A/N: Thank you everyone who has read this, and especially those who have commented. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on ways to improve this, I am definitely willing to listen. I am going to sit down and write out all of the things I want to happen, and then map it out a little better so I can pick up the pace. I hope you are enjoying this, it's definitely an experiment for me. I hope to improve my writing skills as the chapters go on.
As they walk through the giant ship, Jack is speechless. It is so much bigger than it looks from the ground. Anna is giving them a tour, showing them the living (individual) and eating (communal) quarters. "These are our gardens, we use the greenhouse principle, as we grow our own fruits and vegetables. We also have 6 large pools on each ship, as our people love the water."
Jack shivered as he imagined all of these lizard people creeping around the water, remembering the small glance of lizard scales he saw on Erica's FBI partner's face the night they met. "Is something wrong?" Anna stopped walking and turned to look directly into his eyes.
"N-no, I just have a slight fear of water." Jack lied. "It all goes back to a fishing incident that happened when I was young, about 5 years old. I fell out of the boat, and my grandfather had to dive in to rescue me."
Eyebrows quirking up, Anna responded. "Oh, that must have been frightening. Our people have found that the water is calming, and a great way to exercise and stay in shape. Even though we have technology to heal a multitude of aliments, we work hard to stay healthy so we need as little healing as possible." She turned and continued the tour. Jack sighed in relief and looked over at Erica, who gave him a small nod.
They continued on the tour, viewing one of the libraries, the healing center on the ship, and various work areas. Jack noticed that Marcus and Anna were watching Erica like a hawk, it was going to be really difficult for her to get any time alone with Lisa. Suddenly, he had a idea.
They had stopped for a minute, Anna's attention was required by an officer. When they were ready to start up again, he held back and walked slowly, as Lisa came up to him. They walked in silence for a minute, both fearful of giving away too much, but these opportunities were few and far between, so Jack cleared his throat and spoke. "So Erica tells me that you are Tyler's girlfriend," he starts.
"Yes, Tyler is important to me." Lisa returned, giving away nothing. "How long have you known Ms. Evans?"
"We met probably around the same time you and Tyler met," he answered, hoping she could read between the lines and realize why they met. "It's amazing how quickly a relationship can grow when two people have so much in common."
Walking slowly, and falling away a little further from the group, Lisa studied his face for a second, leaning in and asking in barely a whisper. "Can I trust you?"
Looking at her face, he nodded with a solemn look. Erica had told him how Lisa had helped her on the ship last time. He also knew from Erica about Lisa and Tyler seemingly being intimate. She looked like a sweet girl, but she was Anna's daughter, and that fact in itself made her someone to be careful around. "Absolutely," he answered. "I am a priest, and I am bound by oath to remain strictly confidential in my dealings with others, when they need someone to talk to."
"Good," Lisa said with a small smile. She had a good feeling about this man. She had enough faith in Erica to be a good judge of character, and when she looked at his face, his honesty and goodness jumped out at her. Joshua had dealt with both of them, and she felt sure she would be able to continue their work.
They continued on until they came to a large gathering room, decorated with balloons and streamers, as well as an amazing array of fruits and exotic looking drinks he had never seen before.
Climbing up on the platform, Anna begins to speak and the crowd immediately falls silent. "Erica, this is a reception for you. We want to thank you for your help in apprehending the insurgent on our ship yesterday. Who knows what would have happened or how many would have been hurt had you not stopped him. We owe you our gratitude. To Erica!"
"To Erica," the crowd repeats, raising their glasses along with Anna.
Erica blushes and smiles a little, looking at Jack. He smiles, raises his cup towards her and takes a drink. "Anna, I was glad to be of service. I hope I can someday do it again if the situation arises," she continues. Jack smiles to himself as he knows what she is really saying.
Erica is now making her way over to him, through the crowd. Grabbing his hand, she takes him over to the table of foods. "So what have you been up to? I noticed you finding a friend," she teases.
"Yes, we have spoken a bit. I think she wants to tell me something, I'm hoping she will before we leave." Jack looks her in the eye. "She asked me if she could trust me."
Surprised, Erica opens her mouth to say something, but doesn't. "Hmm, maybe we can make this work for us. I can be the distraction, and you can be the go between."
"That's what I was thinking, as long as Anna doesn't get suspicious." Then Jack gets a little mischievous grin on his face. "Although I don't think we have anything to worry about right now, she seems fascinated by you. Marcus too. Though I can't say I blame them," Jack winks at her.
Erica laughs. "Well we'll see how long my charm lasts. I wouldn't expect much longer."
"It hasn't worn off for me yet, and it just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Pretty soon, they won't notice anything else going on around them. Hobbes would probably be able to walk around here in an outfit of Lady Gaga's and they wouldn't even notice."
At that, Erica nearly choked on her food. "Let's pray we don't ever need to test that theory out,"
she laughed.
