"Where is he?" she fretted, tearing at yet another flower from the hastily purchased supermarket bouquet she held, the only nod towards the occasion that she had managed to find.

"If he doesn't arrive soon I'm afraid we'll have to move on, I have another couple waiting outside and we're over by fifteen minutes as it is."

"He'll come," she insisted firmly. "He wouldn't let me down like this."

"Maybe something's happened to him," her best friend Sara suggested gently.

"Are you saying he's had an accident or something? Like he might be hurt?"

"No, no I'm sure it's nothing like that," Sara hurried to reassure her.

"Well what do you mean then?" her voice had taken on a don't mess me around tone.

"Well, just that, well...you know Al, you know what he's like…" her friend's eyes slid sideways towards the registrar that stood waiting, impatiently checking his watch for the fourth time. "You know what I mean."

"No, I'm sure I don't know," she sniffed indignantly. "Are you trying to imply something?"

Ben, Sara's boyfriend and the second witness stepped in. "What she means, is that Al isn't known for always following the right path, as you well know."

"Look at why we're here," Sara pushed.

"We're here because he is being unfairly punished and we wished to be married in case he has to go away."

"But is he really?" Ben snorted.

"Is he really what?"

"Being unfairly punished? It seems to me that he was in sound mind when he made those decisions, he knew exactly what he was doing when he took on the jobs."

"He promised me he was going straight," she shredded the flower between her fingers, not wanting to look at her friends. They would be looking at her with those same pitying expressions that she'd seen time and time again, judging her as a naive fool.

"I'm not saying he's not had every intention of doing just that," Sara soothed, "but you have to admit, that he's not the most trustworthy of people, is he now?"

"He is with me," she said, her voice firm. "He's never lied to me."

"Then where is he?" Ben pushed. "He's not here, is he? That has to tell you something."

"I'm sure he's got a very good reason for it," the Registrar said, butting into their conversation. "But I'm afraid that I cannot give you any more time. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave."

Nodding sadly, resigned now, she allowed her friends to lead her from the small room and out into the hallway where another young couple stood ready to go in, all smiles since they were actually together.

"Show offs," she muttered under her breath as she checked her phone for what felt like the hundredth time. Still no calls or texts, still no answer from the man she was supposed to be marrying.

"Whatever the reason, he's let you down again, and not for the first time," Sara said as kindly as possible.

Sara was right, this wasn't the first time that Al had said he'd do something or be somewhere and had let her down on it and she had always forgiven him. But this, this was unforgivable, this was something she couldn't come back from.

"You owe to yourself to find a decent man," Ben said. "You're a pretty lass, you shouldn't have to settle for the likes of him. He don't know he's born, that one, doesn't know what he's got here and what he's letting down."

"Thank you," she murmured, sucking in a deep, calming breath, gathering her strength. "You're right, you both are. I deserve b etter. He's always putting others before me and letting me down, well no more. This was his last chance and he's blown it." Striding across the hall she tossed the half decimated bunch of flowers into the trash can and snapped a picture, texting it to him.

"Well done," Sara praised, hugging her friend tightly. "How about we go get a drink, yeah? Our treat."

"Yeah," she nodded, brushing away the stray tear that had dared escape. She didn't want to cry over him, not again, she'd shed far too many tears over him already. "A drink sounds good, I could sure do with one."

"Can I have another glass of Champagne, please young man?" Celia asked, sitting down heavily on one of the stools that had been arranged in front of the bar.

"Sure thing, love," Avery grinned, reaching behind him the open bottle only to find it whipped away at the last second.

"H'I'll see to this, thank you."

"Hey, you do you, dude, you do you," Avery said, backing away to make room. "Far be it for me to keep the attention of all the gorgeous ladies here tonight."

"Enough of your cheek, young man. Be h'off with you," he shooed Avery away with a sweep of his hand. Avery retreated with good grace, tossing a wink at Celia as he left.

