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Chapter 26 - The Text

Jackie Tyler sat at the kitchen table going over the guest list for the party and drinking a cup of tea. Pete walked into the room.

"And good morning."

She didn't look up. "And good morning. Rose just rang."

He poured him a cuppa. "Yeah? What did she want?"

"She was asking if Tony could come to the island today to play with Genie."

He sat down in front of her and sipped his tea. "If it's alright with you-"

She sat down her pad of paper. "Gosh, Pete. I just don't know what's going on with him."

Pete blew his cuppa. "Tony? Young Tony is who we're talking about, right?"

"Yes. Maybe I'm spending too much time doing other things around here. I'm thinking about enrolling him in that school."

"Really?"

"Caroline rang and they want to send Jacob there."

He sipped his tea and nodded. "It's a good school. What is Rose doing with Genie?"

"She's going to send her. I was surprised."

"Really?"

"Yes. Same thing that Stark is doing. Teaching her at home, and sending her there, too."

"I think it would be a good idea. He can be around other kids-"

"But, these aliens there."

"That would be the best thing. He's still so angry about….."

Pete stopped talking immediately as young Tony ran into the room. "What's for breakfast?"

"It's just here at the table. I've already made your tea." Jackie told him.

Tony sat down and tucked in to his porridge.

Pete watched his son. "So, what's new with you?"

Tony looked up at him. "Poltious just rang me."

"Did he?" Pete asked in surprise. "What did Poltious have to say?"

Tony blew his porridge. "He apologized. We were going to play football this afternoon. He's with Legate on…some strange planet."

Pete looked back at Jackie. "Is he? Did he say when he would be returning?"

Tony shook his head. "He said that he would have to stay there with Legate for a while. But, he would ring me."

Jackie smiled, "Well, I think that was very kind of him to think of you."

Young Tony complained. "It would have been more kind to think of this football club. Really, Dad. I don't know how I can be expected to get these guys in shape when no one respects me as the manager."

Pete bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Well, they are a busy lot, son."

Jackie sipped her tea. "And now that you don't have to deal with Vitex anymore, Pete, what will you fill your days with?"

"Well, I'm thinking I'll be needing an ice pack from all of the paperwork I need to sign today at Torchwood."

Tony smiled. "Right then, Dad. What is the paperwork for?"

"Ah. Jake is moving around security personal and such. Boring, protocol stuff."

Tony nodded, "Could I come?"

"To Torchwood?" Pete asked in shock.

Tony smiled and nodded energetically. "Yes! I'd like to see where you work, Dad! What do you think?"

Pete looked back at Jackie.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright with me."

Pete nodded. "Sure."

Tony sprang out of his chair and ran out of the room. "I just need to get my trainers."

Pete laughed and looked back at Jackie. "So, maybe I need to spend more time with him?"

"Funny how that just worked out." Jackie smiled.

Pete rolled his eyes and sipped his tea.

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Arles walked into the med bay onboard the Doctor's ship. Samuel was there, working with the vials. He wore his familiar cap backwards as he combined some chemicals together and shook the vial.

He held it up and groaned. "Damn it. That's not it, either."

Arles sat on a rolling chair and looked up at his brother. "Not going well?"

"I'll figure this out." He told him.

"You always do." He said as he crossed his arms. "Got a second?"

Samuel groaned and shook his head. "Just…. okay, I've regrouped. What's up?"

"I've got to break-up with Kelly."

Samuel held his finger out at him. "WAIT! This is not a second thing-"

"It is a second thing-"

"Fucker, it's not!" Samuel insisted and pulled a chair over to sit in. "You are just friends."

"She has decided it's more." He sighed. "And…she has a good argument. How can you tell if it's more?"

"You just know." Samuel smiled. "What did she say?"

"Ah. I don't want to get into it."

"Fight?"

"No. We get on, great. And….she's…..brilliant. I feel like I can talk to her. Even about, being strange. Karen says she would be accepting about it."

Samuel grinned. "Karen would know."

"Yeah." Arles shook his head. "I don't want this."

"How do you know-"

"I know. I have to break this off with her. Damn. And the sex is great. In fact, could you look at my back?"

Samuel laughed, "You've thrown out your back having sex? You need to review the basics man-"

"Yeah, while you're back there, kiss my ass." Arles complained.

