A/N: Well… where were we… oh! Right… Power outage. We pick up where we left off...
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
"What was that!?" Eva cried out.
Antonio felt her cling to his side. He couldn't see anything. There was a little light coming off the burner on the stove. At least one benefit was that everything here ran on natural gas, so if the power went out, they still could have heat from the oven and stove. He heard shuffling around him. "I don't know, Eva. Jes?" He asked.
Her voice was distant. "I'm getting a flashlight, hang on."
There was some more shuffling and soon the entire kitchen was lit by a very bright flashlight. Jes pointed the light to the ceiling and pulled out a bag of candles. "I'm glad things are where I left them." She laughed. "Okay, so I have candles and flashlights. Everyone take one and check to make sure the doors and windows are closed and locked."
They did as they were asked. Antonio followed Jes to the utility room where she opened a closet and began to pull out coveralls. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked.
"I'm going to the end of the driveway to see what the hell just happened. If you haven't noticed, there's no light anywhere. Even the town is black. Sometimes, something happens in the country and it affects everyone." She zipped up the heavy, insulated coveralls. "I'll be fine. This isn't my first rodeo."
"Jes, it may not be your first rodeo, but you're pregnant… there are some things you just shouldn't do… it's dangerous out there right now. We don't know what happened. You can't possibly know what's out there… down power lines… coyotes." He argued. He didn't want her out there. They were better off waiting inside until someone came to check on them. That had to happen here, right?
"Antonio, I know how to shoot… I have rifles… and ammunition. I also know how to handle downed power lines. Don't forget… I was a country a long time before moving to the big cities. This is the norm for me. When it gets this cold, shit happens, and we're usually the last ones that power companies worry about. They tend to forget we exist."
Well, that answered his last question. "Let me come with you at least." He countered. He had no clue of what to do, but at least he could protect her. "Me and Jay. We'll come."
Jay appeared around the corner. "I heard my name. What's up… what the hell are you doing, Jes?!"
"Your sister wants to go outside to see what's happening." Antonio crossed his arms.
"Hell no!" Jay blocked the doorway. "You're not going outside."
Jes grabbed a key off the wall and opened the cupboard that was literally in the wall. She pulled out a .303 rifle. "You really wanna try me?" She checked to see if it was loaded and flipped on the safety.
"What the hell do you need that for?" Jay had no idea his sister even knew how to hold a rifle, never mind check it and use it.
"Well, Antonio thinks there's coyotes outside, and I need to see what we're dealing with. So either I go alone, or you two bundle up in the extra coveralls in that closet and one of you takes this rifle and I'll give my .22 to the other one and we go figure this shit out."
Neither Jay nor Antonio had ever seen Jes this way. They both knew that this must have been stuff her father had trained her in before he'd been killed. They looked to each other, knowing they weren't going to win and nodded. They pulled on coveralls and another jacket since it was well below freezing with the wind. Jay took the .303 and Antonio took the .22. They both took extra ammunition, not that they thought they needed it, but their military training had taught them that being over prepared was better than not being prepared at all. They pulled on winter boots, toques and gloves and followed Jes out into the frigid night.
It was bone chilling cold. Despite their warm clothing and multiple layers, the wind still bit through. They weren't going to be able to be out too long without risking frostbite. They followed Jes down the driveway. She had a high-beamed flashlight that lit quite a distance. She flashed it around the yard and down the driveway. It was then that they saw it.
"Fuck!" She cried out.
Jay and Antonio followed the beam of light. There at the end of the driveway was a downed power line. The wires hung precariously low. Sparks were flying everywhere as the line hit the mailbox and the snow. The wind wasn't helping. Jes didn't get too close but she aimed the light further down the road. Sure enough 5 other posts had been snapped by the wind. There were splinters of wood across the road and fields. This was a much bigger problem than she had originally foreseen. She stomped back to the guys.
"We need to find a way to report this. That problem… is going to take days… not hours to fix. The lines still live."
Antonio nodded. "Let's go back inside."
"We have to call the fire department too. Put them on alert." Jes said.
"Why?"
