Jigsaw

The McConnaghay Home, Arkham, Monday Evening

Maureen was pensive. Josiah noticed, and drew her close. "Josiah?" she said querulously.

"I'm here, dearest. I believe I know what's bothering you, but talk it out. It can only do you good," the judge said. Jonas, Harry, Peter, and Abbie looked on silently, each realizing in his or her own way that their best move at the moment was quiet support.

"I don't know how to explain it," she began. "It's like the world suddenly shifted again. I spent thirteen years hating that woman for stealing Neil from me – not that that was much of a loss, by the time he left. And now, suddenly, I'm faced with having to deal with her – and realizing that she went through almost the same things I did."

"And didn't handle them half as well, mother," Jonas said. He briefly detailed to her Kelly's account of her past, from the walk to retrieve Danny. "I'm proud of you," he concluded. "You made me a good home to grow up in, established yourself in a good career – Kelly had it a lot worse!"

"How did you end up encountering her in the first place?" Abbie asked.

"Remember this morning, when we were late getting downstairs?" Harry answered. "Jonas's father showed up again, and told us we'd need to go save Danny. Then at the hearing, when I suddenly realized that what Tanya needed was to meet her aunt and hear what the stuff that she was doing leads to... well, we both realized that that's what Neil was talking about."

"So I took 'em all down to New Jersey!" Peter threw in.

"And you came home with the one person in the world I hated," Maureen said in thought. "And I had to come face to face with the fact that she was, very literally, not a whole lot different from me." She hummed a brief passage of 'One Little Candle' and looked up with a wan smile. "And if I really mean that," she said, "I need to let bygones be bygones, and accept Kelly and help her."

"Actually," Harry interjected, "I had an idea on that. When's the new house going to be ready?" he asked Josiah.

"Well, I'm going to take the plans for the addition and remodeling in and get them stamped tomorrow," Josiah answered. "Then it'll be a few days to finish construction, I'd imagine."

"Not hardly!" Peter said. "Give me a half hour from the time you say 'Go' and it'll be ready!"

"I don't want you overtaxing yourself, son," Maureen said. "I don't know what all you Mikyvis can do, but...."

The little nine-year-old looked up at her with love. "Mommy, makin' this happen won't be hard – nowhere near as hard as healing somebody, where you have to get the cells and tissues just right. And I just gotta do it!"

"No, you don't, son," Josiah said. "We can afford to pay for putting it up the normal way."

"That's not what I mean, Daddy," Peter said. "A couple of weeks ago, I was a kid who couldn't do anything except dying – and I'd tried to get myself ready and be good at that. Then you guys saved me, and Leev made me over into someone like him, that can do whole bunches of stuff. And you and Mommy said you wanted me, wanted to give me a home and a family again. So's, I gotta do it, for my family."

Josiah's and Maureen's eyes were watering up. "We love you anyway, Peter," Josiah said. "You have never had to prove anything to us. But now I understand why you feel you need to, to say something to yourself. And we'll accept your gift, gratefully." He lifted the little Mikyvis from Maureen's side and cuddled him on his own lap.

"'With great power comes great responsibility,'" Harry intoned with a grin, quoting the narrator in "Spider Man."

Peter giggled. "You wanna get bitten by a radioactive Mikyvis?" he got out between giggles.

Laughing, Harry made the sign of the cross with his forefingers, as if warding him off. "No biting, bro!" he said.

"That's Jonas's job," Abbie threw in, herself chuckling. Harry and Jonas blushed.

Jonas's communicator went off, startling everyone. He retrieved it and spoke into it. "McConnaghay here."

"Jonas? It's Jordy, from CIC."

"Hey, Jordy! What's up?"

"You 'n' Harry, and as many Clan members from up there as you can get together, need to be down here tomorrow morning, about 9:30 or so. Cory and Sean are getting married!"

"We'll be there! I'll get the word out to the others up here."

"Sweet! Gotta go; I still need to get in touch with the Aussie group. Later!"

"Okay. McConnaghay out." Jonas clicked off his communicator.

"You two have school tomorrow," Abbie said reproachfully.

"We need to be there!" Harry said, beginning to get angry.

"School is important," Abbie began.

Josiah intervened. "Abbie, if Deborah had lived and was getting married tomorrow, you wouldn't think twice about letting Harry attend his sister's wedding." The death at age two of Harry's older, and only, sister, while Abbie was pregnant with him, had always been a touchy spot for her, and Josiah knew he was walking on treacherous ground.

Abbie looked at him angrily. "What in blazes does that have to do with anything?!"

"Those boys," Josiah said, "are legally and emotionally just as much Harry's brothers, and Jonas's too, as she was his sister. They are not only entitled to miss school to attend this wedding, but they are socially and I suspect legally expected to, if possible. I'm sorry I brought up Deborah, Abbie, but it was one way to make you see how important this is to them."

"Besides, mother," Harry interjected, "remember how hard a time I was having with French last year?" Abbie nodded. "One thing I gained this month is fluency in French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Vulcan, and about eight other languages, to the point I could take finals in fourth-year tests in them all and pass with perfect grades. Another thing is the sort of detailed familiarity with our multi-tier legal system that comes from third-year law school, thanks to the sort of work the Clan has to do. I have access to some of the galaxy's leading experts in developmental psychology, Vulcan medicine, degenerative diseases, positronics and Android engineering, to the point I could sit for tests for college credit in any of them, after a quick dump of information, and get an A for the course. The one thing that my absences from school this month has cost is giving the school one person towards a head count for its funding formula. And the same thing goes for Jonas, Aunt Maureen."

"Aren't you exaggerating?" Abbie said.

"Not a bit," Jonas said. "The person who is the galaxy's leading expert on telepathic information transfer is one of our Clan brothers, and he made sure we got everything we needed. If anything, Harry's examples downplay what all we've learned. Plus one thing important to you and to me, and I know you've seen it in his eyes: Harry likes himself now; he carries himself with self-confidence, where a month ago, he was afraid of what everyone thought and how they'd react. As much as we both love him, I know that's got to have been a real relief to you."

"Hmmmf," Abbie snorted. "You know how much I hate admitting you're right, Jonas. but you're right. Just remember your old mother, Wonder Child," she said with a quirky smile at Harry. He grinned back.

"Speaking of weddings..." Maureen said with a pointed look at Josiah.

The judge blushed faintly. "You're right, my dear. Let us go over tomorrow morning and get our license, then we can arrange for a service however you like. I don't have court tomorrow, just office work, so it will be no problem to take the few minutes that getting a license should take."

"Sounds good," Maureen agreed

"We agreed both couples would marry when we got back," Harry said. Jonas reached out his hand and took Harry's, and Josiah saw agreement and determination on his new son's face.

"Correct that – the four of us will go," Josiah said firmly.

Abbie paled. "I knew it was coming, but...."

"You're not losing me, mother," Harry said affectionately. "We'll be a big extended family in the new house. All your jokes about Jonas as much as living with us while we were kids doing everything together – guess what, they just turned into the real thing!" All five joined in a tension-relieving laugh.

Peter giggled. "We are fam-i-lee," he sang. Laughing, the others joined in.

"Um, mother, one other thing," Harry said. Abbie's expression said 'What now?!' without words. "You're going to leave the diner and take charge of the household, end of the week, right?"

"Darn tootin'; I already gave notice," Abbie agreed. "I liked that job okay, but it'll be a relief to be keepin' house and raisin' kids instead of servin' up hash browns and hot sandwiches."

"Well, do you think they might want to hire Tanya's aunt? She'll be up here and looking for work, and she was a waitress down in New Jersey for years."

"Good idea! It helps her, and Tiny was whining about how hard it'd be to find a waitress in a hurry who could cook too." Abbie was enthusiastic in her agreement.

"See? Not everything we kids come up with is a problem!' Jonas grinned at Abbie.

"No, just most of it!" Maureen laughed.

"C'mon, Har! Get out your communicator; we've got to let the rest of the guys know about the wedding," Jonas said.

---

"Arkham EMT Service; is this an emergency?" Skipper answered the phone with the normal formula.

"Skipper? Hank Rutledge here." The Chairman of the Town Selectmen sounded almost apologetic.

"It's me; is Esther all right?" Skipper's first thought was that something had happened to Hank's chronically-ill wife.

"She's fine, or at least as good as she ever gets. But something's come up. Are you going to be doing your usual Tuesday restock of the mobile unit tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure, first thing unless I get a call."

"Well, stop in the Town Hall while you're down there. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay, will do." Skipper's curiosity was aroused, but he knew better than to push Hank ahead of time. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he hung up the phone, and looked up. "I need to stop in and talk to Hank tomorrow," he said to Bobby.

"That's tomorrow; c'mon!" Bobby said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the stairs. The sultry, mischievous look in Bobby's eyes promised an interesting night.

---

Meanwhile, in Orlando...

With C.J. having decided to hang out at Clan HQ and Rina taking some time to talk seriously with Mickey, Jed and Jared had commandeered the apartment for a little one-on-one time. And, being the boys they were, 'one-on-one' had progressed from the metaphorical to the literal. Leaning back on the couch, Jed was enjoying the sensations that Jared's mouth was bringing to a quite sensitive part of his anatomy, when suddenly his Clan communicator went off.

"C.J. to Jed," came the message. 'Not now, C.J.' he thought as he reached over and recovered the communicator from the end table where he'd tossed his pants.

He activated it and replied, "Jed, unh, here. What's, unh, up, Ceej?" What Jared was doing made him groan and gasp for breath. And he suddenly became acutely aware of the slurping sounds that Jared's ministrations were producing.

"When you and Jared finish, collect Mickey and Raffy and get over here. Cory 'n' Sean are tying the knot, and the guys need our help setting up for it." C.J. sounded more excited than Jed had herd him in a long time.

"Okay," Jed answered, involuntarily grunting as Jared became more aggressive. "We'll be right there. Ooooooooh. Um, Jared, we need to get over to C.I.C." Jed was torn two ways, his duty to the Clan and the orgasm Jared was bringing him very close to. He felt it building up, and moaned.

"You do realize you're on speaker over here, don't you?" C.J. said over the communicator, giggling.

That, ah, deflated Jed. "I'm gonna kill you, Ceej!" he said into the communicator, got up and handed Jared his clothes, gathering his own up. Dressing rapidly, they ran next door with the news.

---

Three minutes later, Ark had transported Jed and the three McKendrick boys to a spot outside the new Clan auditorium, where they met C.J., J.J., and Adam Short.

"Um, Jared, you need to wipe off your chin," Adam said in a stage whisper.

Jared automatically reached up to wipe off his chin before realizing he'd been pranked.

J.J. motioned them into the auditorium. "Okay, we need to get the front area looking like something more than an auditorium stage, something fit for them to get married in," J.J. said as they entered.

"Will this help?" the boy named Josiah from the old Metronome group asked as he strolled in from the side. With a gesture, he produced from zero-point energy an enormous roll of red carpet to line the central aisle. C.J. and Raffy jumped behind it and began pushing it slowly down the aisle, unrolling as it went.

In the front, Josiah fabricated a large, beautiful arch of red and white marble, under which was an altar of the same material in front of which Cory and Sean might make their vows. To one side was a polished walnut pulpit; to the other, a series of stately-looking chairs.

"Hey, what about music?" Jared asked.

J.J. got a devilish grin, pulled out his communicator, and walked away from the others.

"Candles," said Mickey. Josiah cocked an eyebrow at him. "Every wedding I've ever seen, there were lots of candles." Josiah nodded and obliged. Suddenly there were dozens of candle stands, each with up to a dozen large candles on it, flanking the arch and altar.

"What about kneeling cushions?" Adam asked speculatively.

"They're not going to do that during the service?" asked a scandalized Jared, thinking back to what he and Jed had been doing when C.J. called.

Mickey laughed. "No, silly, for kneeling for prayers. Know if they'll want 'em?"

"Won't hurt to add some in, in case they want 'em," Josiah said. Two pale gray cushions with the Clan sigil embossed on them in bright green appeared before the altar.

"Hmm, now that I think about it..." Josiah said speculatively. The front of the altar turned into marble dust, and reformed a few seconds later with the Clan sigil in bright green nephrite sunk into the marble.

Levi popped into existence next to Josiah just then, and motioned him down. The older boy bent over, and Levi whispered in his ear.

Suddenly, hanging floor to ceiling against the back wall of the stage area, were two banners of pure silk. To the left, on a muted russet background was the jade-green Clan Short Crest. To the right, on a subdued forest green field stood out the Seal and Crest of the House of Surak, in brilliant crimson, with the IDIC symbol at its center overlaid by the Broken Sword, Sa'ren. Satisfied, Levi nodded his approval and disappeared again.

"That ought to do it," J.J. said as he returned from his comm chat.

---

After a short conversation with Jason Evans, who was looking for Pauly Short, the Templeton and McKendrick boys doublechecked with Adam that they would not be needed for anything more, and headed back to Sylvia's. As they popped into existence in Sylvia's living room, they were surprised to see Levi there, but he immediately vanished.

Rina looked at them somberly. "Jed, C.J., come here," she said. Struck with foreboding by her facial expression and tone, they walked hesitantly over. The slender young blonde woman drew both of them into a fierce hug. "You two both know I love you very much, and I want only what's best for you, whatever happens, right?"

"Y-yeah," said C.J. hesitantly.

