Author's Note: Okay, I'm back.

yrkh8r: You can stop refreshing the screen now. (Pause) I SAID YOU COULD STOP!

Moonwolf: How dare erase your asterisk! It looks like a little star, really goes with the pen name somehow. I'm indignant for both of us. When are you going to finish 'The Vacation'?

Disclaimer: I own nothing EXCEPT: Ricky, Amy, and Eftlak.

Chapter Eighteen: Tobias' POV

Amy went back to her room with the stuffed unicorn and Ricky began clearing the table. He gave each of the plastic plates a quick wipe with a wet washcloth and piled them on the counter.

"Hey, Esp," said Elfangor suddenly, "how come you never mentioned Eftlak before?"

"Well, 1) Rick's got a full time job, meaning that Eftlak barely has time to go to the pool every three days, 2) as I've said, this isn't the greatest neighborhood, 3) it might put Amy in danger if they were found out, and Ricky would never do anything that could endanger Amy, 4) Ricky's got friends who come by his house a lot, chances are they'd find out, and 5)... actually, forget about five. That's a private issue."

"It's also why Eftlak and I get along," Ricky added.

"I notice that you two don't argue out loud the way Tom and Esp do."

Ricky flushed. "That's the thing, really. We can't."

I cocked my head. "Can't? Why not?"

"Um..." Ricky hesitated. "Well... Eftlak's kind of... crippled. He can't... he can't take control of a host body. Well... he can, but only for a few seconds, and it really, really hurts him. He can get really tired just from controlling my mouth or my eyes."

"A Yeerk who can't control a host body?" Loren repeated. "That's ridiculous."

"That's FUNNY!" said Ax. He was making no attempt to hide his laughter. Ricky's eyes flashed dangerously.

"So is an Andalite without a tail," he retorted. Ax and Elfangor both paled.

"Are you threatening him?" Elfangor hissed. Ax didn't look even remotely amused now.

"No," said Ricky calmly. "I just don't think Eftlak being crippled is funny. I don't like people laughing at my friends."

"Truth be told, Eftlak was never been much into 'peace' before Earth," Esp commented. "That's the thing. I co-operated with my former hosts because I wanted to. Eftlak co-operated with HIS former hosts because he didn't have a choice. If any Yeerk other than me found out he couldn't control a host body, he would've been killed. He and Ricky are friends now, but if he had been born normal he'd probably have turned out like Esi."

Right then, Amy came in, looking particularly cheerful. "Pete's here!" she announced to the building in general.

"Good," said Ricky simply. "I'll show him in." He turned to us. "You guys want to meet him or hide somewhere?"

"He's here a lot, they might as well meet him and be done with it," said Tom/Esp.

Ricky nodded and headed for the door. I heard his voice at the entrance. "Hey, Pete. Come on in. Anything new in your life since last night?"

"Well, I've been sober for three hours. That's a record for me, I think."

I began to shiver. I knew that voice. I'd first heard it snarling, slurred by alcohol. I'd last heard it the same way. This had to be the fist time I'd heard it with any semblance of civility.

Ricky came back in, leading a large man with blondish-brown hair. He looked almost exactly like I remembered him. Except for his eyes. They were clear, alert—a sign that he was sober. I shivered even harder. My worst fear was confirmed. He was here, and sober, he would recognize me for sure.

"Are you cold?" Amy asked me, in the clear, carrying voice of a child. I tried to shake my head, to say something, ANYTHING, but I couldn't. My terror held me still.

Hearing Amy, the man turned to her. His gaze followed hers, and rested on me.

I saw his face perfectly. Sober, un-contorted, free of the rage it held when he was drunk, it faintly resembled my own. But the man it belonged to was nothing like me.

This was the man who had passed out in my room, who had yelled at me for no reason, who looked for any reason to pass me back to his sister. This was the man who had, on one occasion, come home, and mistaken his house for a gym and me for a punching bag. Often, I came home from school beaten up, and he would barely glance at me. He didn't care about me. But he didn't hate me, either. He was indifferent.

He continued to stare at me, and I continued to hope that I wouldn't be recognized. When I was trapped as a hawk, he was told I was with his sister, on the other coast. He had no reason to think that I wasn't, on the off chance that he ever bothered TO think about it.

Finally, he spoke. "Hello, Tobias."

I had the bizarre feeling that the whole group was holding its breath, waiting in edgy suspense for something to happen. His voice was calm and unsurprised. If he was surprised at finding me here, he didn't show it.

I tried to take a deep breath, but my throat wasn't working properly. I could barely get in enough air not to suffocate. I wanted to run, but my legs were even less co-operative than my throat. My voice, in comparison to his, was weak, high and shaky.

"Hi, Uncle Pete."

Author's Note: I know it's short, but... I WANTED TO WRITE A CLIFFIE! Besides, I've become possessed by the evil demon of writer's block and can't think of what to type next. That happens a lot when I reach potential cliffhangers.

Moonwolf, yrkh8r, congratulations. You guessed right! (Well, actually, yrkh8r was begging for Pete to be Tobias' uncle, but never mind that.) Opinions on how accurate Tobias' reaction to seeing his uncle again seems are welcome. As are any and all reviews.

Korean Pearl, I hoped you liked this. Please read above paragraph.

It does not, to my knowledge, mention Tobias' uncle's name in any of the books. I've checked books 1, 3, 13, 23, 33, 43, 49, The Andalite chronicles, Megamorphs 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Alternamorphs 1 and 2. So I made one up. If it DOES say his name anywhere other than the Internet, please correct me, but be warned—I'll check.

Oh, and Moonwolf: whose POV should be next? (This is NOT pity for FF.N erasing the asterisk. I honestly respect your opinions.) PLEASE keep writing 'The Vacation'! If you need help I can help you!