Topic: Sunshine

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:10 EST
((Contains material of an adult nature.))

As October crept toward its inevitable end and the official start of winter with November, the weather was following its familiar course, turning cold and blustery as the days passed. Perfect weather for snuggling indoors, or playing the fool outside, but today, Jaz had actually had a few errands to run, leaving Jack to amuse himself. She wasn't even certain if he would still be at her house when she got back, understanding that boredom was probably quite likely to drive him back to Willow Manor. But they had to eat, and thus, a grocery run had to be done. She drew her battered Love Bug up in front of Ivy Lodge, climbing out and spending a couple of minutes securing the groceries so they wouldn't take flight the moment she straightened up. With her coat flapping around her knees and her hair whipped about her face, she jogged up over the low porch and inserted her key in the lock, letting herself into the warmth that resided inside.

Jack was one of those people who knew how to keep himself busy, especially if he had his guitar handy and was trying to learn a new song. Ivy Lodge - with Jasmine's eclectic and large collection of music - was a music lover and musician's dream, and Jack was able to immerse himself in catching up on the last thirty-eight years with little difficulty. So much so that he'd forgotten to eat and had hardly noticed Jasmine's absence until a few hours had passed. Still, he had managed to almost master two new songs during that time and was anxious to show her what he'd learned.

Windswept and a little chilled around the knees, Jaz fought the door closed and shook her hair back out of her face, looking around as she made her way across the great room toward the open kitchen. Her face lit up with a by-now familiar smile as she laid eyes on him on the couch, one of the many guitars in the house across his lap. "Gods, it's getting windy out there," she offered by way of a hello, setting her armful of bags down on the counter before she moved over to kiss Jack's temple affectionately. "Next time, you get to come along and fight my car into letting me get into it."

Until the moment she walked in the door and greeted him, her voice drawing him back to the world of the here and now, he hadn't realized how much time had passed since she'd left. His fingers fell still on the guitar strings as he lifted his gaze to her, looking a little sheepish. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He glanced toward the kitchen, realizing she'd gone grocery shopping and sort of remembering her mentioning that to him before she'd left, though he'd been lost in the music even then. "Do you need help?"

She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling at his unnecessary apology. "No, I'm good," she promised him, leaning down to claim a proper kiss before she headed back toward the kitchen. "I survived my outing. What have you been doing while I've been out' Making love to my guitars?"

Jack flushed a little with embarrassment, not so much at the fact that he so obviously lusted after her guitar collection as her calling him out on it and putting it in such a way as to make it seem sexual. "Um, not exactly. I was teaching myself a new song or two." He set the guitar very carefully aside and moved to his feet to follow her into the kitchen to help put groceries away. It was the least he could do, after all.

Jaz shrugged out of her coat easily, laying it over the back of one of the chairs as she rounded the counter to begin pulling the various groceries out of the bags, which had stood up to the weather remarkably well. "Which songs?" she asked curiously, glad he was taking such a close interest in the music that lined the wall. She had an idea or two for certain songs that she knew would sound better as duets, but as yet had not screwed up the courage to suggest he might like to join her act at some point.

There had been no rhyme or reason to his catching up on the last thirty-eight years. Instead of moving through the years chronologically, he'd been hopping around, picking whatever looked interesting and going from there. Today, he had focused mostly on what was these days categorized as classic rock of the early eighties - a time when disco was dying and MTV was popular. "Um, some band called Journey," he remarked as he helped her unload the grocery bags.

"Interesting choice. Which songs in particular?" She twisted, her hands full of milk and eggs, and still somehow managed to get close enough to kiss him as they talked and worked alongside each other. The honeymoon period was far from waning in this particular relationship; she took every opportunity she could to touch and kiss, to reinforce the growing affection she felt for Jack through physical contact with him. "Will you play them for me?"

"Well..." he started as he pulled open the fridge for her, pausing a moment to return her kiss, as if it was just part of their normal routine. He was settling into life in Rhy'Din and as part of a couple better than even he could have ever expected, and he was enjoying the growing affection that had developed between them. "The quiet ones, mostly. Most of their songs need a full band to sound right, I think." He flushed a little at her request, still struggling to overcome his shyness not only with her, but with the idea of performing in front of an audience, no matter how small that audience might be.

"Most, yes," she agreed, setting her armful into its proper place in the fridge before moving out of the way for the door to close. "But you'd be surprised how beautiful some of those fuller sounding songs can be simplified down to a single guitar. Or two." She shrugged one shoulder, her head tilting as she noticed his blush, reaching over to draw her fingers gently against his cheek. "I could play with you, if you'd rather."

He waited until she had the eggs and milk in the proper place before letting the fridge door close behind her, arching a brow at her suggestion as she touched her fingers to his cheek. "A duet?" he asked, a small smile forming on his face and lighting his eyes. "You'd play a duet with me?" he continued, sounding a little surprised for some reason.

Her smile turned a little wry, aware that here was an opportunity to get her hope in without worrying him too much. "I've been meaning to ask you," she admitted, shy herself of chancing her arm. "If you'd like to join my sets. I mean, I wouldn't ask or expect you to perform three hours with me, not yet. But ....there are a few songs that I love and I can't do justice to. Not on my own. And I think they'd be beautiful, if you played and sang with me."

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:10 EST
"Really?" he asked, obviously surprised, not only that she'd want to share the limelight with him, even if only for a few songs, but that she thought he was good enough, talented enough, to ask it of him. It was no big secret that being a musician was his dream job, but one he thought he'd never be able to fulfill. Until he'd met her anyway. "Are you sure" I don't want to take away from your set."

"Jack, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure," she assured him, her smile renewed by the shy surprise in his face and voice. "You're so much better than you think you are, and it's not so scary to take the mic when you know you're not alone behind it. I can get you used to performing, and we'll build up your set. And then I'm going to set you loose on a city that really doesn't know what it's missing."

"Set me loose?" he echoed, starting to get the jist of what she was planning for him. It was strange to have someone around who believed in him the way she did, not to mention Tommy and Lena and Dru. He turned away, a little bit shyly, as he took a few more groceries from the bag. "Have you ever tried writing your own songs?"

"I have," she chuckled softly, more than a little shy of admitting this, despite the passionate debate they had had on their first meeting about whether or not she would ever record anything. "Most of my set is original, but I'm always learning new songs. Like I said, people like to make requests, and you can be more memorable if you can accommodate those requests." She glanced sideways at him as she emptied the bag of what was left, curious and fond. "Have you?"

He shrugged a shoulder, casting a glance toward her at her question as he set the remaining groceries on the table. "A little," he admitted, backtracking to comment something else she'd said. "What if someone asks to hear a song I don't know?" He knew his repertoire was somewhat limited, and he wasn't sure how people felt about hearing what were now referred to as "Oldies but Goodies".

Jasmin's smile was just a little bit sneaky. She knew this one off by heart, after all. "Then you make a note of the song, you apologize that you don't know it, and you recommend that they come to your next performance, wherever it is, because you'll play it then," she told him with enviable confidence. She'd pulled that trick on a few people over the years, and some of them still came to every performance she put on.

That answer made sense, but he had further questions, further doubts. "What if they don't like what I'm playing?" he asked. "How am I supposed to know what they want to hear?" This was all starting out stuff that he'd sort out with time and experience. Time he might have plenty of, but experience was one thing she had that he didn't.

