Ch 5
Disclaimer: I do not own ISLES & GLACIERS LYRICS-Empty Sighs And Wine
XxX
The fire crackled in the fire place, glowing on its last flames. Maria and Sei during the night seemed to changed positions. Maria opted to lay them on their sides facing one another. Maria arms and bare legs giving Sei all the warmth she needed. Lying next to the fire place, Steel laid sprawled out on him back with Bella curled up tight into his side, snoring.
Meg stirred in her sleep. A small content smile on her face. It made Jo heart burst with love and contentment every time she saw it. Jo has been laying there for God knows how long processing everything that's been happing in her life so far and how long it took her to get there. Bad-ass falls in love with girl next door.
Turning toward the window and seeing the sun trying to peeks its way over the horizon, Jo turned toward Maria to see her face buried in Sei's dark locks. Arms draped tightly around Sei's waist, Maria pressed her body even tighter around her girl. Nothing was better than having THE Sei in your arms. Man she could stay there all fucking da….
"Ouch! Son of a…" Maria shot up and looked around, dazed. Eyes shifting around only to land on Jo grinning face.
Maria, Sei and the pups shifted in the sleep at the outburst but settled down soon after.
"Sorry man but that's the only way I could think of to wake you up." Jo couldn't help the quite laughs that shook her body.
"So you couldn't just call my name rather than throwing a fucking blunt object at my head? What the hell was that anyway?" Maria continued to rub her head, groaning. How the hell did Jo even managed to do that from her position against Sei?! Ugh damn she was sure that was going to leave a bump.
"Oh you know nothing to hard. Just the remote." Jo smiles cheekily at Maria who only shook her head. Of course Jo would do something like that. Hell, she would have done the same thing if their position were switched.
"Tck. Of course." Careful as not to wake her lover, Maria slowly threw her leg over Sei's waist. Standing at her full height and hearing satisfying pop of her bones shifting back into place.
"So why did you wake me up for? If you couldn't tell I was pretty damn comfortable."
"Well you know, was kind of bored and…" Maria stared at Jo with a blank stare.
"Ok ok. *Sigh* It's…you're basically my bro right? Well duh of course you are… and this has been eating at me for a while and I honestly don't know how you're going to take this and-"
"Jo! You're kind of creeping me out here. You know you can tell me anything." Maria knew right off the bat that this was going to be a serious conversation. Whether good or bad she knew there was going to be some type of outcome in the end. With the troubled and unsure look playing on Jo's face, Maria just hope that whatever got Jo feeling like this, they would get through it.
Glancing down at Meg's still peaceful sleeping form and looking up at Maria's concern eyes, Jo took a deep breath.
"It's about…Stacie."
The silence in the room was deafening. She knew Maria wouldn't take this well. Jo took a chance to glance up. Maria had an unreadable expression on her face.
"bro?"
"Jo…what about Stacie?"
After hearing the constant commotion going on in the room, Steel and Bella slowly started to fully wake up. Sensing the growing tension in the room, the pups grew quiet.
"Mhmm babe?" Sei's groggy voice cut through the tense air.
Maria tore eyes away from Jo's and made her way over to Sei. Kneeling down so that they were eye leveled, Maria ran her hand through her hair and down her cheek.
"Yea babe I'm right here." Kissing her forehead softly as Sei cooed from her affection.
"Why did you leave? Come back and lay with me." Sei grabbed Maria's hand to pull her back to the couch.
Jo watched from the side, running her hand through Meg silky locks. Even through all this, Meg still slept without a care in the world. But that was good. She needed to talk to Maria about this and get all this off her chest. When Meg ran away from her, she felt her heart turned cold and just shattered…she couldn't live through that again because for a split second, Jo didn't know if they were going to be ok.
"As much as I would love to, I have some things to take care of."
"Stuff..like..what?" Sei started to drift in and out of sleep. She wanted her personal heater to come and cuddle with her but she wasn't coming.
"Umm just have to help Jo take care of the pups." Leaning down to press one last kiss on Sei's pouty lips. "Won't take long."
"Mhmm K."
Watching Sei close her eyes, Maria turned back to find three pairs of eyes staring back at her. Letting out a gust of breath that she didn't know she was holding in, Maria ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
"Ok Jo. I think it would be better if we talked in the backyard about this. Meg can sleep through anything but Sei is the one I'm worried about. Anything can wake that girl up."
