Chapter 11

February, 2039


With the start of the new semester, the girls in Suite 313 settled down to complete their freshman year of college.

And, with the chaos that were the holidays, coupled with the wedding of Mirielle Grace Summers to John Aaron Crossley, Jr. on New Years Eve, Jaime in particular just wanted things to get back to some semblance of order.

Over the Winter Holiday break, Rina's relationship with Jeremy Schuylkill became more intense. They had spent most of their time together, and that made Jaime smile. Double dates with Jaime and Jared were fun for Rina, and she realized that for the first time in her life, she was truly happy. And Jeremy was renewing her love of riding horses again by declaring that he was going to "turn an equestrienne into a cowgirl in nothing flat, just you watch!"

Helene had gone back to New York for Christmas, then returned a couple of days before Miri's wedding with her entire family. Her sister Kelly had been Miri's maid of honor, and had been in Belvidere since the day after Christmas. Even Alexei arrived the night before to attend.

But now, there were new assignments, tests, projects and papers to complete, and the three girls in 313 were busy with school and with work. Rina had inquired about what she would need to do to work in the U.S., and it was decided that she needed a new visa. So in January, before the semester began, Rina applied for a permanent resident visa. When she got word of her approval, she was overjoyed! The only drawback was that she couldn't get a job until April because she had to wait 90 days for all the proper authorities to be notified of her changed status. Rina decided that what she wanted most of all was dual citizenship in both Italy and the United States. For now, she still carried her Italian passport everywhere she went.

Helene's relationship with Alexei deepened as well. A couple of times during the holidays, they found themselves in a position that Helene wasn't ready for, and told Alexei so. "I will wait as long as it takes, Helene," he had told her; "I know it is you that I want. There are no others. Only you."

===


He had lost track of her over the holidays, but found her again at her sister's wedding. He waited patiently at the perimeter of her mother's property for just a glimpse of her. When he got his glimpse of her, wearing a beautiful gown, he fantasized about ripping it from her body and taking her by force.

"One day, Jameson," he said aloud, "one day you'll be mine and you will have no say in the matter."


===

Her sixth sense kicked in over the winter break, and would not be quieted. Instead of feeling the presence of someone meaning her harm, she also thought she could see them as well. She just couldn't put a face on the man stalking her.

It had been two months, the longest the feelings had lasted to this point, and that made Jaime nervous. She wondered if he came into the florist while she was working, under the guise of "just looking around". She couldn't shake the feeling that he, whoever "he" was, was close by.

Then one afternoon before Valentines Day, the feeling went away. Valentines day was one of the biggest days of the year for flowers, and the shop was busy in the few days before the fourteenth. But when the holiday had passed, and her sixth sense stayed quiet, Jaime let out a sigh of relief.

It was time to concentrate on other things, like school.


===

The phone rang early the morning of Valentines Day, and Vito had a bad feeling about who it was. Who else would call this early? he thought sleepily.

"What time is it Vito, and why is someone calling so early?" asked Carrie.

"It's a little after six, Carrie," Vito said. "It's probably an international call. If it's one of Vit-Rina's clients, they certainly know better. I'll take it in the kitchen while I fix breakfast."

Vito grabbed the phone as he walked out of the bedroom, saying "Hello?"

"Vittorio, it's Mamma," Caterina said chipperly on the other end of the line. "Buon Giorno!"

"Cut the crap, Mother," Vito said, clearly annoyed at not only being awakened at 6am, but by his mother, who somehow had found out his phone number; "What is it that you want?"

"Your sister's phone number, Vittorio," Caterina said; "I need to speak with her immediately."

"Regarding what, might I ask?"

"That's my business with her."

"Then you're not getting her number," Vito said; "Even if I knew it, I wouldn't give it to you. She made it quite clear when you dropped her off at Northwestern that she didn't want to speak to you."

"And how do you know this?" asked Caterina. "You've obviously spoken to her."

"She called me to wish me a Happy Christmas, and we talked at length about you," Vito said.

"She is dating someone unsuitable, and she must stop," Caterina said.