"Well, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"As are you, I wasn't sure it was you at first."

"You look well, CeCe," Parker smiled. The smile was the same as it had always been, his skin still crinkled just so at the corners of eyes the same twinkling blue as she remembered, although they were set in a face that had definitely suffered some weathering over the years, not that she could talk.

"As do you."

"Ahh, gerroff with yer," he grumbled good naturedly, brushing her compliment aside like it was an annoying fly as he poured her the requested champagne.

"So, you're going straight now?"

"Fer a number h'of years, yes."

"Good to know that something or someone succeeded in sorting you out," Celia sniffed, sipping her drink.

"Had to be done," he agreed, wiping down the counter where he'd spilt precisely two drops. "M'lady's father took h'a chance on me an' I've yet to make him regret the decision."

"Good. It seems you've well and truly landed on your feet," Celia said, toying with the stem of her glass, not wanting to look at him too closely.

"Can I just say, h'again, 'ow very sorry I was to hear about your 'usband. He was a good man."

"Again? When did you-"

"I was at the funeral with M'lady," he admitted. "I wondered if perhaps you didn't recognise me h'at that moment in time."

"I don't remember much about it to be honest, it all came as such a shock. Rufus was, as you say, a good man, a devoted husband and father."

Parker could hear the warning in her tone, daring him to say anything negative about her late husband. Not that he would have, even if he wanted to. Rufus had done what he couldn't, he'd looked after his CeCe, had been a strong, supportive and reliable partner to her and fathered her children. Everything that he had hoped she would be lucky enough to find. He just hadn't expected it to be with his childhood best friend.

Parker and Rufus had grown apart after school and, while they tried to keep in touch, had both drifted into different crowds. Rufus signing up to an apprenticeship with a local firm and Parker into a gang where the skills taught to him by his father could be put to good use.

Celia wasn't looking at him, her eyes having strayed to her daughter who was happily laughing at something Scott had said to her, no doubt something highly inappropriate for the occasion.

He didn't want to voice the thoughts in his head but, seeing her again, seeing her daughter all grown up and marrying one of the boys that he had cared about for far longer than he would ever admit, he was struck by visions of what might have been.

"When you didn't h'acknowledge me at the funeral," he started, his words quiet but serious enough for her to turn back to face him, "H'I thought perhaps you still 'ated me, on account of what I did."

"What you did? You mean getting caught while on bail and going to jail instead of being there at the registry office to marry me as you had promised? Why ever would I still be angry about that?" Celia huffed, taking another big gulp of champagne.

Parker nodded reluctantly. "Yes, that'll be the one."

"Yes, I hated you," she told him bluntly. "You humiliated me, left me standing there waiting for you. You made a choice, deciding that your friends and that job were more important than me. But, you know me, I'm not one to hold a grudge," Parker snorted softly under his breath but she ignored it, "not for that long, anyway. I truly didn't see you that day, the whole day was a bit of a blur, Selene, Jeff and Sally did most of the work, I'm afraid I wasn't much use."

"H'I'm sure they were very 'appy to help," he said, seeking to reassure her.

"Oh, I'm sure they were," she agreed, sipping her drink again, a far away look in her eyes as she glanced down at the hand holding the glass, seeing her wedding ring sparkling on her finger. "I can't believe it's been ten months already."

"Doesn't seem possible," Parker agreed. "'ow have you been coping, h'if you don't mind my asking?"

"Some days are better than others," she admitted softly. "It feels both so fresh but also so long ago, all at the same time. On days like these I really miss him, it's a very lonely life sometimes, especially when your family no longer needs you." She turned back to him. "What about you? Did you ever marry? Have a family?"

Parker shook his head. "Can't say I did, no one h'ever quite matched up with me. I was jus' grateful to be a part of M'lady's life as I have been."

