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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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<blockquote data-quote="orchid blossom" data-source="post: 2819655" data-attributes="member: 12815"><p><span style="font-size: 12px">Aftermath Part II</span></p><p></p><p>As she runs through the mud and rain she starts tiring quickly. Then she realizes her velvet jacket and traveling dress are soaking up the drenching rains and weighing her down. She stops and drops her bag. Working quickly as she can, she pulls off her hat, jacket and dress, leaving them in the grass next to the well traveled road. She picks up her bag and, like it was perfectly normal to be in the rain in her undergarments, she starts running back to town.</p><p></p><p>45 minutes later she arrives, soaked to the bone and drenched all the way through. Shivering and weary she runs into the Lucky Lady and screams out, “Jake!” at the top of her lungs. Then she notices Pedro Gonzalez coming down the stairs inside the saloon. "Ah, Senorita you is here. You boy, he take his horse and ride away. Grant say he look upset. He no wear all his clothes and smell like whiskey. Grant try to talk to him but he push Grant away and say need Ruby's place. You boy muy loco ride away in storm waving whiskey bottle." He stops for a moment then looks her up and down. “And what you doing no dress? And wet? You ARE all loco around here!”</p><p></p><p>Ruby doesn’t answer but instead turns and forces her tired legs to run to the El Parador. She hurriedly readies her horse and rides out through the rain to her favorite spot, upstream of the old mill.</p><p></p><p>As she near the spot she notices a shadowy figure outlined by the lightening strikes. She squints and when she can finally make it out she sees Jake's horse, running away from the area riderless. Trying not to panic she guides her stallion after the wayward horse, grabbing the reins and forcing it to follow her quickly near the river. She hops off and ties the horses hastily to a strong tree. She puts her hand up to her eyes to try to see through the downpour.</p><p></p><p>The rain is falling hard and the wind occasionally picks up and blows the rain nearly sideways. Her favorite spot looks very different with the grass pounded flat by the heavy rain, the leaves on the trees folded and drooping, and the sounds of the stream swollen with rain masked by the heavy downpour. In the middle of all this a single figure sits on the ground near the stream. His muddy shirtless back is streaked from the rain. Water drips steadily from his brown hair that is soaked and sticking to his head. One hand holds a bottle while his other rests palm up on his knee. The man seems to be staring down at his hand and has not noticed the sound of her horse.</p><p></p><p>Ruby approaches him slowly. Saddened she has made her lover and best friend come to this she again tries to fight back tears. Walking around him, she lifts up her dirty, muddy, no longer white underskirt and falls to her knees in front of Jake, hoping he won’t turn her away.</p><p></p><p>He startles when she comes into view. His face registers surprise followed by pleasure and then some discomfort. He looks down into his own lap but his eyes soon move to his palm still sitting open on his knee. He flexes his hand a couple of times before he raises the bottle and offers it to her. "Oh, It appearsh that I have not left mush for you my dear. I would ride back and get shum more but I losht my horsh." She notices there is a faint amount of blood on his cheek that looks like it comes from a cut above his right eye. "Did you know that I love you?" He wipes some rain from his eyes and states, "Ruby, you are all wet."</p><p></p><p>Ruby’s heart ached at Jake’s affirmation of affection for her and her chest tightened at the sight of him, so pathetic, half dressed, soaking wet and drunk in the rain. She looks at him lovingly, her long hair also sticking to her face before taking a long swig from the bottle. She glances down at the mess called her clothes, wet, dirty, torn, transparent and clinging to her all her curves. Her whole body aches, right along with her heart. She shivers in the cold storm before finally smiling at Jake. “You’re all wet too.” She takes his palm in her free hand, not needing to look at what he’s been gazing at and kisses it gently. Then suddenly she moves towards Jake and wrapping her arms around his neck she grasps him as tight as she can. She buries her face in his neck and finally she can’t hold back any longer and her tears start to fall again. Her body trembles against him as she sobs but hopes the storm hides her emotional breakdown.</p><p></p><p>He holds her for a minute before saying in an uncertain voice, "Did you mish your shtage?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby shakes her head against Jake and says through her sobs, “No… no I didn’t miss the stage. We got out of town and I made Mr. Nevers stop. I couldn’t do it, Jake, I just couldn’t do it, I couldn’t leave you, I didn’t want to, but especially after what you said… I feel so terrible, so horrible, I thought I was going to help us, help me be better for you, help me not worry so much or be hurt over something stupid. But instead…” Her whole body heaves as she sobs, not letting go of Jake’s neck. “I ran back to town.”</p><p></p><p>He strokes her hair, a bit awkwardly in his drunken state. "You could not be any better for me." He continues holding her and stroking her hair for some time.</p><p></p><p>Ruby shakes her head no again. “That isn’t true,” she whispers. “It’s not. I’m always making you have these stupid conversations. I’m always confused at what you say, I’m not sure sometimes, I want to be sure all the time so I try…” Her lips are turned down and she pulls at her hair. “Look,” she gestures to her body, “I got skinny from too much drinking and… other things… and you like curves. I didn’t… I don’t handle stress very well.” A long pause before she continues, “And if it was true you would want to marry me.” Surprised the words came out of her mouth she blushes and is glad Jake can’t see her face. Before he can continue she pulls away a bit and wipes the wet off her face. Without looking at Jake she says, “We should get back. Being warm and drunk is much better than being cold and drunk.”