1- 7/5/14 I am sitting here listen to the wonder that is the music of Toubab Krewe (think African Surf rock or -better yet listen to them for yourselves) and trying to inspire the muse to write the next scene which is only two years overdue. But the degree is finished and the nightmare that is Independence Day with dogs is done (fireworks, sensitive ears, not a great combo.) I still do not own the characters (is that enough of a disclaimer?) only the thoughts that put them together and often I share those with my best friend and beta Duchess as I try to work through a tricky bit with brainstorming. Thank you for your infinite patience while I worked full time and carried a full time course load.

2- 11/1/14 Well, the muse inspiring didn't work. It's now the day after Halloween and the times I feel most inspired are the times when is it absolutely impossible for me to write (like when I am at work or washing my hair before work.) The last few years when Nanowrimo rolled around I thought, "Why November?" November is when family gets together and church activities and major papers and school projects. Why not January? What the heck happens in January? Well, it's November again and I don't have the excuse of school so maybe I can do something with it this year after all. We'll see. First things first… we have a cell to deal with…

As the day progressed the Asshats-in-charge never showed their faces and still the monkey told Jaye to wait.

The woman who brought them food in the early afternoon bore such a striking resemblance to Heidi, the ex-wife of her former boyfriend turned clan patriarch, that she nearly called her by the adulteress' name.

Fortunately the astronaut Curious George had begun to chant, "Not Heidi, not Heidi!" Then even more helpfully he said, "No applesauce!"

Jaye nodded slightly to the stuffed animal in acknowledgement of the message and thanked the woman for the food while asking for crayons and other coloring supplies to help keep the little one occupied during their unexpected detour. With the promise to check, the woman left the food for all four occupants of the cells.

As soon as she was out of sight Jaye looked at the food on the school lunch style Styrofoam trays then sniffed the separate cup of applesauce making an exaggerated face for all to see. "I think something is off with the applesauce. Maybe it's spoiled. I wouldn't eat it." Then she placed both trays on the bed but grabbed the cups of applesauce and flushed their contents in the corner toilet, leaving the cups higher than Danielle could reach. Then she looked back at the gentlemen in the other cell.

Kyle Valenti aka "Carl," watched the over dramatic dumping of the applesauce by the young woman in the other cell. He looked down at his own tray and frowned, wondering if she was right. Food would be a great way to drug them again.

He looked up at the cameras through his lashes and mentally sent them video of static. Then he hovered his hand over his tray and scanned the food. Sure enough there was something in the applesauce but nothing else.

He got up leaving the tray, but taking the fruit mush and grabbed Dr. Jackson's as well on his way to repeat the process the woman had done earlier.

Returning, he caught her eye and nodded. Then proceeded to eat the turkey sandwich and chips and was grateful that his youthful pursuit of Buddhism had only lead to better meditation skills which he used to enhance his control of his gifts. If he had fully embraced the way of life, he would be fasting not just in protest to the captivity, but also due to the lack of vegetarian options.

As they ate, Danielle began repeating the first line of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie in English. She continued the story with the next line in Spanish, then the third in French. Daniel Jackson looked up and said, "I don't know the story, but I know languages. If you have a copy of the book, I can play, too."

Jaye checked the bag, knowing it had been in there for the trip back to the library, but uncertain if they had been allowed to retain it. She found it and handed it through the bars to Daniel.

Danielle proceeded to the fourth line in Mandarin. And Dr. Jackson spoke the fifth in Arabic.

They went on for at least an hour before Danielle grew tired of the same story. But not of her new friend who spoke a lot of the same languages as her mommy. Daniel, for his part, found the girl fascinating and brilliant. He applauded her mother (whomever she was) for getting her started on languages at such an early age, especially since it was truly one of the child's gifts.

The serving woman who brought them lunch returned with crayons, paper and coloring books. She also brought a bag to collect the lunch trash.

After receiving the art supplies and as she passed the trash to the woman, Jaye saw the Monkey nod and asked in a low voice, "Gotts-Horowicz-Covey?"

Wide eyed, the Heidi look alike gave a slight nod.

Jaye continued, "Related to Heidi?"

