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Still having much fun with these two ;-)
Previous parts are here.
Carpe Diem
Part Two
It took Jack thirty seconds to stop whimpering from the pain of a sprained finger and a lot longer to stop swearing. Ethan let him do both, showing, he thought, a remarkable restraint considering how close he'd come to being --
"What would that gun have done to me? If the spell hadn't forced your hand to jerk up and -"
"Blow a hole in the cupboard where I keep the vodka?" Jack shook his head sadly, staring at the shattered glass in the corner. "You'd be dead and I'd be able to have a drink to celebrate. Look, I've had enough of this. Enough of spells and people who invite themselves onto spaceships when that was never going to be part of the entertainment, trust me. What the hell is going on?"
"I think it's time we moved to negotiations, don't you?" Ethan said hastily. There was an edge to Jack's voice and he was clearly someone who was prone to rash actions. Best not to push the man too far... He glanced around, looking for somewhere to sit and for want of anything else chose the bed. There wasn't much else to choose from; Jack was in the captain's chair and didn't show any signs of moving from it.
A wary but interested look replaced the sulky pout. "Could do. What did you have in mind?"
Ethan settled down on the bed and then winced as something dug into his thigh. It turned out to be a pair of cuffs, lacking a connecting link but with their function clear. Jack's expression didn't alter when Ethan gave him an amused smirk which earned him a few brownie points.
"Oh, quite a bit, actually, but let's start with the spell, as you asked so nicely."
"Yeah," Jack said, his eyes narrowing. "Let's. I'm still not buying that, you know. Hypnosis, drugs -- c'mon; you can tell me; what was it? It's still too early for you to have any of the common mind control drugs and I'm immune to all the known ones anyway; perk of my old job, so what was it?"
"It was magic," Ethan said. "Pure and simple. Dear me, what a poor choice of words." Jack looked unconvinced and Ethan sighed. "I slipped something in your drink, yes. You were raising more than my interest, you see, and I'm a cautious chap at heart. Hard to believe, I know, but I've got enemies."
"The list got longer about half an hour ago," Jack said.
Ethan blew him a kiss. "You don't mean that, but I'll allow you a certain amount of chagrin. The various ingredients wouldn't do much by themselves; I'll give you the recipe if you like, but when I jazz them up with an incantation and more than a little native talent, well, the effects can be quite amusing."
"Didn't see you whipping out your magic wand in the pub," Jack said. "I think I'd have noticed that."
"It has been known to happen in public but let's keep the details of my gloriously sordid past out of this, shall we?"
"You're funny," Jack said bitterly. "See? I'm laughing."
"The potion's something I carry with me," Ethan told him, losing his patience. "As I said; I have enemies. It's --" He hesitated. It was a mild version of a slave spell, but he didn't intend to share that particular piece of information. People tended to overreact to that word, he'd found. "It will wear off by tomorrow and if you hadn't told me what you are, I promise I wouldn't have used it to compel you to do anything you hadn't already planned to do. To sum it up, you can't lie and you can't hurt me, or... thwart me." Ethan waved his hand dismissively. "I think you can see for yourself just how harmless it is; you just tried to kill me and got no more than a slap on the wrist." He let Jack see a hint of a snarl. "Do that again and it'll be more than a slap and it won't be your wrist that's smarting."
Jack rolled his eyes. "We can do that later," he said. "Fine; I'll take your word for it that you've dosed me up with something, but for the sake of my sanity, can we just agree that you drugged me and not mention the m word again?"
"For a man with a time machine, you're remarkably set in your ways," Ethan said. He looked around him. "This ship leads me to believe that you're not from here and now?"
"51st century," Jack said casually. "Born on a little planet called -- well, you won't have been there."
"But you're human?" Ethan asked curiously, tucking away his reaction to that little piece of information be dealt with later.
"As much as you," Jack said.
"And you're here? Why?"
"My business," Jack said shortly. His eyes gleamed in triumph. "Guess it's wearing off, old man."
"No; it allows you to dance around the truth. It doesn't matter anyway; you're working for me now."
Jack straightened abruptly and walked over to Ethan, leaning over him and getting in close. "I'm freelance. Want me to spell that for you? I don't work for anyone but myself. Got it?"
