Walking an Endless Path Pt. 02

Joe couldn't look at her, but he did have something to say. "Amy, what you did to me was... beyond wrong. Worse, you broke my heart with one careless action. It will take some time for me to learn to trust you again. I love you, and that's why it hurts so much."

Amy put her hands over her face and started crying. She knew what she had done was wrong. If she could go back and stop herself from doing it, she would... wouldn't she? She wasn't even sure what she was thinking when she did it. One second, they'd been talking about his issues with kissing Rebecca and Taylor, and she felt that stupid flare of jealousy. Then she was thinking of Melissa. Next thing, she was reaching out to feel what they'd felt.

It was more than she expected and better than she could have imagined. It shot up her arm and instantly spread out to take her entire body. Every cell of her screamed in rapture! It was too much, and her mind began to fill with white light from her intensely intimate link with Joe. It was a purely physical bonding at levels where his pleasure and hers couldn't be distinguished. The energies crashed back and forth between them faster than they could respond.

But just before he broke their connection and she slipped into unconsciousness, she felt the echoes of Joe's horror at being raped by his sister. For that's what she'd done. She'd forced an unwanted, sexually intimate experience on him for her own selfish needs.

The recollection of this last moment came crashing back on her. Shame was an incredibly powerful emotion. It rocked Amy, and tears poured from her, trying to wash away her sins. Her sobs hit her so hard she was unable to get a breath. She tried to push away from Joe, unable to deal with the scale of her guilt. Then she was in his arms as he pulled her up from the couch and held her tightly against his chest. She couldn't resist his gentle strength, and she didn't deserve his love, but he gave it anyway. She cried into his shirt and clung to him desperately.

She didn't know how long they remained like that, but when she could breathe again, Joe released her to a sitting position and took her face between his big hands. She looked up into his fierce eyes, deeply angry but a warm, chocolate brown.

"You can never do that again. Do you understand me? That isn't something we can share," he said as he looked deeply into her teary blue eyes. She nodded, but he wasn't satisfied. "Say it."

"Yes, never again. I'm so sorry." Her eyes welled up again.

"Stop. We have to go out there. Mom and Dad need us. We don't have time for this. Time to put on your stage face," he said sternly. She nodded and looked down. Joe could see her centering herself and getting control once more. He let go of her, stood up, and walked to the window. He took some deep cleansing breaths as he looked out into the dusk. Then he was ready to go.

He walked to the door and waited for Amy to follow. He opened it and walked into the living room when she was behind him. He kept his face impassive but was nowhere as skilled as Amy at hiding his true feelings behind masks.

Christof and Selina were in chairs facing him, and Doug was walking back into the living room from the kitchen when they arrived. Joe could see all three make the quick assessment that all was not well. Christof and Selina assumed they understood why he was struggling to keep a neutral expression on his face and connected the signs of Amy's distress to that, so they maintained their friendly look.

Doug, however, took in the stiffness of Joe's back as he walked in, the large tear stain on his shirt, and the lingering redness of Amy's eyes. He couldn't help but become concerned. He'd become a little protective of Amy since she'd dazzled him with that performance on the balcony the night before. He knew better than to interfere in a family quarrel if that's what it was, but he couldn't help his feelings from stirring. "Amy? Joe? Everything okay?"

Amy's calm expression cracked a little hearing his compassionate tone, but she clamped down on that and gave him a small, brittle smile and nod. Joe's Yes was completely unconvincing, but Doug couldn't push it without stepping into something he probably shouldn't. He looked at the group and said, "Uh, dinner's ready if you want to make your way to the dining room."

Everyone got up and moved to the lovely table Doug had set. Before she sat, Clara whispered to Joe, and he looked down at his wet shirt. He nodded and went to get a dry one. When he returned, everyone was seated. Doug was serving penne noodles from a large pot onto people's plates, and a second pot of meat sauce was circulating to those who'd already received their pasta. The mouth-watering scent of freshly baked homemade garlic bread wafted from the kitchen. Joe realized he was famished. He sat between Amy and Melissa and across from his parents. While it wasn't the most comfortable he'd been at a dinner table, his hunger overrode his emotional discomfort.

