"There is an electric fire in human nature tending to purify-so that among these human creatures there is continually some birth of new heroism. The pity is that we must wonder at it, as we should at finding a pearl in rubbish." -John Keats
A-A-A
Not even the stifling August heat could stop tourists them from enjoying themselves on the Coney Island boardwalk.
Children shrieked as they twirled around in rides, teens howled with glee on the rickety roller coaster, and best friends licked ice cream cones and clutched wads of cotton candy as they hung around the arcade games. Throngs of people were tanning while others were jumping up and down in the waves that crashed onto the beach of New York.
Morgan had set up her tent some yards away from the other vendors. She had already hooked up a portable air conditioner and draped the black curtains with yards of beads so that the atmosphere inside was cool, quiet, and mysterious.
She should have heeded the warning signs. Morgan had just sent off a 22-year-old young man with a wink and reassurance that his plans to apply to nursing school were admirable before ushering in her next customer. So far they had all been wearing flip flops and tank tops but the blonde-haired man who brushed the curtain aside wore a suit and tie. Unfazed by the circumstances, he sat himself down across the table from Morgan and gave her a look of uttermost confidence.
Morgan was intrigued.
She smiled at him and brushed some hair out of her face. The silver bracelets on her arm tinkled merrily. "Care to hear your fortune?" she asked sweetly.
"I imagine so," he replied. He opened up a leather wallet and placed a ten dollar bill on the table. Morgan tucked it into her purse and placed her palms upward on the table.
"Just relax and allow the spirits to speak," she assured him.
Warning signs. Omens. How was she to know that the moment Dr. Jedekiah Price put his hands into hers that they would both place themselves in danger?
She closed her eyes and tried to use her telekinesis to search into his mind. Much to Morgan's curiosity, all that came up was a blank slate. There were no whispers, no thoughts or colorful memories flitting through his head. All she found was white static.
But then something shifted and she was flooded with thoughts, dazzling like shards of glass through sunlight, seeing things that made goosebumps rise on her skin. A tall pristine building rising out of the city, looming and powerful, came first. Then there were rows of people like herself, some screaming in fear while others whispered their worries along corridors. Secrets within secrets, people murmuring about superior powers and control...
...and at the center of madness was the person across the table from her. He was shifting mental images back and forth in his mind like chessboard pieces in a never-ending match...
A dark-haired man with a beard who is sharing drinks with Jedekiah...
Someone with a cold suave British accent, assuring Dr. Price that all is well...
A blonde-haired boy who looks so much like him and instantly tugs at his fiercely-guarded heart...
The snap of a metal brace on her arm broke Morgan's concentration. She opened her eyes to find the suppression cuff on her wrist and Dr. Price shaking his head at her in a chastising manner.
"Don't bother teleporting," he remarked. "Your powers have been suppressed."
Morgan continued to claw at brace as if it made her skin itch. "Please let me go," she begged. "I'm not hurting anyone."
His cool stare never wavered. "If you just read my thought then you know I can't let people like you stay off our radar."
Jedekiah Price had had his share of flukes with breakouts. They had fought, protested, lashed out against him, and tried to kill him. But he hadn't been prepared for what happened next.
Morgan dashed out of the tent and ran down the boardwalk. Her lavender skirt fluttered around her legs and strand of hair whipped in her face. Without slowing down, she raced towards the beach and dodging everyone else sprawled out on towels, went straight into the water and dove under a wave.
Jedekiah stepped out of the tent and looked at the small dot that was bobbing up and down in the water.
Unpredictable, he thought. But not impossible. She was after all, just one woman, and it wasn't worth the time or effort to have a team of agents drag her out of the water and risk exposure to civilians.
He removed a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them onto his face. Then Jedekiah took a seat on a bench and waited for her to come out.
A-A-A
Morgan arrived at her apartment in Queens three hours later.
She had spent the time swimming in the ocean and riding the train back while assessing that curious walking mass of contradictions named Dr. Jedekiah Price. On one hand, she had read the mind of a ruthless agent who would not allow anything to slip by him. On the other hand, there was a cautious man who would live a life of lies, deceit, and betrayal for the sake of all mankind.
He played the part of a cold shrewd scientist who would do anything to get what he wanted. But she had managed to see through the charade; Jedekiah did care about the future and the people in it. He could tolerate being despised and ostracized; it was the sacrifice of one man against the world.
