Helping One in Need -- A Carrie Fanfic

by J.T. Shee

Jack, a young Irish secondary school (high school) student, goes to Ewen High School in Chamberlain, Maine for two months on a foreign exchange student programme. While over there, he meets Carrie White, finds out what her school life is like, and sets out to do what he can to change her life for the better. Can he do it or not? Tune in to find out! Reviews are much appreciated.

24. 23: Epilogue

Chapter 23:

Epilogue:

Sit back and relax, everyone; this is gonna be a long chapter.

(10 Years later; July 3rd, 2027: early afternoon)

"And there we are…all done and dusted at last." Jack said, as he hung up from his call, relieved that the cars and four stretch limousines downstairs in the extensive underground garage were all fully insured for another year.

Jack, now 29 years old, sat back in his large and comfortable office chair and took in a deep breath, pleased to have gotten that job out of the way. The large office he was sitting in was lined with varnished oak panels on the walls and had a navy-blue carpet covering the floor. At the opposite end of the room from his big solid varnished oak desk was an elegant marble fireplace with a coffee table a few feet in front of it, along with two fine leather armchairs, in dark wine red, on both sides of it and a leather couch, also in dark wine red, placed between the coffee table and Jack's desk.

On both sides of the marble fireplace, stretching to both walls to his left and right, were bookcases stretching from floor to ceiling, which were completely filled up with the different books that Jack liked to read, including some he'd owned for many years, as well as various models he'd built and various other nick-nacks. There was also a wide bookcase right behind him, again stretching from floor to ceiling. There were also some filing cabinets lining the wall, with each drawer marked with a tab on what each drawer contained within. There were half a dozen drawers under Jack's desk, three on both sides of his chair.

To Jack's left was a big window which, as well as allowing in plenty of natural light, also allowed great views over the expanse of the Sullivan Estate, site of the large European Style ten-storey mansion just two miles outside of Chamberlain. He had bought the enormous ten-storey mansion and the more than 20,000 acres of land that it sat on, as well as 5,000 more acres of land outside the main estate, just a little over eight years before, at a cost of close to $1 billion. but that was just a very tiny drop in the ocean really, considering the fact he was a multi-quadrillionaire.

To help run the main house, there were about 375 staff members, ranging from cooks, private secretaries, cleaners, housekeepers, butlers, people to do laundry, maintenance people, plenty of security personnel as well as gardeners to help maintain the grounds. And to keep watch over the whole estate's 25,000 acres, Jack had between 1,000 and 2,500 armed security personnel, many of whom were former servicemen who had served in various branches of the U.S. military, as well as a really extensive, sophisticated and high tech security system to keep a close watch on the perimeter of the estate and the areas just outside of it, including CCTV cameras and motion sensors, and even some tall watchtowers around the inside of the perimeter wall fitted out with infrared detection systems, special night-vision cameras and even some searchlights. All the electronic security systems were all connected together to a central building near the middle of the estate, which looked no different on the outside than any of the other residences that were nearby and was manned 24 hours a day.

The main house in the estate, the ten storey building where Jack and his family lived, was the jewel in the crown of the whole estate and it sat within about 750 acres of land, and it had many different amenities within its walls and fences, including two large outdoor swimming pools complete with waterslides and diving boards and each with their own dedicated bar close by, along with a smaller and shallower outdoor pool set within the back patio, along with half a dozen Jacuzzi hot tubs - all of which had lights within them that could change colours as well as their own bubble machines - and three tennis courts. There was even quite a large and pretty lake within the grounds of the 750 acres, with a large banqueting hall, complete with its own kitchens, built on the shore beside it.

Inside the house, there were two large indoor swimming pools and between half a dozen and a dozen Jacuzzi hot tubs, an enormous ballroom of 25,000 square feet, a large and lavishly equipped gym, three bowling alleys - each with its own bar, two gift-wrapping rooms, a downstairs spa complete with its own steam room and sauna, a large indoor cinema with 50 leather seats that could recline, a game room complete with all sorts of games that could be found in an arcade - but these games didn't need coins for them to work - along with ping-pong tables, pool tables and air-hockey tables, as well as a number of indoor bars, a very large library that occupied two levels - with a spiral staircase connecting the two levels - with many thousands of books, many large bedrooms with their own walk-in closets and en-suite bathrooms, an underground wine cellar capable to holding up to 10,000 bottles of the finest wines and champagne, a number of lifts that connected all the various levels in the building, and a large ballroom on the ground floor that doubled as a room for parties and formal banquets.

There were also a number of large panic rooms, all of which were decked out in a number of different styles and all of which were hidden behind cleverly hidden entrances, panels on the walls and secure doors on all the different floors.

Many of the household staff who worked in the main house, as well as many of the security staff, lived with their families on their own large properties that were constructed within the estate, and there were well over 750 such houses - all of one large standard design - built into the estate, so they could be very close to their place of work, and they and their children were also friends with Jack and his family. A smaller number of staff members lived within the main house. And some of the security staff members, and a few other members of the household staff, lived close by in their own houses with their families not too far from the estate, only a short drive down the road.

Within the 25,000 acres of the estate, there were many amenities built for those who lived and worked on the site, including three 18-hole golf courses each of which had its own clubhouse, an outdoor sports complex with ten tennis courts, five basketball courts, two courses for mini-golf, a large gym in its own specially constructed building, four enormous outdoor swimming pools, as well as quite a few Jacuzzis, and three baseball fields. There was also an extensive forest covering a good portion of the estate, with plenty of trails for people to picnic in and walk on in perfect safety, and a large waterpark, complete with such things like swimming pools, plenty of waterslides in bright colours, wave pools and lazy rivers. In addition, there was a large lake of about 150 acres, with some islands sitting in it, within the middle of the estate, which allowed plenty of opportunities for fishing, boating and swimming, particularly right now in mid-summer when it was hot in the daytime.

Then, from the open door, he heard the sounds of feet quickly approaching his office from the corridor outside. A moment later a young girl, five years old and with long dark blonde hair, and wearing a cream white summer dress and sandals, came into the office and went up to the desk.

"Come on, daddy…it's lunch time." she said, as he reached for her father's hand.

"Okay, Ava. I'm coming." Jack said, as he stood up from his desk and followed his eldest daughter out of the office and down the corridor and downstairs to one of the house's large, and lavishly equipped, kitchens.

(Downstairs)

Reaching the main dining area just outside the main kitchen, he found his beautiful wife, Carrie Sullivan (née White), sitting at the table with their second and youngest child, 4-month-old Jessica, in her arms. They had both been very happily married for the last six years, and both of them were still as much in love now as they had been ever since they confessed their love to each other on the night of Senior Prom a little over ten years before. And the fact they now had two beautiful daughters together had really secured the deep love they had for each other.

In the last few years, both Jack and Carrie had obtained dual Irish - US citizenship, which meant that they could easily come and go between both countries as and when they pleased, a very useful thing when they needed to visit their respective home countries. They also had bought other substantial properties in Ireland, the U.K., within a few countries on Continental Europe and a few places within the U.S.A. as well so that wherever they went, they always had a place they could call home.

"Hey babe." Jack said, as he and Ava came into the room.

"Hey, hon…all done with the insurance on the cars?" Carrie asked, with a voice and personality that had matured quite well over the last ten years, as she stood and placed little Jessica into her highchair at the table.

"Yes, babe. All done and dusted. The insurance discs should be coming in sometime within the next few days, and that'll be all the cars covered for the next year." Jack said.

"Great, now are you ready for lunch?" Carrie asked, as she sat back down. A moment later, one of the cooks came out from the kitchen, pushing a trolley before him.

"I certainly am. What's on offer for today, John?" asked Jack, as he sat down.

"Well sir, we've got leek and potato soup, along with fresh bread rolls just out of the oven, with pasta and that beefy tomato sauce for Ava." John said, as he set about serving the family their lunch.

"Thanks very much...and has everything we need for the picnic and barbecue tomorrow afternoon been bought?" asked Jack.

"Yes sir, there's more than enough steaks, spareribs, burgers, chicken wings and such for the barbecue and picnic tomorrow. Not to mention plenty of soft drinks too. Oh, we also got extra charcoal for the barbecue as well, so you and your family can have a barbecue this evening as well if you want to." John said.

"Excellent, I'm hoping we'll have a great time tomorrow." Jack said.

Jack had good reason to be pleased; tomorrow was the Fourth of July, Independence Day in the United States, and every year on that date, after the parade in Chamberlain, he and Carrie threw a special barbecue picnic at the house. Those who usually attended would be Jack's parents, his three sisters, Rita and her husband David as well as the other friends Jack had made in Ewen High ten years earlier, including Sue and Tommy, Heather and Roy and Norma and Freddy, and their kids. Then in the evening, once they'd eaten their celebratory feast, they'd all gather together on the big rooftop patio and see the spectacular fireworks display that would usually go on until well into the night.

However, the Fourth of July celebrations this year would be a particularly special event for the Sullivan Family indeed, as it would be the first one ever for little Jessica, and both Jack and Carrie were very eager to see how it would turn out.

(A few minutes later)

Not long after they finished their lunch, Jack received a call on his iPhone and went outside the dining room to answer it. He returned a minute or two later.

"Hey Ava…grandma and grandpa are coming in on the helicopter from the airport. Do you wanna go and meet them?" he asked his eldest daughter.

