Chapter 28

It Takes a Village

"You're not listening to what I'm saying. We can take him."

Jim ran a hand through his hair as he watched his wife potter around the kitchen.

"Honey, I know you want to, but just think for a second. We have so much going on .. I'm not sure this is the best thing for us right now."

Elisabeth paused to pour sauce over the crispy fish platter in front of her before turning to face her husband.

"And what about the best thing for him?"

Jim threw his hands out pleadingly.

"Elisabeth, this isn't a pet! This is another child. A child we know next-to-nothing about, whose parents we barely met, and who's been through things we can't even imagine. A child is an enormous commitment."

"I know, Jim." Elisabeth snapped in exasperation. "I did raise three."

Jim fell silent for a moment as his wife threw a handful of assorted herbs over the dish. Elisabeth was very hard to dissuade when her heart started pulling her in a certain direction. He was in for the fight of his life over this. Elisabeth shook the dish to settle the herbs and then turned to him with a gentler expression.

"And don't you think the fact that he HAS been through a lot is enough reason to want to give him a bit of security?"

Jim leaned on the kitchen counter, his voice softening to match hers.

"We have our own children to worry about, we can't-"

"Josh and Maddy have their own lives now." Elisabeth opened the cupboard and pulled out 6 plates. "Jim, I have a really strong feeling about this. He needs us. This isn't the 2100s. We can't just look the other way and hope the system takes care of it. There is no system here. We have a responsibility to look after each other."

"But starting all over again?! Elisabeth .. no." Jim shook his head with certainty. "No. Forget it. It's impossible."

Elisabeth paused and looked him in the eye expectantly.

"Is this your final word on the subject?"

There was something in his wife's voice that warned him to tread carefully henceforth. Jim opened his mouth to respond and then closed it again, only to open it again half a second later.

"Well, what do you propose to do with him when you're working?" He challenged, attempting to appeal to the more practical side of his wife's nature. "There's no one to look after him!"

Elisabeth seemed to have an answer prepared for everything.

"In a year or two, he can go to school with Zoe. Until then, there's Josh, or Mark and Maddy, or me, or he could go and sit in your office with you like Zoe does sometimes. Put him on a mat in the corner. During the week when everyone's working .. Boylan can look after him."

"Boylan?!" Jim circumvented the bench and followed his wife to the door of his son's room. "Elisabeth, Boylan?! Your plan is for a two-year-old to spend his days at the Bar with an ex-con?"

Elisabeth snorted in Jim's direction before sticking her head into Josh's room.

"Dinnertime, Josh!" She began to make her way back to the kitchen, Jim following in her wake. "First of all, stop exaggerating. Secondly, yes, Boylan. You saw him the other day, I think they're good for each other. And you know the Bar is mostly empty during the daytime."

"Elisabeth .."

"And Maddy's leaving in less than 4 weeks." Elisabeth put the finishing touches on the dinner table and moved to answer the knock on the door, Jim still following close behind. "He can stay in Zoe's room. I'm sure she'd approve of the idea, and I think it would be good for her as well. She's going to miss her sister terribly. I don't think even she quite realises how much .. and you know Josh has always wanted a little brother .. hi!"

She abandoned the conversation to hug Mark and welcome him in. As she proceeded to reassure him that Maddy would be home shortly, Jim moved aside, his ears tuning in instead to the curious voice behind him.

"Josh has always wanted what?"

Jim turned to his son wearily, feeling as though he was losing the battle.

"Your mother is trying to volunteer us to adopt the little boy from the attack."

Josh blinked.

"Cool."

"She's what?" Maddy, having just materialised from the growing darkness outside, stepped over the threshold and into the house. She looked from Elisabeth to Jim in confusion. "But you said-"

"I know what I said!" Jim threw his hands up and let them drop dramatically. "Not my idea."

"Mark!" Zoe appeared and flung herself at her future brother-in-law, who leaned forward to return the embrace.

"Hey, kiddo!"

