Disclaimer-The
Highlander concept, as well as the characters of Duncan MacLeod, Joe Dawson,
Richie Ryan, and many others merely mentioned, belong solely to Davis/Panzer.
They are used without permission and not for monetary gain. The names Jonathan
Schlee and Roy Ferrer also belong to them (from the Watcher CD), but Roy
Ferrer's characterization belongs to me, along with Jessica, Jerry and
Liz Haldane, Eric Weiss, Brett Schwinn, Sandy and Elsie. This is my second
attempt at this story. I first posted it over a year ago and it was the
first story I ever submitted to HLFIC for public consumption. Since then
I have learned a lot about writing and needed to flesh out this story some
more and add some scenes I thought were missing.
I would
like to thank Lisa Hughes for her insight into the characters, her expertise
in diction and emotion, and for taking the time to help me, for both drafts.
Mary Galasso, a fellow Joe Dawson fan helped me in this newest version,
pointing out some additional areas which needed work. Thank you both for
all the time you've devoted to this story.
And then
there is Morrie Ruvinsky who wrote, The End of Innocence, which inspired
this story. It was the phrase about weighing "ethics and honor against
a friend's life" which haunted me for months until I was able to purge
it by writing this story. I included one scene from the episode, almost
word for word. I am not trying to plagiarize, but I just couldn't find
a way to paraphrase what Joe (Ruvinsky) said, so loquently.
Part 1-California
Chapter One
Roy Ferrer quietly entered the church. The service had already started,
so he slipped into a back pew. The minister was reading a scripture focusing
on the miracle of children. Since this
was baptism Sunday, it was only appropriate that he lecture, or rather
preach, on the "be fruitful and multiply" aspect of God's word.
As the reverend droned on, Roy slipped into daydreaming about the last
time he had been to this church.
It had been a bright fall day, two years ago. Instead of preaching about
children, the minister had been administering wedding vows. Again Roy had
come to the church uninvited. He had
taken a seat in the back and witnessed his Watcher's wedding. Roy and his
Watcher had a unique relationship. Roy pretended that he didn't
know about Watchers, and Jerry pretended that his actions were a secret.
The church organ interrupted Roy's thoughts. He saw three sets of parents
carry their infants up to the altar. Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Haldane and their
new daughter, Jessica, were the first
family the Reverend administered the rite to. The baby girl withstood the
indignity of a hand filled with cold water soaking her head.
She even smiled at the congregation. The minister handed the little girl
back to Jerry, and the ceremony continued. When Jerry and his wife left
the altar to return to their seats,
Roy saw Jerry's eyes sweep through the congregation. When they lit on Roy,
they seemed to focus for a second, then quickly bounce off.Roy smiled inwardly.
Jerry had been looking for him.
When the minister started his sermon, Roy sank into his own thoughts once
more. He had first become aware of Watchers over five hundred years ago.
Before that, he had spent his life as
a soldier, fighting for glory and money, and sometimes even for his country.
His real age was somewhere in the vicinity of eighthundred years.
He first became aware of Watchers about a hundred years after his first
death. He was ferrying information to the French, when the British captured
him. The punishment back then was drawing
and quartering and then being dragged through the streets. If one survived
that, they were beheaded. Treason carried aheavy penalty. He was not the
easiest of prisoners, he remembered with a smile. Then, the most amazing
thing happened to him. He was rescued. It turned out to be
his current Watcher. They spent a month trying to get out of England and
back into France. During that time they talked about everything from the
art of warfare to Roman law and even
literature. They also discussed the essence of being immortal and the meaning
of the Watchers. It was the shortest month of his life.
When they were safe, another Watcher came into the village and executed
his new friend for his actions, for treason. That was his first lesson
on both the compassion and ruthlessness
of the Watchers. From then on, he kept his eyes open, learning who some
of the individual members were, but did nothing to hinderor help them in
their jobs.
Then, five hundred years later, he saved the life of his newest Watcher,
Harold. They were sailing across the ocean to the New World when someone
framed Harold for theft. Roy, or rather
Robert, as he had then been called, intervened and found the real culprit.
His Watcher had been incredibly embarrassed and refused
to talk to him at all. It didn't take long for another to replace him.
And so on through the years, Roy had kept up with the identity of his individualWatchers,
hoping they wouldn't leave just as he got used to them.
The organ blared again. Roy stood up and slipped out the church before
the rest of the people swarmed out. He walked slowly home, happy with his
Watcher's new family. Roy went into
his house and took off his jacket. He poured himself a glass of brandy
and gave a personal toast to the new baby girl. At least today hehad been
able to see her for the first time.
He took his brandy to his office and pulled the top folder off of the high
stack. He was an absentee CEO of a company, called Protec, which manufacturedprosthetic
devices. His second in command communicated with him mostly by phone and
the occasional visit. Roy was a solitary man whose only interests werein
electronics and research. He would spend hours fidgeting with some new
gadget he had thought up. To make things really ironic, his Watcher was
the same. Jerry was an inventor. Roy
had offered Jerry a job in his own company, hoping for at least a business
relationship, but he was politely refused. By mail.
Roy was just signing his name on a report when he felt the incoming buzz
of an approaching immortal. While he wasn't truly out of the Game, he rarelyparticipated
in fights. He didn't go out seeking others, and very few were able to find
him. Roy went out the back door and there was a large man, in the back
yard, holding his sword.
"I am Dominic Kiriakakis." A dark hungry gleam shone from his eyes.
"Could we take this somewhere more private." Roy asked gently. "Right now,
there are two neighbors looking at us from their windows."
They agreed to meet in Golden Gate Park that night at nine. Dominic hid
his sword and vanished from the yard. Roy returned into his house. As he
closed the door, a huge sigh escaped
him. He knew Jerry would be occupied with his daughter's christening party.
Should he tell him about the challenge? He decided tosend some flowers,
with a card for Jerry alone. He walked to the florist and picked out a
nice arrangement. He put on the card, "Dominic Kiriakakis, Golden GatePark,
East side, 9:00 PM. Roy." He took the bouquet and delivered it himself
to the Haldane house. He handed the flowers to the wife, Liz, and told
her to let Jerry read the card first.
Then he left.
He returned home to prepare himself for the battle. He stood naked in his
basement and holding his sword, ran through his kata. His concentration
was complete. Over and over he went
through the steps. The sword became an extension of his arm. The air seemed
to move on its own before his body pushed it. His musclesflowed and his
mind became one with nature. The time between battles disappeared, and
it was only yesterday, not eight months.
