Generations Beyond
Chapter Twenty-Four

Christina moved around the kitchen putting various items away; wrapping up the extra venison, and setting aside the squash and red potatoes they hadn’t baked. She hurried from one side of the room to the other on her bare feet.

Cross did the heavy lifting for the cooking. He leaned against the counter so he could watch her with one eye and the food with the other. “You know, even without the cover, you’re housewife material.” He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

She let out one single laugh. “No,” she said, shaking her head “No, I don’t think so. I never let myself get caught up in the young girl fantasy of marriage or anything like that.”

The knock on the front door pulled her attention. She walked through the living room and opened the door with a smile. “Mom, Dad, come in.” She held the door open for them. Chase followed in behind and closed the door. “Why didn’t you open the door for them?” she asked him in a hushed whisper. He shrugged his answer to her as he walked by.

Her parents walked through the living room and into the dining room where they stood by the table nearest the front chair. Chase walked in and sat in the chair furthest from everyone and crossed his arms over his chest. “Please, sit.” Christina said as she walked to the table and stood where she wanted her parents to sit.

On the table sat plates, silverware, and glasses of water for everyone. Once her parents sat, Christina looked over to Jonathan.

Her mother looked at Christina. “Chase talked to your father today when they were at the lake,” she said, breaking the silence in the room.

“Figured he would,” she said, looking back at her mother.

“You didn’t tell us?” she said, her voice raising at the end, causing the statement to become a question.

“No, I didn’t,” she said, swallowing hard and shaking her head. “Do you want to ta-”

“Yes,” she said, interrupting the younger woman. “I want to talk about this now. If we don’t talk now, then when?”

“After dinner?” Christina suggested.

“No,” Andrea Aarons said, “you always find a way to not do what you don’t want to do. You put it off until it doesn’t happen. Well, I’m not going to let you put this off anymore. You will tell me right now what’s going on.”

“All of it?” Christina asked. “And mom, you better make sure you want to know before you answer that question.”

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Christina looked from her mother’s eyes to Jonathan who shrugged. “Don’t look at me.” He delivered plates to the table as he filled them with their even portions, “I’m the one who set this up, remember? You’re not finding any help here.” He made a point of smiling at Christina’s mother as he set her plate down. “And if you leave anything out, I’ll say something.” He took his seat and waited.

Christina looked away from Jonathan and shook her head as she pushed her plate of food away, “Fine.” She took a deep breath and let it out, “Everyone eat, and I’ll talk. If you have questions at the end, I’ll answer them. Please, don’t ask me anything until I’m done.”

Christina took her time and told her family what she had been through since Penn plucked her from the life she was building in the military. Occasionally, she glanced at Jonathan, who would give her a slight nod of approval but remained silent. When she finished, Christina let out a long sigh.

“But, you keep that ring on your finger, you don’t need to anymore?” her father asked once she finished.

“Yes, dad,” she leaned back in her chair, feeling deflated with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Why? It means nothing,” He looked between her and Cross.

She looked at her father before she sat up in the chair and spoke. “It’s a reminder of a time in my life when I had someone to lean on, and someone I could trust. I haven’t had that before. It might not mean the same thing to everyone else, but it’s special to me and that’s all that matters.”

“Honey?” Her mother asked to get her attention.

“What?” Christina whipped her head to look at her mom, her expression softening.

“You don’t have to fight anymore. You’re here, we’re here,” she reached a hand and put it on the material of her sleeve.

“But, I do.” She looked at her mother’s hand and back to her face. “I can’t let what happened to me happen to anyone else. I can’t stay here and hide behind a mountain and pretend I don’t know what will happen if I don’t go out there.”

“You’ve done enough.” Her father frowned.

Christina’s eyes moved to her father next. “And what happens if everyone did enough?” she asked. “Enough isn’t enough. I have to do more, I must do what I can, and I will. I have to know that you all understand that.” She looked at both her parents and her brother.

Chase sat at the end of the table, not looking at his sister.

“What do you want me to say?” her father asked. “Do you want me to say it’s ok? That I understand? It’s not, and I don’t. But, you’ll go anyway and I know why you’re going now, and at least that’s better than being in the dark.”

“Sir,” Cross cleared his throat, “if I may. Enough isn’t a word that’s in my vocabulary, and I don’t think it’s in your daughter’s either. Now, I don’t know what you do for a living, but I’ll guess you don’t feel you’re answering a calling to do it.” He shrugged a touch. “You take pride in your work, I can guarantee that.”

Her father paused and shook his head, looking at the finished plate of food. He picked up his glass of water and took a healthy drink before setting the glass back on the table. “No, son, I don’t. I head to work in the morning is to provide for my family. And I’ve done that for forty years now. That’s my pride,” he said looking Jonathan in the eye before shaking his head again. “How am I supposed to tell her not to do what she thinks is best because I want to keep her safe?”

“You don’t.” Cross stated. “Let me give you background about me, since I’m sure you don’t know me from the guy down the road. My name, Sir, is Captain Jonathan Cross, United States Army Special Forces. For the past ten years I’ve been doing the jobs you don’t see on TV or read in papers.” He wet his lips. “I am not proud of my work. But I know that everything I did, I did for this country and it was necessary. I’m right with myself, and right with God.” He crossed himself. “And while I could live here in this cabin until my last breath is drawn, there’s still work to be done.”

He looked at Christina for a moment, then back at her parents, “All enemies,” he said, “foreign and domestic. Your daughter and I both swore that oath. I will uphold the promise I made to this country until my dying breath if it comes to that, and your daughter feels the same way.”

“So, again sir, I have to say, you don’t tell her what to do because you want her to be safe, you either respect the strength of her convictions and the depth of her honor, or you do not. Either way you need to make peace with yourself.”

“Well, Captain Cross,” her father said, sitting back in the chair, “I believe you said it all.” He gave Jonathan a slight nod and did the same to Christina.

Her mother gave Christina’s arm a squeeze. “Be careful, for us. We love you, and miss you, honey.”

“I will be, mom,” she said. Christina reached with her other arm and rubbed her mother’s back. Her eyes turned to her brother. “We’ll be back in a few days, you’ll see,” she gave him her best reassuring smile.

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