To answer one question tho original was written and takes place in 1999. I have brought the story more current. That is the biggest change. I'm basing it during the Trump admin and I am changing things so that it is more inclusive of Race and gender. And I'm ridding the original text of some slight appropriation of Native cultures I added one black person so far will do more of that later. I've made Jade Richer, I made Jade shorter, I moved Tori's character from Michigan to New England cause... I am not a fan of the Midwest and couldn't do it justice... I have a bit of resentment. I also like babies so... though I know choosing not to have a baby is the author choice... but I like them...

Thirteen

"Dude… Tell me again, who had this idea?" Ray ducked, as a rubber ball went flying over his head, and the lights started to dance. "This is a circus."

"Eh…" Andre grinned, and motioned over a skating waitress. "It's cute…. There are a lot of company groups here…look, there's the guys from Fedex."

Ray moved his head, then laughed. "In those tight blue shorts… I see them." There were four of them there, Ray and Andre, and two others from Buzz Media who had worked with Tori before her promotion. "You want something to drink, Suzie?"

The programmer nodded. "Hell, yes… a beer, please." She leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the one next to her. "Feels good not to be in front of a screen.. that last project nearly killed me." She rolled her head towards Andre. "What time's Tor getting here… eight?"

"Supposedly, yep." Andre glanced up at the door, some distance away, then chuckled. "Right on time… just like always. You can set your watch by the woman."

Their eyes turned that way, and watched as Tori opened the door and slipped inside. She was alone, and she paused for a moment, letting her eyes adjust before she spotted them and waved.

"Good god." Suzie sat up. "I can't believe that's the same person... Would you look at her?" The programmer ran her hand through her silvered black hair and shook her head.

Tori headed towards them, trotting down the short series of stairs and dodging the busy crowd. She was dressed in faded jeans and a snug fitting aqua colored tank top which exposed a good portion of her upper body to the watching eyes.

"Mi Madre." Ray shook his head. "I remember her all frills and lace, and being so quiet… she has changed so much." The support manager of Buzz, who had taken Tori's position, hadn't seen his ex boss in over four months.

"She sure has." Andre mused, observing the self assured figure moving towards them, seemingly oblivious to the appreciative looks from the people she brushed by.

"Hey guys." Tori dropped into the nearest chair, and let out a breath. "Just made it… we had a wild day at work." She watched the eyes flick over her shoulder, and smiled. "Jade'll be here in a bit.. she was just finishing up a call when I left." Her gaze turned towards her former coworkers. "So.. how are you guys doing? Sal.. I got your email with those jokes.. I hope you know they're floating around hq now."

The programmer chuckled. "That's okay… things are fine with us. We just finished up remapping that IRS website program.. put them on IIS with some custom scripting. They like it."

"I know." The brown eyes twinkled. "I keep track of stuff coming from you all…it's been fun watching everything come together." She looked up as the waitress rolled back up, and delivered drinks. "Oo.. what's that.. draft beer? Can I have one?"

The lights dimmed, and the strobes started up, throwing patterns of balls and beams around the bowling alley. Tacky music added to the atmosphere, as teams started moving towards their assigned alleys. "Do they really expect you to… um.. bowl… in this?" Tori peered around, with a wry grin.

"Nah.. it's more of a gag than anything…" Suzie waved a hand at it. "The proceeds go to the United Way, so…" She held up a ticket. " You'd better go get a pair of ugly shoes, and we'll claim our spot. They'll bring the beer over there for ya." She pointed. "Lane 32."

"Good idea." Tori stood up, and Ray joined her. "We'll meet you guys over there." She edged around the table and walked towards the control desk, with the slim latin man right at her heels. "This is just goofy enough to be fun, Ray."

Ray laughed. "Si, you got that right, jefa." He patted her back, a touch gingerly. "Tori, I have to say this to you,.. I think you look fantastic."

The friendly smile, and the warm brown eyes were the same. "Thanks, Ray.. you look great yourself… is that a new haircut?" Ray's dark hair was almost shaved in the back, and the front wasn't much longer. She reached over and ruffled it.

"I hate to tell you what happened." He lowered his voice, as they waited their turn at the desk. "I was under the sink, you know? Fixing the pipes and I turned that little torch on."

