Chapter 11 – Fish Stories
Sarah Carter wakes up at 2am momentarily confused at the strange surroundings. A dictionary on the dresser, a lamp beside the bed and an eclectic assortment of artwork on the walls. She remembers where she is when she espies a picture of her best friends over the headboard. Lonely and afraid she had turned to them for help; now she was scared of the Senator she worked for, the media and the CIA. Hopefully the NSA could help her.
Hearing on of those extra loud ads on the TV, she decides to see who else is awake.
"Diane are you alright?"
Startled, she replies, "Yeah..."
When she didn't continue Sarah asked, "Does Jake know you cry at reruns of 'Two Of A Kind'?"
"I don't… Usually… it's just… I'm stupid."
"You aren't stupid."
"I am about Jake."
"What about Jake?"
"I've been hard on him lately."
"Because you're hormonal?"
"It kind of amplifies my insecurities."
"Jake told us about them. Do you want me to leave?"
Diane's eyes grew round, "He told you?"
"Apparently it's not much of a secret. Fran and Kyle already knew." She sits beside Diane and puts her arm around her pulling her close. "Remember the wedding in Seattle? At the reception he couldn't get you on the dance floor fast enough. Completely blew me off. And at the carnival, I was two feet in front of him and he saw you across the Mid-way. I was jealous. Oh, and just so you know, I have a list just as long as your of things I don't like about my body."
"I'm fat." Diane says with conviction.
"You're pregnant sweetie. That alone has Jake strutting. But even before that, if he had ever looked at me the way he looks at you, you might have had competition. As it was you blew the competition away."
"Thank you. Met any prospects?"
"Not really, they either want me for my body or access to the Senator."
"I once told Jake I wanted a man who was after my body."
"What did he do?"
"Jake just turned red and stammered."
"That's our boy."
"What are you looking for?"
"A smart man, who's talkative, doesn't care about my position and likes me for me."
"Sounds like a guy from work, but he literally doesn't shut up. Jake likes him, but he scares Kyle."
"Maybe I should add 'good listener' to my list."
"Wise move." Jake says from the doorway. "Has anyone seen the beautiful woman I went to bed with? It's awful lonely without her." Squatting in front of Diane, "Are you alright?"
"With a loving husband and a good friend here how can I be otherwise?"
"Good point sweetheart. Let's go back to bed."
"Ok. I'll be there in a minute." Diane said wandering into the kitchen.
Jake watches her with a wry smile. "Your being here maybe just the thing she needs."
"Glad I could help, I really like her."
"She's great. I'd better go help her."
"She doesn't need help."
"I know, but its fun." Jake says with a wink.
"Go on." She chuckles, "I'll be fine."
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
Jake awoke with Diane snuggled up to him. He looked at the clock, ten minutes till seven, ten minutes till the alarm goes off. Diane seems peaceful and it smells like pancakes.
Diane stirs, "Something smells good. Good morning sweetheart."
"You look like you feel better."
"Much, let's not talk, just enjoy the quiet."
"Your wish is my quiet command; quit tickling!"
"Softly."
"Only in your arms."
"Would you turn on the CD player?"
Jake looks at the stereo and "Jazz for a Rainy Afternoon" starts playing softly.
"That's nice." She coos.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
"The pancakes smell good Sarah," Jake comments entering the kitchen to see Fran at the stove. "Er..., I mean Fran."
"Smooth Jake."
"Ah… hum… Where's Sarah and why are you here?"
"Sarah's out for a jog with Kyle and I have a hormone program for Diane – had to wait until you two were apart. And, good morning Jake, it's good to see you." She admonished, mildly.
"Good morning to you too Fran. Diane's in such a good mood this morning I thought you'd already uploaded the program."
"I couldn't take the chance that you would be affected also." She said picking up her PDA and hurrying to the bedroom.
"Well I can't let these burn." Jake says to himself. By the time Diane and Fran enter the kitchen he has several tall stacks ready. "I was starting to worry."
"Fran wanted to watch the nanites react before clearing me."
"And…"
"No reaction, the reaction we wanted."
"So that means no more amplified reactions or influencing my nanites?"
"Not about hormones."
"Imagine Kyle figuring that out."
'Hey!" Fran pipes up, "He's not just a pretty face."
"No." Jake admits.
"Bulging muscles."
