"Thank-you," Jillian murmured once again, as the guard assigned to her by the triumvirs opened the front door of the Khalid residence for her. She wasn't sure if it was protocol or not but her manners made the simple phrase come out naturally. So far, her companion hadn't bothered trying to correct her.

Walking through the door, Millicent was there to greet her.

"Your husband hasn't called or came home yet," Millicent told her, sounding relieved. Jillian knew the older woman hadn't liked the idea of keeping something from Telemachus Rhade, but she had agreed to do so should he have checked on his family before Jillian's return.

"Good," Jillian said, glad that she wouldn't need to do any explaining herself. Telemachus had enough to worry about right now without her adding something else to it. He was worried about her enough as it was, even before the attack last night. "The children?"

"They're playing a game in the livingroom. They're fine," Millicent assured her. "Come on into the kitchen for a cup of hot herbal tea," the older woman continued, as she put a reassuring arm across Jillian's shoulders.

Jillian allowed herself to be steered in the direction of the kitchen. She was too tired, both physically and emotionally, to protest. Her kids were okay and a cup of hot tea sounded good. It would soothe her nerves and possibly the contradicting emotions that she was feeling.

Reaching the kitchen, Millicent steered her guest to a chair and then set about making the tea. While Millicent moved around the kitchen, Jillian sat at the table trying to sort through her feelings regarding the news she had got at the doctors. She knew she should be happy about the news she had received and part of her was, but she also knew it was a complicated time. The last thing she wanted to do was make things harder on her husband.

Finishing the tea, Millicent set one cup down in front of Jillian and then sat down next to her guest, her own teacup in front of her.

Reaching out, Jillian wrapped her hands around the warm cup as she stared down at the liquid inside of it.

"So, I'm assuming the doctor confirmed that you were pregnant," Millicent stated quietly, breaking the silence.

Jillian looked over at the older women, sure that the surprise she was feeling showed on her face. She wanted to reply but was having a hard time finding the ability to speak.

However, Millicent's next words told Jillian that her surprise was evident. "I've been around long enough to be able to notice the signs in others," she said, reaching out and taking one of Jillian's hands in her own. "From your reaction, I take it you're not happy about another child."

Jillian sighed, but she didn't try to draw her hand away, instead drawing comfort and strength from the older woman. "It's not so much the thought of being pregnant. Telemachus and I have talked about having another child. It's just that this isn't a good time. Tarazed is still recovering from the attack. Telemachus is busy with both the Home Guard and now the campaign. Yesterday was the first day he had taken off since he returned."

"That must be hard on you."

Jillian shook her head. "I'm just glad to have him back on Tarazed," she confessed. "At least I see him every night and I can see for myself that he is safe, though I can see the stress and the worry in his eyes. However, he always makes sure he takes the time to check in with all the kids when he comes home, no matter how tired he is. He loves us and worries about us, and now with the protests and the threats due to his bid for triumvir, I know he worries about us even more. Especially after last night."

"And you worry that he might not welcome the news of another child?" Millicent asked.

Jillian shook her head as she lifted her tea cup with one hand and took a sip. She knew her husband. Telemachus would welcome and cherish another child. However, he would worry even more about her if he knew she was pregnant. "No. It's not that. I just don't want to complicate things for Telemachus even more. He was talking about dropping out of the race last night because he doesn't want to continue to put us in danger. I don't want that. My husband will make a good triumvir. I believe he can do a lot of good in that position, and I don't want him to drop out because others believe otherwise."

Millicent swallowed the tea she had sipped from her own cup before answering. "So, you're afraid that if he knows you're pregnant, then he will resign from the political race."

"Exactly," Jillian said, finally drawing her hand away and wrapping both hands around her tea cup again. "Now just isn't the right time for this news, especially with the debate tomorrow."

"But is it fair to keep this news from him?" Millicent questioned, not judging Jillian but wanting to make sure her younger friend considered all angles of the situation.

"I'm not sure but I also don't want to be the reason he drops out. Maybe its best if I just keep this news to myself for a little while. At least until things calm down."

"I think that would be the mistake," Millicent replied. "However, it is your news to share. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank-you," Jillian whispered. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing or not, but at least for now, she planned on staying quiet about this new life they were going to bring into the world. She knew before long she would need to tell her husband, but she hoped things might be a little more settled when she finally did.


The outside security cameras had been installed quickly. A monitor in his home office, now gave him a three hundred and sixty-degree view of his yard. If anyone was skulking around the property, he would know now. The cameras would also sound an audible alert when they picked up movement. There would be no more surprises like the one last night.

