ok so this is my 3rd story on here and I know I haven't posted in a while (not that anyone really cares) but I wanted to put this one up because I have often wondered about different scenarios where morgead and jez accidently meet or something before where jez goes back in the book. so this is the one I chose to put to paper and I hope you like it. also I know it ends kind of suddenly and if more people than just my best friend want me to make a second chapter for this, I will. but we'll have to see because it will depend on the reviews. anyway, I don't own the characters (unfortunately) just the idea is mine. hope you like it! :)
This was it. After one whole year, a year full of agony and pain, he was going to see her again.
Kicking the stand down to support his bike, Morgead gazed up at the low, sweeping ranch house sprawled before him.
Taking a breath, he swallowed his pounding heart which had climbed up to his throat, and approached the front door. His fist hovered an inch from the door before he brought it back and rapped out three quick knocks on the wood.
Chewing his lip, he waited with his arms tightly crossed as someone scurried to the door. A short dark haired woman opened it and peered up at him in surprise.
I guess it's not every day a biker shows up at your door, Morgead thought dryly.
He said, "Mrs. Goddard?"
She blinked and replied cautiously, "Yes…"
"Is Jez here?"
Realization flashed across her face and she glanced back at his bike.
"I'm sorry, but Jez is grounded." She smiled apologetically. "Are you a friend of hers?"
"Umm, yeah…?" he wasn't quite sure how to answer that question.
The woman cocked her head.
"Well, I'll be sure to tell her you stopped by then…" she paused, motioning for Morgead to tell her his name.
"Morgead."
"Morgead! What an intriguing name. Well, I'll definitely let her know you were here, but she won't be able to contact you for at least another two weeks."
The woman started to shut the door with a polite smile on her slender face and panic exploded inside of Morgead.
Two weeks! He'd waited a year already and was not going to wait any longer.
He debated influencing the woman's mind to let him in, but quickly decided against it since this was Jez's aunt. Instead, he lunged forwards and jammed his foot in the door before she could close it.
She gave a startled cry and stumbled backwards, one hand flying up to her throat in surprise.
Morgead slowly pushed to door open more and locked eyes with the woman.
"This is kind of an emergency. I suggest you let me see her." He warned in a dangerously low voice.
Wrong approach, Morgead realised. But it was too late, and he was too desperate.
Jez's aunt called over her shoulder shrilly, "Jim? I think you'd better come here!"
She backed up more as her husband hustled to her side. He looked surprisingly like Jez. He took one look at Morgead standing roughly in the door frame and straightened up, puffing out his chest and trying to look as intimidating as he could. Morgead regarded him with cool green eyes and he deflated just a bit.
"Now, what seems to be the problem young man?" he bellowed.
With an aggravated sigh through his nose, Morgead raked his fingers through his hair and answered brutally, "I just really need to see Jez, that's all."
Jez's uncle Jim narrowed his eyes at Morgead who stood firm in the doorway, seeming uninclined to move until he got what he wanted.
"And why is that?"
Morgead bristled.
What was he supposed to tell this stupid ver-human? I need to see Jez because she up and left me over a year ago and I've been a broken wreck ever since because I love her? Ha! Yeah right.
He decided on saying nothing.
As Morgead glared at the ground, Jez's uncle gave a satisfied nod and said, "Well if you can't tell me then it couldn't be that important, now could it?"
Supressing a furious growl, Morgead bowed his head and turned back towards his bike.
There was a moment of silence as he stalked back to his bike before Jez's uncle called after him, "I will tell her you stopped by though, boy!"
Morgead glanced back over his shoulder and glimpsed movement in a second story window at the front of the house. His gaze lingered a moment before he met Mr. Goddard's eyes.
"Don't bother," he said steely.
He kicked the stand on his bike up and started it up. With one last glare directed at Jez's aunt and uncle that was lost behind the visor of his helmet, Morgead roared out of the driveway and out of site.
Showers always helped.
