CHAPTER THIRTY
‡
Thomas opened his eyes. Late afternoon light from a crack in the loft doorway left a channel of illuminated dust motes. The smell of fresh straw and bales of alfalfa and timothy hay cascaded over him. And the smell of Tammy. She was curled like a sleepy kitten in his arms, the blanket they’d taken from the house pulled over her. Thomas had never felt so right. The pain and fear for Tammy of yesterday seemed like a dream, separated from real life by an exhausting drive back to The Breakers, a shower, and it looked like about six or seven hours of sleep from the angle of the sunlight. He and Tammy had sneaked out of the house, abnormally full of people even for The Breakers, just to be in their own world of the barn.
He gazed down at Tammy’s red hair splayed out over his chest, the freckles over her nose, the slender arm slung over his abdomen. This was his purpose. He was born to love Tammy. He wanted to marry her and to do that he would have to talk to Mr. Tremaine and ask his permission.
But what if Mr. Tremaine found out what he and Tammy had been doing together? Her mother knew, and Drew as well. And Michael must have guessed. After all, he had given Thomas the book. He couldn’t keep it a secret from her father for very long.
He had taken Tammy’s virginity. All the books he’d read said that what he’d done defiled her, even though he and Tammy didn’t think that. Mr. Tremaine would want him dead. And why would Mr. Tremaine agree to give his daughter in marriage to someone like Thomas? What could he contribute to the Tremaines? What value could a man kept in a monastery his whole life have in this world of theirs? He had no talent besides starting fires. And that was not a power you would want around all the time. He had worked for the Clan. He was useless. Mr. Tremaine would never agree.
They were a marvelous family, of course. The way they had worked together when they wanted to leave no trace of their presence, or the Clan’s…the way Tammy said they had worked together to bring him back to life. He owed them everything.
Jason, Duncan, Lan and Greta had sent the Clan vehicles careening into the hole and through the blackening crust of the lava in four flashes of flame. The helicopter tumbled in from the cliff above and the whole family raced out to the highway in their three SUVs. They’d passed a stream of vehicles, police cars, curious people, and overhead, helicopters—all streaming toward the canyon. No one would find anything but the stolen transport truck by the side of the road. Tristram said he and Mr. Marrec had left no prints. The tank was a pile of rust.
No one would ever know what had happened there, or why there was a very deep hole filled with lava in a place that had no previous record of volcanic activity. A mystery.
Like so many things. He glanced down at Tammy. She loved him. He knew that. He just wished he were worth her love. And he wished he were someone else, someone who Mr. Tremaine would agree to join with Tammy forever.
Tammy stirred in his arms. Her breasts pressed against his chest, eliciting a most welcome rise in his genitals. They’d been too exhausted to do anything but take shelter when they fell onto the blanket last night.
“Thomas,” she murmured, turning her face up to his.
He put everything he was, everything he wanted to be for her into the kiss he gave her. The nice part was, he could feel her giving him everything she was in return. Her hand ran over his chest and belly, and then down to fondle his stiffening penis. Which made it stiffen more.
“Oh, ho,” she whispered. “I see you’ve recovered.”
“Yes,” he whispered in return and cupped her breast.
She sat up suddenly, the blanket falling away from her beautiful naked body, a gleam in her eyes. “Isn’t it nice to know that we have our whole lives together?” she asked, giggling.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Tammy giggle like that. He liked it a lot. “Yes,” he said simply. But did they? He didn’t want to be just a friend of the family or have to sneak out to the barn to make love to Tammy. He wanted to be Tammy’s husband.
She threw a leg over his hips and straddled him, then stopped. “Uh, oh.”
“What?” Another something bad?
“Oh, it’s just that the family is wondering where we are.”
He mustn’t let them find him defiling Tammy. “How do you know?”
“Lance is begging for scraps at the breakfast table.” Tammy stopped, surprised. “Gee, I guess I can pretty much go in and out of any animal’s vision at will now.”
“You think they will come looking for us?” he asked. He hoped not.
