Title:
Jealousy
Name:
Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Rating: PG-13
"Come on Zack! I was
told you were awesome at this… You're barely keeping up," Fiona screamed.
"You're motorcycle is much
newer and nicer then mine," he yelled back then gunned it to get ahead of
his new 'sister'. Zack and Fiona weaved in and out of traffic all over the city
playing cat and mouse. At one point when Fiona was ahead she cut her headlights
and slammed on her brakes. She spun her wheels on the dusty road to blind Zack
to some degree and took off in the other direction. Zack soon adjusted his
eyesight to pick her up in the dark and let her get a bit ahead so she thought
she had lost him.
Fiona found this great fun only to have Zack cut her
off a few minutes later. She laughed and said, "Race you to Logan's!"
She was off like a bat out of hell. Zack did his best to catch her on the
motorcycle but knew he would make up time on the stairs at the building. Fi had
already parked her bike and gotten half way up the stairs when Zack finished
parking. He flew up the stairs, taking the last several steps backwards. They
both laughed heartily as Fiona opened the door to the apartment where they were
met by three pairs of angry eyes.
"Where have you been?" Logan shouted.
"Calm down," Max said trying to pull her
husband back from getting in her brother's face.
"Yeah, Logan! Chill out. We were riding… No
harm, no foul!" Fiona said to her overly protective brother, trying to
figure out why everyone was hyper.
Logan turned to his baby sister, " Why didn't
you answer your pager or your cell? We were worried sick."
"Hey! Back off. We were playing… I didn't hear
them."
"I'll just bet you were playing!" Logan
snapped at Zack.
"Hey! What the hell does that mean?" Fiona
snapped back. Zack and Logan were in a stare off. "IF you are suggesting
what I think you are… Answer me!" she screamed pushing her brother to face
her and not Zack. When he didn't say anything she went to Bling and Max,
"Is that what you think too? You think that I was cheating on you with
Max's brother!" she shouted. Silence reigned for a minute. "How dare
you! How dare all of you! My brother doesn't like to bike or play at all…and
Max can't right now. Forgive me for living up to the promise I made to Zack at
your wedding! I don't need this crap…especially not from you Logan. You may
have issue with Zack- honestly not for very good reasons- but to question my
fidelity? I'm disgusted! I'm out!" Fiona turned her boots and headed for
the door.
"Oh, what a fun family visit?! At least I have
someone on my team now," Zack said quietly and headed out as well. A few
steps out the door both heard glass shattering in Logan's apartment. When they
reached the garage Fi was still nonverbal with anger. "Want to shoot stuff?"
Zack asked casually.
Fiona broke down and laughed a little. "That
sound's good." They drove out of the garage without noticing Bling just
getting to the level. He watched his wife ride off with a man that at least in
the past had feelings for his sister. Bling wasn't convinced that Zack had the
purist intentions for his wife.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I didn't catch her," Bling said looking
forlorn when he arrived back in the penthouse.
"I just screwed up royally!" Logan said as
he stared at his hands in his lap on the floor cleaning up the plate he broke.
"I don't understand what happened. I lost it for no good reason…they were
late, that's all. I was trying to control her again. No wonder she didn't talk
to me for three years."
"We're jealous…that's all," Max said with
an air of calm that had settled over her in the last few months. The pregnancy
made her emotions run wild but also lent her serenity. Both men just stared at
her for a moment as she patted her belly.
"What am I jealous of Zack for?" Logan
protested. Bling snickered. "What?!"
"She's right man… We're jealous. I'm jealous
that my wife's hanging out with this young guy that reminds me of her first
husband. They've got a lot in common which makes me nervous… I shouldn't be but
I am," Bling confessed then turned his attention to Logan. "You, on
the other hand, are so jealous I'm surprised you haven't tried to kill the
boy."
"I am not! I have no reason to be! I married
Max, not him!" Logan proclaimed much to his wife's amusement. "What's
so funny?"
"'I married Max' like I'm a trophy. You won… he
lost. Whatever. He's my brother… he never had a chance with me," Max said
simply folding her arms.
