Chapter Forty

All Caught Up

Billy Packer stared at the ceiling in confusion for a moment, because it was not the top of his van. Then he moaned, the ache in his back causing the flood of events from the day before to rush into his brain.

Just after closing, he had been given a sandwich and was sent out with Carlos and Jennifer to gather some of his things from his van and pay for his parking. Then they helped him carry his belongings into a room, which Jennifer cleaned with her wand, and afterwards, she scavenged some extra blankets for him and helped him plug in his devices and showed him where the bathrooms were. It was not long after they left to finish cleaning the cafe that he collapsed into bed.

He slowly sat up, not completely used to waking up on such a soft surface. Then he frowned at the chest of drawers in front of him, trying to remember the last time he had slept in a normal room. Probably not since the last time the van went in the shop, he thought, and that was at a cheap motel. He stared at his hand. It was completely healed, not even a scratch. He went over to the chest and opened the drawers. Where were all of his clothes? He was quite sure he brought a garbage bag full of clothes when they raided his van, but the only thing that seemed to be in the drawers was his gun, ironically enough. He stared at it in disbelief, especially after he checked the chamber and the magazine and found out it was still loaded. They weren't even worried about him having the gun at all! There was a knock on the door and he put the gun on top of the chest, not seeing much point in hiding that he still had it. The jeans he had on last night seemed to be all that had been left to wear, so he quickly put them on and answered the door.

It was Jennifer, dressed for work and carrying a laundry basket.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked.

"Uh, no, not really," Billy replied.

"Good. Here are your clothes. They were in a bad state last night, so I washed them for you," she explained, handing him the laundry basket.

"Uh... thanks, you didn't really have to do that," Billy said.

"Oh, yes I did," Jennifer said bluntly. "Anyway, come along downstairs when you're dressed. Once you get to the bottom, it should be pretty obvious which way leads to the cafe. Just head to the front and sit at the bar and we'll get you some breakfast. If you hurry, you may have time to eat before Judge Vallid gets here."

"Can I ask a question?" Billy asked.

"If it's a quick one. I really should get back on the floor," Jennifer admitted, glancing at her watch.

"Why is my gun still in here?" Billy asked.

"I don't understand. Is there something wrong with it?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"No, I mean... why did you leave me armed?" he asked.

"Oh! Well, Lunette checked all of your weapons and said that one was legal. She had to take your electric shock gun, though. She said that one wasn't legal, because it was a police issued one. Sorry," Jennifer explained sincerely. "You don't really need to arm yourself in the cafe, you know. You'll be safe enough while you're in the building," she informed him. "To be perfectly honest, there are much more reliable ways to protect yourself from magic other than a physical weapon anyway. Still, I'm not the sort of person who'd take away your only means of protecting yourself, Billy, but take my advice and leave it in your room unless you need to leave the property for some reason. Sorry, Billy, but I really ought to get back to work. If you have any other questions, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities while we're in the cafe. See you in a bit!"

Billy stared at her as she went down the stairs. Then he stared at the laundry basket full of neatly folded clothes.

"Oookay," Billy said in complete confusion, shutting the door to get dressed.

Jennifer stepped into the cafe and straight over with a bag of coffee to fill the grinder.

"So how is our reluctant dishwasher this morning?" Sally inquired.

"In desperate need of a good cup of coffee," Jennifer decided. "He seemed quite disoriented."

"Did he have anything in there he could wear for work?" she asked.

"Good enough for the back room, but not really good enough to be up front," Jennifer decided.

"I don't think I'd want him up with the cash anyway," Sally admitted.

"Well no, maybe not, but it'd be nice to have someone else bussing tables when it gets busy," Jennifer said.

"True. I'll see how Carlos feels about taking Billy to the uniform shop for some shirts and slacks during lunch, since there's one just a couple of blocks down," Sally said. "Assuming Lunette approves this new stray of yours."

"Don't worry, she'll okay it... but he's not a new stray," Jennifer scowled at her.

"I'll bet you twenty dollars that Severus calls him that when he sees him tomorrow," Sally taunted her.

"I really don't know at this point if he'd even want to spend Thanksgiving here, Sally," Jennifer said.

"Where else would he go? Does he have any family?" Sally asked her.

"No, none at all," Jennifer admitted.

"Then we'll invite him. And then you'll pay me twenty dollars when I'm right," Sally suggested. Jennifer stuck her tongue out at her and filled the coffee machine.

