Jordan had just gotten off the phone with Nik when she looked over at David, who was playing checkers with Zach (and losing) and said,
"David, can I speak with you for a moment?"
David looked up just as Zach jumped over all of his checkers and said, "Sure, Jord... looks like I've lost this game."
"Play again, Granpa David?" asked the eleven year old
"Maybe later, Zach, your Nonna wants to talk to me," David said. He got up and went into the kitchen where Jordan and Miri were fixing lunch.
"You wanted to see me, Jord?" he asked.
"I just got a phone call," said Jordan; "It's good news. Miri doesn't even need to leave the room."
"What is it? Is it about Mom, Nonna?" asked Miri hopefully.
"Yes, it's about your mother, Miri," said Jordan. To her husband she said, "Julia has been found, and will be home soon."
"That's it?" asked David as he got out his phone to call Nik.
"Put the phone away, David," Jordan said. "I just got off the phone with Nik, and he could only tell me she'd been found and that she'd be home soon."
"Damn government bureaucracy," David said; "We'll be updated about when exactly Julia is coming home, right?"
"I'm sure we will," said Jordan.
"Is Mom okay?" asked Miri; "She's not hurt or anything?"
"Nik mentioned that Julia would be seeing a doctor, but that is probably just as a precaution, seeing the way she left here so suddenly," Jordan said. "She probably hasn't had time to mourn her friend properly."
"She left about a week after his funeral, so probably not," Miri said. He was murdered, Nonna! Miri said to herself.
"We'll finish up making lunch and we'll tell the others your mom's been found," Jordan said.
"Okay, Nonna," said Miri. David only nodded and left the kitchen.
God, I've got a headache, Julia thought as she woke up. Where am I? At home?
She opened her eyes. She was in a room, and not outside. Further inspection revealed she was in a hospital room. How did I get here? she wondered.
Julia saw the handcuff on her right wrist and wondered why she was being restrained, as the other cuff was attached to the rails of the hospital bed.
She closed her eyes and struggled to come up with a scenario that made sense to her. Where were the kids? Kimber? Kimber was at the house, right? Her mind couldn't come up with anything. Her last thought was waking up Miri for something, but after that, everything was a blank. Until this moment when she found herself in...a hospital?
"Mrs. Summers?" she heard an unfamiliar voice say.
Julia opened her eyes to see a stranger standing next to her bed. She was in a hospital lab coat.
"Where...where am I?" asked Julia. "And how did I get here?"
"You're at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC, Mrs. Summers," the woman said; "You were brought here under orders of the Director of CIA."
"Washington, DC?" asked Julia; "I live in Chicago on the old Disturbed Ones compound with my four children. How did I get here?"
"Your doctor will explain everything when he makes his rounds in about an hour."
"You're not a doctor?"
"I am. I'm Dr. Linda Barnes," she said; "I've been on call since yesterday afternoon when you were admitted."
"Why am I handcuffed to the bed, Dr. Barnes?" Julia asked.
"Apparently, you put up a fight on the way here from Portsmouth Naval Hospital. You had to be sedated and restrained."
That floored Julia. Portsmouth Naval Hospital? In Virginia? she asked herself.
Absentmindedly, she scratched her scalp, where she discovered she had no hair to speak of. "What happened to my hair?!" exclaimed Julia. "Did someone shave my head before I got here?"
"Your head was already shaved," said Dr. Barnes; "One of the Navy Corpsmen who came with you from Portsmouth mentioned that your head was shaved from three weeks to a month ago."
"I don't remember doing that or having someone doing that for me," Julia said; "My last memory was waking my daughter up. She'd broken her ankle and had fallen asleep in her clothes. I was waking her up to change...I think..."
"Dr. Phillips will explain everything when he comes to see you, Mrs. Summers," said Dr. Barnes. "He'll be glad to see that the sedative has worn off and you're having a normal conversation with me."
"Normal conversations don't usually include me not having any memory of the last month," Julia said. "Can I speak with Director Dixon, or my brother, Nik San Marco?"
"Neither one of them are here to my knowledge," Dr. Barnes said; "There is a man here who wishes to see you. I don't know how you know the husband of the late interim President Christine Collins-Ross, though."
"Jacob Ross is here to see me?" asked Julia. "He's...a family friend who lives in Arlington, Virginia. How did he know I was here?"
