Will You Teach Me… ?

Happy New Year everyone! Oh, I'm so glad to say that! You can't even imagine what a shitty December I just had (I got sick, had a car accident, a MASSIVE family drama, and all that combined with the usual Christmas-anxiety… I'm GLAD we're in January!). And I am also glad to be able to update!

We left Brianna when she was about to join Jocasta and Stephen for their first dinner as husband and wife; trust me, this evening will not be a cakewalk! I hope you have fun reading this chapter as much as I had fun writing it, and I look forward to reading your comments! Enjoy!

Thanks Lancessweets, Brunette-in-black, sammiemarie123, Miikii59 and Aelle21 for hitting the follow/fav button, and Rath101 as well as LykkeF for your reviews!

Rath101: I hope you saved some popcorn for this chapter, you're gonna need it! Lol As always, thanks for your review, darlin' !

LykkeF: Yeah Bree's safe (for now)! But Stephen only needed to torture her in order to win the trial more easily. Now, he might change tactics and reveal his true motivations… :p Hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for your comment!

~o~

5. Too Good At Goodbyes

Still holding Brianna's hand, Bonnet led her slowly down the stairs, as prescribed by decorum when escorting a lady. He could tell from her trembling fingers and stiff attitude that she was uncomfortable, and though it annoyed him, he gave no outward sign of it. The trial was over. He had allowed her to keep her son and her family house. Then why was she acting like this? It couldn't be about the tavern? That had happened years ago… Yes, he had manhandled her a bit, but a woman like her, alone after dark in such a place… she was looking for trouble. Why would he be the only one to blame? MacKenzie was also partly responsible and yet, Brianna had married him. There had to be something else... Another reason for her behavior.

"Are you angry with me?", he asked, as they reached the staircase. Brianna froze and stared at him with an undefinable expression. "It's not because I pushed you over the edge in front of the Judge, is it?"

The young woman frowned and curled her upper lip, both surprised and outraged that he could think this was the only reason why she was not being so friendly with him. He was wrong all along and he didn't even realize it.

"It was necessary, otherwise you wouldn't have accepted my offer. And I must admit that MacKenzie was splendid in his role as a negligent father. Very helpful… Anyway, can't we just let bygones be bygones? Start again with a clean slate?"

Brianna gulped and had to force the words out of her mouth. "A... a clean sl-..." No, it was so ridiculous she could not even finish her sentence.

"I'm no longer the man you met four years ago... I now have more than one diamond to offer you. You and Jeremiah."

I don't give a shit about diamonds!, she yelled internally, closing her eyes to take a deep breath, just before Ulysses' voice startled her.

"Mrs. Innes is waiting for you in the dining room…", the butler said, also surprising Bonnet who loosened his grip around Brianna's fingers. She didn't wait for him to pull himself together and withdrew her hand. Ulysses' intervention had finished getting on Bonnet's nerves, and he made his way heavily down the stairs, his knees turned slightly outward, and not straight as a gentleman. But he remained silent and followed Brianna to the table where Jocasta already sat, motionless and stiff as a poker. Two more places were set on the huge wooden table and Bree turned to her aunt.

"Won't Mr. Innes be joining us?", she asked, as Bonnet walked behind her to pull up her chair and invite her to sit down. She did so, already hating his unbearable little gentleman's show. He then went to his own chair, glancing appreciatively at the wine catties on the table. Without waiting for a footman, he took the crystal stopper off one of them and began to pour himself a drink, before stopping dead in his tracks, visibly embarrassed.

"My husband left in a hurry tae have his hunting lodge in Virginia prepared fur our arrival. We will need a roof over our haids, until we find something more suitable", replied Jocasta, while Bonnet hastened to correct his mistake by serving wine to both women, then completing his own glass.

The pirate smirked. "This is such wonderful news. I'd feel really bad about myself if you had to live in a gloomy inn or even on the streets. Although the nights are quite warm in the summer, it wouldn't be that bad…"

"Oh, I am sure ye would have recommended a few places. Ye're a regular customer, I've been told", Jocasta replied, taking an exaggeratedly slow sip of wine. Bonnet immediately scowled but had no time to retort: footmen had showed up with dishes full of meat, vegetables and sauce.

