After several months of their new life, Tom was finally settling into a routine. Tom's pod parked in the garage next to Brooke's red and white medical one. He pulled himself up the staircase one step at a time until he finally made it to the top."Welcome home," Brooke said as she set a pork roast on the table. "You're just in time.""Wow, look at this. Wasn't it book club tonight? Usually, you're already in bed."Brooke flashed him a devilish grin. We got done early. Besides-" she walked up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I missed you."Tom got a distinct feeling that she was planning something. He pulled his security jacket off and hung it in the closet by the door along with his gun holster then sat at the table while Brooke served him up. Was her blouse particularly low this evening or was that just him? He tried not to let his eyes linger as she bent close and put roasted potatoes on his plate. Her feminine scent mixed with the smell of roasted meat and confused his
"Good morning, Good morning," Jack sang as he waited for Lexi's door to slide open, which it did at his approach. He strode into her room and continued. "And Happy Birthday to you!" He finished with a long note.Lexi sat up and pushed the sleep in her eyes away with the palm of her hand. "Dad?"Jack set a tray of pancakes in the shape of smiley faces down in front of her.She smiled and looked up at him."Happy birthday," he said and gave her a kiss on the top of her head."How do you know today is my birthday?" She asked."You're mom left it in the file for me when she left." He frowned. "Sorry, we didn't get to celebrate last year.""It's okay. I didn't even notice. I haven't had a birthday since I was eight. They didn't celebrate them in the lab."Jack sat on the edge of her bed and hugged her with one arm. "Well, you're not going to miss anymore.""Thank you for the pancakes. They're awesome.""Oh, here. I got you a present. One sec." Jack disappeared and came back with a
Tom woke on the couch again. It wasn't his favorite place to sleep, but Brooke had been mad about something last night. He thought hard about what triggered this fight. He stretched to get the juices flowing again. After dinner, she tried to sit with him on the couch, but she kept stretching out and he kept giving her space. Apparently, that wasn't the right call. She had stormed off and told him to sleep on the couch.He had come to hate the weekends. At least during the week he was at work most of the time and only had to deal with her at the end of the day a couple nights a week. She usually had book club or a dinner party and would leave a meal for him in the oven. The other nights would all start out nice, but now she was constantly pushing him into situations where he would have to refuse her. She was starting to get frustrated with him. For god sakes, he was getting frustrated with himself.He looked at his cuff. It read "11:00." He sighed. If she wasn't up yet then there was
Jack stood at the side stage of the fundraising event. He combed his hands through his newly cut and dyed hair and then smoothed his freshly pressed and very expensive navy suit down.A quick talking charismatic actor they had hired stood at the podium addressing the audience and auctioning off the various highly eligible bachelors that had been corralled into donating their time to the event to raise funds. Not that they really needed funds, but they had to make it look like they did to play along with the rules. Someone clapped Jack on the back. To his surprise, Henry stood to his side.His green eyes sparkled with the stage light as he looked at the crowd. "Is this one of your ideas or did Kael actual do his job as Fundraising Manager?" Jack laughed politely. "Let's call it a joint effort.""If you're not careful, we'll be promoting you to his job, too."Jack laughed again. He'd already been promoted to the head media strategist where they had doubled his pay again. He could s
Alex laid a hand on her belly. A little kick from the baby made her insides flutter and she smiled. In a few months, she would get to meet this little guy. Her heart was bursting with warmth now. She hadn't felt that way in a very long time. It reminded her of Jack and the Link. She shot a smile across the room trying to catch Jack's eye, but he was deep in conversation with another man. From this far away, the way he talked and gestured made her think of Henry. She frowned.Jack looked up and caught her eye. She quickly smiled back and gave him a little wave. She continued perusing the appetizer table, pushing little bits of cheese and dip in her mouth as she went. The blue dress she wore draped nicely on her form but hid her baby belly. It wasn't time to let people know yet. Her blonde locks lay in neat curls around her neck to hide the Vice. Her advisors told her not to change too many things after Henry died, so they recommended she kept her hair the same as it had always been. Sh
Alex awoke suddenly. Her clothes clung to her hot body. Her eyes darted to the corners of the dark room.Jack stirred next to her and mumbled, "It's just a bad dream.""I know," she whispered and rolled slowly out of bed. She tiptoed through the dark to the large master bathroom. She tapped the wall screen and the lights went bright. She slapped them two more times and it dimmed. Her eyes unsquinted and she flicked the panel to fill the large bath inset in the floor in the middle of the room. Immediately, the large bowl started to fill. She stripped and settled her naked pregnant body down on to the seat as the hot water rose to surround her.Her eyes closed. She had seen him again, the man with the green eyes. He'd called her name softly, "Alex-. Alex. I've been searching for you." The man's face appeared and the eyes faded from green to grey-blue, almost ice blue but warmer. Like Jack's eyes. Heat emanated inside her and she opened her eyes. The water was starting to envelop her n
Tom's leg bounced up and down as he sat impatiently waiting for the pod to reach the restaurant. His cuff read "18:25". He looked at the simple gold ring on his left hand as he wrung his hands together. A message flashed on his cuff and he turned to read it."Kena: I got a seat. S87."He flicked his fingers above the cuff and the message dutifully spelled out: "Almost there."He sent it off with a curt motion and went back to wringing his hands. He had to get himself together. He ran his fingers through his dyed dark hair to give them something else to do. He pulled on the strands and tried to focus on something other than his nervousness.The pod slowed and opened, revealing a candlelit walkway edged by shrubbery that led to a castle-like structure. He stepped out and tried not to rush to the door, which opened on its own accord.The seating attendant looked up as he entered. "Welcome to Moe's," she said with a small curtsy."Thank you. Seat-" He looked down at his cuff. "S87?"
A dinner of garlic butter oysters linguini was served and was incredibly delicious. They finished with a chocolate fondue served with various cakes and fruits for dipping. Throughout the meal, Brooke's foot had been climbing its way up his leg and now was firmly rubbing his crotch. The lack of table cloth had not actually stopped her and occasionally he would notice looks of the passersby in the hallway, but she seemed not to care.She finished the rest of the fruit with one last bite and stood. "I'm going to the ladies room before we leave. I think that wine went right through me." Her cheeks were a rosy pink, but she walked steadily as she left out the door and down the hall.Brooke was gone for ten minutes before Tom noticed a message on his cuff from her. "Man here. Come get me. Going to make a break for it."Tom leaped to his feet and dashed down the hallway. He knocked one couple aside as he rushed past them, apologizing on the fly. He finally reached the ladies room and saw