Champions of Serenity: Destiny Fulfilled

Chapter 6

Jared took stock of his surroundings when he woke suddenly in the middle of the night. He was at Phil’s house, it was a few days after a huge earthquake that pretty much wiped out his and Grant’s apartment on the beach and he and the others were working on rebuilding their personal lives. Earlier that night he and the others had gone to a movie and had just relaxed and let go of all cares for a couple of hours. It had felt good. But what had woken him at such an ungodly hour?

Listening, he heard soft crying coming from the girl’s room and wondered who it could be. Reaching out with his new found empathy, he identified it as Emily and frowned. Both Karen and Debra were trying to help her with something, quietly so as to not wake the men, but they weren’t having any luck.

Getting up and pulling on a pair of jeans, Jared left the room he was sharing with Grant and padded barefoot down the hallway to the girl’s room and knocked softly. He waited until he heard Karen ask who was there before opening the door and poking his head in.

“Sorry to bug you but….I heard the crying and wondered if I could help?” Jared said, trying not to look too closely at Karen in the red lace baby doll she was wearing.

“I didn’t mean to bother anyone.” Emily said softly, trying to stop the tears and wipe them away. Debra wrapped her arms around the taller blond woman and just held her close. Emily looked up at her former boyfriend and her two best girlfriends and started to sob again.

Jared motioned to Debra and she nodded to him and let him take her place holding Emily. “Come on, Em, I know that you are scared right now, but it will be okay. Your parents are alive and well in New York and you’ve spoken to them almost daily. You and Darin are working with that contractor to rebuild your family’s home and until then, your parents said you should open up the Studio City apartment to use. You know Mike and Darin are planning on going there this weekend to see what shape it’s in and then move in. You also know that Grant and I just signed a lease on an apartment near UCLA so we could both be closer to campus. And you’ve heard Debra and Karen talking about a place near UCLA as well, for Karen’s schooling.” Jared kept his voice soft, but it wasn’t condescending as he pointed out the facts. When he felt the tension in Emily’s chest start to break up, he knew he was getting through to her.

“I also know that the little romance you and Grant have been working on since our wonderful stay in Coeur d’Alene a week ago has been put on hold while all our lives have been turned upside down and inside out. I know it seems like longer because of Sandeenai, but it has only been one week. Maybe it’s time for you and Grant to further explore it. I mean, Debra did tell us to rebuild our lives, and not just the physical.” His tone became teasing, in a kind manner, and he smiled when he felt the small chuckle sound from behind the curtain of hair hiding Emily’s tear ravaged face. “I happen to know that he would love it if you would accept his invitation to dinner.” Jared whispered in her ear only and then kissed the top of her head. “Think you can sleep now, Em?”

Accepting the tissue handed her by Debra, Emily nodded and gave Jared a watery smile. “Yes, thank you. I’m sorry to bother you though.”

“It isn’t a bother, Em, it’s part of my job in the Circle. Sweet dreams, Ladies.” Jared said, closing the door behind him as he headed back to his room and a couple more hours sleep. But before he could do more than take off his jeans and climb back into the bed, he felt yet another pull from someone not sleeping well.

Sitting with his head in his hands on the other side of the bed was Grant. When he felt Jared sit down next to him, he looked up. “Sorry to disturb you, buddy, but I keep having the worst nightmares.”

“It’s okay, Grant, I don’t mind. Want to tell me about it?” Jer said mentally promising himself a nap later in the day.

“Well…..” Grant started, trying to find the right words. “It starts with me in the kitchen, fixing my all day chili and corn bread and I can’t find the seasonings I need and I have to tell Debra what to get at the store for me. You know I don’t like sharing my secret recipes with anyone, even someone as sweet as Debra. Then I burn my hands on the side of the pot holding the beans and I actually have to talk Debra through making the rest of it because I can’t finish. The worst part of it is, Debra’s really nice about it doesn’t write any of it down, but I know she’s memorizing it as she goes.

“Then it all changes and all eight of us are camping in the Sierra-Nevada’s, and Debra asks me to find a good camping spot for the night and I get lost. You know I never get lost, especially in those mountains where we have camped for the last several years without mishap. I’m losing it, buddy.” Grant groaned and once again buried his head in his hands.

Jared thought about it a moment and shook his head. “No you aren’t, Grant. In your dreams you might be, but that’s only because you feel Debra did a better job than you could on that prime rib last night. Tell me something, Grant, if you had had all day to fix a meal and any ingredient at your beck and call, could you do as well as Debra did?”

Grant thought about it and then a gleam filled his eyes. “Of course. I could make a duck à l’orange that would make you cry it was so good. Why?”

