Disclaimer: If I owned Dark Angel, you could be damn sure it wouldn't be canceled right now.

Family Relations

By Be Boring

Chapter 4: Partnership

Jondy ended up waiting for over a week before Zack returned. In the meantime, she spent nearly every day talking to Tinga over the phone and sneaking to the family restaurant that Zack had gotten their last meal from. Still, she couldn't help being worried about him every time Tinga's words came back to her. "Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part, but I always thought that if anyone could get through to him and make him stop killing, it would be Zack. It might just be out of his hands now, though." Did she mean that Ben could be dangerous to Zack? That didn't seem possible, especially not with her memories of the sweet, creative child from Manticore, and it was even more farfetched to think that he would attack the one person who was protecting him from that horrible place. Now she only hoped that Zack came back in one piece.

At the precise moment that he came through the door, she was flopped out on the bed with what was practically a feast surrounding her. She hadn't really been eating like that every day, but she felt the strange need to splurge today. It actually took a few minutes for her to realize he was standing in the doorway, he had been so silent when he opened the door that she hadn't even noticed. He was watching her with a smile on his face, but the haggard look about him immediately set off warning bells. She sat up quickly and cleared off a spot so he could sit down.

"What happened?"

After a moment of hesitation, Zack replied, "I've cut someone off. I didn't want to, it wasn't supposed to be anything but a last resort, but I had no choice. It's become too much, I can't be held responsible for anything that happens to him anymore."

Jondy wasn't sure what to say, but she could see from the look on his face that this was killing him, so she resisted asking him any questions. Had Ben gotten worse? What had he done that was so much worse than the other times? Suddenly, she felt a desperate urge to call Tinga to discuss everything. She knew perfectly well that she wouldn't get anything out of Zack. "What did he do?"

It was almost as if he sensed that she knew more than she was letting on, because he turned to face her more directly and looked so deeply into her eyes that she could have sworn she was wearing a sign that said BIG FAT LIAR. "You know I can't tell you. Even though he's cut off, I still don't want to risk anything."

She rolled her eyes. "Zack! Do you honestly think I would expose whoever it is? He's family!"

"It's not about what you would do intentionally, it's about what you might accidentally let slip. You have no idea how many times it's happened before. I try to protect you all the best I can, but it's hard to save you all from yourselves."

Jondy could tell he was referring to Ben, but she didn't let on that she knew. "Maybe if you trusted us more, we'd surprise you. Perhaps whichever brother this is will change once he realizes that you're no longer looking out for him."

The heaviness in Zack's shoulders showed how optimistic he was about that. "It's a nice thought, but I don't see it happening. You have no idea how badly things have become screwed up. It feels like I hardly know any of you anymore. I'm not even sure I know you."

She shot him a deeply wounded look, wishing he wouldn't sound so glum. "That's ridiculous, you know me perfectly well."

"How can you say that? We haven't even seen each other for seven years. You've been through a lot since the escape, just as I have, and by now we're completely different people."

Moving from the bed to sit on the other one, she crossed her arms and glared at him. "I'll say. You've become so much more negative. I'm not saying you were a cup of cheer in the past, but you didn't have this kind of outlook. What changed that?"

"It's none of your business," he growled with such ferocity that she actually leaned backwards slightly. Almost immediately he softened, looking surprised at himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, but it's just not something I want to talk about."

Now he had her curiosity peaked, but she knew better than to try and push him. What would it really accomplish? "Well, uh, do you want anything to eat?" She gestured towards all the food, which was still surrounding him. He glanced around and smiled.

"Not really, but we can't exactly let all this go to waste now, can we?"

