Trouble Follows {Jacob}

[imaya]

She was a fast machine
She kept her motor clean
She was the best damn woman that I ever seen
She had the sightless eyes
Telling me no lies
Knockin' me out with those American thighs
Taking more than her share
Had me fighting for air
She told me to come but I was already there
'Cause the walls start shaking
The earth was quaking
My mind was aching
And we were making it and you -
Shook me all night long
Yeah you shook me all night long

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”Shook me aaaall niiiiight looooong…lalalala. OH YOU. Shook me aaalll night LOOOONG!”

The loud howl of a happy voice echoed through the square, causing a few pedestrians to start and stare. Folding up a sign that read ‘Madame Selena’s Psychic Readings,’ a girl decked out in black, her pink streaked hair standing up all over the top of her head, danced to the music that only she could hear. They stared; some even gawked when she raised her hands above her head and twirled for a good couple seconds, ending with a dip into a crooked split.

But did the Goth-ballerina-wanna-be even notice? Of course not. Imaya DeVoux could give two farts about spectacles. She lived and breathed fun and excitement, society be damned!

Now, if only she hadn’t whirled around really fast, lost the grip she had on her ipod and managed to hit a passing cop straight in the kisser. From the look on his face, society was about to un-damn itself and kick the living crap outta her.

Huzzah, another line to add to her rap sheet! Her mama would be so proud!

Unfortunately, pride also came with an afternoon spent chatting it up with Linda, the resident prostitute, and a woman who looked like she could rip off her head. Man, there had to be a reason why her father was always saying she was a bit TOO much like her mama. Sitting on a very uncomfortable jail bed, YaYa glared at the wall opposite her and did her best to resist the urge to start clanging something against the bars. Where was a harmonica when she needed one?

”Time for your phone call, honey,” A burly female cop motioned her forward, and the necromancer practically launched herself into the hall. The phne was on the other side of the hall, and she latched onto it with a vengeance. No way in HELL could she call her parents, or her brother…and gah, she couldn’t call those bastards that she called friends, either, because they were poorer than she was. Which really left only one option.

God. Oh, no, wait…too long distance.

”Think, YaYa, think,” She muttered to herself, tapping her forehead with the phone. The officer harumped behind her, and before she could stop herself, she dialed a familiar number and steeled her spine.

”Hi, Jake. Uh…you got a sec? Cool, ‘cause I’m kinda in a bit of a bind, here…”

And the groveling began.


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[Jacob Derek Jordan]

There was nothing like a relaxing afternoon on the lake. It had been so long since he'd just been alone without anyone fussing or prodding at him that laying on the bank beside his fishing pole was heaven. Ok. so maybe it wasnt a lake but a pond between his house and the Blair's and it was private and stocked with all sorts of fish. It was also peaceful and quiet.

Right up to the moment his cell phone started going off and he eyed it like a Texas diamond back rattlesnake.

Damn, it really had been to good to be true that he could get through one afternoon without someone bothering him or thinking he needed his head examined.

Shaking his head ruefully, Jake reached for the thing and then frowned at the caller ID. The NOPD? What the hell had Ash or Bastian done THIS time? THe last time he'd gotten a call like this, he'd had to bail his brother out for pounding the hell out of a drunk who'd hit his wife at a party and Mom and Dad had been madder than hell he didn't call THEM. Just what he sooooooooo didn't need to deal with right now.

However, when he hit the talk button, Jake was surprised to hear the feminine voice on the other end. It took him a moment to rearrange his thinking and then he closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"What did you do now, Yaya?" he asked ruefully before pushing to his feet and starting to reel his line in. "Never mind.. I don't wanna know. You can tell me later.... What you can tell me is why you don't have Jericho on the line instead of me... uh huh.. yeah... True but he's still your brother.. yeah... Well, I'll be there in a bit.. Just sit tight and don't make to many new friends while you wait."

Clicking the phone off on her hot retort, Jake finally gave into the smile that had been playing round the edges of his lips and shook his head. Some things would never change.

In a matter of minutes, he had his things back in the truck and was heading down to the east precinct. Pulling up in the side parking lot, he meandered inside and gave his name and purpose before posting her bail and waiting for the little hellion to be released.

[imaya]

Okay, so maybe calling the childhood friend that she hadn’t seen in over two years had been a bad idea. Maybe the weariness that she’d heard in his voice, the almost accusatory questions that he was asking and the way that he just waltzed down without argument to bail her ass out was enough to make her slump with guilt. But seriously…call Jericho to bail her out of jail? Or, good LORD, her parents?! WAS HE INSANE?

