Ch. 11: Ominous Tidings

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"Fire & Ice" (Revised for Wattpad), Ch. 11: Ominous Tidings, August 22, 2015 Gratiana Lovelace

(An original story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace, 2015; all rights reserved)

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story with images of actors representing my dream cast--including Richard Armitage as Thomas Kane and Anne Hathaway as Caroline Walters, Doris Roberts as Mrs. Burns, Tim Gamble as Peter Wendt, Brian Protheroe as Martin, Mary McDonnell as Mary, Seth Green as Todd, Raven Symone as Fiona, and Logan Lerman as Allen, Andrew May as Paul Foster, and others as noted in the image credits.] [(1) "Fire & Ice" story logo]

Author's Mature Content Note:  "Fire & Ice" is romantic thriller story with mature themes (D for drama, S for sensuality, and V for violence) of love and relationships. Most chapters will be PG or PG-13. However, if you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer.

Author's Recap from the previous chapter:   Caroline's introduction to the Division on Monday went smoothly--despite the elephant in the room. And the Director Peter Wendt advised Paul Foster to leave Thomas and Caroline and their family alone. Paul Foster did not take it well--perhaps because he is worrying about his financial situation. And Mrs. Burns day with Trevor was unsettling as she noticed that a jogging man in a gray sweat suit seemed to be loitering about the park where before she brought Trevor back to her apartment early. Sometime later, Paul Foster received at text that Bambi and Thumper exited the forest. And the man in the gray sweat suit waits for his next orders.


"Fire & Ice", Ch. 11: Ominous Tidings

It is a long Monday for Caroline's first day on the Job May 23rd--as Mondays usually are. And Caroline and Thomas don't get home until around 7:00pm. Thomas even brings some materials home with him--on his flash drive that constantly hangs around his neck on a lanyard--that he'll read later in order for them to get home earlier. Since Thomas and Caroline are carpooling and living together, he has to adjust his work schedule—but happily so for him. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Thomas and Caroline pick up Trevor from Mrs. Burns as they walk to their apartment and then they walk into their own apartment.

Trevor: "We're home!" Trevor says loudly to no one in particular—as if the apartment is a person that needs greeting. Almost three and a half year old toddlers are so cute!

Caroline: "Trevor, let's get dinner started and you can tell us about your day. Would Daddy like to pour us all drinks while we chat?"

Thomas: "Sure. Juices all around?" He asks cheerfully and everyone nods. Thomas relishes his new found family and its attendant responsibilities/chores.

So, Thomas sets about to pour out the fruit juices--with Trevor having his drink in a sippy cup. Caroline was never much of an alcohol drinker and that became nonexistent after she became pregnant with Trevor. Caroline not drinking alcohol is a good thing--because though she doesn't know it yet, she is pregnant.

Caroline: Opening up the freezer, she looks at their choices and says. "Well, we have a twenty minute pizza option, or we can brown some hamburger and make sloppy joes."

Thomas: "Caroline, it has been a long day--and you need to rest and ice your arm." She nods. "Why don't we bake the pizza—since it cooks itself and we don't have to stand over it? Then, we can try to get home earlier tomorrow and I'll make us sloppy joes."

Caroline: "Works for me." She sighs gratefully.

Trevor: "Me too, Mommy and Daddy!

So, they make their salads and then chat and snuggle on the couch while their pizza cooks.

Caroline: "So Trevor, what did you do with Mrs. Burns today?" She runs her fingers through her little boy's hair with a motherly smile. Her son Trevor is her life's joy--made even more special now that her love and Trevor's Daddy, Thomas, is in their lives.

Trevor: Between sips of his apple juice, Trevor tells his parents about his day.  "Oh, we went to the park. I played in the sand box and made a castle! Then Mrs. B and I swung on the swings!" Trevor's eyes are bright with recalling the fun he had today. Then he pouts a bit and sighs. "But we didn't stay long because she said that she was getting tired and her back hurt her."

Caroline: "Oh, that's too bad. Trevor, you know that Mrs. Burns is a little older and she needs her rest sometimes." She brushes his hair from her forehead and caresses his cheek.