There wasn't much conversation as they ate, but it was a comfortable silence. Jondy was getting the distinct impression that he was relieved to not be alone. He was only putting on a brave face because she was here, but she knew that leaving Ben to fend for himself was killing him inside. What did Ben do that was so horrible? I don't see how anything he could have done could be worse than killing people in cold blood. She was desperate to call Tinga and talk to her about it, but how would she do it without Zack finding out? She was waiting on pins and needles for him to fall asleep later, which actually didn't take that long once he had laid down. To make sure he was actually asleep, Jondy sat around for at least twenty more minutes after she thought he was out, then slid out into the hallway. After listening closely through a few doors, she finally found a room that she decided was empty and pulled out a paper clip to push into the lock. It took her a little bit since she hadn't picked a lock for years, but she finally managed to turn the knob and walk into the room. The room was absolutely identical to hers and Zack's, so she headed straight for the phone.

Tinga didn't even get halfway through saying 'hello' before Jondy cut in. "Tinga, it's Jondy. Zack just got back."

"Really? So, do you know what happened?"

"All I know is that he cut Ben off, he's not going to be helping him anymore. What do you think Ben could have done that's worse than what he's already been doing?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments, then Tinga warily replied, "Well, I do know that most of the people he's killed have been older, usually people who have been members of a church for many years. I guess he's doing it based on the amount of faith they have and seeing if the Blue Lady will protect them. What if he changed tactics?"

Jondy was horrified at the thought. "You mean you think he's killing younger targets? God, what if he killed a child? Then I could see why Zack would give up on him."

"I hate to say it, but that's my guess. Even if he won't admit it, Zack really likes kids. He'd drop Ben like a hot rock if he killed a child. I think that would be the point where even I would decide that Ben is beyond help. I don't think anything we could do would change him. Something's seriously wrong with him, and he's become too set in his ways."

This was certainly not something that Jondy had expected to come from Tinga's mouth. Tinga was one of the most positive X5s out there, so if even she had given up, then Jondy couldn't help but feel that there was no hope. No wonder Zack looked so awful. "Don't you get the feeling like in some ways we would have been better off in Manticore?"

Suddenly, Tinga's voice became much harder. "No! I've never thought that, not even once. I'll admit that maybe Ben shouldn't have left, but as far as I know, the rest of us are perfectly happy out here. Could you imagine not having a choice in anything about your life anymore? That used to be normal for us, you probably haven't even noticed how much you've become adjusted to free will now that you're out. Then, I have to think about what would have happened if I'd given birth to Case there. My own son would be placed in a lab for testing! I couldn't take that, I love my little boy too much. Don't you see how much better off we are out here? It may not be perfect, but at least we're free."

Jondy couldn't believe that Tinga had spoken so harshly to her. That wasn't much like her either. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I guess I'm just a little stressed out about everything that's been going on. I don't suppose you have any good news to give me?"

"Actually, you might be interested to know that Syl came through here yesterday. I know the number of the hotel she's staying at and what her alias is. Do you want to give her a call?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Jondy cried excitedly.

"Ok, ok, just thought I'd make sure," Tinga laughed. A few minutes later, Jondy was thanking her profusely and hanging up to dial Syl's number.

"Hello?" came a voice that had changed so much since their childhood, but was still recognizable.

"Syl? Is that you?"

Syl's voice became more cautious. "Who is this?"

"It's Jondy."

Suddenly, there was a squeal of excitement and Syl was practically yelling in her ear. "Oh my God, how are you? How did you get my number? I know Zack doesn't know it yet, only Tinga. How long have you been talking to her? How long ago did Zack finally contact you? I know he's been holding off because he didn't think you needed him yet. What happened to make him come for you?"

Jondy laughed and held the phone a short distance from her ear to give it a break. "Ok, one thing at a time. First, I'm fine. I've been talking to Tinga for about a week and yes, she gave me your number. Zack also contacted me about a week ago, even though for a day I didn't even know who he was. He ended up letting me know who he was because he had to get me out so Lydecker wouldn't catch me. It's all still good, though, we're both fine even though now Lydecker knows what I look like. How have you been?"

"I can't complain. I can pass for eighteen now, so I can do a lot more. The best thing is being able to live alone instead of with a foster family. I've had quite a few of those, let me tell you. I just never really fit in anywhere. I really love being on my own. The only time I'm not is when Zack checks in on me, and, uh, you know, those times."