"Yeah!" Ava said excitedly, as she got out of her chair.

"Okay, go and get your sunhat on and we'll head down to the helipad to greet them." Jack said, as Ava went to find her hat. Since becoming a multi-quadrillionaire, Jack had invested a little of his money into a dozen Sikorsky S-92 luxury helicopters, and he used one of them as his own private transport for getting to his place of work as well as to get to and from the airport as well whenever he or he and his family needed to go on flights on one of their private jets. He also allowed the rest of them to be rented at a price of course, either for celebrities or for rich businesspeople to use if they needed a private helicopter to get about and didn't want to go on the roads. Each S-92 had 9 comfortable plush leather seats in them, and four tables that could fold away when they weren't needed, as well as a lavatory with a sink, a small closet for coats and a small mini-bar area by the main door.

To allow the helicopters to land reasonably close to the main house, Jack had a large round helipad, complete with its own access road, built behind the house and just a little beyond the large lake right in the middle of the part of the estate where the enormous mansion was, and well away from any of the other houses that were nearby.

Soon, Ava had her pink wide brimmed sunhat on, and she and her dad went down in one of the elevators into the large and cavernous underground garage, which had space within it for well over 250 vehicles, although Jack had no intention of acquiring that many. It also had many entranceways to and from the floor above, including a number of elevators and stairs, as well as a few secret entrances and passageways for people and vehicles to go along. Within the garage was an area where maintenance could be carried out on vehicles and in one corner of the space was a special carwash station, with all the equipment that was needed for washing and cleaning the cars, including brushes, hoses and other things for cleaning cars inside and out.

Jack and Ava turned, walked along before they came upon and climbed into one of Jack's larger cars, a large and luxury Rolls Royce in silver, and they set off.

Approaching one of the entrances to this garage, Jack pressed a button on the dashboard which opened the entrance doors at the very back of the house, which slid sideways almost like the doors to a villain's hideaway in a movie, and they drove out along the back of the house and heading to the helipad.

They arrived after no more than two minutes of steady driving and parked behind a very sturdy sheltering wall with overhead cover, before getting out and going into the sheltered hut built by the side of the helipad. There was a radio there so Jack could talk directly to the pilots should he need to.

He and Ava didn't have too long to wait, for no more than a minute or so after they arrived, they heard the sound of helicopter blades in the distance and getting closer and closer to them. Soon the S-92, painted in a bright green livery and named Thunderbird 2, after International Rescue's enormous and iconic rescue freighter from the classic 1965 TV series Thunderbirds, came into view from the south and gently approached the helipad. Ava watched in fascination as the tricycle landing gear came down while the chopper swung round shortly before it was over the helipad.

The noise of the rotors was very loud, even though the hut was insulated to guard against external noise, and little Ava put her hands over her ears, but she still had a smile on her face as she watched the helicopter slowly and gently come to a landing on the helipad outside the hut.

"Okay, that was a very good landing, fellas. Now shut down your engines." Jack said to the two pilots, through the radio mic.

"Yes sir, Mr Sullivan." one of the pilots said, as they reached for the control switches before them and switched off the engines.

After a few seconds, the sounds quickly died down and the rotors came to a stop, leaving behind a brief sudden silence. As Jack and his eldest daughter stepped out from the door and onto the helipad, the entrance way forward in the starboard side opened up, one half going up and the steps going down and Jack's parents, Marie and Liam, stepped out with their bags.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Ava cried excitedly, as she rushed forward to meet her grandparents.

"Hello there, Ava! Oh, it's so good to see you again!" Marie said, as she bent down and threw her arms round her first grandchild, lifting her up and hugging her tightly.

"Hey there, Ava…oh goodness me! You've grown so much since we last saw you!" said her grandfather, as he took Ava from Marie and gave his first grandchild a big hug.

"Hey mom, dad." Jack said, as he stepped forward to greet his parents.

"Hey son, how are things over here?" his father asked, as he shook his son's hand.

"Great, we're all set and ready for the barbecue picnic here after we go to the parade in town tomorrow." Jack said.

"Great, and how's Carrie and our latest granddaughter, Jessica, doing?" Marie asked.

"They're getting on great, and still up at the house right now. The triplets are due to arrive back at the house from town very soon." Jack said, before he turned his attention to the two pilots and stepped over to speak with them.

"Well done, boys, on getting my parents here safely." Jack said.

"It's no problem at all, sir. We're happy to do it." said the first pilot.

"Okay, get yourselves and this chopper back to the airport and then you're free for the rest of today and tomorrow." Jack said.

"Thank you, sir. Will you, or anyone else you know, be needing transport to the airport anytime soon?" the second pilot asked.

"No, I don't think so…but you both know that my parents are gonna be flying back to Ireland in 10 days?" asked Jack.

"Yes, sir. We'll fly them back to the airport when they're ready." the first pilot said.

"Okay, boys…as soon as we're all well clear of this helipad…take off." Jack said, and both pilots smiled and nodded, saying "Yes, sir!".

Once Jack, his daughter and parents with their bags were well clear of the helipad, and the entrance to the helicopter's cabin closed up, the pilots restarted the engines. Slowly at first, the rotor turned, but then it went faster and faster, generating plenty of noise. Then the chopper slowly lifted off the ground, turned south and flew back to the airport, leaving Jack, Ava and his parents watching for a long moment as the noise faded away.

"Come on, let's get you back to the house. You must be tired after your trip from Dublin." Jack said, as he opened the trunk and helped to load the bags in the back.

"Well, son…we are a bit." his father said, as they climbed into the car and buckled up. Jack then started the engine and then drove back towards the main mansion.

"I've brought a very large chocolate cake with me. I baked it yesterday evening, and it should be quite nice with a cup of tea." Marie said. She was sitting in the back with Ava sitting beside her.

"Good, and I'm sure Carrie would like to have some of it too." Jack said, as they approached the mansion. Stopping before the entrance doors, they slid aside automatically, like doors to a bad guy's lair and then Jack drove the car back down into the underground garage before the doors closed behind him.

(Back in the house)

Once parked in the same parking space and the bags unloaded, they went upstairs in the elevator to the main floor. Stepping off into the wide-open main entrance foyer, they noticed Carrie sitting on one of the comfortable red leather couches by the stairs waiting for them with little Jessica in her arms.

"Hey Marie, Liam…" she said, as she stood up and stepped towards them.

"Hi Carrie…oh, how's our latest grandchild doing?" Marie said, as she gently ran her right index finger along little Jessica's cheek and Jessica smiled a little at her grandma's gentle touch.

"She's doing great, Marie. I'm really looking forward to her having her first Fourth of July tomorrow." Carrie said, as she gently handed Jessica to her grandma.

"Oh, look at you…the last time I saw you wasn't long after you were born back in late February. And you were a dotty little thing then." Marie said, as she looked into Jessica's bright blue eyes and smiled down at her.

Just then, there came the sound of the front door opening behind them.

"Hey, everyone!" came the voices of Catherine, Grace and Louise, as they stepped into the main entranceway after their trip into Chamberlain. The triplets were now 25 years old and had completed their final year in their university courses only the year before, with all three graduating with very high honours. Now they were living here over in the United States in their own houses, all with their own household and security staff, and working on their own chosen careers and, it was rumoured, living with the men they met in university who loved them for who they were.

"Hey, you three…" Carrie said, as she greeted her three sisters in law, "…ready for the Fourth of July tomorrow?" she asked.

"Oh, we are, Carrie." Grace said, as she pulled out a small American flag from her pocket.

"Auntie Grace, Louise, Catherine!" Ava said, as she rushed to her three aunts.

"Oh, and how are our two favourite nieces?" Catherine said, as he reached down and picked up Ava and giving her a big hug, as Louise gently took little Jessica from the arms of her mother, Marie, as Carrie looked on with a smile.

"Are you looking forward to seeing the big parade with everyone tomorrow with everyone, Ava?" Grace asked.

"Yes, and I wanna see everything there!" Ava said, excitedly. The Chamberlain Fourth of July celebrations, though not as spectacular as similar Fourth of July parades in big cities like New York or Boston, was an event special enough in its own right, with plenty of fairground like attractions, arts and crafts, competitions, a parade with brightly decorated floats as well as people dressed up with plenty of music and lots of food stalls. There were plenty of activities for children to take part in and even contests to see which person could bake the best Fourth of July cake, pie or dessert, with everyone taking part guaranteed a prize.

"Anyway, would you like to get settled in upstairs and freshen up after your trip and then we could give you a cup of tea down here?" Jack said to his parents.

"Yes please, son." Marie said, as four of the butlers stepped out into the foyer.

"Hank…would you and the others help take the luggage of my parents upstairs to their room please?" asked Jack.

"Yes, sir." Hank said, as he and the other three butlers reached for the bags and, saying "This way to your room please, sir, madam." headed up the stairs to the second floor, with Marie and Liam both following closely behind.

(That evening)

The family were going back and forth from the kitchen to two of the large picnic tables, which sat out on the large and expansive patio at the back of the house and setting it up for dinner. Jack and his father were standing at the impressive outside barbecue kitchen, with its own shelter covering, in the middle of the patio, with two good-sized barbecue grills side by side, and cooking some steaks, chops and burgers as well as corn on the cob and baked potatoes over one of the grills. There was more than enough food available for the barbecue picnic the next day that some could be spared for a family cookout on this fine summer's evening.

