CHAPTER 130

(ANA)

Events of this evening have been astonishing. Christian has been holed up with Jared and Caroline for most of the evening. When that poor child first entered the house, he was talking to Gideon on his phone, one hand gripping it so tightly his fingers were white while he had his other hand firmly in Christian's. Seeing a thirteen-year-old boy holding the hand of an adult is something which is unusual in itself, as that is not normal behaviour for a boy of that age but it just shows how he was feeling that he needed to do that.

Christian had silently handed me his bag and gently ushered him into our sitting room along with Caroline. Jared had sat down on one of the sofas almost mechanically, not really taking any notice of his surroundings as he continued to talk with Gideon, whilst not relinquishing his grip on Christian either. He had finally ended the call when Gideon had insisted for about the third time that he get something to eat and promised him that he would return for another video call after he had eaten. I had seen Christian getting more and more agitated as time went on as it was obvious Jared was hungry by the noises his stomach was making, I'm fairly certain Gideon had also been aware and eventually make that decision not only for Jared but also for Christian.

I had slipped from the room at that point and found Gail who had informed me dinner was ready when we were. I had immediately gone back and made everyone aware of that and we had all silently moved into the dining room, with Jared still gripping Christian's hand.

After dinner I had quietly left them to it. It is blatantly obvious that poor boy is traumatised by the events of this evening and I am so proud of Christian at how he is dealing with all this, and the care and unconditional love and support he is giving Jared. I glance at my watch and see it is now nearly 10.15pm. I am surprised by this and the fact that Christian, Jared and Caroline are still talking. I hesitantly make my way to the sitting room and see Jared is still glued to his cell phone and he has his free hand still gripping Christian's. Suddenly though he releases Christian's hand and stands up.

"So, you are arriving now?" he asks almost excitedly as he peers into his phone.

I hear Gideon's disembodied voice. "We have just been informed that we are coming in to land at Seattle now" he says.

"So, do you have to go now?" Jared asks as he sits down and once more reaches for Christian's hand.

"No, I'm fine staying right here" Gideon assures him.

"Ok" Jared says and Christian leans towards the phone as he offers Jared his hand.

"Gideon, Taylor should be waiting for you when you land" he says.

"Thanks Christian" Gideon replies.

Christian looks up and smiles at me.

"Hey baby" he says and Jared looks up at me and gives me a weak but genuine smile.

"Hello Ana, I'm sorry that…" he stops and I shake my head and sit down beside him, wrapping my arm around his shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"Hello Jared, and do not apologise. You have nothing to apologise for" I say.

I watch as Jared swaps his phone to his other hand and carefully slips his free one into mine, gripping it tightly. I look up at Caroline who is just observing and making notes and then I look at Christian who just looks relieved to be released. He walks over to the bar and pours himself a stiff drink and wordlessly throws it back before silently refilling his glass, he pauses and then turning towards Caroline he offers her a drink which she politely declines, he then turns to me.

"Baby?" he asks holding up a decanter.

I shake my head, "No thank you" I reply and Christian sits down again next to Jared and sips his bourbon, so I turn towards Jared.

"Would you like a drink, Jared?" I ask.

He nods, "May I have some hot chocolate or something?" he asks carefully.

I smile at him, "Of course you can, I'll just go and get some for you" I reply.

Jared nods releasing my hand and immediately swapping his phone he reaches for Christian's hand once more and then he looks at his screen again, "Gideon?" he asks and I pause as I glance at the screen to see Gideon's tired, concerned face, giving Jared his complete attention.

"Do you know why he did it?" Jared asks. "Why did he kill them?"

Everyone seems to still at that question and I wait to hear Gideon's response as that question has been circling my mind all evening. I see Gideon shake his head.

"I honestly don't know Jared, but what I do know is that Angus has spent the entire flight trying to find out and I'm certain he and Christian's security man are pulling out all the stops to discover why everything that has happened has happened. That man is with the police now, and I have been made aware that he is talking to them so as soon as I know all the facts, I promise you I will tell you everything that I know" Gideon says.

I hear Christian take in a sharp breath at that remark and both Caroline and I look at him and we see that he clearly isn't comfortable with the idea of that.

I hear Angus and Eva speak to Gideon in the background and Gideon looks to the side and nods again, before returning his attention back to his screen, his expression inscrutable.

"Angus is here, and working things out as we speak and he is working tirelessly with Welch to discover the truth" he assures Jared, who nods.

"Will… will you tell Angus I said thank you?" Jared asks quietly, "Because I really need to know why everything that has happened… happened" he adds.

I smile as I see the genial Scotsman come into view.

"No need to thank me lad, I'm just doing my job" he says kindly.

Gideon is watching Jared closely, "Talk to me Jared, what are you thinking?" he asks.

Jared licks his lips, "I can't help but wonder if it's all my fault?" he says.

