CH 96

General Watson called to let Cameron know all the information she had gotten them on China wasn't being used, or had been deleted.

"I have retained everything we learned at that Embassy. Shall I sent it again?" she asked.

"For it to disappear?" he asked. "I'd rather have you deal with China. It seems they like infiltration and mass spying on us. I wonder if you would be able to do something about that. Of course that is not my job, but if it happened that China suddenly had more internal problems, it would make us smile."

"Understood, General. Thank you for calling," Cameron told him.

Cameron bought two new computers operating on Linux. She loaded in all the passwords and security information she had on China in one, the other she used to monitor Chinese military information.

Anything blatant at first would be noticed. An order for a small Chinese fleet to shadow American ships in the south China sea, she changed one digit on their ordered course to pass over a reef in their interception course. The water over that reef was only eight feet deep. Moving ahead fast to do the intercept, there was sure to be some damage. She also deleted that reef off their military naval charts. That should be fun to watch.

She then intercepted an order to crack down hard on any Hong Kong dissidents. A slight manipulating had the message read do not crack down on Hong Kong dissidents. While she was at it, she added a message that the Hong Kong Mayor was secretly helping the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, and had plans to 'free' Hong Kong by inviting Britain back in with their forces. To help that rumor, she put a 'sent' message on the mayor's computer, telling about how they needed Britain's intervention and planned to ask the US for help if Britain did return.

Getting into the Chinese army network, she saw they had an artillery practice in a few days. She noted the coordinates they were to fire on. She changed the coordinates so instead of firing on open land, they were to fire on a nearby military airport. She also shifted the location of on the maps of the artillery brigade doing the exercise.

She waited to see the results of her manipulations. In the mean time, she had band practice to go to.

.

The last of the grape arbors were being reconstructed. JJ used a shovel to dig a hole and push the remains of a rotted pig carcass in with the shovel. He'd thought all of them had been collected or eaten by alligators but apparently one got missed.

Filling the hole back in, he noticed one of the 'harem' group girls walking towards him. He also noticed her shirt was half open, showing the inner lobes of her breasts. He ignored her and finished filing the hole in.

"Johnny, what are you doing?" she asked curiously as she came close.

He glanced at her. This one was Lily, he did manage to look at her face and not the lobes she was showing. "Found the remains of a dead pig. Apparently when we cleared all the pigs out, we didn't pick up all the bodies." he told her, focusing on what he was doing.

"Yuck," she winced.

He chuckled, "Think is smells bad now, it was worse when it was lying here. Something I can help you with?"

Acting meek, twisting her fingers together she said, "Can you please tell me why you and Peggy won't join our family? I mean we pretty much all live together anyway, and I know you father had two wives…"

"OK, stop," he said firmly. "Yes Dad has two wives. Joan and Allison have attached themselves to Bob Tanner. That is their choice. Sonya has picked Mark from the garage. Jackie has also picked Daniel Collins, at least that's how it looks, and I have picked Peggy. We each do what we think is best. We don't have any … cultural expectations on marriage. I also know that Peggy feels very special that I want her alone, just by ourselves. That's the way it is."

Lily nodded. With a hopeful smile she said, "You know I do get along great with Peggy. We spend much time together. And well, it's not that unusual for someone to change their family relationships."

"What are you saying?" he asked cautiously.

Lily paused then blurted out, "I'd like to be a Connor too."

JJ let out a breath and planted his head on his hands that were gripping his shovel. "Figured," he grumbled. "Does Peggy know about this?"

"I did ask her and she said it's up to you," Lily said meekly.

"Because Peggy is very nice and she didn't want to reject you," he added.

"Please, I really want to be a Connor," Lily begged. As she begged she pulled her clasped hands closer to her which spread her shirt open a little more so her nips peeked out.

JJ let out a huff "Lily, I know what breasts look like, OK? You can put your puppies away."

"Puppies?" she asked.

"Never mind," he said. Looking for a way to end this conversation, he decided on, "Tell you what, I'll talk to Peggy about it later. Just me and her. That's the best I can tell you right now."

Lily nodded. "Thank you for considering me." she said, turned and strode away.

Now that the distractions were done, he got back to putting this arbor back together.

.

JJ got the arbor up and the grape vines threaded through it by the time the sun was low on the horizon. There was another one down farther he could see leaning over. He'd get that tomorrow.

