Chapter 29
Early Friday Morning, January 14th
Jerry sat across the table from Harper, each of them sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. They had spent the past two nights at the McCallister house after receiving permission from Mr. McCallister’s attorney over the phone. Jerry had been temporarily rendered speechless to hear that James McCalllister had left a provision in his will to allow for the Ambrose family to have full use of his house until the heir of the estate came forward to claim it. From what the attorney had said, he believed it would be some time before this happened, which meant that Jerry’s family had more than a roof over their heads again. They had a home, even if it was for a little while.
Jerry planned to rebuild their house, but knew that it would take time. He looked around the comfortable kitchen and thought of James. He realized that he hadn’t really known his neighbor as well as he should have. James had seemed to know a great deal about everything that had happened with the demons. And from what Harper had told him the night before, James had made some kind of arrangement with Arianna before she died. Harper had mentioned something about an organization that he believed James had been a member of, but hadn’t gone into much detail. And the fact that James had made the provision to allow the Ambrose family to stay in his home meant that he had at least suspected that Jerry and his family would need it. Jerry didn’t know what to make of it all, though his investigative instincts told him that there was something more that he needed to know about James and his connection to everything that had happened.
But it wasn’t the time for instincts and investigations. His family had survived a terrible ordeal, and now was the time to be grateful that they had survived. He looked over at his brother-in-law, who stared out the window as his cup of coffee steamed in his hand. Jerry thought of everything that Harper had done over the past few days to protect his children, and was reminded yet again of how wrong he had been about him. He had risked his life for each of them without a second thought.
“Harper, I…,” Jerry said softly as he looked down at his hands. “…thank you…for everything.” He had hoped to be able to say something more eloquent, something that could convey the enormous gratitude that he felt for everything his brother-in-law had done. But he had never had a way with words.
Harper looked at Jerry in silence for a moment, and seemed to be thinking of how he wanted to respond. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. “Jeremiah, I have never been good at expressing my thoughts or feelings. That gift was given to my sister and passed over me completely.” He leaned forward as he continued, “But just because someone is not good at saying such things, does not mean that they should not say them.” He looked down at his hands for a moment, as if he was uncomfortable with what he had to say next. “I have lived with you and the children for many years, and it has taught me a great many things. But there is one lesson I have learned that is greater than any other.” He looked up at Jerry again as he explained, “I was a fool.”
Jerry stared back at him in silence. He knew that Harper wasn’t done speaking and didn’t want to interrupt him.
“I told my sister that she had been wrong to love you,” Harper said softly as he continued to stare at Jerry. “I said that you were not good enough for her. But I was wrong.” He looked down at his hand again before continuing, “There is no other man, human or Aes Sidhe that would have been better for my sister. And there is no other man that I would have wanted to be the father of her children.” He opened his mouth, but then closed it again. Finally, he said to Jerry, “When I call you my brother, I mean it. You have truly become a brother to me, as only one other has before you. And while I appreciate your thanks I want you to know that they are not necessary.” He looked up at Jerry as he said, “I will gladly give my life to save the life of anyone in this family, including you. I want you to know that.”
Jerry tried to think of something to say, but couldn’t. He had never heard his brother-in-law speak to him in such a way. And he knew how difficult it was for him to say it. That was when he realized that he didn’t have to say anything. Instead, he smiled at Harper and nodded.
They sipped their coffees in silence for a few minutes before Jerry asked, “Do you think it’s over? I mean, do you think we’ve won?”
Harper placed his coffee cup on the table as he answered, “I would like to believe that we have won, but I don’t think it’s true. They’ll be back. They know now which of the children the Solas is, and they’ll do anything they can to keep her from fulfilling her destiny.” Harper was silent again, and Jerry thought he saw what looked like fear briefly cross his brother-in-law’s face. “That thing that appeared at the end…I’ve never seen anything like it. Its power was like nothing I could have imagined and I have a terrible feeling that it will be back. But I do think that we’ve bought ourselves some time. Right now, it is important for everyone to rest, including you.”
Before Jerry could respond, Larry walked into the kitchen. Jerry couldn’t believe the physical change that had come over his partner in such a short time. Since Billie had healed him in the mountains, he looked…healthier. And healthy had never been a word Jerry would have used to describe Larry in all of the many years he had known him. He had even seen him reach for a second helping of vegetables at dinner the night before.