"What's going on?" Jed asked. "You're acting like somebody's dying or something."

"Levi was just here," Rina said. "It seems that Peter healed your grandfather's paralysis."

"Grampa can walk again?!" C.J. said exuberantly. "That's great!"

"Yes, it is," Rina said seriously. "But it means that he isn't stuck in the nursing home any more. He went and talked to Judge Brewster today."

"And...?" Jed said.

"He wants custody of you two."

---

Tuesday morning

"Are you sure?" Rina asked nervously.

"Yeah," C.J. answered, his attitude a mixture of the certitude he felt and his habitual deference to someone older and presumably wiser. "Something really tells me I need to do this, and that everything is going to work out all right. Can I get a ride over, please?"

"Yeah, sure," Rina answered. "I do love you two, you know."

"And we love you," C.J. said. "I'm excited that I'm gonna get to see Grampa again, but I don't wanna lose you either. And something's telling me that we won't." Breaking his serious demeanor, he climbed up on Rina's lap and cuddled into her. Then he reverted to his natural energy and bounciness, slipped down and said, "C'mon, drive me over, please!"

With a smile she didn't totally feel, Rina stood up and grabbed her keys. "You know, it was bad enough when Jed was running off to Maine to rescue his boyfriend and his family. Now, I've got you deciding to be all grown up and independent. When do I get to play Mommy here, anyway?" she asked with an ironic grin at him.

C.J. giggled. "You know, if it wasn't for you, I'd have had it really tough, missing my mommy and daddy. You held me, you let me cry through it... you're special!"

"Well, you guys were just what I needed."

"Other than Mickey, huh?" C.J. teased her.

"Um, yeah," Rina blushed. Together, they walked to the apartment door and outside. Seeing Sylvia doing a little fall gardening, she called out, "I'm taking C.J. over to the Short Compound. Keep an eye on Jed for me until I get back, would you?" Sylvia airily waved agreement, and they climbed in the car and drove off.

---

On the telephone...

"Hey, Doug? This is Jonas."

"Hi! What's up?"

"Well, Pen told you last night about the wedding, right?"

"Yeah. There's no way we're going to be able to fly down there, though."

"Oh, that's OK. Just meet us somewhere – say, downtown – at about 9:30, and Peter'll teleport us all down together."

"Kewl! We'll be there!"

"But, Doug, I'm calling about something else. Let me say first that I'm sorry about what happened."

"Huh?"

"Oh, let me come right out with it. Remember back a week or so ago, when I gave you a suspended sentence for harassing Jed and Jared?"

"Yeah. Actually, I'm glad you did – more than anything else, that made me wake up to what I was turning into."

"I know that – I guessed that would be the result. But there's the problem. What I did was to back up Jed, who'd threatened you with the maximum sentence for harassment – and that's only supposed to be used if it gets physical, with sexual overtones. You weren't anywhere near that. And I guessed how you'd react – guessed right, as it happens, but I never called in a telepath to confirm it. So, basically, I fucked up, and made a threat to you that was inappropriately harsh, in my Clan capacity. If you wanted to be a prick about it, they could come back on me for doing that."

"I wouldn't do that! Like I said, I'm glad now that it happened – if it wasn't for that, I would still be in the closet and never have had the guts to talk to Pen. And I didn't like who I was becoming, either."

"Yeah, but that still doesn't excuse my abusing my powers. Anyway, Justy called me last night, and what we did was to vacate it, more or less change it to sentenced to time already served, with an annotation that it was to be used as a threat only, to wake you up. We can't have a sentence like that hanging over a Clan brother!"

"Hey, thanks! Not that it matters, because I sure won't ever be tempted to do it again! But it's nice to have it lifted anyway."

"I'm glad you took it that way, bro. Hey, gotta go – Mom and the judge are ready to leave with us. See you later on!"

"You bet! Bye!"

---

As Jonas and Harry climbed in the back seat of Josiah's Lincoln, Josiah held the passenger door for Maureen, then walked around the car to the driver's door.

"You know, you don't need to be doin' that sort of thing for me all the time," Maureen said to him with an affectionate smile as he started the car.

"I realize that, my dear," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "but you'd be depriving me of the pleasure of courting you in the old traditional manner. And I'm just enough of an old stick-in-the-mud to find extending the traditional courtesies to a woman I love and am courting to be very enjoyable to do."

"Oh, you!" she blushed. Jonas and Harry echoed affectionate chuckles as they proceeded down High Street and North Main Street to the Town Hall.

"Why, good morning, Judge!" said the Town Clerk as they walked in.

"And good morning to you, Ethel," he replied. "First, here are copies of some plans for the town records – expansion of the Templeton place we're buying." He handed the roll of plans to her. "The town planner'll find they're completely in accord with law, stamped by a Professional Engineer and meeting all code requirements. We're beginning construction immediately, as the law allows, but he'll need them to know we're keeping within code. Second, I need two marriage license forms, if you please."

"Just a moment, Judge," she said, opening a flatfile drawer and drawing out two forms.

The four walked over to a nearby counter. Josiah handed the two boys one of the forms, and pulled out a pen. "Uh, I only brought one pen," he said.

"I've got one," Harry answered, pulling one out of his pocket. In couples, they made out the forms.

Outside the Clerk's office, they heard an office door slam, someone shout "That's ridiculous!", and then angry footsteps and the slam of the Town Hall's main entry door. Jonas looked up wordlessly, his eyebrows asking a silent question of Josiah, who shrugged ignorance of what had happened.

Finishing the forms, they brought them back to Ethel the Town Clerk, and Josiah fished out his billfold to pay for the two licenses. She looked the Judge's and Maureen's over carefully, said "Congratulations!" and stamped it with the town seal as approved. Then she turned to Jonas and Harry's license application. Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened.

"Josiah, this can't go through. This appears to be a marriage license application from two fifteen-year-old boys," she said purse-lipped.

"That's correct," Josiah said neutrally.

"That's contrary to Maine state law. Arkham's never had one of those gay marriages, and I'm not about to approve it starting. Besides, both boys are underage."

"They are members of Clan Short of Vulcan, and are deemed of legal age to contract a marriage under Vulcan law," Josiah said in a professional tone.

"Then let them go to Vulcan," Ethel said. "That doesn't give them the right to play at being married in the State of Maine."

Harry and Jonas were coldly angry, ready to let out a blistering stream of argument at her. Maureen's expression said that she was not far behind them.

Josiah noticed the tempers of all three beginning to flare. "Here, Ethel," he said, handing her the appropriate amount for both applications. "Come, Maureen, boys – let's step outside."

As they exited the building, Jonas angrily said, "Why did you do that? I was about ready to chew her...."

Josiah held up his hand. "We're in the right. The Governor proclaimed Maine a Safe Haven state subject to Vulcan law back on Sunday."

"So...?" Harry challenged.

"That means we can force her to approve your license. The question now is, what's the best way of going about doing that? That's what I drew us out here to discuss." Josiah's expression was one of calm determination.

Abruptly a car's tires squealed as it came rapidly down the street and pulled into the fire station opposite, where Skipper's EMT and a small V.F.D. truck were parked. The trunk popped open, and Grace climbed out of the driver's seat and strode angrily towards the firehall door. Skipper climbed out of the back of the E.M.T. unit, arms full of various equipment and supplies, and he walked over and dumped them in Grace's trunk. They exchanged terse words, then Skipper headed back to the E.M.T. Unit while Grace walked into the firehall, slamming the door behind her.

The four in front of the Town Hall watched all this curiously. "That doesn't look good," Maureen said. "Maybe we should go find out what's happening." Josiah and the boys nodded agreement, and as one they walked across to the firehall.

As they arrived, Skipper had taken another double armful of his personal equipment out of the EMT mobile unit, and was in the process of depositing it in Grace's car's trunk. Grace came out of the firehall with her arms full of paperwork and other objects, and angrily tossed them in her trunk as well. Skipper picked up a plaque, his eyes beginning to water. They read over his shoulders:

State of Maine

First Responders Competition

THIRD PLACE

Town of Arkham E.M.T. Service

James Hamilton, Certified E.M.T. Technician

Robert Martin, Volunteer First Aid Assistant

July 2004

"You know, if Bobby'd been able to show what he could do, we'd have gotten First or Second Place," Skipper said regretfully. "With him only able to show First Aid skills, we still got third."

"Well, you'll be able to win it for Arkham next year," Harry offered in consolation.

"Fuck Arkham!" Grace said vehemently. "Penny wise and pound foolish, that's what this place is!"

Startled, the two couples looked at her, as Skipper said, "In about six hours, Arkham won't have an E.M.T. Squad, unless there's someone trained in town that I don't know about."

Maureen's reporter instincts came to the fore. "Josiah, boys, let's help them finish up what they're doing, and then sit them down and find out what in the world has happened!"

"Thanks," said Skipper. Grace nodded her appreciation, still looking like she was prepared to chew nails and spit out tacks.

---

The six of them took the large corner booth at the diner. "Coffee and Danish all around," Josiah told Abbie, who was on duty as waitress. "Then tell Slim you're on break and join us with what you want to eat and drink. We've got some talking to do that you need to be in on. Boys, I'm guessing you have no secrets from Skipper and Grace?"

"Nope," Harry answered.

"All right, then, fill us in on what happened, you two," Maureen said to Skipper and Grace.

"I never thought I'd be saying anything good about Randall Scordo," Skipper began, "but what's left of the Selectmen are penny-pinching bastards that, if it were raining soup, would be out there with sieves wondering why they weren't collecting any."

The whole table involuntarily chuckled at the image. Abbie brought a tray of coffees and Danish for them all, including herself, and sat down next to her son.

"I got a call last night from Hank," Skipper went on, "asking me to stop in today when I came down to restock the mobile unit. So I went into the Selectmen's chambers to meet him this morning – after all, as Chairman of the Selectmen, he's the closest thing there is to being my boss."

"He had a letter from the town's insurance agency, and told me the board was going to go along with it." Skipper's expression was baleful. "I haven't even told Bobby yet, but I called Grace as soon as I walked out."

"What sort of letter?" Josiah prompted.

"They told him Bobby can't be on the E.M.T. Service any more, because the insurance company threatened to cancel the policy if he was left on duty," Grace said bitterly. "He's under the legal age for coverage, you see."

"While he was still First Aid volunteer officially, he was covered under the 'volunteer fireman' clause. But when he got certified to do what he's capable of, that didn't apply any more, even though he's still a volunteer. They're afraid, if someone sues the town for being rescued, they'll be liable. So I walked out on Hank, after telling him we came as a team. I called Grace, and we're packing up all my personal property, and Bobby's. When we get that done, I'm going home and write a letter of resignation – and demand my back pay and vacation pay in it too. Serves those penny-pinchers right to have to pay it!"

"Don't they have a copy of the decree declaring Bobby of age on file?" Jonas asked.

"Of course they do," Grace said. "But they're going by the state insurance statutes, not your decree, judge – beggin' your pardon, of course."

"Jonas's decree, actually," Josiah replied. "It had to be done by Vulcan/Federation law, so his Clan took precedence and issued it by authority of their Charter."

"I hadn't realized that," Grace said. "Thanks, Jonas – you granted two of Bobby's dreams at once. I'm surprised they had you do it, though, not someone older."

"There aren't too many Clan members older than Harry and me," Jonas answered. "We're working by Vulcan law, where logic, maturity, and willingness to do what's right count, not calendar age."

Grace's eyebrows quirked upward in deadpan imitation of a Vulcan gesture. "I'm surprised – but pleased!" she said. "With a kid like Bobby, I probably should have expected it, but I didn't know."

"Judge, if you're thinking like I am," Harry said, "it sounds like both problems have the same solution, whatever that is – we need to enforce Vulcan law here in town, where everybody's treating what's happened as not affecting 'business as usual.' Am I right?"

"Exactly," Josiah said in a curt but not hostile tone. He pulled out his cellphone. "Excuse me, I need to make two calls."

"Marcy? Josiah here. Anything urgent come in? -- No? Well, I won't be in chambers today; there's some pressing issues requiring my attention up here in Arkham. Take that paperwork from my In box. You know what I look for when I review it. Sign off on everything routine after checking it – use my signature 'by direction.' Hold anything you think I absolutely have to see for tomorrow. -- You're a peach, Marcy! Thank you!" He clicked off that call and dialed again.

"Oliver? Josiah Brewster here. We're sitting in the diner in Arkham. There's been two legal issues come up, and I may need to have backing from law enforcement for some rulings, or otherwise a little show of strength. Are you free to join us? -- Okay, we'll be expecting you." He hung up again.

"All right," Josiah continued, turning to Skipper. "Do you really want to quit as E.M.T. here? Or is it out of loyalty?"

"I love the job," Skipper said. "But I made a promise to Bobby that we were partners, and I'm not going to break that because of Hank and some button-counters at an insurance company down in Boston! We're a team – for better or worse, and it looks like 'worse' came early." Harry and Jonas were nodding approval.

"All right then," Josiah said firmly. "You're not going to quit – this town needs you. And the law's on your side – something we'd just started talking about in a quite different context, when we saw you and Grace cleaning out your things. I've got the Sheriff on his way up here; we'll work out a plan of action then."

"But let me tell you," he continued, "and Abbie, too, what we were doing. We went in this morning for marriage licenses...."

