The voltures decendeth...
Thirty-Eight
The weather, however, intervened. The snow came down harder, almost a blizzard, and Jade found herself in the infamous 'green room' staring out the window at a white fog so strange looking she found it hard to comprehend. Rain she was used to - San Francisco thundershowers were legendary for both their volume of water and speed of descent. But this white facsimile that made no sound was almost…
Spooky.
Jade turned, as Tori entered and closed the door behind her, then smiled as the Latina walked over to join her at the window. "Hi."
Tori didn't answer. She just wound her arms around Jade's body and snuggled close, putting her head down on Jade's shoulder with a contented little grunt. "Can we sit down for a minute, because I'd really like to talk to you. I've got something I want to say, and I don't want to wait."
Jade blinked in mild alarm. "Sure." She glanced around. "How about over there?" She pointed towards a padded bench, which Tori led her over to and they sat down. "What's up?"
Tori put a hand up and cupped Jade's cheek, staring very seriously into her eyes. The blue orbs widened slightly in reaction. "I expected the worst today." Tori stated very softly.
"I kind of thought so." Jade answered, staying still, only the flexing of one hand against the bench betraying her unease. "I'm glad it turned out better.. I know how much your family means to you, Tori." Jade's eyes dropped a little. "And I know how it feels not to have one."
Tori lifted her other hand and tilted Jade's chin up, so their eyes met again. "Do you know what the most wonderful part of today was?"
"Me singing the praises of your butt?" Jade joked faintly.
"No." Tori did smile, though. "It was watching you lay yourself open to my family because you knew it would make me happy."
Jade blushed a little. "Ah. You caught on." She drawled. "I thought I was being subtle."
"Um hm." Tori leaned up and kissed her. "Like your usual freight train at full speed badass self." She exhaled. "God, I love you."
Jade relaxed, the tension running out of her shoulders and torso, and she tilted her head to return the kiss. She felt Tori's hand slip off her cheek, and curl around her neck, pulling her closer for a long, sensual moment. Then they separated slightly and gazed into each other's eyes.
"I thought maybe you'd be a little upset with me teasing you like that." Jade admitted. "I kind of crossed the line a few times." She touched noses with Tori, and watched her wife struggle to focus on her and not cross her eyes. "Though those pictures were adorable."
"Thanks." Tori gave up and closed one eye, then just closed the other one and decided to kiss Jade instead. That didn't require vision. "I personally think I was a goofy, chubby little kid, but if you want to think that's cute.. " She explored further with her lips. "Who am I to argue?"
"You were gorgeous then." Jade brushed a bit of loose hair off Tori's forehead, and traced an eyebrow. "And you certainly are now."
Tori smiled, obviously charmed. Then she chuckled softly. "I'm sorry… I'm finding this so ironic."
"What?" Jade continued her stroking, tracing Tori's other eyebrow, and outlining her eye.
"Where I am, why I'm here, who I'm with." Tori captured Jade's finger in her teeth, and explored the faintly ridged surface with a sensitive tongue. "Hey." She released the digit and gazed at her partner. "How's your arm?"
Jade flexed her shoulder very carefully. "Stiff." She admitted. "Aches, a little." It was actually killing her. Even the drugs weren't helping much today, and Jade was beginning to worry that she'd actually done some serious additional damage to herself.
"From the weather, probably." Tori stood, and held a hand out. "We're snowed in right now. C'mon and lay down, and I'll put some of that analgesic cream the doctor gave you on it." A faint warning bell went off when Jade acquiesced without argument, and she led her lover over to the bed and gently pushed her down onto it.
It was a nice bed, all things considered, a four poster with a stately canopy, fitting the room's vaulted ceiling and wide expanse of mint green carpet to good proportion. The drapes on the window were also green, a slightly darker shade, and the furniture was whitewashed oak, providing a feeling of pleasant lightness to the room.
Tori went to the divan their bags were on and rooted around in Jade's until she found the cream. "That's pretty heavy snow out there, huh?" She commented, more to break the silence than anything.
"Yeah." Jade agreed. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before." She paused. "How long does it go on?"
Ah. Good question. Tori brought the cream back over and sat down next to Jade's reclining form. "Well, I heard the staff saying it should stop before dinner, so that's good." She reached over and unbuttoned Jade's shirt, continuing down and tugging it's ends out of her corduroys.
"Didn't think the bruises went down that far." Jade commented.
"They don't." Tori replied seriously, as she peeled back the fabric. "I just like looking at you with your clothes off." She watched the muscles just under Jade's skin contract as she laughed in silence. "Hey, I'm not lying." She jumped a little when Jade's cell phone went off, but then pulled it from her pocket and handed it to her. "Here."
Jade answered it. "Yeah?"
"Ms. West? It's central ops." The voice answered.
