Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Kiriakis Family had just eaten breakfast so the children were leaving to go wash up for there outing on the town that day. Jarod was following his brother and sisters out when Philip called him back to the table.
He eyed his parents apprehensively as he sat back down. "I'm not in any trouble am I?"
"No." Then as an afterthought he paused and looked suspiciously at Jarod. "Have you done something that you could get in trouble for?" Philip replied.
"No, I just figured I was in trouble since you asked me to stay down here."
"Well you aren't in any trouble, sweetie. Your father and I thought we should have a little talk, you know ask you some questions. Nothing bad, at all." Chloe replied.
"Oh okay then shoot."
Philip and Chloe looked at each other. "Okay Jarod we were wondering if you would tell us about your grandmother."
His face brightened. "What's to know? Grandma Kate wants to take me out when we get back to Salem. That's okay isn't it? I mean I know that I'm still grounded and all. Is something wrong?"
"No nothing's wrong. We don't have a problem with Kate taking you out. But we weren't actually talking about her or my mother either." Jarod looked confused. "We wanted to hear about … how do I say this … we wanted to hear about Nonna Amodeo. Your first grandmother." Jarod stilled silently as he mid-reach for an apple on the table.
"Why?" He asked quietly rolling the apple on the table until Chloe moved to sit down next to him.
"We just want to find a little bit about the woman who's responsible for bringing you to us. To know who raised you to be the bright beautiful person you are. That's all nothing more."
"I don't know where Nonnie is," he explained. "That's what I called her when I was little because I couldn't say Nonna." He started off hesitantly.
"We don't expect you to know where she is, sweetie. Just tell us how your Nonnie brought you from Italy here to us." Philip added sitting down next to Chloe at the table.
Jarod was quiet for a moment before he started to talk. "One day, when I was little, I think I was four at the time when I heard my Momma and Poppo talking. Poppo said that I wasn't their child and my real parents had to be found. Momma said no I was her baby and she wasn't going to let me go. Not until she had a test proving I wasn't hers. But Poppo said she needed to face the truth, Gino had lied to them and they had to return me to my true parents because it was the right thing for them to do." He paused briefly gauging his parents for their reactions, then noting the blank expressions on their faces he continued.
"That was the last time I saw my –– that is, Momma and Poppo. When Nonnie arrived she just took me home with her to New York. Nonnie lived in New York since before I was born, her second husband was American when I was born Poppo didn't want to leave Italy. I don't know how she knew but she told me when were in New York after a few months that she brought me there so she could find my real parents and return me. But, she got sick and they took me away from her."
"Do you mean 'they' as in Social Services, did they place you in a foster home?" Chloe asked remembering her own time in the childcare system, horrified by the thought that her son might have had the same experiences. Jarod nodded. "How long?"
"Until I was six and Nonnie took me and Casey away."
"Who's Casey?" Philip asked.
"Casey was my foster sister at the Snow house. She saved me from Mr. Snow. When he tried to … he tried to," Jarod couldn't bring himself to say it but from his parents' reactions: Chloe's gasp and Philip eyes changing colors, he knew they'd figured it out for themselves. When they looked as if they were going to ask him a question he continued on quickly to reassure them. "He-he didn't touch me because Casey stopped him. I was on the floor in the kitchen trying to hide from him. But, when he found me he raised his hand high to hit me but Casey covered me and got the hit. Mr. Snow got angry and went to hit her when Nonnie came in and hit him on the head with something. She pulled me and Casey up and told us to gather our things because we were coming with her.
Philip had grabbed Chloe's hand during Jarod's recollection of the event. He released a breath before he asked his next question. "Where did you go next?"
"Nonnie said we had to leave New York, I wasn't sure then but I know now it was because she was afraid she'd killed him, Mr. Snow. Anyway, after that we moved to Chicago. That's where she started to search for you again Mom. Casey got a job and started going to school there. It was last year when Nonnie saw your picture," he gestured to Chloe. "She told me that if ever there was someone to play the part of my mother on a those daytime shows the Casey favored, then you were it. She said I had your eyes. She placed me in Social Services so I could get to you. She had a job at the school for a while to make sure I was alright. But, one day she didn't show up and I knew she was gone." Jarod finished softly both Chloe and Philip knew that he missed his Nonnie even though he had found not only his mother but also his father. "Can I go now?"