"Yeah." Diane puts in.
Jake stares at Diane.
"A V back." Fran continues.
"Enough!" Jake exclaims.
Diane pulls his head down. "You're cute when you're jealous," and kisses him.
Fran is giggling as Sarah and Kyle come in.
"What did we miss?" Kyle asks.
'I'll tell you later." Fran flirtily replies. "Diane's feeling better."
"Embarrassingly so." Jake grumpily articulates.
"Jealous?"
"No, just hungry."
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Jake, weren't you dorm Scrabble champion?"
"Four years running." Jake boasted.
"And how many times has Diane beaten you at Boggle?"
"Come on Sarah, Diane cheats."
"I was there Jake. The only cheating she did was allowing you to have 'smithie'."
"It's a word."
"It's not spelled with an 'ie'."
"She wears low-cut sweaters."
"She's wearing a sweat shirt."
"Really?"
"Three hours of Boggle and…"
"I beat you."
"I was on the phone that hand."
"I'll take what I can get."
"Do you even like Boggle?"
"Its fun and I don't lose as badly as I used to."
"You're insane."
"It's been a good Saturday."
"Good? You're saddled with me."
"You aren't as bad as the Prince."
"You guarded a prince?"
"Yeah, a royal pain."
"Quit kidding."
"Ok, I'm going to check on Diane. She should be through talking with her mother."
"They talk often?"
"More like Mom talk, Diane listen, Jake spend the next few hours doing damage control."
"She's not happy with a beautiful, genius daughter in a loving marriage with a grandchild on the way?"
"Boggles the mind, doesn't it."
"Bad pun, Jake."
"I liked it." Diane said from the hall.
"Eaves drop much sweetheart?"
"Only since my husband started hanging out with his college crush."
"We never…" Sarah sputtered.
"Don't forget she's hot."
"Jake!" Sarah yelled at the laughing couple.
"Sorry Sarah, Diane needed a good laugh." Jake laughed, cupping Diane's face in his hands before kissing her forehead.
"You two are mental!"
"I was composing myself before coming in. Jake tries to make me laugh after talking with mom."
"Doesn't she like Jake?"
"She loves Jake. He spends our entire visits fixing her electronics and drinking beer with dad."
"After the last visit I didn't drink beer for a month. And how she manages to mess up electronics is scary."
"We get back and I need a vacation."
"You enjoyed the last visit."
"Doesn't count, mom was in the hospital for a 'procedure'."
"Is she Ok?" Sarah asks.
"Back to normal, don't smirk Jake, and talkative just like always. She's chosen baby names."
"What two this week?" Jake does his best not to sound annoyed.
"Gertrude and Gilderoy, or as she suggest, Gert and Gil."
"Gil Foley, I like it better than most of her suggestions."
"Any suggestions from your mother?" Sarah asks Jake.
"Jennifer and Jason. She likes J's."
"Why?"
"Family tradition, on her side. Nobody knows why."
"What about what you two want?"
"I like Katherine and Jacob." Diane puts in.
"Francesca and Stephen. But we've changed a dozen times with three months to go."
"Jake! I forgot, you're supposed to call Kyle." Diane says contritely.
"I'd better…" Jake starts to say as his phone rings. "Yes Kyle, I was just calling… I've got witnesses…" His voice fades as he heads down the hall.
"I hope they find who else is bugging me."
"Tired of us already?"
"Not at all. If anything I'm enjoying being here too much."
"How so?"
"You two are happy with each other, it's infectious."
"So we're a disease?" Diane teases.
"Only a good illness." Sarah put in, catching on. "Two good friends at a special time in their lives. I'm happy for you and a little jealous."
"Jealous?"
"Nice house, loving husband, baby on the way and a career you find fulfilling."
"Wow, I've got it pretty good."
"You don't seem convinced."
"If I hadn't just talked to mom."
"I understand, with mine it was always when are you going to get married and giving her grandchildren."
"I remember Jake caught mom by surprise; she wanted a doctor."
"Mine too, or a Senator. How did Jake win her over?"
"We went for a visit about a month before we got married. Jake fixed her computer, microwave oven, garage door opener, three calculators, a cordless phone, the burglar alarm, the coffee pot, stereo and he got the clock on the VCR to stop flashing,"
"Sounds like a long week."
"Two days."
"How?"
