Disclaimer: Same as before. The Tribe doesn't belong to me.

A/N: Sorry about all the confusion. I lost chapters and etc. So, you might have already read this chapter. But now it's in the correct order. Yay! I hope you enjoy it. And I'll try to get another chapter up soon.

Chapter 13- The Truth About Michael

The inside of the house was in chaos. The rest of the boat crew had arrived by now and were milling around the living room. All but Ved, that is. Re-Nee found him upstairs along with Tina, Salene, Amber, Trudy and of course, Cloe. "Tina and Salene," Re-Nee said, causing the girls to instantly pay attention. "I need you to go downstairs and help keep everyone calm, especially the kids."

The two nodded their heads and then ran off. Re-Nee then turned to focus on her attention on the remaining two girls. "I'm going to need your help. Amber, could you go get me some towels. Get the ones from the basket Jay just brought in." As Amber left, Re-Nee made her next assignment.

"Trudy, start boiling some water. And bring up a bucket of ice water." Trudy began to leave when Re-Nee stopped her again. "If you run into Amber, I want you to tell her to bring wash clothes too."

Back and forth and up and down the stairs the girls ran. With each passing moment, Cloe's screams grew louder and louder. Suddenly, silence rang through the house. Jay sat poised on the edge of his chair, praying that everything would turn out alright. Jay couldn't bare the thought if Ved lost another person he cared for. A held-in breath escaped as the house was filled with the sounds of a new born baby.

Upstairs Cloe was holding her baby for the first time. Ved leaned over to count every toe and finger. "He's a gorgeous boy," Trudy said. "What are you going to name him?"

"Joshua Sam," Cloe said before Ved could even think. "Josh because it's a name I've always loved and Sam after his paternal grandfather." Cloe smiled as she handed the baby to Re-Nee, who took him to finish washing him. Meanwhile, Ved, Trudy and Amber went downstairs to spread the good news.

"I'm tired," Amber said as she plopped down onto the couch. After Ved had delivered the good news, Jay and him had gone back upstairs to see the baby. Knowing the excitement was over for the night, everyone started to head to their own bedrooms.

"Are you feeling alright?" Trudy asked as she handed Amber a glass of water. Amber wasn't exactly sure how to respond. What is she talking about?

"I'm fine, just tired. There's been a lot of excitement since we landed. Can you blame me?" Amber said a little defensively.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Trudy said, full of concern. "You're just looking very pale and seem to be losing weight." All the sudden it seemed like Trudy's light bulb had flashed on. "Do you think it might be the virus? We know nothing about it and…"

"Calm down, Trudy," Amber said laughing. Getting up, she stretched and replied, "I don't have the virus. It's stress; it's emotion over-load. That's all it is, trust me." Giving Trudy a hug, she straightened again. "Thanks for the concern. In the beginning we had our rough spots, but I've always been able to count on you. Now, I'm off to bed."

"Goodnight," Trudy called after her. On the way up the stairs, Amber ran into Bray. "I need to talk to you," they said at the same time. They each gave the other a half smile. "Follow me," Bray said as he started to walk to his room.

Once in there, he made sure she was comfortable before he sat down. "You go first," Bray said. Amber sat in silence while she collected her thoughts. She had hoped Bray would go first, but he was a gentleman and would continue to demand for her to go first. Finally she blurted out, "Did you really mean what you told me that second night?"

"Amber…" Bray started to say, as if Amber and him had had this conversation a million times before. "No Bray," Amber said, cutting him off, "I NEED to know. I don't want you to feel as if you HAVE to be with me because of little Bray. If you've fallen in love with Re-Nee, I think I could understand. I would never take Bray Jr. away from you.

"Bray, you are my 'one'," Amber said, continuing her speech, "my prince charming. I've always loved you, and still do. Sasha, Pride and Jay, well, they were just… they were just frogs in my way of finding you."

Bray leaned forward and took her hands. "Everything I told you, I meant. Only you have held the 'keys to my heart'. I also believe that I fell in love with you from the first moment I saw you. Call it teenage hormones if you want, but I believe it was love.

