Determinant: a gene or other factor that determines the character and development of a cell or group of cells in an organism.

Chapter 31: Interstices - Part Five

"Oh, Jamie!" Her aunt was frantic and as they entered the house. Jamie let go of Mitch's hand to grasp Fran's instead, a thousand worrying thoughts zipping through her head.

"What is it?"

"George just called from the cemetery," she looked equal parts horrified and worried. "He said...he said someone stole your headstone!" She looked about ready to faint and her grip tightened as she spoke. Jamie heard Mitch cough roughly behind her and shot him a warning look. But she'd never been very good at getting anything by her aunt, and the older woman's mood shifted from anxious to suspicious immediately.

"What's going on?"

Jamie tightened her grip on the woman's hand, as though she could physically will her to stay calm. "It's okay, Aunt Fran. Mitch and I took it."

The horrified shock was back, this time compounded with outrage. "Jamie Leigh Campbell!"

There was a quiet ooooh from the other room that Jamie recognized immediately. "Shut up, Charlie! Listen," she turned back to her aunt, "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I went to visit Mom and saw it there. I didn't really think…"

"I cannot believe you'd do something like that!" Fran was now on a tear and Jamie stood stoically, knowing from experience that nothing she could say or do would deter her aunt. "That is sacred ground, Jamie. Your mother is buried there. Stealing a gravestone - even if it is yours - is just…" She took a breath and Jamie knew she was winding down. When she spoke again, her voice was back to a normal register. "What did you do with it?"

"We took it to the old barn and smashed it with a sledge hammer."

Fran stood there for several long seconds just staring at her niece. Jamie stared back, reticent but unapologetic. Finally, her aunt just sighed. "Mitch," she looked past Jamie's shoulder, and for a moment Jamie was afraid she would yell at him, too. "Jackson was looking for you earlier."

"I'll find him," he promised. Fran nodded once and disappeared into her room, leaving Jamie and Mitch alone in the living room.

Jamie turned to him and sighed in relief. "That went well, I think."

"Better you than me," he teased. "I better find Jackson."

"You do that. I'm gonna go hit Charlie." Jamie caught sight of his grin as she turned for the kitchen. Charlie was sitting at the table with Abe and Clem teaching them a card game that the twins had taught him when they were younger. She waited until he finished the (thankfully) kid-friendly rules, then reached out and pinched his shoulder hard.

"Ow!" He rubbed the offended spot with his other hand and glared.

"You deserved that," she told him. "Deal me in."

Mitch came in about half an hour later looking grim. Jamie discarded her hand and rose to stand with him near the back of the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"Allison called Jackson because she couldn't reach me," he told her. "She's sending us a list of events we have to attend in the next few weeks. Apparently someone leaked the real source of the cure and everything's gone haywire."

"Who?" Jamie knew none of them had been in contact with the press, and the only other person who knew the whole story was… "Logan." Mitch's frown soured further and he crossed his arms over his chest petulantly. "It had to be him," Jamie reasoned. "But why?"

"I don't know. Probably to make our lives harder. He seems to be pretty good at that."

Jamie ignored the jab and focused on the problem at hand. "So what is it we have to do?"

He dropped his arms with a sigh and ran a hand down his face wearily. "She said she wasn't sure on all the details, but we can expect at least a few press releases and meetings with big wigs. And this time they want all of us." Jamie could see the tension bunched in his shoulders and was reminded that he hadn't gotten his shower yet. He looked like he was masking his pain, and she rummaged around in the drawer next to her for some painkillers. She shoved the bottle of Advil at him and nudged him toward the stairs.

"Take those and go grab a hot shower. I'll round up the others."

They ended up spread out in Jamie's room with Dariela sitting on the bed and the others perched randomly against pieces of furniture. She'd managed to relay the story to them quickly, and by the time Mitch joined them he looked more relaxed. He eased himself down into the desk chair Jamie had appropriated from Reese's room and sighed.

"I suppose Jamie's told you all the good news?"

