Jupiter Ascending /Caine Wise

Chapter 14 - There's No Place Like Home

Jupiter retreats to her quarters as soon as she returns to the Aegis Cruiser. Sighing as the doors slide shut behind her, she begins to remove the enormous headdress. Determined not to ask for assistance she untangles her hair from the monstrosity and throws it to the ground. Trying to remove her dress, she remembers they basically sewed her into it. Pulling at the delicate fabric, her hands begin to shake as her panic and frustration increases, the dress finally tears and falls from her body.

Finally free of the clothes which imprisoned her, she wraps her arms around her torso, hugging herself tight. Her shoulders tremble as she crumbles to the ground. The onky sound that can be heard is her uneven breathing, as she tries to ease that ravking sobs which threaten to engulf her. For several minutes she sits on the floor, trying to hold herself together. Images of the last few days flooding her mind. One near death experience after another, lies and the horrible truth of her existence.

Slowly, her breathing returns to a normal rythm and she manages to pull herself back together. Eventually Jupiter rises and finds an Aegis uniform to wear. Smoothing her hair and letting out a slow breath, as she pulls it up into a ponytail, she begins to feel in control of herself again. Emotionally spent and physically exhausted, she sits on a bench next to the window and looks out at the foreign sky. Her breathe fogs up the window and she uses her finger to trace out constellations she remembers from Earth.

Leaning her head against the cool glass, she closes her eyes and lets her thoughts drift to her quirky family, all crammed snugly under one roof.

***

Outside Jupiter's quarters, Caine hesitates to disturb her, unsure of what to say. She had been very quiet since he crashed the wedding and couldn't wait to get to her quarters aboard the Aegis cruiser.

Taking a breath, Caine enters her quarters. His eyes follow her to where Jupiter is curled up on her window seat, staring out at the stars.

"Your Majesty?"

"Please, don't call me that," she says staring out the window.

"Titus will pay," Caine says trying to offer some conciliation. "Captain Tsing has already filed..."

"I don't care," Jupiter says. Caine pauses at her abrupt manner. "The more you care, the more the world finds ways to hurt you for it," Jupiter continues hoarsely. Caine notices the glisten of leftover tears in her eyes and aches to comfort her, but instead Jupiter leans forward just enough to slide a sheave across the table to Caine, then turns her gaze back to the darkness outside her window. "That's your pardon. Congratulations. You and Stinger are officially skyjackers again."

Caine bends to pick up the sheave. Keeping his eyes cast down, he holds the sheave gently in his hand, "Thank you," he says. Caine stares at the object in his grasp, a bittersweet reward. Furrowing his brow, he begins to explain, "When we were in the commonwealth..."

"I don't wanna talk," Jupiter cuts him off. She turns to look directly at Caine, her warm, brown eyes filled with hurt. Her pain so near the surface, it cut him to the bone to watch her suffer. But Caine was so unaccustomed to displaying any vulnerability, that he didn't even know how to respond when he saw his queen vulnerable. "I really just wanna go home," she says.

Caine nods, he understands the desire for solitude, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her, not after everything she'd endured. Quietly stepping toward Jupiter, Caine lowers himself to the floor next to her. Jupiter was startled as he sat down but as he settled in his position and let out a soft breath, it was clear he wasn't going to let her be alone. Jupiter leaned her head against the glass again and closes her eyes.

After a few minutes of silence, Caine and Jupiter's hand meet and, taking her delicate hand in his, gives her a reassuring squeeze. Looking down at Caine, Jupiter watches him for a moment as he keeps his gaze on a spot on the floor.

Caine's presence was comforting, despite his admitted ulterior motives for helping her, at least he had been honest with her. It seemed no matter where she was in the universe, everyone wanted something from her; Titus wanted more property, Kalique wanted to mend bridges with her previous reincarnation, Balem just wanted her dead, even her own cousin wanted her to sell her eggs to a fertility clinic so he could have a new TV and gaming system. Somehow, though, Caine was different. Yes, he wanted something, but he didn't resort to lies and manipulation like everyone else in this twisted universe.

"This isn't going to end, is it, even after I get back home?" Jupiter muses. Caine looks up at Jupiter, as she leans against the window.

"Your Ma..." Caine stops remembering her asking not to be called that, "you can choose to return to your life on Earth, if that that is what you want." Jupiter looks down at Caine and knows that things will never be exactly the same. She will never be the same. Caine echoes her thoughts, continuing, "However, the universe is so much larger than it was a week ago. You know things now that you never dreamed possible. Would you really choose to go back to blissful ignorance when the fate of your planet is at stake? Would you choose to forget all that has happened these past few days?" Caine refers in part to the knowledge of Regenex, but also to the memory of their meeting. It pains him to think that she would go back to her life and pretend that all of this had never happened, that she had never met him.

Jupiter closes her eyes, trying to shut out the horrible reality of how the universe works. Suddenly growing restless, Jupiter gets up and begins pacing in the modestly sized, Aegis accommodations.

Caine rises and stands with his hands folded behind his back, if not he may very well take her in his arms to sooth her. Patiently, he watches her work through her thoughts and once again she collects herself using only her inner fortitude. He watches with admiration as she comes to terms with, what must be to her, a strange universe. This was all Caine had ever known. Before Jupiter he had never met a Terrsie from a underdeveloped world. He never realized how intelligent and real they were. He never imagined that he would fall helplessly in love with one. It made him question everything he had always accepted.

Author's Note: Sorry it's taken so long to update. Summer has been busy, but it is almost over. Plus, I strained some muscles in my leg, while camping. Yay me! Who has time to rest with 2 little ones running around?
I can't say for sure if I will be adding more before September comes, but I will continue this once school starts up again.

Sincerely,
Tired, stay-at-home mom.

P.S.

Thanks to everyone who has voted and commented. I love hearing feedback. Keep it coming!