“Hey. Hey… it’s not your fault.”
“Yes it is..you fell because of what I told you. I didn’t want to keep it from you but seeing you so mad and then slip… I never should have allowed him in..”
“No, no…” he reaches and takes her hand into his, holding it gently. “This is what happens when I let myself get mad… this is a lesson. Don’t feel bad, please.”
Not exactly how I wanted to spend my time away from the city
“Oh love I’m sorry…”
“Hey. Hey… it’s not your fault.”
Not exactly how I wanted to spend my time away from the city
Katelynn and I are going to be unavailable for a few weeks. We’re taking off, away from the city and all the.. um.. trouble going on. Don’t worry about us, we’re safe, and we’ll be back before any of you know it.
Take care of yourselves!
It was so sudden, this fear of Psycho Delic and everything that was going on, but Katelynn felt that laying low wasn’t going to cut it, not after making that report. She honestly feared for her life this time, the warnings from her friends hitting her into reality.
Rushing into Jack’s apartment, all of the anon magic gone and her hair back to normal save for the length, Katelynn rushed to grab the bag she had packed to move in with Jack. She would need to make phone calls to work and ask for vacation time as luckily she had accumulated quite a bit of it.
She looked around for all her things, all the necessary things like bath supplies, cell phone, charger, camera, clothes; things that she would need for sure in order to remain light.
She hated leaving, she did, and it broke her heart that she was running from her problems, but there was just no other way, her kidnapping from a week or so ago still fresh in her mind. What had she been thinking, gathering up research for Psycho Delic?
“Katelynn?"
She had all but dashed past Jack who had been sitting in his work room/lounge when she entered. He looked at the two dogs, who were dozing on the bean bag, oblivious to everything. Setting his brush down Jack gets to his feet and makes his way through the beaded curtain, looking in on Katelynn as she’s grabbing things left and right.
”…Katelynn? What, what’re you doing?“ he asked, walking into the room.
His courage was gone. His bravery spent. His knowledge in things technological removed. He was him again.
"What’s g-going on?”
“…I was a bit relieved but a bit sad too.” Jack said honestly, looking down at his hands. “I. I didn’t want you to be burdened with something like that so early on in our relationship. I blamed myself, for, for your ‘pregnancy’ but for so long I’ve wondered if I would ever… have children. Not just because I’m an alien but, but because of who I was. I mean. Which woman would want me? But then, then you show up and you accept me and love me and kiss me and let me touch you. And then we think you’re pregnant and a part of me was so happy.”
He rubs at his ear, looking at the floor. “But it was too early. Too soon. Too fast for us. M. Maybe one day, when we’re married, we can really try for one? When the time is right. Of course.”
“….I’d like that,” she said, after a pregnant pause, just listening to his words and how he had felt. It made her happy, to hear what he had to say on the subject, made her more than happy in fact, to know he had wanted it as much as her and seemed to think the same way; these mixed feelings of happiness but also fear and worry of it being too soon.
“When we’re ready, I’d love to have your child Jack..” she continued softly, her voice filled with so much affection like a warm caress to his skin. She held his journal close, giving him a loving smile.
He smiled at her warmly before reaching out, and wrapped an arm around her, before pulling her in against him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yeah when we’re ready. I’m in no rush to share you with anyone just yet, Katelynn… I guess I’m a little selfish like that… sorry.” he whispered the last part. “I’ve just never had anyone like you in my life before, and I’m a little worried at times that you’ll find someone better then me. Stupid fear, I know it is but… lifetime of being alone you can’t help but feel that way.”
He smiled faintly and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess… oh, here… here…”
Jack reached and turned a few pages, moving towards the back. He stops on a page and settles back. It has sketches of Katelynn, nothing sensual, nor sexual, just her sitting there. Some have her smiling. Others have her partly shadowed.
One has her with a swollen stomach. Jack reaches and gently taps that one. “That’s… back from when we thought you were pregnant.” he says quietly.
