Apologies for the lengthy delay. Life happens! Special thanks to the many fans who wrote to me and gave me the motivation and inspiration to continue this epic adventure.
Thanks & Enjoy
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Three's Company
Pulling into the garage, Alex parked his jeep and walked into the house expecting to find his sisters at the dinner table. Instead, he discovered a mop of curly red hair leaning over a book.
"Hi Carrie," he said in greeting.
Looking up, a huge smile parted Carrie's freckled face. She stood and walked into Alex's arms and buried her face in his chest. Wrapped in each other's arms, the gifted couple locked eyes and Carrie said, "You are amazing, you know that?"
"I have my moments," Alex said humbly.
"You should have seen Lily today, she was unstoppable; happier than ever. The second I held her hand I felt the difference."
"I know, I felt it too. She's whole again," Alex said, proud of what he'd managed to accomplish.
"She told me, Alex. She told me about your father and her, and about what you did. She opened up like she's never done before. I cried and cried." Carrie buried her head into his shirt again and Alex heard her sniffle lightly and when she looked at him again there was wetness in her eyes. "Thank you," she said, her voice wavering as she struggled to control her emotions. "Thank you so much," she added, once again balling herself up in his strong embrace.
Alex stroked her tangled mane and held her tight until she settled with a heavy sigh and they stepped apart. "I seem to be solving a lot of problems lately. Can we talk? Where are Case and Lily?"
"Shopping for your camping trip. They won't be back for an hour or two. Have you eaten? We're still working on those leftovers."
"No, I'm starved."
"Sit, I'll fix you a plate. You're tired," Carrie said.
"Thanks," Alex said and smiled softly. He couldn't hide his feelings from Carrie anymore than from himself. Sighing, he said, "It was a long day." He pulled up a seat at the kitchen bar and watched Carrie remove several containers from the fridge.
"How's the new job?" she asked over her shoulder.
"Great. I had a chat with Emily. Well, first I had a chat with the lifeguard that's leaving. He warned me about her."
"Emily's the boss? The one with all the kinks?"
"Right. Max said she could be manipulative. She'd claim their fooling around wouldn't affect the job."
"And of course it would," Carrie said nodding like it was obvious.
"I had my doubts from the start but Max confirmed it. Today I didn't do what Emily wanted and I could sense she wasn't happy and was scheming to get her way. I called her out to her face, thinking I'd just walk away if she kept up the bullshit."
"What did she do?" Carrie asked while popping a plate into the microwave.
"She fessed to it, said she was sorry. I could tell she was sad about Max leaving and needed someone to take his place. She seemed so insecure which isn't like her at all," Alex explained.
"The stronger they look, the more broken they can be on the inside. The more time you spend building walls, the higher they get and the more baggage you can hide behind them." The microwave beeped and Carrie slid him a plate of steaming hot meatballs and risotto. Grabbing a knife and fork, she handed him the utensils and sat across the island.
"That all makes sense, it's what I felt when she apologized. I have no idea what's wrong with her but I did what I could to make her feel better. I think we'll be alright now, at least I'm not worried about the drama."
"That's good," Carrie said nodding.
"I did something to Natalie I wanted to ask you about," Alex said after swallowing a mouthful of creamy parmesan rice.
"Oh?"
"She was falling asleep when we were listening to Emily's lecture in the morning. I zapped her and she got this huge burst of energy. I did it again just a bit ago with Megan but not as strong. Natalie was wired for hours and she knew I did something to her."
Carrie grinned. "That's one of my favorites. You can do it without the shock if you focus and move more slowly. But it's limited, like a charge that builds up over time and when you use it it takes time to come back. That's why Megan didn't get as big of a dose."
"Ah, I get it. Can I do it to myself? I tried but it didn't work."
"No. None of the gift's abilities work the same on yourself as someone else. There are similarities but functionally it's different. You can transfer it to someone else but you can't just make something out of nothing."
"Conservation of energy, a balance has to be maintained. Makes sense." Alex drew from his knowledge of science to explain the unexplainable. If the gift truly was a natural occurrence it had to follow the same rules as everything else.
"Can I do the opposite and make someone sleepy?"
"Sure, but that's a lot less fun," Carrie answered. "May I?" she asked reaching out her hand. Alex took her palm in his and felt a trickle of energy flow from her skin into his. He suddenly perked up, feeling much more lively.
"Thanks!" he said as his eyes widened and pupils dilated with the influx of vigor.
"Any time, little man," Carrie said with a grin. "Just a dab to keep you up. I know Lily is looking forward to tonight."
Alex grinned and then blushed, pushing the thought out of his mind and focusing on Carrie. Their times alone together we're rare and precious and he wouldn't let himself become distracted.
