lucifcrising-blog

[lucifcrising-blog]

@devilwomcn

[lucifcrising-blog]

devilwomcn‌:

Family. The word resonates with Reina as she follows his lead out to the parking lot, bouncing around in her mind as she, not for the first time that day, thinks about how after today there will be another Thane thrown into the mix. She’s not entirely sure how Layla will take the news of her father’s tragic passing, and the thought of having to tell her the gory details of it has her grin widening. It’s a pretty gruesome introduction to the reality of their lifestyle, even Reina can admit that. Welcome to the family, we killed your asshole father for you! It’s maybe not the most traditional of greetings, but they’ve never been a traditional family and honestly, Reina believes this wedding gift to her newest sister-in-law is better than anything she could’ve picked out from a registry. This man is clearly deranged, she can see him babbling on from a distance as they find themselves getting closer to their destination, and the sight has her practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she walks. She spares a thought for her shoes that have been abandoned at the reception table, regrets leaving them behind as soon as her bare feet hit the pavement but somehow the burning asphalt only manages to fuel her fire.

The first thing she notices — aside from the raging man pacing back and forth — is the catering truck with the back doors cracked. The caterers must have left it open either for easy access when they were unloading the food or it’s been left open on accident, but either way Reina will take the convenience of it. That’s usually how these kinds of things go for them, everything always manages to fall into place. Of course, Jefferson’s got a huge hand in that, he’s always the one setting things up for her so she can easily go in for the kill, but there’s some luck behind it too. They’ve never gotten caught, have never even come close to it like Andrew had, and it’s the sheer dumb luck they always have that has Reina thinking she’s untouchable. “In there, yeah?” Reina gestures towards the vehicle but doesn’t wait for his answer before making her way over to it, pulling the door open all the way just to make sure it’s a suitable location for what they’re about to do — and luckily, it is. They’ll have plenty of room to get things done in there. “It’s like they knew we were coming.”

Reina’s excitement when it comes to the potential murder they’re about to commit is palpable, and Jefferson refuses to think about how cute his little, nearly bouncing wife is while she prepares to spill blood. Today may have been a breakthrough, but he will not venture down the road of looking at her with heart eyes after two years of barely anything when he needed to focus on the task at hand. Still...he will give his smart wife a cross between a smirk and a smile as she points out the catering truck, giving his instant approval. “Perfect. You were always going on and on about taking those couples cooking classes.” An absolute lie, but what’s a murder without some small joke about what they were about to do? Now’s the part where he would have once raised the back of her hand to his lips to give her a little parting kiss and near manic grin, but that was before. Now, he simply puts pressure on the small of her back in the direction of the truck, urging her that way. “Go see if they have a nice tarp to set up in there or something like that. You know what’s good for what we need.” Clean up would be easier that way. “I’ll have your meal for delivery in a moment.” 

Once Reina is out of sight and into the truck, Jefferson turns on his heel to find the raging man once more, still going off about his daughter, the slut. Jefferson’s smile that he offers the man is sharp, but Layla’s father is too busy raging to realize the danger that he’s in. “And you’re absolutely right. Why if my daughter ever did such a thing...” He pretends to sympathize with the man for a few moments before going on to say, “You know she’s still out here. Just over in the truck if you wanted to finish giving her a piece of your mind.” The man comes easily after being given the promise of getting to berate his daughter more, and soon enough Jefferson is escorting him to the truck, talking all along the way so Reina will be sure to hear them coming. The instant Layla’s father is in the door, Jefferson grabs the man by the roots of his hair, bashing his forehead harshly against the hard metal of a counter. It’s enough to break the skin, and for a nasty egg to already form on his forehead, but not to knock him out. It’d be so boring if their toy went unconscious right off the bat. “Darling, I brought you a gift.” He forgets that he hasn’t called Reina any sort of pet name for quite some time in that moment, too caught up in the thrill of what they’re about to do.

[lucifcrising-blog]

“I guedevilwomcn‌:

This is exactly what Reina should have been trying to avoid. They’re getting sidetracked, not making any progress but then again, isn’t their closeness progress in itself? Three months ago this never would’ve happened, he’d never entertain the thought of being this close to her, let alone kissing her. Yet now, somehow, here they are pushed up against a wall like nothing has gone wrong between them and Reina is finally letting herself fall into the trap. They’ve talked it out enough for now, maybe. Maybe this is proof that their conversation was enough to get them on the right track, and things will start to go back to normal for them. Or maybe Reina is being delusional and he just wants to fuck her, but either way she’s done holding herself back from it. She deserves this, two long years of nothing have been making her go absolutely insane. She has half a mind to make him work a little harder for it, to refrain from acting like a common whore but when Jefferson brings her closer and brushes his nose against hers, she knows she’s a goner. “Could you?” There’s a hint of a smile on her lips, because she could also think of about fifteen different things she’d like to do to him that business partners definitely do not do. Unfortunately for Reina, they don’t make it that far. “By all means, enli—” she starts, but she’s cut off for the third time that day, though this time it isn’t on her own accord.

Heavy footfalls sound and she’s alerted to the presence of an out of breath prospect. It’s enough to break her out of her reverie, and this time Reina does pull away from Jefferson like she’s been burned. She doesn’t know why, it’s not like they were doing anything wrong — they’re husband and wife for God’s sake — but the thought of some kid watching this private moment between them makes Reina twitch. He doesn’t seem too worried about it though, his eyes are wild as he gestures out to the parking lot, trying his best to get the words out as fast as he can. “Hey boss,” he starts, and Reina rolls her eyes because she knows that particular title will inflate Jefferson’s ego ten-fold, but she holds her tongue and lets the prospect finish. “There’s a guy out front makin’ a scene. I saw him harassin’ the bride earlier, callin’ her a slut and all types’a names and shit, so I kicked him out but he won’t leave. Claims he’s her father.” The kid looks between the two of them, clearly unsure if he’s about to get his ass handed to him for interrupting or not, and shrugs. “Thought y’all might wanna take care’a that.” He takes off after that, leaving them alone to figure out what they want to do with that information, and Reina’s gaze immediately falls on Jefferson. There’s an excited grin on her face, one that can only be brought on by the idea of taking that asshole’s life, and a knowing look is shared between them that solidifies that thought. Still, Reina can’t help but check to make sure they’re on the same page here. “I hope to God you don’t think I’m not going with you for this.”

