The Fate of Destiny Part 83
Liz leaned on the sink in the kitchen of her childhood. She remembered her father once saying it was redundant to have a kitchen upstairs when there was such a big one downstairs. Her mother had tsked at him and had reminded him of their little privacy and few family dinners and the cherished moments in this kitchen. Liz had chosen not to dwell on some of the cherished moments because she was almost certain she wasn't supposed to know what they were. The walls of their home were a little too thin for such thin veiling of words from her parents.
"Liz, honey, you did the dishes?"
"Thought you could use a hand." Liz pulled the plug to let the water drain. As she watched the water spiral down that black little hole, she realized she often felt like that was her and her life. Not getting sucked down the drain, just spiraling with no control.
"You've been acting weird all day." Nancy accused her daughter and took the dish towel to wipe the table. "Hanging around, saying nothing…" She looked her daughter in the eye. "Is there something you're trying to tell me? Sit."
Obediently, Liz took a seat at the table. Before she could open her mouth, her father burst in carrying a big box. She watched her mother rush to help him. "What's that, Dad?"
"Well, that old VCR conked out about five years ago and that damned DVD thing you got us for Christmas… I can't work it." Jeff opened the box. "It's not for me, it's for the grandkids. I just spent two hours at the damned store learning how to work it and they tell me it does it all. They can play the old VHS and the DVD and those computer games on CD… music… everything but 8-track. It's an all-in-one entertainment center and all I have to do is plug this thingy here into the TV and we're set." He announced proudly.
Liz bit her lip. Max had wanted one of those too but she had said no. They had looked at it and decided it was a last resort… when every last electronic device in the house had broken, then maybe. There was one other thing about that box of circuits and wires… "Dad, when did you get a new TV?"
"I didn't." He shook his head and dragged the box into the living room. Liz looked at her mother and closed her eyes, counting softly. There was a catch with that machine. A big one. "What in the hell! Our TV isn't that old! God damn those salesmen."
Nancy burst out laughing and after a moment, Liz joined her. All of a sudden, Nancy got to her feet and spoke a few soft words for Jeff to calm down. Liz tilted her head with interest as her father bowed his head and took some deep breaths. "Just go back to the store. Tell them what kind of TV we have… I'm sure there's an adapter or a connector or some thingamabob that will do the trick."
"Can I send Max? What good's a son-in-law if I can't put him to work?" Jeff sank into his chair.
"Max isn't allowed in that store without me." Liz shook her head. "You can send Daniel… if you can find him. He's a slick young man."
"I'd rather hunt the boy down than go back to that forsaken store." Jeff groaned as he got out of the chair again. "See you ladies later."
The second he was out of the door, Liz turned to her mother. "What's wrong with him?"
Nancy blinked at her for a second then nodded. "You always were a perceptive girl. Doctor said that your dad's got to take it easy. He… had some chest pains back… all that craziness and worry. That horrible man taking David and little Alex in the hospital. We didn't think anything of it but he went for an exam and he had had a heart attack and it wasn't serious enough for him to notice. They said… it happens sometimes but the scar tissue is there. Proof that it happened."
"Mom." Liz began to cry.
"It's not serious but… your dad has to slow it down…" Nancy started crying too. "I… it would break my heart if something happened to your father. I always planned for us to get so old we were seeing great-great-grandchildren. No exceptions."
Liz stiffened at her mother's wording. Bethany wasn't getting thoughts. She was getting images. There was no visual for a breaking heart except maybe someone clutching their chest. "Mom… I… I've been wanting to tell you something."
"Here it is. Which grandchild is pregnant?"
"No, it's nothing like that… but… maybe I should wait until Dad gets here but… I don't want to upset him…" She stopped. No. "If I tell you first maybe you can help me tell Dad."
"Liz, what is it? Is something wrong?"
"No… just something I've needed to get off my chest for about… 20 years." She took a breath and let it out in a laugh.
"We know about you eloping."
"It's not that, Mom. It's about… what happened that day of the shooting." The decision hadn't come to her at any one point but after hearing about her father, Liz realized she had even less time to make sure things stayed right between her and her parents. She had to take the plunge.
"The shooting? When? What?"
--
Isabel slammed the containers down on the counter. It was getting late and the picnic had long been over but she had gotten stuck with clean up and a fight with her husband. He had shown up alright and acted like an ass. "You couldn't act like a human being for two hours?"
"I'm sorry, I haven't had as much practice as you."
"Don't even go there, Kyle Valenti. Your behavior today was inexcusable."
"And how am I supposed to act when I see him? When I see the way he looks at you? Shake his hand and say, sorry, she's taken but let's find you another pretty gal half your age." Kyle shouted back, he reached for a beer from the cooler but she ripped it out of his hand and emptied it into the sink. "Oh. I can't have a beer now."
"Not unless you want me walking into that bar and having a discussion with the owners. Tell them you're an alcoholic and have no business there… or maybe I could hunt down the little trollop who is not even pretty and give her a piece of my mind."
"Max told you?"
"My brother knows?" Isabel gasped. "I found out from Alex. Our son. On the subject of being truthful…"
--
Jacobi had endured the yelling and the accusations. He did the listening and the holding and did his best to explain things but it wasn't good enough. Sitting in the desert they were on opposite sides of the same rock… because he hadn't told the truth. "I freaked out. I'm sorry."
"You freaked out." Kathy ran her hands through her hair. "This is so stupid. We had sex and now we have morning after anxiety. We have identity issues and we have stupid fights about who did what with whom and why and how and where and I can't take it anymore. You freaked out. I am freaking out. One day you're telling me that you love me and we'll always be together and afterward…"
"I don't know what I’m doing." Jacobi kicked his car bumper. "I… panicked. I guess. After the last time."
"Last time you didn't have a condom. I'm not her. I'm on birth control. I had to talk to my father." Kathy shouted at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it's not an invitation. It's contraception and my business. Doesn't matter. We were still gonna use a condom because for all we know, you picked up a disease from her."
"Hey! Stop! Don't." Jacobi snapped at her.
"Oh. I'm sorry. Are we still in love with her when we're declaring our love in hotel rooms?"
"You're not being fair."
"I'm being more than fair." Kathy wiped at her face. "I hope you enjoyed it, Jacobi… cause I didn't. It's not me being mean. It's me being honest. We shouldn't have because neither of us can act like adults about it." Getting to her feet, she faced him. "One question before you drive me home. Why did you freak?"
"You're an alien."
--
Max let out a deep breath and set his stethoscope in his locker. In a glass jar he had bullets pulled from shooting victims. He had two jars. Drive-bys and hold-ups when the cops had more than enough to study and didn't care if he kept one or two. Taking the drive-bys in his hands, he walked out to the lobby. Family members and friends had been milling about all afternoon. "You see? Each one of these bullets killed someone. The bullets came from the guns of your friends, your enemies and they all killed people. People you know, people you hate. People."
"Dr. Evans." A nurse quietly called. Wanting to stop him, not wanting to interrupt.
"Stop. Just. Stop." Max had lost four patients in 60 minutes and he was tired. Exiting the hospital, he threw the jar at the wall. Shards and little lead balls flew everywhere.
--
Valenti found Isabel washing dishes, tears streaming down her face. "The kids heard you fighting."
"I'm sorry." Isabel whispered around a sob.
"Not words just…" He put his hands on her shoulders. "He left?" She nodded because the words couldn't come through the tears, sobs and hiccups. "He'll be back."
"Why can't we just be the way we used to?" Isabel sobbed.
"Part of life. People change. Michelle is doing better but he's not."
--
Emily hesitantly slid her hands beneath his small body. One hand under his neck and the other to steady his body. He quieted somewhat as she settled him against her chest. Slowly, she reached for the bottle on the counter nearby and slid the nipple into his mouth. He sucked eagerly, his eyes fluttering closed and his cries turning into whimpers that ceased as his sucking slowed. It was the weirdest thing she had ever done but she had gotten stuck watching the kid so Oriel could walk around the block while her dad was… wherever it was he had gone.
The plan was to watch the kid, not feed him, not burp him and definitely not change him. It was too weird. When the kid hit kindergarten, she'd be halfway through college… if she went the full route. When the kid hit middle school, he'd probably be an uncle. "Listen little guy. You're gonna get stuck here with the crazy people. I hate to leave a man behind but you're a liability. Tough it out… you got it worse. You got two parents."
--
Michael stared at all the characters.
"Man, I'm closing, my kids gotta eat. Pick something." The cashier whined.
Michael glanced at him for a few seconds. He was twenty-something. Good for him. "Wait til the kids are riding motorcycles and having sex, then you can whine about what the kiddies want."
"You've been staring at those helmet decals for an hour. Spiderman, Superman, X-Men, Batman. Dude pick a series first then narrow it down." The cashier pleaded and moved around the counter. "Let's make this simple. Marvel or DC Comics."
"Little shit." Michael muttered but he knew what he had to do. "Marvel."
"Good. Now. We got the old guys and the new guys."
"Old."
"Good. Spidey?"
"No."
"Progress. Female. Male."
"Any of the female any good?"
"Watered down men. It's a motorcycle helmet right? Wolverine, he loves his bikes. Cartoon had Rogue on a bike… Boy or girl."
"Wolverine." Michael sighed. Damn his daughter for liking X-Men over Spiderman. He had a few weeks to get her helmet done and that would be her present with the bike.
--
Jesse motioned his mother and son into the house with their leftovers. It was Kyle again. The picnic had consisted of many deadly looks and more questions from his mother than he wanted and he knew his son wasn't blind. "Do we have a problem?"
"Yeah. Yeah we do." Kyle nodded pulling his hat from his head and leaning on his car. "We've got a really big problem about the way you look at my wife."
"I've already talked to your wife." Jesse held up his hands. "You win. End of story."
"I don't buy that. There's another problem with my wife that you and I need to discuss." His tired blue eyes were as dry as he could make them. This guy was taller, ok, and probably handsome, fine, but he had a gut and gray hair. Kyle had him beat in those categories. "I'm just trying to figure out why she would."
"I'm not having this discussion." Jesse pointed to the road. "I suggest you leave."
--
Max sat at his desk when he got home. He had kissed his mother's cheek, shook his head at her questions. He needed to do something productive with his day. Fax machine on? "Mom?"
"Sweetie?" Diane maneuvered around David playing on the floor to see what her son was asking.
"Fax machine come on?"
"Yes. Um… some pictures came through and I had to rescue them from this crayon monster." She pointed to David. "You and Isabel were never in a school play, right?"
"No." He shook his head.
"That's what I thought. I put them in your desk, top drawer. Liz said she's going to be a little late and Jeff came over to steal Daniel for the evening. So it's just us until the girls get home."
"Where's Beth?"
"In her room."
"Okay." Max nodded and watched her disappear into the kitchen. She was spending more and more time in his house than her own these days. Opening his top drawer he froze. A wedding picture? But that was him and Isabel… "Davey, did you take some paper from the machine?"
"Just this." The boy held up his drawing. On the back was a message from Agent Goldblum.
Max read aloud as he plucked the page from his son's hand. "Max, just following up on the Burkhardt case and found some interesting things. This picture is one and there are others. When you get a chance, call and I'll fill you in. Will." Max glanced at the picture again. At the bottom was a faint scribbling; Darryl and Christine Morton. 1947. "Mom? Look at this."
Diane tossed a dishcloth over her shoulder. "What's that?" She took the picture. "Looks like you and your sister at… 19."
"Isabel was pregnant when she was 19." Max pointed out.
"Yes. She was. Look see." Diane gestured to her face. "Her face got round again, always does."
"Beside the point." Max shook his head but filed that away. "Unless we time traveled, this picture was taken in 1947."
"My god." Diane took a really good look. "But… same acne scar there." She found the spot on her son's face… "but… no… scar from when Daniel beaned you with that book and your nose started bleeding." She rubbed the small scar on his nose. "Who are these people?"
"Darryl and Christine… they were married." Max made a face. He was about to say more but his beeper went off.
"Max, you just got home." Diane protested.
"And yet people still insist on getting hurt."
--
Liberty got a rare treat. Mom was home for once for bedtime and since Kyle had fallen asleep for story number one, she got one all to herself. She'd have to weasel it out of Mom but it wouldn't be hard. She pushed the fight out of her head. Dad made Mom crazy and Mom came home early. Liberty time because Alex was too old for story time. "Can you tell the Princess one?"
"Oh, I don't know. It's late." Isabel shook her head. Her head felt full from crying, from thinking, from waiting to finish it. Kyle, barring a relapse to the bar, would be home soon… hopefully.
"It's summer. Come on. Princess Smiles-a-lot." Liberty turned huge brown eyes on her mother.
"Puppy eyes. No." Isabel groaned. "Where did we leave off? It's been a long while?"
"She found Prince Charming Wit and King 6-Star went away and so Charming Wit's the king."
"It has been awhile." Isabel settled into the bed with her daughter, brushing the blonde hair from her forehead. "Well… The Queen mother popped out of nowhere but she's really sick so Charming Wit has to take care of her and his family. Smiles-a-lot has been busy too, there are five kids and the castle and remember, she sits as judge over the disputes of the villagers."
"Five." Liberty wrinkled up her nose. "There were only four."
"I told you, it's been a while." Isabel flicked the little nose. "Now they've got the baby, too."
"Prince Blue Eyes, Prince Shining Star, Princess Dew Drop, Prince Dimple-Chin and… what's the baby's name?"
"Princess Curls-and-Twirls."
"About time we got another Princess. Dew Drop was getting lonely."
Isabel fought a bout of nausea as she shifted on the bed. "Where was I?"
"Everyone's busy."
"Right. Charming Wit is going out of his head. King 6-Star went on that quest and it looks like he's not coming back. Queen Forgets-Much isn't any help. While he was running the kingdom, Charming Wit asked an old crooked woman what to do. She gave him a potion. She was a witch, you see. She told him that it would ease his worries and make him fun once more."
"I don't trust witches.
"Smart girl but Charming Wit was going crazy. He just wanted to be young again and able to take care of everyone so… he took the potion."
"Was it the same witch who tricked Princess Smiles-a-lot's brother Prince Starch Pants?"
"Different witch. This witch doesn't have a name. She's very ugly."
"Bad sign."
"The potion made Charming Wit do bad things and when the potion wore off, he realized he had been mean to Smiles-a-lot and the children. Everyone was mad at him and Smiles-a-lot didn't smile so much anymore but she loved Charming Wit so much, she knew she couldn't stay mad at him forever."
"Is there another potion that can make him better?"
"Potions aren't good. They cause more trouble than they solve."
"Starch Pants can do it. Remember? When Warlock Black Suit ducked and 6-Star accidentally stabbed Charming Wit. Remember? Starch Pants could do it. Just the same. Heal him again."
"No potions. No healing brothers. Nothing can help Charming Wit out of this one." Isabel shook her head sadly. "He's in a real bind this time."
"A real bind." The girl repeated and yawned. "Is Daddy coming home?"
"Probably but it's late, he'll be home after you go to sleep." She lied to her daughter and felt horrible about it. Her cellphone went off and she groaned when she saw the name.
"Who is it?"
"Prince Starch Pants."
"Really?"
"It's Uncle Max."
"Uncle Poohead." Liberty grumbled as she snuggled into her bed after her mother stood up. "Doesn't let me run in the hospital."
Isabel shook her head and flicked off the light as she exited the room. "What is it Max? Today is not the day for strange revelations about whatever asinine thing you've gone and done."
"Isabel, I think you'd better get to the hospital… and bring Valenti. Call Mom or the Whitmans to watch the kids… but hurry."
"Max?"
"It's Kyle. Get here. Fast."
--
The hospital was a zoo. There were crying women of every age everywhere. Isabel pushed through them to her brother at the doors. "What's going on?"
"There's been a shooting. Second one today. Stupid kids and guns." Max breathed as he tried to usher her through the doors.
Isabel froze when she saw Jesse Ramirez pacing in front of the ER doors with blood on his clothes. "Jesse."
"Isabel…" Jesse's mouth opened and closed but he had nothing he could say. Tears raced down his face. "He's asked for you the whole ride."
"They won't let me in there. I've got other patients. Where's Valenti?" Max pressed.
"On his way." Isabel gingerly touched the doors and they rocked open. The noise was a familiar one. She had heard it before. The steady beep of a dead monitor. A doctor trying his best to restart a heart that just won't. That expression in the doctor's eyes as they stood still and looked at the clock to write down T.O.D. Her face crumpled as they said things to her about doing everything humanly possible to save him. Tubes in his mouth, in his arms… She would have fallen if not for the arms that caught her. "What happened?"
At first no one answered her but then the body behind her, that carried the stench of blood, spoke. "He saved my life."
TBC
83/107 not doing so bad at all. '-)
The Fate of Destiny Part 181E CC/UC ADULT 09/02/10 COMPLETE
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, Erina, Forum Moderators
Part 84
The Fate of Destiny Part 84
Emily sat in her black dress. It was new. She didn't own many dresses and she wanted to look nice for her Uncle's funeral. She hadn't spoken to anyone since she was told except to insist on a new dress. Her father had simply nodded and pulled the credit card from the bottom of his closet. She could hear him on the phone, talking to Max. They were short a pall bearer. Grampa Jim, Alex, Max, Danny, Dad and Mr. Parker? He had a heart condition and what if Grampa Jim couldn't do it? So many questions, calling around. She wanted to get it over with. Get to the church, get to the cemetery and be done with it. The less she had to think about it the better.
Oriel sat down in the desk chair. "I know you're upset but you've got to eat something."
"I will." Was that her voice? "Later."
"I've got some broth on the stove, extra. If you want some, it'll be there. I'm going to run the other food over to your aunt's." Oriel rose and smoothed out her dress. It was like its owner. It breezed around her legs as she walked, it was dark but not black. Oriel probably didn't own anything that was completely black. "Em?"
"He's my uncle. I only had the one. He… I can't remember Mom." Emily stared at her Maria doll where she had been retired in the closet. Oriel took her seat once more. "Not a thing. I've seen pictures but… Grandma, I remember her, barely. Coconut pies and alien balloons. Grandpa Jim… doesn't like to look at me because everyone says… I look like her. He spoils me but he's afraid of me… Uncle Kyle treated me like I was really there. He didn't put up with my crap and he never spoiled me more than Dad allowed. No brand name clothes but a gift certificate every now and again if I had behaved and warranted a little spoiling."
"Em… I had no idea."
"I think people forget that he's my blood uncle." Emily whispered. "It's always been just me and Dad. They think of Maria and it was always just her and Grandma. She dated Grandpa Jim for a while but people didn't know. They didn't advertise it and they shouldn't have had to. It's a secret that no one intended to keep and I think I like it that way. My boss at school won't treat me the way he's going to treat Alex when we go to work tomorrow. No one is going to come up to me and ask me fifty times how I'm doing." She turned to her stepmother. "You know?"
"Yes, I do. My village was small… and when my protector left… I was just sixteen. The women at the church looked after me, spoiled me until I couldn't stand it anymore. He left so suddenly and somehow I knew he'd never be coming back. He wasn't loving or caring in any way but I felt like something was taken away from me." Oriel whispered, her blue eyes fixed on the bed post. "I had to get out of there. There was an exchange program, my host family had lost their real daughter the year I moved in. François told me that he had forgotten they were supposed to host until a week before I arrived. It was a car wreck, he said, freak accident with a faulty seatbelt. Janine decided she hated me the moment I walked through the door and François decided that I was a gift from heaven right on time." She took a breath and leaned forward. "We, François and I, would have long intense conversations in French. He assumed it made me feel at home and I played along. He was the first real father figure I had. He defended me against Janine's accusations that I was a thief, that I was a spy, that I was trying to make him forget their daughter, that I was seducing him."
"That's horrible."
"It got worse. I applied for citizenship and she fought it but it was granted and I went to college here in the states. François was a good man. He was gentle with me but he knew when he had to be hard with me. He is the reason I've remained strong in my search for all of you. I… when I moved into the dorms, she cut off our communication and one day, I stopped by and they were gone, moved away, left no forwarding address." She sighed. "What I have left are memories. The conversations in French. That is the only reason I still speak it now, why my accent is still so heavy after these last twenty years." She reached for Emily's hand. "He didn't die, to my knowledge, but I hold on to what I have of him and remember. Losing him was the first real thing I ever felt… so I know what you mean."
--
"Down on the road, following a lifeline. We gather round for the coming night."
Alex sat across from his grandfather. The grief-weary old man had been on the phone all morning. The hospital would let them take Michele for the day but she would have to go right back into observation. The doctors were afraid that Michele would have a set back due to all the… unpleasantness. His mother was cleaning like crazy, stopping once every 35 minutes to puke. Alex had other things to worry about besides his step-grandmother and keeping a clean house. His suit was too small and it had taken him an hour to resize to fit perfectly. Three more phone calls and the pall bearer situation was sorted out. It would be Alex, Uncle Max, Danny, Michael, Bruce and Jesse. Grampa would take care of Michele's wheelchair and I.V.
"He turns his head to watch the starlight, Fingerless hands reaching from his eyes."
Liberty had been quiet since her initial outburst when they had been told. She wasn't like Alex. When Grampa Evans had died, Alex had just known and accepted it. When his mother had come in so late and so pale and so quiet, he had known and… this time the acceptance had yet to come but he had known it. Liberty did too, probably but she wanted to forget it and make it undone. Sitting in her big brother's lap, they waited in their best clothes. Little Kyle was bewildered by all the crying but he, too, knew that it was a sad thing and had been quiet and, for once, not demanding of their mother.
"He won't reach me on this side. Fly Down the line. Fly down the line."
--
Kathy smoothed her dress in her brother's mirror. Daniel lay on his bed, arm over his eyes, his jacket on a hanger, waiting for the call to put it on and be on their way. "You remember how he used to flash the lights when he would pick us up from school?"
"Kat? Can we not talk right now?" Daniel murmured, his head ached in all sorts of ways and he didn't want to put his glasses on and go outside where people would be staring at him and not seeing him at all.
"His brightest aims hover outside, his memory a heavy weight."
"When's a good time to talk? Next week? Next month? Next year, maybe?" Kathy sat on the end of his bed. "It's never going to hurt any less. We'll just get used to the pain, like when Grampa died. No one's going to talk about him for a long time and then suddenly it's okay… and I can't wait that long. If you wait too long, you forget things."
"What kind of things?" Daniel sat up to look at his sister, who he realized had been steadily crying through her words.
"I cannot breach the empty silence, so he looks at me with a helpless smile."
"I can't remember how he smelled. I know that he had a smell but I can't remember what it was. Was it mint? Maybe it was books. I can't remember. I can't remember how he looked when he sat in his chair in the living room. I remember that he did that but… the image is gone." She leaned into him when he put his arm around her. "There are so many people who aren't here that I have to keep track of and it hurts to know I've forgotten."
"He won't reach me on this side, fly down the line, fly down the line."
"Guys…" Max opened the door. "It's… time to go."
"Dad." Kathy looked up at her father with her biological mother's bright blue eyes. "I want them all. The pictures of Tess."
--
"The walls surrounding us are tightening…"
Liberty looked at the body. That's all it was now. Her father wasn't in there… maybe he had never been in there. It was just a body, void of presence. A hero they said but a hero didn't lay in a coffin. It was a body, void of life and void of energy. She didn't move until they made her.
--
"Like the plastic shell that's covering his mouth."
Bethany had seen the body. Her father hadn't wanted her to but her mother had left it up to her and promised they would talk later. Lately, it was the most soothing thing she had done. Being around living people was noisy when a little girl could pick up feelings and impressions. Being around the dead was quiet. It was peaceful.
--
"A chance to be right… once more before the light dies down…"
Kyle Jr. sat next to his mother. Tears slipped down his face, he couldn't stop them. He wasn't a baby and people treated him like he didn't understand but he did. Dad was there when the guns were being shot. Dad pushed Mom's work friend out of the way and got shot himself. They couldn't make Dad better so now they were going to put Dad in the ground because Dad would never wake up again. Dad was gone.
--
"Once more before he dies… Words can't replace a lifetime."
David clung to his mother. Everyone was crying. Uncle Kyle had gone to heaven. He had been shot… like… Not-Dad. Like Mason. Thinking about him made David remember and that's why he didn't like the sessions with the doctor. The doctor was nice but she talked about Mason too much. Made Mason appear.
--
"Fear has replaced the burning anger."
Food was everywhere. People were everywhere. Alex just wanted them all to go home and to stop saying how sorry they were. His grandparents were talking to Grandma Evans and Grampa Valenti. That meant Aunt Maggie and her husband were around somewhere. Aunt Mags was great and she had just had her first baby and was expecting again but… she tended to hover, as long as he could remember. He felt much stronger when Lynnette had made it over with her aunt and cousin. Having her there, saying nothing was the best feeling all day.
"There you are." Aunt Mags.
"Hey. Not hiding. Been here all day." Alex beat her to the question she always asked. "This is Lynnette Trejo, my girlfriend."
"I heard you'd gotten yourself a new lady." She pinched his cheeks the way her brother had always hated and she imagined that her brother's son hated it too. "You holding up okay? I hear things weren't great."
"He's my dad. It's all I can do to keep from puking, crying and going crazy all at the same time." Alex hugged Lynnette to his body as if she were a shield that could make the questions go away.
"I can't imagine…" Maggie started but trailed off.
"Someone told me that you don't stop loving someone because of the things they do or who they are. You love them in spite of and because of who they are and the things they do as a result of who they are." Alex wasn't in the room any more. Somewhere in the room many months before.
"Smart person. Your mom?"
"About my mom. It's what Alex told my dad when he and my mom were fighting before I was even an issue." Alex returned to the room and current time. "Guess the fatherly advice comes from beyond the grave after all." There. His mother and Jesse. She had been avoiding him since the hospital and that was becoming hard to do.
"Reflecting in the whites of his eyes."
Isabel was glad the house was emptying of strangers when Jesse made his approach. Only family was left and even they were saying their goodbyes and going on their way. Still, she didn't want to have this conversation with Jesse. Soltero had told her how it had happened. Witness statements had matched Jesse's. Even so, she listened as Jesse told her what had happened. "We were talking, fighting, rather, and I heard the tires squeal but I was too focused on what he was saying to really pay attention to what the noise meant. When the shots rang out, he shoved me to the ground. When it was over, I realized that he wasn't moving. My mom had called the cops and a neighbor the ambulance. It was eight minutes before they got there and I held him…"
Isabel looked up and found that Jesse was crying, leaning on the doorframe, unable to collect himself as the tears rolled down his face. "Jesse…"
His huge brown eyes met hers. "I think he honestly wanted to kill me for even thinking of you and he still saved my life. He spoke so much in those eight minutes, Isabel. So much without saying a word."
"We feel his presence slowing dimming… We gather round for the coming night."
She sobbed and leaned on the cabinet next to the door, his gun cabinet. "Jesse."
"I will go to hell for loving you, Isabel. He didn't even think. He just moved and because of him, I am standing here. I've been tearing myself up inside. I… seduce his wife and he lays down his life. Tells me that he loves his wife and needs to see her taken care of." His voice caught in his throat and he had to fight for control. "He told me, the man he hated, that his wife was much more fragile than she ever let anyone see and that I had to promise to be there to protect her… like he knew." Gathering himself and wiping his face of tears. "Isabel."
"Sounds like Kyle." Isabel cut him off and quickly got herself together. "I have to… see
to my children."
"Isabel." He gripped her arm. "We need to talk. Not now but soon."
"The coming night…"
"Maybe." She allowed him a hug and moved into the room with her family. It was Max who gave her the comfort she wanted. He wrapped her in his arms and let her finish the cry she had started standing next to Jesse. "How can I tell him? How can I tell my children after what I've done?"
"It will all work out. I promise." Squeezing her tight one last time, he pulled away. "I've got to get home and if you need a distraction, you're welcome to come and join us."
"Maybe later." Isabel nodded and watched the door shut on the last of them.
"He won't reach me on this side, fly down the line, fly down the line… fly down the line… fly down the line…"
--
When he walked in the door, he glared at the fax machine and walked away. No more information. Nothing to focus on except the present situation and his daughter's renewed quest to know her dead mother. Taking a seat next to her on the couch, he gestured to the box. "You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Kathy whispered then looked at her mother. "If Mom's ready?"
"I think Mom's gonna sit this one out." Max gave a wan smile to Liz's grateful grimace. "I don't have a lot. Just two or three years and only part of that was… good and worthy of pictures."
Bethany took a seat across from them and just watched, half-listening.
"Where did she come from?"
"All over the world. Her protector took her everywhere and she lived in more than a dozen places. Sometimes, when she talked, her accent would slip and you could hear something else there. I always meant to ask her."
"So, you were friends?"
"We dated for nearly two years. You can't date for that long and not be friends. I have to admit that I wasn't a good boyfriend but I never gave her reason to think I was a bad friend. Maybe we never gave you a good impression of your… mother but she wasn't a totally bad person. Raised wrong is what I believe. If she had been like the rest of us, raised by human parents, I think she would have turned out differently."
"Aren't there any pictures of her when she was pregnant?"
"Honestly, I wouldn't know. Valenti might. This is all stuff I packed up when she went away. The rest of her stuff was at the Valenti's, they might still have it or at least know where it is."
"Kathy's your favorite." Bethany blurted out.
Max had to blink at his younger daughter. "What?" The question broke his heart. He looked to Liz, whose expression probably mirrored his own of shock and confusion. Moving across to kneel in front of the small brunette, he studied her face. "What would make you say something like that?"
"You feel it." Bethany told him. "She's more special than the rest of us."
"No." Max shook his head.
"You do. She's more, than us." She seemed to be unable to describe what she was feeling. Wiping her eyes beneath her glasses, she tilted her head at her father. "More than us."
Then it dawned on Max. "Bethany. I don't love Kathy any more or less than you or Danny or Davey. Kathy is different but it doesn't make her more special to me than you." He looked over his shoulder to his shocked daughter then back to his younger one. "Kathy's mommy was like me. So Kathy is more like me than you are but it doesn't make you less to me. People are different. It just means that Kathy is stronger when it comes to her abilities. There are things that you can do that she can't. I love all my children the same." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I promise that we're going to find a way for you to control when you feel and what you feel. Okay?"
"Why did Uncle Kyle have to die?" She whispered. "Everyone feels more… including me. Daddy, you make my head hurt."
"Come on." Liz held out her hand. "Let's go to your room and maybe you can rest a little while before supper."
--
When Emily found him in the graveyard, she didn't know what to do. She was going to visit her uncle and her grandmother and her mother but there was her grandfather. He lifted his head when she approached. "You should be at home."
"So should you."
"My children are dead. Tess was like a daughter, Maria was my daughter and now Kyle…"
"Your grandchildren are still here." Emily sat next to him and reached for his hand.
"You're right about that." Valenti wiped his face with a handkerchief in his other hand. "I just wish my family would quit dying."
"Me too."
--
Isabel held the phone to her ear and watched her children picking at their makeshift dinner. "I know I promised I'd let you be but…" Alex looked up when his mother turned to look out the window to listen to whoever had called. "Something's been bothering me. Kyle said that 'especially now' you needed looking after." Jesse whispered. "Can you tell me?"
"I'm pregnant, Jesse… I didn't want to do this over the phone but I can't seem to do it in person……" She could barely hear her own voice, maybe no one else could either.
"Geez, Isabel."
She spun around to look at her children, all but one lost in their own world of cold macaroni and nuked brisket. "It's yours."
"Jesus." He swore. "Is… God, Isabel… Is that why he… Did he know?"
"Yes… but I can't think about this right now. Not about you. Liberty and little Kyle don't know yet."
"Jesus," he swore again. "Look, I…"
"I'll see you when I go back to work."
"Take your time."
"We'll talk then. I just can't do this any sooner." She hung up the phone and after a lengthy period of listening to her children play with their food, she dialed a number without looking. "This is Aunt Isabel… Is your Daddy there? … Max, what half-cooked, hare-brained thing are you into these days?"
"What?" Max blinked at the phone.
"I need something to occupy me for the next three weeks. I know you've been up to something. I want in."
Alex threw his fork onto the table and walked out the door. He'd had enough of being the one watching the kids and ignoring what he was feeling to be a rock for his mother. He needed his own rock and it took twenty minutes to walk there. Through the window, he saw them. Lynnette serving her father before taking her seat next to him. The prayer before the meal. Lynnette and her brother kicking each other under the table as they sat with bowed heads and clasped hands. Mrs. Trejo made Lynnette ignore the phone when it rang. Alex could wait. Staring through the window, that's what he wanted.
Lynnette was the one. Maybe he hadn't waited for the one and she was his third but she was his best and his only from now on. She was the only one who had been patient with him since he got the news. This was where he needed to be. Climbing in her window, he sat on her bed and waited. When he started crying, he had no clue but it was dark when she nudged him awake and wiped the tears from his face. "Finally hit you, huh."
"Do you love me?"
"Yeah. I love you." She settled onto the bed next to him. "Daddy says you've got ten minutes to get yourself together and come out so he can have a talk about you sneaking in the window." She managed a laugh but he could tell this was serious.
"He going to kill me?" Alex sat up.
"No. I don't think so."
tbc
84/107
Emily sat in her black dress. It was new. She didn't own many dresses and she wanted to look nice for her Uncle's funeral. She hadn't spoken to anyone since she was told except to insist on a new dress. Her father had simply nodded and pulled the credit card from the bottom of his closet. She could hear him on the phone, talking to Max. They were short a pall bearer. Grampa Jim, Alex, Max, Danny, Dad and Mr. Parker? He had a heart condition and what if Grampa Jim couldn't do it? So many questions, calling around. She wanted to get it over with. Get to the church, get to the cemetery and be done with it. The less she had to think about it the better.
Oriel sat down in the desk chair. "I know you're upset but you've got to eat something."
"I will." Was that her voice? "Later."
"I've got some broth on the stove, extra. If you want some, it'll be there. I'm going to run the other food over to your aunt's." Oriel rose and smoothed out her dress. It was like its owner. It breezed around her legs as she walked, it was dark but not black. Oriel probably didn't own anything that was completely black. "Em?"
"He's my uncle. I only had the one. He… I can't remember Mom." Emily stared at her Maria doll where she had been retired in the closet. Oriel took her seat once more. "Not a thing. I've seen pictures but… Grandma, I remember her, barely. Coconut pies and alien balloons. Grandpa Jim… doesn't like to look at me because everyone says… I look like her. He spoils me but he's afraid of me… Uncle Kyle treated me like I was really there. He didn't put up with my crap and he never spoiled me more than Dad allowed. No brand name clothes but a gift certificate every now and again if I had behaved and warranted a little spoiling."
"Em… I had no idea."
"I think people forget that he's my blood uncle." Emily whispered. "It's always been just me and Dad. They think of Maria and it was always just her and Grandma. She dated Grandpa Jim for a while but people didn't know. They didn't advertise it and they shouldn't have had to. It's a secret that no one intended to keep and I think I like it that way. My boss at school won't treat me the way he's going to treat Alex when we go to work tomorrow. No one is going to come up to me and ask me fifty times how I'm doing." She turned to her stepmother. "You know?"
