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indeedsir_backup2010-05-16 09:36 pm
Fic: Love Never Dies chapter 8 Part 1
Fic: Love Never Dies
Chapter 8
Author: Emerald
Beta: 
jestana and windysame
Thank you for the wonderful look over!
Disclaimer: Jeeves and Wooster belong to Wodehouse, and I thank him for them.
Rating: R for this story.
All my stories are here: www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml
There is a NC-17 part of the story at my journal. Here: emeraldreeve.livejournal.com/ The rest of this story will also be posted at my journal this evening.
Bertie Wooster rested with his head on Jeeves' chest. Thought was slowly returning as the passion they had shared faded. The love, however, would never fade. Suddenly wanting to be certain that Jeeves understood that fact, Bertie said, “I'll always love you, old chap. This is forever for me; for better or worse, and all that rot. I'm as serious about this as I've been about anything in my entire life.”
In just as solemn a tone as the one his employer had used, Jeeves answered, “I sincerely hope so, sir. My heart would never recover should I lose your love. This is forever for me, also. There will never be anyone else. I trust I can rely on your faithfulness, too?”
“Yes. You have the Wooster word; there will be no one else ever in my heart or in my bed. Nor will I stray into someone else's bed. I give you my word.”
“You have my word, also. You will always hold my heart and never will I give myself to anyone besides you.”
There followed a comfortable silence; both men happy in each other's presence. After some minutes had gone by, the thought came to Bertie that Jeeves might be worried about the kitchen. They had left dirty dishes on the table and there were probably myriad of tasks that concerned his valet. Bertie wondered if Jeeves would allow him to help with those chores now that their relationship had changed.
When Jeeves next spoke, Bertie expected his servant to bring up the subject of the kitchen. Instead the soft voiced question was, “How did you know about Weni and Ramose?”
“From dreams. I thought I was going loony. How did you know?”
“Dreams, also. Sir...” A question that had been bothering Jeeves came quickly into his mind. Hating even the idea, he pulled his arm tighter around his employer.
Bertie sensing that his friend's thoughts had taken a dark turn asked, “What? What is it?”
“Do you know why Ramose and Weni go on to other lives?”
“Rather. Or at least, I know two of the reasons. Mainly it's because they want to. They see a time they like and feel safe in... Ramose is pretty insistent that it be relatively safe... and they want to enjoy it together.”
Jeeves frowned slightly. “Sir, begging your pardon, but that can not be correct. I do not feel at all safe in this time.”
Bertie smiled. “I didn't say that Jeeves felt safe, I said Ramose. You carry his spirit, but you are not him. Still, that brings me to the second reason I know about. Sometimes they are asked to return because they can aid someone. And, old chap, you've aided a lot of people.”
“So have you.” All the information he had been given opened many other questions for Jeeves, but he concentrated on his first fearful one that he had not been able to state. “Then they are not cast out of paradise for their love?”
There was a soft, “Oh, love,” from Bertie. Looking up into his valet's worried eyes, Bertie said, “No. They are not, old fruit. Weni strongly believes that they would be allowed to do what he calls 'safely travel over the Nile to paradise' any time they wish when a lifetime is finished. They are rewarded with each life if they have accomplished what they were supposed to and so far they've been given the life each time.”
Discerning that Jeeves was confused, Bertie said, “I don't completely understand it myself but once this life is done, we haven't lost it, if we've done well. While we are waiting for the next one to begin, if we decide on another, then we can relive any part of this life or other lives that we wish. Did you see a hall in any of your dreams?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, while we are waiting, we can go down the hall and into any time we want to. We can be Bertram Wooster and Jeeves, whenever we wish to be. If we want we can experience this evening over and over and...”
His voice filled with happiness, Bertie said, “I can have the delight of touching you for the first time as often as I want.”
Relief flooded through Jeeves. He let his happiness dominate his thoughts, and it was some time before another matter that troubled him came to the surface. “Sir?”
“Yes, old chap?”
“I was given the impression that you did not like your dream of Weni and Ramose?”