</p><p></p><p>The gusts of wind have stopped and the rain is waning. Although the sky to the west is still gray, the storm front appears to have moved on eastward. Jake looks a bit unsteady and he announces, "I am drunk," as if it is a revelation. "I'm going to tell you a sheecret,” he says in a conspiring tone. "I am a very good sshot, even when I am drunk." His hand goes to his side but finds no weapon there. "I would show you but I left my gun shomewhere. That is not the secret." He looks around to make sure no one else is listening. "I am a poor liar when I am drunk, really drunk. That is why I do not make businessh deals when I am drunk. Shometimes I lie." He puts a finger to his lips. "Shhhh." He looks at her very seriously before continuing. "I want to tell you a shtory." Then changing to a plaintive voice, "Will you listen to my shtory?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby looks into Jake’s eyes as she tenderly wipes the rain off his face. “Of course I’ll listen to your story baby.” Ruby stays on her knees in front Jake, unmoving, unsure of what to do next, let Jake tell his story here or take him take home. She is weary and cold and her tired body doesn’t want to move, so she stays where she is, waiting to see what Jake will do.</p><p></p><p>Jake reaches for the bottle from Ruby but when he leans forward he sways a bit, "Whoa, I'm a little dizzy." He settles back upright and says rather slowly. "Heh, why don't you keep that for now?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby nods and takes a small sip from the bottle, then waits for Jake to start his story.</p><p></p><p>"You remember I tol' you about my parentsh? Well, I do not know if Mother loved Father. Shee alwaysh did as shee was told though. Shometimes he would say, 'As your hushband, I forbid it.' I always hated him when he shaid that." Jake sways forward a fraction but pulls his head back. He wiggles a bit and settles into the mud. The rain has completely stopped though Jake does not seem to notice being wet.</p><p></p><p>"He had a look too." Jake points to his eyes. "The look shaid the words 'cept his lipsh didn't move." He accentuates by grabbing his lips between his finger and thumb and squeezing a couple of times. "When Father banished me from our house he gave Mother that look." Jake nods and points to his eyes again. "Shee did not want me to go, but the look..." He nods some more as if that would help Ruby understand. "You read her letter, Mother's letter to me. He forbid her to write to me. See?" He pats her on the hand and then laughs. "I have not shtarted my shtory yet, I didn't forget... it ish coming."</p><p></p><p>"It's ok Jake, you don't have to tell me a story if you don't want to." Ruby is a bit surprised at Jake’s mutterings. It's not like she had never seen Jake drunk before, but unless she had asked he never talked about his father or really his family in general. "If you want, we can save the story for later," she says gently, but still makes no attempt to move.</p><p></p><p>He waves his hand about and says, "No, I want to tell my shtory. You shaid you wanted to hear it." Seemingly unperturbed by the interruption he continues. "I did not know how to do anything to earn a living 'cept papers." He makes scribbling motion in the air between them. "You know, making papersh for Father's business. I'm talking about after I left home." He looks her in the eyes to see if she understands. Satisfied that she has eyes he starts again. "Anything legal anyway." Finding that funny, he laughs and then looks at Ruby. "Oh, right, my shtory. I could clean things or shovel things but I did not like that at all. No, no, no, no, no." He whispers, "So I shtarted shtealing things from people inshtead." He stops to laugh again.</p><p></p><p>Ruby nods and repeats, "You started stealing things, ok."</p><p></p><p>"Well, I always shtole things. Now I shtarted to shteal to eat." He holds up a finger, "So, my shtory.... I was in Ohio. There was a crowd of peoples sho I wandered around and helped myshelf to shome money sho I could eat. The peoples was at a traveling show. The traveling show peoples caught me shtealing. Not the peoples watching the show, the peoples running the show. Those peoples took me around back of their wagons and you know what they did to me?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby looks away and to the ground as Jake tells his story. She had always imagined her knight being valiant, coming up with some crazy plan to support himself and even though she knew he could do it, she never imagined him stealing so he could eat, having to steal so he could eat. They had both done what they had to, to get by, but Jake never before told Ruby about it. In a sad tone she says, "No, what did they do to you?"</p><p></p><p>He gives her a lopsided grin, spreads his arms wide and says, "They gave me a job!" as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "They told me I was pretty good but nobody BUT nobody 'cept them shtole shtuff from their peoples. Those peoples that watched their show, them who ran that show." Jake appears to have confused himself and then shrugs. "I joined the traveling show because they let me, and because they shaid they would break my fingers if I did not."</p><p></p><p>Ruby blinks. "A job? With a traveling show?" She nods her head, wondering if Jake realizes this is not coming out the happy story he thinks it is. "That's a funny story baby," she lies, wondering if Jake actually does have a point to his story.</p><p></p><p>He nods cheerfully. "You saw me juggle. You never asked where I learned to juggle." Jake makes his voice real loud and in a carnie way calls out, "Come one, come all and shee Professhor Ulysshesh and hiss traveling show!" He is still grinning as if that somehow was very funny. "I learned to do aaaallll kinds of things while I was there, not just juggling. I can get out of a rope if you tie me up you know. They alsho taught me how to do some acrobat shtuff." As Jake speaks his speech becomes a little less slurred, not so much because he isn't drunk but because his lips seem to becoming accustomed to his state. "Oh, back to the shtory."</p><p></p><p>"Good ol' Jacob shtayed on with them all through the summer. It was Almyra who first shtarted calling me Jake you know." He leans in to her, still wobbly and having to put his arm on her shoulder to steady himself. He says quietly like it is a secret, "I was infatued... infatcha... infaturd..."</p><p></p><p>"Infatuated?" Ruby interjects, holding his arm to try to help him steady himself.</p><p></p><p>Jake nods and replies loudly. "That's it!" He nods some more and then continues in his normal voice but still off balance and leaning on Ruby. "I liked her a bunch. Before that they all called me Jacob. Everybody, not just the traveling show peoples.”