A good looking man too, she thought. Morgan had her sandals in one hand and her key in the other when she pushed open the door and made her way into the kitchen.
"How was the ocean?"
Jedekiah sat at her kitchen table, leaning back casually with one leg crossed over another.
Smug bastard, she fumed inwardly.
"The beach was fine. Can't say the same for the trip back." She rubbed at the suppression cuff. "Don't you know how long public transportation takes?"
"Long enough." He stood up. "If you come with me and cooperate, I'll make sure that your abilities are restored."
"So I'm just supposed to follow you straight into your 'secret' organization and then get my powers back?" she demanded.
He nodded. Morgan shook her head. "Sorry but I don't trust you."
"My orders come from my superiors. This has nothing to do with trust."
Morgan averted her gaze and tried to suppress her anxiety. Being whisked away in the blink of an eye and then locked away in an Ultra facility was not appealing whatsoever. She forced herself to smile at him.
"I'm guessing Ultra didn't send you to find cute secretaries."
"We track and observe people like you." He walked towards her, stopping only when they were inches apart. "Ultra wants to know what you can do."
"But you already know what I can do," Morgan protested. She shook her wrist in his face. "I can't be much of a threat to anyone. Why don't you take this damn thing off me and we'll call it quits?"
"You know I can't do that," Jedekiah answered calmly.
"Can't? Or won't?"
There was a moment of silence between them as he observed the fear in her eyes. Jedekiah had not allowed himself to be influenced by the whims of others and he knew he shouldn't start now—no, there had been times when a paranormal person had affected him more than he let on. He would have to nip this in the bud before it got more complicated.
"Please," Morgan whispered urgently. "I saw what's inside of you. You're not heartless."
Her response seemed to temporarily distract Jedekiah. "What else did you see?" he demanded.
She shrugged softly. "You play the part of the 'bad guy'. Let those running from you hate you. All because you have to find the answers."
Jedekiah's eyes narrowed at her, his gaze fixated on her as if he could pull thoughts out of her head as easily as any other paranomal.
"You don't have powers so you have to intimidate people. Pretend. All the time." Morgan's voice was barely above a whisper. "You didn't have to pretend to me."
He knew he should have suppressed his inclinations. He should have done his duty, called for backup, or even put a bullet in her head. But for the life of him, Jedekiah couldn't do it this time.
Much to her astonishment, he took her wrist and tapped a coordinate on the cuff. It snapped off at once and Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. Jedekiah headed for the door, stopping only long enough to turn around and point a finger at her.
"Don't let me catch you using your abilities in public again," he warned Morgan. "Or else I'll be forced to strip away your powers for good. Understood?"
Morgan nodded. Jedekiah Price closed the door behind himself and disappeared out of her life.
A-A-A
Coney Island was slowing down and the heat was ebbing away from New York when Morgan's phone rang.
"I saw you move those pumpkins," the voice on the other end accused her.
Morgan felt a twitch of amusement inside. "Would you rather have a nice old lady on my block trip over them and break her neck?" she asked.
"You compromised yourself. You promised that you wouldn't."
She sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I really do try to be careful."
"I know you do." Pause. "I advice you to keep exercising caution."
The corners of Morgan's mouth tugged up. "If you're going to babysit me around the clock—"
"I'm merely keeping track of you as part of investigation, that's all."
"Your investigation? Or Ultra's?"
Silence.
Morgan placed a hand on her hip. "Have you ever seen 'The Phantom of the Opera'?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I have tickets to the show Tuesday night."
"On such short notice?" Jedekiah demanded.
"I simply overheard a co-worker's frets about being unable to reschedule her reservations. So I offered to reimburse her for the tickets. No harm done."
"And you're asking me of all people to go with you."
"Why not? I hate going to the theater alone. And you can keep a closer eye on me this way."
"I thought you don't trust me."
"I don't. But you kept your word so I'm returning the favor."
There was more silence on the other end. Morgan twirled her fingers around the phone cord.
"What time?"
A-A-A
Jedekiah Price pushed his way into the crowded foyer. His eyes quickly scanned the theater lobby for the usual signs of Ultra agents. After a few moments, his muscles relaxed.
He was accustomed to covering up his tracks and splitting his secrets into even smaller secrets that could be sequestered away. And yet the rush of adrenaline beneath his composed façade felt different this time. Perhaps because he was letting one of them stay on the streets and off Ultra's radar. It wouldn't be the first time he had defied the Founder but this instance was nothing like previous risks Jedekiah had taken.
