Part 1--
David got into bed with Jordan after a long day of family, friends, and chasing his little girls around.
"I never knew how hard you work here at home just taking care of the girls," he said as he wrapped his arms gingerly around Jordan's waist. "They just about wipe me out. But, I have to agree with you that playing referee is not fun after a while. I didn't realize how much those girls fight, and they're not even two yet!"
"Welcome to my world, baby," Jordan said. "And you want to do this again with boys?"
"Boys would probably be easier," David said as he reached over to turn off the light. "I know what boys are like. I was one."
"Still nothing on that, is there?" asked Jordan.
"No, angel, not yet."
"Maybe we should just think about adopting a baby boy if this doesn't work out," Jordan said.
"We could look into it, Jordan," David said; "but..."
Jordan knew the next thing that would come out of her husband's mouth. Adopting a child would make it legally theirs, but not biologically theirs.
Jordan turned over to face David. "Baby, I know you want a son that's yours, and that's why I don't want to give up on the surrogacy thing quite yet."
"I know it sounds selfish, Jordan," David said. Jordan knew him too well.
"I want a son, too, David," said Jordan. "The girls are great, but I grew up with brothers and kind of wanted boys when I was younger. So, if you think you're being selfish, then so am I."
"We should get to sleep, though," David said. "Joe and his family are leaving tomorrow."
"I know," Jordan said. "I'm going to miss them a lot. But it's their life and who are we to stop them?"
"Just the opposite of what your father thought," David observed.
"Exactly," said Jordan. "Once they leave the nest, it's their life. Not mine, or yours, or anyone else's. If my daughters want to marry pygmies from Borneo, that's their business, and their life."
"Where the fuck did you come up with Borneo?" David said, laughing.
"I have no idea," Jordan said. "It just flew out of my mouth."
David kissed his wife. "That's part of why I love you so much, my angel."
Jordan snuggled up against him. It was the one place she felt truly safe.
----------
Jayme got lost twice on the way to Neil's house on the Eastern Shore. Once she was on the right track, it didn't take her long at all to find the little house near the beach.
It was naturally shaded from the road, which is why Neil had marked the driveway on the map. The sign said "The House of Hope", and Jayme thought that was a nice sentiment.
She remembered the family history that Neil had told her. When his mother left his father, this was the house she brought them to. Neil's grandparents lived here until their deaths many years before. Since Neil was the only living member of the family, the house became his alone after his sister died.
Nicollet Hope Grandy brought her children here, changed their names from Grandy to Hope, and divorced their father. She dropped the Grandy name after the divorce was final.
Now, Neil waited in that little house for her. Jayme felt apprehenisive and excited all at once. She had no idea what Neil wanted to show her. She hoped and prayed that the House of Hope still lived up to the same values his grandparents tried to instill in their grandson.
Jayme pulled up to the house and parked next to a dark blue BMW with old Maryland plates. She remembered this as the car that the President didn't know about. She didn't know about the house, either.
Jayme got out and looked up at the house. She got the same feeling here that she had at her mother's house. Warmth. Love. Acceptance.
Please, Neil, she thought, please be a different man than the one you were before.
----------
Julia laid against Ryan's sleeping form early that morning, knowing her brother and his family were leaving that afternoon to return to Kittery.
She was thinking about babies. Babies that she and Ryan could have if she wasn't still so young. Julia knew that Ryan wanted children with her, but agreed to wait until she was ready.
She wanted boys she could name after her brothers and her biological father. She wanted girls that she wanted to give unique names to... as long as they sounded good with Summers. Julia liked the name Kiera, but Nik and KateLynn gave that as a middle name for their daughter, Sandrina.
Julia got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. She turned on the water and got it to a comfortable temperature before she undressed and got in.
She had just started to soap up her body when she heard Ryan calling after her.
"In the shower, baby."
Ryan turned on the light in the bathroom. "Why do you take showers in the dark, Jules?"
"It's relaxing," she replied.
"Are you stressed?"
"No," Julia said. "I just like doing it this way."
"So I should turn the light off?"
"If you don't mind too much, yes, please."
Soon, Ryan had joined her in the shower. "You like to fuck in the dark, shower in the dark...is there anything you don't like to do in the dark, Julia?"
Julia turned around to face him. "I'm an assassin, I do everything in the dark, baby...everything I can get away with."
"How about fucking in the shower in the dark?"
Julia felt Ryan's hands on her soapy body and said,
"Yes, please..."
----------
She had been recalled to the Arlington Sector office for a meeting, so following Lane Sizemore would have to wait until she was done with this meeting.
The Director herself greeted her when she arrived. "Angela, there has been a change in plans with Lane Sizemore."
"What kind of change?"
"We're sending you for further training," Madame Director said.
"Am I not good enough now?" asked Angela.
"It's not that, Angela," Madame Director said; "You've been chosen for the Black Ops training, and we're sending you to the Chicagoland compound to be trained by Morbus."
"I'm honored, Madame Director," Angela said. It was a big step up in her career as a spy to be trained by the virtually indestructible bodyguard.
"I'm glad," said Madame Director; "Not many females get this training. You'll be the only female in your class, and the fifth female to be on the Black Ops team."
"I'll show them what I can do, Madame Director," Angela said. "I will not disappoint you."
"You haven't so far, Angela," Madame Director said. "That's why I recommended you."
"Thank you for your confidence in me, Madame Director," Angela said. "When do I leave for Chicagoland?"
"This evening. A cab will come get you at the hotel we have you set up in now. I'm glad to be getting you out of there," Madame Director said. "At Chicagoland, you'll be staying in a dormitory with three other females who have completed training. They're going to teach you how to use your sexuality to get close to your targets. Morbus will teach you everything else."
"I'm looking forward to getting out of that shithole myself," Angela said. "Too much temptation for me there."
"You mean the drugs and the sex?"
Angela dropped her head. "Yes, Madame Director."
"You been using again?"
"Off and on. Mostly off."
"Do you need detox first?"
"I don't think so," Angela said. "I find that I use when I'm in pain from my accident six years ago, but haven't used in the last 72 hours."
"It surprises me you're not a full blown addict, Angela," Madame Director said.
"I've always been good at chemistry, so I have figured out how much I need to do the job I want it to do. Strictly pain relief."
"That's what heroin was originally used for," Madame Director said. "But it's still illegal, and you won't find it where you're going."
"I know. I can stay clean. I have a purpose now. I'm helping the cause. I just wish I didn't have so much pain."
"There is a full hospital and clinic on the compound, so if you need to see someone about your physical pain, I strongly suggest that you do so and not self medicate with illegal substances," said Madame Director.
"I'll keep that in mind. It'll be good to see real doctors again," Angela said.
"You can use your chemistry knowledge there," Madame Director said. "Let Morbus know about your abilities and he'll probably see where he could use them."
"I look forward to meeting him, Madame Director," Angela said. "At least he won't be put off by all these scars like others are."
"This is true," Madame Director said.
After getting final instructions, Angela left the Director's office and headed back to the hotel to pack for her trip to Chicagoland. Maybe I can see if I can finally meet my cousin while I'm there.
The Director looked out the window watching Angela leave. She felt motherly towards the troubled young woman whom she trained herself. The Director knew what it was like to grow up without a mother and to pretend to be someone she wasn't.
"I have complete faith in you, Jessikah," she said aloud. "I know you won't let me down."
----------
Jayme walked up the short steps to the front door, but before she could knock on it, Neil had opened it. He had a big smile on his face.
She noticed he seemed a lot less stressed that he had been the last time she saw him. He looked like a different person. If those are the kinds of changes you want to show me, Neil, Jayme thought, then what you did was the right thing for you.
"Jayme!" Neil said; "It's so good to see you, sweetheart!" He gave her a hug that seemed to last forever. He kissed the top of her head and brought her inside.
Jayme noticed that the interior of the house seemed little changed in the years since Neil's grandparents died. Maybe this is what he needed, she thought. A little bit of calm in the midst of chaos.
"It's good to see you, too, Neil," Jayme said. "You look great!"
