We sat in silence for awhile, eating pizza. The rest of the evening passed pretty normally. I guessed I was still adjusting to having Aftran back in my head. Not that it was a bad thing, having her back. The opposite, really. We didn't talk very much while I did my homework and then relaxed, rereading an old comic book. One of Aftran's favorites, because of all of the colors and the drawings. Finally, it was time for bed. After getting changed and brushing my teeth, she tucked me in, pulling the blankets up to my chin, and tucking them around my legs and feet, like I was some big caterpillar.

I'd never slept that way before her, but I'd gotten used to it pretty quickly. On cool nights, it definitely kept in the warmth. I lay still now, once she had me all nice and tucked in to her specifications (okay, and mine), and I was just laying there, savoring the feeling of the warmth flowing over my body, mixed in with Aftran's hug inside my head. I felt so comfortable, I'd probably be able to fall asleep without any Yeerk songs or ministrations from Aftran. At the same time, I didn't want this feeling to disappear, only to wake up the next day and have to give it all up when I went to school. I wanted-needed-to enjoy it a little longer.

(Aftran?) I asked, before she could ask me which way I wanted her to help me sleep.

(Yes, Tom?) Her smile was nearly as warm as the hug.

I rolled over on my side, carefully. (Did Karen sleep this way? Before?)

(Not at first. I experimented, one night, when her mother had just washed the sheets, and they were still warm from the dryer when her mother tucked her-us-in bed,) Aftran recalled. (I tucked the sheets and the blankets around her body completely. Then, she asked for control, but didn't expect me to give it to her. I did, after warning her that...) Aftran trailed off. (Anyway, Karen didn't yell or anything. She just...she was so relieved at being able to move her body and feel the warm covers, completely. She slept so soundly that night.) Aftran gave a mental shrug. (So, I continued to tuck her in this way, then give her control during that short period of time, and she always slept better as a result. I told myself that if it came out in a memory dump, I would argue I had done it to care for my host. Now, I suppose, I became used to sleeping that way, too, with my host.)

The image of Karen being able to fall asleep on her own was a good one. Aftran had cared about her, even if she had to pretend that she didn't.

(Clearly.) I gave her a mental eye roll. (So, you convinced Cassie to sleep like this?)

(Well, I didn't address the topic when I first stayed in her head long enough to sleep,) Aftran laughed. (I still felt, very much, like a guest in her body. Even though I knew that she wanted the arrangement to be longer.)

(What about during those four days?)

She nodded. (She allowed it, twice. She preferred her way, so, we'll be doing that when I spend the night with her.)

I felt a little relief at hearing this. I was the only one Aftran did this for, now. Then, guilt. It shouldn't be a competition between us. Aftran reached out to me, holding me again.

(Tom,) she chided gently. (She's happy for you.)

(But she misses you,) I noted. (When you're not there.)

Aftran sighed. (Yes, but it's not unbearable for her. It helps, for her to visit with me sometimes.)

(And, there's Friday,) I added, brightening.

(Yes,) Aftran laughed, still holding me in a secure hug.

I could feel myself growing sleepy, in spite of my efforts to remain awake. Well, no use fighting it...

(Aftran? Sing me a Yeerk song, please?)

(Of course.)

The next day, there was a Sharing meeting, but it was a short one, which gave Aftran more than enough time for a feeding at the Yeerk Pool. It had only been two days, so she wasn't experiencing any hunger. Still. Neither one of us wanted to get up early the next day, hours before school. Besides, Temrash and Gariss had both utilized the "feeding before school" option only when nothing else was available. It had meant waking me up at 5AM to arrive around 5:15, maybe 5:30 if there were lines or extra traffic on the roads. Two hours later, it would be around 7:30, and they would take me directly to school. If a Sharing meeting took place on the same day, and if there was extra homework or a test to study for...they'd be exhausted by the end. While Temrash never objected to me sleeping in my mind, Gariss was of the opinion that the more discomfort he had to experience, the more I should.

Anyway, I waited in the cages, listening to the familiar screaming and crying, while Aftran fed and tried to recuit for the Peace Movement. At the last count, there were just over two hundred and fifty members, half of which had hosts. Most of them were Taxxons or humans, but still. We'd been growing rapidly since the Animorphs had rescued Aftran. Being friends with the "Andalite Bandits" had perks. If the Andalites won, it was possible that there would be room for voluntary hosts. If they lost-well, as long as they weren't found out, no harm, no foul.