“I’m going to head home, Sid,” Larry said as he sat down at the table. “I think things are quiet enough now that I can leave you all alone,” he added with a smug smile.
“We should be able to manage,” Harper said with a smile. He pushed back from the table, stood up and then held his hand out to Larry. “It was fun. We must do it again sometime.”
Larry chuckled and shook his head. “You’re insane,” he said simply as he took Harper’s hand.
“I’m going to go wake the children for breakfast,” Harper said before leaving the kitchen.
Larry was quiet for a moment before he asked, “Seriously, will you guys be okay if I head home for a few days?”
Jerry nodded as he answered, “Sure. I’m going to keep the kids out of school for a few more days before I head back into the office. We were told we can stay here as long as we need to, so I’m not in any rush to start rebuilding the house. I think we just need to relax for a while.”
Larry nodded as he leaned back in his chair, “That’s a good idea.” He looked around the kitchen and then added, “It’s sure something about James putting you guys in his will like that. He seemed like a great guy. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know him better.”
“Me too,” Jerry answered.
He and Larry had gone down to the sheriff’s station after returning from the mountains. They had answered all of the questions asked of them, and their story had been accepted – they had come to the McCallister house after the Ambrose house caught fire and James McCallister had died in his sleep that night. They had left the house to avoid having the children see his body. Both Jerry and Larry knew that their story was more readily accepted because they were federal agents and because the falling snow had erased any sign of the battle they had fought in James’ front yard. Jerry hated lying to the local police, but knew that the truth would have only caused a deeper investigation and possible incarceration for him and Larry. And he knew James wouldn’t have wanted that.
“Did Jason and Tina leave?” Larry asked as he got up and poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting back down again.
Jerry nodded as he took a sip of his, “This morning.” He lowered the mug as he added, “They said they’ll be back to check on us over the weekend. I think they needed some time to rest…alone.”
Larry chuckled as he answered, “I don’t think all of their resting will be alone. I saw the looks in both of their eyes. Something’s building there.”
Jerry shrugged before answering, “If it is, it’s a good thing. I think they’re perfect for each other.”
“Well
, thank you for that assessment, Madame Matchmaker,” Larry said as he raised his coffee mug in a mocking toast.
Jerry smiled as he raised his own mug and gently bumped it against Larry’s. “Speaking of matchmaking, I think it’s long past due for you to ask Cecilia Ramirez out.”
Instead of looking uncomfortable, as he usually did, Larry was quiet for a second before answering, “You’re right. And I’m going to do it, as soon as I’m back in the office.”
“It’s about damned time,” Jerry answered.
The two men sipped on their coffees for several minutes more, enjoying the comfortable silence between them. Each of them thought about everything that had happened to them and how they had survived it all. And they also thought about what both of them feared was yet to come.
Billie opened her eyes and saw the snow falling beyond Mr. McCallister’s porch. She smelled her mother’s shampoo a moment before she realized she was sitting on her lap, covered by a blanket as her mother hummed softly.
“Hi mommy,” Billie said as she snuggled against her mother.
“Hello, darling,” Arianna answered. She continued to hum a few more lines before saying, “Billie, I want you to know that I’m so very proud of you…of everything you’ve done.”
Billie didn’t answer her mother. Instead, she closed her eyes and breathed in the scents that always made her feel both happy and sad at the same time. She loved and hated the dreams she shared with her mother – loved being in her presence and feeling the comfort and love that she always brought, but hated that her time with her mother was always so short. She listened to the steady beat of her mother’s heart and felt the gentle rise and fall of each breath.
Her mother exhaled sharply and Billie opened her eyes in surprise. She immediately saw what had caused the reaction in her mother. A man was walking toward them in the snow, his hands in his pockets. Billie recognized him instantly as the man named DeForester, even before she could make out the strange but lovely lavender color of his eyes. Billie tensed, but her mother whispered to her soothingly and she stilled.
DeForester climbed the steps with a smile plastered on his face and moved to stand opposite Billie and Arianna. He leaned against the railing and Billie noticed that once again, the snow hadn’t touched him. It continued to fall lightly, but none of the flakes landed on him. He folded his hands in front of him as he continued to smile at both of them. Finally, he spoke.
