Jerry sat in his seat across from Skye on the train and watched her ignore
him. Something was eating at Skye. She hadn't spoken more than a few
sentences to him in a few of days and it was starting to get annoying. She
wasn't rude, at least not obviously so. If he asked anything, she would
look up and answer him. The difference was, she wasn't offering anything.
On the train between Seville and Madrid, Skye had been a witty
conversationalist. They had talked about everything from the politics of
the European Union to the charges that kept him from returning to the US.
She had a rather well informed opinion on everything.
He had an idea about what was eating away at her. This all started when she saw him talking to Jax in Madrid. We had gone there to avoid seeing him and he turned up at the train station at the same time they were there when he was supposed to be flying to Seville to find her. If the situation had been reversed, even he would have suspected a conspiracy. But as of yet, she hadn't said a word about it. She just sat there, reading her latest magazine, doing her best to look interested in what she was reading. It might be more convincing if she would turn the page more than once an hour. Skye's version of the silent treatment was starting to get to Jerry.
"So where are we going next?"
Skye looked up from the magazine page that she had been staring at for the last fifteen minutes without actually seeing it. "Arles." She said then looked back down.
"Wait. Isn't that backtracking? We passed it when we came up from Spain."
"It was to hot."
"That's your reason. It was to hot. In case you hadn't noticed, the last city we stayed in was in it's high ninety's." Jerry said in disbelief
"You don't spend much time in the south of France do you?"
"On the contrary, I've passed many months in the south of France."
"Let me guess. Cannes, or maybe you went skiing in the French Alps."
Jerry laughed. "I find the view when I am skiing down the slopes to be breathtaking. Now that I think about it, so is the view of the beaches."
"Yes, I can definitely see how miles of beaches of topless sunbathing women would appeal to you."
Jerry just grinned. "I'm willing to bet that at some point in time, you were one of them."
Skye gave Jerry one of the first genuine smiles he had seen in days. She nodded. "When I was younger, I used to try to get a tan. I always burned. It's the hair. I gave it up when I decided that a tan wasn't worth that much painful punishment. I'm glad for it now, I know a lot of woman my age that have rough skin due to all the sunbathing."
"If you didn't belong to my brother, I would be tempted to find out just how smooth that skin of yours is." Jerry said while looking at her appreciatively.
Skye's back stiffened up and her face went completely blank. "I don't belong to anyone, especially not to your brother."
Jerry groaned inward. 'Why the hell didn't I keep my trap shut while I was ahead and had her smiling at me?' Jerry thought. 'Since she is already upset, I might as well bring it up.' "Speaking of my brother, aren't you the least bit curious about what we talked about at the airport?"
Jerry could see all the conflicting emotions running around her head in her eyes. "Come on Skye, I know you want to say something about him being there."
Skye glared at Jerry. She still wasn't sure how she felt about seeing Jax at the station in Madrid. On one hand, it was a relief to see Jax standing there. She had been worried ever since she found out about the babies that Luis would kill him to keep him out of the picture. That unreasonable part of her that she kept crammed behind a tightly closed door had jumped for joy. She still loved the bastard. There wasn't anything that she wanted more than to be able to through her arms around him, hear him tell her that he loved her and that he finally got that witch out of his system.
On the other hand, Jax brought trouble. Skye could never be sure that he really loved her and wasn't just getting carried away with his white night persona, especially after the way he treated her when that fake Brenda showed up. That woman had known too much about the people in Port Charles and everything that happened all those years ago to the original. There is only one place she could have gotten that information. The real Brenda was still alive. There was another voice screaming inside her head saying that if Jax could treat her like that when a fake shows up, she wouldn't stand a chance against the real thing. After all, everyone she ever loved abandoned her, usually when she needed their support the most. That voice screamed louder than ever that she couldn't trust anyone.
"So Jerry, did it bother you at all when you arrange that little rendezvous with Jax? Did you give that promise you made me about not telling him where I was any thought at all?"
"Skye, It's not how it looked."
