Chapter 10: Explanations

"Wow!" Jamie said when we were back at the house. "Remind me never to piss you off. For a nice guy, you really kicked ass back there."

"I figured it would be safer if I did it. You probably would have gotten them arrested at the very least."

"The very least," she agreed. "Isn't it amazing how easy it is to work with Amber?"

"I wouldn't know," I said. "I've never tried with anyone else."

"One of these days you'll find out, and then you can tell me. So what now? It's still too early to do much here. Do you want to see how Allison is doing?"

"Yeah, if nothing else we need to talk to her about where she wants to live."

"What if she says Vegas?"

"She won't," I said. "It ups the odds of someone recognizing us if we're spotted. Separately they may just think we look familiar, and if they ask, we can deny it. Together ... no, it's going to be a long time before we can be seen together again."

"Yeah, but we can still visit as long as we're careful, and we always have dreams."

"That doesn't make up for falling asleep with her head on my shoulder, or waking up with my arms around her."

"Or her mouth around you?"

"Slut," I laughed.

"Yeah, but one of us had to break the mood; we can't go see her like this. I guess we'll find out how much difference distance really makes. Australia is about as far away as you can get."

"Jamie, I think we're over the distance question. I don't know where that ship was, but we moved thousands of miles yesterday in the blink of an eye."

We were still on the bed, so all I had to do was close my eyes, move us into dreamspace, and think of Allison. Wherever she was, she had already gone to bed but wasn't asleep yet.

I crawled into the big bed in the cabana and called softly, "Allison?"

I could see a smile creep onto her face as she snuggled herself into her pillow and closed her eyes. Then she was there, snuggled into my side with her head nestled into the little hollow she seemed to have worn in my chest over the last year. God that felt good.

"Oh, I miss this," she said with a sigh. "Don't move, don't talk, just lie there and hold me for a few minutes."

I leaned my head down and kissed her hair, pulled her a little tighter against me, and did my best to keep the tears from getting her hair wet.

An undetermined time later she gave a big sigh and said, "Thanks, I really needed that ... and thanks for rescuing me. Jamie only gave me the highlights; you want to fill in the rest?"

"Not really," I said honestly. "Allison, I..."

"I don't want the gruesome details. I'm pretty sure I know what it took. This new talent of yours — Jimmy, you have to be even more careful with it. No one can know about it. No one. Where are you, still in Vegas?"

"Yeah."

"How long were you gone?"

"A half-hour the first time, a lot longer last night."

"Last night I know about; what was the first time?"

"Actually there were two times before that, both about the same amount of time." That didn't seem right, I thought for a moment and changed it, "You know, now that I think about it, a lot less the second time; that one may have only been about five minutes. Everything happened so fast in that one it's hard to keep track."

"The first time?" she prompted again.

"Oh yeah, sorry. The first time was going to the safe house to try and find you. We had to go slow at first, to make sure there was no one still lurking around. Then, when we spotted the cameras, we had to find the control room and make sure we weren't being recorded. Then we went back to your room. I saved your pictures of Shannon by the way; I've got them here for you. Oh, and your lockets."

"Thanks," she said, kissing my chest. "I would have really hated to lose those. Then what?"

"Rescuing mom and dad," I said. "Henslith had given them to these four mercenaries. I'm assuming they were the ones that killed the guards and took you guys."

"They killed the guards!" she said, alarmed.

"I know," I said. "There was no reason, they had tranquilizers with them — they had to have, they used them on you. Killing the guards was pointless and stupid."

"Jimmy, don't sugar-coat it. Killing them was just plain evil. Now what didn't Jamie tell me about mom and dad."

When I didn't answer she sat up. "Jimmy, I need to know. Now either you tell me, or I call Lizzy and she can tell me, but I'm going to find out. What?"

"They had mom tied to a bed. They tied dad to a chair so he could watch."

"And?" she said.

"I got there first."

"You killed them?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Good," she said simply. "What about last night?"