Cringing, wincing and muttering all kinds of ‘sorry’s’ and ‘I love you’s,’ Imaya breathed out a noisy sigh of relief when Jake agreed to come down to the precinct. Another hour was spent chatting it up with her new friends in the holding cell- ha, having too much fun…okay, so maybe she hadn’t wanted to leave before she got the skinny on how to make a guy howl with nothing but a feather and a bowl of candle wax.

When the younger Jordan brother finally arrived, she made sure that she looked as guilty as she felt, practically shuffling out of the back with a female cop by her side. She signed all the right forms, received her belongings in a plastic back, and faced Jake with a sheepish expression on her face.

”Hey, handsome,” She said, rubbing at the back of her neck. ”What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this? Hehe…I’d so hug you right now, but I think I smell like old cigars, which’s kinda nasty.”

She really needed some fresh air after her day, so she started walking toward the exit, knowing that Jake would be close behind. Ducking her head, she peeked at him from out of the corner of her eye. Oh gah, if he was mad, she was SO going to get it from the other Jordan’s.

”For the record, all of this REALLY wasn’t my fault,” She said, whirling around to face him once they reached his truck. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shifted from foot to foot, looking like a guilty kid who’d just been caught stealing from the cookie jar. ”It was an accident, but the cop involved was a bit angry about the black eye he got, so he brought me in here. I didn’t mean to hurt him on purpose! The stupid ipod just flew out of my hand! I swear, Jake, I will pay you back every single penny that you spent on my bail, and I’ll never bother you again.”

She paused, squinted over her shoulder at the parking lot, then slumped. ”Gah…after you drive me to my apartment. Then I’ll never bother you again, I SWEAR.”

[/blockquote]

[Jacob Derek Jordan]

Some things just never changed.. No matter how much childhood friends grew up, they were still the same on some fundamental ways. All in all, Jake could only chalk it up as a good thing as Yaya came out and gave him that look that was half "IT WASN"T MY FAULT" and half "Ok, SO MAYBE IT WAS BUT IT WASN"T EXACTLY INTENTIONAL". He'd seen that look so many times in the past that he could only smile and shake his head before following her outside into the warm sunlight.

And so what if his eyes automatically were drawn to the sassy wiggle of her hind end or that his temperature seemed to rise ten degrees when she looked at him with those mischievous dark eyes of hers. It made him wanna do things that would probably shook the hell out of her just to get her to shut up.

Good GOD Jordan.. Get a grip on your hormones.. You'd think you hadn't had a woman in the whole time you were in the service. Er.. ok so maybe it hadn't happened that often but it wasn't like he was a monk!

Unfortunately for him... He'd just never met another woman to compare to the hoyden in front of him or made him feel as if she were some mystery he needed to figure out either. He'd been bored silly with all the little military party dolls and simply hadn't felt the prick of interest that he'd always found in waiting ot see what Yaya would say or do next.

Yeah, he was beyond mental. Only a lunatic would willingly let this woman know that she held him in some weird sort of thrall. His emotions with her were all over the chart.. Everything between the urge to kiss her into submission to wanting to toss her off the nearest dock. Not to mention that pesky fantasy that seemed to lurk in his mind about whether she'd be as passionate in his bed as she was in ordinary life.

Good Lord... He really REALLY had to get a rein on himself.

Shaking his head, Jake motioned her towards his truck and hit hte unlock button. Opening the door for her, he waited for her to climb inside and then headed around to the drivers side. Climbing in, he started the engine and then began the process of merging with traffic.

"You don't have to pay me back, Yaya , and you know I ain't going to say a damned word to your family. Thats your choice and I have no desire to give your mother a reason to point her shotgun at me... and your dad?? Man, he makes my dad look like a teddy bear when hes pissed about something.... SO.. your secret is safe with me...." he drawled in his southern accent. "You can just owe me one, all right? The good lord knows we are all in and out of some kind of trouble from time to time... At least.. Tess and Ash are..... I'm sure there will be some way you can make it up to me..."

Just then, Jakes stomach growled and he frowned. When was the last time he'd eaten? He found he didn't really remember.

"You wanna grab a bit? I don't know about you but its supper time and I"m suddenly starving..."

[imaya]

As YaYa did her best to look like a guilty five year old, puppy eyes and all, she sneaked a glance at Jake out of the corner of his eye. He was still the same guy that she remembered as a kid; quiet, respectful and strong in ways that she’d never understand herself. He’d filled out really nicely, she had to admit, but all in all…Jake was still Jake. The thought made something inside of her sag in relief, given that she hated all things change-related. Why everything and everyone couldn’t stay the same, she had no idea.

