Manhattan - Donovan Residence
The top three floors of a five floor mansion on Fifth Avenue, the Donovan home is quite large. The outer walls are a beautiful white limestone with a wrought-iron gate blocking the entrance. The home has eleven large rooms and has wonderful details throughout including the original staircase, elevator to all floors, 11-foot high ceilings, hardwood floors, three wood burning fireplaces, a solarium with skylight and a great south facing terrace. There is a grand foyer on the main floor, a beautiful living room with three large windows overlooking Central Park. Other rooms include a formal dining room, powder room, a service kitchen and a staff room and bath. The next floor is the sleeping floor with 4 bedrooms and baths, including a spa like master bath. On the top floor there is a wonderful den that opens into a windowed eat in chef's kitchen that over looks the 400-square foot south facing terrace with views of the Empire State Building, a powder room and a solarium also looks out to the terrace. There are also two large storage rooms.
Characters
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Preston Van de Mark | Cooper Montgomery | Ariel Johnson-Lowell | Jenna Donovan | Chance Harper |
Preston tosses back his shot and sets the glass back down on the table. "Next time, let's do it the right way. Limes and salt."
Beat.
"I'm not going to argue about it. I'm easy. Whatever you guys decide on, I'm good with."
~*~
"No, not jealous. I just don't see any reason to give Cooper more fantasy fodder." Chance picks up his shot and downs it. "Not like he needs the help, but I like to pretend some things are sacred."
He smirks over at Cooper and gives Jenna a light swat to the backside. "I was a little more concerned about my very drunk girlfriend at the time, rather than eyeing Pres up. No offense, Pres."
~*~
Ariel holds her glass up and smiles, "To my stubborn bitchy cousin." Then she takes the shot, making a cute little face as it burns down her throat. Licking her lips, she sets her glass down.
She almost makes a comment about eyeing Preston up, but doesn't.
Wandering to the couch, she sits on the edge, almost nervously. "What are our dinner options?"
~*~
"Limes and salt take too much time when we're toasting," Jenna points out, a sour look on her face as she holds the shot glass out. "No more tequila for me though, okay?" She'll probably add something bubbly to her wine. Sprite, or gingerale. Mostly because she doesn't want to let her wall down fully and flood Harper at school.
"You think my nudity is saaaacred," she teases Chance, though the mirth doesn't quite reach her eyes. "It is. Just for you." Leaning back against him, Jenna sighs. "If we're going to be drinking, my vote is for not Chinese food. That stuff makes a mess when someone gets sick and as much as I'd love the distraction of cleaning, you're all responsible for your own vomit."
~*~
Cooper winks at Ariel, and then does make a comment about eyeing Preston. "I'd have been eyeing them all up, concern or not." Waggling his brow, he smirks and reaches for his glass of scotch. "I hadn't really gotten beyond the 'food' part yet, but I'm sure there's a book of take out menus around here somewhere. We could wager on it. Whoever gets it wrong has to take something off."
~*~
"What exactly are we making a wager on, sweetie?" Preston follows Ariel's example and settles on the couch beside her. He hands her one of the glasses in his hand, "Unless you'd like to go the wine route, like Jenna?"
~*~
"Yes, I'd like to keep your nudity that way." Chance relieves his girlfriend of her shot glass and kisses her softly on the cheek. He locks his arms around her waist and leans back against the bar with her in front of him. "I'm dealing with the whole underwear in public thing."
Hence the reason he sent her shopping.
~*~
For some reason, Ariel blushes darkly when Cooper winks at her. She's not at all sure what the wink is for, and her mind supplies many alternatives. All of them having to do with seeing Preston or Cooper (sometimes both) naked.
Squirming and clearing her throat, Ariel peers at the scotch and when Preston makes the offer, she passes it back to him. "Yeah, wine would be good, I think. Though I'm going to take it slow." So she doesn't say or do something stupid.
"What underwear in public thing?"