"All but two, but I took out all the cameras and recording equipment first."

"Do you think the last two got away?"

"I don't know," I said. "I'm not sure they knew the ship was rigged to blow up. It felt like all the charges went off on one side; the ship went over pretty fast. If they were below decks; if they were anywhere besides already in a lifeboat, I don't think they would have made it out. I almost didn't"

"Really?" she asked.

I hung my head — well, you know, as best you can when you're lying down — and said, "Yeah, I panicked; when the charges went off, I got back to your room right away, but it was already filling up fast. You were trapped under the bunk, not moving. I didn't find out you were cuffed to the bunk until I tried to get you free, then I had to find the key and unlock you. By then the water was almost chest deep and still coming in fast. By the time I got you free, there was barely room to breathe, and the pressure was incredible. I was on the verge of passing out when I caught an image of the cabana. I don't even remember crossing over; everything just went black, and I woke up in the hospital. After I found out you were okay, I got out of there as fast as I could."

"Yeah, they were some kind of pissed when you disappeared. I guess the nurse came in, and both you and the doctor were gone. She didn't think anything about it until she noticed the bathroom door was blocked shut with a chair. She got the door open and found the doctor in there in just his underwear, and that's when all hell broke loose. I was still asleep, so I missed most of it. As soon as they noticed me waking up, they cleared the room, so I don't know what else went on after that, but I know they had the cops looking for you. They asked me if I knew you, and I told them the truth — well, the part they needed to hear anyway — that the last thing I remembered was going to bed in LA, and I had no idea how I had gotten there. That was quick thinking, taking the doctor's clothes like that. It makes it a lot easier to explain you just walking out and disappearing. Still, it's a good thing I'm in Australia; we're going to need to keep you out of Tahiti for a while."

"Actually, no we don't. There's been a new ... development; a couple of them actually."

She looked at me for a second and then said, "One thing at a time. How are you dealing with all the killing? Are you okay?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah, they had to die; there was just no other way to save you guys. Not without risking someone telling Henslith what happened. The last thing I want is that bitch knowing more about what I can do."

"I'm glad you realized that. But there was more wasn't there? A part of you enjoyed killing them, and I don't mean the part that's Jamie, I mean you enjoyed it."

"No," I said, honestly, shaking my head. "No, I didn't. It was just something that had to be done if I was going to keep this from happening to more innocent people. The fact that they deserved to die for what they'd done made it easier, but I didn't enjoy it."

"Well I'm glad to hear that," she said, "and I'm glad you realized that leaving any of them alive to tell Henslith what happened wasn't an option. But you need to understand, that anytime you do this, no one can live to talk about it; no one. So if there is a chance that you may pop up where innocent people may see you, then don't go, period, not for me, or anyone else. Who else knows?"

"Rebecca suspects; knows really, but she's in a sort of self-induced state of denial. She doesn't want to know what I can do, so she doesn't."

"I understand," she said, "and Rod?"

"I think I'm okay with Rod. I called 911 from the house where mom and dad were, so he could come and clean up the mess. I didn't identify myself, and I'm hoping he'll think it was something like the bank job."

"Any reason he wouldn't?" she asked.

"Not that I know of," I said.

"Why did you call 911?"

I'd been asking myself the same question. Why not just call Rod directly?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I probably should have just cut dad loose and let him call it in when he woke up."

"It probably would have been a better idea," she said, "but then again ... Dad would have been pretty freaked out, and I don't know if he would have thought to try and call Rod. If the regular PD had showed up, it would be a circus. It also would have been impossible to just make us all disappear like we are. So, you think Rod will recognize your voice on the 911 call?"

"I don't think there's any chance of that," I said. "I did my best to make it look like the bank."

"So hopefully he'll think you somehow got one of them to do the dirty work and make the call?"

"That's the idea," I said.

"Well, we'll have to wait and see. I'm sure mom will appreciate what you did for her dignity, anyway. At least, she would if she knew it was you who rescued them. Do they know what happened yet?"

