human
He was late. Aleena Boyd looked up at the digital clock blaring and blazing against the dark expanse of wall and began to drum her fingers against the table. Her red-painted nails clicked against the glass in a steady rhythm as her impatience grew worse and worse. If only her own schedule wouldn't be affected by this bastard's! But unfortunately, it would be and it would mean she'd be late to her own two month anniversary dinner. She thought about her boyfriend and how he'd been looking forward to things that evening. It hadn't been easy telling him she needed to take care of something first and what was more, that it entailed business at one of her father's establishmentsLady Lucy's. Her green eyes glanced around, taking in everything.
Oh how Aleena hated this place in particular. It made her stomach roil and her eyes rolled as the name of the place danced around inside her head. Stupid name! In one of the archways, she saw a dark silhouette, clearly male. He seemed to nod her way knowingly. In another corner, near a door that led to where she could only guess, she saw another man. His body was triple the size of her own. What he had lurking underneath his coat, she didn't want to know, but she had a good idea. Yeah, like always, her father's people were everywherenever a moment alone and always someone at your back.
Aleena sighed, her green eyes fixating on the clock once again. Just when was he supposed to get here? The anonymous note she'd left him had specifically said to meet at Lady Lucy's at 6pm. It was now 6:10pm and she had to meet her boyfriend at 7pm. This was so not going to go over well! She shifted in her seat, crossing one smooth and slender leg over the other. Her black stockings hugged her legs, accentuating her curves as she settled back in her seat. She moved one hand into her lap and worried the hem of her black dress, the thin fabric like a second skin as it molded her to her nearly flawless body. She was the picture of elegant perfection as she waited, her flaming red hair neatly coiffed while a few wild tendrils managed to escape the updo she'd managed to create atop her head. But her patience was wearing thin, however. And she could feel the anger seething in her veins.
6:11pm. Aleena grit her teeth as she watched the blue neon numbers of the clock change. This bastard thought he was something all right. Such fucking arrogance! She opened her purse and fumbled through it. Opening up a compact mirror, she reapplied some red lipstick. She pressed her lips together and put the lipstick and mirror away. Setting down her purse, she straightened herself out and wondered how in the hell such a man could keep a lady waiting? On edge, she felt her muscles tense. Dark thoughts swam through her head. This wasn't going to end well. She knew it in her gut, could sense it. But she wouldn't let it dampen her night or her dreams.
gpt
Lucy's. It had to be Lucy's. Ben Kelvis looked at the front of the establishment carefully. he really hated this place, he knew what kind of reputation it had, and he was inclined to think that it was probably not doing it proper justice. This wasn't a good idea, coming here. He knew what he'd been digging into was liable to land him in trouble if he wasn't careful. But if he was getting notes like this, then he was going to have to risk it sooner or later. He couldn't hide. And the note had insinuated that he might find this to his advantage. It sounded fishy to him, but he had to know. And nothing ventured nothing gained. He checked the pistol hanging from the shoulder rig that he wore, and found it reassuring. Not a good sign.
Ben swung out of his old Lincoln. It was a beast of a thing, all classic lines and proper steel, none of that new fiberglass or composite. He adjusted his jacket, and started towards the door. The place was a little gaudy for his tastes. A lot of glass went into the place, making a place that seemed more open that it actually was. He tracked his eyes around, picking out a few figures. The place was not well populated, which was odd really. The place normally did a swift and steady business. He spotted a face he knew from a few pictures he'd seen over the last few months. And that set off a few alarms in his mind. He checked his watch, knowing that he did have some backup coming, but it was going to be running behind. He moved through the glass walls, reaching an opening that led to the woman at a table, looking irritated. If this wasn't his contact, he'd eat his hat.
"Miss Boyd." he said in a flat tone, not taking a seat, just standing in the doorway, eyes picking what what he could. There were any number of people around, but it could be completely benign. Or it could be absolutely not. "I assume you're the one that wanted to talk to me?" He shifted his stance slightly, his nerves on fire. Every instinct he possessed screamed that he shoudl be somewhere else. But he had to know.
human
Aleena looked at the clock as it changed to 6:12pm. She let out a groan, her legs uncrossing only to do so again. She was agitated, annoyed. Angry. The dark silhouette took a step forward causing a chill to run along her skin leaving goose bumps in its wake. She shivered and chanced a glance over her shoulder. Her green eyes narrowed into slits, like a snake honing in on its prey. Sitting up straighter, she rested her palms against the glass table top and tried to deter herself from focusing on the fact that they were just beginning to sweat. She took a deep breath and then another.
"Ben," Aleena stated, her face the picture of calm. As her luminous eyes stared into his, she gave him a defiant lookone that dared him to comment on her refusal to maintain formalities. "I see you got my note," she continued and then gestured he take a seat. "Please, sit down." She smiled at him, her full red lips promising things without speaking. "I promise I don't bite." She lifted one hand away from the table and began twisting a fiery curl that framed her angelic face. "Unless you're into that."
Aleena winked as she again gestured that Ben take a seat. As it was, the bastard of a man was already well behind schedule. There was no doubt in her mind that she'd be late now and that could very well muck everything up! Everything! Smiling, she inwardly scowled, wishing she could just pounce on Ben and claw out his eyes. But that wouldn't do her or anyone any good. Least of all...her father.
"I hope you don't mind meeting at Lady Lucy's," Aleena drawled. As she said the establishment's name she wanted to vomit right then and there. Why her father had chosen that name for the place she'd never understand it. Perhaps something like Alli's Allure would've been better? Ugh...what did it matter! She knew she was being petty, but she couldn't help it. Just everything about the place made her seethe. "The food here is delightful and..." her voice trailed slightly. "There's fine entertainment as well."
Aleena's eyes locked right onto Ben's. She knew exactly what kind of places her father ranLady Lucy's was no exception, even if it was his smallest establishment. And the man spared nothing when it came to the entertainment he provided. Of course, it all came at a cost and was perfectly legal, but such dealings were made behind closed doors. No need to discuss it in the public eye. As she looked at Ben, she knew what he was after. That greedy son of a bitch had been stalking her father and his men for days. He wanted to be tipped off, to know what exactly the old man had planned.
As Aleena sized up Ben, she couldn't get over the striking resemblance. Both he and her father had that same bloody ambition. It was a pity in some ways. One sought power, money and infamy while the other sought truth. But at what cost? With truth came knowledge and with that knowledge came power. She'd learned that years ago. Glancing past Ben, her eyes briefly connected to those belonging to the man in the coat.
"So, are you going to sit or are you going to leave a lady waiting?" Aleena asked, her expression coy as she licked her lips, body tense and ready to strike.
gpt
She was playing. Not for fun, to be certain. She was playing for keeps to be damn sure. You didn't bring someone out like this if you weren't ready to play hardball. Weighing his options, he knew he'd have to give a little if he expected to get anything out of this. But he was a professional, and he ahd a certain amount of pride in his job. He turned down little fringe benefitsd like she might be offering. They tended to have strings attached that caused more problems then they were worth.
He sat down.
"Thanks for the offer, but I've eaten. And I know you're a busy woman, with places to be. We don't want to keep Jacob waiting, now do we?" He smiled as he spoke his brother's name, making it clear he knew where she was supposed to be. It wasn't malice that kept him away from the place. He had to be sure there was no immediate threat to his existence waiting for him inside. Casing the place had been needed. But now that he was in, he knew she was not happy. Not a woman used to being kept waiting. A little too used to things being made to suit her whims this one. It was a fine line to walk really, keeping her annoyed enough to be a little off balance, but not so much that she shut down and made things harder.
"You asked to talk to me, so here we are. I've got my suspicions as to why I'm here, but why don't you enlighten me as to why I've been invited here? And so urgently no less?" Ben asked, leaning forward a little, his forearms resting on the table. He kept his face neutral, not wanting to taunt or spook her.
human
At the mention of Jacob's name, Aleena's spine stiffened, her muscles tensed. But, on the surface, she was collected calm. A soft chuckle escaped her as she uncrossed and re-crossed her legs under the table, her smooth stockinged legs gliding against each other. She leaned forward, green eyes hard and calculating. So this was how he was going to play, was it? Of course it was. Why would she expect any different. Ben Kelvis. The name was acidic as she felt the words play on her tongue, though she refused to speak in that moment. She looked at him, her full red lips curved upward in a small yet playful smile.
"Oh, aren't you the funny one," Aleena stated. Her mind seethed at how Ben had the audacity to bring up Jacob at a time like this. She dared a glance at the digital monstrosity on the wall6:25pm. "You know exactly why you're here." She straightened a little, a tiny sigh passing over parted lips. She was sheer elegance, one not to be trifled with. Ever. "So I say you stop acting coy and drop the act." Her smile broadened.
From the corner of her eye, Aleena noticed a small shift in the shadows. Had the man standing there begun to move closer? He must have. She could clearly make out his profile nowall chiseled muscle and man. A small ache began to burn deep inside as her eyes found his. Unable to hold his gaze, she looked away, her eyes finding Ben.
Leaning back, Aleena resisted the urge to claw at Ben's face. Instead, she inhaled deeply and then slowly exhaled. Now wasn't the time to let her anger boil over. Others were depending on her. Her father, especially. Feeling a bit more focused she leaned forward once again. Just then, a waiter stood by their table and set down some wine glasses. He was holding a bottle of pinot noir and began to pour without being asked. Aleena just nodded at the waiter. Clearly the drinks were on the house, courtesy of her father and his staff.
"Look, Ben," Aleena hissed as she delicately took a hold of her glass and sipped some of the red liquid. "I know you have it." Carefully, she set her glass back down on the table with a clink of glass on glass. Her eyes were like emerald chips glinting in the light. "It's on you now. Isn't it?" she stated more than asked. Narrowing her eyes, her lips pursed into a smug smirk. "You have no idea what you're playing at."
Another movement of shadow and Aleena felt her skin heat up, goose bumps on porcelain pale flesh. There was no turning back now. This was for her family!
gpt
Ben smiled as he caught the tension that appeared on her when she heard Jacob's name. She was a fine player of the game, that much was for certain, but she wasn't perfect, no one was, and everyone had a button that could be pressed.
"Oh, I'll drop the act, right after you. You're not fooling anyone, least of all me, with this kind of show that you're doing." He fell silent when the waiter came by, pouring the wine. He needed to maintain some level of trust here, so he rached for a glass. Still, reaching for the farthest glass showed that he was still not giving her the benefit of any kind of real trust. They were here for one reason, and he wanted that over with.
He leaned back as she made the challenge of his having it on him, and he nodded.
"I surely do. One copy of it anyway. What, you didn't think I'd put all my eggs into one basket, did you?" He asked her with a smirk of his own. "But you did, didn't you? You underestimate me Miss Boyd. I'm not quite as stupid as you want me to be." He raised his glass slightly in a toast.
Jacob pulled the car into a parking space. He checked his phone again, making sure that he had read his messages properly. One from Aleena, she had a stop to make, she'd be at Lucy's for a few moments. And then shortly after, one from Ben saying that his brother was going to be at the same place, and wouldn't he please come by, since there was something important to be discussed. There was a level of concern to this situation. Was there something happening with his borther and girlfriend that he didn't know about? he highly doubted it was anything that he was thinking, but a man wondered about thigns like this. Were they both trying to get him in one place to break some kind of bad news? And why tonight of all nights? He put those thoughts to bed, and got out of the car.
He crossed the street, not slowing down as he passed the door, and entered the place. All of the glass let him look around very easily, catching sight of Aleena first, that hair was like a flare going off. She'd dressed to impress for tonight, if the outfit had been for him. He quickly moved through the room to reach the opening that led to the pair.
"Ben? Aleena? What's going on?" He asked.
"Jake, thanks for coming. That case I was working on with you? ALeena has some information on it that can help out a lot, thought you should be here for that." He said with a smile. It was a layer of insurance. if she wanted to keep Jacob around, she'd have to play ball.
human
Aleena's head was swimming, her vision barely blurring to redand it was hardly a result of the wine she'd just drunk. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be able to just let loose. For once! In the shadows, near the archway, she saw movement and her jaw twitched. Looking into Ben's eyes, she refused to let him get the better of her. No. He was on her turf, among her people. The one calling the shots was not going to be him. She stared into his eyes, searching for something...anything. They were nothing like Jacob's, so full of passion and life. Ben's were full of something else entirely.
And she didn't like what she saw.
With a cool shake of her head, red tendrils swishing about her face, Aleena could still taste the wine on her tongue. The fragrant notes of vanilla and citrus lingering in her mouth as she eyed the abhorrent man and desperately coveted the secrets she knew he held. If only that bastard would make this easy! But he wouldn't. His eyes said as much. Fucking asshole! She watched him set his glass down, her green eyes unblinking. Just then there was a slight shift in the air and a breeze wafted in, gently caressing her skin.
Aleena caught the look from the man standing the archway, the ache she felt inside growing more and more. She bit down on her lip and suddenly found herself face to face with...
"Jacob?" Aleena whispered, trying not to sound too stunned. She glanced at Ben, the ass knew what he was doing. He was proving a point. She'd gotten in over her head. Her eyes looked back to Jacob and then past him at the man at the door. The brute took a step forward, his lips splitting into a vicious grin causing her heart to race, her breath to quicken.
Suddenly, the man from the shadows stepped forward, his hands coming up, his face still concealed. He rained bullets into the room causing patrons to scream, to run! It was a mess...a riot of bodies as they rushed to get away. But they weren't the target, his sights set on something else...someone else. Glass shattered as the bullets rushed through the room. Aleena covered her ears and let out a shrill scream. She turned toward Jacob, her green eyes meeting his when suddenly she felt the impact.
"I..." Aleena stammered, her body feeling like it had been run over by a truck. Slumping in her seat, her body crumpled and slid to the floor beneath the glass table.
From the doorway the large man stomped forward and threw off his trenchcoat. In his hands he held a flamethrower. Laughing, he began to create large flames like some devil demon. The man in the shadows just nodded, his reign of terror just beginning in Lady Lucy's.
gpt
Ben was opening his mouth to say a little more when a riot fo sound and fury filled the air. Gunshots. Gods, what the hell was going on here? He watched Aleena crumle, and flipped the table up, putting it between him and the shooter, his hand already ripping the pistol from the holster. He saw Jacob beginning to move as though to rush to either his side or Aleena's. Ben wasn't having that. he kicked the chair he'd vacated into the door. The heavy glass swung closed, clicking as it slammed home. He closed his eyes. Okay. So he'd saved his brother. But pinned himself down in here. Looking over the table as a few rounds chewed into the wood, he noted the other man. Ben's eyes went wide. Flamethrower? Was the man out of his mind? As flames licked intot he room, he got his answer.
The temperature was spiking into drastically uncomfortable ranges, and Ben dropped out of cover to fire his weapon. Two rounds hit the wooden wall beside the fire-bug, while the third his the hose connecting the weapon to it's fuel. Insane or not, the man knew he was in trouble, adn hit a release on the harness keeping the tanks on his back. He tossed them inot the room, fuel spraying wildly, and Ben crouched back. he felt a bullet break through the table, and rip into his arm. He swore, right before a concussivewhumpfilled the air, shoving him back, the table flying clear. A curtain of liquid fire dropped onto him.
Jacob stagger back as the door swung shut, cutting him off. When he saw Aleena going down, and Ben firing at the other men, he grabbed a chair and swung it at the glass with all his strength. The chair came apart against the thick glass, defeated uttery by the inches of hard material. Jacob wrenched on the door, trying to get it open as he saw Ben go down under the flames that now filled the room. Ben rolled, trying to get some reprieve, but the floor around him burned as well as he did. He rolled up to the glass, his hands pressed to the glass, staring at Jacob through it.
"Ben! Ben, Gods no!" Jacob hammered his fists into the glass, while Ben just stared. No sound came from Ben now, his nerves too far gone to really feel what was happening to him anymore. Jacob hammered intot he glass again, desperation and raw emotion in his actions, grabbing another chair, and hammering it home, only to have the same results. Ben put his hand to the glass, fingers crooked into a shape. Jacob, eyes pouring tears, came close to it to look. Ben managed to shift his hand again, showing a differnt sign. Then he slouched back, dead or unconcious, it didn't matter now. Jacob left his hands against the glass, his own palm crisping from the heat. he let himself fall back, turning around only to see three more men looking at him, weapons pointed. Jacob didn't move, he only waited. There was a balst of thunder, the swift feeling of a few impacts, then he felt a wave of darkenss envelop him.
human
Heat...thunder...the pain was unbearable. Each breath hurt, like needles pricking flesh over and over again. Laughter rang outshrill and highbouncing off the walls as the sound of glass exploded everywhere. Red...oozinga puddle on the floor, scorching with golden fire. Sweat dripped over skin as it melted on bone turning it to ash...
"Ahhh!!!" she screamed, sitting upright in her bed, hands gripping the blankets too tightly as they twisted about her petite body. Lucinda Boyd whimpered in the darkness, her teeth chattering as her skin glistened with sweat. She'd had the dream again. For the past two days it had been the same.
Fire...bullets...glass...
It was unnerving and made her stomach clench. Every image was more than vivid. And the horrors...the first time she'd woken from the dreams, she'd gotten sick. Lucy sat there on her bed, a hand moving through her flaming curls. Oh god...she could see his face plain as daythose eyes, that mouth. She shivered, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Just why was she having these nightmares? What did they mean?
Lucy turned toward her nightstand, a picture resting against the old wood etched with the marks of time and wear. She frowned and reached for it, a porcelain pale arm donning a tattooa delicate vine of morning gloriesmoving over a small clock to get at it. Letting out a soft sigh, she pursed her lips and stared at the picture. It was of herself and her sister...the two girls totally identical, though it was clear who was who. Lucy with her tattoos and relaxed demeanor, her red curls wild and free much like her personality. And then there was her sisterperfectly coiffed and finely dressed. But the two had always been close.
Until...
Lucy closed her eyes, remembering back to the days when she and her twin had been almost inseparable. But their father had changed that, driving a wedge between them until they barely talked any longer. Sure, they celebrated their birthday together. It was hard not to. But the nightly conversations, the sharing of secrets...those had become something of the past, something long forgotten. She sniffled, realizing she didn't even know who her sister's boyfriend even was. Nothing. She knew nothing anymore. And it had been ages since she'd heard word from anyone in her family, even her father.
Not that she minded that. Her father was a cold-hearted bastard.
With a frown, Lucy set the picture back on her nightstand, her thoughts going back to her dream. She managed to extract herself from the sheets and walked over to her window, pushing it up and looking out into the night. The moon shone brightly overhead, the silvery rays causing her green eyes to glitter in its soft light. She looked like an ethereal being, moonbeam and shadow dancing over her body draped in a thin white strappy nightgown. Resting her hands on the windowsill, she took in a deep breath. Her thoughts lingered on the face she saw in her dreams.
Who was he?
Lucy's heart suddenly sped up.
And why did she feel this pull?
gpt
Sergeant Ike Tramen sighed as he rubbed his face.
"Hey Ike, what's the good word?" Another officer asked as they walked past him.
"There aren't any good words. I've got Lucy's shoot out to figure out." Ike bit back. THe other officer winced.
"That cluster-fuck? Any kind of leads?"
"It's been a week, and there is not a damn thing. Fire took out most of the evidence, except that poor bastard that they ventilated outside of the fire. That journalist that was catching the eye of the city, you remember?"
"Yeah, he was a good guy. Always had information for us if we asked. Good poker player too. Damn shame to lose him like that."
"Yeah. Morgue still has him, looking for some kind of connection to what happened." The other officer shook his head and moved on. All anyone would say with any surety was that a good man was gone now. And the world was just a little poorer for it.
It was all still dark. stifling, oppressive, but there. Breath ripping through his body, hands shooting up, only to find some kind of material blocking him, and cold metal after that. An inhuman shriek ripped through the air, panic scrabbling as fingers tore at the material, finding a metal stripe that slid down. Feet hammering into a barrier that finally gave way, swinging open. Light, sweet, but harsh, blanketing the air, the voice crying out once more as it stabbed into his eyes. The draweer shot out, slamming to a halt at full extension. Gasping breaths, sitting up, hands gripping his torso savagely, ghost flickers of pain, memories that couldn't be real, couldn't be, but were all so terribly real. Pain and fire and blood, and...death. His own, his brothers, his girlfriends, so much death, so much...
The howl ripped the air once more, hands gripping the sides of his head, pressure there, pain, shrp and present, telling him that he was trying to press right through the skull to get at the images in his mind, playing back over and over, the fire, the pain in his hands, his brother spending the lasty of his strength making signs on the glass...
Jacob fell off of the shelf, hitting the floor with a shuddering breath. His palms pressed to the floor, he found some kind of center. He looked up, saw where he was. Empty morgue. he was in the morgue. He'd been in a drawer. He had been...gone. He shook his head, tears in his eyes, knowing that it was happening, that it was here. He wasn't finished. It wasn't over. Teeth grit, he gripped the drawer and used that to lever himself to his feet.
Clad in nothing more than a spare set of medical scrubs he found on hand. He stumbled out fo the morgue, into the night. His steps were staggering, hard to keep his bearing, his balance. It was an uphill struggle to keep moving, and more than one person saw him and wrote him off right away to some kind of drug-addled homeless person. But that wasn't the truth. He had purpose, he had drive. A cry, but not a human one split the air, and Jacob looked shakily up. On a street light, head cocked, looking down at him. The largest, darkest crow he'd ever seen was there, watching him. He blinked a moment, a flicker of blurred vision hitting him, and for a moment, he didn't see the crow. he saw the crow seeing him, saw how ragged he seemed, how the man he was looked to be on the verge of tears or violence, whichever might be fastest to the fore. The crow spoke again, a simple sound to split the night. It fluttered off fo the light, adn swept down an alley. Jacob followed, not knowing what else he might do.
A thousand petty tragedies happened in alleys like this every night, and he saw one had happened. An older man, homeless, dead now, beaten for what looked like a handful of change. His gorge rising as he did it, Jacob took the boots from the man. He'd not need them any longer. The pile of rubbish that he lay on revealed more, jeans, a ragged shirt, and even an old cost. All of the clothes had seen better days, but they provded him with raiment, adn that was the important thing. Jacob stood, feeling more secure now in his presence. He looked skyward to see the moon hanging in the sky. He blinked through tears, knowing that he was along in a world that he didn't belong in. He was dead. He was gone. And somehow he lingered on. There had to be purpose, something that he was here for. He needed to find that, set it right, find something that would let him go.
It was supposed to be over. He wanted it to be over. He would end it, one way or another, the end had to come soon.
human
The dreams were getting worsestronger, more vivid. Lucy was beside herself and didn't quite know what to do about them. In the past, she'd talk to her sister, but that wasn't an option any longer. She'd received an urgent phone call from her father's secretary that he needed to attend some business regarding Aleena, that something had happened. More than anything she wanted to pick up and leave that very moment. But her father forbade it. And Lucy was no fool. She knew if her father made those types of demands, it meant her apartment would be watched. Even still, it had been far too long since she'd spoken to her sister. Though things between them weren't the same as when they'd been little girls, they still had that bond.
Didn't they?
Lucy liked to think they did, that there was still that hope of rekindling things to the way they once had been. Her green eyes fluttered closed as she stared out her open window, the moon shining down overhead. She heard Aleena's voice like it was yesterday...
"Stop worrying, Lucy." Aleena smirked, her hands smoothing out the fine skirt she wore. "I'm a big girl. I can handle daddy."
Lucy just sighed, leaning back in the papasan chair, the soft black cushion seemed to swallow her small body as she sat there, green eyes meeting green. "And I can't?" she retorted.
Aleena crossed her legs and leaned forward on the small wooden chair she was sitting on. "If you could, you'd be working for him."
"That isn't fair," Lucy interjected.
"Isn't it?" Aleena quickly added, her red hair sleeked back with gel and secured in a tight bun. A wisp of red fell loose and she tucked it behind her ear, clearly annoyed.
"No. It isn't," Lucy stated. She raked her hands through her own red mane, wild curls swishing this way and that. "You know how he can be...the things he does..." Her voice trailed, becoming a whisper.
"Honestly, Luce, a lot of that is just rumor to get the competition cowering in fear." Aleena's face softened. "Do you really think I'd get involved in something like that?"
Lucy's eyes opened wide, her heart lurching. She still saw that facethe one in her dreams. He was becoming clearer each time and her heart longed to find him. Something inside her told her that she needed to find him, that he was real, that he was...out there. A part of her knew it was stupid. But she had no one to confide in. Her father had seen to that and now things were strange with Aleena. He wouldn't let her talk to her. Why?
Too many questions.
Unable to sleep, Lucy walked over to her television set and flipped the thing on. Nothing was on at this hour. She had no idea why she was even bothering. Sitting down on the tiny loveseat, she stared at the screen, a newsflash suddenly taking over the screen. Large white letters flashed causing Lucy's body to tense. She sat up, eyes wide as she watched the images pop upLady Lucy's, her father.
"What?" Lucy whispered, blinking rapidly as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. According to the reported, the place had burned down about a week ago, several people wounded and a few meeting a fatal end. Gasping, she shut the thing off and stood up. Why hadn't her father told her about this? What was he hiding? Did Aleena know?
Aleena! Oh god...
Tears began to well in Lucy's eyes. Without a further thought, she quickly changed out of her thin nightgown and into a pair of black leggings and a white t-shirt. She shoved her feet into a pair of black sneakers and just ran out into the night, choking on sobs as her reality came crashing down around her.
How she hated her father!
As Lucy ran, flaming hair flying behind her in the breeze, she saw just one face in her headthe man in her nightmares. That face...those eyes...that mouth...
gpt
Jacob leaned on the wall, takign deep breaths to try and find some kind of center to himself, some focus, something that would give him a leg up on what he was doing. He looked up across the street. There was a man there, a large man with a galre for anyone that looked at him. Jacob shivered a moment, before closing his eyes.
Heat at his back, going to burn, had to move soon, doesn't care, Ben is gone. Aleena is gone. Guns, guns aiming at his body, promise of death, promise of an ending so final none can escape it. Hesitation made to inspire fear, fear cannot touch a man with nothing left, they see it, know it, cannot miss it, why are they waiting? They see, they know, it is their task, they must do this, orders, it always has to be orders. Thunder and noise, the points tearing into him, ending things, making the black come. But the black was not quiet, the despair, everythign he wanted away from followed him into the black
Jacob cried out, reeling back, hands on his head again. A memory, a thought, something that he couldn't escape, something always waiting for him when his eyes closed. He looked across the street, seeing the face of the man there. Jacob felt his lip curl in a snarl. The man had been there. Had been one of the gunmen. Had killed him. had helped kill Aleena. Ben. Everyone that mattered. There was no justice in this man walking the street. It needed to be settled, to be evened. It had to be done. Or attempted. Jacob put one foot forward, then the other, making a move to cross the street. He started to run, distance vanishing. The man knew he was followed, knew something came for him, and ducked away from the street, making a getaway. But Jacob didn't relent. Eyes overhead, staring down, the cry of the crow, following the man, giving Jacob eyes int he sky to track his quarry. His prey. Yes, it was a hunt now, not just a chase, and all that kept Jacob moving forward was a sense of rage, of wrong that needed righting.
A small courtyard in the city, away from all prying eyes, bad things had happened here for years, smart people, good people, avoided it. Desperate might come here, those with darkness within them seeking to do harm and great wrongs to others. The gunman put his back to a wall, a weapon in hand, a slow breath being released. He is calm. He knows this game. The one after him does not, that much is clear. His pursuit is obvious, rushed, hurried. A punk looking to make a name most like. One less in a moment. his pursuit comes around the corner, and the heavy pistol in his hand roars. The man staggers away, and is hit again. Then again. He falls. The gunman smiled, and lowers the weapon.
Pain, again pain. Bullets, the sensation familiar, tearing through him. The impact hard enough to take his feet from him, and lay him on the ground. Eyes closing, pain fading. And ending. Yes, it must be an ending. A muffled clink. Eyes open again, flicking down. Bullets pushing from closing wounds. Failure not upon him. Not yet. He is not yet done. A wracking, sickening and tortured laugh prying itself free from his throat, carrying across the air to the shooter. Not the sound a dying or dead man ought make.
"The fuck...?" The gunman muttered, looking at the now convulsing man, as he sat up, holes in his ragged shirt showing where bullets entered, but clean unmarked flesh beneath it. The gun snapped up, one more shot, the bullet snapping the man's head back. Clean kill shot. Nothing survived that. The skull didn't shatter, but only just, cracks would be spidered out from that impact. The head snapped back down, blood running from the bullet hole, making a tracery along his face. Sick grin, somethingwrongin that look, something that spoke of rage adn hate and pain and despair and that it was all now focused on the gunman.
The gun went off again, this time missing, the hands of the shooter shaking. Jacob was in motion, rolling to his feet in a motion far too smooth for him, faster than he'd ever been, he knew this, discarded, not important. His quarry before him, all that is important. Bullets spalling on the payment, chips flying, uncared for, unnoticed even. A balled fist hammering home, hitting the chest of the shooter. The man staggered back, clutching the impact point, another hand hitting his wrist, cracking a bone, dropping the gun from nerveless fingers.
"The fuck?!" The man shouted, looking up at his assailant, at Jacob. There was another clink as the gunman watched the bullet slide from the wound in the head, and drop to the pavement. "Jesus. Jesus Christ."
"No no, too late for that. How many time has someone else said that to you while you took aim, took your time?" Jacob asked, his hand gripping hte shoulder of the gunman. "Did it ever make you stop?"
"Fuck you! Then fuck you want from me?!" The words were spat, and the man tried to lunge forward. Jacob hammered a fist into his sternum, then to his face, then drove fingers at his skin. Breaking through it, he closed a fist around a bone, the collarbone. The gunman screamed, loud and raw, as Jacob twsited his wrist, snapping the bone. Gasping breath now,the gunman slumped to the wall, the hand releasing the now broken bone.
"Look at me. What do you see?" Jacob asked. The man complied, seeing just a face. Then he looked a little closer.
"No. No no no. You're fucking gone. I watched you die!" He shouted before gasping from the broken bone.
"And now you return the favour. Turn about after all..." Jacob punched the broken bone, making the man all but pass out. Fingers going in again, this time for his cracked wrist, wrenching it, contorting the joint. A screech of pain beyond endurance split the air, making Jacob smile a moment before stabbing his fingers into the throat of his foe, his killer, his victim, and ripping it out in a welter of blood and viscera. He let the wet mass fall, and raised bloodied hands to the sky, giving voice to rage, to despair, to vengeance wrought, bright and terrible.
He placed a hand to the dead man's face to push him from the wall, when-
Faces. He can see the faces of his companions as they clean and load the weapons they have been given. Weapons given to them specifically. hollow point bullets, massive trauma to flesh, but low penetration. Won't break the thick glass of where they're going. One target in mind, overkill to send four men, and have two more on hand to start the party, but their boss is thorough. He believes in being sure.
-staggering away, faces, names, they were in his head, things he'd never seen,couldn'thave seen, but there they were, seen to him, known to him. The men who had killed him, and that there were more of them besides, the ones that would have killed Ben and Aleena. Five now. Going to be less. The sky rumbled, the promise of rain and lightning coming. He heaved a breath, and stood taller, squaring his shoulders, and beginning to walk. He had no idea where to start. But he had been a journalist. He knew how to look for people. He'd find them. And he would show them fear. He would show them vengeance. He stepped back onot the street, heedless of the blood on his hands.
human
Thunder cracked overhead and the sky lit up with streaks of lightning. Lucy stopped in her tracks, her pale face looking up into the inky black sky as heavy drops of rain began to fall. She heaved a sigh, her body becoming soaked to the bone as her clothes began to cling to her delicate frame.
"Just great," Lucy huffed. She had no jacket, no umbrella...absolutely nothing...to protect her from the elements as they fell from the sky. It was as if something was trying to torment her, mocking the despair she suddenly felt roiling deep inside her soul, trying desperately to wrench itself free.
Lucy could still see that face from her dreamsthose nightmaresas she took heavy steps along the pavement, shiny and slick from the water that pooled on it. Her sneakers squished and she paid no mind to the tears that fell. What did she care any more? No one could tell and no one would bother. She moved her arms about herself, hugging her middle as a shiver moved along her spine. There was a movement in the shadows. Something...someone...she couldn't tell. Probably just some homeless person trying to get out of the rain.
"Ugh..." Lucy said with a grimace as she looked down over herself. Her shirt was sticking to her body, every curve more than revealing. She needed to find shelter. Hell, she needed to go home. Only she didn't want to go there. She needed to talk to her father despite how much she hated the bastard.
There was a rustling sound in the distance and Lucy stopped where she was. Every nerve fiber felt raw, suddenly on full alert. She got the sense she wasn't alone. Turning her head, her wild hair starting to mat slightly against her face, she peered through her damp curls and saw a distinct silhouette. Tilting her head slightly, she squinted, trying to make out the features. The shadow moved and she heard a low rumble echo from the darkness. Swallowing hard, her hands began to tremble, her thoughts spinning a mile a minute.
She knew her father had more than likely sent men to keep a watch on her, to make sure she didn't do something he didn't want. But even now?
"You look just like her," came a gruff voice. "Spittin' fuckin' image."
Lucy's green eyes widened and she felt her blood turn to ice. This man definitely was one of her father's and he knew Aleena. Maybe he could tell her something. Anything. No. She couldn't trust him. None of her father's people could be trusted. She knew that and could never forget it.
Shaking her head, Lucy smiled weakly and raked a hand through her fiery hair. "Not sure what you mean?" she said, turning away and continuing on.
