See Part One (A) For Disclaimers
At least, Tatya figured that was the reason why she stopped before she even opened her mouth. She closed her mouth, swallowed hard, then replied, "Sure, that's no problem at all. Dani, you said you needed to check on something? You can use this terminal, I'm done with it. I'll let you know what Jasmine has to say. Later!"
She breezed from the room and Val returned to her own terminal, murmuring, "I'll run another cross-reference, since I still have too many matches. Dani, you're running a simulation?" The ex-Marine nodded and Val looked at the priest, adding, "Philip, why don't you take a break? You've been at this for a while. And it's a rule in this House. You have to take a break once every two hours, so you keep focused."
Philip started to reply, then glanced up at Tatya. The psychologist bobbed her head . . . she knew for a fact that he hadn't eaten, and he had to be getting hungry. The priest said, "Well, as long it's a snack and not a full meal. I don't think I could handle that right now." Come to think of it, Tatya thought, he does look a little green. Then she remembered what Nathaniel had said about Philip being sick on the train. No doubt after he found out why Derek Rayne isn't popular in this House, she thought.
"Just eat something, Philip, even if it's just crackers and cheese. Do you have a hard time remembering to eat? I mean, do you get so focused on what you're doing, that you forget everything else?" Val asked. Philip blushed and nodded. Tatya had no doubt he was telling the truth about that, but not the whole truth. Val continued, "Thought so. Not to worry. We have quite a few kids growing up around here."
"Growing kids? You mean like Jasmine? Or, even more appropriately, Andrew? And where is Mr. Petulance right now?" Dani asked. Val looked at her reprovingly, and Dani added, "Hey, I call it like I see it. He's been pouting ever since you got up earlier, Val. I swear, I'm beginning to think we should ship him out to San Fran! He'd make good company for Rachel Corrigan."
"Let's not," Val answered dryly, "from what I hear, Nick Boyle and Alex Moreau have enough problems at the moment." Tatya controlled her smirk with difficulty. Oh, that was one way of putting it! Val added, shaking her dark hair from her eyes, "No, we'll keep Andy here. What kind of trouble are you getting yourself into, Danielle? What kind of simulation is this?"
"I'm staying out of trouble, like always . . . and the simulation is checking into the possible consequences for my new twists to the security systems. I want us to be prepared, in case some punk kid tries to steal from us, then tries to sue us for some injury," Dani answered dryly. Tatya cringed. Ohhh, why could she see that happening?
Dani sat down at the terminal, adding, "And you know that's been known to happen, Valerie. I like being prepared." Val nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to face Tatya. For the first time, the psychologist realized that her friend wanted her to take Philip into the kitchen. Duh, who else would do that?
With that in mind, Tatya told the young priest, "C'mon, Philip, let's see what kind of food we have." She cringed, realizing how patronizing she sounded to the priest. However, he rose to his feet with a shy bob of his head. He still looked tired, but Tatya hoped that would be alleviated tonight, when he had a full night sleep.
At least, that was what she hoped. Whether it came to pass was another matter entirely. The psychologist knew Philip was still adjusting to Renee's incredible resemblance to the late Kristen Adams. It might take time. Wounds to the heart and soul often did.
"I don't know what you're looking for, but we still have some junk food left over from when Val was in England these last few days. Hey, careful there, lady! I can't think when someone is bopping me in the head!" Dani protested as Val slapped the back of her head lightly.
"Behave! Tatya, I'll talk to you later," Val answered. The psychologist nodded and led Philip away. As they left the control room, Tatya could hear the good-natured banter continue between the security chief and the precept. She smiled, slipping her arm through Philip's. There was a sound she loved.
* * *
Much to her surprise, Renee found Jasmine sleeping in her room. Then again, the poor kid was probably worn down by the constant arguing which had taken place in the House over the last few days. Renee was debating about waking the girl up, when the question was taken out of her hands.
Jasmine moaned softly in her sleep, murmuring something which Renee couldn't understand. Not at first, at least. Then Renee began to pick out words, and her blood ran cold. As a high school student in Toronto, Renee had taken German, beginning in her freshman year and continuing through to her senior. She had also taken a few semesters in college . . . and she realized with a start that Jasmine was speaking Dutch.
They weren't the same language . . . but they were similar, and Renee could understand what Jasmine was saying. But, and this was the scary part . . . to the best of her knowledge, Jasmine didn't know a word of Dutch. That had been one of the first things Jasmine told her when she began taking French the previous year, that this was the first foreign language she had studied. Then, Jasmine bolted upright in her bed, screaming hysterically.
