PART FIVE.

It was a conversation they had to have but neither man was eager to broach the subject.

They stood in Tony Verdeschi's spacious quarters, drinks in hand, their meeting to fill in the blanks, talking of matters John might not have caught onto or had questions regarding during earlier conversations and the tour. John admired his and Sandra's home. It was bigger than the accommodations John had with Helena and Aaron, with multiple rooms. But then again, Verdeschi was providing for a larger family – and he was Alpha's Commander.

Koenig wanted to ask him about Maya, how he was coping with seeing her again, but supposed if Tony wanted to talk with anyone about her he would mention it all on his own. He hadn't but it was not hard to see the conflict in his expression every time she stepped into the same room he was in. John was sure, sometime soon, Tony probably would speak with him, an old friend with internal struggles of his own, yet Maya was really the person he needed to talk with. It was their business and John really had no say in it.

Meanwhile, the real question of the hour was in the back of both of their minds and, honestly, there was no easy answer.

"What happens from here, Tony?" John asked, bringing the drink up to his lips, a form of brandy he was told, and sipped it tentatively.

"What do you want to happen, John?" Verdeschi replied, quickly seeing his own question for the copout it was.

A stalemate.

Turning to look at his friend, once gain noting how responsible he appeared, that scar on his cheek, and the way he held himself; a confident but fatigued man who was compelled to work through an on-going illness or injury. As with Helena's ordeal, Tony was still coping with impairment and probably a lot of guilt feelings. It made him look rugged but also primed. "I can't deny that you look good in that black sleeve." Koenig quipped and smiled at his friend's snicker. "Guess I just need to know where I am expected to work now. What is my position on Alpha?"

"Do you want to become Alpha's Commander again, John?"

And there it was. The question. It would seem natural for him to take up where he left off, but it was not that simple.

"You've been doing the job well for quite a while, Tony, and I do not see why that should change. Our people respect and rely on you."

Verdeschi looked away from him for a moment, took a drink from his glass, remembering a time when he failed Alpha. Helena had taken on the leadership role, something he tried to do with less than acceptable results, becoming injured in the process, and he would feel culpable about that – what had happened to her - until the day he died. Even as he had laid there in Medical Center, gritting his teeth through the pain of his own wounds, Commander Verdeschi could not help thinking that John Koenig would never have let it get as far as it did. He somehow would have stopped it all. Tony said: "I've been thinking about it, John, and we could always co-command the base. I think that might make everyone happy."

Koenig did not answer right away. He knew Tony probably discussed the situation with Sahn and she may have been the one with the idea. Her husband had been in command for ten years and she probably did not have him around as much as she liked. John wondered how many nights Sandra and the children were left alone when his command took him to the catacombs or new construction. Still, Verdeschi was a born leader and even as the suggestion was made, Koenig could hear and feel the hesitation in his voice.

"No." John finally said. "Alpha needs only one Commander. The two of us attempting to run the base would not just strain our friendship, should we have a disagreement, but might confound our people. They need to know who to look to for leadership and security. One man or woman. And, from what I've seen, that's you."

"But it hasn't been easy." Verdeschi admitted, "Between random space debris colliding with the moon, an alien invasion, inside arguments and minor mutinies, I sometimes wonder how it is we managed to make it this far into outer-space."

"You don't know how many times I felt the same way, Tony." Koenig empathized.

"You have the experience, John, and while I might still command Alpha I sure could use a friend as an advisor and second in command. Especially as we move further into this black void we're traveling through. The kids are great, never having lived another life, but some of our oldsters … they are having problems that medicine can't cure. Sometimes I just don't have the words to help them. Maybe you do."

"Yes, that I can do." John said, a little sadness in his tone. He remembered the now long-gone Victor Bergman as his advisor. He still missed him. "Besides, that will give me time to concentrate on the wife and son. If I commanded Alpha, I'm not sure I could give them the attention they deserve. We have a lot of catching up to do."

The men downed their drinks and placed their glasses on the bar. They shook hands. A weight had been lifted from both their shoulders.

"How is it going with Aaron?" Tony asked, curious.

"Not good right now. I'll have to work on him. Show him I'm not some fickle gatecrasher."

"Well, if you need any tips I'm sure Dave Reilly …." Tony suddenly stopped talking, realizing he might have said too much.

"Dave Reilly? The Irish cowboy? What about him?"

