threat9

Part 9

Jake was admitted into the hospital immediately after arrival. He had a concussion, bruising of many internal organs, and a few broken or cracked ribs. The doctors didn�t ask for specifics about what had happened, but suspected either a Gang beating, or a mugging, or initiation of some sort, something violent and lengthy. Though it probably wasn�t a good idea for him to be in one place for too long, he couldn�t remember the last time that he could just sit back and let other people do everything for him, and tried to relish in it. He slept for a long time, knowing that he should take the opportunity for as soon as their parents arrived, all hell would break loose.
Nathalie had faithfully remained by his side. It was strange, all of his powers had disappeared, yet he could still feel when she was near. It was by no means a presence of any kind, but still she was there in his mind. A connection that they had had forever, one that could not be denied or broken. He could feel her by his bedside now and felt reassured. She had not left his side since she had pulled him out of the Outback. He knew that she thought that she was protecting him from the Darks, and she was, but with her being constantly close to him, the Darks were probably following her sense straight back to him.

The thought brought him back to consciousness. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The pain drugs were doing their thing and everything had its own glowing aura around it. He didn�t feel and pain, then again he didn�t feel much of anything.

He looked around the room, eyes settling on Nathalie, dozing in the chair beside his bed. He thought about waking her, but she looked so peaceful, a ray of sunshine falling across her sleeping face, catching sparks in her mane of red hair, and decided that she probably needed the rest as much as he did, and let her rest. Instead, he looked around the room, through eyes that were slightly less swollen. It was a typical hospital room, bed the centerpiece, with two visitor�s chairs, a large window, stereotypical paintings and photographs adorning the walls. He saw the TV mounted high on the wall and searched for the remote. Coming up empty, he consoled himself that he could most certainly get only four or five boring stations anyway, so he sat back and waited, silently, gazing at her sleeping form until she awakened.

He didn�t have long to wait for she must have felt his eyes on her. She stirred, her eyes opening, blinking in the sunshine, and turned her head slowly to him. He wasn�t sure if it was where she was sitting in respect to the window, or if it was the pain drugs, but she looked radiant, ephemeral, bathed in light. Her face looked good, and the cloth sling that Julie had used, had been replaced with a heavy wrap and a contraption that bound her arm to her body.

She smiled upon seeing him looking at her. �Hey,� she said, sitting up slowly, scooting forward in the seat so that she could rest her hand on the bed beside him. �How are you feeling?�

He took a breath. �I�m good.� He said, trying to smile. �After all the drugs the docs gave me, I�m practically numb.�

She chuckled, her shoulders trembling with mirth. �That�s good.�

�Mom and Dad here yet.�

He felt intense relief flood through him when she shook her head. �They�re on their way,� she said. �Dad was short at the restaurant, he had to stick around there for a while. I can go see if they�re here.� She made to get up but he lashed out and grabbed her hand. She sank back into the chair, startled.

�No, stay.�

�Okay.�

She waited for him to make up his mind, patiently, silently.

�First of all I just wanted��

She cut him off before he could finish. �No Jake, you don�t have to say anything.�

�Yes I do.� He said stubbornly. He was silent for a moment while he ordered his thoughts. �I need to get this off of my chest before I don�t get another chance at it.�

She looked confused, but remained silent, waiting.

�Okay,� he said, and took a deep breath. �I don�t exactly know how to word this, but�� He cleared his throat and looked her right in the eyes. �Thanks.�

�For what?�

�For saving me, after all of the crap that my Darks and I put you through.� He motioned meaningfully to her arm. It was still hard for him to think about the fact that he was a sap, a normal human again. He couldn�t stand living within his own mind again. He nearly choked on the thought of the Darks no longer being his; they were Christopher�s now.

�Dark or no, you�re my brother first.�

He closed his eyes and released her. He couldn�t believe what she was saying. She was taking things too well, an infuriating habit of hers. �And I�m sorry.� The last coming out as barely a whisper, but he knew that she had heard him.

�For what?� And though he couldn�t sense her emotions, he knew that she probably knew what he was thinking about, but was waiting for him to say it.

/Damn it Nat, you�re not going to make this easy very easy for me now are you? / He thought with a wry twist of his lips. /Then again, why should she?/

Another sigh escaped him and he looked up at her knowing that his emotions of guilt and regret were mirrored in his face. He wished for the millionth time in the last few hours that he could sill express himself through thoughts. Things would be much simpler that way.

