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SUNRISE AT BLUE COVE

by Victoria Rivers ©1998


Gemini stood on the roof garden, admiring the variety of plants in bloom in their various pots and planter boxes. The landscape of Galleons Lap was a veritable Eden, an oasis in the harsh landscape, watered by the river nearby and tended with love. She liked the place, and for the briefest instant imagined herself a part of life there.

But that sort of dream was not for the likes of her, and she quickly put it out of her mind. When she completed her mission, she would return to the Basque Scientific Park and work on a few projects she had been putting off until she regained control of her emotions, and after that she would find herself a new lover or two and steal something worthwhile. She had enough information from the second DSA disk to keep her busy for quite a while, toppling governments left and right, causing political upheaval all over the globe, and setting up a chain of events that would isolate The Centre from its network of support and leave it vulnerable to whatever enemy she set up to attack it.

Jarod might not be interested in vengeance anymore, but that didn't keep her from taking it in his name.

She began to lay the framework in her mind, planning out her strategy while she waited, until she heard the light footstep behind her that she had been expecting. She faced the redhead coolly, unsure what to make of the unshed tears sparkling in her green eyes.

"You watched it all?" asked Gemini patiently.

Miss Parker nodded.

"I would like to see Harmon Winterbourne prosecuted for your mother's death," said the brunette.

"So would I," the other woman agreed. "But he died of bone cancer five years ago. Thank God it was a long, painful death."

Gemini nodded in acceptance. "At least you have your answers now. I don't believe your father was certain they were plotting to kill her, but he gave them carte blanche anyway. He allowed it to happen."

Miss Parker lifted her chin and gave the other woman a steady, firm gaze. "I agree. He could have stopped it, could have gotten her -and me- out of the way. But he didn't. And that makes him responsible, too."

Silence ebbed and flowed between the two women. A breeze came up, ruffling their hair and bobbing the heads of the flowers that surrounded them.

"So what will you do now? Will you go back there as if nothing happened?"

Miss Parker did not smile. "No. I have what I needed. Thank you for giving me the disk."

Gemini gave a graceful half bow. "Then perhaps you'll help me out with an idea I had. If you can't have what you want from Harmon Winterbourne, then perhaps you can get it from the men who helped him carry out his plan."

The redhead crossed her arms over her chest, ready to refuse at a moment's notice. "I'm listening," she offered hesitantly.

Gemini outlined her initial thoughts without giving specific details, just in case she walked away without the other woman's enthusiastic support. But she watched Miss Parker's stance change as she talked, becoming pensive at first, and then open, accepting. Gemini could see by her body language when she won Miss Parker's support.

"It's a deal," the redhead agreed, holding out her hand to seal the partnership.

"Are you sure you don't want to think it over, Miss Parker?" asked Gemini, wanting to be certain the woman was fully committed.

The answer was in her eyes, gleaming with fiery purpose. "This is a good place for getting a fresh start. I've been giving some thought to taking a new name, and the one I keep coming back to is my mother's maiden name. She deserved a second chance, and I ought to start doing something positive with the life she gave me. Call me Catherine. Catherine Jameson," she said softly, and smiled at her new friend. "Or maybe Rio. I could still use that as a nickname."

"Welcome aboard, Rio," said Gemini. "My name is Jennifer Tansey, but nobody's called me that since I was a little girl. It seems we all have strange pasts in this small universe, don't we?"

"That's an understatement. What do they call you now?"

"Gemini Rising."

Miss Parker laughed. "Gemini, the twins. How appropriate."

"They do seem to be the key to all this, don't they?"

"Just tell me what you want me to do, Gemini, and I'm there."

"Thank you for your help, Rio. I look forward to working with you."

The redhead bent down to pluck a red hibiscus from a large pot beside her.

"Where did you meet Jarod, anyway? Or was it Justin?"

Gemini grinned. "Jarod. We met in Flagstaff, after I stole his briefcase from him. I'm a professional thief, you know."

Parker raised an inquisitive eyebrow and fixed the other woman with an intent, hungry look. "Do you still have it? The Halliburton, I mean." She noted Gemini's stony expression and shrugged it off. "Oh, well. I don't need it anymore anyway." She grinned. "But if you're looking for a partner, I think I might be interested in apprenticing. You have an exciting line of business."

"We might give it a shot," Gemini responded coolly. "But I do have a distinct advantage. Telekinesis."

Miss Parker shrugged. "I can work around it."

And Gemini smiled, quite certain the woman had the nerve to pull off even the most dangerous caper of all. "I'll be counting on that," she returned warmly.

The thief left the rooftop by the back stairs, in search of a tall, dark man.



Justin parked the minivan in a grove of trees where the gravel road ended, and cut the engine.

"We hike in from here," he announced, and the passengers disembarked and began loading their backpacks and shrugging into them. Justin picked up one of the tall, aluminum framed packs with a baby carrier built into it, and Faith strapped in one of the twins. He had already requested to carry in his namesake, leaving baby Michael to ride on his mother's back, giving Jarod a lighter pack to carry in deference to his still-healing shoulder.

Once everyone was loaded and ready, Justin led the way into the mountains, following an all but invisible trail that no one else knew. By nightfall they reached a small way station, complete with outhouse and permanent lean-to shelter, and the whole group bedded down for the night. The twins stayed up late talking, and Jarod found it impossible to sleep, knowing he was so close to finding his mother.

Morning took forever to arrive, and when the last campers had risen and readied themselves for the final part of the trek, he was right behind Justin, pressing his brother to move faster toward their destination. It was late afternoon when the cabin came in sight, and Jarod's excitement knew no bounds. He ran up and down the line of hikers, urging them on while they grinned at him and kept moving at a steady pace through the thick trees. As they wandered the forest, moving upward toward the slope where the lodge called Harper's Rest was perched, the thick log building appeared and disappeared among the trees. But Jarod never lost track of where it lay, leading the way now that he knew where he was going.

