SHATTERED ILLUSIONS
By
Ashleigh Anpilova
Jenny challenges Ducky about his relationship with Jethro and discovers something she would rather not have know.
An established relationship story.
Written: March 2006. Word count: 732.
"You won't keep him you know."
"I'm sorry?"
"Jethro. You won't keep him. He'll leave you just like he left the rest of us."
"I was under the belief that it was you who left Jethro, Jennifer, not the other way around."
"I did it before he left me. I wasn't going to be dumped by a mere ex-Marine."
"Ah."
"Just you wait and see. Any day now he'll wake up and realize what a fool he was to get involved with you and your depravity. It's disgusting."
Ducky wasn't a spiteful man. He believed that people were entitled to their own opinions, and that those opinions in themselves couldn't hurt him. But there was something about Jennifer Shepard that shook and chilled him.
It wasn't the look in the blazing eyes.
Or the way she stood over him.
Or the pure unadulterated hate and viciousness in her face.
Or the revulsion in her voice.
It was all those things.
And so many more.
It was in fact her entire being.
It pushed him into retaliation. "My dear Jennifer," he said. There was no shred of the affection he used when he said 'my dear Jethro' present in his tone. "If Jethro hasn't 'woken up' as you call it, and realized what a 'fool' he is and left me in thirty years, I cannot see it happening any time soon." He spoke quietly, but his tone was like ice. Even he shivered inwardly at the venom with which he threw the words at her.
Her mouth fell open. Her eyes widened, and her face paled to a sickly green. Even the color seemed to drain from her hair. "You mean . . ." She stopped speaking, swallowed hard as though fighting the urge to be sick, curled her fingers into her palms, bit her lip, swallowed again and forced some more words out. Her voice was a harsh whisper, and she shuddered as she spoke. "All the time he was . . ." Again she broke off.
Ducky simply waited. Impassive. Unmoving. Alert. Aware. Saddened.
"He was with you too?" she finally managed, disbelief clear in her voice.
"Yes," Ducky said. Simply. Firmly. Finally.
It was over.
He turned and walked away.
Fixed is the sequel to this story.
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