“Think about it, Grant. What was Debra trying to do with that meal last night? Show you up?” Jared was trying to get Grant to think instead of react and secretly he was glad that this weekend they were going to be moving into their own place again. He couldn’t take anymore of Grant’s self-pity over Debra’s cooking.

“No, she was trying to show Phil…… Oh, I get it.” Then Grant groaned again. “That means she wasn’t even half trying and it still turned out better than you could get at any five star restaurant. “

“Grant, think about it. Debra worked all day on it and you think she was only half trying? Could someone only work half-heartedly all day and come up with something like that?”

Grant pondered that. Thinking about all the work that went into the homemade rolls, the home baked prime rib, and all the other sides. Then he pictured how wonderful the house looked and smelled when they had all gotten home. “No. She had to have busted her butt to do as much as she did in the time she had. And given as much time as she had, if all I had to worry about was cooking, I could have done a little better. But she also had to worry about the house and everything else. Thanks, Jer, I feel better. Good night, Buddy.”

Jared was grateful to crawl into bed and close his eyes. Sleep came easily, as he was tired. Then the dreams of the others started to once again intrude on him and he had to wake up enough to shield his mind from the others before going back into a deeper sleep. For a moment, before drifting into deep sleep, Jer wondered if he would have to shield for the rest of his life.

Chaos chuckled and wished Jared luck. The heart of the group was definitely getting a work out with these people. Looking over at Jehro and then back at Jared, Chaos wondered which one would truly have the hardest job.

Ne looked on, even as Chaos did, at her beleaguered son and gently sent a special gift for this one Champion of Serenity in the hopes that his life would be easier. Serenity watched as Ne did this and smiled, giving her own blessing to red, the heart of the Circle.

Karen ran down the stairs sounding like a stampeding herd of buffalo and burst into the kitchen, hoping to catch Debra before she had left for the day. She grabbed hold of Debra’s arm and bent over to catch her breath a moment.

“I just got off the phone with the lawyer about Grammy’s house.” Karen started. Standing and taking a deep breath, she giggled over the confused look on Debra’s face. “You look just like that kid from that movie that smelled something yummy and couldn’t figure out where it is. Anyway, the lawyer said that since I was the only heir to Grammy and since she died in the quake when the house collapsed, the insurance people have to either rebuild the house exactly for me or buy me someplace new to live along with a settlement. So, then I called the insurance company and told them all of this and they said there is a three bedroom, two bath condo halfway between UCLA and Phil’s office and it can be mine, well ours, tomorrow if we want it. I then called the lawyers back and told them to arrange the details with the insurance company so we can move in this weekend. I hope you don’t mind. I know the building they are talking about and it is beyond belief. Is that okay?”

Debra, leaning against the counter while Karen spilled out the whole story, smiled and nodded. “It sounds wonderful, Karen. I’ll give Kim a call and have her ship my stuff to the new place as soon as I have an address.” Debra pushed away and was about to leave when Phil spoke up, having entered half-way through Karen’s story.

“So, you're going to take me up on the job offer, Debra?” He kept his tone casual so he wouldn’t make her run this morning.

“I was thinking about it, Phil. Maybe start next week, if that’s okay?” Debra answered.

“Sounds good, I’ll tell human resources to expect you to stop by sometime today or tomorrow to fill out the paperwork and to have you start as one of my research assistants.” Phil poured himself some coffee and hoped no one could tell how badly his hand holding the cup was shaking in his effort to sound so relaxed about it.

“Works for me, Phil, thanks. I’m going to play tourist a little more today, I’ll see you all this evening. Oh, Grant, I think it’s your turn for dinner tonight.” Debra said with a grin and wink at Grant and then she was gone.

Grant looked up from his coffee as Debra gave her order and then looked back into the black liquid in his cup. Then he quickly looked up again and looked around. “Anyone seen Jared this morning?”

“Not yet, Grant, but he was up quite late last night so I’m not surprised I don’t see him yet.” Karen said, sitting down with a huge bowl of some kind of chocolate cold cereal and mug of coffee extra sweet no cream. “What did you need him for?”

“Nothing, I guess.” Grant said and finished his lukewarm coffee before heading upstairs to brush his teeth and fix his hair for the day.

That left Karen and Phil alone in the kitchen for a moment. Karen was enjoying her breakfast, looking over the brochure the insurance company had faxed to her via Phil’s home office of the new condo she and Debra were going to share.

“What do you think about it?”