Trevor: "I know." He nods with a toddler whine. "But, I think we left because s a man was watching us." Trevor reveals offhandedly while sipping his juice.

Both Thomas and Caroline freeze, worried for their little son's safety—given their concerns about Paul Foster. But, neither of them thought that they would have to defend their little family against Paul so soon.

Thomas: Choosing his words carefully, Thomas raises his eyebrow at Caroline. "Well, I'm sure that Mrs. Burns knows best. You know, Trevor, I haven't had a chance to really thank her for watching you today." Thomas smiles benignly at Trevor--belying his intense foreboding. "So, I'll just pop over to her apartment briefly to do that." Caroline and she nods at Thomas in understanding.

***

Thomas walks briskly out of his and Caroline's apartment and walks the twenty feet down and across the hall to speak to Mrs. Burns. He lightly knocks on her door with three sharp raps of his knuckles. When Mrs. Burns opens her front door, she seems relieved to see Thomas and eagerly invites him in.

Mrs. Burns: "Thomas, I'm so glad that I have a chance to chat with either you or Caroline privately. Something odd and a bit disturbing happened today that I wanted to tell you about." Thomas notices how worried Mrs. Burns [(2)] looks.

Thomas: Thomas nods his head, his jaw clenched. "We know. Trevor said just now that there was a man watching you in the park."

Mrs. Burns: Flustered, she apologizes. "Oh, I'm sorry that he noticed that. I tried to distract Trevor by saying that I was tired and my back hurt. I hope that he wasn't frightened. But that is what I wanted to talk to you about." Mrs. Burns motions for Thomas to sit on the couch and they do. "May I offer you some refreshments?" She asks graciously.

Thomas: "No thank you." Thomas replies politely. "Please describe to me what happened today that unsettled you." Thomas interrogates her like the trained intelligence professional that he is.

Being the widow of an ex military man, Mrs. Althea Burns is accustomed to Thomas' style of speaking--deliberate and no nonsense, with urgent undertones.

Mrs. Burns: "Well, as I say, it was odd. Since Trevor and I go to the park frequently, we tend to know who we'll see there—mostly other kids that he plays with and their parents. You see, adults there always have a child that they're connected to."

Thomas: "And this man wasn't with a child and that's what disturbed you?"

Mrs. Burns: She nods her head with a concerned and perplexed look on her face. "Yes. And I wondered if he was in the park to jog, why wasn't he jogging? He just seemed to be standing around. I may have been blowing things out of proportion, but you can't be too careful with little ones and their safety. You hear such terrible stories on the news these days."

Thomas: Thomas nods soberly. "Can you describe what the man looked like to me and what he did exactly?" Thomas [(3)] asks in an even tone so as not to alarm her. But inside Thomas' gut is a roiling boil of indignation that Paul Foster would try to harm his family.

Mrs. Burns: "I'm afraid that I can do that one better." Mrs. Burns winces at Thomas sheepishly. "I probably shouldn't have done this, but my late husband was ex-military and had surveillance gadgets around the house from his service days." Thomas looks at her quizzically for that statement. "So, my husband was always cautioning me about protection for our own little ones and then our grandkids. So today, I'm afraid that I pretended to be talking on my cell phone to my dentist's office and then I secretly took the man's picture with my phone. Did I do the right thing?" She asks anxiously.

Thomas: "Yes you did! Can you show me the picture?" Thomas asks eagerly, elated that they might have some evidence to go on.

Mrs. Burns: Taking her cell phone out of her purse, Mrs. Burns calls up the picture. "Here it is."

Thomas studies the image. He knows the faces and backgrounds of almost every field operative attached to The Company in the Chicago region. However, the man in the gray sweat suit is an unfamiliar face.

Thomas: "Hmmm. I don't know him." The man wasn't Foster, of course, but that doesn't mean anything. It could be somebody working for Foster. "But, I'll need you to email me this picture so that I can check into him. Does your cell phone have internet?"

Mrs. Burns: "Yes, but I've not used it. I really only know how to take pictures with my cell phone and use my phone to talk to people. I don't know how to use the internet on it." She shrugs her shoulders.