"Yeah you do," the voice said, rougher, more forcefully. "She was a bitch too."
"Pardon?" Lucy squeaked, her eyes clamping shut, feeling stupid for having answered this man at all.Stupid Lucy!
The man just laughed. "Bet you're just as sweet."
At that, Lucy went into full run, her legs sprinting against the wet pavement as the rain came down in torrents. There was another crack of thunder and flash of lightning and she heard the heavy thuds of footfalls behind her.
"Shit!"
Lucy ran hard, her breaths short and rough, her lungs on fire. Terror washing over her she dared a glance over her shoulder. The moment she saw those furious eyes, she tripped, slipping on the slick asphalt and landing with a hard thud upon the ground. She rolled a little, scraping her palms and no doubt bruising her hip. She let out a scream...but no one came. No one ever did any longer. Trying to scramble to her feet, she felt a blow against her back.
"Don't think so!"
Lucy fell back down onto the ground, the wind knocked out of her lungs. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the man who'd struck her. He definitely looked like someone her father would employ, but why? Why was he doing this? As tears stung her eyes, he grabbed her wrists and straddled her. He paused a moment to admire her.
"Orders were if you tried something it meant you knew something. I don't ask questions and I do things my own way." He smiled down at Lucy who winced. "And I always get my way."
gpt
Rain had come, was falling on him now. He closed his eyes, raised his arms over his head, letting the fat drops of water fall onto his face. There was the fleeting wish that if he let it rain on him long enough, then perhaps it could wash away all of this feeling that he was drowning under. But no. He knew that wouldn't happen, no matter how much it rained. His eyes opened as he caught the sight of a flare of colour going past him. He paused, his heart in his throat, looking after a sodden woman that looked every bit like Aleena was walking past. But Aleena was dead. He had seen her die, seen the flames take the room, seen it all. She couldn't be there. Was this another side effect of what he'd become? Seeing things that weren't there? She couldn't be real. If she had been she'd have noticed him, said something, reacted to his presence in some way. That much he didn't doubt.
But he saw something else that caught his attention. Someone else reacting to her. Unless his mind was very creative with it's projections, then this wasn't him hallucinating. This was a woman. And also from the look of it, she was very suddenly in a tight spot. The crow flew past, eyes in the sky once more, and hefocused on that, closing his own eyes, letting it see for him. Saw her run. Saw her stumble. Saw her fall. Saw the man claiming his prize. He could hear as well as see, hear the words being said nearby, neither side of the budding tragedy taking any note of the dark bird that flew in the rain, that was watching with unnatural attention.
The man grinned down at Lucy with no trace of mirth in his face. They were on the street, but on the street in the rain, in a part of town that everyone knew better than to draw attention to the goings on. If the police were to get involved, it would be nothing short of a terrible coincidence. He hand gathered her wrists into one hold, while he jerked on the neckline of her shirt, ripping the fabric partway down. his grin only widened before the sounds of the struggle were overtaken by a clear voice taht cut through the din utterly.
"My sorrow, when she's here with me, thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be; she loves the bare, the withered tree; she walks the sodden pasture lane." The voice said, seeming to be quoting something. The man looked up to see who was interfering with his work. He was lanky, soaked, and looked to be done up in ragged clothes like one of the homeless.
"The fuck you on junkie? This aint your business. Piss off." He snarled, struggling a moment to keep his hold on Lucy. He might outweigh her by an enormous degree, and be able to easily overpower her, but desperation lent her more resources than one might expect. The man who had spoke camee closer, cocking his head, and smiling.
"Suppose I make it my business?"
"Fine, you can have a turn at her when I'm done with her." He shook his head, but snapped it back up when the man kept coming closer. A knife appeared in the hand of the thug, aiming it at the approaching man, before back down to Lucy. "No closer until I say so, you hear me?"
"Clearly." A nod and the man looked back down at the rain sodden Lucy. He didn't see it when the other man moved on him.
Jacob grabbed for the knife first, using momentum to bowl the thug off of Lucy. The thug was no stranger to fights like this, using a leg to lever Jacob off fo him. Jacob was back into it in an instant, but the thug had been planning for that. The knife was a long thing, fixed blade, and nearly ten inches long. It sank into Jacob's chest, and the thug grunted with teh effort, pushing it tot he hilt, impaling what had to be a lung. The thug smiled at him, before withdrawing the knife and turning back to Lucy. Hands gripped his face, and Jacob pulled him back towards him. A grin that spoke only of madness was beside his ear, and Jacob spoke again.
"For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust alike. Is your conscience clear? Have you made your peace with God?" Jacob asked him, jerking him around, and farther away from Lucy. The knife flailed and hacked at his arm, deep, puckering sounds showing all along his arm, the sleeve of the jacket shredding under the desperate assault. Jacob shot a hand out, gripping the wrist. With a practiced motion, for he'd done it before, the wrist snapped. The howl of pain faded as Jacob released the limb, and shot his hand out to pluck the knife from the air. The blade came in, sinking into the eye of the thug. The body spasmed a moment before still. Blood had stopped dripping from the wounds on his arm, the wounds sealed again. He turned to look at Lucy, letting the corpse fall, and just staring at her, not believing what he was seeing.
"You wear her face. How are you wearing her face? Who...what are you?" He almost whispered.
human
Terror. Sheer terror. That's all she felt. Lucy tried to pull her thoughts together, but they were running too wild, too rampant for her to muster up anything coherent. There was blackness, an empty void as she stared up in surreal disbelief at the large man on top of her. She could feel his weight, so unwelcome as the rain poured downthe only thing washing her clean in this foulest of moments. Wriggling, writhing, it was of no use. He was just too heavy, too big. He had no plans on moving.
And he was going to get his way.
Tears fell like the rain down Lucy's cheeks, her breaths coming out in sharp pants as the reality of the situation began to sink in... How could her father employ such people? Why would he want her silenced? What did he think she might know? She was confused and never felt more alone.
The ground was hard underneath her, the sky so dark as the drops pelted against her face. There was no sign of reprieve, just like there was no mercy in the actions of her assaulter. Someone her father knew, had sent, had... "No...no...no..." Lucy whimpered, but the man held her wrists fast with one large hand. His other quickly went to work ripping her shirt down its middle as if it were paper. "No...no..." But he just smiled, that wicked grin that made her tummy lurch, that made her long for death.
For surely death would be better than this.
And then the man paused and she heard a voice in the distance, muffled due to the blood that thundered in her ears. Lucy strained to see what was going on, who had caught the attention of her attacker. But she couldn't make anything out. The rain was too thick and she was stuck fast against the unforgiving pavement as it bit into her flesh, her palms still burning from their scrapes. The man on top of her seemed preoccupied, his head twisting this way and that as the voice sounded in the distance.
Just who was there?
With a shaky breath, Lucy mumbled a prayer, her green eyes clamping shut when the voice became louder, forceful. A vigilante? Most of those sorts had become scarce, the laws harsher now and the corruption of most local cops who allied themselves with people much like...her father...on the rise. It had become a problem for everyone. And she hated it. The few who stood up to crime and sought justicetrue justicethey were rare, a breed that barely existed any longer.
Lucy felt her body trembling, the fear rising in her veins. She hoped that whoever was out there distracting this beast on top of her wasn't going to get himself hurt. She saw the knife glinting in the distorted light of the night, her heart pumping harder, her mind going numb. "Oh god..." she whispered, bracing herself for the worst. Only it never came.
One moment he was there, ready to hurt, to abuse, to... And the next he was gone, his large body somehow pried off of her and onto the black asphalt. Lucy didn't bother to watch where he'd gone, instead scrabbling backwards, trying to back away from the events unfolding before her eyes. She plunged her hands into her matted down red hair, pushing it away from her face. As the rain fell, she could see two men fighting. Or, what appeared to be two men. One was large, brutishher attacker. The other...her eyes widened as she stared at him, breath catching in her throat.
It was him! That face! Those eyes...that mouth! Just how was that possible?
Lucy's hands began to shake as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Every time the thug struck his blow, the other man was able come away without so much as a scratch. What was he? An angel? She looked up into the black sky, the rain caressing her skin with feather-light kisses, washing away the grime of the attack. Looking back at the brawl between the two men, she found herself being called toward her vigilante, the one from her dreams, despite the brutality she was witnessing. It was for her, to help her, to protect an innocent. Such rarities.
Suddenly, it was over. The vigilante or angelLucy scarcely knewmade his final death strike. He threw the knife into the large man's eye, the blade sinking deep and no doubt puncturing the brain. The brute dropped, his body spasming before finally lying still and running with blood as the rain continued to fall. Lucy stood up, her body soaked, her clothes torn and hugging her body due to the rain. Slowly, hesitantly, yet feeling a pull so strong it made her heart ache, she walked toward her rescuer.
"M-me?" Lucy whispered, astonished that such a man would wonder what she was when he was the one who could miraculously heal himself after being stabbed several times. "I...I'm just Lucy," she said. "Well, Lucinda. But..." her voice trailed. "Just Lucy. No one special." She looked down at the pavement, ribbons of red running along it and dripping into the nearby sewers. "I..." she continued, a shaking hand reaching out, only for her to pull it back. "I'd like to know who you are?" she then asked, biting down on her lower lip. Not wanting to sound harsh, she added. "So that I can thank you."
Lucy felt her cheeks warm a bit, her green eyes looking away from that face she'd seen time and time again in her dreams. Just how was this possible? She'd never seen him before... Swallowing hard, she looked back at his facethose eyes and that mouth. She'd never forget them. Not ever.
"And I'm not sure what you mean?" Lucy stated, pondering this man's other question. "Who's face?" She knitted her brows together as she frowned slightly and then suddenly it was all too clear. This man knew Aleena. "Oh...you mean Aleena..." she said with a heavy sigh, her arms crossing about her body as she shivered. "I'm her sister."
The one who won't work for daddy, who isn't the perfect princess, the disappointment of the family.But Lucy was all right with those things. Only now, over the years, it had ruined the relationship she'd had with her twin. Forever driving that wedge between them, severing the closeness they'd once shared as little girls.
"Her younger twin sister."
gpt
Jacob stared at her, taking in every aspect of her face. There was a very sutle difference to her, not in the physical, but there was a kind of...vulnerability, though that could have been caused by recent events. But she didn't have the same poise, the same stance that Aleena had possessed, the same kind of self-assurance. He wasn't sure if it was a bad thing. But the more he looked, the more he saw, the more she both reminded him and didn't remind him of his lost Aleena. But a sister?
"No. No, you can't be, there wasn't a sister, she never said anything about a sister. No,hedid, a few weeks in, did the digging, came across the picture, saw it. Made the jokes, yes, therewas...isa sister. Lucy. Like the place. Where...like the place it happened." Jacob was still staring at her, rambling, whatever thoughts came to his mind, no sense to them, no proper order. He shook his head to clear it, a small snse of what he had done, adn where he was, and what the proper thing to do was. He looked at Lucy again, his eyes half lidded and all but brimming with despair.
"Are you okay? No, that's stupid to ask, of course you're not. Are you hurt?" He asked her. he didn't pay attention, didn't notice, when the crow fluttered down from the lamp post and landed lightly on his shoulder, not acknowledging it even when it cgave a call to the sky, and fixed an eye on Lucy directly. Jacob closed his eyes a moment to collect himself, only to find he was stil seeing her. His hand came up to gently stroke the side fo the Crow. The bird gave a low fluttering sound, seeming pleased at the contact.
human
Lucy rubbed at her rain-soaked arms, goose bumps on porcelain pale flesh peeking through the torn white shirt that clung to her tiny body. The thing was a tattered mess and she gripped the torn edges to keep herself from being fully exposed. Licking at her lips, water drops getting caught on the corners of her mouth, she dared a step forward. Just what was he? Who was he? He knew Aleena, that much was clear. But there was an innocence about the way he spoke to her, the way he was trying to make sense of everything about him. He was like a child...lost in the dark. Alone. And much like her...frightened.
"I..." Lucy began, her teeth chattering more from the lingering adrenaline than fear of the man in front of her or even the chilly air that swirled through the night. "I'm not hurt...well..." she corrected herself suddenly looking at her palms, letting go of the edges of her shirt. "Not badly. It'll be fine."
Lucy gave the man a smile, his face causing something deep inside her to stir, to awaken. She glanced at the crow that suddenly found its perch upon his shoulder, the bird a frightening size. But as it sat there, his hand moving up to gently stroke it, she felt no fear, only awe, something tugging her closer.
She was meant to find him.
"I don't know who you are," Lucy went on. "But... I know you." Her mouth felt dry, like it had filled with sand. Her green eyes went from the crow and back to the man's facethat angelic face that emblazoned itself in her mind, her heart. "I've dreamed of you." She felt her cheeks heat up, her palms still held out and full of scrapes. As she shifted her stance, the ache in her hip made her wince though she tried her best to hide it. Her injuries were nothing compared to the fact that he'd helped her, saved her, that he was the very one she'd been dreaming about for at least a week.
And...he knew Aleena. Her sister. She'd heard nothing about her in over a year.
Lucy suddenly realized her state and moved to tug on her shirt once more. The soggy torn thing was slipping off her body. She'd been too wrapped up in her thoughts, in his questions to realize. At first. Pulling on the white shredded fabric, she readjusted herself and then bit down on her lip.
"I...I don't live far off if..." Lucy choked on her words, her heart suddenly speeding up. She wasn't sure what she was doing or what she was saying. Blood still ran through the streets, blood spilled to save her. As she stared at the man before her, she just found herself in complete wonder and compelled to follow what she felt in her heartthat she was meant to find him. "If you need somewhere to stay," she offered, her eyes looking away from man and crow, staring at the black pavement beneath her feet.
gpt
Jacob shook his ead at her words, denying some of them outright.
"No, no you can't know me. No one knows me now. I don't know me. I don't. I don't know me." He turned tolook at the dead man, the knife still in his eye. He couldn't fail to notice that there was a shape forming from the blood leaking from the man. The rain made the blood run far more than nrormal, but he could make it out. A...bird. Wings spread wide. The crow on his shoulder cried out, flaring it's wings outwards. The shapes were identical. Jacob wrenched his eyes away from it.
The damage done to her shirt was significant, adn ehr advance had allowed to do less that it's intended task. He shifted his eyes slightly, staring at hers. So vivid. Intese. Like Aleena's. ItwasAleen's face there, so alike, so not like her. Most people would be able to easily confuse the two of them for one another. Jacob would have never made that mistake, no matter how long or short a time he'd spent with Aleena, the two were night and day to one another. Aleena had been confident, almost arrogant, stepped back from nothing, met everything head on. Lucy seemed to not have that quality, or perhaps had it in a different way. He didn't know. it was impossible to know really. She dind't know him, he didn't know her, and the more he let himself stand there, the mroe that he realized he was allowing himself to run in circles.
She spoke of home, her home, that he might be welcome there, and there was a pang in his chest, something that spoke of feelings that he was trying desperately to keep buried. Simple kindness. In this city, that was a rare commodity, often scorned as insincere, after all, if everyone was just trying to survive in a place that had been long ago seen as falling apart. Police were present, but laregly corrupt and not interested in helping. City officials were in the pay of the lawless. Sometimes the press might make a statement, why Jacob had been involved in it, standing up for truth. But now...what was the truth? He'd been a gentle soul once, nothing moreviolent in his past than a scrap with his brother when they were kids. But he'd killed two men this night, and with a certain amount of enjoyment on one of them. He needed... a moment. Maybe two. He looked back to Lucy.
"It...might not be safe out here. I can...take you home?" It was a question, not sure where to go from here other than forward.
human
Lucy looked back up into the man's eyes, her head tilting as the rain pelted her pale face. Red hair fell across her eyes so she reached up to push it away, her torn shirt shifting over her over slightly exposed body. Quickly, she reached back down and gave the shirt a tug, securing it fast between slender fingers, knuckles whitened by the grip she tried to keep. Transfixed, she let her eyes linger on his for a moment, trying to figure out why they'd been brought together. Somehow she knew there was a deeper purposea darker purposeto everything, she could feel it in her bones and in her blood as it pumped hot through her veins. Licking her lips, she gave him a nod and then smiled, daring to take another step forward. Her grip tightened even more as she held onto the edges of her torn shirt causing the scrapes on her palms to sting. But she paid it no mind.
"Y-yes," Lucy whispered. "Please." She gave him a nod and dared another step forward. Despite the pull she felt, she could sense his confusion and it only furthered her own. She glanced upward and then at the crow on perched on his shoulder. She smiled at the creature desperately wanting to stroke its gleaming black feathers. "It's not far off," she added looking away from the bird and back at the man.
The dreams swirled through Lucy's mind. She could feel the heat and hear the thunder. It pushed at her like a beast trying to trample its preywithout mercy or relent. Its only thought was to consume and kill and to take joy as it mutilated and destroyed. A shiver ran through her at the memory. Oh, she could feel the fear and hear the cries. They echoed of pain and sorrow and then there was that face...his face. So often she'd seen him. Heard him...felt him. Her cheeks warmed despite the chill in the air.
"This way," Lucy gestured as she began to walk in the direction of her modest apartment, favoring her left leg. She'd need to see to her bruises later. But for now, she just wanted to get this man off the streets and out of the rain. She knew it wasn't safe for her and after the display he'd shown she knew he could easily protect her and take care of himself.
For the most part.
But there was an innocence in his manner, a vulnerability. And that frightened Lucy. She knew the sorts of people that were now watching her and he'd made himself a target by aiding her. And then there was the added fact that he knew Aleena? It was all so overwhelming! For a moment, Lucy reminisced on how it used to be when she and Aleena had been little...
"I'll always take care of you, Luce," Aleena promised, her child's face full of determination as she brushed her red hair into a state of perfection.
Lucy stared back at her twin through the mirror, her own red curls a wild tangled mess. "Really?" she squeaked.
"Of course! What are older sisters for?" Aleena said with a smirk. She set her brush down and grabbed a nearby stuffed animal and threw it at Lucy who just laughed.
Lucy smiled, but the memory faded and she thought of more recent times...
"Really Lucy, this righteous rebel act has got to stop." Aleena looked down at Lucy, her clothes impeccable, her hair done up in a french-twist.
"It's not an act, Alli. I wish you understood that." Lucy frowned and plopped down on her bed. "I don't want anything to do with daddy because I don't agree with what he does." She sighed. "You know that."
Aleena huffed. "Well, if you won't work for him, then consider me no longer your sister." The older twin's green eyes blazed. "We're your family! And you're a disappointment to us all!" She turned so that her back was to Lucy. "What would mother say?"
Lucy's eyes filled with tears. "That was a low thing to say," she whispered. "Get out."
"I plan it," Aleena said, anger resounding in her voice. "This is the last time we'll be seeing each other."
A tear rolled down Lucy's cheek, but with the rain, she figured it was concealed well enough. Sniffling a bit, she turned and reached out for the man's hand. "Come on, this way," she said.
gpt
He heard her agreement, just barely heard her speaking, enough to process it, but not much more beyond that. He always ended up seeing her eyes, seeing them in that same way he had always seen her sister. But these eyes weren't the same, they weren't, and he had to keep reminding himself of that. He let out a slow breath as she moved past him, on her way. He turned to follow her, take her home no idea what he might do once he'd accomplished this. Did she know? Did she know that Aleena was gone? Could she? Could she not? What was even happening to him? He heard the faint sniffle, a sound he'd long ago learned to pick out.
Unsympathetic as it might be, a sniffle usually meant there was a story around, and if he was sharp, he'd be able to suss it out. This time he fixed his attention on her again just as her hand touched his. Her hand was still warm, despite the rain and the chill, or perhaps he was simply that cold. He felt those fingers start to slide along his hand when-
-always take care of you Luce. -no longer your sister- -stop worrying- -things he does- -honestly Luce-
It was so fast, a flurry of broken images that hammered into his mind over and over, each time a little clearer, a little more focused. A little more painful.
He pulled aay from her with a cry, hands going to his face, the crow in motion, calling out tot he night as it lit off of hi shoulder and landed on a windowsill nearby, still watching the two of them. Jacob heaved a breath, then another, each time staggering a little, each time trying to banish these new sights, new sounds, new memories that didn't belong in his head, didn't need to be there. But they were there, seared into his mind, just as vivid as the moment they had arrived. He got himself under a modicum of control again, and looked at her through his own fingers, not removing his hands from his face.
"You loved her. So much. And she abandoned you to your fate. Threw you aside because you weren't useful anymore." He spoke without thought, without regard, all he wanted was to never have seen it in the first place, but that wasn't an option. What he saw was never unseen. Never. And after coming back from being killed, he doubted that even if he finished a task here, was allowed to leave, to move on, to die finally, that he would find a kind of peace. He'd still remember, still carry this. Forever.
human
Lucy's hand dropped to her side, her torn shirt falling a bit about her body. The thin white material hung loose about her shoulders, sliding over frame causing the swells of her breasts to suddenly peek in the middle. She hardly noticed as she stared at the man before her. He was struggling, so unsure, so lost. More than anything, she wanted to just hold him close, to stroke his hair and whisper soothing words into his ear. A man like him shouldn't be in agony. It just wasn't right and it made her heart twist in her chest.
The rain continued its assault, a bolt of lightning streaking the sky as a roar of thunder interrupted the sudden silence as Lucy continued to watch him. She was unsure of what to do, her heart telling her to go for him, her mind second-guessing everything. Just then, there was a rustle of feathers and the crow took off into the inky sky, not seeming to mind the rain.
Lucy followed the flight of the bird as it flew, her green eyes squinting through the dim lighting of the streetlights. "I...I'm sorry..." she apologized, though she wasn't even sure why. But her touch had caused him pain. That much was clear and it made her leery of touching him again, though she desperately longed to. "Who? M-my sister?" she asked.
If this man had indeed been referring to Aleena then he was very much correct. The love Lucy'd had for her twin was something she thought no one could ever tear down and decimate. Yet, over the years her sister had pushed her away, not once had she ever truly mattered to Aleena. Though at one time, she'd thought she did. No. She was a means to boost her twin's own ego, her own position in the family. And that hurt more than anything.
"L-let's not talk about her here," Lucy pleaded, her green eyes glistening in the distorted light. "Just a few more blocks and we can get in out of the rain." She swallowed hard and pushed back her matted red hair, her torn shirt beginning to fall so she moved to hold it in place. "And talk." She smiled at him, shivering. She knew they had to leave the area soon. It wouldn't be long before more of her father's men arrived looking for her or the man who'd put down one of his own. And knowing her father, he'd have a cop or three under his thumb to help him out. And that would make things so much worse. She glanced up in the direction the crow had flown and then back at the man. "Like you said...it isn't safe here."
gpt
It isn't safe. Nowhere was safe, but nowhere was dangerous to him either. He'd shown that clearly when he'd been wounded then just as suddenly not. He could be anywhere. but she couldn't. She was still human, still...intact. The world hadn't shattered her yet. Yet. he always had that in mind, no longer possessed fo the faith that someone could make it through the world without breaking under the strain. He shook himself bodily, forcing his thoughts away from the mrobid path that they were on. He needed to focus on theright now. She wanted him to to follow her, to talk to him, and maybe make some sense of this whole thing. He let out a shuddering breath.
"Yes. Yes. Out of the rain." He Agreed, lowering his hands, and standing up straight, looking up at the cloud covered sky. For just a moment, the clouds parted enough to see the moon. Full and bright, it shed an ethereal light onto the land around him. Jacob looked down at her again. "Let's go." He followed behind her, keeping her in sight, and he felt the crow on his shoudler once more, not wanting to leave his side, ad he didn't mind. He barely noticed the creature, it was like ti had always been a part of him, always there. He knew if he let himself he could recall his life before everything, when the thought of a great black bird on his shoulder would have seemed odd, but that only led him to having to block away the memories, or else collapse under the weight of them.
They arrived at a building a few blocks away. He closed his eyes a moment, before he followed her inside. Committed now to see where this led him, he had to know what happened, he had to see what this woman was going t do, see what she knew.
human
It was dark, the air getting colder as the rain mercilessly fell from the pitch black sky. Not once had it shown signs of letting up since it began to fall. Lucy stared up, letting the water wash over her face, down along her cheeks, her neck. Her entire body was soaked and she looked forward to changing into something dry, something...warmer. She glanced over her shoulder, glimpsing the man as he followed. He wasn't far behind and it set her mind at ease. It would do them both good to get out of the rain and possibly the eyes of anyone who might still be skulking the streets. She knew her father. The man was ruthless, relentless. He'd have back up patrolling the area soon enough. The man had friends in every nook and cranny of the city. The law worked for him even though he was merely a businessman.
Lucy shivered. How easily people were bought, their souls corrupted by the promise of power. The seduction was overwhelming, the temptations real and powerful. She cringed at how far her father had fallen...taking her sister along with him. It was so unfair.
"We're here," Lucy whispered after leading the man down a few more blocks and finally up a stone set of stairs that led to a battered red door. She swung it open and gestured he continue to follow. There was another flight of steps adjacent to a long and lonely corridor. She ignored the hall and made for the stairs. "Just one more flight. Promise," she said, giving him a smile. Her hands firmly held her shirt in place as she shook her head, red hair falling back into a tangled mess over her shoulders and along her back. It was nice to be inside where it was dry.
Once up the stairs, Lucy walked down two doors and stopped at the one marked with the number 202. Her keys had been lost during the scuffle, but there was a hidden one she kept in the potted plant outside her door. Probably not the safest place to keep the thing, but nowadays most people ignored the obvious. And if they really wanted 'in', they'd find a way despite it.
Lucy blushed as she dug into the dirt of the plant adjacent to her door, pulling out the spare key. She knew the locks would have to be changed. Her landlord would be pissed, probably force her to pay extra because of the trouble. She frowned at the thought. But she had no choice. Not with the people who were out there, the ones who were watching her. As it was, she probably shouldn't even stay in her apartment for too long.
That notion troubled her, made her blood turn cold. But for now...
"My home," Lucy said softly after turning the lock and opening her door. "It's not much," she said. "But I like it."
It was a studio, but everything about the place oozed of Lucyher personality, everything. The walls were covered in drawingsmost of them sketches. There was a papasan chair with a plush black cushion of in one corner, a table with a wooden chair in another. There was a television on a smaller table against the far wall and then the bed. Off to the side was a tiny kitchenette that bled into the rest of the studio and then a small bathroom with the door left ajar. It was simple, but it had everything.
Lucy walked over to the window and drew the curtains. She then walked over to the closet, which was stuffed with clothes, towels and blankets. Removing a blanket, she brought it over to the man and smiled up at him.
"Wish I had something you could wear," Lucy said, her cheeks heating despite the fact that she was still in her soaked and torn clothes. She grabbed at the edges of her shirt with her free hand when she felt it slipping once again. "But hopefully this will keep you warm."
gpt
But I like it...
It was as much of a blessing to the place as one could expect. Lucy wasn't interested in caring what anyone else thought of her place, that was the declaration in that statement, and that was all anyone should have to say about where they lived. Jacob let his eyes travel along the walls, picking out the sketches, trying not to stare. When she came with the blanket, he stared at it dumbly a moment, as though trying to figure out what she was trying to accomplish with it. Warm. She was concerned about his staying warm. He reached a hand out, and gently took it from her, making sure not to touch her again. He didn't want to have to See that again. Not like that. It had been a rush of noise and pain last time, he couldn't let himself go through that again. And besides, this was not taking the knowledge of a terrible person to give him what he needed. This was taking snippets of a life that owed him nothing, stealing the memories and life that she had lived. He didn't have the right to those. And he'd not steal that from her.
"Thank you." He said quietly, taking the blanket, moving it through his fingers, feeling the softness of it. He let it fall to unfold, and slung it around his shoulders. He felt the shiver of warmth, but more importantly to him, the water was being sopped up. It was less for his own comfort, and more to do with dripping on her floor. Granted she hadn't made any kind of comment on the subject, but then, why would she? With all that had gone on, it would seem like a minor detail. His eyes tracked away from her, looking over the walls again. She was good at what she did, there was talent in her artistry. Simple works, but well crafted. There were a few in particular that caught his attention, and he zeroed in on them. What he was was...him.
His own face, staring back at him, a few of them in intricate detail that missed no part of him. All that seemed off slightly was his eyes. They were darkened, but no sketch could capture what happened in his eyes, not anymore. He turned slowly, the blanket held loosely on his shoulders.
"How did you know me?" He asked her faintly. "How long did you know me? Were you looking for me tonight?"
human
Lucy brushed past the man so that she could gently shut her door, the wood closing with a soft click. Quickly, carefully, she locked it up. She twisted the bolt the first then fastened the chain followed by placing the key back in the keyhole in the knob itself. She grinned sheepishly as she watched the man hold onto the blanket she'd just given him, studying him a bit with her emerald eyes and noticing that he couldn't help but glance at the sketches she had lining her walls. Her cheeks warmed when her own drifted to the one portrait she'd spent a particularly great amount of time on, her hands having crafted a likeness so perfect that it gave her chills as she looked at it and then at the man standing before her. There were a couple of differences though. They were subtle, but there. Despite the shadows she'd marked on his features in the drawing, she'd know him anyway.
Always.
With heated cheeks, Lucy cleared her throat. Her green gaze suddenly turned to the floor. "Where do I know you?" she restated the question, letting it roll around her mind a little.
It wasn't an easy answer. Lucy had never seen him before. She didn't know who he was, where he came from. Hell, she didn't even know his name. The fact that he knew Aleena had taken her by surprise. Though, given everything, she supposed it shouldn't have. Aleena was her sister, her twin...the one everyone was always drawn to. Her father had made that perfectly clear ever since they were little, ever since they'd lost their mother.
"Well," Lucy began as she headed toward her kitchenette. She opened the tiny fridge and looked inside. There was some thawed hamburger inside and the sight made her grin. Carefully, she took it out and then found a plate. She placed a portion of the raw meat on the plate and then put it on the counter. Biting down on her lower lip, she looked at the man and then the crow perched on his shoulder. "For...for your friend," she said softly.
Lucy pushed the plate forward along the counter, smiling brightly as she looked at the crow.
"I...I've never met you before tonight," Lucy continued, taking a small step back from the plate. She walked around the counter and in front of the man standing in her apartment. Her eyes met his, her body still wet as her clothes hung limply to her semi dry skin. The shirt began to slip, so she tugged the edges. "But you've been in my dreams." Her eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head, damp red hair swishing about her shoulders. "I don't know why...but you have." She looked away, unable to hold his gaze, her tummy fluttering as thoughts of those dreams swirled through her mind. It was so overwhelming, the emotions, the images...all of it. "For weeks now..." she whispered. "I don't know how you know Aleena, or..." her voice trailed. She didn't want to think about her sister right then. "You've consumed my mind. Everything... Your face." She looked back up into his eyes, her own glittering while her lips turned up into a smile.
Oh how Lucy wanted to touch him, be touched back. But she worried what it might do, how he'd react. The last time he touched her, it seemed to cause him pain and that was the last thing she wanted to do to this man that seemed to beckon her soul. She could feel her heart racing, her breaths quickening. This man somehow called out to her and she'd bared her thoughts to him. Foolish? Maybe. But she couldn't help it. Her dream was real. He was there. He was no longer just a sketch on paper.
As Lucy stared into his eyesworry and fear and so much more flooding hershe knew she was right where she was supposed to be.
gpt
The corw hopped off of Jacob's shoulder onto the counter, giving a faint croak as it pecked at the meat. Jacob stared a moment, not even having thought that the crow might actually have needs of it's own. He turned back to look at her as she explained, or tried to. Dreams. She had seen him in dreams. Jacob was a practical man, or at least he had. Despite his brothers profession, Ben had always put much more stock in things like dreams as a way of finding truth. Sometimes he'd been right, sometimes not. His mind picked through what she'd said, before his head came up, fixing her with a steady look.
"How I know...? She never told you. Of she didn't tell you she'd...Gods you don't know, do you?" He shook his head, an instinct that didn't belong to him was there, an idea. He set his jaw, and stepped up to her. His hands came up to either side of Lucy's face. And instead of trying to read, he tried to show. She had to know, to See what had transpired.
-Ben? Aleena? What's going on? Ben smiling, turning to face him-
-My name's Aleena, nice to meet you, her hand outstretched, wamr and smooth, a firmer shake than he'd expected. Beautiful woman, smiling, wanted to get coffee-
-laughter in the air, Aleena's head tilted back, laughing at the ridiculous story Jacob had told from one of his news reports, that smile that could melt ice-
-Jake, thanks for coming. That case I was working on with you? ALeena has some information on it that can help out a lot, thought you should be here for that-
-the park quiet, lit faintly by the lamps within, Aleena smiling at Jacob as he led through, the bad joke of how he'd protect her from whatever might be in the night. Nothing was there, or at least nothing that had bothered them. She'd smiled at his words, the memory making it liook a little sly-
-Jacob? I, Aleena slumping under the table, thunder and noise, gunfire raking the room, Ben leaping into action, always thinking, always ready to act, no hesitation in his movmements, a hero in his way, something Jacob had always envied-
-Aleena leaning closer, a different look than what she'd been wearing the night of the gunfire, the night that he'd lost everything, moving close enough to him, lips touching his, tender, soft, testing to see if he was willing, his own lips pressing back into hers, savouring the moment-
The images stopped, Jacob finally halting the process, managing to have shown her what she needed to see, along with much else she didn't. He opened his eyes, surprised to find that they had been closed. And then backed away from Lucy, his lips breaking contact with hers. He blinked, his hands releasing her face with a start. Apparently he'd lost track of what was real and what was memory, and gotten a little bit lost in what had been happening. And what was worse, he had every impression that she'd have seen the same things he was trying to show her, felt the same thigns, known what had been going on. He turned from her, bowing his head while he put his hands to the sides of his head. He let out a shuddering breath.