Ethan stared up, unmoved, into a face anger made even more attractive than a smile. To him, at least. "No. I need what you can do and I'll make it worth your while, but I'm really not giving you any choice." He smiled. "Do stop looming over me and glowering like that; you look adorable but I've other fish to tickle now."
Jack grinned suddenly. "You're lying on my bed," he said. "It's distracting me. One kiss and then you can tell me just what you want me to do?"
There was a cheerful insinuation in his voice that left Ethan in no doubt about what was being offered. He felt a flicker of suspicion, but Jack's tongue slid slowly over his lip and Ethan shrugged. Why not?
"One kiss," he agreed.
The click of the cuff around his wrist was unexpected but Jack did at least finish the kiss before sitting back and fastening the second cuff on himself.
"Nice," he remarked. "If we come out of this alive, let's do that again and do it naked."
Ethan stared sourly at the cuff. "Tell me what they do," he said. "I can tell you're dying to."
Jack beamed. "They mean you can't leave my side without getting zapped," he said. "Fatally. And because I don't plan to let you get away, I guess the 'spell' --" Jack's gesture was eloquent. Air quotes had survived? Ethan sighed. Might have known it. " --didn't trigger."
"And you want us to stay close, because?" Ethan asked.
Jack shook his head. "You really don't get it, do you?"
"Enlighten me," Ethan said tightly.
Jack's face lost a layer or two of the boyish charm. "One; I want that drug. Could come in handy. You're not the only one with enemies. Two; I still don't know what you want me to do and I'm curious. It's a failing of mine, I know. But mostly... when this wears off, I want you where I can get my hands on you."
"Ah." Ethan tried a smile. "We're back to the getting naked together, are we?"
Jack smiled engagingly. "Go a bit further back. To the part where I tried to kill you."
"You know, you picked me up," Ethan said indignantly. "It's not my fault if you can't spot a Chaos Mage when you see one. I'm just doing what comes naturally."
"So am I," Jack said. "Computer; gin and tonic whenever you're ready." He plucked a glass brimming with ice and sporting one perfect slice of lemon from thin air and raised it in a toast. "To revenge and retribution."
"You know, we could have been such good friends," Ethan told him wistfully.
Previous parts are here.
Carpe Diem
Part Two
It took Jack thirty seconds to stop whimpering from the pain of a sprained finger and a lot longer to stop swearing. Ethan let him do both, showing, he thought, a remarkable restraint considering how close he'd come to being --
"What would that gun have done to me? If the spell hadn't forced your hand to jerk up and -"
"Blow a hole in the cupboard where I keep the vodka?" Jack shook his head sadly, staring at the shattered glass in the corner. "You'd be dead and I'd be able to have a drink to celebrate. Look, I've had enough of this. Enough of spells and people who invite themselves onto spaceships when that was never going to be part of the entertainment, trust me. What the hell is going on?"
"I think it's time we moved to negotiations, don't you?" Ethan said hastily. There was an edge to Jack's voice and he was clearly someone who was prone to rash actions. Best not to push the man too far... He glanced around, looking for somewhere to sit and for want of anything else chose the bed. There wasn't much else to choose from; Jack was in the captain's chair and didn't show any signs of moving from it.
A wary but interested look replaced the sulky pout. "Could do. What did you have in mind?"
Ethan settled down on the bed and then winced as something dug into his thigh. It turned out to be a pair of cuffs, lacking a connecting link but with their function clear. Jack's expression didn't alter when Ethan gave him an amused smirk which earned him a few brownie points.
"Oh, quite a bit, actually, but let's start with the spell, as you asked so nicely."
"Yeah," Jack said, his eyes narrowing. "Let's. I'm still not buying that, you know. Hypnosis, drugs -- c'mon; you can tell me; what was it? It's still too early for you to have any of the common mind control drugs and I'm immune to all the known ones anyway; perk of my old job, so what was it?"
"It was magic," Ethan said. "Pure and simple. Dear me, what a poor choice of words." Jack looked unconvinced and Ethan sighed. "I slipped something in your drink, yes. You were raising more than my interest, you see, and I'm a cautious chap at heart. Hard to believe, I know, but I've got enemies."
"The list got longer about half an hour ago," Jack said.