At nine, he was at the Park, awaiting his adversary's arrival. Without
any outward sign, he observed his Watcher position himself. Dominic arrived
and without warning or conversation,
began instantly to attack. Roy countered everything thrown at him. He settled
into his rhythm, and soon the fight changed, and Roywent on the attack.
He slowly, steadily pushed his opponent into rash thrusts, which only earned
him slashes into his skin. Dominic was by far the inferior fighter,and
finally Roy ended it. With a final swing, Dominic's head went flying into
the bushes and the transfer of his Quickening began. Roy staggered home,
wanting only to fall asleep.
Jerry left the park after talking with Kiriakakis's Watcher. He took the
sword and the two of them put the body and head in Dimitri's trunk. It
was after midnight when Jerry returned
home. Liz had waited up for him, which wasn't too hard with a one-month
old baby.
"Did he win?" she asked.
He had no secrets from his wife. "Thankfully. The other guy was severely
outmatched."
Jerry grabbed himself a beer and went to sit next to her. The baby was
cooing and smiling.
"It was very nice of him to tell you about it," she reminded him.
"If I had been doing my job, I wouldn't have needed him to inform me of
his every move." He slid his hand though his hair. He was mad at himself
and he was mad at Roy.
"Do you know how I got this assignment?"
When she nodded no, he continued. "His previous Watcher was a man named
Joe Dawson. He was new to the whole thing and Ferrer was his first assignment.Dawson
Watched him for four years. Then Ferrer made some kind of move towards
friendship; Dawson freaked, and ended up with a new immortal to Watch.
NowI'm in the same boat. I've been Watching Ferrer for three years now.
He must be making his move now."
He took a large drink from his beer.
"But, Jer, Roy's a good man. I don't see anything wrong in the two of you
being friends."
"Friendship is impossible. I took an oath never to interfere. This is a
good oath and not one to be taken lightly. It's just like on Star Trek,
they have the Prime Directive. What
if every Watcher became friends with their immortal? The system, the very
essence of our organization, would crumble."
He couldn't see any way out of this mess. The trouble was that he agreed
with his wife. He liked Roy Ferrer a lot. Guilt weighed heavily upon him.
"Liz, I have a confession to make. Remember how I said we couldn't go on
a honeymoon?"
"Yes. Then you surprised me, by taking me to Hawaii."
"I didn't pay for it, Roy did. He sent me a letter. He said he had this
need to travel, and had decided to go to the Islands. Because he knew that
I had to follow him, he booked me a
bungalow near his and sent me two flight tickets."
"How very sweet. It was his wedding present to us."
"I didn't know what to do. I was weak. I wanted to take you on a trip so
badly. By accepting those tickets, I agreed to his terms, I set the stage
for further interaction."
"Has he taken advantage of you?"
"No."
"Well then. Don't worry about it."
"I would have looked like a fool if I hadn't shown up to the fight tonight."
"He knew you were busy with Jessie's christening."
"The man's life was challenged and yet he had enough presence of mind to
inform me."
"Stop beating yourself up about it. Jess is asleep. Let's go to bed."
When the decade changed from '79 to '80, the Haldane's threw a large New
Year's Eve party. Jerry invited quite a few of his Watcher friends. Liz
had not met many, since he had kept
that part of his life separate. His mentor Ian Bancroft was able to make
it. He had invited Joe Dawson, but his assignment, DuncanMacLeod was living
in Paris, so he sent his regrets.
Jerry took the opportunity to have a private talk with Ian. He confessed
some of his troubles. Considering that Ian Watched Darius, it was a good
assumption that Ian would give him a
reasonable solution to his dilemma.
His response was quite unexpected. "Roy Ferrer has a history of using his
Watchers as a companion. He goes through his life without making friends.
You've Watched him for what five years
now?"
Jerry nodded.
"Have you ever seen him with anyone?"
Jerry thought back. He had never given it any thought. Ian was right. Not
once had Roy been involved with anyone. As he thought about it, it had
been several centuries since Roy had
any kind of mortal friend. And never an immortal one. He was stunned at
the revelation.
"Why is he like that?"
"I don't know. For at least two hundred years he has tried to initiate
and maintain a relationship with his Watcher. He has succeeded far more
times than you would believe. Since
he has never abused this, we've let it go. I'm not suggesting that you
invite him over for dinner, but just ignore the fact that he knows you."
Since this is what Jerry had been doing all along, the talk diminished
some of his growing guilt. The party was a huge success. Everyone admired
his beautiful two-year old daughter.
She was already talking in complete sentences and she charmed them all.
Jessie was allowed to stay up till midnight, but she didn't make itpast
ten. She fell asleep on the couch, while the party continued around her.
Roy spent the evening alone. He was in his basement, inventing a new robotics
system. He was trying to get an arm to follow some simple instructions
that had been programmed into his computer.
Chapter Two
Roy watched Jessie grow up from afar. After seeing a commercial for Disneyland,
he decided that the little girl needed to visit that Mecca for children.
He called the travel agent and arranged
the entire vacation for Jerry's family and for himself. The trick was getting
them to accept his gift. After contemplating it, he decided
to go for the direct approach. He waited for Jerry to go to work and then
went to their house to talk to his wife.
He knocked and Liz opened it. She gazed at him with rounded eyes.
"Come in Mr. Ferrer."
"No, I don't think that it would be a good idea." He handed a folder to
her. "I'm planning on going to Disneyland. I've never been and I think
I need to see it. Maybe I'll see you
there?"
She opened up the folder as he turned to leave. "Wait Mr. Ferrer. I, um,
I don't know what to say."
His heart melted at her bemused expression. He gave her a gentle smile
and continued on his way home. The less contact between them the better.
The last thing he wanted was to get
Jerry in trouble and get a new Watcher assigned to him.
She stepped back into her house and looked at what Roy Ferrer had just
given her. It was the first time that she had been so close to him. She
still couldn't believe he had been actually
at her door. With a shake of her head, her attention was once more grabbed
by the contents of the folder. Tucked inside were plane tickets,three-day
passes into Disneyland's Magic Kingdom and the confirmation for the hotel.
Roy had purchased the entire trip for them. Jessie was nine years old andall
she wanted for her tenth birthday was to see Mickey Mouse. How had he known?
Later that night, while snuggled comfortably in bed, Liz brought out the
folder Roy had given her.
"How could he do this to me again?"
"I think it's very sweet of him."
"He's made it impossible for me to refuse."
"You could just donate the trip to a needy charity, if you really think
this is a bad idea."
"I accepted the honeymoon trip from him, can I do any less for our daughter?
How can I draw the line now? It's too late."
Liz listened to Jerry rationalize his doubts away. She rubbed her cheek
against his chest, rubbing his arm lightly with her hand. They were all
going to Disneyland for Jessie's birthday.
