Title: Winged
Pairings: St. Berry, Hummelberry, Klaine.
Rating: M
Current word count: +80,000
Status: In Progress
Disclaimer: The characters in this work of fiction are not mine, they belong to Fox and Ryan Murphy, however the plotline is my own work.
Synopsis: In the world of Jesse St. James things are never quite as they seem and the rules of morality are faint and blurry. When he gets given an Angel, a beautiful, unearthly creature, by his parents, he thinks nothing of it. Until suddenly he finds himself falling for her and his world and everything he has ever known is turned on its head.
Warnings: Dark themes.
Xxx
"Wise men say only fools rush in,
But I can't help falling in love with you."
-Elvis Presley
Xxx
Jesse was talking to some business men in suits and Rachel shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. The three men had taken little interest in her and she was stood a little behind Jesse, not even pretending to listen to what they were talking about.
"Hey."
Turning, she blinked in surprise at the girl stood behind her, whose light blue eyes were dancing as they watched her. Her blonde hair was curled around her head and her lime green dress was striking and unusual.
"Um, hi," Rachel glanced back at Jesse.
"I've never seen an Angel in real life before."
"Oh," Rachel shifted, uncomfortable with her seemingly innocent scrutiny.
"Whose are you?"
"Jesse's," she nodded towards him and Brittany smiled at the back of his head.
"Jesse's nice." She told her and Rachel nodded again, slowly.
"He is," she took a cautious step closer to the girl.
"I'm Brittany," she held out her hand abruptly and Rachel flinched slightly in surprise, before taking it, shaking it slowly.
"Rachel."
"You look pretty," Brittany told her, looking down at her dress.
"So do you," she smiled at her. "I like the colour of your dress, it's very vibrant."
Brittany shrugged. "I like wearing bright things. Everyone else here is in such boring colours."
Rachel smiled at her again, glancing back at Jesse to make sure he wasn't upset with her.
"Your wings are really nice." Brittany stepped towards her. "Can I touch them?"
Rachel eyed her for a moment, but then shrugged, unable to find a good excuse why not. Curling her wings around to her front, she stepped towards Brittany, watching as the girl ran one tentative hand down her feathers. It felt nice, as it always did, but nothing like the sparks that shot through her and pooled in her stomach when Jesse touched her wings.
"They're soft." Brittany murmured and Rachel smiled, nodding slightly.
"They are."
"Do you do something to keep them soft?"
"Not really," Rachel shrugged and Brittany looked at her for a moment and then said.
"I always wanted wings."
"No you don't." The words were out of Rachel's mouth immediately, bitter and scathing and she flinched back again, hoping that the girl in front of her wouldn't take offence.
"They'd be like a blanket," Brittany didn't seem to have heard her, continuing as if she hadn't spoken. "A big, soft, warm blanket that you can wrap yourself in whenever you're sad or scared."
"I… I guess so," Rachel ran a hand through the tips of her feathers, looking at her wings with new eyes. "They are sort of comforting I guess."
"And you could fly. Who wouldn't want to fly?"
Rachel looked at her and smiled. "Do you always see the best of a bad situation?"
Brittany shrugged. "Most of the time. You have to look at the good things, or the bad become too much."
"I… I suppose you're right."
"Is Brittany imparting some of her knowledge onto you?" Jesse's warm voice swept across her skin, making her tingle and he slipped his hand around her waist.
"Jesse…" She looked up at him in surprise. "I'm sorry I just…"
"Relax," he soothed her, softly and she relaxed into him, shifting towards his firm, warm body.
"Hi Jesse." Brittany smiled at him brightly and he smiled back, his eyes softening.
"Hey Brit. How are you doing?"
"I'm good," she shrugged, glancing over her shoulder. "Oh, Artie wants me, I'd better go. See you later Rachel. Bye Jesse."
Turning on her heel, she hurried towards a boy in a wheelchair, plopping down in his lap and pressing a kiss to his lips.
"She's nice," Rachel mused, smiling absently after her.
