What's Meant For You
She loved him when he let her in his home during the chicken epidemic at 10. She loved him at 16, when he swallowed his hatred and took her to homecoming. She loved him on the night of their graduation, when he spent all night worshiping her. She loved him when he left without a trace. She loved him when he didn't call, text, or email for five years.
And, fuck her, she loved him when he turned up out of nowhere, asking for her forgiveness.
Huey P. Freeman x Jazmine DuBois
Romance. Hurt/Comfort. Friendship. Family. Humor.
Rated M
Chapter Eleven: City of Dreams
*I don't usually place these warnings, as you know, but so that you have an idea of some of the experiences Huey had while in Chicago, I'm going to let you see them in a sense. This is, however, a warning as some of these memories or experiences may be a bit detailed. If this is something that makes you uncomfortable, I'll leave an indicator for when they end.*
He didn't remember it being so bright... The sun shining in through the window. There was no was, within this brightness, that they could have seen the hale of bullets coming. And endless rain that shattered the glass. Drew blood from one of its inhabitants. Just narrowly missed his own head.
Was it really this bright? This blinding?
Huey.
They screamed but he couldn't recall the sounds. But even in the distance, he could feel their heartbreak. He leaned against the tree beside him, appearing every bit the casual onlooker. But he was everything but. For the old, beaten teddy bear that was consumed by flames sat atop his cousin's grave.
His innocence - one one thing he'd maintained that the attendance hadn't - was stolen.
Huey.
'Late night studies, boy?'
He just barely acknowledged the presence as he made his way down the final step before the library's entrance. He walked past the blue uniform.
'I'd be careful," he said casually. 'Some parts of history are best left uncovered.'
Huey.
'Why are you even here?' Marcus roared.
He reached for Huey, anger evident in his gaze. Huey stepped aside, grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back before slamming his face down against the table. He released him, letting him collapse. As concerned cries filled the house, Huey looked down at him with an emotionless gaze.
'I'm here because you got your son killed,' he said calmly. 'And you're incapable of resolving the matter on your own.'
He stepped over him and made his way into his room.
Huey.
'Of all the Freeman men I've met in my life, I must say, I have the most respect for you.'
He kept his head down, watching his movements from the blood that slipped down his face.
'Your family put you in this situation and still, you're here, not doing the one thing that would save you. Just give me what you know and you can return to them.'
He didn't move. Didn't speak. Just sat in place.
He heard a sigh. And then a clean blade slid along his side. His blood was warm down his body. He didn't cry out. Or groan. Or even his. He sat still.
'What the fuck, Howard? This wasn't a part of the fucking deal!'
Huey.
'You said he may have found something. I'm just trying to find my sons so we can resolve this matter.'
Huey felt his hands being freed and an arm looping around him to help him stand.
'He's the only key to the end of this, Jay,' Howard called after them as he took him out of the building.
Jay placed Huey in a car.
'Get his home. I have something I need to do.'
Huey.
Her cries rang through her home as she clutched a shirt close to her. It rested perfectly above her heart and her swollen belly. Huey sat beside her.
'Please don't hate him,' she sobbed. 'He never meant for it to happen. He just wanted us to be safe. He wanted it to stop!' She choked out another sob, crying helplessly.
Huey placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Huey.
'Are you sure?' Huey felt the scar healing salve cooling the skin of his back. He nodded once.
'She won't make it,' he said. 'And even if she did, it's her against the rest of them. She'd be placed in a compromising position.'
He heard a sigh from behind him. When he heard her trying to stand, he moved quickly to help her. Her familiar green eyes shined with gratitude.
'It won't be easy, my boy,' she warned. 'But if you're serious about protecting her, I know exactly who you need to speak to.'
Huey.
'I want them, Huey,' Percy said, anger flashing in his dark eyes. 'If they hadn't... She'd still...'
Huey continued to stare down in eyes that felt so familiar. And she stared back, focused, calm, and curious. He rocked her gently.
'How close are you?' he asked.
