109: Let's Do It

Warning: Adult language

3rd person past tense again

Elena quickly parked her scooter and rushed into the house to wait for John to finish parking his car. She refused to look at him when he walked in the door.

John knew while he followed his wife home that there'd be hell to pay when they got there. He hated that she'd had to see him punch his brother like that, but he couldn't just let Jonah get away with what he did, accident or no. When he walked into the house he found her standing there at the start of the hallway, hand on her hip, tapping her foot angrily while staring at nothing. Uh oh.

Elena quaked inwardly with fear. It had been many years since that awful night when John had hit her, and although it was true that he wasn't the same person he was then (mostly due to that event), she still worried he'd relapse into that again. After what she did, she could almost understand why. Almost.

John knew exactly what she was thinking, and he hated himself for it. He'd lost his temper, she'd seen it, and now she worried he would take it out on her as well. Nothing changed the fact that, yes, she'd still kissed his brother, but he knew how convincing Jonah could be when he wanted to be. It tore at his heart to see how afraid she looked.

He walked up to her and said, "Elena..."

"Don't talk to me!" she said and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Too bad! I'm going to. We need to talk about what happened!" he tried to keep the residual anger out of his voice unsuccessfully.

"What is going on?" the voice of their son, Xavier, filtered over to them.

"Xavier," John said through clenched teeth, "it's the middle of the night. Go to bed!"

"No, I think I'll stay right here, thanks." Xavier said, his arms folded across his chest.

Elena said calmly, "Xavier, it's okay. Go to bed or you'll be too tired at school tomorrow."

"I want to know what's going on!" Xavier said stubbornly. "I think I'm owed an explanation after the way you two ran out of here and left me with Ben. Do you know how many questions he asked that I had to make up some lame answer to?"

John scrunched up his eyes as he tried very hard not to yell at his son, "I'll talk to Ben in the morning. Go. To. Bed!"

"Fine!" Xavier said and stomped off in the direction of his room, grumbling loudly the whole way there.

Sounds just like his mother John couldn't help but think as he listened to him.

"Elena, why didn't you just go home when I asked you to? I didn't want you to have to see that." John said stiffly to her.

"Because it had everything to do with me. I wanted to make sure you weren't going to beat him to a pulp."

"No, that wouldn't have been necessary. I think he got the point."

And when is my turn? she thought. She refused to look at him still.

John took a step towards her. "Elena..."

"No!" she said in a mild panic and tried to walk around him.

He reached out to grab her, but she spun and almost danced right out of his arms before racing up the stairs. John raced behind her as he heard the bedroom door upstairs slam shut.

He didn't feel optimistic as he tried the doorknob. Of course. It was locked.

"Elena! Open this damn door!" he yelled through the door.

"No!" she yelled back from within.

The back of his fist slammed into the wood, rocking it on its hinges. "Elena, so help me God, I'll break it down if I have to!"

"Go right ahead! You won't like what you find when you come in here if you do!" Elena yelled back an empty threat. She really didn't know what she was going to do, but she was not about to just let that wildman into the bedroom right now. Oh, he looked controlled, but she knew better.

She heard him curse. He must've checked where we hide the key. The house only had one skeleton key left that fit all the doors, and it resided in Elena's pocket currently. She'd nabbed it, quick as lightning, on her way into the room.

"Elena, please open the door." John said in a controlled, pleading voice.

"Oh no. I don't think so." she said and folded her arms crossly.

She heard the knob rattling and a strange scraping noise. She'd prepared herself for John working on kicking the door in, like he'd once done in the past, so she felt confused as to what he could be doing right now.

The doorknob turned and the door opened slowly. Shit! He picked the lock! She gasped as she saw John peep his head cautiously around the edge of the doorframe.

She took a few steps away from him and stared at the windows, wondering if she had to could she escape through them? At any rate, she knew a fight was due, and it really was all her fault.

"I have nothing to say to you." she threw over her shoulder at him.

Every last vestige of anger left John as he took in his wife's posture. She's terrified of me. After all this time, she's still terrified of me. Well, after she witnessed me trying to break Jonah's jaw, who can blame her?

"I thought you'd forgiven me for that." he said with pain in his voice, referring back to the time he'd hit her in the past when he found out she'd cheated on him with Greg.

"I have." she answered in a rebellious voice. She hated the sound of pain in his voice, and for the first time began to realize the possibility that maybe he wasn't as mad at her as she'd worried he was.