Her daughter was going to be ecstatic.
The next morning Liz fixed Jessica her favorite breakfast. As she was flipping
the pancakes, Jessie went over and started to take the toaster apart. By
the time the pancakes were done, the
toaster was in parts all over the kitchen table. Jerry came down and grabbed
his cup of coffee. Between bites, Jess put the applianceback together.
"Honey, we have some news for you."
The little girl looked up, a fork in one hand and a wrench in the other.
"Yeah, mom?"
"How would you like to go to Disneyland for your birthday?"
Both accoutrements clattered to the table. "Oh, yes!" she shrieked with
wide-eyed excitement.
Jerry laughed, and Liz exchanged an amused look with him.
At the end of March, Jerry happened to make an unexpected trip to Jessie's
school. She had told him repeatedly about an art show where she had a sculpture
on display. The show was open for a
week and parents could come in anytime to peruse their children's work.
Jerry had made no promises but unexpectedly got out of
work early so he went to the school. As he walked down one of the halls,
he happened to catch a glimpse of Roy. It stopped him in his tracks. Roy
was talking to one of the teachers about
Jessie's figurine. Jerry didn't know what to do. He backed up and hid around
the corner. Turning his head, he peered back at Roy.
Suddenly he felt little fingers tug on his pant legs.
"Mister, are you lost?"
He turned abruptly and gazed down at a little girl. "No, I'm just waiting
my turn."
"Oh," she squinted back at him. "I hate waiting."
Jerry smiled. "I do too." He turned back and saw that Roy had left. He
made his way over to the teacher and picked up Jessie's piece.
"Hello, I'm Jerry Haldane, Jessica's father." Would the teacher say anything
about Roy?
"Hello, I'm Denny Cacciato." He pointed at Jessica's contribution. "Your
daughter is a very unique little girl. Another father was commenting on
her style just a minute ago."
"You don't say?"
"He comes in quite frequently. I find it refreshing to see so many fathers
take and interest in their children's schooling."
Jerry's mind was racing. Roy came in *frequently*? He made some trivial
remarks and left to go home. How long had this been going on? He tried
to sort through his jumbled feelings.
Much to his surprise, he realized that he wasn't as troubled by this revelation
as he should be. There was even a tiny part of him that waspleased. It
was almost like having an invisible bodyguard on Jessie. Jerry trusted
Roy implicitly, and just now became aware of this fact.
The Thursday before Easter came and Roy drove down to Anaheim. He refused
to fly if he could possibly get around it. The thought of being without
his sword for any length of time made
him extremely nervous. The Haldanes were to arrive the next day, so he
spent the evening in his luxurious room, soaking in his tub,and then watching
the television. He had room service bring him up dinner, since he had no
desire to mingle with any of the other guests.
Roy slept around the clock. He ordered breakfast in his room, and brought
out his computer. He spent a few hours in contact with his manager. He
had been thinking about offering Jerry
another job at his company. It would make both of their jobs easier, but
after having been refused the first time, he wondered if itwas worth it.
He filled out the birthday card for Jessica from Mickey Mouse, telling
of the breakfast, and had it waiting at the main desk. They arrived at
six thatnight.
The next few days passed, with the Haldanes going to the Magic Kingdom
and Roy basically following them. If Jerry thought of this as a role reversal,
he gave no sign. Roy thoroughly enjoyed
Jessica's happiness vicariously. Roy went on a few of the rides, but mostly
just watched "his family".
Jerry was a bit nervous over the birthday breakfast. He had a suspicion
that Roy would be the one in the Mickey suit. This was put to rest when
Jerry observed Roy in the lobby, reading
a newspaper just as they were about to leave. The immortal kept his eye
on the paper, but kept track of every move his family made.
The breakfast went well, Jessica was in seventh heaven. Mickey gave them
a tour "back stage" so to speak, of the Magic Kingdom. They met all of
the other characters, and spent most
of the day with them. It was one of the best birthdays Jessica ever had.
She couldn't thank her parents enough. They would exchangelooks over her
head, and Jerry would shake his head. He owed his immortal a lot.
It was the next day that disaster struck. It was the turning point of Roy's
and Jerry's relationship. Never again would they be intimate strangers,
each afraid of invading the other's
lives.
The Haldanes went to visit the rides one last time. Jessie wanted to ride
each just once more. Unbeknownst to her parents, Jessie had been toying
with the problem of how one of the rides
worked. She plotted in her mind a way to lose her parents and slip inside
the "employees only" door inside the carousel. She waited
for the perfect moment, and it came just before lunch. Her parents were
arguing over money, each had their wallet out, bickering as to the cost
of what kind of lunch they should buy.
Jessica slowed her walk, until she was totally behind them. Then she did
an about-face and headed towards the carousel. She slipped
onto the ride and then into the middle. Roy just caught the glimpse of
her as she opened the employee's door.
Roy yelled over to Jerry, then took off at a run heading towards the merry-go-round.
He jumped onto the moving platform and with one stride, was over into thecenter.
The door was ajar, so he flung it open. He saw her hand within the wheels
and turbines. In slow motion, Roy saw a piston start lowering, which caused
a crank to turn. Without thinking, he
inserted his hand and pushed hers out. The wheel sliced off his first two
fingers at the first joint, which caused blood to pour out.
Jessica screamed.
Jerry came bounding through the door, with Liz close behind. Jessie started
screaming. Liz pulled her daughter towards her, trying to shield her from
the gore. But Jessica wouldn't have
it; so they fought.
Jerry pulled a T-shirt from a bag he was carrying, and wrapped it around
Roy's hand.
Jess stood next to her father, watching his every move through her tears.
"Is he going to die?"
With a muffled curse, he addressed his wife. "Get her out of here. I'll
take care of things here."
Jessie refused to leave. "I want to help. You need water or a Band-aid?"
Roy took hold of the T-shirt, but his face was pale. Jerry knelt down and
looked his daughter straight in the eye.
"I need for you to leave with mommy." He was firm in his demand.
With a resigned nod, she placed her hand in her mother's and they left.
Jerry stood back up, his mind racing over an idea. He remembered a story
that had circulated some years ago. A Watcher had seen an immortal reattach
a toe after it had been severed by an
ax. The Quickening knitted the appendage back onto the foot. Jerry was
unsure if this would really work, but it was worth a try. Finger,
toe, what was the difference?
Jerry scoured around looking for the fingertips. He saw one resting between
two pulleys. He was able to grasp that one quite easily. The other was
embedded within the cables. Roy was
gazing at him with pain-filled eyes. The motor started making a noise,
which Jerry interpreted to mean the carousel was slowing down.The gears
and pistons stopped moving. During this lull Jerry reached in and quickly
pulled out the middle finger tip.
