JACKL Inc. Ch. 03 - Relationships

Author's Note

This chapter, Relationships, starts where we left off.

In the Present, Rick enjoyed an adventurous night with Celia, Sammi and the newly reborn pixie Molly. Celia's acceptance of Sammi in Rick's life led to accepting her as a lover, will that change or enhance things

In the Past, the Jackson family is beginning to work with the fae community in their new home, and find a good place to call a temporary home while the Estate is still under construction. Shifting to a new location has disrupted their patterns, what do they need to do to reconnect.

Special thanks to Pope1944 for assistance with editing and grammar. Any remaining gaffes, troublesome bitches, misspellings, dangling penises, are completely my fault. I appreciate any comments, feedback, favorites, and votes. I hope you enjoy my tales.

Rebuilding Relationships

What does it matter how many lovers you have if none of them gives you the universe?

— Jacques Lucan

Celia - Present - Estate Breakfast Bar

"Y'all took your time getting up!" Carmen teased, Rick, Molly, Sammi and I as we entered the breakfast area, "I do appreciate you showering first though!"

I blushed, and that made her laugh more. Her laugh and demeanor made me want to know her better. She filled my plate with French Toast, eggs and bacon, adding a couple sausage patties too.

"Enjoy your breakfast," Carmen smiled.

We sat down, thinking we had the place to ourselves. The sudden appearance of Jeremiah, flanked by Alyssa and Kelly, brought smiles to our faces. We all rose and exchanged greetings, hugs and kisses. Sammi introduced Molly, and Alyssa remarked she remembered her, and was glad she was back.

"I thought you had decided on a beach trip?" Rick asked Jeremiah, "Did something happen."

"We let the younger ones go without us," Jeremiah smiled, "We had a little bit of business to take care of just the three of us."

"Well," Rick said, with a half smile, "I hope you get some relaxation time in today."

"That's part of the plan,"Alyssa said, "We were hoping to enjoy our pool without all the young ones stealing the prime suntanning spaces."

"What other plans do you have," Rick asked.

There was something bothering him, which bothered me. I gave him a nudge with my elbow. He put his arm around me and hugged me close, then kissed the top of my head. He quieted, but kept looking at Kelly. I didn't blame him, I liked looking at Kelly a lot more now. His look wasn't the same as mine though.

Alyssa looked at Rick with an odd expression, then looked at Jeremiah. Jeremiah's eyes widened, and he looked at Rick. Something was going on.

"Okay," I said, "Spill it Rick, what's got your hackles up."

"It's nothing," he growled, looking at me.

"Out with it, nothing gets left unsaid." I stared him down, and I won, "What is bothering you."

"Kelly," he said flatly, looking at her, "I felt her aura this morning. I didn't place it until just now. They were near us all night long. Why?"

"You're very perceptive Rick," Jeremiah said, "You were one of the reasons we stayed behind. We wanted you to feel how special Kelly can be, and our room is right below yours."

"I see," Rick said and looked expectantly at me.

"What?" I asked, looking back at him.

"You're not upset?" He asked.

Sammi had come closer and sat to the side of Rick and I. Her hand rubbed on my thigh, then lifted her other hand to rub my back.

"What would I be upset about?" I asked, "I don't understand."

"Kelly's a succubus," Rick explained, "Her aura increases arousal, makes sex feel even better. They stayed behind to push you into accepting Sammi."

That shocked me, I took offense at the insinuation, and let that show in my expression. I took Sammi's hand in mine, then I reached for Molly's hand too.

"You have a lot to learn about women, Rick," I said, "A lot to learn about me."

I looked over at Kelly, then at Jeremiah and Alyssa. They had freely admitted to using Kelly to make our night special, it might have been manipulative. I sensed they didn't make me desire Sammi, that was all me. I wanted to make sure. I needed to ask the question so Rick would back down.

"Kelly," I asked, "Were the three of you anywhere near the pool deck yesterday afternoon?"

"No," Kelly explained, "We stayed in our room. Like Jeremiah said, it is directly below yours, out of range for my aura."

"Does your power make people do things against their will?" I asked, "Change their morals, their desires."

"I make people horny as hell," Kelly smiled, "But they don't change orientation if there is a willing partner. People don't violate consent under my power, not that I've seen."

"Jeremiah can change people," Rick said, irritated, "He told me so himself."

