The Fate of Destiny Part 141
"Isn't this the coolest thing ever?" Beth smiled as the plane leveled off. "Whatever I pick for a career must have plenty of flying."
"Become a doctor in a town with limited educational resources." Max suggested as he pulled out his briefcase to look over some documents.
Lauren fought a headache and nausea. Flying wasn't very cool at all. "I'm gonna be sick."
"Here." Max grabbed the airsick bag and opened it up. "Breathe into the bag. Try to take slow, even breaths. I'll see if I can get you some Dramamine." He reached up to hit the call button.
Lauren shut her eyes and breathed. She felt closed in and trapped. "I'm… I'm…"
"Sh… Don't talk." Max advised as he switched seats with Beth to see Lauren better. He rubbed her back gently. "Do you get motion sickness?"
"No."
"How about nervous in small spaces?"
"Not normally." She shook her head and tried to focus on her breathing.
"Okay. Then this will probably pass. I need you to concentrate for me. Think of something you love and focus. Describe it to me."
"I used to have this… playhouse in my parents' backyard." She squeezed her eyes shut and rocked to alleviate the feeling that she was stuck. "It had blue and pink curtains and lace around the edges. It was small. When I got older, there was only room for me in there. It's where I hid when…"
"Don't think about that. Think about some times you spent with your parents that you love."
"Dad used to put on plays for us. Act out entire Shakespearian plays for us. Sometimes he'd let mom be a cackling witch or let me be a page." She began to relax as she remembered the fun she'd had with her parents.
"Okay, I'm going to hand you some pills. It's Dramamine. It will calm you down. Then I'll hand you a plastic cup with water. Keep your eyes closed. I'll guide your hands." Dr. Evans' voice was so soothing, Lauren did everything he said and let his hands guide hers until she had swallowed the pills and some water. "Good. It will help you to relax. You just relax. Beth and I can entertain ourselves."
--
"Seyton Residence."
"Hello, Mother."
"Genevieve, darling, is that you? How are you? You never call and you never email. A mother could think she was unloved by her only daughter."
"You know that's not true. I'm very busy. I took nine flights in the past week. I'm actually calling now on some business. I was running down a lead. I was hoping you could remember some names from your sorority days. You know that picture they took of the sorority and fraternity for the website."
"I suppose…" Came the heavy sigh. There were a few clicks and then another sigh. "Bryce Covington in the back. He was always so tall and handsome. He passed on a few years ago, poor thing. Then that's… she was a freshman or something. Darlene Hienen, I heard she's still in school. Peter, James, Bettina. Lawyer, lawyer, plastic. Then there's Mason Burkhardt… such a shame."
"I know, Mother."
"And Daphne Sloane, the whore. I can't believe he fell for her tricks."
"Mother…"
"Right, um… Justine, Florence, Angela. Then there's me, Mason has his hand on my shoulder… um… Christopher, Mitchell and Gavin."
"Did anyone go to school with Dr. Covington that he would trust with his medical files?"
"Gavin Durkin. I think he took over for Bryce but Gavin doesn't talk to me as freely. He's friends with Daphne Sloane."
"Burkhardt, Mother. He married her. Was pretty loyal to her from what I understand."
"I think he got around more than anyone thought. Anyway, I would have made him a better wife. Daphne couldn't even give him a child."
"Speaking of children. Did Dr. Covington mention anything to you the winter of 06-07?"
"Daphne Sloane lost her baby in that hospital."
"Aside from Daphne Burkhardt?"
"I don’t remember, Genevieve. He might have mentioned something about CPS picking up a throwaway but I really don't keep up with immigrant trash." She sighed heavily. "The only reason I was interested was I saw how fat Daphne got and then there was no kid to show for it. I would have done much better by Mason. He should have married me."
"Mother, he's been dead for years. He was crazy."
"He was not. You should have been a Burkhardt."
"Goodbye, Mother."
--
The drive had felt like an eternity. Liz slid the key into the slot and reveled in the blast of cold air that hit her seconds before her daughter did. "Hey sweetie."
"Mom, I missed you." Beth whispered.
"How do you feel?" Liz cupped her daughter's face. No strain around the eyes, but a fringe of blue bangs. "What did you do to your hair?"
"Do you like it? Lauren helped me do it."
"Hi… I would be Lauren." The brunette stepped forward with a little wave.
Liz shook her hand. "I'm Liz Evans, Beth's mom and this shy guy is David, her little brother."
"And this is Prince Sterling, the Planet Destroyer and Beth Defyer." David motioned to the puppy sniffing around their feet.
"Nice to meet you all."
"Dad went to pick up dinner." Beth explained and let them into the hotel room. "He got this totally razor suite."
Liz set their bags next to the couch and looked around. "Wow."
"This is nothing compared to the suite that Kal got us in LA but wow. I have to share with Davey here but… I missed this guy." Beth hugged her little brother who let her but blushed profusely.
"I guess I missed you, too." He conceded.
"This little guy is so cute." Lauren knelt to play with the puppy. "A Beth-Defyer, huh? This pup must be pretty brave because I met this chick, Beth, and whoa… even diseases are scared of her."
"Did they call?" Max called in as he walked in carrying a pile of food. The girls were quick to take it from him to start spreading out. David leapt at the chance for food. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself, handsome." Liz wrapped her arms around her husband. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too." Max buried his face in her neck. "I just don't remember ordering a small Liz to go."
"What?"
"I mean… don't get me wrong, I think you're sexy as all get out but… there are some huggable parts missing."
"Well, I've been taking Prince Sterling for morning and evening constitutionals." She pressed herself against him, fully, excited by the way he looked at her.
"How's that working out?"
"Could you just… I don't know… shut up and kiss me?"
"Like this?" He brushed her lips softly.
"Mmmm. I don't know."
"Or like…" He nudged her lips open slightly.
"Better but…"
Then his mouth covered hers and his tongue slid into her mouth, he sighed when he felt her tongue teasing his. Before he could really get into it, a ruckus reached his ear.
"Gross. COUGH. COUGH."
"Hack! A-Hem!"
Max and Liz pulled apart long enough to stare at their children, who had their hands around their throats, gagging and coughing. Then a snicker came from the doorway. "Are you two being gross… again?"
"Hey you." Liz hugged Kathy. "Where's your better half?"
"Apparently running all over the southwest. I'll see him soon, I hope. What's for dinner, Pop?"
"Pop?" Max pulled her into his arms. "Since when am I 'Pop'?"
"Since now, Pop." She kissed his cheek and bounded into the room to smother her little brother with kisses. Everyone got situated with their plates. Beth, Lauren and Kathy chatted on the couch. David annoyed from the armchair. Liz and Max cuddled on the loveseat and just enjoyed the feel of the other next to them.
--
Will ran over the dates with the hospital manifest and included items he overheard from Seyton's conversations with various doctors. It was starting to make sense but he had to be certain before he divulged any information. He had been looking into Burkhardt's offspring but not the scion who had passed so violently in Roswell.
Any number of half-siblings could have done it but one by one, he was eliminating them all. He was down to a sister and Mason himself. The sister was not old enough to have a child of 21… unless she gave birth at age 12.
"So, it was Daphne Burkhardt's baby? Mother said she didn't have any children survive infancy." Genevieve leaned over the keyboard, her blouse falling open.
He took a deep breath and rubbed at his temples. The hands on his neck startled him. "Please don't do that."
"You've got a knot, Will."
"I'm aware." He shrugged off her hands and picked up the phone but set it down. "There're no other witnesses to attest the child survived but was given up?"
"A woman in Daphne Burkhardt's position would make damn sure to keep a child that lived. If there was a divorce, she'd get custody and a fat alimony check."
"Not everyone thinks that way."
"Of course they do and the Sloanes did."
"What would happen if a DNA test could prove that she was not the mother of the child?"
"How do you mean?"
"If… under certain circumstances the mother of a child was not the primary source of DNA. If say… Mason challenged paternity and was found to be the father but his wife not the mother?"
"She would get squat. If what my mother remembers about him is true. He would take a child from his wife in a custody dispute." Her hand fell on his arm. His eyes landed on the spot where her hand touched him. "Come on, Will. I know you're not all business all the time. I was hoping we could… distract each other for the night."
"I'm seeing someone." He pulled his arm away and began gathering his things to go.
"No you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"If I can't find her, then she doesn't exist, Will. No one is that good."
"I am." Will had to stop when she pressed her body against his. Her lips pressed against his neck and then his ear. "Stop."
"I've seen the way you look at me. I know I’m not imagining it. I've had confirmation from people you know."
"Somehow, I doubt that." Will brushed passed her to the door. "Goodnight, Agent Seyton. I'll just pretend this didn't happen. I suggest you do the same."
--
"I think it's a little odd." Oriel drew designs on her husband's chest while he watched the hockey game.
"What's that?"
"I hadn't really thought about it before, when I read that journal of Liz's great-aunt's. She was my donor and he was your donor… and they knew each other… and we're married… we have kids together. It's the life she wanted with him."
"I try not to think about that stuff." Michael kissed her lips lightly. "I don't love you because maybe my DNA person had some naughty thoughts about a piece of jailbait. You don't love me because your jailbait DNA had some crush on my old man donor."
"No?"
"I don't know hardly anything about him except for a few quirks and he had a wife named Ada Jane. She was a blonde. I don't really do blondes."
"You used to."
"Yeah well. Those couple of times didn't work out so well for me." He took his eyes off the game and set them on his wife. "You think too much. You'll overwork your brain."
"I thought you liked my brains."
"I was thinking of the children. They need one parent with good brains. I like… your other brains." He slapped her rear playfully.
"Michael!" She smacked his chest and settled in beside him to watch the kids coloring on the floor. "I just wonder sometimes is all."
"I know." He held her tight against him as the puck sliced through the air and hit the net. He didn't leap up for joy, he just kissed his wife's head.
--
Emily glanced at Danny's watch and scoffed. "No wonder you're always running early, you never fixed your watch."
"Why fix it? It's just going back to Texas time in a couple of weeks." He swatted her hand.
"It's only four. It's not five."
"Sue me."
"I plan to."
"Children." Diane chided from her chair where she was reading. "I swear. Sometimes it's like you're both five years old again."
"What's the secret to a long, happy marriage without killing your spouse?" Emily asked suddenly.
Diane lowered her book and spotted their expectant faces. "Compromise. Listen. Unite on your kids. Don't go to bed angry… and keep a lock on the door."
"A lock on the door?" Emily frowned.
"On the bedroom door."
--
Lynnette watched Alex and Berty whisper and move salt and pepper shakers around on the table. "Do you need a Lego set or some Lincoln logs?"
"Ooh, do we have some?" Alex sat up.
"What's going on over there?"
"Nothing." Berty shook her head.
She stared at the younger girl. She'd had red-rimmed eyes for days. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Fine." Berty tried to smile.
"Hi, kids!" Isabel burst into the kitchen with groceries. "I bought food but I'm not cooking tonight. Jesse said he was going to pick up Chinese on his way. Oh and before I forget, Berty. Dr. Davis can see you on Friday. So we need to get going early."
"What?" Berty sat up, her eyes wide.
"You had that weird thing this weekend. I called and she said to bring you in. It's something we should do anyway." Isabel stared at her daughter. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just tired." Berty shook her head.
"Okay…" Isabel turned away slowly. "And Alex, when are you leaving? I'm not trying to get rid of you but you had said Monday and… you're still here."
"I'm having trouble leaving my lady." Alex pulled Lynnette into his lap.
"Oh… you're so gross." Isabel shook her head and started putting away the groceries. "You've been taking lessons from your uncle."
"Like you and Primo are always polite and proper in public." Lynnette laughed.
"We aren't disgusting." Isabel pointed out.
"You should really stop wasting your money on hotel rooms. We all know you're sleeping together." Berty joined in the ribbing.
"Is it Pick-On-Mom-Day?" She turned to them
"No, just saying that when Gina asks where her college fund went, you shouldn’t say you meant to build one up but you and Jesse were using that money to have sex in a hotel when you could have… I don't know… put a lock on your bedroom doors and just had at it." Berty wrinkled up her nose. "Could you soundproof the walls first? I don't want to hear that?"
"Hear what?" Jesse asked as he walked in with several cartons and a bag.
"Go on. Say it again." Isabel challenged her daughter, who only turned bright red, making Lynnette and Alex laugh.
"What?" Jesse asked them.
"Nothing." Isabel shook her head at her daughter. "Changing the subject now. Just remember. Friday, seven in the morning. Dressed and ready to drive."
"Friday?" Jesse cut in. "That's the Bruner deposition. We've got it set for 9:30. He won't talk to anyone but you."
"I guess we're not going to Cruces, then." Berty breathed a sigh of relief.
Jesse nudged Isabel for an explanation. "I was going to take her to see Dr. Davis."
"I guess I'm not a good substitute, then."
"I'll take her." Lynnette offered. "I'm off and you have a plane tomorrow." She nudged her fiancé.
"I'd really appreciate it."
"Do I need to know anything?"
"No." Isabel shook her head. "Dr. Davis is in the know. She'll do everything the right way."
--
The Fate of Destiny Part 181E CC/UC ADULT 09/02/10 COMPLETE
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, Erina, Forum Moderators
Part 141 B
--
Agent Seyton picked up the phone and dialed a number routed through the office line. According to phone records, he called one number the most often from both his personal and business phones.
"Calling from the office? Sneaky, baby."
"Dr. Evans, hi. This is Agent Seyton."
"Oh… I'm sorry… I thought you were someone else." Kathy bit her lip and got up to talk. "Is something wrong? Usually Agent Goldblum checks in with me, first."
"Oh… it's nothing really. I ran over some scans and I realized I didn't know if Agent Goldblum had run a copy over to you yesterday or not. I'd hate to file these if you needed them."
"He's not in town yet."
"Yes, he arrived from Texas, yesterday. Some business with his ex-wife. I don't know all the details but it seemed pretty urgent when we spoke of it in L.A."
"Oh." Kathy froze. "Well, um… I got a fax yesterday. I wonder why he didn't run them by himself. He usually does…"
"We were so busy in the office, we didn't leave until late. Perhaps it just slipped his mind. I know it nearly slipped mine." Agent Seyton turned the steering wheel and pulled into a spot a few yards away from Will's car as it parked and the agent exited the vehicle to enter the hotel. "If he does call, ask him about the final scans from Thursday."
"I will."
"Oh and mind passing on the message that… um… tonight wasn't a big deal?"
"Should I be seeing him soon?"
"He did say he had to… finish some business with you. I don't know what he was talking about. Maybe he has a copy of the scans with him. His phone has been busy for a while. I hope I didn't bother you."
"No, no. Thank you." Kathy closed her phone and turned back to her siblings and Lauren. "I think I'm going to head home."
"What? Why?" Beth sat up, confused by the turmoil in her sister's aura.
"I've got an early morning." She lied. "If Will stops by, tell him I'll just see him tomorrow or something."
"Hey! Can I go with you? I promise to be good. Sterling needs to take a walk and I do it early and you have a park next to your house." David pleaded.
"I don't know…" Kathy looked to her parents, who were engrossed with each other. "You need to ask them."
"Kat?" Beth furrowed her brow.
Then the door opened. "Hey!" Will greeted the room. "Got any of that left for me? I'm starved."
"Hey!" David and Beth smiled up at him.
He nodded to them and greeted Kathy with a hug, she had turned her head at the last moment when he had tried to kiss her. "hey… what's wrong?"
The perfume lingered on his body and Kathy could see smears of lipstick on his collar, neck and ear. "Nothing. I was just taking David home with me. I'll see you later." Kathy rushed from his arms and grabbed David's suitcase and Sterling's leash. "Come on, David. Let's go."
The trio left, leaving Beth and Will stunned. "What just happened?"
"I don't know. She got a phone call and then she was obsessed with work." Beth furrowed her brow and looked to Will. "Maybe she's just got a lot on her mind."
"Maybe."
"Will, hi." Liz sat up. "How have you been?"
"Been better. I… think I'm just going to go." Will shook his head.
"Where's David?"
"Kathy took him with her. She's got a yard and the park is right there." Beth explained quietly. "Mind if I stay at Lauren's tonight. Will can take us."
"Oh, I don't know. I've hardly gotten to visit with you."
"Come on. Dad's been wanting to get you alone for a week." Beth scoffed. "And you're going to have forever with me when we get home."
"I don't live that far and Dr. Evans, both of them, have my phone number." Lauren was suddenly relieved that she wouldn't be going home alone. She was afraid to listen to her answering machine by herself.
"Yeah, it's not far. I'll take them. You relax." Will waved them off and motioned for the girls to get their things. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The trio made their way downstairs to the car. Beth stared up at him, his aura was darker than usual. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I guess there were a lot of mixed signals tonight." He ran his hand through his hair as he unlocked the car doors. "Who did she talk to on the phone?"
"I thought it was you at first because of the way she answered but then she walked away to talk. I got caught up in the stories David was telling."
"She was… a little… out there after that call." Lauren nodded. The ride was pretty quiet until they reached Lauren's. Beth turned to say goodbye but was distracted by the side of Will's face. "I'll go open it up."
Beth nodded and cleared her throat. "If Kathy saw the lipstick on your face, it might explain her attitude. I know it explains mine right now." She got up and slammed the door.
Will turned the rearview mirror and cursed. He banged his fist on the steering wheel.
--
Donna Jo dialed the number she had been given by Beth, via text message. She almost forgot to speak when the woman answered. "Hello?"
"Yes, um… I'm sorry to bother you but… I'm looking for Sebastien Ramirez. I'm… a friend of his from Roswell. Donna Jo Vaughn."
"One moment." There was a lack of sound and then a series of beeps. "Sebastien."
"Hi… It's…"
"Donna Jo… um… Hi… I've been meaning to call you."
"Yeah… I thought we'd get to talk before you left and… I had to do some… sleuthing to find this number."
"Yeah, I'm staying with my grandparents until school starts." Sebastien tapped his pen on the desk.
"I knew that you were leaving but… you just left."
"I know. I'm sorry. I tried to call the night before and I was at the airport the second the planes started landing."
"Were you gonna call at all?"
"Yes, of course."
"Don't lie to me. I know that… I was just… someone to bide your time with but you don't have to lie to me."
"Maybe it started that way but… I've had a really crappy summer, Donna Jo. Badness after badness all the way through. Hell, it's been a crappy year. I can only, with certainty, pin point some moments of happiness. Graduating, hanging out with my cousins… and spending time with you."
"And now you'll forget me because you're there and I'm here."
"I hope not. I… actually… I'm going through some pretty rough shit right now. I don't have anyone to lean on."
"Tough shit because neither do I. My only friend, Beth, she's in hospital after hospital all summer and she's the only one I know who won't shun me for being with you at all. I can't talk to her right now." Donna Jo sniffed loudly. "Dana is out for blood and if she finds out it was me you were with, I won't have any friends aside from Beth."
"Beth's a nice girl."
"Did I mean anything to you?"
"Yes. You did. You definitely did."
"You have a funny way of showing it. I've been trying to hide my activities from my dad but it hasn't been easy, okay? I found your shorts in the hot tub three seconds before he got in. I tried to call you and I got a disconnected message. I had to go through a friend of a relative of your dad's girlfriend to find your grandparent's number and all you have to say is that you meant to call and I meant something." She cleared her throat. "I thought you were better than that."
"I wish I were." He closed his eyes in defeat.
"Thanks for the sex and memories. I don't think I'll be calling again." Click.
--
Liz stared up at her husband but couldn't pinpoint the difference in him. It wasn't his hair or his face. Maybe it was in his eyes. His hands massaged her thighs before he bent his head to kiss her neck. "Max… what's gotten into you?"
"Into me… or what's getting into you?"
She couldn't stop the laugh until he pressed into her, sliding inside her warm walls. Her hands slid up to frame his face. "I have missed you so much."
"I missed you and this." He nipped her lips, then her chin and her neck. "And this and this…" He squeezed her ass. "This and… this." He thrust slowly.
"Did you plan this? Did you hypnotize them all into leaving?"
"Mm… there's a power that would come in handy." He murmured as he rolled over and gripped her hips tightly. "I like you this way."
"Max…" Liz gasped as she sank all the way down on his erection and began to rock steadily. His hands left her hips and slid up to cup her breasts as they bounced, his fingers finding her hard little nipples. They began to tingle. "What's…"
"Shh… just… feel it." Max whispered between grunts. He lowered one of his hands to her clit between them and let a little energy flow.
"Holy…" Liz gasped as she was awash with sensation and energy. "Max…"
"Liz, do you remember that night we did it until we were too sore to move?"
"Yes." Her words were barely a gasp.
"I want a repeat. Sound good?"
"I don't know if I bend that way anymore."
"Want to find out?"
--
Lauren felt better than she had all day after a shower and her comfy clothes fresh from a spin in the dryer. Beth examined everything in sight. "I so want a place like this when I move out."
"I can't afford much. Most of this stuff is my roommates. She's got a performance tonight so she won't be in until late."
Beth sat to take off her boots. "I hope you don't mind my inviting myself over. My parents get… really handsy and…"
"Hey, it's cool. I didn't want to come home alone, anyway." Lauren hit the machine button and it told her that she had six messages. "I don't like listening to her berate me on the machine."
"Lauren, this is Serena. Where did you go? Gia said you didn't go with those girls like you said. I want you to call me as soon as you get this message."
"Lauren, this is Serena. Call me. I know you took a bus somewhere. It's not safe to take off without telling at least one person where you really went."
"Lauren, look, I'm sorry if what I said came out the wrong way. It's not what I meant. You just have to be careful and I don't trust those guys at the plasma center. Call me when you get in."
"Lauren, where are you?"
"Hey… Lauren… this is Andy… I got your number from some mutual friends. We met… kind of… at a show the other night. I can't get you out of my head… Talk to Ida. She'll know how to find me if you're interested."
"Hey Lauren? It's Gia. I know you're not back and all but… Serena is really worried. I don't know what it's all about but any time I mention your name, she flies off the handle. Just… give her a call when you get in so she'll calm down."
"It sounds like Serena really cares about you." Beth whispered.
"It sounds like it, huh." Lauren scoffed and hit delete all.
"When I took off… my mom called everyone I had ever spoken to… ever. I'll bet your phone isn't the only one with messages on it."
"It's only DNA." Lauren sank into a chair. "I just… want the chance to know that the other parents could care something about me. You know? I bullied her into letting me in… and…"
"If she didn't care, she wouldn't have called at all."
"Maybe."
--
Kathy rubbed the puppy's fur. David had passed out on the couch with his dreamcatcher clutched in his hand. Sterling snuffed into her hair and settled again on her chest. Her phone lit up for the twentieth time since she had been home. Billy shook her head at her sad roommate. "Answer the friggin phone, Kat."
"No." Kat shook her head. "I don't want to pick it up to find out he's been with his precious little subordinate all this time. He never even called when he got in."
"You don't know that's… you don't know, Kat."
"I know he showed up to my parents' hotel room smelling like her perfume with her lipstick all over his face."
"Like thick smudges?" Billy wrinkled up her nose.
"More like… trace smears… I could see them in the light. There was a smudge on his shirt collar."
"Ugh. So cliché." Billy picked up the phone when it glowed again. "She's not answering, I know." She listened for a bit. "I don't know. I'll try." The blonde covered the mouthpiece. "He says that it isn't what it looks like. He didn't even notice he had lipstick on him at all until Beth pointed it out. He needs to tell you about something that happened at his office."
"I don't want to hear about what he was doing with her." Kat sank deeper into the couch. "I heard enough from her."
Billy listened some more. "He says that nothing happened but she did come on to him."
"Then what business was he coming to finish with me?"
"He says that he doesn't know what you're talking about."
"That's what that bitch said. That he was going to meet me to finish his business with me. If that's not a warning of a break up, then I don't know what is. He didn't even tell me he'd gotten in yesterday. I didn't even know he was in town at all until she called me." Kat bit out and got up, with the puppy, to find some Excedrin. When she passed the front door, she froze. She could see him sitting on his car outside. "Unbelievable." She grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed security.
"He said that he was tired and he needed some space."
"From seeing his ex again?"
"Yes, he did. How did you know?"
"Agent Genevieve Seyton of the Florida Snob club told me."
"He says that you've known him too long to think he'd do something like this to you. He turned her down and she wouldn't take no for an answer. She's probably upset and lashing out." Billy frowned into the phone. "He doesn't know how she even found out it was you that he's seeing."
"Before I even agree to talk to him instead of calling security to have his car towed, I want her in another state."
--
Liz returned to bed with a carton of leftovers. "What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're different. What happened in LA?"
"Something happened. I don’t know what it was. I'd been trying to… remember alien stuff." Max stacked the pillows so they could lean and still eat comfortably. "That day… Beth had been in a while and something happened. I opened the tank and she was glowing."
"What time?"
"3:30."
"Tell your son to fix his watch."
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure. I felt something happen. Danny says that Gabriel felt something happen. We need to call Sydney but…"
"Huh…" Max chewed thoughtfully. "I could probably remember now if I tried… but… I'm scared."
"You feel different, don’t you." Liz set down her fork. "What was tonight about?"
"I saw you… and I had to have you."
"It's not just because I slimmed down?"
"Oh no… I was fantasizing about the you I left this whole time."
"Now it's your turn. You go on a diet and shrink this." Liz rubbed his belly.
"It's not sexy?"
"Only to me."