"I don't know; I haven't talked to them. In fact, I don't know if Rod has told them about you yet. Maybe we should stop in. They haven't been doing well under questioning. Rod said the investigators could tell they were holding back. We're hoping that we can pass it off as stress and worry over you still being missing. Give me a second."

I closed my eyes and went looking for my parents. They weren't asleep yet. In fact, they seemed to be trying hard to stay awake. I wondered if they even realized they were doing it. The good news was they were both someplace where I didn't have to worry about them. I put them both gently under, then let them wake up on the beach as Allison and I made our way down the walkway. It was a scene to rival anything you have ever seen in the movies. Eventually I sat them down and explained that — as far as the rest of the world was concerned, — they were now dead. I thought they took it pretty well, all things considered.

"So where do you want to live?" I asked.

"I didn't know we had a choice," Mom said.

"Well, you do, the single consideration is the least possible chance that anyone will recognize you. I was leaning toward Hawaii."

"You were?" Mom asked. "Does that mean you're..." she stopped as I was shaking my head gave a sigh, and then added, "It never hurts to hope. But what would we do there? I mean, it's beautiful, but it's going to be expensive, we'll need jobs and..."

"Give him a chance Cyndi," Dad said. "It sounds like he's given this some thought."

"Not a lot, actually," I admitted. "It all came up kind of suddenly, you know? Maybe we could buy you a boat, change your names to Gilligan and Maryanne; you could do island tours or something, I don't know. Fortunately you don't have to rush. With the Davises' inheritance plus the sale of both houses, you've got money enough to last you a while if you're careful. Take some time, look around, see if there is something you want to do. It's not like you're going to have to buy a house right off the bat. You may even decide you'd rather be somewhere else. I just thought it might be a good place to start. Besides, then someday — when it's safe — I get to come visit you there instead of like, Fargo or someplace."

"Hawaii sounds good to me," Allison said. "Not my first choice of course, but if I can't stay with Jimmy, Hawaii's not a bad second choice. I'm a little short for beach volleyball, though."

"I'm sure they have regular teams too, dear," Mom said.

"So you want to give it a shot?" I asked.

"Oh, gee, let me think," Dad said sarcastically. "Sure, I guess we can always move somewhere else if we don't like it." He looked at me, "That is an option isn't it? There's no chance we're going to get stuck there?"

"No dad, trust me, you're not going to get stuck there." Then it was my turn to get serious. "I don't know when I'm going to get to see you again, you know, out there. We still don't have a lead on the person behind all this. We know who she is, but that's all. So far, all of our efforts to find her have come up empty. Until she's dealt with, I can't take the chance that she'll follow me to you and try again. I can't let that happen."

"But we can still see you here, right?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, we can still meet here, assuming I'm not busy with anything else."

"Jimmy," Allison said. "If you were busy with something else, we wouldn't see you out there either."

"I miss you too," I said with a smile. I turned back to my parents, "Rod says you guys are having a problem with your statements."

They looked a little panicky, so I held up my hand and continued. "It's nothing serious, but they can tell you're holding back. Specifically when they ask you if you know any reason why someone might want to kidnap you. Rod suggested that maybe we could pass it off as being anxious about Allison still being missing. Do you think you guys can handle it from that angle?"

Allison's voice came to me, "Jimmy, stop beating around the bush, and just do it."

I sighed and froze the scene — well, my parents anyway — and then implanted suggestions in both of them that should handle the situation to the satisfaction of anyone questioning them. As an added layer of insurance, I had Rod come and question them before sending them back to wherever it was he currently had them stashed.

"Mmmm," Allison hummed her contentment as she hugged my side after they were gone. "So, what now?"

"Now you give me a hug and kiss before I pop!" Lizzy said. Allison pulled back and looked over her shoulder to find her future sister-in-law standing behind us. Before she even had a chance to disengage herself from me, Lizzy had her firmly by the waist, hugging her from behind, resting her head on her shoulder, and kissing her neck.