"Seriously, Dad? You think your ancient bones can keep up with another one of those?" Josh flung his hand at his youngest sister with a grin. As he dodged Jim's half-hearted retaliation, Zoe stared up at Elisabeth, Mark's hands still on her shoulders.

"Mommy, are you pregnant?!"

"What?!" Every eye in the building turned to stare at Elisabeth's startled face. After a moment, she laughed uncomfortably. "No, honey."

"Oh." Zoe's face fell instantly. Elisabeth noted the expression and threw one of her own at Jim, who pretended not to notice.

"Well, we'll see what happens. The colony is full of people that would love to take a little boy." He cast an admiring eye over the table. "I hope you all thank your mother for the hard work she put into dinner. Now let's eat it before it gets cold."

He moved hurriedly to take his seat at the head of the table. Elisabeth rolled her eyes and exchanged a laughing look with Maddy, but they followed nonetheless. When everyone had been served and Josh had finally stopped complaining about his lack of leg room, Jim turned his attention to Zoe.

"So, you want to tell us what you got up to today, Pumpkin?"

Zoe met his eyes hesitantly for a moment, considering her answer. Her father bounced his eyebrows at her and took a bite of his bread. Zoe nodded slowly.

"Alright."

With that, she turned away from him and, avoiding his gaze, launched into an excited tale about a literacy project she had coming up. Jim subsided and waited patiently for the conversation to dwindle, but Zoe was stretching the explanation out for as long as possible.

"And she said we could write about anything, so long as we wrote about something we'd be interested in reading about-"

"So what, you're writing a 12-part epic about crime-fighting vampires?" Josh interjected with a grin.

"Can't." Zoe retorted. "I'm too busy helping Leah finish her draft about you."

Mark let out a delighted laugh as Josh groaned loudly, turning to point a finger at his future brother-in-law.

"Not a word of this to anyone, understand?"

"My lips are sealed." Mark picked up a nearby bowl and offered it to Josh with a polite smile. "Potatoes?"

"No." Josh scowled. "Thank you."

"That sounds like just your kind of assignment." Jim placed his fork down resolutely and smiled pleasantly at his youngest daughter. "But isn't there something else that you did today that you might like to tell your mother?"

Zoe frowned.

"Hm?"

Josh grinned across at Maddy, who returned the look in confusion. Jim forced himself not to laugh.

"I seem to remember a little something that went down at the Bar .."

Zoe's face cleared.

"Ohh .."

"Ohhh." Jim echoed teasingly, shaking his head at her.

Elisabeth was staring at Zoe in bewildered amusement.

"You went to the Bar?"

Jim snorted as Zoe opened her mouth to reply.

"That's not even the half of it. Something about mud wrestling and community service?" He gestured to his youngest daughter in anticipation as his wife's perplexed frown just about doubled in intensity. "Go on."

With a self-deprecating grin, Zoe began. She told a good story, and within a few minutes, the entire table was shouting intermittently with laughter and had forgotten the previous order of business entirely.

The forest glowed with hundreds of dying rays of light that filtered their way through the trees as yet another day faded away. Carter strolled peacefully through it all, taking care to place each foot down as quietly as possible, but largely unconcerned by the ever-present dangers of wandering through the jungle at dusk. This area was his own personal backyard, and he was in no particular hurry. Nevertheless ..

The sudden shiver of hair standing up on the back of his neck and the faint rhythmical pattering behind him were his first indications that something was not as it should be. Carter had the instincts of a cat, and the warning had come just in time. His abrupt about-face made the creature in the bushes hesitate and gave him a fraction of a second to focus in on the enemy before it began to advance again. The creature's cold eyes locked onto Carter's as it melted away from the foliage and drew itself forward into the flickering golden shadows.

Carter removed his curved hunting knife from its sheath as he tensed, his gaze still levelled on the dinosaur, but his senses alert to any other movement around him that might have warned of an ambush. There was nothing.

"Oh .." The monster had slowed its approach and stood watching him, swishing its tail back and forth slightly. Fully out in the open now, Carter studied the long head, the rows of sharp teeth on either side, the intelligent, slitted eyes, and suddenly realised why the creature seemed so familiar. ".. I remember you."

