Still Faithful - Chapter 10 - After the hospital

Still Faithful 

Tori Waters was at a point where she just wondered if she was crazy. Nothing seemed to make sense and everything she thought she knew was now completely different. It was as if her life took a deep dive into Stargate: SG-1 and made the universe or God implant new memories over the old ones she had previously known to be true.

Her job had recently come to an end, the one she had such high hopes for. But Noah assured her he would give her some hours at the church while she looked for something else. Tori walked into church and met the cleaning lady Janice,  who had to quit due to health concerns. They both had a few days to get the whole place spic and span. Not long after Janice the church secretary retired which temporary left Tori a bit more to do during her week.

Noah had basically become like her only friend and he was helping her open up and invite new people into her life. That was a very hard thing for Tori since she spent so much of her time either working or caring for her ailing parents. Some of the new people she met were really Noah’s friends. That guy was a friend magnet. James, Ross, Danny and Dek were all around the church at come point in the week.  James, Ross and Danny were deacons as well as police officers. Dek was the worship team guy. Getting to hear him practice during the week while she cleaned was a real blessing to her soul. She had one day hoped to sing on the team with him but hadn’t had the courage to ask him about it yet. People sitting around her at church always commented on her lovely voice but she was still a bit gun shy stepping out in faith in that area. Dek was pretty aid back but she wasn’t sure if he was ready for more team members yet. So she watched and prayed.

***

Danny and Ross sat at the Railroad Cafe during their break and watched the patrons mill in and out. Tori had come in at some point and sat by herself in the front window watching the passersby.

“You think she is going to be okay?,” Danny asked. “Noah’s really been worried about her. She has bee quite distant since she got out of the hospital.”

Ross replied, “I think she is shocked and depressed. Who wouldn’t be? Her siblings are still in the hospital and now she is all alone without Henry. It’s really sad.”

Noah came in at that point and joined the two men. He managed a few quick hellos before Danny was called away. Noah glanced over at Tori. “How is she?” He asked Ross.

“I wish I could say but she is distancing herself from everyone. I think it’s a protective thing. I don’t think she realizes she is doing it.”

Noah sat down across from Ross. “I’m doing my level best to show her that we all care about her. But she is so sad and worried.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Ross replied. “It’s a lot to be dumped on someone all at once. I think we need to help her with all she needs to do in order to conquer her fears.”

Noah agreed and they both began to plan.

Cut the Dek - Chapter One

 

Cut the Dek

Chapter One

Dek Fox and his partner Noah Stone had been tracking Jared Quinn for months as Jared tried to assume Josh's identity and sneak his way into Dek’s newfound christian life after his life working as a spy for The Legacy had ceased months earlier. Franklin Fairchild, his adopted father and current boss, had been a bit miffed when one of his trusted agents was found to be untoward.

“Still at it, is he?” Franklin asked, peering over Dek’s shoulder into his monitor.

“He’s after her and I can’t figure out why. What does the enemy know that we don’t?” Dek removed his fingers from the keyboard and sat back not in distress but in concern for Faith aka Tori Waters. “As soon as Noah hit town, her life was targeted. She’s been outed in every sense of the word. Even Harry was going to get into the action before we sat him down and showed him the evidence.”

“She uses unconventional ways to connect with God,” Franklin admitted. “That triggers a lot of people to do things they think are right but might hurt her in the process. Jared dismisses his own failings and points them all to her and then takes drastic action on her life.”

“They have to have some sort of device to taunt her. She is getting messages from them without her actually talking to any of them.” Franklin showed Dek a message from Sabrina. “Jared has cloned your phone and has been trying to get to her through your connection with Faith aka Tori.”

“I don’t like this. It’s way too personal. He has to have some sort of foretelling tech that is making him focus on her. She is not the type of person to be a spy or a huge concern to anyone. The gal is practically a saint.”

