Caleb 50 – Justice

I watched Matilda Bree as she spent some time allowing the dogs to get to know her. She didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry nor was the driver of the car seemingly interested in exiting the vehicle. I couldn’t see who was driving from this angle.

Eventually, the dogs lost interest and wandered back towards where Dean and I were standing watching the older woman. She looked up at me and gave a half smile.

I didn’t hear what she said to the driver as she leant into the car for a moment, but then she closed the door and started to walk towards us.

Reflexively I checked my shields while sending to my girls.

“Matilda Bree has just arrived.”

I sensed surprise and worry from the girls, but they refrained from asking any questions.

“Caleb,” Matilda said on approaching me. Then she looked at Dean. “I’m sorry. I saw you at Caleb’s party, but we weren’t introduced. I’m Matilda Bree – formerly of the Everson Council.”

“I know,” said Dean not offering his hand. “What can we do for you Miss Bree.”

“It’s Mrs. actually,” she said. “My husband, god rest his soul, took my name when we married since I was the last of my line.”

Dean didn’t ask his question again; he merely raised an eyebrow at her. She cleared her throat self-consciously.

“I was wondering,” she said after a moment, “if I might have a conversation with Caleb.”

Dean looked at me.

“About?” I asked.

“Please,” she said. “I know that what has happened has not exactly… endeared us, or me, to you but, believe it or not, I am on your side.”

I snorted. “You knew about the binding oath?” I asked, knowing full well that she did, but wondering if she would lie.

“Knew about it, yes,” she said, “supported it, no. I have spent the last thirty years trying to get the use of that oath stopped; ever since I arrived on the council and found out about it.”

“So, you expect me to believe…” I began.

“No,” she interrupted, “I don’t. Certainly, in your position, I wouldn’t believe me especially after what happened yesterday. I also would like you to know that I had no knowledge of the attempt on all your lives. The only way I can think to prove it to you is to allow you to see for yourself.”

She stood up slightly taller and dropped her shield. I stood, unmoving, looking at her. I have to admit I was wondering if this could be some kind of trap. She was far older than me and far more experienced with telepathy. If I were to enter her mind would it give her some kind of reciprocal way into mine? I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t rushing in.

“Why?” I asked temporizing while, at the same time, asking the question to the twins. It was sent to all the girls since I didn’t want to exclude the others, but Ness and Jules knew who I was actually asking.

“Why what?” asked Matilda.

“Why is it so important to you,” I asked, “that I know?”

“There are a number of reasons,” she said. “Firstly, I saw the rage in you at your party. I know how angry you were, are, about the binding. I also know your power. You scare the living shit out of me and I definitely do not want to be on the wrong side of that.”

“I’ll call Dianna and ask,” sent Mary. “I don’t think so, but I’ll check.”

“Secondly,” she continued, “although I have ‘stepped down’ from the council, I still believe that I can be of use to both families, mine and yours. Your intervention left a void in our leadership that there are precious few people ready to fill.”

“It was not my intervention,” I said. “I merely had a discussion with the Abuela Gonzales. It was her decision to act upon what she’d learned. In all honesty, it never even occurred to me that she would do anything of the sort. I was still angry and was venting. That’s not to say that I am, in any way, sorry for what happened. To my mind, you all deserved what you got, and worse.”

She sighed. “Sadly,” she said, “I have no defense. I promise you. . .I tried. I’m sure that, now in hindsight, I could have, and should have, done more.”

“Dianna said that there is no problem with reading her mind, ” sent Mary. “ She can’t attack through your shield and, even if she could, she is nowhere near powerful enough to hurt you.”

“And thirdly,” she finished. “I have come, as a representative of the now defunct council, to ask a favor of you. It is one that I hope you will be willing to perform. It is a necessary task and I am certain that you are the only person who can do it.”

“If the council is now defunct,” I began, “how can you be their representative?”

She gave a short laugh. “Okay,” she said, “point taken. I have come on behalf of Ezra Everson and myself. We met following yesterday’s events and decided on our course of action, not as the Everson Council but as senior members of the Everson line. We will be approaching Judge Roder with regard to this, but we need your agreement first otherwise there is no real point.”

I sighed. I might as well hear her out. If I thought that I might decide to ‘grant’ the favor it would be conditional on me reading her mind and seeing the truth of what she had said so far.

“And the favor is?” I asked.

“We want you to strip Zacharia of his power,” she said simply.

I must have looked like an idiot, standing there, gaping at her. I had no words.

“You want Caleb,” clarified Dean, “to remove Zacharia’s power? Why?”

“Because he has become unhinged and dangerous,” she said firmly. “Zacharia was the oldest of us, the longest serving council member, and yet not the leader. He sorely resented Ezra and his leadership position, which he got on the vote of the reconvened council, when the last leader died. His response was to bully Ezra mercilessly.

“Ezra was never a strong man, but he was not an evil one either. He, too, disliked the binding oath, but never dared to challenge Zacharia on it. Truth be told Zacharia terrified him, and not without cause. Since Ezra was the leader of the council, when it came to voting, Maggie was bound to vote with the leader, so no matter my opposition, each time it came up for discussion the binding oath was voted back into use three to one. Zacharia bullied Ezra into voting the way he wanted him to.

“My vote never counted. Again, in hindsight I could have done what you did; I could have gone outside the council; but I too was bound by an oath. No, it wasn’t ‘binding’ in the same way as the oath taken by your family, but I was still honor bound not to act against my council or my family. I was in an impossible situation, and yes, I admit Zacharia scared me, not a little, too.

“I salved my own conscience regarding the binding of your line, by voting against it each time it came up for discussion, knowing full well that my vote meant nothing. It became almost a joke to Zacharia.  He treated me with contempt because of it.”

“So why now?” I asked. “If Zacharia has been bullying the council all these years, why all of a sudden is he so dangerous that he needs his power removed?”

“Because being forced to step down unhinged him,” she said earnestly. “As bad as he was before, Zacharia would have never done what he did yesterday. He tried to murder not only you, but two members of his own family, and five Norms who we were sworn to protect. On top of that he did so by violating one of those Norms. He broke every edict of the council and, not to mention, several laws. In short, he has gone from zealot to fanatic.

