Chapter 97 - Standing Shoulder to Shoulder

Beth walks into the studio, slamming the door behind her, "How dare you walk out on me in the middle of a conversation like that, Jon.  What the hell are you thinking?"  she screams at him, standing in the door way of the control room, "How can you really think that all of this started way back in L.A.?"

"I'm not doing this with you tonight, I'm sorry." he answers her, not even looking at her, "The kids will be up soon."

"Jon, does it really matter when and why all of this started?" she snaps at him, "the fact of the matter is that they are back together and they are coming for us.  Should we really fight this, with a fight between us?"

"Beth, I know they are coming for us.  I read the text." he rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath, "I think I'm the only one taking this seriously."

"How do you figure?" she asks him, watching him walk into the studio.  When he reaches over and picks up his guitar, she can't fight the feeling that consumes her, "Is now the best time to strap on a fucking guitar and play music?"

"What do you want me to do?  Fight with you about a moot point?" he shoots her some stink eye, "I don't want to fight with you Beth, not about this!"  He starts to strum the strings, paying no attention to Beth or her learned animation.

Beth isn't sure what to say, she is a little put off by his sudden coldness about the situation and the conversation, "What are we going to do?"  Her arms fall at her side, like she is slightly exhausted.  "what the hell are we going to do?"

With two fingers Jon starts to tune his guitar, still not looking at Beth.  He's furious about the turn that the conversation took and the way that she's trying to handle it.  "I have already put the wheels in motion.  We will have a full security staff here later this morning."

"Who?" she barks at him.  She won't let just anyone guard her family.  "Who can be here at the drop of a hat that is worth a shit?"  She rolls her eyes at him.  "some cracker jack security firm with no experience protecting people like us?"

He can't fight the giggle, "People like us?  What the hell does that mean?"

"Seriously?"

"Beth, we are normal people."

"Yeah Jon, so normal we have had to bury children, run, hide and lock people away - we are so far from normal."

"It's Dave and his guys."

"Your armed guy?" she sits down, feeling defeated and scared.

Still not looking at her, Jon nods his head and mumbles, "Yeah, that Dave.  Will he do?" he can't hide the sarcasm.

"Isn't he working for someone else yet?  He hasn't worked for you in forever."

"I didn't ask.  I told him that I needed him and he said that he would be here with a crew in the morning."

"And then what?" she rests her head in her hands.  "We need a handful of guys, can they all be trusted?"

"Beth!?!?"

"Jon, that's a serious question.  We don't know his crew!!"

"Do you really think that I would let just anybody protect what's most important to me?  Really, Beth."  Jon sets the guitar in the stand and leans over to turn off the amp.  With the guitar nestled in it's place, he takes a seat next to Beth and reaches for her hand.  "You have to trust me with this one.  I won't have anyone but the best protecting you and the kids."

"I'm not worried about me.  I want all of the kids covered and your family."

"You're who they are coming after first." Jon states, as it's a matter of fact.  "I think that it's safe to assume that you're the biggest target."

"I disagree."

"How can you disagree with that?  It's you that they all hate."  Jon squeezes her hand, "That's why you're getting Mike."

"Jon, they aren't going to do anything to me.  Out of all of us, I'm the safest one."

"Tell me, how do you figure?"

Beth stands up and starts to walk away.  Jon takes her hand and stops her.  She looks down at him and can see that he's concerned, she can see that he's tired.  "Think about it.  Why would they want to hurt me, physically?"

"I'm not following."

Beth turns away and then faces him with tears in her eyes, "What better way to hurt me than to hurt those that I love?"

"Still not following."

"Jon, killing me wouldn't hurt me.  Harming you or the kids is the best way to get me.  They won't touch me."

Jon stands up and they are now face to face, "I think they will hurt whoever they get to first."

"I don't.  They know that the best way to make me suffer, or the best way to make me hurt is to hurt one of you."

Jon takes a moment and thinks about what Beth just said.  With one step away from her, he looks over his shoulder at her and adds, "I don't care who we think they are going after first.  ALL OF YOU will have the best security that my money can buy."

"You're not listening to me."

"Yes I am.  But I'm not changing my mind on who needs what."

Beth walks over to the window and looks out over the driveway.  There is a peaceful silence between them that Beth breaks with a change in topic, which catches Jon a little off guard.  "Do you believe just a few weeks ago we were married out there on that lawn.  And here we are, fighting over who's going to die first."

"Beth......."

Beth spins around on her heels, with a light laughter she continues, "Did you ever think that your life would turn out like this?"

Jon takes a few steps toward her, and with a wink he tells her, "No one would ever guess that their life would turn out like this."

"What are we going to do?  We can't keep living like this, Jon."  Jon is close enough that he reaches out and hooks her neck with his hand.  With a little of gentle guiding, he pulls her to him and kisses her forehead, "Seriously, what are we going to do?"

"We will figure it out and we'll figure it out together."

"Maybe it's too late?" she lifts her head and looks up at him, "Maybe we can't beat them this time."

"We will."

"All of them together?  Brian, Dalton and Melissa.  That's a lot of crazy to keep an eye on."

"That's why we hire security.  So they can keep an eye on the crazy."

"Will the ever leave us alone?  Will we ever get a moments peace, a moment that we don't have to fly thousands of miles to enjoy?"

"Someday."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise.  One day, we will have many moments of peace and they will be out of our lives forever."  he kisses her forehead some more.  "We can work it all out when Dave and his guys get here."  

"I hate this."

"We all do."  Beth works herself free and starts to pace the studio.  Jon watches her in her sundress, each step that she takes is deliberate and graceful.  When she stops and turns to him, he looks her in the eye.  "We all hate it, but there isn't anything that we can do other than what we are doing."

"I know.  But I can't help but wonder - if they are all married and have this fucked up relationship that they do - do you think that one day they might think that I have, or we have been paid back for what they think we did to them?"  she starts to twist her fingers, a nervous habit that she has, "When will enough be enough?"

"I don't know, babe.  I don't know."

"They have already taken children from us.  Dalton took my self respect, Brian shattered me and Melissa - well, we know that she did.  Don't they think that all of that is enough pay back?"

"I can't even begin to guess what they think."

Beth, exhausted and broken follows up with, "I'm going to need a vacation after this."

Jon laughs, having already had that thought assures her, "When all of this is said and done - we will go on a long vacation and decompress from all of this."

"I'm sorry, Jon.  I'm so sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry about?"  He's looking in her direction and feels a little bit of comfort when he sees the sun peeking up on the horizon.  "You didn't do anything, Beth.  They are crazy and can't let go."

Beth believes that Jon believes that, but she isn't too sure.  "Let's look at it from their point of view."

"Okay?"

"Brian fakes his own death all of those years ago to supposedly protect me.  Then Dalton hates me because I paid him no mind in the park."  Jon just nods his head, letting her know that so far,  she has it all nailed.  "Then crazy Melissa duped us into believing that she was our friend."

"Right."

"How can you not think that this is all my fault."

"How can yo think that it is?  I'm sure that had you know all of this was going to happen that you would have prevented it."

"I would!"

"So, you're not to blame." he confirms what he has already told her, but he can see that she isn't picking up what he's putting down.  He can see that she is internally blaming herself and he doesn't like it.  So before she gets too deep in her self pity, he adds, "It doesn't matter why they are doing it, at this point.  We just need to accept that they are going to try to pull something and we need to pre-empt what we can before they get started."

"I wish it were that easy."

Jon takes a seat on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table, "We can't let them see that we're scared or that we are having problems.  We need to give them as little as possible, so they know that we are united and that we stand together."

"Of course, of course."