Max sat up. "We're all going to be fine. Okay? Whatever is happening… we'll figure it out. I'm sure it's nothing."
TBC
Agent Seyton picked up the phone and dialed a number routed through the office line. According to phone records, he called one number the most often from both his personal and business phones.
"Calling from the office? Sneaky, baby."
"Dr. Evans, hi. This is Agent Seyton."
"Oh… I'm sorry… I thought you were someone else." Kathy bit her lip and got up to talk. "Is something wrong? Usually Agent Goldblum checks in with me, first."
"Oh… it's nothing really. I ran over some scans and I realized I didn't know if Agent Goldblum had run a copy over to you yesterday or not. I'd hate to file these if you needed them."
"He's not in town yet."
"Yes, he arrived from Texas, yesterday. Some business with his ex-wife. I don't know all the details but it seemed pretty urgent when we spoke of it in L.A."
"Oh." Kathy froze. "Well, um… I got a fax yesterday. I wonder why he didn't run them by himself. He usually does…"
"We were so busy in the office, we didn't leave until late. Perhaps it just slipped his mind. I know it nearly slipped mine." Agent Seyton turned the steering wheel and pulled into a spot a few yards away from Will's car as it parked and the agent exited the vehicle to enter the hotel. "If he does call, ask him about the final scans from Thursday."
"I will."
"Oh and mind passing on the message that… um… tonight wasn't a big deal?"
"Should I be seeing him soon?"
"He did say he had to… finish some business with you. I don't know what he was talking about. Maybe he has a copy of the scans with him. His phone has been busy for a while. I hope I didn't bother you."
"No, no. Thank you." Kathy closed her phone and turned back to her siblings and Lauren. "I think I'm going to head home."
"What? Why?" Beth sat up, confused by the turmoil in her sister's aura.
"I've got an early morning." She lied. "If Will stops by, tell him I'll just see him tomorrow or something."
"Hey! Can I go with you? I promise to be good. Sterling needs to take a walk and I do it early and you have a park next to your house." David pleaded.
"I don't know…" Kathy looked to her parents, who were engrossed with each other. "You need to ask them."
"Kat?" Beth furrowed her brow.
Then the door opened. "Hey!" Will greeted the room. "Got any of that left for me? I'm starved."
"Hey!" David and Beth smiled up at him.
He nodded to them and greeted Kathy with a hug, she had turned her head at the last moment when he had tried to kiss her. "hey… what's wrong?"
The perfume lingered on his body and Kathy could see smears of lipstick on his collar, neck and ear. "Nothing. I was just taking David home with me. I'll see you later." Kathy rushed from his arms and grabbed David's suitcase and Sterling's leash. "Come on, David. Let's go."
The trio left, leaving Beth and Will stunned. "What just happened?"
"I don't know. She got a phone call and then she was obsessed with work." Beth furrowed her brow and looked to Will. "Maybe she's just got a lot on her mind."
"Maybe."
"Will, hi." Liz sat up. "How have you been?"
"Been better. I… think I'm just going to go." Will shook his head.
"Where's David?"
"Kathy took him with her. She's got a yard and the park is right there." Beth explained quietly. "Mind if I stay at Lauren's tonight. Will can take us."
"Oh, I don't know. I've hardly gotten to visit with you."
"Come on. Dad's been wanting to get you alone for a week." Beth scoffed. "And you're going to have forever with me when we get home."
"I don't live that far and Dr. Evans, both of them, have my phone number." Lauren was suddenly relieved that she wouldn't be going home alone. She was afraid to listen to her answering machine by herself.
"Yeah, it's not far. I'll take them. You relax." Will waved them off and motioned for the girls to get their things. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The trio made their way downstairs to the car. Beth stared up at him, his aura was darker than usual. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I guess there were a lot of mixed signals tonight." He ran his hand through his hair as he unlocked the car doors. "Who did she talk to on the phone?"
"I thought it was you at first because of the way she answered but then she walked away to talk. I got caught up in the stories David was telling."
"She was… a little… out there after that call." Lauren nodded. The ride was pretty quiet until they reached Lauren's. Beth turned to say goodbye but was distracted by the side of Will's face. "I'll go open it up."
Beth nodded and cleared her throat. "If Kathy saw the lipstick on your face, it might explain her attitude. I know it explains mine right now." She got up and slammed the door.
Will turned the rearview mirror and cursed. He banged his fist on the steering wheel.
--
Donna Jo dialed the number she had been given by Beth, via text message. She almost forgot to speak when the woman answered. "Hello?"
"Yes, um… I'm sorry to bother you but… I'm looking for Sebastien Ramirez. I'm… a friend of his from Roswell. Donna Jo Vaughn."
"One moment." There was a lack of sound and then a series of beeps. "Sebastien."
"Hi… It's…"
"Donna Jo… um… Hi… I've been meaning to call you."
"Yeah… I thought we'd get to talk before you left and… I had to do some… sleuthing to find this number."
"Yeah, I'm staying with my grandparents until school starts." Sebastien tapped his pen on the desk.
"I knew that you were leaving but… you just left."
"I know. I'm sorry. I tried to call the night before and I was at the airport the second the planes started landing."
"Were you gonna call at all?"
"Yes, of course."
"Don't lie to me. I know that… I was just… someone to bide your time with but you don't have to lie to me."
"Maybe it started that way but… I've had a really crappy summer, Donna Jo. Badness after badness all the way through. Hell, it's been a crappy year. I can only, with certainty, pin point some moments of happiness. Graduating, hanging out with my cousins… and spending time with you."
"And now you'll forget me because you're there and I'm here."
"I hope not. I… actually… I'm going through some pretty rough shit right now. I don't have anyone to lean on."
"Tough shit because neither do I. My only friend, Beth, she's in hospital after hospital all summer and she's the only one I know who won't shun me for being with you at all. I can't talk to her right now." Donna Jo sniffed loudly. "Dana is out for blood and if she finds out it was me you were with, I won't have any friends aside from Beth."
"Beth's a nice girl."
"Did I mean anything to you?"
"Yes. You did. You definitely did."
"You have a funny way of showing it. I've been trying to hide my activities from my dad but it hasn't been easy, okay? I found your shorts in the hot tub three seconds before he got in. I tried to call you and I got a disconnected message. I had to go through a friend of a relative of your dad's girlfriend to find your grandparent's number and all you have to say is that you meant to call and I meant something." She cleared her throat. "I thought you were better than that."
"I wish I were." He closed his eyes in defeat.
"Thanks for the sex and memories. I don't think I'll be calling again." Click.
--
Liz stared up at her husband but couldn't pinpoint the difference in him. It wasn't his hair or his face. Maybe it was in his eyes. His hands massaged her thighs before he bent his head to kiss her neck. "Max… what's gotten into you?"
"Into me… or what's getting into you?"
She couldn't stop the laugh until he pressed into her, sliding inside her warm walls. Her hands slid up to frame his face. "I have missed you so much."
"I missed you and this." He nipped her lips, then her chin and her neck. "And this and this…" He squeezed her ass. "This and… this." He thrust slowly.
"Did you plan this? Did you hypnotize them all into leaving?"
"Mm… there's a power that would come in handy." He murmured as he rolled over and gripped her hips tightly. "I like you this way."
"Max…" Liz gasped as she sank all the way down on his erection and began to rock steadily. His hands left her hips and slid up to cup her breasts as they bounced, his fingers finding her hard little nipples. They began to tingle. "What's…"
"Shh… just… feel it." Max whispered between grunts. He lowered one of his hands to her clit between them and let a little energy flow.
"Holy…" Liz gasped as she was awash with sensation and energy. "Max…"
"Liz, do you remember that night we did it until we were too sore to move?"
"Yes." Her words were barely a gasp.
"I want a repeat. Sound good?"
"I don't know if I bend that way anymore."
"Want to find out?"
--
Lauren felt better than she had all day after a shower and her comfy clothes fresh from a spin in the dryer. Beth examined everything in sight. "I so want a place like this when I move out."
"I can't afford much. Most of this stuff is my roommates. She's got a performance tonight so she won't be in until late."
Beth sat to take off her boots. "I hope you don't mind my inviting myself over. My parents get… really handsy and…"
"Hey, it's cool. I didn't want to come home alone, anyway." Lauren hit the machine button and it told her that she had six messages. "I don't like listening to her berate me on the machine."
"Lauren, this is Serena. Where did you go? Gia said you didn't go with those girls like you said. I want you to call me as soon as you get this message."
"Lauren, this is Serena. Call me. I know you took a bus somewhere. It's not safe to take off without telling at least one person where you really went."
"Lauren, look, I'm sorry if what I said came out the wrong way. It's not what I meant. You just have to be careful and I don't trust those guys at the plasma center. Call me when you get in."
"Lauren, where are you?"
"Hey… Lauren… this is Andy… I got your number from some mutual friends. We met… kind of… at a show the other night. I can't get you out of my head… Talk to Ida. She'll know how to find me if you're interested."
"Hey Lauren? It's Gia. I know you're not back and all but… Serena is really worried. I don't know what it's all about but any time I mention your name, she flies off the handle. Just… give her a call when you get in so she'll calm down."
"It sounds like Serena really cares about you." Beth whispered.
"It sounds like it, huh." Lauren scoffed and hit delete all.
"When I took off… my mom called everyone I had ever spoken to… ever. I'll bet your phone isn't the only one with messages on it."
"It's only DNA." Lauren sank into a chair. "I just… want the chance to know that the other parents could care something about me. You know? I bullied her into letting me in… and…"
"If she didn't care, she wouldn't have called at all."
"Maybe."
--
Kathy rubbed the puppy's fur. David had passed out on the couch with his dreamcatcher clutched in his hand. Sterling snuffed into her hair and settled again on her chest. Her phone lit up for the twentieth time since she had been home. Billy shook her head at her sad roommate. "Answer the friggin phone, Kat."
"No." Kat shook her head. "I don't want to pick it up to find out he's been with his precious little subordinate all this time. He never even called when he got in."
"You don't know that's… you don't know, Kat."
"I know he showed up to my parents' hotel room smelling like her perfume with her lipstick all over his face."
"Like thick smudges?" Billy wrinkled up her nose.
"More like… trace smears… I could see them in the light. There was a smudge on his shirt collar."
"Ugh. So cliché." Billy picked up the phone when it glowed again. "She's not answering, I know." She listened for a bit. "I don't know. I'll try." The blonde covered the mouthpiece. "He says that it isn't what it looks like. He didn't even notice he had lipstick on him at all until Beth pointed it out. He needs to tell you about something that happened at his office."
"I don't want to hear about what he was doing with her." Kat sank deeper into the couch. "I heard enough from her."
Billy listened some more. "He says that nothing happened but she did come on to him."
"Then what business was he coming to finish with me?"
"He says that he doesn't know what you're talking about."
"That's what that bitch said. That he was going to meet me to finish his business with me. If that's not a warning of a break up, then I don't know what is. He didn't even tell me he'd gotten in yesterday. I didn't even know he was in town at all until she called me." Kat bit out and got up, with the puppy, to find some Excedrin. When she passed the front door, she froze. She could see him sitting on his car outside. "Unbelievable." She grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed security.
"He said that he was tired and he needed some space."
"From seeing his ex again?"
"Yes, he did. How did you know?"
"Agent Genevieve Seyton of the Florida Snob club told me."
"He says that you've known him too long to think he'd do something like this to you. He turned her down and she wouldn't take no for an answer. She's probably upset and lashing out." Billy frowned into the phone. "He doesn't know how she even found out it was you that he's seeing."
"Before I even agree to talk to him instead of calling security to have his car towed, I want her in another state."
--
Liz returned to bed with a carton of leftovers. "What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're different. What happened in LA?"
"Something happened. I don’t know what it was. I'd been trying to… remember alien stuff." Max stacked the pillows so they could lean and still eat comfortably. "That day… Beth had been in a while and something happened. I opened the tank and she was glowing."
"What time?"
"3:30."
"Tell your son to fix his watch."
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure. I felt something happen. Danny says that Gabriel felt something happen. We need to call Sydney but…"
"Huh…" Max chewed thoughtfully. "I could probably remember now if I tried… but… I'm scared."
"You feel different, don’t you." Liz set down her fork. "What was tonight about?"
"I saw you… and I had to have you."
"It's not just because I slimmed down?"
"Oh no… I was fantasizing about the you I left this whole time."
"Now it's your turn. You go on a diet and shrink this." Liz rubbed his belly.
"It's not sexy?"
"Only to me."
Max sat up. "We're all going to be fine. Okay? Whatever is happening… we'll figure it out. I'm sure it's nothing."
TBC
Part 142
The Fate of Destiny Part 142
Will tried to keep Kat in the boardroom but she kept looking for a way out the door. "Please, talk to me."
"I can't look at you."
"This is ridiculous, Kat. I don't know what she said to you but I will transfer her as soon as I can. Nothing happened."
"I smelled her on you." Kat jabbed a finger into his chest. "That hoity-toity perfume she uses and that gross lipstick she wears all over your shirt and face."
"I know but… she never even kissed me. I pushed her away. Nothing happened."
"Then why lie?"
"I didn't lie. I hadn't even seen you yet. If I omitted anything it was because this is the best thing that's ever happened to me." He reached for her. "I didn't want to lose you over nothing."
"This isn't nothing, Will. I don't know how I can trust you."
"You know me. In all the time that you've known me, have I ever done something like this?"
"If you didn't tell her that we were dating, how did she know to call me and say all those things?" Her blue eyes were filled with tears. Will hugged her to him. "I just… she'd good, Will. She's really good."
"Okay. Sh… It's okay. I'm going to take care of it." When he tipped up her chin, she looked so hurt. "I will take care of this. You concentrate on this Beth mystery and I will go take care of it."
"Hey Will!" Liz smiled when she entered the room with Max. "We were supposed to meet Beth here but…"
"I saw her in the lobby." Will confirmed. "I think she's going to the theater with Lauren. Don't worry, I have my guy on them. He'll update me with their itinerary. "
"That's my girl. All better and thinking she can run all over Santa Fe." Max took a seat and began opening folders. "Are you staying, Will?"
"No… um… I have some errands to run." Will squeezed Kat's hand and made for the door. "I will be available though, so… call if you need anything."
"So… Beth has improved greatly since that last cycle in the tank." Max explained to his wife and eldest daughter over the stack of papers in front of him as soon as the door closed. "Her external stitches were found in the drain. Not a trace of blood or skin on them. I… haven't told her about the Sleeper business. She hasn't asked and I don't think she's been reading anything but auras. So… she's not actively reading."
"That's good… right?" Liz looked over the papers as Max handed them to her to give to Kat.
"It's a good sign for her that she's self-contained and she doesn't need to stop herself. She looks better. Acts better. I want to be sure. Danny has a point about this 3:30/4:30 business. The migraine for Gabe. The sharp pain for you. If that could happen… who knows what else could. Or who else could know…"
--
Beth giggled when yet another person stopped Lauren to ask if she was 'in that video, with that band, that came out last night.' The amused classmate backed away, eyeing Lauren with curiosity. Lauren turned to Beth. "Oh My GOD. I've been trying to talk to him for a whole semester. And I can't believe the video came out that fast. I mean… it was what? Four days ago?"
"You were the one touting the wonders of the great Kal Langley. That is what he does. He puts the right people in the right projects and he does it right and then… my newest best friend's face is plastered all over 16 music channels. I was almost in that video. I'm jealous now." Beth teased and stared wistfully around at summer program rehearsals.
"Nah, it'd just get half the country drooling over you and your boyfriend might not like that so much."
"Yeah… I don't know. Maybe, maybe not." Beth shrugged. "I can't toe that line. We made up but I haven't seen him yet."
"How can he not love you?"
"He says that all the time."
--
David ran through the park and caught the Frisbee when Billy threw it to him. Sterling happily pranced between them, wanting the Frisbee but unable to catch it before either human could get it. "Hey Billy, why was Kat mad this morning?"
"She's just a little upset. It's boyfriend troubles."
"So, she's not mad that Sterling peed in her closet?"
"Umm." Billy bit her lip. "I don't think she knows. Did you clean it?"
"Yeah but there was a pair of her shoes…"
"Oh, well, um… if she asks. I'll take the heat for the shoes. Just remind me when we get back to the house."
--
Seyton typed quickly. She could get around Goldblum's security measures in no time. It would just take some finesse. Before she could get in the final keystroke, the door banged open. "Agent Goldblum. I hope you don't mind but I was checking for a message on the bureau server." Her fingers deftly made the key strokes to clear off her actions.
"If that's what you were doing." He reached around her and gathered a stack of files from his desk. "You're off this individual. Ledford is sending one of hers. You should go replace him before that individual gets home."
"You're reassigning me?" She whirled on him.
"Yes. Obviously there's a conflict of interest and I believe it's in the best interest of this agency to send you to Texas, or would you prefer Florida."
"What are you talking about? Is it the Burkhardt connection? Because it doesn't take a genius to figure out that those Burkhardt men really got around. Dr. Evans is really a Burkhardt, isn't he?" Seyton rose from her seat. "This isn't about diplomats. This is about deep pockets. How much is Mrs. Burkhardt slipping the government to keep this branch of her husband's family under wraps?"
"You have got one wild imagination. I—"
"This branch didn't even exist until after Mason stole that little boy and blew his own brains out." She stared at him. "Why are you really sending me away?"
"Why do you think?" He stared at her hard. "And don’t give me lines about conspiracy theories. What you did was malicious. Calling her and misleading her. I should fire you but… I trust that you've seen the error of your ways and that a strong role model like Agent Ledford can cool your hot head." Will gathered some of his things and walked out the door, calling over his shoulder. "I want you on a flight out of Santa Fe by morning."
--
Beth and Lauren settled into a booth right behind the rest of the Evans clan. Beth watched her friend wave half-heartedly at a woman picking up an order. "That's my… step-mom, I guess." The brunette sighed heavily. "Gia. I should probably go talk to her. Be right back."
Beth watched them greet and hug. They weren't that far apart in age but Gia had obviously taken on a very parental role by the way she stroked Lauren's hair. Then Gia slipped her hand into her purse and handed Lauren the purse so Gia could talk on the phone.
"Beth." Max tried to catch his daughter's attention. His head popped over the seat. "Mind if David sat with you guys? Will just got here and I'd like to talk to him for a bit."
"Yeah, ok." She nodded. David took Lauren's place and let Sterling nap on the bench next to him. "That dog smells."
"No he doesn't. I gave him a bath before we left. He just smells like a dog."
--
Kat ran her eyes over the scans. "How did you get these?"
Will lowered his voice so they couldn't be heard at the other tables. The nearest was Lauren, Beth and David but he wasn't taking any chances. "Back in the day, Mason made several deposits in hopes of in vitro fertilization. They kept his stuff on ice and when the scans became available, they mapped him out for future reference. To see if he was becoming more or less fertile as the years passed. Once I knew who would have access to it, it wasn't hard to get my hands on it. I think that had his own doctor still been alive, I couldn't have gotten them."
"So…" Kat ran her fingers over the scans and pointed them out to her father. "We don't have a fresh piece to analyze but if we ran them through a computer, it would test just as high as if… well... there's really no doubt about it. Mason Burkhardt is Lauren Allison's biological father." She shuffled through her papers. "This is the sample I snuck from Dr. West. A hair on her chair. It's pretty conclusive… and this is…"
"Daphne Burkhardt. The carrier. There's a trace of her DNA because of the Allethora in Dr. West's egg." He looked to Kat for confirmation.
Max nodded and sighed deeply. "I don't know if you should tell her. I mean… the way things went…"
"Maybe she won't question if I come up with nothing."
"She needs to know." Liz shook her head. Max met her eyes and she deliberately looked at Kat. "We never lied to Kat and maybe Lauren isn't our child but… her circumstances are… Her parents aren't here to give her the option of knowing or not knowing. She's an adult. She deserves to know."
"What do you think, Will?"
"Based on the last time I spoke with Mrs. Burkhardt? It could go very badly."
Beth cleared her throat and told a joke that made her brother and friend laugh. Will lowered his voice. "I think that… I should scout things out first."
"That's probably a good idea." Max agreed.
TBC
Will tried to keep Kat in the boardroom but she kept looking for a way out the door. "Please, talk to me."
"I can't look at you."
"This is ridiculous, Kat. I don't know what she said to you but I will transfer her as soon as I can. Nothing happened."
"I smelled her on you." Kat jabbed a finger into his chest. "That hoity-toity perfume she uses and that gross lipstick she wears all over your shirt and face."
"I know but… she never even kissed me. I pushed her away. Nothing happened."
"Then why lie?"
"I didn't lie. I hadn't even seen you yet. If I omitted anything it was because this is the best thing that's ever happened to me." He reached for her. "I didn't want to lose you over nothing."
"This isn't nothing, Will. I don't know how I can trust you."
"You know me. In all the time that you've known me, have I ever done something like this?"
"If you didn't tell her that we were dating, how did she know to call me and say all those things?" Her blue eyes were filled with tears. Will hugged her to him. "I just… she'd good, Will. She's really good."
"Okay. Sh… It's okay. I'm going to take care of it." When he tipped up her chin, she looked so hurt. "I will take care of this. You concentrate on this Beth mystery and I will go take care of it."
"Hey Will!" Liz smiled when she entered the room with Max. "We were supposed to meet Beth here but…"
"I saw her in the lobby." Will confirmed. "I think she's going to the theater with Lauren. Don't worry, I have my guy on them. He'll update me with their itinerary. "
"That's my girl. All better and thinking she can run all over Santa Fe." Max took a seat and began opening folders. "Are you staying, Will?"
"No… um… I have some errands to run." Will squeezed Kat's hand and made for the door. "I will be available though, so… call if you need anything."
"So… Beth has improved greatly since that last cycle in the tank." Max explained to his wife and eldest daughter over the stack of papers in front of him as soon as the door closed. "Her external stitches were found in the drain. Not a trace of blood or skin on them. I… haven't told her about the Sleeper business. She hasn't asked and I don't think she's been reading anything but auras. So… she's not actively reading."
"That's good… right?" Liz looked over the papers as Max handed them to her to give to Kat.
"It's a good sign for her that she's self-contained and she doesn't need to stop herself. She looks better. Acts better. I want to be sure. Danny has a point about this 3:30/4:30 business. The migraine for Gabe. The sharp pain for you. If that could happen… who knows what else could. Or who else could know…"
--
Beth giggled when yet another person stopped Lauren to ask if she was 'in that video, with that band, that came out last night.' The amused classmate backed away, eyeing Lauren with curiosity. Lauren turned to Beth. "Oh My GOD. I've been trying to talk to him for a whole semester. And I can't believe the video came out that fast. I mean… it was what? Four days ago?"
"You were the one touting the wonders of the great Kal Langley. That is what he does. He puts the right people in the right projects and he does it right and then… my newest best friend's face is plastered all over 16 music channels. I was almost in that video. I'm jealous now." Beth teased and stared wistfully around at summer program rehearsals.
"Nah, it'd just get half the country drooling over you and your boyfriend might not like that so much."
"Yeah… I don't know. Maybe, maybe not." Beth shrugged. "I can't toe that line. We made up but I haven't seen him yet."
"How can he not love you?"
"He says that all the time."
--
David ran through the park and caught the Frisbee when Billy threw it to him. Sterling happily pranced between them, wanting the Frisbee but unable to catch it before either human could get it. "Hey Billy, why was Kat mad this morning?"
"She's just a little upset. It's boyfriend troubles."
"So, she's not mad that Sterling peed in her closet?"
"Umm." Billy bit her lip. "I don't think she knows. Did you clean it?"
"Yeah but there was a pair of her shoes…"
"Oh, well, um… if she asks. I'll take the heat for the shoes. Just remind me when we get back to the house."
--
Seyton typed quickly. She could get around Goldblum's security measures in no time. It would just take some finesse. Before she could get in the final keystroke, the door banged open. "Agent Goldblum. I hope you don't mind but I was checking for a message on the bureau server." Her fingers deftly made the key strokes to clear off her actions.
"If that's what you were doing." He reached around her and gathered a stack of files from his desk. "You're off this individual. Ledford is sending one of hers. You should go replace him before that individual gets home."
"You're reassigning me?" She whirled on him.
"Yes. Obviously there's a conflict of interest and I believe it's in the best interest of this agency to send you to Texas, or would you prefer Florida."
"What are you talking about? Is it the Burkhardt connection? Because it doesn't take a genius to figure out that those Burkhardt men really got around. Dr. Evans is really a Burkhardt, isn't he?" Seyton rose from her seat. "This isn't about diplomats. This is about deep pockets. How much is Mrs. Burkhardt slipping the government to keep this branch of her husband's family under wraps?"
"You have got one wild imagination. I—"
"This branch didn't even exist until after Mason stole that little boy and blew his own brains out." She stared at him. "Why are you really sending me away?"
"Why do you think?" He stared at her hard. "And don’t give me lines about conspiracy theories. What you did was malicious. Calling her and misleading her. I should fire you but… I trust that you've seen the error of your ways and that a strong role model like Agent Ledford can cool your hot head." Will gathered some of his things and walked out the door, calling over his shoulder. "I want you on a flight out of Santa Fe by morning."
--
Beth and Lauren settled into a booth right behind the rest of the Evans clan. Beth watched her friend wave half-heartedly at a woman picking up an order. "That's my… step-mom, I guess." The brunette sighed heavily. "Gia. I should probably go talk to her. Be right back."