Immediately there is a cacophony of exclamations of no at that, both Eva and Angus appear behind Gideon as we all rush to reassure him that none of what happened was his fault. He seems to accept that with a nod of his head and a quiet 'ok'.

"Jared, I need to put my phone down a moment as we've been told to put our seatbelts on. But I promise you I'm not going" Gideon says somewhat anxiously and Jared nods.

We see the phone moving and then we get a view of the plane before more movement and the screen briefly goes black. I smile as I hear a muffled curse and we realise Gideon has dropped the phone; this is followed by a snigger in the background which sounds suspiciously like Eva. A moment later Gideon comes back into view.

"Are you still there?" he asks anxiously and Jared nods.

"I'm here, did you drop your phone?" he asks and Gideon nods.

"I did, sorry" he says with an apologetic grin and I know he is also apologising for the curse word that he previously uttered.

"That's ok… Is the plane landing now?" Jared asks and Gideon nods again.

"It is, not long now till I'm right there with you in person" Gideon says.

I smile at that and after giving Jared another reassuring hug I whisper in his ear that I'm going to fetch his drink and as he acknowledges that with a nod and a quiet 'thank you' I slip from the room to go and make his drink. As I close the door behind me I let out a long sigh. I see Gail in the kitchen as I enter and she smiles at me, that smile fading as she sees my face.

"How is he?" she asks.

I shake my head, "Obviously traumatised, he has now reached the point where he is thinking it's all his fault, but I think we all reassured him that he isn't to blame for what has happened. He's still talking on video call to Gideon and I think he has been holding Christian's hand all evening as well. He briefly switched to me when I sat down beside him but I've had to come out as he wants a hot drink".

"Some hot chocolate?" Gail asks as she immediately reaches for a mug.

"Yes please" I reply.

Gail shakes her head sadly and she turns towards me, "That poor boy, I can't imagine what thoughts are going through his mind to lose his parents and his aunt and uncle and find out his biological father is someone like Gideon… it's enough to fry my mind just thinking about it so goodness knows what he is making of it all" she pauses and looks at me apologetically. "Sorry" she adds but I shake my head.

"No, don't apologise, I think we are all concerned about Jared's well being and how this is going to affect him long term" I say.

Gail nods as she prepares Jared's drink and when she speaks again she changes the subject to something more practical and mundane. "The bedrooms are ready for everyone. What time are Gideon and Eva arriving?" she asks.

"Gideon has just said they are coming in to land now so not too much longer" I reply.

Gail nods, "I've also prepared a room for Angus in the security wing" she says and I thank her gratefully.

oooOOOooo

"They're here" I say as I catch sight of the car coming up the driveway.

Jared's reaction is immediate he releases Christian's hand and dropping his phone on the sofa he rushes for the door without a second thought. I pick up Jared's discarded phone to see Gideon has now dropped the call. Caroline looks at me and then Christian as we watch him vanish.

"The way Jared is behaving is completely normal, considering all that he has been through. I will say that I know it is tempting to shield him and baby him in the circumstances, considering his age but he won't thank you for it. Since I have been seeing Jared, I have discovered he is a remarkably mature and pragmatic young man. It also has to be said that he needs to know the truth of what happened to his parents and his aunt and uncle for his own piece of mind, as otherwise he will come to the conclusion that he was to blame in some way – something which he has already begun to consider. You also have to remember that despite everything that has happened and how you are all now firmly in his life you are not completely familiar to him, so subconsciously he is still working out in his mind if he can trust you. But considering everything that has happened and how his entire life has been turned upside-down and everything that has been familiar and secure to him has been violently taken away from him in the past month, shows just how precarious a state he is in which is why he has kept that reassuring physical contact with you all evening… Jared calling you when he was in trouble was his first leap of faith in you and if he wasn't such a pragmatic person I don't believe he would've done so. While I am probably certain, that was in part also down to Gideon's influence and his assurances that you would help him as from what has been said several times tonight in different ways, he got Jared to promise to call you if anything happened. So, he saw that man and realised by the fact he was now in Seattle there could be danger so he took that leap of faith and called you not knowing if you would follow through, but it is also clear that he now trusts Gideon and he had the belief that Gideon wouldn't tell him to call you if he didn't think you would help him. You did, you did exactly what Gideon assured him you would do. You dropped everything and you helped him, you promised him you would help him and you followed through with that to the point we are now at that he is safe and removed from the danger he was in and so he decided that you could be trusted and he has made that leap of faith in you. However, his aunt and uncle were not so fortunate, he naturally wants to know why they ended up dead and he is now placing his trust in you and Gideon to find that out and to be honest with him when you do find out. Therefore, if you then start trying to fob him off when you discover what is happening, he could view it as a betrayal and it could cause untold long-term damage. Gideon also needs to be aware of this as Jared has developed more of a bond with him," Caroline explains.

Christian nods, "I understand" he says, "To be fair I would agree with that, that is an accurate assessment as while Gideon has been speaking to him regularly via telephone and skype over the past fortnight and building that bond with him, tonight was the first time I had personally spoken to Jared since we all arrived back here, so I understand that I am essentially still a stranger to him".