"LicenseS?" Grace asked, emphasizing the plural.

"Yes, licenses," Josiah answered. "For Maureen and me, and for Jonas and Harry. The boys got turned down. It seems Ethel is going to stand by old statute law, even though we're a Safe Haven state now, and Federation and Vulcan law trumps state statutes. My oath, back when I became judge, was 'to mete out impartial justice', and I take that oath very seriously. What happened in both cases may be within the bounds of what statute law permits or requires, but it's not just. I intend that Oliver and I, and maybe George – we'll have to sort that out after Oliver gets here – stand this town's attitudes on its head!"

---

At the Short Compound...

C.J. and Raffy, who had decided to come along, piled out of the car and waved. Rina smiled and returned the wave, masking the worry she was feeling about the custody issue, and drove off.

"Hey Ceej!" Calen called out as he and C.D. jogged from Cory and Sean's house to C.I.C. "C'mon, Dad and Pop're getting married today, and there's lots of stuff to do!"

"I know," C.J. called back. "We were here last night helping J.J. 'n' Adam 'n' Josiah get the new Auditorium set up for the wedding. What's up?"

"Breakfast," Calen answered. "We got a bunch of guys still sacked out in the Rec. Room, getting their strength back after what they went through Saturday ... or before that in a couple cases. Tommy asked us to help get meals in to them this morning."

"Lead on," C.J. said. Raffy grinned and followed C.J.'s lead as he began running to keep up with Calen and C.D.

---

"That didn't take long, with all the help," C.D. said confidently. "C'mon, Ceej, let's throw a little Frisbee around before things get hectic again." Raffy waved them off and joined some boys playing with Hot Wheels in the Rec. Room.

They ran outside and burned off some energy trying to trick each other with fancy throws of the Frisbee, enjoying the companionship and fun. After a few minutes, C.D., who was facing the C.I.C. building, noticed a boy walking glumly out the door.

"Hey, Marky!" C.D. called out. "C'mon and play with us!" Grumpily, Marcus wandered over to join them.

"This is C.J.," C.D. said by way of introduction. "C.J., this is Marcus; he's part of the group that came in yesterday. C.J. and his brother Jed are part of the Clan but they live in an apartment, not here."

"You're C.J.?! Marcus exclaimed. "The kid who brought your big brother back from a nervous breakdown? Awesome! I hope someday I can do cool stuff like you!"

C.J. did a doubletake. He was used to being the kid who followed along when adults or his big brother were doing important stuff. Even the heady experience of being the one who had figured out that he and Jed needed to help Nate and Lije had been only a brief break from being the eternal little-brother sidekick to other people's adventures. Now, here was a kid his age – and a cute one, too – looking at him like he was some kind of hero! "I'm not anything special," he said. "Just a kid like you."

"Yeah, you are," Marcus answered. "You're somebody my age who's helped save someone."

"Kyle's done a lot more of it than anything I've done," C.J. said.

"Yeah, but Kyle said he's turning into a Mickey Mouse," Marcus giggled. "Anyway, he's off doing Clan stuff, and I wanna be friends with you."

A spirited three-way Frisbee game left the boys feeling hot. "C'mon, let's go for a swim," C.J. suggested. They ran to the indoor pool, and stripped down. C.J. noticed Marky was not at all bashful about stripping for skinny-dipping. Marcus for his part was in his element -- showing off, his grumpy mood forgotten. He dropped his pants and struck what he thought was a 'sexy' pose. C.J. giggled. "How come you got a boner?" he asked. "My brother gets 'em when he makes out with Jared, his boyfriend."

Marky was not at all embarrassed. He wiggled his hips and giggled. "I get 'em all the time; so do my brother and cousin, too."

"Does that mean you want to be my boyfriend?" C.J. asked. Marcus's eyes got big. "You mean you'd want me for a boyfriend? I never thought that'd happen when I read about you!"

C.J. shyly stepped forward and hugged him. Finally he had a special best friend like Jed had in Jared, one all his own! "Sure; you're nice and fun." Marcus hugged back. "Cool, then we're boyfriends! Race you to the end of the pool!"

As they finished their race, Marcus looked at C.J. "Can I kiss you?" he asked, half daringly and half shyly.

"Sure," C.J. answered. "That's what boyfriends do, after all!" He leaned forward for a kiss... "Ouch!" he said, rubbing his nose.

"I think you're supposed to tilt your heads a little," C.D. said, giggling.

"Kewl," Marcus said, tipping his head slightly and trying again.

The first contact of lips with his special friend sent strange new feelings through C.J., and in particular to one special place. "Sproing!" C.D. laughed.

"The second thing we're going to do is throw C.D. in the pool again," C.J. said to Marcus.

"Oh? What's the first?" Marcus asked.

C.J. showed him.

---

At the Diner, 15 minutes later

Sheriff Oliver Winfield eased his bulk into the booth, as Abbie, Harry, and Jonas slid over to make room for him. "Mornin', everyone," he greeted them. "Josiah, you sounded perturbed enough to raise my concerns. Fill me in, please."

Over the next ten minutes, they briefed him on the two incidents. "What it boils down to, Oliver," Josiah said, "is that, even though adopting Safe Haven status and Vulcan legal theory is now the law in Maine, people are just going to continue doing what they did before, even if it results in inequities – unless something is done to change it. You know me, I'm a proceduralist and conservative. I never thought to become some kind of activist at my age. But, dammit, your oath and mine are to the law of the land, not to mindlessly carry out whatever regulations someone saw fit to cook up. And today, by precedent going back to Marbury vs. Madison and Kalek-maat Sar'yak vs. New Mexico" (referring to the two cases that had said, respectively, that the U.S. Constitution trumps statute law and that the Federation Charter trumps Federal and State law alike) "the law of the land is clear, and supersedes Maine's marriage statute and an insurance company's internal policy."

"I hear you, Josiah," the Sheriff said. "And pretty much, I agree. But remember that I'm just a plain lawman, rookie cop on Farmington's city force and then a decade and a half as a deputy. I understand constitutional law a little, like any good cop needs to. But I've never mastered the intricacies of it. I look to you legal eagles to give me guidance there. And, beggin' your pardon, judge, but you're personally involved in this one. While I'm pretty sure you're right, I hope it won't offend you if, before I go putting the prestige of my department on the line, I get a second opinion?"

"That sounds very reasonable to me, and no offense taken," Josiah said affably. "Hmmm... I'd thought of bringing George in if you and I needed his authority, but he's in the same boat as me: his boys are part of Clan Short too. I'd rather it doesn't get quoted to him, but confidentially, it's no secret that I'm better at constitutional law than the other county judge. The State Attorney General, who'd be your source of legal advice as a public official, is an egotist whose staff is more interested in currying his favor than in doing the job they're supposed on paper to be doing."

"I know," Oliver answered, "Supposedly I could get advice from the Maine State Sheriffs' Association, but I know the President; he was a buddy of Roscoe's, a politician not a professional."

"I've got it!" Harry said. "A few of our new Clan brothers have been involved in law enforcement, thanks to their fathers, since they've been in diapers." He hummed a short passage of a hymn tune; Jonas got it, and grinned.

"What's that?" Maureen asked.

"Why, sure and begorrah," Harry answered in the broadest exaggeration of an Irish brogue he could come up with. "Surely a good Irish lassie like yourself, Aunt Maureen, would be knowing the tune to St. Patrick's Breastplate?"

"And what does that have to do with our problems?" Grace asked.

"I suggest we invoke the Trinity!" Harry said with a big grin.

---

At Clan HQ

Dried and dressed, the boys entered the C.I.C. building. Marky took off in search of his brothers, promising to meet up with C.J. later. C.D. and C.J. headed into the Rec. Room, where C.D. joined his brother Calen, who had befriended a few of the convalescents. C.J. headed for where Raffy and two of the younger boys were playing with some Hot Wheels cars. Just as they'd gotten involved with things in their respective groups, Aaron and Tommy came in. Seeing the young pop star created a stir among the recuperating boys; the Clan members grinned, remembering their own first encounters with Aaron. For his part, Aaron began visiting with the various boys, expertly using his celebrity status to lift their spirits, and himself inwardly thanking God again for making him part of such a huge extended family.

Very soon, Andy too popped his flame-topped head in the door. "Hey, guys, just about time to get over to the Auditorium! You guys in the beds, c'mon along too – and don't be afraid to ask for help. Lots of us have been through things like what you did; we know what it feels like. That's if you feel weak or dizzy, don't be afraid to lean on someone, and if you just need to talk, we're all ready to listen."

"Oops!" C.D. said. "Time for me to get to England!" And he ran off in search of transport to Canterbury.

"C'mon, guys," Raffy said excitedly. "The two guys who started this all are getting married!"

"They won't want kids like us there," one of the new boys said. "Besides, when I had to go pee earlier, I got all wobbly."

"Sure they want you," C.J. said. "That's what this place is all about."

"And my big brother's 16, and he was in a wheelchair for two weeks," Raffy said. "And Ceej 'n' I got to push him! If we're gonna be friends, just drape your arm over my shoulder like friends do, and I'll help you keep on your feet. That's what friends do for friends – or brothers for brothers."

---

As Harry completed his "Trinity" comment, Peter popped into existence at the end of the table, accompanied by the twins, flickered once, reappeared with Philip, and a second time, accompanied by Bobby, who looked around startledly, blushed, and frantically zipped up his pants. "At least I waited until you were done peeing and had things put away!" Peter giggled. The whole group burst into laughter at that.

Doug and Pen came into the diner and hurried over to join them. "Didn't see you anywhere!" Pen said. "Then Doug noticed the judge's big ol' car and Grace's sitting next to it, so we came here."

"It's just about time to get you guys down to the wedding," Peter said. Jonas, Harry, and Skipper excused themselves and slid out of the booth, with Grace, Abbie, and the sheriff getting up to let them out. "We'll be back in a while!" And with that the Clan group was gone.

"What in the world did he mean about 'invoking the Trinity'?" Sheriff Winfield asked as they sat back down. "He doesn't have a hotline to God, does he?"

"Neil," Maureen said theatrically to the open air, "Is this some of your doing?"

They were all somewhat surprised to see an angel with gold wings wearing a cutaway tux appear at the open end of the booth. "Not that Trinity," Mikey chuckled. "This one's sometimes called the Unholy Terrors, if that will give you a clue. Sheriff, you'll soon meet some very unusual boys; trust what they tell you. Now, if you'll all excuse me, my little bros are getting married, and I'm due to stand up with them." And he too vanished.

Grace looked over at Abbie, Maureen, Oliver, and Josiah. "You know the ancient Chinese curse?" she asked, with a quirk of her lip.

"Which one, Grace?" Abbie asked.

"'May you live in interesting times!'" Grace quoted. "I don't know quite what it was we did to deserve it, but I think we've ended up subject to it!" They all laughed, Oliver and Abbie a bit nervously.

---

At the Franklin County Courthouse

George pored over the records taken from Scordo Construction after the arrests earlier in the month, trying to make sense of the blind trails Randall Scordo had planted in case of audit. Some of them would go to Starfleet to document their prosecution, some to the FBI, and some belonged with the State's Attorney's Office for local prosecution. Stacked nearby were the records he and Philip had removed from Jordan Eccles' home office. His initial read-through of them had led to far more questions than answers in his mind. Suddenly a construction-loan mortgage in the Scordo file led him to turn and flip through the neatly-piled folders from his new home. Finding what he wanted, he read through the paperwork in the folder again, to confirm in his mind what he thought he'd remembered. He set the folder down and picked up the phone.

"Western Maine State Bank. How may I direct your call?"

"Mrs. Dupre, please," George responded professionally. "Tell her it's George Wentworth, regarding the ongoing Eccles investigation."

"Attorney Wentworth!" came the clipped Daown-East voice of Hazel Dupre. "What can I help you with today?"

"Hazel, I hate to trouble you, but I'm getting some very interesting connections, and I'm going to need originals or copies of more bank records. Specifically, these files...."

---

At the O'Ryan's

Annie cuddled on her aunt's lap as Kelly filled in the sister-in-law she hadn't seen for over a dozen years until last night on what had happened in their life since she had run off with Neil. Across the room, Danny was fidgety. Television didn't hold his interest. He was worried about his future, missing Brett, wondering if the older boy who claimed to be his brother would come back....

"I don't understand why you thought you had to run away," his aunt said to him, interrupting his train of thought. "Don't you know the trouble you might have gotten into?"

"You don't understand, Aunt Kait," he started to answer.

"There's no excuse for you having taken off like that, young man," Kait said.

"Begging your pardon, Kait – we're in your home, and all that," Kelly interrupted, "but it took him doing that to wake me up. Stan had never treated him like a son, he resented having him around. Danny was consistently made to feel unwelcome in his own home, and I tried to excuse it off – Stan being upset about losing his job, and all. And evidently it came to a head while I was away drying out."

"I never was his son; he didn't want me," Danny said. "I tried to be what he wanted, for Mom's sake, but it was never enough. And when she went to Rehab – well, I lived on peanut butter and bologna sandwiches, and I had to stretch them out – even buying a jar of peanut butter so I'd have something to eat was something he didn't want to do. Little Annie used to hide some of her cookies in her pockets when he'd give her a treat, and give them to me afterwards."

Annie beamed at the praise from her big brother. "Brettie'd bring him stuff too," she piped up.

