Yes, I got more reviews! Thanks to my now regulars, The Cougar and Random Day, and my new ones, livinitlarge and mysteriouswonder284 (yes, I am VERY disappointed that many writers are not updating their Reign of Fire fics.) THANK YOU!
If you have any suggestions as to the plot, don't hesitate to tell me. Should I give Creedy a girl too? And I'm getting writer's block whenever I try to write about Alex and Van Zan. I hope some of you have suggestions; requests, as long as they're reasonable, will be met! Oh, and I hope you don't mind me changing Van Zan's name; I don't think "Denton", in any way, is impressive or suitable.
A/N: Don't own.
Chapter 5: Self-Discovery
Northumberland
The nine year anniversary of the Haven Castle was tomorrow, and the whole place was chaos. Everyone was planning a big celebration, within reason of course. The women, who had started their scheming two months before, had completely excluded the men, which happened to be a pleasing arrangement to both parties involved. That way, women kept the men from making a mess of the whole affair, and the men, who really couldn't be bothered in the first place, saved their sanity. For the most part, Quinn washed his hands of the matter. He only interfered to remind, time and time again, wearing that worried frown, that things should be kept low-key, as supplies were low and the harvest wasn't as plentiful as they would have liked. Still, the restrictions did nothing to dampen the jovial mood everyone was in.
Jack had, from the very beginning, shown to be as useless as the men when it came to such matters. She didn't seem to have a womanly bone in her body. She couldn't sew (unless it was a wound), create decorations, or plan a meal. Jack frequently complained at every council meeting, saying that she'll do grunt work but won't be involved in any of the actual planning. So, eventually, she was banished until needed, and took to visiting Hades in the stables more often than usual.
Quinn and Jack had reached a strange truce, of sorts. Weeks ago, when Quinn had nearly beaten Vaughn to death, any hostility between Jack and Quinn had disappeared. Instead, there existed a peculiar bond between the two. Jack, surprisingly, had offered the olive branch first by complementing Quinn on the beautiful bruise Vaughn sported, unknowingly breaking the ice. Quinn had stared, then, unexpectedly, laughed. Taken aback by the rare sight and sound of Quinn laughing with, rather than at, her, Jack hesitated before joining in. Sniggering, they both openly examined the purple and blue jaw, while Vaughn just glowered silently. From that day on, they ceased to become just casual acquaintances or riding opponents. They became friends, much to the rather badly concealed delight of Creedy.
The ninth anniversary was a big affair. It commemorated the ninth year of survival for Haven Castle. The ninth year of being alive in Northumberland. Haven was a home, and not just a shelter to the people. Haven's people were thankful to be alive, and Haven Castle was a place for them to catch their breath, heal, and find a family. The children, who couldn't remember a time in their life where fear and death had overshadowed everything else, were ecstatic about it. Haven, and the upcoming party, was a glimmer of normalcy, slivers of lost childhoods and carefree innocence. Haven gave the Fire Children, as the older ones called them, someplace where they could take shelter from the turmoil the rest of the world. And the Fire Children loved Haven, and Haven's founders and leaders, Quinn and Creedy. Their affection and fierce loyalty for the two men was rooted in Creedy's sense of humour, Quinn's leadership and protection, and the fact that they genuinely cared about them. Also, Quinn and Creedy acting out "bedtime theatre" for the children helped their popularity immensely.
That, in retrospect, was one of the things that prevented Jack from completely hating Quinn. She found it impossible to thoroughly detest him after seeing him entertaining or comforting the children. It fascinated her that Quinn, who was so serious and stiff, was so skilled with children. Especially since she didn't have the talent herself.
So, with the castle abuzz with activity, or, rather, the fretting of countless women, Quinn checked the castle top to bottom. He knew how much tomorrow meant to the women, and he didn't want the boilers breaking down or the plumbing backfiring. It was almost midnight when, finally reassured, he went to bed.