"I don't know, Mrs. Summers."
With that, Dr. Barnes left the room.
Dad is here? Julia asked herself. Does he know what happened to me? Why don't I remember anything about the last month?
There were too many questions for Julia's liking, and not nearly enough answers to suit her. She closed her eyes, hoping when she opened them again, she would be in her bed at home, and not in the hospital.
She would be sorely disappointed.
Jacob sat in a waiting room at Walter Reed, wondering when...or if he'd be allowed to see his daughter.
He'd driven up from Arlington as soon as he got word from Darren Dixon that Julia had been admitted.
"When can I see her?" he asked Dixon.
"As soon as the doctors are done checking her over," Dixon had replied. "She's in a pretty bad way at the moment."
"Is she hurt?"
"No," Dixon hedged, not sure if he wanted to tell Ross that Julia had to be sedated and restrained for the trip from Portsmouth Naval Hospital. "Not that I know of. I was told she complained of a headache, but that's it."
"Has her mother been told?"
"I contacted Nik San Marco," Dixon said; "He'll tell Jordan and David about where she is."
"What about the man who killed Julia's friend, John Christofferson? Has he been apprehended?" asked Jacob, thinking that Dixon knew more than he was letting on.
"No, he got away after he saw Julia being taken down," Dixon said; "I have no idea where he is."
Jacob didn't like that answer, but he'd have to accept it for the time being. It wasn't like he could go out and get the guy. Not with the glasses he now wore that corrected his failing eyesight. He hated the damn things.
A voice behind him then said, "Mr. Ross?"
Jacob turned to see a nurse, with the Army rank of Sergeant, about 30 years old. She was tall with red hair and blue eyes. She reminded him of Christine.
"Yes?"
"You can come back and see Mrs. Summers for just a few minutes," she said; "She might not be in a place to speak with you. She's taking medication."
"For what?" asked Jacob.
"I'm sorry, sir, I'm not at liberty to discuss Mrs. Summers' case with you." the nurse said.
"I see," Jacob said, still not able to take his eyes away from her. God, Christine I miss you, he thought. He followed her to a private area that he knew was set aside for government personnel. Julia's here? he thought.
As the arrived at the reception area, Jacob asked her, "If I might be a little forward, Sergeant, what is your name?"
"Christine Travis, why, Mr. Ross?" she said, puzzled that this old man would ask that.
"That was my wife's name, and you remind me a lot of her," Jacob said. "She's been gone for years now..."
"She was the Interim President after the Occupation ended, I know," Christine said; "When the Occupation ended, I changed my first name to Christine. I was an Undesirable, and I didn't want to be found."
"Why were you an Undesirable? You fit the profile of what the Illegal government was all about," said Jacob.
"My mother, God rest her soul, was a journalist and she spoke out against the Occupational government. My stepfather is an Australian Aborigine. He'd been a citizen of this country before he met my mother, but the Occupational government tried to deport him anyway," said Christine.
Jacob knew who this girl was, or at least knew who her mother was.
"Your mother wouldn't happen to have been Kit Crowley, would it?" he asked.
Christine dropped her head. She'd said too much.
"Yes, she was," she said. "But please don't tell anyone. No one here knows my real name."
Jacob placed his hand on her arm and said, "Your secret is safe with me. Can we talk later, when you have a break, and after I visit with Julia?"
Christine looked at him like he'd lost his mind. What does he have in mind? she wondered.
"Mr. Ross, I get off duty at 6pm," she said; "I can meet with you then. But not here. Do you know where O'Malley's in Arlington is? I can meet you there."
"I live in Arlington, and I'm familiar with O'Malley's. My son loved their meatloaf," Jacob said.
Christine smiled. "I'll meet you there at 7pm. Is that okay?"
"I'll be there, Sgt. Travis," Jacob said.
He then went in to see Julia.
II
Collins-Ross reported back to Dixon as he had been ordered after Julia's transfer to Walter Reed had begun.
He was ushered into Dixon's office as soon as he arrived at CIA Headquarters in Langley.
Dixon sat behind his desk, apparently waiting for him. He then got up to greet the young man who had come into his office.
Before he even had a chance to speak, Collins-Ross said, "You know I hated to hurt Julia like that. She went absolutely apeshit when she awoke and found herself being loaded into an ambulance."
