#JarethRousseau

[gingerbeardmansim]

“Hey there, are you okay ?”

“I turned around and standing there, was one of the most beautiful men I had ever met, Certainly the best looking that had ever been in this town. His voice was just as beautiful, and again not from Brindleton. His accent was strong, but I could not make out from where he got it.

PIERCE- "Hello...uh yes, I am fine. Thank you.”

JARETH- “Sorry I just saw you standing there and thought, well no worries, if you are okay. I am Jareth Rousseau, I just moved here from Europe.”

PIERCE- “Jareth Rousseau? You are the one that moved into that house?”

JARETH- “If you are referring to the one out by the bay, the  Reflet Troublé, yes. It was my grandfather’s home. When he left for Europe back fifty or sixty years ago, he sealed it up, planning on returning, but he died in Paris and never returned. It was left in the family and when my father died last year it then fell to me. So, are you sure you are okay?”

PIERCE- “Yes, I am fine. Really, I am. So you are the grandson of Jareth Rousseau, how ironic.”

JARETH- “Ironic, how is that?”

PIERCE- “My grandmother was Isla Delgato, she worked as the housekeeper there for your Grandfather.”

JARETH- “Ironic indeed! I read of your grandmother in my grandfather’s diaries. So you are a Delgato, then?”

PIERCE- “Yes, Pierce Delgato. My father, died a few years ago, and his mother, my Grandmother died when I was about ten.”

JARETH- “I see. So we are sort of related in a way. My grandfather was quite fond of Isla Delgato. So what are you doing out here, Pierce Delgato this early in the morning?”

PIERCE- “Was at the Wharf most of the night and was going home, and thought I would watch the sun come up over the bay.”

JARETH- “I could walk you home, if you live close to here. I would love to know more about your family, especially your grandmother. We could talk and walk, no?”

PIERCE- “Sure, I suppose, I just live up near the main road, next to the coffee shop.”

“With that, this beautiful stranger walked with me up the pier and the docks to my apartment. We never really talked much about my grandmother though. He asked me about myself. I found it very odd that I talked so freely to him. About it being my birthday, and how Christopher had cheated on me, and how I so desperately wanted something different for my life. We finally got to my apartment and we continued to talk on the stoop.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

“So after a few days of thinking about it, I told Jareth I would take on the position of caretaker, if I could still work part time with the paper. He said that would be fine. However, i told him I wasn’t ready to move in, I wanted to make sure this was going to work out before I gave up my apartment. “

“Some of my duties were to keep this place clean, which was fine, but I didn’t understand why William, Jareth’s driver, didn’t clean up after himself, like Jareth did. He never let dirty dishes sit out for me to pick up.”

“About three weeks after I started working at the house,, lo and behold Christopher showed up. I thought he got the message when I threw him out, but apparently his new “boyfriend” was already tired of his antics.”

JARETH- “What the hell is HE doing here!?”

[gingerbeardmansim]

JARETH- “Well, Pierce Delgato, it was a pleasure meeting you. But I should head back to the bay. I have a lot of work to do out at the old house. I have decorators coming today. That home has all the furnishings from all those years ago. I think it needs an update.”

PIERCE- “Yes, I could imagine. I would invite you in for coffee, but I am not sure if Christopher packed and left or not. So it ---”

JARETH- “Oh I was not expecting an invitation, at least not yet (he smiled) , it is fine. How about we meet for diner tonight? My treat. Maybe then we can discuss what happened to your grandmother after my grandfather left for Europe.”

PIERCE- “Oh, okay. That would be nice. Thank you.”

JARETH- “Very well then, I can pick you up here about 6:30 then?”

PIERCE- “That would be fine. Again, thank you.

I turned to go and I felt his eyes watching me as I entered the apartment. I dare not turn back around, but I just knew he was watching me.

[gingerbeardmansim]

PIERCE- “Lady, I am not sure what your game is, but you are telling me that Jareth and his sister are vampires, and you are a witch, trying to “cure” them but you accidentally killed her and now Jareth is going to kill you? If all that is true, why did you come here looking for him!? I mean If I were you I would get as far away from him as possible!”

