Elara Hayes - Spenser

Chapter 41

Jason POV:

I woke up to find Elara missing from her room and walked up to find her sitting on the roof

"It's dangerous, being up here."

"It helps me think being up here." She smiled standing "It's peaceful and quiet."

"That's good?"

She just smiled "It's been awhile since I've had quiet."

I sat on the windowsill as she sat back down on the tiles

"I remember what I saw or what I imagined."

"Imagined..."

"When I was shot, I remember what I saw... I don't know if I had pasted or if I was just dreaming but I remember it, I saw Celeste and Nyssa again and they were happy, they told me they weren't alone at all." She replied "They said they'd say Taranee and Sky there with them."

"Taranee? Sky?"

"Cis that we lost in this stupid war." She looked over the edge with a sad smile "For a second... I wondered what would happen if I choice to stay... to finally go home."

"You are home."

"No, your home... right now I'm just a visitor and no matter how much you wanna change it to your family, to my blood I'm nothing but a visitor that'll pass with time."

"That's not true."

"It is, but you just don't wanna accept it." She smiled back at me "It's okay, you don't have to change... you had a life before me and you'll have one after me."

"After?"

"This war, it's trying to kill us and one day it'll successed..." She replied "I'm not trying to scare you... it's just reality... at least me it's my reality...."

"Elara..." Clay asked walking in and leaning on the doorway "When you'd wake up?"

"A few hours again." She replied stepping back inside "I didn't wanna wake you."

"Bad day?"

"Yea." She replied walking back to hug him "You should get some rest. Your working tomorrow."

"I know." He replied holding her tightly "How about we just sit together for awhile."

We sat together, all three of us at the dinner table. After Elara and Clay ate he guided her back to their room by passing their children's so she could look in on them before coming back out

"This happens often?"

"A few times, the whole near death experience didn't exactly help." Clay replied as he set the dishes down "She calm down a bit after seeing the kids."

"It's dangerous."

"I know."

"So what are you doing about it?"

"Jason she's a 17 year old woman that has spend the past 5 years training to be the best killer and she good."

"How do we help her?"

"I don't know the answer to that." he replied "For me, it was proving to her that I'd always be there and that she could trust me."

"How?"

"I never turned my back on her, when she needed me I was there. When their were decisions to be made I helped as best I could whether it was taking over when she need a break, offering advice or just bring her something to eat." Clay reminded "Even if it was something small, I was still there."

"Till you joined us?"

"No, when she need help, I'd stay up and walk through the decisions as best I could with her. When it came to joining I'd ask her how'd it work and help make a solid plan for when I was away and if things, cases piled up to badly I'd take some and go through it at dinner or lunch and bring it to Adam and Blackburn. But she was never alone through any of those decisions I made sure of it." Clay replied "Trust isn't easy especially with her and the way that she is but I can make you a promise..."

"Yea?"

"It's worth it. Being apart of her life is worth it always." Clay replied as he went back to the staircase only to stop "Try talking to Dr Max Goodwin, he might be able to help."

The next morning

Ray POV:

When Jason walking into the room it looked like he had been beaten emotional, he tried to put the mask back up with a wall as he walked by

"Wanna talk brother?"

"I found Elara on the roof yesterday."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine but they need help, I'm thinking about getting them a therapist." Jason replied "Clay said something about talking to Diana dad."

"Might be for the best."

"Maybe we should take the kids for a visit."

"It would be good for them." Blackburn agreed

After a week we we're able to set up a trip with the other parents to New York

At the airport

The first one we saw were the Goodwin – Sharpe family, Twyla had her son standing beside her while her father and mother stood behind, Dr Sharpe holding the youngest one Luna and Diana stood beside them.

"How's the big apple?" Clay asked

"Freezing." Twyla replied

"It summer quit complaining." Kenzi stated as she walked in

"Nice outfit." Stefan commented

"Where are the Deeks twins by the way?"

"Coming in with the McGarrett – Williams."

"Well I'm completely bored out of my mind." Ashley sat as she walked in with her glasses covering her

"Drunk?"

"Hangover." Cornelia confirmed

"And you?"

"Tired and annoyed." Tommy replied as he saw his arm around Cornelia

"So I'll show you to where your staying." Frome replied "I'm Dr Iggy Frome by the way."

"I'm Elara this is my husband Clay, my second in command Marco, Medical command and paramedic of our team Astrid, K9 handler for our team Andi,..." She introduced pointing to each one of them while they lifted their hands to stop confusion "And that everyone, for my team at least. Cornelia."

"I'm Cornelia Nash this is my husband Tommy Kinard and my second in command Marisol Diaz, that, fire rescue and paramedic Evan 'Buck' Buckley Diaz...."

"Diaz?" Max asked

"I'm his husband Edmundo Buckley-Diaz 'Eddie' and that's my sister younger sister Marisol." Eddie replied before Cornelia finished the introductions

"And we're the parents." Bobby replied "My girls are Cornelia, Josette and Artemis and that is my pesdo son Evan."

"I'm Elara father and Clay boss, Jason Hayes...." After he finished the introduction his team Marisol made a comment as she held Teddy

"Looks like the LaCroix family arrived."

"Aiyana!" They heard as a man ran up to grab the little girl's hand "You can't run off like that."

"She just excited." The woman replied as she walked up with the two kids in the pram as well as a car seat "She hasn't seen our family in awhile."

"Lydia." Elara greeted

"Hey." Lydia greeted "How's the kids?"

"They're good." Elara replied "And yours?"

"They're good, Bash and Aurelia are both enjoying school at the moment. Phina and Ames are struggling slightly."

"They don't like being left without their parents or their aunties and uncles." Ray commented

"And Bailey and Atticus?"

"They're fine, they enjoy having new friends."

"Well that why your here as well." I replied