You, Me and the Monster Between Us. {Jericho}

[Jessica Coulter]

The alley in back of the club was dark as Jessie made her way down the narrow space in hunt of the creature she knew was lurking about. She had been trailing the damned thing for a week now and it kept popping in and out of crowded places before she could get a good tag on it.

Now, though, the end was near. She had followed a man from the club and into the back alley and she was almost 100% sure it was the creature she was after. When he had separated from the group of girls he had been charming, she had moved with swift speed after him. The huntress had lost him to many times to do so now.

As she moved, the huntress tried to avoid anything that would alert the incubus to her presence. A weird silence had fallen over the street and she listened for any sound of movement as she came to rest against the alley wall. Her keen ears could detect nothing so she continued to creep along the brick surface. The mouth of the alley opened up to a another side street and Jessie let out a growl when she reached it. A quick look told her that the creature had very likely given her the slip again. The place was dead and nothing moved.

Growling low in her throat, the young woman lowered her weapon and then sighed. Running a hand through her chocolate locks, she swore silently and then moved down the street towards the main avenue. It was about a 2 block walk but the night really didn't bother her. Her senses were alert as she walked but her inner self was giving her brain hell for losing the incubus.

Suddenly, the sound of a whispered movement around the corner caught her ear. Immediately on guard, the huntress gripped her pistol again and moved towards the brick corner. When her back rested against the cool surface, she listened for a long moment before spinning around the edge.

[jericho]

Jericho rubbed at his eyes as he stood impatiently at the park gates. God, but he hated hunting things at night, despite the fact that all of the local baddies seemed to like the cover of darkness. Man…didn’t anyone want to do something a bit less cliché? Go out into the sun? Maybe go on a killing spree at dusk? He could definitely deal with dusk…

The loud whir of his phone had his hand swooping down to the holster at his belt. A guy had to love some military-bred paranoia, right? Now, if only it didn’t come with a shrink and a boat load of meds. Seeing the caller ID after a minute of squinting, he snapped the cracked Motorolla open and barked out a hello.

”Don’t you be taking that tone with me, Jerry,” His mother’s voice boomed through the receiver, making him wince and take the thing away from his abused ear. As usual, the loud thud of rock music practically tore through the line. Even at 47, Ilani DeVoux-Moonblood still catered to the man bikers that ran through her bar. How his father ever dealt with The Pit’s music was beyond him. Then again, he did remember finding that crate full of earplugs one Christmas morning…

”Yes, ma,” He said, grinning into the darkness.

”Don’t you ‘yes ma’ me,” His mother went on. ”If your father finds out that I’m helping you, he’ll kick my ass harder than he’ll kick yours. I’m only doing this ‘cuz you promised to see that specialist in Houston next month. He’s supposed to be the best ocular surgeon in the south, baby, so you WILL go see him, and you WILL like it.”

He ground his teeth to stop from snarling back his usual reply. Oh yeah, he’d just love to get poked and prodded for a week, then put under the knife for the umpteenth time, only to get told that he was meant for blindness in the future. What a joy that would be! But did his damn family leave him alone and let him wallow in peace? Of FUCKING course not! If it wasn’t Imaya following him around the damn country- that whole ‘lojacking his phone’ thing really wasn’t fair- it was his parents calling him every other second. What was he? Five?

No…just a second away from being the invalid son, he thought with yet another inner snarl. Deep breaths…isn’t that what the shrink said? Take deep breaths, and the urge to hit something would fade away.

”Sure, ma, I’ll go see him. Now, what did you find?”

”And don’t take that tone with me, either, Jericho! You might be my baby, but I’ll still shove my boot up your ass!” He bit back a laugh and rolled his eyes heavenward. Women. With a martyred sigh that she’d perfected over the years, Ilani continued. ”Well, it is a demon, like you thought, but it’s more of a…eh…sex-demon. So you keep your distance and don’t let it bleed on you, or anything. Who knows who it’s been sleeping with? Anyway, it’s been skulking around town, hitting most of the clubs and whatnot and causing all kinds of problems with the horny peeps. You sure you’re up to hunting this thing alone? Don’t you want to call someone? Oh, I know! Your father can call one of the Jordans. I’m sure they’d be thrilled to come down there and—“

”I’m fine, Ma,” He did his best to hide the irritation he felt, but he knew it colored his words. His mother, obviously feeling a bit guilty at doing such a piss poor job of not calling him useless, was quick to get off the phone. Probably to go over his head and give Curse’s kids a call. Wonderful.