The Kaprosuchus' muscles were coiled and ready. Carter readied himself as well. Suddenly the creature's eyes seemed to snap and Carter unconsciously raised his knife a little. The air around them was still and tense. It was about to make its move.

"At ease!"

The loud, commanding voice came from directly behind him and echoed around the trees. Carter had more self-dignity than to jump out of his skin, but if the option to flee the clearing immediately had arisen in that moment, he would have gladly taken it. He turned to glance at the person behind him before backing away to the side, making sure he had a clear view of both man and beast.

"Oh .." The Sixer said again, taking in the ragged clothes and unkept nature of the newest member of the party. "I also remember you."

"I suppose I should be flattered." Taylor narrowed his eyes at the Kaprosuchus, who had begun to creep closer again. "Hey!"

He darted forward, swinging a large stick at the creature and narrowly missing its face as it pulled away sharply.

"Get back!"

The dinosaur dropped to the ground and waited, feigning boredom but still apparently taking in every movement. Taylor turned back to Carter.

"What are you doing out here?"

Carter folded his arms.

"I could ask you the same question."

"Yes, you could." Taylor conceded. "But right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and him, so I'd show a little respect if I were you, boy."

"I think I'd rather take my chances with him."

A dry smile twisted at the sides of Taylor's stubbly cheeks.

"We'll see." He picked at a loose piece of bark on the branch he was holding. "Actually, your timing is better than most. There's something you might be able to help me with."

Carter cast a sidelong look at the creature lying in the grass. He hadn't moved, but he was still watching closely. Carter turned back to Taylor.

"What are you talking about?"

Taylor seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before suddenly making up his mind. He nodded in the direction of a nearby outcrop.

"Come on."

"What, so you can kill me in a more convenient location?"

"If I wanted you dead, I would've let him do it." Taylor gestured to the Kaprosuchus as it slowly raised itself from its resting spot. "This isn't the time for squabbles. This is bigger than both of us."

Carter folded his arms and hesitated still. Taylor grew impatient.

"Are you coming or not?"

The Sixer was silent for a moment and then finally shrugged and followed. It went against his better judgement, but his curiosity was piqued by this strange meeting and something told him he wouldn't be able to follow the old man without his knowledge. Taylor nodded in satisfaction and led the way south, Carter falling in beside him, still clutching his hunting knife tightly in his right hand. He moved his fingers every few seconds to keep them from locking up and preventing the quick reaction he might need to rely on at a moment's notice. Taylor observed the movement.

"You won't need that." He snapped, yet his admonitions didn't stop him from keeping a ready hand near his own knife pouch. He shoved the Kap out of the way as it wandered too close and then began to jog towards the rocky hill that apparently signalled the end of their journey, glancing over his shoulder at the Sixer. Carter kept pace with him easily, trying not to be impressed. The lean, scruffy man in front of him seemed to be as light on his feet as a mountain goat, though a mountain goat was probably better-looking.

"Hurry up." Taylor was barking at him. "And be quiet. You never know who might be listening around here anymore."

Carter frowned and cast an apprehensive glance around at the trees. Had the former commander completely lost his marbles after all, or was there really some justifiable cause for his apparent paranoia?

Either way, it probably wouldn't be long before he had his answer.

"What about Howard and Rebecca?"

"Milner?" Elisabeth's brow furrowed as she considered the suggestion. ".. I don't know, Jim."

"Well, what about Reese and Priyanka? They only have the one."

Elisabeth shook her head.

"Nathaniel is younger than Vaughn. You don't adopt a child that's older than the one you've already got. That's just asking for trouble."

Jim raised an eyebrow at Elisabeth.

"I've never heard that."

"Well, it's true." She retorted.

As Jim leaned back, Boylan groaned loudly, the other members of the council expressing similar sentiments.

"We've been at this for almost an hour and gotten nowhere. It'll be noon before you two make a decision."

Malcolm stood suddenly.

