Chapter 6

"Joe I don't understand him any more." Jun let out an exasperated breath and paced the room once more.

"Chill out Jun, for once he's acting instead of thinking." Joe leaned against the wall of his new quarters crossing his arms in usual customary stance.

"This is different…and you're siding with him." She stopped and placed her hands on her hips and studied the Condor's guarded face. Joe could look menacing even when was relaxed she thought in passing.

"I'm not 'siding' with either of you." Joe tried to explain to her. "I just think your making more out of his actions than what was really there."

"Ken was going to fly straight into that mecha…" Jun looked away from Joe frustrated. "It's not like him to act so…so…irrational."

"He does when he's wound up." Joe pointed out to her moving away from the wall he walked over to small fried in the corner of the room. "Want a soda?" he offered.

"Cola…" She replied while sitting down on the small couch, she leaned on her elbow as she ran through her mind the conversation she had with Ken and his reaction to her confrontation.

"You have to admit that he would have done it if you hadn't have shown up when you did." Jun pressed him as she sat forward resting her elbows on her knees.

Joe didn't reply at first, but she did see the worry flash across his hardened features. If she didn't know him as well as she did she would have thought he was the most dangerous man alive from the way his dark brow's furrowed together and his stormy grey eyes darkened.

"Okay Ken did act a bit impulsive." Joe finally admitted handing her the can of cola and sitting down beside her.

"You're not really over him are you." Joe said quietly taking Jun completely off guard by the statement.

"Why do you say that?" She asked glancing at his face.

"No real reason…just an observation." Joe said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What has that to do with my concern about him acting irrationally?" She prodded.

"I said for no real reason, forget I asked." Joe enforced.

Jun sat back and studied his face for a moment.

"Stop studying me Jun… but have you admitted to yourself your not over him?" Joe returned her stare.

"I'm over him…of course I am, it's been a long time since we were involved in a relationship…My concern is out of friendship…and his command-"She began to conclude.

"Its bullshit and you know it." Joe rebuked.

Jun jumped out of her seat. "Between you and Ken it's amazing I haven't lost it myself by now." She fumed. Joe's accusations make her angry, why did he think she still wanted Ken. She didn't want him did she? No she chided herself- they were long over in anything romantic in their friendship.

"You go from one denial to the next. You and Ken are good at this game." The Condor accused her with his eyes and shook his head, raising a quizzical brow.

"I came to you for help…and that's all I get." She huffed, put her drink on the small table beside the couch and began to walk away.

Joe strided ahead of her and blocked her path, Jun tried to get passed him but he wouldn't move.

"I'll keep an eye on him too if it makes you happy." Joe said firmly.

"Yes…it would." A flood of relief went through her. Joe encircled her in his arms and pulled her in close to his body.

Jun trembled, but not from Joe's warm embrace but the though of her nightmare coming true and Ken dying during a battle. A tear slid down her cheek followed by more, soaking Joe's shirt with her grief for almost witnessing Ken die.

"I know it's been hard for you…and for Ken. Giving up your son…" Joe whispered hoarsely.

"I promise I won't let him become like me, one of me is enough for the team." Joe joked lightly. Jun smiled, he sadness easing as she looked up at his smirk.

"You bet- with two of you running off and acting on impulse and I'll go insane." She chided playfully punching his chest she pulled away from him.

"Thanks Joe," she said sincerely.

"Anytime Jun," Joe reassured her. Jun left his quarters feeling at least a bit better than what she had when left Ken. Jun couldn't truly explain her feelings any more when it can to Ken, she knew she cared about him in a special kind of way, but not in a needy kind of way. She was worried about him constantly, Ken being out of her life completely would shatter her world and she knew it deep down. A world without Ken would be a void she could never fill.

* * * *

His desk looked like most men who spent many hours in the office earning an income to support his family. A framed snapshot of happy family moment caught in time, and a few more of his small son learning to crawl and walk….

"Evan I'll be going home soon, I just have a few more adjustments to do." Matt Butler looked away from his computer screen and the latest wing design he had been working on for months.

"Matt, you still work too hard…" Evan grinned at his best engineer as Matts cell phone began to ring.

"Dadda…" Dyami's young voice came through the phone. "Hom." He said in toddler language.

"I'll be leaving soon…" He smiled warmly at the sound of his son's voice.

"You better be I've had dad, dad, daddy all afternoon. He began to cry when you didn't show up at 5 o'clock." Natasha Butler said in mock annoyance.

