Firestone (3 page)

Yvonne smiled at her.

“
Everything is fine now,”
Yvonne said. “Is your man my Tannie’s lab partner? She said he was
handsome.”

“
He is,” Abi smiled. “And
Tanesha? She is magnificent.”

“
She is,” Yvonne
said.

There was a sound of a baby wailing and the
waiting room broke into cheers. A few moments later, another baby
cried and they cheered again. Jill and Jacob’s boys had
arrived.

~~~~~~~~

Jillian Roper
Marlowe

and

Jacob Lipson
Marlowe

announce the birth of their
twins

Tanner Handy Roper
Marlowe

and

Michael Bladen Roper
Marlowe

Saturday morning — 10:12 A.M.

Jill felt someone sit down on the bed and
she opened her eyes to stare at the white ceiling above. Her first
thought was about the boys, her second about Katy. Of course, the
boys disappeared with Megan a half hour or so ago. Katy was at
Paddie’s house. Jacob was out at the earthquake site with Aden,
Blane, and Sam.

And she was . . . She wasn’t
sure.

She looked around. She was in a comfortable
bedroom just off the medical offices. She was looking around at the
lovely room when she saw the person sitting on her bed. With a
groan, she started to sit up.

“
Please, don’t get up,”
Liban said.

Jill squinted.

“
Yes, I dare come into
your room,” Liban said after reading her look.

“
I . . .”

“
Please,” Liban said. “If
I may, I’d like to talk for a moment. I have a few things to say.
If you ask me to leave, I will go immediately. But please, hear me
out.”

Jill was too tired to argue. She gestured
for Liban to speak her piece.

“
Thank you,” Liban
said.

Jill lifted her lips in a guarded smile.

“
The boys are beautiful,”
Liban said.

“
Thank you.” Jill squinted
and wondered what Liban was buttering her up for.

“
I know that you don’t
trust me,” Liban said.

“
If you’re here to talk me
into letting your fairy take care of the boys, Jake and I have
already decided that we do not need help from
fairies
,” Jill said.
“You . . .
people
 . . . don’t
seem to hold the concept of children in the same way human’s do.
I’d rather allow my children to be children, and not pawns in some
political games.”

“
You’re angry,” Liban
said.

“
Angry?” Jill asked.
“Disgusted.”

“
I understand,” Liban
said. “I assure you, the situation with Prince Kirk was unique. In
fact, all of Fand’s children’s situations were unique.”

“
Fin was raised by
Manannán’s human wives,” Jill said.

“
He told you?”

“
He told Tanesha,” Jill
said. “He said that his sisters were raised by fairies and that
Kirk was in the care of one of Manannán’s great-grandchildren when
he was taken and she was killed.”

Jill sniffed.

“
Just gross,” Jill
said.

“
I see what you see,”
Liban said. “I understand why you say it, and I would tell you that
my sister’s children and their situation is unique. My
sister . . . Well, as you saw, she’s not much of a
mother. She was born a queen, born to bear a queen’s
responsibilities. Her fairies take all of her time, energy, and
thought. I’m not sure she was intended to fall in love. As you
know, some things just happen. She is no mother. She couldn’t
understand a child if she tried.”

“
Why is she so interested
in Katy then?” Jill asked.

“
She believes Katy to be
similar to herself, and thus in need of special teaching and care,”
Liban shrugged. “You have impressed Fand, though. You are Katy’s
mother, just as I was mother to my children. You know that Ne Ne
raised Yvonne.”

Jill scowled.

“
You’re angry about Kirk,”
Liban said.

Jill crossed her arms and furrowed her
brow.

“
I understand,” Liban
said. “Would it help to know that he no longer remembers what
happened to him?”

“
What about the scars?”
Jill asked.

“
The wounds healed the
moment he arrived in this world,” Liban said. “His body shows that
he’s suffered but his mind remembers none of it. He can remember
it, though.”

“
How?”

“
If you remind him,” Liban
said.

“
Where is he?” Jill
asked.

“
Your friend, Heather?”
Liban asked. “Didn’t she leave to speak with her social worker?
Something about . . .”

“
Emergency placement,”
Jill’s voice was filled with awe.

“
Of course, the Oracle has
agreed to raise him,” Liban said. “But he needs a place tonight.
Tomorrow his . . .”

“
Aunt . . .” Jill whispered.

“
So you do know,” Liban
said.

“
Heather called when she
found out,” Jill said. “She’s taking a boy for a few
days . . . Keenan . . .”

“
Keenan means ancient
one,” Liban smiled.

“
And his mother?” Jill
asked. “Queen Fand?”

“
She and the Oracle agree
that she will be in his life, but he will grow up human,” Liban
said. “Like his brother, Fin.”

“
Like Fin,” Jill’s voice
was vague, as she thought through what Liban was saying. “Fin and
Abi?”

Liban gave Jill a broad smile.

“
Love is unusual for us
fairies,” Liban said. “We don’t usually mate for life. If we find
love, it is strong, overpowering even, but fades. We rarely love
another fairy unless, like Gilfand, we draw a mortal into our
world. That takes the kind of power only available to the ancient,
like Gilfand or myself.

“
But Fin and
Abi . . .” Liban smiled. “She’s supposed to
be
his
mate. He
is a fairy ruler, a prince, thus she should be a lady of court. She
should not be on the fairy corps. And
yet . . .”

“
They are both here,” Jill
said.

“
As I said, love is
unusual for us,” Liban said. “But then again, my nephew is
half-Manannán.”

Jill looked at the wall to think it through.
There was a large picture of Katy sitting on the table along the
wall. Jill smiled at her baby-girl.

“
I like that you ask me
about the boy before you ask me about what you get,” Liban
said.

“
What I get?” Jill asked.
“What do you mean?”

“
As your gift for making
our family, our entire community whole,” Liban said.

“
My gift?” Jill asked. “I
don’t really want anything from you.”

“
Yes,” Liban said. “That’s
refreshing.”

Liban smiled.

“
But?” Jill
asked.

“
You are given a wish for
every single person involved in this adventure,” Liban
asked.

“
A wish?” Jill
asked.

“
For your friends, Jacob,
Sam, Valerie, James, the Oracle, your family, and your friends who
valiantly fought the men who wanted to take your babies, the people
at the earthquake site . . .,” Liban said. “You can
wish for anything you want.”

“
You mean you could heal
Honey’s back so she can walk again?” Jill asked.

“
No,” Liban said. “I
cannot heal an old injury. A newer injury, sure, but Honey has
healed and . . . I’m sorry. Honey is wonderful.
Older injuries are . . . tricky. There’s a good
chance I would make it a lot worse.”

“
So you could heal Tink’s
seizures?” Jill asked.

“
Would you like that?”
Liban asked.

“
Yes,” Jill
said.

“
What about her memories?”
Liban asked. “I can take them . . .”

“
No,” Jill said. “She
needs them for the trial so she can testify. But could you help her
not feel so bad about them, or scared,
or . . .”

Liban nodded.

“
While you’re at it,” Jill
said. “Can you help sort out that whole thing – the boys
responsible and the boys who were just there and the boys who
watched the videos and . . .”

“
Done,” Liban said. “Good
choices, Jillian. However, you must watch your own
nature.”

“
My nature?” Jill asked.
“What . . .”

“
You have a tendency to
destroy to create something new,” Liban said.

“
What?” Jill
asked.

“
It’s in your blood,”
Liban said.

“
How would
you . . .?”

“
It is what you do, isn’t
it?” Liban asked. “Destroy an engagement party, get a new
life?”

Jill blushed.

“
I’m not chastising you,
Jill,” Liban said. “I’m saying we need to be careful. For example,
you might want to heal the child Sissy’s eating disorder. But by
wiping her slate clean, you will leave her vulnerable to other
trouble as she moves forward in her career as a ballerina. By
having this disorder so early in life, she is less vulnerable to
situations and people that keep other girls from
greatness.”

“
I see what you mean.”
Jill nodded. “Did we do that with the rapist boys
or . . .?”

“
For a few,” Liban said.
“As you know, destruction brings healing.”

“
And I get to decide for
everyone?” Jill’s inner meddler squealed with glee.

“
Who else?” Liban
smiled.

“
Can I have some time to
think?” Jill asked.

“
No,” Liban said. “With
the birth of the boys, the surrounding magic is elevated right now.
We can get more done. Plus, I’m confident you already have a plan
for everyone.”

“
Well . . .” Jill smiled.

“
I’m
listening.”