"When you thought you wanted to be with Sasha, I was filled with so much jealousy. When I thought you were dead, I died. Seeing that you weren't dead, but only to find out you were sort of seeing Pride, didn't help me feel anymore alive. I didn't want to leave you that day the plane came. I fought, but I guess not hard enough. Amber, I do love you. With all my heart, I love you."

The room seemed to glow with all the happiness flowing around the room. Neither knew what to say and were happy just sitting in silence staring at each other. Finally Amber said, "I know that we can't jump right back into our previous relationship, but I'm willing to work at it."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," he said.

Amber felt like her stomach was on a boat that was cruising around the ocean in the middle of a hurricane. Quickly throwing the covers off her, Amber ran into the bathroom, retching up all of the previous night's dinner. Finally finishing, Amber sat with her back leaning against the toilet.

Trudy's worries came flooding into her mind. Could I have the virus? This was the third time this week that she's woken up with this terrible feeling. Amber was slightly startled when there was a knock on the door.

"Amber?" Bray's voice filtered through. "Is everything okay?" Amber quickly stood up and grabbed a wet rag. "Uhh…yeah," she said as she wiped her face. Cleaning up, she placed a happy look on her face.

"Why wouldn't I feel okay?" she asked as she opened the door.

"It just sounded like you were throwing up or something," Bray said concerned. "Did you eat something that didn't agree with you?"

Amber gave her custom half-smile. "I must have, or I'm just getting use to this fresh air." Walking around Bray, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Did you sleep well?" The two walked over to the bed. Looking down, they watched as their son sleep.

Bray seemed to think about her question. Finally, he gave a little laugh. "Actually, I did sleep well. Did you?"

Amber nodded her head. "I did too." The two looked at each other before settling down to chat and wait for their son to wake up.

Tina was up at the crack of dawn as usual. Downstairs, she was getting breakfast ready. Her movements were jerky and she never acknowledged Luke as he entered the kitchen. Danni and Guy were in shock. Getting up, Danni dragged Guy outside for some private talking.

"Did you see that?" she asked. "She completely ignored him. She has never done that, even when she was mad at him." Danni looked a lot like Ellie when she had found some pivotal facts.

"Calm down, Danni," Guy said. "I saw the exact same thing. Plus, Luke was sleeping on the couch when I came downstairs. They must have had a fight, maybe about Ellie. That is one of Luke's old flames, right?" Guy acted as if it was no big deal.

"Aren't you worried? Don't you see what these Mall Rats are doing to us?"

Guy laughed at her dramatics and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you think you're over-reacting?"

"Do you think I am?" she asked back. She was in shock. It seemed like even Guy was turning on her. "Look at Bray and Re-Nee. Within seconds of the Mall Rats arriving, they separated. Now, Bray is all over Amber."

Guy shook his head. "You never thought that their relationship would last, so why are you so upset? It just came sooner, rather than later."

"Fine," Danni said angrily. Crossing her arms, she began to walk away. "Agree with everyone else." Guy let her walk away.

She'll calm down, he thought, but what is her problem? I know she's always had problems with Ebony, but why is she blaming all of this on the Mall Rats? And what is going on with Tina and Luke? If I couldn't pull them apart, then nothing can. Shaking his head, Guy started back towards the house.

Salene took a deep breath. No one was around, so now would be the best time to confront Tina. Salene had even made sure that Michael was out and about. She didn't want him to hear anything that went on between his 'mother' and her.

Taking one last breath, Salene walked through the kitchen door. Tina stood at the sink cleaning the pile of dishes everyone had left behind. "We need to talk," Salene commanded. She watched as Tina took a deep breath and turned around.

"I was hoping he hadn't told you yet," Tina whispered. "I was only told last night." Anger still coursed through her as she thought back to just a few hours ago.

Ever since Salene had run out of the kitchen that day, Tina had been filled with dread. Over and over again, she wondered who Michael's mother was and if Salene could be it. Her talk with Re-Nee had given her the courage she needed. Wanting to know the answer, she tracked down Luke.

Sitting in the middle of their bed, Luke leaned against the headboard reading. When he heard the door open, he looked up and into Tina's eyes. He knew he swore Trudy he would tell and he knew he swore himself that he wouldn't but one look into her eyes made him realized he had to keep his promise with Trudy.