Jack was quite rudely woken up by her three roommates, motherly older women with surprisingly loud lungs. Groaning, she managed to wretch one eye open to look at the offenders. They didn't even look ashamed to have woken her up. One of them, Maggie her name was, chirped to Jack "Wake up, sleepyhead! You promised us labour, and there are lots of things to do today."
Jack groaned again, louder this time. Why did she have to room with Maggie, Cynthia, and Janet, the most annoying morning people she'd ever met? Because you couldn't stand the other women's gossiping and petty arguments, remember? You asked for different roommates and you asked for a different room, and you got what you asked for. But I didn't ask for this! I can't stand mornings! Stop whining and get out of bed! Slightly disturbed that she was having an argument with herself (and losing, to boot), she dragged herself up, then asked sleepily "What time is it?" She nearly screamed in frustration when she heard the reply.
"Nearly 6, sleepyhead! We have a long day ahead of us, and we can't spend it lounging in bed, can we?" Janet said, with an impish grin. Jack, who was on the way down from her top bunk, tripped and nearly fell flat on her face in shock. 6? In the morning? What has she gotten herself into? Trying to keep her balance, she leaned on the rickety bunk bed and changed into old jeans. After tying her hopelessly tangled mane into a messy ponytail, Jack muttered to herself, and followed the women out the door.
She plodded into the large, industrial sized kitchen, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. When she saw who was in the kitchen, she wished, once again, that she was back in bed. "Mornin', Jack" greeted Creedy and Quinn, very much amused by her "morning face", and not even bothering to hide it. Jack, stopping mid-rub, squinted at the pair, who were chuckling into their coffee mugs. At first irritated, then also amused, she stretched out her arms, and walked stiffly towards the two, growling, becoming a rather disgruntled Frankenstein.
"Coffee…Coffee…" Jack chanted, earning a snort from Creedy and a howl from Quinn. Suddenly herself again, she grinned, and grabbed another mug. "You two are so easily amused." Switching subjects as quickly as changing her moods, she asked "How do you guys do it? I mean, I can't get up this early, unless my life is at stake."
"You got up this morning, didn't you?" Quinn pointed out.
"Yes. Because my life was at stake." Jack grinned again, and quickly wiped it off when she saw her roommates look over from the other side of the kitchen. Jack sank down on a chair, and pretended that she hadn't said anything. Janet, sensing something was going on, looked at Jack suspiciously, while Jack returned an equally distrusting look.
After getting their breakfast, Janet, still uneasy, ordered "Downstairs, courtyard, IMMEDIATELY!" Jack rolled her eyes, gulped down the last of her coffee, and sent Quinn and Creedy a silent, but clear pleading look. They gave her helpless ones back. When Janet wanted something, she got it, despite interference. It was best just to stay out of her way.
It was mid-afternoon, and the courtyard was decorated with candles ready to be lit, the feast was well underway towards being ready, and Jack was hooking up an old boombox to the generators. All day she'd been slaving for Janet, and under her hawk-like gaze, Jack couldn't escape. Jack, feeling like her back was going to give way, grimaced as she stood up. Maggie noticed, and feeling slightly guilty, sent Jack away. "We're done for now. I think you've earned a break. Go. We can handle things from here. If you see Jared, send him over; he's always willing."
Jack thanked her profusely, and headed out. After stopping in the kitchens for a snack, she went to the infirmary, where she usually was on duty. There, Jack found Jared, substituting for her. It was quiet, and empty. After sending him to the courtyard, she sat down on the cot, and took a bite of her roll, and leaned against the wall, exhausted. She didn't know when she fell asleep.
Quinn had been digging in one of the tunnels out of the boiler room when there was a minor collapse. It wasn't enough to knock him unconscious, but it grazed his left shoulder, tearing the skin and bruising it seriously. Dazed and in pain, he managed to wave away the rest of the concerned men, and convince them that he could find the infirmary by himself. Holding his shirt in his hand, but too injured to put it on, he managed to find the infirmary. Hoping someone was on duty, he opened the door.
