Chapter 13

6 o'clock later that evening

"Wow, Rachel… you look lovely."

Rachel couldn't help but blush at the sincere compliment she just received from her date. She had on a simple black dress with relatively short two-inch heels. She had her hair styled in an easy chignon and Jean lent her a pair of diamond drop earrings and a turquoise pendant necklace.

She looked over her date from head to toes and had to admit, he was pretty "lovely" himself. He stood about 6'2", and 180lbs. He was built like an Olympic swimmer. What's not to love? He also seemed to have a good sense of style wearing black dress pants, and a simple blue collared shirt that, for whatever reason, complimented his angel-like blonde hair. Rachel also noticed his black shoes were recently and meticulously polished. He definitely put in some effort for the evening… that was a good sign.

"You're looking handsome yourself, Bo," Rachel answered, smiling.

"I hope you're in the mood for steak, I got us reservations at Delmonico's," Bo said.

"That sounds wonderful, I'll just quickly run inside and grab my purse then we can be on our way," Rachel said.

"Sure, no rush," Bo said, giving her a smile.

Rachel was halfway to her room when she heard the oh-so-familiar voice of her father resonating around the area where Bo was waiting for her… Darn the man! Rachel quickly grabbed her purse and ran back towards the entrance to save her date.

"Oh hey, Rachel, I just bumped into your friend here on my way to find Jean. I was just introducing myself," Scott said, innocently.

**Accidentally bumped into him on purpose, you mean?** Rachel sent out to Scott telepathically. Scott just smiled at her, not missing a beat.

Scott turned back to Bo. "So, are you from around here?"

"Born and raised in New York. I live not too far in North Hills," Bo answered.

"I see, so what do you do for a living?" Scott continued with his twenty questions.

"I work as a corporate lawyer with Fischer Corporate Law Group," Bo answered politely.

**Lawyers aren't exactly known for their honesty, Rachel,** Scott thought out loud. Rachel didn't even acknowledge it with a look. "So… Law huh? That takes years of studying and going to school… So, you've gotta be like, almost forty now?" Scott asked, continuing to fish for information.

Luckily for Rachel, Bo seemed to think that Scott was kidding around and just chuckled at his question. "Actually, I'm turning 31 next month, so not quite ancient yet."

**That's almost a nine-year gap…** Scott projected.

**I can count, thanks,** Rachel threw back.

Bo then asked Scott, "So what do you do for a living, Scott?"

"I'm a math teacher, I work with the kids here… Say, speaking of kids… umm, do you have any?" Scott asked. Rachel cleared her throat very loudly letting Scott know that she wasn't happy with his line of questioning.

**Jean, for god's sake, I need you at the front door right now! Scott's cross-examining my date. I need you to rein him in!** Rachel yelled, telepathically.

"Oh umm… I uhh… have a two-year-old daughter with my ex-fiancée," Bo answered. Rachel didn't have to be a telepath to know how incredibly uncomfortable he got with Scott's last question.

"Hmm… I see," Scott continued. "Child support must be rough huh?"

Before Bo could answer, Jean came running in from the side corridor of the mansion. "Scott, I've been looking all over for you. We have a movie to catch remember?" Jean said, glaring at her fiancé.

"Our movie isn't for another hour-" but before Scott could finish his sentence, Jean turned to Rachel's date.

"Hello, we haven't met yet. My name is Jean, I'm one of the teachers here at the school. I've heard so much about you from Rachel," Jean said, extending her hand and flashing a most brilliant smile at Bo, causing Scott to frown slightly.

"Very nice to meet you, Jean," Bo answered, warmly shaking Jean's hand. He turned to Rachel and said, "Rachel, you never told me you had a sister."

"What are you talking about I don't have a sis-" Rachel started but was interrupted by Jean's deliberate coughing. "I meant… I don't have a sister except for this one right here," Rachel laughed a bit nervously pointing to Jean.

"Well, I must say, there must be something in the water where you ladies come from because beauty definitely runs in your blood," Bo said charmingly, making both Jean and Rachel blush and Scott to cross his arms and roll his eyes – at least Rachel imagined him rolling his eyes.

"Anyway, it was so nice to meet you, Bo," Jean said, taking Scott's arm. "But Scott and I will be late for our movie so we've gotta get going. Maybe next time we can chat a little longer over lunch or something."

