by Montana Ash
“Why don’t you ask Jasminka out on a date?”
Wait ... What? “A date?” He repeated, stupidly.
“Yes, a date. Jasminka is human, after all. I believe a date is the traditional form of courtship in human society. If you want to get to know Jazz on a more personal level, you should take her out on a date.”
“But I don’t want to get to know her on a personal ...” Beyden trailed off when his mother turned, ever so slowly in his direction. He heard Penelope cover a laugh with a cough and he mock-glared at her. It was pretend because nobody – not even his newly cranky self – could ever be angry at the young paladin.
His mother had only ever had one paladin at a time, and none of them had ever been sworn into her small Order through her choosing until the pretty little copper-haired, Penny. The Local Warden Council in their hometown had been rather strict and always chose the paladins for the wardens tasked with maintaining the domains in the area. His mother, being the epitome of stubborn had agreed with the forced bondings on the stipulation that she only have one sworn knight. After her last paladin of fifty years died saving her from a chade attack only nine years prior, his mother had stumbled upon Penny as she attempted the paladin trials for the second time. The young beast paladin had failed the trials the first time and he had no doubt she would have failed them again if his mother hadn’t given her the incentive to join her Order. The bond between the two was a natural one and therefore stronger and more intimate. Much like the bond they all shared with Max. His mother treated Penny much more like a daughter than a knight, but Beyden knew Penny would, and could, defend his mother to her last breath. Short and young she may be, but Ivy had assisted in her training. Penny was small but mighty. Beyden had left only one year after his mother formed the Order of Animus with Penelope and he was looking forward to getting to know her more as well now that she was here.
“Beyden, are you listening to me?”
His mother’s voice penetrated his thoughts and he nodded quickly, “Yes’m. Most definitely listening.”
A rude snort came from behind him, “No way was he listening. He was daydreaming. His lion eyes always go all glassy when he daydreams.”
“Thanks, Ry. Always such a supportive Captain,” Beyden said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t I know it,” Ryker slapped him on the back, though not as hard as he once would have. The knowledge that even his cantankerous Captain was holding back on him because he was now a gimp, caused resentment to bubble up once more. Ryker bent down to pick up Angel, rubbing her softly between the ears and making her purr. “What isn’t Beyden listening to?”
“Nothing!” Beyden quickly yelled, only for his voice to be overwhelmed by his mother’s.
“Dating advice,” she said.
“Ah, I see. You know, I really like Jasminka. I know we got off to a rocky start, what with her tranquing me in the arse and all.”
Penny giggled from her seat at the table and Ryker winked at her. The fair-skinned Penny blushed prettily at the attention. Jeez, it’s a sad day when Ryker is more charming than me.
“But she’s been invaluable around here,” Ry continued. “She delivered Maxwell and saved your life. Brought your wonderful mother here with her magical cooking skills. Plus, she’s not bad to look at. Have you seen those legs? They go on for miles.” Before Beyden could growl, Ryker was talking again, “Maybe we should team up.”
“Team up?” Surely Ry wasn’t suggesting that they should ... No, Beyden thought. Just because Ryker thought Jazz had nice legs doesn’t mean ...
“Yeah, you know, like a support network. Like how alcoholics have a sponsor. We could have meetings and shit, just like AA – but without the alcohol,” Ryker mansplained.
“Oh,” Bey released the breath he’d been holding in a rush. “Support. Okay. Yeah. That’s a relief.”
Ryker squinted at him, “Are you okay? You look constipated.”
“I’m fine. And no, I don’t want to be in your weird dating support group. I’m not dating Jasminka,” he informed the room at large, firmly.
“Your loss. I wasn’t one to go for all this dating and romancing shit, but I have to say it works. I scored Max the first time around and it seems to be doing the trick again,” Ryker admitted.