His eyes finally rested on Morgan, who was wearing a red cocktail dress and had a fringed scarf draped around her shoulders. She looked lovely, he couldn't deny that. When he approached her at the end of the bar her eyes lit up.
"You made it." Morgan set a wine glass down and motioned to the bartender. Jedekiah ordered a cognac and scanned the room once more just to be sure.
"Are we being followed?" she asked.
"No." The brandy came and he took a long hearty swallow. "We shouldn't be here," he added under his breath.
"Well, we're here now. So we might as well make the most of it." Morgan leaned forward on her elbows. "When's the last time you went to a Broadway show?"
"This is my first."
Morgan looked astonished. Jedekiah added, "My job keeps me preoccupied most of the time."
"And just what exactly does your 'job' include that keeps you from enjoying pleasantries?"
"I can't tell you that."
"Right. Top secret business." They had made their way into a tight corner of the room and continued to talk in low voices.
"Tell me about other people like me. Can they do everything that I can do?" asked Morgan.
He nodded and looked into his glass. "Not all of them just have fun moving pumpkins up and down the stairs. We've seen bank robbing. Arson. Abuse. Vandalism."
Morgan's eyes widened in alarm. Jedekiah then realized that none of those terrible suggestions had even crossed her mind.
"I suppose," he added in a more controlled tone, "That pretending to be a ten-dollar fortune teller isn't a major threat in comparison."
"Thanks," said Morgan. "It's a skill that comes over time. I simply read their pasts and reassure them of the outcome."
"You can't predict the future," Jedekiah pointed out.
"Of course not. I just tell the kids to stay in school, the spouses to stay sober, and for everyone to give up their seats for the elderly in the subway."
Her smile was contagious and Jedekiah couldn't help but smile back at her response.
The lights dimmed, announcing it was time for the show to start. Making their way into the theater was challenging with so many people and Morgan felt her bare arm get pressed against the sleeve of Jedekiah's suit. It didn't take much telepathy for her to realize that quite a few women were admiring her arm candy. Nor could she deny the flush that went through her at the reality that they'd be sitting closely together for two full hours.
Jedekiah noticed her flushed face and a look of concern came across him. "Are you all right?"
She blushed by accident. "Just the wine."
A-A-A
"Do you mean to say that you've lived in New York all this time and never been to the top of the Empire State Building? Or taken a ferry to the Statue of Liberty?"
Jedekiah shook his head. They had left the theater district after the show and were walking uptown. Her arm was still linked through his and he hadn't made any effort to break contact.
"What about Macys or Tiffany's? The best coffee in Soho? Morning muffins from Sabrina's bakery?" Morgan sighed dramatically. "You don't know what you're missing!"
"I don't mind. But the show was entertaining."
Morgan brightened up. "Really? You enjoyed it?"
"Yes. It was different from Leroux's novel but the score was original," admitted Jedekiah.
They continued to walk on for ten minutes in silence.
"Jedekiah is an interesting name," Morgan finally spoke up.
"My father was an interesting person," he responded.
"Think I'm going to let my own sons grow up like those rotten filthy no-good dropouts? Think you're better than everyone? Look at me when I'm talking to you, boy! Jedekiah Alexander Price, you fix this right now or I will skin you alive! You look at me you ungrateful stupid worthless son of a..."
"If there's one thing that he taught me, it's about survival of the fittest," said Jedekiah. "Everyone will adapt to live another day or die in the attempt."
"Or steal paintings from public museums?" asked Morgan.
"Exactly."
"Then let me I assure you that I have no intention of removing a Picasso from a highly-guarded vault," she said.
"Good."
"Monet, on the other hand, is a worthy temptation."
A brief, but nevertheless audible laugh, escaped Jedekiah's lips. "You're a clever young woman."
"Not as clever as you. You eventually found me."
"Most breakouts start at adolescence and they can't keep their powers off the grid. I've worked hundreds of cases before yours."
"Do you need to use the word 'cases'? It makes me feel like we're talking about lab rats."
"I'm only pointing out the—"
Morgan stopped in her tracks and pressed a hand to her head.
"What is it?"
"Red hair...beefy...he's about to stab his girlfriend."
Jedekiah gripped Morgan by both arms. "Where?"
