9th Dec 2003 to 6th Jan 2004

Bound      By Western Blakehawke

Set after Freak Nation.  February 2023 

Sequel to Unwelcome Ties. Set around fourteen months after the events of the last chapter. 

Ames and Will come face to face again just over sixteen months after they first met.

Chapter 5           

               Ames and Will were awoken from their peaceful sleep by the hungry cries of the quads.

               Ames looked at his watch, which was on the bedside cabinet, 8:48am.

               Will shrugged off her shirt then decided to swiftly clamber over Ames to get to their screaming sons.

               Ames also got out of the bed. I wish she'd stop doing stuff like that! I only have so much self control! Damn it! I'm insane!

               Will's attention was on their sons as she swiftly sat cross legged and picked up Kyle, who immediately latched onto her proffered nipple, then she picked up Kincaid and he latched onto the other one.

               Ames jangled both sets of keys above Kit and Kieran half his attention focused on them the other half on their twins and mother.

                The only sounds in the room were the contented sucking of two babies and the gurgling of their twins.

               They swiftly fed, winded, changed and dressed all four infants having decided to bathe them later, then they carried the wide awake babies into the lounge, Alec had left the sofa as a bed and was in the bathroom, Will and Ames placed the cubs on the sofa bed then took up positions either side of them and started amusing them with the toys that Ames had bought over with the clothes, they each had on a glove puppet, Will had a tiger and Ames had an elephant, the babies were enraptured watching their parents and were making happy noises and drooling.

               "Will you can use the other side of the bed you know." Ames told her sarcastically deciding to bring up the fact that she had clambered over him to get to the quads.

               Will grinned at him. "Oh but Ames clambering over you is much more fun." She drolly stated.

                "Are you insane?" He asked in a conversational tone.

               Will smiled at him. "Why do you ask, because I find you attractive?" She countered.

               "Yes! You sleep sprawled over me, you straddle me to get to the other side of the bed because you don't want to get out of it and this morning you clambered over me!" Ames heatedly replied, not thinking about what he was saying or the volume.

               "So in your book that must make me insane?" Will queried grinning at him. "Wow Ames you sure do have a low opinion of yourself!"

               The cubs were relaxed because Will was pathing reassurance to them thoughtout the conversation.

               Before Ames could answer.

               Alec entered the lounge, hair damp from the shower and dressed in his blue jeans and black T shirt that was clinging to his obviously still damp body, his feet were bare.

              "Guys I could hear you in the shower." He complained. "I can't believe I'm gonna say this but…….. Geeez Will, would you give Ames a break! How you sleep together is bad enough but straddling him and clambering over him……. Familiar or no, a male only has so much control so either have sex with him or quit tormenting him!"

               Both were stunned by what Alec had just well pretty much ordered. Ames stopped waving his glove puppet about and Will just looked at her brother in shock her hand also frozen in mid air, she had stopped pathing too.

               Alec sat in an armchair, pulled on his socks and cowboy boots grabbed his sweatshirt hauled it on then grabbed his jacket, all the while waiting for them to say something.

               The babies started to complain and Will and Ames still stunned absently waved the puppets about and were rewarded by contented gurgles, but their attention was still focused on Alec.

               "What?" Alec asked. "You two obviously like each other or else we'd be dead, oh yeah Ames I recalled last night that you hardly ever call Will 378 and Will you worry about him, you went white, no pun intended, when I said he'd been shot, so have sex and get the weirdness out of your systems so we can get back to normal!" He again ordered as he stood up.

               Complete silence from all but the cubs.

               "Max called, woke me up, she needs my help today so you two will have the place to yourselves until this evening, so do everyone a favour yourselves included and work out what you mean to each other, have sex, if that gets it out of your systems great!" Alec shrugged.

               "If not well I love my Familiar nephew, I suppose I could put up with a Familiar brother in law, since you are his dad!" Alec grinned at them. "Sure would make the kids happy, if you two did get married! The rest of us would live with it 'cause as long as Will's happy we are! 'Sides it'd get you off our backs!" With that Alec refrained from making any lewd gags and swiftly left the apartment.

               After a few minutes Will and Ames looked at each other, then down at the suddenly quiet quads, they had unhelpfully fallen asleep.

               Meaning that Will and Ames had to talk to each other.

               494 actually ordered us to have sex! Ames thought still stunned. He noticed my odd behaviour towards Will, doesn't mind if we get married!

               "And you thought you were the only one with a crazy blood brother." Will weakly quipped, shocked at what Alec had had the audacity to suggest not just to her but to both of them together.

               Ames looked at Will. "He's right though we don't have the normal Transgenic, to agent or Familiar relationship."  What am I doing? Am I really considering following a freak's advice and having sex with Will! What if instead of getting her out of my head, it puts her even more firmly in there! Us married! The Conclave would order us hunted down for sure! Why am I even considering that as an option? What is wrong with me?

               "No we don't, but I explained about my programming." Will calmly stated, deciding to use that excuse, not wanting to make love to him with him not knowing that he is her sons father, that she already loves him, it would be too hard for her to leave him then.

               "Yeah that's right." Ames agreed nodding. "You didn't tell 494 or the rest of your family about your purpose then?" Okay she's not considering 494's dumb suggestion……. Should I be insulted? Damn it! Be thankful for the reprieve and hope she quits doing stuff like clambering over you! Damn! Thinking in the third person again! I'm going crazy!

               "C'mon Ames did you really think I would have." Will said rhetorically then added. "Well kids I'm sorry but I have to protect Ames, yeah I know he's trying to kill us but programming………." She rolled her eyes at him.

               Ames couldn't help himself he grinned at her. "Yeah good point!"

               Will looked at their sleeping sons, then picked up two pillows and stood up placing the pillows were she had been seated about forty centimetres from Kieran , he was sleeping next to Kit, then there was Kincaid and Kyle was next to Ames.            

               Ames stood up and copied Will's actions, thereby safely enclosing the newborns. Need to get dressed being in our pyjamas is way too much temptation! Damn not those dream flashes again! Hmmm with the cubs in here we have the bedroom to ourselves…….. Stop it! You're insane!

               "Ames, I'm going to shower then if you want I'll make you some pancakes." Will calmly stated.

               "Thanks Will but I'll just make myself some toast this morning." Ames replied smiling.

               Will nodded and swiftly escaped to the bathroom.

               Ames watched the quads sleep for a few moments then went into the kitchen and collected the butter from the fridge then a plate and a knife and then poured a glass of orange juice. Damn it! Stop visualising Will in the bleeding shower! He was about to put his six slices of bread into the toaster when he paused. To hell with this! 494's right we, I need to get my fascination out of my system!

               On that thought, not thinking about the consequences should The Conclave find out he hurried to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Will have you got in the shower yet?" Ames asked. I'm insane! But maybe this will cure it!

               The door opened and Will stuck her head out, wearing only her pyjama shorts. "No, why do you need to use the bathroom?" She asked then her nostrils flared.

               Ames having decided on his course of action was no longer suppressing his desire for her and was thus unwittingly giving off pheromones that Will smelt and recognised from being married.

               "You're seriously thinking of following Alec's crazy suggestion?" She asked in shock, before he had a chance to reply, never having thought that he would agree, thinking that she would only have to keep herself in check.

               Ames was taken aback, then realised what her nostrils flaring had meant. "I'm giving off pheromones?" He asked stunned. I know she's part wolf but………

               Will nodded, torn between giving in and making love with him and doing what her head told her to do and slam the door in his face.

               "Will I have not been able to get you out of my head since we met, your having Ray has only made it worse, I need to lose this fascination with you!" Ames told her with complete honesty. "If The Conclave ever found out…….."

               "I'm not a prostitute Ames!" Will growled at him. "I don't appreciate the idea of being used by you to get rid of a fascination so that you have no qualms about killing me or forty nine of my kids! And my family!"

               "Damn it! Will I didn't mean it like that!" Ames snarled at her. "Heck you think I like this anymore than you do!" Damn it! Why don't you go into bleeding heat! But no they fixed that! That'd solve everything but no…..no womb no heat! Wait a minute she's given birth! She's got everything back! And she'd never have had the treatments! Heck have I got any condoms! What if we have sex and she got pregnant! I'd have to kill them both! I can't do that I can't kill a child that we made! She's my choice! Wendy wasn't! Maybe there are some in the bathroom! Think! …………Yes I saw some when I searched the place! Wait she won't have sex with me so it's a moot point!

               Will had been silent for a while wrestling with her own thoughts, she's in love with Ames, so she wants nothing more than to make love with him, but not like this, not just so he can get rid of his preoccupation with her. She moved from the bathroom doorway.

               "You go first you need a shower more than I do, preferably cold." Will calmly but pointedly stated as she walked past him to their bedroom and decided to forgo a shower and get dressed.

               Ames looked like she had slapped him in the face which metaphorically she had done, he looked after her and then followed her into the bedroom.             

               Will glared at him her hands covering her front because she had just removed her pyjama bottoms. "I gave birth two days ago to quads." She pointedly reminded him.

               Ames sat on the bed and then laid back hands behind his head he unconsciously drew attention to his washboard stomach and his muscular biceps. "I know, I delivered them remember." He silkily replied smiling at her. "I was shot two days ago letting your brother escape from my custody."

               "Oh right, you let Alec escape and now expect sex in payment!" Will said sarcastically.

               Ames glared at her. "That's not what I meant!" He snarled. "I meant that we both heal fast!"

