"Hold on as tight as they'll let you."

[itsmylife]

Who: Jett Wilson and Molly Pierce
What: Still learning
Where: Molly's office, NYC
When: Simultaneous to THIS

Inside, Jett knew something was wrong. He had just been about to go find Luka to make sure he was alright when Molly's text message had arrived. By this point, he was oblivious to what had gone down with Luka and Seamus. He had seen Luka a few days ago, and even though Luka wasn't quite right then, Jett knew that Luka wasn't quite right in general at the moment. How could he be after everything he went through. He had been quite, not wanting to talk much, and ended up just telling Jett that he wanted to lie down. He was okay with Jett hanging there while he did, though, which he had done. Luka had curled up in a ball in hotel bed and crashed out. Jett stayed until just before sunrise and then headed back home.

He didn't wait to be admitted to Molly's office. He didn't even knock. As far as he was concerned, the text message had been the invitation and as restless as he was feeling right now, Molly's personal assistant backed down when Jett shot her a glare that clearly told her not to fuck with him right now. He wasn't angry and he wasn't aggressive, but he was agitated and very worried about why Molly wanted to talk to him about Luka. Something was wrong, something had happened. No one needed to be a genius to connect those dots. If she was about to tell him Seamus had hurt Luka, though... well, none of them would be able to stop him tearing the Irish Toreador apart.

"Where is he?" he asked Molly as soon as he was in her office, flicking the door closed behind him.

Comments

[kindredrevolutionary]

Molly had known as soon as she mentioned Luka in the text, that there would be no stopping Jett coming to her office, and he wouldn't wait for an invitation in, either. She'd made sure to keep things open so that her childer wouldn't be interrupting anything when he arrived, and she wasn't surprised in the slightest when he walked right in, immediately asking questions. She walked over to the front of her desk, leaning back on it as she directed him to the seat in front of it. "Jett, you need to sit down. It will be easier if you don't argue with me, darling. I am not going to tell you what to do right now, because what I have to explain to you isn't an easy thing at all. But I'm asking you to sit down and listen to everything that I have to say before you react."

Jett was a difficult childer, but not because he ever intended just to be a pain in the ass. Molly knew that. He was simply in touch with the human emotions that were difficult for some of them still, and they conflicted sometimes with his Kindred instincts... Other times, they only strengthened them, and those were the times when Jett was the least likely to listen to anything but what his mind, heart, and instinct were telling him. It was part of why his blood bond with Luka was that much stronger... because he had brought such a protective instinct over Luka with him from his human life. "Again, I assure you that Luka is going to be okay. He is alive right now, and you have Seamus to thank for that."

[itsmylife]

If Luka was in danger, Jett wouldn't pause to argue. He would act, no doubt about it. He was wary as he sat, watching her closely and even somewhat suspiciously, if only because he was still learning how all of this worked. He just remained quiet at her request, because he couldn't promise her anything. Luka may somewhat be his Achilles Heel, but he wasn't going to promise he wouldn't react or do something if he felt the action was a necessity. Maybe he had been a pain in the arse, but it was only because he would resist anyone who tried to patronise him or make him feel like he wasn't adequate in making his own decisions. His eyes narrowed slightly, head tilting just a little as he looked at her analytically, waiting to see where she was going with all of this.

"Tell me what is going on. I don't do beating around the bush. What did they do to him?" he demanded, starting to get scared now that maybe Luka was seriously hurt and Molly was just trying to soften the blow so he wouldn't lose his shit. He needed the accurate information or he would go to connect the dots himself.

[kindredrevolutionary]

An argument or trying to keep dragging this out would no doubt drive Jett up the wall, so Molly figured the best thing to do was to rip off the proverbial bandaid and just tell him exactly what was going on. "Luka tried to kill himself, darling. And he tried to kill himself because his soul is bonded with Seamus', and because Seamus was trying to do what was best, he'd stepped away from Luka to keep him safe, and to try and respect the blood bond between the two of you. The unfortunate side of that was that it did the exact opposite, and made Luka a danger to himself -- even more so than he usually is with the addictions he's dealing with and everything else. And if not for the fact that Seamus himself felt Luka's pain, it may well have been too late for Luka. He and Greg were able to get to him just in time, and they saved his life. Not by Embracing him, either. I do not want you to think that they've done that. Luka is still mortal, but things are going to change for him and for you, because there is no denying the soul link now."