Matt looked at the clock. 5.30pm "Honey hang in there…and Dyami be good to mum…" Matt laughed softly. "I'm on my way." He waved to his boss walking out the door.

Glancing around the empty office he talked to his wife for a few more minutes. The past year had been the best year of their life. Natasha had a few difficulties in the beginning because she had to adjust to motherhood so fast. But it didn't hinder her love for Dyami or the joy she felt inside at him becoming part of their lives.

Matt had never felt more alive since he become a father, he'd do anything to protect his family, that commitment had already been tested and he knew he would do the same if it ever happened again.

Some of the lights went out as his boss left the building. Sighing heavily he took the hint and he began to shut down his computer.

Matt checked to security codes and then the safe the blue prints were stored. A theft of one of his projects had made Evan and a few others edgy. He had to admit it had made him edgy too.

Walking through the abandoned corridors he made his way to the underground parking lot and headed towards his car. The only one left in the building from his observations.

His bad leg had begun to hurt again, so she slowed down his pace. Damn what I'd give to be twenty again. He thought. But I was a cocky young fighter pilot back then…Matt grinned at the memory. He met his future wife Natasha during the days of his training and flying missions.

He put down his laptop to get out his car keys and pressed the button to unlock his car…

"Mr Butler." An unfamiliar voice from the other side of his car made him look up sharply at a man dressed him a black suit that barely covered his ample frame wearing very dark sunglasses with a bald shiny head. Matt put his hand on the drivers door handle.

"Mr. Butler I have a proposition for you that could prove to be very lucrative." The man said in a mysterious tone.

Matt's remained calm, he knew whoever this man was he didn't have good intentions and he had to be on full alert.

"I'm not interested." Matt said firmly and he began to open his car door.

"You haven't heard my proposition Mr. Butler." The man said smoothly and smiled.

"I don't need to…" Matt informed him. "I'm happy with my job and that's all there is to it."

"My employer is willing to double your salary…along with bonuses and other lucrative amounts of cash once our project is completed." The man said in a way that made Matt cringe.

"I love what I do…it's not about the money." Matt said scanning the car park discreetly for any 'friends' this stranger might have.

"I advise you to listen carefully Mr. Butler as my employer doesn't take no for answer…" The stranger grinned broadly. "He is impressed with your work, and he needs expertise like yours to complete his project."

"Well there are plenty of people with my expertise out there." Matts said as he jumped into the driver's seat. The man in black held open his door.

"My employer wants your expertise… This won't be the last time we meet Mr. Butler." The man's tone held an underlying threat that sent a shiver down his spine.

Matt took hold of the car door and slammed it shut, and then started the engine and got away from the man as fast as he could.

"Who was that?" He mused out loud while he went back over the conversation in his mind. "The person who stole those blue prints I bet!"

Whoever that mans employer is there's something shady going on that's for sure. Matt would have no part of it- he fought at one time in his life against people like that. Matt though as he turned onto the main highway to head home. He thought about his wife and son again. Dyami made his heart sour when he ran to him and called out daddy. The pain they had suffered in the last ten years or more lifted from their life when they got the call from Utoland social services. It all seemed worth it just to have him with them.

Jun seemed to be a very intelligent young woman. He thought. You can see it in her eyes and the way she holds herself. Mature for her age…

Thinking of his son's biological mother he thought of their last meeting. Something about her struck him as odd. She had adopted a brother but she couldn't look after her own child? He knew he shouldn't ask these questions. But being a logical person, it just didn't add up to his logic.

When he mentioned it to Natasha later on the way home she dismissed it.

"She's hasn't really told us her reasons…lets just leave it at that…time will tell." Tash smiled warmly and looked back at her energetic bright blue eyed son with his mop of very dark brown hair.

And then there was Ken, the birth father. All Matt knew about him is that he tried to stop Dyami's adoption and then suddenly agreed to it. That confused Matt, since he refused to meet them when Matt and Natasha offered too to talk about it, and then he vanished after signing the adoption agreement.

Well Jun never talks about him so I guess he's out of the picture. Matt thought. He didn't know if he should be happy or sad about it.

Turning into his street he pushed the meeting with the stranger and thoughts of Jun and Ken out of his mind, and thoughts of his wife and son took over. Pulling up in his driveway he smiled joyfully at the sight of a mop of dark hair and two small hands on the window sill, a small child waited to greet him as he always did, and Matt wasn't going to let his worries cloud the highlight of his day, coming home to wife and son.