The Greens of Jericho

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the television show Jericho or any part of it. The characters are not mine in any way. I am not affiliated with CBS, the television show Jericho or the writers of Jericho.    I am borrowing them for a while and I promise to give them back.

Special thanks to Marzee, Nightsky and JT.    They are great to work with.   

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Jake, Johnston and Eric pulled the car and truck to a stop in front of the small strip of stores outside of Dickens, just south of Fielding.    Jake had remembered a small outdoors store that used to be there.   He was pretty sure someone else would have already hit it but it was worth a check.    They had made a sweep through Fielding and found a small baby specialty store that hadn't been touched.   When people had evacuated, food and water were high on their minds, shopping for junior must have come in dead last.   Jake loaded up on baby clothes and diapers.   Jake had shaken his head when he looked at the $100 price tags.    These were definitely not the T-shirts and Elmo shoes he had bought Jacob at Target.   
 
There had been a small used book store beside the baby store.     Jake knew it was silly, but he thought about how much Heather liked to read so he grabbed a few boxes from the baby store and cleaned out the whole Harlequin section and the science fiction section.  He also got everything from the do-it-yourself section and grabbed all the old Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines.  On the way out with the sixth box of books, he spied the kids section and saw three shelves of Goosebumps books.  He remembered Jacob having a few of those back in San Diego, so he scooped them and bunch of other kids books into the final box.     He grabbed a display of book lights when he saw they had batteries included and they had headed back towards Jericho, planning on stopping in Dickens on the way home.
 
Jake was happy to see he was wrong.  There was even a small grocery store beside Dickens Outdoors.  Both stores were locked up tight as a drum.   They loaded the truck and Suburban with all the unspoiled food from the grocery store before going through the outdoors store.    It looked like Dickens Outdoors had just stocked up for the winter when the bombs hit.    The back office was a shambles of mostly emptied food and water boxes.    It looked like the owners had evacuated when the bombs hit.   The warm clothes, thermal underwear, socks, boots, sleeping bags, fishing and hunting equipment and ammo, concentrated foods, gas canisters and camp stoves they found there finished filling the Suburban and the truck.    Jake thought, 'Not bad for a day's work,' and shook his head smiling to himself.   If he had done this for Jonah, it would have been called breaking and entering and he would have been looking over his shoulder for the cops.   Now it was just the way things were.    You did what you had to do and that was the way it was.    The only thing that had made him feel weird was the look on his father's face when he expertly jimmied the locks on the doors in less than a minute.
 
They relocked and closed the doors and were just getting ready to head back to Jericho when Jake held up his hand.
 
"Hey, wait up a second.   We should probably unload most of this stuff at the ranch," Jake said.   "We don't want anything to get confiscated by our new protectors."
 
"Good idea, Jake," Johnston said.   "You thinkin' the bunker?"
 
"Yeah.   It's secure.    You know, we can trade with Stanley for eggs and milk and stuff.   He'd give it to us if we asked but I'd feel better if we traded with him."
 
"Doesn't Jimmy have a big tract of woods he uses for hunting?" Eric asked.
 
"Yeah.   Yeah, you're right.   I had forgotten that.   Those woods have been in the Taylor family for years.   Why?"
 
"We could trade Jimmy some of the stuff for some of the trees.    For firewood."  Eric replied.
 
"Good thinkin', Eric," Johnston said grinning.    "You know, I was mayor of Jericho for almost 30 years.  The only illegal thing I ever did was drive 5 mph over the speed limit.    Now I'm breaking and entering just to survive."
 
"Bein' bad feels pretty good, huh?" Jake asked grinning at his father.   "Seriously though, Dad, with this new so called government, walking on the wrong side of the street can be against the law.    You have to be like Jonah Prowse just to survive."
 
Johnston and Eric both groaned and then laughed.   
 
"Why don't we go in the back way.    Turn off 40 at Daniels Crossroads.    Turn right at Kiltons and take the dirt road all the way back to 40.   It's a long loop but you cut out that military checkpoint at Cedar Run.    The dirt road comes out about 2 miles past the driveway to the ranch."
 
"Sounds like a good plan.   Eric you drive the truck.   I'll ride up here with Jake," Johnston said, climbing in the Suburban and laying a sawed off shotgun across his lap.
 
"Let's do it," Jake said, pulling his pistol out of the holster at the small of his back and putting it in the seat beside him.
 
They got into their vehicles and drove back towards the Green Ranch and home.
 
**********     **********     **********     ***********
 
Jake and Johnston walked in the front door to find Allison Hawkins babysitting.
 
