Buried Emotions
Disclaimer - see chapter eleven.
Chapter Thirteen
Robin chuckled as Alan helped her to her feet before she let out a small scream when a dark shadow approached the open door…
Alan quickly pulled the older woman behind him and stood ready to defend her even as the door slammed open the rest of the way.
Jean Landman hurried into the room her hastily drawn sidearm drawn and pointed at Alan. She lowered the weapon as she looked around and saw no one else there.
"You ok, Sprout?" the sheriff cautiously asked, still not ready to re-holster her gun.
"We were until you broke in on us," Alan grumbled. "And don't call me Sprout."
Holstering her gun, Jean reached over and cuffed the blonde on the head. "Then don't leave the front door open – and I've been calling you that for two decades now. Your doomed, got it?"
Alan made a "hur-rumph" noise that made Robin smile and Jean laugh, both recognizing it as the sound Scott Tracy would make when he knew he had lost an argument – and was loath to admit it.
"What are you doing here anyhow?" Jean asked as she led them towards the stairs. "Mama said your daddy had decided against opening up the house for guests, although he is considering staying at your grandparents' farm along with the Kyranos before the wedding."
Alan held out the box to Jean, both of them smiling sadly as she gently took it in her hands.
"I remember these. I watched your mama make one for Gordon and one for you. She must have been some art teacher. Too bad she stopped being a substitute not long after your family moved back to Bailey." Jean smiled at Robin Eppes.
"Miss Lucy was the best. Strong as steel but she always was wrapped in velvet as my Mama would say. She had those boys of hers well-trained. Of course, Mrs. Tracy – that would be Ruth, the boys' grandma – had done some of the groundwork."
"Was Ruth like that too?" Robin asked with an indulgent look, recognizing that both women had meant a great deal to Jean, just as they had to those born to the name Tracy.
"Mrs. Tracy? Nah – she was an oak tree, she'd give in the storm, but her roots kept her solid. And she was always there for shelter when you needed it."
"They sound like they were amazing women," Robin said as they exited the house. Alan paused to lock the door before slipping the key to Jean, with the sheriff quickly recognizing the key-bob as one of her mother's. He smiled sadly at Robin's comment, leaving Jean to answer the other woman.
"They were," Jean conceded. "Look at the family they left behind and you can't doubt that." Jean smirked internally, wondering if Mrs. Eppes had any idea just how amazing her son-in-law's family was. Her moment of mirth was disrupted by her cell phone ringing.
"Sheriff Landman here," Jean said as she walked Robin to the car. Closing the door behind the older woman, Alan and Robin were surprised to see Jean's easy-going features slowly begin to tighten and the tips of her ears turn red.
"He did WHAT?" Jean snapped loudly into the phone. "I – I …oh, get that dumbass into my office before I get there. If I have to track him down…I don't care if he's off duty, unless he wants that to become permanent, he better get in before I sit down, got it?"
"What did Dutton do now?" Alan asked as he started up the rental car.
Jean paused, struggling not to blow up even as she wondered how Alan had guessed correctly.
"Can you believe he has actually been banned from a McDonald's? No one gets banned from McDonald's? And the manager is in the office filling out a complaint against him. The last person they did that to robbed the place. I gotta go. See you later, Allie-gator."
Robin watched the woman as she stalked to her vehicle, anger in every stride. She waited until the sheriff had back down the drive-way and headed towards Bailey proper before saying anything.
"How did you know it was Deputy Dutton?" she asked, curious.
Alan shrugged as he followed, albeit at a more sedate pace.
"No one pisses off Jeannie faster that Keifer Dutton. She became the hero of the other kids in Bailey when she broke his nose and threatened to break his skull with her bat."
"Was she any good with the bat?" Robin gave a smile that faded at Alan's response.
"Ever hear of "Batter Bates", the phenom of Kansas State at the College World Series a few years back?" Alan grinned, knowing from Kate that Don Eppes had moaned loudly that "Batter Bates" had turned down an offer to go pro from the LA Dodgers, his baseball team, in order to join the Marines. As he saw that the woman had made the connection between the heavy-hitter and Series MVP – twice – and Sheriff Jean Landman, aka Jeannie Bates, Alan laughed.
"Yeah, she was good. Still is. For Jeannie's sake, I hope someone has called Miss Millie. She's the only one besides Scott and the late Sheriff Taylor who can disarm Jeannie when she's mad. Not that most people would mind, but Jean would hate doing all that paperwork once she's calmed down."
Robin watched the younger man as they drove back to the hotel, not sure if he was joking on not, but none the less relieved when he placed a call to the diner.
Just in case.
Once back at the hotel, Alan had to head out again almost immediately. With John still on paternity leave after Keith's birth, the youngest Tracy son was the only one who knew enough about their latest Tracy Industries project to handle a tele-conference in Kansas City. Kate had elected to go with him to the Kansas City office to use their facilities.
