Part 2
Six months later
"This is simply marvelous," JJ sighed in content.
She and Dave had known each other for six months now and she had been happy for all that time. Dave was a true gentleman and treated her like a queen. He had also placed a lot of trust in her when he had told her his big secret. The fact, that he was not only an Alpha, but also immortal. She hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but she had been willing to let him prove it, because they had been dating long enough for her to know him pretty well by that point. She knew him well enough anyway by the time he told her that she knew that he never would have told her anything so fanciful if he hadn't been able to prove what he said. He had indeed proved it beyond her wildest imagination by cutting himself and then she had watched it heal in seconds. When she had asked how he became immortal he had said he didn't know as all he remembered was waking up just over a mile from his village. He told her all about how he had gone back to find everyone he had grown up with dead. How he had dug mass graves for everyone and then wandered all over the world. He believed he had been in shock for quite some time.
JJ had listened and could actually nearly see what Dave was describing, since he had a very vivid way with words. She could imagine him being in shock for at least several years, until he eventually snapped out of it. It would be like walking around in a dream state she would imagine where the images would be blurred once you came back to reality.
He said he vaguely remembered a man with blonde hair and blue eyes and a scruffy looking beard leaning over him, but he wasn't entirely sure that wasn't just his fevered imagination at work. JJ understood this and so had not been mad at him for not telling her sooner, as it wasn't exactly the kind of secret you could just tell someone without them getting to know you and you them.
Dave, on the other hand, had been relieved that JJ was still at his side. More than relieved, ecstatic!
The two had grown way closer over the last couple of months and he was even thinking about presenting her with a collar, which in this day and age, was mostly symbolic. It wasn't really required to wear it whenever you were out in public anymore, but in the past it had been. Still, some Omegas did wear their collar all the time at least when they went out in public whether it was required by law or not.
"I'm glad you think so," Dave grinned.
He and JJ were lying on a nice warm carpet with a blazing fire directly in front of them. Both of them were also totally nude, but since they were alone in the house that he had purchased just mere weeks ago that was just fine. In fact, he preferred Jennifer just like she was, as naked as the day she was born, with him just as naked beside her. It was an experience that he'd never gotten to have with her previous incarnations, mostly because of the times they had been born.
The two were currently wrapped around each other so thoroughly that it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. Dave was beyond pleased about this considering that he had never really had a relationship with Jennifer's other two incarnations. The timing had just never been right. Dave wasn't entirely sure that he was going to tell JJ about the incarnation aspect, as he wasn't sure that she would be able to accept something like that. On the other hand, she'd had a lot to accept when he had told her she was immortal, so since she had accepted the fact that he was immortal perhaps she would accept the idea that people could be reincarnated.
He would wait awhile he decided because he had been able to give her a practical demonstration on the fact that he was immortal, but he couldn't do that for the reincarnation.
"Oh, I do," JJ said. "Just laying here with you is wonderful. I wanted you from the moment I first saw you, a rather unusual reaction, for me anyway. An Omega does not ask the Alpha out on a date," JJ quoted what she had been told from earliest childhood. "I knew you were interested from the way you flirted, but I never understood why you took so long to ask me out."
"I had my reasons," Dave said mysteriously.
JJ said nothing simply lay with her head on Dave's chest.
"So how about we go shopping for a specific type of jewelry for you?" Dave suggested delicately.
JJ lifted her head to look into Dave's eyes immediately knowing what he was implying. "If you mean what I think you do, then I'll happily accept."
"Good," Dave said pleased, as he kissed JJ on the top of her head.
"Did you really think I was going to say no?" JJ asked.
"I wasn't really sure," Dave admitted. "Of course, normally, our kind don't court so long, but it's not like the time you court someone is set in stone. I just felt that we should take our time."
"Because of your big secret," JJ suggested and Dave nodded.
"Exactly," Dave agreed. "I've been around a long time, so it's not like I don't have patience to spare. I wanted to make sure that you wanted me for the right reasons and the big secret as you call it, was also a factor. I've been in love with you for some time, but I'm old enough to not rush through something so important as I might've messed up if I had. It would've killed me for you to reject me, just because I rushed instead of taking my time."
"So, is there a way to turn me immortal?" JJ asked.
"There must be, since I was originally as mortal as you are," Dave said. "I've had a lot of time to think over the last few centuries, so I know there must be a way to do it."
"Maybe a blood transfusion?" JJ suggested.
Dave considered that then decided that it was the only way he could see immortality being transferred to someone mortal, though he supposed it could have been a spell of some kind.
"That's actually the only way I can see it working," Dave admitted. "Well, either that or a spell of some kind."
"So do you think a transfusion is the way you were turned immortal?" JJ asked.
"Well, if it was it would've had to be dripped directly into my mouth because needles fine enough to pierce the skin to draw blood and syringes weren't invented until the 1850s and I was born centuries before then. I suppose somebody could've figured out a way to do it, but it would've been very primitive and a great risk," Dave said. "It would probably be worth trying though if that person was close to dying and would likely die even with treatment."