Billy stared at his computer, wondering if he had any online friends that would believe him if he told them that he had been kidnapped by witches. But strangely enough, all of the people he chatted with felt as if they were nothing but names to him now. Why was it that things seemed so much more real here when everything was so bizarre?

Billy went downstairs and peeked nervously around the corner to see Carlos warming up the grills.

"Hola, head right on through there. Jackie will take care of you," Carlos told him, and shuffled to the front.

"Oh, there you are, Billy!" Jennifer said enthusiastically when he peered around the corner, then dragged him over to the other end of the bar. "I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, Tony Bruno," she said.

"Oh yeh, I've seen him in here lately, hittin' on the girls," Tony said, eyeing him skeptically.

"Yes, well, there will be none of that now that he's going to be working here. Isn't that right, Billy?" Jennifer said.

"I thought you wanted me to talk to Judge Vallid or something," Billy said, wondering exactly when he agreed to work there.

"Yes, Lunette is going to come in and interview you in half an hour, but I don't think there will be a problem. Billy, Carlos is going to take you out after the lunch rush hour and help you get some new work clothes so we can let you out of the back room once in a while. Why don't you go ahead and sit down by Tony and I'll get you some breakfast. More coffee, Tony?" Jennifer asked.

"Thanks sweetie," Tony said, and Billy found himself guided over to the stool and sitting down next to him. Then Jennifer came around the counter and presented a cup for Billy, filling them both up before going down to check on a couple of other locals sitting at the bar. "You know you're lucky that Jackie spoke up for you, right? If she hadn't been here yesterday, you'd already been in a jail cell by now. And if I'd'a been here, I'd a laid you out flat."

"Are you... like them?" Billy asked quietly.

"You mean a wizard? Nah, I'm a born and bred New Yorker, a semi-retired taxi driver, and part owner of this establishment," he added for good measure. "But these people are my family, you see. This cafe ain't your normal everyday place, ya know, an' not just because some of 'em cast spells, either. This place is the heart of the neighborhood, an' everyone who's a part of it would do anything to protect it, and we don't like anyone disruptin' our special place here," Tony explained seriously. "The only reason you got a stay of execution is that Jackie spoke up for ya, and there's nobody dearer to some of us than Jackie, includin' me, Sally, and Judge Vallid. So if I was you, I'd make sure to do whatever it takes to keep her happy, 'cuz she's how come you're sitting there right now." Tony quieted down and sipped his coffee as Jennifer came around again with a plate featuring steak and eggs and a side of pancakes, putting it in front of Billy.

"Here you are, Billy! I brought you a bit extra, because we typically don't start lunch breaks til one-thirty or two. Trust me, if you don't fill up, that's going to feel like forever," Jennifer warned him, then glanced at Tony. "Keeping it civil, Tony?" she asked knowingly.

"Anything for you, sweetie," Tony reassured her.

"Good. I hope you come back for dinner, Tony. Carlos is making the special liver and onions tonight," Jennifer said.

"You know I'll be back for that," Tony said with a smile. "All ready for tomorrow?"

"No, we haven't even started on it yet, but Sally and I are going to start working on the baking when it slows down this afternoon," Jennifer explained. "Speaking of which, did you have any plans tomorrow, Billy?"

"I didn't know it was up to me," Billy answered in confusion.

"What I mean is, do you have any friends or anywhere specific you want to go for Thanksgiving?" Jennifer asked. "Because if not, you're more than welcome to come down to the neighborhood party with us, because it's being held here. You don't have to if you don't want to, of course. If you like, you can spend the day up in your room if you'd rather."

"Well, typically I go to one of the church dinners around town," Billy admitted. "I guess it'd be nice not to have to stand in line for a change."

"Great!" Jennifer beamed. "I'll be able to introduce you to some of my family then! But I warn you, even though only a small portion of them are coming, I have a lot of family," she said, topping their cups off.

"That's no exaggeration, and that's not even accountin' us that's family in name only," Tony replied.

"You are family, Tony. No more of this 'in name only' nonsense," Jennifer scolded him, then went to clean the bar.

"Then what am I? Your Italian cousin?" he teased her.

"If you like. Then you can be all of my children's Uncle Tony," she grinned.

"Well, maybe the younger ones," Tony chuckled. Billy frowned.

"How many kids do you have?" Billy asked.

"Just eight," Jennifer replied. Billy stared at her, but she was busy at the other side of the bar now, taking someone else's order.