Weather she needed one or not, no matter if she'd taken one that morning, Jez always took a hot shower when she was depressed.
Since she'd just finished scalding off all the skin on her body, she tried to distract herself as she wiped a thick layer of steam from the mirror's surface. She was half expecting to see a younger version of herself staring back at her. But instead of the wide, exhilarating and daring eyes that had belonged to the young girl in her dream, she saw solemn, slightly bitter ones.
She didn't know where that dream had come from; she thought she'd given up dreaming of Morgead. But no, during her cat nap she often had after school she'd been haunted by her own memories. They'd come on suddenly, almost as if an outside force had shoved them forcefully into her mind.
And now she missed Morgead again.
Turning her back on the mirror, Jez darted out into the freezing air of the hallway and ran to her room in just her towel.
Idiot! she thought. How could you forget your clothes in your room?
She wretched open the door and plunged into her sunlight filled room. Another step and she froze, clutching tightly at her towel.
There were her pajamas, lying folded neatly on the edge of her bed.
A breeze pushed Jez's damp hair off her forehead. A breeze. How could that be? She hadn't left the window open.
But there was her answer, sitting right there on her bed beside her pajamas.
"Morgead," her voice shook slightly as she stared down at the impossible.
Morgead stared right back at her.
"Jez…"
Jez broke out of her stupor and it registered that she was in danger. A lot of danger.
Morgead had found her, what did that mean? Did he hunt her down because he somehow found out her secret? Or was he so mad about her abandoning him and the rest of the gang that he somehow got it out of uncle Bracken where she was? Did he torture him? Was he here to torture her?
But the thing was, Morgead didn't look like he was planning to attack. He'd moved from a comfortable lounging position to a tense, expectant one.
And he seemed to be waiting.
Waiting for her to make the first move no doubt.
Well. Not in this towel she wasn't.
But Morgead wasn't thinking about fighting Jez. He could sense the turmoil stirring inside of her, and wanted to let her work out what she was feeling before he moved. Knowing her, she might take it as an attack.
Besides, he was still a little stunned. Jez was…she was standing right in front of him! Not to mention she was only wearing a very small towel…
Morgead swallowed and averted his eyes as he stood.
Jez stepped back and something flashed in her eyes, too quick for Morgead to decipher.
Jez was worried about what would happen next. Morgead didn't seem to want to fight, but he didn't seem too happy about seeing her. He seemed almost…disgusted. Unable to look at her.
She was vermin, and he knew it.
She clenched her jaw along with the rest of her muscles as she stared at Morgead, waiting for him to do something, to accuse her of being vermin with knowledge of the Night World, or a freak, an abomination, and to tell her he was going to kill her.
Instead he seemed to steel himself, and then he looked at her with burning emerald eyes.
"Jez, your uncle told me…well, everything I guess."
He took another step towards her with his arms partially extended, showing her his palms as a sign of peace. Quite frankly, he was afraid Jez would freak out and hit him over the head with something. Probably that heavy chemistry textbook he'd seen her eyeing.
Jez gave Morgead a shocked look.
"Uncle Bracken told you?" she cried, looking completely appalled. "Why?"
Jez couldn't believe her uncle Bracken had told Morgead! If she remembered correctly, he was the exact person she had warned him never to tell!
She supposed that was as good as any a reason for her to feel so betrayed.
Jez was looking at Morgead, waiting for some kind of explanation as to why her uncle would do such a thing. But this was one explanation Morgead was not willing to give.
Not yet anyway.
Looking at Morgead, Jez felt an odd pang. He wasn't looking at her again.
He must hate me even more now, she thought miserably. He knows I'm a complete freak. I shouldn't even be alive.
"Jez, I-" he just didn't know where to start. Steeling himself he looked directly at her face, determined to get something out to make her feel better, to fix the almost…broken expression her beautiful face held.
But of course at that exact moment her towel slipped just enough for the movement to catch Morgead's eye. With gritted teeth he watched as Jez attempted to reposition and hold it up before it fell to the ground and made the situation even worse.
