Signs of Interest 8

The Morning After

@J Hontz and S Pickrel 2009 - all rights reserved

Justine glared at Luc from under her lashes and slid from her car, waiting for him to lead the way into the house he shared with Justin. "I have classes to teach," she said patiently, trying one more time to reason with the unreasonable. "Office hours, graduate students, dirty laundry, not to mention dusting and vacuuming to do. I'm not Goldie. No one's after me."

"No, but you're no longer just Justine, what is your family name anyway,  now either. And if they're calling there, then you're at risk. Think of it as bonding."

"Carroway. And if that's not me anymore then who am I?"

"My bondmate and a member of my House. Should we get married and change your name here too? Would you like that?"

She grinned as he paused at the front door and looked at her. "Are you proposing?"

"Sure. You're stuck with me now already, though," he replied, pulling her into his arms.

She tilted her face up for his kiss. "I think it's the other way around, big boy."

He kissed her and sent a tweak into their still-forming bond.

She flinched, the color draining from her face. "How do you do that?" she demanded.

"Part of the process. I'm sorry. It was meant as a reassurance. I'll show you how once it's a bit more solid."

She hrumphed and waited for him to open the front door. "This is going to take some getting used to."

He nodded, "Yeah. I know. And I keep forgetting this is all new to you. So if you have questions ask. Oh, and say as little as you can to Goldie, okay? Let Justin explain things to her. Works better that way."

As Justine and Luc walked in, Goldie looked up from a sketchpad she'd been working on. She had charcoal on her nose. She looked from Justine to Luc and back again. "Uh oh," is what she said.

"Where's Justin?" Luc asked. He looked rather self-satisfied.

"Shower. He'll be out in a bit. He's been awake all night I think. But not for the reason you two were."

"Hrumph," was Justine's only response as she headed for the kitchen and the coffeepot.

"He spends an inordinate amount of time in the shower. I'm not sure if  he has some weird fetish or not," Goldie commented, as Luc looked down at what she was drawing.

"I think it has something to do with that sword of his, myself," Luc replied, grinning.

Goldie stuck her tongue out at him and went back to drawing.

Justine pushed a cup of coffee at Luc. "Feeling smug?" she asked so only he could hear.

"Nope. Just lucky as hell," he whispered back. Louder, he said, "I'll go find Justin," and headed back to Justin's bedroom. He knocked on the door.

"It's me," Luc called "Is it safe to come in?"

"Yeah," Justin called.

"I come bearing a gift," Luc replied as he walked in, holding out the cup of coffee to his partner. "You okay?"

Justin considered the state of his cock and just grunted before he swallowed some coffee. "You're looking pretty chipper."

"Yeah, well, uhm..." Luc sank down onto the edge of the bed. "Justine and I... Uhm. We're mated."

Justin was pulling his pants on and paused to look at him before finishing. "Should I congratulate you or offer you my sword?"

Luc fell backwards on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "No idea. I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Justin said.

"I gather you haven't talked Goldie into it yet. If you got her into bed she'd go with it."

"I know." Justin turned to look at him. "I'm not trying to talk her into it, if you must know."

Luc met Justin's eyes. "Good plan. Hope it works out. But she's worth it." Luc paused then added, "Someone called Justine's house and asked for Goldie."

"Shit! What did they want?"

"No idea. The minute I realized he was asking for Goldie I grabbed the phone, but he didn't answer me and hung up. So Justine's house isn't safe either."

Justin leaned against the dresser, listening. "You know this is insane. We ain't got crap. We're just running around in circles with our heads up our ass."

"Tell me about it," Luc agreed. "We need a plan. Hell, half a plan. I'd settle for the hint of one at this point."

"Well, I haven't got a plan, but I do have a thought."

"You have my total attention," Luc replied sitting up.

"We need a lure and, strangely, we have one. We have "Signs of Interest" and we have Goldie's friend with the gallery."

Luc frowned. "So... you want to let her sell it, in hopes of luring them out into the open? They won't make an offer themselves, but maybe we could trace it back to them," Luc added, thinking about it.

"Or they'll try and steal it."

"Which would be nice of them if they would. You'll have to talk Goldie into it, though. From what Justine said, Goldie thinks the painting was a total lark, and an offer of making up to you. I'm not sure she'd sell it."

"Actually, she told me it was mine."

"Yeah, see? She'd have a fit if you put it in the gallery."

"Not if I explain why," Justin said reasonably.

