Hey, sorry, the stupid publisher is getting me mixed up; I'm new on the ropes. Anyway, chapter 2! I can't say this enough, PLEASE review! Like it love it or leave it… I don't own the Saturdays, only Alice.

And I don't own the Mummy. Rick or Evie. Or Spongebob.

All possible thanks to the bestest beta eva, Pirate-Chan. All together now- BEST EVER. Danke!


"Don't ever do that again," Doyle sent daggers at his sister, standing up straight. "That was cold."

"That was payback for the little 'incident' in the library." Drew sent those daggers right back. "I know you too well to believe that your grenades 'accidentally' went off."

"You're scared of getting locked in a gym." Alice tilted her head skeptically. Doyle shook his head no.

"I'm scared of being caged in." Doyle crossed his arms at his sister.

"I'm sorry." Drew looked down. They looked like a father and a guilty daughter.

"You know why I hate being caged." Doyle's voice softened.

"You're a free soul who hates being captured?" Alice tried to break the fragile ice forming. Doyle's eyes were emotionless.

"It was a punishment I'll never forget." Doyle's voice was flat. "Age 9, punishment for stealing from the boss- stolen food for a friend who was sick. I was placed in a dark room, no door, I forget how I got in. I stayed in there 3 days without food."

"Oh." Alice looked down.

"Come on. Let's make our Sunday Sundaes." Drew walked up the steps to the elevator. "We make sundaes while Zak is asleep." She explained to Alice. "If you wouldn't mention it, I'd be obliged."

"Scotty, beam me up," Doyle joked, his sullen, flat mood over, as he walked up the steps behind his sister. By the time Doyle and Alice reached the family room, (they had been waylaid by Fisk wanting in) Drew had the ice cream out thawing and was searching for the chocolate sauce.

"Its 10:30, Zak's in bed. You want to watch the Mummy?" Doc's voice wafted from over the couch, where he was sitting in a recliner reading. Doyle walked over to the couch and grabbed the remote, and flipped to FX, where Evie was bidding on Rick's life.

"Oh, we missed my favorite part." Alice mussed her eyebrows in sadness, then helped Drew crush Oreo's for the sundaes.

"Doyle, you and Zak ate half this package" Drew said as she whacked the bag of Oreo's with a rolling pin. Doyle shrugged.

"At least we didn't eat the sour worms, you did." Doyle muted the commercial for an anti fungal cream with a disgusted look on his face.

"No, I ate some of the Reese's Pieces." Drew examined the bag of gummi worms.

Doc cleared his throat. "I ate the gummi worms." Doyle unmuted the TV in time for the movie.

Alice shook her head. "You and my dad; Put a bowl of Lemonheads in front of him, and the whole thing would be gone in 15 minutes."

"Sour worms, sour attitude," Doyle shook his head in mock pity. He turned back to the screen to watch Brendan Fraiser shoot an Egyptian ninja.

"Fine, if you all have had a start at eating the sundaes I get the whipped cream." Alice grabbed the Redi Whip and when Drew handed her ice cream, Alice stuck the can under her arm while she put on toppings. Once done, she angled the can and piled on the whipped cream. She set the can down and went to watch the movie, stealing Doyle's spot while he and Doc made their sundaes.

"Doyle, is the book 'The Book of the Dead' over here yours? Cuz' it's in a good spot to be dripped upon," Alice informed Doyle before moving the book to the table next to the couch.

"Yes, it's mine, it's from the library, please don't drip on it" Doyle stood behind the couch, his ice cream invisible among the toppings. "And thanks for keeping my spot warm."

"No, thank you for making my seat warm" Alice smirked and bounced in her seat, and turned back to Jonathan running with a key overboard. Doyle grumbled and sat in the seat next to Alice. Doc sat back in his recliner, and Drew sat on a cushion in front of Doc's feet and leaned back on his legs.

"Brendan, how could this movie be a bit good with out you shooting something?" Alice mused as Rick pulled out a semi auto and shot a mummy who continued to moan and rot his way towards him.

"I wonder if he thought for a moment, 'Hey, this thing is immortal and a skeleton! A gun won't do crap!'" Doyle scraped the edge of his empty sundae bowl.

"Doyle, I don't care what everyone says; you are the fastest eater in America," Doc shook his head as he reached the ice cream in his sundae.

"You have to be in the business," Doyle didn't say mercenary business anymore; he just called it the business. He waited for a commercial and rose to put his bowl in the sink.

"In my business, you don't eat anything, fast or slow," Alice crunched on an Oreo piece. "It's considered fashion heresy."

"So you fashion types survive on coffee, water, and willpower." Drew smiled as she placed her finished bowl next to her on the ground.

"Looks like the fast eating gene is genetic," Alice laughed. "But yes, we survive on our willpower, coffee, Red Bull, or as it's whispered about me sometimes, photosynthesis."

"Better put you out on the porch at lunch, I could save some money, my son and brother-in-law are eating me out of house and home." Doc nudged the couch with his boot, moving it a couple inches.

"I am not. You're just blaming it on me to cover up the microwave incident." Doyle said indignantly.

"Doc, what happened to the microwave?" Drew turned to her husband.

"Uh, movie's back on!" Doc gave a hesitant smile and shot a warning look at Doyle, who shrugged back.

"So we're hunting what tomorrow?" Alice turned to Doc.

"A Sasquach tribe is giving a Mt. Rainer seismologist center a headache, so we're going up to see what we can do, probably an open and shut relocation case. Zak can use his powers, and we'll be done before dinner." Doc ruffled his hair.

