a/n: According to some sources I'm not staying true to Julian's character. He's not as 'evil' as he is portrayed in the books, although I thought I was doing well with writing him as the bad-ass who has a heart (shrugs away the memory of the really sappy gooey softy mushy Julian parts that have been deleted). If you pick up anything that you don't think Julian would say or do in his circumstances, please mention it in your review. I'm doing this for your entertainment as much as my own (me bows down humbly) and thank you for taking the time to actually read and review in the first place!
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Nervously tucking a few loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear, Jenny gazed hesitantly at the decorative steel grey gate before her. There was an intercom to her left and Jenny pretended to press one of the buttons, giving a casual wave as her mother pulled the car back onto the road. She waited until the car was out of sight before staring at the gate again.
"Okay. Just...stay calm. Don't get too excited now, Jenny." She scolded herself sternly as she pulled her mobile from her purse, vaguely relieved that she didn't possess a pocket mirror like Audrey. She would be fussing with her appearance the whole time and besides, Julian had seen her in much worse condition before.
The memory of Julian's vulnerable side that had greeted her when she'd woken up after nearly drowning warmed her now and gave her another surge of strength, feeding her confidence. This was right. She knew it and believed it with every bone in her body.
And it's about time too, a little voice whispered gleefully in the back of her mind as Jenny selected Faye's number from her contacts list. Having finally gained clarity on what she really wanted, she felt more certain about things to come than she had before.
A sudden hoot from behind made her jump and she nearly dropped her phone as she spun around and hurried out of the way of a car, the person behind the wheel giving her an impatient look. Cheeks flushing brightly, Jenny stood aside and watched the gate open automatically. Her gaze turned resentful as she watched the car drive past her into the complex.
Jenny pondered a moment if she should just slip inside while the gate was open, or if Faye wanted her to wait outside to come fetch her personally. Shrugging, Jenny opted for the first and stepped into the complex, dialling Faye's number and pressing the phone to her ear as she wandered a few feet inside. It was a really nice complex, the villas screamed of luxury and class. Jenny pursed her lips. Of course, only the best would do for Julian.
The phone rang endlessly on the other line and Jenny felt slightly daunted. What if Faye had gone out and she was stuck in here? The idea of climbing over the gate wasn't enticing but knocking on a stranger's door and asking to be let out with the risk of being questioned how she'd gotten inside at all was equally humiliating.
Jenny lowered her mobile and cut off the call, wondering if she ought to call Tom to track down Faye. She wandered a few more steps and halted in her tracks when Faye came rushing around the corner in front of her.
"Hi... Faye, are you all right?" Jenny frowned, startled at the girl's pale face.
Faye hiccupped in total surprise, frozen on the spot as she stared back at Jenny. For a moment she wondered if Faye had forgotten she was coming over. Jenny's arms flailed, startled, when Faye abruptly threw her arms around her. "Jenny! Oh, thank you God, thank you God..." Faye sobbed.
Jenny's eyes widened in confusion and she held Faye back naturally. The girl was trembling from head to foot and her sobs tugged at Jenny's heart.
"It's okay... Faye, what's wrong? What happened?" Jenny asked, genuinely worried.
Jenny paused when Faye quickly disengaged herself, wiping furiously at her tears and drying her wet cheeks. Faye seemed to shake herself, sniffed hard once and linked her arm through Jenny's.
"You have no idea what good timing you've got, Jenny," Faye swallowed hard. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see you, I swear!"
Frowning, Jenny opened her mouth to question Faye again as she was firmly steered around the corner. Her words caught in her throat and her eyebrows shot up in weary surprise when Julian came storming right toward them. As she perfectly recalled, his unearthly beauty was like a bucket of icy water dumped over her; a shock to her senses. She struggled to regain her self control and not to stare at him like an idiot.
Jenny felt a momentary chill at the sight of him – burning blue eyes seething with something dark, a deep angry frown knitting his eyebrows together; there was purpose in his powerful stride and the expression on his godly chiselled face was murderous.
She watched his demeanour transform when his gaze rested on her. The tension in his shoulders fled, his features softened to a mixture of surprise and relief, his fiery pace slowed until he came to a halt right in front of them.
Jenny ignored the instant wave of gleeful revenge when it appeared Julian didn't even note Faye's presence at all. She blamed it on the touch of jealousy she felt whenever Tom would forget about her when Faye was around.
"Jenny, hi."