“It turns out I was wrong about you, Billie,” he said to her as he continued to smile. “It was quite a surprise to learn that you are the one from the prophecy, though I must admit it was a pleasant one.”
Billie stared back at the man, but didn’t say anything. After a moment, he looked over at Arianna.
“I find it remarkable that all five of your children have been blessed with the heritage of the Aes Sidhe,” DeForester said to her. “It is unheard of in the history of this world. There is no mention of it in the prophecy, and yet it has happened.” He shook his head as he continued to smile, “Remarkable.”
Arianna didn’t answer him either. When Billie looked up at her mother, she could see her staring back at him with a completely neutral expression. When Billie felt someone looking at her, she turned her head to see DeForester staring at her again.
“You’ve done far more than I could have expected,” he said to Billie. “I will have to change my assessment of the situation to take what you’ve done into account,” he added cryptically. “I will be watching you with great interest, Billie.” He was quiet for a moment as he continued to stare at her. It made Billie uneasy, and she fidgeted in her mother’s lap. Finally, he spoke again.
“But for now, you must rest,” he said with what appeared to be sincerity in his eyes. “Farewell, for now - and to you, Arianna.” He touched his forehead with both hands in a gesture that seemed strange to Billie, yet somehow familiar.
Arianna and Billie didn’t respond to his farewell as he turned around, walked back into the snow and then quickly disappeared.
“Who’s side do you think he’s on, mommy,” Billie asked softly when she could no longer see DeForester. There was something about the man that she didn’t trust, though she couldn’t have said why. And when she thought of everything he had done since he had mysteriously appeared in her dreams, she couldn’t say that his motives were clear.
“I don’t know, honey,” Arianna answered as she continued to stare out into the snow. “But, I have a feeling that he’s not on anyone’s side, other than his own. And I don’t know whether or not that should make me nervous.” She was quiet for a moment before looking down at her daughter, “It’s time for me to leave, Billie.”
It was the moment that Billie dreaded whenever she dreamt of her mommy. “Do you have to go right now?” she asked.
“I’m afraid I do, honey,” Arianna answered as she smiled at her daughter. “There’s something I must do, although I do hate to leave you. It’s the hardest part of our meetings together,” she said with a catch in her voice. “And it gets harder every time.”
Billie thought of everything her mommy had done to help and guide her and knew that it was only with her help that she had been able to defeat the evil creature that had faced them near the cave. She wondered if her mother’s work was done and had a terrible and sudden thought that she wouldn’t see her again.
“Am I going to see you again, mommy?” Billie asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Arianna looked surprised by her daughter’s question, and then sad. She hugged her close as she answered, “Oh, honey. Of course you will!” She pulled away from her, and Billie could see that there were tears in her eyes as she leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I told you, Billie. I will always be with you, no matter what happens.”
They hugged again in silence before Arianna whispered in her daughter’s ear, “I almost forgot. I have a surprise waiting for you when you wake up. It’s on the front porch.”
Billie pulled back from her mother’s embrace as excitement grew within her, “A surprise? What is it?”
Arianna laughed before answering, “If I told you what it was, it wouldn’t be a surprise, silly.”
Billie laughed as Arianna lightly tickled her before setting her down on the bench. “I have to leave now,” she said as she stood up. She turned to face Billie and caressed her cheek gently. “I love you very much, Billie.”
Billie gazed up at her mother as she answered, “I love you too, mommy.”
And then Arianna turned around and walked into the house, closing the door behind her. Billie looked out at the snow falling for a moment before exhaustion began to pull at her eyelids. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Billie opened her eyes to a scene that was completely unfamiliar. She had a brief moment of fear that she was back in the forest, facing Tim Matheson as his memories filled her mind. But as she looked around, she realized that she had been in this room before. It was one of the guest bedrooms of the McCallister house, and she was sleeping on the bed. She lay with her eyes open, trying to remember every detail she could of her dream with her mommy. She always did that – trying to hold onto the dream and the feelings of comfort it brought for as long as she could. And then she remembered what her mommy had said before she had walked in the house. There was a surprise waiting for her on the front porch!
She threw off the covers and ran down the stairs as quickly as she could. She ran through the living room and to the front door, not even bothering to put on her coat or shoes. She opened the door and stepped out into the cold.
