§ § § -- January 31, 1994
"So, ladies, did we fulfill your fantasy?" Roarke inquired on Monday morning, while the band played an unobtrusive Hawaiian-flavored melody as a backdrop.
Kirsten, April and Laura looked at one another and grinned all at once. "Yeah, I gotta say you did, Mr. Roarke," April said, "even when Laura's predictions of gloom and doom turned out to be right after all."
"Why, what happened?" Leslie asked curiously.
"The capsule developed a leak at splashdown," Kirsten said. "Everything was going so great, we thought we were charmed. But Laura was prepared and made us get hold of Ground Control, and they had a ship out rescuing us in no time flat."
Laura shrugged. "I just believe in being prepared for the worst, that's all." She sighed. "I'm glad we did it, but I think from now on I stay right here on good old Earth." Chuckling, she shook hands with Roarke and Leslie; April and Kirsten followed suit and everyone made their farewells. Roarke and Leslie waved after them, then turned to the two cars that drew up alongside them. The first one carried Klaus, Frida, Kristofer and Catarina; the second one bore Lukas, Brita, Jannike and Gunnar.
"So how are family relations?" Leslie asked Frida.
Frida took stock for a moment, eyeing first her fiancé, then her parents and finally her siblings. "I think they can only get better," she said at last, turning back to Leslie. "Klaus and I will be married in July, and both my parents and all my brothers and sisters will be there." She stepped forward and hugged Leslie. "I want you to be there too: you should be my attendant, what I think you call a maid of honor. After all, if you hadn't traveled to Lilla Jordsö, I would still be wondering who I am and why, and how I could ever live with it."
Catarina reached out and took Roarke's hand in one of hers, Leslie's in the other, and squeezed. "Now that I have my little girl again, I can teach her our way of controlling the powers. And perhaps Kristofer's children with Ebba can be our ambassadors, so that we no longer feel that we must hide from the world."
"I am very pleased that we could be of help," Roarke said with typical Roarke-style understatement. "May you all have a safe and enjoyable journey home."
Watching them file aboard the plane, Leslie asked, "Where are Catarina's family?"
"They took an earlier plane," Roarke said. "It was my understanding that Mr. Dannegård and Ms. Liljefors are discussing plans for their future together—theirs and their daughter's."
"Good," said Leslie with a firm nod of satisfaction. Roarke chuckled and joined her in a last farewell wave to their departing guests.