With a heavy sigh, Jericho slipped his phone back into his pocket and ran his finger along the raised length of his scar. Ah yes, yet another hallowed rule to be broken by his shaggy ass. Where was it located again? ‘No distinguishing marks,’ right beneath ‘don’t get killed, you foo?’ Like the damn surgical scar that he refused to get removed would make anyone believe he was a nerdy Fed. Gah, his day sucked!

Palming the subtle weight of his Sig in the pocket of his jacket, he moved down the street, heading for one of the hotspots for the local nightlife. The street was unusually quiet, and he slowed, eyeing the darkened street. As usual, everything around him seemed a bit fuzzy around the edges and more shadowy than usual. Fucking night blindness…

It was the only reason that he hadn’t noticed another person around, until she jumped out at him and shoved a gun in his face. Huh, nice caliber. Was that a .45? Damn, it was sleek.

Immediately, he put his hands palm up in the air and froze. ”Hey, now, lady…careful with that. You wanna put my eye out, or something?”

[Jessica Coulter]

Damn it... Why wasn't the monster where it was suppose to be when a girl needed one? She'd been all fired ready to take out the son of a bitch and instead she got.....

JERICHO DEVOUX?? What the HELL??

"BATMAN???"

Frowning in the gloom, Jessie growled and dropped her weapon just a bit. Her eyes made out his features in the dim light but it was his eyes she was checking out the hardest. There seemed to be something a bit.. off about them.. Like they weren't tracking right or something.

Immediately, her gun came back up and she pulled back out of striking distance. Her emerald gaze took in his attire and then the surroundings before her brow arched and she took out a flash and tossed it to him.

"Have a drink, DeVoux... and then you can tell me what the hell your doing out here in the middle of the night in a dark alley without even the sense to have your weapon out and ready... If your truly Jericho DeVoux that is.... and you aren't the incubus I've been hunting or a random skinwalker the ass has decided to join up with to toss me off the trail. If your really Lani's kid... Then that holy water won't hurt you, huh?"

Never taking her eyes off of him, the hunteress made sure to keep a few feet between them as she took in the changes to the young man she'd once known. Jericho DeVoux was three years older than she and time had been good to his once lanky frame. In place of the awkward teenage boy she'd once teased was a solid, well muscled man who moved with agile grace that could be found only in military men.

Huh, guess the rumor through the grapevine was actually correct this time.

It seemed all their military boys were home and if she wasn't mistaken.... Having a few issues. He seemed to be tracking her oddly and if he wasnt possessed or some other supernatural creature of the dark... Then he had some explaining ot do as to way he was taking chances with his own safety.

She just bet Lani would like to know that one too!

[jericho]

The shadow in front of him seemed to freeze when he barked out that little sarcastic comment, and for the umpteenth time that day, he wished that he could see her face. She definitely had some skill with a shooter, given her stance and the way her body was angled to withstand the gun’s kick. He held himself still, hands up and prayed to God that she wasn’t about to shoot him in the head.

…Or, at least, if she did, that he would actually die this time? That’d be SUCH an improvement from his current situation.

Instantly as she spoke, Jericho also froze. Holy shit…that nickname, that voice…no, it couldn’t be! Squinting a bit, his head ached as he forced his next to useless eyes to focus, and gaped when he finally made out her face. Little Jessie Coulter; scourge of their childhood group! What the hell was she doing here?

And then he realized what she’d called him, and immediately scowled. Batman, for crying out loud. ”Really, after all this time, you’re going to piss me off before saying hello?” He couldn’t help but say with a less-than-amused grin.