He bent down and slowly unwrapped Roy's hand. Jerry took the fingers and
lined them up against the bleeding stumps. Quickening arced from the finger
nubs to the broken pieces. Both watched
in fascination, as the fingertips seemed to glue themselves back on. He
wrapped the T-shirt around it once more. The machinerystarted up again,
signaling the start of the next ride.
Jerry stood up. "I think we need to get out of here. It's a miracle that
nobody has intruded on us so far."
The two men slowly opened the door and peered out. Then they slipped onto
the carousel. Roy swayed, blinking his eyes, so Jerry tightly clutched
his arm to steady him. They went over
and sat at one of the numerous picnic tables.
Roy removed the bloody shirt. They could both make out the small flashes
of Quickening, as it worked to heal both of the fingers. Their eyes met.
One held guilt and gratitude. The other
held relief and pain.
"Are you thirsty? Let me go up and get some soda or water. I know I could
use a drink." Jerry stood, unable to stay still.
"I would like some water, so I can wash the blood from my hand," Roy politely
asked.
So Jerry went and got two cups of water and a coke. He also grabbed some
napkins. Roy dipped them in the water and rubbed his fingers clean. The
bleeding had completely stopped. Roy
handed the sodden T-shirt back to Jerry.
"I'm sorry I ruined the shirt."
Jerry's control shattered.
"You're sorry about the stupid shirt? You save my kid's hand at the expense
of your own and you're worrying about the shirt?"
"Take it easy. Everything is okay. Your daughter is unharmed, and I'll
be okay soon enough thanks to your quick thinking. I never knew about this
procedure." He looked down at his almost,
completely healed hand. "Let's go back to the hotel so I can reassure your
daughter that I'm okay. I really am," he added withemphasis.
"No, I don't want to reassure her. She needs to learn that every action
has a consequence. Her deliberate vanishing act resulted in your injury.
She needs to stew on that awhile."
"Fine. Coddling her is probably not a good idea. But I would still like
to go back to my room." He stood up. "I guess I'll be seeing you around?"
he said ironically.
Jerry reddened slightly. He watched his immortal slowly walk away, torn
in all kinds of directions. Both of them had broken the rules today, and
he just didn't know what was going to
happen next. He was scared that the higher-ups might reassign him, but,
God! Roy had saved his daughter's hand, if not her life. Over andover the
incident ran through his mind.
Roy didn't go down for dinner, but had room service brought to his room.
Then went to sleep early. Directly after breakfast he headed for home.
His hand throbbed, although the injury
seemed to have totally healed. If someone happened to challenge him, he'd
be in serious trouble. His concentration was nil and he wasn't
sure how much dexterity he had in that hand. Then wonder filled his thoughts.
It was an amazing thing for Jerry to have saved his fingers like that.
He'd never realized that something like
that could be done. It felt really good to have his own Watcher know how
to heal him like that. It was actually worth the injury.
Once home, he retired to his basement to work a bit on his inventions.
He really couldn't do any manual work, but he tinkered, thinking up new
ideas. Ever since Dawson had been his
Watcher, those few years ago, he had been tantalized with the idea of building
prosthetics that were wearer friendly. He was slowlygathering the computer
skills, or rather the computer technology was catching up to what he wanted
to accomplish. When he could no longer ignore the pain, he took
some aspirin and went to bed. With any luck, the phantom pain would disappear
as he slept.
Chapter Three
Jessica never really forgot what had happened at Disneyland. Her own thoughtlessness
ended up making a stranger lose two fingers. She could tell that her Dadhad
been very upset over the incident, but he never made reference to it. Then
one day she saw that same stranger at her school. Two years had gone by,
and yet, she knew him instantly. It
was at the sixth grade science fair. She had built a cool mechanical robot.
It was only a foot tall, but it worked. She was standing behind
it when he came into the room. Her breath caught. Would he come over to
see her work? Was he mad at her?
Then his eyes met hers and he smiled. She let out her breath in relief.
As he made his way over to her, she tried to see his hands, but they were
stuffed in his pockets. Why was he here?
Her parents were around somewhere, was he looking for them?
"Hello Jessica. I see your project here, tell me how it works."
"What's your name? I've thought so much about you, but Dad wouldn't even
tell me your name."
"I am Roy Ferrer."
Her eyes grew wide. "I have heard your name before. They talk about you
sometimes."
"Good talk or bad talk?"
"Mom is always saying stuff about how nice you are, and Dad says to be
quiet. How come?"
"I am glad to see that your almost mishap hasn't deterred your creativity."
He deliberately ignored her question. She'd have to think of another way
to get the answer out of him. Her father was never going to tell her.
"Daddy says it's in my blood. He was the same way as a kid. They're going
to send me to a new school next year. You know, one of those special schools,
because they say I'm a genius. I don't
want to go there, but Mom says I'm just not challenged enough here."
"Is this school far away? Are you all going to have to move?"
"The school is up north. They're still *discussing* it. Daddy says his
work is here, but Mom says he can get a new job. Then they fight."
"Well, good luck on your project. And your new school. Maybe I'll get to
visit you there."
Then he walked away.
"Wait Mr. Ferrer. What about your hand?"
But it was too late. The crowd swallowed him up. Jessica stamped her foot
in frustration.
The next morning Liz went to collect the mail and saw a letter to Jerry
from Roy. She called to him as she walked back into the house.
"Hey honey! You've got something here from Roy."
She started to open the envelope when he snatched it out of her hand.
"Let me see that."
She smiled inwardly at his feigned anger. No matter what he said, his eyes
betrayed his excitement.
"Jess mentioned meeting him last night. He actually had the audacity to
come to see her project." He stopped talking as he read the words.
Liz saw him bite his lips in consternation and then his face blazed in
fury.
"Listen to this. He writes:
To my companion,
It has always been my belief that I should
not stay in one location for too long. I
have neglected to move for fear of inconveniencing
your family. I hear that now it is necessary for
you to move. If you can give me the location of
this school I will endeavor to move myself there.
Time is of course immaterial.
Ferrer
"Can you believe this. It's totally backwards." Jerry crumpled up the letter
within his hand, and pounded his fist against the wall. "I'm the Watcher,
I'm supposed to go where Ferrer goes.
But no! Not with Haldane and Ferrer. With us, the immortal arranges his
schedule to the convenience of his Watcher. That ought to goover big with
the higher-ups. Why am I always doing things wrong?"
"Honey, you aren't wrong and neither is Roy. He's just being nice."
"You just don't understand." Liz could hear a thread of resigned defeat
in his voice. He was right, she didn't understand his problem.