               "This is crazy!" Will told him glaring at him.

               "I know that!" Ames growled at her. Damn! Would you co operate for once in your life!

               Will made a decision, stopped glaring and swiftly left the room she no longer covered her bottom, since as Ames had said he delivered their sons. She entered the bathroom and collected the condoms from the shelf in the cabinet and swiftly returned to the bedroom to find that Ames had unbelievably fallen asleep. She rolled her eyes.

               Ames did not awaken as she entered she was naturally incredibly quiet, moving with no sound since being naked she had no clothes to make even the slightest rustle. Will stood and looked at him for a couple of moments thinking, she had got an unexpected reprieve, but she decided not to use it, deciding that even if it was only once that she would like to make love with the man she loved, who she loved even more than John her dead husband, a man who was her choice not her superiors.

               She grinned, her brat streak reared its head and thinking of his earlier complaint about her clambering over him she did just that, she swiftly clambered over him so that she was lying in the centre of the bed.

               Ames woke as soon as he felt her on him, then she was gone he looked to his side and into her eyes.

               "Get off the blankets Ames I'm going back to bed." Will bluntly stated.

               "You woke me up for that!" He grouched glaring at her. "You can easily lift up the blankets on the left of the bed!"

               Will grinned at him. "Oh yeah you're right sorry." She said completely unrepentant as she got under the blankets at the far left of the super king size bed then shimmied into the centre. "Ames."

               "What." He growled at her.

               "You're very sexy even when you're grouchy."

               Ames looked at her stunned.

               "Catch!" Will ordered as she threw the pack of condoms at him.

               Ames reflexively caught them, his right hand shooting out, and glanced at the box then at Will.

               "So Ames are you going to join me or not?" Will asked smiling at him.

               "You are very strange." Ames told her not moving. Okay well she's agreed now do I or don't I?

               Will shrugged her right shoulder. "Yeah, but I'm also cute." She grinned at him. "Are you still sleepy?"          

               Ames again looked at the box in his hand, removed a condom, placed the box on the bedside cabinet, swiftly stood up shucked his pyjama bottoms, pulled on the condom and got under the covers. He then grabbed Will pulling her on top off him. "Not anymore." He growled and his body evidenced his words.

               Will laughed and moved into kiss him, Ames met her lips with his own and whilst they passionately and hungrily kissed they rolled over so that Ames was now on top.

                Later.              

               Will and Ames were asleep in their normal position of Will partly covering Ames, with her head pillowed upon his chest and her arm wrapped around him, Ames as usual had his arms tightly and possessively wound around her, the only difference to the previous occasions was that both were totally naked and completely sated from making love multiple times, it was a good thing that the box of condoms was a bulk pack, because otherwise the very energetic Transgenic and Familiar might have been in trouble. There were still loads left, should they decide to repeat the very pleasurable exercise.

               Ames awoke and glanced lovingly at Will then looked at his watch, 11:31am. His stomach growled waking Will, who lazily stretched then opened her eyes. Ames grinned lazily at her unwilling to move, totally relaxed.

               Will smiled drowsily at him. "Mmmmm I liked that, I much prefer a Familiar lover to an Ordinary one, much more stamina."

               "Yeah, a Transgenic is far better than an Ordinary." Ames grinned at her. I'm insane and I like it!

               "So Ames am I out of your system now." Will decided to bite the bullet and ask, hoping it wouldn't turn out literally.

               Ames sighed. "No. But I won't betray The Conclave I won't turn traitor." He stated firmly and tensed up. I am not my Father! I won't betray my people for love!....... Love? I must never tell her my true feelings! She'll use them to get me to betray my people just as Mother did with Father! I won't have Ray being branded the son of a traitor and the grandson of a traitor! I had a hard enough time being the son of a traitor I won't give him a double shame! Not even for Will! My son comes first! He always comes first!

               Will snuggled against him. "I don't expect you to Ames and I would never ask you to do so!  I've always known that you could no more betray The Conclave than I could betray my kin!"

               Ames relaxed at her words and smiled stroking her hair and breasts as she nuzzled him. I still can't tell her! No matter what she must never know! It's going to be hard enough killing her when The Coming happens without her knowing! I'll make her death, that of her Transgenic kids and those Transgenics who live with her, quick and painless! "Will talk to me tell me about your home, I'm not trying to find you I just want to know."

               Will recognised the truth in his quiet words and smiled up at him. "Ask me whatever you want, if I feel it will compromise our security I just won't answer." Their sons had awoken and Will was pathing to them amusing them with pictures since they only wanted amusement and were content to watch a picture show.

               Ames grinned at her and continued to stroke her. "How do you manage so many kids?"

               Will burst out laughing, after a few moments she quietened and grinned at him. "It's actually quite easy they were brought up from birth by the military after all. Though Ray is doing his best to educate them on how kids usually behave, the older ones are actually the easiest to control, because I handled some of their training, the younger ones don't have as many years of military life and are much easier for Ray to convert."

               "But you don't mind." Ames rhetorically stated hearing nothing but love for his son in her voice even though he was giving her other kids ideas.

               Will smiling answered anyway. "Nope, it's good that he's helping all the kids with blending, why would I mind. The kids tend to all obey me, including Ray, I think the X6's have been telling them of my skills and I did have kind of a reputation on the bases that the X8's probably heard about, regarding my missions etcetera."

               "And as a very stubborn female who tends to get her own way." Ames teased grinning.

               "How'd you guess." Will quipped pretending to sulk

               Ames burst out laughing. I'm insane! But she's so easy to love! His stomach growled again.

               "Ames let me up." Will ordered grinning at him.

               Ames quit laughing at that and looked kind of hurt. "Why?" He asked as he reluctantly released her.

               "I need to go to the bathroom, shower and eat something and from the way your stomach's growling so do you!" She told him as she got out of bed.

               Ames grinned sexily at her. "Shower, good idea I think I'll join you!" He stated as he got out of bed and grabbed the box of condoms.

               Will smiled at him, at his obvious arousal. "Give me three minutes then come join me!" She ordered and swiftly disappeared into the bathroom.

               Ames shrugged and got back into bed, he picked up his watch and after exactly three minutes he joined her in the shower.

               12:11pm.

               Will and Ames had finally dressed and got their breakfast and were sitting in the kitchen in a companionable silence eating toast and drinking orange juice after playing with the cubs for a while before they had decided to sleep again.

               Ames had not shaved Will having told him that she loved his sexy stubble this bought a question to mind. "Being part wolf how often do you shave?" He asked since she had told him to ask her whatever he liked.

               Will grinned at him, swallowed her mouthful of toast then answered. "Never!"

               "Huh?" Ames uttered totally nonplussed.

               "Yeah, I get that reaction a lot………I don't know what Sandemann did to my genes that he didn't do to the others but he kind of went overboard, and made it so that the only hair I have is where it's wanted, the cubs obviously never inherited that alteration from me since they have hair on their legs, I've never had any." Will explained as she shrugged her right shoulder. "Don't know if my being short was planned or not, though my weight's in the correct parameters for an adult female wolf, so might be my wolf genes. I think that he decided to loose the hair trick when he created the other X's etcetera because only I survived."

               "That sounds like Father he never liked doing things by halves." Ames commented nodding. "So what other ah um abilities did he give you and not the others?"

               Will grinned at him, at his trying to think how to phrase the non hair growing on her legs etcetera, and coming up with abilities. "Ames I can't answer that, it could help you gage my kin's strengths and weaknesses." She replied pleasantly. "I can tell you that a lot of them reckon that I got a cooking gene!"

               Ames was not bothered by her refusal to answer his question because she was right it could tell him useful information about other Transgenics. "Cooking? Wait a minute Cooper mentioned that you had been giving 494 lessons right?" He asked then took another bite of toast.

               "Yes, most X's well the X5's, because the kids are too young to have really tried much cooking, seem to be bad at it!" Will grinned at him as she sipped her orange juice. "Tinga was one of the few exceptions…… They can cook but they need actual instruction and supervision not just a recipe book, that results in inedible food, but once they've successfully cooked a meal they have it down pat………Well Alec, Jace, Nailin, Tay, Zia, Rocky, Zari and Dan do at least, I've not taught any other X5's."

               "Cooking could not have been high on Manticore's syllabus, so who taught you?" Ames queried. "Lydecker?"

               "Yep, Deck taught me." Will confirmed smiling at pleasant memories. "I watched him cook since I was a toddler and because I was incredibly interested he taught me………. Probably just to shut me up, I have a very curious streak and was a very annoying child."

               Ames laughed at the face Will pulled as she stated that she was a very annoying child.

               Suddenly their peaceful meal was interrupted by cries of hunger.

               "Guess they take after you!" Ames quipped grinning at her.

               Will burst out laughing as she and Ames quickly stood up and hurried into the lounge, Will removing her dark green T shirt as she moved, she had not bothered with a bra.

               Ames removed his shirt knowing that one of the kids was bound to throw up on him sometime, both of them had been lucky so far and it was much easier to wash skin. Hopefully Will and I'll need another shower! Sheesh this is the first time I ever wanted a baby to vomit on me! I'm insane!

               "Hey guys!" Will greeted her sons who quietened immediately upon hearing her voice, Will sat on the sofa bed. Her nostrils flared, she looked at Ames and was about to say something to him when.

               Ames suddenly caught a whiff of something and hurried into the bedroom to get the diapers and other baby changing essentials, he quickly returned and they swiftly changed the babies.

               Will then quickly scooped up Kit and Kincaid and began feeding them.