"I know she was sedated and restrained, Jacob," Dixon said; "I got a report from Portsmouth telling me that."
"She isn't herself," said Collins-Ross; "I'd never seen her behave like I had while I was tailing her. It was like she was someone else."
"She's been under a lot of strain since returning to Chicago," Dixon offered; "I suspect it has something to do with the death of John Christofferson."
"I got the feeling she was blaming the man she was following for Christofferson's death," Collins-Ross said. "I'd met John Christofferson, and he seemed to be a pretty nice man. He certainly cared for Julia and the kids."
"I got that feeling as well," Dixon said; "That they had an 'understanding'. Julia and her family mourned his passing. Maybe Julia didn't mourn enough."
"The only one who could tell us that is Julia, Director," Collins-Ross said; "And she is in no shape for that right now."
"Definitely not," Dixon said. He paused, then continued, "Go home to your family, Jacob. Give my best to Sara and the little ones."
"So I'm dismissed?"
"You're dismissed, Agent Collins-Ross," Dixon said.
With that, Collins-Ross seemingly disappeared.
Apples certainly don't fall far from that tree, Dixon thought.
"Mom's been found? When? Where? When is she coming home?" asked Rachel anxiously as her grandparents told her and her siblings that their mother had been found.
"One question at a time, Rachel!" David said, laughing; but Rachel wasn't laughing. She wanted to know.
"Your mom is okay, she's in the hospital for observation, and she should be home soon," Jordan said; "How soon, we don't know yet?"
"Before Aunt Natasha's wedding?" asked Jaime.
"We don't know yet," said Jordan. "Hopefully, before that. I'm sure Aunt Natasha would want your mother to be there. In case she's not, then you will go with Uncle Nik to Washington."
"Mom wouldn't miss her sister's wedding," Miri said.
Jordan hated it when the kids referred to Natasha as their mother's sister. Natasha's a nice girl, but she's not my flesh and blood. Jordan didn't say anything, not wanting to upset the kids.
Or piss off her husband.
"What hospital is she in?" asked Zach; "Loyola?"
"No, she's in a hospital out of state," David said.
"Oh," the boy said. To himself, he thought about something that Miri had said when their mother first disappeared. That their mother was going to get revenge on someone. I wonder if that why she left, he thought.
The children went back to their lessons after their lunch break, except for Miri. She went upstairs to decide what to take with her to Northwestern's Freshman Orientation weekend the Friday following Aunt Natasha's wedding. She'd meet her new roommate, and get a tour of the campus. Kimber offered to drive her up there, but Miri wanted to drive herself, now that she had a real driver's license. She'd been driving for months in Wyoming, so the road test was a piece of cake.
Downstairs, David still wasn't satisfied with the information that Jordan got from Nik. Jordan had taken his phone so he couldn't make any calls to get further information.
Jordan is right about that, he thought. I should just let the kids handle it and butt out just this once.
He was, however, finding that hard to do.
Jacob walked into Julia's room, and saw that she was awake. "Hey Julia, how you feeling?"
"Like shit, Dad," Julia said; "They tell me that I have something called lacunar amnesia. I don't remember anything from the last month."
"What was the last thing you remembered?"
"That I had gone to wake up Miri to change her clothes," said Julia; "She broke her ankle and had it propped up on cushions from the couch. She'd fallen asleep in her street clothes. Then I wake up here, with this;" she indicated the handcuff around her right wrist.
Jacob looked at what Julia was showing him. "Maybe they ran out of straightjackets?" he asked, half kiddingly.
"Ha. Ha. You're such a card, Dad," Julia said, not too happy with Jacob's attempt at humor. "I was told that I struggled with Navy corpsmen getting into an ambulance, but of course, I don't remember that either."
"You've always put up one hell of a fight when you thought you were getting screwed over, Julia," Jacob said; "But how did you get here?"
"I don't know, Dad!" Julia said. "No one will tell me. They probably don't know themselves. But who does know?"
"I don't, Julia," Jacob said; "I wish I did."
"I know you only want to help, Dad," Julia said; "But I have to figure this one out for myself. You could tell me what date it is, though."
"It's June 28th, Julia," Jacob said, concerned. "What was the date you remember?"