"That's why you pitch yourself to the owner, or the manager, before taking on a commitment," she explained, spending way too much time arranging a pitiful amount of fruit in a bowl that was far too big for the purpose before giving up and turning to face him. "For example, I play acoustic. I'll never get late night gigs in bars, because that's not the ambiance they're looking for. But I do get Sunday afternoon in a hotel; I get early evenings. I classify myself as easy listening. And if someone doesn't like what they're listening to, then it's their own fault for expecting something different at that time of day. That probably doesn't help, does it?"

He was filing away various groceries in the cupboard, turning his head toward her as he listened. "No, it does, but I'm not really sure how to classify myself yet." He frowned a little, thinking he was an "Oldie" himself, though he wasn't so sure about the "Goodie" part. "What kind of music do people like nowadays?" he asked curiously. He'd perused her collection, but hadn't had a chance to listen to much contemporary music, as yet. To further confuse him, he wasn't sure what was popular in Rhy'Din, as opposed to Earth.

"What people like often depends on where they're from," she told him thoughtfully. "It's pretty eclectic all over the city, although Earth music seems to be dominant right now. But there are so many different genres of music, and so many different people ....you will always find an audience for what you play."

Jack frowned further, causing a little narrow groove between his eyebrows. "I'm worrying about it too much, aren't I?" he asked, knowing he was without really needing her confirmation. He wished he was as self-assured as Tommy, though little did Jack know that even Tommy had not always been that way.

"Yeah, a little bit." She laughed, moving to curl her fingers to his cheeks, forcing him to meet her gaze. "All this is a ways into the future," she told him firmly. "Right now" I'd like to hear you play what you've learned today, if you're happy to play for me. Or I can play with you, while you sing. Either way, I want to know what you've been up to in my absence."

"Okay," he replied, more than happy to comply with her wishes, even if he was a little bit nervous. She was his biggest fan, after all, but also quite possibly his biggest critic. "So long as you promise to feed me afterwards," he bargained with a small smile. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't eaten since breakfast, but the grumbling of his stomach was going to give him away sooner or later.

"Well, I was considering eating you, but I suppose feeding you will just have to do," was her teasing answer to that as her hands smoothed down his chest, proud of him for setting aside his shyness at least as far as she was concerned. Giggling, she rose up to kiss him once again, her hands gentle against his waist. "C'mon, sugarplum. Serenade me."

He flushed a little and cleared his throat, assuming what she meant by her remark and getting a little flustered by the thought of it. He was unsure how to respond to that, but fortunately for his shy self, she had rescued him by kissing him and circling back to the subject of music. Music, food, and sex - in that order - seemed to be what he had to look forward to that evening. "Sugarplum?" he echoed, chuckling a little at the never-ending list of terms of endearment she always seemed to come up with. "What does that make you?"

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:11 EST
She grinned, letting her fingers trail to his, tangling affectionately to draw him toward the couch and the guitar he had left there when she'd come in. "I don't know," she told him. "I think you're supposed to come up with a few silly names for me, you know. Or was that an objection?" A fleeting grin crossed her face as she backed out of the kitchen with him in hand. "I could start calling you hugga-bugga-bear."

"So long as you don't call me that in public, babycakes," he teased back, mirroring her grin as she tangled her fingers with his and led him back toward the couch. He felt a few butterflies fluttering nervously in his stomach, though it wasn't the first time he'd played or sang for her. It was the first time he'd ever played a song he was only just learning and didn't feel he had mastered yet. "I'm only just learning it," he warned her, though in all truth, he'd been working on it for a few hours.

She smiled, not passing any comment on whether or not he was just learning it at all. She had confidence in him, knowing that there were always going to be a few bum notes, even when he was confident and performing. She hadn't had a full set go by without a mistake or two in the last three years, but mortifying though it was, she hadn't let it get her down. Lowering herself to sit on the couch, Jaz made herself comfortable, ignoring the itch to fetch another guitar so she could join in. "I'm just learning, all the time," she told him gently.

"Do you know any Journey?" he asked as he settled himself on the couch and took the guitar back up, laying it across his lap and letting his fingers find their place on the fretboard and strings. He didn't really mind if she joined him. In fact, he would have almost preferred her playing with him to just watching.

"I know a few," she conceded, watching the reverence with which he handled the instrument with obvious appreciation. The reluctance in him, however, was just as obvious, and she felt her smile grow just a little, gentling as she met his gaze. "Would you prefer me to play along with you?"

"Would you like to?" he countered, not wanting her to think he was too eager or too frightened. If he really and truly wanted this, he was going to have to get over his fears, one way or another, and he knew the best way to do that was to face them head-on. How many times had Tommy told him just that' Fear was a good thing; it kept you from being reckless, but too much fear and you'd forget how to live.

"I'd love to play along with you," she assured him warmly. "What I'm asking is if you want me to play with you right now. Either way, you're playing, sweetie."

He didn't really have to think that over very long, so long as she knew the song. "Do you know Faithfully?" he asked, uncertainly as he nervously strummed a few notes, as if to warm up, though he'd been playing for hours already.

Sensing his answer, Jaz rose to her feet, moving across the small distance toward where her guitars rested on their stands. She picked up her Washburn, her favorite of the collection, returning to the couch to quickly tune it as she looked over at him. "I'm not overly familiar with it," she admitted, stilling the strings under her palm, "but I know enough to be able to follow through."

He frowned a little, wondering if this was a bad idea. He wasn't all that familiar with the song either, but there was only one way to master it and that was to play it. The song was originally written for a piano accompaniment, but he had managed to sort it out on the guitar, turning the song into an acoustic version. "Let's give it a try then."

Jaz caught his frown and smiled once again. "Trust me," she suggested gently. "Play through the intro once before you get started, and I'll be right there with you." He hadn't watched her learning a new song, after all - Jack didn't yet know just how well suited Jasmin was to her chosen profession. "After you."

"Okay," he replied, turning his full attention to the guitar in his arms, fingers plucking the strings and moving over the fretboard as he gave the song a rough into that had originally been played by a piano. He repeated the same notes again, completely focused on the song before he found his voice, singing soft and low. His voice was nothing like Steve Perry's, but somehow he managed to make the song his own. "Highway run into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round. You're on my mind. Restless hearts sleep alone tonight. Sending all my love along the wire..."

She watched his fingers on the fretboard exclusively as he played through that first run, picking up the basic chords easily, and as he slid into the song itself, her fingers picked up the rhythm beneath the plucked notes, providing a fuller sound for him to sing over. She couldn't deny that he had a beautiful voice, one that would improve as his confidence did, listening to the melody with a half-smile as the lyrics made themselves known.

Jack's voice strengthened, growing more confident as he continued to play. "They say that the road ain't no place to start a family, right down the line it's been you and me. And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be. Oh, girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours. Faithfully." It wasn't perfect. He flubbed a few notes, but they were hardly noticed. He'd listened to the song over and over until he thought he had the words memorized, choosing this one not only because he thought it was a lovely song but because it seemed to hold some special meaning for him - for them. Even under her gaze, he was growing in confidence as he played, something very special to watch in itself. She played the rhythm without much thought, altering her chords to match the pattern of notes he played beneath the lyric line of his voice with the ease of years of practice. And very slowly, she started to hum just beneath his melody, a harmony line creating itself with haunting accuracy as she watched him, entranced.

His fingers stumbled over a particularly difficult series of notes, but recovered quickly enough, his brows furrowing in concentration. Her voice seemed to naturally harmonize with his and that brought a smile to his eyes, even as he finished the song off, lifting his voice with the final notes before letting the song die out.

