How It Started: Part 3

The problem with secrets is that, sooner or later, they slip through your fingers. The harder you grasp for them, the more forcefully they begin to float away...

It's a lesson that Jebidiah was learning the hard way. Life was good, and he was being bumped up the ranks of thievery faster than anyone else in the Company. So fast, in fact, that Mimi Brown, his boss -- ex-boss now, in fact -- was beginning to get a little jealous, and things hadn't been sitting to well with her at work. Still, it was hardly enough to get Jeb's spirits down. Mimi was almost unfit to be employed by the agency, let alone have her complaints even reach the head office. Nothing could bring Jeb down, not when he was behind that mask...

But, yet again, Jeb had become careless. Such as all criminals that become too cocky, simple mistakes can lead to dire disasters... But this mistake would be, to him, the 'pinnacle' of all his previous, and later, mishaps.

I would notice something awry, too.

Oh, if only he'd remembered to flip the switch behind him... But no, it was late at night, and who was he to expect his mother to dip into the cellar for some nectar so late into the evening?

Well, no surprise, Farah cautiously dipped down the stairs, more curious than anything, at that point.

Until she reached the bottom, that is.

Before her laid a scene she'd never imagined: a room full of locked up jewels, paintings, statues, and there, her son, sitting on a computer in full criminal regalia, typing away into what it wouldn't take a genius to see -- even though, for the sake of argument, she is -- was the police departments records.

It took her a few moments to actually react. How Jebidiah did not hear her, even  he continues to wonder, but it made no difference one way or another: things quickly became heated, and what was a testy relationship before became an even more tense one after that.

Jebidiah did have one card up his sleeve, though: once she threatened to turn him into the police, he quickly began to taunt her. 'Of course you won't', he'd said. Why? Because as much contempt as she may have had that her son was a criminal, she would feel even worse once he leaked that not only had she conceived a child with an insane pizza delivery man, but that the reason for her dead mentor's heart attack was that she was having an affair with him, and now, she was longing after her co-worker's husband (who she'd also had an affair with)!

Well, Farah had her reputation to think about. She could think of at least a half dozen other things Jebidiah would love to leak to the press with her name in the title, and the thought of which simply made her ill. With an uneasy truce -- though a dire hit to their relationship -- she resolved to keep his secret... For now. However, keeping the ruckus a secret from Meredith became the most difficult part of this endeavor; still arguing in the morning, Meredith had entered, ready to engage in talk about the upcoming wedding... At least they were both quick to throw on a smile, but poor Meredith is probably the only person to not see through the fake smiles. I mean, really. A child could tell those are fake!

It was decided that, Meredith never having had the opportunity to travel, she would be heading to France to buy her wedding dress, as she also had been paid significantly by the local diner for some photographs of Champ Le Sims; she did so indeed, but insisted that she travel alone. (It was obvious, the girl needed a bit of independence, and maybe she was smart enough to see that her family-to-be needed a little room to "work things out".)

After filling up her portfolio for the diner, Meredith was thrilled to help out the locals and do some exploring. Most of her days were spent at the museum, but finally near the end, she did pick out a dress, and quickly headed home to finish their arrangements.

Several days after Meredith had returned home, their wedding day arrived. There was some commotion early in the morning, though, as a burglar had tripped their alarm, and the police had skittered up onto the front lawn. Unfortunately, the burglar somehow managed to escape, but while this troubled Farah, Meredith didn't think much of it; they didn't steal anything, right? So what's the problem?

Only hours later, they were walking up the aisle and exchanging rings... But both Farah and Tana, Meredith's sister, seemed a little uneasy through the rest of the reception.

Could this be why? ...

Or maybe this?

One way or another, the knot had been tied, and neither Farah nor Tana could do anything to change that. It was for Meredith they were concerned... Did she realize what she was getting into, or had she been blinded by love? Apparently both were too afraid to ask... Even Tana was afraid of dampening her sister's spirits. But behind the scenes, Tana decided that it meant it was time to keep a closer eye on her little sister... And her husband.

Soon after the wedding, Jebidiah and Meredith decided that, as convenient as it was to live with Farah, the home lacked the expansion needed for raising a family, and they needed a place of their own. After a few days of house-hunting, the pair settled into a residence across town, next to the Martial Arts Academy.

They both began inviting over their friends and family to see the new place, but what Jebidiah didn't count on was, when his childhood friend Chandra arrived, she was in tears over something. Apparently she'd been dumped -- again. He did his best to comfort her and cheer her up -- a bit of dancing always helps -- but... Perhaps that wasn't the best idea.

Before he could even try to figure out what was going on in her mind, she rushed out the door to her job, leaving him hanging and confused. 

"Ach, women."