Jacob opened the car door and offered his hand to help Fortitude out. She tentatively placed her hand in his and swung her legs out of the car, but didn’t stand up. She sat on the edge of the seat, staring up at the huge mansion and its majestic surroundings.
"Do you remember this house?" he asked her softly.
She glanced at him, then back at the house. "I . . . think so . . ."
Jacob knitted his brow for only a moment, then smiled warmly at her and gently tugged at her hand. "Don’t worry," he said, "You’ll remember everything soon enough. Come inside– everyone is eager to see you."
Fortitude nodded and stepped out of the car. Jacob smoothed down the back of her skirt and arranged a lock of her wavy, gray-blonde hair so that it fell neatly in front of her shoulder. She was lovely, if a little delicate-looking. Average height and slender, with good posture and graceful arms. Thick waves of dusty, ash-blonde hair framed her heart-shaped face and fell heavily down her back. Her complexion was pale, but with olive undertones, and her small, pouty mouth was colorless and blended in with the rest of her pallid features. She would be considered plain, if not for her large, round, heavily-lidded eyes– dark green, with little gold flecks around the pupil. Last time she had been a robust Armenian with dark curls and dimples. This incarnation looked completely different, but it was still her. She will look amazing in dark green now, he thought to himself as he placed a gentle hand on the small of her back and led her to the front door.
When they reached it, the door flung open and a petite, muscular woman with spiky tomato-red hair and impossibly green eyes grabbed Fortitude by the arm and yanked her over the threshold. "Fucking cold outside," the woman grunted. "Get your asses in the house."
Jacob smiled. "Hespah, I almost didn’t recognize you with that face."
Hespah scowled at him, then turned her attention back to Fortitude. "You hungry?"
Fortitude stared hard at Hespah, obviously trying to place her.
"You won’t recognize her by sight," Jacob told her, "She’s had some work done since you last saw her, but this is Hespah."
Fortitude looked back at Jacob.
"Do you remember Hespah?"
". . . maybe . . ."
Hespah frowned at Fortitude, then glanced at Jacob. Then she shrugged. "Give it a couple days."
"That’s right," Jacob nodded, "Don’t worry, everything will come back to you soon enough." He took off Fortitude’s coat, then placed a hand on her shoulder. "You go with Hespah and get something to eat. I’ll go get our things settled."
He trotted back out to the car and helped the driver pull the luggage out of the trunk. Hefting one Luis Vuitton suitcase in each hand, he marched back into the house and mounted the nearest staircase.
Fortitude’s rooms were a little different from the way they’d been the last time she’d occupied them, but Jacob had done his best to keep her favorite things intact during the remodeling. The bathrooms had been upgraded and they had added a new walk-in closet at Jacob’s behest. The floors had been replaced, the linens were all new, and there was a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Everything else had merely been polished and maintained, waiting for her return. Jacob placed the luggage on the floor in front of the 16th century teak armoire and glanced around, making sure that everything was perfect. She’ll settle more easily once she’s back in her old rooms, he told himself.
His own bags could wait. Jacob left Fortitude’s suite and tapped on the door across from it. Hearing a muffled response, he opened the door and poked his head in.
"Jacob," Karl called, "Finally. Get over here."
He moved to seat himself on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better. I’m still using a support when I walk, and the doctor says I still need lots of rest, but I should be back to normal in a week or two."
Jacob felt his face heat up. "I’m going to kill him for this," he muttered. "You weren’t his target; he had no reason to do this to you."
Karl chuckled softly. "Well, I was shooting at him at the time."
"Even so . . ." Jacob smiled and smoothed down Karl’s messy hair. Karl hadn’t shaved in a while and his body had gotten thinner since Jacob had left, and his beautiful blue-gray eyes had puffy little bags under them. But he still looked great, somehow. "I’m glad you’re alright."
"And you . . . I’m glad you’re back. Fortitude has finally awakened? What took so long? When you left, you said you already felt it coming. I was expecting you back in a few weeks, but it’s been what . . . eight months?"
Jacob glanced at the door. "This awakening has been progressing a little more slowly than I expected. She still hasn’t quite gotten all of her memories back yet. But being back in this house with everyone should help speed up the process."
Karl nodded. "Where is she now?"
"Hespah dragged her off to raid the kitchen."
Karl laughed. Jacob had missed Karl’s laugh. It just wasn’t the same, hearing it over the phone. After a moment, he groaned and pressed a hand to his stomach. "Still hurts a little when I laugh," he explained.
Jacob looked away and sighed. "I wish I’d been here."
Karl shrugged. "You were with Fortitude. That’s more important."
Jacob nodded. "I’d better get back to her."
"Yeah. We can’t let Hespah corrupt her too much."
Jacob chuckled and stood up. As he was turning toward the door, he felt Karl’s warm hand close around his wrist and he glanced back at him over his shoulder.
"Jacob . . ." Karl’s pale blue-gray eyes caught him with a look that nearly made him forget where he was going. "You were gone too long."
Jacob grinned. "I know," he said, and he turned away to go find Fortitude.
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