"Just eight? How can anyone as hot as her have eight kids?" Billy murmured and then got a painful elbow jab from Tony, who then pretended it was an accident.

"Don't disrespect, she's old enough to be your mother," Tony warned him dangerously. "Half of her kids are probably older than you. In fact, she probably thinks of you as a kid, too... and boy is she a sucker for a kid she thinks is in trouble," he said, shaking his head almost disapprovingly before finishing his coffee. As he was getting up to leave, the door opened and Lunette stepped in, glancing around thoughtfully. "Hey, Judge! How are you?"

"Hey, Tony! Happy almost Thanksgiving," Lunette said with amusement.

"Not comin' to neighborhood Thanksgiving this year?" he asked.

"No, heading to Detroit for the game," Lunette explained.

"Hey, that's nice! One of these days, I need to save up and go to a game," Tony decided.

"Tell ya what, Tony. The next time I get Bills tickets, I'll save you a seat, how's that?" Lunette said with a smile. Tony blinked, rather stunned.

"Honest? That'd be great!" he said, wondering if she'd follow through with that.

"No lie, Tony, it's not really my thing," Lunette said with amusement.

"Thanks, Lunette! Happy Thanksgiving to ya if I don't see you later," Tony said, beaming happily as he left the cafe. Lunette chuckled softly at that, glancing at Billy before looking around.

"Sally, mind if I grab the end booth?" Lunette asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Sally said, quickly walking over and helping Jenny clean the table.

"Good morning, Judge," Jenny offered.

"Good morning, Jenny! Just coffee today, I'm here on business after all," Lunette said.

"Coming to the neighborhood thing tomorrow?" Sally asked.

"No, sorry, I promised to take Jennifer to the Lions game," Lunette explained. Sally frowned.

"Really? But she said she was going to have Thanksgiving with us," Sally said worriedly, and the two of them looked over at Jennifer as she delivered a plate to someone at the bar. Lunette gestured for her to come over, and Jennifer quickly finished filling the man's iced tea before stepping over.

"Billy's still eating. Should I have him bring his plate over?" Jennifer asked.

"This isn't about that," Lunette said. "Are you still going to the game with me tomorrow?"

"I sure am!" Jennifer agreed.

"But you told me you were eating with us," Sally said concernedly.

"Don't worry, Sally! I'll be here, so will Severus, Leu, and Quintin... I think he said something about bringing Viorica as well," Jennifer said with a smile. "It'll be fine. Severus promised me that he'd make sure I could do both and still get to Rosemary's on time."

"I see," Lunette said, folding her arms. "Well, if you're going to do both, I think I'm going to do both too, just to keep you out of trouble tomorrow."

"All right, Lunette," Jennifer said with a smile, knowing better than to argue.

"Now why don't you tell that new stray of yours to come over so I can interview him to make sure he can be house trained?" Lunette told her. Sally smirked knowingly at that.

"Hey! Don't call him a stray! It's not like that!" Jennifer scowled at her.

"Then why does Sally agree with me?" Lunette asked, and Jennifer whipped her head around.

"Sorry, getting busy. I'd better help Jenny wait on tables," Sally said quickly in an attempt to escape the scrutiny. Jennifer reluctantly went back to the bar, letting Billy know that Lunette was ready for him.

When Billy had successfully spoke with Lunette for five minutes without getting hexed or having the police called, Jennifer was fairly sure it was going well. When Sally was able to refill their coffee cups, Jennifer was sure of it. Finally Lunette came over to the end of the bar, and Jennifer walked over to meet her.

"Well?" Jennifer asked.

"Well, he doesn't exactly have the healthiest of opinions about women," Lunette said. Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know, Jennifer, but I one of the reasons he chose this cafe was because there aren't that many men on staff here. He figured that he could easily scare all of you into complying with his demands, and he has a very distorted world view at the moment."

"And if he sat in jail, he'd get an even more distorted view of the world, especially when he's been in survival mode since he outgrew the system. He found himself out on the street without basic job skills and very little education. That could have been Lucky, you know..."

"Somehow, I knew you were going to go there," Lunette said, shaking her head with a smile. "You do know that Sally and Carlos are only going along with this because you want to do it, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter what any of us want, considering you have the last word on it. I know perfectly well that you and Aurelius have been operating this place as a safe house for years, not that you've ever told me why..."

"It's classified," Lunette said with a shrug.

"The point being, I know perfectly well that it isn't up to any of us. You and Aurelius have the final word on whether he can stay or not. So what's the verdict, Judge?" Jennifer asked bluntly, Lunette looking slightly amused at how she worded it.