Jondy felt incredibly stupid all of a sudden. What was she talking about, those times? Not wanting to appear as naïve as she felt, she replied, "Yeah. So, you're doing good?"

"Oh yeah. The best part is that now I'm heading to a full time job I got in North Dakota. I'll be managing an entire restaurant! I've always liked cooking, and I worked as one of the chefs in this beautiful place in Pennsylvania, but my boss liked me so much that he sent me to run the new restaurant he's opening! He's got a few, and they're all doing great. I'm really honored that he trusted me with this. My only problem is that Zack doesn't know yet. I'm not sure how he'll take it, usually he's the one who decides whether I move or not, but I'm hoping he'll let me. This is really important to me!"

Smiling, Jondy glanced at the door. She still hadn't heard any movement in the hallway, but she couldn't help but worry about Zack finding out what she was doing. How would he react if he knew that she had already contacted two of her sisters? Strangely enough, her excitement didn't want to allow her to stop there. She wanted to talk to as many of them as possible, and Zack was her ticket to them. What am I thinking? I couldn't possibly use Zack that way. Still, the thought was extremely tempting. "Well, I wouldn't approach him with the idea at this time. I think he's feeling particularly protective right now. I don't know all of the details, but he's still getting over something that happened with Ben. Maybe wait until you actually start working there."

"Ok. Is Zack alright?"

"I think so, for now. He just needs to relax and get his mind on something else, preferably something positive."

"Well, if you want I can give you my number where I'll be living, and then you can let me know when you think it's okay to bring it up to Zack." Then, she laughed and added, "You were probably going to ask me for the number anyway, right?"

Jondy chuckled with her. "Yeah, I was planning on it. Well, I should probably get off now. Zack doesn't know I'm talking to you, and I don't plan on him finding out. I'm definitely talking to you later."