Thomas: "Will you allow me to email this picture to my cell phone?" Thomas commandingly holds out his hand for her cell phone. His request was out of politeness, but he would have forwarded the photo to his phone whether or not she agreed to it.

Mrs. Burns: "Of course." And she hands him her cell phone.

Thomas: Thomas quickly emails himself the picture—both to his cell phone and to his office desktop. Then Thomas pulls out his cell phone and checks to make sure that he received the file and opens it up and the picture is there. "Thank you, Mrs. Burns. Caroline and I appreciate your careful watch over Trevor's safety." He clasps her hand gratefully.

Mrs. Burns: "Is this something we should be worried about?" Mrs. Burns now looks very concerned, her having noticed earlier the crisply professional military like manner that Thomas has been speaking in. Her husband was ex military and she recognizes the same demeanor in Thomas.

Thomas: "Mrs. Burns, I think we have to treat it as a possible threat."

Mrs. Burns: "Oh no!" Mrs. Burns eyes widen in fear.

Thomas: "With Caroline and I both working for ... the government, ..." Though Thomas and Caroline have not told her exactly what they do. "... we have learned to be cautious about people possibly upset with us. We and IRS employees have that in common. Ha ha ha!" Thomas laughs trying to lighten the mood. But she can tell that it is a forced laugh. "So, Caroline and I will ask you to not take Trevor outside of the building tomorrow—and don't answer your door or phone to anyone other than us. If you have someone coming to you claiming to be us—or claiming that we sent them--they might be trying to kidnap Trevor."

Mrs. Burns: "Oh my god! Why would anyone want to kidnap such a wonderful little boy?" She is now quite scared for Trevor.

Thomas: "As I said Mrs. Burns. Not everyone likes the government—as your late husband obviously was aware of." He says trying to bring in a familiar reference for her. "So, Caroline and I will talk to our superiors tonight and it may be that we'll be lining up security protection for Trevor and you for the time being. We're sorry that you've been caught up in something that we did not expect." At least, not so soon, he thinks.

Mrs. Burns: "Oh no. If there is anything else that I can do, please let me know. I'd give my life before I would let anyone harm a hair on little Trevor's head." And she means it.

Thomas: But Thomas hopes that it doesn't come to that. Patting Mrs. Burns shoulder to comfort her, Thomas says in a soothing voice. "Thank you. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Caroline and I will make some calls tonight and then we'll let you know in the morning what we find out."

Mrs. Burns: "Certainly. Thomas, I'm so glad that you are back in Caroline and Trevor' lives. I can see how happy they are. I hope that everything works out alright for you and your family."

Thomas: "Thank you Mrs. Burns." He shakes her hand warmly and then he uncharacteristically leans in and gives her a quick hug.

Then, Thomas leaves and returns to his and Caroline's apartment. Thomas thinks that he and Caroline will have much to do tonight to insure the safety of their family. But their Monday evening will end surprisingly--and not in a good way.

To be continued with Chapter 12

References for "Fire & Ice" (Revised for Wattpad), Ch. 11, August 22, 2015 Gratiana Lovelace

1) The "Fire & Ice" 2015 story logo is a combination of the following elements edited together by Gratiana Lovelace:

a) Upper left image of Thomas Kane image is Richard Armitage as John Porter and Caroline is Shelly Conn as Dani in Strike Back series 1, epi 5 found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/StrikeBack/album/series1/Episode5/ep5_034.jpg;

b) Lower right image of Thomas Kane image is Richard Armitage as Lucas North in Spooks series 7 promo found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/Spooks/spookspromo/album/series7-67.jpg

2) Image representing Thomas Kane is that of Richard Armitage portraying John Porter (crop,brt) in Chris Ryan's Strike Back Series 1 (2010 on Sky 1), episode 3 (pix 37) was found at http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/images/gallery/StrikeBack/album/series1/Episode3/slides/ep3_037.html

3) Image for Mrs. Burns is of Doris Roberts (crop, brt, flip) in 2012's tv show Desperate Housewives and found at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/30/desperate-housewives-doris-roberts-video_n_1463661.html



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