~~~~~~~~

Saturday—10:12 A.M.

Jacob looked out over their old construction
site. While he’d been in the Isle of Man, his crew had fought to
stabilize the site and save lives. Their efforts were evident in
every area of the site. He was proud of the men and women from
Lipson Construction, who’d fought so valiantly through the night.
He grinned at his princely thoughts, and wondered if his time at
the Isle of Man had changed him.

“
Marlowe?” an Adam’s
County Sheriff’s detective yelled at him from an area near the
trailers. “We’re ready.”

Today was the day of reckoning. The Adam’s
County Sheriff’s along with police detectives from every city in
Adam’s County were here to go over what happened last night and
take their statements. Sam was out on the north side of the site,
the pit area, with Rodney and Honey. Blane was with DeShawn, Jason,
and Pete in the medical tents. Aden was with Jerry and his team
going over their work.

They had asked Jacob to discuss how Lipson
Construction managed to withdraw from the site four days before the
earthquake. The first police detective they’d met with had told
them the state was planning on charging Jacob for reckless
endangerment of the other construction teams. The Adams County
Sheriff was looking for reasons to charge Jacob with criminal
negligence in causing the earthquake itself. There were other
threats—survivors filing suits, the oil company claimed their wells
were spoiled by the repairs, and every other fantastic claim
designed to shirk responsibility. Jacob had smiled and called their
lawyers.

Less than a day ago, he’d been wielding a
sword in hand-to-hand combat against an experienced army. He rubbed
the cut on his chin. This legal wrangling was nothing compared to
the horror of staring down the Christian Cavalry. He waved at the
detective and started toward the trailers. The alarm on his phone
rang.

Looking down at the phone in his hand, he
saw the picture he’d taken of Jill, Katy, and the boys. The alarm
was to remind him of his life and his priorities. Smiling, he
carried the phone in his right hand, or as Fin called it, his sword
hand and went to the trailers.

He was met by two men in expensive suits.
Samantha Hargreaves was out of town so she sent one of her
colleagues to handle any criminal complaints. He introduced himself
and smiled. Their corporate lawyer hugged Jacob. Flanked by the
warriors of the law, Jacob entered the trailer to talk about the
events, as he knew them, at the construction site.

~~~~~~~~

Saturday—12:15 P.M.

“
Hi,” James said in a low
tone.

Edie looked up from the infant in her arms.
She was sitting on a soft loveseat in the makeshift nursery in the
medical offices. She smiled at him and nodded toward the seat next
to her.

“
Who is this?” James
asked.

“
Tanner,” Edie said. “He
gets a little fussy after he eats.”

“
How did you, uh, sort
this?” James asked.

“
My aunt, Liban, had a
chat with Jill,” Edie said. “Jill agreed to let me help while she’s
resting in the next few days. If all goes well, then we’ll talk
about the future.”