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:12 EST
The last notes hung in the air between them for a long moment before she spoke, relaxing to lean on the body of the guitar resting over her legs. "That's a lovely song," she complimented his taste in choosing it first of all. "It suits your voice. It needs a second guitar, or you'll lose the melody in the rhythm, but you played it well. Even with a few mistakes - which no one will notice, by the way."

He nodded, agreeing with her criticisms, knowing he hadn't perfected the song yet and that it wasn't ready for playing in public, but all it really needed was some polish and practice. "You made the song better," he said. "It needs more than one guitar, I think."

She nodded, her smile deepening as he agreed with her. He could have taken offense at being criticized, however gently, but he had chosen not to. It was a good sign, boding well for the career she hoped he would grasp with both hands when the opportunity came to him. "I should probably work on a harmonic line some time soon," she mused, "that is, if you want a second voice. Second guitar makes sense, but the lyrics can stand alone with a single voice very easily."

"We can try it both ways and see what sounds best," he replied, before continuing as another thought came to him. "What if we switched off" You could sing a verse and I could sing a verse." Though he'd have to sing the line that mentioned a girl or they'd have to change it to boy.

She shook her head. "I think you should carry the song," she told him fondly. "You chose it, and it suits you. If I sing, it'll be to add a harmony to certain parts of it, but no more. Some songs don't need the story to be labored."

He nodded again, once again taking her advice to heart. She was the more experienced musician and though they might not always agree, he respected and valued her opinion and her help. He seemed to turn a little bit shy again as he looked over at her, wanting her to know why he'd chosen to master and play that particular song. "I chose it for you."

Very slowly, her smile deepened once again, her expression startling soft. "For me?" She sounded almost disbelieving, and for a moment, she was, incredulous that he could have put so much time and effort into something so simple and so touching. But it was just another difference between Jack and every other man she'd ever dated - he actually liked her, not the pretty wrapping that had attracted the wrong sort for years. Jaz blushed, biting her lip as her own smile turned shy. "I don't know what to say," she admitted with a sweet twinkle in her hazel eyes. "Thank you."

"You don't have to say anything," he replied, charmed by the blush that he didn't see very often and that had apparently and surprisingly been prompted by his serenade. He mirrored her blush with one of his own. Though they had already been intimate with each other, he still had momentary fits of bashfulness with her that he was slowly trying to overcome. "I, uh....I have a lot of catching up to do." Not only with the last thirty-eight years, but with her musical skills.

Despite her blush, she was easily roused out of her slightly incredulous state by his self-deprecating comment. "Not so much," she promised him warmly. "It's more about confidence than skill, Jack. And trust me, you have the skill. Practice helps, but eventually you just have to get out there and show off a little. Besides, you got up the night we met, and they loved you. Didn't that make you feel a little better about yourself?"

"Yeah," he replied, having to admit that, despite his stage fright, he had enjoyed playing for an audience that appreciated what he had to offer, but he knew that might not always be the case. He sighed, relaxing a little, though he still held the guitar in his lap. "I just feel sort of out of place at times. Like I have so much to learn."

"That's not to do with music, though, is it?" she asked softly, understanding a little of how overwhelming it must be to come from his era and his world and be plunged headfirst into this one. "But music can help there. It's one of the few things that transcends species and allegiance. Music brings people together far more than it separates them, and it's through music you're gonna make friends who'll teach you a little bit more about Rhy'Din each time you meet them."

He nodded in agreement with the first part of her statement, but lifted his eyebrows dubiously when she mentioned friends, frowning skeptically. He'd never had many friends before, except for Tommy, and he wasn't really expecting that to change. He had added Helena and Jasmin and Dru to the list, but he wasn't really expecting much else. Still, he was happy with that little list of friends. It was more than he'd ever had before. "I'm not so sure about that," he remarked quietly, turning his attention back to the guitar, as if it was an almost painful subject for him to discuss.

"Okay, well maybe not friends the way you have a friend in Tommy," Jasmin conceded. "Friendly acquaintances, maybe." She shrugged, watching him thoughtfully for a long moment. "You said you'd been learning a couple of songs," she said gently. "What was the other one?"

He shrugged, not feeling confident enough in that song to share it with her yet. But if she wanted to hear a song, he had another in mind. In truth, he had dozens in mind, and all of them seemed to have been written with her in mind. This song was at least a little more suited to an acoustic version. He didn't bother introducing the song at all, but just started to play.

It didn't take much for Jasmin to recognize the song - it had been one of her mother's favorites. But she didn't join in, folding her arms on the curved body of her guitar to rest her chin on her fingers and just watch and listen, appreciating a song she'd never heard the original version of being played and sung in a way entirely new to her.

His fingers plucked at the strings once again, his voice strong but soft and quiet at the same time. This song was well suited to a duet; another voice harmonizing would only add to its depth and beauty. "See the curtains hangin' in the window in the evening on a Friday night; A little light a-shinin' through the window lets me know everything's all right; Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' through the jasmine in my mind; Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' though the jasmine in my mind."

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:13 EST
One of her mother's favorites, yes, but there was another reason this particular song was so fondly remembered by the young woman listening to Jack play and sing. It was the origin of her name, the first song her father had heard her mother sing, a part of their love story. As she listened, Jaz heard the second harmonic line in her mind's ear - her mother's voice, gently mingling with Jack's, to make her smile sweetly nostalgic as the chords gently soothed her soul.

The song seemed to have taken on a double meaning for him ever since he'd met her. He didn't know it had been a favorite of her mother's or that she might have been named for the lyrics. He had no knowledge of the romance that had led to her parents' marriage and their daughter's eventual birth. He only knew that the song seemed to take on a new meaning for him, no longer simply about a pleasant summer day which ended in a loved one's arms, but once again, the song seemed to be about her. He sang as he played, his voice seeming to carry the warmth of a summer breeze in the sound of it. "See the smile awaitin' in the kitchen through cookin' and the plates for two; Feel the arms that reach out to hold me in the evening when the day is through; Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' through the jasmine in my mind; Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' though the jasmine in my mind." Finally, she managed to raise her voice to meet his in that last chorus, following her mother's harmony line from years past. This time, with the confidence that came from knowing the harmony inside and out, her voice mingled with his, complimenting the masculine melody line with the lilting cadence of her unmistakeably feminine harmony. As the last notes died away, her smile was bright and open, delighted with the unexpected pleasure of hearing him sing something so close to her heart. "That was beautiful."

The song was not one he was only just learning, but was one he knew well. A song he had learned back home in California a few years earlier after he'd first heard it played on the radio. It wasn't a song like the others. It wasn't a song of rebellion or war or drugs or sex or freedom. It was very simply a song that evoked the warm joy of summer and that feeling of returning home from a long day to the arms of the one you loved. It was a feeling he had always yearned for, but had only recently experienced for himself. He lifted his head to watch her as she joined him in singing, his fingers moving over the strings from memory alone.

The sound of her voice in harmony with his, the smile on her face, the compliment so warmly given made his heart soar with joy and another feeling that could only be described as love. "You are beautiful," he heard himself say, returning her compliment with one of his own that held a deeper meaning.

Her smile turned shy once more - not shy of him, nor of the gentle feeling that she was beginning to recognize deep in her heart. Shy of saying aloud something that, in the past, had always led to heartbreak and hurt. Three words that just wouldn't pass her lips, not yet. But there was more than one way to say it, and she just happened to have all she needed to do that right there, at her fingertips. Her guitar sang in a gentle cadence, obviously returning the favor with a song he wouldn't recognize unless he had explored her music collection very thoroughly indeed. But the chords and words came easily to her lips, expressing something she couldn't yet say without a little help. "I was standing all alone against the world outside; you were searching for a place to hide; lost and lonely, now you've given me the will to survive; when we're hungry, love will keep us alive ..."