He knew words were what they were meant to having in this moment, but words were hard when Reina was so close, and Jefferson had drank a little too freely at the reception. And besides...it was true that words had never been their strong suit. The beginning of their relationship had begun in the bed, so perhaps it only made sense that they should...rebirth it there. So now here he was about to kiss his wife for the first time in two years when a loud, mouth-breathing prospect ran up beside them. The instant Reina shied away, Jefferson’s jaw clenched in warning, dark eyes slinking over to the boy who was daring to interrupt this moment between him and Reina. But his expression lost some of it’s edge as the word boss came over his ears, and he saw Reina roll her eyes. She knew all too well the effect a reminder of his power had on him. 

Jefferson gives the prospect a few words before the young man runs off, and the Primordial vice president can’t help the glint of excitement that’s already showing in his eyes, nor the smirk tugging at his lips. Her was something else Reina and he had been forged in. Blood and ruin. Whatever’s happened at this wedding between him and her, it seems like some switch has been flicked on for the moment being, allowing his smirk to grow a little wider as she insists on coming to ‘take care’ of Layla’s dad. For a moment he pretends as if he’s thinking it over, letting her stew in the anticipation. “I guess I could extend the invitation to you. I suppose it’s a family matter that should be taken care of by, well...family.” After today Layla would officially in their little clan, though his desire to take care of her father also stemmed from fraternal concern. Reina may not have been Layla’s best friend, but for a while now she’d been a link from Jeremiah to Jefferson. A way to make sure his brother wasn’t getting up to idiotic things without having to act like he actually cared.  “Let’s go,” he said, already leading the hunt as he patted down his hidden gun and knives, making sure they were ready to go. 

[lucifcrising-blog]

brutcllysoft‌:

Rowan usually thrives in the unexpected. She is good in a good person to have in a crisis, she keeps her wits about her and between her time spent working the emergency room and her time stitching up bullet holes in bikers, she and chaos have become very good friends. But this — this she wasn’t ready for. She knew Andy had gone after Tyson after his latest stunt. She knew and had been expecting it since the moment he showed back up in Olympus, a part of her almost surprised that it had taken this long for things to come to a head – but she hadn’t been expecting red and blue flashing lights outside their home, or an officer shoving a warrant in her face with another read Andy his Miranda Rights on the front porch, while Maddie wailed in her crib. This particular brand of chaos is apparently one she isn’t as well equipped for. Maybe it’s because she’s exhausted, Maddie having just come home from the NICU  a few weeks earlier and they’re still settling into life as a family. Maybe it’s because after years of the violence in their life being so easily swept under the rug that she naively thought it would never catch up to them. Either way, she feels like she’s drowning; like she can’t catch her breath or keep her head above water. 

When Jefferson reaches out, Rowan lets him take niece. She knows that her anxiety isn’t helping her daughter to settle down, she just can’t help the gnawing feeling that this isn’t something they can fix that’s clawing it’s way up her spine. It’s late and Rowan doesn’t want to drag Jefferson out, more than that she feels bad leaving Reina alone with not only her own three children, but now a six month old, colicky baby fresh out of the hospital. But she swallows that down quickly, reminding herself that this is what a family is supposed to do — and if the situation were reversed, they would do the same for them, wouldn’t they? “You don’t have to,” she frowns, a weak denial leaving her lips, “But I really, really appreciate it.” She doesn’t even know where to begin with all of this, other than getting to the station and start asking questions, call their lawyer to come meet them there – and she’s sure as fuck not calling Cronus or even Rhea, so Jefferson is absolutely her best bet for someone who maybe at least kind of knows what they’re doing. “She was asleep before the shit storm hit. She’ll hopefully go back to sleep for her.” Though that’s not likely, given Maddie’s apparent aversion to sleep, but she hopes for Reina’s sake she’s at least content for the next few hours, if not asleep. 

For a moment, Jefferson bounces Maddie in his arms gently. Three children had taught him how to handle a baby, especially with another little one having come into his and Reina’s life not all that long ago. And it wasn’t his own children that had prepared him. When Andy had come into their home as a little baby, Jefferson had already been twelve, and Rhea could use all the help she could get when all Cronus did for his children was smack them around. Absentmindedly, he offered Maddie a finger of his to clutch onto should she desire. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said hastily to Rowan’s words of not having to. “It’s what family’s for.” If there was one thing Jefferson was undoubtedly loyal to in this world, it was anyone with the last name of Thane. Of course...there may have been one exception. He supposed attempting to kill your own father with your wife some years past wasn’t exactly staying loyal. But Cronus had always been a special exception. 

“Even if she doesn’t, we’ve got her,” he assured Rowan, before turning his head as he say Reina come into view. No likely she’d heard the knock and everything. And she had been expecting Rowan. Jefferson offered his wife a small, hopefully reassuring smile as she came up behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be back later, Ray,” he said before offering Maddie to her, and Reina took the little blonde into her arms. ‘Ray’ was the closest he’d get to using a pet name around a living human being. Jefferson waited for a moment to let Reina say her own piece to Rowan, but soon enough it was time to go. After all, it was obvious that Rowan was dying to get down to the station. But before he went, he offered Reina a perfectly domestic little kiss, and a promise that he’d be home later tonight, even if it was late. His hand slipped from her waist, and he waved back to the pair of his wife and niece before guiding Rowan to his truck. “I can get us there quick, don’t worry. What did they say when they were arresting him? Do you know where he was tonight, Rowan?” Jefferson would need all the information he could get.