Which immediately fell off of his face, when the gun came back up. Fuck, what had he said? His hands snapped back up into the air, and his frown became a valley etched into his face when she demanded that he drink from her flask. Hey, the game could be played both ways; what if she were some kind of demon, looking to poison his ass? Suspiciously, he eyed the silver container, then took it from her with a sigh. He really did know that fiery voice anywhere, and he’d yet to meet a demon who’d tried to kill him with poison, rather than mind-thingy strength.

Taking a gulp of the metal-tasting liquid, he made a show of swallowing and frowned at her outline. ”There, happy now? I’m no demon and I’m not an incubus…” He paused, a rogue grin appearing on his face. ”Though, some women may beg to differ. Now, wadaya mean that you’re hunting an incubus? You noticed the signs, too? Jesus, three years since we seen one another, and you’re insulting me, AND stealing my hunt. Nice, Coulter. Real nice.”

[/blockquote]

[Jessica Coulter]

Yada Yada Yada.

Yup, this was definitely Jericho DeVoux although she could tell that time had changed him. When was the last time she'd seen him? A few years ago? It had definitely been at least five..Maybe more. He's signed up and headed into the military out of the academy and she'd heard he'd been home on leave a few times but never had the chance to run into him because she was usually out on a job.

She'd been a mere kid that last time they'd seen each other and time had molded them both into people barely recognizable. Jess was sure he remembered the lanky, tom boy brat who'd used to put itching powder in the boy's underwear drawers and food coloring in their shampoo. She'd definitely filled out since then although she was still slim and athletic.

Now why on earth did she suddenly have the urge to see if he noticed? Shit, did her hand REALLY just go up to check her hair??

Tossing that thought aside for the moment to puzzle over later, Jessie dropped her gun and uncocked the safety. Her stance relaxed and a smirk spread over her lips as she tilted her head to get a better look at him. The dim light caught the ruined side of his face but she didn't even flinch as she looked it over and then meet his eyes.

"Dude... What happened to you? Someone decide you were to good looking for their piece of mind and wacked you to bring you down to mere man level?" she drawled, tucking the pistol back in its holster. "Probably did us all a favor... Now I don't have to worry about you being prettier than me and losing all my dates."

Ok, so maybe a sarcastic approach to his obviously traumatic wounds wouldn't gain her any brownie points but Jess had never been one to beat around the bush. The damage was there to see and walking around on eggshells had never been her forte. She'd rather confront the pink elephant in the room than pretend that she was blind as well as dumb.

"And YOUR hunt? I don't bloody think so, pal... I've been tracking this asshole for weeks now and I would have had him if you hadn't come along. All the noise you were making probably alerted him to the fact he was being trailed and he's two counties over by now." she bit back sarcastically. "So don't be tell me I've ruined YOUR hunt."

Sashaying forward so that he could see her better without having to squint so bad, she poked him in the chest.

"and just for wasting my night.. You can buy me a drink and tell me how you came home and YaYa didn't tell me. A little warning would have been nice before meeting you in a dark alley!!!"


WIP)

[jericho]

Whoof, thank God for holy water, Jericho thought as he lowered his hands. And for the fact that Jessie seemed like she wasn’t about to shoot his head off for startling her like he did. Had he really been making so much damn noise? And why hadn’t he at least heard her coming around that damn corner? He was getting really soft, being distracted with his own thoughts all the time. He was gonna get killed if he kept this crap up.

With a mental grumble, he focused his attention on the Hunter in front of him. Hot damn, she’d definitely changed from the skinny little girl he remembered. She’d been the scourge of their family get together’s, always getting the girls all riled up so that they played pranks on the boys. Not that he and the others weren’t just as guilty; he remembered the last time they put live frogs into their sock drawers, and dipped their pigtails in ink.

Not that Jessie ever wore pig tails…but hot damn, she’d definitely grown into one helluva woman. Even though he felt a bit awkward with the knowledge, he couldn’t help but accept it. From tomboy to stunner…holy hell. He really should’ve visited home more often.

And then she had to go and ask those damn questions. Well, it was nice to know that some things never changed.