***

Tori Waters sat in Carillon Park during her lunch hour and watched the influx of people going into Bells Bakeshop. She had been peeking in the windows for awhile waiting for the grand opening and today was the day. She had her camera at the ready since the Beacon’s Light needed a few photos for their online blog. It had been something she’d been managing for awhile. Just small articles about what was happening in town ever since the big paper folded at the end of the year. Pete Trainer had taken over the Beacon and made it into a real big seller which made Tori happy she was able to better take care of Henry, Cassie and Jeremy. Having a full time job really gave her a lot of comfort and a newfound purpose that he life actually had some sort of meaning.

Dek approached from the south of the park and sat across from her on the table. “They are having a special soup and I ordered some muffins to eat as a dessert,” he said. “That sound good?”

Tori smiled. She was getting used to calling herself Tori again. It was like she spent two years hiding from her true self and now she had found her real life with Dek just waiting for her to accept it. “Sounds great. I’m starved.”

Dek reached for her hand and squeezed it. It made her feel so loved when he looked at her like that and showed her affection. How lucky was that she had found such a faithful man to notice her worth?

When the food came, their server was a cute gal from Cassie’s school. Cassie had grown into quite a lovely woman and her husband, Jeremy so doted on her. She smiled at Dek and handed him an envelope. “Some guy asked me to give this to you,” she said handing it over.

The server walked away as Dek opened it to find two playing cards. One was a two of hearts with the word soulmate written on it and the other was as two of clubs with new road opens written in a familiar script he’d come to recognize as Jared Quinn's mark.

“Playing cards?” Tori asked. “That’s odd.”

“You’re right. It is.” Dek took a photo of it with his phone and set it to Echo and Franklin. They would definitely want to see this new strange evidence from the crafty Jared.

Echo came back with a quick message. “You might want to keep an eagle eye on Tori. I think that was a threat to your happiness with her. Jared is not happy she chose you.”

Chapter 9 : Still Listening

 

Faith shouldn’t have been surprised that the North Point ministry was shocked that she had gone to Harmony Church with Harry and Sonny. Harry was guest preaching and Faith had wanted to support him and get to see Sonny in action for the first time. It was a fun experience. Sonny had grabbed her hand and ushered her on the stage to sing a song he knew she would be familiar with. Sonny and Faith had known each other a long time and when he and Trisha broke up, she didn’t feel comfortable going to his church after Compass Point outed her. Now she wished she had gotten up her gumption and started going there. It was so exactly the type of church she wanted in her life.

North Point wasn’t really family-oriented although they liked to say they were on stage. They had built a new facility ten or so years earlier and knowing the size of the congregation they had back then, she realized their kitchen and eating area was way too small for them. It was no wonder they segregated everything Women’s Breakfast, Men’s Fish Fry, Women’s night of Praise. It was during the women’s night of praise she realized that North Point was really all about favoritism and recognition. Dek had his girlfriend, Sabrina as a lead singer opposite him, Norman had Kerrigan, his ex-wife but still close friend, even Ross used his new girlfriend, Jacklyn to replace her to sing So Close a few weeks back. 

It was a bit unnerving when she realized that what she wanted was what North Point might not ever be able to provide her. She longed for the kitchen/gym area like at Compass Point where everyone could congregate and have fellowship time. She missed fellowship. Even the worship team was so big she hadn’t yet met everyone on each team. North Point was so big that they had multiple worship teams. She even missed Sunday School. Now they preferred something called Life Groups where you met at people’s homes to do a bible study or devotion. Those groups were hard for Faith since her trust muscle was fairly bruised as of late.

***

“Why are you looking so sad, son?” Franklin Fairchild asked as he saw Dek watching Faith on the monitor.

“I keep thinking one day that will be me sitting there talking with her and showing her all of this.” Dek turned the sound down. He would listen to this part later.

“She’s not leaving, you know.” he said. “She’s going to Cassie’s church and you may see her back again one day.” Franklin put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Maybe you should go see your mom for a change. Put your focus on her for awhile. Faith will always be here. She’s not going anywhere as long as Henry’s alive. She’s here for the duration.”

Dek nodded, suddenly thinking about his mom. “It’s time we tell her about Derek.

“She’ll be okay, you know. Your mom is a fighter. Take Martin with you. She’ll dote on that kid. His smile will suck her in and heal her broken heart.” Dek then walked out and Franklin turned to the monitor.