KARINA- “He will find me, regardless. You think I am crazy don’t you?”

PIERCE- “Certifiably.”

KARINA- “What if I told you he killed your friend, Christopher?”

PIERCE- “LADY, you ARE fucking crazy. Jareth was not even in the country when Christopher had his accident. I think you need to go, NOW!”

“I did not notice, but Jareth was there, in the garden, How did he???”

JARETH- “SHE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE!”

[gingerbeardmansim]

“It was as if I was dreaming, but I was watching things from out of my body! I couldn’t quite understand what was happening in this dream, or who the strange man that was there. But it seemed so real. But it couldn’t be. I had to be dreaming. Then I felt a warm sensation and I was lying in a bed. But I couldn’t awaken.

“The next morning I did finally awake from the strange dream that I had, and I was startled to find out I was not at home, and Jareth was standing there in a robe, turned away from me as I jumped out of the bed. How did I get naked??”

JARETH- “There are some clothes there next to the bed in that dresser,”

PIERCE- “What happened, how did I get here, and why am I naked!?”

JARETH- “You passed out last night at the end of the drive, then you became sick and your clothes were...well you got sick on yourself. I brought you up here and got the soiled clothes off and laundered them and put you to bed, so you could rest. Please put the pajama bottoms on there in the top drawer and we can talk.”

PIERCE- “I just need to get home, Jareth!”

JARETH- “Please put something on and we can get you home. I am sorry, I didn’t know what to do. You would not come to, you just fell asleep and I had to carry you up here to the guest room.”

“I pulled the top drawer open and found some night clothes and covered myself.”

PIERCE- “Now, can you just tell me what the fuck happened last night!?I had a disturbing dream and I am beginning to think it may not have been a dream”

[gingerbeardmansim]

“He had his driver take us to his family home. It looked ominous in the twilight and magical even. He was quiet most of the way back from the restaurant, I on the other hand was a bit talkative. Wine does that to me. I think maybe I had a little much. We got out of the car and he led me into the house, to what he called the parlor.”

(the home,  Reflet Troublé is another amazing creation by @simsontherope​ )

“But when we go inside and settled, it was Jareth that did all the talking...”

JARETH- “So my Grandfather built this home when he first arrived in Brindleton, well he had it built I should say. The land was in the family for years, but it seems the Rousseau’s have a tendency to be wanderers, and they never settled any place long it seems. My Grandfather’s Grandfather, who was also Jareth Rousseau was a Baron and he came here in the Summer months as he loved the bay. There was an old cabin here then that he would stay at...

“After a while I felt my mind loosing interest and began taking in the surroundings.  I heard his voice, but not really what he was saying. I was curious about those family secrets. Maybe he was getting to that.”

JARETH- “So that is the history of our family in a nutshell. Sorry I was going on and on. I lost you a while back didn’t I?”

PIERCE- “Oh no it is fascinating.” (I lied)

JARETH- “No you are lying. But, that is the boring stuff, I understand. You want the secrets, don’t you?”

PIERCE- “Well,,,”

JARETH- “My Great Grandfather, the very first Jareth, the Baron I spoke of earlier. Baron Jareth Rousseau, he left Brindleton under strange circumstances. It is why he never built a house here. It wasn’t until my grandfather inherited the property that he decided he was going to build the house. But, anyway. Baron Rousseau killed a man. It was an accident the family says, but the old town records say otherwise. But they never found the man’s body. Some say he was thrown from the Lighthouse into the sea, others say he is buried here, under this house. But the family always said that he did indeed die, but was turned into a vampire and left with my Great Grandfather back to France.”

PIERCE- “A WHAT!?”

JARETH- “A vampire. Yes, I know, silly, but many in the family believed that. Not only that, but they believed the Baron was a vampire as well and was actually the one that created him.” 

PIERCE- “You are kidding right? They really believed that?”