She blushed a bright pink colour that always made Morgead's heart race, and backed towards the door.
"I think I should probably-"
"Put some clothes on?" Morgead interjected hoarsely. "Good idea."
He moved to the window and directed his glare at a squirrel bounding about the yard. As if sensing the murderous glare settled upon the tiny creature, it looked once at Morgead before it shot off into the bushes.
While Morgead played Wink Murder with the squirrel, Jez rifled through her closet for something appropriate to wear. For some odd reason she seemed to want to…impress Morgead? No that couldn't be right. She just wanted to look half way decent for when they found her body. Yeah, that was it.
After grabbing her best black jeans and favourite blue t-shirt, Jez marched past her door and into the hall with a huff. And with her luck, who was it that was racing out of their room and towards the bathroom at that moment? Well of course it was Clair!
Jez reached the bathroom first but that didn't stop Clair from barreling into her in an attempt to get into the bathroom.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to get into the bathroom which you've been hogging for the past, like, hour!"
Jez scowled.
Clair glowered.
"Okay, first, I have not been in there for a whole hour!"
"Oh, yes you ha-"
"Second," Jez went on, ignoring Clair. "I've been out for like, ten minutes by now already, why didn't you just go then?" Crossing her arms Jez stared Clair down. And just like always Clair's nostrils flared and she glared at Jez's feet.
"I was busy okay?"
"Well, you snooze you lose Clair!"
"What were you doing for ten minutes in just your towel anyway?" Clair spat.
Jez narrowed her eyes at her cousin and fought back the blush that was trying to spread across her face.
"Nothing."
"If it was nothing…" Clair smirked and Jez mentally cursed. Had she heard something? Seen something? Had her door been open and had her cousin been peeking in? "Then why are you blushing like that?" it was a triumphant finish, complete with a raised chin and a winning smile, but it was not what Jez expected.
Jez growled. "It's none of your business, now is it?"
With that Jez darted in front of Clair and into the bathroom. The sounds of Clair's outraged protests were muffled as Jez slammed the door in her face.
Jez dressed as quickly as she could as she tried to think about what to do about her situation.
Meanwhile, Morgead leant against the window frame in Jez's room waiting for her to return.
When she'd left he'd sat listening to her argue with who he assumed to be her cousin, Clair. When they'd stopped and Jez had won and was getting dressed, he stood and listened to Clair complain to her mother about Jez. When he heard footsteps running up the stairs he glided over to Jez's open closet door and ducked behind it just as a dark head popped into view. A girl who could only be Clair stepped half way into the room before there was the click of the bathroom door opening. Her head whipped around to stare with wide eyes out the door. With a quick breath she ran out of the room and Morgead stalked over to the window after nudging the door mostly shut.
Clair cursed as she ran down the hall as stealthily as she could. She was in luck, the bathroom door-which was halfway between Jez's room and her own-was open, but Jez was still inside. Just as Clair reached the door Jez stepped out and came face to face with Clair. Or rather, face to neck since Clair was so much shorter.
Jez gave Clair a wary look and glanced behind her towards her room. Clair just sniffed and entered the bathroom as casually as she could.
With one last suspicious look cast back over her shoulder, Jez made her way to her bedroom.
She pushed open the door and entered cautiously, half expecting an ambush from Morgead. But there he was standing at the window exactly where she'd left him.
He looked at her as she entered and relaxed just enough for Jez to notice. With her wearing clothes it would be much, much easier for him to get out what needed to be said.
He watched her chew on her lip as she shut the door and walk over to her bed.
With a side glance at Morgead who stood watching her from the window, Jez jumped onto her bed, causing her to be bounced back up and almost off the bed. But Morgead was there, steadying her. She looked up into distressed emerald eyes that were so close…
Morgead swallowed and pushed Jez into a more upright position on the bed.