"I'm finally at peace for the first time in my life," Neil said. "I didn't realize how much of myself I gave up to follow my misguided ambitions until I went into this program. I got to say things I didn't dare say aloud before during counselling sessions. This is why I can't go back to Sarah Kathryn, Jayme. She is part of my old world. The world that turned me into a monster."
"That is something that you still have to deal with," Jayme said. "Divorce is not easy, and yours will be especially difficult."
"I know, Jayme," Neil said. "But I have the tools to deal with it. I'm not the same man I was when I married her. I need to have a new start. I am hoping you'll agree to be part of that new start, Jayme."
"We'll have to take it as it comes, Neil," Jayme said. "As I told you before, I don't want to be caught in the middle of all this."
"I'll leave you out of all the messy stuff," said Neil. "I just want to spend time with you now. I want you to get to know the real me, and forget the horrid, unfeeling monster I was before."
"What is the new Neil like?" asked Jayme.
"He's like this..." Neil took Jayme into his arms and kissed her deeply and passionately. Jayme responded in kind.
He didn't kiss her like that before. He had always been rough with her, even with something as simple and sensual as a kiss. Now, it took on a whole new meaning, because he wanted to love her like she deserved, and not take her dignity away like she was a whore. He wanted to be her lover, and not the evil man he had been. That man caused her to lose their child; that man was the one who left her to die; that man treated her like his property, and not like a lover.
"Jayme," Neil said softly as their kiss ended; "let me show you that I can make you feel good about me, and not be afraid of me. Let me love you..."
"Please, Neil..." Jayme said; "Please..." She wasn't afraid. She was ready for this man she had grown fond of, that she had fallen hard for, to finally make love to her, and not simply fuck her.
Neil led Jayme into the small master bedroom and laid her on the bed. He removed her clothing and set it aside on a nearby chair.
"Oh, Jayme... you are so beautiful, so delicate, so soft," he said as he quickly undressed and joined her on the bed.
He loved her body; kissing, caressing, paying attention to her curves and sensitive areas. He allowed her to love on him as well. Her touch was heaven; her voice, like beautiful music. "Neil, please my darling... please love me..."
Neil entered her and they made love. Jayme couldn't get enough of this man who promised her he'd change, and he kept that promise. She was falling for him all over again.
She found that she didn't have to think about rough sex in order to reach an orgasm. Neil's attention to her gave her some of the most powerful climaxes she'd ever experienced, from him or anyone else.
They lay together afterwards, talking softly.
"Jayme," Neil said; "I've waited three long months to tell you this, and mean it... I love you with all my heart, and I want to have a life with you."
Jayme believed him. For the first time since she met him, she believed what he was saying was true. He had changed. And, she was happy.
----------
Joe and Tracy were floored by how many people came to wish them safe travels as they leave for Kittery. Even Jordan was able to stay for a few moments to see the young family off.
"You'll keep in touch, right?" asked Jordan.
"Of course we will," Tracy said. "You and David have been more than kind to us, given the circumstances on how we got to be here. You're family now, and I'm real big on that, and I know you are, too."
"I guess it's just with me being sick, I have all this time to worry about stuff," said Jordan, laughing. "I wasn't like this before. I'll be back to my old self in no time, you'll see."
"We'll be praying for you, Jordan," Tracy said as she gave Jordan a hug. "You're a pretty strong woman. That's what I hope to pass on to Danica; that it's okay to be strong."
Jordan went back to her bedroom to rest while the rest of the party went on without her.
"I expect lots of pictures!" Julia said. "Lots and lots of pictures!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Joe said. "Nothing's too good for Auntie Jules!"
Jasmine was holding Danica, cooing at her. Danica made a sound that sounded like a laugh, and that made Jasmine laugh. Jeremiah noticed this and made a mental note to himself.
All too soon, it was time for the trip to the airport. Joe, Tracy and Danica would fly into the Manchester Sector airport, where they'd be met by Tracy's father. Then they'd all drive to Kittery together.
There were many hugs and tears and promises of pictures. Jeremiah and Jasmine would drive the family to the airport.
Once they had left, everyone else sat and talked about the things going on around the compound. Niki and Kimber fell asleep on the couch, using Julia's leg as a pillow.
"Too much excitement," David said as he picked up a sleepy Kimber, while Ryan got Niki. "Too much excitement for one day. They won't even realize that Joe and Tracy are gone."
"We probably should leave, too," Julia said. "We're going to see Nik and KateLynn and the kids. Sandrina had a setback and had to be hospitalized for a couple of days, but she's home now."
"I heard that the baby had to go to the hospital," David said when he got back from putting his daughters down for their nap; "It's not easy for anyone when their little ones get sick. Tell them that Jordan and I say hello."
"We will," Ryan said. "We would have done that anyway, though."
"We're thoughtful like that, David," Julia said. "Now, go take care of Mom. She needs you."
Julia and Ryan left after that and walked over to Nik and KateLynn's.
----------
Tracy checked the departures board at O'Hare, and saw that their flight didn't leave for another two hours.
"What are we going to do for two hours, Joey?" she asked.
"Danica's sleeping, and Jere and Jasmine went to get lunch, so there really isn't anything to do," Joe said. He sat down next to the stroller where their daughter slept. She was so adorable when she was sleeping. He knew that her mama's family would love her just as much as his family did.
Jeremiah and Jasmine soon came back with sandwiches and drinks. As they sat and ate, they talked about various subjects, just to kill time.
Jeremiah, however, had a trick up his sleeve that none of the others knew about.
After about an hour, an announcement was made that Joe and Tracy's flight would be pre-boarding in fifteen minutes. Jeremiah decided that it was time to take care of some business.
"Before I let my brother go far away," he began; "I wanted to leave you with this image."
Jeremiah stood up, then knelt before Jasmine on one knee. Joe and Tracy were taken slightly off guard as soon as they realized what Jeremiah was about to do.
"Jasmine Renay Cantrell," he said, "would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Jasmine, needless to say, was speechless. She kind of knew this was coming, but she didn't think that O'Hare would be the place.
Jeremiah, meanwhile, had pulled a ring from his pocket and began to slip it on Jasmine's left ring finger. Jasmine stared at it for the longest time. It was beautiful, and she would be proud to wear it.
"Yes, Jeremiah, I'll marry you," she said, feeling tears in her eyes. She then hugged him.
The next thing they heard was applause. Not only from Joe and Tracy, but from the people waiting for the same flight.
"Whoa," Jeremiah said; "I didn't expect that!"
"That's what happens when you do that in a public place, Jere," Jasmine said, laughing. Several women wanted to see the ring, and oohs and ahhs followed.
The newly engaged couple said goodbye to Joe, Tracy, and a fussy Danica, who had been awakened by the applause garnered by her uncle's proposal. Soon, the terminal was empty and Jeremiah and Jasmine stood alone.
"I have to call my parents and tell them what just happened," Jasmine said.
"They already know, my love," replied Jeremiah.
"How?!"
"I called and talked to your father last week to get his blessing," Jeremiah said. "Needless to say, he was thrilled, as was your mom."
"You haven't even met them yet!"
"Not in person, no."
"You're a sneaky one, Jeremiah Donovan!" said Jasmine playfully. "Someone raised you right!"
"Yep," said Jeremiah, thinking about Peter and Kiera, "they sure did."
----------
Part 2--
Just as Jeremiah and Jasmine left the airport, another person was just arriving.
Angela had never been to the Chicago Sector before, and was slightly overwhelmed with everything she saw. And she hadn't even left the airport yet.
A young woman came over and asked if she was Angela Pearce, and Angela said that she was. The other woman said that Morbus had sent her to pick Angela up.
She hated to have to answer to Angela. But that's the name she'd been known by since she was released from the hospital after her car accident after someone at the hospital mixed up the charts of Jessikah Terranova and Angela Pearce. So she went home with Angela's parents, and the real Angela was buried in a cemetery in Vermont, in a grave with Jessikah's name on it.
When Angela looked at herself in the mirror in her new bedroom (one she had been in many times when she was still Jessikah), she saw why there was a mix up. She didn't look like Jessikah anymore. She didn't look like Angela, either. Somehow, someone decided that Jessikah was Angela, and Angela was Jessikah, and Angela's body was given to Jessikah's family for burial.