"It might've been worth the risk to someone who wanted to save your life if you were dying," JJ suggested. "Perhaps this man you mentioned was the one that did so, but didn't realize that his blood would turn you into what he was. Not much was known about the properties of blood back then."
"That wouldn't have made sense, not so long ago," Dave said, as he idly traced a finger along JJ's soft skin. "Back then, medical care was very, very primitive and people often died from things that can be cured now. I would say that this person had to at least suspect what his blood would do to me before he gave it to me. We also must consider that nothing was known about blood types back then and the likelihood of us sharing the same one were nearly nil. The only thing I can figure is it this stranger who gave me blood, must have known it was the universal type or perhaps the blood of an immortal is basically universal with no A or B or any other type other than O-."
"I hadn't considered that, but you're right," JJ said. "It's possible, he just decided to take a chance and didn't know his blood type at all. After all, you were likely dying or at least had a very high fever even for a shifter, so you probably would have died anyway."
"That's very possible actually, considering I wandered around for a long time in a total daze. I interacted with people but I don't remember most of what happened during that time," Dave said.
"So, when did you realize you weren't exactly mortal anymore?" JJ asked.
"It was several decades," Dave said, as he remembered. "I would've been in my 70s by the time I realized I still looked the same as I had decades ago. I actually remember trying to kill myself and failing every time."
"So, you can't be killed?"
"I'm sure there is a way to do so, because I'm not a God and you won't be either if we figure out how to turn you immortal. I'm just saying that I threw myself off a cliff and I came back to life with no injuries. I also drank some poison and while I died temporarily it didn't kill me permanently. I tried several other methods and the only thing I can figure that would work on a permanent basis is maybe decapitation."
JJ shuddered at that as it put a gruesome image into her head.
"Yes, I know it's not something that I like to think about, especially now that I have you," Dave said, as he had felt JJ's shudder. "When I did those things I wanted to die as I was well over 100 by that time. I felt I had lived more than long enough at that point in time. Even though, I still looked the same physically I was mentally and emotionally much older. Also, back then, there wasn't really a way to keep track of people so it was much easier to not have to change your name or for people to do a background check on you. There were birth certificates sure, but there were no computers or other electronics. You could tell someone you were from some faraway place that they had likely never heard of and there was no way they could tell you were lying. Well, not unless they were very good at detecting falsehoods and there were some people like that if you didn't know how to lie or at least stretch the truth properly."
"So, you believe you can die if you lose your head?" JJ asked.
"I do, because I don't believe that I can regrow a limb, whether that's a finger, toe or a head," said Dave.
"Yes, that would be just out of the realm of fantasy and into incredibility and ridiculousness," JJ said.
Dave laughed because JJ was right it would be incredible and ridiculous if he could regrow a limb if he happened to lose one. "Yeah, it would," Dave agree once he had quit chuckling. "So, to get back to the original subject if you're willing to go shopping for a collar tomorrow, which would make you mine permanently unless we both agree to part ways, then we'll go."
"It will make us each other's, as you will be just is bound to me," JJ corrected and Dave chuckled again. "I know that's not tradition, but it's the way it should be."
"Alright, fine, have it your way," Dave agreed smiling. "You're right that's the way it should be. You do know why it's always Alpha that supposedly in charge, even if that's only in public."
"Yeah, I know," JJ agreed smiling. She never would have been so bold to say such a thing if she didn't know Dave very well by now and knew he wouldn't take offense and even agree with her. "I also know that most Alphas at least treat their Omegas very well, even in public."
"Well, yes, but there are exceptions," Dave agreed, looking sad for a moment. The look passed so fast though that JJ wasn't even sure she had seen it.
"So, first thing tomorrow we'll go shopping for a nice collar for me, something I will wear proudly, except in bed and possibly the shower," JJ promised, as she kissed Dave quite thoroughly.
"You don't have to wear it all the time if you don't want to. I would never force you to," Dave said. "I know that was tradition hundreds of years ago, but it's not so much anymore. I've had a learn to change with the times or I'd stick out almost anywhere I went. Still, it's your choice, so if you want to wear it all the time, except at home then that's okay with me. I'm just saying you don't have to, that I don't expect you to."
"I know you don't expect it, but it's something I've always wanted," JJ tried to explain. "I've always been very traditional in certain ways and wearing the collar that you present me with after we pick it out together is one of those ways."
"Alright then, so long as it's what you want," Dave agreed smiling happily kissing JJ roughly causing her to groan as pleasure went through her like electricity. "If you want to wear your collar in public, so that even humans will know that you belong to someone that's just fine with me. We can't be together all the time after all, as you have girlfriends you want to spend time with without your mate around. I realize though, that not every human knows our traditions and they might think that it's just a fashion statement or just a way for you to be different."
"Yeah, I've heard about some criminals trying to take it off an Omega that is mated, just because it is valuable," JJ said, shuddering at the thought of that happening to her. "It never ends well."
"Of course not," Dave snorted. "The Alpha tends to react violently when that happens and its one reason wearing collars fell out of favor in the first place. That will never happen to us I promise you."