Roy received an unexpected visitor. The doorbell rang and when he opened
the door, Jerry was standing outside.
Jerry started out, "I am not happy about this arrangement, but I don't
see a way out." Jerry stalked into the house. Roy smiled and made way for
his entrance.
"You chafe too much. I haven't done anything to compromise your oath. Do
I ask you for favors? Do I ask to be invited to your house? Do I ask for
anything at all?"
"No, and that pisses me off the most. I have all these hostile feelings
that I can't find a source for. You are the perfect immortal and I feel,
well inadequate."
"You feel unworthy?"
"Not exactly. I feel like I should be making sacrifices, but I never do.
You make everything so damned easy. It shouldn't be that way. Now you're
planning on moving just to accommodate
me."
"You are wrong. I do this only for Jessica. We have a blood bond now."
He took his hand out and wiggled his fingers. Then he changed the subject.
"Would you like a drink? A tour of my
house?"
Jerry blushed. Roy wondered just how many questions Jerry might have about
him.
"Go ahead, I have nothing to hide from my Watcher. Let me fix us a drink.
Gin and tonic, right?"
Jerry nodded and started to peruse the living room. He checked out that
room first and then grew bolder. Roy was pouring the liquor while watching
his Watcher look at everything. Jerry
picked up a magazine, then set it down. Roy capped the gin bottle. Jerry
walked down the hall and entered the bedroom, and then the library.
He didn't spend a lot of time in either. When he returned to the kitchen,
Roy was at the table with both drinks waiting.
"Did you see anything interesting?"
"Not a thing, not even your sword."
Roy ignored the last part. His fighting was separate from his relationship
with Jerry. "I lead a very boring life. I have Protec, which takes up a
bit of time. I have my research, and
I have you. That's it."
"Why don't you have anyone else? That question's been featured in so many
of your chronicles."
"I have always been solitary. I tried a few times to gain mortal friends,
but I've had a great deal of misfortune. When I confided my immortality
to them, they usually end up rejecting
my friendship. One even had me burned at the stake, and this was a person
who had been my friend for ten years. I guess I've given up.At least with
the Watchers, my immortality is not a secret." Roy gave a sigh and took
a swallow of his drink, but he was constantly aware of Jerry's body language.
Jerry sat still, staring at him, with an unreadable expression on his face.
Then he took something out of his pocket. "Here is the brochure on the
school Jessica told you about. It's
in Northern California, in a town called Redcrest, just south of Eureka.
It's a very exclusive school for gifted children. I don't think the town
is very big." Jerry took a big breath
and forged ahead. "The three of us were thinking of going up there to have
a look. Would you like to accompany us?"
Roy couldn't believe it. He blinked, afraid that it was all a dream. "Yes,
I would like to come." He enunciated each word slowly.
"We're leaving next Friday afternoon, when school gets out. We'll stay
in this hotel, and tour the school the next day." Jerry's words came out
fast and slurred.
"Give me a time and I'll be at your house."
"It's three thirty, and we'll pick you up here."
"Fine."
"I better go." Jerry paused. "Anybody around?" he asked hesitantly.
"None that I know about."
"Yes, well, none that I know of either. Bye."
Roy was at the window by three, waiting for Jerry and his family to show
up. In all his numerous years, he couldn't remember the last time he was
so looking forward to an adventure.
For just this weekend, he was going to be part of a family unit. His bags
were packed, but he went over his mental checklist yet again.
Then he heard the car pull up. He was out the front door, before Jerry
could put it in park. Liz was in the back seat with Jessica, which left
the front seat for him. Jerry got out
to open the trunk for Roy's bags.
"Sorry we're a bit early. Jess was so excited about your coming that she
didn't dally at all. For a ten-year old, that's pretty amazing."
"No problem. I was ready."
The trunk was closed and Roy got into the car.
"Hi Mr. Ferrer. I am so happy you're going with us. Do you know anything
about this school?"
"Nope, only what was in the brochure that your dad gave me."
"They say even though I'm only ten, I can graduate from high school when
I'm sixteen. Won't that be cool?"
"What grade are you finishing now?"
"Sixth, I've already skipped one."
"Really? Which one?"
"Kindergarten. I went right to first grade when I was five."
"What else in school are you good at?"
"I'm a fast reader. I do pretty good in math, but I love computers and
science."
"Maybe you'll be an inventor like your dad and me."
"You're an inventor too?"
"I sure am."
Roy turned in his seat, talking to Jessica, but all of his awareness was
centered on Jerry. *His* Watcher.
When they got to Redcrest, it was late, so all they did was check in and
say good night. Dinner had been a relaxed time and Jerry was acting more
comfortable in Roy's presence. His Watcher
actually started talking about his inventions. In fact, the invisible barrier
that Jerry always erected was missing. Roy felt like he wasliving in a
fantasy.
They met for breakfast, and a representative from the school joined them.
Roy was surprised to find that he was included in all the meetings. He
had figured that he was there for the
ride and to maybe look at some real estate. They all went to the school
and he was even requested to share his opinion on things. Jessicaseemed
to be favorably impressed with everything she saw. They had a large computer
lab, and an even larger science lab.
At dinner that night, they all discussed the day.
"So honey, it isn't as bad as you thought, hmm?" Jerry asked.
"No, it was pretty neat. The teachers aren't old fuddy-duddies, and even
the other kids don't look too dorkey."
"The computers look state-of-the-art."
"Did you see the main-frame? It took up two whole rooms. Wow!"
"They have to be able to store all the work that the students do. I imagine
it must take up a lot of storage space."
Roy was having a wonderful time. Listening to father and daughter talk
was a balm to his lonely soul. He didn't contribute to the conversation,
but soaked up the atmosphere in almost
a dazed wonder.
"Hey, earth to Mr. Ferrer? You fall asleep in your mashed potatoes?" Jessica's
voice brought him out of his trance.
"No." He laughed. "I'm not asleep."
"Honey, he's on sensory overload. I'm sure he's not used to all this babbling."
Then Jerry gave him a warm smile. "You have any concerns about this place?"
Roy hadn't been sure that he wanted to voice this thought, but since they
asked, he might as well tell them.
"I do have one." All eyes turned to him. "It's an all girl's school, without
much interaction with the opposite sex."
Jess laughed. "I don't care about boys. All I want is to make things."
Jerry snickered, "You mean take them apart."
Liz spoke up. "Roy has a point. In a few years, boys will be important
to you. There really isn't a boy's school around here. So nobody for you
to socialize with."
"Honest Mom, I don't care."
Even though Jessica didn't want to consider the problem, Roy was still
worried about it. But with a shrug of his shoulders, he dropped the subject.