She watched warily over her shoulder as he walked up behind her.

"Then why are you running from me and acting afraid? Do you think I'm mad at you? Well, other than locking the door. The door that's easy to pick, by the way."

"It slowed you down." she quipped.

He sighed and scratched his head for a moment, contemplating his next move. What do I do to convince her I don't hold her responsible?

"Elena, please listen to me." he begged, taking another step towards her. "Did you not believe me when I said there was nothing you couldn't tell me?"

"And then you got angry, just like I thought you would. This is why I wasn't going to tell you. It was a mistake, John. I was scared after the nightmare. I was crying. Then he just..." She threw her arms up in the air helplessly and turned further away from him.

"He just did what Jonah does best." John finished for her before closing the distance between them and wrapped an arm around her waist. He despised himself for the way she was shaking a little. "Elena, I don't blame you at all."

"But you should."

"Should or not, I don't. I love you, Elena, and if you say it was a mistake, it was a mistake." he said and leaned down to kiss her shoulder.

Elena choked back a sob. "But how can you after all I've done to you in the past? How can you ever trust me again?" She couldn't bring herself to relax and calm down even with the way he lovingly stroked her arm.

John shrugged. "I just do. I personally know how feeling awful about something you wished never happened can eat you alive if you let it. Would it help if I actually said I forgive you? Because I do. I didn't think it was really necessary, but I guess it is." he said as he kissed her tenderly down her shoulder.

This wasn't the first time the thought that she didn't deserve him went through Elena's mind. She took in a shuddering breath and hugged her midsection.

John reached around and tried to get her hand before she moved it. Undeterred, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey. Are you still there?" he asked and squeezed her tighter for a second.

"I don't deserve you." she blurted out.

"What?!"

Elena choked back a sob. "John, how on earth can you love me after all this?"

"Elena, I will always love you. I probably even loved you already that day we met at Leo's. The real question here is if I still deserve you after what I did to you."

"I told you. You weren't yourself. I forgave you for that ages ago."

"Then why were you scared of me a minute ago?" he asked with a slight hitch to his voice.

"Because of how angry you looked. I haven't seen you that angry since... then. I was worried you had regressed back to that time." She said and turned her head a little to see his expression. He still looked like the John she loved. The anger had left him completely. "I swear I'll bite the next person that tries to do anything like that to me again. Well, except you of course."

John's heart ached as he'd watched Elena slowly turn to glance at him. Why had he been such a monster?

He sighed and said, "Elena, that was not the monster in me coming back, that was just a man going out and punching the man that kissed his wife. I'm not going to stop being like that. I'm sorry I'm possessive, but I am."

"It's easy to understand though." she said and he merely smiled. She started to relax against him, and he wrapped his arms more firmly around her and turned her to face him. She sighed with relief and said, "I love you."

John looked down at her and imagined her in his brother's arms. Livid does not begin to describe how I am towards him now. My Elena! Damn you Greg, Laurie, and now Jonah!

 

Suddenly, Elena found John's lips on hers in a demanding sort of way. His kiss was harsh and angry, and she clung to him as he leaned into her. He had one arm around her waist that held her to him in an unyielding grip while the other, surprisingly, stroked her face softly.

"Yes," John growled as he gave Elena a moment to catch her breath, "I am possessive. But, dammit Elena, you are mine!" He reclaimed her lips, the few seconds he gave her already feeling like too much time wasted.

Elena carefully reached up to John's face for a moment to lightly stroke the side of it in an effort to get him to calm down just a little. She didn't really mind the aggressive attack on her mouth, but she didn't want John's temper getting the better of him again. She actually felt a small thrill that this wonderful, except for his temper, man wanted her body and soul. Why her?

The intensity of John's kiss switched to a higher gear as his hands roamed over her, clutching at her clothing, hair, face, anything in their path. It didn't take Elena long to realize what he wanted - now.

She reached up under his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders. He eagerly aided her and set his glasses on the dresser drawers behind him. Then he made short work of her clothes before ridding himself of his own. In less than a minute from the time his glasses hit the dresser, they landed on the bed.

Elena cried out as he roughly reclaimed her body with his. John didn't wait to give her any time to recover either as he set a punishing tempo. His hand traveled down the side of her to land on the small of her back as he slightly lifted her to him.

"Oh Elena, my Elena. Mine." John breathed down to her as he relentlessly drove the message home.