</p><p></p><p>Ruby smiles at Jake and runs her fingers over his cheek. “That’s very sweet. I love the name Jacob but I love Jake too. Sounds like they were nice to you. Although I’m jealous you were infatuated over someone else,” she smiles softly, but still has the sadness on her lips and in her eyes. As she gazes as him she realizes she forgot about the cut above his forehead, so she rips the cleanest piece of skirt she can find and dabs gently at it, trying to clean it up and see how bad it is. “So which do you like better baby?”</p><p></p><p>"I like Jake better." He winces a moment when she touches his wound, but he does not stop her. The cut is not deep and it looks like the pain is more from the bruise. "She was nice to me. Shome of the others too. Shome were not nice to me at all. No, no, nope." He smiles at her and attempts to look her straight in the eyes. "Do not be jealous. She was older than me, almost enough to be my mother. She loved shomeone else, and I love you... but I am getting ahead of my shtory."</p><p></p><p>Ruby takes a drink from the mostly empty bottle before looking at Jake curiously. “So, tell me more of the story. Did you like being in the show?”</p><p></p><p>"Shome days, yes, shome no. At night Almyra and I would talk. Talk, talk, talk all night. I would sneak away from work and talk to her while she cared for the animals. She was the animal lady. She would dress up in a flimsy costume and show off the daaanngerous animals. It was all fake." Jake manages to set himself upright again. He chuckles and seems to be thinking. "The animals were real, but painted up to look like other animals. Pretty Almyra would show them off to the peoples." Jake seems to get lost for a few moments and then finally, "Luther used to hurt Almyra. He used to hurt me too, but I didn't care about that."</p><p></p><p>Ruby's face continues to show her sadness but also turns angry at the same time. “That’s awful, I didn’t know any of this. What happened to her? And you?”</p><p></p><p>"Mr. Dyer, who ran the show, was stealing from everyone. He was the one who pretended to be the professor. I found out by accident that he was skimming the take." Jake smirks. "I broke into his wagon to steal some whiskey and found the money. I didn't take it that day though." He says that like it is important. "Almyra was always very good with the animals, they liked her very much. She always understood what they needed, and felt bad that they needed to be in cages. She had a different look for Luther, he played the human Atlas. She had hate in her eyes for him, plus something else, something that I did not recognize. Luther and Almyra were married."</p><p></p><p>"When we talked I told her to run away from him, but she always told me she could not. She would have a hundred excuses. ‘How would I earn my living?’ she always asked me." Even in his drunken state, Ruby recognizes that look on Jake. The flash of anger that leads to action. The look passes as he says, "So I stole Mr. Dyer's money. It wasn't his anyway, he stole it from the whole show."</p><p></p><p>"They were married..." she repeats to herself, furrowing her brows. “What does stealing Mr. Dyer’s money have to do with Almyra?” She is pensive for a moment before speaking again quietly. “You stole it to give to her so she could leave her husband?”</p><p></p><p>Jake nods, the emotions that have been running through him while he tells his story seem to have a somewhat sobering affect on him. "She helped me with the show people, kept me safe and helped me figure out how to get along. I went to see her and found her with a large bruise on her face. She was very angry, cursing Luther for hitting her. She railed about how she longed to be away from him. It was then that I gave her the wad of money. It was then that she shocked me."</p><p></p><p>Jake takes a long breath and seems to notice the water dripping from his hair for the first time. He pushes his hair back so it does not fall on his face. "She cried. She cried and cried. Finally when she could speak again she told me about how much she had loved Luther when they had first met, how wonderful he was, how happy they were. She had story after story about how much she had loved him. Then she told me how things had changed after they had gotten married. How slowly they began to take each other for granted, how slowly but surely they grew apart, how slowly they grew to despise each other. I thought my own heart would break just by listening to her."</p><p></p><p>"Ruby, she handed me back the wad of money and told me she could not leave him." The shock of that moment rises to Jakes face. "I finally recognized the look in her eye when she looked at Luther. She hated him and she loved him. That is one of the most terrible things I have ever witnessed, that look. I also understood why Almyra was so good with the animals. She knew what it was like to be in a cage, she had built her own. She and the animals both lived in cages." Jake runs his hand through his hair in his familiar gesture. "You know me, I tried to convince her still. She would have none of it. She put the money back in my hands and I fled the show that night."</p><p></p><p>"Ruby, how can I marry you knowing I would say the words?" He suddenly looks vulnerable, a look she has never seen on his face before.</p><p></p><p>Ruby bites on her lip before looking at Jake with wide eyes, obviously confused. "Say what words?"</p><p></p><p>"As your husband, I forbid it." A distasteful look comes to his face as he says it. "I would not mean to do it. I am sure I would be convinced I was doing the best thing for you, for us. Each time after that it would be easier. Oh, and you would do it at first too. You told Nanuet since you're neither my husband or my father you can't tell me what to do." Jake pauses only a moment to let the words have impact. "It would be the first nail. Ruby, it would be the start of the cage. Once the great Golden Eagle realizes a cage is being built she will either fly away or worse..." Jake almost looks like he is going to cry, "...decide to live in that cage because you cannot leave me. Live in that cage and look at me every day with that terrible look in your eye. I have seen that look. It pains me to even imagine that you might look at me with love and hate." Clumsily he gathers up her hands in his, his motions still uncoordinated from the drink. "I don't want to marry anyone else Ruby West; I don't want to be with anyone else. I cannot marry you because I love you."