"So Zak uses his power on the leader, the pack follows the leader and we pick up any stragglers. Is it this fun everyday?" Alice yawned.

"I know you're used to a bit more of a challenge. We're using it as a training exercise for Zak; otherwise we'd just have a local Bigfoot herder do it." Drew nodded.

"Sorry, what I said was out of line." Alice hung her head.

"See, that's how I was taught to I.D. the rich. Normal people don't talk like that." Doyle sat back down next to Alice.

"Why would you need to identify the wealthy?" Alice wrinkled her nose.

Doyle shrugged "to pickpocket." Alice's face turned somber as she went back to the movie. It had flown by, and it was quarter to 11, only just below halfway done.

"This is hard to believe that a power like this could be real." Doc flung his hand haphazardly at the Mummy, who was sucking the life out of one of the American explorers.

"I'm sure Argost wouldn't hesitate to suck the life out of his own mother if the occasion called." Alice finished her ice cream and rose to put the bowl in the sink while Doyle reclaimed his spot.

"Argost is- well, he is unexplainably evil, insane, and criminally messed up." Drew leaned her head against Doc's leg. Alice let out a yawn.

"I think its beddy-bye time for the widdle girl." Doyle smirked as Alice rose.

"This widdle girl kicked your butt, and even in this state won't hesitate to reprove herself if challenged." Alice hugged Doc from behind the recliner and nodded to Drew. "Is that fancy talk for you?"

"Yup, I can pickpocket you now." Doyle smirked, and then smiled 'good night' to the girl, who left for her room.

"You two are gonna either hate each other or love each other." Doc shook his head.

"Aren't those two the same things?" Doyle smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX :8 ;) :$ :

Doyle yawned, and ruffled his Mohawk as he listened to Zak's cartoons through the walls. He lazily slumped into the kitchen to see Alice already at work in the kitchen, whipping pancake batter in a bowl, biting her lip in concentration, still in a borrowed pair of Drew's pajamas. Zak was in front to the kitchen TV, watching Argost crack a whip at the camera, and then changing the channel to watch a yellow sponge at a grill when it came to commercials. Doyle slouched into one of the seats at the island.

"Good Morning!" Alice said happily. Doyle grunted.

"I didn't catch that," Alice teased Doyle as she grabbed a ladle from the vase where some kitchen supplies stood.

"G' Morning" Doyle said audibly. Alice ladled some batter onto the skillet and 6 bumpy shaped pancakes cooked happily.

"Good morning, Doyle." Drew hugged her brother from behind "morning Alice." Alice nodded, and biting her tongue, flipped a pancake.

"Morning, Drew. Doyle, could you get the syrups and the butter and put them on the table?" Doyle rose and did so. "Zak, could you set the table, at the next commercial break?" Alice called to the youngest as she took a flipper and put two finished pancakes on the utensil, putting them in oven on a cookie sheet with a dozen others.

"Sure." Zak rose when the announcer told him to 'don't move, we'll be back soon'. He set the table, before returning back to the couch with a yawn.

"Tired? You could have slept in." Doc came in fully dressed and cheerful, only to see 4 people sleepily stare back in their PJs. "Though I don't want to miss Alice's pancakes." He sat down at the head of the table, and Doyle joined him on his right.

"Oumpsf shed carmihale." Fisk greeted everyone, and Zak gave him a high five. Drew sat down at Doc's left and gave him a good morning kiss. Zak pulled a disgusted face as he sat down next to Doyle. Alice placed pancakes directly on everyone's plates and sat down next to Drew. Syrup pouring, buttering, and cutting took up too much of the tired peoples' energy to talk, excluding Doc who was not tired.

"I want everyone ready to go and in the airship by 10," It was 9:15 "We have a 45 minute trip to reach Rainer, and I think if we work hard we could be done by 1." Doc dug into his pancakes. Doyle's and Zak's mouths were too full to answer, but they nodded. Alice and Drew glanced at each other, communicating to each other that they'd both like some more time, but that Doc wouldn't budge. Drew shrugged, stabbed a pancake piece and ate it. Doyle and Zak finished, put their plates in the dishwasher, and sprinted to their rooms. Drew finished in a slightly classier way, not sprinting through the clean up progress, and Alice followed her foot steps, leaving Doc to eat alone. He shrugged to Fisk then proceeded to eat another bite.

"Ready, Doyle?" Alice's voice didn't scare Doyle; it just brought him back down to reality. He had been in a stupor, due to the fact that he'd stayed up past 2 a.m. working on some things. He turned to Alice and caught his breath. She wore well- worn jeans, ripped at the knee, held up by a belt. Black Doc Martins' had seen many fights, but were still in good shape. Her white shirt sleeves stopped at the elbow, a knife held in place by a holster on her bicep. Her hair pulled back, she looked ready to take on anything, whether it was an evil maniac or an annoying salesman. She looked good.

"Uh, yeah." He held out his arm for her, and with raised eyebrows, Alice took it. They walked to the airship and into the cock pit, where they were the last to arrive. Zak was bouncing with excitement, already strapped in his seat. Drew and Doc closed the door and began liftoff as soon as Doyle came in after Alice.

"Hey, watch the jet pack." Doyle grumbled, and took the empty seat. Alice stood until Doyle looked up from buckling. "Oh, my god, I'm sorry, I didn't-" Doyle rose to give Alice his seat, but she motioned him down.