She was definitely very perceptive. �What ever it is, you�re not the person that you used to be. You�re not evil.�

He almost laughed in her face. �I don�t know about that, but, look Nat, I have to say this anyway."

�Okay.�

He shot her a stern look. �Shut up for a moment, please.�

She jumped, and hung her head embarrassed. �Sorry.�

He shifted on the bed a bit so that he was facing her more, and took her hand. �I just wanted to just, um, apologize for what I did to you.�

�What /you/ did? But I thought--� She said, then realized that she was supposed to be quiet. �Oh, sorry.� She said shutting up again.

�Wait, what were you going to say?� He asked, curious, but also glad that the heat was off of him for one moment. �You thought what?�

She swallowed. �Nothing. It�s just that I thought that it was all�� Then it dawned on her. �Chris� idea. But it wasn�t, it was yours!�

Jake nodded sadly. �Well, partly anyway.� He said remembering the day that Christopher had come into the ship with the plan to get rid of Nathalie. But Jake had had something in mind for the past year, knowing that she would break out eventually, but those plans went out the window when he started losing control of his emotions.

Nathalie was waiting. �The final plan was his, but I knew for a long time that something had to be done with you.�

Nathalie swallowed hard. �You were going to kill me?�

Jake closed his eyes and nodded. Nathalie gasped and put her hand to her heart. �Things were different then.�
/Lame Jake/, he thought cynically, /really lame./

�I was a Dark, the only thing in my mind was finding your ship. You were just another Light, someone to get out of the way.� He said.

Nathalie sat wide-eyed and silent.

�And, I�m sorry for that.� All the remorse that he had felt when she had first been captured came flooding back times five, threatening to make him sick, as if his emotions were making up for lost time.

Nathalie patted her brother�s hand. �You can make it up to us later.� She said, and was silent for a moment before speaking again. �Um, Jake, what are we supposed to tell our parents?�

Jake felt panic surge up. /Hadn�t thought of that/. �I dunno.� He admitted.

�Well, we have to tell them something.�   Nathalie continued.

The same thought went through his mind, the second that she said it. �Should we tell them the truth.?�

Jake shook his head, answering first. �No, we can�t.� He said. �Mom couldn�t handle it. She�s gonna freak as it is.�

�Yeah, tell me about it.� Nathalie agreed with a small smile. �She almost passed out when she saw me.�
Jake�s frown deepened. �We can�t tell them the truth.� He said sternly. �We can�t tell them about The Tomorrow People.�

�Why not?� She asked. �It would explain everything.�

�No, it wouldn�t.� Jake said. �It would just open a whole new can of worms that I don�t think either of us is ready for. We can�t tell them, not yet.�

Nathalie got to her feet. �Then when can we tell them?� She exclaimed, and started pacing in front of the window. �I have never lied to mom in my life! You know that Jake? And in the past week, I�ve had to tell her some pretty massive ones. I can�t take it anymore.�

Eyes closed, Jake reached out his arm to stop her pacing. �I know Nat,� he said and pulled her close. He held her, stroking her hair. �I know, and it will be hard for you, for both of us.�

�Oh, I forgot. This is old news for you.� Nathalie bit out, pulling out of his embrace.

�What?�

�You�ve been lying for two years about where you�ve been, what you�ve been doing, about injuries that you couldn�t have gotten in a football game or rugby match.� She said. �I can�t do that!�

Jake sat up too quickly as he made a grab for her, and fell back hissing in pain from his broken ribs. �Nathalie, please!� He implored.

�Don�t give me that things were different bullshit Jake!� She exclaimed. �I don�t care. I can�t lie to them anymore. I won�t.�

He sighed, knowing that she had set her mind and not even a tidal wave could budge her, so had he. He had to try anyway, for all their sakes. �Please, Nathalie.� He said. �We can�t tell them, not yet. Things are getting really bad, we don�t know how bad yet.� He shifted slowly and managed to grab hold of her. �But look.� She was not meeting his eyes. �Look at me.�

Reluctantly, her blue eyes met his gaze. �What?� She snapped.