</p><p></p><p>Ruby is quiet for a long while before she says, "I understand," in a soft voice. Ruby sits and just stares and stares at Jake, with some admiration, but mostly with confusion.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly she pulls her hands away from Jake and plays with her dirty, ripped skirt for a few moments before she looks up at him again. "Actually, I don't understand. No, not at all." She pulls herself off the muddy ground and looks down at him. Speaking in a angry tone, "I told you I wasn't going to bring it up anymore. I told you it was a stupid idea and I realize that. But I thought you didn't want to get married because you didn't want to marry me. And I was willing to accept that because I KNOW I would not make a good wife, for you or for anyone, and I was going to try to go away so I could learn to accept it and get over it quicker. But this, Silver Jake Cook, is even worse than that." A fresh tear falls down Ruby's cheek, just when she thought there were no more to be had.</p><p></p><p>She starts pacing around, stopping every now and then to look at Jake as she speaks. "I love you and I truly mean it with all my heart. What we have is special and different. You're not your father or my father or that stupid Luther. You're MY Jacob Alistair Cooke, MY Silver Jake Cook, my knight in shining armor, my best friend, my lover, my world, my everything. I know it and I feel it in my heart. It's not like two people who just meet and decide to get married because that is what they should do. It's not like Kate and Conrad, because one of them is in a situation they rush to talk about or even decide to get married for wrong reasons. We're not two shy, innocent children who haven't lived and don't know what it's like out there. I've had plenty of men say they love me and want to marry me and never before did I feel it and know like I do with you. What we have is destiny or fate or whatever crap you want to call it, even Aphrodite has said so. We’re,” she emphasizes each word, “Meant… to… be. What disappoints me is that you don't seem to feel the same. If you did you would know it too."</p><p></p><p>More tears fall down Ruby's face and she pulls on her wet clothes as she continues to make a track in the mud from pacing. "I don't doubt your love. You are sweet and kind to me, you take care of me, you're my comfort and my strength. I know you love me. But how can you think you would ever do that to me, to turn into someone not you? Tell me what to do, build me a cage. You could never be like that, even if you wanted to."</p><p></p><p>"And if you truly feel that way, why would being married make a difference? What you are speaking of is something that can and does happen everyday, to people married or not. We don't need to be married for you to tell me what to do. Gods Jake, I saw that every day working in the places I worked, some man trying to tell a woman what to do, just because he was stronger. And mostly getting away with it too. So how can you tell me that isn't going to happen to us anyway?"</p><p></p><p>She stops her frantic pacing in front of Jake and looks down at him again. "This isn't about us getting married. It's about us being. About us seeing the same future and wanting the same future and making that future happen how we want it. And knowing that we can and will. I never gave a rat’s tail about the future until I was sacred that you might one day not be in it with me. I figured if I left for just a little bit, I could go back to the Ruby you fell in love with, the one who didn't think about or care about what the future held and that would make you happy. Or at least figure out what I need to do with myself to get there."</p><p></p><p>Jake sits stunned as Ruby speaks, rants, paces and faces him down. He wobbles a bit trying to face her as she moves to and fro. When she finishes he is looking up at her and his eyes are open wide. "I am trying everything I know to keep you happy and make you want to stay with me forever one day at a time. Do not be angry with me." He leans his head back a little farther to see her face better and falls backwards hitting the mud with a squishing sound. "I have never told anyone that story before." He seems oblivious to his position on the ground. "It is just... I have never wanted anything... anyone before so much... I fear I will be the ruin of us. You were so happy. I didn't want anything to change. I am afraid to take the risk. Never gamble with anything you are afraid to lose." Ruby has heard Jake say those last words like a mantra on many occasions.</p><p></p><p>Ruby watches Jake fall over and realizes that while he seemed to sober up he still must be very drunk. She walks to him and crouches down next to him before trying to pull him up out of the sticky mud. She sighs, "I liked your story baby," she says pulling at him. "But I already want to stay with you forever." She tugs again. "And I understand, you like things the way they are." She finally gets a good tug and gets his head lifted off the ground. "I will do what you want," she says giving him a half hearted smile. "We shouldn't talk about this anymore." Her voice sounds defeated as she speaks now and Jake can't figure if she means talk about it now or talk about it ever. "Alright? Let's go back to the Saloon." She again tugs and tries to get his body off the ground.</p><p></p><p>"You'll let me follow you again?" There is a sucking sound as he comes free of the mud. Before Ruby can answer his question he says, "I was terribly afraid you would not come back, but you did. See, you did." She gets him standing but his balance is quite poor. "You think I do not trust you, that I do not believe. But I do. I came here because this is not my place or your place but our place. I came here to wait for you." He stumbles forward into her nearly knocking her over but she manages to keep them both standing. "I was angry, I am sorry." He tries to stand by himself without leaning against her and fails. "Ruby darling, maybe you should take me home."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, this is our place," she says, pushing more wet hair off Jake's forehead. A genuine smile comes to Ruby's face. "I never said I didn't want you to follow me. I am true to my word, that hasn't changed. And I was never considering not coming back. But it doesn't matter now, we don’t need to think about me not coming back if I can't even leave in the first place." She wraps her arm around Jake's waist and helps him over to the horses.