She giggled again. “No. They’re smarter than that. Anyway, Lance will warn us. We have twenty minutes at least.”
“Maybe we should not do sex again, in case they find out.”
Tammy grinned at him. “When you find your Destiny, there’s a lot of sex involved.”
“I’m a bad person,” Thomas said, “because I want that very much. I have a lot of sex saved up. If they won’t look for us. And, uh, when you’re ready. I don’t want to rush you.”
“You feel this wet?” She took his rock-hard penis and rubbed it on the wet lips of her sex right up where her clitoris was, and shuddered a little. “I’m ready now.”
So he lifted her up by her waist, and she tilted his penis up and he slid into her like he was coming home. Tears filled her eyes. That was good. He wouldn’t want to be the only one crying.
“Let’s take our time,” he whispered, sliding her softly up and down.
“Or go fast,” she panted, placing her palms on his chest and quickening her movement. “We can always go slow later.”
It wasn’t twenty minutes before they were gasping and shouting, and then collapsing, nearly insensible.
“Is it always like this?” he asked, wondering.
“Not for most people. But for us? Fairly sure it will be, pretty much forever. I mean, different, deeper, more connected even than we are now, but the same.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, Mom and Daddy still love each other and they’ve been together…wow, forty years I guess. They know everything about each other. And,” she paused for effect, “Lance saw Mom dragging Daddy into their bedroom last night as we were coming out here.”
“You’re going to be hard to keep secrets from,” Thomas decided.
She turned her sweet face up to him and her turquoise eyes were filled with tears again, even though they still had their mischievous glint. “We won’t ever have secrets. We’re Destined.”
He smiled, not only with his lips, but with his whole soul. “Yes. Destined.” His filled his lungs with air and let it out. He was going to have to brave asking her father for her hand in marriage. He couldn’t imagine not spending the rest of his life with Tammy. And if her father said no, as surely he would, and sent him away because Thomas had defiled his daughter, then he’d have to convince Tammy to leave her family and everything she knew and loved to be with him. Not a good solution. But he knew he could never live without her.
“Now, I’m famished. Aren’t you? Let’s join the family for breakfast, or lunch or whatever they’re having.”
“How do you know they will be eating?”
She chuckled. “At The Breakers, someone is always eating.” She looked around. “Hmmm. Clothes.” She grabbed her nightgown and the robe she’d been wearing when they sneaked out of the house.
*
“Well, at least the Talismans are gone for good,” Michael said, as he shoveled the last of his eggs and ham into his mouth. He hadn’t felt this hungry in years. “It’s better that nobody can use them than that they be used by someone like Morgan.”
“I’m not so sure they’re gone,” Brina said. Most of the family was gathered in the kitchen. Lan and Greta were just coming up from the Bay of Pigs. Maggie and the kids were out on the deck. Maggie had drawn a hop-scotch grid on the flagstones for Jesse. The outsiders were in the kitchen: Marrec, Jason, and Duncan. “They floated on that lava.”
Kemble nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe they’re just hiding until the comet comes around again in five hundred years.”
“I’m sure not looking for them,” Brian said, practically shuddering. He’d finished his meal and was sitting with his arm around Brina, looking tired but satisfied.
“I still don’t understand what Merlin was thinking to create such instruments of power and just leave them around where anyone could find them and change the world every five hundred years.” Drew was bustling around the kitchen along with Kee and Dev.
“Maybe he thought humanity would have changed for the better by the time the stars aligned again,” Brian mused.
“Fat chance of that,” Tris said, his mouth full. Then he stared out at Maggie and his two children. His face got a speculative look.
“Humanity is about to change,” Jane said, looking down at her own small bundle. “Our children will have powers, maybe stronger than ours as the magic comes together. Our obligation is to raise them to use what they’re given responsibly. Maybe things will be better the next time the comet swings by.”
Kemble gave a visible shudder. “What a burden. Can you imagine them as teenagers?”
Brina laughed. “Perhaps I can provide some sage advice. I’m very experienced.” Lance got up and dashed for the outdoors as the Tremaines chuckled.