They had all noticed a change in Ryker, and Bey was glad for it. He knew it all centred around their liege and his desire to win her back – memories or no memories. The man was still walking around with his assets on display, but he had thankfully put a stop to the naked edict for the rest of them. That would have been awkward to explain to his mother. When questioned about the sudden change of heart, Ryker had muttered something about sugar, glared at him and Axel, then stomped out of the room. He had also upped his ‘nice’ factor. He had given Max all new art supplies, a year’s worth of several different types of chocolate, and just that morning, Beyden had seen him hand deliver a bunch of fuzzy socks directly to her door. Max loved fuzzy socks. Beyden couldn’t deny the wooing was going well. Max was practically glowing.
Ryker leaned against the kitchen counter, looking at Rosa, “What were you suggesting? I’ve run out of ideas after fuzzy footwear.”
Bey’s mother smiled, “You’re a sweet boy.”
Beyden refrained from rolling his eyes. His mother thought every one of his male friends in the house were ‘sweet boys’ and all the women were ‘lovely girls’. In just two days, his friends were flourishing under the maternal affection. Their reactions to having a real mother in the house had him realising how lucky he was and also just how much he had missed her. Thinking about it, he realised he and Ivy were the only ones in the Order with a real parent. Other than Max – she did have Mordecai in her life now. She had even taken to calling the man ‘dad’, a fact they all found kind of strange. It was made all the weirder by Diana and Cali, who kept calling him daddy behind his back. Bey shuddered. Their words said one thing but their tones hinted at another entirely. It was all kinds of wrong.
“Have you tried a date yet? With just the two of you?” Beyden refocused on the conversation, just as his own parental was doling out dating advice to his Captain. “I know you need to protect Max at all costs, but perhaps you could take her somewhere that you know is safe and yet still semi-private?” Rosa suggested.
Ryker’s brown eyes lit up, “That’s a great idea. And I know the perfect place; Dave’s Dive.”
His mother stopped rolling out the dough, “You’re going to take her to a place that has the word dive in the title? Max may not remember, but she is a goddess you know. And a woman.”
“It’s not a literal dive,” Ryker quickly promised. “Besides, the bar is kind of special. It’s where Bey, Lark, and Darius found Max. We’ve also had a lot of fun nights there. It was owned by a very good friend until recently and has been taken over by another good friend and his annoying, pretty-boy children.”
Beyden felt the usual sadness over the loss of their good friend, Dave. The hairy half-human had been a solid ally to them over the years and his place had offered refuge and a watering hole when they – being outcasts – couldn’t frequent the paladin-run establishments. They all still felt the loss of him and instead of allowing his place to be condemned, Knox and his triplet sons had taken it over. It made sense given the run-down hotel at the back housed the vast majority of chadens in the area. Knox and Dex had been made the unofficial leaders of the chadens and Beyden knew it was just a matter of time before it was made official. But first they needed an actual government to do it. Hopefully that would come to fruition over the next few months. Nominations were still coming in for the participants for the Trials. Beyden figured it would be a few more weeks before they closed them down and held the voting polls. After that the Trials would begin.
“Son? What about you?”
Beyden felt four pairs of eyes on him – three human and one feline – and felt himself droop in defeat. “Other than Dave’s I don’t know anywhere else that meets that criteria. And I’m no
t taking Jasminka to the same place as you and Max. And certainly not to a place that has alcohol and three identical, good-looking men.”
“Really?” Ryker asked, “You don’t know anywhere that is safe and private and special to just you?”
Beyden stood up straight, comprehension dawning. He smiled at Ry, “That’s a good idea.”
Broad shoulders shrugged negligently, “I have my moments.”
Beyden knew he did. It’s what made him the best Captain and friend anyone could hope for.
EIGHTEEN
“Your mother is wonderful. You’re very lucky,” Jasminka offered, hands caressing wine bottles as she passed.
Beyden had to clear his throat and force his eyes up and away from those hands. He knew exactly what those talented hands were capable of – and it had nothing to do with the doctor’s surgical abilities. “I know.”
