Memories Part 2: Spreading The Hope

The room broke into giggles as Teri came into CIC.

"It's about time y'all came home!" Teri announced with a smile. "Where are my juvenile delinquent sons hiding?"

"They should be home soon." a still-dripping Aaron replied. "They needed to pick up the rest of the crew."

"What happened to you?" Teri asked with a laugh.

Aaron stared at Nyo and the rest of the Ark crew for a second, then pointed to the line of soaked boys following him in. "It seems SOMEONES AI has a twisted sense of humor and decided to teleport two-thirds of us in above the pool instead of inside like the rest of the guys."

<Their minds were dirty, I thought giving them a dip in the pool might help.>

Stepan grinned, "See, Ark meant well."

Before Aaron could reply, Teri chuckled. "Knowing you Son, Ark is probably right! I assume that since all of you are back things have calmed down?"

"Yes ma'am it has," Nyo called from the floor where he was working. "The threat was dealt with and everyone is safe again. Ark is still working on pinpointing exactly who it was that gave the order but they have nothing to strike at anyone with right now so there's no danger."

The rest of the boys saw the look on Teri's face and scrambled for seats to watch the show. She smiled as she replied. "Thank you Nyo; that's good to hear. I believe we discussed addressing me already didn't we? You're one of the boys now; it's 'Teri' or 'Mom' young man!"

"Well technically I'm older then you so 'Mom' just doesn't work for me," chuckled Nyo. "I've got like fifty thousand years on you. I'll try and remember to call you 'Teri' though. I think Stepan is gonna be a hard sell on that one though Teri, he's a lot more proper then most of my guys."

Teri looked at the blond fifteen year old standing over Nyo, who had answered from under the console he was working on. "You must be Stepan then; Come over here a second."

Stepan frowned and then whispered something to Nyo in Russian.

"She doesn't bite, just go over there," Nyo said to whatever Stepan told him. "It'll still be a few minutes before I need your help testing this thing."

Stepan nodded and then slowly made his way over to Teri, "Yes Mrs. Short?"

JJ giggled. "Hey Ark; we're gonna need some popcorn here!"

"James Jacob Richardson! Can it!" Teri said before guiding Stepan to a nearby seat. "Stepan; I'm guessing from the way you just reacted you haven't had too good of luck with adults so far in your life, have you?"

"That depends on which adults you're referring to ma'am," replied Stepan. "People in general can be good, bad, or indifferent. I've seen and dealt with all of them, but it's not fair to say that only adults can fall into the bad and indifferent categories. To answer your question though, the last adult that I really dealt with wasn't a very nice person and did some very horrible things but I still don't hold that against anyone else. I'm just not a people person, ma'am. I prefer to be quiet if it's an option, me not wanting to leave Nyo's side to just cross the room stems from that; not the adults that have influenced my life."

"That's a really good outlook to have." Teri replied. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell the rest of the boys. I can tell from your speech patterns that you're raised to be very polite; so unlike most of these clowns I'll understand if you continue to call me ma'am. Any of these boys can tell you that one thing I'm totally serious about is that I consider every single one of the Clan 'my' boys. That goes for you too; any time you decide you need a Mom I'm here for you. Other than that, you guys all have taken on responsibilities that most adults would run from; I consider you an equal and would feel much more comfortable if you would address me as 'Teri' or 'Mom', which ever you would feel more comfortable using."

Stepan frowned again, "I do not want to make you uncomfortable Mrs. Short but I don't think I can think of you as either my mother or as just Teri. And regardless of whatever responsibilities I may or may not have taken on you are still to be respected as an elder in my eyes. The only reason that I don't refer to Nyo as either sir or Mr. Curameton after I found out how old he is only because I'm dating him and it just wouldn't sound right. You are a woman of great importance though, and as such you deserve respect. I'm a technician, and while I do a good job I am not older then you or more important then you in the eyes of those that need you. It just doesn't seem right to call you anything else. And even if you were my mother you still deserve respect and honor."

Teri smiled. "Each of us is more important in our own way; don't underestimate yourself based on comparison with someone else. Nyo is very lucky having a boyfriend like you; and I can understand where your manners are leading you to address me like you do. You can be both respectful and casual at the same time; I'll let you find the place where you are most comfortable talking to me without being totally formal. No matter how you feel about addressing me, I'll still be here if you need advice or just a second opinion from someone with more experience in life."

"I don't underestimate myself just my ability to do your job," replied Stepan. "Each of us has a reason for being here, even the bad people. We can always learn from what others say and do, and it helps mold who we are in different ways. I could collect garbage and that wouldn't make me any less of a person then you are, that I have no doubt of; but I might not have as much to offer the world as you do, I will however have more to offer the people I love then you might. My importance as a whole and as a part, are often two very different things and while they might have the same effect they don't always have the same impact being that they only affect maybe one person. I never doubt my own importance but I can certainly recognize yours. If I ever do need help and I find myself in need of what you excel at passing on to others then I will come to you, I promise. But I never expect you to have to come to me for anything that falls into the same category. As such I will always find you to be my elder, but maybe some day I'll be able to bring myself to call you by your first name rather then your last name. If you want the best I can offer is Mrs. Teri."

"I'll accept that." Teri replied. "You might find that I could easily come to you for help in areas where I'm weak. What makes a person strong is not what you do but if you are willing to accept your weaknesses and go to others when it is needed. A wise person knows that; a fool believes he can do it all."

"Well unless you need advice on computers, the Russian Orthodox Church, or almost dying then I won't be much help," said Stepan. "I can agree with what you're saying though. Now, is there anything else I can do for you Mrs. Teri?"

"Yes; you can take care of all of your new brothers. Who knows, maybe you can even convince them to hold informal theological discussions on Sundays. Something tells me you are the only Clan member qualified to lead a discussion like that."

"I'll consider the discussions," said Stepan. "And I'll watch out for everyone else when I get a chance."

"Hey Step, I'm just about ready for ya," Nyo called.

"I'll be right with you Nyo" Stepan replied. "Mrs. Teri, May I be excused?"

"Yes you may. Try to keep Nyo from working too hard; he seems a lot like Cory and it takes a strong person to keep them from completely absorbing themselves in work. You are probably the only person who has a chance at teaching him the other parts of life. Go on and help him; I've got a few boys to hunt down."

Teri smiled as Stepan rejoined Nyo, then turned her head to scan the room. A second later, she found who she was looking for. "Andy, Alec; stop swapping spit and get over here you goofballs."

The two blushing boys quickly made their way over to Teri. "What ever it is, it's Cory's fault!" Alec giggled as they stopped in front of Teri.

"Nice try brat." Teri laughed. "This time there's no way you can blame him. You guys need to get some clean clothes out of the overnight room and go with Helen to pick up Andy's parents."

"Ummm ..." Andy replied. "We kinda got a problem there. The overnight room is gonna be locked from the inside for about another hour; it can't be opened until after sunset. You might say Brant, he's one of the new guys, is kinda allergic to sunlight; so he stays in there during the day. We've got it set up so the door can't be opened unless it's nighttime."

"What? Is he a vampire or something?" Teri joked.

"Yes." Alec replied, totally serious. "He saved Kyle's life in Chicago. You gotta ask him about what happened though; I heard part of it but I don't think I'd get it right if I told you."

Teri looked at Alec in shock. "That is NOT something to joke about Alec! If it wasn't for the fact that vampires don't exist I'd be chewing the ears off of every single person here who was stupid enough to put all of you boys in danger with a creature like that."

"Mom?" Aaron said as he rushed over to join them.