As they served him, Bonnet kept giving them sideways glances, as if he was expecting them to make an attempt on his life – even the frailest of slaves who coated his meat with a spoonful of sauce. Suspicious, threatening and fearful at the same time... Maybe that's what you get when you betray every human being you meet..., Brianna thought as the footmen served her as well. He had that look with pretty much everyone, even Forbes, his own partner in crime. At that moment, the pirate's eyes turned away from the footmen and rested on her, going from suspicious to lecherous, with a hint of mischief. Everyone except me…, she corrected, looking down to her plate.

"I hope ye dinnae mind my askin', Mr. Bonnit, but how exactly dae ye plan tae manage the plantation without any experience in the matter?", Jocasta asked softly as the Irishman reached for a bread roll and directly bit into it.

"I have no intention of managin' it", he replied with his mouth full, which did not escape Jocasta's keen hearing.

"I'm sure you'll leave that to Forbes...", Brianna spat disdainfully.

"Absolutely not." This time, both women seemed puzzled, but the Irishman waited until he had swallowed his mouthful of bread before he answered. "I will sell the cultivated land."

"I beg yer pardon?", the ex-owner protested, straightening up on her seat. Behind her, Ulysses raised a worried eyebrow.

"I just wanted the house. I have no need for the land around it. My business pays enough to support my wife and son."

"What kind of business, if I may ask?"

Bonnet smirked at the old lady, although she couldn't see him. "You do not need to know that..." He then swallowed a piece of meat, nodded appreciatively and went on: "You will also take your slaves away with you. I make it a practice to pay every single one of my employees. A way to ensure their loyalty, if you will."

"Until a more generous offer comes up...", Brianna muttered staring at her plate, but as he leaned over the table towards her, she couldn't help but glance at him.

"I am always the most generous offer, darlin'..."

Bree frowned – his insistent and lecherous gaze implying there was a double meaning to his words – and brought her fork to her mouth to hide her contempt. Her aunt's voice rose again, asking who was the bigwig behind Bonnet's meteoric rise in society, but Brianna didn't listen to the man's answer – which would certainly be puffery, anyway. The young woman was gradually losing her temper, caught between her aunt and her rapist pretending they were able to have a normal conversation despite the recent events. Of course, Jocasta's questions were not innocent: she was trying to figure out how a man like Bonnet had so easily stripped her of her lands and possessions. But the whole situation was too distressing for her niece.

Less than five minutes later, Bonnet had emptied his plate and was now busy soaking up the sauce with a piece of bread, under Ulysses' and Brianna's dirty looks. The Irishman noticed them and leaned over to Brianna again. "I'm not supposed to do this, am I?"

"No, you're not", she replied coldly.

He hesitated for a moment – his dripping piece of bread stuck between his thumb and forefinger, made a gesture to put it back on his plate, before swallowing it up to make it disappear faster. "You will have to teach me a few things. I'm sure your aunt would be glad to know she leaves you here with a gentleman."

Jocasta raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Brianna was faster this time. She was starting to lose patience with this mockery of a conversation. "I don't think anyone can teach you a damn thing."

"A damn-", Bonnet coughed, half-laughing and staring at her in amusement. "I'm always surprised to hear language like that from you, darlin'. You think someone lowly like me can't better himself?" The contemptuous look she darted at him was eloquent enough, but he didn't take offense. "What I need is something I can't buy."

"A moral compass?", Brianna quipped, slamming her fork back on her plate. She had squeezed her fingers so tight around the handle that her nails had left their print into her palm. Fortunately, Bonnet had not heard her – or he had chosen not to – and resumed his little speech without making the slightest move to slit her throat. Good for me, I guess?, Brianna thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jocasta turn to Ulysses. The old woman had probably felt that the conversation was getting out of hand.