“Huh?” Karen looked up from the paper in her hands to Phil. He was standing by the sink watching her devour breakfast with one hand and the apartment blueprint with her eyes. “Oh, the condo? I think it’s gonna be great. I can’t wait to move in. You know, Phil, Debra is the first girlfriend besides Emily I’ve ever had. It will be fun getting to know her better than any of the others in the Circle by living with her. I just hope she can put up with me.”

“Or that you can put up with her?” Phil asked, setting his cup in the sink and coming over to sit across the table from Karen. Now that she was no longer chasing after him and was treating him like a friend rather than a romantic conquest, Phil found he liked Karen. He could see them being friends, something he never thought would happen.

“Not at all. I don’t foresee my having trouble with anything Debra could do in the place. Don’t forget, I was the one who helped Mike and Darin pack for Debra, even though I argued about it the whole time. I saw her apartment in Coeur d’Alene and if she can keep the place we are going to share that nice, then there is nothing she could do that would piss me off. I may act like a scatter brain from time to time, Phil, but I was raised pretty much by my Grammy, so I learned how to keep my living space very neat and tidy. I intend to keep up that habit all my life.

“Speaking of which, why make Debra a research assistant? Why not have her as your personal aide?” Karen asked.

“She wouldn’t accept it, I tried. So I’m having her as part of a three-man team that does research on companies and write up proposals on them for me to look over. It’s not what I would have chosen for her, but I do have to admit, it fits.” Phil looked at his watch, smiled at Karen and wished her a good day, then went to his home office, picked up his briefcase and left for the day.

Karen sat alone in the kitchen, eating cereal when Mike, Darin, and Emily came in. “Why should she get the master bedroom?” Mike complained, getting the biggest bowl he could find and filling it with chocolate puff cereal and dousing it with milk. Then stuffing his face with a giant bite, he attempted to speak while chewing. “I mean, just because she’s a girl….”

“It will mean that we don’t have to share a bathroom with her, Mike.” Darin explained, yet again, getting a small bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. “I mean, think about it, Mike. Do you really want to bring a date home and then have to explain to her why there are tampons in your bathroom?”

“Ewww…..you’re right, of course. Okay, Emily can have the master bedroom as long as she keeps all that make up and feminine hygiene products out of the main bathroom.”

“Gee, you are so generous with my parent’s condo, Mike.” Emily said dryly as she poured herself some coffee and made a piece of toast. Over Mike’s head, she mouthed to her big brother, “Thank you.” Darin nodded without seeming to and continued to eat his cereal.

“But of course, Emily dear, you are my cousin after all. So, Karen, what’s this?” Mike asked, ripping the paper from her hands and looking it over. “Holy cow, this is a great layout! Is this where you and Debra are going to live?”

Karen reached over and gently took back the brochure on her condo, smoothing it carefully. “Yes, Mike, it is. Next time ask!” She backhanded him on her way to the sink to drop off her cereal bowl and cup. Then she gave Emily a good morning smile and headed to Phil’s office to make a few more calls.

Grant re-entered the kitchen, saw the dirty dishes in the sink and was about to make a comment about people being old enough to take care of their own dishes and then didn’t. If Debra could clean house and still manage to make that spectacular meal of the night before, then he could wash up a couple of breakfast dishes before starting his masterpiece.

As he was looking through the fridge and the freezer and the cupboards to see what he had to work with, he noticed an envelope with his name on it. Opening it up, a note fell out along with a couple of bills. Picking up the money, he looked at the note, not noticing the silence that filled the room as Mike left, his dishes still on the table and Darin followed.

Grant,

I hope you don’t think this is some kind of competition over who is the best cook, it isn’t. Yesterday was just to show Phil what he thought he wanted, it was to prove a point, nothing more. But as I know you pride yourself on your culinary talents, here is a couple hundred dollars so you don’t have to whip up something from what’s on hand. Knock yourself out and fix whatever your heart desires, I know I’ll love it. Have fun and I support you.

Love, Debra

Grant looked at his other hand and then noticed what he thought were tens were actually hundreds and he whistled. “She doesn’t ask for much, does she.” He said to no one in particular.

“Who and what are you talking about?” Emily asked, wiping up the mess from her toast and coffee. She then cleared the table of her cousin and brother’s messes and stacked the dishes in preparation of washing them.

Grant watched her and smiled, realizing they were both alone. He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her gently against him. “Hmmmm….alone at last.” He kissed the hollow in the back of her neck and smiled as she shivered, his smile deepened when she didn’t try to move away from him. “I have orders from Debra to spend two hundred dollars on a meal that will satisfy my culinary talents for the Circle tonight. I was thinking I could make something really spectacular with only half of that and the rest, I could take you to this wonderful little place I know of for lunch……”

Emily relaxed against Grant’s well-toned chest and held his hands against her waist. “Lunch sounds divine, Grant, but not with Debra’s money. Between us, we should be able to scare up enough without touching what she worked so hard for. I mean, I wouldn’t want to wait tables for a living and….”

