Who am I?

Chapter 4

Spike stopped short to avoid running into Jamie when he had stopped sudddenly. Spike was concerned about Jamie. As far as he knew, Jamie had been in a great mood when he went to school that morning. He seemed aggressive for some reason, and Spike started wondering if maybe something had happened while he was at school to piss him off. Spike checked his watch and saw dinner should be ready.

Spike wanted to get to the bottom of the situation. Jamie had turned away from him again and was walking further away from the cabin, rubbing his face. Spike had a suspicion that he was wiping away tears. Spike hurried to catch up to him. When they were far enough away, Spike reached out to take Jamie's arm. The effect was immediate. Jamie practically crumpled before Spike's eyes.

"Please, Don't hurt me. I will do anything at all that you want Mike. Anything. I won't even tell mom and it will be our little secret. Just don't hurt her. She's been nothing but kind to you." Spike stood there dumbfounded as Jamie turned away, pulled his sweats down, baring his butt and leaned against the wood pile. Spike was shocked. Jamie actually expected him to have sex with him? And what was worse, he acted as though this was a regular occurance.

Spike shook his head as if to clear it, now more concerned than ever about Jamie. What had happened to this kid in the past that turning around and baring your butt to a near stranger was a common thing to do. If Spike hadn't known any better, he would swear that Jamie had been abused in the past. But by whom? Maybe that was why he and his mother were on the run with very little stuff with them.

"Jamie? Jamie, I'm not going to hurt you. I don't want to have sex with you. What ever gave you that Idea? I date only women. I would never hurt your mom, I like her, and you too. You have both been very kind to me, letting me stay with your guys while I try to regain my memory. What happened to you? Can you tell me?" Jamie looked so relieved that he started crying. Spike looked at him with compassion.

"Tell ya what. Dinner is ready. Why don't you come in, eat some dinner and after we are done, You and I can sit down and discuss this. Away from your mother if you prefer. I will go in and dish up dinner, you collect your thoughts and come in when you are ready, alright?" Jamie nodded and turned away to fix his pants. Spike didn't want to embarrass him any further, so he merely turned and left the area.

Spike went back inside to find that Melanie had already dished up the Lasagna and tossed the salad. She looked up when he came in but was concerned when she didn't see Jamie. Spike looked at her and smiled at her as he put the glasses on the table and filled his and Melanie's with juice. He filled up Jamie's glass as well. Melanie glanced at the door a couple times, wondering if she should go out to get Jamie.

"Guy Talk. He will be in to eat in just a couple minutes. He's fine. I told him to come in when he was ready to. It's cold tonight. I think that we might be getting some more snow soon." Melanie smiled at him and took her seat. Just as Spike sat down, Jamie hurried in and slammed the door on his way to the bathroom. Melanie winced when he slammed the door shut. After a moment he came out and they sat down to eat.

"So how was School today Jamie?" Spike decided to ask different questions to see if he could ferret out any information as to why he had behaved that way. Jamie Shrugged. He liked School, but it wasn't very challenging to him. He always thought that he should have skipped a grade, but Melanie wouldn't let him. Spike noted the shrugged and waited for a moment, taking a big mouthful of Lasagna.

"It was ok. It's not at that hard. I feel like my time is wasted in 10th grade. Mom won't let me skip a grade. I could graduate early if I really wanted to and be on my way to college. I think Mom is just scared that her baby will leave her and never come back. No chance of that happening. Did you go to College Mike?" Spike held up a finger, while he finished chewing his food. He could tell that Jamie was a bright kid.

"Yes I did. I triple Majored in college. Chemistry, Physics and Psychology. we used to joke around in college that I was in the PCP major. It was a funny drug joke in the Psychology department. I hold a bachelor's in each. as well as an associate's in Letters, Arts and Sciences. What kind of things are you interested in? Do you like Literature? History?" Jamie looked crestfallen at the thought of a triple major. Spike rushed to answer his upspoken angst.

"You don't have to triple major. You can major in just one program. I was a smart child and I took advantage of it when I got to college. I spent 6 years in college. Having three majors really opened up a lot of doors for me in the job market. it could do the same for you. I really boned up on all of the classes, always had a full course load." Jamie looked mildly interested. Melanie listened quietly at the interaction.

Jamie's easy interaction with Spike made Melanie wish briefly that she hadn't uprooted him from the only male influence he'd known. He had never met her parents, and she was going to fix that next week. While she hated Winston, and what he had done to her son, He had tried to be there for Jamie at times, before he started Molesting him. She was floored by what came out of Jamie's mouth next.

"Actually, I think I would really like to be in Law enforcement. I want to help people, so they don't have to feel alone. But I also like the idea of sitting behind a desk and helping people figure out their problems." Spike raised an eyebrow at his announcement. It was having a profound effect on him, that he didn't want to give away at that precise moment. Melanie was afraid that Jamie was about to tell Spike why they were on the run.

But after a few moments she thought to herself that it was his right to tell whomever he wanted to tell. She figured that it would help him overcome the fear that he would have to talk about it extensively with other people, strangers, if they wanted to bring charges against his father. He rarely talked to her about it, and she was ok with that. She focused in on the conversation once more, eager to learn more about this hidden interest.

"Well, then I think that you should go for it. I also happen to think that if you feel that you have a passion for something, you should do it if at all possible. You could major in Law Enforcement. The combinations of what you could major in if you wanted to double major is endless." Jamie nodded and happliy cleaned his plate. He got up to get another serving and poured himself a glass of milk.