Uh oh. "Yeah?" Jade repeated, mouthing the word 'ops' to Tori, who winced in reflex, then looked around for her own cell phone.
"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we have a big problem, and we can't reach Ms. Vega."
Jade glanced at Tori, who had found her cell, and opened it, a puzzled look on her face. Then she rolled her eyes and slapped her forehead in eloquent mime, keying the switch that turned it on. The device immediately began beeping as stored messages sounded alerts.
Jade suppressed a smile. "She's taking care of some emergency family business. I told her to turn off her phone. What's the problem?" She put a crisp note into her voice.
"Oh. Sorry." The operator apologized. "There's a huge storm system going over the Midwest.."
Jade peered at the window. "Really?"
"Yes, ma'am. They're having massive power outages in Chicago."
"Again?" Jade murmured. "Hm. So how does that affect us? " A thought occurred to her. "Oh Jesus.. don't tell me the processing center' down again."
A sigh. "Yes, ma'am."
"Shit." Jade cursed. "Get me a contact list."
Tori had eased down next to Jade, and was gently spreading some of the cream across her shoulder, listening to the conversation as she did so. The Midway Center had been a bone of contention for them for some months, because, as Jade pointed out, it had no back up facilities and the giant UPS systems in the building had failed twice already.
This close to Christmas, having a major center that cleared credit card purchases down was a bad, bad thing. "Powers down again?" She asked softly, smoothing the thick ointment over the point of Jade's shoulder and massaging the muscles just under the skin.
"Yeah." Jade said. "Stupid bastards. I'm going to have that damn Dick Stark's nuts for lunch."
"Ew." Tori made a face, then held it, for a different reason. "Jade, this is really bruised." She very gently touched the soft skin just above Jade's left breast.
"I know. It hurts like hell." Jade admitted. "Yeah, okay, you got a pen?" She spoke into the phone, focusing her attention away from the very concerned brown eyes studying her. "All right. Have you started getting screaming phone calls from the banks yet?"
Tori pulled Jade's shirt back over her and covered her injured arm, then she stood and walked to the small desk, picking up her laptop case along the way. She could, she knew, legitimately take the phone from Jade and do what Jade was doing - it was her job, after all, and if she hadn't been so dumb as to turn off her phone, she'd have gotten the call, not her boss.
But she also knew that this one was going to come down to a screamfest, because if the weather in Chicago was half as bad as it was here outside, getting a repair crew out to fix the UPS wasn't going to take her kind of finesse.
It was going to take raw, brute, sheer bitch, and when it came to that, Tori would be the first to admit she was a rank amateur compared to her wife. She'd let Jade get rolling, and spend her time getting hooked up to the system to see what she could do about shifting processing remotely.
"Don't give me that." Jade's voice rose into a familiar bark. "Get his ass on the phone right now or he'll be paying penalties on this for the next twenty years!"
Hm. Tori regarded the figure in the bed Then she picked up the laptop and went around the other side of the four poster, squirming into place next to Jade and letting her machine rest on her knees. A soft knock on the door made her look up, however. 'Yes?"
The door opened, and Trina poked her head in. "Hey."
"Cmon in." Tori motioned with her head.
Her sister did so, walking quietly across the floor and taking a seat next to the bed. "What are you guys doing? She whispered, as Jade's voice lifted again.
"Tell that son of a bitch I'm going to send Fedex to pick up his testicles if he doesn't get on this phone!"
Trina's eyes widened.
"Easy, JW." Tori replied, connecting to her Parents Wifi and logging into the network. Alerts started popping up on her screen like rabid weasels. "All right.. all right.. I get the picture.. shut UP already…" She slapped a few keys and looked up at her sister. "We're running the world. "
Trina's brow creased. "Right here from the green bedroom?" She watched her sister type on the laptop's keyboard, her eyes flicking over the screen with a startling intensity. This was new. She'd never really seen Tori do whatever it was that she did, and she listened in shocked consternation as Jade said things to people in terms Trina hadn't even heard in gangster movies.
It was sort of interesting, even though she hadn't any idea of what either of them were talking about.
"Look." Jade shifted in aggravation, sitting up and reaching over to move the phone from one ear to the other. It was a bad mistake, however, and she froze in midmotion, stifling a yelp and biting her tongue as something that felt like a hot coal pressed against the nerves in her shoulder.
"Jade!" Tori shoved the laptop off her legs and swiveled, grabbing Jade and easing her back down onto the pillows. Jade's face had gone pale, and she watched the blue eyes blink rapidly, faint twitches of pain making their way across her face. "Easy."