Marcus made his way over to the pair. "Excuse me, would you mind if I borrow Ms. Evans for a few moments?"
"Go ahead, I'm glad to see her getting her accolades. I'll be right here until you're finished Erica."
"Father Landry," a gentle wisp of a voice floats through his ears. He turns around to see the young blonde filling up a plate of food.
"Please, call me Jack, or Father Jack," he interrupts. "That's what everyone else calls me."
"Okay, Father Jack," she continues. "If I were to give you something, could you make sure that Ms. Evans gets it? And let no one else know about it?" She asks this in a quiet voice while pretending to choose what to put on her plate.
"Of course," he studies her face, noticing a slight tension around the mouth and eyes. Yes, she definitely seems different most of the visitors. More like Ryan. More human.
"Please tell her I will come see her as soon as I am able, as soon as the situation permits. Then we will be able to speak more freely."
"I will tell her Lisa." Jack says softly. He reaches out to shake her hand. "It has been a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to speaking to you more in the future."
She shakes his hand, lingering for a second. "You too Father Jack." With a hint of a smile, she turns and walks away.
Jack stands there, wondering what is on the paper she slipped into his hand. Not wanting to look at it, he puts it in his pocket, and quickly scans the room for Erica. Catching her eyes, he gives her a look, a signal, that they have what they wanted. The grin she gives him causes him to return an even bigger one. The reflex is automatic, like when it's Christmas and you find the biggest gift under the tree has your name on it. He watches as she wraps up the conversation and slowly makes her way to him.
"Did you have a nice chat with Lisa?" she asks.
"Yes, she is a very nice girl. I enjoyed speaking to her. I'll tell you all about it when we get back. Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes, I just need to find Anna and Marcus to thank them..." Erica was saying as she heard a voice behind her.
"We're right here, and this was the least I could do when you have risked life and limb to protect myself and my people. We are indebted to you. I would like to give you one last thing to show my appreciation and trust in you..." she turns to Marcus, who is holding a tray with a small blue box wrapped with a silver ribbon. "Please take this with our sincerest gratitude. It is a pass that will get you onto any of our 29 ships any time you want to come visit. I know you are still worried about Tyler joining our Live Aboard Program, so hopefully this would help put your mind at ease that you can come see him at any time. Just show up at the loading dock, and show them this badge, and you will be allowed on the next shuttle." Anna smiles, giving that look of sympathy and sincerity that Erica knows all too well is fake.
"Thank you Anna, this is quite unexpected. I appreciate you wanting to help with Tyler's situation. I'm sure you understand my apprehension. He is quite young, and in my estimation not ready to be away from home on a permanent basis." Erica throws her own look of peace and calm back at Anna, with a little smirk on the side. Game on.
"Well, Erica, I look forward to seeing much more of you in the future."
"You can count on it, Anna." Erica retorted, giving a firm handshake. "Nice to see you again Marcus. And thank you for allowing me to bring Jack. I think he enjoyed the experience."
"Yes, absolutely," Jack started. "Your ship is amazing. I hope to come visit again sometime."
"You are welcome back with Erica anytime, Mr. Landry. It has been a pleasure." With that, Anna turned and walked up the stairs and out the door.
"This way please, Ms. Evans and Mr. Landry," a security guard ushered them through a door and down a hall to the waiting shuttle. They took their seats and Erica gently took his hand. "Same as last time, just close your eyes, breathe deep and squeeze." She smiled warmly at him, and heat raced through his body, starting with his hand and spreading to his arm, his chest, and up his neck.
"I'll do my best," Jack said, eyes closed and just enjoying the feel of her hand, the skin to skin contact. The shuttle started the descent, and his breaths sped up a little. Erica turned and looked at him, and she began speaking in a calm, low voice. "You know, when I was little, my family took me to Disneyland. They wanted me to go onto Space Mountain, but I was afraid of the dark." At this, Jack chuckled a bit, "I can't imagine you afraid of anything. You mean you weren't always so tough?" Erica grinned, "No, not always. Anyways, one of my brothers started to make fun of me, and I was trying not to cry. My dad grabbed my hand and told the rest of the family, 'This ride is for Erica and me. You all go find something else to ride.' So I stood in line with him, heart pounding. It was finally time to get on. 'Go ahead, I'll be with you the whole time, holding your hand,' he said. So I took a big breath, and got on. He climbed in next to me, and took my hand. Once the roller coaster started going, I started feeling the breeze go by quickly. My breath caught in my throat, and I thought I was going to faint. I slammed my eyes closed, and I heard something. My dad was singing a song I hadn't heard since I was really little, when he would read me bedtime stories and then sing me to sleep. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away. I opened my eyes, and I could see a little bit. He kept singing, and I started relaxing and just listening to him and enjoying the experience. Before I knew it, the ride was over and I had a big smile on my face." She squeezed his hand, and he opened his eyes, and they were back on the ground.