"To make sure our son knows what to do, how to get on in the world. You can show me how to be in your world and in his. Show me what to do? How to be a worthy gentleman and no harm will come to you."

He had said that quietly, punctuating his sentences with fake smiles and adorable pouts. As if… As if it was supposed to reassure me? Please me? I don't understand a goddamn thing! What do you want from me?, Brianna yelled internally, her breathing quickening every second.

"Christ", Jocasta suddenly sighed with a hint of exasperation. "Those could have been lovely words if the last part had nae sounded so threatenin'."

All sweetness instantly left Bonnet's face and he stared angrily at the blind woman, who had just ruined what he had considered – by his own standards – to be a romantic moment. But before he could say anything, Brianna jumped to her feet, panting heavily and her eyes wide. The Irishman looked at her in surprise, not quite understanding what was going on.

"I can't!", she hissed. The fear and anguish that had been rising in her all day were now boiling over like milk out of a saucepan. "I can't do this! I… If you'll excuse me…" And without waiting for an answer, she ran out of the dining room to retreat into her bedroom upstairs. Slamming the door behind her, she realized she was alone. Jemmy and Phaedre were probably having dinner in the kitchens. She slowly dropped to the floor, her back against the door and her knees curled up against her, trying to calm her erratic breathing. But the more she tried to take deep breaths, the more the pain in her rib cage got worse and forced her to gasp. Soon the gasps turned into sobs and all the pressure of the day released in a pool of tears.

Three light knocks on the door startled her and she stopped breathing, waiting to know who was there.

"Brianna…"

She closed her eyes, hearing his deep, slightly hoarse voice through the panel. Covering her mouth with one hand in a futile attempt to remain silent, she froze and waited for him to leave… before she realized that she had not locked the door. If he turned the doorknob, he would be able to crack it open and that was already way too much. As quick as lightning, she straightened up just enough to reach for the key and locked the door, causing the Irishman to growl on the other side.

"Open the door…", he ordered, without raising his voice so as not to alert the whole household.

Fuck off!, she thought, leaning back against the door again, with her hands on the floor.

"Remember what I said after the hearing, darlin'… Think about Jeremiah… Makin' the lad happy will be much easier with you by me side, but I will not hesitate to take him away from you if you keep-..."

Brianna frowned, scandalized by the threat, but even more so by the fact he had stopped mid-sentence and sighed loudly, as if he had just realized that this was not the right method. She heard his boots scrape against the floor and pressed one ear to the door, on alert. When suddenly something warm and alive brushed one of her hands on the floor. Looking down, she saw that Bonnet had just slipped his fingers into the gap between the floor and the door, in an attempt to stroke her left hand. With a disgusted face, she clenched her right fist and smashed it on Bonnet's fingers, who withdrew his hand cursing loudly. With an indescribable feeling of satisfaction, she heard him get up and the door vibrated behind her back as he tried to open it again. Brianna stifled a cry, but the noise must have reached Bonnet's ears, for he immediately stopped. There was another sigh, and Brianna knew he was giving up. Soon, the boots turned around and he was about to leave when she felt the urge to ask him something that had been on the tip of her tongue for weeks.

"Why are you doing this to me?", she whimpered against the door, deliberately insisting on the last word. If he needed someone to teach him good manners and a nanny to take care of Jeremiah, he could have asked anyone. Why was he dogging her, especially? There had to be a reason.

The boots came back near the door and there was a dull thud, as if Bonnet had just plopped his forehead against the panel. He was so close she could even hear his heavy breathing, a few inches behind her back. There was a silence, so long and deafening, that Brianna thought for a moment that he would not give her any answer. But she was wrong.

"You saw something in me. You're drawn to me; we're drawn to each other. That's why fate has brought us together again… and again." Without even seeing him, she knew from his tone, that he was smiling broadly. "To be parents to Jeremiah. But to make it official, we needed a little help from the Judge."