"I have work to do. We all have work to do!" He raised a hand impatiently. "All in favour of the Milners adopting the boy?"

Jim and Elisabeth exchanged an uncertain expression as several hands flew up. Boylan's, however, wasn't one of them. The barkeeper leaned closer as Malcolm released a noise akin to a howl of despair and flopped back down again.

"Alright then, Shannon. You take him."

"Me?!" Jim avoided his wife's gaze, choosing to stare disdainfully at the man across from him instead. "Boylan, in case you've somehow forgotten, I already have three children - that's 50% more than the national average as it is."

Boylan spread his hands out and leaned back contentedly, as though the matter had finally come to a peaceful resolution.

"No one else is good enough for you. You obviously think you can raise him better. Take him."

Jim shook his head and was silent for several seconds as the others watched on. They could almost see the wheels turning in his mind.

"Any day now, Commander." Boylan quipped. "I know! How bout we just hand him around to a different person every day, like Pass the Parcel. They do say it takes a village after all."

"I'm not entirely sure that's what "they" meant."

"Aw, come on, it'll be great. He'll love it. A little bit of Sandra in the sun, a little bit of Mary all night long-"

"Boylan."

"Then for goodness sake, Make. A. Decision."

The sentiment was echoed by several others around the table. Finally, Jim responded in a low voice.

"Alright." He met Elisabeth's eyes as she looked up at him quickly. "We'll take him."

Several people sighed in unison. Someone was even heard to mutter a "Hallelujah!".

"Good!" Boylan smiled in satisfaction as the rest of the council abandoned the discussion. "But if I hear you aren't looking after him properly, I'll personally come over there and make you wish you hadn't been born."

"Duly noted."

Boylan winked at Elisabeth as Jim stood and turned away from the table to watch the rest of the council evacuate the room.

"Right, Malcolm, let your flock in."

Malcolm finished stretching his sore back and snorted before making his way to the entrance.

"They've been waiting so long, you'll be lucky if they want to do any work at all."

As the head researcher went to rouse his troops, Elisabeth paused near her husband and kissed him on the cheek

"Thank you. This is right. I know it is."

"Mhm."

She smiled and shook her head at his lack of enthusiasm.

"I'll bring him home tonight. You can get to know him then!"

"Whatever you think is best."

"Jim!" Elisabeth threw a laughing look at him at she headed out the door. "It'll be fine. Trust me."

Jim managed to summon a weak smile which fell off the second she left the building. His stomach suddenly felt as though it was knotted in six places. He turned to the new arrivals, hoping they would provide the distraction he needed to forget about his digestive system. He was also suddenly aware of the fact that he could feel his heart pounding uncomfortably against his windpipe. Was it supposed to do that?

The Lab techs entered stiffly. They'd been congregating on the steps outside for nearly 45 minutes and subsequently, were rather grumpy about the whole affair. Jim waited until they had settled down and then spoke.

"How are we feeling today? Ready to get down to business?"

There were a few reluctant comments of agreement. Jim raised an eyebrow at Maddy, who grinned back. Lucas, however, didn't appear to be listening at all. He was staring out a nearby window with a faint frown on his face.

"Lucas .. ?" Jim folded his arms and met Maddy's eyes again in amusement. "You with us?"

"The wind outside's got a bit of a bite to it." Lucas muttered distractedly, his frown growing. "It'll be winter soon enough, and it seems to get colder every year. How long do you think an older person could survive out there?"

A couple of the other scientists shook their heads or rolled their eyes. Jim and Malcolm exchanged a look, but said nothing. They had learned it was better to remain silent. These "hypothetical" questions always ended up becoming circular arguments. Lucas simply refused to listen to reason on the subject. Jim clapped his hands together, the sudden bang bringing Lucas hurriedly back to earth.

"Right, thank you all for volunteering your services now that the Lab is back in working order. And thank you for waiting, I apologise for that."