“But not only that, he is an ongoing danger to all those around him. Unless his powers are removed, he is going to continue to hurt people and, without a doubt, he will come after you, and yours. again.”

“And what about Heath,” I asked. “Are you going to tell me that he was under Zacharia’s ‘influence’?”

Matilda grimaced. “Yes and no,” she said. “No, he wasn’t under Zacharia’s control, but yes he was under his influence insomuch as the young are influenced by the old. Heath is a complicated boy. He had two major reasons to take action against you. First, he has always held a torch for the twins and he’d hoped one day to be able to date one of them, although he didn’t know them well enough to determine which one. That has to tell you where his interests really lay. Second, he was ‘told’ that he would have to play the part of your lover if you weren’t interested in the twins.

“Zacharia wanted someone he could control, in a position of control over you. As our Matriarch’s granddaughters he thought he had that control over the twins, at first, but he was sadly disappointed. Heath would have been your perfect lover, had you been gay, but secretly reporting your every move and thought to Zacharia, and using his influence to make you do what he, Zacharia, wanted. It was only going to be until you had taken the oath, after which he would be able to break off the relationship, and you could be controlled directly.”

“Surely they had to know I would have seen through that?” I said surprised.

“This was all decided long before we knew about what powers you had,” she replied. “We knew you were powerful, but didn’t know you were a multi. We thought you possessed compulsion alone. By the time you had manifested other powers, you were already bound to the twins. Zacharia was delighted when he heard about the bond. He thought then that we had you firmly in our grasp. Nobody expected you to do what you did when Dianna came up here and you showed how formidable a man you really are.”

“So, Heath was really going to take one for the team,” I said without mirth.

“Probably more than one,” she said with a wry smile. “So, are you going to take me up on my offer? I’ve never stood this long without my shields and I’m feeling kind of vulnerable.”

“Come into the house,” said Dean. “Here is not the place for that.”

“Who’s in the car?” I asked.

“That’s Emily,” she said. “She’s my ‘companion.’”

“Your…”

“My husband died five years ago,” she said. “At the end he needed nursing care, so Emily came in to help out. She’s a Norm. We got kind of close and, well, she just never left. And before you ask: no, I haven’t influenced her and, yes, she knows about powers.”

“Then don’t leave her sitting in the car,” said Dean, his inherent politeness and hospitality kicking in.

I saw uncertainty flicker across Matilda’s face.

“She will be perfectly safe,” I said. “I am not Zacharia. I won’t harm a Norm just to get at you. If I have a problem with you, it’s you I’ll be coming after. You’ll see me coming, but it won’t help you.” Her aura flamed with fear for a moment, then calmed down.

“Good to know,” she said a little uncertainly. I saw her eyes go distant for a second then the door of the SUV opened and a young woman stepped out. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She also looked terrified.

Hesitantly she walked over until she was stood beside Matilda who, unconsciously, took her hand. The gesture was so natural, so instinctive, that I knew that these two women were lovers. Emily though continued to tremble.

Gently I rolled relaxation, and trust, and safety over her.

I felt her relax. Matilda raised an eyebrow at me.

“She has nothing to fear here,” I said. “It was not fair for her to be in so much turmoil.”

Emily looked at Matilda, a question in her eyes.

“Yes dear,” Matilda said gently. “He used his Empathy on you. Just to soothe your nerves and to make you more comfortable. It’s skirting the rules but since he isn’t using it for personal gain, rather to make you more at ease, I can see no harm in it.”

“Come on through,” said Dean leading the ladies into the house. I followed behind.

He led us all through and out onto the deck where the rest of the family were seated. Everyone was waiting to find out what was going on.

Introductions were made. Although Mary and Amanda already know Matilda, they had never met Emily before.

“Please sit,” said Dean and the two sat on one of the two seaters. I took a chair across a small table from them.

“Can I get you ladies a drink?” asked Dean. “Coffee? Soda? Juice?”

“Coffee would be nice please,” said Matilda. Emily just nodded. Dean was too slow; Ness was already halfway to the kitchen by the time he turned around and within a few minutes was back with a tray of coffees for all.

Matilda took a sip of her drink and then looked at me. “Well?” she asked.

“Are you ready?” I responded and she nodded.

She had been telling the truth it seemed. The subject of the binding oath had come up a dozen times or more in the time since she joined the council, and each time she had argued vehemently against its use and had been voted down by a belligerent Zacharia and a cowardly Ezra. Maggie’s vote had been both controlled and unnecessary since, even if she had voted against, in the event of a tied vote the leader of the council would have the deciding say.

I searched for any indication that she had known about the plans to reduce the Stott’s numbers and found nothing. It appeared that she didn’t know about that, although there were some questions about the use of the amulet and trying to ensure small families. Again, both issues she disagreed with but was voted down anytime a vote was called.

Finally, I needed to know that she wasn’t aware of, or complicit in, the attempt on our lives. She had known something was going on for certain. She had tried to question Zacharia when he had returned the night before the flight looking very pleased with himself. He had robustly shut her down and had taken Heath with him when he left to prevent her questioning the younger man. It had left her feeling decidedly uneasy but with nothing to base her feelings of unease upon.

I backed out of her mind and saw her relax. Her shield sprang up a moment later.

Dean looked at me.

“It’s true,” I said. “Everything in her mind supports what she told us.”

“Could that not have been arranged like that?” asked Dean. “In the desert our psi’s said that the enemy could do that.”

“It could,” I said. “But I looked over a long period of time. I suspect in the desert your guys were only looking for immediate information – stuff that happened in the last days or weeks. The longer you try and ‘implant’ stuff, the more likely you would see discrepancies. I went back thirty years. I very much doubt they could have implanted that much information without leaving some loose ends.”

Dean nodded. “Okay then,” he said. “Now what?”

“I have no idea. Matilda?” I looked at the older woman.

“I need for you to come back to Portland with me for a couple of days,” she said.  I, we, need to see Judge Roder and then, if she agrees and gives the order, to…”

“Where?” I asked.

“You could come and stay at…”

“No!” said six voices simultaneously. Strangely mine wasn’t one of them.

Emily squeaked in shock at the sudden outbursts and looked around in surprise. Emily was not handling this situation well at all.

Dean, Cheryl, the twins, Jules, and Ness had spoken.

