Every Certainty I Had 3/?

[daughterofelros.livejournal.com]

Title: Every Certainty I Had
Author: daughterofelros  
Pairing: Connor Paolo/ Joshua Jackson; Also includes to varying degrees the Fllowing Cast: Summer Glau, Thomas Dekker, Rob Lowe, Penn Badgley, Blake Lively, and Dominic Monaghan
Rating: Very Innocent progressing in later chapters to smuttiness
Disclaimer: It's not real. If you think it is, Good God, you're crazier than I am!!  So much thanks to

 for opening the universe and letting us all play in the sandbox.
Summary: Connor sees the disaster his family is headed toward and takes it upon himself to save them.
AN: The title comes from Aida, specifically the line " But time enough to lay to waste/
Every certainty I had"


For a Who's Who go to daughterofelros.livejournal.com/97070.html#cutid1

 

Part 1, Part 2
 

It didn’t begin to process right away. The immediate realization was there, of course. As soon as those bundles of money were out on the table, Connor knew that he was being sold. But the enormity of that statement, the ramifications of it were slow in coming. First was the understanding that this was genuine, and as soon as Mr. Jackson put his signature on the dotted line, Connor would be leaving with him, as his property. Despite that knowledge, everything was really just a blur, interspersed at times with moments of bizarre clarity- like the moment that they entered the lobby and he saw the sky through the window for the first time an uncertain number of weeks.

 It was a moment he had anticipated for almost the entire duration of that time, but what struck him about it was how…disappointing it actually was. Because he had subconsciously seen the sky as a symbol of freedom- but the weight of a slave collar around his neck and of his new Master’s hand on the shoulder, steering him toward the glass doors, hadn’t been part of his vision.

The shock of the cold air on his skin brought things into sharper focus. It had only been early November when he had first entered those doors. Now it was… Sometime near the Holidays, because he could see the white lights wrapped around tree trunks and paper Santas and menorahs taped onto shop windows. He wondered, not for the first time, just what day it actually was.

They led him to a dark colored car, with a driver waiting patiently in the front seat. The inside of the car was warm, a wonderful contrast from the sidewalk, especially considering that he didn’t own a coat.

“Home please, Mitch.” Mr. Jackson said to the driver, who nodded and pulled the car out the parking space smoothly. Mr. Jackson leaned back against the seat, pinching the bridge of his nose like he had a headache. He squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds. When he opened them, he turned to look at Connor.

The way he stared was almost uncomfortable for Connor, who had no clue how to react. It was very much like Mr. Jackson was surprised to see him sitting next to him. He wondered fleetingly if he had done something wrong already, sat in a way he wasn’t intended to, either too close to his new owner, or too far away, in the incorrect posture, or… He told himself to stop, that logic said he was being foolish and working himself up over nothing. But the last several weeks of training had taught him that it wasn’t his logic that mattered anymore, it was his Master’s. And Mr. Jackson was still looking at him in that strange, indecipherable way. Finally, Mr. Jackson shook his head snorted derisively.

“Shit.” He breathed. “ I guess I’m supposed to be…going over rules and regulations with you and all that.” There was a pause, then his voice strengthened and he said, “To be perfectly honest, I really don’t have some speech worked out or anything.” He laughed dryly. “I wasn’t even planning on buying a body slave today. Jesus. I guess… for now, the only rule is this: None of that Master/ Mistress/Sir stuff they drilled into your head in there. You call me Josh, or Joshua if it suits you better for some reason. And this over here,” He gestured to his right, “Is my brother Rob. Call him by his first name as well. We clear?”

“Yes, Mr…Josh.” Connor was bewildered. This had so not been covered in training. But Mr. Josh seemed pleased.

“Good. Everything else, we can figure out tomorrow. Right now, we’re going to go to my townhouse, eat dinner, and get some sleep, because this has been a hell of day.” Mr. Rob snorted; Mr. Josh turned to him. “Something funny?”

