"There's a cat on my chair."

Armstrong didn't even twitch.

"Why is there a cat on my chair?"

The cat remained deeply asleep, curled in a ball, its nose tucked into its tail, declined to shed any light on the situation, although it didn't seem to have an issue with shedding on the chair.

"Because he likes it?" Alan offered.

Jeff sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in a gesture that Scott, and sometimes John, often mirrored without even realising they did it.

"Where did it come from? When did we get a cat?" He'd had a tough day, had escaped a collapsing space rock, reunited with his family, endured a far too vigorous and intimate medical exam and all he wanted to do was sit in his chair at his desk and finally, finally believe that it was real, he was home. Instead a furry interloper was in his spot and didn't look inclined to move any time soon. Typical.

"It's not an it, his name is Armstrong-"

Jeff snorted gently at the name, at least it wasn't called Tiddles, Miss Meowington or something equally ridiculous.

"He's Virgil and Selene's, though we all love him-"

"Hold up," Jeff silenced his rambling youngest with a gently raised hand. "Who the hell is Selene?"

Selene held a shaky John in her arms, a mixture of adrenaline, exhaustion and probably a small amount of shock, still riding him. They lay side by side on her bed, her fingers stroking soothingly through his hair as he recounted the past day and a half, spilling out everything that had happened, every single thing in a therapeutic stream of consciousness.

"It was so hard sitting there with Virgil, just waiting and listening, waiting to know if our father was dead, alive or if we'd have to come back without knowing what had happened to him at all."

"I know, baby. I can't imagine what you all went through. I'm so sorry I wasn't there with you."

"No, we talked about this, I didn't want you there. I didn't want to worry about you as well as everyone else. I wanted to know you were safe so I could focus and do my job."

"Still didn't stop me wanting to be there."

"I know."

"I'm just glad everyone is alright, well physically at least. I was in the office at the GDF when the call came through about the Chaos Crew being on the island and I will admit that I might not be welcomed back there any time soon."

"What did you do?" his tone was long suffering, which was nice to hear, he knew her far too well.

"They took off but wouldn't take me with them."

"Good, Scott specifically told them to keep you safe, and I made them promise the same or they couldn't borrow you again."

"You gave them permission to hold me prisoner?" her tone warned him to tread carefully.

"Of course not!"

"Well, whatever. It doesn't matter, they tried to hold me and they failed."

"Why are you always trouble?" he lifted his head and she stole a kiss. "You do know that Rigby told Kayo all about it don't you? And she told me. Apparently the term wild cat was used to describe you and you scared the crap out of the entire London branch of the GDF."

Selene shrugged, "I am who I am."

"True," he sighed and settled his head back on her chest, not willing to argue over it. "I'm just glad we managed to get the Zero-XL away without any issues, although we hated leaving the others behind to deal with the aftermath," he squeezed her waist, pulling her in closer.

"If anyone could cope with them it's the three ladies of the house, I'm sure Parker and Nic were surplus to requirements, they could have gone off for a bubble bath and still come back to those two hog tied and nicely packaged ready for an extended vacation at the GDF's resort." She kept her tone light and jokey, refusing to let him know just how panicked she had been, how desperate and scared for them all. She didn't care that the women could handle themselves, she had wanted to be there with her family, helping them defend their home. The fact that no one had trusted her enough to be there still hurt, it still made her angry but now wasn't the time to bring it up.

Her comment got a small, shocked laugh out of him and she almost sighed with relief, her man needed time, lots of time, they all did, but it was him she would always worry about the most.

"How is he? In general I mean? Gods, I'm sorry, that's such a loaded question and I know it's probably not even something you can answer, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's natural to ask, and I know what you meant. I'm just not sure how to answer. He's better than we expected in some ways, but worse in others." He sat up and climbed off the bed, needing to pace, needing to move around. John didn't do inactivity well, the only time he was still was when he was sleeping or on the rare occasions they could curl up to watch a movie with the family or on their own. He also needed a little distance. Much as he loved Selene she could feel a little too invasive sometimes, her uncanny abilities meaning she often felt like she was inside his head with him and he needed to be the only one in there right now. When he needed to think, when he needed to be strong he more often than not needed space, he needed to not be touched right now.