On Sunday, they had an appointment with the real estate agent. She showed
them several houses, which were up for sale. There was a duplex for sale,
which captured Roy's interest. Could
he interest Jerry in something like that? He could afford it, hell he could
buy the whole damned school. But Jerry was proud,which to Roy, was not
a bad trait to have. They didn't make any decisions, but told the agent
that they would be in touch. Roy knew not to mention his idea untilhe was
alone with Jerry.
He waited until they returned to San Francisco that night. Roy asked Jerry
to come into the house.
"I know you Watchers have rules and things, but I think we should take
the duplex. Listen to everything before you interrupt. She is going to
be at that school for four to six years.
A house for each of us is fine, but sharing would be more convenient. I
can afford it, if you find the cost too steep. If you want to pay rent
to me, that's fine. What do you say?"
"I want to think about it. Liz saw a house that she liked, but it's a bit
pricey. I'll have to get back to you."
"Fine, let me know when the paper work is complete for the school's admission.
I will then go and buy either the duplex or something for myself. I'll
put this house up now."
Jerry said goodbye and returned to the car. He waited for Jessie to go
to sleep, before telling Liz anything.
"So what do you think? It's a big chance we're taking."
"You really think the Watchers are going to care?"
"Actually I wasn't thinking about them. I was thinking more about stray
immortals who will come around and challenge him. We could get caught in
the destruction caused by the Quickenings.
It's not a fun thing, and pretty scary."
"It's better for us to be caught, then someone else. I think Roy's idea
is good. We can afford half of it, with him paying for his share."
"Even though you won't have the house you had set your mind on?"
"Yes."
"You feel sorry for him, don't you?"
"He's so nice, and he just glows when he's with us. Did you notice that
we were fifteen minutes early and he was still waiting for us by the door?"
"Yes, I did catch it."
"Jessie is quite taken with him too."
"Did I tell you that he's an inventor also?"
"Hey, maybe the two of you can set up a lab in the basement and work on
stuff with Jessie."
"I'll be drummed out of the Watchers for sure," he laughed sardonically.
"Too bad. He's your friend, and has been for over ten years."
"He's not my friend, he's my assignment."
"Yes, dear."
She leaned over and gave him a juicy kiss, and started pulling off his
T-shirt. All thoughts of Roy left his mind.
The next weekend Jerry went up to Redcrest to put an offer on the duplex.
Roy had offered to go, but Jerry insisted that it was his responsibility.
So Roy gave him a blank check for his
share. Jerry was scheduled to be gone for three days; however, he called
Liz on the second and said it was going to take a bit longer.
That night, someone tried to break into the Haldane's home. It was after
midnight, but with Jerry gone, she didn't sleep very soundly. A scratching
noise woke her. Then she heard boards
creak. As quietly as she could she picked up the phone and called Roy.
Why she called him and not the police, she didn't know. All herinstincts
said that Roy would save them.
He answered on the third ring.
"Hello?"
She whispered, "It's Liz, someone is…" The phone was disconnected.
Roy jumped out of bed and rushed to put his clothes on. He grabbed his
keys and sword on the way out. When he got to their street, he turned off
the lights and parked a few houses away.
He got out of his car, and walked up a driveway, three houses away. Bypassing
the front yard, he hopped fences until he got to the Haldane's
house. From the back yard, he quietly crept up to a window looking into
the dining room. The lights were on, but he couldn't see any people. He
didn't feel any immortals, which relieved
him. He circled the house, peering in all the first floor windows. Then
he saw them. Two men in ski masks were standing over Liz
and Jessica who were seated on the couch. Jess was still in her pajamas,
but Liz had on sweats.
One of the men had a gun. The other was talking to the girls. Roy considered
his first move. His first order of business was to disarm them. He couldn't
take the chance of his family getting
hurt. Quietly he stood by the window and observed the invaders. Liz was
telling them something. He wished he could communicatewith her some way.
Climbing the trellis, he squeezed through an upstairs window. The room
turned out to be a bathroom. He took off his shoes and headedtowards the
stairs. Voices drifted upwards, but he could not distinguish the words.
He pulled out his sword and hit it against the wall, hoping the noise wouldbring
one of the men up to investigate.
"Hey! What was that?" Roy heard from below.
There was some talking and then he could make out footsteps coming towards
him. He melted into the shadows and stood motionless. The figure of a manbecame
visible on the top step. The head turned towards Roy and then in the opposite
direction. Roy purposely made a sound. The man's head swiveled towardshim
again, as he continued towards the landing. He had a gun, cocked and ready
to fire. The last thing the man saw as his life fled his body was the green
glow of Roy's eyes. Two hands came towards
him and snapped his neck. Roy caught the gun before it hit the ground.
One down, one to go, he thought to himself.
He quietly laid the body down, and went towards the stairs. Silently he
descended.
"Ben, where are you?" the other man called.
When no answer was forthcoming, the second man pulled out his gun and walked
to the stairs.
"Listen lady, if anything happened to my brother, you and your daughter
are dead."
His threat sounded real to the girls, but Roy could detect the edge of
fear to it.
Roy stepped into the light and fired at the man. The bullet pierced his
heart. However, the impact caused the man to squeeze his own trigger. Roy
recoiled as the shot found a home in
his shoulder. The second man was dead, but Roy was wounded.
Liz flew off the couch and went immediately to check the damage. She discovered
that the bullet had gone straight through. Already it was beginning to
heal.
With a quick look at Jessica, "Sit down and let me clean this up."
"Mom, he's bleeding. Is he gonna die?"
"Jessica, sit on that couch and don't move."
Roy could hear the hysteria in her voice.
"I'm fine, Jessica. You're mom is going to put some bandages on it and
I'll be all better in a few days."
"Are the bad guys dead? Did you kill them?"
Roy didn't know what to say. He didn't want the little girl to think of
him as a killer, but he didn't want her afraid that the bad guys were going
to come back. He looked at Liz's face
as she concentrated on his wound that was almost completely healed. He
wasn't even sure if she noticed this. She didn't respond to Jessica'squestion.
"I took care of them. They won't hurt you ever again."
Liz spoke, although her words sounded brittle. "There, all fixed up. Why
don't you sit on the couch and get your strength back."
Roy sat down next to Jessica. The girl was staring at the man he had shot.
Blood was pooling onto the hardwood floor. She blinked and slid onto his
lap. Burying her face into his chest,
the fear came pouring out in a rush of tears. He clasped her tightly, letting
her draw strength from him. Roy looked over at Liz; she lookedlike she
needed a shoulder too. He was unsure how to comfort her. He couldn't take
liberties and destroy the fragile bond that existed between him and Jerry,
but he ached to see her so unraveled.
