voice was soothing as he’d held out a tissue to her, the box moved to his knee as he continued to rub her back gently with his other hand. “It’s okay, Jo, it’s alright.”
“How can you say that?” She gasped the words out hoarsely, voice rough and tired from her crying. “I-”
“You did nothing, Jo, you didn’t do anything.”
“I lied-”
“Did I ever ask?” He asked gently as she was getting worked up again, hands fidgeting and picking at each other and brown eyes wide and panicked. Jack’s hands covered hers, holding her gently like she was something to be handled carefully. “I didn’t ask, you didn’t have to tell until you were ready. And I’m sorry that the choice was taken from you.”
“I shouldn’t’ve-”
“You’re an open heart, trusting person - it’s what’s so sweet and endearing about you and something I love so dearly, Jo. Don’t apologise for being you.”
“I...would’ve told you. Eventually.” She mumbled the words out, hands shaking even despite the comforting squeeze of his over hers. She would have. One day. Probably that mythical moment she’d thought about when they’d be curled up in bed and he’d have said something about their future and wanting life together and asking if she’d wanted to get married some day eventually, and she’d have told him the truth then and in much simpler words than the bullshit that the journalist had flourished her story with. She had felt that day approaching, but they hadn’t quite gotten to talking about the future further than plans for a vacation next year before Billy started school. “I… I can’t believe this- Oh fuck! What about Shada?!”
There was a second before Jo noticed the look on his face shift from concern into something closer to surprise for a moment, before his mouth twitched into that soft loving smile that made her stomach flip. “Shada’s okay. She was the one who was calling - she is… not happy with that asshole journalist.”
“Oh… Oh, should I step down?”
“What?”
“I’m ruinin’ the weddin’ - a distraction - should I step out-”
“Jo!” The smile she got then was practically blinding, tugging her in for a tight hug as Jack laughed gently. “Shada’s worried about you! She’s upset for you, not because of you. She’s already screaming about getting a new writer in and getting lawyers to sue or something if you want to. I mean, she’s thinking to for defamation for herself-”
“As she should!” Jo cried back, letting out an awkward giggle as she curled into the warmth of his chest. “That was so mean and wrong for what was said about her. That asshole-” Jo’s eyes blew wide as she thought about how nice and friendly the reporter had seemed, how he’d seemed to care what she had to say - that she’d been tricked and manipulated into telling her story when all she’d wanted was to make a good cake and share her love for her dark haired friend. She felt the sharp stab of betrayal in that, and shivered slightly to think that she’d have to meet with the reporter again sometime soon. He was due back to write about the flowers, and Shada’s dress, and so much more - the idea of facing him after such a humiliating manipulation made her stomach twist. “-oh I hope he’s fired! He should be! What is her manager doing? Does Bobby know? Oh, what about-”
“Jo, my love, it’s fine.” His voice was calming and soft as she’d started to work herself up again, breaths sharp and short and caught up on the edge of panic and mania filling her mind as she thought about just how much she’d misjudged and maybe ruined the whole of her dear friend’s special days. “Bobby’s already got the shows lawyers onto it, and Shada said her manager is already demanding a retraction of the article and it to be suppressed online until they can determine the legal ways forward-”
“Good!” She seethed quietly, feeling queasy and responsible and guilty all in one at how much the words written must had hurt the other woman to read. Every other sentence was a backhand compliment, a knife designed to dig and cut and hurt the poor girl, and that Jo’d been used to do that to her hurt too much to consider. She’d have to bake something as an apology as soon as her legs felt strong enough to support her weight. And something for Bobby. And the show team. And Ian and Ombre. And for Jack. The thought of her boyfriend brought her mind whirling into how nasty the reporter’s words, the focus on who Jack was and what he had been that had to have hurt too brought her into herself with a gasp; brown eyes wide and focused onto her boyfriend’s face with a distraught look. “Oh and you! You should sue too! For what he said ‘bout you-”
“Nothing written in there was wrong when it came to me, Jo.” Jack’s eyes were that darker blue, the shadowed look that always showed up when he was serious about whatever he was talking about. “I’ve got no issues with it about me.”
Jo shook her head, tucking into his chest with a sigh as she felt a shiver run down her spine. “It wasn’t- It said that we… that you were- that we’re going ta be-”
“I mean, I was hoping to ask on our anniversary next month, so if you can wait until then…”
She froze at his words - the warm, bemused tone rumbling in his chest she was pressed up against - and felt like that hollow feeling was suddenly gone as quick as it had arrived. Replaced with a stomach-flipping surge of happiness she hadn’t even felt the first time around, her whole body felt like it was on fire and her heart felt like it couldn’t be held in by her chest it was so full and light. Her head was spinning, and pulling back a little, she blinked in confusion as she looked back into the flushed but openly smiling face of the other. How could he be so open, so honest, especially to her when all she had ever done was hide things from him?
“Wh-what?”
His eyes lit up and the edges of his lips pulled up into an amused grin as his hands moved from her back to hold her cheeks, thumbs stroking over the top of her cheekbones gently. “Do you not want to wait til then?” His voice was quiet and she strained to hear him over the thudding of her heart filling her ears. Jack’s smile got softer as he shifted one hand back over her ear and into her hair gently. “Do you want me to ask now? Because I will. I’d ask in a heartbeat if you wanted me to, Jo. I’d ask it every day if that’s what you want or what it took.”
“You… Wait-” She paused a second, heart beating out of her chest and her eyes drinking him in as if she’d never really seen him before. Like she could finally see all the colors that made him whole - the blue of his eyes brighter, the pink of his lips more soft and kissable than ever, even the dark purple under his eyes from their late night movies and early morning starts - after having lived with some filter on. Living in a glass box to protect her from hurt again, and him from being cursed like all the others that had had her heart so far. Swallowing thickly, Jo blinked repeated a few times before shifting closer into his lap, prompting his other hand to drop around her waist and support her gently instead. Support her like he had ever since they’d become an us not two separate entities. There was a pause that he just looked at her, before Jo found herself leaning in closely and that thudding in her ears entirely disappearing into the background as she heard herself speak from her heart before her brain could stop her. “Will you marry me?”
That pause drew out longer - every tiny noise from the ticking of the clock on the wall to the buzz of the muted television to the muffled sound of the world moving outside without them was like thunder as they stayed in their quiet, frozen bubble - before there was a surge between them. Like a bolt of lightening sending energy into both of them had her lips smashed against his, and his hands gripping her tightly as she pulled him into her all the harsher.
That she’d asked and that he hadn’t answered didn’t matter, the fact was this was right in a way that it’d never been right for her before. This was what she’d been waiting for. This was who she’d been waiting for. She might not be a blushing bride like his sister, but she was who he’d been waiting for, and he was who she’d always meant to find. The safety and feeling of home and support she’d been missing even before she’d been left alone before, before she’d said her vows to a man she loved but more as idea than a man, before she’d thrown her roses on the coffin as a child. This was the support she’d been craving and needed - the love she’d searched everywhere for and then glassed herself off from when it didn’t show up when she wanted it. Even if it was a few years late.
---
Her hands were steady and forceful as she continued to roll the fondant thinner and thinner, to the longest roll it could before fluting it gently as she cut the thin strip in half and laid the ruffle down across the nearest baking tray with all the rest. These ruffles were the thinnest she'd ever made, and there was only six more to make before she'd have to start assembly. Or start the gentle paintwork of dusting the edges like an ancient book with gold dust. Or maybe she would do a third crumb coat on the cakes. Just to make sure.
Jo's mind was working seven steps ahead of herself and she had to pause at the trembling in her fingers. This was the most important cake she'd ever made. It had to be perfect.
Nervously working on the next set of ruffles, she felt herself having to pause and try the deep breathing exercises her therapist had taught her months ago. The exercises to calm her down from spiralling into an absolute destructive frenzy. She'd been struggling with keeping herself balanced for months now, ever since that article shook her core, and she was so thankful she had the support around her to work her way through it.
The weeks following that article had been some of the hardest of her life but nothing except for her seemed to be changed. Nobody except for her few newest friends had learned anything they didn't already know. And aside from a bone crushing hug from Shada every time they met for a month, and the gentle coaxing from Jack to remember everything was fine, nothing changed aside from her. Her whole world had tilted the wrong way but no one else seemed to notice it.
It had taken up until the week of crafting the extravagant and beautiful wedding cake for how hard she was struggling to really hit her. The only time she felt in control of herself and happy that week being the long hours she spent in the bakery - perfecting batches upon batches of buttercream and the fillings for the cake, the sheets upon sheets of cake baked and cut to an unusual and beautiful geometric diamond rather than the traditional circle, the hours after hours of sugar work in vibrant purples bad shimmering golds and silvers along with the delicate edible flowers to match the bride's overflowing bouquet. That week she'd devoted more time than ever to her work and it was the only times she felt happy and normal and like herself didn't really sink in until the night before the wedding.
Jack had been waiting up when she'd finally decided it was done and got home at two in the morning despite having to be up in three hours to start the bridal party work. He'd held her close and been all things supportive, and that she'd cried all three remaining hours and somehow functioned and floated happily beside her future sister-in-law the whole day through was probably more to do with running on fumes than her genuine excitement she had for the beautiful bride and her husband. It was probably more to do with the appointment booked for the following week for her to finally talk to someone and start working through her issues instead of hiding from them.
It was how she'd found herself reflecting on how important that cake had been for her - it had represented all of her guilt over her life becoming something new all again, her desire to please and her want to be part of something bigger than just her and her boy again - and the unexpected amount of stress that had come along with the entire process that was how she’d been convinced to speak to someone. Seeing her work splashed over news sites for weeks, and the months leading up to her sister-in-law’s wedding from that horrible article all the way through that while not always a focused part of the story, that her life was splashed across the media and her motives dissected as much as her work was had sent her spiralling in need of help. That her fiance was beside her the whole time - praising her work, encouraging her and protecting her and her son from the worst of it - helped soften the blow that she wasn’t as strong as she’d always made out to be. And that despite pouring every bit of love she had into that beautiful purple wedding cake had been enough to keep her solid until it had been delivered.
Placing the last of the delicate ruffles she’d made to the side, Jo pulled a ball of sunshine yellow fondant towards herself to work on instead. The next crumb coat could wait. Instead, she rolled that fondant out into thin strips again - however rather than rolling the edges thinner and thinner until they fluted into soft ribbons, the baker collected the delicate piece of lace she’d collected from the trimming of her dress and pressed it flush against the fondant. Rolling over the fabric and then peeling it gently off each strip of fondant, the beautiful lace design embossed into the yellow sugar confection to mimic what she would be wearing the next day, before moving each stripe of fondant onto another baking tray to be stored away until they were needed later. It was a rhythm, one she was used to, and working slowly she kept up her calming breaths as she tried to sink into the pattern. It was just any other cake, after all.
Where she’d poured so much thought and weeks of consideration into balancing the meaning of ingredients, the personalities of the bride and groom, and the early summer vibes of the wedding into the beautifully tiered cake she eventually crafted for Shada and Ian’s wedding - the creation she was making now was somehow so much less thoughtful in her mind. She didn’t spend hours testing different cake types and deciding on the main flavors before deciding on something that perfectly matched like berries and lemons - she knew it would be a chocolate cake from the moment she’d even tried to consider what to make, and she’d known that there would be a hazelnut filling based off of the brownies her love begged her to make the most. She didn’t spend her time crafting different decorations trying to balance the extravagance of the event, the importance of those getting married and to make something both timeless, classic and modern and fashion forward - she knew that it would be a simple white cake with minimal color but the buttercup yellow and gold to balance the classic, stark white elements. She didn’t worry about trying again and again to push the extremes of what she could achieve, even as that had excited and thrilled her to surprise everyone with such a decadent and beautiful creation unlike any other - she knew the small single tiered cake would be more than enough for her loved ones, and there was no one she needed to impress or thrill more.
The sound of an alarm brought her out of her thinking as she finished the last few yellow fondant decorations, turning to pull the brownies out of the oven and replace them with the waiting tray of cupcakes. The baking of all the other treats that she intended to fill the small trestle table for desserts with the next day was in itself another thing entirely - delicate tiny pastries with perfectly presented lemon tarts and tiny chocolate brownies, cream puffs and mille-feuille, chocolate eclairs and marzipan treats, treacle tarts and miniature cherry pies - each carefully selected and decided upon based on their family and friends favorite treats.
But when she pictured the table in her mind it was with the simple white cake on it’s pedestal surrounded by a bounty of treats and the tiny bouquets of baby's breath that would tie into her bridal bouquet and the flowers that Billy would throw before her and would be tucked into the lapel of her love’s jacket as they said vows she believed in again now. It was full circle and fully ready - the image of a day unfolding as she moved onto the final little dessert decorating, that she’d never had before. The day she’d dreamed about that never happened the last time, that she didn’t fantasise about before like she was now, the way she wanted every little step to be just so where before she’d never pictured herself walking down an aisle, and exchanging vows, and wearing white, and holding flowers, and staring into loving eyes, and making promises she fully intended to keep, and exchanging rings that she wouldn’t then take off, and celebrating with everyone she cared about not sharing a pepperoni pizza and counting down days on a calendar, and knowing that Sunday morning she’d wake up happy and fulfilled and the person she’d not yet become the last time, the person she hadn’t realised she was meant to be. It was her dreams coming true for once. And her being her own dream.
---
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FIC: Pink Moon Rising
Notes: Erzulie - Gina Torres Agwe - Gary Dourdan Ogoun - Jimmy-Jean Louis Damballah - Elvis Nolasco Baron - Mustafa Shakir Maman Bridgette - Saorise Ronan Filomez - Logan Browning Ti Malice - John Boyega Papa Legba - Sydney Poitier Anaisa Pye - Danai Gurira
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Jo knew the moment that the letter box had a raised signal that there was something peculiar going on at that point.
They rarely got mail - most post going to the bar and she or Grey would pick most up whenever they went by to either do work or visit Harry, sometimes the researcher would bring any post with him for a movie night instead - and usually only ever junk mail and not worthy of the flag going up.
She wrapped Nana’s leash around her wrist a few times as the dog pulled and tugged impatient to go inside and have some water, and flipping the mail box open; Jo frowned at the light pink envelope with something written harshly in jagged lettering in red on one side and some design on the other. Picking it up and finally heading inside and unclipping the dog as she went running down the hall towards the kitchen and her water bowl, Jo flipped the letter back and forth over her wrist as she walked after at a slower pace.
“What you got there, Jo?” Grey’s voice pulled her out of her pondering, the flipping stopping after a moment as she moved around to press a quick kiss to the back of his neck on her way past to grab a juice out of the fridge.
“Letter.”
“Oh? Did Harry come around?”
“Nah, it was in the letter box.”
“We got a letter in the letter box?”
“I did.” She replied as she moved to sit down at the kitchen table, flipping the envelope upwards to face her - taking in her name clearly but jaggedly written across the front in the dark reddish brown ink, with a few dots bled across the front. Running her finger over her name, Jo lifted her finger to her nose before pulling a face realizing it hadn’t been ink at all. Perturbed, she flipped the letter back over and sucked in a breath at the delicate design all the same dark red - blood, not ink, as she’d identified - with two waves curling opposite each other, forming a heart alongside the soft swirls and the biblical-like crosses stabbing through the center of it. A design Jo was used to drawing on a rundown floor in dust or carving into a candle. “Oh.”
“You got a letter? Here?” Grey’s voice was tinged with worry from what she could hear, finger still running gently over the design and not yet daring to break the seal. “Who’s it from then?”
“A.. friend, I hope.” She muttered the last words as quietly as possible, a tiny frown on her face before sliding a finger under the envelope tongue and slowly tearing it open.
Pulling the single card out from inside, Jo let out an unexpected laugh at the design on the front - a soft pink moon with three circles underneath it all in a soft shimmering card stock - and the swirly lettering stating ‘You’re Invited!’ written across it. Opening the card itself, there was a date, time and address as well as three little crosses in the bottom corner all in the same not-ink writing as the envelope.
“What is it, Jo?” Jo jerked a bit at the hand on her shoulder as the shadow came over to look, a concerned look on his face that she’s sure came from her laughter and the peculiarity of it altogether.
“It’s an invitation, hun. I’ve got a… party to go to, maybe.”
Jo let out a quiet sigh to herself as she actually found herself out front of the building compound listed at the address on St Charles Avenue. It was definitely not somewhere she would usually be found, but as she had gotten out of her car and walked up the block towards the place, she found herself glad that she’d decided to wear something nice as she looked up at the ornate doorway of the exquisite old building. It helped the layered yellow dress she’d gotten the previous year and the jeweled sandals matched with it so well but both allowed her comfort while looking in keeping with the sophistication of the event. It also helped that the skirt of her dress was flowy enough to allow a pair of thin bike shorts underneath that likewise let her wear two thigh holsters for a pair of knives, just in case - she had been invited after all, but she wasn’t completely foolish.
Stepping through the wrought iron gates of the external courtyard from the street into the space, Jo blinked in confusion as the sounds of the traffic outside disappeared and were replaced with the sweet sounds of birdsong and the soft sound of music echoing out from the doors of the building. The whole place felt peaceful yet joyful all at once, and something settled sharply in her stomach to be on guard against giving in to that feeling. She’d been tricked once before from it, and she wouldn’t give in again so quickly.
Moving along the path and up the old stone steps up to historic mansion - it's columns white and gleaming, with the white wrought iron spandrels and fretwork like beautiful spiderwebs spreading from one pole to the next over the wide porch as she made her way up. The wood didn't even groan under foot despite clearly being aged and worn in, lived in and welcoming to many, many guests over the years. The front door was intricately carved wood with brightly colored glass shards cut into the design like jewels. It all made a very beautiful and awe-inspiring visage, and as Jo lifted a hand to the elegant door knocker she half expected to be shooed off as an interloper, someone clearly not suited for such a place even with her designer dress and pretty shoes from someone who likely would fit in in such elegant surroundings.
There was an extremely tall man that opened the door, his face set in a firm but bland expression. "Invitation?"
"Oh, uh. Here?"
"Hmmm, Harvelle-" The man frowned for a moment and looked carefully at the invitation she'd handed over with a slight bit of trepidation and then pulled up a clipboard to review. There was a moment before he stepped back and to the side, door opening wider and a hand waving her in in greeting. "Welcome Ms. Harvelle. You'll find the party in the inner courtyard, and all gifts are to be presented when requested."
"Gifts?" Jo asked, confusion rife as she moved through the door and craned her neck up at the man as if he'd have an answer, before frowning in confusion as the welcoming smile slid off of his face and was replaced with the same bland look as before. His eyes looked glazed over though and unfocused as he took a step back to stand beside the door and almost blended into the shadows. Blinking a few times as they watered trying to keep his stare and catch his eye contact, she rubbed at her eyes a little before nervously making her way further into the grand house.
The floor felt strange underfoot, and glancing down, she was surprised to see the entire floor was covered in a thick layer of rose petals from the lightest whites to the deepest, darkest reds and all the shades in between. They were thick enough to coat the entire surface and the scent of roses came forth with each step but was somehow suitably subtle and delicate to the flowers themselves. The grandeur of the place was beyond anywhere Jo was used to visiting - art covered the walls of the entry foyer and then the hallway she slowly made her way into, and there were antiques in the Spanish, French and English styles as well as some clearly even more ancient designs that echoed the beadwork and colorful nature of Africa that somehow stood out even more in beauty against the other flourishes. Moving along the hall, turning left when she got through the first set of doors out of habit and then following the turn of the hall to the right - Jo stared in wonder at the light filtering through the next array of stained glass windows and double doors that opened into the inner courtyard where she could hear noise and see the shadows of figures moving around.
The courtyard was clearly where she was expected to go, as it was filled with guests milling about in different groups and the aurora of power from so many Pagan gods assembled in one place was electric. Her eyes darted about cautiously before entering the courtyard - taking in the wide number of people and the different postures across the space. That she could tell who was a god and who was merely mortal like her felt unsettling, the brightly colorful garb and confidence that rolled off of the gods so at odds with the people - horses, her mind supplied to her, or rather those that would wish to provide their bodies for possession and channeling of the gods and goddesses will - that were in mostly dull neutral clothes that hung from their frames but was not so standardised as she’d have expected. It was more the deference and slight bow of their heads that gave away those here as worshippers from those to be worshipped. There were still more people though - those mortals who offered other types of sacrifice than their own beings, clearly wearing their version of ‘Sunday Best’ and while not so subservient as the horses milling about, were still clearly deferent to the gods that moved through the space, heads tilted just that little bit or eyes just not able to hold direct eye contact with those they worshipped to. Wiping her sweaty hands cautiously against the fabric of her brightly colored dress, Jo took a calming breath before throwing her head back and stepping forward as confidently as possible once she’d taken in as much as she could from the secluded spot just before the doorway, eyes up and back straight, refusing to be thought as cowed by any of those with power in the space.
The purpose of the celebration was clearly easy to locate - the rattan throne raised up on a dais towards the centre of the courtyard was obvious and drew the eye. The peacock chair throne was resplendent in its detail the same was the goddess that sat upon it was glorious in the late-morning sun. Erzulie was holding her court.
Jo’s eyes locked onto the goddess’ after a few steps into the courtyard, and the slow smile that came across the goddess of femininity’s face grew with each step as she reached out a hand, beckoning to her as Jo moved slowly forward. Her wrists were covering in gold and beaded bangles, her golden rings shining catching the light as she called out in a warm, comforting voice, “Joanna! My darling girl, come here.”
It wasn’t a command at least, and Jo felt her own lips twitching into a smile at the way those between her and the one goddess she knew parted like the sea before her. Moving closer, the blonde barely concealed an eyeroll as she got to the raised platform acting as a dais that the beautiful goddess sat on. The rose petals were twice as thick on the platform, and Jo glanced in confusion as a man with thick braided hair stood up from a seat off to Erzulie’s right-hand side to take the brightly embroidered pillow from his chair and placed it a foot before the goddess with a smirk. Looking at the pillow and then back to meet the woman’s eyes, Jo quirked a brow at the other questioningly as the goddess stood.
“My sweet girl, how are you? Did you have a good trip down to my humble little party?” “I mean, New Orleans in Summer is a bit of the pits.” “So true, so true my dear. Much warmer here than that little lake you’ve taken to.”
Jo found herself holding back an eyeroll at that - the crisp summers at home compared to the muggy humidity of Louisiana were the difference of the sweat beads rolling down her back - and taking the goddess’ hand when she offered it before scowling slightly as she was guided down onto the bright pink cushion as Erzulie settled herself back onto her rattan throne with a ringing laugh.
“Apologies though, youngling, I unfortunately am not the one who can control the weather. Nor was I the one to name the date,” Erzulie shrugged a shoulder, the delicate golden chains that adorned her neck and shoulders rattling faintly with the movement as she shook out the yards of shimmering pastel pink silk that was draped over her body from the haltered dress the goddess wore about her to cover her own bejeweled, bare feet. Jo spotted the flash of toe rings on the feminine toes that poked out before being covered with the silk as she herself had plopped down indelicately onto the cushion at the goddess’ feet, uncaring if her shoes scraped up petals or her skirts caught between her legs. “You see, today is my feast day.”
“Happy birthday.” Jo snarked back with a smirk, picking at an invisible piece of lint from her lap before she looked back up at the other at the laugh that rang out again. “If I’d known, I’d’ve brought a present.”
“Ah, but already have - or rather, will - my little flower. It has been quite a time since you’ve made a devotional, after all, and I had hoped you would have done one before now so I could be my very, very shiny best-” The dark skinned goddess pouted, lips full and as pink as her dress as she looked the part of a spoiled child not having gotten her way, before she tossed her head back and gave another of those shrugs that made her necklaces and chains catch and shimmer in the light. Erzulie waved a non-commital hand again before she reached out to run the same over Jo’s own hair with a softer smile. “But then I thought, what better gift, my sweet, then for you to come and partake in the festivities yourself? Besides, half the point is the show after all, and your devotionals are always so… What word would you say, my love?”
The man who’d moved the pillow spoke then, even without Erzulie’s eyes moving from Jo’s face. “Awe inspiring, my beauty.” The man smiled - all teeth sharp and white like a sharks - towards Jo for a moment before glancing over his shoulder back towards the goddess’ face. “You will always in all ways be the most gorgeous woman of course, but you do always seem more refreshed and extra beautiful afterwards.”
“Oh you flatter me, my love.” Jo blinked in surprise to see the slight blush on the other woman’s face before she let out another loud laugh. “But you are right. You see, Joanna, your prayers are always so invigorating for an old lady like me. And I’d love to rub that in that good for nothing Anasia’s face that I have such a daughter.”
Blonde brow raised, Jo blinked a few times as the goddess’ words before she shrugged a shoulder of her own in return. It was true she hadn’t called upon the other’s powers in some time - her hunts more straight forward lately and even more sparsely in between as she had spent more time working on answering hunter queries and helping research than actively hunting for a while, soaking in the chance to be at home during the warm months to spend with her love and baby girl instead of in her sweltering car on the road - and if the answer to getting home safe and sound was to light a candle and say her usual prayers for safety and protection, it wasn’t like that would be hard. Sitting on a cushion like a pet at the others feet however, that was not so easy, and shuffling uncomfortably, Jo raised her other brow before sighing.
“I suppose that would have ta do for a gift, right? Can’t really pull anythin’ out of my pockets when I hadn’t planned anythin’.” “So true, but don’t you worry my dear, I can promise to appreciate it the most.”
“Even more than my gift?” The man standing to the left of Erzulie’s throne spoke then, dark brown eyes sparkling with the same humour as his tone as he placed a hand over the other’s shoulder. “Why, I am hurt, my love, absolutely skewered through. I thought my love meant something!”
Erzulie let out another loud laugh, her hand moving from Jo’s hair to catch the man’s hand and pressing a bright pink lipped kiss to the palm of his hand - an imprint left behind as she squeezed his fingers. “You think so very highly of yourself, don’t you, husband-dear?”
“Of course, my dear, I’ve always done so. A snake may change his skin, but he doesn’t change what he is.” “Damballah, you think your gift outshone mine?” “Given mine did not smell of seaweed, Agwe, I am absolutely certain it did.” “Mine did not smell like seaweed, you good for nothing snake-”
The back and forth between the two men was quick and fast, Jo barely registering the jokes of the two as her mind scrambled to assign the name of Damballah, the serpent father, to the standing man and the title of Agew the sea god to the man that had set the pillow down for her. Blinking rapidly, her eyes quickly jerked between both men, scanning anything that would be recognisable before she noted the golden rings each wore with their own symbol that matched two of the three rings on Erzulie’s own hand as she laughed and batted at the both of them. Turning her eyes over towards the quiet, stoic man that sat to Erzulie’s left in front of Damballah, Jo noted the ring on his hand barely visible under his own long sleeves despite the heat matched the goddess’ last ring - identifying him as the third and last of her husbands, Ogoun the warrior. As the three others continued to speak, their tones warm and playful even if the gods both had a slight undertone of threat to it, Jo found herself simply staring back at the silent, considering look she was getting from the third.
“Come on, girlie.” Jo jerked in surprise at the hand that fell on her arm as the sea god got back to his feet with another of those sharp, white smiles. “We’ll have to show you around to our love’s guests before the devotionals and sacrifices start. It’s all part of the spectacle to show you off after all.”
“I, uh, that is, I’m not-” The hunter stammered a few times as the god stood in front of her and held out his hand to help her up. Panicked, Jo’s eyes darted back to her patron’s for a moment, as if uncertain what to do. Erzulie really was the only one she even knew how to interact with at all in the room, but the goddess was smiling gently at her as she was pulled to her feet. “Um… o-okay?”
“Don’t worry, little huntress,” Agwe spoke gently a few moments later after he’d helped her back to her feet and down the steps from the dais and back into the milling, curious crowd. Jo’d noticed how Damballah had moved to reset the cushion onto the seat the sea-god had been on and taken the spot for himself as the pair had moved away, Erzulie’s attention taken up by her other two husband’s as her first had taken Jo away. His voice, the first husband’s, was soft and his green eyes caught her uncertain ones as she finally looked back from the centre of the room to catch his own. “You are here under my lovely wife’s complete protection, little one. Nobody here could touch you, even if they dared. You’ll be perfectly safe.”
“Oh will I? What makes you think I’m worried ‘bout that?” “The ear splittingly loud thudding of that heart of yours, first off-” “I am not-!” “And secondly, because my darling beauty did mention your first interaction with a crowd of gods may not have been so… comforting an experience as she hopes you will find this one.”
“Oh?” Jo breathed the word out in surprise, blinking widely as she glanced over her shoulder towards where the beauty still sat laughing with the men to either side. Surprised that the goddess might have understood or possibly even felt Jo’s uncertainty and fear the first time they had met. That a being with endless years and so little humanity left to her could remember and thought to ensure that Jo would feel comfortable was a peculiar feeling. Turning back to the speculative look she was receiving from the god holding her arm as he took two cups of some fruity drink from a passing waiter and held one out to her, Jo quirked a brow up at him. “And what makes you so certain I’m safe here? I know your, uh, pantheon of sorts isn’t known to be the most…”
“Cohesive?” “I was gonna say safe.” “Ouch, cruel! No wonder you are my love’s favored!” “Favored?”
“You think all of those who pray to my love gets their prayers answered?” Agwe sent her a surprised look in return as he took a sip of his own drink as Jo fiddled with the straw on hers, before letting out a loud crack of laughter that sounded like the oncoming book of thunder rolling over an unprepared sea. “Only the most special of our devotees get even more than a scrap of our attention, given our long lives and how little you little humans deserve of our attention. And you, dear flower, are by far my wife’s most favored and most devoted and most loved daughter.”
Jo barely held back the shudder at that thought. She took a sip of her drink mulling over the words as she was slowly led in an aimless circle around the room, as if the god leading her had no intention of actually introducing her about until he was certain of her mindset and understanding of the situation she had actually entered.
Swallowing the sugary sweet nectar from the mango drink, she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and really looking around the assembled groups. When she’d arrived she had thought that it was simply the changes in clothes and the crackling of energy that could show the difference between the gods and those devotees at the party. And while that was true, she could see clearer now as she glanced about the different groups milling about. There was no touching, no interacting, no affection or care shown between the gods and the humans in the space. The way the mortals would defer and drop their gazes after a few seconds made complete sense - devoted, god-fearing humans of course feeling unworthy of attention or uncertainty at catching more than a little attention - but blinking her eyes, Jo found herself surprised to note how those she could see to be gods barely noticed those beneath them. Their gazes would slide over and off the mortals, never catching any amount of attention for more than a second, as if there was nothing of interest to them. That was, except when she would catch an eye looking at her that stared firmly back all around the room. Even the god holding her elbow gently was unusual, no other god seemed to even brush a human as they stood talking. Everything seemed so in tune towards the fact that people were boring to this crowd of gods, that humans were typically below notice.
“Oh.” “Very succinct of you, Joanna.” “It’s Jo.”
“Of course it is, Jo.” The correction took her by surprise, eyes jerking back to the smirking god beside her as if he knew he’d managed to catch her off guard. A large hand threw out gesturing about the space for a moment as they finished the first lap about the room towards his goddess wife. “But the point stands, as I hope you’ve noticed. You are safe here, for humans are both nothing to us, and you are also important to my love so will be safe here on her devotional day.”
“So I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t her party?” “Of course not. But it is. So you will be safe.” “Uh huh.”
There was a long sigh before the god beside her let out a chuckle. “Since you seem to have grasped some of it, let me introduce you around then. But no taking advantage of your protection to cause trouble-” The look she got from Agwe, as she raised a brow and opened her mouth as if to argue, was knowing and bemused. “You think I don’t realise only one as troublesome and unpredictable as my love would catch her attention? No, I see through you, girlie, and I would think better of some of it.”
“Only some?” “He means anything that would get you into the more fun kind of trouble.”
Jo let out a surprised yelp at the interruption from her other side, eyes wide and confused at being approached out of the blue by someone here. Everything seemed so strangely structured even though it wasn’t, and she half expected to be the one taken to be introduced to whomever Erzulie or her husbands’ decided to dictate she would. Blinking in surprise, she turned to look at the boyish grin on the man that had approached, taking in the roughishly bemused look on the man’s face.
Swallowing thickly on nothing, Jo shrugged a shoulder as she glanced back at the god that had let go of her arm at the other’s appearance before raising a brow at the newcomer. “What kind of fun is that?”
“My kind, I’m betting. Or perhaps Baron and Bridgette’s type.” The boyish charm didn’t leave at all as the god grinned at her still, his eyes shining with a warmth she hadn’t noticed had been missing in Erzulie’s companions until she saw it in this god’s eyes. There was a beat before a wide hand was held out towards her, and Jo let out a loud laugh as she shook his only to have an unexpected zap come from the touch. “My bad!”
“Ti Malice, are you up to your tricks again?” “Hey, I heard you promising safety not utter boredom. Lighten up, Agwe, or your wife might get bored of all three of you and be after some more fun.” “What makes you think anyone wants your kind of fun here?” “If I wasn’t wanted, my invitation would’ve gotten lost in the mail.”
“What makes you think it didn’t?” Jo could hear herself speaking before she recognised she’d even spoken, and getting a warm laugh from the man beside her felt like both an achievement and something easy to achieve all at once. Agwe simply gave a sigh and an eye roll as she turned to look at the new god. “Or would it not have mattered if it did get lost?”
“Oh it absolutely wouldn’t have mattered. I never miss a party when I can.” The god grinned back at her, all teeth but in a way filled with joy and excitement and not the slightly cold, predatory look that the sea-god’s smile gave off. There was a beat before the other smiled even wider and gave a exaggerated bow and hand gesture. “Since the cold fish won’t do it, may I introduce myself? Ti Malice, trickster-extraordinaire, pleasure to meet you.”
Jo let out a little giggle of her own at the flashy showmanship, her mind immediately recognising some of the flare to the god’s presentation from her experiences with her fake-trickster friend. “Nice ta meet cha, I’m Jo Harvelle.”
“There now, boring bits out of the way - we can get rid of the boring old seaman, right?” Ti Malice’s smirk should have sent a shiver down her spine if it had been directed at her, instead it was fully focused on the glaring god beside her who stared back for a long moment. “Oh come on, old man. You know I might be a trickster but I’m not an idiot. Besides, your wife is waving for you.”
Jo glanced back over her shoulder as did Agwe beside her, both to see Erzulie waving a hand towards them and calling barely audibly over the distance and the hum of conversation in the room for the sea-god himself. Jo glanced up at the taller god for a long moment before he gave her a sharp nod and turned to head back to his wife’s side. Blinking a few times, she was unsurprised to realise the trickster had stepped carefully closer on her other side that she shuffled an inch away, getting a laugh in response.
“Don’t worry, I’m far far more behaved than what my title suggests-” “Oh? Because I’ve some history with tricksters. And the last one I dealt with was a right piece’a work.” “Have you now? Which of us was that?” “Stupid fuckin’ fairy-”
Her grumbled words got a loud laugh from the trickster beside her, his laughter bouncing about the courtyard and cutting over and through other conversations like a booming thunderstorm. Jo blushed as she noticed several heads turn their way and staring for a long moment, fiddling with her dress awkwardly as she waited for the man beside her to unbend from his laughter.
“Oh! Oh no wonder you looked like you’d sucked a lemon! Not all of us are like him, I promise.” Ti Malice’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears of laughter as he finally righted himself, wiping at his eyes with a few warm chuckles. “I mean, we are all like that - but some of us are a little more fun and a little less sadistic.”
“That’s good to know-” “If you want sadistic though- come with me!”
Jo let out a surprised yelp as the god grabbed a hold of her closet wrist and tugged her quickly, pulling her through the crowd and weaving through the different groups milling about until he’d reached some unknown destination. She looked up from her feet, where she’d been focusing on not tripping over or slipping on the built up rose petals covering the uneven ground, to blink in surprise at the pair that the trickster god had brought her to.
A willowy, redheaded woman with pale skin that glowed in the warm sunlight that managed to dapple through the overhead tree canopy and an even taller man with skin as dark as hers was pale looked back at her curiously. Ti Malice’s grin was uncomfortably towards that edge of sadistic glee as he gave a tug to pull her in closer to the small little group. “Hey Mama and Daddy, want to see something strange? Look at this one!”
Jo jerked her hand back out of the god’s grip, temper flaring as she slapped away the hand flourishing towards her as if showing off something to the other two. The look of unrepentant on the trickster’s face was far too well suited to his boyish face, and she barely bit down snarling at him as she was gifted with a teasing tongue stuck out at her for a second.
“Malis, what trouble are you causin’ now?” The woman spoke softly, voice gentle and lilting with an Irish accent that matched up in Jo’s mind with her looks quickly. Glancing between the goddess and the man with his arm firmly around her waist, there was a second before Jo managed to work out the pairs identity as the Baron and his wife, Bridgette. “You sure you should be playin’ such games today?”
“Oh Erzy has a good sense of humor when she wants to-” “And you think today she does?” “Well, she will. Or else she’d’ve sent Ogoun over to stop me.”
“He isn’t wrong, renmen,” The Baron said, his voice a gruff growl. Jo barely stopped the shiver the god’s voice made want to happen, the tone rough and somehow bone-chilling for her. Likely something to do with the power the god of the dead held. There was a second before she managed to get control of herself again and glanced up to meet his piercing look straight on like none of the mortals in the whole space seemingly had, and couldn’t hold back the shiver at the next words spoken. “You have died.”
“Yeah, just the once.” Jo replied after a long, quiet moment between the quartet, unable to drop the death god’s gaze. “Fun times had by all, totally enjoyed chokin’ on my own blood. Would totally recommend it.”
“Would you now?” Jo swallowed thickly herself at the dark smile that graced the god’s face as he stared back at her undeterred from her sarcasm. Baron’s eyes stared her down for a further moment before he finally turned to look towards his wife with a wide grin. “I like this one.”
“Now, sweetie, I don’t think that’s goin’ ta work very well. You know how Erzulie is about bein’ the centre of attention and sharin’ anythin’.” Bridgette’s smile was just to the side of patronising as she gazed back at her husband for a moment before rolling her eyes at his shrug. Turning towards Jo, the redhead held out a dainty hand to shake. “Since neither of these men have any manners, I’m Bridgette, and this is my husband the Baron.”
“I guessed that.” Jo smiled back slightly, still processing what the pair had been talking about before shaking her head and taking the other woman’s hand. “ ‘m Jo. Erzulie’s my, uh, I guess patron?”
“Oh yes, that’d be the right term for you-” “Good to know.” “I much prefer my followers to be like that myself too. Unlike some others.” “Huh?”
“Not enough free will, sweetheart, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Bridgette waved a delicate hand around towards the rest of the crowd, pointing out towards the horses milling about in their dull clothes and heads entirely bowed to below that of the shortest god irrespective of their own height. There was a much older man, clearly an old god from the gnarled hands and grey hairs, that was seated and slumped slightly that they all kept to below despite his clear disinterest in being so measured against. And then likewise she pointed to some of the other devotees who kept their eyes downcast but in constant look out for if they’d spoken too loud or interrupted a god’s voice. “I mean, the power is nice and all, but I miss the irreverence of the Irish sometimes.”
“Oh, but don’t you think we deserve subservience?” The chirped voice sprang up on Jo’s other side, and jerking to the side, bumping into the grinning trickster, Jo looked surprised at the young looking woman beside her with a head full of thick curls and wide almond shaped eyes. Her pink dress matched the tones of Erzulie’s herself, and Jo blinked in surprise to see it - having figured the goddess would’ve wanted to be the only one in the color on her special day. “Hi! I’m Filomez, you must be Joanna Harvelle.” There was a second before the girl seemingly broke all patterns of the other pagans and moved forward to tug Jo into a tight hug. “Erzulie’s told me so much about you! I look forward to seeing your devotional later.”
“You’ll be partaking?” The rumbled words from the Baron were less surprising this time as Jo gave a few pats to the young woman’s back before the shorter goddess - one of the only ones near Jo’s own height - pulled back. “So that is the surprise, hmm.”
Jo gave a shrug of her shoulder as she shifted a little, uncertain if she should speak more or not as Malice seemed to jump in making up some story about an entire secret room of devotees that were due to arrive and bolster the beauty goddess’ powers to outshine everyone else in the space. Filomez nodded along, agreeing repeatedly and eyes wide and happy as she spoke about her ‘big sister’ having promised something spectacular. Jo’s stomach felt slightly queasy as she listened, finishing her drink slowly as she shrunk in on herself. It was pressure, and pressure on her she could tell, even if there was any sort of joke that it might not.
Looking around the space, she noted other gods and goddesses having arrived, and especially a beautiful woman in a bright yellow dress that almost outshone against Erzulie’s own glorious gown. Jo frowned noting it, looking around the courtyard for a moment and noting how that goddess seemed to stand out alongside Erzulie. All the others, while dressed ostentatiously and clearly in rich and vibrant colors, were not eye-catching and attention seeking in a way like the newly arrived goddess was. Filomez wore a soft baby pink dress that draped around her to show off her slim figure but it didn’t scream for attention, likewise Baron and Bridgette were matched in black and red clothes that sucked the light from around them but still didn’t draw attention to them over anyone else. Malice’s bright orange jumpsuit might have stood out anywhere else, but seemed considered and paired back in this crowd somehow. But the newly arrived goddess stood out, and in a way that, as Jo flicked a glance towards the centre of the room where Erzulie and her husbands sat to see the glare upon her goddess’ face, was inappropriate.
“Look what the cat dragged in-” “Don’t you mean ‘look out for the cat fight’, Malis?” “Same thing, Baron.”
Jo frowned slightly, attention drawn back to the group she stood near to notice the glare being delivered towards the newcomer from Filomez, and blinked a few times at noticing how the younger looking woman’s face had shifted. It was something she’d seen on Erzulie’s before, the shifting of which facet took control but without the entire change of hair style like the first time Jo’d met the goddess of women. “So, uh, who’s that?”
“Anaisa Pye. She thinks she’s better than my dearest sister.” Filomez spoke, voice harsh and gravelly to the exact opposite that it had been sweet and light before, and it wasn’t until a meaty hand landed on Jo’s head that she realised she’d been waiting for the goddess to speak some more.
Jerking in surprise, she looked up towards the person who’d interrupted to see the impassive looking face of Erzulie’s third husband, Ogoun, looking back at her. “You need to come with me.” The man’s voice was still so quiet, and after a moment he removed his hand and turned back towards the dais and started to walk without waiting for her.
Glancing back to the assorted gods she’d stood with, Jo was unsurprised to see Ti Malice’s eyes glittering with mischief as he opened his mouth to suggest she stay where she was. The other three were less clearly unbothered by the massive warrior god’s arrival and departure, and after raising a quick brow, Jo turned back towards the centre and headed towards her goddess. After all, if she was being summoned, it would be to pray; and then she’d likely be able to head home before any kind of troubles could start if the change in atmosphere she’d noticed since the goddess Anaisa Pye’s arrival spelt.
As she reached the dais, Jo was surprised to notice that the newly arrived goddess was standing before Erzulie herself, cocky smile to her face. “Why, Erzulie, old girl. How lovely to see you today! I hope you’ve not broken your back putting this all on, I wouldn’t want you straining anything.”
“Anaisa, you actually managed to get out of bed for once!” Erzulie replied snippily, eyes focused like a cat on it’s prey. “Tell me, did you make sure to get all the prayers for the year in before this? I mean, that’s the only way you’d get the energy to even make it here.”
“You underestimate my followers, as always. But I suppose you can’t have quite so devoted worshippers as the rest of us who fulfil their needs better, Erzie.” “Better? Oh, you mean by having so few calls that you’ve the time for all, what, three people who ever think to ask you for help, Annie?” “They can’t be all so desperate as to have to ask for yours, you know.”
Jo had to bite down on a smirk watching the two goddesses at each other’s throats as she waited patiently a few steps away. It wasn’t surprising to find that not all gods could stand one another, the animosity reminding her of the Irish couple she’d been exposed to - but without the underlying sexual tension, which she had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing thinking at that comparison.
She must have made a noise though, as Jo found herself with the attention of both goddesses upon her then, and shrinking back a step Jo scowled at the one closest to hers remark. “Oh, what a beautiful dress. I do so love yellow. Are you one of mine, human?”
“Anaisa, that is my follower.” Erzulie’s words were hissed out and sharp, eyes just as cutting as she glared towards the other goddess. “My husband had fetched her for me, Joanna, my darling girl, come sit. We’ll get to your gift after the others.” Jo frowned for a second as she realised that her patron hadn’t dropped her glare from the other goddess’ face yet and yet pointed towards a spot for Jo to sit. Her frown disappeared to realise that she was pointing at the seat that Ogoun had been sitting in before instead of a cushion on the floor, and glancing up, Jo noticed that the tall warrior was stood behind the chair instead. “Quickly, my flower, before the stench of some uncivilised upstart goddess gets caught entirely in my nose.”
“Oh you-” Anaisa sneered back for a second, glaring towards the goddess of the day for a moment, before she turned to stalk off to the side as Jo sat down and Erzulie stood in the same moment to draw the attention of the crowd.
That wasn’t hard for the goddess though. She barely needed to raise her voice to silence all the murmuring of the gods around the space, hands thrown wide and shimmering small golden light sparks around the space where her chains and bracelets and rings caught the sunlight. Erzulie clearly intended to make a point of this all. “Everyone! Thank you all for joining me today on such an important date.” Her voice was sweet and warm, but the underlying current of power that ran through it reminded Jo of her other facet - the fierce, blood thirtsty side that gave the power to the downtrodden to rise up. “I look forward to our next gathering for the next feast day with glee, but before that can happen, so to must todays rituals. My love, the first?”
Jo was unsurprised to see that Damballah was the husband to step forward and beckon to the first of those humans here to give over a ritual or gift to the goddess. What did surprise Jo was to witness how those who were so drawn into this religion and practices gave their thanks to a deity right in front of them. She knew, of course, how the usual practices went and was not surprised to see a goat’s blood spilled at one point or, given the goddess in question, bottles and bottles of perfume poured out into vessels before the worshiper would spill drops of their own blood in as well. She was surprised however to witness how with each prayer or sacrifice that the goddess seated on the throne beside her would glow faintly, and that each devotee was granted the permission to approach the dais and kiss the goddess’ feet before being rewarded with a kiss to the crown of their heads. It was something strange to see the looks of wonder and awe on each of the worshipers faces as they genuflected over and over as they retreated after each of their provisions; that such a small symbol, from a goddess that Jo saw more as a quirky aunt that pinched her cheeks than a deity, meant so much to these people. Jo even watched with eyes wide as the practitioner who introduced her to the idea of drawing from the voodoo gods was there and gave her own thanks. Jo was more surprised to see the look of absolute astonishment and wonder when the other saw her seated there. That look would haunt her for a while.
As the last person bowed and scurried back from the dais, Jo was unsurprised to see a hand held out to her from the god standing behind her. Ogoun helped her to her feet, even though Jo raised a brow at the sheer idea she might have needed the help, and walked her to the same spot that the others had stood to put forth their sacrifices.
Jo waited a second after he’d let her hand go and moved to take the seat that she had vacated to look about uncertainly. It was all well and good to pray, and she would easily, but after witnessing the others it felt a little anticlimactic, especially since she clearly held far less belief than the others.
“Um…” She shifted her weight awkwardly, weighing up the options. “I, uh-” Looking around, Jo could see a few gods shifting their own weight and twisting to mumble to one another. Obviously laughing at the lost little girl, and likewise laughing at Erzulie who stared down at her impassively. There was a moment as a dark brow quirked at her, before Jo glanced around again before letting out a quiet noise of approval as she spotted something she could contribute. Approaching the closest table, Jo pulled a lit candle from the centrepiece before moving back before the altar - candle still aflame and the wax dripping down one side of the candle to the floor. It took barely a moment to pull one of the blood-dipped daggers she had strapped to her legs to start the carvings that she knew off by heart at this point, even as she felt her cheeks flushing brightly at the laughter and murmurs she could hear from those around her at that. As she finished the last of the swirling curls of the heart design for the goddess before her, Jo raised an eyebrow back at the other before setting it down.
