Chapter 19: Renewing Acquaintances and Aiding Young Love

Early Friday morning, before we did anything else, Cate took me out to her garage lab again. I could tell from her demeanor what today was. The two mice would live to grow strong and healthy from my energy treatments, but Cate wanted to do the bone strength tests on the two rabbits. I again considered the parallel between their lives and mine, but that wasn't a very productive thought process. Instead, I did what I needed to, feeding energy into the two mice and draining it from the leg bones of the two rabbits. When I finished Cate got busy and it was clear I was excused, but I had to stay and watch.

"You're not going to see anything," she informed me. "First I have to euthanize them, then I have to dress them, then I have to strip the bones and dry them out. It's a lengthy process, which is why I woke you so early this morning. I wanted to make sure I could get it all started before we left for St. Louis after school today. Just go ahead and shower and get ready. I won't have the results you're waiting for until Sunday evening after we get back."

I stayed to watch her put the mice down, since the parallel to my own life was so compelling, but once that took place I followed her advice and reentered the house to finish getting ready.

Once again, I got to Carbondale early in order to check up on Adrian Hart. When I walked in he seemed a little brighter and more talkative than he had been recently.

"Alex, I just want to tell you that I really appreciate what you've done for me. While I can't blame you for a random infection picked up in a public hospital, what you've done for me more than makes up for it. For the kinds of roles I typically play, an ugly, gaping scar would mean I could no longer play the shirtless action roles I've performed in the past. Now, while I still have a scar, it's the kind of 'oh, how brave of him to have suffered though that' type of scar, as opposed to a 'oh God, how disgusting' it would have been otherwise.

"Now, while I know you continually say you don't want to be indebted to me, I still want to show my appreciation for what you've done for me. This simple thing you've done for me means literally millions for both me and for the studio, plus it also means many more years of moviemaking for me. Finding someone who isn't looking for a favor or trying to make money off of me is something I'm basically not used to, so this is a bit new to me. I pressed Ryan about how I could show you my appreciation, and he told me you have a nonprofit group you're interested in. Now, while I find you working for a pro-women's group a little odd, it's also a group which makes sense and touches me personally, since I have a couple of daughters of my own.

"I hope you won't take this as me attempting to control you, but I've made a fairly sizable donation to your charity, and I'm sure the studio will do so as well. You don't owe me anything for this, after all, this was done purely to show you how much I appreciate what you've done for me. I just want to thank you personally for it. I'll also lend my name to whatever you may want to do with this magical solution you're developing."

"Well thanks, Adrian, if I can be so forward as to call you that. As I said, I'm not looking for fame and fortune right now, but I appreciate your efforts. Who could really use your name would be the hospital itself. If you could tell anyone that's interested the hospital is making inroads in surgeries, it would help the hospital a lot."

"I'll do that, Alex, and you can always call me Adrian. Actually, you can call me Mike, which is my real name, as unsexy as it sounds. And if you ever need any help with anything, feel free to give me a call. Here's my private number. I'm truly indebted to you for what you've done for me."

"You know, about the toe, may I just suggest you may have fallen victim to your calling in too many medical experts. As far as I understand it, the damage to your toe was very localized and would have only required a tiny piece of your toe being removed. But the 'medical experts' you called in were afraid of advising caution, fearful that if something went wrong they'd be held liable. Therefore they advised you to have the entire toe removed when it really wasn't necessary."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. When the studio employs an army of experts, you tend to utilize them. But I've been told before that their allegiance isn't necessarily to me. I can see how that would apply here as well. I'll take it as a lesson from here on out. Anyway, thanks for everything you've done."

Despite our previous disagreements, and how inconsequential what I'd done appeared to be when weighed against the seriousness of his heart condition, it felt good hearing how much I'd personally impacted his life. Although the money he supposedly donated went to my non-profit group, I'd make sure it went to good use in promoting my mission of helping 'my people'. I didn't plan on spending whatever he'd donated myself. Still, it would certainly give us a lot more leeway in getting by in the future. I bade him farewell and headed off to pick up Chalise.