"I guess family comes in all shapes and sizes," Celia mused, glancing again at her daughter who was holding the hand of a miserable looking John while Aunt Bonnie shouted directly in his face. Celia was unsure if the reason for it was due to alcohol consumption or inherited deafness.

"That it does," Parker agreed. "It can be a lonely life sometimes, though."

"It can indeed."

"Maybe, if you're h'obliging, we might take a turn around the dance floor later? Fer old times sake?"

Celia studied his face carefully, looking for any trace of insincerity there, but found none.

"Maybe," she agreed, swallowing the last of her champagne, the small smile that formed hidden behind her glass.

"Jus' maybe? Anythin' h'I can do to tempt you?"

Celia paused to think about her answer, unused to such flirtations.

"I...I don't-"

"What the hell did you just say?"

The sound of shouting bellowed out over the music from the direction of the dancefloor followed by the unmistakable sound of a fist hitting flesh.

"Gordon!"

"He started it!"

"Oh 'eck," Parker yelped, already moving. "I'll be right back, I jus' need to 'elp M'Lady with her young man."

Celia watched as Parker sprinted, with surprising speed and agility, towards the dancefloor where her something-something-removed nephew stood clutching a nose that was gushing blood, screaming at the top of his lungs at Gordon who looked like he was winding up to clock him again. Penelope fluttered around them, alternating between each man as she apparently berated them.

A quick glance showed that neither Selene or John were in the vicinity to witness the scuffle so that was where Celia's interest ended, as long as it wasn't ruining her daughters day she didn't care.

Picking up her glass again she rolled her eyes towards the heavens.

"See, Rufus, I told you Troy coming along would be trouble." She took a large sip draining the glass. "Young man," she called to Avery who had been loitering nearby. "Be a dear and top me up? I feel like I'll be needing it."

"This is so fancy, I feel quite like a queen," Celia cooed as he opened the big car door and, taking a gentle hold of her hand, helped her to slide into the back seat. "Thank you, Jeeves."

"It's Parker, madame," he smiled with a nod of his head.

"Parker then," she acknowledged, settling into the plush leather seats with a contented sigh. "Oh yes, I could get used to this."

Parker closed the door and slipped easily into his own seat and pressed the button to start the car. The engine purred into life, rumbling strongly under the hood as he eased it carefully out of the space outside her little house and onto the open road.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Celia mused aloud.

"Used to what, h'exactly?"

"That accent you seem to have adopted," she sat back in the seat and crossed her arms. "When I agreed to this little outing, it was under the impression that I would be accompanied by Al Parker from Spitalfields, not Aloysius Parker, manservant to a lady. I have no interest in spending the evening with someone I do not know."

Parker grinned as he listened, her tone was firm, allowing for no arguments and he knew exactly where her daughter had learnt it. He knew full well that she would make him stop the car and would get out to begin walking home if she didn't get her own way.

"Alright," he agreed, clearing his throat. "I'll try me best." He hadn't dropped the accent that he had perfected as part of his cover for so long that he no longer thought of it as fake. He didn't have to think about it, he didn't have to pause briefly before he spoke, it came out easily, it felt natural, it was normal for him. Now he was actively paying attention to it, modulating his speech patterns before he spoke aloud.

"That's better," she nodded, pleased with herself. "Now, what do you have planned for us tonight?"

"The Royal Opera House, M'lady's friend sent her tickets to the opening night of her new ballet, but M'lady already had a prior engagement."

"So we get to make use of them?"

"Indeed we do."

"Oh, how wonderful, I can't wait. I've never been to a ballet before," Celia sighed happily, making Parker smile. It was nice to see. He was well aware that he had been personally responsible for taking that smile away from her in the past and, although he had nothing to do with her recent heartbreak, he couldn't help but feel a little spurt of pride that he had managed to give her back a little of her happiness, even if it was for a brief time.

"Why are you frowning?" Scott asked Selene as she stabbed the end call button on her phone for the third time and tossed it aside.