Melissa smiled at him with a knowing twinkle in her eye, and he couldn't help but grin back, then blush and look away from his mother's too-aware eyes. He heard a quiet snort from Melissa and bit his lip to suppress one of his own. He caught a sad look from Amy out of the corner of his eye, but she concentrated on breaking a piece of hot bread from the loaf when he looked her way. He didn't know how to deal with Amy. He'd have to talk with his Mom. But for now, food!

Soon, everyone was making appreciative noises as they enjoyed the delicious food. Doug cracked open some wine, and only Amy and Karl stuck with water. He claimed to be the designated driver.

Once the pasta plates were cleared, Doug brought out a tray of small bowls of lemon sorbet and berries with a splash of limoncello. More Ooo's and Ahhh's followed by Mmmm's as they enjoyed the dessert, and then the meal was over. Joe and Melissa took clean-up duty, but Clara took her place after only a few minutes as the woman was still too uncomfortable to stand at the kitchen counter.

Now that Joe was alone with his mother, he glanced at the dining room, but everyone else was occupied.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What am I going to do about Amy? When she looks at me, I'm torn between being furious at how she... did what she did to me and wanting to hug away her sadness. I know she understands the violation, so I don't want her to suffer needlessly... but part of me does. I don't like that part, and I'm having difficulty dealing with it."

Clara turned and looked at her son. "Joseph, you both just need time. Don't hold onto your anger, but don't give in to your need to protect her, either. She did something terribly wrong, and she has to learn there are consequences for her actions. Just remember you love each other, and time will heal this. I promise it will."

Joe looked down and nodded and felt his Mom give him a hug. He treasured that feeling of being loved unconditionally, especially with the conditions he came with. "Love me, love my symbiote?" he thought, shuddering slightly. Clara looked up at him with a questioning look. She must have felt his reaction just then. Joe glanced over his shoulder again, and the coast was still clear.

"How did you deal with the fact when I was a baby that inside me was... this alien thing?" he asked quietly.

"Recall that you were a very tiny baby. We weren't sure if you would survive, and you got sick so many times. But you always had a smile for me, and you gave me such love I couldn't help but love you back. You struggled so hard when you got sick, but you never gave up, and even then, you'd smile when I held you in my arms. There were times when I thought I would have to say goodbye, but you'd pull through and get a little better, a little stronger, after beating each challenge. We believe that was the symbiote preparing you to become the man you eventually became.

If you're feeling squeamish, you can ask your father about mitochondria evolution theory. He explained it to me years ago, so I'm hazy on the details, but it goes something like this. Inside every single cell in our bodies is something called a mitochondria. They are responsible for creating the energy cells need to survive. The theory is that once, a very long time ago, these were separate living creatures that joined with other living creatures. They lived within these other creatures for protection, but in return, they helped their hosts to survive. Today, mitochondria are in every cell of every living thing, helping them live and cannot survive outside these cells. Essentially, we are all carrying around another creature that keeps us alive. Everyone is the same, really. Does that put your mind at rest a little?"

Joe did feel a little better and thanked his Mom.

Christof walked into the kitchen. "Clara, Joseph? Would it be possible to have a brief meeting to prepare for our visit to the NSA tomorrow? Douglas has generously offered the use of his office once more."

They both nodded and followed Christof to the office. Selina was seated behind the desk with a tablet PC active in front of her. Joe saw her busily typing notes on a thin keyboard before the tablet. Karl was seated in a chair facing the desk, and Amy sat on the couch against the wall. Clara joined her daughter, and Christof asked Joe to sit beside his father. Nodding to his colleague, Christof stood next to the desk and began.

"I will contact the NSA tonight and let them know we will be coming to see them tomorrow at ten AM. We are unaware of how much they know, and the general plan for tomorrow will be to limit how much we tell them. If they have nothing significant, we go on our merry way without exposing you. But suppose they decide they have enough to initiate some security directive that may impinge upon your personal freedom. In that case, we must be prepared to disclose sufficient information to show our own security measures have teeth. Our target is to maintain your personal autonomy as much as we can. You represent something not yet identified and protected by our laws, making this very challenging."