"Yes, I do. My village was small… and when my protector left… I was just sixteen. The women at the church looked after me, spoiled me until I couldn't stand it anymore. He left so suddenly and somehow I knew he'd never be coming back. He wasn't loving or caring in any way but I felt like something was taken away from me." Oriel whispered, her blue eyes fixed on the bed post. "I had to get out of there. There was an exchange program, my host family had lost their real daughter the year I moved in. François told me that he had forgotten they were supposed to host until a week before I arrived. It was a car wreck, he said, freak accident with a faulty seatbelt. Janine decided she hated me the moment I walked through the door and François decided that I was a gift from heaven right on time." She took a breath and leaned forward. "We, François and I, would have long intense conversations in French. He assumed it made me feel at home and I played along. He was the first real father figure I had. He defended me against Janine's accusations that I was a thief, that I was a spy, that I was trying to make him forget their daughter, that I was seducing him."
"That's horrible."
"It got worse. I applied for citizenship and she fought it but it was granted and I went to college here in the states. François was a good man. He was gentle with me but he knew when he had to be hard with me. He is the reason I've remained strong in my search for all of you. I… when I moved into the dorms, she cut off our communication and one day, I stopped by and they were gone, moved away, left no forwarding address." She sighed. "What I have left are memories. The conversations in French. That is the only reason I still speak it now, why my accent is still so heavy after these last twenty years." She reached for Emily's hand. "He didn't die, to my knowledge, but I hold on to what I have of him and remember. Losing him was the first real thing I ever felt… so I know what you mean."
--
"Down on the road, following a lifeline. We gather round for the coming night."
Alex sat across from his grandfather. The grief-weary old man had been on the phone all morning. The hospital would let them take Michele for the day but she would have to go right back into observation. The doctors were afraid that Michele would have a set back due to all the… unpleasantness. His mother was cleaning like crazy, stopping once every 35 minutes to puke. Alex had other things to worry about besides his step-grandmother and keeping a clean house. His suit was too small and it had taken him an hour to resize to fit perfectly. Three more phone calls and the pall bearer situation was sorted out. It would be Alex, Uncle Max, Danny, Michael, Bruce and Jesse. Grampa would take care of Michele's wheelchair and I.V.
"He turns his head to watch the starlight, Fingerless hands reaching from his eyes."
Liberty had been quiet since her initial outburst when they had been told. She wasn't like Alex. When Grampa Evans had died, Alex had just known and accepted it. When his mother had come in so late and so pale and so quiet, he had known and… this time the acceptance had yet to come but he had known it. Liberty did too, probably but she wanted to forget it and make it undone. Sitting in her big brother's lap, they waited in their best clothes. Little Kyle was bewildered by all the crying but he, too, knew that it was a sad thing and had been quiet and, for once, not demanding of their mother.
"He won't reach me on this side. Fly Down the line. Fly down the line."
--
Kathy smoothed her dress in her brother's mirror. Daniel lay on his bed, arm over his eyes, his jacket on a hanger, waiting for the call to put it on and be on their way. "You remember how he used to flash the lights when he would pick us up from school?"
"Kat? Can we not talk right now?" Daniel murmured, his head ached in all sorts of ways and he didn't want to put his glasses on and go outside where people would be staring at him and not seeing him at all.
"His brightest aims hover outside, his memory a heavy weight."
"When's a good time to talk? Next week? Next month? Next year, maybe?" Kathy sat on the end of his bed. "It's never going to hurt any less. We'll just get used to the pain, like when Grampa died. No one's going to talk about him for a long time and then suddenly it's okay… and I can't wait that long. If you wait too long, you forget things."
"What kind of things?" Daniel sat up to look at his sister, who he realized had been steadily crying through her words.
"I cannot breach the empty silence, so he looks at me with a helpless smile."
"I can't remember how he smelled. I know that he had a smell but I can't remember what it was. Was it mint? Maybe it was books. I can't remember. I can't remember how he looked when he sat in his chair in the living room. I remember that he did that but… the image is gone." She leaned into him when he put his arm around her. "There are so many people who aren't here that I have to keep track of and it hurts to know I've forgotten."
"He won't reach me on this side, fly down the line, fly down the line."
"Guys…" Max opened the door. "It's… time to go."
"Dad." Kathy looked up at her father with her biological mother's bright blue eyes. "I want them all. The pictures of Tess."
--
"The walls surrounding us are tightening…"
Liberty looked at the body. That's all it was now. Her father wasn't in there… maybe he had never been in there. It was just a body, void of presence. A hero they said but a hero didn't lay in a coffin. It was a body, void of life and void of energy. She didn't move until they made her.
--
"Like the plastic shell that's covering his mouth."
Bethany had seen the body. Her father hadn't wanted her to but her mother had left it up to her and promised they would talk later. Lately, it was the most soothing thing she had done. Being around living people was noisy when a little girl could pick up feelings and impressions. Being around the dead was quiet. It was peaceful.
--
"A chance to be right… once more before the light dies down…"
Kyle Jr. sat next to his mother. Tears slipped down his face, he couldn't stop them. He wasn't a baby and people treated him like he didn't understand but he did. Dad was there when the guns were being shot. Dad pushed Mom's work friend out of the way and got shot himself. They couldn't make Dad better so now they were going to put Dad in the ground because Dad would never wake up again. Dad was gone.
--
"Once more before he dies… Words can't replace a lifetime."
David clung to his mother. Everyone was crying. Uncle Kyle had gone to heaven. He had been shot… like… Not-Dad. Like Mason. Thinking about him made David remember and that's why he didn't like the sessions with the doctor. The doctor was nice but she talked about Mason too much. Made Mason appear.
--
"Fear has replaced the burning anger."
Food was everywhere. People were everywhere. Alex just wanted them all to go home and to stop saying how sorry they were. His grandparents were talking to Grandma Evans and Grampa Valenti. That meant Aunt Maggie and her husband were around somewhere. Aunt Mags was great and she had just had her first baby and was expecting again but… she tended to hover, as long as he could remember. He felt much stronger when Lynnette had made it over with her aunt and cousin. Having her there, saying nothing was the best feeling all day.
"There you are." Aunt Mags.
"Hey. Not hiding. Been here all day." Alex beat her to the question she always asked. "This is Lynnette Trejo, my girlfriend."
"I heard you'd gotten yourself a new lady." She pinched his cheeks the way her brother had always hated and she imagined that her brother's son hated it too. "You holding up okay? I hear things weren't great."
"He's my dad. It's all I can do to keep from puking, crying and going crazy all at the same time." Alex hugged Lynnette to his body as if she were a shield that could make the questions go away.
"I can't imagine…" Maggie started but trailed off.
"Someone told me that you don't stop loving someone because of the things they do or who they are. You love them in spite of and because of who they are and the things they do as a result of who they are." Alex wasn't in the room any more. Somewhere in the room many months before.
"Smart person. Your mom?"
"About my mom. It's what Alex told my dad when he and my mom were fighting before I was even an issue." Alex returned to the room and current time. "Guess the fatherly advice comes from beyond the grave after all." There. His mother and Jesse. She had been avoiding him since the hospital and that was becoming hard to do.
"Reflecting in the whites of his eyes."
Isabel was glad the house was emptying of strangers when Jesse made his approach. Only family was left and even they were saying their goodbyes and going on their way. Still, she didn't want to have this conversation with Jesse. Soltero had told her how it had happened. Witness statements had matched Jesse's. Even so, she listened as Jesse told her what had happened. "We were talking, fighting, rather, and I heard the tires squeal but I was too focused on what he was saying to really pay attention to what the noise meant. When the shots rang out, he shoved me to the ground. When it was over, I realized that he wasn't moving. My mom had called the cops and a neighbor the ambulance. It was eight minutes before they got there and I held him…"
Isabel looked up and found that Jesse was crying, leaning on the doorframe, unable to collect himself as the tears rolled down his face. "Jesse…"
His huge brown eyes met hers. "I think he honestly wanted to kill me for even thinking of you and he still saved my life. He spoke so much in those eight minutes, Isabel. So much without saying a word."
"We feel his presence slowing dimming… We gather round for the coming night."
She sobbed and leaned on the cabinet next to the door, his gun cabinet. "Jesse."
"I will go to hell for loving you, Isabel. He didn't even think. He just moved and because of him, I am standing here. I've been tearing myself up inside. I… seduce his wife and he lays down his life. Tells me that he loves his wife and needs to see her taken care of." His voice caught in his throat and he had to fight for control. "He told me, the man he hated, that his wife was much more fragile than she ever let anyone see and that I had to promise to be there to protect her… like he knew." Gathering himself and wiping his face of tears. "Isabel."
"Sounds like Kyle." Isabel cut him off and quickly got herself together. "I have to… see
to my children."
"Isabel." He gripped her arm. "We need to talk. Not now but soon."
"The coming night…"
"Maybe." She allowed him a hug and moved into the room with her family. It was Max who gave her the comfort she wanted. He wrapped her in his arms and let her finish the cry she had started standing next to Jesse. "How can I tell him? How can I tell my children after what I've done?"
"It will all work out. I promise." Squeezing her tight one last time, he pulled away. "I've got to get home and if you need a distraction, you're welcome to come and join us."
"Maybe later." Isabel nodded and watched the door shut on the last of them.
"He won't reach me on this side, fly down the line, fly down the line… fly down the line… fly down the line…"
--
When he walked in the door, he glared at the fax machine and walked away. No more information. Nothing to focus on except the present situation and his daughter's renewed quest to know her dead mother. Taking a seat next to her on the couch, he gestured to the box. "You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Kathy whispered then looked at her mother. "If Mom's ready?"
"I think Mom's gonna sit this one out." Max gave a wan smile to Liz's grateful grimace. "I don't have a lot. Just two or three years and only part of that was… good and worthy of pictures."
Bethany took a seat across from them and just watched, half-listening.
"Where did she come from?"
"All over the world. Her protector took her everywhere and she lived in more than a dozen places. Sometimes, when she talked, her accent would slip and you could hear something else there. I always meant to ask her."
"So, you were friends?"
"We dated for nearly two years. You can't date for that long and not be friends. I have to admit that I wasn't a good boyfriend but I never gave her reason to think I was a bad friend. Maybe we never gave you a good impression of your… mother but she wasn't a totally bad person. Raised wrong is what I believe. If she had been like the rest of us, raised by human parents, I think she would have turned out differently."
"Aren't there any pictures of her when she was pregnant?"
"Honestly, I wouldn't know. Valenti might. This is all stuff I packed up when she went away. The rest of her stuff was at the Valenti's, they might still have it or at least know where it is."
"Kathy's your favorite." Bethany blurted out.
Max had to blink at his younger daughter. "What?" The question broke his heart. He looked to Liz, whose expression probably mirrored his own of shock and confusion. Moving across to kneel in front of the small brunette, he studied her face. "What would make you say something like that?"
"You feel it." Bethany told him. "She's more special than the rest of us."
"No." Max shook his head.
"You do. She's more, than us." She seemed to be unable to describe what she was feeling. Wiping her eyes beneath her glasses, she tilted her head at her father. "More than us."
Then it dawned on Max. "Bethany. I don't love Kathy any more or less than you or Danny or Davey. Kathy is different but it doesn't make her more special to me than you." He looked over his shoulder to his shocked daughter then back to his younger one. "Kathy's mommy was like me. So Kathy is more like me than you are but it doesn't make you less to me. People are different. It just means that Kathy is stronger when it comes to her abilities. There are things that you can do that she can't. I love all my children the same." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I promise that we're going to find a way for you to control when you feel and what you feel. Okay?"
"Why did Uncle Kyle have to die?" She whispered. "Everyone feels more… including me. Daddy, you make my head hurt."
"Come on." Liz held out her hand. "Let's go to your room and maybe you can rest a little while before supper."
--
When Emily found him in the graveyard, she didn't know what to do. She was going to visit her uncle and her grandmother and her mother but there was her grandfather. He lifted his head when she approached. "You should be at home."
"So should you."
"My children are dead. Tess was like a daughter, Maria was my daughter and now Kyle…"
"Your grandchildren are still here." Emily sat next to him and reached for his hand.
"You're right about that." Valenti wiped his face with a handkerchief in his other hand. "I just wish my family would quit dying."
"Me too."
--
Isabel held the phone to her ear and watched her children picking at their makeshift dinner. "I know I promised I'd let you be but…" Alex looked up when his mother turned to look out the window to listen to whoever had called. "Something's been bothering me. Kyle said that 'especially now' you needed looking after." Jesse whispered. "Can you tell me?"
"I'm pregnant, Jesse… I didn't want to do this over the phone but I can't seem to do it in person……" She could barely hear her own voice, maybe no one else could either.
"Geez, Isabel."
She spun around to look at her children, all but one lost in their own world of cold macaroni and nuked brisket. "It's yours."
"Jesus." He swore. "Is… God, Isabel… Is that why he… Did he know?"
"Yes… but I can't think about this right now. Not about you. Liberty and little Kyle don't know yet."
"Jesus," he swore again. "Look, I…"
"I'll see you when I go back to work."
"Take your time."
"We'll talk then. I just can't do this any sooner." She hung up the phone and after a lengthy period of listening to her children play with their food, she dialed a number without looking. "This is Aunt Isabel… Is your Daddy there? … Max, what half-cooked, hare-brained thing are you into these days?"
"What?" Max blinked at the phone.
"I need something to occupy me for the next three weeks. I know you've been up to something. I want in."
Alex threw his fork onto the table and walked out the door. He'd had enough of being the one watching the kids and ignoring what he was feeling to be a rock for his mother. He needed his own rock and it took twenty minutes to walk there. Through the window, he saw them. Lynnette serving her father before taking her seat next to him. The prayer before the meal. Lynnette and her brother kicking each other under the table as they sat with bowed heads and clasped hands. Mrs. Trejo made Lynnette ignore the phone when it rang. Alex could wait. Staring through the window, that's what he wanted.
Lynnette was the one. Maybe he hadn't waited for the one and she was his third but she was his best and his only from now on. She was the only one who had been patient with him since he got the news. This was where he needed to be. Climbing in her window, he sat on her bed and waited. When he started crying, he had no clue but it was dark when she nudged him awake and wiped the tears from his face. "Finally hit you, huh."
"Do you love me?"
"Yeah. I love you." She settled onto the bed next to him. "Daddy says you've got ten minutes to get yourself together and come out so he can have a talk about you sneaking in the window." She managed a laugh but he could tell this was serious.
"He going to kill me?" Alex sat up.
"No. I don't think so."
tbc
84/107
85
The Fate of Destiny Part 85
"Everything seems to be in working order." Max nodded as he moved the screen around so Isabel could see her daughter. She touched the screen wistfully. Her child was hardly formed but Max had insisted on checking her out. "Have you told him?" She nodded but kept her eyes on the constant flux in the center of the screen. Her new daughter's heart. "Is he going to get involved?"
"We haven't talked about it yet. I go back to work next week… I just wanted to make sure the kids were alright. Alex hates me and little Kyle is still a little… he won't let me out of his sight. Berty has spent her time glued to her grandfather." She sighed and looked to her brother as he carefully wiped the lubricant from her stomach. "I want to do the right thing but until… I just can't."
"Do you think you'll tell him?" He sat next to her as she straightened her blouse. All she would give him was a shrug. "You know… it's not like when we were in high school. You can let someone in. We've got a certain measure of protection now." A deep breath and a shrug. "Isabel."
"What?" She snapped at him. "What do you want me to say? I know Mom is disappointed in me and I'm dying to know how you feel about it. So weigh in, Max."
"That's not what I was getting at." Taking her hand, he squeezed. "He's the first one you picked, you know." Freezing, she turned her face to him in complete confusion. "Liz told Alex. Because of Pierce, Kyle found out. You picked Jesse… and you're kind of stuck with him now… unless you never tell him and never let him know his daughter. Do you want her to have a relationship with her father the way you had with Dad? She may give up on him altogether."
"I'm under a lot of pressure, Max. Alex hates me. Literally hates me. He's hiding things from me, he's gone until… all hours every night and I can't control him with him holding this over my head. Liberty hasn't spoken to anyone in days. Kyle… he's just a little boy and I can't even explain to him properly why his father died and how in the hell am I going to tell Jim that I'm pregnant with someone else's baby?" She sank down on the table.
"I think he already knows."
"I don't need to think about it. Not now, Max. My husband is dead. My husband. It is probably all my fault and I can't think about the future until I get a handle on today."
"The few, the proud. The Marines."
"Don't make fun of me."
"If you're not thinking about the future, why did you send flowers to the Burkhardt family plot?
"How did you know that I did that?"
"Will told me." Max admitted. "He's had some time to devote to us recently. His superiors have um… promoted him, permanently to the head of our unit and… this is what he does now. He keeps track of us and our affairs."
"What did his wife have to say about that?"
"She left him in May." Max shook his head. "He's just a kid. I've… ruined his life."
"Max. No. You said he chose."
"He had no choice. I contacted the FBI and he had the bad luck to be here when I did."
--
"There." Liz showed her father the pictures. "Looks just like Michael."
"Huh." Jeff squinted at the picture and reached for his glasses. "How long he been married? He hasn't been around much."
"He's been busy. Falling in love, playing referee and instigating fights with Emily, getting married, having a baby." She leaned on her father's shoulder the way she used to do when she was a little girl. "Have you met her?"
"Nope." Jeff peered at the picture a little harder. "Could you go get the photo album from the box of my mom's stuff? I think I put it in your room."
"Sure, be right back." Liz squeezed her daughter's arm as they passed each other behind the counter.
Kathy took a deep breath and sat at the table for her break. Jacobi had been waiting for two hours and she had to hand it to him, he was persistent. When she looked at him, she didn't have the same flutter in her heart as when she first started dating him. These last two weeks, she wasn't really trying and it had taken her a lot of soul searching to figure out why. Her mother said she was growing up and when she had talked about it with her grandmothers on separate occasions and equally edited conversations, they had concurred. This was puppy love and she could finally see it for what it was.
Reaching for his hand, the flashes did not come. She was open to them but he hadn't been sending them for two months. That's what had made the dots connect. The night of prom when he should have been the most open, he wasn't. He had closed up and he was right… having sex changed everything. "Kathy, what is it?"
"You're my best friend…" She looked up at him. "You suck as a boyfriend."
"We were never friends before we dated." Jacobi protested.
"Maybe we should have been… but… if you can't go back to being my friend, I can see no future in this." She could feel that he was trying to understand but he wasn't putting up additional walls or pulling them down. "I can't have a boyfriend who disappears when things get too intense and who doesn't pay attention when he's supposed to."
"Who makes these rules? Pay attention when?" Jacobi lowered his voice. "Is this about Prom?" he searched her face. "The other night?"
"Maybe it's about both." She took a breath. "There's a line. You didn't want to cross it and I did but once we were over the line, you shut yourself off from me. When we're not on that side of the line, you're perfect… but the second the line is crossed, you vanish." This was coming out all wrong. "It's not just you. It's me, too… and… maybe we're better off leaving the lines alone."
"Is there someone else?" Jacobi swallowed and couldn't quite make his eyes look at her face, afraid to see pity or that look that would confirm his question.
"No." She was losing him. She was never going to see him again. Whether or not he could get over the alien thing. Whether or not he could learn to pay attention to her when they were alone together. Whether or not he decided he could keep her secret… they were not going to survive as a couple.
"I just don't understand how I could break so many rules when I didn't know there were any."
--
Alex threaded his fingers through Lynnette's as they walked around her backyard. Her little brother was laying in the wading pool with just his face sticking out of the water. "It's hot."
"Then go inside." Lynnette barely turned her head to glare at him.
"So, my grandparents want to meet you and I am still required to eat a meal once a week over there… two birds, one stone." He had to keep himself from staring at her. Under those overalls was a bathing suit and there was nothing under that.
"Sebastián is here!" Tino called out the backdoor. Little Tino went running to the house.
"Hey! Dry off first!" Lynnette called after him. After a moment, she looked up at her boyfriend. "You okay?"
"I'm not ready to admit it. You know? I know she's pregnant. I've got little Berty and Little Kyle and I know how they got here but… this time it's different."
"My cousin's not a bad guy and I'm sure your mom…" She wrapped her arms around him and stared up at the distant blue eyes. "She loved your Dad."
"I'm not ready for a replacement this time." Alex shook his head.
"Maybe neither is she."
--
Emily took her time with the equipment. She had coaxed a day out of Alex's boss and fiddled with the dials in front of her before turning on the microphone. She could lay down a track in peace. Without Alex's helpful hints, without his direction and without small children whining about her selection of music. She had bought this music and had planned to have fun with it but no one else could appreciate that… and that's why it was going to make the perfect gift. Just as she opened her mouth to sing, the door slammed open.
"Ms. Guerin," the principal interrupted, ruining the track. "Do we have permission to be in here?"
"I do. Do you?" Emily bit out and stopped the track, erasing it from the ancient computer and went about resetting the dials to begin again.
"I'm afraid I don't like your attitude." She said, stepping fully into the room.
"Funny, my dad says the same thing."
"Do you think you can shrug and wink your way through your senior year?"
"Do I do that?" Em blinked at the administrator and turned her body toward the older woman. "Am I developing some kind of tick? Whatever will the boys think of me."
"Ms. Guerin." Mrs. Jokhu sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was tired of trying to get through to this young woman.
"Chill. Mr. Phipps knows exactly where I am and what I'm doing."
--
Beth rolled over on her bed and hoped her father thought she was asleep. Without moving a muscle she turned up the radio a bit. "Corner stone of emptiness with an endless sea of freedom."
"Sweetie?" Max poked his head into the room but all he saw was a back in bed.
"Jesse's six feet under now. Took one bullet to send him home."
"Beth, you asleep?"
"Mike was all that he could be, the only one who had a shot. Now he just sits at home; does nothing but smokes his bong. The world is a playground, those in dire need to fight. The world is an ocean, those in dire need to die."
Max took a deep breath and sat next to her on the bed. Reaching over he turned it down so that she could hear him. "into endlessness…" She started to turn it back up but he had the knob in his hand. Sitting back, he sighed. "Bethany, tired?"
It took all her strength not to move or squeeze her eyes shut tighter. She turned the volume back up. "Maybe it was for the best, that we live to tell these tales. Maybe we…"
"I'm better at this than you are." Max turned the volume back down with his powers this time. "Bethany, talk to me."
She turned it back up. "…goes into detail. The world is a playground, those in dire need to fight. The world is an ocean, those in dire need to die. These are my friends. Stood by me."
Max gave up and lay next to his daughter and listened to the radio with her. "The world is a playground, those in dire need to fight. The world is an ocean, those in dire need to die. These are my friends. Stood by me. These are my friends. Stood by me."
"Daddy, leave me alone." She muttered as the song began to repeat.
"This song is awfully depressing." She didn't answer him. "What happened today?"
"I thought Josie liked me but she only comes over because of Danny. She doesn't like me at all. She thinks I'm a geek." Tears streamed down her face. "I can't go back out there, Daddy. Everyone lies and everyone is so mean. They think one thing and they say another and they mean another and they do another."
"What about that other little girl?"
"Donna Jo is okay but-"
"But what?"
"Daddy…" she whined.
"You've already dumped more friends than I've had in my entire life. You gotta give some of these kids a chance. Not everyone is two-faced. You're a nice little girl, you're smart. There are some other nice, smart little kids too. They all want friends and I'll bet some of them don't have a crush on your big, ugly brother."
--
Isabel managed to sneak into the office without anyone seeing her. She gathered some files to look over at home and left an envelope on Jesse's desk. The voice startled her. "He's not here."
She spun around. "What?"
"Mr. Jesse Ramirez." Bruce shook his head at her. "He had to run Sebastián to his cousin's, his mother is sick or something. He didn't tell me a whole lot before he rushed out of here."
"Well, I'll be back in here next week." Isabel promised as she edged her way out of the office. "Just… a few more things to sort out."
"Take your time, Isabel." Bruce took her free hand. "I know you're upset still. You don't have to come back right away, we can handle it if you decide you need another week."
"Next week, I promise." She hugged him with a little relief. "Now, if you were out for three weeks, this place would definitely fall apart."
"Just don't let my health insurance lapse and we're all good." He kissed her cheek and continued on his way, delivering mail and gathering folders to file.
--
Michael looked up from his desk and yanked the earphones out. "Well, look who is out of bed and out of the sweats."
"Shut up." Oriel leaned over to kiss her husband around their son. Stephen had fallen asleep in the car. "Liz invited us to lunch and I thought we'd stop by before we went home."
"So, the clothes aren't for me, they're for your best friend Liz. I’m hurt." Michael took his son from her and pointed to a chair. "What did she want?"
"To take a zillion pictures and print them out on her parent's computer. She's going to give us the pictures and the disc so we can print more but I don't know who she thinks we're going to hand these pictures out to. I don't have any friends and my family is very small."
"You don't want to find… Pierre?" Michael had trouble wrapping his lips around the name and completely murdered it in speaking the name.
"I'm sure he's forgotten all about me by now." She looked over his desk. "Whatcha doing?" The phrase was contorted by her accent but she never stopped trying to sound like a bred in the dust desert American.
["What's this do?" Oriel pointed to the contraption in front of her. Michael picked up the earphones and put them in her ears and hit play.
"I listen and type and if I have to have something repeated, I stop." He punched the stop button and hit rewind and then play. "And listen again."
"Do you type very fast?"
"I do okay, I guess. They gave me some stupid certificate at that school. Something about 95 words per minute but I never really timed myself."
"I don't picture you as someone who likes sitting behind a desk all day typing other people's notes."
Michael looked at her for a long minute. "You ever ridden on a motorcycle?"]
Michael shook his head and kissed his son's sleeping head. "I'm working. Don't change the subject. You haven't forgotten about him and I think that… he sounds like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind a letter telling him that you've done alright for yourself because of him."
"I'll think about it." She eyed him as she sank back in her chair. "Remind me never to confide in Emily again."
--
Isabel listened to Liberty whoop and play with her brother and burst into tears. Her children were dealing okay, finally, but she was the one who could not seem to get past her anger and denial. Waving her hand at her small bedroom stereo, she rolled over. Sometimes she felt if she wished hard enough, Kyle would walk through their bedroom door cursing about juvenile delinquents and bantering with Alex down the hall about the generation gap. "Oh… when the day is blue… I'll sit here wond'ring about you…”
["You're shaking." Kyle softly kissed her palm and rested his weight on his arms. They had put Alex to bed hours ago and spent the rest of the night talking and exploring. They were just getting to the good part. "Isabel?"
"I want to… but…" She cleared her throat.
"I've got protection if that's what you're worried about." It wasn't because she hadn't stopped touching him yet or pushed him away. It was something else.
"I can feel you, Kyle." She admitted then rolled her eyes at the expression on his face. "Not that, you immature jerk."
"Then what do you mean?"
It was just a whisper but it was the first time that she had ever felt him in that way. Maybe it was the first time she ever looked to feel him that way but there it was and he was broadcasting fairly steadily. Her voice dropped but Kyle had tuned into that murmur long ago. "I can feel you." She watched him go still and avert his eyes. "I can feel you inside me and it makes me feel more… than I thought I was allowed to feel about you… I… didn't think I'd ever get to feel this way again."
"I thought you didn't read minds." He joked lamely.
"You think I don't trust you but… I don't trust myself." She wrapped her arms tightly around his middle. "I should have seen you sooner." She bit her lip, she hadn't meant it to come out that way. "I mean, I should have let myself see you sooner and maybe then I… I feel you, Kyle." She turned her head to catch his eyes again. "I love you and I am ready to love you, Kyle Valenti."
Kyle swallowed thickly. Her words made too much sense and he was aware that he'd been hiding himself from her. He was frozen. Caught. He had been caught in love with his girlfriend while he had been hiding it from himself. Luckily, she kissed him or else he would have just stared at her all night. Just as they were returning to the good part, she froze and he listened.
"Mommy…"
"No." Kyle shook his head and leapt off the bed for his pants. "You don't move. I'll go."
"Kyle…"
"No. Stay, just… like that." Kyle motioned with his hands. "I'll get the water, the escort to the poddy, I'll do the monster slayer thing and then… you'll still be here… just… like that."]
She rolled over again and stared at the pillow next to her head. Would her head ever stop pounding? "And how… the pollen fell… all around your face in strange yellow patterns… but… I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh."
[She giggled softly as he ran his fingers up her spine. Sighing happily, she closed her eyes. It was the 14th night in a row that they had spent together in her apartment. She was thoroughly enjoying the attention and lavishing it on him and they were having a blast with Alex since he was out of school for the summer. A vacation from responsibility for both of them and it felt good even though they knew it would end soon. His words made her freeze. "Marry me, Isabel." Her eyes popped open to find him holding a hand out to silence her. "I've got an argument. I love you. You love me. Um… We both love Alex…. And… we both work to uphold the law… We're practically living together… and… oh yeah… Alex loves me."
"Poor excuse for an argument." She saw the light fade in his eyes and felt bad. "I had no intention of saying no."]
"I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh." Isabel heard the children run into the house and had been about to get up but she heard Jim herd them into the kitchen for dinner. She burst into tears and rolled onto her back. "When the morning came… the bees flew down and wrapped themselves around me… and that's… when I spoke a word… to have them trace your face for me in pollen…. But…" Everyone was covering for her. Alex was pulling double duty as big brother and chef and still working. Jim was splitting his time between his grandchildren, ex-wife and daughter-in-law. "I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh…. I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh.”
[Kyle shifted on the edge of the bed with the bowl. Isabel sat up to see what was going on that had woken her up at five in the morning. "Alex… sometimes… Betta fish die. It's… just the way of things."
"Oh no." Isabel gasped and moved so she could see the tear-streaked face of her son. He had loved that fish. "What happened?"
Alex wiped his face and sniffed. "I woke up and I was gonna feed him but he was at the bottom of the bowl. He wouldn't move and when I tapped the bowl, he… turned upside down and floated to the top."
"Oh honey." She reached her arms out and he rushed into her arms.
"Daddy, why did he die?" Alex's words came with a new rush of tears.
"I don't know. He wasn't acting funny?"
"I don't know. I fed him every day and I cleaned his bowl every week just like the pet store guy told me."
"You used the chlorine drops?"
"Yes. I always put the drops before I put him back in the bowl."
Kyle caught Isabel's eye and winced. Alex hadn't let the water set for an hour before putting Mr. Tweakles back in the bowl. "It was just his time to go, buddy."
"Go where?"
"Big fish bowl that God keeps in his living room." Kyle rose from the bed. "Come on. We've got a funeral to prepare."
"Fish funeral? How?"
"They go back to the sea."
"How?"
"Toilet."
"Oh."]
Isabel felt the tears drying on her face. It didn't mean anything. Her heart still felt like it was continually ripping itself apart and it didn't change the fact that her husband was dead. In ten more minutes she could cry just as hard or even harder. It was never going to end. ”Co—ome, Co---ome back to me my, my darling."
["Look at that." Kyle said to no one in particular as he handed Isabel her son. "Look at that. What're you going to name him?"
"Alex, after his father." Isabel wept as she held her son. "So he'll always have a piece of his father, Alexander Charles Whitman… Jr."]
"Co---ome… Co---ome back to me my, my darling."
["Look at that." His smile was huge and he took his daughter from Max. "Look at that. My daughter. That's part of me."
"And me, let me see her." Isabel reached out. "Oh… Kyle…"
"She's pretty." Max nodded as he got rid of the ickier parts of giving birth. "What are you two going to name her?"
"We've been arguing for 10 months." Kyle shook his head and kissed his girls. "Alex and Dad came up with Liberty and it's not completely gross but the poor girl's gonna get teased all to hell."
"Watch your mouth." Isabel shushed him. "I like it."]
"I wasn't… prepared for this oh-oh-oh-oh… " Why couldn't she just turn off her brain for an afternoon. "I wasn't… prepared for this oh-oh-oh-oh…."
[Max shook his head at the couple. "Name?"
"I don't know." Kyle shook his head and stared at the boy in his wife's arms. "Seems like yesterday we had Berty and we already had the name all picked out."
"Happens when you don't give your wife time to recover." Max chided, playfully.
"Kyle, we've got the name. I told you." Isabel counted the fingers and toes for the millionth time, just like she had done with Alex and just like she had done with Liberty. A son. "James Kyle Valenti IV."
"There's a mouthful." Max leaned over to kiss his sister. "Congratulations."
"Wow." Kyle swallowed thickly and stared, just stared at his son. "Little Kyle, huh?"
"Yeah."]
"Oh…When the day is blue… I'll sit here wond'ring about you…."
Isabel was sobbing so hard, she didn't hear the door open. Alex pushed the door open and froze at the sight. He had never seen her so broken down. Not once in his life had he seen her cry so much or so hard. "Mom?" The tears were pricking at his eyes before he got to her side. "Mom?"
She gasped when he touched her. She didn't even realize he'd been trying to call her. "Oh, honey." She gulped and tried to dry her eyes. "I didn't hear you. Did you need something?"
"No. Just wondering if you were hungry… I know you are." Alex beat her to her protest. "Grandpa made his specialty."
"Burnt mac and cheese?" Isabel sniffed to get control over herself.
"The other specialty. Burnt ham, mac and cheese."
"Then I need to get up and make a salad." She smoothed her hair and then her clothes. "Are you mad at me?"
"Doesn't do any good to be mad." Alex answered her honestly. "It's still true."
--
"Michelle and I get along all right." Diane nodded as she passed the potatoes.
"Really?" Max cut his son's meat and watched his family crammed around the table. He noted one child was especially quiet but chose not to point it out at the table. "How is she doing?"
"Much better. We sit for hours and I show her pictures of my children, she shows me pictures of Kyle. I've got the early pictures of all the grandchildren." She took a deep breath. "It's nice to have someone to talk to and take care of again. They're thinking of letting her out of the hospital soon and we've talked about her moving in with me."
"Mom, are you sure?" Liz took her seat and looked at her mother-in-law. "It'd be a lot of work for you."
"Oh, I don't have anything to do. Michele and I are just two single ladies without a thing to do but grow older and spoil grandchildren."
Liz coughed and cleared her throat but didn't hide it fast enough because then Max was onto the scent. Daniel focused on his green beans. Kathy stared at her plate. Beth grinned cheekily as she realized her father didn't know something for once and David just formed a castle with his potatoes, using pieces of meat for doors.
Max looked to his wife and then to his mother. "What?"
"Nothing. It's nothing." Diane shook her head. "And besides… I'm a grown woman. My children are out of the house, plenty of children of their own. They don't need to worry about their mother."
Liz bit her lip and shrugged to her mother-in-law. "Just tell him."
"I wanted to talk to you and Isabel but this hasn't been a good time. I just figured we could hold off on the introduction."
"Your mom met someone." Liz took the lead. "He's a very nice man."
"Oh."
"He's so cool. He's got this huge Cadillac and it honks, what's that song, Grandma?" Kathy rushed ahead.
"Oh. I don't." Diane blushed and waited for Max's reaction.
"oh." Max nodded. "That's good." He was actually a little stunned. His mother was dating? "So… everyone's met him? This man."