"Yeah, well, he and the boy are close. Aaron refers to him as his Uncle. You know how kids are." Tony cleared his throat, "Besides your advisory duties, what section will you feel contented working in, John?"

It was then that Koenig realized that Tony was doing everything he could not to look him in the eyes. He could sense the Italian wanted, and tried, to change the subject. Obviously, he was hiding something.

"What else about Reilly, Tony?"

Inwardly, Verdeschi sighed. Helena was going to kill him.

"Seriously, Helena?"

"Are you angry?"

"Stunned is more the word I was looking for."

They sat together, once again, in the living area of their now shared quarters. There was no reason for them to pretend they were anything but a wedded couple, despite their time apart. A new wardrobe for Koenig had been sent up, his two extra tunics sporting uncolored sleeves until further notice. "Maybe we should come up with a new color." John had quipped.

"Gray?" Helena suggested with a spot of sincerity. "Seems appropriate for the Commander's advisor."

He was also given a shaving kit, a set of pajamas, and his comlock was now upgraded to Level Alpha, given to all command staff.

"But seriously, Helena … Dave Reilly?"

She did not sense anger from him. More a form of disappointment or protectiveness. However, he was also trying to fathom the position Helena found herself in. She could nearly laugh at the bewilderment on his face.

"What could you and Reilly have in common?"

"At the time we were both lonely, John." She said, "But it wasn't just a quick decision and – boom – we were having an affair. It took months. You must believe that. Try to appreciate the circumstance. He was there, one of the few people who knew what had happened to me, when the aliens attacked us. Honestly, he took Aaron in hand, became good friends with him over the next few years, and was a father figure …"

She paused momentarily when John's head snapped up and he looked directly at her.

"Dave was exceptionally good with Aaron, John. No one can deny it. Especially after Brount and his warriors left us, as much as I loved our son, I was in no condition to take care and nurture him. Tony and Sandra did their best during that year but Aaron knew, even as a three then four year old, that their daughter and later son were no relation to him. They – not he - would take up most of the couple's attention and Tony could never be a true parental figure to him. Dave took up the slack."

John still tried to get his head around the idea. The archeologist had always been inattentive and rash in his opinion. But even as he thought about Reilly, he realized why he was giving the man an exceptionally low opinion. Dave Reilly was a professional; an archeologist, who would never have been on Alpha if he did not know what he was doing. He knew minerals and had a great eye for construction. He had been instrumental in tunneling, where and when to do it, during those first years in space and probably more so now. What it came down to, and John was not proud to admit it, was jealousy. "Okay fine. He was good with Aaron, became an Uncle and playmate to him, but that does not explain why you and he …"

"Dave was kind to me, sympathetic, and seemed to completely understand what I was going through. He tried to make me laugh and, after a while, he even succeeded. He was remarkably patient. Dave always had a sort of boyish charm, you know. Then, when I saw where it was going …" She thought back, remembered being wrapped in a sheet, feeling incredible pain, and strong arms were carrying her to Medical Center. "Dave knew he could not do anything until Brount left me but he was right there, ready to aid, the minute he knew it was safe for me and Alpha. He saw it, John, first hand. He saw what Brount had done to my body and mind. He was there and saw me hysterical, emotionally fragile, and in agony. Then, when I came back to myself …" Helena brushed away a tear. "He told me he would do anything to help. He felt he owed it to me – and to you. He became a better man over those years, John. Less interested in his rocks and more concerned with … Aaron and me. People in general."

"He fell in love with you, Helena." Koenig knew it was true even if she did not state it aloud.

"No … I don't know. Maybe he did." Helena shook her head back and forth, sadly. "I never even had him come here to sleep." She indicated their quarters, "We would always go to his place, take breaks and lunch periods together, and always with the lights off or dimmed." She added, "I had no reason to feel awkward. You were gone – but I was very conscious of the way I appeared, and no man could … Even Dave or …" she struggled.

John reached out and touched her shoulder. "It's alright, Helena. I get it." He said, honestly, "He was there for you when I wasn't. You wanted someone. He loved you and you needed attention."

"Yes. That and Aaron cared for him too. But, if it will make you feel any better, it lasted three months then it was over. Dave was disappointed, even told me he would marry me …"

"Marry you?" Koenig back suddenly became ridged at the unpleasant thought. He had already seen how Tony and Sandra affected Maya. He could only imagine how he'd feel if, once returned, he found that Helena had wed Reilly!