Skye held up her hand for Jerry to stop talking. "No, no, I don't really blame you. The more I think about it, I see that you have known and loved your little brother for years. You just meet me. Your bond with him is bound to be stronger than any promise you made to me. Of course you would want to tell him about the baby and get me back together with him. It sure explains why Jax is suddenly so eager to find me."
"Skye look at me. Look at me. I did not tell him where to find you."
"Jerry, he was waiting at the train practically when we got off."
"His plane had problems. He landed in Madrid. He was taking the next train to Seville. It was just one of those strange coincidences."
"I don't believe in coincidences. I really wish you wouldn't feel the need to make excuses. You're brothers and you're both Jacks. It is natural that you would stand up for each other. That is what the people in your family do when trouble comes along."
"That's right. The Jacks family does stand up for each other. You are a part of this family."
"Not anymore. I never really was. Jax just lent me his family's name for a few weeks."
"You are a part of this family. Just because Jax had a momentary lapse of sanity doesn't change that fact. Jax said I do and signed on the dotted line. That made you a Jax for life."
"Yeah, right. That's why he went running to Brenda."
"A woman he has arranged two marriage ceremonies for yet never managed to marry. That should have told him something. I remember when his first wife had an accident and decided to let Jax go on believing that she was dead. Our parents supported her. They still do."
"Just wait a minute. Everyone in Port Charles was telling me how Brenda was the first and only great love of Jax's life. Are you telling me that there was life before Brenda?"
"Indeed there was. Her name is Miranda. They have been divorced for years now but Jane still treats the woman like a daughter. So you see, you don't get out of this family that easy. Plus, we now have two additional members to the Jacks family on the way. That means when I'm protecting you, I'm actually protecting three members of this family. That gives you priority over my brother."
"I'm only carrying one Jacks baby."
"You're carrying two. You're a Jacks now Skye, therefore so is any child that comes from you. Ask anyone in this family, they will tell you the same thing. Beside, in this case, the biological contributor to your other child's DNA, is not going to have a chance to get anywhere near this child. One way or another, we will find a way to put a stop to him."
Jerry pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that had started falling down Skye's face. "Now what are these tears for?"
"I want so badly to believe you."
"Then do. This family will back you. I know Jax screwed up but at least give us the chance to get it right this time."
Skye yawned. Jerry grinned. "I'm not boring you, am I?"
"I'm sorry, with all these emotions, I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster and I'm exhausted."
"Well, that's allowed. Why don't you take a short nap?"
Skye shook her head. "I can't get comfortable in this chair. I will take one when we get to the hotel."
"Speaking of which, why are we going to Arles?"
"I'm going to see a doctor there."
"And the reason we didn't go there first was because?"
"It was to hot. It's a small town, no five star hotels, even less air conditioning. That area is never good to be in when it's that hot. We also have to contend with the winds. It was the heat and the winds of this area that drove Van Gogh insane enough to chop off his ears."
"You have got to be kidding. No one goes crazy because of a little heat and winds."
"Van Gogh did. He's not the only one. I can't even stay in this area for more than a couple of weeks before it drives me a little batty. The winds are special here. They have a history of driving some people to insanity."
"Any you want to go here?"
Skye smiled at the disbelief in his voice. "It has its advantages. I'll take you sightseeing."
"Is it anything like the caves at Lascaux II? How did they come up with that anyway?"
"The original Lascaux was found by four young boys who were playing with their dog in 1940."
"I wonder what they thought when they found the paintings on the wall from the ice age. But that doesn't explain why they copied the paintings onto another cave wall and called it Lascaux II."
"The original Lascaux is deteriorating from all the carbon dioxide humans breath out. Everyone wants to see the cave paintings so they duplicated them on another cave and closed down the original site to protect it."
"So basically you just dragged me to see a bunch of copies of the Paleolithic cave paintings."
"They are authentic reproductions painted in the same materials as the original. Personally, I think it is amazing that they can produce paintings on cave walls in the same fashion they used in the Ice Age."