               Ames grabbed both glove puppets and stuck them on his hands and started amusing Kyle and Kieran. "So what else did Deck teach you?" I might as well call him that too.

               "Non military…….. He taught me to drive, that was loads of fun!" Will drolly stated as she rolled her eyes. "But he was such a good teacher, since I got my licence at twelve after only a few lessons, that that was one of my tasks for the last few years, I taught a lot of the kids well the X6's how to drive."

               "That must be fun teaching teens to drive." Ames stated sarcastically then recalled that they were not ordinary teens. "Oh yeah the military thing you outrank 'em right so they didn't query you. Is there anything you can't do?"            

               Grinning Will nodded. "Sure lots of things you want a list?"

                Ames grinned back at her. "Yep!"

                "Hmmmm, well I can't cut hair, unless you want a crew cut; I can't do fancy sewing, no patience for it, I can repair stuff or alter lengths or patch people up, but that's the limit of my skills; Ballet, thankfully that was one type of dancing that was not considered a useful cover, tap was but I always loved Gene Kelly's films so that didn't bother me and waltzing, tango etcetera well they were okay too; Building maintenance related, I only do basic stuff, for more advanced stuff I'll call in the professionals, though Zari has shown an innate knack with anything building related, Nikita's an ace with electrics and Heath's an incredibly skilled carpenter, so they do a lot of the stuff." Will stated then thought for a few moments.

               Ames just sat there smiling waiting for her to continue. I'd never admit my shortfalls not even to her!

               "Drawing and painting, Bret and Joshua got those artistic genes; vehicle maintenance, unless they're aircraft I can only do the basics; sailing, unless it's got a motor I'm stuck, though I'd love to learn how to manage a galleon or any of the old multiple masted ships, okay I admit it, I have always since I saw The Crimson Pirate at three and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy in my teens, had a yen to be a pirate; computers, I just can't get beyond the basics, again I've zero patience with 'em." She grinned at Ames. "Properly obey orders."

               Ames burst out laughing at her reply.

               Will smiled at him and went back to Ames' original question. "Well Deck gave me all the perils of smoking and taking drugs info and lectures from a young age. It worked because I've never been tempted to try either." Will slightly shrugged her right shoulder and got glared at by Kincaid. "Sorry Cade habit." She apologised to her son who went back to happily suckling.

               Ames smiled at that. "What about alcohol, does it affect you?" He asked. "Wait you don't have to answer that, it compromises security."  

               "I don't know if it affects me, Sandemann wanted to test that out but Deck won the argument……I don't drink alcohol, never have." Will replied and managed to stop herself from shrugging again.

               "Why would he argue about that test and not the sugar one?" Ames asked puzzled as he continued to happily entertain Kieran and Kyle.

               Will looked at Ames in surprise. "You mean it's not in your files, that Deck's an alcoholic?"            

               "No that is not in our files." Ames answered in surprise. "I'm not surprised he argued against the test then."

               "Yeah, he was pretty aggressive in his alcohol bad lectures." Will confirmed.

               "I'm surprised you didn't rebel." Ames told her grinning.              

               "Nah not with the footage that he showed me of people making complete idiots out of themselves, he was also pretty honest about what his being an alcoholic had done to his life, so I was never tempted." Will replied and was lost in her memories for a few minutes, until both babies had finished feeding.

               Ames removed the puppets and quickly took Kit and winded him he vomited a little on Ames' bare shoulder. Thanks kiddo! Now you're mom and I get another shower!  He used a wipe and cleaned off Kit's mouth and then his shoulder then laid Kit down and picked up Kyle, waiting to hand him to Will.  Pity she needs all the milk for the cubs, it's no fun not being able to suckle her! But the babies come first! Hopefully she'll visit Seattle and look me up after they've weaned!       

               Will grinned at him as she winded Kincaid who refrained from throwing up on her. "Guess you're gonna need another shower." She drolly stated as she laid down Kincaid and picked up Kieran and placed him onto her right nipple.

               "Here." Ames said and he gently placed Kyle onto her left arm and guided him to the nipple, Kyle immediately latched onto it and joined Kieran in happily suckling away. Then Ames put the puppets back on and entertained Kit and Kincaid, they were asleep in moments.

               Will fed Kyle and Kieran, both of whom fell asleep as soon as they were laid down after winding, neither was sick this time. Will and Ames replaced the pillows and food forgotten headed back to the shower and then into the bedroom.

               16:04pm.

               Will and Ames were lying together in their usual position completely sated again after another marathon of sex, although neither of them was asleep, they were just lying in a companionable silence.

               Ames finally broke the silence unable to contain his curiosity about his son's and Will's home and family life. "So tell me about this Christmas and about your home." He asked as he stroked her breasts and back, which she obviously enjoyed.

               "Mmmmm……" Will replied relaxing at his pleasant caresses then after a couple of minutes remembered his questions.  "Christmas, well that was loads of fun, Ray was a big help again with organising everything, helping the new kids and X5's with what you do….. I was lucky Deck always celebrated Christmas, I think that having me in the house reminded him of better times so he started to celebrate it again……. so I'd had all of that fun." Will paused recalling those happy moments in her weird childhood.

               "You had five Christmas trees?" Ames gently prompted after a few minutes. I missed seeing Ray open his gifts for two Christmases and a birthday!

               Will rolled her eyes. "Yeah! Ray is incredibly stubborn he insisted that each home should have a tree, the others backed him up! I managed to convince them that putting trees in the seven empty cabins was dumb, Ray started to object until I asked him if he'd like to forgo his present and some of the other kids theirs to pay for seven trees for empty cabins."

               Ames burst out laughing. "Good tactic, I bet that shut him and the others up!"

               Will grinned at him. "Yep, well like he said we got trees with roots for both Christmases and after that first Christmas we planted them in our huge garden, making a Christmas tree grove and starting a family tradition, so we ended up doing the same this year too and every Christmas from now on we only buy trees with roots, then they can be added to the grove. We made all the decorations, loads the first Christmas and more this year because the new kids wanted to make some, Ray and Bret headed that detail both times, Ray came up with the ideas and Bret helped the kids with the artistic side, the X5's also helped."

               "You made all the decorations?" Ames asked impressed.

               "Yeah, I finally let them start on the twenty sixth of November after weeks of bugging, the X kids discovered a passion for making stuff in the run up to Hallowe'en…… Ray was a font of ideas there too." Will smiled recalling the fun of both Hallowe'en and Christmas. "Both years they started bugging me weeks in advance for both Hallowe'en and Christmas." She rolled her eyes. "It was worse this year because they knew what was going to and should happen."

               "Yeah he's always loved Hallowe'en and Christmas." Ames stated smiling remembering past ones. "So what did they make, with five trees and five homes to decorate that must have been a big job and pricy."

               Will shrugged her right shoulder. "Nah not really because the decorations will last for years and besides the kids really enjoyed making them. Each tree was placed in the lounge of each cabin and the Bunk house and in the main house's family room, I also limited the Christmas decorations to those rooms, Ray didn't argue, I think he'd figured out how much work it would be to decorate all the ground floors. They made some very weird decorations this year for some reason."

               "Like what?" Ames prompted.

               "Well normal stuff like Stars, reindeer, Santas, elves, fairies, streamers, wreaths, popcorn strings, etcetera. Weird stuff well aliens and dragons and other mythical species….. Some in Santa gear others dressed as elves or fairies, dragons pulling sleighs instead of reindeer, same with the griffins. A human Santa beaming down from a flying saucer…….." Will replied grinning and shaking her head.

               Ames burst out laughing again and Will joined him after a few moments they quietened.

               "He's been wanting to have those kinds of decorations for years." Ames told her grinning. "He must have loved that you allowed it, when he decided to try out the suggestion on you! Actually I know he did he told me all of this over the phone!"

               "Then why ask me?" Will asked smiling and snuggling against him.

               "For verification." Ames replied grinning and tightening his embrace. "So you got the X6's a car?"

               "Yeah Nikita, Todd, Jacob, Emma, Colt, Nick, Robert, Montanna, Leia, Heather, Martin and Michael, all the more mechanically inclined kids were forever tuning up the farm vehicles and motor home, so I decided to buy them a car to fix up……Because it was such an expensive present it made sense to make it a joint gift. The kids didn't mind….. Heck it's not like they ever got a Christmas present before our first Christmas and none would not ever consider not sharing."

               "Ray told me about you all singing and the games, he loved it." Ames told her smiling. "Especially all the food you made, told me about him and the others helping you to bake cakes and cookies. He also said that the musically inclined kids started a band and were so good that they performed for the town at their big Christmas dance and that you sang with them. He's very impressed by all of you. Thank you for agreeing to teach him the guitar, he raves about his lessons, from both you and one of the X6's?"

               Will smiled up at him. "Coop, he might sound incredibly sarcastic and he can be, but he's very patient when teaching the youngsters, he's also been teaching Ray chess."

               "Ray had mentioned that he started learning, on his way to your new home." Ames confirmed. "So tell me more about your home."    

               "Well Ray's been telling you about the tree house they want to build right?" Will asked recalling what she had vaguely heard from their phone conversation the other day.             

               Ames smiled. "Yeah, sounds like it's gonna be huge, but with all the kid old enough to play in it, I'd guess it has to be. Ray said that even the older teens are very enthusiastic about it."

               "Yep! Plus the X5's and me.!" Will quipped. "Why should the kids have all the fun."