"Jack died on May 28th," Julia said. "The incident with Miri was about a week after that. So I have no memories between June fourth and now. Unless they spring me from here tomorrow, I won't be able to go to Natasha's wedding on July fourth." Julia felt sad saying that. She'd been looking forward to seeing her sister marry the man who waited years for her to be ready for him.
"I'm sure she'll understand, Julia," Jacob said.
"It's not fair!" Julia said suddenly. "Why am I being punished? I've done nothing wrong!"
A civilian nurse came in and asked Jacob to leave; once outside Julia's room, she told him tersely, "You've upset the patient, Mr. Ross. Please don't return here."
"You're telling me I can't see my own daughter? Have you lost your mind? I didn't upset her!" Jacob said angrily. "I wish to speak to your immediate supervisor."
"I am the supervisor on this floor, Mr. Ross," the nurse said; "I report to Major Jennings."
"Then I wish to speak with this Major Jennings," Jacob said.
Unknown to either the civilian nurse or Jacob, Christine had witnessed the entire episode. She was on her way to the office of Major Jennings. She'll straighten this out, Christine thought.
Meanwhile, Jacob was still arguing with the civilian nurse. She said, "I don't give a rat's ass who you are, Mr. Ross, Major Jennings isn't going to speak with you."
"If you value your job, ma'am," Jacob said; "I'd get on the phone to the Major as soon as possible."
"If you wish, Mr. Ross, but she isn't going to speak with you."
Whatever you say, Nurse Ratchett, Jacob thought blackly.
Christine knocked on the door of the head nurse's office.
"Major, are you here?" she asked before entering.
"I am," Major Jennifer Jennings said; "What can I do for you this afternoon, Sgt. Travis?"
"It's Nurse Marcus again, Major," Christine said; "She's berating Jacob Ross out in the hall outside Julia Summers' room."
"Jacob Ross?" asked Maj. Jennings; "As in the widower of the Interim President?"
"The same," Christine said; "Mrs. Summers got upset and Nurse Marcus told Mr. Ross to not return."
"He was here to visit Julia Summers?"
"Yes, ma'am," Christine said.
"Director Dixon must have told him, then," Maj. Jennings said; "Julia Summers is Jacob Ross' daughter with Jordan Terranova. He was thought to be dead for years. He became David Draiman's bodyguard instead."
Christine's eyes went wide. "He's...Morbus, Major?"
"He was, yes," said Maj. Jennings. "But that doesn't leave this room, understand Sgt. Travis?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I'll go see what's going on with Nurse Marcus," Jennings said. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You're not the first to complain about how she handles people on the ward."
"You're welcome, ma'am," Christine said before she left.
As she walked down the corridor, she decided that she would speak with Jacob Ross. Maybe he could help me somehow, she thought.
And she suddenly couldn't wait til 6pm. It was three hours away.
III
"Aunt Tash, you're walking around like a nervous cat," Danica said. "I know you're getting married next week, but damn, everything's got you on edge!"
"I'm only marrying the man who waited for me to be ready to give him my heart is all, Danica," Natasha said; "You'd be nervous, too."
"The big, bad assassin formerly known as Vixen Vincent is...nervous about something?" Sandrina teased, trying to get her aunt to laugh at how silly she was acting.
"Just for your info, you two," Natasha said to her nieces, "I was nervous before I gave birth to the twins, too, wondering if I'd be a good mother."
"You're a great mom, Aunt Tash," Sandrina said; "And you'll be a great wife, too. Darren's a lucky guy!"
"I agree," said Danica. "So quit making a rut in the deck, would ya?"
Natasha was acting rather childish about it, she had to give the girls credit for pointing that out. But she did wonder if she'd be everything Darren needed in a life partner.
She would have never believed it when she was a young girl, forced to sell her body to strange men, that she'd be as happy as she was now. Darren never let her down, never lied to her, never made her doubt his love for her. And the following week, she'd be his wife.
Natasha was only saddened by the fact that her sister in arms, Julia, would probably be unable to attend, though her children would be there. Darren had told her about what happened to Julia, and she was shocked to hear that Julia allowed her emotions to rule over her common sense. Natasha had to concede that she'd probably would have the same reaction if something happened to Darren.
"Mom? Earth to Mom...come in Mom," Vixen was saying now.
"Yes, Vixen, what is it?" she asked her daughter.
"You looked like you were a million miles away," said Vixen.
"Just have a lot on my mind, honey, with the wedding coming up and all," Natasha said.