"I want to do something in the gym, sit down." She waited until they got off the platform and headed into the gym. Zak sniggered.

"What" Doyle scowled at him.

"Oh, my god, I'm sorry, I didn't-" Zak put his imitation of Doyle in falsetto, and Doyle reverted to his latest version of punishing Zak, flicking him.

"Do I have to separate you two?" Drew gave a mock wag of her finger. Doyle and Zak scowled, their facial images mirrored causing Doc and Drew laughed. Half and hour in, with Zak distracted by Cryptids Monthly Magazine, Doyle quietly unbuckled, stood up, and walked out of the room to the gym. No one had looked up, he hadn't made a sound. Doyle smiled. That was what he was paid for.

Alice was in the gym, not using the elliptical or treadmill, but the knife dummy for practice. Doyle silently watched, as every time, Alice was quick and quiet, not making a sound as she severed the main artery in the dummy's neck, killing it if it were alive to be killed. Through the ribs, down the collarbone, down from the arm pit, Alice was swift, quick, and silent in her kill. Silent, but deadly, Doyle chuckled to him self. Alice heard, and turned, taking the hari-ka position of attack, one that was a traditional offence, but Alice shifted her foot back for quick defense.

"Now that I've seen all your moves, you can't surprise me." Doyle didn't even move. He lazily pushed off the door jam.

"Those weren't all my moves." Alice swung her back leg around, catching Doyle on the bicep.

"Ow!" Doyle hadn't been expecting the attack. Alice smirked, and he faked left. It didn't fool her, so instead of trying another fake, he simply flipped her. Lying on her back, it looked over for Alice. She smiled. She rocked back on her neck and hands, flinging her legs up, and rolling up, her back to Doyle. She spun around.

"Truce?" He offered his hand.

She took it. "You always quit that fast?" She asked. He twisted her hand behind her back.

"No. Same question to you." He chuckled to himself.

"Dr. Beeman talks like that." It wasn't a cutting observation, or a particularly witted one. It was simple, in meaning and statement. It struck him that this uncomplicated sentence was pure Alice: not the aristocrat air she sometimes had while talking, nor the fast wit that came from years of fight. It was Alice who spoke.

"Yeah, he does. He's just odd. He didn't believe us when Zak Monday got out of the smoke mirror in Paris. Nothing more could describe him." Doyle didn't let go of Alice's arm.

Alice ignored the smoke mirror comment. "You guys were in Paris and you didn't tell me?" She sounded mad.

"Yeah, we were Cirque du Fantastic." Doyle rolled his eyes.

"Cirque du Fantastique." Alice corrected. Doyle rolled his eyes again. "And Dr. Bart did hint that the mess up was Secret Scientist stuff. But Paris! The most belle Cite in the world, the capitol of art, cuisine, fashion-"

"It stinks and has no clubs accessible for the adventurer in need of a rendezvous point," Doyle wasn't impressed. Alice looked like he had struck her grand mother. Then she smiled.

"You don't speak French, do you?" she asked.

"I speak German, Spanish, Arabic, Israeli, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian." Doyle defended.

"But you don't speak French. You can't go anywhere, clubs or otherwise because you don't speak French. Learn, and the whole place will open." Alice tested her arm, Doyle hadn't loosened his grip."I learned early, so I knew it when I came. And I love it as my homeland since."

"Why?"

"Because there, connections don't matter; they're nice, but they don't matter. You survive on talent and talent alone, and your last name is nothing. You make it or break. If you break, you live in the most beautiful city in the world, where you can find a job until you do make it, and where good food is cheap. And if you make it, you live in the most beautiful city in the world, with a big apartment with a gorgeous view, good food, good clothes, and amazing art. What's to lose?" Alice turned around. "My last name meant nothing. It was as meaningful as Smith or Jones here. I had talent, and that's how I made it. For the first time in my life, it was Alice who mattered, not Barnaby."

Doyle nodded. "I understand. You know my last name was changed to O'Connoley. So the name Blackwell was nothing. I couldn't even remember my name was different until a couple years ago. Blackwell carries weight. O'Connoley doesn't, and I survived the business because I had talent; because I was trained well. Because the name of the guy I worked for carries more weight in the underworld then Al Capone."

'I-"Alice started, but Doc interrupted.

"Doyle, Alice, we have some help. Come down to the cockpit, we're here."

Doyle let go of Alice, and they didn't say anything as they walked to their family.

"Mr. Aliens-are-real is not gonna rain on this parade." Doyle whispered as they came to the door.

"Dr. Beeman? What the heck would he want with Bigfoot?" Alice went through the door.

Zak ran up to them. "Dr. Beeman is here to help because the galaxy he's studying from here doesn't show up till midnight!"

Doyle looked stunned. Alice gave a small scream. They both turned on their heels and ran from the room.

"Now that we've all remembered out manners," Doc glared at Doyle and Alice who didn't look a bit ashamed. "We'll get started. Zak, you'll go up with Zon and use your powers to control the leader. Who's that?"

"The biggest one with a silver stripe on it's back." Zak smiled at his dad. Doc smiled back.

"Right; Drew, you'll take the front on the ground. Alice, you'll take the right flank, Dr. Beeman, the left. Doyle, you'll fly above with communication with everybody. Fisk and I will take the back. Okay?" Every one nodded. Doc gestured to the meadow where the Bigfoot tribe was making camp. "Let's do this."