"Yes." she whispered back to him as she could only continue to hang on as John filled her so deeply it bordered on pain. She also pushed one hand up above her head to try and stop herself from falling off the other side.

Her nails drove into his back as the torturous pleasure mounted upon itself again and again, making her wish she could take in enough air to scream. As it was, she could only whimper before her body convulsed in upon itself, bringing her to that place where time ceased to exist. Soon after, John joined her there as he found his own release.

Their hands somehow found each other as they slowly came back to Earth.

Elena turned her head and her eyes found John's. He'd shifted so part of his weight transferred to the bed.

"I love you. So much." he said to her before kissing her tenderly on her lips.

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes as she said, "I love you too. I'm so sorry, John."

"About what? It's forgotten." he responded before laying his head down on her shoulder and holding her to him. "I missed you." he said in an almost whisper.

"Missed you more." she said.

John's head popped back up and he smiled at her. "No, you didn't and I'm not playing that game right now." he said as he rolled off of her and playfully swatted her behind.

"Hey!" she exclaimed in shock. John merely chuckled as she made her way up to a pillow.

John scooted himself over to her and draped an arm around her as he asked, "Elena?"

"Mm?"

"Let's... I still want to have another child. Have you thought any more about that?" he asked and watched her face closely.

Elena would've put her hand on her forehead if John didn't have it pinned down. "Yes. I've thought about it. I want my mental issues dealt with first though."

John saw a ray of hope in her answer. Perhaps he would be able to fully convince her later once that bar sold.

Elena peeped her eye open a little to see John staring at her. "Go to sleep, John."

"Mkay." he answered and smiled before turning off the lights.

A few hours later, Elena woke up and rolled over to John. She kissed his shoulder and whispered, "Alright. Once the bar is sold. Let's do it." She didn't know if he was awake or not, but she meant what she said nonetheless.

John's eyes stayed closed as he smiled happily.




---------------------------------------------------------------


From looking at the title -- uh huh, I know what you were thinking.....

108: Jonah Has A Bad Day

 "Move in with me. I mean it. Please?" I say with little pauses in between each of the sentences.

I stand back and look at her as she bites her lip. 

"No." she suddenly blurts out just as I thought that pause was going to last a lifetime. When she sees my incredibly disappointed expression, she brings her hand to her mouth almost as if she wishes she could take the word back.

"I'm sorry, Jonah, but don't you think it's a little soon?" she asks as my shoulders droop.

I sigh. "I suppose, yes, but I still want you to."

"Jonah, we barely know each other. Can't we just get to know each other a little more first?" she asks, and I get the feeling that, ironically, she thinks she needs to school me on how relationships work. That mildly pisses me off, and I try to hide it.

"I suppose." I say blandly. Then I change the subject. "The waffles are done. I assume you like waffles?"

Why did I ask her to move in with me right off the bat like that? She's right. We barely know each other. I'd like to change that, though.

"You're not dating anyone else, are you?" I ask.

"No. I try not to do that, date more than one person at a time, that is." she answers without looking up from her plate.

"That's good to hear. So, what are you doing today?"

"I want to go home and just sleep. These waffles are delicious." she says as she attempts to change the subject.

"Thank you, and you could sleep here."

"No, thank you, Jonah. I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed with my own stuff and be able to completely relax and think." she says as she starts talking faster with increased agitation.

What! So I asked you to move in and then offered to let you sleep here!

She obviously is feeling crowded. Fine. I'll back off.

"Alright. I was just offering." I say blandly with a touch of pissed-offedness.

She sighs exasperatedly and pushes away from the table, finished with her waffles.

"I'm going home now. Thank you for everything, Jonah, and I'll see you later I guess?" she asks as she puts her plate in the sink and turns to face me.

"Of course! Any time in the world you want, Kaiti." I say as she walks over and kisses me chastely on the lips before patting my shoulder.

She suddenly looks down at me, smiling, and kisses the tip of her finger before she puts it on the healing bite mark. "I'll call you later." she says before she walks out the door.

She took my line I thought to myself and chuckled in spite of everything.

Changing gears: 3rd person past tense

 There she is John thought to himself. The love of my life. What I wouldn't do for her.

Elena had moved from the couch to upstairs after she knew Xavier and Ben had made it home. She'd asked Xavier to watch Ben once his girlfriend left. Marie had a date tonight.

She sensed someone staring at her as she dozed in a half sleep-like state.

