A/N: Ok. Hello everyone. Here's the next piece. Enjoy it. It'll be a little while for the next chapter. I've got to finish writing it up.
Chapter 15- Trouble Brews
Right before Tina walked into the kitchen to begin dinner, Re-Nee and Johnny walked into the kitchen, each carrying a handful of fish. "Think this will be enough to feed everyone?" asked Re-Nee. Tina laughed and took the fish from Johnny.
"Go clean up," she instructed. Johnny nodded his head and ran off do to as she said.
"Someone's in a better mood," Re-Nee teased.
"Maybe I caught the bug that's going around," Tina teased back. Re-Nee looked confused, but Tina finished her joke. "The bug that's got you in such a good mood." Re-Nee blushed and shrugged her shoulders.
"What can I say? I slept great last night." Tina and her began to clean the fish. "But really, this is a dramatic change from yesterday, not to mention earlier in the day. What happened to put that twinkle back into your eyes?"
"Luke and I have made up," Tina laughed. "I knew he had my best interest at heart. I was just too afraid to admit what the future would hold. Plus," she paused as she cleaned her knife, "I was hurt that he didn't tell me sooner. I realize why he didn't say anything when we were in the city, but he should have said something after we left. I could have given Michael to Salene before we were shipped out of the city."
"Once you've kept something a secret for a long time, it's hard to tell the truth about it. Plus," Re-Nee said as laughter filled her voice, "he was probably afraid that you'd feed him to the sharks if he told you the truth."
The girls' laughter filled the room. Unbeknownst to them, Michael and Johnny had entered the kitchen. "Mommy happy!" Michael said as he enthusiastically nodded his head. Johnny smiled and nodded his head too. "Yes, she is," he said.
Once the girls laughter died down, Tina asked, "And what has got you acting so giddy today? Normally, when it that time of the month, you're as grouchy as a grizzly bear awakened from his winter sleep."
"I'm not on my…" Re-Nee began to say as the cheerfulness left her voice.
"But Cloe said…" Tina interrupted.
"She was wrong." Re-Nee said firmly. "Do you think you can handle the rest of this? I want to go upstairs and change."
"Go ahead," Tina dejectedly said. She was a little upset that Re-Nee had lost some of that giddiness she held only moments before. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Turning to watch her go, Tina saw Michael and Johnny. "I'm glad y'all are here," she said, beckoning them with her finger. "Come and set the table. Hurry up. Dinner won't take too long."
Ellie was angry and stressed, a combination she didn't like. After dinner, she went upstairs to cool off a little. All she wanted to do was watch him lie in a pool of his own blood.
When she finally felt calmer, she went in search of her prey. She finally found him in the playroom, reading a story to Michael. She stayed back as Luke finished his nightly ritual.
"…and they lived happily ever after. The End." Luke closed the book and looked up. Seeing Ellie, he knew exactly what was to come. Looking back at his son, he said, "Why don't you head on upstairs and get ready. Mommy will tuck you in tonight."
Michael groaned at the fact that he had to go to bed, but did as he was told. Giving his father a goodnight kiss and hug, he head towards the door. "Night Miss. Ellie," he said as he walked past her.
"Good night," she whispered back to him. After he had left her eyesight, Ellie turned back to Luke.
"Come… have a seat," he said tiredly. He was tired of explaining his actions, tired of looking like the bad guy. Ellie listened part way. She came into the room, but was too restless to sit.
"How could you?" she asked immediately. "How could you go along with a plan that kept Salene from raising her child?"
A hollow laugh escaped from Luke's lips. "You're actually asking me that? You told me countless of time what you thought of the Guardian and his state of mind. What do you think would have happened if I went against his plans?"
Ellie hadn't thought about it that way. Her mind had been wrapped around the fact that he had betrayed her and her tribe. "Well?" Luke's question interrupted her thought.
"I don't know!" Ellie yelled as she sat down. "It still doesn't excuse you from what you've done!"
"I'll tell you what would have happened. Salene and Tina would have been dead for betraying the 'holy' word of Zoot. At best, Michael would have been past on to someone who actually liked children. He might even have been passed on to someone who didn't like children. At worst, the Guardian would have killed him. So what if he lost a child of a slave? It wasn't important to him.
"I looked out for their best interest." Luke continued, standing up and pacing the room. "I saved their lives, and yet I'm the bad guy. I kept Michael from Salene so that she could live and possibly have more children. I didn't tell Tina because she was my best and only friend I had in the Chosen and I didn't want to lose her. It was the only way I could even TRY to make up for the acts I did under the tutoring of the Guardian.
"So don't sit there and think you're better than me. At that time you might not have had a second thought about returning Michael to Salene, but I'm sure you've grown up enough to see the foolishness in it." Finishing his speech, Luke sank down to the couch. "I didn't make this decision in hopes of hurting someone. You know how I felt about the Mall Rats. I would never hurt any of them."