“I understand, Em, and of course you are right. Whatever I don’t spend on dinner I’ll give back to her. And don’t even think about paying for lunch, not when I invited you out. Invite me out, and then I’ll let you pay. Okay?”

Emily turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up into his wonderful blue eyes. “Sounds like a plan to me, Grant Richard Thomas.” Then she stood on her tip toes and kissed him.

“I’ve got it!” Karen screamed from Phil’s office and Grant and Emily parted knowing she would come in the kitchen first. “I sign the papers this afternoon and the condo is all mine and Debra’s. We can move in tomorrow if we want. Hot damn!” Karen stuck her head in long enough to yell her news and then ran up the stairs to share with the guys still in the house.

“Well, I guess since this will pretty much be the last dinner we all share in this house for a little while, I better get working on a menu that will be unforgettable.” Grant said, kissing Emily one more time then heading to Phil’s office for some paper to make a menu and shopping list.

Emily was just finishing washing up the dishes when she heard the front door slam and wondered who had left. Then the kitchen door opened and Jared stumbled in, wiping his face and thankfully reaching for the mug of hot, black, coffee Emily handed him.

Finishing up the dishes, Emily didn’t bother Jared while he drank his coffee. With a sigh, Jared refilled his mug, this time taking a moment to sweeten the coffee before sipping it. “Bless you, Emily. Karen came upstairs yelling about getting some condo and chased Mike and Darin from the house. Grant is muttering over a menu and I knew it was useless to try to get more sleep. It will be nice when Grant and I move into our new apartment in a couple of days.”

“You’re welcome, Jared. And thank you for last night. I didn’t realize I was making so much noise.” Emily said and handed Jared a cream cheese filled cinnamon and raisin bagel.

Jared smiled at her and took a bite, enjoying it. “It wasn’t the noise, Em. I honestly don’t know how Jehro does it. When I relax enough for sleep, the dreams of everyone else in the house invade mine and I can’t get any quality sleep. I think I’m going to go insane, except that I have this sort of…sort of….reserve that when the emotions get to be too much they spill into this and they just go away.” He put the bagel down and rested his head in the crook of his arm. “When everyone is awake, it’s a little easier because you all seem to have some control over your thoughts and feelings and they aren’t bashing me in the head all day like they do all night.”

Emily sat down next to Jared and thought about it, trying to keep it quiet in her head. “Well….think about it this way, Jer. Jehro has been an empath and telepath all his life, so he’s learned how to shield without thinking about it. You’ve had these gifts for…what….a week at the most. You need to give it time before you get used to them and learn how to use them. Debra also has the same gifts, maybe you should ask her how she’s dealing with them.”

Jared looked up at Emily a moment and then chuckled. “Wisdom meets the Heart. Thanks again, Em. Well, I better get moving if Grant and I are to move in this weekend, I have to finish my part of the application and sign the rental agreement.” Jared stood, dropped a friendly kiss on Emily’s forehead and then went upstairs to finish getting ready for the day.

Alone in the kitchen, Emily thought about Jared’s words and smiled, feeling really good about herself. It seemed as though her part in the Circle wasn’t as unnecessary as she thought. Whistling softly, she finished the dishes and then left for the day, heading to her parents condo in Studio City to check it out and decide what she needed to get to make it feel more like home.

“Now that is interesting.” Chaos murmured to himself and sipped some wine. He glanced over as the door to his chambers opened and a few more souls came in, sent to him by Dreybrenic. Yawning, Chaos turned from the newly departed and let his underlings deal with them, only to find himself looking into Serenity’s eyes.

“What is interesting, Brother?” Serenity asked, pouring herself some of his wine and sitting next to him.

“What are you doing here?” Chaos demanded, pulling his robe closed, a vee forming on his brow as his irritation showed on his face.

“I’m coming to find out how my Champions on Earth are doing. You appear to be watching them more than anyone and paying less attention to those on Sandeenai than the others. So what do you find interesting?”

Chaos thought about it a moment and relaxed back into his cushions. “True enough. Well, I find it interesting that Wisdom feels she has to earn her place in the Circle. She is the one who brought everyone else together and now she’s feeling left out. Today she helped the Heart find his balance and it surprised her.”

“Ah, I see. Well, thank you for keeping watch on them, Chaos. I’m happy that someone is and that someone isn’t Dreybrenic.”

Chaos bowed to his sister from his waist, not bothering to get up from his cushions and turned back to watch the latest happenings on Earth.