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Fighting for Salvation (1)
Jun. 5th, 2007 12:36 pmOkay, so I actually finished the first chapter of the Beast. And it even has a title now. Now, some things I should explain about this fic. This starts pre-S1. Ava is an original character. And I'm basically rewriting canon to make me happy. I'm sorry if this bothers anybody. Comments are love and MUCH appreciated, since it's going to take a LOT of motivation to keep going with this one. Eventually there will be Chlack. Tony and Michelle never get together. Edgar still dies. There's a lot more, but I don't want to ruin any surprises. So please enjoy. The next chapter will start in S1.
"There's someone I want to invite to dinner," Jack said as he walked into the kitchen.
"Who?" Teri asked.
Jack poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. "Ava, my new recruit. You know, the woman you think I'm having an affair with."
Teri sighed. "I never said that, Jack."
He smirked. "No. But it's true."
She turned to look at him, a strange look on her face. "Why do you want her to come over?"
Jack's face grew serious as he stood up and walked over to his wife. He cradled her head in his hands and gave her a gentle smile. "Because I want you to meet her. Then you'll know there's nothing going on."
Teri leaned her forehead against his. "Jack, I don't want you to think that I don't trust you," she whispered.
He moved his hands to her neck, slowly kneading the muscles there. "It's okay, Teri. You know…" he trailed off, swallowing hard. "You know that there was someone else while we were separated. And I know that I've been giving nothing but rave reviews of Ava. But she and I are just friends, Teri."
Teri looked at him, a small smile on her face. "Okay," she said quietly. "If she's a friend of yours, I'd love to meet her."
"Great. When should we have her over?"
"How about tonight? If she's not busy."
Jack smiled. "Sounds like a plan. I'll give her a call." Leaning in, he gave her a slow kiss. "Thank you," he whispered.
***
Ava groaned as Staind's "Everything Changes" assaulted her ears. She reached blindly for the offending cell phone, finally finding it after knocking everything else off her nightstand. Pulling the blankets back over her head, she stuffed the phone under her pillows, effectively muffling the noise.
It was when the song began playing the second time that she realized it wasn't her alarm that was going off – the phone was actually ringing. Cursing under her breath, she dragged the phone back out and flipped it open.
"Hello?" she asked groggily.
"You didn't answer the first time."
"Ugh. Jack, that usually means the person isn't available. Or that they don't want to talk to you. Either way, it's a sign that you should leave them alone."
"I knew you were asleep and decided you needed a wake-up call."
"Blodes arschloch," she muttered.
"Now, now, Ava. Play nice."
"Was there something you wanted, Jack, or were you just calling to ruin my Saturday?"
"I'm inviting you to dinner."
"Excuse me?"
"Dinner. At my house. With my family."
Ava sat up. "Is this because Teri thinks we're having an affair?"
"It's not the only reason."
"You want me to meet your family?"
"Yes. And I want them to meet you."
Her demeanor softened as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Tonight, if you're not busy."
Ava laughed. "Please, Jack. When have you known me to have a social life?"
Jack smiled. "I still don’t understand that," he admitted. "So you'll come?"
"Of course."
"Of course."
"Good. Dinner is at 5:00. Be here around 4:30."
"Wow. That's such a…functional dinner time."
"Yeah, yeah. Just be here."
"I will be."
"I will be."
Ava hung up and burrowed back under the blankets, the cell phone tucked once again under the pillows.
***
Ava's stomach was tied up in knots by the time she pulled into the Bauers' driveway. She absolutely hated meeting new people, and she was pretty sure that Teri already loathed her. Looking in the rearview mirror, she made sure that she was at least presentable. Her light brown hair was down, curling slightly as it fell onto her shoulders. She had gone very light on the make-up, just enough to cover the deep circles under her eyes. Glancing down at her clothes, she hoped for the millionth time that she wasn't underdressed. She had chosen khakis and a conservative black tank top – she didn't want to show too much skin, but it was summer and she didn't want to sweat to death either.
The front door opened and Ava realized that she had been sitting there for too long. Giving a nervous smile, she climbed out of the car.
"Hey," she greeted, slinging her purse over her shoulder.
"Hey," Jack said, coming toward her and wrapping her in a tight hug.
"And you wonder why your wife thinks I’m the other woman?"
"And you wonder why your wife thinks I’m the other woman?"
He pulled away from her, an amused smile on his face. "Nice car," he commented.
Ava rolled her eyes. "I had a nice car before, too. But wait. Somebody got that one blown up."
"It was a piece of shit, Ava."
"You BLEW IT UP," she retorted.
"Are you two going to stand there all night or are you going to come in?"
Jack and Ava turned around to see Teri standing on the front step. Plastering her nervous smile back on, Ava wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants and walked forward, extending her hand to Teri.
"Teri, this is Ava. Ava, my wife Teri."
Teri shook her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Ava. Please come in."
As she turned to lead the way into the house, Ava shot Jack a nervous look. He just winked at her and motioned for her to follow Teri. Once inside, a blonde teenager girl came bounding down the stairs, stopping when she reached the bottom and giving Ava the once-over.
"You're younger than I expected," she blurted.
"Thanks. I think…" Ava replied, frowning slightly.
"Kimberly, be nice," Teri scolded.