”Well, aren’t you as blunt as ever,” He said. A smile that didn’t quite touch his eyes slid onto his lips as he looked passed her to the incandescent blobs behind her. ”I actually got shot in the head. The field surgeons tried to get the bullet out in any way that they could…as you can see.”

He resisted the urge to turn his face, or touch his scar, smile turning a bit tight. She obviously didn’t know his whole sob story, thank God, which meant that his Ma hadn’t leaked it to every family in his old Hunter Academy class. There were such things as miracles! He latched onto her irritation over the hunt like a dog to a bone, loving the chance to change the subject before she started asking anymore questions about his eyes.

With a snort, he raised an amused brow at her. ”Oh, so you figure that this thing is some scared little rabbit, huh? And for your information, I was not ‘stomping’ anywhere! My intel’s been telling me that it likes to hit on club in particular ever other night, so that’s where I’m headed. You can go skulk in the shadows for the rest of the night, while I bag my incubus.”

At the order of a drink, he couldn’t help that little look of surprise from flashing onto his face. Was she…asking him out? Nah, couldn’t be. She was probably trying to get him into some dark, quiet room so she could kick him in the nuts for ‘scaring off her demon,’ or some crap like that. Jessie Coulter had always been the wild one of their group.

But hell, who was he to say no to a drink? It’d been more than an hour since he’d gotten himself buzzed, and his eyes were starting to twitch. With a shrug, he motioned for her to lead him, pretending that he didn’t know where she wanted to go, rather than the fact that he couldn’t see crap.

”Lead on, Coulter. And YaYa didn’t tell you, probably because she doesn’t know. I dunno if you’ve noticed, but my sister is a bit of a crazy person, and a guy needs some quiet time, every now and again.”

[Jessica Coulter]

Subtlety.. Thy name was NOT Jessica Coulter.

There were some times when Jess knew she should really think about what she said before the words left her mouth but.. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to happen very often. She simply had been brought up around free speaking individuals and she'd never been one to tap dance around something that was painfully obvious.

And, it was just a sorry fact that Jericho was no longer the pretty boy he'd used to be but a man full grown, scars and all. And DAMNNNNNNNNN What a man he was. He made her think of hot and wild monkey sex with a can of whipped cream and chocolate syrup....

Jessie no sooner had that thought then she was jerking her gaze away with a frown and wanting to beat her head against a wall. Really?? Seriously?? Has she been just about to drool all over DeVoux? What freaking rabbit hole had she stumbled into again? Or maybe this was a screwed up version of the old Twilight series? Cause, she soooooooo was not wondering if he'd look as good out of them jeans as he did in them. Nope, not her!

Son of a bitch, she so was going to hell for lying.

Taking a deep, what she hoped was soothing, breath, Jessie gave him an arched look and then resisted the impulse to stick her tongue at him like she had in days of old. Only the desire for him to see her as something other than a brat stayed her actions but that had her groaning to herself. Holy hell. What was the world coming to when the guy you'd spent your childhood tormenting suddenly turned into Mr. "Hello I wanna see if you taste as good as chocolate." ? It was wrong on SOOOOOO many levels that she didn't even know where to start!

So, Jess decided to do the next best thing. She went on the offensive. It would never do for Jericho to think he'd gotten the upper hand, right? RIGHT!

"You bag the incubus?? I think not, Watson! You couldn't see your way out of a paper sack.. much less catching up with our devilish seducer." she said snarkily before smirking and turning on her heel. "If you want any part of this hunt, then you better keep up boy or I'mma going to leave you in the dust!"

[Jessica Coulter]

Jericho:


God, what was with his luck, that every single woman in his life had to have the world's most cutting tongue? First, she was practically digging into the raw wound that was his next-to-useless eyes, then she was saying that HE was the one stealing HER hunt...and now she was calling him Watson, telling him that he was blind and kicking the crap out of whatever manly ego he had left. What the HELL had he done in another life, to be so thoroughly abused in this one? He'd seen Jessie and had gotten all nostalgic, not to mention a bit ragged around the edges, when he saw what kind of woman she'd become.