"I'd love to, thanks… Umm, nice meeting you too, Scott," Bo said, politely. Before Scott could answer, Jean literally yanked him away. Rachel looked over her shoulder at a retreating Jean and mouthed 'thank you'.

"So, your sister's with Scott then?" Bo asked.

"Yes, he's her fiancé," Rachel answered.

"Oh, he's your future brother-in-law? That's nice," Bo said, but then Rachel caught his stray thought **That's one odd brother-in-law. I wonder if he has a thing for Rachel.**

Rachel could only hold back a groan. Darn the man!

11pm later that night

The mansion

"Scott, why do you keep staring at the clock?" Jean asked, cuddling closer to Scott in front of the television. They just got back home from the theatre and were sharing a tub of ice-cream on the couch.

Scott ignored the question. "Jean, how long does it take to go through a three-course meal?"

"Scott… don't even go there," Jean said, a hint of warning in her voice.

"I'm just saying… I've calculated how long it takes to drive to Delmonico's, find parking, get seated, eat, chat and go… And Rachel should have been back at least an hour ago," Scott said.

"Going on a date isn't a math formula, honey," Jean said, taking another bite of ice-cream.

"And did you see that little black dress Rachel was wearing? Doesn't leave much to the imagination does it?" Scott said.

"Hey, I lent that dress to Rachel… Besides, you weren't complaining the last time I wore it," Jean said.

"You're my fiancée, Jean, of course I loved the dress on you… but Rachel's my kid and -"

"See, there's the problem – she's not a kid. She's only a couple of years younger than we are. You can't treat her like a child otherwise you'll end up pushing her away," Jean said.

Scott sighed, running his hand through his hair. "It's just that I know how men can be… They like to brag to their friends about their conquests, a lot don't care if they hurt the girl they're with as long as they can score… These days all you need to do is turn on the news and hear about men drugging their dates, or forcing themselves on them… I don't want our daughter to be a victim of that."

"Oh, Scott, we just have to trust that we – our future selves – raised her right. And seeing how she turned out, it looks like we did a good job. Besides, if Rachel wanted to, she could turn her date into a drooling vegetable with a single thought. I think that should give you some peace of mind," Jean said.

"… Some." Scott said, reluctantly.

"It's just something you have to get used to just a little earlier. We were blessed with a pretty daughter… Young men chasing after her will be a regular occurrence," Jean said, matter-of-factly.

Scott couldn't help but scoff at that. "She looks just like you, Jean. She's far more than just pretty," Scott said, miserably.

Jean pulled away from Scott and jokingly tried to smooth the wrinkles on his forehead. "Time to turn that frown upside down, darling," Jean said.

Scott just ignored Jean's attempt to get him to smile. "And you know what I found out about her date? He's got a kid. And, he never married the mother of his child. What does that say about him, huh?"

"Too early to judge, Scott," Jean said, simply.

"How can you take all this in stride? Aren't you worried at all about her?" Scott asked, looking at Jean.

"She's twenty-two, almost twenty-three. I don't worry about things like that. I worry about her standing on pressure plates rigged to explode. I worry about her getting into a vehicle accident where she might not have enough time to protect herself with her powers. I worry about her getting hurt on a mission… Most of all, I worry that one day she'll just disappear because she's not really from this time and I have no idea what rules come with time-travel. Those are the things I worry about, Scott… Not some harmless guy who happens to find our daughter attractive," Jean said.

Scott let out a deep breath. "Must you always be the voice of reason?"

"There should only be one overprotective parent in the family," Jean said, wryly.

Before Scott could answer, they heard the door unlock and familiar footsteps approach. "Hey Scott, Jean… did you guys enjoy, Home Alone?" Rachel asked, dropping her purse on the floor.

"Yeah, we enjoyed it. It was really funny. How was your date?" Jean asked.

"It was fine. The food was wonderful. Delmonico's is just amazing – such a great atmosphere. It's probably the fanciest restaurant I've ever been to," Rachel answered.

"So… you just came from the restaurant?" Scott asked as casually as he could. But Rachel and Jean, both being telepaths, saw right through him.

"Don't you mean to ask if I came back from his place?" Rachel said.

Scott raised his hands in defense. "Hey, you said it, not me."

"But you were thinking it," Rachel said.