Gently, Bertie said, “I didn't. I had accepted that I couldn't have you. I didn't want dreams to taunt me with what I couldn't have. And the first dream I had was of Lucius and Julius. I didn't feel that Lucius should have his slave. It's just not good form.”
Jeeves moaned, openly letting his dismay be shown. He said,“Julius loved Lucius and wanted him. Lucius was an honourable man. Julius was free to make his own choices by the time they first shared intimacy. Lucius had freed him. Even before Julius was free; Lucius had paid him wages. Julius had enough to make a life of his own; if he had chosen to do so.”
Gazing into his employer's eyes, Jeeves gave the man a smile. “It may not appear that way to you, but Lucius obeyed your code; although he never knew anything about it. He was very careful. Not once did he take advantage of Julius.”
Slowly Bertie nodded.
Jeeves asked, “Are those your only objections to the dreams?”
“Not at first. I didn't want to be Weni or Bion or Lucius or anyone else for that matter. I'm Bertram Wooster. I'm my own man. I have no jibs about that now. I've dreamed of Ramose several times. When he looks at me he sees Weni, but he sees and loves Bertram Wooster just as he is, too. I have some of their loves, but I am my own person, also.”
Jeeves heard no discontent in his employer's voice, so he asked about something else he wished to know. “Do you know about Lucius and Julius' wedding?”
“I know they were married; that's all. Do you know about the ceremony itself?”
“Yes, and I wrote it down so I could tell you about it, if the day came when you were interested. I do not need the notes, however, as the event still seems new to me.”
“Then tell the young master about it. Unless there are some huge changes in our time, we will never have a wedding.”
Jeeves perceived Mr. Wooster's unhappiness over the matter and quietly asked, “Would you marry me, if you could?”
“Absolutely! Yes! Jolly well yes!”
His employer's enthusiasm made Jeeves feel overwhelmed with happiness. When he spoke again, Bertie could hear the tears of joy in his voice. “I would gladly marry you, also, sir.”
Still sounding overcome with gladness, Jeeves related everything he knew about Lucius and Julius' wedding. Bertie listened intently, occasionally placing kisses on his valet's chest as the man spoke.
When Jeeves was finished with the account, Bertie said, “That's another reason I decided that I don't mind being Weni. I want their experiences. I intend to claim that wedding as ours.”
“Then so will I.”
“What I don't understand... they had to have had some rummy times besides for Weni's mother dying and Lucius' indiscretion with Claudius, but my dreams don't include very many of those occurrences.”
“Probably because they both felt their love outweighed any sorrows,” Jeeves replied.
Bertie nodded. “Yes, I can believe that. When I am old and look back at my life, I'll remember today not my parents' deaths.”
Bertie let his fingers idly play across Jeeves' chest; rejoicing in the privilege of being able to touch his man so freely. He said, “I don't think Bertwald knew about previous lives.”
“I do not believe Justin did, either. They did not need such aid.”
Detecting the whiff of sadness in Jeeves' voice, Bertie said, “We would have arrived at this point even without the aid. After all, I didn't even believe the dreams were true. Did you?”
“No, sir. I will admit that I wanted to believe they were true.”
“So did I after a short time. I didn't want Ramose to be only the young master's imagination.”
“Understandable. I felt that way about you, whether you were Weni or Bion or Lucius.”
For some reason that Jeeves did not understand this statement seemed to amuse his employer, who laughed.
His digits curling into his valet's chest hair, Bertie said, “Ah, but I bet your thoughts returned to Weni the most as mine did to Ramose.”
A peaceful silence descended but this one did not last long. Jeeves knew the instant Mr. Wooster had thought of something that upset him. The man's fingers tightened in his chest hair to the degree that it was uncomfortable. He also tensed.
Jeeves asked, “Is something troubling you, sir?”
“Bjorn. He was such a dimwit.”
Unable to prevent his voice taking on both fierceness and defensiveness, Jeeves replied, “He most certainly was not!” Seconds later he added a hasty, “Sir,” to his words.