Zak got in the carrier on Zon, and the two took off. Doyle gave a nod to those on the ground, put in his comm link, and took off with his jetpack.

"Checking, one, two, three. Police make pixies look pleasant." Doyle's voice was patched through to the comm link everyone wore.

"You're in, Doyle. Zak? You copy?" Doc watched his son circle the leader in the air.

"I copy loud and clear." Zak giggled. "I always wanted to say that." Dr. Beeman rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"Okay. Everyone, get in position." Doc and Fisk stayed where they were. Alice nodded and using the brush in front of the forest surrounding the meadow to cover her, ran to the side of the herd, where a female was cleaning her baby. Dr. Beeman strode in front of the brush boldly, surprisingly not drawing attention. Doyle and Alice both bit down growls at the man's bluntness. Drew had to go deeper into the forest to get in front, making a path. It took a couple minutes, making the already assembled even more nervous and bored. Doyle hovered, adjusting altitude. Zak and Zon just soared, enjoying the mountain air. Dr. Beeman checked his sky coordinates for the night, and slouched. Finally, Drew popped out into the front of the opening, and waved to Doc, the signal.

"Alright, Zak, you can activate your powers and let's do this." Doc sounded pumped and stood awed as his son's eyes lit up orange, as did the leader Sasquach. The silver back stood and grunted, telling the tribe it was time to move. If the pack was surprised, they didn't show it, and simply stood, some mother's putting babies on their backs. Doyle and Zon flew higher. Drew took off running, and at first, Alice didn't see why. The leader seemed to take forever. Then, once the first step had been made, it took off, jogging, it's strides taking up a 1 to 3 of Drew's long strides. The tribe was only slightly slower then the leader, and some looked like they could go faster. But they didn't. They showed respect to the leader. Dr. Beeman began a fast jog, and Alice matched his speed, the two catching glimpses of each other through the giant cryptids. Doc and Fisk were only slightly easier- one Sasquach was slower then the others, not young enough to be carried, but far from adult. So, Doc and Fisk jogged. There was no need for talking, so no communications were made, there wasn't air or time for that. However, as Doyle switched channels, connecting everyone to everyone at random, she would get panting and heavy breathing in her ear.

"How's life down below?" Alice hadn't heard anyone speak in over an hour, and Doyle's voice scared her for a second. They had two hours to go, and the pack had slowed down so Alice was able to slow too.

"Aren't you-" she paused to take a breath, "supposed to keep the lines open?" she ended with a gasp. Wow. Had talking always made her this out of breath?

"Yes, but Professor is just doing protocol. Nothing is gonna happen." Doyle didn't sound out of air in the least. "I'll take care of everything, no need to worry your pretty little head."

"Did all that hot air up there all go to your head?" The tribe was really slowing down. They had just eaten within an hour and a half; they could go many more without food, water, or rest. Why were they slowing? Alice was slowly jogging.

"No!" the voice in her ear was sharp, defensive.

"Good. How about sending some air down here, it feels stale." Alice sniffed the air. It was decayed, weird for mountain air. And there was no bird song or bug buzzing. That's odd.

"Huh, that's weird. We're 15 miles from the nearest human population. Can't be pollution" Doyle wasn't trying to be funny or flirty or blunt, like his normal tones. He was concerned. "Comm link to Drew," He ordered the communication system. "Drew, Alice and I think something's up, but I can't see anything from here, to many trees. You got anything?"

"No, just a lake, nothing wrong with- oh, crap." Drew's voice turned devastated. "Doyle, call Doc, Martin, Zak, and Alice- we've got a problem."

Doyle left out his usual sarcasm and put on chat communications, allowing everyone to talk to everyone. "Professor, Marty, Zak, Alice? We've got a problem. Drew says we've got a lake coming up, dunno what that means-"

"Doyle, if you look through the trees directly north of us, you can see the lake. Nothing looks wrong; it's just a lak- oh, man." Zak's voice took the same trip as Drew's did.

"Nothing lives in lakes in this area except- aw, dang." Doc's voice was mixed with Fisk's tongue.

"They're supposed to have migrated or migrating by now, it's October." Mr. Martin Beeman sounded as monotone as ever.

"Will someone explain what's going on here- Mon deiu!" Alice finally realized what was coming. A train wreck, one they couldn't avoid.

"WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHY WE ARE ALL SUPPOSED TO BE WORRIED?" Doyle screamed into his Bluetooth.

"The Kelpie water demon," Alice was trying to breathe slowly, but was having difficultly. "It's Japanese, and the sworn nemesis of the Sasquach. If they even smell each other, it's gonna be crazy hard for Zak to keep the leader under control, which, by the way, he's doing fabulously. The Kelpie is gonna be torn between it's nemesis and it's favorite delicacy- human blood."

"Ah." Doyle now got the reason to worry.

"And I think the reason the tribe is slowing down is the smell of the Kelpies. They sense a fight. See, the mothers are putting their children down." Doc said. Indeed, they were.

"He really wants to fight" Zak meant the silver back. "It's gonna be really hard, I'm gonna have to use all my concentration."

"Doyle, you can just fly over. Fisk, you're not human, so you just run to the other side." Drew was getting her sword out. Doc pulled on his glove, the stones lighting up. Dr. Beeman was silent, just pulled out a strange looking machine; it might have been a lopsided, small frying pan with a barrel on it. Alice didn't reach for her knife, deciding that the best thing for her to do was run around, and take out the ones on the sides. Not get noticed, since she didn't have a big weapon.