"I look forward to hearing that conversation," Luc replied, grinning.

"You think she'll read something else into it?"

"She's already pretty insecure about her work and about herself, so
yeah," Luc replied.

"God it would be so much easier if she'd just say yes."

Luc nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I know. It'd be so much better if you just got her into bed and did it. She'd be okay with it then."

"Would she? What the hell good does it do either of us if she doesn't trust me? Trust what's between us."

"Why wouldn't she after you formed the bond? She'd understand better then. She obviously doesn't. They don't have any equivalent. Here it's all just a piece of paper and that's it. Him cheating on her, her cheating on him, and never anyone sure of their partner."

"Because if it happens because of the bond then it isn't trust. It isn't her choosing me."

Luc met Justin's eyes for awhile before nodding. "All right. You're more conservative than me in some ways, buddy. You talk her into it then, and we've got a plan."

"I'll talk to her. But the other problem is what happens when all this is over."

"Yeah, I know. I have no plan. I tried to explain that to Justine, before... Well, it didn't help. But your family will back you, Justin. They're connected enough you should be okay."

"They think of you as family too. You know that."

"Yeah, and I appreciate it. But my father will burn me and anyone who helps me on the altar of political expediency. Not a good idea to hurt your family like that. I'll be okay. I'll .. We'll be okay. I'll think of something."

"You think they'll care about that? Besides it time someone taught your father a few things about what's really important."

"Good luck with that," Luc muttered. "Let's get this taken care of and then worry about it. It's too damn depressing to dwell on."

"No. This is too important. You'll never have the life you want with Justine, the life she deserves, if you spend your lives on the run. And I don't know about you, pal, but I love Goldie too much to take her on
the run. To not do whatever I have to, to give her the choices she deserves and a room filled with perfect light every hour of every day so she can paint."

"I agree completely but the first step toward finding a way out of this mess is to catch the bad guys. At least we have a bargaining chip that way. And I don't know, other than that, what we can do now that will affect the rest of it. But hey, if you do, I'm all ears."

"Stop seeing your father as invincible. And start the process now. I sent a message to my parents last night."

"Shit!" Luc responded. "What, you think me doing that will help? Not likely. He wanted me unattached so he could dangle me out there to all his political allies as possible mate material. Personally, I'd planned on never mating."

"Yeah well, now you know it's not up to you. The point is that in this situation we want to play offense not defense. And if we wait, we lose that opportunity. Second, here's the thing. We know Goldie
disappears. We know time streams aren't mallable. Events are immutable. I asked my dad to find out what happened to Justine when Goldie disappears."

"Oh," Luc breathed. "I might not want to know. So you told them you are committed to Goldie?"

"I told them I'd found my mate. And that I was waiting," Justin said flatly, his arms folded over his chest. "My dad pointed out that if Goldie's disappearance means she came forward in time with me, then
she's a formidable argument in her own right given her stature as an artist."

"Good point. I hope it turns out true. But I don't see what me saying anything to my father will gain either of us. I've learned over the years that the least said about what I'm up to the better."

"Your father has enemies. He also has goals. You know that."

Luc frowned. "Yeah, of course. I've got a few scars from some of his enemies. But I don't see where you're going with this."

"The point is that your father, regardless of his public image as the upholder of moral tradition and all that's good, is an amoral son of a bitch whose only real love is power. And there are a lot of people who are tired of having to play his games."

"Are you casting me as a leader of rebellion against him? I've tried it, Justin. You know I have. And you know what price I've paid for it. I'll help your family. But I've got no stomach for fighting his kind of war."

"I'm talking about a different kind of war. And using his rhetoric against him."

Luc laid back down on the bed and rubbed his eyes. "If it'll work for you and Goldie I'll help. I'll do anything I can. You know that. Just don't think he'll fight any cleaner if I'm in the fight against him. I'd expect the opposite actually. He'll be furious and will fight all the harder."

"You're not getting it, Luc. What's the one thing about mating that's drilled into us from birth? That it's a one shot thing. One man, one woman, in all the universe. And to walk away is to condemn yourself to never having a family or children or a future. And everything your father stands for in public revolves around how family is the most
important thing when it comes to the stability of our society, so that every one of us has an immutable moral responsibility to mate if the opportunity presents itself because no sacrifice is too great to
perpetuate, save and protect the family."

Luc frowned. "So we just march home and if anyone dares to object we use my father's rhetoric against their objections. And you think we'd have
allies?"