Angela still suffered from physical pain from the accident that her "new" parents refused to address. They only told her to tough it out, which Angela found kind of cruel, considering it took her six months to fully recover. Then she was sent to a new school in another town and only came home on weekends.
It was those weekends that were hell, Angela learned. Her new father (the real Angela's stepfather) was physically and sexually abusive. She'd find ways to not have to come home on weekends. She stayed and took extra courses in chemistry and math, and graduated early. Then she disappeared into the underground culture that attracted young people like herself, looking for something to give her life meaning. She found it in drugs, sex and the resistance movement called the Disturbed Ones. It was there that a woman named Christine found her and recruited her to be a spy in the Capitol Region.
Angela had to do certain things first. One was to give the child she had unexpectantly become pregnant with up for adoption; and secondly, to give up the drugs that made her life manageable. She'd been using up until she became pregnant, stopped using during her pregnancy, then went back to it after giving her son away to a family who could give him the things she could not. Christine put her into a drug detox clinic, then when Angela had completed that, trained her to be a spy. That she had been chosen to be trained in the Black Ops program was a complete surprise to her. Christine hadn't even told her that she had nominated her until she had been accepted. It was a great honor, especially being female. The most well known female Black Ops member was Julia Terranova. Angela knew that Julia had to be related to her old persona as Jessikah somehow. Her father had a sister he hadn't spoken to since she was a child. The sister didn't marry her child's father, so she got her mother's surname. I wonder if I really am related to Julia, and that Julia's mother is my father's sister, Angela thought on more than one occasion.
Christine knew Angela's true identity, but thought it best to keep that a secret. Especially since Jessikah Terranova was supposed to be dead. But Angela wanted to meet her cousin, even if she couldn't tell Julia they were related.
The woman who came to meet her drove her to the compound and showed her the dorm where she would be living during training. She had a room to herself, but there were three other girls living there as well. They had all completed their training. The other female was Julia Terranova, and she lived off compound with her boyfriend.
Angela settled in. She would not let Christine down. Christine did a lot for her and acted more like a mother than her boss. She had been the most positive woman in her life since her own mother died when she was six.
She was here to learn to be a killer, something she was already pretty good at. She was a chosen one. She was given a second chance at so many things because of this training she was going to receive. She'd complete the training first, then try and find out if she was really related to the Terranovas who lived here.
----------
Sandrina San Marco came through her health crisis okay, and that made her parents feel very relieved.
She had finally caught up in size to where most two month olds should be, and was having the appropriate milestones at the appropriate times. Her breathing would be a factor but medication would help with that.
When she felt good, Sandrina babbled a lot, trying to talk to her big brother, Matty. He was protective of his sister, and warned anyone who got too close to be careful.
That included "Annie Julia" when she and Ryan came over to see Nik and KateLynn.
"How's the little pumpkin?" Julia said to Sandrina as her mother handed her daughter over to Julia. "Had a little hiccup there, huh?"
Sandrina liked Julia, and tried to reach out for the hood cord on her jacket.
"How cool, she's reaching for stuff!" Julia said. "That's good, right?"
"Yes, it is," KateLynn said. "Sandrina is developing like a normal two month old. She was even able to have her two month shots last week when she was in the hospital."
"Awesome! She got a slow start, but she's going to surprise a lot of people," Julia said. To Sandrina she said, "Aren't ya, boo?" Sandrina's response was to yawn.
"Looks like it's naptime," KateLynn said, taking the baby back from Julia. "I think I'll try and get a nap in, too. Ask Nik to put Matty down for a nap, would you?"
"Sure thing," Julia said and headed to the kitchen where Ryan and Nik were talking about guy stuff. Matty was sitting on Nik's lap, already half asleep.
"KateLynn asked me to ask you to put Matty down for a nap," Julia said to Nik, "but it looks like he decided that for himself."
"Yeah, I probably better put him down," Nik said. "I'll be back in a minute or so."
Ryan nodded, and Nik left the room with his sleepy son.
"What were you guys talking about?" Julia asked.
"Babies, believe it or not," replied Ryan. "About the chances that we could have a little redheaded child."
"We'd both would have to have the recessive gene for it," Julia said. "And I don't know if I have it or not. My mom would probably know."
"I could see a little redhead girl looking like you, Jules."
"Can you now?" asked Julia. "It's not hard to imagine your hair on me."
Ryan brushed a stray lock out of his eyes absentmindedly. He wanted to have a baby with Julia, but only when she was ready. He knew that her job as an assassin would make having a baby difficult. She couldn't go out on missions, and Julia hated to be inactive. But he was patient. When Julia was ready, she'd let him know.
Nik had come back into the room by this time, having successfully put his little boy down for a nap.
"He'll sleep for a couple of hours, easy," Nik said. "I'm the only one still awake...I need to stay alert."
"Watching out for the boogey men, huh?" asked Julia, laughing.
"Ha ha, Jules, funny," Nik said. "Hey did you hear there's another female in training for Black Ops?"
"I heard she was coming, but I don't know when," Julia said.
"She's here already," Nik said. "She arrived last night. Her name is Angela."
"When do we get to meet her?"
"Morbus said that it would be soon," Nik said. "She's in the dorm with the other three girls. Apparently, the four of you will be giving her some training regarding seduction of targets."
"Really...?" This from Ryan. "Did you go through this, too, Jules?"
"Yep," she said. "And no, it's not what you're thinking. There's no intimacy between girls here. That's what the movies are for."
"They make movies for that?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah," Nik said; "it's called porn."
He and Ryan laughed and Julia said, "Oh shut up, you two. Geez!"
----------
Angela's first day of training went well. She had to have a physical exam to make sure she was truly healthy. In the exam, the doctor discovered that a torn muscle from her accident never healed completely, and caused her pain.
"Does this mean I can't continue?" asked Angela, concerned.
"I don't see why you would have to stop training," the doctor said. "It's something that can be remedied through exercise and rehabilitation. I'm concerned about it, but not overly so. Morbus has had similar problems the entire time he's been here, and you see how well he's held up."
"Will the pain ever go away? I've been dealing with it for a long time now," Angela said.
"If you had gotten proper treatment at the time it happened," the doctor said; "it wouldn't have gotten this far."
"My parents didn't think it was a real problem," Angela said; "They just thought I was being a big baby about it."
"Ignoring it was the worst thing they could have done," the doctor said. "I know you had no say because you were a minor at the time. But it can be fixed, and we'll take care of that."
"Thank you," Angela said.
The doctor dismissed her to go back to her training. Angela enjoyed the intense physical training, and learning the ways of an assassin would help her deal with what her life had become.
----------
Jayme lay in bed next to Neil feeling content. They'd hardly been out of the bedroom since her arrival, and that was fine with her. Neil was an attentive lover; so different from the cruel and heartless man he had been. He took when he wanted her; now, he loved her slowly, sensually, erotically. She rode him on a number of occasions as he caressed her body. He truly aroused her, and it wasn't a fuck fest anymore.
The age difference didn't bother her. She would be there for him when he needed emotional support. She knew from her own therapy sessions that maintaining his new outlook would take work. If she was going to be part of his life, she had to be supportive of that.
"Jayme, my sweet," Neil was saying now, "you have no idea how happy you make me. I feel alive and whole when you're loving me."
She just snuggled against him. She knew they'd make love again before long. She wasn't using protection, because she wanted to feel all of him inside her, not a rubber sheathed hard on.
And, he was hard. Again. Jayme pleasured him orally almost to climax, but Neil stopped her because he wanted to be inside her when he came. He took her gently and it only took a few thrusts before he let go. Hearing his cries of desire made Jayme want him more.
"Oh, God, Jayme...yes, my love, please... please take all of me!"
"I want you so much, baby," she cried. God, please, she thought, please let this last forever.
----------
"Race ya, Neily!" Casey cried as she ran down the dune towards the water. She knew her brother would catch up, even with the head start she got. True enough, Neil had caught up and overtaken her, being the first to reach the water.
"I beat you, Casey!" he cried, out of breath. "You can't beat me!"
