Chapter 8: Updates

Number one our to-do list for the night was finding out who it was that put my name in the paper and confirming Fox as the source. I had no doubt it was Fox, and I didn't need the reporter's identity to deal with him, but I was really tired of the press screwing up peoples' lives in the name of ratings. This 'speaking on condition of anonymity' bullshit needed to stop. I figured it was time they felt some of the suffering they caused, and this looked like a good place to start.

After our little adventure in the interrogation room with Fox, finding him was going to be no problem, so I sent Jamie off to start poking around. Her first stop was going to be Rod; he would give her a solid fix on the families of the agents that had been slaughtered when Henslith's goons took my family. A little poking around in the wives and children's dreams should give her plenty of material. Once she was sure it was Fox, she would get the reporter from him, and then it was, for her, playtime.

"What are my limits?" Jamie had asked.

My second stop was to drop in on Britney's mom — Jolene Cotton — and plant a seed. The idea was to get her thinking about how much she disliked apartment life and start her thinking about finding a house. It wasn't going to be an obsession or anything, more of a passing fancy; just enough to start her checking into what the better areas around the city were; someplace with decent schools where she didn't have to worry about Benji and Tyra playing outside. Once she was settled on that, then she could focus on individual homes around the area. Since it was all just daydreaming, money would not be a consideration. I was pleased to discover that she and Ben were actually happy with the move, if not the circumstances that provoked it. The slower pace, the fact that everything was so green, the generally cooler temperatures ... They weren't quite sure how they were going to handle the cold weather that would be settling in soon, but they were looking forward to it nonetheless. Britney was having the hardest time of it; her vision of finally having a shot at a State Championship — now that Angela had moved on — had been shattered by the need to keep a low profile and not attract attention. She still ran, but only for personal enjoyment and fitness, not in competition. She couldn't bring herself to give less than one hundred percent, and a black girl appearing out of nowhere to dominate the local field could not help but attract attention. She was more than a little depressed that her dream of college seemed to be slipping away. I was going to have to do something about that.

Lizzy was waiting for me when I finally went looking for her. I found her in her garden, with flowers in her hair and wearing my favorite dress. I knew she would be there and what she would be wearing, and yet she still took my breath away. It's a feeling I never wanted to lose. If we lived to be a hundred, I wanted to feel that way every time I saw her.

"And just what have you been up to?" she said with a smile. "Here I figured you were late because you'd found Allison, and you were busy kicking someone's ass. Apparently you had a better offer."

"Not exactly," I said. "Tony called to congratulate me on my new business venture being finalized, so I offered to take him and Tina to dinner. The place they chose was ... different. We're going to need to take Amber there sometime. Jamie suggested her birthday. Their dessert spread is out of this world."

I flashed an image of Cherise tied to the table and covered in whipped cream and berries.

"Ooh, she would love that. Heck I might even like it." Then her voice got serious. "Still no sign?"

"No," I said. "Trust me, as much fun as tonight was, I would rather have been kicking someone's ass. I also stopped off to do some work on Britney's family. So when do you think you'll be here? I assume you're leaving early in the morning, and Jamie said it's about a three day drive, so we're figuring Monday sometime."

"Monday?" she said. "Hello! Earth to Jimmy, we left this morning!"

"What? How could you leave this morning? I thought you were flying down after school."

"Yeah," she said. "After school yesterday; we were there when I called you this morning. You totally don't know what today is, do you?"

I thought about it for a second and I couldn't help but smile when I realized it was Friday the thirteenth; one fact in particular I found really funny, but I still didn't see any significance to the date. I shook my head.

"Okay, you'll have to tell me later what was so funny. For now; it's a holiday, three day weekend, no school today ... any of this sound familiar?"

"Oh! Duh! That's right, yesterday was Columbus Day — the rest of the world still works, but the education system, and the government, shut down if a famous person farted this day in history, and they moved the observance to today so they can have a three-day weekend. I thought traffic seemed a little heavy today; everyone is up for the long weekend. So where are you?"

"Dallas, we drove for like thirteen hours today. We could have made better time, but Vegas wasn't the only place that got more holiday traffic. I have no idea where all these people were going, but ... and I thought my driving was bad." Then her eyes lit up, and she started laughing. "Oh my god, I just realized. The girl on the table was Jasmine's girl, Cherise, wasn't it? Tony asked you to this place, and you called Jasmine for a date, and got her. Oh, this is just too funny! You had your first black pussy..."

"On Friday the thirteenth," I said, rolling my eyes and giving a confirming nod. "Yeah, that's what was so funny; I realized it when you asked me what day it was. It's a good thing I'm not superstitious; and I wasn't planning on ... you know, but Jasmine saw it as an educational opportunity — being in public with a slave, my first time in the kind of safe environment where Amber will be free to be herself without having to worry about anything."