There was that little hint of darkness in his eyes, though, she thought with a small frown. Like he’d aged ten years in only a matter of days. What had he seen over yonder, under Uncle Sam’s care? What had he gone through? Memories of the first time her brother returned home came to mind, and she started cringing all over again. Great, he was probably wanting silence and ‘Jake Time,’ and she’d gone and dragged him down to a freaking police station to bail him out. AND she was now taking up all of his alone time with her chattering self. Great! She was officially an asshole.

Well, she could definitely do quiet, at least…yeah, yeah, she could do quiet. Jake would never know that she was there. She’d been able to sit through a poetry class without going insane in high school; she could definitely not talk for the car ride.

As Jake spoke, she merely nodded, snorting when he mentioned her dad. Yeah, he definitely had a point; ‘ol Derek DeVoux was a force to be reckoned with when he was in a particularly bad mood. It was one of the reasons why she didn’t want to call Daddy Dearest; he probably would’ve strangled her in the parking lot.
Okay, so maybe not, but he would’ve given her death glares, which was even worse.

Another snicker followed his admission about Tessa and Ash’s familiarity with the local jailhouses. Ha, that was a bit of an understatement there, wasn’t it? Those two Jordan’s were the rowdier of the group and she could imagine how many times Jake had to go down and collect them. Oh, how she wanted to comment…but she was being quiet. She wasn’t going to talk, wasn’t going to make the poor guy crazy with her chatter—

And all of that lasted about five minutes. She felt as if her entire brain was about to explode and before she could stop herself, she let loose a little laugh. ”Hell yeah, I’m going to owe you one, Abs. I’ll even owe you my left kidney if you can find it in your heart NOT to tell anyone about this. Jericho would have my butt, Mama would probably kick my butt and Daddy…he’d probably staple my butt to a chair so I don’t get into anymore trouble.”

She dramatically rolled her eyes at the truth of it all. When he mentioned food, her stomach chose that moment to announce what he thought of the idea and rumbled loudly. Patting her belly with a little cringe, she grinned at him. ”You gotta ask if I’m ready to eat? How long have you known me, Jordan?” Grinning, she leaned over so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. One leg was stretched out so she could dangle a foot out the window, and with a dramatic wave of one hand, she put on a fake ‘rich person’s’ accent. ”To dinner, Charles. I think I will have caviar tonight…”

[/blockquote]

[Jacob Derek Jordan]

Jake mentally counted the seconds. Literally.

He could tell Yaya was making an effort to contain herself and a smirk played around the edges of his lips as he waited for the inevitable explosion. If she was anything like she'd been when they were kids.. It was only a matter of time before she popped her cork.

It wasn't that long in coming.

His bet had been riding on less than five minutes but she managed to contain herself longer than he'd thought possible. As the flurry of words flew out, he finally broke down himself and laughed. It actually felt good to discover that some things never did really change and his posture relaxed a bit more as he glanced at her.

"Hell no I aint telling your family! Do you think I want your mother coming after me with that shotgun?? Or your father for that matter?? Not only NO but HELLL NO!! Honestly, I don't know which one scares me worse... Your mother's wicked right hook or your fathers scary ass quietness.... "

Turning his attention back to the road, he navigated over to the far lane and took an off ramp. His favorite Creole place was nearby and he found himself surprisingly hungry for the first time in ages. So hungry that he suddenly heard his own stomach growl in protest.

"I know this place down by the water... It serves up the best food..... The Acme Oyster House? They are known for the oysters but they serve up a badass shellfish broil too...."

Glancing sideways, Jake smirked knowing full well that Yaya probably already knew the place since their fathers had been known to rave about it a few million times.

"You game for some spice or are you going to chicken out on me? Its all you can eat so you won't break my pocketbook!" he teased back with a wicked gleam to his green eyes. "And then you can tell me exactly what happened to make me have to bail your ass out of jail."

[imaya]

Yaya just snorted and raised a brow teasingly at the Hunter. “Oh please, afraid of them?” She made a show of rolling her eyes and inspecting her fingernails innocently. “You should know by now that the scariest person in my family…is me. Me and my squirrels.”