"I think we'd at least have enough to pull his fangs on this. And I think because of it there'd be just enough blood in the water to draw the sharks."

Luc thought about it for some time. "All right. We try it. It's better than ceding the offense, anyway. I like it. You obviously have my family genes in you," Luc added dryly.

Justin laughed. "No. I have my family genes and they're all predator."

Luc yawned. "I think it's more you had all night to ponder the problem while I was busy doing other things. But whatever, I'm willing. I'd rather fight back than just concede."

"Now all I gotta do is get Goldie to do the one thing she never learned how to do."

"Yeah. But she's already falling in love with you," Luc pointed out. "So you have that edge."

"She doesn't trust men and she trusts love even less. All it's ever gotten her is hurt."

"Well, now's your chance to show her different. I have faith in you, Justin."

"Yeah. Great."

--------------------

Goldie, her tongue between her teeth, was sitting at the dining room table, still working on a charcoal drawing of Justin stretched out on his bed asleep.  He'd apparently kicked the sheets into a sweaty pile that Goldie drew as if the mess had been created during a wild night of sexual abandon. She'd drawn him, his face turned away from the viewer, the muscles on his neck and arms and thighs highlighted by early morning light streaming in through the window.

Justine sat near her, nursing a cup of coffee, looking on.

Goldie didn't look up when the men walked in, she was so absorbed.

Justine grinned and toasted Justin with her cup.  "You're immortal now."

Justin blanched.

Luc cleared his throat. Yeah, Justin was. Luc, as had Justin, recognized the drawing from Goldie's known works. Since the face hadn't been drawn no one had ever guessed it might be, well, Justin.  "So he is," Luc commented squinting at the drawing. "I think she makes him look better than the reality, though. Must be love."

Goldie flushed. "If you want a picture of reality, use a camera," she muttered.

"I prefer your view, baby girl," Justin said.

"I can see why," Justine said, licking her lips lasciviously.

"Justine, want to help me get something together for breakfast? I think we've got something in the fridge," Luc suggested.  He held out his hand to his bondmate.

"Uh, sure," Justine said, puzzled, following him to the kitchen.  "You could run to the store," she suggested as they disappeared.

Goldie looked up at Justin. "Sorry, your door was ajar. I.. uhm, couldn't resist."

"I don't mind at all, baby.  I love it, in fact," Justin said, stroking her cheek with his fingers.

She leaned slightly into his touch, and unconsciously licked her lips. "I, uhm, I should help Justine and Luc."

"I think they're happy alone," Justin said, smiling.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so. They did it, didn't they?"

"Yeah they did," Justin agreed.  "He's still a little shell shocked though I think."

"Oh. Well, it's a big decision. Justine seems the same though."

"Did you expect spots?"

She flushed. "Maybe chains," she retorted after a moment.

He sat down next to her and took her hand in his.  "What are you worrying about?"

"I don't know. Well, maybe I do know. I just... I don't like change. I like things to be, you know, understandable. When I don't understand things, I get nervous. I thought, you know, things were kind of stable, well, as stable as it ever has been. Now..."

He tilted her chin up so he could see her face.  "What's wrong baby?"

"Nothing," she replied, trying for a smile. "Well, maybe... I don't know. You have to go home, I've got you in trouble, Luc and Justine might be in trouble too, and it's all my fault.  Worst of all, I can't figure out exactly how it happened."

"You haven't done anything wrong," he said clearly.  When she shook her head he cupped her face and made her look at him.  "No.  No more.  Don't even start.  It's a nice piece of self-flagellation but you haven't done anything wrong.  You aren't responsible for this.  So don't go there."

She searched his eyes, as if she could suss out whether or not he was telling her the whole truth or not, for some time.  "Okay. I guess. But I'm why you're here, aren't I?"

"A good question," Justin said finally.  "And there's no way to answer it that doesn't either give you a stick to beat yourself up with or a reason to doubt me."

"Justin, I know you can't say some things. I do get that. But it's hard when ... I want to trust you. I do. I do trust you. I mean, I know you won't do anything to hurt me. And I trust you with my life."

"Make the leap, baby, I'll catch you. I'll always catch you."

She searched his face again. "What is it you want me to say?  What do you want me to do?"

"You trust me with your life.  Now trust me with your heart.  Trust me with your hopes and dreams and I swear to you I'll make sure they all come true."  He smiled crookedly.  "It's the least I can do because all my hopes and dreams and even fantasies have all been answered in you.  Every time you smile at me, they're all there."