"I will someday, Neily, just you watch!"
She reached the water and looked over at her older brother and said,
"We're all waiting for you. Mama, Grandma and Poppy Hope, me..." Casey said. She looked like the seven year old he saw, but spoke with the voice of her adult self.
"...and the little one, Collett."
"Who?"
"The little one. We called her Collett when she arrived here. We knew she was yours, she looks just like you."
"Where are you waiting?" Neil asked.
"Here, at the beach. Just over the next dune." said Casey. "You have to come with me now."
"Why?"
"Because, Neily, it's your time. Don't you want to come over and see everyone?"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I've been too wicked," Neil said sadly; "Everyone will know it when I arrive."
"You're not wicked, Neily," Casey said. "Misguided and led astray. You'll be forgiven for that, I promise!"
"What do I have to do to be forgiven, Casey?"
"Leave a little of yourself behind with that girl you're with," Casey said. "You promised her you would."
Neil didn't need to be told what that meant.
"If I do that, Casey, will I be forgiven for my wickedness?"
"Yes!" Casey said as she ran toward the dune at the far end of the beach. "Come catch me, Neily!"
Neil found that he couldn't move. He couldn't chase after Casey if he wanted to. He saw her disappear over the dune and knew it was too late.
"No!" he cried out in anguish; "NO!"
----------
"Neil, what's wrong?" asked Jayme.
"A dream, Jayme," Neil said; "A bad dream. My sister..."
"She died a long time ago, didn't she?"
"Yes, and I did nothing to save her!" Neil said. "She was arrested by the New Army, imprisoned, and died after a severe beating. And I did...nothing!"
"Is this one of the things you talked about in your therapy sessions?" asked Jayme.
"Yes, and occasionally, I'll have bad dreams about it," Neil said. "They always take place on the beach outside, then Casey disappears behind a dune that doesn't exist. She wanted me to chase her like when we were kids."
"It's over now, Neil," Jayme said, trying to soothe Neil's fears. "It will be okay, I promise. I'll stay longer if you need me to, honey."
Neil said nothing. He put his head in his hands and sobbed while Jayme comforted him.
Neither of them knew it then, and Neil would never know, but he had left a little of himself behind. Another chance.
----------
Part 3--
Parks opened the envelope that had arrived in his office that simply said, "Mr. Chairman" on it. He was not pleased with what it contained.
"More fucking pictures?!" he said angrily. "How are they getting these pictures? Is someone following me around town while I have my fun?"
There was a note. This one was more to the point:
"Mr. Chairman, your weaknesses are about to catch up with you. Unless we hear from you in the next 72 hours, a message will be sent to the President that she cannot trust your judgement. She will ask for your impeachment on the grounds of incompetency. You don't control her because you can't control yourself. She will have all the power to remove you from office.
"We're not fucking around now. You either contact us at the number below in the next 72 hours, or risk losing your job. Your choice, Mr. Chairman."
There was a local number included in the note. Parks called the phone company to have the location of the number pinpointed. Then he was going to have the people who were at that location arrested and thrown in prison without trial for threatening a New Government official.
Let's see who has the power now, Carl Parks thought evilly.
However, the number's location turned out to be an empty lot in the lawless Undesirable side of town. So no arrests were going to be made this day.
Parks called the number, just to see who would answer.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman," a female voice said. "You ready to make a deal?"
"What the fuck do you want?" Parks demanded.
"Your resignation from the Committee," the woman said. "Or all your secrets will be exposed to the Committee and the President. Names, addresses, offenses, everything. You should not be in charge of suggesting laws for the President to sign, because you cannot control your weaknesses for beating up women who disobey you."
"I will not resign from the Committee," Parks said. "I don't give in to blackmail that easily."
"Every man has his price, Mr. Chairman," the woman said. "What's yours?"
"You couldn't afford it," Parks said. "I'm hanging up now. Stop sending me pictures of the whores I consort with. It's my business what I do when I'm off the clock."
"You're off, all right," said the woman. "How about we post the pictures on billboards around the Capitol Sector, Mr. Chairman? That way everyone will know what an evil and heartless man you really are."
"You wouldn't dare!" Parks exclaimed.
"I would," said the woman. "And we just might post the pictures that were taken at the hosptial of your 16 year old daughter when you beat her up after she told you she was pregnant. What did that child ever do to you?"
"That bitch slept with an Undesirable, and she fucked up the family bloodline," Parks said. "She was a whore then, and is a whore now."
"Maybe the President would be interested in knowing that you damn near killed your own child."
"The President is a whore, too," Parks cried angrily. "She does what we tell her to. Period."
"Really, Mr. Chairman?" the woman said. "I'm willing to bet you'll be out of a job when she finds out about what you're really like."
"I have nothing more to say to you, bitch," said Parks. "Do not contact me again." And he hung up the phone.
They don't have the guts to post the pictures, he thought. Even if they do, I'll have them torn down.
Parks had no idea how wrong he was.
----------
Despite Jayme's efforts, which he really appreciated, Neil's nightmares about his sister still haunted him. He contacted his doctor at the clinic to speak to him about what Neil could do to make them stop.
Jayme was out in town getting groceries and other provisions so that the house would be stocked after she left. Neil asked her to see if the small grocery in town would deliver, as he didn't always feel like making the trip every week.
Neil knew he was ill. This time, it was a physical illness. His mental faculties were clear, except for that one nightmare, but his body began to betray him. Jayme noticed it one night when he got up to use the bathroom and he stayed longer than she thought was necessary.
"Neil? You okay, honey?" she had asked when she noticed that the door was locked.
"I'll be okay," Neil had said. "New meds. Not used to them yet, I guess."
It wasn't the medication that was making him ill. It was the tumor in his brain that caused serious seizures. It was only the size of a grape, but it pressed against the brain stem, causing all kinds of problems.
So when Neil got his doctor on the phone to speak about the nightmares, he did not have good news for the former Committee member.
"Neil, the tumor is only going to get bigger, and we can't operate to remove it because it would leave you a quadraplegic," the doctor said. "As for your nightmares, that may just be a warning that your time is coming and to start preparing. I'm sorry, Neil, that I don't have better news for you."
"I don't want to be a burden to anyone," Neil said. "I will prepare myself for death if there is nothing that can be done for me."
"Call me if you have other concerns, Neil," the doctor said. "If you need to be in the hospital, or stronger medication, or any other help, we're here for you."
"Thank you," Neil said, "I'll keep that in mind. I have to go now. Thanks for the information."
"Any time, Neil."
Neil sat heavily on the bed. He was dying a slow and painful death.
"I can't be a burden to Jayme," he said aloud. "Now that I've found peace and happiness, it's going to be taken away. This is my punishment for treating Jayme badly. I must accept my fate like the man my grandparents raised me to be."
He got back on the phone and called an old colleague to update his will. He only wanted to change one thing: that everything went to Jayme, and leaving his wife nothing.
When that was completed, he laid back on the bed, and prayed that Jayme wouldn't have to watch him die.
----------
Morbus was pleased with Angela's progress in the Black Ops training. She reminded him of Julia when he trained her. The same tenacity, toughness, and dedication. True, Angela didn't have Julia's weapons skills (none of the females on the team were as good with weapons as Julia was), but she was a good shot nonetheless. She needed to be able to do the killing without emotion, and Morbus saw progress on that front as well. The similarities between Julia and Angela were eerie.
After Angela had been in training for six weeks, Morbus received her DNA profile back from the lab. What he read shocked him.
Angela Pearce was not the person he thought she was. Her DNA markers had the same profile as Julia's. A familial connection.
Morbus investigated further and found the information about the car accident that killed Jessikah Terranova. Angela was one of five people in the car that night, and she and Jordana Terranova, Jordan's niece, were the only survivors.
Then there was a document that he was sure no one knew about.
It stated that Angela's parents knew she had died in the accident, and wanted to take the more injured Terranova twin, Jessikah, home and raise her as their daughter. Angela's body, just as disfigured, was given to the Terranovas to bury, thinking that it was Jessikah.