She was tough, strong, dedicated to the Hunter cause...freaking HOT on wheels, and had a sense of humor warped enough to match his own. But did she have to go and call him blind? Did she have to go and question his ability to back her up, or succeed in a hunt? As she stomped passed him, a peculiar wave of hurt washed over him, and before he could stop himself, his arm shot out to pull her to a stop. All of the anxiousness, the insecurity, the knowledge that he was going to lose his goddamn sight, and there was nothing he could goddamn do about it, all came crashing down into a Jessie-sized wall in his chest. His grip was brutal, before he caught himself and forced his fingers to relax, but that didn't keep the savage expression from sliding onto his face. Or the look of anger and fear from shooting into his useless eyes.

"What gives you the damn right to talk to me like that?" He snarled, getting up in her face. "I've been in more dangerous situations than you have fingers, and you think to tell ME that I can't handle this thing alone? Or not at all? Coulter, you better stand the FUCK down, or I'll send you back to your brother, hog tied in a box. You got me? This is MY incubus, and I'LL be the one who kills him. Go take your toys and go find another demon to stalk."


As if he could ever partner with such a whirlwind like Jessie Coulter, anyway. She was too damn stubborn; too damn hard headed for her own damn good, and her less-than-subtle tongue was a testimony to that fact. If anything, he was doing this damn town one helluva favor by kicking her ass out of it. Releasing her arm with a low rumble of irritation, Jericho turned to stalk back in the direction he'd come from; away from her, her car, and that damned sweet smell that seemed to waft off of her, making his mind cloud and his pants to lose a size. There was no way in hell that Jessie was going to do as she'd been told and leave, but maybe if he got out of Dodge and caught the thing first...

Fuck, he had no idea what kind of stupid ass point he was trying to prove, or if this entire tantrum was just his anxiety making itself known. But he just had to get the hell away from her now. He couldn't stand the damn shame in his chest.

"And YaYa always said I was destined to marry the hellion," He muttered under his breath, a harsh laugh escaping him.



Jessie:


ONe moment Jess was strolling forward and the next she was yanked back and against a hard, muscled chest. Squeeking with surprise, the huntress wondered what the hell before glancing up and deciding shutting her trap might just be in order. Holy Hell. Repressed emotions much? Jessie could only stare up at his angry face and blink for a long moment. What the hell had just happened anyways? One minute, she was teasing him and joking and the next.. Jericho was acting like a hybernating bear who'd just been poked with a stick. Was he truly that sensitive to what she'd said that it had provoked this sort of reaction? This was definitely not the easy going DeVoux she'd grown up with and for some strange reason, she wanted to reach up and sooth the raging emotions that glittered down at her.



Jessie:

So.. it was probably a good thing when he suddenly released her with a hiss and stomped away from her. Honestly, she'd never been real good with the touchy feely side of emotions and there for a moment.. For a moment she'd had this crazy desire to kiss away the pain she'd seen lurking in his eyes. If that just wasn't insane .. Hell, she didn't know what was!! Her kissing JERICHO??? Yeah.. Hell would freeze over first. No matter how cute that ass was walking away from her or how damned sexy she found all the character lines on his face. Scars or no scars, a woman would be insane not to notice he was a walking cherry popsicle that she definitely wanted a taste of. CRAPPPPPPPPP There she went again!! Dude.. SERIOUSLY??? SHe'd known the man since she was in diapers!! How could she be LUSTING after him NOW??

Shaking her head and feeling as if her world had taken a decidedly weird turn, the slender brunette frowned and stomped after him. She was just opening her mouth to give him a blistering set down when his next words hit her brain and ricocheted around like a bullet in a steal barrel. OH HELL NO!!! HE HADN"T JUST SAID WHAT SHE THOUGHT SHE HEARD!

"Well, you can go back and tell your sister that I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth and the batteries to my little blue friend were dead." she growled. "You may be hawter than hell but that doesn't mean I'm going to be one of your many worshipping females.. "

Still snarling, she started around him and towards her car.

"Geez, DeVoux.... Its not like I haven't grown up around guys like you all my life... You've probably got a woman stashed in every city across the US and there is no way in hell I want that sort of life... I've seen what it does to the women left behind and there aint no way I'm falling in love.. EVER... and thats the only way i'd ever get married...."