"While I was still drinking, I stashed grocery money to buy him a used bike from a yard sale for his birthday," Kelly said. "I found out from Danny last night that when he got a flat tire, Stan refused to buy a patch kit, and after I went to Rehab, he put it out with the trash while Danny was in school."

"That last day, Brett brought him half a cold grilled cheese sandwich that his mother had made him for lunch," she continued. "That was the only food Danny had that day. Then he and Brett tried to play a game, and when Stan came home, he threw Brett out and sent Danny to his room for the night – in the middle of the afternoon. Frankly, I don't blame him for running. He had no idea I was going to be released in a couple of days, and he couldn't take any more."

Kaitlyn looked skeptical, but held her tongue.

"But tell me," Kelly changed the subject, "what's my mother been like? Tanya and Bri hinted around it, but nobody's come out and said anything."

"I probably shouldn't criticize your mother..." Kait began.

"Oh, trust me, I remember some of her tirades from before I left! Go ahead and be honest; she's my mother and I love her, but I know what she was like!"

"Well, all right, then..." Kait began, and soon they were chuckling over shared stories of the O'Ryan matriarch.

---

The Auditorium, Clan HQ, Orlando

As the party from Arkham popped into existence, courtesy of Peter's 'Mikyvis Taxi' service, C.J. and Raffy came running in from the Rec. Room, with the two recuperating boys tagging shyly along behind. Jonas greeted them, "Hey, guys, where's your big brothers?"

"Right here," Mickey said, as he, Rina, Jed, and Jared walked in, both couples hand in hand. Harry looked at Mickey and Rina's joined hands, then up at Mickey's beaming face. "Does that mean what I think it means?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah!" a blushing Mickey answered. Rina smiled warmly. "I finally had to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, with a little help from Raffy and Jared," she amplified, "but we're a couple now."

"Congrats, bro!" Jonas and Harry said together, echoed by the other Arkham boys.

"C'mon over here, there's a block of seats not yet taken, so's we can sit together," Peter called out.

As they took their seats, Harry turned his attention from the boys to their surroundings. The huge auditorium was filling fast, and the former stage area... in the middle there was a huge marble arch over a marble altar, a pulpit or podium to one side, enormous banners displaying the crests of Clan Short and the House of Surak flanking the arch, and overhead a huge Starfleet viewscreen.

"Isn't that C.D.?" Raffy said, as the viewscreen showed a boy about his age working the manuals of a huge organ.

"Yep," giggled Peter. "Leev had to transport him over there at the last minute, because he was with you guys."

One of the new boys from the convalescent ward looked up. "That's the same kid that was sitting on the next bed over talkin' to those kids?"

"Yep!" Jared answered. "I thought he didn't like to play with big organs, though!" he added giggling.

"You are going swimming after the wedding!" his brother said, laughing at the joke.

---

The boys' ebullient mood was suddenly chilled as Pastor Mills asked for a moment of silence for those who had given their lives for others the previous Saturday. In the quiet, Jonas mentally renewed his vow to do all he could to prevent such a thing from ever happening again, and thanked God for letting him and his family live through the close brush with death they'd experienced, and the life-changing week that had followed for them.

Harry listened intently to Pastor Mills quoting the Bible: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

"Love never fails... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

He thought of the love that bound him and Jonas together, of the sometimes cantankerous but always supportive love from his mother, of the early memories of being held by his long-dead father, of the love that had bound him and Jonas as brothers to all the boys in the room, of the love reaching out through Mikey and Davey and all the other angels to people all over the world, and accepted his place in receiving that love gratefully and passing it on to others. Looking around, he could see others' faces touched by the same vision. A snippet of an old hymn ran through his mind: 'For the love that from our birth over and around us lies' and then a piece of a half-forgotten poem 'I will march beside my brothers walking hand in hand, and together we will fight on for peace throughout the land.' And he felt a sense of strength and confidence come over him.

As Cory and Sean recited their vows, all the couples almost automatically joined hands: Jonas and Harry, Jed and Jared, Mickey and Rina, Pen and Doug, Skipper and Bobby, and they all felt the chill run down their spines as Sean finished his vow to Cory.

As Nick Carter, backed by C.D. and a string orchestra, sang "I remember you," the still-hand-locked couples looked into each other's eyes:

"We've had our share of hard times

But that's the price we paid

And through it all we kept the promise that we made

I swear you'll never be lonely."

And to each of them, the love being vowed between Sean and Cory seemed to sum up the love they felt for each other and the love they felt for family, Clan, and all the world, no, all the universes of people who need love and who need to give love. And then it came time for their first kiss as a married couple, and somehow the love they shared kindled love in all watching on.

[I know how! -Kyle]

[Write your own story, kiddo! - D&B]

Then Harry's eyes bugged out as Queen Elizabeth entered in state, and created the newlyweds Princes of the House of Windsor, and extended that offer to all the Clan members as well.

---

The wedding reception was no less special, with Bon Jovi playing live. Rina and all the boys lined up to congratulate and give best wishes to Sean and Cory.

Accompanied by Doug, Jonas walked over to Justy, who was in conversation with his grandfather and grandmother. "This is Doug, Justy," he said in a low voice. "I voided his sentence like you said."

"Come here," commanded Sarek to them. Nervously, they took the few steps to stand before the somber, tall Vulcan patriarch. Abruptly, he reached out his arms and drew Doug into a warm, full hug. Releasing him after a few moments, he did the same to Jonas.

"I am Pid-Sam to you," he said solemnly. "That means you are my grandsons equally with Justin, James, and Jacob – and, in default of any blood sons to either Sybok or Spock, you and your Clan brothers are the only grandchildren I have. Your sentence, Douglas, is voided; it has fulfilled its purpose, as Jonas logically concluded that it would. Jonas, you are at fault in imposing too severe a suspended sentence, but you and Justin here acted to repair that fault, according to your own understanding. Do you understand what Pid-Sam means, Jonas?"

"I th-think so, Grandfather," Jonas said hesitantly.

"It doesn't translate well," Amanda said warmly. "Patriarch, which is how we usually render it in English, carries the authority but not the warmth. It's based on the root for 'father' – maybe 'Arch-father' might convey the meaning, if there were such a word."

"It is logical," Sarek said, "that a father correct the errors of his sons, and enable the young to learn from their mistakes. Your punishment, Jonas, is that you must stand before a full meeting of your Clan, describe your error and what should have been done, so that your brothers may learn from your mistake, rather than having to make the same one themselves."

"Does it matter, sir," Doug asked in a nervous tone, "that his threat turned my life around?"

"Sarek took that into account," Amanda said. "Justy, this goes for you too."

"Your decision to back your Clan brother's threat was appropriate," Sarek said, "and your judgment, even without a telepath confirming it, that Douglas required a threat to awaken him to his error, proved accurate. But you should have imposed a lesser sentence, after awakening him to the potential maximum. Remember, grandson, that true justice always allows for mercy and the potential for change. To do otherwise would not be logical. You are my beloved grandsons, acting on my authority. Do not hesitate to call on me for advice, as and when you may think you need it."

---

Skipper was sitting with a plate of food, nibbling and listening to an effervescent Bobby burble about the wedding, when he noticed the shadow of wings cutting off the afternoon sun. He glanced up, and Mikey was standing there.

"Omigod, I never thought I'd be face to face with an angel," Skipper said, abruptly standing.

"Sit down, bro," Mikey said. "I wouldn't miss my little brothers' wedding for anything."

"I thought you'd have to be off doing your guardian angel thing," Bobby said perkily, though his eyes too were bulging.

"Davey's got the duty this afternoon," Mikey smiled. "In fact, right about now he's intervening in Qaraqalpaqistan..."

"Where?" Bobby asked.

"It's a place in the middle of the Central Asian steppes," Mikey grinned. "Don't be embarrassed; I'd never heard of it until I got this job either. They don't teach that detailed world geography in Des Moines! But this kid is destined to change how all the clans and tribes in that area look at being gay; he just needs the strength to get through what happens today, and the knowledge that he's doing the right thing – which is what Davey's giving him."

"But I looked you two up," Mikey continued, "on business, of a sort. I need your help."

"You've got it!" Skipper said. "What do you want us to do?"

"There's something going down this afternoon, after you get back to Arkham," the angel answered. "All you need to do is be completely honest – and you'll be tempted to tell less than the whole truth. Be proud of who you are, together, and say so fearlessly. That way, you help to heal a broken family."

"You mean, about us being a couple?" Bobby asked. "But I thought that...."

"Wrong," Mikey said, flexing his wings. "Um, angel here, you know? We don't bless stuff that's wrong – and I was here to help join my two brothers in marriage. That tell you anything?"

"Okay, what do we look for?" Skipper asked.

"When the time comes, you'll know," Mikey said, and walked away.

---

As the reception continued, all the boys from Arkham, including the Templetons and McKendricks, along with Rina, drifted slowly together. J.J. walked over to them, carrying a wicker basket. "Hey, guys," he said. "With all Hell breaking loose the past few days, I haven't got around to issuing you your commbadges. Here." And he began handing them out to the boys, showing them how to connect to Clan HQ and to Starfleet, raise other Clan members direct, and so on. "Jonas, Harry, let me see your communicators, please," the 12-year-old Head of Clan Security asked politely. Both teens handed theirs over. Turning to Jonas, he said, "This is for you," handing him a silver commbadge in place of his old metallic blue communicator.

"Huh? Why's mine different?" Jonas asked.

"This one's got some special circuits and encryption," J.J. answered. "All the Division heads have them."

"But..."

"Oh, nobody told you?" J.J. grinned, knowing full well no one had. "You guys are Northeast Division now; there's sure enough of you to make up a new division. You're under SamSam as Director for all of North America, but you can expect to operate pretty much independently except when he needs Clan backup on something. Figure that if something comes up in New England, New York, all that area, you'll be on first call for it. We've seen how you and Harry work together, you providing leadership and him strategy. Trust me, when Cory makes this sort of call, he's always right. Don't argue with him; he's not up to another Logic War right now."

"Okay..." Jonas said, stunned.

"We'll try to arrange time to get your new guys trained on phasers sometime soon. Philip, from what happened Saturday, you're a natural. Here's yours; try to get in some instruction with Jonas and Harry before you need to use it, okay?" And he handed the startled Philip a holstered phaser. "Catch you all later, okay?" And he was off.

A glance went across the grounds between Mikey and Kyle, then another between Kyle and Peter. "You guys ready to head north?" Peter asked.

Rina slipped closer to Mickey, eyes watering, as she wrapped her arms around C.J.'s shoulders. Jed stepped closer to them, firmly holding Jared's hand. "I don't want to lose my boys!" Rina said to Mickey.

Raffy caught Mickey's eye, and a wordless communication passed between them, much like the one they had shared after Jed and Jared's fight. Mickey stood straighter and wrapped his arm around the slender young woman's shoulders, lending her strength and courage. "You won't," he said calmly, in a voice full of promise. "We'll fight it, whatever it takes."

Rina heard the slight emphasis on 'we' in Mickey's assurance, and took heart. She gave Peter a small smile. "I guess we're ready," she said.

Peter levitated himself up to eye level for the older teens and young adults. "I'm taking you in four groups," he said. "Don't argue; what's supposed to happen was handed down from much higher up than me, or even Mikey. There's lots a' stuff going on at the same time when you get back – it's my job to make sure you're all where you need to be." He waved at Scott and Galen, walking by. "Have fun in Greece!" he called out. They grinned.

"Okay, first, Doug, you and Pen need some one-on-one time to talk about your future together, and, uh, whatever else comes up. I'll drop you by your car, outside the diner." He grinned at them. "Ready?" They nodded; Peter flickered and suddenly Pen and Doug were gone.

"Now, Jonas and Harry. You're headed home – Mom and our brother need you, Jonas. You'll see." Another flicker, and the three of them were gone.

"Drew, you need to go with the Templetons and McKendricks. Here, you need to trigger a memory." He transferred a memory sequence he'd harvested the day before to the little red-haired telepath. Drew got the sort of delighted grin on his face that one sees on little boys 'getting' a dirty joke. He gave Peter a thumbs-up.

"Is he going to be okay?" Philip asked protectively.

"Sure, he'll be with the judge, and these guys won't let anything bad happen to him," Peter answered. "You and Randy, on the other hand – I was Told that you two need to help your father make sense of some stuff, but for some reason I'm being blocked from seeing what. All that stuff you've been blocking off, from before the twins came, about your old Pa, though – you need to be brave and remember it."

Philip looked dubious. Skipper slipped over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "You can handle it, Phil," he said. "You're the toughest of any of us; you've had to be. And you're a survivor. Remember, you got all us backing you up now – you're our brother." Philip drew up his shoulders, sucked in his stomach, and accepted his task. Once again Peter flickered, and the two new Wentworth brothers were gone.

"Okay, the rest of you are headed to the nursing home. Dad's there already. Tell the truth, and try not to worry. I'm sorry about this, really; it was my screw-up, and you guys have to work through it with me. That's not fair, but it's life. All set?"

Rather grim nods met his final question. And they vanished from Clan HQ grounds.

---

States Attorney's Office, Franklin County Courthouse

Philip, Randy, and Peter materialized in front of George's desk, where he was checking over the information Mrs. Dupre had brought over. Peter immediately vanished again.

"Hey, boys," George said with a smile. "Enjoy the wedding?"