There didn’t seem to be anything for a moment before Erzulie gestured towards the flame with her hand and Jo gave a quiet sigh. Kneeling down, she pressed the edge of her blade to her thumb before holding her dripping finger over the flame itself. Pressing on the wound gently with her other hand until a enough drops of blood had fallen to extinguish the flame, Jo let out a gasp as she noticed the light in the room change from the overhead shadows of the sun to something shining and golden before her. Looking up, it wasn’t just her clearly surprised to see the amount of light shining off the goddess. Erzulie sat smiling wide, toothy and pleased, as her skin seemed to almost glow golden like her necklaces and chains, and her hair likewise shone golden. The shine didn’t go down completely like it had after a few seconds from the other sacrifices and rituals, it seemed to sink into the goddess’ skin but not leave as a whole, her whole being softly radiating light under her form as she smiled down towards the blonde.
Rising to her feet, Jo approached at the hand the goddess held out towards her, frowning slightly as she got before her. “I ain’t kissin’ your feet, just so you know.” Jo heard herself speak again, and scrunched her eyes up as she heard what she said, before letting out a sigh of relief at the laugh she got in response.
“Of course not, my flower,” Erzulie replied gently, standing from her seat for a moment like she hadn’t for the other followers before surprising her with a kiss to her forehead unlike anyone else. “You’ve been having a very good time lately, Joanna, I am so happy for you and that I can share in even a little bit of it. Thank you again, my sweet girl.”
Jo felt herself frowning slightly as the goddess pressed another kiss to her forehead before letting go of her, and stepping away, Jo was not surprised to see that those milling around were no longer looking at her at all but drawn entirely like moths to the flame towards the power exuding from the goddess behind her. It was expected. Gods of their kind, those with slowly diminishing follower bases but who still relied upon them would always be drawn towards such sparks of power, and especially the god or goddess that had it at the time.
Moving through the crowd moving forward was easy enough for her - no other mortals seemed to still be present, having left after each of their sacrifices or prayers themselves; and what was a mortal to a god? Shaking her head to herself as she wiped her dagger off on a nearby cloth napkin, Jo was actually surprised to hear a cough from behind her. Turning about, she kept a firm grip on her blade and the cloth as well as she stared cautiously towards the god before her.
“A pretty demonstration there, girl.” The god was surprisingly tall compared to when she’d seen him before, spindly though and his eyes seemed almost ancient as she looked up at him. The god hadn’t moved at all throughout the whole time she’d been there from the seat he’d been sunk into, his old body clearly reflective of his age and looking down at the cane and dog by his side, Jo let out a whoosh of air as she realised which of the loas had approached her. The only one old enough not to care for the frenzied and overly bouncy reaction of the goddess on her throne. Papa Legba stared down at her with eyes milky from cataracts but that seemed to see right through her. “I would leave if I were you, child. They say beware being a favorite, but also being known to be favorite can be even more dangerous. Especially amongst those starving for power.”
Jo frowned slightly, twisting the hand at her side holding the cloth napkin as the god’s dog shuffled forwards to sniff at her hand, before she moved to stroke the animal’s head for a moment. The god’s words felt kind in a way none of the other’s had - the trickster wanted to cause trouble; the god of the dead wanted to get under her skin and his wife was simply bored; the young goddess was bold but didn’t have enough to know what was right or wrong; the fiery competitor had said no kind words towards her that weren’t selfish in it’s own; the three husbands cared only for their competition and their wife; and while Erzulie favored her, that was always self serving and selfish as the goddess was. The old man’s words felt kind for the sake of kindness and compassion. The voice that spoke of more than just his own power nor the demands for power from humans, the communicator between the worlds of gods and the realms of humans, the one who still held a compassion for humans and their fleeting worlds.
As the dog snuffled at her hand and after she scratched under it’s chin, Jo glanced up ready to thank the other to note his warm eyes already nodding to her without her having to speak. There was another moment before the old god turned, picking his way back into the crowd, through which Jo could still see the golden goddess spinning and laughing and soaking in all the attention she craved so much. Drinking in being the centre of the world for a few brief hours in a way that left the blonde sighing in sympathy and pity as she turned to head home to true safety and where the world span from.
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FIC: when the weather gets hot
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The sun was just over the skyline as they’d pulled up - best to get an early start, after all, had been her argument when they’d been discussing how and when to get going the night before. The orange of the sky glowing as the first rays of light were lighting up the few fluffy, lazy summertime clouds above them. It was as golden as it could be, and just the perfect start to a day to hop out of the car to the crisp air and the scent of dew on the ground not yet heated and gone.
Jo smiled widely as she moved to grab the backpacks from the trunk and give the other a few minutes to recompose himself. They didn’t often drive places, most of their favorite places being in walking distance or more useful to just arrive wherever they wanted to go, but there was nothing like driving up towards a lookout parking space as the sky started to lighten and the silhouettes of the growing number of trees cutting a dark, jagged line against the sky as they got closer to start off hiking than just suddenly appearing there. It’s the travel, the journey, the experience, every bit of it, and Grey was already going to be responsible for enough travel or appearances that day that Jo’d suggested the drive and sweetened it with his favorite tunes on the drive up.
Fishing the bottle of bug spray out of the heavier pack - two large water bottles for each of them, and sunscreen, the bug spray, a first aid kit and some trail mix concealed inside of it, compared to the picnic rug, trail mix, sketching and water-painting equipment, and spare pairs of socks packed into the other one - she spent a good few minutes spraying every bit of herself she could reach in the spray. It was supposed to get hot later in the morning, and she’d dressed for that in her jean shorts and tank top, but that just left a lot of spaces available for hungry bugs to snack on without the right amount of coverage between the tops of her knee-high socks and the shorts and her bare arms. Tucking the spray away afterwards, she shrugged the heavier pack over her shoulders and clipped the central cord around her waist before taking the other bag around the other end of the car.
“You ready to go, hunny?”
“Yeah, just had to, uh, get some fresh air.”
Jo gave a little laugh at the sheepish look on the other’s face as Grey pushed himself up to standing freely from where he’d been slumped against the side of the car. Holding out the other backpack to him, she smiled toothily at the tiny frown he gave before throwing the pack onto his back with a sigh.
“Did you need any water?” “I’ll be fine - let you know if I do need it though, Jo.” “Best set off then before it gets too hot, then!”
The nod of agreement seemed less enthused than her own excitement to go hiking across the Magney-Snively nature park, but she couldn’t expect him to be as excited as it was. He hadn’t grown up needing to just get out and run into the wilds sometimes, and she was sure the tall hardwoods that circled the carpark and ran throughout the whole nature reserve were probably less exciting and more dauntingly familiar to him than to her. But regardless, he was grinning at her with a smile that made her stomach flip a little as he looked up through the short pieces of hair hanging over his eyes as he’d been working to clip his own bag into place. He was happy to be there with her, and that felt all kinds of special for her.
After locking the car and tucking her keys away into Grey’s bag, Jo smiled all the brighter at his hand slipping into hers before they took off towards the nearest hiking trail.
When Jo had first made a comment about wanting to go hiking sometime when the weather was nicer, she’d not expected Grey to say it sounded fun and to want to come along with her, but the blissfully happy feeling had stuck with her. They’d talked back and forth about where to go - a few easier tracks closer to home, or if they went for nicer trails rather than convenience - and then to devise the plan for the day when it would come. Spring had been too wet and muddy all around gross, and then summer had come with an early vengeance but finally it had mellowed out somewhat with some promised cool winds off of Lake Superior that would keep the temperature from absolutely sweltering. They’d planned that they’d hike for as long as Jo wanted, or as long as Grey could keep up - as she’d teased him, and then stop for a nice picnic lunch wherever looked pretty, before he’d smoke them back to the car rather than the added distance home.
Holding hands as they wandered down the start of the trail, Jo found herself smiling as brightly as the rays shining over the sky above them at each time she felt his hand squeeze hers back. A game of its own as they walked along through the lush hardwood forest over the dewy leaves and bark and gravel of the pathways that led them through the woodlands. The red oaks and sugar maples of the earliest parts of the trail giving dappled light as the morning started, and there was still frost clinging to the bluebead lilys and other flowers that covered the forest floor.
The first half an hour of walking was at a slow, sedate pace, hand in hand, and stopping regularly as they made their way along the section of the Superior Hiking Trail that led from the carpark. They stopped to watch the odd bird flitter by, and on two separate occasions paused to watch small families of late-spring bunnies hop across the path not far before them. Grey stopped frequently to snap some photos of various birds, plants and the sunrise sky through the lush trees above them; while Jo would take similar photos of the dew dripping spiderwebs that glistened when the sun caught them just right. They made a comfortable pace, not pushing too hard, and both just enjoying the slightly crisp morning that nipped at Jo’s bare skin between her socks and shorts, and colored the tips of Grey’s ears and nose pink.
They eventually stepped off of the much longer trail, that spanned the whole from the Minnestoa-Wisconsin border up to the Canadian border that was definitely beyond either of their wishes, and instead onto the much less well-tred cross-country loop that would take them to a spot Jo was most excited for. The path was muddier underfoot from the lush dropped leaves and thick grass that was clearly battling for control over the gravel, but between Jo’s hiking boots and Grey’s sneakers they were both relatively sure-footed.
Or at least they were until the track took a turn for the steep, weaving it’s way up towards the highest peak, Ely’s Peak, in the park that would overlook the full glistening lake far, far below and away.
Jo had heard that from that peak point there was a great selection of boulders for rock climbing or, rather fittingly, bloudering, and she wanted to clamber all across whatever outcropping there was before any other people showed up. Theirs had been the only car in the parking lot, and she intended to squeeze in as much fun as she could that day.
Their pace decreased dramatically though as the incline increased. Jo bounced along merrily, talking about the latest gaming night they'd had with their friends just a few days earlier and just how badly Spruce had played the whole night. Beside her, Grey nodded in agreement and huffed quietly every few steps as Jo's excitement seemed to push his desire to move faster onwards but he struggled to even maintain the previous pace of before.
"What do you think was wrong with him?"
"Mhmm, you're right."
"Whatcha mean I'm right?"
"Whatever you say, Jo."
Jo let out a bit of a laugh as she looked across at the red and sweaty look to Grey's face as they hit the hour mark and the first half hour of the higher inclined walking. His eyes were focused on the path in front of him, and clearly glazed over.
"Hey, let's take a little breather and have some water. I'm parched." Jo replied rather than trying to pick up the conversation, pointing towards a fallen log a few steps off the track up ahead. "I could do with a drink."
"Yeah?" Grey's head swung up off of the path at that, looking brightly and lovingly towards her at the prospect of sitting down, before looking to follow her pointed finger to the logs. There was a flicker of disappointment on his face, the realisation it wasn't a bench signifying they'd reached the peak, before he nodded enthusiastically anyway. "Water sounds really good."
"And you've got some trail mix in your bag we should have too."
"Good idea, pretty one, we only had those quick egg and bacon sandwiches on the way out-"
"-and you can't hike on an empty stomach after all!"
The shared smile lit up his face in a way that made Jo feel like swooning as they got to the log and sat down. Grey fished the trail mix from his bag while she tugged one of the water bottles to share from hers. Taking a short swig, just enough for a few gulps, Jo held it out to the other before fishing in the trail mix bag with her free hand, chewing happily over the mix of nuts, sultanas, chocolate nibs and dried fruit she'd grabbed.
Grey likewise chewed and swallowed a mouthful of the mix, before lifting the water bottle to his lips. Glancing out the corner of her eye, Jo let out a little giggle as she watched him drink almost the entire bottle thirstily. His whole face was red now, and not from the cool air that was slowly starting to warm up, and she could see the way his hair was plastering to his forehead from the starts of sweat. But his smile was big and bright, and as he set the bottle between his knees, he turned to look back at her. "Okay, right, you were saying something about Spruce?"
"He played terribly."
"True."
"And I was just wondering is something was going on with him?"
"It's this girl at his work. He thinks she's cute," Grey said with a small smirk, taking another, smaller, sip from the water bottle before he sat it back between his knees and continued. "She is a little bit older than him, and has a kid that likes Dungeons and Dragons. So obviously he thinks she's the perfect woman."
"Naturally!"
"Which is of course a fallacy, given you are the perfect woman-"
"Grey…"
"Sorry, off topic. But anyway, he had asked us guys what he should do to woo her a few weeks ago…" The way he trailed off, waving one hand for a moment before picking out another handful of trail mix and chewing thoughtfully delivered the right balance of drama and storytelling to have Jo on the edge of her log.
Wide eyed and disbelieving, wanting to hear any and all the suggestions. "And?"
Grey let out a chuckle, swallowing his mouthful before shaking his head. "Well, Ed said he should go around and 'help the kid with some D&D, before giving her some PIV'-" The slight confusion on her face disappeared at the accompanying hand gesture, getting a whoop of a laugh out of her and a corresponding snicker from the other before he continued. "Harry said he should ask her out for coffee. Which Spruce pointed out he hadn't even done for Sophie yet which derailed the discussion for a while."
"Of course. What did Garth say?"
"Garth said much like Harry he should be upfront and ask her out. Tell her he thought she was beautiful and ask politely if she'd be interested in going to dinner with him when it was appropriate for her."
"That charmer!"
"It's so surprising he doesn't have a girlfriend." Grey shook his head sadly, thinking over their friend while Jo took another handful of trail mix, slowly popping individual pieces into her mouth as she looked at him expectantly. There was a few seconds before the other grinned back at her cheekily, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Oh, I suppose you want to know my suggestion?"
"I mean, I would like to know how you'd have woo'd a normal woman," she replied with a corresponding smile, bumping her shoulder against his arm after a second. "So?"
"First off, you are both a normal woman and so extraordinarily special that what I said would never have worked to remotely let you think I was worth your time."
"Let me be the judge of that."
"Fine, so secondly - my suggestion was that he find out her favorite coffee from the cart downstairs. And pre-order one a day for her for the whole week so she could not worry about the expense and would have a fresh coffee each morning. Having a kid as a single mom must be exhausting after all-" Grey let out his thoughts in a rush of air, taking in a huff as he had to that sounded much like the huffed breaths he'd been making climbing up the mountainside so far. "And that he should stop by on Wednesday, not earlier and not later, to say he'd gotten her coffee for the week to help her out some, welcome her to the company, and maybe as a promise to take her out for coffee sometime in future if she was interested. But to make it clear the coffees were a friendly thing and not contingent on her going out for coffee with him in future!"
Jo's eyes widened as he talked, her mouth dropping open and a look of abject horror crossing her face the more he spoke. The idea as an adorably sweet, selfless and caring gesture that of course only Grey would come up with - that blend of friendship at its core but with the hint of something else if you happened to want to look at it that way, so perfectly him. And yet…
"Oh god! How badly did he fuck it up?"
"...badly enough he had a HR meeting about appropriate workplace behaviour."
The loud guffaws of laughter from the both of them as Jo shook her head in shock. Only Spruce.
"And?"
Grey shrugged a shoulder. "The meeting was for the day after our game, so that's probably why he was so bad. But he texted to say that he'd properly explained himself better in the meeting and he was neither fired nor disciplined." There was a pause before he smiled a bit. "And the lady in question has said she will have that coffee now she knows he isn't 'trying to buy her for five coffees'."
"How did he fuck it up that badly?!"
"I don't know!"
"Fuckin' hell, hunny, don't give any of the guys advice again. They all don't have the default adorableness you do to pull it off!"
"Oh? You mean that wouldn't've worked on you?"
"Of course not." Jo beamed back at him, bumping her shoulder to his again. "I can only be charmed by bein' nursed better and the beauty of my bein' discussed as I get undressed."
Jo let out a giggle as she watched the tips of his ears go red all over again, the normal color coming back to his face with the extended rest turned right back around to red at her words. Grey's eyes widened a fraction, blue swallowed up for a moment by pupils, before he noticed the cheeky grin and shot her a rueful one in response.
"Ah, of course that is how to woo the lovely Joanna Harvelle." He replied with a smile, shifting his arm to wrap around her bare shoulders and bring her into a side cuddle with a sigh. "How lucky for me I stumbled right upon the perfect pick-up lines?"
"Very lucky," she answered, turning to kiss him briefly but sweetly as they just soaked in the slightly cool breeze and the starting warmth from a few sunny rays.
They went through another few handfuls of trail mix, and Jo finished off the last of that water bottle, before they packed both the bag of snacks and the empty water bottle away into Grey's pack this time before they set off again towards the peak.
---
It took almost another hour to reach the lookout - the incline slowing at least half of them down, and the excited bird and animal spotting slowing the other half's pace to almost the same as Jo'd run ahead and excitedly point out various animals that would disappear just as Grey'd caught up. The family of white-tailed deer a hundred feet through the trees were the only ones that stayed long enough for the other to see and enjoy them, grazing on the grass and berry bushes away from the track. Jo happily still showed the photos she'd snapped of the cheerful little squirrels, a chipmunk hoarding a mouthful of nuts, and the most exciting spot for her was the pine marten that had scurried up and down a tree as she'd set pieces of dried fruit from her pack of trail mix out for it to take. Grey watched the video, smiling as he listened to the record gasps and quiet excited squeaks Jo had let out, as well as laughing at her trying to talk to the creature.
When they finally reached the point of Ely’s peak, both let out exclamations at the beauty of the landscape. Lake Superior spread out before them - a deep rich blue mirroring but darker than the soft blue of the sky. The fluffy clouds spaced across the sky at random dispersion all the way to the horrizon which was still not the other side of the Greta lake. Duluth was below them but tucked off to the side - hidden by the lush forest reserves or wide Green farm pastures more than the city itself. All down the hillside before them were boulders upon boulders stretching down a not quite sheer cliff face, the odd bush and tree springing out from in the grey rock formation like bursts of life. It was stunning.
Jo turned towards her lover with a wide smile, exclaiming happily. "Oh my god, it's so lovely!"
"Yes, yes it is." Jo frowned as she looked over her shoulder towards him, noticing the way those eyes as blue as the sky were focused upon her face and then slowly glided off to view the picturesque landscape beyond. "So beautiful, almost as beautiful as you."
That got a gentle punch to his shoulder as Jo blushed, and after a few quick kisses and a few more happy couple photos that Jo snapped with the view behind them, she unclipped her bag and set it down by the nearest viewing bench.
"Can you do my sunscreen before I go leapin' off rocks?"
"Sure thing, Jo. Did...did you need company?"
"Don't worry hun, I packed your things in your backpack so you can paint and sketch instead."
"The most thoughtful woman in the world," Grey grinned, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately before moving to slather her shoulders, arms, neck and chest with sunscreen. He moved onto her legs while Jo took care of coating her face and then fitting a cap over her head with her pony tail sticking through the back hole just right. "You let me know if you need help though?"
"Of course." Jo smiled back as she used the remaining sunscreen on her hand to cover his face, neck and the tiny amount of sweaty chest visible at the neckline of his tshirt as Grey covered his arms as well. There was a water tap nearby for them to wash the greasy feeling off of their hands before they both got to doing their own activities.
Grey was set up with a little help from Jo with his watercolor paper sketch book and charcoal pencils beside him to one side and his water color palette to the other with a small container of water. One of the water bottles was left with him, along with both their packs on the ground beside the bench as he finally focused on the vista and sketching out the faintest lines in preparation for a first image. The spot that he’d chosen wasn’t as shaded as some of the others, but sunburn was the least of his worries compared to getting an accurate view of the rich and vibrant colors he’d be trying to replicate and wanting to ensure he got them just right in the sunshine.
On the other hand, Jo threw herself into having fun clambering over the rocky outcrop with reckless abandon. The moment she’d left the other on his bench, set up and happy to spend quite some time just relaxing, catching his breath and doing something he enjoyed with his paints, she’d jumped off one of the highest boulders and down onto one further down. The ebb and flow of climbing and leaping warmed up her muscles as she clambered down as low as she could down the cliff face, uncaring to the worries of climbing all the way back up later. She would have to jump and scramble on occasion to reach the next rock up or gently scrape herself down the side of another to find a safe foot hold down - but that was half the point and half the fun between the warm sunshine, cool breeze and bird calls that would come after a whoop of laughter or enjoyment from her.
Jo lost track of time entirely as she got to the base of the outcrop, sitting atop one of the biggest rocks nearby to soak up the sun and catch her breath, before the tranquility was broken by a voice shouting.
“Jo?!” Grey’s voice carried down from the peak, and it took a few moments for her to realise the startled tone as she tilted her head back was because she could not see the top of the mountainside from where she was beside a slow trickling waterfall she’d set out to find. He called again, the tone borderline panicked, “Jo? Where are you?!”
“I’m fine hunny,” she called back as loudly as possible, hands cupped about her mouth before pushing herself to her feet so just the very top of her cap and eyes were visible over the big boulder face between her and the peak. There was a second before she had to wave a hand to catch the panicking man’s attention, a wide, affectionate grin on her face he probably couldn’t see as she called up again. “Here I am! Don’t worry! I’m all good!”
“Fuck, you scared me.” Grey shouted back down, and she could just make out the jittery nervous energy in his hands flapping a few times from the distance before she let out a loud laugh. “Don’t you laugh at me! I couldn’t see you for a whole half an hour!”
“Sorry, hun!” Jo replied, chided at just how much and how long he must have been looking for her as she’d climbed, scrambled and ducked about the rockside. Glancing down at her watch, she let out a surprised noise to see it was already midmorning and that she had spent the last hour running about the rockface. “I’ll come up now-”
“No, no, don’t rush if you’re-” “I’m gettin’ hungry and we still gotta find a picnic spot.” “Hmm… okay, I’ll start packing up up here.”
“Okay, be there in a minute!” She called back happily before turning her gaze from where he’d been to looking at the somewhat intimidating climb in front of her to get back up to the top.
Jo shrugged a shoulder and tucked a strand of stray hair back under her cap and behind her ear as she swiped a bit of sweat from her brow before starting the daunting climb back up. The rocks were so much taller going back up, and on more than one occasion she had to back up for a run up before leaping to try to grasp the top of the next rock up. Some she could wind her way through small wild life paths between rockfaces, but others she had to muscle and shuffle her way up awkwardly, all dirt and moss and hot stone under her fingers as she scrambled her way back up towards the peak. It took longer than a minute, that was for sure, and by the time she got up there Grey’d already repacked his backpack and had the second water bottle of the day ready and waiting for her with a smile.
Gulping down the remaining half of the bottle, Jo grinned widely back at him before tucking the empty bottle into his bag and then shouldering her own back on. “I bet we look like we match now.”
“Oh?” “Well, I’m all hot and sweaty and I bet red-” “Yes, very prettily so though.” “Naturally. And in about ten minutes you’ll look the same!” “How dare you-”
Grey cut off his admonishing with a laugh, pulling her in about the waist - hand slipping into the space between the curve of her back and her backpack, to kiss her thoroughly. They only pulled back after a long moment when their lips were tingling with the sensation of the other’s and the loss of them. Jo let out a laugh of her own before shaking her head free of the floaty, unfocused feeling his kisses left her with before gesturing back to the path to get going.
They hiked again, following the path winding back down from Ely’s peak at a much quicker and more comfortable pace for both of them with the downhill decline far easier than the hiking up had been. Grey’s hand slid into hers within a few minutes and neither let go as they kept a happy pace back down to the join of the previous track within half the time as before. Jo frowned as she glanced back the way towards the carpark before giving a tug and setting off into the denser forest cut through with another trail instead. There’d been no where suitable for a picnic the way they had come, and she was determined to find somewhere private and beautiful to spend their time.
Following the new path took them through basswood’s rather than redwoods, the foliage thicker and more shaded as the sun was moving towards overhead, but the undergrowth was still filled with the mixture of bluebead lilys and other shrubberys and wildflowers that thrived under the thicker canopy above. It was cool even though each poke of sun felt hotter than before and the warmth of the day was starting to set in. They wandered, up and down hills across the park as they went for another half an hour - much to Grey’s consternation he got hot, sweaty and red as quickly as Jo predicted as they started on the inclines, to a lot of teasing from the smiling blonde.
They’d just turned a corner when Jo noticed a creekline ahead and a small footbridge across it. “Oh! Come with me!” She tugged gently on the other’s hand as they approached, stepping off the path and instead following the lush, moss covered creek line down stream. Grey made a confused noise for a moment, before she grinned over her shoulder at him. “This is Sargeant Creek. I saw a little pond or inlet type place in Google Maps off this stream earlier, we should try to go there for our picnic?”
“Oh. That sounds like a great idea, pretty one,” he agreed readily, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek as he nodded and followed further along the creek and left the path behind them. Not that he’d had disagreed, following a creek means walking down hill and no more inclines. “Any idea how long it’d be?”
“Awww, are your feet hurtin’?” “As a matter of fact, yes, yes they are.” “Poor Grey!”
The teasing swat he gave to her backside at her joking at him got a squeal of laughter that set the birds hidden in the trees around them off, the ringing of bird call and happiness fitting so perfectly for the pair as they trekked onwards.
About ten minutes down the creek a large downed tree fell across the creek line, and giving a whoop, Jo tugged Grey in for a quick peck. “You’re it.” She whispered against his lips before pulling back and dashing across the log with a laugh. It took a moment, long enough for her to get to the other bankside before he seemed to realise what had happened and took off after her.
Their game of tag, kisses exchanged each time one or the other was caught and playful ducks out of grasp, took them back and forth across the creek. Jo’d even leaped just out of reach one time across a wider part of the creek and when turning back to tease the other couldn’t spot him until two hands grasped her cheeks and pulled her into a kiss for a long moment before Grey let go and smoked back across the creek with a rougish grin. They were moving slower and less productively with the game, but it kept both of them laughing and the focus off their feet and just how long they’d been walking in search of their picnic spot.
---
When Jo was finally skipping ahead out of Grey’s grasp and stepped out from under the thicker tree coverage to a sunny clearing and the widening of the creek it came as a surprise to have reached their location, and even surprised her enough to be caught up on a quick, hot kiss like the sunshine coming down on them before they both looked about. It was less a natural pond and more clearly a small beaver dam before continuing down the creekline on the other side of the pond. The slope around the dammed water was gentle and covered in lush grass, and brightly lit in the clearing, clearly caused by the beavers work a long while ago.
Moving over the grass and looking at the dam, Jo smiled widely as she turned about to see Grey setting his pack down and getting out the picnic rug.
“This looks pretty alright, don’t it?” “Yeah. You were right, Jo, this is much nicer than somewhere that there could be crowds and that.” “I know right?”
Smiling together, they set the picnic blanket out and Jo fished out one of the water bottles from her bag as she set it down before spraying more bug spray on her skin having noticed the croak of frogs from the pond and the number of bugs flying about the waters edge. Grey sank happily into the blanket and pulled off his backpack followed by his shoes and socks to rub at the soles of his feet happily before taking the water offered. “I’ll get the picnic in a minute-”
“No rush, hun.” Jo smiled gently at his insistence, shaking her head and kicking her own boots off and wiggling her socked toes with a groan. “God, you never notice your feet hurt ‘til you stop.”
“Oh, do your feet hurt, huh?” “Yes yes, payback’s a bitch!”
Grey laughed warmly as he moved to lean back on his elbows before reaching out to tug her down against him. They play wrestled for a few seconds before laying back in the sunshine happily together, each catching their breaths and enjoying the quiet of the thick forest around them. The fluffy clouds above, the warm sun, and the cool ground soft beneath them was as comforting as the other’s presence as they relaxed and recovered from the hiking so far.
It was another few minutes before Grey pushed himself into sitting up again, Jo shifting around to rest her head in his lap with a little yawn, before he finally felt up to summoning their packed picnic. The basket had been packed that morning, padded with cooling packs and everything they could need carefully tucked into tupperware containers and bowls, and left on the kitchen counter for easy summoning later on. It wasn’t a hard task to bring it to them, and Grey’s fingers ran through Jo’s hair once he was sure he’d brought their picnic basket correctly to them, just enjoying the moment. Eventually the smell of food roused Jo out of the happy doze she’d found herself lulled into by the warmth of the sunshine and the comforting touches from the other to push up and help start unpacking their early lunch.
They’d worked together the night before the prep and pack their picnic - Jo baking chocolate chip cookies mixed with strawberries and some coconut, choc-chip muffins with the express discussion about the choice of ingredients and some teasing laughter from both of them over just how many kisses she had wanted; Grey cooking pasta and whipping up pesto for their salad filled with feta, shaved corn and fresh cherry tomatoes from Jo’s plant in the back yard. They’d had grilled chicken for dinner the night before and packed away the leftovers to be added in for their lunch with some spicy hot sauce in a tub for Jo too. Taking the various containers out and cracking them open, Jo made a curious noise waving a tub filled with balled melons towards the other before getting a sheepish look in response before she picked one out with an excited moan at the slightly spicy but obviously sweet syrup coating the balls. Someone had been busy when she was getting dressed. Grey took the large thermos filled with blueberry-sweetened lemonade and started pouring the drinks as Jo took out the plates and utensils in tandem.
Sinking back to their sides, they tucked into their picnic lunch with a lot of exclamations over how nice certain things were - pasta salad and chicken eaten first and foremost, leaving the cookies and muffins for later. Jo teased Grey into warming her chicken up for her, and then got further teased at the way her encouragement got him to blush brightly in turn. And he got her in return by asking just why she’d picked chocolate desserts again, ribbing her gently back.
Stomachs full and not quite ready for their desserts yet, Jo shuffled about to rest back against Grey’s side as he pulled out his sketch book to show her the paintings and sketches he’d been working on. The first a richly colored vista of the lake, the lighter sky and the endless view of green that would have once stretched all the way through where their home city now was. The second was a more contemplative image of what might have been the lake shore itself, pebbled and sandy shore and the sky reflecting off the gentle swells of the water. A few sketches, darkly filled in with charcoals of the trees that filled the forest, and even a sketch of the cute pine marten Jo’d shown him was on the third page, the marten’s little nose looking extra cute and like it was in the middle of wriggling happily at the scent of food. The last page was faded grey boulders and the odd tree but clearly the figure leaping between two rocks was the main focus of the picture, long legged and arms out stretched and radiating childish glee. That got him a lot of those teased about kisses as they lay back down on the blanket, stretched out in the warm sunshine.
They whiled more time away cloud gazing, making shapes and stories out of the fluffy figures that danced across the sky as their stomachs settled, and Jo cuddled into Grey’s side happily. A duck with a top hat fought against a teddy bear with a cane, a clown which neither of them could agree was good or creepy disappeared rather quickly on the summer breezes pushing it along before they could quarrel longer, then a little girl spinning a pirouette was followed by a school of fish being lectured by an octopus. They’d giggled loudly when a very obvious cloud floated past that had Grey covering Jo’s hand with a mouth as she’d squealed out the word ‘penis’ loud enough to send a few birds flitting away from the canopy above them.
“Ugh, I feel so sticky.” Jo complained quietly as she snuggled her nose in against Grey’s shoulder when he finally uncovered her mouth with a smirk. “It’s so warm today!”
“Sorry pretty one, I didn’t pack a cold shower in the basket for you.” He teased quietly, tapping her wriggling nose with a finger before making a surprised noise and Jo’s jerking to a sitting position and then to her feet. “Jo?”
“You didn’t, sure, but there’s a nice cold pond right there!” Grinning widely back at him, she quickly tugged her knee-high socks off and piled them with her boots before tugging her tank top over her head followed by her shorts. Reaching into her backpack and ignoring the confused squawk from the other, she held the sunscreen out to him with a smile. “Slather me up, hun?”
Grey gave her a confused look for a moment before taking the bottle and checking it was a natural, grey water safe product, and shifting to sit up enough to cover her back, and arms all over again with the protective cream while she took care of her exposed stomach, chest and legs to save time rubbing it all in. Grey teased her quietly about wanting to be a tanned summertime goddess with the amount of sunshine she was getting that day, only to be teased back he was just mad she’d already rubbed it in on the bits of her breasts not covered by her bra and taunting whether he’d join her.
“To quote that movie you love - wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?” “Oh?” “I mean, the best vantage point for me would be here to see your figure while you’re playing around in the water.”
Jo let out a peal of laughter, nodding and pressing a quick kiss to his lips at that, before dashing off to the waters edge, careful not to startle or step on any frogs. It was a fairly clean and clear pond, and at it’s deepest would only just come up to under her chest - the perfect depth to see the muddy, pebbly pond floor and float around without fear of something unexpected catching her unawares. There were frogs and the odd baby trout swimming about in it as she splashed about, chasing tadpoles and floating on her back as the sun reached it’s crest of midday.
After she’d splashed about enough to acclimate to the cool water, she’d looked over to their little picnic to see Grey sat up with his sketch book all over again. Tilting her head curiously at him, Grey waved a hand at her and called out gently with a smile, “I’m good, pretty one. You have your fun in the water.” She waited a few seconds to watch him pick up one of the cookies with his spare hand before turning about and diving under the water to splash about some more.
The water was the perfectly cool temperature - breaking her out in goosebumps as she would sink under the water and then float to the surface - and the dappled sunlight coming from the trees lining the other side of the pond than their clearing left her cold despite the warmth in the air. Little fish swam up, mouthing at her toes occasionally before swimming away, and Jo even backstroked over to the reeds edge to look at the clusters of frog spawn sticking around the waterline of the water plants. She floated gently across the water quietly, eyes closed and just enjoying the peaceful silence as she drank in the sunshine.
By the time she got out of the pond and laid out on the blanket - now clear of their lunch dishes packed away and the two containers of muffins and cookies left out with the watered down lemonade - her toes and fingertips were all pruny and wrinkly. Grey let out a laugh looking at her fingers before kissing the tips and bunching up a spare corner of blanket to give her a pillow to lean back on as he continued to work on his sketches. The number of birds crowded to one side of the clearing - bird seed scattered on the ground before them that Grey must’ve summoned at some point bringing them close enough for him to sketch - chirped happily and their voices and song floated away on the breeze.
Curling on one side, she watched him quietly as he worked - those talented hands sketching carefully the array of different birds chirping and hopping about the place, from chickadees to wrens and even a bright red cardinal had flown down and pecked at the seed before digging out a worm as well. Two yellow warblers, clearly a mated pair, hopped about on the edge of the group for a little while - one grabbing a seed before handing it to the other who would fly off and return a few moments later before going again - probably taking seeds back to their nest for their little family. Jo watched the birds quietly, soaking in the peacefulness of their secret little space as Grey continued his sketching.
“You almost dry?” The question broke through the silence a while later, after the sun had helped warm her back up, and Grey raised a brow over at her as he flipped his sketchbook shut as the last bird had finally departed. “Or at least dry enough to drive home?”
“I think so. You feel recovered enough to get goin’ back to the carpark?” “Yep, I’m all rested, and we’ve got a bit of a drive home still.” “And still some lemonade in case you get nauseous again-” “So mean.”
Giggling quietly Jo got to her feet as Grey packed the remaining tupperware away into the picnic basket and shook the crumbs off of the blanket into the grass as she got dressed back into her shorts and tank top. Rather than pull the old socks on, Jo slipped the spare ones from his pack on and tucked hers back in their place, before clipping her backpack into place. Grey did the same before picking up the picnic basket in one hand and taking hers with the other, before they disappeared away from the sunny, secret clearing.
The forest was shaded but thick and muggy without the breeze permeating through to the underbrush as Grey appeared them ten feet off the trail and just out of sight of the carpark. Quickly making their way to the path and not spotted by any of the family groups slowly making their way along the hiking trail at the midday time, they slowly made their way to the car.
The walk back wasn’t long, but it was just long enough for the pair of them to hold hands and exchange smiles and teasing touches as they made their way back along the path. They passed some unruly children and their exhausted looking parents, lugging picnic baskets behind them, with angry looks towards the happy, peaceful couple clearly swinging their joined hands and very much young and in love. There were heavy duty climbers with harnesses already around their waists, jangling with clips that would scare off any of the animals that they’d managed to spot walking so quietly earlier in the morning if the screaming, running children hadn’t already. There was even a younger couple, clearly high school sweethearts, all blushing and twigs in their hair despite being not even twenty feet from the carpark as Jo and Grey had almost made it to the carpark.
Sharing a smirk to one another at the embarrassed look on the teens’ faces, Jo giggled loudly as they made it to the car and packed away the picnic basket and their backpacks into the trunk of the car. “So… when are we goin’ to be like those two?”
“What? You want to have bark-rash on your back?” “Oh, that’s true, that doesn’t seem particularly appealin’.” “Or perhaps you were thinking in a bush?” “That does seem to be what they’d been doin’!”
“Maybe next time,” Grey replied with a shake of his head, smirking across at her. “Or back in that little clearing, we should take advantage of those chocolate cookies-”
“And the muffins.” “That’s very true.” “Well, why didn’t we?”
Jo tilted her head at him, smiling gently before blinking in surprise as the other moved around the car to crowd her up against the warm metal side on her back as Grey leaned in to kiss her - hot and needy and all kinds of ways that made her weak in the knees - before he pulled back with a smirk. Grey leaned into her, lips against the shell of her ear, before speaking softly. “I didn’t want to scare away the birds.”
“Very fair!” Laughing together, Jo drew him in for another quick kiss, pressing all up against him, before they pulled apart and finally piled back into the car. The seatbelt metal was hot but clicked away quickly, and sharing a few sips of water from the last water bottle, Jo threw the car in reverse and then pulled out of the carpark towards home.
Glancing to the side as she drove them down the winding roadway down the other side of the mountain, going slow and cautious for the other’s usual motion sickness, Jo smiled softly to herself watching him press his face to the cool glass of the passenger window - figuring they could stop at the ice cream shop on the way home for a creamy treat and maybe even some Sprite to settle the other’s stomach before they would get home to their likely still dozing baby ready to go out to the backyard. Looking out the front window as the trees slowly got high enough and the road flattened out that the deep blue of the lake disappeared from sight behind them, she couldn’t help but smile over the loveliness of the day, noticing an equally loving smile directed her way out the corner of her eye.
---
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FIC: The bright lights, the merry go
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Sitting at the kitchen table, she let out a quiet soft sigh to herself as her thoughts continued to buzz quietly in the silence surrounding her. There was the occasional plinking sound as the kitchen tap let out slow, irregular drips, and the whirr from the refrigerator motor humming quietly in the space, and a soft noise as the oven slowly brought itself up to temperature. Jo had turned it on earlier, uncertain as to her plans for the day, but as she’d pottered around the house aimlessly her interest in baking in the empty house had fizzled out, and upon slumping into the seat at the table she hadn’t had the energy yet to get up and turn it back off.
It was one of those rare mornings that the other was out doing what he needed to rather than taking the morning to catch up on the sleep he missed out on, staying up playing his games and on hand to soothe away the nightmares that plagued her. As soon as the nightmarish voices had faded away and her body returned to herself, Jo’d caught up on a few kisses despite her protests of morning breath and been teased as she’d changed into her running gear to take their baby out while Grey’d pulled on a clean hoodie and his sneakers before departing for whatever hunt was on his agenda that morning and might let him be home by the afternoon.
Jo had gotten back from her longer than usual run with their fluffy baby, and spent a good while pampering the happy dog with a good brushing and cuddles before going for a soak in the bath with a copy of the latest Madeline Miller book to while away the cloudy morning. It was peaceful, if overly quiet, and gave her the time to relax but as she’d gotten out of the tub and dried off with the fluffiest towel she could find, Jo could feel the boredom - or at least that’s what she was thinking of it as - sinking in at being home alone.
She’d first tried to distract herself with some television but found herself starting and stopping new episodes of six different shows and channel surfing even the shopping network before giving up that idea. Her book was her next port of call, but even that just led to her shuffling about the house trying out different places to sit - one too cold near the window, another too far from the light far from it, the bed she couldn’t find a comfortable way to lay or perch, and sitting at the kitchen table to read her book felt strange. Jo tried working in her study next, pulling books that Harry had managed to locate from a contact in Mexico with a Spanish-English dictionary beside it had taken up about half an hour before she’d called quits on that as translating the words started to add to the headache she could have sworn had been developing all morning.
That was when the idea of baking had struck, her stomach growling for a very late breakfast as she moved down to reheat one of the cinnamon buns left in the fridge from the weekend and put the kettle on for her first cup of green tea of the day, but even as she sat at the table tearing at the bun and sipping her drink as the sun’s rays only just busted through the grey clouds to shine through the window - Jo couldn’t find the motivation to get up and do that either. Everything was just too heavy lately, after tearing her psyche apart recently and the hard work of stitching herself back together was still underway - it was too hard to do anything on her own again while she was still struggling to work her way through all that.
Nana had walked in after a little bit, burrowing her nose into the joint behind Jo’s knees and looking up at her with those big soulful eyes until she’d gotten a few bites of the warmed cinnamon bun for her own lip-smacking enjoyment. The unconscious movement to comply with her baby’s wishes were so rote at this point that Jo barely realized that the last perfect mouthful had been handed to the joyful pup before the smart dog noticed the empty plate and made off down to the lounge room with a happy wag of her tail leaving Jo slightly at a loss all over again to her thoughts and inadequacies to do anything. Everything was too hard to do, and now she hadn’t even gotten to have the middle circle of her bun.
“Balls,” Jo muttered quietly to herself under her breath as she stirred mindlessly at her tea before sighing into the silent room. “...Fine.” Grumbling to herself, she got up finally and moved towards the oven to click it off before slumping down onto the floor, resting her back against the warm oven door with a soft sigh as she closed her eyes for a moment.
That moment seemed to be a lot longer than she’d thought, as the next thing she knew was the sound of pounding paws on the hall floors and the warm baritone greeting the pup and that the oven behind her was no longer warm to the touch as she thunked her head back silently.
It took another few seconds before Jo tried to scramble quickly to her feet at the approaching sound of footsteps. It wouldn’t do at all to be found like that, it’d just worry her love too much. He shouldn’t have to worry about her very weird brand of crazy. Struggling, Jo let out a loud cry as she accidentally hit her head on the oven handle as she struggled up to her feet, rubbing at the sore spot. “Fuck! Bollocks, motherfuckin’ bullshit, crap!”
“Jo? Are you okay?” The panicked tone from the other was exactly what she’d tried to avoid, but as Jo finally got to her feet, the ache at the back of her head seemed to disappear as she looked into the warm and concerned blue eyes staring back at her as Grey rushed to her side. His hands were in her hair and gently placing pressure against the sore spot that had been throbbing painfully before, and all she could see was concern and love as his fingers massaged the area gently and his eyes danced between each of hers. “What happened, pretty one? Oh, that egg feels bad-”
“It’s not so bad-” “Jo, that feels like a bad bump.” “I just banged it a bit, I’ll be fine.” “Of course you will, let’s get you seated, hm?”
Jo found herself nodding gently without dislodging that comforting touch as she was gently guided back to her seat. She felt herself blushing however as the other picked up her now cold mug of tea before moving to put the coffee machine on instead as he poured the cold liquid down the drain without comment. Letting out a quiet groan to herself, she slumped back down again, resting her cheek on the table and rubbing at the sizable bump on the back of her head gently without worrying much about hiding that it hurts now there was no point to it.
“You want a coffee, Jo?” Grey asked gently as he rinsed out her mug and moved towards the fridge. Jo could tell he was looking at her in concern even as she let her eyes close and gave a positive-sounding groan in response. “Did you need anything else - pain killers, some chocolate, something?”
“I’m sure the coffee’d be just fine. Maybe…” “Maybe what?” “Maybe another cinnamon bun possibly.” “Coming right up then!”
Her cheeks felt hotter all over again as she rolled her forehead against the table before lifting her head to look at the confused and concerned yet adoring look she was getting in response. Grey was chewing on his bottom lip as he took not only the milks but two of their remaining cinnamon buns from the fridge to be warmed through in the toaster oven on a tray to catch any errant cream cheese frosting.
“I was tryin’ to decide what to do today, and I have no ideas,'' Jo mumbled out as an explanation, rubbing at the back of her head gently as she dropped her gaze down. Her head was already feeling better, but that was probably just her elation at the other being home so quickly. “I… I was almost thinkin’ of cleanin’ the oven, actually. I was that bored.”
“You, bored? Oh, we can’t have that.” The other smiled warmly as he came over with two mugs of steaming coffee - perfectly poured and balanced with their individual milk preferences and as Jo took a sip the pleasurable taste of caramel got a pleased groan from her in surprise - and sank into the seat beside her before reaching out to rub at her head instead. “What did you get up to while I was out to be so bored already, pretty one?”
“I tried some television but everythin’ was borin’. And I’d already taken Nana on a run and read some while in the bath that I didn’t want to do more of that. Otherwise?” Jo shrugged a shoulder, leaning into his touch with a sigh. “Didn’t know what to get up to. Was thinkin’ of bakin’ but I just… I guess I just wanted some company.”
“Well,” Grey’s smile was so soft and inviting and felt like a warm blanket wrapping around her in its soft embrace as she looked back at him, the tiny crease in his brows the only showing of the concern at her words that she could see. “If my company is what you want, then that’s what you get today.”
“But-” “No buts.” “Grey…”
“Nope, we are doing whatever catches your fancy today, my dearest pretty one,” Grey shook his head, smiling softly at her before he leaned in to kiss her gently for a moment. His touch was so comforting to her, and leaning into the kiss, Jo barely held back the whimper at the loss as he pulled back. The smug smile she got as she blinked her eyes open made her feel flushed all over again. “Now, you’d said something about wanting to do some baking?”
“Mhmm.” “Baking it is then. Not that I’m anywhere near as good as you.” “That’s not true at all.” “Oh yes it is, your baking is a thing of beauty.” “Hunny-” “No fighting me, not about your amazing baking, Jo.”
There was a pause as Jo opened her mouth to argue more before letting out a sigh instead and leaning her head back into his touch instead. “If this is the hill for you-” Jo let out a small giggle, shaking her head gently not to dislodge him before adding cheerfully. “Bakin’ it is I guess.”
Grey gave a decisive nod at her words, leaning in for another long kiss that would’ve made her knees buckle if she’d been standing before pulling back again and hopping out of his seat at the beep of the toaster oven. Jo chewed on her lip thoughtfully as she tried to think about what she would like to do together. They had almost anything and everything on hand given they’d done the groceries the day before, but also it wasn’t like the other wouldn’t fetch her any ingredients they were missing if she longed for them. If she wanted some vanilla fresh from Madagascar or some fancy French chocolate or milk straight from some Jersey cows, she was certain it would be in her hands with a moment’s notice. Whatever her heart desired, she knew without a doubt she’d have it.
“So, what do you think we’d make?” Grey asked cheerfully as he slipped into the seat beside her again and sat the plate with two warmed buns between them. Jo shrugged a shoulder as she watched him for a moment, before letting out a small giggle and reaching a finger out to wipe the melted cream cheese frosting that clung to the corner of his lips after he’d taken a big bite before licking it off. She blushed red to the roots of her hair at the heated gaze she got in return before dropping her eyes down to the other bun, tearing a bit for herself rather than acknowledge the electric hum in the air between them at that moment. There was a pause before the other added, voice thick and husky but fighting through it to speak nonchalantly. “If I recall, you had promised to teach me some things.”
“Oh yes, many a thing.” “Did you want to try some of those?” “What? Like the doughnuts or puff pastry?” “Yeah, exactly.”
Jo thought for a moment, chewing the mouthful of her bun and taking a sip of her coffee careful to avoid looking up at the other as she was unsure what she’d see reflected back at her. She had the most patient man in the world, but even patience would wear thin one day - especially when they both bucked against it equally but equally uncertain as it was. She couldn’t face if he was disappointed with her, focussing instead on gently nibbling on the warm, soft bun before eventually shaking herself free of those concerns and turned towards the idea of doughnut-making instead.
“Hmm, well, we’ve definitely got what we need for some typical glazed doughnuts,” Jo hummed to herself thoughtfully as the pair continued to eat their belated breakfast and sip their coffee. “Could do some custard-filled ones but I’m not the biggest fan.”