"Sounds like a New Government plot," Morbus said to himself. "The Pearces were government sympathizers, and knew that the Terranovas were related to Jordan. It was all a plot to cause Disturbed Ones pain!"
Morbus hated knowing this information. Jordan had another niece! The twin to the girl who was named after her long lost aunt. He knew he had to talk to Angela about this, as she probably figured out the mix up years ago.
"I know I can't tell Jordan that the niece she had been told was dead is really alive!" Morbus said. "The girl's father didn't know he buried someone else's child!"
He started to call the dormitory where Angela was staying, but thought better of it. He wanted to keep her in the program. The mix up wasn't her fault, but the fault of selfish people who stole another family's child and told the world their child survived.
Morbus decided to talk to Angela one on one. He felt a connection with her because of her disfigurement. She wore her hair a particular way to hide the terrible scarring the accident caused. He knew the other girls, except for Julia, had expressed revulsion to him about Angela's scars. Julia and Angela had met only once, and Julia understood why Angela was so apprehensive about her appearance. Julia had told Morbus that Angela reminded her of him.
"I like the girl, Morbus," Julia had said. "It's not her fault that she looks the way she does. Do you think that surgery could make her look like everyone else?"
Morbus didn't have an answer for his daughter at the time. And he still didn't.
He put Angela's file away in his desk with everyone else's, then locked the drawer.
He then called Angela's director in Arlington.
----------
"Yes, Morbus, I knew Angela's real identity, and I even found the document you have about the deliberate switch," Christine Collins said. "I should have told you about it before I recommended her for training."
"I'm not angry about it, Madame Director," Morbus said. "But, she is Jordan Draiman's niece. Jessikah's family thinks she's dead. Her father, sister and brother were here a few weeks ago getting reacquainted with Jordan during her convelescence. Luke Terranova couldn't even bring himself to mention Jessikah's name until he met Jordan's twin daughters. He still struggles with what he thinks is his daughter's death. I can't imagine how he'd react knowing there was another girl buried in his daughter's grave."
"Angela has had some problems because of her knowledge of the mix up," Christine said. "She self medicates her pain with illegal drugs, and that's always been a concern for me."
"She told me about that when she started training, and gave me the option to dismiss her," Morbus said. "But, I can use her knowledge of chemistry. And she's getting treatment for the muscle pain. She hopes that she doesn't have to resort to self medication again."
"I'm glad she was honest with you, Morbus," Christine said. "I expected nothing less from her."
"I knew you wouldn't send me anyone who wasn't capable of the training we do here," Morbus replied. "Christine, I'm glad you gave me a chance when I needed one."
"I know that giving up Jordan was hard for you," Christine said.
"She's happy, and that's all I wanted," Morbus said. "But you made me happy, too."
"We have to remain professional, Jacob," Christine said, using Morbus' original name. "Our personal feelings shouldn't cloud over the more important goal of overcoming the illegal government."
"Agreed," Morbus said. "But I wanted to ask about J.T., Christine. How is he?"
"He's doing well," Christine said. "Smart as a whip, that boy is. Just like his father."
"You're an intelligent woman, Chris," Morbus said. "How do you know he didn't get it from you?"
"Because he acts more like you, Jacob."
"I see," Morbus said. "What do you tell him about his father?"
"That he was someone I cared for a great deal, but circumstances beyond my control parted us," Christine said. "He says he wants to meet you someday when he's grown."
"We'll see, Chris."
"I still care for you, Jacob," Christine said; "but I understand why we can't be together."
"And I for you, Chris."
"Maybe someday, Julia can meet her half brother," Christine said.
"That would, in Julia's words, blow her mind," Morbus said, laughing. "But now is the time to be professional. I'm going to talk to Angela about her true identity. Let her decide what she wants to do."
"If you need anything from me about Angela, let me know," Christine said.
"I will," Morbus said. "Good bye for now, Chris."
"Good bye, Jacob."
----------
Part 4--
Jordan was cleared to resume her normal activities by her doctors, but could not resume sexual relations with her husband for four more months.
She was glad to get up and get around, though she was going to miss her twin daughters waiting on her hand and foot. Now they'll be the same little imps they've always been. Today was no exception.
"Niki, I was playing with that!" Kimber said.
"But it's my turn now, Kimber!" Niki replied.
"Um, girls," their mother said; "aren't there two of those dolls?"
"Yes, Mama," Kimber said. "But Niki broke hers."
"I did not!"
"Did, too!"
"Kimberlin and Nicole!" Jordan said sharply. "Maybe I should take the dolls and put them in time out."
"No, Mama!" the girls cried together. "We'll share this one, promise," Niki said.
"No, Niki, get both dolls for me, please."
"But, Mama..."
"Now, Nicole!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Niki brought both dolls to her mother. Jordan didn't see at first where the supposedly broken doll was broken, then noticed that one leg was hanging down from the body. Oh, that can be fixed, she thought.
"I think this doll can be fixed," Jordan said. "I'll have Jeremiah take a look at her. He can probably fix her up good as new."
"Jeremiah is gone in school, Mama," Kimber said. "It'll take forever for him to fix it!"
"He does come home occasionally," Jordan said. "I'll take them over to Jasmine's house where they'll wait for Jeremiah to return."
"Oh, okay," said Kimber. "Jasmine is a nurse. She can fix it."
"Jasmine fixes people, not dolls, Kimber!" Niki said. "Jeremiah fixes dolls."
Jordan just rolled her eyes. Sometimes, her daughters' thought processes simply confounded her. It would be a cute story to tell David about when he got home that night.
----------
David, meanwhile, was with the other band members putting together another rally in Austin this time. David really got sold on the idea after one thousand people showed up at a flash mob protest at his former residence there a few weeks prior.
He wanted to bring Jordan and the girls to see the house he owned there. It was one of a very few of the large homes that had not been taken by the New Government in the early days. Even though David had been forced out of it then, he still owned it, and the land it sat on. The Illegals couldn't take privately owned property, regardless of who owned it, be they Undesirables, Disturbed Ones, or government sympathizers.
John wasn't so lucky. His home in Austin was taken by force because he didn't own the land it sat on. He ended up taking his family to Dallas before heading to the compound at Chicagoland seventeen years before.
"We have speakers lined up for the rally," Mike said. "We had so many requests that we had to turn a lot of them away. Many were willing to travel at their own expense to speak in Austin."
"Maybe we'll actually get to play a concert this time," Dan said. "The one at the Chicago rally got postponed because people were getting shot."
"I'm just glad that people remembered I still owned a home there," David said. "I want to move back into that home with my family when this is all over. For now, I'm content with holding a rally there."
"Lots of people have already expressed interest in coming," John said. "The Disturbed Ones website has crashed again because of the enormous traffic this rally has generated."
"The protests have been great successes," David said. "Another rally will really get people fired up! The only thing we haven't decided on was when."
"I'm thinking summer, before it gets too hot," John said. "Late spring even would work."
"Not with the cedar pollen flying around!" David said. "Cedar fever is not fun. I never got used to it."
"We'll figure out a date, then we can get stuff in place," Dan said. "But right now, I'm tired. I've been spending more time with my computer than I have with my wife. So there'll be no intel for 72 hours unless someone else wants to monitor it."
"I'll do it," Mike said, "if I can do it from home. My computer there is secure."
"My kids are on my home computer," Dan said, "and that makes it hard to make it a secure terminal. I should move in a second computer."
"You've been saying that for ten years now, Danny," David said. "I think you just like spending time in your office."
"Fuck you, Dave," Dan said.
----------
The first one went up less than twenty-four hours after Parks refused to comply with the blackmailers' demands.
It was the picture of his then sixteen year old daughter; she had two black eyes, a broken nose, teeth and jaw. The text underneath the picture said: "HER ONLY CRIME WAS BEING CARL PARKS' DAUGHTER. SHOULD THIS MAN BE MAKING DECISIONS FOR THE PRESIDENT? 1-800-555-1313."
Parks was aghast! These people weren't fooling around!
He got into his office, where he had several angry messages. Then his phone started ringing. As soon as he'd hang up with one angry caller, the phone would ring again with another one. After about twenty minutes of this, he got annoyed and pulled the phone from the wall. The phones in the outer office were ringing, too.