She held Jett's gaze, intently trying to assure him that he was not to blame -- at least not to the extent that he would probably be trying to blame himself right now. "Jett, you must understand that this is not your fault. Not fully, and certainly not to the point that you should torture yourself over it. Seamus was skeptical of the soul bond himself, only because he'd never experienced it, and thought that it wasn't something that would happen to him. And neither of you were to know the anguish that comes with sharing that link with a Kindred as a mortal, and having it taken away from you. Not being with each other was a miserable thing for both Luka and Seamus. But they are together now. Luka is at Xavier's estate, he is safe and protected, and Xavier has explained to me that, when Seamus is close to Luka, his pain lessens... To the point that any Kindred sensing his emotions can feel it. I do want you to go to Luka, darling, because he loves you like a brother, and he needs your support. But please, do not try to deny him the bond he has with Seamus. It will destroy them both."

[itsmylife]

If Jett still had breath, it would have been knocked out of him to hear this. It still made his head spin, though. Not because it was a shock, but because he should have known it would happen. He had thought Luka would be relatively okay. Jett was going to discuss with him his options once he found his feet in New York, and give him all the support he needed now he wasn't stuck in a bed without the use of his body. He hadn't wanted to believe Luka would have a soul link with any Kindred, though. Seamus had just been a casualty in that determination. It wasn't a selfish mindset for Jett at all, it was simply because he had worried whether Luka was strong enough to handle taking something like that on that would change his life. Now here was the evidence that Luka wasn't strong enough at all.

"I'm not going to deny him anything. Okay? That was never my intention. But I wanted to protect him, because he doesn't understand any of this and he has spent his whole life feeling like he doesn't belong, or he doesn't know who he is. Everything in his life has been for someone else. Even him approaching you, it wasn't for him. It was for me. He thought I was all he had left and he was worried you were dragging me somewhere he would never be able to access me again. He's messed up. He has been ever since he was nearly blown up. Before that, he was really emotionally battered from his father and being sexually assaulted. I wanted him to at least make an informed decision, not just do it because Seamus' Kindred senses were overriding any of Luka's remaining rational decision making process," he told her with a small frown. "What did he did? How much did he damage himself?"

[kindredrevolutionary]

Molly knew full well that Jett's attitude toward Seamus's connection with Luka had nothing to do with him being an asshole. He was a giant pain in the butt when he wanted to be, but Jett was also extremely selfless and protective of those he loved. It was often that very passion for protecting his loved ones that was the hardest trait for Molly to deal with in him -- not because it was a bad one, but because it was his strongest instinct, and when it didn't work the way she needed it to, there was nothing she could do but watch as Jett did whatever the fuck it was he was planning to do in the first place anyway. She watched her childer, and she could sense it off him that he was hurting for his friend. It would be a hard thing to stomach for anyone who cared about someone else, but Jett understood this on some deeper level, and that made it even more difficult.

"I know your intention was never to cause him harm, darling," Molly explained, her eyes still firmly focused on Jett. She needed to be aware of what he was doing and feeling, because Luka truly was his biggest weakness. "And you were right to be nervous about it at the very least. Seamus loves Luka, and he never would want to harm him, but there is no question that there is always some level of danger with any Kindred in the wrong circumstances. Protecting Luka is more important to you than anything else, and I know that. But Seamus wants very much to protect Luka, just as you do. He saved his life, and he's been with him ever since, doing his best to protect him." She paused, knowing this would be hard for Jett to hear, before she gave him the answer he was asking for. "He overdosed on his pain medication and alcohol, and slit his wrists. Seamus healed him enough to keep him from bleeding out, but so that the paramedics wouldn't realize anything was out of the ordinary. At this point, he's dealing with a godawful hangover, but his wounds were attended to by Seamus, and he will be okay physically. And hopefully with Seamus's help, and with yours, Luka can get some serious help for the conditions he's facing due to his past." She reached out for Jett's shoulder, standing to step closer to him in a gesture of comfort. "I know you're hurting for him, Jett. But please don't blame Seamus or yourself for what happened. It was all a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication, but Luka needs both of you to be strong for him right now. Because, as you well know, he isn't strong at all."