“No offense,” said Dean, “but it’s going to be some time before there’s that level of trust between us. Caleb is not going anywhere with you. You set up the meetings with Judge Roder, tell us the times and the places, and we, he, will be there.”

I looked at my watch; it was almost twelve thirty.

Dean read my meaning even if he couldn’t read my mind.

“Would you like to stay for some lunch?” he asked. The two women looked at each other, and then Matilda nodded.

“Thank you, yes,” she said.

Ness and I went into the kitchen and began to prepare the food.

The conversation was stilted over lunch. Emily barely picked at her plate, her fear still palpable. I got the impression she had heard a lot about me from the council and was terrified that I was going to do something unmentionable to her. I didn’t repeat my soothing of her, and neither of the twins intervened either. That kind of surprised me since Amanda was usually so free with her powers.

After lunch Matilda thanked Dean and Cheryl for the hospitality, Ness and I for making lunch, and got ready to leave.

“I’m going to fly back as soon as I can get a seat,” she said. “I’ll call you when I’ve spoken to Judge Roder and let you know the result. I suspect that she’ll want to see you sometime tomorrow.”

“We’ll need half a day’s notice,” said Dean. “That’s all.”

She nodded and turned to me, walking up close.

“Caleb,” she said “thank you for hearing me out. I know you have no love for my family and I fully understand why. But look behind you; two of my family are also your family. I would love for us to be able to bring our lines back together, but as a true partnership.”

“Let’s take it a day at a time,” I said.

She nodded.

Dean and I stood on the porch as Emily and Matilda drove away. For some reason Matilda sat in the back seat while Emily drove. It seemed a strange arrangement to me and I wondered if they were trying to maintain the fiction that Emily was an employee rather than a lover. One thing I had seen when I had been in Matilda’s mind had been their relationship, and I was surprised at the depth of feeling that Matilda had for Emily.

I shrugged. Far be it for me to judge other people’s relationships. The fleeting thought of sharing with the two of them skipped through my mind. Despite the fact that Matilda was over one hundred and forty years old, she didn’t look much older than about fifty and she kept herself in shape. I shook my head to clear the image that had presented itself.

“So,” said dean. “About that gun…”

+++++

We’d gotten about halfway into town when my phone rang.

“Caleb?” It was Matilda.

“Yes?” I replied.

“I’ve spoken to Judge Roder on the telephone,” she said. “She’s asked if you can meet with her tomorrow morning at ten. I’m trying to get a flight back now, but I should be there by then. Can I say yes?”

“Let me call you back in five minutes,” I said.

I pulled over into a random convenience store parking lot and explained to Dean.

“If we’re going back there,” I said, “there’s no point in buying another weapon. I can simply pick up the Glock I have at the firing range and use that.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll call Gerry and get him to prep the jet. Did you want to offer Matilda a ride?”

I thought about that for a second, before nodding. “If that’s okay with you,” I replied.

He seemed about to say something, but then changed his mind and simply nodded.

I called Matilda back.

“Hi,” I said. “We’re going to fly up,” I paused and looked at Dean.

“Gerry said we can leave in about two hours,” he whispered.

“This afternoon – leaving in about two hours,” I continued. “Have you got a flight?”

“There’s nothing available until the morning,” said Matilda. “We were just looking into finding a hotel for the evening.”

“You can fly up with us,” I said. “If you want.”

Matilda paused for a few minutes and I heard muted voices. I wondered if Emily would be able to stand being in such close proximity to me for that long.

“That is very gracious of you,” she said finally. “Where should we meet you…and when?”

“Dean has a hangar at the airport,” I said, “meet us there at three?” I raised my eyebrows to Dean, and he nodded.

“I’ll find it,” she said, “and thank you.”

“Now all you have to do is break that news to your girls,” Dean said grinning.

“Are you coming?” I asked him. Somehow it was important to me that he was there.

He looked across at me. “Sure,” he said. I sighed in relief.

I’d briefed the girls by the time we got back, so they had already begun to get things together for a flying visit back home. The idea was that we would go back to the house, all of us, including Gerry, could stay the night. We’d go see Judge Roder tomorrow morning, then fly back up immediately after.

When we were ready, we all – everyone was going – piled into three cars and made for the airport.

Matilda and Emily were waiting for us near the hangar as we arrived. The jet stood, door open,  waiting for us to board.

Gerry came down the steps and began to collect our luggage.

I walked over to Matilda and Emily.

Once again, Emily trembled as I approached. I wondered briefly what she had been told about me.

“This is ridiculous,” I said as I approached. Matilda looked at me a little surprised.

“What the hell have you told Emily about me?” I asked. “The poor woman looks petrified.”

Matilda looked at her companion and her gaze softened.

“She’s spent too much time around the rest of the council,” said Matilda, “hearing the horror stories about those with Compulsion. It got worse when you broke the binding oath.”

I sighed.

“Emily,” I said gently. She looked at me. “May I soothe your fear a little? I promise, no Compulsion, just a little Empathy. Matilda is here to see I don’t do anything more.”

Emily looked at Matilda and then back at me. She nodded still a little fearfully.

A rolled a tiny amount of power over her. Relaxation and safety. She stopped trembling at least.

“I don’t know what you were expecting,” I said, “but I’m not, we’re not, the monsters that we’ve been painted to be. None of my living family has done any of the bad things you have heard about. You might say that was because of the binding oath, but I’ve had my powers now for just over a year, and I haven’t taken the oath.

“Two of my fiancées have power but the other two are Norms, as are the other two people that live with us. I can’t say that I have never Compelled those two. I can, however, tell you with full honesty that each time I have, it has been at their behest. It’s kind of a fetish of theirs.”

Emily Blushed.

“Why don’t you sit with Josh and Louise on the flight,” I said, “and talk to them?”

I held out my arm, pushing a little more relaxation and safety over her, and she linked her arm in mine. I guided her gently to the steps of the jet. Most of the others had already boarded with just Dean on the apron waiting for me.

Emily started to climb the stairs, and I stepped back to allow Matilda to follow right behind her. I went over to where their bags were still standing on the ground and picked them up, took them to the back to the plane and climbed the steps. Dean followed behind me and closed the door.

Inside the jet, Cheryl was in her usual seat at the front, the girls and me in our usual place, and Josh and Louise near the back. I directed Emily to go sit with Josh and Louise, and Matilda followed.