With a huff Jez crossed her legs and her arms, and stared at Morgead with one eyebrow raised.
"Well" Jez prompted.
"Right, umm…" Morgead started pacing and muttering to himself in a strategic manner, all the while pulling at his chin and tousling his hair.
"So your uncle Bracken spilled it all the other day to me. Not the whole gang if it makes you feel any better though…" Morgead added when he noticed the panic on Jez's face. She seemed to relax a little so he continued. "When he told me I…I couldn't believe it. You're just the most…vampire-like person I ever knew." He paused and looked straight at Jez with almost tender eyes. "You're a Redfern."
After a painstaking moment of staring at each other, Jez glanced away and murmured, "Not anymore."
Morgead continued to study her face as she avoided looking at him. After a while he lay down on his back in front of Jez on her bed and blindly stared up at the ceiling as he continued.
"Your uncle knew I was searching for you. I'd already picked over the whole city twice before I started going outside of it. I started looking again in all of the surrounding cities. I'd go out for days at a time before I went back. Sometimes it seemed that I caught your scent and I would chase it until I was lost. Then I'd come home days later and tell Bracken all about the progress I'd made. Then, one day I caught your scent and followed all the way up to Claremont. It was so faint I thought I was imagining it. But I kept going anyway. And soon enough, I caught it again. A lot more recent though."
Morgead continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, as if revisiting the days he'd spent sitting on his bike and driving the same places over and over again. Jez was so enveloped in his story that she had started to absently finger his hair that was tickling her ankle.
She felt horrible for being the reason Morgead had devoted so many days to searching the state. She honestly hadn't thought anyone would really care that she was gone. She might have hoped it, but it never occurred to her that anyone-especially Morgead-would care that much.
Morgead looked up at Jez as she worked her slender fingers through the tips of his hair. With a deep breath he continued with his tale.
"I looked around, in neiborhoods and places like that, but I couldn't find you. I even staked out a few schools to see if you'd show up. But you never did. Finally, I went back home and told Bracken everything. And…the more I told him, the more worried he looked. I told him I was heading back to continue looking for you the next day after I got some sleep and stocked up on supplies and…that's when he told me."
Morgead stopped and looked up at Jez again, who was sitting tense and expectant, staring at him as if he was the only thing keeping her alive at that moment, as if he was the oxygen keeping her alive.
"He sat me down and told me that he had something important to tell me, and that is was about you. He said he wanted to tell me before I found you so that I would have time to process it and cool down. It's a good thing he did."
Jez cringed. "You freaked out?"
"To put it mildly. I stopped looking and locked myself in my apartment for at least a weak and I honestly don't remember much of what I did. Mostly broke stuff and sulked."
Jez repositioned herself so that Morgead could rest his head on her lap. He closed his eyes and finished up his story.
"I finally came to my senses and went back to Bracken. I asked him where you were and he told me. So then the next day I packed up and came out here." Morgead sighed and murmured, "I honestly thought I wouldn't ever see you again Jez. You shouldn't have left."
Jez hated herself for it, but she couldn't stop it. Seeing Morgead's face full of such pain…a single tear dropped from her eye and landed on Morgead's cheek. He opened his eyes and looked up at her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Morgead gently took her hand and moved both of theirs to rest on his chest. He held onto it tightly as he shut his eyes again and exhaled.
"I missed my best friend."
"And I missed mine."
They lay like that until they lost track of time, a dangerous thing to do in the Goddard house hold, and a dangerous thing to do with Clair prowling the hall.
"Clair dear, would you run upstairs and fetch Jez for me please? It's time for diner."
Claire groaned as her mother called out to her from the kitchen. She was always on super detail. Always hunting around the house for Jez or Rickey or her dad.
Today though, Rickey and Claire's father were both sitting in the living room with her watching TV, yet somehow she was the one ordered to go get her pesky cousin.
"Why can't you just call up to her like you used to do with us every evening before she came?" Claire demanded.