Tina watched as Luke's face went from contentment to guilt. She crumbled as she realized that he had known all along. "How could you!" she yelled as she backed up into the closed door. "You promised me that you would tell me! You promised!"

"I can explain…" he said, getting up out of the bed. Tina shook her head, not wanting to hear excuses. "Just tell me if Salene's is his mother," Tina said.

Luke stood silently by the bed. Finally, he nodded his head. He felt his world crumble as he watched Tina sink to the floor. He walked over to her, but she scrambled away. "Get out!" she yelled. "I never want to talk to you again. Get out!"

Luke knew that she was serious. Getting his pillow, he looked back one more time at her. Tears fell non-stop and Luke felt his heartbreak. When she continued to ignore him, Luke stepped out of the room.

"I want my son back!" Salene yelled, bring Tina back to the matter at hand. "You…Luke…you stole him from me and I want him back!"

"I never! Everything I told you was the truth. The Guardian brought him to me. I tried to pass him off to Luke, but he wouldn't take him." Tina wasn't sure what she should do. She loved Michael with all her heart and she didn't want to give him up, but she knew that Michael belonged to someone else.

"If you didn't want him, then you could have found his mother. You were a Chosen member, you had connections."

"I had to do what the Guardian told me to do. You knew what he was like. He was crazy. For me, it was a life or death situation."

"You still could have found out the mother was me!" Salene couldn't get over the fact. If Tina hadn't wanted to raise Michael, then she could have found ways to not raise him.

"I was going to, but then I got attached. He was so sweet and innocent. I didn't want him to get caught up in the Guardians' crazy world, so I did what I thought was best for him.

"I made Luke promise me that he would tell me who the mother was, but he never told me. I finally got to a point where I thought I would never discover Michael's mother. You can't expect me to give up my son!"

"He's not your son! He's all I have left of Ryan. He's my future and I can expect you to give him back to me. What if Brady was your child? You would expect Trudy to give her to you."

Tina looked down. Both Salene and her had been crying and it didn't look like they would be stopping anytime soon. "I lost Ryan and I felt so guilty. I had treated him so badly. I had lost both him and my child at the same time. I got better, but every time I saw Trudy with Brady and later when Amber had Bray Jr., I got lonely and wondered what it would have been like if I hadn't lost my child." Salene stopped speaking and looked up at Tina. "Knowing my child survived and not being able to raise him would kill me. Do what's right…" Turning away from Tina, Salene ran out of the kitchen.

Salene knew she couldn't force Tina to give Michael to her. That would only hurt him in the end. The only thing Salene could do was wait for Tina to do the right thing.

Tina fought with herself as she thought about what she would do. One side of her knew that Salene was right, that she should give Michael back to his biological mother. The other side said that he was too young, that he wouldn't understand what was going on. Giving up, she ran outside to gain Re-Nee's advice.

Re-Nee couldn't believe what a beautiful day it was. Gathering the children, she took them outside, never noticing the tensions floating throughout the house. "Stay within my eyesight," Re-Nee yelled, looking specifically at Mouse. They all shouted "Yes ma'am" and ran away.

Sitting on the ground, Re-Nee lifted Bray Jr. into her lap. He looks so much like his father, she thought. Re-Nee opened a book for Bray Jr. to flip through, but Re-Nee's mind was elsewhere.

It was a day just like this one and Re-Nee was sitting in the exact same spot. Looking up, she saw Michael and Johnny playing, but they were bigger, older. Running after them was a little boy Re-Nee had never seen, but on some level knew that he was Joshua.

Laughing at the boys' antics, Re-Nee looked down into her lap. Bray Jr. had been replaced by a baby girl that was playing with Re-Nee's bracelet. Alternating between a pale blue and white, the bracelet had a few brown boats dotting it.

Focusing more on the baby, Re-Nee watched as the little girl stopped playing with the bracelet and focused on the shells in front of her. "Today, we are going to make your first bracelet," Re-Nee whispered. Re-Nee knew she was holding her own child, but she didn't know how it was possible. Continuing her conversation with the little girl, she said, "We've just got to wait for your daddy."

"I'm right here, Re-Nee…" a male voice said. Re-Nee knew it was familiar, she was just having a hard time placing it.