Molly attacked as soon as she saw Jake, bouncing at his feet, arms raised, squealing, "Hold you, hold you, peeze."
 
"Daddy's girl?" Allison asked dryly.
 
"It would seem so," Jake said, smiling and picking Molly up.   "Where's Heather?"
 
"There was some sort of cooking and canning thing going on at the elementary school.   I don't cook.   I volunteered to baby sit."
 
"Thank you.   I don't know what the going rate for babysitters in Jericho is?" Jake said.
 
"Oh, no.   It got me out of cooking.   That was pay enough.   Let me get Sam and we'll head home."
 
Johnston shook his head and said "No need for you to walk.   Get Sam and I'll drive you.    With our new military friends, walking's not really too safe these days."   
 
"Thank you, Mr. Green," Allison said, obviously relieved.   "They give me the creeps, if you know what I mean."
 
"I understand.  I get the same feeling," Johnston said, patting her shoulder.
 
**********     **********     **********     **********
 
Gail and Heather walked into what Heather felt was total chaos at 10:00 PM.     Johnston was drinking a cup of coffee and working a crossword puzzle, Jake was sitting on the couch reading a Star Trek book and absently throwing a Nerf ball back into play whenever it landed in his lap.      Molly and Jacob wear running amuck, playing a combination of a tag, soccer and catch.    Both were screaming and running and having a grand time.   Toys were strewn everywhere.    The house was a wreck.
 
Jake looked up and smiled, "Hi, Babe.    We were beginning to get worried."     His smile faltered when he saw the color rising in Heather's cheeks.    She was obviously angry.  "Are you okay?   Is everything alright?"
 
"Jake!   It's after 10.   What are the kids still doing up?    They don't even have pajamas on.    It's two hours past Molly's bedtime and an hour past Jacob's," Heather said, obviously upset.
 
"Sorry," Jake said, quietly, looking slightly guilty.
 
Molly had run over to her and was pulling on her top trying to get Heather to pick her up.     
 
She picked her up and looked at Jacob.   "Jacob, go upstairs and get ready for bed.   I'll be up in a few minutes."
 
"Can I take my book?" Jacob asked hopefully.
 
"No.   It's after 10.   It's time to go to sleep," Heather said, feeling totally unreasonable and on the verge of crying at the moment.
 
She carried Molly out of the room muttering quietly about clueless men, bedtime and 10 PM.
 
Jake looked at Jacob, "Go on upstairs and get ready for bed.   You can take your book," he said, looking guiltily at his parents.   "Just don't get it out til Heather comes up and tells you good night."
 
Jake looked from his mother to his father with big eyes.   "I didn't know it was that big a deal.    They were playing."
 
"It's the hormones, Jake.   Just let it blow over.   Trust me," Johnston said, giving Gail a knowing look.   "I've been through this twice.    It's best just to let it go."
 
Gail shot Johnston a look that spoke volumes and then looked back at Jake.   "You really should have had them in bed, Jake."
 
"What does it matter?!  They don't have jobs.    Why do they have to go to bed so early.   It makes Molly get up at the butt crack of dawn.    Until Kate came along, I never put Jacob to bed til 10:30 or 11.   He slept late that way.    It made the day easier.    Kate blew that outta the water with a 7:30 bedtime that was strictly observed.    She wouldn't have her schedule thrown off for anything less that puking, bleeding or death."
 
Gail pursed her lips and glared at her oldest son.
 
"Easier?  Easier? What idiot ever told you raising kids was easy?!  It certainly wasn't me.    You taught me how uneasy kids are 10 times a day when you were Molly's age!  Easy! Hmmph!" she said, pointing her finger at Jake.    She shook her head and stomped into the kitchen.
 
"Doesn't seem to be your night, Jake.    I think I'll just unload Gail's car."
 
Jake started picking up the toys and straightening up.    It seemed a pretty safe thing to do.    Johnston went out to the car and got the boxes with the newly canned jars of fruits and vegetables.   He and Gail went to the kitchen and started putting them away.
 
Heather came out of Molly's room.   Jake could see she was still upset but starting to calm down.    She smiled tiredly at Jake.
 
"Thanks for cleaning up, Jake.   That's sweet of you."
 
She walked up the stairs rubbing her back.    Jake shook his head, he never knew what to expect with her mood from one minute to the next.   

When she open the door to Jacob's room she saw him hastily shove a book and light under the covers.   
 
He smiled up at her and said, "Good night, Mom."
 
"Nope.   I saw it.   Hand it over," she said, holding out her hand.
 