JARETH- “Most definitely they believed it. Even my father believed.  My Grandfather also believed and swore that he too would be cursed, and that was the reason he left and went back to France. My father left me this house when he died, but his wish was for me to destroy it, Or at best sell it to some unassuming buyer. But, that is not my intention. I want to restore it. But, I need someone here while I take care of things back in France. So I was thinking that maybe you could come on here as the caretaker.”

“I wasn’t sure what he meant by caretaker, but I also didn’t know him all that well, and he certainly didn’t know me either.”

JARETH- “I understand you may be a little apprehensive, but with your grandmother’s history here, I thought maybe it would interest you.”

“I just sat there, wondering why he would want me to be a caretaker, and would he want me to live here? I am not sure that would be very convenient for me at all. But then again, I could work from her just as well as I could from my apartment.”

JARETH- “You could live here and I would pay you quite handsomely, Pierce.”

PIERCE- “I will need to think about all of that. But for now, I need to probably get home.”

JARETH- “I will have my driver take you,:

[gingerbeardmansim]

“As promised, Jareth was at my home at 6:30 and we travelled north near the city limits and stopped at Dana’s. Dana’s was a fine dining establishment, that our family had never been able to afford to patronize and honestly I was a little overwhelmed when we stepped inside.”

HOST- “Welcome, Mr. Rousseau, your normal table, sir?”

Jareth looked over to me--

JARETH- “Pierce, would you prefer a window table?”

PIERCE- “Any table would be fine.”

JARETH- “Johnson, my regular table would be fine.”

“He had a regular table here? And they knew him by name? He had only been in Brindleton a little over two months. He certainly already had made an impression, at least here. So much for the rumors of him never leaving his house. Apparently he ate here quite often it seemed.”

JARETH- “Choose whatever you like, Pierce. If you are not sure I can recommend some of their best dishes.”

“As I looked over the menu, I had no idea what I would want, and the prices of the entrees were more than I made with my hourly wage at the paper.”

PIERCE- “I really have no idea, You can order whatever you are going to have.”

JARETH- “Very well, I will call over the server then, as I am sure you are famished.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

“He walked me out to the front as we waited for his driver to pull the car around. He was pushing really hard for me to move in and be the caretaker, and then he said something that I certainly was not expecting.”

JARETH- “Pierce, I know we have only just met, but I am very fond of you. I honestly do not think I have felt this way about someone before. You are quite charming. May I hug you?”

“As I went in for a hug, I felt a very strange sense of completeness, like it was meant to be. Like we were somehow connected. I turned and went to the end of the lane to wait for his driver, and again I felt him watching me.”

“Then suddenly I became very dizzy, and disoriented. Was it the wine? Surely time had passed enough that I would not still be having effects from it But soon everything became a blur and I don’t remember anything else from that point on.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

“About a month later, the police determined that is was an accident and that Christopher must have drowned. His family had him buried here in Brindleton and the day of the services I hung around at his grave. I was so angry that he had betrayed me, and that anger needed resolved, so I stood there at his grave and apologized. It was silly I suppose, but I felt I needed to do it.”

PIERCE-  “Jareth? What are you doing here?”

JARETH- “I was concerned about you, Pierce. You had not been to the house in a few days and I was just worried. I knew you would be here today and thought I would come and check on you. You shouldn’t feel guilty about anything, you know that right?”

PIERCE- “I know, it’s just the last time we spoke it was a heated argument and I just thought maybe if I apologized here, he would know.”

JARETH- “I am sure he knows, Pierce. You are a good person and he should have not demanded those things from you----”

PIERCE- “How do you know that? I didn’t tell you about the argument. You were in France that day when he came over.”

JARETH- “I didn’t know for sure, but you just said you had and argument, I can imagine he was making demands of you.”

PIERCE- “Yeah, kind of. Thanks for your concern Jareth, I appreciate it. I will be at the house tomorrow. Once I get back to work maybe it will keep my mind off of it.”

JARETH- “Yes, I am sure that will help. So have you decided if your are going to move in. I really do need you there. I will be traveling again soon and---”

PIERCE- “Yes, yes, I am going to move in. I can not stay at the apartment now. Too many memories there of him. I mean we didn’t have the best relationship, but we did have some good times.”