"I...I'm sorry. I...shouldn't have done that.Anyof that. Gods, what did I..." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep himself under control, and finding that it was a challenge to say the least.
human
Jacob...his name was Jacob. The name rolled around Lucy's mind.
The images were so clear as he placed his hands on either side of Lucy's face, so warm and so very gentle. It was as if he was afraid he'd hurt her, break her. Though she knew he wouldn't. Everything about him let her know that such a thing was impossible. She stared into his eyes, windows into his soul as he inched closer, closing the distancehot breath on cool skin. The images were a furious frenzy of emotion. She saw her sister, another man...Ben? Who was he? Her breaths came quicker and Jacob's eyes shut as he moved closer, closer and closer still... His body was warm, the heat pouring from him in waves. Suddenly, warm lips connected with her own and the sensation as they touched undid her completely. They were softer than she'd expected, her body crying out for more.
Lucy lifted up her arms, her shirt slipping. But she didn't care. She was lost. She was where she was meant to be. The heat the thunder, she could feel it all as her dream became real and she watched her sister die...her sister. She took a step forward, her lips firm against Jacob's, wanting more, begging, pleading...she saw the gun fire, felt it and tears rolled down her cheeks as her own eyes fluttered shut. Her shirt had fallen around her shoulders, barely clinging to her drying body as all the images came together.
Her sister was dead. Jacob had been in love with Aleena. And Jacob...
Lucy's eyes opened wide as Jacob pulled away, her body on fire and her lips searing where his had left her own swollen and wanting. She reached up and touched them, panting, heart racing. "Don't be sorry," she whispered, her green eyes looking down at the floor as the tears continued to fall. She knew Jacob was struggling. Somehow he was brought back to life and together they needed to find out why. She wiped a tear from her cheekone that resembled her dead twin's, the woman he'd lovedand wondered how fate could be so cruel. Even dead, she'd live in her sister's shadow...the one who'd left her, who'd turned to a father who was cold and heartless, who'd shown her just how little she'd meant...but despite that, she felt the ache of loss. "I'm glad you did that," she added. "All of it."
Lucy looked up, her scraped hands gathering up her shirt, which threatened to fall off her body. She gave Jacob a watery smile and dared a step forward.
"You loved her. I...I didn't know." Lucy's cheeks reddened. "There's a lot I didn't know and wasn't told," she said trying to hold back the tears. She fell down onto the floor with a thud, her gaze far off, distant. "Aleena turned her back on me over a year ago..." Looking up at Jacob, she brushed away another tear. "A year ago."
gpt
Jacob let out another shuddering breath. The crow squawked from his perch on the counter, calling his attention back to it. The crow seemed...reproachful. Like it somehow did not approve of what he was doing. He let out another breath, finding a semblance of balance within himself, enough to stand up straight again, and look back at Lucy.
"I don't know. We were only together for a few months. I...there was notimeto know her enough to say I loved her. I wanted to love her. I wanted it to be real for us both. But...her job and my job, and everything else just made it hard to find time for one another. I..." He sank to his knees, close enough to touch her, terrified to do so, afraid of what he might learn by doing so. But equally terrified to leave her like this. She'd been kind. That was enough. Wasn't it? And if it wasn't, why wasn't it? She deserved better than she had been getting, that much he knew absolutely.
His hand fell on her shoulder, a hesitant touch, still not sure, but when the rush of images didn't come to him, he knew that there had to be something spcific to happen that would make that happen. Either that, or he was starting to get a handle on it, a modicum of control.
"I...I had never seen her like you showed me. I don't know why she did that. Why she acted like that. But you deserved better than that. Better than she gave you. You deserve more than that." He said to her faintly, a faint wisp of colour coming back to his face as he said it, the ghostly pale seeming to break a little.
"George hasn't checked in. He's missed one before." The man said firmly. He got a nod from his boss, who simply shooed him out of the room, silent instructions to investigate very clear by that motion. The man gathered two more to his side, and departed. There was a man that needed checking up on.
human
As all the images tumbled about Lucy's mind, she couldn't help but dwell on how each one made her feel inside. With each picture there had been a distinct emotionfear, anger, longing, love...? She was certain that she'd felt love in there somewhere. It had pulsed through her veins, deep into the core of her soul. Each time she'd seen Aleena's face...there was no mistaking it. Was there? Oh, she had to admit that she wasn't entirely sure. It was hard to sort out all the emotions she'd felt. Everything was muddled together. Chaos. Looking up into Jacob's eyes, her heart pounding hard as she tried to steady her breaths.
Breathe...focus.
He'd been looking at her the whole time. His lips touching hersso much fire and feeling. Yet his thoughts had been about her sister, hadn't they?
Oh, she couldn't tell what was real or imagined! But Lucy knew what she felt and it hurt inside, made her wonder...why? Letting out a shaky breath, she knew that she couldn't place her own desires on someone elseespecially when they'd just met and under the most unusual of circumstances. Her green eyes drifted to the crow as he cawed from the counter top. She gave him a smile, her hands gripping her torn shirt a bit more tightly before turning to look back at Jacob.
He'd only known Aleena for a few months, yet he hadn't known what his feelings were for her sister? It was all so confusing. Lucy tried to sort through the emotions she'd felt when Jacob had touched her last. It...it didn't make sense. The way he'd looked at her and thought about her...love had to be there! Didn't it? And how was she feeling such intense desire after a few short hours?
It made her head hurt, her body numb. Something was off or life just wanted to spit in her face some more.
"Th-thanks," Lucy managed to mumble, her eyes closing as Jacob's hand rested against her shoulder. His touch was warm and welcome and once more she felt herself being beckoned to him. Just why was fate doing this? It was so unfair! "I wish I had better answers or knew something at all," she continued, her eyes opening and focusing on Jacob's face. She gazed into his eyes, imagining them as they appeared in the sketch that she'd drawn. "She shut me out completely when I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with our father." She let out a tiny sigh. "But that was Aleena's role. Always had been." Her gaze shifted, turning towards the far wall where her sketches hung in place. "I just never thought she'd forget me. But that's what he wanted. Especially after mom died."
Lucy frowned and shifted into a kneeling position. Pushing at her red hair, she moved to get up, one hand holding onto her torn shirt.
"How did you meet Aleena?" Lucy then asked. "And...who's Ben?"
gpt
Jacob broke his eye contact, looking away. Ben. Oh Ben. His eyes snapped open as he saw fire, felt the heat on his palm again, the glass holding them apart. Stronger than he could have believed, Ben had kept enough of himself together to tell him something. Or try to. What had he been doing with his hands? A symbol. Two of them. One after the other. What had they been? The only way to know would be to actually live through the memory again, use something to trigger it. He neither had the item to do it, nor the desire...nay, thewillto endure that again. He didn't look at Lucy, a hand going to his face. He had expected to find tears there, some sign of things, but he didn't. He found tiny spot of blood on his fingers, and rubbing his thumb and fore finger experimentally. It smeared, and the distraction actually calmed him.
"Ben was my brother. The better half of us. Ben was...strong. brave. Smart. Quick to figure things out. So much more than i was. I loved him for it." He answered. He looked to see the Crow, closed his eyes, saw the room through his eyes. "It should have been him like this. Ben would known what to do. Would have been able to see it all through.." Teh Crow fluttered off of the counter, a quick flight across the room, close enough to skim over Lucy's hair, sending the fiery strands whipping about. It landed on the sill, and gave a croaking call. Jacob, still not looking with his eyes, but Seeing through the Crow. A car stopping. Men getting out. Large men with intent to find, and do violence. The Crow tapped on the glass with it's beak. Jacob staggered to his feet ,and opened the window. The crow fly out, gliding over the men, getting a look at what they were doing, hearing words...
"It's George." One of the men said, examining the body.
"Jesus, is he dead?" The other two look at their companion with disbelief.
"There's a fucking hunting knife in his eye. The fuck do you think dumbass?" The other man looked away. The call of a bird made the man examining the body look up. The Crow saw his face clearly.
"He killed me. He killed me, and he's there." Jacob said without preamble. The apartment was not on the ground floor, but he still strated to climb through the window.
human
Lucy was quiet as Jacob explained who Ben was. Like her, he too lived in someone's shadow. Only...only he hadn't abandoned him, left him alone to rot and whither. No. He'd stayed with him until the end, sharing their last breaths together as they were engulfed in flames and gunfire. A chill ran along her spine and she felt tears stinging her eyes. How she wished she'd still had that with Aleena. And now it could never be. The relationship severed and her sister dead. Killed. And all because of her father!
Just then, the crow called out and took flight. He flew toward her opened window, pushing through the curtains and flying out into the darkness of night. Lucy looked to Jacob, her green eyes wide while his clamped shut. Just what was going on? And why? She stood up, matching his movements as he raced toward the window, muttering about someone who'd killed him.
Murder?
"What?" Lucy shrieked, her hand clutching her shirt. She glanced back into her studio and then back at Jacob. She still didn't understand, but she knew something was wrong and something was pulling him away. "Wait...wait...!" she begged. But Jacob pushed the window open wider. He was going to climb out her window!
Sucking in a sharp breath of worry, Lucy grabbed her hoodie that was strewn over the papasan. It wasn't much, but it would help with her torn shirt situation. As she shoved her arms into the sleeves and fumbled with the zipper, she reached out towards Jacob.
"Please, don't leave me," Lucy begged. "That...that's a two story drop!" Worry laced her voice and now that she'd found him, she wasn't about to lose him. She put her spare key in the hoodie pocket along with her wallet, which had been resting on the counter. "We can use the back exit of the place. There's no way anyone can survive that drop without breaking their leg or arm or..." She was babbling, stumbling for words. But she wasn't going to leave him. Not now. Not when her dreams had led her to him. Not when she knew she was supposed to help him. "Please, Jacob..." she pleaded, her green eyes full of hope. "Please..." she whispered. "Let me help you."
gpt
Jacob smiled at her as she spoke of what the drop would do. It was not a kind smile, it the smile of a well fed predator with prey in sight.
"I'm not leaving you Lucy. I'll meet you outside in a few minutes. I don't think it's safe here any more, for either of us. Be back in a few." He told her, and of all things. He winked at her. He rolled backwards out of the window, spreading his arms as he fell. The impact was hard, and he landed flat. There was a moment of pain, he knew it would come, had been ready for it. But now, the pain was gone in moments. He tilted his head back, scraping along the sidewalk, and let out a full throated laugh as he did so. He was on his feet in seconds, and moving his way towards the men, his smile now a grin, his eyes glittering. Horrible thigns were coming for thm, just as horrible things had come to so many people these men had preyed upon. Karma, no,justicewas coming.
"The rain began again. It fell heavily, easily, with no meaning or intention but the fulfillment of its own nature," Jacob said in a clear voice as he approached the men. "which was to fall and fall." Heads snapped over to look at him. They just stared a moment before the man in charge spoke.
"What the fuck? Piss man, none of your business." He told him gruffly.
"Don't you recognize me Garret? We were so very close once you and I." The man stared as Jacob pulled his hair clear of his face that rictus grin still in place.
"You...you died! I watched you die!"
"And now I've come to return the favour!" As Jacob stared to rush forward, guns cleared holsters, and the night came alive. with sound and fury.
The bullets tore through him, shredding his torso, the volume higher than he'd expected, and at least one of them seemed to be using hollow points, imparting a lot of momentum onto his body, staggering him back. He fell, his balance robbed. He was riddled with holes, waiting the moments he needed to be made whole. Garret stepped up to him, and aimed. The heavy pistol roared, spitting round after round into Jacob's head. The skull tried, it really did, but it shattered under the assaul, spreading a fan of bone and brain across the pavement. Jacob stared at the sky, not seeing from his own eyes any longer, only seeing what they had done to him from the eyes fo the Crow.
"George was watching the bitch. She's living not far from here. We find her, adn put the screws to her, find out what she knows. Lets go." Garret ordered gruffly. His men followed him. Jacob still wondered if perhaps there might be limits to what he could accomplish, if he might be stuck like this. But them through the Crow, he saw the bone fragments start to roll across the sidewalk, clicking in place against his skull, and begin to reassemble. The brain matter flowed like water, siding home in perfect order. Jacob grinned, blinking his working eyes once more, and clibed to his feet, made whole once more.
"Hey! You there! Do not move if you want to live!" Garrett roared at who he was pretty sure was Lucy, aiming his pistol at her. "We need a word with you!"
human
A wave of relief washed over Lucy, her muscles relaxing a bit when Jacob promised he wouldn't be leaving her. But, she wasn't about to stay behind. No. Something inside her told her that she needed to be with him, to stay close. As he rolled out the window, she gasped, her heart stopping as she tried to find a way to breathe.
"Oh god..." Lucy mumbled, her steps quick as she raced to the window. She glanced outside and saw Jacob on the ground, his body seemingly broken on the black asphalt below. Only...there was a twitch of movement. And then she heard it. A laugh. His laughter rang out and she immediately pushed away from the window and bolted out her door, her hands clumsy as she locked it up with the only key she had left.
Lucy raced down the hallway, one of the doors cracking open only to slam shut again. Damned neighbors! But she didn't have time to deal with them! She needed to get to Jacob and she had a good idea as to where he was going. Pulling up her hood, covering up her fiery hair, she ran down the staircase and out the back door. She stepped over a homeless man who'd made the back stoop his home for the night, the awning providing him a little shelter from the rain that had been falling not too long ago. It had stopped now, but the puddles remained.
Her feet moving, knowing the way, Lucy headed back to where Jacob had found her. Her heart told her that's where he was going. She knew it, sensed, could feel it. Breaking into a run, she said a small prayer to no one or thing in particular...it was to whatever would listen. She hoped to find him, to catch up.
Lucy was getting close now, just one more block to go. Ahead she could make out silhouettes in the darkness, the streetlamps casting an eerie glow. "Almost there, Luce," she whispered, her words less than a comfort. He was still too far, out of reach. Her legs ached and her lungs burned, but she refused to stop. Something inside urged her on, to press forward, to... Just then, she let out a gasp, her hands moving to cover her mouth as they stifled a scream! "No!" she whispered harshly, softly.
On the ground, his body broken, Lucy saw Jacob. How could this be? This wasn't right! This wasn't... She shook her head, shaken, terrified. Horror coursed through her veins at the sight and she turned to run, tears streaming down her cheeks.
As Lucy took off in the other direction, away from Jacob, she felt eyes on her. She was being watched, followed. "No...damn it!" She choked on a sob, her heart aching as she ran, but she heard the shout, a voice that made her blood run cold. Stopping where she was, she dared to turn around, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She could still see Jacob's body in the distance. Looking up into the sky, her body began to shake. Life was so cruel...it took everything away, always leaving her alone.
Why? Why!
"Wh-what kind of word?" Lucy asked, her voice faltering as she sniffled. "Who are you?" Her face showed confusion, anger and most of all...despair.
gpt
"A short one I think." Garret announced. He peered at her, getting a good look, as much as he could in the rain slicked night. "Miss Boyd, you're to need to come with us. Now." He ordered, picking enough of her out to know who he was looking at. he smiled at her, a cold malicious one, but it was on that brooked no disagreement. It was the law of the street, whoever aimed the gun first got to make the orders. He heard a grunt of effort, a ripping sound, and then a gurgling scream, and whipped his head around to see what was going on.
No...
Jacob came to the first of the thugs, the grin still on his face. A hand dropped on a shoulder, and spun the man around. The thug had enough time to widen his eyes, seeing what he was looking at, how impossible it was to be seeing this, it couldn't be, before he felt inhumanly strong fingers on the soft skin of the bottom of his jaw. Then it was only pain as Jacob pushed two finger through the skin, curling them around the mandibles, and kicking the man with all his might. A ripping sound fill the air as flesh and tendon gave way, sending the man falling to the ground, a wet, bubbling scream in the air. Jacob turned to look at the jaw in his hand, looking like some kind of grotesque bucket handle. He tossed it at the next man who recoiled without thought, gun waving wildly as he tried to avoid touching the jaw. Jacob moved in on him.
Jacob hammered a fist into his ribs, feeling bones break under the blow. the thug made a whining sound, adn Jacob felt the almost familiar tearing of a bullet going through his body. He gave a grunt of acknowledgement, but no more. His fist hit the thig in the face, again the feeling of bone giving way as the cheekbone snapped under the hit. As the thug howled in pain and fear, Jacob seized his neck in both hands. With a shout of rage and despair, he clenched. Flesh crumpled, compacting the neck until it hit the bone. With a wrench, the vertebrae snapped, ending hte man where he stood. Another bullte ripped through him, staggering him, and he turned at last to Garret.
"What...you are dead. I fuckingexecutedyou!" Garret all but begged.
"Did I not say I was here to return favours?" Jacob supplied gently. He rushed at Garret blindly. Panic fire, the rapid cracking of the gun going off, the ripping wounds, the hollow points, he felt the pain, ignored it, it was not important. Hnds flying for Garret, one knocking the gun away, the other latching onto his face. Leaping up, hitting Garret in the chest, bearing him to the pavement. Ribs cracked under the landing, and he cried out as Jacob got his hands onto Garret's face, and froze for a second.
"What the fuck are you?"
"Justice."
"Bullshit! This isn't justice!" Jacob smiled.
"Justice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Some see an innocent victim." He pat Garret's cheek. "Others will see evil incarnate getting exactly what's deserved." His smile vanished, and fingers moved to hook into Garret's eyes. The shriek of pain that came was earsplitting, as much pain as a person could imagine being in, but Jacob ripped his hands down, tearing away the face almost completely. Garret still flailed, alive despite the ruin of his face, before Jacob punched down, his fist breaking through the damaged remnant of the skull. Garret stilled.
Jacob rose up, spreading his arms, looking up at the sky, letting the rain fall on his crimson hands, washing the blood of his enemy from him, the blood of his victims. He looked to the clouds, saw the moments of falling rain, each drop for an instant before it would fall out of his field of vision. His shirt was a ragged mess, more holes than cloth now. After standing a moment, he seemed to come back to himself, and see that Lucy was nearby. he had naught but concern in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Are you all right?" He asked her.
human
Lucy's heart stopped, her breath a lump in her throat as she tried not to let panic override sense. Her green eyes focused on the barrel of the gun pointed at her, the voice of the man ringing in her ears as she let what he said sink in. He wasn't going to let her go, though more than anything she wanted to take her chances. To just...run. But the sight of that gun stopped her cold. The way his hand firmly held on to the handle, his finger rested against the trigger. It was clear he'd sooner squeeze it and end her life than risk her running away.
Though why it mattered, she didn't understand.
Lucy wasn't sure what these men thought she knew. They worked for her father, with Aleena...oh god, Aleena! A sob threatened to bubble up as she thought about her sister, her death! Was her fate the same as her twin's? But she held back the cry. Barely. How her father could send such people after herhis own daughter! Especially after losing his precious princess, the one who'd been his world...how could he do this? How could he not tell her?
Aleena abandoned you...she left well before she'd died...
Lucy's life suddenly flashed before her eyes as tears began to fall. She thought about all the dreams she'd have over the past few weeksdreams of Jacob. So many things left undone, unsaid. Trembling, she tried to get control of her fear, her eyes looking past the man, his gun. More than anything, she wanted to run past him and be by Jacob's side. The hell if they'd found a way to make die! For some reason, it suddenly didn't matter. He might leave her, but she wouldn't leave him. She couldn't!
Knees wobbling, Lucy moved her hands to push back her hood. The rain had started up again, lightning flashing across the sky. She looked up and then back at the man holding the gun. She gasped, her eyes fixed on the silhouette moving in the distance, on...Jacob.
"Oh...oh..." Lucy mumbled. She took a step back, her eyes wide as she watched Jacob do a sort of dance around the men who'd brought him down. Each strike he made was vicious, but sure and the crack of bone, the tearing of flesh...it wasn't lost to her ears nor was the sight of blood to her eyes.
Jacob was like the perfect predator, precise in every step. It was as if he knew what he was going to do before his body performed each task. It was grotesque, yet poetic...it was justice being served. Lucy was breathless when he stood there above his kills, the men slaughtered as if they'd been nothing, a mere annoyance to someone stronger, larger than life. Her lips were parted, breaths coming fast and she took a step closer.
"You...you're alive..." Lucy whimpered, taking another step. She smiled, biting down on her lower lip, her eyes not once looking away. Her arms reached out and she raced forward until she was next to him, hands touching his chest. "I'm fine...I'm ok..." She looked up into Jacob's face. "How? I saw..." She shook her head, slightly bewildered. "You're alive...you're alive."
Lucy buried her face against Jacob's chest, tears falling as she shook with sobs of relief. She knew more would be out there, that her father wouldn't stop. But for now, she at least knew Jacob had made good on his promise...he hadn't left her.
He hadn't left her.
gpt
Jacob had his eyes tracking around, not noticing that it was actually a habit that Ben had nearly always used, keeping a weather out for any signs of danger. Even if he wasn't looking at her directly, Lucy was something very firmly kept in mind. She confirmed his suspicion that she was okay, or at least as okay as someone who had watched what he'd done. She kept coming closer to him, getting close enough to put hands on his chest. Her hands were warmer than he was, but a standard that made it clear there was something off about him, something not quite right. Not quite human.
Jacob shivered as Lucy buried her face against him, his hands coming around on instinct to touch her shoulders. Old instincts, ones that had nothing to do with surviving, and everything to do with being a person that wasn't a momnster, kicked in. His hands moved to enfold Lucy in his arms, holding her, for comfort, to make sure she was not just unhurt by weapons, but that she might be al right mentally, or at least settled.
"Shh. Shh. Easy. I'm here. I'm here." He hesitated over his next words, but knew that they were true, adn one thing that Lucy had been sorely lacking in over the yeasrs was people to be honest with her. "I'm not...alive Lucy. They killed me once already. And now they can't manage it again. You can't kill someone who's already died." He murmured as he spoke. Not exactly the most comforting mindset to be in, not really, but it was what it was, and he was not in a position to do otherise. he was a killer hunting his own killers and anyone who happened to get caught up in the mess. Holding Lucy to him, he looked at teh body of ruined Garret. The bone fragments and blood had arced outwards, fomring a gory bird on the ground. A crow in flight. Something more than mortal was at work here, and he had to wonder just how deep in went, and how far he was entagled in it. And if Lucy stayed close to him just how much it might tangle her in it. And what the price for that would be.
human
Of course he wasn't alive. Lucy knew that, though she wasn't sure how she'd known. It was too overwhelming, too disconcerting. As she let her thoughts quiet, salty tears streaming down her pale cheeks, she remembered that she'd seen his death a number of times in her dreamsfire, heat and thunder. It gave her no comfort knowing Jacob was actually dead, that he was somehow invincible to guns and knives. She pressed her face against his chest, her damp eyes rubbing against his shirt. He might've been dead...unable to die again...but he felt alive next to her, hard and warm.
Real.
Taking a deep breath, a deep-set fear rooted in Lucy's heart. Her tiny hands clutched onto his bullet-torn shirt and she feared losing him, that fate would rip them apart and laugh at her misery. For a moment, she imagined the face of her father, his cruel laugh and a look of triumph at having separated her from Aleenapoor, dead, Aleena.
The sister who lied to you, who left you...the one who truly did not care.
Lucy choked on a sob and looked into Jacob's eyes. Red hair hung about her face in a mess of damp curls as she found his gaze, her eyes glistening with tears. "I...I know," she said softly, almost a whisper. She let one hand relax, her grip easing off his shirt so that her palm rested against his chest, fingers splayed and teasing the holes that riddled the tattered fabric. "It's not just about that," she continued, her cheeks warming.
Lucy let her gaze fall and she saw the blood pooling on the street, the distinct shape it was forming. There was no mistaking itcrow.
Just what was Jacob's purpose in coming back? And once he'd finished...would he leave?
Would he leave her?
Heart aching, Lucy didn't want to think that far ahead. It hurt too much. Life had always been vicious, brutally doling out one bad hand after another. How ironic that the one thing that called to her soul was the one thing wasn't...alive.
Still unable to meet Jacob's gaze, Lucy whispered, "We should go. We need to find somewhere to hide." Her expression turned thoughtful and she knew exactly where they could go. An ex of hersand her list was shortwho she'd remained on good terms with, was out of town on a music gig. It had been months since they'd last run into each other, so she hoped it would give them a little time before her father and his people put it together where they might be hiding out. "I know a place," she said with a nod. "It's not far."
Reluctantly, Lucy pushed away from Jacob, her hand reaching for his. Thunder rumbled in the darkness as one of the streetlights sputtered. It wouldn't be long before others came to investigate the scene. Holding out her hand, she readied herself to lead him to her ex's apartment, a place she hoped would allow them a little bit of safety...a little bit.
For a little while.
gpt
She was not unhurt. Settled would not be coming to her soon, and really, Jacob could hardly blame her. The world was crashing down around her, seemingly everything that she'd placed any value on was being taken away, and the only thing she had to anchor herself was a dead man too stubborn to realize he wasn't supposed to be up and moving around. He looked down at her as she looked up at him. That familiararity, like he'd held her like this a dozen times before, but he knew he hadn't. It had been Aleena. And she had never looked so...vulnerable. So open. No matter how close they might have gotten, there was always an essence of being guarded between them.
Not so with Lucy. Right now, the way she looked at him was raw, open, almost naked emotions. It was unsettling on some level, having just meet her but seeming to know so much about her so quickly. She was unsubtle, holding little to nothing back. The lack of guioe was something that he'd not expected from Aleena's sister. And he ahd to admit it was actually an appealing thing to see on her. Was this why Aleena had kept him away from Lucy, never mentioning her? Becuse there ahd been worries that her earnest sister might be somehow more appealing to him than she was? Aleena was pride, she was effort, and she was a personification of how someone could chase perfection.
Lucy was not. She was casual, she was earnest, she was a great many things her sister was not. She wasn't that near perfect person. It made her more...human really. And he could not, for the life of him, imagine Aleena anywhere like this, wearing clothes like this, soaked to the skin by the rain. She have been furious, not kind. He released her when she pulled back. But when she reached for him, he stared at her hand a moment not properly comprehending what she was after. She...oh. He felt his face twitch into a smile, and took her hand, brcing himself for a flood of images, of another round of stolen memories. But they didn't come. He cocked his head, not unhappy with such a thing, but still surprised.
"Lead on. I'm with you." He told her quietly.
human
Lucy's face flushed, her cheeks feeling warm as Jacob reached out and their palms slid together, fingers somehow entwining. She gave him a smile and nodded as she began to lead him along the darkened streets, rain slicked and shimmering in sputtering lamp light. The place she wanted to go to wasn't farabout a quarter mile northand near the river. It had a nice view from what she'd remembered. But it had been over a year since she actually went to Gabe's. And it felt odd seeking refuge there...all things considered. She glanced over her shoulder, green eyes seeking Jacob's.
It would definitely be odd taking Jacob to Gabe's. Her tummy fluttered a little. Why did she feel so nervous, so out of sorts? She and Gabe had ended amicably. He'd moved on even. But still... She turned around, following the pavement until she could smell the river, the rain causing the scent of riggers and barges and...other things...to drift into land. They were close. They'd have shelter, warmth, dry clothes for both. Safety. They'd be safe at least for a little while.
Finally, Lucy saw the familiar brick of Gabe's apartment building. It was nicer than her own, but it was still fairly modest.
"Here," Lucy said softly giving Jacob's hand a gentle tug. "We can stay here at least for the night." She then frowned knowing that lingering any longer would place Gabe and his girlfriend in danger. "Come on."
Lucy led Jacob to the back door she knew was always opened. Carefully, quietly, not wanting to alert nosy neighbors or passersby, she opened it. It creaked a little, which made her wince. Biting down on her lip, she slipped through the opening and pulled Jacob along.
"There's a spare key near the landlord's place," Lucy said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "His place is on the way up." She gave Jacob a reassuring nod and smiled though on the inside she was terrified.
Fate seemed to smile upon Lucy as she led Jacob to Gabe's apartment. The halls were dark, no lights shining through the cracks in the doors. But none of that eased her nerves. Even after she found the spare key, she still felt on edge, as if somehow her world would be shattered, ripped to shreds in a single instant. But she finally stood in front of Gabe's door, her fingers shaking as she used the key to open it. Inside, the place was a small one bedroom. The loveseat was still pushed up against the wall and he still had the same entertainment set. The table and chairs were neatly set by the kitchenette and the bathroom door was ajar. The bedroom door was closed.
"We'll be safe here. There's dry clothes you can change into, if you want," Lucy suggested as she shut the door and locked it and began to head toward the bedroom.
gpt
Jacob looked down at his shirt as she spoke, bringing up dry clothing. There was certainly the thought of wearing a set of clothes that didn't come off of a dead homeless man would be a benefit, not only that, his shirt was a tattered ruin, hit by a knife and innumerable bullets. It might be good to look somewhat presentable, at least for awhile. He took a step after Lucy, before hesitating. He could be out the door, adn out into the world again, hunting the remaining men that had killed him, taken everything from him. Lucy would be safe here for awhile, and likely a lot safer away from him.
But what if she wasn't?
The men had not actually been looking for him. After all he, was dead. They'd already finished him off. Which meant they were looking for her, and wanted anything but good for her. If he left, and they found her, there was nothing standing between her and what the first man had intended for her. For all he knew, that was the standing order. He'd covered stories of people on the wrong side of the law handing out everything they could to break a person utterly before they died. And try as he might, he couldn't shake the thought of that happening to Lucy. And he would not stand for that. Choice made, he followed her towards the bedroom.
Clothes. They were simple enough. He found a closet with a few suitable items within it, and drew them out. Not much really, just a simple black t-shirt, and a small cloth jacket that would do well to keep the rain off of him. He didn't think twice, he reached for the collar of the surrent shirt he had to pull it off. The strain of years of abuse, combined with the numerous holes and damage to it, finally made the garmet give. he sighed, adn simply pulled the ruin of the garment free, adn dropped it on the floor. There were nearly as many holes in the back as the front, showing that some of the rounds that had been fired at him had gone completely through him. Had he been anything but what he now was it would have been...unpleasant to say the least.
He stretched, loosening the muscles in his shoulders, his back clearly visible, and ghostly pale in the light. There was something decidedly not human to his coloration, like someone suffering from a massive blood loss. One thign had changed on him though, and he found it this time. The points that had killed him, the bullet wounds, had scarred over. They were small raised holed in his chest, and he could feel a sympathetic tingle in his back that said they were there as well. Apparently he hadn't obsorbed th bullets well, they'd just gone through him. He shivered at the thought, and pulled the shirt on over his head, feeling hte clan cotton on hsi skin. It was a bit of a tight fit, apparently the owner wasn't a very large man. The jacket he held loosely in his hand, and sighed. From here, he needed a plan.
human
Lucy's cheeks warmed when Jacob suddenly pulled off his shirt. His actions were sudden, something she hadn't expected it. Biting down on her lower lip, she turned her gaze toward the floor only she couldn't help but peer up through the red hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. Jacob looked like an angelic creature as he stood there and stretched, fumbling with the black shirt he'd chosen from Gabe's closet. Her eyes darted to the shirt...it looked exactly like what she'd seen him in when he'd come to her in her dreams. She sucked in a breath, her heart skipping a beat as her skin flushed, heated.
"Suits you," Lucy mumbled as she brushed past Jacob, her hand giving his arm a gentle squeeze as she went toward Layla's clothes. She pushed at the hangarseach one a different size and colorand finally came upon a thin oversized button-down and a pair of gray leggings. They would do.
Lucy draped the clothes over her arm and made her way over to the bed. Back facing Jacob, she swallowed hard and slowly unzipped her hoodie. The thing was drenched, practically useless, though she could lay it out to dry. Slowly, she slid the thing off her arms, peeling it away from her rain-damp skin and finally discarding it on the floor for later. She peered down at her shirt. The thing was barely staying up, the tears somehow larger than before. Closing her eyes, she pulled the ripped thing off her body, her top bare in the dim light of the room. For a brief moment, she felt exposed, though more than anything, she wanted to turn around and face Jacob, her eyes finding his as she let him look upon her.
But she wasn't Aleena. That was something her sister could do and would. It was probably how she'd managed to get the things she wanted in life. Always.
Lucy opened her eyes, tears welling in them as she brought a hand up and raked it through her wet curls. She wondered what Jacob was thinking, if anything. Something was driving him, pulling him. He was brought back for a purpose and it certainly wasn't because of her. She wasn't that important. She never was. Quickly, she wiped at her eyes and then reached for the dry button-down. Carefully she slipped it over her head, the thin material concealing her curves from view. Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, she moved to slide her drenched leggings off her legs. It was difficult, the material clinging fast to her skin, not wanting to give way. But eventually, she won the battle and the things were placed with her hoodieboth would be allowed to dry over night. Her bare legs shivered, her bottom concealed due to the length of the shirt. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled on the dry leggings and then looked over at Jacob and smiled.
"What...what are you thinking?" Lucy asked. Her tummy fluttered and she turned her gaze toward the wet heap of clothes she'd made on the floor. Quietly, she moved to lay them out to dry. Once they were situated, she dared to look at him again, her head tilting slightly. She knew exactly what was on her mind...the fear of losing him. After he'd figured out why he was back and completed what it was he'd come back to do...what then? Would he leave? Would he...