Tori grabbed the cellphone out of her hand and held it up. "Hello? Who is this?" She waited for an answer. "That's nice. Listen to me. My name is Victoria Vega. I know more people in Congress than you have brain cells. If you don't' want six government agencies coming down on your doorstep on Monday morning, you'll do whatever it is Ms West was asking you to do and not say one word. " She paused. "Do you understand me?" The sound of panic came through clearly. "Good. If you need me to get the snow removal people to clear your path, just say so." A pause. "No? Good. We'll be waiting for that repairman. Good bye." She slammed the phone shut and threw it across the room, where it bounced off the wall. "Jesus!"
She turned, to see her sister staring at her, both hands covering her mouth. "What?" Then she shifted her eyes to where Jade was peacefully lying, her hands now folded over her stomach, regarding her with a look of mixed amusement and pride. "What?" Her frustration surfaced. "You need a doctor!"
"Tori." Jade laid a hand on her thigh. "Would you take it easy?"
"No." Tori scowled. "Jade, I'm really worried about your arm and I…" She lifted a hand and winced, rubbing her temples. "Shit."
Trina leaned forward. "Tor, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. " Her sister said. "Just aggravated." A pause. "And overreacting, I think." She gave Jade a wry look. "Sorry."
"S'okay." Jade squeezed her leg gently. "You've got a point, and I do need to get this looked at. But we're not going anywhere in this weather, and unless an orthopedic surgeon is on your guest list, it's going to have to wait until we get home."
Tori frowned.
Trina cleared her throat. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"
Jade and Tori exchanged glances. "It's complicated." Tori finally replied, as the tension that had gripped her slowly relaxed. She pulled her laptop back over and stared at it. "What was I doing?"
"Finding altroutes for the western and southern datastreams." Jade replied. "Try Atlanta and Kansas City. They should be able to handle the additional traffic - I think I put in big enough pipes there."
"Yeah." Tori murmured, taking a deep breath and releasing it.
Jade let her eyes close, as she lay quietly waiting for a call back on her cell phone. It was dim and silent in the room, the snow was still falling outside, and Tori was curled up on her side with her head pillowed on Jade's stomach, fast asleep.
Jade let her fingers curl around a lock of Tori's hair, and wondered if Tori was half as worried about her, as she was about her partner. She could almost sense the fractures in Tori's usually sturdy psyche, and she only hoped the growing and renewed warmth of her nuclear family would help to heal them.
Or else, she'd take her home and surround her with as much love and support as it took to do the job herself.
They'd gotten some of the problem resolved, as much as they could without fixing the broken equipment, and Jade had finally coaxed Tori into taking one of the pills she carried around for stress headaches. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the dosage that merely relaxed Jade had knocked her lighter partner out like a light.
Jade's cell vibrated softly, and she lifted it up. "Yeah? " She murmured into the receiver.
"Jade, it's Sinjin." The MIS Manager sounded upset. "Listen, we've got a real problem."
One of Jade's eyebrows lifted wryly. "Another one?"
"That guy from JAG is here. He's got a military court order that says I have to give him the core dump."
Jade's other eyebrow lifted. "Really? Let me talk to him."
She could almost see the smug look on the man's face, and the carefully not smug look on Sinjin's when he handed the phone over. "Hello, Captain. " She drawled softly.
"Ms. West, there is no debating here. I have a court order to retrieve this piece of equipment, and you will tell your staff to hand it over right now." The Captain spoke quickly, and forcefully. "No delays."
"They don't have it." Jade told him, enjoying the moment of stunned silence. "So they can't turn it over to you, Captain. Get your ass out of my office building."
"Ms. West, this is not a joke. I have a court order."
"I'm not joking, you little worm." Jade told him. "The core dump's not there, and all the court orders you could pull out of your butt isn't going to put it there, so get your ass out of my office building and leave my staff alone."
Silence.
"We can search."
"Go ahead." Jade laughed softly. "But be ready for the lawsuit, and be very, very ready when I take this as a breach of my agreement with the General, and call the Herald."
"This request comes from the General."
Ouch. "Then he's stupider than I thought he was." Jade replied. "Tell him the data's in my father's hands. If he wants it that badly, let him ask for it. He knows the number."
Much longer silence.
"Your father."
"Yeah." Jade wiggled her toes. "Before you pull a legal motion out of your butt, he's on my payroll as a data analyst. So take your shiny black shoes and your bullshit attitude, and your criminal motives and get your ASS OUT OF MY OFFICE." Jade kept her voice very low, but the intensity built, vibrating her chest in almost a growl.
There was a click. Jade sighed. "This so sucks." She murmured in the direction of the canopy. For a few minutes, she just lay there, listening to Tori's slow, even breathing, then she picked up her phone, and scrolled through her address book, selecting a number, and pressing it.
It rang three times. "Joint Chief's." The young, female voice answered.
"I need to speak with General Oliver, please." Jade spoke very quietly. "This is Jade West."