Goldie looked down at the charcoal she'd been working on. "This is how I figure out my heart, you know. This. My art. It's true. It's always true. And according to this, I've already given you my heart."

"Giving it to me and trusting me with it aren't the same things."

"Aren't they?" she asked. "Because it seems to me that merely admitting it to you is to say I'm trusting you with it."

"It's like the difference between knowing and believing.  Or that between faith and belief."

"And how do I know it when I make this leap? How will you know?" she demanded. "What's the secret?"

"You'll feel it."

She looked back down at her sketch, and nodded.  "And if I don't?  Ever?" she whispered.

"We'll cross that bridge when 'ever' arrives."

She nodded and jumped when her cellphone rang.  She pulled it out of her pocket.  "It's Daddy."

She flipped it open and said, "Hi Daddy. Yeah, I'm fine. No, I spent the night with friends. Yeah. I'm sorry I worried  you. Yeah. Talk to you later. Love you." 

Justin raised an eyebrow.

"He called my house and then the college and couldn't get me. I shut the phone off cuz the battery's almost dead. He was worried."  She paused and frowned at him. "I need to go home. For one thing to get my cell phone charger, and somebody's gotta clean up the mess. No one's gonna do it for me."

He considered her, both the set of jaw and the mulish look in her eyes.  Both made him want to kiss her silly.  "Luc and I had an idea."

"Oh?  What idea?"

"To catch who's doing this.  So you can go home without me going crazy."

"I'm listening," she said, but she looked highly dubious.

"I want to exhibit the watercolor, 'Signs of Interest' at your friend's gallery."

Her mouth dropped open. "You don't like it," she said flatly.

"Luc said you'd think that," he said.  Then he sighed.  "Baby, you're right, I don't like it."

"Give it back to me, I'll reuse the canvas,"  she replied, her jaw clenched.

"No.  You gave it to me and it's mine.  And I love it."

She stared at him for a time, as if wondering if she heard him right. "Then why ... It's private, Justin. Besides, who in their right mind would think it worth showing? It was a joke, you know.  I do that kind of thing. Did something for Justine once involving... " she blushed. "Never mind."

"You should show it to Luc.  The reason is that you're the only person who thinks it's a joke.  At home it's one of the most famous paintings in the galaxy and these people know that.  It's the perfect bait."

She goggled. "It's what? What people?"

He grinned.  "The people trying to steal your canvases baby."

"You're giving me a headache. How can that stupid canvas become famous. It's...  I just did it for you!"

"Honey, you're the only one who thinks your work is crap," Justin said bluntly.  "And if I have to keep giving you the same information over and over again I'm going to start to wonder about what you put in your coffee."

"I wish I had something to put in my coffee," Goldie muttered. "So you think putting my teddy bear in the gallery will make them try to steal it and then you catch them?"

He nodded solemnly.

"But... " she sighed. "Okay."

He reached out and lifted her off her chair and sat her on his lap, cradling her in his arms.  "It's going to be fine, angel," he whispered against her lips.  "I promise."

Her eyes examined his as if trying to read what was going on inside his head through them. "Yeah. If you get hurt I'll never forgive you."

He licked at her mouth.  "I won't leave you, baby.  I know how alone you've been, your whole life.  Never again."

She leaned against his chest, hiding her face. "I'm not normally such a baby about it. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing's wrong with you," he said, his fingers stroking through her hair.  "Being loved is just new, that's all."

"So, is the teddy bear gonna be my best work?  Maybe I just ought to give up painting altogether."

"I don't know baby and neither will you until the end of your time."

"Which means you won't tell me,"  she replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"No it doesn't mean that," he said.  "I don't lie to you."

"So there are a lot of planets and stuff? But apparently people are still people, since they came back here to steal."

"Pretty much."  He nuzzled her neck.  "You always smell so good.  So fresh, like dawn and the dew cuddling on the grass."

"And you better let me up, or I'm gonna drag you to the bedroom."

He lapped his tongue over her skin.  "And your taste...god baby, you taste so good."

"All right that's it, forget breakfast. We're headed to the bedroom."

He held her still in his arms, smiling at her.  "Do you know what will happen if I take you?  You will be mine.  Forever.  And you aren't ready for that, are you angel?"

"I dunno... but I'm horny as hell."

He laughed.  "Breakfast is ready," he said as Justine came out of the kitchen.

"Saved by the omelet."

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