As usual she knew what he needed and let him go, let him move and kept quiet, ready to let him talk as little or as much as he wanted to.

"Mentally he seems stronger than I would have expected him to be, but then I'm not surprised, not really, because that's the kind of man he is."

She nodded, understanding what he was saying. She'd spoken to Scott about Jeff numerous times, listened to him talk about the strong, successful and brave man that his father had been and hopefully still was.

"Physically he seems stronger than I expected, he moved like lightning when he suspected that Brains wasn't himself, and he was right."

Scott had taken the phone from John after she'd assured herself that he was OK once they had returned home and had told her everything that had happened on their flight, when he had found his Dad, and on the return flight. The Chaos Crew had acted as a distraction, allowing the Hood to sneak aboard the Zero-XL.

Brains and MAX had held their own as best they could, but the Hood had taken over the ship, assuming the identity of the bespectacled engineer. The boys had returned to the ship, but it had been Jeff who had noticed that something wasn't right with Brains.

They had subdued the villian and locked him away, returning to Earth and handing him over to the GDF, along with his cohorts.

"It's going to take time for him, I was there for his medical, along with Grandma and Virgil. He's severely malnourished, as you would expect, he has osteomalacia," at her blank look he explained, "a softening and weakening of the bones due to lack of vitamin D, a side effect of eight years of no sunlight. He's got a few bones that had broken over the years and while he-" John paused, swallowing before he continued, unable to comprehend what his father had been through, "and while he set them as best he could, they have healed slightly out of alignment, he also has loose teeth and other health issues, the symptoms common in scurvy." he laughed bitterly. "It seems that it's not just pirates that suffer from it. He's not had fresh fruit or vegetables in years, he had vitamins on board in the medical bay and thankfully the supplies were numerous, but even all his hard work couldn't combat the harshness of his situation or the effects of space on his body."

John dropped back down on the bed and she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, graduating to wrapping her arms around him from behind, holding him close when he lent back towards her rather than pulling away. His hand came down on top of hers, linking their fingers as he borrowed strength from her.

"He's got muscle wastage, some eye damage due to poor light and he can barely stomach food. And that's just physically. Mentally we aren't sure. He jumps at almost any noise, which is understandable, he's not been around people or any noise that he hasn't made himself for so long. He's in so much pain, he's suffering being back but he's a fighter, Sel. He's a fighter and he will get better, he's determined, it'll just take time."

Selene held him until he ran out of words, she held him until his shaking slowly subsided and he relaxed back against her chest as she so often had done with him.

He sighed, tipping his head back for a kiss. "I can't stay much longer, they all need me. You'll come back with me, won't you?"

"Do you think it's the right time? I mean, that's why I stayed here last night. I didn't want Jeff to be faced with a new person when he'd just got home."

"You're not a stranger, you're family, you're my wife, or as good as, and I want you there with me. We all do. Please come with me."

She smoothed that little curl of hair back from his forehead, seeing the tense lines there, the tension at his temples. Was she nervous to meet her father in law, of course she was, but she'd be there if her love needed her, if any of them needed her, nothing would stop her.

"Then I guess you'd better take me home, gorgeous man."

John held her hand tightly as they walked slowly from the hanger to the villa kitchen. She didn't know what to expect, she didn't know what to say, what to do or how to act. She was completely out of her depth.

John carried her basket of goodies for the boys and some specially made soup that was packed full of vitamins and goodness but blander than normal, continuing just chicken broth, some potatoes, carrots, celeary and lots of supliments to help build Jeff's strength up.

The second they walked into the kitchen she was almost bowled over by Alan, his arms going around her waist, his face buried in her shoulder. She hugged him tightly, her hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"Hey, my sweetheart."

"Hey," he mumbled back, giving her another tight squeeze.

"You OK?"

She felt his nod but knew deep down that he was anything but. He was overwhelmed, over emotional and trying so hard to be grown up and strong. She didn't want to tackle it now, to wade through his complicated feelings and make him look too closely at them, it wasn't the right time, but she would soon, when he was ready. For now she would just give him comfort in a way he could cope with.

"I've got your brownies, home made, and I packed you a big bottle of banana milkshake to wash them down."