Randy slipped up on his lap. "Sure did! It was awesome!"

"Come here, son," George said to Philip. He stepped over in front of his father hesitantly. George reached out and drew the shy husky 14-year-old into the hug. "You know, I was brought up to be undemonstrative, and so were you. But everything I've read, everything I've learned, since I got you guys says that we both need to learn to show we care. It's no easier for me than it is for you to overcome old habits. But I love you, son, and I'm trying."

Philip relaxed into his new dad's embrace, very tentatively at first. Randy reached across George's chest and pulled Philip's head towards him, then planted a kiss on his big brother's cheek. "You know what Dr. Dan would say, Phil. Give it a chance to work."

"Hey!" George exclaimed. "Where's Drew?"

"Peter said he needed to go help out Jed and C.J., while Phil and I help you. Betcha the judge brings him back pretty soon!"

Philip meanwhile had leaned forward, looking at the things on his father's desk. "Boy, this is confusing!" he commented, as his brow wrinkled.

"Yeah, I was just trying to sort out who has clear title, in some of the chicanery that Scordo and Eccles were up to. It looks to me like they were in a race to see who could cheat more people, including each other," George smiled.

"So let me see, here," Philip looked at the papers. "Everything Scordo owned was pledged in this mortgage? Is that for real?"

"Yeah, that's fairly normal in large construction projects," George explained. "If you're in that sort of business, you pledge your company, along with the land you're buying, to get the really large sums – several millions – to build the big projects, like that subdivision. Then you pay it off fast, before interest builds up, out of your profits from selling off the things you built."

"Only Scordo got arrested," Randy tossed in.

"Yes," George answered.

"So it would all revert to the bank that held the mortgage?" Philip's brow was wrinkled as he tried to make sense of the legal hocus-pocus.

"In theory, yes," George said. "What makes it complicated is that the bank in question was Western Maine State – your old Pa's bank. And he was skimming off the money for the land payments, and sending it to this account." George picked up a ledger page.

Randy's nose wrinkled as he tried to remember some things he'd gotten through Clan Intelligence. Abruptly he slipped down from his father's lap, and took on his serious Vulcan-control visage. He walked over to his father's terminal. "Dad, I think this needs to go to the Clan."

George looked at the earnest red-headed seven-year-old, standing solemnly next to the official terminal. "You're looking for my consent and cooperation – when you could do it anyway, legally, am I right, Randy?"

The little guy grinned. "Uh huh." George smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Randy turned solemn again, and called Justy and his twin brothers. "He who was our former guardian by act of law but did not nourish" – the Vulcan phrase was itself an indictment – "routed money to this account." Randy scanned the image. "The designator coding is one that we have seen before."

At the other end of the connection, Jamie, Jacob, and Justy were perusing things they had learned about the First FCC, while Gabe was scanning the data uncovered in the Starfleet equipment scam that Vincent had inadvertently uncovered on board the Yorktown. Davie and Jimmy looked over his shoulder, clearly enjoying watching their new Pop at work. Suddenly connections began to fall into place.

"Good work!" Justy said to Randy. "Tying that account in just started a cascade of data that looks like it may be tying some of the questions we've had together. I'll call you guys later and let you know what we found!"

Meanwhile, Philip had been looking at a group of death certificates which George had put into a folder in the Scordo finances pile. "I don't get this," he said to his father.

"Those are the people that Scordo originally bought the land from," George said. "At first I suspected foul play, but it looks like they're all natural deaths – a hereditary family susceptibility to cancer, that took 'em all out over just a few years."

"Okay, so Michael and his wife died here, four years back. Then his father Zechariah, next spring." Philip was puzzling through them. "Then this lady, who's I guess Zechariah's daughter and Michael's sister. And she was taking care of Michael's son when she died."

"Good so far," George said.

"And then her husband remarried, and then he got killed in this accident?" It was beginning to connect now for Philip.

"Exactly," George said. "And then the second wife left town – not that she was an heir anyway, the way old Zech rigged the inheritance."

"Which leaves only..." Philip and George had matching grins as the teen drew the logical conclusion. "I can't wait until you tell him!" Philip said.

"It gets better," George said. "Here – you want the default clauses on the last pages." He handed his oldest son a sheaf of mortgage contracts. Philip leafed through them, his eyes opening wider as he went.

"So these mean that the property defaulted to the bank – but this one shows that the bank never made the payments, because Pa Eccles was skimming the money?" Philip asked in wonder.

"That's what I'm concluding," George agreed.

"And because the bank didn't transfer the payments properly, they defaulted as trustee here?" George nodded yes to Philip's question. "But then that means that the whole cascade of defaulted mortgages goes to him, land, construction companies, and all?"

"That's what it looks like," George allowed.

"Well, he always did like fixing things!" Philip said with a big grin. All three laughed.

---

The McConnaghay Home

Maureen was sitting in her living room. The television was on, a newscaster alternating coverage of the memorial service in South Carolina planned for the next day with clips of Saturday's fight in Montana and the aftermath. Maureen, however, was not paying attention to it, but sipping tea and thinking.

Peter popped in with Jonas and Harry, and promptly vanished again after saying, "I'm going to be with Dad and them. I'll be home with him later."

She gave the two boys a wan smile. "How was the wedding?" she asked. There was, however, something in her tone that made it clear she was making conversation, rather than her usual interest in what the boys had been involved with.

"Really nice, mother," Jonas said. "We'll tell you about it later, I'm sure. But there's something bothering you. I haven't grown up living with you without knowing your moods. Is it something we can help with?"

"No," she said, then "Yes" and "Sure, and I don't know." She paused, looked with a scowl at her teacup, and then, "I called a few minutes ago, asked Kelly to come over with her kids. Jonas, I've thought evil thoughts about that woman most of your life, and what you said yesterday woke me up to something in myself I don't like. I need to be doin' right by her, bury the hatchet, be such help as I can be to her. I know that – but I'm dreading going ahead and doing it. I think I need you boys here with me. I never thought the day would come when I'd be leanin' on you for strength, son, but..." She trailed off.

Jonas sat down by his mother and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I guess it's time to be the kind of man you brought me up to be," he said to her. "You know you can count on me."

"Us," said Harry. With a sudden bit of insight, he knew suddenly the conflict Maureen was talking about, and how he could help. "You know, I never trusted Jonas with the truth, about how I felt. I should have, long since. If I'd trusted him to be who I knew he was, and just been honest with him, I'd have had a lot less heartbreak. But I was afraid to, afraid to speak the truth. Aunt Maureen, isn't that how you're feeling right now?"

Maureen looked up at the lanky boy who had been her only son's best friend most of his life, and now had become the person he would marry. "When did you get so wise, Harry?" she said with a nervous smile. "Thank you – son," she said to Harry, and drew him down on her other side, clasping his hand in hers.

Kaitlyn O'Ryan's car pulling into the driveway just then interrupted the scene. Kait, Kelly, Danny, and Annie came onto the porch. Maureen stood up, then jittered. "I should have brought the refreshments out."

"Mom," said Jonas, "Harry and I'll take care of that. You welcome them in, and all that hostessy stuff." He motioned Harry to the kitchen.

The two women and the almost-teen seemed nervous, Maureen noted as she cordially greeted them and escorted them into her living room, masking her own nerves. Jonas and Harry made a production number out of bringing in the coffee service and cookies she had set out.

"Does everyone know everyone else?" Maureen asked.

Kait nodded. "You must be Harry," she said to him. "Tanya's told me a lot about Jonas and you." Jonas and Harry's eyes met; Harry gave an eloquent shrug of his eyebrows.

Maureen drew a deep breath. "Kelly, you are welcome here. Having said that, are you willing that we be frank with each other? I think we could dance around things politely all day, But what I'm hoping is that we can make a fresh start, and I think that requires clearing the air about the past first."

Kelly nodded nervously, then began slowly. "What Neil had to say about your marriage made me dislike you. But you know, I think we both long since got the picture that Neil was not all he was cracked up to be. I'm seeing you now in person for the first time, and you're a lot different than the woman I had pictured in my head. Being frank about what happened makes sense, Maureen. And I appreciate what you said."

"Well, then," Maureen said. "I guess what I need to say is that I spent most of thirteen years resenting the hell out of you stealing Neil from me – the same thing, from the other side of the mirror, I guess. And I've just come to realize how wrong I was in doing that – and how he hurt you just as much as he did me."

"I've spent my whole life thinking that I was an only child, and that the closest thing I had to a brother was Harry here," Jonas interjected. "But this past month, I've gotten several dozen brothers, Harry's moved from friend-close-as-a-brother to something much closer. And now I find that I have a for-real little half-brother by blood, and I'm not going to give Danny up." Maureen glanced over at Jonas with an approving smile.

"Several dozen brothers?" Kait asked incredulously. "What on Earth does that mean?"

"Not on Earth at all," Harry said with a grin. "More like, on Vulcan."

"Harry and I were adopted into a Vulcan Clan," Jonas explained. "Ambassador Sarek is legally our grandfather, now. And Vulcan's protection is over Danny and Annie, and you, Aunt Kelly, too, thanks to what happened yesterday." He paused. "As well as because he's my brother," he added firmly.

Danny was listening raptly with wide eyes. "You meant all that stuff yesterday was for real?"

"Yep," said Harry. "That reminds me." He pulled out his communicator. "Johnson to Clan HQ."

"Hi, Harry. David here. Sounds like you have business."

"Yes, I do. Please make sure Justy updates House and Family databases to show that diplomatic immunity is extended over ... Danny, what's your full name? And Annie's?" After hearing the answer, "Daniel Patrick O'Ryan, 12, and Anne Marie Polabski, 4, and their mother Kelly O. Polabski, formerly of West Amboy, New Jersey, and presently staying in Arkham. We intervened last night in Danny's abduction, and have reason to believe that Kelly's ex-husband may seek custody of the girl."

"Consider it done. Gallagher out."

"Johnson out." Harry clicked off his communicator.

"Mommy, that guy on Harry's phone sounded just like David Gallagher from Seventh Heaven!" Annie said excitedly.

"It was," Harry said. "You like him?" Annie's eyes were huge. All smiles, she nodded. "Well, we'll just have to take you down to meet him sometime."

"So have you heard anything about Neil?" Kelly asked. "He disappeared after we broke up, and I never heard anything more about him."

"He's dead," Maureen said. "Though his ghost, or something, appeared here in this room three days ago."

"And again yesterday morning, in my bedroom," Harry said.

"You know Neil, Kelly," Maureen said. "Impulsive, always making the wrong decisions, but a heart of gold and always wanting to do the right thing, even if he couldn't quite get it what that was. He died trying to disarm a bomb that was set to blow up an orphanage, about a month ago."

"And both times he's appeared since then," Jonas added, "it was to save the lives of family – first us, then Danny. Give him that – he loved us all with a love that lasted past death."

In the pause that followed, the television coverage was picturing the ships in Charleston Harbor, and with the only sound a single piper playing the Londonderry Air. The treble voice of Declan Galbraith singing came in just then:

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

 

But come you back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

 

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

 

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

 

Danny, Kelly, and Maureen's eyes were watering as the song ended. Jonas took Danny's hand, then his mother's, gesturing for Danny to take his own mother's hand with his free one. "Let's let that be how all of us remember him," he said. "For all his faults, he loved Danny – loved all four of us, enough to make sure we were safe and happy." Maureen nodded firmly, and reached out her own free hand towards Kelly to close the circle. Kelly grasped it, and Maureen squeezed it firmly. Annie slipped past Maureen and climbed up on her brother's lap; Harry stepped up and wrapped his arms around Jonas's shoulders. A slow, infectious smile spread across all their faces.

As the circle broke, Jonas took charge. "Let's look at practical matters, then. Mrs. O'Ryan, I hope it won't be too much of an imposition for them to stay with you a couple days more?"

"No, of course not," Kait said. "But Kelly's going to want to have her own home. They haven't replaced Ms. Oakridge yet, so I don't know how to get her Welfare help."

"Not needed," Jonas said. "I'll get in touch with Kayla York at Federation Youth Services, and come up with what's needed for funds."

"I talked to Mom last night," Harry filled in. "She's prepared to sell or rent our place to you, ma'am," (addressing Kelly) "whichever you prefer, as soon as we're moved to the new place. And," he grinned, "Danny, you can have my single bed!" Jonas laughed.

"What would the Federation be doing giving out money up here?" Kait asked skeptically.

"Because, Mrs. O'Ryan, a part of their mission is to provide funding for relocating individuals or families placed under the protection of Clan Short of Vulcan," Jonas said firmly. "Since I have placed Aunt Kelly and my little brother and his sister under their protection, Kayla will be glad to assist."

"On your say-so?" Kait's sarcasm was palpable.

"Yes, on my say-so," Jonas answered. "Would you like me to call her to have her verify it to you?" He pulled out his communicator.

"That won't be necessary," Maureen said briskly. "Kait, trust me that Jonas is not blowing smoke here; he has been given the authority to do what he just said, and he's been using it in a more mature manner than I would have expected a month ago."

"We want to help, Kelly," Maureen continued. "All of us want to let bygones be bygones, and equip you with what you need to make a fresh start back here where your roots are."