"Oh, baby girl, I'm so glad you're safe," Lizzy whispered through the gentle sobs she couldn't hold back. She let up the pressure enough for Allison to turn in her arms and hug her back properly, and then they were hugging each other so hard I could see the muscle strain in their arms. Finally, Lizzy pulled back, took Allison's face gently in her hands, and placed a loving kiss on her lips.

"I knew he would get you back," She said softly, "but I was still worried." She combed her fingers gently through the smaller girl's hair. "I don't know what I would have done without him, but I know that if I had Jimmy's gift, I would have done exactly what he did. I'm not a violent person; my gift isn't about violence." She grew a little grin and added, "most of the time ... but I could kill for you, however many it took to get you back." There was something in her voice that left no doubt that she meant it. Finally, she asked, "Are you worried about what this may have done to him?"

Allison kissed her back and drew her in for another hug. "No," she said. "This wasn't like Andrews and Charles, this was killing to protect people you love in immediate danger."

"What about Rene?" I asked.

"You didn't kill Rene," she said, releasing Lizzy and stepping back. "Rene killed himself; all you did was fight his evil twin and make it possible for Rene to stop him. If you have any doubts about this stuff, Jimmy, talk to Bob. Or ask Rod to set up you up with one of the shrinks the Bureau uses when their people have problems. Go talk to pastor Keen, or Lizzy's friend Chris. This may not have been a fair fight but it wasn't cold-blooded, senseless murder, like they were doing. Think about those four agents at the safe house who died for no reason. What you did was nothing like that. What you did was like sending the SWAT team into a drug lord's hideout to rescue someone."

"I know," I said. "And trust me; I'm okay with those men dying. I'm just concerned with the long-term effects. I'm sixteen years old, and I'm responsible for the deaths of twenty-three men, assuming those other two didn't get off the boat before it sank."

"No, Jimmy," Allison said sternly. "Those, what was it, eleven men on the ship? Henslith is responsible for their deaths, same with the ones that had mom and dad. Are you worried that killing is becoming too easy? That you didn't agonize over it the way you did with Andrews and Charles?"

"Well, yeah, sort of," I answered. "I knew it had to be done, but still, if there had been another way..."

"And that's the key Jimmy," Lizzy said, interrupting. "If there had been another way, but there wasn't. You were the only hope Allison and your parents had. You told me what they were planning to do to your mom. Tell me you would have been okay with letting that happen because you waited for the FBI to go arrest them? If there had been another way, you would have taken it. Now, stop this nonsense, and let's talk about important stuff — like what the heck we're going to tell Christine."

"What's the matter with Christine?" Allison asked.

"We had a little problem at a restaurant in New Mexico. Amber called Jimmy..."

"Amber called Jimmy?" Allison interrupted. "Amber would never call Jimmy for a little problem, what happened?"

"You're right," Lizzy said, "and as it turned out she was totally justified in calling him. Unfortunately, Christine watched her throw a guy twice her size out of the restaurant, then totally humiliate him when he came back after her again."

I did a fast-forward of the scene, and Allison nodded her appreciation for the situation.

"Looks like he handled it pretty well, all things considered. Bastard's lucky all he got was a broken nose and wet pants." She looked at me, "And that was you, not Jamie?"

I nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because, he got off with only a broken nose and wet pants," she said with a laugh. "Big sister wouldn't have let him off that easy. You'll have to try that with me sometime; it looked a lot smoother than when Jamie tried it with me; maybe it's different with you."

"I don't think that's it," I said. "According to Jamie, the difference is Amber; she submits totally to us, you don't. No matter how hard you try, some small part of you still wants to be in control. Jamie had to put you in a bubble before she had that kind of control with you."

"Oh," she said, nodding her head. "That makes sense. You're her master, so her body is yours to do with as you please. It always amazes me to think about how totally she has given herself to you. Wow."

