Ch.15: Forgiven
Pan lay awake staring at her clock. Marissa had just told her that her son was Trunks'. Her fiancée. Fiancée. A new word she would have to grow into. She wanted to get married a few months after the baby was born. Marissa had been walking around the house the rest of the day after Anastasia and Travis pulled Jarrod and Trunks apart. She felt guilty for what she had done.
It was well after three in the morning when Pan got up and went downstairs. Marissa was on her cell phone talking in what sounded like code.
"When are you going to give me a good assignment?" She was silent. "No, I am talking about the investigation you put me on." Another moment of silence. "Look when you have a murder investigation put me on it." She hung up and began to open a folder in front of her when she sensed Pan. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long." She stepped into the living room. "What were you talking about when you said 'murder investigation'?"
"I mean that the people I work for haven't been putting me on the assignments they are supposed to put me on."
"Work? You work?"
"Pan I am here on business." She opened the folder. "A year and a half ago when I showed up I was put on an investigation of Aaron Broderick. He was a high school buddy of mine and when he came over here he disappeared without a trace. Three months ago a civilian found his car and him dead."
"You're a cop aren't you?"
"Actually I work for the CIA investigating missing people and murders."
"That's why you didn't want me to know about Connor isn't it?" Marissa shook her head. "Then why?"
"Pan I didn't tell you because I knew in time that something would happen to him." She paused. "I was afraid that if I told you, you would tell Trunks and he would take him away from me."
"He wouldn't do that."
"No, he would." She closed the file. "My name is not Tao, its Donovan. Trunks could take me to court tomorrow and call me an unfit mother all because of the little white lie I used to keep Connor safe."
"He didn't know your last name."
"Vegeta did." Marissa looked at the wall. "Vegeta was my father's best friend and when he found out I was pregnant he tried to get me to come to Capsule but Trunks was there."
"How does this tie together?"
"I don't really know."
"You don't know?"
"I'm tired and I have to get some paper work done." Marissa opened a blue folder.
"You want help?" Pan asked.
"Call Trunks for me."
"Why? So you can work out custody."
"No." Marissa turned the folder to Pan. "I just got a call from my boss and he sent me this file by fax. It's all about Aris Soto."
"His secretary?"
"Yeah. She is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for first, second, and third degree murder as well al tax fraud." Pan's eyes grew and she went to call Trunks.
"Hello?" Trunks answered sleepily.
"Trunks its Pan."
"Honey are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
"She's fine. It's about your secretary. She's dangerous."
"What do you mean Pan?"
"Aris is wanted for murder." Pan said. "Marissa needs to talk to you about it."
"Okay how does Marissa tie into this?"
"No time just get over here." Pan hung up and went back into the living room to see Marissa pick up another file.
"Is he coming?"
"Yeah he is." Pan sat down on the couch. The two sat in silence. Marissa turned towards the door and threw salt at it. "What was that for?"
"Protection."
"What are you?" Pan touched her and received a premonition.
~Aris stood in front of a young blonde holding a little girl. Aris pulled out a shotgun and fired it at the blonde just barely missing the little girl.~
Pan gasped and met Marissa's eyes. She looked worried and scared like she knew who the woman was.
"Catie." She whispered. "Oh Kami she's next."
"Who is Catie?" Pan asked watching Marissa get ready to go upstairs.
"Catie Schulte is my stepsister." She leaned against the wall. "Jarrod doesn't know she's my stepsister because they had a baby together about two years ago."
**Hours later**
Pan sat in Marissa's car in front of a house where Marissa was waiting in front of the door. Finally a blonde answered the door in her pajamas. Even with the windows rolled up Pan heard a scream come from the blonde. Marissa beckoned to Pan to come in with her.
Once Pan was inside and listening to the blonde and Marissa talk did she figure out that the blonde was Catie. All she did was sit and watch the two exchange information. A little girl came in rubbing her eyes and carrying a teddy bear.
"Good morning Raquel." Marissa brushed a piece of light brown hair out of her face. "Pan this is my niece and stepdaughter to be."
"So when are you due Pan?" Catie asked. "Marissa said you were pregnant."
"November or December if she's late." Pan answered brushing her fingers across her abdomen. "My fiancée already has a son."
"I already knew that." Catie said. "I knew Trunks was Connor's daddy. Just like I know Jarrod is Raquel's daddy."
"Jarrod arrested somebody today."
"I heard. Must be why you're picking her up instead of him." Catie said getting up and going to the kitchen." I swear he spends more time at those races than he does with his own daughter." Marissa looked over at Pan. It sounded like she hated Jarrod for some reason.
"Jarrod bailed when he found out she was pregnant. He was afraid he would lose himself in this baby." Marissa whispered to Pan. "When Raquel was born she was all he could sleep, think and dream about so they have joint custody over her."
Not even thinking Jarrod had children needed to reversed for Trunks. Raquel was most definitely Jarrod's little girl. She had his hair and his eyes.
Catie returned with a backpack of clothes as well as on outfit with a heart on the shirt. After Raquel was dressed Marissa and Pan said their goodbyes and left with Raquel.
"You saved her life when Jarrod made the arrest." Pan said helping her with the car seat.
"I love Raquel like she was my own child," Marissa said putting the backpack in the trunk, "Catie wants me to adopt her after Jarrod and I get married."