Chalise was happy to see me and insisted Cate and I come inside to speak to her and Caroline.

"Dad called after he got home and had a chance to calm down. He assured us he was sorry for what he'd said, and that he'd try to treat you better from here on out," she told me excitedly. "He said he was going to make a real effort to be a better father and husband from now on."

"See, Alex, last night was really a success," Caroline told us. "Although it appeared to have gone badly at first, it looks like we got our message across. Hopefully he's serious about what he's saying. If he is, it could make a real difference in our lives. Now we're hardly ready to move back until he demonstrates more of his willingness to get along, but we're taking this as a good sign."

Although I was happy for them, I took this news more cautiously. While I'd hoped Rodger would eventually reconsider, this seemed a bit hasty to me. To go from threatening me last night to being all lovey-dovey with me today, was just a bit much to believe. I'd have to see it myself. However I knew better than to rain on Chalise and Caroline's parade. They had hopes that everything would work out, and that would make a difference in how they viewed their father. I just hoped he could live up to those expectations.

The ride to school was a nice one. Chalise was so happy, she could hardly sit still. Both she and Kitty reminded me the Upperclassman's Ball was next Friday, so to make sure I got my tux ready by then. I already knew someone at home was working on it and that I just had to make an appearance to ensure the selected size fit me properly. The same was true for flowers for both girls and their mothers, as had been demonstrated repeatedly on our early dates together. No one mentioned next week, and they all immediately started talking about finals, so I knew something was up. It was obvious that everyone knew my birthday was just around the corner, but it seemed no one was willing to mention it, making me think they had something big planned. But I was too focused on relationships rather than things and I had no big desire for gifts of any kinds. I just wanted to be close to those around me. I hoped they'd all appreciate that, given how limited their time with me was. I was scheduled to leave soon after graduation, so I valued our short time together more than anything they might be able to get me. I'd have to drop a few dozen hints before then.

The lunchroom crowd was likewise all atwitter about the upcoming dance. They'd all managed tickets and a few dates, but they all wanted to know that I'd reserve a dance exclusively for them. The other Alex even asked if he could have one as well. I just said that if all the other girls were going to be dancing together, then I couldn't see any reason why I couldn't dance with him. He smiled at that, pleased to know that although I was joking, I truly meant it that I wasn't bothered by such things.

We'd decided that only Kitty, Cate and I would travel to St. Louis this time. Chalise explained it was only fair, since she'd gone last time. But a lot of it was that her father had agreed to meet with them to discuss me, and she was anxious to see whether he'd reconsidered his stance. She figured she'd have a better chance of determining how serious he was by facing him directly.

We'd arranged it so Caroline would pick Chalise up at school, so we all gathered at the car where her mother met us and we all kissed each other goodbye for the weekend, or at least a good part of it. I had no problems driving this time, since I'd proven I wasn't likely to have any more 'accidental activations'. Still, I remembered my lesson from my mistake with Nikki, and had plans in case the unexpected might occur.

It was interesting driving with Kitty and Cate, because neither one shared Chalise's optimism about her father. When I'd driven home last night, I advised Gail and the girls about what had happened. Gail suggested that maybe I should spend more than just a day in St. Louis, just in case he decided to try something. Both girls held similar views. Cate informed me, in no uncertain terms, that I was much too forgiving, and I was going to get seriously hurt if I didn't stop viewing everyone through such rose tinted glasses. I conceded they probably had a good point, and that I was highly suspicious about Rodger's recent turn around since it seemed to have occurred too quickly.

Part way there I turned the radio off and asked for quiet while I contacted Clara. This was unusual for me, but I wanted to give her my entire concentration, since I'd given so little time before.