"The power lines are still live… any power that can still go to the buildings is a risk of shorting something and causing a fire. Plus, I think it's best if everyone gets escorted out of here to a hotel or something to stay warm." Jes said.
Antonio knew that she meant everyone but her. "Jes, if we go, we all go. That means you too."
"I'm not leaving this place unattended." Jes crossed her arms, the light from her flashlight shone in his eyes.
"Ask Damien to stay… or I'll stay… but I'm not leaving you here to freeze in this house until this problem is solved." Antonio handed Jay his rifle and pulled her to him. "It's not good for you or the baby."
Jes sighed. There were times she was forgetting about the baby. She was running on instinct right now. "Let's go inside. You guys look like popsicles."
"You're not?" Jay quipped.
"No, but let's go." She started walking towards the house when there was a loud crash followed by an explosion.
They spun around to see a small car had spun out and crashed into the downed power pole. There was a fire in the engine and from what they could see, there was no movement coming from inside the car. Jes shone the light towards the car. There were two people that they could clearly make out in the car. Jes started to run towards the vehicle; Antonio and Jay ran after her to stop her.
"Jes!" Jay called. "Stop! You're gonna get hurt!"
Antonio slid and pulled her down on top of him. "Jes, stop! Think about the baby… the kids… you can't just run in there."
Jay helped them up. "Jes, we gotta call 9-1-1. That's it. Okay… we can't go in there with live wires and shit… we're not equipped or trained to handle that."
Jes was struggling against them. "That car is on fire and they're not able to get out! We HAVE to do SOMETHING!" She cried.
By this point, Javier, Will, Victoria and Gaby had all joined them.
"We called 9-1-1… Jacquie's on the phone with them right now." Will said. "Do you have extra blankets and stuff, so once they get here, we can help those people?"
Jes nodded numbly. "Inside."
"Then, go with Antonio, get the stuff ready. I can hear the sirens. Help is coming." Will looked to Antonio. "Get her inside… now!"
Antonio picked her up and ran back to the house. Jes gave up struggling. She knew when she'd lost the battle. She also knew that while what she wanted to do was the right thing, she had to worry about their child that was growing inside her. That baby was the priority now, especially since it was a miracle. They got in the house. Jacquie was still on the phone. Emmanuel and Constanza had the children in the living room playing a board game by candlelight. Jes was shaking and she wasn't sure anymore if it was from what she'd seen or if it was from the cold night. Antonio put her on the ground.
She turned to him. "We have to help them Antonio. I can't stand to think they might die because I couldn't help them."
"Jes, you're not Wonder Woman… you're not bulletproof… and you're certainly not able to touch live electrical wires to walk through fire. There's no reason to blame yourself for this." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arms. "I want to help them, but we're not trained in this. Let's get the blankets. At least once they're out, Gaby and Will are both there and they're trained in medical careers. They can help a lot."
Jes nodded. "The blankets are in the steamer trunk upstairs. It's in the closet."
Antonio kissed her. "I'll be right back. Stay here. Once it's safe, we'll go back out."
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Jes walked over to the window. She could see the fire trucks and ambulance had arrived. There were also yellow flashing lights over what Jes assumed was a power company truck. The downed line wasn't arcing anymore which meant they'd killed the power supply. Jacquie walked up behind her.
"Jes, this isn't on you."
"I know, but it… this shouldn't happen. I…"
"Did what you could." Jacquie finished the thought. "The fact that you saw this happen, gave them the best chance of survival and you know it."
"I hope they're okay." Jes turned and hugged her best friend.
Antonio was back. "Let's go bring these blankets, and see what they need."
Jes nodded. "You're letting me go back out there?"
"You know this area… you know the people… it kinda helps to explain why the rest of us are here."
Antonio knew Jes was upset. "Jes, don't forget, you've got a cast on… there's no way you can do much with one functioning arm."
Jes groaned. "I don't want to deal with them."
"With who?"
"The firefighters… the paramedics… even most of the RCMP… they went to school with us in high school." Jacquie clarified. "We were hoping to avoid running into them before the reunion tomorrow."
