Separation Anxiety

"Cannonball!" Pietro crowed as he dove into the pool.

He landed with a loud splash, drenching the other inhabitants. It was one of the rare moments of relaxation. They had just finished a grueling training session and had been given a chance to enjoy the new pool Lance had made. "Man this is sweet!" Todd said as he happily swam.

"Way to go Lance," Wanda said. "You did something right! For a change."

"You know I hate to admit it," Pietro said. "But I'm really starting to like it here."

"I told you it wasn't so bad," Todd pointed out. "Hey look! Spirit's bird's up there!"

Lance looked at Freedom; Spirit's bald eagle perched on the roof above. Spirit claimed that the bird was not his pet, but his companion so he was free to come and go as he pleased. It had arrived just after Lance's vision quest.

"I don't think that bird likes me very much," Lance gulped, remembering the bird's first reaction to him. Lance felt he was lucky that his eyes hadn't been pecked out.

"He probably thinks you're dinner or something," Pietro snickered.

"He just probably doesn't know you yet," Xi told him. He got out of the pool wearing only a pair of tan swimming trunks. His flat green chest glistened with the gold scales marking his front.

"We've heard that before," Wanda snickered.

"You know what we need?" Pietro zipped out of the pool and rapidly shook himself off to dry.

"An umbrella?" Fred grumbled as some of the water from Pietro landed on him.

"Some smoothies!" Pietro ran into the building.

At the same time Roadblock, Spirit and Shipwreck were talking to Hawk on the communications monitor. "So they finally know huh?" Roadblock sighed.

"It's not like we didn't know this was coming," Hawk told them.

"So what is going to happen?" Shipwreck asked. "Are they going to take away the kids?"

"They're still undecided," Hawk sighed.

"That's not good," Roadblock grumbled.

"Hawk we can't let the kids get taken away!" Shipwreck told him. "Those kids will be caged and treated like lab rats for the rest of their lives!"

"I know that Shipwreck," Hawk said. "Fortunately there are some who are on our side."

"I wonder," Roadblock grumbled.

"Look let's find out what they decide before we jump to conclusions," Hawk told them. "The minute I hear anything I'll let you know. Hawk out." The monitor went out.

They heard a whooshing sound and turned around sharply. "Oh no," Roadblock groaned. "Pietro!"

"If he heard…" Shipwreck groaned.

"Come on," Spirit said. "We'd better talk to them."

"Yeah we all know the speed of Pietro's mouth," Shipwreck sighed as he followed them outside. All the kids were now out of the pool and looked very unhappy.

"You heard," Roadblock sighed.

"Yeah," Pietro looked stone face. "We all know."

"They're gonna try and take us away ain't they?" Todd asked.

"I knew it!" Lance fumed. "I knew it! I knew it was too good to last!"

"Calm down!" Shipwreck said. "Nobody is going anywhere!"

"But they will!" Wanda said.

"Okay listen up," Roadblock said. "True there are some officials that are…concerned about you guys being with the Joes."

"I'll bet!" Pietro snapped. "Concerned we ain't in a cage!"

"But we have some people on our side as well," Roadblock told him. "They're just reviewing the case. There is a good chance that they are going to send somebody to observe us. That person will see how you are doing and judge if you are making any progress!"

"Oh yeah," Lance huffed. "I can just imagine what that report is going to be like! Face it Roadblock, they're going to judge us even before they get here! And don't tell me it's not gonna be like that! It's happened before."

"Before?" Shipwreck asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Lance said.

"I can't believe they want to take all of us away!" Todd cried out.

"Not all of us," Brittany said. "Right dad?"

"Yeah well," Shipwreck sighed. "My kids have immunity but the rest of you…"

"How did you swing that deal?" Pietro asked.

"Long time ago," Shipwreck told him.

"It's 'cause of my dad being a Joe," Althea said. "It's you guys I'm worried about." She took Todd's hand and held onto it tightly.

"Being a former pawn of Cobra I know too well what they can do," Xi growled.

"Maybe…" Fred was thinking now. "Maybe they'll only take some of us. I mean how old do you have to be before you're drafted? I'm 17."

"I don't think they'll wait before you turn 18," Pietro told him.

"I'm 18," Lance said. "If they take me and Fred, maybe they'll leave you guys alone."

"Nobody's going to split us up!" Althea said. "Right Dad?"

"Right," Shipwreck nodded grimly. "Just let them try!"

"We'll beat the stuffing outta them!" Daria shouted.

"No! No! No!" Roadblock said. "Just put your faith in GI Joe!"

"Yeah right!" Wanda growled and stormed up to her room.

"I'll talk to her," Shipwreck said as he followed her. Wanda slammed the bedroom door in his face.

"I'm changing!" She screamed.

"Okay," He stood outside uncomfortably. "I'll wait right here."

"Well I might be changing for hours!" Wanda snapped.

"Fine," Shipwreck sighed. "Listen kid, I know how you feel. Well maybe not exactly how you feel but I understand it. Believe me. I know. I don't want to lose you either. I can understand that you can't always trust the guys upstairs. Actually you can never trust the guys upstairs. But you can trust Hawk. I know the guy. Look I know that you've been hurt and abandoned. And I may gripe and complain but I'm only human. Pardon the expression."

There was silence. "What I'm trying to say is," Shipwreck continued. "You've become an important part of my life now. Not just you. All of you kids. I'm used to you."