Jack smiled apologetically. "And this is my daughter Kim. Kim, this is Ava. I work with her."
"How old are you anyway?"
Ava smiled and shook her head ruefully, crossing her arms and taking a more laidback stance. "Twenty-three. You?"
"Sixteen."
As the girls continued their stare-off, Teri gently laid her hand on Ava's elbow. "Ava, would you please help me with dinner?"
The younger woman's face grew trouble. "I…umm…I can't cook."
Teri smiled kindly. "That's okay. I can still use your help."
Ava returned the smile. "I'd be happy to, then."
Once they were in the kitchen, Teri set Ava to work washing and chopping vegetables. They worked in silence, both unsure of what exactly to say to the other. Teri kept sneaking glances at her, trying to size her up without actually speaking to her. Ava finally set down the knife and looked at Teri pointedly.
"I'm not sleeping with Jack."
Teri nodded, not looking up from what she was doing. "That's good to know."
Ava sighed. "And I never would, Teri. And he's not interested in me either. Not that way."
Seeing that the other woman was determined to talk about this, Teri looked up from her cooking. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've gotten to know him pretty well. He talks about you all the time. He's in love with you." She rolled her eyes with a smile. "He's like a little kid."
Teri looked down at the floor, a slow blush creeping up her neck. "Really?"
"Yes, really." Ava turned back to chopping the vegetables. "Besides," she continued, crinkling her nose. "he's too old for me."
At that, the older woman laughed and they resumed making dinner, comfortable chatter now floating through the kitchen.
***
Dinner started out quietly. Jack and Teri sat on either end of the table, with Kim and Ava sitting between them, facing each other. Kim watched their guest curiously as Ava bowed her head in silent prayer before picking up her utensils. Realizing that she was staring, Kim focused on her own food, watching the other girl out of the corner of her eye.
"So, Ava. Why don't you tell us about yourself?" Teri asked, breaking the silence.
She swallowed her food before smiling nervously. "Could you be a little more specific? I don't want to just launch into my life story."
Kim frowned slightly. "Why not?"
Ava laughed. "Because nobody wants to sit through it, and we'd be here all night."
"Okay, then," Teri interrupted. "Do you have any siblings?"
"An older brother. He's 31 and lives in Boston with his girlfriend."
"This is going to be like 20 questions, isn't it?" Teri asked with an amused grin.
"Pretty much."
"Why don't you tell us about your childhood? The major plot points."
Ava sighed, but the smile on her face signaled that she was more amused than frustrated. "Fine. Let's see. My mom and dad got divorced when I was very young and I lived with my mom. I skipped third grade. When I was fifteen, my mom died in a car accident with my stepfather. I went to live with my grandparents – which didn't make my dad very happy. After high school I went to a Christian liberal arts college in New England, majored in Communications. It was also about that time that my dad disowned me – nothing legal, he just banned me from his house. Uhh, I graduated last year with my Bachelors and then went on to have an office job at a huge pharmaceutical company. And then I met Jack. And he blew up my car. That pretty much sums it up."
Jack smiled as he continued to eat, having already forced this information out of her when he hired her. Teri looked at the girl sadly, a sudden sympathy welling up inside her. Kim stared at her with something akin to wonder.
"You got disowned? What the hell did you do?"
"Language, Kim," Teri scolded.
Ava laughed. "That's the funny part. Nothing."
"Then why did you get kicked out?"
She shrugged. "After my dad got divorced from his second wife, I stayed friends with her. I was told that I 'betrayed blood.'"
"You're kidding me," Teri replied, aghast at the thought.
Ava shook her head. "Nope. Seems to have worked out for the best though." She paused again, looking around the table. "Any other questions?"
"Where do you live?" Kim asked, suddenly very interested in their dinner guest.
"Over on West Corinth Drive."
"There's no apartments over there," she frowned.
"Yeah, I know. I have a house."
"Do you have roommates?"
"Nope."
"How on earth did you manage to afford a house all by yourself at your age?"
Ava rolled her eyes. "I'm a trust fund baby," she muttered.
It was then that Jack burst out laughing. He put his head in his hands as his shoulders shook with mirth. Teri and Kim looked at him as though he were mad, but Ava just glared at him.
"Something funny, Jack?" she asked icily.
He shook his head, his face red. "No. It's just…that's what Tony refers to you as when you're not around."
Ava's frown deepened. "He hates me," she muttered.
Jack shook his head, still chuckling. "No, he doesn't."
She shot him a withering glance. "You've seen how we interact. It ain't pretty."
"He doesn't hate you."
"How do you know?"
"Just trust me."
"Why should I?"
Jack smiled mischievously. "Because I know what I’m talking about."
Ava stuck her tongue out at him, causing everyone at the table to burst into fresh laughter.
***
"I like her," Teri said quietly as she and Jack did the dishes.
Jack tried to hide his grin. "I thought you might. Does this mean you two can be friends?"
"Mmm-hmm. In fact, we're going shopping next week."
He looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
Teri nodded. "She needs an outfit for a wedding."
"Ahhh. Devin's wedding."
"She told you about it?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah. I'm going to help her find something to knock him off his socks – in a tasteful way. Kim's coming too."
"My plan might be backfiring," Jack muttered as he put dishes away.
Teri smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, honey. We won't talk about you too much."