"Have you used your powers on me Jeremiah?" I asked

"Honestly," Jeremiah said, "Yes, I used my power to scan your morality curve. That's all I did. I noticed it shifting, but I didn't cause the shift."

"That's what I thought," I said, then leveled my gaze at Rick, "Do you know why I thought that, Rick?"

He bit his lip and shook his head.

"No," he admitted, "I don't."

"While you were at your interview," I stared, "I was lucky to shop with some lovely ladies. They obviously enjoyed each other's company, and I enjoyed theirs. Their affection for each other was appealing. I also thought about Sammi, how I felt drawn to her. I love you Rick, but I'm changing. I feel drawn to Sammi, and I felt drawn to Molly."

"But you said you're not bi-sexual!" He said, on the edge of exasperation.

"Maybe I am now, maybe I always was," I admitted, "I was raised around a pretty strict household. My father was very conservative. The thought never entered my mind. When it would, a lot of things would put up blockers. Of course I refused to believe I was bi-sexual."

Rick looked at me, his head tilted. He was curious now, willing to listen. It was sweet that he was trying to protect me, and I loved him for it. He needed to understand me a bit deeper, I knew what my feelings were. I felt the bubbles of extra arousal around us, but that didn't make me change who I was. I became who I am.

"So what are you saying?" Rick asked.

"I'm saying that I love you, Rick." I smiled, then I turned and kissed Sammi.

"I'm saying I love you too, Sammi," she grinned at me, which made me melt a bit.

"Before this weekend," I explained, "Before you transported me into this place. I was never in a place where I could feel safe about kissing a girl. Now I have, and I like it a lot. I want to do it more. Can you accept that?"

"I'll try to," he smiled, "I just want what's best for you."

I leaned into him and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I pressed my forehead against his and breathed.

"You are what is best for me," I admitted, "It frightens me, but it's the truth."

Rick just looked at me, then he turned to Jeremiah and Kelly.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I jumped to the wrong conclusion, and I was wrong."

"Rick," Jeremiah started, "Your heart is in the right place. You sensed something different, that many people wouldn't have noticed. You showed significant loyalty to Celia. You have nothing to apologize for, at least not to us. We, on the other hand, did try to influence all of you without telling you. We should not have, and I apologize. I hope we can regain your trust."

The room became very still, then Alyssa came and sat between Sammi and I. She reached out and offered her hand to Rick, and her other to me. I looked in her eyes, trying to discern what she was going to say. Then I reached and took her hand, she smiled, her calm confidence won me over. Rick took her other hand.

"Rick, I want to come clean with everything I've known about you," she started, "We discovered you were fae by one of our normal protocols. The signature from that sample was difficult to read, we have some difficulty in how to interpret the data. What was clear however is that you were powerful in previous incarnations."

"We needed to respect that power," Alyssa continued, "Sammi set up the environment for your rebirth. She set up the rooftop meeting, and the initial bite that turned you. We didn't know what you would become, but we hoped you would be a good resource for us. So we took some extra precautions."

She paused and squeezed Rick's hand, and looked him in the eyes.

"You've surpassed all of our expectations, Rick," she stated clearly, "You're honest, trustworthy, you care for everyone you've been in contact with. Even if you weren't the most powerful incubus on record, we would want you on our team. We want to do everything we can to support you. You and Celia, you and Sammi, we have grown quite fond of all of you."

Then she looked at me, her brown eyes warmly inviting.

"Celia, I want you to know everything about our family," she began, "Sammi told you a little bit, I'm sure. Jeremiah, Kelly, Lexi, Carmen and I have lived polyamorously since before Zac was born. The family also includes the younger generation, Megan who took you shopping, Brooke as well. In total we are a family of thirteen. We freely share our sexuality with some exceptions."

"Exceptions?" I asked.

"We don't engage in incest," Alyssa clarified, "Zac is Kelly's son and Naomi is my daughter. They are Jeremiah's children, and are part of the family, but all of us refrain from direct sexual connections. That might be too much information, but I want to be perfectly honest with you."

"Okay," I said curiously, "Why are you telling me this?"

It wasn't completely shocking. In fact it clarified a lot of the affection they showed each other. I admired their strong bonds, they all called each other sisters. I had only spent time with three of their family, but enjoyed all of them immensely.

