Quagmire: Day 13

Word Count: 78,021

Summary of Events:

Jesse went to a gangster meeting Robbie told him about after the altercation with the waitress and found that he'd accidentally shot one of the gang's best killers in the dark, and that the Italian gang whose man he'd shot had put a price on his head — the combined total of them all equalling $1.2 million. He heard someone approaching the door and answered it to find the loiterer, who was also a young man that Rose had become friends with, at the door; he fought with him and scared him off, including firing two shots at him, before showing Rose that he hadn't killed the young man . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

""Why did you have to shoot at him?" Rose demanded.

"To put a little fear into him," Jesse replied.

"Why did you have to beat him?" Rose asked.

"Because it makes my skin crawl to think that you were courting the fancy of a gangster," Jesse replied.

"And how do you know he's a gangster?" Rose demanded.

"I know," Jesse replied.

"That's not good enough," Rose snapped.

"I chased him into a speakeasy once, he was carrying a gun, and he wasn't afraid to aim it at my head and make threats to kill me, even if they weren't seaworthy threats," Jesse replied. "Not to mention he made statements suggestive of an attempt to kidnap you. No respectable man — churchgoing or not — would or should make threats to kidnap a woman when they are denied the privilege to court her. Besides, I know that Ma, Cathleen, Bridget, Noreen, and Delma wouldn't have approved of him either."

"If you wouldn't have provoked him–"

"Rosalind!" Jesse snapped.

He let the sound of her name dissipate and gazed at her in silence for a few moments before continuing.

"If you dared marry that man it would not be a pleasant existence, I assure you," Jesse said, more calm. "He wouldn't have been faithful to you, although he wouldn't ever have let you know it, he would lay with any woman, you'd just be the woman he'd come home to. But worse than that, Rose, he wouldn't grow old with you. To be a gangster is not to have longevity, and you don't need to look further than Obed to see proof of that. Your days would be filled with worry and uncertainty that you do not deserve. You would never be certain that he would make it home for dinner, you wouldn't even necessarily be certain that gunmen wouldn't come to your home and shoot him before your very eyes — if they weren't even callous enough to shoot you as well."

Tears were streaming down Rose's face, her hand was clinging to the bannister, her other hand was barely holding her gun.

"I don't want that for you Rose," Jesse said. "And I know Da wouldn't want it for you either, much less any of the rest. You don't deserve that sort of life, and I will not stand by and see you snared into it by the handsome face, charming demeanour, and silver tongue of one of those men. I didn't do any of what I did today just because I don't like him. I did it because I love you, and I don't want to see you live the life of suffering which would be all that he could assure you of."

He reached forward and caught her gun as her hold on it loosened entirely. Quickly he then pocketed the firearm and brought Rose close to him in a gentle embrace. A sob finally broke free of her into his shoulder while she sagged against his body."