Bogg can't remember ever having felt this powerless. Not in recent years anyway. He's pacing up and down the lane to the School. He wants to do something, build something, break something. Doesn't matter what, just as long as it takes his mind of Kate and Jeff's well-being. Last night, after his nightmare, and after his heart stopped pounding in his throat, he went to the Omnitron to see how they were doing. He saw Kate sound asleep in a bed. She always looked sweetest when she slept. How much she looked like her mother. Olivia also was sweetest when she slept. Bogg smiles to the memory. He didn't see Jeffrey in the picture, but he trusts the kid is all right. Kate would never be able to look this relaxed if something were wrong with Jeff.

The kid. He should stop thinking of him as the kid. Bogg turns around and paces back to the cottage. Jeff's nineteen now. A man. He should come up with a new nickname for him. Maybe something will spring to mind when he sees him again. He thought that, upon his return he would get to spend a lot of time with Jeffrey, make him feel welcome in his new home, apologize for not finding him sooner, or earlier in the boy's life. It makes him sick to think he only spent a few minutes with Jeffrey, then he went to the Council to report on the outcome of his mission and now Jeff is gone. With Kate. And an omni. Perhaps that's the one good thing about it, they're not lost in time without an omni.

Yesterday, after he came home from his meeting, he first thought Kate was showing Jeffrey around the Island. He didn't start to worry until hours later they still hadn't returned. He looked all over the Island, but could not find them. Alexander mentioned they had been in the School earlier. He and Joseph met Bogg in the hall of the School.

Bogg replays the conversation in his mind.

"They seem to be gone," Alexander chips in his bit.

"Gone? This is an Island. How far could they have gotten?"

"Well, there's also an omni missing."

"So?"

"So? Jeffrey Jones is missing, your daughter is missing, and an omni is missing. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what has happened here," Joseph states. "It's not like it's the first time. She nearly cost us all a whole lot of trouble, trying to change her own history."

Bogg glares at him. "That was different. She came back, we sorted things out and she said she would never do it again. She understands now that you can't change your own history."

"Phineas, you are horrendously naïve when it comes to your daughter."

"A father's obligation," Bogg replies. He isn't going to listen to Joseph telling him what he can and cannot think of his daughter.

"Whatever. Fact remains an omni's missing and so is your daughter." Bogg replies with another glare. "Shall we go see where they are?" Joseph asks with a friendly smile. Bogg has to brace himself not to wipe that smile of his face.

The three of them go to the Omnitron. Bogg tries to suppress the feeling of awe he always gets looking at the machine with its displays and blinking lights.

"When I heard Kate and an omni were missing, I immediately checked the Omnitron. That's them in screen A16." Joseph transfers the image to the larger center screen. "No sound I'm afraid."

Bogg looks at the image. He sees Jeffrey throw his arms around Kate and Kate struggling to get out of his bearhug. Both of them are laughing. He is glad to see the kid laughing; he was afraid that would take a very long time.

"And look where they are: 1989. Now, how do you suppose that happened, considering they took an omni with its time boundary set at 1970?" Joseph continues.

Bogg shrugs. "My old omni had a time boundary set at 1970. It landed me in 1982 just the same. And," he points out, "if it hadn't, we perhaps would not be having this conversation."

"Seriously, Phineas. It's one thing to be naïve."

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Bogg knows very well what Joseph is implying: Kate reset the time boundary. He has to admit that would be something she could do. Although he would never admit to it out loud. And Kate and Jeffrey are in 1989 now, the year Jeffrey would be in if Bogg had never omnied into his life. It's just too big a coincidence not to have the hand of Kate in it.

"So, we've established Kate and Jeffrey took off with an omni without asking; now let's get them back."

"No," Joseph replies.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"If Kate thinks she's mature enough to voyage, I have to trust she is mature enough to come back to the Island."

"Trust? You've never trusted Kate before. Why start now?" Bogg raises his voice.

"Now, now, Phineas, calm down. It's not like Kate hasn't received Voyager training," Joseph tries to say in a soothing voice. "And we are going to monitor her, so we can pluck her out of time if things are getting out of hand." Joseph spreads his arms to encourage the others to leave the room.