"His name is Richard Turnbow. He's a retired doctor and I met him when I started taking David to his sessions. He volunteers to check medications against medical files so that the psychiatrists don't accidentally give their patients a bad mix." Diane gushed as her son seemed to be dealing with the information all right. "Liz met him a few weeks ago and we had lunch at the Crashdown this past weekend and so Kathy and Beth met him. Danny drove us to the last session and so he met him."
"Oh. I see. Sounds like you're happy." Max nodded. It seemed all he was capable of doing. "I hope he's a very nice man."
"He is." Beth rushed ahead, hands over her ears as she spoke. Why did her father always have to think so much? "He fought in the war and he's got a scar on his arm from a piece of shrapnel."
"Max?" Liz put her hand on his arm.
"Sounds like I'll have to meet this Mr. Turnbow."
--
Michael held Stephen and the bottle while Emily and Oriel ate their dinner. Emily finished and took her plate to the sink. In a surprise move, she took her brother from her father and sat at the table so he could eat before his food got cold. Michael picked up his fork and looked to his wife, who seemed just as surprised. "So, we've taken a liking to him?"
"So long as I don't have to do diapers, he's a cool little guy." Emily shrugged. She had had plenty of practice holding babies. She had helped out Daniel and Kathy after little David was born.
"Your birthday's coming up… and I know you've been test driving the bike… without a helmet." Michael tossed her a look. "But I'm taking the bike away tomorrow so it can be painted."
"But…" She started but stopped.
"You've been riding it. People have seen it and so I can't just wave my hand over it. I want to get it done in time for your birthday so… I'm taking it away."
"Dad…" She whined but stopped there. "Fine."
--
Isabel poured the pudding into cups and used her powers to cool them before setting them on the table for desert. Little Kyle had barely waited for his to be completely on a flat surface before he dug in. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome." Isabel was just sitting down when the phone rang.
"I'll get it." Alex hopped up but Isabel pointed a finger at him. "Sit. Eat your dessert."
"I wouldn't argue." Grandpa Jim commented and dug into the treat himself.
"That's right." Isabel nodded as her son did as told. She picked up the phone on the fourth ring. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Valenti?"
"Yes." Isabel furrowed her brow.
"This is Maribel Trejo… Lynnette's mother."
"Hi. How have you been?"
"We're fine. I'm glad you're feeling better. Alex told us you haven't been feeling well. I want to talk to you… about the kids."
Isabel froze for an instant. She looked to her son and he shifted uneasily in his chair. "The kids?"
"I've put it off because of what happened to your husband. God bless his soul… but really… we have to talk. Tino doesn't listen to me but I figure his mother will. He's been sneaking into Lynnette's room at night."
"Uh-huh." Isabel turned to her son. "Go to your room and do not come out until I say."
"Tino talked to the boy and there have been no other… incidents and I've been trying to get a hold of you for a week but I understand that you've been ill."
Isabel wanted to laugh but held it in. Wanted to laugh, wanted to cry, wanted to beat the crap out of her son. "Well, I'm sorry and believe me, had I known, I would have put a stop to it."
"Well, I am certainly glad that we're on the same page on this. Tino talked to him but nothing's going to change the way Tino treats it all. So we're agreed, they have to stop seeing each other."
"What?" Isabel blinked. Probation and a serious talk, yes. Forbidding them to see each other? Was the woman crazy? "No. No. Lynnette and Alex care for each other a great deal and I won't stop them from dating but I'm not going to let him keep sneaking out at night."
"Honestly, I don't think that's going to accomplish anything."
"Well neither is breaking them up. They'll just start sneaking around even more and getting into trouble."
"I realize you're upset and after what's happened to your husband, God bless his soul, it's understandable. Perhaps we could talk when you're feeling more yourself."
"Pardon me, Mari. My son is a good kid. Lynnette is a sweet girl. They're not doing anything wrong. No one would argue with you for being upset about whatever it is they've been doing but they'll keep doing it no matter if we keep them apart. If you forbid them, they'll run away. I suggest you talk to your husband again because it sounds like he's the sane one of you two." Isabel hung up the phone and looked to her young children and her father-in-law. "You two had better not date until you're 18."
--
The flowers caught her attention right off. Tilting her head at the bouquet, she reached for the card that dangled from the beautiful display. "Thank you for giving me life."
Gasping, she turned the card over for a name or an address but there was nothing. "You are out there, little sister." Tears slipped down Christine Burkhardt-Williamson's face as she smiled at the flowers. "Where are you?"
tbc
85/107
"Everything seems to be in working order." Max nodded as he moved the screen around so Isabel could see her daughter. She touched the screen wistfully. Her child was hardly formed but Max had insisted on checking her out. "Have you told him?" She nodded but kept her eyes on the constant flux in the center of the screen. Her new daughter's heart. "Is he going to get involved?"
"We haven't talked about it yet. I go back to work next week… I just wanted to make sure the kids were alright. Alex hates me and little Kyle is still a little… he won't let me out of his sight. Berty has spent her time glued to her grandfather." She sighed and looked to her brother as he carefully wiped the lubricant from her stomach. "I want to do the right thing but until… I just can't."
"Do you think you'll tell him?" He sat next to her as she straightened her blouse. All she would give him was a shrug. "You know… it's not like when we were in high school. You can let someone in. We've got a certain measure of protection now." A deep breath and a shrug. "Isabel."
"What?" She snapped at him. "What do you want me to say? I know Mom is disappointed in me and I'm dying to know how you feel about it. So weigh in, Max."
"That's not what I was getting at." Taking her hand, he squeezed. "He's the first one you picked, you know." Freezing, she turned her face to him in complete confusion. "Liz told Alex. Because of Pierce, Kyle found out. You picked Jesse… and you're kind of stuck with him now… unless you never tell him and never let him know his daughter. Do you want her to have a relationship with her father the way you had with Dad? She may give up on him altogether."
"I'm under a lot of pressure, Max. Alex hates me. Literally hates me. He's hiding things from me, he's gone until… all hours every night and I can't control him with him holding this over my head. Liberty hasn't spoken to anyone in days. Kyle… he's just a little boy and I can't even explain to him properly why his father died and how in the hell am I going to tell Jim that I'm pregnant with someone else's baby?" She sank down on the table.
"I think he already knows."
"I don't need to think about it. Not now, Max. My husband is dead. My husband. It is probably all my fault and I can't think about the future until I get a handle on today."
"The few, the proud. The Marines."
"Don't make fun of me."
"If you're not thinking about the future, why did you send flowers to the Burkhardt family plot?
"How did you know that I did that?"
"Will told me." Max admitted. "He's had some time to devote to us recently. His superiors have um… promoted him, permanently to the head of our unit and… this is what he does now. He keeps track of us and our affairs."
"What did his wife have to say about that?"
"She left him in May." Max shook his head. "He's just a kid. I've… ruined his life."
"Max. No. You said he chose."
"He had no choice. I contacted the FBI and he had the bad luck to be here when I did."
--
"There." Liz showed her father the pictures. "Looks just like Michael."
"Huh." Jeff squinted at the picture and reached for his glasses. "How long he been married? He hasn't been around much."
"He's been busy. Falling in love, playing referee and instigating fights with Emily, getting married, having a baby." She leaned on her father's shoulder the way she used to do when she was a little girl. "Have you met her?"
"Nope." Jeff peered at the picture a little harder. "Could you go get the photo album from the box of my mom's stuff? I think I put it in your room."
"Sure, be right back." Liz squeezed her daughter's arm as they passed each other behind the counter.
Kathy took a deep breath and sat at the table for her break. Jacobi had been waiting for two hours and she had to hand it to him, he was persistent. When she looked at him, she didn't have the same flutter in her heart as when she first started dating him. These last two weeks, she wasn't really trying and it had taken her a lot of soul searching to figure out why. Her mother said she was growing up and when she had talked about it with her grandmothers on separate occasions and equally edited conversations, they had concurred. This was puppy love and she could finally see it for what it was.
Reaching for his hand, the flashes did not come. She was open to them but he hadn't been sending them for two months. That's what had made the dots connect. The night of prom when he should have been the most open, he wasn't. He had closed up and he was right… having sex changed everything. "Kathy, what is it?"
"You're my best friend…" She looked up at him. "You suck as a boyfriend."
"We were never friends before we dated." Jacobi protested.
"Maybe we should have been… but… if you can't go back to being my friend, I can see no future in this." She could feel that he was trying to understand but he wasn't putting up additional walls or pulling them down. "I can't have a boyfriend who disappears when things get too intense and who doesn't pay attention when he's supposed to."
"Who makes these rules? Pay attention when?" Jacobi lowered his voice. "Is this about Prom?" he searched her face. "The other night?"
"Maybe it's about both." She took a breath. "There's a line. You didn't want to cross it and I did but once we were over the line, you shut yourself off from me. When we're not on that side of the line, you're perfect… but the second the line is crossed, you vanish." This was coming out all wrong. "It's not just you. It's me, too… and… maybe we're better off leaving the lines alone."
"Is there someone else?" Jacobi swallowed and couldn't quite make his eyes look at her face, afraid to see pity or that look that would confirm his question.
"No." She was losing him. She was never going to see him again. Whether or not he could get over the alien thing. Whether or not he could learn to pay attention to her when they were alone together. Whether or not he decided he could keep her secret… they were not going to survive as a couple.
"I just don't understand how I could break so many rules when I didn't know there were any."
--
Alex threaded his fingers through Lynnette's as they walked around her backyard. Her little brother was laying in the wading pool with just his face sticking out of the water. "It's hot."
"Then go inside." Lynnette barely turned her head to glare at him.
"So, my grandparents want to meet you and I am still required to eat a meal once a week over there… two birds, one stone." He had to keep himself from staring at her. Under those overalls was a bathing suit and there was nothing under that.
"Sebastián is here!" Tino called out the backdoor. Little Tino went running to the house.
"Hey! Dry off first!" Lynnette called after him. After a moment, she looked up at her boyfriend. "You okay?"
"I'm not ready to admit it. You know? I know she's pregnant. I've got little Berty and Little Kyle and I know how they got here but… this time it's different."
"My cousin's not a bad guy and I'm sure your mom…" She wrapped her arms around him and stared up at the distant blue eyes. "She loved your Dad."
"I'm not ready for a replacement this time." Alex shook his head.
"Maybe neither is she."
--
Emily took her time with the equipment. She had coaxed a day out of Alex's boss and fiddled with the dials in front of her before turning on the microphone. She could lay down a track in peace. Without Alex's helpful hints, without his direction and without small children whining about her selection of music. She had bought this music and had planned to have fun with it but no one else could appreciate that… and that's why it was going to make the perfect gift. Just as she opened her mouth to sing, the door slammed open.
"Ms. Guerin," the principal interrupted, ruining the track. "Do we have permission to be in here?"
"I do. Do you?" Emily bit out and stopped the track, erasing it from the ancient computer and went about resetting the dials to begin again.
"I'm afraid I don't like your attitude." She said, stepping fully into the room.
"Funny, my dad says the same thing."
"Do you think you can shrug and wink your way through your senior year?"
"Do I do that?" Em blinked at the administrator and turned her body toward the older woman. "Am I developing some kind of tick? Whatever will the boys think of me."
"Ms. Guerin." Mrs. Jokhu sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was tired of trying to get through to this young woman.
"Chill. Mr. Phipps knows exactly where I am and what I'm doing."
--
Beth rolled over on her bed and hoped her father thought she was asleep. Without moving a muscle she turned up the radio a bit. "Corner stone of emptiness with an endless sea of freedom."
"Sweetie?" Max poked his head into the room but all he saw was a back in bed.
"Jesse's six feet under now. Took one bullet to send him home."
"Beth, you asleep?"
"Mike was all that he could be, the only one who had a shot. Now he just sits at home; does nothing but smokes his bong. The world is a playground, those in dire need to fight. The world is an ocean, those in dire need to die."
Max took a deep breath and sat next to her on the bed. Reaching over he turned it down so that she could hear him. "into endlessness…" She started to turn it back up but he had the knob in his hand. Sitting back, he sighed. "Bethany, tired?"
It took all her strength not to move or squeeze her eyes shut tighter. She turned the volume back up. "Maybe it was for the best, that we live to tell these tales. Maybe we…"
"I'm better at this than you are." Max turned the volume back down with his powers this time. "Bethany, talk to me."
She turned it back up. "…goes into detail. The world is a playground, those in dire need to fight. The world is an ocean, those in dire need to die. These are my friends. Stood by me."
Max gave up and lay next to his daughter and listened to the radio with her. "The world is a playground, those in dire need to fight. The world is an ocean, those in dire need to die. These are my friends. Stood by me. These are my friends. Stood by me."
"Daddy, leave me alone." She muttered as the song began to repeat.
"This song is awfully depressing." She didn't answer him. "What happened today?"
"I thought Josie liked me but she only comes over because of Danny. She doesn't like me at all. She thinks I'm a geek." Tears streamed down her face. "I can't go back out there, Daddy. Everyone lies and everyone is so mean. They think one thing and they say another and they mean another and they do another."
"What about that other little girl?"
"Donna Jo is okay but-"
"But what?"
"Daddy…" she whined.
"You've already dumped more friends than I've had in my entire life. You gotta give some of these kids a chance. Not everyone is two-faced. You're a nice little girl, you're smart. There are some other nice, smart little kids too. They all want friends and I'll bet some of them don't have a crush on your big, ugly brother."
--
Isabel managed to sneak into the office without anyone seeing her. She gathered some files to look over at home and left an envelope on Jesse's desk. The voice startled her. "He's not here."
She spun around. "What?"
"Mr. Jesse Ramirez." Bruce shook his head at her. "He had to run Sebastián to his cousin's, his mother is sick or something. He didn't tell me a whole lot before he rushed out of here."
"Well, I'll be back in here next week." Isabel promised as she edged her way out of the office. "Just… a few more things to sort out."
"Take your time, Isabel." Bruce took her free hand. "I know you're upset still. You don't have to come back right away, we can handle it if you decide you need another week."
"Next week, I promise." She hugged him with a little relief. "Now, if you were out for three weeks, this place would definitely fall apart."
"Just don't let my health insurance lapse and we're all good." He kissed her cheek and continued on his way, delivering mail and gathering folders to file.
--
Michael looked up from his desk and yanked the earphones out. "Well, look who is out of bed and out of the sweats."
"Shut up." Oriel leaned over to kiss her husband around their son. Stephen had fallen asleep in the car. "Liz invited us to lunch and I thought we'd stop by before we went home."
"So, the clothes aren't for me, they're for your best friend Liz. I’m hurt." Michael took his son from her and pointed to a chair. "What did she want?"
"To take a zillion pictures and print them out on her parent's computer. She's going to give us the pictures and the disc so we can print more but I don't know who she thinks we're going to hand these pictures out to. I don't have any friends and my family is very small."
"You don't want to find… Pierre?" Michael had trouble wrapping his lips around the name and completely murdered it in speaking the name.
"I'm sure he's forgotten all about me by now." She looked over his desk. "Whatcha doing?" The phrase was contorted by her accent but she never stopped trying to sound like a bred in the dust desert American.
["What's this do?" Oriel pointed to the contraption in front of her. Michael picked up the earphones and put them in her ears and hit play.
"I listen and type and if I have to have something repeated, I stop." He punched the stop button and hit rewind and then play. "And listen again."
"Do you type very fast?"
"I do okay, I guess. They gave me some stupid certificate at that school. Something about 95 words per minute but I never really timed myself."
"I don't picture you as someone who likes sitting behind a desk all day typing other people's notes."
Michael looked at her for a long minute. "You ever ridden on a motorcycle?"]
Michael shook his head and kissed his son's sleeping head. "I'm working. Don't change the subject. You haven't forgotten about him and I think that… he sounds like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind a letter telling him that you've done alright for yourself because of him."
"I'll think about it." She eyed him as she sank back in her chair. "Remind me never to confide in Emily again."
--
Isabel listened to Liberty whoop and play with her brother and burst into tears. Her children were dealing okay, finally, but she was the one who could not seem to get past her anger and denial. Waving her hand at her small bedroom stereo, she rolled over. Sometimes she felt if she wished hard enough, Kyle would walk through their bedroom door cursing about juvenile delinquents and bantering with Alex down the hall about the generation gap. "Oh… when the day is blue… I'll sit here wond'ring about you…”
["You're shaking." Kyle softly kissed her palm and rested his weight on his arms. They had put Alex to bed hours ago and spent the rest of the night talking and exploring. They were just getting to the good part. "Isabel?"
"I want to… but…" She cleared her throat.
"I've got protection if that's what you're worried about." It wasn't because she hadn't stopped touching him yet or pushed him away. It was something else.
"I can feel you, Kyle." She admitted then rolled her eyes at the expression on his face. "Not that, you immature jerk."
"Then what do you mean?"
It was just a whisper but it was the first time that she had ever felt him in that way. Maybe it was the first time she ever looked to feel him that way but there it was and he was broadcasting fairly steadily. Her voice dropped but Kyle had tuned into that murmur long ago. "I can feel you." She watched him go still and avert his eyes. "I can feel you inside me and it makes me feel more… than I thought I was allowed to feel about you… I… didn't think I'd ever get to feel this way again."
"I thought you didn't read minds." He joked lamely.
"You think I don't trust you but… I don't trust myself." She wrapped her arms tightly around his middle. "I should have seen you sooner." She bit her lip, she hadn't meant it to come out that way. "I mean, I should have let myself see you sooner and maybe then I… I feel you, Kyle." She turned her head to catch his eyes again. "I love you and I am ready to love you, Kyle Valenti."
Kyle swallowed thickly. Her words made too much sense and he was aware that he'd been hiding himself from her. He was frozen. Caught. He had been caught in love with his girlfriend while he had been hiding it from himself. Luckily, she kissed him or else he would have just stared at her all night. Just as they were returning to the good part, she froze and he listened.
"Mommy…"
"No." Kyle shook his head and leapt off the bed for his pants. "You don't move. I'll go."
"Kyle…"
"No. Stay, just… like that." Kyle motioned with his hands. "I'll get the water, the escort to the poddy, I'll do the monster slayer thing and then… you'll still be here… just… like that."]
She rolled over again and stared at the pillow next to her head. Would her head ever stop pounding? "And how… the pollen fell… all around your face in strange yellow patterns… but… I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh."
[She giggled softly as he ran his fingers up her spine. Sighing happily, she closed her eyes. It was the 14th night in a row that they had spent together in her apartment. She was thoroughly enjoying the attention and lavishing it on him and they were having a blast with Alex since he was out of school for the summer. A vacation from responsibility for both of them and it felt good even though they knew it would end soon. His words made her freeze. "Marry me, Isabel." Her eyes popped open to find him holding a hand out to silence her. "I've got an argument. I love you. You love me. Um… We both love Alex…. And… we both work to uphold the law… We're practically living together… and… oh yeah… Alex loves me."
"Poor excuse for an argument." She saw the light fade in his eyes and felt bad. "I had no intention of saying no."]
"I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh." Isabel heard the children run into the house and had been about to get up but she heard Jim herd them into the kitchen for dinner. She burst into tears and rolled onto her back. "When the morning came… the bees flew down and wrapped themselves around me… and that's… when I spoke a word… to have them trace your face for me in pollen…. But…" Everyone was covering for her. Alex was pulling double duty as big brother and chef and still working. Jim was splitting his time between his grandchildren, ex-wife and daughter-in-law. "I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh…. I wasn't… prepared for this… oh-oh-oh-oh.”
[Kyle shifted on the edge of the bed with the bowl. Isabel sat up to see what was going on that had woken her up at five in the morning. "Alex… sometimes… Betta fish die. It's… just the way of things."
"Oh no." Isabel gasped and moved so she could see the tear-streaked face of her son. He had loved that fish. "What happened?"
Alex wiped his face and sniffed. "I woke up and I was gonna feed him but he was at the bottom of the bowl. He wouldn't move and when I tapped the bowl, he… turned upside down and floated to the top."
"Oh honey." She reached her arms out and he rushed into her arms.
"Daddy, why did he die?" Alex's words came with a new rush of tears.
"I don't know. He wasn't acting funny?"
"I don't know. I fed him every day and I cleaned his bowl every week just like the pet store guy told me."
"You used the chlorine drops?"
"Yes. I always put the drops before I put him back in the bowl."
Kyle caught Isabel's eye and winced. Alex hadn't let the water set for an hour before putting Mr. Tweakles back in the bowl. "It was just his time to go, buddy."
"Go where?"
"Big fish bowl that God keeps in his living room." Kyle rose from the bed. "Come on. We've got a funeral to prepare."
"Fish funeral? How?"
"They go back to the sea."
"How?"
"Toilet."
"Oh."]
Isabel felt the tears drying on her face. It didn't mean anything. Her heart still felt like it was continually ripping itself apart and it didn't change the fact that her husband was dead. In ten more minutes she could cry just as hard or even harder. It was never going to end. ”Co—ome, Co---ome back to me my, my darling."
["Look at that." Kyle said to no one in particular as he handed Isabel her son. "Look at that. What're you going to name him?"
"Alex, after his father." Isabel wept as she held her son. "So he'll always have a piece of his father, Alexander Charles Whitman… Jr."]
"Co---ome… Co---ome back to me my, my darling."
["Look at that." His smile was huge and he took his daughter from Max. "Look at that. My daughter. That's part of me."
"And me, let me see her." Isabel reached out. "Oh… Kyle…"
"She's pretty." Max nodded as he got rid of the ickier parts of giving birth. "What are you two going to name her?"
"We've been arguing for 10 months." Kyle shook his head and kissed his girls. "Alex and Dad came up with Liberty and it's not completely gross but the poor girl's gonna get teased all to hell."
"Watch your mouth." Isabel shushed him. "I like it."]
"I wasn't… prepared for this oh-oh-oh-oh… " Why couldn't she just turn off her brain for an afternoon. "I wasn't… prepared for this oh-oh-oh-oh…."
[Max shook his head at the couple. "Name?"
"I don't know." Kyle shook his head and stared at the boy in his wife's arms. "Seems like yesterday we had Berty and we already had the name all picked out."
"Happens when you don't give your wife time to recover." Max chided, playfully.
"Kyle, we've got the name. I told you." Isabel counted the fingers and toes for the millionth time, just like she had done with Alex and just like she had done with Liberty. A son. "James Kyle Valenti IV."
"There's a mouthful." Max leaned over to kiss his sister. "Congratulations."
"Wow." Kyle swallowed thickly and stared, just stared at his son. "Little Kyle, huh?"
"Yeah."]
"Oh…When the day is blue… I'll sit here wond'ring about you…."
Isabel was sobbing so hard, she didn't hear the door open. Alex pushed the door open and froze at the sight. He had never seen her so broken down. Not once in his life had he seen her cry so much or so hard. "Mom?" The tears were pricking at his eyes before he got to her side. "Mom?"
She gasped when he touched her. She didn't even realize he'd been trying to call her. "Oh, honey." She gulped and tried to dry her eyes. "I didn't hear you. Did you need something?"
"No. Just wondering if you were hungry… I know you are." Alex beat her to her protest. "Grandpa made his specialty."
"Burnt mac and cheese?" Isabel sniffed to get control over herself.
"The other specialty. Burnt ham, mac and cheese."
"Then I need to get up and make a salad." She smoothed her hair and then her clothes. "Are you mad at me?"
"Doesn't do any good to be mad." Alex answered her honestly. "It's still true."
--
"Michelle and I get along all right." Diane nodded as she passed the potatoes.
"Really?" Max cut his son's meat and watched his family crammed around the table. He noted one child was especially quiet but chose not to point it out at the table. "How is she doing?"
"Much better. We sit for hours and I show her pictures of my children, she shows me pictures of Kyle. I've got the early pictures of all the grandchildren." She took a deep breath. "It's nice to have someone to talk to and take care of again. They're thinking of letting her out of the hospital soon and we've talked about her moving in with me."
"Mom, are you sure?" Liz took her seat and looked at her mother-in-law. "It'd be a lot of work for you."
"Oh, I don't have anything to do. Michele and I are just two single ladies without a thing to do but grow older and spoil grandchildren."
Liz coughed and cleared her throat but didn't hide it fast enough because then Max was onto the scent. Daniel focused on his green beans. Kathy stared at her plate. Beth grinned cheekily as she realized her father didn't know something for once and David just formed a castle with his potatoes, using pieces of meat for doors.
Max looked to his wife and then to his mother. "What?"
"Nothing. It's nothing." Diane shook her head. "And besides… I'm a grown woman. My children are out of the house, plenty of children of their own. They don't need to worry about their mother."
Liz bit her lip and shrugged to her mother-in-law. "Just tell him."
"I wanted to talk to you and Isabel but this hasn't been a good time. I just figured we could hold off on the introduction."
"Your mom met someone." Liz took the lead. "He's a very nice man."
"Oh."
"He's so cool. He's got this huge Cadillac and it honks, what's that song, Grandma?" Kathy rushed ahead.
"Oh. I don't." Diane blushed and waited for Max's reaction.
"oh." Max nodded. "That's good." He was actually a little stunned. His mother was dating? "So… everyone's met him? This man."
"His name is Richard Turnbow. He's a retired doctor and I met him when I started taking David to his sessions. He volunteers to check medications against medical files so that the psychiatrists don't accidentally give their patients a bad mix." Diane gushed as her son seemed to be dealing with the information all right. "Liz met him a few weeks ago and we had lunch at the Crashdown this past weekend and so Kathy and Beth met him. Danny drove us to the last session and so he met him."
"Oh. I see. Sounds like you're happy." Max nodded. It seemed all he was capable of doing. "I hope he's a very nice man."
"He is." Beth rushed ahead, hands over her ears as she spoke. Why did her father always have to think so much? "He fought in the war and he's got a scar on his arm from a piece of shrapnel."
"Max?" Liz put her hand on his arm.
"Sounds like I'll have to meet this Mr. Turnbow."
--
Michael held Stephen and the bottle while Emily and Oriel ate their dinner. Emily finished and took her plate to the sink. In a surprise move, she took her brother from her father and sat at the table so he could eat before his food got cold. Michael picked up his fork and looked to his wife, who seemed just as surprised. "So, we've taken a liking to him?"
"So long as I don't have to do diapers, he's a cool little guy." Emily shrugged. She had had plenty of practice holding babies. She had helped out Daniel and Kathy after little David was born.
"Your birthday's coming up… and I know you've been test driving the bike… without a helmet." Michael tossed her a look. "But I'm taking the bike away tomorrow so it can be painted."
"But…" She started but stopped.
"You've been riding it. People have seen it and so I can't just wave my hand over it. I want to get it done in time for your birthday so… I'm taking it away."
"Dad…" She whined but stopped there. "Fine."
--
Isabel poured the pudding into cups and used her powers to cool them before setting them on the table for desert. Little Kyle had barely waited for his to be completely on a flat surface before he dug in. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome." Isabel was just sitting down when the phone rang.
"I'll get it." Alex hopped up but Isabel pointed a finger at him. "Sit. Eat your dessert."
"I wouldn't argue." Grandpa Jim commented and dug into the treat himself.
"That's right." Isabel nodded as her son did as told. She picked up the phone on the fourth ring. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Valenti?"
"Yes." Isabel furrowed her brow.
"This is Maribel Trejo… Lynnette's mother."
"Hi. How have you been?"
"We're fine. I'm glad you're feeling better. Alex told us you haven't been feeling well. I want to talk to you… about the kids."
Isabel froze for an instant. She looked to her son and he shifted uneasily in his chair. "The kids?"
"I've put it off because of what happened to your husband. God bless his soul… but really… we have to talk. Tino doesn't listen to me but I figure his mother will. He's been sneaking into Lynnette's room at night."
"Uh-huh." Isabel turned to her son. "Go to your room and do not come out until I say."
"Tino talked to the boy and there have been no other… incidents and I've been trying to get a hold of you for a week but I understand that you've been ill."
Isabel wanted to laugh but held it in. Wanted to laugh, wanted to cry, wanted to beat the crap out of her son. "Well, I'm sorry and believe me, had I known, I would have put a stop to it."
"Well, I am certainly glad that we're on the same page on this. Tino talked to him but nothing's going to change the way Tino treats it all. So we're agreed, they have to stop seeing each other."
"What?" Isabel blinked. Probation and a serious talk, yes. Forbidding them to see each other? Was the woman crazy? "No. No. Lynnette and Alex care for each other a great deal and I won't stop them from dating but I'm not going to let him keep sneaking out at night."
"Honestly, I don't think that's going to accomplish anything."
"Well neither is breaking them up. They'll just start sneaking around even more and getting into trouble."
"I realize you're upset and after what's happened to your husband, God bless his soul, it's understandable. Perhaps we could talk when you're feeling more yourself."
"Pardon me, Mari. My son is a good kid. Lynnette is a sweet girl. They're not doing anything wrong. No one would argue with you for being upset about whatever it is they've been doing but they'll keep doing it no matter if we keep them apart. If you forbid them, they'll run away. I suggest you talk to your husband again because it sounds like he's the sane one of you two." Isabel hung up the phone and looked to her young children and her father-in-law. "You two had better not date until you're 18."
--
The flowers caught her attention right off. Tilting her head at the bouquet, she reached for the card that dangled from the beautiful display. "Thank you for giving me life."
Gasping, she turned the card over for a name or an address but there was nothing. "You are out there, little sister." Tears slipped down Christine Burkhardt-Williamson's face as she smiled at the flowers. "Where are you?"
tbc
85/107
part 86
The Fate of Destiny Part 86
July 2020
"Dad! Why are you still looking through that old album?" Liz groaned as she deposited her cranky son on the counter. He had bitten the psychiatrist and been sent away for a better day.
"Just looking for something." He waved her off, tucking the picture of little Stephen underneath the book. "How is everything going?"
"As well as can be expected, I suppose." She sighed and looked over her father's shoulder. "Who's that?" she pointed to a young woman wearing a big floppy hat and an old fashioned swimsuit, sunglasses hanging by one hand. The girl was posed in what Liz had come to find was the style when her grandmother was a little girl, like someone had reversed the human spine and put it up front. Her back hurt just looking at the picture. Another picture had the dark hair flowing wild, head thrown back in laughter.
"Your grandma's sister."
"I didn't know she had a sister." Liz peered at the page. At least now she knew there were brown eyes in her family and her parents weren't really lying to her about not being adopted, despite knowing her dark hair came from her father.
"She was some years older and ran away when she was 16 or so." Jeff flipped through a few pages. "I could have sworn there were baby pictures in here."
"I think he's looking for a project to keep himself busy since Jose kicked him out of the kitchen." Nancy laughed and reached over the counter to kiss her grandson. "Hey there, what's wrong?"
"Mean lady." David rubbed his eye and pouted.
"What happened?" Nancy asked him.
"Want me to talk bad man. I don't wanna." David answered and reached for his mother.
"You didn't have to bite the woman." Liz scolded him but picked him up once more. "It's okay." She looked to her parents. "I think we're going to have to find another doctor to take him to, this one isn't getting any results. I think his nightmares are getting worse."
"Well, we are almost done setting up." Nancy announced. "Thank you for loaning us your husband. The party should go off okay. We're shooing out the last of the customers now."
--
Kathy waved to Jules as she was hauled away by her mother. The girl had only been allowed to stay for an hour and she had been the only one of Kathy's friends to show up. Oddly, she did not feel like crying. She had alienated herself from her group after Alex's attack and David's kidnapping. Jacobi hadn't even shown up and she knew he was still in town. Picking at her hot dog, she looked to the pile of presents.
"You going to eat that or mash it?" Her father sat down next to her and stopped the movement of her fork cutting through her meat by-product. "Did we make a mistake? Should we not have done the surprise party thing?"
"No." She shook her head sadly. "I knew that if I threw a party very few people would show. Some people are out of town… and maybe my real friends are the ones that showed."
"And the boyfriend?"
"Not a boyfriend." She couldn't even call him a friend at this point because he hadn't returned any of her phone calls in a month.
"Come on. Dance with me. If it's a party, there should be dancing even if you have to dance with your old man." Max gripped her hand and pulled her to her feet. Reluctantly, she let him and she even smiled when she laid her head on her father's shoulder. He used to hold her when she was little and that was always a treat if she was still awake when he got home. To be held by daddy. It had been a long time since he'd been able to pick her up and throw her around his shoulders. "You've been caught smiling on camera, Miss Kathy."
"Thank you, Daddy. I did have fun tonight. I'm just sorry my friends are so lame they didn't show up."
"Hey, anything for my little girl." Max kissed the top of her head. "Just promise me you'll never get any older than 17."
"Daddy." She whined. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Without warning, he spun her out, back in and dipped her. She laughed so loud, they didn't hear the doors open. When Max looked over her head, Agent Goldblum stood two feet away. "Will?"
"Sorry to crash but to make amends, I crash bearing gifts." Will held out a package for the birthday girl. "Does this make up for stealing your dancing partner?"
"That depends on what it is." Kathy very happily took the package.
"Kathy." Max scolded.
"Awh!" Kathy gasped after she had ripped off the paper. Four leather-bound books sat in the box with a set of monogrammed pens .
"Can't have a alien princess without the means to record her life." Will shrugged.
"Thank you." She hopped up and placed a kiss on his unshorn cheek. Turned, kissed her father's and nodded to them both. "I suppose this will have to do. He's all yours. Mom!" She raced to her mother.
"You didn't have to get her anything." Max watched his daughter show off the journal set.
"I felt bad for just showing up at her birthday party." Agent Goldblum motioned for a seat. "I don't come bearing bad news but I do have to talk to you… and your sister."
"Is this about those flowers? I already yelled at her about it."
"Kind of." The young man winced. "It's just that it was quiet for a while. I figured no one had noticed but it seems that Mason's aunt is still alive. I thought she was gone but she's looking for Isabel now." He held up his hand to silence the alien ruler. "Penny Burkhardt, Christine Morton… she, on record, only had two children."
"Wait. Last I spoke to you, you didn't know much." Max interrupted. "All you knew was that Darryl and Christine had changed their names and you assumed to Burkhardt."
"Hence the reason I came in person on a special day." Will nodded. "All records show that they had two children. Mason and Penelope did. Mason Jr. in '48 just after their reemergence as the Burkhardts, then a daughter in '55, Christine. That's what the papers say but there were a lot more pregnancies. After things settled, she was pregnant every 11 months like clockwork." A shrug and a sip from a glass of water that had been sitting there for who knows how long. "After the first two still-borns, they had enough money to keep the others out of the papers."
"All of them?" Max could feel the blood creeping out of his face.
"After the money started exchanging hands, it was hard to keep count, but they finally got the girl they were trying for. They had bought a huge house and had planned to fill it up. They assumed after Christine that they'd have more luck but a few more miscarriages and then Darryl died in '75. '77 brought the joy of our favorite Mason. He had seven brothers and three sisters… all dead by age 20."
"What?" Was there still blood pumping through his veins? Max found himself stuttering. "10 siblings dead?"
