End 8

It was midday when the beeper went off in Adrian's office to say that another car had just parked in the private car park. Almost the whole family were crammed into that small space, organising the events for the next few days, so they all trouped out into the hall to greet Tammy and her father as they arrived.

Megan and her friends had vacated the platform and the only noise in the main hall was the sound of the waterfalls and moving water and the occasional echo of speech or laughter from the rooms around it.

When Tammy looked around the door alone, worry in her eyes, Sandra and Adrian moved towards her instinctually. Tammy bit her lip and glanced meaningfully at the others who stood around the room.

"We won't be a minute guys. We're just going to help Tammy with the bags." Sandra said. She was glad when no one seemed to make a fuss, though Liz gave her a questioning look. She followed Tammy and Adrian into the garage quickly.

"He made it all this was without so much as a flicker. He lost it as soon as he was sure he was safe and out of site." Tammy explained quickly as she led them towards her car.

"How bad is it?" Adrian asked.

"The worst I've seen him. Either it's built up because he's been keeping it under control on the way down or he's been hiding things from me." They rounded a corner to find an elderly man lying on the floor beside the car, breathing shallowly, eyes unfocused. Sandra barely recognised her Uncle - not having seen him for several years. He was thinner than she remembered him and grey hair had become white and thinning. He looked old.

Tammy was at his shoulder as he gasped in pain and almost imperceptibly wavered. Then he cried out and it was almost as if someone had dragged him through a fine net. He scattered, thinning until it was possible to see right through him. As he breathed back in he re-condensed and just as suddenly bright lines scored across his body like lightening. With a shudder he was back to normal, only for the process to repeat itself. This happened several times before his breathing started to become a little more regular. His edges fuzzed for a moment, but he seemed to swallow it back. He seemed to be aware of his surroundings as his eyes focused and he took hold of Tammy's hand. Moving to help they got him into an upright position. He coughed for a moment and then sighed.

"Sorry about that everyone. Hello Sandra, it's been a while. How are the little ones?"

"Oh, they're not so little any more." She laughed. And just like that it was business as usual. Only Tammy and Adrian's hands at his elbows as they walked out of the garage betrayed that there was anything wrong and he shook them off before he stepped through the door.

Straight away he was in there meeting and greeting, cracking jokes about how Adrian insisted on checking even his father's bags and passport, fussing over Shazné. No one could tell he was dying, like every other Mutant left alive in the harsh and hostile world. He must have seen Sandra's look because he looked back and winked.

A silent reassurance.

Think happy thoughts.

Jesse Kilmartin.

Illusionist extraordinaire.

Sandra took a seat beside Tammy as she joined them in the bar. Adrian sighed quietly and she offered him a reassuring smile, knowing that there was nothing that she could say to make this any easier for him. She had been in his position, her last remaining parent pulled apart by an illness that was wiping out her people that were already endangered by the prejudice of the world as a whole. Of course her mother had been pulled apart in a much less physical sense than her Uncle.

She had known that moving back to Sanctuary, changed though it was, would be the last thing she did. In some ways Sandra had known it too and had nearly given up everything to move back with her. It had only been her quiet acceptance and the time they had spent together before she had left, discussing what she wanted to happen at the end in such a peaceful way, that made Sandra see that this wasn't something that her mother was running from, rather she embraced it. The illness had plagued her for so long, death was a release. And she wanted to die where she felt safest.

"How's planning going?" Tammy asked as their drinks were delivered, breaking the peaceful silence that had settled between them.

"We haven't really had time to discuss much. I've been busy." Adrian supplied.

"I have a list of names we have to get in contact with, the cemetery's all ready, flowers and everything like that are ordered and the date is set." Sandra added with a smile. "It's going to take a while to get hold of everyone that we want there."

"I'll help you with phone calls tomorrow." Tammy offered and Sandra thanked her with a nod. "On the matter of Dad"

"Do you think he can hold it all the way through the ceremony?" Adrian asked bluntly.

"Until this afternoon I would have said yes. All I can say is that I can offer to load him up on Mentoline on the day, but I don't think he'll accept. He wants to make a speech." Mentoline. Sandra screwed her nose up. It was the only drug that worked to ease the symptoms of the illness, but its side affects were almost as bad in themselves. Debilitating weakness was the main one. Her mother had taken the drug for a week and then refused to take it ever again, only resorting to it on the long flight back to Sanctuary for her own safety. God knows what might happen if the passengers realised that they were trapped with a mutant on board.

"Do you know what he plans to talk about?" Sandra asked, thinking about what Adrian had said.

"He's going to talk about her. That's all I know. He's been digging out old journals he hasn't touched for years. I can only think he's going to talk about their past. I don't think he's stupid enough to say anything about you know."

"Yeah." Sandra agreed, still anxious.

"Do you want us to find a way to keep your kids away?" Tammy asked, Sandra's worry reflected in her eyes.

"I don't think that's going to be possible." Sandra sighed. "I'm a little worried about having Sarah and Daniel there though. I don't know what they'll think when they find out their partners are partly" All conversation ceased as a girl came over to offer them new drinks to replace the empty cups on their table. Tammy refused and stood.

"I need to get some sleep guys, motel beds are not the best for a good rest. I'll talk to you tomorrow, OK? And we'll think of something Sand." She rested her hand on Sandra's shoulder for a moment. "Don't worry yourself about this." Sandra nodded and they both watched as the youngest of the three made her way out of the room.