Hello, all! Sorry for going away again, but this time it couldn't be helped. I've been fighting with my internet for the last month. It got so bad that it would be on for maybe ten minutes before going out for hours. It was terrible. But I think everything is now back in working order. But, that's enough of that, right? How about we get back to the story?

Two Worlds

Chapter Twenty Nine

Jack stirred as a pleasant aroma filled his senses, yet he did not wake. He was too comfortable and too much at peace to be summoned from his dreams just yet.

They'd started off with visions of Sue as they had since the night of their first kiss. She'd looked so angelic in a lightly flowing white dress that billowed around her ankles as a gentle breeze passed by. He wasn't certain what the dream entailed, but at the vision of beauty she made, he didn't even care. She belonged to him in his dreams and he hoped that it wouldn't be long before she was his in reality.

He was discouraged for only a moment when Sue's beauty was replaced with the calm serenity of the dark haired vision of his mother. Her face remained in a haze so he could not see her clearly, but her eyes were as clear as a calm spring sky. Her golden brown irises were bright and sparkling and he knew she was smiling down at him as she whispered, "Your destiny is before your eyes, Jackson. All you have to do is open them to see what is yours."

A sense of familiarity washed over him with her words. He'd heard them before, a very long time ago but couldn't quite grasp what they'd meant.

The delicious aroma washed over him again and he breathed in deep as he watched the image of his mother fade away and reality come back into focus. "Wake up, Jack," he heard Sue's soft whisper call to him. Opening one eye, he was greeted by her smiling countenance which made him smile in return, especially when both his eyes opened and he saw the two steaming mugs of dark liquid in her hands.

"Morning," he mumbled as he sat up in his bed, propping himself up against his pillows.

"Good morning. Bobby said he wanted to set out early so you needed to wake up. I brought you this, but I don't know how good it'll be. Bobby's the one who made it and it's a bit strong." She held out one of the steaming mugs which he took without question with a nod of thanks and she took a tentative step back. She'd never been in a man's bedroom before and though she knew she could trust Jack, it was still a scenario she was still insecure about.

"Thank you," he signed with a yawn. Taking a sip, he grimaced. Since he'd known him, Bobby had never been the best at brewing coffee, but luckily for Jack he'd become quite used to it by the end of the war... either that or his tongue had gone completely numb. Taking another sip, his face scrunched together in distaste again. He had a feeling that no matter how much he drank, the taste would not be getting any better. No matter. All he needed was to see Sue's smiling face and it was enough for him to greet the day. Unfortunately, the beautiful smile that had been there only a moment before had vanished. Her gaze was set upon the swirls of steam emanating from her own cup, her brow furrowed into a line.

He climbed out of bed as he set down his mug and stiffly shuffled his feet toward her. Using his index finger, he gently lifted her chin and raised her eyes to his. "What's wrong?"

"Do you really want to do this, Jack? Are you ready to see what some cruel person's actions did to make you lose your parents?" She'd lost her mother years ago; she couldn't image what it would have been like to lose her father as well. And Jack had only known his for a short time before they were taken from him. This had to be taking a toll on his insides as well.

"I won't say I'm not scared," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Of course, that could have been because he would be looking upon his own grave in a few hour's time. If there was one thing that could scare the wits out of a man, that was it. But, the rest of why he was scared was the memories. He was afraid that they would flood back into his mind with one glance of the charred rubble.

"I just hope you've thought this all through."

Why was everyone making sure he'd thought this through? He'd been doing nothing but thinking about it since the truth was revealed to him. It wasn't something he wanted to do. It was something he had to do. "I have," he replied firmly, not able to hide his aggravation at everyone for making him "think this through".

Sue hadn't been able to hear the anger in his voice, but she'd seen it in his eyes. He had a right to act this way, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Sighing heavily, Jack mentally kicked himself at the damage he'd inadvertently made with his gruffness and his fist was immediately circling his chest in apology. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to vent my frustrations on you." He'd just thought who better than the one person who couldn't hear. How much of a cad did that make him? He didn't deserve to see the small smile that graced her lips when she saw his willingness to sign his apology.

"That's okay," she said confidently, "I didn't hear a thing." She scrunched her nose playfully and he couldn't resist laughing along with her. But as soon as it started, it stopped and he turned away from her to look out into the morning haze. "Jack, what is it?"

"I hear a dog," he said and hurried toward the door. "Stay here, he signed to her as he headed off into the fog.

She watched his back disappear into the fog and with frustration, blew her bangs from her eyes. That man had better think again if he thought she was going to miss this.

Jack was well aware that Sue was at his heels. He should have known that she wouldn't listen to him. After all, she was used to giving orders, not taking them. He should have been angry, but her determination to be part of whatever was going on made him gain a new admiration for her. Turning toward her, his expression was as serious as he could make it, though the muscles of his jaw twitched as he fought to keep his smile at bay. "I though I told you to stay put."

"What made you think I would actually listen?" she countered defensively as she planted her hands firmly upon her hips. She was not one bit amused by being given an order and she was not going to sit idly by while Jack left her out of the loop. She was just as capable as he to handle this type of situation... whatever this situation was.

