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Chapter 53 – Check Mate

The adult Genie sat at her desk at the school, going through files. The Doctor stood in the doorway, unseen, and watched her.

She was dressed in a lovely dress and wouldn't have looked out of place sitting among royalty. He smiled proudly as he watched her make notes. She looked so grown up. Authoritative. And was completely the Head Mistress that the school needed with its complex student population.

Just as he thought that, Genie picked up the phone on her desk. Without looking, she pressed a button and spoke. "Hey, Chiron. I'm looking over these dorm room assignments. I think we need to give another look to Mari being so close to the exit."

She glanced up and noticed her Dad standing in the doorway.

She waved him in the room and continued to speak to on the phone. "Yes. And Legate is putting locks on the pool and gate to the student beach right now. He's in one of those places."

The Doctor slowly walked in and sat in the chair across from the desk.

Genie continued, "Yes. Just, tell her that the room isn't going to work for her. Move her into….umm."

Chiron must have said something.

Genie smiled. "That will work. Yes, thank you."

She hung up the phone. "And what brings you by?"

"I need to apologize. Genie, I'm really sorry."

Genie put the lid back on her pen and looked up at him in surprise. "You are."

"I am. I….wasn't prepared to speak to you, or Legate. I didn't know the entire story and what to expect. I was already cross about Karen…and Sam." He grit his teeth.

Genie giggled. "I feel like I'm at home."

"Are we really always at odds?"

"All of the time." She smiled. "Mum says you are too much alike."

"How is our relationship? Mine and yours?"

She considered. "It's good. Up until, this entire thing with Legate."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

"Did Mum send you?"

He shook his head. "No. Well, yes. And your Papa did. And I've also asked him to come see you, about this."

She smiled. "I spoke to him last night."

"What did he say?"

She grinned and nodded, "I'd prefer to keep it between us."

"I see. Well, he's left with Poltious. Hopefully to prevent a war."

"That they have already declared. Legate told me about it when he woke me this afternoon. Dad. They haven't done anything."

"It looks like they have. The only places that have been attacked are their enemies. Prince Legate-"

"Oh, he hates that."

The Doctor grinned. "He has a target, painted on the back of his head. That puts you in danger, too."

She nodded. "I know."

"Genie, I'm not going to sugar coat this for you. Having two heirs is ideal in this situation."

She nodded. "I know. It does make sense."

"I just didn't want you to be part of that. Even if someone else takes the role as heir, there is always the possibility that Legate will have to live a life of service. I didn't want that for you."

She nodded and looked back at him sadly. "Legate doesn't want to do it."

"Because, he's intelligent. Who would?"

Genie sighed. "I owe you an apology, too."

He rose his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry we made the Promise without you, or Mum and Papa, present. It just….felt right. I was so hurt."

He nodded. "I understand. And if you would please apologize to your Papa and Mum, I'll be happy."

She rose her eyebrow in disbelief. "Happy about what, exactly?"

He crossed his arms and sighed. "I will tolerate this entire….Life Promise….thing with Legate."

She laughed. "Tolerate?"

"I'm sorry, that's all I can do at the moment."

"Not give consent?"

He shook his head. "Not, completely. Not yet."

"Yet? So, there is a possibility?"

He groaned.

She teased, "I can accept that."

He sighed. "So. Sammy evoked the Right of Patriarch. So, Legate has…what, three?"

Genie smiled, "No. Sam insisted he name a full Ten. Legate is grateful."

The Doctor smiled proudly. "I'm glad he thought of that."

"Sammy is clever. Like Mum says, 'Just like you'."

The Doctor smiled. "Who are they?"

Genie giggled. "Sammy is One."

"Makes sense. Arles is probably Two."

"He is. Karen is Three, and Halley is Four."

"Halley? She wasn't present!"

"It counts. He named her." She waved off.

"Okay. Who are the others then?"

She counted on her hand, "Poltious is Five. Then, Lenox. Lewis. Lance. You and Lartius."

He grinned and nodded his head. "So, I'm Nine."

She smiled proudly, "And I'm extremely proud that he is such a man of integrity to gather such a dignified group."

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, bollocks."

She giggled at his grumbling. "I didn't influence any of that Ten. I complained that he had named three of you who refused to let us wed."

He sighed. "Damn it. So, I have to like him?"

"Daddy." She smiled, "You liked Legate until all of this happened."

He wagged his finger at her. "And one day, young lady, I just hope you have a daughter who does the same thing. Then, maybe. You may just understand my position."

"You don't want me to get hurt. Daddy, I know Legate has had other girls-"

"A lot to hear him talk-"

"Daddy. It's really just that. All talk."

He groaned. "And you're sure of that?"

"I trust what he tells me. You forget, I can actually tell."

"But, not with Sammy?"

"Sammy! Ugh! I don't know how he does that! He can tell me the sky is falling, and I can't tell he's lying. He's always been that way!"

The Doctor nodded, "And how to do you know Legate isn't able to do that?"

"I can tell. Daddy, you know I can."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I've ask Lewis to move the positions of the Guard."

"Who is leaving?"