Jasminka had looked surprised when he had knocked on her door that afternoon and asked her to join him in his wine cellar. He had almost chickened out. He’d had a low-grade headache since talking with his mother and the dull throb behind his eyes was as irritating as it was painful. But he figured the best company to keep under those circumstances was a doctor. For her part, Jasminka had first asked him if the wine cellar was a euphemism for his pants and that if it was, she would love to join him. To his embarrassment he had felt his cheeks heat and had stuttered out a lame denial.
He was nervous, though he was unsure why. He had been getting to know the lovely doctor for over two months now and had even been in her bed. The more he learned, the more he liked, and he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. Nobody went to as much trouble as she did without at least some deeper feelings involved. Right? Even as he got his hopes up about a possible future though, his thoughts immediately catalogued all the obstacles in their way. He was finding it harder and harder to derail the spontaneous negative thoughts these days and was seriously considering mentioning it to someone. Max maybe, he thought. She may still have no memory but she still had the heart of a goddess. Thinking about those obstacles once more, he considered the one that had been playing on his mind; the fact that Jazz had a life and a career well away from the drama in his little corner of the world.
“Are you on vacation?” he abruptly asked.
Jasminka paused where she was frowning over a bottle of German wine. “I’m sorry. What?”
Beyden cleared his throat, “From your job, I mean. Did you take vacation time to come here and help us out? When do you need to return to work?”
Jazz shook her head and her dress swished about her ankles as she walked toward him. Beyden saw her toes peeking out from under the colourful material. He shook his head, she was as much of a walking contradiction as the rest of the women in the house. She was a woman of science, professional and highly educated with a steel countenance. But she was also whimsical with her floaty dresses, shoeless feet and painted toenails. She was serious one moment and light-hearted the next. Beyden wondered which one the real Jasminka was, but then promptly reminded himself that there was no reason why all of the personas couldn’t be the real her. His own sister wore different masks daily but deep down she was still just Ivy. His mother had been right; he wanted this time to get to know Jasminka better.
“I’m not on annual leave or anything. I quit when Max asked me to come here,” Jazz revealed.
“What? You quit your job? All because Max asked you for a favour? Is this because she saved your life?” Beyden could understand the need to pay back Max in any way. His pulse accelerated like it did every time he thought about Jasminka having a terminal illness. It was just one more reason why Max was a miracle worker.
Jazz perched herself on one of the bar stools in the small tasting area of the wine cellar. The room wasn’t large, but it was well-stocked and was kitted out with wine racks, wine barrels, and coolers. Paladins weren’t supposed to have any vices or any hobbies but Ryker had called bullshit on that when he’d moved in. Beyden had seen the small things Ry did so they would feel comfortable and special – and wanted. After a rather enthusiastic discussion with Darius over the best red wine one breakfast, Beyden had revealed himself as somewhat of a wine connoisseur. He loved everything about wine from its history, to how it was made, and of course the taste. He wasn’t a big drinker and stayed well away from beer and spirits. But his one indulgence was a nice bottle of bubbly. After Ryker secretly had the old storage room turned into a cellar and then gruffly informed Beyden it was just for him, Bey had fled to the safety of his room and cried real tears. Ever since, the wine cellar had been his place of peace. It was dark and quiet and soothing. And it had been a selfless gift given to him by his first true friend.
“Yes and no,” Jasminka’s husky voice rasped from the shadowy corner she was seated in. “Yes, I dropped everything to come here just because Max asked me to. But no, I don’t blindly do Max’s bidding. She explained a little of the situation – not the blowing herself up part – but the part where her family needed help. Of course I came.”
“Because she’s your family too,” Beyden said softly, finally understanding their relationship.
Jasminka rewarded him with a stunning smile. “Yes, she’s my family. Max saved me – in more ways than one. She healed me of an inoperable brain tumour, but that wasn’t her greatest gift to me. She showed me that Jasminka – the cold, unaffected, intelligent doctor and researcher – was also Jazz. And Jazz was a woman with laughter and hopes and dreams. She was a woman who could joke and have fun and wear pretty dresses instead of starched blouses and pressed slacks. Jazz could wear purple glasses instead of plain, wire rims and she could be more than just the summation of her studies. Max didn’t just save my life. She changed it irrevocably.”
