Chapter 7: Uncomfortable Reunion

~ September 11th, 2040 ~

Janet looked at the clock on the wall and sighed as she saw that it was only five minutes left until closing time. Today had been a rather hectic day at Harmon/Fuller/Hale Pet Clinic. With four practicing pet doctors, the group had to move to a larger location. Fortunately, Matt Harmon, one of the senior partners, knew just the location to move to. During the time that he and DJ had separate practices, Matt had rented a larger, more modern location as opposed to the one originally owned and operated by his father.

"It's closing time." Janet sings as she turns the sign from open to closed. She knows there are still two customers in with the doctors but she is free to lock up so no one else can come in at the last minute.

As her hand reaches for the lock she thinks back to why they are in this lavish (and modern) facility. The first to join the practice was his daughter Rocki Harmon. Before turning 18 Rocki requested Matt, the only father figure she ever truly had, to adopt her. On that day she ceased being a Mahan and gladly took her true father's name.

In college, she decided she would follow in his and her grandfather's footsteps and become a veterinarian. She got her college degree and then four years in vet school. On the day she earned her D.V.M. Her grandfather, father, and mother along with DJ Hale were all present to witness it. Rocki took a week off to go on a Caribbean Cruise, a graduation gift from her grandfather, and on the following Monday went to work in her father's practice.

The next to join the family business was Maxwell "Max" Fuller. Janet has known the young man almost all of his life. Max decided before graduating High School that he was going to be a vet just like his mother. He went to the same college and vet school as Rocki and at the end of his 8-year journey, he earned his D.V.M. Degree and joined his mother in her practice alongside Matt and Rocki.

The vets all took turns opening and closing and with four doctors there were usually only three at any one time. The weekends were their busiest times and that was usually when all four were present. As this was a Friday only Rocki and DJ were present at this time. Janet has her hand on the lock and is about to engage it when the door is pushed open by a younger woman that Janet does not recognize.

"I'm sorry miss, we're closed. Please come back tomorrow." Janet says trying to push the door shut.

"Wait, I'm not here with a pet, I'm here to see Dr. Hale." The woman, almost out of breath, tells the exhausted receptionist.

"Business or personal matter?" Janet asks her. The entire time the pair are talking Janet does not release the pressure she is putting on the door. Just in case this is another nut job.

"Family business." The woman states matter of factually.

Janet is not sure what she is going to do. As far as she knows this woman is not a member of the Tanner/Fuller/Hale that she has ever met. She is too old to be an acquaintance of Max and Tommy's. Janet's decision however is made for her when DJ steps out of the room with her last patient and its owner.

"Chloe?" DJ states in astonishment, "what are you doing here?"

As the two are obviously acquainted Janet allows the woman in. Once the door is closed she engages the lock so no one else slips in while she is attending to business. To answer her mother-in-law's question, Chloe pulls out an envelope and hands it to her mother-in-law. DJ takes it, opens the envelope, and reads the sentence written on the paper by her oldest son.

"Is he ok?" DJ asks, not sure she wants the answer.

"I don't know. He called and just told me to run. Mom and the kids are in the SUV out front. We followed Jackson's run instructions and they said to come straight here and see you first." Chloe informs her husband's mother.

"Now I know why he always wanted me to send him my schedule and told me to let him know if I ever swapped shifts." DJ relates to Chloe.

"I know this is all very complicated DJ... I'm sorry to have to bring you into this." Chloe somberly tells her mother-in-law.

DJ immediately envelopes her distraught daughter-in-law in her arms. "No sweetie... you are family. You are all welcome in our house for as long as you need." DJ tells her daughter-in-law. Over the past six years, the young woman in her arms has become the daughter she always wanted but never had. During that time they have spent quite a bit of time together and become very close. Even if Jackson had married this girl and never introduced them, all Chloe would have to do would be to turn up with the letter from her son and she would never be able to turn her or her son's family away.

"Let me just get my things and you can follow me back to the house... oh my god... you've never actually been to the house, have you?" DJ says in realization. While she and the extended family have made many trips over the past six years to Arizona, with his schedule Jackson and his family have never ventured into California. Chloe sheepishly shakes her head no when she realizes that fact as well.

"Doctor Hale... is everything all right?" Janet asks her boss. The receptionist had to devote her attention to the doctor's last patient so she was unable to eavesdrop on her private conversation.

"Yes, Janet," DJ says in her most reassuring tone. To show her receptionist this she draws the younger woman in and hugs her. "Janet, this is Chloe... my daughter-in-law."

Janet looks at her sideways. "Tommy got married?" She asks.

