Chapter 5 Family

An hour later, Jeffrey found Bogg sitting beside a fence a few feet from where Artemis had been working. Artemis wasn't around, so Jeff approached, "how'd it go?"

"I don't think Artemis likes Ari very much," Bogg answered.

Jeff sighed, "and Ari doesn't like Artemis either," he said. "I just don't get it, they're family, they should be close."

"Well, not every family is close," Bogg answered, thinking about Jeffrey's Aunt Elizabeth. Jeff was silent and Bogg looked at him sideways. He could tell the same thought had just occurred to him.

"Then how are we supposed to finish this mission? I mean, they've been together for three months, since Ari's father died. They must really know each other by now. There's nothing we can do to suddenly make them like each other. Ari said his uncle never liked him to begin with," Jeff paused, "just like my Aunt Elizabeth."

There was a long silence as they both thought about the situation.

"After three months with you," Jeff paused, not sure how to express what he wanted to say. "I cared about you a lot, but Ari doesn't really care about Artemis at all."

Phineas smiled, thinking about what his feelings for Jeffrey had been after a few months of traveling together. "By then I cared a lot for you too," he agreed.

"All he does is feed Ari and give him a place to sleep, that's about it."

Bogg sighed, "maybe Ari needs to be with someone else."

"Fat chance of someone taking in a ten year old who wasn't even family," Jeff said skeptically.

"Oh, I don't know," Bogg replied, "it's been known to happen," and he smiled at Jeffrey until the kid's eyes opened wide and Bogg could tell he understood that was just what Phineas had done, though Jeff had been a bit older.

"Well, you're special," Jeff said softly, "but no one else would do it."

Bogg reached up and rubbed his eyes as his headache got suddenly worse. He took a deep breath and coughed several times, "I think I'll lay down for awhile," he said in a soft voice and Jeff went inside with him and helped him get settled back on the narrow bed.

Once he was settled, Jeff yawned too, realizing he hadn't slept at all the previous night. "Yeah, I'm kind of beat too. Maybe we can make sense of this later," he said. He stretched out on the floor next to the bed and tried to position his right hand in a way that didn't hurt so much before he closed his eyes.