Aftran took full control when it was time for her to infest me again, but even with this, she was a lot more gentle with my mind than Temrash or Gariss had ever been. She let go as soon as we were away from the Yeerk Pool, and I drove us home. It would be time for dinner when we arrived. As far as my parents knew, I'd gone to a Sharing meeting after next time she would need to feed would be Sunday morning, but not super early. Probably, we'd leave around 10 or so.

"Dinner's in fifteen," Mom informed me (well, us) when I got in. "Let Jake know, okay, sweetie?"

"Sure thing, Mom."

Jake was sitting on the floor of his room, playing a video game. I had to smile at the normalcy of it all. "Hey, Midget? Mom says that dinner's in fifteen minutes."

He nodded. "Sharing meeting?"

"A long one," I answered, pointing to my ear discreetly.

Jake paused the game and shut the door.

Aftran took that as a cue to leave, and Jake could see that it was me.

"You're safe?" he confirmed, voice cracking, ever so slightly.

I nodded as I held Aftran in my hands. "Yeah, it's her. I'll put her back in now, unless..."

"Go for it."

Once she was back in my ear, he opened his door again, then glanced at me, and then the TV screen.

"You want to play?" he asked.

I nodded, taking a seat next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder. "Sure, Midget."

I'd gotten a lot better with my reaction time during the last couple of months. Not as good as I'd been before joining The Sharing, but I was getting there.

(Who ever said that video games were horrible for your brain?) I joked.

(Well, certainly no Controller,) she laughed.

We only had time to play one round before dinner. Jake beat me, but it was close. After we got up, on impulse, I gave him a hug.

"Midget, I'm always here if you want to talk, okay?" I told him.

He squeezed me back, hard. Protectively. "Yeah. Okay."

The following day, after school, I drove myself and Jake to Cassie's so we could let her and Aftran have a sleepover. There wouldn't be any Sharing meetings the next day (there would be something for all members the following day, though), so we'd agreed that I'd come back the following day around 1. Enough time for the two of them to have plenty of girl time together, while not putting me into a state of near withdrawal. Or whatever it was when you were dependent on your Yeerk and couldn't function without them for too long.

Although, even there, I was improving.

Jake watched the whole exchange intently, more so than he usually did. Okay, usually, he kind of tried not to look at us, because, in all fairness, the image of a Yeerk going from one head to another was hardly an attractive one. Especially since they had to flatten themselves to get out of the ear canal, and then resumed their shape...

Yeah. I was glad that I could only see it out of the corner of my eye.

Cassie, too, I imagined. As much as she liked Aftran.

Would it be different if they looked more-pretty? Whatever the word was. I mean, the idea of a slug entering a ear would be bound to get a visceral reaction even from a likely voluntary human. Maybe, if they looked like...I don't know, maybe, ladybugs or something?

Jake watched the exchange with some interest, not turning away when he must have seen part of Aftran's body when she was between my ear and Cassie's.

Points for him.

I felt more than a little empty without Aftran, but at least this would be for less than twenty-four hours this time.

After exchanging our goodbyes, Jake asked me if we could take a walk before heading home.

"Sure. How about the trail near our house?" I asked, trying not to let my surprise show.

It wasn't that Jake wasn't active, but he'd never been much for just walking for the sake of it.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Okay."

The trail was free of people this time of day. We walked for a few minutes, not saying anything.

I spoke first. "You okay, Midget?"

"Yeah. Well, enough," he answered, truthfully. "You?"

I sighed. "Same. Still more than a little freaked that that happened to you, Midget."

He forced a laugh. "I wasn't sure I was ever going to tell you. Or get to tell you."

"You can tell me anything, Jake." Gently, I placed my arm on his hand. Just to let him know that I could give him support. A hug, if he needed one. Yeah, even in public. "You know that, right?"

I didn't want to prod, but I needed him to know. I'd be there for him, no matter what.

He nodded, then studied me. "Tom, I-I just don't want to hurt you any more than you have been."

I moved my arm to Jake's shoulder. Stopped walking, making him stand still. "Hey. Don't do that to yourself. Hide something, to protect me."