As she walked towards her car, she thought she caught a whisper of sound but then shrugged it off. Jericho took all her attention.



Jericho:

God, what was it about the woman that made it hard to freaking breathe? It felt as if his lungs had shrank half their size, and every time she spoke, his brain stopped all other function and drank in her words. Why did he care what she'd reply? Why did he care that she'd heard his little quip about never marrying her...and why in GOD'S NAME did it hurt when she'd promised never to marry a man like him.

'A man like him...' FUCK if that didn't ignite anger in his chest again! Spinning around, he changed course until he was stomping up to her, slamming her car door shut with a calloused hand when she moved to open it. He loomed over her again, and despite the urge to strangle the ever living hell out of her, he couldn't help but feel a little whisper of pleasure, in the domination, however small. She was so deceptively little, so enticingly soft...would she be gentle, when the lights were out and they bodies collided? Or would she be as feisty in bed as she was in life? The thoughts suddenly shot into his head, making a certain part of his body stir in interest, and he almost balked at the sudden emotion. What the FUCK was that all about? He was a masochist! A sadistic, self-hating masocist!

"Like you'd know how to worship anything but your own goddamn need to be 'one of the boys!'" He shot back, glaring down at her. He was so going to be need in the balls at some point, but the words just wouldn't stop. "What, you think I'm bad, 'cause I might like a little variety in my life? Your 'perfect guy' is probably some weak kneed schmuck who would 'yes dear' you to your heart's content! You're just one of those women who like to control every aspect of their lives; their boyfriends included! So let's get one thing straight, Counter...there's no way in hell that I would ever marry a woman like YOU."

A nasty laugh escaped him, and absently, he wondered how 'don't call me blind!' turned into a conversation about marriage and love. It was like his twin was forever following him around, dangling relationships in front of his face. Next thing he knew, he'd be proposing to a vampire about to take a bite out of his ass.

The little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, but he ignored the sensation, chalking it up to the boiling in his belly. "It's actually kinda sad that you think there's such thing as 'love.' It's just a fairytale, honey. Wake up and smell the gun oil."



Jessie:

OH NO HE HADN"T!! HE HAD NOT JUST SLAMMED HER DOOR!!


Whirling about, Jess opened her mouth to blast him once more but was suddenly distracted by how close he loomed and how tiny she suddenly felt. It was a feeling she was NOT used to and it made her bit her bottom lip as he whip lashed her with his words. Even as the heat poured over her she struggled against the sudden urge to pull him closer even as her hands went up to shove him away. They ended up in a stale mate on his chest as his worlds hit home and she actually flinched.

"OH would you SHUT THE HELL UP!" she finally hissed at him when he quit talking. "For your information.. Your WAY off the mark there, buddy. I have no desire to be "one of the boys" but it sure beats the hell out of being a welcome mat for feet that come and go randomly when ever the urge strikes! It just so happens that I appreciate a man who can give me just as much shit as I give him and still have enough energy to burn up the sheets later in the bedroom. I don't want any Mama's boy who can't even whip his own nose but a man who is perfectly capable of telling me where to go when I'm being a bitch. In short.. I don't need a man I can live with.. I want a man I can't live without but since your definitely not him... I guess it doesn't really matter what you think, huh? Jesus, DeVoux.. you might have known me as a kid but you know nothing about me now so you can just go back to whatever little hole you crawled out of and leave me the hell alone!"

Poking him hard in the chest, she stood on tiptoe and got right in his face.

"And for the record, punk??? I believe in love because I've seen it... Your mama and papa for one... Dean and Lisa for another.. The Blairs for another along with the Jordans... So dont' TELL me its not out there... I just dont believe its meant for me is all!"

Suddenly, Jess lost all sense of thought and the words she was about to say went out the window. Her gaze locked on to Jericho's lips and she suddenly realized she wanted to taste them something fierce. What had she been saying agian?? Something about.. Love?? Oh Yes, Love.... Love was such a wonderous thing. Wow.. His eyes were really something! Why hadn't she noticed that before? Oh Myyyyyyy.. and he smelled so GOOD! She could just eat him up, yesh she could. But back to business... They were talking about love. LOVE L-O-V-E with capital letters..



