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Devi flushed deeper crimson, cupping her cheeks in embarrassment and joy. She fought with the conflicted feelings of anxiety and excitement, at a loss as to which one would win. Looking up meekly at Emilia, she asked softly, "What...what should I do?" --- Quote:
"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Jack murmured, looking at his son from the corner of his eye. "You weren't exactly planned and your mother can be persuasive as hell when she wants to be...." |
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"Well, thanks, Dad, for reminding me that I was an accident," Jean teased, taking a drink from his water glass before leaning up against the arm of the chair, his gaze drifting lazily across the barren landscape around them. Shifting in the chair again, he sighed, a slight frown crossing his lips. |
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Devi averted her eyes to another side of the room, blushing profusely as she stammered, "O-of course I...I want to...be with him..." I don't know about grandbabies, though, she thought forlornly. She hid her face in her hands, trying to dispel the crimson on her cheeks. --- Quote:
"Yeah, but you were a happy accident," Jack teased back. "So damn happy...couldn't shut you up." He then looked at his son and the frown on his lips. Interpreting this expression wrongly, he furrowed his brow and inquired in a gruff tone, "You aren't repeating the same thing are ya? She pregnant? Be honest now, boy..." |
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Devi looked up almost immediately, her face still bright crimson, and replied, "No...no. I'm not crying! I'm just....a bit....embarrassed....kinda." Then, realizing something, she perked up and asked, "What do you mean by not being 'too awful'?" --- Quote:
"Ah....Sorry to hear that, son. And your poor mama was hoping for some grandkids, too..." Jack's cheeks paled slightly as his son told him the news. He coughed once, trying to clear the discomfort in the air, and then reached into his front shirt pocket and pulled out a cigar and a pack of matches. Looking over to Jean, he arched a brow and inquired, "Aren't you going to light one up, too?" |
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Wrenching his gaze away, Jean took a drink from his glass before saying in a low voice, "I'm, er, trying to quit." |
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"Huh? Wait! No, I didn't mean it that way!" Devi gasped, realizing she had just said something that could be taken offensively. Waving her hands wildly she added, "I-I just meant that...I....I'm embarrassed that I didn't realize it! As for marrying Jean...that makes me...um...happy." Devi's cheeks burned crimson as she once again hid her face in her hands. Quote:
"I...uh...wouldn't really know. I don't remember my parents," Devi replied sheepishly, feeling a bit awkward about her mysterious past. --- Quote:
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Reaching beneath one of the tables, she pulled out another album, turning it to a random page before thrusting it toward the younger woman. "More pictures!" she exclaimed, her voice painfully bright. --- Quote:
"Devi's sensitive to the smoke," Jean replied hastily. Then, so his father wouldn't think he was a complete pushover, he added, "Besides... we've got a sort of reward system worked out." |
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Devi winced ever-so-slightly at both the pitch of the woman's voice and the action of having something rushing towards her. She then opened her eyes completely to peer at more photo's of Jean as a child. Her heart melted once more at the sight and she sighed, once again content. "He really was adorable..." --- Quote:
Arching his brow in interest, Jack leaned in closer to his son and inquired, "Hm....what kinda of reward system...?" |
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Devi laughed, catching on that Emilia was joking. A soothed, relaxed smile crossed her lips as she once again felt at ease around the woman. She looked up and smiled sweetly, nodding somewhat as she replied, "Um...now that you mention it, I am a bit thirsty...yes, please." --- Quote:
Jack looked from his son to his cigar and then back towards the house. He looked back at the cigar, then to the house again before shaking his head and frowning. "Nope. Not even for your mother," he replied, sticking the cigar back between his teeth. A sly, cheeky grin crossed its way onto his lips as he added, "Now...maybe for a girl like yours..." |
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"Thank you," Devi replied politely as she reached over and gently took the glass from Emilia. Her gaze drifted back to the photo album as she pointed to a small photo in the corner. It was a picture of Jean as a child, sleeping spread-eagle with a line of drool streaming from his mouth and his stomach exposed. Smiling, she traced an invisible outline of the figure with her finger before looking up and giggling softly. "So...I take it he's always been this way?" she responded with a caring look in her eyes as she looked back at the picture. "He looked just like this on the train today..." --- Quote:
"I don't know..." Jack drawled, looking back towards the house before a lecherous smirk crossed his features. "By that pretty young thing....? I'd at least try..." He then looked back at his cigar and shrugged, striking a match and lighting the end. He then looked back over at his son and sighed. Noticing the longing look on his son's face, he pulled out another cigar and held it up to him, coaxing, "C'mon, son. It's a special occasion. Besides, you know your mom--she's like a hawk. There ain't no way you're getting "rewarded" anytime while you're here." |
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"And I'm supposed to be on vacation too..." Jean muttered darkly. Giving a careless shrug, he leaned over and took the cigar, his expression brightening somewhat as he held it. "Although I guess you're right. Besides, I never said anything about not smoking cigars..." Looking rather pleased by his own cleverness, he added, "Could I have a light?" |
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"He still can," Devi chuckled, remembering how well he slept on the train. "And it's nearly impossible to wake him." --- Quote:
Jack sighed and looked at his son sympathetically before sighing and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well...I guess I could see what I could do..." he murmured. "But I'm not making any promises...you know how stubborn your mother is..." Quote:
"That's my boy," Jack grinned, taking his own cigar between his fingers and lighting the end of his son's with it. |
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Emilia nodded in agreement. "Too true..." she said, smiling, before adding in complete seriousness, "I would have to tickle him into wakefulness." --- Quote:
"Maybe you could distract her?" he suggested jokingly, grinning at his father. Quote:
Clamping the cigar between his teeth, Jean inhaled deeply, a relaxed expression sweeping across his features. "Mmm... nice..." he said happily, his breath coming out in a cloud of pale gray smoke as he exhaled. |
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"...Seriously? Hm, I've never tried that before..." Devi replied, blinking a few times as she tried to imagine Jean being ticklish. "I didn't know he was ticklish..." She then paused, something catching her attention. An unusually sweet smell lingered in the air, wafting in from outside the room. It smelt somewhat similar to that of a cigarette and yet not nearly as pungent. "He's smoking?" she asked, speaking more to herself than anyone. Frowning somewhat, she stood from her seat and turned to flash a quick smile to Emilia. "Could you...excuse me for a minute? I need to speak to Jean about something..." --- Quote:
"Or maybe you can go a week without any..."rewards"," Jack retorted, narrowing his gaze at his son for the joke. His expression then lightened as he added. "Just wait for her to fall asleep or something..." Quote:
"Yeah...nothin' like 'em..." Jack said, joining his son in a smokey bliss. |
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"Come one, you know Mom's a light sleeper..." Jean grumbled, taking a drag from the cigar. He wasn't even going to consider going a week without 'rewards'. That was just plain crazy talk. |
Devi stepped out of the room and headed towards the source of the smoke, knowing very well what she would find. She sighed, more disappointed than anything, but was otherwise calm. She couldn't blame him for smoking--she knew it was something his did when stressed. But did he really think he could hide it from her?
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"Then you'll just have to keep quiet," Jack snickered, leaning back and grinning. Then, sobering somewhat, he added, "I'll see what I can do to keep her distracted, but I can't promise much...The rest is up to you and...oh! Hey there, hun. What a coincidence--just talking 'bout you." He raised a hand and waved Devi over, smiling at her presence. Devi looked from Jack to Jean before walking over to join them. She stopped a few inches from Jean and looked at the cigar in his mouth. Arching a brow, she pouted somewhat and sighed, shaking her head. "Are you to enjoying yourselves?" she asked, smiling sweetly. |
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"Mind if I interrupt for a minute?" Devi asked, looking past Jean towards Jack. Then, turning back to him, she leaned in closer and inquired softly, "Can I talk to you?" Jack shrugged his shoulders and smiled, "Sure! No problem. I'll be inside if you kids need me." He took the cigar from his mouth and crushed the tip to extinguish it. "Good luck, son," he chuckled, walking into the house. |
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"It was only a one time thing," he assured her, crushing the end of the cigar against the bottom of his shoe. |
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"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" Devi's pouted a bit more, but the look in her eyes was more of disappointment then anger. Sighing, she forced a small smile onto her lips and said, "It's okay. I'm not mad." She leaned up and kissed his cheek before adding a bit sheepishly, "It gave me an excuse to sneak away for a bit." |
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