[lucifcrising-blog]

chaosbxrn‌:

He hadn’t taken Jefferson out of the wedding party for a few reasons; one was definitely appearances, the wedding wasn’t about this fresh rift between two brothers, it was about bringing someone new into the family. But there was also another selfish part of him that hoped that everything would’ve been behind them by the time the wedding rolled around. But there they were, the day of the wedding and a hole the size of the Grand Canyon between them. Jeremiah missed feeling like a brother to Jefferson for so long he could barely look up at the older man without feeling a sickening ache in his stomach. But this was his fault, and he knew that. So he took what he could get in terms of interactions with his brother. 

Looking up from tying the laces on his dress shoes, Jer raised an eyebrow at his older brother and took the box. “Thanks,” Fighting the urge to toss it to the side and throw his arms around Jefferson, apologizing for what felt like the millionth time, he just gave the box a shake like a child on Christmas. “Never really thought I would make it this far…were you this fucking nervous?” He knew talking about Reina or alluding to Reina would put Jefferson on edge, but he was genuinely curious. His heart hadn’t stopped racing since they got to the venue. 

There had already been a good bit of chaos at the wedding earlier that day. Layla had texted Jefferson frantically to pick up a pregnancy test, and in that time he’d also gone to a nearby store to finish off his present for the wedding now that he knew there might be a baby in the works. Of course Jeremiah didn’t know that just yet, but Jefferson knew he’d be able to play off his present as meant for the future anyway. In honesty, he’d been thinking about getting the small mitt even before Layla had requested the test. In the end, Jefferson had talked her through saving the test for a later time so that Jeremiah could be there as she wanted. Just as with Rowan, Jefferson treated Layla as close to a sister as they could get in his funny and sometimes subtle way of looking after people, and this was no exception.

Jefferson watched as Jeremiah toyed a little with the box, a little anxious to see his brother open it. He’d certainly chosen it with a message in mind, though he’d never openly admit to it. However, whether Jer would understand it was an entirely different thing all together. Jefferson still might not be ready to welcome back Jeremiah with open arms, but he wouldn’t cut Layla and any future niece and nephews off from his definition of family. He was taken out of his thoughts by Jer’s question, and he took a moment to decide how to answer it. Heart to hearts weren’t exactly their forte lately, but he figured he could give his little brother something. “Probably not as nervous as you are.” His and Reina’s wedding had been more of a...public business contract. Though... “The thing that struck me most about it was simply...that it wouldn’t just be me anymore.” Even if he and Reina hadn’t started out the most romantic of couples, he’d always considered them a partnership, something of a team— even if that had been severed for a while after the revelation of the affair. And the knowledge that he was entering into a partnership with a woman like...well...Reina. That had made him nervous, simply for the fact that he’d been somewhat worried about fucking it up, and losing that easy way of working together, great minds thinking alike. He’d found an equal. And though Jefferson on his wedding day hadn’t yet realized the gravity of everything, he’d known enough that he didn’t want to lose that.

[lucifcrising-blog]

devilwomcn‌:

His hand under her chin comes as a surprise but it isn’t an unwelcome one, and Reina relaxes just that much more under his touch. Every move he makes to bring them close pulls her that much further into a secure state of mind, her guard falling with every movement. She should get a grip, pull herself together and stop letting Jefferson get in her head the way he is, but at this point Reina is much too far gone to truly care. In fact, she can’t help but play into it herself when the hand that had been toying with his collar moves to grip his tie and pull him that much closer to her — though it’s just light enough that it seems casual. It’s anything but casual, every move Reina has ever made in her life has had a purpose and motive, but there’s an effort that goes into making her actions seem completely effortless. “It could be,” she agrees, and she knows they’re both thinking about his parents’ relationship and how easy it might be for them to fall into the older couple’s bad habits. Even on their worst days, though, they’ve never come close. Jefferson is a stoic man but he couldn’t be more different than his father, and Reina has never even been remotely worried he might slip into that same persona. For all of his harsh and unfeeling ways, he’s a good husband to her, and it’s what makes her betrayal that much worse.

It’d be a lie to say her stomach doesn’t sink when he tells her that what they used to have isn’t an option anymore, even though she hadn’t expected it to be. “I know it isn’t. I don’t want that,” she shakes her head slightly, even though in a way, that’s exactly what she wants even if what they’d had before everything happened had been weighed down with a lie. How they were before the falling out had gotten so good, so normal that Reina had been starting to forget that their marriage hadn’t been formed out of anything but a mutual desire to show off. Now, Reina is feeling the same way she had been when they first got married — like they are simply co-inhabitants of the same house instead of a couple — only instead of it being because they barely know each other, this time it’s because she’s ruined what they’d worked so hard to gain. Reina doesn’t know how to fix it, she doesn’t even know if they can, but God she just wants to gain back some semblance of normalcy between them before she goes fucking insane. “I just want to stop feeling like I’m your business partner, Jeff.” I want to feel like I’m your wife again almost slips out, but Reina stops herself. As much as she’s trying to have an open conversation right now, there’s still that part of her that feels like she can’t show her entire hand for fear of him using her weakness against her.