“What was that shriek?” Michael barked, on alert. Damn it! Just when he thought they were out of the woods.
The Tremaine men stood as one and lunged toward the open French doors. Michael saw Tammy running across the lawn from the stairs that went down to the stable area, barefoot, her robe flapping over her nightgown. She shrieked and giggled as Thomas chased her, clad only in a pair of Lan’s pajama bottoms. Lance gamboled and barked in circles around them.
The men turned back into the room, heaving a collective sigh. Michael felt as sheepish as the others looked.
“I never thought I’d hear her giggle like that again,” Brina said softly.
The pair burst onto the deck and collapsed, laughing, against the doorjamb to the open French doors. “We’re famished,” Tammy declared.
“I’m sure you are,” Drew said knowingly. “The Kee/Dev Consortium and I are on breakfast duty this morning. We’ll take care of you.”
Michael got up and manned the coffee-maker. They still had only one empty seat.
Jason rose from the bar, murmuring that he was finished anyway. He started to slip away into the living room, but Brian stopped him.
“Don’t go. We have things to discuss.”
Well, that sounded ominous. Duncan, still shoveling eggs and sausages in as though there was no tomorrow, looked up, worried. Jane glanced up from little Brian. Now calling Brian “Senior” was just sensible to keep things straight.
Jason clearly thought about disobeying, but Senior smiled and Jason apparently decided that leaning against the doorway into the living room was not exactly capitulation. Tammy and Thomas sat at the bar. Michael poured two mugs of coffee for them.
“I wanted to ask you if you’d like to join Tremaine Enterprises,” Senior said.
“Not exactly a desk guy,” Jason growled.
“No, but we do field work in disaster relief. As Morgan’s right hand man, you did a lot of organizing. I’m pretty sure you understand supply lines and logistics. We could use a guy like you. And hell,” he said, chuckling, “a disaster is pretty much like a war zone. A military man would feel right at home.”
Jason looked down at his feet, then up at Senior. “Well, I thank you. That’s a kind offer.”
“But you don’t intend to take me up on it.” Senior kept his voice even.
Jason gave a bitter chuckle. “Oh, I know you’re worried I’ll be out there starting ‘Clan Two: Return of the Clan,’ but I’ve had enough of that for three lifetimes. It only ends one way.”
Tammy reached out and took Jason’s hand, which surprised the hell out of him, by the look on his face. “What will you do then?” she asked earnestly.
Jason didn’t know what to do with his hand. Finally Tammy took pity on him and dropped it. But she was still looking at him in that serious, expectant way. Jason shifted on his feet awkwardly and cleared his throat. “Some of the Clan might have got out of the compound. The ones that left first in the elevator. Thought I might track them down.”
Brian nodded thoughtfully. “You may be right.” He glanced back up at Jason. “Give them a choice?”
Michael knew Jason intended to just kill whomever he found, but at Brian’s steady gaze, the man nodded once. “I owe you for getting me out from under Morgan.”
Marrec cleared his throat. “And there are the generals that Thomas said were brought back to life. Me, I think they could cause wars, who knows what mischief? I will take them out.”
“You want help?” Tris asked.
Marrec glanced to Maggie and the kids. “I work better alone,” he said. Yeah. He wasn’t gonna take Tris away from that, even if he could have used help. And he had his hired guys.
To Michael’s surprise, Brina spoke up. “You’ll always have a place here, Luc. You’re family now.” She gave a rueful shrug. “You always were. I was just too selfish to see it.”
“Take some time here to recuperate, then, both of you,” Kemble said. “You too, Duncan.”
Marrec looked at Jason, who looked back. They both shook their heads. “Best get to it,” Marrec said and got up. “Thanks for everything.”
“We should thank you both,” Tammy said earnestly. “You hauled Thomas and I out of the explosion, Luc. Jason, you risked a lot to lift the Cloak to let us in and you lent us your power for Mom to save Thomas. And Duncan, you kept us from crashing down that shaft.”
Duncan kinda glowed beneath a half-hearted glower. Guess he wasn’t used to praise.