"My man speaks Geek and he doesn't fish; except with flowers and candy, but he's caught his limit. What are you laughing at?"
"Just the mental picture of Jake in a floppy fishing hat standing beside you hung upside down on a pier."
Diane joins the laugher, "Captioned: 120 pound Doctor caught with rose and bonbon lure."
Jake returns and stares at the laughing women, "What's so funny?"
"Just swapping fishin' stories, sweetheart."
"Fish stories? You don't… never mind. Sarah, Diane and I have to go to work for a while. Two agents will be here before we leave."
"Is that necessary?"
"Yes!" Both Jake and Diane exclaim.
"I don't understand the concern? No one knows where I am."
"And we want to keep it that way. Lou wants you to stay with us while the investigation is ongoing. Monday you and a new 'assistant' will go to work as usual."
"I suppose the new 'assistant' will alter the files I found?"
"No, Lou took care of that detail a couple of hours after you first met."
"That's fast."
"Lou's the best. Kyle's worked with her the longest and even he underestimates her at times."
"She always knows more about what's going on than seems reasonable." Diane adds.
"So you two are off to keep our country safe?"
Jake puts his fists on his hips, "Just like Captain America and Bucky."
"Ok, Bucky." Diane laughs, "Let's go get ready."
"Aww, Diane, it's my turn…"
"I look better in the tights."
"You look better in everything, sweetheart."
"Come on, if we're late Lou…" Jake says following Diane back to their bedroom.
Sarah laughs to herself. "Positively mental."
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Jake!"
"What?"
"Shut the bathroom door, I don't put on free shows!"
"I know. I think I've got a spare $20 in my wallet."
"I'm only worth a $20?"
"I'm hoping for the matrimonial discount."
"Get changed Jake."
"Ok." A slightly disappointed husband replies.
"And… Hang on to that $20."
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Well that was fun." Diane said moodily on the drive home.
"Diane, I didn't have a choice." Jake replies while steering around a wreck.
"Three hours in a strip club?"
"It's where the arms dealer was."
"For three hours?"
"I'm not saying it was the worst assignment ever."
"I'll bet."
"You try eavesdropping while rock music is blaring, strobe lights going off and all that flesh. It didn't help that I was already worked up from our little talk earlier,"
"Jake, I have your readings right here."
"Look," he hands her his wallet, "I still have the $20."
"So," she says tucking the $20 into her bra. "What were you…"
"Hey, I need that."
"…thinking about the whole time you were in there?"
"The job, how many lap dances could one man take, how mad you were going to be, why does that dancer look like my 12th grade math teacher and how much would it cost to put a pole in our bedroom?"
"Our bedroom?"
"Just a thought."
"Thought, yeah right. More like a fantasy."
"Is it wrong to desire you?"
"Desire, come on."
Jake quickly pulls the car over and leans over to kiss his wife. It wasn't a long kiss, but it sure wasn't short. "Check my vitals now."
"They're the highest levels today."
"Higher than when I was in a room full of naked women?"
"Yes. Could you turn left on Sunrise?"
"Sure, why?"
"We've got a reservation at that little motel."
"You planned that argument didn't you?"
"You're not the only one in love with their mate. And as nice as she is, Sarah's put a little deterrent in the mating."
"Aren't we expected back?"
"We've got a couple of hours."
"I love my wife."
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
Sarah didn't wonder at Jake and Diane's good mood, she didn't wonder about much. Kyle's news had been shocking.
"Are you alright?" Diane asked, putting her arm around Sarah.
"I don't know."
"What happened?" Jake demanded.
"We found out who else is spying on Sarah." Kyle replied.
"Who?" Diane asked.
"How?" Jake asked.
"The bugs the reporter planted caught the culprit. He hadn't even listened to the tapes."
"Who is it?" Diane demanded.
"The Senator that Sarah works for; Senator Thompson."
All eyes look at a pale Sarah.
Kyle clears his throat. "Sarah, exactly what is the nature of your relationship with the Senator?"
"I work for him; collecting data, developing programs, interacting with other senate staffs and occasionally attending functions with or for him."
Jake gives Kyle a nod letting him know her pulse rate hadn't changed.
"Nothing personal?"
"Never."
"You're sure."
"Yes!"
"Then we have to figure out his interest in you."
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
Next: Sarah gets propositioned and Jake gets a laugh.
15