~*~
"I know you are," Jenna tells him with a soft look. Leaning up, she presses a kiss to his cheek and curls herself against him as much as she can as they're leaning against the bar. His nearness is keeping her sane at the moment, and while a large part of her wants to break down and cry in his arms, this is good too.
"Here, Ariel, take my glass. I can pour another for myself in a little while." Holding it out toward the couch, the little empath blinks.
There is something going on there, but she's not at all sure what. She can make a guess, most of it involving Cooper, but doesn't want to say anything until she's certain.
"My next role on Broadway involves me prancing around in tight clothing and lingerie. Rock of Ages? I don't know if you saw the tour when it was in your area. I'm guessing for the first month, Chance is there every night to take me home."
~*~
"On which restaurant we choose. Whoever wagers correctly gets to keep his or her clothing on. Whoever guesses incorrectly loses a piece." Cooper grins, knowing that the majority of them will balk at that, but he doesn't care. Being outrageous right now is what this motley crew needs.
~*~
"How is that a fair wager? We'll all choose where we want to eat, and then we be swayed just to prevent embarrassment and discomfort for other parties." Preston is amused at the thought, really, but he's teasingly playing devil's advocate to show the flaws in Cooper's plan.
He retrieves the glass Jenna is handing off to Ariel and reclaims his seat beside the little witch. "We'll have to play rock, paper, scissors or pull the final choice out of a hat."
"She's going to be absolutely fabulous in it," Preston praises Jenna with a proud, beaming smile at his friend. He taps Ariel on the knee and allows his hand to linger there. "You'll be here, though, so we'll get to go to opening night together. We'll do it as a big group to cheer Jenna on."
~*~
"Damn straight I will be," Chance says with a half-growl. It's partly teasing, but partly possessive. He's going to be waiting at the stage door to claim her and show every drooling man (and woman) that Jenna is his and spoken for.
He blinks at Ariel. "You'll be back before the wedding?"
~*~
Ariel is not getting into a discussion about getting naked, especially not getting naked in front of Cooper or Preston. She can't because either way, she just squirms and blushes and starts to feel guilty.
That's why she latches onto Chance's question. "Yeah … I'm moving to New York. I'm transferring to Julliard."
Beat.
"I'm looking forward to it," Ariel tells Jenna. "I heard you were so good in Mamma Mia! I want to be able to brag that I know you."
~*~
"It's so not a fair wager! I'll bow out of that one, really. I'm not fussy. Just not Chinese, aaaand maybe nothing with cumin in it." Wrinkling her nose, she looks up at chance again, and grins. Jenna figures that her boyfriend won't want cumin any time again soon either.
"Oh, Pres, stop! I don't need a big group there. It's not like it's a lead role." It's definitely a secondary role, and she'll have as much stage time as the lead, really, because she's in every ensemble song.
"Ariel's moving here, and she'll likely be taking over Shiv's room once Shiv and Harper move into the brownstone."
Beat.
"Chance, you do know that no one's going to care about me. I'm a bit part actress. They'll be all over the two leads."
~*~
"I'll go and drool over her just to get you jealous," Cooper teases the Cowboy.
"And I never said the wager was fair, but it'd be fun."
~*~
"I'm almost willing to support Coop on this, just to watch you squirm." Preston teases Jenna gently. It's only teasing because he'd never make his best friend that uncomfortable. He also wouldn't want to upset Chance. The teasing is fun, however.
"There's no reason why you can't and shouldn't have a big group there," Preston argues. "You're making waves and it's our decision to be there and support you. Which we will be. I will be. You know Harper and Shiv will be." He pauses briefly, considering the weight and his belief in his words. "We'll be there always."
Beat.
"You should be the lead."
He takes a few swallows of the scotch then sets his glass on the sideboard table behind the couch. "Speaking of moving here …" Standing, Preston extends his hand to Ariel. "Come on and allow me to give you a quick and dirty tour of where you'll be living." He waves his hand toward Chance and Jenna. "Why don't you order dinner? We can get it from Deluca's. Best Italian in the neighborhood."