His eyebrows rose in surprise. He didn't have an answer for her question, but he couldn't allow her to run about without an escort either. "Fair enough," he finally smiled. "Just stay close to me and if there's trouble, I need you to find some place safe."

"But, Jack-" she tried to argue. What did she think she was, a child?

"No buts." That statement didn't left little room for her to argue and his eyes reflected the sincerity of the situation. She opened her mouth again but before another protest crossed those beautiful lips, he silenced them with his own. The sweet taste of coffee remained on her lips, enhancing her special flavor all the more. Allowing his tongue to dance across the seam of her lips, he let it linger there before he was willing to pull away. A crooked grin curled at his lips as he witnessed the telltale pink blush dusting across her cheeks. He lightly cupped the warmth of one of those cheeks, his heart soaring when she leaned into his palm, her eyes fluttering open and her hazel pools staring glassy-eyed up at him. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he whispered softly, allowing his thumb to brush against her tender lips. He sucked in a breath when she didn't hesitate to nip at the rough pad of the digit. Clearing his throat, he pulled away from her gently and made certain she understood his reasoning for being so protective of her. "Now, promise me you'll do as I ask?"

The stern glare that had appeared in his eyes for a mere moment was replaced with the glow she'd come to recognize as devotion and-dare she think it-love. And despite her best efforts to stand her ground and not be taken in by those dark chocolate-colored eyes of his, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. For him, she would comply. "I promise."

He grinned. "Good," was all he said as he brushed her lips with his again before taking her hand in his and pulling her along after him.

The sound of barking grew louder as they rounded a corner into the village's main drag. It was high-pitched and it was accompanied by similar pitched growls. He heard Bobby give a loud grunt of pain as he watched the man he was tussling with elbow him in the solar plexus. Jack skidded to a halt, Sue running straight into his back when she couldn't stop. He instantly swiveled around to catch her before she landed in the dirt.

"Get off me, you mongrel!" the man roared as he tried to kick the flea-bitten demon from the leg of his trousers. The little dog held fast to the fabric as he was swung about, his tiny little paws leaving the ground for a moment before landing again, his grip never mitigating.

Tara pulled Amanda close to keep her out of harm's way as Troy took hold of the collar of a second man and gently held the arm of their female companion as their expressions all shifted from shock to amusement. Neither the colored man, nor the dark women tried to fight their way out of the deaf man's grasp as they watched their third thrash about like he was in danger of getting mauled by the little creature. With her free hand, the dark woman covered her mouth to hide the grin of regalement that had formed and refused to disappear while the dark man didn't bother to hide his mirth. He doubled over with laughter, clutching his aching sides as tears streaked down his cheeks.

Amanda's wide smile indicated that she found this all so very amusing and as hard as she tried to stifle her laughter, Tara did as well. She fought to catch her breath as Bobby forced both arms of his new sparring partner behind his back, yet his leg continued to flail about.

"Maybe you should call Togo off," she was finally able to sign to the little deaf girl who merely nodded and had to clap her hands once for the dog to relinquish his hold. But, before he ran back to his young mistress, Togo continued to growl. With his teeth still bared and his back to the human, the white and brown ball of fur kicked up dirt toward the man who'd tried to grab him with his hind legs and trotted happily over to Amanda's waiting arms.

"Someone catch that little thief!" The first man bellowed before Bobby twisted his arm. He was tired of listening to the stuffed shirt of a man and just wanted order to be restored before he raised the entire village with his yelling. "Not so hard, you knuckle-dragger," he yelped and Bobby did it again just for spite.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, using the familiar take-charge tone he'd perfected as a commanding officer in the army. He waited for an answer but was only greeted with Sue's surprised gasp as she pushed her way past the rock solid barrier of his upper body. She'd tried to see over his shoulder, but every time she moved to catch a glance, he would purposely shift his feet. Feeling that she had to take some initiative, she'd decided to push her way through. He tried to reach for her to pull her back, but she pulled her own hand out of the way at the last second. "Sue," he called to her and cursed under his breath when he realized she couldn't hear him.

"Careful with this one, sheila," Bobby warned, "he goes after small girls and even smaller dogs. He's a dangerous one. You don't want to get too close." His familiar friendly wink told her that he was joking and a smile graced her lips.

"I'll take my chances," she chuckled as she reached out to brush the straw-colored hair out of the intruder's eyes. She wasn't surprised by the crystal clear blue eyes that looked up at her. "Myles?" she asked and turned to his companions. "D? Lucy?" Dimitrius was the only one to nod his head in recognition. The hold Bobby had on Myles had shifted to the Lord's neck and that prevented him from moving the appendage and Lucy was too stunned to do anything but stand there. "What are you all doing here?

D gave a wave of his hand to gain her attention like he usually would in her presence and he was greeted not with the happiness and joy he'd expected, but shock and surprise. He was able to pry the fabric of his collar from Troy's grasp, signing the word "friend" to the man before he lowered himself onto one knee. He bowed his head momentarily in respect to Her Highness, noticing the puzzled expressions of Tara and Bobby (and Troy's probably similar) as he did so before his gaze returned to hers. "We were sent to bring you home, Princess."