[itsmylife]

It suddenly hit Jett that he wouldn't have known at all how to cope if Molly had brought him here to tell him Luka had killed himself. That could very well be how this played out and he did blame himself on some level. He also felt the urge to blame Kindred in general because those instincts he hadn't had enough time to hone yet. They were the very reason why he had tried to keep Seamus at a safe distance from Luka. There was a lot going through his mind right now, but rather than flipping his shit, he just sat there, elbow resting on the armrest as he pressed his finger to his temple. He was feeling stressed and his leg was bouncing slightly from the restlessness. He was working so hard inside to remain in control, but it was an obvious battle for him.

To hear what Luka had done to himself, though. He just gave a small, tight shake of his head like he hadn't wanted to believe it. He had sensed off Luka that he had been suicidal, though Luka hadn't actually SAID it to him. He had been waiting for Luka to confide in him, but the whole Seamus thing had been a roadblock. "You need to - please - understand that I would never, ever object to anyone who could make Luka happy. To make him smile, and feel wanted, and loved. I can make him feel protected, but he and I never dated. We were each other's firsts because he didn't know if he was gay. But he has always..." He stopped, a troubled frown forming when he tried to elaborate on it. "He was always searching for someone who could complete him," he finally mumbled, the realisation hitting him hard.

[kindredrevolutionary]

The tension in Jett was very obvious to Molly, and she could have felt it even if she couldn't see it right there in front of her. Jett would always be a part of her now, because it was her lifeforce... Her own blood that had made him one of them. Just like Luka, Molly shared a blood bond with Jett, if a very different one than that of his having saved Luka's life, or of the mated bond between Greg and Xavier. It meant that Molly would always be fiercely protective of Jett -- would kill for him if it came down to that. It would always be that way, and Molly had known it from the moment she decided she wanted to Embrace him. It wasn't something she would ever regret, even when Jett wasn't the easiest of childers. Her hand still resting on Jett's shoulder, she simply stood there, letting him work through anything he needed to work through so that he could respond as he needed to.

"I do understand that, Jett," she assured him, her voice gentle. "You are Luka's biggest supporter, and I know that anything that could truly make him happy would be something you would truly support. I know that, because I know you. You adore him, but you know that you two aren't each other's soul mates. It doesn't mean your friendship is any less real or important. Nor will Seamus want it to become so if he and Luka become lovers. He knows that Luka comes as sort of a package deal with you. That's part of why he kept his distance. Because the last thing he wanted was to make things harder for you or for Luka. But I think when you have a chance to see what Seamus can do for Luka, you will support it. He would never use his powers to cause Luka harm as long as he was in control of them. It's a perfect example that he helped him when he did... Having tasted Luka, already sharing that soul connection with him, his first instinct in coming to a room covered in Luka's blood would have been to desire to feed from him, but instead, he healed him. He went against his own instincts to save Luka's life. I know this can't be easy for you, Jett. No mortal stepping into our world will have an easy time of it all of the time, because our world is very complicated. But Seamus' love for Luka is a very pure thing in a world where very few things are." She gave him a sad smile and shook her head ever so slightly. "Jett, I want you to know one thing here and now. I know that I give you a hard time, but I am exceptionally proud of you and the Kindred you are becoming. Don't think that I'm not, or that I want to change you from who you are. That is the last thing I want to do. I just want Luka to be able to remember who he is, too. And I think Seamus can provide a safe place for him to do just that."

[itsmylife]

The fact Jett was still there and not jumping in a car to drive immediately to where Luka was. That wasn't to say it wasn't going through his head, because it most certainly was. But he stayed there and he listened, and that in itself was evidence that he wasn't just being a prick to Seamus for the hell of it. He had no intentions of cockblocking something Luka wanted and even needed. But that didn't mean he was going to relinquish his own responsibility to Luka to protect him like he had promised all along he would, as long as they had been friends. "Just because someone isn't someone's soul mate doesn't mean that relationship overrides everything else. That's the over-reaching feeling I'm getting off all of you. I know that when Kindred are mated that it does, but not a soul mate connection. So don't just think I'm going to step aside here and not look after Luka just because Seamus has some sort of soul connection. Don't you think that perhaps the only reason Luka is even still living is because of my connection to him? Until I see with my own eyes and feel inside that Luka is happy and content with Seamus, I'm not backing down here. I'm not just stepping aside and taking all your words for it that there is some bullshit higher soul power. Because a soul connection is just that... it's a connection. It has to be what Luka wants."