Will rubbed the stubble on his face as he got around to those facts. "A set of girl twins. A couple of years younger, they got pneumonia, age 4. A brother between Mason and the twins. He was seven, fell off the roof, broke his neck. Mitch was 12 when was thrown off a horse and broke his… not his neck exactly but the general area. Coincidence. Weird but true. Thomas was 19 and it was a car crash. Internal bleeding, they managed to stop it but when it came time for transfusion… Dad and our Mason had those blood impurities and Mom was an alcoholic. Those were all the children Mason Jr. had by his wife. The ones she never knew about… The first mistress had two boys. This was late 80s. Robert was 10 when he walked the wrong way home from school. Wrong place, wrong time. The other boy didn't get a name. Still born. Kevin hit 20 six months ago… and he had too much fun at the clubs celebrating on fake Ids and nose candy. His little brother didn't see ten. Blood defect."
"You're missing a girl."
"Oh. Yeah. Her. She's fine. I keep forgetting about her because the woman does nothing but study. I talked to her and she was… She's from mistress number two, I think. 25 and very pretty but very cold. The woman breathes quadratic equations. I honestly don't think Mason knew about her."
"This is a little fucked up." Max muttered. His mind was whirling with the implications this held. He had… family, blood relations out there, somewhere… without a clue to his existence or what meaning that had.
"Tell me about it. So let's back it up for the sister. Christine Burkhardt. Married a dentist. Six kids. Two by him. One by only God knows who. Two by husband number 2 and the last kid is being tested as we speak because he could be from husband three or four. The woman gets around and what broke up the first marriage is interesting. He wanted to have her committed because she was convinced that her 54 year old mother had given birth to a girl and given her up for adoption." The younger man sighed heavily. "She… Penny was 54 when she was admitted to a private hospital for three months. She was dating two or three eligible retirees when she suddenly committed herself and refused to see anyone, including her children. She comes out the same old Penny, only now she keeps to herself and dies two years later in… 1982."
"Any truth to the daughter's belief?"
"Speculation I think. Penny Burkhardt was 54 after all. I don't know why Christine has this fixation but it's reared up again and since most of her kids are out of the house, she can afford to fixate. The youngest lives at home but he's finishing his bachelor's next semester. Nice kid. Well adjusted. When's cake time?"
--
Isabel handed Bruce her order and kept highlighting and talking to Jesse about this Bowling case. She felt the eyes on her and when she looked back at Bruce, he looked a little sad. "What?"
"Honey, why didn't you say anything?" He waved the menu at her.
He didn't need to say any more, she had made a mistake. She had ordered her pregnant comfort food. She looked to her paper and then at her secretary. "Can we keep this quiet for a while? Please?"
"Sure." Bruce paused at the door. "Did he know?"
Isabel managed a nod before the well-meaning secretary left the office. 10 seconds before Jesse opened his mouth. "Was there a code that I missed? Do I have to apply for perusal of the Isabel lexicon? What exactly do I have to do?"
"Bruce has been with this firm through my last two pregnancies. He knows me." She answered and tried to focus on the case. It was getting hard though. She wasn't ready to pull Jesse into her world. She was not ready to move anything forward but her body ached for him. Alien pregnancies and their side effects. Turning her hands upward, she examined her nails. She'd have to fix the damage soon. Chipped and worn. "Jesse, there are things you don't know about me and… as much as I… I'm not ready." She looked up and him and saw he understood. "But I don't have a choice right now. Things are happening so fast and you have to be a part of them."
"I read the letter, Isabel." Jesse made a few notes about the case and then set his pencil down altogether. "I do know some of what you're going through. You can talk to me. I do understand that things are complicated and I don't want to make them worse for you. I did tell my mother and she flipped and I'm trying to find a way to tell Seb but nothing's coming to me."
"Liberty and little Kyle don't know. Alex knows and I think Jim knows but…" She sighed and stared out the window and thought about her brother had told her. Romantic feelings aside, she and Jesse had been friends for while before anything had happened. Turning to him, she wondered what about him had made her trust him so much. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Pardon?"
"We do need to talk and I think I need to get it over with because Max is right and…" She looked at Jesse in the eye for the first time in weeks. "And I think I know you well enough that it's not going to send you heading for the hills."
--
Liz handed out cake and took a seat at the men's table. Addressing the young man, she poured the Tabasco for her husband. "Am I happy to see you?"
"No trouble. I promise. Just some details on the work I've been doing." Goldblum gave her a sincere smile.
"You didn't have to buy her anything but she is really impressed with those journals." Liz told him and watched her daughter trying to teach little Davey how to dance. Bethany had found her own little corner to occupy herself in with a book. Danny and Emily were dancing a little closer than Liz would like but at least they were where she could see them.
"Least I could do." Will shrugged and nearly started when another kiss was planted on his cheek by the birthday girl.
"Thanks again." She told him.
"Oh. Here." Max suddenly remembered what he had in an envelope on the table. "Happy birthday, sweetie."
"Dad?"
"Max?" Liz looked at her husband. They had already gotten Kathy a new jacket and two blouses.
Kathy opened the enveloped and out tumbled her old ruby ring on a necklace. Then she pulled out a series of pictures. "Where did you find these?"
"Grandma had them, actually." Max explained. "That one was prom and that one we got from Valenti." Tess helping with dinner, barefoot and pregnant. Tess snoozing on the couch, her hands curled around her stomach. He watched her flip through the pictures and pause on one. It was Liz, tired but smiling and feeding Kathy in one of her rare quiet moments as a baby.
"Daddy, thank you." She flung her arms around her father.
--
Alex didn't want to leave but he had to make an appearance at Kathy's party. She would understand though if it took him awhile. He had ten more minutes in which he could spend with Lynnette before she had to be home and under the watchful eye of her mother. Night was falling around them but this was the best it would get for awhile. Once school started it would be easier to make excuses to see each other.
--
Isabel sat on the picnic table and handed the envelope to Jesse. "Jesse, I'd like to show you your daughter."
"Is this the sonogram?" He excitedly reached inside for the strip of grainy, shadowy mess that gave only a hint of the life within. Then the words hit him. "A girl?"
"My brother always manages to slip me in to have a look." Staring out at the darkening town, she chose her words very carefully. "You'll have to thank him for my being able to talk to you. I was going to try and hide from the world." The streetlights were shining down on the emptying streets. "I've never been very good at expressing my true feelings but there are some things you need to know about me."
"Like what?"
"Like who my real parents are, where I'm from."
"You sound like you're about to die. Don't do that. I don't react well to…" He stopped talking as he realized she was dead serious. "What is it?"
"Well, it's pretty serious. It won't kill me or our child but it does affect the way we live." She had to take a breath. Just a breath. "My entire life is defined by one thing. Now, it'll affect your life, too."
--
"What really brings you back?" Max asked the young agent.
"A lot of bad things happened for me in Texas and you know… New Mexico is where everything always seemed right. Director Ogglesby transferred me back after I requested it. He didn't even ask why. All part of my new privileges. Come to find out that I am the youngest agent ever to take control of a unit this classified."
"What are you… 30?"
"27. I skipped a few grades in school, compounded two semesters of college." Will nodded to Max's shock.
"Come on." Emily dragged Kathy out onto the floor and grabbed a spoon for a microphone as the jukebox poured out the music. "You just can't seem to understand the reason why I am gone. That was the last time that you make me the little one you step on. I've—"
Kathy gathered her strength and sang with her cousin. They used to do this when they were little. "I've had it up to here, the end is drawing near, I'm leaving you my dear!"
Liz laughed and clapped for the girls. It had been a very long time since the girls had put on a show for anyone.
Kathy and Emily jumped onto chairs. "Can't you see, can't break me. I'm not the same as I used to be. I've overcome the misery and I will be the person that I want to be."
Danny hooted with laughter as they danced around the chairs.
"It's somewhere out there lies a person who is stronger than this world. I'm not suffering, I'm not helpless, and I'm not your little girl. So listen if you can, try and understand cause I need a better man." Kathy twirled and stomped the way she and Emily used to when they were little and listening to their parents old music. "Can't you see, can't break me. I'm not the same as I used to be. I've overcome the misery and I will be the person that I want to be."
"I know you're not the one to change. I'd rather leave you standing than try to read your brain. I'll only turn and walk away. Accept responsibility for what you see cause it's time to see… That I'm not the same.
"Can't you see, can't break me. I'm not the same as I used to be. I've overcome the misery and I will be the person that I want to be. Why can't you see?!"
That felt good. To celebrate a 17th birthday like a seven year old. Kathy rolled her eyes. "Mom! Come on. No crying."
"She's allowed." Nancy hugged Kathy. "Did you tell her?"
"Tell me what?" Liz wiped at her eyes.
"Go on." Nancy nudged Kathy.
"I… got early acceptance to UNM, Santa Fe."
"When did you apply?" Liz paled.
"In the spring. I was moping around and I picked up an application packet at school. Dad's been working on his journal and it got me interested. I sent in a letter asking some questions and they were impressed. I take my SATs next month and then it'll all be perfect. I was thinking microbiology."
Liz gasped and hugged her daughter, fresh tears in her eyes. "Max! Did you hear?"
--
"Es atrasado."
"Si, Mama." Jesse pulled his tie from around his neck and sat at the kitchen table. "Y el niño?"
"Si, dormido." She turned her cup this way and that to cool her evening coffee. "¿De donde vienes?"
"Isabel."
His mother made a face but didn't say anything… at first. "La puta."
"Mama!" Jesse nearly shouted at her. "She's not. Don't say things like that."
"¿Y al cuando de tu? ¿Que entonces?"
Jesse stared at his mother. "You know, Patty wasn't perfect either. Things happen, Mama… and I'm as much to blame for this situation as Isabel." He cut her off before she could say anything else. "You liked her well enough before she got pregnant. She's a nice woman… we made a mistake."
"A mistake. You make mistakes when you're 19 and don't know better. You're a grown man. She was a married woman. None of her kids look alike."
"Hey!" Jesse found himself defending the mother of his child when he wasn't even sure he could cope with her story an hour before. "Mama, she made a mistake but she was married when she had the younger two, both by her husband, who was no saint by the way."
"You don't speak that way of the dead."
"Even if it's true? He was a good man but he had a woman on the side. I owe him my life but it's the truth. The very least I can do is take care of the child that I helped create." He threw the sonogram photos on the table. "¡Ahí! Su nieta."
--
"How did it go?" Alex knew the moment he saw his mother what she had done. They sat in a dark corner of the Crashdown while the party dwindled down.
"About as well as could be expected." She sighed and picked at his cake. "How's the thing?"
"Grampa took the tiny tots home about an hour ago because they were getting annoying and I got here just before that." Alex nodded and poured some Tabasco on the side of the cake for her. They sat in silence for a while. "When I told you about Dad and that woman... I didn't think..."
"Me either." She shook her head at her cake. "You and I need to have a sit down. Soon. We still haven't talked about a lot of things and I know that we had an agreement about school... but we're going to need you at home after next year."
"Well, it's all up for discussion, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Alex motioned to the birthday girl, who bounded over to hug her aunt. "Tell her the good news."
"I..." Kathy smiled brightly and looked back to where her parents were still discussing the situation. "I applied to UNM Santa Fe and I'm a shoe in. Mom and Dad are still deliberating but it looks like that's where I'm going after next year. All I have to do is keep my grades up and save some money and I'm there."
"Congratulations." Isabel rose to hug the girl. "That's great." She watched her brother and he could tell he wasn't happy about it. That's when she noticed the Agent who had just been included in the conversation.
"It's not undoable." Will explained to Max. "She could go. We'll fix up some records. A private doctor that will 'administer' her shots. We'll have a couple of agents at the college. Myself, I travel a great deal. I'll be stationed here but the main Federal office is in Santa Fe. I'll be there to check in, make sure things are going smoothly."
"See, Max." Liz pleaded. "I didn't get to go and do what I wanted but Kathy can. She can go and she can study and get her degree and we'll have someone in the family who can do the complicated blood work..."
"One condition." Max looked to the agent. "I know you and I'm not going to trust my daughter with just some agent you pick out. Until she gets a grasp on the campus and her schedules..."
"I'll be up there with her. I'll be settled in here by then. It'll all be fine." Will promised.
So, Max nodded and when he looked up, he nodded to his daughter, who jumped up and down all the way to hug her father. "Thank you, thank you. You won't be disappointed. I promise all A's this year and nothing less than a 3.6 in college."
"Those are high standards for a girl who hates homework." He commented.
"You'll see." Kathy beamed up at him.
"So, away colleges are something we have a shot at?" Danny asked cautiously.
"I..." Max grimaced but Liz pinched him. "Yes. I'm sure it'll all be fine but the rules apply to you and you and you." He pointed to all of his children in turn. "No slacking off. If you want to leave Roswell for college then your grades had better prove how much you want it."
"Daddy. You're loud again." Beth whispered from her seat, rubbing her head.
tbc
July 2020
"Dad! Why are you still looking through that old album?" Liz groaned as she deposited her cranky son on the counter. He had bitten the psychiatrist and been sent away for a better day.
"Just looking for something." He waved her off, tucking the picture of little Stephen underneath the book. "How is everything going?"
"As well as can be expected, I suppose." She sighed and looked over her father's shoulder. "Who's that?" she pointed to a young woman wearing a big floppy hat and an old fashioned swimsuit, sunglasses hanging by one hand. The girl was posed in what Liz had come to find was the style when her grandmother was a little girl, like someone had reversed the human spine and put it up front. Her back hurt just looking at the picture. Another picture had the dark hair flowing wild, head thrown back in laughter.
"Your grandma's sister."
"I didn't know she had a sister." Liz peered at the page. At least now she knew there were brown eyes in her family and her parents weren't really lying to her about not being adopted, despite knowing her dark hair came from her father.
"She was some years older and ran away when she was 16 or so." Jeff flipped through a few pages. "I could have sworn there were baby pictures in here."
"I think he's looking for a project to keep himself busy since Jose kicked him out of the kitchen." Nancy laughed and reached over the counter to kiss her grandson. "Hey there, what's wrong?"
"Mean lady." David rubbed his eye and pouted.
"What happened?" Nancy asked him.
"Want me to talk bad man. I don't wanna." David answered and reached for his mother.
"You didn't have to bite the woman." Liz scolded him but picked him up once more. "It's okay." She looked to her parents. "I think we're going to have to find another doctor to take him to, this one isn't getting any results. I think his nightmares are getting worse."
"Well, we are almost done setting up." Nancy announced. "Thank you for loaning us your husband. The party should go off okay. We're shooing out the last of the customers now."
--
Kathy waved to Jules as she was hauled away by her mother. The girl had only been allowed to stay for an hour and she had been the only one of Kathy's friends to show up. Oddly, she did not feel like crying. She had alienated herself from her group after Alex's attack and David's kidnapping. Jacobi hadn't even shown up and she knew he was still in town. Picking at her hot dog, she looked to the pile of presents.
"You going to eat that or mash it?" Her father sat down next to her and stopped the movement of her fork cutting through her meat by-product. "Did we make a mistake? Should we not have done the surprise party thing?"
"No." She shook her head sadly. "I knew that if I threw a party very few people would show. Some people are out of town… and maybe my real friends are the ones that showed."
"And the boyfriend?"
"Not a boyfriend." She couldn't even call him a friend at this point because he hadn't returned any of her phone calls in a month.
"Come on. Dance with me. If it's a party, there should be dancing even if you have to dance with your old man." Max gripped her hand and pulled her to her feet. Reluctantly, she let him and she even smiled when she laid her head on her father's shoulder. He used to hold her when she was little and that was always a treat if she was still awake when he got home. To be held by daddy. It had been a long time since he'd been able to pick her up and throw her around his shoulders. "You've been caught smiling on camera, Miss Kathy."
"Thank you, Daddy. I did have fun tonight. I'm just sorry my friends are so lame they didn't show up."
"Hey, anything for my little girl." Max kissed the top of her head. "Just promise me you'll never get any older than 17."
"Daddy." She whined. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Without warning, he spun her out, back in and dipped her. She laughed so loud, they didn't hear the doors open. When Max looked over her head, Agent Goldblum stood two feet away. "Will?"
"Sorry to crash but to make amends, I crash bearing gifts." Will held out a package for the birthday girl. "Does this make up for stealing your dancing partner?"
"That depends on what it is." Kathy very happily took the package.
"Kathy." Max scolded.
"Awh!" Kathy gasped after she had ripped off the paper. Four leather-bound books sat in the box with a set of monogrammed pens .
"Can't have a alien princess without the means to record her life." Will shrugged.
"Thank you." She hopped up and placed a kiss on his unshorn cheek. Turned, kissed her father's and nodded to them both. "I suppose this will have to do. He's all yours. Mom!" She raced to her mother.
"You didn't have to get her anything." Max watched his daughter show off the journal set.
"I felt bad for just showing up at her birthday party." Agent Goldblum motioned for a seat. "I don't come bearing bad news but I do have to talk to you… and your sister."
"Is this about those flowers? I already yelled at her about it."
"Kind of." The young man winced. "It's just that it was quiet for a while. I figured no one had noticed but it seems that Mason's aunt is still alive. I thought she was gone but she's looking for Isabel now." He held up his hand to silence the alien ruler. "Penny Burkhardt, Christine Morton… she, on record, only had two children."
"Wait. Last I spoke to you, you didn't know much." Max interrupted. "All you knew was that Darryl and Christine had changed their names and you assumed to Burkhardt."
"Hence the reason I came in person on a special day." Will nodded. "All records show that they had two children. Mason and Penelope did. Mason Jr. in '48 just after their reemergence as the Burkhardts, then a daughter in '55, Christine. That's what the papers say but there were a lot more pregnancies. After things settled, she was pregnant every 11 months like clockwork." A shrug and a sip from a glass of water that had been sitting there for who knows how long. "After the first two still-borns, they had enough money to keep the others out of the papers."
"All of them?" Max could feel the blood creeping out of his face.
"After the money started exchanging hands, it was hard to keep count, but they finally got the girl they were trying for. They had bought a huge house and had planned to fill it up. They assumed after Christine that they'd have more luck but a few more miscarriages and then Darryl died in '75. '77 brought the joy of our favorite Mason. He had seven brothers and three sisters… all dead by age 20."
"What?" Was there still blood pumping through his veins? Max found himself stuttering. "10 siblings dead?"
Will rubbed the stubble on his face as he got around to those facts. "A set of girl twins. A couple of years younger, they got pneumonia, age 4. A brother between Mason and the twins. He was seven, fell off the roof, broke his neck. Mitch was 12 when was thrown off a horse and broke his… not his neck exactly but the general area. Coincidence. Weird but true. Thomas was 19 and it was a car crash. Internal bleeding, they managed to stop it but when it came time for transfusion… Dad and our Mason had those blood impurities and Mom was an alcoholic. Those were all the children Mason Jr. had by his wife. The ones she never knew about… The first mistress had two boys. This was late 80s. Robert was 10 when he walked the wrong way home from school. Wrong place, wrong time. The other boy didn't get a name. Still born. Kevin hit 20 six months ago… and he had too much fun at the clubs celebrating on fake Ids and nose candy. His little brother didn't see ten. Blood defect."
"You're missing a girl."
"Oh. Yeah. Her. She's fine. I keep forgetting about her because the woman does nothing but study. I talked to her and she was… She's from mistress number two, I think. 25 and very pretty but very cold. The woman breathes quadratic equations. I honestly don't think Mason knew about her."
"This is a little fucked up." Max muttered. His mind was whirling with the implications this held. He had… family, blood relations out there, somewhere… without a clue to his existence or what meaning that had.
"Tell me about it. So let's back it up for the sister. Christine Burkhardt. Married a dentist. Six kids. Two by him. One by only God knows who. Two by husband number 2 and the last kid is being tested as we speak because he could be from husband three or four. The woman gets around and what broke up the first marriage is interesting. He wanted to have her committed because she was convinced that her 54 year old mother had given birth to a girl and given her up for adoption." The younger man sighed heavily. "She… Penny was 54 when she was admitted to a private hospital for three months. She was dating two or three eligible retirees when she suddenly committed herself and refused to see anyone, including her children. She comes out the same old Penny, only now she keeps to herself and dies two years later in… 1982."
"Any truth to the daughter's belief?"
"Speculation I think. Penny Burkhardt was 54 after all. I don't know why Christine has this fixation but it's reared up again and since most of her kids are out of the house, she can afford to fixate. The youngest lives at home but he's finishing his bachelor's next semester. Nice kid. Well adjusted. When's cake time?"
--
Isabel handed Bruce her order and kept highlighting and talking to Jesse about this Bowling case. She felt the eyes on her and when she looked back at Bruce, he looked a little sad. "What?"
"Honey, why didn't you say anything?" He waved the menu at her.
He didn't need to say any more, she had made a mistake. She had ordered her pregnant comfort food. She looked to her paper and then at her secretary. "Can we keep this quiet for a while? Please?"
"Sure." Bruce paused at the door. "Did he know?"
Isabel managed a nod before the well-meaning secretary left the office. 10 seconds before Jesse opened his mouth. "Was there a code that I missed? Do I have to apply for perusal of the Isabel lexicon? What exactly do I have to do?"
"Bruce has been with this firm through my last two pregnancies. He knows me." She answered and tried to focus on the case. It was getting hard though. She wasn't ready to pull Jesse into her world. She was not ready to move anything forward but her body ached for him. Alien pregnancies and their side effects. Turning her hands upward, she examined her nails. She'd have to fix the damage soon. Chipped and worn. "Jesse, there are things you don't know about me and… as much as I… I'm not ready." She looked up and him and saw he understood. "But I don't have a choice right now. Things are happening so fast and you have to be a part of them."
"I read the letter, Isabel." Jesse made a few notes about the case and then set his pencil down altogether. "I do know some of what you're going through. You can talk to me. I do understand that things are complicated and I don't want to make them worse for you. I did tell my mother and she flipped and I'm trying to find a way to tell Seb but nothing's coming to me."
"Liberty and little Kyle don't know. Alex knows and I think Jim knows but…" She sighed and stared out the window and thought about her brother had told her. Romantic feelings aside, she and Jesse had been friends for while before anything had happened. Turning to him, she wondered what about him had made her trust him so much. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Pardon?"
"We do need to talk and I think I need to get it over with because Max is right and…" She looked at Jesse in the eye for the first time in weeks. "And I think I know you well enough that it's not going to send you heading for the hills."
--
Liz handed out cake and took a seat at the men's table. Addressing the young man, she poured the Tabasco for her husband. "Am I happy to see you?"
"No trouble. I promise. Just some details on the work I've been doing." Goldblum gave her a sincere smile.
"You didn't have to buy her anything but she is really impressed with those journals." Liz told him and watched her daughter trying to teach little Davey how to dance. Bethany had found her own little corner to occupy herself in with a book. Danny and Emily were dancing a little closer than Liz would like but at least they were where she could see them.
"Least I could do." Will shrugged and nearly started when another kiss was planted on his cheek by the birthday girl.
"Thanks again." She told him.
"Oh. Here." Max suddenly remembered what he had in an envelope on the table. "Happy birthday, sweetie."
"Dad?"
"Max?" Liz looked at her husband. They had already gotten Kathy a new jacket and two blouses.
Kathy opened the enveloped and out tumbled her old ruby ring on a necklace. Then she pulled out a series of pictures. "Where did you find these?"
"Grandma had them, actually." Max explained. "That one was prom and that one we got from Valenti." Tess helping with dinner, barefoot and pregnant. Tess snoozing on the couch, her hands curled around her stomach. He watched her flip through the pictures and pause on one. It was Liz, tired but smiling and feeding Kathy in one of her rare quiet moments as a baby.
"Daddy, thank you." She flung her arms around her father.
--
Alex didn't want to leave but he had to make an appearance at Kathy's party. She would understand though if it took him awhile. He had ten more minutes in which he could spend with Lynnette before she had to be home and under the watchful eye of her mother. Night was falling around them but this was the best it would get for awhile. Once school started it would be easier to make excuses to see each other.
--
Isabel sat on the picnic table and handed the envelope to Jesse. "Jesse, I'd like to show you your daughter."
"Is this the sonogram?" He excitedly reached inside for the strip of grainy, shadowy mess that gave only a hint of the life within. Then the words hit him. "A girl?"
"My brother always manages to slip me in to have a look." Staring out at the darkening town, she chose her words very carefully. "You'll have to thank him for my being able to talk to you. I was going to try and hide from the world." The streetlights were shining down on the emptying streets. "I've never been very good at expressing my true feelings but there are some things you need to know about me."
"Like what?"
"Like who my real parents are, where I'm from."
"You sound like you're about to die. Don't do that. I don't react well to…" He stopped talking as he realized she was dead serious. "What is it?"
"Well, it's pretty serious. It won't kill me or our child but it does affect the way we live." She had to take a breath. Just a breath. "My entire life is defined by one thing. Now, it'll affect your life, too."
--
"What really brings you back?" Max asked the young agent.
"A lot of bad things happened for me in Texas and you know… New Mexico is where everything always seemed right. Director Ogglesby transferred me back after I requested it. He didn't even ask why. All part of my new privileges. Come to find out that I am the youngest agent ever to take control of a unit this classified."
"What are you… 30?"
"27. I skipped a few grades in school, compounded two semesters of college." Will nodded to Max's shock.
"Come on." Emily dragged Kathy out onto the floor and grabbed a spoon for a microphone as the jukebox poured out the music. "You just can't seem to understand the reason why I am gone. That was the last time that you make me the little one you step on. I've—"
Kathy gathered her strength and sang with her cousin. They used to do this when they were little. "I've had it up to here, the end is drawing near, I'm leaving you my dear!"
Liz laughed and clapped for the girls. It had been a very long time since the girls had put on a show for anyone.
Kathy and Emily jumped onto chairs. "Can't you see, can't break me. I'm not the same as I used to be. I've overcome the misery and I will be the person that I want to be."
Danny hooted with laughter as they danced around the chairs.
"It's somewhere out there lies a person who is stronger than this world. I'm not suffering, I'm not helpless, and I'm not your little girl. So listen if you can, try and understand cause I need a better man." Kathy twirled and stomped the way she and Emily used to when they were little and listening to their parents old music. "Can't you see, can't break me. I'm not the same as I used to be. I've overcome the misery and I will be the person that I want to be."
"I know you're not the one to change. I'd rather leave you standing than try to read your brain. I'll only turn and walk away. Accept responsibility for what you see cause it's time to see… That I'm not the same.
"Can't you see, can't break me. I'm not the same as I used to be. I've overcome the misery and I will be the person that I want to be. Why can't you see?!"
That felt good. To celebrate a 17th birthday like a seven year old. Kathy rolled her eyes. "Mom! Come on. No crying."
"She's allowed." Nancy hugged Kathy. "Did you tell her?"
"Tell me what?" Liz wiped at her eyes.
"Go on." Nancy nudged Kathy.
"I… got early acceptance to UNM, Santa Fe."
"When did you apply?" Liz paled.
"In the spring. I was moping around and I picked up an application packet at school. Dad's been working on his journal and it got me interested. I sent in a letter asking some questions and they were impressed. I take my SATs next month and then it'll all be perfect. I was thinking microbiology."
Liz gasped and hugged her daughter, fresh tears in her eyes. "Max! Did you hear?"
--
"Es atrasado."
"Si, Mama." Jesse pulled his tie from around his neck and sat at the kitchen table. "Y el niño?"
"Si, dormido." She turned her cup this way and that to cool her evening coffee. "¿De donde vienes?"
"Isabel."
His mother made a face but didn't say anything… at first. "La puta."
"Mama!" Jesse nearly shouted at her. "She's not. Don't say things like that."
"¿Y al cuando de tu? ¿Que entonces?"
Jesse stared at his mother. "You know, Patty wasn't perfect either. Things happen, Mama… and I'm as much to blame for this situation as Isabel." He cut her off before she could say anything else. "You liked her well enough before she got pregnant. She's a nice woman… we made a mistake."
"A mistake. You make mistakes when you're 19 and don't know better. You're a grown man. She was a married woman. None of her kids look alike."
"Hey!" Jesse found himself defending the mother of his child when he wasn't even sure he could cope with her story an hour before. "Mama, she made a mistake but she was married when she had the younger two, both by her husband, who was no saint by the way."
"You don't speak that way of the dead."
"Even if it's true? He was a good man but he had a woman on the side. I owe him my life but it's the truth. The very least I can do is take care of the child that I helped create." He threw the sonogram photos on the table. "¡Ahí! Su nieta."
--
"How did it go?" Alex knew the moment he saw his mother what she had done. They sat in a dark corner of the Crashdown while the party dwindled down.
"About as well as could be expected." She sighed and picked at his cake. "How's the thing?"
"Grampa took the tiny tots home about an hour ago because they were getting annoying and I got here just before that." Alex nodded and poured some Tabasco on the side of the cake for her. They sat in silence for a while. "When I told you about Dad and that woman... I didn't think..."
"Me either." She shook her head at her cake. "You and I need to have a sit down. Soon. We still haven't talked about a lot of things and I know that we had an agreement about school... but we're going to need you at home after next year."
"Well, it's all up for discussion, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Alex motioned to the birthday girl, who bounded over to hug her aunt. "Tell her the good news."
"I..." Kathy smiled brightly and looked back to where her parents were still discussing the situation. "I applied to UNM Santa Fe and I'm a shoe in. Mom and Dad are still deliberating but it looks like that's where I'm going after next year. All I have to do is keep my grades up and save some money and I'm there."
"Congratulations." Isabel rose to hug the girl. "That's great." She watched her brother and he could tell he wasn't happy about it. That's when she noticed the Agent who had just been included in the conversation.
"It's not undoable." Will explained to Max. "She could go. We'll fix up some records. A private doctor that will 'administer' her shots. We'll have a couple of agents at the college. Myself, I travel a great deal. I'll be stationed here but the main Federal office is in Santa Fe. I'll be there to check in, make sure things are going smoothly."
"See, Max." Liz pleaded. "I didn't get to go and do what I wanted but Kathy can. She can go and she can study and get her degree and we'll have someone in the family who can do the complicated blood work..."
"One condition." Max looked to the agent. "I know you and I'm not going to trust my daughter with just some agent you pick out. Until she gets a grasp on the campus and her schedules..."
"I'll be up there with her. I'll be settled in here by then. It'll all be fine." Will promised.
So, Max nodded and when he looked up, he nodded to his daughter, who jumped up and down all the way to hug her father. "Thank you, thank you. You won't be disappointed. I promise all A's this year and nothing less than a 3.6 in college."
"Those are high standards for a girl who hates homework." He commented.
"You'll see." Kathy beamed up at him.
"So, away colleges are something we have a shot at?" Danny asked cautiously.
"I..." Max grimaced but Liz pinched him. "Yes. I'm sure it'll all be fine but the rules apply to you and you and you." He pointed to all of his children in turn. "No slacking off. If you want to leave Roswell for college then your grades had better prove how much you want it."
"Daddy. You're loud again." Beth whispered from her seat, rubbing her head.
tbc
Part 87A
The Fate of Destiny Part 87
September
The dinner table was awkward. They had finally scheduled a dinner wherein Max could finally meet Rich Turnbow (and not be able to back out at the last moment). Mom had home court advantage at her own dinner table. Michelle and Liz took up the responsibility of conversation for the most part. Finally, Rich had to do it. "This is some family you've got."
"I like to think so." Max nodded to his plate. This felt a lot like the dinners his family used to have when he was in high school. The ones where he was afraid to say too much, give away too much of himself, allow himself to open up to people who just wanted to know him.
"Diane tells me that you're a surgeon." Rich reached for his glass. "I had no idea Roswell Memorial had the budget for an in-house surgeon."
"I am a surgeon… as much as I can be here. You're right, they didn't used to have the budget for in-house surgeons. When I did my internship, there were two surgeons and now we've got six, all of us specialized differently and all of us rotating all wards, except the two senior surgeons." Max set down his fork. He wasn't trying to be rude but this was weird. His mother was dating. She had a date. A date with a man who was as different as his father as Max could remember. "I rotate down to the ER fairly often, I do a shift a week in the OB-GYN." He had to participate with a smile and interest for his mother's sake. She deserved this, some happiness now. "Our budget should be expanding soon, though."
"General practitioner myself. For a doctor, I find myself awful squeamish."
"Some of my interns are looking at a practice. They aren't cut out for the OR."
"How about the son?" Rich turned to Danny.
"Been thinking about it pretty seriously." The boy shrugged. "I've got SATs next month and then I figured I'd apply to John Hopkins."
"Try closer." Max warned with barely a glance at Liz.
"Hopkins is overrated. Those kids get spoiled. Think medicine is all about the money." Rich griped. "I never left New Mexico."
"Tech." Danny challenged his parents. "San Antonio."
"Tech." Max exchanged a look with his wife. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Lubbock." That was his counter-offer. "Just over the Texas border or… I heard El Paso opened their teaching hospital sometime in the last decade, I'm sure the programs are nice and reliable by now. Small classes, individual meetings more than possible. While you're there you can learn Spanish, be the first truly bilingual Evans."
"I'm going to college on the moon." Bethany announced. Her brother actually looked grateful for the interruption. She had cut in for him. The table was becoming too loud with all the unspoken thoughts.
"The moon. Ah, the moon." Rich took a deep breath. "Not a party school the way most people would assume, missy." He winked at the girl. "I see you've got glasses. They'll strap 'em to your head so they don't float off. They tie bricks to your shoes… and the cafeteria only serves dehydrated ice cream blocks but they only come in one flavor. Cheese."
Max looked to his mother, who was shaking her head at Rich's bad jokes with a smile on her face. He really thought he could like this guy. She was happy and that was the important part.
--
Alex hated to act like he hated dinners at the Whitman's but they were sometimes tedious… especially when Aunt Maggie was in town, which was more and more often, at least the husband and kids were someplace else. Sandra and his mother were very close when he was younger but after she married Kyle, the dinners were his thing with his grandparents. Still, Sandra liked to know what was going on at the Evans-Valenti house. "Your mother?"
"She's doing okay. She's dealing." Alex twirled his fork in his pasta. "I catch her crying sometimes but…"
"She never did like for people to see her cry." Sandra nodded to her grandson. She missed Isabel but the girl had done what she thought was best and conceded to Maggie's strong will. "Andi, at Grace's, said that she thought your mother was pregnant."
"True." His head bobbed up and down and he sat up straight before she could admonish him about his posture, her most consistent pet peeve.
"How do you feel about that?"
"Alright." Alex swallowed thickly. He hated talking about his mother like she was just some person he knew. "I mean… we're all still dealing with Dad… and this on top of that…"
"I heard she was having an affair." Maggie interrupted.
"Margaret." Chuck cleared his throat.
"Not exactly. Things happen." Alex avoided eyes. He hated that this side of his family was compartmentalized this way. Maggie hating Mom. Sandra missing Mom. Mom missing Sandra and Chuck. No one caring that Alex Jr. had always been caught in the middle. This was the reason he wanted out of Roswell. Anything to stop the bickering, the stares, the whispers behind his back. "It was a thing. Dad was… having an affair. Things happened." He shot her a look. "Once upon a time, I happened."