"However, as you also represent something that could cause much social upheaval upon disclosure, there will be a strong desire by those requiring social stability to suppress the knowledge of your existence. This can lead to rash actions. For this, we have put in place some preventative measures which I will not describe other than to say the very thing they fear would happen will happen should they take steps to prevent you or us from maintaining our freedom to move as we please."

"Joseph, what I need to discuss with you tonight is nothing less than your future and what you wish to do with your life. After tomorrow, there is a good chance your life will look nothing like what you had intended for yourself. We will do our best to protect you, but you will become the focal point in investigating the aliens who did this to you."

"But I don't know anything!" Joe blurted.

"Indeed, but you are the product of their efforts, which bears much interest. Your father is an eyewitness, the only one now, and he will be requested to give statements regarding what he saw that night. Luckily, he recorded a statement on the night in question, which is incredibly valuable. So, we have something to bargain with. What do you want in return, Joseph? Aside from your freedom. That we will not bargain for."

Joe thought about what he had planned for his life before all this craziness ensued. That was, what... only a day ago? Already, it seemed like a different life. He wanted to learn how to better protect people. That felt... right. It still did.

"I was coming here to learn how to be a better personal security agent. Someone with the skills necessary to protect someone like a celebrity." He looked back at Amy, who was watching him with a strange mixture of guilt and love struggling in her expression. She looked away.

"Ah! This is good! I can work with this." Christof exclaimed. "Anything else?"

"No, well, I wouldn't mind one of those home gym machines like Doug has." he offered.

Christof chuckled. "I meant more along the lines of dreams and aspirations."

"Ah. Okay... I want to know what I am. If I'm going to be poked, prodded, and measured, I want access to that information and people who can explain it to me. I'm not staying in a lab somewhere. I'm as interested in getting to the bottom of this as anyone, and perhaps I have more at stake for the investigation. I will be an active member of the team. I'm willing to work for it, but that, like my freedom, is non-negotiable."

Selina nodded. "This is wise." She gave Joe an approving smile.

"Well said, Joseph. Indeed, this must be so. One moment, please." Christof bent close to Selina, and they exchanged a few words and nodded. Selina made a quick note then they both looked back to the group.

Christof continued. "The meeting with the NSA must be friendly and non-confrontational. This will not be a stretch for you as you are all fine, upstanding citizens with a solid moral grounding. We will not disclose anything regarding Joseph's special nature until I determine there is no tactical advantage in maintaining its secrecy. Is everyone comfortable with this?"

Karl looked over at Joe, who was looking the lawyer in the eye. Finally, he nodded.

"Thank you. Should the disclosure become a requirement, I will define ground rules and again, if necessary, outline that we have taken measures to protect our freedom. This will be delivered non-confrontationally, but make no mistake, we will not bend on the primary goals of Joseph's personal autonomy and freedom. The fact that you are willing to cooperate and assist with their investigation will go a long way toward the success of our negotiations. It will be in the government's and Joseph's interests to maintain secrecy, and the fewer people involved, the better. This includes our hosts, I'm afraid. It is safer for them not to know, yes? If we are lucky, we will meet with someone with a brain in his head and a sense of reason. Selina tells me the director of the Los Angeles office might just be such a man. But I must warn you this may not be the case."

Christof looked to Selina, who said something quietly to her partner. He turned back to the group. "Yes, indeed. Selina reminds me that we should make the call soon. Are there any questions?" Four heads indicated no. "Okay, then we should leave. I have arranged with Douglas to keep Joseph and Amy for one more night. Apparently, he insists on making us all a breakfast we simply cannot miss, and then we will be on our way." That earned him some smiles.

They left the office and thanked Doug and Melissa for their patience, generosity, and hospitality. Then, they promised to return in the morning. Karl and Clara collected hugs from their children, and then they were gone.