Carrie stepped up to the table and placed two large jugs of ice-cold lemonade on it before pouring some from one jug into two glasses and bringing them over to the barbecue, where the smell of charcoal smoke, as well as steaks and burgers grilling over the heat, wafted in through her nostrils.

"Here we are." she said, as she handed the glasses to Jack and his father.

"Thanks, hon." Jack said, as he and his father took the glasses and sipped from them.

"Will it be long before we eat?" she asked, as she poured a glass of lemonade for herself.

"It shouldn't be too long, Carrie. Just a few more minutes." Liam said, as he brought two plates, one laden with cooked steaks, the other with burgers and sausages, over to the table, leaving Jack standing at the grill with two steaks and two beef burgers.

"A perfect evening to have a family dinner outside." Carrie said, as she stood by the side of her husband and looked up at the clear and cloudless early evening sky.

"Yes indeed, babe. And the weather for tomorrow is supposed to be just like it was today; warm, clear and sunny...absolutely perfect weather for July 4th." Jack said, as he briefly looked up at the sky while taking a sip of lemonade from his glass.

It wasn't long before everything was ready and they all sat down at the picnic table, laden with burgers, steaks, sausages, baked potatoes and corn on the cob, and settled down to enjoy their dinner together.

"So, Jack…how are your businesses going?" his father asked, as he took a bite from his burger.

"Everything's going very well, dad. Business, particularly with my model train and model kit company, is much better than I expected it would be." Jack said, as he put some brown sauce over his well-done ribeye steak. After graduating from university six years before, Jack had set up two of his own business ventures, one was a company dedicated to supplying model trains and plastic moulded injection model kits, at different scales, to the U.S. and European markets, supplying kits of planes, tanks and ships that other similar companies had rarely or never thought of supplying.

When it came to model trains, they were sold at OO gauge, which was slightly larger than the HO gauge that most North American railway modellers were used to, and Jack was worried this would cause some difficulties in the United States and Canada. But to his intense relief and satisfaction, the OO gauge locomotives and rolling stock sold extremely well, getting positive feedback about the quality of his company's products, particularly how detailed the locomotives were. And it wasn't just North American locomotives and rolling stock his company, known as Sullivan's Kits N' Trains, supplied to its customers; the company also supplied a lot of British and European steam, diesel and electric locomotives and rolling stock to the North American and European markets as well, seeing a major increase in European and British inspired layouts among North American railroad modellers in particular.

"That sounds good, but what about your second major business?" his mother asked.

"It's going along brilliantly, and the next batch of…I think it's 90 steam locomotives, due for completion very soon." Jack said.

His second company, which was based over in the United Kingdom, heavily specialised in re-creating lost steam locomotive classes from the late 19th Century all the way to the late 1960's, as well as reinstating lost railway lines within Britain where it was realistically possible to do so. The company was based at a massive, main line connected rail depot between the British cities of Crewe and Manchester.

The depot, built by British Railways back in the late 1960's and early 70's for building and maintaining their then new diesel fleet, had a length of 40 football fields (13,800 feet) with a width of 25 football fields (5625 feet). Within its walls was a series of buildings, the largest of which was 7,500 feet long by 3,500 feet wide and used for the construction, maintenance and overhaul of locomotives and rolling stock for Britain's railway preservation movement, which was no mean feat as the works was lavishly equipped with everything that was needed for the construction, dismantling and reassembly of locomotives, including travelling overhead cranes and winches.

There were offices and conference rooms along one side of the building where drawings for brand new classes of steam locomotives were drawn, or changes made to existing designs, such as increasing the diameter of the cylinders or increasing the boiler pressures for increased tractive effort. And many of the already existing steam locomotive designs were increasingly experimented with, in order to develop steam locomotive technology as far as it would go. There was a lot of talk in the British press about the irony of a place that used to build and overhaul diesel locomotives, which had replaced steam traction, was now being used to build and overhaul steam locomotives.

Jack had also heavily invested some of his money in other facilities for his business, such as factories for fabricating locomotive cylinders and construction of steam locomotive boilers, as well as foundries for casting wheels, chimneys and such. He also had bought a dozen coal mines throughout the U.K., including four down in South Wales, with the intention of supplying good quality steam coal solely for British steam locomotives, traction engines and other steam driven vehicles.

His business provided employment for around 15,000 people, many of whom were keen railway enthusiasts and just as eager as their boss to see as many lost steam locomotives as possible brought back to life to run on Britain's railway system again, as well as new locomotive classes based on original designs. Since the business had started, they had already constructed well over 600 steam locomotives, many of which were now running on Britain's mainline network or heritage railways and were currently in the process of building another 500 steam locomotives, of which 90 were due for completion in the very near future.

Jack had brought his family, parents and sisters there the year before, when Carrie was in the very early stages of being pregnant with Jessica, and showed them around the works on a Sunday, when the works were closed. They were all astonished by the size of the works and how many steam locomotives there were within the place. Either they were existing ones being overhauled for railway museums, heritage railways or private owners in the U.K. over in one part of the works, or brand-new steam locomotives in various stages of completion and assembly on something resembling an assembly line in another part of the works, with newly cut and machined frames being assembled at one end of the facility with the steam locomotives that were nearing completion over at the other end. The near-complete locomotives were already standing on their wheel sets and with the cylinders, boilers, smokeboxes, cabs and other major parts installed, with only smaller detail work and the painting left to complete before the engines could be steamed for the first time.

Not only that, but Jack had also heavily invested some of his money into Britain's railway preservation movement, helping various teams throughout the U.K. to finish their own projects of building lost or new steam locomotives or helping various heritage railways in the U.K. to expand their services, make repairs to their infrastructure or to lengthen their lines by reopening sections that had been closed for some years.

And he'd also invested heavily in Ireland's railway network as well, helping to really improve the Irish railway system by relaying and reopening certain lines that had been closed and lifted in the late 1950's and early 1960's - thus allowing rail access to many parts of Ireland that had lost their rail connections years before, opening new lines in the country, such as within County Donegal, as well as investing in new high-speed electric trains that helped to speed up the passenger services on the lines that ran from Dublin to Cork, Belfast, Sligo, Galway and other Irish cities, as well as building replicas of lost Irish steam locomotives to run on the Irish railway network.

"You mentioned something about building some brand-new classes of locomotive? And how's that going?" Carrie asked, as she tucked into a baked potato.

"It's going great, and the first new examples will, hopefully, be able to steam for the very first-time towards the end of this month of at the start of August." Jack said. One of the new steam classes being built in the U.K. was a 2-8-2 three-cylinder version of the two-cylinder BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 heavy freight locomotives. The cylinder diameter and piston stroke were the same as on the 9F, 20 inches by 28 inches, with wheels that were 5 foot 8 inches in diameter as opposed to the 9F driving wheel diameter of 5 feet. There was another identical design in the works with driving wheels that were slightly smaller at 5 foot 3 inches.

When the news was released to the British public that two new steam locomotive classes had been designed and approval had been given by the relevant railway authorities in the U.K. to have a few of each built, considerable interest arose among the many thousands of British railway enthusiasts and the railway press covered the news of the new projects in great detail in almost all the magazines and websites.

Jack did have quite a few other business ventures too, including renewable energy - in which he had invested particularly heavily, as well as investing in the stock market, real estate, various charities - nationally and internationally, and diversifying among different trust funds and bonds. The end result was that he had been incredibly successful, with a net worth well in excess of well over $175 quadrillion, making him one of the most successful young businessmen of all time.

"And how's your business, Carrie?" Grace asked, turning to her telekinetic sister-in-law.

"Everything's going very well, Grace. I'm amazed there's so much demand for the clothing and fashion designs I make." Carrie said, with a smile. After she finished in her university course and graduated with high honours, Carrie set up her own clothing design and fashion business, with products for men, women and children, as well as wedding dresses. When she began, she needed the money to get her business kickstarted and Jack had been more than happy to give his wife the necessary finance she needed to get her business going - and quite a bit more besides. Ever since then, her business had grown and grown - making Carrie a very successful young businesswoman, with her products in high demand all over the U.S.A and Canada, and Carrie was thinking of expanding her business over to Europe and other countries. Not only that, she was also thinking of expanding her products to include things like makeup and cosmetics.

"I'm very pleased to see that everything's going well for you both. It's just like us with the branches of Sullivan's Bakeries we've set up here on this side of the Atlantic." Catherine said. After the triplets had graduated the previous year, they had been quite busy with their own businesses and investments too. One of their main business ventures had been busy setting up branches of their grandmother's bakery over in the States. Already there were 20 bakeries set up in the North-eastern United States, including one in Chamberlain, one in Portland, Maine, three in Boston and four each in New York City, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, along with 24 bakeries having been set up within the U.K, including four based in London.

"And Jack, will we be sitting outside on the balcony of the bakery in town to see the parade tomorrow afternoon?" his mother asked, as she took a bite of her steak.

"Yes, mother. The bakery will be closed just before the parade starts tomorrow and all of us will be able to sit out on the balcony on the second floor with our friends and watch the parade go by." Louise said.

"Good, I don't wanna stand among the crowds of people at the sides of the road, especially considering how rich we are." Marie said, as the others agreed with her.