Her entire face lit up at the mention of the Acme Oyster House, and she nodded emphatically, making a little ‘squee’ of happiness. Ah, now THERE were some fond memories! She could just see it now; her and her girlfriends flirting with the Cajun boys at the bar, slurping down oysters until the owner begged them- well, her, really- to stop. She remembered laughter, good natured bickering, her family meeting at that big ‘ol table in the back to eat and tease…

She couldn’t help but sigh at the memories. Man, she missed the old days, when family meetings and getting together with friends didn’t have to be planned months in advance. She missed her brother, her old friends from the Academy…everything!

And kids actually wanted to grow up; prayed for it, even. They had no idea. No idea at all.

With a laugh, she smacked at his leg before going back to leaning on him again, wiggling her toes in the breeze. “Shut up and drive, Abs. Don’t make me think of that as a threat, or I’ll eat everyone out of house and home, just to show you how I love my spice.”

Tilting her head up at him, she waggled her brows teasingly, then rolled her eyes again, making a disgruntled noise. “Feh, I can tell you right now; it ain’t my fault and that cop was overreacting. I swear, you’d think that those guys would be tougher and more lenient toward a gorgeous woman. But nooo, because I made him cry, he had to bring me in. It’s not fair, Jake!”

The entire situation was going to become her new favorite rant, she decided a few minutes later, practically bouncing in her seat when they reached the Oyster house. Once the car had stopped, she was out the door and skipping around the car, meeting Jake when he hopped out of the truck.

Offering him her arm, she was grinning from ear to ear. “Time to feed the YaYa! C’mon, slowpoke; make me wait too long and I’ll eat you instead.”

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[Jacob Derek Jordan]

The woman was a menace to his sanity.

There were times when Jake felt torn between laughing his ass off and wanting to strangle her till she couldn't spout any of her ridiculous observations. As long as he could remember, Yaya had been saying anything that came into her devious little mind and, not for the first time, he wondered if she would be as vocal in bed as she was out of it.

That thought left him shifting uncomfortably and he was beyond relieved when he pulled the truck to a stop outside their destination.

She was oblivious to the effect she had on him and he figured maybe it would be best left that way. After all, while he'd never lacked in female admirers.... He wasn't exactly a redneck romeo like his brother either. He'd never seen the need to leave a trail of broken hearts behind him just to prove his manhood and he'd been far more content to sit back an observe the mistakes of other instead of getting his face smack for a bad come on line. In his experience, it gave him a chance to take a woman's measure before ever rising himself in a dangerous engagement.

Oh, sure, there had been those friendly encounters in his younger years and through his military career. He was a man after all.. not a saint..... but none of them had ever touched him on an emotional level.


Looking back, Jake was wise enough to realize that more than a few of the women he'd dated and taken to his bed were ladies well worth giving more attention too but his heart just hadn't been in it. It hadn't been in it since the day Imaya DeVoux had careened into his life like the elemental whirlwind that she was. Although they'd been mere kids, he'd known with one look at the chocolate haired lass that his destiny was cosmically entwined with hers and his heart had never wavered in its stead fast devotion.

Hence his confusion through out the rest of his life.

The woman was a pure menace to his peace of mind the way she flitted in and out of danger and then steam rolled over anything that might get in her way. She was, simply put, larger than life and an untameable wind that blew through his life like the ever changing seasons.

She was also one of the main reasons he'd enlisted in the service and chosen to serve his country. He'd held no hope of her ever feeling the same way toward him as he did her and hadn't wanted to lurk around watching from the shadows as she found some lucky man to hitch up with. Just the thought of that alone made him want to put his fist through a wall.

Yeah, he was totally screwed in the head.

Shaking his head inwardly at his thoughts, Jake got out of the truck and then lift his eyebrow at Yaya's comments. A soft chuckle escaped him at her words and then he threw an arm over her shoulders instead of taking her arm and ruffled her dark hair.

"Well, we can't have that now can we? Lets hope they don't kick us out before we get you satisfied. Your like a cuddly Gizmo until you don't get feed. Then you turn into the ugly little gremlin."

Protecting his ribs from the blow he figured was coming, Jake started limping with her to the front doors and then inside the diner. Once the waiter showed them to a seat and they were awaiting their oyster pile, he glanced over at her and took in the way the way light played off her hair and smile.

Damn, the woman was still as sexy as ever and she had no clue whatso ever as to what she did to him.

Probably for the best, anyways. He wasn't exactly a good catch these days.

"So... what kind of mischief besides getting arrested have you been into lately, darlin?"

[imaya]

With a squawk, Imaya did exactly what was expected. Making sure she didn’t hit any sore spots left over from his stint in the army, she nudged his hip with her own. She slid an arm around his waist, laughing as she let her head plonk onto her shoulder.