Beat.
"I can sit out the naked wager because we all know you can see me naked whenever you'd like," Preston gives his boyfriend an eyebrow waggle.
~*~
"Pres is right. You may not be the lead, but it's a big deal, Jenna. We're going to celebrate it even if you're going to downplay it." He gives his girlfriend a hug from behind, then leads her toward the arm chair. "Sit, you've been standing for hours. I know where the menus are and I"ll grab the one for Deluca's."
He rolls his eyes at Cooper. "I think you're going to have to try a little harder. Though if it'll make you feel better, I can always take off my watch." He gives the dancer a sly grin. After all, the man did say 'take something off' not that it had to be clothing.
He kisses Jenna on the nose. "You. Are. Hot. Of course they're going to be interested in you."
~*~
Cooper can see Ariel naked whenever he wants to as well, but the little witch doesn't say that. She does continue to sit quietly, sipping at her wine and trying hard to banish the blush in her cheeks.
She blinks at Preston's hand and slowly slips her hand into it. "Okay."
~*~
"I know, but that doesn't mean I want a big fuss made out of it. It's not like I'm the first person to have the role. There've been like six other Sapphire's, you know." Jenna allows herself to be lead to the arm chair and sits when Chance tells her to. "Besides, I can't be the lead. Well, I suppose I could if I felt like throwing on a blonde wig every night. The girl who was playing Sapphire is moving up to the lead though, so maybe I'll get an understudy part." Which means she could be on the sidelines for months before she takes over, if at all.
"Thanks. Just the angel hair primavera for me." The little empath isn't in the mood for protein tonight, but then again, it's not like she eats it frequently anyhow. She is borderline vegetarian, mostly because it helps maintain her weight.
"I'm hot to you, but I think I'll fade into the background by choice anyhow once the show is over. I have someone far more interesting to see at night than people looking to cop a feel or whatever."
~*~
Cooper is about to tell Preston to sit down, but he rolls his shoulders back in a relaxed shrug. He was teasing his boyfriend about Ariel, but he's fairly certain that if Preston was going to have a 'girlfriend', she would be it.
"If I desperately wanted to see any of you naked, I know where you all sleep. Besides, you know, Preston has a little hole in the floor that peers down into the girls' rooms." Winking at Jenna to show he's just teasing, he moves to pour her a glass of wine and then drops back onto the couch after delivering it.
"Behave yourself, Ariel. Don't let him drag you away to his bedroom now."
~*~
"Every role you get and every part you play is a big deal. It's a stepping stone to you being a big name on Broadway and your Tony." It's something Preston has said to her before, and he'll probably repeat many times in the future too.
Once she's standing, Preston plucks the glass from Ariel's hand and sets it aside. "I'll have the eggplant parmesan. Did you need the menu, Ariel or can you give a guess of what you'd like?"
~*~
Chance rolls his eyes, but gives up arguing with his girlfriend over her hotness. He brushes his lips over her forehead and then glances back at Preston. "Let the woman order her food before you drag her off. I don't think the house is going anywhere."
He heads to where he knows the menus are and tosses back a laugh. "I think you're confusing Preston's honorable intentions with yours, Coop. I think she's pretty safe in Preston's bedroom."
He returns with the menu and hands it to Ariel, allowing her to look over it.
~*~
Ariel is pretty certain that her thoughts on that are written all over her face. She's also pretty certain that the thoughts are hidden behind the blush that colors her face. Her only saving grace is that it wasn't exactly a secret that she had a crush on Preston for years, and hopefully, that's all Jenna will read into her reaction.
"You have a one track mind," Ariel says, though not very convincingly.
She gives Chance her order and looks to Preston. "Ready for my tour."
~*~
"Yes, I know, but I don't want to make a big deal out of it," Jenna reiterates. There are plenty of things worth celebrating. Plenty worth doing. Having a party after a bit-part role is silly. If she gets a night in the lead role? Then she'll tell them to party it up on her behalf.