"What about Jeff? I've only just found him. He's been lost in time for five years. You can't make him be lost in time again just because you want to teach Kate a lesson."

"They have an omni; they can come home any time they want. We're monitoring them. There's nothing for you to worry about. Kate's an intelligent young lady. Jeffrey Jones has experience voyaging. I'm sure the two of them will be all right."

Reluctantly Bogg lets himself be ushered out of the room.

So there he is, twenty-four hours after Jeffrey woke up, pacing the lane because there isn't anything else he can do. He turns round and goes back the same way. He notices he passes Susan. He seems to recall he passed her a couple of times before. He turns back and greets her.

"Did I just pass you three times?"

"I didn't think you noticed."

"I didn't." He smiles ruefully.

"Can I walk with you? If you slow down a bit?"

"Sure." He proffers his arm. She takes it and they proceed down the lane at a slower pace.

"How are you, Phineas?" she asks in a caring voice.

He suppresses the urge to snap at her: 'How do you think I'm feeling?' "Worried sick," he replies. "Kate has never been off the Island this long. She doesn't know what the real world is like. And Jeff. I only just got him back and now he's lost again. Well, lost ... he isn't here anymore. Why did they do it?"

"What makes you think they did this on purpose?"

"They didn't do it on purpose?"

"I don't know. They're not here. I can't ask them. But why do you think they did it on purpose?"

"They're not back yet."

Susan frowns at Bogg so he explains further.

"If it was an accident they would have tried to get back already."

"Maybe they ran into some trouble: found a red light they thought they needed to get straight."

"They're in 1989. Jeff doesn't know what is supposed to happen there."

"That never stopped you from trying to handle red lights."

Susan's little joke doesn't catch on with Bogg. "I had a guidebook. Later I had Jeff, but as I said: he doesn't know what should happen in 1989."

"Kate might know. Don't look at me like that. Kate paid a lot better attention in School than you ever did."

Bogg growls. "Kate has never voyaged. Never properly anyway. She doesn't know how to handle herself."

"Jeffrey's with her. He'll take care of her."

"Yeah, he would." Unless five years in slavery has completely changed his character. Bogg wonders about that for a moment. The time he spent with the kid yesterday was too short to make a proper judgment.

"And Kate has received more Voyager training than any recruit we have ever sent into the field. Granted, it's all theoretical knowledge, but between the two of them, I'm sure they can handle themselves."

"I guess so, but I don't have to like it they're away."

"Of course not. No one is asking you to like it. I'm just giving you a few suggestions so that you can stop having kittens."

"Having kittens?"

"It's an expression."

"I've never heard of it."

"You've never been pacing around like this. I've never felt the need to use it."

"I guess."

"Will you be all right, Phineas?"

"Yeah," he says reassuringly. "You're right. Jeff and Kate can handle themselves. And they'll be right back after they've fixed that red light they've encountered."

"Yes. Give it a couple of hours. Then they'll be back, telling you how much they've missed you."

"Or how much they like voyaging and want to keep on doing it."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Another expression."

"I've heard of that one, thank you." They reach Susan's house. "Thanks for the talk."

"Just a few more hours, Phineas."

"Yeah. I should get back to the cottage. Enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as it lasts."

Susan gives him a kiss on the cheek and a hug. "That's the spirit."

Feeling better than before Bogg returns to his cottage.

-oOo-

Jeffrey opens his eyes and has a look around the room. It's different from the one he woke up in the previous morning. Except for one thing: there's a person sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"Why is that always when I wake up, you're sitting there reading a book?" he asks.

"Old habits die hard, I guess," Kate says. She closes the book. "How did you do on the test last night?"

"Good. I passed. They're really my folks, and they believe I'm really their son. Dad and I had years of catching up to do. So we stayed up hours talking after that."

"I hope you didn't tell him too much about voyaging."

"I managed to leave it out of the conversation. I thought it better not to say anything, not at this time anyway. I would have loved to tell him though, you know, that I was there when history was being made. That I've given history a push in the right direction now and then. But it would just be too weird. He'd think I was mad or something."

Jeffrey stretches himself out, whirls his legs out from under the blanket and sits up on the sofa. He's wearing an old pyjama John gave him, it fits much better than Bogg's handy downs he wore the other day. "In case you're wondering, I'm staying here. With my folks."

