The Butterfly and the Hummingbird
Marina Auclair & Alan Jackson Lore Post | Written by @HunterHampter and @SkyFantasyWorld
Marina Auclair & Alan Jackson Lore Post | Written by @HunterHampter and @SkyFantasyWorld
As October arrives, so does the decision for both Alan Jackson and Marina Auclair to visit Marina’s father in France for permission to get married. Despite the worries that Marina has, Alan seems adamant about gaining the permission of her father. And despite the clearly present threat, Alan assures her that one way or another, they’re coming back with their blessings.
After a long flight, and a bit of a drive from the city of Lyon towards the countryside, they finally arrived at a Manor owned by Marina’s family. And in Alan’s nature, driving a French-made Peugeot 308 GTi to fit the occasion.
After a long flight, and a bit of a drive from the city of Lyon towards the countryside, they finally arrived at a Manor owned by Marina’s family. And in Alan’s nature, driving a French-made Peugeot 308 GTi to fit the occasion.
Marina would nervously glanced at Alan, despite the reassurance, or his words, the worry was still evident on her face as her heart slightly dropped at the sight of her family’s manor finally coming into view. “I really do think this is a bad idea,”
Alan nodded slowly, as he kept on focusing on the road. Right before they had to turn right to enter the manor’s front yard, Alan stopped the car on the cobblestone road’s shoulder. His hand slightly shuffles on the steering wheel of the Peugeot, before looking over to her. “It’s either that or… they find out and try to ruin it for everyone.” “I’ve been living fine by myself for years now without them, what makes it different now?” Marina questioned with a slight huff, her hands keeping themselves occupied by fidgeting with her hair, an odd nervous habit as she looked away from Alan. “We should just turn back honey… Please.”
Alan didn’t answer for a second, before slowly opening his mouth. “Honey… Do you trust me?” He asks her, his face demands an answer from her, but it does seem like whatever she answers with. He’ll still do this anyway. Marina hesitated for a moment at that, before she slowly looked back at Alan, having slightly mixed emotions, “I do, I always trust you, I just… You know I kept this a secret for a reason, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
A bit of silence commenced. Alan didn’t reply back, just nodding slowly. Before kicking the car into 1st gear as he drives the car forward and into the front yard of the Manor, stopping right at the front door. “Trust me with this.” Staring at him, she was quiet. “...Okay.” Marina wanted to say more but instead, kept herself quiet as she momentarily closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Cursing under her breath in French, she finally heard familiar voices outside the car as the doors to the Manor opened. “Ne me dis pas qu'il est là…” She muttered.
As soon as they park the car, the front door of the Manor opens, and out steps two males. One that resembled Marina in more ways than one, yet the other one, was unfamiliar. Marina and Alan would see that the older of the two would motion for the other to approach the car, giving a nod.
“...Let’s do this.” He said before getting out of the car, and then walking around to open the door for Marina, lending a hand for her to get out of the car. He gives her a reassuring smile and a bit of ‘don’t worry’ based on his mouth movement.
Mustering up enough energy to give back that small smile, she took his hand and got out of the car with his help. Though as Marina got out of the car, the male that was walking towards them earlier finally greeted the two. “Ah, finally decided to finally come back to where you actually belong, hm?” He joked, “...Hello to you too, Joshua.” Yet Marina simply narrowed her eyes towards him.
Alan, looking at this, walked closer to Joshua. Subtly going in front of Marina as a barrier between him and her. He reached his hand out for a handshake. “You must be this Joshua she talked about, hmm?” He paused for a second before continuing. “Nice to meet you, name’s Alan Jackson.”
Joshua stared at his hand for a split second, before shaking it, flashing him a smirk. “Oh? She talks about me? That’s unexpected, usually my fiancée hates my guts.” He laughed before calming down, “Ah but I’m just joking, I’ve heard from my father-in-law that she was coming back, with you as well, thought I might give some formal introduction.”
Somewhere from behind Alan though, Marina’s eye twitched hearing what Joshua referred to her as. “Don’t call me that.” She hissed, yet the male simply chuckled again one more time. “Your fiancée, hmm?” Alan said before looking back to Marina. “Honey, you never told me you have an arrangement.” He said in a sarcastic way, but subtle. Mocking Joshua in a way. “Well… I guess it makes us both, her fiancé, hm?” He said with a slight smirk.