Pan lay awake staring at her clock. Marissa had just told her that her son was Trunks'. Her fiancée. Fiancée. A new word she would have to grow into. She wanted to get married a few months after the baby was born. Marissa had been walking around the house the rest of the day after Anastasia and Travis pulled Jarrod and Trunks apart. She felt guilty for what she had done.
It was well after three in the morning when Pan got up and went downstairs. Marissa was on her cell phone talking in what sounded like code.
"When are you going to give me a good assignment?" She was silent. "No, I am talking about the investigation you put me on." Another moment of silence. "Look when you have a murder investigation put me on it." She hung up and began to open a folder in front of her when she sensed Pan. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long." She stepped into the living room. "What were you talking about when you said 'murder investigation'?"
"I mean that the people I work for haven't been putting me on the assignments they are supposed to put me on."
"Work? You work?"
"Pan I am here on business." She opened the folder. "A year and a half ago when I showed up I was put on an investigation of Aaron Broderick. He was a high school buddy of mine and when he came over here he disappeared without a trace. Three months ago a civilian found his car and him dead."
"You're a cop aren't you?"
"Actually I work for the CIA investigating missing people and murders."
"That's why you didn't want me to know about Connor isn't it?" Marissa shook her head. "Then why?"
"Pan I didn't tell you because I knew in time that something would happen to him." She paused. "I was afraid that if I told you, you would tell Trunks and he would take him away from me."
"He wouldn't do that."
"No, he would." She closed the file. "My name is not Tao, its Donovan. Trunks could take me to court tomorrow and call me an unfit mother all because of the little white lie I used to keep Connor safe."
"He didn't know your last name."
"Vegeta did." Marissa looked at the wall. "Vegeta was my father's best friend and when he found out I was pregnant he tried to get me to come to Capsule but Trunks was there."
"How does this tie together?"
"I don't really know."
"You don't know?"
"I'm tired and I have to get some paper work done." Marissa opened a blue folder.
"You want help?" Pan asked.
"Call Trunks for me."
"Why? So you can work out custody."
"No." Marissa turned the folder to Pan. "I just got a call from my boss and he sent me this file by fax. It's all about Aris Soto."
"His secretary?"
"Yeah. She is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for first, second, and third degree murder as well al tax fraud." Pan's eyes grew and she went to call Trunks.
"Hello?" Trunks answered sleepily.
"Trunks its Pan."
"Honey are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
"She's fine. It's about your secretary. She's dangerous."
"What do you mean Pan?"
"Aris is wanted for murder." Pan said. "Marissa needs to talk to you about it."
"Okay how does Marissa tie into this?"
"No time just get over here." Pan hung up and went back into the living room to see Marissa pick up another file.
"Is he coming?"
"Yeah he is." Pan sat down on the couch. The two sat in silence. Marissa turned towards the door and threw salt at it. "What was that for?"
"Protection."
"What are you?" Pan touched her and received a premonition.
~Aris stood in front of a young blonde holding a little girl. Aris pulled out a shotgun and fired it at the blonde just barely missing the little girl.~
Pan gasped and met Marissa's eyes. She looked worried and scared like she knew who the woman was.
"Catie." She whispered. "Oh Kami she's next."
"Who is Catie?" Pan asked watching Marissa get ready to go upstairs.
"Catie Schulte is my stepsister." She leaned against the wall. "Jarrod doesn't know she's my stepsister because they had a baby together about two years ago."
**Hours later**
Pan sat in Marissa's car in front of a house where Marissa was waiting in front of the door. Finally a blonde answered the door in her pajamas. Even with the windows rolled up Pan heard a scream come from the blonde. Marissa beckoned to Pan to come in with her.
Once Pan was inside and listening to the blonde and Marissa talk did she figure out that the blonde was Catie. All she did was sit and watch the two exchange information. A little girl came in rubbing her eyes and carrying a teddy bear.
"Good morning Raquel." Marissa brushed a piece of light brown hair out of her face. "Pan this is my niece and stepdaughter to be."
"So when are you due Pan?" Catie asked. "Marissa said you were pregnant."
"November or December if she's late." Pan answered brushing her fingers across her abdomen. "My fiancée already has a son."
"I already knew that." Catie said. "I knew Trunks was Connor's daddy. Just like I know Jarrod is Raquel's daddy."
"Jarrod arrested somebody today."
"I heard. Must be why you're picking her up instead of him." Catie said getting up and going to the kitchen." I swear he spends more time at those races than he does with his own daughter." Marissa looked over at Pan. It sounded like she hated Jarrod for some reason.
"Jarrod bailed when he found out she was pregnant. He was afraid he would lose himself in this baby." Marissa whispered to Pan. "When Raquel was born she was all he could sleep, think and dream about so they have joint custody over her."
Not even thinking Jarrod had children needed to reversed for Trunks. Raquel was most definitely Jarrod's little girl. She had his hair and his eyes.
Catie returned with a backpack of clothes as well as on outfit with a heart on the shirt. After Raquel was dressed Marissa and Pan said their goodbyes and left with Raquel.
"You saved her life when Jarrod made the arrest." Pan said helping her with the car seat.
"I love Raquel like she was my own child," Marissa said putting the backpack in the trunk, "Catie wants me to adopt her after Jarrod and I get married."