Justin had already told him what to expect, and with a smile of understanding Faith finally told him to go ahead of them, that they would catch up to him later. He needed no further encouragement, and set off at a fast jog across the rocky slope, wary of his footing, not wanting to turn an ankle and slow down the inevitable.

His eyes roamed over the lodge as he approached it, noting how sturdily it had been constructed, how well it concealed its secret. The roomy cabin had been built into the side of the mountain, commanding a view of the entire countryside surrounding it. The caretaker opened the door as he stepped onto the deck and greeted him with a friendly welcome. Jarod was almost beyond speech, struggling to get out his request to see his mother.

The old man ushered him into the lodge, escorted him into the library and presented him with a standard remote control, even though there was no television or stereo in the room. With trembling fingers, Jarod aimed the remote at the wall of books and punched in a numerical code, and watched as the wall sank down into the floor, revealing a stainless steel elevator car that had a distinctly "government issue" feel to it.

Jarod didn't hesitate. He stepped into the car and watched the doors close, ignoring the warning bell ringing loudly in his subconscious. He felt a sensation of claustrophobia clutch at him for the briefest instant, and conquered it. He was going to see his mother, and he would go anywhere for that privilege, even back into the depths of The Centre.

He found it ironic that his mother had gone underground several years after The Centre had taken him, that she had made her own fortune from brilliant endeavors of a more benevolent nature, and piloted the program into which he was descending. Harper's Rest was the code name for several privately funded studies, all taking place in the same isolated laboratory, built into the shell of a former subterranean nuclear missle silo. Harper's was an earthbound space station prototype, dedicated to the discovery of an artificially controlled, stable source of gravity/anti-gravity, as well as environmental studies. The installation was a complete biosphere, with a marine level on the lower floors, several levels of greenhouses to provide plants for biological studies, and a select group of insects, animals and birds which were allowed complete freedom in the greenhouse areas, where they could be studied easily and not interfere with biological management.

Under the pseudonym of Dr. Moore, Jarod's mother was the chief scientist in charge of the whole project, and everyone who worked in the installation knew her. And even though Justin had not been a resident of Harper's Rest for more than ten years, his annual visits made certain that everyone knew his face, and the scientists and technicians he encountered along the way greeted him with pleased surprise and directed him toward his mother's current location.

"She's in Eden II," said a pony-tailed young man in a paint-splattered baseball cap. He wore a button on his lab coat that read, That was Zen. This is Tao. He pointed with his Mickey Mouse pen down the hallway on Sublevel 15 toward a pair of sliding glass doors.

Jarod thanked him briefly and pushed the green access button, watching the doors slide open, admit him, and slide closed behind him. Two steps forward another set of glass doors parted to admit him, and through the third set he saw a jungle of greenery waiting on the other side. The several sets of doors were to trap any accidentally escaping animals, he knew, and wondered what sort of creatures would be part of the studies being conducted. He walked into a room filled with the scent of fertile earth and green growing things, flowers and fur and feathers subtly reminding him that the bioscape was complete. He could hear voices up ahead, and wandered carefully toward them, wondering what he would find.

He was surprised that the enclosed room didn't have that stale, steam-room quality to it that other enclosed gardens had, and guessed the ambient room temperature to be somewhere around 72 degrees. There was a breeze blowing, and the air was fresh. He would have to ask how that was accomplished so far below ground.

But curiosity vanished when he pushed a broad leaf out of his way and spied a pair of young scientists moving toward him from a lagoon in a clearing up ahead. They took no notice of him and continued toward the exit, still deep in conversation, but he wasn't looking at them anymore, couldn't hear them. Another figure captured his attention, a woman in a blue lab coat covered with screen printed butterflies, and she sat on a collapsible chair with a small, furry animal in her lap, stroking and talking to it as it wriggled to get free.

"Cree, craw, toad's foot..." she sang as she examined it, checking for fleas. "Geese walk barefoot..."

She chuckled as it stuck its head into her sleeve and tried to crawl inside.

"No, you beast!" she teased affectionately. "No treat till you've had your checkup." But she let the ferret go anyway and the long, slender creature tunneled up her sleeve in search of a raisin. She stood up quickly, laughing out loud as the animal's progress began to tickle her, and reached inside the lab coat to bring it out and release it. The furry hunter sat at her feet for a moment, begging, and finally she produced a raisin from her pocket and offered it. The creature snatched it out of her fingertips and ran away into the underbrush to gorge on its treasure.

She was still smiling when she stood up and faced the man emerging from the greenery, and gave a start when she recognized his face.

"Justin, baby! It isn't Christmas yet, is it? Jeez, I lose track of time in this place."

She saw the emotions in his face as she approached him, saw the depth of his joy, shadowed by enormous grief, and suddenly knew. She couldn't move, her feet rooted to the earth beneath them.

"It can't be," she whispered. She started to tremble. "Oh, my God. Oh, God."

He seemed to be moving in slow motion. She watched him come, his hands limp at his sides, great sobs wrenching out of his chest, a flood of tears drenching his cheeks.

"Jarod," his mother whispered. "Oh, Jarod. My baby. My lost one."

She opened her arms to him, and he fell into them.

They were still locked in that embrace when Justin brought the rest of the travelers into the room. She couldn't let go of Jarod, but pulled away enough to open an arm to her other son. She kissed them both, and buried her face against Jarod's chest as she wept. The trio's reunion was observed from a respectful distance by most of the others, but two hung back, lost in the greenery, waiting for the appropriate moment to be introduced. When Jarod could speak again, he reached for Faith, who came to him immediately with baby Michael in her arms.

Jarod gave her a few moments with both of her grandsons before shifting a glance at Justin to ask a silent question.

But his brother was already searching for another face, and found it peering from behind a stand of elephant ears. He knew she was uncomfortable, and if he didn't act soon, he would lose her forever.

"Momya," he said to his mother, using his childhood nickname for her, "there's someone special I wanted you to meet, too. She saved my life a couple of months ago, and we've been living together ever since."

He beckoned to Gemini, and was relieved when she moved toward them. But her cool, distant expression worried him. He watched her politely shake his mother's hand, saw the confusion on Momya's face, and watched her warm brown eyes turn toward him for an explanation.

