Um…so I lied. Clipper’s flashback took complete control and ran roughshod over this chapter so… Pomeranians will be next chapter.
Master of the House
Chapter 10 – An Understanding
Clipper knew that it wasn’t a nice or proper thing to feel, but he would not lie to himself. He felt just the tiniest bit of smugness at managing to have Lee agree to all his requests. Oh, the first two was a given. They were harmless and could only advance Lee’s goal, but the third?
Clipper had truly not believed that Lee would allow Connor to be moved at his request. Granted, he had not succeeded in convincing Lee that his quarters were best. And Lee seemed oddly and intensely possessive over Clipper’s mentor. But Clipper counted it as a small success that Connor would be moved out of that awful room at all.
Hopefully, once he was somewhere a little bit different, somewhere that did not remind him of the trespasses that had undoubtedly happened against his person, Connor would improve.
Perhaps.
Clipper gnawed his lip worriedly as he hunted through his pack for his light cloak.
He wasn’t a doctor. He knew very little about the ailment that was inflicting his beloved mentor.
All he had to go on was his own experience with James.
He hadn’t always worked well with his husband. When he’d first arrived, he had closed off, certain that his life was over, certain that this Templar would inflict many horrible acts upon him in the name of marriage.
And he was prepared to fight, to do whatever was possible against the man that jailed him and kept him from his friends and his comrades.
He had not expected kindness. To be given space.
James was firm with him. At no time was he allowed his weapons or news about Connor, Deborah or Stephane. He could not contact any of Connor’s old friends in the Continental Army, and his letters to Connor’s crew had been confiscated. He was not confined to James’s apartment, but neither was he allowed to wander about alone. There had been a small bevy of Templars guarding him, trailing him at all times.
Still, it had been much better than he was expecting. And they had lived with an uneasy truce for a few months.
It wasn’t until James had heard him cry out three months in and rushed to his room that they began to thaw to each other.
Clipper had disliked the room he had been locked in since he had arrived. It was small and, locked as it was on the outside, it made him nervous. The window was small and did not open. It had steel bars on the outside to prevent would-be thieves from entering, but, to Clipper, they seemed to be holding him in.
It was altogether too much like his cell, when he had been locked away from Stephane and Deborah. The walls closed in on him, and the door would not open, and he couldn’t get to Stephane as Stephane was dragged away by jeering Templars who made jokes about ‘seeing how much pain a Frenchman can endure’ and one of them slapped Deborah to the ground when she tried to rush out of her cell and grab a hold of Stephane because they couldn’t lose anymore, they just couldn’t.
Stephane’s cries had echoed through the cells all night, and when they dropped him back in his cell, Clipper couldn’t even reach him to give help or comfort...
Lost in his memories, he had cried out, unable to get enough sleep, unable to relax. And then James burst in the room to investigate the cries.
Clipper hadn’t thought a man who associated with a monster like Charles Lee would be capable of kindness. He hadn’t ever thought that a Templar would ever care for his comfort.
He learned differently that night.
Perhaps it was because of James’s lawyer profession. His husband consulted with many individuals who had been hurt in some shape or fashion, some of them Omegas seeking shelter from their Alphas husbands who beat them sorely, past the allowed form and limit. But he understood.
And he had immediately moved Clipper to a different room, to his own room.
It was a slightly larger room that had lattice metalwork to deter thieves outside the window instead of bars. And no lock outside the door. The window opened and allowed the cool night breeze in. And, perhaps most importantly, James trusted him not to slit his throat in the night.
James had led him to the room, sat him on the bed and spoke to him frankly. He had made it clear that it would be detrimental to both their sakes if Clipper were to try to run or harm him while he slept. He had warned of the Templar guards patrolling the area and the Grandmaster’s desire to remove all his son’s old bonds.
As Clipper was still absorbing the information (and rather shocked that he had actually been let out of that unbearable room), James had made his way over to the closet. He dug out an extra set of covers and a pillow and laid them on one half of the bed. He then climbed onto the other half and, turning his back to Clipper, promptly fell asleep.
It took many more months of slowly opening up, talking and learning about each other before Clipper could truly count them husband and wife. But he would always point to that instance where James had trusted him (a guarded trust at first to be sure) as the true beginning of their relationship.
Clipper’s eyes fell upon light brown leather. Ah, his light cloak. Perfect.
He shrugged it on and made ready to meet the servants who would be carrying Connor and Lee, undoubtedly already waiting with his dogs.
Lee was not James, and Connor had clearly suffered much more than he had suffered. But he had his own memories and experiences to draw on. His own determination, his loyalty and his new understanding of their Templar foes.
And he would bring Connor back. Somehow, sometime, he would make it so that the last of the Brotherhood did not wither away.