He's fucking insane…, was Brianna's first thought. Her eyes had widened in horror at the mention of this "fate" that had supposedly united her with Stephen Bonnet. Before realizing one thing: Roger was right. His anger when he had known about her visiting Bonnet in prison was justified. Unintentionally, she had created some sort of obsession in the Irishman's mind. A sick obsession that had driven him to change what he was, hoping to get close to her and Jemmy. Without even actually knowing them. It's my fault... It's all my fault...

Tired of talking to a closed door, Bonnet had eventually left, but Brianna had not moved an inch, mentally flogging herself for that damn prison visit that had started it all. When Phaedre and Jemmy had come up from the kitchens, Brianna had made the maid swear to God that no one else was in the corridor before opening the door. But they were alone; Bonnet was not lurking in a dark corner, ready to pounce on her, as she expected him to be. Seeing the state in which the young woman was, Phaedre had ordered her to go to bed, using the fact that Jemmy was exhausted to convince her. Brianna had finally obeyed and a few minutes later, Phaedre had left the room – which Brianna had immediately locked from the inside – to let her rest with her son. The boy was already asleep, his little fist clenched around his new scarf and for a moment, she was envious of his ability to forget all of this dreadful day and sleep peacefully. Hours passed and though her eyes – dehydrated and swollen from crying – begged her for a break, she still couldn't close her eyelids. Around two or three in the morning, hunger took over and her stomach started to rumble. She had barely touched her plate at dinner and hadn't been able to eat anything for the rest of the day. With a sigh, Brianna got up silently so as not to wake the child, aware that she would not be able to sleep on an empty stomach. With infinite care, she turned the key in the lock, but it made a loud noise that seemed to echo throughout the house. Brianna cursed under her breath, listening carefully, but there was no movement behind the door. Opening it, she slipped into the moonlit hallway and went down the stairs to the kitchens.

The leftovers of a raisin-almond cake sat on one of the countertops, covered with a dish towel, and her stomach growled again at the sight of the dessert she had missed hours earlier. She took it, placed it on the small kitchen table, then turned to a cupboard to find a plate… freezing at the sight of the camp that the English soldiers had set up in the backyard. Tents, water troughs, campfires had been hastily set up a few meters beneath the windows. A few sleepy soldiers stood guard and she frowned as she remembered that these guys would escort Jocasta Cameron Innes out of her own house in a few hours.

"They'll be gone tomorrow…", a voice said behind her back, making her jump violently. Bonnet, wearing a simple loose blouse and breeches, was leaning against the doorframe and Brianna immediately took a few steps back to get as far away as possible. Her eyes instinctively searched for a way out, but there was only one exit and he was blocking it. In other words, she was trapped. The pirate seemed to understand he had scared her for he raised his hands reassuringly, and pointed at the cake raising his eyebrow. As Brianna didn't answer, he slowly approached the table, grabbed the pie server and cut two slices. Then he looked up at her and the plate she was still clutching between her fingers. Brianna stretched out her arm and put the plate on the edge of the table, forcing him to lean forward to get it. Once the slice of cake was served, he slid it back towards her, sat down at the table and motioned for her to do the same. Brianna's gaze moved toward the exit again, but fleeing was tantamount to giving up on food and therefore… sleep. Back to square one.

She slowly sat down at the other end of the small table and seized her plate between two fingers to bring it closer to her. Then with a clean three-pronged fork, she started to eat while keeping an eye on Bonnet's every move. He also grabbed a fork and stuck it in the second slice – directly in the dish – to cut off large pieces of it and gobble them up as if he had not eaten in days.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told the old hag to take all of her staff away with her… I will definitely miss the cook…", he said lightly. Seeing that Brianna wasn't reacting, he pursed his lips. "His successor should be here soon; I did not want us to be poisoned after a few days..."

Silence fell again in the room. Brianna patiently swallowed her cake, bite by bite, without paying him any attention and he glared at her. He wasn't used to being ignored, however, so he decided to change his tactics: ask a straight question, so that she would be forced to answer rather than let him struggle like a fool.

"Have you considered my proposal?"