"Alex." Sandra chided and sipped her ice water. They knew he was right.
"He's right." Chuck cleared his throat again. Chuck was often quiet at dinners; usually some news about work or some household chore he needed help with. Never anything Alex really remembered by the next dinner. "Some break our hearts and some give the hearts back. Things happen. I was thinking the other day that you're graduating this year. Any plans?"
"I wanted to go to Miami, there's a school there where I can do some music theory… but with the baby coming… I might stick around to help out." He shook his head. Who was he kidding? That was exactly what he was going to do. Get himself stuck in Roswell.
"I think you should go." Chuck set down his fork. "Alex, your father, had a college trust that he was using to go to school in Phoenix. He was only there for a couple of months… I forgot about it for a long time. It has swelled with interest over the years."
Alex was dumb-founded. "What?"
"I don't know what that music theory involves but I'm getting ready to retire and I'd like to see you off to college before then. The college of your choice… on me."
"What?" He blinked. This was huge.
"Music theory in Miami." Chuck sipped his water and picked up his fork once more. "Guess it's tropical. Humid. A regular melting pot of culture. L.A. if you wanted… or even New York. Wherever."
"Dad." Maggie stared at her father.
"What's that you got for dessert? Lemon meringue?"
--
Jim watched the screen in silence. Soltero fidgeted on the couch. "You say this was in his desk drawer?"
"Mrs. Valenti never came to clean it out and I had to do it. I thought I'd run this by you… I didn't want to upset her more."
["They should have let me die. I'm worthless. My girlfriend. Tracey. She was directly responsible for my half-sister's death. My fault. I led her right to them. I showed her where Maria was." Kyle reclined on a bed with a bottle in one hand.
"Maria?"
"Maria." Kyle took another chug from the bottle. "I'm confiscating that tape when I leave." He let his head roll back on his shoulders. "My brother-in-law… in high school… he got his ass kicked because of me…" His beeper went off. "Shit. I'm drunk. Shit." Kyle panicked and yanked his clothes on. "Turn off that damn thing and give me the tape. You're crazy, you know that?"]
The video ended abruptly. Jim let out a breath. "My god." He ejected the tape and ripped out the ribbon. "You did the right thing, Soltero."
"Yeah, I figure that now." The interim sheriff nodded stiffly. "I already asked Amanda. That was the only tape… no others. I warned her about lying to me about it."
"You knew… what he was doing?"
"We… um… Jason and I… we noticed the drinking and we… just figured he was having a time of it at home… but when… Amanda stopped by the station… I tried to talk to him but it was a non-issue as far as he was concerned. I feel responsible, sir, for… some of what went on."
Valenti pulled out his pocket knife and shredded the ribbon as best he could. "He was turning himself around. No one could have known that he had walked into a war zone."
"We are a week away from locking away the key members in that shooting."
"Good. Do that for him. Don't let this Amanda woman go shooting her mouth off, please."
"Done."
"My daughter-in-law doesn't need to hear anything from this woman, right now. I've got another grandchild on the way and it's just not—"
"I understand sir. We've got the utmost respect for you and your family. I'm going to have a talk with everyone when we bring in Tuti Mendez."
"He's getting too old for this stuff. What is he? 35?"
"Yep, it's about time." Soltero cleared his throat. "If the family needs anything…"
"We've got all the help we could need."
"Well… Jesse's aunt's husband is a distant cousin of mine… word travels fast on that hotline. We all know the things that have been going on, so really… I got a zillion nieces and cousins who baby-sit."
"I'll pass it along."
September
The dinner table was awkward. They had finally scheduled a dinner wherein Max could finally meet Rich Turnbow (and not be able to back out at the last moment). Mom had home court advantage at her own dinner table. Michelle and Liz took up the responsibility of conversation for the most part. Finally, Rich had to do it. "This is some family you've got."
"I like to think so." Max nodded to his plate. This felt a lot like the dinners his family used to have when he was in high school. The ones where he was afraid to say too much, give away too much of himself, allow himself to open up to people who just wanted to know him.
"Diane tells me that you're a surgeon." Rich reached for his glass. "I had no idea Roswell Memorial had the budget for an in-house surgeon."
"I am a surgeon… as much as I can be here. You're right, they didn't used to have the budget for in-house surgeons. When I did my internship, there were two surgeons and now we've got six, all of us specialized differently and all of us rotating all wards, except the two senior surgeons." Max set down his fork. He wasn't trying to be rude but this was weird. His mother was dating. She had a date. A date with a man who was as different as his father as Max could remember. "I rotate down to the ER fairly often, I do a shift a week in the OB-GYN." He had to participate with a smile and interest for his mother's sake. She deserved this, some happiness now. "Our budget should be expanding soon, though."
"General practitioner myself. For a doctor, I find myself awful squeamish."
"Some of my interns are looking at a practice. They aren't cut out for the OR."
"How about the son?" Rich turned to Danny.
"Been thinking about it pretty seriously." The boy shrugged. "I've got SATs next month and then I figured I'd apply to John Hopkins."
"Try closer." Max warned with barely a glance at Liz.
"Hopkins is overrated. Those kids get spoiled. Think medicine is all about the money." Rich griped. "I never left New Mexico."
"Tech." Danny challenged his parents. "San Antonio."
"Tech." Max exchanged a look with his wife. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Lubbock." That was his counter-offer. "Just over the Texas border or… I heard El Paso opened their teaching hospital sometime in the last decade, I'm sure the programs are nice and reliable by now. Small classes, individual meetings more than possible. While you're there you can learn Spanish, be the first truly bilingual Evans."
"I'm going to college on the moon." Bethany announced. Her brother actually looked grateful for the interruption. She had cut in for him. The table was becoming too loud with all the unspoken thoughts.
"The moon. Ah, the moon." Rich took a deep breath. "Not a party school the way most people would assume, missy." He winked at the girl. "I see you've got glasses. They'll strap 'em to your head so they don't float off. They tie bricks to your shoes… and the cafeteria only serves dehydrated ice cream blocks but they only come in one flavor. Cheese."
Max looked to his mother, who was shaking her head at Rich's bad jokes with a smile on her face. He really thought he could like this guy. She was happy and that was the important part.
--
Alex hated to act like he hated dinners at the Whitman's but they were sometimes tedious… especially when Aunt Maggie was in town, which was more and more often, at least the husband and kids were someplace else. Sandra and his mother were very close when he was younger but after she married Kyle, the dinners were his thing with his grandparents. Still, Sandra liked to know what was going on at the Evans-Valenti house. "Your mother?"
"She's doing okay. She's dealing." Alex twirled his fork in his pasta. "I catch her crying sometimes but…"
"She never did like for people to see her cry." Sandra nodded to her grandson. She missed Isabel but the girl had done what she thought was best and conceded to Maggie's strong will. "Andi, at Grace's, said that she thought your mother was pregnant."
"True." His head bobbed up and down and he sat up straight before she could admonish him about his posture, her most consistent pet peeve.
"How do you feel about that?"
"Alright." Alex swallowed thickly. He hated talking about his mother like she was just some person he knew. "I mean… we're all still dealing with Dad… and this on top of that…"
"I heard she was having an affair." Maggie interrupted.
"Margaret." Chuck cleared his throat.
"Not exactly. Things happen." Alex avoided eyes. He hated that this side of his family was compartmentalized this way. Maggie hating Mom. Sandra missing Mom. Mom missing Sandra and Chuck. No one caring that Alex Jr. had always been caught in the middle. This was the reason he wanted out of Roswell. Anything to stop the bickering, the stares, the whispers behind his back. "It was a thing. Dad was… having an affair. Things happened." He shot her a look. "Once upon a time, I happened."
"Alex." Sandra chided and sipped her ice water. They knew he was right.
"He's right." Chuck cleared his throat again. Chuck was often quiet at dinners; usually some news about work or some household chore he needed help with. Never anything Alex really remembered by the next dinner. "Some break our hearts and some give the hearts back. Things happen. I was thinking the other day that you're graduating this year. Any plans?"
"I wanted to go to Miami, there's a school there where I can do some music theory… but with the baby coming… I might stick around to help out." He shook his head. Who was he kidding? That was exactly what he was going to do. Get himself stuck in Roswell.
"I think you should go." Chuck set down his fork. "Alex, your father, had a college trust that he was using to go to school in Phoenix. He was only there for a couple of months… I forgot about it for a long time. It has swelled with interest over the years."
Alex was dumb-founded. "What?"
"I don't know what that music theory involves but I'm getting ready to retire and I'd like to see you off to college before then. The college of your choice… on me."
"What?" He blinked. This was huge.
"Music theory in Miami." Chuck sipped his water and picked up his fork once more. "Guess it's tropical. Humid. A regular melting pot of culture. L.A. if you wanted… or even New York. Wherever."
"Dad." Maggie stared at her father.
"What's that you got for dessert? Lemon meringue?"
--
Jim watched the screen in silence. Soltero fidgeted on the couch. "You say this was in his desk drawer?"
"Mrs. Valenti never came to clean it out and I had to do it. I thought I'd run this by you… I didn't want to upset her more."
["They should have let me die. I'm worthless. My girlfriend. Tracey. She was directly responsible for my half-sister's death. My fault. I led her right to them. I showed her where Maria was." Kyle reclined on a bed with a bottle in one hand.
"Maria?"
"Maria." Kyle took another chug from the bottle. "I'm confiscating that tape when I leave." He let his head roll back on his shoulders. "My brother-in-law… in high school… he got his ass kicked because of me…" His beeper went off. "Shit. I'm drunk. Shit." Kyle panicked and yanked his clothes on. "Turn off that damn thing and give me the tape. You're crazy, you know that?"]
The video ended abruptly. Jim let out a breath. "My god." He ejected the tape and ripped out the ribbon. "You did the right thing, Soltero."
"Yeah, I figure that now." The interim sheriff nodded stiffly. "I already asked Amanda. That was the only tape… no others. I warned her about lying to me about it."
"You knew… what he was doing?"
"We… um… Jason and I… we noticed the drinking and we… just figured he was having a time of it at home… but when… Amanda stopped by the station… I tried to talk to him but it was a non-issue as far as he was concerned. I feel responsible, sir, for… some of what went on."
Valenti pulled out his pocket knife and shredded the ribbon as best he could. "He was turning himself around. No one could have known that he had walked into a war zone."
"We are a week away from locking away the key members in that shooting."
"Good. Do that for him. Don't let this Amanda woman go shooting her mouth off, please."
"Done."
"My daughter-in-law doesn't need to hear anything from this woman, right now. I've got another grandchild on the way and it's just not—"
"I understand sir. We've got the utmost respect for you and your family. I'm going to have a talk with everyone when we bring in Tuti Mendez."
"He's getting too old for this stuff. What is he? 35?"
"Yep, it's about time." Soltero cleared his throat. "If the family needs anything…"
"We've got all the help we could need."
"Well… Jesse's aunt's husband is a distant cousin of mine… word travels fast on that hotline. We all know the things that have been going on, so really… I got a zillion nieces and cousins who baby-sit."
"I'll pass it along."
Part 87b
--
Kathy fussed with her hair. It had gotten lighter and curlier and that was a little disturbing. Her father sat at the end of her bed and waited. It was a discussion she was putting off. She was speaking to Jacobi again but she could tell he wanted her at arm's distance. Max cleared his throat. "Are you going to do this with everyone boyfriend I get?"
"Only the ones you tell. I thought you said he was the one."
"I thought he was. He doesn't trust me anymore." She sagged against her dresser. She felt the tears but she didn't let them fall. "He was okay with everything but once I tried to shut him out… I warped him and now… he's afraid of me. I… he wouldn’t tell anyone. He's sworn it to me."
"And you? Are you okay?"
"I guess I'm getting over it but I think I'm going to stay away from guys for a while."
"Good plan."
"Dad." She whined and reached for a stack of papers. "These are for you to fill out."
"And what are these?" Max took them and groaned inwardly. Housing, financial aid, and… car ads. "This? I don't think so."
"Come on. I'll need my own car in Santa Fe."
"First years are campus bound." Max tapped the application on her head. "Save your money and by sophomore year… we'll get you a moped."
"Dad." Kathy glared at him. "A bike is fine to get around campus but what if I want to go to the mall or to the movies?"
"An agent will be with you, ask him for a ride."
"Erg!" She shrieked and threw herself on her bed. "You're impossible."
--
Michael paused with his pen and looked at his wife. She was feeding their son. It was a great thing to watch. Turning back to the stack of bills, he sighed. The big one was the hospital bill. His plan and her plan but they didn't have big jobs. Speech therapy was usually a thankless job. Michael couldn't even remember how many times he thought of quitting his job. Some of the doctors alone could make him want to quit. No, it paid fairly well and there were some benefits… in hospital daycare for one, which they would need again soon. They were going to skin through… so long as Oriel did go back to work next month. Emily had a small college fund he hadn't told her about and he wasn't touching it. Stephen would do daycare at the hospital. Michael would ask for a raise, which he could get since the government was granting the hospital more money, though he wasn't supposed to know about that. If Oriel could handle it, she could take on more cases. They'd make it.
--
Again, they were the last two in the office. Jesse was just gathering his things to go when he paused at the end of the table in the library. "Isabel, you busy?" She looked up from her book. "I was… thinking. I'd like to be there when she's born."
She didn't even think. "Okay."
"It's just… the way we work… Do you even go to Lamaze?"
"Nothing fancy. Max is gonna start me in a few weeks… I'll let you know when and where."
"Max?"
"He delivers all our children." She rose from the desk and leaned next to him. "I'll get you the books, you just show up. Max will probably teach you a few things. He likes for the person who helps him to have some knowledge."
"Who usually helps him?" Jesse wanted to take the question back at the expression on her face. "Right." Hand on her shoulder, he squeezed in apology for asking. "How are things?"
"You know…" Isabel shrugged, resisting that urge to touch him back. "Some are worse than others. I still haven't gotten his things from the station."
"It will get better, I promise you."
She had to put some distance herself from him for her own peace of mind. "Can I ask you a question?" He tilted his head. "About Lynnette?"
"My aunt's crazy." Jesse shook his head and set down his briefcase. "I remember coming down… It wasn't that long ago… she was 13 and still boxing. You know about that?" He looked for her nod. "Beautiful girl, she is. Bobbing and weaving in boxers and a sports bra but she was still little. It didn't matter." Crossed his arms. "Came down for Christmas the next year, it seems my aunt had finally gone to a match. Some boys were flirting with Lynnette and Mari couldn't stand it. Lynnette had to stop boxing. She had to stop going outside to play. She had to stop dressing the way teenage girls do."
"I heard she joined the wrestling team."
"That." Jesse laughed and nodded to himself. "I guess she got tired of it. I thank Alex."
"Alex?"
"My uncle is in town one week a month. Alex snuck into the house. Gave him the permission slip and explained the situation. Tino signed it and Lynnette had it turned in the next day. They have that all-girl league now and since they got around Mari… she can't stop her."
"Good. I like her."
--
Max bound the chapters with his powers and set them aside. A manual for Jesse. He could only hope his sister was taking care of herself. When he looked up, Beth was sitting on the stairs fiddling with her glasses. "What are you doing up?"
"Thinking."
"About?"
"People have colors and there are colors that they react to."
"Oh?" Max sat next to her on the stairs. "What do you mean?"
"You and Aunt Isabel and Michael have a color… and Kathy. Not one I can describe. The rest of us have a blended color. Grampa Jeff is orange… Mom is orange and some of the blend. I am that color with a little orange. Most people are orange."
"What color is Oriel?"
"She's blended funnily. I can't describe it. Stephen is the same. Not like us or like Kathy. He's something different."
"Why are you thinking about this?" Max stroked her hair softly.
"Because… people like bright colors and when they see dark colors… they turn away. They forget. When Agent Goldblum comes to town, people see him but they turn away and because they turn, they forget what his face looks like. He's invisible because he wears black suits. Is that why you call him a man in black?"
"I guess so." Man hadn't really thought about it aside from that ridiculous movie but he supposed it was true. If he hadn't been forced to look into the eyes of Agent Pierce, he might have forgotten what the man looked like. Topolsky's exact face had already faded from his memory. All he truly remembered were her eyes that night at Buckley Point. "Do you think maybe people who dress like that start to think they are invisible?"
"It's a good theory anyway." She sighed and leaned on her father.
--
Isabel stared at the box in the hall closet. "Dad, what is this?"
"Kyle's things from the station. Soltero brought them by earlier, so you wouldn't have to go get them." Valenti sat in his chair, an open bottle of beer in front of him… that he had yet to take a sip of. "I always wondered why he joined the force. He always claimed he hated what it did to me… to my father."
She couldn't take her eyes off the box. "He did it because… he knew you wouldn't be around forever and we would need someone who could cover our tracks the way you did."
"He didn't even really like you kids back then."
"No." She whispered. "He was afraid you would get shot. That's why he hated it. After he got shot… he just figured that another bullet wouldn't dare touch him."
"And they didn't. I don't think those bullets killed him." Jim took a sip of the beer finally. "I think it was that first one."
"Max thinks so, too."
"Kyle blamed himself for the bad things that happened. He appointed himself guardian but he didn't live up to his own image of what that should be. I think that's what killed him."
"Maybe." She put her coat away and shut the closet door. "I'm still going to be there when they put Tuti Mendez away."
"Me too."
--
"Dad." Emily snuck into the garage where her father was fixing a leak on his bike. "Oriel said this came today but it fell behind the table." She held out the envelope.
"What's that?" He was covered in oil and he didn't see the point if he was going to get all dirty again. "Open it."
"Okay." She tore open the top and took a seat on the hood of the car. "Return address says Tucson, Arizona." He stopped what he was doing and looked up. "There's a picture and a letter." He motioned for her to read. "Dear Michael, I had a private detective look you up, I hope that's okay. I've had this address for a while, I just haven't gotten the guts to write until now. He said you'd gotten married. I'm happy for you. Uncle Bobby died last week. I feel bad for not feeling worse. I've had a lot of time to come to terms with what they did to me. I cut them off and that made me happy for a long time. I was down in the bomb shelter, thinking of Grandpa, when I realized that we hadn't spoken in so long. It took me so long to write this letter because I thought maybe you might be mad at me. With all that happened, who could blame you." Emily looked to her father. "Dad?"
"Keep reading."
"I tell my son about you. He's seven years old this year. I named him Charles after Grandpa. Kevin thinks it's crazy but he went along with it after I told him how important Grandpa was to me. Charlie thinks the alien stuff is fun. Kevin ignores it, thinks it's something that makes me feel better about what Bobby and Meredith did to me. Kevin can think what he likes, you and I know different. In two months, my second son will be born. I thought you'd like to know, if you're not mad at me, that I am doing fine. I owe my life to you and to Maria, who I'm told is no longer with us. I've enclosed the latest family portrait. It's a year old but it's been a busy year. I would love to hear from you and hear about your life. Please, Michael. Love, Laurie Dupree-Allen."
Michael motioned for her to show him the picture. She looked happy. Husband and child. Normal. "I guess I never told you about her."
"No. Who is she?"
"Take a look. There's a family resemblance." He took a seat on the car and cleaned his hands on his jeans. "You know that when they made me, they took DNA from a human donor. Well, they took mine from Laurie's grandfather. I met her the year after I met your mother. Your mom is probably the only reason that Laurie really trusted me. You got any school pictures left?"
"If you wait three weeks, we'll have the new ones." Emily looked at her father. "Why didn't you mention them before?"
"Her. There's just her."
"Who are Bobby and Meredith and what did they do to Laurie?"
"Her aunt and uncle." Michael shrugged. "It's a long story. I guess… I left her alone cause I figured it'd be her chance to be normal after all the shit she got dragged through. Aliens were trying to kill her when I met her. She thought I was one of them." He looked at the picture again. "Maybe someday I'll take you to meet her and her family."
tbc
Kathy fussed with her hair. It had gotten lighter and curlier and that was a little disturbing. Her father sat at the end of her bed and waited. It was a discussion she was putting off. She was speaking to Jacobi again but she could tell he wanted her at arm's distance. Max cleared his throat. "Are you going to do this with everyone boyfriend I get?"
"Only the ones you tell. I thought you said he was the one."
"I thought he was. He doesn't trust me anymore." She sagged against her dresser. She felt the tears but she didn't let them fall. "He was okay with everything but once I tried to shut him out… I warped him and now… he's afraid of me. I… he wouldn’t tell anyone. He's sworn it to me."
"And you? Are you okay?"
"I guess I'm getting over it but I think I'm going to stay away from guys for a while."
"Good plan."
"Dad." She whined and reached for a stack of papers. "These are for you to fill out."
"And what are these?" Max took them and groaned inwardly. Housing, financial aid, and… car ads. "This? I don't think so."
"Come on. I'll need my own car in Santa Fe."
"First years are campus bound." Max tapped the application on her head. "Save your money and by sophomore year… we'll get you a moped."
"Dad." Kathy glared at him. "A bike is fine to get around campus but what if I want to go to the mall or to the movies?"
"An agent will be with you, ask him for a ride."
"Erg!" She shrieked and threw herself on her bed. "You're impossible."
--
Michael paused with his pen and looked at his wife. She was feeding their son. It was a great thing to watch. Turning back to the stack of bills, he sighed. The big one was the hospital bill. His plan and her plan but they didn't have big jobs. Speech therapy was usually a thankless job. Michael couldn't even remember how many times he thought of quitting his job. Some of the doctors alone could make him want to quit. No, it paid fairly well and there were some benefits… in hospital daycare for one, which they would need again soon. They were going to skin through… so long as Oriel did go back to work next month. Emily had a small college fund he hadn't told her about and he wasn't touching it. Stephen would do daycare at the hospital. Michael would ask for a raise, which he could get since the government was granting the hospital more money, though he wasn't supposed to know about that. If Oriel could handle it, she could take on more cases. They'd make it.
--
Again, they were the last two in the office. Jesse was just gathering his things to go when he paused at the end of the table in the library. "Isabel, you busy?" She looked up from her book. "I was… thinking. I'd like to be there when she's born."
She didn't even think. "Okay."
"It's just… the way we work… Do you even go to Lamaze?"
"Nothing fancy. Max is gonna start me in a few weeks… I'll let you know when and where."
"Max?"
"He delivers all our children." She rose from the desk and leaned next to him. "I'll get you the books, you just show up. Max will probably teach you a few things. He likes for the person who helps him to have some knowledge."
"Who usually helps him?" Jesse wanted to take the question back at the expression on her face. "Right." Hand on her shoulder, he squeezed in apology for asking. "How are things?"
"You know…" Isabel shrugged, resisting that urge to touch him back. "Some are worse than others. I still haven't gotten his things from the station."
"It will get better, I promise you."
She had to put some distance herself from him for her own peace of mind. "Can I ask you a question?" He tilted his head. "About Lynnette?"
"My aunt's crazy." Jesse shook his head and set down his briefcase. "I remember coming down… It wasn't that long ago… she was 13 and still boxing. You know about that?" He looked for her nod. "Beautiful girl, she is. Bobbing and weaving in boxers and a sports bra but she was still little. It didn't matter." Crossed his arms. "Came down for Christmas the next year, it seems my aunt had finally gone to a match. Some boys were flirting with Lynnette and Mari couldn't stand it. Lynnette had to stop boxing. She had to stop going outside to play. She had to stop dressing the way teenage girls do."
"I heard she joined the wrestling team."
"That." Jesse laughed and nodded to himself. "I guess she got tired of it. I thank Alex."
"Alex?"
"My uncle is in town one week a month. Alex snuck into the house. Gave him the permission slip and explained the situation. Tino signed it and Lynnette had it turned in the next day. They have that all-girl league now and since they got around Mari… she can't stop her."
"Good. I like her."
--
Max bound the chapters with his powers and set them aside. A manual for Jesse. He could only hope his sister was taking care of herself. When he looked up, Beth was sitting on the stairs fiddling with her glasses. "What are you doing up?"
"Thinking."
"About?"
"People have colors and there are colors that they react to."
"Oh?" Max sat next to her on the stairs. "What do you mean?"
"You and Aunt Isabel and Michael have a color… and Kathy. Not one I can describe. The rest of us have a blended color. Grampa Jeff is orange… Mom is orange and some of the blend. I am that color with a little orange. Most people are orange."
"What color is Oriel?"
"She's blended funnily. I can't describe it. Stephen is the same. Not like us or like Kathy. He's something different."
"Why are you thinking about this?" Max stroked her hair softly.
"Because… people like bright colors and when they see dark colors… they turn away. They forget. When Agent Goldblum comes to town, people see him but they turn away and because they turn, they forget what his face looks like. He's invisible because he wears black suits. Is that why you call him a man in black?"
"I guess so." Man hadn't really thought about it aside from that ridiculous movie but he supposed it was true. If he hadn't been forced to look into the eyes of Agent Pierce, he might have forgotten what the man looked like. Topolsky's exact face had already faded from his memory. All he truly remembered were her eyes that night at Buckley Point. "Do you think maybe people who dress like that start to think they are invisible?"
"It's a good theory anyway." She sighed and leaned on her father.
--
Isabel stared at the box in the hall closet. "Dad, what is this?"
"Kyle's things from the station. Soltero brought them by earlier, so you wouldn't have to go get them." Valenti sat in his chair, an open bottle of beer in front of him… that he had yet to take a sip of. "I always wondered why he joined the force. He always claimed he hated what it did to me… to my father."
She couldn't take her eyes off the box. "He did it because… he knew you wouldn't be around forever and we would need someone who could cover our tracks the way you did."
"He didn't even really like you kids back then."
"No." She whispered. "He was afraid you would get shot. That's why he hated it. After he got shot… he just figured that another bullet wouldn't dare touch him."
"And they didn't. I don't think those bullets killed him." Jim took a sip of the beer finally. "I think it was that first one."
"Max thinks so, too."
"Kyle blamed himself for the bad things that happened. He appointed himself guardian but he didn't live up to his own image of what that should be. I think that's what killed him."
"Maybe." She put her coat away and shut the closet door. "I'm still going to be there when they put Tuti Mendez away."
"Me too."
--
"Dad." Emily snuck into the garage where her father was fixing a leak on his bike. "Oriel said this came today but it fell behind the table." She held out the envelope.
"What's that?" He was covered in oil and he didn't see the point if he was going to get all dirty again. "Open it."
"Okay." She tore open the top and took a seat on the hood of the car. "Return address says Tucson, Arizona." He stopped what he was doing and looked up. "There's a picture and a letter." He motioned for her to read. "Dear Michael, I had a private detective look you up, I hope that's okay. I've had this address for a while, I just haven't gotten the guts to write until now. He said you'd gotten married. I'm happy for you. Uncle Bobby died last week. I feel bad for not feeling worse. I've had a lot of time to come to terms with what they did to me. I cut them off and that made me happy for a long time. I was down in the bomb shelter, thinking of Grandpa, when I realized that we hadn't spoken in so long. It took me so long to write this letter because I thought maybe you might be mad at me. With all that happened, who could blame you." Emily looked to her father. "Dad?"
"Keep reading."
"I tell my son about you. He's seven years old this year. I named him Charles after Grandpa. Kevin thinks it's crazy but he went along with it after I told him how important Grandpa was to me. Charlie thinks the alien stuff is fun. Kevin ignores it, thinks it's something that makes me feel better about what Bobby and Meredith did to me. Kevin can think what he likes, you and I know different. In two months, my second son will be born. I thought you'd like to know, if you're not mad at me, that I am doing fine. I owe my life to you and to Maria, who I'm told is no longer with us. I've enclosed the latest family portrait. It's a year old but it's been a busy year. I would love to hear from you and hear about your life. Please, Michael. Love, Laurie Dupree-Allen."
Michael motioned for her to show him the picture. She looked happy. Husband and child. Normal. "I guess I never told you about her."
"No. Who is she?"
"Take a look. There's a family resemblance." He took a seat on the car and cleaned his hands on his jeans. "You know that when they made me, they took DNA from a human donor. Well, they took mine from Laurie's grandfather. I met her the year after I met your mother. Your mom is probably the only reason that Laurie really trusted me. You got any school pictures left?"
"If you wait three weeks, we'll have the new ones." Emily looked at her father. "Why didn't you mention them before?"
"Her. There's just her."
"Who are Bobby and Meredith and what did they do to Laurie?"
"Her aunt and uncle." Michael shrugged. "It's a long story. I guess… I left her alone cause I figured it'd be her chance to be normal after all the shit she got dragged through. Aliens were trying to kill her when I met her. She thought I was one of them." He looked at the picture again. "Maybe someday I'll take you to meet her and her family."
tbc
Part 88a
The Fate of Destiny Part 88
October 2020
"Bruce, there's more rice in the fridge, I think." Isabel called from the dining room where they had set-up for the biggest case of the year. It could go to court and she was going to be prepared, or at least make sure the team was prepared if it was later in the year. She scooted around little Kyle's macaroni project. "Looks good sweetie, can we move it into the living room?"
"Grandpa said no glue on the carpet." Kyle shook his head.
"Seb! Alex said he'd help you with your homework. He's out back." Jesse squeezed around the side of the table with a box of files.
"Berty?" Isabel turned and nearly stepped on the girl
"Homework's done." She sighed as she passed. "Bath time, I know."
"Good girl." Isabel kissed her head and turned back to the table where another lawyer and two paralegals were busy reading and eating.
"Hey Mom." Alex slid into the room.
"Alex, that you? You haven't stopped by in a while. Last time I saw you, you still had a growth spurt left in you." The associate nodded to the boy.
"You were in Montana, chasing after that girl done you wrong. You never learn, Sam." Alex reached over to shake hands with the man. "Mom, the chemistry set?"
"In the garage. No explosions and I mean it." Isabel warned him.
"Yeah, yeah."
"That kid is tall." Sam shook his head and nearly inhaled half his plate.
"Like his daddy." Isabel nodded and reached for a book.
"Whoa!" Jim exclaimed as he walked in. "What happened in here? A courthouse blow up?"
"Desmond Weatherly just passed and much of his estate is in our hands, not to mention his divorce that was never quite finalized… on the grounds that she might have been married to someone else before she married him, voiding their marriage if she didn't finalize that one either."
"I'm sorry I asked." Jim set his boots next to the door. "How long is it going to go on?"
"A week, tops. Swear." Jesse promised as he scribbled notes on a piece of paper. "We've got heirs popping out of the wood work. Everyone wants a slice of the pie."
"What's the Weatherly heiress have to say about it all?"
"That we have to find out as much as possible and what's the legal thing to do and what she'll be required to do if they ask for blood tests." Jesse shook his head. "She's trying to be responsible, even if her stepmother and half-siblings aren't."
--
Liz marked red on another paper. She was tired and her father was driving her crazy. "Dad, what are you trying to say?"
"The baby pictures are nearly identical. What if… Michael is your second cousin?" Jeff sipped his coffee and gestured to his pictures.
"You can't be serious. Michael isn't related to us." She had no clue when he'd fixed himself on this idea but he had been driving Nancy crazy with it too. The old man just hadn't approached Michael with it yet. Liz knew Michael, he might play along with it to keep from hurting her dad's feelings, still, it wasn't true.
"Maybe not, but I found this." He pulled out a book. It was old and the pages were yellow. "It wasn't labeled but I can guess who it belonged to."
"Who what belonged to?" Max asked as he entered the kitchen to piece together his late dinner.
"Max, you're objective. What do you make of these two baby pictures?" Jeff showed them to his son-in-law, who examined them carefully.
"Those of Stephen?"
"One of them is, the other is my aunt."
Max looked at Liz then took a closer look at the pictures. "The surest way would be if we had baby pictures of Michael."
"Maybe if we figure out who his father is, we could find them."
"How are we going to do that?"
"This." Jeff opened the journal. "I only just started reading it. She was 18 or thereabouts when she moved to Tucson, after the war."
"What happened to her?"
"Dad says she went missing. Maybe ran off with a guy." Liz glared at her husband. "You know it's not true." Max stared at her. Nancy knew the truth but Jeff didn't because they were afraid to tell him with his condition. He didn't think it was fair but Jeff wasn't his father. "What?"
"It's okay. She's a disbeliever. She never believes anything without proof. At least she married a man with an open mind." Jeff gathered his pictures. "When I prove you wrong, I expect an apology."
"Dad." Liz sighed heavily.
"Hey Grandpa." Danny swept by the men and into the kitchen for something to drink. "What's going on?"
"Trying to solve a mystery to your cynical mother." Jeff opened the book again for the boy. A picture of the woman he had found in the box. "Your great aunt. She went missing 70 years ago."
"Hey." Danny stared at the picture. "She kinda looks like Em's step-mom."
"What?" Liz got to her feet. She hadn't expected to hear anything like that.
Max took a closer look at the picture. The woman could pass for Liz given the family resemblance… or for Oriel without it. "A little."
"A lot." Liz breathed.
"I thought you said she was French." Jeff looked to his daughter.
"She is. That's where she was before she moved to the states. I don't know where her family came from."
"I had it all wrong. Not Michael. Oriel, you say her name is."
"Dad, why is this so important to you?" Liz stopped him from leaving. "To figure this out."
"I didn't always listen to your grandmother, Liz. I didn't ask enough questions and I'm not going to be here forever to answer the questions you might ask."
"Dad… can I do the reading?" Liz held her hand out for the book. "I'll keep an open mind, I promise."
--
Alex measured everything carefully and tried to run a commentary on it but it was difficult, Seb was distracted. He kept looking in the window to watch the lawyer convention in the dining room. "Hey, uh, how about we take a break?" The boy nodded but didn't say anything. "I heard you're from Boston."
"Yeah, my mom died five years ago and then grandma got sick, so we came down here." Seb shrugged and sat on a work bench. "I didn't want to move in the middle of the year." Alex cleaned up the experiment and looked to the boy. He wouldn't trade places with him. "Sometimes I hate him. I don't remember a whole lot but I remember they used to fight and then suddenly they didn't. I remember all the babysitters and Dad trying to explain to me what Mom being sick meant but… I was six when she died. I barely remember her."
"I never even met my dad." Alex told him. "People talk about him but no one gets it. I don't want to talk about it."
"Right." Seb seemed to sink inside his little gray hoodie. "I liked my routine. Wake up, pop-tart, school, baseball, baby-sitter, dinner, home, homework, sleep. He didn't used to ask about my day or want to talk… at least he never acted like he meant it before. Grandma always wants me to speak Spanish and help her with things she doesn't really need help with and I just want to go back to Boston."
"My real dad's grandparents always want to see me and it's weird. They remember him in a way that's different from the way my mom remembers him. Their stories are different. I used to hate hearing them but then I realized that I am part of a person that I can't talk to. Ever." Alex shrugged at the boy. "I have to go to dinner with them once a week. I go to the family functions. I have three sets of grandparents. My real dad's folks. My mom's and my step-dad's. It's weird. I behave, most of the time, and I show up and try not to act like I don't want to be there… even though I really just want to be left alone."
"Do you hate your mom as much as I hate my dad?"
"Probably not… but she didn't move me across a country. She's the only mom I've got, though. Hating her is probably bad for my karma."