She pulls him closer by the tie, and it can’t be his fault that his eyes drop to her lips of their own accord, that age old need and heat returning with a vengeance. He’s already cursing himself for being so weak, but it’s not his fault that all the events of that day have put him in this place, into this mindset. It doesn’t help that he can’t remember the last time that he kissed her. He knows it had been before the everyhing had gone to shit...but he couldn’t ever pinpoint the very last kiss. Most likely it have been some little domestic thing as he’d gone off to the club that day, or perhaps he’d stolen a kiss from her in the early morning as they woke. Either way, he missed those kisses, and the feeling of her against him. So he begins to lower himself even closer, the hand on her waist bringing her flush against him as he slowly moved her towards the wall behind them, a look in his eyes that isn’t all that different from a night cat stalking it’s prey. 

The next time he speaks, his voice is lowered both in volume and pitch— unable to keep her closeness from effecting him. “We’ll never have that,” he promises, knowing that she can see exactly what he was thinking in that moment, remembering crashing dishes, flying fists, and his mother’s cries. Perhaps...this was part of why it had hurt so much when everything had come to light. She knew him. Which was far more than nearly any other person on the planet could say when he always kept his careful and perfect mask on. Another chink in his wall is struck the moment that stupid little name falls from her lips, and she’s the only one who could ever get away with calling him such a thing. And for possibly the first time in those two years past...he flirts, though it still carries the sincerity of their conversation as he dips lower another inch. The hand under her chin lifts her closer as his nose brushes against her’s before he says, “I could think of something business partners don’t do.”

[lucifcrising-blog]

devilwomcn‌:

Reina doesn’t know what she was expecting him to say to her, but it’s not an agreement. Given their last real encounter, she was maybe expecting him to shut down, to block her out and brush her off like she means nothing. His admission that he understands where she’s coming from should be what encourages her to keep talking about this but it has the opposite effect, and a sense of panic shoots through her that she can’t stop. This isn’t like them, they don’t talk about these things and her brain is wired to set off alarm bells whenever feelings come into play and she needs to get the fuck out of a situation. Reina tenses up and almost pulls away from him, as if putting distance between them would make anything she just said null and void, but his thumb running circles on her back makes the tension go away and her shoulders relax almost immediately, and it’s like she’s been talked down from the ledge she briefly put herself on.

It almost feels like she’s in a trance, being lulled into a false sense of security from the way he’s holding her and looking at her and listening to what she’s saying for once. Reina should know better than to fall for it, she’s an expert in this kind of predatory behavior. Make your prey feel safe, make them comfortable, and then attack. As much as she wants to believe that’s not the case here, she knows it’s who they both are. Still, that knowledge isn’t enough to snap her out of it just yet. “I know,” she mumbles, and a little voice in her head is telling her to just let him have this round. Play the doting wife, it’ll get you further. It’s true, feeding into his ego and telling him that he’s right, she’s wrong, and she’ll do whatever she has to do for him to forgive her would probably fix everything, or at least give them a head start. But Reina has never been docile, she’s never just given in to anything in her life and as much as she wants his forgiveness, she won’t compromise herself for it.

That’s not to say she doesn’t understand that they can’t just forget everything, though, because she does. There’s so much bullshit built up between them it’d be impossible to forget, but fuck they have to try something. “I know. I get it. But God, aren’t you tired?” Reina is, at least. She’s tired of pretending their coexistence isn’t draining the life from her. “This is shit — what we’ve been doing. It’s fucked up.” It sucks, being around him and not speaking to him or even acknowledging each other’s presence is hell for her and it hurts. That’s what she really wants to tell him but words have never been her strong suit, and she can’t find a way to eloquently say it without baring her entire soul for him to see.

He felt the tension in her rise, ready for her to pull away just like they had countless times before. Even before the affair, they’d been rather inept at expressing themselves, though it was true they’d been improving in the years leading up to the revelation. But now they were back at square one, or rather...perhaps even before square one, having suffered a setback that was proving harder and harder to overcome. And yet...she settled back into his grasp, and Jefferson let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been trapping in his lungs. She hadn’t run. At least, not physically. But his surprise was brief as she carried on with her words, and he tried his best to keep that familiar close off look from coming over his features as her words fell over him once more. 

As she mumbled, he placed a steady hand below her chin, though it’s confidence wasn’t entirely shared. Perhaps if he could keep a steady hand as he lifted her gaze to his...he’d be able to convince himself that he knew that answers to this conversation, that he’d find them somehow even though far too many parts of him were wanting to run in the other direction. He hadn’t meant the motion to be endearing, but he couldn’t help the way his chest grew warm as he looked down into his wife’s eyes, not realizing for the first time that she’d lost her heels somewhere. This had always been one of his favorite pictures of her, as if taking her heels off made her into some overconfident kitten that was determined to prove it still had claws, and that sentiment did nothing but drive his need to reconcile further. “It could be worse,” he said lamely at first.

It’s not the first time he’s compared his marriage to that of his mother and father’s. When he was a child, he’d always promised he’d have nothing like that. But now...had they been all that different from Cronus and Rhea in the past couple of years? Jefferson had never raised even begun to raise a hand to Reina, but hadn’t he been just as...absent? Fuck. “I won’t pretend like it’s not fucked up, though.” But still there’s a part of him that just wonders if Reina is trying to save her own ass, avoid any pitfalls that might be coming her way. Jefferson would be lying if he said divorce hadn’t crossed his mind at one point, and he knew Reina would rather die before losing her status and money. But would she still have been worried after all this time? If he was her, he would have most likely assumed the window for divorce had passed. Besides, she also knew that there was nearly nothing he prized above his public image. He’d never get a divorce unless he knew he could spin it favorably in his way, and Reina was too wily of a women to risk that on. “Then what do you want, instead?” he asked. “Going forward, that is. What we used to have isn’t...an option. We can’t go backwards.” The only way was forward and through. 

