The Navigator

36. Open Fantasy

Author's Note:

Song Credit: Suns and Stars, Really Slow Motion

This Chapter contains some mature language and sexual themes. This story is rated mature so discretion is advised.

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Jax had everything ready, his preparations complete and all the cogs falling into place. All but one, the most important, the most risky, and the only part of his plan that had the potential to fail, rendering all of his prep work useless and pointless. It wasn't too complex of a plan but it did require a various number of players. all of whom had to keep their mouth's shut for the next few days, including Brooke who he knew was the damn wild card here. Dade and Billy were in on it, as well as Teren, Addy's aging supervisor who had detained Jax for at least an hour with his stories before Jax was able to extricate himself.

He had to admit to some commonality with the old man, who had spent his youth much like Jax did, ferrying cargo back and forth across the system. Until he too found a woman he was no longer willing to leave behind. He was a fount of advice on how to adjust to life fully in one place and gave it freely, without solicitation, regardless of Jax's insistence that he had other places to be. Jax was glad the old man wouldn't let him leave though, some of the information would prove valuable at some point. Hopefully soon, if he could pull this off.

He only had one thing left to do, he had to ask the most devastatingly beautiful woman in the galaxy, and the mother of his child, on a date.

He had been assured by all of his co-conspirators that she would accept, and he was fairly confident himself if the way she melted into his greeting kisses were anything to go off of, but with his complete heart at stake, he didn't feel embarrassed about his nervousness. Of course if she turned him down, he could accept that, it had only been a few weeks since she broke up with Darren, and he had meant to wait. Give her all the time she needed to process, but he was guilty of impatience. He had lost years with her because of his own stupidity and he didn't want to leave any moments behind anymore. Besides, she seemed more and more like herself everyday, and it was a date- not marriage.

Armed with the loose confidence of the desperate, he leaned over her cubicle, his arm hooking over the top in what he was sure was a cocky manner. Letting his certainty and assurity wash over her. She liked that about him, of that he was sure, so he let his natural state of calm brashness dictate his body language even though realistically he was a ball of tightly wound nerves.

"Hey sweetheart, how's the day treating you?"

He winced a bit when he heard his tone, he needed to dial back the swagger by at least 20%. If she noticed, Addy ignored it as she pulled her eyes from her monitor and up to him. She leaned back into her chair, stretching her arms above her head, pulling her body in delicious ways. The arc of her back pushing her chest forward in a mouth watering display and he had to look away to keep his head from spinning.

"Oh, you know, it's work." She replied, eyeing him seriously, and for a moment he thought the jig was up, someone had squealed, (damnit Brooke!) until she went on. "You never visit me at my desk, what's up? Everything ok?" Jax smiled out of relief for her natural suspicion, she didn't know what was going on, but had clued into his abnormal behaviour. This woman was it for him, really and truly his endgame.

"Everything's fine," He assured, smiling genuinely at her. "I just wanted to ask you something." He took her in for a moment, appreciating the soft look of her dark honey hair and the reflective glint in her eyes. She was the embodiment of a sun, glowing, warm and worthy of worship as her nature made all things live and grow. He cleared his throat as she stared at him, eyebrows rising as he took too long to go on. "You want to go on an adventure?"