She opened her eyes and closed them again almost immediately. She must be dreaming or hallucinating again. This time the hallucination made John look strange. Still, it was the first hallucination of John she'd had. She decided she must really be missing him alot for her subconscious to make him up for her like that. If only it'd gotten him right.

Temporarily giving up on sleeping, Elena sat up and stretched. As she yawned, she opened her eyes a tiny bit - just to prove herself right. He's still there!

John took two steps around and practically yanked Elena off of the bed.

Elena looked at him with a bewildered and alarmed expression before she asked, "John?"

"Yes."

John didn't give her a chance to ask any more questions. He felt he had wasted enough time when he'd stood there and watched her sleep. His mouth hungrily claimed hers, silencing her for the moment.

Memories of the past few days flew through his mind. What if he'd not come back? What if Monique had gotten away with everything and shot him? He was done with the risks, done with the danger. His wife loved him. His children needed him. He wanted to leave saving the day to the younger generation.

He also wanted to add another member to the younger generation if he could just convince the lady in his arms.

Why is he blond? Elena asked herself. She really didn't care all that much, however. He was home! Home damn it! Had it only been a few days? It felt like months since she'd last seen him. She was glad she wasn't the only one who apparently hated the separation.

She threaded her fingers into his hair and clung to him. She temporarily brought her other had up to his face to assure herself that yes, he was really there, as if the way his tongue caressed hers wasn't enough. 

She whimpered as the horrible memories of the past few days came back to haunt her. The ghosts, the kiss that didn't happen but did unfortunately, the nightmares... and she needed him.

Feeling temporarily sated, John pulled back just enough so he could say, "I missed you. More than you could ever know." His hand repeatedly stroked the side of her face lovingly.

"I missed you too. I've had a horrible few days." she said with a small crack in her voice.

"What's happened?"

"I'm going to sell the bar." she said as a poor response to his question.

"Good. I'm going to retire." he announced, his eyes drinking in her features.

 Elena's eyes widened. "You are?!"

"Yes. It's time I put danger and that type of excitement behind me. I've lost my taste for it." he said to her continued surprised expression. Then his features turned into a small scowl as he asked, "What made these past few days so horrible? I assume it's not entirely due to my absence."

 He kissed her again, quickly but passionately, before he let her respond.

When he pulled away, Elena's face fell. "Oh, John!" she cried. "I think I must be going insane!" She threw her forehead into his shoulder.

Normally, John would chuckle at her silly little notions, but he could tell she was all too serious this time. "Why on earth would you think that?" he asked, petting the back of her head lovingly.

"Nightmares, and I'm seeing things that aren't there. This actually started the day before you left, but I thought it was just because I was back at the bar again."

"You saw things at the bar?"

She nodded her head into his shoulder.

"Anywhere else?" he asked.

She froze for a moment. "No actually, I haven't." She relaxed. "Maybe if I never go back in there it won't happen again."

"I agree, and it's very easy to understand why you would have strange things happen to you after everything that happened in there before." he said and felt relieved when she relaxed.

She pulled her head back and he kissed her once before she asked, "But what about the nightmares? They just won't go away!"

"What are they about?"

Elena shuddered. "Laurie and Greg."

I guess I'll never be able to hear his name on her lips without feeling a pang of jealous anger John thought as he hugged Elena closer to him.

"What do they do?" John asked, making an extreme effort to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Laurie tells me I'll never escape him. That it doesn't matter a whit that he's dead. I also watch him kill Greg over and over." Elena felt John freeze and hold his breath for a moment before he relaxed again. "The first one, nightmare that is, was when I took a nap on the couch in my office."

Elena's eyes widened for a split second as she remembered what happened after the nightmare when she'd called and asked Jonah to stay with her so she wouldn't feel scared while she worked.

"What is it?" John asked, watching her face closely.

Crap! When will I ever learn to remember that he can read me like a book? Elena berated herself.

"It's nothing." she said quickly.

"It's not nothing."

"Nothing to worry about." Elena clarified.

"Good, then you can go ahead and tell me." John almost commanded.

"You don't need to know."

"I don't need to know? Why don't I need to know?"

Elena looked at the floor, avoiding his piercing gaze.

"What happened?!"

"John, calm down! It was a mistake, that's all. A brainless mistake."

John closed his eyes in irritation for a moment. "Elena, if you don't tell me I'm sure what I could imagine it might be would be much worse."

"It was about that nightmare."

"What about that nightmare?"

She shuddered in apprehension.