She waited patiently, one hand tangling itself in Tori's hair, while canned Christmas music played in her ear. Finally, after a few minutes, the line clicked and she heard the faint sound of someone clearing their throat before speaking. "Gerry?"
The voice paused, and she could hear the exhaled. "Well, hello there, Jade."
Oliver tone sounded wary, but also slightly surprised and hopeful. Jade had used his first name for a reason. "Alastair told me we had a deal."
Oliver cleared his throat again. "Why, yes, we do.. listen, Jade.. " He sighed. "I know what a bloody bastard this is, and I know it put your shorts in square knots."
A faint smile crossed Jade's face. "And I know how you feel about the service."
Another sigh. "It's so damn hard, Jade." Oliver replied quietly. "You know how fond I am of you."
"We've known each other a long time." Jade agreed. "I didn't want to find what I did."
"Don't you think I know that?" The General said. "Damn it all, Jade."
Jade was silent for a moment. "If we have a deal, then why did I get a visit from the goon squad today?" She asked. "I didn't think you mistrusted me that badly."
Dead silence. "What?" Oliver finally spluttered. "Visit from who?"
"The JAG was in my office, with a court order, getting that data dump you asked them to." Jade replied calmly. "Why, Gerry?"
"Eur.." The General almost sneezed. "I didn't send a damn blessed soul anywhere near San Francisco today!" A chair scraped against wood. "What the devil are you talking about?"
Jade stared blankly at the phone, a dozen thoughts running through her head. "You didn't?" She asked cautiously.
"Certainly not." Oliver replied. "The JAG, you say?"
"I talked to him myself." Jade murmured. "It was him, that Captain you sent in from DC. He said he had a court order.. and that he was there at your request." Her mind flicked over the conversation. "He wanted the cor.. wait a minute. How in the hell did he know I had that?"
A beat. "Gave it to them, did you?"
"No." Jade replied. "It's not there… Gerry, are you sure you didn't ask them to do this? Don't .. " Jade felt her heart rate pick up. "Forget the company. I need to know."
"JaeJae, I swear to you I did not." The General stated seriously. "No point to it, you see? Not with that bargain you drove, sticky thing that was to push through, I will say."
If not Gerald, then who? Jade bit the inside of her lip. "Gerry, I don't' like this." She said. "And I think I did something very, very stupid." Giving that bastard the notion of where they might find that data. "He demanded to know where the core was, and I told him."
"What?" Oliver voice rose an octave.
"My dad has it." Jade admitted. "I thought he was from your office.. I told him to tell you that because I thought… Gerry, I have to go."
"Good lord."
"I'll call you later." Jade hung up, and immediately dialed her parent's cell phone number. It rang four times, then went to the voice mail. "Damn." Now she was really worried. She waited for the message to end, then left her name and cell number. Then she closed the phone, and considered her next plan of action.
"Jade?" Tori's voice burred sleepily. "What's wrong?"
Jade gazed down at the half open brown eyes peering up at her. "Hm?" She made a questioning noise, to buy herself some time. "How's your head?"
"Woozy." Tori remained where she was, one hand stroking idly across the surface of Jade's belly. "That stuff's strong.. you shoulda warned me." Her eyes closed for a moment, then reopened. "You didn't answer my question."
Should she? Jade didn't want to add to the stress already piled on her wife's shoulders. But she also found herself very reluctant to lie to her. "Navy caused some trouble at the office." She admitted finally. "That damn captain was there, ruffling Sinjin's feathers and looking for that data core."
Tori absorbed this. "Asshole." She commented. "I thought you took the core out of the building."
"I did." Jade said. "Dad has it."
A shrug. "Then it's okay, right?"
Jade met her eyes with a troubled look. "I told the asshole that." She confessed. "I got mad.. I thought he was there on Gerry's behalf.. I.."
Tori's eyes opened the whole way. "You told him your dad had the stuff?" She asked. "B… Jade, why?"
She rubbed her head. "If it was Gerry, then I.. " She stopped and collected herself. "I figured once they heard that, they'd back off." Jade said. "And they did.. but.. Gerry said he didn't send them."
Tori stared at her. "What if.."
"I know." Jade replied, her voice sharp. "And I can't get them on the cell."
"Oh my god, Jade." Tori rolled up onto her side and rubbed her eyes. "Oh my god.. can you call.. who can you call?" She could hear her own heartbeat, echoing a little in the fuzziness from the drugs. "Where are they?"
"I don't know." Jade had to admit. "Maybe they took the boat out." She opened the phone and dialed. "Hello? Yes, this is Jade West, can I talk to the Dockmaster please?" She waited. "Slip 1452, is it berthed?" A short wait. "Yes? Thanks." She hung up. "Boats in the dock."