Samuel laughed and stood up. He moved behind Arles and rose up his shirt. "Oh, nice bruise."

"I fell down some stairs."

"Really? Or did she beat your ass and that's your defense?"

"No, there were really stairs. I copied Dad's yacht out there."

Samuel put his hand on Arles' back and looked under the skin. "The smaller one?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yes. Those stairs are narrow. I've fallen down them, too."

Arles sighed. "I'm such an idiot. Sammy, how do I break it off with her?"

Samuel reached over and took out a silver tube to heal Arles' back. "Talk to her."

"No. I don't want to do that."

"What did she say?"

"She….she told me that she felt like it was a relationship."

"Well, maybe it's just a definition she needs?"

"We're just friends. She's talking about…feelings and shit."

Samuel shook his head and continued to work on his back. "Tell me what would be so bad about having a relationship."

He groaned. "Fuck. You, too?"

Samuel tossed the device on the counter and walked back over to his stool to sit down in front of Arles. "Have you read your letter?"

He pointed at him. "No-"

"Why not?"

"Look at how bad it messed your head up! No way, man. I'm good, not knowing."

Samuel nodded. "I read mine. Mum put a bit in there for me to please tell you that she knows you're not going to read it-"

"See? This woman knows me well."

Samuel smiled. "Yes. She does."

"Well, what did she say?"

"That she's not….sad. Like I thought she would be. She's made of tougher stuff than we give her credit for, and that you are so much like Papa."

Arles laughed under his breath. "Yeah."

"She said that she's proud of you. That's she's not cross. Not even a little bit."

Arles nodded and dropped his head to look at the floor. "I miss her. So much. All of them."

"She's here-"

"She's not."

Samuel sighed. "Do you want to return?"

"Well, that's not really an option. Even if we went back, it wouldn't be the same place we left. Would it?"

Samuel considered, "No. It wouldn't."

"Genie put it into words the other night when she said she felt like she had lost everyone."

Samuel took a deep breath. "I told Karen the same thing."

"Dad would have never agreed to this shit with Genie and Legate."

"But, notice. There isn't a letter from him to us. That rather makes me think he's not in any hurry to speak to Legate and Genie about their current situation."

"Does he know they are wed?"

"No. Papa does."

"Then, it's only a matter of time before Dad does." He groaned. "I've got to break up with this girl. Before I end up like you."

"What? Happy?"

"Ugh." Arles complained.

Samuel became serious. "Pregnant?"

"Nah. I'm taking that medicine and using a condom. I'm not ending up pregnant. It would ruin my figure."

Samuel rolled his eyes.

"What are you working on up here? That birth control medicine for guys? I'm surprised you haven't looked at that."

Samuel snapped his fingers. "Arles. You may be onto something here. Can I get a blood sample?"

"Sure." He told him as he held out his arm.

Samuel walked out of the room to get something to collect the blood as the adult Genie walked into the med bay. "Hi, Arles! Are you alright?"

He smiled at her. "Sure. Just helping Sammy with something."

Samuel walked back into the room and sat down in front of Arles. "And the Head Mistress is here."

Arles laughed, "Look busy!"

Genie smiled and crossed her arms. She looked so elegant in her long, flowing dress that she wore. "Yes, the Head Mistress is here. And I just popped in on your class, Sammy."

Samuel took a sample of Arles' blood. "Yeah, how is Karen doing?"

Genie sat down on a chair next to Arles. "She is brilliant. The children are all laughing and are engaged. She's separated them into groups and having them actually run the experiment. It's amazing."

Samuel grinned, "She's amazing."

Arles smiled, "Totally screwed up your head."

Samuel chuckled at his brother. "Keep talking, mate. You're going to be right here with me."

Genie rose her eyebrow. "What's that about?"

"Nothing." Arles sighed as Samuel finished taking the sample.

Samuel asked. "How long have you taken that medicine?"

"Before we got here. It's been a while."

Samuel nodded and put the blood into the machine at the table. "Dad came to see you or Legate, yet?"

Genie shook her head. "I'm avoiding him. I just don't want to talk about it. Legate is so hurt."

Samuel ran his finger across Arles' to heal where he had taken the blood. "Really? But, you're wed."

