Chapter Fifteen - A Reunion

She never realized how far up from the ground that the balcony was until that moment.

Linda stood on the wide railing, the summer wind gently blowing her hair in every direction as she watched into the pitch black underneath her. She couldn't take it anymore; the pain of losing Chris was too much for her to bare.

She closed her eyes as the wind blew again, pushing her hair back over her shoulders.

I'm sorry...

A tear rolled down her cheek, flying away at another gentle gust of wind…perhaps he would forgive her someday...

Linda.

Her eyes snapped open. It couldn't have been…

Don't jump.

Oh, God, she thought to herself, now I'm really going crazy…

End it now, Linda, a menacing voice whispered. JUMP.

Don't jump.

She held her head in her hands, clutching her hair as the voices warred in her head; one evil and low, the other strong and tender.

"Chris, you're not here," she told the voice, attempting to convince herself of the truth.

Then change that. Come and find me.

"How?" A part of her couldn't believe that she was actually talking to the voice in her mind like it was standing right next to her, but it was better than the demanding hiss that was telling her to kill herself. Chris's voice didn't reply, but it didn't need to. She climbed down from the edge and walked back inside the house, knowing that what she was about to do was going to change everything. But it was her destiny, her future...her choice.

And it was time that she took it into her own hands.

"Where in the world is Linda?" Ulysses walked up the stairs with Sarah close behind. "She hasn't come out of her room, I swear-" He rapped on her bedroom door. "Linda!" No answer. He knocked again. "Linda, you need to eat sometime today." He opened the door to her bedroom and found it empty and tidy, everything put into its proper place...almost too proper. He walked in and looked around, a sense of distant dread settling on his shoulders.

"Something isn't right…" he said slowly. Sarah looked around and like a freight train hitting her in her face, it dawned on her why the room was the way it was. She felt her face grow pale.

"She did it."

"Did what?" Ulysses turned around at her words.

"She ran away," she said numbly. He stared at her.

"No, she didn't."

"Yes, Ulysses, she did," she snapped.

"No, she…" Ulysses looked around the room again, trying to look for any excuse he could find to calm his wife down. "She wouldn't…that's not Linda..."

Sarah whimpered. "My God, what if something happens to her out there? What if she's gone forever? I'll never see her again...my only baby..." Sarah trembled and held herself, groaning at the revelation in her own words. With a heartbreaking sob, she suddenly looked up and went at Ulysses, unrelentingly backing him up against the wall.

"You did this!" She screamed as she beat his chest with her fists. "You made her leave!" She hit him harder and harder with each word that fell out of her mouth. "How could you do this to me?!" Ulysses grabbed her wrists to stop her, but a hand flew out of his grasp and slapped him painfully across the face.

"I will NEVER forgive you!" The roar of her voice echoed in his ears as she stormed out of the room past Esther and the butler, who were looking in on the scene with pale faces. Ulysses held his chin and looked away from them, his heart sinking as he heard Sarah barking commands to various staff to help her pack her bags.

"Sir," the butler said gently. "Are you all right?" Ulysses dropped his hand, looking one last time to Linda's made up bed and pushed past the butler and Esther to go into the master bedroom where some of the maids were helping Sarah pack various items into the different bags spread out across the bed.

"Sarah," Ulysses said softly as he came into the room. "Give me a chance-"

"No, Ulysses!" She snapped as she turned around. "I've let you explain yourself for far too long. Linda's gone, and it's all because of you. The maids all stopped to watch the argument.

"I'll go and find her-"

"And say what?! She won't listen to you anymore! If you bring her back, she'll just run away again!" Sarah turned around again. "I should've never let you do this..." She stopped packing and let out a strangled whine. "I'm just as much to blame as you..." Ulysses blinked back tears as she continued hastily packing, the maids constantly dropping things to comfort her as she went from extreme activity to a blubbering mess in a space of a few seconds back and forth, like a swing on a swingset.

He turned around and slowly walked out of the room and down the stairs, shutting the door to his study and leaning back against the door, putting his hand to his forehead. Peter's father, Xavier, had just told him a few hours before that Delilah was leaving him after he and Peter had had a final confrontation; now, despite his disbelief, the same thing was happening to him and Sarah.

A part of him wanted to be angry with Linda; it was as if she purposefully ran away to prove a point to him. And she did a perfect job with it. But she just couldn't see that he wanted her to be happy, to be safe and away from harm. Wasn't that what every father wanted for his child? Why did she have to make it so hard on him to give her a bright future?

