AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS JACKIE FOR BEING MY BETA AND THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL
THE REVIEWS.

CHAPTER 37

TALKS AND AN ESCAPE

May 30, 2003

Charlottesville, Virginia

Russell Family Home

5:43am

Charles came down stairs to find his eldest grandson on the front porch. He was in the same position that he had been in the first morning that Charles had talked to him.

"You're up mighty early." He said walking over to the boy, sipping from a mug of coffee as he did.

"Good morning, Grandpa." Will said, not turning around.

"Is this spot taken?" Charles asked, recalling their first meeting as he motioned to the empty space on the swing next to Will.

"No Sir." Will said, playing along

"Why are you up so early son?" Charles asked him just as the gray sky began to lighten.

"Sleep is evasive."

"Where are your brothers and sister?"

"Just waking up." He said, sensing the other children.

"You're a regular chatterbox aren't you?"

"It's biological." He replied grinning and the two laughed.

"So are you okay?" Charles asked his grandson.

"Yeah," Will sighed. "I let out a lot of stuff I had bottled up inside. And Mom and Dad put in perspective last night too."

"Good."

"I'm still nervous about the twins though. Scared that I won't be able to protect them."

"That's understandable."

"Mom and Dad watched some of my DSA's last night."

"Did they?"

"Yeah, not all of them were good. In fact they were pretty bad. One was of Alley dying." Will said staring at his hands

"How did you find out?"

"I heard them watching them."

"Oh."

"Who's the chatterbox now?" Will said looking up at his grandfather. Charles ruffled his hair.

"Not the hair. Never the hair." Will said, holding up his hands. Charles laughed at the boy.

"William, I know that there is nothing that I can say to help ease your pain over your sister's death. And there is probably nothing I can say to help ease your nervousness over the twins. But listen to me, you are not the only in this family who feels as though he has failed protecting those he loves. When the Centre took your father and your uncle from me I felt as though I failed as both a father and a husband. After your Uncle Kyle was killed I blamed myself more than I blamed..."

"My Uncle Lyle?" Will interrupted him. Charles looked at his grandson and for the first time realized who he was. His grandson was related to the man who tortured one of Charles's sons and then killed the other. Not to mention the fact that Lyle had shoved Emily out of a building in an attempt to kill her as well.

Charles sighed. "You're a Russell, William."

"I'm still related to him. He's my mother's twin brother. Right now your looking at me and you can see the ways I resemble him."

"It doesn't matter. You're my grandson and I love you."

"If you knew that I was his nephew before hand, if you still thought that I was Mr. Parker's grandson as well, would you still have loved me?"

"I love Peter just as much as I love you, and he is actually Lyle's brother and Mr. Parker's son."

"That's not necessarily an answer, Grandpa." Will replied.

"I would like to believe that I would." Charles told him. "You're the pretender William, not I. But I do know one thing...I love you now. And yes sometimes when I look at you I can see Lyle. But other times I can see your Uncle Kyle." Will looked up at his grandfather and smiled.

"Do you think that she would love me?" Will asked.

"I know my wife better than anyone. And I can tell you now that she would be crazy not to."

"I'll find her Grandpa, I promise."

"If anyone can it would be you Will. Come on let's go inside and get breakfast started. I've seen your mother when she's hungry and it's not a pretty sight."

"Well, she is eating for three."

Over the past few months the house had gotten fuller and fuller. There were now eighteen children with three on the way and nine adults, now that Jen was out of the Centre. Both Morgan and Jen were getting bigger each passing day. Nick and Emily had finally begun dating and the children were making bets with each other on how far off their wedding day was.

The attack on the Centre had been placed on the back burner shortly after the wedding. Before the Centre was brought down, the children wanted to see the Charles and Margaret reunited. The children told no one of their plan, and the adults became slightly suspicious when they would find the children conversing in hushed voices. Jake and Rachael were right about the other children being adopted. Jen and Sam did indeed adopt Greg, Melissa and Jeremiah. And Broots took in Cassie and Marco. During Morgan and Jarod's honeymoon Ethan singed papers declaring him father to Jake and Rachael. After seeing their friends happy with their new families, Jake and Rachael felt that it was time to go and visit their little brother.

