Jackelle 2.0

Brielle didn’t really believe Jack when he said people liked her and were eager to see her, but she made the rounds with him anyway. She wasn’t unaccustomed to fancy events or parties, though she was trying to behave herself a little bit these days and not climb into any fountains or tip over any ice sculptures. It felt surreal sometimes but she was more than happy to show up and be supportive of Jack. She was very proud of him and wanted to help in any way that she could, even if that meant standing in front of crowds of people that weren’t even there to see her.

As she expected, most of the people who approached them as they walked through the assembled crowd wanted to speak with Jack and Brielle was content with that. When she did have to make conversation, at least she was able to give gracious responses instead of growing flustered from the attention. Growing up a duchess had plenty of advantages but Brielle was a little embarrassed about it sometimes, too. She always worried that the people who adored and respected Jack so much just saw her as another spoiled member of the aristocracy. Until he had won the election, she was a little concerned that being married to a duchess would hurt his chances. But of course Jack was charming and sincere enough that people had believed in him and voted for him regardless.

Brielle tried to stay out of the spotlight as much as she could, especially since Jack was really the star. But to hear him talk sometimes you’d think he never would have made it here without Brielle, even though most of what she did in terms of work was keep things organized and keep track of schedules and meetings and occasionally help with a speech. Beyond that she just did her best to be there when he got anxious or overwhelmed. He always seemed so laid back and confident when he gave speeches or talked with people and Brielle found his naturally charming disposition endearing. But she knew beneath it all he really wanted to do a good job and keep all his campaign promises. He was very committed to making the changes he talked about, which was just one of a hundred things Brielle loved about him.

It was a successful night but she was still about ready to fall asleep standing up by the time they returned to their room at the hotel where they were staying while in town. It was just the beginning of Jack’s victory tour around the kingdom, so there were a lot of similar evenings to look forward to in the foreseeable future. Brielle stifled a yawn as Jack closed the door behind them. She kicked her shoes off and started trying to undo the back of her dress.

“People really believe in you,” she said. “There were so many people there tonight. I wonder if all the events will be this packed. Word is really spreading about you. If you run for re-election in a couple of years you’ll probably—Jack!”

He had come up behind her and poked her in her sides. She glanced over her shoulder to find him grinning at her.

“You maybe want some help with these buttons?” he asked. “You seem to be struggling.”

“I’m trying to talk about your political future and you’re worried about my buttons?”

“I am deeply concerned about the immediate future of your buttons,” Jack replied, pulling her hands away since she wasn’t making any progress with the dress anyway. He undid the rest of the back while she smirked.

“You have some odd priorities, Senator Ridley,” she said.

“Right now I’m just Jack, and my priority is Brielle, which is not odd at all.” He reached up to help undo the pins from her hair so it went from an elegant updo to messy curls. Brielle turned to face him and he brushed one of said curls off her cheek and behind her ear.

“I only get through these things because of you, you know.”

“That’s a load of bullshit and you know it,” Brielle laughed. “You’ve been working toward this for years. You’d have been elected and be wildly popular even if we’d never spoken again.”

“That’s not a hypothetical situation I want to imagine.” Jack made a face.

“I don’t know, you’d probably get even more of the female vote if you were still a free man,” Brielle teased.

Jack snorted. “I’d always know I was missing something if I’d lost you to the turtles of the Opellian Islands. No amount of career success would make up for it.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Brielle said, smiling up at him. He leaned down and kissed her and she forgot that she was tired. The next morning she was sitting at the desk in the hotel room organizing Jack’s upcoming schedule when a horrible smell suddenly made her stomach lurch unpleasantly. She glanced up with a frown, looking around for the source. Marnie stepped inside, carrying with her a small mug of coffee. She offered one to Brielle but as she took it, Brielle realized that was where the smell was coming from.

“Does something seem off about this coffee?” she asked. Marnie looked confused.

“Off? No, it seems fine. It’s a really good blend. I just gave one to Senator Ridley down in the lobby too; you two had such a late night with the rally.”

“Thank you,” Brielle said, even though she eyed the cup in her hand warily as Marnie walked back out of the room. She raised it closer to her face, about to take a hesitant sip. The smell made her stomach lurch again and she fumbled to put the cup down. Her stomach continued to pitch and Brielle leaped up, scrambling to the washroom. She barely managed to shut the door before she retched. Once her stomach was empty, she straightened up shakily. Her face was a bit pale and her sides hurt from vomiting. She winced at her reflection and quickly splashed some cold water on her face and rinsed her mouth. She poured the coffee into the sink and washed the cup before redoing her makeup and fixing her hair.

By the time Jack came up to collect her, she looked like nothing had happened. She smiled brightly at him as she scooped up all the papers on the desk, carefully putting them back in their designated folders.

“Ready to go?” Jack asked and she nodded.

“Ready,” she said, straightening his tie before leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek. She didn’t know why she didn’t mention her sudden nausea spell, but she figured it was nothing. She’d probably eaten something bad the night before or something. She was sure it was nothing to worry about, so she wasn’t going to trouble Jack with it.