"No Janet... this is..." At that moment the door to the furthest examination room opens and outcomes an older man holding a chubby Tabby Cat. Behind them, they are followed by Doctor Rocki Harmon.

Rocki starts telling the receptionist that she can hand the man his cat's medicine and places the file on the counter. Saying goodbye to her patient and its owner she turns to the scene unfolding in her clinic.

"Rocki..." Chloe Grace Fuller says upon laying eyes on the dark-haired woman. It has been almost twenty years but other than maturing some in her face Rocki has not changed one bit since the last time she saw her.

Rocki is tired after a long day and it takes her mind a moment to focus on the figure in front of her. However, once she looks, really looks at the woman in DJ's arms her memory kicks in. "Chloe... Chloe Donovan?"

A myriad of thoughts and emotions pass between the two women as their eyes meet. As much as Chloe like the girl (and has to be thankful for what went down between her and Jackson), this was a reunion that Chloe has always dreaded.

This is, after all, one of her oldest and dearest friends from one of the best times of her life. Back then Rocki was the love of Jackson's life and she was the doe-eyed girl with an unrequited crush on her man. Chloe does not feel threatened by the thought of Rocki interacting with Jackson. She is secure enough in her relationship that that isn't even an issue. No, the thing she worries about is how Rocki will take being left out of the loop for so long.

Fast forward almost twenty years and Chloe has now replaced her friend as the woman in Jackson's life. True, she knows there are other factors involved but Rocki is very observant and if she hasn't figured out why Chloe is here she will in short order. Chloe is very concerned about how the fiery raven-haired beauty is going to take the news that she is married to her former lover as Chloe doubts that DJ shared the nature of their relationship.

In Rocki's case, she is very suspicious but doesn't want to jump to conclusions as to what precisely is going on here. The sarcastic part of her mind is saying to playfully accuse DJ of switching teams (sexually speaking). Her inquisitive side wants to know when these two met and how long the two have known one another. Rocki is about to voice her thoughts when a rapping at the door draws the attention of all the occupants in the room.

"Janet, unlock the door please," DJ tells the woman upon seeing the figures at the door. "Finish with Rocki's client and go home, I'll lock up so you don't have to stay," DJ tells her receptionist.

Janet doesn't need to be told twice. She finishes with the last client and collects her things. She then escorts the client to the door and unlocks it. Opening the door wide the unknown people allow the man and his cat to leave first. Janet then lets the three kids and a woman that looks to be as old as DJ enter. "Have a nice evening," Janet says as she walks out the door. As she leaves Janet is almost tempted to go back for "some reason" just so that she can find out the rest of the story that she is missing. However, as she was told to leave that would be too overt and the doctor would know that she was just snooping. So, the African-American receptionist leaves intending to prod Doctor Harmon the following day.

Rocki takes a look at the woman that just entered and sees an immediate resemblance to Chloe. It is a safe bet to Rocki that this is Chloe's mother. The three little rugrats that came in with her all appear to be younger than six. The girls look like a cross between Chloe and DJ. The oldest one has blonde hair like her grandmother DJ as well as the family's trademark blue eyes. The younger girl looks like her mother and grandmother with their long flowing chestnut brown hair. But the boy... the boy couldn't belong to anyone else. He is the spitting image of his father at that age. Rocki knows this for a fact as she has seen the photographs all over his family home when she visited regularly.

"I'm sorry to bother everyone... the girls had to go to the bathroom." The woman informs the group.

"Hi gamma." The younger of the two girls says to DJ. DJ squats and hugs the littlest girl, followed by her older sister and brother.

"Grandma has missed you three." DJ lets the kids go and points to the bathroom. Claire takes the two girls in, leaving the young boy with his family and Rocki.

"So... I guess it would be safe to say you got your heart's desire," Rocki says returning her gaze to Chloe. Back in Cancun, she was well aware of Chloe's infatuation with Jackson. The two never acted on it, lucky for them at the time, but it was obvious to anyone with eyes.

"Rocki..." DJ starts to say but her partner's daughter cuts her off with a gesture of her hand.

"There is a back story here that I am not privy to. Until I walked into this room I never knew the two of you were even aware of each other's existence... I was obviously mistaken." Rocki says referring to Jackson's little ones.

"Rocki... there is a story, a very long and involved story. I would love to tell it to you but we have a bit of a family emergency that has brought us here." Chloe explains.

"Once the kids are ready you can follow me back to my house," DJ tells Chloe.

"Chloe... have you ever been to your family's home?" Rocki asks. Chloe shakes her head no. "Why don't I ride with you. Your mother can ride with DJ and that way you don't have to worry about getting lost."

