A Time to Keep- Book 3 of the Father Time Saga

Homecoming

"Oh, I know, darling, but..." she looked him over closely." Have you been eating? Sleeping well? You look so tired, honey. You look pale and... have you lost weight, Jackson Wolfe? Have you been eating?"

Her eyes widened as she took him all in. In actuality, he hadn't changed at all, but Macy seemed to make it her business to be sure he took good care of himself. She had always flustered and worried over him and he figured that wasn't going to change now.

"I'm fine," he purred into her ear and then he turned toward the Chief who was scowling at them as he waited for answers to his own questions.

"I had... business to attend to, Chief. Sorry I didn't call in, but I didn't want to alert anyone to my location or put anyone here in any danger. I'll try to keep better contact in the future."

"Damn well better!" the Chief barked. Then his face broke into a smile and he chuckled. "So, what can you tell me? Anything I want to know about?"

Jackson sat back and his lids lowered over his eyes. He glanced sideways at Macy and then looked back at the Chief thoughtfully.

"There are a lot of things wrong with the world. A lot of people with too much power and not enough conscience. I'm trying to set a few things straight and there's going to be resistance. People don't always want to fly right and they don't take kindly to being forced to. My identity needs to remain confidential, if you know what I mean."

The Chief nodded his head. Jackson knew he understood what he was getting at. Chief Munson was getting up there in years, but he was still sharp as a tack.

"So, have you made any progress on your mission?"

Jackson nodded. "Quite a bit. I've got things under control. Things are going to start changing and I'm sure you'll notice a difference."

Macy busied herself filing her pristine nails as the two men talked. She quietly hummed her little tuneless tune, seemingly paying no attention. Jackson knew better.

"And your... your darker side... how are things going with that? Do you have that under control as well?" the Chief's eyes narrowed as he gazed back at Jackson, sitting back in his chair.

"He's not one to be controlled," Jackson said quietly. "He does what he needs to do and I don't fight it. I can't. I don't even think I would if I could. He's always right. Father Time knows what he's doing. I know what I'm doing. It's what needs to be done and maybe there are people who would disagree, but quite frankly, I haven't asked for anyone's opinion and don't intend to. This whole thing was no accident. I have a purpose and I know what it is. For the first time in my life, I know what I was meant to do with the powers I developed. Human kind is depending on me and I don't intend to let them down."

Chief Munson looked down at his hands thoughtfully before looking back up at Jackson again. He was quiet for a few moments as he thought about the younger man's words.

"Well, don't let me keep you from it!" he said finally, standing up. "You're still on the payroll, Wolfe. You keep me in the loop, hear me?"

Jackson stood up as well and grinned. "Of course I will, sir. I need your support and your trust." He helped Macy to her feet. "I need the help and support of my team, too."

Macy put her file away and smiled up at him. "You know you can count on that, sweetheart," she said softly. "We all miss you so much. I think it might be a good idea if we go say hello. Let everyone know you're alright."

He nodded and looked back up at the Chief, his eyebrow raised.

"Of course you can go see your friends!" the Chief said with a grin. "I'm sure they will be happy to see you. Take the rest of the day."