"-do for Alice." Alice only caught the last part of Doyle's sentence.

"Hm? What was that?" She asked him.

"Nothing!" Everyone else chimed in at the same time, even Marty Beeman. Alice didn't say anything, but she didn't expect foul play, either.

"Okay. I can see the lake. I'd guess it's about 50 meters away." Drew reported.

"Alright; plan to action-now!" Doc cried, and at first nothing happened. Then out of the water, like a the monster from the lake, rose horses. At least, that's what they looked like. The first Kelpie to come out was the biggest, and it roared, calling the others from the lake. More and more rose, until both tribes looked about even.

The lead Kelpie brayed and charged the silver back, until Drew cut it off with her fire sword, blasting it back into the lake. The Kelpie's mate whinnied and charged to avenge it's mate. This one was stopped by a blast from Beeman's weird gun-like thing, freezing it in place. Only it's eyes moved. The Sasquaches were waiting for their leader to fight. Zak was doing his job, and the leader didn't, so the group followed him across the land around the lake, the Saturdays holding off the water demons.

Alice began to gain a rhythm, ducking under charges confused the horses. She began to find pressure points from her work with animals, ducking and pressing up on the point of pulse on the back of their back left thigh, leaving them unconscious. She rolled out from under one horse to face another, the mate of the one she just took out she assumed. Kelpie's mated for life. The male was big, and it's fangs were bared, shape shifting into a water-tiger. Now this animal didn't charge, and fought like her. It swung a giant paw out at her, swiping at her arm, leaving a shred mark on her forearm. At first there was no blood, but a single drop oozed, then another, then another, until finally, it was bleeding heavily. The tiger leaned back in lazy triumph, not yet done with his game.

She was screwed, she thought frantically, looking around. Doc knocked another animal aside to reach Fisk, who was having trouble with one kelpie. Drew needed no help, the animals seemed to be scared of fire, and refused to go near her. She was using their fear to force them into the lake. Dr. Beeman's gun was working, anything he stunned wasn't hadn't regained motion, the female he first shot was just now only shaking her ankle. Doyle was knocking out any Kelpies who tried to touch Zak as he flew low. There was no way anyone would notice Alice in time. She took a fighting stance all the same, and prepared herself.

"Oph!" The blow hit her from behind, and suddenly, she was in flight. The knock to her had stunned her senses, and it took her a second to realize Doyle had come to her rescue, and his arms held her tight against him as he flew.

"Put me back down, I can fight!" Alice hit Doyle's bicep with her uninjured arm. It felt like smacking a rock, and affected Doyle just as much. Drew had just pushed back the water-tiger Kelpie into the lake.

"Nah, you got your chance. The fight is over, the leader just passed back into forest. And you're injured." Alice realized that Doyle was putting pressure on the cut. Zak was flying over forest now as well. Drew drove back a final animal, sheathed her sword, and sprinted for the trees. No animal followed her. Dr. Beeman had move difficulty, running backward while shooting, looking relieved as his emotionless face could be as he reached the tree line. Doc and Fisk reached the line with not too many problems, and Doyle flew Alice over the battlefield.

"Everyone- meet 20 feet in from the forest line to regroup. Doyle, is Alice in emergency condition?" Doc's voice came into Alice's ear, and because of her being pressed up so close to Doyle, she heard Doc's echo in his ear too.

"She's not critical, but she should be treated ASAP." There was a slight pitch in Doyle's voice, Alice barely caught it. What was he worried about. Doyle didn't say anything more, just coasted down slowly through the trees, never letting up on the pressure on her arm. She felt like she was going to lose circulation.

"Alice!" Drew cried, and rushed foreward to her when she and Doyle landed with a first aid box. She replaced Doyle's hand with hers and began working on numbing the area. For what, Alice didn't care or know.

"Am I the only one who got hurt?" Alice screwed up her eyebrows in madness. She wasn't a rookie, yet she was the only one hurt. And she wasn't the youngest!

"Well, I almost was. Someone forgot to mention that kappas shape shift." Dr. Beeman sent a stink eye to Doc.

"You knew they were already supposed to migrate, you know that and not that they shape shift?" Doc scoffed.

"Okay, boys, bleeding seriously?" Alice gestured to her arm. "Stop the Rikki Lake."

"Can you run with a cut from a tiger?" Zak was spinning with not a care in the world as only an 11 year old can.

"Yeah, no biggie" Alice forced a smile through the pain.

"Not with a cut like that." Marty observed.

"Dr. Beeman's right. You'll have to fly. Doyle, can you-?" Doc asked Doyle.

"Yeah, I can hold her." Doyle knocked his jetpack fondly. "This baby can take about 250, we're good."

"So, Alice, you'll just fly the rest of the way with Doyle." Drew was rubbing in anti-bacteria cream into her arm.

"Like hell I am." Alice wasn't happy. Doc sent her a look and angled his head to Zak, who was trying not to look eager.

"Fine" Alice set her jaw as Drew got out a thread and needle. Doyle watched and followed Drew's instructions on how to do stitches. Alice had to resort to biting her lip to keep from yelling in pain.

"There aren't any painkillers in the Washington wilderness." Alice spoke through clenched teeth to Fiskerton, who seemed to think he could do better then Alice in her position.

"You don't need them, you're done. Now, when we get home, we'll try not to stress it or pull it, that'll pop a stitch, and that'll really hurt." Drew cut the thread at the knot. Alice stood up from her seat on the grass, and shook her arm softly. She grimaced, more in annoyance then pain, and allowed Doyle to place his arms around her waist to take off.