As he had expected, her eyes left the cake to rest on him. She was silent for a moment. "What proposal?"

"To teach me how to behave like a gentleman."

Bree raised an eyebrow and stabbed her cake with her fork. "I can't do miracles. I think there is a chapel somewhere in the plantation, though. Perhaps you should try to light a candle there?"

The pirate chuckled and swallowed another cake bite. "By Danu, you sure are a feisty lass... And here I was thinking only the ugly ones had a talent for repartee..."

Brianna winced at his sexist remark, but chose not to react. "Why is it so important for you to become someone that you are not? I'm sure you realize that it wouldn't bring you any joy. Not that I care…", she hastily clarified.

"I want to be an example for Jeremiah", he said looking down, as if ashamed of what he was about to add. "But not only in high society. I want to be able to comfort him when he's sad, scold him when he's misbehavin', teach him how to be a decent man and tell him... how findin' out about his existence made me want to change."

"Sure. The new Stephen Bonnet is soooo different from the one I used to know…", Brianna muttered slowly. The old Bonnet would just take whatever he wanted by force, and the new one... does exactly the same thing. But this time with the help of people in high places, she added internally.

The pirate didn't seem to grasp the irony of her answer, however, for a broad smile immediately lit up his face. "Oh, so you've noticed, then?", he said, as she rolled her eyes discreetly. "That's all thanks to you, you know?" He squirmed on his seat to lean towards her, over the table, and Brianna had to fight the urge to push her own chair back. "When you came to me in the jail, and told me that there'd be something left of me on this Earth… I couldn't forget how that made me feel. For the first time in my life, I wanted more than money or… power. I wanted to have what everyone has: love. To love and be loved. Would you like to teach me that too?"

Brianna gulped, shocked by this unbelievable confession, and she shook her head. "I don't think love is something that can be taught..."

"Well, I've heard the expression 'learn to love'... Perhaps you could learn to love me for the sake of our son. I think I could easily learn to love you", he ended with a convinced nod.

At these words, Brianna choked on a crumb and coughed into her fist, while Bonnet stared at her smiling, obviously very proud of his little speech. Brianna had no idea what to say in response to his sick fantasy. If she rejected him, it would only piss him off for sure, and she had no desire to piss off Stephen Bonnet when she was alone with him in the middle of the night. But she also felt unable to lie to him and accept his proposal. So she did the one thing that seemed neutral and that guaranteed her own safety: give him a little bit of what he wanted, but not too much.

"Elbows off the table in polite society", she said dryly, speaking in the same tone she used with Jemmy when the boy got into mischief. Immediately, Bonnet straightened up, staring at his elbows accusingly, as if they were responsible for his poor manners. "And don't bend down to your food. You bring your fork up to your mouth."

In order to lend emphasis to her words, she took a small piece of cake, stuck her fork in it and with her back straight, delicately raised her elbow. Bonnet had watched her every move carefully, smiling lustfully as the food passed her lips, and imitated her. Despite the half-darkness and the wan moonlight through the window panes, Brianna could clearly see a flash of triumph in his green irises, as if this simple lesson meant to him that she accepted all of his terms. And when they went back upstairs, she was terrified for a moment that he would try to drag her to his room and consummate their marriage.

But Stephen Bonnet liked to savor his victories one after the other. And tonight's victory already had a delicious taste of raisins and almonds. So he just wished her good night, bowing awkwardly, and Brianna was able to return to her room, alone and shaking, waiting for him to close his own door at the other end of the corridor to lock herself in her room.

~o~

After a very short night, Brianna was awakened in the early morning by a terrible din. All over the house, trunks were being dragged, cupboards emptied and their content piled up in the entrance hall. Jemmy could hear it all through the door and looked anxiously at his mother as she opened her sleepy eyes.

"Mama, what that nose?", he asked, pulling Bonnet's scarf out of his mouth.

Brianna sighed but tried to sound reassuring. "Aunt Jocasta has to go away for a while with her husband… We'll stay here and take care of the house while she's gone… Do you think you can help me with that? Be a good boy and put away your toys when I ask you to?"