"What fueled this sudden interest in law enforcement Jamie?" Melanie gave into the urge to be nosey even though she really didn't want to be nosey. She wanted to know what her son had been up to in School. Then she recalled that it had been Career Day at School. She figured that was what it was, and hoped it was merely a passing fancy. Maybe he would make a could police officer. But she'd rather he had a safer job.

"Career day. We got to watch a presentation that included a take down by some members of the Police Strategic Response Unit. They did tell us that the takedown was staged afterwards. They all seemed really nice to talk to. Not rude or hostile. They were genuinely interested in the questions I asked. I'm not crazy about the guns they use, but they seem really intense. You know my first impression was that they would be stuck up, they weren't."

Spike nodded slowly. He was starting to get a few more memories back. He practiced controlling his breathing to remain alert and calm. Melanie smiled relieved that he wasn't going to pack up immediately and leave to become a police officer. Then she remembered He was only 16. He had at least 6 years to go before he could even enter the police academy. She put the leftover Lasagna in the fridge along with the juice.

"Hey Mike. Do you want to go finish our talk from earlier?" Jamie asked, suddenly shy and very aware of what he almost did. Spike nodded enthusiastically. They did up the dishes real quick and set them to dry before grabbing their coats and walking out the door with the promise that they would be careful. Spike slipped a glove over his injured wrist in an effort to protect it from the cold.

Spike started to wonder how he was going to break the awkward silence that prevailed as they walked down the driveway. They had decided to just walk up and down the drive. He didn't want to make either himself or Jamie any more uncomfortable than they already were. But he knew it needed to be addressed. In the end, It was Jamie who took the initiative and broke the silence to apologize.

"Mike? I wanted to say that I am sorry for what happened earlier. I should have never done that to you. It was wrong of me, and I hope that you can forgive me for it." Jamie was sincere, He knew Spike's secret, even if Spike didn't know the secret yet. He fingered the item that he had kept in his coat pocket for a moment. He hoped and prayed that he was wrong, that it was merely coincidence, but he doubted it.

"Jamie. Leave it. It's forgiven and forgotten. I'm sure that there was a logical reason for it happening, and I want you to know that you can always come to me if you ever decide that you want to talk, man to man. I won't pester you about it, and I won't make you tell me if you don't want to. But the offer to talk is there, for however long you need it to be. Ok?" Jamie nodded and started walking up toward the cabin.

Spike knew that Jamie knew more than he was letting on. He had meant what he'd said. He wasn't going to push, he wanted to found out more about the career day at school. Before that though, they walked and talked. Spike learned more about Jamie. He learned that he didn't mind his mother separated from his father. He also learned that Melanie and Jamie were on their way to Louisiana in the United States to settle down.

"Jamie, would you be able to tell me more about the Strategic Response Unit you saw. Do you remember any of their names?" Jamie was quiet a moment then he nodded. Spike was happy that he would talk. They had gone back down the driveway towards the road. Jamie was deep in thought about something and Spike was loathe to interrupt. After a few minutes of silence, Jamie started to speak.

"You have to understand Mom's reaction when I said I wanted to be a police officer. She detests cops. She once told me that she doesn't ever want to love one again. The members of the team, as they called themselves, were very forthcoming with information. They were really Nice. The guy in charge happened to mention that they were missing a member of their team when he spoke of the team dynamics." Spike nodded quietly.

"Well I asked a few vague questions and I started to peice things together from what they told me. It was weird because everything really fit. And at first, I didn't really want to believe him, but when he showed me the picture, I really could not believe it." Jamie trailed off and they made yet another lap on the driveway. Spike liked it because it helped keep him in semi-decent shape. Jamie liked it. because he liked to run. Period.

"And what did you find out when you looked at the picture Jamie?" Spike was almost afraid to believe that He was about to be confronted with a really large portion of his memory. It actually went against everything that he had started to hope for. He'd had a silly notion while in the shower about life with Melanie and Jamie as his wife and son. He shook his head lightly and focused on what Jamie was saying.

Jamie pulled the item from his coat pocket. He didn't give it to Spike right away. He looked at him. He could see the things in him that Sgt. Parker had said. He could see the caring. He could see that Spike carried himself well and didn't care for people who abused other people or animals. He wanted to tell Spike everything that his father did to him, but with his father who he was, that was dangerous.

Hell, just having Spike around them was dangerous enough , and he didn't even realize who he really was. Jamie had a choice to make. He could keep quiet, not tell his mother what he knew, keep Spike around a little longer and feel guilty. Or he could tell his mom, and do as Greg said and contact him to let him know where Spike was. Either way he chose, he would hurt someone besides himself.

"Well, The guys name, that I talked to, was Greg Parker. He said that the missing team member, was Michaelangelo Scarlatti. He goes by Spike to his friends. The picture that he showed me, was a dead ringer for you, Mike. Or should I call you Spike?" Jamie handed Spike the item that he was holding. Spike turned it over in his hand and saw his badge. He looked at Jamie and took a deep breath and asked 2 very simple questions before passing out.

"I'm a police officer? What's your mom going to do to me?"

Authors Note:

You guys have been awesome in leaving me pretty reviews. Thank you so much. If you have a story that you would like me to read, please private message me and let me know... I do try to check out stories from some of the authors.