"I know," Jesse squeezed her waist and went to say something when a voice behind him said.
"Jesse."
Turning, he pulled Rachel around with him, a smile plastering his face as he said.
"Cooper."
"Alright man?" Cooper held out his hand and Jesse shook it, nodding once.
"Yeah, I'm okay, how about you? I thought you'd gone to get that movie part?"
Cooper's jaw stiffened. "Yeah well it didn't work out."
"Really?" A half smirk appeared on Jesse's face, hovering at the corners of his lips. "That's a shame."
"Not my fault they don't recognise talent." Cooper shrugged, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You'll find out soon enough kiddo."
"Mmm," Jesse raised his eyebrows and muttered, "Somehow I don't think so."
Cooper's eyes tightened and Rachel couldn't help but smile at the pair, trying not to giggle. Cooper's eyes fastened on her and he raised one eyebrow.
"What's this St. James?"
"This is Rachel," Jesse nudged her forward a step and a little further towards him. "My parents got her for me. Graduation present."
"She's nice." Cooper stepped forward and reached towards her and Jesse instinctively put out a hand to stop him. Cooper raised an eyebrow at him and said, his voice dangerously soft. "I heard you'd gone soft on her St. James. Now I know that's true."
"Where did you hear that?" Jesse's voice was unusually sharp and Rachel started next to him, looking up at him with wide, worried eyes.
"Oh it's been going around." Cooper was smirking slightly and Jesse huffed, his arm tightening around her until it was almost painful.
"It isn't true." He insisted, through gritted teeth.
"So what's with the knight in shining armour routine?" Cooper demanded, staring him down and Jesse blew a breath out.
"It's polite to ask Cooper. But if you want to touch her, you can." He was cool and collected again his face an icy mask.
"Good," Cooper stepped forward again and Rachel fought not to flinch away, lowering her eyes so that she wasn't looking at him.
He gripped her chin firmly between a finger and a thumb and pulled it up so that she was looking at him. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her and he tilted her head from side to side.
"Nice," he commented idly to Jesse, running his large hand over her hair. She could feel herself trembling, her limbs vibrating with fear and she watched him look her over like she was a horse for sale.
"Yep," Jesse's voice was curt and though she tried, he wouldn't meet her eyes, looking at Cooper instead as his hand skirted down to finger her collar with an approving nod, before shifting further down. His hand brushed over the side of her breast and her stomach and she let out a scared squeak, cringing away from him.
"Hey," Cooper grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her closer to him and she saw a flash of anger pass over Jesse's face before he slipped back into his cool façade. "You don't pull away from me." Cooper spat, his voice rough and angry and she nodded hurriedly.
He let her go and she stumbled, Jesse reaching out to catch her automatically.
"She needs better training Jesse." Cooper told him and Jesse threw a glare in his direction.
"You took it too far Cooper. I said you could touch not grope."
Behind them, the band started up and Jesse took Rachel by the waist, leading her towards the dance floor and ignoring Cooper, pulling her into his arms as they swayed together.
"I'm sorry," his breath was hot as it ghosted across her neck.
"It's okay," she tightened her hold on him slightly, glad for the comfort being in his arms brought her. "I understand."
He didn't reply but his arms shifted around her to hold her closer to him and she happily breathed in the scent of him.
The music waned and changed slowly and she looked up at him when she recognised the song to find him already smiling at her.
"It's our song," he murmured and she flushed with pleasure, smiling at him and nodding slightly.
"May I have this dance?" He whispered in her ear, his warm breath against the shell of her ear.
"Always," she breathed and he shifted his arms around her, pulling her closer to him and snaking a hand around her waist.
Together they span through the ballroom, his hand tight on her waist, pulling her flush to his body. The room was a blur of gold and silver, flashes of colour flickering past her eyes as people turned to watch them. She could feel her dress moving around her ankles, the fabric brushing her feet, in elegant heels, as he span her around the room. She was becoming dizzy as they span, her breathing short and sharp with exhilaration but his eyes, so intensely blue in that moment, were fastened onto hers, stopping her from looking anywhere but deep into his eyes. His firm arms around her made her confident that she wouldn't fall and she relaxed into the dance, her grip on him loosening slightly as her swung her around and around, her feet following the intricate patterns of the dance instinctively.