"There is not a hole in Preston's floor! Ohmygawd, Cooper! You wish." Even so, Jenna will probably spend a good hour checking her ceiling tonight just to be certain.
~*~
"I do. I also know that Preston has a really comfortable bed, and I'd hate for you to try to take advantage of him," he teases.
"On that note, I'll just have the lasagna, and we should order a large salad to go with all that pasta as well. I'd say garlic bread, but if anyone is planning on getting their mack-on later, well… that might not be the best idea."
~*~
"Honestly? Why would I have a hole in the floor of my bedroom?" Preston shakes his head with a laugh. "Unless you added it when you started coming over more."
"The trick to garlic bread is that you both eat it," Preston remarks.
~*~
Orders placed, he leads Ariel away from the gang and on a tour of the house. Preston gives Ariel an honest, quick tour of the house, although he did have an ulterior motive of just stealing a few private minutes alone with her. It hasn't even been a week since he saw her last, but it doesn't mean he's not glad to see her. Even if he does wish it was under better circumstances.
He does save his bedroom for last, simply because of Cooper's teasing and the way Ariel got so fully embarrassed. "And this is my bedroom. I saved the best for last."
~*~
"Maybe you're a secret voyeur, Pres, and you've just been playing innocent this whole time," Chance teases the actor.
He leans on the arm of the chair where Jenna is and nips at her ear. "I hope he's not though. I'd really hate to make he and Coop feel inferior."
~*~
The witch gives no contribution to the conversation, other than a quiet, "I don't think I have to worry about that tonight."
Ariel is happy for the respite offered by Preston's impromptu tour. She's glad that Preston isn't blowing her off, especially after what happened, but she's not sure how to read Cooper. Getting away from the group, even for a few minutes, is a god send.
"Your bedroom is the best room in the house?" Ariel teases. "That sounds like something Cooper would say."
She pauses in the doorway and looks back at him. Then she leans up and presses her lips to his, hooking a hand around the back of his neck to draw him down, metaphorically holding her breath the entire time.
~*~
"I agree with the no garlic bread thing, but if you think I'll be sharing any kisses with you, Coop, you just better think again. All my kisses are reserved." Leaning up, Jenna kisses her boyfriend again. Squeezing his hand when he returns, she closes her eyes.
"I'm sorry I've been driving you crazy with cupcakes, Chance. It's just something to do instead of worry."
Beat.
"Thank you for sticking by me despite that though."
There's a bit of a giggle, and while it's not a full laugh, she seems to settle after it. "You'd put them both to shame."
~*~
"Hey now! Don't tell me you don't enjoy looking at women. There's this whole artistic beauty to them, even if you do want to fuck men." Cooper waggles his brows at the departing pair, then snorts.
"Do you really want to get into a sex-off?"
Beat.
"You know they're upstairs making out right now, right?"
~*~
"Always, Magpie," Chance tells Jenna. "I will always stick by you."
Chance stares over at Cooper like he's grown a second head.
"You wish that they were making out." He shakes his head, grinning. He's amazed at where Cooper's thougths go sometimes. If Ariel were male, Chance might give a bit of credit to that suggestion. Might. Maybe.
Though Preston isn't the sort to play around.
~*~
It's the 'always' that nearly starts Jenna crying. Instead, she squeezes Chance's hand just a little more tightly. "I know." It took her a bit to realize that. That no matter what life throws at them, Chance isn't going to just disappear or stick his head in the sand. Still, she needs him to know that she appreciates that he does that, even if she doesn't say it or show it often enough.
Lifting up her wine glass, she takes a sip and nearly spits it out when Cooper says what he does. Clearing her throat, she quietly says, "I'm fairly certain that she's just wanting to get away from life for a few minutes. Besides which, aren't you the one that made out with her and saw her witch-fu?"
Beat.
"By the way, Cooper knows that Siobhan and Ariel are witches."
