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A Jericho Fan Fiction Archive
Another great chapter. You really do a good job of providing little details about the chararacter's personality and past that make them seem very real.
I really liked how you opened this chapter with Jake riding around in Charlotte comptemplating his place in the new world. I liked his realization that be belonged in Jericho because both his past and his hope for the future were there. I could just feel Heather's reaction to seeing Charlotte up and running and was glad to see that Jake let her drive!.I could just picture Heather's reaction when she saw that Charlotte was up and running.
I do like how you are portraying Mary in your story. I'm glad that she's trying to push Jake and Heather together. I especially liked her comment to Heather about how Jake and Emily have been torturing each other and themselves for years and how Jake and Emily could never be happy together. Mary is giving Heather good advice in telling her that she needs to think about her own happiness and I like how she told Heather how her eyes sparkle when she's around Jake. I think that she gave Heather alot to think about and I hope that some of it sinks in.
Good for Eric for telling Jake that he can't have it both ways, that he can't have Emily and drool over Heather. He's right Heather doesn't deserve that. I like Eric's protective attitude when it comes to Heather.
Hamilton really intriques me. He's very outgoing and friendly but then there seems to be this secretive side to him. I'm really interested in finding out more about him and what part he plays in the bigger picture of your story.
Heather and Roger going out on a date together really surprised and amused me, the fact that Emily enroached on their date, despite Heathering hoping she would, did not surprise me.
I do have to say that the best part of this chapter was Jake's declaration that Emily and him were not getting married.
Thank you for your comments, Skyrose! I certainly appreciate them, as well as all the help and support you've shown me throughout the writing of this story.
I agree with you that Mary definitely gave Heather plenty to think about. I'm quite certain that Heather does not want to be in the same type of position that Mary was in where the Eric/April relationship was concerned, but then again, Heather's situation is quite different. Jake and Emily aren't married for one thing and they aren't particularly happy. It makes no sense for Heather to play the role of martyr. Who better to remind Heather than Mary?
Eric comes dangerously close to being hypocritical, but because he acknowledges his own indiscretions and can draw upon his own experiences, I'm willing to believe he is the voice of reason here. That, and I'd like to think that he's realized that the way he treated April was unfair at best and unconscionable at worst.
Hamilton is one of the good guys, but there's more to him than he shows. He recognizes that Heather won't out-and-out accept legal tender to help get her on her feet, so he's willing to do this kindness for her in secret. He's a good guy, but he is far more invested in Heather than she is in him.
And Jake's declaration...the fact that he's so adamant that he and Emily aren't getting married really should clue him in that being in a relationship with Emily may not be what he really wants. Will he finally take that step? Heehee. I'd say we all know the answer to that. :)
Thank you again, Skyrose!
Sandra,
I have been wracking my brain, wondering why this was so familiar:
“I’ll go down in history as the man who put gasoline in a truck,” Jake said wryly.
... and it finally came to me! In the movie Ever After (one of my favorites) da Vinci makes the joke "Yes, I'll go down in history as the man who opened a door!"
If this was in homage, well done. :-) And, if it wasn't, please allow me to continue thinking it was.
Another great installment, Sandra!
But there was no such thing as running anymore. The grass wasn't greener on the other side of the fence, though he supposed it might have contained Heather's giant irradiated ants. Despite the seriousness of the situation out there and within Jericho itself, Jake couldn't help but allow himself the smallest of smiles. No, the opportunities weren't any better out there than they were in Jericho, but Jericho had something that the outside world didn't have: his past and his hope for the future.
I like your opening, and the fact that Jake is actually taking a moment for self-reflection and (dare I say it) self-analysis. I do wonder what Jake's hope for the future is...
I'm glad, too that Jake was willing to let Heather drive her own truck! :-)
I'm not entirely sure what to make of Jake's and Eric's little chat, and I'm still mulling that over, but I must thank you for this:
"That's not true, but thanks for saying that," Eric replied shaking his head. He clasped his hands together. "Look, I'm not saying these things to you from some high horse, Jake. I know how hypocritical it sounds to give you relationship advice. I get that. But I also know how easy it is to fall into the trap of..." his voice trailed off. "Look, if you're going to be with Emily, be with her. If you're going to be with Heather, be with her. But don't do this back and forth of false hopes."
It does sound a little hypocritical coming from Eric, but since he acknowledges it, well, I can accept it as the voice of experience, and I wish Jake would too.
I have to say, I like your Mary as much as I am ever going to like Mary! I don't know if you consider her a friend of Emily's, but she is certainly a friend to both Heather and Jake, despite (I'm sure) the impulse just to knock their two heads together and see if that works.
I'm VERY glad she said this to Heather. Let's hope something sinks in!
Heather lowered her voice. "Mary, there's no competition. Jake is just a friend. He and Emily..."
"Have been torturing each other and themselves off and on for years. I know, I know," she replied with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
Heather pursed her lips, not liking the direction the conversation had taken. "Look, Emily is my friend. I want to see her happy. I want to see Jake happy."
"And you really think they'll be happy together? They haven't been yet." Heather frowned. "And what about your happiness, Heather? Being a martyr never got anyone anything."
I am admittedly suspicious of Buffalo Credit, so that'd probably why I see a very big problem coming up thanks to Hamilton's "gift". Is it possible that this is what derails their fledgling relationship? Heather's at least trying to convince herself that she's interested, and Hamilton certainly is. I could be totally off-base, but I see trouble brewing there!
"Please don't tell me. Not another argument," Heather interrupted. "Of course, this is coming from a girl who has no siblings, but I thought once you grew up, you were supposed to put aside petty bickering."