It was only when they finally came to a stop, with the music, that they realised the dance floor was empty apart from them. Coming to a slow stop, Rachel glanced up, flushing furiously when she saw the eyes watching her and ducked her head into Jesse's chest. He pushed her away from him, stepping out of the circle of her arms as the applause began and she looked at him oddly as he bowed with a flourish, a cocky smile playing on his lips. She bobbed a quick curtsey, unsure what she should do as she remembered Jesse's words from yesterday.
"At the party, we can't let anyone find out about us."
"Rachel," his voice was sharp and she startled, looking up at him in surprise and following him as he began to walk away. Glancing over her shoulder just once, she was surprised when she saw his father looking at her with hard, icy eyes.
Xxx
It hadn't even occurred to Jesse to think about where Rachel would sit at their table, but as they approached and he spotted the velvet cushion placed beside his chair, he felt his stomach sink. Turning to glance at Rachel, he saw immediately that she understood what this meant, her eyes taking on the familiar resigned expression that he recognised from her first few weeks with him.
"Wait here," he instructed once they arrived at their table and she reached for him, touching his jacket.
"Jesse," her voice was soft, pleading. "It's fine, really."
He just shook her off, shaking his head angrily and turning to see his mother walking towards them.
"Jesse," she smiled sweetly at him, her tone sugary but before she could say any more Jesse interrupted her.
"Mother. What is this?" He brandished a hand at the cushion on the floor and as his mother turned to look Rachel flinched away, looking down at her feet as she waited for the inevitable argument.
"Well really Jesse," his mother huffed in irritation. "It's very impolite to cut through me like that." Her eyes narrowed at Rachel, who sunk away slightly, her skin prickling. "That's where she's sitting. Really Jesse, you didn't expect me to allow her at the table do you?" She let out a soft laugh of derision and shook her head. "I know that you take a much more… liberal approach than many others but this is a formal event. We can't have an animal at the table."
"How's she meant to eat?" He spat the words out through gritted teeth but his mother laughed breezily.
"Eat?" She repeated, laughing again. "She won't eat here Jesse. She's only here for your amusement, you know that." She rose her eyebrows at him slightly, her eyes suddenly darkening. "Feed her from your fingers if you wish but keep it clean please, remember this is an important event." Turning on her heel, she called out to someone, smiling widely as she made her way smoothly across the room, Jesse's furious gaze following her.
"Jesse," Rachel's voice was soft, her hand reaching out for him before she dropped it quickly. "It doesn't matter, it's fine."
"It's not." He sat furiously and she knelt slowly onto the cushion beside him. His head snapped around to look at her and he shook his head. "Get up." He demanded harshly and she stood as quickly as she could, her eyes widened.
"I'm getting you a chair." He told her succinctly. "This is ridiculous."
"No, please!" She reached for him again and this time he actually stopped to look at her. "Please, I know it's hard but we have to seem ordinary."
"This is not ordinary!" He snapped at her, glaring.
"It is," she tugged him back towards his chair. "It is ordinary Jesse. I'm just," here her voice softened to a whisper. "I'm just glad I got a cushion."
He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head as he sank into his chair. "This is so fucked up." He told her, quietly and she nodded once, but smiled softly.
"It's life."
xxx
Jesse's eyes widened as he saw his father, beckoning him from across the room. He glanced down at Rachel, kneeling beside him, sipping another club soda and looking down, her head bowed.
"Rachel," his words were soft, but she heard him anyway. She looked up to meet his gaze, questioningly. "I need to talk to my father." He held out his hand and she took it easily, allowing him to pull her to her feet.
Setting her club soda on the table, she followed him through the crowds towards his father.
"Father," he nodded at him politely.