Tori cocked her head. "For the copper things?"

"Si..si… only the dog, she's so cute, but she put her nose… I was not wearing… " Ray stopped, and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I jumped up, and forgot the torch, and burned my hairs off."

She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing." I'm sorry.. that's not funny…"

"Oh honey.. of course, it is." Ray smiled sheepishly. "But it does not look so bad, does it?"

Tori smiled back. "No.. not at all… you just look different." She paused. "Younger, I think."

"You too." The dark eyes flickered beneath even darker lashes. "Look at all those muscles."

She glanced down, then spread her arms a little and shrugged. "Yeah.. I know…all that wall climbing, and diving, and…" Tori exhaled. "Took me a little while to get used to it.. but it doesn't look too bad, huh?"

"Tch." Ray bit his lip, and given this permission, indulged in a long look. "Honey, you look gorgeous… and so happy." He leaned closer. "I am so glad for you, jefa… the chupa.. she did good for you, no?"

Tori nodded slowly. "Better than good, Ray." She turned around as they reached the desk and handed the ticket over, ordering shoes for herself and Jade, and paying for them. "It's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Okay.. okay, okay." Jade finally checked off the last box in the form she was filling out, carefully writing in several notes near the bottom of it. "Can we beta or not?"

An aggrieved sigh came through the speakerphone. "Jade…we have just gotten the routers in place… will ya give me a damn week to get them programmed, and tested before you start tossing packets at them?"

"A week?" Jade protested, leaning over her work and writing a long paragraph, in her strong, but confusing handwriting. "Jesus, Byron.. I got twenty of the damn things programmed in one night… what do you mean, a week?"

"Jade…"

Another scribble, and a pause for thought. "Shows exceptional grasp of business cases, and acts with solid responsibility." She muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Not you, Byron." Jade chewed the end of her pen. "All right.. I'm tired of arguing.. and I gotta go. You've got a week… but when that's over, I want a clearance to bring the system up."

A grumble. "Okay.. I think I can do that."

"You think?" Jade's voice dropped an octave.

"We'll do it."

"Night, Byron… tell Sandra I said hello."

"Tell her yourself." Byron grumbled. "She's right here.. laughing her ass off. She loves watching me squirm."

Jade smiled. "Hey, Sandy."

A low, melodic voice answered, full of the musical quality common in the East. "Hello, Jade… long time…. I've been enjoying every minute of this." Sandra chuckled. "I keep picturing this eighteen year old punk sitting in the CIO's office though… it's making my brain hurt."

Sandra Weing had been Jade's first supervisor; a few years later her company had bought out the tiny programming group she'd joined as a summer job. Jade was fairly certain she'd driven the lovely, talented, patient, and serene Dr. Weing to banging her head against the wall, and she was always surprised the woman remember her fondly.

She'd also been Jade's first crush, and a medium of startling revelation. Sandra had married Byron, a well thought of systems engineer, and decided to settle down at home and have kids, though.. and Jade had always wondered how that'd worked out for her. "Well, I'm certainly not eighteen anymore." She remarked, filling in another line on her form.. "But I'm glad you're having fun. "

"No.. I realized that when they posted those pictures of you online." Sandra chuckled. "Well, dinner's calling.. nice talking to you, Jade."

"Same here… next week, Byron." Jade warned.

"Yeah yeah.." He sighed. "You'll have it."

"Night." Jade hit the phone button with her pen and finished a last entry, her real reason for staying late.

Tori's evaluation, which would be a touch difficult to do during the chaotic day, or at home with the very tangible reminder of her wife's presence so close by. She glanced at her watch. "Only 8:30.. not bad. " She added her recommendations for Tori's future, and signed the review, with a strong scribbling, smiling as she sat back and let the pen drop on the desk.

The sound of footsteps didn't surprise her. She'd known Ankow was still in the building, based on little security pop ups that had been helpfully tracking him for her for the last few hours. 'Well." She stood up and locked her pc, sliding Tori's evaluation into her top desk drawer and locking that too. "It's not going to be a repeat of last night, that's for sure."

She already had her gym bag over her shoulder as he walked in, and she peered briefly, and uninterestedly at him as she picked up her keys. "Just leaving." A pause. "Sorry."

