A/N: I don't own Springheeled Jack, Valkyrie, Skulduggery, Sabine, Black Annis or Darquesse. I didn't read Tanith's book but this chapter tries and correct mistakes in the plot based on spoilers, so there are massive book ruining spoilers for Maleficent Seven. Warning: If you actually like Jack this chapter will give you a sad.
The best thing about being Darquesse or able to go Darquesse was that my abilities seemed to grow all the time. The worst thing was that they often grew unbidden and I often got results I didn't want. Like lying half asleep late one night with my hand to Jack's chest and wishing idly I could know the name of the woman who Jack loved most. Instantly a name had come to mind. Sabine.
I'd sat up, careful not to wake Jack, though I doubted atomic bombs could have woken him and dressed and fled the cabin. We were in the US now, and I only knew I wanted as far away from the man as possible. I looked frantically for a place he couldn't follow and remembered how leery he'd been of the towering pines. They swayed in the winds and Jack had steered clear of them even though they were the highest things around.
I wasn't fond of heights but I used my shadows to spider climb up one tree and settled in near the top. I needed time to think, time to plan. Now what did I do? He'd said he loved me, that I was the one he wanted to be with, but my new ability told me a different story. Could I be wrong? No, I wasn't. Unbidden I'd gotten his images of her his desire to be with her. I was what then? A consolation prize? I sighed. A wiser woman would have said it was something I was never meant to know the woman he loved most, but then a wiser woman than me would have found a way to destroy herself when she found out she was Darquesse.
I was really no threat to anyone, not anymore. I'd dampened my own powers, absorbed and integrated until although powerful I wasn't the world ending threat I once was. I sighed, wishing I'd thought to keep my powers a while longer. A shadow-walk to another continent would have been lovely right about then.
I thought I heard someone calling my name and stiffened. I'd left the whole house asleep, I knew I did. But there it was again. Nonsense, it had to be the wind. I laughed at myself bitterly. I'd not only fallen for the man I'd considered the ugliest man on the planet back when I had common sense, I was an also-ran. But my heart fractured at my dark thoughts. Jack was the world's most handsome man to me. Where were these thoughts even coming from?
The sound of my name being called came to me again, though it wasn't really possible. Up this high the winds howled. But the call was persistent, forlorn. As if someone had lost me and by doing so had lost their heart. I snorted in contempt. There was no one like that in the entire world for me. Even if I was secretly longing for it to be the one man I couldn't live without.
But the voice sounded again and I cocked my head. Yes, it was coming from the woods almost directly below me. There was no way for me to see down that far, especially not at night, but the cry was reaching the point of a wail now. I recognized the voice. Jack. But it couldn't be. How would I be hearing him anyhow?
The cry got louder and I realized it was headed up the tree towards me. But Jack had been frightened of the trees and why for God's sake come after me? It was Sabine he loved, not me. I looked down uneasily. I could leap and use the air to travel down safely if the winds didn't slam me into a tree. The tree was swaying more now and all rational thought left me as my hands locked onto a branch and I held on tight.
There was the pitiful wail of Jack's voice again, much closer now. Stay silent. I told myself. He'll get scared and back down and you can escape and hightail it out of here after he's left. But the pitiful keening wail was coming closer and I could hear the tears in his voice. "Jack." I breathed, unable to resist his cries any longer. Not caring if he really didn't love me best.
"Poppet?" He answered, then was beside me with a graceful leap and picking me up off the branch. He cradled me to him, his face buried in my hair and sobbed forlornly. "Why did you leave me, poppet? Why?" He sobbed harder and I was about to answer when he held me out from him in utter disgust. "You aren't Sabine, you tricked me." He hissed and let go. And I was falling, screaming-
Until I hit the floor with a thump and woke up. I sighed. I wasn't Darquesse not any more and that explained that part of the nightmare, feeling powerless, but it didn't explain dreaming that Jack had been in love with Sabine. Her and not me. I sighed and got dressed. Maybe being in America on the run was too much for me.
I padded downstairs and ran into Sarah who looked just as shaken and upset as I was. We went into the large common room and sat before the fireplace on the sofa, Sarah casting a sad glance back at her wheelchair. "Nightmare?" I asked and she nodded sadly.
"Skulduggery loved someone better, his first wife." She said and I held her close. "You too?" She asked tearfully.
"Yeah, Jack was in love with Sabine. I- I never asked him about his past, but as a detective you keep tabs on people like Jack. I was the one who put his file to rest and she- He knew her." I said softly.
"Do you think we saw the truth? I- I can't walk, not like his first wife. I can never give him children." Sarah asked tearfully.
"Well, even if we did, they're with us now and that's all that matters." I said gently.
"Who is with you? Valkyrie, Sarah? What's wrong, what is it?" Asked a velvety voice from the doorway. I turned and saw Skulduggery as well as Jack, both fully dressed as if they had expected trouble and instantly tried to raise my shadows to flee, but could not. I realized Sarah had sensed something as well and we exchanged terrified glances. My magic not working meant only one thing. I was pregnant.
Jack had carried me back up to our bedroom, prattling softly to me, trying to make me feel secure and loved. But it wasn't working. I didn't push him away, but I didn't respond to his affectionate nuzzles either. And I had never withheld affection from Jack, ever. He laid me on the bed tenderly and hovered, his eyes wild and lost.
He was making the keening noise from my dream and I couldn't bear to see him in pain, even if he was in love with another woman and not me. I pulled him to me gently, stroking his shaggy black hair, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. Jack started to weep pitifully and it was like a fog lifted from me. "Jack, sweetheart, what is it, what's wrong?" I asked. He looked at me mournfully.