Staring at him, “Both her-” Joshua sputtered out some incoherent words from shock. “So YOU’RE the guy she told me before…” His eyes pierced towards Marina before it switched back to being calm. “Hah! Well, that certainly is something then if that's the case. But I’m sure her father can solve this predicament, because she's going to be married to me.”
He nodded. “Then let’s proceed,” Alan said before pausing for a second. “Besides… We got a nice little wedding planned back home and we need to be back by Sunday.” He said stepping back from him and turned towards Marina, before talking to her outside of Joshua’s hearing range. “Yeah, the guy’s a dick.” He said as he looked around to not be conspicuous.
“Now you see why I ran away?” Marina replied back in a hushed whisper, before grabbing Alan’s hand, looking towards the Manor now where her father stood. Though she couldn’t help but glance at Joshua slightly, his eyes were still piercing towards her like she was some sort of prize. “...Let’s go.”
Marina would slowly guide Alan towards the Manor, her eyes unusually cold as they walked towards her father, Joshua following close behind.
Right before they stopped before her father, Alan whispered to her. “If anything goes wrong, don’t worry. I have a plan.” He said to her without elaborating on this ‘plan’. It caused Marina to look at Alan in slight confusion at that but shook it off, she trusted him. But while he was whispering to her though, Joshua properly stood back beside her father, a smirk permanent in his face. “Marina,” Her father finally spoke, “It’s good to finally have you back, your mother would have been happy to see you finally come to your senses again.”
“...Father,” She paused for a second, gathering her thoughts as she continued, “You are aware as to why I am here, I am not here to… To come back.” Marina finishes, squeezing Alan’s hand slightly to calm herself down. “I am aware, though I rather want to know who this man is first.” As with slow steps, came face to face with Alan, holding his hand out. “Monsieur Alan Jackson…”
“It is a great honor to finally meet with you, Sir.” He said before accepting the handshake firmly. Alan did not smile, but put on his respectful formal face. Govroche gave a noise of acknowledgment at that, letting go of his hand before turning around. “Come, I rather not stay outside.” He said before walking in, leaving everyone as he headed into the house.
Joshua quickly followed along as well, but not before looking back at Alan, a grin on his face, “Good luck, Jackson.” And with that, he disappeared inside the house. Alan took a deep breath, looking over to Marina, before whispering. “This… is gonna be annoying and stressful, so please… be strong for today, alright hun?” He said, waiting for her answer.
Marina paused, staring at him. There was a flash of hesitance in her eyes before giving a small nod. “Alright. I'll try not to get overwhelmed haha…” Alan offered his arm for Marina to cling to, giving her another small reassuring smile. “Come on, let’s go...” He said as he awaited her to grab hold. Clinging onto his arm, Marina helped lead the way as they went inside.
However, it didn’t take long to find the other two as both Marina and Alan entered the main area of the whole manor, a simple yet elegant living area. Sitting by the armrest was Marina’s father, hushedly talking to Joshua before they realized the two finally entered, straightening themselves as Govroche motioned for the two to sit.
Alan walked over to the couch and sat down, leading Marina to sit with him as well. His eyes ever so slightly scan the room subtly, making sure that they’re not blindly walking into some sort of bad situation. But oddly enough, nothing seemed out of place from the whole room. Yet even so, Marina knows better, she can feel the multiple eyes watch each and every move of theirs, hidden… Somewhere. Giving Alan’s arm a light squeeze, she was tense, as if she was ready for something.
“So Monsieur Jackson, my daughter may have told me already, but I want to hear it from you. Why exactly are you here?” Govroche questioned, his gaze cold and calculating as he clasped his hands together, with Joshua just smiling near them. “I’m here… to effectively replace Marina's arranged marriage, and gain your blessings for our wedding.” He said in a flat, respectful, and formal tone. His sitting behavior is on point, no sign of disrespectful gesture or way of talking.