“Agreed,” Grey replied quickly, smiling softly at her over the rim of his mug as Jo tapped a finger to her lips thoughtfully. There was a pause before he set the drink down and reached out instead to rub gently at the bump on her head gently. “Did you have any other ideas? Or is there something else we could make with the dough instead of just the glazed doughnuts?”
“Hmm.. We could make some fried fritter things?” “Oh?” “Yeah, like, get some soaked raisins or fruit of some kind-” “We just got some apples yesterday?” “Oh yes! That’s a great idea!”
“So, doughnuts and apple fritters are the plan?” The other asked gently, his fingers soothing what little pain still radiated at the back of her head away as Jo finished her second bun of the day and tilted her head into his skillful hand. “That sounds like a fun way to spend the afternoon.”
“Well, late mornin’ and afternoon!” Jo giggled, quirking a brow back at him as she got a rueful grin in response. It was barely morning, it was true, but it amused her to correct him as they both looked at the oven clock showing that she was right for the next two minutes. The bemused look she got in response brought on another round of giggles as Grey shook his head at her and those last moments of the morning disappeared as he finished his cinnamon bun and she finished her cup of coffee.
As they finally finished, Jo reluctantly finally pulled back from the calming touch to push her chair out and get to her feet with an over-done flourish of her hands and far more energy than she’d felt earlier. “Let’s get started on the teachin’ then, hey hun?”
Grey nodded his head, getting to his feet as well and picking up the plate and their mugs deftly with a smile. She could see the concern underneath the amusement in his eyes, but with him there Jo doubted she’d be feeling forlorn or even a little bit of the throbbing pain she might have otherwise. “So, where do we start, pretty one?”
“Well, I’ll get the ingredients out if you help clear off the table so we can have a clear work surface?” “As you wish.” “Thanks, farmboy.”
The laughter that filled the kitchen was so much better than the oppressive quiet that it had been before - and Jo found herself humming along quietly to a tune she didn’t quite recognize as she pulled the dry and long-life ingredients out of the pantry. That song suddenly filled her ears from the speaker in the corner as she moved towards the now cleared table and spotted Grey’s smile from the corner where he was likely putting together a playlist with an eclectic mix of both their favorite songs. Smiling to herself as she bobbed along to the song, Jo pulled out a few mixing bowls as well as the milk, eggs and butter they’d need to start with.
Once everything was assembled, Jo let out a bright giggle again at the feeling of arms wrapping around her waist before she looked down to notice the half-apron wrapped about her and Grey’s head pressing into her shoulder and neck as he tied the bow at the back for her. “Thanks hun!”
“No worries, Jo, can’t get you getting all covered in flour. Actually, that might be very cute, ignore my silly idea.” Grey chuckled against her shoulder before pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. He shifted to move the chairs from their side of the table and then leaned a hip against the tabletop with a grin at her, one brow raised curiously. Jo grinned widely in response, taking in the way he had chosen to wear the dark blue apron instead of the frilly yellow she had on. “Well, what’s our next step, oh baking goddess?”
“First things first - dough!” “Nut!” “Hunny…”
Jo found herself giggling again as she caught his cheeky grin, twisting to peck his grin away quickly before turning back to their ingredients - pouring the necessary amount of milk for a double batch of dough into a heat-proof container. “Like I said, first things first so we’ve gotta get the yeast started. Can you warm the milk up a little and I’ll get the yeast separated out for the doughs?” She barely had to wait for the nod before tipping the yeast into each of their bowls and pushing them aside. Once the milk was heated, Grey poured it evenly between the two bowls and set the heating jug aside on the table out of their way. Jo glanced down at the rest and gave a quiet sigh before pulling over the flour to start sifting into another bowl to get rid of the lumps. “I hate siftin’ flour-”
“Well, how about you give me that job and you do the next bit then?” The other asked gently, reaching for the setup and then giving her a hip-bump to move out of the way as she relinquished the task for him. Grey smiled gently at her before giving the flour an extra shake. “I don’t know why you’d not like this task, Jo.”
“Ugh, it’s just so boring to do but you always need to. Stupid recipes requiring sifted flour!”
That got a laugh from the other as Jo moved to check on the yeast before moving to grab the jug and put the butter sticks in instead to heat in the microwave. By the time that was melted through and she’d poured in the apple cider, vanilla and salt into that jug, Grey had finished sifting the flour and the yeast had formed a foamy, bubbling top in the respective bowls. Jo gently instructed for some flour to be added to each bowl but the remaining bulk left in the sifted bowl for now before she handed Grey a wooden spoon and picked one up herself to gently fold and wet the flour in the yeasted mix together.
“Alrighty, the annoyin’ bit is whisking in another bowl now - can you separate eight egg yolks into this bowl here and I’ll get the whisk and sugar?” “Absolutely, Jo. Any plans for the whites?” “Hmmm, save them and we’ll have egg white omelets for lunch?”
Grey peppered her cheek with kisses and praise for creative thinking for the unnecessary bits before he moved to crack and separate the eggs as requested. Jo tipped the right amount of sugar into the same bowl and started to whisk as he added each yolk before handing the whisk over to him to continue as she poured the butter and other bits mixture in with the creamed yolk and sugar mixture, followed by the remaining flour. Once combined, Jo poured it into equal measure back into the two bowls with the yeast-mix and each picked up their spoons to mix together the dough.
“Oh, they look about ready to knead now too-” “Yeah? Not too sticky?” “Doughnut dough is supposed to be stickish.”
Grey nodded thoughtfully at her claims, smiling across at her as Jo put a layer of flour down in front of both of them so they could start kneading their mixes gently. It took about three minutes before Jo’s dough had formed together into a lovely ball that was taunt and sprung back at a finger prodding. As she wiped out the bowl that had held it before and then gently oiled it before plopping her ball into the base of it, Jo smiled happily to herself before turning to see how Grey had gotten on.
“Oh my god, hunny!” Jo cried, eyes wide and shocked as she looked towards the other. “What on earth did you do to that poor dough?!”
Grey flushed a deep red as he unsuccessfully tried to free his hands from the extremely sticky dough-like mix that was stuck mostly to his hands and the table but didn’t resemble the consistency at all that Jo’s had achieved at that point. “I, uh, I don’t think I was prepared for how sticky it was.”
“You don’t say!” The blonde let out a loud laugh as she looked on at his futile attempts to free himself, before Jo shuffled in under his closest arm. “Alrighty, let’s see if I can help you rescue it, huh?”
“Saving things, it’s what you do best.” Grey’s words ghosted over her ear as he peered over his shoulder from behind her as Jo’s hands dove in alongside his to try to free them and wrangle the mess into some sort of dough.
It took another few minutes for the sticky mess to start to come together and begin to feel like a proper ball of dough - still the stickiness needed for the doughnuts but no longer attached like concrete to the tabletop or either of their hands - and Jo let out a little laugh as she could feel the other’s hands finally getting the hang of the pull and push motion needed to work the tricky dough into submission.
“You know, this is where the playlist should start up with Unchained Melody.” Jo quipped quietly as they slowly worked the dough together and she moved her hands to help coax Grey’s into the different cupping-and-rolling motion needed to roll the dough into a cohesive ball ready to be returned to the bowl. “And I’d be behind you, of course.”
“Oh, so you’d be Swayze in this situation?” “Well, dah. I am the one that knows how to make it after all.” “That’s very true. And I definitely feel safe in those arms of yours, pretty one.”
Jo blushed something fierce as they finished the dough and moved to plop it into it’s bowl beside the other and Grey grabbed up some tea towels to cover them before they moved each bowl to a warm sunny spot to rise. Scrubbing at her cheek, she let out an embarrassed giggle at realising she’d just rubbed flour all over her cheek before sighing.
“Here, let me.” Grey picked up a spare towel and started wiping off her cheek before pressing a kiss to the same spot and then drawing her in for a gentle yet deep kiss for a long moment. Pulling back, he pressed his forehead to hers and sighed softly. “Thanks for the lesson, Jo, I was…”
“Stuck?” “Absolutely.”
“You’re welcome, hun.” Jo giggled again, pulling back a bit to press a peck against his forehead before turning her attention back to the table. “Alrighty, can you put away the flour and milk and stuff while I clean up the mess and then we can start on the apples and stuff?” She got a nod in reply, and working in tandem the mess was cleaned up in no time with the dirty bowls set in the sink and her wiping the table top down with a damp cloth to get any leftover flour up.
The sound of running water surprised her, and looking over, Jo couldn’t stop the soft smile growing as she noticed the other start of cleaning the bowls and spoons and other pieces rather than leaving them to sit. Grey’s shoulders weren’t slumped forward like she had worried they might after a bit of a failure making the dough on his own originally, and she could hear him humming along absentmindedly to the song on their playlist despite it being one of the songs she would class as hers. It was such a small gesture but made her stomach twist, and untwist again and the gentle look that was thrown over his shoulder towards her.
Shaking her head, Jo ducked her head down before moving towards the counter top to pull out the chopping board and set the apples from the fridge down as well as a heavy skillet out. Butter went into the skillet on the stovetop to start browning up on the lowest setting as she started peeling the apples absentmindedly with a knife.
As she finished the last of the apples, Jo blinked and let out a surprised noise to notice Grey had moved over and started to dice the peeled apples and add them to the skillet as she’d zoned out. Setting down the paring knife, she moved to add some cinnamon and brown sugar in with the apples before leaning her head against the other’s shoulder at the closeness. It felt so warm and light in the kitchen right then, in a way that the heated oven hadn’t felt before, warm and comforting and like home as the smell of the apples and butter cooking was mixed with the faint scent she knew was uniquely her love’s as she pressed her nose against his arm.
Jo let out a quiet sigh as Grey moved to put the last of the apple in the pan and press a kiss to her neck right over her scar. “Hey, I’ll get started on lunch while you do that, yeah?” The other waited all of a moment before pressing another kiss to the same spot at Jo’s nod of approval and he turned to start assembling the omelets for their lunch and likely a little bit for their darling girl once she’d eventually wake up. The apples simmered down softly and were moved off the heat in time for Grey to claim control of the stovetop for their lunch as Jo bounced about instead to reset the kitchen table and consult a few food blogs on her phone to decide on exactly the best way to form their doughnuts and apple fritters later.
After a quick lunch - egg white omelets with spinach, tomato and cheese which Jo pronounced to be delicious even though Grey denied that it was any good after he kept changing which technique to use to fold the omelet over on itself so each of theirs looked different - Jo suggested they watch some television as the dough still needed another half hour to rise.
The half hour came and went though, both tucked up on the couch with their girl laying across their laps and Jo’s head resting heavily against Grey’s shoulder as she snuggled into his side under his arm. It was warm and comforting and felt so good for her to be pressed up against Grey. Jo stroked through Nana’s fur gently as she watched the show, and found herself grinning gently to herself to realise that Grey’s fingers were just as absentmindedly stroking through her own hair as well. Everything felt so right in that moment, and when her phone beeped the minimum resting time had passed, Jo snuggled in closer and decided to wait for the end of the next episode before suggesting they get up.
“So, you never answered my question.” Grey chimed out softly as the episode finished and he clicked around to just put some background noise on instead of starting a third episode for them, raising an eyebrow at her when Jo made a quiet whine. “C’mon pretty one, what did you get up to that was so boring, hmm?”
“Nothin’ really-” “Jo?”
It took a moment and for her to cuddle in and rub her face against his chest for a moment before replying, cheeks red and mumbling quietly at how ridiculous she felt acknowledging it. “I was just… I missed you. I was missin’ you so everything sucked and I didn’t..” Jo let out a sigh, turning her head to look down at their pup as Nana tossed her head back for a moment before clambering to her feet in a swish of her tail and obvious disgust that she could tell her mommy and daddy were about to get up soon enough. Shaking her head, Jo gave a soft smile to herself before flushing all over again. “I’ve just been exhausted lately, emotionally, so like.. I just didn’t want to do anythin’ without you, hun.”
There was a pause, and Jo wasn’t surprised at all when there was suddenly a hand under her chin, tipping her face up towards his, and then gentle lips on hers. It was exactly the response she wanted somewhere deep inside, so leaning into the kiss with a quiet squeak. Grey’s hand shifted softly around her jaw line into her hair with his other hand and she found herself shifting into his arms and lap to kiss him back harder. It took more than a few minutes before their kisses slowed and stopped with a tiny groan from both of them as they moved back reluctantly. Her heart was pounding, but as much as part of her wanted to make any barriers between them disappear in his arms - a larger part was still mixed up and unsteady that she wanted nothing more than to cuddle in tighter and feel the comfort and stabilising impact of the other’s arms to keep her safe against all those concerns.
Grey gave a quiet groan under his breath before he kissed her again, softly and gently and so sweetly, before he shifted to set her back on the couch beside him with a tight hug. “I missed you too, pretty one, and I’m sorry I left this morning then-”
“No, no. You had to go and do-” “I could’ve waited though.” “Maybe, but you would’ve had to go sometime, and by goin’ you got to be home earlier!”
“Well, you’ve got me there.” Grey gave a chuckle, and Jo could feel it reverberating through his chest for a moment before he finally pulled back and got to his feet with a blush at his moving to readjust for a second, before holding out a hand to help her up “Do you think the dough is ready yet?”
Jo nodded, rubbing at her flushed cheeks as well as she got to her feet quickly with Grey’s help, before grinning widely. “Oh it definitely should be - would’ve been ready an episode and a half ago.”
“We should’ve paused-” “Oh fuck no, cause why would we stop mid episode?” “Then we shouldn’t’ve watched the last episode-” “And not finish an arc?”
“You just have an answer for everything, don’t you?” Grey grinned back at her widely, and Jo smiled back hearing the laugh before letting out a yelp at the playful tap she got as she passed him by towards the kitchen. There was another laugh from both of them as Jo hurried down the hall and danced just out of reach from the other as he took off after her, giggles and laughter filling the hall and kitchen as they reached it with teasing kisses and hugs before finally sobering up some.
Jo gave a final tap to the back of the other’s head for a second before she moved over to their aprons and handed them out as she looked over for their dough bowls. “Wow!” Looking in the bowls as she pulled the tea towels off and reset her apron around her waist, Jo’s eyes widened at just how much the dough had risen before letting out a laugh. “Well, those got big.”
Grey exclaimed likewise as he came to look at Jo moved the bowls onto the clean kitchen table. “Are they supposed to grow that much?”
“Maybe not, but they should still be nice doughnuts.” “Fingers crossed.” “Could you put a pot on the stove, fill it with the new oil in the pantry and put it on low while I get these ready?” “Of course, Jo, easy done.”
Jo smiled softly as she looked over her shoulder to see the nodding head of the other as he moved around to get the cast iron dutch oven out of the cupboard and set it up with enough oil for their frying. Turning back to the table, Jo spread out a thin coating of flour in the two spots they’d be working to make the doughnut shapes, before moving to get the cooled apple mixture.
“Did you want to do the doughnuts first and then we can start on the apple fritters?” “Sounds good. Which dough is which?”
Jo chuckled, grabbing one of the bowls and then tipping it out onto the floured space before her and then split it in half with a bench scraper she grabbed from a drawer right then at realising they’d need it. Plopping one half of the mix in front of Grey instead and pulling out the rolling pins, Jo smiled softly as she watched him prodding cautiously at the slowly deflating dough in front of him. “Okay hun, time to roll carefully and then we’ll shape them and set them over on a baking sheet. Did you want to cut the holes out and cook the doughnut holes too, or do the more bagel-like finger poking?”
“Well, one way we get doughnut holes that maybe someone could have with coffee for breakfast tomorrow like some other time, hmm?” Grey quirked a brow at her as he spoke, reaching out to tug on the end of a strand of hair for a second before tucking it behind her ear at the light giggle she gave. “With some fruit of course.”
“But of course!” Jo chirped back with a smirk, well aware that the suggestion of doughnuts for breakfast was of course a conscientious decision from the other to give her something for whatever he thinks she must have been missing that morning with his being away. Shaking her head with a smile, she waved a hand to the other. “Okay, can you grab the really big circular cookie ring as well as a smaller one from the cookie cutters? I think they should be easy enough to find in the third drawer-”
“I’m allowed in the famed baking drawer?” “Only with my permission of course.” “Well, of course.”
The banter got a laugh from her, and as the other moved back over with the two cookie cutters she double checked the sizes and gave a decisive nod at them being just right. Of course Grey would pick the perfect pair.
It took a few encouraging comments and soothing words from her as they moved into rolling out and then cutting the doughnut shapes that he wasn’t rolling them too thin or that the slight tackiness to the dough was to be expected. Jo had to remind him three times about coating his rolling pin with flour, and was rewarded with a flick of the white dust towards her that settled on her cheek and in her hair with a laugh from both of them. Eventually the first bowl worth of dough was successfully worked and cut out into sixteen doughnuts and sixteen corresponding doughnut holes. There was even just enough dough that Jo rolled them out and cut out two little bone-shaped doughnuts that they’d not cover in any icing to be saved for treats for their darling girl.
At that, Grey noted it was almost Nana’s dinner time, and as he moved off at the pup’s whining cries to be fed, Jo moved to check on the oil and dropped a small handful of the doughnut holes into the glistening oil to check and test for the temperature and cooking times. The colouring was slow, but eventually the golden colour came to the bottom side and they were gently flipped with a metal spider as she moved to set up another tray lined with paper towel and then a cooling rack on top for them to cool and avoid getting too oil logged as they’d cook the rest.
“Those look beautiful, Jo.” Grey said gently as he came up behind her, hands wrapping carefully around her waist into a tight hug as Jo carefully lifted the balls out of the oil and set them out on the drying rack. “And you’ve already thought ahead to the cooling rack!”
“Can’t have them sitting in the little oil to get soggy!” “Of course not.”
Giving him a grin, Jo handed the metal spider to him as she pulled out of the hug. “Well now, your turn to cook some too, huh?”
Grey gave her a wide eyed look of surprise before nodding, and with only a few jokes he’d gotten two of the large doughnuts and one of the little bones floating and bubbling away in the oil under his careful watch. Jo smiled affectionately as she watched his cautious checking on the color changing on the underside of the doughnuts and stayed by his side as they waited to see how long they’d take to cook. The way they didn’t split or puff up any more as they cooked was a good sign that they’d cook well.
“I feel a lot more comfortable seeing how these are doing,” Grey remarked with a grin, flipping over the last of the doughnuts for them to start on the second side. He held the strainer carefully in his hand and pushed on the top of one of the bobbing doughnuts to watch it pop back up after a moment with a smirk. “I get the feeling that those Try Guys would have had an explosion or seven by now-”
“Oh no, Eugene’s beer doughnuts would have been a horrible wet mess-” “But somehow win in the end.” “Exactly!”
They both laughed at the ridiculousness before their attention was drawn back to the bubbling golden pastries. It was another minute before Jo gestured and Grey pulled them out to drain and started on a few others. “Okay, in a minute when they’ve cooled a bit can you check if they’ve cooked through? I’ll get started on the fritters while you handle the doughnuts, my padawan. I trust you with this.”
“Of course, I’m your best pupil after all.” Grey chuckled quietly but leaned over to give a press of a kiss to her cheek with a cheeky smile before Jo moved back to the table to work on the fritters. She heard their sound system start back up and an approving nod from the other calling out that the doughnuts appeared cooked through as the songs started up - one from her current favorite album lilting through the speaker and the soft voice of the other singing along to the male pieces as the song slowly built up - while she moved to dump out the remaining bowl of dough.
Singing along softly under her breath - “A universe away” - Jo moved to roll the dough out to an adequate thickness before spreading half of the apple mixture into the centre third of the dough rectangle she had made. Folding either side over in a booking-fashion, she slowly rolled it out again, again and then a third time until she had another apple-studded rectangle before doing the same again with the remaining half of the apple mixture. As she did another book-fold and then rolled the dough through to the original shape and thickness after another few turns, she used the bench scraper to cut the dough into three long thick strips, and then cut each strip into matching triangles with quick, sharp cuts. Each triangle fritter was set out on a third tray, and as she finished those, got a damp cloth to wipe up the remaining flour on the table and cleared the bowls into the sink with a smile.
She moved the tray of fritters over beside Grey’s mostly empty tray of uncooked doughnuts with a smile, and shared an affectionate hip bump when he acknowledged her arrival. Though the smile dropped from the other’s face as he noticed her moving to start on the dishes as he was stuck holding the strainer to take the cooking doughnuts out.
“Hey, you leave those Jo.” “Huh? Oh no, I’ll do the wash up today.” “No, no no. I’ll take care of that and the lunch dishes once I-”
Jo turned slightly, her hands planted firmly on her hips as she looked across at him as he impatiently flipped one doughnut too early and splashed a bit of oil out onto the counter top while the color was only just a pale yellow and not yet golden brown. Raising a brow as she glanced between it and Grey’s defiant yet uncertain look, she quirked the other brow up as well. “I don’t think so. You’ve still got doughnuts to fry and you clearly need to keep practising to get that timin’ right.”
“Jo-”
“So, you keep on cookin’ those and then the fritters, while I do the washing up.” Jo finished firmly despite his interruption, shaking her head at the aborted snort of disapproval from the other as she filled the sink with water and suds. Sure, she wasn’t a fan of washing dishes, but she wanted to do it - Grey didn’t always have to do all the washing even though he tried to. “And then we can work on the icin’ afterwards.”
“Isn’t it just a royal icing? Icing sugar and water or milk?” Grey asked, a small frown on his face as he flipped the slightly under-done doughnut back over and continued to cook the other two as if nothing had gone wrong. “Or you doing something special?”
“Was thinkin’ a chocolate glaze given it’s just the icing sugar, milk and some cocoa powder and vanilla.” “That sounds good, pretty one.” “Maybe I’ll also make a small amount of pink and we can drizzle some extra decoration?” “Artistic, huh?”
Jo giggled at that, nodding as she washed the dough bowls and the cast iron pan the apples were cooked in. The lunch dishes were just as easy as well, and doing them as well as drying the dishes and putting them away took her all the way through the last of the doughnuts and doughnut holes being fried and right up to the start of the apple fritters. Jo warned carefully that the extra water content from the apple mix might cause some splattering, and Grey cautiously grabbed the splatter guard from it’s hidden spot to cover and avoid any flying oil hitting either of them as he slid three of the fritters into the oil. They did splutter right away but it calmed down as the dough became more and more golden before doing it all over again as he flipped them to the other side.
Jo herself moved towards making glazes for both different types of doughnuts - mixing a glaze out of the milk, vanilla, icing sugar and cocoa powder as well as some without the cocoa powder but a few drops of red food coloring instead into two bowls quite quickly, and then a third glaze for the fritters with the milk traded out for a dash of apple cider instead and the vanilla for a pinch of salt to give a salty sweetness to those fritters instead. They were all clearly easy to tell apart from one another, and as Grey called her over to check if the first fritters had cooked through properly, Jo was so proud to see how good and fluffy their work appeared to be.
They traded off then, Jo taking over the metal strainer and getting a sweet kiss in return, as Grey saw the time and moved to start working on dinner for them - leaving the remaining fritters to Jo’s attention and frying. The songs shifted but neither minded if it was a song she liked or a song he liked as they each enjoyed the quiet domesticity as Jo finished off the last apple fritters and Grey moved to put the tray bake of vegetables and some roasting chicken marylands to cook over the next hour for their dinner.
Jo moved the trays of finished doughnuts and fritters over to the collection of glaze bowls, and let out a laugh noticing a fourth bowl filled with melted butter and a fifth with a cinnamon sugar mix that she hadn’t put there before. Smiling softly, she dipped some of the doughnut holes into the melted butter and then tossed them gently in the cinnamon and sugar in preparation for them heated through in the morning - thinking to herself how sweet the memories of coffee, fresh fruit and soft doughnuts brought back to her from many times she’d been given the treat. Turning about, she grabbed a tupperware out to store them in as she kept moving through the doughnut holes as she could hear the other pottering about behind her as she finished off the last few doughnut holes.
“So - ready to finish these off, hun?” Jo asked quietly, turning to look over her shoulder where she could see Grey taking care to stir what would eventually be likely a gravy with dinner, raising a brow. “Or are you busy with dinner?”
“Just setting this to simmer down for a while and then I’m ready to get back to it, teach.” Grey smiled back at her as he stirred the sauce a few more times as she moved to pop the cinnamon doughnut holes in their airtight container off into the fridge to stay for the next day. He dusted off his hands as he moved to turn the heat down to a gentle simmer before moving over to the table. “What now, Jo?”
“Now it’s time to make them pretty.” “That’s a lot of pressure.” “Pretty like a Pollock then?”
Grey grinned ruefully at that, bumping his shoulder against hers as Jo stuck her tongue out at him, before letting out a yelp at his leaning down to kiss her before she’d pulled it back. Laughing, Jo tapped a finger against his nose as they both turned back to the doughnuts and fritters.
“Okay, easiest job is to just roll the fritters in the apple glaze, so I’m goin’ to let the artist do the careful chocolate dippin’ instead.” She smiled up at Grey for a second before she lifted up one of the perfectly golden brown doughnut rings to demonstrate the twisting technique to rightly coat and avoid drips as she dunked one face of the pastry into the chocolate glaze and lifted it quickly with a twist and jerk of her wrist to stop the coating from leaving an obvious drip-trail. “See? And if you do get any drips it’d be artistic rather than a fuck up like mine!”
“Yours would not be fuck ups, Jo.” Grey shook his head slightly as he looked down at her, and she found herself glancing down to focus on setting the coated doughnut down back on it’s previous resting spot rather than face the obvious meaning to the other’s words or the emotion she knew would be in his eyes. “Well, I better give this a try then…” He sounded uncertain for a moment, and Jo found herself reaching out to hold alongside him as he dipped his first doughnut before doing the twist, guiding him through the movement and hearing a chuckle from the other as there was only a small drip down one side as they set that doughnut back down. “Is that artistic enough for you, pretty one? You sure I should do these and not the fritters?”
“Practice makes perfect!” Jo chirped back at him, tapping a finger with a little of the dripped glaze to his nose before giggling at the mark. Shaking her head, she laughed louder as Grey swiped a hand over the offending mess and licked it off the top of his hand rather than let it go to waste. “I bet by the time these are all coated, you’ll be a pro at it.”
“I can try, I guess.” Grey chuckled back as he shook his head and picked up the next doughnut to be dipped.
Jo tried not to watch too obviously as she picked up the apple cider glaze and began to toss and coat the fritters in the bowl before fishing them out to rest. It wouldn’t help with the pressure if Grey thought she though he couldn’t do it or that she was watching him closely, but at the same time she liked to glance up and see the slow and then fast improvement as he got the hang of the motion and by the last half a dozen was perfectly coating the doughnuts without a single bit of overspill or wasted glaze. It was easy to finish her fritters without concern seeing just how great the other’s technique had gotten - and as she finished her last three fritters rolled about at the same time Grey finished the last of his chocolate doughnuts, Jo exclaimed happily. “See, what did I say?! Those look fantastic, hun.”
“I mean the last few maybe-” “No, no, all of them look really good.” “Even that one that I dropped and got half of the doughnut overall covered in glaze?” “Are you complain’ about the idea of more glaze?”
Grey seemed to consider for a moment before laughing. “Okay, true. I call dibs on that one.”
Laughing her agreement, Jo smiled widely - teethy and tongue pressed up sharp against them - as she moved to set the two used and empty bowls of glaze into the sink with a little water.
“Can you grab an extra fork or spoon for the pink icin’, hun?” “Sure - how are we doing this?”
Jo moved back towards the table with a roll of paper towel, and quickly slid and covered the table around the row of doughnuts on their drying rack before waving a hand at the other tray of apple fritters for Grey to move them out of the way before she covered that open spot with paper towel as well. Moving the red icing bowl, Jo added a splash of extra milk to loosen it up again from how it had started setting before she dipped the fork Grey held out into it.
“I said Pollock, didn’t I?” Jo gave another toothy grin before she pulled the fork free and then gently flung it down towards the nearest doughnut, leaving strands of red icing to cover it in splatters and lines. There was a surprised noise from next to her, and paying no mind she dipped the fork again before doing the same thing over again - mottling the top of the doughnuts under her fork’s path with splatters and lines of a soft pink across the shiny brown surface. “See?”
“That is… That is definitely very Pollock like,” Grey agreed with a slight grin as he moved to pick up the spoon at her gesturing. “Very deliberately not-deliberate, right?”
Jo nodded, smiling widely as she moved to dip her fork again and that they both began splattering and drizzling the light pink glaze over the doughnuts together, giggling and laughing and teasing the whole while. No single doughnut looked the same, and they were all the prettier for it. The one that Grey had called dibs on, Jo even leaned down secretively to draw a very lumpy heart on it as she giggled quietly to herself, and she was unsurprised as soon as he’d noticed it that more hearts started to be added across the other doughnuts all claimed to be for her dibs instead. Shoulders bumped and arms reached over each other and the whole time made Jo feel so light and airy, so different to the heavy aching emptiness from earlier.
They finished their rather ridiculous art project as the pink glaze ran out, and Grey bundled up the paper towel that was splattered and kept everything else clean while Jo moved to rinse out and soak the icing bowl and utensils with the others. Packing away the apple fritters but leaving two out after Jo had batted her eyelashes until Grey finally agreed that one fritter before dinner wouldn’t ruin their appetites, she moved the two onto a plate as Grey grabbed the containers necessary to store the other doughnuts for later once the icing had dried for them to be stored.
“Dinner’s still another hour away, right hun?” Jo asked innocently as she fiddled with the plate as the other moved to get some drinks from the fridge.
Grey hummed in agreement as he collected a can of soda for each of them - more likely both for Jo as she always finished hers first in no time - and turned to look at her mischievous look. The smile on his face twisted into disapproval and then a grin as Jo smirked back picking up one of the heart covered doughnuts that wasn’t his and took a giant bite out of it, giggling loudly. “Jo! We agreed on one!”
Jo took another two large bites quickly, her mouth pulled into a tight lipped but cheeky grin - cheeks full of sweet, fluffy doughnut sticking out like a chipmunk - before she chewed quickly and cheekily mumbled out - “One fritter!”
The disbelief and them affectionate shaking of the other’s head was all the answer she did expect, and she had to focus on chewing carefully and swallowing her mouthful despite the wide grin she knew she had as Grey’d moved over to take a big bite of the doughnut himself before tapping her on the nose with the end of it as he wrapped an arm around her. This was what she’d been missing as she was pulled into a sugary sweet kiss that was softer and made her feel lighter and airier than even their perfect doughnuts before they set off to the lounge for another episode of Doctor Who before dinner.
Following after him, their banter light and freeing in it's playfulness as Grey started to compliment how good her dough was and Jo equally batted back that his dough and frying was so much better, she couldn't help but feel like things were righting themselves again. That heaviness of her troubles fading away, soothed and teased and gently coaxed away under the caring gentle treatment and the sweet attentions. The way she had felt a gaping hole inside after she'd worked so hard to cut away those feelings that held her back was being filled in again - slowly - with those gentle touches and sweet remarks that made her heart ache in all the best ways. This, this was how she would feel light again.
---
3 notes · View notes
Text
FIC: imagine seeing it printed in the paper for all the world to see
---
Ellen - 12/8/12 Your stores are low. That bargirl is dreadful at her job
Jo - 12/8/12 Sophie is great at her job, mom, we already ordered last week. Delivery is expected today or tomorrow at latest.
Ellen - 12/8/12 That’s not good enough, Jo. I taught you better than that. If you’re not going to appreciate feedback - I’ll just get out of your hair.
Jo - 12/9/12 Lots of stuff going on atm mom that the bar is Sophie and Harry’s domain and they’re on top of it so far as I can tell
Ellen - 12/15/12 Who knows what you can tell any more. If the bar goes into debts it’s your own fault. I’ve gotten a message from Rufus regarding needing help and will be going there for a while. You sort yourself out, missy, or you’re going to fall flat on your face like you always do. You don’t have Ash to bail you out any more, and I won’t be either
Jo - 12/1512
How is Rufus?
Ellen -12/18/12 Fine. Hunt was easy. I’ll be going to the East coast for a while until you grow up.
Jo - 12/25/12 Merry Christmas! You coming by Duluth at all?
Jo - 12/31/12 Happy New Year Mom! Hope all going well, bar’s running alright.
Ellen - 02/08/13 Heard from Bobby you got into some trouble on a hunt. Thought you’d grown out of that recklessness.
Jo - 02/16/13 Wasn’t a big deal. Just some thing with a shifter. It was more cop-trouble.
Jo - 03/23/13 Were you going to be near Duluth for the 7th?
Jo - 04/03/13 Sam and Dean were going to be in town next week. Thought if you’d be around good to catch up for my birthday?
Jo - 04/12/13 Gordon is back. Big trouble. Could use some help.
Ellen - 04/12/13 You were big enough to handle him when you were 15, you can handle him on your own now. Get your monster to help if you’re still doing that.
---
“Sorry I haven’t been around much-” Jo started to say, leaning heaving onto the bartop as she rubbed her eyes. She’d been looking at the laptop screen for too long, months of catching up as she’d been struggling with the effort to deal with the fallout from the other hunter.
She’d barely left the house for weeks, even to come down to the bar, as she’d been too busy watching out for the other. Grey’d jumped at every creak and noise around the house ever since he’d gotten home, and she was considering what she could do aside from going and begging the other shadow to keep up his inconvenient choice of Whispering that running the bar and keeping tabs on what was going on there was so far down on her list of priorities. She was clearly a horrible businesswoman.
“Don’t worry about it at all, Jo.” Sophie brushed her off with a wide smile, quickly pulling out a caffeinated soft drink from the fridge so Jo could get a bit more energy back. “It’s been peaceful really, kinda like the place is actually mine-”
“You got the cash to buy me out?” “Not yet, besides, you should just pay me a manager’s salary and let me take over.” “You want that? Done!”
“I said you should, not that I want you to!” Sophie squawked, waving a hand at her as she moved to get the other ledger - the paper written back up that Jo did actually demand on being done even though most everything was electronic these days. Sophie understood it though or at least respected that Jo had a soft spot for keeping a hard copy, just for backup. There was a pause before the brunette added quietly, “Besides - I know it’s been a while since anyone new or old has been around, but like… Your mom or Anna aren’t going to be coming back and trying to take over again sometime are they?”
Jo jerked for a second before frowning. It had been a long time since there had been any noise from either of them.
She’d lost track and stopped caring about Anna’s desertion a long while back - a hissed comment under the redhead’s breath one night at the bar that made Jo question if those memories she claimed were gone actually were, and then after Jo pressed the question the other had stormed out and Jo hadn’t seen her since. It’d been almost a year at that point so she doubted she’d ever hear from her ever again - if Jo didn’t go looking, the redhead could stay missing so far as she was concerned. Especially if she wasn’t as wiped clean as she had claimed to be.
Her mom on the other hand was a different story. Jo had been reaching out, and hearing back sometimes, but… Things were never and had never been good. But since Ellen had reappeared and tried to pick up where they’d left off before Carthage - things had been worse. She remembered their last conversation in person - Ellen questioning what Jo wanted in life and accusing her of always picking fights when Jo’d asked genuinely for her opinion on her relationship and how things had been going - and their other communication had been breaking down even worse since. Jo didn’t suspect her mother would be coming around any time soon, especially not to take over her bar since she kept pushing Jo to ‘grow up’ and ‘find some maturity’. It was unlikely she’d be coming to ‘bail’ Jo out of her mess any time soon.
Shaking her head, Jo cracked the top of her soda with a sigh before smiling across at her bar-tending friend. “I can safely assure you - unless I tell you, nobody is going to come and take the bar off of you again.”
“I’ll drink to that!” Sophie grinned widely back at her, tapping the lid of Jo’s can with a glass of water of her own before they both buckled down to get the ledgers done and all that boring paperwork Jo’d been ignoring and Sophie had been doing checked before the bar was due to open.
---
The postcards came in from all over the place.
And from all different people.
Some hunters would drop them off in hand, others mailed still, and some were put up by the hunter themselves. Those that were hunter notes usually had a list of details on the back of what was at the location and dates.
Chicago, Austin, San Andreas and others, even Ontario and Quebec.
Those that didn’t have those notes were usually from Ellen, and tucked in and pinned up amongst the rest same as all the others. Those didn’t get any special treatment, just like she knew hers never got additional glances or care.
Milwaukee sat tucked underneath Seattle, there was several from all over Florida and the warmer states.
Jo’d even bought her own postcards for Las Vegas and New Orleans that she’d laughed about tucking beside the strict disapproving sense she got off of the cards from her mother and seriousness from the hunter’s postcards.
Bright and shiny between them.
It was collage spanning the whole country of the webs of connection that the hunting community gave to them all.
And Jo found it comforting to know almost ever part of the country had some touch of not only the supernatural but someone who would protect the innocent or free the trapped.
Point Arena, California to West Quoddy, Maine.
---
That they’d finally bumped into one another was not surprising. That it was over a werewolf hunt where her daughter had bumped her arm and thrown off her shot was a surprise.
Ellen had expected the other had learned by now to not be so reckless and stupid. She had hoped that her daughter would have finally matured into her age and stopped running headlong into things. She had thought perhaps Jo would have grown out of being contrary and arguing because she wanted to rebel.
Their fight at the hotel after Jo had subdued the werewolf with a long chain of silver and getting far too close to the man’s claws for Ellen’s comfort until the sunrose and they’d dropped the man off at his home with the firm promise from the blonde that she’d be back before sundown that night to talk more through what his options were had been on a par with their old fights across the worn Roadhouse floorboards.
Jo had screamed and ranted and raved and demanded that she was right, and that she knew better and that she knew what she was doing. It was so reminiscent that Ellen couldn’t help but fall back into old patterns and asked just how Jo had done handling her old boyfriend since they’d last talked and queried just what Jo had done to turn her old ‘hero’ Gordon against her. The reaction had been icy but even more standard Jo than the screaming - a slammed door and a hiss that she was a grown-up and didn’t have to answer to Ellen anymore - but a firm grip on the other’s arm had stopped the chance of her storming out like the rebellious fifteen-year-old she’d been the last time they had this conversation.
Jo had been quiet and petulant, and tugged and pulled to free herself, but all Ellen could see was her pouting teenage daughter who thought she was strong enough, fast enough, good enough to be out on those dusty roads where she was going to end up dead and gnawed on by some monster. More than she already was, given the scarring on her neck that Ellen had heard through Bobby had been a very nasty accident. All she could see was that same child that wouldn’t listen to her, and screamed that it was Ellen’s fault that her daddy left so often and why couldn’t she be nice and understanding for once.
Ellen had shaken her head then as she let go of her glaring daughter and decided that was it. That was the moment she was done. She’d tried her best to protect her. She’d worked for years with a petulant, stubborn reckless brat of a child with daydreams and fantasies about her perfect father that Ellen could never quite scrub the idealistic glint from. She’d given her all and yet it never had an impact. And she was done. She was done trying to reign the other in, and fix her mistakes, and rescue her from her back choices. She was done trying to protect Jo from herself.
She’d not said as much to the raging blonde though. She’d waited a moment before sighing and simply saying that she was done. She was out.
“I’m not going to be hunting anymore, Jo, you’re going to finally be on your own. I hope you do know what you’re doing for once.”
---
Jo - 05/16/14 I love you mom. Hope today has been okay for you.
You near Chicago still?
Ellen - 05/18/14 Moved last month. Decided to try New York for a while. Moving as much as you hunt.
Jo - 07/23/14 Got a case in New York if you’re around might drop by?
Ellen - 07/26/14 Moved last week - down in Florida.
Jo - 12/24/14 Merry Christmas mom! I was going to go down to get some sun if you were still in Florida somewhere?
Ellen - 01/12/15 Hope you had good holidays and actually spent time with people not your knives. I’ve actually moved to a spot in Texas and going to Michigan next month likely.
Jo - 02/12/15 Got a case near Michigan! Happy to see your daughter?
Ellen - 02/13/15 Would but I stayed in Texas Nothing that would excite you here
Jo - 05/16/15 You ANYWHERE in the continental US this month?
Ellen - 05/20/15 How about I tell you next time I have time in MY schedule for once, Joanna Beth, rather than you thinking you and your gladding about as a hunter means everyone else has to operate under your schedule?
---
“You heard anything?”
“Since when?” Bobby grumbled the words back at her with a sharp look, and Jo quickly lowered her own voice as she watched his glance through the open doors into the kitchen where Dean was working on dinner. Or at least, what Dean called dinner. They were likely having some kind of tater-tot casserole - but at least Jo knew it would still be a dish made with love given how flustered the man seemed to be trying to cook for more than just himself and maybe Sam for once. Sam was resting upstairs in one of the spare beds after the boys had rolled in from a demon-hunt that’d resulted in a sore back for the taller hunter and a nasty gash on the other’s face that he covered with the worst bandaging Jo’d ever seen when she arrived. “I ain't heard nothing from your mom since more than a year passed.”
“Yeah?” Jo frowned to herself slightly, rubbing at the back of her neck as she thought about it. “Been longer than that since I last saw her.”
“Oh?” Bobby’s tone reeked of surprise, and Jo couldn’t quite meet the concerned and caring look in his eye as he seemed to take in that information. It was a surprise of course. Even when Jo’d been on the road without Ellen’s so called permission - despite her being a grown-ass-woman at the time - Jo had heard back from her more than she was now. Bobby knew how much the other had kept tabs on her, and especially through him as it was. “All I can say is that she hasn’t been in touch with me to follow up on your, Jo.”
Jo frowned all over again at that. It was so unusual and she had expected despite Ellen’s claims that she was out of hunting that she would keep tabs on her still. It was just what she’d always done. Ellen had never given her the chance to not be watched really - and thus half of the appeal of a strong, charismatic older hunter offering a chance away from Ellen’s control and watchful spies had been all the more - but that her mom really had stepped out from the hunter-sphere felt surprisingly okay.
Jo was standing on her own two feet, and even more than that, she was thriving on her own really.
“Ah well, I can’t really expect she’d want to keep up with things given I still haven’t changed how she wants yet.” Jo finally added after a long moment’s silence and taking a long drag from her beer. “Not bein’ a so called grownup and given up this huntin’ nonsense.”
“That what you think her issue is?” Bobby grumbled the words out, taking a long sip of his scotch as he considered her quietly for a moment. “Not the monster boyfriend?”
“Ha, all she wanted was me to settle down. I think she’s more angry he isn’t tryin’ to control my life like she did Daddy’s.” “He doesn’t stop you hunting?” “Not at all. Grey’s always respectful that huntin’ is what I do.” “Hmm.”
Jo let out a quiet laugh as she looked at the grumpy but believing look the other gave her for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. “Pretty sure even if I wasn’t datin’ Grey, and wasn’t huntin’ she’d still not be happy or care all that much-”
“Jo, that’s your mom. She’ll always care about you,” Dean chimed in as he moved through from the kitchen, a disapproving frown on his face as he stared down at Jo for a moment. “It ain’t like you’re some horrible person that nobody could care about, and even then - she’s still your mom. Mother’s always love you.”
Jo felt a little shiver down her spine at those words, shaking her head to rid the tiny spark of fear they’d brought up, before letting out an exhausted sounding laugh. “You can think that if you like Deano. I’ll just know that I ain’t what my momma ever wanted in a kid and that she’s goin’ to be disappointed s’long as I’m not workin’ some kid-friendly job with a bun in the oven and a banker husband with a white picket fence. It’s fine.”
Dean gave her an even more disapproving look, which Jo shook her head again to rid before pointing a finger at him. “You shut up and sit down here so I can fix that hideous bandage, then you can fight with me ‘bout it.”
The other hunter followed instructions with a quiet grumble, and Jo moved to grab Bobby’s first aid kit but found herself smiling softly as she heard the older hunter talking softly to the other man as she left the room.
“You know, she’s probably right. Jo’s always had so much more of her dad in her - it’s like Bill ain’t never left.”
---
Jo - 03/10/16 Not sure what you’re up to, but if you had a date/time to catch up would love to see you, mom
Jo - 04/07/16 Thank you for having me. Happy birthday for me. You free sometime?
Jo - 05/16/16 I miss you mom I miss dad Are you free?
Jo - 08/28/16 Wanted to see where you were at in case I’m ever nearby?
---
The sound of the siren was sharp and high pitched. It was endless and whirring. And all over the sound of it’s cry she could hear another cry. Someone sobbing and gasping and crying in pain. It was a ragged and harsh sound, and it made her ears and mind hurt to hear the pain in each gasp.
“The driver’s here! She’s breathing!” The voice was unfamiliar and in the state of fog right then, Ellen was sick of trying to differentiate yet another new voice. She heard a hiccup in the crier’s voice, but then the other voice continued again - shouting for the jaws of life and a gurney.
She tried to shake the voices away, the wailing siren too, but all that did was make the crier scream out in agony. Her agony, Ellen realised belatedly as she felt her neck stiff and painful and her head ring in an oddly disjointed way at her attempt to move. It was her crying. She rarely heard the sound, it was so odd to think of herself crying.
She had used to cry silently all the time - alone in bed, or in the shower, or out the back of the bar taking a ‘smoke’ break with no cigarettes when some hunter would come in hurt and dying or dead - but she had stopped after she’d lost her husband. Why cry over the other men foolish enough to follow him into death with their insane line of work? Why keep spilling her tears over a man who hadn’t cared enough about her to stay home? Why cry over what she saw had been falling apart even before they had been married a year?
She had cried afterwards though over someone else - tears had been spilt for years as she watched the lure of the same dangers draw her daughter in. Ellen had tried to stop it, but no one could stop the inevitable. And by the time her daughter had died in her arms and she’d been blown sky high along with her, she had been sure she’d shed her last tears over her husband’s choices to ruin her life. She should have packed up and left year, decades, earlier to try for any happiness but she’d failed her daughter and more importantly herself so the tears had burned away too.
Getting back, Ellen had not cried again. Why cry over her daughter being stupid enough to continue the same path where she left off? Why cry over hunters still, thirty years on? Ellen was sick of crying over hunters and she had left them behind her. It had been for her, and she deserved to be happy.
Sucking in a painful breath that felt more like liquid than air that left her gasping and crying as the paramedic tried to free her from her seat - Ellen was glad this was the time she was crying again. This seemed valid to cry about. Everything hurt but somehow nothing did either. Everything was a fog and quiet but oh so loud too. It seemed right to cry then.
Her life in Swainsboro, Georgia had been great. She’d been working at a few different jobs before getting a managers position at a small bookshop-slash-coffeeshop. She’d made many friends and been part of a community garden. She’d gone to church and been the only one to know that the God they prayed to was truly real and could listen if He wanted. She sometimes even sent a prayer to him that her old friends were safe and okay. She had been part of a council Beautification team working to make the community better. She had helped at the Church and at the local library reading story time every Tuesday and Thursday morning. She had been the Ellen she’d always wanted to be with a small dog and a cute little house that had no iron and no saltlines and no warding against the supernatural under every doorstep. She had been the woman she’d always dreamed she would be.
Her life had been a dream in the small quiet part of the world, and letting out a last hollow cry, Ellen could feel the world slipping from her in a way she did not experience the first time and could only think that she was glad this time she could die happy with the way her life had been. If only the rest of those she cared for could say the same.
---
“This number is no longer in service. For information, contact the phone service provider.” - 04/07/17
---
“Who’s that?” Jo found herself asking as she leaned against the counter top of the Police station. She was hear on a case the next town over but who didn’t have their own station and as such had their records stored there in Swainsboro. Her suit felt awkward and stiff but she knew that was just her own discomfort being surrounded by law enforcement rather than the suit itself - loving selected on a shopping trip with her sister earlier that year - given the quality of the fabric and the flattering cut of the pencil skirt and jacket that showed off her curves but in a way that still worked perfectly for a Federal agent cover but also a flirty journalist. Today it was Agent Bennet after some very important files about the cow mutilations and missing girls the next town over.
“Who?” “That photograph there.”
“Oh, you mean Mrs Helving!” The friendly dark haired woman working the counter replied, moving over to unpin the photograph of the middle aged woman. “Well, actually, I guess you mean Mrs Jane Doe.”