Jessica fell asleep in his arms.
"Shall I carry her up to bed?"
"But, your shoulder?"
"It's all healed."
With a dubious glance, she said sure. So he stood up and shifted the girl
in his arms. Though she was only ten, she was still pretty heavy. Liz followed
him up the stairs and tucked Jessica
in. Roy stood for a second feeling gratitude to the fates, for letting
him arrive on time. Then he slipped out and went to retrieve hisshoes.
They returned downstairs.
"Liz, I have to get rid of the bodies before morning. Are you going to
be okay by yourself for awhile?"
"Come back. Do whatever you have to, but then come back," she pleaded.
He could see by the rigid set to her body that she was using every ounce
of self-control to contain her fears. "I'll be as quick as I can."
First, he backed his car into the driveway. Then he retrieved the two dead
bodies and placed them in his car. She was standing in the doorway, and
he walked back up to the front door.
"Go in now. Lock the door behind you."
She just looked at him.
"Do it now. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back."
She gave him a wan smile and complied.
It took a half an hour, but he accomplished his goal. He drove back to
the house and by the time he got to the door, she had flung it open for
him. Glancing around, he noticed that
the blood was gone from the floor. In fact all physical traces were gone
from the encounter. Then he looked into her eyes. Her pupilswere still
dilated and shock was etched into her features. He didn't know what to
do, or how to act. This was such a new experience for him. Emotionally,
he hadn’t been this close to anyone
in a very long time. The moment hung there suspended, until she broke it
by walking into his arms as tears filled her eyes. Afterstiffening for
a second, he grasped her tightly to his chest. Her tears evolved into shaking
sobs. He enfolded her as close as he could and murmured reassuringwords
into her ears.
When her tears were spent, she backed up slowly. Embarrassment flooded
her face.
"I'm sorry for soaking your shirt."
He patted her on the arm awkwardly. "That's okay. Can you talk about it
yet?"
She nodded. "I need to sit though."
After getting settled on the coach she began her story.
"I wasn't really asleep when I heard this noise. I stayed very still in
bed and concentrated real hard. Then I heard a door downstairs creak. I
slowly reached for the phone and called
you. They must have heard me cause all of a sudden the phone went dead.
I don't know how much I was able to get through to you. Then Iheard someone
run up the stairs. The first door they opened was Jessica's. They yanked
her out of bed and called to me to come out or they'd blow her away. So
I did. It was horrible. She was whimpering,
but I couldn't do anything. They hustled us downstairs and demanded that
I tell them who I called. I told them thetruth; I called a friend of my
husband's. I didn't see what harm it could do. They said they were after
our electronics. We have an expensive computer system, which
Jerry uses for both the Watchers and his other job. Somehow they knew about
it and thought that while he was away, they could come and take it." Shelaughed
bitterly. "They thought we'd be easy pickings. They could get in and out
and either I wouldn't notice or I'd be too scared to do anything."
She paused. "I called you. I'm sorry, but I wasn't thinking too clearly
and I am sorry I got you mixed up in all this. I should have called the
cops, but I just didn't think of it.
I just knew you'd come as fast as you could and you would save us."
"Don't apologize. I'm not the one who took the non-interference oath. You
can call me anytime. I will always be here for you." He paused considering.
"What are you going to tell your daughter
tomorrow when she wakes up? She saw me shoot someone dead, and then saw
me get shot."
"I don't know. I'll probably just postpone it. She may not ask anything
for awhile." She yawned then smiled self-consciously.
Roy knew she had to get some sleep. He also knew that she'd resist. "I'm
going to stay right here. I want you to go up to bed and try and get some
sleep."
"Sleep!? I'll never be able to sleep."
"Please, for me? Tomorrow is going to be difficult. Being exhausted isn't
going to help."
"I'll go up, but I can't promise I'll sleep."
"Just try. I'll be right here. I won't leave."
So she did as he asked and returned to bed. She was asleep within minutes.
The next morning when she woke up, she found Jessica curled up on Roy's
chest, and both were still sleeping. Liz had never heard her come down
the stairs. Roy's eyes shot open. It
was obvious by his expression that the body on his stomach was as big a
surprise to him as it had been for her. He looked at her as ifasking, "What
do I do now?"
She gave him a tender smile and shrugged her shoulders. It was hard to
think of this man as being an eight hundred-year-old immortal, who had
fought in more wars than she could comprehend.
Jerry had let her read some of his chronicles. It had given her the picture
of an embittered man who had fought for money, and cared
very little about much of anything. That was clearly not the case. He cared
deeply. He was just selective in who he gave his affections to.
She continued into the kitchen to fix breakfast. The smell of bacon soon
woke Jessica up. She stretched, then tilted her head as she looked up at
him. Liz watched them both from the
doorway.
"Good morning Mr. Ferrer."
He gave her a warm returning smile. "Good morning to you too. What brought
you down to sleep on me?"
She frowned. "I had a bad dream. How is your shoulder? Does it still hurt?"
"Your Mom did an excellent job bandaging me up. I hardly feel it any more.
What do you say we get up and have some food? I know I'm starving."
With that, she hopped off and padded into the kitchen. She glanced towards
the hall where the dead body had been, and then looked up at him.
"Don't worry, I took care of it."
"Is that your job, to watch over us?"
The two adults exchanged ironic glances.
"Not exactly."
"But you always seem to be around when we really need you. How is your
hand? Is it hard not having those fingers? I feel bad about what happened."
"The doctors were able to do this special surgery and they repaired the
ends, see?"
He showed her his hand and how it did look as good as new. She gave him
a quizzical glance, but did not question him further.
They sat down to eat pancakes and bacon. Jessica didn't seem troubled by
last night's escapades. She chatted about the new school, and how cool
it was going to be with them living
next door and everything. When they had finished Liz sent Jessica upstairs
to get dressed. While the girl was gone, Roy told Liz to call Jerry.
"He needs to be told what happened."
"I would prefer to wait until he gets home."
"You called me here to help you, which I did. This will not look good on
Jerry's Watcher records or whatever. He needs to know about this as soon
as possible. If you don't, I will,"
he threatened.
Liz could see the ruthless determination in his eyes. She didn't have a
choice. "Okay, I'll call."
"Now."
She got up from the table and went into the den. This was going to be very
difficult. As she explained to Jerry exactly what happened, she saw Roy
come in and check on her. What, didn't
he trust her to tell her husband everything?
After the call, she rejoined her daughter in the kitchen. She sat at the
table and picked up her coffee and took a swallow. Roy came over and knelt
down beside Jessica.