He had explored her music collection enough to know that song. It seemed they shared at least some of the same favorites as far as bands were concerned, and though he was not very familiar with any music that had been created past the year 1975, he recognized the song from his perusal of her collection. He didn't know the song very well, but followed her lead, strumming along with her and taking up the second verse. "Don't you worry, sometimes you've just gotta let it ride; The world is changing, right before your eyes; Now I've found you, there's no more emptiness inside; When we're hungry, love will keep us alive ..."

"I would die for you; climb the highest mountain; baby, there's nothing I wouldn't do ..." The words came so easily to her even as he joined his voice to hers, surprising her with his knowledge of a song that hadn't been released for almost twenty years after he had left Earth. It was a beautiful love song, and one she had always enjoyed, but never had it meant so much as it did from her lips in that moment. And with Jack holding the rhythm of the chords, she let herself flow into the intricate solo, not even needing to look to be certain that her fingers were moving in exactly the right pattern over the strings. "Now I've found you, there's no more emptiness inside; when we're hungry, love will keep us alive ....Love will keep us alive ..."

His vague knowledge of the song faded after another verse, and his voice faded away, watching as she carried the song and finished it off, his heart once again swelling with feeling for this beautiful girl who'd come into his life. He wondered if she felt it, too - the connection between them that he could not deny, not only of music, but of a shared and growing adoration and desire. Now that I've found you....Love will keep us alive... He felt tears rising unexpectedly, as his heart swelled with a flood of emotions. Without music to aid him, he could not find his voice, but only looked at her, struggling with the rising tide of emotions.

Her heart was just as full, though her eyes remained dry. The look she gave him was as intimate as he could ever have wished for, filled as much with tenderness and that emotion she dared not name - not yet - as it was with the longing that he might share that feeling, however soon it might be. Hell, Lena had fallen in love in just two days; two weeks was practically a snail's pace in comparison. But as the last note from the strings beneath her fingers faded into silence, and still there was nothing from him but that tearful glance, she felt the painful edge of uncertainty nudge at her. Was she risking too much too soon?

"Jasmin..." he whispered, finding his voice at last, but only able to whisper her name, like a prayer or a plea, his voice tearful, though he was not sad. "I..." he trailed off for a moment, that shyness and fear almost getting the best of him. "I think....I think I love you..." he admitted finally, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he was afraid to say it or afraid that she might not share his feelings.

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:14 EST
His whisper nearly broke her, the blood draining from her face as she stared into his eyes, terrified for a long, excruciating moment that he was going to tell her he was leaving. When what came from his lips was the furthest thing from her deepest fear, her skin flushed suddenly, a bright blush overcompensating for the paleness that had come before. And yet the words wouldn't come! She couldn't make herself say three words that would reassure him of her heart, too afraid that they would be the kiss of death to any hope of a lingering happiness with him. "I ....Jack ..." She swallowed, pausing just a moment to set her guitar down safely on the coffee table. "You're not alone in feeling that."

He smiled a bit shyly, his heart thumping in his chest at the almost declaration of love from her lips. He hardly noticed that she hadn't actually said it. It was the closest thing he'd ever had to a declaration of love from anyone in his entire life. It was good enough to know that whatever was blossoming between them, whatever it was that he was feeling, she was feeling it, too. Suddenly, he forgot that he hadn't eaten in hours or that they'd been in the middle of a jam session. All coherent thought drained from his head. All he wanted to do at that moment was kiss her, and maybe a little something more. The only thing that stood between them was the guitar he still held on his lap, but in his haste to set it aside and move closer so that he could kiss her, he dropped the thing on the floor.

Jaz was leaning toward him as he moved, only to jump and laugh as his guitar made a hollow boing of musical sound as it hit the carpet. Her hand covered his on the neck, gently guiding the instrument safely to rest beside her own guitar as she inched closer on the couch. "Wanna try that again, hugga-bugga-bear?"

"Oh, God, I'm sorry!" he apologized, his face flushing with embarrassment as the guitar boinged on the carpet. He wouldn't have cared so much except that it was her guitar that he dropped, not his own. He was about to right the guitar when her hand covered his and she moved closer. Turning his head to face her, he felt his heart thumping hard in his chest again at the nearness of her. He didn't know why she made him so nervous. It wasn't as if he had never kissed her before. Hell, he'd done more than that. He smiled a bit sheepishly at her question before sliding closer and leaning tentatively toward her, as if it was their first kiss all over again.

She let him take the lead, let him call the shots, his shy nervousness sweetly endearing. They'd been more than intimate enough times for him to be used to it by now, and yet every now and then, he grew shy and clumsy, and she couldn't help the soft swell of affection in her heart for that enchanting sign of his distraction around her. Her lips lingered close to his for a long moment, feeling the mingling heat of their shared breath as her hand came to rest over his beating heart. But she didn't move to kiss him, holding his gaze with a shy smile of her own, encouraging him to take the kiss he wanted, rather than ask permission for it.

He hovered close for a long moment, eyes drinking her up, breathing her in, heart pounding nervously. He waited as if to see if she'd take the initiative, and when she didn't, he worried that maybe he'd misread her body language and that she didn't want to kiss him. But then she was smiling and he leaned that little bit closer to brush a soft touch of lips to hers, tentative at first, but warm and affectionate and promising more to follow.

Just that first, soft touch of lip to lip was enough to wipe her mind clear of any worry, any uncertainty. He couldn't have pulled away after that moment even if he had wanted to - she was already responding, easing closer over the cushions, smoothing her arms about his neck, pressing herself snug to him as her lips parted to tease something infinitely more intimate from his.

His lips melted against hers as his arms found her waist, drawing her closer to press tightly against him, heart to heart. He imagined he could almost feel her heart beating in time with his, thumping in rhythmic unison, just as their voices had created a harmony of music. "Jaz," he whispered as he broke the kiss momentarily to take a breath, his body reacting to her kisses with a different kind of hunger.

She gasped softly as his lips broke from hers, refusing to retreat further than it took to regain her breath, nuzzling close as her fingertips stroked through his hair. Her name on his lips, whispered so softly, send a frisson of heat rippling down her spine, drawing a wide grin to her lips as she recognized that sudden injection of desire for what it was. "Speak now, or hold your peace for the next forty minutes to an hour," she teased him playfully, nipping at his lips.

He drew a slow breath as she stroked his hair, her touch sending a shudder of desire through him. He returned her kisses, before pulling away to reply to her warning. There was only one thing he really wanted or needed to say, the words hardly above a whisper from his lips, "I want you."

"I want you," she whispered back to him, and it seemed that just the action of saying those words was enough to break the caution that held her back. She surged to him, shifting to straddle his lap as her lips claimed his once again, as her arms coiled possessively about him. Her body rocked to his with a tender moan, shameless in her desire to have and to hold him, as long as she possibly could.

He heard himself moan beneath the unexpected onslaught of affection, his arms going around her waist as she straddled his lap, his desire for her impossible to hide in that press of her body against his. His face flushed with desire, heat coiling tightly inside him and echoing outward. In that moment, he thought if he did not have her, he would die.

Yet, even as she drank her fill of his lips, unable to still herself from the gentle, wanting rock of her body to his, Jaz was giving him the lead. As the friction rose between them, she moaned once again, eager, hungry, wanting, but retaining just enough coherency to breathe to him between those desperate kisses. "Where, baby?" she whispered, fingers bunching in his t-shirt impatiently. "How? Your play."