Marrec shook his head. “It was nothing, ma petite lapin.” He glanced to Jason. “For men such as we are, it is good for the soul to see what family means.”
Jason got a hard look around his mouth. “Morgan wanted immortality. I hope she got it and that she burns in that hell forever.” He glanced around at the Tremaines, and his lips softened ever so slightly. “But you all have the only immortality men were meant to have—your children and your children’s children.”
At that, both Jason and Marrec looked embarrassed. It was probably as philosophical as Jason had ever gotten. “We will go,” Marrec said. And they turned around and went through the living room to the Bay of Pigs where Brina had assigned them rooms last night.
“Shouldn’t we send them a troop of soldiers or something?” Greta asked.
“Marrec hires some guys for every job,” Michael said to reassure them.
“Okay,” Greta said with determination, “Out there almost alone against…well, who knows what?”
“They’re loners,” Dev said. “Don’t think that’s gonna change.”
“It might,” Drew said, thoughtfully.
“Is it okay if I accept your offer, just for a little while?” Duncan asked in a gruff voice.
“Of course, my dear,” Brina said kindly. “And you know, I would think that levitation would be very useful in rescue operations. All that rubble, you know. Just a thought, if you’re interested.”
Duncan gave her a shy smile. Brina hadn’t let all those rings in his face blind her to his pain, or the core of who he was that lurked beneath them.
Thomas drew himself up. “If…if you don’t mind, I would like to go to a store today. But I must borrow money. I will pay you back…somehow,” he added doubtfully.
“No problemo,” Tris said. “I’ll take you. What do you need?”
“I need some food and some warm jackets and something called a bottle of Jack.”
Eyebrows were raised around the room. “Uh, sounds good,” Tris said warily. “We’ve got a bar here if you need a drink. It’s a little early, but, what the hey?”
“Oh, not for me,” Thomas protested. “There were nice men who live under the road near the airport. They let me sleep there the night I arrived. I offered them my shirt and my hat, but they wouldn’t take them. They asked for this bottle of Jack instead. But they need coats too. It was cold there and their blankets were thin. I know how hard it is to sleep when you are cold.”
Michael could see the others felt as he did, that it was a marvel that this man, in spite of the harsh conditions under which he’d grown up, was kind and faithful and generous. Michael was glad Tammy and he had found each other.
“Sure, kid. There’s a Costco right over the hill,” Tris said gruffly. “You don’t have to pay us back. Guess the family can spring for some stuff for the homeless guys.” He sent a challenging look around the room and met with only nods.
“Sounds like something the Enterprises might take an interest in,” Kemble agreed.
“Thank you,” Thomas said seriously. “I want to repay them for their kindness.”
Drew cleared her throat as she put down a plate in front of Tammy and one for Thomas heaped with steaming eggs, toast, ham and sausage. “Not to change the subject or anything, but I, uh, have a small announcement to make.” She looked around the family until her gaze came to rest on Michael.
Michael’s heart dropped into his stomach.
“I should have told Michael first, but well, I didn’t want anyone to know while we were all in such straits, and they all say you should wait until you’re sure and now…well, while we’re all together…”
Michael felt his eyes go wide. She smiled and nodded, a joy inside her too bright to conceal. Michael took the two steps between them in one huge stride and swept her into his arms, clutching her against his chest as he kissed her dark hair.
“You’ll crush me, you big lug!” she protested. But she didn’t mean it, so he just hugged her more.
Congratulations were called out around the room.
“Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you,” Brina said. “I had wondered…”
“Don’t tell me, the Cards,” Drew sighed.
“Between my Cards and your visions, we must be very annoying to other people,” Brina said, a glint of humor in her eyes. “You will have been having visions of babies, of course.”
Michael looked down at Drew to find her blushing. “It’s a girl,” she muttered.
“Good!” Michael himelf had a vision of a little Drew wearing pretty dresses and being a crack shot. How he would love making her Daddy’s girl.
“I wonder what their powers will be,” Jane murmured as she looked down at little Brian.