“Huh?” “She’s one of our unidentified persons-” “What?”
Jo felt like she’d just been doused in ice water as she looked between the photograph of her mother’s face smiling in a way Jo never really remembered seeing before and the officer. Her mother looked back up at her from the photograph - sure her hair was a little less grey and her eyes held more shine and the clothes she wore looked like a Sunday Church goer, but it was still her mom.
“Mrs Helv- uh, you know what, no, Mrs Helving.” The officer smiled gently, a touch of sadness in the woman’s face as she took in the photo over the counter across from Jo, before shaking her head. “Or at least that’s how she was known around town. She was so lovely - worked the Sunday School, and was part of the community garden, and ran the bookshop for old Mr Jenkins - but such a shame.”
“Shame?” Jo asked quietly handing the photograph back with a frown. “What’s a shame?”
“Well, that’s the thing. She wasn’t Mrs Helving! It was an alias!” The officer was wide eyed and sounded shocked to herself at such gossip, putting the photograph back gently. “Turns out all her identification papers were fake, and we only found out after the car crash that she wasn’t who she said she was.”
Jo frowned to herself, tucking her hands into her suit pockets to hide the slight shakes as she looked across curiously. As the officer looked back at her, Jo raised a brow in silent question.
“It was a few months ago. Poor dear!” The other woman shook her own head as she moved to sit back down at her counter with a sigh. “Back during the winter we had an unexpected snow storm. It wasn’t so bad, but poor poor Mrs Helving was in a car crash out on the interstate coming to help pack down the Nativity scene just after new years and her car was driven from the road by an eighteen wheeler. Died right after the paramedics arrived.”
“Oh.” Jo found herself letting out a quiet whoosh of breath as she looked away out the window for a moment, before forcing herself to shake the thought as another officer came out the back with the file boxes she was after. Work first, deal with that second. “Thanks, can I have an office?”
As she moved around to a spare room to read through the paperwork she was after, Jo opened a few tabs on her phone as well to research about the so-called Mrs Helving and her lovely life in Georgia. It wasn’t hard to find what she’d been up to, how the last few years had been, and how respected and cared for Ellen must have been the way she had been back in her domain of the Roadhouse - and yet the effervescent smile in place at all times was the way that never appeared at the last place. Ellen’s life looked great, and like she’d been happier off leaving the world of hunters and pain behind.
Jo had finished with her paperwork and made her way out of the station and towards the local diner to get a good dinner before setting off back to the hunting grounds of what definitely looked to be a lone vampire. She found herself eating her meal quietly, eyes on the articles and Facebook posts and every little thing she could find about her mother’s life, before she pushed away and somehow found herself drawn to the local cemetery the funeral notice had stated she would be resting.
Mrs Ellen Helving 01.07.17 She sowed courtesy and reaped friendship
She planted kindness and gathered love
Looking at it, Jo couldn’t help but let out a laugh at such ridiculousness.
That wasn’t the memory of her mother - it wasn’t what she would have put on such a tombstone and it wasn’t what she would ever say of Ellen Harvelle. Sure, she had been courteous and kind, made friends and shared a loving care for those that came through her door, but that wasn’t what a hunting-widow was made of. Ellen Harvell had been fire and fury, rage and coldness, and an ever present fear of the world outside of the Roadhouse doors where she couldn’t see or control things. That was what Jo would remember of her mother - not some kind woman who was open and loving to all. That wasn’t the tombstone where her mother rested. Her mother had left a charred building and slaughtered hounds of Hell in her wake, she had left a grave marker more in line with the fire that fueled her life.
A bouquet of flowers left behind was all that Jo really felt necessary when she had finished laughing at the tombstone. A small respectful set of flowers for a woman that Jo knew she didn’t know, a stranger with her mother’s past but without the baggage. The words were about a woman Jo never got to know - not the mother Jo had gotten, but how Ellen always should’ve been - and the end of her life seemed as normal as Jo knew she’d always wanted it to be.
Something felt hollow about it, but as Jo set off back to the next town - she knew that Carthage was only a few hours out of her way back home, and maybe she could leave some flowers at her real mother’s grave.
---
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FIC: Light In The Crack
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Her back ached something fierce sitting in on the bar stool, but leaning over the sticky, wooden surface, Jo mentally added new bar stools to her list for things she should think about updating in the bar going forward.
“Hey, did you get my list for new orders?” The brunette girl’s voice cut through, and blinking blearily as she lifted her eyes from the laptop screen to the god send of a barmaid, Jo found herself nodding towards Sophie. “Oh good. I know I added a few new things on there-”
“You’re thinkin’ it’d be good for the younger crowd comin’ in now, right?” “Exactly.” “Why am I even botherin’ to do the paperwork myself any more?”
That got a laugh from the other as Sophie quickly swiped over the bar top with a cleaning rag to pick up that sticky factor, before the other shrugged. “Easy. You’re off from your travels for a few months with the little one on the way, so best you do something to keep yourself occupied.”
“You better not get used to it,” she quipped back, sitting up a bit straighter and one hand going to rub her aching back and the other to settle on top of the shifting movement inside her extended stomach. The little brat was in an excited mood today it seemed. “You’re back on the books as soon as the little bastard gets out.”
Sophie laughed again, nodding as she grinned and moved back to restocking the fridge.
“Who are you calling that, cupckae. Is i- the baby misbehaving?”
Jo found herself smiling as she shifted on her seat with a groan to turn out towards the rest of the bar as the shadow settled on the stool beside her. The dark haired woman was dressed far more relaxed than usual, but that didn’t particularly surprise her. She’d noticed the other woman knew better than to dress too well whenever they’d be meeting at the bar - even though they never did when too many unfriendly types may be around, it just made the other stand out. And Shada had quipped once that a man smelling of fish or a college kid without a proper beard were not the type she wanted to stand out for.
“He’s bein’ a brat today, so yeah,” Jo found herself chuckling and then letting out an audible groan as she felt a foot hit out at her in a way that was still so surreal. “He gets to be one when he acts like it.”
As she looked over at the other woman again from where she was massaging the sore point from the constant running practice that morning the baby was doing, Jo was surprised to see the look of confused wonder and uncertainty crossing the other woman’s face.
“Is he... What was that you reacted to?” Shada’s voice was almost quiet as the natural sound of her real Voice, but held nothing but surprise in it’s tone. “Why... How do you know if he’s misbehaving?”
As another harsh kick started, Jo rolled her eyes and grabbed the shadow woman’s hand to place over the space. “Give it a sec and you’ll know how I know he deserves a goddamn motherfuckin’- ow! - time out today.” The hard kick came again followed by a second and then the strange bumping that Jo took to mean he’d decided he was bored and spinning around for some reason. The loud squeal that cut over Jo’s own pained reaction was loud, surprised and made Jo want to laugh a little as she growled darkly to herself as she could feel the mass under their hands moving about restlessly before settling again. “Bloody little brat, that’s right go to sleep you dick.”
There was a long pause before she realised the other hadn’t moved her hand back yet, and releasing her hold, the blonde found herself frowning slightly at the way the other woman moved her hand back slowly and kept twitching her fingers. Neither said a word for a moment, before they were interrupted by a loud shout of greeting from the stairs at the other end of the room.
“Hey! You two are early,” Harry beamed towards them as he moved across the room. “When’d you get here? Jo, why are you working?”
“Got bored at home, and Grey’s goin’ to be another half hour dealin’ with his stuff.” Jo replied gently as she turned back to her laptop and began shutting the system down once she’d finished sending her last email. Clicking the top down, she was surprised to see a hand held out by Harry to help her off of her perch. “What? You think I’m goin’ to fall flat on my face?”
“Not my fault you’d be easy to topple over these days.” “You calling me fat, Potter?” “Nah, just calling you front heavy. Balance out the back.” “Oi!”
Jo laughed as she hit out at the other gently once she was back on her feet, and smiled as Harry picked up her laptop for her. “Didn’t want to go upstairs until I knew you were ‘bout. Be a shitty landlord who just barged on in all the time unannounced.” She smiled brightly at the researcher as he shifted her laptop to the other hand and offered the same help out of friendliness and appreciation to the fact Shada usually wore much higher heels that she was right then. “Besides.. who knows if you’d’ve had a girl over for once.”
Harry’s cheeks went a little red at that, and if the way his eyes darted across the top of the bar in the direction of the brunette woman spinning about to some Broadway tune with a case of beers to unpack, Jo figured she’d have to have a look at how sexual harassment in the workplace worked if they finally got their shit together.
“Heh, funny Jo.” Harry replied sharply after a moment, smiling at her as she made to waddle towards the stairs after the other two. The researcher bent at the entry to the stairs and unlatched the protective iron bar he and Jo had devised to work as an alternative protection, and waved both women up as he moved to set it against the wall so the stairway would remain open for either friendly shadow when Grey would arrive. “You two get settled-”
“Harry, could you come help with the keg?” “Sure thing.” “Thanks sugarpie!”
Jo found herself raising a brow, before smirking as Shada let out her own giggle at how red Harry’s cheeks and neck had gone as he waved them up. He’d be along later, and if the way Sophie glanced over with a wink to the departing women, it wouldn’t be until Grey himself showed up likely. Jo would really need to look into if Harry not being an on a contract made it her issue or not.
As soon as they got upstairs, Jo practically flung herself onto the couch and lifted her aching, swollen ankles up onto the arm rest with a welcome sigh. She was barely six months along and already she was exhausted and aching constantly. Every muscle groaned constantly and it had been a battle for the last few weeks not to scream in frustration and pain frequently. Rubbing her belly again with a quiet whimper, she fumbled for a throw cushion to rest under her head as well as her lower back before foregoing the head support when she only found one cushion in arms reach.
“You, uh, need this?”
Jo looked up in surprise to see Shada holding out another cushion towards her, and smiling gratefully, she stuffed the pillow under her head with a happy sigh.
“God bless, fuck me I hate this so much.” Jo let out a quiet chuckle with the words, a self-deprecating tone running through the words filled with amusement as she continued to gently rub her stomach where she could feel the baby shifting but thankfully not kicking out. She didn’t think her bladder or liver could handle another kick right now. “I can’t wait ‘til he’s out and I don’t have to ever do this ‘gain.”
“Oh?” The other’s voice was quiet, quieter than usual, and took Jo by surprise with the tone inside of it. Something sad and pained, and maybe even a little bit longing if Jo could pick it right. Shada’s face betrayed none of that though as she perched on the coffee table where Jo could see her easily without having to turn her head or sit up, knees crossed and fingers picking at her perfect manicure that the hunter envied so much. “You, uh, that is, you’re not planning more afterwards?”
Her brow jumped sharply and high at that, and if her back didn’t hurt so much and she had any energy left, Jo would have jolted up at that. Instead she had to settle for a surprised noise and a brow raise to hopefully deliver the surprise for her.
“Um, fuck no?” She replied, confusion bleeding into her tone. “I don’t particularly suspect I’m goin’ to be sleepin’ with anyone other than your brother, so I’m pretty sure that there’s not going to be another one happening.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that-” “Well it’s kinda the only way that’d happen.”
“I just meant,” Shada’s fingers worked more slowly at her nails, twisting and examining them rather than meeting Jo’s eye, and watching that Jo knew the other was thinking something that was likely to upset or be confusing all over again. There was a beat before the other finished her sentence, tone shifting from affronted to curiosity easily. “I know brother is... well, we all know what’s happened. And he’s so happy about the baby coming, I just thought perhaps you’d discuss together options if you wanted another.”
Jo let out a harsh bark of laughter at that, hard and bitter under it as she sank into the calming feeling of rubbing her stomach that she’d found kept her from getting swept away lately. “I doubt Grey’d like me sleeping with someone else again just to get another baby.”
“Perhaps he could-” “What? Jump ship and compel that fuckin’ arsehole still in there to do the deed so it’d be ours?” “No!”
The way Shada’s face had shifted into one of abject horror and disgust made Jo laugh, though it weakened quickly as the jostling brought another painful kick against her diaphragm that time that made her wheeze. Bloody bratty kid. Coughing sharply, Jo waved a hand at the other’s worried look that appeared. “It’s fine. He didn’t like my laughing.”
Shada nodded a few times, eyes moving from her face down to the protruding stomach as the skin moved, and her eyes grew wider that dinner plates at the shifting movements visible at the flash of the bottom curve of her bump under her shirt gap. The blonde found herself chewing on her lip as she wondered just how the other must be taking her brother having a second child, as well as the practicalities of what she was seeing. Jo could remember their first meeting, and how her hunny had said his sister wanted children more than anything when she asked afterwards, but how different and how she didn’t wish to carry them herself. Rubbing at her eyes with a groan, she figured perhaps she was being rude being so ungrateful about the baby herself to the other woman.
“I’m sorry.” She supplied gently, a hand covering her eyes still from looking at what might be running across the other’s face. “I just... I thought this one wasn’t even possible, let alone the impossibility of another with your brother.” Jo found the words tripping out quietly, barely whispered out into the ether beyond the darkness of her eyes closed.
There was a second before she felt a gentle touch against her hand from the other, fingers gripping hers for a fraction of a second before releasing again, the tiny show of support Jo needed right then somehow perfectly. Even if the other probably had no idea.
“Why’d you think you wouldn’t have kids?” The curiosity bleeding out of the other was not unsurprising, given who is was, and turning her head and peering out from between her fingers, Jo wasn’t surprised to see confusion running rampant across the pretty face. “I mean, you said you didn’t want any before, but then-”
“I know what I said that time.” “Well, you changed your mind by then, clearly. And now you are, so why’d you think you couldn’t? It’s not like you’re not fit, cupcake.” “I didn’t think I could.”
“That’s not an answer.” The snap was surprising, as was the heat behind the other’s eyes when Jo met Shada’s in that moment, frowning to herself a little at the sharp look she was receiving. “Clearly you’re a healthy woman, you’re obviously fertile from the seem of things, and it’s not like you wouldn’t have known you could - you did grow up human, after all. So, why did you think you couldn’t?”
The look, dark but warm, caring but hard, curious and longing mixed with a bit of confusion and concern. Jo could tell something was running through the other’s mind - probably something as far from the reality of Jo’s worries as possible. It was like a voice was whispering in the back of her mind that this might be the moment she could finally vocalise that moment. The thing that had haunted her for years, ever since she was reborn as she is now. That this person - the woman staring at her with compassion and support and genuine care, but also a backbone of iron and a cooler head than most - could be one that might be able to handle and be trusted with the truth. That she could share the secret that had lived for so long buried in her mind and heart and the inflated womb that was carrying the precious child that had been the key to so much happiness already before he’d even entered the world.
Jo felt the prickle of tears in her eyes, sharp and painful, as she moved her hand from her face entirely and reached out for one of the other’s. Shada moved easily, eyes fixed on her own as Jo shifted their joined hands on top of her stomach again with sharp, harsh breaths.
“Jo-” Shada’s voice sounded faint and far away under the rush of blood in her ears, and blinking rapidly as if to fight off the start of tears, Jo found herself cutting the other off.
“I thought I could only have abominations.” The word felt right on her tongue - the phrase perfect for how she’d feared and felt for years - and the sharp jerk of the other’s hand as if to pull away and hiss of anger was nothing to the twang in her chest at feeling this finally bubbling out of her lips. “I was brought back to have them, I was made for it. It’s... what I’m for. So I thought I’d never be.. able to have somethin’ good and precious like this.”
“What?” Shada’s confusion was palpable, and Jo knew she hadn’t spoken well, but the wave of relief that was flooding her just then for even verbalising somehow a part of that felt amazing.
Riding that wave on the cusp, she shifted in her spot, swinging her feet off the armrest to the floor and sitting up to face the darkened look on the other’s face. Smiling softly to herself as she let the shadow pull her hand back like she’d been burned by Jo and her words, the blonde ran her hands gently across her stomach as she spoke quietly.
“I... When I was brought back to life?” Jo glanced up from her baby towards the other, dark eyes meeting and seeking the nod of acknowledgement and understanding from the shadow, before continuing. “I never... I’ve never told anyone-”
“Not even brother?” Shada’s voice was almost scandalised, and Jo would have laughed if this was about anything else. The look of surprise and confusion grew on the woman’s pretty face as Jo nodded, before the thick swallow of air seemed to pass them and Jo could find herself continuing.
“-when I was brought back, it wasn’t... as inexplicable as other’s have taken it to be. I, uh, I know who brought me back. And I have always known why.” Jo spoke calmly in a way that she could barely recognise of her own voice right then. “I was brought back for a very specific purpose-”
“What?” “To birth halfbreeds.” “What?”
“I was brought back to life through... I was brought back by the, by the-” The words were catching in her throat, and her eyes hurt like her back did. Like they were performing the same herculean task that her back did every day handling the stress of the baby growing inside of her by holding back the flood of tears she could feel building in her cheeks and dying to rush down her face. He tongue was five times to large, and her throat refused to let the words out on her mind’s command while her heart screamed to let the words out finally.
“Cupcake, it’s... I don’t need to know, whatever it is if it’s that bad.” Shada’s eyes were as wide as they had been at that first kick, but rather than surprise, wonder and confusion they were filled with sympathy and concern and something a little darker warning that perhaps she wouldn’t take the information as calmly as Jo had thought. But she’d bitten enough out already that Jo just had to spit it all out now or choke on the word vomit piling up in her throat. “You don’t have to say anything.”
Shaking her head, blonde strands hanging around her face as Jo let out a shuddering breathe, she wound her fingers together and began picking at a hangnail to avoid looking at the other. “Michael - the Archangel Michael - was the one to bring me back. He pulled me straight from Heaven and shoved me back in my new and improved body, right back where I died.” The air felt suddenly colder beyond belief, and Jo could see the hairs stand up along her arms the same as she felt it on the back of her neck despite the warmth of the room. It felt like all the air was sucked from the space as soon as she’d spoken the name aloud for the first time in years. Like a curse to it. “He... He was commanded to-”
“Who could command-”
“Angels were made by two people. One, we all know, as God. The other was his partner -” Jo’s eyes slowly slide up from her fidgeting hands as she spoke, to see the mottled mix of confusion and uncertainty swirling across the tug and pull of the other woman’s lips, before they dropped open in clear shock as Jo continued, “- his partner, known by most of her children as Mother.”
It was like an electrical storm was building in the space. The air felt like it was alive with energy, all swirling about in the tense atmosphere waiting for a spark or a jolt to let out a lightening crack. Or perhaps it was the complete and odd stillness that Jo couldn’t feel a single shift, kick or twist from the form growing inside of her. The form that if Fate had had her way, would never have existed. The form that if the Mother of Monsters had had her way, would be half angelic and pushed out to wreck havoc upon the world. The form that was somehow a blessing despite the curse Jo had been living under.
“Wh- wh... what?” Shada’s eyes stayed fixed on her own, and Jo could see the pinpoint focus and million thoughts that must have been rushing through the shadow’s mind at that information. Jo knew it was hard to swallow, and harder still to understand the implications. But the reality had been like a hard pill caught in the back of her throat no matter how much water she tried to wash it down with. “What would... What would Mother want with a human? Why would she want you resurrected?”
Jo gave a quiet, pained laugh at that question - because that was the million dollar question and the part she brought all on herself. “She wanted me out of the way and somewhere I could be managed.” She hissed the word out, tugging at the end of her hair sharply for a moment as she remembered the feeling of a less harsh pair of fingers stroking before they turned violent. “That’s what Michael was for. To manage me. And to help her with a brand new plan to destroy God’s children-”
“Humans?” “Bingo.” “What’s that to do with you and-”
The way the shadow cut off with a hiss made Jo want to laugh again as her eyes drew back to the other and the strange mix of tones crossing the woman’s face. The possibilities, every little bit of the puzzle Jo had shared, every little bit of the secret she’d trailed throughout the conversation, slowly dawning on the other’s face.
“She wanted a new species of monster - human and angelic hybrids, in fact. Mother wanted an army of nephilims.” “Don’t those kill the human?”
“They do. If they aren’t made specially for it.” Jo snarled the words out, anger bubbling at the injustice of what her life had been to be played and toyed with as she had been. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh at the tiny shift she could feel from her son against her skin. “That’s why I was brought back, and how I was changed. I, uh, I can carry and birth, and birth again, that type without dyin’. I was to be taken into... Into Michael’s custody. For him to begin her plans, for him to..to breed with me. For him to ra-”
“No!” The shocked cry was surprising, but nothing on the almost bone-crushing hug that came from the other as Shada launched from the coffee table to beside her. Thin arms wrapped tightly around her chest and the dark head pressed tightly against her own shoulders as Jo could abstractly feel them shaking before she felt that tsunami of feelings washing out of her and the tears falling finally with a sob as she collapsed into the other’s hold. “No no no. That’s- Oh Jo!”
Wrapping her own arms back around the other’s smaller frame, she felt as if something heavy that had been on her back had lifted - even if her back still ached from the pains of stretches and carrying a whole extra life with her, she felt like she’d never been as light as she was in that moment. “I thought I couldn’t... I could never have anythin’ but those. I never... I never thought I could have somethin’ that I wanted.”
There was a movement that felt like a nod from the other woman as Jo struggled to calm her breathing for a moment as she felt the soft rub of a hand on her back, massaging gently away at the tender open wound of her heart and mind with soft fingers that wouldn’t tug any more than Jo would offer.
“Jo,” Shada’s voice sounded rough and dry, not at all the sweet and clear tones that she usually used, and as the pair finally drew back from each other, Jo could see thick mascara lines matching what she was sure were red tear lines down her own face. “That’s not going to happen. None of us would let that happen to you, and the... the baby you have? You’ve had the say in this, it’s your choice that you’re having it, right? And you do want it, right?”
It was the first time someone had actually asked her that since she’d found out, and as she heard the sound of footsteps and the two men they were waiting on’s voices bouncing up from the stairway and hall, Jo found herself letting out a sharp, pained bark of a laugh as she nodded her head.
If there was nothing else Jo knew - she knew that no matter what had happened to her, that she was getting exactly what she wanted as another sharp, painful kick was driven out against where the other woman’s stomach was pressed to hers. And as Shada let out a surprised and shocked squeal again, her eyes caught the shadow’s eyes to know that there was someone who knew just how much Jo had been carrying to get just what she wanted.
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FIC:  In This Town...
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“Party City Red Hood, huh?” Jo quipped with a grin, reacting out and tapping the front of the red bike helmet the other hunter was wearing. “Or, I’ll pay that it’s a step up from that.”
There was a chuckle from somewhere behind the full helmet before he reached up and pulled it off, exposing a black domino mask across his eyes. “You’re one to talk. What are you supposed to be - Sandra Dee?” Dean’s lips quirked up into a smirk as he ran an eye over her for a moment before grinning roguishly. “Surprised you’re not running about being Batgirl.”
The blonde smiled in return, doing a little twist and bob that swung her circle skirt and petticoats about herself, before sticking out her tongue. “Sorry Deano, wasn’t lookin’ to run about in spandex tonight. I’ve gotta be able to move after all-”
“You can in that wide a skirt?” “It helps push customers out of the way at least.” “That seems true enough.”
“Speakin’ of - two beers and some fries for you and Sammy?” Jo asked cheerfully as she spotted the taller man moving to claim one of the booth seats near the doorway to the upstairs. “Tell him I’m sorry we don’t have any salads on the menu these days.”
“Oh no, you have to be the one to break that to him.” Dean smirked in response, fumbling around before throwing a few twenties on the bar top. “Guessing that’ll-”
Jo turned about back to him as she poured two beers for the both and placed them down beside the money before raising a brow. “Yeah, I’ll start a tab for you boys, but you know-”
“Nuh uh, Jo,” The surprise of hearing the other brother’s voice managed to startle both hero and bartender as Sam popped up beside his brother. His usually freed hair was tucked down under the deer stalker on his head, and he seemed to have appeared out of the crowd with the same sense of theatric timing and clairvoyance as his chosen costume would as well - though without the jacket that was thrown over the table saving it for them, it was hard for most to work out he was the famed detective instead of simply a hipster for that year. “I know we’re family, but this is still a business. And business?”
“Is business.” Dean finished in unison with his brother, jostling the other’s shoulder for a second as they both stared down the blonde’s chagrined expression until she finally reached a hand out to take the notes. “That’a girl! Start us up a tab, would you?”
“Sure thin’. I’ll swing round with those fries, and maybe I can ask Grey to bring  something healthier from home if you guys need.” “Don’t worry about it, Jo. It’s Halloween - time for candy and alcohol.” “Surprised to hear that from you, Sam!”
The taller of the brother’s shrugged a shoulder before delivering a foppish grin back. “Hey, it’s better than some of the Halloweens we’ve had. I figure I deserve a treat.”
“Right on.” Jo giggled back, smiling and giving a short wave as they turned towards their table before slipping the notes into the cash register beside the other barmaid with a grin and a quick debrief on the brothers’ tab before turning to more customers.
---
“Well, well, well, I’d say look what the cat dragged in - but I had nothing to do with it.” The sultry tone did wonders for the joke as the two girls slid into the free edges of the booth.
The Winchesters had been there for the last half an hour, going through a few plates of fries, exchanging a few pleasantries with Harry when he’d come rushing down from upstairs to help behind the bar as the dock crowd slowly gave way to the assorted collection of dressed up college students. The influx seemingly marking the change of clientele that made the space more and more friendly to the sisters’ arrival.
“Say what now?” Dean asked with a grin as he lifted his arm naturally to rest across the back of the booth seat, though he was glad he’d left his helmet beside himself. It gave enough space that he didn’t feel too cramped by the new arrivals. Running an eye over the skin tight black dress, that appeared to him to be more sheer-than-not fabric and left a lot of skin and the lace bodice underneath visible above the skirts ruffles, he couldn’t quite work out what she was supposed to be. He let out a laugh as he caught the shadow’s eye, raising a brow. “What are you supposed to be anyway? Didn’t know Victoria’s Secret Model was a costume option or I’d have cracked out the panties.”
Shada let out her own laugh before pointing a purple manicured finger towards the two little eats attached to the top of her head. “I’m a cat. Dah.”
“I’m pretty sure the joke is that you’re supposed to be a mouse.” Sam quipped from his side of the table, a warm smile directed across at the other for a moment. “I mean, you were going for a Mean Girls reference weren’t you?”
“A what now?” “It’s... It’s a movie. Ask Jo sometime.”
“You and your chick flicks.” Dean laughed, turning to rib as his brother. “Surprised you picked Sherlock when you had so many other options to choose, Fabio.”
Before Sam could respond, the blonde beside him chirped up with a confused look upon her face. “What’s a... Fabio?”
The taller hunter let out a bit of a laugh, and slid the fries plate a little closer to the younger girl as he caught her eye dipping down to look at them curiously, before replying. “Dean here’s just mad he doesn’t have the flowing locks or the six pack to be him. He’s basically the poster art on any romance novel from the eighties.”
“Oh! Like the novels big sister reads?” “Yes, just like those, Ombre.” “Ah, tre bien! You do have the hair for that!”
Shada let out a laugh as the younger shadow had been chewing on a fry before exclaiming happily at working out the reference. It was bemusing to watch the enraptured way her little sister reached out a hand to tug on the loose locks popping out under the ear flaps of the hunter’s hat and the confused and them equally amused look that crossed the man’s face at the innocent gesture.
“Who are you both supposed to be then?” She asked conversationally as she turned to run a disproportionately assessing eye over each hunter. “I am unfamiliar with both your choices.”
Sam smiled back as he picked up a fry, chewing quickly before replying quietly. “I’m being Sherlock Holmes. And please don’t tell me if you don’t know who that is. Your brother already pranked me with that-”
“Oh that sounds just like him.” The brunette shadow laughed, shaking her head quickly when she noticed her sister’s mouth open to voice her confusion. “He’s being a fictional detective, Ombre. A very famous one.” As the other snapped her mouth shut before picking up another fry decisively instead, she figured she’d have to talk to her brother about what other tricks and taunts he’d played on the hunters and to leave some for her. Quirking a curious brow at the man beside her, Shada waved her hand for him to answer her instead.
“Red Hood, at your service.” Dean said with a smile, dropping his hand to pick the helmet off the seat between them for a moment before resettling it. At her blank look the cocky smile drooped slightly and he coughed uncertainly. “He, uh... It’s a comic character. Batman series? Jason Todd? He was a Robin?” At the continued blank look, Dean finally gave a shake of his head and ran a hand through his hair mussing it before smirking widely. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to educate you sometime.”
“Perhaps you will.” Shada didn’t stop the flirtatious tone as she batted her eyes enough to turn the hunter a bright pink before laughing as the dark haired barmaid came hurrying over with a new plate of fries as well as what looked like two fruity drinks. “Um-”
“Jo sent these over, says Grey’s running late. Harry said something about stopping by when it calms down.” The barmaid spoke rapidly, the words a rapid fire as she seemed to be glancing about the space rather than making direct contact. As she turned back from looking towards the bar to look at the motley crew accumulated in the booth, there was a second before a wide, friendly smile grew across her face. “Oh hey! Nice Alice costume! I was thinking of that but Ha- I wanted to go for something a little more musical-theatre that Classic Lit. Okay, sorry, give us a shout if you need anything else!”
As quickly as Sophie had appeared, decked out with bright green skin all over as she had been and the comfortable black dress, she disappeared away again - only noticable by the black witches hat weaving between the crowds of drunken patrons.
“Oh, she liked my costume. She’s so nice!” Ombre’s smile was wider than it had been since she had met up with Shada to get ready, all bright white teeth and crinkled eyes, as she looked about the booth. “I like her!”
“Sophie’s lovely.” Sam replied with an amused smile before nodding his head. “And she’s right, that’s a lovely Alice In Wonderland, Ombre. It’s very accurate too.”
“Merci beaucoup, I adore Alice! I love my socks so much.” “Socks?” “The little frills! Along with all the à fanfreluches - frilly - skirts.” “Ah, I see. Well, it’s a very pretty costume.”
“Merci, merci, merci!” The blonde’s grin was so wide and bright it was almost blinding before she clapped her hands happily.
The group lapsed into a moments quiet as each either had some of their drinks or ate a few of the french fries or onion rings that had just been delivered to the table before the conversation turned towards other things as usual - games, or their mutual friends, or Dean’s attempts to explain just who the Red Hood was as the black cat would look more and more confused hiding her smiles.
---
“Yoo-hoo! Guess who made it to the East- wait...” There was a pause as the red haired woman did a spin as she bounded towards the bar. “ Jo - this isn’t on the East coast is it. What is this area even called?”
“We’re in the Midwest, Charlie.” “Uh uh uh - tonight I only answer to my witch name-” “Oh! You’re dressed as Willow!” “Of course. What did you think I was?”
“Some 90′s grunge femme lesbian?” Jo grinned as she ran an eye over the extremely dated clothes the other was wearing, with her bright yellow bucket hat, oversized jean overalls and the colorful yet somehow dull rainbow sweater underneath. “So, I guess, accurate costume.”
“Har har, very funny.” Charlie jibed back with an eye roll, drumming the black painted nails on the bar top. “Who are you supposed to be? Scarlet Witch has red hair, though I suppose it’s sorta blonde in that latest trailer. And her dress is red.”
“Ugh, no and don’t get me started on corporate America, not tonight when I have to keep the masses libationed up.” “Very true, though at least you seem more comfortable than Hermione over there.”
Jo and Charlie both turned to look to see where Sophie was struggling to do the most comfortable bend and pour technique on the bar taps from her height while also not have her Elphaba hat fall off. There was a split second before the black hat went tumbling to the floor and the barmaid had to pick between grabbing it before it’d get beer soaking into it or sticky patches from the floor or drop the patrons glass. The glass won out, and it was another few seconds before the witch got her hat back - now with a few extra dark patches that would likely pick up any dust or crumbs that comes in its path.
“Pity.” Charlie said with a sigh as she turned back to the blonde. “Where’s the rest-”
“Over in the back corner, I’ll take you - gotta drop off another round of drinks anyways.” The bar owner smiled as she raised a brow. “Tequila sunrise, right?”
There was a beat before the redhead found herself fluttering her lashes with a grin. “Oh, Jo, you know the way straight to a woman’s heart don’t you. Such a pity you’ve got such a pretty boyfriend already.”
“Sorry, Charlie, been there, done that, not signin’ up for the newsletter. Gimme a second, will ya?” “Sure thing!”
As soon as the cocktail was ready, Jo plated up the round of drinks for the small hodge-podge group of hunters, shadows and hunter-adjacent arrivals in the back corner, and ducked out from the end of the bar, bringing the researcher over with her.
“Squish up you lot - the party just arrived!” Charlie exclaimed happily as she bounced down into the seat beside the blonde shadowgirl who was gesticulating wildly about some story or other. “What’re we all talking about? When are the rest of the boys due?”
“Ed texted Harry about thirty minutes ago to say Spruce lost one of his bolts, so they’re going to be about ten more.” Sam replied with a grin, somehow shimmying his frame further down the bench and around to make more room for the newest arrival. “And what’s taking Grey so long, Jo?”
As Jo slowly set down her tray and started handing out the array of drinks, her brows creased into a tiny frown and everyone bit back a laugh at the borderline pout on her lips. “All the trick or treatin’ kids in the neighborhood are freakin’ Nana out. So Grey’s stayin’ put for another hour until it dies down and she calms down.”
“That’s a shame,” Dean remarked, though the flash of a grin on his face didn’t match at all to the words before he shrugged and added more genuinely with a serious look. “No, actually, that’s a bummer. It’ll be... nice to catch up more.” There was a pause as he drank a sip of his beer before he finished quietly. “Truly. Hope he gets here soon.”
“Thanks. Okay, you guys are set, I’ll be back ‘round with another lot soon.” The blonde gave a bounce which flounced the skirts of her outfit a little before she span on her heel and clicked away in the pink heels to deal with the still onslaughting group of customers.
“Really Dean?” “What Sammy?” “Don’t be a dick.”
“Yeah, that’s not cool, Deano.” Charlie remarked with a smirk as she took a sip of her drink - the tequila and orange juice one of her favorites - raising a brow back at him. “Besides, it’s much more fun annoying Jo when she’s in a good mood than bad. So wait until Grey shows up and then we can tease the both of them.”
That got a round of laughs from the table as a whole, and the redhead felt a surge of pride noticing the way Dean turned to genuinely apologise to the scowling dark haired woman before asking Ombre to start her story again from the beginning.
---
“Who ya gonna call?!” “Ghostbusters!” “Fuck yeah!”
The shouts coming from the trio as they emerged from the stairway brought about a round of laughs from the group as all three men moved towards the group.
“Well, better than calling on the last group - what’d you used to call yourselves?” Sam asked jovially as he shifted another time and held a hand out to shake each of the three men’s hands as they sat down, before resting it over the top of the bench seating spanning behind both blonde and redhead.
“Facers, Losechester, the Ghostfacers. You know that.” Ed snapped back with a smirk as he slid into the space beside the dark haired woman at the table and ran a quick eye over her before grinning wider. “Hey, surprised you’re not dressed up in a bright purple Sombra this evening, Shada.”
“Well, I do enjoy simplicity.” Shada replied with a smirk of her own, picking up her drink and shuffling a little further down the bench as Spruce tried to fit in. Glancing at the small sliver of space left, she turned back towards the hunter that had yet to have to bunch down. Batting her lashes and tapping a manicured finger against the top of his red helmet between them, the girl’s lips twitched into a knowing smirk. “Oh, Dean, you’ll have to make some more room. Or else I might just think you’re scared of little old me.”
“Don’t worry Shada, if he won’t move you can always use my lap instead.” Ed’s quip was met with an immediate scurrying from the hunter to shove the red motorcycle off the bench seat and between his feet with a slightly unfocused scowl towards him. “Oh too bad.”
“Awww, sorry Ed, looks like I’ve got some more room.”
“Can you three stop flirting and move the fuck over so I can sit down?” The last of the Ghostbusting trio growled out as he raised an eyebrow at all three and got laughed at by Harry, Charlie, Sam and Ombre on the other side of the booth. It took a moment for Shada and Ed to shuffle enough, packed like sardines and the brunette girl sitting almost partway into the hunter’s lap at the other end before there was enough room for Spruce to slip in. “Oh thank god, the sweaty drunks were getting boring.”
“Hey guys, another round?” Sophie’s voice suddenly appeared, and the green girl was smiling brightly at all of them as she set down her tray and started handing out drinks. Though there was a second as Harry reached for one of the glasses at the same time that their fingers caught, and if she hadn’t been covered in green paint everyone at the table was sure that she’d have turned bright red. “No, no, Harry, you’re off for the night! Please, let me.”
“Oh come on. You’re being run off your feet-” “Yeah, but I’m being paid-” “-And you don’t need to dote so much-” “Of course I do!”
“Oh my god, you two are such doux amours!” Ombre’s voice finally cut through the bickering pair, catching Harry and Sophie’s attention to confused looks. There was a second before the blonde waved her hand happily across Charlie towards them. “Harry, Harry, don’t forget to kiss your girlfriend goodbye if she is having to work!”
The round of laughter that followed that statement in the face of the bright red that colored the researcher’s face and the stammering from the green-faced barmaid. There was another round of laughter when Sophie actually dropped the glass in question, and Harry floundered quickly with napkins to try to clean up the spilled drink.
“What’d I say?” Ombre asked quietly, her eyes darting about the laughing group and blushing herself until Spruce lent across to give her hand a pat. “What did I-”
“It’s fine, Ombre.” Spruce grinned wickedly back as he plucked his own beer from the tray while Harry and Sophie were awkwardly attempting to mop up the drink but not touch one another. “Harry’s not gotten around to asking Soph yet. You’re just a little early.”
“Oh. Okay!”
“Dude!” Harry hissed the words out across the table, glaring at the taller man before blushing under scrutiny further. “Don’t-”
“It’s okay, Spangler. You’ll get there eventually.” “Dude, not the point.”
“I... I’ve got to get back to help Jo.” Sophie stammered for a moment, glancing around at the group as she pressed the tray up against her chest and rushed away while Harry thunked his head onto the table top.
There was a pause before a hand fell on his shoulder, Sam leaning past the two girls between the both of them, to pat his shoulder a few times. “That’s rough, buddy.” The words sounded genuine, but the laughter that started up at the table from Harry’s groan and the wicked grin on the hunter’s face as everyone turned into ribbing the researcher about his unfulfilled crush.
---
The crowd in the bar was winding down - the cheap drinks advertisement Jo, Sophie and Harry had devised doing exactly what they had planned in encouraging an influx crowd of youngsters earlier in the evening that would chase out the dock crews and hunters for the evening, and then as the hour got nearer to midnight the crowds would slowly filter out to the hipper, more aesthetic or club-like spaces around town as the three hours of cheap base spirits faded off. It was strategic - not only to make sure the bar would be shadow-friendly for most of the evening, but also to capitalize on a large influx and then giving both Harry and Jo the opportunity to enjoy the later hour with friends.
It took until almost 11 for the door to finally open and the last of the remaining large group of friends to arrive.
“I hate this holiday.” Grey seethed harshly as he made his way towards the booth and looked around in surprise at how squished and yet uncaring the group was. “Hey, what’d I miss?”
“Grey!” “Brother, finally!” “Hey man, how’d it go with the dog?” “Did you bring the puppy, brother?”
“No, I didn’t. Bloody Trick or Treaters kept freaking Nana out with the screaming and laughing.” He sighed quietly as he glanced to the side and pulled a seat over towards the end of the table, tugging with a sigh on his tie. “They all finished about two hours ago but she was so worked up I couldn’t leave.”
“Did you have many people stop?” Charlie asked, raising a brow at him. “I put up a big sign back at home that I only believe in giving out edibles so I suspect a lot of angry stoners that I wasn’t home.”
The shadow gave the other a disbelieving look for a moment before raising an eyebrow right back at her. “There’s a lot of children along the road, and being near the school means a lot of visitors. Went through about fifteen bags of candy before I decided enough was enough.”
“That’s far too much sugar to be giving out, brother.” “Oh really?” “Yes, really.”
“Well, I suspect Jo will be sad there isn’t any leftovers when we get home.” Grey smiled gently across at his sister, not even blinking at her choice of costume or lack there of, before doing a double take at noticing her sitting almost fully in the hunter’s lap and the way Dean was simply talking across her back towards his brother and the blonde shadow. “I see I missed more than a little trick or treating here too.”
“So many treats, you know.” Shada rebutted with a loud laugh. “I’m just embracing my choice of costume.”
“Oh?” “Cats must sit on laps, right?” “Ah.”
“Don’t worry man,” Ed spoke up then, giving a huffed laugh. “Dean lost a bet an hour back, he’s only got another five minutes before she’s got to get off.”
“Only if he remembers to ask though, or wants me to.” “Oh I’ll want you to, you foxy minx. You keep stealing my drinks before they get to me.” “Shush, Dean, chairs can’t talk.”
Blinking a few times at the array of banter, Grey simply shook his head before pushing back to his feet. “I’m going to go get a dri-”
“Doctor!” The squeal came high and clear over the subdued murmur of voices and lowered but atmospheric volume of the jukebox in the corner, and Grey found himself letting out a laugh as he turned to see a flurry of baby pink skirts and blonde hair spinning about behind the bar before scurrying from around the end of the bar itself. “Oh about bloody time!”
“Sorry, time got a little away from me.” Grey chuckled as he replied, pushing his chair a little back as Jo finally came bounding up to his side and threw an arm around his waist with that dazzling smile he loved so much. “You know how it is-”
“Oh of course, the man with all the time in the universe can’t keep a single track of it.” “That’s exactly how it is.” “Very wibbly-”
“-Wobbly.” He finished with an equally wide smile, tucking a strand of hair back behind Jo’s ear before leaning in to press his lips to hers in a click of teeth at just how wide their smiles were before they were kissing properly for the barest moment and he pulled back. “Sorry it took so long though, pretty one.” Grey said quieter, leaning down to whisper against Jo’s ear. “Nana was scared on a scarey night and wanted her mommy.”
“No problem, hunny, we’ll be home sometime tonight and I’m sure she’ll be okay until then.” Jo replied sweetly, pecking his lips a last time before turning towards the table as a whole. Her whole face shifted from the wide grin into a sneer. “Well now, can you guys tell who I am yet?”
There was a moment before Harry and Spruce had looks change from confusion at Jo’s dragging the table out of their conversations before they started smiling and nodded, with awkward laughter between them. It took another moment before Ed and Sam followed suit, with Ed crying out sharply “Oh! That makes so much more sense than Betty Draper!”
“That guess was so fuckin’ bullshit, Ed.” “Well it’s not our fault your couples-stume only makes sense together!” “It’s not my fault you clearly aren’t a fan enough to recognise this on sight.”
“Jo, stop being mad,” Harry shook his head smiling up towards the couple and playing mediator like he had been all night between Jo and others when the question on who or what exactly she was dressed as had come up. “Besides, it’s cute that it needs Grey here to make it work for both of you.”
Grey raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked down at his gym shoes and then further up towards his brown, pinstriped suit and the skinny tie in confusion that it might not be clear who he was, but then he felt the same looking at Jo in her quasi-beehive hairstyle and the flouncy baby pink dress and blue jacket that pulled her waist into a tiny point before the poofy nature of her skirts. He thought it was obvious who they both were, and that the blue tipped screwdriver poking out of his jacket pocket was really unnecessary for anyone to know the star-crossed lovers they were dressed as that night.
“Anyway, I’m off duty for the night now - but if Sophie needs a hand you and I might need to pitch in, Harry.” “And with closing down once us lot are done and she’s gone home for the night, I know.” “Oh actually, I had mentioned once we call last drinks to the rest of the kiddies here at one that Soph’s welcome to stay and hang out a little while. You don’t got a problem with that do you Harry?”
If Jo’s question sounded been innocent, the wicked twitch of her lips gave away any chance of innocence and any thought there wasn’t any intent behind it, which got a large laugh from Spruce and Charlie at Harry’s spluttering before Grey found himself getting pulled into the good natured teasing.
---
The night was a bit of a blur but in the way in which a night of good conversation, good companionship and good feelings was lost.
Shada eventually returned to sitting on the bench but a lot later than she was expected to, and at one point had her cat ears joined by the black domino mask that covered her smokey eyes but made her smiles seem a little more wicked and flirtatious as she batted her eyes out of the darkness.
Sam and Spruce found themselves eventually sitting beside one another and discussing in depth the problems with higher educations toll upon students and the pressures of achieving grades. They were both surprised to learn that’d both been pre-law, and that neither had felt the push to continue through the loss of either girlfriend in Sam’s case or friend in Spruce’s. And then that they both found bananas disgusting.
Charlie and Ombre spent an inordinate time standing up after it was found out that the tall blonde knew nothing of dancing - and the string of dance favorites that were set up on the jukebox for the two, and then three when Sophie had scared the last of the customers out of the bar and joined them both, made for an amusing range of background music.
Dean slowly got drunk on his beers but kept to himself for the most part, simply content after a while to rub at the small of the back of the girl on his lap with a thumb and listen to her and Jo’s talk about some shopping spree or birthday or something coming up. And once he was a free man again, turned his attention back towards his beer and the odd conversation he was pulled into.
Grey was pleased to find himself moved onto the booth seating after a bit beside Jo, hands held together in her lap or an arm around her waist, as he spent until the wee hours talking with Ed and Harry or even Dean about anything and everything so long as he had the warm presence of his sunshine pressed up against his side.
Nothing could go wrong so long as he could just look out the corner of his eye and see that smile in an instant. And when they got home, he was sure they’d have their fluffy baby curled up on the end of the bed to make that feel just as warm as sitting in the warm atmosphere of friendship there.
---
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KIDFIC: with paper rings
---
Nothing had ever felt as heavy or cold as that had. It was small, delicate and so beautiful - achingly gorgeous and looked like it belong right there when she would slip it on secretly - but god did it feel heavier than if it were the size of a bowling ball. It looked so beautiful but all she’d felt the first few times seeing it was the same coldness of the metal that had gleamed at her.
She didn’t know how she had ever thought of trying it on. Or rather, she knew exactly how and why - she wanted to know what it’d feel like if maybe she’d said yes last time, or the time before that. She wanted to know what it’d be like to have the symbol of his love wrapped tightly around her finger in an unbroken line, tied about her and, the first time she tried it on secretly, squeezing tighter than he ever had. It fit perfectly but if it did, why did it feel so tight and binding like it would never come off again? Jo had ripped it off after that feeling, but she have tucked it safely into her own secret places and kept finding herself drawn to it and her finger into it. The light gleamed beautiful and clear, a shining halo of gold and the delicate working around the gleaming stone that threw out a crown of light rays about her, whenever she would slip it on secretly and alone, but her hand always felt weighed down by the meaning.
It took over ten months from her finding the box for her to first try the ring on - slid on her finger that still held the slight swelling from her pregnancy and breast feeding - and she’d been slipping it on for another six months until now. Jo had taken so long to try it, and then half of her never wanted it off again while the rest of her had screamed to throw it away when she’d heard the broken, tired words that it wasn’t anything too important upon bringing it up. If it didn’t mean anything, why was it still there so many years later since she’d first seen it.
She tried it on. And on. And on. Quietly, and in secret, hidden in the shadows - as fitting as that was like the band did about her finger - and in the silent moments when she’d be ensured to be all alone.
It had found a new home, moved from the bottom of the dresser underneath the bottom drawer - hidden away in the darkness as if it wanted to be forgotten and left but never quite enough to give up on it - into the bottom of her hunting pack. It went from one dark corner to another, but this one bounced about in a life outside of the house and went wherever she did - as if it was already on her hand in all but action. The black velvet box hid into the small zippered compartment where no one but her should have touched it. It was her secret that it wasn’t tucked away a few feet from the bed they shared, it was her secret to have it and spend seconds or minutes or hours with it wrapped tightly around her finger or held between more of them as she’d stare at the tiny thing that caused so many sleepless nights. It was supposed to be her secret, one thing that was all hers for now.