Beth watched them greet and hug. They weren't that far apart in age but Gia had obviously taken on a very parental role by the way she stroked Lauren's hair. Then Gia slipped her hand into her purse and handed Lauren the purse so Gia could talk on the phone.
"Beth." Max tried to catch his daughter's attention. His head popped over the seat. "Mind if David sat with you guys? Will just got here and I'd like to talk to him for a bit."
"Yeah, ok." She nodded. David took Lauren's place and let Sterling nap on the bench next to him. "That dog smells."
"No he doesn't. I gave him a bath before we left. He just smells like a dog."
--
Kat ran her eyes over the scans. "How did you get these?"
Will lowered his voice so they couldn't be heard at the other tables. The nearest was Lauren, Beth and David but he wasn't taking any chances. "Back in the day, Mason made several deposits in hopes of in vitro fertilization. They kept his stuff on ice and when the scans became available, they mapped him out for future reference. To see if he was becoming more or less fertile as the years passed. Once I knew who would have access to it, it wasn't hard to get my hands on it. I think that had his own doctor still been alive, I couldn't have gotten them."
"So…" Kat ran her fingers over the scans and pointed them out to her father. "We don't have a fresh piece to analyze but if we ran them through a computer, it would test just as high as if… well... there's really no doubt about it. Mason Burkhardt is Lauren Allison's biological father." She shuffled through her papers. "This is the sample I snuck from Dr. West. A hair on her chair. It's pretty conclusive… and this is…"
"Daphne Burkhardt. The carrier. There's a trace of her DNA because of the Allethora in Dr. West's egg." He looked to Kat for confirmation.
Max nodded and sighed deeply. "I don't know if you should tell her. I mean… the way things went…"
"Maybe she won't question if I come up with nothing."
"She needs to know." Liz shook her head. Max met her eyes and she deliberately looked at Kat. "We never lied to Kat and maybe Lauren isn't our child but… her circumstances are… Her parents aren't here to give her the option of knowing or not knowing. She's an adult. She deserves to know."
"What do you think, Will?"
"Based on the last time I spoke with Mrs. Burkhardt? It could go very badly."
Beth cleared her throat and told a joke that made her brother and friend laugh. Will lowered his voice. "I think that… I should scout things out first."
"That's probably a good idea." Max agreed.
TBC
Part 143
The Fate of Destiny Part 143
Gia placed the triangles on the table. "So, this is the final. My instructor already graded me and he said it was perfect but I had to share it with you guys."
Lauren barely nodded to her plate. It looked alright. A mass of white creaminess topped with dark red berries in a rich looking sauce. It looked good and was probably the culmination of Gia's culinary education. It would probably be the best thing that Lauren had ever put in her mouth but she knew it would taste like sawdust because she kept hearing that conversation in her head. The one with the names.
Serena took a bite and shut her eyes. "Gia, this is amazing."
"Thank you!" Gia exclaimed and started gushing about the short but complicated process that had created the dessert.
Serena stared at Lauren but the girl was ignoring her. "How was your trip?"
"That was rude. Gia was talking about the raspberry glaze." Lauren cleared her throat.
"Oh! I saw the video!" Gia exclaimed. "You brat, you went to L.A.?"
"What video?" Serena sat up.
"Don't know. Some new band. Everyone in the theater was talking about it and everyone in the cafeteria was watching it. She looked so hot!" Gia stamped her feet on the floor. "How did you even get an audition? I heard some story about a famous brat getting all bratty with the producer and getting her ass handed to her on the way out."
"Something like that. I was hanging out with… um… Dr. Evans' sister and the… elder Dr. Evans knows this producer guy and we waited on tests together for… anyway. He told me where to go and I got cast and I got headshots and the whole bit. It was kind of fun." Lauren watched Serena lock up and eat her dessert mechanically. "It makes me think this acting thing hasn’t been for nothing." Then Serena stabbed her fork too hard on her plate. She tossed it down and left the table. Lauren and Gia sat in silence for a while. "What's her problem?"
"She was worried."
"Like hell she was."
--
Liz brushed Beth's hair out of her face. "I love you, sweetie. I was worried. I was so worried. I love you… blue hair and all."
"Well, if you approve, then there's no point in having it blue."
"Would you dye it back if I told you I loved it?"
"Tough call."
"I saw that Dad bought you some new clothes."
"I had to… first he puts me on medication that makes my breasts swell, and then he gripes that they're 'coming out' and so he takes me shopping but complains about everything I pick out."
"Are they tender? Did he say if they would go down?"
"Daddy thinks my breasts are invisible. I think I'm supposed to talk to Dr. Davis about it."
"Ok."
"Wouldn't be so bad if they stuck around. What do you think? Am I a B?" Beth sat up to look in the mirror across the room. "They as big as yours?"
"Mine only got this big after I got pregnant. I say be grateful they're petite now." Liz pulled her back down. "So, your friend Lauren? How bad does she want to know about her parents?"
"Who told you? Will?"
"Yeah."
"I heard what he said but I don't think she did."
"Would she want to know even if the woman who carried her couldn't care less?"
"She needs to know. She's… torn up inside, Mom. If you could see her aura sometimes…"
--
Will sat at the table and cradled his cup of coffee. Kat violently got her cup together at the kitchen counter. "Do you believe me, Kat?"
"I guess."
"You guess?"
"Yeah. I don't know."
"Do you want me to go?"
"No, I want you to stay but I don't want you to touch me right now." She turned in time to see him sit back in his seat. "Yes, I said it. The nymphomaniac doesn't want any tonight. Deal with it."
"Kat…"
"No, I am hurt. You didn't tell her to say all the things she said to me but I'm hurt all the same and I can't have you touching me when I can still imagine you touching her."
"I didn't-"
"I know that! But I have these images in my head and you don't know what it's like to be me. I can make people see things so when I see things in my head that aren't there, it's a hell of a lot more real than when you see it."
--
Lock-picking had been honed to an art living with the Fieldings. Lauren rifled though Will's briefcase while the voices were loud. She found the notes and followed them through. Serena West, doctor Ph.D. Santa Fe… blah, blah. Mason and Daphne Burkhardt. St. Augustine, Florida. She grabbed the sheet and raced out the door.
She was back home in absolutely no time at all. She grabbed a bunch of her things and slipped out the door, locking it behind her. It was a few short blocks to the bus. She leapt on just before the driver closed the door. The bus couldn't move fast enough but it gave her time. She pulled out her phone and her wallet. After getting the airport on the line, she cleared her throat. "I'd like to book a flight tonight for someone else… It will go on my credit card, though. She'll have all her ID with her when she arrives. My name is Gia Denali…"
--
"So, that party? It went okay?" Max wrestled the dog while David brushed his teeth.
"Yeah… Grandpa says I was thinking too much. I kind of… cooled it and it kind of worked." David mumbled around his toothbrush. "She kissed me on the cheek. I win."
"Was it a contest?"
"Not exactly but Pete Quentin liked her too."
"And my boy got the girl. Alright."
--
Serena typed violently at her computer. "And you know what it is? It's because she knows what I did. I signed her away before she was even born and… How was I supposed to know that she'd get rejected by them too?"
"That's not it." Gia groaned and put away leftovers. "It's not about what you did all those years ago. She loved her parents. They loved her."
"Then what is it?"
"You acted like she was a disease when she showed up, Serena. You barely look at her… You look at her the way my father looks at me."
"I do not."
"He can't look me in the eye… He says he's fine now but he looks at me like there's something wrong with me because I'm gay and you look at her like there's something wrong with her. I don't know what it is but you see something wrong when you look at her." Gia threw the cheesecake on the floor. "She's was looking for a parent. She had two people who loved her and two people who treated her like garbage. She got another shot with you while you weren't in college and struggling to pay for it… like she is now. You blew it, Serena! What is so wrong with her that you can't be normal to her?"
The silence choked all the air out of the room. Serena turned away so Gia couldn't see the tears in her eyes. The screen blurred and when the first of the tears fell, she could see the new addition to her statement. "Gia… where's your credit card?"
"What? You can't just change the subject like that."
"Someone bought a $2,500 plane ticket with your credit card." Serena was already reaching for the phone when Gia stopped her to peer at the screen. "Check, maybe it's just a mistake and someone used the wrong number."
--
Kat sat staring at the snow on the TV when the knock came. Will was startled awake and leapt up to get it. "Dr. West?"
"Agent Goldblum… I need to know if Dr. Evans is in. I have something to ask her."
"Is something wrong?" He peered at the red-eyed woman.
"I know what you do and I know you have no ethics about it." She let out a long breath. "My partner's card has a huge charge on it. It's a plane ticket to Florida and I know that Lauren's been hanging around with these people and I know she's gone. She's not going to answer her cell… I need to talk to Kathleen."
"Florida? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I know who her parents are and I didn't tell her. I feel horrible but how dare she tell Lauren behind my back."
"What?" Kathy shook her head. "I didn't tell her anything."
"You think I don't know what you've been doing in the labs after hours. Are you really so naïve that you don't know that Dr. Skaarstin keeps tabs on everyone? Absolutely everyone. We know you've been using campus resources for personal reasons and we don't really give a shit about your DNA tests but your little sister is very interesting. I want to know WHY you told my daughter where her other mother was."
"We didn't tell her." Will shook his head. "Trust me on that. We didn't tell her."
"Then how did she know to go to Florida?"
"You're sure she's gone?"
"Call your little sister. I'm sure she knows all about it." Serena bit out and sank onto a lawn chair.
--
Lauren clenched her blanket and punched the call button. "I need… Drano… no… um…"
"Dramamine?" The flight attendant asked.
"Yes but… um… I can't go to sleep. Do you understand? I can't sleep…"
"Ma'am, maybe it's better if you do sleep."
"No, see. I have night terrors and if I sleep… I'll create a scene. I just need to calm down but I can't sleep."
"Okay. Okay. We'll get something for you. Just… try to relax."
"Relax." Lauren repeated and tried to remember what Dr. Evans had done with her on the plane from California.
TBC
Gia placed the triangles on the table. "So, this is the final. My instructor already graded me and he said it was perfect but I had to share it with you guys."
Lauren barely nodded to her plate. It looked alright. A mass of white creaminess topped with dark red berries in a rich looking sauce. It looked good and was probably the culmination of Gia's culinary education. It would probably be the best thing that Lauren had ever put in her mouth but she knew it would taste like sawdust because she kept hearing that conversation in her head. The one with the names.
Serena took a bite and shut her eyes. "Gia, this is amazing."
"Thank you!" Gia exclaimed and started gushing about the short but complicated process that had created the dessert.
Serena stared at Lauren but the girl was ignoring her. "How was your trip?"
"That was rude. Gia was talking about the raspberry glaze." Lauren cleared her throat.
"Oh! I saw the video!" Gia exclaimed. "You brat, you went to L.A.?"
"What video?" Serena sat up.
"Don't know. Some new band. Everyone in the theater was talking about it and everyone in the cafeteria was watching it. She looked so hot!" Gia stamped her feet on the floor. "How did you even get an audition? I heard some story about a famous brat getting all bratty with the producer and getting her ass handed to her on the way out."
"Something like that. I was hanging out with… um… Dr. Evans' sister and the… elder Dr. Evans knows this producer guy and we waited on tests together for… anyway. He told me where to go and I got cast and I got headshots and the whole bit. It was kind of fun." Lauren watched Serena lock up and eat her dessert mechanically. "It makes me think this acting thing hasn’t been for nothing." Then Serena stabbed her fork too hard on her plate. She tossed it down and left the table. Lauren and Gia sat in silence for a while. "What's her problem?"
"She was worried."
"Like hell she was."
--
Liz brushed Beth's hair out of her face. "I love you, sweetie. I was worried. I was so worried. I love you… blue hair and all."
"Well, if you approve, then there's no point in having it blue."
"Would you dye it back if I told you I loved it?"
"Tough call."
"I saw that Dad bought you some new clothes."
"I had to… first he puts me on medication that makes my breasts swell, and then he gripes that they're 'coming out' and so he takes me shopping but complains about everything I pick out."
"Are they tender? Did he say if they would go down?"
"Daddy thinks my breasts are invisible. I think I'm supposed to talk to Dr. Davis about it."
"Ok."
"Wouldn't be so bad if they stuck around. What do you think? Am I a B?" Beth sat up to look in the mirror across the room. "They as big as yours?"
"Mine only got this big after I got pregnant. I say be grateful they're petite now." Liz pulled her back down. "So, your friend Lauren? How bad does she want to know about her parents?"
"Who told you? Will?"
"Yeah."
"I heard what he said but I don't think she did."
"Would she want to know even if the woman who carried her couldn't care less?"
"She needs to know. She's… torn up inside, Mom. If you could see her aura sometimes…"
--
Will sat at the table and cradled his cup of coffee. Kat violently got her cup together at the kitchen counter. "Do you believe me, Kat?"
"I guess."
"You guess?"
"Yeah. I don't know."
"Do you want me to go?"
"No, I want you to stay but I don't want you to touch me right now." She turned in time to see him sit back in his seat. "Yes, I said it. The nymphomaniac doesn't want any tonight. Deal with it."
"Kat…"
"No, I am hurt. You didn't tell her to say all the things she said to me but I'm hurt all the same and I can't have you touching me when I can still imagine you touching her."
"I didn't-"
"I know that! But I have these images in my head and you don't know what it's like to be me. I can make people see things so when I see things in my head that aren't there, it's a hell of a lot more real than when you see it."
--
Lock-picking had been honed to an art living with the Fieldings. Lauren rifled though Will's briefcase while the voices were loud. She found the notes and followed them through. Serena West, doctor Ph.D. Santa Fe… blah, blah. Mason and Daphne Burkhardt. St. Augustine, Florida. She grabbed the sheet and raced out the door.
She was back home in absolutely no time at all. She grabbed a bunch of her things and slipped out the door, locking it behind her. It was a few short blocks to the bus. She leapt on just before the driver closed the door. The bus couldn't move fast enough but it gave her time. She pulled out her phone and her wallet. After getting the airport on the line, she cleared her throat. "I'd like to book a flight tonight for someone else… It will go on my credit card, though. She'll have all her ID with her when she arrives. My name is Gia Denali…"
--
"So, that party? It went okay?" Max wrestled the dog while David brushed his teeth.
"Yeah… Grandpa says I was thinking too much. I kind of… cooled it and it kind of worked." David mumbled around his toothbrush. "She kissed me on the cheek. I win."
"Was it a contest?"
"Not exactly but Pete Quentin liked her too."
"And my boy got the girl. Alright."
--
Serena typed violently at her computer. "And you know what it is? It's because she knows what I did. I signed her away before she was even born and… How was I supposed to know that she'd get rejected by them too?"
"That's not it." Gia groaned and put away leftovers. "It's not about what you did all those years ago. She loved her parents. They loved her."
"Then what is it?"
"You acted like she was a disease when she showed up, Serena. You barely look at her… You look at her the way my father looks at me."
"I do not."
"He can't look me in the eye… He says he's fine now but he looks at me like there's something wrong with me because I'm gay and you look at her like there's something wrong with her. I don't know what it is but you see something wrong when you look at her." Gia threw the cheesecake on the floor. "She's was looking for a parent. She had two people who loved her and two people who treated her like garbage. She got another shot with you while you weren't in college and struggling to pay for it… like she is now. You blew it, Serena! What is so wrong with her that you can't be normal to her?"
The silence choked all the air out of the room. Serena turned away so Gia couldn't see the tears in her eyes. The screen blurred and when the first of the tears fell, she could see the new addition to her statement. "Gia… where's your credit card?"
"What? You can't just change the subject like that."
"Someone bought a $2,500 plane ticket with your credit card." Serena was already reaching for the phone when Gia stopped her to peer at the screen. "Check, maybe it's just a mistake and someone used the wrong number."
--
Kat sat staring at the snow on the TV when the knock came. Will was startled awake and leapt up to get it. "Dr. West?"
"Agent Goldblum… I need to know if Dr. Evans is in. I have something to ask her."
"Is something wrong?" He peered at the red-eyed woman.
"I know what you do and I know you have no ethics about it." She let out a long breath. "My partner's card has a huge charge on it. It's a plane ticket to Florida and I know that Lauren's been hanging around with these people and I know she's gone. She's not going to answer her cell… I need to talk to Kathleen."
"Florida? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I know who her parents are and I didn't tell her. I feel horrible but how dare she tell Lauren behind my back."
"What?" Kathy shook her head. "I didn't tell her anything."
"You think I don't know what you've been doing in the labs after hours. Are you really so naïve that you don't know that Dr. Skaarstin keeps tabs on everyone? Absolutely everyone. We know you've been using campus resources for personal reasons and we don't really give a shit about your DNA tests but your little sister is very interesting. I want to know WHY you told my daughter where her other mother was."
"We didn't tell her." Will shook his head. "Trust me on that. We didn't tell her."
"Then how did she know to go to Florida?"
"You're sure she's gone?"
"Call your little sister. I'm sure she knows all about it." Serena bit out and sank onto a lawn chair.
--
Lauren clenched her blanket and punched the call button. "I need… Drano… no… um…"
"Dramamine?" The flight attendant asked.
"Yes but… um… I can't go to sleep. Do you understand? I can't sleep…"
"Ma'am, maybe it's better if you do sleep."
"No, see. I have night terrors and if I sleep… I'll create a scene. I just need to calm down but I can't sleep."
"Okay. Okay. We'll get something for you. Just… try to relax."
"Relax." Lauren repeated and tried to remember what Dr. Evans had done with her on the plane from California.
TBC
Part 144
The Fate of Destiny Part 144
Max greeted them as they moved silently into the room. "The kids are asleep."
Kathy and Will nodded. Serena just sank into a chair. She held her head in her hands for a moment before looking up to find everyone staring at her. "She's my daughter, okay? I may not have given birth to her but I have thought always about her and I'm worried."
"We understand." Liz nodded and motioned the other three into the bedroom to discuss whatever it was they needed to discuss. "Do you need some coffee?"
"Sure… black, four sugars."
"I'm Liz Evans, by the way."
"Right, saw that picture of you… I'm Dr. Serena West."
"It's okay. You don't have to be polite. I understand." Liz moved around to get the coffee started.
"Do you?"
"My daughter ran away this summer, too. Only… she's 16 and went off her meds…" Liz nodded to herself and kept talking. "It's terrifying. Knowing that she's out there and… well, I was certain she hated me. I called everyone, looked everywhere. I wondered what I did wrong. What moment in time could have changed it all?"
She handed the cup to Serena and took a seat across from her. "I guess you all know the whole story. I don't imagine you would employ Federal agents if you didn't look into people from time to time."
"I don't know anything. I'm new to the gossip up here."
"Do you mind if I talk? I need to talk and I can't talk to my partner right now."
"I'm a good listener."
"I remember that day quite clearly, the day I found out about her." Serena sipped her coffee slowly. "You have to understand that I was an only child. I had never really developed that maternal instinct. When it all started, I was wondering when my roommate was going to show up. I’d been there alone for a couple of days. Housing was such a mess. When I walked out the door, I saw a flyer for a program… a study. I figured why not. It ended up being three months of hormones and diet and exercise but it kept me focused. I was a stupid freshman who had a room all to herself because her roommate got pregnant and had to turn down a scholarship. I thought. 'How stupid could you be? How utterly stupid to get a scholarship to one of the best schools and then get pregnant?' I wore a red sweater and bright red lipstick when I walked into that building for the final procedure. I never thought anything about it when I left…
"I had been on birth control for a few years. Something my doctor recommended to regulate my cycles because even at 16 I knew I'd never have sex with a man. Women were just too beautiful not to kiss and touch… Anyway, after a semester… I'd forgotten that I'd done it. I was a sophomore with a passion for science and biology and genetics. What were a few ova when there were mysteries to be mastered…
"It was fall 2006 when I got the call. I was 23 years old. I had just come down from the biggest high I had never known. A famous doctor had noted my work. I was about to go out and find the hottest girl on campus to make out with. I put on this sexy black number an ex had bought for me. I put my hand on the doorknob and then the phone rang. 'Serena West? In 2002, you participated in a study at the clinic downtown. We have some bad news.' The floor dropped out from under me. I couldn’t believe my ears…
"There had been a mislabeling in a lab. My eggs ended up inside a woman from Florida. Ironically, my eggs did what hers couldn't and she got pregnant. Due to her troubles conceiving, a battery of unnecessary tests were done and it was discovered that she was carrying a baby with her husband's sperm and my ova. It sounded crazy but I knew it wasn't all that strange. They asked me point blank. One question. 'Do you want to waive your parental rights or would you like to contest custody?' A child. At 23 because some moron in a lab put my ova in the wrong freezer. I took a moment outside myself and wondered at the elation this poor mother had felt at becoming pregnant after trying for so long. I asked what I had to do to waive my rights. If I wanted to have a baby, I could… later.
"I always thought of that baby. For one of my postgraduate studies, I gave my own ova for it. I'd been off birth control for a year at that point. After a few tests and a visit to my gynecologist, I was told I was infertile. They asked me all these questions and that's when I got onto Allethora. It was 2015 at this point and my condition had become irreversible. I was already at Southwest and I stayed there with Dr. Skaarstin to help me through that tough time. I never in a million years would have guessed at what those people did to my baby because at that point I thought of it as my baby that I gave them. A gift. A sacrifice. They had waived their rights, too. They gave her up. I knew she existed but I never knew she'd be so angry when I met her. That she would need to find me because… I know she had a loving home for the first 12 years of her life but the following six… She didn’t even tell me herself. She told my girlfriend. Gia told me everything and…
“I know I’m not the most maternal and I know that I come off as a cold bitch but… I never thought my own child would hate me so much as to blame me for what those bastards did to her.” Serena set down her coffee cup. “But they’ll never do it to another child. I saw to that.”
"You saw to…" Liz tilted her head at the woman.
"There were three of them. The Fieldings and a neighbor. I don't know where he went but… the Fieldings can't move, can't get jobs because their faces, names and social security numbers are on every sex offender list in the country. I might have been too late in doing it but…"
"You stopped them."
--
Will paced the bedroom with his phone to his ear. "I know but you have to stop her."
"Don't stop her." Kathy shook her head at him. "Tell whoever just to keep an eye on her."
"But…"
"She's not a child. She's an adult and she doesn't need us to protect her. Mom was right."
Max nodded to Will. Will cleared his throat. "Just follow her. Don't let her know that you're there. Call me if you think something is going to happen. We know where she's going… Her flight lands in Jacksonville. She'll need a car to get to St. Augustine. I suggest you get something that looks like a cab and… I knew I liked you. Good job."
--
David waited until Beth opened her eyes. She yawned and punched her pillow before rolling over to stare at the ceiling. "Hey Beth?"
"Yeah?"
"Dad says you're better."
"Yep. I think I am."
"Good."
"Why?" She turned her head to stare at him where he lay in his bed with the covers pulled up and over Sterling.
"You scared me. When you ran away and when you said those things to Mom."
"Yeah, I know I was scary. I'm sorry I pushed you with my mind. I wasn't right in my head… you know… before I went all loopy."
"It's okay. I put a spider in your hair at Danny's wedding." He stroked his puppy's fur and soon the little guy was going to get antsy and wake up. "They've been talking out there. I think… there are more people in there."
"Like who?"
"I heard a woman talking to Mom."
--
Lauren knocked on the door. After a long moment, a woman answered. She was tall, pale and thin and didn't look like she'd done a day's work in her entire life. "I don’t give to charity."
"Are you Daphne Burkhardt?"
"Yes?" She stiffened slightly.
"I'm Lauren Allison."
Daphne shook her head. "Am I supposed to know you?"
"I'd like to talk to you and your husband."
"What about?"
"21 years ago."
"You've got the wrong house." Daphne made to shut the door but Lauren shoved it open.
"No! You don't get to shut the door on me again." Lauren stared the woman down. "21 years ago, Daphne and Mason Burkhardt signed away a baby girl. She lived for 12 years with a very loving family. When that family died, she spent the next six years with assholes who thought she was a sexual toy and punching bag after she told them their pervy neighbor raped her… and all because her biological parents wouldn't take her because she wasn't 100 percent theirs."
"There are no parents here. I believe there was an egg donor. Maybe she can fulfill your fantasies of parental realization."
"I already blackmailed her. Let me talk to Mason and I'll get out of your hair. I just wanted to meet both the sorry sons of bitches who lent me DNA."
"Mason's dead. Forget your inheritance."
"My what? I don’t want your money. I want acknowledgement. I'm a person, not a baby doll. You can't just throw me in a closet and hope I don't jump out to embarrass you. I exist." Lauren calmed somewhat when Daphne's words sunk in. "What did you say?"
"My husband committed suicide years ago. 2020, I believe it was."
"You have nothing at all to say to me?"
"You're not mine. I carried you but a blood test—"
"A blood test has already confirmed that I share DNA with three parents because of certain markers in my blood." Lauren pulled out the results. "I was already told that this is my other mother." She pointed to the matching markers. "This is my father, Mason… so these must be yours. All I want you to say is that you did it."
"I was a subject of in vitro but they couldn't even give me the right egg. I was too far along to abort after I found out. My husband would have taken you and left me with nothing."
"He didn't sign me away… did he?" Lauren whispered. All the pieces falling into place. All the looks the social workers had given her, the vague answers. There were signs that she had missed because she had been distraught and unable to focus.