"I didn't come at a bad time, did I?" Jenny asked nervously, unable to tear her gaze from his.
"No, not at all." Julian's voice was gentle and filled with warmth that was nearly as frightening as the coldness she knew he possessed. "I wasn't aware that you were going to stop by."
Jenny wondered if he was nervous. The white shirt he wore was wrinkled as though he'd just woken up and had no time to change; his dazzling blonde hair was in slight disarray and hung messily across his forehead. She watched him slide his hands into his jeans pockets, such a simple gesture but done with such silky smoothness that she couldn't tame the sudden erratic beat of her heart even if she tried. Any thought of Julian being nervous fled her mind when Faye's words cut through her.
"You might have known if you hadn't decided to wrestle and interrogate me." Faye retorted sharply in defence.
"What?" Jenny blinked, frowning at Faye who was still clinging onto her arm.
"I didn't wrestle you. You tried to run away from me, Faye, you of all people ought to know how stupid that was." Julian retorted, an ominous note in his voice.
Faye blew out her breath, glancing back at Jenny with haunted eyes. "Let's not get into that right now, shall we? Come on, Jenny, I think you'll like our place."
Jenny felt uncomfortable when Faye didn't release her grasp on her arm and the uneasy realization that Faye was using Jenny as a shield was disturbing. The villa was spacious with rich mahogany furnishing and plush leather couches. It all screamed out high social status and made Jenny slightly envious of the rich lifestyle.
"So, what do you think?" Faye asked casually after giving Jenny a grand tour throughout the two bedroom villa.
"It's very nice." Jenny admitted, glancing admiringly at the thick ochre stained drapes around the bay-windows and the matching silk throw pillows scattered on the window bunk.
"So you like it then?"
"Yes. I could picture myself living in a place like this in the far off future." Jenny bit her lip uncertainly when Faye peeked at Julian pointedly.
"See, Jenny likes it."
Jenny glanced at the stormy glare Julian cast toward Faye and she tensed involuntarily. Faye steered Jenny to the lounge and sat down on the couch beside her. Julian remained in the arched doorway, folding his arms across his chest and leaning gracefully against the doorframe. His aura permeated menace and the ferocious look in his sharp eyes radiated a primal fury that threatened to shake Jenny through to the core.
"Would you like some coffee?" Faye asked warmly.
"Oh...I'm not much of a coffee drinker." Jenny admitted.
"Hm. Julian mentioned that little fact in one of his many reminiscent memories of you."
Jenny shifted awkwardly, her cheeks heating up involuntarily. "What?"
"Faye, stop..." Julian's voice was frosty.
"But unfortunately I can't really offer you anything else but water, Jenny, seeing as the only thing we have in the kitchen that is consumable is our last pot of coffee and half a cup of sugar. Yours truly would be to blame for that," Faye gestured toward Julian briefly. "He's like a breathing garbage disposal with two legs, he devours everything he comes across without, of course, stopping to think that here on Earth he can't make food appear out of thin air at his very whim. But then again, he's not really worried about us starving to death because in the end it'll come down on my shoulders yet again to save the day."
Jenny could feel her eyes grow wide in surprise at the mounting resentment in Faye's voice and she looked from one to the other, startled and confused.
"If you're having it tough why didn't you come to me for help?" Jenny asked and stiffened at the bitter laugh that Faye let lose.
"Because I don't grovel and Julian is just too arrogant to even think of asking anyone for help, including me."
Jenny watched Faye tense when Julian straightened up.
"What's going on between you two?" Jenny asked uncertainly, trying to suppress the tingly sensation of fear growing inside of her. This wasn't going well at all.
"Ah, good question. Would you care to enlighten your girl or should I do the honours?" Faye demanded snidely, rising to her feet.
Jenny felt like curling herself into a ball and hiding from the rising tension in the room. Some part of her mind registered that a wave of cold air blasted briefly through the room, instantly turning the raging fire in the fireplace into nothing but glowing red coals and scorched hot wood. Faye noticed it too and there was a cocky expression of dismay on her face.
"Okay..." Faye sighed heavily. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
Jenny cringed visibly. She wouldn't call Julian 'upset' – she'd never seen him so furious before and it froze her to the spot. She could barely breathe in the suddenly frigid air, and part of her wished Faye would shut up. It was as though the girl was purposely provoking Julian and Jenny didn't appreciate her efforts.
"You are getting on my last nerve." Julian bit each word off with such controlled loathing that Jenny could hardly stop herself from shuddering at the icicles scratching in his voice.