(Later, after dinner)

Once they had finished their dinner and the dirty dishes were taken back into the kitchen, the big chocolate cake Marie had brought over was brought out, along with bowls, a knife, spoons, mugs, a bottle of milk and two pots of tea as well as a big tub of homemade bourbon vanilla ice cream that Carrie had made. After graduating from university, one of the things Carrie had tried her hand at doing, and had mastered very well, in the last few years was the art of ice cream making, and she proved very good at it.

"And here's one of the latest batches of ice cream I've made." Carrie said, as she placed the tub of ice cream in the middle of the table.

"I hope it tastes just as nice as the other ice cream you've made." Louise said, as she started cutting slices from the chocolate cake and putting them onto the plate.

"It should do, Louise. After all, I've already tried some a little earlier on and it should be fine for us all." Carrie said, as she reached for the ice cream scoop and started putting her homemade ice cream into the bowls.

They soon settled down at the picnic table and enjoyed their dessert and tea while watching the sun as it slowly set off to the west. They really enjoyed the cake, but also in particular enjoyed Carrie's rich and creamy homemade vanilla ice cream.

"Hmm, this is really fantastic ice cream, Carrie. A job really well done on this." Marie said, savouring the ice cream while looking towards her daughter in law.

"Thanks, Marie. I've been refining the recipe in the last few months, and I think this is one of the best batches yet." Carrie said, as she smiled while enjoying her dessert.

"Indeed…but there's one thing I want to ask you, Carrie." Catherine asked.

"What is it, Catherine?" Carrie asked, before taking a sip of tea.

"Do you…ever plan to introduce your kids to your mother?" Catherine said.

"Oh, I'm afraid not, Catherine. I haven't had any contact with my mom for the last ten years, ever since she went into psychiatric care over in Arkham…and I'd kind of like to keep it that way." Carrie said, as she smiled at her sister-in-law.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Carrie…I was just…" Catherine said.

"Hey, it's all right…I know you're just curious about it." Carrie said, with a smile, as Catherine smiled back, somewhat relieved. Jack felt himself smile a little; he deeply understood why Carrie never wanted to see her mother again, being fearful of what she might do to their kids, considering the horrible experience that she herself had gone through when she was young. And he didn't ever want Ava or Jessica to go through what their mother had gone through when she was growing up.

(Next morning; 8:30am, breakfast)

"Good morning, everyone." Jack said, as he came into the main dining room, shaved, showered and appropriately dressed for a warm summer's day, with little Jessica, in a pink onesie, in his arms and Ava, still in her pyjamas and wearing her slippers, following along behind.

"Morning, Jack." everyone said, as he gently placed Jessica into her highchair before he went into the kitchen, where some of the cooks would be working away preparing breakfast, and Ava sat on a chair beside her auntie Louise.

"Well today's the day…July 4th." Grace said, as she munched on her batter waffle topped with maple syrup and thin slices of strawberries.

"Yeah, and I can't wait to see the parade." Marie said, as she tucked into her breakfast, consisting of a bowl of Greek yoghurt with berries, a plate with bacon and fried eggs and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what floats they have going by this year." Carrie said, as she came back into the dining room with a baby bottle in her hand. She went over to Jessica, gently pulled her out from her highchair, sat her down on her lap and began feeding her.

A moment later, Jack stepped back out from the kitchen with a plate piled high with freshly cooked waffles, some of them made with chocolate batter, in one hand and a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice in the other. His father followed behind a few seconds afterwards, with a silver pot full of freshly brewed hot coffee in one hand and a plate piled high with sausages and fried bacon in the other.

"It's a perfect day today…just take a look at that sky." Liam said, as he looked outside the wide windows; the sky was a clear blue with no clouds to be seen for miles, and the sun shone brightly, promising a gorgeous July day.

"Indeed, and let's hope it stays that way, dad." Catherine said, as she took a sip of tea. Jack placed a chocolate batter waffle, still warm from one of the waffle makers, on a yellow plastic plate and handed it to Ava, who had just finished her bowl of cornflakes in milk.

"Would you like anything else with that, Ava?" her dad asked.

"Could I have some maple syrup please, daddy?" Ava asked.

"Certainly." Jack said, as he reached for the little bottle of Canadian maple syrup, which happened to be made in the form of a Canadian maple leave, and slowly drizzled some over the waffle.

"And enjoy, Ava." Jack said, as Ava tucked into her chocolate batter waffle.

"So, what's the plan for today, Jack?" his father asked, as he sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Well, the others will be coming over between ten and half past this morning and bringing with them the goodies they've prepared for the picnic and barbecue this afternoon. Once the food they've brought is safely stored away until later, we'll head into town and see the parade and the different attractions that have been set up." Jack said, as he started on his breakfast, including pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

"What time's the parade starting?" his mother asked.

"At about half past one this afternoon, and it'll go on for about an hour and a half. And then we all should be back here sometime before four o clock or shortly afterwards, ready to get the barbecue started for the picnic out back." Jack said, as he tucked into his breakfast.

(Later that morning)

By half past ten, all Jack and Carrie's friends had arrived at the house, having been collected by one of the drivers who picked them up at their respective houses in Chamberlain before bringing them up to the Sullivan Estate. This arrangement was made so that Jack and Carrie's friends wouldn't have to bring their cars up with them, particularly as it was likely that beer and cocktails would be served at the barbecue picnic they would be having.

The first to step into the house were Tommy and Sue Ross (née Snell), both happily married for the last six years, and their two daughters, 9-year-old Rebecca and 2-year-old Veronica. Sue and Rebecca had prepared two special pull-apart cupcake cakes, each made of about 60 cupcakes formed into a rectangle and stuck with icing to a wide board and then covered with red, white and blue frosting to form the American flag. For Sue and Rebecca, these two creations were a labour of love, and they spent a long time making sure the frosting on top resembled the American flag to a "T" with as few imperfections as they realistically could get away with.

Next to step in were Freddy and Norma Holt (née Watson), both of whom had been happily married for the last five years and with a four-year-old son named Rupert. They had brought along a selection of jelly desserts in small glasses with red, white and blue Jell-O layers, symbolizing the American flag, as well as two trays of rich fudge brownies, topped with red, white and blue smarties on tray and icing on the other tray.

Roy and Heather Evarts (née Shyres), who stepped in next, had been happily married for the last five years and had a four-year-old daughter named Vanessa and another baby due to arrive either in late October or early November. They had brought along two big strawberry and blueberry pies as well as a selection of bite-sized desserts and small pastries.

David and Rita Roberts (née Desjardin) were the last to step into the building. They had been married happily for the last seven years and had a five-year-old daughter named Bonnie and another child on the way, which was due to arrive sometime in late November of early December. They had brought along a peach pie, which was an old recipe of David's grandmother, as well as a more traditional apple cinnamon pie.

"Well, everyone it's great to see you all again…and this is sure a fine buffet of desserts for later on today." Jack said, as all the desserts were brought into the kitchen to be stored in one of the refrigerators until later.

"Thanks, Jack. I'm sure we all put a lot of effort into making those desserts, and I really hope you'll all enjoy them." Sue said.

"Those cupcakes look very nice, Sue. And getting all that icing put together must've taken up quite a bit of time." Marie said.

"Well Mrs Sullivan…the triplets really taught us quite a lot over the last few years. So, I think I've gotten the hang of it." Sue said.

"So, when about are we gonna be leaving to see the parade in town?" David asked.

"Well, the parade is due to commence at half one, so if we leave here in about 10 minutes or so, we could park in the parking lot behind the bakery and then head out to enjoy the festival in town and then the parade later." Jack said.

"Excellent, so everyone if any of you need to use the bathroom before we go into town, you may as well take the opportunity to do so now." Liam announced, as some of the group took the chance to do just that.

"And we also need to be sure we all put some sun cream on as well. It's a really nice day out and we don't wanna get sunburnt today." Rita said.

"And I need to put the flags up outside the front door." Jack said suddenly remembering, as he went over to one of the storage cabinets, opened the doors and took out two neatly folded American flags.

"I'll help you with that." Tommy said.

"Me too." Freddy said, and giving a nod, Jack, Tommy and Freddy headed out the front door with the two flags.

At the two flagpoles on the other side of the driveway from the main entrance, they unfurled the flags, fixed them to the lines and, slowly pulling on the cords, raised them up to the very top of the poles. A very light breeze sprung up and unfurled the flags, causing them to flutter very gently. Once the lines were secured in place, Jack, Tommy and Freddy looked up and saluted the two flags as they gently fluttered in the breeze, before they turned and head back inside the house.

(A short while later)

Soon, everyone was ready to go, having put on sun cream and grabbed their sunhats, sunglasses as well as anything else they needed for the day and went down the stairs into the underground garage, where one of the large minibuses stood ready and waiting.

"Okay, hop aboard everyone!" Jack said, as he opened the sliding side door and the group clambered aboard, heading for the seats and fastening their safety belts.

"Has security swept the area of Chamberlain where the bakery is, son?" Marie asked, as she stepped aboard.

"Yes mother, I've been told that security thoroughly looked over the area and it's all safe. But a few undercover security officers are also in place as well, just to be on the safe side." Jack said, reassuring his mother.

