"I'm glad that Jorge is finally been dealt with," Jazz told Dave over breakfast the next morning, actually it was more brunch as they had both slept in till nearly noon. Of course, Dave had been up once to make sure that the puppies were fed and watered, but had gone back to bed after he had let them pee in the alley. That had been about 6 o'clock. He'd only been gone about half an hour and then he had immediately cuddled back into bed beside his mate drifting back off to sleep nearly instantly.
Now here it was around 10:30 and they were fixing themselves a late breakfast. Jazz at least still felt tired from being up so late last night, but she intended on staying home today, just relaxing and perhaps taking a nap in the afternoon.
"Thanks for looking after the dogs," Jazz added, as she watched the bacon cook.
"You're welcome, you needed the sleep," Dave told her. "You've been under a lot of stress lately and I'm not just talking about the normal frustrations of running a business and dealing with the customers."
"Yeah, I know what you're talking about," Jazz agreed, as she absentmindedly took the toast out of the toaster oven and put it on the plate she had already taken out of the cabinet. She then added the bacon and eggs that had been cooking.
"Breakfast is ready," Jazz said and Dave helped her bring the plates to the table.
"So now that Jorge is taken care of we can start planning our nuptials," Dave said.
"Yeah, we can," Jazz agreed smiling, as she started eating her breakfast. "I'm ever so glad that I won't have to leave Moonlight Gorge. I know you thought it might be necessary but now that Jorge's not going to be a problem anymore..."
"Yes, I'm glad to, because I know this is your home. Luckily, Jorge is now out-of-the-way and he'll be going to prison for at least the next 10 years. After that, if he's smart, he won't come back to his hometown, except maybe to visit his mother. Hopefully, he'll avoid you and me completely if he does come back."
"So long as he doesn't make a pest of himself I don't care if he comes back or not, even if it's only for a few days," Jazz said. "To tell you the truth I feel kind of sorry for him. From what I can remember his father wasn't exactly a great influence on his only child and I know the mother tried her best. I only saw Wiley Mason interact with Jorge a few times while I was growing up because my parents normally kept me and my siblings away from him. If I'm remembering right he had quite the reputation."
The way Jazz said reputation let Dave know that it wasn't a good one, which wasn't surprising, considering what they had learned from Captain Bloodworth just the other day.
"Some people just never mature, sure their bodies grow, but their emotions never mature past a certain point. There could be many causes for this like being mentally damaged from his father's abuse for instance. You can feel sorry for Jorge Mason all you want, but also you need to remember he made a conscious choice.
"He could've chosen to start leaving you alone at anytime, chosen to become politer to people instead of insulting them at every opportunity, but he didn't. Yes, I understand that likely on the inside he was such a lonely little boy that he created a rich fantasy life of you marrying and having a family, just because you were nice to him back when you were young. On the other hand, you must remember that he had the option like going see a psychologist.
"Captain Bloodworth even suggested it to him if you remember what he told us and he was the one that decided he didn't have a problem. We all make choices in life Jazz. Most people don't ever want to hurt anyone and then there are ones like Jorge who let the power of being an officer of the law go to their head. Because of his choices and because he refused to see that he had a problem, he'll now be in prison for at least a decade because of his actions.
"Captain Bloodworth talked to him, you talked to him, your brother had words with him and I'm sure his mother had a few words to say to him as well, but he simply didn't listen," Dave said simply.
"You're saying that he had plenty of opportunities to change course before he went to far," Jazz said quietly, as she had listened to Dave. At moments like this it was easy to remember that Dave was centuries-old, because he sounded old and wise and like he had tons of experience with people, which is how he could read them so well, figure out what made them tick, and figure out how they were going to react in any situations at least most of the time. Dave was observant, noticed details and things that others missed, which helped. This would make him a great police officer if he wanted to join the force, though Jazz hoped that he hadn't even considered it. She wouldn't stop him though, if that's what he truly wanted. She didn't think it was, but wasn't entirely sure and wasn't about to put such an idea in his head just in case.
"Yes, he did, as his behavior has been going on for at least four years and possibly before you returned to town. Everybody chooses their own path and while he's not the brightest person he's not stupid either. If he was at all intelligent he would've given up on having a relationship with you long ago. He had plenty of options before he attacked you and after that his choices were gone. There's only so much that can be forgiven and the minute he physically held you prisoner and gave you the bruises around your neck and shoulders, was the minute that forgiveness was not an option, not for me anyway. I was already out of patience with his antics and his holding you prisoner and pointing his gun at me was the last straw. I might not have permanently died, but that's not the point. You have to realize that you are the woman that I love, deeply and completely. Anything happening to you would destroy me utterly. You don't want to know how I would react if you died permanently."
Jazz squeezed Dave's hand to let him know she understood, as she felt the exact same way about him that he felt about her. She understood that Dave had been looking for his mate for hundreds of years and had finally found her, he wasn't about to lose her to an idiot who should have given up pursuing her long before the other night had happened.
She knew Dave would have killed without remorse, if she had been injured seriously or worse died. One of those bullets had come awfully close to her head whizzing past her ear, all because it had ricocheted off the metal stairs that were part of the fire escape. Knowing that she had nearly been killed had enraged Dave beyond anything she had ever seen. She couldn't exactly blame him for his rage either. While she had told Captain Bloodworth these details she had asked him not to say anything to anyone else.
"No, it's not. By the way, you're right, Jorge is not stupid, just stubborn, unreasonable and mulish," Jazz agreed soberly, as Dave's words really made her think. "Him attacking us, even if neither one of us was harmed, once it was all over showed a complete disregard for the sanctity of human life. Now, if he had been in danger it would've been one thing and would've been a responsible way to use his service weapon. I have to agree that a gun is not a toy it's a deadly weapon and could've seriously hurt you or me. You might not have permanently died from it, but I certainly could have."
"Exactly," Dave said with real feeling. "I'm glad you understand what I was trying to say."
Jazz felt the guilt at what had happened to Jorge fade because Dave was absolutely correct. Everybody made their own choices in life including Jorge. Jazz knew that Dave would never forgive Jorge for nearly hitting her with a stray bullet. It had been sheer luck he had missed, especially considering his rather erratic shooting.
"I do understand Dave," Jazz promised him. "It's just hard to equate the little boy I grew up with, with the man he became. I never would have believed him capable of such actions before I came back to town from attending college and then exploring the world. I won't say him asking me out before I left town wasn't annoying," Jazz said. "I was assuming he would give up since I was gone for years. I turned out to be very wrong about that I know."
"You might very well have been right about Jorge if he was more intelligent and less stubborn. More emotionally and mentally mature. If he'd had even one friend who was a boy, he might not have focused on you having a relationship," Dave agreed soberly. "I've seen people exhibit a lot of strange behavior over the centuries. It could have turned out much worse I know that. I'll be forever grateful that you weren't harmed beyond a few bruises from where he held you to tightly."
The two of them switched the subject as everything that needed to be said about Jorge Mason had been and there was no point of upsetting them both by continuing to discuss him. Hopefully, he was out of their lives permanently.

~~~Dave and Jazzlyn~~~