| Chapter 26 The next few weeks flew by quickly. The tour had been postponed indefinitely. Management cited scheduling conflicts as the reason. Brian didn't want the whole world knowing of his condition, and with the statement about the divorce just being released, he didn't want it to look like Tara was abandoning him in his time of need. So once again the fans only got half the truth. Brian hated it, but it was better this way. He had begun a daily ritual of calling his parents and talking with them. It was hard to do at first, but as the days pasted it became easier. No longer was the transplant the only subject that was discussed, much to Brian's relief. He also talked with the guys every other day or so. Everyone seemed to be hopeful, and that helped Brian more than he could ever tell them. Nick and Tara were progressing nicely in their training. Nick was mastering the techniques needed to break someone, and Tara had become very skillful. She had reached a peak in her training. There simply was nothing left for her to learn, as far as skill went, but she still hadn't gotten the information she wanted. So they stayed. Ephah had kept a close eye on the two, but had made no move to talk with Nick again. Nick and Tara were careful around him, not wanting to expose their true identity until they had gotten everything they had come for. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick opened his eyes and stretched. The sun was shining through the windows into his face. He sat up and looked around, finding he was alone in the room. He closed his eyes and searched the house for Tara, panic enveloped him when he didn't feel her. He jumped out of bed and quickly made his way into the great room. Jered and Ephah were sitting on the couch talking when Nick ran in. They both looked up. "Where is she?" he demanded. "The girls took her into town," Ephah replied. Nick tried to calm down, "Why?" "It was time for her first test," Jered answered. "Test? What kind of test?" Nick asked, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. Jered smiled, "Now what do you think? So far she's only practiced on you, the girls needed to know if she could do it to someone else." Nick glanced at Ephah, then looked out the windows, "Oh, OK." Ephah watched as Nick searched the desert. It seemed as if he were looking for something. "Nick, they won't be back until late," he offered. "Alright, I'm gonna get a shower, then I guess we can start," Nick said, turning to head back to his room. Ephah watched him leave the room. He could feel Nick's concern, knowing it must be near impossible for him to accept what Tara was now, and what was expected of her. He got up and followed Nick down the hall, catching him as he entered his room. "Nick, I know you're worried about her, but you agreed to this remember?" Ephah said. Nick looked down at the floor, "I know, but I don't have to like it." "No one's expecting you to, but we have an alliance that cannot be broken," he said. Nick stared at the man, searching his eyes. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked. Ephah nodded. "Do you love her?" Nick asked. Ephah looked at him, "Who Evi?" "Yeah," Nick said. Ephah sighed, "I'm not sure how to answer that, why?" "I was just wondering how you did it. How do you watch the person you love go and do that and not feel different about them when they come back?" Nick asked. Ephah thought for a while, "I dunno Nick. I don't guess I've ever loved anyone like you and Tara do, so I can't answer that." Nick walked over and sat on the bed, staring off into outer space. Ephah walked over, looking to make sure Jered wasn't lurking. "Nick, if you two want out, you need to do it quick, before it's to late," he whispered. Nick looked at him wide eyed, "What do you mean?" "I mean if you two are leaving, you need to go before you are confirmed and it's to late," Ephah stated. "Why would we want to leave?" Nick asked, trying his best to look completely dumbfounded. Ephah smiled at him, "I'm not stupid Nick. I figured out what you were doing a few weeks ago." "And that would be what?" Nick asked, still playing clueless. Ephah shook his head, "You two are good actors. The others don't know, but I see what you are. I know you're not on our side no matter how much you act the part." Nick swallowed hard, trying not to panic, "Why haven't you said anything to the others?" Ephah shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure. At first I wasn't sure if my suspicions where warranted. I wanted to wait and see what you would do. But then when I knew, I just decided to take myself out of the equation." "How do you know?" Nick asked. "I see a lot of me in you when I was young and on the other side. You remember our conversation when I said you reminded me of something?" Ephah said. Nick nodded, "I reminded you of you." "Yes, that's how I know," Ephah said. "You won't give us away?" Nick asked. Ephah sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "No, I won't." Nick put his hand on Ephah's arm, staring deep into his eyes, "You can come with us." "No Nick, I lost that privilege a long time ago," Ephah said. Nick shook his head, "No you haven't. All you have to do is ask. He still loves you, deep down you know that." Ephah held Nick's gaze for a moment, then got up and headed for the door, "Hurry with you're shower, we have a lot to do today," and with that he was gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tara walked around the casino looking for her �mark'. She knew the girls were watching every move she made. She hated this. She never wanted her training to go this far, but she couldn't back out now. She still needed to know how they blocked themselves from being detected, and wether they were the only three, or if there were more. Tara sighed, looking over at the blackjack table. She grinned, seeing the perfect target for her