"Logan… You're now battling him over Fiona
rather than Max. Fiona takes even less kindly then Max to being a prize in a
contest," Bling pointed out.
"Then why isn't he being punished?"
"He didn't push the contest… You did. You made
it a 'me or him' fight. You'll lose every time with that one. It's not that she
doesn't love you, it's that you're being domineering," Bling responded.
"She'll come back when she's less mad… I don't expect that to be anytime
soon… Right now, I'm just hoping she comes home tonight! After not disputing
the accusation, I'll be lucky if I see our bed tonight." He hung his head
in shame.
"Don't feel so bad… I'm jealous she's getting
to do all the fun stuff I want to do with Zack that he wouldn't do with me. He
was always solider boy with me. Fiona engages him as a little brother… He
doesn't have to be strong with her, he just has to be Zack. I envy the fact
that she's the one he lets in. I didn't want his heart so I lost him as a
brother. She's his confidant and friend… and dammit that pisses me off,"
Max said in frustration. "I want my Zack back… I wanted a brother, the
brother that saved me. Now I have a great sister-in-law that is really trying
to help him figure out what it means to be a sibling and I'm pissed that he's
learning it with her!"
"Well this sucks. Where do you think they
went?" Logan asked.
"To shoot something," Max said calmly.
"You're kidding?" Logan asked. Max shook
her head. "Would Fi go with him?"
"Probably… I'm betting there are already a few
tin cans shot down with your name on them," Bling responded.
"Great. Just great!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A dark abandoned lot was where Zack and Fiona ended
up taking their frustrations out on harmless soda cans. "For a civilian
you're a pretty good shot," Zack said to Fi.
"Thanks. Logan taught me," she said
leveling her aim to take out the cans in succession. Five cans went down in a
row with great speed.
"You're very good," Zack said with a small
smile. "Logan really taught you? He doesn't strike me the gun type."
"Sure… Dad was a hunter. Dad taught Logan,
Logan taught me. We were wealthy so we had one of those stupid plate tossers so
we could practice hitting moving targets. I had a real knack for it… which is
why I didn't hunt," she said handing the gun back to Zack, who stared at
her curiously. "I knew that if I began to hunt, I'd never want to stop.
I'm too perfectionistic to have a hobby where I win when something's
dead."
"Good point… Is that how you see me…and
Max?"
"No… I see you as… well as the best and worst
in all of us. You prove to me that the depravity of man is so huge that people
could raise you to be killers and then hunt you down to 'reprogram' you like
you aren't human. Yet, I know for Max, you fight to keep yourself from the
darkness that is second nature to you. It makes me believe more strongly in
God…because I know that only God could instill a sweet soul in you both when
you were surrounded by death," Fiona said with confidence.
Zack stared at her. "How do you know I have a
sweet soul? I've done such evil things… I've killed people… I…" he
stumbled through the words and knelt down on the ground.
Fiona followed him down. "You love your
siblings more than anything. Protecting them is the most important thing in the
world. You love them with all of your being. You would lay down your life for
them… You are a good man," she said caressing his cheek like he was a
little kid. "I've seen you be strong for everyone… Let yourself be weak
for a few minutes. Just let go."
Zack relaxed laying his head in Fiona's lap. He
began to mew like a cat for a minute as he let a couple tears fall. "Why
do you love me?" he asked quietly.
"Because… you're my little brother… I'm here to
protect you," Fiona whispered back and kissed the top of his head. In
those moments a bond was formed thicker then any Zack had before. Someone loved
him because they chose to… Fiona chose to make him family and he could count on
her to be there for him when the weight of the world was too much. "We
should probably go back and except apologize from our overly zealous family. I'll
probably apologize for splitting, just so you know."
"Why?"
"Well, because I didn't give them a chance to
fix it right then. I stormed off… I'm good at that. I'm known for my great
exits in big fights."
"Alright… I don't think I can apologize for
anything… I'm not sure what I did wrong?"
"You didn't!" Fiona said with a laugh.
"Logan owes us big apologizes… You're staying with Bling and I tonight.