Tori was now more or less awake. "Want me to call Andre and have him run down there? I think he's the closest."
Jade nodded silently, and handed her the phone. She listened to Tori dial, and watched as her wife pushed the dishevelled hair back off her forehead as she leaned on one elbow.
"Hey, Dre." Tori spoke softly. "Yeah… no, thanks.. thanks - I loved the basket." She listened. "No, what I… what? Where are you? Our place?" She looked at Jade. "Mom and Dad asked Dre to puppysit.. said they were going out of town for a few days."
Jade blinked. "When was this?"
Tori asked. "About two hours ago." She told Jade. "Did they say where they were going? No? I don't get it."
Jade had no idea what was going on, but she felt a little better, knowing her parents at least weren't where anyone expected them to be.
Even Jade.
She didn't hear Tori finish her conversation, she only felt a sudden, warm touch on her wrist that made her look right up into Tori's eyes. "I didn't expect this."
Tori crawled forward until she was next to Jade, and put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure they're fine."
Were they? Jade felt shaken. "How could I have been that stupid? " She wondered. "I should have realized that bastard was lying." She exhaled. "Damn it."
Tori just sat there thinking for a minute. "I don't get it." She finally decided, yawning and leaning against Jade. "They won. Why are they still coming after you?"
Jade tapped the cell phone against her chin, and smiled a little. "Maybe they didn't have backups." She remarked dryly. "Or maybe they heard the terms of my bargain."
"Hm?" Tori cocked her head in question. "What terms?"
Suddenly they heard the distinct slamming of a door somewhere relatively nearby. They looked at each other, then at the door as footsteps, heavy and determined, headed in their direction.
David Vega saw the broad back go past her and he hurried after it. "Edgar?"
The man stopped, then turned and looked at her. "Dave, I heard you had that whore under this roof." He stared accusingly at him. "We had a bargain."
"Edgar." David frowned. "This really is none of your business. If I choose to.."
"David, it is my business." Edgar stated flatly. "Holly was my sister and you know how she felt about that woman and the godforsaken way she chooses to live."
"Yes." The older woman sighed. "I am well aware of how she felt. I also know that if she were allowed to feel how she felt she might have been a happier woman for it. I won't make that mistake with my child."
"Then how could you?" Edgar hissed. "How could you invite her in here, push her in all our faces, when we all know how Holly felt… The sacrifice she made… how that ate at her… Good Lord, David - what the hell's wrong with you?"
"Edgar, listen to me." David was upset. "I know you have strong feelings, but.."
"Strong!" Edgar's voice rose. "No, you don't understand! I hate her. I hate her, and everything she stands for, and I hate what she did to this family, and to my sister!"
"Don't be ridiculous." David snapped back. "You don't nearly know the truth of that." She stepped closer. "Do you think Victoria simply decided to turn against Holly for no reason?"
"There is NO reason that can explain what she did."
"Yes, there is." A quiet voice interrupted them. Both turned to see Tori standing there, watching them with wary brown eyes. "But you know what? I don't owe you any explanations."
"Victoria." David put a pacifying hand up. "Please, let me handle this. I'm sure…"
"Papi." Tori interrupted her. "This has to stop somewhere." She turned and looked her uncle in the eye. "What is it you want from me, Uncle Edgar? "
The older man stared at her, his nostrils flaring. "I want you to go to hell." He spoke softly and bitterly.
"Edgar!"
"It's all right, Papi." Tori replied softly. "Uncle, tell me something. Do you want me to burn in hell for exposing my mother's illegal activities to the press, or because I'm gay?" She held his eyes, her body shaking inside and her guts churning. Part of her regretted asking Jade to stay behind, but she knew she had to face this, one way or the other.
But he didn't know what to say to that. A flicker of indecision crossed his face, then his jaw suddenly firmed. "You're a disgrace to this family." He stated, then turned and walked down the stairs, crossing the lobby and exiting into the study.
Tori released the breath she'd been holding, and let her shoulders relax.
"Victoria.." Her father lifted a hand, then let it fall.
"There's nothing you can say." Tori said. "I'm sure there'll be a lot more people here tonight that feel that way. " She looked at her father. "But you know what? I don't care. " She drew a breath in. "I can't change what I did, and I can't change who I am."
David hesitated, then reached out and twitched Tori's sleeve straight. "This is so difficult." he admitted. "I wish I had a simple answer to this quite horrible situation, Victoria. But I will tell you that despite how hard it has been, I am very glad you decided to come here." His eyes searched Tori's face intently.
Tori blinked, then gazed at the railing her hand was resting on. "It.. wasn't an easy choice." She replied, her voice a little husky. "I didn't really want to face this." Now she looked up. "But you're my family. " Tori added sadly. "I can't change that either."