He leaned against the doorframe, regarding her sourly. Maybe he doesn't like parrots. She had two of them in a snuggly pose on her left breast, embroidered into a faded blue denim shirt tucked into natural stone washed jeans.

"Slumming tonight?"

Jade moved towards the door. "Disco bowling." She answered, with strict truthfulness, as she stopped in front of him and gestured towards the outer office. "Bar's closed."

For a minute, she thought he was going to remain standing there, then he eased out ahead of her. "I'm surprised.. .someone who lives out on a ritzy island… spends her evenings bowling?'

Jade didn't react. "Better than spending my time digging through public records in the Dade County Courthouse."

He got to the door first, and leaned against it, holding it shut and smiling at her. "But you find out such fascinating things… leafing through those microfilmed titles." A pause. "I've got you, West."

"With an inherited house?" Jade glanced at her watch. "Get out of my way, I've got a lot more important things to do than this."

"With your co owner."

Uh oh. Jade exhaled inwardly, but kept her composure. "Who… Tori?" She managed a completely bland look. "Why? She pays her half of the taxes."

A moment's doubt in his eyes. "You live together." He'd obviously expected a different reaction from her.

"Yep.. sure do." Jade agreed amiably. "Best roommate I ever had. Now.. is there a point to this conversation? Because otherwise, I'm leaving." She shouldered the gym bag and moved several steps closer.

Slowly, he moved away from the door, and opened it, watching her face intently. "Roommate, hmm?"

Jade felt like punching him. She really, really did, and maybe he realized that, and it excited him. "Yeah… " Then she smiled with feral intensity wondering how far into the public record he dug? Did he check the marriage records? Probably not, or he would be a lot giddier. "What'd you think.. we were screwing like squirrels on the coffee table?" She almost laughed at the look on his face. "Get your head out of your groin, Ankow.. and your ass out of my office." Jade brushed by him and strode towards the elevator, leaving him behind her in dangerous silence.

At the last minute as the doors opened and she stepped inside, he joined her, the elevator doors closing them both into a charged stillness.

They stared at each other in the oppressive atmosphere, the floors seeming to crawl by. At last the trip was over, and Jade escaped into the cool peace of the lobby, trying to ignore the stalking figure at her side.

He waited until they were past the doors, and past the security guard, before he reached out and grabbed her arm.

Jade stopped.

And turned ice cold eyes on him. 'Take your hands off me." She kept her voice down, but it rumbled with intent.

He let go of her biceps, then pointed a finger at her chest. "I'm going to find out the truth." He promised softly. "And bury you with it."

Then he turned and walked away, heading for his rental car that was parked near the front of the building.

Jade took a deep breath, and turned, then almost yelped when she came close to crashing headlong into a tall, menacing figure. "Hey!"

"Easy thar, Gigi." James peered over her shoulder, his eyes mere slits in the lamplight. "Who in the hell was that?"

"An asshole." Jade felt like hugging him in pathetic gratitude. "Just a real asshole, who's got it out for me." A hand patted her arm awkwardly. "What brings you here?" She nodded her head towards the Volvo. "Don't worry about him."

James turned his attention from the car Ankow was driving back to his daughter. "I need yer help." He muttered, embarrassed. "Got a minute?"

"Are you kidding?" Jade unlocked the car and motioned him into the passenger side. "What is it?"

James climbed in and shut the door, waiting for her to start up the engine before he blew a breath out, and peered sideways at her. "Been trying to figure out… good lord, all the clock round the past few days how I could get… get my butt in a place where I could… um… "

"Contact mom?" Jade paused at the stoplight, then turned when it changed.

"Yeah." Her father blinked, and rubbed his eyes. Jade recognized the gesture with a faint smile. "And I want to… damn, I do.. but I can't figger a way." He studied his scarred hands. "Picked up the phone a dozen hundred times, started to dial… just couldn't." He looked up at her. "What do I say? What kin I say?"

"Hello?" Jade joked faintly, as she drove. "I know what you mean, though… I remember how shocked I was… she's gonna lose it."

He remained silent, just twisting his fingers.

Jade thought, turning her mind to the puzzle as did throughout the day on less personal.. less vital matters. Her father was counting on her. Finally, she exhaled. "Let the Navy do it."

He looked up. "What?"