"Yes Aaron?"

"You might want to sit back down." Aaron replied seriously. "Between the answers I got from Ark, Nyo, Tyne and Brant I think I've got the facts pretty straight." Aaron waited for Teri to sit down before he continued. "First off, Brant is actually a human sub-species called Moroi. The Moroi were created by the Founders before Ark was even built, which means the species is a lot older than Nyo. Their creation was not planned to go the way it went; the rebel group that was targeted by the virus that the Founders created was just supposed to become allergic to sunlight. Instead the virus caused them to turn into Moroi; instead of their bodies needing food to survive, they required human blood. From what I understand the Moroi back then were just like the legends of Vampires that we have now; bloodthirsty criminals who did not care who they killed as long as they fed. A lot of time has passed since that happened; over the cycles between then and now it seems the most violent ones were wiped out by being hunted and killed for their indiscretion while the ones who used their curse to generally better society by pruning out the bad apples survived. Today a Moroi that goes on a rampage has more chance of being killed by his own kind than he does by humans. From what I understand the Moroi only need to feed about once a month unless they get injured. As far as Brant goes; he killed a Moroi who was breaking unwritten rules by attacking Kyle. Brant's conscience won't let him kill when he's feeding no matter how much the person deserves it; Sean said he saw that himself. Brant gets plenty of warning when he starts to get 'hungry', so he has enough time to find a suitable 'donor' to feed on. With all of the kid pimps who seem to think Florida is a good place to pick up new 'employees' I'm sure he won't have an issue finding a meal. We'll just have to finish off what is left after he is done, which is something we would have done anyways to that trash."

"You know what; I think you got it all Aaron," Nyo added. "If you missed anything though I think only Tyne would notice, but he's not here so good job."

"Thanks bro." Aaron replied. "Mom, trust me. I know for a fact that if Brant was any danger he wouldn't be here right now. Tyne was ready to kill him if there was even a chance of him looking at one of my brothers the wrong way. I don't know if you've met Tyne yet or not; but he was involved in building Ark so he knows more about the Moroi than any other human alive today, including the Moroi themselves."

"The Ark terminal is up and running!" said Nyo as he slid out from under the terminal.

"And I've got the holographics working!" added Stepan and he brought the emitter he was mounting to the wall online.

Suddenly the holographics emitter that Stepan was talking about came to life and a fourteen year old with bright green hair appeared in the room.

"Well that took ya long enough," grinned, Cyna as he pretended to brush himself off. "It was getting stuffy in that compound."

"Green hair?" said Stepan. "Don't you have any compassion for our eyes?"

"Nope, none at all," replied Cyna. "So whats up?"

Aaron chuckled. "Hey Cyna! Mom, this is Cyna; he's kinda been living inside Ark since day one. Cyna, this is Cory, Sean, and my Mom; Teri Short. I was just trying to explain Brant to her."

"It's wonderful to meet you my dear lady," Cyna said to Teri as he gave her a bow. "If there is anything you need to know about what Brant is just let me know and I can fill you in. When I was alive I was Tyne's husband and I know just as much if not more about the Moroi then he does."

Teri nodded her head to acknowledge the bow. "It is a pleasure young man. I only have one question; how safe is my family really Cyna?"

"That's a very good question," replied Cyna. "Well Moroi started with a very violent history but if you compare them to humanity I think you'll find humanity to be much more so. Over the years Moroi have turned from where they started and have almost tried to better themselves, as we wish humans would. And while their world is still filled with mean people, a Moroi is just like a human as far as personality and temperament goes; they were human at one point so that makes sense really. You asked though if your family is safe and that's part of the answer, you see. Brant is a very good person; he has his heart in the right place even to the point where he can't finish the people he does feed on. And like all Moroi he knows when he has to feed so unless he forces himself not to go out and feed then he has complete control about who he feeds on. Brant won't ever want to hurt any of your family so I know he'll make sure to let them know when he needs to feed. And so in my opinion your family is very safe. I think some of the people you pass on the street and in the supermarket would be more of a danger to your family then Brant could ever be."

"Thank you Cyna. Between that and what Aaron said I'll give him a chance. How is it that his species is not public knowledge today though?" Teri replied.

"Because their government and yours have a deal," said Cyna. "They keep the balance and silence between the two."

"See Mom; you're not too far off when you call a politician a bloodsucking leech." Aaron giggled.

"Smart alec!" Teri replied as she stood up. "Thank you for the help Cyna. Considering the way the politicians are always keeping secrets that makes sense. I need to get these guys going here; Alec, Andy; I guess you can go like you are. Gabe, Trav; grab your boys and ride along. Helen wants to show off her grandsons."

 

Helen couldn't help but smile as she watched the nervous boys waiting for Cecil and Angela's flight to arrive. Gabe and Travis were sitting calmly keeping Jimmy and Davey occupied by telling them stories about some of their escapades growing up. Alec and Andy on the other hand were nervously wearing holes in the carpet pacing back and forth. "Will you two PLEASE sit down?" Helen asked. "You're wearing me out just watching you!"

The two boys looked over at Helen. "Sorry Mom." Alec replied. "What if they don't think I'm good enough for Andy?"

Helen stood up and joined the two boys, pulling one under each arm. "Both of you are worrying way too much. They are just as anxious to see you as you are to see them. As far as not being good enough, I promise that idea will go nowhere. With everything you've done Alec there is no way anyone would consider you anything less than amazing."

Alec gave Helen a squeeze. "I know that Mom, but that's just stuff I did 'cuz I had to. Any one of the guys woulda done the same thing."

Helen shook her head. "You seem to have forgotten that the rest of the guys are just as special as you. All of your brothers have set a really high standard; you naturally keep that standard."

Alec's response was cut off by Andy ripping himself from Helen's arms and running towards the ramp. "MOM! DAD!" he yelled as he crashed into them. A minute later, he returned with the new arrivals.

Helen gave them a minute to celebrate, then dragged Alec with her to join them. "I assume by Andy's reaction you must be his parents." Helen announced with a grin. "I'm Helen McCarthy, Alec's mom. It's a pleasure to finally meet you; Andy does nothing but brag about what great parents you are!"

Cecil chuckled as he glanced at the now-glowing son burying his face in Cecil's chest. "Has he now? I thought that was against the rules of childhood! I'm glad to meet you Helen; obviously I'm Cecil and that is Angela over there protecting our newest addition Cody from his evil big brother." Cecil paused for a second and then added "At least I hope he can be our newest addition; I kind of used Teri's name to get him out of a bad situation. I told the authorities that I was invoking the Safe Haven Act on her bequest; unfortunately we haven't had the time to okay it with her."

Helen shook her head with a grin as both Alec and Andy suddenly forgot about their predicament. As Andy broke free to meet Cody, Alec pulled his communicator. "McCarthy to Headquarters."

"Headquarters, Seth. Is there a problem Alec?"

"I'm making sure there won't be." Alec replied. "Could you send either Jamie or Jacob out here? Tell them to bring Matty; Andy's dad invoked the SHA and we need to back him."

"They'll be on their way shortly. The constant wheelchair rides were starting to wear me out anyways." Seth added with a chuckle.

"Thanks Seth. Alec out."

Cecil and Angela stared in shock as Alec put his communicator away and rushed over to join Andy. "Something tells me Andy did not tell you what to expect!" Helen said as she guided the two adults to nearby chairs. "Let me introduce you to my youngest son. I think those two will be busy for a few minutes." Helen then motioned to Travis for his group to join them. Once the boys were standing in front of them, Helen introduced them, pointing to each as she gave their names. "Cecil, Angela; this is my son Travis and his fiancé Lieutenant Gabe Michaels, Clan Short Security. The two angels trying to hide behind them are their sons Jimmy and Davey."