Jake closed his eyes briefly and ran both hands through his disheveled hair. �Please, for me, Nat, telling Mom and Dad would only make things worse for everyone, you, me, Blaise. It would put them in danger if we tell them.�

�Tell us what?� He had been so intent on Nathalie that they hadn�t heard the doorway open.

Slowly, Jake turned his head to see his mother and father standing in the doorway. Andrea Ciarana was, who was holding tightly to her husband, took one look at Jake�s injuries, mainly his bruised and smashed face, and her eyes rolled up into her head, and she collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Nathalie shrieked as she saw her mother collapse. Quick to react, her father caught her as se fell, and carried her slight form over to one of the chairs. She tried to ignore the sight of her mother looking limp like a rag doll, her head lolling back against her father�s arm.

A nurse, hearing the scream, hurried into the room. �What�s happened?� She asked. She crossed the room and rearranged Jake�s blankets before she saw Andrea passed out in the chair. �What happened to her?� She reached over and took a pulse.

�She fainted.� Adrian said. �She�s fine.�

Indeed, she was already coming around. Upon seeing that she was fine, the nirse turned and left, murmuring that she was available if they needed her.

�Ann?� Her father called.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. Then her eyes turned to Jake and her breath caught in her throat. She saw Jake try to smile. Her mother�s eyes grew wider as they took in his injuries.

�Jake!� She exclaimed. �W-what happened to you?�

Nathalie spoke first. �Mom, Dad, we have something to tell you.� She said. �We�re--� She dropped off, seeing a sharp, imploring look from Jake.

Their father looked back and forth between them as if seeing and attempting to understand the unspoken argument between them. �What?�

Jake gave her a look and spoke. �We�re sorry for hurting you guys.�

�Hurting us?� Her father asked incredulous. �And here you are lying in the hospital with a smashed face and broken ribs. Now, tell us what happened.� The last a parental order, not to be denied or face the wrath of Adrian Ciarana.

Jake gave Nathalie a look that told her to stay quiet. She agreed silently, but sent him a look that said that they would talk about this later. Sighing, he slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. �I got into a fight.� He said, raising his eyebrows at Nathalie as if to say �see I�m not lying.�

�A fight?� Andrea asked. �With who?�

Jake sighed. It was as fake a sound as Nathalie had ever heard. �A buddy of mine and I got really drunk, and we got into an argument and then��

�Drunk? Jake what have we told you about drinking? You�re only eighteen.� She exclaimed when he trailed off. Her eyes were as round as saucers, and her creamy complexion had gone eerily pale and translucent. As hard as he tried to keep up his tough guy, old Jake exterior, he was finding it hard to keep it up when his mom looked like that.

�I know mom, and I�m paying for it now, but time. I promise, from now on, I�ve sworn off drinking.�

Nathalie looked at him wide-eyed, and he shrugged as if saying, �ok, fine, I�m lying again. Sue me.�

/Damn you Jake/. She thought vehemently.

He seemed to get the message though she knew that he couldn�t� hear her words. He sat back, looking tired, though she couldn�t tell if it was an act or not. Their mother fell for it, and rose to her feet, crossing the few feet to his bedside to clear the dark hair out of his eyes. Jake had always looked like their mom as she had always resembled their father, but at that moment, with Jake laying there, eyes closed, the tough guy routine momentarily forgotten, he looked so much like her that Nathalie�s breath caught in her throat. For a moment there, he looked like her brother, the Jake that she had known two years ago, before he broke out, and changed. He had always been the jock, but before, there had always been a part of him that had come from their mother. The part that connected him to her, more than his coloring. He may have lied to them on occasion, but he was also true to his family, loyal. That part disappeared when he broke out, and for a moment, it looked like it had come back. She tried to turn her eyes away so that the tears that she felt coming would not flow. She felt her father�s eyes on her and forced a smile.

�Jake, are you alright?� Her mother asked.

He opened them slowly, and she knew it was an act when he spoke. The feelings of recognition disappeared. �Yeah,� he said tiredly. �I�m hungry though. Could you guys go get me something?�

�Nathalie can go.�

�No, Mom. I�d like you and Dad to go.� He said, taking her hand. �I�d like to talk to Nat for a moment.�

Reluctantly she agreed, placing a kiss on the top of his head. �Come on Adrian,� she said softly. �Let�s go.�

�Yeah,� he said distractedly. �I�ll go talk to the doctors.� He swept his gaze between his children one more time and left slowly, letting the door close softly behind him.

