Dating An Urban Legend
(The Tale of Jonathon and Danielle)
By Thomas Mc
Chapter 6 : A Summer Romance
It was the first week of June. Jonathon sat out in the audience and felt the pride bursting from those seated next to him. On one side of him sat Danielle's parents and on the other sat her grandparents. Up on the stage Danielle was accepting her high school diploma. He had been honored when she had invited him to attend. She had also invited him to celebrate with her family after the ceremony was over.
Danielle looked out at the place where her family sat as she held up her diploma. Her eyes came to rest on Jonathon and her smile widened.
Later as she sat with her family and Jonathon in the fine restaurant owned by Alexandra's father, they were talking about their plans for the future. Danielle was leaning toward accounting or business but wasn't sure yet. Jonathon would be the first Chandler-Wells male to attend college and was considering going for some type of engineering degree. Just a few days ago with Danielle's encouragement Jonathon had signed up to get his G.E.D. Next week he was scheduled to take the tests. No one educated in the tunnels had ever failed those tests but that didn't keep him from feeling a bit nervous about it.
After a while Danielle noticed that Jonathon looked a bit disturbed. "What's wrong, Jonathon?" She asked.
"I'm not sure but the entire staff here seems to be very upset about something." He raised his hand and got the attention of one of the waiters. When the waiter approached Jonathon spoke. "I just noticed that everyone appears to be upset. Is there something wrong."
"You mean you haven't heard?" The waiter shook his head. "There has been an assassination attempt. Three Secret Service agents were killed and the First Lady was hit."
"When did it happen?" Danielle's father asked. "How bad was the First Lady hurt?"
"It happened about an hour and a half ago." He looked around. "They took Mrs. Carlton to the hospital. That's all we know so far." He wrung his hands. "This is terrible."
Danielle, who had been riding an emotional high over her graduation, felt some of the wind go out of her sails at this news. Jonathon reacted to the shift of her emotions and took her hand giving it a squeeze. The rest of the dinner was a bit more somber than before. When deserts came out, Alexandra's father came over to see them. He informed them that it had been announced that the First Lady's injury had been serious but she and her baby were both alive and doing well. He was unable to tell them if a certain Secret Service agent had been among the casualties. That was when Danielle learned that Jonathon's sister Karen was sweet on one of the agents guarding the President.
~ ( BatB ) ~
A week and a half after graduation Danielle was sitting on her bed, tracks of tears still visible on her cheeks, her emotions in turmoil. How could she face Jonathon feeling the way she did. Pamela and Shania sat on either side of her trying to comfort her. She had probably already known about it intellectually but yesterday something Jonathon had said had finally brought it home to her that he could really feel all of her emotions. The realization had hit her in the gut, creeping her out, then the thought of him reading her every emotion without her being aware of it had horrified her and left her feeling so invaded. She had looked up at him and seen his reaction, the surprise, the hurt, to her emotions and had run out of the little deli weeping.
Once she had gotten home she had called her friends. When she told them what had happened they had sympathized. Their support and friendship had helped. She didn't want to hurt Jonathon but she didn't like that he could read her mind. Pamela was the one that pointed out that he didn't really know what she was thinking. He only knew how she felt about it. That still didn't make her feel less invaded.
The doorbell rang and a few minutes later her mother brought Alexandra into her room. With one quick look at the three girls, she pulled up a chair, sat down and asked what had happened. Haltingly Danielle told her about the disastrous end to her lunch date with Jonathon. Alexandra appeared to relax a bit and took her hand.
"I'm afraid that is one part of being with a Chandler-Wells that we all must deal with if we want to have a relationship with one of them. In some ways you have it easier than some of us did. You don't have to contend with the bond . . . at least not yet." She patted Danielle's hand and smiled.
"The bond?" Danielle asked.
"Didn't you read Brigit O'Donnell's book about Vincent and Catherine?" Alexandra asked, surprised.
Realization dawned in all three of the girls at the same time. "You . . . and Alexander?"
"That's right twenty four hours a day, any place, at anytime, including right now, this instant in this room, Alexander always knows exactly what I'm feeling. With you it's only when you're in the same room with Jonathon." Alexandra cocked her head a half smile on her face.
"But . . . but how do you deal with the invasion, the lack of privacy." Pamela asked her before Danielle could.
Alexandra's smile quirked and there was a merry twinkle in her eyes. "Privacy is highly over rated my dear. I'm sure you have noticed Jonathon's claws." All three girls nodded wide eyed. "Think of what those could do to you without him even noticing what was happening."
Danielle was horrified by the realization of what she had implied yet until now she had never thought about it.