After some quick good-byes, she hung up the phone and snuck back into her own hotel room. Her big brother was still sound asleep in his bed, so she simply crawled into hers. Even if she didn't sleep much, she liked to lie in bed. At least then she was comfortable.

~~~~~

What was that squeaking noise? Jondy sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. She hadn't even realized that she'd fallen asleep. Maybe it was the fact that Zack was back, but she felt refreshed now. That's when she turned her head and saw Zack on his bed. Oh my God, how long has he been seizing? she thought frantically. She dived for the duffel bag on the floor and started digging through it. It seemed to take forever for her fingers to finally grasp the bottle of tryptophan at the bottom of the bag, but at least it was full. She scrambled up onto the bed next to him and pulled him into a sitting position, then placed a few of the pills in his mouth and started moving her fingers around his throat to get him to swallow. After he finally swallowed, she gave him a few more, continuing until she had given him around fifteen pills. It still wasn't until about ten minutes later, however, that she felt the seizures had slowed enough for her to leave and get some milk. She was only gone a couple minutes, but she couldn't help worrying about him the entire time. I never sleep that deeply. Why didn't I wake up when the seizures started? Wait, why didn't he wake me up? He would have had enough control in the beginning to at least get my attention. The questions wouldn't leave her, especially when only one answer came to mind that she didn't want to have to think about. They all knew that if they didn't take care of the seizures as soon as possible, they could go into a coma and die. Zack didn't want to kill himself, did he?

Just the thought of it all made her rush back to the hotel room as soon as she had a large jug of milk in her hands. He was still shaking viciously when she returned to the room, but he was well enough aware of his surroundings to drink some of the milk that she offered to him. Since there were no cups, he had to drink directly from the jug, which she had to help him with because of his weakness. She couldn't believe how horrible he looked. His entire body was soaked in sweat, to the point where it was practically dripping off his chin, fingertips, and hair. Occasionally he had to grab his sheet roughly and wipe the sweat from his eyes, but he didn't make any attempt to clear the rest away. Once again Jondy had to wonder how long he had been seizing before she woke up.

"Zack?" she inquired finally. "Why didn't you wake me up when this started? It never would have gotten this far."

He looked at her blankly, even though she knew that he had heard her perfectly. It had never struck her before how young he still was, but right now he looked like a little boy that had no idea what to do. She sighed, knowing that he wouldn't answer her right now. This conversation would have to be saved for later. "Okay, Zack, we have to get you into a hot bath before all this sweat makes you catch cold or something. Do you think you can make it into the bathroom?"

He slowly shook his head and lowered himself back to lie against his pillow again. "There might not be hot water," he whispered, apparently struggling to keep his eyes open. "There would be no point then."

"Then I'll check," she replied quietly, feeling tears well up behind her eyes, burning as they threatened to burst out. She never would have dreamed he'd be so upset about cutting Ben off. Forcing her own musings out of her mind, she turned the knob in the bathtub over to the red zone. After a few minutes, the water grudgingly became warm, then hot. She smiled and flipped up the switch to close the drain, then turned and went back to Zack. "There's hot water, so I'm not taking any excuses. You're getting into that tub, whether you like it or not. I'll strip you myself if I have to."

He studied her silently, then nodded. "Okay, but I'm going to need help walking to the bathroom."

"That's fine," she said with relief, thankful that he was going to let her help him. She pulled his right arm around her shoulders and gripped his waist with her left arm, then slowly eased him into a standing position. He was fighting to keep his legs from buckling under himself, so she immediately started moving him towards the bathroom. By the time they reached it, she had to set him on the edge of the tub so she could reach in and turn the water to just above lukewarm so the temperature in the water would even out comfortably. When it was just above three-quarters full, she turned the water off and turned to Zack. "Do you need me for anything else?"

"Just the shirt, I can do the rest myself," he murmured, almost as if he was talking to himself. She stepped forward and carefully pulled his shirt over his head, then left the room and listened just outside the door. When she finally heard him getting into the water, she went to his bag and dumped a couple pills into her hand to take them herself and took a deep drink of the milk. She had been feeling the beginnings of a seizure as she was helping him, and she knew it was due to nerves. That was probably what had started Zack's seizures.

Although she knew that the water must have become cool by then, Zack didn't come out of the bathroom for an hour. He came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, slowly making his way to his duffel bag and pulling out some fresh clothes. Jondy was relieved to see that at least he was moving more quickly than before. Seizures were probably the one thing that put an X5 at his or her weakest point, because they drained every last ounce of energy, both mentally and physically, until you felt like an empty shell. Jondy could only watch him with pity, understanding how miserable he must be feeling. On top of the pain he already was feeling about Ben, now he was too weak to take care of himself properly. She knew he would be embarrassed later that he'd needed to depend on her to take care of him.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked after he once again came out of the bathroom, this time fully clothed.

He hesitated, then nodded and sat down. "I feel a bit stronger."