A couple of people inclined their heads benevolently as Jim produced a Plex and began to flick through the listed jobs. They hadn't enjoyed their wait, but they were a forgiving bunch and largely used to chaos and delays. None of them particularly liked the idea of doing Jim's job either, and so they unanimously decided to let it go. Meanwhile, Jim had found the section he was looking for.

"Malcolm - You head over to Francis Baker's house. The water came in when the shields died. It's still a bit of a mess and she thinks it may have done some damage to the generator. I'm sure she'd appreciate some help."

"Right."

"Lucas - I need you to fix the Eye, if it's at all possible. It was submerged for days; it may not be salvageable, but I want you to try."

Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise, but nodded.

"Yes sir."

"I want you three to-"

"Wait a minute." Malcolm glared at Jim. "He gets to fix the Eye while we're stuck cleaning up some old lady's house?"

"Not "we". "You"." Jim corrected, trying not to sound too gleeful. "I need the others for a different job. And I wouldn't protest too loudly, Malcolm. From what I heard, it was your idea to volunteer your services to begin with."

"It was." Another lab tech confirmed, at the risk of his own life. He wanted to sink into the floor a moment later as Malcolm's glare turned to pierce him instead.

"As I was saying .." Jim proceeded hurriedly before the conversation had a chance to kick itself up a notch. ".. you three can head over to the school. The mould has really taken root inside, and it's too much for the teacher to deal with on her own. Take care not to breathe it in."

The three technicians nodded solemnly.

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir." Malcolm echoed sarcastically, still glaring daggers at anyone he happened to lock eyes with.

"Leading by example, Malcolm, I love it." Jim grinned, patting the head researcher on the shoulder. He glanced around at his small work crew. "Class dismissed!"

Sienna looked up from her tablet with a frown. What was that? Had she imagined it? .. She went back to her book, only to raise her head again a second later. No, there it was a second time. A sequence of very light clicks, like a fairy was tap dancing on the door. She stood and made her way over to it, opening it cautiously. When she saw who waited on the other side, she immediately relaxed and swung it open wider.

"Carter, what are you-"

"Hi, kiddo. I need you to give this to Lucas."

Ordinarily, Sienna wouldn't have been surprised at the interruption. The Sixer rarely bothered with polite greetings, but this time, he appeared to be in an unusual hurry. He took hold of her hand and dropped a strange device into it, closing her fingers around it with his own. The object was made of clear plexiglass. The bulge on the end had various wires running through the inside and spilling out of it. Sienna frowned up at him.

"I can't give it to Lucas. I'm not-"

"I'll be back in a few days with more information."

Carter had already taken three steps away by the time Sienna managed to formulate another question.

"About what?"

"I've gotta go, he's waiting for me."

"Who?!"

Carter turned to face Sienna, but continued to walk backward, like some magnet was pulling him away and he was powerless to resist it.

"Don't tell your mother!"

"What-"

"Stay safe, kid."

With that, he turned his back to her and disappeared around the corner of the house.

"Carter!" Sienna was just debating going after him when she heard a voice behind her.

"Carter? Was Carter here?"

Throwing one final look around outside, Sienna closed the door and turned slowly, slipping the transparent object smoothly into her pocket. She looked up at her mother with a look of absolute confusion on her face.

"He was. But he's gone. He wanted me to tell you he'd be back in a few days to tell you something." She glanced back at the door with a frown. "Seemed like he was in a hurry."

"Bye, Mom. We'll be back in an hour or so .. unless Zoe manages to get herself eaten .. then we might be a little longer."

Zoe punched her brother as Elisabeth smiled weakly.

"Please don't even joke about that."

"Sorry." Josh grinned. "For what it's worth, it'd probably just spit her back out again. She'd talk it to death before long."

"Hey!"

Josh dogged his little sister's assault and leaped out the door.

"See you later!"

"Bye!" Elisabeth laughed as her youngest child charged out after him, catching the door as it flew shut behind them.

Jim wandered out of the bathroom, his hair still damp from the shower.

"What was that about?"