Bertie propped himself up. “Did Reinaldr love Bjorn? Bjorn was always such a dimwit. He loved Reinaldr as a brother. What a fool!” He said with disgust.
Jeeves stared in disbelief at his employer for a second. He was tempted to laugh despite the sympathy he felt for Mr. Wooster's anguish. Reaching out, he gently pulled his master back to rest on his chest. When he had his friend settled once more, he asked, “Do you know what happened to Bion and Jason?”
“They died when the Band of Brothers was defeated. They had had many years together by then, though. You're confusing the Wooster lemon, old chap. What does Bjorn's stupidity have to do with how Jason and Bion died?”
“It has everything to do with it. There was barely a heartbeat between Bion and Jason's death and only a few seconds between Weni and Ramose's demise. They had shared death as much as any two souls can. They had partaken of life together. Ramose wanted to share conception with Weni, also. Love...”
Jeeves waited until he held his master's gaze before saying, “Bjorn and Reinaldr were identical twins. It would have been a bit unusual if Bjorn had not viewed Reinaldr as a brother. It did mean giving up intimacy, but as Weni said, 'It is only for one lifetime.'”
The valet expected this to comfort Mr. Wooster, but the man said, “Only one lifetime!”
Now the amusement Jeeves had felt earlier came forth and silently he laughed.
Bertie had gone back to stroking Jeeves' chest and the mirth trembled under his fingers. He said, “You think that's funny, what?”
“Yes, sir. Neither Bjorn or Reinaldr remembered any other life. They were very happy in their own time. Weni, out of love for Ramose, was willing to give his beloved his desire, no matter what the sacrifice required of him. It is my opinion that Weni like Bertram Wooster has a very good, generous heart.”
There was no reply to this at first, and Jeeves smiled. He knew that there would be no more complaints about Bjorn.
A quiet, “Thank you, Jeeves,” reached his ears and the servant smiled again.
He said, “It is merely the truth, sir.”
Bertie had been placing kisses on Jeeves' chest. Now he looked up at Jeeves, and the valet's heart suddenly seemed to stop. His employer was gazing upon him the way Bayram had looked at his master. A gaze that held love and devotion, care and affection. 'I will remember this moment forever,' Jeeves thought, 'Remember and cherish.'
Out loud he said, “I love you, sir. I always will.”
“I love you, too.”
They talked for a time about former lives, adding to each other's knowledge. Jeeves said, “It seems a long time between Bayram and Sevilen to us.”
Bertie replied, “Well, I'm not sure because it could have been my imagination, but there may have been Josiah and Benjamin after Sevilen and Bayram. Assuming my last dream had any truth in it. Josiah and Benjamin shared some of our traits, so maybe it was my fancy.”
“I doubt it as our other dreams appear to be true. Tell me of Benjamin and Josiah, please.”
“Their names were Josiah Reed and Benjamin Weller. I mostly know Benjamin's memories and far too much of that centred around their intimacy. I had a difficult time getting other memories from him. I thought it was a bit coarse of him but now that we have...”
Bertie nuzzled Jeeves' chest. He said, “I understand the cove now. They had wood stoves that always seemed to extinguish themselves in the wee hours of the am. Especially on very cold nights. Josiah hated it. He'd wake up and jib to himself about it. Benjamin never told Josiah, but he loved those cold nights. Josiah's grousing would wake him and, well, he had ways to get the man warm again.
“Benjamin liked the steaming kitchen in the summer, too, because sometimes Josiah would take his shirts off to wash dishes. And sometimes when it was his turn to wash the dishes, Josiah would let him remove his shirts, if the day was hot enough. Either way, it always meant that they'd be making love across the kitchen table.”
Abashed once more, Bertie's words were spoken quietly, but he was very conscious that Jeeves was listening intently to him. He would not have spoken of such matters at all except that these memories had been so cherished by Benjamin that they were part of the man himself.
Still talking in a low voice, Bertie said, “They had a feather bed and when I first touched Benjamin I was almost overwhelmed with recollections touching it. They must have... they must have often with that many remembrances over one bed.”