More silence. "For crying out loud kid this is not easy for me!" Shipwreck snapped. "I'm trying to say something warm and reassuring here but it's not easy with a door in my face. I know you have trouble warming up to people for obvious reasons but that doesn't mean everyone you meet wants to use you or get rid of you when things get tough. I don't. I care a lot about you kid if you'd only let me in a little more you'd see that! Who do you think I am? Magneto?"

He winced. "Oops. Wrong thing to say."

Wanda opened the door. "Actually…it's pretty accurate," She grumbled.

"I don't want you to go," Shipwreck told her. "And there's something you gotta know. You're part of my family now. And Shipwreck Delgato don't give his family up for nothin' or nobody!"

"You really feel that way about me?" Wanda asked.

"Duh!" Shipwreck hugged her. "Hey if I can put up with your brother I can put up with anything."

Wanda let out a slight giggle and a sniff. "Now," Shipwreck took her head in her hands. "Promise me you won't cry or go crazy?"

"Yeah well," Wanda shrugged.

"I ain't gonna let anything happen to you kid," Shipwreck told her. "I promise. You're like my own daughter now. Which reminds me," He looked at the sleeveless top she usually wore. "Aren't you cold in that?"

"Shipwreck we're in a desert," Wanda raised an eyebrow.

"Well it can get pretty cold," Shipwreck told her. "How about putting on a sweater?"

"Shipwreck!"

"Well at least something with sleeves for crying out loud!" Shipwreck called out. Wanda slammed the door in his face. "I think I'm getting through to her."

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Lance sat outside, fully dressed. He was not happy. "You don't know that!" Spirit said to him.

"Of course I know it," Lance snapped.

"You cannot look on the dark side of things!" Spirit told him.

"Every time something good happens to me," Lance said bitterly. "Something happens and ruins it! It's the story of my life! Once I was in this real nice foster home. A good one. I was just a little kid but even then I knew how lucky I got. They wanted me so much. They were going to adopt me and I would have a real home and…" He turned away.

"What happened?" Spirit asked softly.

"I never knew exactly," Lance sighed. "One night they just came in and took me away from them. Next thing I knew I was back in the orphanage. I never saw them again and they wouldn't even tell me why!"

Tears were leaking from his eyes. "I loved them Spirit. And I knew they loved me but that didn't matter to those people. They didn't even have the decency to tell me why! And the same thing is happening again! I know it! I know it!"

Spirit held him in his arms. "Shhh," He comforted the boy. "That won't happen again."

"Yes it will!" Lance said. "I can't go through that again Spirit. I can't! I won't! I'd run away first!"

"That won't solve anything! Listen to me! I will not allow them to take you. Do you understand? I promise I will do everything in my power to protect you! I promise!"

"I…I…" Lance stammered. "Spirit…you're the first adult who really cared about me in so long…I…I love you. You're like a father to me."

"And no father could ever love a son like I love you," Spirit lifted up Lance's chin. "You are a part of me now. And I will not abandon you."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

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"Pietro will you please stop pacing!" Cover Girl said. "You're literally starting to wear a hole in the floor."

"I can't help it!" Pietro snapped at her. "The thought of me being caged for life will do that to me!"

"Maybe we won't be caged," Freddy asked.

"And maybe pigs will fly!" Pietro snapped.

Shipwreck walked downstairs. "Well I think I convinced Wanda not to blow the place up," He said.

"Whoopee!" Pietro snapped. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea!"

"Now don't talk like that!" Cover Girl said.

"Yeah blowing stuff up is not always the right solution no matter how much fun it is," Shipwreck said.

"Shipwreck!" Cover Girl snapped.

"Look kid," Shipwreck said. "As I was just telling your sister, we don't know for sure if the Jugglers want to take you away from us. And even if they did, we won't let them take you. Not without a fight."

"You really want us to stay?" Fred asked.

"Of course we do," Cover Girl told him.

"Hey if I can put up with your sister I can put up with anything," Shipwreck put his arm around the boy. "Come here you!"

Pietro squirmed away. He ran to Cover Girl and hugged her. "Oh you poor baby," She patted him on the head.

"Oh yeah her you want to hug," Shipwreck grumbled.

"I love you Shipwreck!" Fred enveloped him in a huge bear hug.

"Oh yeah," Shipwreck gasped. "I'm feeling the love."

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Low Light found Xi sitting on top of the flat roof. Xi looked at him. "I was a possession once," Xi said. "I refuse to be so again."

"I can understand that," Low Light stood next to him.

"I am not a thing," Xi said. "I have a life and a will. I know that now. If they try to take me…"

"It's not gonna happen kid," Low Light told him. "I won't let it happen."

"I won't let them take me," Xi said simply.

Both nodded and understood. A silent agreement passed between the two.

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"They can't take us away!" Todd kicked the wall and winced when it hurt. "They just can't!"

"Don't give up hope," Roadblock told him. "Nothing has happened yet. We adults knew this day would come and we've been preparing. So don't worry about that yet. We'll tell you when to worry, okay?"

"You won't let them take us will you?" Todd asked fearfully.

"Don't worry," Roadblock said gently. "We'll find a way. Somehow we will find a way."

Roadblock hugged the boy close to him. "Nothing will separate us," Roadblock said. "I promise. It was fate that brought us together. It won't tear us apart."

Coming next: The kids are observed to see if they will remain in the Joes' custody. But who is it? What will happen? Expect the unexpected!