"We want to bring the three of you into our family," Alyssa said, "for many reasons. We think you would be great additions, and would allow Rick to work more closer with JACKL."

"Yes." I said, surprising myself with how comfortable I was in agreeing immediately to her proposal.

Rick looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and Sammi squeezed my hand, then took Rick's too.

"Let me explain," I said, "I've been on my own for a few years. My parents passed away a couple of years ago. I have no brothers or sisters. It's just me. I was drifting along when Rick collided with my life. I've never been happier, or felt a stronger sense of belonging to him, to Sammi, and now with you. To be a member of a family - even a completely crazy one like yours, the answer is, 'Yes.'"

"Thank you for sharing, Celia, and thank you for trusting us," Alyssa said, then looked at Rick, "What do you say, Rick?" then to Sammi, "Sammi?"

"Yes," Sammi squealed, then quieted and looked at Rick.

"Wherever they go," Rick smiled, "I'm going. Yes."

Alyssa smiled, then leaned toward me, her hand lifting to my jaw. I leaned and we touched lips and I sunk into her deep kiss. My mind opened, and I felt her thoughts. Not just her thoughts, but all of the present family members. She winked then kissed Sammi, then finally Rick. Their eyes each widened as I sensed their connections click into place.

"You are all with us now," Alyssa said and hugged us all closely.

Suddenly I felt arms around me and looked to feel Carmen hugging me and kissing my cheek.

"Welcome to the family, Celia," Carmen said then kissed me, "I'm glad to call you my sister,"

Kelly hugged me next, and shared a deep kiss with me, and a promising smile. Then Jeremiah hugged me close and kissed me. Then Sammi wrapped me close and kissed me.

"My sister," Sammi smiled with tears in her eyes, "I've never had a sister."

Finally Rick hugged me tightly. Kissing me the deepest of anyone. His eyes searching mine as I felt his thoughts mix with mine. We became even more tightly entwined, I was lost in him, yet still completely myself. We were bound by a deep connection I couldn't begin to comprehend. I cried joyously and kissed him.

"I love you," we said simultaneously.

We finished our now cold breakfast. I squeezed Molly's hand, hoping she didn't feel left out. I had just met her, but I didn't want to alienate her. One look told me my concern was misplaced. Molly was happy for everyone, and it was clear in her eyes.

"I have my pixie sisters," Molly smiled, "they are my family. I hope I can vacation often with you guys though!"

"I hope so too!" I said and kissed her gently.

—————

Leah - Past - Enclave

The day after we met at the Pacific Beach apartments, Alyssa got a call from Kevin. He wanted to show her a new place, he called it the Enclave. Which, after Alyssa told me, brought up images of a cloister of monks making wine. This probably wasn't that. Alyssa invited me along, and we took her rental out to the park. He designated a specific parking lot and said he'd meet us there.

The park ended up being much more than the neighborhood park I had first imagined. This was a smaller part of a large chunk of land. The hills of the park shifted from the lower elevation downtown part of San Diego, up into the valley to the north. The park included museums, gardens, trails and even the famous zoo. We parked in a mostly vacant lot in the southern section.

A business man in a crisp tailored suit waved at us as we parked.

"Oh, he's serious mode today," Alyssa remarked.

I recognized him from the brief meeting at the Fairview Apartments. He greeted us with handshakes, his posture making it clear that he wasn't the hugging type. Still his smile was warm, and he did remember meeting me the night before.

"The fledgling mage," he winked, "Good choice of company, Alyssa, she should know what you know."

He took us up a path. This early in the morning the park was quiet, and we soon were walking past a thick patch of trees and bushes. Kevin stopped and pointed to a small break in the foliage, then walked through it. We followed him through.

"This is a safe landing pad," He said, "we have it protected with spells so the mundane give it a good distance. This is where you should enter the Enclave, if you're not in human transportation mode."

Alyssa and I looked around, and made note of the landmarks. Something in our fae mind took a fix of the location, and created a waypoint that we could transport into and out of safely.

"Okay, now follow me back this way," Kevin said.

He slipped back through the break in the foliage and onto the path. As we walked to a larger building, mostly done up in an ornate Italian Renaissance style, he gave us a quick background.

"The park has always had a heavy fae population," he explained, "When the mundane moved in, they never felt comfortable making this area a place for houses or neighborhoods. The hills would have made that difficult. They ended up cordoning off the area as a park, then added a lot of buildings and attractions. The Enclave is underneath all of their development. Hidden and protected in plain sight."