He was in a hurry to have her, to quench the fire that was burning inside him. He kissed her again and again, each kiss growing deeper, hungrier, a little more frantic. "Here," he replied between kisses, his hands sliding lower to tug at her skirt. "Now." Bed, couch, floor - it didn't really matter. He wanted her now, needed her now, or he thought he'd go mad with frustration.

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:14 EST
Spurred on as much by his need as by her own, her hands abandoned his shirt, wriggling between them to fight with the fastening of his jeans, reluctantly forced to inch back a little way just to have the space to be able to bare just enough to have him. Finesse and the art of taking their time hadn't yet made itself known in this relationship - they each seemed to approach love making as though it might be their last chance, as though they had just minutes to enjoy one another before it was snatched away from them again.

It was some frantic need that made him rush, as though if he didn't, the moment might pass too quickly and would never return. It was amazing enough to him that she wanted him, and each time they made love, it only amazed him all the more. Try as he might, he couldn't get her skirt up with her on his lap or her panties off, and after a moment of frustration, he was slipping out from beneath her and flipping her onto her back, where he finished the job of loosening his jeans and dispensing with her panties.

She laughed with breathless delight at his impatience, at how confident he was to manhandle her when there were times when he was almost too shy to speak. As enjoyable as the fight to deal with jeans and underwear had been, this was infinitely better, her body welcoming his as she scrambled to regain her place in his lap, for once assuming that dominant place. Well, dominant in appearances ....not even Jack could mistake that he was the one with the power as she shuddered in that first moment of perfect intimacy, handing over every part of herself to him to do with as he chose, so long as he took her with him.

By the time they were both undressed enough to enjoy each other, he was visibly shaking, his need for her was so great. He groaned as she found her way back onto his lap and took him inside her, and once again, he thought he would die, but this time of pleasure. She seemed perfectly made for him, fitting him like a glove, warm and snug and amazingly blissful. If there was such a thing as heaven, this was it. His hands found her hips as his lips met her again, his kisses deep and hungry, taking what he wanted as much as giving it.

She moved with him, under his guidance, giving as much as she took, longing for each moment to last and impatient for the release that was their reward for braving such closeness in the first place. He loves me. That was enough to send her crashing through the tentative wall that held her back, that unexpected, wonderful confession of a feeling that should have scared her. He loves me. "I love you, Jack," she gasped to him as pleasure and frantic desire combined to send her trembling to the bliss he'd promised, barely even noticing that she'd said those three terrifying little words at all.

"Oh, God..." he muttered, as his passion broke and crashed in unison with hers in another sort of harmony, cresting like a wave that washed over him in a violent storm of pleasure. "Jasmin..." he gasped, shuddering and clinging to her as they trembled together, those three terrifying words tugging at his heart and bringing tears to his eyes. "I love you, Jasmin," he whispered back. "Oh, God, I love you." He buried his face in her hair and held her close, overcome with emotion.

Caught up with him, she held on tight, her own face pressed into the crook of his neck as he held her close, feeling a hitch in her breath, a skip in her heartbeat, as he told her again and again how he felt about her. For all the men she had dated, none had ever said it, and certainly she had never felt this way about any of them. But had she really said it' Had she really forgotten her fear in that moment when truth came only too willingly to lips and told him her heart' She couldn't quite believe her own bravery, her lips caressing over the beating pulse in his throat as she trembled with him, part of her longing for this closeness, this oneness, never to end.

It was as if they were one, and yet they were two separate beings, bodies linked in that moment, hearts beating together in harmony and love. He knew without a doubt that she was the one he had been dreaming of, the one he had waited his whole life for. There was no question in his mind that they belonged together, and he wished this moment could go on forever. His breathing slowly evened out and became regular, his pulse slowly, and he lifted his head from her shoulder, so moved by her words and by the intensity of feeling, there were tears on his face.

In tune with him, she raised her own head, hazel eyes meeting blue with the same watery sheen. How had he managed to heal all the hurts in her heart so easily' She couldn't have said. All she knew was that she loved Jack, and despite all her fears of being left, she hadn't hesitated to tell him in the moment she was certain of that feeling. Her fingers shook as she gently wiped his face dry, her lips soft as she kissed him tenderly once more. "I love you," she said again, reveling in how easily the words came, how soothing it was to say them. "I don't know how, but ....you fixed me."

He mirrored her movement with a gentle caress of fingers against her face to wipe her tears. She was too lovely for words, and a song came to his mind once again, not for the first or last time. The goddess on the mountaintop, burning like a silver flame... She was that goddess, and he worshiped at her altar. "Jasmin, I love you," he told her again, almost more to himself than to her, amazed at the feeling that filled his heart and his soul, brimming over with adoration. "I didn't know you were broken," he whispered back, tenderly kissing her lips. No more was he the shy, timid boy who didn't know what to do with a woman. She had made him a man.

"I'm not anymore." Even as she said it, she could feel mirth bubbling up from inside her, released in a low giggle that grew in strength as she kissed him again and again, amazed and awed by him. "I was so scared of falling in love again," she admitted as she calmed. "Every time it's happened, within weeks I've been alone and I didn't know what I was doing wrong. But you love me." She said it with wondering affection, her eyes flickering over his face with adoring devotion. "I think I'm going to have to buy Lena a speedboat, or something."

He took all of this in quietly, understanding her at last. They were not so very different. He had been lonely for years, with only Tommy for a friend. Whatever family he'd once had had been left behind long ago. They were both alone and searching, not knowing until now that they'd been searching for each other. I was standing all alone against the world outside...."I'm never going to leave you, Jasmin. Never," he promised gravely, honestly, resolutely.

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:15 EST
She flushed lightly as he assured her once again, embarrassed that he even needed to say it at all. Her fingers trailed gently against his cheek as she brushed an Eskimo kiss to him, nose to nose. "Baby, I know," she promised him in return, believing every word she said. "For the first time in my life, I know where I'm meant to be. And it's with you."

He linked his fingers with hers, flushing a little as he realized they were still on the couch, in a state of half-dress, but no one was there but them. They were alone and there was no reason for embarrassment, not so long as he was with her, and he suddenly found laughter bubbling up inside him at the absurdity of his own fears. It was the first time Jack could remember ever laughing at himself. He rolled her over onto her back again, smiling down at her as he straddled her body, some new-found confidence making itself known. She loved him. Him. He kissed her again, slowly, languidly, thoroughly, with the intention of making love to her again.

His kiss swallowed up the soft squeak of surprise that left her as she found herself on her back, happily surrounded by a man who hadn't broken any of her defenses at all, but instead had found one small crack and slipped inside her heart unnoticed. She returned his kiss with the same tender, languorous affection, feeling desire and longing rising once again, marveling at the difference three little words could make. There was no rush to complete within her, no impatience born of fear. For the first time, she was ready and willing to take her time, eager to love him the way he seemed so eager to love her. Gentle hands smoothed up beneath his t-shirt, caressing the firm sculpture of his body as she breathed him in, filling herself with everything that was Jack without reserve.

This time, he was unrushed, taking his time with her, showing her without doubt or need for words how much he loved her. He drew her dress over her head and unfastened her bra so that she was bare to him, fresh and lovely, like a flower opening in the summer sun. He touched her, tracing the curves of her body, exploring her with lips and tongue and fingers. He was no experienced lover, but what he lacked in skill, he more than made up for with eagerness.

