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CHAPTER 2

the next morning brandon was soundly sleeping in a bit. jacqueline had taken down her clothes hung up over the bath and had started a pile in her room for laundry. after that she took a warm and very refreshing bath, locking the door this time. she quickly combed and brushed her hair, pulling it back into a loose bun to cook their breakfast. she quietly crossed the hall into her room, closing the door behind her.

jacqueline figured shed have time later to move her belongings into drawers and the closet and pulled a pale, mossy colored dress out of her bag. it was very loose and the skirt bearly reached her knees. she thought it would be good for cleaning. jacqueline found and wide, dark blue ribbon in her bag and gently tied it around her waist. she slipped on stockings and soft shoes that would be gentle on the marble flooring, and walked out the door.

neither man was awake and she glided down the stairs, listening to george's snoring soften with distance.

she found the kitchen and the eggs and the bacon. jacqueline searched for pans as well and turned on the stove. she didnt want the food to cook too quickly and get cold before the men came downstairs so she let the pans get good and hot before laying down several thick slices of bacon and cracking as many eggs as would fit. she opened the cupboards and found two serving plates, placing them on the counter beside the stove, and checked on the eggs. there were a lot of eggs, so they werent cooked yet. and the bacon was very thick and would also take time. jacqueline hummed a song softly to keep herself company and layed out two plates and silverware.

soon the smell of cooking bacon roused george into the kitchen and he sat down in front of a plate.

jacqueline noticed his arrival and smiled. "good morning. would you like some orange juice?" george nodded, slightly dazed with the morning. "orange juice wlould be lovely, my dear. brandon up yet?" jacqueline shook her head and poured him his juice, also flipping the bacon so it would cook all the way through faster. "should i wake him when breakfast is ready?" she asked quietly, placing the glass in front of him.

"i'll wake him for you. BRANDON!!! GET UP YOU LAZY SOD, BREAKFASTS READY" he bellowed at a volume not dissimilar to a heard of elephants. a large groan shortly emanated from the bedroom "there you go me lady" he said with a job-well-done grin on his unshaven face.

jacqueline frowned a little then laughed "you really have no tact what so ever"

george looked confused for a second, but this was soon interrupted as a billowing black shape caught his attention. brandon swept down the stairs in black silk underwear and into the kitchen with his dressing gown flowing behind him half off his shoulders.

jacqueline had planned on waking brandon a bit more gingerly but there was little that could be done about it now. as brandon entered the kitchen his snowy chest gleamed in the sunlight pouring through the window. it was a bright but bleak day, with a glowing gray sky overhead. she smiled and brought the food to the table. "good morning, sir, i trust you slept well? may i fetch you something to drink?"

brandon grunted with thought as he pulled eegs and bacon onto his plate, and finally spoke up. "coffee. black." jacqueline quickly made his coffee and placed it in front of him, then turned and went back to the stove. brandon sipped the hot coffee from the china glass and looked over at george. "couldnt you have woken me more politely?" he was exasperated with george after only one night. "and could you stop snoring so loudly?"

he drank again and ate some eegs, glancing at jacqueline, now washing the pans and spatulas, careful to get all the grime removed. george spoke then, warmer than he had been the previous evening. "arent you going to eat, deary?"

she grabbed a piece of bacon and ate it quickly. "i need to start cleaning. its a big house. i plan to scrub the floors, hence a shorter dress, and polish some if not all of the silver if i time."

"dont be ridiculous. the house is fine as it is. georges bed will most likely need made as he is completely incapable of cleaning up after himself. if you really must to make your self useful then you can groom the horses after lunch and-"

"this bacons divine!" george cut in midway through a mouthful of food "oh sorry were you saying something brandon?" he said with a wink to jacqueline. "im sure a woman this fine knows what a man needs done, dont you agree?"

brandon shrugged grumpily and muttered "i guess." he took a slice of bacon off his plate and held it a couple inches above the ground. within a minutes, a tiny black cat ran out and ate it from his fingers. for the first time since she had got here she saw brandon smile. once the cat had finished the bacon it ran up the sleeve of his over sized dressing gown and settled up on his shoulder mewing cutely.

"george, you do so flatter me, but do you not have a wife? would such behaviour not be considered unfaithful?" jacqueline looked at him matter-of-factly and turned toward brandon with the cat, while george blushed, immensely embarrassed.

"alright. i guess until lunch i could clean up my own room..." jacqueline stood beside brandon, grinning and scratched the cat behind his tiny ears. "he is so adorable." she kissed the kittens head. "whats his name, sir?" brandons fingertips were on the cats back, the back of his hand occasionally brushing jacquelines.

he looked at the kitten on his shoulder and sighed contently, but kind of sadly. "he does not have a name yet. i only just found him as a stray. he was pitifully thin and pathetic looking, not unlike yourself.... would you like to name him?"

jacqueline looked at the cats sweet face and smiled. "jihl." jacqueline ran her hand down the kittens back quickly, her and brandons hands meeting, before she quickly ran back up the stairs.