'Clara, it's Al—'

'Alex, I'm so, so, so very sorry. I—'

'You don't need to apologize, Clara, I just—'

'Oh, no, I definitely need to. What I did was terrible. You were right to criticize me. I'll—'

'Look, let's not get into arguing about who's sorrier. We'll discuss everything tomorrow. I just wanted to tell you that I'll meet you tomorrow around 10 or 11. I'll tell you where to meet us then.'

'I've been reevaluating the role that organized religion has had in my life, ' she hurried to assure me. 'Cate told me you don't believe in it yourself, and that you don't trust the church. I'm ready for you now and I've—'

'Clara, please, I'm driving and a little too distracted to get into this level of detail now. We'll talk about it in the morning, ' I told her, not wanting to deal with her apologetic rant at the moment. I knew I'd have to sit through it sooner or later, but I wanted to do it all at once, and not every time I spoke to her. 'I'll be watching and evaluating you to see if you're ready to join us, ' I warned her, hoping it would help her curb her actions.

'I'm sorry, ' she apologized again. 'I'll be much better this time. I'm really sorry I—'

'Yeah, I get that, ' I told her, cutting her off again. I got the impression she'd had plenty of time practicing false humility in that church of hers. I just hoped she was emotionally stable enough to not present a risk to everyone around me. 'Again, we'll discuss all of that tomorrow, ' I told her, effectively ending the conversation. I knew I really shouldn't have anything to do with her, but I just couldn't bring myself to completely abandon her now when she needed the companionship of her Sisters. A church is nice, but they'd never be able to accept what she was currently experiencing.

Once I'd finished speaking with her, which only took a few seconds, I turned the radio back on and we had a good time for the rest of the drive. We pulled into Gail's at a reasonable hour and Gail ran out to give us all, but especially me, hugs before she packed us up in her car and took us off to dinner. She took us back to the Abbey, which pleased Kitty, who'd been hoping to visit the same lesbian haunts which Chalise had told her about.

"You know my friends are expecting to meet us there again," Gail warned us.

"I'm glad you're including your friends." I told her. "They might not be able to share your new life, but they still value your friendship and appreciate you."

Gail blushed when I said that, which confused me a moment, but I thought there might be something there. I just looked at her and her blush worsened until she finally 'fessed up.

"Actually, when I returned to make amends last week, I talked to Melissa. We never quite hit it off before, but now that we have you in common, it's really working between us. After I talked to the other girls, I took her back to my apartment and we talked all night. And don't look at me like that, I mean we talked. About you, in fact. I gave her Cate's usual spiel, plus what I knew about you as well. She's still a little hesitant about the idea of sleeping with a guy, but she said that if what I told her was true, she'd certainly consider it."

Now it was my turn to blush, which Kitty and Cate both found quite humorous.

"I'm not sure I'm quite ready to take someone I only spoke to for a few minutes to bed, but I'm really glad you two are getting along. I was worried about what you'd told me before. If this allows you to find a way to live a normal, well, at least a normal lesbian life, then more power to you."

When we entered the bar, Bev, Sara and Julie were all there holding a table for us and they heartily welcomed us. Melissa walked over from where she'd been sitting at the bar and nervously asked if she could join us. I welcomed her with a big hug, and Gail's friends did as well. Everyone especially welcomed Kitty, cooing over her and welcoming her 'over to this side of the fence', as they called it. They all got quite cozy talking about all kinds of details about lesbian life in general; kind of like the general discussion I had with Alex. When they started to run out of steam, maybe after it became clear that however much Kitty was fascinated by their world, she wasn't about to leave my side, the conversation turned back to me and Gail.

"So Alex, what's the deal with you and Gail? Have you officially turned her to the dark masculine side, or is there hope for her and Melissa?"

I think we all blushed at that one.

"No, I never meant to steal her from your team. She's definitely not interested in men, just me, and she only puts up with my being male by focusing on everyone around me. Luckily I've got a lot of women around me to distract her. She has to imagine me with tits and no facial hair, which, if you actually think about, isn't such a stretch. I've got the general physique of a more masculine girl, I almost have my sister's breasts, and I've got no noticeable facial hair. So it's not really such a stretch her being with me.