Alexandra continued. "Because of Jonathon's gift he could never do that to you. The instant he caused you pain or fear, he would know it and stop whatever it was that was causing you distress. Because he cares for you he could never do anything that would harm you. Also there is something very comforting in knowing that he knows when you need him and will do what ever it takes to make you happy. Keep in mind that his emotions are directly influenced by your emotions. In fact your emotions feel just the same to him as his own emotions." Her eyes really began to sparkle as her smile turned into a big grin. "And you haven't lived until you've made love with a man that can sense your every mood and knows exactly what makes you feel good. And since he feels exactly what you feel, he does what you like most. The results are indescribable."
By now Danielle was giggling and blushing in embarrassment along with her friends.
Alexandra became more serious. "This bond I have with Alexander is a wonderful blessing and I wouldn't want to be without it, however, I will admit that sometimes it can be difficult. You can not lie to each other. In time, if you two stay together, you will learn to control your emotions, some what, but you can never give off false emotions. Also you must know that though your emotions will always be genuine they can still be misleading. For instance he will know that you are creeped out and horrified by a realization . . ." Alexandra paused and Danielle realized how accurately she had described her emotions from earlier today. ". . . but he doesn't know the thoughts behind the emotions. He believes that it was something about his physical appearance that triggered those feelings." Alexandra watched Danielle, gauging her reactions.
Danielle was now horrified over what Jonathon had thought. She had never meant to hurt him like that. Tears began to well up as she gazed back at Alexandra. "Oh Alexandra, this is terrible . . . But what can I do?"
"Talk to him. He knows how you feel, tell him what you're thinking. Be honest with him, he will know. Work it out. Remember that he genuinely cares about you and, like anyone that loves you, he wants you to be happy because it makes him happy. Only with him the connection is more immediate, more intimate, more personal . . . for both of you. And if you two really do fall totally head over heels in love, believe me you will bless this gift of his every day of your life together. Even if it does make it impossible to keep secrets from him, or play poker with him."
They spent a few more hours talking about the Chandler-Wells empathic gift and some of Alexandra's more interesting, and occasionally amusing or embarrassing, encounters with it. By the time Alexandra left, Danielle was determined to see Jonathon tomorrow and try to work it out with him. At least she could set his mind at ease about the source of her reaction.
~ ( BatB ) ~
Danielle had to look away from his piercing golden eyes. This was much harder than she had expected. She was acutely aware that Jonathon was feeling her every emotion and, at this moment, nervousness and embarrassment were paramount. In fact she had never been so totally conscious of her own emotional state before in her young life and the wildly erratic way that it swung from one extreme to another left her feeling appalled at what Jonathon must think of her.
Finally as a pure act of will she began telling him what had happened at yesterday's lunch. Jonathon listened quietly as she unburdened herself. He never showed any sign of judgment. At one point when it got particularly difficult, he reached out and gently took her hand. As he stroked her hand with the back of his soft fur covered hand she regained her composure and continued to talk. Finally she ran down and waited for his response. Irrationally, because he was using the back of his hand, she now found herself momentarily engrossed in the fact that his palms and finger tips were devoid of fur. She had never noticed that before.
She was brought back from her reverie by his quiet chuckle as he reversed his hand and laid it over hers. "You never noticed my palms before?" She looked at him in surprise. "I've been an empath all my life and believe me your emotions are not all that different than anybody else's." He pulled her hand up and, gazing directly into her eyes, lightly kissed the back of it, sending a delightful shiver up her spine. "By the way you just reacted, I know that you must like me. Otherwise you would have had a much different reaction." He smiled just enough to expose the tips of his fangs. "I can't help what I am but I try not to deceive anyone. I guess it never occurred to me that you didn't know." He looked down at their clasped hands then back up into her eyes. "I really like you Danielle, a lot, and I never wanted to hurt you. To me this gift was simply a way to show me the most effective ways to make you happy. It lets me know when I'm treating you the way you want to be treated. I kissed your hand that way because I can feel how much you like it."
Danielle found his honest openness impossible to resist. "I guess somewhere inside I already knew but until yesterday it had not really hit home and I couldn't handle it. I've always been a very private person. Unlike most of my friends, I've never kept a diary for fear that someone might find and read it." She shrugged. "Even now it bothers me, knowing you are feeling my emotions."
"I know." He smiled at her. "I can feel your struggle and I respect it. For my part I will try to be more open with you about what I'm sensing. I am here for you and if you can allow it, I still would like going out with you."
~ ( BatB ) ~
Jonathon and Danielle stood with the crowd in Battery Park, watching the Forth of July fireworks display over the Statue of Liberty. Danielle had known Jonathon for almost two months now. She looked over into his leonine face and realized that she found nothing unusual in his appearance anymore. He looked down into her eyes and she felt that warm tingly feeling she always got when he looked at her like that.
"What?" He asked with a smile.
"I was just thinking how hansom you look." She responded.