'Closer than the rest of you.'
He walked away, leaving Huey alone with the bundle in his arms.
Huey.
'She's beautiful.' Huey's eyes soften as he watched the older woman cradle the bundle in her arms. 'I promise you no harm will come to this child. She'll be safe here.'
'Are you sure you can do this, Nana?' Huey asked. 'I don't know how long it will take me to get this in a position for her to return.'
'I'll have some help.' The glint in her eyes was somehow comforting.
Huey.
He was happy he didn't try to convince himself he was overreacting. It helped him be prepared for anything.
'What the fuck are you doing here?" Huey growled. The man beneath him was on his stomach while Huey had his arm twisted painfully behind his back. He yelped.
'The girl! Howard wanted the girl!' he confessed quickly.
'What the fuck for?' he asked as he twisted his arm further up. He could hear familiar footsteps around the house.
'I don't know,' he yelled.
Huey glared down at him for a moment longer.
Huey.
Then he dislocated his shoulder. The man screamed. His relatives came bursting into his room just as he lifted the man off of the floor and turned him around to look into his terrified eyes.
'What did he tell you?' he asked.
'Nothin' bro, I swear!'
Huey cocked back and slammed his fist against his jaw. They all heard the crack. He lifted his foot and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying back. Everyone stood at the door, not daring to enter.
'What did he tell you?' he repeated.
The man only whimpered, cowering as Huey took steps towards him, wine eyes hardened in shining in the moonlight spilling through the window.
Huey.
Even though Huey was incredibly pleased by the shocked expression on his face, his face remained stoic. Silently, he walked to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. He pulled the unconscious body of his attacker out of the car and dropped him onto the pavement. Blood covered his body.
Howard watched his every move, mouth ajar. Huey looked at him with hard, dangerous eyes.
'My suggestion to you,' he said, 'is to stay the fuck away from the child.'
He got back into the car and drove off, leaving Howard looking after him.
Huey.
Huey sat in comfortable silence, holding a calm Alicia in his arms. She played with the daisy in her hands as she sat on her father's lap. Huey rocked her gently, enjoying the clean air and warmth of the sun. He let his head fall back against the pale pink marble headstone, turning to look at the abundance of flowers left there.
'You deserve each one,' he said to no one. 'Even more.'
He looked down at Alicia, who was blissfully unaware of the emotions that swirled through him.
'I could never thank you enough for what you did for me. For us.'
He sat for only a moment longer before standing, resting a single rose atop the grave, and taking Alicia on a walk through the beautiful Italian vineyard.
Huey.
He did his best to ignore the pain as he kicked in the door of the quaint little home in Zion.
Huey moved with purpose to the bedroom near the back. He found Lionel cowering in the corner.
'Please,' he begged. 'If you want money, just take it and leave.'
'Fuckin' seriously?' Huey grumbled.
Lionel looked up then and his eyes widened.
'Are you-?'
'None of that matters right now. You comin' willingly or not?'
Lionel seemed to consider this for a moment before making what he thought to be a mad dash around Huey, nearly falling over as he rounded the corned. Huey rolled his eyes and walked after him.
Just as he made it to the door, Huey pressed into a pressure point in his neck, effectively knocking him out. He lifted him easily and carried him to the car, where two others waiting in a state similar to Lionel, with much more blood.
Huey.
Throbbing. His head. His back. His arm. His leg. All throbbing from each blow of the crowbar. But he ignored the pain. He was entirely too close to the finish line to do anything else.
He parked outside of the abandoned building and got to work moving the three unconscious, tied up passengers. Once they were settled, he took out his phone and sent the pre-written message.
Huey.
Commotion. So much noise. Their voices. He felt his eye begin to twitch.
'Yo shut the fuck up,' he boomed, his deep voice echoing off of the walls. Shocked, both parties stopped speaking to look at him. 'I don't give a fuck what happens between you tonight. You can let it go or kill each other. It doesn't matter to me. But after tonight, you're done. And should I find out you aren't, or you pull me into your shit again, everyone pays. From the elders to the children.'
