So I'd say there's about 5ish chapters left in this fic. Then I'm considering republishing Seto's Silver Ace so that I can properly edit it, because I don't think it will all work now that I've written this one. Besides, if you haven't seen me say this before, I edit these all the time to make them better. I should be able to do it quickly and in chunks though. Is that acceptable?
~Seto's POV~
It was dark, and either very late or very early. I didn't care to know. I lay awake, Jem tucked under my arm. She was due to leave when the sun rose, and I was not fully comfortable with it yet.
"You shouldn't go," I said finally.
She stirred. "Wha-? Did you say something, Seto?" she asked sleepily.
"You shouldn't go. It could be a trap," I stated firmly.
She moaned comfortably and snuggled back into me. "It's not. Though Jude was sentenced to rehab, he still chose it voluntarily, as oppose to jail anyway... Because of that, even though he's still technically a minor, Florida law states that he doesn't have to release his medical information to his parents and he opted not to." She adjusted and it seemed like she was out again, but she pressed on, knowing what to give me. "He does have a release for me, though, so I'm the only one who knows he's getting discharged, aside from his two friends that he has told. They have no reason to tell Max..." she finished, again drifting off into sleep. She had thought this through and I couldn't argue.
All I could do was have her for these few hours more. After that I really didn't know how long it would be before I saw her again, which was normal, but before I always had the option should I want it. I didn't like having my options taken away. However, I hoped this would ultimately be a good thing. Perhaps now, with her out of the way, I could finally focus. That was what I hoped for, anyway, and not a continuation of sleepless nights.
~Jem's POV~
The plane ride had been, well, awful, and was only made worse once I exited the gate. "Oh, goddammit," I uttered at the sight of my welcoming party.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," greeted Sam, a huge smirk on his face.
Declan overlooked this. "We're here to get you to the clinic. Do you have any checked ba-?"
"No, I do not have any checked bags," I interrupted. "I'm just here to get Jude and turn around, and I don't need your help for that. In fact, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't try to help me." I charged ahead, leaving. I really did not have time for them.
"Jem, wait," I heard as Sam came trotting after me.
As he came up alongside me, I replied. "Sam, seriously, fuck off."
"But your brother sent us here to help you, doll face. Besides, I've missed y-"
I stopped and whirled around to him. "Sam, why do you like me? I am so mean to you!" I cried, beyond frustrated. I stepped toward him menacingly. "You want to impress me? Why don't you try fucking keeping my brother safe and prevent this shit from happening, hm?" I implored as I closed in on him, reaching out to quickly push his shoulders for emphasis when I got too close. This caught him off guard, only enough to trip back a step before he caught himself, but still, his attitude was gone. "I do not have time for your shit or your lines or your stupidity. I only have time for Jude. I suggest you figure out what that means, because it's what I expect from you if you still want to be friends with him after all this."
"But you can't-"
"Try me." I glared at him.
Declan approached gently, putting his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Come on, Sam. Let it go. We tried, we can't do anymore than that. It seems we've done enough." Declan I never minded so much, but Sam I could no longer tolerate.
Sam stared at me as Delcan slowly pulled him back, and I was on my way again.
I closed the door to the lingering taxi, a warm breeze immediately catching my hair, trying to pull it to cover my face. I closed the door and began to walk toward the entrance, raising a finger to gently pull the strands away. I was calm again as soon I as rid myself of the extras.
The clinic was planted away from other buildings. It was upscale—by the sea with thick tropical vegetation acting as a fence. I pushed open the glass door to the lobby. Immediately to the right there was a front desk built to cut through a wall. The space was warm with ivory walls and wide windows to the thick vegetation. There was a single, younger man there wearing grey scrubs. His eyes briefly widened when he saw me before he refocused.
"You must be here for your brother," he presumed.
"Yeah, I suppose you can't say 'Jude' until you confirm that."
He nodded welcomely as he looked down for what he needed. "You would be right. Ok, I need you to sign in here and I'll grab you a visitor lanyard..." he said more to himself as he handed me a clipboard.
Soon I was following him through a locked door into a hallway. As I trotted behind him, he turned, saying, "He's excited to see you. He's been in a great mood all day. He's just out there, on the patio."
I was able to see him through the window before we went out. Jude was alone on the wide, open stone, singing to the ocean with his guitar. As soon as the worker opened the door, I heard him.
"...and if my daddy thinks I'm fine
They tried to make me go to rehab, I won't go go go..."
"See?" asked the man. That's when I realized when he said "great mood" he meant "cocky".
I did not acknowledge this, but instead moved things along. "Jude!" I called.
He heard me and spun around. "Jemmie!" he cried, excitedly rising to stand on the edge he just sat on. There was a distance between us, so he changed his melody as he hopped down, greeting me with a new song.
"It's too late, baby, there's no turning around
I got my hands in my pocket and my head in a cloud
This is how I do when I think about you
I never thought that you could break me apart
I keep a sinister smile and a hole in my heart
You want to get inside, then you can get in line
But not this time
'Cause you caught me off guard
Now I'm running and screaming...
I feel like a hero and you are my heroine-"
That's where I cut him off. "I don't think the play on words is cute, Jude," I warned, unimpressed. He just smirked. As I feared, he saw no seriousness in any of this.
The worker again led the way to Jude's room to collect his things. As they gathered his bags, a young girl came to the doorway. She had messy, long dark hair that fell a bit in her face. She was dressed in comfortable clothes, which also meant she wasn't covered much with the Florida heat.
"So it's true... You're really leaving, Jude?" she asked, concern reflected in her voice.
Jude acknowledged her, going over to her. He leaned on the doorway.
I froze, deeper in the room with the worker. I realized, "This is why he was asked to leave?" I asked the worker quietly.
"She's just one of many 'reasons', if you get what I'm saying," he replied.
Jude comforted the girl, or something like that. "It's true, but we knew it had to come to an end. I will definitely be missing you, though," he quipped, smiling as he flirtatiously pinched at her hip.
"Are you going to call me? Do you want my-"
"Go, now," I commanded firmly.
The girl acknowledged me for the first time, now more concerned than before. "Jude, who is that?"
I didn't give him time to respond. I stormed over and turned her away, pushing her out of the room as she wasn't going fast enough. "I'm his sister. He's leaving," was all I gave her. As I turned I closed the door, keeping Jude inside with me.
"Whew, thanks, Jem. That could have taken a while," he thanked.
"I didn't do it to make it easier for you. You were just stringing her along further. Do you really think that's a good idea right now?" I accused, indicating the girl.
"Eh, whatever. You seem more tense than usual. Hey Jemmie, want to hear a joke?" he asked as we all turned, leaving with his things.
"What?" I asked flatly.
"Effie is at charm school. She begged Pops to let her go, saying it was unfair that you got to and she didn't."
I rolled my eyes. "That doesn't surprise me. She's an idiot. Speaking of idiots, Sam and Declan aren't here. I told them to fuck off."
"Aw... Well, you're busting me out, so all's good. So what are we up to, today?" he asked mischievously as we reached the front counter. The worker handed me some papers to sign for his release.
"We're leaving and continuing your detox," I answered. I glanced at him off to my side. "This has gone far enough. No more accusations, no more O.D.s, no more of this shit. We're taking care of this once and for all."
Next Chapter: Under Control
As soon as Jem left my world fell apart.