"Of course, you can go upstairs and get ready." Chloe told her son who left the kitchen in semi-hurry. "Well, I guess that settles it for us. We have to find Mrs. Amodeo not only to thank her but give Jarod some closure."
"You know I agree with you, when we do find her, and you know we will I have a few questions for her myself. In particular where I can find one Mr. Snow." His eyes glittered with vengeance at the thought of being alone with the man who tried to take advantage of his son.
Chloe placed her other hand over his that held hers in affect soothing Philip's anger. "I know Philip but we can't let this interfere with our vacation. This time is for our children and us to be together, and we shouldn't let any demons past or future bother us here. We have to have at least these moments to ourselves, we're owed it." Chloe said earnestly to her husband removing a blonde lock of hair from his eyes.
"You're right, and I won't let anything interfere with our time together." Wrapping his arm around her and kissing her forehead. ~But, after this vacation nothing will stop me from ensuring a certain Mr. Snow knows never to mess with a Kiriakis. ~
~*~*~*~*~*~@~*~*~*~*~*~
Back in Salem …
Brady walked into his bedroom just as Mimi was coming out of the shower. He had been trying to avoid contact with her like this for a couple of weeks now because he didn't want to have to be forced to tell her what happened with Jason. So he turned to leave the room with his hand on the doorknob.
"Running away from me Brady, why?" She asked him from behind obviously knowing the exact buttons to push.
He turned around to see her holding the towel to her chest as she walked to him. "I'm not running anywhere, I just thought that you might want to get dressed in private that's all." She was now standing in front of him.
"Is that right? Because you've never been that considerate of my privacy getting dressed in all the fourteen years we've been married." He shrugged. "Well I got this funny notion in my mind that you were trying to avoid me every since that Jason incident. You barely talk to me anymore if not make actually physical contact with me. And you've accidentally fallen asleep in your office every night. Clearly, I'm just imagining things or maybe I'm not so why don't you explain to me how you can barely stand to touch me anymore." Mimi said the hurt evident in her voice.
"Look Mimi I'm not avoiding I just need some time to figure things out. It's not like I don't love you anymore or anything. But, I"
"You what Brady? Think I'm tainted or something because of one little kiss? Tell me what's wrong stop procrastinating and tell me what I did to make you stay away from me. Help me to figure out why you haven't been with me." She said softly staring him dead straight in the eyes.
"Mimi I do love you. And even though I haven't made love to you I still feel the same. I'd still love you even if we didn't touch for days, you should never doubt that." Closing the door, he lifted his wife into his arms and carried her over to the bed. Where after placing her on it he lowered his mouth onto hers, her hand rose to cup his face. He kissed as if it had been years without her touch instead of just days.
Parting from her briefly he ridded himself of his clothes. She pulled him back down to her, covering her body with his muscled one. With the towel still separating them Brady moved his hands between their bodies and released pulling it away from Mimi's body baring it for all the world to see as storm of passion raged on between them.
Sometime later …
Mimi and Brady laid spoon fashion on the bed with a sheet covering them. With his arm thrown over them and his leg in between hers. This was how Mimi awakened, rising up slightly she moved his arm off of hers and she turned to look at her husband while he slept. Asleep, Brady looked so different, so relaxed from the strong viral man always on the go to protect and fight against the world. He looked so much younger than his thirty-eight years. As if he sensed her gaze on him, he opened his eyes.
"Hey," Mimi said as she sat up completely bringing the sheet with her.
"Hey yourself," He replied, his voice gruff from sleep, not bothering to sit up or even adjust the precarious position of the sheet riding dangerously low on his hips. "Are you okay? I know I kind of overwhelmed you earlier."
"I'm fine. Besides, there are worst ways to be overwhelmed." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "But since you mentioned it there was something I wanted to ask you."