"Sister. I haven't seen any of them in four years, since I was brought down here," she whispered.

"So you're a prisoner, too, poor soul?"

She nodded.

"I won't keep you, or they might not let you come back," Jaye said. Then asked, "Do you think they would let us have a couple more blankets? Would you ask?"

"I will."

"Great! And what is your name?"

"Rebecca."

"Thank you, Rebecca, for asking and also for the crayons. You don't know how much they'll help."

She gave Danielle a coloring book and they shared the crayons. The young one sprawled on the cot coloring away while resting on her belly. Jaye sat on the floor using a coloring book to support the blank paper while she began to write out the runes she would need to put along the edge of the circle when they made their escape.

She pondered the difference crayons versus charcoal or chalk would make in the enchanting of the wards to protect them. She was just learning them but these were some of the very first she was taught. Protection, transportation, and homing.

Jaye could save just herself and the girl but the monkey was pretty set on it being all five prisoners, including Heidi's sister. And Rebecca didn't make Jaye's skin crawl the way Heidi the slut puppy did. So now she just had to convince the guys to draw half the circle and write runes on the outside.

She wondered if there was a way to take themselves and the stuff they chose to bring with them, but not the bars in the middle. Definitely clothed, too, please. Don't want to traumatize Danielle. Not that the coloring book of clowns wouldn't have. So the girl was coloring boring things, like Old Mother Hubbard.

She had propped the monkey up against the girl, so she tilted her paper up as if trying to catch the light so that the little "Chatty Cathy" could see. He simply grunted in approval, and made no further suggestions beyond, "Wait for the girl before you activate it."

Jaye nodded and made a half circle with the drawings for the men's cell floor. At least in here they were left alone for a while.

Twenty minutes later, she repeated a quiet request from the Monkey to "Carl."

"The monkey in the jumpsuit tells me you're the guy to see for a few moments away from prying eyes."

He mentally blinked the cameras again, while he asked, "The monkey?"

She looked pointedly back at it and nodded. "He says you would understand when I say Shaman, even though it makes me uncomfortable to put a title to it."

He nodded. "What do you need?"

Jaye passed them the page with the semi-circle and the runes along with the purple crayon. Start about here, indicating an area a short distance away and end down there. Whomever has the neatest handwriting writes the runes on the outside and make sure anything you wish to keep is on the inside."

The men and Jaye began working franticly on their respective sides, connecting the circle across the bar of the cell. They finished and all were sitting quietly when Rebecca returned with the linens.

Since Jaye had Danielle on her lap reading again, she asked if the young woman could bring the blankets in.

As soon as she was clearly within the circle, Jaye ordered the protection barrier up and began the homing for transport chants she learned.

Back at Headquarters…

"There. The wards are up and they are calling for help to get home," one of the witches in training called out.

Willow and Dawn, both filled with overwhelming hope and the need to see the little Scooby Princess safely home, stepped forward to power the transport spell. It was fortunate that they only allowed the backlash to pulse out 10 yards or so, to insure they wouldn't be followed, and making sure they missed the gas lines. At the same time they acquired the names of the big wigs for the Council to have a little chat with later.

They were very surprised to open the safe room and find five people instead of two.

Danielle jumped up, "Mommy!" and flung herself into her mother's arms.

Dawn for her part tried valiantly not to cry. No one mentioned the stray tear or two and she nearly won the battle until her daughter looked up at her and said, "I made a new friend. He likes languages, too."

The girl looked back to indicate one of the men that had come with them. A man she thought she would never see again, "Daniel?"

Daniel had watched the reunion, frozen as the face from his dreams became a real person. Then more memories unlocked, but there were still holes.

As he stood there holding tight to the necklace she gave him, he remembered that she was precious to him, even if he couldn't remember all the details. As she choked out his name, he spoke hers, "Dawn," and a relieved smile broke over his face.

"I tried to reach you but they told me you were dead," she cried.

"You know how when you go fishing and catch one that isn't ready yet, so you throw it back?" At her nod, he continued, "They threw me back and scrambled my memory a bit in the process. I only started remembering the dig in the last month or so. I could see your face and knew you were important, but it kept slipping." He turned the necklace so she could see it. "I only got this back from one of my coworkers who had kept it as a memento earlier this week. I remembered it was important and that you gave it to me."