"I wasn't just talking about physically."

He glanced at her face and smiled with some amusement. "You haven't changed much. Nothing really gets past you. For your information, I'm doing fine. I'm just a little embarrassed."

"What for? If you're talking about needing me to help you earlier, you don't have to be embarrassed about it. You'd have done the same for me."

"That's different."

"How?"

He rolled his eyes as though the answer should be obvious to her. "I'm the C.O., it's in the job description for me to take care of you all."

"Then consider what I did to be a way of repaying a debt."

That blank look returned to his eyes, filling her with apprehension. "You don't owe me anything. I wasn't doing a very good job of taking care of you. In fact, I haven't been doing a very good job with anybody. I just wish…"

"What? You wish what?"

"I, well, I guess I wish I wasn't doing this all alone. I wish Eva was here."

At this, they both fell silent. Jondy had almost forgotten how close Zack and Eva had been. Technically, back then Eva had been the C.O., but everybody had felt closer to Zack. It had been her idea to escape, but it was Zack who ended up enforcing it. After her death, he even continued taking care of them. Now, Jondy considered that perhaps the only reason he was taking care of them was because of a sense of obligation he had, not to them, but to Eva.

"You've done a wonderful job so far, Zack. Eva could never have asked for better."

That nearly brought tears to his eyes, but he shook them away. "That's not true. She was always better at figuring out what to do. It just came naturally to her. I was just the big brother. She was the real leader."

"I don't think she would have anything bad to say about everything you've done. A lot of stuff has happened that is just beyond your control. It would have been no different for her. There's only so much one person can do, and you've done wonderfully for all the responsibility that has been forced onto your shoulders. True, it probably would have been easier if Eva was here with you, because you'd both be able to handle separate situations rather than just you running all over the country, but we can't help the way things went. Why don't you just ask someone trustworthy for help, someone you feel is capable of handling all the responsibility? Tinga would be a good help, or maybe Cade, since he was always so mature. I don't know, you're much more familiar with them than I am right now. Is there anyone you'd feel comfortable asking for help?"

Zack merely stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I could ask you for help."

Jondy was completely caught off guard that he'd be willing to ask anyone for help, much less her. "Wait, Zack, are you sure you're thinking clearly? Other than Max, I'm the youngest out of everyone. Why would you grant me authority over my older siblings?"

"Because you're a natural when it comes to what's best for someone. Look at how you handled me just a little while ago; I certainly wouldn't have been so sure of what to do if the situation had been reversed. You're a lot more levelheaded than I am. You also have that sisterly love that they'd all appreciate."

"I thought you weren't such a big fan of emotions."

"I'm not, but they are. They'd probably be much easier to handle if I had you helping me to convince them. Besides, I think I can trust you."

A tear slid down her cheek, she was so touched that he felt that strongly about her capabilities, but she also felt guilty. "Zack, I'm not sure you can trust me as much as you think you can. I've already talked to Tinga and Syl behind your back, and I've encouraged Syl to hold off telling you something that I know you'd want to hear about immediately. How can you say that you can trust me?"

To her surprise, he laughed. "You just told me now, didn't you? Besides, I already knew about that. I deliberately left behind that notepad so you'd find the imprint of Tinga's number, and I asked her to tell you about Ben. Syl is more of a surprise, but I had known about that job she was getting even though she wasn't aware of it. That's actually the kind of thing I'd want you to do. When it comes to flat out protection, I know they'll call me, but when it comes to some other change in their life, they'd probably be more comfortable talking to someone like you. Anything you're not sure about, you can come to me to talk about, and vice versa. What do you think?"

Jondy's whole face flushed a deep red, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was pleased by his decision or if it was because she was embarrassed by how much faith he had in her. It was probably a combination of the two. "I'd love that, Zack, but I'd feel horrible if I made a bad decision and put someone in danger."

"That's why I said if there's any decision you're not comfortable making, you come talk to me. I can set you up with your own contact number so that everyone can feel more secure with getting in touch with you, and I guess for a while you'll just hang around with me until you decide you want to go off on your own. It might be best to keep you with me, since I don't want you living with a foster family while you have these kinds of responsibilities, and any cops will send you to one since you're not eighteen yet."

Jondy suddenly broke out in a huge grin. "So that means I'll be living with you for two years?"

His eyes widened. "Shit, that's right, you're only sixteen." He suddenly looked as though he wasn't sure about taking her on for two years, but at the pleading look she shot him, he finally rolled his eyes and gave in. "Fine, you get to live with me for two years. Amazing, and I thought I'd be lonely forever. Now I'm going to be taking care of a teenage girl 24/7. I sure hope you're worth it," he teased.

To his surprise, she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she cried excitedly. "I swear I'll do a good job, and I'll try not to get in your way."

He laughed. "Jondy, you could never be in my way. Now, let's get you a list of everybody's phone numbers."

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Author's Note: Please review. (I would say "read and review," but I'm assuming if you're reading this now, that you've read it already. :P )