"No. He never even saw you. On record… your Rican mother dumped you at a hospital and ran. That's all you can prove."
"I wouldn't be here if that's all I could prove."
"You're crazy, just like he was. It was genetic, the madness… you might get it, too."
"I would do it just to wipe that smirk off your face."
"Like crazy, like father… you'll never pull it off."
"Watch me." Lauren whirled around, surprised her cab was still waiting and climbed inside.
"Where to, ma'am." The driver called back.
"You don't happen to know where to find a federal agent who works for William Goldblum, do you?"
He turned around to look at her and started laughing. "I think I can do something for you."
"What are you talking about?"
--
Liz and Max sat together and watched Serena being consoled by her girlfriend who had cooked up a storm since the night before. Liz brushed his hair back, it was already getting shaggy again. "Do you want to hear something odd?"
"What's up?" Max stilled her hands.
"Dr. West was a freshman at Northwestern in '02."
"Oh?"
"And um… her dorm roommate never showed because she turned down a scholarship… because she got pregnant." Liz watched Max turn it over in his head. "I find that really, really coincidental."
"You think you were supposed to meet her years ago but you didn't because…"
"Because a piece of latex wasn't up to par." She shrugged and leaned on him. "Maybe things would have been different, Max, but I don't regret our life. I love our children."
Will walked into the room with the phone on his ear. "I don't care. Charge it to the expense account. Get her back here." He addressed the room as soon as he hung up. "She's okay. She did talk to her… incubator and it wasn't good. I have an agent escorting her back." He crossed the room to sit in front of Serena. "She knows his name. She'll look him up. It's too late to shield her from it."
"I hardly understand it myself. How am I going to explain it to her?" Serena shook her head.
"I'll do it." Liz volunteered.
"What do you know about it?" Serena couldn't help but bite out.
"I know that you think you know what's going on but I actually know what's going on and how best to explain it to her." Liz sat up and tilted her head at the scientist. "How exactly do you know what you know?"
"I'd like to know as well." Kathy crossed her arms and addressed the room. "I don't know what you tell your girlfriend about your work but I know your studies are not on the up and up and there is a very specific reason your Allethora studies exclude two vital subjects."
"Serena?" Gia looked to her lover. "What are they talking about?"
"We should go." Serena rose to grab her purse. Kathy beat her to it. "What? What do you think you know?"
"Dr. Skaarstin came out of retirement for a reason and that reason is me and my side studies. My private side studies. I know who she is. Do you?"
Serena stormed out of the hotel room and Gia made a lame attempt at goodbye before following. Liz looked from face to face. "Who is Dr. Skaarstin, Kat?"
Max greeted them as they moved silently into the room. "The kids are asleep."
Kathy and Will nodded. Serena just sank into a chair. She held her head in her hands for a moment before looking up to find everyone staring at her. "She's my daughter, okay? I may not have given birth to her but I have thought always about her and I'm worried."
"We understand." Liz nodded and motioned the other three into the bedroom to discuss whatever it was they needed to discuss. "Do you need some coffee?"
"Sure… black, four sugars."
"I'm Liz Evans, by the way."
"Right, saw that picture of you… I'm Dr. Serena West."
"It's okay. You don't have to be polite. I understand." Liz moved around to get the coffee started.
"Do you?"
"My daughter ran away this summer, too. Only… she's 16 and went off her meds…" Liz nodded to herself and kept talking. "It's terrifying. Knowing that she's out there and… well, I was certain she hated me. I called everyone, looked everywhere. I wondered what I did wrong. What moment in time could have changed it all?"
She handed the cup to Serena and took a seat across from her. "I guess you all know the whole story. I don't imagine you would employ Federal agents if you didn't look into people from time to time."
"I don't know anything. I'm new to the gossip up here."
"Do you mind if I talk? I need to talk and I can't talk to my partner right now."
"I'm a good listener."
"I remember that day quite clearly, the day I found out about her." Serena sipped her coffee slowly. "You have to understand that I was an only child. I had never really developed that maternal instinct. When it all started, I was wondering when my roommate was going to show up. I’d been there alone for a couple of days. Housing was such a mess. When I walked out the door, I saw a flyer for a program… a study. I figured why not. It ended up being three months of hormones and diet and exercise but it kept me focused. I was a stupid freshman who had a room all to herself because her roommate got pregnant and had to turn down a scholarship. I thought. 'How stupid could you be? How utterly stupid to get a scholarship to one of the best schools and then get pregnant?' I wore a red sweater and bright red lipstick when I walked into that building for the final procedure. I never thought anything about it when I left…
"I had been on birth control for a few years. Something my doctor recommended to regulate my cycles because even at 16 I knew I'd never have sex with a man. Women were just too beautiful not to kiss and touch… Anyway, after a semester… I'd forgotten that I'd done it. I was a sophomore with a passion for science and biology and genetics. What were a few ova when there were mysteries to be mastered…
"It was fall 2006 when I got the call. I was 23 years old. I had just come down from the biggest high I had never known. A famous doctor had noted my work. I was about to go out and find the hottest girl on campus to make out with. I put on this sexy black number an ex had bought for me. I put my hand on the doorknob and then the phone rang. 'Serena West? In 2002, you participated in a study at the clinic downtown. We have some bad news.' The floor dropped out from under me. I couldn’t believe my ears…
"There had been a mislabeling in a lab. My eggs ended up inside a woman from Florida. Ironically, my eggs did what hers couldn't and she got pregnant. Due to her troubles conceiving, a battery of unnecessary tests were done and it was discovered that she was carrying a baby with her husband's sperm and my ova. It sounded crazy but I knew it wasn't all that strange. They asked me point blank. One question. 'Do you want to waive your parental rights or would you like to contest custody?' A child. At 23 because some moron in a lab put my ova in the wrong freezer. I took a moment outside myself and wondered at the elation this poor mother had felt at becoming pregnant after trying for so long. I asked what I had to do to waive my rights. If I wanted to have a baby, I could… later.
"I always thought of that baby. For one of my postgraduate studies, I gave my own ova for it. I'd been off birth control for a year at that point. After a few tests and a visit to my gynecologist, I was told I was infertile. They asked me all these questions and that's when I got onto Allethora. It was 2015 at this point and my condition had become irreversible. I was already at Southwest and I stayed there with Dr. Skaarstin to help me through that tough time. I never in a million years would have guessed at what those people did to my baby because at that point I thought of it as my baby that I gave them. A gift. A sacrifice. They had waived their rights, too. They gave her up. I knew she existed but I never knew she'd be so angry when I met her. That she would need to find me because… I know she had a loving home for the first 12 years of her life but the following six… She didn’t even tell me herself. She told my girlfriend. Gia told me everything and…
“I know I’m not the most maternal and I know that I come off as a cold bitch but… I never thought my own child would hate me so much as to blame me for what those bastards did to her.” Serena set down her coffee cup. “But they’ll never do it to another child. I saw to that.”
"You saw to…" Liz tilted her head at the woman.
"There were three of them. The Fieldings and a neighbor. I don't know where he went but… the Fieldings can't move, can't get jobs because their faces, names and social security numbers are on every sex offender list in the country. I might have been too late in doing it but…"
"You stopped them."
--
Will paced the bedroom with his phone to his ear. "I know but you have to stop her."
"Don't stop her." Kathy shook her head at him. "Tell whoever just to keep an eye on her."
"But…"
"She's not a child. She's an adult and she doesn't need us to protect her. Mom was right."
Max nodded to Will. Will cleared his throat. "Just follow her. Don't let her know that you're there. Call me if you think something is going to happen. We know where she's going… Her flight lands in Jacksonville. She'll need a car to get to St. Augustine. I suggest you get something that looks like a cab and… I knew I liked you. Good job."
--
David waited until Beth opened her eyes. She yawned and punched her pillow before rolling over to stare at the ceiling. "Hey Beth?"
"Yeah?"
"Dad says you're better."
"Yep. I think I am."
"Good."
"Why?" She turned her head to stare at him where he lay in his bed with the covers pulled up and over Sterling.
"You scared me. When you ran away and when you said those things to Mom."
"Yeah, I know I was scary. I'm sorry I pushed you with my mind. I wasn't right in my head… you know… before I went all loopy."
"It's okay. I put a spider in your hair at Danny's wedding." He stroked his puppy's fur and soon the little guy was going to get antsy and wake up. "They've been talking out there. I think… there are more people in there."
"Like who?"
"I heard a woman talking to Mom."
--
Lauren knocked on the door. After a long moment, a woman answered. She was tall, pale and thin and didn't look like she'd done a day's work in her entire life. "I don’t give to charity."
"Are you Daphne Burkhardt?"
"Yes?" She stiffened slightly.
"I'm Lauren Allison."
Daphne shook her head. "Am I supposed to know you?"
"I'd like to talk to you and your husband."
"What about?"
"21 years ago."
"You've got the wrong house." Daphne made to shut the door but Lauren shoved it open.
"No! You don't get to shut the door on me again." Lauren stared the woman down. "21 years ago, Daphne and Mason Burkhardt signed away a baby girl. She lived for 12 years with a very loving family. When that family died, she spent the next six years with assholes who thought she was a sexual toy and punching bag after she told them their pervy neighbor raped her… and all because her biological parents wouldn't take her because she wasn't 100 percent theirs."
"There are no parents here. I believe there was an egg donor. Maybe she can fulfill your fantasies of parental realization."
"I already blackmailed her. Let me talk to Mason and I'll get out of your hair. I just wanted to meet both the sorry sons of bitches who lent me DNA."
"Mason's dead. Forget your inheritance."
"My what? I don’t want your money. I want acknowledgement. I'm a person, not a baby doll. You can't just throw me in a closet and hope I don't jump out to embarrass you. I exist." Lauren calmed somewhat when Daphne's words sunk in. "What did you say?"
"My husband committed suicide years ago. 2020, I believe it was."
"You have nothing at all to say to me?"
"You're not mine. I carried you but a blood test—"
"A blood test has already confirmed that I share DNA with three parents because of certain markers in my blood." Lauren pulled out the results. "I was already told that this is my other mother." She pointed to the matching markers. "This is my father, Mason… so these must be yours. All I want you to say is that you did it."
"I was a subject of in vitro but they couldn't even give me the right egg. I was too far along to abort after I found out. My husband would have taken you and left me with nothing."
"He didn't sign me away… did he?" Lauren whispered. All the pieces falling into place. All the looks the social workers had given her, the vague answers. There were signs that she had missed because she had been distraught and unable to focus.
"No. He never even saw you. On record… your Rican mother dumped you at a hospital and ran. That's all you can prove."
"I wouldn't be here if that's all I could prove."
"You're crazy, just like he was. It was genetic, the madness… you might get it, too."
"I would do it just to wipe that smirk off your face."
"Like crazy, like father… you'll never pull it off."
"Watch me." Lauren whirled around, surprised her cab was still waiting and climbed inside.
"Where to, ma'am." The driver called back.
"You don't happen to know where to find a federal agent who works for William Goldblum, do you?"
He turned around to look at her and started laughing. "I think I can do something for you."
"What are you talking about?"
--
Liz and Max sat together and watched Serena being consoled by her girlfriend who had cooked up a storm since the night before. Liz brushed his hair back, it was already getting shaggy again. "Do you want to hear something odd?"
"What's up?" Max stilled her hands.
"Dr. West was a freshman at Northwestern in '02."
"Oh?"
"And um… her dorm roommate never showed because she turned down a scholarship… because she got pregnant." Liz watched Max turn it over in his head. "I find that really, really coincidental."
"You think you were supposed to meet her years ago but you didn't because…"
"Because a piece of latex wasn't up to par." She shrugged and leaned on him. "Maybe things would have been different, Max, but I don't regret our life. I love our children."
Will walked into the room with the phone on his ear. "I don't care. Charge it to the expense account. Get her back here." He addressed the room as soon as he hung up. "She's okay. She did talk to her… incubator and it wasn't good. I have an agent escorting her back." He crossed the room to sit in front of Serena. "She knows his name. She'll look him up. It's too late to shield her from it."
"I hardly understand it myself. How am I going to explain it to her?" Serena shook her head.
"I'll do it." Liz volunteered.
"What do you know about it?" Serena couldn't help but bite out.
"I know that you think you know what's going on but I actually know what's going on and how best to explain it to her." Liz sat up and tilted her head at the scientist. "How exactly do you know what you know?"
"I'd like to know as well." Kathy crossed her arms and addressed the room. "I don't know what you tell your girlfriend about your work but I know your studies are not on the up and up and there is a very specific reason your Allethora studies exclude two vital subjects."
"Serena?" Gia looked to her lover. "What are they talking about?"
"We should go." Serena rose to grab her purse. Kathy beat her to it. "What? What do you think you know?"
"Dr. Skaarstin came out of retirement for a reason and that reason is me and my side studies. My private side studies. I know who she is. Do you?"
Serena stormed out of the hotel room and Gia made a lame attempt at goodbye before following. Liz looked from face to face. "Who is Dr. Skaarstin, Kat?"
145
The Fate of Destiny Part 145
Kathy passed her mother the picture as the others milled around the room. Her mother took it and her hand began shaking. "Yeah. It's Tess's donor. I had a hard time finding a picture. That one is from years ago from an old newspaper."
"How long have you suspected?"
"I wasn't ever sure but the way Dr. West talked about Dr. Skaarstin's interest… She seems familiar to me. It just makes sense and when I finally found this picture…"
"Yeah, it could be her." Liz nodded and wrapped an arm around her daughter. "You haven't confronted her on it?"
"No. I don't know if she knows. She probably does now."
"Tess played that game when she arrived in Roswell. Oriel, too… though Oriel didn't actively hide, she just stalked Dad for a while. I know. I know you know. But I can't let you know that I know you know."
Kat managed a laugh. "Things have been just so…"
"I know."
"Yeah, you probably do know." Kat shook her head as she debated on whether or not she wanted to tell her mother about the last day or so.
--
Beth listened to Gabriel regale her with the events of his week. She closed her eyes and pictured him talking on his end. Green eyes sparkling. Hands waving around. Bopping the heads of his siblings as they passed him to get to the cookies he'd promised them after dinner. She imagined the curve of his lips as he spoke, words spilling over like water. The way he often paused in speaking to lick his lips.
"So when do you think you'll be coming home?"
"I don't know."
"But you'll be back before school starts?"
"Definitely. We'll have to schedule some time. Hopefully once my grandparents have finished fawning and then my aunt…" Beth shook her head to clear her mind of its previous endeavor. "It's nice to be whole again."
"I'll bet. When do the casts come off?"
"Oh… um… pretty soon actually." It was a lie but he didn't know she hadn't needed the casts when she had left. "I can't wait to see you. Once we're done here, I hope we go straight home."
"I hear reluctance in your voice."
"It's… some drama with Lauren."
"Lauren… that's your friend… right? From up there?"
"Yeah." Beth took a breath. "She kind of took off but we think she's heading home now. At least, we hope."
--
Lauren sat on the couch and waited. The flight back had been uneventful and all the fire and fury she had felt towards Daphne Burkhardt had died. When Gia entered the house, Lauren stood. "I'm sorry. I'm gonna pay you back."
"You could have asked." Gia set her jaw. "Serena was really worried about you."
"I said I'd pay you back." Lauren handed over her check from Langley studios. "It's not much but it's a start."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Gia took Lauren by the shoulders. They may only be a few years difference in age but Gia often looked on Lauren as a child. "She was distraught. Dismayed. You should have seen her. It killed me to see her like that. Don't ever do that again."
"I had to know and I wish I didn't." Lauren started bawling all over again. She barely registered when she was shifted from one set of arms to another. "She didn't care. Not one bit. Not about anything."
"I know. I'm sorry." Serena whispered, hugging her daughter tightly. "I know. It's okay."
"She should have cared. How could they not tell me that he died?"
"Sh… she paid off some people. It's okay. You don't need her."
"All she had to do was take me when Mom and Dad died…" Lauren sobbed loudly on her mother's shoulder. "I don't even know what he looked like."
--
Liz watched Max and David tumble around in the grass while Sterling loped along and yapped at them. Beth hugged her awkwardly. "I missed you."
"And I was a wreck without you."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. I love my baby girl." Liz held her tight. "I would go crazy over you being gone, you silly girl."
"Do you think Lauren is going to be okay?" Beth asked and leaned more heavily on her short mother. "What do you think Dr. West is going to tell her? About us?"
"Oh, so you know about that."
"Yeah. I overheard… the normal way."
"Well, that is up to Dr. West but I imagine Lauren will have questions once she sees a picture of her father." Liz turned it over in her head. "It could hurt her more because we knew and it could confuse her. I hope that Dr. West does right by Lauren."
"Me too."
"You got close to her, didn't you?"
"I got to know her while I was all doped up. I've never read her… though I probably would have known sooner if I had." They stood there for a while, watching Max and David roughhouse. "Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you love him just as much as you did when you first got married? I mean, even after all the changes? I saw the pictures from a long time ago and … Dad doesn't look the same."
"Neither do I."
"But…"
"The changes we've both gone through… have been together because we were both eating for two when I was pregnant… or too busy to eat or worrying to get the gray in our hair. We've been together for a long time and when I look at him… I do see all the changes but I also see what hasn't changed and that's the way he looks at me." Liz smiled at her husband when he looked up at her. "We've had our rough patches and our really rough patches and all of the good times in between and I know what we'll be together until the end… whenever that comes."
"And you can just… know it's going to be like that?"
"When he looks at me like he did on our first date? Yes. Absolutely."
Beth watched her mother blush and wondered at that. They had been married for 25 years, had known each other longer. Surely they had gotten used to each other enough to not be so affected.
"We don't always get along. We do fight… but we make up. When I first
contemplated being with your father." Liz had just opened her mouth and the words came pouring out, unbidden. "I was willing to risk anything to be with him. I heard him when he was concerned about our differences but I didn't care. I just… If I felt so strongly, there shouldn't be any reason why it couldn't happen, especially since I knew he felt the same way. That no matter how I saw myself. He saw me as someone precious. I was the most beautiful person he had ever known and he was afraid of what he felt when he looked at me. When I started to realize how… dangerous it could be. I pulled away but I could never stop loving him. He always amazed me and annoyed me and I loved all of it. Even now… he can still surprise me."
"How?"
"It's the little things. It's been simply a decade since I last fell into an open toilet. Two since I had to cook my own Saturday breakfast if I absolutely didn't feel like it. When he goes out of town, he always brings me something special from that place… not because I ask for it… but so I know that he thinks of me when we're apart."
"What did he bring you from L.A.?"
"Nothing that I can talk about with my teenage daughter." Still, Liz had been about to blurt out that her husband had returned to her with a severely revived libido. Any material gift would pale in comparison to that very athletic gift. As if he had been drawn by her thoughts, her handsome and sweaty husband appeared by her side with a look in his eyes that was hardly appropriate for a public setting. "Having fun?"
"Yeah… not as young as I used to be." He reached for a bottle of water, sticking out of Liz's bag.
"Could have fooled me."
"I don't know. I feel…"
"Full of energy." Beth finished for him. He raised an eyebrow at her, a little abashed at his actual thoughts but curious as to what she was thinking. "I feel like I could run a marathon. I won't but…"
"You feeling restless?" Max reached for her, placing the back of his hand to her forehead.
"A little. I think it's everything. I'm feeling stronger and Lauren… and Gabriel… and Donna Jo and Berty…"
"What's going on with Berty?"
"Berty?"
"You said something was going on with Berty." Max dropped his hand and cupped her cheek. "Are you okay? Are you reading?"
"No… I don't think so."
--
Berty sat on the table and waited with Lynnette for Dr. Davis. Lynnette crossed her arms. "I hate these places."
"You do?"
"Yeah… just… some bad memories is all."
"Is it painful?"
"No, just uncomfortable. At least you're getting a woman doctor. Roswell has this jackass at the clinic." Lynnette snorted. "I'm sure he's better suited to a different practice. I might just switch to Dr. Davis on principle alone."
"Ladies." Dr. Davis nodded to them as she shut the door behind her. "So, I have some standard questions before we get started. So I'm just going to jump right in." She clicked open her pen. "Are you sexually active?"
"Um… well…"
--
Dr. Skaarstin sat down with Serena for a cup of coffee. "So she's back."
"She's asleep in the guest room." Serena nodded into her cup of decaf. She couldn't sleep if she tried but she wasn't going to be jittery by the time she made it back to the lab. "She's been through an ordeal. I knew that woman was awful. I didn't know she was hateful."
"Well, as long as she doesn't know—"
"Come off it, Jo. She needs to know." Serena blew up. "I've kept it from her since the moment I knew she was here. I can't do it anymore. She hopped a plane and left me. Daphne Burkhardt broke what was left of her. I won't do it."
"You can't tell her."
"Yes, I can. She deserves to know. She's already mixed up with the other…"
"Other who?" Jolene set down her cup and stared at her protégée. "What else has been going on? What aren’t you telling me, Serena?"
"The Evans know who you are. They're just being polite about it. And no, I didn't tell them. I didn't have to." Serena took a deep breath and let her coffee cool in the cup. "I didn't understand before, when you told me what had happened to you. I don't pretend to know what it is that we're involved in. DNA does not lie, though. It's not human. Maybe it is alien. I don't care. What I care about is that child in that room. She's 21 years old and she just had a breakdown."
"Serena, pull it together. You can't just go off and assume things."
"Yeah. I can. Maybe you can't understand what I'm feeling right now but I can do what I want. I just want for her to not hurt anymore. I want for her to be able to trust me. I want her to feel like I'm enough for her because I've been keeping her away from me. I didn't want her to get so curious but she found her own resources. She found out without me even hinting. I didn't know she was looking and now look at this mess." She locked eyes with her mentor. "I have always respected your advice but this is one area where you can have no say. Lauren is my child. If I had known, earlier, I would have risked it and taken her myself."
"Serena, really—"
"Shut up. Jolene. Don't be a hypocrite. I saw the look in your eyes when you saw her. I don't know where your clone is. I don't care. You saw Kathleen Evans and I saw it in your eyes. You think of her as yours. Lauren is mine. Back off. I'm telling her what I know."
"You don't even understand it. You said it yourself."
"She knows people who do. How else do you think she found out where she was born?" She stared at the woman across her table. "It's not just a few federal agents. They've got a branch with overriding jurisdiction. We have dirty dealings and money exchanging hands. They have legality."
--
Isabel loosened the collar of her blouse and continued explaining the details of the case to her client. She couldn't wait to be finished with this guy. Jesse looked up from his notes and frowned at her but didn't say anything. Quickly she wrapped up the deposition and had Jesse usher them out of the office. The second the door closed behind them, she opened her blouse and began fanning herself.
"You okay?" Jesse slipped back into the room. "You seemed like you were somewhere else for about half that meeting."
"I just… got hot all of a sudden."
"Like feverish?" He moved to check her temperature. "You're really hot."
"Yes, Jesse, I realize that." She rolled her eyes and flapped the folds of her blouse to get air circulation on her skin.
"Okay." Jesse cupped her face. "You're hot. I got it. But could you not do that here? We still have many clients in the building and the last thing I want them to see are your bosoms."
"My bosoms?" She snorted. "Oh come on… I'm hot. If they saw my bosoms, they'd never do business anywhere else."
"Be that as it may. I'm sending you home."
"Come on, Jesse." She slid her hands around his middle. "You, me and this table have had some pretty interesting interludes."
"No. No." Jesse stepped away from her and tried to pull his hands back.
"You're still healing."
"I'm fine. I'm more than fine." Her fingers gripped his belt.
"Hey, watch it. I have court today." Fighting a smile, he locked gazes with her. "I'll reassign your cases. You go home and take a cold shower. I'll be by later to check on you."
--
Will leaned on his dresser and glanced back at the speakerphone. "I don't know what to do. I never intended for this ever to interfere."
"I understand that sir." Agent Ledford's voice traveled over the line. "It's not like you could be reassigned though. You're the boss."
"Just… make sure this isn't going to be an issue. It's awkward as hell and I don't want it getting back to anyone who could make our job difficult. This unit is based on good faith."
"I understand that. We're working under the utmost priority. When my time comes, I hope I'm found worthy to know the need-to-know details."
"Me too." He sighed heavily. "Look, this Agent Seyton. I must have overlooked something in her background."
"I'm on it, sir."
--
Serena sat down behind Lauren at the desk and stroked her long hair. "This is hard to understand. Your situation is very, very unique."
"But you didn't tell me everything when you explained it to me. I'm not a child."
"I know." Serena reached over to open some files. "These are the names of all the children born in ways similar to you. Two mothers, one father, donated egg, in vitro, Allethora." She watched as Lauren skimmed over the names. "There are only a few dozen who survived birth. A handful that lasted more than a year. Two, who have grown to adulthood but the other had other advantages that you didn't have."
"Bethany Evans."
"She has two fathers and one mother. Natural birth. I'm not sure precisely how she got the extra DNA. I'll talk to Dr. Evans about it later. All the women who donated eggs had been on Allethora before having their eggs harvested. The women who incubated the babies were either on the birth control at some point or had a blood condition. If neither, their husbands had the blood condition. Such a small number, actually."
"Dr. Evans was telling me about the blood condition. I helped Beth. I gave her some of my blood and it made her get better faster."