Nodding her head, Jo carefully slid from under Meg. Surprisingly her weight still wasn't an issue for Jo. Even with the height difference and body size she could pick up her Meg like she weighed nothing and Meg absolutely loved it. But the months seemed to be flying by. Already Meg was five months pregnant.
Speaking of body size, Meg's appointment is today. Shit I hoped that the roads don't look as shity today.
Finally sliding successfully off of the couch, throwing a blanket over Meg and Sei, and putting on the pup's hoodies, Jo and Maria along with the pups walked their way to the back door. Well Steel and Bella ran more than anything. Even there cool headed pup Steel needed to get out that extra amount of energy.
Watching the pups fly past their feet as they took in their surroundings. Not surprisingly, everything was still covered in a deep blanket of snow. But it didn't seem to effect the pups. Even with Bella occasionally disappearing underneath the snow, Steel was always there to dig the overhyped pup out and lift her from the hood of her hoodie. The pups thankfully unaware of the seriousness happening between there new family.
Maria and Jo sagged into the plushed chairs on the back deck. Already this situation was something they weren't use to. Sure they had a few shares of 'the skeleton in the closet'…situations but never like this. Deciding that they prolonged this long enough Maria turned to Jo.
ISLES & GLACIERS-Empty Sighs And Wine
I finally found her but I haven't got a piece of her yet
And I wanna tell you by the way I think I've ruined your body
She said I love you, but you're difficult
Words I've heard so many times before but those words don't mean a thing
They never meant a thing before you
"Jo…*Sigh* so what's this about Stacie?" Waiting for a reply that never came, she decided to wait patiently for her bro to talk. She knew that this was emotionally draining Jo and frustrating her to no end. But whatever this was, she was going to stick by Jo no matter what.
Gripping the arm of the chair with hands turning white by the second, Maria knew that Jo was seconds away from doing something she may regret. Placing a calming hand on Jo's arm, she felt the tension slowly start to melt way.
Running her hands frustratingly through her hair, Jo took deep breaths and collapse back into her chair. Maria knew that before all this; Meg, Maria, and there 'family', Jo would have found a more useful way to release all that pint-up anger. Fuck or fight. She couldn't blame her though. Maria and Jo were one in the same.
"Ready to talk now?"
"You know what would be great right now? A cigarette or sumthin" Jo was clearly trying to distract Maria but she wasn't having it.
"Jo."
"Alright alright….Meg was close to leaving me." Looking at Maria, you would have thought it was impossible for a person's eyes to get that huge. She expected something big but this….this was just too much.
"The fuck you mean-!" Maria words were muffled by Jo's hand that shot out to prevent her from waking up the girls. That was the last thing they needed right now. But she should've known that Maria wasn't going to take this likely. Jo and Meg were the ideal couple of course. Having one without the other was like the world was ending. Putting all exaggeration aside.
"Dammit Maria will you shut the hell up?" Jo said between clench teeth. Maria didn't seem to understand that when somebody has their hand against your face, it meant shut up.
"If I move my hand, you're going to be quiet, yea?" Nodding her head, Jo slowly drew her hand from Maria's mouth.
"Damn Maria so much for having a heart to heart with you."
"What did you expect? You and Meg hardly ever argue, let along take a 'break'. What the hell happened?" Maria couldn't wrap her head around this no matter how hard she tried.
Leaning forward to rest her head in her hands, Jo looked out into the yard, keeping her eyes out on the pup but truthfully she just couldn't face Maria. She came to close at loosing Meg and that night was still too fresh in her mind. Replaying it was the last thing she wanted to do
"Stacie is what happened. She called me when and Meg were making our way back home-"
"Please don't tell me you answered the phone Jo?"
"No! but when I saw her number flashing on my screen…I don't even know how she found out my number! But yea, I kind of froze and Meg took it the wrong way…" Jo mumbled.
"Oh man."
Maria could only imagine what she was feeling. Having the girl of your dreams about to walk out of your life. She prayed that that wouldn't happen to her and Sei.
I think I found her but I haven't found a way to her yet
I wanna tell you by the way I think I've ruined your body
I wanna tell her that I love her, but I just don't know
(Just don't know, just don't know)
Oh this is terrible
"I ran after her. I ran back home to see her completely broken and scared and…I-I fell to my knees and cried in her arms Maria. Just think, one person could destroy your world like that. Just knowing that your lover could make you break down like that." Jo spoke as if she was alone.
"It felt like my heart was breaking bro. It scared the hell out of me knowing that somebody could make me feel like that."
Jo snapped out of her thoughts. She felted something warm dripped down her clenched fists.