               Ames started laughing. "Well since you only look about fourteen, who can object!"

               "Lucky for you I only look fourteen!" Will responded drolly as she nuzzled him, getting distracted.

               Ames happily rolled them over so that she was under him again and the conversation was forgotten.

               Later.

               "Back to the tree house?" Ames lazily asked still curious.

               "There are two huge trees in one of the pastures near the house, they're about fifthteen metres apart, well the local builders and carpenters etcetera I hired to extend our four cabins and hand's bunk house and built the new bunk house and the five new cabins, have agreed to build the tree house in almost two months time." Will enthusiastically replied. "They will put in multiple support columns cemented into the ground, so that the trees have help with accommodating all the weight of the fifthteen metre by four metre building."

               Ames whistled. "Sixty metres! I thought Ray was exaggerating!"

               Will grinned at him. "Nope! Remember it's to eventually be the playhouse for eighty two kids, now that I've had the quads."

               Ames grinned back at her. "Yeah I'd forgotten that……"

              "Though it won't actually be one huge sixty metre room, we've divided it by a six metre span of open area, the two eighteen metre square rooms are connected by bridges one solid and one rope; in between those in the open space will be a huge climbing frame, with a look out tower at the top, that tower will be four meters higher than the rest of the tree house. A very long slide comes off that tower." Will interrupted him to add. "Officially one den for the teens and one for the youngsters, but knowing the kids they'll happily share both, they mix without thought to age, they don't really have age issues."

               "So what about all the features Ray was telling me about, have you got an actual plan drawn up……. You have Ray said that his very artistic brother, I'm assuming Bret drew the plans and what the finished tree house would look like." Ames queried.

               "Yeah you're right Bret drew up the plans and then drew what the tree house would look like from many different angles, and Ray probably did not exaggerate about the features." Will replied smiling.

               "Give me your list." Ames ordered smiling at her.

               "You want the list okay. A shorter straight slide coming from one of the rooms; one long spiral slide coming from the observatory tower, complete with telescope on the other room; electricity; running water, drinkable; washroom; cargo nets to climb; swings underneath." She told him very enthusiastically.

               Ames was just lying there smiling down at her. No wonder Ray loves living with her she's a big kid herself!

               "There's another large tree almost twenty two metres away, down a gradual slope, so we're going to attach a thick cable to that and a platform with ladder and another spiral slide, the other end of the cable will be in the large lookout tower, attached to the cable will be a chair with seatbelt, you get in, pull the realising lever and slide down the cable to the other tree." Will paused for breath.

               Ames laughed as he spoke. "Sound like a lot of fun."

               "Yep!" Will laughed too then quietened to add. "We also plan to add two fire fighter poles; basketball hoop; goal for soccer; monkey bars; climbing ropes that are under the rooms and provide access through trapdoors, one in each room; solar panels and a wind turbine on the roofs to power the electricity."

               Ames grinned at her. "That's pretty much what Ray told me, 'cept he added in their plans for the dens as he called them."              

               "Yeah, they plan on moving a second pool table in there, and a fridge for their sodas, plus assorted other stuff." Will stated grinning. "Did he tell you that they already have plans for camping out there in the summer?"

               "No but thinking that far ahead sounds like him." Ames laughed. "Ray mentioned some of your places features would you confirm them for me if you don't mind that is?" He asked after a few moments.

               "Of course I will, well he's no doubt told you that we live on a farm…. It's one hundred and twenty eight acres, has it's own woods, quite a few acres are woodland, we have a small lake as Ray mentioned the other day, we were able to skate on it and the kids have a large inflatable raft that gets regular usage." Will smiled at him. "Other features: streams, ponds, meadows and grazing land."

               "Sounds like you found a very nice place." Ames commented grinning.

               "Yes we did." Will said as she snuggled against his chest.

                The cubs cried and pathed for attention and both hurried into the lounge were they continued their conversation as they amused the infants.

               "Ray loves his riding lessons." Ames smiled at her. "And all the animals, he could never have a pet, because I never knew if The Conclave might decide to post me abroad, and also the whole issue of having to leave it behind when he went to school."

               "I love teaching Ray to ride he's a natural and I'm as bad as the kids when it comes to pets so whatever Ray tells you lives on the farm and the numbers is neither fantasy or exaggeration." Will confessed looking slightly embarrassed. "We've quite a menagerie."

               Ames kissed her tenderly. "Hey no need to be embarrassed Manticore was obviously not big on pets, the only animals any of your kids would have seen were the guard dogs and they were hardly pets."

               "Yeah least the dogs saw me as family, I was lucky as well as the riding lessons, with which I got to be around equines, goats, dogs, cats, whatever species happened to live at the stables, Deck recognized that I had an affinity with canines and let me play with them used the excuse that I should hone the affinity for future use on missions, but I knew that he realised how much I loved being around the dogs. He didn't know of my telepathic ability with them, the alpha female on the base where I was born told me not to let the humans know because it was dangerous for me, when I started talking well sending her images as a tiny baby, all the dogs on every base saw me as a member of their pack and protected me." Will sighed as she recalled her canine family.

               "I wondered why that ability wasn't in your file." Ames stated and got her back on topic before she could start fretting about what had become of her canine kin. "Tell me about your house describe it so that I can picture Ray there."

               Will realised that he was purposely distracting her and smiled at him. "Okay on the ground floor is a two storey entrance hall with two staircases leading from it, under one staircase is a mud room under the other is a washroom, on the right is the formal living room, then the library and the study. On the left is the huge family room that now doubles as a play room. Opposite the Family room is the former playroom that's now a nursery for my X10's and two youngest X9's, next to that we have the games room. In the right hand wing we have the utility room; pantry; the second mud room and very large kitchen we used to have a formal dining room next to it but that was knocked through because everyone prefers to eat in the kitchen and we needed the extra space." She shrugged her right shoulder. "There are stairs to the basement, in that wing too, it's just used for food etcetera storage."

               "Ray mentioned swimming does he swim in the lake?" Ames asked a little worried by the thought.

               "Relax Ames I haven't told you what's in the left wing yet!" Will told him grinning. "In that you find the second wash room; gym; sauna; hot tub and twelve metre long pool!"

               Ames looked at her in shock. "You're kidding!"

               Will shook her head still grinning. "Nope the eight kids went nuts when they heard that, I think we managed to get everything on their want list!"

               Ames burst out laughing, as he pictured Ray and his seven siblings going nuts.

               "I had to howl to get them to shut up so that Logan could finish telling us about the place Eye's Only had found for us!" Will told him. "They were absolutely silent through Logan telling us the rest they just sat there in stunned silence."

               "Tell me the rest." Ames ordered having got his laughter under control. Eye's Only found the farm for her?

               "Okay on the second floor is my suite which comprised of lounge, large bathroom, two walk in closets and dressing rooms and my large bedroom, of course the cubs will be in the lounge now. Alec's bedroom and en-suite bathroom and three other bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and the two staircases into the loft. In the loft are two bathrooms; three bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms and four other bedrooms. Ray has a loft bedroom with en-suite shower room he shares it with Danny and Jarred."

               "Thank you for telling me." Ames sincerely told her then he kissed her, their sons gurgling happily as they watched.

               They broke apart again after a few minutes and began to amuse the cubs again.

               "I don't mind you knowing, after all you said you'd let me and the cubs go." Will told him smiling.

                Ames shrugged slightly embarrassed. "You said that you've extended you're four cabins?"

               "And the hand's house yeah." Will replied grinning at him. "The cabins were only one and two bed ones and with all my new kids and kin and the fact that I'd always planned on more of my kin moving to the farm, we decided to extend them and the four bed bunk house and build a new bunk house and five new cabins and a large four room school house because teaching the kids in our homes was no longer practical."

               "Yeah Ray said that you home educated him and his siblings and now that I know how many there are and all his cousins too, I'm not surprised you had to build a schoolhouse!" Ames grinned at her. "Okay tell me the rest!"

               Will grinned and nodded. "We've ended up with one three bed, and two four bed cabins for guests. Jace has the other three bed cabin. Zia and Rocky have the other four bed. The five bed cabin is Nailin and Tay's and Zari and Dan have the six bed..."

                 The cubs had fallen asleep again so Will and Ames quietly stood up, replaced the pillows and returned to bed.

               "And your and your siblings X6 kids?" Ames prompted when Will failed to finish the interrupted sentence she was just snuggling against him again, although he recalled the data from the other day. I like to listen to her talk!

               Will smiled at him. "Those who are sixteen and over live in either cabins or bunkhouses. The two oldest boys, share one two bed cabin. The original bunk house, which is the other older boys quarters, had four bedrooms and was extended, the extension used the loft for living space and we were also able to covert the loft in the older part, so it now has twelve bedrooms, four in the loft, six on the first floor and two on the ground, plus four bathrooms and two shower rooms and the kitchen and living room have been enlarged, the living room to double it's original size. The two oldest of the girls have the other two bed cabin and the other older girls share the new eight bed bunk house."

               "Can you afford all of that and keep the kids? And your siblings and their kids? I could give you some cash." Ames asked sounding worried because he'd realised that all that must have cost quite a bit, then add in the elaborate tree house and huge family.

               "Relax Ames as I said Eyes Only got us a great farm of one hundred and twenty eight acres, meaning we're pretty much self sufficient, only really have to buy in meat. We basically grow all the fruit and vegetables we need and have goats and cows for milk and hens and ducks for eggs." Will reassured him. "We use wind, water and solar power and have our own renewable woods, and wells. We're okay, financially too, we do work, including the older X6's so don't worry."              

