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CHAPTER 4 - Recovery

Jacqueline awoke to an empty room and shouts or anguish. she hardly remembered what had happened after she had been tied up but was glad to be home. just as she began to wonder why she was almost naked in brandons bed the shouts started up again.

"arghhh bloody hell!" it was brandons voice. panicking she ran down the stairs in her underwear "argghhhh! stop! please stop" screamed brandon again. jaqueline ran into the room the noise was emitting from and froze. with embarrassment. george and brandon were sitting on the sofa, now both staring at her. brandon looked down quickly.

"are you ok? i was worried about you. yesterday was quite the ordeal" he said keeping his eyes firmly on his feet.

"im fine." she said grabbing brandons dressing gown from a near by chair and covering herself "what about you? i heard shouts so i ran down here"

george burst out laughing "its just brandon acting like a woman. im taking the shrapnel from the gun shot out of his arm and hes been moaning like a baby all morning"

"thats because you take no care what so ever, you brute. its bloody sore and your big clumbsy hands arent helping" brandon said wiggling his arm out of georges grips.

jacqueline slowly crossed the room and touched george's shoulder. "i can take care of this." her voice was quiet and her gentle smile was sweet. she went back upstairs and into her room, pulling something out of a drawer. she quickly flew down the stairs and back into the room, and stood in front of george. "may i sit down?" george smiled and patted her shoulder, moving to a nearby chair.

jacqueline sat down and opened the small case, pulling out a pair of tweezers and gently pulled at the wound, beginning to take out some of the shiney pieces. she laid them out on the case and pulled his arm closer, putting on bifocals and removing the rest of the pieces.

she took off the glasses and set the tweezers on the case next to the metal shrapnal and took out cotton wads and a small bottle of liquid. "this is going to sting like bloody hell." she tried to smile and dabbed the cotton soaked with the liquid on his arm. brandon let out a yelp of pain and grabbed onto his knee, his knuckles turning white. she finished cleaning it and patted his hand. "im sorry. but i dont want it getting infected. or more infected." she got a roll bandages out and wrapped them around his arm. she poured some of the cleaning liquid onto the tweezers and dried them off, putting everything back into the case.

"all better." she smiled at him and threw away the shrapnal and used cotton. "drink some of this for the pain." she handed him a bottle with more liquid in it. "medicine?" he asked and drank some down. "no." she replied with an amused smile. "whiskey. would you like some george?" she looked over at brandons brother, almost pouting in his chair as brandon got all the attention. she turned back to brandon and suddenly hugged him. "you can put your shirt back on now."

jacqueline turned away to clean up the mess when she felt brandon grab her arm, "thanks jacqueline" he stood up slinging his shirt over his un injured arm and headed back back upstairs "now if you dont mind i must get changed into something a little lavish for tonights preceedings"

george stood up aswell and beamed at jacqueline. once he heard brandons bedroom door snap shut he said "i dont know how you've done it, jacqueline, i just dont know. ive been trying to get him to come to this for so long and ive tempted him with lists of ladys who were just....dying for him to take them. you must be very special to him already" he gave her a firm pat on the shoulder and picked up an odd misshapen bundle laughing "he even made you lunch. i think its meant to be a sandwich but your guess is as good as mine. right, i better go get dressed too, theres prizes for best outfit"

jacqueline smiled as george went upstairs and sat back for a minute. she rubbed her arm, notices how nice brandons dressing gown felt againt her skin, and how it smelled like his soap. she smiled to herself and picked up her first aid case and went upstairs. she walked down the hall to her room, but a thought struck her: brandon may be ready before her, and it would be an inconvenient time afterwards downstairs to return his silky robe. she set the case on the bureau and scurried down the hall and knocked on brandons door.

"one second!" brandon was inside, and jacqueline heard a thump, and soon he opened the door with nothing but high waisted pants on. they were very slender on his legs and made him look even taller. his face which had hints of frustration, as the pants were difficult to get on, softened a bit, his lips curving into a gentle smile. "can i help you with, miss jacqueline?" his hands came to rest on his sides, around his waist as he relaxed.