</p><p></p><p>She ties Jake's horse to hers, knowing he cannot ride alone. She holds him upright as he attempts to put his foot into the stirrup. Instead he puts it through the stirrup up to his knee and falls down with his leg in the air. She sighs and he says with a lopsided grin, "It always seemed much easier before." It takes many minutes and much pushing and falling over to get Jake up on the horse. Ruby hops up behind him carefully, trying not to knock him off. She makes sure to wrap her arms tightly around him before starting the ride back to town.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="orchid blossom, post: 2819655, member: 12815"] [SIZE=3]Aftermath Part II[/SIZE] As she runs through the mud and rain she starts tiring quickly. Then she realizes her velvet jacket and traveling dress are soaking up the drenching rains and weighing her down. She stops and drops her bag. Working quickly as she can, she pulls off her hat, jacket and dress, leaving them in the grass next to the well traveled road. She picks up her bag and, like it was perfectly normal to be in the rain in her undergarments, she starts running back to town. 45 minutes later she arrives, soaked to the bone and drenched all the way through. Shivering and weary she runs into the Lucky Lady and screams out, “Jake!” at the top of her lungs. Then she notices Pedro Gonzalez coming down the stairs inside the saloon. "Ah, Senorita you is here. You boy, he take his horse and ride away. Grant say he look upset. He no wear all his clothes and smell like whiskey. Grant try to talk to him but he push Grant away and say need Ruby's place. You boy muy loco ride away in storm waving whiskey bottle." He stops for a moment then looks her up and down. “And what you doing no dress? And wet? You ARE all loco around here!” Ruby doesn’t answer but instead turns and forces her tired legs to run to the El Parador. She hurriedly readies her horse and rides out through the rain to her favorite spot, upstream of the old mill. As she near the spot she notices a shadowy figure outlined by the lightening strikes. She squints and when she can finally make it out she sees Jake's horse, running away from the area riderless. Trying not to panic she guides her stallion after the wayward horse, grabbing the reins and forcing it to follow her quickly near the river. She hops off and ties the horses hastily to a strong tree. She puts her hand up to her eyes to try to see through the downpour. The rain is falling hard and the wind occasionally picks up and blows the rain nearly sideways. Her favorite spot looks very different with the grass pounded flat by the heavy rain, the leaves on the trees folded and drooping, and the sounds of the stream swollen with rain masked by the heavy downpour. In the middle of all this a single figure sits on the ground near the stream. His muddy shirtless back is streaked from the rain. Water drips steadily from his brown hair that is soaked and sticking to his head. One hand holds a bottle while his other rests palm up on his knee. The man seems to be staring down at his hand and has not noticed the sound of her horse. Ruby approaches him slowly. Saddened she has made her lover and best friend come to this she again tries to fight back tears. Walking around him, she lifts up her dirty, muddy, no longer white underskirt and falls to her knees in front of Jake, hoping he won’t turn her away. He startles when she comes into view. His face registers surprise followed by pleasure and then some discomfort. He looks down into his own lap but his eyes soon move to his palm still sitting open on his knee. He flexes his hand a couple of times before he raises the bottle and offers it to her. "Oh, It appearsh that I have not left mush for you my dear. I would ride back and get shum more but I losht my horsh." She notices there is a faint amount of blood on his cheek that looks like it comes from a cut above his right eye. "Did you know that I love you?" He wipes some rain from his eyes and states, "Ruby, you are all wet." Ruby’s heart ached at Jake’s affirmation of affection for her and her chest tightened at the sight of him, so pathetic, half dressed, soaking wet and drunk in the rain. She looks at him lovingly, her long hair also sticking to her face before taking a long swig from the bottle. She glances down at the mess called her clothes, wet, dirty, torn, transparent and clinging to her all her curves. Her whole body aches, right along with her heart. She shivers in the cold storm before finally smiling at Jake. “You’re all wet too.” She takes his palm in her free hand, not needing to look at what he’s been gazing at and kisses it gently. Then suddenly she moves towards Jake and wrapping her arms around his neck she grasps him as tight as she can. She buries her face in his neck and finally she can’t hold back any longer and her tears start to fall again. Her body trembles against him as she sobs but hopes the storm hides her emotional breakdown. He holds her for a minute before saying in an uncertain voice, "Did you mish your shtage?" Ruby shakes her head against Jake and says through her sobs, “No… no I didn’t miss the stage. We got out of town and I made Mr. Nevers stop. I couldn’t do it, Jake, I just couldn’t do it, I couldn’t leave you, I didn’t want to, but especially after what you said… I feel so terrible, so horrible, I thought I was going to help us, help me be better for you, help me not worry so much or be hurt over something stupid. But instead…” Her whole body heaves as she sobs, not letting go of Jake’s neck. “I ran back to town.” He strokes her hair, a bit awkwardly in his drunken state. "You could not be any better for me." He continues holding her and stroking her hair for some time. Ruby shakes her head no again. “That isn’t true,” she whispers. “It’s not. I’m always making you have these stupid conversations. I’m always confused at what you say, I’m not sure sometimes, I want to be sure all the time so I try…” Her lips are turned down and she pulls at her hair. “Look,” she gestures to her body, “I got skinny from too much drinking and… other things… and you like curves. I didn’t… I don’t handle stress very well.” A long pause before she continues, “And if it was true you would want to marry me.” Surprised the words came out of her mouth she blushes and is glad Jake can’t see her face. Before he can continue she pulls away a bit and wipes the wet off her face. Without looking at Jake she says, “We should get back. Being warm and drunk is much better than being cold and drunk.” The gusts of wind have stopped and the rain is waning. Although the sky to the west is still gray, the storm front appears to