Knowing that time is an issue and she doesn't know how big a lead she has on the people Jackson works for she reluctantly relents to Rocki's suggestion. When her girls are done she explains to her mother what they are going to do. Claire helps her daughter load the kids into the SUV while DJ and Rocki finish locking up the Pet Clinic for the night. Chloe is so preoccupied she didn't realize until Rocki was climbing into the passenger seat that she didn't even introduce Rocki to her mother. She is pretty sure that DJ will inform her mother who her associate is. Claire Donovan knows about Rocki, she saw photos of the girl twenty years ago and the infamous video of Rocki breaking Chase's nose. Once things were settled and Rocki departs Chloe was sure that her mother will want to talk to Chloe about her old friend.

Once the car ride to the Tanner/Fuller/Hale house began, nothing was said between the two adult women. They just listened to the kiddie music that played in the car. While she had never been to the house Chloe had seen photographs of the house many times. Pulling up in front of the home she found it quite charming but understood Jackson's ancient comment now about space... this house while as tall (maybe taller) than her home was easily half as wide as the Fuller's home. Still, in their current situation, she couldn't complain. Rocki helped Chloe with the kids and the group made their way to their family's home.

"WOW... COOL!" The youngest girl says as they walk into their grandmother's family home. Her brother also likes the house's nautical aesthetics.

"Thank you... your Great Grandpa Danny and Great-Grandma Pam bought this house before I was a baby. It's full of the things they bought and filled it with. I never had the heart to take anything out." DJ tells the kids.

"You shouldn't... it's cool!" The older girl, Cora says.

DJ and Chloe's mother open the kitchen door and call the kids in. The three youngsters race in and are promptly sat down at the table. As the kids are famished DJ makes them chicken nuggets that she has in the freezer along with corn. While they are eating their grandfather returns home and is surprised by the mass of visitors. The kids are all happy to see him but are not allowed to move until they finish dinner. Steve makes it easier by making a plate for himself and sitting with the kids.

DJ and Claire begin working on a proper meal for the adults and Chloe, knowing she can't put it off any longer asks Rocki to join her in the living room. Almost as soon as she sits down she hears a chirp from her satchel. Reaching in, Chloe pulls out the iPad. Once she has put in the passcode she sees a new message titled "Final Instructions". Chloe opens the file and reads it intently.

"Excuse me Rocki," Chloe says pulling out the cellphone from the satchel. She punches in the phone number and waits for the person to pick up.

"Hello?" The male voice on the other end of the phone says.

"Hello Grandpa, this is Chloe."

"Chloe..." Danny Tanner says recognizing her voice, "How are you, sweetie?"

"I and my family are actually at your old house. I was hoping that you could come over as I need to discuss something with you regarding my husband and his job."

"I will be over in one hour honey. Just stay put." Danny tells his granddaughter-in-law. He and Jackson have had several conversations about this situation and Danny knows that if Chloe just showed up out of the blue that she was told to by her husband.

Once the call was over Chloe puts in another phone number but this time as opposed to calling she just sends a text message. Once she was done Rocki watched as she takes the back cover off the phone, and removes the battery and the SIM card from the phone. She then tosses them into a bag before putting them in her satchel.

"Paranoid much?" Rocki asks Chloe.

"I am just following Jackson's instructions," Chloe says.

Rocki just lets that statement hang. Why would Jackson tell her to remove the Sim card from her cellphone she wonders. "So... how long have you and Jackson been together?" Rocki asks getting the conversation started.

"Jackson and I reunited nine years ago. We dated for six months before he proposed. We got married three years later. Our sixth wedding anniversary is in four days." Chloe informs the raven-haired woman.

"So... where is your husband? I don't see any marks on you and Jackson isn't the abusive type. Unless he became a raging alcoholic I don't see the need for you to leave your home and run to DJ." Rocki states.

"We ran... because Jackson's job has become an issue and he told us to come here for safety," Chloe tells Rocki.

"Ok, so what exactly is Jackson's job? What has he been up to that he stayed away for almost ten years?"

"Jackson is a spy," Chloe informs Rocki. The phrase stuns Rocki as it was probably the last phrase that she expected to hear from Chloe.

"A spy? Jackson Michael Fuller?" Rocki says in disbelief.

"Yes. After... well, after you broke his heart... Jackson left California and joined the CIA. He traveled the world for six years before his group was transferred to Phoenix, Arizona. It was at that point that he and I ran into one another. I gave you the reader's digest version of what happened next. He went on an overseas assignment a few days ago. Two days later something bad happened and he called me telling me to run. Jackson had a plan set up for us and here we are."