After I stowed their luggage, I went to go and take a seat with the girls, but Gerry shouted from the flight deck.

“Caleb?” I went up to the cockpit and he looked up at me.

“Would you co-pilot for me?” he said. “Everything seems to be okay, but I’d feel happier to have you up here in case something goes wrong.”

“But I…” I said.

“You know you can fly this bird just as well as I can,” he said. “I looked at the telemetry and your landing was perfect. I did consider hiring a second pilot for my first flight, but I thought since you are here…”

I looked back at Dean, he grinned at me. “You are always worrying about saving money,” he said. I sighed and slid into the right seat.

“Well,” Gerry said, “since you’re there, you handle the radio. I’ve already got clearance to start engines, and the tower frequency is set.”

I nodded, put my headset on and contacted the tower to request permission to taxi.

About halfway through the flight Ness shouted up to ask if we wanted coffee. Predictably I heard Dean say “I’ve told you, don’t spoil the hired help…”

Without looking back, and with a timing so precise we might have rehearsed, Gerry and I both held our inboard arms up, middle finger extended. There was a storm of laughter from within the cabin.

Ness was still chuckling as she brought our drinks up shortly after.

The remainder of the flight went without a hitch and Gerry landed us flawlessly in Portland. We taxied to the Signature Flight Services tarmac where there were four dark SUV’s waiting.

“I took the liberty of informing Maggie of what was going on,” said Matilda as I came out of the cockpit. “She said she’d arrange transport for us all.”

Dean opened up the door and people started to file off the plane. When Emily passed me, I smiled at her and was surprised to see her blush; her aura now not showing fear, but the deep rich purple of arousal.

I looked at Matilda and she laughed. “Louise tells some very intriguing tales,” she said. “Perhaps when the dust settles, we might spend some time getting to know you?”

I saw Amanda and Mary grinning behind her. Ness was rolling her eyes, but she also had a ghost of a smile on her face.

I shook my head wryly as Matilda deplaned followed by the rest of the girls. Aside from Gerry, I was the last down the steps.

Maggie was standing by the open back door of one of the SUV’s looking at me.

I remembered our last encounter and winced. I walked up to her and, before she could say anything, pulled her into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

She stood stiffly for a second before putting her arms around me and hugging me back.

When we separated, she looked up at me.

“I get your frustration,” she said. “Believe me I do. I’ve lived it for the last forty years. Just know that I will always do everything I can to protect you and the rest of my family. I failed somewhat in that respect with the oath…”

I opened my mouth to speak but she held up her hand.

“I did, we all did,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking things through since your birthday, and I realized that there were things I could have done, actions I could have taken, that just didn’t occur to me.”

“But you were bound,” I said. “Not only that, you didn’t know you were bound. You can’t be responsible for that. It’s just lucky in one sense that the Eversons needed us around for muscle, otherwise our line might have been extinct by now.”

She sighed. “I did say,” she said, “in my office that day that I doubted that things would be smooth sailing, so I guess you proved me right.” She smiled up at me gently. “Come on,” she said indicating the car. Let’s get you guys home.”

The car with Matilda and Emily set off in another direction and our cars took us all back to the house.

Maggie declined the offer to come and have some dinner with us, claiming that she had things to prepare for the next day. When I opened the door to the house, I was treated to the sight of Gracie’s naked ass flashing down the hallway and into her bedroom. The door slammed.

I grinned. She was obviously not expecting us back. I wondered if she had her new man here.

We brought our baggage into the house, showed Dean and Cheryl to the spare room, and Gerry to the den bedroom. When we came out, Gracie had emerged from her room wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

“You didn’t say you were coming back,” she accused.

“Sorry,” I said. “It was a short notice thing. We’re here overnight then we’re going back up to the ranch. We’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”

Gracie bit the corner of her lip.

“It’s okay if you have someone here,” I said. “It’s your home. Why don’t you invite them out? I’m just about to start dinner.”

Her eyes flitted to her bedroom door which was currently behind me. I heard it open and felt a presence. Turning I went to introduce myself and came face to face with an obviously hastily dressed Dana.

I grinned. “Hey,” I said. “It’s good to see you. You coming for some dinner?”

She smiled sheepishly. “I guess,” she said.

“Perfect. It’ll be ready in half an hour or so,” I said. “You might want to put your t-shirt the right way out.”

Dana blushed but then grinned at me. “Bastard,” she said. “You’re enjoying this.”

“Enjoying seeing two of my friends having fun?” I queried. “Guilty as charged.”

Gracie closed with me a little.

“I still owe you that night though,” she said and, before I could say anything, Dana also closed in.

“And I still want that taste too,” she added.

I was rock hard in an instant which didn’t go unnoticed by either of the girls. They both smiled equally predatory smiles.

“Caleb!” Ness said poking her head around the kitchen door. “Put them down and come help with dinner.”

I shrugged apologetically to the two girls who practically had me pinned up against the wall by now. They sighed theatrically and let me loose. I headed for the kitchen, adjusting the front of my trousers as I went.

“I came over to pick up a book I left here,” said Dana over dinner.  “Since it was getting close to dinner time, Gracie kindly invited me to eat with her, and we kind of got talking, and… I guess…”

“The rest is history,” I said, grinning.

“Yes,” Gracie said, but then her face got a little more serious.

“I needed to talk to you guys though,” she said. “You see Dana and I…”

I looked at her, eyebrow raised.

“We were going to start looking for a place,” she finished.

“Already?” I asked.

Gracie grimaced. “I know it seems really quick,” she said. “But…”

“Tell you what,” I said, “and feel free to say no, but we were honestly going to offer Dana the spare room when we returned from break in any case. Why not do that and see what happens? No pressure.”

Dana and Gracie exchanged glances.

“Look,” I said. “You two talk it over. As I said before, we’re only here overnight and then you’ll have the place to yourselves again. You can let us know when we come back.”

“How much would rent be?” asked Dana.

“He charges us what we’d pay at the dorms,” said Josh.

“But that’s…” began Dana.

“I know,” said Louise, “and we have to fight to pay our share of the food and stuff.”

“Dean pays all the bills,” I said indicating him where he sat quietly eating his dinner. He didn’t look up. This conversation had nothing to do with him as far as he was concerned. “So, I just put what you pay rent into paying for food. That’s all.”

