CHAPTER 77

EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OKAY

December 11, 2010

11:45am

Charlottesville, Virginia

Russell Family Home

"Pete, is that you?" Adam asked stunned. Everyone in the living room looked at Adam in shock.

"It's good to hear your voice Adam," Peter told his cousin. Adam could hear the nervousness in Peter's voice. Adam was nervous himself. He wanted for the person on the other end of the phone to truly be his cousin Peter, yet Adam could not just trust whomever was calling.

"How," Adam asked. "do I know you aren't John and this isn't some trick? How do I know I can trust you?"

"Cause bro, John Parker wouldn't know that when you and I were five, we played hide and go seek and I locked you in Jake's trunk and forgot. Everyone was so scared thinking that someone took you. Luckily I remembered where you were and went to get you out before anyone found out what I did. Funny thing was you ended up falling asleep. You never told anyone what I did though, but you did get even and locked me in the pantry," Peter replied.

Adam closed his eyes. No one other than Peter and Adam knew that story, not even Jake or Will and those two knew nearly everything that went on in the house. It had to truly be Pete, how could it not be.

"One last question. What did we talk about that night?" Adam asked. If he was truly talking to Peter than Peter would know which night Adam was referring to.

"We talked about our Dads," Peter answered know that Adam was referring to the first night the boys met. "I asked you about your Dad -Eddie- first. Then you asked me about my Dad and I got quiet. You became worried think that you had offended me but you didn't. It was just hard for me to talk about it. I told you how I had two Dads, Jarod and Mr. Parker. You then asked me what my real Dad was like and without hesitation, I told you about my Dad, Jarod."

"He's my real Dad, Adam, I know that. I may not be to certain who I am at the moment but I know that my real Dad loves me. For seven years he raised me and loved me not caring that biologically I was someone else's son," Peter's voice cracked with emotion.

"Birds of a feather," Adam mumbled. Both boys had always had father issues.

"You believe me then?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, Pete I believe ya," Adam replied. "How Pete? Jeremiah, Allen and everyone said that you weren't you. But now you are?"

"Put me on speaker phone Ad, and I'll explain everything," Peter promised. Adam did as Peter bayed.

"You're on Pete," Adam told the younger boy.

"Hi," Peter called out to the people in the room.

"Peter," Morgan whispered.

"Yeah, Momma it's me," Peter said. Adam nodded his head reassuring his aunt that she was indeed speaking to her son.

"Peter how is this possible?" Jarod asked.

"All you all need to know right now is that I more or less got my memories back. They're still a bit fuzzy around the edges, and yeah... I sometimes get my true memories and fake ones confused. But I can't go into any further detail right now because Katie's in trouble and she needs us."

"We know," Andros spoke.

"How did you all find out Cox and Raines got Alex.? They haven't had her for that long," Peter stated.

"Katie went full blast with her pyrokinesis and it had a few repercussions here," Will said.

"Not to mention that bastard Cox ran a letter opener through Alex's hand," Aaron hissed. His anger was not directed towards Peter but Cox and Raines. Peter swore violently.

"I-is she okay?" Peter asked heart heavy with guilt.

"She's fine Tiger. You know Alex she's tough," Jake reassured Peter.

"This is all my fault. If only I had listened to my inner sense none of this would of happened."

"That's bull shit Peter, and you know it," Will snapped. "You had no control-"

"You're a father because of me William," Peter interrupted Will, leaving Will and the rest of the family speechless for a good while.

"Number one we don't have the time to be dealing with this. Number two it takes nine months for a baby to develop Tiger," Alley spoke breaking the silence. "Parker didn't even have you for two months."

"And what about Shadow?" Peter asked.

"You were four years old when I was born," a small boy with an English accent said.

"Hello Keegan," Peter said to the little boy. "How do you like being a Russell?"

"I'm a Anthony. But Amy say's that I'm still her, Jason, and Jack's brother," Keegan told Peter.

"Have you been keeping an eye on my brothers?"

"We keep an eye on each other," Keegan replied. Peter was about to say more but Keegan interrupted him. "It's not your fault, what happened to me, Jason, or Jack. That man used you just like he used us."

"You are wise beyond your years Keegan," Peter said.

"If I may," Allen spoke. Jarod nodded at the boy giving him permission to speak. "Peter how did you know who Keegan was?"