"Why would Logan go to the press?" Abe wondered aloud.

Mitch just shrugged a shoulder. "Who knows why he does anything? The point is, things just got a bit more hectic for us. Allison wants us all in D.C. by Friday. She said she'd work on travel accommodations and let us know."

"So much for a break," Dariela griped.

"Yeah, well, blame Logan," Mitch returned. "I was looking forward to doing nothing for a while, but it looks like we're back to globe-hopping."

"Globe-hopping?" Jackson questioned.

"Oh, right. Did I forget to mention the best part? She's got us attached to the State Department as 'experts,' so we have to brief foreign heads of state as well." Mitch's disdain was palpable and Jamie joined in when the others groaned at the news. Her family wasn't going to like it any more than they did, and she knew she'd get resistance from her aunt most of all. But it sounded like there was little they could do about it.

"Alright," Jackson pushed off of the dresser he was leaning on, "let's just not worry about it right now, okay? We've got, what, five more days? I intend to get as much relaxing done as I can." He left first, presumably to start relaxing, followed quickly by Abe and Dariela. Jamie glanced down at Mitch and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"For what?"

"I know you wanted to spend more time with your family. I can talk to Allison and see if we can do it without you."

"And let you four loose on those poor people without me there as a buffer? I'm not that cruel."

He huffed quietly in amusement, then seemed to register her words. "Hey."

"Really?" she crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow. "I love Jackson to death, but there is no way he has the patience required for multiple press junkets. Abe will probably be okay, but he'll be so busy keeping Dariela from going off on someone in a pregnant hormone-fueled rampage that he'll be useless. And we all know how charming you can be with foreign dignitaries and members of the press. Are you really ready to answer the same inane questions over and over without snapping?"

"I was a teacher, remember?" he shot back. "And I did manage to charm at least one member of the press," he added with a sly grin. His arm snaked around her waist and tugged, pulling her to sit across his lap. She didn't lean against him completely, mindful of his still-healing injuries.

"I'm not sure you can use the same tactics in this situation," she laughed. "Unless you want to start some very weird rumors."

"I don't know," he nuzzled her shoulder with his nose and placed a soft kiss on the crown. "Might keep them from inviting me to any more parties."

"I'll make you a deal," Jamie raised an arm to drape it over his shoulders carefully. "You teach us all of the science-y stuff about the cure, and I'll teach all of you how to talk to the press in a way that won't make Allison want to strangle us."

"The 'science-y' stuff?'" he laughed.

"I mean, I don't need to know all of the super complicated details," she shrugged. "But it'd be nice to answer any questions without having to always defer to you."

"Alright, Miss Campbell. You have a deal." He sealed it with a kiss.

She had just leaned in a bit more, shifting to keep most of her weight off of his bad shoulder, when he laughed against her lips. Puzzled, she eased back. "What's so funny?"

"Jamie Leigh Campbell?"

She could see the mirth dancing in his eyes and she didn't bother hiding her eye roll. "My parents were super into slasher movies," she explained. "They went to see Halloween on their first date. When I was born nine years later, Mom thought it was a good homage. Mine ends in 'g-h' though, not 'e-e.'"

"Alright then, Jamie Leigh, let's get started." He was enjoying this way too much, and Jamie resolved to ask Dianne for Mitch's middle name at the very next opportunity. Two could play at this game.

The five of them ended up under the shade tree in the backyard on two large blankets. Fran had even made some lemonade for them, and they each sipped their drinks as Mitch went over the broader aspects of the mutation and how the cure had stopped it. Jamie felt like she was in eleventh grade biology all over again, and more than once she had to stop Mitch mid-ramble to get clarification on something. She was scribbling shorthand notes in a spiral notebook that she was sure she'd spend more than one sleepless night studying. Abe seemed to catch on the fastest, and near the end he showed real interest in helping Mitch with humanity's newest problem.