Getting up, Luke walked out of the playroom and up the stairs. Ellie sat where she was, watching him leave. He had spread some light on the situation and now she felt like the bad guy. In some way, she knew she had blamed him and thought he did it on purpose, but she did like to think she had grown up and she knew that he really only did it to save all their lives.
Standing up, she tiredly walked up the stairs. All her anger had left her, making her feel empty and drained. Tomorrow she would have to worry about making things right again. Tonight, she just needed to sleep.
Jay sat in his room, debating what he should do. He didn't want to stay in his room, but he didn't know if she would accept him. This is what he had kept from Ved, what he had kept inside of him all day long.
Giving up, Jay laid down on his bed. Closing his eyes, he thought about what had happened last night.
After he had left Amber's room, Jay felt the desperate need to talk to someone. "But who?" he mumbled. Trudy couldn't be trusted too much. She was too close to Bray. Ved was too busy being a father. Before he even realized it, Jay had stopped in front of Re-Nee's door.
Why not? he thought. They had been getting closer and all he needed was someone to talk to. Knocking impatiently on the door, Jay shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited for an answer. He knocked again and got an answer, although an angry one.
"Hold on a second!" Re-Nee yelled, followed by some grumbling that Jay couldn't understand. Finally, she jerked open the door. Jay temporarily forgot what he wanted to talk about. There was something about seeing Re-Nee barefooted and in pajama shorts and a tank top that made Jay think like a thirteen year old boy.
But even seeing her long, bare legs didn't keep the desperately lost look off his face. "Jay? What's wrong?" When he didn't answer, Re-Nee took his hand. "Come in." Leading him into the room, she closed the door behind him and sat down Indian-style on the bed.
Jay made his way to sit next to her and Re-Nee moved over to give him room. "Like I tell everyone who comes to talk to me, nothing leaves this room." Re-Nee hoped that this would open him up.
"I don't know what to do," he said. Re-Nee waited for him to continue, knowing that until she knew more she wouldn't be any help to him. "One minute I know where my life is heading and the next I can't even predict what's going to happen."
"That's life. If you knew what was going to happen day after day, life would get tedious. I live three years of my life that way. Why do you think I nicknamed this island Hell Island?"
"But what if you found out something that would change your life forever? Not only your life, but the lives of many," Jay clarified. "What if you were too afraid to accept your future?"
"I can't tell you anything unless you give me more information." All these hypothetical questions were driving her crazy. Re-Nee didn't have a clue about what Jay was talking about.
In response, Jay abruptly stood up and paced the room. "Amber's pregnant."
"That's good news…" Re-Nee began but was cut off.
"The child is mine." The words sounded flat as the escaped his mouth. Re-Nee sat in shock and Jay gave a hollow laugh. "That's what I thought. I didn't believe her at first. It just couldn't be possible."
Jay sat back down next to Re-Nee. "What am I going to do? I can't just forget I've fathered a child, but I can't expect to be in the baby's life, not that Bray would let me."
"Oh Jay," Re-Nee sighed. "And here I thought you were upset about some snide remark Bray might have made to you." Re-Nee sat and thought for a while. "No matter your choice about being in the baby's life or not, you'll have to tell Bray the truth sooner or later."
"I know." The two sat in silence for a while before Jay spoke again. "I see that I interrupted your bed time, so I'll see you tomorrow." They stood up and headed towards the door. "Thanks for listening to me. I really need that." Jay leaned forward and gave her a hug. They separated only enough to look each other in the eye.
"It's not a problem. I'm always here if you need me." The last part came out in a whisper. More that ever, Re-Nee wished she had the courage to lean up and taste those full lips of his.
"I'll keep that in mind," he whispered back. Re-Nee didn't need the courage because Jay took the first step. He tasted just like coconuts and bananas, the exact ingredients to that night's desert, and his unfamiliar scent washed over her. Breathing deep, she tried to recognize and memorize the smell.
Jay pulled her closer and Re-Nee seemed to fit even better in his arms. Neither wanted the kiss to end, but finally they had to break apart. Each gulped in air as they looked at the other. Without saying a word, their lips made contact again. Re-Nee reached behind Jay and locked the door. Both knew how the night would end. Picking her up, Jay headed towards the bed.
Gently laying her down, they both forgot about what brought Jay there. They forgot the fact that they barely knew each other. They forgot about all the people who would object to this union.
Jay moaned as he laid back against his bed. He had left her room before she had awakened, only after watching her sleep for a couple of hours.
Giving up on his thoughts, Jay got under the covers and prepared himself for a restless night.
Jay wasn't the only one who had a restless night. Re-Nee awakened feeling as if she hadn't slept in weeks. What was I thinking? It was only one night. It probably didn't mean anything to him. I was his way to forget about the news of Amber's pregnancy.
Climbing out of bed, Re-Nee got dressed. It was still hours before dawn, so no one else was up yet. No one except a blonde who was busy stuffing her face. "Oh…" Amber said, quickly hiding the food. "Did I wake you?"