"You don't love your, Jack, do you poppet? You don't want old Jack here." He whined in anguish and I brought his head up to mine, kissing him frantically, my hands moving through his wild hair. Jack shivered and returned my attentions being mindful as always of his sharp nails.
"Jack, I adore you, you know I do. Did you- Did you have a nightmare too?" I asked when we at last parted for air. He nodded sadly. I held him tight. "We all had nightmares them, all four of us at any rate. God, it was terrible, Jack. You were in love with somebody else." Jack looked at me and laughed. He started nuzzling me happily, and I stroked his strong back.
"Never would happen poppet, not ever. You're my wife, nobody else. You're Jack's lovely, you are." He stroked my face gently, smiling at me. He started in on my neck, nipping and kissing me gently. "Who would it have been then, poppet? There's no one else."
"Sabine." I said, and Jack instantly stiffened. "Was the dream right, Jack? Would you rather be with her?" I asked. "Of course you would." I said pushing him away for the first time. Jack looked at me mournfully.
"Poppet, please." He pleaded, but I turned refusing to look at him. Jack crawled over the bed to me, his eyes begging for me to listen. He touched my wedding ring. "I adore you, poppet, I worship you. You are my night sky, my beloved moon. You are also my precious poppet to be cared for and looked after. Please tell me you love me." I looked at him remembering him speaking the same words the night he'd given me the ring and drew him into a lingering kiss.
"You are my most precious Jack, my beloved Jack, my handsome Jack. Love you? I worship you as the living god you are to me." Then we were kissing again, reassuring one another of our bond. Jack rolled me over easily into the bed, pulling me on top of him. "Sweet Jack, what was your nightmare about?" I asked and he shivered and shook his head. "There's only you, Jack, there's only ever been you. You are my first and my last. I adore you."
"In the dream you drove Jack away, poppet. Said you had another." There were tears in his eyes and I hurried to reassure him it would never be so. "You know, Jack, I think we were all attacked by magic, perhaps our parents as well." I said as I stroked his face softly. Jack blinked, looking unsure.
"But why, poppet?" He asked, following my lead and dressing for bed once more. I waited until we were under the covers and I was back in his arms before I answered.
"Somebody is jealous, Jack. We adore one another. So do Skulduggery and Sarah. Driving two couples that are so in love apart might be a form of revenge and you and I have our share of enemies, as does Skulduggery."
Jack grunted and nodded. "That we do, but I feel better now, almost like I was under a spell of some sort, like you said. It couldn't be- Nah, it couldn't. She's dead and not comin' back, I wager."
"Who?"
"Black Annis. When I was deceased there for a bit, well, I saw how things were, like. I saw Sabine didn't love me, but that Black Annis did. But she's gone poppet, no need to worry."
I sat up abruptly. "Gone, Jack? It all makes sense now. No offense, but who other than Black Annis would have brought you back? But something must have went wrong or she would have kept you with her. How she came back would be a better question." I looked at Jack and sighed. Annis was old I knew that. And ugly to a lot of people. But I wasn't, was I?
It was as if my vision swam and when I could see clearly again Jack looked to me as he used to. I turned away, not able to bear the sight. Of course. Annis most likely had magic nobody cared to know about, and what was the one thing I could give Jack that she couldn't? A baby. She'd used me, tricked me into seeing Jack the way she saw him. Now she'd removed the spell, replaced it with a nightmare to force the parting. But she hadn't had to. She'd feared I might truly be in love with Jack. I looked over at him. He was sleeping heavily now and I could sense enchantments, Annis had to be nearby.
I got dressed and calmly went outside. Annis was there, waiting. "So, I picked one strong in magic so the child would be strong. I'll be taking that now." She placed her hand on my abdomen and I could feel the child, that small life leave me and enter her. Annis purred and looked at me in triumph.
"He's mine. You'll give him to me." I nodded, unable to resist. I didn't stop her as she had Scrannel go inside and fetch Jack. I couldn't move to try. Annis cooed and touched the sleeping Jack's face tenderly and I couldn't decide which one was uglier. Fight her, stupid! My mind screamed. That's your husband she's stealing! But I couldn't obey, my body refused to move even as pity for Jack kicked in.
I did nothing, could do nothing as they left with Jack, Annis taking my wedding ring. After a long time I was free to move but I didn't. I'd never know if I had ever found Jack attractive and loved him, or it had all been Annis's doing, and I'm sure she knew it. She knew I wouldn't stop her, that my repulsion of the man would make me not care what she did to him, so long as it involved keeping the maniac far away from me.
She could have enchanted him as well for all I knew, made him fall in love with me so the child would be made. I gaged at the though. I turned back to the cabin, sensing those inside would be in enchanted sleep for hours. I packed hurriedly and left in one of the rental cars, heading out of the woods towards an airport and anywhere but there.
As I drove I thought of Jack, terrified and helpless, the prisoner of Annis. I told myself it was for the best, she loved and could most likely enchant him into loving her as well. He'd be with somebody like him at any rate. I was trying hard not to cry, unable to tell if my sorrow at Jack's fate was a spell she'd put me under or actual love. Then I heard his words echoing in my mind. "You are my night sky my beloved moon...Please tell me you love me."
Poor Jack! So was Valkyrie tricked into loving him or did Annis trick her into seeing Jack as a monster? Stay tuned to find out!