She’d almost been caught at it though. The dangerous new obsession she’d developed with looking at it - drawn in by the golden shine and the allure of how it felt for her - had had a few close calls. Dean had accidentally toppled her bag early on and she’d scrambled to shove the box back into it’s nook. Bobby had called her out for being distracted on a call more than once as she’d sat looking at her hand and that thin ring. Sam had even walked into the hotel room she was staying in next door to them on a hunt and Jo’d almost broke the skin from crushing it so hard in her hand. Though the closest had been tucked into her study at home when she thought that the kids and Grey were out, only for the kids to come running in all excited and pink cheeked babbling excitedly while she’d shoved her secret back into her bag as quickly as possible. But still it stayed for her eyes only, her little secret that fit just right and the more she kept it the longing for it to be in the light would grow.
Jo didn’t know how to go about it, but each time she slipped that little band around her finger, she knew it belonged there finally - even if she couldn’t work out how to make it really stay after denying it so much. She might not have said yes outloud to the question yet, but each time she would wear the little piece of his heart, she gave an unspoken yes and would keep saying it until the word would one day come out.
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FIC: Something Borrowed, Something Blue ii
---
PART ONE
Wednesday morning started dark and early for her. Sleepy kisses as she bid good morning to the other in the bed, not due to get up for another three hours, and checked in on the youngest of the household to ensure he was still fast asleep before showering and preparing for the day.
Usually Jo would sleep for another thirty minutes, but given today was due to be a long one filled with photos as she baked and decorated the demonstration trial cake from scratch, she figured an extra thirty minutes to ensure her hair and make up looked nice for the day (though inevitably she’d be flour covered by the end of the day and tendrils would fall out of the nice high pony tail before lunch). Usually she would get to wake up and luxuriate in bed for a while before getting up, showering and then waking Billy to get prepared for pre-school. Today, Jack would get the pleasure of preparing the boy for the day, making him breakfast and hearing him babble about whatever strange dream he had the night before.
Dressing for the day in a pair of denim shorts and one of the oversized shirts that still remained in her wardrobe after five years, Jo smacked her lips together and blotted the excess from her red lips as she gathered her recipe-slash-sketch book and headed out to the bakery as the sun barely made it’s creeping way into the sky. Overhead the clouds were still the dark inky blue of night time, just slightly tinged golden to the edge and purples slowly building their way through the rolling masses. The perfect inspiration for her work that day, quickly snapped a few times as she walked on her way to the bakery.
As she reached the front door, she could see the exhausted looking journalist outside already, hands clutching as if to a lifeline to the Starbucks cup. At least she knew she looked more prepared for the day than him even if it was only just past five in the morning.
“Good morning Chuck.”
The grumbled sound she got in response made Jo laugh as she unlocked the front door of the bakery. Moving inside and flicking the lights on, she noticed the man slip in behind her before sinking into one of the closest chairs as she got the space prepared for the morning. The smell of baking bread was already filling the air, her favourite part of having automatically timed ovens that she could avoid the two am starts that other places had to endure. Flicking the coffee machine on, refilling the front displays with prepared trays of cookies, cakes, slices, pastries and other goodies, Jo hummed to herself practically forgetting the other was there aside from the odd groan.
There were breads to be pulled from the ovens, trays of prepared cupcakes and brownies to go back in, a pot of caramel to be placed on the stove while the shortbread bases baked; there were muffins to be loaded into the cake displays and covered with their glass dome, glass cookie jars to be refilled and brownies to be stacked high on plates within the display case. There was milk to be checked on, fruit tarts to be glazed and mixers to be started up with bases for the rest of the days work. And finally there was a section of the kitchen to be set up in preparation for making the wedding cake base later in the morning, butter to be set out to come up to room temperature and ingredients to be laid out in decorative bowls and artfully positioned.
As the clock approached six am, the first few customers began appearing - mostly other cafes for their daily pick ups that Jo moved through easily with a laugh and a smile, and the exchange of a bunch of mint with one of the herbal stores a few blocks away that always ordered raisin and oat cookies, an entire crate full of lemons and beetroots from Mrs. Mills who ran a tea shop just out of the city who grew her own produce but was a failure baking them into anything herself but would trade ingredients for discounted trays of pastries to go along with the tea and best homemade lemonade and hard cider in the area, and the constant flirting that even now Jo never could stop partaking in when Andy came by blushing and stammering for his special brownies for the medicinal store he ran across town. Others breezed in and out smoothly, and Jo had already poured Chuck his third coffee before the hour was out by the time her long-haired barista-lawyer arrived to start up the morning as the first of the commuters would begin to arrive.
“C’mon Chuck, lets get this shoot set up for today, huh?”
There was an almost awake nod before Jo lead the way back into the kitchen where she began to lend a hand setting up a selection of cameras to capture time-lapse as well as real time footage of her working through the preparations for a demonstration cake with all the elements she’d discussed. The cupcakes had been selling well and she thought that the blueberry icing was the way to go underneath the fondant for today’s trial in preparation of Friday’s mock-up. Usually Jo mocked up cake after cake once every few weeks for a wedding, but with the amount she’d be making these flavors this week she felt comforted that she’d be fine until a few weeks before the wedding itself this time around.
“Alrighty, fondant time.” Jo chirped to herself quietly two hours later, an ongoing stream of conversation from her having filled the morning where mostly she talked to herself or sang along with the radio while Chuck seemed to either work on typing up his notes from the last two days or try to wake up still. The fondant work was always her favorite thing when she got the chance to do it, for one important reason. Slapping the large white block of fondant down and cutting it into pieces with a dough scraper, Jo let out a laugh as she started working a quarter out with her rolling pin. “Who needs a gym when you can bake instead?”
“Who indeed?” Chuck’s answer was just as vacant and distracted as her own question had been, and Jo felt a laugh pop right back up at how relaxed and unobtrusive the other was to her work. He’d barely looked up from his laptop as she’d made the batter for each tier of the much downsized trial cake for the development today; and Jo liked it that way.
Working the white fondant out until it was a thin enough sheet to go through her larger scaled roller, she called him over to move a camera to catch the process as she fed the fondant through one end over and over until it was paper thin. Slicing out little shapes of various sizes and laying them out on a baking sheet dusted with potato starch and layer separated by a tea towel, Jo spent the next hour slowly making those white petals and then various petals of lilac and deep aubergine as well in smaller amounts. As she did that, there were cakes and brownies removed from ovens, loaves of bread traded out and cupcakes and pastries a plenty made and prepared all over again like her Monday in anticipation of the day off tomorrow to keep the bakery ticking over.
By lunch time, Jo had three full trays, six layers deep of petal and leaf shapes, and long flouncy ruffles to do an ombred ruffled layer, as well as the white fondant ready to be marbleised with the different purple shades after a lunch break.
“So,” The journalist’s voice caught her as Jo finally sat down for the first time in some seven hours as the clock hit just after one in the afternoon as she cut herself a slice of salmon quiche after dishing up the same for the other man. Perched on her stool and pulled up close to the central island, Jo raised a brow across at the finally awake voice and her eyes spotted the running silver dictaphone in the middle of the bench as they started her lunch break. Sam had been in the hour before for a quick bite while Jo’d worked the coffee machine for the quick lunch rush, and the amount of cocoa on her cheeks was less than normal considering. “I got my rough draft from a lot of stuff yesterday-”
“Was that helpful for you? Thinking about getting into INKED and leaving Rolling Stone?”
“Eye opening, yes, but I’m stuck here until this sham of a wedding is complete.” Chuck grumbled the words out quietly, eyes focused on the trashy magazine pile he’d brought with him that day that held stories that Jo suspected were about the bride and her ‘whirlwind’ romance - the fake stories that didn’t have a lick of truth to them.
Her back when rigid and Jo found herself snarling sharply at the accusation against her friend, lips curled into a sneer. “Now listen here, buddy. Absolutely nothing about this wedding is a sham.” Jo’s brown eyes flashed dangerously for a second as she caught his eye finally, and found herself shaking her head and holding up a hand as the other’s mouth opened to speak. “No no. No talking until I’m done. I get that you might have an image of what Shada is like, what she does for a living, how she presents herself to the world, and the way the show she’s on has given her whole... storyline. But absolutely none of that is accurate to the woman I know. Nor to the man that loves her, and the depth of their romance.”
“Oh?” Chuck’s brow raised in return before he set his magazines back down and picked up his notepad and pen instead even though his laptop was open beside him. An analog guy it seemed. “Well, I’ve got to say - I’d love to be able to write the most genuine series of articles I can about this wedding compared to this-”
“Trash.” Jo supplied the word at the gesture of his pen towards the stack of magazines, and the bemused smile she got for it made her hackles drop from how they had been risen.
“Exactly.” The other nodded for a moment before gesturing his hand at her. “Well, tell me the real story again then - I know we covered some yesterday but that’s just broad strokes. Give me fine details, huh?”
Jo found herself sighing, and then launching into the many, many positive and wonderfully genuine parts to her friend throughout the rest of the afternoon. For the next four hours as she layered the small cakes together with buttercream, crumb coated and then fondant wrapped one in the ombre ruffles, one into the beautiful purple marble coated and then sparkling with carefully placed gold-leaf, and the lilac purple buttercream cake which was then covered in the delicate roses made out of the petals - each with tiny edging of silver-leaf and shimmering with a light layer of lustre dust. And as she assembled the small practice cakes, she talked of her friend.
Shada’s genuine smiles, her love of her brother, how she’d always be kind to anyone and everyone she met. The way the dark haired woman never once ordered anyone directly to do something, unless it was followed by an apology for being pushy. How the girl had grown so much in the two years Jo had known her, and the maturity and wisdom that she spoke with on a regular basis. How Shada was so kind to her son, and the way the girl truly wanted to get married and have a family. That Shada had been unsure about the wedding being a part of the show and covered as much as it was, even if she’d daydreamed as a teenager of being rich and famous and a star-studded wedding to one of the Jonas Brothers - that now she was marrying the love of her life, that the brunette would be truly happy marrying in a potato sack (”one that she would obviously make purple and look beautiful in though!”) and still be happy. How the starlet had planned originally to have a quiet, intimate wedding at Ian’s family manor in France during the break in filming, before the couple had talked about the opportunity and agreed after being approached that they could do this for Shada’s career and have the smaller, intimate celebration for their anniversary the following year.
It was as Jo continued to place tiny edible pearls around the roses, that she found herself being guided into reminiscing about her own wedding in comparison. The quick court house event that she’d worn a lacey, white shift dress she’d bought for $2.50 at a secondhand store while her Marine wore his dress uniform. The posey of baby’s breath in her hand and the way the ceremony was completed in no time in front of her mom, Bobby the other couples getting married right before and after them. How the only photograph was taken by Ellen on the courthouse steps as she’d been lifted in her husband’s arms and one of her shoes had fallen off as she’d laughed. That her wedding dinner was pizza in bed as they watched some old black and white movie that he loved, and Jo’d fallen asleep in no time. That he’d been shipped out two months later, and dead within four from then.
And she spoke softly, as she wrapped the fourth option in a layer of plain white fondant before collecting her airbrush kit and the array of purples, blacks and golds to start covering the blank canvas in her own form of art, of how much she wished the couple far more than half a year of happiness. The gentle whistle of the airbrush as she delicately mottled the colors together and as she smiled thinking to herself that she was absolutely certain the pair would have that.
The noise from the front of the bakery was quieting down as Jo finished the last flourish and grinned across at the journalist as he continued to look up and down between her and his notepad. It was closing time, and she had four examples to show her friend on Friday when her and her fiance arrived originally for the final design choices, and she’d have enough cake prepared to do a full size mock up of the design they chose that day as the journalist would talk to the couple and snap photos beside her and her work. But for today, she was done and began putting away the demonstrations and the baked goods and doughs she’d prepared for Sam to utilise tomorrow while she was out with the bride and her entourage.
“Jojo, mamacita, your boyfriend is bothering me again!” The called voice that bounced through the door to the front as Ash pushed it open and followed in the grinning professor with his own laugh. “He was bothering me about someone’s photoshoot and when those photos would be coming in.”
“I wasn’t-” Jack’s blushed furiously as he moved towards her at the fridge, his hands reaching out to go around her waist before stopping short noticing the scruffy journalist packing away his laptop and notepad though the dictaphone stayed out in the middle of the bench. In an instant, his arms dropped to his side and Jo found herself frowning to see the smile drop just as quickly from his face and whatever he’d been saying disappear along with it. “... Jo.”
“Hunny.”
“How was your day?”
Arching a blonde brow, Jo let out a bit of a laugh to herself as she noticed the focus of Jack’s eyes on the silver recording device until Chuck’s hand wrapped about it and tucked it away in his messenger bag.
“It was fine,” Jack’s voice was still tight and quiet, brushing against the curve of her ear as she moved in closer, before he spoke a little louder and clearer. “Have a good evening, Mr Shurley. Big day tomorrow, right?”
“Oh, absolutely. Seven beautiful women and an array of gowns?” Chuck grinned widely as he moved about the kitchen towards the door and Ash’s equally appreciative grin. Raising a hand in a wave, he pressed it against his chest, mocking a wound. “How did I get this job, huh? Luckiest bastard-”
“Your week just keeps gettin’ better and better!” Ash laughed along with him and he followed the reporter out of the bakery with a wave behind him at the couple, closing the swinging door behind him. “See ya later, lovebirds.”
“Tell Sam I’ll close up!” Jo called out loudly to the others back as the door swung back and forth and finally closed, before she found two hands wrapped around her waist and then let out a squeal as she was lifted up onto her still floury work surface. “Hun!”
“Yes?” Jack’s lips spread into a wicked smile as he leaned in to catch her own for a moment before pulling back. Jo could feel her cheeks heating up as his fingers brushed over her flour and sugar covered hair to tuck a few strands back before he kissed her again, thoroughly and hard, fingers tangled in her messy hair. There were a long, heated moment before he pulled back again leaving her breathless as he let out his own sigh. “What a day.”
“Yeah? What happened?” Jo ran her own fingers through his hair gently in return as the slightly stressed look she’d remembered from the last years exam time started up again. He always ran himself ragged during them, and if nothing else, she could ease some of his stress with her kisses and touch. “Tell me all about it over dinner?”
“I’d much rather hear about your day.” He replied gently, leaning into her touch for a moment before they both smiled at one another.
Jo recalled the discussion of the day as they packed up the kitchen and closed up the front of the bakery too, with Jack’s hands carefully wiping the flour from her jeans and then helping her to pack each thing away as needed. They took no time at all to close up and walked hand in hand on their way back to Jack’s house. As he’d wrapped his fingers around hers, Jo couldn’t help but think as she talked about how happy she was for his little sister finding the love of her life, that perhaps she’d been lucky enough to find another one.
Dinner was quieter that night - Bobby and Ellen taking care of Billy for the next two nights as a fun sleep over as well as to keep him from getting Jo to run late the next morning - than usual with just the two of them, but at the same time it meant that Jo could relax on the sofa with her feet up and a glass of wine while she could hear the quiet humming of a song and the sizzle of bacon and the bubbling of pasta from the kitchen without lifting a finger.
“Carbonara?” Jo sniffed the coated pasta happily as the bowl was offered out to her and she swung her legs around to sit upright as the dark haired man took the seat beside her. “You spoil me.”
“Not nearly enough for what you’re going to be dealing with tomorrow for me.” Jack’s voice was gentle and teasing in equal measure as he slumped beside her and kicked his own feet up on the coffee table. The baker curled up beside him and tucked her feet under his legs as they both dug into their dinner together.
Jo shook her head, smiling. “Nah, I’m doing it for your sister, you idjit.”
“How am I an ...idjit?!”
“Because, hun,” She giggled quietly, slurping up one of the noodles with a loud noise before smiling widely. “Not everything is about you. And I love your sister all on her own.”
“You do, do you?” His voice was softer than before then, the teasing tone bleeding out and replaced with something gentler and that made her stomach flip a little as he chewed on his own mouthful thoughtfully before swallowing. Jack turned his head to catch her eyes with those piercing blue ones of his, staring straight at her and if Jo could she would have melted right then under his look as he quirked one side of his lips up. “And why’s that?”
Jo’s tongue felt ten times too big while her mouth felt parched of any kind of moisture before she blinked a few times out of that look. Her cheeks a bright red, she smiled back simply. “Because, she’s more like family now.”
“Aunty Shayday and all?”
“Exactly.”
If she was red before, it was nothing on the flaming feeling of her whole face and neck as Jack’s eyes had searched hers for something she wasn’t sure of as they spoke, before he finally seemed to reach a conclusion and turn back towards the television with a small, secretive smile. “Well, that’s good that you’re not going to be tortured for me.” There was a beat as Jo recovered herself and the other chewed another mouthful of pasta, before he added cheekily, “Now I don’t need to spoil you tomorrow night too.”
“Hey! No fair!” Jo laughed and giggled then, cuddling into his side as they settled in to watch a movie and then head up to bed later. It would be a relaxing night before the inevitable stresses of the next day, and she was going to savour every moment of calm she could fit in before the morning came.
But come it did.
Rolling over onto her back as she climbed off of her love with a quiet, happy moan as his hands followed her path to continue running across the bright colors of her sides, Jo wished she didn’t have to get out of the bed at all. Her skin was marked all over between her tattoos and the signs of their lovemaking, but if she had it her way they’d both stay there until there wasn’t a piece of skin without the ghost of his lips on it. Stretching her back and letting out a giggle at the slight tickle to her side, she finally sat up after the other rolled out his side of the bed to grab a shower and rush out to work. She’d made him late for his 8am class, but as Jack threw a glance in the mirror from the ensuite over his shoulder back at her with his toothbrush dangling from his lips and sudsy teeth flashing a grin at her, Jo knew she wasn’t in trouble for keeping him in bed.
Rolling her hips back and forth and tossing about languidly like a cat waking from a long nap, boneless and pleased, she finally pushed herself upright  before going to wrap an arm around the dark haired man’s shoulder to press a kiss on his back before heading to the shower.
She used to argue about staying the night here in his lavish townhouse - about his giving her a drawer in the ensuite and another in the wardrobe, and then more wardrobe space, and then how he got a cot-attachment added to the spare bed so that Billy could stay sleeping when he’d go down after dinner. And then it seemed pointless when her yearly lease came up and instead of renewing she found herself moving every bit of her life into a new house. Even the box of the clothes and books she’d still not thrown away, though she’d forgotten she still had it before the move. The spare, spare, spare room was reconfigured into Billy’s room, and Jack had even added another desk to the study and cleared shelves for Jo to add her cook books to the lounge and dining room spaces. Her cupcake cushions replaced his modernist blue ones, and there was a toy box brought in and added to each and every room in the house. Her tattoo designs went up on the wall beside a large oil painting of some beautiful woman with her face hidden behind shadow that held a dripping book out - Jo had not been surprised to learn that was one of the last of Jack’s work before he quit, the sheer mania, depression and confusion in the brush strokes hit her hard every time she stopped to stare up into the dark void where the woman’s eyes should be but weren’t yet felt like she was screaming out from. And in the kitchen her trinkets and gadgets and utensils had filled the drawers that before had the spartan one knife-fork-spoon combination.
The rainfall shower head was a luxury, and Jo waved goodbye through the fogged up glass as Jack left, leaving her to spend a good amount of time lathering and rinsing her hair. The whole room smelled like the bakery as she stepped out from the mists and set about doing her hair and make up nicely, but not too nicely as to upstage the stars of what was going on today. A little wave, a messy bun and just enough concealer to cover the darkest spots that littered her neck and her under eyes for different reasons was all that she needed to do to look suitable - if she needed anything more, Jo figured since it was actually being filmed but not scripted, she’d have access to an actually talented make up artist. Besides, she was known as the bubbly, cute baker girl so it made sense she looked a little rougher around the edges. At least this time she’d not have flour in her hair or cocoa on her nose.
Jeans and a black knit sweater, followed by a green hoodie borrowed from Jack’s wardrobe was her choice for the day. What she wore on the outside mattered less than wearing the nude colored strapless bra and nude toned underwear, but she drew the line at wearing heels for the whole day. Tossing her keys, phone and a few paper bags of snacks into her bag and her travel mug of coffee in hand before dashing out the door, the blonde flagged down the first taxi she saw and spent the trip chewing on her nails.
She hadn’t had to deal with bridesmaids for her own wedding - there hadn’t been time, and besides she hadn’t had female friends back when she was twenty-one and flunking out of her history major - and the few bridal parties that had come through the bakery had scared her immensely that a group of women with one goal in mind was a terrifying thing. To be part of said group felt entirely alien for her, and Jo half wished she could be on the grooms side of the aisle in a suit and without any drama instead.
Far quicker than she had wished, the taxi pulled up out front of the nondescript building with the small black sign and Jo handed over a twenty to cover the trip and tip as she clambered out ungracefully onto the pavement before steeling her nerves. She could spot that one camera guy she always spotted winking at everyone and who she had enjoyed flirting shamelessly and harmlessly with every time they filmed at the bakery leaning against the brickwork by the building’s door.
“Hey Gabey, what’s cracking?”
“Well now, gorgeous, that’d be spoiling the surprise wouldn’t it?”
“Like you care about spoilers!”
Gabriel, the previous camera man turned B-director, shook his head with a laugh and a smirk as she needled him for answers. “Come now, you know I need to get genuine reactions from you all.”
The blonde laughed in return, quirking a brow up at him. “Are you suggesting that I, Jo Harvelle, might not give a genuine reaction?”
“I plead the fifth.” The dark haired director laughed back, shouldering his camera bag on his shoulder with a sigh as a trio of black cars arrived and began unpacking with the rest of the small camera and other crew members poured out and then quickly into the building. “Ugh, I know Shada wished this could have been skipped-”
“But that would miss out so much potential drama, right?” Jo smiled back at him for a moment, before digging about in her bag to pull out one of the paper bags. Waving it at him, she raised a brow. “I’ll trade you these for confirmation that there isn’t any scripted drama today and that I don’t have to fake anything other than that I don’t think Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee are vicious conniving bitches.”
The bag was exchanged in a flash, and the wide, toothy grin she got back in response when the other saw the selection of chocolate chip cookies that were also made using her burnt butter base and shards of salted toffee inside made her smile back at the cheeky salute before Gabe moved off with a shout for some hair stylist ‘Balthy’ to get his ass inside quickly.
Jo found herself leaning up against the wall herself instead, the warmth from the other’s back still in the brick, as she pulled her phone out to start getting ahead on orders and emails while she had the time. She dipped a hand into her bag to fetch out the bannana bread, oat muffin with peanut butter she’d packed for her breakfast that she started nibbling at between coffee sips as she waited. It was just before nine, but the girls were known to be late.
Over the next thirty minutes others slowly trickled into arriving - first was the taller blonde girl with a big, wide smile and the cutest habit of always covering her hair in little lace bows that was Ian’s little sister; followed by the brunette Bela who’s sunglasses hid almost all of her face except for her pout, and then the newly black haired Ruby with a snappy greeting for everyone before disappearing off at the wave of greeting from the director of the day. Jo was talking at length with Ombre about the different cake designs she had been working on and was showing her the photos of the trials from the day before when the next two women arrived.
“Oh lookie, the baker is here too.” The clipped tone pulled Jo out of explaining to the excited Ombre just how to make the ruffled cake that matched her name, and looking over her shoulder at the new arrivals, the blonde didn’t even bother to keep the sneer off her lips as she looked at the redhead. Anna smirked back, smugly, raising a brow at her. “I suppose you’re here to make our dear Shada seem more grounded right?”
“No, no, Anna, it’s cause she’s trying to fuck her way into society the same way Shada did.” Lilith’s snide comment rolled out from her with an equally vicious grin on her lips at getting to throw a few comments in before she would need to play nice-r to the cameras. “Tell me, Jojo, did you give her pointers for how to do that with your step-daddy or-”
“Lilith, you better shut your goddamn fucking mouth before I shut it for you.” There wasn’t even a beat before Jo had the other blonde pushed back against the brickwork with a hand around her neck, pressure tight but not dangerous as she glared up at the other woman. She held the position for a count of five in her head, before stepping back and leaning down to pick her coffee up from where she’d left it earlier. “Today is about Shada, and I will not have a single person say a negative thing about her, her life, her choices or anything to do with her and this wedding or anything else, okay?”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself!” The deeper than usual tone cut through the small crowd of women as Ruby arrived back with their director in tow right then. Gabriel’s eyes caught Jo’s for a split second longer than the others as he stared each woman down - and all she could think was that this poor man had to herd this crowd of women day in and day out without anyone unconnected enough to lay down the law, and how much harder that must be dealing with five grown women than one almost-five year old. “Anyway, ladies, if you could head inside for the last touch ups and then Shada should be here and we’ll reconvene outside for the outside shots, right?”
Jo wasn’t at all surprised by the warm clasp of the dark haired Ruby’s arm around her shoulders leading her and Ombre inside into the ridiculous process of last minute checks and confirmations from the miniature hair and make up team preparing for the day. The younger blonde almost cried when the hair stylist Balthazar suggested taking out some of her bows, and then the fact both Anna and Bela were made to change their dresses to something different due to ‘looking too alike’ in the camera was insane. Jo watched on in a mixture of shock, awe and disdain as the make up, hair and wardrobe stylists did their work, and was only a little relieved when she was left alone as ‘good enough’ since she doubted she’d be filmed much that day. If she was, she’d have to bring out her back up bribery too. Ruby likewise was left alone, and the make up artist glared daggers at Jo when Lilith complained her neck looked ‘a little too red’. But everyone was touched up and finalised within half an hour, and Shada too had arrived and was barely containing her nerves.
She wasn’t sure when he arrived, but Jo noticed Chuck walking about behind other cameras and ducking under wardrobe racks at one point with his camera out and dictaphone hanging from a cord on his neck. Jo smiled when she caught his eye, but thankfully today wasn’t actually about her. Today was his content for the month after her cake special - all about the bridesmaids - and she would barely be spoken to today. This was his first chance to interview and speak with the other five bridesmaids, so really Jo would get to spend most of the day talking to Shada and keeping her company instead.
As the group were guided out to the black trio of cars again and slid into various seats to represent the way they would arrive to the studio, Jo laughed when Gabe grabbed her arm and had her lean up against the building instead.
“Really?”
“What can I say? The lighting looks great on you like that. Besides,” Gabe grinned conspiratorially at her as they waited for Shada and Ombre to climb into the third car, with Ruby and Lilith into the second and Anna and Bela in the first, “It means you didn’t have to go into one of the cars with those conniving bitches.”
“My hero.” Jo replied with a flourish of eyelash batting and laughter alike as she picked up her coffee mug, refilled by Shada’s PA Kevin, and began checking her phone as instructed and felt natural to her as she waited for this intro shooting to finish.
Soon enough the group were ushered back into the salon - now looking like a proper boutique rather than the explosion of wardrobe and styling that it had looked before - and Shada was greeted enthusiastically by the extremely smug fashion designer Meg Masters from Mastersara Bridal.
“Welcome, ladies, to my boutique.” The brown waves around the woman’s face were so well quaffed, like the other starlets that surrounded Jo as they moved into the space and were guided by the designer towards the luxurious white sofas with the golden accents. The whole group looked mostly put together, and Jo could tell as she made sure not to look directly down the lens of the camera walking backwards before them as they moved that there was a clear line between the reality stars, and herself and Ombre. If she hadn’t already been sure, then the look of distaste that swept the designers face as Jo slumped down on one end of the couch beside the perky blonde was enough to confirm it. “Our sophisticated designs are here for your review, and I am certain that you will find the perfect design for your vision in our collection.” The glance towards Shada and the rest of the stars as the B-camera came to pan across each womans’ reactions was enough to make Jo fight not to snort. “Mastersara Bridal is for not only the modern bride, but the modern bridal party - and we are so touched-” Jo found herself frowning at the tone as the dark haired woman said that word, the tiny curl to her lip and slight sardonic element to it as Meg’s eyes forcefully stayed staring straight, “-that you are here to select your gowns.”
Glancing to her right at the bride herself, Jo could see the glimmer of excitement and the wet sheen in the brunette’s eyes as she smiled that beautiful way that lit up the whole room. The family trait that Jo knew so well, and found herself smiling in return about it as Shada clapped her hands excitedly.
“I love shopping!” The excited giggle that came from the bride was perfectly timed, and the laughter that rippled out was almost entirely genuine from the group that were there, before Shada bounced back up to her feet. “I’m so excited!”
“I’m sure you are,” Meg smiled back, a tiny slice of danger behind white teeth, but waved a hand towards one side of the room. “Let’s see what we can find, shall we ladies?”
Jo actually flinched at the loud squealed exclamations from all the other women, before the group dispersed quickly in a rush in all different directions. Blinking in surprise, she caught the bemused look on their director’s face for the day as he bit into one of his cookies with a wink as he waved a hand for the three other camera men to start following the rest of the group.
Taking a deep breath as the noise slowly quieted down and instead each small group of women began talking amongst themselves, the blonde leaned over her knees as she breathed in and out. This was a lot. She was used to having this level of excitement and such around her, but as she finally got to her feet and approached where Shada was talking animatedly about only wanting purple shades regardless of if certain people’s hair would clash horribly and wash them out, Jo was surprised to realise that it was overwhelming for her in a way she’d never experienced before.
“Oh Bela, I know you’re not a fan, but green just is so not my color wheel.” Shada giggled loudly at the seductive green silk dress the other brunette was holding up to her frame. “Besides, you’re a bridesmaid - you’re not there to be sexy.”
“Says you.” Bela tossed her head back with a smile, eyes flashing and Jo was sure that the camera was eating every second of that wicked look. “You know weddings are the perfect place to meet men, and I know that Ian has some equally rich and handsome cousins-”
“No!” The chirp came from the blonde that stuck her head with a very exaggerated scowl through the nearest clothing rack. Ombre eyed the actress with a frown for a moment before adding sharply, “My cousins are all gay. Or married. Or-”
“Or you’re lying to disuade me.”
��Maybe.”
“Girls, lets not fight - we’ve got to find dresses.” Jo found herself speaking up as the bickering back and forth began and all she could envision was how frustrating it was to deal with Billy’s squabbling with his friends and put her foot in before it could get going. “Shada, how about you get everyone to grab a dress or two - so long as they can be made in a purple tone - and we can get started?”
There was a second before her friend’s arms went around her waist and Jo found herself laughing along with Shada as she grinned back at her. “See? This is why we need a mom around here! Someone who knows what they’re doing!” Looking over Jo’s shoulder, Shada flapped her hand at those around the room. “Let’s get trying!”
The god awful squeal happened again, and biting down on a wince, Jo let Shada link their arms together and herself be towed about the room as the brunette reviewed dress after dress with the designer pointing out features left and right. It took forever, but perhaps that was just how it felt to Jo, before the six bridesmaids were each sent off to their own dressing rooms with a large array of dresses in each to match one another - guided to start from the left to the right.
Letting out a sigh, Jo stripped off and quickly pulled on the first dress with little struggle. At least this one, compared to some of the others, looked a lot less intimidating. Tugging the chiffon straps carefully, Jo frowned when they wouldn’t stay up and instead hung off her shoulder. It must have been intentional, she thought as she readjusted her bra and settled everything where it should be before there was a called out direction by the directing man for the bridesmaids to emerge on the count of three.
Sighing to herself, Jo followed instructions and moved out of her changing room towards the central space in line with the other bridesmaids to scrutiny.
Looking down the line, the blonde found herself smiling to see Ombre swishing the skirt of the soft lilac dress happily, while both Anna was trying not to scowl on camera while trying to pull her dress down enough to show more cleavage than should be necessary or was acceptable in such a simple and classic dress. The color looked beautiful on a few of the other women’s skin tones, but washed out others like Bela and Ombre.
Jo jerked at the sound of a laugh near her, and looked over to see Chuck with his camera pointed directly at her while Gabe was directing his own the cameras away from her. Frowning, she raised a brow at the men in confusion.
“Have a good night, Jo?” Chuck asked, tone full of implication, as Shada and Lilith bickered about whether the color of the dress was dramatic enough or not. Jo frowned further in confusion until the reporter gestured at her neck. “Should have remembered you were doing things today.”
Turning her head towards the mirror, Jo let out a loud laugh noticing the dark patch under her ear that was visible now she’d switched her borrowed hoodie out for a dress. Giggling, she looked about for an option before a tall, lanky blond came over with a compact and whispered at her in an accent that would have once upon a time been dreamy about “got mauled by an octopus did you, dearie?”
Thankfully the rest of the women were busy squabbling or enjoying their dresses that by the time all turned towards Jo she was covered sufficiently and could simply say she thought the dress was ‘nice’ and ‘a good start’ without any further questions other than to turn the topic back to the bride.
“I agree, Jo, it’s a good start. I love the color - its so lovely and reminds me of spring! It would match the wisteria arches perfectly...” Shada frowned slightly in the sweetest looking frown Jo had seen in a while, tapping at her lip with a finger as her brows furrowed and a camera came in for a close up. “But something about the strap bothers me. Onto the next!”
The clap that followed that was order enough for the bridesmaids and director alike for them all to return to the dressing rooms for the next dress.
Jo emerged before being called this time - half to check that she didn’t have anything extra to be hidden and half to check on the bride herself - and found herself blushing at the loud exclamations of how beautiful she looked from her friend.
“Oh Jo, you have to get a dress like this some day. My brother would eat you up!” Shada leaped off of the sofa to run up to her, all smiles and grins as the camera crew focused on taking b-roll of the store itself while the other women struggled to get dressed. The brunette took her hands in a second before tugging for Jo to spin so the soft, tulle swirled about in a beautiful arch while Jo could hear in the background the shutter of the reporter’s ever observant camera going off. “Look at your figure, wow. Wow. You’d totally steal the show from me!”
Jo laughed along with the other at that, aware that the warm tone and the way the other pulled her in for a hug that that would in no way be true but the sentiment felt so strongly. She did look nice, she supposed, catching a glimpse in the mirror. She was just lucky her breasts had shrunk back to almost the same level after having weaned Billy onto a bottle all those years ago, because with much more cleavage and she’d look very different in this dress.
The rest of the bridesmaids slowly emerged, and Jo bit down on a smirk at the decreasingly excited or pleased reaction each woman got as more appeared in the beautiful design. The deep-v that looked lovely on Jo, Lilith and Ombre, looked borderline tacky on the two dark haired women when Bela and Ruby emerged even if the dark purple color of the bodice looked beautiful on their complexions. And on the redhead when Anna eventually emerged, it looked downright tawdry.
“Oh no.” Shada shook her head, eyes fixed on the ample curve of bossom visible in the deep-v of the redhead’s dress before she swept a glance over the rest of them with a wistful look. “No, no, this one won’t do. You all look far too sultry and amazing. Though perhaps I should buy one of these for my hen’s night?”
The round of laughter and eye rolls that came from that, as well as the extreme pout from the redhead were amusing, and Jo made her way over in a swish of fabric as the rest moved back to the dressing room to catch the bride’s arm.
“Hey, Shada sweetheart, it’s absolutely okay if we don’t find something today, okay?”
“But-”
“No,” Jo shook her head at the somewhat deflated look on the other’s face as Jo guided her to sit down. “I know all those girls have their own expectations of what they want to look like, but you should know that this is about what you want and what will make you happiest.”
The glance the dark haired woman gave to the cameras that were now focused on the pair was concerning, though Jo reached out to grip her chin firmly but gently and caught her eye again. “No. This is about you Shada, not any of that. This is all about you, and your love and your happiness - not the dresses, not the cameras or the opinions or the whims of everyone else. You tell me which dress you want, when you see it, and I will make sure you get exactly what you want.” Jo could feel the prickle of tears at the corner of her eyes as she said it - remembering the voice that was becoming less clear growling to her that 'whatever makes you happy’ when she’d said she just wanted her own wedding over with - before smiling widely. “You are the bride, Shada, and this is about your big day. Not everything else happening around it.”
There was a beat before the younger girl nodded her head a few times and Jo wrapped her up in a tight, bone-crushing hug for a moment regardless of the cameras on them and the shutter sound of the smaller ones. After a moment, she pulled back and knocked her fist gently against the other’s chin before rushing back to her dressing room to get into the next dress.
Jo barely refrained from jerking away when she noticed the next dress, scowling to herself as she pulled it on and tugged at the turtleneck of it as it scratched at her skin. Turning in the mirror, she pulled a face all over again at the figure hugging nature of the dress and just how much of a Mom-ass she looked to have already in that dress.
Heading to her spot in the line up, Jo found herself biting back a laugh at the vehement fight breaking out between Shada and Lilith over the dress itself.
“No way! They’re too sparkly-”
“I happen to think these are better than those trashy, boring dresses from before.”
“You all look trashy now!”
“You would know!”
“Get the Hell out of those things!” Shada shrieked, gesturing along the line of women as the smirking blonde continued to tug her dress to show of every single curve of her body in the dress in a way Jo was trying to conceal for herself. “My wedding is not in Las Vegas! No way, no how, get out of them now!”
Jo was glad to turn tail without even being out in that one for even a minute, before catching sight of the next dress with a sense of dread. Sparkles and sequins weren’t exactly Jo’s dream idea, but as she struggled to work out the straps to the open sides and back of the next dress and had to call a store girl in to help, she couldn’t help but find her breaths rushing realising that perhaps if this dress was chosen she’d definitely stand out.
Emerging to the floor to see Shada, Ombre and Bela gushing about the dresses in the centre of the room and how pretty the color was on each woman, Jo tugged a little at the side of her dress. Glancing towards the large mirrors before them, she could see three quarters of each of her ribcage tattoos on display under the straps - dark lines and bright colors standing out against her skin and the deep eggplant color. Frowning to herself, she moved up towards the other women and blushed brightly when all three turned to look at her with matching frowns at the distracting ink from the design of the dresses.
“What do you think? Too much?” Ruby’s voice cut over them as she moved up as well, and Jo’s eyes went straight to her chest and the limited coverage in this dress compared to the other deep-v.  “Not enough?” The additional comment seemed to be addressed over the women’s heads towards the camera crew, and Jo bit down a smile at the smirk and thumbs up sent back to the dark haired beauty from the directing chair. “Shada, me thinks this might not work-” There was a pause as Ruby glanced behind her to see Lilith and Anna emerging too with their own problems of either not filling out or over filling the dresses respectively, before looking around and at the tattoos visible on Jo’s sides. “For multiple reasons.”
Shada’s own face slowly shifted from a smile about how lovely Ombre and Bela had looked in the gowns to taking in the rest with a growing frown before nodding. “Yeah, I love the color though-”
“It’s definitely lovely!” Ombre chirped up from beside Shada with a wide smile, and Jo couldn’t help but feel glad that at least there were two of them on Shada’s side.
“But perhaps the design isn’t quite... accommodating enough?”
“We can expand the cups.” There was a sniffing sound as Meg moved forward to gesture towards the redhead’s chest with a sneer. “For those who need a little more coverage.”
Shada’s eyes darted about between the dresses and the designers frowning disapproval uncertainly, and as she blushed brightly, Jo could tell where this was going. She was such a people pleaser and so lovely a person, but that just meant sometimes she could be trampled too much. Not on Jo’s watch though.
“Oh, but you’d have to change the whole bodice of the dress to cover my tattoos though.” She quickly snapped out, tugging surreptitiously on the dress in the middle to show even more of her ink as she turned to the side, drawing everyone’s eyes over to her and away from Shada. Jo locked eyes with the designer fiercely, lips twitching to go into a smirk at the way the other woman’s own curled up into a sneer. “And then it’s jut a whole different dress. We might as well keep looking.”
“Exactly right, Jo. Thank you.” Shada spoke up then, stepping up to point and tap disapprovingly at the side of her dress as she looked back at the designer and then made a flapping, shoo-hand towards the rest of the bridesmaids. “Next dress, ladies!” As the group dispersed back to their own dressing rooms, the bride reached to hold Jo’s wrist with a smile. “Thank you,” She whispered quietly then, the intent and gratitude clearly pouring out that Jo could do little but smile back before shuffling back to the next dresses.
The fifth dresses resulted in a shouting match about just why was no one in the color purple and why would Shada want to look at silver dresses when none of those designs came in her chosen color; and the sixth was in another pale lavendar color but looked a little too sweet and girly on everyone except Ombre. Jo half thought that girl should be treated as a junior bridesmaid, given she wasn’t even nineteen yet, and could wear the flowy, laced halter dress to be different from the rest - but that idea brought tears to the other blonde at being treated differently and was quickly shut down. The brown bag of elephant ear cookies was quickly brought out and the younger woman calmed down with sugar before they moved onto the next dress.  The seventh dress was widely agreed to be Nice But Wrong in a way that nobody could put a finger on and was after about five minutes of dissection to get to the bottom of it called off with a shout of “NEXT!” from the bride that sent them all scurrying away.
Jo had noticed between dresses that Chuck had been making the rounds talking to each of the other bridesmaids for a few minutes before they changed to discuss the wedding, Shada, their involvement and connection, and whatever else he seemed to want to draw out of these women thrown together by a job or through the groom in Ombre’s case. Jo was just glad to avoid talking today until she noticed him hovering by her dressing room as she emerged in the eighth dress.
“So, how is this compared to shopping for your own dress?” Chuck’s voice was quiet, thankfully, in the space as he held the dictaphone between them with a warm smile. “You said it was at an op shop, but did you have much to choose from?”
“Not really. There’s only so many white dresses about the place that aren’t stained, if you feel me.”
“That makes sense. Did you get that feeling though?” Jo found herself raising a brow at the question, which brought out a chuckle from the reporter. “Oh I know, odd for me to ask. But all the other ladies keep talking about some magical feeling or experience, figured you’d be the one to know the truth maybe.”
Jo laughed a little at that, shrugging a bare shoulder as she tilted her head to the side considering. “Hmmm... I don’t think I did. I just picked the dress that fit and looked the nicest.”
“If you were to get married again, what do you think you’d be after this time around? That magical feeling?”
She shook her head as she moved out towards the group, smiling sadly to herself as she glanced back over her shoulder at the man. “Sorry Chuck, I’m a bit too much of a realist these days about marriage and weddings,” Jo felt that prickle again and blinked rapidly for a moment before sighing gently. “Once you’ve experienced that young love feeling, you know that fades. Real love is about the real world, and facing that together. I don’t think you need a magical feeling - just to feel like you’re home and safe together.”
The reporter nodded repeatedly and Jo watched as he pulled out his notepad to make a few more notes as he moved off distractedly out of shot from the other cameras as Jo stepped up on the podium beside the other bridesmaids in this dress.
She had felt a little self concious of her hips and butt in the dress in the dressing room, but standing in line with the other women she couldn’t help but think they’d stumbled upon something that flattered each woman individually without drawing too much attention. Sure, she definitely looked curvy in the dress beside the others, but Anna and Ruby’s chests looked equally full, while Lilith and Ombre’s hair color and svelte figures looked statuesque and beautiful. And Bela just looked gorgeous in any and every dress she’d worn that she blended in with the rest just as lovely in the deep plum dress beside the rest of them.
“Oh. Oh these...” The bride’s eyes had lit up as soon as the six of them has assembled along beside one another, taking in the elegant drop sleeves and gentle curve of the silhouette that flattered each of them together. “I think, maybe...”
As each woman took turns to speak how much they liked the dress - with the sole exclusion of Anna who pouted repeatedly and played up to camera that it was too form fitting while clearly meaning the complete opposite as she continued to perk her chest up higher and twist to make her butt stick out more as she glanced between her own behind and Jo’s own - or at least appreciated the design for various reason, followed by the designer to talk incessantly about how lovely and flattering it was, Jo kept her eyes on Shada’s own wide, glossy ones.
“Well, we still have two more to try!” Ombre interjected when no one seemed to be making a move either way, and watching Shada shake herself out of her thoughts, Jo smiled that perhaps they’d found the one that would make the other happy already.
Stripping out of the dress, Jo let out a yelp at the sound of her curtain being pulled open before scowling in the small mirror in the room back towards the blonde and redhead that were in her doorway, delayed in changing from their interviews with the reporter.
“Excuse fucking you?” Jo snarled the words out, turning to sneer back at them as she lifted the dress back up from the floor to cover her front as she raised a brow at their own nasty looks. “Your rooms are further down.”
“Oh, are they?” Anna’s question sounded innocent, but the way her eyes raked over her disapprovingly made Jo question just how good an actress she thought the other actually was. “Our mistake. Hmm, Jo, what on earth happened to you?”
“What?”
“Those marks. You’re absolutely riddled in such horrible stretchmarks!”
“You’re right, Anna!” Lilith jumped right onto the line of picking as her own eyes ran across Jo’s skin in a way that made her want to throw punches - bra and panties be damned. “Were you a fat little kid? Or is that all from that little bastard you’ve whelped?”
Everything seemed to flash red in that moment, and if it hadn’t been the slight movement of something silver out the corner of her eye, Jo would have grabbed the other blonde by the hair and shut her up one way or another. Instead she glared hatefully at the recorder that stopped her from breaking the sneering bitch’s nose then and there and instead snarled back harshly. “Lilith, grow the fuck up.”
“What?”
“And you too Anna,” Jo hissed the words out, holding the dress tighter against herself as she tried not to let her rage boil over as she glared hatefully between the two of them. “I get you’re pissed that your boob job last year was fucking lopsided, and that you, Lilith, only got released last month for that little coke habit of yours - but I won’t have either of you talking shit about my son or trying to ruin this for Shada. So shut the fuck up, grow the fuck up, and don’t make me force the issue after we’re done here.”
There was a pause as the other two women exchanged a look, and Jo felt a small amount of pleasure as the redhead hiked up her dress on one side self-consciously in a way that Jo had felt before her mind got flooded with anger, before they turned about on their heels to go back to their change rooms. As she slid the curtain back in place she could hear them continue to whispering viciously about her ‘dumptruck ass’ and stretch marks, and one comment that as Jo turned back to the mirror, dropping the dress to the floor, stuck harder. ‘What makes her think she’s so special to be included here? Just cause she tricked Shada’s rich older brother into thinking she’s someone worth anything.’
Staring back into the mirror for a moment, Jo struggled to keep her face straight even to herself as she ran an eye over each of the imperfections they’d named as well as every other problem she saw in herself - each cut and mark and the less taunt skin around her stomach that had never gone back as tight as it used to be and the way her arms were too muscular from all the kneading and her hair was getting the odd silver strand amongst the blonde between running a business with such early hours, having a child and trying to restart her romantic life - before she spotted the dark bruising starting in the tops of her thighs and the curve of her breasts and the spots covered faintly still by make up on her neck. The proof that all those little bits, those little flaws and problem areas, and pieces that showed the history of her life in them, weren’t anything to be ashamed of.
Shaking her head, Jo quickly pulled on the next dress with a scowl of disgust at how washed out the color was compared to the deep jewel tone of the previous one, and the flacid ruffle along one side that made her want to tear it off. Some how this was almost as bad as the sparkly one.
When Jo got out onto the platform with the rest of the bridesmaids, she was not surprised to see both Anna and Lilith refusing to meet her eye before the redhead said loudly to the other, “Oh it’s such a shame some people look like old mothers rather than young bridesmaids.”
“It’s a shame some of us look like an episode of Botched,” Snapped Ruby with a smirk as she lifted her nails pretending to inspect them as a few of the other women frowned uncertainly. “But as I believe Jo said earlier, it’s about the bride right? So if someone’s tits are pointing in opposite directions then it’s probably very helpful for us all that we’re supposed to blend into the background, right?”
Jo bit down on a snort of laughter at that as she could spot a few of the crew trying to hold in their own noises. The fact there was no script today meant absolutely nothing to the ability for Gabe and his crew to get enough soundbites and drama for an episode. Glancing towards the reporter who was fiddling with his voice recorder, she could see the bemused look on his own face as well.
“Shada?” The uncertain question cut through the tension, and Ombre blinked sweetly a few times at her future sister-in-law before everyone turned back towards the dark haired bride. “What do you think?”
“Get rid of the tapeworm dresses, please, immediately!”
Jo found herself laughing hard at that description, and louder still when she shimmied the excess frill towards the bride and got a horrified squeal in return.