Like an explorer in unknown territory, he longed to discover her, to learn what made her moan and sigh and reach for him with needy arms. He kissed her again and again, working his way over her body, wanting to prove himself to her, to give her good reason to love him and to keep loving him. And only when he felt fit to burst and could wait no longer did he take her again, moving with her and within her as they clung to each other in a lovers' embrace, striving together to reach that pinnacle once again and go crashing over into blissful ecstasy.

Who could have said what had changed that day to bring them so much closer together than they had been when they had woken that morning" And in truth, it didn't matter what had changed, only that it had. Jasmin was Jack's to explore in those long, languid moments, Jack's to enjoy, Jack's to learn and memorize and understand in a way they had not allowed one another before now. And he, too, was hers for those same reasons, her hands gentle as she divested him of his clothing until they were each as bare as the other, vulnerable and yet made stronger by sharing that vulnerability. As he eased her to pleasure, she contented herself with the private promise that she would do that same for him as soon as she had the chance, offering him a low cry of tender delight when he finally took pity and joined her in their love-making.

As the last spectacular ripples of that shared bliss ebbed from them, she found herself laughing once again, a joyful release of all the tension she hadn't even known she was carrying around with her. Parted lips tasted his shoulder, his neck, his bearded jaw as she whispered his name adoringly. "So what are we gonna name our kids?" she couldn't help teasing him, confident to do so in the knowledge that this was going to last.

When it was over - at least, for the moment - he sighed contently and wrapped her in his embrace, her curves fitting his angles as perfectly as if they'd been made for each other. "Kids?" he echoed, sounding confused, his fingers combing through her hair. Too caught up in the moment, he hadn't thought to ask if she was taking precautions or to use protection of his own. He knew the natural progression of their relationship could very well lead to marriage and children, but he wasn't really thinking that far ahead yet. He was content, for now, to bask in the sunshine of her love.

She giggled, arching her neck to kiss him softly. Of course she was taking precautions, but that wasn't going to stop her from teasing him at every opportunity. "Relax, stud, I'm teasing you," she assured him, smoothing her own hands down his back even as the sensation of his fingers in her hair brought a fresh shiver to her form, trapped comfortably with his. "Let's get you known around town before we condemn me to maternity leave, shall we?"

He seemed to suddenly realize precisely what the implications of her teasing remark might be. Not only did she love him, but she was considering a future with him, a future that included raising a family. Unless she was only teasing. "Are you..." he started, looking confused again, perplexed even. "Do you want to have a family someday' With me, I mean?"

"Someday," she admitted softly, curling to him as they shifted on the couch to make room for one another. She lifted her head, propping it on her hand to look down at him with a gentle smile, her other hand resting over the lickable groove above his hip. "I'm not in any hurry, Jack. But I'd like a family someday, and now I've got you, I'm not going to let you go unless you ask me to. So that family, I hope, will be with you."

"I'm not letting go either, Jaz," he assured her quickly. He'd never really considered the possibility of having a family before, mostly because he'd never been with anyone he would have considered having one with. "A girl and a boy," he decided with a soft smile, slipping an arm around her, partly to keep her from falling off the couch and partly just to keep her close.

She grinned, cuddled close into him without even a modicum of shame for the fact that she was stark naked on the couch. "That'd be nice," she agreed softly. "And we wouldn't have to live here, you know. We could build a place of our own, maybe near where Tommy and Lena want to build." Because the last thing she wanted was to separate him from his friend; indeed, Jaz was hopeful that maybe one day she'd be included in the warmth that surrounded her cousin and her two fellas.

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:16 EST
"Really?" he asked, her suggestion taking him completely by surprise. It wasn't that he didn't like Ivy Lodge or even Maple Grove, but the thought of living near Tommy and Lena was a tempting one. "But what about Dru?" he asked, remembering Lena's sister, who was currently living with Tommy and Lena at Willow Manor. He couldn't help but like the kid, and she'd obviously taken a shine to him, as well.

"Well, presumably we'd build something with more than one bedroom," Jaz pointed out with a faint smile. She liked Dru - the little princess was very open to having siblings and cousins, especially now she had braved meeting with Jon and Des, and was proving to be an interesting ally when it came to teasing Tommy. "She could take her pick - stay at Willow Manor, or move in with her sister, or with us. She's probably welcome to move into the big house, too. She has a lot of options."

"Think she'd like to babysit?" he asked, a small and rarely-seen smirk making itself known on his face. He knew they were in no hurry, and Dru wasn't going to stay a teenager forever, but some part of him couldn't help teasing Jasmin about the prospect of one day having kids, though Jack thought it more likely that Tommy and Lena would have kids first.

"Oh, baby, I know you're shy, but do you really need a babysitter when I leave you alone?" He should have seen that one coming, her own smirk rising to match his as hazel eyes twinkled impishly in response to his humor. "I suppose it depends how much you pay a princess to babysit a grown man she has the world's hugest crush on."

It took Jack a moment to realize she was only teasing, but the smirk disappeared quickly when she mentioned the crush. It wasn't the first time she'd pointed it out to him that Dru might be developing a huge crush on her cousin's boyfriend, and though Jack was fond of Dru, he didn't want to lead her on or break her heart. He wasn't accustomed to anyone having a crush on him, much less falling in love with him, and he found it perplexing. "Do you think I should talk to her about it?"

"Gods, don't you dare," Jaz warned him with a low chuckle. "Seriously, that would completely mortify her. She knows you're spoken for, and she'll know soon enough that I love you. She's a teenager, Jack - crushes are part of the territory. She'll grow out of it, especially when she starts socializing with boys her own age." She shifted, gently tweaking the end of his nose. "Trust me," she told him in a soft voice. "If it starts turning into more than a crush, I'll talk to her. It'd be better from me than from you, and if it happens, by then we'll be better friends."

He was still frowning, worried he'd hurt Dru's feelings or that her crush on him would somehow ruin their relationship. He'd never had a sister and had told Lena as much, but he had not yet had that conversation with Dru. As fond as he was of her, she made him a little nervous. "I like her, I do. She's a great kid, but..." He paused. "She's more like a kid sister, you know?"

"I know," she assured him, surprised that he seemed to be worrying that she might think he would reciprocate Dru's immature attachment. "Jack, just trust me on this, okay' You and Tommy, you're the first men she isn't related to who have shown an interest in her outside the fact that she's a princess. And the fact that you're gorgeous inside and out is what?s drawn her to you. But she's old enough to understand that a crush is just a crush, and not to want to jeopardize her friendship with you by fooling herself into believing it's anything more. So don't worry so much."

"I'm not. I just don't want to hurt her feelings, that's all." He really wasn't worried that Jaz might doubt his feelings for her. He was more worried about hurting Dru and creating animosity between her and her cousin. It had been a long time since he'd been part of a family, and even then, he and his brothers had never been all that close, but he didn't really want to talk about that now. "Want to get a pizza?" he asked, changing the subject all together.

"When she meets the right boy nearer her own age, she'll forget all about crushing on you," Jasmin promised him affectionately, remembering crushes of her own from her adolescence that had ended in the same way. As the subject changed, she laughed softly, inching as close as she could to kiss him fondly. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "Although at least one of us will have to get dressed to get it at the door."

"Should we flip a coin?" he asked with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. They both knew they couldn't stay naked forever or they'd never get anything done - except maybe start that family a little ahead of schedule. He kissed the top of her nose before sliding out from under her to move to his feet and gather his discarded clothes from the floor.