Her father pursed her lips, and shook her head a little. "We should sit down and talk. I think that's been sadly lacking in this entire situation."
But the doorbell rang, interrupting them. "Guess that's the start of it." Tori said.
David sighed. "I suppose it is. I was hoping…" he let the thought die off. "Perhaps after the reception we can speak further."
"Sure." Tori agreed quietly, knowing it would never happen. "I'll go change." She turned, and made her way back up the stairs, so deeply immersed in sober thoughts as she rounded the last bend before the landing that she didn't see the figure standing in her way, and therefore crashed right into it. "Oh!"
Mild blue eyes regarded her, as Jade steadied her with a quick grip.
"Thought I told you to stay behind." Tori murmured.
"I did." Jade replied. "You just didn't specify how far behind I had to stay." She indicated the stairwell, giving Tori an unrepentant look. "That jackass was lucky he decided to give up and leave."
"Jade, don't you think I can handle my own family?" Tori asked, with a touch of annoyance.
"No." Jade replied calmly. "I couldn't handle mine, and needed your help" She laid a finger on the tip of Tori's nose. "Don't think I didn't hear you at my grandmother's funeral making sure they all knew how their poor ragamuffin relative from down south had made good."
Tori smiled faintly at the memory. "That's true." She admitted, relaxing a bit. "C'mon… we'd better get dressed for this thing... people are starting to show up."
Jade circled her shoulders with one long arm as they made their way back to the green room. "You were the main reason my father decided to ask me to help him recontact mom, you know that, right?" She asked. "And if I recall a certain drawing exhibition…"
"Okay." Tori held a hand up. "I get the point, Jade." She gave her lover a quiet look. "I guess I am quite the little meddler, aren't I?"
"Yep." Jade pushed the door open and stood aside for Tori to enter. "So don't you dare give me a hard time for doing the same thing." She followed Tori inside and closed the door. "Speaking of which, let's talk strategy."
Tori paused with her hand on her bag, and turned. "Strategy?" She unzipped the bag and removed her dark suit. "For what?"
The room was darkened by the weather outside, only two lamps shed butter colored light across the room, and it splashed over Jade as she walked to where Tori was standing. "What's your goal here, Tori?" She asked quietly. "What outcome do you want this evening to have, when it's all over? Is this where you tell your family to kiss your ass, or do you want to try to mend fences?"
Tori blinked at her in total bewilderment. "Jade, what are you talking about?"
"Think." Jade replied, reaching up to lay a hand on Tori's cheek. "Everyone has their opinion of who you are. Do you want to change that?"
Silence. Jade watched thoughts chase themselves across her wife's expressive face. "Are you proud of who you are?"
Blond lashes flickered. "I don't know." Tori inhaled. "I should be, shouldn't I?"
Jade gazed intently into her eyes, allowing her own powerful personality to surge to the surface. "You have to believe in yourself before you can get anyone else to buy into that." She said. "And yes, you should be very proud of who you are." A faint smile. "I know I am."
Tori's eyes filled with tears, and they spilled down her cheek as she blinked. For a moment, she felt very alone, as though she were standing on a bridge high out over chill waters. There was no safe place around her, only harsh, buffeting winds, and if she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the surface swaying.
It was frightening. She knew Jade was waiting for her on the other side of the bridge, but this was something she could only do by herself, a decision she had had to make alone.
But there really wasn't a choice, was there? Tori realized. She considered her accomplishments, both personal and professional over the past year, and felt a sense of wondering satisfaction settle over her. With steady confidence, she traveled the bridge and crossed over it, leaving her childhood behind her to enter a newly burnished realization of her own reality.
Jade watched intently as Tori's eyes opened, a Honey brown still watery with tears that nevertheless met hers with startling clarity.
"What I want." Tori said. "Is for my family to understand that my life is exactly how I want it to be." She reached up and took Jade's hand, running her fingers over the strong bones and tensing muscles in it. "And I am very proud of who we are."
Jade leaned forward and kissed her, but remained silent, savoring the sweetness of the moment.
She could hear the murmur of voices, a low wash of sound that mixed soft clinks, and footsteps. It sent a wash of familiarity over her, bringing up memories of growing up in this house and hearing those sounds so very often.
Tori regarded her reflection in the mirror soberly. Her charcoal gray wool suit jacket fitted precisely across her shoulders, and draped over the only slightly lighter silk dress she wore underneath. She had her hair clipped back into a knot, and only a sober dusting of makeup on. "You doing okay?" Her eyes lifted to the mirror, watching Jade's reflection in it as her lover walked over.
"I'm fine." Jade eased her collarless black silk jacket on, over a simple, yet elegant dark bronze sheath. The jacket covered the ugly bruising, and provided a somber draping to Jade's form. "Got plenty of drugs in me." She glanced at Tori's profile. "You doing all right?"