June 14, 2003

Washington DC

Noonan House Hold

12:00pm

Two weeks after Jarod and Morgan arrived home, Ethan and Jarod took Jake and Rachael to see their little brother and their father's widow. Jarod rang the doorbell and a few moments later a petit blonde opened the front door, a four year old asleep on her hip.

"Can I help you?" She asked

"Mrs. Noonan. My name is Jarod Russell. I was a friend of Eddie's."

"Oh, please come in." She said ,opening the door further. If one had not known that Joanna Noonan was ill, one would not have been able to guess it. The young woman looked full of life.

"Mrs. Noonan..." Jarod began.

"Please call me Joanna. Mrs. Noonan was Eddie's mother." Joanna replied.

"Joanna, this is my brother Ethan and these two here are Jake and Rachael."

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you." The twins said simultaneously, as they studied their younger brother. As the twins watched Adam, Joanna watched them. She silently gasped as she realized who they were. Shocked she sat down afraid she would faint.

"This is about that place, that Centre isn't it." She asked as she shifted Adam to her lap. The young boy didn't even stir from his sleep.

"Yes, it is." Jarod told her. "Might I ask what Eddie told you about the Centre?"

"He told me of the things that they did to him there. He told me about you as well. He also informed me that they might come after Adam." The small boy awoke at the mention of his name.

"Mommy." The child spoke "Who de's people?"

"Their friends of your daddy." Joanna told him. Jake and Rachael walked over to the woman and child.

"Hi Adam. I'm Jacob, but you can call me Jake." Jake said offering the toddler his hand. Adam shook his hand and did the same when Rachael introduced herself. Adam the stretched his arms out to his brother and Jake carried him a few feet to where the toddler's toys were located.

"You two look so much like your father." Joanna said as she watched the twins play with her son.

"We know." Jake replied.

"So why are you all here?" She asked.

"We know that you are ill." Ethan told here.

"Adam, baby, why don't you go and show Jake and Rachael your room." Joanna told her son.

"I'm sorry." Ethan apologized after Adam had led his older brother and sister down the hall. "I thought he knew."

"It's not your fault. I just don't know how to tell my baby that his mother is dying."

"That's understandable," Jarod commented. "Adam recently lost his father and now he's faced with losing his mother. It's only natural to want to shelter your son from the truth."

"Why are you truly here? If you know that I am sick then you must know that my cancer is inoperable. Do you want Adam? Please tell me." Joanna begged. Jarod walked over to her and sat next to her taking her hand in his.

"Eddie was one of my dearest, closest friends. He saved my life. I want to help you and your son. I owe it to Eddie, and those to children back there."

"And just how do you propose to help us?"

"We want you and Adam to come home with us." Ethan told her. "There we'll help look after you and your son, and hopefully we'll be able to find a cure for your cancer."

Joanna laughed bitterly. "You don't know how many doctors have said that to me. It's too late for a cure. I have a year left, tops."

"Then you have no reason not to come with us." Jarod told her.

"Do you know what the only thing worse than dying is, Jarod?" Joanna asked him. "Believing that there is still some chance for a cure as your lay dying on your death bed. I will not live a lie. Hoping day after day that someone will find a cure for me. I am going each day to its fullest being with the one person I have left in this world. My son."

"And when you die Joanna, what will happen to your son?" Ethan asked her.

"I suppose that you will take him in as you have done with Eddie's two other children."

"Are you truly going to deny your son of the opportunity of getting to grow up with you?" Jarod asked her.

"Christ, Jarod he's all that I think about. I lie awake at night wondering what will happen to him when I'm gone. Eddie never found his family. Mine died in a car crash years ago."

"Let me ask you this, Joanna, what's keeping you here?" Ethan said softly

"Besides the memory of my dead husband? Nothing."

"Then come with us. And maybe we can find a cure. Don't underestimate us, Joanna."

"Mommy." Adam's voice as he walked back down the hall Jake and Rachael behind him. "Daddy would want us t' go. He'd want you t' get better." Adam said climbing into his mother's lap. "He'd want me t' know my brother and sister."

Joanna looked at the twins realizing that they convinced her son that he had to convince his mother to come with him.

Joanna sighed, too tired to fight any longer. "You're right, baby. Your daddy would want for us to go. Why don't we start packing our things?"

"We'll help." The twins offered.

"Come on little brother, let's get your room packed." Rachel said to Adam. While Ethan and the twins helped Joanna pack, Jarod went and rented a U- haul. Four hours later the group was on the road heading south.

