CHAPTER 47

LEAVING

November 27, 2010

11:47pm

Charlottesville, Virginia

Russell Family Home

"I need to go away for a while," Alex said softly not meeting Andros or Aaron's eyes.

"What for?" Aaron asked.

"I can't tell you. I want to more than anything but I'm afraid," Alex told them. The boys looked at their sister, their eyes full of concern. But Alex couldn't see the concern in their eyes for her own eyes were studying her hands.

"What are you afraid of, Katie?" Andros asked using his finger to bring Alex's face to his eye level.

"I'm afraid that you two won't believe me. Will didn't and I can't stand that kind of hurt again," Alex admitted.

"Alex..." The two boys began.

"Listen, I love you both, you're my other halves...er...thirds, you're my brothers, my insanely stupid and jealous brothers, and God help me I love you both for it. With that said Jeremiah is going with me," Alex said knowing that her brothers would be hurt that Jeremiah was going with her. Andros opened his mouth to make a comment but Alex cut him off.

"Before you say anything, I never intended for him to come along. If things were different I rather it be the two of you, but Jeremiah knows what is going on and I need him."

"The question is do you still need us?" Andros said and Alex saw the hurt in his eyes.

"God yes. Like I said you two are a part of me. I'm not complete without the two of you. Please don't be angry with me."

"We aren't," Aaron said wrapping an arm around Alex's waist.

"Just be safe okay. I can't lose you," Andros told his sister he too wrapping his arm around Alex's waist.

"I'll be safe."

"If anything happens to you I'm blaming Jerry. I'm leaving my baby sister in his hands," Aaron spoke, partially joking.

"I'll let him know," Alex replied.

"So when do you leave?" Andros asked.

"Tonight," Alex answered sadly. The triplets held tightly to one another, their heads touching.

In one of the workrooms on the third floor Jeremiah was having a similar conversation with his brother and sister.

"I've got to go with Alex for a while," Jeremiah told them.

"For," Greg prompted.

"I can't tell you, though odds are you'll find out eventually." Jeremiah sighed.

"Why with Alex?" Lissa asked jealously creeping into her voice.

"Because I know the truth," Jeremiah replied cryptically.

"And just what is the truth Jer?" Lissa questioned jealously gone now replaced with anger and annoyance.

"It's safer if you don't know," Jeremiah told her.

"Damn it Jeremiah," Lissa hissed.

"Enough," Greg said stopping the impending one sided argument between his brother and sister. Suddenly Greg had a new found respect for Jeremiah. Jeremiah often had to put up with Greg and Lissa's bickering, Greg wondered how Jeremiah could stand it.

"You need to go Jer, then go. We've all gone off on pretends over the years this time is no different," Greg spoke

"It is different. This time Jer is going without us," Lissa replied hotly.

"Melissa I said that is enough and I meant it," Greg barked. Lissa and Jeremiah looked at their brother with shock, it was one thing for Greg to try and stop an argument, it was another thing completely for Greg to pull rank. Out of the three Grey triplets Greg was the oldest, though he rarely acted like it. It was part of the children's Centre training to listen to the eldest of their group, and it was one of the few parts of their Centre training that had stuck with them over the years.

Greg had never before pulled rank over Lissa or Jeremiah but he understood that what ever was going on was important and Jeremiah did not need Lissa yelling at him. Greg now understood what it was like to be the leader of a group and was glad that he was not the oldest of the Black Files. It took a lot to keep everyone happy, and tempers from flaring. How Jake managed to do it day in and day out over the past fifteen years was beyond Greg.

"So little brother when do you leave?" Greg sighed he felt tired and wondered how old Jake felt after dedicating fifteen years of his life leading the Black Files.

"Tonight."

November 28, 2010

1:21am

Charlottesville, Virginia

Russell Family Home

Alex and Jeremiah quickly dressed and made their way to the younger kids room where their bags were stored. The four little ones were still asleep so Alex quietly pulled out a plastic bag that held her hair dye. She went into the adjoining bathroom and with Jeremiah's help, Alex went from being a brunet with hair flowing down her back, to a redhead with her hair stopping just at her shoulders.

Jeremiah put his contact lenses on and the two cousins stared at themselves in the mirror. The two of them had always had similar features but now they truly looked as though they were twins.

"Well look at us," Jeremiah said with and Irish accent.

"We look like quite the brother and sister," Alex replied.

"You scared?" Jeremiah asked.

"Oh yeah," Alex replied shakily.

"We'd better get going. Our plane leaves in three hours," Jeremiah said. The two quickly disposed of the hair dye, and the locks of Alex's hair that had been trimmed. They then went and woke Amy, Keegan, Jason, and Jack.

"Hey," Alex said softly as Jason and Jack rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. The boy's reached up to touch Alex's slightly damp hair.

"You like?" Alex asked, and the redheaded twins nodded their heads, they were the only children of Jarod and Morgan with red hair and secretly wished that they weren't. Jeremiah led Keegan and Amy over to Alex and the twins so that the six of them could talk.

"You guys remember what we talked about right?" Jeremiah said passing Amy a cell phone. "Call Alex and me every day. And if something goes wrong Alex and I will be on the next flight home."

"Kay," The four kids whispered. Jeremiah and Alex gave each of the children a kiss, told them how much they loved them and tucked the children back in bed. The cousins then made their way downstairs careful not to make a sound. Deactivating the alarm, -and the reactivating it once they closed the door behind them- Jeremiah and Alex went out the back kitchen door and across the back lawn to the garage.

