You're Fired

"You're fired."

Tim looked at the floor.  What was he going to tell his wife?  He stood at his own front door, remembering what his boss had told him that morning.  The mat below him seemed almost sarcastic, telling him "Welcome home!  Looks like you'll be here for a while."  Tim snapped his head up, worked up the nerve to turn the doorknob, and walked inside.  Ellie was talking on the phone, a confused look spread across her face when she saw him enter.  He was home too early for it to mean something good.  She stopped whatever she was saying and hung up after a rushed goodbye.  She walked over to him, Looking into his eyes and reflecting his sadness with her own.  Nothing had to be said, he'd come home with that look before, and she'd learned what it meant.

"Again?"  She asked.

"Again."  He confirmed, brushing her hair behind her pointed ears.  "Terminated as soon as they found out who my beautiful wife is.  I think they might be jealous."  She smiled, but it fleeted quickly, replaced by a frown and tearing eyes.  

"I know you're trying, but they'll always find out about me, and you'll never keep a job if they figure out you're a..." She looked back up at him, words playing along her lips until she found her voice.  "A sympathizer."  She sat down on the couch, and Tim followed her.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?  They always pull those background checks, and it's not like we can just-"

"Divorce?"  Ellie finished.  Tim wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close.

"There's no garuntee a falsified divorce would work.  They'd still see I was affiliated with an Anivis; divorced or not, it wouldn't look good."  She leaned her head on his sholder, taking a deep breath.

"The Clandestine came by a few days ago with their usual offer."  Tim's eyes widened, and Ellie answered before he could object.  "I said yes."

Tim was silent for a moment.  He wasn't angry, and he wasn't even surprised.  He wasn't sure what he was feeling.  "I thought we agreed we would stay neutral in this war."  He said, picking his words carefully.

"That can still be an option.  They don't know who I am, and I'm working with them, not for them."  Tim could feel her gaze boring into him, but he couldn't look at her, knowing she may very well be dead tomorrow.  "You know I'll be careful.  They pay extremely well, and it's not like I have to take everything they give me."

"My wife is going to be a mercenary."  Tim said aloud.  He was right, it did sound as funny as he thought it would.  He laughed, in spite of the situation.  "What about Samson?  He'll notice that I'm staying home while his mom is out at all hours of the night."  

"I've thought about that.  He's sixteen; we won't be able to hide it from him if we try.  I think we'll need to  trust him."  Tim looked at her like she'd said something crazy.  "If he finds out any other way, it could backlash and get us all discovered.  He'll be able to keep the secret."  Tim asked the question they were both thinking, the one Samson would probably ask.

"What if he wants to join you?"

"I'll say no."

"You act like that's worked before."  Tim saw movement out the window.  Samson had driven home from school, enjoying the freedom all the upper classmen got.  "We need to keep this a secret, or he might follow you."

"He doesn''t have any powers."  Ellie argued.  She got up and made for the front door, but Tim held her hand.

"That's never stopped him from causing trouble, and you know it.  He's broken plenty of arms just because he thoguht he heard someone call him 'demon'.  If he knew what you were doing, he'd want to follow you every step of the way."  Ellie looked like she was about to argue, but just then the front door opened, and Samson walked through, taking in the whole scene.

"Is everything okay?"  He asked, uneasily spunning his key ring around his finger.  

"Yes.  Absolutely.  Yes."  Ellie said, her ears twitching that way they did when she lied.  "It's just... we needed you to know... things change when-"

"You're mom got a new job."  Tim said, forcing a smile on his face.  Samson's mouth was gaping, and Ellie quickly picked up their lie.

"Really?!"  Samson ran and hugged his mother, congratulating her.  "You mean, they didn't mind you're... you know?"

"Uh-no.  No!  Not at all."  Ellie's voice had raised without her noticing.  "In fact, they love that I'm a Jadeon.  They think it's great, really!"  Tim stepped in before she said something they'd both regret.

"And I got fired."  He said.

"You fired every week."  Samson said, waving off his father.  He turned back to Ellie.  "Do you think it'll stay?  The job, I mean."  Ellie's ears fluttered, and she started stuttering.

"Definitely."  Tim interjected, guiding his son away from his flustered wife.  "And since we'll have a steady income, the first thing we're going to buy are some more school supplies."  He hurredly pushed Samson to the kitchen.  "So go ahead and make a quick lunch, then get back to school; you've got a future to prepare for."  He returned to the living room when Samson had started making a sandwich.  Ellie was massaging her temples, and objects around the room had stared levitating.  She really couldn't tell a lie.  Tim wrapped her in a hug, muttering to her until her powers calmed down.

"This is for the best."  He was saying, speaking too low for Samson to hear.  "He'll live a normal life without ever knowing."