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A Jericho Fan Fiction Archive
I really enjoyed reading this chapter. It's nice to see that both Jake and Heather are finally beginning to come to terms with the way they feel with one another. I am also glad that Heather is beginning to see just want kind of a friend Emily is to her. I think that Emily was counting on using Heather's loyalty to their friendship to keep Heather from pursuing Jake and I think it would've worked if Jake didn't make a few comments to show Heather otherwise.
I especially liked all the talk about their fictional childhood crushes. It was so funny and it was nice to see this ‘fun' side of them and really do know how to bring out the best in each other. My favorite part was when Heather got Jake flustered when she guessed that Wonder Woman's was Jake's childhood crush because of her magic lasso and Jake thinking that it was because of her dark hair and blue eyes.
I love how EJ and Heather got to know each other before the bombs and how EJ just seemed to know that Heather was the girl for Jake. I'm glad that Heather was able to tell Jake just how much he met to his grandfather. Jake was certainly fishing for information about Hamilton. I have to say that Heather did an excellent job of side stepping his question about the relationship she had with him. I also liked Jake's teasing of Heather when he used ‘the committee of horses' to try and get Heather to tell him what to do and the story about the pigs which never really got told.
The scene in New Bern provided and interested contrast to the scene at the ranch with Jake and Heather. Hamilton's reaction to the town looking like so many others he's been through and the fact that he had grown accustomed to the devastation was in interesting commentary I thought. I liked getting some insight into Ted's thoughts about what happened to Heather. I do like how you ended this part with Hamilton wondering what was in the letter to Ted and what it was about New Bern that Heather frightened along with the assertion that New Bern didn't look so ordinary anymore.
The horse-back riding lesson was my favorite part of this chapter. With all the detail and description you but into it I could see the whole scene play out in my mind. I loved how you ended this part of the chapter with the question ‘What am I going to do to you?"
I really like the bonding moments between Heather and Jake in this chapter and look forward to reading more.
Thank you for your comments, Skyrose. I definitely wanted Jake and Heather to have the opportunity to get away from the craziness going on in the world around them. We could call this chapter the calm before the storm. It's an opportunity for them to explore exactly what they mean to each other, get to know one another better, and compare notes on Emily.
Re: Emily, I agree with you that she was counting on Heather's loyalty. The funny (ironic, not haha) thing is that if Emily hadn't tried to manipulate the situation or steer Heather away from Jake, Heather would have kept her distance from Jake. She would never have allowed the thought to enter her mind in a serious way that there could be something special between Jake and herself. However, with Emily trying to stake her claim on Jake, she's essentially revealed the weakness of their relationship.
Thank you again!
This chapter was so enjoyable to read. I loved seeing how Jake reacted to the news of his impending nuptials, and Heather finally beginning to question the meaning behind Emily's actions, as well as her own assumptions and self-imposed rules. I really liked this line:
He was tempted to coax the key to Charlotte from Heather, drive back to town, and ream out Emily. But as he looked around the ranch, he saw chores that needed doing. More importantly, he saw the person he wanted to be around, and her name wasn’t Emily Sullivan.
As usual, you've done an excellent job writing the dynamic between Jake and Heather. You've captured it all; the stubborness they both share, along with that certain reluctance to face their own truths, balanced with that pull they feel towards each other, which they sometimes fight and sometimes embrace. I really liked the details they shared about their youthful fictional crushes. Especially this part:
“Or was it her magic lasso?” she continued mercilessly as she lightly elbowed him.
‘It was her dark hair and blue eyes,’ Jake thought, but remained silent.
“I don’t believe it,” Heather marveled, her eyes shining.
“What?”
“For once, I have you flustered.”
I love how you have Heather and EJ getting to know each other in the past here. It's a really interesting detail, and I laughed when I read the way Heather remembered Jake being described to her. Jake's committee of horses and the pig-stealing story he alluded to were great touches too.
The scene in New Bern was a good contrast to the scenes around it. I really liked seeing Hamilton's reaction to the town, and his mind beginning to ponder over the events that occured there. I really felt for Ted here. It's too bad we never got to see what happened to him- his experience was so traumatic, and he never got to escape from New Bern as our main characters did. I was glad we got a little glimpse of him here.
The horse-back riding lesson was so well described, I could just see it happening. This exchange was so funny:
Heather nodded. “I believe you, Jake. So, any tips?”
“Yeah. Don’t fall.” His expression was so straight-faced and his tone so flat, Heather was sure that if she’d had something to throw at him—other than herself—she would have.
“You are a stinker!” she protested, her words coming out in a mini-huff mingled with laughter.
“I’ve been called many things in my life, but I can honestly say this is the first time anyone has ever called me a stinker.”
“To your face, maybe,” she shot back.
Great chapter, and I look forward to reading more!
Thank you for your comments, Penny. This part was fun to write as both characters were starting to piece together how the other feels. Sometimes it's just nice to write fluff. Sigh. It was a delicate balance for them, and it could be likened to a war within for restraint that slowly became a lost cause. Being away from the chaos of the outside world allowed them to explore what they're feeling in a more substantive way, but what they'll face when they leave the ranch would be enough to give anyone pause--even those with nerves of steel.
Like you, I thought it was too bad that we never saw what happened with Ted, so that's something I want to rectify in this story. A more developed picture will soon emerge of what's going on in New Bern, and if the folks in Jericho thought they had it bad....