The garage had a numerous amount of vehicles, but what Alex and Jeremiah wanted was in the back. At the very back of the garage were fourteen Yamaha motorcycles. The Black Files had bought them a few months back but were forbidden to ride them until their sixteenth birthday.

Jeremiah and Alex grabbed their bikes and pushed them down the road until they were a good distance from the house. They then adjusted their packs, and hopped on their bikes. With a kick they started the bikes and were off to the airport.

Though Jeremiah Grey and Alexandra Russell were a little over fourteen and a half Liam and Ashling were sixteen and a half. And thanks to a growth spurt over the past year Alex and Jeremiah easily passed for sixteen.

Once at the airport Alex and Jeremiah each rented a locker, placing their helmets inside. Their plane was then called to board and Jeremiah and Alex quickly got on, it would be a long ride and the cousins hoped to catch up on their sleep. But first things first, Adam needed to be contacted.

"E-mail or phone?" Alex asked with an Irish accent as she slipped into her pretend.

"Phone, lets not scare him off. Besides he should be awake now," Jeremiah replied.

Alex dialed the number she had received from Keegan, who had learned the number from reading Will.

"Hello," Answered not Adam but another boy who's accent Alex could not place, it sounded Irish, but had tones of a Scottish accent, as well as American.

"H-Hello, can I speak to Adam Edward Russell or Connor Riley, which ever name he's answering to," Alex said a bit thrown off.

"Sure, may I ask who's calling?" The boy questioned.

"Tell him... Tell him it's Alex," she replied. On the other end of the phone Alex could have sworn she heard the boy gasp.

"A-Alex," He stuttered and his accent became truly Scottish.

"Yeah. Do I know you?" Alex asked.

"Yes...No... You didn't dream last night, but considering the contents of our dreams I can't say I'm disappointed," The boy said cryptically

"Who are you?" Alex hissed, Jeremiah looked over at Alex wondering what in the hell was going on.

"My name is Benjamin Riley Merrick Kirby, well it is now. Once upon a time I was called Able Parker," Benny answered.

"Ben...Ben Riley was the clone of Peter Parker. As for Able he was slain by his brother Kaine," Alex said. Jeremiah was growing more confused by the second, but as for Alex she felt that things were becoming clearer.

"Able is dead, he died the day his brother slid a knife in to his gut. But from that tragedy Ben Kirby was born. How do you know so much about me Alex?" Benny asked.

"I could ask you the same. You know of my dreams," Alex replied.

"Our dreams," Benny corrected. "We share them. Why? How? I don't know, but we do. But I never learned of your identity from our dreams. I learned who you were from Adam. Now it's your turn, how do you know about me?"

"Kaine," Alex said. Benny was silent for a moment.

"How did you learn of me from Kaine?"

"My cousin Keegan is a telepath among other things. He looked into Kaine's mind and we learned of you. He believes you to be dead," Alex said.

"How did you meet him?" Benny questioned already dreading the answer.

"He has switched places with my -our?- brother. Pete is still missing. No one in my...our family knows except for myself, my baby brothers Jason and Jack, and my cousins Jeremiah, Amy, and Keegan. Jeremiah and I are on our way to Galway to meet up with Adam, and apparently you...and your sweeper Steve?" Alex said, she was a bit leery about Steve, but figured that he couldn't be that bad of a guy if he wasn't fond of Kaine.

"He's not my sweeper he's my Dad," Benny said a bit defensively and Alex couldn't help but be reminded of Pete who had always been touchy on the subject of someone saying that Jarod was not his biological father. As far as Pete -and everyone else in the family- was concerned, Jarod was Pete's father in every sense of the word.

"Sorry," Alex apologized.

"It's quite alright, you didn't know," Benny replied a bit calmer. "I assume that you would like to speak to Adam now, have him confirm what I have told you."

"You'd be correct," Alex said. She then heard a brief shuffling as Benny gave Adam the cell phone.

"This is Adam."Alex was a bit taken back by the tone of Adam's voice. Usually he sounded so unsure of himself, but now there was underling strength.

"Hi Eddie, or should I say Connor," Alex teased 'Eddie' being Adam's nickname. "I can't believe you used Connor Riley as an alias and no one could find you. I'm mean come on Angel's son's name, with all of the Buffy and Angel geeks we have at the house and no one bothered to check."

Adam chuckled. "It's a good thing I contacted Will and got him one my side or else he probably would have found me. I see that you have. How?"

"Keegan. He looked into Will's mind and told me where I could find you. Adam... Why didn't you tell me about Benny?" Alex asked the question had plagued her every since she realized who Benny was.

"At first I didn't want to burden every one. And then he -Benny- asked me not to tell. He made up some crap about not overwhelm everyone with the knowledge of who and what he was," Adam answered.

"It was the dreams," Alex said suddenly. "Benny and I have been sharing dreams and he's been trying to figure them out. That's why he didn't want to tell anyone. But now pieces are falling into place and I truly wish that they weren't."

"Why don't we discuss this when you arrive. Steve, Benny, and I will pick you up from the airport."

"Jerry's with me too," Alex told Adam. "Our plane lands in six hours. I'll see you then?"

"Of course. And I'll get Benny to fill me and Steve in on everything. Bye Alex."

"Bye Eddie," Alex said and hung up.

"What in the hell was all that about?" Jeremiah asked Alex.

Up Next: Andros is still upset that Alex has left with Jeremiah. Morgan, Jarod, Jen and Sam discover that their children are gone and Morgan and Sam are none to pleased and it's up to Jake to get everyone to settle down.

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