"Pleased to meet you, Gemini," she said softly. "I was beginning to wonder if Justin was ever going to fall in love. You're the first girl he's ever brought home to meet me, so I have to think he's finally fallen."

"It's a purely business arrangement," Gemini assured her without looking at Justin. "I just wanted to make certain he got home safely. And now that he has, I'll be on my way. It's a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Pierce. Or should I call you Dr. Moore?"

She started to take a step back, but Justin swept her up in his arms and laid a kiss on her lips that would have melted titanium.

"Just business, my ass!" he growled sensuously. "We've been dancing around each other for weeks now, and I'm not waiting for you to read the signals right any longer." He shrugged out of his backpack and handed it, baby and all, to Jarod, then scooped Gemini up in his arms and headed out the door with her, ignoring the astonished stares of the group he left behind.

"What was that all about?" asked Jarod dazedly.

Jarod's mother looked at Faith knowingly. "I think he's going to see if his old room is occupied or not," she said with a wink. But then her humor vanished and she turned to Jarod with subdued joy. "Where have you been all these years, son? Do you know who took you? How did you find us again?"

"Everything in time, Momya," he answered with a sad smile, his eyes turning to the other shadow still hanging back in the greenery. He could see Joaquin's snow-white hair easily, though he appeared to be trying to hide himself, suddenly shy. "Come on out," Jarod called. "It's time for all of us to be together now."

Joaquin St. James stepped out into the clearing, and met the eyes of the woman he had loved and lost three decades before.

"I didn't... Why didn't you..." He stopped, swallowed his heart back down. Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at her, not seeing the older woman she had become, with graying copper hair and crow's feet around her eyes. To him, she was still 24, lithe and strong, vibrant with life and so full of ideas she rarely slept. She was a woman of passion and strong beliefs, and he could see in her eyes that she still remembered him. Sadness and regret poured anew down her cheeks, and she walked slowly toward him, unable to tear her gaze away from his.

"I guessed where the research was going," she said softly, her voice trembling with tears. "I heard about the projects they were developing for gifted children, and I knew that mine -ours- would be prime candidates, just the type they would be looking for, if not for one project, then for half a dozen others. I knew they wouldn't be safe. So I left before you knew I was even carrying them." She sniffed, trying to hold back surging emotions that were impossible to fully control. "And I was right. I knew when Jarod disappeared that they had found us. I didn't know where they had taken him, but I knew who had him, and I had to make sure Justin was safe before I could start looking for Jarod."

She turned around with an apologetic smile to her son, aware that he could hear her every word. "But I could never find out where he had been taken, and if I had gone in person to demand his return, they would have kept me, too. I couldn't do that to Justin, so I just buried both of us. We stayed on the run for ten years, until I built up enough funds to get this place started. And I've been here ever since. Justin left ten years ago to be on his own, but not a day has gone by that I haven't prayed for Jarod, and hoped he would come back to us somehow."

Joaquin stepped closer, lifted his hands and cupped her face in them. He whispered, his voice so low that only she could hear it.

"And not a night has gone by since you left me that I didn't dream of finding you again, Helen." He kissed her then, hungrily, and when she stepped back away from him it was like a slap in the face.

"I changed my name," she said guiltily, directing her gaze toward the ground. "I'm Dr. Moore now."

"You don't expect me to call you that, do you?" Joaquin asked harshly. He couldn't accept that she didn't want him as much as he did her. His gaze flicked to her nametag sewn above the breast pocket of her lab coat and took note of the first initial "N".

She saw the movement and tucked her hands in her pockets. She sighed, directing her eyes toward the ferret hopping out of the underbrush and climbing up her leg to beg for another treat. She gave it one as she spoke again.

"I knew that making myself vulnerable to a man would be a disaster for Justin and me," she began. "So I gave myself a reminder never to let another man hold me, never to fall in love, never to let a man get close to me emotionally. I don't know how to be a woman anymore."

"You don't have to run from me, Helen," Joaquin assured her, wanting desperately to touch her again. "We're safe here, and I'm willing to stay as long as you want me here."

"My name," she sighed, straightening up and meeting his eyes again, "is Never Moore. Never more."

She felt a large, strong hand settle on her shoulders from behind, and touched it, knowing it was her son.

"It's all right, Momya," he promised. "You don't have to protect yourself anymore. Why don't you just take a little time and get to know Dad again?"

He smiled, and kissed her long copper hair. "It feels so good to say that. Momya. Dad..." He slid his arms around her and hugged her back against his chest until he lifted her off her feet. "I'm home! Let's enjoy being a family for a little while, okay?"

He kissed her again and let her go, then picked up the backpack and his son Justin, and led Faith out of the greenhouse to look for someone who could set them up in a room somewhere.

Helen Pierce and Joaquin St. James stood staring at each other in the ensuing silence, and after a moment, she smiled.

"I love you, Helen," he said huskily. "I always will."

"You sound so sure of yourself, flyboy," she teased, remembering a similar conversation of ages past and hoping she got her lines right.

"I may not know physics and biology and mathematical computation as well as you do, doll, but I know what I want, and I don't let anything stop me from getting it."

"Never," she whispered, tempting him with a wicked grin.

"Forever," he argued passionately. He took her in his arms and played out the scene exactly as it had happened long ago in another laboratory halfway across the universe.



"Put me down," Gemini demanded, enjoying the feel of Justin's arms supporting her, but afraid the effort of carrying her might hurt him.

Justin punched the access button to his quarters with his elbow and set her on her feet just inside the spacious quarters and closed the door behind them.

She glared at him. "It's time for me to leave," she bit out angrily.

He picked up a screwdriver from a tool kit still open on the desk beside a disassembled computer, and jammed it into the electronic brain that controlled the door.

Gemini didn't need anyone to tell her that he had just sealed them both inside. Even if they called for help on the intercom, it would be hours before anyone could disconnect the controls and manually push the door open.