"Okay, we'll give it a shot," Lunette said with a smile. "But I want you to take this seriously, Jennifer. You're responsible for him, and if he gets into trouble again, I'm recommending to Sally that she presses charges. If she doesn't do it, I will... assuming that Aurelius doesn't do it first," she warned, getting up. "I'll go talk to Sally about his paperwork, and then I'll talk to Aurelius. In the meantime, you only have four days before you have to go back to school, so I advise you to have some proxy mentors in place before you head back to Whitebridge. Someone is going to need to stay on him for a while, and I'm not sure that either Jenny or Marlena pose enough of a threat to worry him."

"I guess I'll start with the obvious choice and work my way from there," Jennifer said with a smile.

Nodding to her in agreement, Lunette got up and went to talk to Sally for a moment. Not long afterwards, Jennifer took over the floor so that Sally could walk Billy through the application process, patiently helping him through it and showing him how to clock in. It was then that Jennifer took over his training, but instead of standing over him as she had the day before, she worked with him side by side, showing him where everything was and giving him further instruction on his responsibilities in the back room.

By the time things had begun to slow down after the lunch rush, both of them were more than ready for a break.

"Did you want to go to Bergen's to grab something on the way, Carlos?" Jennifer asked when they were hanging up their aprons.

"No, let's find a food truck somewhere," Carlos said.

"Really? But don't you get free meals here when you're working? That's what Sally told me," Billy said.

"Sure, but it gets old after a while," Carlos said, Jennifer nodding and grinning in understanding. "Besides, we need something fast if we're going to the uniform store... like tacos or red hots or something."

"That reminds me, Lucky was telling me about a taco truck she really liked the other day that she told me to try out while I was in town. It often parks around here... something with an 'M' in the name," Jennifer mused.

"That could be a lot of things," Carlos protested as they walked down the street, checking the time. "We'll check the food truck parking near the park before we go shopping."

"Yes, alright," Jennifer said, but was still thoughtful until they neared the park and she brightened. "Hey, I think that's it, Carlos! Over there, Tacos Magos."

"Yeah?" Carlos said, then shrugged at where she was pointing. "I don't see anything."

"Me either," Billy admitted.

"Oh, it must be one of ours," Jennifer chuckled. "No problem, take my hands, then!"

Jennifer reached for their hands and took several steps down a path leading to what looked to be a vacant spot until they got closer, the taco truck finally appearing in front of him. Several people were in line, but it wasn't anywhere near as long as some of the other trucks. Carlos grinned at that.

"I hope the short line isn't a bad sign," he said with a wink.

"Well, we are past the main rush hour, after all, and if you two didn't see it, I doubt that many Muggles can if they don't already know it's here," Jennifer said.

"Ah, so does that mean I might be able to find it on my own if I like it?" Carlos asked curiously.

"Probably, now that you know it's there," Jennifer agreed. "Just study it carefully so you know what it looks like, and try to focus on it if you go looking for it. Once you can convince yourself that it exists, you should start seeing it without having to think about it," she explained, letting go of them and stepping up in line. "Go ahead and get whatever you two would like today, it's my treat," she told them.

"Thanks, Jackie," Carlos said.

"I can get my own," Billy replied defensively.

"No, Billy, save it for parking. I know how expensive that can get in this town," Jennifer said, giving the menu only a glance as they waited and then stepped up to the truck.

"Hola! What can I get started for you?" the wizard at the register said.

"Yes, actually, my daughter recommended I get something called the Tres Hechicera Mariscos basket," Jennifer said.

"Serpent Tacos sounds interesting to me," Carlos told him in Spanish, "And shrimp tacos, just in case I don't like it."

"If you don't, just let us know," he replied in kind, looking at Billy. "Y tu?"

"Whatever's basic," Billy said, a bit wary of the menu.

"Make him the carnitas then," Jennifer said with a chuckle, holding up her Wiznet phone to pay for it. "And whatever sodas you have are fine."

"Sure thing," he said, quickly scanning her phone. "Oh, hey, you're Jennifer Craw Snape!" he realized, and the person prepping the orders stepped over to the window.

"Hey! Lucky's Mom! Nice to meet you!" the other wizard said cheerfully. "In New York for Thanksgiving, then?"

"I sure am," Jennifer agreed with a smile.

"Husband here too?" he asked.

"Well, no, he'll just be in for tomorrow," Jennifer replied.