"Yes, I'll talk to Dr. Evans about that too. There's a reason, though, that only two of those children have had such long lives." Serena kept her voice soft though she was tiring. She had never used that tone of voice before. She had actually believed she hadn't it in her to use it. "I was on Allethora. So was Daphne Burkhardt and Mason Burkhardt had the blood disease. He also had something else. Genetic residue and I believe that he's passed that on to you."
"Genetic residue. What is that supposed to mean?"
"I've spent most of my career studying this particular trait. I could name every person who has it without losing my breath, there are so few. It started with four people. Three of those people had children. Those children had children and those children are having children. You are the fourth generation with this trait." When Lauren seemed to lean back into her hand, Serena turned the chair so that she could look her daughter in the eye. "You won't find their names in this report."
"Why not?"
"Dr. Skaarstin pays me not to. She's one of the original four. She's unable to have children. Well, even in her prime, I mean. There was another woman. She had two children by her husband. A man who was also one of them. Another man had two children. The second generation consisted of only four."
"I'm confused. I'm fourth generation of what exactly?" Lauren turned fully. "What made those four different?"
"They were taken and experimented on because of the unique blood defects they carried."
"What kind of experiment? Taken by who?"
Serena lifted her eyes to her daughter's. "You're not going to believe me but I'll tell you. It was aliens."
TBC
Kathy passed her mother the picture as the others milled around the room. Her mother took it and her hand began shaking. "Yeah. It's Tess's donor. I had a hard time finding a picture. That one is from years ago from an old newspaper."
"How long have you suspected?"
"I wasn't ever sure but the way Dr. West talked about Dr. Skaarstin's interest… She seems familiar to me. It just makes sense and when I finally found this picture…"
"Yeah, it could be her." Liz nodded and wrapped an arm around her daughter. "You haven't confronted her on it?"
"No. I don't know if she knows. She probably does now."
"Tess played that game when she arrived in Roswell. Oriel, too… though Oriel didn't actively hide, she just stalked Dad for a while. I know. I know you know. But I can't let you know that I know you know."
Kat managed a laugh. "Things have been just so…"
"I know."
"Yeah, you probably do know." Kat shook her head as she debated on whether or not she wanted to tell her mother about the last day or so.
--
Beth listened to Gabriel regale her with the events of his week. She closed her eyes and pictured him talking on his end. Green eyes sparkling. Hands waving around. Bopping the heads of his siblings as they passed him to get to the cookies he'd promised them after dinner. She imagined the curve of his lips as he spoke, words spilling over like water. The way he often paused in speaking to lick his lips.
"So when do you think you'll be coming home?"
"I don't know."
"But you'll be back before school starts?"
"Definitely. We'll have to schedule some time. Hopefully once my grandparents have finished fawning and then my aunt…" Beth shook her head to clear her mind of its previous endeavor. "It's nice to be whole again."
"I'll bet. When do the casts come off?"
"Oh… um… pretty soon actually." It was a lie but he didn't know she hadn't needed the casts when she had left. "I can't wait to see you. Once we're done here, I hope we go straight home."
"I hear reluctance in your voice."
"It's… some drama with Lauren."
"Lauren… that's your friend… right? From up there?"
"Yeah." Beth took a breath. "She kind of took off but we think she's heading home now. At least, we hope."
--
Lauren sat on the couch and waited. The flight back had been uneventful and all the fire and fury she had felt towards Daphne Burkhardt had died. When Gia entered the house, Lauren stood. "I'm sorry. I'm gonna pay you back."
"You could have asked." Gia set her jaw. "Serena was really worried about you."
"I said I'd pay you back." Lauren handed over her check from Langley studios. "It's not much but it's a start."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Gia took Lauren by the shoulders. They may only be a few years difference in age but Gia often looked on Lauren as a child. "She was distraught. Dismayed. You should have seen her. It killed me to see her like that. Don't ever do that again."
"I had to know and I wish I didn't." Lauren started bawling all over again. She barely registered when she was shifted from one set of arms to another. "She didn't care. Not one bit. Not about anything."
"I know. I'm sorry." Serena whispered, hugging her daughter tightly. "I know. It's okay."
"She should have cared. How could they not tell me that he died?"
"Sh… she paid off some people. It's okay. You don't need her."
"All she had to do was take me when Mom and Dad died…" Lauren sobbed loudly on her mother's shoulder. "I don't even know what he looked like."
--
Liz watched Max and David tumble around in the grass while Sterling loped along and yapped at them. Beth hugged her awkwardly. "I missed you."
"And I was a wreck without you."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. I love my baby girl." Liz held her tight. "I would go crazy over you being gone, you silly girl."
"Do you think Lauren is going to be okay?" Beth asked and leaned more heavily on her short mother. "What do you think Dr. West is going to tell her? About us?"
"Oh, so you know about that."
"Yeah. I overheard… the normal way."
"Well, that is up to Dr. West but I imagine Lauren will have questions once she sees a picture of her father." Liz turned it over in her head. "It could hurt her more because we knew and it could confuse her. I hope that Dr. West does right by Lauren."
"Me too."
"You got close to her, didn't you?"
"I got to know her while I was all doped up. I've never read her… though I probably would have known sooner if I had." They stood there for a while, watching Max and David roughhouse. "Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you love him just as much as you did when you first got married? I mean, even after all the changes? I saw the pictures from a long time ago and … Dad doesn't look the same."
"Neither do I."
"But…"
"The changes we've both gone through… have been together because we were both eating for two when I was pregnant… or too busy to eat or worrying to get the gray in our hair. We've been together for a long time and when I look at him… I do see all the changes but I also see what hasn't changed and that's the way he looks at me." Liz smiled at her husband when he looked up at her. "We've had our rough patches and our really rough patches and all of the good times in between and I know what we'll be together until the end… whenever that comes."
"And you can just… know it's going to be like that?"
"When he looks at me like he did on our first date? Yes. Absolutely."
Beth watched her mother blush and wondered at that. They had been married for 25 years, had known each other longer. Surely they had gotten used to each other enough to not be so affected.
"We don't always get along. We do fight… but we make up. When I first
contemplated being with your father." Liz had just opened her mouth and the words came pouring out, unbidden. "I was willing to risk anything to be with him. I heard him when he was concerned about our differences but I didn't care. I just… If I felt so strongly, there shouldn't be any reason why it couldn't happen, especially since I knew he felt the same way. That no matter how I saw myself. He saw me as someone precious. I was the most beautiful person he had ever known and he was afraid of what he felt when he looked at me. When I started to realize how… dangerous it could be. I pulled away but I could never stop loving him. He always amazed me and annoyed me and I loved all of it. Even now… he can still surprise me."
"How?"
"It's the little things. It's been simply a decade since I last fell into an open toilet. Two since I had to cook my own Saturday breakfast if I absolutely didn't feel like it. When he goes out of town, he always brings me something special from that place… not because I ask for it… but so I know that he thinks of me when we're apart."
"What did he bring you from L.A.?"
"Nothing that I can talk about with my teenage daughter." Still, Liz had been about to blurt out that her husband had returned to her with a severely revived libido. Any material gift would pale in comparison to that very athletic gift. As if he had been drawn by her thoughts, her handsome and sweaty husband appeared by her side with a look in his eyes that was hardly appropriate for a public setting. "Having fun?"
"Yeah… not as young as I used to be." He reached for a bottle of water, sticking out of Liz's bag.
"Could have fooled me."
"I don't know. I feel…"
"Full of energy." Beth finished for him. He raised an eyebrow at her, a little abashed at his actual thoughts but curious as to what she was thinking. "I feel like I could run a marathon. I won't but…"
"You feeling restless?" Max reached for her, placing the back of his hand to her forehead.
"A little. I think it's everything. I'm feeling stronger and Lauren… and Gabriel… and Donna Jo and Berty…"
"What's going on with Berty?"
"Berty?"
"You said something was going on with Berty." Max dropped his hand and cupped her cheek. "Are you okay? Are you reading?"
"No… I don't think so."
--
Berty sat on the table and waited with Lynnette for Dr. Davis. Lynnette crossed her arms. "I hate these places."
"You do?"
"Yeah… just… some bad memories is all."
"Is it painful?"
"No, just uncomfortable. At least you're getting a woman doctor. Roswell has this jackass at the clinic." Lynnette snorted. "I'm sure he's better suited to a different practice. I might just switch to Dr. Davis on principle alone."
"Ladies." Dr. Davis nodded to them as she shut the door behind her. "So, I have some standard questions before we get started. So I'm just going to jump right in." She clicked open her pen. "Are you sexually active?"
"Um… well…"
--
Dr. Skaarstin sat down with Serena for a cup of coffee. "So she's back."
"She's asleep in the guest room." Serena nodded into her cup of decaf. She couldn't sleep if she tried but she wasn't going to be jittery by the time she made it back to the lab. "She's been through an ordeal. I knew that woman was awful. I didn't know she was hateful."
"Well, as long as she doesn't know—"
"Come off it, Jo. She needs to know." Serena blew up. "I've kept it from her since the moment I knew she was here. I can't do it anymore. She hopped a plane and left me. Daphne Burkhardt broke what was left of her. I won't do it."
"You can't tell her."
"Yes, I can. She deserves to know. She's already mixed up with the other…"
"Other who?" Jolene set down her cup and stared at her protégée. "What else has been going on? What aren’t you telling me, Serena?"
"The Evans know who you are. They're just being polite about it. And no, I didn't tell them. I didn't have to." Serena took a deep breath and let her coffee cool in the cup. "I didn't understand before, when you told me what had happened to you. I don't pretend to know what it is that we're involved in. DNA does not lie, though. It's not human. Maybe it is alien. I don't care. What I care about is that child in that room. She's 21 years old and she just had a breakdown."
"Serena, pull it together. You can't just go off and assume things."
"Yeah. I can. Maybe you can't understand what I'm feeling right now but I can do what I want. I just want for her to not hurt anymore. I want for her to be able to trust me. I want her to feel like I'm enough for her because I've been keeping her away from me. I didn't want her to get so curious but she found her own resources. She found out without me even hinting. I didn't know she was looking and now look at this mess." She locked eyes with her mentor. "I have always respected your advice but this is one area where you can have no say. Lauren is my child. If I had known, earlier, I would have risked it and taken her myself."
"Serena, really—"
"Shut up. Jolene. Don't be a hypocrite. I saw the look in your eyes when you saw her. I don't know where your clone is. I don't care. You saw Kathleen Evans and I saw it in your eyes. You think of her as yours. Lauren is mine. Back off. I'm telling her what I know."
"You don't even understand it. You said it yourself."
"She knows people who do. How else do you think she found out where she was born?" She stared at the woman across her table. "It's not just a few federal agents. They've got a branch with overriding jurisdiction. We have dirty dealings and money exchanging hands. They have legality."
--
Isabel loosened the collar of her blouse and continued explaining the details of the case to her client. She couldn't wait to be finished with this guy. Jesse looked up from his notes and frowned at her but didn't say anything. Quickly she wrapped up the deposition and had Jesse usher them out of the office. The second the door closed behind them, she opened her blouse and began fanning herself.
"You okay?" Jesse slipped back into the room. "You seemed like you were somewhere else for about half that meeting."
"I just… got hot all of a sudden."
"Like feverish?" He moved to check her temperature. "You're really hot."
"Yes, Jesse, I realize that." She rolled her eyes and flapped the folds of her blouse to get air circulation on her skin.
"Okay." Jesse cupped her face. "You're hot. I got it. But could you not do that here? We still have many clients in the building and the last thing I want them to see are your bosoms."
"My bosoms?" She snorted. "Oh come on… I'm hot. If they saw my bosoms, they'd never do business anywhere else."
"Be that as it may. I'm sending you home."
"Come on, Jesse." She slid her hands around his middle. "You, me and this table have had some pretty interesting interludes."
"No. No." Jesse stepped away from her and tried to pull his hands back.
"You're still healing."
"I'm fine. I'm more than fine." Her fingers gripped his belt.
"Hey, watch it. I have court today." Fighting a smile, he locked gazes with her. "I'll reassign your cases. You go home and take a cold shower. I'll be by later to check on you."
--
Will leaned on his dresser and glanced back at the speakerphone. "I don't know what to do. I never intended for this ever to interfere."
"I understand that sir." Agent Ledford's voice traveled over the line. "It's not like you could be reassigned though. You're the boss."
"Just… make sure this isn't going to be an issue. It's awkward as hell and I don't want it getting back to anyone who could make our job difficult. This unit is based on good faith."
"I understand that. We're working under the utmost priority. When my time comes, I hope I'm found worthy to know the need-to-know details."
"Me too." He sighed heavily. "Look, this Agent Seyton. I must have overlooked something in her background."
"I'm on it, sir."
--
Serena sat down behind Lauren at the desk and stroked her long hair. "This is hard to understand. Your situation is very, very unique."
"But you didn't tell me everything when you explained it to me. I'm not a child."
"I know." Serena reached over to open some files. "These are the names of all the children born in ways similar to you. Two mothers, one father, donated egg, in vitro, Allethora." She watched as Lauren skimmed over the names. "There are only a few dozen who survived birth. A handful that lasted more than a year. Two, who have grown to adulthood but the other had other advantages that you didn't have."
"Bethany Evans."
"She has two fathers and one mother. Natural birth. I'm not sure precisely how she got the extra DNA. I'll talk to Dr. Evans about it later. All the women who donated eggs had been on Allethora before having their eggs harvested. The women who incubated the babies were either on the birth control at some point or had a blood condition. If neither, their husbands had the blood condition. Such a small number, actually."
"Dr. Evans was telling me about the blood condition. I helped Beth. I gave her some of my blood and it made her get better faster."
"Yes, I'll talk to Dr. Evans about that too. There's a reason, though, that only two of those children have had such long lives." Serena kept her voice soft though she was tiring. She had never used that tone of voice before. She had actually believed she hadn't it in her to use it. "I was on Allethora. So was Daphne Burkhardt and Mason Burkhardt had the blood disease. He also had something else. Genetic residue and I believe that he's passed that on to you."
"Genetic residue. What is that supposed to mean?"
"I've spent most of my career studying this particular trait. I could name every person who has it without losing my breath, there are so few. It started with four people. Three of those people had children. Those children had children and those children are having children. You are the fourth generation with this trait." When Lauren seemed to lean back into her hand, Serena turned the chair so that she could look her daughter in the eye. "You won't find their names in this report."
"Why not?"
"Dr. Skaarstin pays me not to. She's one of the original four. She's unable to have children. Well, even in her prime, I mean. There was another woman. She had two children by her husband. A man who was also one of them. Another man had two children. The second generation consisted of only four."
"I'm confused. I'm fourth generation of what exactly?" Lauren turned fully. "What made those four different?"
"They were taken and experimented on because of the unique blood defects they carried."
"What kind of experiment? Taken by who?"
Serena lifted her eyes to her daughter's. "You're not going to believe me but I'll tell you. It was aliens."
TBC
Part 146
The Fate of Destiny Part 146
Lauren took the mouse and keyboard from Serena. Her hands shook but she had to make the keystrokes herself. Licking her dry lips, she pushed the buttons. Mason Burkhardt III. The results were instantaneous. Corporate logs and websites boasting his family name. Her family name. She read plenty about his career but that's not what she was looking for. She narrowed the search to omit anything related to A&I Incorporated. There were still a lot of business things that popped up but then she saw some college websites. Eagerly clicking on one of those, she absorbed his fraternity record. Involved in sports and charities. All sorts of clubs. An Alumni who gave large donations to the college until a few years before his death. Then she saw it. The 1999 fraternity/sorority picnic. She spotted Daphne right away but there was… Dr. Evans? "But… Serena… he…"
"Looks an awful lot like Dr. Evans' father." Serena stroked Lauren's hair back and watched her study the picture. "This is why it's so hard to explain. We don't know why his genes are so dominant that the boys all looked so much like him. Mason I, kept in close contact with Dr. Skaarstin. She knew all about his children. Mason II dropped the ball. He didn’t understand. Didn't want to. Mason III… he didn't know about the aliens or the abductions or about Dr. Skaarstin."
"He didn't know a lot of things. How could she do it? Tell him I died at birth?" She began to tear up again. "Does this mean I'm related to Dr. Evans?"
"Vaguely, I think."
"Do you think they're anything alike? I mean… If Dr. Evans is such a nice guy, then my dad was, too. Right?"
"You need to consider what he did…"
"What did he do? She said he took a boy. What boy?"
--
Max groaned as he awakened to the feel of his wife's lips on his chest… and then her tongue… and her teeth! "Ow!"
"I'm just playing." Liz whispered and gently rubbed the redness out of his skin. She had laid aching for twenty minutes waiting for him to wake up when she decided it would be much more fun to wake him up. She slid a hand down his side and between his thighs, not quite touching his erection, massaging the sensitive flesh. She loved watching him squirm. His hips bucked, trying to make her hand slip and slide up where he was already throbbing.
Fed up with her teasing, Max rolled them over and pinned her beneath him. "You're playing but I'm not."
"Oh, you're not?" Liz nipped at his lips, lightly. Then her hands were over her head and his mouth was burning down her throat to her breasts. His other hand pressed against her folds, fingers sliding in between but never inside. Her hips bucked and bowed but her husband only grinned and shook his head at her from between her breasts. "Max…"
"What's that?"
"I thought you weren't playing." She had to bite her lip when she felt the tip of his erection replace his fingers.
"I'm not." When he slid in, her head snapped back. His hand slid down her thigh to her knee and pulled it up and out of the way.
"Max." His name came out on a high note.
"Sh." Max had to bite back a laugh. "They'll hear us."
"Then stop torturing me."
--
"Don’t do it." Beth warned from the table where she was enjoying her freshly delivered breakfast of French toast and cream cheese topped with jalapeno bits. David was halted with his fist raised to knock on his parents' door. "Let 'em sleep."
"They're up. I heard them talking."
"Okay. Then they're not sleeping then but I still wouldn't go in." She nodded to the bowl of cereal he'd ordered "Eat up or it will get soggy."
--
Kathy rolled over in the circle of Will's arms. She hadn't gotten much sleep but he had stayed with her, never letting her out of his grasp, even in sleep. She looked him over and smiled a little when she saw he was still wearing his gun holster. Snuggling closer, she laid her hand over his heart to feel its steady thumping in his chest. He tightened his arms around her. "I hope you know I love you."
"I think I do." She whispered back.
"I don't need anyone else, ever."
"I believe you."
"Kat, listen to me."
"I'm listening."
"She's toast. I'll shove a pitchfork up her ass."
"Will?" Kat furrowed her brow and looked to his face. His eyes were closed. "Will?" He only smacked his mouth and blew out a breath. She decided to let him sleep and to stay right where she was. There was no point in going to work. She knew Dr. West wouldn't be there and Dr. Skaarstin could kiss her ass.
--
Lauren felt out of place as she made her way through Serena's house. She'd napped to think on what she wanted to do but she was still confused. She hadn't ever spent so much time at Serena's house before. There were definite Gia flavors on the walls but she could see Serena more readily now. The earthy southwest tones and the smooth artwork. Gia was more bright and edgy. Turning the corner to the living room, Lauren hesitated. Gia and Serena cuddled on the loveseat, talking softly.
That's when she saw her do it. Gia leaned back and pulled the clasp out of Serena's hair so that it fell all over the place. Serena laid back in Gia's arms and they just lay there together. For the first time, Lauren could let herself see how much she resembled her mother.
Serena looked up and started to sit up but Lauren waved her off. "I'm just gonna go for a walk. I'll be back in a bit."
"Are you okay?" Gia asked.
"Fine. I need some air."
They nodded and let her go. Lauren had no clue where she was going but she wasn't totally surprised when she found herself at the hotel the Evans were staying in. When she got to their door, she felt the tears creeping into her eyes and when they opened the door, she couldn't think of anything to say. "I'm sorry."
"Lauren?" Max tilted his head at her.
"I don't know why I'm here." She blurted out. "I saw the picture of my dad and… I think I understand what Serena said but… I don't know why I'm here." She tried to get control over her emotions but it was so hard when she knew that her own father could pass for Dr. Evans enough to fool his staff once upon a time. "It's not like we're really related, right?"
"Do you want to talk?" Max felt sorry for her. She looked like she had been through the wringer the last couple of days.
"I kind of feel I should apologize for him… for what he did to you."
"Come in."
She stepped passed him and started talking. "I don't know what's going on. Serena was talking about aliens and abductions and bloodlines and genetics and it's all in here and I think I understand but I don't really see it."
"Liz!" Max called out as he led Lauren to a seat. "It's already been confirmed that I screw up this talk. Liz can explain it all much better… and she has props."
"Props?" Lauren stared up at him and she paled when David walked into the room. She bowed her head and fought the tears. "Can you first tell me why? Do you know why? Why he did it?"
Max nodded for David to leave the room. "Go walk the dog."
"But it's hot outside."
"Go." Max jerked his head to the door once more. "Not far, just around the block."
"Fine." David groaned but snapped the leash on Sterling and exited the hotel room.
"Lauren, what do you know about what he did?" Max sat on the coffee table across from her.
"Serena said that he kidnapped David. That there was a car chase and blockades and that's when he shot himself." She wiped at her nose absently. "Was he crazy? I mean… you were talking about that blood condition we have and…"
"It was a long time ago and sometimes, rarely, David has nightmares. I don't know what precipitated what he did but based off my one conversation with him and a host of other things I learned about him…" Max sighed and ran his hands over his face. "First, I think he was sick and the blood disease had hit his brain. It was 2019, the latter half. He was a bit older than me. In my teens, I had some trouble with the government. I didn't know about him then but apparently they gave him about as much trouble as they gave me, only he had some pretty influential resources to get himself out. So, at age 42, having had his fill of governmental interference, personal set-backs and a list of new medical disappointments… he came looking for me."
"What does that mean? Personal setbacks?"
"He'd been diagnosed. He didn't have long to live. His marriage was falling apart and he'd never had any children to survive infancy. He'd been having some dreams that he didn't understand. Dreams that haunted him. He knew that his grandfather thought he'd been abducted by aliens. He knew that his father had disturbing dreams before his death."
"His whole world had collapsed." Lauren whispered, and then her eyes shot up to meet Dr. Evans. "I spent all morning researching him on the net."
"He wanted to get my attention… and he did. David was only four years old when it happened. He had difficulties for a long time. I haven't sat him down to tell him who you are exactly but I'll have to, soon."
"I have the dreams, Dr. Evans. I didn't understand them. I… I…" She started to break down. "They always start the same. I'm laying on a table. There are tubes and things all over me, pinching. They were standing over me but I couldn't make out their faces. They were doing something to me." Lauren closed her eyes to remember more. "There was a bunch of noise and movement to my left but I couldn't turn my head to see. The next thing I know… I'm awake and I'm driving. I just keep driving. I think I'm crying and I can hear someone else crying too."
Max placed his hands on hers and took a breath. "Lauren, where are you driving?"
"Away… just away. As far away as possible."
"Is the other person saying anything?"
"Um… I can barely make it out… She. It's a woman. She's worried about the baby. My baby… our baby… but…" Her eyes opened. "I looked in the rearview mirror to see if they were following us. I'm a man."
"That's… it's not a dream. Not really. It's… it's what Mason, your great-grandfather, remembered from the abduction."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've done my own research. Your great-grandparents on your father's side were both abducted by aliens. Their DNA was extracted and used to create new people. To create me and my sister. Did you know that you have other relatives?"
"Wait! Go back! Say that again."
"Hold on. Liz!"
--
Will poured himself some coffee. He should have been awake hours ago but Kathy had let him sleep… in her arms. That made him feel better. Kathy poured herself a cup and hopped up on the counter next to him. "Dad said that Lauren's there now. She's getting the story. He feels bad for her… because of… a lot of things."
"She's had it rough." Will nodded. When she didn't speak again, he nudged her. "What is it?"
"Why did you go see Lily?"
He nodded to himself and took a moment to choose his words carefully. "I needed to do a few things. One, she attempted to take her own life. Two, I had to make my position clear to her. Three, I had to say goodbye and I had to say it in person. I realized that if I allowed her into my life with you… that I hadn't really let you in it."
"Am I in it, Will?"
"You are." He took a breath. "I told Agent Ledford about us. I think she understands and she'll support us if it ever gets to that stage."
"What stage?"
"The stage where it's taken over my head and there's an attempt to remove me from my position."
"They can't do that?"
"They might."
"If they try, Daddy will get rid of the whole unit. He trusts you. Not the unit."
--
"Can I take a copy? So I can go over it with Serena?" Lauren asked Liz finally of her props as Max had called them. "She understands this stuff."
"Um… I'll have Will make a copy at work." Liz nodded.
"Oh."
"I can do that." Beth took the reports from them and took a deep breath.
"Beth, don't. Not in here." Liz pleaded.
"No, I want to see." Lauren shook her head.
"This is pretty cool. I just learned I could do it this morning." Beth placed both hands side by side on the stack. Her hands began to glow and then she moved them apart, taking a stack with each. "I like it."
"That is pretty neat, honey." Liz nodded and looked to Lauren whose eyes were wide. "Beth is a little more advanced than everyone else."
"By how much?" Lauren examined the papers and they were identical, down to a coffee stain on one of the pages.
"Dad says I'm uber-alien, now." Beth beamed proudly. "But I don't read at random any more. I am in control." She puffed out her chest and seemed to just notice her breasts. "Hey mom. I may actually need a bra now. I feel like I can knock over stuff with them."
