The Proposal: Chapter 15

"You look much improved," Jerry noted as Jax stepped into the carriage-bathed and wearing new clothes. "Jules believes you were on a trip. I bought this and you can give it to him."

Jax nodded silently and they were off.

"The magistrate gave you three days incarceration to think. Are you going to tell Keesha what happened to Adrienne?"

Jax looked out the window, that night flashing before his eyes.

Austrailia-10 years ago

"I am sorry," Adrienne cried, her blond hair tussled as she sat up from the sofa.

A sixteen year old Jax glared at the man in the sofa next to her. "Who...is...this?" he asked slowly, his voice deep.

"Antonio Garcia," the thick Spanish accent answered as he stood. "Pleasure. Who is this my love..." he looked at Adrienne.

"This..." Jax kept his eyes locked on Garcia. "Is her fiancee."

Garcia blinked as if surprised. "You never told me you were to be wed."

Adrienne turned her attention to Garcia. "You are a liar, I told you and you persisted...."

"It was not hard to catch you my love. Of course, given your virtue was well in tact before we were together..." he looked at Jax once more. "Perhaps this is all your fault. Had you satisfied her then I would not have had to..."

"Stop!" Adrienne called as Jax lunged forward, jumping across the sofa. With one shot, he knocked Garcia clear across the room.

"What is going on!" Adrienne's twin, Adrian, ran in, stopping at the doorway. He grabbed Jax quickly pulling him back before he attacked again.

"You want her. She is yours," Jax stated coldly, turning and walking out of the room.

He went home, telling his parents the marriage was off, and without answering any further questions stormed upstairs to his chamber.

A few hours later there was a knock on the door. Sandy, the Jacks family butler, held a small letter in his hand. It was from Adrienne.

Despite his lingering doubts, Jax went to the cliff situated behind her family manor. When he got there, she was in tears.

"He does not want me..." she cried, sitting on the edge. Watching her worried Jax and he walked over to her quickly, sitting down next to her. "You do not want me, he does not want me..."

"Adrienne, we barely know each other. You do not want me either."

"I want him. But now he won't have me..." her wailing grew louder, only being slightly muffled by the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks below. "Now what will I do, no one will have me and I will shame my entire family..."

Jax dropped his head. He opened his mouth to promise her they would be wed, but when he actually looked at her..."I am sorry." he repeated. Why should he be married to a woman he barely knew, who would likely live her life desiring another man. It was not the kind of marriage he wanted. "Listen..." his voice lowered and he took her hand. "I will not speak of this. I will call off the engagement and tell everyone it is my doing and mine alone. I will not speak and...he will not speak of this either. He does not want the type of reputation his talk will give."

Adrienne nodded. "Thank you." She looked over at him, her green eyes still filling with tears.

"Allow me to take you home." Jax stood.

"My family means the world to me..." she whispered. "If my mother ever found out..."

"She will not. I promise. Your name and reputation will remain firmly in tact. Adrienne please...allow me to take you home."

Adrienne nodded once more. "I am coming." she said as she stared out onto the rocks. "Just...give me a moment..." she promised the rocks and water below.

Jax sighed deeply. He did not trust this, but he swallowed his uncertainty and stepped away. She said she was coming...

Adrienned continued to stare out into the rocks. She glanced at Jax. "Promise me my mother will not find out," she called, finally standing.

"No one will find out. Promise..." Jax's voice trailed, his eyes growing as, looking right at him, Adrienne leaned herself back.

Falling over the cliff.

Jax yelled, running over...nauseousness overwhelming him as he stared at her twisted body against the rocks.

Adrienne's mother heard his yell, and by the time Jax gathered his thoughts, she was beside him, accusing him of killing her daughter.

Jax said nothing; realizing the last promise Adrienne had him make had to do with her family not knowing she had committed suicide.

He stood and left the mother alone, yelling after him.

A few days later, the investigation was closed and though everyone, literally everyone, including his own parents, believed Jax had in fact killed Adrienne, he was never arrested.

He spent the rest of that summer ostracized from everyone-people who were his friends never came by; he could not go into town without being called a murderer.

Yet he had made that promise, and he never said a word to anyone. Except for the small journal he took with him everywhere.

But the secret started taking it's toll on Jax. And soon he never ventured out at all. His parents worried, and arranged for him to spend his seventeenth birthday with Jerry in England.

The night Jax arrived, he went, as always straight to his chamber. Even there he rarely ventured out...Australia was a British colony, and the Jacks family was so highly staured that everyone in the town new of the youngest and his definite involvment in his fiancee's murder. They were only a little kinder than the Australians, whispering that Jax was a murder, instead of calling him one to his face.