"Why, do you keep one inserted somewhere for just such an occasion?" she countered, returning his twinkle with her own as he kissed her nose. Rolling to her side as he rose to gather his clothing, she sighed contentedly, enjoying the view, far more comfortable in her own skin than he was. She made no move to dress herself, preferring to watch the dance of muscles beneath his skin with covetous, loving eyes. "You know, I still haven't covered you in syrup and licked it off yet," she commented mildly. "I really should make a point of doing that soon."

He was bending over to pick up his jeans when she mentioned syrup and his face turned a shade of scarlet, the thought of her licking him doing something to a certain part of his anatomy that made it obvious how he felt about the idea. He turned his back toward her so that she wouldn't notice, but it was probably too late. "Sounds messy," he mumbled as he tugged his shorts up his legs.

"But fun," she laughed, finally moving to rise herself. Her quick gaze found her dress and panties easily enough, but the whereabouts of her bra remained unknown for the time being. She was just going to have to hope it wasn't somewhere a delivery boy would get a good look at it when their food arrived. One hand smoothed up along the groove of his spine as she leaned into him, pressing a kiss behind his ear. "I love you."

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:17 EST
He sighed at the unexpected kiss, smiling fondly at the declaration of love. Three little words most people took for granted; a small phrase that meant so much. He thought he'd never get tired of hearing it from her, and he hoped she never stopped saying it. "I love you," he replied, turning to face her and reaching over to tuck a wayward strand of golden brown behind her ear. "I'm never gonna stop loving you."

"You had better not," she laughed fondly, curling her arms about his waist as his fingers gently shifted that wayward lock of hair from her eyes. The tip of her nose brushed his tenderly as she smiled. "I want to be there when you tell Tommy we're building a house together, though. Bum Fluff doesn't get teased anywhere near enough when you're not around him."

"Don't you think he'd like that?" Jack asked, a little confused. If anything, Jack was the last person likely to tease Tommy, but the same couldn't be said for Jaz or Lena or Dru. In fact, Jack thought he was the one who bore the brunt of the teasing most of the time.

"Like what?" she asked, as confused as he was now. "I fully intend to tease that tendency toward being an *ss out of him, you know. Besides, he deserves a little of his own medicine. You don't push back." She kissed him softly once again, and moved to step away, finally gathering up her fallen clothes to dress herself once again.

Oh, that was what she meant. He frowned a little into her kiss, unsure if he should be pushing back or not. He was entirely too nice most of the time, and everyone seemed to know it. Was that a bad thing, he wondered. He turned to follow her with his eyes, looking thoroughly confused. "I don't want to make him mad," he replied, in his own defense.

She raised a brow, glancing at him over her shoulder. "I know you don't, baby," she assured him. "That's why you have me. I'll embarrass him, so you don't have to." Blowing him a kiss, she giggled, pulling her dress back on over her head, sans bra.

He was still a little confused. No one had ever offered to stand up for him before, not even his own brothers. He'd been the baby of the family, picked on nearly from day one. Though Tommy might tease him from time to time, Tommy was the closest thing Jack had to a friend and a real brother. He remembered his father and the last words they'd exchanged before he'd left. His story wasn't so very different from Tommy's, except that Jack hadn't had a mother to support him. "He doesn't mean anything by it," Jack said, feeling a little guilty to be talking about his best friend in such a way, as he turned to retrieve his own clothes from the floor.

Jaz chuckled, shaking her head as she smoothed her skirt down, wondering vaguely where her panties had ended up. "Of course he doesn't," she agreed. "But he can't be allowed to get away with it. That's what family does, baby. It's a way of playing, a way of saying I love you without actually needing the words. Spend a couple of hours at the big house sometime, I guarantee you'll hear Jon and Humphrey and Vicki say some horrible stuff to each other and no one takes offense. Because they know that they don't mean it."

Jack furrowed his brows, looking puzzled again. That wasn't how things had been in his house growing up. He'd never felt any sense of camaraderie from his brothers or love from his father. They hadn't been playing as far as he was concerned but he said nothing of it, only started dressing quietly, a little lost in thought. What was it like to be part of a real family, he wondered. What was it like to have two parents who loved you, like Jasmin had once had"

Sensing his mood shifting, Jasmin frowned faintly, abandoning the search for her underwear to turn back to him. "Hey," she said softly, curling her arms around him from behind once again. "You're part of a new family now. You belong to me, and Tommy, and Lena, and Dru, and all the kids that are gonna come out of our relationship. It takes a little while to get used to it, that's all. But you're gonna have plenty of time to get used to it. I promise."

"I know," Jack replied, covering her hands with his and linking their fingers. "I just....I don't really know how to be part of a family," he admitted quietly and a little bit uncertainly. How was he supposed to know how a real family behaved when he'd never been part of one" He hoped she was right. He wanted it more than anything.

"Yes, you do," she assured him, her lips warm against his ear as they lingered together for a long moment, wanting to reassure him more than anything. "Jack, I love you, remember" Whatever happens, I'm going to be here, and I'm going to make sure you feel a part of our family. Okay?"

He nodded his head, wanting to believe her and to hold onto her forever and never let her go. "You really think we'll have kids someday?" he asked, almost afraid to turn around and face her, afraid she'd see the tears in his eyes, afraid she'd find him weak, afraid she'd change her mind about him. He wasn't sure why he was afraid when she'd just him she loved him. Maybe he was afraid it was too good to be true.

She smiled against his neck, kissing his skin with loving affection as her arms tightened around him. "I really do," she said in a gentle voice, and to her surprise, it was the absolute truth. She could see herself as the mother of his children, and the thought of such a responsibility didn't scare her at all. Nothing about Jack or the way he made her feel scared her, not now she had embraced loving him. "I could quit taking the pill right now, if you'd like."

Her offer startled him, though he wasn't sure she was really serious. He turned at last to face her, to see if she was only teasing him. He had a serious expression on his face as his eyes met hers. For him, this was a very serious subject and nothing to joke about. "I meant what I said, Jasmin. I want to have a family with you someday, but I want to do it right, and I want to make sure we're ready."

Strangely enough, there was no tease in her eyes, no smile on her face when he turned to look at her, loosening her arms just enough to let him twist about without releasing him from her embrace. "I mean it too," she told him, just as serious as he was. "I'd stop taking precautions if you asked me to, but I want time with you and only you for a little while longer. We've only had a couple of weeks. I don't want to share you. Not yet."

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:18 EST
"I keep waiting to wake up and find out this is all just a dream," he said, wrapping his arms around her to pull her against him just because he wanted to feel her close. Of course, they weren't getting any pizza ordered this way, but it could wait a while longer. He still hadn't told her much about himself or his childhood, but that could wait, too. He wasn't even sure if he wanted her to know.

"It isn't a dream." She rose onto her toes, nuzzling a tender kiss to the very tip of his nose, closing her eyes as she rested her forehead against his own. "Or if it is, I don't want you to wake up. I don't want to be without you. I'd give up everything to keep you right here, in my arms."

"You don't have to give up anything, baby. I'm not going anywhere," he promised as he settled his arms around her, his forehead coming to rest against hers. "I love you, and I'm never gonna stop loving you." It was a big promise to be making, but one he was sure of.

She smiled, breathing him in as they embraced one another in that quiet moment, enjoying the silence they had found they could share so easily just as much as she enjoyed their conversations, their debates, their more physical encounters. It was hard to find someone you could be silent with, and yet here he was, holding her as tightly as she held him. Hazel eyes opened to look up at him as her lips quirked into a fondly teasing smirk. "Beginning to regret putting the dress back on, I have to admit."