~*~
Cooper opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again.
"I'm being serious. I guarantee you that's why he dragged her off." Shrugging, he downs the scotch he's holding, and gets up to pour another. "You want one, Cowboy?"
Beat.
"Yep, that was me. It was some weird shit. In the face of this though? It doesn't matter at the moment."
~*~
Chance looks between Jenna and Cooper. His brain tries to process everything that he's just been told in the last few moments. Cooper knows that Siobhan and Ariel are witches, but evidently not that Cooper is also a witch. Nothing said about sorcerers.
"How - what - " Chance gives up, tosses back his scotch and waves his empty glass at Cooper. "Yes, please."
Beat.
"Did you make out with Ariel before or after you slept with Siobhan?" Chance winces the moment he says the words, because he probably could have worded it better. Or not said it at all.
"I'm sorry. That was out of line," Chance immediately apologizes. "I know that neither one of you remembers what happened that night."
"But then, shouldn't you be the one making out with Ariel right now?" That at least would make a bit of sense as opposed to projecting his fantasies onto Preston and Ariel.
~*~
"Well it's kind've hard not to realize something is going on when objects start flying around the room," Jenna points out to Chance. "And apparently Ariel told him it was a family thing, right?" She looks over at Cooper for verification. "So he knows what they are at the very least."
"Before."
Beat.
"After."
Cooper shrugs a little, then smirks. "What can I say. I was having a lot of fun in Vegas."
Glancing toward the stairs, he frowns. "I'm not quite ready for that just yet. Getting used to what she is is the important thing right now, but making out with her when I'm not sure of things would just be insulting to her."
~*~
Chance is rendered speechless for a few moments. Jenna's reveal isn't so much a thing; he figured that Ariel was either levitating objects, setting off water works or starting fires, the latter of which would probably have freaked Cooper out so much that he wouldn't be here right now.
No, it's the fact that the dancer has some level of dignity, and a measure of respect for Ariel. Cooper, the man-slut, is not taking advantage of Ariel and just getting his rocks off.
"All righty then," Chance manages after a few moments have passed.
Beat.
"You're not comfortable with the magic?"
~*~
Ye-ah.
Jenna caught that too, but she's trying not to focus on it too much. Mostly because she's not sure what it means for Preston, and she doesn't need her remaining bestie hurting right now.
"I don't know why you'd have a problem with it. I mean, it doesn't change who they are, right? I've known Siobhan since before she could use magic, and I can honestly tell you she's not changed a bit. She's still a bitch when she needs to be, and that's why I love her."
~*~
"Not exactly, no. Preston says that's just because I'm only learning about it now, but it's fucking weird, you know?" Cooper hands Chance his scotch, and then downs his second glass. Frowning, he glances toward the stairs again. "Why? I mean, you're all obviously comfortable with it, but the fact that they can make things float, or heal things, or put up privacy shields to hide what they're doing is weird."
~*~
"It is weird," Chance agrees. "It's weird. It's strange. It's unusual. It's supernatural." His words might surprise Jenna, but he's not going to sugarcoat it. Chance knows that being a sorcerer is not what would be considered normal. Some consider it a gift, some a curse, but he'll never think of himself as a normal human. He is, however, human.
"But like Jenna says, it didn't change Siobhan, and Ariel is still the same person she was when you first met her, right?"
Beat.
"It certainly doesn't make - them invincible or some kind of all powerful mutants." If it did, Siobhan would be here right now. Even magic can be nullified and overcome.
~*~
The words do surprise Jenna, but she leans up and kisses Chance's cheek. She adores that he's willing to call himself weird to put Cooper at ease. "It is strange, I guess. I mean, I've known Shiv her whole life, but when she started being able to do stuff, it took a bit to get used to." By 'bit', Jenna means 'an hour or two', because Siobhan was her BFF even back then, and it never did change who she was. "I'm sorry it got thrown at you by surprise though." Biting her lip, she quietly says, "We were trying to give you clues. For the last little while, really. Only we didn't want to dump it on you all at once. None of us want to lose you as a friend, alright? And I'm positive that goes for Ariel as well."