We glance out of the window to see the car come to a halt and the door open, as it does so we see Jared appear and fling himself at Gideon who struggles to catch him. Gideon lifts Jared off his feet and holds him tightly to him, closing his eyes as he does so and I see Jared gripping Gideon equally tightly and he is sobbing uncontrollably which I am assuming is partly relief that Gideon is now here as well as a release valve for everything that has happened this evening.

They move out of sight and a few moments later the door opens. Gideon has his arm around Jared's shoulder and he is leaning down and talking quietly to him as they move into the room. Gideon looks very tired, which is understandable as he is still on New York time which now is well after midnight. Jared has now stopped crying but his eyes are red and puffy once more. Eva also appears and she walks towards me, she too looks incredibly tired but relieved to finally be here.

"Hey sis" she says quietly as she gives me a hug.

"Hi" I reply as I return it. I watch as Eva releases me and she turns her attention towards Christian.

"Hey Christian" she says wearily as she moves towards him.

He opens his arms and she steps into them, "Hello Eva, did you have a good flight?" Christian replies.

She nods, "Long" she says and we can both understand how awful it must have been for them, desperate to get here but still having to physically make that journey while not totally sure of what they are going to find when they get here.

"Do either of you want a drink? Have you eaten?" Christian asks anxiously and both Gideon and Eva smile at his words.

"We ate on the flight here, but a drink would be nice" Eva says.

Gideon nods and points towards the bar, "A glass of that bourbon on the rocks for me please" he says and Christian immediately goes and pours it.

"Eva?" he asks.

"Erm…" she says glancing at the bar.

"We've got some white wine in the fridge" I say and Eva nods at that.

"Thanks sis" she says and I immediately go and fetch it.

When I return everyone is gathered chatting amiably. I realise that Angus isn't here.

"Where's Angus?" I ask as I hand Eva the wine glass and sit down opposite her.

Gideon looks up, "He's with Jason, I believe he wanted to call Welch as soon as we got here to try and confirm what has been discovered so far". He pauses and looks down at Jared who is sitting beside him, tucked into his side and leaning against him and who is hanging on his every word.

"What does he know?" Jared asks.

Gideon takes a deep breath and tightens the hold he has around Jared's shoulder.

"I want to stress that we are not one hundred per cent sure at this point exactly what the link is as we are relying on what the man has told police up to this point and there is the concern what he is telling them isn't totally accurate. But from what Welch has been told, it appears that it may be possible that Philip Martin is involved in some way". He pauses again waiting for Jared's response to that.

"Uncle Phil?" Jared asks and Gideon nods.

"Yes" he says simply.

Jared licks his lips, "That man… he was always at Uncle Phil's house. I saw him there loads in the short time I was there. He only ever saw me once though and that was the time he freaked out" he says.

Gideon listens and nods, "You should also know…" he stops and closing his eyes he takes a deep breath. Eva reaches for him and grasps his free hand so we all know this is going to be bad.

Complete silence spreads out as we wait and Jared seems to sense that this is going to be significant as he wraps his arm around Gideon's waist and tries to get even closer to him. "Just tell me… just tell me how bad it is and then I'll know and we can deal with it" he says.

Gideon takes a deep breath, "The photographs you took of the man's car, which you gave to Jason Taylor. Taylor passed them on to Welch and he has been doing some research… it appears that, he discovered that… that car was in the vicinity when your parents were killed".

There is a complete stunned silence at that, Gideon grips Jared tightly and is watching him closely.

"Jared?" he asks after several moments of no reaction from Jared whatsoever.

"He's locked up… right?" Jared asks eventually.

Gideon frowns at the question, "He's being questioned by Seattle police as we speak. I believe that Angus and Welch are going to try and make Chicago police aware of the development which has been discovered, but that requires tact and a certain amount of finesse as the way Welch has discovered this information was… somewhat creative".

We all know that by creative he means completely illegal and I immediately realise that Barney has probably been hacking computer systems again.

"But he can't get out? He won't be released?" Jared asks insistently.

Gideon shakes his head, "No, under the circumstances he won't be released. He went into your aunt and uncles' home and shot them, so there is no way he will be released… why? What are you thinking?" Gideon asks gently.

Jared looks up at him, "I don't want him to shoot you" he whispers and his voice and his lip trembles slightly.

Gideon's reaction is immediate and visceral, he takes in such a sharp breath that his nostrils flare and he moves, standing and pulling Jared into his arms and holds him impossibly tightly.

Eventually he pulls away and gripping Jared's shoulders he looks him in the eye with an almost frightening intensity.

"Listen to me, get those sorts of thoughts out of your mind right now as that is not going to happen" he assures Jared with total conviction.

Jared looks up at him and swallowing hard he nods, "Ok" he replies simply.

"Not. Going. To. Happen," Gideon reiterates firmly.