#((Shade has been thrown by Jillian!))

[copaceticjillybean]

"No skin off my nose- can' see myself bein' happy with someone who thinks takin' care of the babies ya make is enough to make someone 'domestic.'" a sip of some coffee, before she feels a sneer work it's way to her face. "Sounds like a deadbeat, to be quite frank."

[cinderella1181]

Battle Cries Chapter 4

TITLE: Battle Cries

CHAPTER NUMBER: Chapter 4 /?

AUTHOR: Cinderella1181

WHICH Henry/CHARACTER: AU Henry Cavill /Juniper Denholm

GENRE: Romance/Comedy

FIC SUMMARY: Henry Cavill is the fourth son of the Lord and Lady of St. Helier. He is also now 37 still living at home and has no plans to move out. His father, recently retired, is forcing Henry to live on his own. Set up nicely, by his parents Henry has to find his place in the world and find real love for the first time with a girl he didn’t necessarily think he would even like.

PREVIOUS: Chapter 3

RATING: M (sex, language)

WARNINGS: Lots of language in this one…. yeah. We also meet Juniper’s nemesis!! ooooooo

AUTHORS NOTES: Keep the feedback coming! I love it! Special thanks to @losille2000​ for being a muse and a beta!

Taglist : @losille2000​ @sobeautifullyobsessed​ @omgkatinka​

Joey looked over at Madeleine, sitting on her half of the bed. She had been so near to him the last few days, non-intrusively, but just there, quietly in the room. He smiled and reached for her hand, taking it up to his lips and kissing the back of it.  She set the book she was reading down and smiled at him. Her hand reached up and touched his face, covering the ugly blue green bruise.  She smiled a little.  “Are you feeling up to rehearsing? I can call everyone else.”

He smiled.  “Yeah, we need to make sure I can sing for Friday. Henry is bringing his mum and sister-in-law to the show.” He grinned again.  “You should invite Juniper.”

She made a purely Scottish sound in the back of her throat.  “And have them get into a row in the middle of a set?”

“He wouldn’t dare. His mum is there and Henry is a mummy’s boy,” Joey said.  “It may be the perfect chance for them to see each other out in a social setting and not have to be exactly thrown into anything together.” He crossed his arms.  “I think it is a fine idea.”

Madeleine looked at him, one eyebrow raised.  “You also thought it was a fine idea to shimmy up a trellis.”

“To be fair that would have worked,” he said, “had I not been as...uh….well…”

“Drunk. You can say the word,” she replied. She shook her head.  “Fine. I will invite her, but if she decks him in the middle of a song, you are handling the fall out of it all.”

“Scouts honor I will.” Joey smiled.  “Now kiss me.”

“Ugh, no,” she said, pulling a face before giggling and leaning in to kiss him.  “You really think they are well suited for each other?”

“My god, yes, trust me. As much as I know Henry, he is perfect for her.” He smiled.  “It’ll be good, I promise.”

######

Friday Night

Henry stood in front of the Queen’s Arms, blowing into his hands waiting for the taxi to drop his family off. He had been in the pub earlier helping the band set up, but now simply was waiting. He watched as a cab stopped in front of him. The door opened and out walked a very unexpected sight.

“Anya! What are you doing here?” he asked. His heart started to pound.  

“Well, Jilly told me you had friends playing here and if I wanted to come she was sure it was fine,” she said quietly.  “She is my best friend, you know.”

Henry looked at her and nodded.  “No, no. I am glad you are here. How have you been?” 

She smiled.  “Good. Working a lot.”  She stepped in closer to him.  “What about you?”

Henry’s mouth worked with no sound coming out for half a second. “I am working, too, just part time really, at the comic book shop around the corner. I just live around the other corner,” he said quietly.  “It’s my friend and, well, boss’ band that we are going to see together… er... Tonight.”

She smiled a little at him.  “I am excited to see them. I am over in Camden, so it’s not too far.”

Henry nodded. He wasn’t sure why after all of this time, he still felt so nervous around her. “Well, I hope you like them.” 

Like an answered prayer, another taxi pulled up. His mother stepped out first, then his sister-in-law. He smiled at them.  “Ladies! You made it!” He moved to hug his mother, pressing his lips close to her ear.  “Help me!” he whispered. 

Marianne smiled.  “Anya, why don’t you and Jillian head in? I am going to have Henry take me over to see Kal for a few minutes. I am missing my big grand baby.” 