Nathalie sighed in relief.

�He�s gonna be trouble.� Jake said, looking at the door.

�Huh?�

�Dad, he suspects something.� Jake said, turning his gaze to her. He sighed in exasperation. �I knew that this would happen.� Nathalie opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. �No, it would not make it easier if we told him the truth. He probably suspects something far worse that us being the next stage of human evolution. Well, you now, anyway.�

Nathalie snorted in derision. �Yeah, he thinks you�re a drunk, and probably on drugs and that�s how you got beat up.� She said, glaring at him with blue eyes that were practically shooting sparks.

Jake sighed. �Don�t look at me like that Nathalie, please.�

�Why shouldn�t I look at you like I think you�re crazy. Cause I do!�

�Nat, please!� He implored. �I had to say something.�

/I�m gonna get out of here/. She told herself. /I need to cool off./ She closed her eyes, and Jake, knowing what she was planning, reached out, he grabbed her left arm, and held tight.

�Wait.� He said. �If you�re gonna leave. Go out the door. But please, Nat, promise me that you won'� tell them. Not yet.�

She shrugged out of his grasp, which was surprisingly firm for someone who was as weak as Jake was.
�Fine.� She tried to cross her arms, but failed with a small grimace.

�Swear it?�

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly. �I promise.�

�Thank you.�

She sat in the chair, thoughts of teleporting out momentarily forgotten. �What was it that you wanted to talk to me about? It wasn�t just to get me to promise that I wouldn�t tell Mom and Dad, was it?� She looked up as him with eyes that she knew were red and puffy, glittering with repressed emotions, mostly confusion and a little anger.

�No,� he said. �That wasn�t it. I need to ask you something, and if its too personal, you can tell me to shut up, but I hope you won�t.�

�Okay,� she leaned back in the chair. �Shoot.�

/ This better be good./

�I was wondering what your relationship with Blaise Kensington really is.�

Nathalie gasped slightly, though that he would ask sooner or later. She had just hoped that it would have been later rather than sooner; much later. Truth was that she didn�t really know what their relationship was. Were they friends that had kissed, or were they something more. They hadn�t really talked about it since that day, and it didn�t really seem like things had much changed between them.

/Shut up Jake!/ She thought. �Well�� she started, unsure of what to say. She and Jake had never talked about their relationships. �Uh.�

�You care for him, I can see that much,� Jake said. �And you have for a long time, I think.�

Nathalie nodded. �Yeah, I do. I have for a long time.�

Jake surprised her with his next statement. �Do you love him?�

Nathalie jumped to her feet and glared at him. �What kind of question is that?�

He was still looking intently at her, no sign of embarassment in his eyes at all. He was waiting for an answer, but the truth was that Nathalie really didn�t have one.

�I don�t know.� She said, mind reeling. �I haven�t even had a chance to think about it. We�ve kissed sure, but haven�t talked about a relationship of anything.�

�Ah,� Jake said.

�Happy now?�

He smiled, the first genuine smile that she�d seen in a while, and it brought back her feelings from earlier that she was seeing the old Jake. �Yeah,� he said. �I guess so.�

And uncomfortable silence descended over them, made that much worse when their parents returned.

* * *

/I need a plan,/ Chris thought dejectedly, sitting down hard on the outside rim of a fountain in his hometown of Seattle. The cool spray felt good on his hot skin, the July heat had finally reached the city and the sun shone out of a sky that was clear for about a week out of the year.

Morgan still hadn�t appeared, and he didn�t expect her to anytime soon. She was always a smart one that Morgan, and he knew that she was going to stay hidden for a long time.

