I stirred the contents in my coffee cup absentmindedly, leaning against the door frame of what used to be my room. Ruvel and Jeff did a great job in removing the debris and destroyed items of my room. It looked so barren; empty. The only things that managed to survive from Hurricane Jane were my bed frame, my cabinets, dressers, work desk, my windows and the solitary portrait of Jeff, stained and ruined with the bloody red words: I'M STILL HERE. Anything and everything else that I owned was destroyed, torn to shreds or broken with what looked like brute force. I sighed deeply, feeling the hollow dread and anxiety rising in my chest. It terrified me that one woman was able to do that kind of damage, and without a sound at that.
It was a testament to what Jeff was capable of doing to a person if he didn't kill them; the torture and anguish he could cause to another person, driving them to become an unstoppable force of rage and Jeff is unflappable: an unmovable object of insanity, destruction and bloodlust. He fears no one, and is capable of so much more then he shows. But Jane is the very unstoppable force of vengeance and homicidal rage that was created by Jeff, whose just as capable.
An unmovable object meeting an unstoppable force. And I'm caught in the middle.
I sipped my coffee; sweet and lukewarm, letting the flavors bring me back to the present moment. Ruvel had left to get me a new mattress, to replace the one that Jane tore to ribbons. As for Jeff; he had been sleeping in my papa's room for some hours now. It's been two days since Jane came and he's been staying up for the entire time, antsy and unable to sit still. Arlen came home late that night after everything happened, so he never suspected a thing. I'm debating keeping him in the dark. On one hand, his life could be in jeopardy; Jane could kill him just to torment me before she eventually kills me. The last thing I want is to involve my family. I'd rather be the only target to Jane's wrath than my brother, who has no idea whats going on and has nothing to do with this entire affair. But Jane wouldn't know that, and if it even crossed her mind, she could end him in an instant. I clenched my teeth, making my way to my computer table. I sat down, setting my coffee mug on the bare work desk.
I turned to the portrait of Jeff. It had been left untouched. I crossed my leg and tented my fingers, resting them against my lip. Maybe it would be better to let Arlen know whats going on after all. He knows how to defend himself well, having taken karate classes since he was a kid. But the fact remains that if I were to tell him, it might make the whole ordeal much more complicated. He's extremely overprotective as it is, making any attempt of dating in my adolescence impossible. So considering that my boyfriend is a psychotic serial killer, it may end in police and possible murder. But having Arlen in the loop despite all of that may help keep him safe. I sighed though my nose and closed my eyes.
" I thought I'd find you here, doll." I opened my eyes to find Jeff leaning against the door frame, his hair a tousled mess and my papa's oversized off white henley wrinkled and disheveled. I loaned him clean clothes to sleep in after I begged him to shower and rest. He'd been on edge and short tempered, and not having slept two days prior the Jane incident didn't help that. He needed a break.
My eyes wandered up and down his visage. The shirt was sheer, and I could almost see every scar and curve of his torso. The sleeves were pushed up, revealing those beautifully toned forearms of his; scarred and pale, his blue veins spider-webbing under his skin. His hands, large and masculine, with long, pale fingers, combed through his black hair, trying to tame the frizzy mess it became from sleep. He was so beautiful...
"Like what you see?" he smirked, his voice still rough with sleep. I blinked, feeling my face heat up as he pushed off the door frame and sauntered lazily over to me. I lowered my hands to my lap.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Must be imagining things." I muttered.
"Mmm," he kissed my forehead softly, and grabbed my now cold coffee cup as he leaned his hip against my desk. "It's okay, babydoll. You can look and touch aaaaaalll you like." He purred, taking a sip from my mug. I blushed, glancing at him with some indignation.
"Perv." I sighed as he chuckled softly into the mug. I rolled my eyes and drew my attention back to the painting. The portrait of oil paint on thick canvas; the carefully mixed vibrant colors that contrasted the shadows, the hours of careful work and strained memories, all ruined by the brilliant deep red acrylic paint that formed the cryptic message.
"...is it fixable?"Jeff asked after a while. He nodded to the painting. "I hope so, or else I'll have to make sure to take extra time to gut that bitch open."