"Then I'll do us all a favour and get out of your hair. But please, allow me to remove myself." Faye shot back heatedly.
"You're not going anywhere." Julian's voice was awfully soft in comparison to what it had been a moment before.
"Then stop me. Go ahead, Julian, stop me." Faye spat back angrily and stormed from the room.
Julian didn't pursue her but he turned and watched her. "Faye!"
"I hate you!" Faye's scream from the next room reached them and the sound of the front door slamming echoed off the walls, leaving them in abrupt silence.
Jenny wearily watched Julian tilt his head back, wearing a mask of indifference at the sudden heart-felt declaration before he turned to look at her. There was no trace of the rage she'd seen in him a second ago – instead his eyes were a soft deep blue that left her slightly breathless and a satisfied smile was plastered perfectly across his supple lips as he glided over and seated himself beside her with ease.
"You didn't deserve to witness that little dispute." Julian said, his voice sounding a sweet melody in her ears and Jenny felt her heart rear back to life.
"It's... is Faye going to be okay?" Jenny asked, worried that whatever was going on was very bad. Jenny wasn't exactly close to Faye but her impression from hearsay according to Tom was that Faye wasn't openly emotional, that she ought to be the role model for cool, calm and collected.
"Faye will be perfectly fine." The way Julian said her name made Jenny get the disturbing hint that someone else most certainly wasn't going to be fine.
"You've had time. What is it that you have decided?" His voice chased the lingering fingers of unease from her mind.
Jenny looked up at him nervously. His eyes were dark with passion and she melted under their intensity. The wild impulse to wrap her arms around him and pull his lips down on hers was nearly stronger than her will. Jenny took a deep, steady breath. She wasn't going to just fall into his arms – she knew it was exactly what he expected and it was exactly what her body and heart was pleading her to do. But she didn't want to make him think she was easily influenced by her emotions, even though she knew full well she was.
I realized that you were right about Tom and me not being an ideal couple. I thought you were being selfish but I was wrong, Julian. The time for me to move on to better things has been long overdue and it's my own insecurity of the unknown that stopped me from accepting that. I want to be with you. She'd rehearsed it over and over, again and again that entire morning but now as she sat face to face with him, the words untangled and blurred into a disoriented mess in her head.
"Jenny," Julian pressed lightly, gingerly tilting her chin up with his fingers and holding her gaze evenly. "Who have you chosen?"
The unfairness of the situation suddenly crashed into her with such force that she physically jolted away from his touch, her breath catching in her aching chest. She had once thought it was unfair for Julian to force her to choose between her long-time, steady boyfriend and him, the wild exotic specimen that was obsessed with winning her over. It was only now, now that she had a different perspective on things, that she was able to see the situation Julian had been in all along.
He'd been obsessed with winning her over but what she had mistaken as malicious intent was anything but – he was helplessly in love with her against his will and his intention had been to swoon her, to awaken the emotions she felt stirring inside of her right that moment in response to his own.
Jenny reflected on the injustice of it all. She'd sworn herself to him and then locked him in a closet that she knew he hated; he sacrificed himself to save her life and throughout her entire life, since that day in her grandfather's closet, he'd been watching over her like a guardian angel, protecting her from dangers she'd been oblivious to. And when he was resurrected Jenny had the nerve – the cheek – to ask him for time, which he had given to her without question and with no limit.
She could barely grasp how he could stay so in control, asking her so kindly, so warmly, what her decision was.
Julian had dropped his hand to hers, running his fingertips lightly across the back of her hand, tingles following in the wake of his touch. He watched her with placid eyes, patiently awaiting her answer.
A simple phrase drifted to her mind and she felt her tongue loosen at its own accord.
"All I refuse and thee I chuse." Jenny finally found her voice. This time as she said the words, she really did mean it, believed it with her very being.
A flicker of surprise danced through the indescribable blue eyes locked with her own. Jenny felt herself come undone when Julian leaned forward. His lips were warm and demanding, the kiss slow and sweet. She detected a gentle tremor of emotion in his lips and she gave herself up to the kiss without another thought.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
a/n: Not to gloat but I think this chapter ended off better than I expected... I had to get Faye out of the picture though, she was trying to steal Jenny's moment. I would have ended it off here but... then the fact of whether Julian kills Tom or not still remains hanging, so there might be a couple more chapters to follow sometime... not saying that he definitely will but you never know ;)