"Jesse," his father greeted him and glanced back at Rachel. "Go back to the table." He instructed her, sharply and she glanced over at Jesse questioningly.
"Go," Jesse nodded and he watched as she walked away towards the table, his eyes narrowing a little as she sank down onto her cushion.
His father watched her go as well and said, his voice low. "Remember what we talked about. I'm not very impressed with what I've seen so far tonight. You need to persuade me."
"I remember," Jesse replied through gritted teeth. "I'll try."
"Good, see that you do." He raised his voice slightly. "I trust you are still playing for us tonight. Before desert is when you're scheduled. Show me that I didn't send you to lessons for eight years for no reason Jesse."
"Yes father," Jesse agreed, nodding once, his fist clenching behind his back.
"Jesse," he closed his eyes for a split second before turning to face his mother with a smile. "Darling, here you are!"
"Hello again mother," he reached forward to give her a brief hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek, inhaling her strong perfume, before leaning away.
His mother went to stand by Andrew.
"Isn't it going wonderfully?"
"Yeah, it's great." Jesse agreed easily.
His mother nodded at him, slipping her arm through his father's and saying. "We should make the rounds. Jesse, I want you to talk to Venetia while you're here- she's Charles Chanterbury's daughter and she turned seventeen last month, understand?"
"I will mother." He told her.
"I put her on a table with you, so you should be fine." Were her last words before she swept his father away and into the crowds again.
Sighing heavily, Jesse made his way back to Rachel, glad to find that she wasn't receiving any unwelcome attention in his absence. Settling in beside to her, he smiled a little and said.
"Hey."
"Hi," she smiled tentatively in return, playing with the glass in her hands and looking up at him from her spot. "Was that your father? And your mama?"
"Yeah," he took a swig of his whisky, flinching as it seared his throat. "They just wanted to talk to me."
"Oh?" She took a delicate sip of her club soda.
"Ladies and gentlemen," his reply was cut off by the sound of Jesse's father's voice cutting through the chatter, projected by a microphone. "If you would like to take your seats, dinner is about to be served."
Sighing heavily, Jesse settled himself into his seat, turning to look at Rachel once more before turning his gaze to the people who were joining their table. Peering at the name card by the plate next to his, he couldn't help a bitter smile when he saw the words Venetia Chanterbury written on in an elegant script.
Glancing over his shoulder, he stiffened when his eyes landed on his father, who was staring directly at him. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in Rachel's direction and Jesse felt a chill of pure fear run through him as he glanced at the beautiful, innocent girl beside him, who was treated badly merely for the astounding wings on her back.
"You must be Jesse St. James."
Turning again, he forced a charming smile onto his face as he saw the pretty, dark haired girl in a blue dress standing beside him.
"And you must be Venetia Chanterbury." He stood and held out his hand. "How wonderful to finally make your acquaintance. Here," he pulled her chair out for her and she gave him a polite, calculating smile, accepting gracefully.
"And to make yours, Jesse. I have heard a lot about you." She folded her hands primly in her lap, but the way she looked at him from beneath her eyelashes told a different story.
"Only the best I hope." He smiled a little, sitting beside her, angling his body away from Rachel and towards Venetia.
"Oh it's been varied," she told him, smiling knowingly. "But it's alright if there's a little bad in this world." Her voice had lowered, taken on a slightly sultry tone and he smirked at her.
"I thought you'd know already that there's quite a lot of dark in our world."
Before she could reply there was a chorus of ohs and ahs as a flock of finely dressed waiters descended, carrying plates of food which were laid in front of the waiting patrons.
"Salmon," Jesse smiled at the plate and glanced over at Rachel, who was looking at the floor, playing with the straw in her glass. "Do you want anything?" He asked softly. "I can get something for you."
She shook her head slightly and he could see the anxiety in her eyes, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
"Okay." He turned his back on her before she could reply, smiling widely at Venetia. "Salmon." He said again and she smirked at him.
"Thank you for informing me, I'm sure I would never have known." She joked and he smiled again, tilting his head in acknowledgment of her words.