"Nikky and I want to go with Sandy and Danica to get stuff for the reception, and they asked us to ask you if it was okay," said Vixen.
Natasha had to push her thoughts aside; "Give me a minute, Vixen, okay?" She took a deep breath, and remembered the calming techniques she had been taught long ago when she was being trained by Morbus. Then she addressed Vixen again.
"It's okay with me that you and Nikolai go with Sandy and Danica, but they're in charge, okay?"
"Okay, Mom," Vixen said.
"When will you be home?"
"Danica, could you come here?" Vixen called out to Danica in the living room with Sandrina and Nikolai.
When Danica came into the kitchen, Natasha asked when they expected to be home.
"A couple of hours at the most," Danica said; "Sandy and I just need to pick a couple more things and finalize some plans for the catering."
"That's fine," Natasha said; "I'll see you all in about two hours. Call if you're going to be longer than that."
"One of us will call in that case," Danica said; "But we don't expect to be gone that long."
Natasha nodded and soon, her children and nieces were gone, chattering all the way out the door about stuff for the reception.
She sat heavily on one of the tall kitchen stools. She looked around the kitchen of the home she bought shortly after the twins were born. Darren was going to move in there with her and the kids. It was considerably larger than the apartment he lived in, though it was large as far as luxury apartments go.
And like all brides to be, Natasha was both scared and nervous. She wished she was able to talk to Julia. The younger woman always seemed to have great advice for her. I hope she's going to be okay, Natasha thought; She's the only sister I have, and that was only by fate.
She then laid her head on her crossed arms on the breakfast bar and cried.
The Major who was in charge of the nursing staff, both military and civilian, apologized profusely to Jacob about the way the nurse had handled her dealings with him. She assured him that he was welcome to visit Julia any time while she was there.
He didn't care what happened to the nurse, he just wanted Julia to know that he was there for her.
As he drove back to Arlington for his 7pm meeting with Sgt. Christine Travis, he thought about his Christine. He missed her with each passing year. She believed in him and their love until the very end of her life. That there was someone out there who reminded him of her when they first met totally threw him. It was almost like a sign that it was okay to live his life again.
"She's too young for me," Jacob said aloud; "and she's younger than Julia! My butterfly, why are you torturing me so with someone who could be your doppelganger?"
But he would still go and meet with Sgt. Travis, and see if there was anything he could do to help her. Her mother was a famous journalist who died much too young. Which meant her grandmother was...
"Stefanie Travetti..." Jacob said. "I wonder what she's doing now, or if she's even still living. The Occupational government wasn't exactly kind to her."
Jacob didn't know that once he saw Christine Travis in civilian clothes, the resemblance between her and his Christine would be striking.
And he wouldn't know if he could separate the two.
Stefanie worried about Nico. Ever since that day at the beach, Nico seemed preoccupied with something. I hope it's not that Eddie character she's so fixated on. I fear he's not right for her, she thought.
The rest of their stay in Virginia Beach would be uneventful. They did all the touristy things, visited Kit's final resting place next to her first husband, and just hung out at the house and relaxed.
All too soon, it was time to return to Chicago. Stefanie closed up the house, not sure if she'd rent it out like she had originally planned. She thought about leaving it to Nico in her will. Her surviving son, Josh, wasn't interested in it, and her grown grandchildren were scattered all over the country. The only one she wondered about was Bethanie.
Not long after Kit's funeral, Bethanie took a leave of absence from her job as a nurse in Raleigh, North Carolina, and simply fell off the face of the earth. Stefanie knew that she was receiving threatening messages from former New Army members, as her siblings and cousins had as well. Bethanie probably thought they were from her ex husband, whom she divorced after a year of marriage when he started abusing her physically. Bethanie later learned that her former husband was also ex New Army, and that scared her to her core.
Stefanie prayed that Bethanie was still alive and living somewhere she felt safe. She didn't see how, though because Bethanie had an identical twin sister named Brittyn who still lived in Virginia. When Britt and her family came to Virginia Beach to visit with her sister and her children, Stefanie asked if Britt had heard from Beth. Britt said no, she hadn't. "I think she's dead, Nonna," Britt had told her. "I can't imagine her not being in contact with any of us."
"I hope she's simply changed her name and is living where she feels safe," Stefanie had replied.
