The Greens of Jericho

I like this story the first time I read it on the Jericho Fan Fiction site.  Nice Job.  It also bothered me that Emily was at the Green's for Thanksgiving, and that Heather was never in that episode. 

A lovely Bizarro World installment, Marzee!

I was expecting this to be a sweet, romantic story, but was struck by the emotion underneath it all, especially where April's death and the Green family's grief was concerned. You write April as such a good friend, sister, daughter, and with such personality, and you handled her death with a sensitivity that really got to me, with the way it reverberates through her family and friends' lives and continues to affect them.

There are a couple random things I just loved that I really wanted to mention. In no particular order, they are:

-The little glimpse we got of the Richmonds here. It was just perfect. Especially Bonnie's wanting to spend New Year's at a 'real party'.

-Jake and Heather's discussion about concerns of getting scurvy. As a student still learning to cook for one and shop during busy, essay-writing times, I am a little familiar with that concern.

-Heather and Jake's Law and Order episode. I laughed so hard at all the references, from Munch appearing for another crossover and working with Briscoe, to Green's crush on Kincaid, to the plot Heather makes up drawing on real life. It was really interesting because it made me think of how people would pass time after the bombs, and how interesting to think that people are now making their own entertainment based on the entertainment they used to watch on tv.

-The tomatos. A perfect gift, and funny that they've replaced long-stemmed red roses.

Alright, so Jake and Heather, who I've saved for last even though this is their story. There's just so much going on for them here. First of all, I loved reading of their continuing growing closeness, helping each other cope with April's death and the difficult circumstances they continue to face in the changing world. Thank you for writing a Heather who is making the trip to New Bern, even if just for a few days. A perfect compromise between Heather deciding to go out there and take chances and a Heather who is taking a different kind of chance, in a relationship with Jake, giving Heather a good reason to stay in town, belonging to a family of sorts. I also loved that Heather proposed to Jake, and that they came to this momentous decision in a such a simple conversation. I'm not a huge fan of sentimentalism, so I found this conversation romantic and really liked the way you captured the moment. Subtle and sweet, and I think you did an excellent job, with the entire thing!

Looking forward to more!

I was so excited when I found out you were going to do another 'Bizarro World' story! I enjoyed this one immensely.

I really like how you brought us up to date on Jake and Heather's relationship by letting us know other characters' reactions as they found out that Jake and Heather were a couple. I really liked Johnston's reaction and how Mimi and Stanley turned the table on Jake when Heather appeared by his side. I think my favorite was how April realized they were a couple when Heather showed up at the door after Jake's accident  and when Jake untucked the blanket and invited Heather to lay with him as they comforted each other.

Johnston was right in character when he was in the kitchen with Jake Christmas Eve morning when he voiced his approval by telling Jake "Don't mess it up" and how he followed it up with saying she was smart and not bad to look at. I also liked that Jake looked at what is father said in a different light than he previously had in the past and how he thought of Heather as 'beautiful' rather than 'not bad to look at' that Johnston had used.

I loved the description of kitschy flannel pajamas that Heather had on when she greeted Jake at her door.  I also liked Heather's love for all things flannel and how Jake would purposely wear flannel shirts just so that Heather will rest her cheek on his chest. I thought they shared a very romantic moment cuddled together under the nest of blankets sipping their hot chocolate.

Jake's thought that Heather should resent coming second to his responsibilities to the town was, I thought, telling of just how much he cares for her and Heather's understanding of how much Jericho needed him and her acceptance of coming in second, I thought , was telling of just how much she cared for him. I think it was this fact that made the forty hours Jake had arranged to take off all the more special. 

The scene where they hunted for a Christmas tree was great! It reminded me of all the visits we took to the tree farm, traipsing up and down the hills trying to find the perfect tree. The snow ball fight was a lot of fun to read. I just loved how it ended with Heather on Jake's lap.

I really liked the sense of family I felt during the time Jake and Heather were at the Green house and how everyone made Heather feel as if she was part of the family. I also like how you portrayed Jake's and Johnston's relationship in this story. I felt a closeness between them as they stood by the fireplace watching Gail, April and Heather decorate the tree and when Jake admitted that Heather 'kinda picked him' and Johnston replying that there was nothing wrong with that. When Gail explained the history behind all the ornaments really made it feel like a real life family enjoying Christmas. When Gail found the Christmas Cottage music box and Gail's tears when it still played I'll be Home for Christmas I found especially poignant. I just loved how Heather felt like she was part of the family and let her guard down to share memories of her childhood Christmases.