"And we'll be under escort by some cars with security agents in them, there and back again." Carrie said, as she climbed in behind her mother-in-law. Carrie was right; just outside the entrance to the estate, were half a dozen identical minibuses filled with security officers who worked for Jack. They had the all-important job of ensuring their boss, his family and friends enjoyed their Fourth of July without any mishaps.

Once everyone was aboard and Jack had climbed into the minibus, the driver started the engine and moved the bus forward to the main entrance, marked by a set of double doors, and pressing a button on a remote control fitted on the dashboard, opened the doors which opened to the sides. When the doors were open, he drove out and down the main driveway to the already open main gates, where the convoy of security vehicles was waiting for them. Joining up with them, they headed down the road to Chamberlain with all of them eager to enjoy this year's Fourth of July celebrations.

Arriving at the bakery in town, which was very close to the mall, the driver moved away from the security vehicles and parked in the large open parking area just behind the bakery, where the people who worked at the bakery would usually park. Here they would be able to park in safety, without anyone else in town having to see them park there.

"And here we are." Catherine said as she stepped off the minibus, with the others following closely behind her.

"So, we'll all head off to enjoy what's on here and then we'll meet up back here at about half twelve so we can all head inside and up to the balcony so we can see the parade." Jack said, as he helped Ava off the minibus and then helped to set up the pram before Carrie placed little Jessica into it.

"Agreed, besides there's so much here today, I think we should all take advantage of it before the parade starts." Heather said, as she helped little Vanessa off the minibus.

"Absolutely. And let's enjoy the weather while it's nice too." Louise said, as she looked up to the sky just after putting on her sunglasses.

"Yeah, come on everyone. Let's go." Liam said, as they started for the gate. Before he, his wife and kids left, Jack spoke briefly with the minibus driver, telling him when they expected to be brought back up to the house in the afternoon. Afterwards, the driver went off too, to meet up and enjoy the day with his own family.

With protection from some security guards, a number of whom were dressed in normal, casual attire so as to blend in with the crowds, Jack and his wife, two daughters and parents made their way along to the Fourth of July fair set up in much of the mall's parking lot. There were stalls by the dozens, many of which were serving food and many serving gifts and souvenirs to celebrate Independence Day, as well as many different rides on offer, including a Ferris Wheel, bumper cars, high slides and a number of different carousel rides.

"Are we ready to have a good time today?" Liam said, as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Being here reminded him of going to the funfair when he was younger, and that buzz of excitement of being here still went through him even now.

"Yeah, we all are." Louise said, as she looked round in anticipation of the rides she wanted to go on.

"Well, come on. Let's all go and enjoy ourselves before the parade…and give these two a good day." Carrie said, as she looked to Ava, standing by her side, and then to Jessica in her pram before her.

Yeah, I think you're right. Let's go then." Jack said, and they went off to enjoy themselves with their friends.

For the next two hours or so, they went about through the carnival enjoying the different fairground rides; at one point, Jack and Ava went onto one of the bumper cars while Liam and Marie went on another and among other people on the other cars, they had a great time bumping about into each other and other cars. Ava laughed out, as did her dad, as he fondly remembered being on bumper cars like this when he was young.

At the side of the track, the triplets, Carrie and Jessica, and their friends along with a lot of other people watched as the cars went round, bumped into each other and then came to a halt when it was time for other people to go on the cars.

Not long after, they made their way to the towering Ferris Wheel not too far away and boarded some of the enclosed capsules. Then they went up nearly two hundred feet at a slow steady pace, and when they reached the top, they had a great view of the town of Chamberlain and the hills in the distance. The young kids were amazed by the view of the town they lived in and excitedly pointed out places they could see to their friends, while their parents and other adults just talked with each other about it being nice to see the town from up here instead of on ground level.

Jack, as per usual at special events like these, had his camera with him by his side and snapped photos of interest, including of his family enjoying the day, especially little Jessica enjoying her very first Fourth of July. Once they were off the Ferris Wheel, they went off to see more of the stalls, as Liam wanted to have a look at one of the other stalls, which seemed to have some sort of game where prizes could be won.

(Later: 1:20pm)

All the group was sitting down together at the tables on the large balcony of the bakery's second floor, eager to see the parade start. Jack was busy extending the awning out from the wall mounted over the windows and double entrance doors, so they'd be sheltered from the sun while they watched the parade go by. Coolers with drinks and picnic hampers with food had been brought up so they could have a nice picnic.

They'd all had a great time at the carnival, where they'd gone on many of the rides and had even tried their hands at some of the different games at some of the stalls, where some had won prizes; Sue had tried her hand at the High Striker, getting the little puck all the way to the top with a loud "ding", and had won a stuffed orange fish, which she gave to little Veronica to hold onto. Jack had tried his hand at trying to shoot basketballs into a net five times in a row, but he missed on three occasions. The others had all tried different games and some had won prizes but others hadn't, yet they didn't mind at all as they were all in good spirits.

"I can't wait to see what's gonna go by this year." Carrie said, as she sat down on one of the seats with little Jessica on her lap.

"Me too, and I hope that we'll see some different floats this year." Rita said, as she sat beside her former ward with her own daughter on her lap, but being careful to not let Bonnie lean too much against her slow growing baby bump. But after a few moments, Bonnie got off and went over to play with the other kids.

"So, how's the little boy getting on? Is David still being over-protective, just as he was when you were pregnant with Bonnie?" Carrie asked, as she looked at her former guardian. Rita sighed in slight annoyance and looked over at her husband, who smiled a little while turning his head away. Rita was still teaching at Ewen High School and was currently on summer break, as was the other teachers and students, but she was scheduled to take maternity leave come late November or early December.

"Well Carrie…the little boy's doing just fine I'm pleased to say. We went to the doctor two days ago and everything looks grand. But…as to my husband…I swear he's taking the idea of being overprotective just a little bit too far. Do you know what he suggested we do?" Rita asked, as Carrie shook her head. "He suggested we line the walls of the new baby's room with bulletproof plates and he also suggested we install security cameras round the house, just like at your place, as well as even thinking of getting a guard dog. But I talked him out of the last one, as I'm not too keen on being around those kinds of dogs, and especially not having dogs like that around very young children. Anyway I'm allergic to fur and feathers." Rita said.

"You're not alone there…" Sue said, as she turned her head to her former gym teacher, "…when I was pregnant first with Rebecca and then Veronica, Tommy wouldn't leave me alone. He doted over everything I did, and did help me with getting me to my doctor appointments when I needed to go see the doctor." Sue said

"Yeah…I know how you both feel about that." Carrie said, as she remembered. "Jack was exactly the same when I was pregnant with Ava...and then Jessica not too recently. He did think about buying all sorts of weapons to help keep the house safe, but I successfully talked him out of it. Besides, the house…and the rest of the estate for that matter, already has a very good, hi-tech security system as it is and we don't need to have any real weapons in the house…in addition to my husband's already extensive collection of original de-activated weapons." Carrie said.

She was being truthful about that; her husband had, in the last few years, amassed quite an impressive collection of original World War II era and Korean War era infantry weapons, all on display in one of the large rooms at the mansion. And Jack had documents in their own filing cabinets to prove that every single weapon had been de-activated as a safety precaution. Most of the weapons were on display behind glass casings fitted to the walls with the largest ones, like machine guns and portable anti-tank weapons, on display on tables under glass cabinets.

"Oh, I know how you feel; Roy's the very same with me…especially as my due date gets closer by the day." Heather said, as she rested down in her chair, lined with a single one-piece cushion designed to fit over the seat and back.

"And how's the cravings been?" Carrie asked, looking to Rita and then to Heather.

"Oh, they're quite typical for pregnancy…ice cream, potato chips, pickles, fruit and baked goods to name the cravings I'm having in this pregnancy, and not to mention the backpain I've been having from time to time in the last few weeks." Rita said, as she settled back on the long wicker settee.

"My cravings so far have been baked goods, ice cream, fruit juice and chocolate. But at the same time though, the morning sickness so far hasn't been too bad." Heather said, as she placed her hands on her pregnant stomach.

"I know how you ladies feel or felt about that…I went through all the same things as you all did as well when I was pregnant with Rupert…cravings, morning sickness for much of the time, backpain and all...and an overprotective husband." Norma Watson said, as she sat down beside them all.

Since graduating from Ewen High 10 years before, Sue, Heather and Norma had gone on to be successful in their chosen career paths; Norma had gone on to run her own business which helped people make arrangements for special events and occasions such as birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, parties, banquets and such. She proved to be a very successful woman in that regard and was in constant demand throughout much of Maine due to her good organisational skills and ability to maintain a cool head when working under pressure.

Freddy, Norma's husband, had set up his own photography business after graduating from college and began taking photos for people at events like weddings and high-class social events, which got him noticed by a lot of very famous clients like famous celebrities, including actors, singers, and song writers, as well as film makers.

Sue had gone on to be successful too. After graduating college, she and Tommy got married and had gone onto their chosen careers. Sue became a successful journalist and author, and had already won several prizes for her work, as well as having published two novels, both of which had gone on to become best sellers.

Tommy had gone on to play professional baseball for the Major Baseball League, and in the years since he started, he had made a fabulous career in the sport, including scoring two home runs in one game the year before at Fenway Park in Boston.