[lucifcrising-blog]

[lucifcrising-blog]

@chaosbxrn

The day had come, and Jefferson wasn’t surprised that he’d still been included in Jer’s wedding party. After all, appearances were important to the Thane family, and Jefferson also knew that there was little that Jeremiah wanted more than reconciliation with his big brother. Of course...it wasn’t nearly that simple. But now there was a single quiet moment between the wedding and the reception, one in which Jefferson had found himself alone with his younger brother before they set off to the next location. In the corner of the room, Jefferson’s eye was caught by the a box he’d left here, still uncertain earlier in the day whether or not he would be giving it to Jer at all.

Of course, he had to give his brother a present for his wedding, people would certainly talk if he didn’t. But it was up to his own discretion what he wanted this present to say, as Jefferson wasn’t quite along the road of forgiving Jeremiah just yet. Things were...tense, though he’d just begun to relax a bit around Reina once more. Still...it was his baby brother’s wedding day, and Jefferson fully approved of Layla. So he lifted himself from the chair he was sitting in and went to claim the gift before turning back to Jeremiah, holding it out for his brother to take. “You made it this far. I figured you could have some sort of consolation prize.”

[lucifcrising-blog]

@dcathbecomes

Two years. When the judge had called out the sentence for his brother, Jefferson had told himself it wasn’t that long of a time to be gone. Two years in the span of their lifetimes had to be something of a blink at this rate, right? And yet, in those two years Jefferon’s life and family had been managed to be turned upside down— leading to a wife he was only just starting to accept again, and a brother he barely talked to in the form of Jeremiah. Of course, Andy had been the easiest to hide everything from. Jefferson was certain that Rowan gossiped to Andy while he was in jail about the going-ons of the family and how the world had changed, but Andy couldn’t see it for himself.

But now...it was impossible to truly hide the cracks in the family that had been struck since Andy had gone to prison, though they did a fairly decent job of it when it came to the public eye. But an insider would always be able to spot the differences, and Thane would always know. And Andy was no exception. Growing up in a household where your father had been liable to explode at any moment didn’t leave one without an uncanny ability to sense tension in the air, or the smallest shifting of winds. Their lives had practically depended on it. So he had no doubt that Andy was brimming with questions now that he’d seen just how bad it had gotten. Still, Jefferson wouldn’t be the one to bring it up. “Never thought I’d see that day someone would willingly get tethered to Jer, right?” At least he’d come far enough in these two years to say his brother’s name.

[lucifcrising-blog]

brutcllysoft‌:

@lucifcrising // 2017

Reina is usually the last person on Rowan’s list of people to leave the baby with. Rhea is the obvious choice, but there’s not a chance in Hell Rowan is going to leave Maddie in Cronus Thane’s house without her or Andy present. Her own mother is usually second on the list, their relationship may be fractured but her parents adore Maddie and Rowan isn’t about to keep Maddie from knowing her grandparents because of their own issues. However, her father had been among the officers who had showed up at her house only fifteen minutes earlier and so that fact alone makes her parents the very last people she wants to see right now, let alone leave her child in the care of. And so she had texted Reina, giving little more than ‘having an emergency, need you to watch Maddie’ and not waiting for a response before driving there.

She knocks once, trying to keep it down – it’s late. Not quite midnight yet, but it will be within minutes and even through her borderline hysteria she knows not to wake up Iris and the boys. A beat passes and Rowan sends up a silent prayer to whatever God is watching that the car ride had managed to calm Maddie, who had been screaming from her crib through out the entire ordeal. Jefferson is the last person she expects to answer the door, which is odd considering it’s his house, but it still surprises her. “It’s late, I know.” She isn’t sure how much Reina had told him, if she had even gotten her text message – Rowan realizes now as she’s standing on their porch that she hadn’t bothered to check. “I texted Reina. I need someone to watch Maddie tonight. The cops just…” she trails off for a second, taking a breath and bouncing Maddie on her hip who is beginning to fuss again, sensing her mother’s distress. “Cops just practically knocked out fuckin’ door in before hauling Andy off. I’ve gotta get down to the station and figure out what the hell is going on.”

Ever since the text had come into Reina’s phone, Jefferson had been ready and waiting by the door— knowing that Rowan didn’t just send the word emergency lightly. Already he’d tried to think of a number of situations that might be the one going down, going through a mental checklist of how he’d handle each one. After all, fortune favored the prepared. His gun was loaded and stowed on him within seconds, and the time between Rowan’s text and her arrival seems to stretch on far too long. Nevertheless, he’d used the time to convince Reina to let him deal with Rowan and whatever she might need, citing the fact that it might be dangerous for all they knew. 

But now as Rowan spoke in frantic tones, Jefferson tried to soak in as much as he could. Andy arrested? But he hadn’t been sent on any runs or anything of that like tonight. What could he have gotten up to? Instinctively, Jefferson reached out to take Maddie, wanting to lighten Rowan’s physical load if he couldn’t lighten her emotional one. Besides, the girl might be a little calmer if she didn’t have a front row eat to her mom’s anxiety. Of course...Jefferson had his own worries coursing through his body, now. “We’ll go down to the station, and I’ll make a few calls on the way.” His response was steady and sure, just as he always was in high tension situations. Though this was different...his little brother might be in trouble. “I’m sure Reina will be alright to watch Maddie for a bit. And if Iris wakes up, she’ll be delighted to see her.” He takes a breath in, saying the next words for himself as much as he was for her. “It’ll be alright, Rowan.”