"Ah." Antonio could understand where Jes was coming from, however, his 20-year reunion was happening this summer, and he hadn't even thought about it. "Well, we may as well get this over with now… before everyone out there gets arrested for trespassing or something."
Jacquie put on her heavy-duty parka and mitts and together they headed out to go see what they could do to help. Antonio draped a blanket around Jes' shoulders. With her cast, it was hard to keep that hand warm. She couldn't wait for the cast to come off, but it was still two weeks away. They made their way down the driveway to see that the passenger had been pulled out safely and was being checked out by Will and Gaby. The driver had also been safely pulled out and was being loaded into the ambulance. There were a couple firemen that were putting out the engine fire.
One of the firefighters approached the trio. He pushed his helmet up and his eyes widened when he saw Jes. "Jeslyn Halstead?"
"Hey, Jonny." She said. "Are they going to be okay?"
Jonny nodded. "Yeah… uh, what are you doing here? I thought no one lived here."
"I live in Chicago… but when I come back, I stay here. It's still my farm." She motioned to Jacquie. "Jacquie's parents still keep an eye on it for me."
Jonny nodded to Jacquie. "Hey."
"Hey, Jonny." Jacquie said quietly. "Any news on when the power's going to be back on?"
Jonny shook his head. "Not yet. The power company said something about generators being brought in for the next couple days until they can fix everything… it's a lot of damage. The power lines snapped here and go for about 2 to 3 kilometers down the road."
"Holy shit." Jes said. "This is a mess."
"Yeah." Jonny cocked his head to the side. "Who are all these guys with you?"
"My brothers and some other family friends. We needed a break after stuff that happened out in Chicago." Jes said simply.
Antonio was going to say something but Jacquie stopped him. She knew what Jes was doing and she wasn't going to let Antonio screw up Jes' plan.
"I heard that you had quite a… uh… uh… situation." Jonny stumbled over his words.
"Yeah… look, are we safe to stay here tonight? Everyone's flying back to Chicago in a couple days… right after the reunion." Jes wanted to go back to the house.
Antonio was watching this Jonny guy. There was something between him and Jes, and he wanted to know what the hell was going on. The fact that Jacquie was basically holding him back told him that Jes had a plan and she'd explain it when they got back to the house.
"Yeah… uh I don't see it being a problem." Jonny rubbed his hands together. "We'll check all the exterior buildings for fire risks, but as long as you guys stick together, it should be okay."
A few more of the firefighters came with Javier, Victoria and Jay in tow. "Is that?"
"Yeah." Jonny said, turning to them. "I guess the rumors were true. Jeslyn and Jacquie are back for the reunion."
"Yeah, look… uh, Jes is still recovering from what happened a few weeks back." Jay said. "We'll make sure she's at the reunion tomorrow, but as her brother… I want her back in the house. She doesn't need pneumonia on top of everything else."
"Sure thing." Jonny nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow night. We'll just do that check of the outlying buildings and the power company is going to set up a generator for the main house and guest house."
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Jay and Antonio walked Jes back to the house, everyone else quickly followed them. Once in the house, they unwrapped Jes from her blankets and coverings. They saw all the kids were wrapped in blankets on the floor in the living room. They were sound asleep. Antonio turned to his brother, who shrugged. They may as well leave them there. Who knew how long it would be before they actually got power back on to get the furnaces going again.
"So, let's just bunch people up. The kids are already asleep so, Jay and Will on the couches here… Mami and Papi can have one of the guest rooms upstairs… Jacquie, think you and Gaby can share for tonight?" Jes asked.
Jacquie nodded. "Yeah. Kevin and Vinessa checked into a hotel for tonight. It works for me."
Gaby nodded. "Wouldn't be the first time I share a bed with a friend."
"Okay, so that leaves Javi and Victoria… the hide-a-bed downstairs… will that be okay?" They nodded. "Okay, so let's divvy up all these blankets, I'll crank the heat on the furnace so at least this floor will be toasty." Jes said.
There was knocking at the back door. Jay and Will went to see who it was.