Before she had taken more than a few steps, something struck her on her chest knocking her backwards and onto the ground. She screamed as she caught the barest glimpse of brown fur before something warm and wet swiped across her face and a familiar smell hit her nose. She was startled until she recognized what the smell was – doggy breath.
She pushed back and saw Aidan’s brown eyes staring d
own at her. Aidan looked at Billie for a moment before starting to lick her face repeatedly, causing Billie to erupt in peals of high-pitched laughter.
“Aidan, stop!” Billie said as she continued to laugh, trying in vain to push the affectionate dog away from her. She heard the commotion of her family running onto the porch and the exclamations of surprise as they saw Aidan.
“It can’t be the same dog,” Harper said softly with disbelief. “I buried her myself.” He looked over at Jerry for confirmation. “You saw me, brother. I buried that dog.”
“Mommy sent her back to us,” Billie explained as she smiled up at her uncle.
Her family looked at each other in silence, but no one refuted her claim. Instead, they took turns greeting the dog, hugging her close. Even Jerry reached down to scratch the fur between her ears, and Cody briefly nuzzled against her face before moving off to the side to sit down and watch the happy reunion.
As Jerry stood again, he suddenly thought of something his wife had told him shortly before she died.
There are many things that humans have learned since my people came to this world, but there are many that they have forgotten. One of the things your people have forgotten is that death is not final; it is not an ending. It is merely a doorway to something else.
Jeremiah, the love that I have for you and our children is more powerful than anything, even death itself. If there is a way, I will come back to you. If not, know that I will always be with you.
Jerry looked at his children crowding around Aidan, laughing with each other and playing with the dog. He knew that Arianna was with them at that moment - that her love was there. He didn’t know if he believed in an afterlife, but he knew that he and the children had always carried a piece of Arianna with them. She had never truly left them.
He felt someone staring at him and looked down to see Aidan looking up at him with her brown eyes that seemed so familiar. And then she did something that he swore he would never tell anyone he had seen, not even Larry. As he looked into the familiar brown eyes of the dog, she winked.
Epilogue
Late Friday Night, January 14th
Harper stood at the foot of the porch steps of James McCallister’s house, enjoying the cold and solitude of the winter night. He looked up at the sky, which was finally clear of storm clouds and saw it dotted with stars. He loved the fact that there was less light pollution where they lived. Living in human cities for so many years, he had been unable to see the kind of night sky he now saw in Evergreen in nearly a hundred years. The silence of the night was broken only by the sound of a slight breeze brushing through the trees…and the sound that he had heard twice now.
He knew that the sound had come from his left, near the line of trees marking the woods between the McCallister and Ambrose houses. He had ignored it the first time; sure that it was some nocturnal animal out for its nightly activity. But as the wind blew past him, he knew that he had been wrong. The scent that the wind carried to him was familiar, though he couldn’t say why. It was some kind of ladies’ perfume. And as he focused his senses in the direction from which the scent had come, he sensed the presence of humans…two of them.
“You might as well come out into the open,” Harper said in the direction of the trees. He was several yards away, but he had used his magic to make his voice carry.
There was no response at first, but after a few seconds, two people stepped out into the moonlit and snow-covered yard between the trees and the house. Harper recognized them instantly, but couldn’t figure out why they were there or even why they were together. It was Dolores Ramirez, the grandmother of Dinah’s friend Eduardo, and Mark Tanaka, Vaughan’s karate sensei.
“I told you he heard you moving in the snow,” Dolores said as she walked next to Mark. “Their hearing is much more sensitive than ours.” Her Mexican accent was thick, but Harper had no problem understanding her. He had lived in Mexico for several decades when the country had first declared its independence. It reminded him of a quiet time in his life, one of the few.
“Actually, it was your perfume that gave you away,” Harper said as the two walked up. “What are you both doing here?” He was immediately suspicious, but could sense no malice coming from them.
“We’ve been watching the house,” Mark answered, as if that explained everything.
Harper tilted his head in confusion before asking, “Okay. Why are you watching the house?”
Dolores and Mark looked at each other in silence for a moment before both of them turned their heads to the left and pulled the hair away from behind their right ears. Harper spotted the identical tattoos instantly. It was the same tattoo that was behind his own right ear, and he knew what it meant.
“You’re both…Sentinels?” Harper asked, incredulous.