have moved on eastward. Jake looks a bit unsteady and he announces, "I am drunk," as if it is a revelation. "I'm going to tell you a sheecret,” he says in a conspiring tone. "I am a very good sshot, even when I am drunk." His hand goes to his side but finds no weapon there. "I would show you but I left my gun shomewhere. That is not the secret." He looks around to make sure no one else is listening. "I am a poor liar when I am drunk, really drunk. That is why I do not make businessh deals when I am drunk. Shometimes I lie." He puts a finger to his lips. "Shhhh." He looks at her very seriously before continuing. "I want to tell you a shtory." Then changing to a plaintive voice, "Will you listen to my shtory?" Ruby looks into Jake’s eyes as she tenderly wipes the rain off his face. “Of course I’ll listen to your story baby.” Ruby stays on her knees in front Jake, unmoving, unsure of what to do next, let Jake tell his story here or take him take home. She is weary and cold and her tired body doesn’t want to move, so she stays where she is, waiting to see what Jake will do. Jake reaches for the bottle from Ruby but when he leans forward he sways a bit, "Whoa, I'm a little dizzy." He settles back upright and says rather slowly. "Heh, why don't you keep that for now?" Ruby nods and takes a small sip from the bottle, then waits for Jake to start his story. "You remember I tol' you about my parentsh? Well, I do not know if Mother loved Father. Shee alwaysh did as shee was told though. Shometimes he would say, 'As your hushband, I forbid it.' I always hated him when he shaid that." Jake sways forward a fraction but pulls his head back. He wiggles a bit and settles into the mud. The rain has completely stopped though Jake does not seem to notice being wet. "He had a look too." Jake points to his eyes. "The look shaid the words 'cept his lipsh didn't move." He accentuates by grabbing his lips between his finger and thumb and squeezing a couple of times. "When Father banished me from our house he gave Mother that look." Jake nods and points to his eyes again. "Shee did not want me to go, but the look..." He nods some more as if that would help Ruby understand. "You read her letter, Mother's letter to me. He forbid her to write to me. See?" He pats her on the hand and then laughs. "I have not shtarted my shtory yet, I didn't forget... it ish coming." "It's ok Jake, you don't have to tell me a story if you don't want to." Ruby is a bit surprised at Jake’s mutterings. It's not like she had never seen Jake drunk before, but unless she had asked he never talked about his father or really his family in general. "If you want, we can save the story for later," she says gently, but still makes no attempt to move. He waves his hand about and says, "No, I want to tell my shtory. You shaid you wanted to hear it." Seemingly unperturbed by the interruption he continues. "I did not know how to do anything to earn a living 'cept papers." He makes scribbling motion in the air between them. "You know, making papersh for Father's business. I'm talking about after I left home." He looks her in the eyes to see if she understands. Satisfied that she has eyes he starts again. "Anything legal anyway." Finding that funny, he laughs and then looks at Ruby. "Oh, right, my shtory. I could clean things or shovel things but I did not like that at all. No, no, no, no, no." He whispers, "So I shtarted shtealing things from people inshtead." He stops to laugh again. Ruby nods and repeats, "You started stealing things, ok." "Well, I always shtole things. Now I shtarted to shteal to eat." He holds up a finger, "So, my shtory.... I was in Ohio. There was a crowd of peoples sho I wandered around and helped myshelf to shome money sho I could eat. The peoples was at a traveling show. The traveling show peoples caught me shtealing. Not the peoples watching the show, the peoples running the show. Those peoples took me around back of their wagons and you know what they did to me?" Ruby looks away and to the ground as Jake tells his story. She had always imagined her knight being valiant, coming up with some crazy plan to support himself and even though she knew he could do it, she never imagined him stealing so he could eat, having to steal so he could eat. They had both done what they had to, to get by, but Jake never before told Ruby about it. In a sad tone she says, "No, what did they do to you?" He gives her a lopsided grin, spreads his arms wide and says, "They gave me a job!" as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "They told me I was pretty good but nobody BUT nobody 'cept them shtole shtuff from their peoples. Those peoples that watched their show, them who ran that show." Jake appears to have confused himself and then shrugs. "I joined the traveling show because they let me, and because they shaid they would break my fingers if I did not." Ruby blinks. "A job? With a traveling show?" She nods her head, wondering if Jake realizes this is not coming out the happy story he thinks it is. "That's a funny story baby," she lies, wondering if Jake actually does have a point to his story. He nods cheerfully. "You saw me juggle. You never asked where I learned to juggle." Jake makes his voice real loud and in a carnie way calls out, "Come one, come all and shee Professhor Ulysshesh and hiss traveling show!" He is still grinning as if that somehow was very funny. "I learned to do aaaallll kinds of things while I was there, not just juggling. I can get out of a rope if you tie me up you know. They alsho taught me how to do some acrobat shtuff." As Jake speaks his speech becomes a little less slurred, not so much because he isn't drunk but because his lips seem to becoming accustomed to his state. "Oh, back to the shtory." "Good ol' Jacob shtayed on with them all through the summer. It was Almyra who first shtarted calling me Jake you know." He leans in to her, still wobbly and having to put his arm on her shoulder to steady himself. He says quietly like it is a secret, "I was infatued... infatcha... infaturd..." "Infatuated?" Ruby interjects, holding his arm to try to help him steady himself. Jake nods and replies loudly. "That's it!" He nods some more and then continues in his normal voice but still off balance and leaning on Ruby. "I liked her a bunch. Before that they all called me Jacob. Everybody, not just the traveling show peoples.” Ruby smiles at Jake and runs her fingers over his cheek. “That’s very sweet. I love the name Jacob but I love Jake too. Sounds like they were nice to you. Although I’m jealous you were infatuated over