Heather had gone on to be a marketing specialist and advertisement designer for an advertising company based at a large business park not too far outside of Chamberlain, but she was due to go on maternity leave in September. Her husband Roy had gone on to set up his own book publishing and editing company which published books of all genres, as well as for all authors ranging from veteran bestselling writers who'd published great books many times before as well as brand new writers trying to publish their own books.

"So how are your new dress designs coming along, Carrie?" Maria asked, as she took a bottle of water out from a cooler and opened it.

"They're coming along great. I'll show them all to you when we're back at the house later. I'm sure you'll be impressed." Carrie said to her mother-in-law. They then glanced over at the older kids, lining the railing of the balcony waiting for the parade to start.

"It looks like the kids are all eager to see the parade." Rita said, as she glanced over to Bonnie.

"Yeah, it should be starting in just a few minutes more." Norma said, as she looked at her watch; it was 1:25pm.

(With the men)

Jack had his iPad out and was showing the other men, including his father, pictures of the latest projects he'd been working on, from both his model train company and his company in the UK building full sized steam locomotives,

"And so…hopefully we're gonna have the latest versions of the Great Western 43XX 2-6-0's and LNER V4 2-6-2's on the shelves of hobby stores all over the country near the end of October, just in time for the Christmas season." Jack said, as he showed them pictures of the new model locomotives in the different liveries.

"I heard that the sales of the some of the latest locomotives and cars your company's had on offer have been quite good." Tommy said, as he sipped on a bottle of cold water.

"That's right, Tommy. Some of the best-selling locomotives so far this year have been the GWR 47XX 2-8-0's, the LNER P2 2-8-2's and the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway 7F 2-8-0's, and we're hoping to see that more of our products, including the new forthcoming 1/56 scale models kits of the M1A2 Abrams tank, the M48 Patton tank and Soviet T-72 tank, will prove to be best-sellers, particularly in the run up to Christmas." Jack said.

"And what about the full-size locomotives that are being built over in the UK right now?" Roy asked.

"Well…here's replica B.R. 9F 2-10-0 no.92060 nearing completion…" Jack said, as he brought up another photo on his iPad, "…and she should be up and running under her own steam sometime a little later this year over at the Great Central Railway. As she ran in B.R. days on the roundabout iron ore runs from Tyne Dock to Consett, she'll have twin Westinghouse air pumps fitted on the fireman's side of the running plate and will haul an authentic line of nine replica iron ore wagons being pulled behind her, thus recreating something from the past that's been lost for many years." Jack said as he showed another photo, this time of a line of replica iron ore twin-bogie hopper wagons that once ran on the arduous route from Tyne Dock to Consett.

"I also heard that you managed to get the 9F's back running on the British main line network." Liam said, as he looked at his son.

"Yeah, I did…and boy the strings that I had to pull in order to do that…that was a bitch to get that done." Jack said, looking up into the sky as his father and the other boys round him chuckled. Until earlier on in the year, the B.R. Standard 9F's and other locomotives with flangeless driving wheelsets had been banned from running on the U.K. main line network for fear that raised checkrails on points would cause a derailment, even though there was very little, if any, evidence to prove that.

However, Jack and his team at his works, all of whom very much wanted to see the 9F's, particularly the new ones they were building, running on the main line again, had carried out am extremely thorough feasibility study, including detailed computer modelling simulations, to prove to the relevant U.K. railway authorities that flangeless driving wheels wouldn't be a problem.

But in the end, after consulting with the railway authorities based in London, they had to make a compromise with the design so the 9F's could run main line; the centre driving wheelset was redesigned so that it had a flange on it that was a little shallower than the flanges on the other driving wheelsets, but was enough to allow the 9F's back on the main line again and the authorities agreed to the change.

Yet the original flangeless centre wheelset design was also retained, which would be fitted when the 9F's ran on heritage railways so they'd look in their original conditions.

And on March 10th 2027, a replica of the doyen of the 9F's, No.92000, looking very smart in her highly polished, unlined BR black livery and fully fitted out to run on the mainline, including the necessary electronic equipment and air-brakes, and a larger tender running on four axles instead of three with increased water supply, departed with a special rail-tour of 14 coaches, including a support coach, from Bristol Temple Meads station on a trip to Stoke on Trent via the Lickey Incline at Bromsgrove and Birmingham, a distance of almost 140 miles. It was the first time that a BR Standard 9F had run on the UK mainline network since sister 9F No.92220 Evening Star back in the late 1980's and, as a result, the trip was completely sold out.

The trip proved a massive success and went very smoothly, with No.92000 reaching speeds in excess of 70mph at times, though they did need a diesel unit pushing at the back to help the train up the Lickey Incline when they arrived at Bromsgrove, and proving, without doubt, that the new wheelset was more than up to the job that being asked of it. On arrival at its destination of Stoke on Trent North, the train was met by a large cheering crowd of railway enthusiasts, all pleased to see a 9F back on the main line again. In fact on the journey, the lineside had been crowded with countless numbers of railway enthusiasts, who were eager and very pleased to see a B.R. Standard 9F showing what it could do on the mainline again.

Among the passengers aboard the train had been a large number of important officials and V.I.P.s from various U.K. railway companies, all keen to see how No.92000 would perform and all pleased to see the engine and train had made it to its destination without any serious problems.

However, Jack had been unable to attend that trip due to the fact that his wife Carrie had just given birth to little Jessica about two weeks before, which meant he really wanted to stay home in Chamberlain to help with his new daughter. So, he sent someone from the company to represent him and to send back a full report of what had taken place. He was very pleased to receive the report not long after and read that No.92000 had performed admirably and the new wheelset had performed without any problems, as well as to hear that the amount of coal and water used had been very economical.

"And how should the new locomotive designs perform when they go into service?" Tommy asked, as he munched on a sandwich.

"They should do quite well, Tommy. After all, we did extensive computer modelling of the designs before we started construction so there shouldn't be any problems." Jack said.

Just then, there came an announcement over a P.A. system from somewhere nearby.

"Okay, this is it everyone. Time for the parade to start." came the voice of the announcer, and almost simultaneously the crowds lining both sides of the street cheered loudly and waved U.S. flags as the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, began to play over the P.A. system followed not long afterwards by The Stars and Stripes Forever. And then, the parade began.

For the next hour and forty-five minutes, they watched as float after float went by, along with marching bands and people marching in American costumes, including Uncle Sam, and many of whom were playing American patriotic songs on musical instruments, including brass ones which shone in the bright summer sun.

Some of the parade floats, some being towed by heavy vehicles, were brightly decorated, many of which were flying American flags, and having symbols of the United States mounted on them including bald eagles, as well as sayings like "Land of the free, home of the brave" on their sides. Some of the floats had so many brightly coloured helium filled balloons tied to them that Jack swore they may float off the ground.

Other floats were in the shapes of fireworks or rockets and they had kids or teens in them waving to those in the crowds on both sides of the street, and one float came by that had the top half of the Statue of Liberty fixed to it and another went by with Mount Rushmore. Even vehicles from the emergency services took part; two fire engines, spotlessly clean and decked out in red, white and blue banners and balloons, went by with the firefighters aboard them waving out to the crowds lining both sides of the streets while sounding their sirens briefly every now and then.

Other floats were just a mix of things that were in the imagination of those who made them; there was one in the form of a large flatbed truck that had brown varnished wooded planks round it, to resemble a boat, with American flags on each corner, with brightly coloured balloons in the middles, red, white and blue ribbons hanging along the sides and seats for those riding on the float to sit on as they went by the crowds. There were a few floats in the parade that were like that, each a shining example of the various levels of ingenuity of the people who had made them, clearly showing that necessity is the mother of invention.

By 3:15pm, the parade came to an end as the last parts of it, some people in two lines of sparkling white golf carts, each decked out in red, white and blue ribbons and carrying American flags went by. And with that, satisfied from seeing the parade and eager to get home and have a good barbecue, the group on the balcony left and headed to the parking lot behind the bakery, boarded the minibus and were soon on their way back to the Sullivan estate.

(Back at the Sullivan mansion)

As soon as they arrived back in the estate and had the minibus safely back in the air conditioned underground garage, they went up and started preparations for the barbecue; Jack, his father and some of the other boys went up to the back patio to get the charcoal in the barbecue lit up and ready to go, while the women went to get the kids ready to swim in the pool before they went to get food ready to go in the large kitchen adjacent to the patio.

It wasn't long before the fresh chunks of charcoal in the two barbecue grills were soon lit up and smoking away. As the coals ignited and began heating up, the familiar blue hazy smoke rose up into the air, and Jack took in a deep sniff of it.

"Now that's a great smell." Jack said, as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation while memories of summer barbecues from his youth back in Ireland filled his head.

"We should be ready to start cooking in about 15 or 20 minutes, and I'm really eager to enjoy today's dinner." Tommy said, as he handed Jack a can of Coca Cola, ice-cold having been taken from a cooler filled with crushed ice.

"Thanks, Tommy." Jack said, as he took a swig and savoured the cold, sweet, fizzy taste.

"It reminds me of having similar summer barbecues with my family when I was much younger, where some relatives who lived elsewhere in the country would come visit and we'd have a celebratory barbecue in the backyard on bright summer evenings." David said, as he sipped a can of beer.

"And you still haven't gotten any pets, exotic or otherwise, for this mansion yet have you, Jack?" Roy asked, as he popped open a can of soda.