Beyden couldn’t picture the other woman Jazz was describing. The dichotomy of that person to the one sitting in front of him was just too great. Although it bothered him to think about an unhappy or hurting Jasminka, he wanted to know more – the good, the bad, and everything in between. Fearing the answer a little, he still asked; “Your parents?”
Jazz shot him a sardonic look. “My parents. You know, I understand more about your kind of society than you would think. I was raised in a world just like it,” she said, surprising him. “My parents were – are – world renowned surgeons. Their marriage was one of convenience and served the purpose of furthering their careers and standing in society. Theirs is no love match, trust me. Neither of them wanted children – it didn’t suit their lifestyle. Still, it was an unspoken rule that a child would be expected. Career, marriage, house, then children – in that exact order. I was simply another tool to them, a shiny toy to show off to their peers. ‘Look how smart our offspring is’. Even into adulthood, I continued to study and work and attend the functions that my parents insisted on. Even though I hated it. Even though I was dying inside a little each day, I couldn’t see an alternative. I was conditioned to be a part of that world, you see.”
“I understand,” Beyden said, softly. And he did. Jazz was right; she knew more about their society than he gave her credit for. “What changed?” he asked.
Jasminka’s smile was warm as she answered, “Max of course.”
Beyden shook his head, “Of course. Max.”
Jasminka laughed, the happy sound reverberating around the small, enclosed space. “Even ignoring the fact that she saved my life and I rescued her from the funny farm, I fell for her the moment I saw her. Even sickly with the constant headaches and the alleged paranoid tendencies, she was everything I wasn’t, and everything I had craved to be. Not that I admitted that to myself at the time, of course. Max was vibrant and full of life. She was fun and sweet and kind. And she swore like a drunken sailor,” Jazz added, laughing. “I never swore a day in my life until I met her. She was one hell of a wake-up call.”
Beyden laughed along with her, and though Jazz’s smile was wide enough to light up the entire room, he could still see traces of an old hurt in her eyes. Wounds infl
icted upon a lonely little girl, wanting nothing more than to be hugged and loved. The thought of the humorous, intelligent, compassionate woman in front of him being so repressed made his chest ache and he found himself stepping up to her and pulling her into his arms.
“What’s this?” Jasminka’s voice was muffled against the wall of his chest.
“A hug,” Bey informed her, squeezing her a little tighter. She felt so good against him. Her lean, dark frame was the perfect compliment against his bulkier one. She fit, he thought. Somehow, they both fit.
Jasminka relaxed against him, sighing, “Hmm, a Beyden hug. A woman could get hooked on these.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say ‘please do’. But the twinge in his leg from being upright so long reminded him he was no longer a whole paladin, and not fit to offer someone like the doctor any kind of future. Though their society was in the midst of a revolution, paladins still had a purpose. He’d had a taste of his true potential this past year by being Max’s sworn paladin in her Order, and he knew going back to helping out at the Lodge would no longer be enough to make him feel complete. He felt warm hands smooth over his back, the action intimate but not in a sexual way, and he wondered how Jasminka knew his thoughts were beginning to spiral once more. Just when he thought he was on the mend, dark thoughts would derail all his progress. Looking over Jazz’s shoulder at the picnic he had created in his wine cellar, he wondered just what the hell he had been thinking to put together such a romantic scene. He was an idiot.
“Hey, Beast Boy,” Jazz pulled back, tapping his chin. “I’m going to tell Axel about these epic cuddles by the way. And do you know what he’s going to call them?”
Beyden pulled back too and could tell by the small lines between Jazz’s eyes that she was trying to distract him from his thoughts. The warmth and affection also shining in her eyes was what made him shake off his morose musings. Thinking of his trickster friend made his lips twitch – even if it was at his own expense. He knew Jasminka had become quite good friends with Axel. He wasn’t sure how he did it, but the fire paladin appealed to women of all ages, and across all races. Even Bey’s mother had fallen for his charms. “Buggles?” he finally guessed.