His head shot up, a wide grin on his face as she pointed to the basket John had placed on the table.

Alan let her go and left to dig through the basket, extracting the tub of brownies, the milkshake and one of the burgers they had picked up on route.

Gordon wandered over, attracted by the smell of food, slid an arm around Selene's waist in a one armed hug and took a burger for himself and one for Peneolope, who had stayed the night. Selene made a mental note to check in with her and make sure she was doing OK, her relationship with Gordon might be a relatively new development but she'd known the boys far longer and no doubt loved them all just as much as Selene did.

John, who had been waiting patiently by the door, held out a hand to her. Looked like she couldn't put it off any longer. She gave Alan another little squeeze for luck, although he squeaked and batted her away, thinking she was going to try and steal a bite of his burger. She dropped a kiss on his head and left him to it, taking the flask of soup with her.

John's hand felt solid and warm in hers, giving a reassuring squeeze. How had they suddenly switched roles? From her comforting him to him letting her know it would be alright?

She followed him to the darkened lounge, almost immediately spotting the figure sitting at the desk. Wow, that was strange. She'd always known it was Jeff's desk, but to see someone other than Grandma or one of the boys sitting there really brought home the fact that he was there, he was a real person not some abstract character that she'd been told about.

He looked up from the screen he'd been studying as they entered and instantly she felt like she recognised him, like she knew him. She was startled by the striking resemblances his sons shared with their Dad, she could see a little of his features in all of them now that she was seeing him in the flesh rather than a grainy holographic image or the amazing painting Virgil had finished just last week.

He had the same shaped face and eyebrows as Scott, the same forehead and cheek bones as Virgil but the same nose and eye colour as Alan's. The resemblance to John and Gordon was more subtle but she saw Gordon in the smile he sent John's way and she saw John in his quietly assessing gaze, the way his lips thinned as his eyes flickered between the two of them, taking in their joined hands, and her sudden appearance in his home.

His body was far too thin, but she'd expected that, and he still had an IV attached to the back of his hand, but otherwise he looked remarkably good for someone who had spent so long alone.

Merp! Selene heard the little kitty chirp of greeting, followed by a small thump as Armie leapt down off the lap he had apparently been curled up on and emerged from under Jeff's desk.

This made John smile as he released her hand so she could scoop up the cat. "I see Armstrong got you too?"

Jeff nodded. "He refused to leave so Alan lifted him while I sat down. He's not too bad, quiet company which is more than I'm used to." His voice was quiet from lack of use but still held a tone that showed he was used to commanding and issuing orders that no one would dare to ignore. Sharp blue eyes focused first on the cat and then up to meet Selene's, then slid to face his son.

"This must be the fiancée?"

"Wi-" John started to correct but she grabbed his hand, giving it a warning squeeze. No one needed to know about an unofficial but meaningful space ceremony. That was just for them.

"Yes," John continued smoothly. "This is Selene."

Selene shoved the protesting cat into John's arms and crossed over to the desk, offering her hand.

"It's so nice to meet you, I've obviously heard all about you." Gods it was strange to be standing in front of the man that had dominated their conversations and minds for the last few months and Selene was uncharacteristically nervous, although John had told her to just be herself. But that didn't stop the worry that maybe herself just wasn't good enough.

Jeff shook her hand, his grip surprisingly firm, although she could feel every bone in his hand and wrist.

"Well I've heard nothing about you, so why don't you pull up a chair and tell me how you two met?"

John deposited Armie on top of Virgil's piano to free up his hands. Armie didn't stay there but went straight back to Jeff, leaping up onto his desk and then easing himself down onto his lap, curling up quietly as if he knew the older man needed gentle handling.

While John arranged a couple of chairs Selene took the flask over and busied herself pouring Jeff a small cupful.

"We brought you some homemade soup."

Jeff eyed it warily.

"I made it, not Grandma," Selene promised.

"You're familiar with my mother's cooking I see," he smiled, curving his fingers around the cup. It was his smile that finally made her relax a little and sink down into the chair that John had provided. She was marrying his son, she wasn't going anywhere, so he'd have to accept her as she was. She wasn't about to act any differently than she did any other time. She refused to be on edge in her own home even if it had been his first.