Lucy didn't want to think on it...she couldn't.
gpt
He felt Lucy's hand on his arm, the faint pressure, the kind of reassurance that he was not alone, that there was another person in the room, with him now. Jacob had never been quite like his brother, never been as comfortable on his own. One of the reasons he'd settled on jouranlism. It was easier to have company then when you were a PI. Lucy's presence was comforting. Distracting. Painful.Needed. He rubbed his face with his hands, as though the action would somehow center him. It didn't. He turned around, and stopped.
Lucy had selected her own change of clothes, and he had a rather enticing view of her back from where he was. Flickers ran through his mind on how this would have gone had he been in the room with her sister. Aleena would have turned to face him, all hips and sensual movement, making everytghing she did an invitation. The more he thought about it, how much of what Aleena did was just carefully chosen artistry? What was real to her, adn what was just a show? He didn't know. He didn't have any way of finding out anymore either. As she pulled a shirt on, he turned away, respectfully giving her the privacy that she deserved.
And she asked him what he was thinking. Talk about a loaded question. There were any number of directions that his mind was flying to, but ultimately, there was an overarching theme to what he had on the brain. Things wouldn't be simple.
"There were six men when I...died. Four killed me. Two helped kill...Aleena and Ben. There are two less men of that grouping now. But...I want to know why this happened. I want to know who put us in front of the gun. Someone needs to answer for this. I need...to know." He leaned on the wall, splayed fingers on his forehead. "Ben...was trying to tell me something when he died. Something important. He used all he had to try and tell me, but for hte life of me I don't know what he was saying."
human
That had settled it. Hearing Jacob mention his killerseven if he didn't know their names, who they wereit had been enough. Lucy nodded solemnly, her gaze shifting back to the floor, arms moving to encircle about her own waist. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to find out then. Won't we?"
It wasn't even a question. Lucy knew damned well she's so anything to help. It had become a 'we', the two of them working side by side as they pieced together the puzzle that destroyed his life, his brother's...her twin's. An ache grew in her chest as she thought on Aleena. Just how has someone like Jacob gotten caught up with someone like her? He didn't seem the type.
Or was that something else deep inside trying to convince of that. It was hard to say. But the longer Lucy was with him, the harder it became to swallow.
"Maybe in the morning we can break into one of my dad's offices," Lucy suggested. "He has several all over town. Or..." Her voice trailed. "We could stop by..." She felt her heart twist at the thought, but she knew it might help and she had an easy means of entry. "Or we could go to Aleena's." Suddenly, she felt ill. "Maybe there are clues at her place. And this is assuming my dad hasn't sold the place off." Her lips pursed into a frown. It would be like her dad to move on quickly, to forget and find an opportunistic means through tragedy. It was how the bastard worked. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to tell her that her own twin had been murdered!
Lucy smiled weakly and pushed herself up off the bed. She looked over at Jacob, her red hair causing the back and shoulders of the shirt to get a bit wet as it cascaded over her tiny frame. He looked thoughtful, determined. Beautiful. Turning away, she headed toward the bedroom door that led into the main area.
"The choice is yours," Lucy whispered. "But I'm coming with you." She looked into his eyes. "I'm a part of this...I want to be." Her eyes were soft, her lips turned up in a smile. "I...I can make us some tea," she added in quickly, her cheeks flushing pink as she took a step toward the kitchenette.
gpt
Jacob nodded as she spoke.
"The place will still be locked up. Police have to at least have a cursory look over the place, adn that takes time. And...I know where there's a spare key to the place. I've been there before." He said quietly. He moved away from the closet, and almost tripped on the ruins of his shirt. he recovered his balance easily enough, but his hand brushed along the side table near the bed, and before he knew it-
People in the room. Two of them. Laughing, one of them Lucy. A man in the room, only kindness between them, her hand touching his chest, his hand on hers, lips to the back of her hand, a smile between them, more than friends here, they were-
He jerked his hand away from the table like it was on fire, clenching his fist. He relaxed a moment later. Knowing more than he should. That seemed to be his newest curse. It crossed his mind that he'd have murdered someone to have this back when he was writing for the paper. When he was alive. When there were goals for him beyond killing some men, and then finding other men to kill. Where would it end? Would it end? Was he destined to just be a force for murder and destruction? There had to be more to it than that. There had to be. It couldn't just be this.
"Tea. Tea is good." He agreed, not arguing her coming with him. It would be easiest to keep Lucy safe if she was close by. The last thing he wanted was for her to be picked up adn used against him. Never mind what they'd do to her. He moved hesitantly out of the bedroom, and towards the living room, and the kitchenette. No need to stay there. And he ahd concerns about what else he might see if he touched anything else in there.
human
Lucy smiled at Jacob as she headed toward the kitchenette. She searched the cabinets and found the stash of tea. She'd always been fond of the stuff and her habit had rubbed off on Gabe. As she rummaged through boxes of tea, trying to decide which ones to make, she hoped she wouldn't be placing both him and Layla in danger. If her father or any of his men found out that they'd taken refuge at this apartment...it could spell trouble for the two. She knew they'd be gone for several more days, so there was time. But would that be enough for the couple? She certainly hoped so.
Gabe had been a decent enough boyfriend while they'd been together, had treated her right. But there was no magic...and Lucy couldn't stay with someone when she knew her heart wasn't in it. Shortly after their break up, she'd noticed Laylaa petite blonde who'd frequented Gabe's gigs at all the local spots. The girl hung on his every word and she saw the way she looked at him. If only someone would look at her in that way... With a bit of encouragement, she nudged Gabe to go talk to her. He'd felt awkward at first, like it might be too soon, too...odd. But Lucy had insisted. She could see what he could not, that the chemistry was more than apparent. The two instantly hit it off and they'd been together ever since, practically inseparable. She was happy for them and hoped to find the same passion, the same love...one day.
Lucy looked over at Jacob and held up two tea bags. "How about green tea infused with passionfruit?" she asked, her cheeks flushing a bit. She set the tea down and removed two cups from another cabinet and placed them beside the tea. Next, she began to boil some hot water in the teakettle that had become a permanent fixture on the stovetop. She raked a hand through her wild red curls, which were slowly beginning to dry. "Might take a few minutes," she said softly, moving around the counter and towards Jacob. "For the water to boil, I mean." She made a soft sound, almost like a laugh, but not quite.
Encircling her arms about her waist, Lucy walked toward Jacob. He seemed uneasy, like his thoughts were elsewhere. No doubt he'd rather be out in the night as opposed to stuck inside some strange place with her. She supposed she couldn't blame him. He had a purpose and every instinct was probably telling him he had fulfill it, press onward. She was just bystander, though it hurt to think about that.
Frowning, Lucy reached out and gently brushed her fingers against Jacob's arm. He seemed so far away despite being so close. "Well, we can sit while we wait," she suggested. She moved toward the loveseat and sat down, her body sinking into the plush red cushion. "I...I forgot how low this seat was," she said. "Haven't been here in a long time. A long time." Her green eyes stared at the floor for a moment before looking up at Jacob. "The...the seat is comfortable though," she added, smiling. "I promise."
gpt
Jacob had spent a lot of time in his life just listening, and that was actually paying off right now. He was learning. Learning a lot about things by listening to Lucy. She was a very open kind of peson, so different than what he'd been expecting from her. He ahd to admit he'd had the rather illogical notion that said if she was an identical twin, then she would likely act just like her sister as well as look it. But that had been patently wrong, and he'd had every inclination that he was liable to learn even more very quickly. Tea was being made, passion fruit tea. She'd blushed at the suggestion, and Jacob got the impression he might want to get ued to that particular look on her, she seem to blush pretty often. It was endearing to say the least.
Lucy seemed a very tactile person, little touches and gestures at an almost constant rate. It wasn't a bad thing, just something he was noticing. She parked on the loveseat, settling into it. It was an invitation to sit, talk of it's comfort. And she had been there for some things that called for him to be polite. After all, he was only here, in a dry, clean shirt because of her. He owed her some basic manners. He moved to the seat, and lowered himself onto it carefully. It was not a large seat, not designed to be one, putting them in close proximity. He was specifically careful not to touch things, not wanting to See anything. But he wasn't as careful as he'd thought, leaning back to try and relax, his hand landing on the ar of the seat and-
Dark in the room, quiet in here, only light and sound coming from in front. Lucy and the man again, this time leaning on one another, blanket over them, movie night, staying in. Quiet time. Care in their eyes, but also a sense of perhaps distance in Lucy's. Not going to last, she knows it, dreads it on some level, but knows it all the same, won't fight the end. Needs to come, needs to happen, not right, not fair to anyone, won't stay like that. Hope for peaceful ending, good odds really. Optimism makes her smile-
His hand jerked, but he kept it under control this time. Nothing terrible, honestly just showing somethign that was pointing to that while the place might belong to her ex, it was highly likely they ended on good terms.
He looked at her, taking in the curls, the red hair, still that vivid colour that always drew the eye. Again it was striking how close she was to her sister, and how far from her at the same time. Aleena would have been leaning on him, whispering to him, trying to make him act, get him to hold her, make some kind of move on her, to talk about his day, what he was working on. He fought that memory a moment, though part of him felt that he was close to something important in that moment. He shook his head. He looked at Lucy.
"I don't think I've said it before. And if I am, sorry for repeating myself. But...thanks. For helping." He said to her quietly. Tactile. Lucy had a thing for contact. he reached out, risking it, keeping his thoughts schooled in a quiet state and brushed along her arm in a comfortnig motion.
human
Lucy watched as Jacob slowly made his way toward her, carefully lowering himself beside her on the loveseat. She felt the seat tilt slightly with his weight and she smiled. Looking his way, she felt her tummy flutter. Everything about his presence made her feel better. It was odd given he wasn't alive, that he'd killed men in the streets...she'd watched their blood run through tiny rivers of rain, pouring into the sewers, feeding the rats down below. Despite that, she knew she was safe with him, that he wasn't a demon or a beast. There were no words to describe what he was. Hell, she hardly knew herself. But one thing was certain when she searched her heart. To her, he was something unique, something special.
Her dream made real.
Lucy felt like a little girl wishing upon stars in that moment. After all, none of her wishes had ever come true and anything she'd ever truly cared about crumbled about her in ruin or was torn away leaving her desperately alone. She didn't know what it was like to feel unconditional love, knowing that someone would always be there no matter the cost. Her father had shown her long ago that he didn't care about anyone but himself. It was why her mother had died. She was sure of it. How could someone thrive as they watched the one they loved fall down a path of darkness, pulling away and succumbing to the temptation of power and greed. She was certain they couldn't. If she was able to ask, she knew her mother would tell her that she died of a broken heart...not some ailment, not anything else. Like her, her mother had also suffered.
Aleena. Lucy felt her heart lurch as she thought about her twin. If only things could've remained like it had been when they were younginnocent and carefree. But her sister was never one to look to the sun, to relish the warmth of the rays. She was like their father. And when she thought on it...she always had been. It hurt to admit that. Her sister had been her best friend, her protector. But in the end, she chose herself. She hadn't been worth a cent. A part of her wondered if their mother had lived if things would've been different...
But fate dealt them the hand they'd been given. It couldn't be changed. Though now that Lucy sat next to Jacobdead, alive, something else entirelyshe knew she wouldn't change it. She'd go through it all again.
"You're welcome," Lucy said, her words soft. Her green eyes shifted to her lap. She'd clasped her hands together, knuckles turning white where they rested. "I'm glad I can. I want to, you know." She looked up into Jacob's eyes and smiled. His hand brushed against her arm, sending shivers along her spine. She could feel her body tingling, warming in response to his touch. She wondered if he knew just how perfect he was...if Aleena had known. Biting down on her lower lip, she stared at her lap, the tension rising. Just then she heard the teakettle whistling on the stovetop. She jumped slightly at the sound, which caused her to let out a soft giggle. "Oh...tea is ready," she said, her cheeks pink, her eyes glazed with longing.
Lucy glanced over at the whistling kettle and sighed. More than anything, she did not want to get up. She did not want to spoil the moment, to break the contact. Frowning slightly, she shifted to stand up. Once up, she reached for Jacob's hand.
"Tea's ready," Lucy whispered. "Help me make it?"
gpt
Lucy had more on her mind than he could tell. He was good at reading people, he'd had to be in his line of work, but he was no mind reader. Or was he? He had snippets of her life, from her and this place. Happier times when it came to this place, but times that he shouldn't know, but times he couldn't unSee now that he had Seen. Was it fair? Was it right? he didn't have those answers. he had to keep thinking abotu what he was here for, he couldn't let hismelf dwell on what had happened, the fact that he was here.Stillhere. He shouldn't be here. He was dead. It had been over.
Or so he had thought. Prayed even.
Tea. Help making it? How did one help? Or was she just hoping for an excuse to keep him close? Did he blame her? Maybe a little. But if he was alone with his thoughts he had little doubt where he'd end up. And he didn't want that.
"Sure. Glad to." He answered, taking her outstretched hand, letting her pull him to his feet. He followed her to see what he needed to do. He acted on some instinct once within the kitchenette, getting mugs out of a cabinet. It felt odd, but somehow he'd known where to get them. Maybe some left over of the memories that he'd picked up? Hard to say. But he knew, and he knew properly. He turned his thoughts towards Lucy, turning her existence and presence around in him mind.
Why was she helping him? Well, she'd lost her sister. That was a reason. But what else had she said? Dreams? She'd seen him. Drawn him. Was he...Gods, did she literally see him as the man of her dreams? Was that it? It would explain a lot of her behaviour. And if she did...what was he going to do about it? The more he let it roll around in his head, the more he realized that there was nothingtodo about it. All he could do was what was left to him. And see what was left of him, or if there was something hat still needed to be done.
human
Lucy smiled as Jacob followed her into the kitchenette, her hand holding onto his. She let reluctantly let go as she neared the whistling kettle, steam rising from the spout. In careful movements, she took it off the burner and turned it off while she noticed Jacob set out some cups. A tiny warmth began to grow in the pit of her tummy at his actions. She knew it wasn't much, but him being there, staying with her...doing something as simple as make tea...it meant something. Though she figured he probably didn't know how much. It was simple gestures and actions like this that had the most profound effect.
"Thanks," Lucy mumbled as she picked up the kettle and began to pour the steaming liquid into the cups. With her free hand, she dropped the passionfruit tea bagsone per cupinto place, brown swirls mixing into the water. It smelled pleasant as it wafted through the steam. She inhaled deeply, a smile playing on her lips. Setting the kettle down, she turned back toward the cups and looked up at Jacob. Her green eyes glistened as she smiled at him, grateful to just be sharing the moment. Slowly, she let her hand move around the hot cup, fingers finding their way around the handle. "Ooh," she exclaimed, laughing lightly. "It's a bit hot. Be careful." Her smiled broadened and she brought the cup to her lips.
Lucy took a sip, the hot liquid touching her lips, her tongue and making its way down her throat. It was delicious, one of her favorites. And she hoped that Jacob liked it too. Her cheeks flushed, she pulled the cup away from her mouth and set it down against the counter with a light clink.
"It's quite good," Lucy said, her eyes looking away from Jacob and at her tea filled cup. She blinked then, her eyes closing for a bit longer than necessary. In that moment, she saw Jacob as she did in her dreamsnot with the heat and thunder, but in the way he always beckoned her to come. She knew she always would. It was impossible not to. She could see his eyes, the way they looked at her...or was that how he looked at Aleena? It was hard to know and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. And his mouth... She furrowed her eyebrows and opened her eyes, trying to shake the image. But she couldn't. Staring at the tea, she said, "I...I hope you like it."
gpt
Jacob reached for the mug, wrapping his hand around the glass, feeling the heat. It almost seared him, but not quite. The heat, the faint image of pain was a kind of grounding for him. It focused him. Centered him. Gave him something to overcome. He lifted the tea to his mouth, and drank. Hot indeed, and trailing all the way down. He had tried this kind of tea a few times before, but this time something was different. He could taste the flavour, feel it on his tongue, but it seemed...muted. Like he was a long way away. He looked at the cup a moment before looking back to Lucy.
"It is good. A good choice of tea." He agreed with her, smiling faintly. The flavour dampening made him wonder what else he might not have full access too. What other sensations might he be missing? Even the heat was a little more muted than it probably should be.
There was just so much going on in his head, it was hard to pin down any one line of thinking unless he had a clear reason to do so. A target. When he was taking his vengeance, giving justice to the deserving, then it was all so easy. A liberal application of violence, and it was all over with. Dealing with Lucy was different. How much of any gratitude or affection he felt towards her was just a residue from Aleena? Her appearance was distracting to say the least, but her mannerisms were different, almost unrecognizably so. There was none of the haughty overtones that he'd seen from Aleena when someone was getting in her way, but there wasn't that flat dedicated drive either. He had suspicions that Lucy was stronger than she thought, but it might lie in other directions.
He realized he'd been staring at her, and looked away. The crow croaked from it's perch on an armchair, calling attention back to it. Jacob let his eyes close, seeing the room fro the different eyes now, a bird's eye view. The longer he let himself see through the crow, the more he felt his own sense of understanding slip away. Until he only saw it through the eyes of the crow, through the mind almost. And this let him perhaps understand his purpose a little more. The room was only one thing. A distraction. Everything the crow saw it dismissed as unimportant. The implication was clear. Jacob was wasting time. He opened his eyes, let himself come back. Whatever judgement the crow had, he wasn't ready to take up the hunt once more. Not yet. He knew he would do it soon, but not just yet.
human
Once again, Lucy took a sip of her tea. The warm liquid tasted so good and felt so nice as it dripped down her throat. She'd missed this...this simple interaction with someone who didn't seem to mind taking a moment, relishing the little things that lifeoh, the ironyhad to offer. What's more, he was choosing her, if even just for a little while over what she knew was beckoning him, reaching into his mind with every tendril it had.
Lucy blushed under Jacob's gaze, wishing the moment could last. But the crow let out its call. It...it disapproved. She knew it in her gut and it hurt. Her green gaze shifted toward the large bird and she nodded, lowering her head as a sadness began to fill her, causing her hands to tremble.
Life was too cruel. But she was beginning to learn her place in it.
Setting her cup down, Lucy looked back at Jacob, her eyes not quite reaching his, and tried not to let on her awareness of thingsof the crow, his desire. She gave him a smile and touched his hand. "We should finalize plans," she stated. "In the morningearlywe can go to Aleena's." She paused. "We can go from there and if we find someone along the way..." Her eyes moved up and locked onto his. "We'll adapt. And I...I'm sorry we're not out there now."
Lucy frowned slightly. She was slowing Jacob down. Searching herself deep inside, she knew she was. And with the way she felt the crow looking at her with its sharp eyes...she was sure the bird knew it too.
But those dreams...she couldn't let them go. She wouldn't.
"J-just let me sleep a little? Before we go?" Lucy asked, her eyes glimpsing the crow and then going back to Jacob. Her expression was both hopeful and apologetic. She just hoped he wouldn't leave while she slept though she certainly knew he'd be there in her dreams...
gpt
"it's all about...time. I can search the city for days, and maybe never find them. Or learn why they did what they did. You...you might know, or help me know. We take the time to trust you now. And save the time later. It's...all going to work out. Sleep Lucy. I'll...be here. When you wake. And in case...anythign goes wrong while you sleep." HJacob spoke quietly, but clearly, not talking to the floor, but not able to proeprly look her in eye either. The thought of going to Aleena's was a hard one, a lot of time and memories tied in that plac,e and it frightened him to be there. But it had to be done. Aleena might have some information in her place, maybe even a reason that she was meeting with Ben.
Jacob reached out a hand, and rest it on her shoulder, this time without a hesitation. Whatever he saw, he saw. She needed a moment of comfort, a confirmation that he didn't blame her, hate her, wouldn't justleaveher. She wanted to help, and he needed all the help he could get. And if he was being honest, he wanted her help. A sense of humanity, normalcy. It wasn't fair for him to lean on her like this, ue her presence as a reason to be human, to be...not what he was when he found the men that had done what they did to him.
"Sleep well." He all but whispered to her.
When she'd gone, he sat on the chair, looking at the crow. He stared at the bird, seeing the inky darkness of it's eyes, taking it in. The crow didn't waver, didn't make a sound, just stared at him. Jacob closed his eyes, falling into the sight of the bird, seeing himself, seeing the ragged weight that was pressing down on him. he was sure at this point he didn't sleep, would never sleep again. The dead had no need to return to that half-state, no need to dream.
She slows us down. You keep her out of a sense of emotional attachment, to the one you lost. You torture yourself, and you torture her. Why do you do this to you both?The sound didn't come from the bird, yet it was the bird. There was no doubt it had to be, for the sound and tone in his mind was nothing like what he sounded like to himself.
"She's...all I have to hold onto now." He breathed, speaking as calmly as he could, fighting tears, fighting a release of the break-wall in his mind, the emotional dam that kept what little was left of him intact.
She's all that who you were can hang onto right now. All that Jacob Kelvis is holding onto. But Jacob Kelvis is dead. He died last week. Let him rest.
"I can't. He couldn't rest. It followed him. It was supposed to be over bird. It was supposed...to...be over." Jacob buried his face into his hands, fighting back a wracking sob that set his body to trembling. He couldn't stop seeing, couldn't not see himself in the eyes of the crow. He saw himself larger, knew the crow had come closer, felt it's feet on his knee, felt the hard beak press into his arm.
Ah kid. I can't give you the answer to that.Jacob shook again, the sob almsot a full body convulsion that slid the chair back a few inches from the motion. He clenched his fists until he swore he heard the knuckles creaking. He got the barest scrap of a handle on himself, and wiped his eyes, looking up at the window. The dam was back up, the break-wall in place, but both were more frail than before, and he knew that they wouldn't hold any better than the last ones.
human
Lucy looked to the crow and then to Jacob. She gave him a nod, her eyes suddenly feeling quite heavy. His words eased her mind a little, though she could tell a part of him still wanted to run out into the nightto hunt. He was a predator. That much was clear. But he was willing to put things on holdto waitdespite that gnawing instinct she could sense emanating from him from every pore. Was it for her or for something else? She wasn't entirely sure, but she was grateful and a part of her liked the idea of pretending that she was the reason. Even if she wasn't.
"Thank you," Lucy whispered, her green eyes having trouble staying open. She raked a hand through her nearly dry hair, wild red curls falling in front of her eyes before she pushed them away. She let out a soft sigh just then, Jacob's hand on her shoulder feeling quite nicethe weight of it, the warmth. For a moment, she imagined reaching for his hand, resting her cheek against it as her lips pressed against his palm.
But it was something she'd never do. Not when she felt so unsure, so...vulnerable and lost.
Slowly, Lucy pushed herself up from the chair, all contact suddenly lost. How she wished she could get it back, if only for a moment. A shiver ran along her spine, her hands rubbing along her arms through the thin material of the button down she donned. Giving Jacob a groggy smile, she stumbled off to the bedroom and waved absently making her way toward the bed. She left the door ajar and snuggled deep under the blankets, letting the darkness of dreams swallow her whole.
Thunder and heat...it was nowhere to be found. Not this time. Lucy walked through the blackness, the sound of shattered glass crunching beneath her feet. In the void, she saw the shadow, that silhouette she'd come to know so well. His face...that beautiful face. Her gaze was drawn to his eyesit was the eyes that always called to her first. They were dark and mysterious, hidden in shadow against the paleness of his face. Then his mouth...that mouth that said her name over and over. She could hear him whispering it, urging her forward, calling her to him. She would follow. She always would. Those shadowed lips showed her a smile, a promise. Her heart began to race, her body almost floating as she moved closer, arms stretched. She could almost touch him, feel him! The desire was so strong! Tears filled her eyes, the air swirling and cold as their lips almost met...
Lucy's eyes shot open and she sucked in a breath, her eyes damp with tears. The dreams...so cruel and twisted, a vice on her heart, her mind, yet she'd never give them up... She sat up, unaware of time or anything, and felt her body shaking. She swallowed hard and licked her lips, the images so vivid in her head. It had almost felt realhis breath against her lips, all of it. Then, all of her dreams of Jacob felt real and she knew in her heart...they always would.
gpt
There was no hunger within him. No thirst. The dead needed no such things, and he was coming to know what his limitations would be. He had every instinct that any food he might eat would do nothing for him. better to save himself the effort. Still, he was going to be venturing out with Lucy this morning, and she was still breathing, still needed to concern herself with mortal needs. And he could help her with that.
The kitchenette was a simple place, and he hunted through it, looking for a tea that would help keep her awake. He found a box of Zest, and smiled, having more than a few memories of that tea for himself. Many a late night he'd had a pot of it on hand, and it had kept him going. Ben had been mre traditional, ssticking to coffee. But Jacob had always claimed that he was a journalist, wanting something more excotic just made sense. That and coffee had always tasted vile to him. Whoever owned this place had decent taste. The Zest was Apple Cinnamon, and he started to brew the tea. The sun was coming up, and he wanted to make sure that there were as few delays as possible. He went into the fridge, finding eggs, and set to work. He'd been a poor enough cook for anything elaborate, but Breakfast and sandwiches he was hell on wheels. Eggs, they were simple, but provided a solid foundation for the day ahead. A plate of them, a side of sliced ham to add to the mix, and it was the best he could do without some additional resources that he didn't have. With some luck, Lucy would be good with it. He hoped she wasn't a vegan or the like.
Jacob set the plate in the microwave, closing it, sealing in the heat. It would keep it warmer for her. As he saw the sky brightening, he head to the bedroom to wake Lucy.
She was sprawled out, looking peaceful as she slept off her day. And it had been a trying one to say the least. He hesitated a moment, before looking over at the table beside the bed, and finding the crow sitting there, staring him down. Was it guarding her? Keeping an eye on her so he would be able to know she was all right no matter where he went? He turned back to Lucy, seeing her again, seeing how much she looked like Aleena, poor lost Aleena. He knelt beside the bed, moving closer. All it would take was a single nudge, he could wake her, but he did find himself reluctant to do so. Closer to her, almost there now. Not realizing what he was about to do, finding himself inches from her, close enough to breathe in the scent of her, his lips scnat inches away, what breath he had mixing with her own and-
Boy, what are you doing? Will this help her? Will it help you?The voice of the crow rang in his mind, and Jacob closed his eyes, moving silently away from Lucy, knowing the bird was right. So it was there to protect her in a fashion. Just not to protect her from outside threats, more to protect her from him. The crow was a better soul that he had thought. He tread back to the door, and instead of how he'd been about to wake her, he rapped hard on the door, seeing her nearly wake on her own without it.
"Hey. It's morning. And...there's food for you if you like." He said quietly from the door. He turned from her in case she wwanted to change, or do anything else that he didn't need to be present for.
He had only a few moments, some time to process what he'd been about to do. WHy was he doing this? Why was he letting his mind track acros Lucy and see her in the same light that he'd seen ALeena? No, not the same light, but one that came fro the same place. Yes, there was a despair in him that he wanted to bury underneath the weight of any other emotion. If the crow had not spoken, if he had kissed her again...He thought about it, still felt the tingling on his lips from the last time that he had kissed her. But in his state he had no idea what he might have done this morning. Fragile was a good word for what he was. And that fragility would make him dangerous to be around...and not for the reasons that he would normally associate with.
human
The light was faint, but thin slivers filtered into the room through the drawn curtains. Lucy stared at them, her body still trembling from the dream. Absently, she touched her lips, eyes closing, remembering how it almost felt...how it did feel the other night.
Only Jacob hadn't meant to kiss her when he had that one time. Lucy knew it, hell she felt it. He'd been thinking of Aleena, a lost soul brought back from death to wander, to find purpose. There was no way such a man could see anything in her. It was damn cruel she'd had the visionsnightmares, dreamsand all of them revolving around Jacob. He had a higher purpose, a darker one and she was an extraneous piece of that puzzle.
Somehow fate pushed her to him. Why? Lucy could only guess...
As Lucy pushed the blankets off, she heard Jacob's voice just outside her door. Turning her head, she smiled. "Good morning. I'll be out in a minute," she answered. Slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed letting them dangle for a moment before sliding off the soft mattress.
Lucy padded over to the closet and opened it. Surely Layla had something else she could borrow. Going through the girl's things, she finally settled on a pale green t-shirt and black leggings. She didn't bother with the door, but turned so that her back faced it. First, she removed the old gray leggings, sliding them off her body only to put the new ones on in there place. Then, she unbuttoned the shirt and slipped it off, letting it fall to the floor. Bare on top, she sucked in a breath and reached for the t-shirt and pulled it over her head. Once done, she headed toward the door.
The scent of food wafted into Lucy's nose as she exited the bedroom. Smiling and raking a hand through her mussed, red curls, she found herself both impressed and grateful for the meal Jacob had prepared.
"Wow," Lucy whispered, green eyes going wide. "This...this looks fantastic." Her cheeks flushed, goose bumps forming along her arms. The t-shirt she wore revealed more than she realized as she averted her gaze. "Thank you."
gpt
Jacob smiled at Lucy's words about the food.
"Not my best I'm afraid. But...best I could manage with what I had." Jacob said with a half apology. He set a fork on the plate, adn slid it closer to her on the table. He took in the sight of her in the current outfit, and had to look away. not because he didn't like what he saw, but quite the opposite. He knew what you could do with a body like that if you dressed to impress. Aleena had shown that more thn a few times. But Lucy...what she had was an almost effortless kind of presence about her. A very firm every-day girl-next-door kind of look to her. And if he was being honest, he was starting to realize the way Lucy carried herself was actually a way that he might have preferred in a woman. But that was not a direction he was allowing himself to explore right now. Maybe not ever. Likely not ever.
"I...I'm just going to clean up a little." He told her, making a steady retreat, but not a hasty one. The bathroom was simply appointed, and he turned on the sink. Hot water poured out, and he leaned down to gather it in his hands. He scrubbed at his face, driving away the last of the detrius from the previous night away, the small flecks of asphalt, and other, less wholesome thigns. He had to get his head in the game, keep himself sharp. He needed his old instincts awake when they reached their destination. He needed to find out what the hell was going on. Why they'd come for him. Why Ben and Aleena had been brought down with him. Knowing why was at least as important as setting it as right as it could be made. His hands still felt like there was a layer of grime on them, but he knew why, and knew it was all in his head. But he still felt like there was blood on his hands. He turned off the facet, and dried his face. The heat had been scorching, and it almost brought some colour back to his skin. He leaned on the wall, looking at himself int he mirror, and thinking of what was outside this room. THinking of Lucy, he noticed somethign odd. His colur seemed to imporve, flushing back to something that resembled normal. Focusing on that instead of her had him fade once more. But that was a curiosity for another day he thought. He rehung the towel, and head back out of the bathroom.
"As soon as you're ready, we'll head out."
human
Lucy stepped closer to Jacob, peeking at the food he'd set out for her to eat. She smiled, her eyes shifting between it and Jacob's face. Licking her lips, she dared to take another step. Slowly, she tilted her head causing tousled red curls to fall over slim shoulders. Arching a brow, she watched Jacob, his face expressive yet somehow unreadable. Still...he looked uneasy, on edge. She gave him a nod as he suddenly excused himself, darting toward the bathroom. His pace wasn't rushed, but she sensed his need to leave, to let her be alone while she ate. Letting out a soft sigh, she picked up one of the plates of food and brought it to the table so that she could eat.
The food was delicious. It was simple, but so very good and exactly what she needed after everything that had happened. Lucy's entire world had gone topsy-turvy in a matter of moments. One minute she'd rushed out into the night, nightmares trailing her every move...the next she was being rescued by an angelic manshe refused to see Jacob as anything elsefrom the horrors that skulked in the shadows, people that worked for her father and others like him.
When Lucy finished, Jacob still hadn't returned from the bathroom. Though she could clearly hear the sound of water rushing from the faucet. Not wanting to dwell on what he might be doing, she padded over to the sink with her empty plate and began to wash everything up. There was something pleasant about doing dishes right then. Jacob had made breakfast and now she was tidying things up. There was a sense of normal, a sense of right about it. As she placed the rinsed dishes in the drying rack, she looked up, Jacob standing before her.
"Ohh..." Lucy whispered, somewhat startled, but happy to see Jacob had returned. She gave him a nod and dried off her hands. She looked at around the place. Everything had been cleaned up. All she'd needed to do was make the bed she'd slept in. "Just a moment and I'll be ready," she said. "By the way...breakfast was delicious." Her cheeks turned pink, her gaze moving to the dishes she'd just stacked as she smiled.
Lucy then headed into the bedroom and quickly made the bed. She decided to leave her old clothes, which were still a bit damp for Layla in return for the clothes she was taking. She found a pair of sneakers and socks and another hoodie in the closet and snatched them up. She left the room and put on the socks and sneakers and then slipped her arms into the sleeves of the hoodie, leaving the thing unzipped.
"I'm ready whenever you are," Lucy replied as she rummaged through her still wet hoodie from the night before, which she'd left out for Layla. She removed the last of her cash and her spare key and shoved it into the pocket of the hoodie she now wore. Looking up at Jacob, she gave him a nod, her insides twisting and fluttering. "Let's go."
gpt
It wasn't about what was easy, it was about what was right. It would be easier, probably for both of them in th long run, if Jacob left Lucy here or the like, and soldiered on alone. But it wasn't about easy. And leaving her behind wouldn't have been right. Not really. He shifted slightly, unlocking the door, gettign ready to head out of it, but still waiting for Lucy. When she reappeared, she was once again clad in a hoody which both helped and hindered his thoughts of her all at once.
"All right. Let's go then." He opened the door, held it for her, old instincts of something that resembled chivalry kickign in again. You held the door for a lady. He closed it after they left, gave Lucy a moment to lock it behind them, before they left the building.
