"You ready to tell me the truth now?" Jackson asked quietly as he rolled away from the door and back toward the woman standing before her own easel.

"Contract marriage," Blair said easily, sketching on the canvas in broad, sweeping strokes, "2 years. I'll be his business consultant and confidant in exchange for him helping me look for Dad and Jake."

"You act as his shield, he acts as your sword," Jackson mused, leaning back in his chair as he watched her sketch, adding after a moment, "2 years isn't long enough."

He'd seen her do it many times before, and yet he never tired of watching her work on a canvas.

"You can't lock me in forever, you old coot," she said warmly, stepping away and placing the pencil down beside the easel, "2 years is plenty long enough considering we're basically strangers."

"And how, exactly, did you meet? For real this time," he said, furrowing his brow in confusion at how his two worlds were colliding before his eyes.

Blair's hand paused as she reached for the paintbrush, her face tightening slightly.

"I went to see Ryan to talk about marriage. His mom was really pushing, and we'd been together so long... I thought I needed to... get over my issues, I guess. I showed up unexpectedly after she and I had dinner one night. Late, no warning. He was fucking an old friend in his bed - she and I broke off contact last year because she was toxic as hell. I took photos and videos... then left down the fire escape to avoid him chasing me."

She sighed, turning toward Jackson to see his face had turned to stone and his eyes were filled with rage.

"There were thugs in the alleyway. I got jumped and was losing when Ezra passed by. He helped me deal with them then got me to the hospital. A couple weeks later, he walked into my project presentation - turns out he really is the CEO at the company I work at. His interest was peaked, and when he looked into my background he was... thorough. When he found the truth, he proposed an arrangement that benefited us both."

Jackson recalled the night he'd called Ezra to see him, and realized it must have been Blair Ezra saved that night.

"The terms?" he asked, tilting his head as he considered everything.

"Favorable," she nodded, dipping her brush in her paint and nodding to him to get him to work on his own painting, "We each have a floor in his apartment building - living separately but to anyone else it looks like we live together. I'll work for him as a business consultant and strategist, and he'll help me investigate what happened. I'm going to take over my father's company properly."

Jackson nodded, understanding settling in.

"I'm assuming you know this requires you facing your mother when it's announced?" he asked as he began working on his own piece.

"Yeah, plan was to announce after the wedding," Blair grumbled, furrowing her brow even as she painted, "but Ryan got me and Ezra in the news early. You'll see it soon. Made us move the timeline up."

"How fast do you intend to move?"

"Married next week, with your blessing," Blair winked at him then, smirking when he scoffed, "Then announce my true identity as part of going public with Ezra's updated marriage status. One announcement to shake up all the worlds."

"I'll start working with our public relations specialists," Jackson sighed, shaking his head, "You are going to make quite a few waves when you do this."

"We know," Blair shrugged, "Not like there's really a way to do this that doesn't, but at least this way it's all at once."

"I don't like the contract length," Jackson pivoted suddenly, "I want to adjust the terms around how and when it ends."

Both of them worked side by side, never looking at one another.

Like they'd done it many times before... because they had.

"Well go on," Blair laughed dryly, "What do you want then?"

"If within 2 years he hasn't met certain stipulations and you aren't completely miserable, I want it extended another 2 years. Repeated until the stipulations are met," Jackson said seriously, thinking things through.

"What kind of stipulations?" Blair asked curiously, her eyes focused on blending colors on the pallet.

"He must present an alternative husband or wife to take your place that is qualified in all the same ways you are, or you remain on as his business partner and contract wife," Jackson said immediately, "He must have also delivered on progress with your father and brother's investigation."

He paused then, his eyes darting to the side as he added, "Though, once you're married I'm going to get involved in that. You told me once you wanted to handle this alone... but once you marry my grandson, you're family. You can't turn down my help then."

"Who says I can't?" Blair challenged, raising her eyebrow even as she didn't look his way.

"Me," he grumped, huffing impatiently, "Contract or no, the marriage will be legal. You'll be my grand-daughter. You'll take my help because I said so."