Cecil gave them a look of surprise. "Fiancé? Sons? Don't take this wrong guys, but could someone fill me in here? Maybe start by explaining how you became a Lieutenant Mr. Michaels?"

Gabe smiled and turned his head. "Carrottop - you're goin' swimmin'!" He then turned back to Cecil. "Andy was supposed to warn you about all of this. We're all members of Clan Short of Vulcan; pretty much we step in when Federation Youth Services can't respond fast enough to protect a kid. The Federation has agreed to give all of the trained Security personnel commissions to back their rank with some authority. As far as marriage goes; we fall under Vulcan law, which does not use age as a requirement. The same goes for our sons; they are ours because we proved that we were ready and also that we were the best ones to help them through their past."

"But you're just ..." Cecil got out before he was distracted by two boys suddenly appearing next to him. "What the heck!"

"Hi Cecil!" one of the boys said before rushing over to the boys gathered around Cody. The other boy just waved shyly before chasing after his companion.

"Which one was that, and who is the little guy? More importantly, how did they pop in like that?" Cecil asked in shock.

"That was Uncle Jamie." Jimmy stated. "That was Matty with him."

"That answered 'who', now HOW!" Angela asked, still in shock.

"It's a new kind of transporter; I'll explain when we get home." Gabe replied.

Just then, Jamie came over and tapped Gabe's shoulder. "I need to borrow you for a minute Bro; we gotta make a business trip."

"Okay." Gabe replied. "I'll be right back; Trav can fill you in on some of the details while I'm gone."

Gabe nodded at Jamie. "Does Ark know where we need to go?"

Jamie tapped his ear. "Of course! JJ made sure I had one of these in case I needed it."

Gabe smiled. "Okay then. Ark; at your convenience could you please take us to the area Jamie informed you of?"

<Well convenient for me would be making you walk. However, you need to get there faster then your legs can take you and since you were very polite in asking, just give the word. Please make sure that you are at least touching Jamie first though, just in case he needs protection.>

"Thank you for the warning Ark." Gabe mouthed as he placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "We're ready."

 

Gabe and Jamie suddenly re-appeared accompanied by a pair of identical eleven year old boys wearing nothing but shorts and sneakers. Their unkempt light brown hair and dull gray eyes attested to the fact that the obvious signs of abuse on both of their bodies was not just a recent occurrence. The boys spotted Cody at the same time he spotted them, and had just released their hold on Gabe when Cody shot over from where he and Matty had been talking.

"Nicky! Kendall!" Cody exclaimed as the two new boys dropped down on their knees and embraced Cody in a three-way hug.

Gabe nodded to Jamie to watch the boys, then turned towards where the adults were sitting in shock. "Mister and Missus Evans; if I may I require a private conference immediately." He then turned to Alec. "Mister McCarthy; your presence will be required also."

As Gabe turned without waiting for a reply and headed towards a nearby office, Helen leaned over to Cecil and Angela. "I think you're about to find out just how realistic the things Travis told you are. If any of the boys get formal like that they are all business; you can take anything they tell you at face value." She looked up to see Alec approaching the office that Gabe had gone to; an office whose previous occupants were quickly vacating the space. "Gabe does not throw his weight around very often; with one recent exception he tries to find other ways to deal with problems. This is serious; serious enough for him to commandeer that office."

Cecil glanced at the three boys still hugging each other. "I think I understand. Let's go see what he needs Angela. Would you mind watching Cody, Helen?"

"Go ahead; we'll watch the boys." Helen replied.

Cecil and Angela stood up and went to the office that was now only occupied by Gabe and Alec. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Gabe began. "Due to the emotional instability of the subjects we are discussing it was required that we discuss their placement out of their observation. Telepathic examination revealed that Cody was under strict orders from his former caregivers to not reveal the existence of his siblings to anyone at the gathering you met him at under penalty of bodily harm. Visual experience had previously taught Cody the extent of damage he would incur by failure to follow those instructions. Upon our arrival to verify the heath and safety of Cody's siblings, we witnessed their caregivers' simultaneously whipping both boys across the buttocks with the handle end of a common horsewhip. The caregivers were holding projectile weapons resembling a nine millimeter handgun in their free hands aimed at the boys to prevent their escaping. Once Jamie had scanned both of their minds and relayed his finding to me, we made ourselves known by ordering them to cease the whipping. At that time, they turned and attempted to fire those same weapons at us. Based on the findings of the telepathic scan and their witnessed actions, both caregivers were immediately terminated. Cody, Nickolas, and Kendall are under Clan Short protection at this time; it is Clan policy not to split families. Are you willing to accept all three brothers into your family?"

Cecil looked over at Angela. Upon seeing her face was pale with shock, he responded. "Hell yes we'll take them. Just what do you mean by 'terminated' though?"

Gabe looked Cecil straight in the eyes. "Upon review of Cody's situation he was immediately placed under Clan Short protection. This action placed not only him but also his brothers under jurisdiction of Vulcan law in addition to the existing protections of the Safe Haven Act. The treatment of all three boys was premeditated and neither parent had any chance of rehabilitation. Their actions towards the boys previous to our arrival had already justified a life sentence on a prison planet. The actions occurring at our arrival were fully intended to continue until such time as neither twin had any signs of life left. As such, as stipulated under the Safe Haven Act as well as the Clan Short Charter I had the right and responsibility to judge and punish them on the spot. Both caregivers were sentenced to death for two counts of first degree attempted murder. They were terminated by way of electrical charge of a level that disrupted the cellular bonds of their bodies and reduced them to dust."

"Okayyy ...." Cecil replied in shock. "Just where did you get a weapon that can do that? Better yet, HOW did someone your age get a weapon like that?"

Davey and Jimmy snuck through the door into the room. "Daddy; Uncle Jamie told us to come in here with you." Jimmy announced.

Gabe giggled. "Were you guys torturing him again?" He then turned back to Cecil. "Where I got the Phasenmorph is classified; but it is standard issue for Clan officers."

"Besides; Timmy's got one and he's SIX!" Davey piped up.

"WHAT!" Cecil exclaimed in shock. "What IDIOT gave a SIX YEAR OLD a deadly weapon!?"

"But they purr!" Jimmy said as he cuddled into Gabe's side.

Gabe smiled at his son as he put his arm around him. "Yeah, they do munchkin." He held out his other arm, and a few seconds later his Phasenmorph became visible. "Cecil, this is 'Mario'. He's a living weapon tied directly into my nervous system. Mine is semi-intelligent; like a dog that's trained it'll do what I want. Timmy has an extremely rare type of Phasenmorph; his is actually intelligent and will not do anything unless he agrees with Timmy that it is right."

Cecil looked at the creature attached to Gabe's arm. "So you're saying that your parents allowed some experimental creature to be attached to your body; not knowing what damage it could cause to you or anyone else?"

Gabe shook his head. "Phasenmorphs were perfected long before you were born. There is nothing experimental about them; they are just too dangerous to even be considered public knowledge. One of the benefits of having one though is that no projectile of any kind that is being used as a weapon will ever hit me. Mario is a shield for me all the time that just happens to be a weapon when I need him."

Angela put a hand on Cecil's shoulder. "I think there are a lot of things we need to get caught up on before we start reaching conclusions here Cece. Right now we have some boys out there who need to know what is in store for their future. Let's get them out of here; I'm sure Teri will fill us in later."