"I think it's time we got a few things straight," he snapped back. "And to do that, we need some time together. No servants looking over our shoulders, no family to butt in. Just you and me and that bed, Gemini. That's all we need for a day or two. Now, are you going to take your clothes off, or do you want me to do it for you?"

Her frown was awesome in its severity, but it didn't fool him for a moment.

She crossed her arms coolly over her ample bosom and arched a delicate black eyebrow at him. He was still pointing at the neatly made single bed, his brown eyes smoldering with passion that threatened to blaze up out of control at any moment.

She could be cruel and lie to him, tell him that she wasn't interested, but he knew her too well to believe that. He had shared her company every day for two months, and constantly probed and challenged her, cornering her far too often to be comfortable. He knew what she was thinking, and accepted her defeat with a smile that torched his wits and made his clothes smolder.

He couldn't unbutton his shirt fast enough, and she moved calmly toward the bed, turning down the sheets neatly as he yanked off his hiking boots. She kicked off hers and reclined on the mattress, teasing him with her slow, languid movements.

Justin grinned at her and turned suddenly away from the bed. "Two can play," he growled sensuously, and strolled over to the stereo on the bookshelf against the far wall, picking through the stack of CDs for just the right music. Loreena McKennit's Mask and Mirror was his first choice, the singer's clear, gentle soprano woven through music with a distinctly Arabic flavor, creating an exotic backdrop for seduction.

He dug a handful of emergency candles out of a drawer and lit them with a primitive flint striker, then set them on tables and shelves near the bed. A dimmer switch on the wall near the bathroom let him adjust the room lighting downward, and then he lay down on his back on the bed, taking up most of the mattress with his wide shoulders and long legs, and lay still.

"Oh, I didn't realize you wanted a nap, love," Gemini teased. She eased up on one elbow so she could look down into his smugly pleased face. With a light kiss on his nose, she lay on her side next to him, sandwiched fully clothed between Justin and the wall, and closed her eyes. The music beckoned her. She rose and began to wander around the room, studying his possessions while the rhythm called to her body. Her senses were tingling; visions of carnal pleasures rippled through her mind's eye as she moved, and soon her hips were swaying to the rhythm of the sensual soundtrack. Her eyes closed, and she lost herself in the flowing music. She lifted her arms and began to dance, unaware of the man watching her hungrily. She did not feel his hands touch as they skimmed up her sides, for she was already imagining them there. His lips grazed her cheek, trailed downward and tasted her throat as she bared it to him.

He stepped into the rhythm with her, pulling her body gently against his. She was a flame in his arms, burning him with her bright dance. Her every curve undulated against him, filling his hollows and supporting his bulges with her softness. She flowed like water over his arm as he bent her backward, swayed like a willow in the wind as he brought her upright again. She stared at him through slitted green eyes glittering with desire, and his mouth closed over hers as a groan of pleasure slipped out.

They danced to the bed and floated down onto it like a pair of entwined snowflakes. Justin's hand slid up beneath her sweater to her breasts, kneading them as he drank the sweet honey of her lips. She sighed into his mouth and thrust her pelvis against his, inviting him to explore further. He pushed her sweater upward to bare her breasts and she raised her arms to assist him in taking the garment off.

"No," he whispered, rising up to meet her eyes. "Keep it on. Keep the dragon in the dark."

She lay utterly still beneath him, aware of the significance of his remark. The last of her defenses shattered, and he swept into her heart on gilded wings, warming the cold places and filling up the emptiness that had haunted her all her life.

"I want to keep you, Gemini," he added. "Don't leave. Not unless you take me with you."

His fingers worked the zipper on her jeans, and he slid them down her hips without taking his eyes from hers.

She could see a trace of fear in his eyes, and the impossible evidence of love he had kept hidden from her before. But she knew it wouldn't work between them. They were too much alike, and neither of them could say the words that would bind them together.

"I'm not a pet, love," she reminded him sadly. "I'm not housebroken. I tend to run off if someone tries to tie me down. And I bite. I'm not nice at all."

"Neither am I," he growled. He rolled onto his side long enough to undo his zipper and free himself from his jeans. Lying between her legs, he positioned himself for consummation, glancing down between them to guide himself into her. He hesitated at the last moment, facing her and searching her eyes for assurance that she was willing. Her hips rocked upward, drawing him inside in answer.

"Gemini," he breathed, and the rest of the things he wanted to tell her fled from his consciousness.

"My name is Jennifer," she sighed against his mouth.

"Gemini," he repeated firmly. "The other half of my soul." He sank into her deeply, gasping at the pleasure of it. "Jesus! I've needed you for so long."

He kissed her, and stifled the denial he knew was coming. With his body he distracted her from her argument, operating solely on instinct. The skills he had developed over the years with other women were useless to him now, for this was no ordinary woman. She was smarter than he was and he knew it, but just as vulnerable to desires of the flesh, and he intended to make their encounter so unique, so intoxicating that she would not be able to leave him behind. Her responses shocked and delighted him, and she proved to be every bit as awesome in bed as she was out of it.

Justin made love to her for hours, and when she drifted off to sleep he lay awake behind her, nesting together like two spoons in a drawer, more afraid than ever that she would leave. Perhaps not today, or even tomorrow, but too soon. He would never get tired of her as he had other women. Of that he was absolutely certain.

And he knew of only one way to tie her to him so she would think twice about walking away.

He rose and began to search quietly through her backpack until he found what he wanted. With trembling fingers he punched every last pill out of the plastic blister pack and tossed them down the toilet. He would have to keep her holed up in his room longer than he initially thought, and took stock of the emergency provisions every suite had in the wall pantry. He calculated the days, portions of food available, and decided they could make it for at least a month without interruption.

Last on the list, he set about repairing the computer he had left in pieces on the console so he could send a "Do Not Disturb" message out to the entire complex, and encourage them to take at least 30 days before commencing repairs on the door. That done, he shut the unit down and returned it to its previous state of disrepair, climbed back into bed, and gently woke her to start again.



Justin stabbed at his breakfast with extreme prejudice, taking time to look up from the plate only long enough to glare at his mate across the table.