Getting up, she moves over to Cooper and gives the tall dancer a hug. "Thanks for coming for Preston, even though you think everything else is weird right now."
~*~
Cooper looks over at Chance when Jenna gives him the hug, and gives him a look that says, 'I so didn't ask for this'.
"Yeah, well, it's not that big of a deal. Siobhan's my friend too." Sort of. At the moment, he's not at all sure what to call her. "I mean, well, you know what I mean." He pats Jenna on the back and turns her back toward Chance.
"Even powerful mutants have things that can nullify them."
~*~
Chance is almost beginning to think that Cooper might not be wrong about Preston and Ariel. Until he remembers that Preston is the one who loves men and Cooper is the one whose bisexual. It's more likely that Ariel is fretting, knowing how Cooper feels about things, and needed a few moments to collect herself. The sorcerer didn't get to interact with her much, but she did remind him a little of Jenna with her innocence. He can't imagine that she's the sort who would have made out with Cooper in Vegas and then just shrugged it off later.
"Exactly my point."
Beat.
"From what I understand, if Siobhan befriended you, you're her friend until she says that you aren't. She might be flaky and bitchy right now, but I doubt she's going to write you off." There's a silent added, 'Don't write her off just because she's a witch.'
~*~
"Dinner will be here soon, and I know our place isn't that big that Preston needs to be gone this long." Jenna gets up, and then glances at Cooper. "Unless you want to retrieve them? I just don't want Pres to hide out in his room again for hours. That's worse than me being in the kitchen." Because she can be productive in the kitchen.
"Oh, that's very true. She sat down in kindergarten and declared that I was her best friend. She wasn't hearing it any other way. So unless she's told you to screw off, then she still considers you friends."
~*~
Cooper glances at the couple, then at the stairs again. "Yeah, I can go grab them. You know Pres. He's probably just blowing off steam or whatever, or having a 'moment'." The dancer is fairly certain it's the latter. Preston is enjoying a moment with Ariel.
"You two behave yourselves now. No fooling around in the living room while you have company."
~*~
"I think that we can manage to keep our hands off of one another in the few minutes that you're gone," Chance remarks dryly. He drinks another few swallows of his scotch and puts the glass down. Then he reaches down and hefts Jenna over his shoulder. Once she's there, he sits down in the chair, and twists her around, dropping her in his lap.
Kissing her cheek, Chance grins. "That's better."
"You don't get to fool around either," Chance calls after Cooper. "No sending Ariel away so you can fool around with Preston."
~*~
There's a loud squeak as she's picked up, and the little empath swats at Chance's back playfully. It's the most honest to goodness giggling she's had in the last day or so. Another squeak is given as she's twisted around and set on his lap.
"We'll just have to move again when the food gets here, you realize." Jenna smiles over at Cooper and nods. "Yeah, no fooling around with either of them."
Cooper rolls his eyes and waves off the couple with a shake of his head. "I solemnly swear there will be no fooling around going on by me. I'll drag them both back down here by their ears."
~*~
Chance waits until Cooper clears the stairs and then puts up a privacy spell just in case. "Anything else that I missed that I should know about?"
Beat.
"He knows that Shiv and Ariel are witches, but obviously he doesn't know anything about sorcery?"
Beat.
"Or about himself?"
~*~
Feeling the privacy spell, Jenna's about to chide he boyfriend about fooling around. Instead, she leans against him. Shaking her head, she quietly says, "Not that I know of. I think he knows witches can be male or female, because of Christian, but I don't think anyone told him about sorcery or any of the rest of it."
Beat.
"If he knew about himself, do you think he'd have such a problem with witches?"
~*~
"Maybe. It depends on how weird and uncomfortable he finds it," Chance says simply. "You don't think the fact that Cooper Montgomery is bothered enough that he won't touch Ariel isn't unusual?"