"So, I hear you're going to college next year?"
"Yes," she smiled at him. "You've certainly done your homework Mr St. James."
"Well I'm an A grade student Miss Chanterbury."
She laughed and the pair fell into easy conversation as they ate. Jesse spared the occasional glance towards Rachel, checking that she was alright, but forced himself not to talk to her. He could feel his father's eyes on him, watching him closely as he flirted with Venetia.
When the entrée had been cleared away, Andrew stood again and made his way towards the microphone.
"May I present, my son Jesse St. James, who will provide a brief reprise from the wonderful food."
Jesse stood as people began to clap, heads turning to watch him as he made his way confidently up to the stage. Sitting at the grand piano, he said, leaning over to talk into the microphone that was suspended above the keys.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I will be playing Primavera by Einaudi."
He placed his hands on the keys and pressed down, a melody flowing from beneath his nimble fingertips. He felt the usual thrill flow through him as he listened to his music fill up the otherwise silent hall and felt the eyes of everyone fastened on him. But one pair of eyes interested him in particular. Glancing up, he risked a look at his table and saw that Rachel was gazing up at him, her brown eyes wide and wondering as she smiled up at him.
His mind drifted back, as he played, to when he had first taken her to his music room. She had been such a timid little thing, scared of her own shadow. Thinking of how much things had changed, how much his feelings for her had changed was enough to blow him away and he pushed himself into his playing, playing the piece with new feeling. He thought of when she had first arrived, how she had cowered in the corner of his room and stared at him with such trepidation and of how his mother had treated her. And then he thought of their more recent times together, of her birthday and the morning after their first time, when she had snuggled with him in bed. He thought of kissing her; on the stairs, under the trees, surrounded by roses and of her sweet lips and huge eyes and luscious hair. He thought of her laugh, the way her lips lifted slightly more on one side than on the other when she smiled and of her voice, whispering his name for only him to hear.
"If you fail, the girl goes straight back."
He shivered at his father's words and finished his piece with a flourish, standing and plastering a smile on his face as he bowed to the cheering party-goers. His eyes landed on Rachel, who was clapping along with everyone else, looking straight at him and he vowed, once again, that he would do anything not to let her go back to that centre.
Xxx
It was only once he'd had to dance with three other girls and watch Rachel be approached by at least four other men that Jesse finally snapped.
After bowing politely to the girl he had danced with, he made his way towards Rachel, pausing to take hold of her elbow and steer her up and out of the ballroom, through the main corridor and into a smaller, quieter corridor.
"Jesse?" Her voice was soft, her eyes wide and anxious. "What's wrong?"
"I just… I can't stand seeing you with those men, the way they look at you and touch you." He shook his head, pulling her closer by her waist and resting his forehead on hers.
"Jesse… your father." She twisted a little in his grasp, but gave in easily, looking into his eyes.
"He's busy inside the ballroom."
"He will notice our absence." She protested a little and he shook his head.
"I can't let you back in there. Not with those vultures swirling."
"I'm fine," she reached up, touching his cheek tenderly. "Really, we should go back in."
"I don't want you around them." He told her roughly, shaking his head. "Why should you have to put up with it? Why should you have to kneel on the floor like an animal? Why should they be allowed to do things to you that you don't want them to do?"
Her eyes closed, creasing painfully. "It's not the time Jesse."
"What? Not the time for liberty? Not the time for truth?" He snapped, his arms tightening around her.
"What's the point?" She begged softly, her eyes wide and hopeless. "There's nothing we can do Jesse. Please, let's just go back into the ballroom."
"How can you just accept this?" He demanded. "How can you just roll over and take it?"
"I have no choice Jesse!" Her voice rose, her eyes narrowing.
"Of course you have a choice, everything is a choice." He glared at her. "You're giving up, they've brainwashed you."