With the increased security, Telemachus had felt comfortable enough to bring his family home from the Khalid's after making sure that the broken windows were fixed, and any signs from the small fires that had been put out last night were no longer visible. He wanted no reminders of what had happened when his wife and kids stepped back through the door.

Dinner had been an unusually quiet affair. Telemachus hadn't even attempted to engage his kids in small talk. They had been through quite a bit and he thought perhaps their quietness was a way for them to deal with that giving how talkative they all usually were. His wife, as well, seemed more withdrawn than usual but Telemachus was willing to chalk that up to a lack of sleep, seeing as neither of them had slept well last night.

Telemachus just wasn't sure any of them were going to sleep any better tonight.

However, Telemachus knew that the longer they stayed out of the home, the harder it would be to feel at ease in their home again.

After dinner, Telemachus convinced Jillian to go to their room and lay down. He wasn't sure if she would get the sleep she needed or not, but he hoped his wife would at least get the rest she clearly needed. Meanwhile, he and the kids retreated to the living room. The two older kids opened their schoolbooks, while Artemis stayed near her older brother and sister with a coloring book opened in front of her.

With his kids occupied, Telemachus settled on the couch and attempted to do some preparation for the debate tomorrow. He wasn't sure how ready he felt but he did realize that both Jillian and Tri-Lorn were right. Dropping out would mean those protesting his candidacy simply because of his heritage would mean those against him running would win. That wasn't the kind of example that he wanted to set.

When he had joined the Andromeda's crew, he knew that there was a lot that he could learn from Dylan - and he had. However, he had also learned a lot from the other members of the crew. He believed that he could take those lessons and applied them to his service as a triumvir if he won the election.

Telemachus' only doubt was whether it was worth what it would cost his family.

Glancing toward a clock, Telemachus realized that it was a little past Artmeis' bedtime.

"Artemis, its time to get ready for bed," Telemachus told his youngest daughter setting his own work aside.

"Do I have to?" Artemis asked, not even bothering looking up as she continued to work on the picture she was coloring. As his youngest had never been one to give them a hard time about following the rules they had set for her, the question concerned Telemachus.

"Yes," Telemachus told her, his voice firm though he couldn't help but wonder what was going on with his youngest.

Artemis let out a long sigh, but with a long sigh she closed her coloring book. Leaving the book and the crayons on the table the children used while in the livingroom, Artemis unlocked her wheelchair and pushed away from the table.

Though relieved that Artemis was putting up any further protest, Telemachus watched as she slowly headed out of the room. He could still tell that something was bothering her and he planned on figuring it out before she went to sleep.

As Artemis disappeared down the hallway, Telemachus turned his attention back to his two oldest. Sirius still had a textbook open but Riley had closed her textbooks and now had a novel open. As his eldest enjoyed reading, Telemachus wasn't sure if the novel she was reading was one for school or just one she had chosen on her own.

"The two of you need to start wrapping things up," Telemachus told them. "It'll be your bed time shortly," he added, walking over to where his two children sat. Stepping up behind Sirius, he rested a hand on his son's shoulder. "Are you about down with your homework?"

Sirius nodded though he didn't bother looking up from the math problem he was working on. "I only have two more problems after this one," Sirius replied.

"Okay," Telemachus said giving his son's shoulder a slight squeeze before lifting his hand. "Let me know if you need help," he added, knowing that academics didn't come as easy to Sirius as they did to his older sister. Still, Sirius put in the effort to bring home decent grades.

Having warned his eldest about their approaching bedtime, Telemachus headed back to check on Artemis. The little girl had changed into her nightgown and was heading toward the bathroom. Once there, she set about brushing her teeth.

Telemachus watched her, wondering how best to proceed. He had a feeling something was bothering her and if he had to guess, he would assume that it had something to do with the previous evening.

Watching in silence, Telemachus let Artemis finish brushing her teeth. As she put her toothbrush away, he finally spoke up.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Sweetie?" Telemachus asked, figuring it was best to keep the inquiry general. He wanted to know what was going through his daughter's head, not put ideas into it. There was a chance, slight though it might be, that her reluctance to head to bed tonight had nothing to do with last nights incident. Possible, but his instincts told him that it wasn't the case.

Turning her chair away from the sink, Artemis faced him and looked up at her father. "I don't want to be alone in my room tonight, Papa," she told him timidly.

Telemachus knelt down in front of her. Reaching out, he took her hand in his own. It had been a long time since Artemis had been afraid to sleep in her room, having gotten over her fear of monsters in hiding in the closet before he had gone on his mission to capture Tyr. Although, perhaps the incident last night had made those monsters come back.

"Why not?" Telemachus asked her.

"What if there is another fire?" Artemis asked, her eyes glistening with tears as he voice trembled.

