laissez les bon temps rouler//jackson kenner

2.14

I step out onto the shack in the Bayou. Jackson is wrestling with a handful of kids. I smile as they tug on his arms and legs. Jack laughs at their attempts. "Oh, ho ho ho!"

"Hey, that's mine! Go to the water!" one boy shouts.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" another boy shouts.

Most of the children rush over to the lake, but one little girl stays behind and keeps tugging on Jackson's arm to try to knock him over. He picks her up and swings her around. When Jack notices me he laughs and puts the girl down. He pats her gently on the head before she runs off to join the others.

"Wait for me!" the girl shouts.

Jack walks over to the porch. I smile at him. "Looks like I've got some competition!"

Jack chuckles. "Unfortunately for Daisy, I am a one-woman kind of guy."

I laugh slightly. I open the door to the shack and stick my arm in to grab a broom. "Uh, why do people keep leaving broomsticks on the porch?" Jackson smiles widely. "Seeing as I'm not much of a 'sweep while the soup's cookin' kind of gal."

Jack smiles wider and tries not to laugh. "Well, back in the day, it wasn't easy getting a preacher out here. So, if you were engaged, and you couldn't wait... then the community would let you jump the broom."

I start to laugh hysterically. "I mean we do have a kid together. I still would have been happier with a panini press..."

Jack continues to laugh at me. After a moment he calms down. "I wanna show you something." He walks towards something covered in a sheet in the corner of the porch. "I started on this for our little girl before we had to send her away." He pulls off the sheet, revealing a half-finished baby crib made out of wood with a crescent moon carved into the headboard underneath it. "Now that we're close to getting her back. I figured it was time to finish it."

I look at the crib in amazement. I knew Jack was a great dad, but I never expected this. I can honestly say I won't regret marrying him. I don't think this is just for Jolie's sake anymore.

"Something else... I'm getting word from a few packs outside of Louisiana? They wanna be here for the wedding! They want in on the Unification ritual!" Jack tells me.

I look at him confused. "I thought the ritual only affected the powers of the wolves in our pack?

Jack grins with excitement. "Unless they recognize me as their Alpha. Then your power becomes their power!"

"You think their Alphas will step down and bow to you?" I ask.

Jack nods. "They're coming here today to do just that. They want what you have, El. I mean, we all do. I mean, a couple of weeks after the wedding, we are gonna have one hell of an army to protect our little girl."

"Speaking of, the meeting's taking place at Mary's," I tell Jack. He nods. "I have to go deal with Finn. Seems controlling the wolves wasn't enough. He now has all the vampires in the Quarter."

Jack looks sad for a moment. "Go. I think I can handle things around here."

I smile at him. "If you need anything just call me."

I head back to the compound. "Nik! Nik!" I shout for my brother. When I walk into the upstairs lounge I see a woman I don't recognize.

"Bloody hell, Else, you shout loud enough to wake the dead," the woman tells me

I look at her curiously. "Who are you?"

The woman smiles. "I guess I do look a little different since the last time you saw me."