"Let the Navy do it… have them contact her, say there was a mistake. You know it happens." Jade responded quietly. "It's damn close to the truth."

James considered the words. "Doesn't explain the months I been here."

Jade had stopped at a red light, and now she turned. "No." She searched his face. "That's gonna be the tough part… your tough part."

The light turned green, and she drove on, trying not to hear the audible sounds as he swallowed a few times.

"Damn it." James finally whispered. "I want to have the guts to just call up and do this.. and I don't, Gigi. That's a damn tough thing for someone's stared down death as many times as I have.. and not cared." He dropped his head against one hand. "Don't wanta get the Navy into it."

Jade pulled into the parking lot and turned off the Volvo, then pulled her cell phone out and checked the charge. "I understand being scared." She leaned her forearms against the wheel. "It's like being in a dark pit… and there's no way out.. and you only go deeper into it, the longer you stay."

They looked somberly at each other.

Jade keyed in her phone's memory, and dialed a number, then held the instrument to her ear, until it was answered. "It's Jade." Hesitation, then a quiet response. "I've got someone here that want's to talk to you." She handed the phone to her father, who took it purely by reflex. "Here. Say hello to mom."

Then she opened the door and tossed him the keys, closing it and walking towards the building, without looking back.

Crossing her fingers.

"Okay… ow, watch where you're swinging that, Dre.." Tori ducked around the heavy blue ball Andre was swinging. "I have no idea where.. ah. There she is." She'd spotted her Wife enter, and stop, her ears visibly twitching at the assault of noise around her. Jade had a strained expression on her face, though, and Tori set her own ball down on the tray. "Uh oh… be right back, guys."

She trotted up the stairs and dodged around moving waitresses, relieved when the roving blue eyes fell on her and softened in perceptible relief. "Hey… " She got up next to Jade and tugged her into a corner. "What's the matter?"

Jade chewed her lip. "What do you want to hear about first… Ankow figuring out we live together, or me calling my mother and handing the cell phone to my father?"

Tori's jaw dropped. "Jade.. I only left you alone for forty five minutes." She spluttered in protest. "Jesus… wh…bu.. " She rubbed her head in shock.

The tall, dark haired woman managed a faint smile. "Everyone here? Let's… just… I um.. I need a distraction." She put a hand on Tori's back. "We can talk about it all later… The Ankow thing wasn't that big a deal.. I just told him we were roommates."

"Yeah.. yeah, sure… guess he didn't check the marriage records eh?" Tori took her arm and guided her back to the lane, where their friends were waiting, watching with interested faces.

"Nope," Jade stated, letting herself be led.

"Well, we are roommates." She replied reasonably, then stopped. "Wait.. where is dad?"

"Outside." Jade replied quietly. "I didn't know what to do...I... he was so frustrated, and I… so I just… I..."

"Dialed her number and said here." Tori winced. "Honey… "

"Tactless, huh?"

Tori sighed. "Well, it's direct, and straightforward.. and both you and your daddy are certainly that." She exhaled again and smiled as they reached the lane. "Hey guys.. sorry about that.. Jade had some problems before she left the office."

"And after." Her wife muttered.

"Mm…. Would you like a drink?" Tori signaled the waitress.

"Oh.. yeah." Jade ordered a Kahlua milkshake, then paused. "On second thought.. make that a double."

The waitress popped her bubble gum , and smiled. "Shawer." Then she rolled happily off.

Cecelia stared at the phone, deeply puzzled. Getting called out of the blue like that from Jade was shocking enough, but… who in San Franciscowould want to talk to her? Unless Jade wasn't in San Francisco, of course. Impatiently, she put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

All she could hear was the faintest sound of breathing.

For no reason she could detect, a chill passed over her. "Hello?" She asked again, softer. "Is there someone there?"

A soft rasp of indrawn air, then an almost inaudible sound came through the phone and touched her ears.

"Cec?"

No. She was frozen in place, unmoving. Unbreathing. No… no, that voice couldn't be what she'd heard. Her chest moved, pulling in air audibly.

"Ceci?" The sound again, a little stronger.

It couldn't be. It was just another dream.

Just another nightmare. She should hang up. That's what she should do, hang up and forget about it.

Yes.

Her hand moved.

