Work Text:
Shadowed Love
by Pirate Turner
She stood at the window, looking out at the night sky, when a soft knock sounded on her door. "Jedda?"
The young woman turned swiftly from her window and walked over to her dresser even as she answered, "Come in, Father."
She was brushing her short hair when he entered, and his keen eyes studied her silently for a moment as he closed the door quietly behind him. "Jedda, is everything all right?"
She was quick to reassure him. "I'm fine, Father. Why?"
"I don't know," the Phantom said, stroking his chin in thought as he watched her. "You've just seemed a little . . . distant lately. I know it's all part of growing up, but it's not like you to stick so close to your bedroom."
"I'm not in my bedroom the entire time," Jedda protested, her eyes rising to meet the mirrored reflection of her father's. "Why just today -- "
"I know," he interrupted her gently. "Just today you went with the rest of us to outer space and saved Earth from Ming . . . again, but, Jedda, when was the last time you went out?"
"I went shopping last weekend," she reminded him. Her keen eyes also watched her father's reflection as she struggled to make sense of his odd concern. She had not seen him so nervous since she had gone out with Rick for the first time.
"By yourself," he amended. "Jedda, when was the last time you really went out? With friends? On a date?"
"You're asking me when my last date was? All right," Jedda suddenly said, speaking quietly as she laid her brush down and both stood and turned to face her father. "What's wrong, Father?" Her concern mirrored his own.
"Jedda, I . . . You . . . Look, you're my daughter, Jedda, and I worry about you. That's natural, but what isn't natural is to lead lives like ours." Her mouth flew open to begin to protest, but he held up two fingers to silence her and allow him a chance to explain. "I understand that you've made your decision and that your place is with the Defenders just as much as mine is, but, sweetheart, there's more to life than the Defenders and saving the Earth."
Her lips pulled up into a slightly amused smile. "This from the man who never takes any time off for himself?"
"Jedda, I'm serious."
"I know you are, Father, as am I. I know you worry about me, but there's no need for you to. I'm doing what I want to do. I go out when I want to, given it's not a school night," she quickly interjected, "with who I want to, but I just don't get along that well with the girls at my school. They're all too . . . concerned with getting dates, making the cheerleading squad, being popular, and just their own selves."
"Things a normal teenage girl should be concerned with."
"Father," Jedda spoke gently as she neared him, "I'm not normal. None of us. I know you wish that I would fit in more, but the truth of the matter is, I like my life the way it is. I'd rather fight aliens than shop any day, and I'll always prefer saving the world to trying to get some guy to ask me out."
"Judging by what I understand of current American customs, the guy doesn't necessarily have to be the one to ask the girl out."
"I know, Father, but there's no boy that I want to go out with. If one shows up, I'll be sure to ask him out, and if I want to go out and do some normal teenage stuff, I will, but until then, please stop worrying?" Jedda pleaded gently with her father as she reached him, her eyes looking up into his.
Phantom sighed but finally nodded his head in consent. "Okay, but please, Jedda, never let fighting against evil be the only thing in your life."
"It never will be, Father. I promise."
He could see the truth in her eyes when she spoke, and the Phantom's lips pulled up into a slow smile. "Good," he finally said. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke again. "It's getting late, Jedda, and you've got school tomorrow. You should be in bed."
Jedda nodded. "I'm going to go just as soon as we say good night."
She stepped closer, embracing her beloved father in a gentle hug as she did so, and his strong arms wrapped gently around the one person who would always be the most precious thing in the entire galaxy to him. "Good night, Jedda," he whispered softly against her hair. "I love you." He pulled back just enough to press a loving kiss to her forehead.
"Good night, Father. I love you too," Jedda told him as she slowly pulled back. She then turned and began to head for her bed.
The Phantom turned the light off as he left her bedroom. He once again closed the door quietly behind him, and Jedda waited in the darkness for him to leave. Knowing that listening would do no good as not even as she could hear her father's footsteps, she had no other choice but to simply give him enough time to get far enough away. Guilt suddenly pinched her heart, and Jedda closed her eyes for a moment in shame. She loved her father and hated lying to him, but she knew he would never understand the true reason why she had stopped going out.