"Does that mean you might keep me around for a while?" His smile widened.
"At least for another month, maybe." She teased back.
For a moment they stared into each others eyes, then a particularly loud and spectacular burst drew their attention back to the sky and drew a soft exclamation of awe from the crowd around them. Danielle felt Jonathon reach out and put his arm around her waist and a shiver rain up her spine. She looked up to see his smile widen at her reaction causing her to blush. She was still trying to get used to the idea that he could feel her every emotion when she was near him but it no longer caused her distress. The fact that he never tried to hide his ability helped her come to terms with it. Sometimes she wondered what it was like to have an actual long distance two way bond like Alexandra and Alexander. She was just thankful she didn't have to deal with that yet. She did occasionally wonder what that must be like though.
After a few moments he spoke. "I have always loved fireworks." He looked down at her. "But tonight I find that the beauty of your emotional response to them is far more beautiful to me and tends to greatly enhance the already spectacular display. That is the best part of tonight." Suddenly she felt a tingly warmth spread through her at his words and his smile widened even more.
The fireworks display ended and the crowd began to disburse. Looking around, Danielle spotted someone pointing a camera at them. Over the last few weeks she had noticed that it seemed to happen everywhere they went and sometimes she would see herself on the evening news. This was an invasion of privacy that she definitely disliked. It was much more pervasive and invasive than being the popular girl in school had been.
Jonathon stopped walking and tightened his hold. "What's got you so annoyed?"
She looked up into his eyes. "It's nothing. Just another reporter is all." She sighed.
"Well at least be thankful we don't have it near as bad as Alexander and Alexandra." He chuckled as the couple in question walked up to them. They were joined a few seconds later by Travis and Tracy. "The reporters are beginning to circle." Jonathon remarked then he grinned wickedly. "What do you say we change partners and split up to confuse them, then we can meet back up at Kalyane's place in about a half-hour."
They agreed and an hour later they were sitting in Kalyane's Ice Cream Parlor just off of Central Park with no reporters in sight, enjoying their ice cream and laughing about the merry chase they had led the reporters on.
~ ( BatB ) ~
Danielle grabbed a hand full of popcorn, popping it into her mouth, as she stared at the video screen. She was over at Jonathon's brownstone and they were watching the live broadcast from the Moon. Most of Jonathon's family was there, with the exception of Victoria who was over at a friend's house. It had taken time but she had finally reached a point where she was actually comfortable sitting in a room full of empaths. The fact that they were always honest about their ability and that they really cared about her, helped a lot.
On the video they were watching the celebration of the official completion of the first Moon Colony. Next week they would begin work on the first lunar space port. Actual construction on the ten year project wouldn't begin for another five years. Jonathon was so mesmerized he missed the popcorn bowl when he reached for it. He had been fascinated by everything to do with space since he visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum last Spring.
In a fit of playfulness Danielle tossed a piece of popcorn at him bouncing it off the side of his head. He gave her a long hard gaze then tossed a piece at her. She tossed another piece at him. Then they were both hit from behind by pieces of popcorn as William uttered something to the effect of, "Children behave." Jonathon and Danielle both returned fire. Then it escalated. Within ten minutes it had degenerated into a massive popcorn fight involving everyone in the parlor.
Afterward everyone involved in the original donnybrook took part in the cleanup but it still took two hours to restore the room to its normal neat order. Between the jokes and funny stories, the cleanup ended up being as much fun as making the mess had been. Danielle learned about some of the more embarrassing consequences of being an empath or living among empaths. A tale about Patricia being stuck in the laboratory with a bunch of uptight researchers late one night when William had been having a particularly erotic dream, had her laughing so hard that it had her sides hurting and left her in tears.
~ ( BatB ) ~
Throughout the Summer things went fairly smoothly for the Chandler-Wells clan. There was the occasional kook or nut that tried to cause problems for various publicly known members of the Chandler-Wells family and Danielle came in for her share of it but they were little more than a minor annoyance. Jonathon was always there for her when things like that happened. For the most part though the City of New York had taken them into their hearts. Danielle loved spending time with Jonathon and lately they spent a lot of time together. All the while they kept getting closer. Though the media took notice of the Jonathon and Danielle relationship, coverage was relatively light. The Alex-n-Alex story and the First Lady's pregnancy got far more coverage. The biggest story was still the President's Global War on Terror.
It was late evening about a week into August and Danielle and Jonathon were walking together in Central Park. His strength and compassion were always there for her to lean on when she needed it. Today she felt closer to him than ever before. She gazed up at his unique profile. She felt her heart swell with something new that had been growing in her recently. This new feeling was far deeper than what she had ever felt before. She was falling in love.
Jonathon looked over at her and their eyes met. "I'm falling in love with you, too." He said softly.
Continued in Part 7
'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.