Dana looked around the table.

“You were going to ask me to move in anyway?” she asked.

Jules nodded. “We all hated thinking of you sitting in your room alone,” she said. “But we couldn’t really ask you to move in and then all piss off and leave you all alone again. We decided we’d ask after the break.”

Dana looked at me.

“I…” she began.

“Don’t answer yet,” I said. “Let’s leave things as they are for now. If you’re here with Gracie that’s fine and, like I said, we’re leaving in the morning anyway and won’t be back for a couple of weeks. But we need to talk properly before anything definitive happens.”

Gracie looked at me. “You’re…”

“I need to speak to Dianna first,” I said.

Gracie nodded. “Okay then,” she said, then paused. “Okay.”

Dana looked from Gracie, to me, and then to the girls. She looked like she might ask something, but decided not to, and went back to her dinner.

“So,” said Gracie, “what are you guys doing up here anyway?”

I grimaced. This was going to be a difficult story to tell. Or so I thought.

“Caleb has to go talk to a judge about a case,” said Mary. “Someone tried to kill us on our last flight home.”

Gracie and Dana both gasped.

“They hypnotized Gerry here,” she continued, “and once we were airborne, he could no longer remember how to fly a plane.”

“So, what happened?” asked Dana. “How did you manage to land safely?”

“It’s MY plane,” Dean said pointedly and left it at that.

“Anyway,” Mary continued, “since we didn’t all die, Gerry was able to tell who had gotten to him, and they were arrested.”

“So why does Caleb need to give evidence?” asked Dana. “Surely its Gerry that needs to do that.”

“There’s a lot of backstory,” Mary replied. “It’s kind of complicated. But the long and the short of it is that the guy who did it is one of the ones that came to his birthday party. You might have seen them.”

“Those three people in the Limo?” asked Dana. “I wondered about them. They didn’t stay long.”

“We had words,” I said.

“Some words,” said Dana. “I don’t think I ever came out of Ethics class literally wanting to murder you,” then she grinned. “There were one or two close calls though.”

That raised a laugh from everyone at the table.

We finished dinner and, after clearing up, I went to the range with Dean to pick up my gun.

Hoss was, as usual, at the counter.

“Hi Hoss,” I said as I walked in. He frowned.

“I don’t have you booked in,” he said. “We don’t have a lane free.”

“I only came to pick up my Glock,” I said, laying my CCP on the counter. He picked it up and then looked at Dean.

“This is Dean,” I said, “Jules’ and Ness’ pops.”

“Ah,” said Hoss, “the Marine.” He held his hand out. “Nice to meet you. You trained those girls well.”

Dean smiled. “You too. And thanks, although I’m not sure about that. Maybe in shooting. The rest…”

Hoss laughed. “You can only do so much.” He said digging in a filing cabinet and pulling out a form.”

He made some notes on the form and then passed it to me. “This is a transfer of ownership form,” he said. “Now you’re old enough and have your permit, you need to sign to say you bought the gun from us.”

I signed the form and Hoss went across to a display stand and pulled out a belt holster.

“You’ll need one of these,” he said, laying it down on the counter in front of me. Dean picked it up and examined it.

“Nice,” he said.

I handed over my card without even asking the price. It wasn’t a negotiation. Hoss smiled at me and handed it back. “I hear you just turned twenty-one,” he said. “Let’s call that a late birthday present.”

“Thanks,” I said grinning at him.

After collecting the gun and some spare magazines, I bought a box of ammo for the Glock and another box for the CQB and we headed home.

When I got back to the house, I put the Glock, and the ammo, into the safe with the CQB. It was a tight squeeze but they just about fit. Dean and I spent our customary hour on the deck just chatting. About half an hour in I heard the tell-tale sound of the gloryhole opening and smiled to myself. I would have to warn Gracie and Dana about that.

The next morning I was out on the deck again, training. About an hour in Gracie came out in her robe and sat on one of the chairs watching me. I finished the Kata I was working through and then looked at her.

“Sorry,” I said. “Did I wake you?”

“Not really,” she said. “I just wanted to talk to you. I figured you’d be out here and, to be honest, I didn’t sleep much last night.”

I went and sat down beside her.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

She nodded, then paused, and then shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know anything anymore.”

I took her hand and held it in mine.

“Tell me,” I said simply. She looked down, but then peeked at me through her hair which was partially covering her face.

“You don’t know?” she asked with a half-smile.

I shook my head.

“When I first met you,” she said, “you were just a kid, with powers, who was going to help me cram for my mission. I never even considered you as anything other than that. Oh yeah, we flirted, who doesn’t at our age. But I was with James, and you had. . .well, I wasn’t sure what you had, but I’d been told that you were spoken for.

“Then you discovered my secret and helped me through it. You gave me a place to stay and you, and the girls, were there for me when I needed someone. Again, I knew your situation and, although I was now free, I was about to go on a mission. We slept together sure, and it was amazing, both with you and with the girls, but even so…

“And then you saved my life.”

I opened my mouth to say that Jeevan had done most of the work, but she shook her head.

“I spoke to Jeevan at your party,” she said. “He told me that had you not been there, he would have not even started to try and heal me. It was too much for him. He was dubious about it even with you and your power available. I would have died, Caleb. Dead. Gone. Done. You saved me.

“When I woke up in the ICU and you were in my head,” she continued, “that was when I realised that it was you that had taken away all my pain, and it was you that stayed with me. And I realised that I was in love with you. When you came back that time when Dylan was there and said what you did, I understood what you were doing, and why. You told me long ago that your family was complete and you weren’t looking to add to it.

“Then you saved me again, this time from Dylan. Not quite as dramatic, although he was a big enough drama queen for it to be. I honestly thought I’d never get away from him, but you took care of him – of me - and put me back on my feet. I’m just about ready to go back to work, just over a month after being left for dead, and it was all because to you.

“Then I met Dana. I’d seen her around here, sure, but hadn’t really paid much attention to her. She was just another girl that hung around you. But then she came over while you were away and we got to talking and, oh I don’t know, she lit something up inside me. Something that had only burned recently for you.