"Is Jeslyn Halstead in here?" The firefighter, Jonny, asked.
"What do you want with my sister?" Will asked.
"Just need to ask her something." Jonny stepped into the door and closed it behind him. "I'll be on my way right after."
Jay nodded and went to get Jes. Jes returned and her heart sank as she saw Jonny was still here. "Jonny, is everything okay?"
"The buildings are fine. The power company can only get one generator here for now, so they're asking that everyone just stay here in the main house for tonight."
Jes nodded. "That was our plan. How long before they get the power up?"
"Not for another couple hours."
"Okay, well thank you guys… for everything… we'll see you tomorrow night at the reunion."
"Uh, yeah." Jonny said. He looked at her arm in a cast. "Hopefully that cast isn't going to hinder you from having a good time."
"I'll be fine. I'm beat, so…"
Jonny finally took the hint. "Night Jeslyn. It was good seeing you again." He turned and left.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Will locked the door behind him. "I think we need to have a chat."
Jes shook her head. "Nope. Not tonight."
"Jes, if you won't talk to us… you should at least talk to Antonio." Jay stepped in. "I think you owe him an explanation at the very least."
"And this is why I didn't want to see any of these guys before the reunion. It's my past coming to bite me in the ass again." Jes leaned against the wall. "I can't do anything here without people knowing me from senior year… or reminding me about what my mom did… it's just… urhg!"
Jay wrapped his arms around Jes. "Look, sis… we both know that we weren't here for you when you needed us, but Will and I both know that you are better than whatever gossip this small town hicks spread about you. You are the strongest woman we know… and we're going to be there tomorrow for you… just talk to Antonio… please… he didn't look too pleased that you didn't say he was your fiancé."
Jes hung her head. "I didn't need rumors to spread yet… I want to announce my engagement to everyone at once, not have it be all over Facebook before the morning comes."
"Fair enough." Will said. "We're going to get ready for bed, you go deal with Antonio. Okay?"
Jes nodded. "You guys are right."
"That's what brothers are for."
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
She hugged them and headed upstairs. She saw Antonio was doing pushups when she got in the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and sat on the bed. "You're mad at me."
Antonio froze, mid push-up. "Uh…"
"Antonio, please… come sit… I'll explain."
Antonio pushed himself into a kneeling position and turned to her. His eyes told her that he was hurting. He could that Jes felt bad. He got up and sat next to her on the bed. "Okay. Can I ask a question first?"
"Always."
"Are you planning on keeping me as 'a friend' tomorrow night?"
Jes sighed. "No. I want them to know, I want to shout it from the mountain tops that we're getting married, but you don't understand what this small town is really like."
"I'm here. Explain it to me." Antonio sighed. "I felt like you didn't want to have that guy, Jonny… to know who I was. I saw how he looked at you."
Jes took a deep breath and started to explain. "When I came back, Jonny was one of the only ones, other than Jacquie, that was nice to me… treated me like a person. Turns out that before we moved to Ottawa… then Chicago… my mom slept around."
"So your mom slept with their dads?"
"Or moms… depended on what she was in the mood for. Long story short… she ruined quite a few marriages here."
"Hence, you go by Halstead here and not Bellamy."
"Exactly. Jonny was in all my classes, and if Jacquie wasn't my partner… he was. He watched out for me and we flirted… a lot… but two things happened. One… I didn't want to have sex right away… and two… he found out who my mom was. I ended the relationship because I didn't want that drama. So the rumor mill started… rumors varied from me being like my mom… a whore and a home wrecker to me planning on joining the nunnery after high school."
"I highly doubt either of those things were options you would've considered."
"Exactly… but think about it… he still probably has feelings for me… he heard the news about what happened in Chicago… who knows if he actually knows about what just happened with Jacquie's brother… I don't want him to be the one to spill my big news… I want to tell people who you are. I want to squash the rumors before they even get to start."
"Is that why you aren't wearing your engagement ring right now?" Antonio pointed to her finger.
"No." Jes laughed. "I took it off to make the sazon and the sancocho earlier… just didn't put it back on." She got off the bed and went to her jewelry box to get her ring. She slid it back onto her finger. "Much better. My finger did feel naked without it, just so you know."