"Hey." Max frowned at his daughter. "Let's keep the boob talk behind closed doors or something."
"It's your fault I have them."
"My fault." He snorted. "I pushed you in front of a truck?"
"You gave me all the pills to take."
"You know. Kat says stunted growth is sometimes the result of the chemical residue." Liz cut in. "Maybe you were always supposed to get that big."
"Enough talk about woman parts." Max exclaimed and kissed his wife's head. "David says he wants home food. He's sick of take out."
"How did he take it?" Liz whispered.
"So far, he's not judging her." He whispered back. "But he seems too calm to me."
"Okay, Dr. Evans. I just want to get this straight. You were cloned from great-grandpa Burkhardt. So you're kind of like his son… Then you're like grandpa Burkhardt's brother… especially since…" She scanned a page. "They used an egg from great-grandma Burkhardt to house you. So… you're like… my dad's uncle or something…"
"We could go that route." Max nodded. "I'd feel funny introducing you as my great-niece. How about we go with uncle?"
"I'd like that." Lauren nodded. "Could I meet everyone else?"
"I don’t keep in contact with them but my sister does." Max took a seat. "She knows your grandpa's sister's side. If in doubt, ask Will. He's done all the research." He looked over her frazzled hair and the dark circles. "Why don't you go wash up and you can join us for dinner. Kat and Will are coming. You'll just have to meet Danny some other time."
"He's the oldest, right?" She cleared her throat. "I'd like that. Let me call Serena. I told her I was going for a walk and she's probably worried. I'm told she does that."
"I'll bet…" Max looked to Liz, who raised an eyebrow. "I'm thinking we're going to a restaurant with lots of homey-looking options. Invite Serena and her… um… girlfriend."
"Don't act like such a homo-phobe." Beth snorted and bounded off to get ready to go out.
"Oh um… If I tell Gia we're going to that kind of restaurant. She'll freak. She's a chef and…" Lauren took a breath and rose to use the phone in Beth's room. "I'll see if she has any suggestions."
David sat down with them with a cup of tea. Max frowned at that but Liz only reached over to hug her son. "Does she have to stay?"
"Hey… she didn't know. She was like… 11." Max sat down with them.
"He took me because he couldn’t have his own and there's one there." David bit out.
"He didn't know about her and she didn't know. Come on, David. She's like family." Max rubbed his shoulder. "You liked her just fine before you knew."
Liz saw the tears forming first and motioned for Max to take the cup so she could hold her baby in her arms. "Hey. It's okay. She's upset too. She didn't have a perfect childhood either. She's just trying to cope with nightmares and memories, just the same."
"She is?"
"Maybe one of these days you can ask her… when things calm down some."
TBC
Lauren took the mouse and keyboard from Serena. Her hands shook but she had to make the keystrokes herself. Licking her dry lips, she pushed the buttons. Mason Burkhardt III. The results were instantaneous. Corporate logs and websites boasting his family name. Her family name. She read plenty about his career but that's not what she was looking for. She narrowed the search to omit anything related to A&I Incorporated. There were still a lot of business things that popped up but then she saw some college websites. Eagerly clicking on one of those, she absorbed his fraternity record. Involved in sports and charities. All sorts of clubs. An Alumni who gave large donations to the college until a few years before his death. Then she saw it. The 1999 fraternity/sorority picnic. She spotted Daphne right away but there was… Dr. Evans? "But… Serena… he…"
"Looks an awful lot like Dr. Evans' father." Serena stroked Lauren's hair back and watched her study the picture. "This is why it's so hard to explain. We don't know why his genes are so dominant that the boys all looked so much like him. Mason I, kept in close contact with Dr. Skaarstin. She knew all about his children. Mason II dropped the ball. He didn’t understand. Didn't want to. Mason III… he didn't know about the aliens or the abductions or about Dr. Skaarstin."
"He didn't know a lot of things. How could she do it? Tell him I died at birth?" She began to tear up again. "Does this mean I'm related to Dr. Evans?"
"Vaguely, I think."
"Do you think they're anything alike? I mean… If Dr. Evans is such a nice guy, then my dad was, too. Right?"
"You need to consider what he did…"
"What did he do? She said he took a boy. What boy?"
--
Max groaned as he awakened to the feel of his wife's lips on his chest… and then her tongue… and her teeth! "Ow!"
"I'm just playing." Liz whispered and gently rubbed the redness out of his skin. She had laid aching for twenty minutes waiting for him to wake up when she decided it would be much more fun to wake him up. She slid a hand down his side and between his thighs, not quite touching his erection, massaging the sensitive flesh. She loved watching him squirm. His hips bucked, trying to make her hand slip and slide up where he was already throbbing.
Fed up with her teasing, Max rolled them over and pinned her beneath him. "You're playing but I'm not."
"Oh, you're not?" Liz nipped at his lips, lightly. Then her hands were over her head and his mouth was burning down her throat to her breasts. His other hand pressed against her folds, fingers sliding in between but never inside. Her hips bucked and bowed but her husband only grinned and shook his head at her from between her breasts. "Max…"
"What's that?"
"I thought you weren't playing." She had to bite her lip when she felt the tip of his erection replace his fingers.
"I'm not." When he slid in, her head snapped back. His hand slid down her thigh to her knee and pulled it up and out of the way.
"Max." His name came out on a high note.
"Sh." Max had to bite back a laugh. "They'll hear us."
"Then stop torturing me."
--
"Don’t do it." Beth warned from the table where she was enjoying her freshly delivered breakfast of French toast and cream cheese topped with jalapeno bits. David was halted with his fist raised to knock on his parents' door. "Let 'em sleep."
"They're up. I heard them talking."
"Okay. Then they're not sleeping then but I still wouldn't go in." She nodded to the bowl of cereal he'd ordered "Eat up or it will get soggy."
--
Kathy rolled over in the circle of Will's arms. She hadn't gotten much sleep but he had stayed with her, never letting her out of his grasp, even in sleep. She looked him over and smiled a little when she saw he was still wearing his gun holster. Snuggling closer, she laid her hand over his heart to feel its steady thumping in his chest. He tightened his arms around her. "I hope you know I love you."
"I think I do." She whispered back.
"I don't need anyone else, ever."
"I believe you."
"Kat, listen to me."
"I'm listening."
"She's toast. I'll shove a pitchfork up her ass."
"Will?" Kat furrowed her brow and looked to his face. His eyes were closed. "Will?" He only smacked his mouth and blew out a breath. She decided to let him sleep and to stay right where she was. There was no point in going to work. She knew Dr. West wouldn't be there and Dr. Skaarstin could kiss her ass.
--
Lauren felt out of place as she made her way through Serena's house. She'd napped to think on what she wanted to do but she was still confused. She hadn't ever spent so much time at Serena's house before. There were definite Gia flavors on the walls but she could see Serena more readily now. The earthy southwest tones and the smooth artwork. Gia was more bright and edgy. Turning the corner to the living room, Lauren hesitated. Gia and Serena cuddled on the loveseat, talking softly.
That's when she saw her do it. Gia leaned back and pulled the clasp out of Serena's hair so that it fell all over the place. Serena laid back in Gia's arms and they just lay there together. For the first time, Lauren could let herself see how much she resembled her mother.
Serena looked up and started to sit up but Lauren waved her off. "I'm just gonna go for a walk. I'll be back in a bit."
"Are you okay?" Gia asked.
"Fine. I need some air."
They nodded and let her go. Lauren had no clue where she was going but she wasn't totally surprised when she found herself at the hotel the Evans were staying in. When she got to their door, she felt the tears creeping into her eyes and when they opened the door, she couldn't think of anything to say. "I'm sorry."
"Lauren?" Max tilted his head at her.
"I don't know why I'm here." She blurted out. "I saw the picture of my dad and… I think I understand what Serena said but… I don't know why I'm here." She tried to get control over her emotions but it was so hard when she knew that her own father could pass for Dr. Evans enough to fool his staff once upon a time. "It's not like we're really related, right?"
"Do you want to talk?" Max felt sorry for her. She looked like she had been through the wringer the last couple of days.
"I kind of feel I should apologize for him… for what he did to you."
"Come in."
She stepped passed him and started talking. "I don't know what's going on. Serena was talking about aliens and abductions and bloodlines and genetics and it's all in here and I think I understand but I don't really see it."
"Liz!" Max called out as he led Lauren to a seat. "It's already been confirmed that I screw up this talk. Liz can explain it all much better… and she has props."
"Props?" Lauren stared up at him and she paled when David walked into the room. She bowed her head and fought the tears. "Can you first tell me why? Do you know why? Why he did it?"
Max nodded for David to leave the room. "Go walk the dog."
"But it's hot outside."
"Go." Max jerked his head to the door once more. "Not far, just around the block."
"Fine." David groaned but snapped the leash on Sterling and exited the hotel room.
"Lauren, what do you know about what he did?" Max sat on the coffee table across from her.
"Serena said that he kidnapped David. That there was a car chase and blockades and that's when he shot himself." She wiped at her nose absently. "Was he crazy? I mean… you were talking about that blood condition we have and…"
"It was a long time ago and sometimes, rarely, David has nightmares. I don't know what precipitated what he did but based off my one conversation with him and a host of other things I learned about him…" Max sighed and ran his hands over his face. "First, I think he was sick and the blood disease had hit his brain. It was 2019, the latter half. He was a bit older than me. In my teens, I had some trouble with the government. I didn't know about him then but apparently they gave him about as much trouble as they gave me, only he had some pretty influential resources to get himself out. So, at age 42, having had his fill of governmental interference, personal set-backs and a list of new medical disappointments… he came looking for me."
"What does that mean? Personal setbacks?"
"He'd been diagnosed. He didn't have long to live. His marriage was falling apart and he'd never had any children to survive infancy. He'd been having some dreams that he didn't understand. Dreams that haunted him. He knew that his grandfather thought he'd been abducted by aliens. He knew that his father had disturbing dreams before his death."
"His whole world had collapsed." Lauren whispered, and then her eyes shot up to meet Dr. Evans. "I spent all morning researching him on the net."
"He wanted to get my attention… and he did. David was only four years old when it happened. He had difficulties for a long time. I haven't sat him down to tell him who you are exactly but I'll have to, soon."
"I have the dreams, Dr. Evans. I didn't understand them. I… I…" She started to break down. "They always start the same. I'm laying on a table. There are tubes and things all over me, pinching. They were standing over me but I couldn't make out their faces. They were doing something to me." Lauren closed her eyes to remember more. "There was a bunch of noise and movement to my left but I couldn't turn my head to see. The next thing I know… I'm awake and I'm driving. I just keep driving. I think I'm crying and I can hear someone else crying too."
Max placed his hands on hers and took a breath. "Lauren, where are you driving?"
"Away… just away. As far away as possible."
"Is the other person saying anything?"
"Um… I can barely make it out… She. It's a woman. She's worried about the baby. My baby… our baby… but…" Her eyes opened. "I looked in the rearview mirror to see if they were following us. I'm a man."
"That's… it's not a dream. Not really. It's… it's what Mason, your great-grandfather, remembered from the abduction."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've done my own research. Your great-grandparents on your father's side were both abducted by aliens. Their DNA was extracted and used to create new people. To create me and my sister. Did you know that you have other relatives?"
"Wait! Go back! Say that again."
"Hold on. Liz!"
--
Will poured himself some coffee. He should have been awake hours ago but Kathy had let him sleep… in her arms. That made him feel better. Kathy poured herself a cup and hopped up on the counter next to him. "Dad said that Lauren's there now. She's getting the story. He feels bad for her… because of… a lot of things."
"She's had it rough." Will nodded. When she didn't speak again, he nudged her. "What is it?"
"Why did you go see Lily?"
He nodded to himself and took a moment to choose his words carefully. "I needed to do a few things. One, she attempted to take her own life. Two, I had to make my position clear to her. Three, I had to say goodbye and I had to say it in person. I realized that if I allowed her into my life with you… that I hadn't really let you in it."
"Am I in it, Will?"
"You are." He took a breath. "I told Agent Ledford about us. I think she understands and she'll support us if it ever gets to that stage."
"What stage?"
"The stage where it's taken over my head and there's an attempt to remove me from my position."
"They can't do that?"
"They might."
"If they try, Daddy will get rid of the whole unit. He trusts you. Not the unit."
--
"Can I take a copy? So I can go over it with Serena?" Lauren asked Liz finally of her props as Max had called them. "She understands this stuff."
"Um… I'll have Will make a copy at work." Liz nodded.
"Oh."
"I can do that." Beth took the reports from them and took a deep breath.
"Beth, don't. Not in here." Liz pleaded.
"No, I want to see." Lauren shook her head.
"This is pretty cool. I just learned I could do it this morning." Beth placed both hands side by side on the stack. Her hands began to glow and then she moved them apart, taking a stack with each. "I like it."
"That is pretty neat, honey." Liz nodded and looked to Lauren whose eyes were wide. "Beth is a little more advanced than everyone else."
"By how much?" Lauren examined the papers and they were identical, down to a coffee stain on one of the pages.
"Dad says I'm uber-alien, now." Beth beamed proudly. "But I don't read at random any more. I am in control." She puffed out her chest and seemed to just notice her breasts. "Hey mom. I may actually need a bra now. I feel like I can knock over stuff with them."
"Hey." Max frowned at his daughter. "Let's keep the boob talk behind closed doors or something."
"It's your fault I have them."
"My fault." He snorted. "I pushed you in front of a truck?"
"You gave me all the pills to take."
"You know. Kat says stunted growth is sometimes the result of the chemical residue." Liz cut in. "Maybe you were always supposed to get that big."
"Enough talk about woman parts." Max exclaimed and kissed his wife's head. "David says he wants home food. He's sick of take out."
"How did he take it?" Liz whispered.
"So far, he's not judging her." He whispered back. "But he seems too calm to me."
"Okay, Dr. Evans. I just want to get this straight. You were cloned from great-grandpa Burkhardt. So you're kind of like his son… Then you're like grandpa Burkhardt's brother… especially since…" She scanned a page. "They used an egg from great-grandma Burkhardt to house you. So… you're like… my dad's uncle or something…"
"We could go that route." Max nodded. "I'd feel funny introducing you as my great-niece. How about we go with uncle?"
"I'd like that." Lauren nodded. "Could I meet everyone else?"
"I don’t keep in contact with them but my sister does." Max took a seat. "She knows your grandpa's sister's side. If in doubt, ask Will. He's done all the research." He looked over her frazzled hair and the dark circles. "Why don't you go wash up and you can join us for dinner. Kat and Will are coming. You'll just have to meet Danny some other time."
"He's the oldest, right?" She cleared her throat. "I'd like that. Let me call Serena. I told her I was going for a walk and she's probably worried. I'm told she does that."
"I'll bet…" Max looked to Liz, who raised an eyebrow. "I'm thinking we're going to a restaurant with lots of homey-looking options. Invite Serena and her… um… girlfriend."
"Don't act like such a homo-phobe." Beth snorted and bounded off to get ready to go out.
"Oh um… If I tell Gia we're going to that kind of restaurant. She'll freak. She's a chef and…" Lauren took a breath and rose to use the phone in Beth's room. "I'll see if she has any suggestions."
David sat down with them with a cup of tea. Max frowned at that but Liz only reached over to hug her son. "Does she have to stay?"
"Hey… she didn't know. She was like… 11." Max sat down with them.
"He took me because he couldn’t have his own and there's one there." David bit out.
"He didn't know about her and she didn't know. Come on, David. She's like family." Max rubbed his shoulder. "You liked her just fine before you knew."
Liz saw the tears forming first and motioned for Max to take the cup so she could hold her baby in her arms. "Hey. It's okay. She's upset too. She didn't have a perfect childhood either. She's just trying to cope with nightmares and memories, just the same."
"She is?"
"Maybe one of these days you can ask her… when things calm down some."
TBC
Thanks to y'all and Author's Note
Wow. Thanks guys. I think this is the first award this story has won.
So thanks to all y'all who read, nom'd and voted. Not just on my stories but everyone's. Gotta keep that circle turnin'.
I have been working on this story but I haven't gotten much done. I keep getting distracted and i know I left a note a couple of days ago but I had to stop by again. hehe. Hopefuly I can get somethign to the betas by week's end so y'all can have something next week.
part 147
The Fate of Destiny Part 147
Gia opened up the dining room for them. "It is so nice to meet all of you. I'm Gia Denali. I'm Serena's girlfriend."
"Where is Serena?" Lauren frowned.
"She's on her way." Gia promised.
"Okay… um… these are the Evans. Dr. Max, Liz, Dr. Kat, Beth, and David." Lauren rushed to get the words out. "This is Agent Will Goldblum?"
"Thank you for recommending this place." Liz stepped forward to take Gia's hand. "The kids are sick of take out and room service. We were just going to go…"
"Somewhere that looked good, priced cheap, and had bland food that would give you food poisoning." Gia nodded. "I know. But knowing someone who knows a chef who has friends, can get you the looking good, the nice prices, and the delicious food sans E.coli."
Serena breezed into the room and shook hands. "Sorry, I'm late. Did everyone meet my partner, Gia?"
"Dad…" David whispered. "What's that mean?"
"Oh um…" Max's mouth opened and closed like a fish before he turned to his wife.
"Oh um." Liz cleared her throat. "It means that Gia and Serena live together… they care about each other very much."
"She means they love each other like how Mom and Dad love each other." Beth smiled sweetly at her father who tried very hard not to seem embarrassed.
"Exactly." Serena stepped forward to shake his hand. "Tell me, young Evans. Will you follow in the footsteps of your elder sister and go into microbiology?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "We already have too many doctors in the family."
"So, I hear. Come, sit everyone." Serena motioned to the table, taking over as hostess. She stopped Lauren for just a moment while everyone was moving around. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I talked to Dr. Evans and he explained some things to me. I'm okay, I guess." Lauren accepted the hug and took her seat next to David. The table had segregated itself. Serena at the head with Gia on her right, Kathy and Will next to her. Dr. and Mrs. Evans across from them. Beth, Lauren, and David on the other end.
"So, I have to ask what the house's policy on customized dishes is." Max took the menu from the center of the table.
"Oh, Dad… they have the habanero jelly." Beth could feel her mouth watering.
"Nice…" Kathy bit her lip and turned to her boyfriend. "You're going to have to watch what you put in your mouth from my plate."
"Trust me. I'll leave your plate alone." Will frowned at the dishes her fingers lingered on as she scanned the menu.
"You know, you can have spice without the heat." Gia started as she pointed to something on the menu for Serena.
"Oh no, the spice is nice but they love the heat and if there's no heat, there's no point." Liz shook her head at Gia. "Cooking at my house has always been a challenge."
"Is it because of the um… blood anomaly?" Serena asked delicately, assuring them that her girlfriend didn't know everything.
"It could be. My mom is anemic and she's always had this liver thing." Liz wrinkled up her nose. "These guys are all about spicy. Jalapenos, habaneros, poblanos with the seeds… There's this pepper mix that Max sometimes buys. Italian something or other. He'll put it on everything. Toast, pizza, ice cream." She eyed her husband warily. "Sometimes kissing him is detrimental to my taste buds."
"But you insist, I think you're a masochist." Max pecked her lips lightly.
"I love you but I'm hungry right now." Liz pushed him away. "You may have been eating out everyday for weeks but I haven't. I'm going to enjoy not cooking."
"You hear that Beth?" Kat called over her menu. "We have to finish eating before Mom or else risk losing our dinner when she and Dad get all mushy."
"Deadline, I got it."
Max threw his napkin at his older daughter. "I take that to mean that you and Agent Goldblum won't be disgusting anyone else tonight."
"I think you have more knowledge than you want." Will nodded to his menu. "We won't make it worse for you."
"Thank you, Will. You're now my favorite child."
"Hey!" His children exclaimed.
"Yeah, what did I do?" David pouted.
"Oh, I'm reserving judgment but if I have to pay a cleaning fee for Sterling, I'm going to be less than happy." Max helped his son search the menu for something he could eat.
"Oh, I know! Billy borrowed a pair of my shoes and left them out. That little rodent chewed them up and then pissed on them." Kat griped.
"Which shoes?" Beth asked.
"The pink ones with the asymmetrical buckle."
"The Bostons?" Serena frowned.
"Yes, those."
"Oh, I loved those." Gia joined in the pity party. "I wanted some but I had to put down a fee at the campus kitchen."
"Trust me, they weren't as comfortable as I'd like but they were pretty. I took on an extra case to cover the cost." Kat ordered when the waiter came around to her. He frowned at all the extras on the plates but scribbled it all down.
"The Papaya Grant?" Serena furrowed her brow as she thought about it.
"Yes. I probably would have assisted anyway but the Bostons were too good to pass up."
"So, Will. The Cowboys. How do you think they'll do this fall?"
"Fairly good. New owner. New coach. It's a rebuilding year."
--
Jesse left the table when he lost. Isabel grinned wickedly and rolled the dice. She and Kyle would probably go all night. He scooped up his daughter to lay her down in her own bed. Since Alex had left, she'd been going to bed early… and not always in her bed. He shook his head when he realized that Jim had fallen asleep in front of the TV again. He tucked Gina into bed and passed the bathroom door. The light was off but the door was locked. "Bert? You in there?"
No answer. He glanced down to her bedroom but the door was open and the room empty. He hadn't seen her all night. "Are you okay in there?" Kyle's exclamation thundered through the halls as he managed to get one over on his mother. "Berty? Liberty? Are you okay? Should I call your mother?"
The door creaked open and Liberty stood there with red-rimmed eyes. "Don't tell her anything. I'm okay."
"Hey… are you okay? Really." Jesse peered down into her face but she averted her eyes. "Why was the light off?"
"Head hurts."
"Are you sick? Should I go get someone?"
"No, don't."
"Is there something I could do?"
She sniffed loudly and reached back for a tissue to wipe her nose with. She sat on the rim of the tub, so Jesse took that as an invitation to join her. The light barely poured into the small bathroom. "I don't have anyone to talk to and I can't talk to my mom or my grandpa and Lynnette will make me tell one of them."
"What's going on?"
With a flick of her hand, she shut the door and turned on the light. "I haven't been feeling so good for about a week."
"Why haven't you told your mother? Or the doctor? You went to the doctor." Jesse pressed. Berty burst into tears. He did the only thing he could do, he took her into his arms and let her cry it out. She cried so heavily, tears sprung to his eyes. "Did something not go right at the doctor's?"
"I don't know. Dr. Davis doesn't know." Berty sniffed loudly and took the tissue from Jesse when he offered it. "Do you promise not to tell my mom?"
"I guess that depends…"
"Promise me. I can't tell her. I can't tell Grandpa. I told Alex but he's not here." She leaned heavily on him, ready to accept that Jesse had tried to be a father to her and she didn't mind all that much.
"Okay. Okay. I promise."
"I might be pregnant."
Jesse's heart stopped. He swore it did. "Who… um…"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Was this… a… Berty, did something bad happen?"
"Yes. No. I don't know." The warm spot on his chest grew. "I can't really remember." She sobbed again. "The whole thing is very, very complicated."
"Okay. It's complicated." Jesse nodded to himself. "So, let's break it down. First thing's first." He took a deep breath and prayed he wouldn't get murdered by his girlfriend in his sleep. "Why didn't Dr. Davis give you a pregnancy test?"
"It was too soon. She said to wait a while longer and take a test. I was going to do it tonight but I got scared."
"Okay. Okay." He stroked her hair back. "Let's concentrate on that first. Okay?"
"You won't tell my mom?"
"Not right now. But depending on the outcome, yeah." When she picked up her head, he glanced down and cupped her face. "It will be okay. No matter what. I promise that. You don't have to tell me right now but do you know who the potential father is?" She nodded stiffly. "Okay. Whoever he is… had better hope your mother can't reach him. And he had better stay out of my reach."
--
Max handed Lauren the card. "This is my sister's card. I'm going to tell her about you but so you can contact her. She loves meeting new people and impressing them with… everything."
"Are you leaving soon? To go back to Roswell, I mean?"
"Probably. Beth's scans are all coming up clean and we'd all like to get home."
"Yeah, I guess I understand that." She nodded and tucked the card into her purse.
"When you need to get away, maybe you could come visit Beth. We have two empty rooms now. I know Liz won't mind."
"I'd like that."
"Dad… quit hogging her. She's taking me to an audition to watch her in action." Beth grinned and gripped Lauren's hand. "I won't be too late, Dad."
"Be careful. Stay with Lauren." Max warned his daughter and waved them both off.
"Can I go?" David pleaded.
Lauren's eyes misted but she cleared her throat and cut off Beth. "Come on, little guy. I'll show you the ropes and you'll be an actor in no time."
"Little guy? I'm almost taller than you."
"You're not." Beth jumped on his back. "If you're so big, carry me."
"Ah… the pitter-patter of… huge, clomping feet." Max sighed and tucked his wife under his arm before turning to the other two couples. "Gia, it was nice to meet you and thank you for the recommendation. I really enjoyed myself."
"You did. Diet when we get home." Liz teased, rubbing his love handles.
"You're so gross." Kathy muttered and buried her face in Will's shoulder.
Liz watched them and sighed. "Aw… Max… they look so cute together… we're going to get little blue-eyed grandbabies."
"Hey!" Max and Kathy exclaimed at the same time.
"Max… I want a blond-haired, blue-eyed grandbaby." She ignored their protests.