"I didn't-" he began, a little defensive.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Sorry. That came out wrong." I paused, trying to figure out what I wanted to say. "I mean, I have someone who can help me. An unexpected advantage to that, you know." I smiled, probably a little sardonically. "So, yeah, it hurt, to hear how Temrash infested you and was a complete and total jerk. And look, I do not blame you for not telling me sooner, okay? I just mean, if it comes down to you keeping it hidden as a way to protect me, but it hurts you to do it, then don't. Keep it inside, I mean. Like I said, Aftran can help me...process it, I guess."

"Okay." His voice was quiet.

This wasn't helping. I knew-he knew-that my words felt more like a rebuke than encouragement. Time for something more concrete.

I reached out and hugged Jake. He squeezed me back.

"I just want to help you, Jake," I managed.

Jake's hold on me seemed to tighten. "I know."

We let go a few minutes later. We walked a little more in silence. Jake spoke up again.

"Is it weird having her around like that? After having two who were awful?"

I swallowed hard. "At first. Of course, in case you don't remember, Midget, you were the one who kind of convinced me to trust her." I nudged him in the ribs, gently, teasingly, which got a real smile. "So, that kind of set the ball rolling. Besides, we had boundaries set, and a trial period, so it wasn't like, take me and we totally trust you not to hurt me. It was-controlled." I made a face. "Weird word to use, but correct, I guess?"

"You seemed to get better almost immediately," Jake recalled. "Not overnight, Tom, but I could see you becoming more how I remembered you each time she left you. But, sometimes? It-it was hard to know, when she was there, when it was really you."

"A lot of the time, it wasn't," I admitted. "Oh, I had full control in private and and when it was just us, but there were times when I would have broken down in front of Mom and Dad, if she hadn't been there. I didn't like it, feeling so helpless, but..." I shrugged. "I guess, it was sort of motivation. To trust her to help me."

Jake stopped walking. "She's never hurt you, or kept control for longer than she needed to?"

I stopped walking, too. Put both hands on Jake's shoulders, looked him in the eye. "Never. Not once."

Jake hugged me again, just as tightly as before. "Okay. I just, I had to know."

"She's never hurt me, Midget. Or Cassie. She's not like the others," I promised.

Like Temrash. Gariss. Visser One. Visser Three. Heck, pretty much all of the Vissers, I'd bet.

An idea came to me, but it wouldn't be fair to Aftran if I mentioned it to Jake until she was back.

I hid a sigh. Waiting, again.

At least, this time, it would only be a day.

"Tom?" Jake asked, after we'd broken apart.

"Yeah, Midget?" I put an arm around his shoulder as we continued our walk.

"When Aftran enters your head," he began. "What's it like?"

I frowned, thinking for a second. "It's different, depending on if it's after we talk to Cassie or after she'd fed in the pool. Did you want to hear about one in particular, or both?"

"Both," he answered, speaking almost as soon as I'd finished talking.

I laughed a little. "Okay. Why don't we sit down?"

At Jake's nod, we took a few more steps until I found us a nice stopping point at the base of a nearby large tree. It provided a nice shady area, and it was out of the way from the public path that we'd be able to see if anyone was approaching.

"How's this, Midget?" I asked him.

Jake surveyed the area. "Looks good."

"Okay. So, how about if I tell you about the pool first, since that's the worst?" I glanced at Jake, and he nodded, then took my hand. I squeezed it. "As you've seen, the guards hold the involuntaries like me down, so that she has plenty of time to get in. When she first starts to climb into my ear, I feel a very small amount of pain, like a shot. But, as soon as I can register it, the pain's gone. Yeerks naturally secrete painkillers, which also work to repair any damage they cause when they climb into their host's ear. Ours are pretty small, considering their size. They can stretch themselves pretty thin, but still..." I shrugged, studying Jake's reaction, which seemed more interested than disgusted, or horrified. "So, yeah, I don't feel anything except pressure after Aftran doses my ear with the painkilling anesthetic."

He nodded. "Then, what happens?"

"As she moves farther into my head, I lose more control," I answered, truthfully. "It's pretty gradual, but it's kind of random. Like morphing, you know? It's not like I can know if it will be my feet first, or my left arm first. Plus," I added, a little jokingly, "like morphing, it's never been the same way twice."

Jake shut his eyes, like he was imagining the scene playing out. "Then, she has control of every part of you."

I squeezed his hand, again. "Only until we're out of the Yeerk Pool area. She always lets go once we're gone. The whole thing is probably over with in five minutes, Jake."