But, now, there was Nico and her trying to deal with Steve's death five months before, and her feelings for this Eddie person.
"Whoever you are, Eddie," Stefanie said under her breath as she checked the window locks; "You hurt Nico in any way, shape or form, I will kill you myself. You don't fuck with my family, because you don't want to see the side of me that has killed evil men before. Only David has seen that, and I want to keep it that way."
Thinking of David, and their brief relationship, still made Stefanie Travetti smile.
IV
Christine practically flew out the door of Walter Reed as soon as 6pm hit. As she got to her car, she thought to herself, this is a man who is old enough to be my father! Why am I so anxious to meet with him.
Because of who he was, and what he could still be capable of.
She hadn't been put off by his appearance. Yes, he was still a bit disfigured, but not so much that he scared people like Morbus had. He had no hair to speak of, and the whites of his eyes were still red. It explained the dark glasses he wore.
Jacob Ross, for all his scars, was still a good looking man, Christine thought.
"I wonder what Nonna would think," she said to herself aloud as she started the engine.
Christine hadn't thought about her grandmother, or her siblings, in the years since she escaped an abusive marriage,changed her name, and moved to Washington. She certainly hoped that Caleb Johnson wasn't stalking her identical twin sister thinking it was her.
She cringed whenever she thought of the man she married as a 19 year old. How he changed so suddenly from the loving man she fell in love with, to the abusive beast he became. He tried to keep her prisoner in her own home by telling her she was forbidden to go to school and study for her nursing certification. She went anyway, and only a few weeks after their wedding, he started beating her for the slightest infractions.
It was when he beat her so brutally that she lost their child (the reason for the beating to begin with), she stole his car, and with only the clothes on her back, fled to a friend's home in North Carolina. The friend got her help to start a new life with a new name. Christine completed her nurses training and joined the Army. Her old identity, as Bethanie Crowley, was forgotten. Except in cases like this when she needed advice. Her grandmother was good at that.
Christine arrived home and went inside to change before meeting Jacob Ross at O'Malley's. For some reason she couldn't put her finger on, she was nervous. She tried on several outfits before she chose the blue cotton tank dress. It was simply the most comfortable, and it complimented her eyes.
It was ten til seven, and she knew it would take at least ten minutes to get to O'Malley's.
It would be a meeting that would change her life, but she didn't know it yet.
He arrived at the restaurant at the dot of seven, and looked for the redhaired beauty who had captivated him earlier that day.
Jacob asked to be seated in his customary place, that he was expecting a young woman to join him, and to please direct her his way when she arrived.
He'd been seated for about a minute when the hostess brought a stunning creature to his table.
Christine had long, beautiful red hair (it had been pinned up at the hospital), and wore a simple blue sleeveless dress. He heard himself gasp as she reached the table. He stood and helped her into her chair.
"Thank you, Mr. Ross," she said.
"Jacob," he said; "Please. Call me Jacob."
"All right Jacob," Christine said; "I will...if you call me Christine and not Sgt. Travis."
"You're not in uniform, so Christine it is," Jacob said, smiling. "What would you like to order, my dear?"
"You had mentioned that your son liked the meatloaf," Christine said; "I do, too. I'm assuming he's not living at home."
"Oh, no," Jacob laughed, "He's 27 years old, married with two beautiful children. They live near Langley."
Christine smiled. That was a stupid thing to say, she chided herself.
She ordered the meatloaf. Jacob had a steak. She noticed he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Do I really look that much like Christine Collins-Ross? she asked herself.
They had pleasant conversation throughout dinner. When Jacob breached the subject of her true identity, Christine became visibly shaken.
"No one around here knows that," she said; "I'd like to keep it that way."
"We could discuss it in private at my house, Christine," Jacob offered, then realized how forward that sounded. He added, "That is, if you want to, of course. I don't want you to get any wrong ideas about me."
"I could come over for a little while," Christine said. "I didn't think you were being forward, if that's what you were worried about."
She saw Jacob sigh with relief. He's been out of the game too long, not sure how he sounds to women, Christine thought.
"About the car situation..." she began.
"I have a Secret Service detail I don't want," Jacob said; "And I don't drive myself places much anymore because of it. I have a driver who can take us back to my house, while you leave your car here."
Christine seemed hesitant about that. "How about I just follow you in my car? I don't feel comfortable leaving it in a public parking lot."