'And just who the fuck you think you are to make idle threats like that?' Howard ask.
He straightened when Huey turned his dark eyes on him. 'The nigga who make threats come true. But if you want to test just how idle this threat is, fuckin' try me, nigga. Please.'
Silence befell them all again. Huey looked around the room, to the faces of his relatives and their opposition. He shook his head and made for the exit.
'That's seriously it?' Marcus asked. 'You leavin' like that.'
Huey stopped, sighed, and turned to face him. 'What would you like to happen, Marcus? A fucking hug? I didn't spend the last five years of my fucking life here so we be best friends. I came to do a job. My job is done.'
'After five years of this shit - getting shot at, surviving arson, gettin' attacked, and watching people die - you have no feelin's at all? You don't want shit to do with the conclusion?'
'I didn't want shit to do with the conflict at all,' he said, decidedly done with the conversation. 'Don't forget what I said.'
And he left.
Huey.
* END OF SAD SCENES *
'Pretty, Daddy,' Alicia said, looking out of the window of the ferris wheel. She stared in awe of the beautiful city, lit by a vanilla sky.
'Very pretty,' he agreed, kissing her head. He looked on too, wanting to spend his last day here reminding himself of its beauty.
Huey.
"Huey..."
Huey's eyes opened slowly. He looked up to the concerned eyes of Jazmine. He reached up and touched her cheek, brushing it with his thumb. The early morning sun made her glow.
"Are you okay?" she asked, studying him.
He pulled her down and kissed her. Slowly. Lovingly. Carefully. She blinked rapidly when he pulled away, a blush staining her cheeks.
"I love you."
She placed her hand over his and kissed his palm.
"I know," she said. "I love you too."
"Stay with me this week."
She smiled down at him. "Okay," she said. "I need to go get some clothes and pick up my car."
"Later," he said. "Right now, let me hold you."
With a blush, she cuddled back into his chest. He slipped a hand under her shirt and touched her skin. They didn't sleep. They didn't talk. They just rested together, enjoying their moment of peace.
Something was off. And the feeling was immediate. Jazmine moved through her house with caution, forcing her heart and her breathing to calm.
Her steps were slow and silent. She listened for any movement.
She heard none.
She moved through every single inch of her house, searching for what, she wasn't sure. It wasn't until she got to her bedroom that she found a small note on her bed, written in her father's neat, familiar handwriting.
'Not everything is as it seems. If you meet me this Friday at 9 pm near the pier you used to love, I'll explain it all. - Dad'
Jazmine read the card again and again and again, each time, fresh tears fell from her eyes.
She couldn't lie to Huey even if she wanted to. The second he looked at her, his demeanor changed.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he shut the door behind her.
With a sigh, she removed the letter from her pocket and handed it to him. He read over it.
"Where did you find this?"
"In my bed." His head snapped up. "I left in a hurry last night. I didn't lock up as well as I should have."
"Did you search the house?"
"Every inch. No one was there but me."
He stood silently for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, he grabbed her bag from her and carried it up to his bedroom. She followed him wordlessly, waiting for what he planned to say.
"Shower," he said. "I'm gonna have everybody come to the house so we can discuss this."
He kissed her forehead and left her to it, closing his bedroom doors behind him. She stared after him before sighing herself and going to prepare for the evening.
She settled for a camisole with lace trim and shorts that ended just past her ass. Just as she was pulling her damp hair into a bun, the bell sounded.
She met Huey at the bottom of the stairs. He looked her over and pulled her in for a kiss, resting a hand on her ass.
"I'm going to go make some lunch," she said against his lips, leaving him to welcome everyone in.
As she was getting lunch ready, Sarah and Cindy walked into the kitchen. They exchanged hugs.
"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, looking into her eyes.
"Yeah," she said slowly. "I think so. He told me what happened. I mean, as much as he could without me having a mental breakdown."