Stroking his hand over her arm, Chance sighs. "I guess it's a good thing that he's sticking it out for Pres, but things are going to get weirder for him before they get better. I don't want to see Pres get hurt."
~*~
"I don't know. There's a reason you all don't tell everyone you meet about your abilities." Jenna strokes her hand over his arm in a lazy manner, and then shrugs. "I think it's unusual that he slept with Siobhan and her cousin. I think it's unusual that he's not so flip with Ariel, and that he's fine with making jokes about Pres fooling around with her. I mean, it's Pres, and Ariel's had a crush on him forever."
There's a quiet little beat and then, "I really don't want to see Pres get hurt either. He's in love with Cooper."
~*~
"Because most people would freak the hell out," Chance says simply. "I can't say that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been raised to it. Finding out about the other supernatural stuff? Werewolves? Vampires? It freaked me out when I first learned about it." He's obviously over it now, but as a teenager being told that there was more to the supe world than sorcerers and witches, he had some sleepless nights.
"When she moves here? We need to see that she gets out more. Introduce her to some decent guys. Because pining after Preston is going to lead to heartbreak and fooling around with Cooper is a really bad idea." Oh sure, there are plenty of people who can do it without any problem, but he doesn't think Ariel is experienced enough to distance herself. He also wonders what the hell Preston was thinking, letting his boyfriend get that close to the girl, but he's not going to mention that to Jenna.
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out. He doesn't have self-esteem issues, so there's only one other reason he'd have stayed in the relationship with Cooper. He's got it bad." It's not a secret. One can see it in how Preston looks at the dancer and talks about him. Probably the only person who can't see it is Cooper.
~*~
"Most people would, yeah. Which is why I understand what Cooper's going through. It's not easy learning that everything you thought about the world is wrong. It's not easy accepting that people are different than you thought they were. And it's really not going to be easy for him when he finds out what he is." Jenna keeps trailing her fingers over Chance's arm, as though the pattern she's drawing is soothing to her.
"But he's here, which tells me he's trying. Whether he's doing it for Preston, or because he still thinks of Siobhan as a friend… it doesn't matter. He's trying to come to terms with it all."
Beat.
"I'd stay in a relationship with you if you wanted to fool around with other guys. So long as your heart was mine, and I was the only woman…"
Then again, Jenna does have self-esteem issues.
~*~
"How did I get so lucky? To get such a wonderful, thoughtful, understanding woman as you?" Chance tilts Jenna's chin up and kisses her ever so lightly, tongue teasing against her lips. "I must have done something right in a past life."
He blinks at her and shakes his head. "You know that's crazy talk, yeah? Just because I like women and men doesn't mean I need to have sex with both to be completely satisfied. I'm happy with you and with us. I don't need to go off and fuck a man on the side to get some sort of sexual completion or satisfaction."
~*~
"You just happened to run into two girls that didn't have a clue what they were doing in the Undercity, and one of them thought you were cute and trustworthy." Jenna smiles up at her boyfriend, sighing as the kiss breaks. "Me too. I don't know how I got so lucky as to wind up with you, but I count my lucky stars every night."
Beat.
"I know. I'm just saying that, I get why Pres would go for it. As long as he's the main person in Cooper's life, he's not going to change who Cooper is."
Kissing him softly again, she quietly adds, "I'm glad you're satisfied with me."
~*~
"Yes, you and Shiv together in the Undercity. You know, I did spend a few minutes thinking that someone was playing a trick on me. There was no way that there could be two, good looking clueless girls running amok in the Undercity." Chance tickles his fingers over her leg. "The opportunity to look like a knight in shining armor to two damsels in distress was too hard to pass up."
"Are you saying you have a secret desire to fool around with other men and you're trying to find out if I'd be okay with it?" Chance tickles her knee with a grin. He kisses the side of her neck. "I'm very satisfied."
~*~