"Judging by your English accent I'm going to say you are Allen. And to answer your question Bane told me, and he knew because Alex told him nearly everything," Peter replied.

"I thought we all agreed that Alex has no time for pleasantries, us blaming ourselves, or us trying to deal with the rest of our personal shit," Greg said. Jake glanced over at the younger boy and was concerned by what he saw. Greg, who always had a care free air about him seemed to have hardened. Undergoing the same ordeals as Alex had changed Greg over the past few hours. Jake hated what he saw in Greg for it was the same thing Jake saw every time he looked in the mirror.

"Greg's right," Jake agreed. "Let's catch Pete up on the plan, see what he and his can do to help." Jake then gestured to Aaron and Andros. The boys quickly told Peter the plan on getting Bobby out.

"Can we trust him?" Peter asked referring to Bobby.

"Yes," Jeremiah answered.

"The question is no longer who are the people we can trust but how we are going to rescue the people we love," Benny said. Peter recognized Benny's voice to be similar to his own and it shocked him. Benny's voice may of held hints of a Scottish accent with Irish and American hues but Peter could still hear the similarities between his voice and Benny's.

"So it's true then," Peter said. Benny had no need to ask to what Peter meant.

"Yes it's true...big brother," Benny said hesitantly. Peter wanted to spend a longer time -or any time at all- talking to Benny, but knew that was no time for such matters.

"Later then," Peter told Benny, Benny understanding that Peter wanted to talk when there was time.

"Peter how divided are the factions inside of the Centre?" Jarod asked his son.

"Raines and Cox have a large number of supporters. But no where near as large a number compared to their era at the Old Centre," Peter answered.

"Give me a ball park figure," Jarod said.

"Two dozen that are completely loyal. Another dozen who's loyalty changes with the wind," Peter told his father. "Mr. Parker has about the same number loyal to him and I have not quite a dozen. I'm pretty sure I can get the support of Centre projects. There aren't many here who have fire in them but with the help of Bane, Airell and Merlin, who knows." Cassie and Jake's eyebrows shot up at this information, and the other Files gauged their reaction to Peter mentioning Airell and Merlin's names.

"Airell and Merlin are a good team, and very good at opening peoples' eyes to the truth," Jake commented, his thoughts someplace else entirely.

"Why does it not surprise me Jacob, that you know Airell and Merlin," Lex muttered dryly.

"How are we going to get into the Centre undetected and avoid a large number of Centre sweepers and cleaners?" Terra asked.

"You're forgetting that I am heir to the Centre. Or more precisely the new chairman, I wield a large amount of power here. I can dismiss a large number of the staff, making it simple enough for you all to walk right through the front doors," Peter said.

"Finally something that makes this a bit easier," Marc sighed.

"This will be far from easy, Marc," Sam told the boy.

"Gee I guess we know if Uncle Sam is a glass half empty kind of guy or not," Marc grumbled.

"On a different note, concerning Jack," Peter began, Jack sat up when he heard his name.

"What about me?" the little boy asked in a rare moment of speaking in front of his family.

"I asked Parker what he gave you. He said that it was a...a poison that...well it makes your temperature rise and then decrease. The process repeats over and over all the while your temperature gets higher with each cycle, until..." Peter trailed off.

"Until it kills me or a cure is found," Jack said stating the simple truth, his family wincing. Jack would not allow for the virus in his body to frighten him. He would get better, Will and the others promised that they wouldn't let anything happen to him again, and Jack believed his family. Besides Jack had to be strong for Amy, Jason, Keegan and the rest of the family.

"You shouldn't talk about dying like that Jacky," Peter whispered.

"I'm gonna be okay Pete," Jack told his brother and for a moment Peter truly believed his brother.

"Peter did you learn anything thing else about Jack's sickness?" Will asked.

"Parker said that the cure lies in Jason," Peter sighed. Jason looked at his twin shock on his face and fear. What if Jason did hold the cure but it wasn't found in time. Jason would blame himself for the rest of his life if his brother died. "What that means I don't know and neither does Parker. Cox was the one who designed the virus. Hopefully Bane will be able to beat the information out of Cox," Peter continued.

"Pete keep digging and see what else you can find on what Cox gave Gabriel," Morgan ordered gently.