Danny was looking stunned by what had happened over the last few days. Harry noticed, and elbowed Jonas. "C'mon, bro," Jonas said. "Let's let the women talk, and us three guys head out back and spend some time together. I got to get to know my little brother, after all!" He smiled; Danny's grin back was answer enough, though his eyes still looked haunted. The two teens stood up, with a gesture indicating Danny should follow, and headed for the back door.

---

Franklin County High School Cafeteria

"Rachel? Can I sit with you, please?"

Rachel Cohen was shocked at who was standing by her, asking: Tanya O'Ryan. "Uh, sure," she answered. "I'd thought you'd be sitting with Lisa and Tony, like usual."

"Lisa stayed home today. And she's broken up with Tony, and don't ask why. But I need to talk something out with someone, and after Friday, I think you're the person who can help me understand what's going on." Tanya's eyes were downcast; she seemed almost embarrassed to be asking.

Rachel's curiosity was piqued. "Yeah, sure, sit down. What's up?" she asked.

"Well, you know a bunch of us got called to the Conference Room last period yesterday. That's when it started, but I can't say much about what happened there. The judge said it's confidential." Tanya was talking in low tones but earnestly, and wild horses could not have dragged Rachel away from this conversation. "Anyway, when what happened there was over, Miz Kilbride said something about me and Jonas being just like his father and my aunt..." Rachel grimaced; Tanya didn't seem to notice "...and suddenly we were in New Jersey: me, Jonas, Harry, Skipper from the emergency truck, and some little boy named Peter. It was just like a Starfleet transporter that you see on the news, except that we didn't go to a ship, just direct to in front of a house – my aunt's house. The funny thing is, the four of them didn't seem at all surprised, like they were expecting it. Harry went up to the door, calm as a cucumber, and faced down my aunt's husband, and then it gets really crazy."

"I met my aunt that I hadn't seen since I was tiny, and her little girl, who's a little cutie, and some woman and a boy that were there with them. And Jonas and Harry were talking like they were cops, or something, just like they did at the... uh, forget I said that last. We went from there to an abandoned warehouse downtown, where my cousin had apparently run away to, but he wasn't there. Then the little kid said he was in the motel next door. And everybody took him seriously, and went over there."

"Skipper knocked on the door, and all of a sudden there was Miz Oakridge that got fired from the Welfare Office up here, and Banker Eccles and his wife that taught fourth grade, and Eccles is shooting at people with a gun. He shot Jonas, and it looked like it was bad, but a little bit later he stood up again like nothing'd happened, except he had a hole and blood on his sweatshirt. But the odd part was, Jonas and Harry had those phasers like Starfleet Security carries, and I think they shot old lady Oakridge and the two Eccles with them. Then the cops showed up, and I figured they'd get arrested, but Jonas just stands there and tells the kid – Peter, his name was – to take the cops his ID. And the cop starts treating him like he's somebody special."

"But that's not the important part," Tanya went on. "The odd thing was, Jonas and Harry were acting like a team, almost like a couple if they weren't both guys. And Harry was saying I needed to learn something – and I think I did. What my aunt went through since she ran off with Jonas's father shouldn't happen to anyone, and I guess Danny – that's my cousin – got dicked around a lot while it was all happening. And I could see myself in ten or fifteen years, in her shoes, and it scared me. And then Jonas started talking about orders of protection over my aunt and cousins, like he was Judge Brewster or something instead of a guy our age, and then we went to my aunt's friend's place for pizza, and then suddenly we were in Jonas's mother's house again – like the transporter thing all over again. And the funny part of it all was, nobody seemed surprised. Judge Brewster was there – I think he's sweet on Jonas's mother – and he drove us back to my place. And Pa, Ma, and Aunt Kelly sat talking about stuff they wouldn't let us in on. It's like some kind of bizarre dream, except it really happened."

"You're close to Harry," Tanya wound down. "Do you know what's going on?"

Rachel drew a breath. "I know a little," she said. "And there's some stuff I'm pretty sure is confidential, too. You remember the Templeton murders, right?"

"Of course," Tanya said. "That was big news when it happened, last month, right? But what does that have to do with yesterday?"

"I'm getting to that," Rachel said. "Jonas isn't one to brag, and neither is Harry any more. But did he ever tell you that it was the two of them that rescued the Templetons' two sons when it happened?"

"No!" Tanya said, shocked. "I had no idea."

"Okay, now remember when Starfleet arrested Old Man Hofstetter, and Jack and Bruno here, last Thursday?"

"Yeah – it was the talk of the school!"

"Well, it was Harry who called them in, and he was the one that stunned the Principal when he resisted arrest," Rachel said calmly, almost as if reporting news.

"So they really are some kind of cops?" Tanya asked, wide eyed.

"Sort of. Harry was kind of reticent when he and I talked, but from what I gathered, their getting involved in helping the Templeton kids led to their joining some sort of group down in Florida that's got the Vulcans behind it, so that they can enforce laws to protect kids, and sometimes even sit as judges to sentence people they arrest," Rachel explained. "That's how Harry brought Starfleet in to protect Pen when Bruno and Jack started bullying him. I think he could legally have made the arrests himself, but he wanted backup – people around here would find it hard to believe a 15-year-old can do something like that."

"After yesterday, I'm a believer," Tanya said. "But Harry said something odd. When Jonas got shot, he ran over to him, and got grazed across the scalp by another shot himself." Rachel winced. "I told him that that was either the most heroic thing I'd ever seen or the most foolish. And he said back to me that for me Jonas was a trophy, but for him he was his life."

Rachel drew a deep breath. She knew her next few words would be crucial to what happened. She seemed to hear a quiet voice inside herself saying, 'Tell the truth.'

"Tanya," she temporized, "how do you feel about Jonas?"

Now it was Tanya's turn to draw a breath and think. "You know," she said slowly, "any time up to our jaunt down to New Jersey, I'd have said that I wanted him for a boyfriend. And you've got to admit he's quite a catch. But he told my aunt and everybody that he liked me okay as a friend but he didn't love me, and he broke it off before either of us got hurt. And seeing what happened to my aunt, I think I grew up quite a lot yesterday. I mean, the whole point of the boyfriend/girlfriend dating bit is to find someone you are going to be happy married to, in the long run, and you learn that by trial and error going out and stuff, right? If Jonas doesn't love me, then pushing him about the relationship is just going to ruin our friendship, or something worse – like leave me pregnant facing life as a single mom in my teens."

Rachel nodded. "I think you're right. I kind of had to go through this myself, a couple years back. So if Jonas told you he'd found someone, what would you do?"

"Ouch!" said Tanya. "I didn't see that one coming!" She grinned. "Well, it'd take a little doing to get myself there, but I think I'm woman enough to congratulate them and wish him and her well."

Rachel paused. 'Go for broke time,' she thought. "What," she said slowly, "if it wasn't a her?"

Tanya's eyes widened. She drew a deep breath, "Jonas isn't gay," she said. "I know."

"No," Rachel said. "But he is bisexual, and there's somebody he's always loved – it took nearly losing him to wake him up to how deeply he loved him."

"Harry," Tanya breathed with an air of someone waking up from a long sleep. She gazed out the cafeteria window for several seconds, completely unmindful of the racket around her. "And I just learned how much Harry loves him, last night." She paused again. "And how much compassion he has for me. I've been treating him like dirt, and he gave me back my aunt, and woke me up to what a fool I was making of myself."

"So what are you going to do now?" Rachel asked in trepidation.

"Spend a lot of time getting used to the idea, I think," Tanya said. "Then when I see them, thank them both sincerely and congratulate them. I got a lesson in what real love is, and how infatuation can hurt you permanently, yesterday. I know I've acted like a bitch, but I hope you can believe there's a lot more to me than that."

Rachel sighed in relief. "Tell you what," she said with a smile. "Let's meet after school for a coke, and we can cry together about the ones that got away. We have that in common, at least."

"You and Harry?" Tanya asked. Rachel nodded, still smiling. Tanya burst into a delighted grin. She picked up her milk carton. "To the ones that got away!" she offered the toast. Rachel tapped her juice against Tanya's milk, and together they drank.

"C'mon; it's almost time for the bell," Tanya said. And they got up and walked out of the cafeteria arm in arm.

---

Pen tossed himself down on the large, soft bed he'd appropriated for himself and Doug as they arrived at his room. Doug sprawled in the comfortable easy chair nearby. "Wow, that was some wedding!" he said.

"Sure was!" Pen answered. "It makes me think ahead, to what ours will be like." Abruptly he sobered. "That is, if you want us to marry, Dougie. I shouldn't make those kinds of decisions."

"Of course I want to marry you," Doug said. "It can't be legal in Maine, but I'm committed. Whatever you want. It's not like I can pay for anything, anyway. But I'll go along with anything you want, babe."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Doug," Pen said. "Are we partners, or not?"

"Of course!"

"Well, then, it's what we want. I thought Father and I made that clear to you already – the last thing I want is for money to come between us. Any decisions about our future are ours -- yours and mine together – not what I want because I'm Father's heir. Maybe I'm providing a lot of the stuff you can buy at a store, but you're giving just as much, in intangible things that mean so much more to me. Look, you know what you told Jonas about your sentence having turned you around, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well," Pen said earnestly, "having you love me and letting me love you turned my world round just as much. Remember when you wouldn't let me bleed to death, how I acted? I was ready to die, I loathed myself, I was despicable in everybody's eyes including my own – just the guy sneaking around behind people's backs to get cock. You turned that around, you woke Father up to what was happening that was making my life miserable, I'm happy being me, and being a me in love with you. Remember reading the poem 'Richard Cory'?"

"The guy who had everything, and went home one night and shot himself?"

"That was me, Dougie. That was me before you. Now it's not – I've got you, I'm in love and I'm happy. And there's more – any guy at school, just about, could mop the floor with me. I was always terrified that I'd say or do the wrong thing and end up getting beat up. Now I've got you, and I'm not afraid any more. You proved it before you ever admitted you loved me, when you stepped between Jack's fist and me. I know you've got that stubborn pride, so take your time getting used to what Father and I are all too willing to give you. But never doubt that it's a two-way street – that you've given and are giving me just as much, in a different kind of coin that you have to give."

"Now c'mere. Enough talk, it's kissing time now." Pen patted the bed for emphasis.

---

Ten minutes later, both boys were feeling, and showing, the effects of their make-out session. Doug started to slide himself down the bed, reaching for Pen's zipper.

"Wait!" Pen said. Doug looked at him, startled.

"I want something more, something different. You're always treating me like I'm a piece of delicate china, fragile and delicate. I may be little, but I don't break. The one thing – the only thing – I miss from the time before, with Tony, is feeling you hot and hard inside me, driving both of us crazy. It's time, and past time – I want you to make love to me, just as hard as you want. I need it, and I'll love it."

Doug's eyes were lustful, but he seemed worried. "I don't want to hurt you, Pen, I love you!"

"You won't, Dougie. The only problem that one time with Tony is that he was too impatient. Once I've got myself ready, no problem."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Then you're going to show me how to get you ready," Doug said.

And it was Pen's turn to be surprised. "I can't think of anything I'd like more!"

---

Doug rolled over, exhausted. Pen smiled at him. "Oh, God, that was wonderful!"

"I was so afraid I would hurt you, but you kept egging me on," Doug replied. "I've never felt anything like it. I don't understand how that can feel good to you, though."

"Oh, it does, trust me!" Pen said. "Look what you made me do!" He grinned, and gestured to the splatters up and down his chest and abdomen. "Does that clue you in how good it made me feel?"

Doug blushed. "In that case...." he leered. Then, glancing up, "Hey, what's that red light?"

Pen followed his gaze. "That's my webcam. I used that on the Internet, back before. But it's been shut off, with my computer; it shouldn't be flashing like that." A sudden thought came to him. He jumped up, ignoring his own nakedness and the cooling results of their sex life, and went to his computer. Booting it up, he switched off the webcam and logged in as Network Admin. for the house network, and started a trace.

"That webcam was activated remotely, on the network," he said. As the trace came back, "Oh, damn!"

"What?" Doug asked, standing naked next to him.

"It leads to the computer in Jenkins's quarters," Pen said bleakly.

---

With a growing sense of disquiet, Philip pored through the material that he and his new father had collected from his former adoptive father Jordan Eccles's locked office and files. Each document, annotated in Jordan's too-familiar scrawl, reminded him of the harsh existence he had put out of his mind when his former parents were arrested.

He remembered sitting or lying in corners where Jordan's blows had landed him, apparently ignored as the crooked fundamentalist banker pursued his private business affairs. He had learned not to cry in front of the Eccles, but staying where he fell when Jordan hit him would often cause him to ignore it, his rage assuaged by the violence he had committed.

And slowly, names and terms came back to him – ones that had meant little or nothing to him two and three years ago, but after what had been put in his mind Sunday night at the Clan meeting, ones that triggered associations in his mind – evil ones.

Concerned for the increased tension in his big brother's visage, Randy had 'tuned in' on him. The painful memories Philip was recalling, the final months of which he and Drew had shared, sent a reflexive fear through the little telepath. Then he drew on the training Jamie and Jacob had given him and Drew, brought himself into an emotionless Vulcan state, and paid attention to what Philip was recalling. His eyes widened.

Philip looked up at George. "Father?" he said querulously.

"Yes, son?" George asked, innocent of what was happening in his sons' minds.

"Why might Pa Eccles have been doing business with a Commander in Starfleet Ordnance and Engineering?" the teenager asked.