His eyes grew a little misty. "Thank you, Erica. You have no idea what your friendship means to me."
"I think I do," she said, standing up. "I feel the same way Jack."
They walked off of the shuttle, hand in hand, to her waiting car. Once they get in, she starts the car. Suddenly, her phone rings. She looks at it and sighs, "Tyler, are you home from school already?" He can't hear what Tyler is saying but it sounds like some type of typical teenage hormone angst.
"Yes, I was," Erica sighs into the phone. "Ty, can we talk about this when I get home, in person?" she asks with a slight sharpness in her voice. "Yes, I promise, we'll talk then... Okay, so I'll see you in an hour?...Okay, love you, bye."
She takes a breath and turns to look at Jack. "Tyler knows we were on the ship. He thinks I was spying on them or trying to ruin his chances for Live Aboard..." she trails off, a giant lump in her throat. Jack, sensing her fragile psyche right now, grabs her hand. "Erica, you guys are going to work through this. I know it's hard right now, but he is going to mature. He will see all that you have done for him, all that you have sacrificed for him. I know you probably don't want to take parenting advice from a priest, but I know what I'm talking about. I've counseled many families, and the most important thing to remember is to be patient and calm. Let him know you understand how he is feeling and that you love him."
Looking into his eyes, she gave a teary smile before looking down. "Jack, I appreciate everything. I do value your advice, even parenting advice." She pulls him into a tight hug. Closing his eyes, he hugs her tenderly, his hand softly stroking her shoulder and upper back. "I'll always be here for you Erica. I hope you know that."
"I do, thank you," she released him from the hug, facing the window. "I guess we should go..." she started, but Jack interrupted. "Erica, wait, I forgot, Lisa handed me something to give to you. I guess you were a pretty good distraction." he teased.
She smiled shyly and took the note, opening and reading it:
Ms. Evans,
Joshua is not dead. Marcus revived him. I haven't gotten to see him yet, but I heard Mother and Marcus talking about him. It sounds like they are putting him through some testing or reconditioning or something. I will speak to him as soon as possible. We have a person working in your office at the F.B.I. Her name is Agent Malik. She is very loyal to Mother, I thought you should know. I think we might be able to use Father Jack to communicate with each other because Mother wants me to get to know him and find out about devotion and faith, and how that works along with religion. We have visitors that are priests, but she wants me to find out from a human about those things. We also have Ryan and his baby. Mother had Valerie killed, and has been giving Ryan daily sessions of bliss, in order to turn him back to us. I will not let Mother harm Tyler, please believe me. I do care for him. I will contact you when I can.
Lisa
"Joshua is alive? Oh, thank God." Erica exclaimed. "I guess I didn't know how advanced their medical capabilities were."
"I've seen them heal one of the crippled men that stays around the church, but I haven't heard of them resurrecting the dead. These are miracles of Biblical proportions. It is going to be harder and harder to convince people of their true intents." Jack sighed. "I think Chad Decker could help out in this area if he can be convinced to join us."
"Damn, I hope Ryan can resist her bliss." Erica was concerned. "He's got to be in a vulnerable state right now, with everything that has happened. We need to get him off of that ship... "
"Erica, Ryan is strong, he won't give up on us, on humanity. He will continue to fight with everything in him, especially now that he is a father," Jack responded. "We'll figure out a way to help him."
"I knew there was something funny about Malik." Erica continued. "At least I can keep a good eye on her now that my suspicions are confirmed. I guess it's a good thing Anna is interested in devotion, we will definitely use this to our advantage. "
"I'll do whatever I can to help, you know I will." Jack reassured her. "It sounds like Lisa is wanting to help out too. Maybe we actually have a chance of defeating them."
"Of course we do, Jack. We just need to be smart about this. A lot smarter than we have been. Hopefully Lisa will be able to reveal Anna's plans so that we can thwart them." Erica takes a breath and lets out a sigh. "We have some hope, some possibilities. That's more than what we had when we started this. We definitely need more help though. Did you get names and contact information from the people left in the church at the end of your sermon?"
"I did, I stood at the back by the door and knew most of them already, and a few new ones that I got the contact information for. I've got it all back at the church."
"Good, I want you to contact them, and set up a meeting. We need to find out what resources they can provide. It would be great if we could get some more help in fighting this war." Erica was speaking with conviction and purpose. Jack could see the wheels turning in her mind. He would do anything in his power to help her with this, to fight off the visitors.
"I can do that. I'll get started as soon as I get back." Jack was already trying to figure out where they could meet.
"Then let's get going, we've got work to do." Erica puts the car in reverse, backs out of the parking place, and heads toward the church.
TBC... (I know I didn't get to the Red Sky this chapter, I plan on doing that next chapter. Just assume Erica and Anna talked about it when Jack was talking to Lisa by the food table).