JACOB - TWO WEEKS LATER

Everybody's outside, enjoying the nice weather. Papa and Daddy decided to try having another baby. Aunt Pina's been running some tests on Daddy to make sure that he'll be as safe as possible. She said something about a test run - whatever that is.

My thoughts are interrupted when I see one of my squirrel friends at the edge of the yard. He's holding his leg strangely. Oh man, I hope he isn't hurt. I get up and head for him. I have to see what's wrong. He starts to run off, not using his leg. He is hurt! I have to help him! I follow him, calling to him softly. He leads me around the house, pausing now and then to make sure that I'm still right behind him.

He leads me to his mate. She's laying awfully still, but she's breathing, at least. Talking to her softly, I carefully approach her. She opens her eyes and squeaks, alarmed. "Easy, girl. I'm going to take care of you."

Quickly, I pull off my sweatshirt and carefully wrap her in it, even as he looks on. Once I have her securely wrapped, he scrambles up me to join her. He's barely settled when I hear Mara Jane scream my name. "JACOB!"

Belatedly, I realize where I am. I'm in the middle of the road - and I can hear the roar of a car going way too fast down our street. I look up and realize that there is no way for me to get out of the way in time. Hopefully, the driver will see me and go around me. I can hear the brakes scream and see the front of the car drop as he tries to stop. Before I can do more than gasp and brace myself, a weight drops on my back, forcing me to the ground. "Don't move!" Sissy snaps out.

From the corner of my eye I can see her squeeze her eyes shut tightly in concentration. Suddenly, I hear the earsplitting crash of the car hitting - something - that isn't us. "Sissy?"

No answer. "Mara Jane?" I can hear my voice getting frantic at her lack of response.

"Jacob" she breathes. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Fine" she answers, sounding surprised. She pulls her weight off of me and we both sit up and look around. I'm stunned to see a black brick wall between us and the remains of the car.

"Mara Jane! Jacob!" Oh man, I'm in real trouble now. I know better than to be in the street like this. Papa and Daddy sound pretty frantic too. I'm going to be grounded forever.

In a minute, they're next to us, pulling us to our feet and holding us tightly. I can hear the driver struggling to get out of the car, the door opening with a scream. My focus, however is on the little lives that I'm still clutching. "Careful, Daddy. You're going to crush Fred and Ginger."

He looks down between us. "Seriously, Jacob? Right now, you are my focus - not them!"

Aunt Pina says, "I'll take them for now, Jacob."

Carefully, I hand them over even as the driver of the car limps over to us, screaming about stupid, retarded kids in the street. We all jump when the black wall suddenly pops out of existence and the car falls to the ground. "Well done, Mara Jane" Papa says.

"I couldn't hold it anymore" she answers, voice faint. Her knees buckle and Papa quickly catches her and picks her up.

"I've got you" he reassures her.

The stranger is still screaming at us, but we're not really paying him any attention - until he shoves Daddy. "Are you listening to me or just focused on those brats?!"

Uh oh. Daddy kisses me gently on the forehead and gives me a light push toward Papa. "Jacob, go in the house with Papa, Sissy and Aunt Pina. I'll take care of this."

"But-"

"Now, Jacob." Papa smirks slightly as we turn for the house as Uncle Dar goes to stand with Daddy. Daddy turns back to the man, voice calm. "First of all, you are going to calm the hell down or I will make you. Second, you are going to realize that you are extremely lucky right now. Based on those skid marks alone, you were obviously going way above the speed limit for this street. If you had hit my child, regardless of where he was, you would be going to jail right now - if we didn't just kill you. And believe me - they'd never find your body."

Papa closes the door once we're all in the house and I can't hear any more. "Is Sissy okay?"

"I'm okay, Jake" she answers weakly as Papa sits at the kitchen table with her on his lap. "I've just never used that much power at once before."

"In fairness I didn't think you could yet." Sounding very proud, but also a little concerned, Papa studies her closely. "I know you needed to do what you did, baby but from now on please don't do it again unless like today it's a life or death situation, okay?"

"You're worried" she states weakly, and honestly looking way paler then she's ever been.

"I am but not for the reason I know you think. I don't want you draining yourself to the point you suffer a complete physical collapse. I've done that before and I can tell you it is agony and I don't know how fast or honestly if you will be able to recharge yourself naturally if you're drained to that point. Even now I don't like how pale you are or how labored your heartbeat is."

Aunt Pina hands me my sweatshirt bundle back and goes to check my sister. Anxiously, I wait for the verdict. Shortly, she nods, making Papa and me both sigh in relief. "She just needs to rest."