"What's the matter, Justin?" asked his mother casually as she poured herself more fresh squeezed orange juice from the facility's own dwarf orange trees.

"He's just angry because I wouldn't let him get me pregnant," Gemini volunteered, nibbling at a biscuit on her plate. She shot a superior glance at her lover and flexed a polite smile.

"I forgot about your telekinesis," he mumbled around a mouthful of waffle.

Helen Pierce's surprise lasted only a moment before she wiped away the startled look and decided the conversation was none of her business.

"You opened that door so easily," Justin went on. "I woke up this morning and there you were, sliding it open like magic. Jesus, Gemini! It was the only thing I could think of to make you stay with me." He reached across the table and covered her hand with his, eyes pleading, voice soft with regret. "Don't go, lady. Or take me with you. But please don't just walk away. You know how I feel."

He laid down his fork and signed to her, You complete me, Gemini. You had me at 'hello'. "Corny movie reference and all," he said softly, "I need you. Please stay."

Gemini couldn't bear looking into his hurt face any longer, and directed her attention to the fruit and homemade bread on her plate. "I have things to do, love," she said softly. "Old debts that need to be paid. You belong here with your family." He started to say something else, but she cut him off, meeting his gaze with a determined one of her own. "It won't work between us, Justin. We both know that."

He slammed his hands down on the table hard, making silverware and plates jump, forgetting they were surrounded by other people, who were valiantly trying to stay out of what was obviously a private argument.

Justin leaned over the narrow table, grasped Gemini by the upper arms and planted a deep, anguished kiss on her mouth, which left her stunned speechless for a moment.

"Deny it all you want," he rasped, letting her settle back into her chair. "We were made for each other. There will never be anyone else for either of us." He swept away from the table without a backward glance, and Gemini turned her embarrassed attention back to her plate.

Helen Pierce raised an eyebrow at the white haired man sitting close beside her on her left side. "He has your temper, Joaquin."

St. James smiled knowingly and whispered back, "And she's just like you. I think they're a perfect match." He nibbled her earlobe, enjoying her delighted shiver of pleasure before turning back to his own breakfast.

Jarod sat at the head of the table, watching the interplay as he took a bite of oatmeal flavored with honey, apples and cinnamon that his mother had made for him. It was hard to believe what he was seeing, hard to take in the fact that he was now where he had dreamed of being for most of his life, surrounded by people he barely knew, but whose souls were intimately connected with his own. He felt so full there was barely room for food.

But there was an emptiness that still nagged at him, a purposelessness that left him confused and frightened. He had what he wanted... but what came next? Obligation, boundless love and desire would keep him with Faith, but he needed something to do with his intelligence and energy, something rather like the stings he had worked before, but less dangerous, less time consuming so he would be able to be a proper father to his sons, and a husband to the woman he loved.

There was plenty of work to be done in the research facility and he was certain he could help with a number of programs there. But it wouldn't be enough, and he knew it.

He would simply have to enjoy the time he had at hand, getting to know his family and cementing the broken bonds with them, before turning his attention to anything else. And all that could take a long while to accomplish. He was content, and pleased to see his father and mother making tentative attempts at picking up where they left off decades earlier. It was a good thing that Joaquin still loved her after her abrupt departure from his life.

It was a very good thing, one that he would watch develop with happy interest. But the situation with Justin and Gemini was not as promising, and Jarod did not know how to help either of them come to terms with the difficult possibilities they faced. Faith had told him he should stay out of their affair, but he wasn't good at that sort of thing. He just hoped he came up with the right idea before she left Harper's Rest.



Gemini transferred all the information stored on the DSAs to her personal computer during the last few days at Galleons Lap. Justin had tried to talk her out of bringing the thing, since it would be a heavy addition to her pack during the hike, but she had insisted and decided it was a good time to get started on her project.

She worked while Justin visited with his family, choosing to spend her free time in a hammock in Eden 4, enjoying the sounds of the bird calls and rushing water in the nearby stream. It was a peaceful place, with weather she could count on remaining clear until dusk, and she enjoyed herself immensely. Thoughts of settling down brushed against her imagination, but she swept them away immediately. Such a life was not for her, not even in a place like Harper's Rest.

The first order of business was to make an outline, just to make sure all the important tasks would get done. After that, she began a detailed analysis of each step, laying out variations and possibilities, which would give her a clear course of action. In all, she plotted it would take about a year to accomplish the whole plan, and the first thing to do would be to establish several new identities for herself. Almost as an afterthought, she added a few extra IDs and retired for the day to Justin's quarters.

The broken door stood ajar, and he was busy repairing the electronic controls when she strolled in.

She left her laptop computer on the desk with his PC, and offered to lend him a hand.

He suggested she use her amazing mental gifts to close it instead, and give him a hand with something else entirely.



Miss Parker lay in the tub with her eyes closed, enjoying the smoky blues tune Jay was playing in the next room. For once she felt no pressing need to be anywhere, to get anything done, and it was a tremendous relief. She spent her days and nights in the company of a wildly sexy man with unpredictable moods, and for the first time in a very long time, she was happy. It felt strange, almost uncomfortable, and instinct made her snap and snarl when she really didn't want to, just because she was accustomed to responding to people that way.

Jay didn't seem to mind at all. He would smile at her barbed retorts and redirect her irritation, surprising her with a compliment or distracting her with a kiss, and then she would be all over him, regardless of where they were. She noticed that he had a penchant for having sex in semi-public places, where someone was bound to see or hear them, and she decided she liked that just fine.

She smiled to herself, remembering their most recent trip to Flagstaff. They had done it in a glass elevator in a new hotel, and he had sweet-talked the elderly couple who caught them into not reporting them to Security, convincing them that they were newlyweds with a handful of dried rice he had hidden away in his trouser pocket. The old couple had smiled indulgently and walked away, arm in arm, without a word, and Jay rented a room for them to finish what he had started in the elevator car.