"Karma?"
"Never mind. It's something my step-dad was a real believer in." Alex shook his head. "What goes around comes around. You hear of that?" The boy nodded. "It's like that." The boy still seemed down. "Hey, you like music? I got three guitars."
--
Max returned to the bedroom after checking to make sure all his kids were home and either doing homework or getting ready for bed. Liz was already in bed, still but not sleeping. "You okay?" She nodded but didn't look at him. Sliding into bed, Max wrapped his arms around her. "Really?"
"I'm afraid to read that journal, Max." She whispered. "If… there's a tie, somehow… If somehow my grandmother's sister was the genetic template for Oriel? Or if she had some kind of connection to the Duprees? Who knows what this could mean?" Max's arms around her felt so good but she wasn't going to get to sleep any time soon. "Either way, I'm going to have to find a way to tell Dad the truth."
"Yeah."
"Max?"
"Yeah?"
"What if? What if Aunt Eliza was Oriel's donor?"
"What about it?"
"When Oriel came to town… she said she was Ava, your wife."
"Liz…"
"No. If Aunt Eliza is Oriel's donor… what does that say about why you were attracted to me? Maybe it wasn't me you were after…"
"Liz, stop." Max sat up. He had thought about it. "It doesn't matter. Even if it's true… which, we still don't know if it is… I fell in love with you. I married you. That piece of information won't mean much to me."
"It will to me. It means that… I was tied into this before I knew about this. That… the beginning isn't the beginning."
"Why don't we wait and throw our fits until after we know what's in that journal?"
"I read the last page… the date anyway."
"And?"
"She stopped writing in early 1947."
--
Michael sat his daughter down. "I know you take the SATs this week. I know that you're narrowing down applications."
"I…" Emily looked to her hands. "I haven't narrowed anything down. I still have all the applications because I don't know if I can send them. Danny's applying to Tech, in Lubbock and El Paso and maybe Santa Fe. I don't want to be away from him for that long but…" She looked to her father. "I don't want to be away from you either. I want to go but I'm afraid to go."
Michael mulled it over for a moment. "How about… you go to the community college? Get your basics and then… we'll see if you still want to go away. I would prefer you stay here."
"You're the one that was bent on sending me to MIT."
"I was joking but I'm not now." He cleared his throat and reached for her applications. None of them were too far from home. "I hate to say it but I trust that kid that Max has got working for us. He'll pick some agents and you have some protection if you go away."
"I could ace the SAT, you know. Get a scholarship. I scored pretty high on the practice last year." She cleared her throat. "I know I don't keep my grades up in my classes but they're high enough."
"Higher than mine were. Miracle I graduated."
"I'll do community for two years. Then I'll complete my applications to Santa Fe and go live with Kathy. How does that sound? I don't like to think that we're spread so thin all over the place." Michael tilted his head at his daughter. "Well, Alex has always been able to take care of himself, you know, when he isn't ganged up on. Danny can take care of himself plenty. Kathy's powers are more internalized. I can help her if we ever need it."
"Do you think we're in trouble?"
"No and the trouble comes when we're not expecting it… as our personal history will attest." She looked to her father. "You know, I grew up not really knowing that I had a mother or a grandfather. I remember Grandma but barely. Oriel's not so bad a person and I would really hate it if Stephen didn't really consider me a sister. He's little now but he won't be little forever and I don't want to be across the country when he's old enough to remember."
October 2020
"Bruce, there's more rice in the fridge, I think." Isabel called from the dining room where they had set-up for the biggest case of the year. It could go to court and she was going to be prepared, or at least make sure the team was prepared if it was later in the year. She scooted around little Kyle's macaroni project. "Looks good sweetie, can we move it into the living room?"
"Grandpa said no glue on the carpet." Kyle shook his head.
"Seb! Alex said he'd help you with your homework. He's out back." Jesse squeezed around the side of the table with a box of files.
"Berty?" Isabel turned and nearly stepped on the girl
"Homework's done." She sighed as she passed. "Bath time, I know."
"Good girl." Isabel kissed her head and turned back to the table where another lawyer and two paralegals were busy reading and eating.
"Hey Mom." Alex slid into the room.
"Alex, that you? You haven't stopped by in a while. Last time I saw you, you still had a growth spurt left in you." The associate nodded to the boy.
"You were in Montana, chasing after that girl done you wrong. You never learn, Sam." Alex reached over to shake hands with the man. "Mom, the chemistry set?"
"In the garage. No explosions and I mean it." Isabel warned him.
"Yeah, yeah."
"That kid is tall." Sam shook his head and nearly inhaled half his plate.
"Like his daddy." Isabel nodded and reached for a book.
"Whoa!" Jim exclaimed as he walked in. "What happened in here? A courthouse blow up?"
"Desmond Weatherly just passed and much of his estate is in our hands, not to mention his divorce that was never quite finalized… on the grounds that she might have been married to someone else before she married him, voiding their marriage if she didn't finalize that one either."
"I'm sorry I asked." Jim set his boots next to the door. "How long is it going to go on?"
"A week, tops. Swear." Jesse promised as he scribbled notes on a piece of paper. "We've got heirs popping out of the wood work. Everyone wants a slice of the pie."
"What's the Weatherly heiress have to say about it all?"
"That we have to find out as much as possible and what's the legal thing to do and what she'll be required to do if they ask for blood tests." Jesse shook his head. "She's trying to be responsible, even if her stepmother and half-siblings aren't."
--
Liz marked red on another paper. She was tired and her father was driving her crazy. "Dad, what are you trying to say?"
"The baby pictures are nearly identical. What if… Michael is your second cousin?" Jeff sipped his coffee and gestured to his pictures.
"You can't be serious. Michael isn't related to us." She had no clue when he'd fixed himself on this idea but he had been driving Nancy crazy with it too. The old man just hadn't approached Michael with it yet. Liz knew Michael, he might play along with it to keep from hurting her dad's feelings, still, it wasn't true.
"Maybe not, but I found this." He pulled out a book. It was old and the pages were yellow. "It wasn't labeled but I can guess who it belonged to."
"Who what belonged to?" Max asked as he entered the kitchen to piece together his late dinner.
"Max, you're objective. What do you make of these two baby pictures?" Jeff showed them to his son-in-law, who examined them carefully.
"Those of Stephen?"
"One of them is, the other is my aunt."
Max looked at Liz then took a closer look at the pictures. "The surest way would be if we had baby pictures of Michael."
"Maybe if we figure out who his father is, we could find them."
"How are we going to do that?"
"This." Jeff opened the journal. "I only just started reading it. She was 18 or thereabouts when she moved to Tucson, after the war."
"What happened to her?"
"Dad says she went missing. Maybe ran off with a guy." Liz glared at her husband. "You know it's not true." Max stared at her. Nancy knew the truth but Jeff didn't because they were afraid to tell him with his condition. He didn't think it was fair but Jeff wasn't his father. "What?"
"It's okay. She's a disbeliever. She never believes anything without proof. At least she married a man with an open mind." Jeff gathered his pictures. "When I prove you wrong, I expect an apology."
"Dad." Liz sighed heavily.
"Hey Grandpa." Danny swept by the men and into the kitchen for something to drink. "What's going on?"
"Trying to solve a mystery to your cynical mother." Jeff opened the book again for the boy. A picture of the woman he had found in the box. "Your great aunt. She went missing 70 years ago."
"Hey." Danny stared at the picture. "She kinda looks like Em's step-mom."
"What?" Liz got to her feet. She hadn't expected to hear anything like that.
Max took a closer look at the picture. The woman could pass for Liz given the family resemblance… or for Oriel without it. "A little."
"A lot." Liz breathed.
"I thought you said she was French." Jeff looked to his daughter.
"She is. That's where she was before she moved to the states. I don't know where her family came from."
"I had it all wrong. Not Michael. Oriel, you say her name is."
"Dad, why is this so important to you?" Liz stopped him from leaving. "To figure this out."
"I didn't always listen to your grandmother, Liz. I didn't ask enough questions and I'm not going to be here forever to answer the questions you might ask."
"Dad… can I do the reading?" Liz held her hand out for the book. "I'll keep an open mind, I promise."
--
Alex measured everything carefully and tried to run a commentary on it but it was difficult, Seb was distracted. He kept looking in the window to watch the lawyer convention in the dining room. "Hey, uh, how about we take a break?" The boy nodded but didn't say anything. "I heard you're from Boston."
"Yeah, my mom died five years ago and then grandma got sick, so we came down here." Seb shrugged and sat on a work bench. "I didn't want to move in the middle of the year." Alex cleaned up the experiment and looked to the boy. He wouldn't trade places with him. "Sometimes I hate him. I don't remember a whole lot but I remember they used to fight and then suddenly they didn't. I remember all the babysitters and Dad trying to explain to me what Mom being sick meant but… I was six when she died. I barely remember her."
"I never even met my dad." Alex told him. "People talk about him but no one gets it. I don't want to talk about it."
"Right." Seb seemed to sink inside his little gray hoodie. "I liked my routine. Wake up, pop-tart, school, baseball, baby-sitter, dinner, home, homework, sleep. He didn't used to ask about my day or want to talk… at least he never acted like he meant it before. Grandma always wants me to speak Spanish and help her with things she doesn't really need help with and I just want to go back to Boston."
"My real dad's grandparents always want to see me and it's weird. They remember him in a way that's different from the way my mom remembers him. Their stories are different. I used to hate hearing them but then I realized that I am part of a person that I can't talk to. Ever." Alex shrugged at the boy. "I have to go to dinner with them once a week. I go to the family functions. I have three sets of grandparents. My real dad's folks. My mom's and my step-dad's. It's weird. I behave, most of the time, and I show up and try not to act like I don't want to be there… even though I really just want to be left alone."
"Do you hate your mom as much as I hate my dad?"
"Probably not… but she didn't move me across a country. She's the only mom I've got, though. Hating her is probably bad for my karma."
"Karma?"
"Never mind. It's something my step-dad was a real believer in." Alex shook his head. "What goes around comes around. You hear of that?" The boy nodded. "It's like that." The boy still seemed down. "Hey, you like music? I got three guitars."
--
Max returned to the bedroom after checking to make sure all his kids were home and either doing homework or getting ready for bed. Liz was already in bed, still but not sleeping. "You okay?" She nodded but didn't look at him. Sliding into bed, Max wrapped his arms around her. "Really?"
"I'm afraid to read that journal, Max." She whispered. "If… there's a tie, somehow… If somehow my grandmother's sister was the genetic template for Oriel? Or if she had some kind of connection to the Duprees? Who knows what this could mean?" Max's arms around her felt so good but she wasn't going to get to sleep any time soon. "Either way, I'm going to have to find a way to tell Dad the truth."
"Yeah."
"Max?"
"Yeah?"
"What if? What if Aunt Eliza was Oriel's donor?"
"What about it?"
"When Oriel came to town… she said she was Ava, your wife."
"Liz…"
"No. If Aunt Eliza is Oriel's donor… what does that say about why you were attracted to me? Maybe it wasn't me you were after…"
"Liz, stop." Max sat up. He had thought about it. "It doesn't matter. Even if it's true… which, we still don't know if it is… I fell in love with you. I married you. That piece of information won't mean much to me."
"It will to me. It means that… I was tied into this before I knew about this. That… the beginning isn't the beginning."
"Why don't we wait and throw our fits until after we know what's in that journal?"
"I read the last page… the date anyway."
"And?"
"She stopped writing in early 1947."
--
Michael sat his daughter down. "I know you take the SATs this week. I know that you're narrowing down applications."
"I…" Emily looked to her hands. "I haven't narrowed anything down. I still have all the applications because I don't know if I can send them. Danny's applying to Tech, in Lubbock and El Paso and maybe Santa Fe. I don't want to be away from him for that long but…" She looked to her father. "I don't want to be away from you either. I want to go but I'm afraid to go."
Michael mulled it over for a moment. "How about… you go to the community college? Get your basics and then… we'll see if you still want to go away. I would prefer you stay here."
"You're the one that was bent on sending me to MIT."
"I was joking but I'm not now." He cleared his throat and reached for her applications. None of them were too far from home. "I hate to say it but I trust that kid that Max has got working for us. He'll pick some agents and you have some protection if you go away."
"I could ace the SAT, you know. Get a scholarship. I scored pretty high on the practice last year." She cleared her throat. "I know I don't keep my grades up in my classes but they're high enough."
"Higher than mine were. Miracle I graduated."
"I'll do community for two years. Then I'll complete my applications to Santa Fe and go live with Kathy. How does that sound? I don't like to think that we're spread so thin all over the place." Michael tilted his head at his daughter. "Well, Alex has always been able to take care of himself, you know, when he isn't ganged up on. Danny can take care of himself plenty. Kathy's powers are more internalized. I can help her if we ever need it."
"Do you think we're in trouble?"
"No and the trouble comes when we're not expecting it… as our personal history will attest." She looked to her father. "You know, I grew up not really knowing that I had a mother or a grandfather. I remember Grandma but barely. Oriel's not so bad a person and I would really hate it if Stephen didn't really consider me a sister. He's little now but he won't be little forever and I don't want to be across the country when he's old enough to remember."
Part 88B
--
Max groaned when he felt the little hands on his shoulder before he could even feel the sun on his face. What time was it? Not the sun, a lamp. Damn. "What?"
"Daddy, my head hurts." Beth whispered.
"Come on. Let's not wake Mom up." Max carefully extricated himself from the bed. He had a suspicion that Liz wasn't sleeping well anyway. He led his little girl to the living room, the quietest place in the house. "We have to get this under control, Bethany."
"I know but I can't stop it." Her little glasses were smudged and askew on her nose, so Max straightened them. "It's not funny."
"I know it's not. That's not what I think is funny. Listen." He put his hands on her shoulders. "You have a unique gift. I'm not quite sure how it works… but I'm sure it's like everything else and… I think the only way you can master it is not to fight it."
"What do you mean?"
He took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what he meant himself. He thought about all those years he fought being himself and when he began to embrace his alien side and use his powers, he was able to control them better. "I don't want you to invade anyone's privacy but maybe if you learned to listen for the thoughts, make them louder, you can single them out and hear them clearer. Once you can hear them, you can shut them out. Do you understand?"
"I think so."
"It means you being patient. It might mean spending a lot of time alone. It means asking for help when you need it. You have to tell me or Mom when it makes your head hurt even a little."
"Mom's not really asleep."
"I know." Max nodded. "She's a little stressed out but she'll be okay. Tonight, I want you to go to your room and close your eyes. I want you to empty your tired little brain and just count. You can count sheep or pigs or whatever you want. Just think about what you're counting."
"When do I stop?"
"You'll stop by yourself when you fall asleep." He kissed her head. "Upstairs and try not to worry about anything, kiddo."
"Okay. Night Daddy."
He watched her climb the stairs until the door closed on her room. On the way back to his room, he heard the whimper. His heart ached and he prayed Beth couldn't hear his thoughts as he checked on his baby. It was David, crying in his sleep. Gently, Max sat on the bed and rubbed his back. The therapist hadn't helped at all. He had doubts in getting another one. "Davey?"
Shook the boy gently awake. "Daddy?"
"Yeah, it's me. Come on. You and me are gonna have a talk. Man to man."
"I had another scawy dweam."
Max sighed. Davey slipped a little in his speech when the dreams were pretty bad. "You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Come on. Tell me."
David crawled onto his father's lap and buried his face in his shirt. "How come he stole me?"
That was a tough one. He had to think about it. "I don't know. Mason, that was his name, was a sick man. He was very sad for a long time. He was scared."
"I'm still scared."
"I know." He had to hold the boy tighter. "Are you afraid of me?"
"No." He shook his head almost violently against his father's chest.
"Good. It would make me sad if you were."
"Daddy?"
"What's up?"
"Why did he look like you? How come he had your face?"
Another tough one. How did you explain to a five year old about cloning? "Do you look like me?"
"Momma says I'm a spitting image."
"And why is that?"
"Cause you're my daddy."
"Ok." There. Halfway there. Maybe. Max took a deep breath. "You look like me cause I'm your daddy. Mason looks like his daddy. His daddy looks like Mason's granddaddy. Understand?" He got a small nod. "I look like Mason's granddaddy."
"You do? How come?"
"Well… Mason's granddaddy is like… my daddy." It confused even Max sometimes. "It's confusing and a little scary even for me, Davey. Mason didn't understand it either. He didn't mean to hurt you. He was very sick, very confused and very scared. I think maybe he took you to make me mad and I did. I got really mad and I was really scared because I didn't know where you were or who took you or why. I got really sad and I cried."
"You cried?"
"Yep." He hugged his baby tight. "But now I got you right here. I'm going to take care of you and nothing like that is ever going to happen again. I promise."
"Promise-promise?"
"Promise-promise."
--
Jesse flipped through the manual. The associates had all gone home, Sebastien was put to bed in Kyle's room and all her kids had long since hit the hay, Kyle and Berty in Isabel's room. Isabel was still reading through the case files. He was taking a sip of his tea when the chapter caught his eye and he nearly spewed the hot liquid all over the manual and their case files.
"Jesse? Are you okay?"
He cleared his throat and made an honest effort to clean his shirt and tie. "I understand Max's lecture about having a route and about me doing my job to support and not aggravate you but I had no idea there were … duties that needed taking care of this early."
"Duties?" Isabel furrowed her brow and reached for the text. She almost choked herself. "That. Right. I… just don't… think we… should."
"So, you do… need."
"Sometimes but I can control it and it's not a need. A desire, really." Her face was flaming. She hadn't brought it up and she assumed Max wouldn't either. "Maybe it's an instinctual thing? You know? Human women have that need. Maybe my people do, too. Maybe it's some kind of bond… between the child, mother and father. I have hundreds of theories but I don't know what causes it or what it means but… I've survived one pregnancy without fulfilling those needs and I can do it again."
"Okay." Jesse nodded and took the book back. "You're six along."
"Yep."
He nodded to the book and flipped through it some more. He had been trying to read through it but he hadn't had the time. He knew he would have to make the time, soon. "Sebastien took a real shine to Alex tonight."
"Yeah, he did. And Alex to him. These days… Alex doesn't play for just anybody. He's grown up so fast. Too fast." She sighed and began closing the books and marking folders. "For a long time it was just me and him and then Kyle moved in, a few years later we were married then came Berty and Kyle and… I feel like sometimes I missed some key moments with him because I'm always doing eight things at once."
"Yeah, I've noticed." Jesse laughed to himself. Jim Valenti had tried to warn him once. He should have paid closer attention. "Mom, Lawyer, Cook, Housekeeper, and I hear you're up to join the law review."
"I hadn't told anyone about that." Isabel smacked him as she moved closer to organize the mess. "I can't though. I'd really, really love to but… it's too much. The last nine years have been hard and I'd love to do something like that but… I want to be able to focus on these kids when they hit those crucial years that I somehow messed up for Alex."
"He seems like a good kid."
"He is… it's just… He ran away once. It was one night when he was fourteen. Kyle found him in the park camping out. He claimed it was because I didn't love him anymore. Every once in a while he would threaten to do it again. I've never been able to get a bead on why he does it. Last summer I made a pact with him that if he didn't do it again, didn't threaten to do it and showed up at school like he was supposed to… I'd let him run away as far as he wanted to." She shook her head and sat down. "I'm still afraid he'll do it. He's going to run away and I'll never see him again because of something that I don't know I did."
"You never ran away from home?" Jesse nudged her and sipped his tea. "Everyone runs away. I ran to Cambridge. As soon as my scholarship would allow, I was on a plane to Massachusetts."
"Alex was two." Isabel nodded with a small smile. "I had had enough mooching off my parents. I wanted to prove that I could live on my own and make ends meet. Liz sacrificed a lot. I would drop off Alex early in the morning so I could make my first class. She watched her kids and Alex and rarely complained. I'd take him with me to work. He could alphabetize before he could ride a bike. On the weekends, I'd do homework and he'd play until he played himself out. It was just the two of us in that hideously cramped apartment. My mother hated it. She was always baking and sending over casseroles like I couldn't cook or buy food."
"Patty, she was living at home when we met. She'd just come home from college, taking a break before she went for her masters. She ran away from home to be with me. Now, I can look back and see how that was a problem. We got married too soon and we caved to pressure to start a family before we were ready. I hate to think that… it's… I love my son, I do… and I can't seem to do anything right for him." He tilted his head from side to side. "Or that could be the unfortunate side effect of having fathered him."
Isabel nodded and took his hand to place on her stomach. Their daughter moved. "Yeah, they have that habit of turning on you… but they also try to make breakfast for your birthday. They make macaroni necklaces. 'World's greatest Dad' coffee mugs."
"Clay penholders and the world's worst tasting chocolate cakes."
"He made that penholder on your desk?"
"Yeah." His head bobbed up and down.
"He's good."
"Yeah, he liked me that week. He was nine and I let him go to sleep away camp." The chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. "Then I got this letter four weeks in that said he wanted to come home."
"I couldn't bear to part with my kids for that long. The Clovis cases… I give those away. The longest I've ever been away from Alex was the weekend I got married. I sent him to his grandparents for the weekend and before we even had a chance to relax from the trip home, I had Kyle swing by to pick him up." She left her hand on top of his on her stomach. "I… really… appreciate you being here."
"I am happy to be here."
Jesse let himself taste her lips when she kissed him but he had to stop it. Every conversation that they had had in the past five months came to mind, as did the talk Max had given him when he had handed over the manual. He wanted to kiss her again but he knew he shouldn't. ["She's a proud woman, Jesse. Don't let her do something she's going to regret. I can't get a read on her these days but I know she's still… in pretty bad shape."] When she spoke his name, he had to look her in the eyes. "Jesse?"
"I really care about you, Isabel. I know you're not ready for anything I want to offer you and so I won't. Whatever you're thinking right now… I want to be here. For you, for the baby. So… I'll be your friend." Jesse pulled away and reached for his jacket. "If you don't mind, I'll leave Seb here tonight. I'll come early to get started on this stuff and get him home."
Isabel could only nod as he left. Her hormones were out of control. She hadn't meant to do that. She couldn't stop herself. It was hard to control herself when she saw him everyday. When he was not in front of her, she could say she wasn't ready but not when they sat, alone, and talked.
tbc
88/108 '-) Only twenty parts behind as of tonight.
Max groaned when he felt the little hands on his shoulder before he could even feel the sun on his face. What time was it? Not the sun, a lamp. Damn. "What?"
"Daddy, my head hurts." Beth whispered.
"Come on. Let's not wake Mom up." Max carefully extricated himself from the bed. He had a suspicion that Liz wasn't sleeping well anyway. He led his little girl to the living room, the quietest place in the house. "We have to get this under control, Bethany."
"I know but I can't stop it." Her little glasses were smudged and askew on her nose, so Max straightened them. "It's not funny."
"I know it's not. That's not what I think is funny. Listen." He put his hands on her shoulders. "You have a unique gift. I'm not quite sure how it works… but I'm sure it's like everything else and… I think the only way you can master it is not to fight it."
"What do you mean?"
He took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what he meant himself. He thought about all those years he fought being himself and when he began to embrace his alien side and use his powers, he was able to control them better. "I don't want you to invade anyone's privacy but maybe if you learned to listen for the thoughts, make them louder, you can single them out and hear them clearer. Once you can hear them, you can shut them out. Do you understand?"
"I think so."
"It means you being patient. It might mean spending a lot of time alone. It means asking for help when you need it. You have to tell me or Mom when it makes your head hurt even a little."
"Mom's not really asleep."
"I know." Max nodded. "She's a little stressed out but she'll be okay. Tonight, I want you to go to your room and close your eyes. I want you to empty your tired little brain and just count. You can count sheep or pigs or whatever you want. Just think about what you're counting."
"When do I stop?"
"You'll stop by yourself when you fall asleep." He kissed her head. "Upstairs and try not to worry about anything, kiddo."
"Okay. Night Daddy."
He watched her climb the stairs until the door closed on her room. On the way back to his room, he heard the whimper. His heart ached and he prayed Beth couldn't hear his thoughts as he checked on his baby. It was David, crying in his sleep. Gently, Max sat on the bed and rubbed his back. The therapist hadn't helped at all. He had doubts in getting another one. "Davey?"
Shook the boy gently awake. "Daddy?"
"Yeah, it's me. Come on. You and me are gonna have a talk. Man to man."
"I had another scawy dweam."
Max sighed. Davey slipped a little in his speech when the dreams were pretty bad. "You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Come on. Tell me."
David crawled onto his father's lap and buried his face in his shirt. "How come he stole me?"
That was a tough one. He had to think about it. "I don't know. Mason, that was his name, was a sick man. He was very sad for a long time. He was scared."
"I'm still scared."
"I know." He had to hold the boy tighter. "Are you afraid of me?"
"No." He shook his head almost violently against his father's chest.
"Good. It would make me sad if you were."
"Daddy?"
"What's up?"
"Why did he look like you? How come he had your face?"
Another tough one. How did you explain to a five year old about cloning? "Do you look like me?"
"Momma says I'm a spitting image."
"And why is that?"
"Cause you're my daddy."
"Ok." There. Halfway there. Maybe. Max took a deep breath. "You look like me cause I'm your daddy. Mason looks like his daddy. His daddy looks like Mason's granddaddy. Understand?" He got a small nod. "I look like Mason's granddaddy."
"You do? How come?"
"Well… Mason's granddaddy is like… my daddy." It confused even Max sometimes. "It's confusing and a little scary even for me, Davey. Mason didn't understand it either. He didn't mean to hurt you. He was very sick, very confused and very scared. I think maybe he took you to make me mad and I did. I got really mad and I was really scared because I didn't know where you were or who took you or why. I got really sad and I cried."
"You cried?"
"Yep." He hugged his baby tight. "But now I got you right here. I'm going to take care of you and nothing like that is ever going to happen again. I promise."
"Promise-promise?"
"Promise-promise."
--
Jesse flipped through the manual. The associates had all gone home, Sebastien was put to bed in Kyle's room and all her kids had long since hit the hay, Kyle and Berty in Isabel's room. Isabel was still reading through the case files. He was taking a sip of his tea when the chapter caught his eye and he nearly spewed the hot liquid all over the manual and their case files.
"Jesse? Are you okay?"
He cleared his throat and made an honest effort to clean his shirt and tie. "I understand Max's lecture about having a route and about me doing my job to support and not aggravate you but I had no idea there were … duties that needed taking care of this early."
"Duties?" Isabel furrowed her brow and reached for the text. She almost choked herself. "That. Right. I… just don't… think we… should."
"So, you do… need."
"Sometimes but I can control it and it's not a need. A desire, really." Her face was flaming. She hadn't brought it up and she assumed Max wouldn't either. "Maybe it's an instinctual thing? You know? Human women have that need. Maybe my people do, too. Maybe it's some kind of bond… between the child, mother and father. I have hundreds of theories but I don't know what causes it or what it means but… I've survived one pregnancy without fulfilling those needs and I can do it again."
"Okay." Jesse nodded and took the book back. "You're six along."
"Yep."
He nodded to the book and flipped through it some more. He had been trying to read through it but he hadn't had the time. He knew he would have to make the time, soon. "Sebastien took a real shine to Alex tonight."
"Yeah, he did. And Alex to him. These days… Alex doesn't play for just anybody. He's grown up so fast. Too fast." She sighed and began closing the books and marking folders. "For a long time it was just me and him and then Kyle moved in, a few years later we were married then came Berty and Kyle and… I feel like sometimes I missed some key moments with him because I'm always doing eight things at once."
"Yeah, I've noticed." Jesse laughed to himself. Jim Valenti had tried to warn him once. He should have paid closer attention. "Mom, Lawyer, Cook, Housekeeper, and I hear you're up to join the law review."
"I hadn't told anyone about that." Isabel smacked him as she moved closer to organize the mess. "I can't though. I'd really, really love to but… it's too much. The last nine years have been hard and I'd love to do something like that but… I want to be able to focus on these kids when they hit those crucial years that I somehow messed up for Alex."
"He seems like a good kid."
"He is… it's just… He ran away once. It was one night when he was fourteen. Kyle found him in the park camping out. He claimed it was because I didn't love him anymore. Every once in a while he would threaten to do it again. I've never been able to get a bead on why he does it. Last summer I made a pact with him that if he didn't do it again, didn't threaten to do it and showed up at school like he was supposed to… I'd let him run away as far as he wanted to." She shook her head and sat down. "I'm still afraid he'll do it. He's going to run away and I'll never see him again because of something that I don't know I did."
"You never ran away from home?" Jesse nudged her and sipped his tea. "Everyone runs away. I ran to Cambridge. As soon as my scholarship would allow, I was on a plane to Massachusetts."
"Alex was two." Isabel nodded with a small smile. "I had had enough mooching off my parents. I wanted to prove that I could live on my own and make ends meet. Liz sacrificed a lot. I would drop off Alex early in the morning so I could make my first class. She watched her kids and Alex and rarely complained. I'd take him with me to work. He could alphabetize before he could ride a bike. On the weekends, I'd do homework and he'd play until he played himself out. It was just the two of us in that hideously cramped apartment. My mother hated it. She was always baking and sending over casseroles like I couldn't cook or buy food."
"Patty, she was living at home when we met. She'd just come home from college, taking a break before she went for her masters. She ran away from home to be with me. Now, I can look back and see how that was a problem. We got married too soon and we caved to pressure to start a family before we were ready. I hate to think that… it's… I love my son, I do… and I can't seem to do anything right for him." He tilted his head from side to side. "Or that could be the unfortunate side effect of having fathered him."
Isabel nodded and took his hand to place on her stomach. Their daughter moved. "Yeah, they have that habit of turning on you… but they also try to make breakfast for your birthday. They make macaroni necklaces. 'World's greatest Dad' coffee mugs."
"Clay penholders and the world's worst tasting chocolate cakes."
"He made that penholder on your desk?"
"Yeah." His head bobbed up and down.
"He's good."
"Yeah, he liked me that week. He was nine and I let him go to sleep away camp." The chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. "Then I got this letter four weeks in that said he wanted to come home."
"I couldn't bear to part with my kids for that long. The Clovis cases… I give those away. The longest I've ever been away from Alex was the weekend I got married. I sent him to his grandparents for the weekend and before we even had a chance to relax from the trip home, I had Kyle swing by to pick him up." She left her hand on top of his on her stomach. "I… really… appreciate you being here."
"I am happy to be here."
Jesse let himself taste her lips when she kissed him but he had to stop it. Every conversation that they had had in the past five months came to mind, as did the talk Max had given him when he had handed over the manual. He wanted to kiss her again but he knew he shouldn't. ["She's a proud woman, Jesse. Don't let her do something she's going to regret. I can't get a read on her these days but I know she's still… in pretty bad shape."] When she spoke his name, he had to look her in the eyes. "Jesse?"
"I really care about you, Isabel. I know you're not ready for anything I want to offer you and so I won't. Whatever you're thinking right now… I want to be here. For you, for the baby. So… I'll be your friend." Jesse pulled away and reached for his jacket. "If you don't mind, I'll leave Seb here tonight. I'll come early to get started on this stuff and get him home."
Isabel could only nod as he left. Her hormones were out of control. She hadn't meant to do that. She couldn't stop herself. It was hard to control herself when she saw him everyday. When he was not in front of her, she could say she wasn't ready but not when they sat, alone, and talked.
tbc
88/108 '-) Only twenty parts behind as of tonight.
89
The Fate of Destiny Part 89
January
Liz flipped through the book while Will talked. "Your father was wrong."
"Technically." Liz said as she scribbled down the dates and the names. "I just have to give my father something. I've been putting him off for months."
"All right." He blew out a breath and moved some files off his desk. He had a great respect for Max and that's why he had agreed to help Liz. She was a nice lady but she wasn't so nice when she didn't hear what she wanted. "I did the digging on Eliza. She went missing on official police record. They never found a body, she never turned up. None of that was ever linked to Charles Dupree. Ever. It could be that he was rich and could cover it up but we know something they didn't. We know about the alien abductions that took Mr. Dupree, the Mortons and two other people. I assume two because I've seen Mrs. Guerin and pictures of Ms. Harding."
"Is it possible?" Liz demanded.
Will cleared his throat. He knew she was irritated but they'd been doing this every other weekend for quite a while and he'd had enough. "Excuse me, you're pushing me like I know the answers. I'm the newbie. You know more about this than I do. I'm just trying to put the puzzle together. Will you calm down?"
"Yeah." Liz relented.
"I'd say yes. It's possible that your father's aunt was picked up with Charles Dupree on that long lonely road in Tucson. I read the book, three times. Still. I don't KNOW. I did the newspaper research. There are no mentions of the two individuals as an item. For all we know, all she had was a really big crush that never got returned. Maybe he thought they were just friends and when she put the moves on one night, he broke her heart and that was that. In '48, he hooks up with Ada Jane and they get married, have a family and her riches and his combined are enough to paint him as eccentric instead of crazy, which we know he wasn't."
"Will, I'm gonna kill you."
"Fine." He reached for the book and flipped through to the end. "Here. 'Tonight is the night.' That's it."
"Well? Speculate or something."
"I would speculate that either Miss Eliza was going to do something naughty with Chuck or they were going to do it proper. I've been looking at the maps. The road he was traveling according to his journal puts him heading the direction that the Mortons were leaving. Maybe they were eloping to Vegas. I don't know if that's what people did in the '40s but they've been doing it for a long time." He shrugged. "It fits her profile but not his. He was a playboy, sure, but with his military record, he would have gone to a priest if he was going to get married."
"Speculate with me on this. Why would they make three Ava's?" Liz had gotten the question out, she didn't know if she could stomach his answer.
"Two sets, full ones but a third lone bride. Maybe she wasn't meant to survive or maybe something happened to make them doubt the survival of at least one they created?"
"Oriel and Kathy have the same eyes and the only way I can figure it… they used Eliza as a template and Tess's donor to complete it."
"Maybe. Maybe…"
"What?" Liz saw that look in his eye. "Spit it out, William Goldblum."
"When you say my name like that, you sound like my mother." He waved off her scoff. "I have this theory about Christine Morton-Penny Burkhardt. She was pregnant when they picked her up. Her child is a mixture of her and her husband. What if she wasn't viable on her own? What if they had to bridge the gap when they created your husband and his sister?"
"I'm with you. Keep going."
"So, they're creating Isabel and something's wrong and they can't use her. So, they look, hey, nature's blend right there in her womb. When they're trying to extract the baby's DNA, maybe something goes a little wrong. So Penny can get pregnant all she wants but carrying to term is a big problem. It could only work under the best of circumstances. What if there was a similar abduction?"
"Huh?"
"Chuck and Eliza are cruising. They're talking about their big plans. Maybe they're just getting it on. Maybe he's breaking her heart. I don't know. They're in the truck, on that road when they get picked up. They make Michael, no problem. They try to make an Ava. According to Dupree's journal, which I would like to read myself by the way, the little girl was brought in last. So, they have complications with Eliza that they can't fix. Maybe she wasn't viable. Maybe they were able to attempt what was done with the Mortons, if my theory holds. Maybe Chuck and Eliza are pregnant, only she doesn't have the sunny constitution that Penny did. She dies on them. They have to fix it. They need four. They pick up the little girl. She's young, maybe they'll take a small sample to bridge the gap. Hey, wait. She's completely viable. Let's just use her instead."