"Mr. Chairman," Lane Sizemore said breathlessly as he entered Parks' office; "What the fuck is this all about? The phones are ringing off the hook at the Committee offices!"
"It's blackmail, Lane," Parks said. "They got pictures and doctored them to make me look bad. They want my resignation from the Committee or they'll post more doctored pictures on more billboards!"
"What are you going to do, Mr. Chairman?" asked Sizemore. Even he wondered if he was next on the blackmailers radar.
"Have them torn down!"
"Well you better get busy," Sizemore said, "because there's another one on I-95 coming into the Capitol Sector. It shows a woman who was beaten beyond recognition. It said something like, 'Should men who beat women for fun be running the country for a female president?'."
"Find out where they all are and I'll have them torn down before the end of the day!" barked Parks.
"I'll get someone working on it," Sizemore said, and left the room.
Not thirty seconds later, Parks' cell phone rang.
"Hello!" Parks growled like a junkyard dog into the phone.
"Had enough, Mr. Chairman?" It was the same smooth female voice who had called him before.
"Bitch, how did you get this number?"
"That's my secret," she said. "Now about the billboards? What will you do to stop them from going up?"
"I'm tearing the fuckers down, and anyone caught putting them up will be arrested," Parks practically screamed into the phone.
"Good luck with that, Mr. Chairman," the female voice said. "For every one you manage to tear down, three go up in its place. And the pictures get worse."
"How much do you want from me?" Parks asked.
"Oh, I think ten grand per billboard will suffice."
"How many billboards are up?"
"Right now, in the Capitol Sector, it's five. In your home district, it's three times that many. So two hundred thousand sound good?"
"Two hundred grand?! Are you fucking kidding me, bitch?" Parks said. "You think I have that kind of money just laying around?"
"Yes. You're worth fifty mil, Mr. Chairman. That's chump change to you."
"When do you want it?"
"By end of business tomorrow. Or five times as many go up."
"Tell me where and I'll be there," Parks said.
"Expect a call late tonight, Mr. Chairman."
"Fine." Parks slapped his phone shut. Two hundred thousand dollars to make the billboards go away seemed like a small price to pay to keep his job.
The Disturbed Ones must be behind this, thought Parks. No one else is that sick and twisted.
Somewhere, he thought, there's a derranged former lawyer laughing at my discomfort.
Damn you, Lucyn, you whore! he thought blackly. I'll kill you if I ever lay eyes on you again.
Parks didn't know about the surveillance equipment in his office. His ass was grass.
----------
Angela arrived at Morbus' office in the training center promptly at two o'clock as requested. She had an inkling of why she had been summoned, but didn't know for sure.
"Angela, my dear," Morbus said as he entered the office; "I'm glad that you are so prompt. Your Director is proud of your progress in the program thus far."
"You've spoken to her?" asked Angela.
"Yes, I have," Morbus said. "She and I are close friends. I've known her for about ten years or more."
"I see," Angela said. "I wasn't aware of that."
"Director Collins doesn't talk about herself or her private life much," said Morbus. "Kind of like you."
"I'm not sure what you're getting at, Morbus," Angela said. "There's nothing about my life I wish to talk about."
"Your name isn't really Angela Pearce, is it?"
Angela bowed her head. "No, Morbus, it's not."
"Who were you prior to your accident six years ago?"
"My name was Jessikah, but my family had been told I died in the crash. I was sent home with my friend Angela's parents, who were very abusive towards their daughter. They knew I wasn't Angela, but insisted that I was," Angela said. "The real Angela Pearce is buried in a grave with my name on it."
"You don't like being called Angela, do you?" asked Morbus. Angela shook her head no. He then asked,
"What is your full name, Jessikah?"
"Jessikah Marie Terranova. I have an identical twin sister named Jordana."
"Then you're Jordan Draiman's niece," Morbus said. "Your father, sister and brother were here just a few weeks ago visiting Jordan."
"They were?!" Angela said in shock. "When?"
"About a month before you joined us," Morbus said. "I know this is hard information to swallow all at once."
"How did you find out? Did Madame Director tell you? She's the only one I trusted enough to tell."
"She confirmed your real identity, but I found out when your DNA test came back with the same markers as Julia Terranova's. You're definitely related to her and her mother," said Morbus. "Which would make your father Jordan's brother."
"I was hoping Julia, Jordan and I were related!" Angela said. "But I can't tell them, can I?"
"Not at this point in time, I'm sorry," Morbus said. "You could be anyone. The scarring on your face can work to your advantage if you let it. Since you don't look like Jessikah anymore, you could be anyone you wanted."
"I would like to be able to tell my family the twisted story about how I didn't die," Angela said. "But was stolen from them because of a powerful man's desires. I was just a sex toy to that bastard. I suspect he treated the real Angela the same."
"He and his wife are dead now," Morbus said. "They were government sympathizers who messed with the wrong people, and Julia took them out about eight months ago."
"I knew they had been eliminated," Angela said, "but not by whom. I'm just glad they're gone and can't look for me anymore."
"Would you like to be Jessikah again someday?"
"Is the Pope Catholic?"
"I'll take that as a yes," Morbus said. "But for now, you can either continue to be called Angela, or you can choose a new name. At least one of the girls you're in the dorms with did that because she ran away from abusive parents. For her safety, I'm not going to tell you which one."
"Can I be called something else, if I can't be called by my true name?"
"Yes, my dear," Morbus said. "Shall I make a couple of suggestions?"
"Please, Morbus..."
"I've always liked the name Rebekah," he said, writing it out on a sheet of paper. "If I had another daughter, that's what I would have named her."
"I didn't know you had any children," Angela said. "That comes as a surprise to me."
"I have a teenage daughter and an eight year old son by two very different women."
"Do you get to see either of them?"
"Not as often as I'd like," Morbus said. "I haven't seen my son since he was three, and that was by my choice. My daughter I see more often, but again, not as often as I'd like. She's almost an adult now."
"I think I'll take your suggestion of Rebekah, then," Angela said. "It's a pretty name. I haven't felt pretty in a very long time."
"Then we can change your records with us to reflect that," Morbus said. "Did you want to keep the surname you have now?"
"No! Can I change that, too?"
"Yes."
She thought about that for a while before she said, "I'd like to change my surname to Mannion. That was my mother's maiden name."
"Very well," said Morbus. "From this moment onward, you'll be known as Rebekah Mannion. Angela Pearce is now dead for real. I will inform your squadmates of the change. They are to call you Rebekah immediately. And I'll tell your Director as well."
"Thank you Morbus!" Rebekah said.
----------
Part 5--
Parks' phone rang late. Twenty minutes to midnight to be exact. Parks was annoyed, but he couldn't let his past ruin his present and future.
"Nauticus at Town Point Park in the Hampton Roads Sector Friday at noon," the female voice said smoothly. "I trust you're familiar with the city once known as Norfolk?"
"Yes, I am."
"Noon, Mr. Chairman. Not one minute after or the deal is off."
"I'll be there before noon, bitch, don't you worry your pretty little head over it," Parks said sarcastically.
"You better be, asshole, or your life will become hell on earth. That's a promise."
"Ooooh I'm scared, little girl!"
"Bring the amount you agreed to," the female voice said. "Come empty handed and you should be prepared to die."
"You gonna shoot me in a public park?" asked Parks.
"Who said I was going to shoot you?"
"I'm not scared of some little girl with a gun, trust me on this," Parks said.
"You should be, because I can and will kill you if necessary," the female voice replied. "And I'm not a little girl. I'm a grown woman."
"Whatever you say, bitch," Parks said.
"Noon. Friday. Nauticus. Town Point Park. Hampton Roads Sector. Be there."
Before Parks could respond, the woman hung up.
Yeah, I'll be there, Parks thought. I'll have your fucking money. As long as you leave me alone afterwards.
----------
Long before he was ready for it to, Neil's week with Jayme was coming to an end. She would return to her mother's house in Baltimore. Neil wanted to see her again, but he also knew it had to be safe for her to return. He promised to keep her out of the ugly mess his divorce from Sarah Kathryn would likely become, and her being seen at the House of Hope would not look good.