Jemmy thought for a few seconds, then nodded vigorously. With him, it was always better to break the bad news and ask him to act like a big boy right after. Jeremiah attached great importance to responsibilities, and he would never throw a tantrum as long as he felt he was being treated like a small adult.

"Is he stayin' wit' us?"

"Who?", Brianna asked as the boy waved his scarf. "Yes, Mr. Bonnet is taking care of the house too. But you don't have to go near him if you don't want to."

"I do."

Brianna frowned. Jemmy's answer had been a crippling blow.

"Yesterday he let me play on his lap."

"Daddy often puts you on his lap too", Brianna said with a soft smile, eager to change the subject. But Jemmy shook his head.

"Grandpa does. Daddy doesn't."

Indeed, the last time Roger had hugged or played with Jeremiah probably went back to several months ago, and a young child's memory being what it was, he probably did not remember. But luckily, he had had two loving grandparents and a mother to make sure he never lacked any affection. Still glancing worriedly at the door, Jeremiah had patiently waited for his mother to put on a simple skirt, a blouse and a large leather belt, before dressing him up as well. When Brianna finally unlocked the door, Jemmy rushed outside, and took off like a shot.

"Jeremiah! Wait for me! And don't run down the stairs!"

Only a loud cry answered and she stormed out of the room, already expecting to find her son downstairs, with a broken leg or arm. But Jemmy was perfectly fine, levitating about two meters above the wooden floor and falling back into a pair of massive arms. Bonnet had caught him and thrown him up in the air as if he was barely heavier than a kitten.

"What did Mama say?", the pirate scolded him. But smiling while scolding a child was a terrible method, and Jemmy just chuckled and shouted: "Again!", raising his hands to the ceiling. The pirate did not need to be asked twice and sent the boy up in the air again, while Brianna reached out reflexively. For the second time, Jeremiah fell in Bonnet's arms, laughing. But the Irishman had seen Brianna turn pale and decided not to panic her any longer. "Are you hungry, Jeremiah?", he asked, sitting the child on his shoulders.

Jeremiah seemed delighted to be taller than everyone else, especially since it would certainly be funnier to walk down the stairs that way than on his own two legs, and answered with a solid "yes". This time, Bonnet turned to Bree and stared at her expectantly, holding out his hand the same way as the night before. The only difference was that his other hand was not on his back but holding Jeremiah's leg on his left shoulder. "Would you… give me another chance?", he asked embarrassedly. Brianna did not answer and walked down the steps beside him, still refusing his outstretched hand.

After a quiet breakfast, Jeremiah's curiosity was drawn back to the commotion that disturbed the house and especially the heavy trunks in the entrance hall being carried away one by one in several horse-drawn carriages. When Jocasta finally came out of her room, on Ulysses' arm, Brianna could not help but think she looked ten years older than the previous night. If she had managed to keep her steadfast aristocratic attitude until now, the hustle and bustle of her imminent departure had cast a pall of sadness on her dead eyes. It's all my fault…, Brianna thought, fighting the urge to run to her aunt and hug her. Bonnet had confirmed it last night. She had caused all of this. Out of weakness. Perhaps out of pride, too.

But the worst part of the morning was when Phaedre appeared, wearing a traveling cloak over her usual apron. Brianna had not realized that her only friend and confidante would have to leave as well. She had accepted Jocasta's absence, but Phaedre's… she hadn't even considered it. "Is everything all right, Madam?", the girl asked, staring at her worriedly.

"I… Yes, I… I just hadn't realized you'd be leaving as well…", Brianna stammered, suddenly panicking at the thought of being completely alone with her son, at Bonnet's mercy, with no one to talk to. But now she thought about it, she couldn't place such a burden on the young maid's soul, out of pure selfishness. "That was kind of silly of me… Of course you have to go. Please take good care of my aunt..."

A few tears appeared in Phaedre's hazel eyes and she took Brianna's hand in hers. "Believe me, I wish I could stay..."