He nodded, but didn't look especially reassured. "But after she infests you, after she's been in Cassie's head, it's not like that?"

"That's right. I mean," I clarified, "the painkiller is still the same, but I think Aftran kind of suppresses her instincts so that she doesn't take control once she starts to connect to my mind. She's able to get to my senses without making me lose control of anything. Which I prefer, obviously," I added.

"Why can't she do that at the Pool?" Jake wondered.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He'd been to the Yeerk Pool, but he'd never seen the way the guards studied hosts. "Way too easy for someone to suspect something. I can't fake being empire Yeerk level calm at the Pool, not like Aftran. It's safer for both of us if she's in charge in front of hundreds of people and Hork-Bajir and Taxxons who, even if they don't have Yeerks when they see us, will have them within an hour. It's one thing for an involuntary host like me to be freaked out. That's normal. But a Yeerk like Aftran, who's playing my old Yeerk? That's just asking for problems."

Jake made a face, but nodded. "Yeah, that'd be way too risky. Even if you could fake it, it wouldn't be worth it. No offense, Tom."

I smiled. "None taken. It's why she has full control whenever we're in a Yeerk setting, but loose control at some other times."

"Huh?" Jake stared at me like I had just grown an extra set of eyeballs.

Right. I'd probably never explained that to him. Certainly, Temrash wouldn't have.

"Full control is when a Yeerk is connected to your body so that, even if they're just sitting or lying down and not doing anything, you can't do anything. You're powerless. Like when you were infested by Temrash," I explained, "but loose control is when they're the one using your body, but in a way that you can do so, too. Without having to fight them. It's essentially sharing control."

"But-" Jake broke off, clearly perplexed. "Why does she need to do that at all? Why not just let you be in charge?"

I could understand what he wasn't asking. I edged closer to him, putting an arm around his shoulder, again.

"Sometimes, it's easier when she's the one using my body. Like, if I want to take a nap during class." I nudged him, gently. "I can literally fall asleep in class and not get caught, because Aftran's there to make me look like a good little student. She's also faster at writing than I am, which we take advantage of when we do my homework. I'm sure I can think of other examples, but the point is, it's the best thing for both of us."

Jake laughed. "Okay. I guess it's not all bad."

"Right. Then, there's when we're in your meetings, and we both want to be able to say something. Aftran's sure not going to prevent me from talking, then, but I want her to be able to speak her mind, too. So, she uses loose control, and we say who's speaking beforehand," I pointed out. "Again, she's using my body, but so can I. And," I added, lest Jake start to freak out about this later, "don't worry, Midget. I promise, it doesn't hurt, and it's not any harder for me to talk or move when she's in this mode than it would be if she wasn't there."

Jake nodded, again. Probably processing everything. "When she's in your head, when she's not talking or taking control, do you feel her there?"

I frowned, clearly not following. "Huh?"

"I mean, can you feel her? Like, in your head?" Jake clarified.

I shook my head. "I can feel her emotions, but not physically, no. Not like there's water or something stuck in my brain," I told him. "Why? Did you feel Temrash like that?"

It was his turn to shake his his head. "But he had full control when he was there, so I couldn't really feel my body the way I can now. You know? Senses and stuff are kind of muted."

I could remember this, if I tried. Even when Aftran was in full control, she kept her hold on my senses light enough so I could feel everything, unless I wanted to take a nap. It just felt too strange, otherwise. Not that Temrash or Gariss had given a second thought to how I felt with them controlling my senses, as well as my body. The only plus side to that was any pain felt far off when they were there. Well, physical pain.

"I remember." I grimaced. "But, it's not like that, now. Even when she's in full control, Aftran gives me full access to my senses," I explained. "And when she's not, I hear her voice when she speaks to me, and I always have a sense of her emotions, but I don't feel like there's something in my brain. I mean, physically."

Jake managed a laugh. "Yeah, I can't imagine there would be many voluntary Controllers if it felt like there was water or something stuck in there."

"Probably not," I allowed, smiling.

We didn't talk much, or, rather, we didn't talk about Aftran or Yeerks in general. Jake asked if we could head back, maybe shoot some hoops, and I agreed. We spent an hour or so doing just that.

At one point, my parents were sure I'd go pro. That had been before The Sharing, before I'd basically went two and a half years without even touching a basketball. I might have the same gift, but I was out of practice, and I didn't have the kind of time it would take to catch up. Maybe after the war was over, maybe not. A part of me felt some regret every time I played, knowing what I'd lost.