Neil did not want to have Jayme watch him die a slow and painful death. She would want him to go to the hospital for treatment. There was nothing that anyone could do to save him. Neil would take his punishment for his wickedness alone. He loved Jayme too much to allow her to watch him suffer.
"Jayme, you know that I've loved you practically from the moment I met you," Neil said. "I know I've caused you pain and suffering and did horrible things to you. I promised you that I'd change, and I hope that I have changed enough to make you feel safe with me."
"I do feel safe with you, Neil," Jayme said. "You have kept your promise to get help. I've seen you improving every day I've been here. I hope that this will continue, because I want a life with you, too. But, you have to take care of your past before we can have a future."
"I'll be taking care of that this week, Jayme, my love," Neil said. "It won't be easy, I know, but I can deal with it."
"I know you can, too."
"Your confidence in me is wonderful, Jayme," Neil said. "I won't let you down."
Soon, Neil had bid Jayme goodbye and he was alone again. Alone to think about his impending death. Why, Lord? Why are You taking me just when You bring such goodness and love into my life? Am I that terrible?
He stood on the beach later that night, thinking about all the things he wanted to do before the tumor rendered him incapable of living his life with dignity. One was to divorce his wife. Another was to have a child with Jayme. One of those he would be able to accomplish before he died.
He hoped it was to leave something of himself behind.
----------
Nik hated getting assignments at the last minute. In this case, the last minute was less than twelve hours before he had to possibly kill someone who was an enemy of the cause.
He woke KateLynn after he got the call to get his ass to the Hampton Roads Sector by eight in the morning. It was 2:30am now.
"I have an assignment, KateLynn," Nik said. "I have to be there by eight, and someone is coming to get me in a few minutes."
"We'll be okay, Nik," KateLynn said. "Just come back in one piece on your own two feet and not in a box."
"Call Julia or Jasmine if you need anything, okay?" said Nik.
"I will, Nik."
Nik heard a horn outside and knew it was his ride. He gathered his weapons and headed out the door.
KateLynn sat in bed, looked over at Sandrina sleeping in her bassinet, and said a quick prayer for someone to watch over her Nikolai.
----------
By the next day, everyone was calling her Rebekah. Angela was soon forgotten. She was Rebekah from the moment Morbus recorded her new name in her records.
Rebekah continued on with her training, and Morbus and the other trainers were impressed with her progress. Morbus thought that the name change would do her good, and it seemed to show in her training.
She was getting treatment for the damaged muscles in her back and shoulder, and she found that she needed smack less and less. Legal drugs that did the same thing for the pain were a godsend. She hoped the doctors would see improvement there as well.
But, God, she thought one night during her training, I would love to get laid just once!
----------
The twins' birthdays were coming up, and Jordan just didn't have the energy to plan a party. She was so far behind on her work for the cause that the last thing she wanted to think about were birthday cakes and presents.
Jordan was a little relieved when Julia, KateLynn and Jasmine offered to plan the party. She felt a little guilty, too, because it was her job as their mother to do that. Even with all the preparations for the rally in Austin going on, David found time to shop for presents. The rally was scheduled for the first week in May, about two weeks after Kimber and Niki's birthday.
Jordan wouldn't be able to travel with David to the rally, and she had been looking forward to going. She wanted to see the house David still owned there. That would have to wait until she was cleared to travel again.
Now, however, she had to work on the publicity for the rally. There was a date, a time, and a location, in addition to the speakers and the concert that were scheduled. Jordan knew she had a lot of work ahead of her, and she looked forward to being busy with that.
She and David had gotten the news they were awaiting since they chose a surrogate almost four months before. The surrogate was finally pregnant with two babies. It took three tries to get this far, and the Draimans were thrilled. They didn't want to say anything about it until the pregnancy was well established.
Jordan would soon have four children with David, in addition to Julia. But Julia was a young woman now, with a man who loved her. Maybe someday, they'll get married and start their own family, Jordan thought. But not until she's sure she wants to take a two year break from her work with the Black Ops squad.
It was hard for Jordan to imagine Julia settling down and having babies. She just wasn't wired that way. She was more like Jordan and Jacob, in that she liked to keep busy. Jordan remembered that when she was expecting Julia, she had to force herself to slow down. It wasn't just her anymore. Jacob took up the slack in their household, and he would have made a great father had he not been tortured, disfigured, and became Morbus.
"Whatcha thinking about, my angel?" asked David from the doorway of Jordan's office.
She didn't even flinch. "Just stuff," she said.
"Babies and stuff?" David asked.
"That, and birthday parties, and presents, and the rally, and Julia getting older... stuff like that," she said.
"Don't need you getting stressed out and landing back in the hospital," David said, concerned.
"That's why I'm just sitting here thinking about stuff."
"Ahh, there's a method to your madness then," said David.
"Indeed," replied Jordan. "Inside every sane mind is a lunatic itching to get out."
"Why don't you close up shop for today and come with me," David said. "I'm fixing dinner. You wanna watch?"
"Oh sure," Jordan said. "The girls are playing in their room and not fighting over stuff, so I'll sit and watch you cook."
"You might learn something," David teased.
"I've lived with you for how long now? Nine years?" Jordan teased back. "I think I know what to expect from you in the kitchen by now!"
David led her from her office and into the kitchen. And there, Jordan sat at the bar and watched her husband cook. It was the best thing she'd done all day.
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Part 6--
Nik arrived at the target location by eight in the morning. He was one of four sharpshooters that had been assigned to this mission. The target would be Committee Chairman Carl Parks, and only if he didn't bring the required amount of money to keep his secrets off billboards in both the Capitol Sector and his home district in the Miami Sector.
Nik had been assigned to one of the ground positions, and like the three others, he was fitted with a radio device that not only allowed him to hear the conversation going on between the contact and the target, but also instructions from the spotter. The spotter would give the order to shoot if that became necessary.
At five minutes to twelve, Carl Parks showed up at the designated location in the park. He carried a briefcase as if he were one of the workers in the nearby office buildings. Inside the briefcase was a cashier's check for two hundred thousand dollars. Parks hoped it would get these people to leave him the fuck alone and not put billboard sized pictures of women he'd known all over the places where he was well known.
"Ahh, Mr. Chairman," Valerie said; "I'd say it was nice to finally meet you, but you know and I know it's not. Do you have the amount you agreed upon with you?"
"What's your name," Parks asked Valerie.
"It doesn't matter what my name is, Mr. Chairman," Valerie said. "What matters is that you have the money to keep the pictures of your greatest shame off the billboards of the Capitol Sector and your home district in the Miami Sector."
Parks opened the briefcase. In addition to the check, Parks also had a loaded gun that he planned to use on whoever met him. He got out the gun and pointed it at Valerie. She didn't even react.
"What did you have to go and do that for, Mr. Chairman?" Valerie asked. "Because fifty feet behind you is a ghost. He will shoot you dead where you stand if you do anything stupid. So put the gun away and make this easier on everyone."
"How do I know that you're telling me the truth?"
"How do you know I'm not?"
Parks put the gun away. He didn't want to find out the hard way that Valerie was right.
"What's a ghost?" he asked.
"Someone that is believed to be dead, but isn't."
Parks handed over the envelope and Valerie looked inside. Satisfied that the check was real and the correct amount was imprinted on it, she slid it into an interior pocket of her jacket.
"Now will you people leave me alone?" asked Parks.
"We will until you do something stupid, then I'll be in touch again," said Valerie menacingly. "You can count on that."
"Fine," Parks said. "May I leave now?"
"Yes," Valerie said. "Just don't let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you on the way out."
She then turned and walked away.
Parks got out his gun again and pointed it in the direction Valerie was walking. Soon he heard a gun click behind him.
"Put the gun down, asswipe," Parks heard from behind him. "Or I'll have to spill your grey matter all over the sidewalk in front of young families."
For the second time, Parks put the gun away and closed his briefcase.
"Are you a ghost?" he asked the gunman behind him.