Govroche rose a brow at that, “And do tell, child, what exactly can you offer to us if you truly wish for my blessing?” As he said that though, Joshua leaned forward to say something in Govroche’s ear, audible enough to be heard by everyone, almost as if it was deliberate. “Peut-il même subvenir aux besoins de Marina? Vous avez vu la voiture, monsieur.” Alan, not understanding a single bit of French, perks up as the word ‘Voiture’ is mentioned. He nodded slowly and leaned forward to answer. “I don’t have anything to offer to you, but I have everything to offer to Marina herself.”
“I hope you’re aware that we don’t do that here, Jackson.” Slowly standing up, he made his way towards him, looking down as if to mock Alan. “Marrying into the Auclair Family is not because of happiness, nor is it for love, marrying into this family means for power.” Glaring down at him, he continued, “You cannot provide what Joshua can, so if you think I will give you this ‘blessing,’ you are fairly wrong, monsieur.”
He looked down and nodded. “Well in that case…” He said before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a Key to his beloved Koenigsegg, a multi-million hypercar that not everyone can buy. “I think I’m alright in the… Providing part.”
Joshua’s mouth was slacked open in shock, “How-” But before he could continue, Govroche raised a hand to stop the male. “You can provide for her then, but that still doesn’t mean you have the influence that we need. You are not the likes of our family, Jackson, you are nothing more than a normal man to us.” “Respectfully, a Normal man is what I want to be seen as. And I may not be as influential as your family around this region of the world. Rest assured… I still have friends in particular places.” Alan said, going slightly more defensive.
His eyes locked towards Govroche’s in a cold, stoic way. “A Normal man is what your daughter sees in me, and a Normal man is the reason she loves me the way she didn’t with Joshua.” “Do you know what our family does then? Love doesn’t work around here, child. Marina is the heiress, she doesn’t need love, she needs power, she needs people who will be able to provide that.” Govroche pointed toward Joshua to emphasize his point. “He may be a baffling buffoon,” Joshua looked offended at that, “but he has something that our families agreed upon, and I will not let that chance get away.”
“May I ask, what can Joshua provide that made him a better pick for Marina than I am?” He asked, listening closely, not breaking a single sweat or his stoic expression. His stare is as piercing as a bullet. Despite that, slowly, a cruel smile formed on Govroche’s face. “Simple, it’s because he’s part of the French mafia.” Clasping behind his back, he continued, “A normal man like you, could never compare to Joshua’s name nor his relationship to us.”
“That’s fair.” Alan said, pausing for a few seconds. “I am not well-connected here, I don’t have powerful friends within this country.” He said before following with silence, trying to get a reply out of any of them. Govroche simply patted him on the shoulder, “Good, you understand then, monsieur Jackson. So you are smart after all.” Marina looked towards Alan with a small frown as her father continued, “Since you understand so well, I’ll be taking my daughter back, hm? Where she rightfully belongs.”
“Wait but I-!” A sound of protest came from Marina, her eyes glaring at her father as she stood up, her anger boiling over. “I don’t agree to this! I’m not marrying that- Ce stupide bon à rien, idiot, agresseur d'homme!” Alan interrupts Marina almost immediately, speaking in Mandarin. “Marina, settle down, It’ll be okay.” He said before looking back to Govroche. “With all due respect sir, we’ve traveled thousands of miles here in good faith. And we’re not planning to take No as an answer. Let alone returning Marina back here.” Alan said, insinuating that it was not only just Marina and Alan that traveled there. However, did it so subtly that nobody noticed.
Marina’s hand twitched slightly, inhaling before she sat back down beside her RIGHTFUL husband, yet the glares towards her own father and ex-fiancé were still there. Merely rolling his eyes, Govroche replied, “How exactly will you make me say yes? Right now, monsieur Jackson, you’re the one in my domain. One wrong move and I’m sure our dear Marina wouldn’t like what would happen next, right, mon cher papillon?”
“Either you give us your blessings, or this wedding happens regardless of what you say.” He said, lowering his tone of voice, now actually serious about this, not an ounce of joke or hesitation in his voice. Govroche would stare at him for a few moments, before he slowly walked back. For some reason the silence was deafening, almost as if… “Joshua, faites-le maintenant.” With an excited grin on his face, Joshua reached towards the inside of his coat…
Pulling out a pistol from his coat, he pointed it towards… Marina. Govroche stared at Alan as he waved his hand, letting two of his men come out of hiding, pointing at him.
