THANKS AGAIN JACKIE FOR BEING MY BETA. HEY EVERYBODY SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY. IT WAS KIND MEAN ESPECIALLY WITH SUCH AN EVIL CLIFFHANGER. ANY WAY HERE IS HE OUTCOME OF THE LAST CHAPTER
CHAPTER 41
THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD
June 24, 2003
Blue Cove Delaware
Abandoned Garage
1:23am
A soft thump was heard and slowly the children opened their eyes. In the moonlight they saw the body of their kidnaper lying on the ground, blood pooling from his body. They then looked up and saw the outline of a familiar figure.
"Sam!" They cried when they caught sight of their former sweeper. Tears fell from their eyes as they ran into his arms. The children's faces were still pale from fright. They had been bluffing, trying to stall for time. They had known that someone was fast approaching their location, they just weren't sure whom.
"How'd you find us?" Danny asked.
"Jon traced Willard's call. He told me where Willard had taken the three of you about fifteen minutes before he told Lyle. Thank God I got here in time," Sam sighed.
"Are you three alright?" He asked checking them for bruises.
"We're fine," Andros said, before Sam could pull up any of their shirts to see the large purple bruise forming on their stomachs.
"Good. Okay then, lets get you three to your dad, before Lyle and his lackeys show up," Sam said and quickly ushered the children out to the car.
"Sam, where is our dad?" Alex asked.
"He and your grandfather, and three FBI agents should be arriving at the airport shortly," Sam said as he buckled the three children in the back seat. Ten minutes later the quartet arrived at the airport just as Jarod's plane was setting down. The triplets ran to their father as he descended the stairs.
"Daddy!" Alex yelled and launched herself into her father's arms. Jarod held her close.
"Oh God, I was so worried. If anything had happened to the three of you I would have died," Jarod said crouching down to his sons' eye level as he placed Alex back on the ground.
"Its okay, Dad. We're fine," Danny told him. Jarod ruffled his and Andros's hair and then pulled them and their sister into an embrace.
"This is all my fault. I should have kept a closer watch on all of you. Willard would have never gotten a chance to take the three of you."
"Dad, it didn't matter," Andros told Jarod. "Willard had been watching us for weeks. He spotted us in town. He had just been waiting for an opportune moment."
"And I gave it to him," Alex whispered. "If I hadn't run off in t' the woods. If I hadn't acted like such a brat."
"Hey, don't beat yourself up too much sweetheart." Jarod said. "Every now and then you're allowed to act like a brat."
"But Daddy I said some mean things to Will 'n Alley. I didn't even mean 'em."
"I'm sure your brother and sister know that. So don't worry about it. When we get home you can apologize to them."
"Do I gotta?" Alex asked, still embarrassed by her behavior towards her eldest brother and sister. She had come to realize how silly her behavior had been.
"Yes," Jarod told her. "Now let's get home. Your poor mother is probably worried sick. Go ahead into the plane, I need to talk to Sam for a second okay?"
"Kay." They children replied.
"Come on you three." Charles said from the steps of the plane.
Jarod walked over to the sweeper.
"Thank you," He said.
"It was nothing."
"Yes, it was. My children would have died today if you hadn't come. How close of a call was it?"
Sam sighed. "What does it matter? They're safe."
"That close, huh?" The pretender said shaking his head.
"Jarod, I don't even want to know what would have happened if I had been a minute later."
"Like you said...it doesn't matter. They're safe."
"Hey, you better get out of here. Morgan's probably half out of her mind with worry by now."
"Seriously, Sam, thank you."
"Hey, they're my family too." Sam replied and Jarod started back to the plane.
"Tell my wife I love her for me," Sam yelled over his shoulder
"I will. Be safe," Jarod said, as he entered the plane.
Once inside the plane Jarod called his wife.
"Jarod?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"The children...are they...?"
"They're fine, Sweetheart." Jarod said "Hold on a sec."
He handed the phone to Danny.
"Hi, Momma."
"Danny, thank God. Are you all okay?"
"We're fine, Momma. We're fine." Danny told his mother. "How's everyone at home?"
"Relived to know that the three of you are okay."
"I'm glad to here it. Here Momma, talk to Andy." Danny said passing the phone to his brother.
"Hi, Momma."
"Hi, Baby."
"You okay?" Andros asked.
"I'm fine, Baby, now that I know the three of you are safe I'm fine."
"How are the twins?"
"Do you mean Will and Alley or the babies?"
"Both, now that you mention it."
"All four of them are just fine."
"I'm glad to know that we didn't scare you into premature labor. And how's Pete holding up?"
"Peter probably held up better than any of us. He knew that you three we're going to be just fine."
"Glad to know someone had faith we were gonna be okay," Andros muttered.
"I heard that Andros Thomas Kyle Russell," Morgan said
"Um, here talk to Alex," Andros said quickly passing the phone to his baby sister.
"Hey, Momma."
"Alex," Morgan sighed. "Jake told me what happened at the lake. And what you heard me say to Alley the other night. I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean it like that. If I had know that was how you felt..."