"I will Momma. I have to go now and see what my troops are up to," Peter said regretfully.

"Be safe Tiger," Aaron, Andros, Will and Alley said at the same time.

"I've learned a few things over the past few hours, I'm a Russell and Parker. Both the Russell's and the Parker's face incredible odds and for the better or worse of other's around them, they always come out on top a majority of the time. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Peter reassured his family.

"Pete, I'm scared," Jason whispered. Peter was thrown back into a memory

Peter is roughly shoved into a dark cement and cinder block cell, his little brothers right behind them. Jason stumbles and falls to the ground in the process he gains a cut right above his right eye. Both Jason and his twin Jack yelp in pain. Thanks to the brothers' telepathic bond Jack also receives the same cut.

Peter blindly reaches out for his brothers. His fingers flutter across the twins' cheeks, and the boys slightly recoil. "It's okay it's just me," Peter tells them. Jason and Jack let out a muffled sob and launch themselves into Peter's arms.

Peter leads the boys to the corner of the room and helps them sit down. Jason and Jack lean into their big brother's sides, as tears fall down their faces. Peter pushes in the light button on his watch and a soft blue glow emits. He blinks as his eyes adjust to the light and then inspects his brothers.

Catching sight of their identical cuts, Peter uses the cuff of his shirt wipe away the blood threatening to seep in to the twins' eyes.

"Ouch," Jack says softly, when Peter presses a little too hard.

"Sorry Jacky," Peter apologizes. "It that better though?"

"Little," Jack replies as he and Jason snuggle up to Peter. Peter protectively wraps his arms around the little boys.

"Pete, I'm scared," Jason whispers.

"It's okay Jasa. Everything's gonna be okay," Pete tells his little brother.

"It's okay Jasa. Everything's gonna be okay," Peter promised Jason.

December 11, 2010

12:21pm

Charlottesville, Virginia

Russell Family Home

Jake wouldn't lie to himself a part of him had given up hope that Airell and Merlin were alive. The dark haired siblings hadn't been found after the fall of the Centre, not even a single file on them was recovered. It was as though they had never existed. If not for his own memories, and a single photo taken from a DSA, Jake never would have believed that Airell or Merlin had ever been at the Centre.

Jake opened the trunk at the foot of his bed, and began to search for a photograph he hadn't touched in over two years. He found the black and white picture in hidden in the false bottom of the trunk in a manilla envelope.

There was nothing special about the photo really. In it sat an eight year old Jake, and an eight year old Airell smiling at each other. Though the picture was in black and white, Jake could vividly remember the colors of that day. Airell's hair was so dark it was nearly black, her eyes were somewhere between blue, green, and hazel, the color shifting with her mood. And despite the fact that Airell had never been out in the sun, the young girl had a naturally tanned complexion.

"Airi," Jake sighed, running a finger along her smiling figure. Jake had mourned her for seven years, to learn that she had been out there, locked away in Carthis.

Hearing footsteps approaching Jake, quickly replaced the picture back in it's file and put the file back in his trunk, just as Cassie entered the room.

"You didn't have to put her picture back because I was coming,"Cassie said.

"I-I what picture," Jake stuttered.

"Mentioning Airi was always one way to get you to either stutter of blush," Cassie teased lightly.

"Yeah, but for you all we had to do was mention Lin," Jake shot back.

"Jake...we thought that they were dead. We should have never stopped searching," Cassie whispered.

"Cassie we shouldn't blame ourselves. There was never a trail for us to even follow," Jake said placing his hands on Cassie's shoulders looking the younger girl in the eyes. "Don't beat yourself up about this. Lin wouldn't want you to. Okay?"

"Okay," Cassie nodded her head, sighing as she stepped out of Jake's touch. "Knowing that they're alive though, it just makes me want to get to Carthis even sooner."

"I know. Listen I need to go out for a bit get some air. You want to join me?" Jake offered.

"No, I'm fine," Cassie replied. Jake smiled at her and then made his way out of the room.

"Jake," Cassie called out to him.

"Yeah?" Jake asked turning around.

"Don't beat yourself up about this. Airi wouldn't want you to. Okay?" Cassie echoed Jake's earlier words, causing Jake to smile again.

Up Next: Pete catches Bane up on Alex's condition. And Will and Jamie have a talk.