Cecil nodded. "You're right. Just one question; does Andy have one of those things?"

"Not yet." Alec replied seriously. "But considering he is now responsible for the safety of three little brothers on top of his interest in Security I would not be surprised if he's considered for one pretty soon. He's already exhibited the maturity to handle one, and a cool head under duress. He was one of the team that rescued Matty, so once he's passed advanced training he'll probably be issued one. The final decision is JJ's though."

"I think I can accept that." Cecil replied. "As long as you're not just passing them out to everyone I can live with it." He then turned for the door. "Let's not keep the boys waiting."

They walked out of the office to find Kendall and Nicky standing and watching Matty and Cody play on the floor. Cecil walked up to them and placed a hand on each boy's shoulder. "Hey there guys; you taking care of your little brother?"

Kendall nodded. "Yeah; nobody else is gonna do it. Someone's gotta protect him."

Cecil smiled. "You might want to check with your big brother about that; I'm pretty sure it's his job to look out for all three of you."

Nicky glanced up at Cecil. "We ain't got a big brother. He needs US to protect him."

"You do now; he's the redhead with the goofy smile on his face standing behind us watching you." Cecil replied.

"He's not our brother. We ain't even got a family no more." Kendall said without looking up.

"You do now." Cecil said as he gave each of them a squeeze on the shoulder. "Angela and I want you to come home with us and be our sons; that makes you all Andy's little brothers."

"Why?" Nicky said as a tear streamed down his cheek. "All we're good for is punching bags."

Cecil was pleased to see Andy come around him to pull the twins into an embrace. "I heard that guys." Andy said softly. "You're good for a lot of stuff; you've just never had a chance to learn what. You're gonna finally get to see how REAL parents treat their kids! C'mon; lets get going so Doc 'Tonio can get you fixed up. I gotta show off my new brothers to all my friends!"

Cecil watched with pride as Andy and the rest of the boys began ushering the new arrivals out to the waiting Hummer. He walked up to Helen and joked "Who was that boy, and what did you do with the shy Andy that we left with you?"

Helen laughed. "Just wait; you ain't seen nothin' yet!"

 

One hour later:

Cory led his group into CIC. "Never fear, Super Blond is here!" he announced with a giggle.

"Getting a big head there little man?" Teri replied with a chuckle from her seat by Cecil and Angela. "Welcome home son; did you enjoy your break?"

Cory smiled. "It wasn't as much of a break as I'd like; but we still managed to have fun. I've got a few people you need to meet!"

Teri rolled her eyes. "Let me guess; more brothers?"

"MOM! What makes you think I'd do that?" Cory replied with an innocent expression.

"I raised you." Teri chuckled. "Let me guess; the munchkin hiding behind Timmy is one of the new arrivals?"

Before Cory could reply, Timmy grinned and pulled Paul over to Teri. "Gran'ma! I gotta new lil' brother! Paul, this is Gran'ma; Gran'ma this is Paul!"

Teri smiled at the shy little boy still trying to hide behind Timmy. "I don't bite Paul; come on up here so I can meet you."

"It's okay Paul; she's good people." Austin said as he walked into the room. "Hi Grandma!" he added as he came over and lifted his littlest brothers onto Teri's lap.

Teri looked up and smiled. "Austin! You look great! Marc did a wonderful job fixing you up."

"Thanks Grandma." Austin replied with a smile. "Ummmm .... How can I talk about Dad and Dad so you can tell them apart?"

"It's easy." Teri replied. "We all know Marc is your Father, so if you are talking about him when he's not around it would be fine to say 'my father' when you mean Marc."

"Thanks Grandma." Austin replied with relief. "My father worked really hard to fix me up."

"Speaking of parents; where is your Pop?" Teri asked as she cuddled the two munchkins on her lap.

Austin giggled. "He went to break the news to Kyle's parents about their new son."

"Oh, someone else besides me gets a surprise?" Teri chuckled. "What a concept!"

Cecil looked over to where his new twin sons were busy plotting something with Jimmy and Davey. "Surprises like that I think I could learn to enjoy."

Just then, Sean came in with Dan and John behind him. Riding on John's back was Daniel, sporting a huge grin. "Look! I got me a new Dad and Pop!" he announced.

Cory slipped over and gave Daniel a one-armed hug. "Awesome dude. I told you everything would work out!"

"Yeah! Thanks Cory!" Daniel replied.

As everyone got acquainted with the new faces, Brant and Jordy came out of the overnight room. "Hey Cory." Jordy announced as he finally recognized someone.

"Hey guys." Cory replied. "It's been dark for a while; you guys been talking?"

Jordy nodded as he put an arm over Brant's shoulder. "Yeah; Brant filled me in on what happened with him. I guess my life wasn't the only one that sucked."

Brant groaned from under Jordy's arm. "Nice choice of words dufus. Do I gotta put up with jokes like that for the next fifty thousand years?"

Jordy stopped and turned to wrap both arms around Brant. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it as a joke against you. I'm not going to ever make jokes like that at your expense Brant. Relax some; I don't think anyone that Cory would allow to be around here is going to make fun of either of us."

"Come over here boys." Teri said, pointing at Jordy and Brant. Once they were standing in front of her, Teri continued. "I'm Sean and Cory's mom Teri. I know that you're Brant; in fact I've heard all about you. Who is your friend here?"

"This is Jordy Ma'am." Brant replied.

"Hello Jordy." Teri said. "Brant, I've been assured that despite the legends about your species you are no different than any other boy here. Most of these boys have had to live as outcasts either in society or in their own families. While I'm sure there will be an occasional joke, the last thing that any of these guys are going to do is pick on you for what you are. They've been on the receiving end of that treatment, and would be the last ones to give someone else the treatment they hated. You can relax those defenses; you've already been accepted as family or else you wouldn't be here in this building. If you take offense at every word that could be used as a joke against you, sooner or later nobody will want to talk to you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes Ma'am. I guess all these new people just got me feeling kinda touchy." Brant replied softly.

Teri made room on either side of her. "Sit down guys."

Both boys took a seat, and immediately found their laps occupied with a kid; Timmy on Brant and Paul on Jordy. Teri put an arm around each of their waists and pulled them in close. "Why don't you fill me in on your lives before you joined us? Don't worry; I'll bet I've heard a lot of what your lives used to be like before, and there is absolutely nothing you could say that would make me ask you to leave."

After twenty minutes of listening, Teri gave both boys another squeeze. "Thank you for sharing that. Now that I know what you've been through, I can help you if you have problems. You're going to hear a lot more boys calling me 'Mom' than the ones that I've adopted; with the life spans you guys have to look forward to I won't always be here, but while I am you can consider yourselves part of my family if you feel comfortable with it. If you don't feel comfortable calling me Mom, you still have earned the right to call me Teri with what you've been through and how you survived it."

"You want me even with what I am?" Brant asked softly.

"Yes." Teri replied. "You do what you need to do to survive; it is part of how you now are. As long as you take that little slice of time that offends your morals and use it to better someone else's life by eliminating the source of their suffering there is absolutely nothing wrong with your feeding. If you had to do it once a week, the law of averages says you would run out of choices sooner or later. Twelve times a year is hardly enough to be noticed; just give yourself time to find someone that has slipped through the hands of justice and deserves to be removed from society. If you're not comfortable making that decision yourself just ask any of the Clan officers and they will help guide you to a logical target."

"I never really looked at it that way." Brant replied. "I'm still not gonna like it; but I guess I can handle it as long as I know that the choice is the right one. Is it really okay to call you mom?"