"You know, you haven't kept your promise to tell me your childhood." Alice's head was just below Doyle's, and her hair was distracting him.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. It's not the right time." Doyle didn't bother to look down, just kept the wind in his face, just how he liked it.

"That's your excuse, Mr. Missionary? It's not the right time? I trusted you about a day after we met and you won't tell me like, three days after?" Alice really wanted to know, she wasn't trying to be a brat.

"It's not the right time. When I tell you, you'll understand." Doyle had only told the family right after Abbey left. They wouldn't tell her, he knew.

"Alright; we've got about an hour and a half to kill, what do you want to do?" Alice was currently counting trees, and she was so bored she'd rather try to give Komodo a bath. That's a desperate measure.

"How about on of those traveling games you play on the highway?" Alice suggested.

Doyle smirked in contempt. "And where do you see road signs in the middle of the wilderness?"

"Talk about creating problems, not solutions." Alice sighed. "How about you tell me one of your amazing stories, Zak says they're really good."

Doyle laughed, and glowed with the praise. It was a new feeling, being congratulated for something legal and worthy of doing.

"Okay, what would you like to hear?" Doyle was excited, he really loved telling stories.

"Um, any one" Alice shrugged as much as she could in her position. So Doyle chose the one about the bounty hunt on the cliffs of Ireland, chasing a banshee with wax stuffed in his ears so he wouldn't hear the cries. He spoke of chases, both on cliffs and in Dublin, of being on the run, of nights on the sea, and of the beautiful animal he chased for a recording of it's call for some man called Baron Von Finster. Alice listened attentively, just as she had when Doc told their story. She was feeling drowsy and content in Doyle's arms, though she was loath to admit it. Doyle's voice was normally rough and low, but now it was soft and alto, a soothing countenance. Doyle wasn't finished when they arrived in the area pre-made for the Sasquach tribe, who had been very well behaved since the kappas.

"Zak, once the leader reaches the middle of the clearing, let him go, and turn west. Go for a half mile, the airship is waiting." Doc came in over the speakers. Zak did so. The silverback seemed mildly surprised when Zak turned him 'off', but seemed happy, seeing as he immediately began to make a nest for himself. His wife joined him, while his cub played with a stick as big as Komodo, the rest of the tribe began nests too, and Drew joined her husband, Fisk, and co-worker, and they walked to the ship together.

Alice looked up at Doyle. "Autopilot," he confirmed. "It was ahead of us 'cuz of the fight. I'll be glad to sit down." Alice wondered how he knew what she was going to ask. Doyle continued his story where he left off, the motorcycle-car chase of him and the tapes through Dublin, trying to reach his rendezvous point.

"Baron was mad that I got the money he actually owed me, and has been aiming for repayment since then." Doyle finished as he flew up onto the airship loading dock. "And last I heard, he was in Taiwan," Doyle put her down on the balcony.

"Wow. Really? Just wow." Alice smiled at him. Zak ran up to them.

"It is 3 o'clock and Dad is taking us to a surprise!" Zak was smiling. "He won't tell me where!"

"It's probably some scientist's station. You and I have had more then enough of Doc's 'surprises'." Doyle was happy that Alice would get to sit next to him, although the moment he thought that, he felt like a schoolboy with a crush and he put on his blank stare when Alice looked at him.

"Well, Doc's surprises for me have always been good. Let's go to the screening room and watch something." Alice headed off in the direction of the room, and Doyle and Zak followed her in wry amusement.

"Okay, this is probably not visiting a scientist" Doyle allowed, 2 movies and 4 hours later.

"It's not," Drew walked in. "It's something for Alice." Alice brightened at this and smirked at Doyle. "And," Drew continued, "We're five minutes away."

Zak ejected the movie they had just finished, and placed it in its case before putting it back on the shelf. Doyle smirked, knowing he would have just thrown it aside. Alice left with Drew, peppering her with questions to which Drew gave no answer. Doyle waited for Zak to turn off everything, and then left with him.

"Whaddya think it is?" Zak walked with his uncle down the hallway. "I think that we're going to Paris early."

"Good guess, but we could have flown in this to Paris. No, I think we're going to visit her grandparents." Doyle reached the cockpit doors, and began to open them, only to have them open and Alice fly out of them, a murderous look on her face. Drew and Doc stood, the air ship parked on an extensive grounds.

"New York, the Barnaby estate," Doc confirmed "they don't know we're here, Alice shouldn't have to hide from her family."

Zak nodded sympathetically, but Doyle just gave his sister and brother-in-law nasty stares, and left to find Alice.

She wasn't hard to find, she was on the roof, the huge Barnaby mansion and grounds giving a gorgeous view. She sat with her arms wrapped around her legs, which were pulled up to her chest as she stared at her home.

"You don't have to do it, you know." Doyle sat down next to her. "We can leave." Alice shook her head, but didn't say anything.

"If you want to do it, I'd imagine they'd be having dinner." Doyle said, leaning back on his hands. "They'd be sitting around the table, all of them. Little Lilah, eating her biscuit first; Jane, eating her veggies without a murmur; Kenny sniggering about the remote controlled car in the kitchen, Thomas happy about the college acceptances he got today, Bennie home bursting with stories from college; Jesse, making pictures with his mashed potatoes, and your parents, talking to everyone, whether they respond or not. And every one of them hiding the pain of not knowing where you are- hey where are you going?" Alice had risen and opened the hatch to go down back into the airship.