someone else,” she smiles softly, but still has the sadness on her lips and in her eyes. As she gazes as him she realizes she forgot about the cut above his forehead, so she rips the cleanest piece of skirt she can find and dabs gently at it, trying to clean it up and see how bad it is. “So which do you like better baby?” "I like Jake better." He winces a moment when she touches his wound, but he does not stop her. The cut is not deep and it looks like the pain is more from the bruise. "She was nice to me. Shome of the others too. Shome were not nice to me at all. No, no, nope." He smiles at her and attempts to look her straight in the eyes. "Do not be jealous. She was older than me, almost enough to be my mother. She loved shomeone else, and I love you... but I am getting ahead of my shtory." Ruby takes a drink from the mostly empty bottle before looking at Jake curiously. “So, tell me more of the story. Did you like being in the show?” "Shome days, yes, shome no. At night Almyra and I would talk. Talk, talk, talk all night. I would sneak away from work and talk to her while she cared for the animals. She was the animal lady. She would dress up in a flimsy costume and show off the daaanngerous animals. It was all fake." Jake manages to set himself upright again. He chuckles and seems to be thinking. "The animals were real, but painted up to look like other animals. Pretty Almyra would show them off to the peoples." Jake seems to get lost for a few moments and then finally, "Luther used to hurt Almyra. He used to hurt me too, but I didn't care about that." Ruby's face continues to show her sadness but also turns angry at the same time. “That’s awful, I didn’t know any of this. What happened to her? And you?” "Mr. Dyer, who ran the show, was stealing from everyone. He was the one who pretended to be the professor. I found out by accident that he was skimming the take." Jake smirks. "I broke into his wagon to steal some whiskey and found the money. I didn't take it that day though." He says that like it is important. "Almyra was always very good with the animals, they liked her very much. She always understood what they needed, and felt bad that they needed to be in cages. She had a different look for Luther, he played the human Atlas. She had hate in her eyes for him, plus something else, something that I did not recognize. Luther and Almyra were married." "When we talked I told her to run away from him, but she always told me she could not. She would have a hundred excuses. ‘How would I earn my living?’ she always asked me." Even in his drunken state, Ruby recognizes that look on Jake. The flash of anger that leads to action. The look passes as he says, "So I stole Mr. Dyer's money. It wasn't his anyway, he stole it from the whole show." "They were married..." she repeats to herself, furrowing her brows. “What does stealing Mr. Dyer’s money have to do with Almyra?” She is pensive for a moment before speaking again quietly. “You stole it to give to her so she could leave her husband?” Jake nods, the emotions that have been running through him while he tells his story seem to have a somewhat sobering affect on him. "She helped me with the show people, kept me safe and helped me figure out how to get along. I went to see her and found her with a large bruise on her face. She was very angry, cursing Luther for hitting her. She railed about how she longed to be away from him. It was then that I gave her the wad of money. It was then that she shocked me." Jake takes a long breath and seems to notice the water dripping from his hair for the first time. He pushes his hair back so it does not fall on his face. "She cried. She cried and cried. Finally when she could speak again she told me about how much she had loved Luther when they had first met, how wonderful he was, how happy they were. She had story after story about how much she had loved him. Then she told me how things had changed after they had gotten married. How slowly they began to take each other for granted, how slowly but surely they grew apart, how slowly they grew to despise each other. I thought my own heart would break just by listening to her." "Ruby, she handed me back the wad of money and told me she could not leave him." The shock of that moment rises to Jakes face. "I finally recognized the look in her eye when she looked at Luther. She hated him and she loved him. That is one of the most terrible things I have ever witnessed, that look. I also understood why Almyra was so good with the animals. She knew what it was like to be in a cage, she had built her own. She and the animals both lived in cages." Jake runs his hand through his hair in his familiar gesture. "You know me, I tried to convince her still. She would have none of it. She put the money back in my hands and I fled the show that night." "Ruby, how can I marry you knowing I would say the words?" He suddenly looks vulnerable, a look she has never seen on his face before. Ruby bites on her lip before looking at Jake with wide eyes, obviously confused. "Say what words?" "As your husband, I forbid it." A distasteful look comes to his face as he says it. "I would not mean to do it. I am sure I would be convinced I was doing the best thing for you, for us. Each time after that it would be easier. Oh, and you would do it at first too. You told Nanuet since you're neither my husband or my father you can't tell me what to do." Jake pauses only a moment to let the words have impact. "It would be the first nail. Ruby, it would be the start of the cage. Once the great Golden Eagle realizes a cage is being built she will either fly away or worse..." Jake almost looks like he is going to cry, "...decide to live in that cage because you cannot leave me. Live in that cage and look at me every day with that terrible look in your eye. I have seen that look. It pains me to even imagine that you might look at me with love and hate." Clumsily he gathers up her hands in his, his motions still uncoordinated from the drink. "I don't want to marry anyone else Ruby West; I don't want to be with anyone else. I cannot marry you because I love you." Ruby is quiet for a long while before she says, "I understand," in a soft voice. Ruby sits and just stares and stares at Jake, with some admiration, but mostly with confusion. Suddenly she pulls her hands away from Jake and plays with her dirty, ripped skirt for a few moments before she looks up at him again. "Actually, I don't understand. No, not at all." She pulls herself off the muddy ground and looks down at him. Speaking in a angry tone, "I told you I