"arent you going to eat more!?" george called after her, but she ignored him, stopping into his room to make the bed, and went into her own to organize her things.

jacqueline slowly put away her clothes, wondering when exactly she could wear some of those dresses as a maid. so many lovely colors and ornamental pieces existed on the dresses. she sighed and put it out of her mind and found places for her luxuries and other items.

suddenly there was a gentle knock on the door and brandon appeared in the doorway. she looked at him quizically and turned back to the bureau, arranging things again and again. "im almost done." she said and looked back at him, looking around the room, suddenly lived in again. he entered the room and looked into the closet. "you have some amazingly lovely clothes, jacqueline..." he turned back to her, jihl still on his shoulder. "thank you, sir. is there something i can do for you?"

"jacqueline, do you know why george is here?" he said flitting his eyes around the room at all her beautiful dresses. jacqueline shook her head and looked up blankly. brandon paced a little then sat on the bed with a small thump. he was still not dressed in any more than boxers and a long black dressing gown. "you see, he comes here every year at around this time because his wife throws him out the house"

"oh really? why is that?" she asked trying to sound as casual as possible, and trying even harder not to stare at brandons bare chest.

"every year around this time, we hold a family celebration. its a horrible day. everyone just sits around and talks about how much better than everyone else they are. theres events, food, music and dancing too. it always has a theme too. i think its vampirers or something this year. but i never go you see"

jacqueline made nodding gestures but she was busy wondering where this was going. brandon saw through her nods and became suddenly flustered.

"i was wondering. if it wasnt too much trouble. if. you. would go with me?" he spluttered and coughed as he said this last line but it was no more less audible to her keen ears.

jacqueline sat on a cushioned stool in front of the dressing table for several moments, holding a blank expression as best she could, but finally erupted into hysterical laughter. she held her sides and bent over, beginning to cry with laughter and nearly fell off the stool.

brandon looked at her, unsure if he should feel offended or something else. he sat on her bed and continued to stare at her. jihl the kitten had flown from his shoulder the moment jacqueline started laughing, and hid behind the pillows. finally brandon was getting annoyed with her. "well if you dont want to go, you should just say so!" he yelled at her and she looked up, a smile softening on her face. jacqueline wiped some tears from her eyes and shook her head.

"no, its not that. you were just so flustered, it was so funny! the look on your face was like- i dont know! it was so scared and excited and distorted!" she laughed again a bit and stood up, walking to the bed and sitting beside him. "im sorry i laughed at you."

she snapped her fingers and coaxed jihl out of hiding and pet him a bit as he came to sit in her lap. "so do i go as your maid, or something else? and what do i wear to an event like that?"

brandon had a frown the size of the great wall of china printed right accross his forehead. he still couldnt understand why she had been laughing. it was like being back at school again, and that was a very confusing time. at least a yes was a yes, despite the laughter.

"er...well...i think your meant to go as a vampire" he said completely oblivious to her implications.

jacqueline laughed again and stroked brandons hair playfully and whispered in his ear "thats not what i meant silly. i was asking if it was a date or not"

Brandon jumped up looking red in the face "dont be ridiculous! a date? me? who would think of such a thing? Ha ha ha!" he looked incredibly uncomfortable and wouldnt look her in the eyes "but i guess it is that sort of event....im sure with all these dresses you can find something to wear."

she started laughing again, throwing herself back on the bed. her chest was shaking as she spread her arms out to the sides, and jihl scrambled from her over to brandon. "poor jihl!" she said through laughs. "hes so frightened!" she began crying again and gasped for air.

brandon was immensely displeased by her conduct, still red in the face, and glared at her. jacqueline laughed like that for quite a while and finally controled herself. "im sorry. i shouldnt laugh at you. your face was just so shocked and red. youre rather amusing at times."

brandon turned away, hiding his more pinkly shaded face from her. "well..." he spoke with all the authority he could thrust into his voice. "it begins tomorrow evening, at my fathers mansion to the north. we will leave tomorrow in late morning. you should bring proper attire." brandon cleared his throat and looked back at her.

"of course." she smiled up at him. "stand up for a minute." she took his forearm and tried to pull him to his feet. he heaved a sigh, his pale chest slowly rising and falling, and stood. "you know, you stand about a head taller than me..." she stood up straight and looked ahead and up just a tad to his collar bone, a perfect broken line below his neck. "hmm i wish i was taller so we would be the same height when im in shoes with heels"

"i think your perfect the way you are"

END CHAPTER 2

by judomasters and mnm27