When Quinn saw Jack asleep, something tugged in his chest, and he felt lightheaded. The sight of her sleeping, propped up against the wall, made him look at Jack in a completely different way. Of course, Quinn had always known she was beautiful in a wild, untamed way. But he had never been really aware of that fact. Until now.
Jack's hair, more disheveled than usual, escaped the ponytail it had been in, brightly contrasting with the drab stones behind it. Fascinated by the strands of colour, Quinn involuntarily wondered what it would be like to rake his hands through them, before pushing that thought aside. Tearing his eyes away from them, he contemplated waking her up, but Jack's expression stopped him. So solemn, filled with worry and fatigue; even in her sleep Jack seemed to be brooding. Knowing Janet, Jack must have been worked to the bone, and Quinn suddenly felt protective of her. Not even remembering his own pain, Quinn stayed standing, watching Jack with awed eyes.
He didn't have to wait long; she woke up almost immediately. When she saw Quinn, she smiled drowsily before rolling off the cot and stretching. Jack raised an eyebrow, looking over Quinn's half-clothed appearance.
Jack may not have been very feminine, but she was a woman, nevertheless, and Quinn's bare torso didn't go unnoticed. She caught herself staring at his wide shoulders, the sinewy arms like braided iron, the rippling stomach, and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Stop staring! Since when do you act strange around men? It's not like you've never seen a man's bare chest before. Act natural!
"Now whaddya do to yourself, Quinn? How many times to I have to tell you, you're not old enough or big enough to play with the big boys." Jack joked a bit stiffly, pulling out supplies from the cabinets at the far end of the room. Suddenly turning serious, she asked "What happened?"
"Cave-in where I was digging; nothing too serious, it's not broken, I think." Quinn replied with a grimace. He couldn't help but notice the way Jack's hand brushed his shoulder as she wiped the dirt off. "Honestly, you don't have to fuss. It's just a flesh wound."
Jack stopped cleaning the gaping flesh, mid-wipe, and jabbed him in the side. Which was just has firm and muscled as the rest of his body. "Stop acting macho; it's not convincing me. You should have made sure it was safe by putting up reinforcements or something. Now just keep still. You're making my job harder, sodding wally." She chided him, glad that he hadn't spotted her momentary awkwardness. The last thing she wanted was discomfiture between them; their friendship had turned out to become one of the most important things in her life.
The wound cleaned and bandaged, Jack told Quinn to just take it easy for a while. No heavy lifting, intense manual labour, the usual. She also told him that it's ok to let others do their share. "Look at Janet, Quinn. You don't see HER feeling guilty about ordering me around, do you? It's not like you're going to turn into some sort of dictator; if you did, I'd pound you clean through and feed you to my horse." Jack said with a grin.
Quinn just waved the advice away. He attempted to put his shirt back on, but found that he couldn't move his shoulder. The throbbing was strong, and as much as he tried, he couldn't control his arm. Jack noticed, and dropped the rest of the stuff on the cot, and turned to help him out. "Here, let me. Before you rip it open further." Jack said, trying to ignore his bare skin, so close to her.
Gently, she eased the sleeve over his left arm, which was hanging limply in front of him. She made sure it didn't push the bandages out of place, and tugged it over his head. As the shirt fell into place, Jack unexpectedly met Quinn's eyes, and for a moment, the air seemed to crackle with unseen energy. Time stopped, and Quinn's mind was blank as he drowned in her emerald eyes. It was at that moment that the tables turned, the balance shifted, and status quo changed. Everything suddenly became different, and though both felt it, they couldn't describe it or even identify it, for that matter.
And then, as suddenly as the moment started, it was over as Jack cleared her throat. Quinn blinked, stunned. Dazed by the moment, he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Neither one said anything.