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Kate asked for literally the tenth time as Alan sat behind the wheel, his fingers tapping impatiently against the smooth leather.
Robin raised an eyebrow. "I may be older Katie, but I still remember how to handle children." Smiling down at Elizabeth and Jason, she brushed back their hair. "I noticed a pool outside and its perfect weather for it."
"Not too long, Mom," Kate firmly answered. "It may be June, but the kids are used to the tropics. Keep an eye on them and make sure you bring a change of clothes in case they get cold and…"
"And they'll be fine, Katie-Bear," Don said with equal firmness as he came out of the hotel, bouncing a fussy DJ on his shoulder. "You have to stop being such a worry-wart and relax."
Kate ran a finger over her younger son's cheek, frowning when he burrowed his head deeper into his grandfather's shoulder. "Munchkin here doesn't do well when teething. His rings are in the bag…darn. I forgot to put any in the freezer in the room. Maybe…"
"Maybe I should call downstairs and see if they have anything?" Don said with a grin. "Already did, the manager is getting something right now. She said just to give her ten minutes and -" Don glanced at his watch before continuing. "And that should be right about now. Give mommy a kiss, kiddo," Don instructed his grandson.
DJ lifted his head for a quick kiss before once more snuggling into his grandfather's shoulder. Kate then kissed the other two children and her parents before climbing into the car.
The vehicle had barely begun to move when it suddenly stopped and Kate leaned her head out. "Oh, and Gordon and Julie are coming in tonight. Julie's graduation was this morning and they are taking a commercial flight out to Kansas City. If we're still in town when Gordon calls – he's calling Alan first – then we'll just pick them up at the airport. Then again, they may want to rent another car. Or…"
"Or we'll see what happens," Robin sighed. "Now go, young lady."
Elizabeth nudged Jason. "See? Mommys are all like that. Even your Grammy is."
Jason just smirked. "Beat ya to the room. First one in their swim stuff wins!"
"That's not fair," Elizabeth said as she ran after her cousin. "You got less to put on than me!"
Robin smiled at Don. "I better keep up with them," she sighed before jogging after the twosome.
Don bounced DJ as he headed towards the front desk in the hotel. "Good luck with that one, huh, buddy?" he muttered, kissing his grandson's head. "C'mon. Let's get you something for that, huh?"
DJ grunted and Don pushed back the cold shiver he got as he looked around. Seeing only two maintenance men cleaning the area near the pool, Don shrugged. Robin would give him hell, saying he was feeding into Kate paranoia but he had a creepy feeling, as if they were being watched.
"Once a Fed, always a Fed as your Uncle Charlie says," Don muttered as he reached the desk. Maybe he should have his brother run some kind of program…What were the odds that Kate was right and something was wrong?
Gordon looked over at Julie and smiled, before squeezing her hand in support.
"You did great, Jules," the redhead murmured as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Julie smiled back, leaning her head on Gordon's shoulder. "Are you sure the family will be alright by my being your date?"
Chuckling, Gordon nestled his chin in her hair as he put an arm around Julie's shoulders to draw her closer. "Kate adores you, Dad respects your work, Alan thinks you are great…The dragon lady, parental figure and best friend all covered. Everyone else is glad I'm done with the speed dating. I hadn't dated anyone for longer than a couple of weeks since Lisa died."
"Did you love her that much?" Julie softly asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Gordon sighed and then surprised Julie with his answer.
"I wish I had. I know she loved me and I've let her family – even most other people think that the reason I didn't commit to anyone was because of Lisa. But the truth is if Lisa hadn't died, we probably would have broken up soon. I want what my brothers have, what my parents had – I want forever after. I want someone I could argue with and not be afraid they'll leave at the first rough spot. Grandma said find someone you can imagine seeing across the pillow for the next fifty years and marry them. Didn't mind imagining a lot of women across pillows – but not for half a century."
Julie tensed for a moment. Her reluctance to move their relationship to "the next level" was the source of the only discontent between them. Gordon felt vows were not as important as the fact they loved each other. Julie disagreed. Hadn't the passion that flared "in the moment" been the reason she had been conceived? It hadn't been a good basis for marriage and family. She knew from harsh words her mother had spat at her over the years that her father had been a criminal, one who had landed back in jail, the reason why his parental rights had been revoked. Julie had held to the hope that the man would try and get in touch with her after she turned eighteen but the silence convinced her that her mother was right, that her father viewed her as a youthful mistake.
God knows, her mother certainly did.
Julie hated being around her stepfather, especially if her half-siblings – who never acknowledged their relationship if at all possible – were around.
"This is my amazing son, Curtis and my lovely daughter, Nicolette. Oh, yes – and my wife's natural daughter, Julie."