"Yes," she said very seriously. "That was an important step. I'm guessing that Jasmine was in contact with your attorney and had a hand in setting this up?" I nodded, and she continued. "She takes your training as seriously as she took Amber's. We're going to need to find a nice gift for her when this is over. So what's up with Britney?"

"I was talking to Rod about them. You know, just checking to see how they are doing. He moved them up to Washington State, got Ben a job, and they seem to be doing okay. They actually like the area and are happy to be away from the hustle of Southern California. Apparently they like the color green."

"But?" she asked. You can't hide anything from that girl.

"Britney's not doing so well. I mean she's okay, but she's a little depressed; she misses her friends, she can't compete, she's worried about college — she was counting on a good season to get her foot in the door on some scholarship money."

"Hmm, let me guess," she said. "You're thinking of doing for her what you did for Angela?"

"Tossing the idea around in my head, yeah. I stole her future, I kind of feel obligated to give it back to her. I'm starting by giving her my truck. Rod's overnighting me the paperwork and arranging to have it shipped up. With what's been going on lately, I don't see myself being able to drive it again any time soon."

"I don't think it would matter," she pointed out. "Henslith already knows where you are, and by now she's probably got a description and license number on your car from the people she had following you."

"I hadn't thought of that," I admitted. "Still..." Time to change the subject. "How's Christine?"

"Jimmy, I just met her," she said. "What kind of a girl do you think I am?"

"I know exactly what kind of girl you are," I said with a smile. "That's why I'm marrying you — to make the world a safer place. That and the fact that I'm hopelessly in love with you."

"You're sweet," she said with a smile, "and I love you too. She's okay. A little freaked out at discovering I'm not really your sister but actually your fiancé, but that's better than being pissed off because we lied to her. It totally blew her away that you called me while you were in a hot tub with her, and I lied so she would feel free to enjoy herself. She's not sure what to make of Amber yet. I'm saving that for tomorrow, but she didn't seem too freaked out when we crawled into bed together and she spooned up against me."

Scenes had been kind of playing around us with Lizzy narrating up to this point; now it focused in on one scene and slowed to real time.

"Most of the day was just girlfriends on the road. I saved the important stuff for after we stopped, so we wouldn't be distracted. Amber played with Widget while we were talking."

I watched as the scene around us came to life. They were sitting together, facing each other on one of the beds.

"I don't get it, Lizzy," Christine said. "How can you be so casual about me sleeping with David?"

"Well for starters — from what I heard — you didn't actually do much sleeping."

Christine threw a pillow at her. "You know what I mean!"

Lizzy caught it and held it in her lap, hugging it to her as she answered, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Christine, David is ... different. He's ... special, and I don't mean that like he's special to me. I mean, he's special in ways that are hard to explain, or even define. He matters. Okay, Look at your situation for instance. Would you say meeting David was a good or bad thing at this point?"

"Are you kidding? Of course it was a good thing, and up until now I had this little flicker of hope that it might be a wonderful thing, but now I find out he's in love with someone else, and..."

"And what? Now you feel like he's just using you for sex? Christine, it's not like that, trust me; David doesn't do casual."

"I know!" Christine said, exasperation in her voice. "In fact, I'd have to say he takes it pretty damned seriously; I practically had to hit him over the head and drag him into that hot tub. He called you to bail him out didn't he, once he realized he was in over his head? But instead of helping him find a way out of it, you actually did just the opposite."

Even I could see that her emotions were all over the place as she went off on a completely different tangent. "God, I feel so stupid! Here I find this wonderful guy; nice, sweet, good looking, absolutely heaven in bed, apparently rich, and for a fleeting second I think just maybe..."

"Christine, please ... don't do this to yourself," Lizzy pleaded. "You're missing my point."

"Which point was that?" Christine asked in a tone tinged with sarcasm.

"David makes a difference. In the lives of everyone he touches, David makes a difference. The more I get to know him, the more I get the feeling that there are no coincidences in David's life. Christine, David met you for a reason. Okay, try and look at this a different way for a second. Let's say that I really was David's sister, and you could have him all to yourself. Would you want him? All to yourself, right now, at this moment in your life? Would you want to do the whole settle down and get married thing?"

Christine gave a frustrated sigh, pulled the other pillow into her lap, buried her face in it and screamed, "Aaarggh!" Then she flopped back on the bed and said, "No! God, I can't believe I'm saying this. Three years ago, when Brian and I first moved in together, all I could think about was getting my license and flying around the world with him. After he left..." she rolled her eyes and sat back up, " ... after he dumped me, I saw that whole dream go up in flames, and ever since then I've just been scraping by and putting everything I have in savings, and I'm still not even close to what I would have needed for flight school. Now, thanks to David, I have a chance to have my dream. But at the same time, there is this other part of me that is just screaming that I should forget all that and ... but I can't! Ugh!"