"Yes, I would be happy to have you call me mom." Teri replied.

"Thanks Mom." Brant whispered as he leaned into Teri's side and quietly wept tears of relief.

""Yes, thanks Mom." Jordy whispered as he leaned into the other side of Teri.

Suddenly a purple eyed, ten year-old boy appeared in the middle of CIC. He was dressed in a Founder uniform, with his sleeves rolled up and some strange looking mechanical part in his hand. He looked around for a moment; not really looking at anyone in particular.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt," said the boy. "My name's Javyk, I was wondering if anyone here has seen a young man named Nyo; looks to be about fifteen, wears a uniform like mine. Ark said he was up here but wouldn't take me to his exact location. Ark said he was indisposed at the moment, whatever that means, so I was hoping someone else at this location could give me some help."

Cory looked at the boy who had appeared two feet in front of him. "Hello Javyk; I'm Cory. Has Tyne been cloning founders without a permit?" he added with a giggle.

Javyk looked at Cory and smiled, "Nah, Tyne doesn't know how to work that equipment. I'm more then qualified for it but I keep away from cloning unless the council asks me ever since what happened last time."

"I guess since I'm Council Crafter I'd better ask; what happened last time?" Cory smiled back.

"A Crafter? So does that mean I can blame you for this?" said Javyk as he held up what he was holding. "Well anyway, last time I worked with cloning...have you ever accidentally cloned a finger eight hundred times but had them all connected together in a large twitching mess?"

"You know; I could have used that for my science class last year!" Cory giggled. "What have you got there? Nyo's been maintaining Ark for a while, but I'm working on trying to catch up on what he's had to do."

"Its not part of any of Ark's main systems; it's a multi-phasing reality splitter, it's from one of the shuttles in the Ark's landing area," replied Javyk. "It's used in the propulsion system to pull the shuttle through the air without disrupting anything or making any sound."

"Interesting!" Cory replied. "My specialty is matter/anti-matter reactors as far as propulsion goes. Is that having problems from lack of maintenance?"

"Yeah, it looks like he's never maintained it at all," said Javyk. "Wait a minute, did you say matter/anti-matter!? Do you have any idea how dangerous and destructive that can be? Why would you want to use that for propulsion? I mean you might as well strap a rocket to your ass, light it, and then hope for the best!"

"I'll bet Ark never even told him that the shuttles needed maintained." Cory replied. "With all of the other work Nyo has done for Ark it would be logical that the shuttles were low priority. As far as the matter/anti-matter drives; yeah they can be unstable if you don't know what you are doing, but to reach speeds of up to nine times the speed of light with an object the size of an interstellar vessel you need that much power."

"Humans are working on blowing up the rest of the universe now, just great," mumbled Javyk as he looked around a little more. "You people need to learn how to better use your own tech before you go running around the great unknown strapped to a missile, blindly spreading your 'knowledge'."

Cory chuckled. "Jamie and Jacob are searching for Nyo now; he and his boyfriend went off for some quiet time according to them. As far as the drive goes, don't totally blame humanity. It's actually the accepted drive technology for space as developed separately on various systems throughout the Universe. Ours is actually more stable than others; anything short of a direct impact on the central core can be dealt with either by automated adjustments or in serious cases by a core dump into space. Even a direct impact still has a good chance of the safeties dumping the core before an explosion can take place."

"I'll take your word for it; I might feel safer in a whistle that I converted to a teleportation system. But I'll stick with phasing for now," said Javyk as he spotted Brant and froze. "Umm...I know this isn't my home or anything and I don't mean to sound rude so please don't take this wrong but is he safe?"

Cory glanced at where Javyk was staring. "You spotted Brant. Yes, he's safe; in fact he saved Kyle's life early yesterday morning and helped rescue Jordy last night. I'm guessing you've met Kyle since he's still at the Ark Compound, but Jordy is the kid sitting on the other side of my Mom from Brant. If you ask Cyna, he might be willing to fill you in about Brant; Tyne is understandably still easily agitated by the subject of Moroi, so bringing it up with him is not a good idea if you value your butt."

"You know, you're really long winded for a Crafter, a yes would have worked fine for me," Javyk said as he slowly made his way over to Brant and offered him his hand. "Nycie to mueet iour."

Brant looked up from Teri and smiled. "Nice to meet you to; I'm Brant. Sorry, but I don't speak Founder yet; fortunately over time those words have not changed much."

"I'll use English then," Javyk said with a nervous smile. "Please forgive me for being just a little nervous though; I've only ever met two Moroi. They were really nice guys but the stories I've been told about other Moroi are bad enough to give me nightmares. And that's saying something because most of the stuff I'll do for fun or work scare people to the point of wetting themselves...well Rylan did anyway."

Brant nodded. "From the impressions I'm getting it sounds like some of the ancestors of my species should have been given a week-long vacation in an Alaskan field during the summer with no shelter. I won't say that there are not vamp .. Moroi like that anymore; there are still occasional jerks who cross over. I guess the difference is that now they are more likely to be killed by our own people than they are to be killed by anyone else. We actually have a group called the Elders who swiftly punish anyone who does something that could bring the rest of Humanity down on our race."

"That's good to know," replied Javyk as he pulled a strange looking device out of his pocket. "Hey you wanna see something really cool?"

"What's that?" Brant asked eagerly as Timmy twisted on his lap to look too.

"You gots purple eyes like Uncle Tyne!" Timmy giggled.

"As far as I know I do," Javyk grinned as he set down the larger part he was carrying and then pushed a few buttons on the new device that he got from his pocket. Suddenly the device split into two six inch rings; Javyk handed one ring to Brant and then looked at Timmy. "Are you as ticklish as I am little guy?"

Timmy giggled. "I'm REALLY ticklish! I better warn Red; he don' unnerstan tickles yet." Suddenly Red became visible on Timmy's arm. 'Hey Red, this is gonna be okay!' Timmy thought.

{Okay Timmy; I won't do anything unless you seem to be hurting then.}

'Thanks Red.' Timmy then turned back to Javyk. "Ok, we're ready!"

"Awesome, now Brant I want you to hold that ring near where you think this little guy is most ticklish," said Javyk as he ran to the other side of the room. "Ready?"

Brant giggled. "I KNOW where that is!" he replied as he held the ring over Timmy's belly button. "Ready!"

Suddenly Javyk's hand came through the ring Brant was holding and starting tickling Timmy without mercy. "It's a displacement ring!" Called Javyk from the other side of the room.

Jimmy and Davey rushed over, Nicky and Kendall on their heels. "Whoa! That's awesome! How'd you make it do that? Kendall asked in awe.

"Well it's based off of the teleportation system that Ark uses but with a few different concepts applied," said Javyk as he walked back over. "So I'm actually teleporting my hand to the other ring but in order to keep my hand attached to me I had to account for the conditions of where you're sent when being teleported and what is done to matter as it passes in and out of that realm. By adjusting the temporal displacement field and messing with a bunch of other field emitters I can get it to do that."

"I know I'm stupid; none of the stuff I think of would ever work." Kendall started. "If you can do that with your hand, why don't you have big ones set up for different places you go to a lot so it's just like you are walking through a door?"

"This is still a prototype actually," said Javyk. "It was the last thing I made before being put to sleep for a long time. I just got it working again about an hour ago. I always thought of just using it as a tool to get to hard to reach places, I can't say I've thought that it would be used for larger stuff; that might work. I'll still need to tweak the prototype some more first though. When I first turned it on I actually lost my hand, had to have the Medbots reattach it again. We can think about using it for doors and stuff though later. Might make traveling a little easier rather then asking Ark all the time. So are you an Implementation Crafter?"