               "If you're sure, I've got some money stashed for emergencies……." Ames voice trailed off as she kissed him on the lips.

               The conversation was again forgotten.

               Later              

               "As I was saying before I was so pleasantly interrupted, I've some cash if you need it." Ames told her smiling.

               "Keep it Ames, we're fine and you might need it someday." Will replied gently. "The X6's recently learnt even more useful skills, other than the non military stuff I can teach them."

               "I'm sure that anything you teach them will be very useful." Ames told her.

               Will kissed him then reluctantly continued to speak. "They were apprenticed; with Zari, the other X5's and  I took a few lessons but Zari discovered a passion and talent for all things building related; to the builders, plumbers, carpenters and electricians while they worked at our place, the workmen had no qualms about agreeing especially since all the kids, Zari other X5's and I, were all so enthusiastic. Ray and the X8's also wanted to learn too but I had to veto that because of their ages and power tools, I had to promise that we'd build two more cabins, two more three bedroom ones in a few years time so that they can learn too. Ray was most insistent, gets it from you." She quipped smiling up at him.

               Ames burst out laughing at this easily picturing Will having to promise to have two more cabins built so that Ray could learn the skills too.  She'll do anything within reason to keep him happy! Marrying me was not within reason, but building two more cabins was! She is weird! But oh so cute!

               Will snuggled closer and closed her eyes she drifted off to sleep to the sound of his happy laughter.

               Ames hearing the subtle change in her breathing stopped laughing and smiled tenderly at her then followed suit and went to sleep his arms wrapped possessively around her as usual.  

               19:21p.m

              Alec returned home and quietly entered the apartment and saw the quads peacefully asleep on the sofa bed he smiled at them then not seeing either Will or Ames he grinned and went into the kitchen to get a can of cherry cola from the fridge, seeing the half eaten food on the table his grin broadened.

               Being both hungry and an annoying brother he decided to go wake Will and get her to make dinner.

               Alec, carrying his unopened can of cherry cola, entered the bedroom without knocking, having not heard any telltale noises from within, remembering Will's stunt from earlier that morning he quietly stood beside the bed and looked down at the pair of them, both were fast asleep Will half sprawled over Ames her head pillowed on his chest and her arm around him, also discernable beneath the blankets was Ames' arms tightly wrapped around Will, they were in their normal sleeping position.

               Alec smiled evilly then yelled. "Ten hut!"

               Will just lazily opened her eyes and casually stretched yawning.

               Ames jumped slightly opened his eyes and glared at 494.

               "Damn!" Alec grouched pouting. "Why didn't it work on you?"

               Will shrugged her right shoulder and grinned at him. "Because it never worked when Deck tried it either, well not when he was trying to get me out of bed anyway. I've always been tough to get out of bed, Deck usually resorted to an ice cube, though he quit that after I choked him once, or a freezing cold flannel on the face held on long graspers, but mostly he knew to let my sweet tooth get me up, he'd hold a piece of chocolate under my nose, that always worked."

               Ames burst out laughing at that recalling her antics in his car to get at the chocolate bar in his pocket. "I'll have to remember that!"

               Alec grinned at the Familiar. "I'd say you got what you wanted without a bribe!" He quipped.

               Will, blanket firmly clasped to her chest with one hand, swiftly used the other to grab a pillow and lugged it at him, he easily dodged.

               "Yep!" Ames agreed grinning and got a thump on the chest from Will who turned to glare at him.

               "Ames I wouldn't say another word not if you expect to get anymore!" Alec told him laughing totally at ease with the situation.

               Will couldn't stay mad for long with either of them so she burst out laughing too. "Alec push off so we can dress then eat."

                 Ames just lay there watching the siblings a bemused expression on his face. Following 494's suggestions again! But the first was such a good one! Okay so it made me realise that I love her but it was still good!

               "Sure, hey that's what I came in for, what are you making for dinner?" Alec asked not budging.

               "Nothing there's plenty of stew left and it's always better on the second day." Will told him grinning.

               "I don't want stew again!" Alec petulantly whined.

               Will shrugged her right shoulder. "Okay so what are you making then?"

               Ames burst out laughing at the look of consternation on 494's face, the male Transgenic glared at him.

               Then he grinned at Will and did an about face, both metaphorically and physically. "Stew sounds great! I'll go turn it on!" He said and swiftly left the room followed by the sound of Will and Ames laughter.

               They joined Alec in the lounge a few minutes later, the quads had also decided it was time for dinner, and Alec was using the tiger and elephant puppets to distract them until Will got there.

               "Here!" Alec said to Ames as he pulled off the glove puppets and handed them to him, "You entertain them I'll go watch the stew!" He grabbed his half finished can of cherry cola and headed for the kitchen.            

               Ames grinned and put them on and did as 494 had ordered whilst Will shrugged off her shirt and picked up Kyle and Kincaid.

               Later

               The three adults had just finished their stew, the babies were fast asleep on the sofa bed.

               "So Ames now that you two have had sex what are you going to do?" Alec bluntly asked him.

               "Alec!" Will growled at him.

               "What? I'm your brother I have a right to ask if I'm getting a new sibling in law!" Alec replied pouting.

               "That's right remind him that you come with the family! Put him off!" Will quipped grinning at her younger brother.

               "Oh ha, ha!" Alec replied glaring at her then focusing his attention on the very quiet Familiar. "So Ames do I hear wedding bells or not?"

               Ames looked at Will who smiled gently at him and took his hand under the table and squeezed it. "Not." Ames quietly but firmly replied.

               "We already had this discussion Alec, he won't turn traitor any more than I would." Will firmly told him still holding Ames' hand.

               "494 I won't hurt your sister or her kids nor any Transgenic that lives with her, but the rest of you are fair game!" Ames told him forcefully.

               Alec looked from Will to Ames and back to Will he shrugged and nodded. "Fair enough! Oh I won't tell anyone about your relationship that would only cause trouble."

               "Thanks Alec, it'd mean a death sentence for both of us from The Conclave." Will told him.

               "They'd kill me or at the very least lock me up probably with C.J. which would be worse than death, then hunt down Will and kill her and all her kids, possibly even Ray as well and any other Transgenic who was there." Ames bluntly confirmed making sure that 494 knew the seriousness of the situation. That's how much I love her! I'm willing to risk being locked up with C.J!

               "Don't worry Ames as far as anyone else is concerned you and Will never happened! I won't put my family in jeopardy!" Alec quickly and honestly reassured the Familiar. "Only the three of us will know about your relationship!"

               Ames smiled at him and reluctantly releasing Will's hand he stood up and left the table and moved into the lounge were he glanced at the quads and decided to chance it, he switched on the television , picked up the remote and settled in an armchair then flipped the channels until he found a news broadcast.

               All the quads stirred and whimpered slightly.

               "Hey boys shhhhhhh its okay go back to sleep you're safe." He gently soothed them and comforted by the familiar and safe voice they went back to sleep, Ames smiled and concentrated on the news. I love them too, I can't help it!

               While Ames watched the news Will and Alec did the washing up and quietly talked, their voices pitched so low that even the Familiar could not hear.

               "You love him don't you." Alec stated rhetorically and non judgementally.

               "Yes." Will quietly agreed.

               "When?" Alec asked.

               "The woods, love at first sight." Will replied and shrugged her right shoulder.

               "You haven't told him have you." Alec said rhetorically again.

               "No and I'm not going to, not unless, until we beat The Conclave, because he would be torn and I won't do that to him." Will firmly told her brother.

               "You love him that much?" This time it was a question.

               "Yes I love him that much, enough to not force him to choose." Will replied firmly and with absolute honesty. "I realise now that what I felt for John was puppy love. What I feel for Ames is at least one thousand times stronger."

               "Okay, I can and will respect that, he won't ever hear how you feel about him from me, no one will." Alec solemnly vowed.

               "Thanks bro." Will replied and smiled at him.

               "Hey you'd do the same for me…….. You know if I hadn't seen how different he is with you I'd be taking you to a psychiatrist, but seeing you together, and with the cubs, well you act like a couple, he genuinely cares about you, he could have killed you and the cubs at any time or taken you in and got Ray's whereabouts from you, but he didn't." Alec said his amazement still evident in his voice.

               "Yeah, we were fighting he had grabbed me from behind, it was dark, I threw him he charged the moon came out from behind the clouds, he saw my face and stopped mid kick." Will reiterated their meeting in Seattle to Alec.

               "I bet he hated his non lethal feelings for you." Alec grinned. "He must also hate the fact that while you're here he has to tolerate me or upset you!"

               "Alec, be nice! No excessive winding up!" Will growled at him. "If we manage to stop The Coming whatever the hell it is, and destroy The Conclave, I plan on telling him how I feel and trust that he still feels the same."

               "Yeah it's obvious that he loves you too, I'm guessing he's staying quiet for the same reasons you are." Alec stated rhetorically.

               "No my guess is that he does not want to give me anymore power over him……….. Ames' father's love for his mother made him turn traitor and abandon Ames, think what it must have been like to be six or seven and be branded the son of a traitor, he won't do that to Ray, it would be double for him if The Conclave allowed him to live he'd be the son and grandson of traitors, I won't let that happen to him." Will firmly told her brother.

               "Sandemann told you that? Why wasn't it in the report?" Alec asked in surprise. "What else didn't you tell me?"   