"So what happens next?" Cindy asked. She began helping Jazmine prepare lunch for everyone.
"I'm not really sure," she said. "I mean, it's not technically like we're together but... I mean... I don't know."
"You'll figure it out," Sarah promised, kissing her head. She made her way to the living room. Cindy waited until she was sure their mother was out of earshot before she spoke.
"So did you fuck him?"
Jazmine smacked her arm. "No I did not fuck him as you so eloquently put it! He told me and then we went to sleep."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "He tells you he survived whatever the fuck and you go to sleep? Jesus H Christ, Jazz, no wonder you aren't together."
"Cin!"
"I'm kidding!" she said with a smile. "Sort of. Are you waiting for New York? That would be really nice."
"Why must I rush this?"
"No offense to you and Huey but we have been waiting for almost 14 years for you all to finally get together. To be a real couple who gets married and has kids and all that shit."
"We?"
"Yeah, we," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Me, Mom, Riley, Grandad, Regina, Uncle Rukus, our high school principal-"
"Okay, I get it," Jazmine said. "I don't know Cin. We'll figure it out as we go along."
Cindy opened her mouth to speak.
"Y'all ready?" Riley called.
"Yeah!" they called together, taking the food and heading out to join the group.
"You meetin' him?" Riley asked.
"No," Huey responded. "She's not."
"He was talking to me, Huey," Jazmine said. She looked at Riley. "I'm not sure that would do much good."
"It'll lead us to him," Cindy said.
"And we'll take care of the rest," Riley seconded.
"I can't let you do that, Riley," she said.
"Why da fuck not?"
"Because I won't let him be the reason you're put in a situation you shouldn't be in."
"Does he even expect you to go alone?" Sarah asked.
"Or at all?" Regina asked.
"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "I have no idea what state of mind he's in... I mean, if I was in the house, how would that have gone? Or has he been watching the house to make sure that I wasn't home? I'm not sure it's a good idea to meet him right now."
"What if you don't show?" Cindy asked suddenly. "What if he tries to get your attention again?"
"In a way that can't be ignored," Regina added.
Silence fell over them. Jazmine could feel anger radiating off of Huey. She placed a hand on his back and rubbed it gently.
"That won't be happening," Huey said suddenly. "We're moving your stuff into my house."
Jazmine didn't respond immediately, but he noted that her eyes darted to the stairs, as Alicia was currently down for a nap. "It'll never come to that," he said.
"We don't know that, Huey."
"We'll keep her," Cindy said. "We'll be some distance away in the apartment, it has its own security on top of Huey's, and I been waitin' to buss a nigga in his head."
Huey looked at Riley, whose expression mirrored his own. They seemed to be having a conversation no one else is privy to.
"Aiight," Huey said finally, still looking at his brother. It was another moment before their eye contact was broken.
"Thank you," Jazmine said quietly.
"What about New York?" Sarah asked.
"We're still going," Huey said. "I have a few calls to make before then, but it shouldn't be a problem."
Jazmine frowned but didn't say anything about it. She'd bring it up later.
"Let's go get everything you need," Cindy said, standing.
"Ill ride," Riley said. He tried to stand but Cindy put a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll be fine," she said.
"How you know?" Riley asked.
"He needs something from her," Huey answered. "He's not going to upset his chances."
Cindy shot him a wink. "And," she added, "next to your daughter, she's one person you never have to worry about with me." Her eyes held promise. Huey nodded his understanding.
"Come on, Jazz. Let's hurry and get you back."
"So you want to tell me or should I tell you what my guess is?" Cindy asked as she helped Jazmine pack.
"What are you talking about?" Cindy rolled her eyes.
"I met you when I was eight, Jazmine. Don't insult me."
Jazmine rolled her eyes and remained silent.
"I'm sure he won't be too concerned with all of this when we're in New York." Jazmine shot her a surprised look. "I told you not to insult me."
Jazmine sighed. "I'm not sure how true that is."
"Why don't you ask him about it?" Cindy asked. "He answered pretty quickly and confidently about us going. He must have a plan."
