Author's note:-
Four chapters ago, I said that I intended that to be the last chapter of that section of Caleb's story. I didn't lie I had fully intended for that to be the last chapter. However something interesting happened, that took my attention, and that led to other things happening, and here we are.
As always, my thanks go to Dr Mark for his edits, and work, my supporters for supporting me and you, the readers for doing that too.
KR
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Caleb 56 - Melanie.
Melanie looked on, wide eyed, as I bought her a phone like mine. She got to choose the color, and the accessories, but her face when the sales assistant rung up the total was a picture. Then she giggled.
"That's a lot of hand jobs," she said as we walked out of the store.
I glanced sideways at her then slipped my arm around her waist.
"Never again," I said.
"Never?" she asked, a slight smile on her face.
"Not out of need," I said, "only out of choice."
We arrived at the coffee shop around fifty minutes after we'd spoken to John. We went in.
"What do you want to drink?" I asked. Melanie looked at the choices wide eyed.
"There are so many," she said.
"Have you tried latte before?" I asked, she shook her head. "How about we start there?"
She nodded and then went to sit down at a table.
I'd collected our drinks and was just sitting down with Melanie when the door opened and John entered. He spotted me immediately and then his gaze turned to his daughter.
I saw his eyes fill with tears as he crossed the coffee shop and sat down at our table. He looked at Melanie.
"Melanie?" the question was superfluous, but I understood his motivation.
"Hi," she said.
He looked from her to me and back to her.
"John," I said taking his attention. I gave him my memories of finding her and everything relevant to him since then. I saw him assimilate, and the tears in his eyes overflowed down his cheeks.
"We looked," he said. "For years I had private investigators searching everywhere, checking every new baby in the state. I couldn't find you, I'm so sorry."
My opinion of him improved slightly. It seemed that he really had tried. I'd thought that he'd been one of those men who impregnated women, then just forgot all about them and their progeny, and moved on. It seemed I was mistaken, about this one anyway.
"My mother lived in Colorado," she said, "or at least that was where I was first taken into care. I guess that was just too far away."
"We never thought she would have gone so far," said John. "The FBI analysts said that she'd be a local woman, maybe even a hospital employee. They never even considered someone from out of state. Even so, I had people checking neighbouring states but there were just so many babies. It was impossible."
Melanie nodded sadly.
"I know," she said. "I was in the system with many of them."
"Where are you staying?" he asked, although he already knew the answer to that.
"I'm staying at Caleb's" she said almost defiantly.
"Why are you and Caleb fighting?" she asked.
John grimaced. "Straight to the difficult questions," he quipped. "We're fighting - no that's not true we're not fighting. Caleb thinks I'm the scum of the earth and wants nothing to do with me. I can't really say that I blame him."
"Why?" she asked again.
John sighed. A barrista brought him a drink over. He apparently came in here enough to warrant special treatment. He smiled his thanks and took a sip. He turned back to Melanie.
"All through my life," he began, "from the moment Nathan was born, I was the big brother. I was bigger and stronger. Big brothers are supposed to look after their younger siblings, but that wasn't me. I was far too important to look after a scrawny kid. Instead, I bullied him...mercilessly. If he had something, I took it from him or broke it. It didn't matter what it was, or even if I wanted it at all, it was enough that HE wanted it that made me want it.
"I, obviously, came into my power before he did. I was strong. Even stronger than my parents and they weren't weak. I used my power on him when nobody was looking. I'd make him do things. Instead of me breaking his things, I'd make HIM break them. It amused me to watch his pain, his dismay, as he broke something that he treasured and then get in trouble for it, because I made sure that he couldn't tell anyone about it.
"I got caught, obviously. My parents weren't stupid. I was sent before the council. I thought I was going to jail. It scared me witless, but I see now it was a 'tough love' intervention. They literally put the fear of God into me, and I have never, ever used my powers like that since."
I opened my mouth to say something, but he put his hand up.
"I defended myself, that was all," he said. "I'll come to that, please."
I closed my mouth and let him continue.
"I blamed Nathan," he said, "for getting me into trouble, although I doubt that he had anything to do with it. He was an easy outlet and so I continued the bullying but not using powers. By the time he came into his own power, I'd moved from home and started work at the company I now run. I was delighted when I found out that he had almost no power. This was something else I could lord over him.
"The next year I was approached by Maggie. She told me that the company I worked for could be of use to the government and, if I agreed to work with them, they'd allow me to use my powers, judiciously, and under strict supervision, to work my way to the top.