               Will looked over her shoulder over the breakfast bar at Ames and made a decision. "Alec this can not go any further, not even Ames knows all of it okay?"

               "Will I won't tell anyone I promise." Alec swore and meant it.

               "Ames has known some of it from his questioning of me at N.S.A. H.Q., I volunteered the information because it was harmful to no one but me, my back ground which you already know and well I asked about C.J. I told you that we had been raised together that I saw him as a brother."

               "Yeah, even though you didn't see Sandemann as your father." Alec stated immediately recalling the conversation as he finished drying the last piece of crockery and they sat down at the table.

               "What I didn't tell you that I told Ames in a fit of temper, we were arguing in the cell he wanted to know why I cared about C.J I told him the brother bit, he told me that C.J was still crazy and safely locked up, I asked if he'd seen him recently, he replied why do you care then told me that he was the one doing the questioning that was when I ah got huffy told him that it wasn't my fault I was only doing what I was trained genetically programmed to do."  Will reiterated the scene from memory.

               "You were born to protect C.J?" Alec asked in shock louder than he had intended.

               Ames heard from the lounge and realised that Will had decided to fill her brother in on her programming, he swiftly joined them at the table, he sat next to Will who was opposite Alec, wanting to see 494's reaction. "That's what I said."

               "Are the quads okay did they settle again at your words?" Will asked him even though she knew that she would have heard if they hadn't.

               Alec rolled his eyes at Ames' stunned expression that she had heard him. "Wolf." He reminded the Familiar. "Be warned she has exceptional hearing even better than us X5's."

              "Thanks I'll remember." Ames replied grinning at 494. "They're fine Will you would have heard them otherwise so stop fretting." He gently ordered as he placed his arm around her, Will leant into his embrace as 494 grinned at them.

               "Okay you were telling me what you already told Ames." Alec reminded her.

               "Well I made a remark about all of you being born to protect C.J and she sarcastically told me that C.J wasn't the only one that she was born to protect, that that was why she hadn't attacked me in the woods, she said she could have because no way I could show my true abilities in front of the Ordinaries." Ames reiterated the scene before Will could do so.

               Alec looked stunned. "We were all born to protect you and C.J! That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!"

               "Pretty much what I said about you lot being made to protect C.J." Ames told him grinning.

               "Relax Alec only my series got that duty, only me since the others died before birth, Sandemann changed his plans, to what I'm not sure but obviously pertaining to Max." Will reassured her brother.

               Alec relaxed. "Well that's okay because the only member of Ames' family I want to protect is Ray."

               "I don't want or need protecting by either of you!" Ames told them glaring at Alec.

               Will kissed Ames on the lips. "Relax Ames we know that, I prefer using you as a sex toy anyway." She teased smiling at him.

               Alec burst out laughing.

               "Well that's alright then." Ames replied grinning as he used his free hand to unfasten the poppers on her jeans and then slid it into her panties, where he started a different form of teasing.

                Will was having a tough time not reacting.

               Alec having heard the poppers stopped laughing shocked at what Ames was doing to his sister at the kitchen table with him present. "Ah Ames, I'm part cat I have good hearing."

               Ames had forgotten he was there, he turned his attention away from watching Will trying not to crack though his hand stayed put. "We'll bring the cribs in you're minding the quads tonight." He ordered.

               "Ames they'll need feeding, they'll get used to hearing us." Will firmly told him as she reluctantly removed his hand and did up her jeans.

               "Yeah Ames, Will has the equipment to feed 'em I don't!" Alec swiftly backed his sister up, thankful that he had not been able to get any bottles and a breast pump before Otto caught him.

               "If you're sure that you don't mind them being in the room, Wendy wouldn't with Ray in the same room." Ames told them. Damn! Why'd I let 494 hear that too! Idiot!

               "I'm never having kids!" Alec firmly stated. "Being an uncle's better you can give 'em back!"

               "I'd get a vasectomy to be on the safe side." Ames drolly advised.

               "Good idea, you should get one too, in case you run out of condoms." Alec responded equally drolly.

               Both males then grinned at each other.

               Will rolled her eyes and grinned as well. "If you've finished with the male bonding perhaps we could finish our discussion?"

               "Okay so you were designed to protect Ames, C.J and Ray." Alec stated getting back on track.

               "Yes, that was what I told Ames sixteen months ago, what I kind of told him a couple of days ago was that Sandemann had given me an out, if my life is truly threatened by any of his descendents I can defend myself, with deadly force if absolutely necessary." Will shrugged her right shoulder. "The scene in the woods did not qualify."

               "Oh okay, well I won't tell the rest of the kin." Alec promised then he grinned at them.

               "Good, that would get her in as much trouble with them as our relationship." Ames said then he removed his arm from Will kissed her tenderly and hungrily on the lips and then somewhat reluctantly stood up. "I'm going to finish watching the news then I think we should go to bed." He grinned.

                Will smiled at him and nodded. "I second that."

               "Well as long as you take the quads that's fine I want my bed back!" Alec whined.

               "Sure." Ames nonchalantly said as he headed back into the lounge and settled back down.

                "We'll move them now Alec whilst Ames watches the news." Will stated telling him with a hand signal that she wanted to talk with him in private.

               Will and Alec followed swiftly after Ames and each gently picked up two of the babies who stirred but relaxed at the adults soothing words, they then swiftly moved into the bedroom and placed the cubs into their makeshift cribs and soothed them back into a more restful sleep with their voices.

               "Before you ask no it's not the programming, I thought up a whole myriad of ways around that years ago; such as letting slip where the person I don't want to protect was, to his or her enemies and then making myself scarce so that the programming wouldn't kick in, if I can't see or hear it the programming can be circumvented, it was supposed to kick in with my just knowing or suspecting but my will's stronger than the programming; I couldn't act in the woods but I would have been able to free myself, I had planned my escape before you rescued me. Oh Ames doesn't know that bit about my being able to circumvent the programming. " Will firmly told Alec.

               "Okay I believe you, I've seen programming and you don't show any signs of it with Ames, since you have hit him a couple of times and I assume that even that is against the letter of your training unless he's trying to kill you." Alec replied.

               Will grinned. "Yep, but since I wasn't actually trying to hurt him I could slip it through, I found that flaw out in play fights with C.J. I can also knock him out if it'll save his life. "

               "Okay well I'm going to the bathroom, so when I get back to the lounge I want you to lure your boyfriend away from the twenty four hour news channel, I've had a hard day and I want to sleep." Alec told her.

               "How'd the job go?"

               "Great, I'll tell you about it tomorrow while Ames is at work." Alec grinned then headed for the bathroom.

               Will glanced at her peacefully sleeping sons grinned at them and went back into the lounge and hopped onto Ames' lap, he immediately put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

               "I'll go to the bathroom after Alec then get into bed, so don't stay up too long." She told him.

               "Why wait?" Ames asked still nuzzling her neck.

               "Because I need to use the bathroom." Will laughed in response.

               "Oh okay, I do too." Ames suddenly realised.

               An interesting news item came on, Senator McKinley was giving yet another speech, about how dangerous Transgenics were, both Ames and Will focused upon it. The speech ended after five and a half minutes, by which time Alec had joined them, stripped down to his jockey shorts and hopped into bed.

               "He's a Familiar." Ames volunteered not caring if this endangered McKinley's life. Nah they wouldn't kill him! Same as they can't really kill me! We're to high profile as anti Transgenic! Bad publicity!

             

                "We figured." Alec replied. "Did a background check, you know that killing the first two born, then the mother or father or divorcing them, makes for an easily identifiable pattern, once you know that….." He shrugged

               "Yeah, I know. I always thought it was a dumb move, least if the woman miscarries there's no record." Ames bluntly stated as Will reluctantly got off his lap. "I'll join you in about eight minutes." He told her smiling.

               Will grinned at him then hurried into the bathroom.

               "So Ames you really won't go after Will and the kids?" Alec queried quietly as soon as they heard the bathroom door lock. "Or whoever else is at her place?"

               Ames turned to glare at the Transgenic, then quit realising that if it were his sister and family he'd be querying it himself. "I said that I wouldn't………. But if, when The Coming happens I will make sure that I'm the one to kill them, I'll ensure that their deaths are quick and painless……….It's the only thing that I can do for them." He vowed meaning every word.

               "Thank you." Alec honestly and sincerely replied. "I know how hard that will be on you if it ever comes to it."

               Ames nodded then thought of something and grabbed his wallet and took out a roll of bills. He peeled of a hundred dollar note and handed it to Alec, then put the rest away.

                "What's this for?" Alec asked in confusion as he took the proffered note.

               "You never asked Will for money for the baby items or food did you?" Ames casually replied.

                "Well no, but I still don't get it?" Alec told him.

               "It's really quite simple, I know how much you probably paid for that stuff, it's new, only the clothes were hand me downs, those things are not cheap even on the black market, plus you had the added expense of getting fake meat, milk, eggs, good fresh vegetables etcetera." Ames stated slightly sarcastically. "I lost you your only legitimate source of income and I'm guessing that any illegal or legal earnings go into a general fund at Terminal City, so I'm giving you what I assume you have already or will have spent on Will and the babies, the tests that Asia's carrying out cost money too."

               "Ames you're right I did end up spending a lot and it was from the general fund, but I can't take this." Alec said as he reluctantly held out the note.

               "Why because it's my money?" Ames asked glaring at him and refusing to take back the one hundred dollar bill.

               "No, I'd take money from the devil himself and do so happily." Alec told him with honest sarcasm. "But as you said the other day I owe you for that window, and it's gonna cost a lot more than a hundred bucks to fix!"