Thank you again!
Sandra
Oh, Sandra! Thank you. :-) I think I can take lots more angst going forward with this bit of happy bonding fluff to fortify me. Oh, and Heather and Jake, too. ;-)
Besides, there was still some serious realization happening in this part. Heather's too smart to be always fooled by Emily, and while I feel bad for her that she's going to lose a friend, well, I don't know that the friendship is all that much to give up.
To start, this DEFINITELY bared repeating, so thank you for doing so....
"Heather, Emily and I are not getting married."
Thank you, Jake. I happen to agree.
But even as Heather said the words trying to defend her friend, nagging doubts were infiltrating her mind. In retrospect, Emily had gone out of her way to alternately stake her claim to Jake and tear him down in Heather's eyes. And to what end? The way Emily spoke, making it abundantly clear that she and Jake were together in every way, marriage was a foregone conclusion.
I hadn't even thought of it this way, but you are absolutely right. I can buy that Emily loves Jake, but it's not a healthy love, and she certainly doesn't seem to like him much at all. I'm glad Heather's starting to figure things out.
"My Little Ponies?" Jake asked choking back a sneer. "I always figured you as a Transformers kind of girl."
"Well, there was that phase. I had a huge crush on Optimus Prime, which I know is totally ridiculous because he was a cartoon, and I just told you way more than you ever needed to know, and I think now I'm going to talk about horses." Heather took a deep breath, suddenly very self-conscious of her ramblings.
LOL! I just loved this exchange. I absolutely enjoy a Jake and Heather who can be silly around one another. I also love Optimus Prime. :-) And cartoon crushes aren't that unusual. My best friend had a crush on Basil of Baker Street (The Great Mouse Detective) as a child, and even wrote Mary Sue fanfic about marrying Basil when she grew up (and presumably into a mouse). I assume that Heather didn't go that far!
"It wasn't that bad." Strange how being back in this place brought back memories of conversations she thought she'd long forgotten. Her friendship with E.J. Green had begun, just as she'd told Jake, when he'd assisted her when she sprained her ankle running along the road that fronted the ranch on one side of the property. She'd brought chocolate chip cookies to him first as a thank you and then as a habit when she discovered that her life was far less lonely with him in it. She'd not known her grandparents well, both because she had been raised so far away from them and because they died long ago. Yet E.J. became the closest thing to a grandparent that she had. He was an incredible storyteller and wealth of information. His stories about his experiences in WWII, his escapades with airplanes, and the adventures of his grandchildren kept Heather entertained and made her feel like she was part of a something beyond herself. He'd even told Heather bits and pieces about Jake one night as they sat on the porch.
"He's a handsome devil. Takes after his grandpa. He's got a good heart and a hard head. Wish he'd come back, meet you. Could use a nice girl to keep him grounded and I could use some great-grandchildren. But I suppose he won't be coming back. Not so long as he's mad at the world and not until he figures out the answer is right here, not out there somewhere."
Sigh. I just love the fact that your EJ is a Jake/Heather shipper. And no mention of Emily...
She played with the stem of the dandelion, rolling it between her fingers, and felt emboldened. "I'm glad I'm here with you." There. She said it. No more pretending Jake didn't matter when he did.
Yes!
Jake let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "I'm glad I'm here with you, too." Maybe she was too good for him, but he wasn't about to walk away. Not now. Not when he wanted to know everything about her, was hungry for knowledge. Not when she looked at him with those big blue eyes that made me feel warm inside.
And double yes! :-)
Okay, seriously, the whole 'I'll teach you how to ride' sequence was WONDERFUL. I wanted to quote the whole thing, to the end of the scene, but I will force myself to be satisfied with just the beginning....
A look of amusement filled his features. "I'm going to get on with you."
"Oh." Heather wasn't sure how he would manage to do that, but before she could think it through, he was there behind her, straddling the saddle.
Almost as soon as Jake mounted behind Heather, he was starting to rethink his teaching methods. He'd intended to maintain a respectful distance from her-and certainly when he'd initially thought it would be easier to show her how to ride a horse in this manner he'd not questioned the advisability of his actions. Now he did. Seeing the curve of her neck, fighting the temptation to wrap his fingers around the stray tendrils of hair that had fallen from her ponytail, wanting to touch her skin-the impulses were coming fast and hard.
Heather felt as though her heart would leap from her chest. ‘This is getting ridiculous,' she scolded herself. ‘You can't go to pieces every time he gets near you.'
But the feeling of his warm breath against her cheek, his body so close to hers that she had to stop herself from sinking back into his arms, and his inner thighs against her hips had her mind racing and her heart pounding. No amount of self-chastisement could combat her natural reaction to Jake Green. And then it hit her. She didn't want to fight against what she was feeling. Being near him felt good. No, that's not right. It was better than good; it was incredible.
....Oh, and the end. What IS he going to do with her?
He shook his head ruefully, stifling his own laughter. "What am I going to do with you?"
Thank you, Marzee. I figured we (and Jake and Heather) deserved a nice dose of calm before the storm that is brewing on the horizon. Early Jericho eppies were my inspiration--that easy comaraderie between Jake and Heather--but this chapter has ended up taking on a life of its own. They're taking baby steps toward one another, and part of that is, like you mentioned, seen in the realizations that are emerging.
Thank you again for your comments! :)
Sandra