test. She slowly made her way over and sat down, "Hi." The man glanced over at her, then smiled, "Hi there. What brings you here?" Tara shrugged, "Celebration of sorts, you?" "Much needed vacation," he said, "And what are you celebrating?" "My divorce," Tara replied. "Oh yeah, I did hear something about that on the news. Sorry," he offered. Tara shook her head, "Don't be. Some things just don't work out. I think I'm happier now anyway." "Hey, whatever floats your boat," the man said, placing his bet. "Mind if I stay and watch?" Tara asked, looking into his eyes. "Not at all, you can be my lady luck," he said. Tara laughed, "I've been called many things, but never that." "Well, we'll just have to change that," he said. Tara watched as he played his hand. She �helped' a little, and he started winning. She slowly starting singing her song, aiming it only at the man sitting next to her. As the day went by they became inseparable. Every table he went to he won, with her help of course. He finally decided to call it a night, asking her if she would join him for dinner. Tara gladly accepted, walking with him to the cashiers booth to collect his winnings. He pocketed the money and turned to her, wrapping his arm around her as they walked. "I just need to go up to my room for a sec, do you mind?" he asked. "Not at all," Tara said, stepping onto the elevator with him. They road the car to the top floor and stepped out. "The penthouse here is nice," Tara stated. "Yeah, one of the best I've been in," he replied. He swiped his key card and they entered the spacious room. Tara sat down on the couch while he placed his winnings in the safe. He tossed her a wad of bills, "Here, you should have that." "Why?" Tara asked. He laughed, "Cause I was losing my shirt before you sat down. You are officially Lady Luck, at least in my book." "Thanks," Tara said, slipping the bills into her purse. "Well I'm ready," he announced, "Do you want security or not?" Tara shrugged, "It's up to you." "I was just thinking. What would people say if they saw us together," he said. Tara sighed, "Well they would probably assume that I left Brian for you, and have us getting married by I'd say the end of the week." He laughed, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. You wanna just order room service instead?" Tara shrugged, "It's up to you." He thought for a moment, "If you don't care, why don't we? I really don't feel like being the top story on ET this week." Tara laughed, "Yeah, me either." He walked over to the phone and picked it up, dialing the number. He ordered one of everything on the menu. Tara laughed. "Oh and send up some champagne and strawberries too," he said. "Yes sir Mr. Timberlake, will that be all?" the attendant asked. Justin smiled, "Yes, that will be all." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lyn and Brian sat on the balcony watching the sun set. Lyn had relinquished many of her duties to her employees, leaving her with as much free time to spend with Brian as she wanted. Brian was grateful that she had. He had a hard time being alone. All the �what ifs' and the fears would come crashing in when he was alone. He hated feeling that way. He hated telling his parents everyday that he was fine when he really wasn't. He was tired, and worried. It had been weeks, and still no heart. He knew he couldn't have much longer to wait. Eventually his heart would give out, to damaged to continue supporting him. Lyn got up from her chair and walked over, sitting in his lap. He smiled at her as she ran her hand through his hair. Brian cupped her cheek with his hand and pulled her into a slow soft kiss. Lyn pulled back after a moment and looked at him, "I love you." He smiled, "I love you too." She could tell he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself. "What?" she asked. "I was just thinking bout something," he said. "Tell me," she said. He looked down at her hand, playing with her fingers. He didn't want to see her reaction to what he was saying. "Just that I should probably have a will drawn up," he said. "Brian, please don't....," she said. "I need to Lyn, just in case. I want to make sure that everyone gets what I want them to have," he stated. Lyn pulled his chin up, making him look at her, "You won't need it. You're gonna get a heart, and you'll be fine." He smiled at her, "I know, but if that doesn't happen, I need to be prepared." Lyn sighed, knowing he was right. "I can set up an appointment with my attorney in the morning if you want," she offered. Brian nodded, "Thanks." Lyn moved around to where she was sitting on Brian's thighs facing him. "Now, no more talk like this, OK?" she said. "OK," he agreed. She leaned in and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Brian quickly lost all thoughts of making wills and found himself completely engulfed by the moment. His heart ached, bursting with the love he felt for her, and all he wanted to do was show her. Lyn moaned against his lips as he ran his hands underneath her shirt, caressing her breasts. Lyn ran her hands down Brian's back, grabbing his shirt and pulling it off, letting it drop to the floor. She pushed Brian to where he was leaning against the back of the chair, then started kissing his chest. Brian watched her move down to his stomach, then moaned as she licked up his scar and planted a kiss at the top of it. He took her hand, motioning for her to get up. She did, and he got up after her, picking his shirt up as he did. Silently he led her back into the bedroom, shutting the door to the outside world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tara pushed Justin onto the bed and crawled on top of him. "Damn woman," Justin said, laughing. Tara smirked at him, "Are you complaining?" "Hell no," he said, pulling her into a fevered kiss. Tara ran her hands through his hair, bringing them to his forehead. "Night