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Chapter 29 - Chapter 29 - Pete the Grandfather

The older version of Samuel stood leaning on the railing of the balcony that next morning enjoying the view of Caihiri. He had taken a shower and gotten dressed back in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The weather was perfect, but a dark storm cloud could be seen in the distance on the other side of the mountain. The warm breeze was relaxing and he wished he had been able to go rappelling while they had been there. He decided that would be the first thing he would do the next trip there.

They had all stayed up late, smoking…and thus had slept much later than they had all imagined they would. They decided to just embrace their tardiness and make the best of the holiday. They slowly got ready to return, eating a big breakfast and taking their time before their departure.

"Hey, son." Pete smiled as he walked out to the balcony to join Samuel. He was back in his familiar oxford and jacket that Samuel always pictured him wearing. He handed him the ball cap he had worn the night before.

Samuel grinned and held it in his hands as he continued to lean on the balcony's railing, "Cheers. New York Yankees. Only baseball game I've ever been to."

"Stark?"

Samuel nodded. "Yeah."

"I never liked baseball. Too much, waiting around."

Samuel smiled. "I agree."

"Got a minute?" Pete asked.

"Sure."

Pete leaned on the railing next to Samuel. "Umm. I don't know what sort of relationship we have, where you are from."

Sam turned to look at his grandfather. "It's good."

"Good?" Pete smiled.

Sam chuckled, "Yes, sir. Why?"

"Well, I know you lot are going to be here for a while. I want to have a good relationship with you here."

Sam nodded. "Okay."

Pete crossed his arms. "Especially, since I don't exist there any longer."

Sam's heart could have stopped. "How do you, why would you say that?"

"I'm not thick. Tony is running off to prevent someone from hurting me. I've put it together from things he said. I can't even really tell you how I know. But, it makes sense."

"That might not be it-"

Pete rose his finger. "But, I'm certain it is. And it's okay. I'm an old man."

Samuel shook his head. "No. You're not-"

"In 18 years, I will be." He laughed.

"No, you won't. And not old enough for what happened. No one should have been put through that."

Pete nodded his head. "My Tony, too. That's the reason he's so hell bent on this."

Samuel sighed. "You're worse than Papa! I swear."

Pete chuckled. "I haven't lived this long not paying attention to what was going on around me. That's what I want to talk to you about."

Pete held out his hand out and they both sat down at the table, facing one another.

Sam leaned on the table and sat the cap down. "Dad says it won't happen now. Tony still remembers it, because it's part of our time line. You are safe."

"But, you aren't. And the frightening thing is, you don't even realize it."

Samuel looked confused at him. "What do you mean?"

"This girl. This, Karen. I really like her, already. I can't explain why. She's lovely. "

Sam smiled. "She is."

"Charming. Human. Makes you feel special."

Sam nodded.

"But, you don't realize that you are special, already without that. Samuel, you are….who you are. The very idea that you can hide this from a woman that you want to have a relationship with, well….it's dishonest. It's not the way to began something that you want to last."

"We're not getting married-"

"You don't know that. Never date any woman who you couldn't see yourself marrying. Trust me on this."

Samuel chuckled at his grandfather's famous saying.

"I don't know what you know about me and your Grandmother, but….my Tony is….ummmm…. 6 or 7. Don't tell Jacks I don't know. I can't keep that shit straight. And thus, I have been widowed for that long."

Sam sat back and crossed his arms. "Widowed?"

"Jackie Tyler, your Grand, was from another Dimension. John introduced her to me, after I lost the Jackie Tyler from here."

"So, there were two?"

"Completely different. Well, equally forceful and terrifying, but….well. The other Jackie and I were separated. Howie had helped me with as much as he could with this brother of his, a divorce lawyer. He's extremely good, but Jackie would have still taken everything away from me."

"Why?"

Pete rose his eyebrow. "You're clever. You can guess why."

"Another woman?"

"Oh yes. Jacks and I had a huge fight. It wasn't the first by any means. And I left. Told everyone I was going to the states for a business trip. Managed to pick up a woman in London before I left. We drank entirely too much and I ended up having her share my suite on the ship as we crossed the Atlantic. It was all over the papers. Hell, I have no idea how they found out. We never left the suite."

"I never knew this about you."

