Heritage

Heritage (Chapter 49)

Chapter 49: Elena

"So, who is this Tal whatta again?" I ask.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her before Elena. But she's the only Sekrid I know that I would trust my life with,"

I raise an eyebrow, giving a suspicious look.

"Please don't look at me like that. Nothing happened between us. You remember I told you that way back I got stranded on that Trivadorian prison colony? Well she was the one who helped me out. There was no romance there at all. Just the two of us helping each other survive until we could escape,"

"Well all that aside Ethan, why wouldn't Leon come home? Better yet, why didn't you make him come home? You're his father. You could have,"

"I know Elena...but Leon asked me to trust him with this. He didn't want to come home. I could see it in his eyes. He was on a mission and I couldn't stop him from that,"

"That's the point Ethan. Yes, you could have. He's still a kid who doesn't know what he's doing. He lets Rin'Gal fill his head with wild imaginings of saving the galaxy and he jumps right on it. This is typical Leon! He's always rushing for popularity and glory when it does nothing but get him in trouble!"

I stand up from my place on our bed and walk over to the dresser. I stare at Ethan through the mirror. I can see the remorse on his face.

"Elena...he's not a child anymore..."

I whip around "He's my child!"

Tears well up in my eyes as I turn my head back towards the mirror and begin to sob uncontrollably. I stare at the cold metal top of the dresser, watching my tears fall like rain on it. I feel a hand on my shoulder and then a tight embrace as Ethan tries to comfort me. I allow him to turn me around to face him, closing my arms around myself and tilting my head down as the vulnerability comes over me.

"I know you're worried. Which before you say anything, I know that's an understatement. And I feel the same way babe. But I would like to think that you and I taught Leon well. He didn't just have regular parents. He had parents who fought off a mutant army from a tiny room for god sakes," Ethan says trying to stifle a smile.

I allow a brief laugh to slip out.

Ethan takes my face in his hands "See? You know I'm right. I know it hurts to have him there. But he's in good hands with Tal'Vira. You have my word on that. He'll do what he needs to do and he'll come home to us," Ethan explains optimistically.

A sudden realization hits me "Stella. Does Stella know?"

Ethan puts a hand up "She does. I told her earlier. It didn't sit well with her either. It was strange though...she didn't take it as hard as I thought she would. But anyway, the important thing now is to keep our plan in place. Have you gotten a hold of any of your old friends yet?"

I nod "I did. But none of them want anything to do with this. After that I had to start improvising. And I think that I found out who could help us," I say striding over to the other side of the room to Ethan's dresser.

I grab a framed picture from on top of it and hold it up.

Ethan raises an eyebrow. "I don't know about that Elena. I mean, the man just got out stasis. I would tend to think he'd want a vacation,"

"I already talked to him. He's on board,"

"Really?"

"Of course. You're both action junkies. That's why you two got along so well,"

"Well that's great. But how is he going to look into anything? He doesn't have a security clearance anymore or anything. He's completely off of the military grid with the exception of his discharge papers that he got when we went back,"