At seven o'clock they arrived home. They placed Adam in Peter's room and Joanna was one floor above them. After another round of introductions, the group settled down for dinner. Adam and Peter bonded and in ten minutes became inseparable.

"Night, Momma." Peter said as Morgan kissed him on the cheek.

"Night, Baby." Morgan replied.

"Night, Mommy." Adam said to his mother.

"Goodnight, Sweetheart." Joanna said as she hissed her son on his forehead. The two women left the room closing the door but leaving it slightly ajar.

"Adam?" Peter said from the top bunk.

"What was your daddy like?" Peter asked his new friend.

"I don't really 'member. I know that he was nice. He used t' take me t' th' park when he was home. He loved me." Adam stated. "What's your daddy like?"

Peter thought for a moment. He was so quite for so long that Adam thought he had managed to offend his new friend in some way.

"You 'kay?" Adam asked, climbing to the top bunk.

"Yeah."

"I say somethin' wrong?"

"No, it's just that I gots two daddies. I got my Daddy Jarod and then there's Mr. Parker. See my Momma's really my big sister. She and my Daddy Jarod adopted me."

"Oh.' Adam said. "So what's your real daddy like?"

"He's a lot like your daddy was."

"My daddy and your daddy were friends." Adam told Peter. "They knewed each other from that place The Centre."

Peter's face fell.

"Pete, you kay?"

"Uh-huh, it's just...I don't like that place. They hurt me there."

"What they do?" Adam asked.

"Lot a needles and stuff."

"They did those things to my Daddy. I saw movies of it. They hurt him wit knives and stuff."

"Adam, Peter, it's late. You two should be asleep." Will said, picking up Adam and placing him back on the bottom bunk. Will then went and re-tucked both boys in for the night. "You two have to get some sleep if you're going to go riding with me and Chris in the morning."

"Kay." The two boys yawned.

"Goodnight, you two."

"Night, Will."

June 14, 2003

Blue Cove Delaware

The Centre

"Alyssa, why are you still awake?" Sara asked the soon to be thirteen- year-old girl.

"Sara, how did my brother die?" Alley asked the woman.

"We've been through this a thousand times, Alyssa. Will was very sick. There was nothing The Centre could do to make him better." Sara then left the room locking the door behind her. As soon as she was gone Alley deactivated the camera in her room. She them walked over to the wall and removed the brick and took out her brother's picture and the screwdriver. She then proceed to unscrew the vent cover.

"I may be a kid, Sara, but I'm not dumb." Alley murmured to herself. "Will is alive and I know it."

Alley then hoisted herself into the duct work and began to crawl her way to freedom. Half an hour later Alley found herself out side for the first time in almost six years.

"Alley out." Angelo said from behind. Alley jumped, frightened by the empath.

"Gee, Angelo you sure know how to scare a girl."

"Alley must leave now."

"Really Angelo, I thought about hanging around here for a few more days."

Angelo gave the girl a disapproving look as he thrust a backpack and a map at her. "Here, take."

"Wow, Angelo, I feel like Jack from The Talisman." Alyssa said sarcastically.

"Go here. Safe here." Angelo said pointing at a spot on the map.

"Thank you, Angelo." The girl said hugging the man.

"Angelo come with me." She begged.

"No, my place here." Angelo said shaking his head as he disappeared into the dark.

Alley studied the map for a moment and then set out to the destination. She considered hitchhiking but doubted that someone with good intentions would pick her up. So she walked.

She arrived an hour later at her mother's old home. Riffling through her pack she found a key to the door. She entered, wiping her fingerprints off the doorknob as she did. She placed her pack by the front door and went to explore the house. She stopped in the kitchen and turned on the faucet to see if she had running water. There was. As she exited the kitchen she noticed a door. She turned the knob and found it locked. Alley went back to her pack and emptied the contents out on to the floor. Angelo had left her two changes of clothing, a small assortment of food, an envelope with a thousand dollars, and a small brass key. Alley grabbed the key and a granola bar and returned to the locked door.

The key fit perfectly. Alley opened the door and her jaw dropped. In the room were a small refrigerator, a cot and a laptop. Alley went back to the hall way, shoved her belongings back into the pack and returned to the room, locking the door behind her. Exhausted she flopped onto the cot and fell asleep instantly.

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