"Maybe so," she said, not convinced.
"If he's having trouble, remind him of what he missed while he was away. You are sharing a room in New York City, after all."
Jazmine seemed to consider this. "Maybe..."
Everyone left not too long after Cindy and Jazmine returned. Riley and Cindy agreed to get Alicia tomorrow afternoon to give them some time with her. She was currently still sleeping.
"I want to go wake her up," Jazmine said as she dried her hands. She just finished the dishes.
Huey chuckled from his place at his island. "She'll wake up soon," he promised "Am I not good enough company?"
She grinned at him then. "I mean, you're alright. But I'll be stuck with you for weeks!"
"Stuck, huh?" he asked, making his way over to her.
"Yes, stuck," she giggled. Once he reached her he placed her on the counter top, slipping between her parted thighs.
"If that's how you feel, the rest of your life is gonna be hell," he whispered before kissing her. Deeply and slowly. She moaned against his hips, trailing her hands up his chest while his moved along her thighs.
Knowing what she knows now, these kisses felt different. More meaningful. It stood to remind her that this life can be fleeting. And she never wanted to take a bit of it for granted.
When she bit into his lip he pulled her closer. Kissed her harder. And she welcomed him. She wanted to feel him.
He chuckled against her before pulling away. "Eager," he whispered.
"I missed you," she replied.
"Me too," he said. "Did you want to talk about anything?"
"Yes. But not right now. Maybe tonight, once we get Alicia into bed I can make us some tea."
"That sounds perfect," he agreed, kissing her gently once more. When he pulled away, they heard Alicia rustling about in her room.
He moved to head up the stairs, bringing him back to look at her. He noticed the dark glimmering of her eyes immediately. "And maybe some alone time later?"
He nodded. With a grin, she held his chin in her hand and brought his lips to hers, kissing him deeply and slowly, biting his lip as he pulled away. When her eyes flicked to his, she found a familiar, satisfying heat there.
She hopped off the counter and headed for the stairs. "But family time for now," she called over her shoulder before bounding up the stairs. Alicia's elated squeal sounded just a few seconds later.
Huey was grateful for the laughter that filled his home. It brought him a sense of peace.
The afternoon had been filled with games and mindless chatter - something he never thought he would enjoy in his younger days. But having a family was the most important thing to him now. Having a normal life. And he'd do anything he needed to in order to have it. So when Jazmine sat down with their tea that evening, he was ready.
He told her of his dreams. Of the parts that she may not have wanted to hear. But he also told her of the lessons he learned and some of the beauty he witnessed that could only be found in Chicago.
She listened well, engaging in conversation with him. Asking questions when appropriate. Fighting tears. Expressing her gratitude for his presence today. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but their tea had long since been finished, the dishes were cleaned, and they were cuddled together in his bed, silently enjoying one another.
She rested on his chest and let him draw random patterns in her lower back.
"Thank you for sharing with me, Huey," she whispered.
"Thank you for listening," he replied, kissing her head.
"What happens with us now?"
"What do you want to happen to us now?"
She didn't respond right away. "I want to work on our relationship."
"In what way?"
"In a way that leads to us having a full, happy family. Me, you, Alicia, and whoever else we create together."
Huey paused for a moment, letting her words settle in his mind.
"Okay," he said. "Let's work on that."
She raised her head and kissed him. "I love you, Huey Freeman."
"I love you too," he replied.
That night he slipped into an easy, dreamless sleep.
ThickBlackGirl - Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter!
Bulma's Ego - You know how much I appreciate you! I'm so glad you felt something with that chapter and I really want to thank you for your constant encouragement.
We're going to New York next chapter! And we also have some Tom developments on the way. Thank you guys so much for being there with me! I got sick last night and I'm not feeling super good today so I really appreciate you all's patience with me. I'm going to start writing again soon, I just don't want to write some weird fever dream. Lol.
I love you guys so much. Thank you for rocking with me.
So much love - Q.I.