He walked along one of the sides of the pavilion and then with a look around uttered a spell, and we all felt fuzzy. I recognized the sensation as that of invisibility. He pulled an ornate piece of trim, then a part of the wall retracted. He pushed it and then slid it to the side. There was a dark hallway revealed behind the door.

"This is a bit archaic," he said, "So pardon the fumes."

He bent and grabbed a torch lying next to the wall, then dipped it in a pot of flammable liquid, then wrapped a strap of cotton around the tip, finally lighting the tip of the torch. Then with a wave of his hand the door closed and we were left in a small alcove with just torchlight illumination.

"Why not use a luminous spell?" Alyssa asked, "This seems nearly barbaric for magical folk."

"Huh," Kevin said, "Good point."

He doused the flame bathing us in darkness, then cast a spell and a brighter light shone from the tip of the now unlit torch.

"Fae can sometimes be slaves to tradition," he shrugged, "It's why I wanted to bring you both here, we could use a fresh pair of eyes."

The interior now bathed in a bright white supernatural glow was a series of interconnected caves at worst, barely finished stalls at best. Walking down a hall, some rooms were occupied by all manner of fae creatures. Some engaged in menial tasks like mending clothes, or repairing equipment. Others used the rooms as sleeping quarters.

"The common stalls here are multi-purpose. An individual fae takes a spot and uses it for work, sleep, or whatever. It's kind of first come first serve. Has been for many years." Kevin narrated.

The next area was open, but sparsely furnished with some crude tables, and benches. Some assorted fae were sitting and paging through old tomes, making notes by candle light. Others were referencing lists and then scribing notes in another book.

"This is... the admin area." Kevin said, with an apologetic shrug, "The hardest task we have in dealing with aeternal beings is figuring out where everyone is. We don't procreate, and we don't die. So there are no births and deaths."

"Shouldn't the population be static then?" I asked, "Just migration from one area to the next?"

"Partly," he said, "Remember we live in the human world. Some fae are fine with living out lifetimes out of sight from humans. That's hard to do here, in such a populated area. Most of us adopt a mask, or a human form. For mages it's kind of redundant."

"Brooke and Lexi need their masks," Alyssa clarified, "They can't go around in their normal fae forms."

"Right," Kevin said, "But after a few years, as the mask remains the same, the mundane - human people - that interact with the masked fae start realizing they aren't aging."

"What happens then," I asked.

"They get suspicious, or envious, then begin to suspect something nefarious," Kevin said, "It's odd, humans need magic but once they sense magic is around, they will reject it - often violently. Ever hear of the Salem Witch Trials?"

"Of course," I said, "But that wasn't magic, that was more mass hysteria than outright magic."

"So the history books say," Kevin said, looking at Alyssa, "What else is said about history?"

"It's written by the victors," Alyssa said, "So who won?"

"Only humans died in the trials," Kevin said, "Fae had no casualties. It did take a bit of effort on our part to influence them towards the mass hysteria angle."

"Really?" Alyssa said.

"We play a long game," Kevin admitted, "Anyway the negative human response to magic, we've taken to call it by a shorthand of - pitchforks"

"Like the villagers in the movie Frankenstein?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure, kinda," Kevin shrugged, "Sammi has nothing better to do than watch movies in her free time, so she has this knack for pop-culture vernacular."

"Okay, let's get back to the point," Alyssa tried, "Keeping track of the fae population. Overtime fae that interact with humans need to... what, die?"

"Well appear to die," Kevin allowed, "We call it recycling, purposefully selecting a new mask is sometimes enough, they handle their mundane resources appropriately and carry on as a new life. The people that know them rarely suspect."

"So no fae ever dies?" I asked.

"Their physical form can expire, some violently or sometimes innocuously." Kevin allowed, "but then Gaia usually recycles them into a new form, out of whole cloth. That's what will happen to the two fae that Vlad killed. They will pop-up into existence, having no memory of childhood, and no connections. Those are the types of fae we have trouble keeping track of."

"So they lose track of themselves," Alyssa said, "They are tabula rasa - an empty slate?"

"Mostly," Kevin said, "They are recycled, they can live like that indefinitely as a mundane. They need a shot of magic to jump start them and be reborn into their normal fae form.