Collecting his tools on the back of the pedal bike's container basket he got on and pedaled back to their barn. Like the one he and Jackie made, this was one you sat in a seat with the peals in front of you. One got more torque that way. He went to the barn. Inside he saw Lily talking to Peggy. JJ announced himself by calling, "Arbor's up! Only one more to go. At least in those rows."

He put the bike away to see Lily leaving. Peggy walked over to him. "Hear you found a pig you had to bury," she said then hugged him.

Returning her hug and said, "Yeah, that was disgusting." He kissed her and asked, "How was your day?"

"Pretty much the same. Lily did ask me a question."

JJ snorted. "Did she ask with her shirt wide open and begging?"

Casting him a puppy dog face, she said, "We do need to talk about this."

JJ groaned. "Hokay," he said with a sigh. The only place to sit down was the bike he just came back with. "Let's sit and talk."

They sat down side by side on the bike. JJ clasped her hand and asked, "You really don't want her in our family, do you?"

Peggy squeezed his hand gently. In a soft tone, she said, "Johnny, I think you are the best mate there is, anywhere. If I could travel the world for a mate, I believe there is none better than you. I love you so much, sometimes it hurts. I know you will always do what is best for me."

"Of course I will. I love you," he replied.

"I love you," she said softly. "Please understand. Lily is desperate."

"Ahh, I'm sorry about that," he offered.

"To the point of starving herself to death," Peggy stated.

"You're saying she needs psychological help?" he asked.

Peggy grinned. Casting him her best pleading look, she said, "Your help."

JJ stared at his wife. "I'm afraid to ask how," he finally said.

"I know and I am very comfortable knowing how much you love me. I don't feel threatened by anyone else joining our family."

JJ's jaw dropped. "I love you, not Lily," he said in return.

Peggy nodded. "Yes. Johnny, I fear unless we add Lily to our family, she may become unstable and really hurt herself."

"Oh no, you're saying you want Lily to be in our family. To sleep with us every night, the share in our intimacy because she might hurt herself if we don't?" he asked.

Peggy nodded.

"Hon, that is not a reason to get married. It is a reason to find Lily help." he told her.

"Johnny, you have to remember I come from a world where multiple husbands and wives are perfectly normal. We are pressed to find our families, and at times, there is some shifting around. I won't say why she wants to leave her current family, Lily will tell you that if she wants you to know. What I will say is she is hurting. Everyone knows you will probably kill them if they try to add themselves to our family. Lily knows this too, but like I said, she is desperate. She took the risk of dying just to talk to us about it. She went out in the field to talk to you, sure she wasn't coming back. Just returning alive, she felt greatly relieved."

JJ frowned at her. "Peggy, I'm not going to kill anyone for asking a question. You should know that. Grabbing you to go have sex with you? That's another story."

"I do know, but Lily believes otherwise," Peggy explained.

"We should move back to the lake," JJ said in a huff.

Peggy got up and moved to sit on his lap. She cupped his cheeks. "Johnny, honey? This is very important. To Lily, to me. I've become good friends with Lily. Please, accept her into our family."

He let out a sigh and hugged her "Sweetie, I don't even really know Lily, other that seeing her around now and then. How am I suppose to let her be another wife? To join us in … everything?"

Peggy giggled. "You love me to the exclusion of everyone else." Pulling back a bit she said, "You don't know how special that is to me. I know I will always be special to you, as you are to me. Trust me when I say Lily can be special to us, in her own way."

JJ let out a chuckle. "You're doing this because you know I can't not give you what you want."

Peggy shrugged. "Maybe," she said with a grin.

Flopping his head back to gaze at the beams overhead, JJ thought hard. Peggy laid her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe a compromise?" she asked.

He let out another sigh. He'd been doing a lot of that today. "Sweetie, I told you, I don't even really know Lily. To marry her I would at least have to know her. I would have to be comfortable being around her. You know that, right?"

"I do. How about if you work with her for a while? Have her come to dinner with us?"

"I may be a little cynical, but how do you know this isn't a plot to get us integrated with your brother's family, like they have been asking since like forever?"

"Because they have been asking due to Lily wanting it."

"If this wasn't for you, I wouldn't even think about it," he stated.

"If it wasn't for Lily being on the verge of killing herself, I wouldn't have asked."

JJ frowned at the beam. He'd never thought he'd have to deal with something like this. "OK, tell you what. I'll try to spend some time getting to know Lily. If, and only IF, I think she might be good for us, I'll take it into consideration. Even for you, Sweetie, that's the most I can promise."

She hugged him tight. "Than you, my love. You know, she does have a nice set of puppies."