Antonio got up and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry I doubted you."
"No, I should've been a little more clear about it. It's hard. I'm not proud of the legacy my mother left for me here."
"I don't blame you, babe. But… Jes, you're not her. You are nowhere being that kind of woman."
"I love you, Antonio… and I can't wait to show you off tomorrow. Now, on top of it, I'm pregnant… I plan on making that well known too… especially for all those who thought I was going to be a nun."
"I see jaws dropping tomorrow night." Antonio commented. "Is Will coming too?"
"Will, Jay and Kevin… plus you… let's just say everyone who treated us like shit all those years ago… they're in for a very rude awakening." Jes nuzzled up against him. "Um… I do have one request."
"Name it." Antonio laid his head on hers.
"I need you, Jay and Kevin to come strapped, you still have permission for that right?"
Antonio nodded. "Any particular reason?"
"To remind them that this isn't high school anymore… um… Jacquie got a couple messages that… well… Chris' friends that were our age are going to be there and they're not necessarily the nicest of people."
"In other words, you want us there to make sure shit doesn't hit the fan." Antonio snickered.
"That but you do make some pretty awesome eye candy too, Detective."
Antonio kissed her hard on the lips. "Babe, I think we need a little something else going on right now."
Jes arched an eyebrow. "What exactly are you proposing right now, Detective?"
He took her hand that was on his chest and guided it lower. Jes gasped when she felt his arousal.
"Antonio!"
"Jeslyn." He growled seductively.
"Are we able to?"
Antonio swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed. "Well, I asked Will if it was safe to… he said 'eww' first but then said that as long as I'm gentle, we've got the green light."
Jes couldn't help but laugh. "Well then, I think I'm wearing way too much clothes."
Antonio carefully pulled off the layers of clothing and tossed them aside. He kissed each inch of skin as he exposed it. "Well, at least we'll be warm."
Jes pulled him up to her lips. "Less talking." She kissed him. While being romantic with a cast on was not necessarily easy, but she wanted him. They needed this. This allowed them to start back to being normal.
He kissed her lips, then worked his way down her jaw and neck. Jes moaned as he reached her breasts. They were bigger now; a consequence of the pregnancy and everything was twice as sensitive. He gently blew on her nipples, causing them to become taut. He took one into his mouth and gently sucked on it. Jes' body arched up to him. She was fighting to not cry out. With everyone in the house, they definitely didn't need to be drawing attention to what they were doing. Antonio kept working his way down. He could feel how wet she was. He didn't wait. He repositioned himself and kissed her as he pushed into her wet heat. Jes cried out, but Antonio caught it as he kissed her. Jes wrapped her arms around him, careful not to beat him with the cast. They alternated their speed and tempo. Antonio could feel her tightening around him. It sent home over the edge. They climaxed in unison.
Antonio felt like he was going to collapse, mindful of Jes' ribs, he rolled over next to her and pulled her into his arms. She was shaking and her breathing was ragged. "You okay, baby?"
Jes nodded. "Yeah, that … wow!"
"I think we both needed that… to move on and heal."
"I agree."
Suddenly Jes' phone dinged from the bedside table. She looked at it and groaned. She handed the phone to Antonio. It was a message from Jacquie.
- If you weren't already pregnant… you definitely would've just made a baby. Glad to know your warm. Gaby & Jacquie
Antonio snickered. "Well, I guess that's what they get for not sleeping."
"I'll never hear the end of it."
"At least they didn't walk in." Antonio reminded her. "Jay has had the unfortunate pleasure of walking in on us and on Jacquie with Kevin."
Jes just groaned, putting the phone on the bedside table. "Let's get some sleep. I still need to find a dress for tomorrow." She turned off the lamp.
