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Jessica went topside to see if she could help as people seemed to be moving briskly with purpose. Then she noticed some of them slowing, to look in the same general direction, then stop altogether and she tilted her head to look as well, expecting to see the snarl coming for them or something.

Instead what she saw was a large white fluffy cloud bank rolling towards them like smoke. It had no bottom to it, like a fog bank, and it just kept coming. Those around her picked up the pace a bit as someone ran past with a Predi that was herding chickens of all things.

"Can I help?" she asked someone who was racing past and found herself in a school house.

"Right, we need to move all of these crates down to the school house in the Stronghold" the woman said, then added "I'm Alice by the way. Jack's daughter."

OK. Now Jessica blinked, and then shook herself into action as she helped stack the large crates into the back of a trailer that was hooked up behind a golf cart. They worked for about fifteen minutes then Alice looked around with her hands on her hips "Mica, anything else?"

"I don't think so" Mica replied as she came around the corner of a wall, a slight limp as she was overdoing it and if her uncle were there he would scold. Something Alice noticed too.

"Your Uncle will smack both our arses if he sees that limp" Alice scolded and Mica laughed.

"Tadda Ianto is always scolding, none of us worry too much because he is the worst one for not giving up" Mica laughed. "Even when I was a little girl, I would say 'Sorry Uncle" more than Sorry Mama."

"So… you are his niece and you are Jack's daughter… and Billy…"

"Billy is my brother… yeah, as much as Pip and the others are" Alice laughed at Jessica's face "You know, you are taking all of this really well. We all call Ianto Tad or Taddy and Jack Dad or Daddy… just how it's gone since they are the head parentals here."

"Well, growing up I read The Never-ending Story so many time and I believe in dragons… fairies… what."

"Fairies'. Oh man… wait until Taddy decides to take you to Shangri-La… it's going to blow your mind… and don't forget one day to ask about Myfanwy" Alice snorted out, then looked at the sky "come on, It's over the trees now. We have only about twenty minutes before the snap starts. We better get this down below and then do a headcount of the kids to make sore no little shit is in the barn chasing kittens again or something."

"Oh god, how many kids are there?" Jessica asked.

"Well, we have three categories. The Littles, the Bigs and the Grups. We are Grups. The Littles are about forty now, the Bigs are the teenagers and we have eighteen of those lurking around" Alice said as she paused "shit. Sorry, Jackson. I don't know what you want to be designated."

The large rock by the entrance to the school yard grunted and then said softly "I am not an island."

"This is not the time for a game" Alice said, then sniggered before she could stop herself, adding "Little shit."

The rock sniggered too, then became a huge frog, it's eyeballs disappearing into its head when it blinked.

"OK… you are a Jackson. Like Dad and Tad, you are yourself" Alice waved a hand dismissively, then turned to Jessica "the Pups have a cheeky side, that's form Dad. But the silent brooding side is Taddy and when one of them does that you know something is up. Tad had an edidic memory and I suspect these ones do too so they can win arguments pretty well."

"I did notice that Jack seems to give in quickly" Jessica agreed, earning more laughter from those now helping them unload onto a Tunnel Runner.

"Why can we not take the cart?" Jessica asked as she helped.

"Because this goes faster, the Snap will come and the storm doors will closes, even with the Dome to protect and I want to be deep enough not to hear those metal doors clang shut. It gives me the utters" Alice replied.

Soon they were hurtling along the tunnel system like lunatics, both whooping, entering the School Room as Patty waved and ran towards them with a little one in her arms "Hey guys. Look… Molly can walk."

She placed the little one down and she toddled obediently.

"I've not seen her before" Jessica said softly to Alice as she watched the sweet child.

"Fallback" Alice said like it meant something, then she smiled "Sorry. She is from a family in the Fallback village. In winter, we all share the space, one village. One people. The separate groups no longer exist as we are all one. Why you can choose whirred to live, then change your mind. Be it one of the upper villages or down here, it does not matter. We are one people. Outpost is the furthest of them so they are the ones who dislike mingling, the loners. Don't worry… we all make an effort to get along."

"So some stay down here all year around?" Jessica asked with interest.

"Yes, all are welcome" Alice nodded "some live where is it easier for the jobs they choose, family ties or just for a change. There are several houses and Caverns that are considered communal and you can simply book one for a while, like a rental."

"Everything is so well thought out" Jessica placed her hands on her hips.

"Taddy" Alice shrugged "He is like a computer. He likes to joke that his mind is a PC. With several different windows all open at once working on problems, a voice rambling on about something he does not care about and every now and then a random song starts to play."

Jessica roared with mirth, one of the few that actually remembered this old joke let alone a computer and she said so, only to get more laughter form Alice.

"Ask Toshiko if you want one"

"One what?"

"Tablet… laptop… PC… she can custom build one." Alice said as Jessica felt her mouth falling ppen.

Seriously?

Offering a nerd some brain food?

OK.

Now she knew this was some crazy dream.

She never wanted to wake up.