"No Roy, I'm not really too keen on getting any pets, exotic or otherwise, for this building to be honest. I really don't want to waste any money on something I don't really need or have any use for. Also, a number of the staff who work here are allergic to fur and feathers so I need to think of them as well." Jack said.

"That seems fair enough." Tommy said, as he poured himself a glass of homemade lemonade from one of the jugs sitting on the closest of the picnic tables.

Then the sliding door to the dining room opened up and the kids, all of whom were now in their swimwear, with many of the younger ones, including Ava, wearing inflatable armbands while Rebecca had an inflatable swimming ring round her waist, stepped out and headed over to the pool for a much-needed swim on such a warm day, where there was a shallow area along with a slide which twisted down to the pool and had its own water pump to allow water to flow down the slide allowing those going down the slide to move freely at a good speed.

It wasn't only the kids in their swimsuits, as Sue, with Veronica in her arms, and Norma were also in their swimwear too so they could keep an eye on the kids while they were in the pool, but they also had on wide brimmed sunhats and sunglasses.

Just down the steps from the patio was the second of the outdoor swimming pools of the Sullivan Mansion, which was much larger than the one up on the patio and also had several waterslides, each of which twisted and turned before ending up at the water. It also had its own waterfall which poured down from a high cliff right by the deep end of the pool, with several cabanas sitting on the patio round the pool along with an outdoor bar area, complete with barstools, and an additional sheltered barbecue and outdoor kitchen area very close to the main pool. However, everyone would be staying round the smaller pool within the patio above for the time being.

The kids all jumped into the pool and began swimming in the cool water with Sue and Norma following, although they simply stepped into the pool with water up to their waists and sat down on a ledge lining two sides of the pool just under the surface with the water up to their chests and kept a close eye on the kids as they swam about. Meanwhile, the triplets began readying the tables, including putting up the parasols and placing drinks, already sitting in buckets of crushed ice, onto the tables where anyone could grab them.

"Babe, did you and Norma make sure to put an extra layer of sun-cream on the kids before they went into the pool?" Tommy asked Sue, as he came over to the pool and handed her a glass of lemonade.

"Yes honey, we did. Don't worry." Sue said reassuringly, as she took the glass and started sipping from it.

"Don't worry, Tommy. We used the highest factor of sunscreen we brought with us, so they're all prepared for this sunny day." Norma said with a smile, as Freddy came up to his wife and handed her a glass full of lemonade too. Norma gratefully accepted the glass, while giving her husband a kiss in gratitude.

After a few minutes, both barbecue grills had heated up nicely, with the smoke rising off the barbecues having gone now that the coals had all been ignited and allowed to heat up. Over the last few minutes, everything they needed for dinner, burgers, steaks, chops, kebabs, potatoes wrapped in tinfoil, ribs, hotdogs, sausages and corn on the cob were set up on the counter beside them and ready. With that, Jack and David were placing the first steaks and burgers onto the grills over the hot coals, with Jack looking after one grill and David keeping a close eye on the other one. Soon the sound of sizzling, and the smell of cooking, filled the air as smoke rose over the barbecue when melted fat dripped onto the hot coals.

"And we should be ready to eat soon." Jack said, as he put another ribeye steak onto the grill. Behind him, Carrie, Marie, the triplets and Heather had begun to lay the picnic tables ready for them all to eat once all the steaks, burgers, ribs, kebabs, baked potatoes and corn had been cooked. Burger buns and hotdog buns had also been lightly toasted over the coals. From the kitchen, Tommy, Roy and Liam brought out more food for the barbecue, including potatoes wrapped in kitchen foil, plates of kebabs made up with pieces of meat and vegetables, more steaks and burgers.

"Yeah, and with so many people here to cook for today, it's better to have two grills to get all the food we need today cooked quickly instead of one." David said, as he turned some burgers on his grill.

"Well Dave…it was an idea of mine when I had this outdoor barbecue kitchen installed five years back to have two grills instead of one." Jack said.

"And a good idea it was too." David said, as he reached for his glass of lemonade and took another sip of it.

After another half an hour to forty minutes of cooking time, and the kids enjoying themselves in the swimming pool, it was finally time to eat. With the picnic tables piled high with barbecued food, including baked potatoes, ears of corn, steaks, burgers, sausages, chops, ribs and chicken, as well as drinks and other things to eat, along with condiments, including mustard, ketchup and steak sauce, everyone sat down and tucked in to their Fourth of July feast. The kids, still in their bathing suits and with towels wrapped round them, also sat down to eat too.

They really enjoyed their feast, and everything went down a treat. It was a really special thing to be with each other and enjoying a really good celebratory meal like this. They all complemented Jack and David on how well they had cooked the different foods over the hot charcoals without getting many of them burnt in the process.

While they ate, the adults talked with each other about how life was going with them; the triplets and their brother had been particularly busy with their other business interests. They'd been buying up many tens of hundreds of properties, including apartments, houses and such, throughout the U.K., Ireland as well as over in the North Eastern United States and renting them out, at a very low prices, to people who needed their own places to live, including couples and families. Among the people renting them out were young students, who needed places to stay while attending their chosen college or university.

As Jack and his sisters were extremely well-off to begin with, the monthly rent rates were deliberately kept extremely low, with the lowest rates for student apartments for one person usually fixed at €10 a month in Ireland alone, with larger apartments with space for three or four being rented out at up to €50 a month.

This way, they had also been helping the homeless people in Ireland and in the U.K., having almost completely gotten every homeless person, including those with families off the streets and into their own places to live, as well as giving almost each of them a good, well-paid job, depending upon their education and qualifications.

That wasn't the only thing Jack and his sisters had been up to; they had also been giving help to people through various charities they'd set up, which included helping elderly people or young children who had medical conditions needing expensive treatments they couldn't afford. By giving a tiny percentage of their massive fortunes towards this particular cause, Jack and his sisters knew they were really making a massive difference to other people who were much less fortunate than themselves. They also donated money to various scientific research centres which were doing research on new medical techniques and developing new medicines to fight against diseases.

All the adults at the tables were very impressed with the ways that Jack and the triplets were doing for many of the less fortunate on both sides of the North Atlantic and how they were making an enormous difference to people's lives.

(A short while later)

They soon finished everything on the tables, with very little left on their plates and with their glasses nearly empty, and were feeling very satisfied with their meal. They quickly cleaned everything up and set about getting dessert ready.

With the charcoals in the two barbecue grills still quite warm, the triplets set about preparing s'mores cooked in two large copper skillets over the heat. After melting salted butter in the skillet and mixing in crushed graham crackers, they topped it with small pieces of chocolate and caramels before topping it all off with marshmallows. Putting a cover over each of the skillets, they placed them over the heat and left it for 15 minutes until the s'mores were ready, keeping a close eye on them all the while.

Meanwhile, a good selection of desserts was brought out onto the picnic tables, including the desserts the others had brought to the house with them earlier on in the day, along with bowls, plates and spoons, as well as mugs and jugs of milk while pots of hot tea and coffee were readied in the kitchen.

"Now this looks like a very good dessert buffet." Marie said, as she gently placed some mugs onto one of the picnic tables.

"Indeed, and I hope we'll all love these desserts." Rita said, as she placed the two pies she and David had brought over earlier in the middle of the table before Norma and Freddie came along and placed their desserts on the table too.

Then Carrie stepped out and placed a large bowl full of freshly whipped cream and a large tub of her own homemade vanilla ice cream on the table. A moment later, with their giant s'mores ready, the triplets placed the two hot skillets onto two old metal plant stands each to keep them off the wooden table.

"And there we are…all ready to go." Grace said, as she reached for a bowl and started spooning some out from one of the skillets for the kids.

"Great, then let's get everything served out." Carrie said, as she started to cut a slice of the peach pie Rita and David had brought over.

"You don't need to tell me twice, honey." Jack said, as he started to scoop out some of Carrie's homemade ice cream.

It wasn't long before everyone had a bowl with the dessert they wanted to try, and they all sat down to enjoy dessert as well as mugs of tea or coffee. While they ate, they talked with each other about how the parade had gone and what their favourite floats had been, with Tommy mentioning that he hoped the parade would be just as good next year, to which everyone agreed.

Everyone commented to each other on how good their desserts were, but especially to Carrie on how good her ice cream was. Carrie was pleased to see them enjoying her ice cream, considering how long she had worked on it.

While they ate, more than a few of them commented about the forthcoming firework display that evening and it was a perfect evening for it, with a clear cloudless sky and no wind. The fireworks of the previous year had been quite impressive and there were hopes that this year's display would be even more impressive.

(A little later)

Once everyone had finished dessert, and the few kitchen staff on duty had brought the dirty dishes, drinking glasses and mugs into the kitchen to clean up, Jack and Carrie brought everyone inside to show them what they'd been up to over the last few months career-wise.

As she had promised earlier on, Carrie brought many of the women in the group up to her own office/study on the third floor and showed them off some of the latest designs she and her team had come up with, and many of the women were amazed by the creativeness in all the different designs and sketches.

Meanwhile, Jack and many of the men in the group, along with many of the older kids, went upstairs to the eighth floor where in one of the enormous open spaces within the top of the building, Jack had built an enormous model railway over the last few years, possibly one of the biggest privately owned model railway layouts anywhere in the United States. With a length of well over 650 feet and close to 180 feet wide, there was a lot of action to see on this enormous British inspired creation, particularly with the enormous numbers of British steam locomotives and rolling stock on it.