She squinted and shrugged. "I, I can't..."
"Think, Morgan, think!" He gave her a quick shake of the shoulders. "Focus your powers. What can you see?"
Morgan combed through the thoughts, honing in on the attacker's location and quickly scanning the scene around him. "Apartment 32B."
"What else?"
"Riverside Park."
"Upper West Side. That's right here."
He was suddenly running away from her, dashing up the steps of an apartment building. She saw Jedekiah's silhouette appear in the window. There was a woman's scream followed by the sound of gunshots. A bullet slammed through the window and it exploded, sending shards of glass raining down on the sidewalk. Someone lunged at Jedekiah with a roar. There was the sound of a fist colliding with flesh and then a heavy THUMP. People in the streets stopped walking and pointed frantically at the window.
It was over before Morgan knew it. She drew herself to the back of the crowd and peeped between heads to see what happened next.
A police car screeched to a halt in front of the apartment. She saw a thin girl in a tank top being brought out by paramedics who put a blanket around her shoulders.
"He was going to kill me. Oh god, Frank was going to kill me!" she sobbed hysterically.
A redheaded man in a wife beater was hauled outside with hands cuffed behind his back, spewing curses at the top of his lungs. While the police tried to contain the mob out front, Morgan quietly slipped around the corner of the back of the building. The only other person in sight was Jedekiah, who was staggering down the fire escape. He was gripping his left shoulder and grimacing in pain.
She ran to him and as soon as their fingers touched, they vanished in a flash of light.
A-A-A
"Cheer up. You get to be the hero tonight."
Jedekiah grunted and sank back against the sofa cushions. Against his wishes, Morgan had teleported them to his apartment after his stubborn refusal to go to the hospital. She helped him get off his coat and unbutton his shirt. A red stain had blossomed on his upper left arm causing Morgan to wince.
"I'll be fine. I've had worse," Jedekiah assured her. "There's painkillers in the bathroom cabinet if you-"
A bottle of pills danced through the air straight into Morgan's hand. Jedekiah gave her an admonishing look as if she was a child being caught breaking a rule.
"What? Can't I do a bit to help?" She shook out two pills and handed them to him. Jedekiah swallowed them down and then turned his attention to cleaning the wound.
"It's my job to keep an eye on people like you. Not the other way around," Jedekiah insisted.
"People are people no matter what their powers are. You act like there's a difference."
"There is." He swabbed the wound with cotton dipped in alcohol.
"No, there isn't." She sat down next to him. "Believe me, Jedekiah. I've listened in on people's thoughts over the years and I've heard it all: sex, violence, greed, anger, revenge, and more. But for every one time like that bastard you fought tonight there are nine times when people don't carry out their actions. They fight back against the ugliness inside."
Jedekiah allowed her to carefully wrap a bandage around his wound. "You're saying to judge people based on their actions instead of their intentions."
"Yes."
He leaned towards her with a voice that was low and urgent. "What if their intentions were for good?"
Their eyes met and something died inside of Morgan's throat. She looked away from Jedekiah for a moment. Then the heat within her chest took hold and she starred back at him. Carefully and cautiously, Morgan tipped her mouth against Jedekiah's lips. He made no protest, allowing her to deepen the kiss, and then she felt his hand wrap around her neck, sliding up to cup the back of her head.
Her body trembled in delight. It had been impossible to enjoy this sort of thing with peoples' damn thoughts blasting in her head at high decibels. But Jedekiah's clear steadfast mind, his ability to shut everything else out, was a blessing to Morgan, as was the soft trace of aftershave and starched cotton that clung to his body.
A warm hand fell upon her shoulder but to her dismay, Jedekiah pushed her back.
"I'm sorry," he said. There was sincere disappointment in his voice which only made the kiss more bittersweet.
Jedekiah reached for his keys. "I'll drive you home."
"Don't bother," Morgan said fiercely. She vanished in an angry flash of light.
A-A-A
Eleven cautious days passed. Morgan expected him to come back by breaking down the door, throwing a bag over her head, and hauling her off to goodness knows where.
She spent the time chewing on her fingernails and jumping every time the floorboards creaked. Trying to get away was useless; they'd find her no matter where she went.
When Jedekiah finally burst into her home alone and unarmed, Morgan didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified. There was a purple bruise on the right side of his forehead and four small stitches along his jawline.
"What happened to you?" Morgan asked.