"You're assuming I'm going to be an obedient and finial grand-daughter," Blair snickered, ignoring the glare he shot at her even though she could feel it in her soul, "Who's to say I don't just ignore you and do whatever I want anyway."

"Because I'll make you listen to ska music every time you visit if you are a shit about it."

He knew how much Blair despised ska music. He didn't have opinions one way or another, but the way she griped and complained about it - one would think it was physically tortuous to subject her to even a note of the genre.

"You'd torture your own grand-daughter?" Blair gasped, her eyes going wide dramatically.

"Only ornery shithead grand-daughters," Jackson shrugged, clearly feeling no shame at all at his threat.

"Well, I suppose if it's accept your help or be tortured, I have no choice," Blair sighed, a warmth leaking into her voice that Jackson recognized immediately, "I'll let you be the one to talk to Ezra about the details."

The truth was she was tired, and she was starting to lose ground - she needed the help, and was clearly thankful he was going to be directly involved. In fact, she was just thankful to be standing beside him after their time apart.

She had missed the old man.

Their banter had helped them both survive the darkest time in their lives, and it was in rare moments like this that they had both found a reason to keep going at the time.

She had told him everything back then - the entire story, the whole truth. Even the therapist at the facility they were living at hadn't known as much as Jackson had.

He had been her rock then, and there was something incredibly special about having him with her again.

Jackson was of the same mind, and while there was a lot to figure out - he couldn't be more thrilled to have her join his family.

In fact, if he had anything to say about it, he was going to keep her tied to him - one way or another. He'd considered naming her his goddaughter before, but he'd kept his real identity a secret at the time.

They'd talked about it back then, of course, and she knew he was an important man. She hadn't held it against him at all that he'd kept the details to himself.

She'd teased him about it, but never truly judged him.

Now she knew the truth, and he could finally take care of her the way he'd wanted to when he'd accidentally overheard the doctor's words through her door.

He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He had come to get her because he was particularly down that day, and wanted to see her. He'd been rolling up when the words had slipped into his ears.

'Unlikely to improve much more than this' and 'long term complications associated with full hysterectomy' were just a few of the things that had punched him in the gut.

He'd wanted to take care of her mother that day, having told her the truth of what he'd heard. She had just laughed at him - even with tears shining in her eyes. He'd held her as she cried, and then she'd kicked his ass at chess, again, to make herself feel better.

It had worked, he recalled bitterly. She had absolutely demolished him that day.

"I'll agree on one condition," Blair's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, "To the contract length adjustment, I mean."

"Name it," he gruffed, trying to keep that grumpy façade in place even as the memory of that day weighed on his heart.

"When we find them," she whispered, her brush stilling suddenly, "No matter... no matter what we find, I want a clause that if I want to walk away then... I can."

The silence was heavy with implications and Jackson paused, turning to her and studying her closely.

"You're not allowed to leave this world before I do," he said seriously, holding her hostage with a sharp look she refused to meet, "No matter what we find... no matter how it goes... you will outlive me. Do you understand?"

"I... I can't promise that, Jackson," Blair whispered honestly, her hand trembling as it hovered above the canvas, "If they're really... I don't... I don't know if I..."

"You will," Jackson snapped, "You will push through and you will live. For me. I have a lot more to learn and you don't get to quit halfway like a loser."

Blair chuckled then, a dry, sad little thing that nearly shattered Jackson's heart.

He stayed firm though - pretending to be the stern grandfather he wanted to be for her.

He knew her plan. She'd talked about it quietly one night as she'd painted a graveyard that had sent shivers through his blood.

"If they're both really gone, I'm going to join them," she had whispered, "I can't leave before I find the truth though. You don't have to worry about me... I've still got something to live for. For now."

He'd be damned if he let that happen. Not now, not after they'd been reunited.

"I suppose," she mused sadly, trying to sniff discretely, "I can stick around until you can at least paint an orange slice properly."

Jackson nodded once, sharp and final, and Blair's shoulders eased just a fraction.

She found herself thankful for the first time that she had agreed to this ludicrous idea with Ezra.

Being near Jackson again made everything she was risking worth it.

--

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