Most people presumed Julie was illegitimate because of that, even some of the nuns had. Sister Ambrose had even sneered at her and murmured that Julie was a "enfent du peche" - child of sin. Modern society may not blink an eye at that, not blaming "dear Mrs. Mathews" for her youthful mistakes…
But they still looked down their noses at Julie because of it.
An overhead voice pulled Julie's attention from her morose thoughts.
"Folks, this is your captain. We'll be landing in Kansas City in a few minutes. It looks like a beautiful day there and we hope you enjoy your stay in America's heartland. For those of you staying with us as we journey on to San Diego, we need to advise you that our departure has been delayed by two hours. San Diego is having some rough weather, so we will be here longer than expected. I advise you to get off and stretch your legs; we will advise you if anything else delays the next part of our journey. Thank you for flying Phoenix Airways."
"Thank God, we're getting off here," Gordon grumbled as they adjusted their seats. "Now I remember why I hate flying commercial."
Julie just smiled. The Matthews were very well off, but nowhere near the wealth of the Tracys. Flying in first class was expected for her mother's family. Flying in first class was annoying to the Tracys. But Julie also knew it wasn't prestige.
It was impatience – Tracys needed to be in control.
Kate Tracy made quick use of the teleconference center, wrapping up several issues so she didn't have to head back to New York before the wedding. Finishing the last call, she headed towards the Senior VP's office, knowing that was where Alan had been planning on holding the meeting.
Apparently the meeting was over and from the looks of things, Alan wasn't happy.
"Hey, Kiddo," Kate said softly, touching her brother-in-law's arm. "What's wrong? The project not on time?"
Alan groaned before sliding a memory stick back in his messenger bag. "No, just – I just get sick of having to prove myself every time. That I'm not on major projects because my last name is Tracy. Danforth at the London office even asked if we shouldn't put things on hold until John was available – when he wasn't sneering about my brother being on paternity leave."
"I know how you feel," Kate smiled.
"Kate, you are ex-FBI, no one would give you a hard time."
"Do you know how many people assumed I only got my position because I married Scott?" Kate asked. "I could display my credentials all over Time Square and people still thought I only had a big office because I was boinking your brother."
Alan wrinkled his nose. "Kate! I so didn't need that mental image."
Kate laughed and put an arm around her brother-in-law's shoulders. "C'mon. Julie texted me that they landed and Gordon grabbed a rental car. They'll meet us back at the hotel. Let's go rescue my parents from the kids."
Alan laughed. "How big a headache do you think they have from their "quality time" with the grandkids?"
Kate paused before winking at Alan. "Don't worry – the Tylenol is in the bathroom in the suite."
The pair laughed, feeling relaxed – and trying to ignore the niggling feeling at the back of their neck of something about to go horribly wrong.
Robin Eppes laughed as her grandson and honorary granddaughter raced through the water once again. Glancing at her watch, she stood up.
"C'mon my two little tadpoles," Robin called out. "Poppy said he has chocolate milk and cookies upstairs."
"But Grammy," Jason said as he pulled himself out of the water, quickly toweling off before grabbing a dry t-shirt and sandals. "Mommy says we can't have that stuff before dinner and it's closer to dinner than lunch."
Robin smiled at her grandson while she helped Elizabeth re-braid her blonde hair. "You want to know a secret?" Both children nodded eagerly. "Grandparents beat Mommy's say-so as long as Mommy isn't here. So we have to hurry up and get those cookies, don't we?"
The children grinned happily. Grandpa never overrode their Moms like that.
Then again, that could be because of Onaha.
Just as Robin was ready to leave with the children, a maintenance man approached them.
"Can I help you?" Robin asked, suddenly nervous and frighteningly aware that she was alone in the area except for the children.
Kyle pulled out a gun and grabbed at Jason, pulling the boy into his arms.
"Let Jason go!" Elizabeth screamed as she swung her wet towel at the man.
"Help!" Robin cried as she frantically tried to snatch back her grandson. She was relieved when another maintenance man approached only to scream when he also pulled out a gun.
"Help!" she yelled again. Jackson drew back his gun and used the barrel to hit Robin across the forehead, making her drop into the pool like a stone.
With Robin out of the way, Jackson reached out to grab Elizabeth but the little girl had dove into the pool, frantically diving after Robin. Hearing a car pull up near the main entrance of the pool yard, Jackson muttered to his brother, "We got one. Let's get going."
Kyle kept a hand pressed against Jason's mouth, cussing when the little boy bit him. Momentarily relieved of his gag, Jason also cried out for help only to have Jackson smack him across the face. Stunned, the child was quiet long enough for the pair to race through the service entrance to their waiting escape vehicle, leaving Robin Eppes and Elizabeth Tracy still in the pool.
And still not having surfaced.
A/N - Just a quick update. Lots to do before the Military Ball. First time for my daughter. I made Tom come with us dress shopping for Janie. See Alan? I can torture someone else besides you.