"There's a lot about it I don't even understand," Mitch told him curtly. "We've got some of your dad's notes, Jackson, but I can't even begin to make sense of them. I have a feeling it's going to take a lot longer than two years to figure this one out. And once again, it looks like I'm the one who has to do the figuring."

"I will help," Abe promised. "However I can."

"Well, unless you're an expert in reproductive endocrinology, I'm not sure how much help you're going to be." Jamie knew he hadn't meant it as harsh as it sounded, but Abe fell silent anyway.

"Mitch."

His face was pinched when he glanced over, and he accepted her soft chastisement with about as much grace as she expected from him. He mumbled an apology in Abe's direction, though it didn't sound sincere. He winced visibly as he struggled to his feet and waved off her attempt to help him.

"I'm gonna go find out what Clem's been up to," he announced. The others watched as he made his way back to the farmhouse, though only Jamie was still looking when he disappeared inside.

"How's he doing?" Jackson asked.

Jamie turned back to her friends and sighed. "He's alright," she told them. "I think he's getting tired."

"We're all still recovering from the past few years," Abe said.

"No," Jamie shook her head. "I mean he's tired of being the one who has all the answers. Allison's little 'request' has made him surly."

"Mitch has always been surly," Abe joked. Jamie didn't laugh. "What I mean is," he backpedaled quickly, "Mitch has never been the most charismatic member of the team. But he is the smartest, and the only one of us who could have made the cure. I suppose it was just easier to let him take the lead, since he was the one who knew which direction to go to get what we needed."

"I know," Jamie let her own apology seep into her tone, "but he's been through so much. Plus, on top of everything else, he has to learn how to be a single dad to a twelve year old girl."

"You're right," Jackson agreed. "We'll do what we can to take some of the strain off of him."

"I think this will help," Jamie said, gesturing to the space around them. "If we can answer some of the more mundane questions without having to defer to Mitch all of the time, he might not feel so much pressure."

"Anything we can do," Jackson promised.

They spent almost another hour outside reminiscing about the "glory days" and basking in the sunny afternoon. Dariela fell asleep in Abe's lap sometime around two. Jackson offered to help him get her to the house, but Abe just shook his head and lounged back on his outstretched hands.

"After so many months stuck inside that plane, it's nice to be outside once again."

Jackson seemed to agree, though Jamie could tell he was getting antsy sitting here doing nothing. "I know Reese was going to go out on a four wheeler and scout around the land to see what needs repairs," she told him. "I can see if he wants some company."

"Sounds good." Jackson stood and held a hand down for her, hauling her to her feet beside him when she grabbed it. "Abe, you sure you're alright?"

"Go, rafiki," he raised his chin dismissal. "I will be fine."

"I'll be back soon," Jamie told him. "I'll get Jackson to Reese, then grab my laptop and some refills. I need to do some manuscript work anyway."

True to her word, Jamie returned about fifteen minutes later with a fresh pitcher of lemonade in one hand and her laptop bag slung over the opposite shoulder. She handed the pitcher to Abe as she settled against the trunk of the tree to get started on her work. She still had so much to flesh out before she could even begin to type out a first draft. She was hoping Abe would be willing to act as a soundboard if she needed it.

Jamie expected Mitch to join them at some point, but it was Charlie who came to get them for dinner. When she asked, Charlie just shrugged his shoulders.

"I haven't seen him in a while," he admitted. "I heard him talking to Mom and Dad earlier this afternoon. They might know where he is."

They didn't. Dianne and Clem hadn't seen him either since he'd come to check on them around one. Swallowing down the irrational fear that erupted suddenly, she pulled out her cell and called him. It rang five times before his voicemail message picked up. She hung up and tried again with the same results. She was about try once more when he strolled through the door casually.

"Where were you?" Jamie asked, trying her hardest not to sound as frantic as she felt. "I tried calling your cell."

"Went for a walk," he reminded her as he dug his phone from his pocket. "It's on silent, sorry." He pressed a few buttons to fix it and stuffed it back into his jeans before turning toward his friends. His eyes fell on Abraham first and he sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier," he apologized again, this time more sincerely.