"Mum's not answering."

"I'm sure there's a good reason."

"There shouldn't be," she huffed. "She was the one that insisted, and by insisted I mean practically bullied me into agreeing to once weekly calls so, and I quote, I can find out first hand what's going on in my own daughter's life rather than reading it online. Every Wednesday, we either talk or meet up for a coffee, and if something comes up we always rearrange. It's seven in the evening UK time, she should be at home, waiting for my call like always."

"She has a life too, maybe she's just out with friends," Scott suggested.

"No, her life is not that interesting. Something might have happened to her," Selene fretted.

"Sel, calm down, nothing's going to just happen to her."

"It did to my dad," Selene snapped and he shut up, not wanting to make her feel worse. She was right, her dad had gone to bed perfectly fine and not woken up again. It was perfectly understandable that she'd worry after that, especially given the kind of life that they led, danger and unpredictability was the norm.

"It was Dad's anniversary three weeks ago, what if she's depressed? What if she's done something stupid?"

"She won't have done anything, Sel," Scott assured her.

"Have you tried calling Adam?" Virgil suggested, ever the practical one when John wasn't around to do it.

"No!" she gasped, grabbing her phone again. "See, that, that was helpful, thank you."

"Welcome," Virgil grinned, happy to have been of service.

"That was going to be my next suggestion," Scott huffed but Selene ignored him in favour of calling her brother.

"Come on, answer the damn phone," she muttered under her breath as the sound of ringing accompanied the pulsing of the little holographic phone icon. The phone cut out and she tried again. And again. Her brother answered on the fourth attempt, blinking up at her with slightly unfocused eyes.

"Hey, sis," he greeted in that sleepy way of his.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Nah, dude, just zenning, you know?"

"Gotcha. Anyway, where's Mum, I tried calling for our weekly chat when she didn't call first and she's not answering. Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, she's out, man."

"Out?" Scott and Virgil sniggered at her disbelieving tone. "Out where?"

"Date."

"A date?" Selene screeched like an electrocuted pterodactyl.

"Date," he confirmed.

"Where? And with whom? Who said she could go out dating?"

"I think she's old enough to date now, Sel," Scott tried but zipped his lip when she shot a death glare his way.

Adam's holographic form shrugged, his hair flowing around his shoulders with the movement. Since returning from his retreat he'd let his shaved hair grow out and it had quickly formed something akin to a lion's mane around his face, the colour the same dirty blonde as her natural colour, and he'd teamed it with a goatee beard and a carefully curled mustache.

"So you don't know anything?"

"I know many things, sis, knowledge is subjective."

"But do you know anything about this date of hers?"

"Alas, in that I am woefully ignorant."

"Not even who it is? Is it someone we know?"

"Can't say it is," he pondered, looking off into the distance like the wall would provide all the answers in the universe. Selene closed her eyes briefly, trying to stay calm.

"Did you even recognise him? Have you seen him before?"

"He looked kind of familiar, but I can't place him…"

"Do you know where they went?"

"Out."

"Yeah, I get that, but where out, it's a big world out there."

"It's just the earth, man, naming and claiming places is just a human construct made up by the people that want to own things that aren't theirs to start with."

"Adam…"

"You can't own a piece of nature, man, it's just not right."

"Ad's, I'm standing on a privately owned Island…"

"Capitalism, sis, capitalism."

"Back to the real problem here," Selene insisted. "Where's our mother?"

"Out."

"I know she's out!" Selene wailed, dropping her head into her hands for a second before she speared Scott with a look, daring him to laugh and mouthed her orders ' get your brother NOW'.

"Did she say anything to you about it?" Selene tried again, turning back to her cheerfully humming brother.

"I think she said something about getting reacquainted with an old friend, but I wasn't really listening."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why weren't you listening? That might have been important."

"I was eavesdropping on a conversation between wood pigeons, they are surprisingly angry birds."