"Ah too bad! Well, bring him along next time, I'd like to meet him and thank him for savin' the universe and all that," the wizard said.

"Well, I can't make promises, but I'll try," Jennifer said with a chuckle, handing Carlos and Billy their food baskets before taking her own, carrying it to one of the candy-wrapped tables close to the stand.

"What was all of that about?" Billy wanted to know when they sat down.

"What was all of what about?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"I think he means the saving the universe thing," Carlos replied.

"Oh, that. Actually, that was years ago," Jennifer said.

"Remember that thing where the stars were all messed up and the planet slowed down and all of that we were told was caused by a black hole?" Carlos asked him. "It wasn't."

"Oh yeah, I know that. I was in school when it happened," Billy said. "The Black Hole thing was just people freaking out; it wasn't real. The warping stars was just an illusion caused by the thick atmosphere, and the planet and moon didn't really slow or anything, that was just a hoax. The seasons were off because we had a really strong El Nino that year," he said. Jennifer gazed at him in total fascination.

"Did Muggles really buy that?" she asked Carlos with wonder.

"Some did... that's what the government and NASA told everyone. Some people will buy anything the government says," Carlos shrugged at her. "Most of the other countries still go with the Black Hole theory to explain what happened and accuse the U.S. of trying to cover up to reduce panic."

"Wow, a cover up accusing another cover up of covering something up!" Jennifer said in amazement.

"Sure, it happens all the time. Which leads to a lot of conspiracy theories on the internet, too. And you know what? A couple of them actually get close, which just makes the government try to shut the sites down," Carlos said.

"So what do you think really happened?" Billy asked Carlos, but Carlos simply gestured with an open hand towards Jennifer.

"Well, what really happened is that a powerful woman from a parallel universe was so hell bent on destroying herself that she opened up all of the portals between the two universes and tried to suck our Universal Time Stream into theirs, and it would have destroyed both universes in the process, had my husband not stepped in when he did. He focused all of the energy funneling through her to rip her apart, snapping the two time streams back into balance... or near balance, really, which caused problems later, but that's a whole different story," Jennifer explained.

"I think I have my own theory," Billy said flatly. "I think that when I robbed the place, someone knocked me out with my own taser, and when they took me to jail, they decided that I was mentally unstable and started pumping experimental drugs in me." Carlos laughed heartily at that. Jennifer stared at him in confusion for a moment, but finally she remembered they still had something else to do during lunch and encouraged them all to eat.

They got back just in time, and Carlos clocked in to take over for his crew's breaks, while Jennifer sent Billy to change into his new clothes so that they could go out and bus tables for Jenny and Ruby.

But when Jennifer and Billy finally came out to clean, Jennifer grimaced when she saw Aurelius sitting in one of the booths, looking a bit annoyed.

"I guess first thing's first. I suppose you ought to meet Aurelius," Jennifer told Billy, and led him over to the table. "Hello, Aurelius, this is Billy! Billy, this is my son Aurelius. He's in charge of security here."

"And hiring, typically," Aurelius added, frowning at his mother.

"Don't worry, Aurelius. Lunette interviewed him herself, it's all taken care of," Jennifer promised him.

"Thanks, but I still want to talk to you about this, Mum," Aurelius said.

"Then you'll simply have to wait. We just got off of lunch break and it'll be some time before my dinner break," Jennifer informed him. "Why don't you go to the back and help Sally get ready for tomorrow? You could go peel some yams," she said unconcernedly. Rolling his eyes at that, Aurelius went to the prep tables in the back room. "There, that should get him out of our hair for a while," she murmured to Billy with a grin, and turned her attention back to the training session.

But as it happened, Jennifer's break didn't come until right after closing, because an incredibly large group of takeout orders came in all at once when everyone in the neighborhood decided that they didn't want to cook dinner when they were going to do so much cooking the next day. Even Aurelius ended up jumping in to help get all of the orders done. By closing time, Jennifer was more than ready to sit down with a coffee and a bag with one of the orders that got canceled at the last minute. Billy went to the back room and started on the dishes without much complaint, although Marlena did make a point to check on him at random by bringing trivial items back to the sink.

"You realize he's a bit overloaded with all of this right now, don't you, Mum?" Aurelius informed her with exasperation, his head propped up in his hand after she explained her reasoning for hiring him. "He's going to try to run."

"Yes, I know," Jennifer said with a soft smile. "I'm ready for it, though, don't worry about it, son."