He was incredible, both in bed and out of it, and she felt a strong sense of disquiet whenever she thought about leaving him. She opened her eyes and glanced around the elegantly appointed bathroom with its stained glass window coloring the wall beside her, and wondered about what came next. For the first time in her life she was rootless, free of her past and disconnected from her future, and it was unsettling to realize that she suddenly had nowhere to go. She had no reason to go back to The Centre, no reason to see her father again anytime soon -- what she had to say to him would best be done after a long, silent absence -- and no plans at all.

She sat up in the tub and called Jay into the bathroom with her.

He lowered the toilet lid and sat down on it, grinning hugely and dancing his fingers across the guitar strings so fast they almost set it on fire.

"You have a request, ma cherie?" he asked happily.

She didn't crack a smile. "I was just thinking," she said quietly. "I need to start over again, find a new star to guide me."

"I'd be happy to oblige," he shot back, and waggled his dark eyebrows at her, green eyes gleaming with lust.

Miss Parker grinned briefly, but her serious mood took over again. "I need a new career, Jay. I need to find out what makes me happy. And I was thinking that, since the Foundation does this sort of thing for other people, maybe I might be welcome here, too."

Jonathan sat the guitar down on the floor, took off his boots and climbed into the tub with her, clothes and all, disregarding her screams of protest and harmless slaps. He settled his buttocks between her feet and propped his long legs on either side of her on the tub, facing her with a frown of concentration.

"Well, to tell you the truth, doll," he began seriously, "I own this place. My mom handles the business end of it, but the land is mine, passed down from my grandmother, who was a full-blooded Navajo. So as long as you keep on my good side, you may stay as long as you like. Particularly if you decide to be the mother of my children. Which could be a pretty good career move, if you ask me, since I'm loaded."

She couldn't help grinning, and splashed him with a handful of water. "I'm not a very maternal person," she returned playfully. "Or hadn't you noticed?"

He shrugged. "Okay, so we skip the kids part and just pretend like we're trying to have a family. I like the practicing part best anyway. And there's plenty of kids here already that we can terrorize. Or not, as necessary." He cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her. "What do you say? Wanna be my Significant Other?"

She smirked back at him. "What? No proposal of marriage? No vows of undying monogamous love? Just what the hell kind of Prince Charming are you?"

"The kind they warn you about when you're a little girl," he teased. "The kind who rides up on a motorcycle and gets you in trouble as often as possible. The kind your folks definitely wouldn't approve of."

"Then you may just have a deal, Jay," she returned warmly. "Keep it light and fun and I'll stick around. Get all maudlin and mushy on me, and I'm gone. Although I have no complaints about you so far."

"And I aim to keep it that way, Rio," he promised. She pulled his sodden shirt off over his head, and he reached for the soap to suds her down. "You're a hell of a woman, Miss Parker. How 'bout we change your name to Helen Bedd?"

"I'm not advertising, Jay," she countered, feeling under the water for his zipper. "As long as you keep me entertained, I won't be looking for extracurricular activity." She surged against him, sloshing a wave of soapy bath water over the edge of the tub, and silenced any further conversation with a kiss that almost made the water boil.



"I've never been much of an outdoorsman, aside from a little fishing here and there," Sydney admitted as he eyed the saddled horse looming before him.

Grace smiled and handed him the reins. "Riding a horse is rather like having sex, love," she promised. "You have to find the rhythm with your partner and just let it happen."

Still studying the animal and its leather seat, he didn't think when he replied. "It's been rather a long time for me, I'm afraid."

"Me, too," said Grace evenly. "Not since my husband, 38 years ago. But one never forgets."

Sydney turned to look at her, standing there beside him in the early morning sunshine, and noticed how she radiated kindness. Something moved in him, and he thought to himself, I could love her so easily. And then felt ashamed for having such a selfish thought, so soon after Samantha's death. But what he had shared with The Centre's psychic was tenuous at best, a relationship that lived in the shadows and would never have come to fruition.

Yes, he could love her. In fact, he already did, in some fashion. He saw her as his savior from the moment he first met her, and carnal thoughts about her seemed inappropriate. He smiled and thanked her, took the reins in his left hand and laid his right on the horse's flank, patting the beast to let him know he was about to climb aboard.

But Grace stepped up and reached around his neck, drawing him down for a quick kiss, not quite on the lips, but shyly off the mark at the corner of his mouth. Hesitant confusion lit her eyes as she backed off and flashed a nervous smile at him, then walked around his horse to mount her own. She swung up easily into the saddle and glanced over at him, waiting for him to do the same.

"Western saddles are quite different from English," he commented from atop the chestnut gelding.

"Yes, very," she agreed, and headed her horse toward the west, and the magnificent view of the canyon visible from the western wall. They traveled in silence for a while, allowing Sydney to become more comfortable with his seat, the saddle, and the horse's gait.

"I haven't been on a horse for 40 years," he said idly, relaxing a little as his mount sauntered beside hers. "I'd forgotten how lovely it can be." He smiled into her eyes and added, "The world almost looks like a different place from up here."

She nodded and smiled back. "The world is actually a better place than you think it is, Sydney. And certainly more forgiving."

Grace turned away, her smile fading as she gazed at the lush landscape near the buildings of Galleons Lap that they passed on the bridle path. "I saw some of your work with Jarod," she admitted. "At first I was unable to grasp the horror of what I was seeing. Jarod's comments gave me some insight, and after asking some questions, I began to understand. You were a very different man in the early years with him."

Sydney stared straight ahead, aware of the bright morning sun beating down on his shoulders and bare head. The scent of horses and leather overpowered the subtler smells of flowers and fertile earth, but a trace of Grace's perfume wafted to him on the breath of a breeze. He remembered those years with the young Pretender too well, how driven he was to discover, how far he strayed from his moral compass in order to accomplish the majestic work of studying that unique human being that was Jarod. And looking back on all the things he had done to the boy, he was ashamed.

There was no excuse for the emotional abuse he had put Jarod through, and though he did try to blunt its impact, the results were still painfully clear.

"Yes. But no so very different," he responded quietly.