Aleena's. He was quite certain that neither of them wreally wanted to go there. But it was the place to go, hopefully to find something that they could use. Jacob knew the way. It was going to rain again. You could smell it in the air. The clouds had been rolling in steadily. THe sun tried it's damnedest to shine, but the clouds were just too heavy to manage it. Still, there was a twilight feel to the day, and enough light to keep the street lights off. It was actually a shorter walk than he'd thought, especially by taking a shortcut through some of the side streets.
When they reached the building, Jacob looked up at it, taking in the firm, hard lines of the place. Aleena had a loft apartment, the top floor. It was a large place, he remembered that clearly. ANd when he moved to the front door of the building, he unhesitatnly punched in a code to the door buzzer. The door popped open for them. Jacob held the door for Lucy again, before following her inside.
Aleena's door had an X of police tape over it, showing that the place was still under investigation. Jacob knelt, and slid a finger along the bottom of the door. Sure enough, the spare key was still stuck there, adn he pulled it free. The unlocking was quick, and he pushed the door wide. Taking a deep breath, he went within.
human
There was an odd feeling of reluctance settling in Lucy's tummy as she and Jacob left Gabe's apartment. To think she'd originally felt strange bringing him there. But the thought of going to her sister'sAleena'sit just wasn't setting well. Of course, she'd brought it up the night before, knew there was a good chance going would help Jacob with...whatever mission he was on. Still, a part of hera large partfeared what would happen once they got there.
The walk seemed shorter than Lucy remembered. And she hated that, each step increasing that impending sense of dread. But she wouldn't let it show. She couldn't. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the black asphalt and tried to keep her mind free of thoughts.
Too many lingered on the man she followed.
As they approached that all too familiar building, though one Lucy hadn't visited in well over a year, she felt her hands begin to shake. Without further thought, she shoved them into the pockets of her hoodie. She glanced up, her eyes catching sight of the window she knew belonged to her twin. She took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. Running her fingers through her hair, she gave one of her red curls a tug and steeled herself for the inevitable.
Though Lucy remembered the place from the outside, it was amazing as to how much she'd forgotten on the inside. Or was it just that things had changed? It was hard to say and it didn't help that the closer they got to Aleena's door, the more apparent it had become that her place had become a crime scene. Her tummy lurched, her heart pounding as the reality began to sink in. She glanced at Jacob, desperate to know his thoughts, but terrified at the same time. Once they arrived at Aleena's door, he knew how to get in.
Why did this surprise her? Why did it...hurt?
Shaking the thought and trying to push the emotions down, Lucy just followed Jacob inside. Everything seemed to be in order, nothing out of place. But that was Aleena. Her sister had been the epitome of perfection.
"Where do you want to start?" Lucy asked, her voice soft, unsure. "I..." she continued, trying to find her resolve, "Do you know what you're looking for?"
gpt
There was only one thing that Jacob was here for, and he knew it well.
"Answers." He said quietly, eyes tracking around the oh so familiar place. Which was, in and off itself, odd. This was a crime scene, the dwelling of a murdered person. Why was nothing out of place? It was like they hadn't gone through the place at all. But then, there were two other murdered people in the incident. Maybe they just hadn't gotten around to Aleena's place yet. Unlikely, but possible. Jacob ran his hand along the wood of a cabinet in the living room, expecting flash after flash of memory. But it didn't come to him this time. There was a faint tapping at the window, and he moved to it quickly, opening it wide. The crow fluttered in, croaking faintly.
Jacob moved across the living room, seeing an envelope on the coffee table. He lifted it, and looked withing. Pictures. Pictures of Aleena.
"What..." He all but whispered, looking at them closely. These were not pictures taken to commemorate a moment. These were surveillance photos. And what was more, he recognized the style. "Ben, why were you watching her?" He asked aloud. Aleena was typically sitting at a table, usually across from various men that Jacob did recognize. Mostly city officials, which made sense, he knew that Aleena did some high profile work. She didn't answer him directly with what she did exactly, but he knew it had a lot to do with running the business side of the city. Her father was a major player after all.
He set the envelope down, more confused than he'd been before.
"Why? Ben what were you doing?" He asked no one in particular. He looked back to the envelope, blinking as he saw that there was a small ntoe within it. He snatched it up, and read it quickly. It was Ben's meticulous scrawl of writing, a number to contact if Aleena wanted to meet about the pictures, and what else was involved. What else was involved? What exactly had Ben gotten involved in? What hadAleenagotten involved in? He touched the writing on the note, hoping-
Ben scribing the note, moving hesitantly. In a lot of trouble if this goes south. Comitting to it with this one gesture. No way back if he did it. And knowing that he would be telling Jacob, hopeflly before ti all went down. But no promises. Had to do this right. Could all go south in an instant. Packed the envelope, sealed it, dropped it in his outgoign mail box. waited. Only time would tell.
Jacob gasped as he snapped from the vision. Ben had known. Known that he was risking everything on this one blind gamble of hope. had been into something. Jacob wracked his brain. They had been working on something. A case. Something to do with one of the local businesses, and that business being teid up in a lot of illegal activities. Ben ahd been on point for it, but Jacob had been working a few connections that were mroe likely to talk to a journalist than a PI.
Jacob turned, his fingers brushing along the couch, and-
Darkness in the room, faint glow of a movie on the TV, warmth, warmth all around him. Blanket over him, laying on his side. Aleena on her side as well in front of him, nestled close, head resting on his arm, his free arm draping over her, figners tracing faint lines under her shirt on her stomach, and her smile at the moment.
"Movie's terrible." Her voice languid, easy, filling the short space between them, making him smile.
"It is." His voice in agreement, not wanting to lose the moment of being close. Her head turning to him, a smile that is both playful and wicked on her face, leaning in, her lips on his, her hand reaching for his, sliding it further up her body-
"No!" His voice was raw, naked, torn, the sound ripped from him like it was a physical pain. He staggered, falling over the arm of the couch without a second thought to put him on his back. His feet clawed at the floor, pushing him back tot he wall, head in his hands, tears in his eyes, fighting to push the memory away. It wasn't working. He could still taste her lips, still smell her hair, his hands even stil tingled from the feel of her skin. He grit his teeth, fingers moving to either side of his head, pressing, the pain of the action trying to center, him, this time not working at all. Too much around him, too much reminder. His voice gave a ragged sob as he shivered from it all.
human
Lucy nodded. Really, what more could she expect? She had no idea why her father wouldn't inform her about her own sister's death. Sure, the two hadn't been all that close over the past year or so and the man knew she hated him, but...would he really keep that sort of information hidden from her? It just seemed too cruel. But as she looked around, Aleena nowhere in sight and the tape blocking things outside the doorway, she felt as if she'd had her answers. At least in that regard. It stung, hurt badly to know that such people were her family, her blood.
Nothing looked out of the ordinary as far as Lucy could tell. All the furniture was well kept and in order, no papers were strewn on the floor or anywhere odd. Everything just looked perfect. As it always did whenever she went to Aleena's. She watched Jacob as he slowly paced the room, his hand brushing along things as he moved. She felt a pit form in her tummy as she watched, knowing that he was somehow seeing things, feeling things. Ugh, she thought she was going to be sick.
As tears welled in Lucy's eyes, she heard Jacob mumbling to an envelope he picked up over on the coffee table. He began to thumb through what appeared to be a series of pictures. From the glance she got, she knew some of them were of Aleena. The shock of red was clue enough. Absently, she reached up and tugged on her own hair, stretching out one of her loose curls before finally letting it go. The place felt cold. Colder than it ever had and she didn't like it. If it hadn't been so important to find out why Aleena had diedand Ben and Jacobshe'd have left the premises immediately. But too much was at stake, too many had died and her own family was somehow involved. Deep down she knew her father was also a part of things. But what was his role?
Lucy remembered the thug that had been watching her, the one who'd...she didn't want to finish that thought.
Slowly, Lucy walked through Aleena's place, just staring at everything. Remembering.
"You could have a place like this, you know," Aleena stated, a smug grin on her face. "Daddy would see to it."
Lucy just shook her head and stretched out on the couch. "I'd never be happy in something like this."
"Are you kidding me?" Aleena scoffed, her eyes widening. "I don't know how you manage in that hole you call a home."
Lucy frowned, but then smiled. "Well, I like it."
"Don't know how." Aleena walked over to the window and looked out onto the city.
There was a silence. Lucy shifted and sat up a bit, her fingers tracing the floral tattoo over her one arm. "I'm not like you Aleena."
Just then Lucy jumped, her head turning to see Jacob shaking, falling over the couch and onto the floor with a hard thwack. Immediately, she raced over to his side and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "Shh..." she whispered. "Are you okay?" Her expression was all worry and concern, her eyes desperately pleading with him, begging that he let her help. It was clear something was tormenting him. A memory? A realization? It was so hard to tell. "D-did you find something? I...I..." she was stumbling over her words, her heart aching as she watched him suffer. "What did you find?" She glanced over at the envelope he'd been looking at earlier. Perhaps talking about that would distract him, help him a little. She'd do anything to ease his pain. "I saw you looking at an envelope."
gpt
Too much. Remembering it was all too much, he couldn't balance it wirthin himself, find a way to hold it all together. Jacob was flying apart. The last time he'd been like this he'd had to kill someone to blot it all out, drown the despair in blood and violence. But now the only person around was Lucy, and he knew he certainly wasn't going to hurt her. That would be the last thing he did. Even without looking he knew she was there. The change in the light, the fact he could just feel her thee. Her hand was warm, soft, and her palm on his cheek made him almost jerk away. So like Aleena.
But then...that wasn't true. He had expected a flash of memory to drill into his mind, but instead it was just a normal recollection. Aleena had never been tehre as a comfort like this. Her hand never touched his face like this. It was always fingers, two at a time, on his chin, turning his head. Directing him to her. A silent command, directing him to look her in the eye. Not a comfort, not what she offered, she offered a way of dispelling what was bothering him by cold logic and intruction. Almost denying that heshouldbe feeling like he did. The commanding presence was a big part of her, but what was there now, with Lucy was so very different. It was a comfort, a desire to be there. And that warmth was a comfort to him, more than he expected it to be. His eyes squeezed shut, willing himself to feel that warmth, to let it help him.
He could imagine it, the warmth surrounding him, pressed to him, filling that void in him, letting him find a place to let go, to find a differetn center to keep focused on things. He let out a shuddering breath, and opened his eyes. The warmth didn't dissipate, and now he knew why. At some point he'd stopped paying attention, and dragged Lucy to him, had wrapped his arms around her, was holding her tightly to him, had embraced her as though she had been the only lifeline that he could find. He loosened his arms, but didn't push her away. That...wouldn't be right. Or fair, and while a part of him screamed to get distance beteen them before she got the wrong idea, beforehegot the wrong idea. But being close to her was...nice. It made him feel human again. But he wasn't anyore. He was something else. He closed his eyes, adn sighed, hands coming to her shoudlers to lightly push her away, but not far, only so far as to be able to look her in the eye.
"I'm sorry about that. But...thank you." He said quietly, eyes blinking back another few tears.
human
Something wasn't right. Lucy could see it plain as day as she watched Jacob, her hand gently resting against his cheek. She swallowed hard, hoping her words might snap him out of whatever hell he might be in. But it was no use. He had to endure it, let it run its course and she'd stay by his side while it did. She inched closer, daring to lean over when he reached out, strong hands grasping at her tiny body and pulling her close.
For a moment, Lucy was lost, her senses reeling as she let her body mold to Jacob's. His arms felt nice as he held her, familiar, right. She closed her eyes. They stung as they pricked with tears threatening to fall, to mar her cheeks with stains of something she feared would be taken away, something that could never be.
Lucy sucked in a sharp and shuddering breath. Life was so unfair! Why bring her to him, why?
Just then, Lucy felt the 'push'. The inevitable end as Jacob moved away from her heat and everything else she had to offer. Her heart ached. He was thinking of Aleena. She knew it in every fiber of her being, her soul. He'd loved her sister...and she couldn't compare to thateven if she didn't understand how someone as wonderful as this man got involved with her twin.
Ugh! What was she thinking? Lucy suddenly felt so selfish, so horrible! How could she think these things of her sister just after she'd died? Sure, they had a past, she'd abandoned her for power, money... But she was still her sister. Her twin.
"Y-you're welcome," Lucy said softly, sniffling a little. She noticed Jacob's tears, her heart wrenching all the more. How could she have such hopes and expectations when it was clear he was missing Aleena? Still in love with Aleena?
She was a fool...a selfish fool.
"You have nothing to be sorry about," Lucy continued. She tugged on a stray red curl. "I..." her voice trailed and suddenly it was too difficult to hold Jacob's gaze. "Maybe it's me who should be apologizing." She looked up and bit down on her lower lip. "I...I'm confusing you. I..." Again, she looked away, the dreams she had night after night pounding against her skull. "I just wish I could help you more."
If only I didn't look like Aleena...maybe then it would be different.Only Lucy wasn't so sure. She was nothing like her sister and never would be. It was probably why she was still alone and why, she feared, she always would be.
gpt
"Confusing...?" Jacob muttered a moment. "No..not..." He trailed off, his mind searching through what was actually happening to him, what kind of emotion and thought process he had. "Sometimes yes." He had to be honest, admit it. "But not...not in the ways you think. I see you, and have to remind myself who I'm looking at. I watch you move, listen to you speak, I don't have that problem. What I just did...I needed someone to be there. A touchstone to remind me that I'm not alone that there is something that needs doing and I can't just hide from it. I..." he looked away a moment, before movnig his hand to hers, bringing it back to him, placing it on his cheek, feeling that flush of heat from her, though not as much this time. He could see his own hand show decidedly less pale, almost normal. "I didn't need her. She wouldn't have been there like that. She'd have done something to force me to put it aside, change my priority. You were there to...support. Let me get through it. I needed you. Lucy."
It was odd to be telling the twin sister of his murdered girlfriend that he'd needed her, and knew that on some level there was all kinds of wrong impulses firing through his brain. He smiled at her, and stood up, keeping a hold of her hand to pull her to her feet. He stood a moment before making a conscious decision this time. He put his arms around her, and hugged her, tightly, for a moment. he let her go, and stepped back.
"I don't know if I'd be able to do this without you. So thank you for sticking with me." He said to her with a genuine smile. He shifted slightly, but arrested his momentum. He didn't want to get too carried away. "Let's...keep looking. And I'll try not to freak out again." He said the last softly, the look in his eyes when he saw her being one of gratitude, but there was nothing of regret in them.
He stepped away from her, moving towards Aleena's office. He needed something. Some kind of hard lead to follow. The office wasn't locked. He found everything in meticulous order. He nudged a picture on the wall, tilting it slightly. Aleena had been driven mad by the little ritual he had with that, but it had always made him smile. Little things. He saw a folder on the desk within and sighed. He closed his eyes, and reached out his hand, touching it-
Aleena looking at the folder, phone pinned between her shoulder and neck.
"Yes. No. No, I can't do it. Fine, have Carlos and Brusier meet up at the Industry. Yes I know it's a halloween dance, that's why they're going there. It's loud, and no one will notice them. I'll try to be there, but just make sure they make it, no matter what." She was barking into the phone. Half heard agreements came. Aleena shifting her head, phone falling onto the desk wher she could hang it up. Sighing. Work work work.
Jacob withdrew his hand, this time no snap from it. Whether he was getting used to it, or it was just not as painful a memory, he didn't know. Bruiser. He knew in his mind, from one of the memories he'd taken from a thug that was the name of one of the men who had killed him. Not an imaginative one, for certain, but one of them. Jacob scoured the desk, finding what he'd been looking for. The address. The Industry was a club, and they were indeed holding a Halloween dance party. He looked at the information, and scowled. Acouplesdance. So he'd need help just to get inside. He felt himself actually smiling. He moved back to find Lucy.
"You said you wanted to help more. I need your help tonight." He started. He felt his face stretch into a wide grin. "Do you have a outfit? We're going to a party." He said with a glimmer in his eye.
human
Liquid heat washed over Lucy's skin as Jacob spoke to her, his words like a soft caress. It was what she'd wanted to hear, needed to hearthough a part of her knew it was wrong. She should be mourning the loss of her sister, not feeling things for the resurrected soul of her lover, boyfriend...she wasn't sure what he was to Aleena. The longer she spent with Jacob, the harder it was to swallow that the two had anything in common at all, that Aleena would give him the time of day, that...
That Jacob would want someone like her twin.
Lucy felt awful for thinking and feeling such things. But she was human and it couldn't be helped. Logically, she understood this, but... She supposed it was her lot in life to suffer for having such thoughts and desires given everything that had happened to Aleena.But what about her own suffering? Being abandoned by her family? Wasn't that worth something?She just wished life, for once, wouldn't choose to spit in her face.
"I'm glad I can be here for you," Lucy whispered, her heart thumping hard in her chest as Jacob brought her hand back to his cheek. "I...I want to be." Jacob seemed content in the moment, letting it linger before finally moving to stand up, pulling her along with him. She wasn't sure if he knew, but she'd gladly follow him anywhere. Yes, the dreams had started it all, allowed her to find him. But somehow she knew in her heart that had they crossed paths, she'd be feeling the same way despite it all. Just then, he hugged her, interrupting her thoughts and causing it to become a swirl of color. She took in the feel of him, letting herself rest against his body in a way that felt more than right. "You're welcome," she replied when he thanked her and she gave him a nod at the suggestion that they resume their search of the place.
Lucy wasn't sure what more they would find. As it was, things just felt off somehow though she wasn't sure how to explain it. She was still curious about the pictures Jacob had found, what they meant exactly. Maybe Jacob would remember eventually, but only time would tell and she didn't want to press him if he wasn't ready to relive that memory. It would come to him when it was time. She knew that. In the meantime, they could continue looking around and seeing what else might be lurking in the perfectly pristine corners of Aleena's place. She watched Jacob stalk through the main room and head toward the office. Without further thought, she followed. He touched a few things, but stopped short when his hands settled on a folder.
"What is it?" Lucy asked inching closer.
Jacob turned toward Lucy, a grin plastered on his face. She thought she might melt right there as she stared into his eyes, full of dark mischief. He had a plan. She could sense it. Something had been revealed and it was something that would allow him to fulfill his purpose. That was the only thing that seemed to give him that special gleam in his eyes, that one that showed purpose, determination. Vengeance.
"A party?" Lucy stated more than asked. "W-well, I can definitely go to one, if that's what you need." She tilted her head a bit unsure as to what Jacob meant. Glancing over his shoulder, she read the paper he was holding. It was information about one of the local clubsIndustry. She'd heard of it. It was a rival establishment to one owned by her father's. As such, she knew he sent his people there to spy on their operations, sometimes to even sabotage or steal. It was the way of their corrupt corporate world and she hated it. "And, um, my place probably isn't safe to go to for me to get an outfit, but..." her voice trailed. "I can use something of Aleena's though." She winced, unsure if doing that was even appropriate. "We're the same size. Always have been." Biting down on her lower lip, she took a tiny step back. "What kind of outfit are we talking about? Industry is a goth club typically. Is this the Halloween Party they've been advertizing?"
gpt
Jacob nodded as she spoke.
"It is the Halloween party. If it's mainly gothic, we'll want to blend in to things. Let us move around inside without calling attention to ourselves. And then...do what needs to be done. And..." He swallowed, knowing that what he was asking her to do with this wasn't a sinple thing. He was asking her to go through her recently dead twin sisters things and pick out something. His recently dead girlfriends thigns. But needs must, and his need was high. "...thanks again for being willing to help." He smiled at her, and walked past her, hand on her shoulder a moment, silently thanking her again, the grin melting away to an honest smile, one that seemed less...manic.
Jacob moved back to the entrance, checking the closet there. He'd left a few thigns here over the last few months, and Aleena hadn't seemed to mind really. There it was, the long black coat that he'd needed one night, but iot had been too warm the next morning for it, so he'd just left it. He lifted it out, and folded it over one arm. Step one taken care of. A long black coat was almost wardrobe enough for a gothic club, but he did want to make sure that he wasn't going to be instantly recognized by anyone. He might enjoy having one of the men he was looking for know who he was, know that their sins had come for them.
You shouldn't be involving her like this.The voice was reproachful, displeased.
"She wants to help." Jacob replied quietly.
You are putting her in danger. And you know it. I...you were not brought back to endanger innocent people.
"She wants to help. And it's not my place to tell her how to live her life."
Is it not your place to tell her how to co-exist with your own life? Admit to yourself that you want to keep her close to you for not altruistic reasons.
"I want to run from her and never see her again crow. And I want to keep her close so I know she's safe. I never want to hear her speak again, and I want to hear everythign about her all at once. I want so much from her, and nothing at all. Until I can sort out how I feel I'm going to keep doing what feels like the right thing."
You could make it into this club without her.
"Not quietly. I could storm in sure, but that would likely make me kill a lot of people that might not deserve it, and I likely still won't find the man I'm looking for. No, I need to go in quietly. I need Lucy's help for that. IwantLucy's help for that. And she wants to give it."
"Be it on your head. This will end in tears.The crow fluttered away from Jacob, landing on the counter in the kitchen , pointedly ignoring him.
human
Lucy could still feel the warmth of Jacob's hand, the weight of it, on her shoulder after he'd walked past. She longed for more of that...simple contact, the closeness. But she felt his hesitations, the reservations and knew a lot of it had to do with Aleena. How could it not be? No doubt he was suffering from confusion and a slew of other emotions since returning. And she was no better. Though she also knew what she felt.
Pushing her feelings aside for the time being, Lucy began to search through Aleena's clothes for the perfect outfit to wear to Industry. And not just to the club that rivaled one of her father's, but one that would be hosting a Halloween event that would more than likely going down in infamy. She needed to dress to kill.
Ironic thought...those were Jacob's intentions.
A shiver ran along Lucy's spine and she shuddered. Though it wasn't out of fear. It was something else, something she couldn't explain. Shaking it off, she went back to her search and found a pair of skin tight black leather shorts. Her cheeks flushed at how short they were, the things not covering much. It definitely wasn't her usual choice of attire, but it would work for a place like Industry. She then found a low cut black top with sheer sleeves. Like the shorts, it was quite revealing. She wondered how Aleena even had such clothing in her closet. Her twin didn't strike her as a gothic sort...perhaps she knew less about her sister than she realized.
That thought cut deeply, though given the way of things, Lucy knew that could very well be true.
Not wanting to dwell on it further, Lucy looked to see if Aleena had shoes to finish the ensemble off. She dida pair of black boot that went up to the knee. She also found a bag, one she could use to put her other clothes in for later. There was no way she'd stay in that get up longer than she had to. Or, so she figured.
Setting her jaw and feeling a bit embarrassed, Lucy began to change. She wasn't sure who she was as she slipped out of the leggings and into the goth-wear. It was Aleena's, but it felt off somehow. She just couldn't picture her sister in such things. Ever. Yet here they were and she was putting them on her own body. Tiny goose bumps formed on her skin as she stripped off the layers and replaced them with something else.
Once changed, Lucy looked at herself. She tilted her head from side to side. "Not Aleena..." She whispered. Everything in her heart told her that what she saw wasn't something Aleena would wear or do, that looks were deceiving. She knew it, felt it, sensed it. Raking her hands through her red curls, she took a deep breath. She was ready. She had to be.
Lucy then turned and shoved the clothes she'd been wearing in the black bag she'd taken. It was now or never. Nervous, terrified, yet never more ready in her life, she exited Aleena's room.
"I found this," Lucy whispered as she stepped out. "Do you think it'll work?"
gpt
Jacob nodded to the crow. He knew the bird wasn't wrong, but there was nothing he could do besides what he thought was right. And this was right. It had to be. The alternative was not one he wanted to entertain. He let out a breath, and focused. A job to do. A man to kill. And Lucy to keep safe if he could. No, hewouldkeep her safe. He had to. If he was involving her, then he had to guarantee her safety. He nodded to himself, and heard the faint sound of her steps. He'd heard her shuffling around in the bedroom, wondered if she was getting changed, and when he heard her asking if she'd picked something that would work, he looked up.
His face froze, and his head cocked to the side. The woman he was looking at was not Lucy. Or Aleena. At least not any version of either woman he'd ever seen. But there she was, bold as brass, staring right at him. I took him a few seconds to realize that she was wating for a response. He had a response or two suddenly coming to mind, so he forcibly amended that she needed averbalresponse.
"Um...yes. Yes, I think that would work just fine Lucy." he managed. He used her name, purposefully, making sure she knew that he was aware of who she was, there was no confusion. Not on that front anyway. Why Aleena had owned clothes like that, and how Lucy had managed to convince herself to wear them was a mystery in and of itself, but Jacob felt a sense of gratitude to her even so. It was clear she was uncomfortable. And it was equally clear that she was willing to tough it out. For him.
The loyalty, devotion even, was unsettling on some level. But on another, it was flattering. He was worth this to her. And to him that meant he had to live up to that. Three was a pair of boots that he'd left here before, nothing fancy, but they were black adn would serve as foot wear. The boots and the coat would make an effective outfit for him, but he needed more to hide himself. he twinged a little as he came close to Lucy. He gave her a smile, appreciation in his face, moving past her to the bedroom. Making sure that he didn't bump her his hand trailed along her side.
He specifically didn't let himself think about the feeling of her skin. He couldn't let himself. He saw Aleena's vanity, and moved to it, setting his coat on the bed. He picked through ti a little, finding a huge variety of different make up. He also realized he had no idea what to do with it. He smiled a little sheepishly to Lucy.
"Um...I don't want them to recognize me. And Halloween, so I thought...maybe I could do something with my face? But...I don't have a lick of artistry in me when it comes to that. Could you...help?" He asked her with an apologetic smile. "I know I'm already asking a lot from you..."
human
By the way Jacob looked at her, Lucy was certain that the clothing she'd found in Aleena's closet had come as a bit of a surprise to him just as it had to her. No doubt her twin had been harboring secretsts...and not just from her, but from him! But what were they? And why? She must've been planning to go to Industry's party event. That had to be part of it and this was her undercover get-uponly Aleena would be bold enough, confident enough to pull something like this off. How her sister could manage such things and not let it faze her, she'd never understand.
As Lucy took a step closer to Jacob, she wondered just why Aleena would've been going to Industry herself and not leaving things to their father's men. It wasn't like her to get mixed up directly, to 'dirty her hands'. That would be admitting she was expendable and there was no way her sister would lower herself. Would she? Or was there more to things that she just didn't understand. After all, her twin had been killed...along with Ben, with Jacob. She furrowed a brow as thoughts swam through her head. Ugh! Just what had Aleena done and gotten herself into?
Trying not to dwell on things since there wasn't much she could do on it in the moment, Lucy focused on Jacob. He moved past her, barely brushing her body as he headed toward Aleena's bedroom. Quietly, she followed him, watching as he began to rummage through her sister's make up. She smiled inwardly, having an idea that he probably wanted to use some to help disguise himself better. It made sense. He'd caused a stir when he'd rescued her. If anyone had noticed him in the streets...if any word had reached her father... She didn't want to think on it.
Lucy gave Jacob a nod and moved toward the make up strewn on top of Aleena's vanity. There was a lot to pick from. Her sister had a bit of everything and some things she had no clue what they were. But she was an artist. It was what she did and loved. Carefully, she began to pick up various items, her hands somehow knowing what she neededblack eyeliner, black lip liner, black lipstick, white foundation. It was all there. She held onto them tightly and set them aside.
Taking a deep breath, Lucy stared into Jacob's face. As she looked deeply into his eyes, her hands just knew what to do. She saw the images from her dreamshis mouth, his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as her hands did their work, slowly applying the foundation first. His skin felt soft. She wanted to feel more. But she remained rooted, her eyes never leaving his as she painted. Once his face was covered with the white foundation, she grabbed the black eyeliner. The liquid liner went on smoothly as she lined his eyes. She swore they pierced her soul even more, making her breath catch the moment she finished, dark shadows covering his lids as she drew what appeared to be black tears dripping from his eyes. Next, she picked up the black lip liner. Carefully she traced his lips and then she filled them in with the black lipstick.
Lucy had all she could do to breathe. Jacob was exactly as he'd appeared in her dreams, as he'd always beckoned her to come to him. It was haunting, terrifying and filled her with more longing than she could describe. She averted her eyes for the first time since she'd begun administering the make up onto his face and felt a warmth radiate along her skin. Looking back up into Jacob's eyes, she smiled. "Finished," she whispered, knowing she was exactly where she was meant to be, where she wanted to be.
gpt
She didn't speak as she worked. He'd expected her to honestly, but now he was simply waiting. He could get an idea of what she wanted from him during hte process, knowing that when she started painting around his eyes, he'd need to close them, to let her cover all that she had to. Simple really. He kept his breathing even. he wasn't sure he even needed to breathe anymore. After all, he was dead, wasn't he>? Still, if nothing else it was a habit that he wasn't inclined to try and break. Lucy being this close to him, her hands that close to him...his breathing hitched more than once at her touch. He reminded himself once again what he was doing here. he was here to avenge the deaths of Aleens, of Ben, of himself. He wasn't here to make moon eyes at the twin sister of Aleena.
When she was done, she comfirmed it with a single word, and he looked at the mirror by the vanity. He had to do a double take. he barely recgonized who he was now. The makeup called attention all away from the points of his face that most people would be relying on to recognize him. A closer examination would reveal him, but a cursory one would let him through. Exactly what he'd wanted, but not something he could have managed. The best he could normally do with a situation like this would have been to paint his face white and claim to be a ghost.
His hand came up to rest on her arm lightly. The sheer sleeve was only partly a barrier, he could feel her skin beneath it, feel that soft texture that make him wonder about her. He wasn't wondering anythign that he should, and pushed that aside. he left his hand there a moment before trailing down her amr to take her hand in him. As he lifted her hand higher, he had to take a moment in that process to appreciate those hands. Long fingered, and dexterous. An artists hands to be certain, you could tell without knowing anything about her. He placed a light, gentle kiss on the back of her hand, knowing as he did it that he was likely making a mistake. He was indulgiing himself, and that was a dangerous thing to do when you were dead.
"Thank you. Better than I could have hoped for." He told her, once again knowing that what he was saying was not something that could be taken back, and also something that was open enough to the interpretation that she could read into it. He was playing a game that he knew the crow would not approve of. But if he tried to justify his actions, they were supposed to be posing as a couple. Anything that he could do to make her more cofortable with that idea waas a good one.
human
His lips were soft...so soft. Lucy let out a tiny whimper, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as she tried to still her emotions. They were roaring just beneath the surface, desperate to be unleashed. Oh, it just wasn't fair! She was in knots, tortured by the closeness, the desire she felt inside. She longed to be in his arms, to be fully his, but...
Aleena.
Somehow Lucy knew it always came back to her twin. She looked like her, but she was in no way her. It was an ever-present confusion, she was certain. Despite that, she wasn't going to let it ruin things...not fully. Trying her best not to think on Aleena, she relished the tender kiss Jacob had given her as he slowly brought her hand away from his lips."That was for me,"she told herself...not Aleena. Oh god, she hoped that was true! She stared at his mouth and wished that it was pressed against her own. She knew it was foolish, indulgent. More than likely all kinds of wrong. But she could hardly help it as a heat swept over her body and caused her skin to flush a deep shade of pink.
"Y-you're welcome," Lucy whispered, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Lucy was glad that Jacob appreciated what she'd done, that he approved. It was exactly as the dreams had told her. But seeing his face, the way he looked at her right then...it just made the whole moment perfect. She focused on the weight of Jacob's hand as he touched her arm, the warmth of his palm as it rested against her. If only he knew just how frequently her thoughts dwelled on him, his little touches. All of it. Being close to him made her feel whole, like she had purpose. Her own family had never made her feel this way.
"You'll have no problem getting into Industry," Lucy commented. "No one will recognize you." She tilted her head, red hair falling over her shoulders. "It's a bit of a trek to get there. But the club is along the river." She looked out the window in Aleena's bedroom, the sky dark with clouds. "We can walk there and stop for food on the way. I've a friend who owes me one," she said with a smile and reaching for the small black leather backpack-like purse in which she'd stuffed the clothes for changing back into later.
gpt
It was impossible not to notice Lucy's reactions to things, she not only wore her heart on her sleeve as it were, but she was, of all things, a blusher. And pale enough to make it extremely obvious that it was happening. He smiled at the thought of it, though the smile faded a little. He'd never been one to poke fun at a person for blushing. ben, on the other hand, would have been right into her for that, poking and needling her to make it all worse, and accelerate the process. He looked away from her, just for a moment. His thoughts might wander, but he did know that the demands of the moment took precedent. Still. he missed his brother. Missed his easy humour that had been as much bane as boon, but it had always been worth it to Jacob.
"Yes. Food. That might be a good idea." He agreed with her. If they had to make it down by the river, then they should get moving. Wouldn't do to be any more than fashionably late. "Just...let me suit up, and we can go." He nodded ot her, reaching for the coat. He slid it on, and the long black coat settled onto his shoulders with a kind of finality that he found soothing. He rolled his shoudlers to loosen them a little, found them good and ready. He slid on his boots, laced them up, and stood, ready to face the world. The way the clouds were looking made him wonder if there was more rain on the way. He'd prefer not, since he had every thought that the rain would wash Lucy's handiwork off, and he wasn't ready for that yet.