“One day Faith we can tell you the truth about why you are here. Stay safe, honey.”

***

Derek was just as stubborn as he had been in the past. Hughes de Payne observed his from a distance since Derek Fox (aka Harry Denton) had a very keen sense of when a significant person was in his presence.

Dek was there in an instant. The man didn’t miss a thing. “You watching him again?”

Hughes smiled. “Kinda of my job, kiddo.” Harry was sitting with Faith at the Railroad Cafe ministering and pouring sugar on open wounds so old and cracked they feared he’d never heal. “She’s getting through to him.”

“That was the plan, right? To make their paths cross again?” Dek said.

“A lot of her memories from that time were compromised by the enemy. So she has no idea who he is or who he was in her life.”

Chapter 8 : Praise Yourself More

 

Chapter 8 : Praise Yourself More

The Praise Night for the Ladies, at North Point they call the women’s ministry the “Dees”. You know… lay-dees (ladies) Laying it down for the ladies. It kinda went down like Faith figured it would. She wasn’t asked to sing even as a harmony singer and the writing on the wall was getting real loud — we don’t want you, Faith.

Ross Strong was thriving as the new interim and he was being molded to lead but Faith feared her journey here was nearing its end even before it barely began. Cassie and Jeremy hadn’t wanted to attend North Point once Compass Point failed. They decided to go with their friends to their neighbor Sonny Barnes’ church over in the next town called Harmony Church. It is where a lot of the younger crowd attended. The music on the radio was in their services all the time, She was currently enjoying a few of the radio songs like: God is in this Story, Same God and Honey in the Rock. She was tempted to attend a service just to see what it was like.

That thought made her fear another outing. She had been coerced out of her former church due to wanting to see her friend sing who wasn’t even attending the church any more since she had moved out of state. It was sad since Calliope was the one friend she had clung to during her transitions at the beginning of the year. This year had just been one hard struggle after another. God was really testing her faith right now and she was trying her best to be strong.

Harry Denton, North Point’s previous pastor, was as big a fan of the Railroad Cafe as she was. So when she she saw him sitting alone in a booth near the front window, she joined him.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Faith said with a smile. His eyes lifted to hers but his quick grin didn’t light up his face like it usually did. “You okay?” she asked finally.

“I will be. Sometimes life is a journey and I was shoved off at an exit I wasn’t ready to take.” He sipped his coffee and glanced outside, his expression blank.

“I get it, you know. What you’re going through,” Faith said. “And I am pretty much fearing it is about to happen again.Sometimes people aren’t ready for people like us. We connect so easily to God in a world where it seems the devil and his minions reign. We take recognition from them and to them power isn’t in the blood but in the power that blood brings. And that is sad to me. They push Jesus aside and stand ahead of hi saying — my turn, look at me now,”

Harry chuckled. “I definitely see your point. It’s both sad and freeing. In one way i know God is moving me for a reason, just like he is moving you. But my sadness is — did I make an impact for God there at all? Did they see him through me? That is my goal.”

Faith put her hand on his. “I saw him in you.”

Ross Strong came in at that moment with Jackie Townsend on his arm. They made a cute couple. And Jackie was one of the few friends she had made at North Point. She was sad they had used her friend’s success in the worship team to poke at her. That was when Faith knew everything in life had its season.

Jackie and her friend Trisha were both working at dispatch one at the sheriff’s office and one at the police department. With Ross’s focus as a detective he came into contact with both quite often. It was funny how things worked out — almost like it was meant to be, like there was a divine plan or something. Faith smiled to herself as Jackie embraced Harry saying how much she missed him and his sermons which made Ross a bit uncomfortable considering he was the one currently replacing him.

Harry was still attending North Point but mostly at the early service. He had taken up racketball at the new courts at the Rec Center not too far from the church. There was even a rock climbing wall Faith was curious to one day check out. Rock climbing had always been one of her aspirations.

She was feeling good in this moment. It was as if the heaviness of the past was like a veil that lifted letting the four of them walk through. Oh Happy Day stàrted playing in her mind and she knew everything was going to be okay.