One night, while Jax slept, Jerry found his brother's journal next to his pillow. He read it, and in it all of the details...including Jax's promise-at least how Jax described it.

Not to say anything about Adrienne's suicide.

Jax awoke and begged Jerry not to speak of it...then the message came.

Their father had died.

Jax never retuned to Australia. And Jerry kept his secret.

"I promised." Jax finally spoke as the carriage continued. "I did not even tell Jasmine what I knew, and if I kept quiet despite Jasmine and Garcia, I will surely keep quiet now."

"Jax..." Jerry groaned. "Discussion over."

"Jax!" Jules ran into Jax's arms.

"I missed you." Jax hugged Jules tightly. It had been almost two weeks since they last saw each other, and Jax promised himself such time would never go by again.

Jules closed his eyes, truly smiling for the first time since he last saw Jax. "Did you get my gift?"

"I did." Jax started towards the manor. "But I wanted to wait until you were here so we may open gifts together." Jax craddled Jules in one arm, using the other to reach inside his pocket. Jules grinned, taking the package from Jax's hand.

Keesha leaned up against the adjoining doorway, watching as in his chamber, Jax swung Jules around. Finally he stopped and Jules' laughter filled the room.

"Hi Keesha!"

Jax turned slowly, placing Jules on the ground.

"It is time for bed." Keesha reminded Jules softly. As if in answer, a knock came to Jax's front door. Jax walked over silently, opening it.

"Agnes." He moved out of the way. "Hurry." he ordered to Jules. Jules smiled at Keesha and then ran out of Jax's room.

Jax closed the door. "I need to ask you something." Keesha stated.

"We will not be discussing what happened to Adrienne," he reminded her. He walked over to his bed, his eyes glued to the floor the entire time.

Keesha blinked. "Lovely name."

Jax finally looked up at her.

"However, that was not my question. You have already said we will not discuss it. My question is...Jerry said you will be leaving for Spain in the morning?"

"Yes. I am going to see what can be found on Garcia while Garcia is unable to follow. My goal is to keep him imprisoned as long as possible."

"But...you just got back here."

"I know. And I would not leave again if it was not imperative. You understand?"

"Yes...Jerry is staying. With Jules?"

"And you."

"Actually...I wish to go."

Jax stared at Keesha for a moment. "No," he decided.

"Why?"

"It is not dangerous if that is your fear."

"Then why?"

Jax sighed. "Keesha..."

"Never mind. I do not even know why I bother..." she mumbled, walking away.

Jax looked up at the ceiling, mumbling to God, asking if he would ever understand his wife. After a moment he stood, joining her in her chamber.

"Would you like to elaborate?"

"Not particulary."

"That was not a request."

"Now you are allowed to order my thoughts from me as well?!"

Jax shut the door-he stormed over to her front door, slamming it shut as well. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Everything is perfect..."

"Keesha..."

"Do you know how absolutely unfair you are?"

Jax sighed, groaning. "Because I will not take you with me?"

"That is just one small part." Keesha glared, wondering if he could be as ignorant as he seemed. She took a deep breath. "This is my fault," she mumbled to herself. She had thought what they shared together, in bed, not just their actions, but their words and the way they would hold each other...she thought all of that would translate into a sharing outside the chambers as well.

However that was her fault. Jax had never promised anything would change.

Though he did..."Why are you always insisting that I trust you?"

"What?"

"You go on and on about wanting me to trust you. Why? Why do you care whether I trust you or not? What difference is it whether I do or not?"

"You honestly have to ask me that?"

"Why does that question shock you?"

"You wonder why it is important to me that you trust me, yet have the audacity to then ask me why I am shocked?!"

"It has nothing to do with audacity. It is a very rational question. You..." Keesha cleared her throat, refusing to cry. "You are obviously a very caring person in many ways, that is your trait. And that is probably why you are so kind to me..."

"What?"

"...however I realize that you treat me the same you would treat any other woman you had married..."

"WHAT?!"

"...so why do you care whether I trust you or not?

Jax blinked, tilting his head at her, looking into her eyes. He was not sure who the comments hurt more-him for having to receive it...or her for having to say it.

"You are important to me,"

Keesha sighed, resisting the temptation to roll her eyes. Of course she was important to Jax. She was his wife, he was a caring person, therefore she was important. That did not change the validity of anything she had just said.

"I missed you," Keesha whispered.

"Just because I will not tell you every aspect of my life does not mean..."

"Jax, please. You are leaving tomorrow..."

"I need for you to understand that you are important to me!"

