Redux Vol1 Ch17: It always hurt, always...

Jessika softly tapped on her sister’s door, there was no reply so she slowly pushed it open. “Hey, Jean? Sis? How are you doing?” She asked as she peeked her head in. Jean was sitting on her bed, she was curled up and facing away from the door, her arms were around her legs and she had her chin tucked in behind them, it was the way she always sat when she felt sad or alone. Jessika sighed and walked over, pulling the covers off of her younger sister she rolled her over. Jean sniffed, making a sad sound and opened her eyes they were red and puffy like she had been crying her eyes out for hours. Which honestly if Jessika had to put money on it, was probably exactly what she had been doing. With another sigh Jessika pulled her into a tight hug, after this vacation Jessika’s respect for her sister had soared to unbelievable heights, and she softly started combing her hair with her fingernails as she held her close.

It had been hard for poor Jean, she still had feelings for Jack, deep feelings, and now she was forced to watch him in a relationship with another woman. And what's more she wouldn't let anyone see it, she kept it all bottled up, Jessika knew it was eating her alive inside. Hell, had Jessika not been awoken by her sister’s tears in the middle of the night during the vacation she would have thought that Jean had moved on. That was how good she was at hiding the truth, and while it was indeed hidden away well it was still there, a wound under the skin.

Jean was the type of person that was good at hiding her feelings from others, Jessika knew why as well, it was out of respect, and not wanting to trouble anyone with her issues, she was a rather private and reserved woman after all. During all three days at the lake house her composure had not dropped once, with the exception of those late nights when everyone else was asleep and she thought that no one would hear her. She cried for hours those nights as her older sister held her, just like she was doing right now.

“Why? Why did you make me go? It hurt sis, it hurt me.” Jean wailed, burying her face into Jessika’s chest. “I didn’t want to go, I don’t want to see him with another woman...”With a sigh Jessika pushed back her sister's black hair, putting it behind her ear. She then lifted her face up to look at her. She had beautiful eyes, a golden brown color, they were striking even when they were bloodshot, and her eyelids were puffy from crying.

“I know it hurt,” Jessika said softly, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears on her poor little sister’s face.” It always hurts, always,” she whispered softly staring into her eyes, she had their mother’s eyes, she had always envied Jean for that. She was a tough girl, but even tough girls broke down occasionally, but then this was part of the healing process wasn't it the sooner confronted, the sooner the wound was fully opened the sooner it could heal. It might hurt now, but contact with Jack and his fiance would eventually make Jean move on, make her look for greener pastures.

Rip the bandage off fast.

“Shh, shhhh it's okay,” Jessika said as she rocked her quietly sobbing sister back and forth.

“What do I do now?” she asked, her face still buried in Jessika’s chest.

“Well the way I see it you have three options,” Jessika said, had it been anyone else that had asked her she would have told them straight, would have told her to move on, but with Jean she knew she could say things that she would never do, the outcome was inevitable, she would move on, as such she decided to interject some humor into the situation. “One, you give up on him, it will be hard I know but sometimes it is for the best. Two, you fight for him, he's only engaged, nothing is really sealing the deal yet,” she took a deep breath and said the third option, the corners of her mouth tweaking up on their own as the words came out. “Three, you talk with Hisra and work it out.”

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“Wah?” Jean looked up at her sister in confusion. Her cheeks turned a bright red when she realized what her sister meant, it had taken her a moment and Jessika cherished the look of horror on her face when it had dawned on her, she shook her head vigorously in denial.

“Ahh, why not? It sounds more fun that way!”Jessika laughed. Jean pushed her away with a slight giggle, and Jessika looked over at her with a warm sisterly smile. “Feeling better now?”

“Nn-” Jean nodded, wiping her tears away with a smile, she was feeling better now.

“Though I really think you should consider option three… if I were you...”

“Jessika!” Jean shouted before hitting her older sister in the face with a pillow a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“You do realize that was an act of war don't you?” Jessika asked, her own hands grasping a fist full of pillow...

***

“So no, there are no M.I.B.,” he said for what had to be the fiftieth time in a row, it probably hadn't helped all that much that he had spent so much of that explanation time laughing. The two girls still looked skeptical, he looked at them and found there was no earthly way he could resist. “That I know of,” he delivered with the most deadpanned expression he could muster. For his efforts he received a slap on the bicep by both Hisra as well as Mina before the two of them stalked off with rather matching “Harumph”s. He laughed and settled back into the seat of the couch before looking around the house and sighing. It looked like a house that someone had prepared for zombie survival. Windows were covered, the doors barred, several bags lay strewn about, the contents of which included the cloths from the trip that they still hadn't cleaned up looked like several go bags just waiting to be snatched up. Oh well, it was nothing a little elbow grease couldn't fix. He started to pick up only to be hugged from behind by Hisra.

“I am sorry, I was scared, I don't want to forget, that would be worse than death.”

“Forget what?” He asked, but he was pretty sure he already knew what she was talking about.

“Earth, all the memories and new experiences, you,” she whispered the last word and gripped him tighter. “All my life I was made to believe I would marry for political power or position, it was what I and my sisters were groomed for. This really is the first time I've had freedom like this.”

Jack felt something hot and wet press against his back, it took a second for him to realize she was crying. “Because of you I am free, I keep having a nightmare that this is all a dream and I'll wake up and you'll be gone.” She sniffed, and let go of him, turning to move away, but before she could he turned around to face her. Jack reached out, his hand going gently to her face as he lifted her chin to look at him, her eyes, though slightly different to a humans were still just as expressive, if not more so seeing as they were both larger and more vibrant he guessed was the right word. He smiled and his hand came up, wiping away the tears with his thumb as the rest of the hand cupped the side of her head.

“I'm here, and I will always be.” He smiled softly, and she closed her eyes and puckered up her lips, sad or not it looked like she was still ready to be kissed either way. With a smile, he leaned in to kiss her with his eyes closed, but just before his lips reached hers something wormed its way in between the two of them. Opening their eyes it became apparent there was a hand in between them, and attached to that hand was a particular silver symbiote. There was a pregnant moment as time seemed to freeze and no one moved. And then he could feel Hisra practically vibrating under his hand, the rage no doubt building as she worked herself back into a boil. Jack had hoped that the two of them would have bonded over the course of the day, and it had seemed like they had made some progress, but now, well...

“Mine!” she said, there was a tinge of anger as she pushed Jack’s face away from Hisra’s, the look of anger on the Trilska’s face morphed into one that Jack could only describe as murderous, and he subconsciously took several steps back, putting him out of arms reach of either of them. Two sets of eyes narrowed at each other and Jack sighed, before getting ready to do some damage control.

“Now listen-” he started but both sets of eyes turned towards him and narrowed to a rather dangerous degree and he decided it would just be better if he let the two of them hash it out. All he had to do was to stay out of the crossfire. He held his hands up in surrender and backed away slowly, and to his relief they went back to staring death at each other and not him...