“You know... If that's the case, if I can’t have her, then no one can!” Joshua laughed, keeping his hand steady. A finger on the trigger as he watched everyone in the room. Alan simply glared at Joshua. “Careful now. If you know what’s good for you.” He said, before standing up slowly. “You made your point very well.” He said lulling them into a false sense of accomplishment in getting him to back off.
“Good good… That means Marina will stay with us! She can finally fulfill her duties that she long neglected,” Joshua looked at Marina with possessiveness, “ma femme.” As he said that, his hand seemed to slightly relax as Marina looked at him with absolute disgust and anger, yet Alan kept calm throughout it. “Alright… Then I guess it’s probably wise for me to leave the ring as well.” He said as he reached into his jacket’s pocket slowly, trying to lull them even more.
Joshua smirked at that, as Marina looked at Alan with slight fear, feeling Joshua’s smirk send shivers down her spine. “Yes, she doesn’t need any other ring. Only mine.” “That’s enough Joshua, we’ve made our point already.” Govroche made his two other men stand down. With a sigh, offered a hand to his daughter, while Joshua just kept the gun pointed. “Come, my child.”
As Alan reached into his jacket’s pocket, instead of grabbing the ring, he grabbed hold of his Beretta P80X Handgun. And in a swift, smooth, but snappy motion, quickly drew the handgun towards Joshua’s dominant hand before he could notice, wasting no time and squeezing the relatively light trigger. Firing a single .380 ACP round into Joshua’s hand, it disarmed him. Alan proceeded to point the gun towards… Govroche now.
As the bullet hit his hand, Joshua let out a shriek, dropping the gun to the ground. “MERDE!” He cursed, glaring daggers towards Alan. Govroche meanwhile with a simple flick of his wrist, made his two men grab his daughter. “It doesn’t have to be like this, monsieur Jackson.” “It doesn’t have to be, If you were to just say yes instead of trying to mock me for an hour straight.” He said, before flicking the handgun’s firing pin back for an even more sensitive trigger.
“I came here with good faith, that you will listen to my reasoning and eventually give your blessing for our wedding and now instead, you escalated the situation more than you need it to be.” Alan paused for a second. “If you even tell them to move, I will pull this trigger, and get out of here with her and go back home.” “If you take her, I have no choice but to hunt you down, and take you down myself, monsieur Jackson.” Govroche threatened, holding a hand up as to not let his men act out… For now.
Joshua struggled slightly, huffing, “Why can’t you just let me kill him already!?” He shouted, looking at Govroche. “This is why you're a baffling buffoon, now shut up, and stay down, Laurent.” Well, that certainly made Joshua shut up, although he was still glaring at Alan for the most part. Though looking at everyone, Marina was shaking slightly, a mixture of fear, anger, and anxiety filled her as she was held back by her father’s men. “Please-” Her voice slightly begged, she just wanted to go home.
“Careful with what you say, Joshua.” Alan said, still aiming his handgun at Govroche. “Many men wanted me dead, and Many men have tried, and yet I’m still here.” He said, keeping a stoic expression and temper, It’s clear it’s not the first time he’s been in situations like this. “Then I’ll be the first one to do it then, Jackson!” Joshua sneered, quickly picking up his pistol from the ground as he aimed at Alan, eyes blazing with determination now as he tried to steady his shaky hands.
“DON’T NO!” Marina tried pulling away from the two men who held her, yet they only tightened their grip on her as Govroche observed Alan. “This isn’t the first time you’ve done this, isn’t it?” He questioned, he held no fear, nor anger, he was just curious instead. But just before Joshua aimed the handgun he picked up right at Alan, his competitive shooter reflex kicked in as quicker than a blink of an eye, Alan redirected his handgun right at Joshua.
“Don’t be dumber than we know you are.” He paused, focusing on Joshua. “I’ve done this longer than you have. And I only have me, myself, and God with me.” He paused again for a second. “And make no mistake, God willing, you will not see a wedding venue ever again.” Attempting to strike fear into the idiot. “...Laurent, stand down.” Govroche commanded, “But monsieur-” “Stand. Down.” Joshua eventually did as he was told, pointing at Alan, “This isn’t the last of this Jackson, mark my words!”