Antonio wrapped his arms around her protectively, one hand carefully positioned over the tiny bump that was beginning to show. Jes knew she was safe and there was nothing that was ever going to take that away from her.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
The next morning, Antonio went with the guys to check on how much damage was actually done in the windstorm. It was extensive, but luckily no one had been killed. They came back and started to get everyone that was going home ready to go. Emmanuel and Constanza were going back to Chicago after the reunion. They were going to stay with Vinessa, Diego and Eva while the adults went to the reunion. Javier and his family as well as Gaby were headed back tonight on the red eye. They would be taking the rental vehicles back to the airport, so no one had to worry about driving them in. Will and Jay were heading back in the middle of the week, mainly because they wanted a little more time with their sister to work out more details for the wedding.
Jes was getting dressed when Jacquie knocked on the door. "Come in."
"Hey."
Jes turned and her cheeks instantly turned red. "Hey, Jacquie."
"Have fun last night?"
"Shut up."
Jacquie laughed and sat on the bed. "At least we know he takes good care of you in that department."
"Jacquie!"
"What!?"
Jes groaned. "Seriously… just… ugh."
"Hey, you're an adult… he's going to be your husband and he's the father of your kids… honestly… I'd be worried if you weren't getting a little frisky every now and then."
"It's the first time… since he was shot… since we found out about the baby… everything."
"Jes, stop. You don't need to explain it to me. I'm just kinda jealous."
"I don't think Gaby was." Jes turned to Jacquie to get her to help her with the zipper on her top.
"She said it was better that than having to see it. I guess when he and Laura were first together…"
"Don't need more details." Jes said. "So, I need a dress for tonight… something that helps show off…" She pointed to the bump. "Our little peanut."
"I don't think it's a peanut." Jacquie smirked. "But I get where you're going with this."
"Do you have something to wear?"
"No… but I'm not pregnant."
"Yet." Jes shot back.
"Hey!" Jacquie playfully smacked her with a pillow. "We're not even trying… we're not there yet."
"What, you don't think he wants to marry you?"
"I don't know… I'm not in his head."
"Jacquie… stop playing dumb. It doesn't suit you."
"Do you know something I don't?" Jacquie poked her.
"Look, all I know is that you'd be stupid to think otherwise." Jes poked her back. "Plus, just because you're not married doesn't mean you can't get pregnant… prime example… right here." She pointed to her belly.
"Fair enough." Jacquie conceded. "What are we doing about clothes?"
"Shopping? A quick trip… something that will really make jaws drop."
"You've really been overanalyzing this reunion thing." Jacquie got up.
"Did you forget the hell I went through… that you went through with me?"
"Nope. Can't forget that shit. Never will." Jacquie sighed. "Okay, let's go buy some drop dead sexy dresses that will knock everyone on their asses… our men included."
Jes squealed, grabbed her purse and they headed to grab Eva. They'd need her valued opinion to get this done fast.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Antonio and Jay went looking for Jes. They looked everywhere, but found no one. Finally, they came upon Diego who was folding empanadas with Constanza.
"Diego, where's your mom and aunt Jacquie?" Antonio asked.
"They went shopping with Eva." Diego said, without looking up.
"For?" Jay asked.
"Dresses… something about needing it for tonight." Diego said laying the empanada on a tray. "Why?"
"Well… they left and didn't say anything… so we're worried." Jay said. He saw Will coming upstairs with Kevin and Vinessa. "Hey guys."
"Y'all had a hell of a storm last night." Kevin pointed out.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Will said coming from the laundry room.
"No one was hurt?" Kevin asked.
"No. Well, not us… there was a car that crashed against one of the downed poles, but they're okay." Jay said. "Hey, Vinessa… I just set up the Wii downstairs. Why don't you and Diego go test it out for Jes?"
Vinessa squealed and bolted down the stairs. Diego turned to his uncles. "Let me guess? Grown up time?"
"Good boy." Antonio patted him on the shoulder. "Please."
"Sure thing, Dad." He hugged his father before turning to his grandmother. "Gracias Abuela, ti quiero."
"Ti quiero, hijo." Constanza kissed his cheek.
Diego headed downstairs. Antonio turned to the guys. "Do you know about what's going down tonight?"
They shrugged. Antonio groaned. "Okay… come with me, you need to have a general idea of what we're walking into."