"Yeah, right. I'm just a stupid kid whose parents were tryin to kill him and his brother. We just got lucky and were saved before we got what we deserved." Kendall replied as he dropped his head.

Javyk pulled his hand out of the displacement ring and frowned, "I can't say I fully understand what state this world is in. Very few people I know and knew were not Founders and I never really left the Ark Compound much. I've lived a pretty sheltered life I guess. But even the humans of my time didn't kill without reason, that just...what's the word I'm looking for, see this is what happens when I have to learn new languages there aren't always the right words. I think I'm looking for confused or confusing maybe? It's beyond me; yeah I think that's it. It's just beyond me as far as understanding goes. To take someone's life on purpose just doesn't make sense but from what I've heard it almost seems common practice for someone you don't want anymore. But just because someone tries to kill you that doesn't mean that you should give up on yourself. My people were hunted and killed for a long time but that didn't stop us from learning and holding on to what we had. You have more value, I'm sure, to the people that care about you then you probably realize. But your potential is limited by your small frame of mind here. See past what is and see what can be, your only limit is yourself. If you can't see past what others say or think then maybe from their point of view your life should end, although if you were a Founder we'd just slap you upside the head and reassign you somewhere else until you saw what you needed to see. I'm no diplomat, I can't say I'm a doctor of...the mind? Yeah that works. But if you think you have no value and you really believed that then why offer your opinion in the first place. I know that you already know that what you said can't be true because you did offer your opinion and proved your own statement pointless."

Kendall stared at Javyk in shock. Cory giggled as he joined the group. "Ark, I hope you got all of that! Javyk, that's the best I've ever heard anyone describe the principles we all try to live by. Right now Kendall and his brothers Nicky and Cody have just joined us; we haven't had a chance to evaluate what skills they have that were repressed by their former caregivers. Javyk was right though Kendall; you came up with an idea even I didn't consider until you said it." He paused in thought for a second then continued. "Kendall, you said you were always told your ideas were stupid?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think you were just telling them to the wrong people. Javyk, I'd really like to see that idea of Kendall's become reality. Would you consent to working with him to not only assist in completion of the design, but also to evaluate his abilities as an implementation trainee?"

"He'd have to be willing to sign a health waver," grinned Javyk. "I could use the help though."

Cory saw the look that was coming up on Cecil's face and replied quickly. "Unless you want a really pissed off father, I'd suggest asking Ark to grab a child abuser from somewhere to 'volunteer' for anything that needs testing that might result in either one of you getting hurt."

"I can help? Really??!!" Kendall exclaimed as Nicky just shook his head with a grin.

"I can't really promise that though," said Javyk. "I mean an Implementation Crafter is safer because they are the ones that start developing and building the tech once we Scientia guys get it stable enough but there's always a risk. And I won't ever be able to guarantee my safety; MY job has been and will always be dangerous, Council Crafter."

"But I wanted to start a pool to see who can guess the closest how many different dimensions you can spread one sick jerk over before he's no more!" Cory replied before becoming serious. "Javyk, I know development is dangerous; all I ask is that you shield your development team from as much danger as possible without hampering the development. There are still plenty of humans who are a threat to what humanity needs to become; they will serve a better purpose by acting as your test subjects for devices which will improve humanity. Who knows, you might even rehabilitate a few in the process and find yourself with a few extra lead assistants."

"Me and every one I've ever worked with has always been careful, smart people are hard to come by and anyone on a Scientia team has always been above average when it comes to intelligence," Javyk said sounding somewhat insulted. "But let me make one thing clear, I've never been responsible for someone's death and I never intend to. My job is dangerous but the only people I've ever seen die in my line of work was doing something they shouldn't have been doing. I won't have someone's death on my hands, even if it's someone you don't want around."

Cory gave Javyk a serious look. "The first part was a joke; I'm sorry you took it wrong. The rest was serious; normally those people would end up being sent to a prison planet where their life expectancy is extremely short. If you could even find a few that would work out once removed from the situation which drives them into their abusive state it would be worth it. I know of two that we have been watching to see if they cross the thin line that they are walking which has kept them out of the hands of Earth authorities. The choice is yours, but the resources are there if you accept them. Just so you know, one of the two is a biologist and the other is a doctor; neither is stupid by public standards."

"I'll consider it but I'm no clinical doctor, I'm not a babysitter, and I have trouble working with people I don't trust," replied Javyk.

"Fair enough; I don't want you wasting your time babysitting." Cory replied. "I do want you to watch for Clan members who you feel comfortable working with that you can teach how to develop new things the way you were taught to do it though. There is no reason you and Kendall should be the only team working on projects."

"That works," said Javyk. Just then a group with Tyne and Rusty in the middle of it appeared in CIC. "Ah, the help has arrived."

"The help?!" cried a twelve year old Founder boy clinging to Tyne's side. "If we're the help what are you?"

"A Tech God," grinned, Javyk. "And they're giving me people to make Demi-gods." Javyk continued pointing at Kendall.

"You're cute when you're smilin'," Kendall whispered.

Nicky groaned theatrically. "Help! My twin has lost it!"

"Yeah my mother used to say the same thing," said Javyk. "Just be careful, I used to call her crazy. If you're crazy then I'll end up promoting you and no one wants that."

"Just what he needs," moaned one of the other boys that arrived with Tyne. "Staff."

Cory took a double take at the new boy attached to Tyne. "Dang it; I was JOKING earlier when I accused you of cloning, Tyne! Who's your new friends there?"

"On Rusty's left is Rylan, in front of me here is Syris, and this young man here," Tyne said referring to the boy on his arm, "is my son Matyas."

"Son?" Cory asked in surprise.

Kyle giggled and turned from his conversation with Rylan. "Yeah Cor; son, as in shares half of his genetic makeup with Tyne. It's a common method of contributing to the advancement of your race."

"Smart alec!" Cory replied. "Congratulations Tyne. Welcome to the family guys."

Nicky wandered over to Matyas. "Wow, you got purple eyes too. That's so kewl looking!"

"Well you know if it was left up to my Pop then we'd probably have maybe a bright orange," replied Matyas.

Syris shook his head, "That's a scary thought."

"Naw." Tyler giggled. "He'd make it so they changed to random colors every five minutes just to keep things exciting!"

"Just what we need, strobe light eyes," moaned Tyne. "Don't give him ideas."

"Why not?" Kendall asked. "It'd be kewl; different groups of colors depending on your mood ... or just be able to make your eyes match your shirt every day!"

Nicky rolled his eyes. "Guess which one of us got all of the imagination ..."

"I think you mean fashion sense not imagination," grinned Matyas as he looked Nicky and then Kendall over. "But then again maybe not. Who dressed these boys? They look like my Grandmother dressed them."

"Oh you mean like the time she dressed you in that little kitty costume and thought it looked cute?" giggled Rylan. "Or the time that she thought she'd dress you in fourteen different shade of purple just to see if..."

"Yeah that," interjected Matyas as he started to blush.

"I'll have to pull up those videos later," said Rylan.

"Rylan, remember I know where you sleep," replied Matyas.

Gabe raised his hand. "I'll take the blame for their clothing. I plead forgiveness due to lack of selection at their previous residence."

Matyas looked Gabe over, "Lack of selection? But what you're wearing doesn't match either."