Lizzy put her hand on Christine's and said, "That's what I thought. If you'd met him before, or if you'd met him ten years from now, or if he hadn't been able to wave his magic wand and make your dreams come true, among other things..."

Christine rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, among other things; God, he's good with that wand!"

"I wouldn't know," Lizzy said.

Christine's head snapped up, and she stared at Lizzy. "What?"

When Lizzy just cocked her head and stared back at her, Christine's eyes got huge before she went on.

"Tell me you did not just say what I think you said."

Lizzy just smiled and gave a nod. "I did, but we'll get back to that. Right now we're talking about you, and no matter how you might feel about David, your desire to follow your dream is calling louder than any desire your heart may be crying about. Christine, with anyone else that may seem strange, but not David; like I said, there are no coincidences in his life; there is always a reason. It's the same reason I fell in love with him so fast, and if you knew my past you'd know just how remarkable that was. Tell me about flight school; sounds like a tough course, lots of work, lots of homework, no real life?"

"Yeah," Christine said tentatively, obviously wondering where Lizzy was going with this.

"So you probably won't have a lot of time to look for someone to get serious with. And even if you did have time, is Vegas the kind of place you would look for that?" She paused long enough for Christine to think about it, but not long enough to really answer. "But say you did, and you found that one great guy who isn't in town for a quick fling but is actually looking for someone to build a life with; are you going to have the time to devote to it?"

"I see your point," Christine admitted.

"Do you?" Lizzy asked. "Because my point is: you have an opportunity here Christine. Okay, tell me you like sleeping alone? Tell me you prefer plastic and batteries to warm arms wrapped around you in the morning; tell me you think a stranger you just met is going to do it for you? Heck no, because you're going to be too scared that you're making a mistake to let go and enjoy yourself. It's going to be how many dates before you're ready to let him grab for the brass ring? Yeah, I know what happened with David, but that was different. Then it's going to be three or four nights of frustration before you relax enough to let go and actually enjoy it. And how long before you feel free to really be yourself? Christine, you know how most guys react to toys; they see them as competition, not enhancements. So how long before you really feel free to be yourself?"

"Stop!" Christine cried, throwing herself back on the bed again. "You're depressing me. I hated dating. After Brian I actually tried it twice but..." she shook her head. "That's when I went out and bought Bob."

"I hear you," Lizzy said. "High school was just a warning and didn't really prepare us for just how bad it could be."

"Tell me about it," Christine said. "Hey wait. You just started college, how could you know... ?"

Lizzy cut her off, "I'm a special case. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you have an opportunity here. One day David and I will be married; nothing short of death is going to stop that. Meanwhile, circumstances have dropped him in Vegas while I am in Indiana going to school for the next four years. Christine, that's the reason I helped you and David hook up; now I don't have to worry about him."

"Hey wait," Christine said suddenly. "You just said you've never done it, but David said you and he did it with his ex-girlfriend."

Apparently Christine was still having a problem tracking the conversation.

"We did," Lizzy explained, "but we were working at opposite ends if you know what I mean. Okay, obviously we're going to have to cover this. Did he tell you why she's his ex-girlfriend, or did you just assume he dumped her for me?"

"Well, not dumped; he doesn't strike me as the dumping kind."

"He's not. Shannon was killed in a traffic accident."

"Oh my god, that's terrible."

"Yes, it was," she said, and even in a memory you could feel the pain and loss in her voice. "He loved her very much. He will always love her, and no matter how much he loves me, there will always be that piece of his heart that belongs to her. Part of what makes David so special is that even though he loved her so much, it does not take away from his love for me. And vice-versa, loving me does not diminish his love for her. It gets even more complicated, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that ... actually I'm not sure any more; I've lost myself.

"Okay, here's the deal: Even if David and I run off and get married the second we get into town on Sunday, I will still have to go back to Indiana, and he will still need to stay and finish what he's started in Vegas. You've met David, been with him, seen what a nice guy he is. Christine, could he be in more danger without painting a target on himself?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Christine, you couldn't ask for a better set up. David needs someone to be seen with, go to dinner, meetings, parties, that kind of thing with, so that he can concentrate on what he's doing without having to worry about ... social problems. You need someone to do the same thing, so that you can concentrate on school and chasing your dream without having to worry about the slobbering masses chasing you. It's a perfect set up; you get to chase your dream without distractions, and I don't have to worry about my man swimming in shark-infested waters. Whether you choose to live there, or just sleep over now and then, is up to you. And if you do find someone somewhere along the way, you don't have to worry about it."

"So what," Christine asked. "We'd just be fuck-buddies? Roommates who sleep together?"