wasn't going to bring it up anymore. I told you it was a stupid idea and I realize that. But I thought you didn't want to get married because you didn't want to marry me. And I was willing to accept that because I KNOW I would not make a good wife, for you or for anyone, and I was going to try to go away so I could learn to accept it and get over it quicker. But this, Silver Jake Cook, is even worse than that." A fresh tear falls down Ruby's cheek, just when she thought there were no more to be had. She starts pacing around, stopping every now and then to look at Jake as she speaks. "I love you and I truly mean it with all my heart. What we have is special and different. You're not your father or my father or that stupid Luther. You're MY Jacob Alistair Cooke, MY Silver Jake Cook, my knight in shining armor, my best friend, my lover, my world, my everything. I know it and I feel it in my heart. It's not like two people who just meet and decide to get married because that is what they should do. It's not like Kate and Conrad, because one of them is in a situation they rush to talk about or even decide to get married for wrong reasons. We're not two shy, innocent children who haven't lived and don't know what it's like out there. I've had plenty of men say they love me and want to marry me and never before did I feel it and know like I do with you. What we have is destiny or fate or whatever crap you want to call it, even Aphrodite has said so. We’re,” she emphasizes each word, “Meant… to… be. What disappoints me is that you don't seem to feel the same. If you did you would know it too." More tears fall down Ruby's face and she pulls on her wet clothes as she continues to make a track in the mud from pacing. "I don't doubt your love. You are sweet and kind to me, you take care of me, you're my comfort and my strength. I know you love me. But how can you think you would ever do that to me, to turn into someone not you? Tell me what to do, build me a cage. You could never be like that, even if you wanted to." "And if you truly feel that way, why would being married make a difference? What you are speaking of is something that can and does happen everyday, to people married or not. We don't need to be married for you to tell me what to do. Gods Jake, I saw that every day working in the places I worked, some man trying to tell a woman what to do, just because he was stronger. And mostly getting away with it too. So how can you tell me that isn't going to happen to us anyway?" She stops her frantic pacing in front of Jake and looks down at him again. "This isn't about us getting married. It's about us being. About us seeing the same future and wanting the same future and making that future happen how we want it. And knowing that we can and will. I never gave a rat’s tail about the future until I was sacred that you might one day not be in it with me. I figured if I left for just a little bit, I could go back to the Ruby you fell in love with, the one who didn't think about or care about what the future held and that would make you happy. Or at least figure out what I need to do with myself to get there." Jake sits stunned as Ruby speaks, rants, paces and faces him down. He wobbles a bit trying to face her as she moves to and fro. When she finishes he is looking up at her and his eyes are open wide. "I am trying everything I know to keep you happy and make you want to stay with me forever one day at a time. Do not be angry with me." He leans his head back a little farther to see her face better and falls backwards hitting the mud with a squishing sound. "I have never told anyone that story before." He seems oblivious to his position on the ground. "It is just... I have never wanted anything... anyone before so much... I fear I will be the ruin of us. You were so happy. I didn't want anything to change. I am afraid to take the risk. Never gamble with anything you are afraid to lose." Ruby has heard Jake say those last words like a mantra on many occasions. Ruby watches Jake fall over and realizes that while he seemed to sober up he still must be very drunk. She walks to him and crouches down next to him before trying to pull him up out of the sticky mud. She sighs, "I liked your story baby," she says pulling at him. "But I already want to stay with you forever." She tugs again. "And I understand, you like things the way they are." She finally gets a good tug and gets his head lifted off the ground. "I will do what you want," she says giving him a half hearted smile. "We shouldn't talk about this anymore." Her voice sounds defeated as she speaks now and Jake can't figure if she means talk about it now or talk about it ever. "Alright? Let's go back to the Saloon." She again tugs and tries to get his body off the ground. "You'll let me follow you again?" There is a sucking sound as he comes free of the mud. Before Ruby can answer his question he says, "I was terribly afraid you would not come back, but you did. See, you did." She gets him standing but his balance is quite poor. "You think I do not trust you, that I do not believe. But I do. I came here because this is not my place or your place but our place. I came here to wait for you." He stumbles forward into her nearly knocking her over but she manages to keep them both standing. "I was angry, I am sorry." He tries to stand by himself without leaning against her and fails. "Ruby darling, maybe you should take me home." "Yes, this is our place," she says, pushing more wet hair off Jake's forehead. A genuine smile comes to Ruby's face. "I never said I didn't want you to follow me. I am true to my word, that hasn't changed. And I was never considering not coming back. But it doesn't matter now, we don’t need to think about me not coming back if I can't even leave in the first place." She wraps her arm around Jake's waist and helps him over to the horses. She ties Jake's horse to hers, knowing he cannot ride alone. She holds him upright as he attempts to put his foot into the stirrup. Instead he puts it through the stirrup up to his knee and falls down with his leg in the air. She sighs and he says with a lopsided grin, "It always seemed much easier before." It takes many minutes and much pushing and falling over to get Jake up on the horse. Ruby hops up behind him carefully, trying not to knock him off. She makes sure to wrap her arms tightly around him before starting the ride back to town. [/QUOTE]
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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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