Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence Chapter Fourteen
Title: Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence
Author: Alex Foster
Category: General
Word Count: 50,000+
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A trip home for the holidays turns into a race to protect a young special from The Church of the Nephilim. Claire/Gretchen/Elle triad relationship.
Contains: Polyamory, established relationships, original characters, cursing, misogynist language, threats of violence to a child, sexual situations, descriptions of violence.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by NBC. No money is being made and no infringement is intended.
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Chapter Fourteen
The property was neither Company nor Pinehearst owned. Micah assured them that it was completely off their books and buried so far in his own affairs that it was undetectable by the church or anyone else that might want to find Stephen.
Micah came out to oversee Stephen’s hand off personally. He drove a proper and legally rented car so far out to the countryside Gretchen wasn’t sure they were even still in Texas.
He said they were and seemed to know exactly where he was going though.
Gretchen looked over her shoulder at Stephen sitting on the backseat. For the entire trip she’d felt his gaze on the back of her head. It was creepy. She wondered why he had latched on to her when Salt and Light were coming for him.
It was impossible to know for sure-Stephen didn’t seem willing to share his reasons-but she suspected it had more to do with people she knew and was connected to more than anything else.
She called and one of the Company’s remaining agents, the spokesperson for specials everywhere, and the mastermind of the underground special railroad all came running to her aid.
It was flattering on one hand but she also felt more than a little used by the child that was really not a child.
"We’re here," Micah said, one of the few things either of them had said the entire trip.
He pulled off the gravel road and started down a dirt driveway. They were beyond rural, Gretchen knew. Out here people left each other alone and few asked questions.
The land was wooded but not overgrown. At the end of a long winding driveway Gretchen saw a modest little white house with a screened in porch. Next to the house sat an old pickup truck and next to that a newer sedan.
Gretchen assumed the truck belonged to the homeowner. "Another one of yours?" she asked gesturing to the car.
Micah nodded. "Old friend," he said. "She’s going to check in on Stephen from time to time. Not much in the way of computers or machines out here to do the job for me."
He parked next to the sedan and turned the engine off.
People were already coming out of the house, waving. Gretchen saw an older couple, in their sixties at least, and a dark haired woman with light olive skin. Micah smiled warmly when he saw her.
While he walked to them, Gretchen opened the back door and helped Stephen out. He took her hand and walked beside her to the house.
The old couple exchanged brief hugs with Micah-but didn’t seem as familiar as the female agent.
"Gretchen, I’d like you to meet the Hendersons. Their grandson was an associate of mine when I was Rebel."
"When we were, you mean." The woman was British, Gretchen noticed with mild surprise.
"And this is Abigail," Micah said. "Abigail, Gretchen Berg. You two have a few friends in common."
"Nice to meet you." Gretchen shook hands with her left hand since Stephen was still holding her right. "Are you a friend of Claire’s?"
"Not quite, love."
Gretchen frowned but Micah was already moving on and she didn’t have time to question it further.
"Everyone, I’d like you to meet Stephen."
The Hendersons bent and welcomed him. Not showing the slightest bit of apprehension, Stephen let go of her hand and walked to them.
"I think you are going to be very happy here, Stephen," Mrs. Henderson said.
"Would you mind if I helped get him settled in?" Gretchen asked. "We’ve had kind of a connection these past few days."
"Not at all. Come inside."
Micah nodded to her and stayed outside with Abigail while she followed the others in.
The screened porch led directly into their kitchen. The house was small but uncluttered. A hutch in the kitchen and the dining room table both looked expertly made from the same kind of trees around the house.
"Would you like something to drink, Gretchen? We have sweet tea."
"I’m good, thank you."
Mrs. Henderson led Stephen down a hallway. "Are you an agent of Micah’s too?"
"Me? No, not exactly." Gretchen smiled. "You could say I married into the family."
"That’s nice," Mr. Henderson said. "Micah tried to help our grandson back during that Building 26 mess. Our children passed long ago and he was all we had left. We’re grateful for all Micah has done for us over the years."
The room at the end of the hall was ready for a small child. Transformer posters hung on the walls, games were stacked in the corner, and a Lego castle sat in a state of half construction.
"We left his room the same as it was when they took him away," Mrs. Henderson said. "It’s nice that another boy will be able to use it."
Stephen pulled away and walked to the castle. He began turning spare Legos over in his hands, contemplating them.
"So you don’t mind what he can do?" Gretchen asked.
"No. The way we see it, nons have done a fair job in the violence and destruction department long before specials came along. All people can be dangerous if they don’t have the right kind around them. And even if someone has done bad things…well, that doesn’t mean you can’t love the bad right out of them if they just give you a chance."
Gretchen stood with them for a moment, watching as he settled in. Stephen didn’t have much baggage-just what was in the go bag from his last safe house-but she didn’t think that would be a problem for him.
He seemed oblivious to her, to the three of them, but when Gretchen turned to leave he stood up and waved good-bye.
Gretchen returned the wave. She noticed then that the ceiling had changed since she entered the room. It was now blue like the sky and had big fake looking clouds painted on it. She smiled.
Later she and Micah excused themselves from the Hendersons. She still hadn’t gotten much information out of Abigail other than she had once worked with Micah and the rebellion. And her father had once helped Elle.
"You are welcome to stay the night, Micah," Mr. Henderson said. "Your friend too."
"Thank you, but I have to get home for Christmas with Molly. And I promised I would have Gretchen back before sundown." He nodded toward Abigail. "If you need anything, just contact me."