Grace fixed him with a knowing look. "Of all The Centre refugees I have met thus far, Sydney," she began slowly, "you were most in need of saving from it."

He couldn't help grinning at her obvious caring. "You can't save the world, Grace." That had been one of Jarod's most important lessons, but one he had steadfastly refused to learn.

"Not by myself, no," she smiled. "But if I help ten people, and they help ten people, and the trend continues, why, then, the whole world will be changed one day. The journey that begins with a single step, is ultimately its own reward. Don't you agree?"

"What a philosopher you are," he chuckled. "An unbridled romantic."

"You don't know the half of it, Sydney," she grinned. "I've been waiting my whole life for someone who can appreciate those qualities in me. And here you are, riding up on a chestnut horse and sweeping me off my feet in quite the gentlemanly fashion."

His eyes glowed as they met hers, but his smile faded away. "I came here to find solace," he murmured. "But discovered that the only place I can find that is back at The Centre. I have to follow my conscience for once, rather than turning my back on it. I have to return, Grace. I have to help the other children now, take up Catherine Parker's work where she left it. If I don't, there will be no peace for me anywhere. And I'll never be able to forgive myself." He sighed, watching her turn away, her expression sad but accepting. "It's taken me a long time to understand Jarod's motivations for what he's been doing over the last year. But now I know that forgiveness has to begin inside myself. That's why he hasn't been able to forgive me for what I did to him. Because he can't forgive himself, and we were partners in crime."

"Victims of a greater evil," Grace corrected. "Neither of you had a choice--"

"There's always a choice," he cut in. "Just not one I was willing to make."

She pulled on the reins and halted her horse's amble, waiting for him to do the same, and then riveted his eyes with hers. "You chose life," she stated fiercely. "And in so doing, you've given yourself and Jarod the opportunity to make amends, in some fashion, for the things you had to do to stay alive. When someone is forced to commit evil against their will, then they are also victims of it. Don't punish yourself for the past anymore, Sydney. The past is gone. Build yourself a future, and try to make up for what you've done. Help others, now that you have the chance. Stay with me, and counsel the needy here. We have quite a lot who come here with ruined lives and fractured hearts, and they need a good doctor to help them heal."

Her passion was not wasted, and Sydney felt it to his bones. He reached across the little space between their mounts and caught the back of her neck, pulling her close enough to kiss her. It was brief and clumsy, but white hot and soul-deep, and as they parted both of them were breathing hard, trembling, trying to gather their scattered wits back together again.

"Excellent speech, Grace," he breathed. "But I know what I have to do. I have to pay the piper for the dance."

Tears gathered in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "Will you come back?"

He glanced down at the leather reins woven around his fingers, and sighed heavily. "Probably not."

It was a long time before she spoke again. "When will you leave?"

Sydney shrugged. "In a few days, I think. Any longer than that without reporting in, and they'll think I've deserted."

Grace nodded. "Then let's make the most of the time you have left. Will you make love to me before you go?"

His eyes met hers, and a shy, adoring smile played at one corner of his mouth.

"I would have taken longer and worked up to it if you intended to stay," she admitted. "But I'm not one to let opportunity slip through my fingers and live in the shadow of regret."

He laughed then, with abandon that he had not felt in many, many years. "You are priceless, Grace St. James. And my answer is... yes. Though I can't promise I'll be worth the wait. I'm rather sadly out of practice."

"Then we'll be retro-virgins together, darling," she teased. A trembling smile washed across her mouth, and they continued down the bridle path toward the canyon, dancing hesitantly closer, both unsure of the steps but determined to finish the song together.



"I have to go," Gemini said again, pushing Justin's hands away from her waist as he sought to pull her back into bed. "I've got things to do."

"Such as?" he demanded crossly, giving up and pushing to his feet.

"Dealing with The Centre," she stated with a sigh. "And no, you can't come and help. You'd be caught and sent back there, and if they took you again, I wouldn't be able to help you get out a second time."

He paled and stared hard at her. "Jesus, you aren't going back there, are you?"

"No, love. Not for a long time. Not till they're broken."

"You can't do it by yourself, Gemini. They're too powerful, and you don't know--"

"I know everything I need to know," she shot back. "I've got a plan all worked out, and am about to implement it shortly. First stop is Switzerland, and then I'll be traveling for about a month. I'll see you when I'm done, Justin. If you want."

"Dammit, Gemini! I'll go crazy worrying about you while you're gone, wondering if they've gotten to you, if you're safe. Please. Let me come with you. I'll stay out of your way, I promise."

"That's one you can't keep, Justin, and you know it." She finished dressing and packed up her things in preparation for her trip back to civilization, aware of how distracted and agitated he was becoming. "Just let me go. Close your eyes, and count to 100, and when you open your eyes again, it'll be done. Painless and quick."

"Like hell," he growled. In moments he was dressed and said his farewells to his family over the intercom. When she shouldered her pack and headed for the elevator he was on her heels, and stayed with her all the way up to the top, through the cabin entrance and out onto the trail again. When they stopped overnight at the traveler's lean-to, he did not sleep, afraid she would desert him if he did. He took a nap in the car as she drove, waking every time she stopped or slowed down. And when she changed out of her hiking gear after their arrival in the city, she stowed the wilderness provisions in a locker at the airport and bought a ticket for Geneva. He was next in line with credit card in hand.

He went with her to an international bank and watched her set up several private accounts, never questioning her intentions or showing the slightest bit of curiosity. Afterward, she bought a map and a set of darts and chose a handful of destinations all over the world, then electronically ordered tickets for each of the cities under different names.

But Justin said nothing when she purchased the tickets in pairs, one for a man and one for a woman.

Upon arrival in each city she would check them into a hotel, plug in her modem and set to work. Every day she would hit at least three of the names on her list, hunting down every financial resource and removing it, sending the cash to one of the numbered accounts in Switzerland or making a sizable anonymous donation to Greenpeace or Amnesty International or the International Children's Fund. Day by day she stripped Centre officers of their money, their investments, their assets, covering her tracks so completely that none of them would ever be able to find where their funds had gone.