"To see my family" Alice left the hatch open, and by the time Doyle got down to the ground the rest of the family was sprinting after Alice, who was running towards her home. She stopped at the front of the gate and waited for them. When they reached her panting, she pressed her hand to the gel hand print analyzer. It scanned her hand, accepted it, and popped the gate open. They walked up the drive, and when they reached the door, a butler opened it before they reached it.

"Miss Alice." The balding man gave a slight bow, his English accent twanging the words. Alice smiled at the man, who seemed to shrink every time she saw him.

"Jennings, how many times must I tell you that after everything you've done for me, I should bow to you?" Alice hugged the man, and when she released, the man had tears in his eyes.

"Shall I tell the family you are here with guests?" Jennings bowed slightly to the Saturdays. "Mr. Solomon, wonderful to see you again, and Mrs. Drew, beautiful as ever I see; now, I do not know your name, young master, but you can only be Doc's son." He smiled at Zak. "And you have some relation to Mrs. Drew." He nodded his head at Doyle.

"Jennings can smell relations a mile away." Alice hadn't stopped smiling. "Zak is indeed Doc and Drew's son, and Doyle is Drew's brother."

"I should have known, that is a Blackwell smile if I saw one. The family is dining; I think they'd rather like to be interrupted." Jennings cared for the Barnaby family as if they were his own, and in a way, they were.

"And these must be some cryptids of your fame. Would they like dinner?" Jennings politely dealt with the cryptids as if they were just strange guests; he had dealt with some pretty weird people. Fisk and Komodo nodded eagerly, and Zon gave a cry. Jennings motioned for a valet, who led the cryptids away to the back porch, where the cook would fret fondly over them and give them anything they motioned for.

Jennings led Alice and the Saturdays up the grand staircase, and down to the right. He motioned to the mahogany door third on the right, and disappeared the way they had come. Alice stood in front of the doors and took a breath while the Saturdays took position behind her. Alice relaxed her shoulders and pushed open the doors.

Doyle had been right about many things, but not everything. Everyone in the Barnaby family was there eating dinner and talking. Joseph and Margaret Barnaby, Katie, Jesse, Amanda, Damon, Bennie, Thomas, Kennedy, Jane, and Lilah were having a family dinner, chatter and chewing all around. It was Lilah who noticed the intruders.

"Alice!" she cried in surprised. Every noise in the large room ceased, and Lilah and Jane pushed out their chairs and ran to Alice. Alice bent down and took them in her arms, burying her face in their hair, blonde and black curls mixed. No one else had moved, some with forks held halfway to lips. Lilah and Jane continued their reunion with their sister.

"Where were-"

"How did-"

"Who are-"

"Answers later, hugs now." Alice commanded, and the girls did as told. Alice stood again, both girls each hugging one of her legs. Kennedy rose next, and with the enthusiasm of the little boy he once was, ran to his sister and partner in crime with a hug and a smile.

"Hey, Ken. Pull any lately?" Alice stared down at the ever changing adolescent face of her brother.

"Yeah, but it was more fun with you," the teen admitted, then pulled back to let Thomas hug his sister. He was taller then her now.

"Hey, framed that big shiny diploma yet?" Alice cupped his face with her hand, his cheeks chiseled out.

"No, it's somewhere in the black hole of my room." He smiled, showing 2 years work of braces. "Nah, mom practically stole it from me the moment we finished pictures."

"And the job of actually getting it framed fell on me." Bennie gave Alice the longest hug yet.

"With your college workload? Heaven forbid!" Alice hugged her sister once more for good measure. Damon showed Alice a picture of little Carmen, waving her fists at the camera, held by her gorgeous native-Spanish mother. Amanda hugged her sister and proudly told her that she had officially changed her last name to Barnaby and was now working with people who didn't have enough money to hire a lawyer. Jesse stole the show by waltzing his little sister around the room and at the same time telling her that he had three art shows in her absence and two more scheduled.

"Alice." Katie smiled and held out her arms for her little sister. Alice gave her a hug, but it was as warm as a glacier. "Alice," Katie began, "I have something to tell you."

"You're not drunk off your ass? Congratulations, let's pop the bubbly." Alice crossed her arms.

"Uh, no. I haven't had a sip of alcohol since we got the news that you were missing." Katie pulled out a necklace, AA printed on it. "I've just finished rehab and am looking towards a job at Worthington Industries." Alice stared at the charm on the necklace, a teacup. Katie caught her stare.

"It's a reminder of what's important to me- my little Alice," Katie fingered the teacup "From the tea party from Alice in Wonderland. The news of your disappearance gave me the shock I needed to realize I was out of control. And I went for help. I've been thinking of my apology to you ever since."

"Surprise me." Alice wasn't happy.

"I'm sorry, more sorry then I've ever felt for anything in my life, that I think I could ever feel sorry for. I am so sorry that I, your older sister, did and showed those awful things I did to you, and I am fully ashamed and embarrassed."

"You should be." Alice wasn't letting her off easily.

"I sold the club." Katie told her, and Alice gasped. Katie Barnaby was well known for Psyche, a downtown warehouse she had bought and transformed into the most popular club in New York City. It was there where Katie had fallen to her lowest. She was a born entrepreneur, but the alcohol had dulled that. It had dulled many things.

"I'm sorry." Katie apologized, and waited. Slowly, Alice reached out and pulled her into a hug.