“When she eventually told me who she was, I was shocked at first. Not at the revelation, but at how unimportant that was to me. I would have been sure that I would have freaked if presented with a trans woman in the past. Hell, I’ve only just started being interested in women, and now I fall for one and…

“But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t girl Dana or guy Dana – she was just Dana, the person I fell for. Caleb, I think, I think I love her.”

I smiled at her gently. “And?” I prompted her.

“I still love you,” she said. “My love for you, and for her, it’s different somehow. I can’t tell you she replaced you because you’re still there, but…”

“But I’m not your number one anymore?” I asked still smiling.

She nodded, looking apprehensive. “I don’t know what to think, or to feel.”

Gracie jumped as Dana slid her arm around her and sat down beside her.

She had come out onto the deck few minutes before, and I had chosen not to tell Gracie. I wanted her to hear what I knew Gracie was going to say.

“Oh Dana,” said Gracie, “I’m so sorry I…”

“Hush,” said Dana taking Gracie’s hand from mine and clasping it between her own. “I know exactly how you feel. Because you and I. . .we feel the same way. I’ve been in love with Caleb for months. I’ve just been too scared to tell him. When he found out I was trans, I thought he’d push me away. Instead, he pulled me closer. Never putting any pressure on me to be anything but who I am.

“One thing I have noticed though is Josh and Louise. Have you?”

Gracie frowned. “Sure,” she said, “they’ve lived here all the time I have.”

“But have you really noticed them?” Dana insisted. “Have you noticed how in love they are, how close they are, and how much they are both in love with Caleb?

“I’ve been observing the dynamic here and there’s no doubt. Both of them are head over heels in love with each other. They are each other’s first loves, but Caleb is there too, for both of them. Louise told me. She loves Caleb more than she thought she could love anyone, but that love, instead of interfering with the love she had for Josh, just strengthened it, made it more.

“There’s something about him, Caleb, that makes people love. They love him, but it also makes them love others too, and their love for him doesn’t preclude that. I was overjoyed to hear you tell Caleb that you thought that you loved me, because, Gracie, I have been quietly falling in love with you since that first night when I came over to find that book.

“You were so kind and so easy to talk to. I was terrified what you would do when I told you about me, but I had to do it before I fell too deeply in love with you, but you were just…amazing. You ARE just amazing, and I love you.”

Dana turned to me.

“I know you said that we should wait until you came back and had a ‘talk,’ but I’d like to accept your offer to move in… please?”

I looked at her, at Gracie, and sighed.

“We have to have a long talk,” I said. “When we get back, and before we go back to school. It’s important we do that before you move in, but like I said, we aren’t going to be here, and you are more than welcome to stay with Gracie. It won’t be any different than if you were living here.

“I’m not putting you off but, I’m sorry Dana, we need to talk first, and there’s not time now before we go.”

Dana looked at Gracie. “Do you know what this is all about?” she asked.

“Please don’t ask her,” I said. “She can’t tell you. If it came out that she did, she’d be fired at the very least. And believe me – it would come out.”

Dana’s eyes widened. “It’s why you’re a consultant for the FBI?”

I nodded. “Please, no more,” I said. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when we get back.”

“Okay,” she said, but then grinned. “But you still owe us both a night…”

I chuckled and then remembered.

“Oh, by the way…” I said and then told them all about our neighbours and the gloryhole.

Dana was shocked. “You mean they’ve been peeking through the fence at us?” she asked.

“Why?” I asked. “What exactly have you been doing in the yard?”

She flushed, and I grinned.

“They are good people,” I said, “with a bit of a fetish. I let them watch me from time to time, and we have been known to have a little fun through the hole. Josh and Louise too. Please don’t spoil it for them. You can see the hole halfway down on the left there, its closed now, but they open it up when they want to see. If you don’t want them looking then you could cover it from this side, or you could just go indoors. Your choice.

“Does that change your mind about moving in?” I asked Dana with a grin. She blushed deeper now but shook her head.

“It’s kind of hot,” she said.

I laughed. “I need to go shower and make breakfast,” I said.

“Caleb,” Gracie said as I was about to get up. I looked at her just in time for her to capture my face and kiss me. It was a long slow loving kiss. She filled it with all the emotion she had been holding onto since who knew when. I felt everything from her that she felt for me but, like with Louise, I knew that I was no longer her number one love. Dana had replaced me in that slot, and I was happy for that to be the case.

“Thank you,” she said, finally breaking the kiss. I looked to Dana to gauge her reaction and saw her smiling softly. When she noticed me looking at her, she grinned.

“I’ll thank you later,” she said, leaning forward and planting a gentle peck on my lips.

As I went through the door into the kitchen, I looked back to see them holding each other, and talking softly, their aura’s spoke of love and belonging. I wondered how much of that was natural, and how much had been my, our, influence. Did it matter? Love was love after all.

By the time I’d showered everyone was in the kitchen. Gracie had gotten dressed, and Ness was in the middle of making breakfast.

“Sit,” she said a I walked in. “I’ve got this.”

For once I did as I was told and sat at the table to eat the breakfast Ness had cooked.

Just after eight thirty there was a knock on the door and I opened it to find Maggie and Dianna standing on the porch.

“Morning,” I said. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“We thought you could travel in with us,” said Maggie. “It’s probably best if the whole family doesn’t come.”

“I want Dean there at least,” I said.

Maggie nodded. “Okay,” she said. “No weapons though.”

Dean pulled out his holstered weapon and gave it Gracie. “You got room in your safe for that?” he asked. “I know Caleb’s is full.” She nodded.

“Thanks.”

The girls were all pouting that they weren’t allowed to come.

“We were all on the plane too,” Amanda said. “The judge should see that…”

“Amanda,” Dianna said, “it’s a judge’s chambers, not a courtroom. It’s going to be crowded enough with who’s already going to be there.” She was about to say more but then noticed Dana in the kitchen and stopped herself.

“Have you eaten?” asked Ness - she was a real feeder that girl. Dianna and Maggie both shook their heads and accepted plates of bacon and pancakes from her.

After breakfast, Dean and I slid into the back seat of the SUV. Dianna drove and Maggie rode shotgun.

“I have no idea who else is going to be there,” said Maggie turning to talk to me. “Matilda definitely but other than that…”

“She had some interesting things to say,” I said, “about the last thirty years. She also allowed me to read her mind.”