"But why ask me, I'm sure Gail has been giving you all the details," I protested, despite the fact I knew she hadn't.

"Hell no, she's turned so damn taciturn lately we can't get anything out of her. She used to be such a braggart and gossip, and now you've managed to ruin her. We can't get any good information out of her anymore," Bev complained.

I noticed Mellissa's grin when she said that, so I knew the feelings weren't quite shared equally.

"Ah, perhaps she's seen the error of her ways," I suggested.

"Or perhaps the added benefits of joining the other side. The subtle side that is," Kitty teased them all.

"No, seriously, I don't want to take her completely away from you or her previous life," I told them. "I know you have been friends for a long time, and that's something to be cherished."

"Well," Bev stated, "we have no idea what's been going on, but we're glad you stuck up for us. She was hardly speaking to us for a while. She's not very talkative about her new life, but at least we're still in contact. We'd like to find out just what's going on, but we're willing to wait for the info."

"You may have to wait a long while I'm afraid," I told them. "Our group doesn't like trading secrets, and Gail's still a bit shy about sharing her new life with her friends, but we mean her no harm. She's still the same Gail you've always known. It's just that she has some new items in her life she can't tell you about ... yet," I added, giving them a little glimmer that they may get to share in it eventually.

"Hey, you'll never guess what we've got planned," Kitty excitedly told them, essentially getting everyone off of the topic. When they asked her what, she continued. "Alex has this big bunch of young ladies who are all dying to dance with him. So we've planned to go to the Senior Prom at school, but we have all these unattached young ladies who are going to be hanging around our table. What do you suppose two young lovelies are supposed to do when there's only one gentleman nearby to slow dance with? I think we're going to have a record number of romantic girl-girl dancers at this year's dance."

"While it's nice you're trying, dancing with a girlfriend doesn't quite get you into the club," Julie informed Kitty, smiling at her.

"Well, I'm not sure how many are going to be switching sides, after all, they're all still pining after this guy, but with the ratio he's been keeping amongst all of our friends, who knows? They were all afraid to come with dates for fear they may not get a dance with him," Kitty explained.

Bev just looked at me. "Just what is it you offer which attracts such interest?" she asked. She then turned to Melissa, who had so far remained fairly quiet. "Melissa, you were immediately drawn to him. Can you give us some idea of what the basic attraction is?"

Melissa looked hesitantly at me.

"Just the basics, don't reveal anything of what Cate or Gail told you, but you can give her your initial impressions," I advised her.

"Well," she began, taking time to collect her thoughts. "I just got this impression that here sat someone clearly very important. Someone who I felt held a lot of power and who could personally change my life, although I had no idea how it might work." She glanced at me again at this point, as if asking if what she'd revealed was accurate.

"They seem to feel something which I give off," I confessed. "It seems to extend beyond myself, so it's not pheromones or smells of some kind. Many feel it through walls and buildings."

"So it isn't sexual?" Bev asked, beginning to sound like my sister Becky as she grew intrigued by the subject.

"Well, not at first. Though you immediately have this feeling that, in exchange for whatever he may be offering, you'd gladly exchange almost anything you possess," Melissa confessed.

"You know, I think that's likely a byproduct of the process," Cate said, getting sidetracked herself talking about her favorite subject once again, me. "Whereas the others probably have some neurochemical processes triggered in their brains, those like Melissa may have something similarly activated. It probably works in reverse as well, as so far you've only rejected one person and that was for safety concerns, not a personal rejection."

"Cate," I said, trying to warn her off, "I think you may be saying—"

"You know, I think you may be onto something, Cate," Kitty stated. "From what the MRI showed, there is a definite process occurring in the brain. It wouldn't be unfair to suggest there's an associated neurochemical process, similar to what happens when someone falls in love that's triggered."