"Karibu," Abe answered solemnly. "I am sorry for not realizing what stresses you were under. I meant what I said. I will help however I can."

Mitch just nodded, and that was that. Jamie fought the urge to roll her eyes at the boys and gently shoved Mitch in the direction of the downstairs washroom.

"Dinner's ready," she told him by way of explanation, leaving him to wash his hands as she went to help her aunt with setting the table for eleven. They had to pull Uncle Bo's card table from the shed to make room for everyone. Fran fretted over how dirty it was until Charlie pulled an old tablecloth from the depths of the hall closet and draped it over the surface. A mismatched set of four chairs from all over the house were scrounged up and placed around it.

"So who's sitting at the kid's table?" Charlie joked.

"You're the youngest," Jamie pointed out with a teasing grin.

"No way!"

"Charlie," Fran chided. "She's right. If it makes you feel better, Reese will be joining you."

Jamie made sure her back was turned when she stuck out her tongue at her cousin. He returned it with a sneer that had no heat behind it and resigned himself to the smaller table. Clem and Dianne offered to fill the remaining two seats, and Jamie was pleased to see both of them enjoying each other's presence. Being around her grandmother had done Clem a world of good, though Jamie knew she still had a lot of healing ahead of her.

Dinner was a chaotic affair. Fran had opted for spaghetti, leaving large bowls of noodles and sauce in the center of both tables to let everyone fend for themselves. The conversations ranged from the banal to the bizarre, and Jamie just sat back and soaked it in. The last time she had been home things had been forced, almost stilted, and she felt guilty and ashamed for intruding on a place that had once been her home. She knew it had everything to do with the failures that had been so fresh in her mind, and though she hadn't mentioned it to them she knew her aunt and uncle had figured out something was wrong.

It was different now. Now, it felt like she had never left. Joyfulness irradiated the room, filling every crevice and every nook. Her aunt was laughing at something Dariela had said, Charlie was entertaining Clem and Dianne with a rather exaggerated retelling of some of their childhood adventures, and Abe, Jackson and Uncle Bo were discussing the differences between the African bush and the Louisiana backwoods (turns out, there wasn't a lot of difference after all).

"Excuse me." Mitch stood up, his chair scraping on the linoleum, and everyone fell silent. "I'm not usually one for big speeches, so I'll keep this brief. Fifteen months ago I was sitting in my office at the Los Angeles Zoo, getting ready to go out and start my day, when my phone rings. It's a reporter from the L.A. Telegraph asking to meet me and inquire about the two lions that had escaped the night before." He caught Jamie's eye briefly as he swept the room and she smiled. He returned it with a quick one of his own before continuing.

"Little did I know that phone call would change my life. Now I'm a part of this super team who was tasked to save the world not once, but twice. And we did. It hasn't been smooth sailing, and there are more than a few days - months, really - I'd like to forget." Jamie knew he was talking about the crash and the subsequent months she was presumed dead. For a brief second she saw a flash of that haunted look in his eyes that she wanted so desperately to remove for him, but then it was gone.

"But in the end, I still cannot believe how incredibly lucky I am to have met all of you." He turned and held his drink out toward Abe, Dariela and Jackson. "I never had a lot of friends growing up, and it never really bothered me until now. Because now I know what I missed out on. You guys have been like family to me, closer than my real one - present company excluded. And I can't do anything about you three," he turned suddenly toward Jamie, "But I can do something about you. Jamie Leigh Campbell…"

In two steps he was standing at her chair, and with a carefully hidden wince of pain he kneeled down. Jamie felt her heart thump against her ribcage as the moment suddenly hit her. From a pocket he produced a ring that she recognized but couldn't place, holding it up between his thumb and forefinger. He looked giddy and nervous and terrified all at once as he held her gaze with the most earnest expression she'd ever seen on his face.

"Will you marry me?"