"Where you go?", said a tiny, angry voice, about a meter below them. Both women looked down at Jemmy, who was staring at his beloved River Run nanny with betrayal in his eyes. He hadn't blinked when his mother had told him Jocasta had to leave, but Phaedre had never been part of the deal. The maid knelt down to the floor and tried to take him in her arms, as she often did when they were playing together or to carry him from one floor to another. But the child took a step back.

"No! You stay! Not goodbye!"

"Jeremiah…", Phaedre whispered pleadingly. "Would you please say goodbye, we won't see each other for a while..."

If ever…, Brianna thought bitterly. Her son's upset expression had shattered her heart into a thousand pieces, but she did not know what to do to comfort him.

"NO!", the child barked again, before he started whining. This time, she hadn't had time to find a way to avoid the tantrum and no matter how much Brianna would try to convince him to act like a big boy, it was too late. Much too late.

"What the hell is going on here?"

After breakfast, Bonnet had isolated himself in the living room, and Jeremiah's screams had probably disturbed him in his activities.

Fuck…, Brianna swore, trying to grab her son, but he ran out of her reach, now crying his eyes out.

"Don't… wan'… Phaed'… leave…", the kid gasped, while Bonnet cringed. The noise wasn't pleasant, but if the boy did not even make proper sentences, he would never figure out what was going on.

"What did he say?"

"He does not want me to leave, Sir…", Phaedre answered sheepishly. "It's my fault. I should have used the back door so he wouldn't see me. I should go now."

This time, Jemmy's "NO" pierced everyone's eardrums in the room and Bonnet jumped, frowning. How could such a small fellow make so much noise? He turned to Brianna, with a questioning expression, as if mentally asking her where was the button to stop this diabolical machine.

"JEMMY, THAT'S ENOUGH!", Brianna yelled, terrified that Bonnet might lose patience and brutally silence her son. The child froze in surprise, then began to sob again, but at a lower sound level. Bree saw Bonnet squint, like every time he was up to something, then lean down to lift Jemmy up.

"There, there…", he muttered, resting the boy on his hip. "Yowlin' won't help, darlin'… Our son is obviously upset…"

Brianna crossed her arms in annoyance and shook her head. Bonnet was once again planning something to gain Jeremiah's favor. First the scarf, and now what?

"You really like erm… Phaedre, is that right, Jeremiah?"

Jemmy nodded, rubbing his wet face with his fists.

"What if I told you that I have the power to make her stay with us… Would you like that?"

Jem's head snapped up and he opened his eyes wide, before nodding frantically.

"It's settled, then. She can stay!", the Irishman concluded with a large smile. A smile that widened even more when the child wrapped his small arms around his neck, drying his last tears on his shoulder.

As for Brianna, she didn't know how to feel: she was relieved to have someone she trusted around, but she was also angry to see Jemmy fall so easily into Bonnet's emotional trap. The man didn't give a damn about Phaedre. He only wanted Jeremiah to love him. And what was easier to earn the love of such a young child than to give him everything he wanted? His mouth close to Jemmy's ear, Bonnet turned his evil snake gaze towards Brianna and whispered:

"You're welcome, son."

Jeremiah straightened up and looked at him with a puzzled frown, but nothing seemed abnormal in the man's attitude. And as the said man had just prevented Phaedre from abandoning him and saved the day, Jemmy decided not to ask any more questions. With a satisfied smirk, Bonnet put the child back on the floor and after one last glance around him, he disappeared back into the living room, locking the door behind him.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I'm sure you noticed that I took up some of the lines from the TV show in this chapter. I wanted to keep Stephen's motivations and give a nod to episode 10 (my favorite so far, haha).

What did you think of this chapter? About Stephen's behavior and Brianna's nervous breakdown? Stephen also seems decided to give Jeremiah exactly what he wants when he wants it. Do you think he could succeed and get Jem to love him?

Next chapter will be published in about 3 weeks top. Until then, I can't wait to read your comments and again, I wish you a wonderful year!

Xérès