As suddenly as the dream had started, Re-Nee was shaken awake. "Are you alright, Re-Nee?" Jay asked. Re-Nee shook her head to clear the remaining dream fragments. "I just spaced out," she said.

Jay nodded his head and sat next to her. Having lost interest in the book, Bray Jr. crawled into Jay's lap. They sat in the silence until Re-Nee asked, "How's the boat coming?"

"Almost done. The guys are putting the last of the wood on. Bray's being his usual jackass-self, so I made my escape." Jay instantly covered his mouth and Re-Nee laughed. "I'm really sorry," Jay sputtered.

"Don't worry about it. We all are entitled to our opinions." As Re-Nee's laughter faded away, the two sat in silence once more. This time, Jay interrupted the comforting peace they had between them.

"Do you ever wish that the Mall Rats had never shown up? That you and Bray never broke up?" Jay's questions startled Re-Nee and she looked over to make sure he was serious. Once she realized he was, she looked back at the children and thought about her answer.

"The truth?" she asked. She waited until he nodded his head before answering. "In a lot of ways, I'm grateful. I cared deeply for him and even in love with him, but I wasn't in love with him. Love is more than just caring for someone and it's taken us breaking up to realize that at times I felt trapped. If we continued on that track, we would have ruined any friendship we had."

Jay nodded his head. "I know what you mean," he said. "The longer Amber and I stayed together, the more suffocated I felt. I realized I was staying in the relationship just to have a companion. She deserves more. As much as I hate to say anything nice about Bray, he really loves her and she deserves that."

Re-Nee looked up and couldn't help but feel attracted to him. They really were in the same boat, both had been in relationship because they wanted to have companionship and didn't want to feel left out in a world surrounded by couples.

Trying to clear her head, Re-Nee turned to Jay. A little girl's excitement filled her voice as she asked, "What is it like to live in the city? How did they survive without adults? Tina and the other told me some things, but I want to know everything."

Jay laughed at her enthusiasm. "They survived the same way you did; they adapted. In the beginning, either you were part of a big tribe or you were their slave. Everyone became a scavenger and lived off what they could find…" Jay continued to talk as Re-Nee listened. Every once in a while he would say something that would make her laugh.

She really is pretty when she smiles, Jay thought. She hasn't done that much since we got here, but I wish she would.

Jay was saved from reviewing what he was thinking by the approach of Tina. Her look alone said that she wanted to talk to Re-Nee in private. Picking Bray Jr. up. Jay said, "We'll finish talking later." Re-Nee was startled by Jay's abrupt ending, but soon realized what was going on when a tear-soaked Tina sat down next to her.

"What's the matter?" Re-Nee asked as she wrapped her arms around her best friend's shoulders. She waited for Tina to calm down before she asked again.

"The lying jerk!" was the first thing Tina yelled. "He knew that Michael belonged to her and he never told me. He promised me he would tell me but he didn't."

"Who? Who is Michael's mother?" Re-Nee instantly knew what Tina was talking about, but she didn't know what she could do.

"Salene. Salene is his mother and she wants him back. She wants to take him away from me. He's mine! Right?"

"Oh Tina!" Re-Nee cried. "You've been a wonderful mother to him. Of course he's yours."

"But?" Tina asked. She knew that there was a 'but' coming. There is always a 'but'.

"But think about how Salene must feel. Maybe the two of you can work something out. Maybe the two of you could finish raising him, like a mother and step-mother."

"But who is the mother and who is the step-mother?" Tina asked. "Who has the most power? A mother can say something that a step-mother can't refute. Who is who in this situation?" Re-Nee was going to say something, but Tina cut her off. "If I did talk to Salene, would you be there? As support?"

Re-Nee instantly nodded her head. "Of course. You're my best friend. I'll always be there. Just tell me when."

Dinner was a sober affair. Everyone seemed to be avoiding someone. Even the kids could tell that something was wrong. Bray Jr. wouldn't eat and continually fussed. His constant motions constantly knocked his dinner bowl over. Eventually, Amber excused herself and took Bray Jr. with her.

Following her lead, the kids quickly finished their dinners and excused themselves. Rushing into the living room, the Surfer and the Mall Rat children went to separate sides of the room.