"I think you're jumping the gun a bit." Will cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "I haven't spent nearly enough time with this lady for that to be a possibility."
"Watch yourself." Max cleared this throat. "She's from a notoriously fertile line and I refuse to be a grandfather before David hits high school."
"How fertile?" Serena piped up.
Max winced inwardly and looked to his wife. "It's not been unknown for any one occasion of unprotected sex to result in a pregnancy."
"Wow. I'm glad I'm not an Evans." Gia snorted and looked to her partner. "Though… in a few years, that might be a good thing to have on our side."
"Maybe." Serena filed that thought away for another day. "Back in college, everyone was trying not to get pregnant and my eggs went and got pregnant without me."
"You know… I, um…" Liz looked up at her husband. "That story you were telling me, it hit awful close to home. I was supposed to go to Northwestern."
"Oh?" Serena's brown eyes fixed on the woman across the walk. "What year?"
"Fall '02. I had to waive a scholarship and forgo an early college education." Liz caught her daughter's eye.
"You got into Northwestern, Mom?" Kathy tilted her head.
"Full ride." Max nodded. "All she needed was her dorm assignment and the dates of Freshman orientation."
"But… oh." Kat connected the dots. "So… because of Danny."
"It's not his fault." Liz shook her head. "But getting pregnant shifted my priorities a bit. I waived the scholarship and turned down the school but now you're working for an almost classmate of mine."
"What was your major?" Serena covered her mouth with her hand.
"Micro-biology."
"What a small world."
"That's what I was thinking when you were telling me."
Max cleared his throat. "Lauren was um… talking about how odd things have worked out the way they did. She really did us a big favor in California."
"I'll bet. I want to see the results, if that's okay."
"Sure… Kat will be glad to share those with you."
"Do you mind if I forward a copy to Dr. Skaarstin?" Serena felt a chill go up her spine at the issuing silence and the awkward looks shared between them all.
"I think I should talk to her before we do that." Kathy finally answered.
"I second that." Max nodded and looked to his wife again who seemed nervous.
"Okay… I'm going to assume that this is top-secret scientist talk and I should go get the car." Gia bade them all a goodnight and disappeared.
Serena shoved her hands into her pockets. "Jo is very secretive but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out."
"My birth mother was a clone made from Dr. Skaarstin." Kathy admitted. "The same way that Dad is a clone made from Mason Burkhardt, the original."
"Things haven't always been smooth between us." Liz tried to explain. "We wouldn't want her getting the wrong idea about what happened."
"So, she's gone. Dead. I don't think Jo knows that." Serena nodded. "We'll talk later, then."
--
Beth watched Lauren from the back of the theater. David watched just as carefully. "Dad says that she had nightmares like me."
"I guess. She's never told me. How did you find out?"
"Mom."
"She talked to Mom?" Beth frowned.
"I dunno. That's just what Mom was telling me before dinner."
"Huh."
"Hey and Berty was saying something about you calling her."
"And you're just telling me now?"
"Yeah… sorry. I think Donna Jo called too."
"When exactly?"
"I don't know. Before we left."
"All right! Ladies and Gentlemen, we have found our leading lady. We will notify the male lead tomorrow after some debate. Young lady, please, come down here. We need some information."
Lauren bounded gleefully down the steps to the director's table. She ignored Lauren but the woman next to her looked up. "How would you like to be billed?"
"Lauren Allison… Burkhardt."
"All of that?" The woman peered at her over her glasses. "It's a little long."
"Lauren Burkhardt. It's my stage name."
"Oh. Okay. Real name is… Lauren Allison, right? Okay. Lauren Burkhardt. Sounds good."
--
Kathy let Will into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. "I'm sorry if my Mom was… you know how she gets."
"She's just eager." He pulled her to him as he sat on the bed. "It's not like I don't plan for any of that stuff to happen but… although I've felt this way for a very long time… I've only had you in my arms for such a short period of time. I want to keep you there for as long as humanly possible. I need you all to myself for a while."
"That sounds good and a little scary."
"Scary." He repeated her choice of phrasing.
"Sometimes you overwhelm me… in a good way. I'm not used to having a man with such patience, understanding, and intense feeling." She climbed onto his lap. "I knew you were a good agent but now I know why. You're so focused. Everything you do is focused. Eye on the prize type of focus."
"I hadn't noticed."
"I'll bet you've been this way your entire life."
"With a prize like you, it's all been worth it."
"So now I’m a prize? I'm not Beth. I'm not willing to be a trophy wife." She teased and pushed him back on the bed.
He stared up at her. Those blue eyes glittering and that dark hair falling all around her face. "Hey, I'm gonna be the envy of every man on the planet."
--
Beth smiled while Lauren practically bounced on her feet. "So, you got the part."
"I did. I so did. I was on!"
"How do you get so intense like that on stage?" Beth leaned on her little brother to make him feel a part of the conversation.
Lauren's eyes darkened and her smile faded a bit. "You have to draw from deep places sometimes. My teen years weren't all that great."
"When you lived with the jerks?"
"Yeah, that would be the time." She toed a rock on the sidewalk. "God help any child they have living with them now."
"Your mom told my mom they were on a register." David blurted out.
"A register?" Lauren turned to the young boy. "A register."
"Or a registry?" He looked up at his sister for confirmation. "An offender list?"
"They are?" Her eyes welled up with tears but they didn't fall. "Serena said that?" David nodded. "Good."
Beth tilted her head at Lauren, tempted to reach out and read those surfaces thoughts which had created the tears but she had promised her father that she wouldn't if she could help it.
TBC
Gia opened up the dining room for them. "It is so nice to meet all of you. I'm Gia Denali. I'm Serena's girlfriend."
"Where is Serena?" Lauren frowned.
"She's on her way." Gia promised.
"Okay… um… these are the Evans. Dr. Max, Liz, Dr. Kat, Beth, and David." Lauren rushed to get the words out. "This is Agent Will Goldblum?"
"Thank you for recommending this place." Liz stepped forward to take Gia's hand. "The kids are sick of take out and room service. We were just going to go…"
"Somewhere that looked good, priced cheap, and had bland food that would give you food poisoning." Gia nodded. "I know. But knowing someone who knows a chef who has friends, can get you the looking good, the nice prices, and the delicious food sans E.coli."
Serena breezed into the room and shook hands. "Sorry, I'm late. Did everyone meet my partner, Gia?"
"Dad…" David whispered. "What's that mean?"
"Oh um…" Max's mouth opened and closed like a fish before he turned to his wife.
"Oh um." Liz cleared her throat. "It means that Gia and Serena live together… they care about each other very much."
"She means they love each other like how Mom and Dad love each other." Beth smiled sweetly at her father who tried very hard not to seem embarrassed.
"Exactly." Serena stepped forward to shake his hand. "Tell me, young Evans. Will you follow in the footsteps of your elder sister and go into microbiology?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "We already have too many doctors in the family."
"So, I hear. Come, sit everyone." Serena motioned to the table, taking over as hostess. She stopped Lauren for just a moment while everyone was moving around. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I talked to Dr. Evans and he explained some things to me. I'm okay, I guess." Lauren accepted the hug and took her seat next to David. The table had segregated itself. Serena at the head with Gia on her right, Kathy and Will next to her. Dr. and Mrs. Evans across from them. Beth, Lauren, and David on the other end.
"So, I have to ask what the house's policy on customized dishes is." Max took the menu from the center of the table.
"Oh, Dad… they have the habanero jelly." Beth could feel her mouth watering.
"Nice…" Kathy bit her lip and turned to her boyfriend. "You're going to have to watch what you put in your mouth from my plate."
"Trust me. I'll leave your plate alone." Will frowned at the dishes her fingers lingered on as she scanned the menu.
"You know, you can have spice without the heat." Gia started as she pointed to something on the menu for Serena.
"Oh no, the spice is nice but they love the heat and if there's no heat, there's no point." Liz shook her head at Gia. "Cooking at my house has always been a challenge."
"Is it because of the um… blood anomaly?" Serena asked delicately, assuring them that her girlfriend didn't know everything.
"It could be. My mom is anemic and she's always had this liver thing." Liz wrinkled up her nose. "These guys are all about spicy. Jalapenos, habaneros, poblanos with the seeds… There's this pepper mix that Max sometimes buys. Italian something or other. He'll put it on everything. Toast, pizza, ice cream." She eyed her husband warily. "Sometimes kissing him is detrimental to my taste buds."
"But you insist, I think you're a masochist." Max pecked her lips lightly.
"I love you but I'm hungry right now." Liz pushed him away. "You may have been eating out everyday for weeks but I haven't. I'm going to enjoy not cooking."
"You hear that Beth?" Kat called over her menu. "We have to finish eating before Mom or else risk losing our dinner when she and Dad get all mushy."
"Deadline, I got it."
Max threw his napkin at his older daughter. "I take that to mean that you and Agent Goldblum won't be disgusting anyone else tonight."
"I think you have more knowledge than you want." Will nodded to his menu. "We won't make it worse for you."
"Thank you, Will. You're now my favorite child."
"Hey!" His children exclaimed.
"Yeah, what did I do?" David pouted.
"Oh, I'm reserving judgment but if I have to pay a cleaning fee for Sterling, I'm going to be less than happy." Max helped his son search the menu for something he could eat.
"Oh, I know! Billy borrowed a pair of my shoes and left them out. That little rodent chewed them up and then pissed on them." Kat griped.
"Which shoes?" Beth asked.
"The pink ones with the asymmetrical buckle."
"The Bostons?" Serena frowned.
"Yes, those."
"Oh, I loved those." Gia joined in the pity party. "I wanted some but I had to put down a fee at the campus kitchen."
"Trust me, they weren't as comfortable as I'd like but they were pretty. I took on an extra case to cover the cost." Kat ordered when the waiter came around to her. He frowned at all the extras on the plates but scribbled it all down.
"The Papaya Grant?" Serena furrowed her brow as she thought about it.
"Yes. I probably would have assisted anyway but the Bostons were too good to pass up."
"So, Will. The Cowboys. How do you think they'll do this fall?"
"Fairly good. New owner. New coach. It's a rebuilding year."
--
Jesse left the table when he lost. Isabel grinned wickedly and rolled the dice. She and Kyle would probably go all night. He scooped up his daughter to lay her down in her own bed. Since Alex had left, she'd been going to bed early… and not always in her bed. He shook his head when he realized that Jim had fallen asleep in front of the TV again. He tucked Gina into bed and passed the bathroom door. The light was off but the door was locked. "Bert? You in there?"
No answer. He glanced down to her bedroom but the door was open and the room empty. He hadn't seen her all night. "Are you okay in there?" Kyle's exclamation thundered through the halls as he managed to get one over on his mother. "Berty? Liberty? Are you okay? Should I call your mother?"
The door creaked open and Liberty stood there with red-rimmed eyes. "Don't tell her anything. I'm okay."
"Hey… are you okay? Really." Jesse peered down into her face but she averted her eyes. "Why was the light off?"
"Head hurts."
"Are you sick? Should I go get someone?"
"No, don't."
"Is there something I could do?"
She sniffed loudly and reached back for a tissue to wipe her nose with. She sat on the rim of the tub, so Jesse took that as an invitation to join her. The light barely poured into the small bathroom. "I don't have anyone to talk to and I can't talk to my mom or my grandpa and Lynnette will make me tell one of them."
"What's going on?"
With a flick of her hand, she shut the door and turned on the light. "I haven't been feeling so good for about a week."
"Why haven't you told your mother? Or the doctor? You went to the doctor." Jesse pressed. Berty burst into tears. He did the only thing he could do, he took her into his arms and let her cry it out. She cried so heavily, tears sprung to his eyes. "Did something not go right at the doctor's?"
"I don't know. Dr. Davis doesn't know." Berty sniffed loudly and took the tissue from Jesse when he offered it. "Do you promise not to tell my mom?"
"I guess that depends…"
"Promise me. I can't tell her. I can't tell Grandpa. I told Alex but he's not here." She leaned heavily on him, ready to accept that Jesse had tried to be a father to her and she didn't mind all that much.
"Okay. Okay. I promise."
"I might be pregnant."
Jesse's heart stopped. He swore it did. "Who… um…"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Was this… a… Berty, did something bad happen?"
"Yes. No. I don't know." The warm spot on his chest grew. "I can't really remember." She sobbed again. "The whole thing is very, very complicated."
"Okay. It's complicated." Jesse nodded to himself. "So, let's break it down. First thing's first." He took a deep breath and prayed he wouldn't get murdered by his girlfriend in his sleep. "Why didn't Dr. Davis give you a pregnancy test?"
"It was too soon. She said to wait a while longer and take a test. I was going to do it tonight but I got scared."
"Okay. Okay." He stroked her hair back. "Let's concentrate on that first. Okay?"
"You won't tell my mom?"
"Not right now. But depending on the outcome, yeah." When she picked up her head, he glanced down and cupped her face. "It will be okay. No matter what. I promise that. You don't have to tell me right now but do you know who the potential father is?" She nodded stiffly. "Okay. Whoever he is… had better hope your mother can't reach him. And he had better stay out of my reach."
--
Max handed Lauren the card. "This is my sister's card. I'm going to tell her about you but so you can contact her. She loves meeting new people and impressing them with… everything."
"Are you leaving soon? To go back to Roswell, I mean?"
"Probably. Beth's scans are all coming up clean and we'd all like to get home."
"Yeah, I guess I understand that." She nodded and tucked the card into her purse.
"When you need to get away, maybe you could come visit Beth. We have two empty rooms now. I know Liz won't mind."
"I'd like that."
"Dad… quit hogging her. She's taking me to an audition to watch her in action." Beth grinned and gripped Lauren's hand. "I won't be too late, Dad."
"Be careful. Stay with Lauren." Max warned his daughter and waved them both off.
"Can I go?" David pleaded.
Lauren's eyes misted but she cleared her throat and cut off Beth. "Come on, little guy. I'll show you the ropes and you'll be an actor in no time."
"Little guy? I'm almost taller than you."
"You're not." Beth jumped on his back. "If you're so big, carry me."
"Ah… the pitter-patter of… huge, clomping feet." Max sighed and tucked his wife under his arm before turning to the other two couples. "Gia, it was nice to meet you and thank you for the recommendation. I really enjoyed myself."
"You did. Diet when we get home." Liz teased, rubbing his love handles.
"You're so gross." Kathy muttered and buried her face in Will's shoulder.
Liz watched them and sighed. "Aw… Max… they look so cute together… we're going to get little blue-eyed grandbabies."
"Hey!" Max and Kathy exclaimed at the same time.
"Max… I want a blond-haired, blue-eyed grandbaby." She ignored their protests.
"I think you're jumping the gun a bit." Will cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "I haven't spent nearly enough time with this lady for that to be a possibility."
"Watch yourself." Max cleared this throat. "She's from a notoriously fertile line and I refuse to be a grandfather before David hits high school."
"How fertile?" Serena piped up.
Max winced inwardly and looked to his wife. "It's not been unknown for any one occasion of unprotected sex to result in a pregnancy."
"Wow. I'm glad I'm not an Evans." Gia snorted and looked to her partner. "Though… in a few years, that might be a good thing to have on our side."
"Maybe." Serena filed that thought away for another day. "Back in college, everyone was trying not to get pregnant and my eggs went and got pregnant without me."
"You know… I, um…" Liz looked up at her husband. "That story you were telling me, it hit awful close to home. I was supposed to go to Northwestern."
"Oh?" Serena's brown eyes fixed on the woman across the walk. "What year?"
"Fall '02. I had to waive a scholarship and forgo an early college education." Liz caught her daughter's eye.
"You got into Northwestern, Mom?" Kathy tilted her head.
"Full ride." Max nodded. "All she needed was her dorm assignment and the dates of Freshman orientation."
"But… oh." Kat connected the dots. "So… because of Danny."
"It's not his fault." Liz shook her head. "But getting pregnant shifted my priorities a bit. I waived the scholarship and turned down the school but now you're working for an almost classmate of mine."
"What was your major?" Serena covered her mouth with her hand.
"Micro-biology."
"What a small world."
"That's what I was thinking when you were telling me."
Max cleared his throat. "Lauren was um… talking about how odd things have worked out the way they did. She really did us a big favor in California."
"I'll bet. I want to see the results, if that's okay."
"Sure… Kat will be glad to share those with you."
"Do you mind if I forward a copy to Dr. Skaarstin?" Serena felt a chill go up her spine at the issuing silence and the awkward looks shared between them all.
"I think I should talk to her before we do that." Kathy finally answered.
"I second that." Max nodded and looked to his wife again who seemed nervous.
"Okay… I'm going to assume that this is top-secret scientist talk and I should go get the car." Gia bade them all a goodnight and disappeared.
Serena shoved her hands into her pockets. "Jo is very secretive but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out."
"My birth mother was a clone made from Dr. Skaarstin." Kathy admitted. "The same way that Dad is a clone made from Mason Burkhardt, the original."
"Things haven't always been smooth between us." Liz tried to explain. "We wouldn't want her getting the wrong idea about what happened."
"So, she's gone. Dead. I don't think Jo knows that." Serena nodded. "We'll talk later, then."
--
Beth watched Lauren from the back of the theater. David watched just as carefully. "Dad says that she had nightmares like me."
"I guess. She's never told me. How did you find out?"
"Mom."
"She talked to Mom?" Beth frowned.
"I dunno. That's just what Mom was telling me before dinner."
"Huh."
"Hey and Berty was saying something about you calling her."
"And you're just telling me now?"
"Yeah… sorry. I think Donna Jo called too."
"When exactly?"
"I don't know. Before we left."
"All right! Ladies and Gentlemen, we have found our leading lady. We will notify the male lead tomorrow after some debate. Young lady, please, come down here. We need some information."
Lauren bounded gleefully down the steps to the director's table. She ignored Lauren but the woman next to her looked up. "How would you like to be billed?"
"Lauren Allison… Burkhardt."
"All of that?" The woman peered at her over her glasses. "It's a little long."
"Lauren Burkhardt. It's my stage name."
"Oh. Okay. Real name is… Lauren Allison, right? Okay. Lauren Burkhardt. Sounds good."
--
Kathy let Will into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. "I'm sorry if my Mom was… you know how she gets."
"She's just eager." He pulled her to him as he sat on the bed. "It's not like I don't plan for any of that stuff to happen but… although I've felt this way for a very long time… I've only had you in my arms for such a short period of time. I want to keep you there for as long as humanly possible. I need you all to myself for a while."
"That sounds good and a little scary."
"Scary." He repeated her choice of phrasing.
"Sometimes you overwhelm me… in a good way. I'm not used to having a man with such patience, understanding, and intense feeling." She climbed onto his lap. "I knew you were a good agent but now I know why. You're so focused. Everything you do is focused. Eye on the prize type of focus."
"I hadn't noticed."
"I'll bet you've been this way your entire life."
"With a prize like you, it's all been worth it."
"So now I’m a prize? I'm not Beth. I'm not willing to be a trophy wife." She teased and pushed him back on the bed.
He stared up at her. Those blue eyes glittering and that dark hair falling all around her face. "Hey, I'm gonna be the envy of every man on the planet."
--
Beth smiled while Lauren practically bounced on her feet. "So, you got the part."
"I did. I so did. I was on!"
"How do you get so intense like that on stage?" Beth leaned on her little brother to make him feel a part of the conversation.
Lauren's eyes darkened and her smile faded a bit. "You have to draw from deep places sometimes. My teen years weren't all that great."
"When you lived with the jerks?"
"Yeah, that would be the time." She toed a rock on the sidewalk. "God help any child they have living with them now."
"Your mom told my mom they were on a register." David blurted out.
"A register?" Lauren turned to the young boy. "A register."
"Or a registry?" He looked up at his sister for confirmation. "An offender list?"
"They are?" Her eyes welled up with tears but they didn't fall. "Serena said that?" David nodded. "Good."
Beth tilted her head at Lauren, tempted to reach out and read those surfaces thoughts which had created the tears but she had promised her father that she wouldn't if she could help it.
TBC
Part 148
The Fate of Destiny Part 148
Kathy rolled over to grab the phone but it was difficult to maneuver with Will's heavy arm draped over her body. "Hello?"
"Kat? Are you up yet?"
"I am now, Dad. What's going on?"
"Did the scans finish?"
"Eager much?" Kat forced her eyes open and found her beeper on the nightstand. There was a message on it. "I think so. I need to get to the lab to see for myself."
"Soon?"
"Yes, Dad. I have to catch a shower first but I'll meet you there at… God! A normal hour! It's six in the morning!" She groaned and settled back into bed. "Nine o'clock and no earlier."
--
Beth whispered into the phone. "Sorry to call so early but I just got your message last night and I remembered our last conversation."
"I know. It's such a mess." Donna Jo sighed into the phone. "I spend the best week of my life with who I thought was a great guy and what do I have to show for it? A broken heart and a pair of shorts."
"A pair of shorts?"
"We… had some… fun in the hot tub and I found his shorts right before my parents got home."
"Donna Jo." Beth chided lightly and then giggled.
"Right? But… You know, I called him and he claims I meant something to him but if I meant so much… why didn't he call? Or wait for me to say goodbye?"
--
Jesse sat in the living room and waited. He eyed the bathroom door but didn't dare get closer. Any minute, Berty would come out of there and tell him what the test said or Isabel would come out of her room and ask why he was up so early. Five minutes later, Berty emerged with tears in her eyes. "I don't know. It doesn't say what it's supposed to."
Jesse got to his feet to take the test and its box in his hands. "Pink is positive and blue is negative." He glanced at the little window box. "It's… yellow? Or orange?"
"Right. It's not even green. The girl at the store said sometimes a green was a negative but it's orange."
"Okay, okay." Jesse hugged her to him. "You have to go back to the doctor, which means we have to tell your mother."
"Tell her mother what?" Isabel stood in her doorway with her arms crossed.
--
Beth let Lauren braid her hair while her father and sister worked in her office. "So you get paid to sit here and answer phones. You don't even really talk to these people. You just transfer the line to whomever and if whoever isn't there, you take a message."
"Oh… and I file but not much because I don't have clearance." Lauren nodded and worked at combining three braids into one.
"Cool."
"But I have to dress like one of them." She rolled her eyes and tied off the braid. "There."
"Cool." Beth ran her fingers over the plaits. "Dad wants to get going as soon as they get done here."
"So soon?"
"He misses home."
"And you don't?"
"I miss people in Roswell, not really Roswell. Too many places where bad things happened, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess. I want to go visit my parents but I'm afraid to. I mean, if I saw my old house with new people living in it… Or… Illinois with the Fieldings…" Lauren swallowed hard. "I'm not even sure I could go to Roswell."
"Why not?"
"Because of what my dad did to Davey." She shrugged and leaned on the desk. "To know it happened there." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He would have loved me and she took me from him. Lied to him and threw me away. He killed himself because he thought he was defective but I'm here. I'm alive and I need for him to love me but he's gone."
"We'll love you enough so you don't need him." Beth promised.
"Thanks." Lauren managed a watery smile. "Call your boyfriend. I love it when you call him and you get all girly and dainty."
"I do not!" But Beth bit her lip and dialed the phone. "Hi Eva… Yeah, I'm better and I think I'm coming home tonight… Okay… Okay… Is Gabriel working?" She listened to the little girl talk for a minute before the phone was handed off to one of the twins. "Chris, what was she talking about? Is he sick? … When did that happen? … Why didn't he tell me? … So is he okay? Why did he have to go back?"
Lauren wrapped her arms around Beth and listened while whoever was on the phone told Beth whatever made her eyes water.
"But he's okay? Who's his doctor? … my brother… Okay…. Okay… Well, tell him that I'll be home really soon and that I'll call him tonight." Beth hung up the phone and leaned into Lauren. "They said he went to the hospital the other day. That's where he is now. Doing some more tests because they think he's got another brain tumor or something."
"It's probably nothing and that's why he didn't tell you."
"What if it's not nothing? He told me he got really sick while he was getting better the last time."
"Then you'll just have to be a really good girlfriend and be there for him and pray for him like you know he was praying for you all this time."
--
"The mass is gone." Serena examined the scans with the Evans. "Drained out through the sinus during a sensory deprived hypnosis. In so few sessions," she marveled. "But you say she's a healer. That could account for the rapidity of her recovery and so far there have been no side effects but I would keep a careful eye on her. She may not have adjusted to her current state yet."
"She's been doing fine. Her powers are coming much easier than before." Max murmured. "She was always far more advanced than any of us but she's blown us away these last few days and she doesn't show any signs of wearying the way I do when I do so much in so little time."
"Then watch her carefully. It may catch up with her." Serena warned gently, never taking her eyes off the scans.
--
Isabel listened to Jesse explain everything he knew, which wasn't much. "Why would she go to you and not to me?"
"She's scared, Isabel. She's afraid of what you'll do. She wouldn't even tell Jim. Believe me, I was her last resort… but she wouldn't tell me who the guy was."
"She doesn't remember. Somehow I don't believe her."
"She's really scared, Isabel. Do not go off on her until we know what happened."
--
"Daddy, I'm scared." Liberty whispered to the cold stone. "Mom's upset and I know Jesse is worried and Alex doesn't know how to help. I didn't mean for it to happen and I don't even know why it did. I didn't mean to… and not with Sebastien because I know he doesn't love me… not like a girl, anyway." The letters and numbers stared back at her. "Mom says you always gave her good advice. Can you give me some?"