Still Faithful - Chapter 7 : By His Wounds

 

Chapter 7: By His Wounds - Faith & Ross, Martin

Faith looked around the Railroad Crossing Cafe and admired their design element. She appreciated when businesses took the time to make the room where their customers sat more appealing to the eye. Ross was quiet as he signaled for the waitress to take their order. Faith had been in the cafe a few times but wasn’t sure what to order. She felt a bit awkward since she hadn’t really spent a lot of time with Ross and personal conversations really weren’t his thing. They had gone to school together, their parents knew one another but they themselves hadn’t hung out. They had been more acquaintances then friends. She struggled with what to talk about and since he was so quiet, she felt a bit unnerved.

“Do you think Dek and Norman plan to use “So Close” in the regular song rotation,” he asked out of the blue as the waitress brought them their coffees and an appetizer to munch on.

“No clue. Their song rotation is a lot different than what I am used to. At Compass Point they paired music with the sermon. Here it just seems a bit more random as if they shuffled their entire song list and picked the first four that showed up at the top.” That fact had always bothered Faith but it was just a thing she had become used to. If you spoke about the scripture about how by his wounds we are healed, why not sing the song By His Wounds?

“Huh, I never really thought about why Norman always asked me about my sermon each week. I guess he was using those insights to pick songs to sing,” Ross said sipping his dark black coffee.

Faith took a mental step back. Talking about Norman wasn’t a topic she wanted to pursue. Ross knew the chasm between them was pretty large. Pastor Chase had left a lot of lies in his wake. The lie about Norman outing Faith being one of them. This was a wound he surely wanted to heal.

***

Martin Steele watched the feed on the surveillance cameras inside the Railroad Crossing Cafe and watched as Faith met with Ross. He had taken up a bit of the Watching of her considering Noah was persona non-grata lately. Franklin had agents out in force looking for both Raymond James Chase and Noah Stone. Noah’s job as a Watcher was over until the day he could explain his and James’ actions. They were supposed to be protecting Faith, not pushing her out and leaving her unprotected. Dek was also going to take up a majority of this surveillance which would test him for sure. He had never admitted to anyone that Faith was the woman he considered his life mate. Admitting weakness by showing love to another person put that person in danger and Dek was keenly aware of that fact which is why he struggled with approaching her even now.

Detective Danny Cornelius had contacted Faith relaying his location at the secret base at Area 51 where he was meeting with Taffy Appleton and Dr. Charlie Jenkins. Both Noah and James had come from this community and getting to know their histories would be very important as a way to think like they would to catch them both.

***

“Heaven’s closer than its ever been.” The words filtered through Faith’s mind. Her inner DJ was reminding her of the song “So Close” and how inspiring and in spirit it made her feel. Having coffee with Ross had been a bit awkward. Faith just wasn’t used to stepping out socially. She had spent so much time at home since her mom’s death two years earlier. It had hit her so hard. So she stayed home more because he was an introvert but also because finding friends had never been her strong suit. She was a perfectly happy and vibrant person but finding connections was so hard for her. She had had this trouble her whole life. So, when her dad started showing signs of dementia out of nowhere, and her niece and nephew came to live with her, Faith knew she had to get her act together.

That’s why the whole “let’s kick Faith out of everything” conspiracy had her so flummoxed. She was so saddened and blown away by the whole situation. James and Noah weren’t around anymore to straighten out the situation so most of her notice was put onto Norman, which she knew was unfair. The distance between them all hurt her since she had felt so close Norman, almost like a brother from another mother. She felt he was one of the few she could connect with. That was why his betrayal hurt her so much. She hadn’t seen it coming at all.

When they all perform “So Close” earlier, it felt to her like a healing was taking place. She didn’t feel that normal distance with Norman. When they would sing this song for real Dek would be singing lead with her and Norman filling in with background and keys. They were so fortunate at North Point to have an amazing worship choir. Although, a few of the gals still hadn’t warmed up to her. I guess that was the way with everything. Not every single person in your world would be your friend or advocate. They were led in song by Norman’s almost ex-Kerrigan. She didn’t know what had happened to break them up, but Faith was still praying for reconciliation. Ross had mentioned earlier in the day he had been planning to approach Kerrigan and join the worship choir. As a new deacon, inserting yourself into the church teams was important part of their ministry.