/Okay, need a plan, need a plan, need a plan/. He thought, lowering his head into his hands. /Jake�s gone, good riddance, so is Morgan/. He shrugged. / Not that big of a loss either, but it means that we�re short two, and considering that we haven�t had that many breakouts recently, and though I hate to admit it, we have lost our most powerful Grey. We need to call in some massive fire power. But who?/

He was jolted back to reality when a voice spoke from beside him. �Who indeed?�

He opened his eyes and looked to his left in the direction that the voice had come. A young woman was sitting casually near him, slender legs and arms crossed casually. She was dressed in a tight top and short skirt that emphasized her curves and showed a lot of cleavage and a lot of leg. Her long, brown hair hung straight, and perfect, pulled back from her face with a jeweled headband. She looked at him thoughtfully with bright reddish-brown eyes. That�s what everyone saw anyway for she was wearing colored contacts as those with the most extreme of TP eyes were forced to do in order to blend in. Jaina Corrigan�s eyes were a dark glowing red. She had been born with those eyes unlike most Tomorrow People whose eyes changed color over time, or suddenly changed color when they broke out. Her parents, being extremely religious people, had been frightened of this, and had abandoned her when she was less than a month old, perhaps a major force in shaping her destiny as a Dark. She had been through hundreds of foster homes, none taking her for very long because her eyes frightened them.

�Jaina,� he breathed. �You surprised me!�

She laughed, a musical sound. �In times like these, we can not afford to be so distracted.� She commented, reaching over to affectionately sweep his hair back. �I�m here Fearless Leader.�

He smiled feeling a small swell of pride. �Hmm. Fearless Leader, huh? I could get used to that.� He said trying the title on for size and realizing that he enjoyed it quite a lot. �As happy as I am to see you Jain, it has been a long time.�

�Two year sabbatical.� She supplied with a shrug. �Had to see the world.�

Christopher rolled his eyes. �Okay, whatever.� He said. �What are you doing here?�

She smiled coldly, and pouted her red lips. �I�m hurt Chris, really I am, coming all the way from Papua because I sensed that you needed some help. So I�m here. To help out my oldest friend.� She wrapped her arms around his left upper arm and set her head on his shoulder.

/She hasn�t changed/. But he had to laugh anyway. �Oh, like it was so difficult to close your eyes and teleport �all the way� from New Guinea.� He commented wryly. �What�s there anyway? Your newest conquest.� He gave her a knowing look.

Jaina returned his look without any sign of embarrassment. �Yes,� she said with the smile of a woman who knew that she could have any man that she wanted. In fact, very few men could resist her charms, she had had conquests all around the world and even Christopher had fallen under her spell. Seduction was her favorite way to lure unsuspecting Lights, driven by their hormones, to their doom..

�You didn�t answer my question, Jaina.� Chris reminded. �Why are you here?�

Her gaze didn�t waver and she pulled the headband out of her hair slowly and shook her tresses seductively.

Chris pushed back the impulse to run his hands through that hair, kiss her and the war be damned. /That�s what she�s trying to do you idiot/. He thought to himself. �Jaina,� he said with a warning tome to his voice.

She replaced the headband, perhaps sensing that he was outwardly immune to her charms. �I�ve come because you need Darks who can fight.� She said, after an agonizing moment of silence.

�And?� He asked sensing that there was more.

�And, my actions aren�t completely selfless.� She said rising to her feet, standing easily and comfortably in stiletto heels that were at least three inches high. Not an easy feat considering that the square that they were in was paved in very small tiles, the mortar deeply grooved from countless rainstorms.

Chris scoffed at her playfully. �Mark this day in history, the great Jaina Corrigan has done something selfless. I can�t believe it.�

�You mock me?� She asked. �I can go you know. As you said, its not much effort to come and go.�

�Wait,� he called as she began to move off with her smooth, seductive gait. �Tell me.�

�I came to take you to the place where you can find the best help.� She said over her shoulder. �There�s one person that you�ve forgotten.� Jaina said, voice calm and even. She widened her eyes in a way that made him think.

/Who have I forgotten?/ He thought desperately. Then an image came to mind and he almost smacked himself on the forehead. He looked back to Jaina. �Piper.�

She nodded, eyes bright with amusement.

�Yes Jain, I�m not that dense.� He said. �She dropped out of the war Jaina. She won�t be too happy about us dropping in.�

�Who cares how she�ll feel about it?� Jaina said. �This is was Chris, we need people. For as you said, we�re short two big guns. Both of which could at any moment reveal the location of our ship then we�ll all be in a whole damn lot of trouble.�

�Agreed,� he said with a sigh and allowed Jaina to pull him to his feet. �good to see you�re thinking with your head and not with some of your shall I say more charming attributes.�

Jaina narrowed her eyes at him but there was no anger in them, only amusement, and led the way.