He held her there silently for a few minutes, just savoring the still of the moment and the nearness of her, breathing her in, just as she was doing the same to him. It felt good to hold her there, and he realized in that moment that she was what had always been missing from his life. Or part of it anyway. What he'd been missing was not just to love and be loved, but a sense of belonging. But she was right. He had that now - with Tommy and Lena and Dru and not least of all, Jasmin. He was part of a family now and part of something even bigger than that. He was one half of a whole, only complete when he was with her. Maybe someday they would have a family of their own, but for now, he was content to be with her and her alone. He smiled at the thought of that and at the her teasing, tilting his head to brush his nose against hers. "We could eat pizza in bed," he teased back.

"Still have to order it," she grinned, answering his affectionate gesture with an echo of her own. "Anything but mushrooms, please. Unless you fancy jabbing me with epinephrin after I eat it." Yes, she was allergic to mushrooms - well, to pretty much any kind of fungus, whether it was edible or not. These were the things they were going to learn about one another as the weeks and months went by, little things that came together to bind them more closely to one another than they had been with anyone else before.

"No mushrooms, got it," he said, flashing a smile, knowing one of them was going to have to make the first move or they were never going to get around to ordering that pizza. And since they were swapping odd facts about themselves, he thought he'd let her know one of his own. "Bees," he said. "I'm allergic to bees."

"Got it," she answered him in kind, pleased that he so easily gave up information that was an echo of her own offering. "Guess I should show you where the pen is before bee season starts up again then, huh?" Bouncing up, she kissed him quickly, disentangling herself with a grin. "Okay, I'm ordering, you decide where you want to be ravished after we've eaten."

Telling her about his only known allergy wasn't that big a deal really. It was something she was going to have to find out sooner or later, since it could be a matter of life or death someday. He smiled into her kiss, laughing a little at her remark. "Isn't part of the ravishing taking the other person by surprise?" The gleam had returned to his blue eyes, the briefly sad mood gone. He plucked his jeans up off the floor and tugged them up his legs.

"Hey, you only get to choose the location," she chuckled, stepping away to locate the phone. Screw her underwear - chances were she wasn't going to need it for very long anyway, and the dress was long enough to preserve her modesty for the time being. Just. "I didn't say how I'm going to ravish you, did I?"

He didn't want to think about her question too hard or he'd be distracted all through dinner and unable to eat. As it was, he was imagining several possibilities, and those possibilities were having a certain unmistakable effect on his body, once again. "I, uh..." He stammered, at a sudden loss for words as he watched her, holding his t-shirt in his hands.

She blew him a kiss as she picked up the phone, flashing him a wink and a grin just for good measure before turning her back to locate the pizza takeout menu among the pile of such menus on the kitchen counter. A moment later, she tapped in the number on the phone and raise it to her ear, absentmindedly pulling her hair up off her neck as she waited for the call to connect, revealing that second tattoo once again.

If he was bolder and more daring, he might have tried to distract her while she was on the phone, but that wasn't his way. He wasn't as sure of himself as Tommy, though he could certainly be playful when he wanted to be. He was a soft-hearted, hopeless romantic, as different from Tommy as night and day. He pulled his t-shirt on over his head before watching her make the phone call. He noticed the tattoo on the back of her neck, not for the first time, and wondered about it, but wasn't sure if this was the right time or place.

It was a matter of moments before she was hanging up the phone, their pizza ordered along with a pint of ice-cream she had certain rather impish plans for. Setting the phone back in its cradle, she turned back to face him, letting her hair drop back down again. "Should be here in a half hour or so," she told him. "Think we can stay dressed that long?"

"I know I can, but I'm not so sure about you," he said with a smirk, proving that he was capable of teasing her when he wanted to. But what were they going to do for half an hour without getting undressed again? He shuffled a bit uncomfortably, wondering where he should go from here.

Jasmin Granger

Date: 2013-11-02 09:19 EST
She chuckled at his awkward nervousness, moving to join him once again. "C'mon, get the guitar up again," she suggested. "Let's work on Faithfully while we wait." This, at least, proved that she could do more than seduce him, despite the fact that seducing him was all she really wanted to do in that moment. But he had expressed an interest in the song, and she knew it was easier to work on something in company than alone.

He looked almost relieved at her suggestion. As much as he enjoyed making love to her - or being made love to - he didn't really want that lovemaking to be interrupted by a pizza delivery. "I've only made a dent in your music collection really," he said, turning and leaning over to retrieve the guitar he'd borrowed from her earlier that day.

She moved to join him, settling herself down on the couch as she lifted the second guitar from the coffee table to lay it on her knee. As her fingers automatically checked the tuning, gently adjusting the pegs until she had a clear, smooth sound, she looked up at him with a grin. "You're not gonna learn thirty-eight years of music in just a couple of weeks," she reassured him affectionately. "Take it at your own pace. Learn what appeals most to you first - you can always go back and learn other pieces as and when you find out what your audience likes to hear."

"I don't even know where to begin!" He settled himself on the couch beside her and lifted the guitar to his lap, leaning over to strum the strings and check the tuning, but he was no longer feeling Faithfully, and there would be time to learn it later. Instead, his fingers moved across the strings and the fretboard, plucking out a guitar introduction she more than likely knew.

"Listen to the radio," was Jasmin's suggestion, but it was lost beneath the intro that sang out beneath the confident pluck of his fingertips over the strings. She couldn't help laughing with delight as she recognized the song, drawing her own fingers down the strings of the guitar across her knees to supply the fuller sound of the rhythm chords as he played. "It's another tequila sunrise ..."

"Starin' slowly 'cross the sky, said goodbye..." He picked up the lyrics, effortlessly creating a sweet harmony of mingled voices and guitars. It was quickly becoming apparent that they complimented each other in more ways than one, almost as if their voices were made to harmonize with the other, as if they were made for each other.

Perhaps it was their differing styles that made them such a perfect match musically; perhaps it was their shared love of this genre of music, of this band in particular. Whatever it was, the synchronicity that came so easily to them was a sheer delight to be a part of, bringing with it a fresh sense of joy in the closeness they had embraced with one another. Jasmin couldn't help grinning as they traversed chords and lyrics together, demonstrating once again her easy affection for music and the tender regard she held for Jack in the same stride.

"Take another shot of courage, wonder why the right words never come, you just get numb..." The words could have been about him once, but maybe not so much anymore. His life was changing; he was changing, and it was all because of this one woman who'd unexpectedly come into his life. Though he might get tongue-tied when it came to speaking of his feelings, as shy as he was, he didn't seem to have that problem when it came to music, the words coming from his heart.

He wasn't the only one whose world had changed in the short time since he had come to Rhy'Din. Just a few weeks ago, Jaz had been alone, mooching along her own path in life at her own pace, seemingly perfectly content with the way things were. Then Helena had brought this amazing man into view, and everything had changed. She didn't want to walk alone any longer, and though she had been afraid at first, she wasn't afraid of linking her hand with his. Did Jack really not know how special he was? She knew she would have to change that as their time together drew on. But for now, a little music would have to do, slowly but surely binding them together until neither one could ever wish to get free. "....it's another tequila sunrise, this old world still looks the same ..."

"Another frame..." Jack finished the song, his voice in unison with Jasmin, just as their lives were in unison. He was never happier than when he was playing music, and to be able to share such an important part of his life with her was like a dream come true. He could hardly believe his luck, and like Jasmin, he wondered if she knew just how special she was. Perhaps in the coming weeks and months, he'd find a way to show her, but for now, he was happy just to get to know her, to bask in the sunshine of her love.

((The ladies in this family don't waste their time, do they' S'like a scene from a operetta! :lol: Many thanks to Jack's player for being AWESOME!))