"You were…" Selene took a deep breath. "What did she say about this old friend? Did she give you a name? Where did they meet?"

"Aren't we all just friends in some form or another? Like, can't we all just get along and love each other?"

"Names, boy! I need names! Names are good!"

"I think she called him Al, maybe Alfred, like he was working for the man."

"What man? There's another man now?" She cast her eyes at Virgil who was doing a better job of holding in his laughter. Scott, as usual, was a lost cause and she ignored him, but not before throwing a pillow at him. Her brother tutted at her from her phone screen.

"Sis, you're too tense, violence never solves anything. Calm is cool."

"Our mother is out in the big, wide world with gods knows who, possibly even a murder or someone that will take advantage of her and you're telling me to be calm?"

"Chilllllllll," he drawled, waving his arms in what he must have thought was an ethereal, calming manner but looked more like he was trying to swat a fly.

"Adam, what was his name?"

"Why must we use the name that was given to us at birth? Our parents didn't know us, they give you a name that will stick with you for life and we have no say over it, it's yet another way the man makes us conform. What if he didn't like that name? What if that's not his true spiritual name? He looked like a Klaus, or a Mungo."

"Who the fuck is Mungo?"

"Date dude."

"His name is Mungo? You just told me it was Al."

"Al Mungo, great name if you ask me, he seems like a good guy."

"You said you didn't know him!"

"But with a name like that I trust him."

"Can you tell me anything about him that's useful?" Selene tried. "Did he pick her up or did she meet him somewhere?"

"Picked her up."

"Did you get a number plate? A description of the car?"

"It was big."

"What make? What colour?"

"It was big."

"And?"

"Man only buys a car like that when he's compensating for something or has too much money."

"So it was big and showy? That's all you got?"

"Yep. It was all I needed to know."

"That's helpful, thanks."

Adam ignored the sarcasm, or more likely didn't even register it. "Welcome, great chatting, sis, give my love to Jake."

"It's Joh- and he's gone."

"That was helpful," Scott wheezed, trying hard not to start laughing again now that he was finally able to catch his breath.

"And you were not."

"I called John, that was helpful," Virgil offered, receiving a grateful smile in return.

"You guys have to help me, we need to find out where my mum is, then hatch a plan to rescue her if need be."

"I doubt very much there will be much need for a rescue," Virgil tried to soothe but got nowhere fast.

"We don't know that! Anything could have happened to her."

"Happened to who?"

"Oh, thank the gods!"

John, who was honestly thinking about starting to knock or ask for a heads up before entering the lounge, found his arms suddenly full of babbling witch.

"Mum's not answering her phone and when I finally got hold of Adam he told me that she'd gone off with some guy named Al Mungo and now we don't know where she is. She could be anywhere, she could be lying in a ditch and breathing her last while some dodgy dude does unthinkable things to her unmentionables AND I'M NOT COPING WITH THIS SITUATION!"

"Wait...hold on one second, give me a moment to process this," John begged, hugging her to his chest in an effort to shut her up for two seconds to allow his brain to catch up. His usually very capable, some might even say genius level, brain spluttered to a halt, unable to move past one thing. "Who the hell is Al Mungo?"

"I don't know! But he's kidnapped my mother and she could have been sold into slavery by now!"

John gently untangled her arms from around his waist and maneuvered her to sit back down on the couch.

"Sweetheart, I say this with the utmost love and respect, but if someone had bought your mother they would have taken her back for a refund."

Scott and Virgil sucked in a shocked breath, ducking in preparation for the incoming explosion, Scott even going so far as to hide behind the cushion Selene had thrown at him.

"Accurate," Selene sighed, seeming to visibly deflate, if only a little.

"Hey, how come he gets away with saying things like that?" Scott accused.

"Because she loves me and I'm nice to her."

"So am I, and she loves me too, but I get things thrown at me when I say anything."

"Yeah, but I'm nicer to her in ways that you aren't," John grinned.