"Very much so, but apparently I hold the record for the most curry to be eaten in one night without throwing up," she was still oddly proud of that even if it hadn't been because of her cast iron stomach.

The depth of Jeff's laughter surprised her, it started out as a small chuckle, barely audible, but it gradually grew into a deep belly laugh although it was cut off abruptly by a coughing fit. John poured him a glass of water and Jeff took a long drink before he was able to continue.

"It's nice to know that some things never change," he added once he'd caught his breath. "Thank you for the soup, my stomach couldn't handle anything Mother could concoct at this moment in time. Sometimes I think she's some kind of witch just throwing random things into a pot and hoping for the best."

Selene bit her lip, unsure as to how much anyone had told Jeff about her.

"So, you were going to tell me how you two met?" Jeff took a cautious sip of the soup, his face registering mild but pleasant surprise before he took a larger mouthful.

"We met when I called for help, I'd managed, quite by accident, to get myself stuck in a bit of a situation and I found myself in need of rescue."

"What was wrong?" Jeff was imaging all sorts, from trapped in a fire to a plane crash.

"I kinda crashed into a tree and got stuck up there."

"You crashed a plane into a tree? You're lucky you weren't killed."

Selene ducked her head, unable to look at John without laughing, luckily he took one for the team, managing to keep a straight face.

"She actually crashed her broom into a tree."

"Her broom?" The frown on Jeff's face was a sight to behold. "A broom? Like a flying witches broom? I know I've been off planet for eight years but I didn't think they would resort to that as the latest must have gadget. What will they think of next?"

John's lips twitched but he controlled himself admirably. "No, just Selene, she's a witch, Dad."

One bink. Two blinks. Then three.

Had they broken Jeff? Scott would never forgive her.

Finally Jeff seemed to recover, clearing his throat.

"A witch." John and Selene both held their breath. "That's interesting, can't say I've come across one before but as they say 'there is more to heaven and earth than is dreamt of in your philosophy'. I'm not ashamed to say that I prayed every night to anyone that would listen, prayed for a miracle, prayed for someone to wave a magic wand and if you're telling me that some kind of magic really does exist and that you met because of a crashed broom, then who am I to argue?"

Selene huffed out a relieved sigh. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"I like her," Jeff assured his son after his intended had bustled off to check on the boys and make them some tea, insisting, much as Penny's father always had, that tea made everything better. "She certainly knows her own mind."

John couldn't help but smile. "She does, yes. She's a little like a cyclone, she breezes into the room, shakes things up and then continues on her way."

"How does she get on with everyone else?" Jeff continued to slowly sip the soup, having found it to be light enough that it wasn't too harsh on his stomach but with enough flavour to still be palatable, in short it was just what he had needed.

"Amazingly well, everyone adores her, she's even helped out with a few rescues and works with me in Five quite often."

"She does? She comes from an average family, according to her, what could an unskilled civilian have to offer?"

John settled back in his chair, trying to not take the comment as a personal slight to his woman.

"Selene has a very unique ability, one that we didn't realise we needed until she was here. She has an uncanny way of recognising exactly what people need on an emotional level and how people are feeling, she can get anyone to talk. She's kept each of us together at some point, she's also helped me talk down a number of people intent on hurting themselves as well as those that needed more emotional support than physical rescuing. She had no qwarms with stepping in to help with anything, including a birth during an avalanche where the mother's husband had just died. She's pretty amazing."

"She sounds it," Jeff couldn't help but be impressed, he especially liked the way his son had defended her so quickly.

"She's helped Kayo with a couple of jobs and the GDF too, although apparently she needs to make herself scarse there for a bit."

Jeff raised a questioning eyebrow.

"She was there when the GDF got the call about the Hoods minions being here. Scott and I had both told Colonel Casey that she was to be kept safe, so they refused to let her leave. She tried fighting her way out, kicking and screaming, demanding to be let out and when she couldn't get free she used underhanded witchcraft to get out. They caught up with her two blocks over, getting into her car intent on flying straight here to help. Now they are all scared of her."

Jeffs lips twitched in a smile that he was trying very hard to hide.

"She's ballsy."

"That she is."