"We will. And thank you."
Abigail gave a short wave and remained silent. Gretchen suspected she was going to stay for a while to make sure Stephen didn’t cause them trouble and that he was safe.
Micah backed the car up the driveway and out onto the gravel street. They started the long trip back to civilization. Silence again filled the car.
Gretchen looked up at the sky, wondering if West was up there keeping an eye out for tails. Both in the air and on the road. She wondered exactly when she crossed the line to thinking of things like that.
"How are you feeling?" Micah asked. "Better I hope."
Gretchen glanced over and nodded. "Yeah. I’m myself again. I haven’t had that wiggy feeling since Salt died."
Micah made a noncommittal noise. "Would you like to talk about that? What happened with him, I mean?"
"I probably should," she said. "I probably will. But not right now."
"That’s cool. My phone is always on if you ever want to talk. I hope you know that."
Gretchen thought for a moment. "Can I ask you something? Just between us?"
"Of course."
"How come you’ve never given me the recruitment speech? About joining your movement."
Micah shrugged. "There’s nothing to join." He smiled. "But would you like the speech?"
"No. I always figured it was because I wasn’t a special or a former agent like Mr. Bennet. But you use nons too, like that couple back there."
He didn’t seem to like that phrasing but didn’t correct her.
The gravel road met up with pavement and they started traveling at highway speed again.
"Can I ask you something? Just between us?"
Gretchen nodded.
"Do you miss it? Thinking you were like us. The power."
"The power kind of sucked," she said. "But the other part…I don’t know. Some times it seems like Elle and Claire have this whole other thing that only they understand. I try and they don’t know they’re doing anything to exclude me, but…"
"You’re different than they are," he finished.
"Yeah."
For a long while they listened to the hum of the road passing underneath the tires. Finally Micah said, "Would you ever be willing to do a job for me?"
"What sort of job?"
He shrugged again. "I don’t know. Just talk to people."
Gretchen looked at him, unsure if he was being serious or not. "Would this also be between us or could I tell the others? Because we don’t keep secrets like that."
"I would rather you keep it to yourself at first," he said. "But it isn’t a requirement. You can tell them if you want."
Gretchen thought about that. "Okay," she said. "As long as it isn’t dangerous."
"Not dangerous at all." Micah gave her a reassuring smile before adding, "Tell me how much you know about Elle’s mother…"
~
"I don’t like being played," Elle said as she and Claire walked back to the hotel. "And that is exactly what this whole shitstorm was. That kid played us from the get go."
"We don’t know that." Claire’s breath clouded in front of her mouth. It was late afternoon and the night was shaping up to be a cold one.
Elle shook her head. "He got himself off the church’s radar and deeper into hiding while also arranging for us to kill the people after him. Hell, probably two of the few people in the entire world that even knew he existed.
"And he saw nothing wrong with using Gretchen to do it."
"She asked for that," Claire said. "In the end."
"In the end, yeah, but not the beginning. Those nightmares back in Virginia? Him setting up the game board."
"Maybe." Claire didn’t sound sure. "Either way we’re done with him."
"Yeah," Elle agreed. "And if I never see him again I’ll be one happy special."
They rounded the corner past the waving cowboy, during the daylight he seemed oddly enough even more welcoming. And stopped when they saw Martin waiting in the parking lot. He sat on the ground next to his bike; catching sight of them he stood and smiled.
"Well, this should be good."
"Hey, guys," he said when the walked up. "I wasn’t sure which room was yours so I figured I would just wait." He looked a little banged up from the night before but otherwise fine. Elle thought some of his beard had been burned off but really she couldn’t tell patchy from extra patchy.
Claire greeted him with a hug. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I’m fine. What about you? Big sis?"
"She’s fine," Elle said. "Not back yet though. She wanted to see Stephen off."
Martin nodded and then hesitated, trying to voice a delicate question. "Is she…?"
"Special?" Claire shook her head. "She’s back to normal."
He visibly relaxed with relief. "Thank goodness…Oh! Not that there is anything wrong with that. I mean, I’d love her no matter how she was. Just like I care about you guys."
Elle waved him down. "Settle, John-boy. It’s fine; we know what you meant. We’re happy she’s normal too.
"How did you know where we were, by the way?"
"Some girl named Molly called the house. Said she was a friend and called it a Christmas gift."
"Bless her heart."
Claire smiled at Elle’s tone. "So her parents…?"
"Didn’t take the call," Martin said. "It was for me only." He shifted from one foot to the other. "They didn’t tell the cops about you or anything. Just said it was a break in. They’re not bad people…just trying to catch up with the times."
"Yeah, well, we’ll check in with them another time. Deep in the future."
"Elle."
Martin shook his head. "No, I think that’s fair. I’ll keep working on them. Who knows, maybe I can get mom and dad to start a chapter of my support group right here?" He looked around the parking lot. "Man, this place brings back memories. I used to come here in high school."
"Really? With people or just by yourself? Because I find the first much harder to believe than the second." Elle softened her expression to let him know she was just playing.
"Would you like to come up?" Claire asked. "We were going to order Chinese food and wait for Gretchen."
He nodded. "I’d like that, yeah."
Claire led the way to the room with Martin trailing behind while Elle brought up the rear. Out of habit she turned and scanned the parking lot for threats. Tomorrow there would probably be more people from the church or some sort of new problem to face. For now though it was a peaceful holiday night with her new family.
Not a bad Hanukkah at all, she thought.
End