Tarnished Heroes Chapter Six My heater's broke and I'm so tired Twenty minutes later a shaken Calla Jackson was dressed and making her way, not to her class but back to her car. She sat in the driver’s seat and fumbled with the glove box until it opened. Inside she kept three small items nearby at all times; a miniature flask with Jack & Danny in it, a small metal pipe that she used as a bowl, and a few grams of pot. Old habits never really died they just faded away until they were needed and called out of hiding. Calla liked her secret stash and kept it full and ready at all time after all it was safe enough Daniel never drove her car. Before she stumbled out of the driver’s seat and toward her evening class, all three were empty. Well, if nothing else, it was over and she wouldn’t ever have to do that again. Yes. Right. Calla drew in a sniffling breath and straightened herself out before coming into class fifteen minutes late. “Good evening everyone, sorry I’m late.” She said in as cheery a voice as she could and put her briefcase down by her desk. “Let’s get started.” The class passed by without any incident to speak of. The class was made up of older adults and while they needed a bit of validation, they didn’t seem to need as much instruction as the younger students did. She wandered around observing students and their interpretations of the stained glass window they were being asked to paint. For most of the class however, she sat sullenly behind her desk. All of the students probably thought that really was nothing but plain coffee in the Dunkin’ Donuts travel mug. Surely, no one suspected she’d dumped Jack & Danny into the cup. No, not Professor Jackson she was always sweet, polite, and willing to help she’d never be suspected of being drunk on the job. Moreover, in truth, this was her very first offense on that particular charge. Sitting there staring blankly at the older people moving their brushes over their canvases, the dark of her mind light up with the flash of a hundred lights. Yeah, back there somewhere with the flashing lights and electrical whir of an automatic advance a set of hard dark hands were still touching her. She could still feel the hardness of Antwone’s cock pressing against her. Tom had him pose behind her with him standing and her back pressed against him, then he had her bend deep at the waist while Antwone still stood behind her. The lights flashed and Antwone hovered over her, his hard body pushed tight against hers. His dark head between her white thighs. He’d been hard the entire time, his breathing deeper and deeper against her ear. While he was posing between her thighs, just for a brief second, the tip of his tongue lashed out and took in a good taste. Antwone deeply apologized for the last before they left but he just ‘had to know’. Other than that small indiscretion, Antwone hadn’t done anything wrong or improper and neither had Tom. The session went just as he’d hoped and maybe even better, by the time she and Antwone left Tom was happily sprinting toward the darkroom in the back of the classroom with seven and ¾ rolls of exposed film in hand. This too will pass. Calla raised the coffee flavored Jack & Danny to her lips. Gods, it was awful! Who would ever mix coffee and JD? Her lips pursed and she almost cringed as she took down the last of the liquid in the brown travel mug. She’d dumped the cold coffee out of the cup but still it lingered and it was making her stomach turn but it was getting the job done. Over the next few days, she’d be a little tipsy and a little stoned, a little out of it, a little spacey. She’d start painting the images out of her head and a few days later, she’d be right as rain again. This was just a minor set back, a small bump in the road and nothing to worry Daniel with. No, not at all. Daniel wouldn’t notice that she was slightly inebriated over the next few days no of course he wouldn’t. He was going to have his nose buried in that tablet until he solved the riddle and on of the off moments he poked his head out of the sand, well, she just wouldn’t let him see that’s all just like Before. Looking up she noticed it was just a little after eleven. She tried to say something and realized she had to clear the alcohol out of her throat first. “Hum,” she made a guttural sound and began to talk. “It’s time to clean up. Remember we don’t have class next week, I’m taking the honors class to New York City so I’ll see you all again in two weeks.” At this point Calla usually got up and made another pass around the classroom to see the progress her students made but her legs didn’t really want to oblige her on that one and so she just remained seated. “Take your paintings with you and work them when you can if you like. If you need them there are photographs of the window on the table by the door, feel free to take one with you.” The class began to clean up their workstations and shuffle out of the room for the night. Unlike the younger kids, the older students did a fine job of cleaning up after themselves and she didn’t have to go around the room after them. Calla fished a packet of breath mints out of her purse and chomped down two to clear the JD from her breath before she got home. “Hey, Cal.” Tom said with a bright smile as he popped his head in her door. “I got all but the photos of you and Antwone developed, haven’t finished processing them yet, but you wanna see? I think you’re gonna be impressed. You look Mah-velous!” “No.” She shook her head. “Thank you anyway. If you’re happy with them then that’s fine with me.” “Maybe later?” He asked hopefully and walked through the door. “I know that was a little rough and I’m sorry, Cal, really I am.” Tom said with earnest eyes. “I shouldn’t have sprung him on you like that….” “No you shouldn’t have….” “I just thought with those guys in your paintings……” “That’s the problem, you didn’t think at all.” Calla shot coldly. OK, so maybe he didn’t think. Maybe the men in the paintings were people she’d known but, nah; Tom dismissed the idea out of hand. They were probably just images from her own warped head. “Look, all right, you’re sore, I understand. I am sorry, Calla.” His tone became more and more apologetic as he went. “When I’ve made my selections I’ll send ‘em by the house, ok?” “Don’t you dare!” Calla rose to her feet unsteadily. “Why n….Aw, shit!” Tom exclaimed. “You didn’t tell Daniel did you? Calla, what the hell is wrong with you? If I win he’s going to see them.” “No, he isn’t.” “Yes, he is. The winning photograph is published in several major magazines