John's anger melted and got replaced by concern. "Baby," he said in a very gentle voice, "there shouldn't be anything in the world you need to be afraid to tell me. You've already said it was a mistake."

"Jonah kissed me." Elena said incredibly fast and squeezed her eyes shut.

John went stock still. Elena dropped her arms and peeped open her eyes to see his expression. He didn't have one. Fear coursed through her. John's hands then fell to his sides before she took a careful step back.

"Did you kiss him back?" John asked in a controlled monotone.

"I... think I may have responded." she said and he blinked once. "But I didn't ask for it! John, I was never going to tell you because it was a mistake! It meant nothing!"

"My brother. My baby brother! The one I practically raised. The one I allowed, no invited, into my home again when his life was falling down around his ears. And this is how he thanks me?! By kissing my wife?!"

"John calm down." The words flew out of Elena's mouth.

"No. Not this time, Elena! Where is he?!"

"He moved out."

"Where?" John growled. Elena kept silent.

"If you don't tell me, I'll find someone who will!" he threatened before turning to leave.

"Heya, X-man. I heard Jonah moved out. Where'd he move to?" John asked Xavier with a deceptively calm voice.

"Oh! Yeah, he moved into that small two-story across the river that was for sale." Xavier explained.

"Great! Thanks!"

"John!" Elena yelled from upstairs. "Don't!"

"What's going on?" Xavier asked.

At this moment, John didn't care to see the little Greg clone walk into the room to do his homework. He knew it wasn't Ben's fault, but John wished he didn't look so much like his father.

He could hear Elena running down the stairs so he kicked it up a notch.

"What is going on!?!" Xavier yelled now.

"Hopefully nothing. Watch Ben for us." Elena called as she raced after John.

Elena jumped on her scooter to race after John's car.

She caught up to him a little late; they were already at Jonah's. John pounded on the door. They could hear Jonah ask for just a minute.

"John, stop! This is crazy! Honest, it was a mistake!" she pleaded.

John's voice sounded controlled as he said, "Calm down, Elena. I merely want to ask him a question."

"Right." she responded sarcastically.

"Go home." he demanded.

"No. I'm here to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"It would be stupid for you to get in the middle of this."

"I'm already in the middle of this!" she exclaimed as they heard the doorknob turn.

"Hey guys! What's going..." Jonah's chipper voice halted midsentence from the expression on his brother's face.

"Whoa! Blond?" Jonah exclaimed.

"Did you kiss my wife?" John asked in a controlled, almost casual fashion. The underlying anger was evident, however.

Elena whispered while tugging on his jacket, "John, stop."

"I... uh... " Jonah stammered.

"I'll ask again. Did you kiss my wife?" John repeated.

"Listen, John..." Jonah started.

"Did you kiss my wife?!" John asked yet again, this time shoving Jonah back into his house.

Elena looked around quickly to make sure no neighbors were witnessing this.

"John, let me explain..." Jonah stammered.

"I'm only going to ask you this one more time, Jonah." John warned.

Elena was getting angry. John wasn't listening to a word she said. She closed the front door and stood there, fuming.

"John," Jonah started up again, "everyone makes mistakes."

"Did you... kiss my wife?" John asked again, sounding, to Elena, like a broken record.

"It was an accident!" Jonah hollered.

"John!!" Elena screamed as John's fist slammed into Jonah's jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor beneath him.

"Listen to me and listen well, baby brother." John said as he knelt down into Jonah's face. He was so angry he couldn't stop clenching his hands. "If you touch my wife again I'll make sure you never give me any nieces and nephews." John's voice was deathly cold.

"John!" Elena gasped. "How can you say that? Why are you blaming only him?" she asked and mentally kicked herself.

"Because I know him, Elena." John responded, keeping his eyes on his brother's face. "He's a spoiled brat. He just can't ever seem to understand that he can't have everything he wants just because he wants it. I've not a doubt in my mind he's almost totally responsible."

John straightened, and Jonah rolled over and worked on getting up off of the floor.

"Don't forget what I said, baby brother." John threatened as he turned to head out the door.

John wordlessly grabbed Elena's hand as she whispered harshly to him, "What part of mistake do you not understand, John? It was an awkward moment we'd all rather forget."

"You don't know him like I do, Elena." he said, still not looking at her. The two of them heard Jonah cussing under his breath as he tried out his jaw.

"Let's discuss this more at home." John said calmly to Elena as the two of them left Jonah's new house.