"Let me see that, son," said the States Attorney, all business now.

---

Meeting Room, Franklin County Extended Care Facility

As they appeared in the meeting room, they found Josiah Brewster and Christopher Sarles sitting at a table. The judge's seat was at what was clearly the head of the table, and three law books and two folders rested to his right. The lanky, proud form of Jed and C.J.'s grandfather was relaxing in a chair slipped back from the table to Josiah's left, legs stretched out and arms folded behind his head.

"Ah, there you are!" Josiah said. C.J. gave a delighted shout and ran to hug his grandfather, plunking himself down in his lap. Jed walked over, accompanied by Jared, and gave him a brief, warm hug on the side away from the one C.J. had monopolized.

Rina's poise started to break. Mickey noticed. and wrapped his arms over her shoulders in a comforting, protecting gesture. Skipper motioned Bobby, Drew, and Raffy to take seats with him towards the opposite end of the table; Drew took a seat where he had a direct-line view of Mr. Sarles. Josiah rose and escorted Rina to a chair just to his right. Mickey seated himself next to her, and Jed and Jared took the next two seats. Peter gently tapped C.J. on the shoulder.

"I know just how you feel, bro, believe me," he said. "But it's time to take our chairs now, so the judge can get things started." C.J. smiled, gave his grandfather one more hug, and slipped into the chair next to him, Peter taking the next chair, to C.J.'s left.

Josiah drew himself up in his chair, with a solemn mien. "This is an informal conference regarding the custody of Jeremiah Sarles and Christopher Judd Templeton, commonly known as Jed and C.J. – and I imagine that's what they will probably be referred to as as we proceed. Although it's not a formal session of court, I do want to keep a record. Skipper? Drew?" Skipper held up the tricorder Doc Austin had handed him Sunday night; Drew just smiled and nodded.

Mr. Sarles broke into a delighted smile at seeing Skipper. "Skipper, boy, how are you?" he called out warmly. "I've never had a chance to properly thank you and Pete for all you did when I had my stroke. Where is Pete, anyway? Back at the firehall?"

"No, sir," Skipper answered gravely. "Pete was severely burned not quite two years ago. He and Marguerite are down in Arizona now, in a little residential community for burn victims to live as normal lives as possible, near the rehab. facility that did his grafts. I'm running the E.M.T. service now, and Grace's son Bobby here is my partner." Bobby gave a shy wave.

As Mr. Sarles continued looking around the table, his smile faded. "Judge, why are all these children here? I thought we'd agreed this was going to be a family conference." He looked at Mickey and Jared, sitting at either side of Jed across from him. "Aren't you John and Sally McKendrick's boys? Why don't you go give your parents a call and have one of them come pick you up?"

Mickey's eyes began to water, but he forced himself to control. "Mr. Sarles, you don't know how much I wish I could! A week after Jed and C.J.'s parents were killed, we were in an accident with a logging truck that killed them both, and left me paralyzed. I almost ended up being stuck here with you. It's almost a miracle that I can walk again – pretty much the same as you." He looked across at Peter with a warm, appreciative smile. The older man looked taken aback at Mickey's words.

"Exactly the same," Peter chimed in. He looked at Josiah, and the normal happy-to-be-alive smile that normally graced his face was missing. "Father, I do not regret for a minute using my gifts so that Mr. Sarles and Mickey can walk again. But you and I both know that I made a serious mistake in reviewing consequences. Every person here has a role to play in our leaving this room with a solution that leaves everyone happy. That's why I brought them." Josiah nodded gravely; Sarles looked at him with a surprised expression.

"Chris, let me do introductions. I know you know over half these people, but it will serve to make sure everyone knows who everyone else is, and at the same time put the attendance down on record." The old man nodded. "Okay, first, I am Josiah Brewster, Judge of the Family Court of Franklin County, here in two capacities – I appointed myself as mediator when you asked me about custody, and I am also the executor of George and Rhonda's estates. I also need to put on record that my fiancée Maureen McConnaghay and I have made a purchase offer for their former house. Rina, did you have opportunity to get a review of that offer yet?"

"Yes, I did," Rina said. "Josh was an immense help in connecting me to an attorney who donates pro bono time to ensuring that children who are beneficiaries of estates or court judgment awards are not taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. And Damon connected me with a realtor we work with regularly, who reviewed the appraisal you sent down and checked it against comparables. They're both satisfied that you made a fair offer, and that the boys' idea to hold the mortgage would maximize their income from the property."

"Thank you," Josiah said. "This young lady is Rina Baldwin, who was named the boys' guardian the day after their parents were killed. She and they live in Orlando now."

Rina looked Sarles in the eye. "Mr. Sarles," she said, "you don't know me and I don't know you. But what we have in common, it seems, is a deep love for these two boys. I'd like to ask you, right now, before this goes any further, that no matter how things turn out, you won't bar me from reasonable contact with them. They've only been with me less than a month, but I've come to love them very much, and I don't want to lose them." A small smile went across his face at hearing this.

"Next," Josiah continued, "is Mickey McKendrick, whom you know. What you may not know is that after his parents' death, my court awarded him his majority and custody of his two younger brothers. Mickey, what's your role here today?"

"Thanks, judge," Mickey responded. "I think this is news to everybody but Raffy, but I'm not only here to stand by Jed and Jared and by Rina, but also because Rina has done me the honor of consenting to be my bride after I finish high school at Camp Little Eagle. While it doesn't have any legal bearing on the case, as close as the six of us have gotten, I see it that we'll be more or less sharing the care for all four of them – or would have been, anyway." A round of applause and cheers came from all the boys; Josiah joined in as well. Mickey and Rina blushed.

As the noise died down, Josiah continued. "Next is Jed Templeton, the older of the two boys whose custody is the subject of this conference, and I think everyone knows him. Beyond him is Jared McKendrick, Mickey's younger brother." Sensing from Jared's angry, fearful face what his comments likely would be, Josiah moved quickly on. "The little redhead down there is George Wentworth's adopted son Drew. Young as he is, Drew has been trained in Vulcan witness methods, and is an accredited expert witness." Drew broke his intent Vulcan focus long enough to give Mr. Sarles a smile and a shy wave. "Drew is functioning as half the record here; the other half is the recording that Skipper Hamilton is making, using Starfleet equipment in his custody. Skipper, I confess I don't know why you and Bobby are here, though I appreciate your recording the conference."

"Judge, you may find this hard to believe," Skipper said, "but at the wedding reception, St. Mikey accosted us and told us we needed to be here. I'm not inclined to argue with instructions from angels who are patron saints to boot."

"I don't find it at all hard to believe," Josiah said with a smile, "since he showed up at the diner just after you left for Florida, with a message for the Sheriff. He looks good in a tux, doesn't he?" A chuckle ran around the table at that comment. "Okay, now we're coming back down this side of the table. As I introduce each of you in turn, would you stand up and take one step away from the table, so that Mr. Sarles can see you?" The four boys nodded. "All right, next is Bobby Martin from the E.M.T. service."

As Bobby stood, letting Sarles see more than his face and waving hand for the first time, surprise ran across Mr. Sarles' face. "You're Skipper's partner on the rescue service? You look deucedly young!"

Bobby began to cloud up with anger; Skipper motioned him to sit. "Mr. Sarles," he said, "Bobby is young – he's the youngest fully trained and certified E.M.T. in the state, and has proven in competition that he's one of the best. I can name eight people who owe their lives to him; his skills saved them while I was working on others that were equally close to death. I could not ask for a better partner, Pete Magnan included, and I won't hear his skill and dedication belittled merely because he's only 14!"

"I'm sorry, young man," Sarles said. "I owe Skipper my life; if he thinks that highly of you, you will have my respect equally with him. I was simply surprised at your youth."

Bobby forced a smile. "Thank you, sir. It's just gotten very old very fast to keep hearing that. I'm in it to save lives, not to pass some sort of age of maturity test." As he sat back down, Skipper took his hand and held it firmly.

"Next," Josiah said, "is Raphael McKendrick, known to everyone as Raffy, the third and youngest brother." He slipped out of his chair and stood where Sarles could see him. "Do you have a special role today, Raffy?" the judge asked with a smile.

"Sorta," Raffy answered. "My job's to help Mickey." He flashed a smile at his big brother, then at Rina, who was looking worried. Mickey reached out his arm and put it around her.

"The next boy," Josiah said, "is Peter Lambert, whom Maureen and I are adopting. Among other things, he's the reason everyone could get together today, and both you, Chris, and Mickey, owe it to him that you can walk again."

"Thank you, boy," Sarles said, smiling. "I don't know how you managed it, but you've given me a chance at a full life again, and to be there for my grandsons when I'd all but given up hope."

Peter smiled warmly. "I know that feeling," he said. "I was looking at a week to live when Jed showed up at the hospital. He's the one that got me out of there and took me where I could get help. Giving him back his grandpa was the least I could do to pay him back for that." He walked quickly down behind C.J. and gave Mr. Sarles a hug. The old man startled at that, then hugged the little Mikyvis back.

"Next, of course," Josiah said, "is Christopher Judd 'C.J.' Templeton, the younger of the boys whose custody is being discussed. You don't need to stand up, C.J.," he added as C.J. started to get up.

"I got your goat, grandpa!" C.J. said animatedly. A ripple of laughter went around the table.

"Many times, boy, many times," Mr. Sarles said with a smile.

"I mean," C.J. said, turning red, "your stuffed goat's head. It's in my room back home at Rina's."

C.J.'s choice of words put a cold damper on the feelings that had been going around the room, as everyone realized that someone would be hurt by the day's results, perhaps several someones.

"How did you happen to shoot him, Grampa?" Jed asked, looking for an excuse to stall for time before his fate was decided (or so he felt).

"Well, you know what I was doing down there in Arizona, right?" Sarles rejoined, falling into the role of reminiscing easily.

"I never got that straight," Jed answered.

"Well, Jeddie, I always loved hunting and fishing. One of the things that made me such an effective salesman for Throxton Wood Products, when I was still full time with them, was that a lot of our clients were run by outdoorsmen. I'd take them on hunting or fishing trips in the Maine woods, at Throxton expense. The deal was that we'd have a weekend or a week in the woods doing what both they and I enjoyed, but in the evenings while we had a few beers, they'd have to let me talk about what we were promoting, new products and such, since the company was footing the bill for the trip. Old Pen loved the gimmick – it built up a lot of goodwill among the clients, and he said that he was getting two to three times the orders from me as from the more conventional salesmen that would call on their clients at their offices."

"Anyway, some of the clients wanted to use me as their guide, professionally, and after your grandma died and Rhonda went off to college, I talked things over with Pen and moved to a straight commission basis. My clients could choose between a Throxton-sponsored trip where they got sales pitches or paying me as a professional guide – and of course, men who wouldn't be buying Throxton products wholesale wouldn't get offered the sponsored trips; they had to pay."

"In the winters, when nobody wanted to camp the Maine woods, I'd take busman's holidays – going where it wasn't as cold and snowy, as a customer of other guides, and learning from them. I was on one of those when I shot that wild goat that C.J. loves. He was up on the edge of a cliff. I saw him scent us and turn to bolt, guessed right on which way he'd leap, "led' him properly, and got the trophy of my life."

Intrigued, Mickey asked, "How'd you guess which way he was going to bolt?"

"Oh, instinct, I suppose," Mr. Sarles answered.

"Are you planning on going back to guiding and sales, now that you're hale-bodied again?" Rina asked politely.

"I hope to," he replied. "It was a way to make a good living doing something I enjoyed doing."

"That would," Josiah pointed out in a judicious tone, "be quite difficult to do with two boys depending on you as their custodial caregiver."

"That's true," Sarles admitted. "I suppose I could hire a babysitter or something...."

"Why are you seeking custody, anyway?" Mickey asked. "I mean, I'm not criticizing, but...."

"It's my duty to them, and to Rhonda's memory," Sarles said. "I owe it to them to bring them up right, and help them become the men they need to be. It should have been George and Rhonda's job, but with them dead, it falls on me. You seem like a fine young lady, miss," he said addressing Rina, "but I can't leave you burdened with my grandsons now that I'm able to provide for them."

"What about how we feel, Grandpa?" Jed asked. "Shouldn't that count?"

"It's the job of us adults to make sure you're taken care of, Jeddie," his grandfather answered. "The judge and I will work this out, and your job will be to obey what we decide. The most important thing is to do what's right for you and C.J."

"I just want to correct one thing, sir," Rina said levelly, restraining her own emotions. "Jed and C.J. are the farthest thing from 'a burden' on me. When I first encountered them, I was a single sales clerk in a dead-end job, barely making ends meet and with no real hope of a decent future. Today, I have two boys whom I love as sons, a high-paying job that I love, and as of last night am engaged to a young man who is the sort of responsible, caring person I'd dreamed of and never expected to actually find. Jed and C.J. have enriched my life beyond measure, both by who they are and by what they've led me into."

"You also need to be aware of how much Jed has grown up in the past month, sir," she continued. "He's been instrumental in saving the life of one boy – the one who healed you and Mickey, Peter over there – and in making sure that five other boys were not dumped by society in places where they would be unloved and unhappy – three of them are sitting right here, the McKendrick brothers."

"And I am not giving Jed up!" Jared threw in defiantly. He grabbed Jed's hand and held it tightly. "You can't take him away from me!"