"Goes without saying. Look what I found." Kate gives him the book she was reading.

"Bogg's guidebook."

"Dog's teeth marks and everything."

Jeffrey runs his finger over the big V on the front cover. He always voyaged without a guidebook, and now that his voyaging days are over he holds one in his hands. Jeffrey smiles at the irony of that.

"This one'll come in handy now that I'll be voyaging alone after this. Just as I was getting used to you." Kate smiles.

"You're welcome to stay. Till someone comes to collect you."

"Yeah. I thought about what you said yesterday. I think they would sooner set the Omnitron to call the omni home than they'd send someone round to take me back. Homing an omni only works if you keep voyaging."

"You don't have to leave right away. Stay here a while. I'll show you where I grew up. Get you that hotdog."

"The sooner I'll be on my way, the less trouble I'll be in. I hope. Shows an effort that I wanted to be homed."

"Then this is good bye then, isn't it? I think I'll miss you. I've only known you for a day, but it was quite a day. Tell Bogg thanks for everything, and that I'll never forget him."

"If I'll ever see him again I'll tell him."

Jeffrey gets up to give Kate a hug. "Take care."

"You take care as well."

"Are you leaving?" John comes into the living room. "Why don't you stay?"

"I really shouldn't. There are a few other places I have to drop into before going home. I'd like to get a move on. It was very nice meeting you." Kate extends a hand to John.

"At least stay for breakfast. You brought back our son; we should give you at least a full stomach before you hit the road."

"Breakfast will be all right. I guess I can spare another half hour."

They sit down for breakfast. Emma is fussing over Jeffrey. Kate is amused by it. Jeffrey a little embarrassed, but enjoying it at the same time.

"I've seven years of fussing to catch up to. So sit back and suffer."

"Oh, please, fuss away."

There's a knock on the front door. John gets up to answer it. He returns followed by two police officers.

"Kate Bogg?" the first one says. "We're placing you under arrest for involvement in the kidnapping of Jeffrey Jones in 1982."

"Excuse me?"

The other policeman takes Kate by her right arm and turns it behind her back. He cuffs her while the first one continues talking.

"You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning."

"What's going on?" Jeffrey asks.

"I'm sorry, son, but we had to do this," Emma says, holding on to his arm, rubbing his back with her other hand.

"Had to do what? She had nothing to do with my disappearance. She only brought me back."

"But she knows the man who kidnapped you. He should take responsibility for what he did."

"Bogg didn't kidnap me. I fell out of the window, and he saved my life."

"Oh dear. The excitement is becoming too much for him." Emma feels Jeffrey's forehead.

"Take her out off here," John says.

"Come on." Kate is escorted out off the apartment in between the two policemen. She throws a last desperate look at Jeffrey.

"It's going to be all right, Jeffrey. It's all going to be all right. You're with us again." Emma puts her arms around Jeffrey, and makes him rest his head on her shoulder.

-oOo-

"Kate Bogg. You mind being named after a toilet?"

"I'd like to think the toilet was named after me."

"Haha, humor. Are you sure you don't want an attorney?" Kate nods. "What you're here for is no laughing matter."

"Then why do they send in a clown to question me?"

"More of that delightful Boggian wit. Where do you come up with these things?"

"I let my surroundings inspire me." Kate is sitting across the table of a detective. They're in an interview room at a police station. By the door sits a policewoman in uniform.

"They inspire me too. To ask you questions. Would you like to hear some of them?"

"If you must."

"You were brought here because we have reason to believe you are involved in the kidnapping of Jeffrey Jones on 14th September 1982. Almost seven years ago."

"I was eleven seven years ago."

"Do you know what the statute of limitation is on kidnapping?"

"I don't even know what statute of limitation is."

"It means that if after a certain amount of years the crime isn't solved the perpetrator goes scott free."

"Ah."

"And on kidnapping the statute of limitation is more than seven years."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"So, seen as the statute of limitation on kidnapping is more than seven years, and the kidnapping of Jeffrey Jones was a little less than seven years ago, that makes me entitled to question you on said kidnapping."