"Jax, if I was important what I wanted would matter." Keesha walked over to her window.

"Now what you want doesn't matter?!"

"I asked you not to go to that ball after that man attacked you..." She looked over at Jax. "You went."

"Keesha..."

"I asked not to kiss me in a way that sent me conflicting messages...yet you insisted on playing with my emotions anyway..."

"I was not..."

"I asked you not to go after that man when he..."

"He hurt you...the fact that I went after him at all should tell you just how important you are..."

"Jax you despise that man. It has nothing to do with me..."

The words hit him like a slap in the face and he actually stepped back. "I refuse to listen to this..." Jax stormed over to the bath door, throwing it open.

"You won't tell me what happened to Adrienne!" Keesha called after him, and Jax stormed back in.

"That is not of your concern!"

"Someone falsely accuses you of murder and it is not of my concern?!"

"No it is...wait a moment. Falsely?" Jax's voice dropped to a whisper.

"You honestly expect me to believe you murdered your fiancee in some rage?"

Jax dropped his eyes, wondering how her words could cut his heart in one moment, and then in the next fill it once more. Then he remembered from who Keesha heard the comment. Of course she would be less likely to believe Garcia...

"That man has nothing to do with what I know." Keesha turned back to the window, knowing exactly what Jax was thinking. "This whole conversation is pointless..."

Keesha closed her eyes as Jax closed the space between them. "I do not wish to argue with you Keesha."

"Neither do I." she opened her eyes again, staring out into the sky. She turned around. "I missed you."

Jax looked into Keesha's eyes. He touched her cheek softly and then bent, kissing her slowly.

Jax stroked Keesha's hair softly. She sighed, realizing, as what always happened as minutes passed, she was even more in love with him now, despite their argument. Despite her forcing herself to admit out loud what she did...or rather did not...mean to him. She loved him more. She leaned up from his chest, looking into his eyes. That was never going to change. Jax pushed her hair back from her eyes. He leaned up and kissed Keesha. "I must be going." he mumbled reluctantly. Keesha shifted so he could move and he climbed out of the bed. He left her chamber, heading for his own.

Keesha pulled the cover up of her body, sitting up. After a moment she also climbed out of the bed.

Jax turned, looking as Keesha stood against his doorway. "How do you become prepared so quickly?" he smiled.

"You never knew when you had to leave my house. I learned to be dressed quickly."

"Pardon?"

"My father helped run away slaves. People always came to the house, breaking in. I learned to get ready quickly, so I would be out before they came."

"That is why you came to England?"

"Yes. My father also was supposed to come. I heard him talking later, and I knew he was not. But I never told him what I knew, and he went on, pretending like we were coming here together." Keesha actually laughed quietly. "Perhaps it is a masculine trait not to care what a woman wishes."

Jax sighed deeply. "Keesha...bloody hell," he moaned, going to answer the knock on his door. "I'm coming." he assured Jerry.

"I will be back before you can miss me." Jax promised Jules.

Jules sighed. He already missed him. "Hurry."

"Take care of Keesha for me."

"Yes Jax." Jules smiled. Jax placed him back on the ground.

"Now go on. Leave us."

Jerry took Jules' hand, walking him back to the door. Keesha stepped closer to Jax. "Please be careful."

"It is not dangerous."

"If you say so."

"May I have a kiss?"

"I have told you, you may kiss me whenever you wish."

Jax wrapped his arms around Keesha, kissing her tenderly. He pulled away, furrowing his brow.

"What?"

"A carriage will be here to pick you up in two hours. Will you be ready by then?"

Keesha's eyes grew. "Really?"

"Yes. I miss you when we are apart...besides, you will be an intelligent ally to have with me." Jax smiled as Keesha looked at him, obviously deeply shocked.

And deeply touched.

Jax climbed into the carriage, still holding one of Keesha's hands. "You...Keesha...not Keesha the woman who I am married to...but just you...are important to me. What you wish is important to me, and I am sorry if my actions led you to beleive otherwise. You want to come, there is no logical reason you should not, therefore come you shall. And let me reiterate..." he smiled sadly. "I am stubborn and therefore I would not be doing this for just anyoneI had wed. I am doing this because of you." Jax let go of her hand, sitting back. The driver closed the door, walking away. Jax leaned out the window.

"Ich liebe dich."

Keesha smiled.. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Now!" Jax ordered to the driver. He leaned back in. The carriage started to pull away. Keesha stepped back to watch it drive off.

Jax leaned out the window once more. "I love you!" he blurted and as Keesha stared, completely stunned, the horses pulled the carriage quickly away.