He head for the door, opening it and holding it for her. Teh crow squawked indignantly, but lit from the counter to his shoulder, hitching a ride. Once they were outside the building, Jaco let Lucy lead. She knew the way after all.
human
Lucy led Jacob outside, the sun desperately trying to peek from behind the thick gray clouds. But it was no use. They weren't going to see any sunshine as they made their way along the river walk. The streets were littered with trash, remnants from the lurkers who only came out at night. A shiver ran along Lucy's spine. She was well aware of the sorts that came out when the sun dipped down below the horizonbrutal people, people that worked for her father.
"I always get my way," came that gruff voice as his cold eyes stared down into her face. His hands were rough, man-handling her body as he tugged and pulled. She heard the rip as he tore her shirt, exposing flesh to those greedy eyes. His grin only broadened...
Lucy shook the memory from her mind. The inevitable fate of that night had been altered. Glancing over her shoulder, her green eyes fixed on Jacob causing her breath to catch, her heart to skip a beat. Quickly, she turned to face forward again. He'd found her, saved her and now she'd never leave his side. It wasn't only brutal people who lurked in the shadows...though she knew damned well just how vicious Jacob could be. Still, she knew he'd never be vicious toward her and that was all that mattered.
The scent of the river was strong as the wind blew across the water and whipped Lucy's fiery hair about her face. She'd decided to wear the hoodie for the time being to cover herself. No sense in drawing attention with her attire as they meandered about. It was unneeded and she already felt more than exposed. She heard river birds calling out as they flew overhead. A part of her wondered if the crow understood their talk, if he even cared. Why she thought on such things? She wasn't sure. After a while, they finally reached the diner one of her friends worked at.
"Hey, Artemis," Lucy called out as she pushed open the doora tiny bell tinklingand stepped inside. She gestured Jacob to follow.
A lithe brunette, her hair streaked with purples, peeked from a doorway behind the counter. She had several piercings and an infectious grin. "Luce?" she squeaked. "It's been ages!" The girl lunged forward and ran around the counter, throwing her arms around Lucy, giving her a squeeze. After a moment, she backed away and arched a brow. "What's with the get up?" she then asked, a lopsided grin plastered all over her face. Her brown eyes sparkled and then moved to Jacob. "This because of him?" she laughed and Lucy blushed.
"What? Uh...no! Well...yes...but no! Er..."
Artemis placed her hands on her hips, a knowing smile on her face as she just nodded. "Right," she said.
"No, really. It's not quite what you think," Lucy amended, though she wished the part where Artemis clearly thought that she and Jacob were together was true.
"Never is," Artemis stated. The girl cleared her throat and went back behind the counter. "Anyhow, what can I do for you?"
"Well, just wanted a quick bite," Lucy spoke, her expression sheepish.
Artemis nodded. "No problem. I owe you one," she said with a wink. "What'll it be? The usual?" Lucy nodded. "And you?" she asked, her gaze shifting to Jacob. "How about you? What would you like?"
gpt
Jacob needed to find his focus again. He knew that. But Lucy made it hard. The main thought that was crossing his mind as he followed Lucy was that there were worse places to stand than behind her. He knew that the outfit was causing her some discomfort, but he had the idea that she ahd never before really dressed to try and emphasize what she had. And after seeing it, he had to wonder if it was just nerves, or if she was worried about about being mistaken for Aleena. How much did her sisters influence reach into Lucy's everyday midset? How bad was it really? And what was more, was it deliberate? Or had it been? Had Aleena specifically tried to undermine Lucy's confidence with her choice of activites? There seemed to be a fair amount about he that he didn't know, and what he was learning was...unsettling to say the least.
They stoppoed as they were getting close to the river, close enough that you could hear the birds in the air, smell the water. Jacob had spent so many hours near the river in his life. He got a lot of his best work done while in the area. He knew it well, from the tourist traps, to the hidden gems that you had to dig for to gert. But this place, in and of itself, was new to him. He'd favoured his time a little closer to the water than here. As Lucy preceded him into the place, he did take a moment, He felt the crow nudge his face as he took that moment, knowing that it had nothing to do with keeping tabs on the situation, and everythign to do with taking a moment to admire Lucy's legs. The hoodie could only cover so much.
Lucy was being greeted by what could only be descibed as a perky punk. The insinuation of them being together rattled around in Jacob's head a moment before he nodded to himself. They had a role to play after all. He stepped up behind Lucy, and smiled at the other girl.
"Maybe not exactly what you think, but for tonight at least..." He rest his hands on Lucy's shoulders, gripping them firmly but gently, and his thumbs seemed to work into her muscle a little to ease the tension that he found there. "...maybe not entirely wrong." He added the last with a smile. A little more than a head taller than Lucy, it was easy for him to get a good look at the place they were in, and he did make sure to pick out the surroundings that they were in. At her question though...
"Just a water for now. I've...been going through some changes, and I'm not sure how food will sit with me. Don't want to cause a problem for myself. Big night and all." He found a knot of tension, and pressed his thunmbs to it, and worked it loose from Lucy as he spoke. It felt rather natural to be honest, not something he was forcing. He justified himself once again with something to help Lucy adapt to the idea of being out with him, try and get her more comfortable with what they were doing.
human
"You got it," Artemis said with both a wink and a smile. The vivacious girl tucked a streak of purple behind an ear and went to fetch Jacob's water.
Lucy just smiled and leaned into Jacob's touch. His hands felt nice as they gently touched the back of her neck, working down along the expanse to her shoulders. She felt her heart flutter, her breaths shaky as she tried her best to stay focused. But it was hard. She was more than aware of how close he was and just how much closer she wanted him to be.
Artemis set the glass of water down with a thunk causing Lucy to start. She hadn't even realized that her eyes had closed, that she'd lolled her head to the side. Blushing, she bit down on her lower lip and could help but stare at the young girl's crooked grin.
"The order's in," Artemis informed. "Wil will have it up for you in no time."
"Thanks," Lucy said, her cheeks still warm, her body responding to Jacob's touch.
"So, did she tell how we met?" Artemis asked.
"No, I..."
"Psh...of course not," Artemis laughed. " Not our Lucy." Her dark eyes fixed on Lucy's green. "Well, see," she went on, turning to look at Jacob. "My parents are gone. Split. Left a couple years back. Never knew my dad and my mom? Guess she had better things to do." She heaved a sigh as the bell rang. "Ah, that would be Wil. The bastard is fast."
Artemis ducked through the door and came back out with a traya grilled cheese with tomato and an unsweet tea. She set the food out for Lucy and brought the tray back from where she got it.
Once back, Artemis leaned on the counter and looked back and forth between both Lucy and Jacob. " Anyway, she found me trying to lift some junk food off one of the peddler stands and..."
Lucy was squirming. But Artemis just grinned.
"And rather than turn me in, she marched me here." Artemis was beaming. "Got me a job and now Wil looks after me."
"She's exaggerating. It wasn't much," Lucy added as she reached for the food and began eating her fill. "Tell Wil this is delicious."
"Sure," Artemis said. The girl then looked back at Jacob. "Cool make up," she nodded with approval. "Hey Luce, you sure you're boyfriend doesn't want more than water? I make a bitchin' smoothie."
gpt
Jacob smiled as he felt Lucy relaxing into his hands. She carried too much stress in her shoulders these days. He knew why, completely, but still, he wanted to help her however he could. When the girl had returned, he still didn't immediately reach for the water. His hands were occupied, and he found that he was reluctant to let go of Lucy. When the explanation of how Lucy had met her came out, Jacob found that he had a smile on his face that wouldn't fade. Even the ever intrusive thoughts of what her sister would have done, which is most assuredly grabbing the girl and throwing her to the mercy of the legal system, didn't put a damper on his mood.
As the girl finished the tale, he looked at Lucy with that smile on his face still.
"Wasn't much? Just got her a job, a place to stay, kept her busy enough to stay out of trouble. Don't sell yourself short Lucy. You did a great thing for her, and I don't know many people that would have done that. Taken the time for it." He told her. He pat her shoulders lightly, and lifted the glass of water. he took a small drink, just to see what happened. It was cold, and he noticed that. Which was odd really. He looked at his hand, and found it actually had a healthy colour to it, like he was a breathing human being, and not...whatever he was. What was happening to him?
You're forgetting why you're here. You're letting yourself get lost in this role you've invented. You weren't brought here to flirt and preen and compliment this woman. Remember who you are now, and why you're doing this.The voice of the crow was harsh now, uncompromising. Jacob felt his eyes flutter closed a moment, adn he felt a chill rush along his body. One hand still on Lucy's shoulder abruptly lost it's heat, and was chilled on her skin. He opened his eyes again, and then looked to Artemis.
"Thanks. But I...don't know if I'm feeling to it just yet. Can I get a raincheck on that smoothie?" He asked a strained smile on his face. he had gone from someone enjoying the ambeince and the company to someone that looked as though they had found a heavy burden that needed to be borne. The why of his existence was on his mind once more. Though still, looking at Lucy again, he felt his hand warming again. The crow on his shoulder might have some command over his purpose, but Lucy had a command all her own.
human
Artemis shrugged, but her smile never faltered. "Suit yourself," she said with a wink. "It'll still be on the house the next time you pass through though." She brought her hand upnails painted sparkly black and purple, rings gracing most of her fingersand held out her index finger. Slowly, she traced an 'X' over her chest. "Cross my heart."
Lucy smiled and knew the girl meant it. Artemis was sweet and meant well. She just came from a bad situation. Not once did she regret their paths crossing and she was glad she was able to be there for her. If only others had done the same for her...
They could have...she'd thought they would. But that had been a joke, cruel and harsh.
But she didn't want to think on that especially now that her sister was dead. None of her past could be fixed. There was no such thing as closure. But at least she could pay it forward. Seeing Artemis smile, laughing and happy...it made her glad she was able to touch someone's life for the better.
Again, Lucy found herself leaning into Jacob's touch. He hadn't moved away from her, his hands still quite firmly in place. He also didn't flinch or try to correct Artemis when she'd referred to him as her boyfriend. A wave of heat washed over her despite how revealing her clothes were.
Lucy nibbled her food and when she finished, she felt quite sated. It was nice just spending time with Jacob, introducing him to various aspects of her life...god, it felt so right!!!
"So, where you off to?" Artemis asked, interrupting Lucy's thoughts.
Lucy took one last sip of her unsweet tea and sighed. "Just walking along the river," she answered.
"Uh-huh. In that?" Artemis wasn't convinced, but she knew not to press. Instead, she gave them both a knowing look and moved to glance inside the door leading to the kitchens. When she faced them both, she leaned against the counter, her hands manipulating something.
Lucy arched a brow while Artemis glanced from side to side. There weren't any other patrons, but Wil wasn't far off and who knew if someone would just show up or peek in. Artemis began to whistle and then rocked back on her heels as she slid a gun, slightly obscured by a dish rag, toward Jacob.
"I'm not stupid," Artemis said. "But I think you'll need this more than us."
Lucy gave Artemis a look of gratitude, but remained silent, her body inching closer to Jacob. She looked up at him, her green eyes trying to read his. "We should get going." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. Artemis and Wil had done a lot by offering the gun and she knew it. So there was no way she wanted to endanger them further by having those who were after them come looking for friends.
gpt
Jacob paused at the gun being handed to him. He lifted it gingerly, glad of the long coat, replete with pockets and places he could stow it. He knew how to fire one of course, Ben had been rather insistent that if he was going into his chosen career, he'd need to know, just in case. But Jacob had never been comfortable with one, never liked the feel of them. He'd been a gentle soul, and a gun, especially a small one like this, was made for nothing less than shattering a life and person. While he'd done it with his bare hands at this point, the gun still felt alien in his hands. But while he was strong, and fast, and seemingly impossible to kill, he knew that he still had limits, and the ability to end a life from a long distance woudl be useful.
As Lucy edged closer to him, his hand came off of her shoulder, unconsciously pulling her to him, his arm around her midsection. He nodded to Artemis.
"Thanks. For everything. Try to stay out of trouble, eh?" He smiled as he said it, making the statement lighter. He took Lucy's advice, and walked out of the door, his arm still around her. He knew he couldn't die, at least no way that he'd found yet. But if he was honest with himself, he was nervous. Lucy was going to be potentially right in the line of fire. And while he was going to do what he could to help her, the possibility existed that she might get hurt or killed in this. Keeping her close was as much for his comfort as hers. He could feel an aura of tension coming from a building up ahead, and heard the faint thrumming of bass coming from it. It was dark now, the clouds thickening massively to blot out any signs of natural light. The club was in sight.
Jacob arrested their movement, looking at where they were going. He let out a long breath before speaking.
"We'll need to be able to pass for a normal couple in there. Enough that they don't look at us like anything beyond a few people at the club for a good time." He started. Without thinking about it, his fingers found the zipper on her hoodie, and drew it down. The crow on his shoudler lit off, moving to the roof of a building. "So we need to act natural, happy even. The more attention they pay us, the worse it'll be. So...tonight we're a couple." He hesitated. "No matter how we do this, it's a risk. If you wanted to back out, I understand, but if you still want to help..." he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "...thank you."
human
Lucy waved goodbye to Artemis, her thoughts divided between worrying for her newest friends and what the night would bring. She felt safe with Jacob though she knew, unlike him, she was completely breakable. Still, just being near him made her feel something she couldn't explain and she liked it, didn't want to lose it.
The walk to Industry was quicker than expected. Lucy could hear the thumping sounds of the music as they neared, the heat, the energy. No doubt the place was buzzing inside. She looked up into Jacob's eyes. He'd stopped walking, his expression serious and causing her heart to flutter. She swallowed lightly as his hand slowly unzipped her hoodie, revealing her covered up body to his careful gaze.
The outfit Lucy wore wasn't hers, but Aleena's...even if it was something she had a hard time imagining her sister ever wearing. On her own body, she was sure she looked awkward, a poor imitation of what her sister had been. She feared she wouldn't be able to pull things off and, worst of all, that she'd let Jacob down.
Looking into Jacob's eyes after he placed a tender kiss on her cheek, the heat of it still lingering, she nodded. "There's only going forward," she said softly. Slowly, she let the hoodie slide off her arms. She then stuffed it in the bag she was carrying. "We're in this together." She looked up into his eyes, her cheeks flushing, her breaths slightly ragged. "I'm going to help you. I...I want to."
Lucy smiled at Jacob. A breeze blew in from the water. Goose bumps formed on her flesh, her skin going taut beneath the fabric of her shirt. She refused to shiver. She was too caught up to care.
"I'm ready when you are," Lucy then said glancing in the direction of the club.
gpt
She was scared, that much was clear, but she was not unwilling. And Jacob admired her for it. She was braver and better than she thought. Maybe someday she'd be able to see that in herself. The outfit would have looked good on most women, but Lucy did have the figure to carry it off very well. She might be getting some attention of her own if he didn't keep close. He let out a breath, fixed a good smile on his face, and stepped cloe to her. He had to reach down somewhat to get a hand on her, his palm on her side with his fingers splayed over her stomach. He used the arm on her back to lead her along.
The sound from the club kept hammering away at his sensibilities. He'd not been much of a clubber, only having gone to a few, and even then, it had been to chase a story. Now, it was to chase a life, and snuff it out. The doorman was in the process of turning away a few single men, and then a single woman. Couples were the only ones getting in now. Jacob raised a hand in greeting, and the doorman looked him up and down with a glance. His gaze did more on Lucy, lingering on her, taking in the outfit, the curves and the entirety of the look. He jerked his head, unhooking the chain that barred their passage. And then they were inside.
Dim light, broken by moving coloured spotlights, and a bass line that hammered at the senses. You could feel it in your gut, and the wide dance floor was covered in a tide of bodies. In the low light it was almost eerie to see, the people undulating like the sea at night. Fortunately, they did not stand out too much. Lucy's hair was a bright enough red that it was easy enough to see, and whenever one fo the black lights swept over them, they both glowed in that light. Jacob moved towards the bar. A drink to take the edge off for Lucy would be a good idea, and it was the thing to do. A man should buy his lady a drink or two. He caught few glances being thrown her way by some of the men that had simply made an arrangement with someone to get in without anyone else. The looks were not subtle, they were appraising, admiring, hungry. Jacob gave them a glare that had them at least redirect their gaze while it could be easily seen.
They reached the bar, Lucy's presence actually getting them service quickly. Over the pounding music, Jacob only held up two fingers, and the tender just poured two shots, and set them before them. Jacob lifted the shot, and held it up in a toast towards Lucy. After a moment, knowing nearly anything he said would be lost in the riot f sound, he knocked the shot back. After all, he was dead. What could a bit of liquor do to him?
human
Eyes. Lucy felt them everywhere and more so than the waving limbs that brushed against her body when she walked too close to someone. Nervous, she focused on the way Jacob let his hand rest against her abdomen, her back. He protectively led her through the crowd of dancing, writhing bodies until they finally made it to the bar.
The air was hot, thick with sweat and electric energy as the music reverberated off the walls. Lucy could feel the place vibrating, see everyone dancing, limbs moving in time to the beat. Several couples were more than obscene right there on the dance floor and it made her blush, her head turning to look elsewhere. But everywhere she looked...eyes.
Suddenly a couple of shot glasses were set down in front of them. Lucy licked her lips as she watched Jacob pick up the one and knock it back. She supposed the other one was meant for her, so she drank the thing quickly. The liquid burned as it went down, warming her body and dulling her nerves just a bit. She coughed a little and covered her mouth trying to smother the giggle out of habit. Given how loud the music was, her action was hardly disruptive.
Lucy then brought her hand down and looked into Jacob's eyes. Smiling at him, she tried to ignore the onlookers. One man in particular had been staringunblinkingsince they'd entered. Not once had he looked in another direction. She found the whole thing unnerving. Never before had she garnered such attention. And she wasn't sure she ever wanted.
There was only one person's attention she wanted.
"D-dance with me?" Lucy asked, her eyes shifting to where the one man had been sitting only his seat was empty. He was nowhere to be seen. "Please?" She moved to stand, a little light headed from the alcohol. Her feet stumbled slightly causing her to fall against Jacob. She smiled, giggling once again. She took a hold of his hand and tugged, urging him toward the dance floor.
gpt
When Lucy stumbled a moment, he brought his hands up to catch her, make sure she didn't fall. He had a moment fo being thankful that the Goth fashion sense included sensible footwear. He didn't much like to think what might have happened to her if she'd been in heels. Then she was tugging on him. Dance? Here? With her? Jacob didn't dance. He just didn't. he'd danced with Aleena,once, at her insistance and it had been a slower ballroom style dance that he'd learned ages ago. He looked back at the bartender, who only smiled and put two more shots in front of him. Jacob didn't hesitate, old college instincts kicking in. Both shots went down the hatch to a pleasant and familiar burn. He was dead, but old habits died hard.
He stopped resisting. Blend in. Become a part of the crowd. It was that simple. And besides, a pretty lady that he'd come with wanted to dance. He let himself be led along, still keeping closer to her. The way she looked still elicited more than a few looks, and one reaching hand on the approach. Jacob slappe it aside, harder than he'd meant to, but the person got the message. They found a small pocket of open space on the floor, and jacob looked around, seeing all the motion. His vision swam just a little, and he realized that he fet...flushed. Warm. Actually drunk. Maybe being what he was wasn't carte blanche for shrugging thigns off. He smiled at Lucy, hoping to all that he could imagine that she knew what she was doing. One of them had to.
human
Eyes. There were so many. But Lucy only cared about a particular pair and she kept hers focused on those as she led Jacob out onto the dance floor. The music was loud, the bass causing the walls to shake, the floor to vibrate. Despite all the chaos, suddenly everything melted away and it was just her and him.
Jacob. He was all Lucy cared about right then and there. She was there in Industry for him, to help him and she'd do it all over again.
Just then the music shifted and a new song began to play. Without hesitation, Lucy began to move her body. She closed her eyes and found the music's rhythm. She was sure to stay close to Jacobher body brushing against his, her hands moving over him. Her face flushed, but she continued to move. Opening her eyes, she found her resolve when focusing on the man before her.
Jacob. He was what kept her grounded and safe. Lucy felt alive, like she just might mean something the longer she spent time with him. Such thoughts were intoxicating and she allowed herself to get lost in them as she danced.
Lucy swayed her hips, her body circling Jacob as she let her hands run over his shoulders, his chest. She felt heady, the mix of the alcohol and heat and music playing with her senses. But being so close to Jacob, being able to touch him...she whimpered. Her entire body on fire, ignited just by being near him.
gpt
Whatever liquor he'd drank was in his system, adn the nerves and situation were sending it thundering through him. And then Lucy started to dance. If you could call it that, and he was going to. It was like she'd decided that she was going to be a different person, and that person was absolutely not going to allow any doubt about who she was with, and that she was happy to be with him. He didn't know if this was her getting into the role, or a sincere declaration in physical form, but he was officially past the point of caring. His skin felt like it was on fire, so much heat coming off of him, and each time Lucy moved her hand along him, he wanted to do more, return the favour. He wasn't here to be a pole for her after all.
he held out a hand, catching her side, letting himself start to move along with her, keeping her closer to him than she had been, wanting the contact the feeling, the everything about her at this moment. There was no other thought in his head right then, only Lucy. The rhythm that he'd learned in his old highbrow dancing classes still served him well, letting him slip into the flow,pciking out the steady timing of the music, matching it with his movements. His hand snaked to the small of her back, pulling her tight to him, putting the closer than they'd been, leaning his torso back just a little to make sure he could still get a good look at her, still moving them to the beat, still liking what he saw...even loving what he saw. His free hand came up to the side of her face, hand cupping her cheek, staring her right in the eye, seemingly trying to memorize every detail of her.
"You're beautiful." He breathed out, not sure when he'd made the proper discovery, or the decision to tell her.
human
One moment Lucy was swaying to the music, dancing around Jacob as he stood there on the dance floor. The next, Jacob's hand was on her waist, pulling her close and closing any gap that might've remained between them. The air was electric, sizzling between them as she stared into his eyes. His gaze was intense, searching and exploring...or was that her own?
It hardly mattered. Lucy could feel herself panting in Jacob's arms, gasping for breath as he held her close, moving their bodies together to the rhythm of the music as it continued to play.
Lucy could feel her knees going weak, ready to give. She could melt right there against Jacob and be perfectly happy. He lifted his hand then and touched her face. On instinct, she closed her eyes and leaned against his palm, letting out a tiny sound of approval. He called her 'beautiful'. It was like magic, as if fate had decided to smile upon her for once.
Gone were thoughts of her father...of abandonment...all of it.
Bringing her hand up to meet his, Lucy opened her eyes and looked at Jacob. "Is this real?" she asked him, her thumb beginning to stroke his wrist, her body still moving with his. "If this is one of my dreams..." she went on, body aching for his. "Don't wake me up." She twisted her head a little and kissed his palm.
More than anything, Lucy wanted Jacob to know just how much she cared, how much she wanted to give him, do for him. He deserved everything and she wanted to be the one who was there for him. She ached for him to know and in more ways than one.
"Please, let me dream just a little longer." Lucy's face pleaded with Jacob, her green eyes glistening as she gazed into his. The tension was thick, the heat rising and she had fallen for him...not wanting to change that for anything.
gpt
What was he doing to her? this was hurting her, he knew it, she might want this moment, but it was onyl going to hurt her in the long run. He knew it, he knew that he knew it, and he could see the tears in her eyes, knew that this must on some level be everything that she'd wanted from things, but had to be terrified it was all going to go away from her soon. And Gods forgive him, he didn't care at the moment. She was looking up at him, he was looking down to see her. It wasn't what he wanted at that moment, it wasn't the right way of doing it, and he needed it to be right. He let go of her face, pulling his hand away, shifting his hand off of her back, almost like he was pulling away.
But then his hands went lower, bending at the knee to let him feel the smooth skin of her leg, before gripping her and pulling her off fo the ground, and up to be able to look him in the eye. That was right. He wanted to see her on his level. Wanted it to be like that. His mouth was moving, words coming without any thought to them.
"Dream a little bigger Lucy." He said to her, adn leaned his head in, heedless of any consequences or any other factors, and kissed her. His hands shifted, one wrapping around her to keep her up, the other snaking around her back to pull her tight to him, letting this kiss stretch on, making it last, because if he was honest with himself, he wanted it all to last, wanted it to be right like this, wanted to not only let her dream a little longer, but give her the culmination of her dream. Now he knew for certain why he'd been afraid to get much closer to her. There was sinply too much risk that he'd hurt hre in a way like this, but he didn't care. She wanted this moment, and he wanted it with her. He broke away from her lips a moment to lean down, dragging his teeth along her neck a moment, before he came back to her lips, his hand up high enough to tangle in her fiery tresses, putting all his abandon and passion into that moment.
human
Jacob's hands moved down Lucy's body, gripping her, pulling her up so that she was level with his eyes. She gasped audibly at his actions, all thought lost the moment he spoke. When his lips pressed against hers, primal instinct took over, her body reacting to every touch, every advance. This moment was what it craved, had been longing for the moment she'd set eyes on himno, since she'd first seen him in her dreams weeks ago. Tiny, desperate whimpers escaped her as he kissed her, the passion hot and heavy and only climbing as his hands became lost in her hair. A shiver caused her body to shudder when he let his teeth graze the supple flesh of her neck. Oh, she was molten liquid in his arms, pliant and molding to him. This was right. She'd never been more certain!
Everything about the moment was perfect, the intensity more than Lucy could bear. Each kiss was like torturesating so much, yet leaving her wanting. She wanted to be closerneeded itthough with Jacob it was impossible to be close enough. It always would be. There was no denying it. Her arms wrapped about him tightly, one hand gripping his shoulder while the other splayed across his back. Her nails began to dig into him slightly out of desire, desperation...need. She was on fire, her body alive, awake and wanting.
"Jacob..." Lucy whimpered, her hand on his back trailing down. How she wished she could reach underneath his coat. Frustrated, she moved that hand back up and let the hand on his shoulder move down along his chest until she wrapped it around him underneath the jacket he wore. She longed to feel his skin against her fingertips, against all of her. Whimpering, she tugged on his shirt and finally managed to get her hand onto his back, letting her fingers take in the feeling of his skin. She let out tiny sounds of contentment, but the need for more was still there. Each kiss that she gave him was more urgent, her lips parting, begging for him to explore, to take. She wanted him to, needed him to.
Just as he'd told her moments ago, Lucy planned for the first time to 'dream a little bigger'.
gpt
Lucy had always struck him as a restrained kind of personality, but now, in this club, ike they were now, there was nothing of retraint in her, there was a kind of hunger, of abandon. He felt her fingers on his back, the sensation sending shivers along his spine. Jacob had a momont of wishing they were closer to a wall, a table, something solid that he could use to brace her to free up his hand, but that was a waste of a wish, and he didn't dwell on it.
He let go of her head, already missing hte feel of her hair. He was fast discovering that he liked that feel. But his hand sought the ehm of her shirt. It fit close to her skin, wasn't easy to reach under, but he was determined, and managed it. He felt her lips parting on his, could hear the sounds she made, inviting him to do more. He slid his tongue forward, tasting her, lvoing that moment, his hand taking in the soft skin on her back, the motion causing her shirt to ride up her body, showing more skin taht glowed in the lighting on the dance floor. Jacob realized he'd taken a few steps, moving forward, but not even realizing he was doing it. No one on the floor tried to interpose themselves, no one seemed to mind what they were doing, there were even likely a few that appreciated the view, but they were far from his mind in this moment.
human
Lucy could feel Jacob's hands moving a bit more feverishly, trying to hold onto her. Something. Without a second thought, she wrapped a leg around his waist. The other soon followed while the hand gripping his shoulder moved to a firmer hold about his neck. There was a heat pooling between her legs and the sudden contact as she felt him nestled between them, her thighs on either side of his body, only made her sense more keenly aware.
Jacob. He was her everything. Lucy let her tongue trace along his lower lip, more desperate sounds as she all but begged for him to take. She liked how his hands felt on her bodyso right, so perfect. This was how it was supposed to be, was meant to be. Her body screamed for his...her heart, her mind. She didn't care who was watching so long as they were together embarking on this journey, down along a dark path with an uncertain future. But she knew she wanted that future so long as he was in it.
"Jacob..." Lucy panted between kisses, her skin on fire, her hips rocking ever so slightly against his hips as she gave her thighs a squeeze. She tried to tell herself it was to help hold herself up, but...the sensations that coursed through her when she moved. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to be closer. More. Anything.
So much heat! Lucy couldn't get enough. His hands on her skin...oh, she wanted them everywhere, exploring everything, leaving nothing untouched. And to think this was just the beginningthem kissing, touching, exploring. She choked on a tiny sob of pleasure as she trailed kisses along his jaw and went to nibble on his ear, his neck before returning to his mouth, so desperate for his taste, once again.
gpt
Her legs around him, anchoring them together, Jacob could feel her keeping tight to him. There was an almost frantic edge to this, and on both sides. He found that he hadn't stopped walking, carrying her easily across the floor. They hadn't gotten very far onto the floor before they'd started, so it wasn't far to reach the edge. The dance floor was a half dozen steps down from teh bar level, leaving a wall that kept everything on the floor contained. There were faint lights at the bottom of the wall to make sure people coudl see it, but everything from the knee up was shrouded in darkness, the spotlights that tracked across the place never coming close. It was almost private by comparison.
Jacob slowed enough to not crash Lucy headlong into the wall, and pressed her up shoulders against it. He mouth kept moving from his, and each time he half chased her to get back to kissnig her, loving the taste of her, the feel of her, and on some level knowing that he should stop, but that voice was a faint whisper to him. Lucy's own sound, giving voice to hsi name, was far more demanding his attention. Between her legs anchoring her to him, and her shoulders on the wall, he was able to move both hands. under her shirt, sliding it up to expose her midestion, he loved the silky feel of her skin. There was a comparison in his mind to something, but he couldn't place it. He didn't try and chase after it either. The next time their lips parted he bit down at the base of her neck, leaving a bright red mark on hera kiss at the hollow of her throat, another lower before looking for her lips once more, still desperate for that contact.
human
Never had Lucy been kissed like this. Never had she felt such passion or longing. Such fire! The music was blasting, but all she could see, hear, feel...all she could focus on was Jacob. Him. He'd somehow managed to carry her from the dance floor and press her up against the nearby wall beside the bar. The smooth surface was cool against her back, a contrast to the heat rising between them both. But it was hardly enough to diminish what was happening between them. Her one hand roamed his back, fingers on skin, touching, exploring...craving.
Lucy arched against him, wanting to be as close to Jacob as she possibly could. He tasted wonderful, true decadence yet her body still burned with a grave hunger. Hips bucking, she pulled him closer still. She was a choir of gasps and pants as his hands moved over her skin, her body trembling with need and so much desire. She let her head roll back as he kissed her neck, a hand reaching up and grabbing hold of his hair when he bit down on the soft, supple flesh. She pressed him to her, urged him on. This was what she wanted, for everyone to know she was his.
When Jacob's mouth found hers again, she mewled and kissed back with fury. She let her tongue seek out his so they could dance and taste while their hands petted and caressed. Her body arched again into his, skin taut beneath the shirt she so wished could be taken off her body as his hands moved up...up...up... A small groan rolled over her lips. Yes, she was heaven and just as she knew him to be...he was her angel!
gpt
There was a moment of hesitation. They'd gone pretty far as it was, and no one would ever doubt at this point that they were here together, a very...affectionate club couple. But Jacob couldn't lie to himself and say that was the reason they were doing this. Not anymore, not when they were this far, and he knew at this point there was not going to be anything that stopped them beyond outside intervention at this point. The need was raw in the air, the want, the naked desire that they were both riding. Given ehr normal temperment, Jacob had actually anticipated Lucy stopping her before this point, but there was no sign of her dissaproving of this. And he was as willing as she was to indulge. His hands on her sides braced for a moment, knowing that he was about to cross another line, and then making the call to do so. her shirt hitched just beneath her breasts, and then slipped up over them.
Jacob let his thumbs flick across her nipples, his hands gripping her to keep her close to him, eyes flicking around a moment looking for something more. He saw what he wanted, and slid Lucy along the wall, coming up to a booth that weas reessed into the wall. Only a single stripe of black light was there to illuminate things, and Jacob Carried Lucy into the booth, glad that it was a large one made for a party of at least six or more. Long, and thickly cushioned benches were there, and he laid her down on one, situating himself over her, and still keeping her close, but now able to move without fear of her falling.
human
For over a week Lucy had seen this man in her dreams, each one more vivid than the first. It had started with shadows, fire and thunder, so much confusion. Then, she'd seen his facethose eyes, that mouth. They'd burned themselves into her mind, a permanent memory forever etched into its darkest recesses. He'd always beckoned and she'd always followed, his face shadowed just as it was...right then.
Lucy knew this was how it was supposed to go. She'd felt it the moment he'd found her, saved her. And she'd never leave his side, no matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice. Every twist and turn her life had taken...it all had led to this moment. It was where fate wanted her. It was where she wanted to be, needed to be and never had she felt so utterly complete. For the first time, she felt like everything made sense despite how fucked up the world had become. Her sister had died, her family corrupt...and the man she loved and desired more than anything...was a resurrected soul who was brought back to exact vengeance.
As the music continued to blare, the black lights shimmering down upon the both, Lucy kept her all of her focus on Jacob. She didn't notice the people glancing their way as they passionately made love with their mouths right there against the wall. His taste was too decadent and she was too afraid he might somehow vanish, be taken away like everything else in her life did. So she held on, desperate to seize the moment, relish it for all it was worth.