“We won’t know for certain until they find their Destiny,” Kemble sighed. “And that involves accepting partners for them when we know they aren’t good enough for our precious progeny.”
“Difficult for a father,” Senior said. “Look what I had to put up with for my girls.” He looked around at his family, beaming. “Of course the girls my sons found are the making of them.”
“The cards indicate that we’re in a period of the Sun. One cycle has closed and another is beginning. So, what do we do now that we’re free?” Brina asked.
“I want two weeks on a beach in the South of France,” Drew said, “before I lose my figure.”
“Museums!” Kee exclaimed. “Starting with the Louvre and the Gulbenkian and moving on from there.”
“Maybe we could catch some surfing in Australia? I know a beach…” Dev glanced to Kee. “After the art museum thing, of course.”
“Oooh, Australia. National Gallery, of course, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. We’ll alternate museums and surfing.” Kee tucked herself under Dev’s arm.
“What I need is to get my hands in some grease,” Tris interrupted, rubbing said hands together. “Arturo says there’s a sweet little ’52 T-Bird in the shop for restoration right now.”
Maggie just laughed.
Lan and Greta had their heads together, whispering. Lan finally chuckled. “All I wanted to do for so long was escape this place, but if you don’t mind, I think we want to just stay home. Greta needs a break from adoring fans and paparazzi. And…and The Breakers isn’t a prison anymore, you know? It might be nice to get back to what it meant to us for so long, if I can.”
“Do you mind if I move my big telescope out on the back lawn?” Greta asked shyly.
“Oh, you won’t have time for research,” Dev smirked. “Lan isn’t going to let you out of his room.” Kee swatted at him.
“When we get back from France, we can move back into the South House,” Michael told Drew. “Guess I better start painting a nursery. Pink.” He couldn’t stop grinning. A girl. When they had thought their time had passed. And one of Drew’s secret sorrows assuaged. Things couldn’t be better.
They heard a call from the foyer. “Anybody home?”
“In here, Dr. Tanet,” Senior called. “Come on back.”
Dr. Tanet looked like she’d seen a ghost. She, who was always so cool, competent and sure of herself, stood tentatively in the doorway. Instead of her usual white coat, she wore slacks and loafers and a sweater set in shades of gray. Under the doctor business she was a good-looking woman. Mr. Edwards shadowed her, his normally severe expression melted into a smile.
“Glad to see you all back,” Dr. Tanet said, clearing her throat and visibly gathering herself. “Mr. Edwards here looked positively jovial, and…. The gate was open.” She glanced behind her to Edwards.
“Yep,” Edwards said. “Things have changed around here.”
“Meet the new head of security at Tremaine Enterprises,” Senior said with a knowing smile. “Since things are relaxing a bit, he’s moving up in the world.”
“Yeah, well, I mean, now that you’re gonna move back into the Century City offices, you’re gonna need some help,” Mr. Edwards said, clearing his throat self-consicously.
Dr. Tanet was still looking behind her.
“Something wrong?” Brina asked.
“Oh, no,” the doc said, coming to herself. “That very frightening looking man I passed on the way in….”
“The one with the eyes like blue marbles?” Kee asked.
“Uh, no. The…the one with the scar.” She looked confused. “He looked rather like….”
“That’s my stepson, Luc Marrec,” Brina said firmly. “I’m sure you’ll meet him here one of these days. He’s not so frightening once you get to know him.”
“Well, actually I won’t,” the doc said. “That’s what I’ve come to tell you.” At their blank stares, she continued hastily. “I mean, Brian, you don’t need me any more. And we’ve taken on another doctor for the practice. I…I just need a change. So I joined Medecins Sans Frontieres.”
“Doctors without Borders for you non-Francophiles,” Drew explained.
“They do good work. We encounter them often in disaster situations,” Senior said. “And if ever you get tired of them, you have a place in Tremaine Enterprises. I had thought to approach you about it. Just didn’t get there in time,” he added ruefully.
“So, you’re ready to get back in the saddle?” Dr. Tanet asked.
“I am,” Senior said. “Thanks in large part to you.”
“You have an iron will, Brian. You can thank that for your recovery. And your family.”