Jericho:

Hot damn, it was almost like his eyebrows were getting singed, with the tone of voice she was using. And if looks could kill, he'd probably be a smoldering pile of bones on the ground at her feet. What was it about this woman that set him off so much? Even when they were kids, he always wanted to chase her around and make her crazy...almost as crazy as she made him. Not that it was humanly possible, given the itching powder, dyed shampoo, and all those other crazy pranks she was always playing on him and the other guys. She was some kind of tornado that ripped into his life, then back out of it, and now was no different.

His scowl turned darker, and his mind practically snarled 'did she just tell me to shut the hell up? FUCK THAT!' A nasty smile slid onto his lips as he shook his head in dramatic pity, catching her finger when she poked at his chest. So she might have a point with that love thing, since his parents were definitely falling deeper into that hole every damn day. "Those relationships are flukes," He said, a haughty tone to his voice. "Other than them, who else do you know who's in love? Relationships don't last, and more often than not, you can't trust the person you've entrusted your secrets to. You want to get yourself hurt? Go find one of those fantasy guys, tell him about your extracurricular activities, and watch how fast he calls up the people in the white coats to come and get your ass. You want someone who will 'understand you' and stand up to you? Go find a freaking therapist, 'cause there ain't NO ONE on this entire damn PLANET who could stand your acid tongue for more than five minutes!"

Okay, so he was yelling now, and his lower parts couldn't help but notice that if he just tilted in the right direction, he could feel all those curves up close and personal like. She smelled so damn good, like...some sweet desert that he wanted to take his time sampling. And...wait, why couldn't he? Why couldn't he have a taste of those cotton candy lips? A voice in the back of his head told him no, it was wrong, she was psychotic...but with a tiny pop, it was cut off.

Her cheeks were flushed and her breath was coming out in uneven gasps, probably from yowling at him. He remembered that he was supposed to find that irritating, because they were signs of her arguing with his superior intellect, but...ooh, look, her finger was still in his hand. It was a very pretty finger; all slender and tanned. Slowly, he brought it up to his lips, placing a kiss on the calloused tip, before sliding it into his mouth.

Okay, so that was nice, but it wasn't enough. Dropping her hand, the arm that had been braced against the car door slipped around her waist, drawing her flush up against him. Looking down at her, confusion and something less...angry lurked in his eyes. Squinting, he did his best to make out her features in the darkness. "We were arguing about something, right?" He asked her, eyes zeroing in on her lips of their own accord. God, he really wanted to taste them. "What were we arguing about again?"



Jessie:

Blinking up at him, Jessie gave a little moan as he did things to her finger that had fires lighting low in her middle. Damn, moves like that really should be illegal, she thought to herself just before she was tumbled into the same hard chest she'd been moments before poking. Oh yesh... That was definitely what the doctor ordered. A little voice in her head screamed out in warning but another more insitant voice shoved it in a closet in her brain.

"Arguing? Where we? I don't remember.. I was to busy thinking about what you'd taste like..." she drawled, grinning up at him lazily and then hooking her arms around his neck. "If we were arguing then I say lets just call it even and get on to bigger and better things, don't you agree? Like .. you, me and a bottle of chocolate sauce? Maybe even a can of whipped cream thrown in for good measure?? Not that its just your body I want, mind you.... I think.... "

For a moment, Jess fell silent as that annoying voice of reason tried to rear its ugly head but she shook it free and then leaned up to nibble on his lips.

"You know.. I think ... I THINK I love you.... Actually.. I think I've loved you since we were kids.. How funny is that?" she finished, pulling back to tilt her head sideways and look at him all strange. "How come I've never realized just how damned loveable you are before?? "



Jericho:

His entire body shuddered as that breathy moan tumbled from Jessie's lips. With a low sound of his own, Jericho moved closer to her, curling his body around her, into her, until there seemed to be no space left between them. It made looking into her eyes as he talked to her a bit hard, but the contact was just so damn GOOD, that he could give a fart. Absently, his mind took in what she was telling him; that she remembered the argument almost as well as he did, that she wanted to...oh JESUS CHRIST, what was that about whipped cream? His brain was trying to tell him that something was off, and that what he really wanted to do was strangle her, but another part of his lower anatomy screamed that it shut the fuck up.