"I accept your apology." Alice's voice was muffled into Katie; Katie was 5'10 barefoot. Katie gave her a squeeze, then let Margaret, the women who felt all in this room where her own, envelope Alice. Her father gave her his smile from the head of the table, letting her know in his special way that he would be reunited with her, but not now.

Dinner at the table was abandoned, and Alice and the Saturdays were served in the living room, sitting on the couches, cushions, and the floor. The Barnaby's hadn't had a bite since Alice came back.

Alice placed her plate down, Doyle taking the uneaten pork chops. "Mom, Dad, Katie, Jess, 'Manda, Damon, Bennie, you all know Doc and Drew, we attended their wedding" Nods and agreement all around.

"The wedding was great." Jesse said with feeling.

"Oh, yes, the best I've ever been to besides my own." Damon agreed.

"So you went totally under the table at-" Doc began, but Drew cut him off with one of her looks. Damon gave Doc a smile.

"Thomas, Ken, Jane, Lilah, you don't know the Saturdays, but they know you. Doc Saturday is my father's best friend. Drew is his wife, and the elders went to their wedding. Zak Saturday is their son, and Doyle Blackwell is Drew's brother." Doc and Drew smiled at the younger ones and Zak who were getting along swimmingly, and Doyle motioned hello as best he could with his mouth full.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Should I tell you where I've been or not?"

The tale was told after the unanimous shout of "TELL!" Jane and Lilah sat wide-eyed, they were fans of Weird World and had just been talking about it with Zak. Kenny and everyone older were stunned at the tale.

"So we were just doing something today, and Doc flew me here as the surprise," Alice sipped her Coke. "And I suspect I'll grab some things from my room."

"Alice, you are over 18, therefore, I have no legal control of your actions." Margaret Barnaby's voice was barely controlled. "But know that if I could, I would under no circumstances allow you to leave my home if the president of the world asked for you personally."

"But, exactly, darling, you can't stop her and I can't think of anyone I trust more with Alice then Solomon." Joseph insisted on using proper names.

"Just saying" Margaret threw her hands up. "Jennings," she called, "bring in the cryptids and dessert, and prepare rooms for the Saturdays and Blackwell, they'll be staying with us."

There was an uproar from Drew and Doc, no, they didn't have changes of clothes, they couldn't impose, excuses, excuses.

Margaret brushed them away. "A week, no less I'll chain you here. It's the least I can do, and we have so many extra clothes it's not funny. I won't have my baby leave me so soon."

"Umpshed ifhajjop cuenfrideje?" Fisk asked. Amanda gave a little gasp at the sight of the cryptids, but they were immediately accepted. Ice cream with brownie and caramel was served, and Joseph Barnaby, at 48 and no gut to speak of, complained that the cook was too good, and he was going to be to fat for his pants if she didn't stop making such good desserts; it didn't stop him from having seconds, though.

"Master Zak, Misses Jane and Lilah, it is past your bed." Jennings helpfully reminded the kids who were clamoring over Fisk and Zon. Komodo was hissing happily, Amanda petting him, each of her stokes patting tentatively, as if the reassurance of the last one was not enough.

"But it's only ten," Lilah's dark, innocent eyes peered at her mother. Her mother sighed, and with a wave of her hand the two girls were sent to bed. In the following chaos of getting Zak to do the same, Doyle watched Alice follow the girls out of the room from his spot between Jesse and Damon, the three swapping stories, trying to one up the other.

"Follow her. I bet you haven't heard Alice sing" Jesse saw Doyle's eyes tracing Alice. So Doyle got up, waved to the two men whom he felt were already like his brothers, and followed Alice's shadow.

The shadow went to two rooms connected, the door open and light flooding the hallway. Doyle stood in one of the door jams and watched. The door he was in showed a large bedroom with two beds, and a door leading to a room filled with the girl's toys beyond. Jane was already dressed and in bed. She caught sight of Doyle, and looked at him. He held a finger to his lips, motioning for her quiet. She gave a small nod, and turned to watch Alice bring Lilah out of the bathroom, Lilah dressed in a cloud white nightgown, her wet curls looking even darker. Alice guided Lilah to bed, the girl scrambled under the warm covers, a fall chill was settling in outside. Lilah caught sight of Doyle, and Doyle repeated the motion he'd done with Jane and got the same silent yes. Alice sat down in a chair on the same side as the door, she hadn't seen Doyle.

"What do you want to hear?" Alice asked.

"Edelweiss!" Jane pleaded.

"Second Star from the Right!" Lilah squeaked.

"Oh, yes, Second Star!" Jane agreed.

Alice smiled "I haven't done your lullaby in a while, but that's one of my favorites," and she began.

Her voice sent the three listening soaring, flying, high above the birds and the buildings, above where the air is fresh and a little boy who never wants to grow up leads you on adventures. Oh, and the adventures they took in the time! Pirates, Indians, the lost boys, the giant ticking croc; they were all children, on paradise. But Alice's song came to an end as all good things do, and one was flown home with a bump. The other two stayed where they were, in Neverland.

"Wow. That was beautiful." Doyle told Alice softly as she got up. She glanced up and smiled and held a finger to her lips.

"Thank you. I enjoy singing to them, and they like it so..." Alice walked up and closed the door. Doyle put his arm around Alice's shoulders as they walked back past Zak's door, now with the lights off and the inhabitant asleep, put there by Alice's song.

"I understand why they all missed you so. I want you to sing me to sleep every night too…"