"Yeah. And he has his ship. And he's….he's just so sad. He's trying not to show it, but him losing his status as a Warrior has really hurt."

Arles nodded. "I need to get my brother stoned."

Samuel grinned, "A baked brother. Hey, it might help you with your problem too, Arles."

Arles snapped his fingers and pointed at him, "Brilliant."

"That's not going to help." Genie complained.

"Well, he was going to leave the Guard anyway." Samuel insisted.

Genie nodded, "Yes. Leave, not be told he can't be in it. Bit of a difference."

Arles sat back and sighed. "Yes. And I'm sure this entire thing with the other Legate is rather, hanging over his head."

Genie asked. "What other thing?"

"Well, it has to be odd. I mean, we have the other 'us' here, but they are so much smaller. Legate is Legate. Two of them. I'm sure it's strange."

Genie nodded. "Well, I haven't thought of that. Probably."

The phone on the table beeped to alert them to a text. Samuel nodded at it, but had returned to his experiment. "Check that, will you?"

Arles picked it up. "Yours?"

"Karen's. She gave it to me to keep up with while she's teaching my class."

Arles read over the message while Samuel continued to work.

Genie shook her head. "So, can you guys help this Quauhtin of mine? One and Two?"

Samuel smiled. "Sure. Let us think of something."

Arles shook his head. "This is Karen's Dad."

Samuel asked, "What does it say?"

"Darling. I am sorry I didn't get to see you before I left for the base. Where are you, currently?"

Arles looked up at Samuel. "He doesn't call her that."

"Are you certain?"

"I lived with these people for two weeks. He calls her 'Admiral' when she's bossy and 'Sweetheart' when she's not."

Genie rose her eyebrow. "Admiral?"

Arles glanced back at his sister. "Believe me. She gets called that more often."

Genie giggled.

Samuel shook his head. "I hate this. You know I do. Anyone could be sending those texts."

Genie asked, "Why doesn't he just call?"

Arles asked, "Why doesn't he have Quauhtin?"

Samuel groaned and looked up at the ceiling. "Welcome to my life. He doesn't want them. He says he's fine."

Arles typed something back to him.

Genie noticed, "What are you saying?"

Arles held the phone out and read, "I'm with Sam. When do you think you'll be done working?"

Samuel shook his head. "She doesn't call me 'Sam'."

"And the Admiral has ordered me to call you 'Samuel', too. I told her I wasn't in her Navy." Arles told him.

Samuel smiled. "She didn't take that well did she?"

Arles grinned. "Karen is a good sport about everything."

The phone returned a message. Arles looked at it and read aloud. "Not for a while. If you are close-by, could you have Sam bring you to me? I'm at our house. Where is your Mom?"

Samuel pointed at him. "Okay, that's not him."

Arles held the phone between his hands and nodded as he closed his eyes. "I agree. Just a bit. I'm talking to Papa."

Samuel looked back at Genie.

Genie pointed at him. "You aren't going anywhere."

Samuel threw his hands out. "That's not him! I'm sure of it!"

Arles nodded. "Alright. Dad stays you're staying here."

Samuel shook his head. "I'm going with you-"

Arles shook his head. "Nope. Dad, Lance and Papa said we're all to stay here. They've popped to the house."

Samuel sighed. "I could help!"

Arles held up his hand and listened. "They are all talking at once."

Genie crossed her arms. "Fight?"

Arles nodded. "Yes. It's confusing. They have called for more Quauthin."

Samuel's eyes became larger. "Who is there?"

Arles shook his head. "A lot of people. Everyone is popping in to help-"

"And I could be one of them!" Samuel insisted.

"Like hell!" Genie insisted. "You are staying here."

Samuel groaned. "Karen's Dad?"

"They are looking for him. Damn. Papa is kicking ass." Arles told them.

Genie covered her mouth. "Legate?"

Arles listened. "He's there."

Genie walked over to Samuel and he wrapped his arms around her. He told her quietly. "He'll be alright, Gene."

Arles rose his eyebrows. "And Legate is really kicking ass. Wow!"

Genie looked at Samuel. "Maybe you should go to Karen."

"And tell her what?"

"I don't know! Something!"

Arles groaned and shook his head. "Damn."

Samuel held his hands out. "What?! Tell me. What is going on?"

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