"Hand what over?"he asked innocently.
 
"Whatever you just shoved under the blankets.   Now come on.   It's late and I'm tired and I'm not going to deal with this.   Just give it here and be done with it," Heather snapped.
 
Jacob sighed, reached under the blankets, pulled out the book and light and gave them to Heather.   
 
"A book.   Jacob, I said no.   I told you to come upstairs and go to bed.   Why did you bring it up here when I said no?"
 
"I'm not sleepy and Dad said I could.    Good night, Heather," he repeated, angrily turning his back to her and pulling the blanket over his head.
 
She sat down beside him and put her hand on his side.   "I'm sorry.   I shouldn't have snapped.   I'm tired," she grumbled.    Heather pulled the covers down, leaned down and kissed his temple.     "Good night.   I love you," she said, getting up and walking out of the bedroom.   
 
She glanced down for the first time to see what Jacob had been reading.   "Goosebumps One Day in Horrorland".    In her opinion the Goosebump books were little better than kindling.    The theory that "well at least they're reading" had never flown with her and it still didn't.    By the time she got back downstairs she was steaming.     She walked over to Jake, eyes blazing, and slammed the book and light down in his hands.     "You told him he could take this upstairs after I told him no?   If he wakes up scared,  if he starts seeing vampires in the backyard again, if he..... Well that'll be your problem.     I don't want to hear a word," she said, turning around and walking into the bedroom and shutting the door.
 
Jake walked out the front door and stalked down the sidewalk, grinding his teeth.    He would have given about anything for a cigarette at that moment but he refused to give in to it.  'If all pregnancies are like this,' he thought, 'we're done.'     The mood swings were awful.
 
Jake heard his father's step before he saw him.  "Hi, Dad."
 
"You alright?" Johnston asked.
 
"Yeah.   I'm just trying to not say something I'll regret."
 
"Good plan.    She doesn't mean anything she says right now.    You should've seen your mother when she was pregnant with you.    The breeze changing speed could set off an hour long tirade.    It seemed like the tireder she was the worse the mood swings were.    It was better with Eric or maybe I just knew what to expect.   She definitely wasn't any less tired.    You kept us on our toes.    It'll go away when she has the baby.   I promise."
 
"I hope so.   Right now, I'm pretty sure she hates me."
 
"She doesn't.  Trust me," Johnston said, squeezing his shoulder.   He leaned back against the car and looked up.   "Will you just look at that sky.   Now that there's no streetlights, I find myself studying the sky a lot more."
 
They stood and talked about nothing in particular for the next few minutes.   Gail came to the door and called Johnston in to bed.
 
"I'll be in in a minute and get everything locked up."
 
"Okay.   Remember what I said.   It'll get better."
 
**********     **********     **********
 
Jake walked back in the house and into the bedroom.     Heather was sitting on the bed, arms folded and tears streaming down her face.     She was looking at his calendar and contact list.   'Great, which way are we swinging this time,' he wondered.
 
"What's wrong?" Jake asked, concerned.
 
"I got this out of your laptop case to try and find a piece of paper so I could write a note and I found this.    Jake?  Who are all these women?   What kind of player were you?   I looks like you had a woman in every port.    Am I just someone you settled for because you couldn't get back to them?"  Heather asked sniffing.    "Morgan in New York and Florida, Amy in Paris, Christina in Amsterdam and then Elizabeth and Jessica in England.   That must have been a happy threesome.   Oh and lets not forget, Ana in Texas and Cassi and Melanie in San Diego .  And then this day circled in red with Sara written in it."
 
Jake tried to hold it in, he tried really hard, but he doubled over laughing.   He gave a mock shudder.   "A threesome with Aunt Bess and Jessi?  I'll never be able to sleep again with that image in my head.  You're jealous?  After everything we've been through, you're jealous.    Well I have to admit that makes me feel loved."    He sat down on the bed beside Heather continuing to giggle.    He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
 
Heather, stiff with righteous anger, refused to give in.   "Don't laugh at me."
 
"I'm not laughing at you.   I'm laughing at the situation," he explained, smiling and trying not to laugh again.    "Let me explain, please."
 
"Oh, please do," Heather answered, curtly.
 
"First off, no I wasn't a player.   I stopped that December 31, 1998.    And all these women," he broke off, clearing his throat in an effort not to laugh, "Sara you know.  That circled date was a meeting.   We still had a few things that needed to be settled.   Nana Kate was a package deal.   Amy and Christina are Kate's daughters.    Aunt Bess, who's 65 by the way, and Jessica are Kate's sister and niece.  She came with a very large family.   Amy, Christina and Jessi were like my sisters.   That woulda been too weird.  Ana is Freddy's wife.   Cassi and Mel were my neighbors.   Their husbands were in my unit.   Believe me, Mike and Steve would have kicked my ass.   They're rather large men."
 