Renee sat down beside the girl, putting the picture of Winston Rayne on top of Jasmine's diary. She wrapped both arms around the teen, murmuring, "It's okay, Jasmine . . . shhhh, don't cry, it's all right." Which was an incredibly lame thing to say, but Renee didn't know what else to do, aside from hold Jasmine and stroke her hair. As the sobs eased, Renee asked, "What did you dream about, honey? Do you remember?"
"It happened again, Renee. But this time, I was on fire. Something was protecting me, but it still hurt, so much. And I wasn't me," the girl explained tearfully. Renee frowned thoughtfully. Jasmine had spoken of the fire . . . so she had experienced the fire through Derek Rayne's eyes. Maybe. She became aware of Jasmine pulling away. The teenager took several deep breath and asked the blonde-haired girl, "Renee? Why did you come in here? Was I screaming?"
"No, babe . . . I want to show you something. Your aunt told us about your dreams, and we started prelim research. I want you to take a look at this picture," Renee said, retrieving the print-out she had found of Winston Rayne, "and tell me if this is the man you saw in your dreams. The one with Dr. Rayne, Kristen Adams, and your grandmother."
Jasmine wiped the tears away with the back of her hand, and Renee handed the print-out to her. The girl looked at it, and her eyes widened. Even before Jasmine spoke, Renee knew they had found their man. But Jasmine blurted out, "That's him . . . that's the man who was with Dr. Rayne, Kristen, and Grandmother Deirdre!"
"His name was Winston Rayne, Jasmine . . . Dr. Rayne's father. Supposedly, the elder Dr. Rayne went over to the Dark just before his death . . . and his ghost tried to get Dr. Rayne to change sides as well. I read about the case involving his supposed change in allegiance. According to the records in the Legacy database, his ghost took over his son's body to free the demons in the sepulchers. But if you saw him with your grandmother and Kristen," Renee began.
"Then he never really went over to the dark. Aunt Val says that the dark can pretend to be something it isn't. Remember the time when that thing pretended to be my mom? What if something like that happened in San Francisco, and a demon pretended to be Dr. Rayne's father?" Jasmine asked, pushing her long dark hair back from her eyes.
"That's entirely possible, honey, but there are other possibilities. You're keeping a journal of your dreams?" Renee asked and Jasmine bobbed her head. The computer specialist continued, "Good. Will you be all right? I should tell Val . . . let your aunt know that it was Winston Rayne whom you saw in your dreams."
"I'm okay. I'll write down this last dream, then come downstairs. Renee? Why do you think I've been dreaming about Dr. Rayne, and what happened to him?" Jasmine asked hesitantly. Renee didn't know how to answer. The truth was, when it came to something like this, she was clueless. She had been in the Legacy for almost four years, and she still didn't understand a lot the �why' involved in their work.
But all she said was, "I don't know, love. But we're gonna find out. Meanwhile, I want to go back and do some research on the possibility that a demon pretended to be Winston Rayne. There are two ways this could go, and I want to figure out how to proceed." There was something dancing along the edges of her consciousness, but Renee couldn't put her finger on it. Jasmine was luckier.
The girl said thoughtfully, "After that thing pretended to be Mom, I did some research. Demons are the offspring of fallen angels, right?" Renee bobbed her head, and Jasmine said, "We weren't the first House to encounter that. San Francisco had to deal with a fallen angel, after they found the last box in Ireland. I know, I'm not supposed to get into the Legacy database, but before Mom died, she gave me her password. She said that I might need to know it when I got older." Her voice cracked as she spoke of the late Melanie, and Renee didn't pursue that subject.
"And both fallen angels, and their demon offspring, would be able to shape-shift," Renee observed instead. Jasmine nodded. By now, Renee had figured out where her young friend was going with this. She continued, "This fallen angel shape-shifted into people whom everyone in San Francisco House had known."
"Right! But that still doesn't explain why I'm having these dreams. I mean, why is it so important to us that Winston Rayne didn't go over to the dark side? And why am I being told this, why not his son?" Jasmine asked, shaking her head. Renee sighed, running her fingers through her long hair. That was an excellent question.