Maria sat motionless as she watched the blood slowly drip from Jo's hands. Reaching out toward Jo, she gently drew Jo's hands within hers and pried them apart. Hearing a chocked humorless laugh, Maria looked up. Understanding red eyes met pained ones.
"Damn I feel like an emotional fucking baby right now. Fuck." Jo made to snatched her hands away only for Maria to hold her grasp even tighter.
"Jo I'm not judging you for this. You know me better than that alright? You have a good damn reason to be feeling like this. I would be crushed to loose Meg and I only call her my lil sis."
Jo looked away.
"Jo look at me." Still nothing. "Please Jo."
"I-I think Meg still thinks I'm in love with Stacie." Maria could see that this talk was starting to help Jo. Seeing her shoulders relaxed and the tension starting to roll off her body.
You sounded sober when you told me to come over
I can tell it in the sound of your voice
I know I better be careful
She said I never wanna let you go
She told me so
Now let me tell you how these steps go.
Step 1: Tell me what have I done
Step 2: You know you better believe
Step 3: You'll never be like me so
La da da da da no no
"Do you Jo?" She knew that that question would kill Jo inside. But it was something that Jo had to face. She knew that Jo would never hurt Meg, never attentionally hurt Meg. In order to talk about her problems she had to confront the dark truths.
It didn't come to a shock that Jo took it the wrong way.
"No I'm not in love with her! I-"
"Jo! I know you love Meg and that you would do anything to be with her but we have to be serious here! If Stacie didn't leave, would you have still ended up being with Meg?!" Taking a deep calming breath, Maria took time to get her thoughts together. Fighting was the last thing that Maria would ever want to do with Jo. Well, actual fighting anyways.
The pups jerk to a stop. From afar they could tell that this was more and more of a serious situation.
"Jo I love Meg but I care for Stacie to. She moved away Jo. That's the only reason why you started looking at other females. Thankfully we met Sei and Meg years after you and Stacie broke up. I'm not saying this to be a bitch about it. I could be your friend and tell you what you want to hear or I can be your bro and tell you what you need to hear."
And all the rows in the pastor's church
Full of empty sighs and wine
And all the children have lost
And parted ways with God
And the Sunday dress
And all the rows in the pastor's church
Full of empty sighs and wine
And all the children have lost their way
I think I found her but I'll never let her in
So I guess we'll never know!
Jo stared back at Maria. Ruby eyes hard as ice, muscles tensing, and jaw clenching. A bystander would think that these two were about to fly out of the chair and rip each other apart.
"I care for Stacie but I'm IN LOVE with my Meg. In the end I would've ended up with Meg." Jo narrowed her eyes, sizing Maria up. Daring her to question her love for Meg.
"I trust you." Maria burst out laughing at the look on Jo's face. She couldn't blame her though. They were having a serious conversation and that all she had to say. But it was getting a little bit too serious for her liking.
"That's it? No 'You're fucking lying Jo' or or or…"
"Haha bro chill. You said that you loved Meg and only cared for Stacie. That's all I need to hear. Hell, that would've been my same reaction if my serious past lover called me out if the blue. I don't know about you but this talk was getting a little too heated. Swear I thought you was about to get up swinging."
Standing up to stretch, Maria looked down to see Jo looking up at her in shock.
"But-"
"Dude I trust you alright. All the shit we've been through up until now, of course we wouldn't fuck it up for anything. So ready to go back inside? You do have that baby appointment later today. Wana know if I'm gona have a niece or nephew ya know.
I think I found her but I haven't found a way to her yet
I wanna tell you by the way I think I've ruined your body
I wanna tell her that I love her, but I just don't know
(Just don't know, I just don't know)
Oh this is terrible
Oh this is terrible
Oh this is terrible
I wanna tell her that I love her, but I just don't know
(Oh this is terrible)
(Just don't know, I just don't know, oh this is terrible)
Shaking her head, Jo couldn't help but smile. You couldn't ask for a better bro than Maria. Reaching for Maria's outstretched hand, Jo jumped to her feet.
"So what are you going to do about Stacie?"
"Nothing right now. All I'm going to do if make sure Megs happy." Calling the dogs and watching them run toward them, Jo and Maria bent down to show them some affection.
"Yea well come on. Ready to get back to Sei already." Jo snorted.
"And you call me pussy whipped."
XxX
A/N: I'm not really feeling this chapter at all but I just had to get something out there. So give me your feedback and tell me how you like the stories so far. Like, dislikes, things you would like to see more of. Things like that. So until then :}