"They're going to the greenhouse." Elisabeth turned to him in amusement. "Apparently Tasha has some man-eating plants that only wake up at night. Zoe says they bite people sometimes, so naturally, she wouldn't rest until she'd seen them for herself."

".. ah."

"Yes." Elisabeth shook her head with another laugh and returned to the kitchen sink. "Do you want a cup of something?"

She glanced back around quickly a moment later. Jim had dropped down onto the floor on the other side of Vaughn, making the boy jump violently. As Maddy patted Vaughn's back to reassure him, Jim lay down with a groan and closed his eyes.

"Anything would be great, honey."

Elisabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Early to bed for everyone tonight, I think."

Jim had propped himself up onto his elbow and was now introducing himself to the child. Maddy watched with a hidden smile as the scene played itself out. Vaughn was watching Jim warily, but as he continued to mumble softly about inconsequential things such as baths and the hardness of the floor, the boy seemed to relax. Maddy grinned at him.

"Watch this."

She slowly raised her hands. Vaughn watched her closely. After waiting a moment, Maddy tugged lightly on her own ears and let her tongue tumble out of her mouth at the same time.

"Blep!"

Vaughn hesitated for a moment and looked at Jim, who was staring at Maddy as though she'd lost her mind. He cracked up laughing a second later as he met the little boy's concerned gaze.

"What?!" He shook his head at Vaughn. "What is she doing?!"

Vaughn turned back to Maddy, who repeated the action, trying not to laugh herself. This time, a smile appeared on the child's face for a second before he looked at Jim and became serious again. Maddy frowned and followed his gaze to her father's face.

"I think he wants you to do it."

Jim looked up at her dryly.

"No thank you."

"Oh, come on." Maddy slowly began to reach for his ears. Jim leaned away a little.

"Nooo, no, no, no .."

But she darted forward and grabbed his ears anyway. Jim sighed and relented, poking his tongue out unenthusiastically when Maddy provided the sound effect. Vaughn stared wide-eyed for a second and then shouted with delight and reached out to signal to Maddy to do it again. She did, and this time, he rocked back and forth a couple of times, laughing so hard he almost gave himself the hiccups. Jim pushed Maddy back gently with a laugh of his own.

"Alright, alright."

Maddy retreated to her own spot a few inches away, still laughing. Jim glanced up at Elisabeth, who had left the kitchen and was now leaning against the table to watch the whole interaction.

"You said he was two years old, right? Shouldn't he be walking and talking by now?"

"Not necessarily." Maddy and Elisabeth answered simultaneously. As Jim shook his head at the ceiling, Maddy continued with a laugh. "Babies sometimes don't start talking till they're three or four, especially if they've been through a rough time."

Jim raised an eyebrow at her.

"You all started talking fairly early on." A mischievious glint entered his eyes. "In fact, we couldn't stop you talking even if we'd wanted to. Not much has changed, actually .." Jim ignored Maddy's "oh, funny" and continued ".. babbling away to yourself late into the night with your hands clasped in front of you like some sort of baby philosopher. We half expected to come out one morning to find you counselling a group of tiny troubled people at the end of your bed."

Maddy sighed a little.

"Too bad I had my hands full with Josh."

Her parents both laughed, Elisabeth going back to the previous topic from across the room.

"But really, I have a sneaking suspicion he can walk. He just hasn't bothered to show us yet." She shrugged. "Maybe he's forgotten he knows how."

Maddy grabbed Vaughn's hands and lifted his arms up, waving them around in the air with various odd sound effects accompanying the movements.

"Wooooo .. super baby can fly!"

As she received another of her father's looks, Maddy chuckled awkwardly and released Vaughn.

"Remember when we used to do that with Zoe? We made up such weird games together, monsters and villains and robots and weapons .. and Josh always had to be the hero, of course." She shook her head wistfully as the boy in front of her grabbed her hand and patted it. "Guess that's all they are now, huh? .. memories."

"That's how life works, honey." Jim tapped the pot that sat between Vaughn's knees. The toddler stared at it curiously and then slammed his own hands down upon it, leaving them there in surprise as the inside of the pot echoed loudly. Jim and Maddy both laughed at the expression on his face as Jim looked back up at his eldest daughter.