"Yeah, very wow!" Lizzy said. "I watched it happen. I saw Jimmy show up, watched him slide into Amber; I could see their patterns overlap. In fact, Jimmy's wasn't nearly as bright as usual." She gave me a look that said we were going to need to discuss that and went on, "But then, when it was time to get serious, suddenly it was like Amber was gone, and it was just Jimmy in her body. I kept trying to see if I could find her in there somewhere, and it was like she had just vanished; but when it was over and she came out to the car, it was just her again. It's a weird sensation having them flowing in and out of your body like that."

"You felt it?" Allison asked. "When Jamie first did it with me, I didn't feel a thing. I wonder if she did something to make sure you felt it, or if it's just another aspect of your gift?"

Jamie stepped out and said, "Wasn't me." Then she stepped in and hugged and kissed Allison. "I've been waiting all day to do that."

"I'm sorry Jamie," I said. "You should have said something earlier."

"It's okay," she replied. "I got most of it out when I saw her this morning. I just wanted to do it again."

"Me too," Allison said. Suddenly we were sitting in the sunken pool in the cabana, and Allison was sandwiched between the other girls with an arm around each of them. "I love you both." She gave them a squeeze. "So what was Christine's reaction to all of this?"

"From what I saw as they went past me headed for the door, she was in serious shock."

"You could say that," Lizzy said. "It was all I could do to get her out of the booth and moving, and I had to force her past where Amber had the guy on the floor. I don't think she's ever seen real violence before, not like that anyway. About your energy, Jimmy, whatever you've been up to, it took a lot out of you; you're really low. Maybe you better take it easy for a while."

"Yeah, Jamie and I were wondering about that. I was starving when I got home. Part of it was because I hadn't eaten in, like, fourteen hours, but I think there may have been more to it than that.

"So, do you think Christine is afraid of Amber now?" Allison asked, getting us back on track.

"I don't know," Lizzy replied. "When we got in the car and got moving, she suddenly seemed to snap out of it, but then it was like she was having a panic attack — practically hyperventilating and hugging her arms around her. Amber had been being a little more openly submissive today, but then suddenly she looks like Buffy on steroids. I think it's safe to say the whole thing took Christine by surprise.

"We only drove for about a half an hour before we stopped and got a hotel room. I let Amber drive while I stayed with Christine in the back seat. When she finally spoke it was just to ask the one question, you know the one, 'What just happened?' Jimmy, what do I tell her? I told her to wait until we got settled, and I'd try to explain it, but Jimmy, I can't possibly explain any of this. She's in the shower right now, so we don't have a lot of time, and we've probably used up most of it already."

"I have an idea," Jamie said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"You know how Walter said that the reason Amy doesn't remember us when she's awake is because she doesn't want to?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, I was thinking; what if we did that with Christine? Bring her here, tell her everything, but then set it up so she doesn't remember the dangerous stuff when she's awake."

"What do you mean Amy doesn't remember you when she's awake?" Allison asked.

"I didn't tell you that? Sorry. Yeah, I was there with Rebecca when she woke up in the hospital, but she clearly didn't know who I was, or even Rebecca for that matter. I thought it was just what Bob and Shannon brought up that day we first met Rebecca. You know, that when she woke up she may not realize that any time had passed? And it was like that, but she recognized Rebecca's voice, probably because she's spent so much time reading to her and talking to her all these years, so she accepted her pretty quickly, but she had no idea who I was. The really weird part was that she saw Walter, and recognized him."

"Whoa!" Lizzy exclaimed. "She sees Walter? While she's awake? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, but yeah, she sees him, talks to him, and hears him talking to her. It's really freaking Rebecca out because she doesn't know how to tell Amy he's not real, and I don't know how to tell her that he is a lot more real than she thinks. Anyway, I mentioned to Walter that I wanted to ask Bob why she doesn't remember us when she's awake but does when she's here, and he said that they had talked about it, and she didn't remember because she chose not to. He said she knows how dangerous the knowledge is, and she doesn't ever want to be in a position to endanger me, so she just doesn't let herself remember when she's awake."