"What about Morgan?" Heather asked, starting to feel ridiculous.
 
"Morgan is Kate's son.   He's a nice guy and all, and an outstanding lawyer, but he's married to Trevor and besides....I don't butter my bread on that side.   I'm as straight as a ruler as you well know."
 
Heather relaxed against him and started laughing softly.   "Oh, Jake, I'm sorry.   I don't know what's gotten into me these days.   I feel crazy."
 
"Oh, I think I know," Jake said, rubbing her burgeoning belly and touching his forehead to hers.    "I'm sorry the kids weren't in bed.   I didn't know it was so important."
 
Heather raised her fingers and put them over his mouth, "No apologies.   They aren't needed."
 
Jake kissed her fingers, making Heather shiver.       He pulled her to him, cradled her face in his hands and covered her mouth with his.    The kiss left them both breathless and slightly dazed.   Jake started kissing her neck and shoulder and slowly trailed his fingers up Heather's thigh, eliciting a moan of pleasure.   He smiled.   "Now, do you think I just settled?   Heather, I love you.   I can't imagine my life without you."
 
Heather got up, locked the bedroom door, turned the lantern off and laid down on the bed beside Jake.     He laid down beside her and started kissing her neck again.
 
"Do you know the best part of arguing?" Heather asked, huskily.
 
Jake huffed a note of laughter and pulled back, "No, what?"
 
"Making up," Heather said smiling.   
 
Jake studied her in the moonlight and smiled back at her.     "You know what?  You're right."
 
**********     **********      **********     ***********
 
Jacob woke up with a gasp.     He was drenched in sweat and breathing hard.    His sheet was clenched in his fists.      He remembered a voice, a cave,  a small locked room and mean laugh and broke out in goose bumps.    This wasn't the first time he had had a dream like this.    Jacob could almost grasp what it was about but as soon as it seemed he had caught it....it was gone.     He knew one thing.....even though it was only 2 am.....sleep was done for the night.     He pulled on a pair of shorts, grabbed his book and headed towards the living room.
 
Even with the windows open, the house was still hot.    There was the sound of distant thunder and smell of rain on the slight breeze that ruffled the curtains.    Jacob decided to take his book out on the front porch.    Now that he had a book light he didn't have to read by candlelight anymore.
 
He leaned against a porch post, closed his eyes and relaxed, knowing he was outside in the wide open made him feel much better.
 
"Too hot for you to sleep too," a voice said from behind him.
 
It was everything Jacob could do to not scream out loud.   He gasped and visibly jumped.     If there had been light enough to see, you would have seen that he was completely pale.
 
"Oh, Honey, I'm so sorry," Heather said, walking over to him quickly and put her arm around a trembling a little boy.   "I didn't mean to scare you."
 
"Oh, Heather, it's just you," he said, feeling his heart about to beat out of his chest.   "Yeah, I couldn't sleep either."
 
"Let's sit down and enjoy the breeze.   Okay?" she said, giving him a hug.
 
They settled themselves on the top step.   
 
"It's so hot in the bedroom.    Of course, I have a built in heater," Heather said, patting her stomach.     "It doesn't seem to bother your dad but I've never been able to sleep if I'm hot.   What about you?   Why are you up?"
 
"I had a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep."
 
Heather took his book out of his hands and turned it over.   "Goosebumps" leapt out at her.   "Do you think this could be the reason?"
 
"No," Jacob said, shaking his head slightly.   "It wasn't that."
 
"Do you want to talk about it?" Heather asked.
 
"I can't really remember it," Jacob said, shrugging his shoulders.   "All I know is that it was bad.    Mama?  Can I ask you a question?"
 
"Sure.   You can ask me anything."
 
"Do you remember when we were there?   That bad man?"
 
"Yes, but I don't want to.   It's not a happy memory.    Do you think that's what you were dreaming about?"
 
"I don't know.   I don't remember.    I try to remember but I can't.   I remember a bad man.   Why can't I remember?"
 
"Honey, a lot of time we can't remember our dreams.   That's why they're dreams.   Next time you go to sleep you'll have happy dreams," Heather said, rubbing his back.
 
"No, not the dream.  The place and the cave.   Do you remember?"
 