There seemed to be a lot of churches in transition in the area. Compass Point had closed due to lack if funding. They had discovered where the main leak was and had covered it up with some strong bandaids but that still hadn’t stopped the outflow of cash. It was discovered later that much of their missing money were due to the kicked out people who tithed were no longer there and so neither was their money. Many of the people left had been small young families with little to no extra income. Even families considered really well off were now of the struggle bus.

Chapter 6 : Lost in the Past

Chapter 6: Lost in the Past

"You mean your heart was with Faith and even Alison could tell you weren't invested in your relationship with her."

Dek waited to respond to Norman. "It was never like that with Alison and I. She knew where I stood with Faith. After Ethan died during that stint before the twin towers fell and I was brought in to take over Faith's handling, everyone was so on edge. Even Faith stopped writing. It was heartbreaking to watch her. Ethan and I were pretty close, so I was aware of Faith before Franklin tasked me to take over her protection and be her Watcher. I was halfway in love with her then. " 

"How did you get past the psychological tests. No one in their right mind would put you in charge of her handling if they knew you had feelings for her."

Norman was used to Dek's spy talk. His twin brother, Kevin was Franklin's adopted son.  It had taken years for Norman to track Kevin down. Technically, Faith was his sister, they had yet to discover if it was a blood tie or a soul tie. Not many knew that Faith had been captured in college and many memories extracted from her, including the memories of Kevin, Ethan and The Legacy. 

Dek continued. "Gia was in that accident with Ethan and an experimental chip was used to help her brain heal from the damage. Unfortunately, for her, it saved her memories but drastically changed her personality.  They were all freaked about her so passing that test hadn't been difficult."

After you handed her over to another Watcher when you retired, why didn't you approach her then? Start a real friendship, then relationship? I have seen you do that so many times with perfect strangers."

Dek sighed, "She wasn't ready."

"Says who? The man who has been in love with her from day one? You let that newbie take over her handling. He didn't know what he was dealing with -- you did."

Norman looked so much like Dek most people assumed they were related. They actually weren't st all but had grown up in an unusual community of very secretive people who had a hidden agenda. They were people of high morals that didn't fit into what the world would see as normal.  But their ultimate agenda was to save the world, make the world a better place and kick demons, minions and devils out of people's lives. 

Del could tell Faith's worth the moment he met her. It was a meeting the Black Council had stolen the memory of. Most of her Legacy experience was gone from her mind, but she periodically liked to write in her journal about her spy guys. 

She was such a young kid when he first met her. She has come in with her brother Kevin to live in the Fairchild mansion. No one was sure if they were Franklin's love children or orphans he had saved from unforeseen circumstances. Franklin was pretty secretive about everything concerning his immediate family. 

Dek, Ethan and Kevin used to jokingly call the mansion Franklin's Legacy or Stone House. Kevin was almost ten years older than Faith and she basically stayed to herself not requiring other people to entertain her. 

Many people in The Legacy had some sort of psychic ability. Faith had a legion of angels constantly surrounding her and she was just used to speaking to her angelic friends in her mind. The main problem with Faith's ability was that a legion of demons stood just beyond those angels constantly threatening her life and mental stability. 

If a stranger walked into the room at the moment they would naturally assume Dek and Norman were related. They were both thin but fit and had similarly styled salt and pepper hair. Both had been dark haired in youth and as most people in their late fifties and early sixties, their hair had whitened or lightened in time with each of their life’s struggles. The two of them, Dek and Norman great up in the same unusual very secretive community of people who had a hidden agenda. The residents were of high morals that didn’t always fit into what the world would see as normal. This groups’s ultimate agenda was to save the world, aka make the world a better place kicking the demons and devils out of people’s lives.