I huffed a tired laugh. "Narcissist, much?"
He smirked, taking a sip from the mug. "You know it, doll. But seriously, it must've taking you forever to make that. It's... beautiful. It's better than real life." I looked up at him. There was no sign of mocking or mirth in his expression as his gaze was focused on the portrait of him.
I contemplated his question. "I think I can restore it. I sealed this painting with a pretty good sealant, and the paint is still relatively new. If I'm careful, I can scrape off the acrylic paint and touch up the rest. It'll take work, but I think I can fix it."
He hummed softly in response, but I can see the gears turning in his head. He glanced at me and tilted his head.
"Whats going on in that pretty little head of yours? You've been staring into space for a while now. I've been watching you for a bit, and you hadn't noticed."
I sighed deeply and leaned my head against his waist. He brushed his fingers though my hair softly.
"I think... we should tell my brother everything." I said after a while. His hand paused in my hair. I didn't look up at him.
"Is it because of Jane?" he said, his voice toneless and deep. I shivered, and he resumed combing his hand through my hair, as if to reassure me that he was passive. I took a deep, calming breath.
"Yeah, mostly. I don't know how she operates, so I wanted to talk to you about it before I made a decision. I don't want my brother to be involved in Jane's revenge scheme if I can help it. Especially when he doesn't even know whats going on. If," I hesitated, taking a deep breath before continuing strongly.
" If there's a possibility of Jane attacking him to get to me or you, then it's better that he knows in order to protect himself against her if and when that time comes. As well as for him to know that you're an ally when it comes down to a breaking point, and we have to face Jane. It's better to take every precaution we can in order to minimize any damage she may cause to us, as well as defend ourselves. It's better to have allies than go it alone when it comes to her, right?" I looked up at him, uncertain. There was an unreadable look on his face as he mulled over my words.
His eyes found the painting again, his jaw tight as he clenched his teeth.
"You make a good point, Liu. This is just between Jane and I normally. We do this song and dance every time we get close to each other, so I usually know what to expect from her. But this time it's different, cause you're involved. " he crouched down next to me, to be on my level. His face was stoic as he spoke to me seriously.
"Liu, in all my years of facing her, there was nothing she could do that could hurt me or unbalance me, nothing she could do to have me under her boot. But now she does, and you put me in a real tough spot, and gave that bitch Jane an advantage over me. She could kill me, because of you." I swallowed roughly, tears stinging my eyes as they welled.
"But," he continued, "she didn't count on me actually fucking loving you enough to fight beyond my limits to defend you. She'll think you're just a toy, to play with and break when I get bored. But Liu, you're so, so much more than that to me. You're... my everything. I love you Liu Valentine, and I'll kill that twisted bitch if she ever lays a hand on you." he cradled my face in his hands, wiping away the tears that had fallen with his thumbs. "I will protect you with everything I am. I trust you. Beyond anything else, I trust you. If you think telling your brother about Jane, about us, will help keep him and you alive, then lets do it." I nodded, sobbing softly.
Words fail me. I was prepared to fight him on this, to try and protect my family from everything, even him. The relief i feel now as he wipes away my tears and shushes me gently, is overwhelming. He's nothing like the sadistic killer he's made himself to be for so long. Or maybe, he's finally being his real self with only me. And that knowledge makes me fall even deeper in love with him.
"I love you Liu." he says softly, pressing his lips to my forehead tenderly.
"I love you too Jeff. So much." I caress his cheek softly, feeling the rough scars under my fingers. He sighs softly, then cradles my head tenderly as he presses his lips against mine in a tender, passionate kiss. He pulled me closer into an embrace, as I slid off the chair and onto the floor, falling into his lap as he sat on the ground. He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly, the kiss becoming more passionate but still tender and loving. Jeff bites my lip softly, and I squeak in surprise. He chuckled against my lip and kissed me softly.
"Liu... I..." he breathed huskily.
"What in the fresh hell is going on?!" A sudden voice boomed from the doorway.
A/N: Aaaaaaaand I'm back! Life Really gets in the way but I Plan to finish this story within the next few months! (i hope)