"Surprisingly, none. They all have respectfully asked to remain. Well, except Bassiano. But, his request has been denied."

"And he's moving here to the island with us. Legate says he's training him?"

"Oh, it's a mess. This is your Papa's solution to keeping other Quauhtin in line. I feel he's making an example of him."

"So, you don't approve?"

"I didn't say that. Lewis has the authority and-"

"You don't approve! Wow. Does Papa know-"

"No! And you aren't to tell him, young lady!" He insisted.

She held up her hands and smiled. "Your secret is safe. Wow."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Anyway. That's not the point. There are several things I needed to come and speak to you about. One being, that I want to tell you is that I've made the decision that Genie is not to be Legate's primary any longer. If this was truly something that was meant to happen, maybe it will happen again."

Genie nodded. "I think it will. Daddy, there are parts of this that you simply don't know because they haven't happened yet."

"Go on then."

"Legate left. When I was….gosh. 16, 17. I think."

"Why?"

"Lartius asked him to help with some….something he wouldn't tell me about. He simply tells me that I am better not knowing."

"And you trust that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" She grinned. "Then soon afterwards, I left. Ashena needed someone to educate her children."

"So, you went to Andromena?"

"I lived in the castle. Ashena and Logan treated me like one of their family. Oh wow. Football obsessed children. Wow."

The Doctor chuckled.

"I worked with the schools there, and what started as a simple governess-tutor position, put me in a place in her government where I restructured the way all of the children there were educated."

The Doctor looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yes." She smiled.

"What about Sam and Arles?"

"Oh, I came home as much as I could. Mum says she probably saw me more when I lived in the castle than when I lived at home. And everyone was always coming to see me. Sammy, especially."

"To escape home."

"Yeah." She nodded sadly. "And then Arles had the grand idea to go explore. Papa would not allow them to go on their own. So, he asked for Legate."

The Doctor nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

She smiled. "He traveled with them. Gosh, the things they did. Wow. And Tony was with them, too. He seemed to always be in trouble. Starting fights, getting arrested. He actually blew up a ship of people from Luminar. You were furious."

"Luminar?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Luminar is one of the places that have been attacked now."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know anything about that."

He rubbed his lip. "So, Legate with the boys?"

"I didn't see him for a long time. Well, really see him. He always, found another place to be when the boys came to see me. Then, I was home on the island to celebrate that they had returned from being gone for so long. That's when I saw him, and he actually spoke to me. Well, more than, 'Hi.' And 'Lovely to see you.'"

"So, it isn't like he's been there-"

"Oh no. And he has admitted that he avoided me." She smiled. "He told me that he had problems thinking when I was around. I returned to Andromeda, and he came to see me with the guys a few weeks later. Playing football, of course. And we managed to have a rather long chat. Over dinner. Just me and him on the balcony there at the palace. He didn't eat a thing. It is rather comical now that I think back on it."

"What did you talk about?"

"Mum wanted me to come home. She missed us all, so much. She had asked him to speak to me about it. He had, such a hard time, just forming his words." She smiled.

"The accident?"

"Yeah, he was still feeling the effects of that. He blamed it on that. I knew he was lying then. Now, he tells me it was me. I know that's the truth."

He grinned. "Rose sent him."

"He left with the guys, and two days later, he returned. He told me that he had been sent to convince me to come home and have a long visit with Mum. I had never intended on staying there as long as I did. The years just got away from me."

The Doctor nodded. "I know what you mean. Yeah."

"He flew us back, and delivered me to Mum. And that's rather that."

He cleared his throat. "It is possible, Genie. That I've overreacted."

"You?" She teased.

He pointed at her. "Don't be cheeky."

She giggled. "There are so few opportunities."

"I said it's possible. I'm not admitting that I did."

"Well, okay. I'll accept that."

He sighed. "What do you know about this girl Arles is dating?"

She giggled, "He says they are just friends, Dad."

"Is that the truth? I know you've probably spoken to him about this."

"And he's asked me to keep it to myself."

He crossed his arms and groaned, "Which means it's more than friends-"

"I didn't say that." She sung.

"Arles. The son of Lewis. Oh boy."

"I will tell you that you aren't wrong."

"What do you know about this girl?"

"I know he hasn't told her much of anything. There are rules we have all grew up with. Security protocols."

He nodded, "Well, I'd like a run-down of them."

"What? Now?" She grinned.

"No. Your Mum wants a meeting with you older children. Soon."

She sighed. "What about?"

"I'm not completely certain. But what Rose wants, she gets. So, expect a meeting soon."

They both stood up. Genie walked over and embraced her Dad.

The Doctor held her tightly. "Genie. I can't tell you that I like this entire situation."

She leaned back and looked at her Dad in the face. "I know, Daddy."

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"Why do you think I didn't fight Legate on naming you Nine?"

He rose his eyebrow. "What are you on about?"

"The Oncoming Storm as Nine if he screws this up? Daddy, I'm not thick. Check Mate."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Oh shit."

She hugged him again.

He kissed her cheek as he held her in his arms and whispered, "And never forget it."

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