"That is no business of yours, is it, Mother dear?" Vito said; "You had Giuseppi spying on her again. She had him arrested and deported. That is why he is in Italy now and not here."

He could hear Caterina yelling for Giuseppi on the other side of the Atlantic.

"Mother," Vito said matter of factly, "please do not call here again. I will not do your dirty work. Audrina will live her life as she sees fit without your interference. I have spoken to her boyfriend briefly, and I approve. Not that Audrina needs my approval."

"Vittorio! You stupid little brat!"

"Of the two of us, it is indeed sad that I am the more mature of us. Goodbye Mother."

And Vito hung up the phone.

Carrie was in the doorway of the kitchen. She said, "Your mother again?"

"Yes, Carina mia columba," Vito said; "I will go out and change our telephone number this morning after the business office opens."

"I'm just sorry your mother's such a bitch."

"Don't be, Carrie," Vito said, kissing her temple; "She has always been this way, and she will never change. She was never really a mother to me and Rina anyway. We were just annoyances to her. It was Papa that tried to be a real parent to us. Then he died and Rina and I both knew we had to get out. Then she sent us to boarding schools on two different continents and forgot about us, until it became important for people to see she was a loving mother. What a crock of shit!"

"Vito, don't talk about her if she makes you angry," Carrie said; "It will eat away at your soul."

Vito took Carrie into his arms and held her. He knew she was right.


===


Miri Summers-Crossley wasn't taking this being sick every morning business well.

She and John had just learned that they were expecting a baby, and Miri's morning sickness was driving her mad. They hadn't even told their families yet.

Miri was trying to get her graphic design business off the ground and was making good progress. Her grandparents had lent her seed money and were pleased that Miri was using it to make her name known to those who would need graphic design work. Not that being Julia Summers' daughter didn't help, but Miri knew she had to establish her own reputation.

"John, can you see me at Kelly's wedding this summer, big as a house?" Miri said as she chewed thoughtfully on a saltine.

"I'd be more worried that your mom is going to freak out about being a grandma," John said; "Can you see the magazine stories about the so-called 'SpineSplitter' becoming a grandmother?"

"Didn't she also tell us not to do that right away?" asked Miri.

"Well... yeah," said John, "but when it's snowing and you can't go on your planned honeymoon and there's nothing to do but have sex?"

Miri laughed, "You're actually going to blame that freak snowstorm for this?"

"I'll bet there will be lots of late August- early September babies at Ft. Sill."

"Yeah," Miri said, "there will be a line of mamas in labor waiting to give birth. Oh, freaking joy!"

"You made this old soldier a happy guy, Miri," John said; "I can't wait to meet our little one!"

Miri sat in thought, then said, "Jack used to call himself an old soldier, and he was a lot older than 25, John."

"Remember, I've been in the Army since I was seventeen, too."

"True, true," Miri said; "I suppose we should call my mom and tell her the good news."

"She'll be thrilled after the shock wears off, I'm sure," John said.

Oh, I'm sure, Miri thought.

===


Jaime's courseload was harder during the current semester, and that's just how she liked it. She loved to be challenged, and her classes, especially her majors classes, were doing just that. Her Calculus class was giving her fits at first, but she soon figured it out. She was heading for midterms with straight A's.

That coupled with her job at the florist, and various projects, kept her mind busy. Brief respites with Jared, either on the phone or on the rare occasion he got a hold of a car and came in person, were nice diversions.

Plans were already being made for spring break. Jaime had suggested that they go to Oklahoma to see her sister and brother in law at Ft. Sill, and her cousin Adriana at school in Norman. Helene wanted to stay in Chicago to be close to Alexei, since he couldn't take time off from Chicago Ballet's current project. Then Helene was offered a chance to dance with the company during spring break in what was termed as an "extended audition". She was thrilled about it.

Rina wanted to spend time with Jeremy, which to the other two girls seemed reasonable. But his spring break did not coincide with hers, so spending time together was going to take some creative planning.