Joe was at a loss for what to do next. Everything, his entire life, hinged on what happened in that meeting tomorrow. He felt it in his bones. But until then, all he could do was wait. He wandered back into the living room where Doug, Melissa, and Amy had gone.

He couldn't look at Amy yet without his feelings getting all jumbled. The rage was still too close to the surface. Melissa was easier to look at, but the idea of intimacy was too painful after what Amy had done to him. Doug still looked concerned when he saw Joe's conflicted expression, and he couldn't tell the man why. Maybe it was better that he just be alone.

"I'm heading to bed. It's, uh, been a long day. Thanks for a wonderful meal, Doug! Goodnight!" Joe stumbled through his excuse.

"Goodnight, Joe," Doug said, frankly looking a little relieved.

The two women also said goodnight, but Melissa was more surprised, and Amy just looked sad. He couldn't help either tonight, so he left.

The room Doug loaned him was beautiful and had a wonderful bed. He woke up in the bed this morning, just another young man with a normal life ahead of him. He lay there now, staring at the ceiling, some kind of human-alien hybrid with an uncertain future.

Hours later, exhaustion finally took him.

Chapter 11

Christof informed them in the morning as they drove away from Doug Wilson's building that he had spoken with Director Bannon the previous night. Apparently, the man had been expecting his call. They'd been doing their research. After a brief discussion, Christof arranged to meet at ten AM at the NSA branch office in downtown Los Angeles. He took this to be a positive sign.

After thirty minutes in traffic, Joe wanted to get out and walk the remaining distance. He'd never experienced such insane gridlock. The largest city he'd ever driven through up to this point had been Fargo. He was already tense and had slept fitfully. His neck muscles were stiff, and he tried cracking his neck unsuccessfully. Then he felt hands on his shoulders from the seat behind him. Amy's hands. He started to move away, but she pulled him back in annoyance.

"Joe! Hold still! Just let me work some of the tightness out. It's just a bloody massage." she growled at him quietly. She pitched her voice to keep it to just them.

It did feel good, so he pushed aside his reservations, rested back against his seat, and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, car doors were opening, and they were in an underground parking lot. He blinked away the sleep and got out of the truck. He tilted his seat forward and helped Amy exit. He thanked her for the massage as she passed him and got a small nod and smile from his sister. He finally noticed the dark smudges under her eyes, and his heart ached a little, but he restrained his natural impulse to hug her. They walked as a group towards the elevator banks, which took them to the lobby. As they approached the main set of elevator banks, they noticed the security checkpoint stationed before them. Christof stopped the group and looked up at Joe.

"The first hurdle in all government facilities. I assume you will not pass through this metal detector without triggering it. I will contact Director Bannon and let him know we are here." He stepped to the side and made the call.

A few minutes later, Joe saw a serious-looking man in a dark gray suit exit an elevator, followed by a tall, slim woman wearing a dark, tailored suit as well. The man nodded a greeting to the security personnel, but the woman was staring at Joe with an intensity that put him off. He was already starting to feel like a specimen under her microscope. The man stopped before Christof, and they shook hands and exchanged a few friendly words. Bannon walked back towards the security station and had to stop and get the woman's attention before she also turned and went through the arch.

Joe noticed they both surrendered their weapons to the guards before they passed through the detector. So, they were meeting armed agents. His feeling of insecurity went up a few notches.

"Okay, we will join the Director and his agent on the other side of the arch and proceed to the meeting room. There are no exceptions to the policy of passing through the security station, so Joseph, please expect to get a pat down on the other side."

Christof and Selina went first, then his parents and Amy. Finally, Joe stepped through, and the alarm went off. He was asked to walk through again, but the same thing happened again. When the man approached him with the wand, Joe knew what to expect and endured the wailing screeches. He glanced over to the female agent, and her ice-blue eyes were practically sparkling with interest. The guard did the pat down and was not gentle. He spent an uncomfortable amount of time ensuring Joe wasn't hiding something in his pants. Finally, Joe looked at the Director and gave him a frustrated look. The director spoke with the security agent, and the man stood back with a grim look but nodded.