"Well, normally I wouldn't, but running means he's likely to leave the building, and I won't have you chasing after him without a second wandarm. And since Lunette's visiting family tonight, I'm going to stay to make sure you have one," Aurelius decided.

"Ginger's going to be pretty miffed if you don't come home considering you were supposed to be off for two days," Jennifer reminded him out loud, despite the fact she had just read that fact straight from his own thoughts.

"Tell you what, Mum. You don't comment about my marital issues, and I won't comment on whatever Dad's going to say tomorrow when he realizes you've picked up another stray. Deal?" Aurelius suggested seriously, getting out his contact mirror.

"Why does everyone keep calling him that?" Jennifer complained with a scowl, going back to work so he could talk to Ginger in private.

Billy slipped out of his room after two hours of sleep, barely able to push the fog away from his brain long enough to turn off the alarm on his phone. He rolled out of bed, wondering if he was awake enough to drive. He stuffed his phone and laptop into a bag, grabbed his clothes and his gun, and carefully slipped out the door, creeping out as quietly as he could to the stairs that led down to a single, heavy door that only opened when the cafe was closed. It led out to the street, and he quickly hurried around the corner, making his way to the garage where his van was and climbed up to the right floor. But when to the spot where he was certain it was parked, the van wasn't there.

"Oh, no! Where's my van? Someone stole my van!" Billy exclaimed in distress, wondering if he was going to have to go down to the road and steal someone else's car to get away from there.

"It's all right, Billy."

Billy whirled around and scrambled to get to his gun when he saw Jennifer standing with Aurelius. Jennifer was currently not armed, but Aurelius had a wand in his hand, which he had quickly used to disable the nearby security cameras.

"Your van isn't stolen, Billy, I just had my daughter Lucky move it for you so that you wouldn't have to pay for parking any longer. It's in Manhattan, at a hotel on Central Park West," Jennifer explained. "You see, originally I was going to buy you a permanent parking spot... until I saw how high the bid prices were. So, I decided to call in a favor with my sister-in-law to get you a parking spot that you didn't have to pay for. Anyway, Lucky will be here tomorrow. If you can wait until then, I'm sure she'll be happy to take you to the hotel so you can visit it."

"Visit it?" Billy repeated in disbelief. "I'm trying to get the hell outta this place!"

"And go where, exactly?" Jennifer asked calmly.

"It doesn't matter! Anywhere but here. Somewhere that's warmer and it doesn't cost as much to live, not that it's your damn business anyway," Billy snapped at her.

"I see. And are you going to break into cars or try to rob places there too?" Jennifer asked.

"That's none of your damn business either," he retorted.

"Well, if your hope is to go somewhere to get a fresh start, I think you're going about it the wrong way," Jennifer told him. "In fact, I think you ought to stay here at the cafe, where you can take advantage of the fact that you have a free room, free meals, and a good job that'll pay you enough to save up the money you need to move wherever it is you'd like to live in the future. You have the opportunity to turn your life around and go down a different path than the one you're traveling right now, Billy. Don't be foolish and throw away this second chance, because you might not get another one."

"No. I don't want to be obligated to you people," Billy said resolutely.

"Did you ask us to do it?" Jennifer asked calmly. Billy frowned at her in confusion.

"What?"

"At any time since we stopped your robbery attempt, was there any point where you asked us to give you a job, or a roof over your head, or anything else that we gave you since that moment?" Jennifer asked him.

"No, of course not," Billy said irritably. "In fact, you forced it on me."

"Then it seems to me that since you had no decision in the matter, you aren't under any obligation for what we chose to do on our own," Jennifer replied. "And yes, that also means you have the right to decline our help, although you'll likely end up in jail or worse if you do. I think a better plan would be to simply stay here until you get yourself back on your feet, so that you don't have to steal from people to survive. But just surviving only goes so far, Billy. If you want a real life, you're going to have to earn it."

Billy gazed at Jennifer for a long time before he finally let out a resigned sigh.

"Well, I'm certainly not going anywhere tonight if my van's in Manhattan," Billy said at last.

"Then let's get back to the cafe, because I for one am going to have a very long day tomorrow," Jennifer said, offering to take the bag of clothes for him. "I'm so glad you're staying for Thanksgiving, Billy! I really did want to introduce you to more of my family tomorrow," she admitted with a smile.

Aurelius shook his head as he walked behind them, quite convinced that his welcome into the Kingler family was going to be mutually one-sided.