At least, part of their conversation had been truthful, Jedda reflected, as she silently made her way back across her bedroom to stand at her window and look out once more. She had no desire to date any boy or hang out with any of the girls from her school, and she would rather fight aliens and save the Earth than hang with any one her own age except for, perhaps, Rick and LJ. The male she had fallen for was no boy. He was a man who was many years older than her, but that was only a small part of the reason why her father would never understand her love.
She couldn't blame him. After all, it had even taken her years to realize and accept her true feelings for her team mate. They had always been close, but he had also always supposed to have been just an uncle to her. As a child, she had admired him and looked up to him. She had always yearned to be as wonderfully intelligent, skilled, and sophisticated as she had always known him to be, and his brilliance had never ceased to amaze her. Her admiration for him had only grown as she herself had grown. As she had neared her teens, she had finally realized that he was handsome, but it had taken her still a few more years to realize just how sexy he truly was.
That eventual realization had shocked her, and she had tried desperately to fight the feelings that had been growing in her over the years. That was when she had dated Rick. He had been cute and funny. She had known him her entire life, and he was a true friend and loyal confidante. She had trusted him. If she had ever met even one guy who could have stood a chance at overpowering her growing love for the man who was supposed to be her uncle but who was so much more, Rick Gordon would have been that man. None of that had changed, but she had also never felt anything stronger for Rick than a strong friendship. She had eventually had to admit the truth to him, and she knew he was still hurt even after all the time that had passed since then.
Jedda sighed softly as she looked out over the shadowed grounds of her home. She should never have used Rick like that and still had not quite been able to forgive herself for hurting him so much, but she had been desperate. She had tried several other guys before and after Rick, but none even came as close as he had. How could they, though, when none of them could ever begin to hold a candle to the one man who had so thoroughly swept her off of her feet?
Her thoughts broke off abruptly as she saw a limousine pull up, and she watched as the object of her thoughts stepped out and held the door open for a beautiful blonde to step out. Her heart ached as she watched them talking and laughing far below. She stilled herself for when she would see him lead the woman into their home and continued to watch as the blonde began to pull him up the path.
Jedda's breath caught in her throat when he swiftly blocked the woman's path, and she shared the woman's surprise and confusion as she watched his mouth's and hands' hurried movements. She witnessed the red that filled the woman's face, and Jedda's heart burned with rage when the blonde slapped the man. She had to grip the wall to keep from charging downstairs and outside and then attacking the woman for striking her beloved. As she forced herself to calm, she watched as the blonde fled to her limousine and the limo peeled away from the curb. Jedda's eyes then returned to the man, who still stood, gingerly rubbing his cheek where his date had slapped him.
She stood completely still as she watched him. He remained there for several minutes before finally turning and slowly making his way the rest of the way toward their home. He started to slip into the mansion but paused as he looked skyward, and Jedda quickly ducked away from the window. She waited for a couple of minutes before looking back out, but he was gone by that time. She sighed and turned back around.
As Jedda walked to her bed, her mind played over the exchange she had just witnessed. Why had he changed so suddenly? His date seemed to have been going wonderfully until the blonde had tried to spend the night in his bed. Jedda had watched him many times before and knew that there was nothing virginal about him, so why had he so abruptly denied such a beautiful blonde access to his home, and especially to his bed chambers?
She sighed again as she slipped into her bed. There was no way to know. She could never ask him for doing such would not only admit that she had been spying on him but it would also force her to admit her true feelings to him. Whereas her father would never understand, if the man of her dreams knew what she truly thought about him, he would surely be so disgusted at the thought of a minor "lusting" after him that he would turn away from her forever! Instead, Jedda had no other choice but to be left with her questions and to keep her love and herself quietly hidden to the shadows. She loved him with all of her heart and soul, but he could never know. Her head hit her soft pillow as she settled down for the night, and Jedda shortly fell asleep to dream sweet dreams of Mandrake.
The End