He did not say what they must have done often, but Bertie was confident that Jeeves could guess. He peeked up at the man and saw that his servant was smiling. He gave Jeeves a smile in return.
Bertie said, “There was a moment when I thought Benjamin was a bit odd because one of his fondest recollections was when they got water pumped through the house. Then I realised that he thought that not having to haul water would make their dalliances easier. For many years they did not live together. Josiah and Benjamin did not feel safe in their time, either.”
“Do you know the time and place they lived in?”
“America in the 1800s. West Virginia.”
Jeeves sighed. “Ramose and I definitely have different views about safe times. I am almost afraid to ask about the American Civil War. Do you know what they believed about slavery and if they fought in the war?”
“They were abolitionists, but they were too old to fight in the war. Soldiers from both armies came through the town. The town had a hospital for the injured. Several battles happened in and around the area. Times were hard after the war, and they used that as an excuse for Benjamin to move into the house Josiah owned. They partitioned the place and made it appear as if they only shared a kitchen and a dining room.”
Leaning forward Bertie claimed Jeeves' mouth. They exchanged a long kiss. After they separated, he gazed into his valet's eyes and said, “I love you, Jeeves.”
“I love you, too, sir.”
They were quiet once more. Jeeves was thinking over what he had learned about Benjamin and Josiah. When he was certain that he had memorised everything his employer had told him about the two, he asked, “Do you know anything else about Benjamin and Josiah?”
“Loads of things but...” Bertie paused. “At first all I could get from Benjamin was reflections of his love making with Josiah. I almost gave up on retrieving any other memories as everything seemed related to that part of their life. When I finally managed to pull up some other recollections from him...”
Bertie halted. He said quietly, “You may not like it. I find it rummy.”
“I wish to know, if you do not find it too difficult to share.”
“They had a huge fight over boots. They were over fifty years old, Jeeves. I guess we'll still be quarrelling over my upholstery when we're elderly too, but I do hope our disagreements aren't so dashed unpleasant.”
Despite being curious about the matter, Jeeves was afraid to ask about it. It must have been truly awful for Benjamin to recall it clearly and vividly enough that Mr. Wooster disliked it.
Bertie said, “Perhaps it was because Bayram had served Sevilen. Benjamin never knew of other lives, but he had this desire to serve Josiah that... it was his dominating emotion in life, the motive behind almost everything he did. It was one reason why he loved their intimacy so much; it was a way he could give everything to Josiah. Because of this they rarely fought. Benjamin would gladly give almost anything to make Josiah happy.
“They had been together for twenty-nine years when they had their first major rift. They had had minor tiffs before but nothing significant. Benjamin had a pair of Hessian boots with tassels. He loved those boots, but they had gone out of fashion, and Josiah felt that he should no longer wear them. Benjamin refused to give them up. Matters became very heated between them, and they started seeing less of each other. I only had Benjamin's view of the dispute, but I think Josiah was stunned by his friend's resistance. Usually Benjamin made no protest over anything Josiah wanted. When Josiah had asked that Benjamin remove his moustache in the beginning of their relationship, his request had been instantly fulfilled.”
Bertie ceased, debating whether he should bluntly state his thoughts. Jeeves had been quite defensive over Bjorn. Deciding to go slowly, he said, “My first opinion of Benjamin wasn't a good one. He thought too often of their love making, and he didn't seem to have any backbone. He just did whatever Josiah wanted. The rift over the boots made me think more highly of him. He could stand firm when he wished to, but by Jove, it sure caused them both heartache.”
Jeeves said, “Please, sir, remember that I do not know how their trouble was resolved.”
Bertie suppressed a smile. That statement was Jeeves' polite way of saying that he should get on with the story. “They parted over it; spoke to each other only when forced to in public to keep up appearances. The rift lasted for three months. Benjamin's birthday was in November and Josiah brought him a gift of a claw-hammer coat. Quite a corker that drapery was. He handed him the gift and left. Benjamin loved the coat instantly, but he loved the note that went with it even more. Josiah had declared that he loved Benjamin and always would. He stated that as he was no longer allowed to keep his friend warm and hold him close, he had sent the coat to do what he could not. He wrote, 'Whenever you wear it remember that my love always holds you close.'