Harper admitted that it wasn’t too far-fetched for Mark to be a sentinel. After all, he was a martial arts instructor. But Dolores was a grandmother and looked about as dangerous as a kitten playing with a ball of yarn.
Dolores and Mark both nodded in response to Harper’s question, but it was Dolores who spoke. “We’re sort of retired. But we’ve been watching the house to guard it,” she explained. “We heard what happened to James,” she said with obvious sadness. “We came to be sure there wasn’t any remaining danger to the children.”
“We should have been there,” Mark said softly and with the same note of sadness in his voice. “If we had, maybe James would…”
“There’s nothing you could have done,” Harper said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “James sacrificed himself to save the lives of two others.” He felt a pang of sadness as he thought of the courageous man and his incredible sacrifice.
“Sounds like James,” Mark said as he looked over at Dolores, who nodded somberly.
“Can I assume that you also made some kind of agreement with my sister?” Harper asked as he started to realize why the two humans were stalking the forest at night. He wondered what other arrangements his sister had made before she died. It was another reason to chastise himself for his behavior when his sister had first asked for his help. He had refused to listen to her, and the time they had lost had kept him from learning some things that would have helped him a great deal.
They both nodded before Dolores responded, “I’m not sure how much James told you, but each of us made a promise to Arianna that we would help to protect the children.” She looked chagrined as she added, “Again, I’m sorry that we weren’t there. But we’re going to take turns guarding the house from now on.” As she spoke, Harper could see a flash of inner strength that made him understand that there was more to Dolores than met the eye. And from what he remembered of the human Sentinels, he knew that they had to have special abilities – what humans referred to as magic – to be counted among them.
“While I appreciate your offer,” Harper told them. “Guarding the house won’t be necessary.” He gave them a quick recap of what had happened from the time the demons had attacked the children at their schools, through the battle in the mountains the night before. Uncharacteristically, he had decided to trust them both since he did not sense dishonesty in any of the words they had said. He had learned a lesson from the death of James McCallister – while his caution did him credit, stubbornly refusing to trust anyone could keep him from receiving valuable help from others, even if they were human. And if the demons did reappear, he could use all the help he could get. He also wanted to know more about the human Sentinels and what they had become since he and the other Aes Sidhe Sentinels had lost track of the organization thousands of years ago. His memories of the human Sentinels were few, other than that they had all been capable warriors and many had been powerful magic-users.
“So, it’s true then,” Dolores whispered softly. “The Solas has been born again.”
Harper had thought her voice was filled with awe, but he realized instead that she sounded slightly frightened.
It made him trust her more. If he was going to accept help from anyone, he needed them to understand what they were facing. And having a healthy dose of fear would make that person cautious.
“It’s true,” Harper said as he looked at each of them in turn. “However, since we’ve defeated the demons, I anticipate some peace and quiet for a few months, at least while they recover their strength. And while I do not need either of you to guard the house, I gratefully accept your offer for help. Let us agree to keep in contact from now on, especially if any of us see anything…suspicious.”
They both nodded and then Mark said, “I’m not so sure about us having as long as a few months to figure out what to do next, though. Even if you closed the gate near here, there are more on this continent. Now that they know who the Solas is, they’re not going to stop until they get their hands on her.” He looked over at Dolores as he continued, “Not to diminish the potency of either of our abilities, but we’re going to need more help; a lot more of it.”
“I agree,” Harper answered. “And I have already begun to seek that help out.”
“Who have you asked for help?” Dolores asked. She looked over at Mark as she said, “Maybe we should make a call to London.” She looked at Harper as she explained, “Others from our organization could help us.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dolores,” Mark said skeptically. “Arianna didn’t want us to reach out to them, and James agreed. There’s a good chance that our Sentinels have been compromised. Any conversation we have with them might betray us.”
Dolores nodded as she answered, “You’re probably right.” She looked back at Harper as she asked, “Can we trust the ones you’re talking about?”
“I would trust any of them with my life,” Harper answered. “However, I do not know exactly where they are. And that is the problem.” He looked to the north, where he knew he would find what he was looking for, though he didn’t know exactly where. When he turned back to face the two human Sentinels, he finally answered Dolores’ original question.
“I’m going to seek help from the only others beside me who protected the last Solas before he died,” Harper said. “We’re going to find the other Fairtheoiri…the Aes Sidhe Sentinels.”