“But is Tremaine Enterprises ready for you?” Brina teased Brian.
“Absolutely,” Kemble announced. “It’s time we all got back in action. We’ve been neglecting our work.” Like he hadn’t been driving himself and working way too hard trying to save the family. Kemble was all about work, though Jane had softened him. Michael suspected that his baby would soften him further. But Kemble was still the responsible one. Nevertheless, he’d relaxed about Senior too. Maybe he’d realized that they each contributed something different, that it really wasn’t a competition between them. Senior was an Adapter, but Kemble had gifts too, now. They’d make a great pair, running the giant conglomerate.
“True,” Senior agreed. “The Enterprises will grow into even more of a force for good in the world. Everyone will have his or her role. Dev, I’m really proud of you. That cheap desalinization process looks great. Now we’ve got to get a plant built. We’ll ramp up production on Tris’s recycled fuel. Drew, you’re in charge of disaster warning systems. That will improve our first response.”
“Dear me,” Dr. Tanet chuckled. “I guess you are ready to re-engage.”
“Geez,” Lan said. “Can’t we have our well-earned vacations first?”
“Of course,” Senior blustered. Then he swallowed. “But there will be one change.” He looked over at his eldest son. “Kemble, the Enterprises are yours now.”
Kemble looked like he’d been struck by lighting. “Me? I…I’m not ready.”
“Sure you are. You’ve been running it alone for the last eighteen months.”
“Only until you…” He trailed off, seeing the determination in his father’s eyes. “What will you do?”
Brian looked out across the lawns to the sea. Everyone held their breaths. No one could imagine Brian retiring unless ill health forced him to. In the silence, you could hear the waves breaking against the rocks at the base of the cliffs. “I’m going to go into politics, I think.”
“What?” Several voices echoed each other sharply.
Brian looked down, and gave a half-chuckle. “There are other ways of preventing disasters. Policy, laws. We need to look the future in the face as a society and take responsible action. I’ll start locally. You can have more impact there. I…I think I’d be pretty good at convincing people to do the right thing.”
“Yes, you would, dear,” Brina said, looking up fondly at him. “I think it’s a marvelous ambition.” She turned to her older son. “And Kemble, you’ll do just fine with the Enterprises.”
“Don’t worry, Kemble, we’ll help,” Lan said. He looked surprised. “I’m actually kind of looking forward to it. I was thinking of exploring the effect of music on the mentally ill, maybe with Brina’s help? Maggie, that effort might include you too. And sound waves have a lot of scientific possibilities….”
“Save it, baby brother,” Tris said. “We can hear all your theories at dinner.”
“Well, I’m off. I actually just stopped by on the way to the airport,” Dr. Tanet said.
“Keep in touch, my dear,” Brina said. “I feel like you’re one of the family now too.”
Dr. Tanet grinned. “Will do. Leri Tanet over and out.” She saluted and did a military turn. They watched Mr. Edwards escort her out to the front door.
“Maybe we should put off dispersing to the globe until we hear what Thomas’s and Tammy’s plans are,” Brina said, all innocence.
Oh, yeah. There’d be another wedding. The last of the Tremaine kids needed to tie the knot with Destiny. All eyes turned to Tammy and Thomas.
Both blushed furiously. Tammy never could hide a blush with her fair skin and red hair, but Thomas was a blusher too. They looked at each other and jerked their heads back to the front. “We…we haven’t discussed it,” Tammy stuttered. Thomas looked like he was in pain. Was there trouble in paradise?
“Well, it’s soon,” Brina backtracked. “We just returned. We’ve hardly had time to regroup.” But her little side-glance to the couple said she had caught that there was a problem too. “You and Tammy have hardly had a chance to get to know each other.”
“Oh, it isn’t that,” Thomas protested. “I…I love Tammy with all my heart.” But then he looked unhappier than ever.
“Me too,” Tammy explained, looking anxiously at Thomas. “I mean. I love you. You know that.”
“I know.” But Thomas didn’t look any happier.