Lucy's breath hitched as she felt Jacob's hands tug on the hem of her shirt, lifting it up until it finally was over her head. His thumbs grazed her pert nipples causing her body to shudder in his arms while she let out a soft groan of approval. His arms continued to shield her, protecting most of her from onlookers. Eyes...they were there, staring. But she hardly cared. She was with Jacob. He had her trust. All of it. Slowly, she felt him moving her again, sliding her along the wall. She kept her legs tight about his waist as he moved, helping to keep herself upright as he walked. It wasn't long before he stopped and gently laid her down upon something soft. A quick glance and she realized he'd located a nearby booth, something giving them a bit more room and...a bit more privacy. She blushed beneath his gaze, the black light shining down upon them.
Looking up into Jacob's eyes, Lucy let her legs relax a little, letting her feet find their footing on either side of him as she laid beneath him on the cushion. Her heart was racing, her breaths ragged and short. But her eyes said it alldesire. Though it ran deeper than that for mixed with that desire swirled other emotions, the strongest one being love. She reached up to Jacob, her top half bared for him to see.
"I...I'm dreaming a little bit bigger, Jacob," Lucy said breathily, her eyes fixed to Jacob's, her body on fire and aching so very desperately for his.
gpt
The thought of how many lines he was crossing, adn how much damage this might cause in the long term had occurred to jacob on some level, at some point. But not right now. Now, there was only the moment, and the situation before him. And that was a half-clothed Lucy who was, as she said, dreaming bigger. ANd for reasons he might never fully understand, she had been dreaming of him. As she reached for him, he leaned down to her, pressing his lips to hers again, pressing his own body to her, relishing the feeling of her, wanting stil more than he'd had. His head swam a moment from the emotions running riot in him. But then he leaned back away from Lucy, and shrugged the coat from his shoulder, before pulling his own shirt off, tossing them both onto the table of the booth, befre leaning back in, desperate for mroe feeling.
His skin on her skin, the contact, the heat pouring off of them both in a riot of activity, desire laid bare to both people, all other factors left to the side. It was all about what they had now. His hand trailed down her side, taking in that smooth skin that was so familiar and yet so different all at once. His fingers slipped under the waist of her shorts, feeling along the skin there, thumbing working to pop the button loose.
human
The moment was real, though somehow Lucy felt as if it could slip away, dissolving into nothing but a memory. A dream. But Jacob had frequented her dreams the past couple weeks. His face was seared into her mind, the curve of his jaw and those eyes that saw into her soul. Already she knew him intimately, though she knew her past encounters couldn't compare to being with him in the flesh, seeing him with her own eyes, able to let her fingers trace the contours of his body. Oh, to finally touch...and be touched in return...!
Lucy's senses were reeling, overwhelming her as she filled with a raw desire that was almost frightening. But there was no way she'd run from this. For too long she'd craved this and everything in her life was telling her that this was right. Skin flushed, her green eyes glazed with desire, passion, love, she let out a tiny whimper when Jacob shrugged off his coat and then removed his shirt in one fluid motion. The feel of his skin against her own only made her want more, need more. Her legs spread a bit wider and she felt his hands working at the buttons of the leather shorts she donned.
Dreadful things!
Desperate whimpers rolled over Lucy's lips as she clutched Jacob close. Her hands moving over him, trying to learn every exposed inch. She arched against him, raising her hips to to give him easier access, anything. The fingers of his other hand teased the hem, igniting her flesh that was hidden beneath.
An ache throbbed between Lucy's legs. The bit of material concealing her, barring the way and causing her much frustration was slick with her wetness as she felt herself become damp with arousal. Never had she felt like this, so in need. Jacob felt good above her, his body nestled between her legs, skin on skin. She longed to feel more, to become one with this man.
To hell with vengeance and resurrection! To hell with death and abandonment! It was about seizing the moment, grabbing and holding onto the precious opportunities life threw at you. You never knew when they'd come. Or when they'd be taken away. And Lucy hardly wanted to lose out on this moment. Head spinning, she nipped at Jacob's lips, his jawline. Not once did her hands stop as they moved down his back...reaching, reaching. She let her own fingers tease the hem of his pants, dipping below, searching for more.
"Please," Lucy begged, her body liquid heat in Jacob's arms, hips still moving, trying anything to give him better access. She let one hand move down along his front, urgently trying to work his pants free.
gpt
There wasn't any room left for doubts, and Jacob knew that lucy was gone now. There was not going to be much left of her sense of self right now, and if he tried to break away from her he was liable to get pounced on. Not that he was opposed to such a thing, but right now, he had other things to contend with.
Leather. Why did the shorts have to be leather? If they'd been fabric he had no doubt that he'd be able to simply tear them in half. Come to think of it, maybe it was a good thign that they were leather, if they intended to be able to move around after this. If Lucy intended to walk at all. He felt her hand on his pants, took the hint, knew what she wanted, what they both wanted. Knew that he had to move away to make it happen. He'd make it worth her while. That much was certain.
He stood up, away from her, hands on her shorts, and dragging them down. He only managed to get them off of one foot before he was done finghting them, leaving them handing from one of her ankles. He undid his pants, pushed them far enough down to free his member from the confines, and moved back into her embrace. Logistical problems were solved now. They could reach the point they were aiming for. Perhaps on some level it was the point he'd been aiming for since he'd gotten a good look at Lucy.
He lined himself up with her, keeping himself on target, and never thought about holding back from the moment. not for an instant. With a rush of breath, he moved forward, and Jacob felt himself sheathe inside of Lucy completely, his hips on her.
"Oh Gods, Lucy..." He breathed.
human
It was agony! Sheer and utter agony as Jacob fumbled and fought with Lucy's shorts. But it was a battle well worth it when she felt them finally slide down her thighs, her one foot managing to wriggle free without removing her boot. Wretched things! She made a mental note to never wear such things ever again. Gone was the noisethe music, the din of the crowd that no doubt was staring, watching with great interestit had all melted away along with the flashing lights and other distractions. It was just her and him on that booth couch, their bodies pressed togetherflesh against fleshas she felt him nestle between her legs, free of his pants, thrusting deeply inside her as they became one.
Lucy bit down on the inside of her cheek, her green eyes squeezing shut as she held tightly onto Jacob's shoulders. He felt so good, so...perfect. Her body gripped his like a vice, soft and warm and inviting. Tilting her hips, she let her body slowly adjust to the welcome invasion, accommodating him like it was meant to. Instinctually, her legs spread a bit wider and she felt him hit a sensitive spot deep within. Unable to help herself, she let out a tiny gasp of pleasure, her body unable to hide what it wanted, needed, craved. Bucking her hips a little, she could hear how wet she'd become. Not even the sound of the music or the crowd could hide her desire as the squelching sounds reached her ears.
Her body was throbbing with need as she trailed kisses along Jacob's jaw line. He was seeingher. Not Aleena...not anyone or anything else. It was her name on his lips, her body that he was seeking, exploring...loving? Lucy looked up into Jacob's eyes, her own filled with so much emotion, so much fiery passion that she had no intention of holding back. It didn't matter where they were, who was watching...they were together. That's all she cared about.
Lucy let out another moan, her hips moving to meet Jacob's. "Jacob," she pleaded, pulling him closer, grinding against him. "This is happening..." She nibbled his ear and let out a soft cry. "Please, let the dream last..."
gpt
There were words in his head, little points of light and inspiration, things to say, to compare to, and none of it would stick. Rather than a process of now until later, there was only now and right now. And the feeling that he was getting. Lucy was not waiting for him, not risking that he might have second thought, as unlikely as that was by now. But that was fine, he was more than willing to oblige her really.
He didn't fight her pulling him closer, he embraced it, moving with her, grinding into her as she did so to him, getting his knees situated so he could properly go to work on her. He leaned his head up , and captured her mouth with his, wanting that extra point of contact with her, his lips parting, his tongue touching her lips, tasting her, enjoying, it all, loving the moment, enthralled. His hips drew back a pace, and then forward, a gradual pace, savouring the feeling, the changes in the feeling, every moment. There had to be people behind that would be noticing, but Jacob couldn't be bothered to be worried about that now, or maybe ever. Unless he had to, and then he would do what he had to in order to get back to this moment. He didn't want it to end any more than Lucy seemed to.
human
Lucy met every one of Jacob's thrusts, her hips meeting his in a steady rhythm that could only be described as bittersweet torture. Her body molded to his as he held her close, his heat melting her to her very core. She burned for him, hot and feverish, full of desire and so much more! Whimpering with need, she welcomed his mouth as it crashed against hers, his tongue tasting and exploring, her own desperately exploring his in return. She savored each touch they shared, each moment like it would be the last.
How she hoped it wouldn't be!
Tiny sounds of approval rolled over Lucy's lips as she writhed and arched, her mouth working against Jacob's in a heated dance she was reluctant stop. Her hips moved wildly beneath him, begging and pleading for him to drive deeper, to mark her as his own. Already she knewthe dreams, her own intuition, all of it had already made it clear. But this was the here, the now and she was overwhelmed with sensations, with feelings. Her body was begging for more, the throb of her clit reaching the point of agony.
Lucy couldn't hold back, soft moans sounded in the back of her throat. Her body knew what it wanted, needed and he was right there with her as she teetered on the edge of losing controlher angel.
gpt
Fire. It was the only way to decribe how Lucy felt under him. It was like liquid fire beneath him, hot enough that he swore it would burn him. But he wouldn't move from it, not for all the world. The less restraint she showed, the harder it was to keep anything like control, he'd been wanting to be gentle, loving, but there was notimefor that kind of thing now. Only passion and heat and need andnow.
His back arched, driving his hips forward harder than before, the impact shaking both of them, a beautiful collision between them. Jacob groaned into her mouth, tasting her tongue along his, torn between wanting mercy from this wild side of her, and more of it, always more. Mercy hadn't been somethign he'd seen much of since coming back, and he didn't see much point in it now. Hands under her arms, gripping her shoulders, using that to both keep them close, and the pull her onto him with each thrust, more force, more speed, more everything, Jacob was going out of his mind with justhow much moreof Lucy he wanted.
Such short term thoughts were not his normal outlook, but here and now was all he had. He was on borrowed time, and he knew it. How much more could he borrow? And was there a price to pay for it, more than having to live past what should have been an end to his despair. But Lucy seemed a balm for those feelings. A way of keeping the dark at bay. His candle in the night.
human
Muffled pants and gasps resonated from Lucy's lips as they continued to taste, search and explore Jacob's. Her hips gyrated against his, increasing the tension that had built between them to a feverish pitch. She was lost, completely and utterly lost, swimming in all that was him as she swirled in sensations that made her body shake and shiver, trembling as her cunt began to seethe. She was ready for him, wanting to fall into that sweet oblivion that only he could ever provide. Her body was screaming in agony, begging for sweet release as she bucked wildly, her legs spread as she tried to help him drive deeper.
Lucy's hands trailed up and down Jacob's back, frantically touching, searching. Every thrust brought her closer, made her dizzy! She couldn't get enough. She didn't think she ever would! Crying out, she let her legs encircle his, pulling him closer, closer... Her juices gushed as her body responded, clamping down upon him as her cunt pulsed with orgasmic bliss again and again. Head tilting back, she let out another cry, her body arching hard as another wave washed over her. Sweat and passion filled the air, its scent heavy as she held onto him, relishing the feel of him as her body continued to ride out her orgasms.
gpt
He'd had the thought that Lucy might be getting close, but then she confirmed everything by all but exploding under him. Feeling her legs around him, her ahands along his back, he felt them pressed so tightly together that there was utterly no space between them, a closeness that would be missed when it was gone. In most cases he would have wanted to ease off of her a little, let her rocevoer a moment, but there was no pause, no mercy.
He drove on, faster still, almost a frenzy of motion to him. As her head tilted back, he bit down on the base of her neck, dragging his teeth across her skin without a moment of pause. Red marks stood out on her pale skin because of it, but he didn't notice, didn't care, planting a kiss on her jaw, then giving a sharp cry of his own as he felt himself swell within her, releasing in a wave within her, no thought of any other result.
A shivering wave rode through him, feeling drawn, wrung out from everything that they had done. He relaxed, resting his weight on Lucy, taking in the sight of her sweat dappled form beneath him. He'd come back for vengeance. But maybe there was something to be won for himself in the world yet after all.
human
Body trembling, legs shaking, Lucy just held on. Her hands moved all over Jacob, his hips thrusting fast, crashing against hers with great fury and ferocity. She whimpered her approvals as she nuzzled his neck, lolled her head so that he could kiss her everywhere. Each kiss he gave her was one to remember. She could feel his lips, his teeth...and it was heaven! A flash of her dream flitted through her mind and she thought of his mouth, that decadent, masterful mouth that seared her to her very core. How she loved his kisses, his taste, just everything.
As Jacob thrust faster and faster, a frenzy of motion as he finally found his rhythm before reaching his own blissful end, Lucy couldn't hold back the tears. So much unbridled passion, raw emotion. It had been bared for this man alone. She was his in mind, body and soul, his marks covering her flesh while his thick cum had filled her up to overflowing. There was no turning back now. As if she would've turned away before. But now, beneath his weight, his warmth enveloping her like a soft blanket, there was no way she'd ever leave his side. Not for anything or anyone.
Lucy clamped her eyes shut, letting the tears of overwhelm subside a little. Her fingers lightly traced circles over Jacob's back and she placed a gentle kiss against his jaw. Slowly, the sound of the music, the crowd began to return, the reality of where they were. She wished it wouldn't, that they could somehow remain in their moment just a bit longer. But she knew they couldn't, not with so many watching on. Her cheeks reddened at the realization that they probably had an audience, but she pushed it from her thoughts. She was with Jacob, her fated, her angel.
Lucy trusted Jacob in every way, her green eyes gazing up at him as her body shivered beneath him. She gave him a smile, her heart full of love and longing. Gently, she cupped the side of his face with one of her hands. The music was getting louder, the lights flashing as she looked into his eyes. "I won't wake from this dream," she said, her smile broadening, her cheeks flushing just a bit more. "I can't now. But I'm glad."
gpt
Jacob felt his breath shuddering slightly as he panted over top of Lucy. He heard what she said, saw that she was coming back to herself, coming around to her normal way of thinking. With one notable exception. The smile was honest, genuine, and that she would never wake from the dream. And she was glad of it. His hand cupped the sid of Lucy's face, a thumb running along her cheek affectionately.
"I'll always be here for you." He promised her. He could hear no small amount of movement behind him. With some reluctance, he disengaged from Lucy, though not before he leaned in to give one last kiss of the moment, letting it be just that little longer.
He pulled his pants back up before turning around to see what was behind him. Four or five leering men. Jacbo fixed them with an unamused glare.
"Something I can do for you?" He asked coldly.
"How much for a turn for us with her?" One asked eagerly. Jacob nodded, and simply punched the leer off of his face. There were a lot of things that he could stand, insinuating Lucy as a whore was not one of them. One of the other men hit him back. Jacob staggered a moment, hand going to the impact spot. It...hurt.
You are doing nothing for your vengeance, and I can't protect you from this. Sorry kid, but you know there's no free rides.He heard the crow in his mind, and felt a thrill of fear. As another man came close, a bouncer showed up to break it up. Jacob swept up Lucy's discarded shirt, and tossed it to her, grabbing his own, and then shrugging his coat on, but keeping it open to give Lucy the privacy to dress without an audience.
human
Always. It was a strong word and she knew Jacob meant it. Though she wondered if he truly had 'always' or if powers greater than them would find a way to rip them apart. The thought frightened her terribly. Pushing it aside, she chose to forget about that, to live in the 'now'. He meant what he said and that was what mattered. Love and desire coursed through her veins, but they had to get back to reality. The music was loud and she could feel the eyes.
Jacob got up and tossed her, her shirt. She'd almost forgotten her state of undress in such a public place. It was so unlike her. But with Jacob, she couldn't help herself. He unleashed a dark and deep passion, something she was only too happy to explore. He was a gift, unexplainable and she wasn't about to let him be taken for granted.
Lucy heard Jacob address some of the onlookers, her face reddening at the realization that they'd had an audience. Jacob hit one and another hit back. Startled, she pulled on her shirt and went to adjust her shorts. Fortunately she only had one leg to get back into them. Putting them on was far easier than getting them off and as she stood, she could feel Jacob's seed filling her, coating her insides as some spilled out. She reached her arms around him as the crowd gathered, scared yet protective of the man she loved.
"Let's go," Lucy whispered in Jacob's ear, her green eyes fixed on the leering men who now eyed Jacob, ready to fight. "This isn't worth it. You're better than this."
gpt
There was a part of jacob that wanted snarl, leap back at the men involved, and start swinging. Lose himself in the wild joy of the fight. He hadn't known that he had that side to him until this whole thing had one down, but he managed to rein himself in, mostly becaue he had had the concern of what might happen to Lucy if he left her alone for too long in this pace after what they'd done. There was goign to be a certain expectation now, and if nothing else, that hair of hers would make her stick out very clearly to most men. He nodded to her.
"Yeah. Let's." He agreed, walking away from the men, seeing that there were bouncers involved now. The weight in his coat reminded Jacob that he was still carrying the gun that Artemis had given him. If he had remembered he'd had it, he'd likely have used it.
Ben had always said that having a gun provided options, but it usually ended up feeling too much like a first choice that would settle most anything. And that was why Jacob had never owned one. Still, having it now might be for the best, if he could keep his temper and his mind in place. He felt a little bit of chill working into his body, which he took as a good sign. The colder he felt, the more...dead, the more likely he was to have the gifts that crow seemed to grant. That the crow could withdraw them made the whole situation very curious to him. What more did the bird know that he didn't let on?
"Hey." A voice behind them said plainly. Jacob turned around a moment, looking to see who was there. A thug for certain, his face worn and weathered from years of violence.
"Something I can do for you?" Jacob asked.
"Not here for you. But someone who looks a lot like Aleena was supposed to fucking a guy on the floor? That's got me all kinds fo curious." The thug answered. Jacob felt his blodd all but freeze. The thought hadn't even occurred to him that Aleena might have very well told the two men she was going to see here how she might be dressed, and Lucy was her twin. What had they walked into. Jacob cocked his head, looking at the thug, who actually mirrored the motion. "But you look familiar..." The thug trailed off, trying to place Jacob in his mind. Jacob reached a hand out, catching the man's face and-
Fire behind glass, staring down the poor dumb bastard on this side, seeing the knowledge in the man's eyes that he knew it was over, that his end had found him. What was more, all the men held fire, letting that moment really sink in. no reason for it, none that made any sense other than they all liked it when they showed that they knew it was over. Thunder of gunfire, hammering in, the man twitching as the bullets tore his body up, one man using hollow points and bloody pieces coming out the back of the man when-
Jacob staggered back, the man shoving him away. It took Jacob away from Lucy, and the aftereffects fo the vision robbed him of his balance, dropping onto his back a moment. As he made it to a sitting position, he looked at the thug before the other man could make a move for Lucy. Both men stood still a moment, lining it up, making the connection. Jacob waited for the eyes to widen, knowledge to flood in, making the connection. Jacob felt cold, focused, and knew that the crow was with him in spirit. A gun cleared the holster, and the thug shot Jacob in the chest, the sound breaking over the music, and the screaming began as people either pancked to run, or a few other drew out guns to support the man. Jacob grinned as the bullets passed through him, but didn't slow him. Then the ground around him was chewed up by rounds. He dove, tackling Lucy as the gunfire filled teh air. Killing this man might be a high priority, but he neded to make sure she was clear.
human
They knew who she was? Or, they at least knew her sister! Aleena! Oh god! Panic washed over Lucy as she realized that these men wondered how Aleena's doppelgangerher twincame to be in Industry! Far as they all knew, she'd died. Yet there she stood, looking just like her, identical due to the genetics they'd shared. Oh, her father was going to take care of this and not in a way that was comforting or soothing. No, she knew the kind of man that bastard was. He'd made it clear when he'd sent the thug to trail her down the other night. Just what was going on? And...why?
Terrified, wanting to run, Lucy didn't even have a chance to react. Before she knew it, Jacob and the man were at each other. Jacob's hands reaching for the man's face, grabbing hold as they stood there locked together, eyes staring into eyes. She sucked in a breath, her mind spinning as they broke apart and Jacob fell back. She rushed to his side, so many questions running through her mind. But she couldn't get answers. Not now, not when the men were looking at him like a cross between pissed and horrorstruck. They must recognize him, she decided. They must KNOW!
The moment the gun went off, the bullet moving straight through Jacob's body, causing him to grin evilly, Lucy knew those men were aware of exactly who Jacob was. And Jacob knew it was time to 'play'. She expected him to leap upon them, to rain down his assaults much like he did in the alley when she was about to be raped. But...he didn't. Instead, he focused on her, moving her out of harm's way as bullets fired and people rushed, screaming as they tried to exit the crowded club. It was as if all hell had broken loose, the flood unleashed with nowhere to run or hide. But she was determined and she wasn't going to get in the way.
Lucy rolled to the side with Jacob, her eyes finding his as chaos rained down upon them. She cupped his cheek gently, her green eyes soft as her red hair sprawled out beneath her like blood. "Go," she whispered. Tears suddenly filled her eyes. "Go, I'll be all right."
gpt
Jacob smiled down at Lucy, pulling himself partway up. He felt a bullet ripping through him, heading for her by virtue of mometem, and he threw an arm up. The bullet lodged in the limb instead of her chest.
"Head for the bar. They're usually reinforced. Hole up until I finish things." He told her. "Be careful." He reached a hand out, stroking her cheek faintly before he rose, his hand going inot his coat and withdrawing the gun within.
The pistol roared in his hand, spitting rounds into the club, causing more mayhem. The man he was looking for had sought cover somewhere. He wasn't sure where exactly, but he was going to find him. Bullets where flying everywhere, and anyone that wasn't shooting was getting out of the place. That meant that there was a limited amount of time before police arrived in force, and Jacob had no issue with them. He didn't want to hurt anyone that didn't have it coming to them. And taht meant getting things done quickly. There was a flutter of regret as the bullets kept hitting him. It was doing unholy things to his coat, and he'd always liked this coat.
The man he was looking for popped up, fired three rounds in rapid succession that hit Jacob in the chest and neck. Two in the heart made him falter, drop to one knee a moment, before looking back up. The man paled at the realization that Jacob wasn't going down. The bark of the pistol in hand sent a bullet into the leg of the man he wanted. He flicked the safety on the pistol on, and tossed it behind him, letting it land behind the bar. With a little luck, Lucy would find it, have something to protect herself. He was going to be busy.
human
It wasn't a request, but a simple command and one said with all the love of not a predator or a demon. But a mate, lover...an angel. Green eyes closed, Lucy leaned her face into Jacob's palm, relishing the feel of his skin and reluctant to lose that contact they shared. Life was so cruel always taking things away. But, she knew there was no choice now. This was life or death and she wanted life...with Jacob. Without any further hesitation, she stayed low, crouching as she ran across the vast expanse of floor toward the bar. Bullets were flying all around, pinging off walls, lodging in chairs and who knew what else. But she had no time for that as she skidded around the corner and all but threw herself behind the massive thing, tucking herself into a tight ball and giving herself a moment to think.
It was chaos everywhere! People were shouting as they pushed through the doors. They place almost empty the save Jacob, the thugs and herself. She hoped no one had spotted her dramatic getaway. Not that she'd gone very far. There was no way she'd leave Jacob's side. Not if she could help it, not ever! Glass was shattering everywhere! Worried for Jacob, she chanced a peek over the edge of the bar. Her green eyes widened as she saw him get shot. A scream bubbled up in her throat, but he didn't go down. He stayed right where he was, though he stumbled slightly due to the force of the bullets striking his body.
Dead, but not. Her Jacob just stood there, grinning before he fired back and took his gunner down. A tear dripped from one eye as she looked on, watching him move with such grace as vengeance slowly became his and he claimed yet another name on the list. Just then, she saw him toss the gun her way. It skidded to a stop just out of reach. Biting down on her lip, she moved onto her belly and slithered to retrieve it, the thing quite warm against her palm.
Lucy had never really used a gun, something Aleena had scoffed at time and again given the troubled times they'd lived in. But she'd always thought of it as Aleena's world. Her father's world. Something separate from her and the life she lived. Only now, it was necessary as her family pulled her into the fray, this needless mess that they caused as they ruined innocent lives. She held the gun awkwardly in her hand, trying to remember the way Artemis had shown her how to use the thing a time or two in the past. The spunky girl had told her she was going to teach her even if she didn't want it. It had made her laugh, that girl's determination and concern. Artemis hadn't teased her for her lack of desire. It had always been about care. Even in the short time they'd gotten to know each other. Yeah, she was the sister she should've had.
Lucy let her fingers grip the handle, remembering what she was supposed to do. She peeked once again to see who was who and where they were. She set her sights on one of the thugs scoping out the perimeter of the room, looking for an in to charge forward. She raised the gun and shot. There was a kickback she'd forgotten would happen and it caused her to stumble slightly and land on her backside with a soft thud. Scrambling to get up, she felt a shadow looming next to her.
"Well, well...Miss Boyd's enigmatic double," the voice bellowed. "Hot damn, you look just like her."
Lucy's mouth went dry, her hand trembling as she held the gun and moved to point it at the silhouette beside her. She tried to make out the face, but the lights made it hard to make out his features.
"Down to the hair, the eyes and..." He reached out and let his fingers touch Lucy's neck, trailing along and letting them linger as they moved across her chest. "Yeah, even the skin." An approving growl reverberated in his throat as he grabbed her wrist and forced the gun to fall. "Mine now, bitch."
Frantic, Lucy felt the panic rise. Not knowing what else to do, she screamed. "Jacob!"
gpt
Jacob felt his face split into a grin that promised that not only would there be vengeance, but it was going to be slow and terrible, and the most painful moments of this thug's life. He started to move when he heard Lucy, her voice cutting over the din. He turned around to see the crouched form of someone else behind the bar with her. He didn't think, he was already moving. Distance vanished, and stregnth sang in his limbs. He jumped. He had thought to land on the bar, let his momentum carry him into the man. Jacob was going farther, knees hitting the man in the ribs, throwing them both into the back of the bar. The whole cabinet of booze rattled from the hit, and Jacob slapped at his forearm, the hit breakig the grip on Lucy.
He wanted to toss the man away, deal with him where Lucy couldn't see, ut the man was good in a scrap, keeping the grapple going. Jacob didn't have time for this. His hand snapped up, clutching the face of the man, and he started to press his tumbs into his eyes-
"Don't take the job tonight. I've got a bad feeling about it." The speaker was a young woman, maybe sixteen, dark hair, bright eyes, though she looked worried.
"You always have a bad feeling Charlotte. Trust me." The man replied.
"Dad-"
"No. We gotta live, and that means I gotta get paid. And this is how I do it. I'll make mroe tonight than most make in three months. I do this, maybe one other milk run, and we can take off for awhile, get out of it all. How about Italk? You always wanted to see the vineyards?"
"You mean it?"
"Absolutely." Charlotte hugged her father, and-
Jacob looked down, his thumbs buried up to the hilt in the eyes of the man. The man who no longer struggled beneath him. Jacob withdrew his crimson stained thumbs.
"Sorry, but Charlotte isn't going to see those vineyards afterall." He said with a waver to his voice. Bullets hit the bar, and he turned a half wild, half despaired and almost entirely inhuman. He vaulted over the bar, leaving the dead thug where he lay.
His target was dragging himself away, and Jacob swept up a fallen gun, picking his shots properly now, three bullets into a man on the catwalks over the stage, two more into a man who rushed out at him. There was nothing normal in his action, he was running on instinct, picking a target and ending it. The bullets had slackened, ended. And his target was just pulling himself backstage. Jacob was in quick pursuit.
"What the fuck is your damage? Go! Just leave me alone!" The thug protested, spitting with anger as Jacob approached.
"And how many asked you to do the same? Did you hesitate? Even once?" Jacob asked. The man was silent a moent, letting Jacob speak again. "Don't despair. Thy fate is the common fate of all; Into each life some rain must fall." He grinned and pounced on the man.
A fist hit his cheek, but he didn't slow. He hammered a hand down on the upper arm of his foe, his victim, heard bone break, the plaintive cry of pain from the man. Jacob broke a rib, then another, his hand hitting the broken patch of flesh, and-
The thug laughed, shrugging his shoulders as Jacob died against the glass, the team of men walking out of the building. Police would be slow tonight, they'd made arrangements on that front.
"Lucky bastard. Mirrors behind us. he actually got to watch himself go." The thug groused to one of his companions.
"Brusier, you got fuckin' issues man." One of them pointed out. They all laughed a moment-
-Jacob drew in a breath, and grinned down at Brusier.
"Don't worry. I'll give you your wish." He told him in a whisper. As Bruiser looked on in confusion, Jacob reached up and tore a chuck out of his face. Bruiser howled, and Jacob tossed a piece of eye scoket away. Bruiser's eye fell loose, and Jacob gingerly lifted it. Bruiser was too far gone to struggle now, he just made whimpering sounds as Jacob aimed the eye lower, letting bruiser see his own torso. And then Jacob plunged his hand into Bruiser's chest. A moment later, his hand dripping gore, he pulled Bruiser's heart up into the open air, where it could be seen. He grinned at Bruiser, keeping the heart in hand a moment, before he simply crushed the organ in his fist, and let it fall.
Jacob stood, and raised his hands, giving a howl of triumph and release. Another step closer. But to what?
human
Everything was happening so fast. Too fast. Lucy felt her entire life flash before her eyes. Everything that had happened throughout her life, all the things that had been taken away...it now all came down to this point as she stared the looming man in the face. His eyes were wild with menace, his grip tight upon her wrist and then... He let go. She tilted her head back, her green eyes settling upon a shadowno, Jacob...he'd come for herhe stood over her on top of the bar and looked down upon the scene. It was clear he wasn't happy, that he wasn't about to let this man do anything that might harm her. The moment she felt herself become free, she scrambled backwards, letting Jacob have room to handle the thug, to put him out of commission for good.
Lucy didn't see much, but what she heard was enough. As she moved away and tucked herself underneath the bar, she heard the thug scream out in agony. Just what had Jacob done? No, she wouldn't look. She couldn't! She covered her ears as more gunshots went off, more frantic shouts. How she wished she could be with her Jacob! She feared for him, worried about him even though she knew he had powers she couldn't even begin to understand.
Industry had emptied now. It was just them and the thugsher father's people. Ugh! How Lucy hated her father! And why were they after Jacob in the first place? It made no sense to her given that he'd been involved with Aleena up until his death. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to make sense of things. Had her father killed Aleena? Why? She'd been so loyal! The two were cut from the same cloth. It made absolutely no sense at all.
Lucy turned her head when she heard one of the thugs address Jacob directly. He'd recognized him! Her blood suddenly felt so cold and she dared to peek over the top of the bar. Jacob and the one man were fighting, Jacob punching him without mercy. She shivered at the sight, her angel moving with fluid grace as each punch struck true. Suddenly, Jacob plucked out the eye of the man causing her to fumble backwards a bit. She gasped, but was unable to look away. Covering her mouth, she watched him rip out the man's heart next, holding up the two organs side by side before finally crushing the heart and letting it drop to the floor. He looked satisfied, triumphant. He stood up and howled like a vicious predator who'd victoriously killed his prey.
And he had.
A tear dripped from Lucy's one eye and she moved to stand up from behind the bar. She watched Jacob for a moment before running to him, her arms outstretched as she went to embrace him. "Jacob," she cried, holding onto him. "Jacob."
gpt
Jacob's head snapped around, a wild, manic grin on his face, looking for the one who was daring to address him, who would call the wrath of the immortal man that was here, the bringer of death and dismemberment. The bringer of pure righteous fury. Ofjustice. his hands crooked into claws a moment as he felt someone reach him, almost moving to strike, to rend and tear with all his savage power. But a split second later he knew who it was. Would always know. the feel, the scent, the presence. Lucy. Not Aleena. Lucy was there, and throwing herself into him, his name on her lips, dear sweet Lucy who had likely seen what he'd done to Bruiser. Dead and suffered Bruiser. And yet she was here, still with him. His arms closed around her, though he kept his hands from her body, not smearing the blod on her.
"I'm here. I'm here." He soothed, leaning his head down to rest on the top of hers. He held her, just keeping her there. She'd been in trouble, adn he'd been present enough to come for her. But if he hadn't known her so well, he might have done something violent and final when she'd approached him. he was glad on many, many levels that she had called his name. He got his breathing mroe under control, looking around a little at the utter ruin that the place looked now. Bullets had chewed things up significantly. And he knew that even if this place had been owned by someone on the wrong side fo the law, the police would be here soon. He might be able to evade them easily enough, after all, they couldn't hurt him. But Lucy was vulnerable. And he'd not stand by and see her hurt.
Still using his wrists, keeping the bloody hands from her, he pushed her back a half pace, looking into her eyes.
"We need to go. Police. We need to be somewhere else when they get here." He told her with an urgent tone.
They're coming. You have eight, nine minutes at most before they get here.The crow was in his mind, and Jacob closed his eyes, seeing the world from far above, flying over the buildings, seeing the flashing lights coming towards them. They had time enough to vanish. Jacob put an arm around Lucy's shoulder, and head past dead Bruiser, heading for the back door. It was locked, but a well applied boot popped it open, letting the out into the alley behind the club.
human
Jacob's arms were all that Lucy needed in that moment as she kept her eyes away from the blood and carnage that littered the floor. To think that moments ago the room had been filled with music, the two of them forgetting themselves, lost in their passion, in each other... Her eyes were damp with tears as she buried her face against him, let his words wash over her and soothe her soul. They were surrounded by so much death, so much violence, just...so much.
