Atlanta, Ga Oct 3rd
Jarod and Rachel had spent most of the night talking, not really coming to an agreement, but at least making up for their fighting. Jarod had woke first, Rachel lying on his chest. Not wanting to disturb her, he laid there watching her sleep. He could see their life together. See them raising their child together. He wanted that dream more than anything in the world, but could he give up his crusade of helping people? He worried that settling down would drive him crazy, wondering if there would be enough to occupy his mind. He loved Rachel, and he wanted to be a father, but he also knew in order to protect them he'd have to stop trying to find his mother and the rest of his family. Could he give that up?
He was in such deep thought that he didn't even notice that Rachel had woken up.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Good morning, beautiful!!" he said. She smiled at him.
"You're avioding my question" she said.
"About us, and our son."
"Who says it's a boy??"
"I do. I just feel it, I know it's a boy."
"Then we'll name him after you."
"I don't know my last name, we can't..."
"We'll just have to find out in the next 6 months won't we?" she said smiling at him.
"I've been searching for years and I haven't found out yet."
"You've never asked your father?"
"It's always been hectic whenever we've been together, it's just never been the right time" he said.
"Have you heard from him?"
"No, I haven't heard from ANY of my family."
Just as Jarod said that his laptop announced that he had a video phone call. Jarod got up rushing to pull his jeans on. He sat down at Rachel's table and pressed the keys of the computer.
"Jarod" Sydney said.
"Sydney, what's wrong?"
"We've found Ethan."
"Ethan?? Where is he?"
"He's with Miss Parker, they'll be leaving San Francisco later today. I'm on my way back to the Centre now".
"Is he OK?"
"He seems to have had a breakdown, I'll work with him, try to help."
"Where has he been?"
"In a psychiatric hospital since the end of July. Don't worry Jarod, Miss Parker and I will do everything to protect him".
Sydney disconnected the call. Jarod closed his laptop, turning around seeing Rachel behind him.
"I'm glad you're brother was found."
"Me too. If he can't be with our father I feel relieved that he'll be with Sydney". She smiled at him, pulling him in for a hug.
"Jarod, will you do me a favor?" Rachel asked. Jarod smiled, standing uprunning his hand up her right leg then her body, finally resting on her breast as he bent down kissing her neck.
"Ice cream!"
"What?" Jarod asked as he pulled away.
"Ice cream, I want some Mocha Espresso Chocolate Chunk!"
"Your first cravings?"
"Since I found out I was pregnant" she said shaking her head.
"Where are the keys to your car?" he asked as he went to get his shirt and shoes. Rachel produced the keys as he walked by fully dressed.
"Don't I get a kiss for fetching ice cream at 10 in the morning?" She pulled him down to her mouth and kissed him passionately. He started pulling her nightgown up, walking her toward the sofa.
"JAROD...LATER!! I'm hungry!!" she said pushing him away. She'd never turned his advances down before and he didn't quite know how to handle it.
"You're mad!!" Rachel teased.
"No." he said.
"Yes you are!" she said smiling.
"No I'm not! I just don't understand women."
Rachel laughed loudly. "If you ever figure that out, write a book, you'll be a millionaire."
Jarod left, set out to find mocha espresso chocolate chunk ice cream. He's enjoy a bowl for breakfast too.
Rachel started straightening up her apartment while Jarod was gone. She was in her kitchen when she heard the door slam open. Knowing it wasn't Jarod, she reached over on the counter and got her gun.
She came around the corner, seeing four men standing in her living room.
"Miss Burke" a man said, "I'd like for you to come with me".
Her gun was pointed at his forehead. "I don't think so" she said cocking her gun.
The other men all had their guns pulled pointing at her. "Don't be foolish, you have one gun, I have three, you'd get off one shot before we took you down."
"At least that would take care of you!" she said.
Jarod was coming up the stairs when he heard a familar voice say, "Miss burke-"
"AGENT Burke" Rachel corrected him, then said "what do you want?"
"We just need you to come with us, we'd like to ask you a few questions, that's all."
"Awful lot of firepower just for questions!" she said.
Jarod quietly came up the stairs, he knew that Lyle would have sweepers with him. Jarod stepped into the doorway, Rachel looked breifly at him. Jarod picked up the heavy iron doorstop from the floor and smacked one of the sweepers in the head. They turned around to see him.
"Shoot him!!!" Lyle shouted. The other sweepers fired at Jarod as he ducked back into the hallway. Rachel let out two bullets from her gun, 1 going into each sweeper. Both men fell to the floor, screaming out in pain. Lyle turned to grab one of the guns from the floor.
"Uh, uh, uh!!" Jarod said shoving a gun into Lyle's back.
"Are you gonna shoot me in the back Jarod?"
"Like you did my brother?" Jarod asked, then wacked Lyle in the back of his head, knocking him out.
"Are you alright?" he asked Rachel. She nodded.
"Go get dressed, and grab important things you want to keep- we're getting out of here."
"Jarod, Idon't have time to get everything important to me."
"Grab what you can! We have to hurry..more sweeper teams could be on the way, and probably the police!! NOW HURRY!!" Rachel dressed quickly, and threw photo albums and clothes into a few suitcases. She figured she'd call George later and get him to send her other things she wanted to keep.
They left the apartment and started driving out of town. Several police cars passed them, turning toward Rachel's apartment. "That was close" Jarod said.
"What did they want?"
"That was Mr. Lyle. My guess is he found out you're pregnant. The child of a pretender, it would be the next best hting to me. They figured I didn't know".
After a few minutes of silence, Rachel asked, "Where are we going?"
"To Deleware" Jarod said.