"And she makes you happy?"

"Every day. She also refused to marry me until you were home so you could be there. In fact, she wants you to perform the ceremony, she said it was only right that the head of the family be the one to make her a permanent part of it."

If John saw the slight sheen of moisture in his father's eyes he didn't comment on it.

"I'm going to catch up with her and leave you to your peace for a little while, we'll all be back in a bit," he got to his feet and stretched, covering a yawn.

"To be honest, son, I think I'll head to bed, and by the look of it, you should too."

John nodded, not wanting to overwhelm his father at this early stage, if he felt like he needed to rest, then rest he should have.

"Do you need help?"

Jeff shook his head. "No, I've survived long enough, I'm sure I can make it to my room. Goodnight, Son."

"Goodnight, Dad."

Jeff lay awake in bed, unable to sleep. He was physically exhausted, but his mind just wouldn't let him rest. He'd listened to the sounds of the household settling down over the past few hours, the rumbling of voices in the lounge, the sound of footsteps, doors closing, showers hissing, toilets flushing, the general getting ready for bed sounds that he'd almost forgotten about and now it had lapsed into the silence he was more used to.

When he had been alone, in a time when he didn't know what month it was, let alone what time of day, he would sleep when he felt tired, he didn't have a routine. He'd exercise as best he could each day, he'd carefully space out and ration his meals and supliments, going from one meal a day and suppliments to one meal every two days and the pills every three. After a while his body had grown used to this semi-fast, his stomach had stopped complaining for food, stopped gnawing with hunger, leaving him feeling as if he were a stranger in his own body as the weight had dropped off him, his muscle mass had diminished and he'd felt his strength dwindling. Things that had been simple for him before were now a herculean task, but he'd forced himself to do it, to live.

Water had been less of an issue, there had been plenty on board and the Zero-X had been equipped with a filtration system in the toilet and the air vents, but he'd still had to use it sparingly, unable to use much for more than the most basic of his hygiene needs. He'd run out of toothpaste after the first year and had resorted to just brushing with water, making do as best he could.

A noise made him jump, a soft thump against his bedroom door. He ignored it, thinking it must just be one of his boys going for a snack. His boys, just the thought of it filled him with more joy than he could ever describe. Honestly, he'd given up hope of ever seeing them again, it had been too long and they had never made contact, he'd been on his own.

Thump! Louder this time, followed by a demanding meow. That cat! He'd sat on his lap all night and now it appeared that he wanted in his bed too. Well that wouldn't be happening.

Jeff closed his eyes again, willing himself to sleep.

Meeeeerowwwww!

That cat was going to wake the entire house if he didn't shut up. Sighing, Jeff hauled his weary bones out of bed. Honestly, he could admit to himself in the quiet of his familiar room, that it might be nice to have some company that wasn't expecting him to be strong. He'd spent so long alone that it was hard to adjust to constant attention, the cat was a little more peaceful.

It took him a while to shuffle to the door but as soon as he opened it the cat trotted in and sat beside his bed, staring at him expectantly.

"OK, OK, I'm coming."

As soon as he was back in bed the cat leapt up and began padding at the pillow beside his head.

"Make yourself at home," Jeff muttered under his breath but Armstrong didn't seem to care. "Must be nice, being a cat, no worries, nothing to do but sleep and wait to be fed."

The cat blinked sleepy eyes at him as he finished his kneading and curled up in a tight ball.

"Not that I have much to do but wait to be fed and sleep myself at the moment."

Jeff stretched out a hand and gave the cat an experimental stroke. Like he had flicked an on switch the cat began purring, nuzzling against his hand.

"Maybe you aren't so bad, you're less nosy that the family at least."

Jeff sighed, settling into a soothing rhythm of stroking.

"Everyone wants me to talk, to open up and get things off my chest, but they forget that I never did that before, let alone now."

The cat looked at him, his ears flicking as if he were listening.

"I didn't expect to ever see this Island again, to ever feel firm ground under my feet." The cat humphed, relaxing and so did Jeff. It actually felt good to talk to someone that didn't actually understand the words he was saying and wouldn't judge him for them.