"Mat's got a Founder type of colorblindness," Rylan said to Nicky in a loud whisper. "Every color looks brighter then it should be to him; like five times brighter."

"I hear that's why he sleeps naked, so the colors don't keep him awake," added Javyk.

"Told ya' to let me pick your clothes!" Travis giggled. "That sounds like a good excuse to be naked to me!"

"Me too!" Timmy exclaimed as he started peeling his shirt off.

"I don't know about that," Javyk said as he gave Timmy an evil grin. "It's easier to tickle people that take off their clothes. And I'm just the type to not let up if I catch you."

"Timmy! Git yur clothes on!" Tommy announced as he walked in from the rec area. "Ain't nonna Y'all gonna be doin' no streakin'. We done already dis-kuss'd that."

Gavin and Josiah had just popped in when Tommy spoke. Gavin giggled at the confused looks on the faces of the new people he was seeing. "Tommy; it looks like we've got guests. From the looks on their faces; I don't think that they understand redneck, little brother!"

"I'm sorry." Tommy replied with a giggle. "I ain't used to havin people in here that don't unnerstand me. If y'all can't figure out what I'm sayin just ask me to repeat it. If I'm thinkin' about it I can talk like the rest of y'all, but I normally just talk like I learned growin up."

"You should hear it when he's mad!" Gavin giggled as he led Josiah over to where Teri was sitting. "I think even Ark needs a translator then!"

Josiah stopped for a second and looked at the group gathered around Tyne, "I leave for a little while and you and Rusty literally multiply? Wow, whatever you're on I want some for us!"

Tyne giggled, "Founder secret, sorry. I can't pass out that kind of information. Of course if you fill out form 37B and give it to my assistant I'm sure we can start giving you the run around that won't get you it either, but we'll be entertained."

Josiah shook his head and turned his attention back to Gavin. Gavin grinned and came to a stop. "Josiah; this is my Mom, Teri Short. Mom; this awesomely cute guy next to me is my boyfriend Josiah."

"He's da one who made my Teddy bear!" Paul piped up. "Unc'l Josiah make HUGE sandcastles too Grandma!"

Josiah nodded as he wrapped his arms around Gavin, "Yep, Teddy bears and sandcastles, that's me. It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Short."

Teri smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you too Josiah. I think you might as well start calling me 'mom' now; between the starry eyes, the goofy grin, and the sudden tent that you caused just by hugging Gavin, I think you'll be a member of the family for a LONG time!"

"MOM!" Gavin exclaimed as giggles traveled throughout the room and he tried hard to hide inside Josiah's arms.

"I don't know about the goofy grin, because he's hiding his face in my chest now but I can sure feel the tent that he pitched," giggled Josiah. "Do you always pick on your children for pitching tents for their boyfriends though? I mean ya can't view those starry eyes without a good tent to hop into later."

Teri chuckled. "There's a reason most of the couples have their own houses. A parent can only hear "Giddyup!" yelled so many times at night before either they go crazy or they start pointing out that their sons are getting obvious."

"You mean like Daddy and Pop playin' horsey at nite Gran'ma?" Timmy asked.

"Yes, just like that munchkin!" Teri replied as the room broke out in laughter.

"Ummm...Gavin, no horsey stuff please," said Josiah as he looked over at Cory and Sean with a strange look. "I don't want to end up like your brothers, they're crazy and that might be why. Crazy implies that they still have a little sanity and I don't want any of that. I'm up for anything else though...I think."

"I'll call the construction crew back in tomorrow. Looks like time to build more houses." Teri chuckled.

"What do you need a construction crew for?" asked Josiah. "I can build any houses you need built."

"This time put restrooms in the castles!" Kyle giggled. 

"I'll explain later Mom!" Tyler added at Teri's confused look.

Teri rolled her eyes at Kyle. "I'm pretty sure that last I heard there were no teenage building contractors in the state of Florida. How do you expect to build anything Josiah?"

Jamie and Jacob came running over carrying two trash bags. "We heard ya' thinkin that Aunt Teri! Show her Josiah!"

Suddenly the bags they were carrying turned to dust and fell to the ground, swirling and moving about, pulling tighter and tighter together. A few seconds later there stood an almost life-size glass version of Teri, with Sean under one arm and Cory under the other. Josiah tilted his head a little and the glass started to take on color until finally there were three stained glass statues of Teri and her two boys standing in front of them with smiles on their glass faces.

"I didn't know what you'd like so I hope this is good," grinned Josiah. "Just not sure where you'd put it though."

"Oh my God! That is beautiful!!!!" Teri exclaimed. "I don't know how you did that; but you've convinced me! I'm going to put it in the foyer in my house; that way anyone who visits can see it!"

"I'm glad you like it," said Josiah. "I've never really done a house before but it sounds like it should be fun. Should only take me an hour to figure out so just tell me when you want me to start and I'll get to it."

Teri pulled Josiah into a hug. "Tonight I expect you to have fun with your family. If you want to try making something tomorrow you can; but I don't ever want to hear that you are doing it because you think you have to. Just have fun; maybe start off with figuring out a way to add more rooms to Cory and Sean's place."

Josiah sighed and wrapped his arms around Teri, "Okay Mom."

Teri softly stroked Josiah's back. "I'm here for you anytime you need me Son; I don't know what your life was before this, but now you're part of my family. No matter what, that is forever."

Josiah melted into Teri's arms with a sigh. "Thank you Mom."

A few minutes later, Cory got everyone's attention. "Hey guys, quiet down for a second! I want to see just how much Starfleet knows about the last few days."

Once everyone had quieted down, Cory took a seat at the terminal and made the connection.

"Admiral Morrow's Office."

"This is Patriarch Short. I need to speak with Admiral Morrow." Cory replied.

A few seconds later, Admiral Morrow came on the screen. "How may I assist you Patriarch?"

Cory smiled. "Admiral, I have been informed that certain sectors were under the mistaken impression that myself and my family were in danger. I thought it best to inform you that there is no such danger; in fact we just returned from a vacation. Any and all alert status changes were the results of issues that have arisen within our divisions."

The Admiral's surprise was evident on his face, despite his attempt to hide it. "Are you positive about that Cory? Starfleet Intelligence has information which states otherwise."

"Oh; you mean that Section 31 stuff?" Cory replied with an evil grin. "I heard about that long before it was supposed to happen. Since they 'don't exist', I would say that our measures to ensure the mistaken dispatch didn't happen 'don't exist' either."

Admiral Morrow raised his eyebrows. "I have no idea what you are referring to." He paused and then added "I think it might be best if I personally reviewed your intelligence onsite to verify the true source."

Cory nodded with a knowing smile. "I'm sure that sometime tomorrow we could arrange that. I think that around noon my time would be acceptable."

"I will see you then." Admiral Morrow replied. "Until then Cory?"

"That will be good Admiral. Goodnight." Cory replied as he closed the connection. He turned to Seth and grinned. "I think that the Admiral just got busted, don't you?"

Seth grinned. "I think you like playing with fire, Cory. Nice catch though; I think you forced his hand. You do realize that us being here might not go over too well don't you?"

Cory put a hand on Seth's shoulder. "Honestly I don't give a crap what they think about you guys being here. They have no say about who I allow to be here; this is Vulcan Diplomatic Property. Besides, you guys are family now; considering the recent events he can bite me if he don't like it."

Josiah frowned, "Cory, I don't think you realize just how much power the Federation has. Vulcan is part of the Federation not the other way around, so if they wanted to remove someone from your care and they had a just reason to do so they legally could. They aren't some washed up earth-side government; they're the Federation, 150 or so planets backing them. Be careful bro, you're not all powerful."