This time she wasn’t disturbed as she changed into the last dress. The sequined monstrosity that it was.
Shada didn’t even let half the women emerge from the change rooms before the call was made for everyone to put back on the deep purple mermaid dress with the off the shoulder cut. The one dress that made everyone look gorgeous and equally beautiful, though the way Jo could see the dark haired woman’s eyes cutting towards the redhead she could tell she wished it looked worse on her.
As they stood in line as they would on the day, Shada let out a loud and excited squeal - clapping her hands and bouncing happily on the sofa as she looked at the line of bridesmaids with joy. “We found it you guys!” The woman practically buzzed with excitement as they looked them all over and then got swamped by a giant hug from the youngest blonde who launched herself over for a hug. “We did it! Oh I have such pretty bridesmaids!”
“She using the right term? For you I mean.” Jo startled at the question from beside her as the other women milled about to try on accessories, looking out the corner of her eye at the reporter. His dictaphone was away at this point, as was his notepad, and Jo felt her cheeks heating up at the implication of the words before she got called away by Bela to try a necklace.
The rest of the day was a quick blur, and as soon as she was back in her normal clothes and wrapped up in the faint smell of aftershave, Jo felt much more comfortable as she got talked through how to do a brief interview for the show itself rather than the reporter, and then got to take Shada and Ombre for a late lunch at the sushi restaurant that the brunette never got to go to often any more. It was a relaxing time, with all three talking happily and confirming that Shada had chosen a beautiful dress that would compliment her own wedding dress when it was finally chosen too.
After lunch, Jo stopped by the bakery but was shooed straight out by Sam with the end of his broomstick and a lot of laughter. Instead of heading home, she swung past the college instead to check on Jack. That led to her sitting in on his last two lectures, staring moonily at him as she watched the passion with which he talked about his work and whipped his classes up into a frenzy of enthusiasm and appreciation for whatever topic he talked about. Then it was dinner, a movie on the couch and kisses in bed before sleep caught up with her.
The next day was equally calm in the morning, with the opening of the bakery as standard and her morning breezing by as if it was any regular day. It felt kind of strange to be back to her regular routine without her reporter shadow or anything out of the ordinary planned like shopping or photo shoots. It was quiet even as she bopped around to her tunes and worked on her usual catalogue of treats and baked goods. It felt good to be back to normal.
That changed as the clock hit one, and Jack arrived alongside his sister and Shada’s fiance Ian. Just after Jo had served up lunch of pithiviers, the door swung open to let in Chuck as well as Ash for their own lunches and bringing in a tray of coffees for the others. Jack’s attitude dipped slightly at the reporter’s arrival, but as the questions bounced about simply interviewing Ian and Shada about their feelings about Jo’s baking and why they had chosen to have Jo make their cake, he calmed some and slowly relaxed next to her as Jo rubbed her thigh against his under the bench.
As soon as lunch was finished, Jo fetched out the four different cake styles as well as the base crumb coated tiers to make a three tier mock-up of the cake itself based upon whichever design the couple chose.
It was a quick blur discussing what elements they each liked of all the cakes, and what they didn’t, but the silver dictaphone was out and Jo found herself talking more professionally than she usually would between friends but taking the time to really discuss at length the different elements. That Ian really liked the demonstrated fondant flowers but they both would be so intruiged to see some pulled sugar demonstrations as well. That Shada loved the understated, modern elegance of the airbrushed cake. That neither liked the ruffle effect of the ombre cake, even though Ian softened at hearing the name of the style and both thought it was a sweet connection to Ian’s sister but not quite their style. That they trusted Jack’s opinion on every single element.
As they finally settled on wanting to see a three tiered airbrushed cake, Jo set the fondant rolling for each cake and after wrapping and stacking the bottom two tiers - she held her airbrush out to the dark haired artist with a smile.
“You want to do the first spray?” She asked with a smile as she started wrapping the last of the cakes. “Or do you have any suggestions for the patterning?”
“Jo, I’d never suggest I could paint a cake near as good as you could.” Jack’s smile was blinding as he turned back to her as she started putting the last tier to the top with a steadying hand from him to help her when it was above her head. There was a pause before a sudden gust of air and edible dye splattered onto her cheek as Jack sprayed at her lightly on accident with a laugh. “See? I’m all thumbs!”
“That you are!” Giggling herself, she set about starting to do the same mottled effect of blacks, greys, golds and definite purples across the side of the cake - spinning it carefully left and right on the cake stand so she could create a gentle gradation that worked on both sides of the cake at once. So that no matter where you stood, you could see a gentle flow of color spreading along the while surface and swirling together. “Whatcha think, hun?”
There was a pause before Jo felt the other’s hand wrap around her fingers and lift the gun to point at one last spot. “A tiny bit there, and I think it’s good.” Jack’s lips were brushing against the shell of her ear as he talked, and she almost forgot hot to breathe when his finger pressed down on top of hers to pull the trigger for a moment before releasing again as the final, perfect brush stroke finished off the cake. The noise of the whole room had dropped away as she took a minute step back into his arms, her back to his chest and his other hand spreading across her waist, before a loud squeal broke the spell wrapped around her like her love’s arms.
“Oh my gosh, Jo! It’s absolutely perfect!”
The happy exclamation from the dark haired girl felt so good after the week of worry and stress trying to perfect the design and flavors and options for the other, and as Jo turned to look across the bench top from between the beautiful mocked up cake and the warmth of her lover’s embrace, she found herself grinning widely to see the same amount of love and excitement that she felt on the young couple’s faces as they looked between her cake and each other. Tilting her head back to catch Jack’s eye, she couldn’t help but think Shada had it utterly right.
Letting out a laugh, Jo smiled back and after a loud cough from the reporter, quickly moved to pose with both the bride and groom and the cake alone, before Chuck announced he had more than enough content for his cake article.
“I’ll see you all in a few weeks for - what was it, florals and bridal showers?” Chuck looked equally as confused as the other men in the room, shrugging his messenger bag with all his gadgets up onto his shoulder. “This article should be out by then, I think, depending on what date exactly you’re doing those parts Shada.”
“Not until after, I don’t think.” The brunette smiled gently from her perch on one of the stools, holding hands with her fiance and barely glancing away from him even as Ian was answering some email on his phone. “I loved the first article!”
“Oh yeah, that one was good.” The reporter nodded a few times, and shook hands with the distracted groom before extending a hand towards Jack as well. It took a second before the men shook hands, and Jo quickly jumped to her feet as Chuck went to leave.
“Wait! Take one of these with you, won’t you? I’ve got more cake than I’ll need for ages!” Jo flapped a hand and quickly fetched out a large cake box to slide the cake covered in the edible flowers into it for him. The ombre ruffled cake was boxed up already to be dropped off by Ian to his sister as a surprise, and Jo knew she’d use the other two as cake specials for the rest of the weekend. “I hope you like lemon.”
“You better believe it.” He looked surprised and a little uncertain to be receiving the full cake, and Jo was confused by the almost guilty look that crossed his face as Chuck took it from her with a sigh. There was a pause before he smiled again and waved goodbye with his free hand and headed back out to the main part of the bakery.
Frowning to herself, Jo moved back over to the three tier cake and grabbed a knife, holding it out to Shada and Ian. Looking between them and her own love, the blonde grinned with a wicked smile before asking cheekily, “You two need to get some practice in before the big night?”
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FIC: Wolf Day Afternoon
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"Well now," She joked as the final rope holding his hands were cut away from where they had been digging into his wrists. "How's it feel to be the damsel for once?"
"Pretty damn good, actually," Garth replied with a lopsided grin, or at least he hoped it was one, as he slowly lowered and rubbed his sore skin. From the look on the blonde's face, he figured that smile wasn't even close to what he hoped it would be. "How'd you go as the knight in shining armor?"
That at least got a laugh out of her as Jo moved towards one of the other people in the room, carefully removing the IV bag of djinn venom from their arm with a sour look when the girl's - and Garth flinched to recognize her as the second of the missing people, a young fifteen-year-old who went missing from the local library and whose face was plastered across every phone pole in town - blue eyes remained misted over even as she sagged in the bindings from her captor.
"You know me, s'long as I get to swing a sword-" "Or a silver knife with lamb's blood." "Yeah, that too!"
Garth moved towards the man strapped up closest to him - the last of the djinn's catch before himself - and worked the dripper of venom from the younger man's arm before jerking back as brown eyes flashed open and the man screamed.
"Hi there, friend," He spoke as softly as possible, carefully checking the man for other marks of distress or injuries as he reached to slowly undo the ropes from the man's hands. Garth could tell from the whites showing around his eyes that this man was almost as alert as he himself was, and musn't have been as lost in the wish world as he could have been. "You've just had a-"
"Very potent drug affect." Jo's voice came up from over his shoulder before her own thing fingers worked the knot undone better than his own shaky ones could. The way the man seemed to focus straight onto her face was something Garth had gotten used to hunting on occasion with the blonde - she just had a way with people, to draw attention when she wanted, and a soothing something to her whenever they had to calm someone down after an attack that Garth was almost jealous of. At least he was still better talking to children than her though. "I'm so sorry to say, mister, but you got yourself kidnapped by a very dangerous gang that've been operatin' in the area. I'm Officer Harvelle, and we've managed to apprehend the criminals."
"I was-" "Kidnapped and drugged." "But I was just-" "Walkin' home from the bar, remember? You went down the alley towards your car and then you were jumped."
The man's head slowly started nodding along with the story that the blonde was weaving, the faint glint of a badge on her belt and the gun holster that wouldn't stand up to scrutiny as official helping smooth the scared, confused man as they worked to release him. There was a full amount of truth in what she said - Garth had had the exact same thing happen to him while Jo had been going along the opposite path - that the man would remember his true memories that led to his abduction by the djinn that he should buy what she was saying. The taller hunter took a step back as the man's hand were freed and he slumped a little under his own weight, and moved towards the two other victims that were still in their binding as he could hear Jo spinning the story that would see the man stumbling home, believing this was all a drugged fuelled dream and forgetting about asking for her badge number until the hunters were long gone.
Both others were as dull-eyed as the first girl, but Garth felt the prickle of tears in his eyes as he pressed his fingers against their pulse points to the deadly missing thump of blood through their veins. Carefully lifting both bodies down from their entrapment, he quietly moved them one at a time towards what looked to be a tarp behind a few shelves out of the sight of the still mumbling man. As the hunter picked up the second, he brushed at his cheek at the tell-tale wetness of a tear.
"Fuck. They... We weren't ever goin' ta be early enough for them, I don't think."
If Garth hadn't heard the crack in her voice as the blonde had snuck up behind him from his quiet reflection, the hunter might have wondered if the woman was as heartless as some of them that were in their community - but as he stood up with a sore crack of his back from being immobile for the last day, he was so touched to notice the same wet-look in her eyes as his own. Sometimes hunting with others left him aching for the slow beat away of humanity in some of those who were on the road every day of the year; those raised in the life like Sam and Dean left him sorrowful for their detachment at times, but that Jo - another hunter raised in the life unlike him - had similar reactions to himself helped fill that gulf between him and the others.
"Not likely, no." "Well... three out of five isn't bad." "Are you counting that girl as the third?"
Both hunter's eyes turned towards the first girl, where she still sat, slumped over to the side and unwilling to move away from where she had sunk. The grey pallor of her skin was still present, even as her cheeks were slowly gaining a little pink back in them. The redhead's aunt had cried constantly when they'd interviewed her - and Garth figured he could guess what the recently made orphan's wish world had held for her and just how hard it may be for her to return to life as it was. To accept reality. His own thankfully was not that hard.
Jo's sigh caught his attention, and as the short blonde moved over to help lift the girl up with a struggle - he rushed forward to pick the girl up himself despite the faint wooziness from his own energy-zapping.
"Her aunt, no matter what will be glad to have her home," Garth mumbled quietly as he held the girl and slowly made his way out of the space with the man they'd rescued beside himself.
There was a faint query of where their squad car was from the man as they emerged from the old dockside building, which was quickly shut down by and distracted from as Jo peppered him with questions instead and long-winded answers about the man's situation. It was almost like circles around and around before Garth realized just how convoluted a story she had weaved that the man would never get to the end of the ball of knots.
Both saved victims were dropped off at their homes as quickly as possible and with as distractingly dizzy conversation for the more focused man than the young girl, before Jo turned the car back towards their motel only to come to a screeching halt at a payphone.
"Gimme a sec, yeah?" The blonde didn't wait for a response from him at all as she leaped out and went to make the call about the two bodies of the women they hadn't been able to save, a stronger constitution in her that Garth envied. 
He could barely get himself to sit upright rather than slumped in his passenger seat with his forehead pressed against the cold glass of the window in a way that he wished felt more reassuring than it did. It used to calm him to feel the slight vibrations of a car and the cold numbing sharpness from the glass, but all he felt then was the same hollow feeling at his world being reconfirmed to reality and the sticky dark blood he'd seen from the djinn's body as Jo had rescued him.
Shuddering to himself, Garth was unsurprised that Jo was back in the car and the pair set straight off back out of town towards his own home base than back to the motel. She was just that organised, he'd thought to himself for ages, and that she had known that she would finish the hunt and had the foresight to get their equipment already as well as wipe their motel rooms clear rather than delay after she'd dispatched the villain of their hunt was something Garth still struggled with. The confidence and trust in himself that he would finish the task, that he would be able to save the day and do what needed doing for such things.
"How do you do it?" He was surprised to hear his own voice in the quiet space of the car, the dull rumble of the engine and the whistle of an air system that needed a tune-up the only sound that had been in their with them, but wasn't surprised to hear himself voicing a query he'd never quite finished for the other.
"Whatcha mean?" "The killing that's involved. The confidence that you're doing the right thing. That you'll actually do it." "Huh?" "I just... I go into a hunt never actually sure that I'd be able to take out the monster at the end of it, especially with what I am now. I guess I just... How do you do it, Jo? And so comfortably? So well? Even without considering your relationship with non-humans being as complex as my own situation."
He found himself turning his head, his cheek pressing against the cool glass, to look across the darkened centre of the car to look towards Jo and the tiny frown on her face as she continued their passage back towards the place he called home. Garth wished at moments like this he knew how to be a better friend, or word his thoughts better, or maybe even just read minds, as he could see a range of shadows play across her face that had nothing to do with the glow from the speedometer or the passingly illuminated road signs.
"Well, if you think I'm comfortable with it," Her words cut through his silent observation, a self-deprecating warmth in the tone as she raised a hand from the wheel to scratch at her neck. "Then I'm doin' a good job pretendin' then."
"You're not-?" "Of fuckin' course not!" "Since when?" "Since forever? You know 'bout my uncle, I told you when you wanted to quit huntin' and asked me to... help."
Garth felt his own shadows playing at that and ducked his head from watching her. That had been a dark day for him.
He was pulled out of that reflection by the other's voice though and shook that memory from his mind as he turned back to look across at the pained expression on Jo's face as she drove patiently and calmly in a way belied from the stress in her tone. "I've never thought that being a monster was somethin' worthy of hatred or loathin' or death. You know this, Garth, or at least a bit of it. And I just... I've never been okay that some hunts end bloody and just how hard it is to come up with or work out another solution."
"You know, that was my wish." Garth said sharply over the whispered end of Jo's own rant, and smiled softly when Jo looked across at him with a raised brow. "That there were other options, actually - it boiled down to a wish I had when I got into hunting-"
"The tooth fairy again?" "Yeah, that's the one." "So, what was the wish?"
Letting out a bit of a quiet laugh, Garth found himself feeling slightly lighter than he had since he'd stumbled back into reality - the weight of his wish world finally lifting as he saw the curious and warm, gentle smile he was getting as he shared. "That I didn't have to kill it. That I didn't have to kill any monsters. That no one did." He found himself twisting his hands a bit as he remembered it - they'd been on this same hunt, an irony that wasn't lost on him that they managed to stop the djinn within his dream world but hadn't needed to kill it the same as Jo had in the real world, and the djinn had simply needed to be discussed about some methodology that involved drawing only small dreams and energy from those willing and wanting to escape reality for a while - and just how easy it seemed that the world could tilt enough on its axis to allow monsters to be not so monstrous. It felt like if he just remembered enough, dug deep enough, found enough examples, he could make a real difference in a way that the thick blood that had pooled from the djinn's neck couldn't be stopped. "It... it felt good in that world, to help not only humans but-"
"Those non-humans too?" "Yeah. It felt like I could really do good for everyone with this job. Not just... People that other hunters think are what matters."
There was a noticeable slowing in the vertigo of the world speeding past the windows outside, and Garth looked confused between the darkened tree line flashing past slower than before and then the cool look on the blonde's face. 
"Jo?"
"You're right," Her voice was a tad robotic, but Garth knew better than to interrupt someone speaking in that tone. If she'd been a little girl and not a grown woman controlling the car they were driving in, he'd be trying to work out how to grab Mr Fizzle's to help with whatever train of thought was about to come out; but instead found himself sinking quietly into his seat and diverting his eyes back out through the front window at the panicked look in the white's of her eyes. "The human lives are the only ones that matter to most of us. And it's depressin'. Especially I'm sure for you, now, Garth. That if you were talkin' to some other hunter, they'd possibly change how they talked the minute they remember you ain't human any more." There was the drumming of untrimmed nails on the steering wheel and Garth shifted uncomfortably in acknowledgement. "And that if... If you were on a hunt with someone else? And trapped how you were? That they-" There was a gasped breath there, and he knew if they were anywhere but a speeding car he'd be dragging the other hunter into a hug no matter what disapproval or attempts to stop him she might make. Something was caught in her mind, tugging at the loose thread of an idea in a way Garth thought must be painful and in the same was she was drawing the same, horrible, thread of thought out in his own. "They might've left you like that. As one less... One less monster to deal with."
The rumble of the car and the heavy sound of gravel as Jo slowed to a crawl along the side of the empty highway felt like thunder, or perhaps that was just the thumping of his heart in his ears. It was pounding. Like he was on a hunt again, fighting for his and other's lives.
Glancing out the corner of his eye at Jo as the car came to a stop and put it into park without a word, there was a moment when he thought just maybe he still was. Right until two arms went around him despite the awkward pull of seatbelts, and Garth felt himself giving a shaky breath all his own as he wrapped his own around her frame in response. He couldn't say how long he stayed like that, eyes pressed tightly closed and some smell he never quite managed to determine with his new senses under that warmth he knew to be her shampoo as Jo pressed her hug back just as tightly.
Perhaps they weren't be most normal hunters, but Garth knew in his heart - no matter the momentary fears - that he'd found someone he could trust to save him as much as any human. And maybe just be able to help make his wish become a reality.
---
AFK - just checking on Garth
Jo pinged off the message on the team chat as she could hear a rustling noise over the bickering between Charlie and Spruce about the effectiveness of Harley Quinn's glitter gun. There was an immediate sound of a response as the group sat in the start menu while she got up, but she'd respond after checking on her host.
Padding along the hallway and then down the stairs into the belly of the converted boat, the blonde ducked her head under the last beam before the bottom of the stairs and paused cautiously at that point, tilting her head towards the front locked room to try to determine if the noise was coming from where it should or where it shouldn't be. The rattle of another chain came about from that direction and breathing a sigh of relief, Jo wandered towards the locked door with a more relaxed smile.
"Doin' 'kay in there, Garthy?" She called out quietly as she reached the door, sliding the small viewing panel in the door as her eyes adjusted to the dark in that part of the boat. The gentle lap of the water and sway of the boat in the currents was equally relaxing as she blinked and squinted into the darker room.
It wouldn't be a safe room if there were windows, and they'd worked together on what was the most comfortable and best for the other during these times of the month, and darkness was, unfortunately, an almost necessity when it came to keeping the beast tamed. Frowning a little as she heard the noise of movement again, Jo gave a small laugh when she noticed where the hunched over form of her friend was, curled up in the middle of the large mattress on the floor - they'd had to remove the frame the second month after Jo lost sight of the werewolf and he'd launched at her from under the bed itself on the first night - in a gangly arrangement of limbs. His foot, bare despite the cooler air of the night and those darkened sharp nails of his kind, was kicking out in his sleep, rattling the silver chain his ankle was locked into. Jo had been reluctant and found the need to chain her friend up distasteful - a sharp reminder for her each night that he wasn't the only man she adored that she'd shackled before, but a penance in a way even if the other wouldn't know it  - but they'd determined it was necessary that first month of testing. Though now, Garth's nocturnal form wasn't at all surprised when he would transform and the beast would find itself bolted down to an extent of the room and Jo had actually found his transformations less violent and feral than they used to be. A promising sign, and watching as Garth rolled to the other side, finger claws raking along his arms to draw only the faintest amount of blood this month, Jo let out a sigh as she shut the panel again. She'd need to play nurse in the morning, but that was nothing compared to some of the other injuries they'd both been shocked to see that side of him inflict upon him.
Heading back upstairs and shutting the hall door behind her, Jo let out a gentle sign as she slid the small lock into place - a back up to a back up to a back up, a precaution on top of so many precautions - and fished a diet soda from the fridge on her way back to Garth's rather impressive gaming system. Falling back into the exceptionally comfortable lounger chair, she slid the headset back over her hair, pulling a few strands of hair out of the way as she heard the voices of Spruce and Charlie still arguing.
"-it's not like she couldn't kill with that kind of impact-" "Oh that's bull shit and you know it!" "Those glitter explosions had force!" "The bean bags could kill, sure, but not fucking glitter."
Back - they still at it? - Jo quickly sent the message off in the chat itself rather than interrupt the ongoing fight. The pair were always arguing over one thing or another, and as she slid her character selector over towards Soldier 76 as she took a swig of her soda.
"Yeah, they're still trying to decide if it was deadly force or not." Ed chirped through the headsets, and Jo let out a laugh at that. "Hey, you wouldn't know would you?"
"Not sure if glitter would have the impact force-" "HA!" "But I have shot salt rounds at that proximity and velocity, and if the glitter was packed that tightly could have an impact, but not sure if it'd be deadly force for a regular human. Maybe it if was to the face?"
"Ha you're fucking self, Spruce!" Charlie's snap came readily as Ed, Harry and Grey all groaned in unison. "Anyways, is Shada around for today's game? We've got seven if she is, so could just play some death matches with a random?"
There was a quiet second before Grey's voice came through rough and tinny, "I've just sent her a message. Actually, I might have an eighth though please be nice to her guys, she's never played before."
"Who?" Jo found herself asking quickly, frowning slightly as she picked up her own phone to shoot a question off to Shada privately that they didn't have to interrupt anything if Shada was busy with whoever the other was.
"Sister." "You've got another sister? She hot too?" "None of you are flirting with her, Ed, she's a kid." "Ah, fair enough."
Jo frowned a moment at that, taking another moment to send Shada another message full of question marks and exclamation marks, as Grey said he'd be back in a second and Charlie and Spruce started bickering about some new topic of contention over the top of Ed and Harry making plans to catch up the next month if they could for some weird anniversary or something. Sinking into the comfortable chair more, Jo started picking at the plastic covering on the controller - a very colorful Mr Rogers-themed sticker that made her heart feel all the softer about her friend sleeping away the night downstairs - as she waited. Ombre - she's a total baby. She learned how to do body jumping around Christmas last year and is SUPER excited to get to talk to you - the message came through with a loud beep on her phone from the dark haired shadow she'd been waiting to hear back from. Shada's emphasis seemed genuine, and Jo found herself biting her nail as she considered that perhaps she'd need to have a chat with Grey about introducing her to the family as much as she did him to hers sometime soon. Another three beeps in quick succession as new messages came through, all in caps lock, and with some extra exclamation marks - SHES SO EXCITED TO PLAY!!  OMBRE WANTED TO KNOW IF THE DOG LIKED HER GIFTS??!! GREY IS SO FUNNY SETTING UP THE SYSTEM!! - that made Jo laugh to envision before she frowned at the question in the middle before a thought to the baby pink items for their furbaby at Christmas made more sense now.
"-isn't that right, Jo?"
"Huh?" She barely caught the sound of her name as she lifted her fingers from tapping mindlessly at her phone trying to decide the response to the brunette shadow, before blinking stupidly to herself for a moment. "What's what now?"
"I was just trying to explain to Spruce and Ed what a djinn was and how it's not at all like a three-wishes-genie," Harry said, tone laced with humor, "That was what you and Garth were on right?"
"Oh, I didn't know djinn were really real!" Charlie's voice picked up, perkily high, and intrigued, and Jo found herself frowning as she wondered if it would be best to change the topic before Grey got back with his sisters out of politeness or not, before frowning further as the redhead woman's voice continued. "Of course, I knew there was as basis to the idea of magical genies, and Dean had said-"
"Dean's just pissed his wish world was so corrupted and distracted him from helpin' Sammy." Jo found herself snapping back, pissily, and cringing at herself for just how stupid she sounded doing that whenever Charlie would bring up the other hunter. She needed to work on that, but biting her lip she couldn't help the snarky feeling that he had been her friend and brother first, and shaking her head she added quickly. "But yeah, djinn's don't really grant wishes the way that like Aladdin and stuff would make you think. They take your deepest dream or wish and make it come true. None of the trickery of it goin' bad, and none of the pain. But they keep you in that trance and drain your energy until you're dead."
"Oh like-" "You better not be sayin' what I think you were 'bout to say, Harry." "No, no of course not. I just meant the, uh, energy thing."
"Completely different vibe, but... I guess." Jo sighed sharply, and furrowed her brow as she let out a silent thanks that none of the shadows had signed in or were active yet, before continuing business like. "But yeah, basically you can live a whole life time in a djinn's dream, wish world, when it's really only a few days or weeks in reality before hand."
"Like the red waterfall and green anchor in Doctor Who!" Charlie's input was actually so welcome right then, especially as all three Ghostfacers suddenly jumped on the topic and the group began talking about the mechanics of multi-verses and time travel of a solo individual rather than continue to ask about Jo's recent hunt or the much more complicated comparison that she did not want to be discussing whenever Grey got his sisters' set up to play. Distracting the talk to be about the time travelling alien and his companions was far better a topic of conversation for whenever the other got back.
Charlie and Ed were bickering this time - about if Amy Pond or Clara were the better of Eleven's companions - when the beep of new connections added to their voice chat and then a perky, extremely young and excited voice cut through the conversation - "Oh! They're talking about ponds? I like ponds, they're so pretty!"
"Uh... Sorry guys, that's... This is my sister, Ombre," Grey's voice cut over and Jo found the slight tension that had been building simply waiting to hear his voice again started to relax. "Ombre, we don't just cut in on people's conversations, it's rude."
"Oh. Oh! Sorry! I'm just... I've barely gotten to talk to people before, and especially not when I can't see them like this!" There was a girlish giggle, followed by a slightly deeper one of the other shadow woman's laugh in turn as the younger one added quickly, "I mean, not since I got eyes, I mean. This is so interesting! Ce Magnifique!"
There was a pause in the conversation, before Jo found herself laughing at the deep, worn sigh that came through her headset as everyone else joined in letting out a few laughs in turn. She could just picture Grey leaning over his knees and rubbing at his eyes or scratching at the back of his neck as he tried to corral his sister who it sounded like it'd be like herding kittens. It was like that was all that was needed to lighten the mood again, and quickly everyone introduced their voice to their name and welcomed the younger girl as well as giving general greetings to Shada and teasing that the shadow girl just wanted to balance the number of girls and guys playing for once.
It took another five minutes before they all settled in to actually playing - the competitive nature starting up between Charlie and Ed as always as the death matches began and they started striving for who out of them would get higher on the board.
Jo found herself more distracted as they played than usual though, topping the chart typically but with the verbal agreement after the third round that she wouldn't actually play to attack until the second half of each match to even the playing field as was the usual plan, and spent most of the games more just talking to Grey and asking about how his week had been and focused on conversation over gameplay. She was fairly certain he felt the same way, as his place on the leader board was usually towards the bottom and she spotted his Moira on several occasions just standing still rather than moving as he talked to her about something that Nana had done the day before or some recipe he was testing out, and asking about how bad diner meals she had this time around.
"Okay, seriously, are you two actually playing or just chinwagging?" Spruce's brash tone cut over the jab about Charlie being a camper from Shada as the redhead had killed the brunette for the third time right after respawning again, the sound of a beer can cracking quietly over the call before he added with a laugh, "I mean, if you're going to end up flirting the whole time, you might as well move it to phonese-"
"Hell no!" "Oh god, Spruce, why!" "What's-" "Ombre, you don't need to know. Look Nana's stuck her head around the door, lookat that." "I'm with Spruce, if they're going to-"
Jo felt her cheeks going bright red and let out an awkward laugh as all five of the others fed in, blushing deeper at Charlie's cheeky agreement and as she heard Shada and Ombre's voices muffled as they'd dropped off their headsets to try to tempt her baby into befriending them. There was usually teasing of a sort, but usually she hadn't been away from the other for over a week already, and twisting her legs as she moved her position in her seat for another moment, she tried to ignore the ache at not being able to look across at what she was sure to be a very pissy look on Grey's face at the teasing. Or at least, she hoped it would be. That despite his sisters' being around for company he was missing her just the same.
There was a quiet moment until suddenly she noticed onscreen a sudden flurry of attacks and colors coming from the area of the map she thought was where Grey's character had been last. And then shouts of outrage from both Charlie and Spruce broke up the silence as their characters kept dying before they got the chance to add anything else. Jo found herself directing her own character that way and assisting in tag-teaming the pair with her own headshots added to the deadly attacks from the other. It was the way of the remaining count down of the round, and the blonde actually let out a laugh to see Grey's account name at the told of the tally board, just above her own.
"Is that actually playing enough for you, Spruce?" Grey's clipped tone through the headset felt sharp and jagged in a way only Jo would recognise, and rubbing at her chest, she felt a little bad that she'd ever questioned if he felt the same aching. "Now, I was asking what you're up to around Garth's..."
"Time of month?" She supplied cheekily which managed to get a laugh out of Charlie and Ed alike, as the tension from the group as a whole seemed to bleed away and the few conversations started up as the next round started up and Harry declared his intention to top everyone that game which got a round of giggles and snickers from the fellow men, and Shada's quip that he could try to beat her for once. Jo waited a few seconds as she heard the rest starting up before answering softly. "I visited another friend I knew in the area today while Garth slept off the sleeping off. And Garth suggested we go fishin' sometime once he's had a day or two to adjust to the aches."
"Sounds fun." "Yeah, should be calm enough to do a few hours at least." "Not going swimming?" "Not this time. Garth said that there'd been some weird algae outbreak in the river and recommended not." Jo found herself saying, even though it was only a partial truth. There was an algae outbreak at the moment in the river system, and Garth had said it would be unlikely to be a good time to go swimming for that reason alone; but it wasn't the main reason she was avoiding the water. Running a finger gently over her bare thigh as she shifted in her seat again, she found herself unconsciously sighing as she traced over the dark lines that now covered her skin and the soft covering of antibacterial gel over it that she would need to reapply after their gaming session was over. "It's a shame, given how hot it's been."
"Nana had a fun time in the lake yesterday-" "Yeah?" "She didn't want to get out. I guess the heats getting to her."
"She's resting out in the kitchen tile," Shada's voice cut in, and Jo could picture the smile behind it easily enough as she watched the dark-haired woman's character go running past to take out Ed's from behind before jumping away again. There was an outraged noise, before the giggle came up again and the girl added, "I'm sure you'd be happy, the dog didn't even bark at our arrival today."
"Wow! Really?" "Not even a sad little yip. Though she has stayed in the kitchen for the most part." "But she didn't bark. That's good."
"Yes, brother here got you a very interesting dog." The affection behind the words was so gentle, and running her finger across the dark twists of a petal, Jo couldn't help but feel the same level of affection just then herself. She was very lucky with just how interesting her life was now. "She's been very well behaved, and Ombre is enamoured with her." "She's so cute!" The squeal made Jo wince at just how high pitched and excited it was and found herself wondering if the girl's look matched just how upbeat and perky her voice and excitement level had been. "Your petit fille is such a cutie!"
Jo found herself chuckling a little, and couldn't help the smile at the compliments to her baby girl. Whenever she got to meet this sister, she figured she'd approve right away of her compared to how stifled the first meeting she'd had with the woman she now considered a close friend. "Thanks, Ombre. That's really sweet, we've worked really hard trainin' her to be able to handle all of our friends and family."
Suddenly the chat burst into a collection of voices and Jo found herself frowning until she noticed her screen was frozen. The server down and next moment she was booted from the game itself. The angry reactions and Ed and Harry both shouting that they weren't able to log back in, and shortly after everyone began to log off when the system was still down after five minutes. Charlie called a farewell and promise to answer Jo and Harry's questions about an issue with the hunter portal; Ed, Spruce and Harry all agreed within a few words to jump onto some other shooter together, and Jo found herself talking to Shada and Ombre about possibly catching up sometime when Jo got back into town; until only Grey's voice remained connected to the group Discord call.
"So... you'll be home soon?" His voice came through softly, and Jo could somewhat hear the muffled voices of the two shadow-girls who had just logged off talking in the background before fading away as if they'd left the loungeroom and gone towards the kitchen or elsewhere in the house for a time. Jo did remember that Grey'd gotten her some wildflowers with bergamots, prairie clovers, and bellflowers that she had put up away from her curious baby's nose on the hall table, so perhaps they were taking photos or doing something like that while giving their brother the privacy to talk to her, which made Jo's cheeks flame and heart feel all the warmer. "You sure everything was okay on your hunt? And with Garth?"
"Should be home by the weekend, yeah." She replied just as softly, smiling to herself as she closed her eyes and leaned into the couch. If she kept her eyes closed she could imagine they were curled up together just talking. "Poor... Did I message you what happened?"
"What? No?" "Garth, uh, got caught." "Is he okay?!"
Jo nodded to herself, smiling gentler at the sheer concern bleeding through the other's voice. "Yeah, he's alright. I finished the hunt off the mornin' after he got nabbed, so he's alright. But otherwise, everything went fine."
"Jo... Your partner on this hunt got attacked and caught by the thing you were after-" "Djinn." "Huh?" "The djinn, not thing."
There was an exasperated sound like Grey'd dragged a heavy breath in through his nose or had swallowed down some kind of answer to her correction and almost choked on it, before a rush of air. She knew that noise and snuggling into the couch, she ran her fingers across the still slightly raised skin of her thigh as she waited for Grey's inevitable thought process to continue.
"Anyway - he got attacked, and you say everything was fine?" The clipped tone and the boneachingly stong worry in it brought a sigh from her own lips in response, before there was an echo from the other end and then a pained sounding chuckle. "Is he alright?"
"He's okay. We...talked 'bout it, and I think he's goin' to adjust back fine." Jo replied gently, her thoughts flickering to that moment of fear that had flooded the other hunter's soft eyes before she'd wrapped her arms around him, and curling her hands up around her own waist she wished all over again that she could be wrapped up instead in the warmth of home instead. "He wasn't under for long, I don't think."
"Well, if either of you need something-" "You will always be the first person I run to." Jo found herself cutting him off quickly, eyes slowly blinking open as she heard a call through his mic of Shada's voice calling out about some idea the sisters had come up with, and let out a noiseless sigh. "Sounds like your own business calls-" "Not if you need me." Grey's firm response came through, and smiling again to herself, Jo shifted to sit upright again as she looked around the small living space of the badly refurbished Fizzles Folly before she let out a small laugh. There was a pause, and then found herself smiling wider still to hear the gentle tease. "But you'll be home in a few days-"
Running her finger over the delicate and deliberate lines marked into her thigh, the lines that were as much her own as they were his under her skin, Jo found herself biting back the desire to ask him to come to her then. To come to be with her in a way that having these marks would always show through no matter where she was that connection back - back to the warm feeling that was flooding her chest to look at a bit of him so secretly knowing it was there as much as that feeling was deep in her chest. Giving a small, quiet sigh of longing, Jo smiled to herself as she replied.
"And then I'll be home."
---
Day three was always the best day. Or at least, day three was the day that Garth started to feel like a real human in the morning after he'd unlocked his chains and knocked the secret beat to get Jo to unlock the door. It was the day that his bones felt like they were in the right places, and his nailbeds didn't ache, and his teeth felt like they actually belonged in his mouth. The scent of vanilla wasn't overpowering when Jo'd open the door, and the smell of the river outside that would gush in with the smells of fish and rats and the ginger tabby cat that used to hang around near his boat line weren't overwhelming. Day three was when Garth was a person and not just a weird person-shaped lie.
Stretching his back as he made his circles around the boat, Garth wasn't surprised to hear his phone buzzing and the name of his current companion's partner flashing on the screen. Jo had mentioned she'd used his account for the usual gaming session the night before, and that she'd explained briefly that something had gone wrong on the hunt; and he was unsurprised to find the call coming in, inevitably to check up on him.
"Ahoy hoy," he said cheerfully as he answered, holding the phone to his ear as he moved around the starboard side of the boat up towards the bow. "How was game night?"
There was a pause, and tugging at a rope pile that needed looping again later, Garth could almost predict there was some kind of thought struggling on the other's end to formulate. He felt kind of bad for the other guy. Garth had heard enough from Jo, and from the Winchesters, and from Bobby, to know that the other man had had struggles enough to match most other hunters that he'd ever met - and there had been something to the tone he'd heard the last few times Jo came for a slightly more extended time (a hunt followed by a moon, usually, or vice versa) that there was clearly some kind of separation anxiety. Jo showed it too, usually, and by the next afternoon Garth expected Jo's usually perky smile would be clearly straining to remain normal - and hearing the soft groan of thought through the phone from the other, Garth figured that the other was already at that point or near enough.
"It was alright. I'm sorry you missed it - both of my sisters joined in this time." There was a levity in that at least, and Garth found himself nodding and making an agreeing noise - Jo had mentioned something about that - before the other continued. "But Jo said something went wrong on your hunt?"
Garth let out a lighter sounding laugh at that phrasing. It sounded like how the blonde would explain it.
"Yeah, I, unfortunately, was looking left when I should have been looking right." He let out a self-depricating chuckle at that as he moved further around the front of the boat to lean against the window ledge looking between the river and into the living room. "Jo was two buildings over searching, and unfortunately the djinn we were looking for nabbed me before we could, well... before I could do anything."
"That sounds bad. I- I am not a fan of them." "Yeah, it's... very disconcerting what they get up to." "Mind powers and games are not-" "They're not great. Especially... that type of thing."
Leaning heavily against the outer wall, Garth let out a quiet sigh as he plucked and toyed at a bit of rusting metal under the window that would need to be sanded down and repainted eventually if he didn't want to deal with a leak. The whole place was a constant work site, but it was nice when friends like Jo or Bobby or even that one wonderful time Rufus was caught up in a case and needed somewhere to lie low for a while. Usually, it meant extra hands to help out, and this time he knew, looking in through the window, that Jo'd been working on fixing some of the rotted floorboards inside.
"Jo said you... were doing okay?" Grey's voice caught him off guard, and Garth found himself nodding before remembering that the other couldn't see it. Mumbling a 'yep', he wasn't surprised to hear the other continue questioning him. "Are you sure though? Cause it must have been strange returning to normal."
"More strange having someone having my back as much as Jo does." Garth replied with a warm laugh, turning to look over towards the river again before a thought occurred to him. "Hey man, I'm going to hang up a second and then video call you, okay? I figure you're not likely getting on this rust bucket with the amount of iron any time soon-"
"You are absolutely right!" "- so instead I'll give you a tour. Oh hey, I can show you what Jo's been helping out with the last few moons too."
"Oh? Sure." Grey's voice sounded curious, and not giving him a chance to finish which Garth cringed about as he realized he'd cut the other off - he quickly disconnected the call and pressed the video call button instead. Not even one ring completed before the other picked up and Garth waved a large hand awkwardly and mostly out of camera at the other. "You were saying Jo's been helping...with the boat?" The confusion on Grey's face matched the voice, and the hunter nodded as he grinned warmly at the other. It was good to see him again, even if he looked somehow less like he was going to puke like the first time they met but simultaneously somehow worse and more tired.
"You've got yourself a regular Rosie the Riveter with her," Garth chuckled, smiling as he looked about the boat to try to locate the first place to start. "Oh, here!"
The pair talked back and forth as Garth kept switching the camera mode from his face to looking and showing some odd job Jo had helped with the last few months - the fixed electrical box to the generator, the welding work to fix that leak for his transformation hold, the paint job to the whole exterior of the boat that Garth enjoyed telling Grey of the hilarious way Jo had fallen in the river and decided it was easier to make the paint float beside her than paint upside down - as well as some of the weirder parts of the boat Garth had built for himself. Grey laughed at the right times, and seemed to be interested and asked all the kinds of questions that Garth would expect, but when asked about what he'd been up to while Jo was away - the other demurred and changed the topic after saying he'd been doing household chores or trying some dish or other. Something seemed off, but Garth found himself shrugging as he moved quietly into the main lounge room of the boat before letting out a laugh.
"Seems I've worked Jo to the breaking point," He joked quietly, flipping the camera around to show the sight that had met him walking into the space with a huff of laughter. "This happen often at yours?"
There was a matching chuckle from the other end of the phone, and Garth didn't bother to bite down the smile he felt growing seeing the way the other man's face seemed to light up at the view Garth was sending back. Sprawled out in the sun beam shining through the main window, Jo had an arm tossed over her eyes and her hair was splayed about her head, while her overalls were covered in tiny flecks of wood varnish and there was still a hammer resting in her other hand against her stomach. The flannel that he was sure she had been wearing earlier was tucked under her head too like a pillow, and he didn't try to hide at all how wonderful it was to see the amount of affection and love pouring through from Grey's eyes as Garth kept the camera focused that way.
"Actually, seems it's like mother like daughter," The other replied, mirth and love evident throughout his tone as the camera on that end switched. Garth didn't bother to hide the loud laugh that the new camera angle brought up showing the extremely fluffy stomach of the Bernese mountain dog the pair shared likewise proudly on display, soaking up an equally warm seeming sunbeam as the dog's feet twitched in the air in her sleep. "Man, I'm sorta jealous looking at the both of them, aren't you?"
"You're not wrong. Sleeps hard to come by this time of month." Garth replied gently, smiling as he kept his screen forward but noticed Grey turned his camera back around, eyes fixated on where Jo's image was probably on his screen rather than on the camera itself. "How are you doing on that end?"
"It's fine." "You sure? I mean... Jo hasn't been sleeping much here-" "Is she okay?"
"She's fine. She's napping during the day. It's not good for her to sleep at night when I could... When it's... When I'm not in control." Garth found himself quickly saying and then correcting and correcting himself again. The slight shift in the other's look, from loving to worry, flashed so quickly he was almost certain there was something else at play; pausing for a moment, Garth frowned to himself before asking again, firmer, "Are you doing okay, Grey?" "I'm fine." "Grey-" "I'm absolutely fine, everything is alright. Just worried about you and Jo." "If your sure-"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Oh, Nana's woken up." Grey quickly added the last, and if Garth didn't know better of the other he'd think that might just be a lie. "Looks like she wants to go out. I'm going to have to deal with that-" There was a gesture and shift of the camera, and from what he could see it looked like the other man was rubbing at his neck awkwardly for a moment, eyes fixed on something behind the camera, before they focused back on the screen with a sad-looking and sounding sigh. "Thanks for touching base Garth, and for taking care of Jo. We'll see you up here sometime soon?"
"Sure thing-" "Okay cool. Yeah, I have to let Nana out. Have a good one."
"See you-" Garth barely managed to get the words out before the call disconnected with the ghost of a smile coming up on the other's face before he pressed the power button to close his own phone off in response. Frowning as he looked from the black screen to the restless shuffling of Jo's nap, the hunter found himself wondering if perhaps he really should go drop by sometime soon. Just to make sure that both his friends were alright. ---
"So-" He found himself having tried to work out the way he wanted to ask this for the last five days, but had struggled to work out exactly how to make it come outright. "Why exactly did you get that done down here? Now?"
That wasn't quite right, but leaning forward to thread a worm onto his hook as they sat side by side on the riverbank just down from the mooring point, he couldn't think of any better way to ask it. It wasn't unusual at all for Jo to stay with him, especially during the full moon of the month, but that she'd said she'd be getting some work done the day before the moon started to show it's full face seemed strange. When Jo had him drop her off at the artist's office, it seemed even stranger but Garth had visited the man himself too for the dark ink on his calf when Sam had suggested he should upgrade from charm to protective tattoo. Perhaps she had needed something done or touched up, or maybe it was to do with that weird obsessive searching she'd had about the fae a while back, so it wasn't as strange then once he'd thought about it. Right until he'd picked her up right before sundown and found out it had been a large, artistic choice, rather than anything protective or related to their line of work.
"Time finally seemed right. And Chris did my ass tattoo-" Garth found himself laughing there alongside the blonde's own snicker, before she continued, "So I figured I felt comfortable with him doin' the piece."
The hunter was nodding, understanding from that side of things. Jo's own anti-possession tattoo placement had made him laugh hysterically the first time it had been brought up, and the color on Dean's cheeks when Garth had suggested he'd get his own in the same spot a few weeks later had been hilarious. Sam had teased for hours over a fair few beers until Dean had stormed off in a huff, and that memory was almost as precious as some of the other. Seeing the brothers laughing and teasing one another was far between, unlike getting laughter from the blonde beside him, so it was exceptionally special to have been privy to their antics. What he didn't understand, however, was the choice of design or why she didn't get the work done closer to her home where Grey could have helped rub the ointment on her rather than herself - not that Garth really wanted to think about that mental image.
"Yeah, but why him? Why down this way?" Garth finally asked, frowning slightly as he flicked his rod and cast out his line with a loud 'plop' from the bouy as it bobbled on the surface and he turned to look at Jo.
The blonde shrugged a shoulder, looking out across the murky river with her own tiny frown. "Mostly? It's a surprise for Grey."
"Huh?" "I wanted to surprise him with it." "Does he not like your tattoos?"
"Uh... hmm, not actually sure, but this one?" Jo rubbed a hand over the skirt fabric covering her thigh and protecting her newest inking from the harsh sun that they were both basking in. It had looked very red when Garth had noticed it the day after it was done, and Jo had limped about the boat for the first two days, but otherwise seemed fine now. "This one I really want him to be surprised by."
"I didn't take you for a flower type girl," He found the words bubbling up quickly, and if it was some other woman he'd said it to - Garth would have been outraged on their behalf for his words, but smiling despite the scowl he got in response. Holding on hand up in surrender, the other holding the rod gently, he added, "It's just a very different style than I thought you'd like is all."
“I dunno. I just wanted somethin’?” Jo shrugged again as she slowly stopped scowling, a soft smile growing as she rubbed her thigh still for a second before paying attention back to the rod clamped between her knees. "But, yeah, that's true. I’m not a big... flower design fan."
"So?" “So what?" "So why that design?"
"That's a very personal question to ask." Jo teased back, sticking her tongue out at him as she reeled her line back in only to cast out again, another few feet further. There was a pause before she said, that same loving tone Garth knew was her and her lovers special tone, "But this is Grey's work. So I wanted to surprise him with it."
Garth almost dropped his rod at that, scrambling to grab it with two hands again before looking back at Jo carefully. "That's one of his sketches?"
"Eyup! I found it in one of his older scrapbooks, and he says... I'm like his own personal sun to his sunflower sometimes." Jo slowly brought the words out, as if she was trying to put them together in her mouth for the first time. As if it was the first time she was verbalizing the intent and point behind her choice. As if she wasn't absolutely certain why, other than that she did.  “Something in it spoke to me and was just like ‘Jo Harvelle, put me on your body’?
Garth nodded, glancing out the corner of his eye and thinking to himself that he didn't think the shadow was wrong at all. "Makes sense... Is that what-?"
"It's, yeah, some sunflowers. And some peonies 'cause... Well, I like to get him peonies from the lady down the road." Jo found herself stumbling over her words still, and Garth had to bite down on the desire to laugh watching her. There was something ridiculous about how the blonde reacted to things, and Garth found it all too funny to see the self-assured hunter be so off her game, though he supposed it was the same for the likes of the other hunters born into the life - confident at the job but not normality. She let out a little laugh herself, shaking her head. "I just wanted to have a piece of him with me, if that makes sense?"