As he puzzled and reasoned and tried to grasp what was happening, a familiar gnaw started in his mind. The ghosts of his past scratched and knocked at the door of his conscious, demanding to be let out, to be put to rest. He stared into the bleak light of the office as he heard Sarah call for Timothy and the front door shut with a sharp slam. He stood taller and straightened his blazer with a tug, sniffling. Before Linda tried to disappear from their lives, before she took her future and ran off with it, she deserved an explanation as to why he was so harsh and so careful with her. And he would find her and tell her so.

And he would also bring her back home...

"Supposed to rain tomorrow," Ruth said as she knitted in the chair by the window. "I hope the garden doesn't flood."

Chris rolled his eyes at her attempt to make casual conversation, and wished that one of the other brothers was around for her to bother. But with Elijah in South America and Henry and Aaron working over time at the store, Chris the only son left to be subjected to her ramblings.

"I'm sure the garden will be fine, Mum," he replied dully from the chair he was lounging in, a book in his lap that he had long since given up paying attention to.

"Well, I'm just saying…" Ruth sighed and got up from her chair, patting Chris gently on the head as she passed by to walk into the kitchen. He stared into the fire that was slowly dying down in the fireplace. Summer holidays were turning out to be a miserable time; he couldn't stop thinking about Linda. What was she doing? How was she? Did she meet anyone? His mind constantly buzzed with questions about her well-being, despite his best efforts to try and stop.

A soft knock at the door broke his train of thought and he looked toward the sound curiously.

"Who in the world would be here at this time of night in this rain?" Ruth called.

"Might be one of the neighbors," Chris said as he got up from his chair. He opened the door and fully expected to see one of the burly farmers from down the hill soaked and standing on the porch, but felt his jaw go slack in shock at who was actually there.

"Linda," he said dumbly, his mouth suddenly feeling as though someone had jammed a wad of cotton balls in it. To his utter and complete surprise, a very drenched Linda smiled up at him through the mess of wet blonde hair that was plastered all around her face.

"Chris," she said softly, her face breaking into a beautiful and dazzling smile. His mind began to race, desperately trying to find something, anything to say that could possibly communicate the mass of what he feeling. But he settled for wrapping his arms around her, his shirt immediately soaked with rain as he hugged her tightly. She clung to him, slightly shivering.

"I missed you so much," Linda whispered tearfully as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I thought about you every second of every day." He pulled her back to sweep some hair from her face. He was desperately afraid that it was all just a dream and that he was doomed to wake up any second and face the reality of never seeing her again. But at her fingertips gently touching his cheek, he felt his heart literally soar. Linda was really here, at his house. She had really made the journey to be with him.

"Aren't you going to kiss me now?" Linda asked sweetly, her soft chuckle at her question cut off by his eager kiss.

"Christopher, who's at the door? For God's sake, you're letting the rain in-" Ruth's voice stopped as she came from the kitchen. Chris could feel his mother's eyes on them and reluctantly, he pulled back and looked to the very shocked and wide-eyed Ruth.

"Mum," Chris said as he held Linda close to his side. "This is Linda. She's my girlfriend."

Linda politely smiled and Ruth's face immediately turned from shock to excitement. "Oh really?!" she asked with a clasp of her hands. "Oh, my! Well, Christopher, you didn't tell me that she was coming. My house is such a mess." She bustled over to them and immediately began to look Linda over. "My goodness, sweetheart, you're soaked to the bone! Come, come." She pushed Chris away and took Linda around the shoulders. "Let's get you some dry clothes. Christopher, go make a bed in the back bedroom and put some soup on the stove. And for goodness's sake, shut that door! Let's get you cleaned up, love." With a tut, Ruth led her down the hall and into the master bedroom.

Chris shut the front door and looked up to the ceiling; he had never believed in God, but in that moment, he knew that Linda had been brought to him by something outside of themselves. Something divine.

"Thank you," he said simply, walking down the hall to do what his mother asked of him...

Though Linda was drained after almost a full day of traveling by foot and hitchhiking, she couldn't sleep knowing Chris was down the hall from the room she was in; so close, yet still too far apart. She got up and opened the door quietly, following the crack of light that spilled into the hall from one of the rooms. Silently, she walked up and peaked inside. Chris was up, reading a book, his brow furrowed in concentration.

She opened the door and knocked, making him look up.