A larger part of me was glad that I could still play. Me, not a Yeerk controlling my body.

I'd heard of hosts-mostly humans-losing control over their body after having been infested for years. I depended enough on Aftran for emotional support, and was relieved that I didn't need her for physical support. Would never need her for that.

If I'd continued being a slave to Gariss or another cruel Yeerk, though, it could have happened to me.

That night, I missed Aftran, but not as much as I had during the four days she'd been gone. This felt less like an ache as a sense that something was off. Like when you're a kid and sleeping at a friend's house, and you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. There's the disorientation, being in a strange bed, and the sense that the bathroom isn't where it's supposed to be, before you remember you're not at home. Going to bed without Aftran was kind of like that. It didn't hurt, or not too much, but it felt-unsettling.

As I tried to fall asleep in my bed, the blankets loose around me instead of tucked in, I thought again about my idea. How Jake would react to it. How Aftran would react to it. I was pretty sure that, of the two, she'd be the most like to agree to it. Really, she'd seen the beginnings of it in my mind before I had any real concept of it. Yeerk knowledge of their hosts and all of that. It had to get stronger over time-except, even after just a day into my time with Temrash, it felt like he knew my thoughts far better than I did. He'd certainly done little to ease the horror and embarrassment of seeing my worst memories play in great detail in my head.

He could have waited until I was asleep, like Aftran had done. That would have been the decent thing to do. Especially if he had had any real desire to make me into a semi-voluntary host.

I shuddered, reliving those memories. I closed my eyes, tightly, willing the images and his laughter to disappear. When they didn't, I tried taking deep breaths, the way Aftran had taught me. I forced myself to think of something else, anything else. That would lead to a more pleasant memory, I knew. That would make the pain-if not stop-at least fade.

I didn't remember if it worked. Just waking up the next day, knowing I hadn't had any nightmares.

Jake and I spent a good part of the morning doing homework. Really, I could have waited for Aftran to help me, but with Jake still stuck doing his work, it felt a little unfair on my part. We should suffer together through having to do schoolwork on the weekend. Especially when it was bright and sunny outside.

By about three in the afternoon, we were finished, and Jake suggested calling Cassie. I agreed. While I'd initially hoped that I would be waiting longer, I was more than ready for Aftran to come back. Anyway, it would probably be closer to four by the time we arrived at Cassie's barn.

I didn't want to eavesdrop, so I grabbed a random book from my room and began reading it. I'd hardly made it past a page before I heard Jake's footsteps.

"She told us we could head over whenever we wanted," he told me. Nodding at the book that was open in my hands, he added, "What's that?"

I shrugged, realizing I hadn't noticed the title before I'd began reading. Closing it and peering at the cover, I saw it was one of the books from the Redwall series. I'd been given them as a gift, probably from one of my grandparents, but I must have either never read them, or read them too long ago to remember much of anything.

"You ever read them?" I wondered, returning it to the shelf and following Jake out my room.

Jake shook his head. "Don't think so."

I drove the car, since even though Jake had his learner's permit, Dad had forbidden him from driving without himself or Mom present. I thought that there might be a law that you couldn't drive with someone younger than 21 with just a permit, but maybe that didn't apply to our state. Anyway, Jake flew more often than not, at least, when I wasn't a passenger.

Cassie was, of course, waiting in the barn, giving us her standard smile. She hadn't dressed up for the sleepover during the previous night, and was in her standard jeans and t-shirt this time, too. Not that she needed to dress up to look cute. Objectively speaking, of course. I knew that she was Jake's more-or-less girlfriend even if it wasn't official, but you could recognize that someone was attractive without wanting to date them.

I figured that, even if the war ended tomorrow, it would be some time before I was ready to date anyone.

Especially since that was sort of how I ended up as an involuntary Controller.

"Have a good time?" I asked Cassie, after she'd closed the door.

"We did," she answered. "And you?"

I nodded. "It felt weird, but not as bad as the four days. We should try this again, if you want?"

It was Cassie's turn to nod. "It doesn't have to be every weekend, Tom. I'm happy that I get to spend a few hours with Aftran a couple of times a week. I hope you know that?"

"I do." I turned to Jake, who followed the nodding sequence.

"Definitely," he told her. "We just want to find something that everyone can live with."