JARETH- “Sure. I understand. Whenever you are ready let me know. William can help you get things moved.”

“I decided to move the end of the week. I needed a change of scenery and this would be exactly what I needed. I felt safe with Jareth. I knew he would help me through this.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

CHRISTOPHER- “Who are...”

JARETH- “I am your worst enemy, Christopher.”

CHRISTOPHER- “How do you know my name? Are you making me feel this way?”

JARETH- “You won’t be feeling much of anything soon.”

He fell to the ground, lifeless.

JARETH- “What happened? I only drained his life spirit, I didn’t even drink!”

DEATH- “What do you think it means when you drain someone’s life spirit, Jareth. I mean for watcher’s sake, haven’t you been a vampire now well over a hundred years. Have not learnt how to use that power yet??”

JARETH- “Apparently not. Just take care of this body, will you?”

DEATH- “As you wish.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

PIERCE- “Christopher, what the hell are you doing here, I am working!”

CHRISTOPHER- “Working? Really it looks like you are shacking up with some old rich man you do not even know. I want the apartment if you are going to be living here. I talked to your mother and she said you moved in here.”

PIERCE- Number one I am NOT living here and no, you can not have the apartment. You never even paid for rent when you were living there.”

CHRISTOPHER- “That is not true! I did pay the deposit when we moved in, so I have every right to live there if you are not going to be using the place.

PIERCE- “That was four years ago, Christopher! And since then you have not paid one damn dime!! Like I said I am NOT living here.”

CHRISTOPHER- “Fine then I will have my attorney.....

JARETH- “I think I need to take care of this little issue, it seems.”

PIERCE- “What a joke, Christopher!!  You are not on the lease, and you never paid rent, and it is not like I was stupid enough to marry you so you have no legal standing to do anything, so leave.”

CHRISTOPHER- “We will see about that! I am going... 

PIERCE- “What, what are you going to do?”

“Suddenly, he just turns around and heads back towards the drive to his car.”

PIERCE- “What are you doing? Where are you going?”

CHRISTOPHER- “You are right. I have no legal grounds to do anything I am leaving. You have a great life. Plus you are making me nauseous.”

“That was extremely odd. Bizarre really. In all the years I have known him Christopher never backed down from an argument.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

“As per usual, the Wharf did not meet my expectations. It was dawn when I finally went out to the docks. Nothing in this town met my expectations anymore. Not since father died. Mother lost the home I grew up in, I had to leave Britechester and finish school here at Brindleton Community College, Jobs were scarce here, so I went to San Myshuno, only to find nothing, except for Christopher and I returned here. Now working at the Brindelton Gazette, I was writing 2nd page bylines and obituaries. (thanks to @thegaybachelorsims​ for the Wharf)

I was 25, single now it seems, in a job I hate, in a town I have grown to despise. Not to mention a felling of self-loathing that truly was not merited. Than night I promised myself that things were going to change. For the better.”

That is when I heard a rather comforting voice behind me...

“Hey there, are you okay ?”

[gingerbeardmansim]

“The server brought dinner, and I sat there for a minute, pondering my thoughts, I wanted to ask Jareth if he thought our grandparents were romantically involved, but how do you do that, without it seeming awkward. Not to mention, I was actually eating alone. Even more awkwardness.”

JARETH- “Go ahead, Pierce, dig in, I know you are going to love it. It is by far their best entrée. And the wine...magnificent!”

PIERCE- “Sure, of course, I just have a question, and I do not want to sound you know weird.”

“He took a sip of his wine, and made a strange face and then responded.”

JARETH- “Weird? The only thing that is weird is this wine, it seems a bit bitter. But, please do ask. I am an open book.”

PIERCE- “Well, it’s not about you but our grandparents. Do you think they were romantically involved with one another. You said he kept a journal, was there any indication that they could have been lovers?”

JARETH- “Lovers?! Oh no Grandfather, I think may have been infatuated with Isla, yes, but lovers, no. She was newly married and he would have never step over that line. But, I do think there was a mutual admiration for one another, but nothing romantic.”