Last of all, she began to track down the financial secrets of The Centre itself, but barricades had been built to protect them and she knew it would take quite a bit of time and relentless pursuit before she would be able to pull the rug completely out from under the corporate identity. And that led to the next part of the equation, where Justin's presence would definitely be harmful to her mission.

And rather than part company after another argument, she drugged his food and left him sleeping in an Oslo hotel room with a kiss of regret on his lips.



Sydney sat at his desk, typing rythmically on his keyboard, reporting on the current Pretender case he had been assigned. The girl was not as gifted as Jarod had been, but she was showing promise and blossoming under his tutelage. In another week he hoped to have her out of The Centre and on her way to the Foundation, where Grace would be trying to find her family and reunite them again.

He had helped four children out already, and so far there had not been a ripple of suspicion directed at him. After the first rescue that he had accomplished on his own, he managed to discover another sympathetic soul, and after that the entire Underground put itself at his disposal. He was moving them out too fast, they told him, and sooner or later, someone would connect the disappearances to him. Sydney was prepared for that. It was inevitable.

And when Raines came into his office with a pair of burly sweepers at his side, he knew that somehow, he had been identified as the thief of Centre property, and offered up as a sacrifice.

"Come with me," Raines growled.

Sydney saved the file he had been working on, and shut down his computer. He rose from his chair, adjusted the drape of his jacket, smoothed back his hair with one hand, and followed his nemesis out with his head held high. One of the sweepers reached for his arm, and he dodged neatly.

"That isn't necessary," he assured the big man. "I know where I'm going."

He walked down the corridor smiling, amazed at the lightness in his heart. He had not believed such a thing possible, but the burden he had carried on his soul for so long was fading away at last, leaving wonderful peace in its wake. He was happy, and as he stood in the back of the elevator behind Raines and the sweepers, he began to hum a pleasant tune, punctuated with bubbling laughter that he could not keep inside.

He was free at last.

He only wished he could tell Jarod how it felt.



Miss Morgan Parker picked up the telephone in her room on the first ring.

"Hello," she said mildly into the mouthpiece. Sometime during the past few months' stay at the Foundation she had ceased snapping her irritated "What?" into the phone whenever it rang.

"Darling, is that you?"

She recognized her father's voice instantly, and was suddenly shaken. "Yes, Daddy. I'm sorry I haven't called, but I've been... busy." She stole a glance at the bed, and the sleeping man tangled up in her sheets.

"Any luck finding those DSAs?"

"No, Daddy. But I know they're here somewhere. This is a big place. Lots of ground to cover." She scratched at the nicotine patch on her upper arm and inadvertently peeled part of it off. She removed it completely and tossed it in the nearest trash can.

"Well, something more important has come up. You've got to get back here now."

She frowned. "What's the matter, Daddy? You sound upset."

"Use the corporate card to buy your ticket home," Mr. Parker ordered. "Your personal card isn't good anymore."

That sent a shiver of fear through her. If her credit had been tampered with, then it was only the tip of the iceberg. "Tell me, Daddy. What is it? What did Jarod do this time?"

"I can't confirm that it's Jarod, darling," he told her, "but it has the earmarks of something he'd pull. He's been stealing money from all The Centre officers. How he found out who they are, I'll never know, but he has and he's stealing every penny we ever made. Even houses are being repossessed by financial organizations. I'm living in my office right now, and I don't like it one bit. I need you here to help us figure out how to get our lives back."

She wanted to tell him then what she knew, but didn't want the blow dealt over the phone. She wanted to see his face when she told him. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Daddy, but meet me at that diner in Blue Cove, not at The Centre. We have things to discuss. And bring Sydney."

He cleared his throat on the line. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"And why not? I know he went back to work a month ago. He sent me an e-mail just yesterday to ask me if Jarod had returned to the Foundation yet."

"We'll talk about it when I see you. Say, Wednesday afternoon, 2:00 pm?"

"Yes, Daddy. I'll see you there." She hung up the phone and went immediately to her computer. Without checking the incoming posts, she sent a message to Sydney's Centre account, and waited. Half an hour later she checked her mail again, and found that the message had bounced back. His electronic account had been closed. She scanned her other incoming posts and found one from him sent on the previous day. She opened it immediately and began to read.

Dear Miss Parker,
I wanted to tell you many things, but none of them seemed quite appropriate while we worked together. I watched you grow up into a beautiful, gifted young woman. There is so much out there for you, dear Morgan, if only you allow yourself to see it. Jonathan St. James seems to be good for you, and I hope you discover with him what I could never teach you, though I tried. When you look into the mirror, learn to see your mother's spirit, and you will be whole again.

All these years I loved you like a daughter. Please remember me fondly.

Fare well. Give my love to Jacob and Grace.

Sydney Abelard


"Oh, my God," she breathed, and sat down bonelessly in the chair at her desk. Sydney would not have sent her such a personal note unless he would not be able to tell her those things face to face. He had crossed the line, and with her father's unsaid discomfort about the subject, she thought he was probably gone.

"What is it, Rio?" asked Jay sleepily from the bed. He stretched and opened his eyes, but once her stricken look registered he was out of the covers and kneeling before her, his arms thrown around her for comfort. "What is it, baby? What's happened?"

"Sydney's dead," she whispered brokenly. "They killed him."

Disbelief morphed into acceptance, and he hugged her harder. "We'll have to tell Pooh," he observed.

She nodded. "I'll do it. And Jacob, too."

"He's in a coma, babe."

"He should still be told," she sniffed. "If he doesn't already know." She pushed uncertainly to her feet, Jay rising with her and holding her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his naked back, needing the warmth of his body, the strength of his muscles to help support her as the full weight of her grief sank in and she began to weep in earnest. "He was more like a father to me than my own. And I never once told him I loved him, Jay. Not once."

Jonathan stroked her hair and waited for her tears to subside. "I think he knew, darlin'." His eyes scanned the message on her computer screen before the screensaver blocked it out. "He knew."

She nodded, unable to make an audible reply, and buried her face against his neck.









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