"It's all their fault," Johnny grumbled to Michael, loud enough for the Mall Rat kids to hear. "I wish they had never come here."

"Yeah," Michael agreed, copying his come again best friend. "Wish they had never come."

"Yeah!" Mouse asked loudly. "Well, we wished we had never stopped here also!"

"Yeah," chimed Brady, insulted by how rude Michael and Johnny were acting.

"Well," Johnny said, looking at Mouse, "if you're such a good swimmer, why don't you try swimming back to your precious city? Maybe along the way, you'll get caught in a storm. Then no one would have to worry about you again."

That set Mouse off and she lunged at Johnny. Michael and Brady stood watching, unsure if they should go inform the adults.

Mouse and Johnny instantly jumped apart when a loud male voice boomed overhead. "What is going on here?" he asked. All the kids looked at Slade, hoping they wouldn't be in trouble. Instantly, Mouse and Johnny said, "Nothing."

Brady was brave enough to step forward. "Why is everyone fighting?" she asked. "It's like you and Guy are the only people that are happy."

"Oh…" Slade started. Sitting down, he pulled Brady close. "Well Brady, there is a lot of hard feelings between most of them. They all share a bad past that they are finding hard to get over. You'll understand once you are older. Now," he said, looking at Mouse and Johnny, "I want the two of you to stop fighting. I know that hearing that from me is strange, but the others have enough to handle without having to worrying about the two of you too."

Getting up, he left the kids to handle their own problems.

Before heading to bed that night, Ellie decided to try and talk to Salene once more. Entering the kitchen, Ellie saw Salene talking to Trudy. Clearing her throat, she got the attention of the two girls. "Could we talk, Salene?"

"Can't it wait?" whined Salene. She placed her head on her hand in the typical I'm-tired-and-don't-want-to-be-bothered gesture.

Ellie stood her ground. "It's really can't wait," she said.

"Dammit Ellie!" Trudy exclaimed as she stood up. "Are you so selfish that you only think of yourself? Can't you see that Salene is in a lot of pain right now?" Ellie was going to apologize, but Trudy cut her off. "Of course not! You couldn't possibly understand what it feels like. She just found out that someone she trusted – no someone /all/ of us trusted lied to us.

"Salene has had it rough. All those people she has loved have died, but she now has the chance to be reunited with one of them."

"What are you talking about?" Ellie asked, finally getting the chance to say something.

"MICHAEL!" Trudy and Salene yelled. "Michael is Salene's son, the child she thought she lost when she fell down the stairs," Trudy said, finishing the explanation.

Ellie was shocked. I never… I forgot Salene had lost a child. It never occurred to me that Luke had helped raised the no longer mysterious child.

"That low-down dirt bag!" Ellie yelled. "How could he do that? He knew losing that child hurt you and he didn't do anything." Trudy was going to voice her agreement, but Ellie wasn't done yet. "And that black haired, blue-streaked cow! She probably knew all along, but didn't say a word…"

"She didn't know," Salene whispered. "Luke lied to her as much as he lied to us."

"And you believed her?" Ellie asked. Taking a seat at the table, Ellie waited for her response.

"You didn't see the look in her eyes when I confronted her this morning. She was hurt and confused."

"She's going to do the right thing, right? She's going to give Michael back to you?" Trudy asked. "She'll let you be the mother to your own child, right?"

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean that you don't know? It's your right to raise your own son!" Trudy was getting angry with the way things were going.

"You don't know what it's like to return a child to his or her mother after you've learned to love it as your own!" Salene yelled, standing up. "I can't believe I'm defending her, but I know exactly what she's feeling."

Turning to Trudy, Salene continued. "In the beginning, you were a terrible mother. No, let me finish," she said when Trudy wanted to defend herself. "I couldn't stand to see Brady suffer. The more I took care of her, the more I loved her. At times, I would pretend you didn't exist and Brady was my own child.

"When you finally decided you wanted to be a good mother, I hated giving Brady up. I felt like you were taking my child away. But I did the right thing. I gave Brady back to you. Tina's… Tina's a good person, but making a decision like this feels like a life and death situation. I just… I just got to give her time. Until then," Salene said pausing, "I just don't know."