"Oh..." He looked around and suddenly sprung up, attempting to straighten up the mess around him. She didn't miss his blush of embarrassment. "Sorry, between me and Eli, we have a lot of junk..." He quickly moved something to cover what looked like a human skull.

"It's fine," she said honestly as she came into the room, reaching out to grab his arm as he spun around to move something else. "I just want to be near you." He smiled and sat down on the bed, pulling her down to sit with him. He stared at her lovingly, reaching to brush a curl back from her face.

"Do you parents know that you left?" He asked after a couple of seconds of silence. Linda cleared her throat.

"They do now," she said simply.

He frowned. "They'll take you back home if they find you."

"I'll just run away again. And again, and again, and again. I'm not letting them stop me anymore." She moved into Chris's arms. "I love you, and I want to be with you."

He held her tenderly. "I'm sure your mother's heartbroken."

"I know," she said sadly; she knew fully well that Sarah would probably lose her mind at the fact that Ulysses had pushed Linda to abandon them. "I think she would understand, though." A part of her wasn't too sure about that, but hoped just the same. She rested her ear on his heart to listen to the strong, steady beat.

"I'm glad you're here with me," he said as he kissed her head. She looked up at him.

"Me, too." He pulled her to lay down with him and she threw her leg across his thighs, her arm resting lazily across his stomach as she cuddled next to him, lying her head on his chest. She sighed sleepily as his hand stroked her back, and he picked up the book next to him to start reading again. "What is that that you're reading?" Linda murmured after a couple of minutes. Chris paused.

"It's a work about the ancient pharaohs by Dr. Emmett Sherlock. He's an archeologist that worked with Eli in Cairo."

"Emmett Sherlock...Sherlock," Linda repeated. "...Sherlock Holmes," she said a little louder. "It has a ring to it, don't you think?"

"What is it with you and these old, unique names?" he asked, trying to feign sounding exasperated, but his smile gave away his teasing.

"I don't know, maybe I'm just jealous that my name is just so ordinary."

"You have a beautiful name." Chris argued, nudging her playfully in the side. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him lightly, but his hand cupped the back of her head to keep her still. As the seconds passed, their kiss very slowly became deeper and deeper. Linda moved to where she was laying on top of him and felt up the sides of his chest, her heart beginning to race as she felt the planes and dips beneath her fingertips. She found the top button of his shirt and very gently unbuttoned it and started to work her way down, reaching through the opening to feel his warm skin-

"Oi, Lin, Lin," Chris said as he broke their kiss. "Wait..." He took a shaky breath and swallowed. "Not...not here."

"I'm sorry." Linda felt her cheeks flush pink with embarrassment and she looked away. Stupid, Linda. You're so stupid to think you could be so bold. "I didn't realize that you didn't want to-"

"No, no, it's not that," he said gently, bringing her gaze back. "But let's just say I'm old-fashioned in that regard." He moved her back beside him and buttoned back up his shirt. "The time will come for that to happen; for now, I'm fine with just hugging and kissing you. Is that all right?"

"Perfect," she murmured with a slight smile. He winked and gently pulled her back into his side again so she could lay her heart on his chest. As his heart beat under her ear, she sighed sleepily.

"Will you read out loud?"

"Out loud?"

"I want to hear your voice." She felt him smile at her request; he picked back up the book and softly started to read out loud about the majesty of the pyramids in Egypt. As he read, she felt herself slipping away and into a world of dreams...

"Good morning, Mrs. Holmes."

Ruth turned to Linda, who was standing at the doorway and trying to pull back her hair into a bun.

"Oh, hello, darling," Ruth replied happily. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby," Linda answered, sighing in absolute contentment. She never thought that waking up in Chris's arms would feel so wonderful; it was even better than what she imagined it to be. And she learned that he was a rather hard sleeper and snored when laying on his back; it was actually quite adorable.

"Well, that's all good, then. Porridge?"

"Please."

Ruth prepared a bowl of porridge for them both and they sat down at the table.

"So, you and my boy are together," Ruth finally said after a few minutes. Linda nodded. "I have to say, I'm so happy that Chris has found someone. You know, out of all of my sons, he's had the most trouble finding a girl. And you would think with all that poetry he writes that girls would swarm him, but no." Linda held back a smile. Chris would've been mortified at his mother's attempt to make casual conversation, but Linda couldn't help but be charmed by the Holmes matriarch. She was taller and broader than most women, with curly jet black hair that looked as though it had a life of its own on her head, skin that was tanned and weathered from years in the sun and deep brown eyes. A pillar of strength in the midst of five sons; how she managed to raise them all by herself was a miracle.

