"I'll be there Sunday evening, darling..." Flight information, a small amount of chitchat, then Jenna's finger depressed the receiver button, the handset held between clenched fingers.
Even though she expected it, this could not have come at a worse time. Shelby Foster had wandered in and out of Jenna's life the past few years. Appearing just when the situation was everything the elder Foster woman disapproved, vanishing when Jenna was most alone and could have used a mother's guidance. Shelby had been in the States since early summer, visiting friends and traveling. She warned Jenna she would return for the last leg of her vacation to spend time with her daughter and the family of tigers in New Orleans.
She and Geller spent every night together, were inseparable during their times near one another, but that time was slim. Her business, his business, their respective families, obligations to friends and life in general, made it nearly impossible to have the time to spend with one another that they did in New York. They barely caught their breath from the rush of acknowledging all their hearts held until they were on the go. Here, there, together, apart. It was the nights that she lived for now. Feeling his arms around her, holding her protectively close, whispering words that was shared only between the pair, was incomparable.
Now, they had Shelby Foster to contend with, and while she was sure Geller would handle her mother gracefully, the old tigress could be a challenge. Arrogant, high minded and blunt, she could cause even the most patient of persons to heavy drink. There was nothing like a call from your mother to bring back a rush of memories, some you hoped were tucked away for good.
The constant demands of perfection from not only her parents, but from the tiger community at large, had left Jenna with a rigidity that she was only recently learning to release. Replacing the phone hand set, she put her head to her hand, a thumb on one temple, fingers on the other and pressed to try and stave off the impending tension. Inevitably, Damien was going to come up, and Isabella. A visit was never complete for Shelby unless the two most painful things in their lives were dug up from the grave of the past and dwelled upon until tears were shed. It was a ritual for Shelby to raise the dead and examine them in detail.
Shelby knew of Geller,of course, for he held Jenna heart, mind, body and soul. Her mother had made no comment, only listened, then swiftly proceeded onto other topics. That in and of itself was somewhat hopeful. Shelby would normally have expressed her feelings on the matter instantly, the fact that she hadn't, meant perhaps she was withholding judgement this time. At least for now.
Pushing away from her desk, she lifted the locket that lay beneath her blouse and opened it to see the small photo of the little blonde girl that had meant the world to Jenna. Her thumb moved along the side as if caressing Isabella's cheek, then she slowly closed the locket and placed it back beneath her clothing. The photo of Damien had long since been packed away. When she had her things from Los Angeles moved to New Orleans, most had been put in storage. She felt it was time to move on, not dwell on the violent, wicked past. Today, however, it seemed to be moving the dirt of its grave, wanting to resurface.
She stood abruptly, grabbed her keys and disappeared out the back. She would be back later, she wanted to hear of Maya's news, needed to touch base with Santana, make sure Will was faring well, and check with Avery about her new possibilities. Evening still had not given Jenna the tuition and book information so her baby tiger could attend college this fall and she wanted to make that happen. She had some of Geller's family yet to meet. Dee, first and foremost, as the rest she had either spoke to briefly or traveled from New York to New Orleans with in Daddys' caddy.
But Jenna Foster still had some demons of her own to conquer. Nobody ever knew what happened. Evan Foster's body was never found. Traces of blood and brain were located on a tree near one of the many winding roads through the Cotswolds. Cause of death was never found. They had a memorial service, friends and extended family attended an exclusive ceremony, she and her mother dressed in black, there may have been a tear. Though not one had been shed from Jenna's eyes.
The day she found out from Jeff what actually happened to Damien, she went after the old male tiger who was her sire. She'd never felt a moment of remorse. But something happened to Jenna when she let in Geller's love. It opened the flood gates, and everything came rushing forward. Even now, after weeks of benig together, it still happened when an old pain was remembered.