               Ames grinned at 494. "Relax freak I already put in an expenses claim for it, it's covered as a work related expense." With that he turned back to the television to forestall any more conversation.

               Alec got the message and silently got out of bed and picked up his jacket from were it was lying on the other armchair, removed his wallet put the money in it then got back in bed. He relaxed and watched the news with Ames until they heard Will leave the bathroom and the bedroom door close, Ames swiftly stood and went into the bathroom.  

              Four and a half minutes later.

              Will was already naked in the centre of the super king size bed.

               Ames swiftly entered the bedroom shucked his clothes pulled on a condom and got into their bed and straddled her he glanced at the peacefully sleeping infants. "Are you sure you don't mind?" He quietly asked.

               Will smiled at him. "No, does it bother you? We could easily bribe Alec into switching, then switching back when they need feeding."

               "No if they were toddlers I'd be uncomfortable." Ames replied then stopped prevaricating and kissed her passionately.

               Will was soon whimpering in delight, this woke the cubs who started to whimper too, only in distress, Ames started to withdraw so that he and Will could comfort them Will stopped him and suddenly the babies quietened and gurgled happily then immediately went back to sleep.

               "How?" Ames asked confused.

               "I'm telepathic with them remember, so I just sent them safe happy images and it worked, they know I'm okay, that we're okay and that they are safe so they won't wake until they need feeding or changing or unless there's a loud noise from outside the den… bedroom." Will reassured him smiling.

               Ames grinned at her. "That's a very helpful talent." He started kissing her again.

              2:57am.

               Will was right in saying that the babies would only awaken if they had to she was soon feeding Kyle and Kieran.

               "So Deck let you watch television and films, what other non military Manticore, things did he encourage?" Ames asked whilst he amused Kit and Kincaid.

               Will smiled at him. "My love of, obsession with books, as well as factual ones on wildlife, aircraft, ancient warfare, archaeology etcetera, I collected loads of fiction, my library contained well over three thousand works, actually I was getting pretty near the four thousand mark, including hardback and graphic novels for comics, but not counting my normal comics. Film and television tie-ins were a must have, still are, and fantasy, sci-fi, action, comic, western. Some of my favourite authors are Anne McCaffrey, J. R. R. Tolkien, Raymond E. Feist, Don Perrin, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I have absolutely loads of favourite authors and series."

               Ames grinned at the enthusiasm in her voice but said nothing letting her speak while he continued to amuse Kit and Kincaid.

               "I had to leave all but my absolute favourites here; I sent them to T.C; when I went to get Ray, well actually those were only the ones that I had managed to find again, I lost my huge library of books and DVDs when Renfro raised Manticore." Will sounded slightly depressed at that memory then she smiled. "But luckily the house we inherited came with everything including a huge and well stocked library and I'm slowly getting the titles that I had lost, that it didn't contain."  

               "Yeah Ray mentioned that you had got a house with loads of great stuff." Ames replied smiling as he recalled his son's excitement. "Do you mind answering some questions about Manticore and your assignments?"

               Will grinned at him. "Depends what they are, ask and it if I don't want to answer I won't."

               Ames grinned back at her. "Okay that's fair enough…… So did you work alone, with a partner or in a team?"

               "As a kid, like I already mentioned I worked with Deck and played younger than my actual age, he played my dad and when he wasn't available another person would be assigned to play parent, though Deck seemed to try and make sure that he was always available when I had an assignment….. I would occasionally be assigned to a job with a partner, an Ordinary operative, then when the X5's were old enough I was often partnered with Alec, in training they noticed that we worked well together, and less frequently I'd be part of a team Ordinary then X5, but work wise I'm more of a lone wolf so the brass tended to give me solo assignments once I reached sixteen." Will replied and remembered not to shrug.

               "You partnered with 494? And you actually managed to complete those assignments?...…I know you did your record stated that you have a one hundred percent success rate." Ames stated shaking his head as he thought of what the pair of them were like together. How the heck did they manage to stop bantering long enough to do their jobs?

               Will rolled her eyes at him, having immediately got his meaning. "Alec's right you are like Logan… he was worried about our bantering too…. when he sent us to collect Ray. Oh thank you for destroying his nice apartment! I'm told it was beautiful! All that damage and you only upset one of Eye's Only's people not him or her!"

               Ames scowled at her. "So you did work for Eye's Only while you were in Seattle!" He accused.

               "Of course! You think that E. O. would let any Transgenic that might be useful in the crusade slip through the net?" Will replied grinning not fazed by his peeved tone. "Logan's just a go between he follows E. O's orders just like the rest of us, he's not ever seen E. O either, they just communicate via computer. That would drive me nuts  being the middle person but only ever seeing the operatives not the top dog!"

               "Will I want you to promise me that you won't do anymore jobs for E. O!" Ames ordered her.

               "Relax Ames I'm off E. O's operative list. I was taken off the minute I agreed to take Ray." Will quickly reassured him. "I only see Logan because I consider him to be family, not to keep a link to E.O."

               Ames relaxed. "Good because the crazy stuff that's attributed to Eye's Only's operatives is dangerous! I don't want you getting hurt!"

               Will smiled at him. "I feel the same way about you so no really stupid stunts when trying to catch my kin okay, I know that as a Familiar you can withstand a hell of a lot but still be careful!"

               "I will be." Ames sincerely promised.

               "Good and I won't do any operative stuff unless I'm protecting myself, my kids or any of the Transgenic children." Will responded being very careful of her wording as she always was when she rarely promised anything.              

               Ames smiled at her and nodded. "Were you at Manticore when it was raised?" He queried though he already knew the answer.  How much stuff will she tell me?           

               Will shook her head. "No I was on an assignment aboard…… I easily escaped the team that was sent after me. They let me complete my task then tried to lure me into a trap, saying they were from Manticore and had another assignment for me before I left for home."

               "But it didn't work." Ames stated the obvious. It should have done! They had the right obedience codes! I should know I gave them to 'em! First time I've ever been glad my agents failed!

               Will grinned at him. "Nope, you see they knew a lot about Manticore, but not enough, they got some of the requisite data wrong, stuff they needed to tell me for me to obey their orders……. Deck was most insistent in his training of me. To quote him…. 'If someone claims to rank you but does not give you the correct codes even if they are only slightly in error it's to be considered a trap so kill them and go to ground and await a correct signal.'" 

               Ames nodded. "Yet you returned to Washington?" So that's why she killed them! They gave her the wrong data!

               "I saw a news broadcast about a supposed fire at a Washington V.A hospital, I saw the footage and recognised it as Manticore….. I was worried about the kids, so I got back to the states and Washington as fast as I could…… By the time I got here there were rumours about what was really going on at the so called hospital….. I ran into some X5's who filled me in, so I went to ground and well you know the rest." Will told him remembering not to shrug. "Oh Max told me about your satellite trick and in case you were wondering that only works on the youngsters, X6 and below, none of us older ones, of any type, got that programming." She grinned.

               "So you wouldn't have come to it anyway." Ames rhetorically stated. "That was when I first met 452 and 494, that pest and a bunch of pesky X kids freed her!" He grouched glaring at Will.

               "I know dear and those pesky kids are five of my original seven adopted X kids." Will replied still grinning.

               Ames just looked at her stunned then groaned. "So am I in your bad books now?"

               Will burst out laughing, both Kyle and Kieran stopped suckling to glare at her, Will stopped laughing and apologised to them. "Sorry Ky, Kier."

               Now that their mother had stopped laughing, her breasts stopped jiggling both babies went back to contentedly suckling.

               "Ames you had me locked up and are trying to kill my kin, but still I sleep with you, so why would that change because you called five of my kids pesky?" Will queried grinning at him.

               "Just checking." Ames grinned back and shrugged. "Ah you mentioned a husband a C.I.A. operative in our first phone conversation………." He cautiously asked.

               "Yeah John Andrews." Will casually replied nodding.

               "You ah said that you had been assigned to date him at eighteen to find out if he was a traitor and that you ended up married and that you didn't get the proof until a couple of years ago then you did as ordered and killed him." Ames reiterated what she had told him. "That you had made the mistake of falling for him……"

               "Yes Ames that's correct….. so what's the question?" Will calmly asked.

               Ames grinned sheepishly at her. "I ah don't know….. I guess I'm curious about him and your life together, after all Ray would have told you about me and Wendy well from his perspective anyway."

               Will smiled at him. "Yeah he has, with absolutely no prompting from me." Then was distracted……

               Kyle and Kieran decided that they were full so Will and Ames winded and swiftly changed them then quickly switched them over with Kit and Kincaid.

               "My life with John…… well I still lived with Deck, John's cover was that he worked abroad a lot so it was dumb getting an apartment when he was gone most of the time, he said he felt safer with me staying with my father….  Which worked out great because I could still do other jobs for Manticore. My cover job was actually similar to John's in that I was often aboard, supposedly working as a translator for some rich business woman." Will stated calmly no emotion in her voice at all.

               "Wait a minute you and Deck lived on the Washington base right? How the hell didn't he twig that it wasn't a V. A. Hospital that Deck was in charge of?" Ames asked incredulously.

               Will grinned. "Yeah I know, but he didn't come to the house while we were dating. He actually only came to the house a couple of times every year……Deck did the over protective father bit, you know getting weird about us having sex under his roof even though we were married so we'd stay in a hotel on his short visits home…and I'd go visit him in whatever country he was posted in as part of his cover job and he'd visit me in my cover job too."