Her heart spoke. "Jimmy?"

"Yeah."

Her world collapsed around her, becoming a small space filled with only that voice. "Jimmy." She curled around the phone, cradling it with both hands.

"Ceci, it's me."

She gasped softly. "Oh."

"Cec?"

She closed her eyes. "Yes?"

The voice took on an aching sadness. "I'm sorry."

Her chest suddenly erupted in a sob. "Where are you?" She managed to get the words out. "Jimmy… where are you?" She started crying helplessly, hugging the phone to her so tightly it creaked.

"Cec… there's so damn much I.. have to say I.. ."

"I don't care." Cecilia whispered. "I don't care where you've been or what you've done… just come here… come home.. please…"She stopped, as the tears choked her. "Please…"

He was curled up in the front seat, shaking so badly he could hardly hold the phone. "All right." He finally choked out.

"When?" Came back, a barely audible whisper.

James opened his fist, seeing the blood where his hand had clenched down over the set of keys his daughter had given him.

Cast bread upon the waters… and it came back to you, didn't it? God bless you, Jade. "Now." He answered the question, hearing the almost hysterical sob on the other end.

God bless you.

"You okay?" Tori leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she sat next to a very quiet, and very pensive Jade. The paler woman was sucking on her milkshake, cradling it in both hands and trying to ignore the chaotic sounds and sights around them. "Worried about your dad?"

Jade nodded slightly.

"Well... " Tori glanced up as Andre announced they were ready to start. Everyone was furtively watching Jade, and she realized her friends knew something was wrong. "Listen.. I've been thinking. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, you know?" She patted Jade's knee. "Sometimes, when you think about something too much, you get too scared to do it."

"Mm.. I know." Jade sucked on her straw. "Kissing you on the beach comes to mind."

Tori felt her train of thought run right off its track and wander down the 101. "Uh… what?"

"That was a major scared witless moment for me." Jade remarked.

"It was? " Tori sounded totally amazed.

A slight cock of Jade's head. "Would have been an ugly moment if I'd been wrong, wouldn't it?"

"Tch… you knew you weren't"

"No, I didn't." Jade replied seriously. "Sure.. I was hoping, but… " She sighed. "I'd been wrong so many times before."

"Not this time."

Jade smiled, and leaned against her. "No. I got it right this time."

They both watched Andre grasp his ball firmly, and face the alley, flashes of disco light flicking over his sturdy form. Then he walked up to the line with a dignified air, and spread his legs, tossing the ball down the alley with a distinct crashing thump.

"Nice technique." Jade muttered.

"He got two of them." Tori protested mildly. "I'm not much better."

"You're going to look a lot cuter with your butt up in the air."

Outraged brown eyes peered at her. "Oh great.. forget it.. I'll crawl up to the line."

Jade smiled.

"Can you bowl?" Tori asked, suddenly suspicious. She never got an answer because at that very moment, her cell phone went off, and scared the heck out of her. "Jesus!" She grabbed at the device, which she'd set to vibrate and was pressing against her side. She glanced at the caller id, then hesitated, before showing Jade. "It's you."

Jade bit her lip, then took the phone very gingerly and opened it, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"

A low, raspy voice answered. "Git out here."

Jade swallowed. "Yes, sir." She disconnected the phone and handed it to Tori, then stood. "Excuse me." It was like being an adolescent again, she realized. The years peeled back and she was twelve… or fourteen, and knowing she'd done something that rated a first class dressing down for. "Be right back."

Tori caught the edge of her jeans and held it. "You okay? Do you need some backup?"

An exhale. "No.. I got myself into this.. lemee go pay my dues… it's my father, remember? The worst he's gonna do is chew my head off."

"Well, remind him I have a real fondness for your head.. and I like it where it is." Her wife gave the fabric a gentle tug. "Okay?"

That got a faint smile out of Jade. "Okay." She tweaked a bit of Tori's hair, then turned and started making her way through the crowd.

Tori immediately got a pod of bodies attached to her. "What's going on?" Andre whispered. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine.. it's… just… complicated." Tori tried to find a place to start.

The air outside was humid, and Jade could smell a distinct tang of rain on it. She let the door close behind her and headed towards the car, trying to convince her guts to stop quaking. Her father was standing outside the Volvo, leaning against its tall side, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood, and she swallowed hard more than once as she forced herself to keep walking.