"TMI, bro, TMI," Scott groaned, making a face.

"Plus I spoke the truth. It's the same reason we never worried about the Hood kidnapping Grandma," John shrugged.

"I heard that, young man!" Grandma's voice floated from the kitchen.

John visibility winced. "Sorry, Grandma," he called back. "She's never going to forget that, is she?"

"Not a hope in hell," Virgil laughed, glad that he'd wisely kept out of it.

"Can we get back to the problem of my mother, please?"

"Sorry, love," John sat down beside her, allowing her to shift closer so he could put his arm around her. "Let me see if I've got this right, your mother didn't answer when you called and Adam said she was kidnapped by someone?"

"Al Mungo," Scott supplied.

"Was the spanish accent and flamenco hands necessary?" Selene scowled.

"Very necessary."

"What leads you to believe she was kidnapped?" John asked patiently, trying to get to the bottom of the crazy conversation he had been summoned to.

"Adam said that Ceilia has gone on a date but he didn't recognise who she went with or where she went," Virgil explained. John nodded, that made more sense than what his wife had ranted at him.

"Where does Al Mungo come into it?"

"Adam said that Ceilia said that was his name."

"Right," John drawled, wondering just what he'd done to deserve this on an ordinary wednesday. How was he supposed to tackle this in a way that wouldn't set Selene off again? "With the greatest of respect," he started, "Adam isn't always the most observant of people, is there a chance he might have been mistaken?"

"He did say that he was only half listening because he was invested in a wood pigeon argument," Selene conceded.

"A what?" John pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "My life used to be so boring, so normal, I miss that."

Selene didn't look like she believed him.

"Let's think about this logically," John tried again. "Do you know if she had her phone on her when she left?"

"No."

"And you tried calling it and got no answer?"

"Yes."

"Did it ring or go straight to voicemail?"

"It rang."

"That's good, that means I can track it," he assured her. "Don't worry, I'll find her."

It took less than a minute for John to find her phone and pinpoint its location.

"She's moving, at around thirty miles an hour, so I'd say in a car, on the outskirts of London but heading towards the city center," John told them.

"We need to find her, we need to go get her, she could be with anyone, he could be a murderer or like a...a...a telemarketer or something."

That set Scott off again, his howl of laughter almost drowning out Selene's growl of warning.

"Don't worry, we'll save her from any potentially murderous salesmen," John promised her, both of them ignoring Virgil's muffled laughter. "But it would be hard for us to take any of the crafts there and be able to land and find her and it'll take too long if we go in the car."

"So what do we do?" Selene demanded to know, her fingers gripping his arm tightly. "I've already lost Dad, I can't have anything happen to her too."

Selene always had a tendency to straddle the line of the dramatic with a side step into overreacting, but John had only seen her genuinely scared a handful of times, he recognised the signs and this was one of them. Her pupils were dilated and her breathing was a little fast but she was still ranting, which was a good sign, it was when she went totally silent you really had to worry, although she was definitely heading in that direction.

"We'll find her," he promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead before getting back to business and opening up a line to five. "EOS, I need you to keep tracking Mrs Tempest's signal, can you do that for me, please?"

"Of course, John," EOS replied but, instead of vanishing as she usually did, she stayed active, hesitating in a very human-like way before asking her question. "Is there something wrong with Grandma Tempest?"

"We don't know," John answered honestly, still fiddling with something on his tablet. "I'm going to call Penelope and send her and Parker, they're closer and know the city better than we do."

"Good plan," Scott agreed. He'd finally sobered and, seeing that Selene was genuinely worried, was feeling bad that he hadn't taken the situation a little more seriously. They had been targeted before and would no doubt be targeted again and he was kicking himself for not having put more security measures in place for their extended family. "Tracy Island to Lady Penelope."

Lady Penelope's image popped out of the projector in the center of the table. "Scott, what can I do for you?"