"Yes. You came up with some hairbrained scheme last summer to program people to kill Disturbed Ones. You programmed my brother to kill me, my siblings and our families. Except my brother figured out what was happening and faked it."
"So your deaths were faked?" asked Parks.
"Yes. And you all fell for it. By that time, we had neutralized the situation. You don't seem to get it that you don't fuck with ghosts. Ever. Because you'll never know where they'll pop up.
"I'm leaving now," Parks said, a little unnerved by the sinister tone of voice the ghost used. Parks had no doubt that the ghost's story was true.
Nik watched Parks walk out of the park and back to a black car with SouthEastern Region plates. Oh, how I would have loved to have killed the arrogant son of a bitch, he thought. I hope I scared the shit out of him.
"The target has left the area. Black sedan with local tags."
"We've got someone on his tail. Thanks, Nik. Great job."
"Thank you, sir."
"Go home to your family now, son," the spotter said. "Sorry for the early wake up call."
"No problem, sir. It's my job as a member of the ghost team."
"All sharpshooters are dismissed," the spotter said.
Nik clicked on the safety, packed his gun in the backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and exited the park appearing to others as a college student.
It was time to go home.
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As he was being driven to the airport, Carl Parks wondered who the ghost who accosted him at the park was.
It had been his idea to program people to kill those who were loyal to the resistance movements. Parks recalled that all four members of Disturbed and their families were to be eliminated, and that three of them-- Draiman's stepdaughter, and two of his former wards-- were allegedly killed.
Parks knew for a fact that Jeremiah Donovan was still alive because he killed one of the assassins that Parks had sent to the big Disturbed Ones rally in the Chiacgo Sector back in January. Parks had heard rumors that Julia Terranova was still alive as well, but no confirmation of that fact.
That left Nikolai San Marco who was still considered deceased by Parks' government. Parks wondered if San Marco was the one who accosted him, or was it someone else all together.
Parks wasn't even sure he wanted to find out. But he did take the ghost's warning to heart. He wouldn't know where one of them would pop up next, and the next time, they may be there to kill him.
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"The check's legit, right, sis?" Vince asked his sister when she returned to their designated meeting place inside the old Waterside building adjacent to the park.
"It looks legit, it has a watermark," Valerie said as she handed it over to Vince to inspect.
"We'll hand this over to our contact when she gets here," Vince said.
He then saw the tall blone walking towards them. This was a different person than the one who met them before, thought Vince.
"Valerie and Vince, I'm assuming," the woman said as she sat at their table.
"Yes, ma'am," Valerie said.
"I'm Beth-Anne," she said. "I work directly with Dan Donegan doing intel. Parks came with the money?"
"Yes," Valerie said. "He was an ass about it, drew a gun on me, but eventually gave me the check. He was accosted by a member of the ghost team as he left."
"Why was that?" Beth-Anne asked.
"Parks drew his weapon again to shoot Valerie as she walked away," Vince said. "The ghost reminded him that they weren't to be fucked with."
"As long as we can keep Parks in line, then our mission is half done," said Beth-Anne. "The rest will come in time. The Committee must know its days are definitely numbered."
"And Parks' money?" asked Valerie.
"Goes into an account earmarked for Disturbed Ones plans. Rallies, protests, et cetera."
"So Carl Parks could be paying part of the cost of the big rally scheduled in Austin in mid-May," Vince said.
"Exactly," replied Beth-Anne.
"Cool," Valerie said. "That would certainly piss Parks off if he knew!"
"Oh, we'll make sure he knows... after the fact," said Beth-Anne. "But now, I must leave you two. Be safe and continue to believe in the cause!"
After Beth-Anne had left, Vince said, "I don't know about you, sis, but she seems a little familiar to me, like we've met her before."
"She looks a lot like Mom," Valerie said. "But I know it's not her. We just saw Mom before we came here."
"Not the same voice, just the look," Vince said.
"Maybe we're just imagining things," Valerie said.
"That has to be it."
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Jayme returned home safely to Baltimore, and got back into her routine. She still helped her mother out when she needed it; and she sent her son, Jayden, to school every morning; and she still went to her physical and emotional therapy sessions that the law firm paid for.
But she was concerned about Neil. Though he had changed and was learning to be a better person, Jayme couldn't help but think there was something deeper going on. Especially with those nightmares Neil had been having while she was there about his sister. Jayme wondered if Neil was physically ill and was hiding it from her.
She didn't have the right to ask his doctors about it, since she wasn't family. She decided to wait and see if Neil would mention it. If not, she would ask him if he was really okay.
Neil said he'd contact her when it was safe to for her to return to the House of Hope. Right now, it wasn't safe, because the papers were full of stories about his filing for divorce from a sitting President. Sarah Kathryn, apparently, wasn't taking the news well. She demanded to know where her husband was, as she had learned he was no longer in the psychiatric ward. He had been gone from there two months before Sarah Kathryn called to find out when he'd be released.
Jayme definitely didn't want to be in the middle of the battle royal that was sure to result. She had no idea when, or even if, she'd see Neil again.
Meanwhile, Jayme suspected she was pregnant. The idea that she was scared her, because her mother wouldn't understand that the baby's father was closer in age to her than he was to Jayme herself.
Jayme decided to find out for sure before she worried about what her mother would think. She secretly hoped she was. Neil would get a second chance to be a father, and she would be having a child with the man she loved so much it hurt.
She had no idea, no inkling, that Neil wouldn't be around to even know that his fondest wish had come true.
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He knew his wife was looking for him, and he didn't want to be found.
Neil's lawyer filed the papers in district court, and the story hit the press almost as soon as Neil's signature was dry on the dotted line.
The stories were terrible. Most accused Neil of having affairs and was leaving the President to shack up with a mistress. Some accused the President of using her influence to get Neil choice jobs in the government and he decided he'd had enough.
The stress from this was taking a physical toll on him. He found himself many mornings unable to get out of bed. He often wished he could die right then, but when he thought of Jayme, he wanted to try to make it through this trial so they could be together.
The nightmares were getting worse. Casey was begging her brother to come with her to the other side of the dune, where the rest of their family waited. It was his time, she'd say, but he wouldn't be able to join her.
Finally, one night, Neil couldn't sleep. He went back to the place he'd been before his breakdown and dug up the box he'd buried there. He didn't need to open it. He just wanted it close to him if he was going to die.
He drove back to the Eastern Shore house with the box. He placed it in a drawer next to the bed. To a casual observer, it would look like a shoebox sized cedar box. To Neil, it contained his greatest shame.
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"Neily, it's time!" Casey said as he chased her around the beach like he did when they were kids. "It's time to come with me! Everybody's waiting, Neily! There's a picnic waiting for you!"
"I can't, Casey," Neil said. "Everytime I try, I can't make myself go."
"Come on, Neily," Casey said; "Come chase me!"
He ran after his sister, through the surf, across the beach, and away from the house. Just as Casey disappeared behind the dune, he tripped and fell. "Casey!" Neil called, but got no answer. He couldn't move.
Then he heard, "Come on, Daddy, it's time."
He looked up. Before him stood a little girl no more than two or three years old. He had regained the ability to move, so he sat up in the sand, looking at the little girl.
"What's your name, sweetheart?" he asked her.
"Collett," she replied.
"That's a pretty name," Neil said.
"Thank you," said Collett. "I didn't have a name when I arrived. Auntie Casey named me."
"I see," Neil said. Then, remembering that night months before he asked,
"Collett, did I hurt you at some point?"
"Yes, but I forgave you. It's okay, Daddy, Mommy will understand."
"She will?"
"Yes, but you have to tell her you love her first."
Neil's head ached horribly. He knew that if Collett was right, he didn't have much time. He got out his phone and dialed a number. He spoke to the person on the other end, then hung up.
"Was that good, Collett?" asked Neil.
"It will be okay, Daddy," Collett said. "Come with me."
Neil stood up and Collett held out her hand. Neil took it and she led him around the dune. He took one last look at the house he spent his childhood in. He hoped Jayme understood why he couldn't have her return.
Then he followed the little girl into a whole new world.
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Neil Hope's last thought was, God, please watch over Jayme. Then he closed his eyes.
He wouldn't be found for four months.
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