"I mean, it's not as ridiculous a reason as the girls who get a dolphin because they're 'free spirits'," He replied with a goofy grin, reaching out to press an affectionate pat to Jo's shoulder as he looked across at her. “That why you got it?”
Jo shrugged a shoulder again, reeling back in her rod and laying it on the ground before her with a far off look on her face. Garth hadn’t seen that often, the dark shadow in her eyes crossing and swirling darkly for a moment in a way that seemed so opposite to the description before that was second hand as it was, and fighting a frown from forming on his own face, he raised a brow across at her as the blonde let out a shaky breath.
She slowly lifted a hand to her shoulder, fingers stretching onto the back of her shoulder blade as she looked away, and Garth felt his stomach twisting painfully as Jo whispered quietly. “I... I’ve always collected bits of other people. Or memorials to them, I guess. My dad, my uncle, some... others.” Garth could see her scratching at the other area he knew she’d added a few extra birds to on this expedition, frowning how she was rubbing at the area as if they irritated her. Before he could ask, Jo continued, a tone bleeding into her words that made his heart hurt. “But I’m... I’m not goin’ to be... I’m not goin’ to be the one doing the memorialising. So, I don’t know? I guess I just... It’s nonsensical, but I want this time and feelin’ and I guess some kind of part immortalised.”
Garth found himself frowning sharply at that word, eyes turning away quickly to the river and the bobbing bouy of his line as he tried to think over the best answer.
“I guess my reasoning doesn’t really matter anyway,” Jo said sharply after a few moments silence, her hands twisting together in her lap. “All that really matters is that I like it, and that hopefully Grey does too.”
That got a little bit of a laugh from him though, the focus on whether or not the man that Garth had watched stare so lovingly at her when she wasn’t aware would like or not such a beautiful show of affection and love from her. “You’re right Jo, it doesn’t really matter why other than you’re happy.”
Jo’s smile then was almost back to it’s normal brightness, and tilting his head at her, Garth found himself smiling back.
"Besides, I can guarantee that Grey's going to love it when you show him." "Ya think?"
Garth found himself blinking in surprise as he noticed the tiniest shift in Jo's posture as she asked it, her shoulders shrinking in slightly and her hands twitching nervously on her rod, and the bright red blush growing on her cheeks as she chewed on her bottom lip unsurely. It was so different to her usual stance, and as Garth ran an eye over her trying to work it out he let out a quiet chuckle all his own.
Dropping his rod, he didn't even think about it as he leaned over to wrap his own arms around her shoulders and tug her into a warm hug. An echo of uncertainty and concern bleeding out of her that Garth remembered himself, and pulling her into a hug with a laugh he felt good to know that he could give even a fraction of the support back that he got from the blonde over the years and even very recently. "Yes, you idjit!" He cried out with another laugh, hand reaching up to rub his knuckles against the crown of the struggling and giggling blonde's head for a second before releasing her. "I'm absolutely certain."
"As certain you are that you can get that back?" Jo's teasing quip confused him, and Garth frowned.
"Get what back?" "Your rod."
Following her gaze over his shoulder to see the end of his rod disappearing over the riverbed, Garth leaped up after it with a splash and a loud cry of "Balls!" amidst Jo's own laughter.
---
The fanfare that greeted her was pretty much normal by now. And by normal, Jo meant it made her heart ache so fiercely with the amount of love she'd be greeted with upon getting home from such a prolonged time apart.
It was rare she was away as long as she had this time, the hunt followed by staying with Garth had just doubled her usual times away at a stretch, but she could hopefully stay home for a little while now. And brushing her hair back from her face as she'd slid the key into the front lock, Jo had found herself smiling widely at the loud barking she could hear already.
"Hey babygirl, princess, gorgeous baby!" Jo cried out warmly as soon as she had the door open and found herself with a mass of fur and barking and licking and wriggling excitedness bumping into her legs immediately. Dropping her pack by the door as she slid in against Nana's squirming enjoyment, Jo shut the door before sinking to the floor and wrapping her arms around the excitable dog. "Oh baby girl, I missed you. Yes, mommy missed you so much, my little princess. How well behaved were you? You're such a good girl! And I heard you behaved for Auntie Shada and Auntie Ombre too! What a good good good girl!"
Her congratulations and praise were lapped up like the dog had been starving for attention, in the overly dramatic fashion their darling girl always seemed to have, while Jo glanced over the mound of fur against her face as Nana slobbered on her shoulder to see the person who really would have been giving the pup the most attention and love possible stepping out from the kitchen. She drank in his appearance like she'd been starving herself, and finally detangling herself from Nana with a lot of head pats, Jo practically threw herself down the hallway in a thunder of feet to wrap herself up in the warm embrace that was also waiting for her.
"Hey," Grey's voice was as soft and warm as his arms were firm and hot around her, and tilting her head up, Jo drank in the kisses she got back before he could say anything else. 
She couldn’t say how long it was before finally his lips drew back from hers with a happy sounding sigh from the both of them.  This was home. This is what she wanted more than anything.
“Missed me?” “More than anything, pretty one.” “Anythin’? What’a ‘bout more than, um, paintin’?” “More than that.” “What ‘bout my baking?” “Why, without you, Jo, I’d never have your baking again.” “Hozier?” “All these colors fade for you only.” “Hmmm, what ‘bout Nana?”
“Pretty one,” Grey sighed out softly, shaking his head at her for a moment before cupping her cheeks with both hands that made her knees buckle, smiling in the face of her happiness. “Stop comparing yourself to anything else. I’ll always miss you most of all.”
“Well, good. Cause I missed you too.” The kissing she got in response to that made her laugh all over again, hands fisting in the other’s apron front and cuddling in closer to him. “I’m so glad to be home.”
And as Jo let him lift her up and to sit atop the kitchen table as he kissed her thoroughly and soundly, making up for every single kiss they'd missed while apart, the way he always would - she could feel the warmth of their love, and underneath the bubbling anticipation for tonight.
The anticipation for after the kisses were through, and Grey had drawn back to hugging her and asking her how her week had been. For after she'd gone and unpacked and Grey'd called her down to help with making whatever they were having for dinner together. For after they'd washed the dishes and cuddled up in a pile on the couch made of them and their fluffy baby girl despite the heat wanting that closeness.
That anticipation for when they'd go up to bed, and after brushing her teeth, and maybe even feeling the soft tug of his brushing her hair, and they'd made sure their girl was happily sleeping on the spare bed - when Grey would spin her about again and they'd kiss all over again before he finally drew her jeans down her legs and would see the dark ink etched into her.
His artwork brought into life and buried into her skin the way he was buried deep inside her all the same.
A small piece of his art, a piece of him marking her forever, in a way that his name was already tattooed across her very heart. 
---
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FIC: Right Here On The Ground
---
Of course, those voices would be extra loud that morning.
Of all days, they had to creep and hiss from the corners of the room she couldn’t see with her head pressed against the warm, firm chest beneath her. Violent threats and cries that she couldn’t escape the inevitable forever in that soft woman’s voice tinged with ice. Heated remarks in the male’s growl that she wasn’t supposed to be there, that she was due for greater things, that she shouldn’t run from him anymore. And both eventually snarling the words that would make her skin break out in goosebumps regardless of the warm hands running gently down her arms and back - that she was supposed to be dead like him if it weren’t for them, that she owed her life to them and her body in turn, that they could give her him if she just did what she was made for.
Jo wished desperately her brain and mouth could connect and hiss just as sharply back that she was where she was supposed to be and her life was as full as it ever needed to be in the warm embrace and those soft, warm soothing words that brushed through her hair and the heavy thump of heart against her ear, but today? Those words even if they had formed felt harder to think and push back against them. Today it felt like she had forsaken more than just some twisted plan of a crazed goddess and her peon. Today it felt like she was continuing to reject a chance at having him back in her life.
Tears pricked the edge of her eyes as the warm touch of Grey’s hands stroked through her hair gently, and blinking rapidly to clear them, Jo endured the time until her lips and hands and the rest of her finally returned to her own control as those voices receded and her real morning could start. Lifting a hand to rub at them, wiping the wetness away with a tiny yawn and under the pretense of wiping the crumbs of sleep away from her eyes, Jo tilted her head up to look towards her warm, breathing pillow with as much of a smile as she could manage that day of all days.
“Mornin’ hun.” She croaked the words out softly, desperate not to break the spell that came from the soft morning light creeping through the window and the way those blue eyes were always so alert and concerned but overflowing with love in a morning. If she spoke too loud, maybe the magic would break or the fall would drop out from under her feet. “Didja get any sleep ‘t all?”
“How could I sleep when I’ve got the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms?” Grey’s voice was equally quiet, the gentlest of words washing over her as he moved his hands to wrap around her and pull her gently up the bed towards him, hugging her tightly.
“You’re bein’ ridiculous.”
“Not so at all, pretty one. Did you.. sleep well?”
“I always do with you by my side, hun.”
“Well then, that’s all I need to hear to have had a good night’s rest.”
Jo felt a tiny laugh on the tip of her tongue and about to fall from her lips when she realized just how much she’d usually be doing that in the time she spent wrapped up in his arms. And just how much she couldn’t bring herself to today of all days.
Swallowing the sound in her throat with a harsh gulp, Jo’s lips twitched into the tiniest smile in one corner as she looked at his own warm smile. The dark circles under his eyes would fade by the afternoon if their usual patterns the last week had been any precedent when Jo would jostle and cajole him to take a nap while she took their fluffy baby for a run. Most days she came home with a coffee for each of them and they’d sip sat beside one another on the back steps watching Nana frolic in the sunshine chasing butterflies or all number of things. Blinking away the last remnants of those horrible voices as his fingers stroked through her hair, Jo thought maybe she’d like some two-legged company on her walk that day though.
“Jo?” Grey’s voice cut through her thoughts, and, blinking rapidly, she realized she must have been quiet just that little bit too long as those blue eyes softened and filled with concern and caution rather than just love. “You alright?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Jo replied quickly, just the subtle emptiness of her tone belighting the lie to those words so clearly for once. She watched that concern bleed quickly into worry, and as Grey’s fingers tightened for all of a moment against her she thought about voicing aloud that those words would never be true on this date. Instead of the truth, though, she swallowed that honesty down with a harsh gulp and pushed herself to sit up breaking that morning magic as she shifted to throw her feet over the edge of the bed. “Just thinkin’. Did you want the shower first or me?”
“Jo-”
“Well, if you’re not callin’ dibs, I’m takin’ it.”
“..Jo..”
“Oh, I got that new body wash last week - I’m gonna try that today!”
Jo pushed herself off the bed and moved quickly checked her phone as she chattered vacantly rather than giving the chance for the other to peel under that layer and see what a hollow skeleton she was underneath. Chancing a glance back at him as she set her phone back down - twenty notifications and a few emails she’d need to get back to later - the blonde bit down on her lip at the sheer worry and concern and care rolling off of the other in waves. Grey’s eyes were fixed on her every move, drinking in the cool mask of her face and the way her stomach muscles twitched sharply giving up her secrets as she twisted away from him.
“Are you doin’ breakfast or did you want me to do some after my shower? Oh, I feel like panca-” Jo found herself chattering her way into those damn thoughts again, her mind catching up to her mouth with a pained screech as she thought about just why she wanted pancakes of all things today. But she’d not had them how she loved them best in more than two decades at this rate so far as her disjointed time could count. She hadn’t had those flat, dense pancakes made in that old cast iron skillet that let the sides catch to a far darker, almost black color on the laced edges; those pancakes that had little fork marks added and stabbed into them as they cooked and were basted in maple syrup while still in the pan itself so the syrup would soak them through entirely; those pancakes that were only half about all those bits and the rest the fact that they got delivered to her plate, one by one, and each one accompanied by a smile and some joke teasing her that she’d eat them out of house and home at the rate she was going as she gorged herself to the point of nausea and beyond just to have one more moment of his attention as he would dote on her. Shaking her head rapidly, Jo bit down on the words and instead finished quietly, “Actually, maybe just some toast. I don’t feel great all of a sudden.”
“How about I get something ready while you... get ready for the day, Jo?” Grey’s voice was closer than the bed, and blinking Jo was unsurprised to feel his hand rubbing her arm gently as the shadow was stood right beside her and looking down at her with that warm glow of care that was so close to what she needed right then, that Jo found herself nodding gently before heading to the shower where she could pretend it was just the shower raining down on her cheeks and block out any thought of sickly sweet pancakes and warm smiles in a waft of vanilla and steam.
---
The morning so far had been a collection of starts and stops for her.
Getting out of the shower, Jo had pulled on the worn men’s flannel she’d gotten from Dean a while back that smelt of gunpowder and the heavy leather jacket that wasn’t quite right but tickled her nose just right that she kept forgetting to wash it over her tank top and jeans to suit the cloudy cool weather outside that matched her mood perfectly. She could even hear the soft patter of rain on the window panes and the roof as she brushed her teeth and tied her damp hair up into a ponytail that left a wet mark between her shoulder blades.
When she got to the foot of the stairs, however, she’d not been able to keep back the small smile at the warm, fluffy greeting as Nana wound her way through Jo’s legs and pressed her back against the wall demanding cuddles with two big paws on her stomach. That smile felt painful as soon as the moment of cuddles and love had passed, and she’d had to fight that sharp stab in her stomach as Nana’s paws patted at her again that laughter and smiles weren’t right today before she shook it off to lavish her baby with the attention she deserved no matter the day.
The smile had slid from her face pretty quickly, but there was something in the way Grey’s eyes caught hers and smiled widely at her in the crinkles of them but not his lips that helped soothe that worry a little bit. She was barely surprised to see that he’d made those almost impossible omelets again today instead of just dry toast - something as far removed from the dense thick, cloying sugary dish her heart craved, but that filled her with warmth as she slowly ate her breakfast between sips of coffee all the same. It felt strange the quietness in the room, but not wrong for her even if she could feel a knot building in her stomach that Grey might be uncomfortable with her silence other than the softly whispered thanks at his handing her her breakfast, but she couldn’t think of anything to say that would break it without breaking her open for his rifling.
Jo’d barely noticed she’d finished her meal, or that Grey had finished his own, and didn’t even look up from her coffee mug until the gentle clearing of a throat broke through.
“So, I was, uh, that is to say - I was thinking I’d get some chores done today, maybe do..some drawing and stuff. If the mood strikes, that is.” His voice was like cotton wool balls, packing peanuts and bubble wrap, spinning about her and wrapping her thoughts up carefully from drifting anywhere unprotected as she raised her eyes from the empty bottom of her mug to the gentle smile on the other’s face. It was the soft cocoon she needed, offering her his time and flexibility in a way she could never remember anyone else doing since she’d left the Roadhouse and that ever-supportive tone from the best friend that came before him. Her lips twitched to smile in return for the tiniest of moments as she nodded her head in time with his own. “Okay cool. Well, I’ve got the dishes to do in here - did you want another coffee?”
Jo nodded again. The excuse was perfect for her to stay seated and listen to the quiet clatter of cutlery and crockery, the splash of water and that quiet unconscious humming as the other started cleaning up as soon as he’d refilled her mug to her liking. The excuse to stay close but not smothered, not pressured, not forced to fake a smile or pretend she was okay like it had been back in the day when she’d work the bar and refuse to let the condolences and stories she’d hear battered across the dusty, grimy wooden floors worm their way past her mask. The excuse not to try so hard.
Grey had almost finished when Nana padded through the kitchen from the hall and started to scratch at the back door, the clear desire to go out to do her business that couldn’t wait for the soft drizzle of rain to pass.
“I’ll take her out.” Jo found her voice finally cracking through the air, and as she pushed her chair back she found herself being circled and barked at quietly by her darling girl until the back door and fly screen were both open to free the dog to the drizzling backyard. “Ugh, she’s goin’ to smell bad-”
“Why don’t you give her a bath after? Have a girls day?” Grey’s voice called over to her as Jo moved to stand in the doorway under the eaves, just out of the path of the rainfall but close enough to get the cold bite of it on her nose and cheeks. “I know she’s due for one as it is.”
Jo found herself smiling despite herself at the idea as she watched the speckled dog snuffling about at the wet grass and the bright greens of the flowers finally blooming again since last November, now that their season had finally actually come. Nana barked at the odd squirrel that ran across the branches of the big tree and then across the cold tin roof of the garden shed, and she found herself laughing quietly at the dog’s antics in a way that she knew there would be that warm baritone joining her if her father had been there.
When the dog had finally done her business and found the cold weather too much for this time of year to stay out in the wet, Jo found herself laughing again at the fuss the dog made at wiping her dirty paws on the mat at the door. Nana truly took after her daddy with her antics sometimes and shutting the door with a final gust of cool air to her face, the blonde slowly cajoled the damp, fluffy, smelly dog upstairs for a hot bath as she noticed Grey pulling out the mop to wipe up what few doggy footprints were left in the doorway.
It was usually a bit of a chore trying to wrestle the giant pooch into the bath and then keeping her under control in the warm water to get properly washed up, but today it was exactly the kind of physical distraction Jo needed as soon as she’d shrugged off her flannel and left it out on the bed to avoid getting it smelling like wet dog and the doggy shampoo. Working the knots out of her baby’s fur, squealing loudly when the thwump of the wet tail would splash her with soapy water, and just generally struggling to keep the excitable dog inside of the bathtub rather than running around the cramped space of the bathroom took up almost an hour that not once did Jo’s mind drift from the work at hand or to what day it was.
She had jumped in the shower quickly while the dog rolled about on the bathmat and her doggy towel before the knock on the door made her jump. “Come in!” Jo called out, her voice light for the first time that morning, as she slowly turned the water. “But watch Nana doesn’t run out.”
“Ooph, thanks for the warning.” Grey’s voice cut through the quiet whining of the dog and the whir of the exhaust fan as she got out of the shower, smiling as she watched her two loves battling for the doorway. “ Don’t want her rubbing herself on either of the beds like this.” He added with a quiet chuckle, looking around the soapy, wet floor and the splashes of soap suds that clung to the walls. “It looks like you two had fun.”
“Oh we totally, totally did, didn’t we baby? Yes we did, who had lots of fun, was it us? Yes it was.” Jo found herself bending over to snuggle into the dopey, wet dog scent of her baby’s face as Nana’d turned to run back to her feet for cuddles as soon as she’d gotten the towel wrapped around herself; voice soft, warm and teasing as she ran her hands over the thick, clean fur. Her babying voice bounced off the tile around them, as did the happy pants from the dog as Jo pet her. “Did we make a mess, bubby? Yes we did, didn’t we?”
“Yes, you certainly did!” “We had such fun, gettin’ Nana all clean-” “I can see that.” “If only cleaning was as fun.” “Well, you go get dressed and start drying her off properly, and I’ll get this cleaned up for you instead then.”
“Oh,” Jo found herself freezing at the other’s offer, glancing up through the limp strands of her hair to see the soft look on Grey’s features. She felt her heart leap catching his eye that this felt just the same as those soft, caring looks she was missing so sharply today; like there was someone who would always be there to care for her, to protect her, and to support her no matter what, even if it came from a completely different type of love. Her stomach twisted at the sharp jerk of that realization even as the boisterous dog continued to roll up against her towel-covered thighs and Grey moved about the space to grab the cleaning rag. “I... I can do-”
“By the time your dressed and gotten the little princess here all soft and fluffy and dry, this will all be done and you know it.” Grey’s words were soft but the tone was firm underneath, and the determined line of his lips as Jo caught his eye again she knew that he wouldn’t hear any other suggestion.
Bowing her head, Jo headed back to their bedroom to get dressed while she heard Grey continue to keep their four-legged baby busy while Jo threw back on the flannel that smelled like an old lost home for her but just a pair of leggings instead of getting fully dressed again when she was just going to get covered in fur.
Fetching Nana from the bathroom to take her down to the laundry for a blow-dry of her soft, clean fur, Jo wasn’t even surprised to see most of the mess already taken care of by the dexterous hands of her love. As the two girls settled in the laundry and Jo began drying, brushing and grooming the other properly, she could feel that tight knot in her stomach brush away as easy as the tangles in the dog’s fur under her careful attention. The tight feeling falling away as she let her mind numb all over again into the motions, and not settling on any fixed thought as she made her baby’s silky locks as beautiful as they could be all the way through to lunchtime.
---
It shouldn’t have surprised her to get the call as they’d tucked into the fried noodles full of vegetables she rarely ate outside of this type of dish. She should have known it was coming. The annual ‘check-up’ call, which never really felt like it was a call for her benefit actually. More like he needed the chance to say even anything about one of the many friends lost to the life.
“Didja get my email ‘bout the thing over in Memphis?” Jo asked softly around a mouthful of noodles, trying for a smile across at the other as she waved her fork at the dish and gave a thumbs up of appreciation. “I got no fuckin’ clue-”
“Girlie, you best no be planning to go throwing yourself into that headfirst.” The tinny voice came through the loudspeaker of the phone sat on the table beside her elbow. Bobby’s voice was rough and hard, and if Jo didn’t know better she would have thought it sounded normal. Like he hadn’t spent the morning using the one defining and memorable dates of a fallen comrade to reflect on them all at the bottom of a bottle. “Fuck knows what it is.”
“I mean, I’d take Garth with me-” “You can’t just take someone else with you and think that fixes everything!” “Why not? Garth’s even got some bonuses over the rest of us. So long as it’s not his time of the month.” “Ugh, must you call it that?”
Jo actually found herself chuckling there, thinking on just how fun it was to connect her lupine friend’s monthly infection to the annoyance of her period now that they’d worked out how best to keep him under control before the surprised sound through the phone caught her off guard at the fact she’d let the laughter out.
“Jo?” “I.. Sorry Bobby.”
There was a pause then through the phone, and as she looked through her lashes she could see the pause also reflected on the look on Grey’s face, before the tinny sound of a cough. Bobby’s voice floated back up through then, softer but somehow warmer than it had been before. “Nothing to apologize for, girlie. You two really hav’a way of making the best of the situation.”
“Well, somebody oughta.” Jo replied petulantly, poking at her bowl of moo goo gai pan as she shook her head to herself. “Anyways, Garth might be able to come up with somethin’ someone else might miss.”
“What’s the signs anyway?” The question didn’t come through the phone that time, but Grey’s question bounced through and around anyway - tone rough and tight like he didn’t really want to ask, but also couldn’t help himself but ask and possibly be helpful. Jo raised a brow at him, getting a shoulder shrug in return as he swallowed a mouthful of mushrooms, before adding. “What? I might be able to help.”
“Pretty much? Exsanguination of about ten co-eds from-” “It’s not-” “No, hun, it’s not him.” “Can I finish my description now?”
The blonde found herself biting back another smile as she chewed on a thin piece of chicken as the other hunter cut back in after their interruption of his description. She’d known exactly where the other’s mind would go first of all - not that it was like the other shadow ever bothered actually draining his victims of blood as intentionally as this case - but nodded along as if the other hunter could see her as he ran through the rest of the case notes. It was a strange one alright, and if it weren’t for there being no signs of bites on the bodies she would have thought it was just a vampire coven. Garth had been the one to flag it, and Jo trusted that between her and the other hunter they could get to the bottom of it - but needed to do some research groundwork first rather than go in blind. And emotional in her case.
As Bobby and Grey bartered back and forth with a few suggestions and then a general agreement that whatever it was seemed dangerous enough to require a second hunter with Jo, she could feel that tug again. The one from the bathroom. Catching Grey’s eye, she found herself blushing and feeling a little queasy all over again before Bobby’s voice bouncing out of the phone caught her attention and twisted that sharp blade all over again.
“Now I get you like the fun, weird cases, Joanna Beth, but I want you to promise you’ll be careful-” Bobby’s voice was tight and filled with something undefinable but the same quality that she used to hear the growled deep words that ‘I love you, Joanna Beth, but you must be more careful’ every time she came home with a new bump or scratch. “-Garth’s a good hunter, a damn good one. And you’re one of the best of your generation. But all it takes is-”
“One wrong step.” Jo finished for him gently with a harsh intake of breath and that prickle at her eyes as she did so. She could hear something of the same from the other end of the line.
Bobby had heard those words, the confession, from the one that pulled the trigger all those years ago. And he had been the one to tell Jo the harder details no one else felt the need to tell her that first year she’d been out on her own and blown into his salvage yard like a battered doll in need of stitches and care. Bobby had been the one to tell her to story, the one he got from the horse’s mouth as it were, and able to tell her with the same self-hatred that the Winchester had told him as he spoke about how one slide of the foot, or one recommendation of a person, could cause such destruction.
She found herself coughing quietly as she moved the topic on, asking how the wonderful woman Bobby brought to her birthday was and managing to draw Grey into the teasing that would hopefully keep the other hunter from falling down that pit that all of their acquaintance seemed to stand on the edge of; but her mind stayed focused on that small moment. The small acknowledgment that today had been blighted by one small accident so many years ago, a tiny rock was thrown into the lake of time by the shift of a foot across the ground. And yet the ripples still ghosted across the surface so clearly, even now.
---
It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that there was a break in the clouds long enough for Jo to suggest they go for a walk. Not that she really felt it was needed, but the crisp air on her skin might make her feel more connected to the now than the way her mind had been drifting since lunchtime.
Jo had found herself camping out on the couch with a few old dusty books, trying to continue her research for the next hunt; but mostly just found herself running her fingers over those jagged, sharp, almost illegible writing that she knew even better than her own handwriting.
Today was probably not the day she should have been reading one of his old journals, but with Nana’s warm, soft body pressed up against her side as the dog dozed and the quiet support from the other armchair of the odd frustrated noise and the familiar sound of pencil on paper, something had been telling her now was the time to do so. To dive deep in the five journals she’d recovered from her father’s locker, all except his last one which Jo had kept secret from her mother after John brought it and his leather jacket home that one last time. Thinking on that, Jo had turned her nose to breathe deeply against the shirt that was slowly losing that smell the more she wore it. It wasn’t the same but it was close. Close enough for her to close her eyes and fade back into that warm embrace of memory if she tried hard enough and felt safe enough like she did with that warm heat to her side and the never-ending support bleeding out in the air from her love.
She’d spent hours, as the rain continued to batter against the window - sometimes hard and fierce the way her heart would clench tight and sharp and painful in her chest, and sometimes soft and gentle and quiet like the softest whisper of her name in her memories as she stroked the dates and times and names written in faded, dried ink under her fingertips - just pouring through the journals as if something would give her anything. A hint, a clue, or maybe just a reason to justify spending so long staring at the words of a dead man that cut like a tiny paper cuts that healed in seconds from the very next word.
Jo had noticed the almost restlessness from the other throughout the afternoon, and she could feel a pit growing in her tummy and gnawing at her that she was.keeping him from doing something else. He moved quietly around and in-and-out of the room, but there was an underlying tension in his movements that let her know he was keeping an eye on her every move out of the corner of his eye. Keeping a watch out for any sign she needed something from him, that she was struggling. It would have felt overbearing from anyone else, but from Grey, it just made her stomach flip flop happily to know he cared for her so much. She had watched him in return, as surreptitiously as possible, as he made his way around the room - tidying this or that - or re-reorganized their DVD collection, or even when he pulled a chair up to the window and sat sketching whatever caught his eye in the grey world outside.
As the clouds finally parted and illuminated the world outside in golden sunshine in the last hour of sun for that day, Jo had finally crawled her way out from the heavy warmth of their pup and stretched carefully for a moment as she set the latest journal down on the coffee table.
“You wanna come on a walk, hun?” She asked gently as she bent here and there, twisting her arms and back around as she limbered up from the tight ball she’d been scrunched up to. Jo really needed to work on how she sat, but it was the comfiest position to spend wrapped up around the fluffy comfort of their dog, and if Grey had been stationary long enough, Jo would have curled up likewise against him as well. “Before the sun goes down?”
“Sounds like a great idea, Jo.” The words were an immediate response, and the way he just shut the sketc book he was working in let Jo know that Grey hadn’t really even been doing anything. He had just been watching her. Caring for her. And Jo’s heart felt like it couldn’t grow any bigger at that realization. Brushing his hands off on his jeans, the other smiled that look at her that always made her smile dopily back in return - though she barely cracked more than the twitch of the lips today. “How about you go get dressed, and I’ll get Nana’s collar and leash?”
“Thanks hun.” The reply was automatic, and would usually come with a smile, but they both knew today wasn’t really that much for smiles. And especially not when Jo had spent the afternoon pouring through the very life of the man missing from that day for years. It took all of three minutes for Jo to store his journals away into her study, and change into the faded grey and black jogger set she’d started to wear for her walks even if she didn’t think she’d end up doing any of the running or jogging she usually did with both dog and man in tow.
When she got downstairs again, she wasn’t at all surprised to see Nana bouncing about in her own little doggy dance of excitement at the door as Grey held onto her leash.
“She seems a little too excited, don’tcha think hun?” “Well, it has been raining all day.” “That’s true.”
“And, she will probably get to find some slugs or snails out to eat knowing her,” Grey added in a teasing tone as Jo pulled her hair back into another ponytail and he cracked the door open. She couldn’t hold back the laugh that joke got out of her as she spotted the fake disgusted look on the other’s face as they headed out. It was just the right thing for him to say right then as they turned on the path that would take them towards the lakefront. He always knew how to make her feel better.
Swinging her hands beside herself as they walked in companionable silence, Jo wasn’t surprised to feel his slide into hers between them and threaded her fingers through his own in response. Glancing out the side of her eye, she could feel that same safe feeling rush through her as his blue eyes met her brown ones filled with warmth and support. Looking away quickly, blinking rapidly, Jo let out a soft sigh as she caught the sun through her hair and felt like maybe more than just the clouds were parted now. Maybe there was always going to be someone there to make her feel like home again the way that warm smile, broad arms, and rough leather had.
---
It wasn’t until bedtime that Jo could put her finger on what felt so different about the day.
“You... you haven’t asked ‘bout it at all,” The words fell out of her lips as soon as she realized it, cuddled up into her love’s side with a book held between her fingers while Grey was tapping away on his game device playing that cute little game he enjoyed so much lately.
It surprised her to realize, but aside from one question to draw her attention in the morning the other hadn’t asked her once how she was feeling. He had not once asked her about her thoughts or feelings, he hadn’t asked her if she was okay, and most importantly he hadn’t told her once ‘how sorry’ he was for her. He’d treated her softly, that was obvious, but Grey had not pushed the issue. He had not tried to get her to talk if she didn’t want to, he had not said ‘its okay to cry’, he had not said any of the many tired cliches she’d heard over the years from school counselors and teachers, hunters and the overbearing mothers’ of the girls in her classes before she’d destroyed those friendships. He had been as quiet as her, and as reflective as she had been, and he had let her move through the day on her own in a way Jo never once remembered being allowed to do so.
He had let her breathe for once in her life.
There was a pause, and Jo could hear it in the lack of finger pressing and the soft repeated musical tone of his game, that Grey was thinking carefully what to say and how to say it.
“You didn’t talk.” He finally replied, soft as silk and gentle as moonlight, as he slowly moved to set his game down on the bedside table before those blue eyes were focused onto her. Grey paused for a moment again, before adding gently, “You don’t have to always talk, and I don’t have to always ask. Sometimes we can just be, and that might be enough or what you need.”
The idea bounced around her head for a moment as she blinked up at him slowly, processing the words and the intent behind them. The fact that Grey had known she needed time and space for herself through her lack of talk, but that she needed him and his support even if she couldn’t voice it. That he knew without words what she needed from him more than anything was just his presence by her side. A firm, unwavering and unfaltering, pillar for her to wrap her May pole feelings around in a silent dance - weaving in and out of her own feelings and her own separation - without once bowing or breaking under the pressure of her need. That all she needed was him to get through the day without him.
Those prickles were back, and this time Jo couldn’t and wouldn’t fight the welling of her eyes as she tucked her head against his chest and finally let out that last, tight breath, that had been stuck under her lungs all day. That tight knot that had welled in her stomach and caught over and over, each time she realized that even though he was gone and that for once? She had people to fill the ache of his absence without tearing at that hole further, without breaking that space apart or forcing it to bend for them. She had someone who would protect her, care for her, love her and watch out for her, even from herself, and someone who did all that and so much more now. 
Jo rubbed her face against his chest as the few tears fell, not many but more than she had spilled on this day ever, and the lightness of her heart as she finally pulled back to see the love pouring out and filling her up from Grey’s eyes, she finally smiled as widely as she usually would. Her own eyes filled with tears of both loss and happiness as she could feel the first stitch on her heart starting to pull that hole back together after all that time.
---
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OT3FIC: ou les Wilies
---
“I had thought it past time for us to speak again.” His voice, that horrible accent that sounded much nicer than she thought he should be allowed to sound, was quiet in the still morning air that Tuesday morning.
The quiet chirp of bird song and the soft snores of the dogs were list under the thumping of her heart upon opening the door - or perhaps the birds had stopped their song in the wake like ripples of his coming. There was a moment's pause, sharp and deadly the way the air always felt between their meetings before the other lifted an envelope before him with that poise and elegance that made her want to snarl. “I simply wished for us to have a chance to talk after the weekend. On your turf, as you would say. If that’s agreeable.”
The little voice in the back of her mind that sounded like her one of her love’s whispered this was a bad idea, joined in the symphony by the other voice that she shouldn’t turn her back on the monster.
Shaking her head briefly, Jo squared her jaw and tilted her head up to look the man directly in the eye. There was something to his look that morning - something almost apologetic hidden in the depths of his eyes and a slight slump to his shoulders she’d never seen before, something curious to him and his stance that whispered out at her she had nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of at that moment from him. After a long moment, she took a determined step backward, opening the door for the darkness to flow in. “Alright, Doc. We can talk.”
---
The man had perched himself decidedly in one of the stools at the kitchen bench, a movement that looked entirely foreign to him but that he made seem completely effortless, the moment Jo had moved around the work side of the bench and waved a hand towards the other side.
“Drink? Coffee, tea? I think we have juice in the fridge.” Jo asked conviviality, the tone and the need to hostess the very same her mother had always ingrained in her. One that she had never been able to shake off and that led her to offer the twisted man across from her the choices when really she should have slammed the door in his face and gone straight for her lighter. “I believe there’s some soda-”
“A coffee would be adequate, Joanna, but only if you are indulging yourself,” Hannibal responded in an equally friendly tone, the type of voice he used when partaking in the human-shaped guise he drew on around others. Jo barely remembered that he ever spoke like this, without veiled threats and without the harsh barbs underlying the words, without the hiss at the end of his sentences that belied what he truly was. “No need to put yourself out-”
“It’s no problem, any preference?” “What?” “Like, what do you like? We got, uh...”
Jo found herself moving towards the cupboard that concealed their coffee selections - the espresso machine she had gotten for Will as an end to an argument about his need to leave early for coffees, the strange pour-over contraption that had been an indulgence for when Sam and Dean stopped in, as well as the old percolator, among the rest of the instant coffee options Will always kept the house stocked with - and frowning as she tilted her head to look over their array in surprise.
“Espresso which I think does any of those fancy types, there's a pour-over setup, typical percolator, instant... And some little fun sachets like vanilla lattes and hazelnut cappuccino packets?” The blonde found herself frowning as she flicked through the glass jar they kept the sachets in, fishing out one of them at random to brandish towards the man behind her with a slightly tighter smile than normal. “Or is none of ours up ta your standard, doc?”
There was a beat, and Jo found it amusing as the European appeared to stare at her in surprise for a moment before he gave a sharp shrug of a shoulder that would have looked unnatural on anyone else but on him seemed completely bizarre. “I will have what you are having. Not everyone can, unfortunately, enjoy or appreciate the pleasures of a balancing siphon-”
“Oh, well is matcha alright instead then?” She couldn’t help cutting the other off from the condescending tone she could hear starting in his voice. Whatever kind of stupid contraption the other used or stupid process or whatever it was he was saying made her want to throw boiling water at him rather than turn it into a drink, and cutting him off before she gave into that desire seemed like the best thing to do. Jo raised a brow as she looked back across at the other, reaching blindly behind herself for the small bowl and tin of green tea powder she kept on hand for these quiet mornings alone at the farm.
That beat of silence was back, but this time it was all the more amusing the way the smug, condescending look pealed off of the other’s face like a face mask to reveal a true look of surprise that bled into what she could almost mistake for approval before the man nodded his head.
Sighing to herself, Jo set about putting a pot of water onto the stove to boil before she turned around to get two mugs together and getting the small whisk out from its storage spot with another quiet sigh. Tapping the green dust free from the teaspoon and putting the tea-jar away, the blonde raised her brow across at the now frowning man. “So. You said we should talk?”
“I wanted to extend my apologies,” The words sounded sincere and Jo found herself jerking in surprise as the psychiatrist shifted in his stool with a squeak of the old frame before he continued, her surprise and bewilderment growing by the moment as Hannibal added. “I was rude to you last Saturday night, in a way that should be amended, and I felt the need to speak with you privately on the matter rather than causing a scene like some people did.”
Jo felt her lips dropping in a surprised ‘oh’ as she looked back at the other - Hannibal’s face held nothing but a blank expression and none of the usual derision or hatred was visible right on the surface then - and found herself frowning as she tried to work out exactly what he could mean.
---
She had gripped his hand so tightly the moment they walked through the doors to the theater.
It was so exciting, and Jo had been practically giddy from the moment Grey had mentioned the planned activity for the night the week before. She’d spent the entire week getting as much research done for each call that came in so she could have the entire Saturday to get ready and really enjoy herself. She’d even gone so far as to have Shada and Ombre pop in with arms full of dresses and shoes and accessories on the Thursday when she seemed to be ahead of herself and the three women had spent over six hours sequestered in the bedroom while Will was at work and Grey was banished to the downstairs. They’d taken that long to pick out her outfit and styling choices for the evening, all between hushed giggles about how sweet and romantic the idea had been and just how lucky the other girls’ brother was likely to be afterward.
When on the Saturday morning there had been a ruckus of the dogs barking towards the backdoor when the three had finally risen, and Jo had opened the door to see the blood and torn fur of the demon leaning against the steps; all that planning seemed out the window as she’d called for Grey and Will to help. It had taken all three of them to help the hulking form into the house, and Jo had found herself biting her lip an hour later after they’d set up blankets and towels and Grey had sunk himself down to the task of helping the other back to health amongst quiet whispers of this or that. She hadn’t meant to think it then and wanted to kick herself for the selfishness of the thought of it that she was not going to get to go out that night. She’d even fully resolved herself to the idea until that afternoon when Will had wrapped her up in his arms in the doorway as they’d watched Grey and his father-like demon sitting uncertainly before the fireplace and said quietly against the shell of her ear - “I’d love to take you, and he wants me to take you.”
The soft, longing look she’d gotten from the shadow as she’d stepped off the bottom step and into the doorway to the lounge - where Grey was still fretting as quietly as possible over Amon’s massive form in the same sweatpants he’d worn to bed the night before and Will was fussing with the black tie around his neck - made her heart clench something harsh and wanting for not to be taking the one who’d thought of the outing’s arm. There’d been something so painful for her as she watched both her men’s eyes run over her in the deep red fitted dress that she and her almost-sister’s had picked out for the night, especially when Will pressed a kiss to her cheek and she watched the other’s eyes drop from them to stare at the floor. But he’d sounded fine, he’d called out a wish that they have a good time and Jo had pressed a kiss to his cheek on her way out - a dark imprint the color of dried blood left on his skin to match the color of her dress and the color of the ruined sheets and towels that littered the floor before him.
That slight tinge of bitter longing was wiped away as soon as her foot had crossed the threshold of the theater and Will had slid one arm around her waist and the other hand had held onto hers gently as he’d guided them through the ticket booth, security and up the curved staircase towards the upper boxes.
“A box seat?” Jo had breathed the words out and had even let herself indulge in the tiniest of squeals as Will had weaved their way through the crowds and was pointed into a doorway to a small viewing box overlooking the stage perfectly with enough seats for them and one other couple. If she knew anything of the other man and his planning style, those other chairs would remain empty - a naughty suggestion in their vacancy through the first act that would likely have resolved in the darkness of the intermission with the other knelt between her legs until the next act would begin. As Will had helped her into her seat and his hand had brushed a little too firmly along the side of her breast, Jo figured that that plan may well still also come true and be shared later when they got home.
---
The sound of the pot boiling brought her quickly from that thought - silence otherwise ringing in the space as the psychiatrist simply stared at her thoughtfully as she’d stood over the bowl - that little naughty memory of what could have been and had yet again been ruined by the man across from her. Jo found herself scowling slightly in the face of Hannibal’s blank curiosity; before she moved to pour a large swathe of the hot water into the bowl to warm it and moisten the bamboo whisk slightly as she set the pot aside to cool to the right level.
“So, you’re here ‘bout the weekend are ya?” Jo asked sharply as she swirled the hot water before dumping it into the sink and beginning to dry the preparation bowl, not once letting the unwelcome monster interrupt her routine. “I thought Will’d cleared up how we all felt ‘bout your interruption.”
“Ah, perhaps that’s true for his feelings of course.” “Let it never be said you don’t acknowledge Will’s feelin’s-” “A little pointed there, Joanna.” “Sorry, did you think you were the only one with a sharp tongue, doc?”
Jo was surprised to hear the sound of a laugh, a deep tone and a rough roundedness to it before the man shook his head at her. She knew it was at her, rather than at her words or in general, but it set her teeth on edge as she finished drying out the bowl and moved to scoop and sift the green tea powder into the prepared bowl rather than focus on wanting to shove the bamboo scoop into his eye socket and seeing how much pressure it would take to scoop his eye out.
“Perhaps I did forget you enjoy the... more vibrant approach to conversation that Will does favor, given the last time we spoke privately at all was very enlightening colorful.” Hannibal’s words were that same silky soft she had heard from him over the weekend. Purred out, gentle and sour-sweet all in the one breath, as the man’s eyes watched in fixation as she moved through the steps - gently breaking up the clumps of the tea and sifting it into a green snowdrift in the base of her bowl.
---
The lights went down in the theater, and the lighting for the stage had just started up with Jo and Will alone, hips pressed together and she sat as far forward over the edge of the box to drink in every glistening facet of the golden leaf of the theater's design as the lights changed and the opening strokes of Giselle’s first act began.
As the curtain was pulled apart to the empty stage and the soft lighting awaiting importance of the principal male dancer's arrival - the arrival of the Duke to race through the village and disguise himself in a flurry of cloths - Jo barely noticed the disturbance of someone’s own arrival into the viewing box. She didn’t notice the who or how many, simply that there had been a suck in of breath from the man beside her and that in a vague thought her naughty ideas would have to wait for another time to be indulged.
It had taken until the arrival of the titular character, in a full spin of soft skirts and gentle feet, for the blonde to finally sink back into her seat with a happy sigh as she watched the ballerina spin repeatedly and leap beautifully across the stage with the same joyous smile she could feel painted across her own face. The dancer was exquisite, and as Jo tilted her head to look up at Will’s face to see if he was enjoying watching the coy and playful meeting of the Duke and the beauty; she found herself jerked out of her enjoyment and the cold, hard set of the other’s face and his almost dark eyes in the dim lighting fixed over her head at whoever had joined them rather than the stage or even herself.
“Will, wha-”
“What are you doing here?” The empath hissed the words out, his teeth set in a snarl and Jo felt his arm go around her waist immediately and tugged her closer, much, in the same way, the duke’s wrapped about Giselle’s as they moved through a series of bouncy and joyous spins before the confrontation with the hunter. Jo found herself frowning before she followed his gaze and felt her own enjoyment snapped from focusing on the beautiful performance but the extremely unwelcome profile of the rugaru to her other side with only a seat space between them. “This isn’t appropriate at all.”
Hannibal smiled harshly, the sharp points of his incisors seeming more vicious and monstrous as he truly was in the dim lighting and the secrecy of the confined dark space. “Why, Will, I’m here to enjoy the performance of course.” The man had smirked, dark and mean, as he ran an eye over the pair of them for a moment in a way that had Jo picturing herself laid out atop that dining table - missing a few vital organs and replaced with blooms or feathers or even the sharp white starkness of a bone or animal skull - before the psychiatrist had turned his eyes towards the stage even if it was clear he wasn’t drinking in a moment of wherever the dancers were up to. “You’re aware that I do come to such activities whenever there is anything of decent substance in town.”
“I meant being in this spot, Hannibal. Tonight. You were supposed to take Alana out to dinner this evening, from what I heard.” “Alas, Alana was unwell and we had to postpone our date for another week.” “And that explains your being here now?”
“What is dinner without a little entertainment, Will?” The other man responded gently, with that firm underlying tone as if he was slowly drawing out something from the other that made Jo’s skin crawl to hear happening in front of her. She knew this back and forth, the heated twist of Will’s lips and the iron coldness that ran red hot beneath Hannibal's smirk was what must transpire on a biweekly basis in that ornate room that held the same grandeur as the space they were now in. That it was their own intricate dance that matched the firm and fast footwork of the dancers that span about the stage in a fixed pattern, a choreographed dance that happened the same every time in sync and constant movement. “You will notice the spare seat beside me, Alana was so looking forward to this evening after our last performance earlier in the year. It’s such a pity, I’m sure she would have narrated the story for you and your date this evening. Whatever she is going by tonight.”
Jo could feel herself bristling in time with the building swell of the music - although the happy tones as the festivities got underway and the large scale group dances began to bob and weave among one another felt at odds with the sharp stabbing of fury she could feel under her skin.
As if he could tell it -somehow feel it and from the way Will’s hand had let go of her bare skin within moments let her think that was entirely true - the empath had risen out of his chair and was looming in the darkness over her towards the other man.
“You best keep your opinions to yourself, Hannibal,” The dark-haired man hissed the words out, and Jo could almost hear the creak of the old chair frame under his hand groaning with the force of his grip, as he stared down the other. There was a long, pregnant pause of silence between them as the secondary performance continued uninterrupted like her viewing of it had by this new one. Will sucked in a breath heavily as both men stared, eyes heavy-lidded and their lips equally twisted into vicious smirks before the blond of the pair nodded his head minutely and Jo heard the chair beside her squeak with the force that Will sank back down into it.
---
“He wasn’t that colorful.” Jo rebutted, moving the sieve away and then pouring enough of the just-below boiling water over the tea by sight for the pair of them. As she lifted the pot and set it back on the hob, awaiting another cup after the unsavory guest had left, Jo raised a brow back across at the other. “Or at least, he wasn’t particularly rude by my standard.”
“Oh yes, by your standards I’m sure we had a wonderfully titillating conversation, right Joanna?” Hannibal’s return felt a little bit more forced. As if there was a tinge of self-deprecation that she knew was not possible for the other to achieve. If there was ever a man that would not once allow himself to wallow in self-pity or loathing, or even to reach a point it may be necessary to poke fun at one's self, Jo thought she’d met it in the psychiatrist. That he seemed to be tasting something of a slice of humble pie set her teeth on edge, that this tasted too much like a trap, and leaning behind herself, she set the pot back onto a boil with an air of nonchalance to it. “However, you might not have picked up on the-”
“If you’re ‘bout to question if I got what the fuck you were sayin’ over me at the ballet, Mister Lecter-” Jo found herself snapping over the top of him, crossing her arms under her chest and raising her brow even higher as she stared back into the infuriatingly annoying attempt at shock and contrition on the other’s face. “Then let me fuckin’ enlighten the fuck out of ya.”
She paused for a second at the hissed suck in of breath from the other, as Hannibal Lecter’s lip curled savagely for a moment and that fake face - the act and mask he wore around others, the one that pretended to be a regular human and has regular emotions - snapped harshly in two down the middle at her cutting him off. Or at her calling him the diminutive term. Or perhaps just her sheer lack of fear where he’s concerned compared to the lackies he surrounded himself with. Jo couldn’t tell, but right then, she didn’t give two shits.