Together they headed to the family room, leaving Constanza to make empanadas in the kitchen. Unlike many Dominican mothers, she wasn't going to be nosing into their business. If they wanted her to know anything, they'd tell her. She was excited. For the first time in a long time, they'd get to spend time with their grandchildren without any danger.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Antonio and the guys sat in the family room. "So… tonight is a big deal for Jes and Jacquie. They didn't exactly have the best experience in high school. Jes… I think had it worse. She told me about it… that her mom… well to put it lightly, her mom was a whore… she slept with most of the dads and moms of their classmates." Jaws dropped. Antonio just nodded and continued. "That firefighter from last night, Jonny? He went out with her in high school… and when she wouldn't sleep with him, well they made her life a living hell."
"So in other words, Jes came here to get away from that shit… yet it still happened and she told me nothing?" Jay asked.
Antonio nodded sadly. "Now, Voight got us clearance to carry our side arms and badges… we got the privileges and Jes would like us to carry them."
"Any particular reason?" Kevin asked.
Antonio had been dreading that question. "Because she and Jacquie have been getting messages about what happened with Chris."
"So because, my sister finally opened up about Jacquie's brother and what he did all those years ago… she is a target again?" Will was furious.
"No, not like that… but basically I think she just wants to make a point… that she's not her mom and that despite all their name-calling and bullshit, she is the better person." Antonio said. "Look, I'm not exactly thrilled with this small town, backwards world view, but it's their high school reunion… and according to the school organizers, who are their former teachers, they want to honour their hard work… something about them being some of the few who actually achieved something with their lives."
"What about the others?" Kevin asked.
"Jes said out of a grad class of 104 kids, almost half have criminal records, a bunch are single parents or had a bunch of abortions… something about some girls thinking abortion was birth control… there's over half of the class who hasn't been to prison that still works minimum wage jobs because they never did anything for themselves after graduation."
"Well, I think that explains why they're out shopping." Jay concluded. "They want to stand out. I say we help them with that."
"Deal. Suits, and everything else… and make sure we call that Captain or whoever that was from the RCMP… make sure he knows we'll be strapped for this thing." Kevin nodded. "I ain't about to let anyone hurt my girl or her best friend."
They set about to getting ready, hoping the girls weren't going to take too long to get their dresses. The reunion was set to start at 4 and it was already almost noon.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Jacquie and Jes both agreed to go with their signature colours for these dresses. Jacquie's was a vibrant cherry red. The skirt was a hi-lo cut. The whole dress was overlaid with a gold-shimmery sheer. It was an off the shoulder dress and it clung to every curve.
"Wow, Jacquie… I think that's the one." Jes had said. "I'm pretty sure we'll need to at least pick Kevin's jaw up off the floor… if not everyone's."
"I agree, Aunt Jacquie." Eva said. "What kind of shoes are you going to wear with it?"
Jacquie looked in the mirror. "I have two pairs that I'm torn between. A glistening black pair or a pair of sparkling red heels."
"Go black. It's a classic combination." Jes said. "Now, which one is going to be mine?" She held up two very different dresses. One was her signature purple; the other was a vibrant turquoise.
Jacquie and Eva admired the two dresses. "They're both amazing. Try them on, and we'll see which one is best."
Jes headed into the change room and quickly slipped on the purple dress. She stepped out and twirled. It was a one-shouldered dress that ended just above the knee. The skirt was a little bit flared and spun out as she twirled. The whole dress was covered in a slightly lighter purple organza.
"It's pretty, Mom." Eva said. "But it's not really showing your baby bump like you wanted it to."
Jes turned to the mirror. Eva had a point. It wasn't really as form fitting as she wanted it. "Okay, I'll try the other one, and we'll go from there." She went back and changed into the turquoise dress. The reaction she got to this one was much better.
"Wow!" Jacquie jumped up from the chair. "It's perfect!"
Jes looked in the mirror. This dress looked strapless but had a lace overlay that made up sleeves that went to her elbows and the back had a tiny keyhole opening in the lace. It was tighter all the way down and flared out naturally from the hip. It was a little longer than the other one but it definitely accentuated her barely-there bump. It also made her eyes pop and brought out the purple in her hair. "It's kinda retro… but in a good way."