Lizzy gave her a look, "Christine, look at me and tell me that's all there is."

She reached out and put her hand on Christine's chest.

"Tell me there is not more in here. You'll be two people who care about each other, sharing a time where your paths have overlapped, knowing that one day your paths are going to separate again, but that you will never truly lose each other no matter what happens." She slid her hand up and cupped Christine's face once more. "I'm not talking about sex without commitment, I'm talking about love without obligation. One day David and I will marry. Actually we'll probably do it twice: once because we can't stand waiting any longer, but then eventually we'll have to do the big wedding thing for the family; and on that day, I promise you, you will dance at my wedding and you will be happy." She leaned in and kissed Christine's cheek tenderly. "And the tears you cry will be tears of joy."

I could see Christine leaning into her hand and into the kiss as the emotion Lizzy was seeing inside her flickering to the surface here and there. Then Lizzy pulled back, and Christine said, "You're insane. How can you calmly sit there and tell me it's okay to sleep with the man you love and not be afraid of losing him to me. Lizzy, men and women have been stealing lovers since the world began. Sex changes people; it's the weapon of choice in the war of hearts."

"I'm not going to answer that," Lizzy said with a smile. "Wait until we get to Vegas, then tell me if you still think I'm crazy. As for sex, you will find that sex has no hold on David — or me either for that matter. Not like what you're talking about. You see, sex doesn't make people fall in love. And great sex, really great sex, only happens when you are in love."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Lizzy. We were only together one night, and it was pretty awesome. You don't know what you're..."

"Yes I do," Lizzy interrupted, 'and I'm not missing it as much as I'm looking forward to it. As for whether or not I'm right, one of these days you're going to discover that, and I want you to promise me you'll call and tell me when it happens. Meanwhile, don't worry about stealing David's love, he has more than you could ever carry, and no matter how much you take there will always be more left than when you started."

"You're weird," Christine said.

"You have no idea," Lizzy said with a smile, and then she yawned. "We should get to bed, so we can get an early start. Come on, Amber, stop playing with Christine's pussy and come snuggle me."

"Oh, do I have to?" Amber asked in a mischievous tone. "She has such a nice pussy." Then she picked up the ball of gray fluff out of her lap and carried it over to the bed. "Come on, baby, time for bed. Mommy will have to play with her own pussy."

Christine had a pretty good blush going as she took Widget, and the scene faded.

"So I guess it went pretty well then?" I asked.

"As well as can be expected considering the stuff I was dropping on her. I'll give her time to think about it, and then we'll talk again tomorrow night. Jimmy, there's something else you need to know."

"What's that?"

"You know how I told Christine there are no coincidences in your life?"

Something about the way she was biting her lip worried me.

"Yeah?" I answered hesitantly, almost dreading what was coming next.

"Christine isn't a coincidence," she said. "Jimmy, people meet you for one of two reasons. Either they need you, or you need them. Then there are the special ones, me, Amber, Allison, Jasmine, even Rebecca, where the purpose is mutual. Jimmy, Christine is one of the special ones."

I just looked at her while the internal argument was sorting itself out. My first thought was, "you're kidding," followed closely by, "how could she know that?" What settled it for me was that it was Lizzy saying it, and if anyone would know, it would be her.

I guess she could see when I reached the point of accepting it because she went on. "The answer to your next question is — I don't know. Jimmy, she's different — not you and me different — but there is something very different about her. I see her, but I don't think I'm seeing all of her. It's like there are parts of her that are hidden."

"You mean like when Jamie was hiding in my glow?"

"Yes and no. Something like that: only in Jamie's case I only had hints and guesses, and there was no way to sort it out, but Christine isn't hiding on purpose. With her I know there is something there, and there is no glow to hide it in. Everything about her is normal, just like Amber, Bob, Rebecca, Amy now that I can see her. She's like everyone else but ... not."

"But you could read the rest?"

"Yes, everything! Do me a favor, if you ever meet that asshole Brian who hurt her, put Jamie in a bubble as fast as you can."

"That bad?" I asked.

"Yeah, he hurt her really bad; bad enough that it's still affecting her. She wants to love you; I could see it in her. But it's like you took a beach ball and compressed it down to a walnut, only in this case the shell is like diamond. She's so afraid to let go..."

"Then are you sure this is all such a good idea?" I asked.

"Yes," she said confidently. "She wants to love you because it's you, and you're the one making her want to believe again. It's going to take time, but eventually, with a little help and encouragement, that seed is going to bloom into a beautiful flower. I don't know what is going to happen when it does, but I can tell you that it's going to be awesome when it happens. After that I think she will most likely decide that, as wonderful as you are, you're not the bee her flower wants. Or she may decide that her flower needs more attention than she can get anywhere else, and she may stick around."