In the wrecked hull of the Zero-X he had done all he could to keep his focus, to keep his brain active and more importantly, sane. He'd used knives as a razor and when they had become too dull to use he had repurposed them into a drawing aid. He possessed no paper or pencils, so the walls had become his canvas. Every night he'd close his eyes and conjure up the image of his home, and slowly, over months, he had scratched the image of the Island onto the wall, talking to his family as he did so. He'd held long, imaginary conversations with each and every one of them, telling them his hopes for their future and stories of their past. If he focused hard enough he could still recall the sound of their voices, could see the colour of their eyes and picture them in his mind, although of late that had begun to fade.

"I can't ever say this to my boys, but I was supposed to die two days ago. I'd made up my mind."

Armstrong stretched out a paw and laid it on Jeff's shoulder as if he knew exactly what the man was talking about.

"I'd felt the ground beneath me shaking for days, I knew it was breaking up. I had a choice, plummet to my death inside the Zero-X and risk being crushed and trapped, dying slowly and painfully, or I could choose to die the same way I had lived, my way."

Armstrong's eyes were closed but Jeff felt like he was still listening and it felt good to speak of the things that had been haunting him.

"I always had it in the back of my mind that, when I felt the time had come, I would rather go on my own terms, in my own time. I'd kept an unopened bottle of strong pain medication, I stepped out onto that rock and planned to swallow every one of those pills then let space have me."

He swallowed, horrified at how close he'd actually come to never seeing his family again, the horror they would have seen if they had found him floating, lifeless…

"I looked out over the vast blackness of space and saw the thing I'd given up all hope of seeing. I thought I was dreaming, going mad or maybe I'd already died in my sleep and just didn't know it yet, but I saw not one thunderbird but two."

His eyes filled with tears that he'd refused to let flow when surrounded by his family, but here in the sanctuary of his room, with an animal that didn't expect anything from him, he finally felt like he could let go.

"I watched Alan and Scott coming closer, saw my eldest and my youngest for the first time in so long, and I found myself frozen on the spot. I didn't want to leave in case that broke the spell and made them go away. So I waited but the space board was still there, they had gone inside, that's when I finally allowed myself to move."

He wiped away a few stray tears that had escaped his iron control.

"I don't think I truly believed it though, not until I reached out and caught hold of his hand. He looked up at me, the most beautiful sight, my son. And he called me Dad. He was real."

Jeff cleared his throat, choking on his words as the dam holding his emotions in place crumbled.

"I could go home."

He looked around his room, which hadn't changed a bit since the day he had left, every item there familiar, yet also very alien.

"I'm home." He huffed out a relieved sigh, feeling strangely lighter after his unburdening session.

"You're just a cat," Jeff fondled one soft ear, rubbing it between finger and thumb, "you don't understand what it's like to have lost all hope, to be alone and feel that you're trapped and will never see home again. But thank you for listening, hopefully we can do this again sometime."

Half his family were in the lounge by the time he emerged next morning, but they had thoughtfully drawn the blinds in an effort to shield his sensitive eyes from the bright sunlight that was ever present in their part of the globe.

He took his time, moving slowly and lowered his weary body into one of the bucket seats that lowered to allow pilot access to Three. Armstrong, who had stayed with him all night, followed, jumping onto the arm of the chair to settle on his lap.

"There he is," Virgil smiled. "Selene has been looking for him, it's not like him to miss breakfast, or any meal come to think of it."

"Yeah, he eats more than Alan," Gordon commented.

"So do you," Scott shot back from his spot at the desk where he was working. "Did you want me to move?"

Jeff shook his head. "I'm fine here for now," he gestured to the cat. "What's his story, no one told me?"

"I was out with Selene in London, we'd been to a concert. We had just left the theatre when the heavens opened. It was coming down so hard we could barely see a hand in front of our face, but she heard something and insisted we stop," Virgil smiled, remembering the night.

"We found that little guy trapped down a drain. He was soaked, starving and alone. We couldn't leave him, so after we got him out we brought him back with us. We put up announcements online but no one claimed him and he wasn't registered anywhere. He was all alone, needed a home, so we kept him."

Jeff nodded, his hand resting on the cats back. It seemed that his new friend could understand him more than he'd thought. They had both come home and they would never have to leave again.