"Claire," her mother replied sternly, "I asked you to go get your cousin. Do as I say."
Claire huffed and walked away from her mother.
Why not Rickey? He loves Jez! Claire thought moodily to herself as she marched up the stairs.
As she neared Jez's room she thought she heard voices. Maybe Jez was on the phone?
Ha! Yeah! Talking to who? Claire almost laughed out loud as she thought this. For as long as her cousin had been living with them, Claire had never seen her talk to anyone unless it was completely necessary, or a threat. She'd never had any phone calls and Claire had never seen her texting before.
She decided that it must just be in her head. But as she neared the door the voices got louder. And there were definitely two of them. Whoever was in that room with Jez was keeping their voice down, they both were. Clair couldn't make out a single word.
Claire knelt down and inched towards the door. It was shut but as she leaned lightly against it, she found that it wasn't completely closed, and it swung open a tiny bit.
Claire peered in through the crack and tried to make out what was on the other side. At first she wasn't positive what the dark shape nearest the end of the bed was. She thought it could be a pile of blankets, or perhaps clothes. But then why was Jez sitting there half under it while looking down earnestly.
Then the bundle shifted and a boy propped himself up on one of his elbows as he looked at Jez.
Claire's hand flew to her mouth as she tried to contain a gasp.
Here was Jez, sitting in her room with some boy that Claire was willing to bet her left arm that no one in her family had ever seen before, the day after she'd been grounded!
Claire was so stunned that when she was able to make out the first words that she'd heard, she didn't really register them.
"-Should move back."
Claire scrambled to her feet and tiptoe-ran all the way downstairs.
She barrelled into the kitchen where her mother was bustling about, serving up plates of food and placing them on the table.
"Claire honey, did you get-"
"There's a boy in Jez's room!" Claire blurted.
Her mother froze and stared unbelievingly ahead.
When she looked at Claire, she asked, "What do you mean, 'There's a boy in her room'?"
"I mean," Claire stressed, seizing her mother's arm and dragging her towards the stairs. "There is a boy, sitting in Jez's room. On her bed. With her."
Claire looked at her mother with big eyes. She watched as her mother's eyes hardened and she whipped off her apron and handed it roughly to Claire. Probably as a sign for her to stay put, but Claire just clutched it to her chest and scampered after her mother.
They burst through the door and into Jez's room. Jez and the boy both erupted off the bed and sprang to their feet.
Everyone in the room stood frozen and looking at each other. Claire took the time to assess the boy. He seemed to be about a year or two older than her and Jez, with long, tousled black hair that mostly covered his eyes. But she could see gem like orbs glaring out from behind the curtain of hair. He was about a head taller than Jez, and had the appearance of a biker, just like her. He was clad in black jeans that fit him well, and a black t-shirt that didn't do anything to hide the muscle that he obviously possessed. To pull together the whole outfit, he wore tightly laced combat boots and a well-worn leather jacket.
He was the most attractive boy that she had ever seen. Claire almost fainted when she noticed that he was staring at her as well.
Morgead studied her intently. He wanted to know all of Jez's family. Especially this one. They seemed to fight a lot, and she was definitely an untrustworthy family member seeming as she'd been all for snooping around Jez's room while she thought she'd not be coming back so quick.
Claire wasn't exactly how Morgead had pictured her though. She didn't have even a hint of red in her hair, instead it was all dark brown. Her face wasn't sharp or fierce, it was round and would have been sweet if it weren't for the triumphantly smug expression that twisted it into a cruel grin. He could see she was wearing dark jeans and a light pink top. Kind of a childish style choice.
Morgead glanced at Jez and saw an expression of dread settled on her face. What had seemed like forever for everyone else had seemed like mere seconds for Jez. She only had time to process the fact that; 1) she had been caught with Morgead in her room by her aunt, 2) Claire had undoubtedly ratted her out, and 3) she was now in deep, deep trouble.
Then her aunt had blown.