Jeremy was already applying to colleges to attend in the fall, and he really wanted to go to either Loyola and double major in Computer Science and Business; or to Northwestern. Loyola had offered him early acceptance, and the idea of living in Chicago appealed to him. He would be able to see Rina, but they wouldn't be in each other's hair. Rina encouraged Jeremy to accept the early acceptance. It turned out that Northwestern couldn't offer the same kind of scholarship that Loyola was offering, so he accepted at Loyola.

Rina kept up her search for information proving that her father had not died five years before, but kept running into roadblocks. She didn't like to hack into government websites, because she feared it would get her deported if she were caught.

Then she ran across an interesting and seemingly meaningless list that someone had downloaded to the internet. It was a client base for a plastic surgeon who did complete reconstructions of one's looks. Rina saw that one of the names on the list was a Richard Pike. She marked it for further investigation for one simple reason.

Her father's middle name was Richardson.

===

Pike did what many political pundants thought he would do: declare himself a candidate for President of the United States.

His platform was controversial, but not overly so. He wanted caps on government spending and more money made available to the citizens. He favored term limits and psychological testing of politicians to weed out people like Carl Parks or Sarah Kathryn Hope. Pike was definitely against any kind of hostile take over of the seats of power by those with Occupationist like ideals. He'd lived through the Occupation and saw first hand the damage it did to people.

Or at least, that's what Pike wanted people to think.

He would play the Ideal Candidate until he got what he wanted. He would even hold on to his Senate seat until he was assured that he was the candidate from his party who would face the incumbent, who so far was running unopposed.

Pike was still single and women still wanted to be the one who accompanied him on whistle stops. He had even said publicly that he "had been married, and while it was a happy time for me, losing my wife was difficult. There will be no one out there again like Amanda Pike."

The only thing is, there was never an Amanda Pike. It was part of Pike's made up background. A background that no one from the press bothered to check. The only reporter who probably would have done a background check on him was himself in the Senate, representing Illinois.

Jeremiah Donovan.

Pike knew Donovan was considering a run for the Presidency, but had decided that he didn't have enough experience to do it justice. "Maybe in four years, but certainly not now," was how he was quoted in the press.

That suited Pike just fine. He could go on his merry way, winning votes and minds.

And keep his secret life a secret.

===


Julia sat and shook her head, as if that would help her accept what she had just been told on the phone just ten minutes before.

I'm going to be a grandmother? she asked herself. That seems impossible! Miri's just a little girl.

"Oh, yeah, she grew up, didn't she?" she said aloud to no one but the cat. Ginger was just a kitten, one of the two from the last litter that Lady Marmalade had that Julia decided to keep. Julia had been amazed that Marm could still have a litter of kittens at her advanced age, but she did.

Julia all of a sudden felt old.

And she let her mind wander back to her childhood; to meeting Ryan; to being Jack's prisoner before he had a change of heart and fell in love with  her; Miri's early arrival, and Julia thinking Jack was dead and would never meet his daughter...

"Earth to Mom...hello, Mom!" Rachel said, breaking into Julia's thoughts.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"Lessons? Remember?" Rachel said; "by the way, who was on the phone?"

"Lessons, right," Julia said, still distracted.

"What's gotten into you, Mom?" asked Zach. "I've never seen you so spaced out."

"It's nothing, Zach," Julia said; "Now about those lessons. Zach, you're writing college essays, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Rachel, you're getting a Biology test over the parts of cells, mitosis and meiosis, and defining key words and phrases."

"Yes, Mom," said Rachel; "But who was on the phone?"

"Miri," Julia said; "I'll tell you all about it after lessons are over, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," Rachel said; "I was just curious."

"Rachel, let me get your test and we'll be done early," Julia said. She then went upstairs to get the test she had made up from a bank of questions the night before.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Rachel told Zach, "I'll bet Miri's preggers or something. Have you ever seen Mom so distracted like that?"

"No, and I told her so," Zach said; "But it's probably not a good idea to guess what Miri said to Mom until Mom tells us."

"Miri's pregnant," Rachel said; "I'll bet you anything not involving money or chores."

"Damn!" said Zach as their mother returned to the living room.


===