How It Could Have Been… by lyradaemon

Disclaimer: The characters etc. belong to Anne Bishop. The plot is my own.

A/N: As much as I love Anne Bishop, and I wouldn't criticize her for the world, I always thought that Daemon and Jaenelle rushed things a bit. Yes, they loved each other, yes, they were impulsive and passionate. But I always imagined that things would be a bit different; perhaps that Daemon would court Jaenelle for a while, before finally making things a bit more permanent. Maybe that's just me. Anyway, I decided to write this to fill in the missing factor (well, I thought it was missing) to their relationship, and to make things seem less rushed. Hope you like it!

Here's a little taster… (there is more just coming up, so keep checking!)

"So, how's it going?"

"I'm sorry?" Daemon asked, knowing full well what his father meant.

Saetan looked at his son; "How are you and Jaenelle getting on?"

"Oh. Fine," he replied casually.

"Fine as in we've actually got a relationship now, or fine as in shut up and leave me alone?"

"Guess."

"Why aren't you doing anything about it then?" Saetan enquired.

"About what?"

"Daemon, stop being annoying. What I mean was, why aren't you trying to win her around or anything? Why are you just standing back and letting every opportunity pass you by?"

"Well, what do you propose I do?" Daemon snapped at him. He sounded testy, but Saetan knew that he was eager to hear what he had to say.

"You could start where everyone else does – by courting her," Saetan suggested succinctly.

"And then what? I'd be afraid I'd take things too fast and then scare her off. Just what I'd need."

Saetan sighed. Daemon was being difficult because he didn't like being confronted. Well tough. "Look, Daemon. You and Jaenelle desperately want each other. I can see it, as well as the several dozen or so other people here But you're too scared to admit it. So you wander the corridors of the Hall, making yourselves and everyone else in here miserable – not to mention uncomfortable."

"What do you mean, 'uncomfortable'?" Daemon asked pointedly.

"Daemon don't be stupid; you practically ooze sexuality. When you're emotional you forget to keep a hold on it and it, well…let's just say it gets to some people."

The corners of Daemon's mouth turned up slightly at that. "I'll try to remember that in future." He sighed. "So, you think I should set about courting Jaenelle properly?"

"Seduce her. After all, you're the expert."

Daemon bristled at that. "I don't want to kiss her once and then end up in bed with her. It's not proper, and Jaenelle deserves more than that. I want it to be right for her – she needs to feel comfortable and safe, and not rushed. I want to take it slowly."

"I completely agree with you. But you've just got to go for it; you can't sit back and wait for Jaenelle to make the first move – you know that won't happen. Take it from me – the longer you put this off, the harder and more awkward it will be for you. Follow your instincts and trust them. You can't go wrong." Saetan looked at his son. He was so beautiful, with a slight frown on his forehead, resting his chin on his hand. It was a wonder Jaenelle had resisted him for so long.

Finally Daemon turned his gaze back to his father. "I'll try to remember that. Thank you."

"Not at all. Besides, I'm only doing this for my sake. If you two mope around any longer I think I'll kill somebody."

Daemon laughed at that. "Whatever you say father."

A/N: As I said, I've got more on the way - I'm just fiddling with it before I post. So PLEASE check back regularly and review!