“Then what is it, son?” That was the kindest expression Michael had ever seen on Senior’s face. Perhaps it had been good for him not to be the Captain of Industry for a while. Adapters were leaders, sure of themselves, and that could make them come across as a little cold. Brina let him know when he crossed a line by calling him the King of Wands. But now Brian had seen his own vulnerabilities up close and personal. It might just have added that last touch of empathy needed to make him damnably perfect. And he’d make a great politician—one the people deserved, not what they were used to getting.
“We’re all a little much, aren’t we, Thomas?” Jane asked in her soft voice. “All the couples and babies and purpose.” Leave it to sensible Jane to see what might be wrong and bring it out into the open. “It’s okay to not know what you want yet.”
Thomas swallowed, and looked confused and distressed. “You’re all so…so much better than me. So much more useful. I had wanted to ask Mr. Tremaine…but why would he agree? My power is fire. Not useful in saving people. It’s a Clan power, destructive. And I am ignorant of the world. Not worth…not worth Tammy.”
“Thomas, that’s not true at all,” Tammy protested. “I’m the one who’s not worth you. I’ve always been selfish—the baby, who everyone always took care of. And I liked it that way. Dear God, I took it personally that Daddy was hurt and my little world was changed. I was that self-centered! But you’re pretty much the opposite. You gave your all for your purpose. Do you know how admirable that is? You sacrificed yourself to try to make sure Morgan wouldn’t succeed. You died for what you believed in, for goodness sake. How many of us can say that?” Tammy looked so fierce as she challenged her family that once he would not have recognized her. But Michael had seen glimpses of the new Tammy lately. Now here she was, in full form.
“I don’t think you’ve been a baby for a while now, honey,” Senior said softly.
“Yeah. A baby wouldn’t have bullied me into helping her escape and come up with a plan and engaged a mercenary for protection to get me to agree,” Michael observed.
“I might remind you it was you who led the charge to the hangar,” Jane added.
Thomas drew himself up. “There is something you all do not know.” He swallowed. “I cannot lie, not to you, who have been so kind to me.”
Brina raised her eyebrows. What had the kid done so horrible it rated a public confession?
“Well, what?” Tris asked, frowning. He was getting ready to kill Thomas if the kid broke his little sister’s heart.
“I…I have defiled Tammy. I took her virginity.” Everyone around the table relaxed. There was an errant chuckle, and several badly hidden smirks.
Tammy turned on Thomas. “Don’t be ridiculous. I defiled you too, in that case. And anyway, I wanted it. A lot.”
“I know Michael said I should do what you wanted. But families never want their daughter to lose her virginity before marriage. They might be unkind to you, and I will not allow that.” He turned to the full room. “And I will not live without Tammy either. But I know Tammy will not be happy away from her family…”
“Don’t get yourself worked up, son,” Brian said. “I think your concept of ‘defiling’ is a little dated. We won’t be unkind to either of you just because you had sex before marriage.”
Thomas heaved a sigh of relief.
“Big dolt,” Tammy whispered and took his hand.
“So,” Drew drawled into the awkward silence, “it seems the only barrier remaining is that Thomas needs a job before he feels useful enough to ask Father for Tammy’s hand in marriage.
“You will always be everything to me, even if you couldn’t douse fires,” Tammy insisted, looking up at Thomas.
“Well I have a suggestion,” Drew said.
Damn if they didn’t all perk up their ears at that. You listened when a woman who could see the future has a suggestion.
“Thomas,” Drew said in mock severity. “Powers can sometimes work two ways. Lan creates destructive sound and beautiful music. Kee can paint the truth or camouflage with a lie. Jane gives darkness, but can mitigate it with light. You can do that too. So I suggest a demonstration.”
She broke away from Michael and walked over to the stove, lit a burner and took a small cup of bacon grease from breakfast and poured it into the open flame.
Shouts erupted from around the room as flames leaped up into the hood of the range and licked the walls. Drew jumped back. Michael lunged for the fire extinguisher that was kept under the sink. Dev started calling water.
