Chapter 3 – Mommy Dearest

Limousines were a common thing to see on the streets of New York City, but I was not common to see a man having a practical stroke in the back. He had hung up on his mother, which was not something that he had ever done even when he did live here. Jake felt enumerable guilt by hanging up on her but he hadn't worked the nerve up to talk to her. He knew that by the time he would need to go back to California they would speak, but that time wasn't now and he didn't really desire it right now. But when he had given the order for his driver to go to his parent's townhouse, he found himself almost seizing.

"Sir," Margret asked from the seat next to him, "Are you going to be alright, going to your parents?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," Jake said wiping his forehead off on the sleeve of his coat.

Jake had to get his mind off of what was about to happen and the only way that he found he could do that was thinking about work. It seemed in his sleep he always thinking about stock tips and budget reports to distract him from his dreams of fighting the Huntsclan and flying. More recently he had to deal with a transfer of over five billion dollars into the international branch of NIGB and he had been dealing the paperwork to transfer assets for days now. Leaning down, his hand dropped into his bag and grabbed a tan dossier that contained the papers, "Sometime tomorrow I need you to make copies of these papers and take them to Chase Bank and drop them off at the NASDAQ to secure funds."

"For what? And where do you want these funds transferred too?" Margret asked as she took the file from him and stashed it under the legal pad that she had been taking notes on.

"Europe and parts of the Asian Market, the cash is to boost the International branch," He answered.

"Ok," She said stopping suddenly when the limousine stopped, "It looks like we're here."

Jake looked out the window and the breath was choked out of him. There was the house, it hadn't changed in ten years and Jake felt memories rush back to him and hit him in the face like it was a wall. Wiping his forehead again, he turned to Margret and nodded, "Yeah, you go on to the Astoria, I might be here a little while and there's no use in you having to hear what's about to go down."

"How you are going to get back sir?" She asked putting a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

That was the fun part for him. It had been a very long time since he had gotten the chance to fly. He would go back to his hotel with those powers of his, "I'll take a cab, look if you could just get going."

She nodded and took a deep breath in, Mr. Long tended to get emotional sometimes when it came to issues of his personal life. He didn't have any pictures of his family, he had only a few pictures of social events with friends and it was clear that he had married his work. That was until they had their little fling, well it wasn't exactly little, but it had changed the way Margret looked at him. She knew him in and out and knew what his faults were as he did with her. That's why she didn't fight him on anything when it came to his personal life, "Driver, go ahead and go to the Astoria Towers."

The air was frigid and then Jake knew that he had spoiled himself on California weather, but then again the last time he was in this city he wasn't worth $25 Billion Dollars and the head of several billion dollar corporations. It was just hitting him that he was standing at his parent's door. He half expected his sister Haley to answer the door. But she was probably out in medical school or something becoming a doctor or a lawyer like everyone had expected her too. Jake however felt smug about this subject, whatever his sister was she'd never make enough money to top him in her lifetime.

Reaching forward with a shaky hand, he tapped the doorbell again and again knowing that he'd never tap it if he didn't force himself to do it. Then taking his hand back, he crossed both of them over his stomach in some attempt to quell his shaking. His acute hearing was focused on the door, he might not have transformed into a full dragon in years, but he still used his powers every now and then. At board meetings he used his sense of hearing, when he woke up at home in the middle of the night he used his ability to see in the dark. But now he was using his hearing to focus it through the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming hold on just a bit," He smiled when he heard his mother's voice.

His breath caught in his chest when he saw the head of dark hair appear in the door and then he forced himself to put on an overconfident smile when the door opened. Her fact hadn't changed much in the ten years since he had seen it, it had aged slightly and there was now a gray steak running through her hair, but she was still Susan Long, his mother. He was him finally. When their eyes meet from across the doorway, he smirked coyly at her, "Surprise, Surprise Mom."

Susan for her part was at a loss for words. Her eyes were twinkling with something between amusement, joy, surprise and a touch of anger. Jake took a chance on leaping over the awkward hurtle and he proceeded to open his arms and invite the woman who gave birth to him in for an embrace that they hadn't shared for a total decade, "Jake …Oh my god… Is it really …you?"

"In the flesh," He walked forward and wrapped his arms around his mother, "How are you?"

Finally regaining some of her senses, she returned her sons embrace tightly and laughed in elated joy at the sight of her little boy, but then she pulled back and lightly punched him in the shoulder, "That's for ten years without a damn phone call or a card. And I'm doing great. I know how you've done."

He felt his face flush at his mother's praise, "So I take it you've heard of my accomplishments."

"Mr. Billionaire Tycoon of course I have," Susan smiled reaching up and cupping his cheek, "Wh-Why don't you come inside and sit down for awhile, your father is out of town and I'm all alone."

Jake nodded and swallowed the lump that was in his throat at the thought of entering his childhood home once again, but when he was inside, it was completely different. He assumed that the house had been long renovated and it was nice work, he admitted that to his mother. Walking in step into the den area, he followed his mother's beckoning motion to the couch. Jake was incredibly stunned that this was going as easily as it was, he expected his mother to do more than just punch his arm, "You know Mom I really expected you to be a little more pissed at me."

"How can I be angry with you," Susan shrugged as she ran a hand through her shoulder length hair, "I mean sure I haven't heard hell or high water from you in a decade but still you're my son and I love you. Haley loves you and your father loves you, and I know that for sure."

He smiled at her, "Do you think I could have a glass of tea or water?"

"Sure son," Susan said patting him on the knee, "For some reason I had the inclination to make some earlier, do you still like it loaded with sugar?"

Smiling at her as she got up from the couch, he shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't. I have a meeting at the NASDAQ and I get to be in the opening bell ceremony tomorrow morning."

"I'm so proud of you," Susan reflected again as she made her way into the kitchen.

Jake smiled and leaned back into the couch, well, perhaps this would work out for the best. He had made it this far, into his mother's house and without so much as a scratch, unless you count his bruised shoulder. He would stay for a little while and then go to the hotel room to catch up on tomorrow's events and get some sleep. Turning his head, he looked at large picture frame on the side table. Normally he would have just ignored it, but in this case he did a double take.

In the photo was his father, sister, mother and strangely enough a small looking child, black hair, round face and blue eyes. But what made him double take at the photo was the sight of the person standing over the boy. With blond flowing tresses flowing to around her waist and a bright smile plastered on her face, it was Rose. He would know that face from anywhere.

But the question was, what was Rose doing a family photo and who in the hell was that boy?

"Mom," He said reaching forward and grabbing the picture frame, "What the hell is this?"