"yes." she smiled up at him. "i wanted to return your dressing gown while you were still up here." she spoke quickly and pulled it off, straightening it and draping it over arm. he gently took it from her and jacqueline crossed her arms, remembering she was nearly naked. brandon chuckled and placed his hand on the side of her head, running some her hair through his fingers. "thank you very much." he smiled. "would you care to dress me? i mean- pick clothes for me!" he became flustered again and jacqueline laughed. "of course." she smiled and entered the room, going for his closet.

"afterall, it is my occupation." she opened his closet and gasped at all the extravagent clothes with in. her heart fluttered in her chest as she searched through them all. she could see Brandon in the wardrobe mirror wrapping part of his chest in long black ribbon. "what are you doing?" she said full of intrigue.

"im covering up my horrible scars before you dress me" he muttered, wrapping the ribbons down his right arm now.

"what scars?" she said spinning round with a black ruffled shirt in her hands. brandon stood forward and flexed his biceps in the pale light. then she saw them. little silver lines down almost his entire right side, including his back. she stroked a gentle finger down the largest one "how did you get them?"

"a wolf" he said turning away from her.

"a wolf did this? but these scars....they dont seem like a wolfs claws"

"well they are" he said snapping at her. he sighed and apologised, flopping down on to the bed "im sorry, i just dont want to talk about it"

"all right." she sighed softly looking at the shirt closer and putting it back. jacqueline pulled a crisp white shirt out and smiled, running her finger down one of the pleats on the front. she tucked it under her arm and found dark purple scarf that could be easily ruffled, then laid them on the end of his bed. "now a jacket or coat...." she dug into the back of his closet and found a long, tailed black jacket. the sleeves were cuffed at the ends, gold accenting the entire piece. three gold buttons drew it in at the waist, and a small strap existed on the back at waist height so it could be fitted better.

jacqueline held the clothes up together and stood in front of brandon where he laid calmly. "how does this look?" he propped up on one elbow and smiled. "thats spectacular." jacqueline smiled. "good." she went across the room and opened a bureau drawer, looking through it, and finding black leather gloves and cuff links. "would you want a hat?" she asked, turning back to him and laying everything on the bed. brandon sat and thought for a moment while jacqueline pulled a black and gold walking cane out of his closet, a red jewel acting as the handle.

she lay down beside him on her back and looked at him. "do you want a hat?"

he rolled over on top of her, pinning down her wrists and whispered in her ear "a gentleman always wears a hat" his lips brushed her ear lobe making her giggle and she wiggled free. brandon stood up with a cheeky grin on his face "i have something for you. something no true lady should be without." he reached into his dresser drawer and pulled out a small box engraved with elaborate floral designs and tossed it onto the bed next to her.

jaqueline picked the small dusty box up and turned it over in her hands. she found a small latch at the bottom and flicked it excitedly. the lid flew open like a jack n the box. she peered over the edge and saw a beautiful silver necklace lying inside.

"wow its gorgeous!" she exclaimed, taking it out to examine the jewels in it "these are real diamonds, i cant accpet this"

brandon laughed. "you can and will accept it. its doesnt suit me." he tied off the ribbons hanging from his right side and slipped on his shirt.

she sat up on the bed, examming the necklace closer. thin silver strands were woven together with diamonds embedded between, making it rope-like, and the pendent was a half sphere, onyx and diamondsweaving together over its face. she smiled and tried to hooked the clasp behind her neck, but with no luck. she stood up and handed it to brandon, turning to face away from him and pulled her hair out of the way. brandon gently fastened it around her neck, his fingertips tracing down her back slowly.

jacqueline smiled and turned back around, standing her tip toes, and kissed his cheek. "thank you very much.... i wish i could repay just as generously." she smiled again and stood back down. "im going to go get ready now, ill try not to be long." she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. brandon stood beside his bed, dumbfounded.

once she was in her room, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, noticing how fitting the necklace was. close to her neck, bringing flecks of gold and silver out in her bright green eyes, and gold in her hair. she smiled and went to her closet, pulling out dress after dress, searching for something perfect.

Brandon looked at himself in the mirror as he finished dressing, sighed and smiled.
END CHAPTER 4