Finally, she was there, finding it very hard not to hang her head, and stare at her sneakers as she stopped a few paces away and waited. It wasn't a physical fear. James had never so much as laid a hand on her, ever, even in times where Jade now felt he probably should have.

He hadn't had to. His disappointment in her had been enough.

"C'mere."

Hesitantly, she took a few more steps, until she was almost even with him, his height topping hers by a half foot as he straightened up. "Everything okay?" She murmured, still unable to distinguish his features in the dark.

She wasn't expecting the hug, and it took her a moment to throw off her shock and respond. "Dad?" She whispered, as she felt the rare pleasure of enfolding her father in her arms. He was solid, and warm, but she could feel the faint shaking as he breathed. "Daddy?"

The arms squeezed her. "Thanks."

Jade's knees almost gave out as she felt the tension drain from her in a startling flood. She released her held breath and let her head rest on his shoulder until he released her, but didn't let go. They backed off a little and looked at each other. Jade risked a tiny smile. "So… I was right, huh?"

Her father nodded slightly.

"Sorry I did it that way." Now Jade did hang her head, studying the ground between them. "She want you to come up there?"

A long, shaky breath. "Yeah."

Jade shifted her energy away from the intense emotion and towards the practical. "Want me to take care of getting you there?" She peeked up at him. " I can try to get you on my plane for a flight out tonight."

He let his grip on her go, and leaned back against the car, either dazed or exhausted, it was hard for Jade to tell. "Lord… I can't believe this is happening." He raised his head with an obvious effort. "If you can... yeah, I guess.."

Jade took the keys of the Volvo and unlocked it, then opened the door and grasped his arm gently. "C'mere.. siddown."

"She… wanted t'come here…. "James murmured. "Wasn't fair…case things don't work out."

"They'll work out." Jade glanced around, then realized her father had taken the cell phone, and tucked it under one arm, where he had it pressed against his body. "I need… " She looked over at the building, and found worried brown eyes in the doorway, looking back at her. "Ah. Yeah.. that's what I need."

She gave Tori a smile, and a jerk of her head, and the brunette practically flew out of the alley and bounded across the parking lot.

"Let me borrow your phone... I've got to get the plane going to Connecticut." Jade announced, as her wife reached them.

"Really?" Tori handed it over, then got in closer. "Awesome!" Her face lit up with a delighted grin.

James lifted his head at that, and regarded her, a faint smile tugging at the very corners of his lips.

She threw her arms around him and squeezed. "Wow.. I'm so glad." She whispered in his ear. "I had fingers and toes and everything else crossed for you." She felt him return the hug, and pat her on the side. "Won't he get there too early in the morning?" This was to Jade.

"Yeah… Doubt she'll be sleeping tonight though… " Her wife held up a finger, the pressed the phone to her ear. "Yes… open return… my Father."

James stirred, but found it difficult to stand with Tori wrapped around him. "Ah.. "

"Don't argue with her." Tori advised softly, hanging on. "Just let her do her thing, and get her back later."

"Yeah... that's right." Jade was saying. We're on the way over now." A pause. "Thanks.. no, that's fine.. right. Bye." Jade closed the phone and nodded. "All set." Then she put a hand on her father's knee. "You got an ID?"

He nodded.

"Do you have something to wear other than that?" Tori inquired.

He shook his head.

"Okay." Tori released him and exhaled. "I'll stop and pick something up, and meet you there?"

"Right." Jade agreed. "Let's go." She glanced behind her. "What about.."

"Rain check."

"Right." Jade considered. "Men's extra large, he likes blue."

"Right." Tori agreed, making a note on notes appt. "See you there." She patted James's arm and trotted off.

Finally regaining a little equilibrium, Jade's father stared bemusedly after her. "You two always just take over stuff?"

"The occasional multi billion dollar company, sure.." Jade replied. "C'mon… we haven't got that much time…"

"Good." He sighed. "Less time for me to chuck up my guts with."

Jade got in and started the engine, then shifted the Volvo into gear. She spared a glance sideways, catching the reflection of her father's face in the passenger side window, where silent tears made glittering tracks from scared, haunted eyes.