"Shoot."
"What did you do to Jason? I know you went to see him but you didn't hurt him did you?" She asked hesitantly for two reasons, one if he did hurt Jason she didn't want to know. And two she didn't want Brady to get the wrong idea. She was relieved from her nervous thoughts as Brady pulled her back down beside him.
"You want to know if I did anything that could get me arrested, correct?" She nodded against his chest. "You'll be happy to know that I didn't touch Masters. Not that I didn't want to but I figured he would be expecting it and I'd rather not be predictable. So I just let him off with a warning. But if he ever lays a finger on you again I might …" he left the rest unsaid.
"If he's ever stupid enough to try anything again I might have to hurt him myself." She maneuvered herself over him so she could ask: "Are we okay?"
"No baby we're better than okay. Now let's get some sleep before we have to get the rug rats from camp." He answered pulling her back down so they could sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~@~*~*~*~*~*~
The Kiriakis family was spending their day shopping on the boardwalk. They were just finishing lunch in the restaurant when Jarod asked to go to the arcade next to it.
Jarod and Dominic were on their way back to the table to their parents when a man sitting in a darker section of the restaurant stopped them.
"Jarod, Jarod Kiriakis," a deeply accented voice said.
Both boys paused to look at the man. He looked as old as their grandfather, he probably the same age as Victor. But this man was different because of his hair it wasn't all sliver as Victor's it was a deep rich shade of brown with few flecks of silver in them. On top of that his accent was very odd.
"I'm sorry do I know you sir?" Jarod replied politely.
"No, my child you do not. But, I know of you, I knew your parents when they were younger growing in Salem. You both have the look of your mother. Tell me are Chloe and Philip nearby?"
"Our Mom and Dad are eating inside the restaurant. If you want we could get them for you." Dominic said wondering who this man was questioning them about their parents.
"That won't be necessary, Dominic." Dominic was taken back because the man had known his name too. "But, I would greatly appreciate it if you would do me a small favor and give this to your father." He took a small envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Dominic.
Once Dominic had the letter in his he looked down on it and saw "Philip," neatly written in black ink on it. "Who should we say this is from?"
"Stefano Dimera. Tell them it's from Stefano Dimera."
"Okay Mr. Dimera we will," Jarod added before pulling his brother away from the table and walking into the restaurant. As they neared the table they saw their parents and sisters walking away from it.
"Good we were just about to come and get you." Chloe told them as Philip came up beside her Ariana and Jessica walking ahead of them. "Are you ready to go?"
"If you mean have we used all of our money, then yes. But, we wanted to go back and play some more. So no in that case." Dominic answered.
"Oh so you came back for more money from Momma and Daddy, then?" Jessica added.
"Well of course we did. Besides, we saw this sweet game that Dad would love to play." Jarod added quickly grinning at his father slyly.
Philip looked at Chloe to get her approval. She wanted to go shopping and frankly Philip would do anything to get out of it. "Oh alright, you can go but only for half an hour because we are going shopping whether you want to or not."
"Yes, so can go right, Dad?" Dominic asked and Philip nodded. As the boys turned to leave Dominic remembered the message he was supposed to deliver. He took it out of his pocket.
"Oh yeah Dad some man asked us to give this to you and Mom." He handed Philip the envelope. Philip opened and looked at it for a second before showing it to Chloe.
"What is it Philip?" She took the card from his hands and read it herself to see that it was only an address with the A and the letter D on the bottom. "I don't understand what is this?"
"I have an idea but I'm not sure. Did the man who gave this to you tell you anything, his name or something?" He beseeched his sons to tell him the truth.
"He said his name was Stefano D-something." Jarod replied.
"Dimera?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah, that's it. Can we go now?" Jarod asked gesturing toward himself and Dominic. Chloe nodded and they took off this time with the girls following behind them.
"Do you think it's––?"
"The infamous Nonna Amodeo's address?" He filled in for her. "I have no doubt about it. The only thing I want to know is why Dimera is helping us out all of the sudden and when did he come stateside."