"You're certain?" Papa still questions.

"Her heartbeat is steadying, she'll be weak until she recovers, but considering it wasn't a long range attack as you've performed in the past, but rather one short concentrated force that she held, her power should recharge fairly quickly. I'd say if she rests now, by about dinner time tonight she should be about to her old self again. Perhaps still a bit exhausted, but no worse for wear."

"Can I stay here, Papa?"

He gives her a squeeze. "Of course you can." I can see the anger in his eyes and I know I'm in a world of trouble once he's sure that she and Daddy are okay.

While we wait, Aunt Pina helps me tend to my friends. Once they are settled, we sit and wait. Finally, we hear the front door open. I bite my lip nervously. Daddy and Uncle Dar come in the kitchen, neither of them looking happy. "I'm telling you" Uncle Dar growls "it would have looked like injuries from the accident."

"And I'm telling you" Daddy snaps back "that's only if I'd have been able to stop myself from beating him to death!"

"So beat him to death already! How many times did I say I'd make certain no one saw you?!"

"It'll be just as satisfying when he claims he ran into a wall that doesn't exist after almost running down two children. With any luck I can have Jason make a few calls and pull a few strings so whatever court sees him thinks he's certifiably insane."

Uncle Dar takes the seat next to Aunt Pina as Daddy's laser like gaze falls on me. His eyes don't leave me as he addresses Papa. "Zedd, is Mara Jane all right?"

"Just exhausted, Thomas."

"Jacob." I have never been scared of Daddy before, but I am now. He's not yelling, just talking softly which is scarier. "What happened?"

I shrink in my chair as I explain about Fred being hurt, but making sure I followed him to Ginger. How I'd wrapped her in my sweatshirt and he'd climbed up to be with her. How Mara Jane calling my name made me realize where I was and how I'd heard the car too late to move. Mara Jane pressing me to the pavement and the crash.

It takes a long minute before Daddy says anything. "Do you understand how dangerous that was? Do you realize that we almost lost you both because you weren't paying attention to where you were and what was going on around you? If your sister hadn't been able to make that wall, you would both be dead right now, do you understand that?"

"Easy, Thomas. He's only eight."

"And he almost didn't see nine! He is more than old enough to know to watch for traffic! He was careless and it almost cost him and his sister their lives!"

"Little like father like son, there, huh?" Papa mutters, and by the sudden look on Daddy's face I don't think that helped his anger.

Giving Papa a very dangerous look, his tone is still soft, but one of major warning. "What was that?"

"The bear."

"That was not even close to the same thing!"

"Yes, it was. And before you pull Mara Jane off me and attack, like I can see you're gearing up to do, I'm not defending Jacob's carelessness, not by a long shot. You're right, he is old enough to know better and I definitely do not ever want a repeat of this."

"But?"

"But, the only way I can manage to not completely lose it right now is to remind myself he's not fully Eltarian, and his Phaedosian genetics seem to be actually the dominate ones with him to a degree. Be it due to his connection to your power, or just his blasted love of animals and nature, whatever the cause it's clear he's guided more by that part of him."

"And?"

Sighing and shifting Sissy a bit to get a better look at Daddy, Papa continues seriously. "And just like I was furious at you for putting your life in danger all those years ago for a blasted bear, I'm just as equally furious now, however I'm also trying my best to understand how and why he could be so careless so I don't kill him right now."

"If you want to kill someone fairly certain you can still catch the driver before he gets too far away" Uncle Dar says casually getting a glare of his own now from Daddy. "What? Just saying."

Daddy turns back to me. "Jacob, you will spend the rest of the day in your room. You may only leave it to eat and use the bathroom. You will not turn the computer on. Papa or I will let you know what the rest of your punishment is later. Go."

Even as I stand up, to do as he said, my mouth goes on its own. "What about Fred and Ginger?"

"You did not just ask that" Papa mutters softly.

I flinch as I see him and Daddy exchange looks, Daddy's jaw and hands clenching tightly. "Jacob I swear..."

Hand going to his back, Aunt Pina speaks quickly and soothingly to him in a language I don't know before he shakes his head slowly and looks to be counting silently. Turning to me once he seems to calm down a bit, she says softly, "I'll take care of them, sweetie. You need to go to your room now though."

I escape as fast as I can. If Aunt Pina says that she'll take care of them, then they couldn't be in better hands. I sit on my bed and think about what just happened and what Daddy said. Sissy could have been hurt and it would have been my fault! But - we're both okay so that should help, right?