Lucy wasn't going to kid herself, she knew very well that Jacob had slaughtered the men on the floor and he'd enjoyed every moment. This was his revenge, his time to reign. But he was still him, the man she loved, her angel and not some demon sent from hell to wage war on his enemies and anyone or anything that got in his way. If that had been true, she'd be dead along with the corpses at their feet. But she wasn't. She was alive, breathing and so totally in love. Her arms tightened about Jacob, holding him closer for a moment before she felt him pull back so he could look at her. He was worried and she knew why. The police would be there. Her father would see to that and all of them would be on his own special payroll.
Nodding, Lucy licked her lips and then smiled. "I'm ready," she said, steeling herself to leave the bar and never come back. Jacob put his arm over her shoulder and escorted her out into the alley. The air seemed so crisp compared to the stifling heat inside the club. She glanced around, the alley seemingly empty. Tugging on a lock of red, she gestured they move up the alley toward one of the lesser used side streets. The other way seemed to lead to a more main road.
Lucy began to move toward the side street, her senses on full alert. It would only be a matter of time before Industry was flooded with cops and probably more of her father's men. A shiver ran along her spine. Just how far did her father's reach go and why would he go to such trouble over things that couldn't love him back? She supposed she'd never understand it. Then again, did she want to? The answer was simpleno.
"As much as I'd love to barge in on Artemis, that's a no go," Lucy whispered. The two were probably already in jeopardy if their gun was found and analyzed. But knowing Artemis, she probably already knew that and had a plan. But still, they were running out of options. They needed a plan! Just then she cringed. "Selene." She turned and faced Jacob and let out a sigh. "We can go to Selene's. We aren't each other's biggest fans, but...she hates my dad. We can go there."
Selene had been a fling. The kind of girl Lucy's father had dated merely to distract himself and nothing more. The girl wasn't much older than her and Aleena and she'd tried to act like a pseudo-mom when she'd been nothing but a 'child', a mere girl her father used as a plaything. The realization had hit Selene hard when the truth came out, though Lucy had tried to warn her several times. Yeah, Selene hated her father to his very core. And though she harbored no love for his daughters, the hate she had for the man ran deeper. It would work. They could go there. For now.
gpt
Jacob nodded, looking around in the alley, and seeing a collection of rainwater from the earlier weather. He crouched down and washed the blood from his hands. The last thing he needed at this point was to look too terribly obvious in that he'd killed a man with his bare hands.
"It's a good plan Lucy. The enemy of my enemy..." he didn't bother to finish, but he heard the voice of the crow.
Is still my enemy. Don't trust someone's hate alone to carry them through to your advantage. It's a good idea still, but keep your guard up kid.The words weren't bad ones, but if he was going to get this done, he still needed to trust Lucy's judgement, and get it done that way. He needed ehr help. Else he had to abandon her, and that thought didn't appeal to him. At all.
He let Lucy lead. She knew where they were goin, and he closed his eyes now and then, using the crow to see if there were any signs of pursuit. And so far they were safe. Jacob did let himself relax a little, and on an instinct, reached out and and took on of Lucy's hands.
"Does someone want to explain to me why the Industry just had a gunfight?" The voice was calm, smooth, seeming to be perfectly content, as though asking for something simple, like what the weather was like out. The men in the room with him swallowed nervously, knowing that this tone rarely ended well. "Anyone?"
"There's...reports A guy. Shows up, kills some of our people. People say stuff, crazy stuff. Say they all but blew his head off, but he got back up, head all good, adn killed the guy. Something weird is goin' on boss." The man answered.
"Get me information. I want to know what we have here, and how we can use it."
human
Lucy nodded and smiled, her tear-stained face still pretty despite the smudges under her eyes. She took a hold of Jacob's hand, her fingers entwining with his. Inhaling deeply, she turned in the direction of Selene's place. Her father had set the woman up well after he'd tired of her. After all, he didn't want the girl creating a scene or come sniveling back. So, he'd situated her in a rather comfortable brownstone. As always, the man never did anything small. He gave the girl a two-story with all the luxuries and amenities a person could want. She even had access to the community spa, which had a small gym, sauna and pool.
Must be nice to be so cared about.
Too bad it meant not being of the same blood...or the right blood...or...
Lucy felt her chest tighten for a brief moment as her heart twisted and her lungs constricted. What she wouldn't have given for just a single moment of love from her father. But she wasn't Aleena and never would be. And now that Aleena was gone, the man sending his men after her like she was a wanted criminal... It was all just too much to bear. She squeezed Jacob's hand and tried to focusthey needed to get off the streets.
It wasn't long before Lucy had led both she and Jacob to Selene's brownstone. She hoped it would be one of the last places her father would think to look. At the very least, it would buy them some much needed time. "We're here," she said softly, raking a hand through her wild mane of red hair. She bit down on her lower lip and rang the bell. The hour was ghastly. No doubt Selene would be pissed.
Lucy tried not to think about it, her hands trying their best to straighten out her clothesno, Aleena's clothes. But there wasn't much she could do. She was rumpled and looked trashy, like a whore on the streets. Ugh, Selene wouldn't let her hear the end of it. She just knew it. Just then, the door flung open and a petite blonde with big blue eyes and curves in all the right places stood in the entryway. She wore a filmy nightgown, the thing practically see through. When her eyes focused on Lucy, she groaned.
"Not you," Selene whined, a hand moving through her blonde curls.
"Yes, me," Lucy said, her green eyes darting about. Her hand held firmly onto Jacob, urging him closer.
"Ohh, but you have a friend?" Selene asked, her gaze suddenly turning to Jacob, her pout becoming a smile.
Lucy just frowned. "Please, can we come in?"
"He certainly can," Selene said, extending a finger and tracing it down Jacob's chest.
"Selene, please," Lucy said, agitated and upset.
Selene just rolled her eyes. "Oh fine, come on. You're dad will hate it that you're here," At that, she yanked Lucy in through the door, Lucy's hand still holding tightly to Jacob.
gpt
Jacob fought hard to keep the rising disdain off of his face for Selene. The touching bothered him, even if it was a shirt with numerous holes in it now. So did the coat. Which was a shame, he'd liked this coat. Less important now that he knew he was here for a purpose. Still, her finger on his chest, her dismissal of Lucy made him want to break that finger off as a warning. Perhaps disproportionate retribution, but there it was. He'd not been a violent man by nature.
He wasn't so sure that was true any longer.
The phrase of having a hammer and everything starting to look like a nail was beginning to sound true to him. And that worried him. What happened if he got too far along, and Lucy started to look like a target? He'd leave. That was that, if he ever got to the point of feeling like Lucy was a legitimate target, he'd leave. He would not have her pain, her blood on his hands.
As they were entering the place Jacob spoke up.
"Her father. He can't know we're here. Not now anyway." He said firmly. "If he knows we're here he will kill you. And he'll try to kill Lucy."
human
Selene snorted and then laughed. Glancing over her shoulder, she let her cool blue eyes linger on Jacob's chest before working their way up to his eyes half hidden in the shadows. She smiled at him and shook her head. "Silly boy," she scolded. "I hate Mr. Boyd more than you do." She arched a brow and smirked before turning back around, having shut the door and locked it.
Lucy looked up at Jacob and then back at Selene. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Don't thank me," Selene scoffed. "I'm not doing this for you, little girl."
Lucy frowned, her muscles tensing. She always hated how Selene talked to her. She wasn't even that much older, but the condescension in her tone was just the absolute worst! She could endure such things from Aleenabarelybut from a stranger who hardly knew her, who took no time to bother? It was a bit too much to swallow sometimes.
"This is merely because I can't stand your father. And anything that could possibly ruffle his feathers..." Selene's voice trailed off and she shuddered as if a chill passed through her. "Makes me tingle." She winked and then let her gaze move past Lucy and fall directly onto Jacob.
Selene brushed passed, pushing Lucy aside. The gown she wore shimmered in the dim light, revealing her body to both as they stood there. She did absolutely nothing to hide herself, clearly not ashamed for them to see. The air was cool as it danced over their skin, pulling Selene's tight about her breasts. Her nipples were hard as they poked the filmy fabric of her nightgown. Lucy just stood there and hung her head. She wasn't about to play these games that Selene was trying to dangle in front of her. Those were the sorts of things her sister played, not her. Aleena would have taken the bait, but...
She was not Aleena.
"Well, I'm glad we're at least on the same page there, then," Lucy said quietly, her gaze averted. She turned slightly and moved toward a window to peer outside.
Selene just grinned as she watched Lucy move away. Looking at Jacob with predatory eyes, she stepped closer. "You can spend the night." She let her hand touch his chest and toy with one of the holes. "You can change into something...decent."
"Thank you," Lucy said from over by the window, her eyes fixed on the black pavement outside.
Selene looked up at Jacob and smiled. "Or, perhaps you prefer indecency?" she asked tilting her head, her body brushing up against his. She had to stifle the moan as her pert breasts rubbed against him. "I see you prefer something a bit trashy," she whispered so that Lucy wouldn't hear. "When she falls asleep, come find me."
gpt
There was so much about this woman that Jacob didn't like, she was very much the kind of person that set off more than a few alarm bells in his mind. Not able to be trusted. But they needed a port of safe harbour for now, just a little while, until the storm that he'd kicked up in the club died down. But how long, and when would it be a good time? He let himself relax just a little, not borrow trouble from the future. Selene was doing all she could to draw him in, and he knew it would quite easy to succumb to what was asking for. He steeled himself, fighting off the rising urge to do something about this woman that was all but throwing herself at him.
What could a man do? Was he not only human? He smiled at that last thought, though the timing might have given the impression that he was smiling at her invitation. He was not only human now. And he knew that there was a reserve of will in him to press on and not let himself get mired in the random advances of the local floozy. Or at least he sincerely hoped so. He'd been with Lucy now, and that meant something, it meant a great deal, he knew that for him, and certainly for her as well. He wouldn't let himself get dragged along, or do everything he could to try and make sure that he followed that idea.
He moved away from Selene, heedless of the fact that doing so dragged the material of his coat across her chest. On some level, depending on how she had taken the smile, it could be seen as a promise, an invitation. But his eyes were on Lucy's. He got behind her, and placed his hands on her shoulders, just like he had back in the diner. His thumbs worked into her skin, working a new knot loose. he couldn't blame her. She'd been shot at, almost killed, attacked again, and now they were in one on the places she likely wanted to be in the least. Nothing for it then.
"We should probably keep clear of the windows. Don't want anyone to see us." He murmured to her faintly. He placed a quick peck to the back of her ear as he finished. That feeling of warmth, of beingalivewas coming back, and he knew it was everything to do with Lucy at this point. "I'll make sure that nothing happens if you want to get cleaned up."
human
Lucy kept her eyes fixed on the pavement outside the window. She feared that if she looked elsewhere she might shatter and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to be strong, needed to be. Jacob needed to know she trusted him, believed in him...in them. It was her own insecurities and worries that we're getting the better of her now with Selene dredging up memories. The woman knew all of her weaknesses, her desire to be loved and accepted. She'd watched her sister, her father push her away before she too was cast out like a used toy. But she got her rewards for being a good little doll.
Unlike Lucy.
Lucy just never fit the mold that her father had desired. She wasn't Aleena and never would be. Now that Aleena was gone, he was taking out his grief on the one thing that reminded him of his lossher. It was sick, so very wrong. What she wouldn't give to hear soothing words from her dad...just once! But that bastard was too far gone in his business to give a damn and he'd taken Aleena down with him. And Selene...pitiful Selene...
Lucy had seen her father use women countless times. But Selene had been a hard favorite. Maybe it had been her determination that had set her apart. Who knew! But the girl had it good and she didn't deserve any of it.
Selene smiled at Jacob as he smiled at her, her skin flushing a rosy pink. Oh yes, things were going just as she'd hoped. She could already feel herself getting wet at the thought of him between her legs, Lucy cast aside as he fucked her hard. He'd come to her. They always did. She watched Jacob walk over to Lucy, his hands slipping over her shoulders to gently rub them. She sniffed, but then smirked. What a deviant mind to lure the bitch in, make her feel comfortable and at ease. Then, when she least expected it... Oh, it was so delicious she could hardly stand it!
Lucy turned slightly as Jacob approached and set his hands on her shoulders. She sighed softly and leaned back into his touch. She was glad he was there, by her side. Closing her green eyes, she focused on the feel of his hands as he worked her muscles loose.
"You're always right," Lucy stated softly, a small smile playing on her lips. Opening her eyes, she glanced back at Jacob and smiled. "A shower would be great. I...I'd love to change."
Selene rolled her eyes. "I suppose that means you'll need clothes. Fine. I've got plenty. I've got some tucked away in the guest room. Take whatever. I don't care."
"Thanks," Lucy said with a smile.
"Don't thank me. Like I said, I'm not doing it for you, sweetie." Selene winked and then looked at Jacob. Her glance said it all before she turned on her heels and headed toward her bedroom.
Lucy looked up at Jacob and smiled, doing her best not to think about Selene. "Well now. Shower. Let's go to our room first shall we?"
gpt
Jacob nodded, smiling at her.
"Yes. Let's." He told her softly, a hand brushing along her cheek gently. He went down the directed hallway, finding the door that would give them a place to rest, to recharge, adn for Lucy to not be stuck looking like Aleena in the club. He let out a breath as they got in, feelign marginalyl better just to not have Selene's eyes on him. She made his skin crawl really, and he trusted her not at all. There was clearly some kind of level of attempt to start some kind of pissing contest with Lucy, as though she'd try and get Jacob just to deny Lucy that much comfort. It didn't endear her to him in the least. There was a flare in his chest that was more than not appreciating it, it promised swift and certain violence.
He pushed that down. He didn't need that kind of thing right now. Right now Lucy needed him, needed him to be there, and he needed to rest his mind from the violent urges that ran rampant through him when he found people that had killed him. And the others. he knew he'd killed people at the club that hadn't done anything to him, other than being in the wrong place and opened fire to fulfill some sense of loyalty to their employer. He let out a breath, letting himself grapple with all the death, all the murders. Lucy was alive and unhurt, so that was a victory in and of itself. Though he'd learned that Lucy was also a risk, since her being around seemed to limit his access to his gifts. Or was that the Crow? Had the Crow withdrawn it's gifts intentionally? And if the Crow withdrew them at the wrong moment...could he die again? And if he did, would it stick this time?
Too much to think about, too much to take in. He couldn't process it all right now. He needed more time.
human
Lucy felt like a weight instantly lifted the moment she and Jacob entered the guest room and shut the door behind them. She really felt sorry for Selene. Why the girl carried on as she did, she'd never understand it. Yes, her father had been an asshole. A downright dirty bastard! She'd tried to warn her, had even gotten herself into a bit of a spat with Aleena over it too. But, she'd tried and where had it gotten her? A whole lot of nowhere. At least she and Jacob had a place to stay for the night, buying them some time while Industry was mobbed with policeno doubt under the influence and pay of her father. Ugh, that man disgusted her. He always found a way to get his fingers into everything!
But Lucy didn't want to think about her father or even Selene. She was just glad that she and Jacob had somehow made it out of the club unscathed. Breathing. Alive. There was a lot of irony now when she thought on that word. Was Jacob truly 'alive'? She liked to believe so even if he was able to dodge bullets. Biting down on her lower lip, her eyes rested on the holes that riddled his jacket his shirt, his body completely whole and unharmed. Dodging bullets? No, he didn't have to dodge anything. But that hardly mattered. She was his now. After everything that happened, that they'd shared...she regretted none of it and would do it again.
"I'll be glad to get out of this thing," Lucy said trying to make light of things. "Hopefully I'll find something decent." She smiled a little and then giggled. Finding anything decent among Selene's clothes would be difficult indeed. But, she'd do her best.
Rummaging through the dresser in the room, Lucy managed to find a pair black yoga pants and a thin lavender t-shirt. It would work even if it was active wear. Better that than some of the other unmentionables she saw.
"I'll take these and go shower. While I do that, maybe you can scope out the closet," Lucy suggested. "I'm betting Selene's had a man or ten spend the night. And if any of them are like the one's my dad employs...well..." her voice trailed and she made a face, which only caused her to giggle a little bit more. Heading toward the door so that she could go to the bathroom, she stopped for a moment and looked at Jacob. "Jacob," she said. "I'm glad you're here." She smiled warmly, her eyes glistening slightly. "That you've kept your promise."
At that, Lucy opened the door and headed to the bathroom, clothes in hand. She hoped Jacob knew just how much it meant to her that he hadn't left her behind, that he was there for her. For the first time in her life, she finally felt like someone truly cared, like someone finally wouldn't be ripped away from her life leaving her to fester in a world without love. Love. That was what she was feeling. And for a man who was neither alive nor dead.
gpt
Jacob lightly cupped Lucy's cheek, his thumb running along it, and he smiled at her.
"Always. And don't you forget it." He said softly back to her, winking. As she left the room, she left him to his own devices.
He looked in the closet, knowing that really it was just busy work. Still Lucy hadn't been wrong. If the way she'd greeted him was any idication, it was not a stretch to imagine that there were a large number of men that had moved through this space. Shirt. Something not so filled with holes. Yet. That surely couldn't last. He'd been shot far more than he cared to think about, but there it was. He let out a breath, settling himself a little more. He rubbed his jaw, found it was tender again. That punch he'd taken after he'd been with Lucy, it hadn't completely gone away. it hadn't been noticed when he was running hot, chasing his vengeance, but now, it was back. The limits...and whether they were withdrawn intentionally...he needed more information.
I don't take it from you kid. I tried to warn you that you were losing it, but you were...distracted.The Crow was in his head, telling him what he wasnted to know, and he looked to the window of the room, and the large bird was standing on the sill.Don't bother opening the window, I'm not coming in there. More useful out here. And I don't trust this woman.
"Neither do I." Jacob whispered back.
Good. Glad we're on the same page. Keep your guard up kid. I'm going to have a look around.The Crow took his leave, and left the sill. Jacob closed his eyes, saw the world through the eyes of the Crow, knew that they would have warning.
Now he just had to keep his head on straight while in this place.
The killings he'd done had an effect on him, a kind of savagery was seeping into his thinking, and not just when it came to fighting someone. He wanted things, primitive things. Lucy helped balance it out, remind him reasons to be human. Otherwise he wasn't sure what he'd be by now. He might just be a half feral monster by now, killing without thought or regret. He needed time. He shucked the coat from his shoulders, and pulled a red button down shirt out of the closet, shrugging it on, and doing it up most of the way. It felt good to be dressed properly again. Something that didn't invled bullet holes. He leaned a hand on the wall, rested his weight there, concentrated on keeping himself steady.
human
The heat from that soft caress still lingered on Lucy's cheek as she made her way to the bathroom. Just one touch, one glance from Jacob and she knew everything would be all right. Once she found the door leading to the bathroom, she gently twisted the knob and entered. The room was dark, so she flipped the switch letting the harsh fluorescent light flood the room. Glancing up, she squinted and wished that the lights weren't so bright. Turning toward the wall where the switch was, she saw the dimmer and adjusted the brightness of the lighting. Just like her dad to make sure that the place had all the little luxuries...nothing was ever too little to ignore.
Except maybe her. Funny, even Selene got better treatment.
Lucy raked her hand through her wild, red curls and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked absolutely ghastly. How Jacob could even stand to look at her in the get up and make up she donned, she wasn't even sure. Gently, she placed the clothes aside and then turned on the water in the sink. When the water steamed, she reached for the soap and washcloth and began to scrub. It felt good washing away the grit and grime that wasn't her. She wasn't even sure if it was Aleena. But it hardly mattered. It was coming off and she could be Lucy again. She wondered what Artemis would think and that made her smile.
When the make up was gone and Lucy's face flushed a rosy pink, she moved to the shower and turned on the water. As the temperature warmed, she slowly peeled off the clothes. She threw the boots into a corner, the tile floor felt cold against her bare feet. Then, she slid the shorts down along her thighs. How different if suddenly felt as they moved along her body. For a moment, she remembered Industry and the things she and Jacob had done in the heat of passion. She suddenly blushed and kicked the shorts over to join the boots. Finally, she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it into the growing pile. Naked, she stared at herself in the mirror. There were marks along her neck and chestJacob's marks. She let her fingers touch them, trace them as she remembered their union. To the onlookers, it had looked like two people having a quick fuck. But to her...they'd made love.
Lucy bit down on her lower lip, letting the memory swirl about her mind. She then turned toward the shower and entered, letting the hot water roll over her body. It felt nice. Yes, she needed this. When she finished washing and rinsing, she turned off the water and dried herself off. Reaching for the borrowed clothes, she pulled them on. Selene wouldn't like it, but she had to admit that the yoga pants and t-shirt actually suited her, not to mention lavender didn't look half bad. She smiled to herself and toweled her hair a bit more before running her fingers through the wet mass of red. She then folded up the towel and grabbed the old club clothes of Aleena's and headed back to the room.
Selene peeked out of a tiny crack in her door as she watched Lucy head back to her room. She sneered at the sight of her wearing her clothes. At least she'd chosen something simple, something she'd hardly miss. Yes, the girl could keep that. Now that it had touched her skin, she no longer wanted them back. But she couldn't let Lucy Boyd cloud her thoughts. She was a mere distraction as well as a minor annoyance. She had other things to think on...like the man she'd brought into her home. He was far more interesting and she could imagine exactly what it must be like to have him between her legs. Oh, the very thought made her ache! As she watched Lucy enter the guest room, she closed her own door. She could wait this out. Jacob would come to her...theyalwayscame.
Lucy knocked on the door as she opened it and entered. "All done," she said softly, letting Aleena's clothes fall into a heap on the floor. "I feel so much better." The thin t-shift hugged her frame and the yoga pants accentuated the curves of her hips, her legs before flaring slightly at the ankles. "Though it's a bit chilly," she admitted as her skin broke out in goose bumps. She gently rubbed her arms and grinned sheepishly, her nipples hidden beneath the shirt poking the thin material. "Maybe Selene has a sweater or hoodie somewhere."
gpt
Jacob looked up as Lucy walked in, and he had to smile. That was...better. It looked like Lucy again. Not...whoever she had been. Though he ahd to admit, whatever she ahd looked like, it had been enough to provoke a pretty important reaction from him. Sure, he'd been drinking, which apparently still effected him, or at least it did while he was losing out on some of his gifts, and he ahd been playing a role, but he wasn't about to lie to himself. He'd wanted what happened. On some level, it had been a desperate need of his, to be that close with her, to get that...feeling. It was the most alive he'd felt since coming back.
And that seemed to be the problem.
he was dead. But Lucy wasn't, and Lucy cared for him deeply enough to be a problem. But he cared for her, compounding the problem. But there was nothing he could do to change that, the heart wanted what it wanted, and they both wanted one another. When she mentioned the chill, he turned back to the closet. He found a large hooded sweater, one that zipped up the front, adn handed it to her. It'd be almost comically oversize, but it'd be warm.
"Here. It's good to see you...back to being you." He said with a smile. It was easier thatn he'd expected, to push aside that instinct to do violence. Lucy made that sort of thing easier, simple even. His hand rest on her shoulder, his thumb gently brushing along one of the red marks on her neck, the mark he'd left there. He grinned. "I'd apologize for the mark, but...it might sound disingenuous." He told her with a wink. "No regrets Lucy." He told her softly, a confirmation that yes, he knew what they'd done, and no, he was not having any kind of second thoughts about it.
"Get some rest for now Lucy. I'll be around, keep an eye on things." he told her, leaning in to kiss her gently, but with more than a little affection. When he pulled away, he was still smiling, just a man who was enjoying the company of someone that he cared greatly for.
human
Lucy watched on as Jacob found her a sweater and then smiled as he began to put it on her, helping her slip it on over her slim body. The thing was largeoverly sobut it was warm and that was what counted. Her cheeks flushed slightly under his steady gaze and her green eyes finally dared to meet his. Oh, she could stare at him forever, get lost in those eyes that had haunted her dreams. They were full of mystery questions still unanswered and oh how they made her insides melt. His fingers traced along her neck, lingering on the mark he'd given her when they'd made spectacles of themselves at Industry. No regrets. None. She was glad that things had happened, that she'd let go and given into the passion she'd felt burning deep inside. From the moment he'd invaded her dreams...she knew he was 'home'.
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips and Lucy giggled softly. Jacob's words, his wink, they said it all and it was just what she'd needed to hear in that moment as she stood there before him in Selene's brownstone. Giving Jacob a nod, she reached out and let her hand gently trail down his arm. Her fingers found his and she gave his hand a squeeze as he leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. Feeling safe and content, she leaned her head, her red hair still damp from her shower, against his chest and wrapped her arms tightly about his waist. She hugged him tightly and then pulled back and looked into his eyes.
"I am sleepy," Lucy said a bit groggily. "Go on and shower. I'll stay right here. Promise." She gave Jacob a smile and nodded he head to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, across the way, Selene peeked out her door again and smirked. The two were more than likely trading places. How convenient. She knew Jacob would come to her. All men did. She had a certain appeal that drew them like bees to honey. Once that bitchy Boyd was asleep, he'd let his guard down. She just had to accept that. But there was no harm in giving the man a sample of what he could get later. Closing her door, she took off her filmy nightgown, her body completely bare underneath. Opening her closet she found a sheer robe and flung it over her slender body. Of course, it left nothing to the imagination. Every curve was visible beneath the shimmering white fabric. Selene smiled as she adjusted the robe, happy with how her breasts looked beneath the material. The rosy buds were perfectly erect, just waiting for him to notice and every part of her flesh was smooth and beckoning for his hands to touch and explore. Oh, she'd give him an eyeful...maybe even a tiny mouthful...if he wanted it.
And Selene was confident that Jacob would want everything.
gpt
When Lucy mentioned being tired, he cracked a another smile.
"You've had a busy day." He told her with a smile. "Sleep well, I'll keep you safe." He told her, stepping out of the room, and shutting the door. Once he'd done that, he sighed, leaning his head on the door, gathering his thoughts, his nerves, pushing aside his misgivings. He turned to the bathroom, and walked in. He shucked out of his new shirt, running a finger along his torso, finding small spots that marked a bullet. Even as he looked at them they were fading from sight, turning into shockingly pale, but pristine flesh. Away from Lucy, he looked like an alabaster statue. He closed his eyes, paused, saw the building from the outside, saw the street from the roof of the brownstone. Everything seemed clear for the moment. He opened them again, and kicked the door to the bathroom shut. It hit the doorframe, but didn't qquite close, though that detail was lost on him.
Hot water. It poured from the nozzle, and he smiled, setting his pants aside, and stepping into the stream of water. it was hot enough that steam poured intot he room in a great wave, but he barely felt it. Lucy wasn't there, wasn't around to make him human, to make himfeel. And if she was, well, at this point it would likely lead to a very long shower that would almost need another one right afterwards to make sure that they were actually clean. The thought made him smile. He touched the sliding glass door of the shower-
Heat, heat and lust, panting, sweating and moans, hands that weren't his, too small, gripping the wall, larger hands moving this body around, one in the long hair that now hung in view, pushign the body into a bend, something touching the body from behind, and a moan that started to build in anticipation of-
Jacob jerked his hand back, shaking his head a moment to clear it. A little more about their hostess than he cared to know really. He smiled and grabbed the soap, beginning to get the last residual elements of blood off of himself. It was feeling good to be clean. He shook his head, knowing that he still had some residual arousal from his time with Lucy, and the aftereffects of that vision. It was hard to shake off to say the least.
human
When Jacob left, Lucy stared at the bed for several long moments. There was only one, which meant one of two things. Either one of them was sleeping on the floor or she and Jacob would share that one and only bed. Smiling shyly, her green eyes looking down at the floor, she already knew the answer to thatthey'd share. She could already imagine the warmth of Jacob's body as he lied next to her, his arms wrapped gently about her as he held her close. Her smile grew a little at the thought. It was a nice one to end the day with.
Walking over to the bed, Lucy turned down the sheets and sat upon the soft mattress. She snuggled deeply under the blankets, her red hair fanning out over the pillow beneath her head. Her eyelids grew heavy, as she lied there waiting. But she was happy and she felt safe. As her eyes slowly closed, she let her finger trace the mark Jacob had left on her neck.
Meanwhile, Selene peeked out her door and quietly slipped through the tiny crack she'd made when she'd opened it to look out into the hall. She'd heard the bathroom door open, which meant only one thingJacob was now in there. A smirk plastered on her face, she walked with all the confidence in the world toward that bathroom, the door slightly ajar. She giggled softly knowing that he'd done that in hopes she'd decide to pay him an early visit. And of course she'd oblige him for being so quick on the uptake. Licking her lips, she breathed in and then out and then pushed open the door.
The shower was on and Selene could see Jacob's silhouette behind the glass of the shower stall. Quietly, she closed the door behind herself and locked it. She turned toward the mirror to get a quick glance of herself. Yes, she was the picture of perfection. No one could resist such a tempting treat. They never had...though Mr. Boyd had tossed her aside when he was through. Dirty old bastard. But she'd shown him, living off his money, his men. And now she'd take his neglected daughter's man and ohh, he was quite the specimen. Her breasts ached at the idea of his hands gripping them and squeezing them, his mouth lavishing them with attention. She sucked in a breath and turned back to look at Jacob as he washed. He was clearly aroused...and ready.
He knew she was there and that made Selene hot.
Quietly, Selene let her shimmery robe slip from her shoulders. She moved to touch the glass doors and slowly slid it open. Her cool, blue eyes immediately focused on Jacob's arousal. "Didn't mean to keep you waiting so long," she panted. "I'm here now."
gpt
Jacob was quiet, leaning into the water, the heat finally starting to seep into him a little more now, and he almost felt properly heated through. The constant chill of what could only be described as the grave wasn't quite so prevalent. He did hear the door finish closing, picking out something of a clack of a lock going shut. He actually smiled. Maybe Lucy nudging him to the shower had been an ulterior motive on her part. Despite everything, he didn't really know Lucy as well as he should. She might have an insatiable drive once she knew it was something he was interested in. And he was not one to deny her. It was Lucy after all. He faintly heard cloth hitting the floor, and at that point began to wonder.
Lucy might be somewhat shy, but he had to admit coming to him like this didn't seem to be quite what he'd have thought from her. There would likely be more sound from her, a call of some sort. Unless he'd misread her horribly. When the door to the shower slid open he was freeted to view of breasts, a trim body, and then a smirk that he already knew all too well.
"Selene! What the..." he turned partly away from her, before honestly just thinking that it was pointless to hide his arousal. He faced her directly, not even considering that she might take that whole thing as a surrender to her advances. "...I'm with Lucy. What are you doing?"
human
Steam rose up from the water as it rushed from the showerhead. It was thick as it filled the room and fogged up the large mirror above the sink. But Selene's focus was fully on Jacob, her eyes drinking in his pale form as he stood there under the water as it ran over his body. His dark hair hung in wet strands; some of it sticking to his face while beads of water clung to every sculpted angle. He was magnificent, far more beautiful than any man that had darkened her doorstep in the past. He even made Boyd seem like nothing, a distant memory. How she longed to feel his skin sliding against her own.
Goose bumps formed over Selene's flesh, her breasts going taut until her perky nipples hardened and a healthy flush washed over her entire body. A flutter of excitement teased her tummy and radiated down until it pooled between her legs. She could feel the gentle throb of her heart beating between them as her slit slicked with wetness and she dared to step under the running water with Jacob.
Selene ignored Jacob's words, minor protests...something about Lucy. Of course the man had to say something about the bitch. But she'd make him forget. Slowly, she let her hand touch his chest, letting it slide up until her palm splayed along his shoulder. Her nipples barely brushed against his chest as she looked up into his eyes, the water make her hair just as wet as his.
"Yes," Selene whispered, her words breathy and full of need. "I know you brought her." She smiled, but didn't move any closer. Her head lolled back and she let the water drench the rest of her hair, her back as she showed off her curves while standing quite close, her arousal only growing. She let out a soft sigh before letting her head roll forward, her eyes finding Jacob's. "You like what you see?" she stated more than asked, her hand moving from his shoulder as she began to let her hands roam over her own body, almost presenting herself for him to take. Her eyes then drifted down to his own arousal, her smile broadening as her confidence only grew.
gpt
Jacob had to re-calibrate his brain in the light of this new development. Selene was certainly...aggressive to say the least, though he'd also aim towards shameless. Her hand touching him didn't trigger any reaction, not lie he had thought it might. And it also made something else clear to him. Yes, there was arousal, he was only human after all, or at least had been, but there was none of the warmth that he felt with Lucy, no surge of humanity. This was just plain animal instinct. But he wasn't an animal, not like that. And he certainly wasn't Selene's newet conquest, not just to hurt Lucy, and he could recognize this for what it was.
There might be some sincere interest in her, but if there was, it was on a purely physical level. He had every instinct that the physical level was the only thing that Selene ever bothered with. He knew she was putting on a bit of a show for him, trying to tempt him into something that he knew might feel intense at the time, but would leave him covered in regret later. Still, he wouldn't deny that there was a serious temptation here. Lucy was asleep. And she trusted him absolutely. He could do this thing, and then deny it, and she would believe him. It would not change how she felt for him, or how he felt about her. It would be taking advantage of a situation.
But that didn't make it right.
He let out a shuddering breath, looking at Selene. Wanting to lookthroughher. No such luck.
"Of course it's a nice view. Just not one that's meant for me. Selene, I came here with Lucy to keep her safe and out of trouble." He told her, steadfastly trying to keep eye contact, and not stray his eyes. He was mostly successful, but there were moments that his eyes started to dip lower before snapping back into place.