When Will This Be Over?

Chapter Six

Jupiter could handle loss. He could handle not getting the job he wanted. He could handle the Hotel Aurianna out-doing the Deucalion. He could handle the hem of his favourite suit being ripped.

But this? Jupiter could not handle this.

He had taken his nephew home not long after being told the heartbreaking news. He couldn't stand to stay in the same area that he was enjoying Morrigan's company just minutes prior.

Walking into the Deucalion, Jupiter was met with smiling faces and laughter. That was until the Hotel's workers and residents looked behind him and the younger man and noticed Morrigan was not there. From the look on Jupiter and Jack's faces, it must have been easy to connect the dots.

He had told them what had happened and then left to his study to be alone. That day was spent looking at papers spread across his desk. Jupiter was not a man of procrastination so he found it surprising that he was not getting the work done straight away.

The thought of Morrigan left all alone in a horrible environment had broken his heart. Sleep that night did not come easy. In fact, it did not come at all. The next day was spent in his office at his desk while Jack slept on the couch. Jupiter was pleased his nephew was sleeping as he was sure the young man had not had any rest the night before.

It was that day that Dame Chanda had suggested putting a missing child report in the paper. The plan was quickly acted upon and the report was sent out the next day. Letters and phone calls rolled in of people stating they saw a young girl in a black dress with black hair walking through the streets. Although Jupiter found it hard to believe that Morrigan's kidnapper would allow her to walk freely through Nevermoor, he sent out his best workers to investigate the claims.

The small hope he would let grow in his heart got crushed each time someone would come back stating that they had not seen Morrigan anywhere. After about a week, it was almost as if Jupiter had gone numb. He thought it would be impossible to find Morrigan.

The one thing that hurt almost as much as not hearing Morrigan's laughter echo through the halls of the Deucalion was watching his nephew cry when he thought he was alone. On multiple occasions Jupiter had found himself wondering late at night to then pass Jack's room and see him hunched over, his back facing the door and his shoulders shaking.

Jupiter knew what Morrigan meant to Jack—how close they were. Having her ripped away was hard on both of them. Jupiter had noticed new behaviours spark in the two of them. They ate less, slept less, and some days they spent the whole day in bed, others were spent doing work to distract themselves. For about a year now, Jack had been able to handle his Witness ability and go without his patch, but in the past couple of days, Jupiter had seen him wearing it more often. Clearly the colours had become too much for him, even though they were all dull and muted. Jupiter just wanted to get his nephew back, and to do that, he needed to find Morrigan.

{~~~}

"Jove...come on, time to wake up."

Jupiter awoke with a start, almost falling off the couch he laid on. He looked to the entrance of the study and found Martha with her head in between the door and the wall.

Last night had been like the many others that came before it. He worked and worked before lying down on the couch to rest. Closing his eyes, Jupiter had told himself he would only sleep for twenty minutes. Clearly, he had slept right through the night and into the morning.

"What time is it?" croaked Jupiter as he slightly sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

"It's 9:26. Your meeting starts at 9:45, remember?"

At first Jupiter did not remember. His brain was still cloudy from the effects of sleep but when he pushed through the fog the memory of organising a meeting about Morrigan's whereabouts for today was found.

"Oh, yup. Uh, just let me get dressed."

"Of course," said Martha. She turned to leave the room before hesitating and turning to look back at Jupiter. "I love you, Jove."

The ghost of a smile turned the right corner of Jupiter's lips slightly upwards. Those simple words made Jupiter feel happier than he had in the past week. It meant someone still cared about him, that even though Morrigan was gone, not all the love in the Deucalion was taken with her. "I love you too, Martha."

After getting dressed, Jupiter walked back into his study where the meeting was to be held and sat down. He was ten minutes early and all on his own. The pen in front of him attracted his hand to it and he fidgeted with it for a while.

He thought about Morrigan. Her smile. Her laugh. Her eyes. Her hair. Her personality. Normally if everyone in the room was feeling even a little upset, as soon as Morrigan passed the threshold of the door, everyone's posture became a little straighter. Everyone's smile a little larger. Everyone's eyes a little brighter.

He looked to the photos on his desk. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw Morrigan standing proud on her inauguration day. Next, he smiled as he saw Jack and Morrigan running towards the ocean. Then a chuckle rose from his throat as he saw Morrigan and Hawthorne laying across each other, fast asleep in the Smoking Parlour.

Morrigan was a vital puzzle piece to Jupiter's life and he needed her back. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. The pain was eating him from the inside out. This week had been the longest one he had ever had to endure.

The question that had been circling his mind since the day Morrigan left, reminded Jupiter of itself again. When will this be over?

1029 words