I turned to Jamie, "And you think we can do this with Christine? What if she doesn't want to?"

"Then it would all be just a dream that she doesn't remember, and we'll have to..."

"Master?" Amber's voice floated in. It wasn't a summoning voice, but a request for attention.

I focused on her and found her sitting on one bed next to Lizzy's sleeping body, with Christine facing her from the other bed.

"Damn, we're out of time," I said. I closed my eyes and went to her, but instead of merging with her, I put my hand on Christine's shoulder and whispered, "Sleep."

In the room, Christine took a slow, deep breath, and when she let it out she was asleep. Amber moved quickly as she started to slump forward, catching her and laying her gently on the bed before crawling up and spooning behind her. Something about it struck me, and I put her to sleep as well, and sent them both to dreamspace. I made a second cabana and put them in the big bed before going back to join the others.

"Something is up," I said. "Elizabeth, I want you to see this before we go any further. Jamie, would you stay with Allison please?"

Using her name told everyone something serious was up so no one questioned my taking her away with no explanation. I popped us into the new cabana; Lizzy took one look and said, "Oh my."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I said. "I wasn't thinking and when I put Christine out, she started to fall off the bed. Amber was sitting across from her on the other bed; she caught her and laid her down, which is fine, but then she lay down spooned around her. Something about it struck me as being a little ... I don't know. What do you think?"

"I don't know," she said, looking at the two women on the bed. "There is an affinity, not a bond exactly, but more than ... I can tell you it's not lust; Amber isn't after sex, it's more of a protective, worried sort of bond. I think she's sensing that Christine is afraid of her, and it bothers her."

"Okay, I think we're going to need to talk to her first before we go any further. Wake up, Amber."

On the bed, Amber stirred. Recognizing her surroundings, she climbed quickly off the bed and came to kneel before us.

"Amber? Can you explain this?" Lizzy said gently.

"No, Mistress," Amber said, her voice laced with uncertainty. "I am afraid I can't. I don't understand it, but I'm afraid. Not afraid for myself, but afraid of losing her, and I don't know why."

"Amber," I asked. "Back in the restaurant, when you summoned me, you weren't concerned for yourself, were you?"

"No, master, I knew you would protect me if anything happened, but I was afraid to let it get to that point. I was afraid..." her voice trailed off without finishing the thought.

"You feared for your mistress?"

"Yes, Master."

"But not just for me?" Lizzy asked. It was a rhetorical question.

Amber bowed her head, "No, Mistress."

"No Amber," Lizzy said, stroking her hair. "There is no shame here. Do you know why you feared for Christine?"

"No, Mistress."

"I didn't think so. Any more than you know why you are lying protectively around her now?"

"No, Mistress."

"Amber, is Christine important to you, even though you just met her?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Do you love her?"

Amber thought for a moment, and I could see the confusion in her eyes. "No, Mistress. Mistress, I don't know why I feel the way I do towards her." The uncertainty in her voice was getting worse. This really bothered her.

"We're not upset, Amber," I said. "We're just concerned for you. This is more than a little out of character for you, and we're just trying to understand it; so far I don't think we're any closer. Come on, put on your bathing suit and come sit with us."

I didn't wait for her; I just put us all in suits and sat us in the sunken area. When we got there, her collar was gone. She knew the significance of that without needing to ask.

"Jimmy?" Angela began.

I smiled as I interrupted her. "You know, before you say whatever it is you're about to say, I want to tell you how much it means to me that you are comfortable setting aside the fact that I am your master and just being my friend."

"Jimmy, I can't tell you how much it means to me that you are so much more interested in being my friend than in being my master. Or how much it means to me that you set that desire aside because it's more important to me that you actually be my master than my friend. Jimmy, Christine is afraid. At the moment I think the thing she's most afraid of is me, and that bothers me, but there is more to it than that. Beyond her name and her history with you, I don't know who this woman is, or why she has come into our lives, but I do know that she is here for a reason, and that her being here is important, and that if we don't find a way to keep her here...