It really was strange, this feeling of utter relaxation that she felt around the younger Jordan. Around others, she always felt like she had to put on a show; she had to prove something, or disprove others. But around Jake? With that lopsided grin of his, and the way he took everything she did and said in stride? She could be herself.

Nothing had ever felt so good, as far as she could remember.

“I can NOT freaking believe you just called me a gremlin!” She said on yet another laugh, matching his slower stride. At the evidence of that limp of his, she felt the strange urge to strangle something. Huh…that was strange. She was usually the ‘party before violence’ type. Sure, she was protective, but hot damn. She really wanted to hurt something.

There was just something about the quiet Jordan brother, she thought as she slid into the booth opposite him. She peeked at him over her menu, intrigued enough to ignore her stomach’s protesting. He looked the same, sans a few new muscles and that far away look she’d seen on her brother’s face every now and again. He even acted the same; ‘ol easygoing, amiable, soft spoken Jacob Jordan. So what the heck was different? Why did she keep on feeling the urge to peek out at him from over her menu?

Gah, she was probably still hung over from last night’s little outing with the girls. That was it…yeah.

With a dainty shrug at his question, she put off answering until their order was taken. The oyster platter image had her stomach making so much noise, the poor waiter looked taken aback, and she bit back the urge to laugh. The poor chefs; they had reason to be afraid of a DeVoux when she were hungry.

“Well, I was in Missouri for a few weeks,” She said, sliding her napkin into her lap as the waiter took their menus. “I got a really nice order for my scented lotions and candles for a fair they were having up there. I got back a few days ago, and I’ve just been hitting up the tourists in the Quarter. Palm readings, crystal balls, tarot cards; you know, the usual stuff.”

Resting her head on her palm, she grinned over at him. “What about you, Abs? What have you been up to since you got back?” Pausing, she let her eyes wander over him, as if trying to see through his shirt. “And speaking of which, how are you feeling? You got hurt over there, didn’t you?”

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[Jacob Derek Jordan]

How many times had he sat across the table from Yaya listening to her chatter on or laughed with their siblings as she told one story after another? How many times had he seen that same smile fluttered at the corner of her lips and wondered what it would be like to kiss those same cherry temptations? At least a few hundred millions, he supposed. For some reason though, it had never grown tiring.

Stretching his leg out under the table, Jake rubbed at the knee absently even as he allowed himself the sneaky pleasure of letting his body relax under her spell. About the only thing he could say had changed in the last ten years was that he no longer felt like a green boy when he was around her and the need to show off or preen was completely gone.

Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that he knew he was damaged goods too but it strangely allowed him to cast aside his normal unease and just be himself. There was no need to pretend to be something he wasn't right? After all, he wasn't exactly the same guy that he'd been when he'd enlisted in the service.

“Well, sounds like you've been keeping yourself busy at least then... That is, if you aren't getting thrown into out of town jails and such...” he teased, nodding to the waitress when she brought their drinks. When she was gone again, he leaned his forearms on the table and played with the straw of his coke. “As far as what i've been up too? Not a whole hell of a lot. Just helping Dad around the bar and working on a few new weapon modifications. You know how he is about stuff.. Always keeping up with the latest technology and making sure our civilian soldiers out there have what they need to do the jobs needed.”

Taking a long swig of his drink, the sandy haired soldier gave a small shrug before continuing.

“I was on a special ops mission when shit went bad... Lost everyone in my squadron and a village of civilians on top of it. The doctors said I was damned lucky to be alive and even luckier to still have my leg but me... Me? I think it was shear stupid luck.....I think I somehow cheated death that day and I should have died right there in that sand with my fellow comrades in arms....... ”

Damn, just talking about it brought back all the ugly memories and a scowl settled on his brow. Even in the bright sunlight of day, he could still see the ebony eyes of the creature responsible for the destruction and feel the evil crawl across his skin at the maniacal laughter that had rung out. The urge for a drink crept up in his gut but he refused to give into it at the moment. Not here.. Not with Yaya. Even if he had no hope of ever being the one for her, there was no way in hell he wanted her to see the coward he'd become.

Giving his head a hard shake, Jake picked up his glass and took another long draw in order to try to put his head back together. Son of a bitch it was hard though.. and getting harder with ever passing day.

“Anyways, with this bum leg and hip, I wasn't fit for duty anymore and the docs figured I'd be batter off at home so they honorably discharged me... and here I am. The rest is history.... Now...Enough about me though... What about your family? Hows Jericho doing? From what I saw at the bar, he's had his fair share of crap too. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to him more.”