"Definitely!" Eva exclaimed. "I love it. And it's kinda stretchy, right?"
Jes nodded. "Yep."
"Which means you can wear it even as you get further into the pregnancy." Eva smiled. "That's always important."
"I do like it." Jes twirled again. "Okay, we're done."
"What about shoes for you?" Jacquie asked.
Jes hadn't thought about it. "I think I need to buy a pair."
"You didn't bring fancy shoes did you?"
Jes nodded, bashfully. "Yeah… wasn't thinking about that."
"Okay, let's go… maybe something purple… it goes well with that shade." Jacquie said.
They quickly found a pair of nice purple heels that weren't too high for Jes to walk in. They paid for their purchases and headed home.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Jes and Jacquie quickly passed on directions for what they wanted Antonio and Kevin to wear. Will and Jay were going to go with whatever they had, but the girls insisted that their men matched them. They went to Jes and Antonio's room to get ready, while the guys got ready in the family room. The power had been restored via generators, so everyone else had gone to the guesthouse to make supper before game night.
Jes slipped on the dress, thankful that there wasn't a zipper. She quickly adjusted her hair and placed a purple and teal feathered headband in her hair. She set to doing her make-up. She always thought her eyes were her best feature. She applied an eye-popping smoky look with an almost cat-eye look with her eyeliner. She had given up on wearing contacts. It was just easier to go with her glasses. She had gotten a brand new pair right before they'd left Chicago, and the purple really made her eyes pop that much more. She slid on the purple heels and turned to show Jacquie. "Whatta ya think?"
"Well, the doubters in the room are going to be doing a double take. You look hot!" Jacquie slid on her black stilettos. Unlike Jes, Jacquie could run in those things. "Well, help me with my makeup and we'll be ready to go."
Jes made quick work of the make-up. Her whole vision for Jacquie's final look was almost 1940s pin-up girl. The eyes were perfect and she quickly lined Jacquie's lips before applying a vibrant red lip stain. She applied a light coat of gloss and handed Jacquie the mirror. "How's that?"
"Well, if the whole helping kids off the street doesn't work out, you can always do make-up for the stars." Jacquie laughed. "It's perfect." She put in her earrings. "Let's go."
They headed downstairs to join the guys.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
Antonio had his black suit with a turquoise shirt. He was tying his black and silver tie when Jay came in from the bathroom. He had just showered and shaved. Antonio had decided he'd go first so that he'd be ready first. Kevin had gone second. He was busy shining his shoes. His suit was a charcoal grey and his shirt was a deep red with a black and gold tie. Will and Jay almost had matching suits. Theirs were black with tiny silver pin stripes. Will's shirt was a deep blue. Jay's shirt was a jade green. Neither Will nor Jay wore ties. They were finalizing their hair when the girls came downstairs.
The girls had definitely achieved their goal of heads turning. Antonio had to do a double take. Jes was gorgeous. Not that she wasn't any other day of the week, but even more so now. He could only imagine what she'd look like on their wedding day in 9 months. He walked to help her down the last step. "Wow."
"Thanks." Jes blushed. "You guys ready?"
Will and Jay nodded. Kevin was frozen in place. His jaw was hanging. Jacquie's cheeks flood with colour. Jay turned to Kevin. "Hey, bro! Snap out of it!"
Kevin shook his head and went to kiss Jacquie. "You look beautiful."
"You clean up pretty good yourself, Kevin."
"Well, I think we're all good to go." Antonio laughed. "Let's go see what kind of drama we can get into tonight.
Jes left the house with Antonio on one side and Jay on the other. Will and Kevin were on either side of Jacquie. Whether or not people's minds were more open now than they were 10 years ago, they were definitely about to open some eyes tonight.
*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*
A/N: Well… a shorter chapter than usual, but I really didn't want to drag it out. Next chapter… the reunion! Don't worry, no one's going to get shot… and Jes and Jacquie will get what they want…