He ignored the question and began pacing the floor. Jedekiah looked restless, antsy. Impatient. "Do you have anything to drink?" he demanded.
She poured him a glass of red wine and watched Jedekiah drain it in four gulps. Morgan offered her another but he shook his head. "Thanks. I needed that." He rubbed a thumb across his mouth.
She eyed his damaged face. "You have a lot of enemies."
"Had," Jedekiah corrected her. "The situation is under control." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's been one of those days."
"Is that why you're here? To lock me up for good?"
"No," he insisted urgently. Jedekiah suddenly seized Morgan by both arms and pulled her close to him until she could feel his urgent breath on her face. Her hands were clasped together over his chest.
"Then what do you want?"
She saw something mad sparkle in his eyes and then Jedekiah had cupped her face in his hands and pressed his mouth to hers. This was not the light tenderness they had shared from before. This was urgent and needy. Primal. Human. Fragile.
She felt his rough tongue force its way into her mouth and sweep across her own. She didn't protest, didn't make a vase hurl itself at him, even though temptation threatened to pull Morgan under water. Her knees buckled up beneath her and he just wrapped his arms around her waist to clutch her tightly against him. She could feel his heart thundering beneath the fabric of his shirt and it sent vibrations throughout her body.
They were out of breath when they finally broke contact. Jedekiah's eyes were blue flames as they roamed up and down Morgan's body. There was no need to use telepathy this time. Morgan nodded knowingly and slipped her fingers up to his collar, undoing the buttons of his shirt. Eventually her fingers got snagged in his tie and she impatiently undid it with a flick of her hand. Jedekiah looked astonished for a moment but then gave her knowing wink and ripped the tie off.
She laughed in reaction and led him into the bedroom.
A-A-A
"You're amazing. Did you know that?"
Jedekiah didn't say anything. He had kept his words as silent as his mind and let his body speak to Morgan as they made love. She was exhilarated at how gentle he could be. The only time he had talked was to ask if she was cold and then he had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his body. Now she rested her head on his chest and listened to the steadfast thumps of his heartbeat.
"I mean it. I couldn't exactly bring men back here when their thoughts were bouncing all over the room. Once I tried and a light bulb exploded."
Jedekiah chuckled softly. "I've never thought about how supernatural abilities would affect this."
"And now you know, Dr. Price. I hope you'll keep this one out of your observation reports."
He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. "I will."
Morgan propped her head up on one hand. "So what happens now?"
"Now?"
"We just go on our merry way and pretend this never happened?"
"I'm afraid so." Seeing her crestfallen face, Jedekiah added, "It's the only way to keep you safe."
"And you?"
"Don't worry about me."
"But I do," Morgan protested. When Jedekiah rolled over onto his side, away from her face, she draped a hand over his waist. Jedekiah laid his hand on top of hers and pulled forward gently until Morgan was pressed against his back, the two of them fitting together as one.
Morgan smoothed her fingers through his hair and softly hummed "The Music of the Night".
A-A-A
Jedekiah's visits were sporadic. Once or twice when Morgan was feeling daring she'd slip up and use her powers. These were rare occasions and often late at night when no one was watching—no one except Jedekiah. There'd be an admonishment, apologies, and a night in the bedroom. Morgan couldn't deny that she enjoyed it very much. And despite his threats, she sensed that Jedekiah did too.
Nobody used her uncle's cabin upstate so when she dared to offer it as an excuse to get away, Jedekiah miraculously accepted. He first planted several false trails mixed with enough truth so that his eagle-eyed overseer wouldn't suspect a thing. After all, Dr. Price was only human and surely he deserved a few days of relaxation out of town for his years of service to Ultra.
After covering up his tracks and leaving the world of clandestine duties far behind, Jedekiah joined Morgan at the lake house.
They spent a week behaving like normal tourist and even went into the little gift shops to buy knickknacks that Jedekiah thought unnecessary but Morgan said would look "cute" back at the house. They read books front of a roaring fireplace and took long walks in the clear country air. Jedekiah found himself talking about art, history, and nature to Morgan and only seldom did his thoughts drift back to Ultra. New York City and its secrets didn't exist for him; here he could move and breathe without looking over his shoulder. It had been years since he had tasted such freedom and the sensation was exhilarating.