Re-Nee didn't know what to do or say. Finally, she finished coming into the kitchen. "No need to hide the food," she said. "And you didn't wake me. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get an early start on the day."
Amber sheepishly smiled and put the food in front of her again. "I understand not being able to sleep. I don't think I've been able to sleep more than four hours a night since the virus hit. I hope its okay that I'm eating this," she said, holding up a can of cherry pie filling.
"Don't worry about it. You're eating for two," Re-Nee realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. Think of something! Think of something to say! To explain what I know.
"How did you know?" Amber asked. She put her fork down and smoothed the shirt covering her stomach, checking to make sure she wasn't showing yet.
"Oh…" Re-Nee said, waving her hand. "I've spent the last nine months helping Cloe with her pregnancy. I easily picked up on the symptoms."
Amber gave a small laugh. "I forgot about that. Do you need any help?" Amber asked as she noticed Re-Nee starting to cook breakfast.
"Oh…sure." The two seemed to work together perfectly. Neither bumped into the other as they went around the kitchen finding the things they would need for breakfast. They were even able to joke around without feeling uncomfortable.
Re-Nee was finishing the eggs when she began to hear movement in the bedrooms above her head. Everyone was in their chairs by the time Amber and her had put all the food on the table.
Instead of sitting down with everybody, Re-Nee took her plate and headed outside. There was a cool ocean breeze and she let it ruffle through her hair before sitting down. Setting her plate down, she stared out across her family island.
Jay watched as Re-Nee walked out the door. He knew she was giving him the cold shoulder, but he didn't really know what he had done wrong. Shaking his head, he looked back down at his plate.
His gaze didn't go unnoticed. Amber had been watching him ever since he had entered the room, curious as how he would react. They hadn't talked since she had told him the news, but she knew they would have to sooner or… sooner.
She was going to start showing soon and she wanted Bray to know before she did. He deserved to know, especially if they were going to continue their relationship. Things had gotten back to normal quicker than she thought they would. If she had to guess why, it was because everyone knew they belonged together and didn't interfere.
Amber returned to the present and continued to watch Jay. He was picking at his food, barely eating anything and mostly just moving his food around on his plate. Every once in a while he would discreetly look up to see what Re-Nee was doing.
What is going on between those two? Could he possible feel something for her? Amber wasn't surprised. Re-Nee seemed just like the type Jay would fall for. She was a strong-willed, leader type that took control when needed to.
The longer Amber watched Jay, the more she began to feel jealous. Not necessarily for her, but for her child. What would happen to this baby? Would Jay completely ignore their child? Although the questions passed through Amber's mind, she knew she was being unfair. Jay wasn't the type to just ignore a child. He had done an excellent job to help raise Bray Jr. and he still continued to play with him.
Jay finally placed his fork down, without eating a bite. "Is everything okay?" asked Cloe. Jay looked up at her and smiled.
"I'm fine. I guess I'm not hungry." Standing up, he said, "I think I'm going to go check on the boat." He picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen. Walking out the front door, he made his way to the beach.
At that moment, Tina looked out the window. Sitting on the picnic table was Re-Nee's plate, but Re-Nee was nowhere in sight. Exchanging looks with Cloe, they agreed to talk later.
Ved finished his breakfast and stood up. "I think Jay's got a good idea. If we get started now, we can finish putting the wood on the boat. Then all we got to do is get it running again." Bending down, his kissed Cloe and then ran out after his brother.
The others nodded and followed to do the same. Lex quickly jumped up and asked if they needed any help. He desperately needed to get out of house duty. Had Re-Nee been there, she would have instantly told him he was needed here, but since she wasn't, Lex took advantage of it. Bray told Lex that he could tag along and the women were left alone.
Cloe dismissed everyone else and Tina and her got busy cleaning the kitchen. As soon as they were alone, Cloe asked, "What is going on with Re-Nee?" Tina stopped what she was doing and looked at Cloe. Both laughed at each other, realizing that they were thinking the same thing.
"You noticed it too?" Tina asked, turning back to washing the dishes. Cloe grabbed a dish towel, ready to dry the plates as they were handed to her. "She was so distant from everybody. I was reminded of when we first touched the island," Tina stated.
"I've never seen her that way. By the time Ved and I landed, she was the outgoing leader. But that's not what bothers me the most," Cloe said. "She didn't eat a thing, not a single piece of food hit her mouth. She knows how important it is to eat. We're always hearing about how she believes you should eat a meal no matter if you're hungry or not."
"'Who knows when you'll eat you're next meal,'" both girls chimed, trying to do their best expression of their leader. After a couple of seconds, Cloe turned serious again. "Do you think she's upset about her break-up with Bray?"
Tina shook her head. "Nah. She got that out of her system during that storm. This is something new. Someone or something has hurt her feelings. I just don't know what it is." The girls grew quiet and finished their work. As they were leaving the room, Cloe stopped Tina.
"Well, whatever it is, she'll come to us when she's ready." Tina nodded her head and the two separated to join their significant other.