We'll find a way to bridge some of this stuff with him… I think its just
frustration to see me have fun with you instead of him. Plus you're closer to
my age…in his mind at least. He's mentioned a resemblance to my first husband
that I don't see… I think it's your white," she said with a giggle.
"Let's hit the penthouse."
"After you!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fiona and Zack reentered Logan's penthouse more
calmly then they left. Max was asleep on the couch while Logan was typing away
at his computer. Bling was cleaning up the rest of the dinner dishes. All three
were alert enough to be at attention when the wayward souls returned.
Bling called for Fiona while Max called for Zack as
soon as the door was heard. Bling made his way to his wife, "I'm sorry Fi.
I'm so sorry… I'm just jealous of the time you spend with him and the joy he
brings you. I know you would never cheat on me… I'm just insecure you're going
to like spending time with him more then me."
Max launched into her shpeal, "Zack… I'm sorry.
I'm happy your finally able to be… well, less Manticore. It's just hard that
you're doing it with her and not me… I'll live. I am sorry though."
Bling and Fiona hugged and kissed, whispering back
and forth. Zack looked at them with longing. He turned back to his sister,
"It's ok Maxie. Hopefully the whole 'less Manticore' thing can carry over
into other areas."
Logan cleared his throat bringing eight eyes on to
him. Fiona and Zack stepped towards him. Fiona looked him up and down before
crossing her arms to signify 'this better be good'. He lowered his eyes,
"Uh… I'm an idiot. I was born an idiot… I will die an idiot."
"I could have told you that!" Zack
snapped.
Fiona flicked his ear, "Hey… That's my big
brother. He's trying… I can bust his chops, but you can't…not for a while at
least. I protect you from him and vice versa, got it?"
"Yeah!" they said in unison.
Logan began again, "Zack… I'm sorry…" 'God
this is hard,' Logan thought. "I've been waiting for you to take Max away
from me for so long that I guess I just assumed you would do the same with
Fi." Zack nodded…that was as good as Logan got. "Fi, I let my ego and
frustration drag you into a conversation that didn't need to be happening. I
didn't mean it… I would never… You're the most faithful person I know. I'm
sorry."
Fiona gave Logan a big hug and kissed his cheek.
"No problem Loggie. Everyone is entitled to being a moron every once in a
while… You just indulge in it more often then most." He shot her a glare
that was pure sibling. "We're cool," she said. "Now we need
grub. Target practice makes me hungry."
"I told you that's what they were doing,"
Max announced very proud that she knew her brother that well. Everyone got a
good laugh out of the expectant mother's childish way about her.
Fiona nodded her head to Zack as they nonverbally
argued over something. "Uh… Logan?" Zack began. "Can I talk to
you?"
Logan spoke slowly, "Sure… Why don't we go into
the computer room?" The two men made their way into the room as Zack
uncomfortably started to confide in Logan. "Hey… I know you're taking care
of Max really well… Uh… I need a favor, but I think Max should be left out of
it."
"Ok… Why?"
"One of our sibs is… in trouble. If Max knows,
she want to come along and I don't want anything to happen to the baby… your
baby," Zack said looking down. It was the first time Zack had acknowledged
Little One as both Max and Logan's rather then just Max's.
"What do you need Zack?" Logan said with
humility.
"Sector passes from here to Colorado… Things
kind of changed at your wedding," he said not meeting Logan's gaze.
"What changed?"
"I wanted one of our sibs to be able to see the
wedding and still keep her safe… Things just changed… I need to get back there
and make sure everything is cool," he said cryptically.
"I can have them to you tomorrow… I'll do my
best to keep it from Max but I'm not going to lie," Logan said very
matter-of-factly.
"Fine… Thanks!" Zack said standing to go.
"What are you two doing?" Max asked.
"Male bonding," said Zack with a straight
face.
"Fine, don't tell me!" she said with a
pout. "There's ice cream out here."
Logan followed wondering who was in Colorado near
where Max and he had married that Zack need to see. 'Fiona will know what's up.
I'll pump her for information later,' he thought as he sat next to his sister
and waited for his turn for Rocky Road.