-Jenna was struggling with some things but Maya didn't know that. She was floating around in a giant pink hormone bubble like some kind of idiot and that would be a very hard bubble to pop. She had spent several hours at the house making Trent strut around in dresses for her and some of the other girls while they picked her outfit for the evening and then Dee Dee had helped give her some make-up tips. Also thanks to Trent's amazing willingness to be helpful. Maya suspected he just liked getting to wear womens clothes for a change.-
-The help had been much appreciated even though Venus was in a coma - but at least she was there with them- and even though Zoe was floating on the dark side of the moon. Maya was worried that those pain meds were going to become a habit. Still, at the moment she wasn't worried about anything at all except her nails and her hair. Pushing through the door to Paix she was like a little blonde wrecking ball that rushed at Jenna's scent like a tiger seeking missile.-
-Luckily Jenna was near Valen so the lion would hear everything. Maya's hands clutched Jenna's and she was actually hopping up and down with her blonde curls bouncing. Maybe Jenna hopped a little too. Who knows, she was a tiger queen, did tiger queen's hop? Anything was possible with Maya's cerulean blues dancing at you.-
"I got asked out on a date! My first real date! Ohmigod I need my hair done, and my nails, and I have to tell you everything!"
-And that's what happened. Valen did her hair, someone at the shop did her nails and toes, and Maya told Jenna the whole story. Including but not limited to the television obsessed ghost Jack, running naked into the street, calling for a ghost whisperer, the punching, the blood, and THE KISS. Which she couldn't seem to stop talking about. Other customers were leaning over to hear the blonde, cringing sometimes at the profanity that slipped from her, and by the end of it all every woman there had probably written down Declan's name to try to find the best kisser in the world.-
-The only problem came when Valen started asking her questions like a nosy bastard instead of just letting her gush. The conversation was a little like this:-
"What's his last name?"
"I dunno."
"Where's he from?"
"Ireland....I think."
"Where does he work?"
"Uhhhh I dunno. Someone in the fucking Yellow Pages."
"Where does he live?"
"Uhhh the Quarter...an apartment...above a place."
"How did you meet him."
"Fuck Valen, I told you. He came to the door and said he was there about the ghost."
-Well shit. Now she was starting to feel a bit crazy...and foolish. Like one of those vacationing Spring Breakers who wanders off with strangers from a Mexican cantina and gets sold into sex trafficking. Turning around in her chair she gave several girly slaps to the lions arm.-
"Thanks alot Valen....now I'm freaked the fuck out!"
Jenna might have hopped, just a little, but only because the energy that washed through the place when the little wolf strolled in was impossible to avoid. Even Valen, with his arm bent over his chest, comb held up near the opposite ear, gave a little bounce at the wonder of Maya.
The phone rang, Valen turned his fanned head toward Jenna. "It's her..." Nothing else need be said and the tall blonde retreated to her office to deal with the big bad. At least in their world, Shelby Foster would always be their 'big bad'.
Valen waited patiently while Maya's fingers and toes were painted and polished to perfection, then he put the pink bubbled hormone laden petite wolf in his chair, spun her around and met her eyes in the mirror.
"Now, you relax, I fix..."
Then the questions came. The obvious thing about this was, there were NO answers.
"Freaked the fuck out? Good. You know nothing of this person. He is a Ghostbuster, which by the way we want more details on that...but you know nothing else. You should be careful, lil wolf, you could be the one eaten alive in this story and not in the good way, yah?"
While he talked, he was making her look like a glamour puss of the expensive kind. Women came from miles around for the touch of Valen. He was renown in the beauty industry, having got his start years ago in Paris, he rocketed to the top of the list of international cosmetologists.
He leaned down, put his chin near Maya's shoulder and pulled gently at the blonde strands, "But it is okay to enjoy yourself. And gobble him up if he does anything untoward." Valen grinned at Maya in the mirror. The place was buzzing, customers coming and going, the sound of women in the throes of being pampered, champagne flowing, lotion being smoothed, colors being applied, skin being oiled, and the fragrance of a hundred subtle scents mingling into the concoction of Paix.