Shaking his head, he motioned for his men to let his daughter go. “You won, for now, monsieur Jackson. But be warned, this will not be the last you’ll see of us. If Joshua wasn’t the son of my best friend, I would have let you kill him already.” Joshua’s eyes widened at that, before looking away, seeping and seething with anger. Though Marina looked relieved as she rushed to Alan as she was finally let go, “Alan!-” Alan gently pushed Marina to stay behind him.
“Sure it will be Mr. Auclair, I don’t take kindly to dangers anywhere near my home.” He paused for a second. “You may find that hard to believe, but let my associates explain it to you.” Alan said, forming a smirk on his face. “Associates?” Govroche questioned, narrowing his eyes at him. “Tsk… As if that threatens me, monsieur Jackson. I too, do not take kindly to those who dare try to scare us, monsieur.” He said with a shake of his head.
The sound of multiple vehicles would be heard entering the Manor’s front yard. From a little peeking spot on the window, a bunch of blacked-out Mercedes SUVs arrived and parked right outside.
“Speaking of my associates, there they are… Took them a while to cross the border.” He said before the group that just arrived opened the door into the Manor. One of them called out to Alan. “Va tutto bene qui, Jackson?” Followed by Alan’s reply. “Stiamo bene, entra.”
“Qui diable est-ce?!” Joshua hissed out, looking at the group, ready to attack again once more. But with one look from Govroche, he kept down, fuming instead as he was restricted by Govroche’s look. Marina kept herself hidden behind Alan, at this point just wanting to get home already. Back to Karakura, back to where they actually belong.
The group enters one by one, the first two men carrying Benelli shotguns each before the person who led the group enters.
“Sorry for the wait, I heard there’s a little dispute, regarding marriages.” The person said, apologizing to Alan as well. Alan replied to him, “It’s all good, Matteo.” “Hm, and I’ve thought you are but a normal man, monsieur Jackson,” Govroche said with a shake of his head, amused at the whole situation honestly speaking. “If you’d only told me, I would have replaced Joshua long ago.” “Monsieur?!” Joshua yelled out in shock at such a statement, yet behind Alan’s back Marina muttered the words, “Two-faced good for nothing father…” that only he could hear. Marina truly despises her family.
“Normal is not even half of it. Normal is a compliment to me.” He said before looking over to Matteo, who then spoke. “Il tuo amico Leo lavora in modi misteriosi.” Matteo paused for a second. “Ma il suo messaggio è arrivato velocemente, quindi siamo arrivati qui il più velocemente possibile.” Alan nodded, patting Matteo’s shoulder, thanking him. Matteo then spoke again. “Oh, e anche il mio vecchio ha insistito per venire con noi.” Alan tilted his head curious, before looking back at the front door.
Another two of Matteo’s bodyguards enter the manor, escorting a very old man in. The old man smiled as soon as he saw Alan. It was none other than Eliseo Forelli, who now lets his son run one of the biggest Italian Mob nearing the border between Italy and France.
Alan smirked as he saw Eliseo. “It is an honor to have you here, Mr. Forelli.” Eliseo replied slowly, “Ah, It’s nothin’ kid, besides I got’a return the favor, for getting Giovanni off my back. As well as getting rid of the old gang.” Eliseo took another step past Alan and Matteo, to confront Govroche. “Now you listen here and listen closely. Do you know who I am?”
The whole time that both Joshua and Govroche listened to the entire interaction, the paler Joshua got, while Govroche became more aware of who they were just messing with. “Not that I am aware of, monsieur, non.” He said with a tilt of his head, acting clueless to see how far this would go. “Good, so let me introduce myself.” Eliseo paused for a second, before continuing. “Beyond the border between Italy and France, that whole countryside and its surrounding town, my son runs it.” He said, waiting for a reply from them.
“How come we’ve never heard about you before, monsieur?” Govroche questions, yet deep down he knows he has. He wasn’t clueless, he was more than aware of who this man was, yet he was curious just how much power Alan held, how many connections, maybe, just maybe… “Because I survived it all, and finally got out.” Eliseo replied to the answer before continuing, “But not without this young man’s help.” He said as he placed a hand on Alan’s shoulder. “This fine young man here helped me get rid of my… Old organization, and got me out here to a safe place.”
