Guest: I don't know how much of this there will be. I didn't plan it out past that chapter.
I love Janto: everyone is too scared to. He would.
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LostinalittleWonderland: thanks for the fave and alert.
glennfp: thanks for the fave and alert.
lanatochylina: thanks for the alert.
It's 2014 in this story because that's when the series ended. I hope someone was interested in knowing that.
Joshua pulled out the chair at Steve's table. Steve didn't think he had even heard him enter the restaurant. Joshua looked harried, bags under his eyes, hair sticking up and it looked like he had fallen asleep in his clothes. Joshua more fell back into the chair than sat down.
"Sorry, I'm late. I should have left the bed and breakfast earlier. I just..." Hadn't wanted to leave. Not when Claudia needed me, not when they might call me and tell me the meeting with Claire is done. In the end Claudia had practically thrown him out, maybe if she was stronger she would have carried him out. She had a makeshift family there, he tried to comfort himself in the thought that she wasn't alone.
"It's fine. You should try the pie."
Joshua smiled. It looked more like a grimace. He picked up a menu but didn't look at it. "I'll have what he's having," he said when a waitress came by to take his order.
"Any drinks?"
"Just a glass of water."
She smiled. "Coming right up."
He put the menu down when she left. "So uh, Steve... or do you prefer Jinks?"
"Either is fine."
"What do you usually do around here?"
"I don't usually go to town very often," Steve said. "The pings keep all of us busy." He quickly realized that Joshua didn't know what the pings were and added "I mean the missions. But I can show you around later."
"Okay." He should be back at the B&B, waiting on the steps for Claire to show up. Claudia could be doing that with him if she wasn't put on inventory. Not that he wanted her to be on the front steps all day but wasn't this the time for a day off? With everything finally so quiet why were Steve and him the only ones taking a break? But it wasn't fair to put all of that on Steve so he just smiled at him. I need so much therapy.
Steve smiled back. "We could see a movie or something. I hope something decent is playing."
"I don't think I could concentrate on one right now." Even if he could he didn't want to get a phone call about Claire in the middle of a movie and have to navigate his way out in the dark.
"Just walk around the town then?"
"Sure." The waitress came by again to give Joshua his glass of water.
"The burger will just be a few more minutes," she said.
"That's fine," Joshua replied.
"Let me know if you need anything." She walked away.
Joshua looked back at Steve. "Thanks for inviting me out."
"Uh- no problem. I've been looking forward to meeting you actually. Finally knowing all of the Donovan siblings."
Joshua smiled and it felt real this time. To be honest he'd always wanted to meet Claudia's best friend. "I hope we don't disappoint."
Claire didn't see anything out of the tinted windows. She was blind folded before she entered the building and Mrs Fredrick's words did nothing to calm her bounding heart.
"It's just for security purposes. You get to take it take off inside." Claire heard the door open and she was got out of the car.
"If it's that secret shouldn't you have driven us here?" She stretched her arms out, feeling unbalanced without her sight.
"I assure you that my driver has full security clearance. Now come along." How had she gotten next to her so fast? "The building is on the other side of the car."
Claire giggled. She didn't know why that was funny.
She followed after, listening to Mrs Fredrick's heels hit the ground as they walked. She had to wait for Mrs Fredrick's knock to be answered once there, then for the door to be opened. The whole thing took forever. At least once inside Mrs Fredrick kept her word and let Claire take the blind fold off.
The man who had opened the door walked them down a long hallway. "We've been waiting for you two."
"We came as quickly as we could," Mrs Fredrick said.
The man opened the door and took at the far end of the table. Claire sat down at the other end and looked up at Mrs Fredrick.
"I'll wait outside," she said.
They had gone this far together, Claire had thought that Mrs Fredrick would be part of the interview. "Can you get a message to Claudia and Joshua?" Claire asked. She didn't have a cellphone yet but Mrs Fredrick must at least have a farnsworth with her. "Tell them I'm fine. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I'll do that."
Claire turned back to the group of people when Mrs Fredrick was gone. There were four, two women and two men.
"Miss Donovan," one of the men begins. "I'm sure you can appreciate the uniqueness of your case." Her case? Well that was one way to refer to everything. "The agents have all submitted their reports but we want to hear your recount of the events."
"Where do you want me to start?"
Joshua checked his phone. "Message from Claudia. She says Mrs Fredrick said Claire is fine and will be back as soon as she can." He smiled, from ear to ear.
Steve smiled back. "That's great."
"Yeah." He looked at his half eaten burger. If Artie had told him about Claire, if Claudia had told him about her there must have been something that he could have done. Why had no one told him? "I know I saw her at breakfast but it feels like she's been gone the entire day."
"I used to wait on the steps for my older sister to come home from school. I know it's not the same thing but back then I thought it would take forever for her to show up."
"Claudia used to be jealous that Claire and I got to go to school when she didn't. Then when she did go, it was obvious that she was miles ahead of everyone else."
"I don't know how I didn't realize it before." Myka laid down on her bed with Pete beside her. "I don't know what to do. But we can't stay here all day."
"I am getting hungry."
"You just ate. Don't leave the wrapper in my room." She sat up. "Might as well head down."
Pete followed her out of the room and down the stairs.
"Myka! Pete!"
She had thought that she would have more time before seeing Helena. She turned and saw Helena and Claudia. "Hey."
"We thought we'd go out for lunch," Helena said. "We lost track of time doing inventory. I swear it took longer than it used to. Do you two want to join us?"
"I'll come," Pete said.
"No, thank you," Myka said. "I think I'll lounge here for a while."
"Are you sure Mykes?" Pete asked.
"Yeah."
"Maybe some other time," Helena said. "I've barely seen you lately."
"Some other time," Myka agreed. She couldn't help feeling guilty, regardless of her feelings Helena was her friend. She couldn't and really didn't want to avoid her forever. But she needed to work out what she would say, if she said anything at all.
"You can the rest of the pizza I left in the fridge," Pete offered.
"Thanks," Myka said.
"We'll bring you back a burger or something," Claudia said.
"That sounds good," Myka said. She watched them leave. Pete looked back at her and she gave him a thumbs up.
Myka made her way to the kitchen after they left. There was no reason to have to do this on an empty stomach.
I think most of the named regents are dead, so I'm not sure what to call the regents who interviewed her. I know there was no meeting with the regents when Joshua came back, but Claire went through even more than he did and there's time travel in her case.
I don't know if I'm keeping Joshua or Steve in character.