Tori nodded. "I'm fine." She removed two jade studs from her small kit and inserted one in her right ear. "Sounds like a crowd's finally gotten here downstairs."
"So I hear." Jade put her own jewelry case down on the dresser. "When you have a chance, it's tough for me to reach up - could you..."
Tori smiled a little. "Sure." She finished putting in her earrings and opened Jade's case, taking out the beautiful blue diamonds that were her favorites. "Sit." She indicated the low, padded bench. "Make my life easier."
Jade did as she was asked, stifling a small yawn with her good hand as Tori moved her hair aside and tilted her head a little. She felt the warm touch of fingers against her earlobe, then the faint pressure as the posts went through her skin. "I like that dress on you." She touched the soft fabric that covered her partner's hip.
"Thanks." Tori murmured, attending to the other ear. "I got it to wear to that executive convention next month in New York." She straightened up and observed her work. "Those are so pretty."
"Should be, for what they cost." Jade joked. "Mind getting that necklace too?"
Tori fished in the bag, then drew out the glittering diamonds on it's golden chain, opening the catch and fastening it around Jade's neck. It matched the one already around her own neck, and she settled it into it's spot above the hollow in Jade's throat with a tiny grin. "Are we ready?"
Jade tilted her head and peered up at her. Tori's face was grave, but composed, and there was a peace about her that had been sorely missing now for several days. "I think we are." Jade stood up and twitched her jacket straight. "Let's go."
They met Trina and Richard on the stairs, and walked down together. Richard had on a dark suit, and Trina had chosen a simple, dark gray dress. Jade was the last on the stairs, and therefore had the best view below. There was a small crowd in the lobby, men mostly, with a few women, and a local television reporter. As they continued down, they were spotted, and Jade watched the reactions.
Interesting. She felt eyes fasten on her, and she returned the stares coolly. The television reporter broke off his speech with an older man and turned, then hurried in their direction. "Here we go." Jade murmured, giving Tori's back a tiny scratch.
Tori's shoulderblades shifted, and she straightened up as they reached the foot of the stairs and were met with both the reporter, and the stares of the gathered crowd. As she expected, the reporter made a beeline for her and she met his eyes steadily as he advanced.
"Ms. Vega?" The man seemed a little more excited than the situation warranted. "Can I get a word with you?"
Tori sighed inwardly. "Sure." She stepped to one side and allowed everyone else to move on. Jade, naturally, didn't. Trina gave her a sympathetic look, and edged past. "What can I help you with?'
The man glanced at a piece of paper, then obviously organized his thoughts. He lifted his eyes and started to speak, then paused, his gaze drifting up and to the left a little. He blinked, then cleared his throat. "Ah… I know this is a very sad occasion, Ms. Vega, but there are many people who are surprised to see you here."
"Really?" Tori interrupted his train of thought. "Why? My mother died yesterday. Did you really think politics could interfere with my being here for my family ?"
The camerawoman edged around, getting a better shot. It gave the reporter a moment to regroup. "Ms. Vega, we're aware that there have been some strained relations with your family, and.."
"And?" Tori cut him off again, with genteel politeness.
Another shift of his gaze up and to the left. "And… ah… I'm.. I mean, it's good to see the family giving each other support during this horrible tragedy."
"Thank you." Tori rewarded him with a warm smile. "It's been a very difficult few days. Now, if you'll excuse us?"
"Uh.. sure." The reporter backed off, with a nervous glance behind Tori. "Thanks for speaking with us."
Tori smiled, and ducked around the camera, waiting until they were halfway across the lobby and almost to the large reception room before she paused, and lowered her voice as Jade drew even with her. "What were you doing to him?"
"Me?" Jade's low, musical voice answered. "Nothing. Why?"
Tori just gave her a look. "I can't wait to see this on the eleven o clock news." She murmured back.. A glance ahead of her showed several of her extended family near the door to the reception room, and the coldness of their stares was almost a physical thing. She squared her shoulders. "C'mon."
Trina spotted them as they cleared the door, and she hurried over. "Hey.. that didn't take long." She latched on to Tori's right arm and steered her away from the hostile crowd. "Dad's over there." She pointed to where their father was standing, flanked by two aides, with a short, stocky older man opposite her. "Chatting with the governor - I think she could use some support."
"Sure." Tori replied. "Aunt Mary looks like she wants to spit nails at me anyway." She gave her aunt, a chubby woman dressed in unflattering black crepe, a smile, which wasn't returned. " You'd think she hadn't spent the last twenty years telling everyone what a bastard our father was."
"Mm." Trina snorted softly. "Or that she'd been a flower child who burned her bra and voted Democrat just to spite the family."