"Hi, Lady Penelope, we were wondering if you could help us with something?"

"That depends on-"

Selene waved her hand to get the other woman's attention. "My mum's missing, my brother said she's gone off with a strange man we don't know and he's got her in a car heading to London."

"We need you to track them down and retrieve Mrs Tempest if there is a need," John continued, catching Selene's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I really wish I could help," Penelope said regretfully. "But I'm in Switzerland at an environmental conference for Friends Of The Earth, I'm giving a speech on that new wind turbine that Brains allowed to use the generator he patented, I can't leave. Parker is at home though, because the rugs are scheduled to be cleaned tomorrow, so I'm sure he'd be willing to lend a hand."

"Perfect, thank you, and have a good conference," John cut the connection and pulled up another to Parker's communication signal.

To their surprise the comm, when it flared to life, didn't show the inside of the manor as they had expected but the familiar interior of FAB 1.

"Yes, Master John?"

"Parker, we need your help with a-" John was unceremoniously shoved aside by his ever loving wife when the sound of a delicate cough sounded from behind Parker.

"Mum?"

Celia's head popped around the seat, coming into full view.

"Oh, hello, darling." Celia gave them all a little wave, like a queen greeting her subjects.

"I think we found the big overcompensating car," Virgil grinned.

"Mum! What the hell? You've had me worried half to death, I thought you'd been kidnapped or something, I thought a salesman had stolen you to sell on the black market," Selene stepped awkwardly over John's feet, beginning to pace angrily.

"Well, I'm sorry to have made you worry, dear, but as you can see I'm perfectly fine."

"No! That's not good enough. I remember the ball ache you gave me when I accidentally stayed out all night because I fell asleep at Jamie's place and you thought I'd been murdered because my phone was dead. Now you do the same, going out on a date with a man I don't know-"

"You know me, Miss Selene," Parker interrupted but soon shut up when Selene transferred her glare to him before flinging it back full force at her mum.

"You didn't call, you didn't let me know you'd be out, I've been calling for hours-"

"Selene, it's 7:36 that's hardly hours-"

"I made my husband come home from space," she screamed. "FREAKING SPACE! And you're out having yourself a lovely time while I was going out of my mind! Adam didn't know where you were, he said you were out with some flamenco dancing bull fighter and you couldn't even drop me a text?"

Selene wound down, trying to catch her breath, her chest heaving as she tried not to cry from the mixture of frustration and relief that was assaulting her.

"Don't you take that tone with me young lad-"

"You and I will be having a serious chat when you get home," Selene warned her mother, shutting off the comm with a vicious finger stab to the off button.

"And people think I'd be the strict parent," John muttered under his breath.

"Damn, she can be scary," Virgil whispered to Scott who huffed out the breath he'd been holding, nodding in agreement.

"At least we found her, she's safe with Parker, you know that," John soothed, reaching out a hand to tug her back down onto the couch. "She's fine, you can yell at her all you want tomorrow."

"No! She can't get away with-"

John silenced her with a quick kiss.

"Don't make me tell you to calm down," John threatened lightly, "I like my balls where they are."

"He wouldn't dare, would he?" Virgil side whispered to Scott who shrugged in answer.

"Not if he knows what's good for him," he whispered back, no one ever told Selene to calm down and lived to tell the tale. They both watched the tense set of Selene's shoulders and wondered if they might have to dive in and perform a daring rescue after all.

John lifted one eyebrow in question, directing it at his wife who raised her own in return. It was an eyebrow standoff until, finally, she gave up the fight and dropped her head to rest on his shoulder. Having tamed the savage beast he slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, just decompressing from the drama of the past half-hour. But, of course, it was Scott that cleared his throat to break the silence.

Everyone looked at him expectantly waiting for him to impart whatever wisdom he had to give about the weird situation.

"Well," he started, choking on a laugh, "at least we found Al Mungo."