Dek could tell Faith’s worth the moment he met her. She was such a young kid back then as she came into their community with her brother Kevin to live in the Fairchild mansion. They jokingly called it The Legacy or Stone House. The thing definitely looked like a castle. Kevin was over ten years older than Faith and even from day one she pretty much just stayed to herself. The reason being, she not only had a legion of angels hovering around her but unfortunately also a legion of demons looking to push her down and use her as an example. And because of this, her life wasn’t always the easiest but Dek made it a mission in his life to watch out for her.

Men always hovered around the outskirts of Faith’s life but none ever seemed to want to commit to her. Her dad, Henry, was old school Legacy who was Franklin’s right hand man. Franklin was the mostly unseen head of the Legacy and the Knights Foundation. few saw him in person but all knew of him and his ultimate power. Franklin encouraged Dek to keep an eye on Faith early on. The man could sense a part of his heart that would never really let Faith go and Franklin counted on Dek being faithful to his adopted daughter.

Franklin had recently assured Dek God was ready to release Faith’s lost memories back to her. He definitely wasn’t sure how that would play out. The Council had been the one to extract them using her old boyfriend who had been ushered into the Council by the Deep State and his own dark legacy family ties. Her old boyfriend was still a money man at heart but the was looking to redeem himself and Dek just couldn’t trust the guy.

Dek wasn’t sure why Franklin was letting the man back into Faith’s life. It would definitely be a shock when he stood on stage for the first time and announced Jim Williams as their new pastor. He wasn’t to come in town for awhile but knowing the man as he did, he feared Jim would make a surprise appearance sooner or later. He was currently finishing up a project in his old church and was coming in town to take care of his ailing parents. Dek wasn’t sure he liked the idea she could find a bit of common ground with a man who had shoved her out in the cold when she was a kid.

Still Faithful - Chapter 5: Mindstorm

 

Chapter 5: Mindstorm

Dek Fox stood on stage and could only watch as his friend, Det. Ross Strong invited Faith out for coffee. Ross had finally taken his chance and asked Faith out. It had been a long time coming and he should have been happy for the man but mostly he was annoyed with himself that he had let yet another opportunity pass him by where Faith was concerned.

Not many knew who he really was. No one thought about spies anymore. Those days were long gone, done and dusted. But one didn’t forget surveillance missions like the one with Faith. He had watched her for decades before an unfortunate accident had taken him out and had his colleague replace him. When you become a Watcher, you tend to get your feelings all messed up since you really don’t know the person you are surveilling, but try explaining that to your heart.

Twelve years ago Dek had moved here and made a home in Park Ridge and North Point Church. He was told to stay away from her but living in the same community seemed the best option for him. Six months ago, Faith had walked into his church and all the breath left his body. What was she doing here? Why had she changed churches? And why was his heart still so invested?

He felt like throwing his guitar across the room but he relented. What good would that do? Plus, he liked this guitar. He ran a hand through his short mottled gray and white hair and sighed. He could see the smug smile on Norman’s face. He was one of the few who knew the truth about him and Faith.

“I take it you didn’t like the “So Close” performance?” Norman asked. “She has a right to be happy, you know.”

Dek sighed. “I know. I know. I have maintained my distance for so long it is hard to take action now that times have changed.”

“They haven’t changed that much,” Norman explained. “Technically, the new guy is still her Watcher. That surveillance mission will never end as long as she is alive.”

“Is he even still doing that?” Dek wondered aloud.

“No clue. He ran away when the whole missing money thing started showing up. He could be following leads for all we know,” Norman said. “We are pretty sure James aka Raymond Chase is the culprit. It’s always the pretty boys, ya know?”

“I thought Ross was following up on that?”

“We set Danny to look up some details,”  Norman admitted. “Hey, I thought you said you were over Faith. Didn’t you move on with Alison?” Norman tried not to chuckle. Alison Corday had been a co-worker back in the day and he had a brief affair with her before they broke it off. Norman couldn’t help but give him a hard time about it. Alison was a twin and the complete opposite of her sister, Kaye.

Dek began to calm down as he gained a handle on his emotions. “We tried to make a go of it but she knew where my heart truly was.”