It was moment of truth time for Jed. He squeezed Jared's hand back, looked his grandfather in the eye, and said, "Jared's my boyfriend now, Grandpa. We made promises to each other, and I am going to keep them."

Sarles was taken aback by this. He drew a deep breath and said, "I love you, Jeddie. Don't worry, we'll get you into the best therapy possible, so you can get over this. Judge, I'm sure you have the resources; after we're done here, let's sit down and find the best program for Jed, to get him past this stage."

Skipper spoke up. "You're talking 'conversion therapy' programs, right, sir? Things to cure people from being gay?"

"Yes, I am. Why, do you know of any good ones for Jed?" Sarles was shocked, but his compassion for his older grandson was paramount in the mix of emotions he was feeling.

"They don't work," Skipper said firmly. "I've read up on them. Most of them are run by fundamentalist churches, and they use guilt and threats, food and sleep deprivation, negative conditioning, things like that. And their success rates are abysmal. The study that claimed the best was commissioned by one of them. They polled people who had successfully completed their therapy program, six months later, and got a 66% positive. Think about that: their study was limited to just people that had claimed to have been cured by their program to begin with, and only six months later, one person in three was no longer 'cured'. More objective studies show from half a percent to 1.5% success rates, and when you look into those so-called successes, you find that they're typically neurotic, guilt-ridden, and unhappy with their lives. I think, if you put Jed in one of those programs, I can guarantee two things: it won't cure him of being gay, and it will make him miserable and angry, if not worse."

"Jed is dealing with some big issues," Rina added. "His parents' deaths, trying to take too much on by himself. One thing that is not a problem for him is being gay. If anything, the love he and Jared share is a stabilizing factor, something that gives him the strength and support he needs to deal with his other problems."

"I'm surprised you know so much about those programs," Sarles addressed Skipper. "It hardly sounds like something you'd need to learn for emergency medicine."

"I had good reasons," Skipper said. His eyes met Bobby's. Both remembered Mikey's words. Bobby slowly stood up, moved onto Skipper's lap and embraced him. Their heads turned and they shared a brief, meaningful kiss. "I had to accept who I was," Skipper said, "then help Bobby accept who he is. When I introduced him as my partner, I meant that in every meaning of the word. We work together, we save lives together, we live together, and we're committed to each other till death do us part."

The impact of this revelation, from the man Christopher Sarles credited with saving his life, was stunning for him. "But what about C.J.?" he asked. "Surely this kind of carrying on can't be good for him?"

C.J. was all smiles. "I didn't get a chance to tell you guys yet, what with the wedding and all," he said as his eyes met Jed's and Rina's. "But I met somebody this morning. Marky, from the family that came in to Clan HQ yesterday. He's my age, and he makes me feel all tingly inside. 'N' I asked him to be my boyfriend, and he said yes!" Jed gave his little brother a thumbs-up sign.

"Does that mean you're going to stop teasing us?' Jared asked with a smile. "Or does it mean we get to tease you back?" C.J. blushed and grinned.

If the news that Jed had a boyfriend had rocked Sarles, the revelation that his other grandson, the one who had always been closest to him, did as well, completely pulled the rug from beneath his feet. Peter had been keeping tabs on everyone in the room, their mental and emotional reactions, stabilizing the fear that both Rina and Jed were feeling. Outside the meeting room, one of the elderly residents had been playing a CD of music from her youth. Now Peter triggered her to pick one particular song. He caught Drew's eye, and nodded. Through the silence that followed C.J.'s disclosure, the long-dead voice of Nat 'King' Cole could be heard in song.

*** FLASHBACK – 1950 ***

The July sun was hot, even in rural Maine, and the two 12-year-olds lay companionably on the streamside grass after a refreshing swim, letting the sun dry them before getting dressed again. Keith rested his head on Chris's chest. The tinny sound of Keith's little transistor radio still carried to them the sounds of Patti Page inviting someone to come on-a her house, and Doris Day observing that Que serà serà.

"Chris?" Keith looked up Chris's bare chest at his friend's face, his brown eyes serious for once. "We're best friends forever, right?"

"Of course. You're my buddy – have been ever since we met, and always will be."

"Well," Keith reached for his shorts, "I just thought we oughta make it official, y'know?"

"Whatcha mean?"

Keith pulled out his Official Hopalong Cassidy pocket knife, and opened the blade. "Y'know, blood brothers."

"I'm game if you are," Chris answered.

Solemnly the two boys made small cuts into the tips of their index fingers, then touched them together. "Brothers forever," Keith said. Chris echoed him. Keith brought Chris's finger to his lips and gently sucked the rest of the blood off the wound, letting his saliva help seal it. He held his own finger up, and Chris did the same for him.

The radio announcer – 'D.J.' had not yet been coined – said, "Next, a new release from the talented Negro singer, Nat 'King' Cole." And the song began:

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved in return"

"I don't want you to think I'm getting' mushy 'n' stuff," Keith said shyly, "but I wanna do one more thing to seal our promise – brother."

"Sure. What?"

"This." And Keith slid up Chris's body until they were face to face, and gently, firmly kissed him. Chris kissed back. The warm day, touch of skin on skin, and shared affection led to both popping boners, and they pulled apart, each a little embarrassed.

"Guess we'd better be getting dressed and heading back to town," Chris said abashedly.

"Yeah, I guess," Keith replied. They got dressed, Keith collected his radio, and mounted their bikes for the ride home.

---

It was a cold, wet November day, and Chris sat as close as possible to the hot air grate bringing heat up from the furnace without sitting on it, which would block the air heating the room and make his mother yell. Astronomy Monthly was full of stories about Vulcan, the world the aliens had come from. The fact they had been secretly in touch with Earth for nearly 30 years, and had been giving Earth advanced technology, had been the biggest news in years. Chris was looking forward to tomorrow. Just one more day of school, and then Keith would be sleeping over for a whole weekend.

The phone rang. His mother answered it. Then she called for him. He got up and ran to see what she wanted.

She was seated on the loveseat Aunt Bessie had left her, her face grave. "Sit down by me, Chris," she said. He did so. "That was Keith's mother," she said. "She knew you'd want to know." She drew a breath. "Keith was over to his aunt's today after school, helping her put up the storm windows for winter. He was on his way home, and the bread man's truck skidded out of control and hit him."

"Will he be all right?"

"I'm sorry, Chris. He's gone." Chris burst into tears of grief and loss, and threw himself onto his mother's shoulder. She sat there holding and comforting him. Through the numb, surreal days that followed, the funeral, the interment, Chris clung to one thought, "Oh, Keith, I'll always remember you."

***END FLASHBACK***

The end of the song filtered into the meeting room:

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved in return"

Christopher Sarles looked over at his grandson Jed, holding the hand of the boy he loved, then at C.J., looking mystified as to why his announcement had caused such a hush. Remembering Keith and his feelings of long ago, he said, "Boys, I love you. I always will. I don't understand yet, but give me time. I won't stand in the way of your happiness."

A sigh went through the room as about a dozen held breaths were released.

"More practically," Josiah interjected, "you said you'd be looking for a place, Chris? Have you had any luck? You certainly can't raise them here."

"No, Josiah," Sarles answered. "I phoned around looking for apartments this morning. They've been good enough to let me stay here while I locate a place. Problem is, paying for my care here ate into my savings quite a lot. But I'm sure I'll be able to find something for me and the boys that I can afford."

"I have an idea," Mickey said. "May my brothers and I be excused to meet privately for a minute or so?" Josiah nodded; Mickey squeezed Rina's hand firmly and stood up, gathering Jared by eye as he walked the few feet away from the table that the room permitted. Peter caught Raffy's eye; as he got up, he walked past Sarles and the judge, gave Rina a warm hug, and whispered, "It'll be all right." Then he rushed over to join his two older brothers. They spoke in hushed tones, with Mickey's idea clearly getting full agreement from his brothers.

"Rina, Jed, C.J.," Mickey said. "Would you please join us?" Surprised, they did so. The conference continued in hushed tones, but for Rina's raised voice, "We can't..." and Mickey's firm "We can." At length the six returned to the table.

"The McKendrick family," Mickey said, "has a proposal to offer that may solve most if not all of the issues brought up today. Before I explain it, though, I need to give a little background. Judge Brewster took on the duties of executor of our parents' estate, just as he did the Templetons'. Sylvia and I talked this morning – she's the lady who was selling us her house, Robert Maxwell's widow – and she said she's revised her estate plans. Since her daughter doesn't want her living with them, she's leaving them a cash bequest instead of the whole estate. She offered to sell us boys the house for the down payment that F.Y.S. advanced us plus an irrevocable guarantee of shared life tenancy with us so long as she remains in good health. I hadn't even had time to bring it up with Raffy and Jared yet, before now, but they're in full agreement we should take it. That means we'll own a house in Arkham and another in Orlando."

"Now, Mr. Sarles wants to be a part of his grandsons' lives, which is certainly completely reasonable, but he also needs to have the freedom to pursue his career, and being their adoptive parent or guardian would tie him down too much to do that. Rina, on the other hand, wants to be a part of their lives, even though she's not blood relation, and both Jared and I want to be where Rina and Jed are, for obvious reasons."

"What we're proposing is that we combine the households right now. We'll spend much of our time in Orlando – that's where we're in school, that's where Clan HQ is, and so on. We'll share Sylvia's house with her, just as she suggested, with Rina and the boys giving up the apartment and moving in with us. We're already spending most of our time together, anyway.

"On the other hand, Mr. Sarles needs a home here, and one large enough to accommodate Jed and C.J. And they want to stay a part of his life, and have him remain a part of theirs. While Jed and C.J. still legally own their parents' house, they've accepted Maureen's purchase offer, and don't feel right about backing out of that. Also, neither of them wants to live in the house where their parents were killed, and I can't say I blame them one bit. But what we propose is that we keep our Arkham house, and offer shared use of it to Mr. Sarles as his home, with the six of us spending holidays and the summer up here with him. I'd have to talk with Sylvia, but I suspect there would be no problem if he wanted to stay with us in Florida in the winter, since he won't have much business up here."

"As I saw it, that keeps the two families – no, our family – together, means nobody has to give up Jed and C.J., gives Mr. Sarles the home he needs and the freedom to resume his career, while still keeping him a part of his grandkids' lives, and is pretty much a win-win situation all around. Sir, judge, what do you think?"

"Young man, I think that's positively brilliant!" Mr. Sarles was smiling broadly. "I hadn't realized all the changes that had happened since Rhonda's death, and I was concerned to do my duty by my grandsons. I never realized that their new guardian was so attached to them – and forgive me, my dear, for what my seeking custody must have done to you. I think you've taken everyone's needs into account, young man. The only thing I didn't understand is your reference to 'Clan HQ' – you haven't gotten my grandchildren mixed up with the Ku Klux Klan, have you?"

"Not hardly!" Josiah said. "Chris, look around you. Except for you, Rina, and myself, everyone in this room is a member of Clan Short of Vulcan, with dual citizenship of the U.S. and, how do you say it?"

"Ektra-Maat T'Khasi," Jed said. "The House of Houses, what substitutes for a planetary government on Vulcan."

The memory of Keith had brought back, full force, Christopher Sarles' boyhood enthusiasm for all things Vulcan. "That's absolutely wonderful!" he said.

C.J. giggled. "I can't wait to introduce my Grandpa Chris to my Grandfather Sarek!"

"Ambassador Sarek...?" Sarles said in wonder.

"...is the adoptive grandfather of every boy in this room, of my stepson-to-be, and about 200 other boys, under Vulcan Law," Josiah explained.

Peter stood up and rapped the table. "Thanks, everybody, for helping me fix my boo-boo," he said.

"That's what brothers are for," Skipper said with a smile.

"Now, this is how I like to see families sort out their problems!" said Josiah. "Are we done here?"

"I do believe so," said Mr. Sarles, then, smiling at Mickey, "Oh, landlord, may I see our new home?"

"You mean me?" Mickey asked. Sarles' broad grin was the only answer.

"I'll take you all there!" said Peter.

"Whoa! I've got my car here," Josiah said. "And further, I want you to come straight home after you've got everybody where they're going. No detouring to Komodo to pick up giant lizards, or anything!"

"Oh, Daddy, you're no fun!" said Peter with a mock pout.

To be continued

---

Authors' Notes: The ancient hymn called "St. Patrick's Breastplate" or "The Lorica" is quote real, and attributed to the historical St. Patrick. The pun Harry attempts in this chapter comes from its opening lines: "I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity by invocation of the same..." And of course, in any chapter making reference to some of DarkStar's characters, there has to be a Flashback. (grin). The Londonderry Air, or Danny Boy, is in the public domain; the song "Nature Boy," recorded in 1950 by Nat 'King' Cole, may still be under copyright, but such search as we have been able to do has not turned up whether it is and if so who the copyright holder is. The statistics that Skipper quotes in the last scene, about 'conversion therapy' or 'ex-gay' programs, are all too real. Alert CSU story readers may note crossover scenes from our "Be Careful What You Ask For'" chapter six and from "Memories, Part Two", chapter 22. I hope seeing some of the events from a different perspective has been enjoyable. Thanks to ACFan for hosting and guidance, Iluvantir for many things, and Dark Star, Roland, Akeentia, and JeffP for advice and encouragement. Let us know what you thought of the chapter!