Cory nodded seriously. "I know that bro; I'm counting on the fact that you guys were taken in using Federation laws. The SHA covered us taking you in; basically they would be going against their own laws if they complain. I've got legal rights for making you guys' family."

"Okay, I was just worrying about ya; just as long as you're covering your back," replied Josiah. "I'm not familiar with Federation laws; I just want you to be careful."

"No prob Josiah; I appreciate the thought." Cory replied. "I think the reason we all get so much done is everyone looks out for everyone else. If you want, I know Gavin was about to start studying the laws that we work under; maybe you guys can learn them together."

"Learn? You mean like from a book? I don't know, I really hate reading," said Josiah in a half-hearted sigh. "I mean, there's never any pictures or anything. But I guess if you really want me to I will...even if that doesn't sound like it's very much fun."

"Actually, it's interactive on a computer; Xain could just put it into your head, but Gavin wants to do it his own way and I'm sure you'd feel safer if nobody messed in your head. Cuddle breaks with your boyfriend are encouraged though!"

Josiah looked at Gavin and grinned, "I think I can live with that then."

Gavin giggled. "You do realize we might be studying for years with all the breaks we're gonna take don't ya?"

Just then Dmitry and Dominic came into CIC. "The God of Cute has arrived, you may all go about your good looking business now," announced Dmitry.

"God of cute?" Helen laughed from the doorway. "I just think that cute little nose smelled food! Come on in, the food is ready!"

"Careful Helen," said Dominic as he wrapped his arms around Dmitry. "If you're a non-believer he might attack, calling down his heavenly wrath on you."

Dmitry giggled, "Heavenly wrath? Attack? Would I do that?"

"Yes," said Dominic. "If you really were a god that is."

"Ah Ha! Heretic!" cried Dmitry as he pushed Dominic up against the wall and started tickling him.

Helen chuckled as she came over and whispered "No birthday cake for Gods; I only cook for family."

Dmitry stopped tickling Dominic, looked up at Helen, and gave her his best puppy eyes, "But Aunt Helen, I am family. I'll gladly give up being a full god if I can have some of your fantastic cake."

"Oh, he's laying it on thick," giggled Dominic, earning himself another short tickle attack.

Helen pulled a boy under each arm and walked them into the rec area. As planned, Travis was the last one through the door with Davey under his arm. As they entered, Travis started the singing, quickly joined by the rest of the boys.

Happy birthday to you;
Happy birthday to you;
Happy birthday dear Davey!
Happy birthday to you!

Davey looked around the room in shock. "You knew?"

Travis gave Davey a squeeze. "Of course Son; that's a parent's job to know stuff like this. C'mon; Grandma saved you the spot of honor."

"But I don't know what to do at a birthday party!" Davey said worriedly.

"Me either." Jimmy said as he pulled in tighter to Travis.

Dmitry got up off of Dominic and giggled, "Well you're just supposed to have fun! Play some games, eat some cake, tell a few jokes, maybe strip your boyfriend..."

Dominic gave Dmitry a kick as he started to get up off the floor, "Let's keep this party clothed DT."

"Oh okay," grinned Dmitry. "Maybe no boyfriend stripping but there's still presents!"

"Presents?" Davey and Jimmy echoed. "Why are there presents?"

"Because the people that like you, which are normally also the ones giving you the party, are celebrating your birth!" exclaimed Dmitry. "They shower you with gifts to remind you that you make their lives better and that they love you."

"We're too old for presents though." Davey stated.

"You're never too old!" Austin yelled across the room. "I still get them after 48 years!"

"Yeah, but you ain't a human." Jimmy whispered.

"That doesn't really matter Jimmy," said Dominic. "You don't have to be human to have birthdays or get presents. I mean if that was the case then a good number of my friends, as well as myself, wouldn't get gifts. But gifts don't go away when you get older, they just get bigger and sometimes more complex. You're never too old to get gifts."

"And sometimes gifts from extra special people can be..." Dmitry started to say before Dominic jabbed him in the side. "...Okay yeah what he said."

Helen came over and knelt in front of the boys. "Trust us guys. This is some of the stuff you need to learn about how real kids get to live. Just listen to the rest of the guys; they won't lead you wrong. If Dmitry tries to tell you to eat your cake with anything other than silverware or your fingers you have my permission to toss him in the pool though, okay?"

"Hey! I'm being good!" Dmitry shouted. "Although, that gives me an idea..."

"DT NO!" said Dominic. "Helen, please I beg you, stop giving him ideas!"

Helen did her best impression of an angel. "I wouldn't do that to just about the cutest couple in the room!"

"Well at least the woman knows her couples," grinned Dmitry. "I mean Dom, you gotta admit she's right on this one."

Dominic shook his head, "Helen, you're feeding a fire that already had enough fuel." Dominic grabbed Dmitry and started to pull him towards the other side of the room. "Davey, happy birthday, if you need help on fun then Dmitry will be over with me drying off after I throw him in the pool myself."

"Awesome! Water!" Dmitry giggled. "I'll catch you guys later, have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"That's leaving a lot open," Stepan said softly as he and Nyo came over and handed Davey a present. "Happy birthday Davey."

Davey smiled for the first time since entering the room. "This is for real? Thank you Stepan and Nyo." He took the present carefully. "When am I allowed to open it?"

"Yeah, you can open it whenever you want," said Stepan. "You can either open it now or you can open it with your other presents later, it's really up to you."

Davey looked at Helen with a wanting look in his eyes. "Go ahead and open it if you want to." Helen said softly. "You'll have plenty more I promise."

Davey smiled as he carefully unwrapped the present, handing the paper to Jimmy as he inspected the gift. "Wow! A computer? Awesome!"

"It's a larger version of the handheld that me and Step carry around with us," said Nyo. "I'll have to show you how to use it; it's a little more advanced then a normal computer. But you need a good computer and you can do all kinds of things with it."

"Thank you. Are you sure I won't break it?" Davey asked in a worried tone.

"Yeah, I'm sure, I know you'll take care of it," said Nyo. "It's even made to take a beating because it was made for Crafters to use so don't worry too much about that."

"That means even your Uncle Cory couldn't break it." Travis added.

"I heard that!" Cory yelled. "See if I let you play on the X-Box brat!"

Davey giggled. "Thanks guys. I better get up there with Dad before he goes nuts waiting."

"You're very welcome," replied Stepan.

 

Thirty minutes later:

Cory shook his head in wonder as he looked around the room. At the end of the table, Davey seemed lost as the presents were brought out and placed next to him. Off in CIC, Dominic was chasing Dmitry around trying to get him to put his clothes back on. Cory turned back and watched with a smile as Gabe and Travis helped Davey keep from being overwhelmed by the tribute to his birthday.

Teri came up and placed a hand on Cory's shoulder. "It looks like you taught them pretty good son." she whispered.

"Me? No way Mom; Doc Austin had to teach them." Cory replied.

"Yes way Cory. You teach them by your actions. I've seen the rest of the boys watching you and Sean with your sons; You are setting the example that they are trying to follow by being yourself."

"Whatever." Cory replied with a blush.

Teri smiled as she rustled Cory's hair. "That's my shy boy. You and Sean need to get around; your limo leaves in fifteen minutes."

"Limo?" Cory asked.

"You two are taking a break tonight. You'll see." Teri replied with a grin.

 

Forty five minutes later, Cory and Sean followed the guard into the building. Cory looked above the entryway and froze. "OH MY GOD!!" .......