For some reason, he burst out laughing. Peggy giggled with him.

.

In the morning, JJ was still feeling the long rousing session of love last night. Even though he didn't want to move, nether did Peggy, they had to peel themselves up to start their day. A shower together with some kissing and play, they got dressed and went to breakfast

JJ was going to get that last arbor in the row straighten up and begin the next row.

Peggy and Lily talked. Lily was convincing her family that she was working on Johnny to join their family, so she was going to work with him today. They accepted it.

JJ was in the barn, making sure he had enough wood in his carrier to fix any broken arbors he came across.

"Morning, Johnny," Lily said brightly as she came in.

"Hey, Lily," he replied, noting she was wearing a white shirt, no bra and short-shorts. Yup, she was doing her best to turn on her charm. "Say, could you help me out in the fields today?"

"I'd love to" she beamed.

"I'm set to go, so jump on the bike," he told her.

She got on, then he got on and peddled them out. On the way, the ground wasn't the smoothest, so she bounced as they went. He was thinking Peggy told her he liked breasts. Watching where he was going, his peripheral vision picked up her boobs waving to him.

It was a long ride down to the other end of this row where the last arbor to be repaired was. He pointed at the leaning arbor. "At least this one isn't that bad," he noted, ignoring her pruned up nips from rubbing against her shirt.

"Look down there, they are cracked near the base," Lily offered.

"Yup, Get two sticks and some wire off the cart, I'll hold them upright, can you wrap the sticks up so it stays up?" he asked.

"I can," she agreed and went to the back of the bike.

This was faster, JJ pushed the arbor up so it was straight up and down while Lily tied the support sticks to the cracked bottoms. Once she was done, she back off and said, "OK, let it go."

JJ eased away from it. It stayed upright. Yay. They both made sure the vines were tied on right and trimmed. Done! On to the next one.

Getting back on the bike, Lily asked, "You were dong this by yourself?"

"Yeah, it's a bit of a pain holding the arbor up and tying the supports on. I appreciate the help."

"Usually, it takes two guys to just hold the arbor up. You must be really strong," she said in a near gush.

JJ shrugged. "No more than the rest of my family."

Going a little faster to the end of the row, JJ turned to see a pack of pigs in the swamp just past the ends of the rows. He backpedaled a little to stop as he pulled his gun. The pigs saw him and ran. JJ lined up his sights and shot. He got three before they could run down the fourth row down. He kept his pistol out and chased them. "Hold on!" he said and pedaled as hard as he could.

Lily gripped her seat as they turned into the fourth row on two wheels. Ahead of them, the pigs were still running. JJ poured on the speed, they bounced higher on meeting rough spots. Lily was bouncing all over the place.

JJ gained some and got a big fat pig in his sights. He got the best aim he could. They hit a bump he got back on target before they landed and shot. The pig squealed out and stumbled. The smaller ones broke off to the left and right. The one he hit was bleeding from it's left hind leg. It was still going, but slower, squealing out in pain. JJ got closer and slowed down. The pig turned to go though an opening in the arbors.

JJ shot twice. Big pig fell and kicked a few times. By the time he rode up to it, it was still.

JJ jumped off the bike and ran over to look down one row, then the one on the other side. He came back to the bike.

"Damnit, the rest got away," he grumbled, and put his gun away. He then saw Lily gaping at him. Her shirt was open more and one nice pear shaped globe was hanging out of her shirt as if staring at him too. He walking over and put her breast back in her shirt. At his touch, she clasped a hand to his, holding it in place.

He paused the offered, "Ah, Lily? We need to keep going."

"Do you like that?" she asked in a whisper, her cheeks turning pink.

"It doesn't suck, " he admitted with a smile.

"You can, if you want," she said in a pant.

JJ pulled his had out of her shirt . He straighten up her shirt for her and said, "Lily, we can't do anything like that, OK?" She was reminding him of Peggy, coming to learn how to swim with nothing on. These girls were way too forward. He had the idea if he asked her to strip, her clothes would be off her in a heartbeat.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You belong to someone else. You're not my wife," he told her. He got back on the bike. He began pedaling to go up to put the pig on the back and saw the left front wheel now was wobbling.

Shit.

JJ got the shovel and dug another hole. Lily got off to watch him. "You're going to bury that one?" she asked.

"No, I'm going to cut it's throat and bury the guts after I gut it," he explained. "The ones right by the swamp, I'll leave for gator food."