"Morning, Mum!" A deep voice boomed as the front door opened.

"Morning, Henry," Ruth called. "Is your brother with you?"

"Yes," a voice a little higher in pitch replied. "We were just wondering if you have a spare plow around." Two sets of footsteps came around the corner and the men paused at the sight of who was in the kitchen. Linda's eyes widened at the taller man; he was as big as bear, it seemed! That must be Henry, she thought to herself. Chris had spent many a conversation complaining about how insufferable his older brother was and Chris certainly wasn't kidding when he said that Henry was as big as a house. She wasn't sure who the other man standing next to Henry was, but she guessed that it was Aaron; he was the only brother that wore glasses.

"Boys, this is Linda, Chris's girlfriend," Ruth stressed the word 'girlfriend', barely able to contain her grin. Henry and Aaron blinked as though they didn't exactly understand what was said. Linda smiled timidly, hoping that one of them, any of them, would say something.

"I told you Chris was always interested in blondes," Henry said suddenly after a few tense seconds of silence with a look to his brother.

"How were you even supposed to know that? He didn't date anyone," Aaron replied, also looking away from Linda.

"Growing up, every girl that he had a crush on was blonde."

"No, there was Susannah Kirk and she was a redhead-"

"Boys!" Ruth broke in, drawing their attention. "Let's not talk about that, yes? Linda doesn't want to hear about all of that mess."

"Thank you, Mum, for having some common sense," Chris said lazily as he strolled into the kitchen from the hallway. "And by the way," he continued with a look to his brothers. "Susannah was a brunette."

"Was she?" Henry asked.

"Yes." Chris smiled at Linda. "I hope this lot wasn't too much for you. They can be quite the burden."

"Not at all," Linda replied sweetly as she got up from the chair to walk into Chris's arms, giving him a hug and kiss. She could hear Ruth almost whimpering with excitement from behind her.

"Do you know how to play chess, Linda?" Henry asked.

"Of course," she said as she let Chris go.

"Up for a game then?"

"Henry, not now-" Aaron started, but Linda turned around and shrugged.

"Why not? Let's see how fast I can kick your tail."

Chris knew that she was teasing, but at the same time, she was also dead serious. Linda was quite the chess player, and was known around the university for being an extremely fierce competitor. With a smile, Henry declared a chess war and Chris knew it was only a matter of time before he got bested...

"Checkmate," Linda said sweetly as she made her final move. Henry looked over the board carefully for a few seconds and then shouted a curse, earning himself a good hard smack on the back of his head from Aaron as he passed by them.

"Don't curse in front of a lady," he snapped.

"But she beat me!" Henry argued back almost pathetically, his voice sounding unusually high pitched and whiny. Looking up from his book, Chris beamed at Linda over Henry's shoulder, who was sitting back and basking in her victory with her hands in front of her mouth and her legs crossed.

"That's my girl," he praised. She winked at him and leaned forward, her elbows on her knee.

"Can't handle defeat, how very telling," she teased darkly at Henry, who scowled at her.

"Don't be a smart arse," he snapped, and Aaron made a noise that told Henry to back off, or else he would regret it. Her eyebrow rose.

"Well, come on, then, play me again," Linda challenged. "You think you're so big and bad, should be no problem beating little ol' me." She stuck out her bottom lip, feigning a pout. Henry's lip twitched in very slight amusement.

"You're on, princess." There was no mistaking the smile in his voice.

"I have to say, Chris," Aaron said as Henry started to fix the board. "You know how to pick them. Linda's going to fit in perfectly with our family." Chris smiled at his brothers' approval, especially Henry's. As much as he annoyed Chris to no end, it was nice to see Henry already treating her as though she was his sister.

Ruth bustled out from the kitchen with a tray of tea and biscuits.

"Linda," she said as she poured tea. "Do you think you should call your parents and let them know that you're here? I'm sure they're very worried about you." Chris looked to Linda to see how she would answer, but she chose to ignore the question and watched Henry finish fixing the board for a new game. As she made the first move, a car door slammed outside and she paused with the chess piece in her hand. Chris obviously heard it too; he shut his book and got up to draw the curtain back, his breath catching in his throat.

"Well, Linda, I guess even if you wanted to, you won't have to call your parents." Aaron, Henry and Linda looked at him as he let the curtain go. "Your father is outside right now.