Cassie was quiet for a second, then spoke up again. "Aftran says that she wouldn't be surprised if, after the war, this kind of thing became popular. Fewer people taking on a Yeerk full time, but doing a sort of timeshare."

I laughed. "Would most Yeerks be able to handle it? Two or more different human brains on the regular?"

"It would take some adjusting to," Cassie agreed, "but if the alternative was no host at all..."

"They might want a day off each week," Jake considered. "Three days with one person, three with another, and one to just hang out in the pool."

Another pause, and then Cassie spoke up again. "Aftran thinks you might have a point, there."

I smiled a little, imagining their mental conversation. Cassie probably had less baggage than I did, but maybe not. Maybe, it was a different set of problems that she carried around with her.

"You ready?" I asked, speaking a little quietly. Gently, even.

Cassie nodded, and we both turned so that our ears faced each other. A minute later, I felt Aftran's touch, then the anesthetic, and finally, the pressure as she made her way to my brain. No loss of control, just the sudden connection of our two minds meeting.

(Hi,) I told her.

(Hi, Tom,) she answered, smiling at me. (How were things, this time?)

I gave a mental shrug. (You know. Weird without you, but not as bad as before.)

She nodded. (You are getting better at this.)

(I still...) I began, awkwardly.

I felt her hug me. (I know, I know. Just, try not to worry about it, okay?)

I didn't respond with words, just hugged her back, feeling my mind relax.

My shoulders seemed to ease, as well.

(Do you want to rest?) Aftran asked me, after a moment.

I considered, but mentally shook my head. (I think I'm okay. Thanks.)

(You're welcome,) she answered, smiling.

We said goodbye to Cassie, and left the barn. Jake stood close to me, and I wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"You okay, Midget?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, turning to smile at me. "It's just-a year ago, even six months ago, if you'd told me we'd be doing this, I would have said you were crazy."

"Me, or just someone in general?" I teased, elbowing him a little.

Jake laughed. "I guess, someone in general," he clarified. "If it had been you, well, not only would I have thought your Yeerk had totally lost it, I would have been worried because of-"

He didn't finish.

"Infiltration," I finished, squeezing his shoulders.

"Yeah." He turned again, just a little, enough so that he looking right at me. "I worried about you-your Yeerk-suspecting me."

I nodded, completely understanding. "Temrash and Gariss were completely ignorant in that aspect, trust me. If they'd suspected anything, they'd have gone straight to Visser Three."

Jake nodded. "I knew that your Yeerks were close with Chapman, and he was close to Visser Three. Or, that Visser Three kept him close. We had to be super careful."

I managed a grin. "Like speaking in code and thinking my Yeerks had bugged the house?"

Jake laughed a little. "You have to admit, it was better to be paranoid than not. For all we knew, every Yeerk who wasn't living alone was bugging their host's house and listening to the conversations each night."

"Okay. I'll give you that," I conceded, although I privately thought that any Yeerk who bothered with this would feel the sleep deprivation within a couple of days. Protocol or not, most Yeerks weren't that diligent. "And, anyway, I'm not saying that you shouldn't be careful. Just that the real danger, around home, is Mom and Dad finding out about what's going on. Even though they're not infested, I don't think they should know that we're fighting a war against aliens. Not unless something huge changes, like Visser Three finally gets his wish and the invasion goes public. Which," I added, "is so not going to happen in the near future."

We entered the car, and Jake buckled himself into the passenger seat. He looked more at ease, now. "You know, Tom, it's great to be able to talk to you about this."

I smiled at him, hoping I looked sympathetic. It was hard to know what your expression looked like, when you couldn't see yourself. Even though Aftran swore there hadn't been long term damage with my motor skills, sometimes, it felt like I forgot how to act in certain situations. Or, at least, how to appear to others.

"Yeah, I bet. Me not being the enemy anymore has to be a huge weight off your shoulders," I answered, gently.

Jake reached for my hand. "It wasn't you, Tom. It was never you."

I squeezed it. "Yeah. I know. But, still."

He nodded, but his face darkened a little. "Yeah." He managed a smile. "But, hey, now we have you and Aftran on our side. That's not too bad."

"Yeah, pretty sweet exchange you got there, Midget," I snickered, and so did Aftran (in my head). "And me, of course."

"Well, since the Yeerk's in your head..." Jake pointed out, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah."

I squeezed Jake's hand, again. "Yeah," I repeated.