“Yes,” said Maggie. “Dianna told me. Good idea to check in by the way. Just because you are really powerful doesn’t mean you are invulnerable. Always, if you’re not sure, please do that.”

I nodded feeling an unexpected thrill of pleasure from the praise. At first I was suspicious, thinking it was a power use, to condition me to seek to please. But I saw no powers in use and was forced to conclude it was genuine and had come from within me.

We arrived at the courthouse and, after passing through security, followed Maggie to the judge’s chambers. Matilda and Ezra were waiting outside.

“The judge is in court,” Matilda said. “She’s due back any time.”

Just then, I saw Vince Wragge limping towards us accompanied by his daughter. They both smiled in greeting.

Introductions were made and Dean was introduced to all there. Vince and Dean shook hands.

Vince’s daughter came over to me. “You owe me dinner,” she said. “It took me nearly two days to settle the judge down after that crack about dancing naked in Washington park.”

I grinned at her. “She was looking far too settled around you,” I said. “She needed shaking up.”

Melissa shook her head. “Dinner,” she said. “And don’t think I’m going to forget.”

“It will have to be after we get back,” I said. “You and Vince should come over and meet my girls.”

“That would be nice,” said Vince. “I’ve heard rumours about your culinary skills, and Dean tells me that Ness is a demon in the kitchen too.”

The thought ran through my head that she was a demon elsewhere also, but I didn’t voice it.

“Let’s make a date for when we get back,” I said. “We’re going back up to the ranch later today and then to my parents for a week. We’ll be back just before the start of the next semester.” I glanced down and added. “Maybe I can do something with that leg too?”

Vince raised an eyebrow. “You’re a Healer now on top of everything else?”

“He and Jeevan saved an agent’s life,” said Maggie. “Agent Gracie Jordan would be another picture on the Wall of Honor had they not been there to help.”

“Is that so?” said a voice from behind me. I turned to see Judge Roder approaching. “I hadn’t heard that. Well done. I have to say I haven’t had a moments trouble with my back since he looked at it.”

Maggie looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I hadn’t mentioned that to her.

“Come in,” the judge said entering her office and we all piled inside.

Dean was the only person present who the judge didn’t know, and he was introduced. She, on finding he was a marine, thanked him for his service. It was also explained that he had served with the Vince in the desert and was fully read in on Powers and Powered users.

“Happy coincidence,” said the judge, “although it must have been one hell of a shock when your daughter brought that one home.” She inclined her head toward me.

“Let’s just say it’s a day I won’t easily forget,” said Dean grinning.

“So,” said the judge, after Melissa had settled in her seat behind her. “What’s this all about?”

“You are aware,” said Ezra Everson, “that an attempt was made upon Mr. Stott’s life. An attempt that would also, had it been successful, taken the lives of Mr. Steadman here, his wife, plus his two daughters. Also on the aircraft were Dianna’s grand-daughters Mary and Amanda and, obviously, the pilot.

“The idea was to remove the pilots ability to fly the aircraft, allow said aircraft to crash, and kill all those aboard. The collateral damage on the ground is incalculable. The plane could have come down anywhere – on a school, a hospital, literally anywhere.

“Major Wragge, as you know, investigated the two people involved and has established, without any shadow of a doubt, their guilt. Both have already confessed their crimes and will be coming in front of you for sentencing in due time.”

“I know all this,” said the Judge. “So why the meeting?”

Ezra looked at Matilda. He really was a weak man. She took up the reins.

“We’d like you to consider a proposal for sentencing,” she said. The judge raised her eyebrow.

“Ezra and I,” said Matilda, “believe that Zacharia is no longer fully in control of his faculties. The strain of the last few weeks, along with advancing age, mean that he is not quite who he used to be.”

The judge looked at Vince.

“Did you detect any signs of mental illness or deterioration?” she asked.

“Not as such,” said Vince, “But I did detect a certainty in his mind that the only solution to every problem that has beset him is the death of Caleb Stott. He will not stop unless he is stopped.”

The judge thought about this for a moment. “The sentencing guidelines for his crimes would allow me to incarcerate him for ten to fifteen years maximum. If I imposed more, the Court of Appeals would overturn me, and he’d be out sooner.”

“We’re aware of that,” said Ezra, plucking up the courage to talk. “Given the longevity of our line, he will live to be released from incarceration. He will be a danger again to both Mr. Stott and society as a whole.”

“I don’t know what you expect me to do,” said the judge. “I can’t change the law. He’s not mentally ill, so I cant place him in a mental institute; they’d release him even before the penal system did.”

“We’d like you to allow us to remove his powers,” blurted Matilda. “Without those, he would be almost no danger whatsoever. By the time he’s released he will be close to two hundred years old. Even for us that’s advanced age. Without the power to influence others, he would be toothless.”

The judge looked at me.

“Is this your suggestion?” she asked. I shook my head.

“I wanted to boil him in oil,” I said deadpan.

Maggie and Dianna, both shot me disapproving looks, Dean grinned.

The judge shook her head at me. “Still working on that anger then?”

“It’s a work in progress,” I said, “not helped by attacks on me and my family.”

“I can see how that might slow progress,” she mused. Then she looked at Matilda. “Is it even possible to do that?”

“Apparently so,” said Matilda. “The only person I know to have done it successfully is Caleb here. He stripped the power of the rapist Harold Bleasdale just over a year ago now. The reason it was never addressed was that Caleb had only just come into his power and had no knowledge as to the extent of his abilities; he simply reacted instinctively to a threat. You may remember Judge Carrigan ruling it was justified given the circumstances.”

“Vincent?” asked the judge. “Your thoughts?”

“Given what I saw in his mind,” he began, “and that the alternatives suggested are not viable…”

“Alternatives?” asked the judge.

“The oil…” remarked Vincent. “I would agree that the only safe road forward would be to remove his powers. He is obsessed with revenge now. It will eat at him throughout his incarceration and, once released, we would be letting go of the tiger’s tail. The only logical outcome of that would be that either he kills Caleb, or Caleb kills him in self defence.”

“And what of the boy, Heath,” asked the judge.