"I wouldn't have brought you and your siblings back here if I didn't think it was safe," Telemachus told her, his heart breaking at the question. It was a valid fear, giving that one of the fire bombs had been tossed through her window. Given her disability, it wasn't quite as easy for Artemis to leave the room as is would be for most kids in that situation. "You believe that, don't you?"

Artemis nodded. "I'm still scared," she said, the words no more than a whisper.

Telemachus nodded. He knew he couldn't just tell her to face the fear and trust everything would be okay. That was too much for a five-year-old child. Artemis would never get any sleep. He knew that what she needed was time to feel safe in the house once again.

"How about this," Telemachus told her. "Tonight you come and sleep with your mother and myself. Tomorrow night however, you need to promise me that you will try to sleep in your own room."

Artemis nodded her consent. "I promise, Papa," she told him.

"That's my girl," Telemachus said, reaching out and gathering Artemis in his arms. His daughter wrapped her arms around his neck as he headed toward the master bedroom.

"But Papa, tomorrow night, do you think maybe you could stay with me until I fall asleep?" Artemis asked, her head resting on her father's shoulder.

"I think that can be arranged," Telemachus told her, leaning his head so that he could feel his daughter's soft hair against his cheek.

Walking into the bedroom that he shared with his wife, Telemachus found his wife propped up in the bed with pillows, reading. He was happy to see that she looked a little more rested than she had at dinner.

"How are you feeling?" Telemachus asked her as he crossed the room to the bed.

Jillian looked up at the question and gave him a small smile. "Better," she replied. "I guess I just needed a little rest," she added.

"Glad to hear it," Telemachus replied, the relief evident in his voice as he placed Artemis down in the middle of the bed. "So, this little angel has managed to talk me into letting her sleep in here tonight," he added as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Jillian smiled knowing that it probably hadn't taken much sweet talking on Artemis' part to convince Telemachus to let her sleep in their room tonight. Though his soldiers thought he was a tough guy, Jillian knew what a tender heart her husband actually had - especially when it came to his children.

"Are you still scared?" Jillian asked her daughter as she helped Artemis get settled underneath the blanket.

Artemis nodded. "What if there is another fire?"

Jillian put her arm around Artemis and pulled her close to her. "I'm sure that was scary last night, but you know we wouldn't have brought you back here if we thought there was a chance of what happened last night happening again, don't you?"

"I know," Artemis said. "But I'm still afraid something will come through my window again and what if no one hears me yell?"

Telemachus reached out and took hold of his daughter's hand. "Well, you don't have to worry tonight, because you're going to be right here with us. You'll see that it's going to be a quiet night and nothing is going to happen. After that, maybe the fear of something coming through your window will lessen."

"I hope so," Artemis replied.

Telemachus gave Artermis' hand a reassuring squeeze even as he looked over at his wife. "I'm going to get the other two settled in bed and then I'll be in."

"I can do that," Jillian said, feeling guilty for having retreated to the bedroom right after dinner and leaving her husband to look after their children.

"Nonsense," Telemachus replied with a shake of his head. "Stay here. You deserve a night of rest," he assured her. "Beside, it won't take long. I'll be back before you know it," he added as he got to his feet.

Putting one knee on the bed, Telemachus leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of Artemis head before receiving a quick kiss from his wife. Leaving his youngest with his wife, Telemachus headed back to the livingroom.


Amateurs.

Thanks to the poorly planned, and even more poorly executed attack, if it could even be called that, on his target's home, his job had been made even harder. For starters, the guard that had been shadowing his target would be on higher alert now. There were also now more guards to take into account. Not to mention, Genghis had no doubt that security around the residence would have been increased. His target was stupid after all.

Which was more than he could say for the people who had tried to set his target's residence on fire last night.

As he sat at the bar in Argosy, sipping the drink sitting in front of him, Genghis contemplated what options were left to him. To be honest, he really didn't like any of them. Getting to his target was going to take something unexpected and right now, he didn't see anything open to him.

Then something in the news report caught his attention. Tomorrow was the first debate amongst the candidate's for triumvir. The debate was to be held here in Argosy. It was to be a public event, and while Genghis had no doubt that security would be tight, the fact that there would be a lot of people attending would be to his benefit. He could get by security, of that he was confident of. The real trick would be melting into the crowd after he carried out his mission.

He would figure something out. Genghis had not come this far to fail in his mission. He would make this work.

Perhaps his new buddies from Arteus Pride would prove useful. If he went in with the delegation of Arteus Pride members, Genghis knew he would draw less scrutiny. Turning his attention from the monitor, Genghis looked around the bar to see if the two Nietzscheans he had chatted with previously were in attendance tonight.