Ethan blew him a kiss. "You don't mean that, but I'll allow you a certain amount of chagrin. The various ingredients wouldn't do much by themselves; I'll give you the recipe if you like, but when I jazz them up with an incantation and more than a little native talent, well, the effects can be quite amusing."
"Didn't see you whipping out your magic wand in the pub," Jack said. "I think I'd have noticed that."
"It has been known to happen in public but let's keep the details of my gloriously sordid past out of this, shall we?"
"You're funny," Jack said bitterly. "See? I'm laughing."
"The potion's something I carry with me," Ethan told him, losing his patience. "As I said; I have enemies. It's --" He hesitated. It was a mild version of a slave spell, but he didn't intend to share that particular piece of information. People tended to overreact to that word, he'd found. "It will wear off by tomorrow and if you hadn't told me what you are, I promise I wouldn't have used it to compel you to do anything you hadn't already planned to do. To sum it up, you can't lie and you can't hurt me, or... thwart me." Ethan waved his hand dismissively. "I think you can see for yourself just how harmless it is; you just tried to kill me and got no more than a slap on the wrist." He let Jack see a hint of a snarl. "Do that again and it'll be more than a slap and it won't be your wrist that's smarting."
Jack rolled his eyes. "We can do that later," he said. "Fine; I'll take your word for it that you've dosed me up with something, but for the sake of my sanity, can we just agree that you drugged me and not mention the m word again?"
"For a man with a time machine, you're remarkably set in your ways," Ethan said. He looked around him. "This ship leads me to believe that you're not from here and now?"
"51st century," Jack said casually. "Born on a little planet called -- well, you won't have been there."
"But you're human?" Ethan asked curiously, tucking away his reaction to that little piece of information be dealt with later.
"As much as you," Jack said.
"And you're here? Why?"
"My business," Jack said shortly. His eyes gleamed in triumph. "Guess it's wearing off, old man."
"No; it allows you to dance around the truth. It doesn't matter anyway; you're working for me now."
Jack straightened abruptly and walked over to Ethan, leaning over him and getting in close. "I'm freelance. Want me to spell that for you? I don't work for anyone but myself. Got it?"
Ethan stared up, unmoved, into a face anger made even more attractive than a smile. To him, at least. "No. I need what you can do and I'll make it worth your while, but I'm really not giving you any choice." He smiled. "Do stop looming over me and glowering like that; you look adorable but I've other fish to tickle now."
Jack grinned suddenly. "You're lying on my bed," he said. "It's distracting me. One kiss and then you can tell me just what you want me to do?"
There was a cheerful insinuation in his voice that left Ethan in no doubt about what was being offered. He felt a flicker of suspicion, but Jack's tongue slid slowly over his lip and Ethan shrugged. Why not?
"One kiss," he agreed.
The click of the cuff around his wrist was unexpected but Jack did at least finish the kiss before sitting back and fastening the second cuff on himself.
"Nice," he remarked. "If we come out of this alive, let's do that again and do it naked."
Ethan stared sourly at the cuff. "Tell me what they do," he said. "I can tell you're dying to."
Jack beamed. "They mean you can't leave my side without getting zapped," he said. "Fatally. And because I don't plan to let you get away, I guess the 'spell' --" Jack's gesture was eloquent. Air quotes had survived? Ethan sighed. Might have known it. " --didn't trigger."
"And you want us to stay close, because?" Ethan asked.
Jack shook his head. "You really don't get it, do you?"
"Enlighten me," Ethan said tightly.
Jack's face lost a layer or two of the boyish charm. "One; I want that drug. Could come in handy. You're not the only one with enemies. Two; I still don't know what you want me to do and I'm curious. It's a failing of mine, I know. But mostly... when this wears off, I want you where I can get my hands on you."
"Ah." Ethan tried a smile. "We're back to the getting naked together, are we?"
Jack smiled engagingly. "Go a bit further back. To the part where I tried to kill you."
"You know, you picked me up," Ethan said indignantly. "It's not my fault if you can't spot a Chaos Mage when you see one. I'm just doing what comes naturally."
"So am I," Jack said. "Computer; gin and tonic whenever you're ready." He plucked a glass brimming with ice and sporting one perfect slice of lemon from thin air and raised it in a toast. "To revenge and retribution."
"You know, we could have been such good friends," Ethan told him wistfully.
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