"Because from what I've been hearing, Dr. Rayne has holes in his memory as big as the average plot for 'Ghost Chasers.' He can't tell the Legacy, because he doesn't remember much of anything from the last twenty years or so. Which doesn't answer your question," Renee observed, thinking out loud. In fact, she thought, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't even remember the events leading to Deirdre Barton's death, or telling Douglas Barton that his daughter was a liar.
Jasmine blinked, and Renee sighed, "Ok, I don't know why. It just is important. Maybe because Winston Rayne has been maligned enough, because he killed an innocent woman by mistake. And maybe, just maybe, it's important because at the end of his life, he finally realized what a lousy father he was. I'm not really good with the why, Jasmine, you know that. I just know that it's important, and that you have been chosen. Ghosts don't tell me the reason why."
"Yeah, well, he can find another vessel. The Raynes aren't anything to me," Jasmine replied bitterly. She shook her head and added, "If Winston Rayne thinks I'm gonna proclaim his innocence to the Legacy, he's as loony as everyone says he was. His family has done nothing but hurt mine, I owe him nothing! Aunt Val has talked about creating a sister organization to the Legacy. I think she should."
Actually, Val had discussed creating a sister organization that was more open to pagan influence. Instead of continuing that argument, Renee repeated, "I don't know why you were chosen. I just know that just as Derek Rayne can't be held responsible for killing Ruth Cantwell instead of her sister, we can't hold Winston Rayne responsible for your grandmother's death."
"Why not? Aunt Val told me what Winston Rayne was like. Glory to the Legacy, no matter who gets hurt. It's his fault that his son thinks the Legacy is more important than people, especially people who don't believe the way he does," Jasmine fired back bitterly. Ouch. While she didn't like Derek Rayne, Renee also didn't believe that he believed the Legacy was more important than people. He was misguided, not evil.
"Okay, I will agree that Winston Rayne believed totally in the Legacy, believed it was more important than anything else. But he also never forgave himself for killing Ruth Cantwell. And I don't believe that Derek Rayne considers the Legacy all important, to the exclusion of all else," Renee told her young friend.
Jasmine laughed bitterly and answered, "Because she was a Christian, Renee! Winston Rayne was sorry for killing Ruth Cantwell because she was a Christian, instead of a witch. It's okay to kill a witch, because witches are evil, that's what the Legacy teaches!" Renee stared at the girl in stunned horror. Where had Jasmine learned such bitterness?
The girl shook her head, adding, "Why do adults always assume that we're so stupid? I mean, come on! I have eyes, I can see the way other precepts treat Aunt Val when they find out we have witches in this House. I can hear what they say about Aunt Val being pagan. The Legacy only protects Christian innocents. They don't care about anyone else. And they certainly don't need the help of someone who will let evil into her House. They say Aunt Val is against everything the Legacy believes in, because she's a mage, the daughter and sister of witches."
Now Renee felt truly in over her head. Most of the time, Jasmine was a sweet, easy-going girl . . . it was Andy who usually railed against the Legacy. Him, Renee could handle. But Jasmine? Renee looked at the girl helplessly, not knowing how to answer Jasmine's bitter charge. A voice from the doorway said, "That's not true, Jasmine. It's the duty of the Legacy t' defend and protect all innocents, regardless of their religious beliefs. Otherwise, the dark has already won."
Renee turned to face the newcomer . . . newcomers, she corrected herself, seeing both Philip and Tatya in the doorway. Tatya was silent, her eyes dancing back and forth between Jasmine and the priest. Philip smiled shyly and added, "I'm sorry . . . I was headin' back t' m' room for some thin's. Val told me t' take a break. I didn't mean . . . "
"Neither of us meant to listen to the conversation, but Jasmine's door was standing open. Sorry, Philip, but you're already three shades of red," Tatya told the young priest. A fourth shade of red was added, and Tatya continued, "All right, in the future, I'll remember not to mention that to you. Did you show her the picture, Renee?"
"It was Winston Rayne whom Jasmine saw in her dream," Renee confirmed. The red slowly faded from Philip's face, and excitement danced in his blue-gray eyes. Tatya straightened as well, her eyes widening. Renee added, her own excitement getting the better of her, "Do you know what this means? All this time, ever since Sloan disappeared, the Legacy has been operating under the assumption that Winston Rayne turned to the Dark side. He didn't!"
"But he was still a lousy father," Tatya countered. Renee couldn't argue with that, she never tried to argue with the truth. However . . . this was still an incredible discovery. Tatya suggested to Jasmine, "Why don't you take Philip downstairs and help him find a snack? Andy put away the groceries last night while Renee was getting your aunt into bed, and Dani and I were seeing to her clothes. I can't find anything."