"Jezebel Maria Redfern!" she shrilled. "What do you think you are doing?"
Before Jez could even open her mouth, her aunt barreled on.
"And you!" she raged, turning to Morgead, "What are you doing here? I thought we made it perfectly clear that Jez was not available for visitors! And I'm just going to go ahead and assume that you climbed in through the window, because there is no other way you could have gotten up here without anyone noticing! I cannot think of anything more inappropriate!"
"Hang on, what-"
"And I thought that I made it perfectly clear that I was going to see Jez. Grounded or not. Window or not." Morgead's cool voice was a stark contrast to Mrs. Goddard's shrill one.
"Wait a sec, did you-"
"Jez how could you?" Mrs. Goddard turned back to her niece. "How could you do this to me?"
Jez sputtered.
"Do what?" she nearly shrieked.
"Have this boy sneak up into your room! And especially after we told you wouldn't be allowed to see anyone. It's, it's-" Jez's aunt waved her hands around frantically as she searched for the right word. "Scandals!"
Jez stared at her in shock while Claire snickered and Morgead choked.
"Aunt Nan, we weren't doing anything!"
Jez could feel her cheeks burning. She felt Morgead's heated gaze on her as well, but refused to look at him, for fear it would make her state even worse.
"Besides, it's not like I invited him up here!"
"So what are you saying? That he just-"
"Nan? Is everything alright?"
Mr. Goddard rushed into view with Rickey hot on his heels.
Morgead slunk backwards as Jez's uncle and little cousin pushed their way into the room. Little Rickey took a look around at everyone staring at the two of them with a mix of different emotions. Emotions so strong that Morgead could sense them roll off of Jez's family in waves. Triumph radiating from Claire, betrayal and anger from Mrs. Goddard, and dawning anger from her husband.
And then there was Rickey. He had no idea what was going on, or why everyone seemed to be mad at Jez. But he saw his big cousin, who had always seemed so lonely and sad to him before, no matter if she'd tried to hide it, and underneath her anxious expression, he could tell that she was with someone who made her happy. That maybe she wouldn't be so lonely anymore.
"Rickey, Claire, go downstairs. I think Jez and Morgead and mommy and I have to have a little chat." Mr. Goddard announced.
As Rickey and Claire shuffled towards the door, Jez and Morgead shared a look.
"Actually uncle Jim, why don't we wait until diner. I think there's something we all need to discus."
As Jez stood tall and defiant against the stares of both her aunt and uncle, she felt Morgead come up behind her. He stood with his arms crossed at her flank just as he always had when they were young and facing something together. They drew strength from each other, daring any opponent to cross them.
Apparently their combined powers of intimidation had not dwindled in their time apart, because after only a few tense seconds of silent combat, Jez's uncle lowered his eyes and turned away.
"Alright, if you think it's so important for everyone to know," he put his arm around his wife and guided her towards the door. "Diner is in two minutes."
When it was just Morgead and Jez who remained, they stood looking at each other.
"I didn't expect them to give in so easily," Jez mumbled.
Morgead studied her face a moment before he sighed.
"Well you were pretty convincing there."
"Really?" Jez looked back at him doubtfully as they left her room and headed for the stairs.
He chuckled.
"Yup, kinda hard not to be intimidated by you when you go all resolute like that."
Jez couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Whatever. You know, you were probably the real reason that they gave in. You look like you could be a hit man. They were probably scared of you."
"A hit man?" Morgead cried incredulously, "No way!"
"Umm, yeah way!" Jez replied through a laugh.
As they rounded the corner into the kitchen, both vampire and hybrid had to bite back their laughing to avoid getting even more on the bad side of the Goddard's.
The whole family was sitting at the table, heaping plates of spaghetti sat in front of everyone, including an empty chair next to Rickey where Jez normally sat, but no one ate except for Rickey.
Someone had even added an extra chair to the table tonight directly across the table from Jez for Morgead to sit. Of course though, it was beside Claire, who was sitting smugly as she twirled her noodles.