"Well my dear, it's time for me to leave."
Her face went ashen. "You can't leave, Daddy's not home."
"Everything has been taken care of. The bad men are all gone."
Her voice rose in hysteria. "But we'll be all alone. Please stay here.
Please?" She clutched his shirt and big tears fell down her face. Her eyes
were wide with fear.
Liz's heart constricted, listening to Jessica's wail.
"Mommy, make him stay. Tell him he can't go home."
Liz didn't know what to say. Jessie's whole reaction came as a complete
surprise.
"Honey. He has to go home. He spent the night here. He needs fresh clothes,
and probably a nap. He doesn't need..." but she was interrupted.
"We can go with him. I'll be real quiet. I can watch TV and rest on the
couch. Then he can sleep and do whatever he needs to do."
Liz leaned across the table. "We'll be fine here. I called Daddy and he's
on his way."
"Then we can leave a note and tell him we're at Mr. Ferrer's and to come
and pick us up." She turned to Roy. "Are you going to take a shower?"
"Yes," he said tentatively.
"Well then you need us to come. You won't be able to change your bandages
by yourself."
She gave them a triumphant smile.
Liz reluctantly agreed. Roy insisted that he'd go with whatever Liz decided.
First they'd go to Roy's house, let him shower and change, but then come
back to the Haldane's home and wait
for Jerry. Jessica was never far from Roy's side the whole time. She sat
next to him in the car, and Liz sat in the back seat. Liz was afraidthat
Jess would ask to go into the bathroom while he showered, but luckily Jess
didn't think of that. Fresh bandages were applied, and they left the house
only anhour after they had arrived.
Liz both anticipated and yet dreaded Jerry's return. She wanted things
to go back to being normal, but somehow she doubted that it was possible.
Roy claimed the couch and stretched
his long legs down the length. He yawned repeatedly and she knew that if
Jess would only remain quiet for a few minutes the immortalwould drop off
to sleep. Flipping channels, she found a baseball game. As she turned to
go back to her seat, she noticed that Roy was already asleep. Jessica wascurled
up next to him, also asleep. Liz sat down to await her husband's return.
She was soon asleep too.
Jerry walked into his house and found his family still sleeping. The sight
of Jessica with Roy knocked the wind out of him. His immortal had insinuated
himself very deeply into his family.
Now even Jessica trusted him implicitly. The fact that Liz had called Roy
before she had the police was bad enough. What was he going
to do about his situation? Didn't look like there was anything he could
do.
Liz opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Slowly she smiled and then
got up. She led him into the den so they could talk in private. He was
told of Jess's new dependence on Roy.
The episode had scared her badly. Liz told him everything in horrifying
detail. After she had finished, he realized just what a debt he owedthis
immortal. He had probably saved his family’s lives. It was a disturbing
thought.
They left the den and went back into the family room. Roy and Jess were
still asleep. Jerry and Liz curled up together on the love seat and watched
the rest of the game. When Roy woke
up, the familiar weight was once more on his chest. He sighed, and tried
to move his legs, cause they were asleep. He glanced up at Liz andmet the
stare of Jerry, who was holding a sleeping Liz. Both men extricated themselves,
and went into the kitchen.
"Seems I owe you a big favor Ferrer. Liz told me everything, including
the fact that she was the one who called you."
"I couldn't have just ignored her."
"I know you couldn't have. Did you kill the two men?"
"Yes. Neither thieves were immortal, but they were both professionals.
Liz didn't stand a chance. The only reason the girls were kept alive was
because they knew Liz had called for
help. They were going to use them as bait. I just didn't play their game."
Jerry nodded at this rationale. "I owe you and I always pay my debts. Is
there anything you want?"
"Want? Like what?"
"Watcher information."
"I still don't understand."
"As a Watcher, I have access to the location of all known immortals. To
fulfill my debt, I will give you information about any of them."
"I don't need Watcher information. I don't care where other immortals are."
Then he paused. "But you need to bend the rules, don't you. Because I broke
them for you, you feel like you need
to break them for me. Okay. This is what I want." Roy paused again. This
time, Jerry could see it was for effect, not because he wasthinking.
"I don't need immortal information. But I would like Watcher information.
Information about a particular Watcher. I would like you to tell me how
Joe Dawson is doing."
Jerry was stunned. Joe Dawson? "Joe Dawson? Why?" This was not what he
expected, but a deal was a deal.
"He was my Watcher before you, and I would like to know if he's okay. I
think about him from time to time."
"I will look into it."
Just then a blood-curdling scream shook the air. Jessica was calling for
Roy. The men ran into the living room. In her panic, she did not see her
father, but jumped off the couch and
ran towards Roy. She leaped into his arms.
"I thought you had left. You promised you'd stay." Big tears were spilling
down her face.
Roy looked apologetically at Jerry. "I was only talking to your father
in the other room."
She turned her head and saw her father standing there.
"It was terrible Daddy, these bad men came in the house and dragged me
out of bed. They had this gun and said they were going to kill me and Mommy."
She started crying again.
"If Mr. Ferrer hadn't saved us, we'd be dead. You'd have seen our blood
all over the floor. They said you had good computer stuff but they couldn't
find it."
Jerry reached out his arms and she went to him.
"Oh, you are so heavy." He said as he lowered and then raised her melodramatically.
She started to giggle. "I'm ten years old. I'm not a baby."
Jerry looked up and met his wife's eyes. They exchanged a look of mutual
understanding.
Jerry carried Jessie to the couch and both sank into it. Roy very casually
sat down next to them. Jerry never flinched nor acted like it was an unacceptableaction.
Jessie continued to regale them with what else had happened last night.
"That bad man dragged me down the stairs; he really hurt my arm. He screamed
at Mom, and she came downstairs too. We sat together on the couch and theykept
saying all this stuff about making us suffer if we didn't tell them who
was coming over."
The men looked at Liz.
"As soon as I heard the intruders, I called Roy. They disconnected me before
I could say what was going on. That's how they knew Roy was on his way.
They were very confident that they could
out maneuver him."
"Daddy, you should have seen him. He came swooping down the stairs and
he shot the bad guy, but then he got shot too. It was in his shoulder,
but Mom fixed it up. See the bandage?
That's the second time he got hurt because of me." She looked at him with
worshipful eyes.
Jerry didn't know how to react. Roy was an immortal and thus supposedly
off limits to him. Yet the man had insinuated himself into the family,
and had won their respect, their trust,
and his daughter's heart. If he was completely honest with himself, he
both liked and respected Roy. He *was* a good man, just like his wifehad
always said.
"I'm glad Roy was here to help too, honey." He met the immortal's eyes
over his daughter's head.