"So if I gave you an authentic reproduction of a Van Gogh painting?"
"I would probably break it over you're head because you would be doing it to annoy me. Besides, until I told you that they were reproductions, you were having a blast."
"Okay, I admit, it was fun."
"You will have fun in Arles too."
He had an idea about what was eating away at her. This all started when she saw him talking to Jax in Madrid. We had gone there to avoid seeing him and he turned up at the train station at the same time they were there when he was supposed to be flying to Seville to find her. If the situation had been reversed, even he would have suspected a conspiracy. But as of yet, she hadn't said a word about it. She just sat there, reading her latest magazine, doing her best to look interested in what she was reading. It might be more convincing if she would turn the page more than once an hour. Skye's version of the silent treatment was starting to get to Jerry.
"So where are we going next?"
Skye looked up from the magazine page that she had been staring at for the last fifteen minutes without actually seeing it. "Arles." She said then looked back down.
"Wait. Isn't that backtracking? We passed it when we came up from Spain."
"It was to hot."
"That's your reason. It was to hot. In case you hadn't noticed, the last city we stayed in was in it's high ninety's." Jerry said in disbelief
"You don't spend much time in the south of France do you?"
"On the contrary, I've passed many months in the south of France."
"Let me guess. Cannes, or maybe you went skiing in the French Alps."
Jerry laughed. "I find the view when I am skiing down the slopes to be breathtaking. Now that I think about it, so is the view of the beaches."
"Yes, I can definitely see how miles of beaches of topless sunbathing women would appeal to you."
Jerry just grinned. "I'm willing to bet that at some point in time, you were one of them."
Skye gave Jerry one of the first genuine smiles he had seen in days. She nodded. "When I was younger, I used to try to get a tan. I always burned. It's the hair. I gave it up when I decided that a tan wasn't worth that much painful punishment. I'm glad for it now, I know a lot of woman my age that have rough skin due to all the sunbathing."
"If you didn't belong to my brother, I would be tempted to find out just how smooth that skin of yours is." Jerry said while looking at her appreciatively.
Skye's back stiffened up and her face went completely blank. "I don't belong to anyone, especially not to your brother."
Jerry groaned inward. 'Why the hell didn't I keep my trap shut while I was ahead and had her smiling at me?' Jerry thought. 'Since she is already upset, I might as well bring it up.' "Speaking of my brother, aren't you the least bit curious about what we talked about at the airport?"
Jerry could see all the conflicting emotions running around her head in her eyes. "Come on Skye, I know you want to say something about him being there."
Skye glared at Jerry. She still wasn't sure how she felt about seeing Jax at the station in Madrid. On one hand, it was a relief to see Jax standing there. She had been worried ever since she found out about the babies that Luis would kill him to keep him out of the picture. That unreasonable part of her that she kept crammed behind a tightly closed door had jumped for joy. She still loved the bastard. There wasn't anything that she wanted more than to be able to through her arms around him, hear him tell her that he loved her and that he finally got that witch out of his system.
On the other hand, Jax brought trouble. Skye could never be sure that he really loved her and wasn't just getting carried away with his white night persona, especially after the way he treated her when that fake Brenda showed up. That woman had known too much about the people in Port Charles and everything that happened all those years ago to the original. There is only one place she could have gotten that information. The real Brenda was still alive. There was another voice screaming inside her head saying that if Jax could treat her like that when a fake shows up, she wouldn't stand a chance against the real thing. After all, everyone she ever loved abandoned her, usually when she needed their support the most. That voice screamed louder than ever that she couldn't trust anyone.
"So Jerry, did it bother you at all when you arrange that little rendezvous with Jax? Did you give that promise you made me about not telling him where I was any thought at all?"
"Skye, It's not how it looked."
Skye held up her hand for Jerry to stop talking. "No, no, I don't really blame you. The more I think about it, I see that you have known and loved your little brother for years. You just meet me. Your bond with him is bound to be stronger than any promise you made to me. Of course you would want to tell him about the baby and get me back together with him. It sure explains why Jax is suddenly so eager to find me."