"It took less than five years. I'd kind of lost track of what was going on outside. I'd had the odd fling with women who passed me by but mostly one-night stands, but when I finally came up for air, I was CEO of the company and Nathan, my brother, had found himself a new bride.
"We met at some family function or other and I was smitten. Even now I don't know if it was her or simply because she belonged to Nathan. I had to have her. I had to take her away from him. Circumstances were on my side. Nathan had just started a business, and was working all manner of hours, while she was home alone and bored. They were struggling a little bit for money and I offered her a junior position in my company.
"That junior position became my PA and I made sure we worked closely alongside each other. I specifically chose the most difficult and important things for her to work on. I know when the pressure is high, and people obtain success together, bonds form. I played it...I played her.
"Eventually the inevitable happened, we ended up in bed together, and Caleb here was the result. It took surprisingly little time for Nathan to catch us...in all I think I slept with her maybe three or four times...and when he did, he came at me with a pipe wrench, murder in his eyes. I can't say I blamed him but I used my powers to make him back down and left.
"Nathan went to Maggie and once more I was in front of the Council. Since I hadn't used my powers at all in any part of the process, they simply told me to stay away from Nathan and his wife and concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing.
"The thing was, in that moment, in the instant when Nathan caught us, the pain I saw in his eyes, that I had relished for all of our lives, tore out my heart. For an instant I seriously considered just standing there and taking the punishment he wanted to mete out, even if it meant my death, but my own survival instincts kicked in and I couldn't.
"There's not a day goes by that I don't regret doing what I did. In breaking my brother's heart like I did that day I knew, and he knows, I knew that Caleb was my son. Every time I saw them together, saw the bond that they had, the relationship, I saw what could have and should have been mine, it cut me. I'd smile, trying to put on a brave face, but it was hard.
"The reason I was so angry when you breached my shields was because I thought that you would have seen that I was your father. I didn't want you to know. I didn't want to disrupt what you and Nathan had together. All my life I'd taken what was his, and now he'd taken the ultimate revenge: he took what was mine, my son. Letting him have that was my penance.
"I'm not a father," he said. "I may have sired some children, and despite what you may think I love them all, with all of my being. But I'm not a good enough man to be a father figure to anyone. I recognise that in myself and have come to terms with it. After my last child was born, I asked the Healers to stop me having any more children, and they have.
"When you found out, I had mixed feelings. I was relieved that the truth was out, but I was worried that it would cause a rift between you and your parents, your mother especially. I needed to speak to you, to try and explain.
"You didn't really give me a chance," he said with a wry smile. "God that hurt. But even then, you showed how good a man you'd turned out. You healed the damage you'd done. I felt it. I could never have brought you up to have been that good a man. That was your father, Nathan. It's thanks to him that you are the man you are. I wish I could finally find a way to make peace with him, and you, but I doubt I will ever be able to find forgiveness there, no matter how long I live."
He turned back to Melanie.
"You are in the best place," he said. "If you want, I can find you an apartment, and get you set up, even a job. But if you want someone who you know will be there for you, no matter what, then look to your brother. He is a far better man, even now, than I can ever hope to be.
"What I can do, though," he finished. "Is to give you some financial support. And before you say anything Caleb, I'm not doing this to salve my conscience. I'm not offering it to you because I know that your parents took care of you, and you wouldn't accept if I did. But Melanie has nothing and I am still her father. It's my responsibility to provide for her, at least until she's twenty-one."
He handed her a check.
"That's roughly what I've paid in maintenance, and support for the other two. I think it's only fair you get the same."
Melanie was going to hand it to me, but then remembered that she'd learned to read. She opened the check and her eyes widened. She did then hand it to me. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
I folded the check and put it in my wallet. We'd have to think about a bank account for her, but for that she'd need ID. Things were going to be complicated for a while.
"It's made out to the bearer," he said. "I presume you don't have a bank account. Caleb will be able to bank it in his account until he can get you set up. He is a good man, and you can trust him completely."
Melanie looked at me and smiled softly. "I know," she said.
He looked between us. "Caleb said he was buying you a phone?" she nodded pulling the device out of her pocket. "May I?" he asked, asking me as much as her. She handed it to him. She hadn't really set it up yet so there was no security. I'd get Jules to teach her about that stuff later.
He typed his number in as a contact and gave it back to her.
"You only need to put in a name," he said, "and then press save."
I watched as she looked down at the phone and I could see the wheels turning. Eventually she typed 'John' and hit save.
"If you call me," he said taking his phone out, "then I'll have your number too."
Melanie looked at me.
I shrugged. She pressed the screen and his phone rang.
