Morrijack Short Stories

The Fear - Part 4 of The Breakup

Morrigan didn't know how to feel, but she was still freaking out. She'd just sent an apology letter to Jack... a sappy, love-apology letter to her ex. Would he accept it? Would he write back? Was there enough time for him to write back? She had procrastinated writing and then tried to make it perfect. She just wanted her boyfriend back.

Fen had assured her that everything would be okay, as had Chanda, Martha, Jupiter and all the others of their family at the Deucalion. Well, all the others except Jack.

She didn't sleep well that night, her brain too busy thinking through all the possibilities of the following evening. The thought of them working things out and being a happy couple again seemed unlikely compared to all the other realities where they didn't. Where he hated her, wanted nothing to do with her, couldn't forgive her, was scared of her, angry at her, or just straight-up ignored her. Or worse yet – what if something had happened to him? Something bad. What if the Jack she knows and loves is lying dead somewhere? Or sick in bed, or lost somewhere?

She couldn't shake her fears.

By the time sleep finally grasped her, Morrigan wasn't sure if inviting Jack back was the right thing to do, but deep down, she knew it was.

She spent the next day in her room, looking through an old photo album Jupiter had lent her. It was full of photos of the Deucalion family from before Morrigan arrived, some even before Jack was born. It was weird seeing everyone she regarded as family looking so young, save those who were actually still relatively young.

When three o'clock rounded the bend, she decided to start getting ready for the party and then head down to help with any last-minute preparations and welcome any guests.

By five-thirty, the party was in full swing, and Morrigan suspected it would be so for the majority of the night. She'd been walking around, saying hello to the guests she knew, followed Jupiter around a bit, talked with Martha and declined a couple offers to join the dance floor with someone. One guy even winked at her, but she didn't care; she was only there for one reason, and that reason was Jack.

Yet, he still wasn't there.

She was standing by the staircase that led to the door in the ballroom, looking miserable and worried when Jupiter approached her.

"He'll be here, Mog; I know he will."

She didn't believe him, and he knew it.

He sighed, "just... trust me on this one, Morrigan. I'm sure of it."

She glanced up at the use of her full name, knowing he was earnest, and a little bit of deceased hope lit up in her again.

"But what if he doesn't?" she asked, her voice sounding small and fragile.

Jupiter smiled and took her hands in his, squeezing them, "then we'll deal with that, but I'm certain that it won't come to it. We're here for you Mog, I'm here for you – both of you."

She smiled softly, shaking her head a bit. She then looked up at her patron, who seemed to be waiting for her to say something. To confess. He knew she was worried, and he was there to listen.

"It's just... what if he hates me?"

"He doesn't."

"What if he's scared of this happening again?"

"I think you both are, but I don't think either of you will be ending your new relationship anytime soon."

"What if he's already moved on and got a new partner?"

"I highly doubt he would have time to meet anyone else – you know how he is."

"And what if we don't even start a new one? What if he's dead? What if he's hurt – and I mean physically, not emotionally... he's obviously emotionally hurt already. But what if he's sick, what if... i-if-"

"I'm sure he's fine, Mog, just a little heartbroken and probably slight hopeful, with a dash fear and a lot of love, just like you are," Jupiter cut in, his voice warm and reassuring.

"How can you be so sure?"

He didn't answer. He wasn't even looking at her anymore, but rather behind her, presumably at someone entering the ballroom. She rolled her eyes, "Jupiter... if he doesn't come-"

"Oh, no. He's coming, Mog," he grinned down at her, and she gave him a confused and exasperated look.

"Turn around."

And she did. And what she saw took her breath away.

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.

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I feel like I've swapped the typical gender roles of this type of story... but oh well. I forgot to update yesterday because I wasn't really feeling up to it - it was the last day of the first week back at school and I was just ready to collapse. Anyway, I hope that you are enjoying this mini-fic. Thank you for reading - last chapter out tomorrow!

Written: 13 July, 2021

Published: 17 July, 2021