"That's just on TV and in self-help books," Eric said with a shake of his head. "Besides, Jake's still not grown up yet."
Ha! Thank you, Heather. Those Green boys and their sibling rivalry was really starting to annoy me.
And then.... The best part of the whole chapter.....
"Heather, Emily and I are not getting married."
:-D Thank you, Sandra.
Thank you, Marzee! I thought it was time for Jake to have some self-reflection. After all that he's gone through and the things happening now, I just couldn't let the opportunity pass to have a "Jake thought check." It's similar to a sound-check that people do at the beginning of an assembly, minus the microphone and crowd. ;)
Eric's talk to Jake could come off as hypocritical, but I also figure that few people can talk to Jake like that and have him actually listen. Eric is, of course, the voice of experience. At the same time, with the way Eric cares for Heather, I couldn't imagine that he would let things continue as they are.
As for Mary, I do think she's Emily's friend, but she's been watching the hamster wheel that is Jake and Emily's relationship for years now. She knows that there's a spark between Jake and Heather, and Mary being Mary, she's going to encourage that.
Regarding the Buffalo Credit, I guess for now, I should just say wait and see. Hamilton's heart is in the right place. He most certainly has a soft spot for Heather. Heather likes being around Hamilton. It's easy, uncomplicated. Yet it's Jake who makes her heart race.
Speaking of Jake, he's pretty adamant with that last statement, isn't he? Jake and Heather are going to clear the air quite a bit in the next chapter...It's time for some fluff. :)
Thank you again, Marzee!
Another great chapter!
This one had so many little details that I really loved, that seemed to add so much to the past and present of these characters and their world. There were so many lines I'd quote, but this review would go on forever. I'll try to limit it to my favourites.
I liked your choice to open with Jake reflecting as he drove around in Charlotte. Interesting to begin the chapter showing us exactly where Jake is at in this place in time. I loved this:
“Want a lift?” he asked casually, the look on his face leaving no doubt as to how pleased with himself he was to have Charlotte running.
A smile spread across Heather’s features at the sight of her old truck. Charlotte was strangely comforting to her, from its occasional dents to the familiar sputtering noise she made. “Forget giving me a lift. I want to drive! Scoot over.”
The second burgers-at-Bailey's was interesting too. It was really great to see Eric confront Jake, and hold his ground with his greater understanding of how Jake normally deflects uncomfortable topics of conversation. You've done such an excellent job of developing Eric, showing him changing after his difficult times in New Bern, and the things that happened before and after.
I still love Mary's involvement in the Jake/Heather saga. An interesting contrast, I think, to the way Emily reacts to the things she sees passing between Heather and both Jake and Hamilton. She has nothing to gain personally, other than her friends being happy, and I think she may have a better (well, more objective) vantage point than Emily. I especially liked this line:
“Good for you! I’m glad to see you’re branching out.” Mary leaned on the bar toward Heather. “Let him give Jake a run for his money.”
Hamilton just gets more and more intriguing. On the one hand, I find myself wondering how much he really knows about those people for whom he works. On the other hand, his friendly, easy-going way of interacting with almost everyone, and that secret, (so sweet) good deed he does for Heather, make him so endearing, it's hard to be too suspicious of him. I still think he is a great addition for adding a different energy, and humour, to these scenes.
I'm glad Heather and Jake are beginning to compare notes, even if just about water-heater parts and one-time dates. I have to say, it really threw me for a loop when I read that Heather had dated Roger. I wasn't expecting that! What an intriguing idea...adds a whole new dimension to this love triangle...square...tangled web. It especially makes me think differently about the current unspoken conflict between Emily and Heather.
Heather shrugged. “I probably should have been upset that my date was ogling my best friend, but all I could think was, ‘Thank you God for small favors.’ I invited her to join us, and the two of them hit it off. I left as soon as it was polite to do so.” She stopped and reflected for a moment. “Well, maybe a little before it was polite, but they definitely didn’t need me.”
I had to laugh at this- the idea of Heather and Roger on a date is just so weird. I imagine that if it were to happen, it would happen just as you've described it.
Jake's reaction to the news of his impending marriage was priceless. I can't wait to hear what he does next in your next chapter!
Thank you so much for your comments, Penny. I always figured Jake had to be something of a deep thinker. Otherwise, how can he brood so much, right? LOL. But seriously, in those quiet moments, I find that in general, people stop to reflect on what's going on around them. Jake certainly has a plethora of problems and issues pulling at him.
Thank you, re: Eric. I can't imagine that he's the same person he was with the experiences he's undergone in New Bern, the loss of his father, and his drive to "step up to the plate" so to speak. Eric is probably about the onlly person who could say those things to Jake and actually make Jake listen.
Mary is, admittedly, not my favorite character from the show, but she's known the other characters (I imagine) for a long time. I figure that she makes her living reading people, and that gives her a unique perspective on the whole Jake/Heather situation.
Hamilton has been a very fun character to write. He's comparatively less complicated than Jake, but like Jake, he is a good man. I don't think he has quite the same darkness in him that Jake does, but despite his affable personality, his life hasn't been all sweetness and light. More about that will be coming out, and I think it will go a long way toward explaining how he fell on the side of the Cheyenne government.
The whole Heather/Roger date scenario was, I'll confess, something of an afterthought, but I thought it added an interesting dynamic to the friendship between Heather and Emily. The thought of Heather and Roger made me laugh, as well. I could just picture the awkwardness of the date and the relief that Emily brought with her when she joined them.
Lots more Heather/Jake interaction will be found in the next installment as they further compare notes on the impending "marriage", as well as some more light-hearted banter.
Thank you again, Penny!