               "But he still didn't guess? I thought C.I.A. operatives were supposed to be bright and you'd have thought he'd be smart enough to figure out that you were a fraud….or was he too busy covering up his traitorous activities to see the wood for the trees?" Ames queried disbelievingly. "And how the hell didn't he spot that you have super human capabilities?"

               Will rolled her eyes at him. "Probably the same way Wendy didn't spot yours! As for the other two questions I have no idea!"

               Ames had the good grace to blush slightly. "Oh yeah……. So Deck acted as the over protective father?"

              Will grinned. "Deck was so funny whenever they had to be in the same room together, and he wasn't acting either I could tell he genuinely thought that John was a jerk…… hmmm that was probably why I thought I loved him because he wound Deck up." She paused to think about this for a few minutes.              

               "Will you were saying?" Ames getting impatient prompted her, it worked. Sounds likely since she enjoys winding people up!             

               "Deck kept muttering about when the stupid assignment would be over so that he could finally kill him, he'd forgotten that that would be my job! And I think he was the only one hoping that John was a traitor, so that he would be killed! He really could not stand him! He actually tried using his contacts to find out the truth too, he'd never done that with over assignments….. although that was my only marriage one and it had been my only date one too!" Will paused remembering then thought to clarify a point. "He was absolutely livid, turned purple, when it was proposed that we marry but he got out ranked….I objected too but of course I wasn't listened too!"

               "Yeah I know that feeling I didn't want to marry Wendy, hell I didn't want to marry anybody!" Ames told her.

               "At least you got Ray out of it." Will smilingly reminded him.

               "Yeah." Ames grinned at her then went back to his questioning. "Why did it take you years to find out the truth?"

               Will scowled at him not liking the implied criticism. "Because I only saw him a few times a year and agents who worked with him day in day out including the other two assigned to finding out if he was a traitor never got anywhere either! Least I finally got proof and I killed him, oh he found out about my abilities then."

               "Hey I wasn't criticising I was just asking….I wondered if your feelings for him had blinded you to your duty as mine did with Wendy and you only killed him when you had no other option." Ames honestly told her.

               Will quit scowling at him and shook her head. "No, I killed him as soon as I found out… well as soon as I got to the part of the country he was currently in, on a mission for his foreign handlers not the C.I.A…… If he hadn't had done that particular job for his foreign handlers, that gave him away, if it had been something else, well I might have warned him that he'd been discovered and let him go….."

               "It was something connected to your kin wasn't it?" Ames stated quietly having immediately guessed.

               Will's face turned to stone as she recalled the events that led up to her killing her husband, a man she had grown to love. "Yes….. I was on the base where the operative lived, I was there when they bought him home, he had been badly wounded, it was touch and go whether he'd survive….. I had the proof from the X5's own lips he identified the person who had shot him…. He had heard his name, he did not know of our connection, my marriage was known only to a few of the brass… he repeated the name then was rushed into emergency surgery…." Will paused lost in her memories of that time.

               Ames stayed silent, letting her tell what was obviously a painful part of her life in her own time, if she had been blasé about it she would not have a face like a statue.

               "His partner for the mission had been near enough to hear the name to and confirmed it…. Then we both waited for the fallen X5 to come out of surgery Deck allowed us both to stay he debriefed Lane, 600, in the waiting area. Deck knew that I wouldn't be moved until the X5 left surgery at least, after the surgery was over and he was moved to recovery, Deck let us both see him, Lane's always been protective of his siblings and he felt guilty about his brother being shot even though he was not at fault." Will paused and shook her head.  "Some clones are alike some are completely different…. Lane shares his over protective streak with Zack 599."

               "So then you went to wherever he was and killed your husband." Ames stated thinking that that was the end of the story.

               Will looked at Ames completely passively. "No then I went to where Andrews was hiding and told him that I was an agent and what I had just found out. I gave him a chance to deny that he had almost killed the X5, he was stupid enough to start bragging about how he had tricked the X5 and that he hoped he died a painful death. He thought that I would be unable to harm him, I'd always played pathetic. He found out just how wrong he was. Like I said only at the end did he discover my true abilities. You see the X5 he had shot had always been my favourite relative. So I literally ripped Andrews limb from limb."

               Ames couldn't help it he blanched. "You loved him and did that to him?" Okay never really annoy her!

               "That puppy love died the minute the wounded X5 identified him." Will calmly replied. "Ames this conversation stays between us, Alec knows that I was married and the circumstances and that I killed Andrews but no details. None of the others know of the marriage."

               Ames nodded. "Of course Will I won't breath a word to anyone, this conversation never happened." He promised and meant it. "Ah who's this favourite relative…. Just so I know… I like my limbs where they are."

               Will smiled pleasantly at him. "Relax Ames so do I… if I was going to kill you I'd have done so in the alley… you've already targeted and almost killed him…. That reminds me…. I owe you a thump for putting that bomb in Alec's neck!" She glared at him.

               "Will c'mon that was just work it wasn't personal…… okay so maybe it was I admit I had abandonment issues until you reminded me that if I'd gone with Father I wouldn't have Ray…." Ames quickly defended himself.

               Will grinned at him. "Ames relax like I said if I was going to kill you I'd have done so in the alley…. And I wouldn't ask you to promise not to harm the X5, that would be totally unfair….I've wanted to kill him over the years myself."

               "Look would you tell me his name or number, I hate not knowing stuff!" Ames confessed looking stubborn. "You told me Lane's and his designation, we have some partial mission records I could always go and look it up."

               Will sighed. "I've seen that same look on Ray's face….. Okay I want you to promise me that after I tell you, you'll change the subject!"

               Ames grinned at her, at both her capitulation and her saying that he looked like Ray. "I promise after you tell me I'll change the subject and that it'll go no further."

               "Well like I said he was always my favourite, one minute I'd want to kill him the next he'd make me laugh, we worked together as partners on some missions, we tended to be partnered a lot, I worked with him more than anyone else……. If that isn't enough clues for you I'll tell you….494 Alec my biological baby brother. He doesn't know the full details and must never know! So keep your word Ames please! Oh I meant it when I said I would only thump you over putting the bomb in his neck!" Will grinned at him. "He did kind of put himself in that situation after all, making deals with you after you caught him."

               "494….he was the X5." Ames stated stunned unable to help himself he had not expected that. He's always been her favourite? I'm lucky that she seems to like me otherwise I'd be dead! Why'd I put that bomb in his neck? Oh yeah to make him do as I wanted!

               Will rolled her eyes at him still grinning. "Yes Ames 494 Alec and you were going to change the subject." She replied sounding amused not annoyed.

              Although Ames wanted to ask questions he decided to keep his word and find a safe topic. "So I know that Boba Fett is your favourite Star Wars bad guy, but who's your favourite good guy?"

               "Han Solo and Chewbacca. I also love the banter between, scenes with Artoo and Threepio. Who are yours?" Will automatically responded smiling.

               "Darth Vader and Han Solo." Ames swiftly replied with a grin. "James Bond actor and James Bond bad guy and film?"

               "Timothy Dalton, he's so much like the Bond of the books and Sean Connery." Will stated. "Bad guy…. Janus, though actually I didn't and don't consider him to be a bad guy I perfectly understood his motives…. That worried all but Deck too……films in order of preference Licence to Kill, Living Daylights, Goldeneye and Dr. No…. Your turn."

               "Connery, Dalton. Blofeld.  Dr. No, Licence to Kill, Tomorrow Never Dies and View to a Kill." Ames replied still grinning. So much in common!

               Will's mind had wandered. "Yeah I like Tomorrow Never Dies and View to a Kill too…….Hmmm Goldeneye electro magnetic pulse to wipe out all electronics in a given area, I wonder if that's where the terrorists got the idea….." Will looked at Ames.

               Ames shrugged. "Who knows."

              Will, turned her attention to her sons at her breasts and started theorising aloud. "Hmmmm or was it the first strike in the war, by the Familiars…. It's what I would have done, neutralize, cripple America…. Mess with the economies of other nations though not as drastically. Start a few epidemics, make sure some of the worlds harvests failed. Then I'd start wars and conflicts or reignite them and while the Ordinaries are fighting each other The Coming happens……. whatever that is Sandemann refused to tell me said it wasn't the right time, then he had to flee…….."

               Ames shifted slightly but said nothing.

               Will focused her attention on him and grinned. "Relax Ames, I'm not fishing, I'm merely thinking out loud. I love planning campaigns, tactics, remember I'm Deck's protégé ...… I'm not going to start interrogating you so don't worry."

               Ames relaxed. "Good because I won't betray my people." He bluntly reminded her.

              Will still grinning nodded. "I do have a question though that shouldn't compromise your integrity…..What took The Conclave so long, why did they wait years before sending the Phalanx after him?"

               Ames shrugged his shoulders. "I have absolutely no idea, I've wondered that myself, but could never get an answer……. The Conclave does lots of odd things."

               "They're like most governments then." Will stated smiling at him.

               "Yes." Ames nodded smiling back at her.

               They then lapsed into a companionable silence then when Kit and Kincaid finally finished feeding they winded, quickly changed them and laid them back in their makeshift cribs, unlike previous nights the babies all helpfully went to sleep after a few minutes without a qualm.

               Will and Ames swiftly returned to bed, Will thumped him on the chest just like she had said she would for the bomb in the neck incident, then they made love just once before they fell asleep, because Ames had to work later that day.