"You had an MRI done to figure out why women are attracted to you?" Julie asked.

"I think we're getting into the areas we'd best not go in mixed company," I warned everyone. "I don't mind bringing people into the fold, but it's got to be a slow and careful process. First they have to demonstrate they can be trusted."

"Yeah, they've got to demonstrate they won't divulge everything you reveal about yourself," Kitty laughed. "Seriously though, Alex doesn't do anything to any of them. They just seem to flock to him," she explained.

"The girls all flock to him, while all the guys plot his imminent demise," Cate offered.

"He's had a few confrontations already," Gail offered. "I had to call the local police detective to step in and try to quiet the school down before there was a major scene."

Bev looked me over again. "I'm not sure I see it," she honestly stated.

"Well, the initial attraction isn't based on looks, it's more of a general attraction," Kitty tried to explain. "But as far as Chalise and I are concerned, as well as the other girls at school, it's not so much the usual things a girl looks at, as the whole confidence level, his total belief and acceptance. He started walking around the school, sitting at each clique's table and getting to know everyone. All those who were either instantly attracted to him or basically unhappy with the status quo migrated over to our table. We started out with just the three of us. Now we've got one of the strongest groups in the whole school."

"Yeah, plus some very aggressive guys who are just waiting for the opportunity to bust my ass," I mock complained.

"The last time someone threatened him," Kitty explained, "a bunch of us refused to let him fight, blocking the guy's access to him. When his opponent did a little judo move and knocked us on our asses, several more people stepped up and took our places."

"Once again, I just don't see why so many normally spiteful competitive girls would suddenly become so dedicated," Bev complained about her understanding of the story.

"We're basically talking about two different things," Cate explained. "On the one hand, there's the thing about Alex which attracts women like Gail and Melissa to him. On the other there are the normal girls who are attracted to his personality and presence. In the first case it seems to be something to do with the effect he has on them. It seems to establish some kind of trust and affection between the people involved."

"It's basically that he fills you with confidence, and you know he's going to change the world in some subtle way which you'll never hear about, but will make a big difference," Gail finally tried in explain out of exasperation with her friend's lack of understanding. Melissa nodded excitedly to hear her own views echoed. "He looks insignificant, but there's a lot hidden under his quiet exterior. He talked an older Vietnamese lady into leaving her family behind and follow him home over the objections of her son, who didn't like the idea very much. When he punched Alex unexpectedly, she and his two other companions flew to his rescue while his poor father just stood there with his mouth hanging open." I was beginning to hate these repeated stories. It's one thing to be constantly held in awe, but to hear the stories get repeated over and over gets to be a bit much.

"So, if that's how these adult women react to whatever mysterious hold he has over them, and the teenage girls all feel attracted to his confidence, then why do all the guys seem to dislike him?" Bev asked.

"I think that might be more than I can reveal at the moment," Cate said, glancing over at me. "Basically, I think he's conveying to the guys how he feels about the women around him. My guess is they feel defensive and naturally react negatively."

"So there is some unexplained phenomenon which allows him to attract women, and which repels teenage boys?" Julie asked doubtfully.

"Man, I could use something like that, myself," Bev said with a friendly smile.

"OK, ignoring everything we can't really talk about, I just try to accept people based on how they react, and not on how they look or what I've heard about them."

"I do like the subtle approach," Julie responded. "The whole 'aw shucks, it ain't nothing ma'am' thing he has going."

Knowing any further discussion was going to be counterproductive, I managed to get everyone up and convinced we should all go dancing. Gail's friends decided Cate and Kitty deserved to see a nice lesbian dance bar, which turned out to be a large techno place with a big dance floor, but also a lot of tables, chairs and couches. The girls had a great time dancing with Gail's friends, and Gail had a good time with them as well. I sat out most of them but they'd occasionally drag me out for a threesome dance.