Master of the House - part 11
Master of the House
Chapter 10 – An Understanding
Clipper knew that it wasn’t a nice or proper thing to feel, but he would not lie to himself. He felt just the tiniest bit of smugness at managing to have Lee agree to all his requests. Oh, the first two was a given. They were harmless and could only advance Lee’s goal, but the third?
Clipper had truly not believed that Lee would allow Connor to be moved at his request. Granted, he had not succeeded in convincing Lee that his quarters were best. And Lee seemed oddly and intensely possessive over Clipper’s mentor. But Clipper counted it as a small success that Connor would be moved out of that awful room at all.
Hopefully, once he was somewhere a little bit different, somewhere that did not remind him of the trespasses that had undoubtedly happened against his person, Connor would improve.
Perhaps.
Clipper gnawed his lip worriedly as he hunted through his pack for his light cloak.
He wasn’t a doctor. He knew very little about the ailment that was inflicting his beloved mentor.
All he had to go on was his own experience with James.
He hadn’t always worked well with his husband. When he’d first arrived, he had closed off, certain that his life was over, certain that this Templar would inflict many horrible acts upon him in the name of marriage.
And he was prepared to fight, to do whatever was possible against the man that jailed him and kept him from his friends and his comrades.
He had not expected kindness. To be given space.
James was firm with him. At no time was he allowed his weapons or news about Connor, Deborah or Stephane. He could not contact any of Connor’s old friends in the Continental Army, and his letters to Connor’s crew had been confiscated. He was not confined to James’s apartment, but neither was he allowed to wander about alone. There had been a small bevy of Templars guarding him, trailing him at all times.
Still, it had been much better than he was expecting. And they had lived with an uneasy truce for a few months.
It wasn’t until James had heard him cry out three months in and rushed to his room that they began to thaw to each other.
Clipper had disliked the room he had been locked in since he had arrived. It was small and, locked as it was on the outside, it made him nervous. The window was small and did not open. It had steel bars on the outside to prevent would-be thieves from entering, but, to Clipper, they seemed to be holding him in.
It was altogether too much like his cell, when he had been locked away from Stephane and Deborah. The walls closed in on him, and the door would not open, and he couldn’t get to Stephane as Stephane was dragged away by jeering Templars who made jokes about ‘seeing how much pain a Frenchman can endure’ and one of them slapped Deborah to the ground when she tried to rush out of her cell and grab a hold of Stephane because they couldn’t lose anymore, they just couldn’t.
Stephane’s cries had echoed through the cells all night, and when they dropped him back in his cell, Clipper couldn’t even reach him to give help or comfort...
Lost in his memories, he had cried out, unable to get enough sleep, unable to relax. And then James burst in the room to investigate the cries.
Clipper hadn’t thought a man who associated with a monster like Charles Lee would be capable of kindness. He hadn’t ever thought that a Templar would ever care for his comfort.
He learned differently that night.
Perhaps it was because of James’s lawyer profession. His husband consulted with many individuals who had been hurt in some shape or fashion, some of them Omegas seeking shelter from their Alphas husbands who beat them sorely, past the allowed form and limit. But he understood.
And he had immediately moved Clipper to a different room, to his own room.
It was a slightly larger room that had lattice metalwork to deter thieves outside the window instead of bars. And no lock outside the door. The window opened and allowed the cool night breeze in. And, perhaps most importantly, James trusted him not to slit his throat in the night.
James had led him to the room, sat him on the bed and spoke to him frankly. He had made it clear that it would be detrimental to both their sakes if Clipper were to try to run or harm him while he slept. He had warned of the Templar guards patrolling the area and the Grandmaster’s desire to remove all his son’s old bonds.
As Clipper was still absorbing the information (and rather shocked that he had actually been let out of that unbearable room), James had made his way over to the closet. He dug out an extra set of covers and a pillow and laid them on one half of the bed. He then climbed onto the other half and, turning his back to Clipper, promptly fell asleep.
It took many more months of slowly opening up, talking and learning about each other before Clipper could truly count them husband and wife. But he would always point to that instance where James had trusted him (a guarded trust at first to be sure) as the true beginning of their relationship.
Clipper’s eyes fell upon light brown leather. Ah, his light cloak. Perfect.
He shrugged it on and made ready to meet the servants who would be carrying Connor and Lee, undoubtedly already waiting with his dogs.
Lee was not James, and Connor had clearly suffered much more than he had suffered. But he had his own memories and experiences to draw on. His own determination, his loyalty and his new understanding of their Templar foes.
And he would bring Connor back. Somehow, sometime, he would make it so that the last of the Brotherhood did not wither away.