“Are we still not discussing this?”

“We are not.”

“Ah. Then no, nothing funny.”

“Fantastic.”

The conversation died there, and Connor was left alone to stare out the window at the deepening winter twilight.

 

: : :

 

He must have drifted off to sleep for a few moments, because now the car had stopped, and the driver was holding the door open for Mr. Rob to step out. Mr. Josh followed him, and Connor rushed to do the same, trying not to cause them any inconvenience or delay. From the outside, the house was lovely, well kept and subtly lit to appear… peaceful. Inside, it was lovely as well- stylish without being strangely modern or austere, glossy hardwood oak  floors and comfortable-looking furniture. Mr. Josh and Mr. Rob led the way in, bypassing open doorways to a sitting room and TV room, heading straight for the kitchen. It was wonderful- brightly lit, with strategically placed light fixtures designed to make it look modern but still welcoming.

Both men had shrugged out of their coats, draping them over the high-backed stools that surrounded the kitchen island. Mr. Josh immediately busied himself with the coffee machine. Uncertain what he was expected to do, Connor stood respectfully just inside the doorway. Mr. Rob stood and watched for a few moments, his arms crossed, occasionally flicking his eyes from Mr. Josh over to Connor impatiently. Finally, he just gave in and spoke.

“Josh, you’re hopeless.”

“What?” Mr. Josh glared at him in annoyance. Mr. Rob nodded in Connor’s direction. The glare changed, flashing for a second to that startled look before an almost embarrassed expression settled on Mr. Josh’s face.

“Oh. Right. Um, listen. Dinner might take awhile, so…why don’t you have a bath or a shower or something. There’s a bathroom up the stairs on your right. Towels in there, shampoo and all. If you want to relax after that, the door to the left of the bathroom will be your room, so feel free. We’ll let you know when the food arrives.”

“Thank you.” Connor managed, turning to the stairs. He mulled over Mr. Josh’s words as he climbed. Did the fact that he was being given his own bedroom mean there was a chance that Mr. Josh wasn’t intending to fuck him, at least for tonight? He fervently hoped so, but knew better than to assume such a thing.

 The bath, however, did sound wonderful. He located the bathroom easily and as he turned the taps to draw the bath, he contemplated his new master. He was strange, certainly. So strange Conner wasn’t sure what he was supposed to act around him. No matter what though, he vowed to be as obedient a slave as he could be. Really, there was little else he could do.

 

: : :

 

 “I like to think I know you pretty well, Josh.” Rob began in a deceptively  conversational tone as soon as the kid had headed up the stairs, “But today was… a surprise.  I mean, when I heard Swinton say the kid had become a body slave, I expected you to pack it in right there and call it a day.”

“I promised you I’d buy him. I thought you might get pissed if I didn’t. Never figured you’d also get pissed if I did.” Josh’s eyes flashed, eager for a fight.

“Bullshit.” The intensity in Rob’s eyes was intimidating. “I may be the abolitionist, championing my cause as far as the laws allow and toeing the line, but you? You live my cause better than I do. When was the last time you had a body slave? Hell, when was the last time people even gossiped about the fact that you don’t have one?”

“Times change.”

“Josh, when we walked in there today, you wanted to have never even allowed me to convince you to come. And then, in the space between one breath and the next, you not only perform an unexpected one-eighty and actually purchase a body slave, but you go and purchase a half-trained one for twice the price of a fully trained, pedigreed body slave. What the Hell were you thinking?”

“Maybe I wasn’t.”

“Damn right, you weren’t. Not straight, at least. What possessed you to go and-”

“Can it, Rob. Don’t push me. I’m not in the mood.”

“Not in the mood to face the consequences of your actions? What time would be convenient then? Shall I have your secretary pencil it in for next Tuesday around three?”