"Even if it does it will hardly be your fault," JJ soothed.
"Let's talk about something more pleasant," Dave said finally.
"Like you and me shopping for certain type of jewelry?" JJ asked with a bright smile.
"Absolutely," Dave chuckled, the vibrations of which JJ could feel and made her want him even more. "We'll go do that tomorrow. Anything you want is yours."
"I think just a collar will do," JJ said. "I'm not really one for expensive jewelry. As for turning me immortal we can worry about that a little later."
"We have plenty of time to figure out how to do it, although I think your idea of using my blood is the best theory. I seem to remember having a nasty taste on my tongue and in the back of my throat when I first woke up, which seems to indicate that man I told you about fed me his blood, but I'm not absolutely sure, considering what kind of condition I was in."
"It's the only thing that makes sense, though I suppose it could have been done by a spell of some kind. That nasty taste in your mouth that you just told me about though, seems to indicate that blood was the way you were turned," JJ agreed. "So, you never saw this man again?"
"You mean the one I thought I saw all leaning over me, back when I was delirious," Dave said.
"Yes," JJ said.
"I thought I saw him a few times throughout the years, but every time I tried to confirm that I had, he had just disappeared and nobody else had noticed him. I figured it was just my imagination at work, as I never got a good look at him, as it was always out of the corner of my eye or a profile, so I could never confirm if it was him or just someone who looked similar from the brief glimpse I got each time. He always seemed to disappear into whatever crowd there was the minute I tried to look at him directly. Well, for all I know this might have been deliberate or I could well have had an overactive imagination. Besides, I still think I imagined that man leaning over me, as I was delirious for some time or at least not in my right mind."
"You were probably in shock," JJ agreed. "I certainly would be if the same thing happened to me. Still, it's possible that the man you mentioned was really there and he's the one that turned you immortal. Considering the taste, you had in your mouth when you awoke I would say the man really was there."
"It's more than possible as I don't know any other way it could have happened, though I could have bitten my tongue I suppose," Dave said. "If this man really exists I've never again seen him, except a few times out of the corner of my eye and it's more than possible that it wasn't the same person. People tend to share common features a lot of times and sometimes people could even be twins whether they are related or not, because they're so similar in the way they look. I also might be misremembering what he looked like, if he was even there at all, considering I was likely delirious, so my memories of that time are not exactly very clear."
"I suppose it doesn't really matter, though I am curious," JJ said.
"No, it doesn't really matter as we might meet this guy someday and if we don't then we just don't," Dave agreed. "Right now, I just want to concentrate on the two of us."
"That's just fine with me," JJ giggled, as she rubbed her cheek against Dave's beard, just loving the feel of the roughness of the bristles on her cheek. "I just love the feel of the bristles of your beard on my face."
"I'm glad, because I would hate to have to shave. It took me a long time to get my beard like this," Dave said smiling, very pleased at the pace of his relationship with Jennifer.
"So why do you wear one at all when most men don't?" JJ asked curiously.
"Because in my time most men wore beards, unless they were too young to wear one," Dave explained. "Of course, some men had trouble growing beards and it grew in patches, just like men today, but that was never my problem. It was just the style at the time. I just feel more comfortable with a beard then without one, mostly because I've had one since I reached adulthood, though it used to be full, instead of like it is now. I started growing hair on my upper lip at 16 and by the time I hit 17 I was starting to get hair around my mouth and on my cheeks. By the time I hit 18 I had a full beard though it was still short of course and a little sparse. I was around 40 when my whole village was killed including my wife and children, so my beard had grown to where it was halfway down my chest. I keep it like this today to be more modern, since men with really long beards nowadays, are even more uncommon then men with beards at all and not just mustaches."
"You're right, most men wore beards centuries ago as it was considered in style," JJ said. "It protected you in the winter for one thing, so that your face wasn't cold."
"You had to watch out for lice and things back then though. It wasn't as easy to keep yourself clean, so you were more suspectable to all kinds of diseases. Still, the human race managed to survive before they knew much about sanitation," Dave said. "Being immortal helped me there, as I wasn't going to die from any type of disease, though I did have to be careful to not let others know I was immune to whatever disease was running through some place, especially if I went through a village or town where disease was prevalent. Back then, you had to be careful that you weren't seen as witch, someone with magic, as you would be burned at the stake, drowned or stoned and it didn't matter if the people back than had proof or not, because if they considered you abnormal, strange or weird then they would a lot of times race to protect themselves without proof before such people could supposedly curse the village."
"Times sure were different back then," JJ said. "I'm certainly glad people aren't killed now just for being different."
"Yeah, they were. People were much more superstitious for one thing," Dave agreed, "and most of the time the only people they killed were those that didn't fit into the that times definition of normal. They were just too different from everyone else that they stuck out."
"Things that people would ignore today, because they accept that everybody has a right to be different, so long as they aren't harming anyone but themselves," JJ said.
"Yes," Dave answered simply, holding the love of his eternity close.
The two of them simply lay there together enjoying the warmth of the fire and each other's company.
~~~Dave and JJ~~~