[lucifcrising-blog]

devilwomcn‌:

He pulls her closer and it’s fucking dizzying — Reina is once again hyper aware of the hand splayed on her back and how close their faces are and how easy it would be to just give in. The temptation is there, loud and clear, practically screaming at her to act on it and it takes everything in her not to do so, because she knows it would be the worst idea in the world. She can’t just fuck him and go back to not speaking to him. As much as she wants to think that she could, that sex is still just sex with him and in the grand scheme of things he means nothing to her, she knows that’s not true. They’ve come a long way in the two decades they’ve been married and while Reina loves to continue to pretend she’s a cold, heartless bitch, it’s not the case when it comes to Jefferson.

Where does she want to start? God, that’s a loaded question. In reality she wants to start over, pretend nothing ever happened and move on with their lives, but that’s not an option and even Reina knows that. There’s too much bitterness and resentment between them now for that to ever be an option, but Reina truly can’t think of where to start. “I don’t know,” she gives a half shrug, something she never does because there’s rarely a time in her life when she can admit she doesn’t know something. This is not the time to keep to her staunch and unmoving persona that she puts on, though, and as much as she tries she can feel her walls coming down with every second that passes. Part of her hates this. Actually, most of her hates this, if she’s being honest. Reina is losing the semblance of control that she always has over her life, her rough exterior is cracking and it makes her want to gag when she thinks of the very real possibility that he will laugh in her face at the first sign of vulnerability and tell her to go fuck herself.

The thought has her hand coming to his shoulder to ground herself, the other one coming up to toy with his collar in a way that she thinks might distract him from the weight of what she’s about to say, but the alcohol pumping through her veins won’t allow her to back out now. “We were doing so well, before everything. Today reminded me of that and I —” she cuts herself off again, and silently curses herself for it but she isn’t entirely sure what she wants to say here. She doesn’t love him. Love isn’t in Reina’s vocabulary but there had been this gradual and growing shift in their relationship for a long time until he found out about Jeremiah. She doesn’t know what to call it because it isn’t love, she refuses to think it might be, but they were doing so fucking well. “I miss you.”

For a moment he let his gaze smooth over her, and it almost felt as if he was seeing her for the first time. After all, when was the last time they’d maintained eye contact for this long? When was the last time he’d even held her this long? All he knew was that it had to have been before the affair came to light, though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact last time. Life was funny in that way, never letting you know when you might have a last time of something. But thankfully...it didn’t seem that the anonymous interaction had been their last time, and there was a stubborn part of him that was trying to tamp down the voice hoping that this wouldn’t be the last time, either. 

Another first is her admitting so readily that she doesn’t know. There’d been a time when he would have relished those words falling from her lips, considering it a signal that he’d won whatever silly squabble they’d gotten into. Of course...though they hadn’t been perfect— he couldn’t remember a single fight that had taken any real lasting effect, other than the one they were presently talking about. But then again he didn’t even entirely consider that night a fight. A fight required active participants and Jefferson had simply...checked out, shutting down when the tirade of emotions and thoughts proved far too much to deal with. So instead he’d just pretended as if he had none of those heavy and rushing things flowing through his heart and mind. 

He simply listened, still holding her and savoring the feeling of it as her voice washes over him, the hand on the small of her back taking the chance to rub a small circle where it lay. He was going to blame the wedding, the alcohol, the fucking stars for all he cared— he just wanted an excuse for his behavior other than the glaring and obvious truth. Jefferson swallowed, her words bringing back the memory of them before everything had gone to shit, when they’d finally managed to find their stride, and he’d been calling her that stupid, silly nickname more often than not. He hadn’t even begun to utter it in so long now. If she were anyone else, he would have been more than happy to throw her words back in her face, and perhaps he would have even done that a few months ago. But with the way she was looking at him, something in him stopped that malicious streak, something in him that’s been far too active for far too long when it comes to Reina. Her words were dichotomous on his ears and skin, burning him with a fire that set himself ablaze— but stilling those flames with cool and sweet life-saving water in that same exact moment. He was saying the words before he could stop them, still unknowing when it came to what exactly had possessed him to be so willing and ready. “I can....understand that feeling.” In other words, he’d missed her too. A lesser man would have looked down in his uncertainty with how to express emotion, but he won’t allow himself to. If he was going to make a fool of himself, he would do it with confidence. “There’s just- so much that’s happened, now. I don’t know how to just forget.”

[lucifcrising-blog]

devilwomcn‌:

It doesn’t take long for Jefferson to whisk her away again and Reina is grateful for it. It’s been a long day of keeping up appearances, of her brain telling her that things are normal even though they aren’t and she’s tired of the act. Being in public, being seen by their friends and family when she feels burnt out is too much, even for someone like her. They weave their way through the maze of people with ease, quickly coming to a private place that has the tension in Reina’s shoulder’s easing slightly and the breath she hadn’t known she was holding coming out in a light huff. To the wedding guests, they most likely just look like an eager couple heading off for a quickie and it’s really not so far off for them, the people at this wedding know enough to know that on a good day it’s hard for them to keep their hands off of each other. Reina is well aware of the fact that they aren’t the only ones who’ve snuck off today anyway, but what no one knows is they aren’t like any of the other couples who’ve gone off for a moment alone.

They could be. Reina can see it in the way he’s looking at her and the way he keeps his hand steady on her waist, it has her leaning in just a little too close to him, her lips lingering just slightly out of reach as her gaze flicks down to his mouth and back up again. It’d be so easy to lean in just a little bit closer and whisper something off color in his ear, to start something up that will only leave them crashing and burning once they are finished. She thinks he might go for it, honestly. It’s been so long that he’s probably dying to release the tension between them just as much as she is. Giving in won’t solve anything, it won’t accomplish what she’s trying to do here but for a moment she thinks about throwing any hope she had for mending things between them out the window and just fucking him.