"Then why not destroy the extra?" Liz didn’t like the sound of that the second it was out of her mouth.
"Maybe while abducting humans doesn't go against their morals, killing a viable being does. It's not like it was a T-cell or something. It was Ava's essence, cloned and put into a being who is living and growing in these pods you talk about. Or maybe the scientist working on it, decided to see if things would come together. He stashes her away from everyone else. Checks in on her. Gets her settled in a small village in France where no one would think to look for her and pray she survives. If say he left Eliza's remains in another country, there's no way she could have been identified as your father's aunt." The agent shrugged. "But it's all theoretical."
"There's no way we could verify anything, is there?" Liz sank back in her seat. The agent was suspiciously quiet. "Right?" He shifted uneasily. "What?"
"There's two shapeshifters on earth. One could very well be her protector and the other will definitely kill me if I try to ask him about this."
"So what do I tell my father?"
"The truth." Will leaned forward. "Mrs. Evans, I'm perfect for this job. I don't really keep friends, I can't seem to keep a girl, my family's all gone. I only wish I had somebody I could confide in about all this craziness. A cousin that I trusted because this is a load. I saw your husband after you told your mother and he was relieved. Imagine if you could tell your father. I don't think he'll have a heart attack. I think he'll be surprised and confused and grateful to know that none of this has really harmed you."
"I'm sorry." Liz stared at the agent. "You are perfect for this job."
--
Isabel pushed the cart down the aisle and ignored the stares. She was entering her tenth month, they all thought it was her eighth or ninth. She knew what people were saying. It wasn't true, not entirely. It was none of their business, really. In a week and a half, her daughter would be here and everyone would know and that would be that. Life would go on and that was all that mattered.
Liberty retrieved items from low shelves, they got the clerks to get the things off high ones. It was a system that seemed to be working. Suddenly, the little girl smiled and turned to the end of the aisle. "Alex is coming."
"What?" Isabel furrowed her brow at her daughter. It didn't matter where they were or what they were doing, the girl always seemed to know when someone they loved was coming. Then the teen came barreling around the corner. "They there, handsome."
"Mom, I have something to tell you." Alex took a deep breath. "I've wanted to tell you for months but I didn't want to say anything that might upset you or make you crazy until I knew for sure. It's not certain but I couldn't put it off anymore."
"Sweetie?" She leaned on her cart.
"Grandpa had a trust for my dad but since it didn't get used, it sat and accrued for 17 years. He wants me to use it for college."
"So, you're going?" She smiled broadly. Finally a plan she felt good about. "That's great."
"You know I scored high on my SATs and I kept my grades up. Minimal ditching this year. I've been a good boy. Grandpa said he'll send me wherever I want."
"Did you even apply? Deadlines are coming up soon." Isabel began to worry. If Alex hadn't planned this all out, it could backfire and he'd get upset.
"I knew about the trust back in September. I just got the courage to tell you and I thought you should know which schools I applied for." He held out three long and heavy envelopes. "I've been putting it off for months and I got myself together and decided to tell you. I've been running all over town looking for you guys."
Isabel took the envelopes and her stomach dropped when she saw the return addresses. UCLA, NYU, FSU. She picked the UCLA and before she could tear it open, she saw spots and her first contraction hit. "Ah…"
"Mom?" Alex rushed to support her.
"Momma?" Liberty's eyes grew round.
Isabel breathed through the pain but she needed to be in bed within a couple of hours. "Let's get finished with the shopping then we'll go home. We'll call Jesse and Uncle Max."
"Okay, Berty, push the cart. Give me the list. We'll be out of here in no time." Alex scanned the list to make a more efficient route through the store.
--
Beth sat on the swings and closed her eyes. There was a buzz in her head. The kids were all playing and screaming and not really thinking. Just random, 'don't fall, don't fall' images peppering their thoughts. She could ignore them if she wanted but she promised to practice. She thought she had done it the day before but she wasn't sure. She had gotten used to living with the din in her mind. It was an invasion, daily, hourly, of her privacy in the one space she was supposed to be alone.
--
"You're a dork." Emily shook her head at her father. He was dancing in place with the baby. It was really funny, especially since he had Metallica turned down low so only the bass could be heard.
"I did this with you. It kept you asleep while your mom was trying to sleep." Michael knew he looked like a dork. He had often waited for Max or Isabel to make fun of him but they never did. Turns out part of being responsible for a tiny person was to look like a dork on occasion. When he looked to his daughter, she looked like she wanted to know more but was afraid to ask. "Saturday mornings, Maria got to sleep in. I had the morning off from my two jobs and she didn't have to work until noon. I would let her sleep. It would be just you and me and Spiderman. Maybe some nuked milk and cold cereal… we danced through Soul Train so you would stay asleep until after you got to Amy's." He rubbed the boy's back and turned to his daughter. "You never did learn to sleep late on Saturday mornings."
"Um, excuse me? Soul Train? What's that?" She had heard of it but she didn't really believe people would dance to that crap on television for the whole world to see. "Some sort of hippie thing?"
"Don't make me beat you. I suffered. Okay? You don't want to know what Soul Train was." He checked to make sure Stephen was still sleeping.
"Michael? Why didn't you wake me up if he was fussing?" Oriel sleepily stumbled down the stairs and reached for the baby.
"Thought I'd let you sleep in." He winked at Emily. Yeah, he was caught. Saturday mornings had never really been about giving Mommy a break so much as giving Daddy some quality time with his offspring. "He was standing up for a while this morning. Dancing a little bit. I think he's working up the courage to take off."
"Pictures?" Oriel kissed her child and his gray eyes opened for just a second before he took a deep breath and closed them again.
"Yep." Emily pointed to the camera.
"Well, if he starts walking, you had better wake me up." Oriel leaned in to kiss her husband. "Make us lunch?"
"Of course. What'll it be, ladies?" Michael backed toward the kitchen. "My penne alla pasta or my world famous chili or maybe some venison stew?"
"Deer? You've got Bambi in our kitchen?" Emily gasped.
"Just a little bit. Eli at the body shop had a little more than he could keep. I said I'd take it off his hands." Michael poked his head back into the room. "I don't know why you're upset. I used to make it all the time when you were little. One of Amy's friends used to hunt deer. They used to fight about it all the time. It was hilarious."
"Deer? The small elks with the thin antlers?" Oriel asked, butting into their conversation.
"Sort of." Michael nodded.
"Do you remember that display in front of the grocery store? Santa Claus and his sleigh? Those were reindeer. Pretty much the same animal. Thinner, less fuzzy." Emily shrugged and got up to help her father cook. They were all getting along pretty well. Emily liked that. She wouldn't ever tell her father but she loved it.
--
Jesse looked over his coffee at Max. The restaurant was fairly empty and so he didn't feel quite so self-conscious bringing up the subject of aliens. "It's just a few things. Like when do the kids start getting… their powers."
Max thought about that one for a moment. "You know… pretty young but usually… With Kathy, the powers came to her as easily as breathing and because Liz was the one taking care of her all the time, Liz was able to teach her to not use them before anyone noticed. Danny made a few mistakes when he was little but nothing big enough for my parents to notice. It wasn't until we got a house of our own that we let them use their powers whenever they wanted. Bethany has a bit more mastery of them than Danny does but Kathy… She's more afraid to use them but she's as proficient as I am. David still doesn't really use his powers. When he was… kidnapped, they manifested a little but he hadn't used them since."
"What are you saying?"
"Emily is the best at practicing. She's… Michael's taught her very well. Alex, I don't know how that goes. Isabel has rules. I think the kids use them at home. At my house we don't rely on them." Max took a breath. "Every child is unique in what they excel at. Every child is unique in how comfortable they feel with their powers. What I'm trying to say is… it will depend on you and Isabel. The children having to hide their powers early on has made them hesitant to use their powers. To practice, to hone. But Bethany has to, her gifts are… interfering with the way a little girl should grow up. She has to use them, to practice."
Jesse stared out the window and took a deep breath. "Eventually I'd have to tell my mother and Seb… wouldn't I?"
"Probably. Isabel will handle the development of her powers but she'll make sure you know what they are. Our children go through a pranking stage. They have to be disciplined accordingly. It's nothing too bad, usually, but occasionally children wake with bald heads and multicolored hair or with all their shoes stuck to the floor."
"Really?" Jesse cracked a smile for the first time all morning.
"Yeah but don't worry. It doesn't all happen at once. It's very gradual but blink and you will miss it." Max sipped his coffee and nearly choked when his beeper went off. A moment later Jesse's cell phone rang. "Looks like it's time."
--
Will dialed and looked over at Liz. She was nervous. She was shaking but they had agreed to do this. When the secretary picked up on the other end, he cleared his throat. "Yes, ma'am, this is Agent Goldblum. I'm returning a phone call for the boss… He'll know what it's about… Right, I'm the expert. I've just got a few questions about what he wants to see, if he could spare a few minutes, we can get this all wrapped up… Thank you… No, he's got the number."
Liz stared at him as he hung up the phone. "That's it? You left a message for someone's secretary and that’s it? You didn't even name 'the boss' or leave a phone number."
He shrugged and sat up. "That's the way this guy works. Either he calls back, or shows up, or tomorrow I wake up dead."
"No, I forbid it. Call back and cancel. We don't need to know this badly." Liz shook her head and got to her feet. The phone rang and she froze. "Don't answer it."
"He might get offended if I don't." Will reached over and picked up the phone. "Agent Goldblum… Yes, I did… Well, we've got a few questions regarding the trip that went bad… nothing like that… Of course not… He doesn't know… His wife… Yes, his wife… not the bride, the wife… Just a few questions about the hitchhikers and where they got left off, any contributions they might have made to the passengers… Well, there were nine passengers, weren't there?… I did say nine. Not eight. Nine… Right… Oh fine, she's married as well… no, the combat expert… I know, I know but this is an issue of some weight these days… We'll be waiting." He set down the phone. "He's not happy."
"He's not going to kill you, is he?" Liz stared at the phone with wide eyes.
"Nah, he's going to do some research. Apparently he was asleep for most of the trip and he'll have to get back to us." Will shrugged for the billionth time.
"What was all that code?" She pressed.
"Oh that," Will shook his head like it wasn't a big deal, "just something that got made up on the spur of the moment. I say 'the trip that went bad' and he replies 'oh, them, they don't want me to spring for a ticket, do they? Those seats were one way, I thought they understood.'" He watched her face fill with a newfound respect and he was glad to have put his neck on the line for her this time. "Yeah, he's good. He says 'the king sent you?' and I say 'his wife' and then he says 'his wife?' It's almost like he didn't believe me. 'Yes, his wife' I say and he says, 'you mean his bride.'"
"You say 'not the bride, his wife.' He says, 'Oh, his wife, what does she want?'" Liz nodded, catching on. This was unbelievable. There was an honest to goodness, full-blooded alien on the other end of that phone. An alien who had ridden in the crashed UFO. It was like a brush with a celebrity. Max didn't count. Max was barely considered to be alive and he wasn't nearly conscious yet.
"His words were more colorful." Will nodded to her incredulity. The alien had a very bad attitude and he believed that if he rubbed him the wrong way, the alien would put out his lights. "Apparently, he doesn't like you. I say 'hitchhikers, contributions and passengers.' He says, 'right. What for? Everyone got dropped off eventually.' I mention Oriel, 'nine passengers' and he doesn't believe me. We go back and forth about the number. Then he remembers, 'Legs? She's not making trouble, is she? She's alright?' I say, 'oh fine, she's married as well.' He scoffs, 'some jerkoff?' and I say—"
"'No, the combat expert.' Michael." Liz nodded. "You're good."
"Right, he says 'what the hell do they want to know about the hitchhikers for? That's all history and most of them are history as well.' I pressed that we needed to know and he says 'Let me get back to you on that. I gotta do some research and run-throughs with these klutzes first."
"That's some interesting language pattern." Liz observed to herself as she mulled it over. They could have answers but the shapeshifter didn't like to be talked to. It was a non-possibility and if they were lucky, he'd get back to them without becoming defensive about it. They would get an answer or two about the donors and maybe he wouldn't get offended and they would continue to live their lives without anyone's feelings getting hurt.
"Yeah, I heard he's movie producer."
"Legs?" Liz shook her head. "Legs? That's Oriel?"
"I don't know but Eliza was a dancer, remember? She was too short for the chorus line and too young for U.S.O. Her journal said she met Charles as a paid dancer."
"What is that, by the way?"
"Couple of bucks to be available to dance. Not sleazy clubs but clean, wholesome establishments where the soldiers hung out to drink. The girls weren't supposed to drink or date the clients, but the men wanted pretty girls to dance with. The soldiers were only on leave for the weekend and all they wanted was some fun. The girls were usually hard up for cash and looking for some fun as well. Hell, some of the girls were married to soldiers overseas and needed to make ends meet. Of course some of the girls got involved and married men they were only supposed to dance with. Some girls were collectors, promised to write the men overseas and did but they were writing to five or six at the same time."
"Legs, huh." Liz sat back in her chair.
"If you don't mind me saying, you've got a nice pair yourself."
"Thanks." She was barely in the room anymore. "Took ballet when I was young."
"So did Oriel, Michael said." Will's phone rang and he reached for it, eyeing the lost woman on the other side of his desk. "Agent Goldblum… I'll give her the message." He set down the phone. "Isabel's gone into labor."
"What?" Liz quickly counted on her fingers. "She's two weeks early."
"How could you tell? She's about ten months along."
"Yeah, I know but… never mind." Liz grabbed her purse. "I gotta go. I had things I was gonna do before she went into the hospital and I gotta make sure I've got all her kids ready to stay at my house or at Mom's."
"Liz, calm down. She just went in. It'll be hours." Will rose to see her to the door.
"Fat lot you know. You weren't here for any of the other births. You don't know how fast they go."
--
Kathy smoothed her uniform and adjusted her antenna and got ready for the rush… of two. She'd already taken three breaks just because she could. No one had gotten back from Christmas break yet and school wasn't for another week. No tips, except that quarter from the 100 year old Mr. Greer who had been patronizing the Crashdown since before it was called the Crashdown. Of course, it was as she was engaging in the most childlike behavior, spinning around on a stool, that Adam Fiero took a seat at the counter. "Your bell's broken."
She gasped and shot off the stool. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear. Um, welcome to the Crashdown."
"I didn't know you worked here." Hands in his jacket and head tilted, he looked like heaven to her starved eyes.
"Usually just part time." Kathy busied herself with finding a menu. "My grandparents own the place."
"I don't usually come in here. I'm waiting for my brother to get out of his dentist appointment." Adam shrugged. He looked over the menu and she waited for what seemed like a long time before he ordered. "Hey, I didn't know you ran." She blinked at him and so he elaborated. "I saw you this morning, early… over on Elm, with your brother, I think."
"Saturday mornings when I don't work. My dad makes us go." She tried to look embarrassed by that as she tacked the order on the rack.
"You ever think of joining track?"
"No." She turned to look at him and he was staring at her. "Not really. I'm not a sporty person. Besides, if I work less, I lose anticipated money I was going to use to convince my father to buy me a car."
"That I completely understand. My dad 'gave' me his old Camaro but he's been docking my allowance and withholding extraneous chore money as payment for the piece of shit. But, I get to take it to Santa Fe in the fall and that will be worth it."
"Really? That's where I'm going." A smile spread over her face. College away from home was much less daunting if she had a boyfriend she was familiar with by the time she left.
"You sound sure. April's the month, you know." Adam leaned over the counter.
"If you waited until after SATs to apply. Some of us are smart. Some of us are just buying time in this little town. My plans are set. Car or not, I'm going." She turned to retrieve his order. "You want something to drink with that?"
"Water. I'm in training."
"You just ordered the greasiest thing we serve."
"Eh, school doesn't start for a week and practices aren't serious until February. Besides, I'll have to build up my tolerance if you won't join track. I'm only here for the scenery."
Kathy blushed a deep red. "I'll be right back, I have to check on my other customers."
--
Isabel lay on the bed and breathed through another contraction while the nurse hooked her up to an IV. "Is he here yet?"
"Dr. Beacham will be here soon." The nurse murmured as she check the machines to make sure they were hooked up.
"Dr. Beacham is not my doctor." Isabel bit out.
"Dr. Beacham is the obstetrician on call."
"Listen, you—"
"Mom." Alex pleaded with her. He had just returned from calling Max for the third time. "He'll be here." He felt bad. He had dropped a bomb on her in a supermarket and she had gone into labor, early.
"Mrs. Valenti, I’m Dr. Beacham." The woman spoke as she walked in, eying the chart in her hand.
"Alex, get her out of here." Isabel ordered as the pain subsided.
"Mrs. Valenti, I'm here to help. How are we feeling?"
"Like you need to get out of this room." She lowered her head onto her pillow and shifted onto her side away from the doctor. "Alex, beep him again."
"I just beeped him, he'll be here. Kathy said they were having coffee at the Crashdown this morning. They probably got stuck in traffic." He could tell she was trying to stay calm but something else was bothering her. "They'll both be here."
"I'll kill them both if they're not."
"Relax." Max ordered as he held the door open for Jesse, who was pulling on his scrubs. "We just stopped for a moment to get ready." He took the chart from an annoyed Dr. Beacham. "Thank you, but I've got it from here."
"Alex, the CD player?"
"In the car, I'll get it." Alex nodded when Jesse showed him the disc.
"You've got it?" Isabel smiled when she saw it. They had been experimenting with ways to keep her calm in the mêlée but few things even seemed like they would work. Kyle always had a way to keep her calm and focused. Jesse still didn't know her that well.
"You relax, and just let me know when another contraction hits." Max took a seat. "Calm down and just focus on breathing."
--
Beth wanted to be outside but her mother had picked them up at the park and now they were getting ready for a couple of weeks of sleepovers with the cousins. Liz moved quickly, making lunch for her little ones and for her sister-in-law's. "Your mommy is okay but she needs some rest."
Liberty just nodded and curled up on the couch. "I know. Alex said."
"I want Mommy." Kyle said for the hundredth time.
"I know but it's just for a week, until the baby comes." Liz reassured them, weakly. She tried to stay calm but she caught Beth rubbing her head. "Sweetie, go lay down."
"I don't want to." Beth bit out and stabbed her sandwich with a butter knife. "When's Daddy coming home?"
"When he's sure your aunt is resting okay." Liz told her and lifted Davey into his chair. "Come on guys, let's eat."
"They're not hungry." Danny told his mother as he wandered into the room, a school book in his hand. "They're worried."
"I know that but they still have to eat."
"Is Alex staying too?" Danny prodded as he looked over the crowded table.
"He wouldn't say, I think he's going to stay at his grandparents until we're sure what's going on." Liz sat and just… sat. She was tired from trying not to think about it. "It's all going to be okay but we have to help out."
"Munchkins, eat up. We'll go for a ride later." He told his little cousins but they just picked at their food. "We'll catch a movie." They just poked their chips into their sandwiches. He knew that worry. He had watched his father fading away in bed and they couldn't even see their mother or know for sure what was happening. "Dad can't help?"
"He's doing what he can but babies are… fragile." Liz sighed. They were all worried.
--
Michael hung up the phone and turned to his family. "It's Isabel. She's behaving like she's in labor but nothing else is happening. It could put stress on the baby."
"Is she going to be okay?" Oriel subconsciously held her baby tighter against her body.
"Max doesn't know what to think right now. He's trying to get her under control but he's thinking she needs to stay in the hospital until the baby is born." He leaned on the table and stared out the window. "I knew something bad was going to happen with this baby."
--
"But she's okay?" Diane pressed her son.
"Yeah, sure. Right now she's fine." Max leaned on the wall behind him. "I had to experimentally give her some drugs to stop the contractions. I know that all of my superiors are watching me because they think I'm in some kind of cult and so far… they've let me get away with a lot but if they think I'm putting her in danger, they'll try to take over and I can't let them. They'll do blood tests and amniotic fluid tests without me and I can't cover what I don't know."
"Are they going to be okay?" Alex had refused to leave the hospital.
"I can only hope. Nothing like this has ever happened before." He told the boy.
"It's my fault. I told her I was going away to college." Alex sank into a chair. "I should have waited until after the baby was born."
"Honey." Diane took a seat next to her grandson. "I'm sure that had nothing to do with it. She puts a lot of pressure on herself, you know that. She's a single parent now, she's got three and a half kids, full work load until yesterday, she's taking care of her father-in-law… she's doing the best she can… and she doesn't think it's good enough."
"I know."
Max crouched in front of his nephew. "It's not your fault and when I let you in there, you're going to act like everything's fine. Don't be worried, don't get upset. She'll be okay. I'll make sure of it." He rubbed the boy's shoulders. "Are you coming home with me tonight?"
"I'm… gonna check in on Grampa and then head over to the Whitmans. I'll be over in the morning to help get the munchkins under control."
"Alright. Go visit with your mother." Max let him up and watched him enter the room. "He's really upset."
"He's like his mother that way, blaming himself for things he's got no control over." Diane hugged her son. "It's bad, isn't it?"
"The baby is coming the next time she gets a contraction. I can feel it. Isabel's not ready for it but it's coming."
"What do you think happened?"
"It's like you said. She puts pressure on herself and this is the first time she's tried to do it alone. She's not accepting help from anyone… except you." Max kissed his mother's cheek. "You should talk to her."
TBC
January
Liz flipped through the book while Will talked. "Your father was wrong."
"Technically." Liz said as she scribbled down the dates and the names. "I just have to give my father something. I've been putting him off for months."
"All right." He blew out a breath and moved some files off his desk. He had a great respect for Max and that's why he had agreed to help Liz. She was a nice lady but she wasn't so nice when she didn't hear what she wanted. "I did the digging on Eliza. She went missing on official police record. They never found a body, she never turned up. None of that was ever linked to Charles Dupree. Ever. It could be that he was rich and could cover it up but we know something they didn't. We know about the alien abductions that took Mr. Dupree, the Mortons and two other people. I assume two because I've seen Mrs. Guerin and pictures of Ms. Harding."
"Is it possible?" Liz demanded.
Will cleared his throat. He knew she was irritated but they'd been doing this every other weekend for quite a while and he'd had enough. "Excuse me, you're pushing me like I know the answers. I'm the newbie. You know more about this than I do. I'm just trying to put the puzzle together. Will you calm down?"
"Yeah." Liz relented.
"I'd say yes. It's possible that your father's aunt was picked up with Charles Dupree on that long lonely road in Tucson. I read the book, three times. Still. I don't KNOW. I did the newspaper research. There are no mentions of the two individuals as an item. For all we know, all she had was a really big crush that never got returned. Maybe he thought they were just friends and when she put the moves on one night, he broke her heart and that was that. In '48, he hooks up with Ada Jane and they get married, have a family and her riches and his combined are enough to paint him as eccentric instead of crazy, which we know he wasn't."
"Will, I'm gonna kill you."
"Fine." He reached for the book and flipped through to the end. "Here. 'Tonight is the night.' That's it."
"Well? Speculate or something."
"I would speculate that either Miss Eliza was going to do something naughty with Chuck or they were going to do it proper. I've been looking at the maps. The road he was traveling according to his journal puts him heading the direction that the Mortons were leaving. Maybe they were eloping to Vegas. I don't know if that's what people did in the '40s but they've been doing it for a long time." He shrugged. "It fits her profile but not his. He was a playboy, sure, but with his military record, he would have gone to a priest if he was going to get married."
"Speculate with me on this. Why would they make three Ava's?" Liz had gotten the question out, she didn't know if she could stomach his answer.
"Two sets, full ones but a third lone bride. Maybe she wasn't meant to survive or maybe something happened to make them doubt the survival of at least one they created?"
"Oriel and Kathy have the same eyes and the only way I can figure it… they used Eliza as a template and Tess's donor to complete it."
"Maybe. Maybe…"
"What?" Liz saw that look in his eye. "Spit it out, William Goldblum."
"When you say my name like that, you sound like my mother." He waved off her scoff. "I have this theory about Christine Morton-Penny Burkhardt. She was pregnant when they picked her up. Her child is a mixture of her and her husband. What if she wasn't viable on her own? What if they had to bridge the gap when they created your husband and his sister?"
"I'm with you. Keep going."
"So, they're creating Isabel and something's wrong and they can't use her. So, they look, hey, nature's blend right there in her womb. When they're trying to extract the baby's DNA, maybe something goes a little wrong. So Penny can get pregnant all she wants but carrying to term is a big problem. It could only work under the best of circumstances. What if there was a similar abduction?"
"Huh?"
"Chuck and Eliza are cruising. They're talking about their big plans. Maybe they're just getting it on. Maybe he's breaking her heart. I don't know. They're in the truck, on that road when they get picked up. They make Michael, no problem. They try to make an Ava. According to Dupree's journal, which I would like to read myself by the way, the little girl was brought in last. So, they have complications with Eliza that they can't fix. Maybe she wasn't viable. Maybe they were able to attempt what was done with the Mortons, if my theory holds. Maybe Chuck and Eliza are pregnant, only she doesn't have the sunny constitution that Penny did. She dies on them. They have to fix it. They need four. They pick up the little girl. She's young, maybe they'll take a small sample to bridge the gap. Hey, wait. She's completely viable. Let's just use her instead."
"Then why not destroy the extra?" Liz didn’t like the sound of that the second it was out of her mouth.
"Maybe while abducting humans doesn't go against their morals, killing a viable being does. It's not like it was a T-cell or something. It was Ava's essence, cloned and put into a being who is living and growing in these pods you talk about. Or maybe the scientist working on it, decided to see if things would come together. He stashes her away from everyone else. Checks in on her. Gets her settled in a small village in France where no one would think to look for her and pray she survives. If say he left Eliza's remains in another country, there's no way she could have been identified as your father's aunt." The agent shrugged. "But it's all theoretical."
"There's no way we could verify anything, is there?" Liz sank back in her seat. The agent was suspiciously quiet. "Right?" He shifted uneasily. "What?"
"There's two shapeshifters on earth. One could very well be her protector and the other will definitely kill me if I try to ask him about this."
"So what do I tell my father?"
"The truth." Will leaned forward. "Mrs. Evans, I'm perfect for this job. I don't really keep friends, I can't seem to keep a girl, my family's all gone. I only wish I had somebody I could confide in about all this craziness. A cousin that I trusted because this is a load. I saw your husband after you told your mother and he was relieved. Imagine if you could tell your father. I don't think he'll have a heart attack. I think he'll be surprised and confused and grateful to know that none of this has really harmed you."
"I'm sorry." Liz stared at the agent. "You are perfect for this job."
--
Isabel pushed the cart down the aisle and ignored the stares. She was entering her tenth month, they all thought it was her eighth or ninth. She knew what people were saying. It wasn't true, not entirely. It was none of their business, really. In a week and a half, her daughter would be here and everyone would know and that would be that. Life would go on and that was all that mattered.
Liberty retrieved items from low shelves, they got the clerks to get the things off high ones. It was a system that seemed to be working. Suddenly, the little girl smiled and turned to the end of the aisle. "Alex is coming."
"What?" Isabel furrowed her brow at her daughter. It didn't matter where they were or what they were doing, the girl always seemed to know when someone they loved was coming. Then the teen came barreling around the corner. "They there, handsome."
"Mom, I have something to tell you." Alex took a deep breath. "I've wanted to tell you for months but I didn't want to say anything that might upset you or make you crazy until I knew for sure. It's not certain but I couldn't put it off anymore."
"Sweetie?" She leaned on her cart.
"Grandpa had a trust for my dad but since it didn't get used, it sat and accrued for 17 years. He wants me to use it for college."
"So, you're going?" She smiled broadly. Finally a plan she felt good about. "That's great."
"You know I scored high on my SATs and I kept my grades up. Minimal ditching this year. I've been a good boy. Grandpa said he'll send me wherever I want."
"Did you even apply? Deadlines are coming up soon." Isabel began to worry. If Alex hadn't planned this all out, it could backfire and he'd get upset.
"I knew about the trust back in September. I just got the courage to tell you and I thought you should know which schools I applied for." He held out three long and heavy envelopes. "I've been putting it off for months and I got myself together and decided to tell you. I've been running all over town looking for you guys."
Isabel took the envelopes and her stomach dropped when she saw the return addresses. UCLA, NYU, FSU. She picked the UCLA and before she could tear it open, she saw spots and her first contraction hit. "Ah…"
"Mom?" Alex rushed to support her.
"Momma?" Liberty's eyes grew round.
Isabel breathed through the pain but she needed to be in bed within a couple of hours. "Let's get finished with the shopping then we'll go home. We'll call Jesse and Uncle Max."
"Okay, Berty, push the cart. Give me the list. We'll be out of here in no time." Alex scanned the list to make a more efficient route through the store.
--
Beth sat on the swings and closed her eyes. There was a buzz in her head. The kids were all playing and screaming and not really thinking. Just random, 'don't fall, don't fall' images peppering their thoughts. She could ignore them if she wanted but she promised to practice. She thought she had done it the day before but she wasn't sure. She had gotten used to living with the din in her mind. It was an invasion, daily, hourly, of her privacy in the one space she was supposed to be alone.
--
"You're a dork." Emily shook her head at her father. He was dancing in place with the baby. It was really funny, especially since he had Metallica turned down low so only the bass could be heard.
"I did this with you. It kept you asleep while your mom was trying to sleep." Michael knew he looked like a dork. He had often waited for Max or Isabel to make fun of him but they never did. Turns out part of being responsible for a tiny person was to look like a dork on occasion. When he looked to his daughter, she looked like she wanted to know more but was afraid to ask. "Saturday mornings, Maria got to sleep in. I had the morning off from my two jobs and she didn't have to work until noon. I would let her sleep. It would be just you and me and Spiderman. Maybe some nuked milk and cold cereal… we danced through Soul Train so you would stay asleep until after you got to Amy's." He rubbed the boy's back and turned to his daughter. "You never did learn to sleep late on Saturday mornings."
"Um, excuse me? Soul Train? What's that?" She had heard of it but she didn't really believe people would dance to that crap on television for the whole world to see. "Some sort of hippie thing?"
"Don't make me beat you. I suffered. Okay? You don't want to know what Soul Train was." He checked to make sure Stephen was still sleeping.
"Michael? Why didn't you wake me up if he was fussing?" Oriel sleepily stumbled down the stairs and reached for the baby.
"Thought I'd let you sleep in." He winked at Emily. Yeah, he was caught. Saturday mornings had never really been about giving Mommy a break so much as giving Daddy some quality time with his offspring. "He was standing up for a while this morning. Dancing a little bit. I think he's working up the courage to take off."
"Pictures?" Oriel kissed her child and his gray eyes opened for just a second before he took a deep breath and closed them again.
"Yep." Emily pointed to the camera.
"Well, if he starts walking, you had better wake me up." Oriel leaned in to kiss her husband. "Make us lunch?"
"Of course. What'll it be, ladies?" Michael backed toward the kitchen. "My penne alla pasta or my world famous chili or maybe some venison stew?"
"Deer? You've got Bambi in our kitchen?" Emily gasped.
"Just a little bit. Eli at the body shop had a little more than he could keep. I said I'd take it off his hands." Michael poked his head back into the room. "I don't know why you're upset. I used to make it all the time when you were little. One of Amy's friends used to hunt deer. They used to fight about it all the time. It was hilarious."
"Deer? The small elks with the thin antlers?" Oriel asked, butting into their conversation.
"Sort of." Michael nodded.
"Do you remember that display in front of the grocery store? Santa Claus and his sleigh? Those were reindeer. Pretty much the same animal. Thinner, less fuzzy." Emily shrugged and got up to help her father cook. They were all getting along pretty well. Emily liked that. She wouldn't ever tell her father but she loved it.
--
Jesse looked over his coffee at Max. The restaurant was fairly empty and so he didn't feel quite so self-conscious bringing up the subject of aliens. "It's just a few things. Like when do the kids start getting… their powers."
Max thought about that one for a moment. "You know… pretty young but usually… With Kathy, the powers came to her as easily as breathing and because Liz was the one taking care of her all the time, Liz was able to teach her to not use them before anyone noticed. Danny made a few mistakes when he was little but nothing big enough for my parents to notice. It wasn't until we got a house of our own that we let them use their powers whenever they wanted. Bethany has a bit more mastery of them than Danny does but Kathy… She's more afraid to use them but she's as proficient as I am. David still doesn't really use his powers. When he was… kidnapped, they manifested a little but he hadn't used them since."
"What are you saying?"
"Emily is the best at practicing. She's… Michael's taught her very well. Alex, I don't know how that goes. Isabel has rules. I think the kids use them at home. At my house we don't rely on them." Max took a breath. "Every child is unique in what they excel at. Every child is unique in how comfortable they feel with their powers. What I'm trying to say is… it will depend on you and Isabel. The children having to hide their powers early on has made them hesitant to use their powers. To practice, to hone. But Bethany has to, her gifts are… interfering with the way a little girl should grow up. She has to use them, to practice."
Jesse stared out the window and took a deep breath. "Eventually I'd have to tell my mother and Seb… wouldn't I?"
"Probably. Isabel will handle the development of her powers but she'll make sure you know what they are. Our children go through a pranking stage. They have to be disciplined accordingly. It's nothing too bad, usually, but occasionally children wake with bald heads and multicolored hair or with all their shoes stuck to the floor."
"Really?" Jesse cracked a smile for the first time all morning.
"Yeah but don't worry. It doesn't all happen at once. It's very gradual but blink and you will miss it." Max sipped his coffee and nearly choked when his beeper went off. A moment later Jesse's cell phone rang. "Looks like it's time."
--
Will dialed and looked over at Liz. She was nervous. She was shaking but they had agreed to do this. When the secretary picked up on the other end, he cleared his throat. "Yes, ma'am, this is Agent Goldblum. I'm returning a phone call for the boss… He'll know what it's about… Right, I'm the expert. I've just got a few questions about what he wants to see, if he could spare a few minutes, we can get this all wrapped up… Thank you… No, he's got the number."
Liz stared at him as he hung up the phone. "That's it? You left a message for someone's secretary and that’s it? You didn't even name 'the boss' or leave a phone number."
He shrugged and sat up. "That's the way this guy works. Either he calls back, or shows up, or tomorrow I wake up dead."
"No, I forbid it. Call back and cancel. We don't need to know this badly." Liz shook her head and got to her feet. The phone rang and she froze. "Don't answer it."
"He might get offended if I don't." Will reached over and picked up the phone. "Agent Goldblum… Yes, I did… Well, we've got a few questions regarding the trip that went bad… nothing like that… Of course not… He doesn't know… His wife… Yes, his wife… not the bride, the wife… Just a few questions about the hitchhikers and where they got left off, any contributions they might have made to the passengers… Well, there were nine passengers, weren't there?… I did say nine. Not eight. Nine… Right… Oh fine, she's married as well… no, the combat expert… I know, I know but this is an issue of some weight these days… We'll be waiting." He set down the phone. "He's not happy."