“Water won’t put out a grease fire, Dev,” Drew shouted over the cacophony. “Thomas! Do something before the whole place goes up.”
Thomas’s eyes widened. He looked about to burst.
And then the flames collapsed in on themselves and were gone.
“Shit, howdy,” Tris exclaimed into the silence.
Everyone looked shocked, including Thomas.
Drew took a breath so she could recover her nonchalance. “He controls fire both ways.”
“Looks pretty useful in disasters, don’t you think?” Jane asked. She hadn’t moved. Her baby still suckled gently at her breast, under its blanket.
A slow smile spread across Thomas’s face. Tammy looked as if she would burst with pride. “See how valuable you’ll be?” she asked.
Senior cleared his throat. “So, uh, Thomas. Was there something you wanted to ask me?”
Thomas got up off the stool. “Mr. Tremaine, sir, I would like to have your daughter’s hand in marriage.” Senior was about to jump on that, but Thomas held up a hand. “I’m still ignorant of the world.”
“I’ll teach him,” Tammy offered, her gaze intent.
“I bet you will,” Lan smirked.
“I will try to be a good man for her. I will work hard.”
“I know that, son,” Senior said. “The answer is yes. It was always yes, by the way, whether you could snuff out fires or not. Tammy doesn’t need her father’s permission to love someone.”
Tammy burst into tears.
“Are you well?” Thomas asked anxiously.
Tammy couldn’t do more than nod. Thomas turned solemnly and knelt on one knee in front of the bar stool.
“Tammy Tremaine, will you marry me?”
For once in her life, Tammy couldn’t speak. Tears ran silently down her cheeks. Then she composed herself and smiled. “Tammy,” she said, musing. “For you, it isn’t a diminutive.” Then she just nodded.
A shout went up around the room. Thomas got to his feet. Tammy slid off the bar stool and they embraced, along with a deep kiss, to prolonged cheering.
As they came up for air, both abashed at the passion of their kiss, Drew slid back under Michael’s arm. “God’s in his heaven, Morgan’s in hell, and all’s right with the world,” she murmured.
The women of the family all gathered round Tammy for congratulations.
“Finally, we get to be bridesmaids at your wedding,” Kee said, through tears.
“I was really tired of being a bridesmaid,” Tammy laughed. “Thomas, you’ll have to pick one of my brothers for your best man. Warning, the field isn’t attractive. They all suck at speeches, one way or another. Kemble would be pompous. Tris would probably just grunt something. Dev would mutter something about life being like waves. You get the idea.”
Lan took Thomas’s arm and led him to the cluster of guys. “And now that you’re a member of the family, have I told you the story about the time I let ferrets loose in Tris’s garage? He was chasing them all over the place, and then he stumbled into a barrel of oil….”
“Not that one again,” Tris sighed.
“Not now, Lanyon,” Kemble said sternly. “You’ll have time enough to torture him later.”
“Welcome to the family,” Senior said, taking Thomas’s hand. “We’re a slightly better prospect than we were twenty-four hours ago.”
“Stars have aligned,” Greta announced as the two groups swirled together again.
“And we all lived to tell the tale,” Kee added. “I was really afraid of a Romeo and Juliet ending to that one. Star-crossed lovers, literally.”
“I played Juliet once.” Greta rolled her eyes. “It nearly killed me, it was so depressing.”
“My least favorite ending in Shakespeare,” Thomas confessed. “But you rewrote it, all of you.”
“Well, we’ve got a lot more work ahead,” Kemble said seriously. Then he grinned. “Glad to have you along for the ride.”
Thomas turned back to Tammy. Like magnets, they made their way through the crowd that had separated them in congratulations, back to each other.
“It will be a ride,” Tammy said, that mischievous glint in her eye again. “I’ll see to that.”
Lan made sounds of scary, sci-fi music. Dev did the “dum-dum, dum-dum” part from “Jaws.”
“You’ve got us for support, kid,” Michael said. “She can be a tricky one.”
“My baby?” Senior asked in mock surprise.
“No,” Thomas whispered in Tammy’s ear. “You are nobody’s baby. But you are mine.”