"Skye look at me. Look at me. I did not tell him where to find you."
"Jerry, he was waiting at the train practically when we got off."
"His plane had problems. He landed in Madrid. He was taking the next train to Seville. It was just one of those strange coincidences."
"I don't believe in coincidences. I really wish you wouldn't feel the need to make excuses. You're brothers and you're both Jacks. It is natural that you would stand up for each other. That is what the people in your family do when trouble comes along."
"That's right. The Jacks family does stand up for each other. You are a part of this family."
"Not anymore. I never really was. Jax just lent me his family's name for a few weeks."
"You are a part of this family. Just because Jax had a momentary lapse of sanity doesn't change that fact. Jax said I do and signed on the dotted line. That made you a Jax for life."
"Yeah, right. That's why he went running to Brenda."
"A woman he has arranged two marriage ceremonies for yet never managed to marry. That should have told him something. I remember when his first wife had an accident and decided to let Jax go on believing that she was dead. Our parents supported her. They still do."
"Just wait a minute. Everyone in Port Charles was telling me how Brenda was the first and only great love of Jax's life. Are you telling me that there was life before Brenda?"
"Indeed there was. Her name is Miranda. They have been divorced for years now but Jane still treats the woman like a daughter. So you see, you don't get out of this family that easy. Plus, we now have two additional members to the Jacks family on the way. That means when I'm protecting you, I'm actually protecting three members of this family. That gives you priority over my brother."
"I'm only carrying one Jacks baby."
"You're carrying two. You're a Jacks now Skye, therefore so is any child that comes from you. Ask anyone in this family, they will tell you the same thing. Beside, in this case, the biological contributor to your other child's DNA, is not going to have a chance to get anywhere near this child. One way or another, we will find a way to put a stop to him."
Jerry pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that had started falling down Skye's face. "Now what are these tears for?"
"I want so badly to believe you."
"Then do. This family will back you. I know Jax screwed up but at least give us the chance to get it right this time."
Skye yawned. Jerry grinned. "I'm not boring you, am I?"
"I'm sorry, with all these emotions, I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster and I'm exhausted."
"Well, that's allowed. Why don't you take a short nap?"
Skye shook her head. "I can't get comfortable in this chair. I will take one when we get to the hotel."
"Speaking of which, why are we going to Arles?"
"I'm going to see a doctor there."
"And the reason we didn't go there first was because?"
"It was to hot. It's a small town, no five star hotels, even less air conditioning. That area is never good to be in when it's that hot. We also have to contend with the winds. It was the heat and the winds of this area that drove Van Gogh insane enough to chop off his ears."
"You have got to be kidding. No one goes crazy because of a little heat and winds."
"Van Gogh did. He's not the only one. I can't even stay in this area for more than a couple of weeks before it drives me a little batty. The winds are special here. They have a history of driving some people to insanity."
"Any you want to go here?"
Skye smiled at the disbelief in his voice. "It has its advantages. I'll take you sightseeing."
"Is it anything like the caves at Lascaux II? How did they come up with that anyway?"
"The original Lascaux was found by four young boys who were playing with their dog in 1940."
"I wonder what they thought when they found the paintings on the wall from the ice age. But that doesn't explain why they copied the paintings onto another cave wall and called it Lascaux II."
"The original Lascaux is deteriorating from all the carbon dioxide humans breath out. Everyone wants to see the cave paintings so they duplicated them on another cave and closed down the original site to protect it."
"So basically you just dragged me to see a bunch of copies of the Paleolithic cave paintings."
"They are authentic reproductions painted in the same materials as the original. Personally, I think it is amazing that they can produce paintings on cave walls in the same fashion they used in the Ice Age."
"So if I gave you an authentic reproduction of a Van Gogh painting?"
"I would probably break it over you're head because you would be doing it to annoy me. Besides, until I told you that they were reproductions, you were having a blast."
"Okay, I admit, it was fun."
"You will have fun in Arles too."