The girl rolled her eyes and told the psychologist, "Sure. I helped him put stuff away. I'll write down my new dream after we get a snack for Philip." Renee noticed Philip glancing heavenward, as if asking for strength, but said not a word. Renee blessed the priest for that. Jasmine slid from her embrace to take Philip's hand, and led him downstairs.
* * *
Philip hadn't stopped kicking himself for his reaction to Val's question about the explosion. He had known she wasn't accusing him of causing the explosion, or being responsible for it in any way. But it pushed Rachel's bitter accusations to the front of his mind. He found himself getting defensive from the memory, and could have bitten out his tongue. What was worse, both Tatiana and Val had noticed his reaction. Philip had no doubt that either would ask him about it later.
Further, it was obvious that Tatiana and Danielle already detested Rachel, for whatever reason. Until their confrontation in Derek's hospital room, Philip had never had a problem with Rachel. Although, to call that little encounter a 'confrontation' was a bit of a stretch. Rachel had done all the yelling, and he had just taken it.
Because, in his heart, Philip had believed she might be right. He still hadn't forgiven himself for Kristen's death, and now, with Derek's brush with death . . . Maybe Rachel was right, maybe if Philip had been in San Francisco at the time, Derek would have been killed. There were often times when the young priest considered himself a jinx, always causing harm and pain to those he loved most in the world.
And maybe, if Philip had been in San Francisco, he could have prevented the explosion altogether. He didn't know. He just knew that it would take a long time before he healed from the effects of the explosion. But he would heal. Philip had changed a great deal in his three years away from the Legacy. And ironically, he hadn't realized how much he had changed until the Legacy re-entered his life.
Jasmine said as they headed downstairs, "I didn't mean to upset you. I just get so mad sometimes. People think �cause I'm a kid, I'm not smart. I don't hear. I do. I hear what they say about my aunt. About my mother, about my grandmother. But I know something they don't. I know Aunt Val. I knew my mother. They would never hurt anyone who hadn't hurt us first, they would never cross the line."
"I believe you, Jasmine," Philip replied, "and you didn't upset me." If anything, the girl's outburst had relieved him. He could tell Andy Ramirez was struggling with his animosity, at the . . . urging . . . of Danielle Grant. Jasmine's honesty was something he could appreciate right now. He continued, "Why don't you tell me about your mother? Or stories your aunt might have told you about your grandmother?"
The girl flashed him a smile, the clouds leaving her eyes, and she replied, "Sure! I was little when Mom died, but I still remember her. Would you like to hear about Kerry? She's my other aunt, but she's only eighteen. Mom and Aunt Val raised her after Grandma Deirdre died."
"I would like that very much. And maybe there are some stories you would like to hear, although I don't know what they would be," Philip replied. He was unprepared for the young girl to slide her hand in his, but he didn't pull away from the sudden contact. In part because it would hurt his companion, and he just didn't want to lose this contact.
"Aunt Val says that there's a girl in San Francisco, who is about my age. Kat Corrigan. And that she's special, too," Jasmine confided.
"She's very special," Philip agreed solemnly, his heart hurting a little as he thought of Kat Corrigan. He missed the young girl. Missed the way her eyes lit up when she saw him, her brilliant smile. Her strong young arms around his neck when she hugged him. He missed them all, though. But it was Kat whom Jasmine wanted to know about.
* * *
Tatya had known it was only a matter of time before Jasmine began rebelling. While she wasn't rebelling against her aunt, she was starting to rebel against the two other sources of authority in her young life . . . the Legacy and the Catholic Church.
Tatya didn't know the reason for the second, but she was willing to bet that Melanie's death had been the starting point for Jasmine's rebellion against the Legacy. And, she admitted to herself, Melanie is probably the cause of her rebellion against the Church, too.
"I knew there was a reason why I was a computer specialist, instead of a psychologist. Ask me to run an analysis or create a program, and I'm fine. I deal with an angry thirteen year old girl who has never forgiven the Legacy for the loss of her mother, and I screw things up," Renee sighed. Tatya looked at the younger woman in surprise.
Then she understood and told the girl, "It's not your fault, Ren. You did the best you could, that's all anyone can ask." She paused, grinned, and added, "Besides. The fact that you take responsibility for your actions, and try to learn from your mistakes is more important."
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