"But, seen as Jeffrey Jones was kidnapped some seven years ago and I am eighteen now, that made me eleven at the time. An unlikely suspect, I would say."

"We're going to play this the hard way, aren't we?"

"Which is the way you like it." Kate winks at him.

"You sure you're eighteen?"

"Quite sure."

"You mind if I smoke?"

"I do. Smoking kills."

"That's too bad." He lights up. "Okay, I'll accept you were too young for actual involvement. You didn't throw a hood over Jeffrey's head, tied him up and carried him off over your shoulder. But you could have stood on look out."

"Look out for what?"

"You tell me."

"I wasn't there."

"But you know someone who was there." The detective looks at Kate encouragingly. She looks back at him as blank as possible. "C'mon, you can give me a name. You know someone who was there."

"Jeffrey."

"There was him, but that was not the name I was looking for. Try again. Who else was there?" Kate shrugs. "Okay, let's try this another way. Tell me about your dad."

"What about him?"

"What kind of father was he?"

"Best father I ever had."

"You've had more than one?"

"No. He's the best by default."

"Is he a dishonest man? Does he lie, or steel? Or

something like that?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Is he good at hiding things?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Are you two close, you and your dad?"

"Pretty close."

"Does he tell you everything."

"He tells me enough."

"Where's your dad?"

"I don't know." Kate shrugs.

"He didn't tell you?"

"He told me 'see you later'. That's enough."

"How's that enough?"

"Tells me he's gonna be back later."

The detective snorts. "What about your mom?"

"My mom died."

"When?

"When I was thirteen.

"Any siblings, brothers and sisters?"

"No."

"It was just you and your dad?"

"Yeah."

"And Jeffrey."

"Jeffrey came later."

"How much later?"

"Five years."

"Jeffrey came when you were five years old?" The detective frowns lightly.

"No. He came when I was five years older. When I was eighteen. I've only known him for a day."

"We're not getting anywhere like this." The detective leans back in his seat.

"Wouldn't say that. I've learned a lot today."

"Like what?"

"Well, I learned what statute of limitation is. About your favorite form of self-execution, and you bite your finger nails. Probably when you're not smoking."

"Yet, I haven't learned anything I wanted to know."

"I didn't want to know these things either."

"Let's go back to the reason why you're here. To give me the name of the person who kidnapped Jeffrey Jones."

"If it was a one man job."

"Now we're getting somewhere."

"How's that?"

"You just indicated that there were more people involved in the kidnapping."

"No, I didn't. I just indicated that if one person did it you'll need one name, if more than one person were involved you'd need more than one name."

"Are you going to give me any names?"

"I don't know any names."

"Okay. I'll give you a name. Phineas Bogg. That name ring a bell?"

"My dad goes by that name."

"And he kidnapped Jeffrey Jones."

"No."

They stare at each other for a moment.

"Then explain to me the following: Jeffrey Jones shows up on his parents' doorstep, seven years after he was kidnapped from his aunt's apartment. He claims that in the mean time he has been traveling with his self-appointed guardian, one Phineas Bogg, your dad. Explain to me: how did Jeffrey Jones get from his aunt's apartment into the custody of Phineas Bogg?"

"Hmm. It's not obvious at first, is it?"

"No, it's not. How would you explain it?"

"Jeffrey fell from the window, and Dad jumped after him to save him."

"Jump from a 14th story window to save a boy. How come they weren't both splattered on the pavement?"

"Dad has this device with which he can leave one place and go to another."

"What? Like a Transporter?"

"A what?"

"You know, a Transporter. Star Trek. Beam me up, Scotty?"

Kate shrugs. "Never heard of it."

"It's quite refreshing to meet a youngster who hasn't spent half her life in front of the TV."

"We don't have TV."

"What are you Amish or something?"

"Something."

Another silence falls.

"Let's get back to this transporter of your dad's. He used it when Jeffrey fell out of the window." Kate nods. "So, he did kidnap Jeffrey Jones."

"No, he saved his life."

"Why didn't he bring him back?"

"Transporter didn't work anymore. He couldn't get back here."