He'd dug what he though was deep enough and saw Eddie and another girl, Ellie, he thought it was, riding up on another bike.

Eddie stopped and saw the dead pig. "Hey, Lily," he said then asked, "Johnny, we got pigs again?"

"A small pack. I got four, a few others got away. It's hard to shoot and pedal at the same time," JJ told him. He pointed to the bike and said, "I need to do some repair work too."

Eddie nodded. "We heard the shots. Want us to take it back?"

"After it's bled out and gutted, you can have it. Just remember, cook the meat well done, for safety."

"Let me help," Eddie said. He walked over and grabbed a back leg to pull the pig over to the hole. He pulled and jerked, and managed to lift the leg up.

JJ grinned. 'I'll get it. He stuck his shovel in the dirt pile and went over to grab the fore legs and pulled the pig over to the hole.

Lily looked at Eddie then said, "Johnny, Ellie and I can take our bike back to get started fixing it."

Eddie nodded, "That would be a big help, please do."

While the girls took care of the bikes, JJ pulled the pig around so it's head was hanging over the hole. He used a knife to cut the head off and let it bleed out into the hole.

Watching the pig bleed out, Eddie said, "Johnny, you know Lily has it bad for you."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out. Don't worry, I'm not going to try to take her away."

Eddie chuckled. "I'm talking since the day she saw you," he said. "She tried to forget about you, but it didn't work. You are the once she wants."

JJ replied, "I'm committed to your sister. I took Lily out here with me to work because Peggy asked me to."

"Lily's not doing well," Eddie told him. We all want to see her happy."

"Have you tried making her happy?" JJ had to ask.

Eddie bobbed his head. "We have. And the few times when she's actually had sex, it's your name she cries out."

JJ winced. "Don't tell me things like that, OK?" he asked.

"What I am saying is Lily isn't happy with us," Eddie explained. "For her sake, I'd like you to take her into your family. Peggy is all right with it."

JJ was about to rub his head in frustration and realized he had pig blood on his hands. Damn. "Eddie, like I told Peggy, I'm not marrying anyone I barely know. Call me an asshole or whatever if you want, but to me no one has any right to marry someone they don't truly love."

Eddie frowned. "If you get to know Lily, I'm sure you will grow fond of her. For some of us, that happens after we're married."

"I was raised differently."

"Yeah," Eddie agreed sadly. "We're just trying to do what's best for Lily."

"So for right now, will you accept I'm trying to get to know her?" JJ asked. "Look, I don't want to see Lily sad either, but to me Peggy is the most important person in my life, and we are together because we truly love each other."

"I know Peggy is over the top happy, and I thank you for that" Eddie said. "I just want you to give Lily a chance."

JJ nodded. "Pig's about bled out, let's get this thing gutted."

.

JJ had an idea. Everyone was gone from the house at home, doing something. John called to see if he and Peggy could go feed the alligator for him. JJ agreed. He told Peggy they were going to be at the lake house tonight to have dinner there and feed the alligator. If she wanted, she could invite Lily along.

Lily jumped at the chance for a night alone with Peggy and Johnny.

JJ let Peggy's parents know where they were going and they'd be back tomorrow. Being on a farm, JJ's vehicle was a Ford Ranger pickup. Not a big vehicle, but it was handy for farm work and getting in between the arbor rows. It did have room behind the seat for Lily to ride. She sat on their clothes and looked out between them as they went down the road.

"No one else is there?" she asked.

"No," JJ replied. "Moms, Jackie, Louise and Daniel are doing their music concert thing, Dad had a meeting he needed to go to. Joan, Allison and Bob are off playing football."

Peggy asked, "I thought football was over until they caught that guy making trouble?"

"They caught him," JJ said.

Peggy then looked at JJ wide eyed and clapped a hand over her mouth. JJ knew she just read his mind. "Yeah, he's not bothering anyone, any more," he said.

"The police have him?' Lily asked.

"Johnny, don't tell her!" Peggy said in a gasp.

"If she wants to be part of our family, she has to know, Sweetie." JJ replied.

"But, that's brutal!"

Looking in the rear view mirror, he said, "Mom and Joan found him. He's dead."

"When they found him he was dead?" Lily asked.

"No, when Joan chopped his head off and stuck it up on a pole, he died."

Lily's face dropped open. She turned pale.

"Lily, we protect our own," JJ said. "This guy thought he could get away with shooting Joan, kidnapping and scalping Allison, and killing one of their friends. Mom and Joan showed him otherwise. We don't go easy on anyone who messes with us."