Govroche was silent, staring at Eliseo a moment before a smirk was barely visible in his mouth. “I see. Well, it seems I’ve been proven wrong. Against my better judgment, I have seemed to not truly see who monsieur Jackson was.” With a chuckle, he looked back at both Marina and Alan, “You wish to have my blessings? Fine. Have it.” Hearing that, Joshua couldn’t believe it. Stunned for a moment, his mouth was open before a loud protest came from him, “NO! She was supposed to be mine! monsieur Auclair you PROMISED!” He screamed, shaking in anger. Pointing towards Alan, “YOU!”
Eliseo looked at Joshua before looking over to Alan. “So this is the… Good for nothing incel your soon-to-be wife was being forced to marry, hmm?” Alan replied to Eliseo. “Yeah, he is..” Eliseo nodded, before gesturing to his son, Matteo. “Get rid of this useless trash.” He said to Matteo, who then nodded before raising his handgun right at Joshua.
He would stumbled back seeing the handgun pointed at him, once more shrieking in fear as Govroche raised a hand, slowly making his way in front of Joshua to look at the group of people. “Now, there's no need for that. Spare his life, he may be an idiot, but he won’t cause harm after both my daughter and monsieur Jackson leave.”
“...He’s right.” Alan said, stopping Matteo from proceeding. “We’re here to gain the blessings he’s been refusing to give, not start a war.” Alan paused after saying that, before continuing. “But no mistake, you tarnished your own credibility for everyone in this room, including your daughter.” Alan said, pausing again for a second before continuing “I will not have you walk her down the aisle unless she wants you to.” “I rather be dead than be walked down the aisle by him.” Marina softly said. Despite her voice being rather quiet, everyone could still hear her statement clear as day. She will never go back to her family.
Govroche’s hands shook slightly at that, before plastering a fake smile on his face. “I am still your father though, mon cher papillon. No matter how much you deny me, you are the same as I am. Like father, like daughter.” He chuckled, before with a movement of his wrist, he dismissed his people. “I think that resolves everything, non? You have what you wanted, monsieur Jackson, so it's time to leave.”
One of his men carried Joshua away, as shouts of protests could be heard. Curses in English, French, everything would spew out his mouth, yelling for Marina as he was dragged off. “...You made me sick. I’m not a perfect father but I wouldn’t want to hear my daughter say that she doesn’t want me at her wedding.” Alan said, criticizing Govroche.
Eliseo pats Alan’s shoulder, before saying, “Tuo padre e tua madre ti hanno cresciuto bene, Jackson.” Eliseo then paused for a second before continuing. “Se qualcuno di loro o qualcuno tenta di dare la caccia a te e alla tua famiglia, fatemelo sapere, ok?” “Grazie, signore.” Alan replied to Eliseo, before looking over to Matteo. “Alright, let’s get out of here.” He said before holstering his handgun and gently grabbing Marina’s hand, leading her out of the manor.
Before they left, Marina’s eyes saw her father’s mouth, his fake smile turning to a cruel smirk before he mouthed the words ‘Regardez partout où vous allez’ towards her. That was the last thing she saw before they were finally out of her family’s manor. She stayed close to Alan, quiet for a moment, processing the whole ordeal before with a soft voice said something to him. “...Thank you, honey, for everything. I’m sorry.”
Alan would stop and turn to her. “No, thank YOU honey… for sticking with me through all this.” He said before hugging her tightly. “Now you’re safe, I promise you. There ain’t a single thing that would stop me from protecting you.”
While a bumpy and intense confrontation, This marks the future for both Alan and Marina. Returning back home to Karakura, they will now focus on what’s ahead… Their wedding. Where they will finally be properly together, as Mr. Auclair and Mrs. Jackson.
That pretty much brings to the end of the Part 1! Yes, you heard me right, Part 1! Depending on me and Hunter, we might even make a Part 2 for this perhaps? But that's all what we can offer for now ehe- We do hope you enjoy our little writing as we made this both together, but that's all and see you next time! :D