She stares at it a while, her face slowly growing red with every passing second. “Y-You imagined me like that..?” she whispered, truly amazed. “B-But I thought you were relieved..I wasn’t..”
She had mixed feelings about the drawing. It was beautiful, done with sentiment, but at the same time it showed what could have been and how happy she would have been to carry Jack’s child. She shook her head though, banishing the thought. She had agreed long ago that it wasn’t meant to be for now. She had to stop wishing for something that might happen in the future if Jack really still wanted her by then.
They had to be together first, just the two of them, and enjoy each other before a child tied them down.
“…I was a bit relieved but a bit sad too.” Jack said honestly, looking down at his hands. “I. I didn’t want you to be burdened with something like that so early on in our relationship. I blamed myself, for, for your ‘pregnancy’ but for so long I’ve wondered if I would ever… have children. Not just because I’m an alien but, but because of who I was. I mean. Which woman would want me? But then, then you show up and you accept me and love me and kiss me and let me touch you. And then we think you’re pregnant and a part of me was so happy.”
He rubs at his ear, looking at the floor. “But it was too early. Too soon. Too fast for us. M. Maybe one day, when we’re married, we can really try for one? When the time is right. Of course.”
He smiled down at her, wanting to wrap his arm around her but she was holding it so he couldn’t do that. All he could do was lean into her gently, keeping pace with her as they walked together.
“Really now…” she’s told him this before, but it’s still amazing to hear. That someone as weak and shy as he had once been could have caught her attention so easily was amazing. Jack laughs, and sighs, as they continue walking, Missy trailing ahead of them as far as she could before being gently tugged back before she got too far ahead.
This is what he had been hoping for all those years ago. A life with her. A chance to grow old with her, to hold her hand at least once every day, to tell her how much he loved and adored her every single day without fail. They had achieved it, together, and had faced so much. They had raised a beautiful daughter who was already engaged, set to be wed, but had focused on her studies first to become a doctor.
Jack didn’t know what he had done to achieve such a life but whatever it was he thanked it.
She giggled. “Yes really, you know this of course but I love telling you every time,” she replies softly, thinking back to everything they had faced together. “The wonderful shy painter who captured my heart like a prince in a fairy tale and someday when Gail has kids I can tell them the story of how we met and hope that they find love like this..”
Oh how she hoped they did.
“And what pulled you to me I wonder~?” she continued to tease. “Surely it wasn’t my looks since I was such a little wallflower.”
“I’ve told you this, dear.” Jack said softly as they crossed the street together, Missy in tow as always. “Your photography caught my eye first. I was looking for references to places in Metro City and I found your blog. All these… lovely photographs and I read your posts about your days, your friends. It sounded so… distant, and far, for me. Like a world away even if you were in the same city.” he laughed, slightly, and shook his head as he looked around.
“I was so blind back then. I was so afraid but just… something beautiful about this girl with long hair and a shy demeanor had me going outside for her. A wonder, to be sure.”
Jack sits there besides her, watching as she looks over his jumbled half awake words, and the sketches which start small, but are then redrawn, bigger on the page. And as he said, there were butterflies on practically every single page.
“I think I dream about them,” he said after a moment, “because I’ve wanted to become better for so long.”
“Fly as free as a butterfly? Fleeting wings against the sky in the soft light of day?” she asked, really touched by how beautiful it all was, even if it was messy, even with all the markings and half awake words, this was beautiful and it caused her heart to beat faster.
He smiled faintly and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess… oh, here… here…”
Jack reached and turned a few pages, moving towards the back. He stops on a page and settles back. It has sketches of Katelynn, nothing sensual, nor sexual, just her sitting there. Some have her smiling. Others have her partly shadowed.
One has her with a swollen stomach. Jack reaches and gently taps that one. “That’s… back from when we thought you were pregnant.” he says quietly.