"As sad as it is sometimes, growing up means leaving certain things behind."

Maddy nodded her resignation to the prospect.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." A small smile made its way back onto her face. "You have to admit though, it was pretty fun while it lasted."

Before Jim could answer, a knock came at the door, causing Maddy to jump up from the floor quickly.

"That must be Mark." She commented, as she made her way to answer it. "He's the only one who ever bothers to knock anymore."

Sure enough, it was Mark, and he was here to take Maddy away for the evening. Jim stood as they discussed their plans, largely unnoticed from the back of the room. He looked down at Vaughn, who turned from staring curiously at the group near the door to look up at Jim and raise his arms shyly. Jim bent down and picked him up, walking over to join the rest of the family.

"You're going out?"

"Yes sir." Reynolds nodded. "It's a beautiful night, and I thought we might make the most of it."

Maddy grinned at her father before he had a chance to remark on the idea.

"Bye, Dad."

She turned to Vaughn.

"And bye to you!"

They finished their goodbyes and left, disappearing quickly into the night.

Jim stood in the same place for a few seconds after the door shut, feeling as though someone had just punched him in the chest. It took him a moment to remember how to breathe, but as soon as he did, his breathing accelerated rapidly. No, no, not this again. What was happening to him? He was falling apart! He suddenly realised he was still holding Vaughn, who was watching his pale face silently. He turned to see his wife watching him in the same manner.

"Here, you take him." Jim handed the boy over to her hurriedly and walked to the window. Elisabeth adjusted her grip on Vaughn.

"Jim .."

Jim shook his head, his back to her. Elisabeth placed the boy down on the floor and distracted him with a large spoon before she followed her husband to the window. Jim had a hand over his mouth and was trying his best to gain control over his shaky breathing.

"She's leaving, Elisabeth." Jim's voice broke and he dropped his head, sliding his hand up to cover his eyes. "She's all grown up and I missed it. I've run out of time."

Elisabeth threw her arms around her husband as a sob broke from him.

"I've barely got her back and now I'm losing her again."

"No." Elisabeth held him tightly as she blinked back the tears in her own eyes. "She knows you love her, and she'll always love you. You've always been a wonderful father to her."

Jim began to shake his head.

"No-"

"Yes." Elisabeth interrupted firmly. "There were a few years that you wish you could take back, fine. But you've made up for them."

Jim looked up at her, wiping his watery eyes with the back of his hand.

"She's leaving."

"Yes. Our daughter is getting married. But Jim .." She raised a hand and wiped away a stray tear from his cheek. "It's a small colony. You're her father. She'll always need you."

When Jim didn't reply, his wife raised her eyebrows.

"Alright?"

He nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah."

"I love you so much." Elisabeth stroked his hair gently. He leaned forward so she could kiss his forehead. "And so does Maddy. And so do your other two children. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Good." Elisabeth flicked her eyes over to the solemn little face staring up at them from the floor. "I think someone's worried about you."

Jim wiped the last of the wetness from his face and turned to Vaughn with an attempt at a smile.

"Hey, buddy." He bend down and scooped him up, Vaughn still clinging to his spoon. "That wasn't on the agenda, was it?"

Vaughn glanced from Jim to Elisabeth and back to Jim, biting down on the spoon hesitantly. Jim raised a tired eyebrow.

"Hungry? Me too. What say we go find us something to eat?"

Without waiting for a response from either party, he turned and led the way into the kitchen.

Author's Note

So I've started adding titles to my chapters! .. in the mid-end of a book. Yes. Good plan.
I intend to go through and add titles to all the other chapters as well, but it probably won't be for some time.
Also, I am trying to cut down on the absurd length of the chapters. They've been stretching longer and longer and I'm trying to curb them back a bit. No one wants to read huge blocks of text at a time!
If you're still with me after all this time, bless you and thank you. Only 10 or so chapters left of this book! See you on the other side. ;)

- George DeWhite