PIERCE- “So why did he send her money after he left for Europe?”

JARETH- “My Grandfather was very loyal, and I would say your grandmother was also very loyal to him, hence why he felt it necessary to help her out monetarily.”

PIERCE- “Loyal, How, I mean how was she loyal to him after he had left?”

[gingerbeardmansim]

JARETH- “So this dream that you think wasn’t really a dream, what do you remember of it?”

PIERCE- “It is all kind of foggy really, but I felt dizzy and then disoriented and you brought me back in the house and hugged me and I think was kissing my neck. The next thing I was lying naked in this bed and you were watching me and I tried to move but I couldn’t. I felt extremely weak, actually still do.”

JARETH- “My that is quite a dream. But, it was just that, a dream. I am quite taken by you and find you almost intoxicating, but I would never take advantage of you in a drunken state. I think maybe you just had too much wine at dinner and it got the best of you, Pierce. As far as your dream, maybe, just maybe you are attracted to me as much as I am to you?”

“I looked him in the eyes, and just sat there for a moment. He was extremely handsome. I will give him that. And very nice and all, but was I attracted to him? I just met him. Is Mario right? Do I get caught up too quick?”“

JARETH- “Well, I will take your lack of a response as no, but that is okay. The job offer is still the same. I do hope you think about it, Pierce. Let me know in a couple days as I will be leaving for Paris the end of next week.”

PIERCE- “Yes, I will think about the job offer, and I am not sure how to respond t the other question. I do feel something, but I need to figure that out too.”

JARETH- “Fair enough. I hope to talk to you soon. Your clothes are clean now and in the bathroom. Go ahead and get dressed and William can drive you home, or wherever you would like to go.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

JARETH- “Your grandmother never spoke of my grandfather?”

PIERCE- “She mentioned him, yes, but she never expounded on that part of her life. She focused on my dad, and then my sister and I when we came around I suppose.”

JARETH- “Well, let’s just say that my grandfather did not have many friends here in Brindleton Bay. He also had a lot of secrets, and he confided in your grandmother. He looked to her as a true friend. Now eat your dinner, before it gets cold, I will order more wine.”

SERVER- “More wine Mr. Rousseau?”

“It was as though the server read Jareth’s mind he was there as soon as he said he would order more wine. They must really watch him closely. He probably ti[s them extremely well.”

JARETH- “Yes, please. My friend here may also want dessert.”

PIERCE- “No, I am good thank you. No dessert for me. So secrets? Those must have been some pretty deep secrets that he would pay my grandmother off?”

JARETH- “I wouldn’t say he was paying her off, more than helping her out. But, his secret were pretty deep in the closet, so to speak. Family secrets really. But as far as I am concerned those things were buried in the crypt with him, and my father never spoke of them either. So, Pierce, you have any secrets?”

PIERCE- “No not really. I kept my sexuality a secret until I became a teenager, but no, no secrets here. And certainly none that are family secrets. “

JARETH- “How about we go to my place for a nightcap, Pierce Delgato? We can continue talking about family and secrets.”

PIERCE- “Like I said, I really have no secrets, but if you want to share your family secrets, I could go for a nightcap.”

[gingerbeardmansim]

Earlier that day...

CLAIRE- “JARETH!!?? Is that you?

JARETH- “Well, Claire, fancy meeting you here, I thought you were still in Germany. Who is she?”

CLAIRE- I left Germany ions ago, but then you wouldn’t know that because you left me back there.”

JARETH- “I think your words were “get the hell out of my life” So I just did what you said. Seriously, who is she.  Is she....?”

CLAIRE- “That is Karina, my wife and no she isn’t. I wouldn’t be that stupid.”

JARETH- “She isn’t huh? I certainly feel a certain aura about her. She is a witch isn’t she?”

KARINA- “Come, sit with us, I will tell you what you want to know.”

JARETH- “I think I will pass...  You married a witch? Really Claire?”

CLAIRE- “Please come and sit, just a minute or so, you owe me that much Jareth. I am your sister.”