She hugged him. "I'm glad you're back. I have so much to tell you and maybe I can help with your memories of the dig. Why don't you come with me?"

Everyone watched as they left, oblivious to everyone else around them, for the most part.

Jaye turned to Willow and Xander, "Any chance either of you have the contact information for Eric's Clan. Rebecca was kidnapped a few years back by the same folks that got us and I suspect she would like to go home."

"Not if I have to watch my sister with Eric, I don't. Well, not permanently any way," Rebecca said.

"I feel the same way. They are in fact divorced. We met back in Niagra. It seems Heidi made a lot of folks want to run and hide," Jaye answered.

Xander checked for the contacts, but they were all locked in Dawn's office.

"That's Ok," Jaye said. "I know Mr. Ramirez has them, so we'll go see him. Will one of you call John to let him know that we're back safely? I know Dawn would have but she's distracted right now."

"I'll call him," Willow offered with a half raised hand as she left to go make the call in privacy.

Rebecca wandered over to a nearby sofa with a window and began staring out at the outside world she hadn't seen in more than four years. Jaye hoped that the young woman would be alright.

She then turned and spoke to last man from the cell. "Kyle, it is time to stop running and hiding. We can help you with that. The resources are available to make them stop hunting you and your family."

She looked at Xander, "Yes, family, because as much as the Scooby's here are family, his group is a family, too."

Xander smiled and nodded for her to continue.

Jaye turned back to Kyle, "I am taking Rebecca to your brother-in-law to get her back to her family. We can either help you return without strings, with the men in black off your back. Or we can offer you jobs here with us, still free from that worry and offer you training to enhance the control that you already have on your abilities."

At the mention of his abilities, Kyle started to fidget. Jaye raised her hands in a placating gesture and told him, "We live in the world of the unusual and rarely do we blink. We don't dissect and only kill when something evil is trying to kill or take over. You didn't blink when I mentioned shaman and even though I could see it scared the living crap out of you when I said your name, you didn't run. The fact that my actual job is the Nanny and I'm taking my cues right now from the space monkey and the wax lion in Xander's pocket could disturb you, but I can tell it doesn't." She waved her hand behind her to where her trainer stood as she finished, "Because Xander hasn't contradicted me, the Council will stand by what I've said."

Kyle Valenti calmed and blinked a moment, "I could see my dad again?"

"Yep," Jaye said as she nodded.

"And we're going to go see Jesse now?"

"Yep," she agreed again.

"I'm in. The others may need more convincing later, but freedom from years on the road? I'm in. I don't have to move back to New Mexico, right?" Kyle asked with a sheepish grin.

"Nope, wherever you like. If you want to be on your own and just call for help when you need it, that's okay." Xander answered backing up what Jaye had been saying. "Or wherever else that you want that the Council has a presence, if you want to work with us," he added.

Kyle nodded and looked relieved as he walked away toward Rebecca.

Jaye looked at Xander as Kyle joined Rebecca on the couch. "I am pretty sure they thought I was Jesse's wife and Danielle his daughter. That makes their group under our wing automatically right?"

"It would. And we will follow up on that with Jesse and the rest soon," Xander said.

"I also wonder how long it will take Dawn and Daniel to remember that Daniel probably has people looking for him?" Jaye mentioned casually.

"Maybe by tomorrow, when she's supposed to go to that thing at the museum. I wonder if Danielle asked for a sibling for next Easter?" quipped the One Who Sees.

"Job security. Got to love it," Jaye grinned. She tapped the buttoned up shirt pocket on his chest. "So the lion is trapped in your pocket, eh? You sacrificing a wax candle to Chaos tonight?"

"More like because of chaos, but yeah," he answered. "He knows better than to involve our Scooby Princess in his mischief. He knows the price. Oh yeah, and I found you a Mold-a-Rama at the Brooklyn Zoo."

"Awesome! Burn, baby, burn," she replied ignoring the groan from his shirt pocket as she lead the others out to their own reunions.