"He's not going to kill you, is he?" Liz stared at the phone with wide eyes.
"Nah, he's going to do some research. Apparently he was asleep for most of the trip and he'll have to get back to us." Will shrugged for the billionth time.
"What was all that code?" She pressed.
"Oh that," Will shook his head like it wasn't a big deal, "just something that got made up on the spur of the moment. I say 'the trip that went bad' and he replies 'oh, them, they don't want me to spring for a ticket, do they? Those seats were one way, I thought they understood.'" He watched her face fill with a newfound respect and he was glad to have put his neck on the line for her this time. "Yeah, he's good. He says 'the king sent you?' and I say 'his wife' and then he says 'his wife?' It's almost like he didn't believe me. 'Yes, his wife' I say and he says, 'you mean his bride.'"
"You say 'not the bride, his wife.' He says, 'Oh, his wife, what does she want?'" Liz nodded, catching on. This was unbelievable. There was an honest to goodness, full-blooded alien on the other end of that phone. An alien who had ridden in the crashed UFO. It was like a brush with a celebrity. Max didn't count. Max was barely considered to be alive and he wasn't nearly conscious yet.
"His words were more colorful." Will nodded to her incredulity. The alien had a very bad attitude and he believed that if he rubbed him the wrong way, the alien would put out his lights. "Apparently, he doesn't like you. I say 'hitchhikers, contributions and passengers.' He says, 'right. What for? Everyone got dropped off eventually.' I mention Oriel, 'nine passengers' and he doesn't believe me. We go back and forth about the number. Then he remembers, 'Legs? She's not making trouble, is she? She's alright?' I say, 'oh fine, she's married as well.' He scoffs, 'some jerkoff?' and I say—"
"'No, the combat expert.' Michael." Liz nodded. "You're good."
"Right, he says 'what the hell do they want to know about the hitchhikers for? That's all history and most of them are history as well.' I pressed that we needed to know and he says 'Let me get back to you on that. I gotta do some research and run-throughs with these klutzes first."
"That's some interesting language pattern." Liz observed to herself as she mulled it over. They could have answers but the shapeshifter didn't like to be talked to. It was a non-possibility and if they were lucky, he'd get back to them without becoming defensive about it. They would get an answer or two about the donors and maybe he wouldn't get offended and they would continue to live their lives without anyone's feelings getting hurt.
"Yeah, I heard he's movie producer."
"Legs?" Liz shook her head. "Legs? That's Oriel?"
"I don't know but Eliza was a dancer, remember? She was too short for the chorus line and too young for U.S.O. Her journal said she met Charles as a paid dancer."
"What is that, by the way?"
"Couple of bucks to be available to dance. Not sleazy clubs but clean, wholesome establishments where the soldiers hung out to drink. The girls weren't supposed to drink or date the clients, but the men wanted pretty girls to dance with. The soldiers were only on leave for the weekend and all they wanted was some fun. The girls were usually hard up for cash and looking for some fun as well. Hell, some of the girls were married to soldiers overseas and needed to make ends meet. Of course some of the girls got involved and married men they were only supposed to dance with. Some girls were collectors, promised to write the men overseas and did but they were writing to five or six at the same time."
"Legs, huh." Liz sat back in her chair.
"If you don't mind me saying, you've got a nice pair yourself."
"Thanks." She was barely in the room anymore. "Took ballet when I was young."
"So did Oriel, Michael said." Will's phone rang and he reached for it, eyeing the lost woman on the other side of his desk. "Agent Goldblum… I'll give her the message." He set down the phone. "Isabel's gone into labor."
"What?" Liz quickly counted on her fingers. "She's two weeks early."
"How could you tell? She's about ten months along."
"Yeah, I know but… never mind." Liz grabbed her purse. "I gotta go. I had things I was gonna do before she went into the hospital and I gotta make sure I've got all her kids ready to stay at my house or at Mom's."
"Liz, calm down. She just went in. It'll be hours." Will rose to see her to the door.
"Fat lot you know. You weren't here for any of the other births. You don't know how fast they go."
--
Kathy smoothed her uniform and adjusted her antenna and got ready for the rush… of two. She'd already taken three breaks just because she could. No one had gotten back from Christmas break yet and school wasn't for another week. No tips, except that quarter from the 100 year old Mr. Greer who had been patronizing the Crashdown since before it was called the Crashdown. Of course, it was as she was engaging in the most childlike behavior, spinning around on a stool, that Adam Fiero took a seat at the counter. "Your bell's broken."
She gasped and shot off the stool. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear. Um, welcome to the Crashdown."
"I didn't know you worked here." Hands in his jacket and head tilted, he looked like heaven to her starved eyes.
"Usually just part time." Kathy busied herself with finding a menu. "My grandparents own the place."
"I don't usually come in here. I'm waiting for my brother to get out of his dentist appointment." Adam shrugged. He looked over the menu and she waited for what seemed like a long time before he ordered. "Hey, I didn't know you ran." She blinked at him and so he elaborated. "I saw you this morning, early… over on Elm, with your brother, I think."
"Saturday mornings when I don't work. My dad makes us go." She tried to look embarrassed by that as she tacked the order on the rack.
"You ever think of joining track?"
"No." She turned to look at him and he was staring at her. "Not really. I'm not a sporty person. Besides, if I work less, I lose anticipated money I was going to use to convince my father to buy me a car."
"That I completely understand. My dad 'gave' me his old Camaro but he's been docking my allowance and withholding extraneous chore money as payment for the piece of shit. But, I get to take it to Santa Fe in the fall and that will be worth it."
"Really? That's where I'm going." A smile spread over her face. College away from home was much less daunting if she had a boyfriend she was familiar with by the time she left.
"You sound sure. April's the month, you know." Adam leaned over the counter.
"If you waited until after SATs to apply. Some of us are smart. Some of us are just buying time in this little town. My plans are set. Car or not, I'm going." She turned to retrieve his order. "You want something to drink with that?"
"Water. I'm in training."
"You just ordered the greasiest thing we serve."
"Eh, school doesn't start for a week and practices aren't serious until February. Besides, I'll have to build up my tolerance if you won't join track. I'm only here for the scenery."
Kathy blushed a deep red. "I'll be right back, I have to check on my other customers."
--
Isabel lay on the bed and breathed through another contraction while the nurse hooked her up to an IV. "Is he here yet?"
"Dr. Beacham will be here soon." The nurse murmured as she check the machines to make sure they were hooked up.
"Dr. Beacham is not my doctor." Isabel bit out.
"Dr. Beacham is the obstetrician on call."
"Listen, you—"
"Mom." Alex pleaded with her. He had just returned from calling Max for the third time. "He'll be here." He felt bad. He had dropped a bomb on her in a supermarket and she had gone into labor, early.
"Mrs. Valenti, I’m Dr. Beacham." The woman spoke as she walked in, eying the chart in her hand.
"Alex, get her out of here." Isabel ordered as the pain subsided.
"Mrs. Valenti, I'm here to help. How are we feeling?"
"Like you need to get out of this room." She lowered her head onto her pillow and shifted onto her side away from the doctor. "Alex, beep him again."
"I just beeped him, he'll be here. Kathy said they were having coffee at the Crashdown this morning. They probably got stuck in traffic." He could tell she was trying to stay calm but something else was bothering her. "They'll both be here."
"I'll kill them both if they're not."
"Relax." Max ordered as he held the door open for Jesse, who was pulling on his scrubs. "We just stopped for a moment to get ready." He took the chart from an annoyed Dr. Beacham. "Thank you, but I've got it from here."
"Alex, the CD player?"
"In the car, I'll get it." Alex nodded when Jesse showed him the disc.
"You've got it?" Isabel smiled when she saw it. They had been experimenting with ways to keep her calm in the mêlée but few things even seemed like they would work. Kyle always had a way to keep her calm and focused. Jesse still didn't know her that well.
"You relax, and just let me know when another contraction hits." Max took a seat. "Calm down and just focus on breathing."
--
Beth wanted to be outside but her mother had picked them up at the park and now they were getting ready for a couple of weeks of sleepovers with the cousins. Liz moved quickly, making lunch for her little ones and for her sister-in-law's. "Your mommy is okay but she needs some rest."
Liberty just nodded and curled up on the couch. "I know. Alex said."
"I want Mommy." Kyle said for the hundredth time.
"I know but it's just for a week, until the baby comes." Liz reassured them, weakly. She tried to stay calm but she caught Beth rubbing her head. "Sweetie, go lay down."
"I don't want to." Beth bit out and stabbed her sandwich with a butter knife. "When's Daddy coming home?"
"When he's sure your aunt is resting okay." Liz told her and lifted Davey into his chair. "Come on guys, let's eat."
"They're not hungry." Danny told his mother as he wandered into the room, a school book in his hand. "They're worried."
"I know that but they still have to eat."
"Is Alex staying too?" Danny prodded as he looked over the crowded table.
"He wouldn't say, I think he's going to stay at his grandparents until we're sure what's going on." Liz sat and just… sat. She was tired from trying not to think about it. "It's all going to be okay but we have to help out."
"Munchkins, eat up. We'll go for a ride later." He told his little cousins but they just picked at their food. "We'll catch a movie." They just poked their chips into their sandwiches. He knew that worry. He had watched his father fading away in bed and they couldn't even see their mother or know for sure what was happening. "Dad can't help?"
"He's doing what he can but babies are… fragile." Liz sighed. They were all worried.
--
Michael hung up the phone and turned to his family. "It's Isabel. She's behaving like she's in labor but nothing else is happening. It could put stress on the baby."
"Is she going to be okay?" Oriel subconsciously held her baby tighter against her body.
"Max doesn't know what to think right now. He's trying to get her under control but he's thinking she needs to stay in the hospital until the baby is born." He leaned on the table and stared out the window. "I knew something bad was going to happen with this baby."
--
"But she's okay?" Diane pressed her son.
"Yeah, sure. Right now she's fine." Max leaned on the wall behind him. "I had to experimentally give her some drugs to stop the contractions. I know that all of my superiors are watching me because they think I'm in some kind of cult and so far… they've let me get away with a lot but if they think I'm putting her in danger, they'll try to take over and I can't let them. They'll do blood tests and amniotic fluid tests without me and I can't cover what I don't know."
"Are they going to be okay?" Alex had refused to leave the hospital.
"I can only hope. Nothing like this has ever happened before." He told the boy.
"It's my fault. I told her I was going away to college." Alex sank into a chair. "I should have waited until after the baby was born."
"Honey." Diane took a seat next to her grandson. "I'm sure that had nothing to do with it. She puts a lot of pressure on herself, you know that. She's a single parent now, she's got three and a half kids, full work load until yesterday, she's taking care of her father-in-law… she's doing the best she can… and she doesn't think it's good enough."
"I know."
Max crouched in front of his nephew. "It's not your fault and when I let you in there, you're going to act like everything's fine. Don't be worried, don't get upset. She'll be okay. I'll make sure of it." He rubbed the boy's shoulders. "Are you coming home with me tonight?"
"I'm… gonna check in on Grampa and then head over to the Whitmans. I'll be over in the morning to help get the munchkins under control."
"Alright. Go visit with your mother." Max let him up and watched him enter the room. "He's really upset."
"He's like his mother that way, blaming himself for things he's got no control over." Diane hugged her son. "It's bad, isn't it?"
"The baby is coming the next time she gets a contraction. I can feel it. Isabel's not ready for it but it's coming."
"What do you think happened?"
"It's like you said. She puts pressure on herself and this is the first time she's tried to do it alone. She's not accepting help from anyone… except you." Max kissed his mother's cheek. "You should talk to her."
TBC
90A
The Fate of Destiny Part 90
"Here she is." Max handed the baby to Jesse after he had handed the scissors to the attendant. "She's gorgeous. Congratulations."
"Yeah." Jesse nodded but couldn't find more words. He had a daughter. She cried and her bottom lip stuck out of her little red face. Dark whorls of hair on her head that could grow into an unruly mess when she got older and he looked forward to it. It had been a hard labor. He and Isabel had run law exercises as her focus point and it seemed to have worked. It was the dynamic they had. Isabel. She lay back on the bed and waited her turn. She was crying and he couldn't tell if the tears were good or bad. She and her brother exchanged a few inaudible words before he left them alone. Jesse just wished he knew her better so he would know what to do.
--
When Isabel came to, there were four people in her room. Her mother was pacing the room with the baby. Jesse's mother seemed to be lecturing him rapidly in Spanish and Max was standing at the foot of the bed with her chart open. "There you are. You're missing the party."
"I just brought life into the world. I think I'm granted a few moments to sleep while everyone but me is holding my baby." Isabel winced as she shifted on the bed. "Hi Mom."
"Sweetie." Diane nodded but didn't take her eyes off her grandchild. "She's so beautiful. She looks like her father."
"Her mother's nose." Irene chimed in before falling silent, which Jesse seemed to welcome.
"Lucky girl." Jesse fingered his nose for a second and patted his pockets. "I was just on my way to go deliver the good news to the kids."
"Could you bring them? Later?" Isabel felt herself drifting off again. She was so tired.
"Sure. Tomorrow, when you've rested." Jesse glanced at Max, who nodded, and escaped out the door.
"Tomorrow, Max?" She whined.
"You're tired. You need to rest. You've got two doting grandmothers here to get you anything you need. The most important thing is if you need to sleep that you do so. I don't have to tell you that this was a very difficult labor." Max squeezed her foot. "Go to bed, sleepyhead."
"In a minute." Isabel shook her head. "Mom. Could you?"
"She's right here." Diane took a seat next to the bed with the baby. "So, what's her name?"
"I thought Jesse already did that part."
"So… R.N.R. huh. She's gonna get laughed at." Max warned.
"Regina Nicole is a good name."
"Regina was my mother's name." Irene spoke up but seemed determined to become invisible again.
"Nicole was your grandmother's name." Diane pitched in. "It's a good name. Jesse just wanted to make sure before he signed anything. Women say some crazy things just after labor. I was almost Dionne Veruca… So Regina Nicole Valenti?"
"Ramirez. I want her to have his name. It's her name too." Isabel nodded as she touched her baby's face. "She does look like him, doesn't she."
--
"Here, I thought this was interesting." Will mumbled around a mouthful of salad and motioned for her to pick up the report that lay forgotten on the edge of her desk. "The Burkhardt daughter is offering a reward to anyone with any information."
Liz ran her eyes over the pages. General descriptions of the way Penny had looked when she had herself committed. Approximate age of the child… "She's desperate."
"Probably going senile."
"She's not that old."
"No but there's history of mental illness… Penny committed herself after all."
"Penny Burkhardt wasn't crazy." She shook her head and set the file aside. "She was… traumatized. I mean… running off to get married because she's gonna have a baby and then whoosh… abducted by aliens. Probed and prodded and experimented on… Then to have so much trouble later with the birthing and all those miscarriages… Losing her husband to a blood disease that could very well could have begun the day they were taken."
"Liz. Hey, Ryan wants to know when the science fair stuff is going up." A teacher poked his head in the door.
"Next week. Posters, submission forms… all that. Up and ready to go Monday morning." She waved him off and continued her lunch.
"How are the young minds of America?" Will mused as he studied the walls.
"I'd like to know the same thing. You can't tell by their grades." Victor snorted tapped the wall just inside the door.
"Later Vic." Liz nodded as the teacher exited. "Will, is Moneybags ever going to get back to us?"
"I don't know. I'm tempted to call him up but I like the way my lungs continue to process air and feed my brain with the impulses to keep my heart beating."
"Thank you for the physiology lesson."
--
Alex tossed his napkin down the steps. It fluttered for a moment then blew away. "So she's okay?"
"More than okay." Jesse nodded and pointed to a trashcan. "She's asking for you kids already but she needs to rest today. I'll take you all in tomorrow."
"She's okay? Really?"
"Yeah. She's butting heads with your uncle already… doing the Mommy-baby hog thing mothers do. Max says that so long as she gets her rest, she'll be up and around in no time… bossing everyone around the way she likes to do."
"She does, doesn't she." Alex smiled a little. "The annoying part if you happen to be under the curse of her blood." He crumpled up his lunch sack. "Uncle Max always used to tell me that she had been training to be a mother all her life. Bossy from the get-go."
"If you want, I can take you now."
There hadn't been much opportunity for them to talk, alone, without Isabel around. Alex sipped his orange soda and looked around the stadium. No one around. "I'm too old for the fairy tales my mother tells my sister. I know how things work, how the world works. I know who my mother is, what she looks like, how she affects people…" His fingers danced over his scars for a second. It had been a year but they were there, faint reminders. "You're not the first person to fall in love with her, you know. She can't help it. It happens all the time. Everyone who meets her, loves her… except for… you know… Lynette's mom. You're just the first one in a long time that she even considered for… how ever long it took to do the deed."
"I'm not sure we should be talking about this stuff." Jesse cleared his throat.
"Do you know what it's like to know intimate details about your mother out of necessity? The gossip in this town is stifling and I've had to ask her many things that she'd rather not share with her son. There have been remarkably few men in her life considering… everything. Don't think you meant nothing to her… Right now, she's all about the baby and she's still all about Dad… she won't be any good for you for a long time."
"I know that."
"At least one of you does. She doesn't know which way is up these days. She thinks I don't see her crying but she does… all the time… even when she doesn't shed a tear. She beats herself up all the time… She blames herself for Dad dying… but… she hasn't been to visit him. My real dad… she visited him all the time… even after she got married. She goes through these periods of intense remorse. The last time was just a couple of years ago. Nobody could get close to her. Sometimes I think it's the alien in her. That person she used to be. She… blames herself for everything. To Mom and Dad, the end was a swift and unexpected thing but they haven't been right since then. They had their moments but since the last time she got all distant… she hasn't been right with me either."
"What did she do?" Jesse stared at his hands.
"It's nothing she really did. But she looked at me one day and she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at him in me and when she said my name… she was really saying his name." He shrugged and stared out at the field. "I know that I was named after him and I know that everyone says I look just like him…"
"So you ran away…"
"She told you." Alex shook his head to himself. He hated to see her in pain and he had no one to talk about it with. No one who could really understand. "I don't think she knows she does it. I'm her son, not her best friend…"
"It's okay to be friends with your mother, it's lucky even… to have a good relationship with your mother."
"It should be… but for me it's not. I'm not him. I won't ever be him. And you can't be my dad… understand that."
"I'm not trying—"
"No… I mean… for her. You can't be him for her. You have to be you for her. Whatever it is that she sees in you. Be that for her." Alex pressed. "I can only be me for her… and I'm starting to realize what that means and what I have to do."
--
"Excuse me, is that room 419?"
"Pardon?" Max turned at the voice and froze. The woman seemed stuck as well. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Mason?" Her hair was silver but the eyes were a deep familiar brown, the shape of her lips, the slope of her nose, her height… all very familiar. The way she struggled for words. "Adele said you were dead."
"Adele?" Max whispered. Even as he said the name, he recognized it. He was going to hyperventilate.
"Your wife."
"Ma'am… I'm not him." Max had put it all together. He had thought Goldblum had prevented this. Maybe she had seen right through the hoops he had set up for her. Anger. There. That's what he needed, to find the anger. "Did… Adele tell you what he did?"
"I don't believe it. Not for a second." She shook her head and the determination in her face said that he didn't want to argue with her. "Mason was always a good boy…"
"Then how do you explain to me? And what he did to my son?" Max caught himself and lowered his voice. The nurses were already staring. "I don't want you to take it personally but you are not getting in to see my sister. I will have this ward locked up within the hour." He hated to do it but Isabel wouldn't be able to take this meeting. He wasn't sure he was handling it at all in any sense of well. He was afraid, he was angry. Despite the rather large age difference, this woman was like his sister. They shared most of the same genes… at least all the ones they got from Mason Sr. Max tapped the chart against his leg. The options were all tugging at his brain. Isabel would at least like to know that the woman had shown up. "How did you find out where she was?"
"Florist receipt. I traced it back to her law firm… the young man at the desk said she was having a baby. I saw her picture in the law library. Just like Mom."
Max felt his hand shaking but ignored it. "I can't let you in to see her."
"You said she was your sister… but… I don't see how… My brother would have told me if he had another son… you must be a few years younger than Mason but I really don't see how…"
"You have to leave." He insisted, nearly choking on his words.
"My name is Christine. Penelope Burkhardt was Isabel's mother. I'm certain of it. The family resemblance alone is proof. She's my sister."
Max had to get away from her. "Prove it." He strode to the nurses' station and left his orders that no one be allowed into Isabel's room. He brushed past Christine and leaned against the door once on the other side. His mother and Isabel both looked at him strangely and he wasn't sure what he should tell them.
--
Kathy felt like a complete dork sitting in the stands and watching people running around and jumping hurdles and hurtling small, but heavy balls through the air. She had promised Adam she'd meet him after practice but she wanted to see what it was he was doing and he seemed to be doing it all. Sprints, shot put, high jump. All around athlete. He was on the basketball team too if she remembered correctly. She felt the presence beside her but had trouble tearing her eyes from Adam's form as he sailed over the bar and landed on the matt.
"I always think those guys will land on their heads." Jacobi followed her gaze. "You avoiding me?"
"For a change?" She shrugged. "Didn't think you'd want to talk to me. I've got this tendency to talk about Adam a lot these days."
"It bothers me but… I'd miss talking to you more than I would hate listening to you talk about him." They never let their eyes meet. It was one of those intimate conversations that screamed from the lack of honesty. The talking around the issues and each other. "So, the emptied-headed-jock thing is what you're into these days."
"Don't know. We've just been talking." She set her eyes back on the jocks. "It's a casual thing. Just for the spring… maybe the summer if it works out."
"Don't tell him."
"I hadn't planned on it."
"Is it really fair to get close to people without telling them the truth?"
"Is it really fair to tell people just to feel closer even if it screws up their lives?" she countered. "I just started talking to him. I'm not going to tell him anytime soon. If I hear wedding bells… I might." She met his eyes for the first time in months.
"Oh."
--
Danny slid into the seat next to Emily in the library. "Okay, so I got it. You do your basics here. Ace them all and get a scholarship to Tech. We'll get an apartment and it's not that far away. You can come home to visit on weekends, on breaks."
Emily turned to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because… we've been together for how long? We don't even know. We just were one day. Two years. Two and a half. Three? Danny… I'd like to be myself somewhere… not just half of Danny and Emmy." She took both his hands in hers so he could feel what she felt about their situation. "We'll keep. You come home to visit on weekends and breaks… Then I'm going to Santa Fe and we'll road-trip to see each other. We will have our entire lives to be Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Parker Evans. If I go anywhere with you… I'll be what I am now… Danny's biker girlfriend."
"No one calls you that."
"Not to my face."
--
Will was calling in resources all over the place. Max was furious and demanded something that could make Christine Burkhardt-Williams go away. He typed furiously to get into medical records but most of them were sealed. When his door opened, his head snapped up. A man in a tan trench coat held out a bundle of files. "What's this?"
"It's what you asked for. There's more but you only get what you asked for."
"Who are you?"
"I'm the boss." He straightened his lapels and walked out the door again.
Will looked at the bundle and the one on top was the one he'd been trying to access for an hour. Penelope Burkhardt's medical file from the hospital where she'd had herself committed. Beneath that was a map to an unnamed tomb in France. Beneath that was a report from two eye witnesses aboard the downed '47 craft.
TBC Next Post
"Here she is." Max handed the baby to Jesse after he had handed the scissors to the attendant. "She's gorgeous. Congratulations."
"Yeah." Jesse nodded but couldn't find more words. He had a daughter. She cried and her bottom lip stuck out of her little red face. Dark whorls of hair on her head that could grow into an unruly mess when she got older and he looked forward to it. It had been a hard labor. He and Isabel had run law exercises as her focus point and it seemed to have worked. It was the dynamic they had. Isabel. She lay back on the bed and waited her turn. She was crying and he couldn't tell if the tears were good or bad. She and her brother exchanged a few inaudible words before he left them alone. Jesse just wished he knew her better so he would know what to do.
--
When Isabel came to, there were four people in her room. Her mother was pacing the room with the baby. Jesse's mother seemed to be lecturing him rapidly in Spanish and Max was standing at the foot of the bed with her chart open. "There you are. You're missing the party."
"I just brought life into the world. I think I'm granted a few moments to sleep while everyone but me is holding my baby." Isabel winced as she shifted on the bed. "Hi Mom."
"Sweetie." Diane nodded but didn't take her eyes off her grandchild. "She's so beautiful. She looks like her father."
"Her mother's nose." Irene chimed in before falling silent, which Jesse seemed to welcome.
"Lucky girl." Jesse fingered his nose for a second and patted his pockets. "I was just on my way to go deliver the good news to the kids."
"Could you bring them? Later?" Isabel felt herself drifting off again. She was so tired.
"Sure. Tomorrow, when you've rested." Jesse glanced at Max, who nodded, and escaped out the door.
"Tomorrow, Max?" She whined.
"You're tired. You need to rest. You've got two doting grandmothers here to get you anything you need. The most important thing is if you need to sleep that you do so. I don't have to tell you that this was a very difficult labor." Max squeezed her foot. "Go to bed, sleepyhead."
"In a minute." Isabel shook her head. "Mom. Could you?"
"She's right here." Diane took a seat next to the bed with the baby. "So, what's her name?"
"I thought Jesse already did that part."
"So… R.N.R. huh. She's gonna get laughed at." Max warned.
"Regina Nicole is a good name."
"Regina was my mother's name." Irene spoke up but seemed determined to become invisible again.
"Nicole was your grandmother's name." Diane pitched in. "It's a good name. Jesse just wanted to make sure before he signed anything. Women say some crazy things just after labor. I was almost Dionne Veruca… So Regina Nicole Valenti?"
"Ramirez. I want her to have his name. It's her name too." Isabel nodded as she touched her baby's face. "She does look like him, doesn't she."
--
"Here, I thought this was interesting." Will mumbled around a mouthful of salad and motioned for her to pick up the report that lay forgotten on the edge of her desk. "The Burkhardt daughter is offering a reward to anyone with any information."
Liz ran her eyes over the pages. General descriptions of the way Penny had looked when she had herself committed. Approximate age of the child… "She's desperate."
"Probably going senile."
"She's not that old."
"No but there's history of mental illness… Penny committed herself after all."
"Penny Burkhardt wasn't crazy." She shook her head and set the file aside. "She was… traumatized. I mean… running off to get married because she's gonna have a baby and then whoosh… abducted by aliens. Probed and prodded and experimented on… Then to have so much trouble later with the birthing and all those miscarriages… Losing her husband to a blood disease that could very well could have begun the day they were taken."
"Liz. Hey, Ryan wants to know when the science fair stuff is going up." A teacher poked his head in the door.
"Next week. Posters, submission forms… all that. Up and ready to go Monday morning." She waved him off and continued her lunch.
"How are the young minds of America?" Will mused as he studied the walls.
"I'd like to know the same thing. You can't tell by their grades." Victor snorted tapped the wall just inside the door.
"Later Vic." Liz nodded as the teacher exited. "Will, is Moneybags ever going to get back to us?"
"I don't know. I'm tempted to call him up but I like the way my lungs continue to process air and feed my brain with the impulses to keep my heart beating."
"Thank you for the physiology lesson."
--
Alex tossed his napkin down the steps. It fluttered for a moment then blew away. "So she's okay?"
"More than okay." Jesse nodded and pointed to a trashcan. "She's asking for you kids already but she needs to rest today. I'll take you all in tomorrow."
"She's okay? Really?"
"Yeah. She's butting heads with your uncle already… doing the Mommy-baby hog thing mothers do. Max says that so long as she gets her rest, she'll be up and around in no time… bossing everyone around the way she likes to do."
"She does, doesn't she." Alex smiled a little. "The annoying part if you happen to be under the curse of her blood." He crumpled up his lunch sack. "Uncle Max always used to tell me that she had been training to be a mother all her life. Bossy from the get-go."
"If you want, I can take you now."
There hadn't been much opportunity for them to talk, alone, without Isabel around. Alex sipped his orange soda and looked around the stadium. No one around. "I'm too old for the fairy tales my mother tells my sister. I know how things work, how the world works. I know who my mother is, what she looks like, how she affects people…" His fingers danced over his scars for a second. It had been a year but they were there, faint reminders. "You're not the first person to fall in love with her, you know. She can't help it. It happens all the time. Everyone who meets her, loves her… except for… you know… Lynette's mom. You're just the first one in a long time that she even considered for… how ever long it took to do the deed."
"I'm not sure we should be talking about this stuff." Jesse cleared his throat.
"Do you know what it's like to know intimate details about your mother out of necessity? The gossip in this town is stifling and I've had to ask her many things that she'd rather not share with her son. There have been remarkably few men in her life considering… everything. Don't think you meant nothing to her… Right now, she's all about the baby and she's still all about Dad… she won't be any good for you for a long time."
"I know that."
"At least one of you does. She doesn't know which way is up these days. She thinks I don't see her crying but she does… all the time… even when she doesn't shed a tear. She beats herself up all the time… She blames herself for Dad dying… but… she hasn't been to visit him. My real dad… she visited him all the time… even after she got married. She goes through these periods of intense remorse. The last time was just a couple of years ago. Nobody could get close to her. Sometimes I think it's the alien in her. That person she used to be. She… blames herself for everything. To Mom and Dad, the end was a swift and unexpected thing but they haven't been right since then. They had their moments but since the last time she got all distant… she hasn't been right with me either."
"What did she do?" Jesse stared at his hands.
"It's nothing she really did. But she looked at me one day and she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at him in me and when she said my name… she was really saying his name." He shrugged and stared out at the field. "I know that I was named after him and I know that everyone says I look just like him…"
"So you ran away…"
"She told you." Alex shook his head to himself. He hated to see her in pain and he had no one to talk about it with. No one who could really understand. "I don't think she knows she does it. I'm her son, not her best friend…"
"It's okay to be friends with your mother, it's lucky even… to have a good relationship with your mother."
"It should be… but for me it's not. I'm not him. I won't ever be him. And you can't be my dad… understand that."
"I'm not trying—"
"No… I mean… for her. You can't be him for her. You have to be you for her. Whatever it is that she sees in you. Be that for her." Alex pressed. "I can only be me for her… and I'm starting to realize what that means and what I have to do."
--
"Excuse me, is that room 419?"
"Pardon?" Max turned at the voice and froze. The woman seemed stuck as well. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Mason?" Her hair was silver but the eyes were a deep familiar brown, the shape of her lips, the slope of her nose, her height… all very familiar. The way she struggled for words. "Adele said you were dead."
"Adele?" Max whispered. Even as he said the name, he recognized it. He was going to hyperventilate.
"Your wife."
"Ma'am… I'm not him." Max had put it all together. He had thought Goldblum had prevented this. Maybe she had seen right through the hoops he had set up for her. Anger. There. That's what he needed, to find the anger. "Did… Adele tell you what he did?"
"I don't believe it. Not for a second." She shook her head and the determination in her face said that he didn't want to argue with her. "Mason was always a good boy…"
"Then how do you explain to me? And what he did to my son?" Max caught himself and lowered his voice. The nurses were already staring. "I don't want you to take it personally but you are not getting in to see my sister. I will have this ward locked up within the hour." He hated to do it but Isabel wouldn't be able to take this meeting. He wasn't sure he was handling it at all in any sense of well. He was afraid, he was angry. Despite the rather large age difference, this woman was like his sister. They shared most of the same genes… at least all the ones they got from Mason Sr. Max tapped the chart against his leg. The options were all tugging at his brain. Isabel would at least like to know that the woman had shown up. "How did you find out where she was?"
"Florist receipt. I traced it back to her law firm… the young man at the desk said she was having a baby. I saw her picture in the law library. Just like Mom."
Max felt his hand shaking but ignored it. "I can't let you in to see her."
"You said she was your sister… but… I don't see how… My brother would have told me if he had another son… you must be a few years younger than Mason but I really don't see how…"
"You have to leave." He insisted, nearly choking on his words.
"My name is Christine. Penelope Burkhardt was Isabel's mother. I'm certain of it. The family resemblance alone is proof. She's my sister."
Max had to get away from her. "Prove it." He strode to the nurses' station and left his orders that no one be allowed into Isabel's room. He brushed past Christine and leaned against the door once on the other side. His mother and Isabel both looked at him strangely and he wasn't sure what he should tell them.
--
Kathy felt like a complete dork sitting in the stands and watching people running around and jumping hurdles and hurtling small, but heavy balls through the air. She had promised Adam she'd meet him after practice but she wanted to see what it was he was doing and he seemed to be doing it all. Sprints, shot put, high jump. All around athlete. He was on the basketball team too if she remembered correctly. She felt the presence beside her but had trouble tearing her eyes from Adam's form as he sailed over the bar and landed on the matt.
"I always think those guys will land on their heads." Jacobi followed her gaze. "You avoiding me?"
"For a change?" She shrugged. "Didn't think you'd want to talk to me. I've got this tendency to talk about Adam a lot these days."
"It bothers me but… I'd miss talking to you more than I would hate listening to you talk about him." They never let their eyes meet. It was one of those intimate conversations that screamed from the lack of honesty. The talking around the issues and each other. "So, the emptied-headed-jock thing is what you're into these days."
"Don't know. We've just been talking." She set her eyes back on the jocks. "It's a casual thing. Just for the spring… maybe the summer if it works out."
"Don't tell him."
"I hadn't planned on it."
"Is it really fair to get close to people without telling them the truth?"
"Is it really fair to tell people just to feel closer even if it screws up their lives?" she countered. "I just started talking to him. I'm not going to tell him anytime soon. If I hear wedding bells… I might." She met his eyes for the first time in months.
"Oh."
--
Danny slid into the seat next to Emily in the library. "Okay, so I got it. You do your basics here. Ace them all and get a scholarship to Tech. We'll get an apartment and it's not that far away. You can come home to visit on weekends, on breaks."
Emily turned to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because… we've been together for how long? We don't even know. We just were one day. Two years. Two and a half. Three? Danny… I'd like to be myself somewhere… not just half of Danny and Emmy." She took both his hands in hers so he could feel what she felt about their situation. "We'll keep. You come home to visit on weekends and breaks… Then I'm going to Santa Fe and we'll road-trip to see each other. We will have our entire lives to be Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Parker Evans. If I go anywhere with you… I'll be what I am now… Danny's biker girlfriend."
"No one calls you that."
"Not to my face."
--
Will was calling in resources all over the place. Max was furious and demanded something that could make Christine Burkhardt-Williams go away. He typed furiously to get into medical records but most of them were sealed. When his door opened, his head snapped up. A man in a tan trench coat held out a bundle of files. "What's this?"
"It's what you asked for. There's more but you only get what you asked for."
"Who are you?"
"I'm the boss." He straightened his lapels and walked out the door again.
Will looked at the bundle and the one on top was the one he'd been trying to access for an hour. Penelope Burkhardt's medical file from the hospital where she'd had herself committed. Beneath that was a map to an unnamed tomb in France. Beneath that was a report from two eye witnesses aboard the downed '47 craft.
TBC Next Post