During one particular moment when only Gail and I were protecting the table, I turned to her. "Once again, I seem to have revealed more than I was ready to," I told her, "but I want you to know you can tell them as much as you'd like. I trust your judgment, and you can reveal as much as you think they are ready for. They already seem to be handling as much as we've told them pretty well."

"They have," she admitted. "I'm really quite surprised, but more than that, I'm surprised you seem to be so good at reading people. It doesn't seem to be one of your talents, yet you're consistently right. Although I still reserve judgment on your letting Tony off so easily, but it seems to be working out, now that the school is finally cracking down on all its earlier oversights.

"You do realize telling everyone our secrets just so we can fit in is an incredibly dangerous thing to do, don't you?" she asked, just to establish her cautious advice.

"Yeah, I do. But I also know it's necessary to live among humans. People have to trust you. After I'm gone and each of you tries to blend back into normal society, you'll appreciate friends who understand and watch out for you. Your kids will need that kind of consideration," I told her in no uncertain terms. Despite my serious tone, she actually smiled as she leaned forward and kissed me.

"I was just reminding you. Actually, I find your efforts to include my friends incredibly nice, and I want to thank you for that. It'll still be difficult, but at least they aren't out in the cold. Though I suspect I'll be much closer to Melissa from now on. I think I'll get a lot of support from her, and she can act as a sounding board with my friends as well."

"Which brings up another point," I asked her, "what are we going to do about Melissa tonight? I'm not sure if you two are together yet or not, since you mentioned you didn't have sex the other night. Is she coming home with us?"

Here Gail looked a little doubtful. "Well, I knew she'd really like to, although the choice is yours to make, as I don't want to force anyone on you."

"Hey, don't worry about it. If she's going to be your girlfriend, then she belongs, end of story."

Cate had walked up during my little speech. "Actually, that fits in with what I was trying to say earlier. If I'm not mistaken, I'd guess Alex wouldn't be against fooling around with her. I suspect that when he makes the changes in the Seers' brains, he also seems to trigger a strong attraction in both his and their brains. But it also seems to work with the Watchers he's around, though it's not as direct. That confuses the issue, because the first can be explained as simple brain chemistry, but the Watchers apparently aren't 'activated' in the same way. So I guess we're back to our previous theories on them."

"You know, Ryan never looked at any of the Watchers brains in any detail. For all we know, Alex may have modified their brains as well," Gail suggested. "But speaking of attractions, now that Melissa is officially involved, she's got a job with a bit more leeway than I do. If you haven't dealt with them already, you can send anyone you met here last week over to visit her. I can't do it myself, because of my affiliation with the St. Louis police force. It would be viewed as coercion and a conflict with my duties to protect the citizens, but there's no reason why she couldn't act as a go between."

"Actually, now that you mention it, it seems we've come into some money that, hopefully, we can use for some discretionary funding. It seems both Adrian Hart and the studios have kicked a big lump of cash into the Angel Vision foundation. Since we'll be traveling in a little less than a month, we'll need some protection. I think we could cover security costs in our non-profit expenses, since it will play a large role in what I do," I informed them both.

"That's a great idea," Cate added. "That way you could quit the force and you wouldn't have to worry about any potential conflicts." Cate looked a bit hesitant then as she considered what she'd just said. "That is if you want to, Gail," she hurriedly added. "After all, you've wanted to be a cop for a long time, and I shouldn't presume you'd just want to quit. After all, once you quit it's hard to go back onto the force."

"Well, it'd be a big step, moving into private security. In order to make it official, I'd have to resign and set up a private security firm. I'd also likely have to hire a few people, just in order to make it believable. I'd probably also have to provide security for the sorority you're setting up. I'll have to think about what's involved. Plus I'll have to give notice to the police force. Since I'll rely on their evaluations for my credentials, I wouldn't want to burn any bridges there, especially since I'll probably continue to use my contacts there. Give me a little while to think about it. I'll come up with a plan we can work out."