"No," she was almost sobbing, her voice choked and halting. "How could you say that? Of course I haven't given up! How could I? You can act as outraged and self righteous as you want Jesse, but I have a family out there. They're all I've ever know and they were torn away from me. I was the one who went through months and months of torment in the form of 'training'. So you can act as angry as you want but you will never know this pain like I do and if you think you do then you're kidding yourself."
He went to reply, but was cut off by the sight of a hand pulling her away from him by the shoulder. Looking up, startled, he felt a gasp escape him as his mother pushed Rachel away, watching with contempt as she stumbled, her long skirt tripping her up and sending her sprawling to the floor.
"How dare you talk to your owner like that?!" His mother snapped, aiming a kick in Rachel's direction, watching her flinch away.
"I'm sorry," the words fell on a sob from Rachel's lips as she looked up at his mother with wide eyes, cowering when another kick was aimed in her direction, trying to scramble away.
"Mom!" Jesse reached out, grabbing his mother's arm to stop her. "Stop it!"
"You're still letting her act in this way?" His mother turned on him and Jesse took an involuntary step back.
"No, no…"
"Then why did I hear her talking in that way to you?" His mother turned back to Rachel who was attempting to climb to her feet again and pushed her down, making her slam painfully into the wall, a small whimper escaping her at the collision.
"Stop hitting her mom!" Jesse pulled his mother a step away and his mother scowled at him.
"I thought you told me that discipline wouldn't be a problem?"
"It isn't," Jesse blustered and his mother raised her eyebrows in his direction.
"Show me then. Show me that it isn't a problem. Because from what I'm seeing it doesn't look that way." She levelled her gaze at him, planting her feet and he tried to suppress the shudder that ran through him when he realised that she was serious.
"Rachel," he beckoned her and she stood and made her way towards him, her eyes darting between him and his mother, stopping once she was in front of him.
"You don't talk to me like that, understand?" His eyes narrowed as he looked at her and she nodded quickly.
"Well no wonder she behaves as she does if that's all you do." His mother rolled her eyes and Jesse steeled himself, reaching forward to take hold of Rachel's arm and shake her gently.
"I can't hear you Rachel."
"Yes," she said, quickly, her voice high in her panic. "Yes, yes I understand."
His mother shook her head, her nose wrinkling. "They have no respect." Turning to Rachel she said, her voice louder, as if talking to an animal. "Address your owner respectfully girl."
Rachel's eyes closed momentarily and Jesse felt her tremble once under his hand. When she opened them, her eyes were downcast as she said. "Yes, I understand… Master."
His breath caught in his throat at the word and his mother nodded once, finally seeming satisfied as she turned and left. Once she was gone Jesse reached out for Rachel, his movements hesitant. She didn't move away and he breathed a sigh of relief, pulling her closer and breathing in the smell of her shampoo. She melted into his embrace, shuddering once and then letting go, stepping away.
"I'm sorry," his hand brushed her cheek gently. "And… I understand what you mean now. I'm sorry I said you'd given up."
"It's okay," she squeezed his hand, still held in hers. "But do you see how we have to be careful? We can't be reckless Jesse, we have to stop and think."
"I get it," he nodded, smiling at her softly and then saying. "It doesn't mean I like it."
"If it's any consolation, watching you dance with other women isn't great for me either." She joked, quietly and he chuckled, bringing her hand up to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of it.
XXX
Wow, this chapter was kind of intense, sorry about that. I ended up rewriting it in the end but that made it even more intense so… sigh.
Review count was really low last time guys! What happened? D: Please try and leave me just a little message at the bottom because to be honest I'm a very, very insecure person which is why I had my little melt down a few months back and your comments just make me feel so much better and so good about myself and my writing and that keeps my writing which keeps me posting chapters so it's win win really :)
Thank you ever so much to those who did post reviews: thunderbolts-lightning, downwivluv, .408 and Striding Freedom and those who reviewed last time: thunderbolts-lightning, assgroff, bouguineuse, michemistic, ilikescreamobutimnotemo, Achelina, .408 and downwivluv :)
Please, please, please leave me your thoughts guys because it honestly means so much to me.
Love,
Ray
xxx