"Jacob, I don't want to talk about it.    You don't need to think about it or try to remember it.   Push it away."
 
"But...."

 
"No.   Let it go.   It's over," Heather said, pushing the memories of those days far away.     Her fingers ran over a rough scar on Jacob's side that she had never noticed before.   "What is this?  Did you hurt yourself?"
 
Jacob, sighed, knowing his questions wouldn't be answered.    "I had a sick heart when I was a baby.   I had to have an operation.    Nana called it my battle scar."
 
"Jake never told me that.   That must of been scary."
 
"I was a baby.   I don't remember," Jacob said, leaning into Heather.    He pointed at the sky and said, "Look, the Big Dipper."
 
"There's Orion," Heather said, pointing to another constellation through the now gathering clouds.    She leaned over and kissed the top of Jacob's head.   "Man, it's hot," she said lifting the hem of her shirt and fanning herself.    "I hope the storm breaks the heat."     She put her hand on the top of her belly and smiled.    "The baby's kicking.   Do you want to feel?"
 
"No!" Jacob said, looking horrified.    "That'd be weird."
 
"No it's not," Heather said, smiling.   "Here give me your hand."
 
Jacob hesitantly reached out and Heather took his hand and placed it on her belly.   The baby obligingly kicked.    Jacob grinned and giggled.    "Will it do it again?"
 
"Probably.   Just leave your hand there," Heather said, putting her hand over Jacob's.    When the baby moved, he laughed again.    A laugh of pure innocence that warmed Heather's heart.
 
Jake stood at the screen door watching, not wanting to interrupt.    He heard a noise and turned to see his mother on the stairs, sniffing.     He held a finger up to his lips.   Gail walked quietly over to Jake.    He put his arm around her and gave her a one armed hug and they continued to watch from the shadows.    After a few more minutes, Jake looked at Gail and whispered, "I'm gonna see if I can get them both back in bed."    She nodded and went back upstairs.
 
He made a sound so they knew he was coming out.    He watched Jacob jerk away from Heather.    Jake shook his head sadly realizing that his boy was growing up.    Jacob still longed for a mother's touch and love but was too embarrassed to let anyone see it.      Jake walked out on the porch and pulled Jacob into his lap, kissing this temple.
 
"Dad...ewww," Jacob said, squirming out of Jake's lap.   "I'm too big for that."
 
"Did you two nightowls know that it's almost 3 am?   Both of you need to be in bed," Jake said, putting his arm around Heather's waist.
 
"We're hot," Heather said, leaning against Jake.    "The breeze is just now starting to pick up."   A distant rumble of thunder could be heard.
 
"I'm not sleepy," Jacob said, trying to hide a yawn.
 
"You're not?" Jake said, smiling.
 
"Well maybe a little bit," Jacob said.
 
Jake stood up and held out his hand.   "Let's get you settled back in bed.    Now that the wind's picking up, I bet you can sleep better."    He looked at Heather and said, "I'll be right back."
 
**********     **********     **********     *********
 
Heather heard the screen door open and smiled when she heard Jake's familiar step.   He sat down behind her, put his arms around her and laid his head on her shoulder.
 
"Hey," he said, turning his head so that he could kiss her neck.
 
"Did he go to sleep," she murmured, leaning back against Jake, thoroughly enjoying his attention.
 
"Um hmm"
 
Heather took Jake's hand and put it on her expanding stomach.   "Here," she said, smiling and leaning back against Jake.    She could feel him smile against her neck.
 
He sat up and chuckled.   "Wild, just like the other two."
 
Heather pointed up at the sky.   "Look, Jake."
 
"What?"
 
She pointed again and moved her finger, "There.   What is that?"
 
Jake smiled, "It's a satellite.     They'll stay in orbit for years.   An EMP can't zap that.    It's weird though isn't it?"
 
"With everything gone, I hadn't even thought about that.   Maybe the military can get everything back up and running." 
 
There was another rumble of thunder, this one closer, and the breeze began turning into a brisk wind.
 
Jake looked to the left and saw a line of clouds advancing.  "Looks like the heat's gonna break.   At least for a day or two."
 
"Good!   I want to run through puddles.   I've been so hot for so long.   I am dying for anything to cool me off!"
 
Jake chuckled.   "I definitely don't think you should be running but I understand what you're saying.    If it's not raining tomorrow, I'll take you for a walk through the puddles."
 
Heather smiled at him and snuggled back into his arms.    They continued to sit on the top step  enjoying each other's company as they watched the storm come in.


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Thanks for reading my story.   Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.   It's what feeds the writing poltergeist.