“Dammit, Rob.” Josh slammed the mug of coffee he had just poured down on the granite countertop rather more forcefully than necessary. “You think I haven’t been thinking about the enormity of what I just did?  I just bought a seventeen-year-old boy so that I have the exclusive right to fuck him! Or, you know, loan him out to my friends of course.”

“So you bought him ‘cause he’s a nice piece of ass.”

“Christ! That is NOT why I bought him, and you of all people should know that!” Josh ran a hand through his short hair, curing it into a fast as though he were about to yank it from his scalp. “I just couldn’t... couldn’t leave him there.” He pulled out one of the tall stools and sat heavily. “I saw this image of…Crowe, or one of the others getting their hands on him, damaging him, breaking him, and…I decided that I couldn’t sit there, with the cash in my pocket, and just walk away, be the person who let it happen.”

He sighed. “I guess what I was thinking was ‘at least maybe this one, I can save.” He glanced up and saw comprehension begin to dawn on Rob’s face.

“Jesus. Josh, I didn’t even think… Does this… go back to Amelia?” Josh gave him a tired look, curling his hands around the coffee mug.

“In a way, I guess it does.”

They sat for a few minutes mulling things over, the ticking of the clock a room away and the faint sounds of the bathtub filling upstairs growing louder in their silence. Eventually Rob stood and poured a mug of coffee for himself. He brought the pot over, topping off his brother’s mug as a sort of peace offering.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I’m still not sure.” Josh shook his head. “I can’t legally give him his freedom, of course. But I’ll try to make it as easy for him as possible. I’m not really sure how to do that. This kid… six weeks ago, he was free. But six weeks in a Commerce training facility is a long time. He seems pretty fragile. I don’t know how to handle him, how to talk to him, even. I don’t think that even if I did, anything I said would sink in. He tries to hide it but you can see in every movement that he doesn’t trust me. Who could blame him? I wouldn’t trust me either.”

Rob spoke seriously, but there was a devious twinkle in his eye.

 “God knows I don’t, considering what you did to my favorite miniature soldier. I’ll never trust you with material possessions again.”

“Seriously? You’re still holding that against me? You should have known better than to leave small objects around a small kid. I mean, c’mon, I was three!”

“Which would be a valid point if you’d actually matured since then.” He nudged the other man with his elbow.

“Oh, come now. I am at least five by now” Josh protested. They shared a grin at their mutual immaturity, but the humor quickly fled the younger man’s face. “I’m serious though. He doesn’t really trust me, and if anything that Commerce taught him has sunk in, he won’t. I don’t even know where to begin. I keep wondering if maybe he’d be inclined to trust Thomas or Dominic more?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. Dominic is out of town for the next day or so, so he can’t help. But you should try calling Summer and seeing if she’d send Thomas around.”

“You think it might actually work?”

 Rob shrugged.

“Who knows? But I think it’s worth a shot.”

“Alright. I’m going to call Summer. And while I’m doing that, you can call for the pizza.” Josh stood and headed over to the phone, snagging the cordless handset and heading out into the hall. Rob pulled his phone out of his pocket, starting to dial the number from memory. Just as he was about to raise the phone to his ear, Josh poked his head back through the doorway.

“Hey Rob? Just so you know, if you’re thinking about being funny and ordering half anchovies again, I’m going to peel them all off and force you eat every single one of them.” And with that, he ducked out again, leaving Rob to stare ruefully at the phone in his hand.

“Damn.”

Part 4

Comments

[angels3.livejournal.com]

Okay who's Amelia?

Yes I know you can't tell me *pouts*

Can't wait for more.

Connor's all confused and Josh is at a loss always a wonderful recipe for fun times.

[kassy-syd.livejournal.com]

oh, I LIKE this story...I'm so curious as to where it's going! Josh seems so clueless as to what he should do with connor... and connor well, i just want to hug and tell him that it'll all be alright!
Please update soon.

[ruefull.livejournal.com]

I'm so hooked into this universe, and your story is no exception. I can't wait to see what happens with these two, it's a terrific start!