There were still setbacks. Several times Jedekiah woke up in the middle of the night bathed in sweat or Morgan had to shake him awake from feverish nightmares. Once she found him downstairs in the living room with an old biology textbook he had found on the shelf. Jedekiah was marking paragraphs with a highlighter and scribbling in the margins.
"Obsolete," he mumbled to himself. "Utterly useless."
It took firm coaxing, and some Scotch, but Morgan managed to get Jedekiah back into bed. They both slept in until ten o'clock.
One morning Morgan was slowly waking up when she saw Jedekiah standing at the window looking out over the water. "Look," he beckoned to her. Morgan put on a robe and came to his side, peering out of the window.
The sun was just peeping up beyond the mountains and most of them were still wreathed in shadows. The trees were torched in orange and yellow that looked dazzling against the clear blue sky. Everything was mirrored in the silvery water that intensified the beauty of the moment.
"It's wonderful," Morgan murmured. They stood perfectly still for several minutes and watched the colors turn brighter as the sun came up, lifting up the veil of night from over the forest.
She felt the heat of his body when he stood behind her and then noticed Jedekiah was holding something in his hand. It was a small blue box tied with a white ribbon.
Morgan's eyes lit up in delight. "You went to Tiffany's?"
"I ordered online," he admitted.
She was too elated to care. Morgan untied the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a puffed silver heart hanging on a slender chain.
Morgan lifted the necklace out of the box and gave Jedekiah a radiant smile. "I love it. Thank you, Jed."
He helped her slip the chain around her neck and fasten it in place. Jedekiah brushed some hair off Morgan's neck and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck. She sighed deeply, leaning into him, feeling arms wrap around her shoulders. He gently kissed the hollow of her throat.
"Thank you," he murmured.
"For what?"
"Trusting me."
A-A-A
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on
And our little life is rounded with a sleep."
-The Tempest
A-A-A
The boardwalk was silent. All of the stores were boarded up; miles of metal plates covering up the brightly-painted walls of Coney Island. Only a few dog walkers and joggers were on the street. The ocean was pale green and flecked with froth on this cold December day.
Morgan nearly skidded on a patch of ice and instantly gripped the railing. The rush of adrenaline passed quickly but the pulsing sensation inside her stomach seemed stronger. She placed a gloved hand over the bump. She could feel a kick even though the fabric of her coat.
Kick. Kick. Brave little soldier.
The sun slipped out from behind a cloud and bathed her with cool watery light. Morgan preferred it that way. She continued to walk carefully, aware of delicacy of the precious gift that was growing within her. She hadn't teleported in a long time for fear that it might unsettle the baby.
There was always a chance that it wouldn't end up like her. She prayed that fifty percent could prove it would end up normal. Then again, Jedekiah Price was anything but normal.
Some of the paranomals had gnashed their teeth at her. They had called Morgan a slut and a whore for bedding the man who had wrecked their lives. Others shook their heads at her in pity for saddling herself with his offspring. Some suggested that she go into hiding or better yet, terminate the pregnancy.
That suggestion had never even crossed Morgan's mind. And much to her relief, not an option for Jedekiah either. He was shocked, to say the least, when he discovered that she was expecting his child. But when she had broken down into tears and begged for forgiveness, he hadn't lifted a finger against her. Jedekiah carefully explained to her of the dangers that they faced ahead but he assured her, with quiet fury in his voice, that he would not allow anyone to cause harm to her or their baby.
Morgan had been sitting on a bench by herself for fifteen minutes when she noticed the presence of a newcomer. He sat down next to her and looked into her face.
"You need to be careful," he warned her.
"I am."
"How do you feel?"
"Fine."
"Have you been taking the supplements?"
"Yes."
Two birds hopped onto a pile of melting snow before flying off.
"I'm scared," Morgan admitted. Her throat tightened up as she looked at Jedekiah. "I'm so frightened."
He laid a hand onto her cheek and pulled her towards him. The thick warmth of his coat soothed her and she leaned into Jedekiah. He was a wall of strength that would support and protect them.
"Everything's going to be all right." He wrapped both arms around Morgan and held her tightly. She took one of his hands and laid it upon her stomach. Even through the thick wool of her sweater he could sense the heat of life building up within Morgan, slowly and steadily, that would eventually flower into a human being.
"I'm here," he murmured into her ear. "I'll always be here, Morgan."
The ocean frothed and churned at their feet. Two words fell from her lips and were swept away by the wind.
"Thank you."
END