Rocki sat quietly for several moments before she asks the question that came to the forefront after her initial sentence. "Do you know... do you know why Jackson left?" Rocki asks.

"Everyone knows," Chloe informs her friend. "It was the first thing he told me after I asked how you were doing."

"No snide comments?"

"No. It's your life and you made your choice. All I'm going to say is that I told you not to take Jackson's love for granted." Chloe reminds Rocki.

It was 11:45 PM and Rocki Harmon was laying on her bed looking up at the white drywall. The lights are out and the only illumination in the room is the moonlight coming in from her bedroom window. She had just gotten off the phone with Ramona Donovan. She was still wrapping that around her head... RAMONA, DONOVAN. Her best friend has been married for almost FIVE YEARS... and she didn't know!

She has never been a race fan but she made it a point to try and follow any news about her best friend. She had read about her abrupt retirement two years ago but life got busy for her and she forgot to contact her to find out why she did this. During dinner, Claire mentioned Ramona's name and Rocki immediately noticed that Chloe and DJ froze up. Realizing there was something else that she did not know Chloe tells Rocki that Ramona now lives in Phoenix and she is married to her cousin Charlie. This news is surprising, to say the least to Rocki. She further tells her that she is now a mother to twin girls.

After dinner, while DJ and Claire were putting the kids to bed Chloe gives Rocki Ramona's new contact information. She explains that when Jackson gave the run order Charlie was called as he has tasks given to him by Jackson. One of these things would be to ditch their current cellphones. Jackson gave them new secure phones and the number in question was on that new phone. After Danny came over to talk to Chloe and he tells her what she needs to do for now. When all of the excitement of the evening is over Rocki knows it's time for her to head home. Steve drove Rocki back to the Pet Clinic so that she could collect her car to go home. When she reached her apartment she sat on her living room couch, hit the speakerphone button, and dialed the number of her best friend.

Despite their long separation Ramona's voice, much like Rocki's, had not changed and upon hearing the hello Rocki greets her best friend warmly. For two hours the two long-time friends talked and caught up on their lives. Rocki had never been one for chatting on the phone in her youth but tonight she was making up for that. Ramona apologized many times for not getting in contact with Rocki. Rocki forgives Ramona as she understood the predicament she was in. Ramona promised to bring her family with her to San Francisco in two weeks to visit as Charlie was busy this weekend and she wants to bring everyone with her.

Rocki tells Ramona she looks forward to that and will make sure that her calendar is free. Rocki knows that she will have to talk to her partners but as DJ and Max have been keeping this secret from her for the past few years, and she had to "mysterious" rearrange her schedule around these dates, she feels that she is owned the time. It might take a little arm twisting for Max (literally) but DJ will fold quickly. Her phone dings and upon clicking on the message a photo downloads. Rocki gets misty-eyed as the most recent photo of the entire Donovan Family pops up. Charlie Donovan has grown from a baby-faced young man into a ruggedly handsome adult. Beside his is Ramona looking beautiful as always. She is still thin but has obviously added some weight after the birth of her children. In their laps are two of the most adorable young girls that Rocki has ever seen. They look very much like little Ramona's. She observes that the pair are almost identical except for the contrast of their complexions. Ramona told her that Adrianna (the firstborn) had Charlie's complexion while Nadia, the younger twin had Ramona's tan complexion.

As Charlie's hair and eyes were similar to Ramona's (the only difference is that Charlie has Hazel eyes, Ramona's brown) the girls inherited their hair from both parents. The girls got their beauty from their mother. She couldn't make out the eye color from the photograph but would see them in person soon enough. Rocki shut her phone and put it on the charger and laid back on her bed. As happy as she was to have re-connected with Ramona she was very torn about the revelation that Jackson and Chloe were not only married but had a family together. She has spent the last almost decade wondering what Jackson's fate was. The guilt of driving him away after her affair has gnawed at her all that time. A part of her is happy that Jackson found happiness, even if it wasn't with her. A part of her always wished he might give her the chance to make it up to him, rather unrealistic she knew but a dream, nonetheless. As Rocki drifts off to sleep with visions of the man she loved surrounded by his family she wonders if that could have been her. Wonder what could have been, a tear runs down her right cheek. Rocki knows that she has no one else to blame but herself for throwing away the life she could have had with Jackson. The guy she thought was "the one", vanished from her life immediately after she destroyed her relationship with Jackson.

Rocki sighed heavily and another tear fell at the memory. Ever since that day she adopted her ice queen persona and refused to date anyone. "I guess it is true what they say... you reap what you sow," Rocki says aloud to no one in particular. She then wipes away the tears from her cheek, rolls onto her left side, and cries herself to sleep.

To Be Continued