"Momma, don't. What happened wasn't your fault. It was mine. I acted irrational. I ran off into the woods, Danny and Andy followed me. Willard caught us, but we're okay now. So don't blame yourself...it's not good for the babies."
"I won't blame myself so long as you don't blame yourself. That man, no...that monster, is the reason you were kidnapped. Not you. He wanted revenge and he chose you and your brothers. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"And Alex..."
"Yes?"
"No matter what, I will always love you. Even though you insist on acting like one of the boys," Morgan said smiling.
"I love you too, Momma."
"Good. Now let me talk to your Daddy, Baby."
"Kay." Alex said and returned the phone to her father. Jarod went to the cockpit to talk in private with his wife. While he was gone the triplets talked to Bailey, Rachael, and Samantha who were seated across from them.
"Thank you for saving us." Danny said.
"I don't think we were much help," Bailey told the boy. "We didn't do all that much."
"You were there for our Dad. You let him know that he had help to fall back on in case he hit a dead end," Andros told the agent.
"Take it from us," Alex began. "Just knowing that you have someone to rely on in case you fail is sometimes the best form of help. It's one of the reasons why when we did sims at the Centre they put us in groups."
"How did you know we knew about the Centre?" Rachael asked.
"We know our, Dad. If he brought you in on this then he would have told you about the Centre," Danny said.
"So what happened?" Samantha asked.
"Willard kidnapped us," Andros began.
"Tried to kill us," Alex continued.
"Sam killed him," Danny finished.
Samantha and Rachael exchanged looks.
"We know what you're thinking and you're wrong," Andros told the two women
"Believe us, what happened today was just icing on a very large and ugly cake. Worse things have happened to us," Alex said.
The two women said nothing in hopes that the children would continue talking.
"Look, if we need a shrink our Grandpa Syd is one." Danny said.
"And if he's not around we've got plenty of people around the house who could pretend to be one." Andros told them
"We've been shrinks before," Alex said smugly. "It's highly over rated."
The three agents laughed at her comment.
Ten minutes later Jarod returned to the cabin to find his children asleep. He grabbed a blue fleece blanket from over head and covered them with it.
"All things quiet on the western front?" Bailey asked.
"What?" Jarod asked, confused.
"Is everything okay?" Rachael translated.
"Oh yes, everything is fine. According to Sam, a team of sweepers arrived to find Willard dead. The Centre believes that I did it."
"Jarod about the Centre, do you still plan on bringing it down?" Samantha asked.
"Yes, but right now my hands are full. Morgan and Jen –Sam's wife- are pregnant. With Morgan being shot a few years back I'm worried that her injury might make her pregnancy slightly dangerous. I don't want any added stress around her while she is pregnant. Not to mention that her father Sydney, along with Sam, Jon, and Angelo are still inside the Centre. Right now any plans to bring it down have been placed on the back burner. In all honesty, I still don't know how I'm going to bring it down. And there is also the fact that my mother is still out there somewhere. I would like to find her before we destroy the Centre because she may have information that I need. This past year had just been extremely chaotic. I mean, in March I discovered I'm a father to not just one but five children. Morgan and I adopted another, and now we have two on the way. And Ethan and I are trying to find a cure for Joanna." Jarod sighed.
"Well, my friend, you do seem to be having one crazy year," Bailey said.
"Jarod, it may not be much help but let us try a hand at finding your mother." Rachael told him.
"That means more to me than you could possibly know." Jarod replied.
Two hours later the plane landed. The three children were still out cold. Jarod, Charles and Bailey carried them out to Jarod's jeep and buckled them in.
"Bailey, thank you again for all of your help." Jarod said shaking the agent's hand.
"Any time Jarod." Bailey replied.
"I planned on inviting the three of you over for diner but," Jarod said looking at his watch "I think it's a bit late –or early depending on how you look at it. Besides I think that the guests of honor are completely worn out." Jarod said glancing at his children.
"Some other time then," Bailey replied.
"Some other time," Jarod echoed.
The five adults then climbed into their respective vehicles and drove to their destinations.
A short while later Charles pulled into the driveway. On the front porch sat the whole family waiting for their return. Most were awake, but some of the younger ones such as Adam and Peter were asleep. Before Charles had brought the jeep to a complete stop Will had already opened the door to the back seat. The triplets were still asleep. He unbuckled them. As he did they began to wake.
"Hi," the triplets yawned when they caught sight of their brother.
"Hi yourself," Will replied.
The triplets were then hugged and kissed, and fussed over by all. Afterwards all of the children made a massive pallet on the floor in the living room. The three youngest of the Black Files laid in the middle while everyone else laid in a circle around them as a form of protection. That night no one asked the children what had transpired. They figured that there would be time enough in the morning. All that mattered to them was that Danny, Andros, and Alex were safe.
-SEE MICHELLE NO CLIFFHANGER SO NO THROWING THINGS
-PRETENDER FANATIC I'M RELIEVED TO KNOW THAT YOU AREN'T DEAD.
Anyway you guys know the drill the little purple button is calling out to you saying "Click on me" "Click on me".