Morgead and Jez locked eyes as they each headed for their places. Morgead sat down awkwardly beside Claire as she batted her eyelashes at him. He made a face and scooted his chair away from her. Jez bit back a giggle at this as she sat in her usual spot beside Rickey, who gave her a face splitting grin with noodles dripping out the corner of his mouth.
She gave him a little smile as her uncle cleared his throat.
Morgead noticed that he looked uncomfortable having to put his foot down in front of everyone, but Mr. Goddard started off the conversation.
"Now Jez, we try to be lenient, but walking into your room to find you with a boy that we've never seen before today, and the day after we told you that you were grounded, well, I think it's time we established some more rules."
Now, normally when her aunt and uncle went on about rules and restrictions, Jez got uncomfortable because she knew that even though she would agree and apologise, she would still break them over and over again. But this time, it was different.
"We don't know how you were raised before you came here to us Jez, or much about you at all," her aunt started, "But the behavior that you used to get away with will not stand here any longer. And you," she turned to Morgead. "I don't know how your mother raised you-"
"Aunt Nan!" Jez cut in.
Morgead stiffened.
"But she obviously did a horrid job!" she went on as if Jez hadn't said a word. "You are rude, and disrespectful, and you don't just go climbing in through girls windows when you know you're not allowed!"
Morgead took a deep breath. His mother was definitely a touchy subject for him. The mention of her always put him on edge.
"I told you it was an emergency, and that I needed to see Jez, but you didn't listen. I had to take matters into my own hands."
Luckily, Morgead was keeping his temper in check. He sounded cool and distant, but not like he was going to go on a blood rage and kill everyone, which was good.
"Well your mother obviously never taught you how to handle emergencies, now did she?"
Morgead stayed silent as he glared at the ground, stewing in his own hatred for his absent mother.
"When we speak to you boy, you would do well to answer." Jez's uncle warned, and Jez wanted to yell at them all to be quiet. Couldn't they see they were hurting Morgead? That wasn't shame that was keeping his head down and his eyes averted, it was the pain of old wounds being torn open again by her aunt and uncle.
Morgead popped his jaw and glared at Jez's uncle dangerously as he growled, "I don't see how she could have if she wasn't even there."
In the silence that followed, Mr. and Mrs. Goddard's faces softened in shock, and Claire's vicious smirk shrunk and her eyes lost their cruel glint. Jez threw down her fork and shot to her feet, sending her chair tumbling to the floor.
"What does it matter how we were raised?" she demanded. "My uncle didn't raise me wrong. And I mean, he definitely gave me more freedom than you guys give me. Because he knew I was responsible enough to do what I wanted without him worrying, or thinking something stupid." Jez glared at both her aunt and uncle.
"But, Jez," her aunt started as she got up, "I can't help what I think if I walk into your room where you and some boy are sitting close together on your bed, it's-"
"It's not how my uncle would react!" Jez cried, her face red. "He never freaked! Not if I didn't come home all night! Or if he came into my room to wake me up for school and Morgead was passed out on my floor when he hadn't been there the night before! Or even when we played hooky and stayed away for days and then came back with broken bones!"
The Goddard's seemed speechless. Never before had Jez shared anything about her past with them, and now all at once they had been given a glimpse of Jez's old life, the one she'd given up.
All of a sudden Morgead stood up as well. Although he did it silently, not wanting to make a scene and draw more attention to himself as Jez had. He glided over to Jez as her aunt sunk back down to her chair dejectedly.
"Jez, I-we're sorry, "she corrected, looking at her husband who nodded. "We can try to do better. But it's just-"
"I know. You worry about me." Jez cut in mercilessly. "But I guess we won't have to worry about any of this anymore. I know you've done your best, and I'm grateful for you taking me in when I had nowhere to go. But," she took a deep breath as Morgead squeezed her hand and murmured encouragingly in her ear. "I'm going home."
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