“So Benjamin spoke to Josiah, and they made up. I don't know what happened as far as the boots but...” Bertie sighed. “I suspect Benjamin gave them up. They didn't seem very important to him compared to the coat and the reunion with Josiah, which is understandable.
“They only had one upset after that. At least only one that Benjamin thought important. They fought over Benjamin's Icadilly Weepers.”
“And what are Icadilly Weepers?”
“Long, hanging sideburns.”
The look of anguish on Jeeves' face caused Bertie to quickly say, “I've no desire to adorn the Wooster map with them. Josiah said the name was fitting as they made him weep.”
“I can understand why, sir. Did they separate over them, too?”
“No. They had a huge, heated fight, but Josiah finally told him that he could keep them. They bothered Josiah so much, though, that Benjamin shaved them from his dial. Josiah had to let him keep the cat in return.”
Bertie was silent a moment remembering what he had received from Benjamin. Josiah's dark eyes drenched with sorrow and upset. Benjamin had hated hurting Josiah and had been fearful of a quarrel that might lead to another separation. Yet his pride would not let him simply give in to Josiah. As he had stood, arguing with Josiah, an inner war with his pride was taking place, too. Both battles had been interrupted by the sound of thunder followed by a cat meowing at the door, wanting to be let inside.
Desperate for a solution to their trouble, Josiah had said, “You can keep Lacey and her offspring, if you'll shave those awful things from your face.”
Relieved and happy to see a way out of their struggle, Benjamin had said, “I agree to your terms.”
Jeeves, having waited several minutes for the story to continue asked, “Benjamin wanted a cat?”
Bertie grinned. “Rather. A very due to have kittens soon cat. Benjamin loved animals. He usually had about five dogs and about ten cats. Josiah had this Sleepy Hollow chair that he was fond of, and there was always a cat sleeping in it. He groused quite often about it and agreeing to a cat that was about to become cats was not something he wanted to do.”
Bertie said, “In my dream, I saw them sitting in chairs that had been pulled close together around a hearth. Benjamin had a cat in his lap and a dog at his feet. He had just turned eighty.”
“Then they would have died soon afterwards.”
“I don't know, love, but they were both doing pretty well. I had the impression that they had another fifteen years together.”
“Living into one's nineties is very rare.”
“Rather, but I believe they did. I went to Benjamin to get his memories and I've told you how difficult that was. I don't think I'd know anything else to tell you, if Josiah hadn't started to talk and reminisce over their lives. I'm jolly glad he did because I learned a lot once they started chatting.
“After they had exchanged vows, they went to New York. Benjamin had a fondness for the hot corn that was sold on the streets and...” Bertie halted briefly, recalling the look of desire on Josiah's face as Benjamin had licked butter from his fingers. “Josiah had a love of honey popcorn balls. They had their first ice cream in a parlour there. They went to Niagara Falls.
“They did a lot of things in their over seventy or so years together. They had very full lives. They went on a hot air balloon ride together, enjoyed baseball games and fishing. They played billiards and checkers together. Benjamin liked to go to the circus. Josiah would always go with him and complain about the noise and dirt, but I think he secretly enjoyed it. They both loved to go the theatre; although they liked different plays.
“And that's about all I got before I woke up. Standing in that room with my hand on Benjamin's shoulder, I could feel the love between them. I'm not trying to talk rot here, Jeeves. I mean it. Their love was so strong that it felt tangible.”
Jeeves smiled. “Perhaps one day, one of our future selves will feel the same way about us.”
Moving up to rest on Jeeves' pillow, Bertie said, “I hope so,” before he claimed a kiss.
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Thanks for asking!
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As much as Right Ho, Jeeves caused me distress, I'm aware that things could have been far worse between them. I thought to show that and give Jeeves and Bertie a little warning, too. :)
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