Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

Jovana got so close that her chest brushed against him every time he took a deep breath. She slowly breathed his scent. Jovana took the edges of his collar between her index finger and thumb, straightening an imperfection that wasn't there.

Their eyes locked, steel and earth coming together. Jovana trailed the contour of his jacket with her fingertips as she said, "I'm not sure if I should dare to touch you. I heard that you can see through all women as if they are transparent."

Caspian took a step forward. Jovana could feel his body against hers, his fingers closing around her hand, and his delicate touch on her skin. "Maybe. But you are not like other women. Take me to a hidden place where I can be all alone with you, my pretty lady."

As the party started with actors chanting poems and breathing fire, Jovana took the Duke to one of the mansion's guest rooms.

'It's been a while since I played hide and seek in this house.' Jovana mused, as she went inside and locked the door behind her. She was panting because of the swift retreat and the excitement. She felt the Duke's hand grab her from behind.

He breathed the smell of her hair and gently turned her around. His eyes were lost in hers, his hands stroked her cheeks and her hair. The wall pushed against her back as he leaned over her for a kiss.

His lips closed over hers, as his arms held her tight against him. "Jovana." Caspian breathed, and hearing her name from him at that moment felt like a very enjoyable thrill for Jovana.

Jovana didn't dare to open her eyes as if it was just a dream. 'I don't want to wake up from this one.' she thought to herself, while Caspian kissed her again, deeper with growing urgency and longing.

A heat started burning in the center of Jovana's body, and it was spreading quickly. "Why do you do it, Caspian? Why are you always there for me?" Jovana whispered.

"I will always be there for you, Jovana." Caspian said, looking into the eyes of the woman that had seemed to capture a significant space in his heart.

"But–" Jovana trailed off, when he placed a finger over her lips and smiled. His eyes were so bright when he looked at her that for a second Jovana wondered if it was really him. He kissed her again, and everything else didn't matter anymore. Jovana back arched against the wall, her hands frantically grabbing at him.

Both of them were completely out of control, but when Jovana realized that they had started pulling at each other's dress, she stopped him. "Caspian, wait."

Caspian's finger stopped messing with Jovana's clothes, and he looked at her as he said in a hoarse voice, "What is it, My Astra?"

"What? Astra?" Jovana repeated.

"Yes. Anytime I gaze into your eyes, I'm reminded of the beautiful stars in the sky. Get used to it, Jovana. I'll call you my Astra from now on." Caspian said, as he rubbed his palm against her cheek, and Jovana felt her heart flutter at his words.

'This man will be the death of me.' Jovana muttered in her mind.

"What is it that you wanted to say?" Caspian asked, and Jovana lowered her head shyly.

"Well, we shouldn't do that. Not here, not now. It's Xena's birthday, and I should be downstairs with her, not here–" Jovana trailed off when Caspian interrupted her with a kiss. When his lips parted from hers, they opened up in a smile.

"You are right. Let's go to your friend."

As soon as Jovana got back to the main event, Xena came up to her. "Jovana, where have you been? I looked everywhere for you." She huffed.

"Well, who cares about me? Tell me about you. This is your day. You planned every detail with such care." Jovana said, changing the topic, and praying silently that Xena wouldn't question her further.

"Oh, you are sweet. I'm particularly proud of the napkins matching the colors of the nearby flowers." Xena said, and Jovana breathed a sigh of relief.

"And are you having fun?" She asked.

"I am having the most wonderful time. This party is perfect in every way," Xena said with a smile, and Jovana smiled back at her.

"Like all your parties."

"Yes, and you were at each one of them. Isn't it incredible? We have known each other for so much time. I don't have one memory that precedes you. Can you believe it?" Xena said, while Jovana's smile widened.

"Of course I can, you are my soul sister." Jovana said, as Xena grabbed her into a tight hug of purely sister love, and Jovana was happy to hug her back. 'She's the only person in this world other than Eli that I can call family.' Jovana mused.

Xena snatched two flutes of wine from a tray and handed Jovana one as she said, "We need to celebrate. Today is not just about me, but about our friendship as well."

Jovana slightly wrinkled her nose at the idea of drinking wine.

"To us, Jovana."

"To us, Xena." Jovana and Xena toasted at each other and drank their wine.

Right after the alcohol got into her system, Jovana felt the world spinning. 'Ugh, wine and lack of sleep don't mix well.' Jovana grumbled in her mind, while Xena didn't notice her moment of loss. She hugged Jovana again, and kissed her on the cheek.

"You are the best. I love you." Xena commented.

"I love you too."

"I will see you later, then. I'm sure the other guests are getting jealous." Xena said, as she walked away into the mix of crowds.

Jovana, who still felt horribly dizzy, took a couple of shaky steps and leaned over a column.

"I hope this is not the after-effect of a serendipity vial." Falcon said, and Jovana turned around at the sound of his voice. "Is everything okay, Jovana?" He asked in concern.

"Everything is fine. Apparently, wine is not as good as serendipity to spice things up, that's all."

Falcon came closer, looking directly in her eyes as he said, "Maybe you should consider not sacrificing your well-being in order to make people around you feel better? It's a noble but taxing habit."

'He must have seen me wrinkling my nose for the wine.' Jovana thought, and said to him, "I'm not a saint, Falcon. I just like to stand up for the people I love."

Falcon laughed, "I wish a few more people weren't saints in the same way. I think anyone who can enjoy the pleasure of your company is incredibly lucky. And speaking of this. Thinking back to our day at the Academy, I had the impression that I might have taken advantage of your kindness. And I'm very sorry for that. I should have known better and kept things under control."

"I really appreciate your concern, Falcon, and I would accept your apology, but I don't think there is anything to forgive. I think it was a good experience." Jovana said, while Falcon smiled genuinely at her.

"I'm so relieved to know that you feel this way. I–" Falcon trailed off when–

Someone's scream pierced through the crowd. A girl in the middle of the garden had just taken a vial of serendipity and passed out screaming. The vial rolled on the ground and the whole party came to a halt. 'Oh my God! Did she just die because of serendipity?' Jovana exclaimed in her mind, her heart racing with fear.