"Hmm, to sum it up: Jeffrey fell out of the window; your dad jumped out after him and saved both there lives by using his special transporter. Because this transporter malfunctioned he could not come back to New York anymore to return Jeffrey to his parents, but instead spent seven years traveling the globe with him. Are there anymore fantastic stories you'd like to tell me?"

"Sure, I can make something up. If I'm not going anywhere, neither will you."

"That's where you're wrong. Interview terminated at 11.33." The detective turns off the tape recorder and stubs out his cigarette. "We're gonna keep you here a while. So you can think of a story that is more realistic."

-oOo-

"This young lady would like one of our rooms, without a view." The policewoman that takes her from the interview room to the desk says to the policeman at the desk.

"Lovely, we have a few vacancies. How long would you like to be staying?"

"Well, I'm just passing through, so one night only will be sufficient."

"All right, one night." The policeman takes out a book and starts writing. "Is there anything you'd like us to keep in our safe?"

"Not really."

"Empty your pockets," the policewoman encourages. "And your belt and shoe laces."

"What's that?" the policeman points at the omni.

"An ornament."

"Is that gold?"

"It's an alloy. Just looks like it."

"One pocket knife, one bulky metal object. No ID, keys, money or credit card?" Kate shrugs using only her left shoulder. "Okay, Jackson, you can show miss Bogg to room 14."

-oOo-

Jeffrey sits on his bed facing the window. His hands clenched around the guidebook. He's wearing some clothes from his dad. They're a bit baggy. He's practically skin over bones, but because he always was a skinny kid, his parents didn't really question that. Well, his mom said something about this Bogg character feeding him properly. He had replied that Bogg always had done his best.

He looks down at the guidebook, traces the V with his index finger. He's home now. He's got his parents back. For some weird reason. It's what he has always wanted, but he can't quite figure out how it happened. He remembers how they died. He was there. But history can change. He's glad history has changed in this case. Too bad history hasn't changed for the part he was a slave.

Jeffrey opens the guidebook and looks up his time in Ceylon. There's not much there. Nothing he could have done to get Voyagers' attention. He flicks through the pages, stops to read a passage here and there. With the aid of Jeffrey Jones, he says to himself when he sees an event where he helped give history a push. Bit of an ungrateful job Voyaging. You don't get recognized in the annals of history for lending a hand.

He looks out of the window. He shouldn't be reminiscing about voyaging. He should be thinking about ways to get Kate out of her predicament. A little knock on his door.

"Jeffrey, can I come in?" his mom asks.

"Sure, come in."

Emma enters the room and sits down on the bed. "I sat here often when you were away. Just here on the bed, facing the door. Waiting for you to walk back in. I always knew you would be back some day."

"I'm sorry it took so long."

"Me too. But why are you hiding in here? Are you waiting for someone to come back?"

Jeffrey hadn't realized he was waiting, but in a way he is. He's waiting for Bogg to drop back in so he can tell him thanks for everything, here's your guidebook back, and you're daughter is currently under arrest. Sorry about that.

"It's about that girl, Kate, we had arrested? We didn't know what else to do. She knows that man that kidnapped you. She can lead the police to him. He should be punished for what he did."

"Bogg didn't kidnap me. He saved my life."

"Then why didn't he ever bring you back to us?"

"He couldn't. He ..." The only explanation Jeffrey can think of is that Bogg's time traveling device didn't work anymore. But an explanation involving time travel is probably not going to sit well with his mother. "We tried our best to get back here, but we got held up, and then he lost me too. Bogg spent years looking for me. When he finally did I came back here right away." That's as close to the truth as he can get. "You see, Bogg had nothing to do with my disappearance. All he did was trying to get me back."

Emma takes his hand in hers. "I understand. I'm sure the police will let Kate go as soon as they realize that too."

They sit in silence for a moment.

"I understand why you did it," Jeffrey says after a while. "If it had been the other way around, I would have done the same."

Emma squeezes his hand, then changes the subject. "Your dad's clothes are a bit baggy for you. What'd you say we go shopping for new clothes for you this afternoon?"

"Sounds good. Uh, would it be okay if I went shopping on my own?"

"You don't want to be seen shopping with your mom. You're afraid I will harm your carefully cultivated image of an independent man?"