She doesn’t give in to temptation, though, because Jefferson’s hand lingering on her waist even when they’re out of sight proves she’s not making things up in her head about things going well for them. They’ve had a good day, the best day they’ve had in two years, and it’s exactly the reason she thinks right now might be a good time for them to sort things out before he comes to his senses and remembers that he hates her. Usually, Jefferson is so caught up in his loathing and his need to push her away, and for the last couple of years Reina has thought there may not be any room for reconciliation, point blank, and he hasn’t given her much of a reason to think otherwise — until today. “I was just thinking —” she starts, but cuts herself off because truthfully, she doesn’t know how to bring this up without it ending in a fight. She maybe should have thought that through before she put this little plan of hers into motion, but she’d been so eager to have him alone for a minute that she hadn’t given herself the chance. “I just thought we could talk,” is all she finally settles on, a little wary of saying anything else because even though it’s been a good day, she knows that could change in a second. “No hostility.”

He continued to hold her close, telling himself that if anyone should walk by he’d want them to look as if they were leaving to do exactly what most people at the wedding would assume they were departing for. But instead, perhaps he was enjoying himself just a bit too much with his large hand splayed against the small of her back, far too many fibers of his body willing him to pull her in more, to close that pesky distance between them. Jefferson thought he might combust on the spot when her eyes found his lips, and his tongue peeked out to instinctively wet his lip in anticipation. With the ongoing good atmosphere of the wedding, the scent of her perfume, and everything else in the mix...he could feel himself faltering, a chink put into his walls by the only person who had ever been able to do such a thing. 

And yet...though he could see those familiar signs in her eyes— she didn’t make the old moves, apparently choosing words over action today. Immediately, his curiosity was piqued and it showed in the slight furrowing of his brow as he wondered what could be so important that she would put aside these unspoken wants Reina’s cut off words only make him more curious, as such a thing wasn’t like her in the least. She was bold. Confident. Never second guessing of herself. So why now? The hand on her waist dared to do what it had been wanting for, pulling her the smallest bit closer as concern bubbled in his chest. 

I just thought we could talk. A dash of anxiousness began to replace the concern in his chest, knowing that talking has never entirely been their strong suit. Still...the word is out before he can stop it, the wedding perhaps effecting him even more than he’d previously realized. “Alright...” he began rather simply, knowing it would be foolish to ask exactly what she wanted to talk about. It would be the thing they never talked about anymore. “Where did you want to start?” Jefferson asked, wondering if she had a starting point in mind or something of that like. 

[lucifcrising-blog]

devilwomcn‌:

Jefferson’s gaze is doing something to her insides, and even though this is exactly what Reina wanted from him when she grabbed at his tie, it feels awkward. His stillness and the lack of emotion in his tone when he speaks to her, the same way he’s been speaking to her for the last two years, has her jaw clenching and her fingers twitching just slightly. Still, it’s embarrassing how quickly Reina slips her arm into his when he offers, how eager she is to go with the act they’re putting on and pretend everything is fine. So he wants to show her off, like she’s a prize he won. Reina’s okay with that, always has been, but there’s a meaning behind those words now that makes her shoulders tense up slightly. It sounds innocent enough but she can’t help but think of it as a dig, considering she’s barely his wife anymore. She follows him through the crowd anyway to where the dance floor is, and it should be easy, this entire ordeal should be easy, because dancing with each other at a wedding is just something normal people do, but it’s not at all.

This is not normal. It’s all she can think about the second they settle in with the other people on the dance floor, when one of her hands finds his and the other lands on his shoulder. It’s not that they haven’t danced together before — they have. They’ve been to enough weddings and formal events to have a steady rhythm with each other by now. It’s that this time there’s nothing between them anymore to keep the rhythm natural. It’s that her mind keeps going back to those stolen moments at the lake, when they’d have a little too much to drink and stop caring who’s looking at them and just sway with each other on the deck to some made up tune in their heads. What they are doing now feels forced, Reina feels robotic, and awkward and she can’t imagine she looks anything but stiff. The two of them are far from a loving and affectionate couple, they have never been overly open with their emotions in public or in private, but what’s going on with them right now is so fucking beyond uncomfortable that it makes Reina want to scream.

She doesn’t, though. Reina has always been good at playing roles and her reputation means just as much to her as his does to him. Instead she somehow manages to keep her face neutral, even though her mind is racing and all she wants to do is get out of this crowd. She should have never suggested dancing, it was a bad fucking idea but she’s not about to walk away without him now, not when she’s finally getting some kind of response other than hatred from him even if it’s just for show. It could be the atmosphere, or it could be the fact that finally after two years she has his undivided attention while they’re doing something other than fighting, but something has to give with them eventually and Reina figures now is as good a time as any for that to happen. So, she continues with the show, putting her lips to Jefferson’s ear in a way that would have anyone around them thinking they’re whispering sweet bullshit to each other even though that couldn’t be further from the truth. “We should get out of here,” she says it in a low voice, and maybe she’s trying to manipulate him a little bit with how close she is and how easy she thinks it might be for them to fall back into old habits given the setting they’re in. Anything to get them out of there and somewhere they can talk. “Find a room somewhere private. Like last time.” And she knows exactly what that sounds like, but then she pulls back and gives him a look that tells him it’s not what she means.

There are some times when he lets himself get so immersed in the act that he can almost see a glimpse of what they once were. They hadn’t been sickeningly romantic or anything of that like before the revelation of the affair, as that wasn’t either of their styles. But still…they’d reached a place where they let themselves have something close to- well- what any normalperson would have let themself have with their wife or husband. Though Jefferson doesn’t even acknowledge it in the sanctuary of his own mind, he knows that more than anything Reina had been safe, and that safety had been ripped away in the span of just a few moments, and some dusty old papers. But it didn’t matter. Or at least, that’s what he wantedto believe. They were here, and their kids were healthy— even if Iris had far too many precocious questions about why her parents relationship differed so vastly from many of the others she saw.

