Yes, yes, bloody fcking yes. How were Bloody and Hell not the exact same as fck? Out of their two lists, Jess was the only one with curse words in her list so obviously, the person closest should get the favor - aka, Jessica. But nooooo, her husband just had to argue. “How the bloody hell is that cheating, darling? I mean I obviously won,” Jess added, a soft smile on her lips as she wrapped one of her arms around his neck, keeping the other near her side so Dorian still had a good hold on their baby boy. Bringing her lips near his, she held back for just a second as she let her eyes move to his own, and back down to his lips. “Just face it Dorian, Admit I won,”
Well you know where that led. Close proximity with her husband usually ended with her lips on his… and if we’re being really fcking honest, a baby in her stomach. It was a good thing her current baby pushed her away huh? Well… let’s forget the part where she was already pregnant. That was irrelevant. What wasn’t irrelevant was how worked up her husband was getting over their lost kids. Honestly, if they found them by the end of the day - Jess called that a win. “Love, I think waiving nuggets around is a grand plan. Bet you I’ll find the rest of the kids before you,” she noted, a crinkle in her nose and a mischievous glimmer in her eye. What could she say? She loved her bets - kept life interesting, especially when Jess was winning.
With his hand in hers, she led the man towards the exterior of the venue - walking in the garden of the vineyard as Dorian told their son that they wouldn’t be cursing out birds. This would honestly be the perfect moment for a bird to poop on her husband, but nothing ever works out that perfectly. As her husband talk to their son, Jess was a little distracted - the surroundings… the smell… everything reminding her of one particular moment. A moment that she often disregarded in her life.
Flashback:
Suffocating. Sleeping next to her rekindled friend, Dorian, Jessica felt asphyxiated with his arms around her. It’s strange to think now that she could ever feel that way with her husband…but… after everything that had happened… everything that she had told him that night… everything Kai did to her… it was killing her inside… and then she fcked it up some more by kissing Dorian. After everything that had happened, she kissed her best friend for a second to forget her pain and he just… pushed her away, wrapped his arms around her, and lulled her in an attempt to make her fall asleep. Did she? No. She couldn’t. She was drowning… gasping for breath but only water filled her lungs. So she left… she left Dorian for the second time, leaving only a kiss on his cheek and a note with the words I’m Sorry, - Jess.
She didn’t want to leave him… honestly…it physically pained her to leave her best friend again but… she just… couldn’t stay there anymore. Jessica Pierce was only a broken shadow of herself and she didn’t… know what to do. She didn’t know who she was anymore, and so in her now husband’s clothes, she found herself at the train station, disappearing into the night without any idea where she was even headed.
For the first few days, Jess spent time just train-hopping until she ran out of money. From Northern California to San Diego, to LA, to Las Vegas, and back. In the end, she simply ended up in Napa Valley - tired, alone, broke, hungry… yeah… let’s just say for the past two days, Jess hadn’t eaten… hadn’t slept… she just kept moving. If you knew Jessica’s life… you knew that not many things would get her to a point of peak depression where she wouldn’t eat. Kai… rather, Malachi Azure… was one of those reasons, and losing her babies… that was another one. But that was beside the point: The point was - what happened to her during the next month?
Honestly? Somehow, Jess found herself sleeping on the street and a nice old family gave her a place to sleep… and something to eat… and she just… well, ended up working for them. She lied about her name… created a new identity, and as “Sophia DeLoughrey,” she worked - using her middle name and her best friend’s last name. It wasn’t exactly evading Dan’s suspicion, but it would help her hide until she wanted to be found. It was as “Sophia” that Jess was able to feel a sense of… normalcy again. She worked the fields, she cleaned bottles, she ran wine tastings… and soon… she started feeling like Jess again. She started… eating again. Sleeping without crying…without feeling like she was drowning.
And then, she saw his wedding invitation: and once again, Malachi Azure broke her. So if you’re wondering why she told Kai no at his wedding… no to being with him… no to running away with him… well… he broke her… and one more break and Jess would have never been able to recover.
End of Flashback
Sophia DeLoughrey. That was one alias that got her through a tough time and it was one story she had never told her. “You know I used the DeLoughrey last name long before we were married?” Jess asked her husband, leaning on his shoulder as they walked through the garden. “Sophia DeLoughrey… that was the name I used when I lived here after leaving you that night with the stupid bloody note. I worked at a winery… in Napa Valley… just a few minutes away from here,” She left the sentiment ambiguous, letting him ask any questions he wanted. “What do you think buddy? Sophia DeLoughrey? Cute name?” she asked her son, who babbled as she asked him. Sometimes she wondered if he could really understand her… wouldn’t that be interesting.
@astxrism - Dorian
@Littlefeets - Kai mentioned