"Wow, you've really done quite a lot of work on this since I saw it last." Liam said, as he looked over this enormous layout. And a lot had been done; a town on one part of the layout that had only been started a few months before was now fully finished and had all the buildings in place, along with little figures, road vehicles of all kinds and many other little details, as well as with electrics installed to allow lights on the layout. Much of the track had been ballasted and weathered accordingly, the embankments on both sides of the track had artificial trees, grass and bushes put into place, and all the points and signals on the layout could be operated digitally from a single control panel.

"Indeed dad, and I always try to spare a few hours a week where I can come up here and work on this layout." Jack said, as he started running some of the model trains. Soon the air was filled with the sounds of model steam locomotives running on tracks, pulling long lines of wagons, some of which were weathered to some extent, or passenger coaches from different British railway companies along behind them.

"And how's things with the model building or weathering in your workshop?" David asked, as he indicated to a special purpose-built room in a corner close to the main entrance door.

"Everything's great, Dave. I recently finished building a 1/48 scale model of a German Tiger II, or King Tiger, tank and it's in there right now…all ready to be painted, weathered and have its decals added. And then when it's finished, it'll go on display on a stand under a glass casing, just like I've done with many other really large model kits I've built." Jack said.

"And I assume you don't allow Ava to go in there, Jack?" Freddy asked, as he glanced towards to the open door of the workshop not too far away.

"Absolutely not, Freddy, or at the very least not unsupervised; there's a lot of dangerous stuff in there…including paints, glue and other chemicals I used to paint and weather models, and not to mention the sharp tools, mini-drills and so on that I use with which to build or modify the models I make in there. Although to be honest, Ava's a very smart and sensible girl for being only five years old, and so she well understands why I don't allow her in there without me by her side. I think I'll probably be saying the very same thing about Jessica in a few years from now too." Jack said

"Speaking of which, Ava's due to start elementary school this coming September, isn't she Jack?" Tommy asked.

"That's right, Tommy. In fact, quite a few of the staff who work here have kids who are around Ava's age who are very good friends of hers, and they're also gonna be starting school this coming September. So, there's no doubt they'll all be in quite good company." Jack said.

(A short while later, late evening)

The sun had almost completely set off to the west and everyone was gathered together on the expansive rooftop patio, ready to see this year's Fourth of July firework display. The young kids were very eager to see the fireworks, as were some of the adults, and they were all looking in the general direction of Chamberlain, where it was advertised the fireworks would be fired from.

The first stars were appearing in the darkening sky overhead, while off to the west a narrow pink band, mixed with blue and dark shades as the sun moved further away from the horizon as night drew in. At the patio bar set up close by, plenty of different drinks and snacks had been brought out and readied for the evening. On the bar counter, a few bottles of the best and most expensive champagne had been brought up and were sitting in silver buckets filled with crushed ice, waiting to be opened to celebrate Independence Day. Off to the side of them sat a tray of glasses, waiting to be filled.

"Any minute now…" Jack said, as he looked at his watch.

"Yeah…ah Jack, there's a question I've been meaning to ask for some time." his mother asked, as she looked at her son.

"What would that be, mother?" asked Jack.

"Ava…does she have…you know…?" Marie asked, trying to bring up the question while she glanced over at Carrie, who was sitting on the other side of Jack on the long couch and had little Jessica on her lap with Ava sitting just beside her.

"I actually don't know yet, mother…" Jack said, as he looked over to his wife who looked towards him and smiled at him. "…after all, Carrie's powers didn't activate until she was seventeen, so it's likely Ava may have to wait until then. But regardless of whether she has then or not, we'll still love her." Jack said, as he smiled, remembering back to when Carrie showed Marie and Liam her telekinetic powers; it was almost eight years before, in December 2019, just after Jack and Carrie announced their engagement when Jack's parents and sisters came over to celebrate Christmas with them over in the large apartment within Chamberlain they were staying in then. Although Jack had already bought the mansion, the land it sat on and the extra land around it, it was undergoing an extensive renovation project at the time, including having any asbestos removed, having new electrics put on and other things like that to make it a safe place to live in, as well as having many of the buildings within the estate being built.

At dinner that particular evening, December 25th - Christmas Day, Carrie demonstrated her telekinetic powers to her future parents in law for the very first time when she telekinetically brought over a basin full of gravy and a bowl full of roast potatoes from the counter over to the table where they were about to start eating Christmas Dinner. The triplets were impressed as they always were with Carrie's telekinetic abilities, but Marie and Liam were a little surprised and freaked out by this at first when they saw Carrie do that, however they soon accepted Carrie for who she was and thought she was a very special person indeed.

"Here they come now!" Sue called, as she pointed into the sky. Everyone quickly looked and a second later, with bright trails visible below them, the first fireworks shot high into the sky over Chamberlain before exploding with loud reports and sending out very bright stars in red, white and blue.

Everyone's attention became fixed on the fireworks as more and more of them came up, trailing bright trails of sparks behind them, and exploding loudly in the air and throwing out bright stars in all different colours. The fireworks ranged from rockets and cake type fireworks all the way up to Roman candles and Willows, with each type making a different display of bright colours, stars and sounds, all at different heights in the sky.

"Wow, that was a big one!" Carrie said excitedly, as a rocket exploded in the distance, throwing out a great bang and an impressive palm effect of bright, multi-coloured stars. She looked down at Jessica on her lap and over at Ava, now standing in front of her. Ava had a big smile on her face and was jumping up and down in excitement, as were many of the other kids, whenever there was an impressive bang or bright display of stars. Little Jessica had a slightly smiley look on her face as she witnessed her first ever fireworks display, and Carrie felt herself smile a little when she saw her youngest child smile.

The others were all watching the fireworks and were commenting when they saw a big display of colour or whenever a very loud bang was heard in the air. Some of the explosions of light were so big they lit up the ground below over a wide area and details, such as buildings, could be seen below before the light faded away.

Jack picked up one of the bottles of champagne from one of the ice buckets, removed the gold wrapper and wire cage over the cork before carefully removing the cork, which came out with a loud "pop" from the neck, as his father opened up a second bottle. Then after everyone, barring Heather and Rita who were pregnant and thus settled for soft drinks instead, grabbed a glass from the tray, the glasses were filled with sparkling, bubbly champagne. After the glasses were filled, Jack raised his glass in the air and offered a toast.

"Well, everyone...a toast to the United States. The greatest country in the world." Jack said.

"Here, here!" they all said in cheer, before clinking their glasses off each other and sipping the champagne. For the next hour and a half, they sat around on the rooftop patio in comfort and watched the fireworks explode in the distance while sipping drinks, eating snacks and chatting with each other, and commented on firework displays they'd seen in the past.

(Later; a little after midnight)

At last, with the day now over and all their friends with their kids having gone home after quite a memorable day, the Sullivan's themselves were preparing to turn in for the night. The triplets had already gone to bed in their own rooms, and Marie and Liam had already gone back to their own room after saying goodnight to their two grandkids. Jack, already in his pyjamas and dressing gown, was tucking Ava into bed into her large bedroom, which had its own bathroom, on the fifth floor overlooking the wide and extensive front gardens.

"Well...did you enjoy today, Ava?" her father asked, as he finished tucking her in.

"Yes I did, daddy." Ava said, as she yawned a little. Jack felt himself smile; Ava had certainly worn herself out after today, what with all the running around, jumping up and down, playing with her friends, swimming and such.

"Get a good night's rest, Ava...I think you've earned it." Jack said, as he gently kissed Ava on her forehead as she fell asleep before going over to the door, turning the light off, closing the door and heading to the master bedroom, which was only four doors down the corridor.

Entering the master bedroom, he saw his wife laying back on their king-sized bed reading one of her books. She looked and smiled up as he entered the room and very quietly closed the door behind her.

"Is she fast asleep?" Carrie asked, as Jack took off his slippers and hung up his dressing gown on the inside of the bathroom door.

"After today's events...she's out like a light, babe." Jack said, as he stepped over to his side of the bed. He paused and briefly looked down at little Jessica, who was already fast asleep in her cot at the foot of the bed, before he climbed into bed beside his wife.

Carrie, after yawning, put a bookmark in at the page she stopped at and placed the book down on the bedside table before she pulled the duvet over herself and her husband. Then they turned to look at each other and basked in each other's presence for a moment.

"I love you." Carrie said, as she and Jack leaned in to kiss.

"I love you too, babe." Jack said, as they shared another loving kiss before they turned off the bedside lights and fell fast asleep.

(With Ava)

Jack and Carrie's eldest daughter, having quietly turned on one of her bedside lights, was smiling widely and excitedly; she had her arms spread out before her and was watching her toys float around the room.

"This is so cool! I'm just like momma!" she said in quiet excitement, as she continued to make her toys float around the room. Her parents, grandparents and three aunts, not to mention many of the household staff, would get quite the surprise in the morning.

And that's it everyone, it's all finished! However, never fear! I'm thinking I might write a few more stories; including one that I'm thinking of writing that will be set between the Epilogue and the previous chapter where we see Jack and Carrie get married, and another story taking place shortly after the Epilogue where they celebrate Christmas.

Please stay tuned for these and other fanfics I may write!