"I'm sure that would be fine," he said.
That's what they did, and soon, Christine saw where the late Interim President conducted the country's business from during the two year transition from the Occupational government. It wasn't the White House, but it was a pretty good sized house nonetheless.
She parked on the street, got out and went to the porch to await Jacob getting out of his car.
"They make a big federal case out of protecting me," Jacob said as he joined Christine at the door. "I didn't ask for it, and really don't want it, but I'm stuck with it for now. Makes planning trips a bit of a pain in the ass."
"No spontaneous trips out of town, all have to be planned and approved," Christine said; "I can see where that could get a bit old."
Jacob let them into the house, where Christine was surprised that it was furnished and decorated so conservatively. No wonder she wanted to stay here, Christine thought.
Soon, she and Jacob were sitting on the couch, where he asked her to tell him about why she felt she had to assume a new identity. What he heard shocked him, and he thought he was beyond shocking. Abusive former New Army spouse, death threats against her and her family, stalked by people meaning her harm. She worried about her family's safety. She felt like she had run from trouble and let her family down. She missed them.
"Tell me your real name," Jacob said softly; "Please?"
"B-B-Beth...anie," she said, nervously; "Bethanie Lynn Crowley. I was born on September 11, 2001 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I have an identical twin named Brittyn."
"Don't be afraid of me, Bethanie," Jacob said; "I want to help you."
"It's not you I'm afraid of, Jacob," Christine said; "Being Bethanie brings back both good and bad memories. I'm Christine now."
"I know," said Jacob; "Please trust that I won't hurt you, Christine."
He then brushed her hair away from her face in a gesture that was more intimate than he intended. He saw his Christine and stroked her cheek.
Christine Travis shuddered uncontrollably. His touch, it was so gentle! she thought. His hand so soft against her cheek. She couldn't help it when the tears fell. No man had ever been that gentle with her.
"Christine? What's wrong?" Jacob asked when he saw tears falling down her cheeks. He brushed them away.
"No man has ever made me feel so safe as you have, just by brushing my hair away from my eyes. Your touch is so...so gentle, soft and sure," Christine said; "I'm sorry, I can't help it."
"No apologies needed, my dear," Jacob said; "But I find that I'm incredibly attracted to you. Maybe I'm just being an old fool."
"I don't think that," Christine said. "Because you're not."
Before she knew it, Jacob leaned in to kiss her. She let him, and it was the most impossibly perfect kiss she'd ever felt.
"Jacob..." she whispered. She didn't know what else to say.
He held her against him for what seemed like hours while she cried against his chest. No one will hurt you, Christine. I won't allow it, he thought.
Later, Christine said, "I should go home. It's getting late."
"Don't go, Christine," Jacob said. "You're welcome to stay. I'd like you to."
"I'll stay under one condition," Christine said.
"Name it."
"Take off the shades."
"My eyes, they're..." he began; he never finished because Christine reached up and removed them herself. She wasn't shocked by what she saw. "Eye injury causes that redness. Have you experienced any vision loss?"
"A little. It's why I wear the dark glasses now. They're prescription," Jacob said.
"I see," Christine said; "And you're sensitive to light. I understand, Jacob. And it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are who you are. That's not going to change."
"Christine..." Jacob began, but couldn't finish. Then, "Why are you so understanding? I still scare people even though I've had cosmetic procedures done to lessen the scarring. The glasses hide the only thing about me that I can't change."
"Jacob, you said you were attracted to me," Christine said; "Is it for me, or because I remind you of your wife?"
"If no one told you, you are a most beautiful woman," Jacob said; "Men would have to be blind not to see it."
"I don't trust too many people anymore," Christine said.
"Trust me, Christine," he said. "I won't hurt you. I couldn't. Even if you'd never told me your story, I still couldn't. Yes, I've killed people in the name of the government, but hurt a woman, never."
"I do trust you, Jacob," she said. "I don't trust me. Because I've realized that I'm attracted to you, too..let me make love to you, Jacob. Please?"
Without another word, Jacob led her to his bedroom. He allowed her to undress him, to love on him, to pleasure him. She was heaven.
He soon undressed her, and gazed upon her perfect, voluptuous curves. "You're so beautiful, Christine," he said as he held her nakedness against his own. "I would be honored to make love to you."
And he did. All night long.
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