around the world. Not to mention the contract offer for 100,000 prints that’ll be sold in malls over the place, on calendars, posters, even those throwaway paper pictures that come in new frames. Calla, eventually Daniel is going to see it. What are you gonna tell him?” “That it’s not me.” “Get real!” Tom exclaimed and rose to his feet. “He’s your husband I think he’ll recognize you even if he can’t see your face. You had better tell him before he sees them, especially if you think he’s not gonna understand. Which, ya know, I personally don’t get, he seems like a pretty open minded guy to me.” “You got what you wanted don’t tell me what to do afterward.” With a light and fuzzy head, she bent over and picked up the purse and briefcase at her feet. A hot rush of color came into her face as she plopped the items down on the desk. “I hope you win, Tom. I really do, you’re very talented and up until a few hours ago, I liked you very much. I don’t want my husband to see those photographs.” She pointed toward the door rather than asking him to leave. Tom didn’t give her a hassle he just got up and walked out muttering something under his breath. Calla had a few things to take care of before finding her way back to her little red Integra. Her sense of smell was not as keen as her Father’s but she thought, between the pot, alcohol, class and Antwone, she probably didn’t smell like herself. Walking over to one of the student’s easels she dipped her fingers in the paint thinner and then rubbed it between her hands quickly she ran her damp palms lightly over her head and down her clothing to get the strong scent on her. That done she dipped her fingers into the paints and then used a dirty cloth to wipe it off. When she got home, he would expect her to smell like oil paint and thinner, not like Jack & Danny or anything else. He would also expect she would have an amount of paint on her from class. With a heavy sigh and one last look at her classroom then closed and locked the door before making her way to the car. There was no moon tonight and it was pitch dark as she wandered across the campus in search of her vehicle. Here and there along the paved path were lamp posts but the paved path took long and Calla opted for the short cut across the field same as she’d hurried along earlier in the evening with Tom Dyer. A sudden harsh cramp in her stomach caused her to drop her bag and briefcase. Before she knew it, Calla was on her knees heaving her stomach contents into the bushes. Her head spun and her stomach knotted and released with the force of Old Faithful, everything she’d eaten today—which wasn’t that much—went flying out into the grass and juniper bushes while she held her stomach with one hand and her hair back with the other. All she wanted to do was find a comfortable place in the soft dewy grass and fall asleep but she had to get up and go home. She sat there for a while and waited to see if any more protestations were coming her way, her stomach still bubbled but her head was slowing down and beginning to pound with a dull ache. I guess I had a little too much. With much difficulty, Calla brought her belonging to her and dragged herself to her feet. In a few moments, after the world stop spinning as she stood up, she began to make her way to the car once more. It was so terribly dark tonight and a light breeze was picking up it helped to raise her out of her stupor a little ways. Weaving her way across the quad, she thought she sensed the presence of someone else she stopped in her drunken tracks and listened for footsteps that appeared to cease with her own. Callas’ heart was beating swiftly and everything in her said someone was about. She quickened her pace to the car. Drunk or not it was always better to be safe than sorry. As the little red sports car that Nicholas kept working on so she could keep driving it came into her view her pace slowed down to a more normal one and so did her heart. Perhaps it was just the sight of something familiar that made her feel better in that moment. Just my own guilty conscious there’s no one there. Calla chided herself as she walked along fishing her keys out of her handbag. Keys in hand and four yards left to the driver’s side door, standing on solid pavement, somewhere behind her a twig snapped and she stopped again and turned around. “Hello,” Calla called out. “Is someone there?” But to her query, there was no answer, not even the sound of a snapping twig. Probably just a squirrel or something. Calla slid the key into the locked, dumped her belonging on the passenger’s side and got in behind the wheel. Turning the key the car did not want to start right away but that was nothing new. While newer than Nicholas’ Mustang, it was still nearing its 20th birthday and, overall, was ready to give up its metal ghost. She loved the sporty little car and wasn’t ready to let it go no matter how many times Daniel told her they would buy a new car…any damn one she wanted. Stomping her foot down on the gas pedal and giving the ignition a hard crank it engine turned over. Pulling the seat belt across her body with one hand, she flicked the headlights on with the other. Just for an instant, she thought she saw someone standing in the bushes. Clicking the belt into place and using the automatic lock first, she put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot. Shouldn’t drink and drive, her mind scolded her in Daniel’s voice as she turned onto the main road. “Yes, I know.” She mumbled to no one. “Christ I’m hearing things and seeing them as well,” she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, “And now I’m talking to myself, yes that’s good.” Calla shook her head and gave out a little cackle. “I’ll just be extra careful all the way home.” The taste of recycled Jack & Danny in her mouth mixed with the coffee and bile from her stomach was making her sick all over again. Her stomach heaved and turned. Calla popped another breath mind into her mouth and turned on the radio, she sang along to the tune. She wouldn’t get sick again, she couldn’t possibly get sick again, there wasn’t anything left in her to throw up. End of Chapter Six of
A Daniel Jackson
Stargate SG-1
Adult FanFiction Series
By
Moon Mistress
a/k/a Lisa Beth Darling
I need some fuel to build a fire
The girl next door, her lights are out, yeah
The landlord's gone, I'm down and out
Ooh, it's cold gin time again
You know it'll always win
Cold gin time again
Cold Gin
Kiss
Tarnished Heroes
An Adult Stargate FanFiction Novel
By
Moon Mistress
Continue to
Chapter Seven