FIC: Before (AB)

[mhalachai]

Title: Before
Characters: Anita, Jean-Claude (mention of Asher)
fanfic100 Prompt: 008 -- Weeks
Word Count: 401
Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton owns all things Anita Blake. Only the story is my own.
Fandom: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter (master list here)
Note: Oops, forgot to mention that this is for sparrow015 in the Ficlette Fiasco II.

~~*~~

"Jean-Claude?"

"Oui, ma petite?"

I rested my head against his shoulder, cuddling up against him under the sheets. "Can I ask you a question?"

"But of course." Jean-Claude smoothed my hair off my shoulder, his skin the colour of bronze in the candlelight. I sighed, wanting to revel in the sensation, but I'd asked a question.

"What was Asher like? Before?"

I lifted my head and propped myself up on my elbow, looking down at Jean-Claude. "What has brought this on?" he asked.

I traced one finger down the side of his face as I thought about how to answer. "You know how he's been, for the last few weeks." Jean-Claude nodded. "I was thinking, you know, about if he's always been like this."

"Ah. Do you mean since Asher joined us in St. Louis, or are you talking about before he was scarred?"

"Before the holy water," I said softly. The weight of my question lay in Jean-Claude's eyes, and it was on the tip of my tongue to take the question back when he surprised me by replying.

"Before, he was not as moody, ma petite, but he still clung tightly to those he loved, was still... flighty." Jean-Claude took my hand in his fingers and kissed the skin on my palm. "But he was more innocent. He truly believed that his beauty could see him through any situation."

I drew my hand out of Jean-Claude's grasp and sat up, pulling the sheet with me. "I'm sorry."

"For what are you sorry?" Jean-Claude asked. He sat up and gathered me into his lap. "Are you sorry for asking the question? Or for wondering what Asher was, before?"

"A bit of both." I stared at the painting over the fireplace, a charming, boring landscape. While Jean-Claude had never had a picture of Asher up in his bedroom, I knew he had three of them: a portrait of Jean-Claude, Asher and Julianna from long ago, of Asher and Jean-Claude mimicking Psyche and Cupid, and one of Asher alone, painted after he was scarred, as Vulcan at his forge. I wondered what Jean-Claude had done with the paintings.

"Do not be sorry for wondering, ma petite." Jean-Claude kissed my cheek. He was shielding his emotions from me so hard that I didn't have any idea what he was feeling. "You know Asher as he is now, and that is what counts."

"I know."

--fin

Comments

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

This is lovely! I'm fascinated by how JC's blocking Anita from feeling what he feels about Asher. This leads to all sorts of interesting speculations.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I have much speculation on how JC views Asher these days, and it's not really at all what Anita thinks he feels. Of course (and I do love the character, but she can be very unreasonable at times), she does tend to not think about what other people are feeling when it conflict with her world view. Ahem.

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

I'm very curious as to what you speculate. :)

And very nice little ficlet.

-Sonya

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm very curious as to what you speculate

One day, I'm sure I'll get into it. It has a lot to do with the fact that JC has basically chosen Anita, and it is rather hard to get over 200 years of hatred, no matter what you try and do.

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

Sigh. This was lovely. Eloquent. Elegant. Thanks.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

You're quite welcome. It's always fun to write my AB OTP.

[eavling.livejournal.com]

This was simply beautiful. I could almost hear the rustle of silk sheets and the weighty silence of questions. I find it interesting that you ended with Anita saying 'I know' instead of Jean-Claude's insight. I find it amazing that the addition of those two words can carry the weight of the emotions present between the characters in a slightly different direction. The flow of mood to the end is perfect with those two words.

She knows, but she still wonders.

Also amazing is how you hint at other happenings while still making this small snippit a cohesive whole. For example, how, exactly, has Asher been these past few weeks? You leave us wondering.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Much thanks. It's always a balance of getting enough description in without belabouring the point. Ending with Anita is also interesting. It's her POV, of course, and she's really the one who's been doing the emotional growth.

Asher's actions of the previous few weeks in this little ficlette will all be revealed in time, never fear.

[sparrow015.livejournal.com]

This is an awsome drabble! It does really make you wonder JC is hiding from her. XD

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I think the question is more, what is JC *not* hiding from her? Anyway, glad you like!

[(Anonymous)]

"Asher's actions of the previous few weeks in this little ficlette will all be revealed in time, never fear."

Much Joy! Damn, but I love you. :huggles:

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Good to know it. I always dig anonymous love :P

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

*sigh* You do such wonderful JC/Anita. What a lovely pick-me-up this morning.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it. It'd been too long since I wrote some good An/JC. They're so good together.

[penyn-1600.livejournal.com]

This is interesting, mostly because LKH never really tells us what Jean Claude feels for Asher in the present. The books are all from Anita's very distinct, though limited, POV.

Having nothing really to do with the fic, I've never really liked Asher as a character. I'm not sure why. It's not that I dislike him, it's just that I don't feel any big like for him. You know?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you on the POV. From what we saw in CS, I think Anita suspects that JC's in love with Asher and all that, but I suspect that she's just not able to comprehend the four hundred years of emotions there. She's too childlike (not childish, mind) still to be able to comprehend that. She's lost a parent, but never had that kind of life ripped away by hatred, not being able to stop anything.

I also know what you mean about not having the big like on for Asher. The way I see it, we don't know enough about Asher. Since he and Anita came to their little understanding, he'd been absent. We'll see mor of him in the next big book, which I'm totally all about.

[penyn-1600.livejournal.com]

That's probably it. It's true, that we don't know much about him beyond his relationships with JC, Belle Morte, and Juliana. Hopefully, we'll get more of a grasp on his character in the next book.