The Greens of Jericho

Awe!!!! I love Jake when he is sweet and protective. I just thought this wa a wonderful J/H Universe. Thank you for sharing and I can't wait for more.

Sid

I really enjoyed this story about Jake and Heather’s new relationship.  I didn’t like that they left Heather out of the Thanksgiving episode either and I liked your explanation about what happened.

I like the insight into the characters that you gave with the little details you put in --- Jake’s concern for Heather and how he rode up and down Main Street hoping to find her,  Gail asking Jake questions in the kitchen after he came home Thanksgiving night, Heather reorganizing her books, the picture of Heather and her parents at her graduation that Jake picked up in Heather’s apartment – just to name a few.  I like how you didn’t leave us wondering about the state of Jake and Emily’s relationship before you delved more deeply into Jake and Heather’s.

My favorite part is the conversation between Jake and Heather when Jake finally caught up with her.  I especially liked when Heather admitting being jealous and telling Jake that she should kiss her more, and then the talk that came after when Heather compared the number of kisses she gave him to the number he gave her. I also like how the conversation turned serious when Jake told Heather a little bit about his past and Heather’s reassurance that it didn’t matter and that all that did was the man he was now.

 “ Jake, who even in his worst years, had rarely exchanged a cross word with her, found himself snapping at her when she began asking questions about Emily and him like it was ten years before, and they were still a couple. Gail was obviously hurt by his reaction, which only made things worse. Finally though, Jake was able to extract the promise that she would stay out of anything to do with him and Emily, or for that matter, any romantic interest he might have, though Emily, he stressed, was not a romantic interest anymore, and that was just the way it was.”

I really thought this said a lot about the kind of relationship that Jake and Gail had.  The respect that Jake has for his mother is very evident in this part. I could just see Gail asking a lot of questions about Emily, I think it is so like her and not because she’s trying to interfere but because she just wants Jake to be happy. I have to say I like Jake’s confirmation that it’s over between Emily and him.

“Bemused, Gail had allowed Jake to win the argument, even though his reasoning didn't really make sense. Her spirits, which had taken quite a beating recently, were rising with the certain knowledge that her son had found someone to care about again, even if that someone wasn't Emily.

Truly, their disagreements were rare, and while Jake and Johnston had always had trouble forgiving each other their grievances, Gail and her son did not suffer for past hurts and wrongs. She'd hugged him fiercely, while he was still seated at the table, glad to once again have the advantage of height she'd lost just about the time he turned thirteen. She told him that she loved him, and that she was happy for him, and that surely Heather was safe, and whatever had prevented her from coming was unimportant, a miscommunication, or a mistake. Jake had groaned then, but only protested half-heartedly that she'd promised to stay out of it. “

I just loved this. I think it speaks a lot to Gail’s personality and how much she cares for her family. I liked the comparison to Johnston and Jake’s relationship and the image of Gail hugging her son fiercely while being glad to have the advantage of height. I could just see Jake groaning and rolling his eyes when Gail said she was happy for him and reassured him that Heather was safe. I also think that Jake appreciated what Gail had to say to him which is why he protested  half-heartedly.

“Before the bombs, the only deaths Jimmy had ever investigated were car wrecks on the highway. He'd had an education over the previous two months, between the bodies they had found at Bass Lake, and the suicides he'd been called out for during the past few weeks, but those weren't anything like this.”

I liked about how when you described the investigation was the reminders of just how much the world changed since the bombs went off. This was only one of them.

“Jake met his father's gaze evenly, only admitting to nothing official. Johnston still knew hardly anything about Jake's five years away from Jericho, but he was finding it surprisingly easy to read Jake now; he was no longer the punk kid who could lie to his father just as easily as he breathed.”

I liked the recognition from Johnston that Jake isn’t the same person he was when he left Jericho; that he knows Jake has grown and become a better man during the five years he was away from Jericho.

“ "Hey, knock yourself out." Jake found that he couldn't help but grin. It just seemed so Heather-ish for her to rearrange her whole living room when she didn't know what else to do; slightly obsessive and definitely adorable.”

I like the new word ‘Heather-ish’.