Justin," she said. He looked at her confused, "Huh?" She quickly placed her hand over his eyes and watched as he fell into a deep sleep. She sat up, taking a few breaths to calm her nerves. She looked around the room, trying to figure out how she was going to do what she needed to and get out without waking him up. Just then Jade appeared in the room, "You look like you need some help." Tara jumped up, hugging her, "Oh thank you!" Jade laughed, "It's OK. First off, you alright?" Tara nodded, "Yeah, I guess. That was harder than I thought it was gonna be." "Well at least you didn't have to do anything more than kiss him," Jade said. Tara nodded. "Second, what do you need me to do?" she asked. "I have to take what he won with me," Tara answered. "Easy enough," Jade said, walking over to the safe and opening it. Tara took the money out and placed it in her purse. She looked up at Justin, "Can you help me with him?" The girls pushed Justin into the middle of the bed. Tara pulled the blanket up over him. "Don't worry," Jade said, "I'll stay and wake him up. He'll think it was all a dream." "OK, I'll push the room service cart out and have them come pick it up on my way out," Tara said. Jade nodded. Tara looked around making sure there was no evidence of her ever being there. "I think you've got it covered," Jade said. "OK, thanks again," Tara said, heading to the door. Jade watched her leave, deciding to wait a few hours before waking Justin. Tara made her way back down to the casino. She quickly spotted Evi and Serenity, walking up to them. "Did you get it?" Serenity asked. Tara nodded, "Yeah, let's get out of here." The girls walked to the door. "So, tell us how he was," Evi said. Tara smiled at them, "Interesting to say the least." Evi and Serenity glanced at one another, feeling a sense of pride in their pupil. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was well past dark and Nick was almost out of his mind with worry. He tried his best to hide it around Jered. He made it a point to piss the man off every time they came into contact with each other, just so he would leave and Nick wouldn't have to deal with him. Ephah found this amusing. Nick's strategy was either going to get him killed, or the relief he wanted. So far he had found his relief. Nick had found moments to talk with Ephah during the day. Giving him words of encouragement. Ephah knew all to well what Nick was aiming for, he just wasn't sure it was possible. He knew God loved him, but he wasn't so sure he could be forgiven. He had committed treason, turned his back on Him, and he'd been gone for so long. Nick would take none of these as an excuse though. He was determined to bring Ephah back with them when he and Tara left. Nick jumped up and ran to the window, sensing the girls. A few moments later, their car entered the garage. Nick ran out to meet them. He grabbed Tara as soon as she got out of the car and pulled her into a hug. Tara laughed, "Miss me?" "Way to much," Nick replied, walking into the house with her. Jered looked at the girls, "So, how'd she do?" Evi and Serenity smiled, pulling the money from Tara's purse, "Oh, not to bad." Nick stared at the amount of money, "How did ..?" Tara looked at him, and he knew not to ask the rest of the question. "Well, I need a shower," she announced, taking Nick's hand and heading down the hall with him. They walked into their room, shutting and locking the door behind them. "Please tell me you didn't ..." Nick started. Tara shook her head, "No, I didn't have to, but they think I did." "Then how?" Nick asked. Tara sighed, "I think you better sit down before I tell you." Nick bit his lip, doing as she said. He knew it was going to be bad if she asked him to sit. "I picked someone we know," she said. "Who?" Nick asked. Tara looked down, "Justin." Nick's mouth dropped open, "What!?!" Tara cringed, "Wait a minute. Let me explain." Nick sat there staring at her, waiting. "I saw him at a blackjack table. I went over and we talked for a while. I kinda helped him with his games. He asked me to have dinner with him, so we went up to his room...." she said. "You went to his room?!" Nick asked. "Nothing happened! We ate dinner, I kinda kissed him a little then I knocked him out," she said. "You kissed him!?! How could you.....?" Nick said as Tara put her hand over his mouth. "Do you want them to hear you?" she asked. Nick shook his head. "Then shut up and let me finish," she said. Nick sighed as she took her hand away from his mouth. "I had to do something to distract him, so I kissed him. Anyway, Jade showed up after I knocked him out and helped me. She stayed to wake him up, and he won't remember any of it, except that maybe he dreamed it," she explained. "But all you did was kiss right?" Nick asked. Tara rolled her eyes, "Yes, that's it, and trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Angel kisses better than him." Nick laughed, calming down a bit. "I'm sorry, I was just worried about you," he apologized. "It's OK," she said. "Tara, I have to tell you something," Nick said, looking serious. She sat down next to him, "What?" "Ephah knows," he said. "Are you sure?" she asked. Nick nodded, "He told me this morning. I've been talking with him on and off all day." "Is he gonna out us?" she asked. "No, he said he wouldn't, but he said we needed to leave soon, before the confirmation," Nick said. Tara nodded, "I know, but I still don't know what I need to yet." "Then we just have to drag it out of them. We don't have much time," Nick said. Tara sighed, "I know. I'll try to get them to talk about it tomorrow." "Good, the sooner we leave, the happier I'll be," Nick said, pulling her into his arms. "Me to," she said, welcoming his embrace. He held her for a few moments, until she looked up at him. "I really do need a shower, wanna come?" she asked. Nick laughed, "Do you have to ask?" Chapter 27 |