"I was in a dark place. I left, with really no intentions of ever returning. I knew Jackie Tyler was going to take everything I had. Do everything she could to make my life miserable. And she did a hell of a job at it. I volunteered to spy on this….maniac that was responsible for the Cyber Invasion."

"Lumac. That's why you did that."

"Howie tells me all of the time how brave it was. I'll fully confess to you that it was a coward's way of dealing with my life."

"Why?"

"I was certain, that I would be discovered, and killed. Completely sure of it. I just didn't know when. As Howie would say, I was too chicken shit to off myself. As I agreed to do it, as I sat at that desk, I knew I was signing my death warrant. There was no looking back."

"Grandfather, that's….just…."

"I want you to know that, because whatever has happened to me, I came to terms a long time ago with my life. It's okay."

Sam leaned back on the table and fought back tears. "It's not okay. It's a completely separate thing."

"It is. And it's not. Please, don't feel guilty about whatever happened. That's the last thing I would ever want."

Sam wiped his eyes and shook his head.

Pete sighed. "My absolutely mad son in law has given me every reason to live now. He gave me your Grand, and we completely love one another. She gave me two beautiful children, and I even got to double up on one."

Sam smiled in spite of himself.

"You, Arles, and my Genie, are the icing on the cake. I'm so sorry that I left you the way that I did. In some, terrible way that made you all risk so much to save me from it. It is humbling to know I mean so much to someone to do that."

Sam shook his head. "I can't even think about that. It was so terrible."

"Whatever happened, trust that me being away from all of you, is much worse. If I could live forever, I'd do it. But, I'm only a man. You, my Rose and John have that happy privilege. If I could ask you to only, one day, when you look back at me and my life, remember the good bits. Never the parts where I was really a moron. When I made the mistakes that I'm not proud of, or least of all, when I hurt you all so badly with whatever I put you through. Think of the life we had together. Not that last bit."

Sam wiped his eyes and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And I tell you that, to hopefully, make you realize something."

Samuel looked back up at him. "What's that?"

"You. Going out to see this Karen. John and Lewis are both completely convinced that no one knowing who you are will keep you safe. Son, if you never do anything else for me, please consider having Quauhtin protection. Karen will ask, and…you will have to tell her really why at some point. But, having bodyguards from the beginning, might lessen the blow when she does find out."

Samuel wiped his eyes and nodded. "That's true."

"Because as hurt as you are to be without me, and whatever I have put all of you though. Please don't make me have to be in that place. Hurt, without you. Especially, when it was something just this damn simple to prevent. Alright?"

Samuel smiled and sniffed as tears continued to leak from his eyes. "I understand."

They stood up and wrapped their arms around one another. They held one another tightly for several minutes. Pete pat Samuel's back and smiled at him. He whispered, "I didn't mean to make you cry, son."

Samuel wiped his tears. "It's alright."

Pete nodded his head. "So. You, Tony, Arles and Genie. What about Soli?"

"He's with us. And Jake. Jacob Shepherd."

Pete smiled. "John told me that the lines were separate now, and there will be two of you."

Samuel took out his wallet and nodded. "Yes, sir. It seems that is what has happened. I'll show you something you'd be interested to see."

Samuel took a photo from his wallet and handed it to Pete. He saw six teenagers. Four he recognized immediately as Genie, Tony, Samuel and Arles. They were all wearing suites, with the exception of Genie who was wearing an elegant dress. They seemed to be a movie premiere and stood on red carpet all hugging one another and smiling for the camera.

Sam told him quietly as he pointed. "That's us. Me, Tony, Genie, Arles, Soli and Jacob."

Pete looked at the picture and smiled proudly. "Soli is huge."

"Seven foot tall. Hell of a footballer." Sam grinned.

Pete pointed at Jacob. "Jake looks like Caroline. Thank God."

Samuel chuckled as Pete handed him back the photo. "Howie says the same thing."

Sam closed the wallet and slipped it in his pocket.

Pete looked back at him. "Think, about what I said with Karen. You can't build anything you want to last, on an unsteady foundation."

"I just want to be normal-"

"You will never be that. Adjust your thinking, now. Pretending you are, is lying. And that's how she's going to see it when she finds out."

"She might not."

Pete laughed, "Oh, she will. She's a woman. Imagine if I had met Jackie Tyler this way."

Sam exhaled as he rose his eyebrows. "Oh my God."

"Exactly." Pete insisted as he slapped his shoulder.

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