Scott just looked at Rachel, a slightly guilty expression on his face. Rachel seemed to take pity on him and answered, "Of course I didn't just come back from his place. I just met the guy after all… I was raised better than that."

Rachel took the tub of ice cream from Jean and sat next to her on the couch. "Besides, I told him tonight I just wasn't ready for a relationship. I'd be surprised if he calls me again."

"But why, Rach? He seemed really nice… not to mention easy on the eyes," Jean said, giggling.

"Hey!" Scott said, indignantly.

"Honey, I'm engaged, not blind," Jean said, not taking her eyes off Rachel.

"You could at least wait 'til I'm out of hearing range," Scott mumbled.

Rachel and Jean just ignored him. "He's all that for sure… but I didn't feel any sparks with him. I actually found myself looking at my watch a few times throughout dinner. I figured that wasn't a good sign."

"Well, it takes time to build a rapport with someone. It's good to be friends first. Take Scott and I for example… we didn't even like each other the first time we met," Jean said.

Scott scoffed. "That was your fault, Jean."

"Oh really? Weren't you the one who told me he didn't want some weird girl creeping around in his head?" Jean said.

"Well, you're the one who rudely told me to watch where I was going… Never mind that I was blindfolded at the time," Scott said.

"Yeah, but -"

"Okay, okay, stop it, you two… trust me, I've heard this about a dozen times before. You guys started off as enemies for like a whole day," Rachel said, sarcastically. "But the point I'm trying to make is that, even back then, you guys weren't indifferent to each other. There was something right from the start. A spark let's say… or a connection of some sort."

Scott and Jean both shrugged knowing it was true. Rachel continued, "The thing is… growing up with you two as parents… I have to say, you guys set a high bar on love and relationships. My expectations are pretty high. Over the years, relationships fell apart all around you, but yours stood the test of time… Not only that, but it seemed to get stronger every day. Your future selves were still excited to be with each other even when I was already an adult."

Scott smiled at Rachel, "I'm not surprised to hear that, Rachel. My close bond with Jean may also stem from the fact that we were friends long before we became anything more."

"Well see, that's the thing, if I found myself bored just having dinner with Bo as a friend… how much more if I spent the next twenty years with him? Besides, I caught him checking out the waitress at the restaurant. He did it discreetly, but his thoughts were projecting."

"The dog…" Scott mumbled.

Rachel and Jean just rolled their eyes. "It actually reminded me of this time when I was twelve years old. I was still a student here and you guys were both teachers. For propriety's sake, I was never in any of your classes… Anyway, I got this new teacher for my English class. All the boys drooled over her. She had blonde hair, blue eyes and legs up to her neck. She looked like she walked right off the pages of a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine…"

Scott looked at Jean wondering where Rachel was going with the story, but Jean just gave him a look that told him to be patient.

Rachel continued, "Then rumors started at the school that the new teacher had eyes for my dad. I didn't really know what to think of that… I mean, he's always been dad to me. I've never seen him as anything else, least of all a man that women could be attracted to. But then, even I began to notice the new teacher had a tendency to hover around him all the time. She'd try to catch him on his lunch breaks, or walk with him to his next class. I remembered walking into his office one day and she was there, sitting on his desk, leaned over him and his papers, her breasts in his face…"

Scott noticed Jean frown and raise her eyebrow. She was probably making a mental note to screen all potential new faculty members moving forward. Blondes need not apply.

Rachel went on, "But my dad didn't even look up. I caught his thoughts and they weren't on her… They were on my mom… In fact, he was annoyed that the new teacher was taking up his time when he was trying to get his work done as fast as he could so he could go home."

"Good," Jean said smiling, and kissing Scott on the cheek. "Had Rachel's story ended any other way, you'd have found yourself sleeping on the couch for a very long time."

Scott smiled smugly at Jean, but mentally, he exhaled a breath of relief. It wasn't that he would ever be unfaithful to Jean… It was just that he was afraid his future self might have done something stupid… like look.

"So, you see," Rachel said. "That's the kind of man I want to fall in love with. Someone who I can trust and who'll love me and won't ever betray me or do anything to hurt me… Even if the proverbial forbidden fruit was dangling in front of his face, so to speak."

Scott and Jean just laughed at Rachel's description. "You certainly do have a way with words, Rach," Jean said.