Pale faced, a tear dripped down Lily's face. "Yes, you were going to kill that guy for grabbing Peggy." She sniffled.

The rest of the ride to the house was quiet. JJ parked in back and led them in the back door. Peggy went into the kitchen to get a bag of food for the gator. Lily looked around, drifting from the dinning room into the lounge. "This is a really nice house!" she said.

Seeing she was headed for the front door, JJ called, "Lily! Don't go out that way until we're with you."

She turned to him with a questioning look.

"The alligator doesn't know you yet. Look out the windows, do you see her?" JJ asked.

"Any little ones?" Peggy asked from the kitchen.

Lily pointed. "There's a big alligator in the yard."

JJ looked out beside her and studied the rest of the yard. "Don't see any," he called back.

"I'll grab some bits, just in case."

When Peggy came back though with a bag of food, she went outside, JJ moved to go with her. He held a hand out to Lily. "Come on, come meet the alligator."

Lily cringed. "I don't want to get eaten," she said fearful.

"Then come meet her so she knows you belong here," he told her and grabbed her hand.

Lily let out a whine and went outside, staying behind JJ.

Upon seeing Peggy the alligator got up and walked towards them.

"H!" Peggy said brightly as she walked to meet the alligator. Lily hid behind JJ, sure someone was about to get eaten. If she didn't pee herself, it was going to be a miracle. That thing was BIG!

Lily watched as Peggy met it. It rubbed it's snout against her and walked around her then came over to JJ. It rubbed it's snout on him, he petted it. It then eyed Lily, that long, tooth filled mouth partially opened.

Lily backed around JJ to keep him between her and it. It followed.

JJ put an arm around Lily and held her in place. "It OK, she just wants to get a look at you."

"Oh goddess," Lily whined, looking at that long mouth full of sharp looking teeth so close to her.

"Food!" Peggy announced and raised her hand in the air.

The alligator turned to her and opened it's mouth wide. Peggy tossed a chunk of meat in.

SNAP

Lily recoiled as it's mouth slammed shut. Peggy fed it a few more chunks. She then looked over at the dock, and back to the alligator. The alligator laid down where it was at.

Peggy told Lily, "If she had little ones she'd go to the dock so we would feed them too."

"Aren't you scared?" Lily asked as she kept pressed against JJ.

Peggy shook her head. "She is only aggressive to people she doesn't know. That's why you had to come meet her." Peggy went over and sat by the alligator's other side and petted her. "Come sit down, show her you're friendly."

JJ sat down. Lily sat close to him, so he was between her and those deadly looking jaws.

JJ petted the alligator. The alligator closed it's eyes.

After sitting with the alligator for a while, Lily wasn't as scared of it. Getting hungry, they got up and went into make dinner for the family who'd be coming home.

.

Lily was happy to go in and do a normal activity like making dinner. It allowed her to quiet her mind and not think about someone getting their head chopped off or that big dinosaur like animal laying in the front yard that Peggy had no fear of whatsoever. In a way - and the thought made her shudder- Johnny's family were like that alligator, claws and teeth ready to deal out death if anyone came too close.

Then again, those claws and teeth were very protective of what was theirs. If she managed to join Johnny's family, no one in their right mind would dare harm her. Those that did, ended up dying bloody deaths. That did give her a sense of security.

.

Not long after Peggy and Lily got dinner cooking, people began coming home. First ones in the door were Jackie, Daniel and Louise. They announced themselves by singing loudly.

Whoaaaa, we've halfway there!
Whooo a Ohh! Living on a prayer
Take my hand, we'll make it I swear
Whoooa Ohhh! Living on a prayer

Ooooooh
We gotta hold on, ready or not!
You live for the fight when that's all that you got!

Lily wasn't too surprised by what they were singing in their powerful voices. Yes, this family were not ones to just voice anger. They got angry, someone else paid the price for getting them angry.

Coming though to the dinning room, One started another song and they all joined in.

I won't back down
No I, won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
And I, won't back down

Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I keep this world from dragging me down
Cause I, won't back down

Hey Baby! There ain't no easy way out
Hey, yeahh, gonna stand my ground.
And I won't . Back. Down.

Now I know what's right, I got just one light…

"OK, band practice is over!" a woman called, sounding slightly irritated. "Dinner time!"

"JJ, Peggy!" Jackie said as she bounced into the kitchen. "You guys should really join the concert. You're coming, aren't you?" she asked. Then added, "who's this?"