He wasn't intending to be a stubborn prick at all. In fact, he was still sitting there, so he was open to the discussion. But he needed all these old fart Kindred to just pause for a moment or two and put Luka above all their holier than though soul bullshit. Because there was Luka, a poor scared human being who was hurting and had just tried to kill himself. As far as he was concerned, that was the most important issue here above all else. "I know every time I object or oppose something, you all think I'm being a pain in the arse. But who else is going to bat for him, huh? Who else is on Luka's side? Can we just set all this Kindred bullshit aside for a moment and think about him? Because honestly, right now, I don't care about Seamus. I don't care about me or you, or Xavier, or Greg. I care about Luka and I need to know Seamus wants him for more than just his soul boner and Kindred dick pull."

[kindredrevolutionary]

"No, it doesn't override that at all," she agreed. "And you, darling, have a blood bond with Luka, which, as it stands, overrides the bond between Luka and Seamus. But it's something that you do have to take into consideration when you're thinking about things." She paused, her eyes taking in Jett's determination. "No one will ever want you to stop caring for Luka or protecting him. It's obvious that is a huge part of who you are, and that's not something anyone is keen to deny you. It will only cause harm to both you and Luka in the end if you're separated from each other, or your bond is minimized." She didn't want Jett to feel as if his friendship and his bond with Luka were considered less than important, but she did want to ensure that he was giving Seamus his due here, too. "I think in the end, both you and Seamus can be really good for Luka, but either way, you'll both have to have respect for each other's place in Luka's life."

She was quiet, still listening to him. She'd done a lot of telling him what to do in the earliest days of his Embrace, but now, she was learning quite well that listening to Jett was just as important as guiding him. He had so much to offer, even as young as he was, and he carried with him a great deal of wisdom born of years of looking out for people and doing the best he could to be a good friend and son. "I don't think you're being a pain in the ass this time, Jett," she assured him calmly as she moved back over to lean against her desk. "In fact, I think you're exactly right. Luka does need people on his side. Probably more than any of us do. We're strong enough to advocate for ourselves, but he is not, and you know him far better than anyone else does. I respect your desire to protect him, and I know that you are not looking to simply keep him and Seamus apart. You just want to do what's best for him, and I won't block you on that anymore. I respect you, Jett. You are a powerful and brave Kindred in your own right, and your choices are yours to make. I know that if Seamus can be good for Luka, you will not only allow his presence, but want it."

[itsmylife]

For a few moments, Jett was just sitting there looking at her somewhat coolly. In being Embraced, he had somehow managed to re-awaken with an epic poker face and it would be hard for people to know what he was thinking a lot of the time. He was learning that a lot of these traits were where his Brujah strengths lay. He had a high capacity of vengeance within him, which had been evidenced by him contacting the Brujah Primogen of Sydney to take care of Luka's father. Perhaps forgoing his young teen years to nurse his mother through terminal cancer and then enlisting in the Army to serve for his father when his father had been no longer capable, and yes, everything with Luka, meant he could be quite the dangerous weapon if a time ever came that he had to protect someone in his Kindred form. All of this, Molly was learning very quickly. All that was why Seamus wasn't getting an easy time of it having his best friend as a soul mate.

"Luka came here to die, okay. He came here to talk to me, and to say goodbye to me. He had every intention of ending his life. You just gave him a potential option, but when you turned it down, I can guarantee, all it did was make his suicidal thoughts become less of when, but how. Because even if you were acting in his own best interests, no Kindred power can fix mortal psychological illness. All you would have done was make him more depressed and pile on more self-loathing to himself. I know you think you helped him, but it will do you some good to understand that you didn't. None of us have helped him, all we did was make his problems more complicated and confusing. Then we have Seamus. Yes, he did cockblock those depressive and suicidal feelings in Luka briefly. I am not denying that. All I was saying from the start was that I knew Luka was extremely vulnerable. I felt it on him when I fed from him. That is why I was not going to leave Seamus alone with him when he was sick and even more weakened, and Seamus had no clue what it was Luka was doing to him. That was when I told Luka I wouldn't be around for a couple of days, because I needed some time to contact some people back home to try to get information on his condition, on his medications, on where he was standing physically and mentally. But in the meantime, Seamus made some sort of decision to steer clear and then Luka was left without him and without me, and here we have the end product. My biggest mistake was that after all that was told to me about soul mates and shit, I thought Seamus might distract him just a few days to buy me some time to help him and stop him killing himself. But I was wrong. I fucked up. It's my fault Luka tried to suicide," he said quietly. "And there's no point telling me it's not, because we both know it's true. And I'll own that. I will. And I won't fuck up the same a second time."