“You thought you were so fuckin’ smart, narratin’ the story like I didn’t fuckin’ learn the ballet-blanc and wish I could do the tour en l’air’s like the boys did.” She found herself hissing the words out as she stepped forward, hips pressed firmly against the countertop as she stared back into the true face of the other for the first time since he’d arrived. The flash of confusion and disbelief followed by a sharp twist of something darker, tinged with jealousy and disillusionment, as Jo added sharply. “I know the fucking story of Giselle, and unlike you? I fuckin’ understand it.”
---
“Now, in case you were not aware,” They had had peace and quiet for the last thirty minutes - as the mother had begged her daughter not to dance, as the girl had forgone the warnings and danced like there would be no tomorrow with the suave duke-in-hiding that had swept her from her feet, as Giselle had danced for the noble crowd and been favored, and as the hunter had uncovered and discovered the duke’s deception - all the way up to the hunter retrieving the horn and summoning the noblemen back to have the duke’s identity uncovered in a harsh and brutal blow. But now, as the beautiful ballerina span and twisted and twirled in heartbreak and confusion at the revelation that her sweetheart had deceived her; the vicious monster chose then to open his mouth again. “The man? Has been betrothed and promised by fate to another this whole time.”
Jo felt herself being drawn out of the performance again, just as she’d been sliding back into the draw of it. Just as she’d felt her lips twitching in time to the smiles and delights of the performer’s face and the anguish and madness that was beginning to unfold on the stage below. Glancing out the corner of her eye, she could see the rugaru’s gaze was fixated on the dancers, his brown eyes fixed on the performance in a way she couldn’t remain as he spoke. Beside her, she could feel Will tensing again, and his hand shifted from the base of her spine where it had sat relaxed for the last part of the show to his own lap - as if pulled away by a zap to avoid feeling her emotions again in a way that felt like a slap all it’s own.
“He was always supposed to be with someone else, you see.” Hannibal’s words sounded so edged as the music swelled and below them, Giselle slowly collapsed to the floor to be comforted by her mother. “The foolish, stupid, naive girl thought otherwise but alas, fate always returns things to how they should be.”
The girl lept from the floor again, and as the crowd turned their backs on the beauty as she tore at her hair and reached for something outside of her grasp - as she reached towards the heavens and sought what couldn’t be seen, plucking daisies and wishing on petals onto to lose herself into the madness of her thoughts as she grasped the duke’s sword in a frenzy before she began dancing the madness out until her heart burst from the loss.
Jo found herself tearing up - not from the performance as the mother, lover, and hunter, in turn, wept at the dead Giselle’s form - but from the anger at the man beside her drawing her out of the moment to experience and appreciate the artistry and madness of it as the curtain dropped on the first Act. He had to choose now to make his point, to stick at her with pins and prick at the man beside her gritting his teeth harshly.
As the lights began to go up, and the quiet round of applause filled the space as the intermission started, Jo turned her head to look towards Will’s stony look. There was a pain in his eyes that she knew was from the suggestion, from the harsh look that the rugaru returned to him, from the accusation in it all towards him let alone the suggestion of Jo’s own foolishness or naivety. There was something that was cutting deeper between the pair that made her stomach tighten and flip in a way that she hadn’t felt regarding this one of her love’s before. She was used to seeing a deep cut pain in the shadow’s eyes on occasion when something would remind him of his past and that foul creature, but seeing it in Will’s eyes made her shudder.
“Alas, they were unwilling to have the girl do what she should have done, what she used to do too.” The man kept talking, his eyes fixed on the closed curtain for a moment before Jo found her brown’s being met with his as Hannibal turned to look at her directly. Hannibal’s voice was soft like velvet and the malice behind it was palpable. The words seeped into her ears and crawled through her mind insidiously as he stared at her, and for a brief moment, Jo could almost believe this was what sitting in the chair across from him was really like - the dark, twisted machinations of the monster who thought he could play god slipping inside of her to take shape in her nightmares and take root in her darkest moments - as he leaned closer towards her.
Jo heard the words more than she knew that she was saying them, the sharp grip of Will’s hand coming down around her elbow harshly as she felt herself sway forwards slightly as if a fly being drawn into the venus fly trap - the draw to danger calling out to her. “What was the girl supposed to do?”
His smile was as pointed and deadly as the implement itself, as Hannibal pinned her down with that cold look. “She was supposed to remove herself, stab through her heart and fall aside for the man’s fate and true happiness.” Jo felt herself being jerked harshly to her feet with a slight stumble in her heels as Will’s grip on her arm turned painful, and he dragged her from her seat. This was what he was afraid of, Jo knew it the instant she broke eye contact with the monster and instead looked towards the arctic freeze of Will’s face at that moment, icier than the cold winds that used to blow off of the lake back in Minnesota in the winter. Hannibal too found his way to his feet, with an elegance that matched the performers below, as he looked over her head to meet the other man’s stare in a way that the blonde knew she was no longer the point of the conversation. “She was supposed to stand aside, so that he could be with the person that knew him best, knew him longer than a flight of fancy, and knew all the parts of him. She was and is not the one he is intended for.”
“Interesting take, Hannibal.” Will’s words were as harsh as his grip, and as he pulled Jo back around the chairs and towards the doorway, Jo could tell that she’d have purple marks blooming by the morning that would be hard to explain. Marks of his own fears chasing him to his feet, and as Will pushed her out the door first, Jo could hear him hissing angrily back at the other man for all of a fraction of a second before the door was slammed shut with her outside alone and Will inside doing whatever he thought was warranted. “How about we discuss this some more-”
Jo had waited, uncomfortably rubbing at her sore elbow and shifting to lean against the wall beside the door when Will didn’t reappear within a minute. There wasn’t the sound of raised voices or harsh tones, and while she could easily simply walk back in - especially as the ringing chime sounded out for the end of the intermission over five minutes later - if the other had wanted her there, he would not have pushed her out like that.
As the final warning chime began, the blonde jerked off of the wall in surprise at the door slamming open again.
She expected the rugaru to come storming out and take a moment to recover himself before gliding down the stairs in his usually refined presentation, and barely a glance to be spared in her direction.
Instead, Will emerged and took her hand, gentler than the grip from before and his thumb rubbing over the ring she never took off like it was grounding him somehow. And then he tugged, pulling her to his side and starting for the stairs.
They were not going to be seeing the final act, They were not going to watch the duke be faced with the destruction his lies and falsehoods caused, the pain of the hunter as he was forced to suffer the same death as the woman he loved, the sharp relief of forgiveness from the girl to her duke before it was too late. The viciousness of the willies had always impressed Jo, and the ballet-blanc of the ghostly figures and their cruel desires to haunt and lash out like a true vengeful spirit had always sat well with her compared to the spirits and supernatural elements of other performances. But she wouldn’t get to curl into the warm arms of her own love as she watched Giselle plead for her duke’s life, instead, they’d be sat in the cat as her own love drove her home without finishing the story.
Glancing over her shoulder through the open door, Jo hadn’t been surprised as all to see the rigidly set, proud shoulders of the rugaru as the door slowly swung shut and they made their way down the stairs instead. It was just like him, to be unable to connect and understand the true meaning of a love story like that. To realize he was the jealous hunter, doomed for death.
---
“Do you now?” Hannibal asked as he watched her begin the stirring process, methodical and swift in smooth motions that her feelings of simmering disdain and anger at losing a beautifully planned date was starting to boil up herself. It was strange to follow muscle memory when all her muscles wanted to do was throw the boiling water on the other and laugh in his scalding face. “What is your take on the piece then, Joanna?”
“Men are liars, men are cheats, men have no understanding of the impact of their actions.” Jo felt her hand twisting and spinning sharper with each sentence as if punctuating in the green foaming liquid itself her very point as she glared back at the other. “Men believe they know everything, that they can just... swoop in and explain away reality-”
“Do you mean men or me?” “Men like you think that you have a right to things that you don’t.” “You perhaps mistake me-” “You think that you had a right to disrupt and ruin somethin’ that made me and Will happy. Just cause you were jealous or lonely or fuckin’ miss Will.” “You seem to think a lot of things, Joanna.”
“Yeah well, you think that you know more than others, when you don’t.” Jo snapped the words back as she finished the final stir of the green liquid to a frothy point where the tiniest of air bubbles broke up the surface to a soft green that she would usually find herself staring at - reminded of the soft green that Will’s eyes could reach, or the soft green of the hoodie she stole from Grey - until it was ready but simply poured out into each of their cups this time with a snarl. “You think you know everythin’, when face it doc, I’ve made it clear I know much more ‘bout you than you’ll ever know ‘bout not only yourself but ‘bout me too.”
There was a quiet moment then, as she pushed the other’s drink across to him with a harsh shove that made the liquid rock almost to the lip of the mug before it settled down; and Jo was surprised to see that not-mask still in place but shifting to a curious look as the man stared down at the tea himself. She almost thought he might just be thinking about the same eyes that she did from the way he seemed to retreat in on himself for a moment under her surveillance before he blinked and the mask was back in place.
“Perhaps you are right,” The soft tone was back, the one that felt like any second he’d look across at her with that stare and she’d be stuck under his hypnotic spell - the one that everyone seemed to go under but she’d not felt in the man’s presence and that was much more controlled by her own reckless attitude than his usual tricks. Hannibal did lift his eyes to hers, but it held none of the persuasive fake niceties that they usually did when playing the human like he did with everyone else. “However, there is one thing that I do know about you.”
“Oh? And what the fuck’s that, buddy?”
The full-body shudder that happened right as he took a sip of his tea amused her greatly, and Jo could tell immediately it was from her snapped question and the term she flung at him rather than from anything else, as that cold fire flashed in his eyes for a brief second before the human-mask was back in place. There was a beat of silence as she watched him hold the tea in his hands and mouth for a long moment, as if trying to swallow down and not choke on her words rather than the tea itself, before Hannibal finally did and stared back at her hatefully.
“What I know, Joanna, is that you were the reason Will was out at the theater on the weekend. He made that point very clear,” The man hissed the last words out as quietly as possible, and Jo was suddenly curious as to what Will must have said behind the closed door before the curiosity disappeared as the man pushed himself to stand and set the unfinished drink back on the countertop with a scowl. “And that since I was the rude one of the evening, that it is only prudent that I will be held responsible for making amends.”
Jo bit down the snappy, sassy remark she could feel on the tip of her tongue, as she raised a brow up at him before the envelope from before was set down on the countertop beside the mug with far more grace and deliberation than Jo did practically anything in her life.
“I do hope you enjoy your next outing more,” Hannibal said plainly, tapping two fingers down upon the top of the envelope for a second before sliding it across towards her. “I took the liberty of giving you all four tickets for the box this time. So you can confirm with Will that you will not be disturbed unless you wish to be.” It sounded painful to hear as much as she was sure that tone was painful for him to speak in, and after a moment, the other added just as sharply, “And with that, I do believe I have an appointment elsewhere I must be getting to.”
“Uh-huh, sure sure.” Jo quipped back as she set her own mug down and moved in sync with the other as the unwelcome monster padded his way towards the front door under her wary observation. She was surprised to see him pause for a moment to stroke the top of the only dog’s head - Buster’s - that came near him as he reached the front door. It did, however, not surprise her that he waited for her to open the door and wave him out with all the stiff politeness that the man expected. That pretense and pretentiousness getting on her nerves as he turned back towards the door, likely for some parting shot, but not giving him the satisfaction as she slammed the door shut and slid the deadbolt into place.
She counted to ten Mississipi’s in her head before she turned back to the kitchen, switching off the burner under the almost dry pot with a flick of her wrist before Jo moved to pick up her tea in one hand and the envelope addressed in the decoratively clear writing to herself in the other.
At least she’d get to see the second act this time, maybe.
---
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FIC: Surpassed All Men VI
---
“We need to get going.” The greeting was somewhat sharp, sharper for sure than Jo had ever heard from the other, as she looked up from her seat underneath the big, broad tree on the corner of the property. Jo raised a brow as she finished chewing the last of her millionaire's shortbread, giving the other an equally sharp look to the tone. “Come on, up and at them - we’re running late as it is.”
“Oh hi Gabe, how are you? Oh, that’s good, I’m goin’ fine - shit’s just been a little weird, nothin’ too bad. What’ve you been up to? Oh, interesting. Me? I’ve been doin’ nothing much just waitin’, pining even, for your return.” Jo found herself replying sarcastically, raising a brow up at the other as he stared down at her, his own lips twitching slightly. There was a hand held out to her, and pulling herself to her feet with his help, she brushed off the back of her plaid skirt. Jo smiled a little as she looked up at the impatient and almost nervous look she thought she could identify on the other’s face, tilting her head up at him. “I’m guessing you’ve got an answer for me?”
“That I do, gorgeous, and I’ve got a meeting to take you to.” “So, what’s happenin’ to me and what meeting?” “Meeting of your new kind, Jo, and I’ve got the very good pleasure of welcoming you to the club of the divine.”
“Is this about Grey researching gods and god-lore lately?” Jo raised a brow and found herself frowning as the other gave a customary wiggle of his in return. “Oh yippee, guess I’m goin’ to need to avoid wooden stakes for a while, right?”
Gabriel let out a laugh as he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as he guided her back towards the remote country house that she’d lived in for almost three decades. “Pretty much, gorgeous, and now we get to go introduce you to your new compatriots-”
“My what?” “The others of your kind, clearly. You know, like if you were a lovey-dovey girl I’d take you to meet Aphrodite and Bastet and-” “Rati?”
Jo laughed at the whistle that the archangel gave her along with that eyebrow wiggle as he looked down at her.
“Trust you to go for Karma’s consort, Jo.” Gabe let out a laugh of his own shaking his head. “Just another example of exactly why you’re in the group your in I guess that you went straight to the kinky sex goddess.”
“What? I’m real bendy these days and I really would like some pointers.” Jo blinked up at him innocently, grinning widely as the other let out yet another loud laugh before Jo asked, “You said an example of my group?”
“Why gorgeous, you’re part of my favorite crowd,” Gabe responded gently as he finished laughing, shaking his head before patting her hand. “You, my dear, are part of my old crowd.”
“Oh, I’m not-” “Yes you are, Jo, you are-” “A fuckin’ Trickster?” “Only the best option there is, gorgeous. Now, let’s get going-”
“Wait!”
---
The diner was so stereotypical. It felt like an old shoe to Jo as she walked through the door, ducking under Gabe’s arm as he’d held the door open, and breathed in the smell of day-old pies, grease and the bitter scent of burnt coffee.  It was just like the places she frequented on the road and would sit for hours with her laptop, a local paper, and a white chipped coffee cup getting refills before leaving a 200% tip when she’d leave. However, those were usually filled with other patrons dotted around at the booths rather than completely empty except for the one supernaturally elongated booth and no servers insight.
“Oh fuck, this is gonna be like the last time-” “Shh!”
Jo found her mouth covered by a heavy palm for a moment as she started to comment, reflecting on the last time she walked into a room full of gods before Gabe looked at her until she nodded sharply at his finger over his own lips.
Dropping his hand, the archangel turned back towards the group with a flourish of his arms out wide and dramatic with the air he always seemed to fill up the space that made Jo smile to see, before they went straight back into his pockets as he approached the table. “Well, well well, look who we have here,” Gabriel spoke cheerily as he approached, though Jo could see the sharp set to his shoulders and back as if he wasn’t as calm as he was projecting to be. “Is it just me, or is there not enough pie here?”
There was a moment as Jo shuffled a few feet back behind the other towards the table, and tilting her head as she tried to assess who on earth might be sat about the space. None of those facing the door looked familiar, and the looks of surprise or bemusement on those faces seemed at least not as concerning as the serious talk the angel had given her while she’d gotten ready for this meeting. That was until she spotted the slightly pointed ears and then noticed the familiar sneer as one of the gods, or rather, tricksters turned his head.
“Oh, you have got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me!” Jo heard herself snarling the words out before she realized she had spoken and already broken her silent promise to let the archangel make the first signs of greeting. She blinked and found herself standing at the open end of the large C-curved booth, hands slammed heavily on the tabletop with the cake tin she’d held smacked down with it, as she stared heatedly towards the one trickster she recognized all too well. “What the fuck is the motherfuckin’ fairy doin’ here? Didn’t go you cryin’ off into fairyland after last fuckin’ time?!”
The fairy had his head twisted towards her at that point, dark brown eyes fixated and heated with a longstanding fury in them as she stared back equally hatefully. “Where got’st thou that goose look?” Puck snarled the words out, staring back at her something fierce, before he added spitefully, “Please tell me the dumb blonde isn’t who this meet-and-greet is about, Crow you foul lying bird.”
“Oh, it is the girlfriend-” “For the last time, Whiskey, she’s not my girlfriend.” “Regardless, it is the one Puck got all snippy and quiet about then, right?”
Jo barely twitched at the talking happening around her as she continued the fierce, staring contest with the fairy-trickster, lip curled into a nasty snarl as she stared back before two large hands tugged her back from the side of the table closest to the sneering boy-man. Shaking her head, Jo shrugged out of the archangel’s hold before she looked back up towards him with an angry look and a raise of her brow. “Really? You warned me ‘bout behaving myself around the rest of them but neglected to mention the fairy asshole who kidnapped my daughter was goin’ to be here?”
There was a pause before she watched the other run a hand over his face with a deep sigh before the sound of raucous laughter from the table started up - voices layered over one another in a range of tones that made her want to shudder but also join in - and she turned to look curiously around the table again.
None of them looked particularly recognizable for her. Next to the fairy at the end of the booth to her left was a gorgeous looking woman with alabaster skin, dark flowing hair and bright green eyes that Jo noticed were running over her as if evaluating every small detail of her as she gave a high pitched, wicked sounding giggle. The dark black Greecian style dress reminded the hunter of something in her own wardrobe at home but much darker and finer, with the fine golden threads and gold metal weaved through the fabric and wrapped around the neckline; and the only other discernable part of her identity that did little to help Jo identify her was the golden apple pendant on her necklace.
The fairy was of course beside her and Jo found herself sneering as she caught his own cunning eyes, before she glanced to his right and the eldest of the group sat reclined back in the vinyl booth. His wiry black hair was thick and surrounded his friendly yet older face, covered in a thick beard and both dark hair was peppered with silver hairs through them, and above the beard were dark eyes that sparkled deep within with both age and amusement. He seemed unsurprised and unaffected by both her and the angel’s interloping on the abundant buffet of desserts and pie that covered the table before them all, but he had let out a loud, cawing laugh like the sound of a black birds call.
The next two men were sat very close together, in a way that made Jo suddenly feel homesick to go cuddle up on the couch with her favorite person and a bottle of honey the same way one of them with the long thick hair and braid down one side of his head was sipping from a bottle of maple syrup. His arm was stretched over the red vinyl of the booth behind the shoulders of the equally dark-haired man beside him. The other man was leaning a little too comfortably against his side, and Jo noticed the shimmering feather inked into the shaved side of that god’s head as he barely glanced up from the notebook in his hands. Both, however, were laughing, and the bird-like sound of the shorter-haired one matched the darker man beside them unlike the warmth of the other’s.
The last of the group at the table, though there were clearly a few spaces left free for more arrivals, was a pouty, young-looking man. Jo raised an eyebrow looking at him curiously, finding the man far younger-looking than the rest and his constant tapping on the mobile phone he held rather than paying any attention to the table at large. He was cute, much in the same way she’d noticed the equally youthfully appearing fairy was, but Jo found herself rolling her eyes as the way he seemed to remind her of her own son’s antics when he merely smiled stupidly and tapped repeatedly as the mind-numbingly annoying ding of his phone messages.
“That... I didn’t think about that.” Gabriel admitted quietly as he rubbed at his face, trying hard not to catch her eye as she looked back up at him before he shrugged a shoulder. “Though you all got through that just fine, your girl is off-”
“Galavantin’ with her... ugh, don’t remind me.”
“Yes, exactly. All’s well that ends well, and so instead let's focus on more important things, waruwi.” The slightly lisped voice cut over Jo’s pained groan as the eldest of the gods spoke up in his firm but deep tone. Turning to look back at the bearded man, Jo frowned a little at his beady look. “Little one, welcome. You may be unfamiliar with our beings - excepting our fairy gamarada of course - and you should be welcomed more appropriately. Please, have a seat.” Jo blinked in surprise to see the man jerk his head to the side like a bird before two chairs appeared beside one another between her and the archangel. “Gabriel, perhaps you would join us still while we assess your friend here.” The man’s words sounded like a suggestion or question, but the look on the older god's face made it clear it was an instruction that made Jo want to laugh at the idea of the archangel being bossed about.
Sinking into her chair, Jo crossed her knees and drummed her fingers on the tabletop as she looked about the group for a moment before she caught the curious golden-brown eyes of one of the cuddled up pair. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her, while his partner still doodled in the notepad cautiously. “I should say, Crow, if the young girl is friends-”
“Pile of shit featherfucker.” “Puck, that is rude. We do not know the relationship between them.” “Oh, we know Whiskey. I watched them all cuddled up-” “Years ago. Your grasp on time is worse than the rest of us.” “-and she was so defensive of him the first time I met the idiotic, bitchy brat.”
“Oh my god, you still fuckin’ pissy about that?” Jo growled the words out as she sat back in her chair, crossing her arms and glaring across at the one trickster she was familiar with. “I thought you already made me rue the day with your taking my daughter.”
“I didn’t keep her did I?” “You couldn’t have if you wanted to.” “You surely jest. Just because you have a spark of anything above the knuckle-dragging nature of your kind doesn’t mean I will forgive, forget or ignore my promise.”
Jo let out a sharp laugh, not even noticing the way that her and Puck’s snapping at one another had drawn the full attention of the table - the goddess beside the fairy turning her head and grinning with a touch of madness at the swirl of the promise of chaos between the two of them, and even the young dirty blond had sat his phone down to watch them. Shaking her head, Jo hissed out at him with a wink. “Someone get the fuckin’ fairy a glass of sweet cream, maybe he’d be more likable drunk.”
As soon as she finished talking, Jo felt something strange inside of herself - like something had suddenly settled into place as if she’d had a knot somewhere inside and never realized until the muscle had finally relaxed and returned into the spot it always should have been - and then suddenly every glass on the table turned to the thickened cream instead of the various coffees and fruit drinks the gods had been sipping on. One of the god’s, the one with the feather tattoo, let out a squawk of surprise as he’d been sipping on his own drink at the time as it changed from thick, purplish fruit juice into the sugary gold of sweetened condensed cream.
There was a beat of silence before that manic giggling started again from the dark-haired woman - loud, high pitched and maddening to hear - as she lifted her own glass that had once been wine and was now cream. She turned the glass upright, and Jo watched in confusion as it seemed to pour an endless stream of cream out onto the table, more than should ever be held in the glass, and slowly began to overflow and drip down to the floor and spread all over the corner of the table near her. The giggling continued, and the blonde found herself drawing back and lifting her feet off the ground as the cream continued to pour.
“Oh! Oh, this is hilarious! Oh, Puck, dearie, isn’t this funny!” The woman exclaimed, but Jo could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up at the sheer mania of it, before the woman dipped her long, black fingernailed hands into the puddle of cream as she tossed the glass down to the diner floor where it continued to pool out the liquid and then flicked her fingers towards the fairy beside her. Her flick splattered white droplets over the unimpressed, borderline furious look on the other’s face before she lifted her hand to do it all over again with another manic laugh. “This is a marvelous first impression, little girl, truly marvelous.”
“You do that one more time, Eris, and I will-” “Which outdated slander will do give me this time? You’re still a kriòmyxos after so long my dear friend.”
“You’re the fool here, you witch.” Puck snapped the words back out, wiping the small drips from his angled cheek. Jo found herself shifting back when that same venomous look was directed back towards her. “Why are you so frustratingly human?”
“Me?! I didn’t do anything!”
That got a laugh from the other end of the table, as the blond man lent forward and extended the hand not clutching his phone towards her. “Oh yes ye did,” his accent was smooth and lyrical and Jo found herself blinking in surprise at his speaking for the first time. She took half a second before reaching out to shake the man’s hand in greeting, raising a brow at him. “And it sure seems like your first time, right girlie? I do love seein’ a cherry pop.”
“Excuse you-” “Your first deliberate act, and I wish I had your saucy wink sweetheart, but alas not all of us are so blessed.” “..What?”
There was a beat as she stared at him, before a much nicer laugh cut over the manic giggling happening beside her, and the blond took his hand back after the shake. “Oh, girlie, you have a lot to learn.” The man smiled at her and Jo blinked a few times, thoroughly reminded of the innocent grins she would get from her own son whenever he was simply and innocently pleased by something. “Gwydion, from Wales, nice ta meet ye. You’re Joanna-”
“Jo. I go by Jo.” “Sure thing, Joanna, it’s good to have you onboard.”
She felt her eye twitching at the man’s deliberate reuse of her full name before he dropped his grin from her face at the ding of his phone again before the dopey looking smile formed on his face again. Gwydion seemed nowhere near as uncomplicated as the others as Jo shuffled in her seat and looked back at the woman beside her who was slowly stopping her own giggling.
“Joanna, huh? So dull,” The woman jumped in, raising a finely manicured eyebrow at her before Jo tilted her head back at the black-haired woman. “You’ll be wanting to change it to something more dignified and less like a laikàs soon enough unless Whiskey was right and you’re a moikalìs.”
“Eris, that’s enough,” Gabriel cut in, his hand moving from the plat full of pie he’d collected for himself with the clatter of his spoon to rest against the back of Jo’s chair with a glare towards the dark-haired woman Jo was recognizing as the Greek goddess of chaos and trickery. “Jo’s not at all like that, and Crow- why did you even invite her anyway? You knew how she would behave!”
Jo heard that bird-like laugh come from across the table again as the oldest trickster smirked back, smile sharp and eyes dark and clever as he pinned the angel with a look that made the blonde shrink back a little - filled with age, wisdom, and mischief that she used to think would die with age but never experienced herself. The name was unfamiliar, and she knew when she got home she would be researching quite a few of these gods within minutes.
“Balanda, you forget that we have so few of our ilk such as your friend - a womanly form-” “Hey!” “A permanently womanly form, as only Eris was free, her presence should always have been expected.”
“Nicimos,” There was a quiet voice and Jo found herself looking at the man staring at his cream-filled glass in horror and the man beside him who was gently stroking a hand over the hair of the other in a way that was ever so familiar before she looked towards the one with the braid as he looked at her curiously. “Stop worrying over your drink, you can replace it. We advised we would help the girl, even if she did ruin your drink.”
“You’re right Jackie,” The other said in a thickly accented voice, sounding like some angry terrorist or villain from one of the action movies she loved, and Jo had to bite down a laugh as she watched the man wiggle his nose for a moment before the cream disappeared from his glass into the same thick, red as before. He shook his head again, waving a hand towards her and Gabriel before looking up at the man in a way Jo was fairly certain was how she looked at her own husband. “I am struggling with this game, lyubovnik, perhaps you can do the socializing today?”
Jo found her eyes widening as she took in the taller man’s face and recognized slightly the voice to the names that had been bouncing around, as well as the beading on his large ornate necklace looking like something from her childhood tales from her father’s research books. The blonde found herself unconsciously, and a little giddily, slapping at the man beside her’s arm repeatedly as she stared back at the curious tilt of the Native American god.
There was a familiar chuckle before Gabriel tapped her hand with a smirk. “Oh, so you recognize someone aside from Puckstick do you, gorgeous?” He leaned to the side towards her and spoke not entirely quietly but clearly mocking her excitement in a way she found herself slapping his arm again a little harder just to get a gruff exhale of air. “Okay fine, fine, Jojo meet your fellow American - Wisakedjak. I believe you’re aware of him?”
“You shut up and don’t embarrass me.” Jo hissed the words quietly back at him, feeling her cheeks heating up as there was a harsh giggle from somewhere to her side that she could not tell if it was the manic woman or the bloody fairy as she tried to force the flush out of her face. The other god tilted his head the other way, looking between the bickering pair as Jo could tell she was blushing further. “I.. hi, I’ve, uh, heard a lot about you. Nice ta meetcha.”
“Oh? And what did you hear, iskwês? You do not seem the type to have heard my myths, let alone any of my friends.” “Oh, man, no-no. My dad was always givin’ me stories-”
“Lyubovnik, I believe you were someone’s bedtime story,” The man cuddled up to Whiskey’s side said in a teasing tone, and with far more friendly feeling than any of the others had. Jo found herself frowning however as Gabriel’s hand came down over hers in a protective fashion, flashing a look towards the slightly sharp set on his face before she looked back at the other as he handed the notebook back to the other god. “Your win, Jackie.”
“Too bad, I thought you’d win this time, Kutkh-” “Since when would he ever win? Dullest one of us all.” “Eris, you dare-” “Don’t try to correct me about your bird-brain boyfriend, Whiskey.”
Jo glanced about curiously but let out a sigh as clearly well-established fights and arguments began to break out amongst the gods and smaller conversations bled out now that she’d had a small introduction to most. She noticed Gabe snap quietly under the table as the feather-tattooed man introduced him to her as Kutkh and the eldest of them all made sure to direct the conversation away from her entry with a smooth transition towards directing Eris’ sharp tongue towards the other blond at the table, as the cream-filled glasses all returned to normally excluding one, and the dangerous look on the fairy-man’s face darted between her and the angel beside her but with a muted, simmering type of rage that Jo knew would follow through one day as he lifted his glass still as her own, confusing flash of power had made it.
The conversations flowed about, and Jo found the reassuring hand on the back of her chair settled the nerves as the Greek woman began questioning her about her history, when her powers and changes had begun and all kinds of invasive questions that made her shrink back on occasion; all while Puck added in his own nasty comments here and there, the blond man at the other end of the table asked far too many questions about her so-called siblings and her husband that made her nervous to say more than a name for, and the three men on the other side of the booth simply nodded along or asked more appropriate questions here and there. It was overall slightly awkward but not too uncomfortable with the safe hand behind her supported her through it all.
She had actually found as during a lull in questioning left the table silent for the first moment since they'd arrived, that cracking open the antique cake tin she'd been given by Bobby and Jody a few years back to uncover an entire tin full of triple chocolate cookies had endeared her slightly to everyone but the still scowling fairy and the manically giggling woman, who smiled at her one moment and scowled the very next. The topic had immediately turned to her trying to ascertain the favorite treats of each of those tricksters at the table she cared to learn about - ginger spiced cookies, and thick molasses treacle tarts, shortbread but 'not the Scottish kind' and an exotic sounding dish that she half thought was made up with sponge cake, chocolate and coconut - and then turned more onto her own favorites that made her blush furiously when she admitted to a love of frosting that had the man beside her laughing hard.
Jo was just asking a question of the Australian across the table from her about his comment about native kinds of honey and honeyants - her unstoppable craving for the golden liquid having been voracious over the last few weeks - when there was the sound of the diner door opening and the bell over the door. Most of the other gods barely reacted to the idea of another arrival, as if aware that they had been missing one all along, and Jo found herself following the same behavior of the others by not looking around until the sharp tone and greeting made her jerk in surprise.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” The voice bounced around the room, and Jo felt her spine jerk upright from where she’d been leaning on the table towards the older man’s storytelling, and her neck ached something fierce as she turned to look towards the man swaggering in through the door - one hand thrown wide, and a bright red sucker held in the other - as the new god tugged the fedora from his head with a flourish. “I see the party has started without me, but with my replacement.”
She could feel the jerk of the hand on the back of her chair but didn’t even move to turn to look at the angel beside her as she blinked her eyes repeatedly at the double before her. Well, almost a double. The clothing taste was a little stuck in the 1920′s, and his swagger made her pull a face as it exuded smugness and arrogance rather than the more subtle cockiness of the man beside her.
“Loki! Oh dearie, how long has it been?” Eris cried out, standing and stepping into the pool of spilled cream that had been forgotten in the previous clean up, rushing towards the Norse Trickster with a sharp hug that looked to be all elbows, sharp lines and uncomfortable under Jo’s eye, before she crowded the god towards the table. “You’re just in time to see your deceiving friend and the newest trickster on the block.”
“I had heard.” The voice was gruffer than Gabriel’s, Jo noticed it immediately, and as Loki moved towards the table and gave a hard stare towards the angel for a moment, she could see more differences than similarities that she almost thought might just be the things only she could tell. There wasn’t the softness, or sweetness in the god’s eyes, and there was none of the ease with his movements which seemed peculiar for her, before the god gave a sharp nod towards the man also wearing his face. “Gabriel. How have you been? Heard about what happened. That’s rough-”
“It’s why I came to you in the first place.” “And yet you didn’t keep up your end of the bargain to staying out of it.” “What can I say? Humans can be convincing.”
“So I can see.” Loki replied with a harsh sounding laugh that made Jo recoil a little bit, even as she could hear the rest of the table’s occupants go back to their own discussions - something in her sure that every ear however was tilted towards this conversation - as he stepped towards her chair. She barely refrained from pulling her hand back as the god pulled it up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Enchantee, you must be the alluring Miss Harvelle that my dear friend Gabriel is so taken with-”
“It’s Mrs. Grey actually, and ain’t nobody taken with no one else.” Jo growled the words out, sliding her hand out of his grip sharply as soon as his lips touched her skin, jerking it back to her lap with a tiny scowl as something about him felt off. Probably because he looked like her friend - the one and only angel she’d never been let down by, let alone one of the few friends she could say the same of - but with none of the parts of him that she could tell made the angel who he was and not who this wicked smirking god was. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m sure it is, darling, I very much look forward to welcoming you to our fold.” “Did you not hear the married part, Loki?” “Since when does that matter? You getting all pious and virtuous on me, Gabey-baby?”
Gabriel snorted, shaking his head as the Norseman moved around the table and slid into the spare space beside the Welshman, and Jo felt the hand move off the back of her chair subtly to rub at her back for a moment before the angel began distracting his dopple-ganger into a conversation about some confusing joke or other - the words ‘witness protection’ confusing her but ensuring it was something unnecessary for her to worry about.
Shaking her own head, Jo looked about the table, her sugar cravings getting to her before frowning at the array as nothing caught her eye that would fill that tiny hole wanting more of her honey. Looking about the group and the way they seemed to blend seamlessly together, the blonde found herself frowning as she watched the other American and his Russian partner last of all, and found herself smiling as the man beside her snapped a honey bear jar into being for her and she realized, snapping the lid back, that this would have to do until she got home to her real hunny.
---
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OT3FIC: Pitbull
22 - hate locket hammock
The first time she only heard about it at the other’s querying - and she’d sat outside on the steps whining to the massive wolf for over an hour the next time he visited.
The second time, she hadn’t been at home at all and had received the text advising her that ‘he’s here again’ and then neither man had answered her calls for far too long in her book that Jo had been tempted to abandon her hunt and turn her car around immediately.
The third time, she actually spotted his godforsaken coat disappearing around the corner of the house as she came out the side door with the washing basket on her hip. He actually deigned to say the first words to her in long enough that she stumbled on the final step in surprise. That they were a slight at how domesticated she’d become felt like a slap in the face more than she ever thought that word should be.
It was after that point, when the weather was turning warmer and the fireflies were starting to float through the woods and over the field as the snow gave way to rain and then to sunshine, that she finally decided enough was e-fucking-nough.
Sitting in the swinging hammock chair, knees crossed and feet danging just off of the ground in a state of complete relaxation, she knew that it would give the desired outcome the moment he was compelled to arrive as she lent down to light the single candle and set herself swinging calmly with a push of her bare toes in the warm dirt as the nighttime creatures began to scurry back to their holes and nests as the sun began its journey across the sky for the day. Jo felt the clumps of dew coated grass and the dry dirt brushing against the bottom of her foot as she swung her feet, waiting his arrival.
“A bit early for a house call, wouldn’t you think Joanna?” The clipped tone was from behind her shoulder, as if the man had thought it made a smarter choice to sneak up on her rather than appear in front, as if it would make any difference between them that he thought he could surprise her.
As if it wouldn’t result in a deep, dark growl from the dark shadows at the back of the tree trunk as the other demon stared with yellow eyes fixed on the new arrival. Jo felt herself smirking as she turned her head slightly to see the once King appear to almost jerk to the side in the surprise of his own at the other’s attendance. As if he thought Jo would have come up with a plan that had her unsupported and alone in such a space. Not that she thought she needed any back up when dealing with this demon - the sigils carved into the tree trunk behind her ones that she’d seen as a child and copied direct from her father’s battered old journal ones that acted like those of the angelic type she had once used right before meeting this very same demon, and if that weren’t enough, she still had her knife tucked into her boot, ready to show him as good a time as those who’d been under it had if he tried a single thing - but when she’d growled out the suggestion that very first time, the solemn paw on her knee and the whispered query if he wanted to help that got an equally solemn nod had made the choice simple.
“I just thought I’d catch you on one of the gaps in my busy schedule. I’d had it mentioned how much you’d love to catch up with me sometime,” She replied, smirk wider still as the suited demon shifted away from the tree where the wolf padded forward and then stood at the ready, eyes focused entirely upon him, and moved to kick at the small alter Jo’d assembled to summon him with a look of disdain. “So since I am the busy one of us, after that whole...dethronement-”
“I was not dethroned, you tempestuous brat.” “Weren’t you? I thought you got bumped down to just the Crossroads.” “Oh what you think and what is reality is often so very clouded, Joanna.” “I doubt that very much.”
“Is this what you requested me here for? To discuss the hierarchy of your future home?” Crowley hissed the questions out, the accent making the words seem all the more sinister as he kicked at the bowl and candle again until they fell and the candle rolled to a stop near her toes and the flame suddenly flared up a little more than such a candle should ever achieve. Jo pulled her foot up for a moment before it flared back down and then out, her expression turning from surprise to bemusement. “You desperate to know where you’ll eventually fit in, are you?”
Usually such barbs from anyone else - from the asshole monster, from another demon with the most evil of intents once upon a time, from the dark haired woman and her angelic puppet, from the dark haired girl with the same face but evil intent, from the face she saw in the mirror every morning - would make her shrink, but from this one made her let out a peal of laughter into the crisp morning air as she lowered her feet to the ground fully. From the demon she all but vanquished, it was more of a joke than any comedian’s set could dream of.  “Oh, that’s funny! That’s very very funny. I didn’t know Hell had stand up comedy nights, you must have been practisin’ that set for quite a while.”
She could tell immediately that wasn’t the reaction the demon was after, as Crowley’s smirk slowly morphed into a look that would have made her shudder in fear once upon a time. That would possibly still make the hair on the back of her neck stand up if she didn’t know there was little to be frightened of while the darkness stood next to her.
“You and I both know you do not find that so entertaining an idea-” “No, but from you it’s hysterical.” “I look forward to seeing just how... hysterical you find it down the line in the depths of Hell one day, Joanna.”
“If you’re still kickin’ by then!” She rebuked cheerfully, pushing herself out of the hammock and letting the multicolored fabric swing behind her as Jo got to her feet and stepped forward, over the upturned bowl and moved to stand defiantly before the King of the Crossroads. Hands firmly on her hips, and the gentle wind of the morning not bothering her at all despite the coolness on her bare legs. “But that’s beside the point ain’t it? You want to know why I summoned you here.”
“You do know some of us are more important than others, darling, so I’d appreciate the abbreviated version. If you know what that word means.” “So witty. So funny. No wonder you’re the king’a laughs.” “I’d watch your tongue if I were you, Joanna, before you find it missing one day.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jo snarled back at his own nasty growl, and if she’d held a mirror up beside his face then she might even recognize the same curl of their lips as the pair glared at one another in hate and disdain for a long moment. Pulling back a second, not giving ground but resettling her position to herself as in control of this conversation, the blonde rolled her shoulders a few times adjusting as the demon’s own snarl turned into a dark sneer at the thought she’d backed down to him. “Anywho - you’re here so I can tell ya it’s the last time ya goin’ to be on this property.”
“What makes you think that, darling? You think that you can command-” “Oh, that’s exactly what I think, darlin’.”
There was a beat, as Jo watched the sneer trip for a second to disbelief before coming back full force with even more venom than she remembered seeing in him since she stared him down across the edge of a trap with two fingers tracing out and finalizing the symbols that would suck his borrowed power from him and back where it belonged; and taking another step back, Jo found herself smirking as she sat back down into her hammock seat as she awaited what was sure to be an explosive response.
“You dare to think that you - a pathetic, stupid, insolent and worthless little human - can command me to do anything? You believe you’re something greater than me?!” Crowley’s voice was slowly rising as he spoke, the relaxed hands in his pockets drawing out as the words spilled out of him, fists formed tightly before he stalked towards where she swung gently with a finger out and pointed straight at her as he practically bit down around the words. “You do not frighten me, Joanna, you do not dictate to me and you do not command me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong Crowley,” She replied, swinging her foot as she heard a growl coming from beside her as if trying to hurry her along or confirm that it wasn’t her commands that the demon should be worrying about but she couldn’t quite tell which. “I’m not even commandin’ you by the way - I’m givin’ you a friendly warnin’. Do not come back here again, there is nothing here for you; and if you do come back, you’ll never be able to again.”
Crowley growled in response, his hands retreating back to his pockets whereby she could no longer tell his frustrations by them alongside the twists of his face, and even glared towards the dark, furred demon that Jo felt the tickle of his fur next to her foot as she swung back a little too far. “And you, Marquis, are following the little girl’s commands too?”
Jo let out a small yelp as she felt the side of the hammock press in closer to her and then the giant wolf’s head appeared, white teeth snapping out at the other harshly, as he pushed past her towards the other at the comment. Pulling her feet up into the nest of the swinging fabric, pressed unfortunately against the hot, heavy haunches of the demon-wolf beside her, Jo looked on in surprise at the almost silent battle of wills happening as the wolf moved further - her seat swinging a little as the support left - and forced the other demon stumbling back at his approach. They looked so clearly were at odds and the match more favoring the one cloaked in fur and darkness this time around if they’d square up from what she could feel of the electricity in the air, a hand reaching up to smooth down the fly-aways caught up in the static energy radiating from the pair.
There was a moment of silence, and Jo found herself relaxing back into the warm cocoon of the woven colorful fabric that held her so comfortably and safe compared to the friction outside of her locket, before the Marquis sat down with an almost smug look upon his face as the King of the Crossroads took a minute footstep backwards.
“Well then,” Crowley’s voice was tight for a moment, his accent clipping the words off for a moment as he tugged and righted his sleeves as if they had moved even an inch from where they were supposed to be, before his eyes drew back to the blonde’s with a harsh glint to them. “What is it you believe you have to your name that gives you the right to order me about, little girl?”
“More than you could know-” “So nothing then?” “If you do not leave us be, I will show you.”
“What have you got then, Joanna?” The demon snarled back, stepping closer again and Jo could feel the way the Marquis’ head merely tilted but made no move to interject as the British man approached and held either side of her hammock in his hand, dragging her closer as if tugging open the sides of her locket to reveal her secrets. “What can you do to stop my visiting my dear friend? Or acquainting myself with your other little friend? What can you do to - what was it? - make me never do so again?”
“I’ve got-” “You have nothing, little girl. You are not a Winchester - you have no demon killing blade. You’re not an angel - you cannot sanctify me. You are nothing.”
“I have an angel blade.” Jo hissed the words out, leaning forward towards the demon’s leer as he’d ran an eye over her considering until she pushed up towards him into his own space in return. The look that flashed across his face felt powerful for her - the way there was a hint of surprise and hesitance as she shifted her weight forward, tilted towards him and pushing him back out of her domain - and pushing forward further, her hands wrapping and gripping over the demon’s own live vices as she shifted her weight, almost standing a top the hammock chair as she pressed into his realm with a sneer. “I also have a knife, still imbued with the power of Purgatory that someone so thoughtfully gifted to me.”
“You’re bluffing-” “I also have an archangelblade-” “Liar!”
“And worst of all for you? In case that driving through your heart wouldn’t be enough to burn you from the inside out all the way out of existence?” She snarled harshly, standing upright and nails digging into the other’s hands who looked up at her in a mixture of disbelief and disdain, his lips curled harshly and the flex of power and electricity in the air again as they stared one another down, the flash of shadows through the others eyes reflecting back her own fire to her. Jo could feel it - powerful and dark and making her skin crawl - but releasing her grip over his hands to hold the wooden bar above her that held her attached like the loop of a locket attached to the chain that was the tree, the woods, the field, every piece of ground that surrounded the little house far behind them, her lips twisted into a dark grin as she hissed the next words out, “I can just lock you away-”
“How.. would you achieve such a task, little girl?” Crowley returned the question with the same amount of loathing as her own words as he flexed his powers over her again trying to crush her down back from her stance; but Jo could feel something holding her upright through it as if there was something else supporting her defiance in return that she thought may have a very furred origin. “You wouldn’t be killing virgins to throw me into the less entertaining afterlife, you’re too frightened of your grubby little soul going downstairs to do so.”
“No. But I can lock you away in a little box I own.” “Oh really? A box?” “Yes, a box. You’d have great company in it. I have some... friends of yours already locked away in there.” “Do tell, little Joanna, what little box and which little friends are you trying to frighten me with? I know for a fact I’m not at all interested in seeing your box.”
Jo rolled her eyes at that, before hissing quietly. “Maybe you’ll see it the next time you’re here. And as to who’s inside?” She slowly stepped down from the fabric beneath her to solid ground, the same support helping her push through the electric-air that buzzed as she glared back with a tiny quirk to her lips in a smirk. “At the moment it’s a handful of mooks and the last of your kind I sucked into it was someone called... Sitri?”
There was a beat and then the forces from both sides that had been waging around her evaporated as the black eyed demon stumbled a foot backwards at the name while the demonic wolf jerked himself to his feet as well, pads kicking up at the dirt almost furiously for a moment as the Crossroads King jerked back even further. She’d been surprised the demon had thought himself all that when she had trapped him inside the strongest trap she had known of before a twenty-hour straight exorcism to drag the demon free of his form and into the  inky depths of her father’s heirloom. She’d looked up the name afterwards - the twelfth and a Prince at that - but all she could think at the time was just how much she needed a glass of water and a hamburger.
“You dare-” “Now, I’m not playin’ ‘round.” “I don’t believe a word of that, darling.”
“Well, how ‘bout this, Crowley,” She replied, running a hand up to pull her hair back from her face with a smile. “You head on back to your important work and then you go see if you can find who I say I have-”
“Like I believe a word you say.” “See if you can locate him, and if you can - then you know my threats are nothin’, and if you can’t...”
“If I can’t, what?” The demon returned with a smug look, as he tugged his jacket back into line and looked down at her. “I don’t come back here? Leave you and the other one to your happy little abode-”
“And leave Grey alone.”
The words hung in the air for a moment, as if Jo’s words could be seen drawn out in front of one another and waiting for the other to accept them. There was no sign to it, that Crowley was even considering their existence, until a growl started up again - as the wolf glared at the pair of them, the support for the statement but not the rest of what have been revealed - and the Crossroads King took another, almost imperceptible step backwards.
The sharpest shards of the sun’s first light streaked across the field behind him, his face thrown into the same darkness that was inside, and Jo was forced to blink first. Her hand came up to shield her eyes from the glint that went straight into her face, and when she managed to blink her eyes clear of the echo of the bright light from her gaze - there was nothing to look at and the smell of sulfur and ozone in the air.
Blinking her eyes rapidly, Jo wasn’t surprised to open her eyes to see the bright white teeth in her face, and what might be perceived in a real wolf as a rabid snarl directed right back at her as she took a step back, sinking into her woven cocoon. The wolf approached again, and stepping backwards as the fabric draped about her and she ended up against the trunk of the tree she had hung from; and giving a sigh, Jo muttered quietly, “He was causin’ trouble, and I didn’t know who it was.”
There was a louder sound, as if suspicious, for a long moment, before Jo added gently. “I don’t know how to reverse it, and I didn’t think he was even a friend of yours, anyways.” That got another noise one she thought, as the shape stepped away and then turned to prowl off towards the house without another look at her, that was more of a laugh than she’d ever heard before from the demon.
Tucking her feet up under herself again as the sun started to warm up the air as well as the sky, Jo bit down on her bottom lip as she started to swing gently, wondering to herself if she’d once again succeeded in something to do with the foul demon.
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