JJ replied, "A friend. Guys, this is Lily Littleton. Lily, This is Jackie, Daniel Collins, Louise, back there is Mom Delilah. Where's Mom Cameron?"

"She had to go check on something," Delilah said. "How are you, Lily?"

"Fine," she said meekly. These were not quiet people either.

"Alligator fed?" Delilah asked.

"She is," Peggy said. "We took Lily out so she'll recognize her."

"Good! So Lily can be in the yard, and she won't get chased or bit," Jackie beamed.

"Remember Willy?" JJ asked and chuckled.

Daniel grinned, "He still talks about his scared he was."

Jackie snickered, "He made a big mistake grabbing Joan."

"Yeah, that gator was up and over the fence, looking for blood," Louise said with a grin.

The table was being set for dinner, and dinner was almost done when Cameron came back down.

"Good news?" Delilah asked.

Cameron smiled. "Yes, the mayor of Hong Kong has been arrested for high treason. If she doesn't get the death penalty, I'll be surprised. No word on my other activities yet."

Lily asked, "You got a mayor in China arrested?"

"That's nothing compared to what else is going to happen," Cameron told her. "China was paying Horton to do his dirty deeds, their punishment for that is just beginning."

Lily was surprised that the Connors could affect what was happening half way around the world. She sat by Johnny, Peggy on his other side as they ate and talked though dinner. The biggest event right now seemed to be this music concert they were involved in, besides punishing another country. Everyone was excited about it and they all had a part to play in it. JJ and Peggy were going to see it, all the Littletons were also invited. Apparently, most of the town was going to be there.

After dinner, Lily helped clean up. Since she was a guest in the house, all she was allowed to do was wipe off the dinning room table. Cameron went to check on something again. With six people cleaning up after dinner, the job was done fairly quickly. Peggy took her took to show her where they'd be sleeping. Lily's jaw dropped when she saw the bedroom Peggy took her into.

The room itself was big, The poster bed with it's own little roof was huge. It even has steps on one side going up to it. In the room, there was a private bathroom with a huge bathtub.

"This is your bedroom?" Lily asked, awed by what she was seeing.

"Yes, it used to be Sonya's room. I got it after she moved out to live with Mark. When they come home, Joan, Allison and Bob sleep in here too," Peggy explained. "Plenty of room, and it's really comfortable."

"I saw something like this in a story book here once. It belonged to a princess," Lily said.

Peggy giggled. "Yes, at times I do feel like a Princess. Johnny tells me I'm his Princess." She got up and sat on the edge of the bed. "I think your whole family could fit up here."

Lily joined her, sitting beside her. Lily was quiet for a moment contemplating what she saw and heard, then said, "It's like a completely different world here."

Peggy grinned at her. "It is another world," she said. "Down in the underground town, our people live pretty much like we did on our own planet. On the farm, it's different, but not so much so. Here, it's pure human. Yes, some things can be ... brutal. Others are strange, and many are wonderful. It's like living to the extreme, at least for us. Humans and their offshoots don't get sad when something bad happens They get angry. Especially the Connors. Yes, they do many great things, but anger them, and you're in deep trouble. Lily, are you sure you can live in an environment like this?"

Lily stared at the floor. "So it's not that Johnny is just violent, that is how he was raised."

"Yes. I know Joan. She is a wonderful caring and fun person. A joy to be around. But kidnap and kill one of her fiends, and she killed him right back, and put his head on a pole."

"How do you deal with it?" Lily asked.

Peggy shrugged. "It sounds odd, but I've gotten used to it. Yes, I do cringe when it happens, or I know it's going to happen. The thing is, when I was on the ground praying I was going to live as bullet flew right over me and all the anger and hate pressing down on me, Johnny was up and fighting for me. I was terrified I, and Johnny too were going to die or worse. Johnny was shot a few times, but he kept fighting, and he and his family won. He protected me. No matter what. He's my hero, I know I am safe no matter what craziness is going on around me."

Lily looked at Peggy. "You are very brave."

Peggy giggled. "Not really, just desperate to get what I wanted." She offered Lily a brief smile. "Kinda like you. You do have to decide if you can handle living like this if you want to join us."

Lily nodded. She had much thinking to do.

.

Cameron was pleased. All five ships had hit that reef going 25 knots. One just caught the edge. It's bottom ripped open, it got past the reef to sink. The other four also got ripped open. They didn't sink, there wasn't enough water. They were hopelessly stuck in place.