“Jillian, there is a spot for us all by the band. Tell someone and they will direct you. They all know me and know you’re coming. You can catch up with Anya.”

They both smiled and waved. Anya hesitated in the door and looked at him before heading in. He wrapped his arm around his mother.  “Thank you, really... I just need a few moments.” 

She nodded.  “I didn’t know she was coming until we were on our way here. I had no way to let you know. I am sorry, son,” she said quietly. “Want to walk me over to see the boy?”

He nodded. “Yeah, come on. It’ll give me a few moments away to get centered to see her again.” He smiled.  “And Kal will be happy to see you. He sat at the door and whined for almost an hour on Wednesday waiting for you to come back.”

###

Juniper walked into the pub and let her eyes adjust to the light. She could see the group of friends in the corner, with Henry in the center. He had a beer in his hand and a genuine smile on his face. 

She felt something jump in her stomach. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling that way.  She certainly was not going to admit to Madeleine that he had been the center of her thought pattern for the biggest part of the week. 

There was something about him though, smiling with his whole being that made her smile. She took her coat off and handed it over to be hung up in the coat check. She headed into where the friends of the band were settled. She smiled a little and waved at the band as they were playing. 

Just as she was going to say hello to Henry, a beautiful exotic dark haired woman wrapped her arm around him and looked up at him. Henry returned the gaze a second, and then she reached her small hand up to his face, pulling him down into a kiss. 

Juniper felt like she had been punched in the gut. She didn’t know why, she wasn’t even sure she had the right to feel like that, but she did. She stood motionless for a second and then went over to the side of the stage where Madeleine stood. She took a deep breath.

“Hello,” she said. 

“Juniper! You’re here!” Henry said. 

“I am. Madeline is my best friend. I do occasionally enjoy seeing her,” she said. 

“I know, you’re just… never here this late. They are already in the second set,” Henry replied. 

“Oh, I was unaware that you got every set after the first, exclusively.” She raised her eyebrow.  “Shame, if I had known.”

“Juniper, that’s not what I meant,” Henry said. 

“It’s fine… I’m here now, am I allowed to stay?” she asked, her eyes piercing him. 

He sighed and rolled his eyes.  “Yes, fine. Juniper, this is my mother, my sister-in-law and my… um…”

“Anya. My name is Anya and I am his friend.” She smiled.  “We have heard so much about you already.”

“Oh, really?” Juniper said.  “All bad, I’m sure.” 

Henry frowned.  “Not all of it. I did tell them about how you drove all four adults in one toy car to the A&E,” he replied. 

“And not the part where I walked in on you almost completely naked?” Juniper replied.  “I would have thought that single tiny, small detail would have been one you wouldn’t have left out.” Henry’s face turned a shade of red that she wasn’t sure she had ever seen on a person. “Most men would want to defend that ‘detail’.”

Anya looked at her, her eyebrow raised. “I never found that detail small anytime I ever saw it. But if you weren’t up close and personal with it, well, I guess it could look small at a distance.”

Henry gritted his teeth.  “Can we please stop talking about my ‘details’ in front of my mother?”

Marianne laughed. “You do know I was the first person to see it?” 

Anya laughed, and even Juniper couldn’t help but give a little giggle.  

“I mean, it’s been years since I have seen it… but I was, at one time, pretty acquainted with it.”

“Oh, look, Joey needs me,” Henry said, moving away from the group of women, all of whom looked after him and laughed.  He went over to his friend.  “Save me!”

Joey turned and looked back at the group that Madeliene was now joining.  “Why? It looks like they are having a good time.”

“At my expense!” Henry hissed.  “They are talking about Horatio. I think there is one… no, two women over there who have not seen him.”

Joey’s face changed in a few different ways and then the realization came on.  “Just one, if you were counting Madeleine. You may or may not have walked around our flat nude and drunk once.”

“Fuck,” Henry said.  “This is the last time I come to the pub. First the ex from... Well… let’s just say that was heart break on my part, but fuck… fuck…” He ran his hand over his face.  “This is just absolute hell.”

“Honestly, it can’t be all that bad,” Joey said. They stood together and looked over at all of the women at the table, who were in turn looking in their direction and laughing. “Wait, I take this back. This can be bad.” 

“Fuck,” Henry replied.