"But I was afraid. And, even if he loved me, I did not love him. I feel terrible about that. But I just couldn't love him or any man. If anything, I was using Dave and that really was unacceptable. Still, he adored Aaron and even after having his own little girl with Karen Loughlin, he stayed an important figure in A.J.'s life."

'Just as I will be.' John thought and took one of her hands in his as she rested her head on his shoulder. She loved him and that was what mattered. "Helena," he whispered. "It's okay."

As the days and weeks passed, the incorporation of their once missing comrades breathed new life into Moonbase Alpha.

There were parties, mixers where all the Alphans got reacquainted. Anecdotes were told by the Eagle Three crew, what they went through with the space warp, and even more stories were told to Koenig and his friends about Alpha and what everyone around them were up to over the ten years they missed.

The children were fascinated by the newcomers and the best two storytellers, Carter and Rossi. They were in constant demand during school classes. The children's educators loved to have the men come by and talk about anything they thought the kids might want to hear. Carter thought it odd that they mostly wanted to hear about Earth, Australia to be precise, from him. Also, his Eagle exploits.

"What is the most dangerous adventure you've ever had while flying?" a boy had asked him.

Alan spoke for two hours that day and the children hardly blinked as they stared at him, taking it all in.

In the science lab, Maya and Professor Tsu worked closely together and although she was not as enthusiastic as she once was about her duties, the Psychon did find pleasure in learning from her colleague and teaching him a few methods that came easily to her - and he eventually caught onto. Because Tsu was Alpha's head of science, he held a station in Command Center, leaving her free to do lab work. Maya was grateful for that. The less she had to be in Tony Verdeschi's company the better.

Yet, it was getting easier. A few days earlier she and Sandra had a conversation in the recreational area, not speaking about Tony specifically but their children and how they had inherited "Daddy's temper". Maya found herself laughing; even though she knew, weeks earlier, she would be mourning the idea that she should be the mother of Tony's children. Maya recalled Sandra looking at her, smiling gently, a bit of relief in her expression.

They had reached an understanding. Life moved on.

Steiner was seeing Dr. Mathias three times a week. The suicide of his wife had not been an easy pill to swallow but, with the help of his doctor, the sympathy of his friends, and a lot of hard work, he was getting by and had even started new blueprints regarding the further expansion of Moonbase Alpha.

And finally, John Koenig did what he told Verdeschi he wanted to do. He got to know his family. It took a little time for Aaron to warm up to him but slowly, as the boy showed his father what his interests were, they bonded. John told him first hand stories of the places he visited on Earth and the worlds they came into contact with when first being propelled into outer space. The boy seemed truly fascinated by The Guardian who maintained the planet Piri. He also showed a great deal of alarm when John told Aaron about the journey in time he, Helena and Alan took to Scotland in 1339.

Before bed one evening he asked John, "Did the Scottish barbarians harm you?"

"No, not at first." John spoke gently at his bedside and glanced at Helena who was sitting in a chair on the other side of Aaron's bed. She mimed him to be careful. Aaron was just a little boy. She did not want him having nightmares. John decided he probably should leave out the part about nearly being burned to death. "But we eventually made it back, your Mom was cured, and everything worked out well." He summed up. When Aaron was older, better able to accept the details, he could read the full report if he wanted to.

"That's good." Aaron smiled.

"And now I think it is time for us to say goodnight, A.J." Koenig recognized his mistake and quickly said, "Sorry, son. I keep forgetting. You like to be called, Aaron. I know."

"Well," A thoughtful expression overcame the boy's face, "I guess you can call me A.J." he said, taking his father's hand, "But only you."

Koenig could feel a lump in his throat as Aaron looked up at him with honest blue eyes and a nearly adoring smile. "Thank you … A.J."

Aaron released John's hand and scooted down into bed, pulling the covers over him, apparently unaware of the significance of what had just happened. John watched as Helena leaned over him and gave the boy a gently kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, my darling."

"Goodnight, Mom, Goodnight, Dad."

It wasn't until they left the room, the bedroom door slicing shut behind them, that John turned to Helena and allowed the emotion show. She held him, stroking his back gently, delighted with the break-through.

They truly were a family now.

Days later, an event would occur that, once again, would throw Moonbase Alpha into a monumental quandary. Terror and despair, thought a thing of the past, would crash down on the moon people.

Yet, there would also be challenge, wonder, and hope.

Life for the people of Earth's moon was about to change.

(Coming Soon: The final chapter of Thankful)