During the dance, he couldn’t help the fact that his hands slipped to her waist, holding her close as he looked down on the intoxicating woman that had often managed to snare him some way or other. When he discovered that he couldn’t soundly beat her once and for all, he’d decided he’d simply have to marry her. And she certainly kept things interesting. He still found her interesting, though he’d been doing his damned best over the last two years to squash that intrigue into the ground. But instead it was thriving as his eyes meet her’s now, a song he vaguely remembered playing at Rowan and Andy’s wedding coming on that reminded him of better and simpler times. He let it’s influence help his hand relax on her waist, the smallest grain of emotion slipping into his gaze as nostalgia filled his chest.

At first— his brow raised at her insistence that they leave, the words and a mention of lasttime making his blood rise in excitement, and a heat that had little to do with the temperature of the room. The brush of her lips so close to his ear had a delicious chill running down his spine. God, how long had it been? Even when he was trying his best to distance her he couldn’t deny the chemistry that flowed between them. He was only a man, and her closeness and tone were already drawing him in, the wedding not helping his ability to resist in the least. But just as he parted his lips to perhaps dare give the smallest of flirtations back, she backed away, and he caught the expression on her face. “Like last time,” he said with more interest than usual, the emotion of a past memory somehow managing to get the better of him for a moment. But then he reminded himself to stay cool and collected. “Come on, then,” he says while tucking her arm into his once more, leading the way again. It didn’t take long to find a private place, and soon enough he was again faced with her, trying to fold himself into the shadow they’d found themselves in. “So what is it, then?” Away from the eyes he doesn’t have to play the part of loving husband anymore, but he still found his hand on her waist, perhaps still using the excuse for these few moments.

[lucifcrising-blog]

devilwomcn‌:

@lucifcrising

Things are strange between the two of them. It’s been this way for a while now, the awkward tension between them so thick you could cut it with a knife. They do their best to put on a show in public, even at his mother’s house they’re overly cordial to each other but behind closed doors, it’d look like they hate each other to an outsider. And maybe they do now. Maybe things between them have passed the point of no return and Reina just hasn’t gotten the memo that there is no point in trying anymore. Not that she really tries very hard anyway, but lately she’s at least been making a point to put some kind of effort into their marriage — if you can even call it that anymore. It’s her own little way of making amends, even if it very obviously isn’t working. Reina has never been good at apologies, though, and even Jefferson couldn’t make her start handing them out now.

This is probably the first time since the blow up that they’ve been out together in front of so many people, and it feels all kinds of bizarre. Reina doesn’t know what she is and isn’t allowed to do so she’s been pushing boundaries all night — be it with her fingers brushing against the lapels of his tux or a squeeze to his arm as they walk down the aisle together. Anything she can do to get him to look at her. Now, she can’t help but do the same as they’re standing around mingling at the reception, because she might be just a little bit buzzed and the instinctual need to touch comes over her before she can stop herself. “Your tie is crooked,” she says softly, reaching out to fix it without the hesitation she knows she should probably have. She’s fairly certain that she hasn’t been this close to him since he found out about her affair with his brother, but the setting they’re in and the nostalgia of it all has her feeling bold and besides, he’s not going to say anything to her with all of these people watching them. At least, she doesn’t think he will. “People are dancing,” she comments, as if he can’t already see that, and she spares a glance at the dance floor before training her gaze back on him. “We should join them. Your mother will get on us if we don’t.”

A wedding. His brother’s wedding, though he hasn’t called Jeremiah that in...quite some time now. Of course, he can’t truly sever the bond of brotherhood— but he can do his best to treat him as nothing more than a business partner, or rather...his Sargent. Jefferson had always put the club first, as he’d been taught to. Well- the club and family, but that word had been strained as of late, though he still remembers taking it upon himself to teach little Jeremiah about it when they were young, so long ago.

Family. At some point that word had extended to his Reina, though he’d soon found out that perhaps she wasn’t as ‘his’ as he’d thought. And though he had never out-rightly admitted such a thing aloud— he had hoped she was his. But as she drew near he couldn’t avoid looking at her, uncertain as to what it was she was going for in that moment. God knew if she was making some hasty attempt to slit his throat that she’d had countless opportunities over the years. Funnily enough it didn’t occur to him that she might be doing something so domestic as fixing his tie until it was happening. For a moment he tensed, as them being casually close hadn’t been a familiarity between them for two years now. Nevertheless the lack of closeness in those years didn’t mean that he’d forgotten how he’d loved to have her near, and it seemed that a deeper part of him remembered it too as his shoulders relaxed once more. “Thank you,” he said in that dry and neutral tone he’d been using with her since their family had been rocked. In another time, he would have teased her about how he had eyes, and he could see the dancing people for himself. Currently those eyes were trained on her, as he was utterly still in their closeness, trying to fight the part of him that longed to be closer...like he would have done before. But now he simply offered her his arm to lead her to the dance floor, knowing that she was right. 

His mother wouldn’t be pleased in the least to see that they weren’t dancing, and he also wanted to make sure they kept up as good of an appearance as they could. “Let’s go, then.” But he remembers the last brother’s wedding he was at, and how they’d taken to the bathroom during the reception to sate their desires. How different things had been then. A part of him couldn’t help but feel that same nostalgia creeping up in the slightest, the wedding lowering his guard just the slightest. “I suppose I should show off my wife.” It was somewhat safe, not entirely devoid of condescension, but also not far off from a compliment.

[lucifcrising-blog]

[lucifcrising-blog]

Lord help anyone who stands in my way; for I am not merciful, and I am not kind, and I am not afraid to make you wish that I was.

(via slytherinwritess)