Scott added, "As flattered as I am that I set such a high standard for the men in your life, don't be too hard on them… Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to go easy on them… but not too hard. Trust me, I'll make it hard enough for them. Take me for example, it took a while for me to even become boyfriend material for your mom, let alone fiancé material."

Jean said, "Yeah, the first time Scott and I hung out outside the school, we went to the mall and we ended up in this record store. He pulled out this Culture Club album with Boy George on the cover and said, 'Hey, has anyone ever told you, you look like this?'"

Scott laughed, "I was just trying to get a rise out of you, Jean. Anyway, you called me an asshole."

"Because you were!" Jean said, laughing. "See, Rach… he's come a long way."

"Yeah, I guess so," Rachel acknowledged.

Scott got up from the couch and stretched. "Ladies, I'll leave you two to your gossip… I'm turning in." Scott turned to Jean and asked, "Hon, you want me to fix you up a hot bath?"

"Oh, that'd be wonderful, thanks, Scott!" Jean said, going up on her knees and kissing him. "I'll be up in twenty."

Rachel watched Scott walk out of the living room, then turned to Jean. "You've got to tell me how you got him to go from comparing you to Boy George, to preparing hot baths for you."

Jean just laughed. "Trust me, it didn't happen overnight. It took a lot of patience on my end."

"I guess it's true what they say then, 'Good things come to those who wait,'" Rachel added.

"It does indeed," Jean said.

The two of them spent another half an hour chatting about anything and everything under the sun until Scott came back down to tell Jean that her bath was getting cold. Scott had to smile when he saw the two women in his life gossiping and sharing a tub of ice-cream. Two peas in a pod those two, he mused. He felt blessed.

Later that night

She couldn't breathe! She was drowning. The water was crushing her from all sides. The more she struggled, the worse it got. Her lungs burned for air and although she knew there was none available, her body took a breath anyway. Cold, salt water filled her lungs. The pain was agonizing. Her chest felt like it was going to burst –

Rachel shot up straight in bed. She was covered in sweat, gasping for breath. Her heart was pounding. She looked around and finally recognized her bedroom. The familiarity of it calmed her down a bit. It was a nightmare… a terrible, frightening nightmare. She was drowning. She found it strange that the experience felt so real. Rachel's never had a near drowning experience before. Could her subconscious have created such a realistic scenario just from her imagination?

She lay back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her dream – no, her nightmare – felt more than just that… Was it a warning? Had she overstayed her welcome in this time? Was the dream a premonition of something to come? She finally just started breathing normally when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," Rachel answered.

The door slowly opened, and Jean peaked inside. "You okay, Rach? I felt your panic… your distress, it was so strong. Bad nightmare?"

Rachel nodded. "Sorry I woke you… I usually have a tighter rein on my thoughts and -"

"Don't be sorry," Jean said, coming inside the room and sitting next to Rachel on her bed. "I got worried… The last time I felt someone experience that kind of fear was when I was in my friend Annie's mind as she was… dying. I wasn't even trying to read your mind, I was sound asleep when you projected so strongly."

"I can't understand it myself. To be honest, I've never been prone to nightmares. I mean, I had them shortly after my mom – the future you – died. But other than that…" Rachel trailed off.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jean asked.

"I'd rather not, if you don't mind. I'd like to forget about it as soon as I can. I'd rather not re-live it by talking about it," Rachel said.

"I understand… Do you want me to stay here until you fall back asleep?" Jean asked.

"No, no… Please, go back to sleep. I'm feeling better already," Rachel answered.

Jean raised an eyebrow at her, obviously skeptical of her answer. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Go back to Scott… He'll end up getting up too if he notices you're gone. I promise I won't crawl into bed with you two if I get another nightmare," Rachel joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Jean chuckled. "Is that what you used to do when you were a kid?"

"Yeah… it was rare, but yeah, that's what I did." Rachel added more seriously, "But I'm not a kid anymore, Jean. And you can't soothe my nightmares away. Go on… I'm fine, really."

"Okay then… just shout out if you need anything," Jean said, hugging Rachel before reluctantly taking her leave. Rachel watched her door shut. Alone with just her thoughts again, she couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. She definitely couldn't go back to sleep anymore so she got up and went to her writing desk. She took out a loose-leaf paper and began to write…

To be continued…