"Hm." Tori considered. "I wonder if that look's for my lifestyle, or the company I work for, then. Maybe I've got her staring daggers all wrong." She speculated. "She's been fighting big business since the stone age."
Jade chuckled softly.
"Don't laugh." Tori murmured. "She thinks the high techs are the worst things that ever happened to the earth." They arrived at her mother's side, however, before Jade could answer, and met the glares of the aides.
"Ah, Victoria." David welcomed her warmly, ignoring the frosty expressions of the two men on either side of him. "Splendid. I was just discussing you with the Governor." She turned. "James, this is Victoria, my eldest daughter." Then she paused, almost inifenitisimally. "And her… partner… Jade West."
"Victoria." The governor stuck out a hand to her with surprising good nature. They shook, then he turned and met Jade's eyes, a tiny smile crinkling the corners of his own. "Ms. West."
There was, Jade realized, something faintly familiar about the man. She returned his strong grip with one of her own, and tried to figure out where she'd met him before. "Governor."
"And you know Katrina." David continued. "The Governor and I were just discussing …"
"Mr. Vega, a word with you." One of the aides tugged at his sleeve. "There's a phone call.."
David looked very annoyed, but he gave the governor a graceful nod. "Excuse me a moment." he allowed himself to be drawn off to one side, where two other aides were standing, one holding a portable phone.
"Victoria." A male voice chimed in from behind them. "Hadn't expected to see you here."
Tori turned, to see one of her younger uncles, on her mother's side standing there. "Hello, Brad." She exchanged wry looks with him. "I didn't expect to see you either.. guess I took your place as the black sheep, hm?" Brad still had his earrings, though he'd taken out the one he usually sported in his nose for the occasion. Tori found herself glad to see him, though they'd never been close.
"Made my life a little easier, yeah." Brad laughed. "Specially after my band got busted for possession last year."
Jade watched the interchange, satisfied that Tori wasn't going to get bushwhacked. Then she turned her attention to the governor, who was standing quietly, watching everything.
Their eyes met. "Political minefield, eh?" Jade drawled.
He shrugged lightly. "Aren't they all?" His head cocked to one side. "Holly was a bitch, but she knew her job, and she was damn good at it. " He stated bluntly. "Lot worse could have been in that seat, though I'm betting you'd disagree."
Jade glanced around, surprised at the man's candor to a relative stranger. "She wasn't my favorite human being, no." She stated dryly. "People who wish me and those I love dead and in hell rarely are." She met his eyes evenly. "It's a common attitude, though."
The faint smile returned. "That's damn true, Ms. West. Damn true." The governor agreed softly. "Some of my closest friends feel that very way, matter of fact, and I'm not known as a liberal in many circles." He admitted. "Makes an already dicey decision even tougher now that Dave has publicly stated his support for young Victoria, there."
"I bet." Jade smiled humorlessly. "Does he even want the job?"
"Not particularily." The governor shrugged. "S'why he's probably going to get it." He rocked back and forth on his heels a bit. "Hasn't got much time left on this term anyway, and anyone else I choose would just cause me other problems."
Jade's eyebrows rose. "Despite the… " She paused deliberately, and put a sting on the word. "Complications?"
Now, for no apparent reason, the governor chuckled, and glanced at his laced leather shoes. "Y'know, Ms. West, I gotta tell you something." He looked up at her. "I made the mistake of assuming things about gay people once, and I got my ass dragged into a torpedo locker and the bs kicked right out of me for it." He grinned at her visibly started reaction. "I surely don't intend to make the same mistake twice, and have Jim West coming after my ass again. I'm too old for that now."
Jade blinked, then chuckled a little, in pure surprise. "You know, I thought I knew you from somewhere." She replied. "You captained that hunter sub he went out on for two tours."
"That I did." The governor allowed. "Besides, I'd be a half brained old sea salt to piss of a prospective bringer of private sector jobs into my state now, wouldn't I?" He gave her a rakish grin. "Got any plans for expanding in New Haven?"
David Vega returned at that moment, having shed the two aides. "My apologies, Governor. But I see you were well accompanied." he gave Jade a nod. "Is Victoria.. ah, there she is.. Victoria, perhaps we can speak with your uncles now.. are you free?"
Tori and Jade exchanged glances. "Sure." Tori replied. "I don't honestly know what good it'll do, but I'm willing to try." Maybe, she considered, in this very public venue they'd at least be civil. She put a hand on Jade's arm. "You'd better…"
"Stay here?" Jade completed the statement, with a faint smile. "All right, but if voices start to get louder, I won't." She watched Tori move away, towards a knot of her family, relaxing a little when she saw Shelby slide in and join them, putting an arm around her sister's shoulders.
The governor cleared his throat gently. "Chip off the old block, aren't you?"
Jade kept her eyes on her lover, but smiled. "That's what they tell me."