And when she started nibbling on his lips, it did. Thank you Jesus.

"I think...I THINK I love you, too," He said, a hint of confusion in his voice. They were so close together now, that their lips brushed when he spoke, and he groaned at a zing of pleasure that went through him. God, she felt so good...and he wanted more. Dipping his head down, he cut off anything else she was liable to say with a deep, hard kiss. The world spun, ages came and went, his eyebrows melted off of his face while his brain exploded...

She tasted like Heaven, and he felt saved in her arms. Was that too bible thumping? Gah, whatever; he needed more. He pressed closer to her, kissing her lips, her jaw, tracing the curve of her neck with awe-struck fingers and the warm wetness of his tongue, until he had to get another taste of those sugar lips.

: "I didn't even know I was loveable," He informed her along the way, his hands falling to hidden valleys and soft peaks, as if they knew where they were going. "Not by anyone other'n my parents and my sister. But you're different...you always were." He nibbled at her earlobe, tilting his hips up against hers and couldn't help but let loose a possessive growl. "You hit me back, and I knew that you were the one for me. Especially when YaYa said it."

Kissing his way back to her lips, he looked into her eyes, gritting his teeth as he tried to see what color they were. "She said that we were gonna get married someday. I want you to marry me."



Jessie:

Oh yeahhhhhhhhh.. Would it be wrong to jump his bones right here and now? Eh.. Probably.. but who the hell cared again? Oh yeah.. Probably that cop that was pulling on to the street just up the hill. Damn it, those idiots always did have rotten timing. No respect for a girl trying to get her groove on with the sexiest man on the planet. Geez, what the hell was the world coming to?

"Of course your loveable, Jericho DeVoux..I absolutely adore you.. Always have.. Ever since you pulled my ponytail and called me beanpole when I was eight years old! and that hit was just a love tap.. I'm surprised you couldn't tell the difference..." she said huskily, somehow finding herself practically glued to his front until he suddenly pulled back and started talking about the M word. Again, that annoying buzzkill voice seemed to scream at her but she shoved it aside again to beam up at him brightly. "MARRY YOU?? OF COURSE I"LL MARRY YOU JERICHO!! YOU NAME THE TIME AND PLACE AND I"LL SAY YES!!"

Ok, so that one made Jessie pause. Had she actually just said those words? She was pretty darn sure she'd sworn she'd never say them in her life but....

Oh, what the hell... You only lived once right?

"Hey... I've got an idea... Lets go to Vegas!! We can be there tomarrow and married by tomarrow night!! "



Jericho:

Jericho almost snarled at the flashing lights that caught on them for a minute, before moving off. He wanted to strip her down right there, and show her how much he 'THOUGHT' he loved her, but they couldn't do that on a street...even if it did look deserted. Dammit, where was an abandoned warehouse when he needed one? Or, better yet, a motel--

All such thoughts vanished from his mind, when those beautiful words flew out of her mouth. She adored him? She wanted to marry him! Fuck yeah, she was going to marry him, and they were going to have a house together and eight kids...wait, what? Something in the back of his head started freaking, but then she started moving and he lost focus. She wanted to go to Vegas? Whatever the Future Mrs. Devoux wanted, she would get.

With a laugh, he suddenly picked her up and took two steps back, so he could twirl her around a bit. "I've loved you ever since you kicked me in the nuts for putting frog eggs in your underwear drawer!" He declared, before pulling her into another tight hold, accompanied by a hard kiss. He slid his tongue along the seam of her lips, moaning at how good she tasted, then pulled away with a nod.

"Then Vegas is where we'll go! You'll have to drive, though. I can't really see in the dark," A bit of that annoying shame came tumbling back into his chest, but he was too enthralled by how her lips moved when she spoke to really notice. After stealing one last kiss, Jericho made short time of hopping into the car.