I liked all the detail that went into the church service and outside of the church after the service. My favorite parts were: Gail providing the candy canes that were passed out after the service to make everyone holidays a little brighter and Johnston following after Eric and Mary to wish them a Merry Christmas. I found the interaction between Emily and Heather interesting and wondered if Emily might have been jealous of Heather. I liked the details about Mimi and Stanley you provided - Stanley wrapping his arm around Mimi to comfort here when there was mention of the attacks and how whe let herself be comforted. Also, liked how Stanley lightened the mood with his talk about popcorn, especially the 'Astronaut popcorn'. I really got a sense of what point their relationship was at. The mention of 'Twister' and Jake telling Stanley that no way was he going to play group Twister just made me laugh.

I'm sure you won't be surprised to know that my favorite part of the story was the time Heather and Jake spent alone at her apartment after the service.  You could tell just how close Jake and Heather had gotten in the few months since they became a couple. I liked how Jake admitted to himself that doing things for Heather made him happy - 'lightened his mood' and how Heather told him what a wonderful day she had. I especially liked the comfortable silence they shared cuddled under the blankets drinking their hot chocolate. I liked the choice of the Christmas gifts they gave one another. Both were so simple but very meaningful especially Jake giving Heather his dog tags as an acknowledgement that he was home now and didn't need them anymore.

I like how Heather decided to tell Jake that she was ready for the next step in their relationship by singing Baby It's Cold Outside. You did a great job with how you switched the parts around and how you used the tone of Heather's voice to let us know what part was being sung. I also found Jake's embarrassment over his parents singing it very real (and amusing). I liked the image of Jake that came to mind as he was watching Heather sing only to him and the one of Heather when Jake told her that he would never say no. 

This was a great story and I'm looking forward to see where the story goes in your next installment. 

What a wonderful holiday story, Marzee!

I've only gotten halfway through so far, I've been reading in between holiday preparations (and actually at the same time as baking sugar pie), but I wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying this story so far!

I was glad to see another installment of Bizarro World, and it was so interesting to see you dealing with Jake and Heather in a different universe than Different Circumstances. I loved reading about the different ways in which various characters found out about Jake and Heather as a couple. It was a nice way, I think, to show how things have progressed since your last installment and set the scene, so we know exactly where our characters are at this point in time. I loved Johnston's reaction, but my favourite was Stanley and Mimi turning the tables on them! You always handle familiar scenes, in this case, the huggy fake Marines scene, in such interesting ways!

You write a very romantic Christmas Eve morning. Although they're living in a strange world, Jake and Heather are also discovering so much about each other, so it's a hopeful day for them, amidst all the day to day struggling to survive. The tree-hunting scene was great! It reminded me of my own childhood treks to the tree farm, searching for the perfect tree and disagreeing with my fellow tree-hunters. Again, here, Heather is discovering something new after the end of the world. The snowball fight was wonderful. I laughed out loud as Jake turned the tables on Heather, and got rewarded with snow down his shirt.

I loved the warm family feelings in the scenes with the Green family. All the ornaments were great choices. I liked how Jake compared, in his mind, his father's reaction to April with the way he was almost flirting with Heather here. The whole scene reminded me of a real life family at work on a Christmas tree.

I also loved the little story about Johnston's school tour of town hall, and the kids who got themselves locked in the holding cell. And poor little Danny, though I laughed at the fact he seemed to have enjoyed his visit to the med centre, having ridden there in the cruiser, escorted by one of Jericho's finest. This was a good addition to the history of Heather's relationship with the Greens.

The Uno game was intriguing. Though I've never played, I think I understood the suspense of the scene, as Heather fell behind and tried to exact revenge, Jake enjoyed not losing as badly as her, and Gail, the unassuming face of neutrality, trampled everyone.

The menu choices were also interesting. I loved how Jake and Heather joked about the 'Chinese Chips', and how the family made do with the food from the food drop. Exactly how I imagine Christmas would be for the Greens, and the people of Jericho that year as they made do with what they had been given.

Great story so far, and I look forward to reading the rest soon!

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’.