"It's not that. It's ..."

"It's okay. How about we go to the mall together, I sit sipping coffee at Starbuck's while you buy yourself an outfit at whatever shop is hip these days."

"Sounds good." Jeffrey smiles.

"All right. It's a date." Emma gets up and gives him a hug. "First, we'll have lunch and then we'll go, okay."

"Okay."

-oOo-

Kate's afternoon has been pretty uneventful. About an hour after she was put in the holding cell she received a meal. For the rest of the afternoon she is left to herself. She doesn't allow herself to think the situation is hopeless. The omni is near. If it stays long enough in one place, a Voyager is bound to come and check out what's wrong. Then that one can get her out of this cell.

Back on the Island she can go back to library duty for the rest of her life. Her last escapade with an omni got her two years of detention. She was told she was lucky Voyagers had given up on their practice of banishing bad elements and that she was a minor. She was strictly forbidden of even touching an omni ever again. Which pretty much limited her choice of jobs within Voyagers to library and legal. Even history teachers have to have field experience.

Kate is surprised that, given her history with voyaging, Jeff and she weren't already called home when they left Dallas. That was hours after they had left. Surely, someone had noticed they were missing? Dad for one. Why hadn't they been homed yet? Was this some kind of punishment? You want to voyage so much? Well, we're going to let you. What about Jeffrey? Are they just punishing the good with the bad? What kind of justice is that? Luckily Jeffrey has found his parents so he doesn't have to suffer her punishment with her. But do they on the Island even know that the home setting of this omni doesn't work?

She could be voyaging until forever. That is, if she will ever get out of this cell. That might take a while. Kate seems to recall that it wasn't usance in the US in 1989 to hold people in a cell for prolonged periods of time without any form of trial. Maybe Jeff'll try to get her out 'cause he knows it's not right she's being held. Kate gives herself a wry smile. She has more reasons for optimism than Jeffrey ever had. Kate sums them up: one, someone knows where she is; two, someone knows when she is; three, slavery was abolished over a hundred years ago.

She leans against the wall. She does hope however that New York Police keeps good records; she wouldn't like to get lost in the system for five years. She's a move around freely kind of person, not a sit around person. Luckily American holdings cells have three walls, and one made out of bares, which gives a sense of spaciousness.

-oOo-

Hours later the cell door opens again. "Get up. You're free to go."

"Oh? And I hadn't even thought of a better story."

"Charges against you have been dropped. So get up, and get out."

"I will." Kate jumps to her feet. At the desk her things are returned to her.

"And stay out of trouble," the detective tells her.

"I will on your watch."

Kate sits down on the bench at the front desk to put the shoe laces back in her shoes. Jeffrey, who has been waiting for her, sits down next to her.

"I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"That my folks got you arrested."

"Yeah, so am I."

"I've tried to convince my folks you had nothing to do with my disappearance. That even Bogg is innocent in that. I'm not sure it really caught on." He stares at his hands in his lap. "Mom and I went shopping. That is, she went to get some coffee and I came here to get you out. Maybe I've already been gone too long. I should go back to her before she'll be worried. The police dropped the charges against you, because I, as the victim, did not want to press charges against you."

"Well, thanks for that." Kate has finished relacing her shoes and turns her head to him. "I mean that, thanks."

"Sure. You've already done so much for me, and I felt responsible." Jeffrey puts his hands deep in his jacket's pockets.

"You were responsible, in a way. Water under the bridge, forgive and forget. Thanks for getting me out, and I'll be on my merry way."

"Why didn't you use the omni to get away anyway?"

"Thought about that. But most of the time someone was holding onto me, and I didn't want to take anyone like that with me. And also, I wanted to say a proper good bye to you. I know I've only actually known you for a day, but through my dad's stories I feel like I've known you all my life." Kate picks up the omni she put beside her and looks at it and then back at Jeffrey. "It feels a bit awkward saying my final good bye while I'm being dragged away by men in uniform. I mean, I'm never going to see you again, I think."

"True. So again, thanks for everything, and tell Bogg thanks for everything too. I'm going to miss you, both of you."

"I'm going to miss you too." Kate throws her arms around him, thereby hitting him with the omni. The omni is triggered ...