“Heath, I believe, is salvageable,” said Vince. “He was acting, not under compulsion, but under severe pressure from Zacharia. He’d been conditioned from birth to obey Zacharia’s orders, who was even seen as a legal authority within the family, due to his position on the council. Heaven knows they were consulted many many times on legal matters concerning powers, even by yourself. He broke the law and should be punished, but I believe he can be rehabilitated, given time and the proper guidance.”

“Where are they now?” asked the Judge.

“Zacharia is in holding downstairs,” said Maggie. “Following their interrogation, as per the protocol, they were both sedated prior to transfer to Kansas. I had Zacharia woken up this morning specifically for this meeting. He is, of course, collared. Heath is still sedated in the medical wing of county, awaiting transport.”

“Collared?” I wondered to myself. “What’s that?” I concluded that there must be some kind of device like an amulet that would block a power user’s powers. That gave me pause.

Judge Roder picked up the phone on her desk and punched a number.

“Hi, this is Judge Roder. I believe you have a prisoner in holding, Zacharia Everson? Yes. Can you please have him brought up to my chambers immediately? Yes, thank you.”

“Does Mr. Everson have legal counsel?” she asked after hanging up.

“He declined counsel,” said Vince. “He has refused to speak to the public defender appointed to represent him.”

“Who was that?” asked the judge.

“Rebecca Farguest,” said Vince. “I saw her in the PD office downstairs if you want her up here too.”

Judge Roder reached for her phone again.

Rebecca Farguest was a strange looking woman. I was prepared to bet that if she were to lay down on the floor, she would actually be taller than she was stood up. She stood only about four and a half feet tall and seemed to be completely round. She had a short mop of steel wool on her head and dull blue eyes that seemed to be carrying the weight of the world.

She looked surprised on seeing all those in the judges chambers when she arrived.

“Ms. Farguest,” said the judge, “as one of the few Public Defenders read in on powers and power users, I am going to ask you to sit in on this meeting and represent the interests of Zacharia Everson.”

“Mr. Everson already refused my services,” she said.

“I know,” said the judge. “But there is an issue to be discussed that may change his mind. He is on his way up as we speak. I’ll make the introductions later, but be assured that everyone present is already read in.”

The lawyer’s eyes scythed across the room taking us all in. She paused on me for a moment and then turned as Zacharia was brought into the room.

He looked totally different. Gone was the haughty demeanour and the sneer. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, his hands cuffed and attached to a chain at his waist. Around his neck was a collar with a flashing blue light blinking on it. I reached for his mind and found that, although reception was a little fuzzy, I could see him perfectly well. I wondered if it was just a one-way block. I decided not to ask.

The two guards escorting Zacharia sat him down in a chair facing the judge. The office was getting tight on space.

“Zacharia Everson,” said the judge, “you were offered counsel, and refused. I have asked Ms. Farguest to attend this meeting in case you should change your mind. Do you understand?”

Zacharia didn’t meet her eye, he just nodded while staring at a point on her desk.

“And do you wish to avail yourself of her services?” the judge asked.

Zacharia shook his head.

The tiny attorney moved to stand, but the judge held her hand up inviting her to remain seated.

“Mr. Everson,” said the judge, “I have received an application from senior members of your family, along with a recommendation from the Wragge family, that your powers be removed from you.”

For a moment I saw Zacharia stiffen, but then his shoulder slumped even further than before.

“With that in mind, would you like to reconsider your position regarding retaining counsel?”

Zacharia merely shook his head once more.

“You understand that if I find in their favour, your power will be removed. This will be in addition to any sentence imposed for your crimes.”

He nodded.

“Very well,” said Judge Roder. Ms. Farguest, many thanks for your time, but your services are not required.

“Thank you Judge,” said the dumpy defender as she stood and left the chambers.

Judge Roder chewed her lip for a long time while she stared at Zacharia.

“You say you saw his intent?” she asked Vincent Wragge who nodded.

“Last time he was here,” she said “Caleb shared a memory with me through Melisssa. Could you show me your interrogation of Mr. Everson?”

Vince nodded and I saw him offer a memory to his daughter, who took it, and passed it onto the judge. I saw her eyes glaze for a moment as she assimilated it. Then her brow furrowed, and she shook her head.

“There is no doubt in my mind,” said the judge finally, “that you did indeed plan and execute the scheme to kill Mr. Caleb Stott with absolutely no regard for anyone else that would be hurt or killed in the process. You didn’t even consider the others on the aircraft, two of whom were your own relatives.

“There is also no doubt that if you are allowed to keep your powers, you will be an ongoing threat to Mr. Stott, and anyone else who happens to be in the firing line at the time. It seems you have lost all reason where he is concerned and therefore it is my ruling that the petition by the senior Eversons will be granted, and your power will be removed.”

Zacharia didn’t react at all.

The judge looked at me. “Do you need to prepare or something?” she asked. I shook my head.

“The collar will have to be removed,” said Vince Wragge. We can’t even sense Zacharia with it on him.

I thought about that. I definitely could sense Zacharia. I was certain that I would be able to strip his power through the collar or use any of my other mental powers on him. That meant that the collars didn’t affect me, or at least not that much.

I decided to keep that little tidbit of information to myself.

The guards with Zacharia removed his collar. I stood ready to counter any attempt he would have made to use his powers, but he never moved. He didn’t even bother to raise his shields.

“Mr. Stott,” the judge said, nodding her head in Zacharia’s direction.

“Just so we’re clear,” I said. “You are requesting that I, Caleb Stott, remove all psychic powers from Zacharia Everson in accordance with a legal judgement made by yourself?”

I saw Dean grin again. Even Maggie smiled a little.

The judge rolled her eyes.

“Yes, Mr. Stott. That is correct. I, having heard the petition for the removal of Zacharia Everson’s power and having  granted said petition, order that you, using your own powers, remove his.”

“Permanently?” I asked.

“Permanently.” she responded.

I didn’t need to move, but I wanted to look Zacharia in the eyes when I stripped him of his power. Not for any other reason but to prove that I was more of a man than he – since he hadn’t had the balls to come after me face to face, but tried to stab me in the back.

“Zacharia,” I said softly as I imagined he was completely without any kind of power.

He looked up at me. He wasn’t physically any different than before, but he seemed, to my eyes, massively diminished.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I never wanted this.”

Finally, he spoke. “I just hope,” he said softly, “for all our sakes, that you are the man that you say you are.”