--
Liz tossed the Frisbee to Will, who tossed it to Davey, who fought off Sterling before he could toss it back to his mother. Davey waved to Lauren and Beth when they sat on a bench nearby. They had been sitting nearly half an hour, watching the Frisbee soar through the air when Beth heard the chirping from her mother's purse. Digging around for it, she put it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hi Beth. It's Berty. I was hoping you'd answer."
"Hey… is something wrong? Davey told me you wanted me to call but we'll probably be back by tomorrow."
"I need you to help me with something. Danny says you're stronger than you were. I need to remember a night and I can't do it. Maybe you can."
"Why can't you remember?"
"I don't know but if I don't come up with some answers, Mom is going to freak. I just need to know what happened the night of Alex's engagement party."
"Berty…" Beth frowned at the bright day around her.
"Something happened and I can't remember and Sebastien says…"
"Sebastien?" Beth frowned harder. "Okay. I'll call you back." She hung up and looked to Lauren. "Make sure my mom doesn't ask what I'm doing."
"Why?" Lauren tilted her head slightly.
"Because the last time I did this, I got all weird but I can control it now."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." Beth closed her eyes and bowed her head. She reached out to Berty. She found her sitting in the kitchen, staring at the phone. She blinked and blinked and then it all happened in reverse. She picked up the phone and the words were backward. She set down the phone and walked backward to her room and lay down with her pillow clutched under her head.
Beth sped up the rewind, pausing only slightly when she saw the pregnancy test Berty had showed Jesse. Backward. Backward. Eating dinner, then lunch, then breakfast, then sleeping. Backward faster. Sitting on the table at Dr. Davis's office. Backward. Backward. Talking to Alex. Backward. Backward. Beth halted abruptly when she saw Sebastien climb off the bed in reverse. Backward. Forward. Backward. Backward. Nothing made sense. Why would Sebastien sleep with Berty when he had been with Donna Jo all week?
So she moved forward again. She saw the change in Berty's aura in the kitchen. Why had it changed? Backward. Forward. Backward. Forward. Backward. Then Beth changed tactics. She began hopping from person to person at the party. Moving forward, then backward. Frustrated, she finally landed on her mother. Sipping a drink and feeling tipsy. She had spilled it and then decided to toss it. Then it clicked. She had spilled it in a crush of people. Leaping back to Berty, she grimaced as someone spilled a drink on her hand. That explained that. Curiosity getting the better of her, she leapt into Sebastien, going backward into bed with Donna Jo. Backward. Backward. Abruptly, Beth stopped and returned to herself.
She seethed with anger. Holding her head in her hands, she stared at the ground. The ground with its ants and blades of grass and dandelions.
"Beth? What did you do?" Lauren whispered.
"Did some sleuthing and found out the guy who impregnated my cousin is a ho who slept with… my best friend and made her believe she was special… even after he'd slept with his ex-girlfriend and his cousin's girlfriend and her friend and another friend."
"What a jerk."
"All in the same week."
"Asshole." Lauren bit out. "How did you do that?"
"Turned back the clock." Beth opened her eyes. "I need to call her and tell her what happened."
--
Danny examined the scan. Nothing. There was nothing wrong. "I can't find a thing, Gabriel."
"No? Last time they called it a shadow."
"It's not there. A headache like that could be a sign of stress. I have conferred with other doctors here."
"So it's absolutely nothing. I can go back to work."
"I'd say so. These days off probably did you some good. Right?"
"Maybe." Gabriel nodded. "I was pulling shifts at the lumberyard and staying up late to do my column."
"Sleep deprivation is not good, Mr. Silerio." Danny tapped the teen's head with his chart. "You have to eat and you have to rest. You should slow down. I know you're going to school in a few weeks but, seriously. You're going to have to pick a job and balance your schedule better."
"We've got bills and I have to pay a sitter while I'm at school."
"Only for a couple of weeks and then they'll be at school too."
"But aftercare. I have to pay for that. Eva's barely gonna be ten. Chris and Casey are 12 but they're evil little punks. I wouldn't trust them with a stuffed animal much less Eva for more than a couple of hours."
Danny glanced at his watch. "I know a few babysitters who would go easy on you."
--
Beth folded herself up on the backseat of the van and watched the city of Santa Fe fade away. She had attempted to do a time walk on Lauren but it hadn't worked. Or on Gabriel. Laying her head on the seatback, she pretended to be asleep so she could try it again. /"Last time they called it a shadow."\ That was something. /"Okay. Yesterday I was loading orders. Two by fours and stuff. I turned to get the next order and I couldn’t move. I tried and I couldn’t… and my head just… exploded in pain. I used to have bad migraines and this felt like one of those. Back then it was a tumor and I’m just scared that something grew back."\ Beth kept her eyes closed and tried to move backward further but the images were disjointed but she could hear his words sometimes. Giving up, she switched to Lauren. That was harder. Sighing, she switched to people around Lauren. Gia. She felt Gia's pang of sorrow as Lauren talked.
/"At first it wasn't so bad, living with the Fieldings. Maybe that's because I saw my caseworker like once a week at first then once a month. I got my hands slapped some but I had broken some rules they'd forgotten to tell me and I was 12. What did I know about living with strangers? When my caseworker got reassigned, the new guy didn't come around so much. Mr. Fielding would smack me upside the head when I did something he didn't like. Mrs. Fielding would push me because I wasn't cleaning fast enough or scrubbing hard enough. I was 14 when the neighbors moved out and a new guy moved in."
She grabbed a tissue. "I had already taken to sneaking out of my room to keep them from bothering me. They put a lock on my window and I learned how to pick it. One day I got locked into my room because they were having friends over and I spilled grape juice on the rug. I got a slap across the face for that. When their friends showed up I grabbed my homework and snuck out. I didn't go far because if they called for me, I wanted to hear it. I was doing my French homework when I realized I'd been discovered. The neighbor was leaning on the fence. He was a pretty handsome guy, older. Easily could have been my father or grandfather but he looked so nice and he knew French. So, he talked my foster parents into letting him tutor me. It got me out of the house for an hour or two and they let up some. He seemed like such a nice guy. He made Kool-aid and cookies and he talked about his daughter and her friends from high school."
"He made you feel right at home." Gia nodded.
"He did. He really did." Lauren's eyes filled with tears. "I really needed it. The Fieldings were so mean sometimes. I always hated to leave his house and go home. Even though they let up some, they still were awful. I didn't notice at first. His hand on my shoulder when I was reading the notes from class. He'd touch my hand but I thought he was being sympathetic. Maybe he touched my leg a couple of times, you know? I thought it was just something nice people did." She took a shuddering breath. "The Fieldings were out for the night. I was getting my lesson. I was doing really good. I had the inflections down and I was getting the pout. You know, the French pout. I don't really remember so much what happened anymore. I guess I blocked it out. I know I was lying on the floor reading out loud and he was walking up and down the room. I know I was wearing a skirt and a button blouse. I remember his breath smelled like sour grapes, maybe it was wine. I remember running home with my books against my chest to hide the missing buttons and holding down my skirt because he had my panties. I remember huddling in the corner of my room, crying for hours and when I tried to tell the Fieldings, they were drunk and told me to shut up and go to bed. I cried in the shower, trying to get the feel of him off of me."
"Did you tell anyone else?"
"I didn't know what to do. A teacher noticed that I wasn't sleeping and that my French grade had dropped considerably. So the counselor called me in. I told her what happened. Then she talked to the Fieldings. They told her that I had lied. That I was always making things up. That I had done it before. The caseworker didn't know me from Adam. He couldn't do anything. The Fieldings started slapping me around more. One night I woke up because I felt him touching me. Mr. Fielding wouldn’t leave me alone and I thought Mrs. Fielding didn’t know but then she started showing up too…”
"Mr. Black had moved away after I had told my counselor. The house was empty and I hated to go back there but I couldn't trust the lock on my door anymore. I spent nights sleeping in the cold rooms, praying no one would find me."
"Mr. Black. That was his name?"
"Frank Black."\
Beth's eyes popped open, losing the vision. Fury raged in her heart. She closed her eyes again.
Max stroked Liz's arm where she dozed in the seat next to him. He could hear the pinging of David's video game and he had expected to hear tinny music from the back seat but it looked like Beth was sleeping. He frowned at her aura. It was active. "Beth?"
Liz picked up her head to look at him. "What?"
"Beth. What is she doing?" He kept his eyes on his daughter in the rearview. "She looks like she's sleeping but her aura is really busy. It's shimmering."
"Beth?" Liz called over the seats. "Is she wearing headphones?"
"I don't think so."
"Davey, can you get Beth for me." Liz tapped her son on the leg. He hit the pause button and reached over the seat to touch Beth's arm but jerked his hand back before he could make contact. "What happened?"
"She's got a shield up."
"A shield? I don't see anything." Liz blurted. Max turned the van onto the side of the road. He leapt out and around the side to the sliding door. He climbed into the backseat and tried to grip her shoulder. His hand started tingling a few inches from her body. He tried to get closer but the tingle turned to pain. Yanking his hand out, he stared at her. She had her eyes closed but just barely. Her eyelids fluttered with rapid eye movement.
"Beth. Bethany!" He called but she didn't respond to him and her aura shimmered even more. Max drew in a deep breath and hated to do it but there was no telling what his daughter had decided to do now. He got in easily and brought down her shield so he could touch her but he couldn't reach her. Like she wasn't inside her mind… and her shield was starting to go back up again. "David. When I tell you to, do your thing."
"Ready." David's hand hovered over Beth's head.
Sweat poured down his face and Max knew that it was from exertion rather than the New Mexico heat. Placing his hands around the base of her skull, he concentrated. He needed to pull at least part of the shield down, despite the tingling in his arms. "Now!"
David's hand slapped down on Beth's head a little harder than necessary but, almost instantly, Beth's aura relaxed and returned to its natural state before slipping into a sleep state. He removed his hand from his sister's head and watched as their father lay her out flat on the seat. "She'll sleep for hours, Dad."
"Okay. Good." Max turned to Liz and she had the same question in her eyes. What had Beth just done?
TBC
Kathy rolled over to grab the phone but it was difficult to maneuver with Will's heavy arm draped over her body. "Hello?"
"Kat? Are you up yet?"
"I am now, Dad. What's going on?"
"Did the scans finish?"
"Eager much?" Kat forced her eyes open and found her beeper on the nightstand. There was a message on it. "I think so. I need to get to the lab to see for myself."
"Soon?"
"Yes, Dad. I have to catch a shower first but I'll meet you there at… God! A normal hour! It's six in the morning!" She groaned and settled back into bed. "Nine o'clock and no earlier."
--
Beth whispered into the phone. "Sorry to call so early but I just got your message last night and I remembered our last conversation."
"I know. It's such a mess." Donna Jo sighed into the phone. "I spend the best week of my life with who I thought was a great guy and what do I have to show for it? A broken heart and a pair of shorts."
"A pair of shorts?"
"We… had some… fun in the hot tub and I found his shorts right before my parents got home."
"Donna Jo." Beth chided lightly and then giggled.
"Right? But… You know, I called him and he claims I meant something to him but if I meant so much… why didn't he call? Or wait for me to say goodbye?"
--
Jesse sat in the living room and waited. He eyed the bathroom door but didn't dare get closer. Any minute, Berty would come out of there and tell him what the test said or Isabel would come out of her room and ask why he was up so early. Five minutes later, Berty emerged with tears in her eyes. "I don't know. It doesn't say what it's supposed to."
Jesse got to his feet to take the test and its box in his hands. "Pink is positive and blue is negative." He glanced at the little window box. "It's… yellow? Or orange?"
"Right. It's not even green. The girl at the store said sometimes a green was a negative but it's orange."
"Okay, okay." Jesse hugged her to him. "You have to go back to the doctor, which means we have to tell your mother."
"Tell her mother what?" Isabel stood in her doorway with her arms crossed.
--
Beth let Lauren braid her hair while her father and sister worked in her office. "So you get paid to sit here and answer phones. You don't even really talk to these people. You just transfer the line to whomever and if whoever isn't there, you take a message."
"Oh… and I file but not much because I don't have clearance." Lauren nodded and worked at combining three braids into one.
"Cool."
"But I have to dress like one of them." She rolled her eyes and tied off the braid. "There."
"Cool." Beth ran her fingers over the plaits. "Dad wants to get going as soon as they get done here."
"So soon?"
"He misses home."
"And you don't?"
"I miss people in Roswell, not really Roswell. Too many places where bad things happened, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess. I want to go visit my parents but I'm afraid to. I mean, if I saw my old house with new people living in it… Or… Illinois with the Fieldings…" Lauren swallowed hard. "I'm not even sure I could go to Roswell."
"Why not?"
"Because of what my dad did to Davey." She shrugged and leaned on the desk. "To know it happened there." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He would have loved me and she took me from him. Lied to him and threw me away. He killed himself because he thought he was defective but I'm here. I'm alive and I need for him to love me but he's gone."
"We'll love you enough so you don't need him." Beth promised.
"Thanks." Lauren managed a watery smile. "Call your boyfriend. I love it when you call him and you get all girly and dainty."
"I do not!" But Beth bit her lip and dialed the phone. "Hi Eva… Yeah, I'm better and I think I'm coming home tonight… Okay… Okay… Is Gabriel working?" She listened to the little girl talk for a minute before the phone was handed off to one of the twins. "Chris, what was she talking about? Is he sick? … When did that happen? … Why didn't he tell me? … So is he okay? Why did he have to go back?"
Lauren wrapped her arms around Beth and listened while whoever was on the phone told Beth whatever made her eyes water.
"But he's okay? Who's his doctor? … my brother… Okay…. Okay… Well, tell him that I'll be home really soon and that I'll call him tonight." Beth hung up the phone and leaned into Lauren. "They said he went to the hospital the other day. That's where he is now. Doing some more tests because they think he's got another brain tumor or something."
"It's probably nothing and that's why he didn't tell you."
"What if it's not nothing? He told me he got really sick while he was getting better the last time."
"Then you'll just have to be a really good girlfriend and be there for him and pray for him like you know he was praying for you all this time."
--
"The mass is gone." Serena examined the scans with the Evans. "Drained out through the sinus during a sensory deprived hypnosis. In so few sessions," she marveled. "But you say she's a healer. That could account for the rapidity of her recovery and so far there have been no side effects but I would keep a careful eye on her. She may not have adjusted to her current state yet."
"She's been doing fine. Her powers are coming much easier than before." Max murmured. "She was always far more advanced than any of us but she's blown us away these last few days and she doesn't show any signs of wearying the way I do when I do so much in so little time."
"Then watch her carefully. It may catch up with her." Serena warned gently, never taking her eyes off the scans.
--
Isabel listened to Jesse explain everything he knew, which wasn't much. "Why would she go to you and not to me?"
"She's scared, Isabel. She's afraid of what you'll do. She wouldn't even tell Jim. Believe me, I was her last resort… but she wouldn't tell me who the guy was."
"She doesn't remember. Somehow I don't believe her."
"She's really scared, Isabel. Do not go off on her until we know what happened."
--
"Daddy, I'm scared." Liberty whispered to the cold stone. "Mom's upset and I know Jesse is worried and Alex doesn't know how to help. I didn't mean for it to happen and I don't even know why it did. I didn't mean to… and not with Sebastien because I know he doesn't love me… not like a girl, anyway." The letters and numbers stared back at her. "Mom says you always gave her good advice. Can you give me some?"
--
Liz tossed the Frisbee to Will, who tossed it to Davey, who fought off Sterling before he could toss it back to his mother. Davey waved to Lauren and Beth when they sat on a bench nearby. They had been sitting nearly half an hour, watching the Frisbee soar through the air when Beth heard the chirping from her mother's purse. Digging around for it, she put it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hi Beth. It's Berty. I was hoping you'd answer."
"Hey… is something wrong? Davey told me you wanted me to call but we'll probably be back by tomorrow."
"I need you to help me with something. Danny says you're stronger than you were. I need to remember a night and I can't do it. Maybe you can."
"Why can't you remember?"
"I don't know but if I don't come up with some answers, Mom is going to freak. I just need to know what happened the night of Alex's engagement party."
"Berty…" Beth frowned at the bright day around her.
"Something happened and I can't remember and Sebastien says…"
"Sebastien?" Beth frowned harder. "Okay. I'll call you back." She hung up and looked to Lauren. "Make sure my mom doesn't ask what I'm doing."
"Why?" Lauren tilted her head slightly.
"Because the last time I did this, I got all weird but I can control it now."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." Beth closed her eyes and bowed her head. She reached out to Berty. She found her sitting in the kitchen, staring at the phone. She blinked and blinked and then it all happened in reverse. She picked up the phone and the words were backward. She set down the phone and walked backward to her room and lay down with her pillow clutched under her head.
Beth sped up the rewind, pausing only slightly when she saw the pregnancy test Berty had showed Jesse. Backward. Backward. Eating dinner, then lunch, then breakfast, then sleeping. Backward faster. Sitting on the table at Dr. Davis's office. Backward. Backward. Talking to Alex. Backward. Backward. Beth halted abruptly when she saw Sebastien climb off the bed in reverse. Backward. Forward. Backward. Backward. Nothing made sense. Why would Sebastien sleep with Berty when he had been with Donna Jo all week?
So she moved forward again. She saw the change in Berty's aura in the kitchen. Why had it changed? Backward. Forward. Backward. Forward. Backward. Then Beth changed tactics. She began hopping from person to person at the party. Moving forward, then backward. Frustrated, she finally landed on her mother. Sipping a drink and feeling tipsy. She had spilled it and then decided to toss it. Then it clicked. She had spilled it in a crush of people. Leaping back to Berty, she grimaced as someone spilled a drink on her hand. That explained that. Curiosity getting the better of her, she leapt into Sebastien, going backward into bed with Donna Jo. Backward. Backward. Abruptly, Beth stopped and returned to herself.
She seethed with anger. Holding her head in her hands, she stared at the ground. The ground with its ants and blades of grass and dandelions.
"Beth? What did you do?" Lauren whispered.
"Did some sleuthing and found out the guy who impregnated my cousin is a ho who slept with… my best friend and made her believe she was special… even after he'd slept with his ex-girlfriend and his cousin's girlfriend and her friend and another friend."
"What a jerk."
"All in the same week."
"Asshole." Lauren bit out. "How did you do that?"
"Turned back the clock." Beth opened her eyes. "I need to call her and tell her what happened."
--
Danny examined the scan. Nothing. There was nothing wrong. "I can't find a thing, Gabriel."
"No? Last time they called it a shadow."
"It's not there. A headache like that could be a sign of stress. I have conferred with other doctors here."
"So it's absolutely nothing. I can go back to work."
"I'd say so. These days off probably did you some good. Right?"
"Maybe." Gabriel nodded. "I was pulling shifts at the lumberyard and staying up late to do my column."
"Sleep deprivation is not good, Mr. Silerio." Danny tapped the teen's head with his chart. "You have to eat and you have to rest. You should slow down. I know you're going to school in a few weeks but, seriously. You're going to have to pick a job and balance your schedule better."
"We've got bills and I have to pay a sitter while I'm at school."
"Only for a couple of weeks and then they'll be at school too."
"But aftercare. I have to pay for that. Eva's barely gonna be ten. Chris and Casey are 12 but they're evil little punks. I wouldn't trust them with a stuffed animal much less Eva for more than a couple of hours."
Danny glanced at his watch. "I know a few babysitters who would go easy on you."
--
Beth folded herself up on the backseat of the van and watched the city of Santa Fe fade away. She had attempted to do a time walk on Lauren but it hadn't worked. Or on Gabriel. Laying her head on the seatback, she pretended to be asleep so she could try it again. /"Last time they called it a shadow."\ That was something. /"Okay. Yesterday I was loading orders. Two by fours and stuff. I turned to get the next order and I couldn’t move. I tried and I couldn’t… and my head just… exploded in pain. I used to have bad migraines and this felt like one of those. Back then it was a tumor and I’m just scared that something grew back."\ Beth kept her eyes closed and tried to move backward further but the images were disjointed but she could hear his words sometimes. Giving up, she switched to Lauren. That was harder. Sighing, she switched to people around Lauren. Gia. She felt Gia's pang of sorrow as Lauren talked.
/"At first it wasn't so bad, living with the Fieldings. Maybe that's because I saw my caseworker like once a week at first then once a month. I got my hands slapped some but I had broken some rules they'd forgotten to tell me and I was 12. What did I know about living with strangers? When my caseworker got reassigned, the new guy didn't come around so much. Mr. Fielding would smack me upside the head when I did something he didn't like. Mrs. Fielding would push me because I wasn't cleaning fast enough or scrubbing hard enough. I was 14 when the neighbors moved out and a new guy moved in."
She grabbed a tissue. "I had already taken to sneaking out of my room to keep them from bothering me. They put a lock on my window and I learned how to pick it. One day I got locked into my room because they were having friends over and I spilled grape juice on the rug. I got a slap across the face for that. When their friends showed up I grabbed my homework and snuck out. I didn't go far because if they called for me, I wanted to hear it. I was doing my French homework when I realized I'd been discovered. The neighbor was leaning on the fence. He was a pretty handsome guy, older. Easily could have been my father or grandfather but he looked so nice and he knew French. So, he talked my foster parents into letting him tutor me. It got me out of the house for an hour or two and they let up some. He seemed like such a nice guy. He made Kool-aid and cookies and he talked about his daughter and her friends from high school."
"He made you feel right at home." Gia nodded.
"He did. He really did." Lauren's eyes filled with tears. "I really needed it. The Fieldings were so mean sometimes. I always hated to leave his house and go home. Even though they let up some, they still were awful. I didn't notice at first. His hand on my shoulder when I was reading the notes from class. He'd touch my hand but I thought he was being sympathetic. Maybe he touched my leg a couple of times, you know? I thought it was just something nice people did." She took a shuddering breath. "The Fieldings were out for the night. I was getting my lesson. I was doing really good. I had the inflections down and I was getting the pout. You know, the French pout. I don't really remember so much what happened anymore. I guess I blocked it out. I know I was lying on the floor reading out loud and he was walking up and down the room. I know I was wearing a skirt and a button blouse. I remember his breath smelled like sour grapes, maybe it was wine. I remember running home with my books against my chest to hide the missing buttons and holding down my skirt because he had my panties. I remember huddling in the corner of my room, crying for hours and when I tried to tell the Fieldings, they were drunk and told me to shut up and go to bed. I cried in the shower, trying to get the feel of him off of me."
"Did you tell anyone else?"
"I didn't know what to do. A teacher noticed that I wasn't sleeping and that my French grade had dropped considerably. So the counselor called me in. I told her what happened. Then she talked to the Fieldings. They told her that I had lied. That I was always making things up. That I had done it before. The caseworker didn't know me from Adam. He couldn't do anything. The Fieldings started slapping me around more. One night I woke up because I felt him touching me. Mr. Fielding wouldn’t leave me alone and I thought Mrs. Fielding didn’t know but then she started showing up too…”
"Mr. Black had moved away after I had told my counselor. The house was empty and I hated to go back there but I couldn't trust the lock on my door anymore. I spent nights sleeping in the cold rooms, praying no one would find me."
"Mr. Black. That was his name?"
"Frank Black."\
Beth's eyes popped open, losing the vision. Fury raged in her heart. She closed her eyes again.
Max stroked Liz's arm where she dozed in the seat next to him. He could hear the pinging of David's video game and he had expected to hear tinny music from the back seat but it looked like Beth was sleeping. He frowned at her aura. It was active. "Beth?"
Liz picked up her head to look at him. "What?"
"Beth. What is she doing?" He kept his eyes on his daughter in the rearview. "She looks like she's sleeping but her aura is really busy. It's shimmering."
"Beth?" Liz called over the seats. "Is she wearing headphones?"
"I don't think so."
"Davey, can you get Beth for me." Liz tapped her son on the leg. He hit the pause button and reached over the seat to touch Beth's arm but jerked his hand back before he could make contact. "What happened?"
"She's got a shield up."
"A shield? I don't see anything." Liz blurted. Max turned the van onto the side of the road. He leapt out and around the side to the sliding door. He climbed into the backseat and tried to grip her shoulder. His hand started tingling a few inches from her body. He tried to get closer but the tingle turned to pain. Yanking his hand out, he stared at her. She had her eyes closed but just barely. Her eyelids fluttered with rapid eye movement.
"Beth. Bethany!" He called but she didn't respond to him and her aura shimmered even more. Max drew in a deep breath and hated to do it but there was no telling what his daughter had decided to do now. He got in easily and brought down her shield so he could touch her but he couldn't reach her. Like she wasn't inside her mind… and her shield was starting to go back up again. "David. When I tell you to, do your thing."
"Ready." David's hand hovered over Beth's head.
Sweat poured down his face and Max knew that it was from exertion rather than the New Mexico heat. Placing his hands around the base of her skull, he concentrated. He needed to pull at least part of the shield down, despite the tingling in his arms. "Now!"
David's hand slapped down on Beth's head a little harder than necessary but, almost instantly, Beth's aura relaxed and returned to its natural state before slipping into a sleep state. He removed his hand from his sister's head and watched as their father lay her out flat on the seat. "She'll sleep for hours, Dad."
"Okay. Good." Max turned to Liz and she had the same question in her eyes. What had Beth just done?
TBC
Last edited by DMartinez on Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.