They sat in silence at the table. Each was lost in their own thoughts as they ate an early lunch. None of them had wanted to retire after they'd returned home and they'd made the silent decision to stay awake. Despite their early morning none of them were tired even though the events of the day had been emotionally charged.

Nine looked up from his soup and softly spoke his granddaughter's name. She looked at him expectantly.

"I just wanted to say Robyn, I'm proud of you. What you did today wasn't easy but you handled it well and stood your ground. I know we've had our differences but you've made me very proud."

There was a touch of surprise in Yuliya's smile when she turned to Nine and took his hand. She knew his pride was often hard to obtain and that he had never spoken those words to Robyn who looked gobsmacked.

Robyn was about to reply when a loud knocking sounded on the door. Nine jumped up and answered it; his voice could be heard from the hallway. As he walked dejectedly back into the kitchen he was followed by two official looking men in robes that Robyn didn't recognise. They barely acknowledged her or Yuliya as they directed their attention to Nine.

"You know why we're here, Nine." One of them stated.

Nine nodded, "Because I abducted my granddaughter from her home and brought her here. I disobeyed a direct order to release her and violated my vows as a hero. You're here to remove my title of Hero."

"We are. You will surrender your crystal and your uniforms, AMATS will claim your airship back and you will from now on be known only as Sportacus. A great many trainees look up to you and your principles. We're very disappointed that we have to do this." The other man in robes informed.

Yuliya made a motion to protest but Nine shook his head at her. With a heavy heart he tapped the crystal casing on his uniform and removed his crystal from it. Holding it in his fingers he looked at it, his eyes filled with remorse. He was about to hand it over to the men in robes when Robyn placed her hand over his and stood between him and the men.

"You can't do this!" She announced, holding firm.

Both men in robes looked surprised as one of them stood forward, "We can. You cannot stop this. Your grandfather has admitted what he's done and he must be punished accordingly."

Robyn dropped her hand from Nine's, turning her back on the robed men she took the crystal from him and placed it back in its casing. Securing it in place she ignored Nine's wide eyed expression and turned back to face the robed men.

"You can't do this to him. I won't let you. I admit totally that he's a stubborn, bull headed, incredibly old fashioned, up tight, overzealous, grumpy, tyrannical, over bearing arsehole. But he's still my granddad and I love him. He took me away because he was trying to save me. Not from a burning building, falling tree or natural disaster but from myself. He was only doing what he has devoted his entire life to. If you take his crystal and his title away you're taking away his life. You said that a lot of trainees and recruits look up to him, what kind of message to do you send them by taking away the title of someone that was only doing their job?"

Both robed men looked at one another, wide eyed and open mouthed. Never had they encountered anything like this in all of their years in the Heroes' Council. They had faced protests before but none of this nature. Snapping themselves out of their surprised state they looked at Nine who had stood and was looking at Robyn with the same expression that they imagined they had worn.

"This is most...irregular." The first robed man stumbled, "You have a very...eloquent champion in your granddaughter."

"You do indeed," The second robed man agreed, "She has made a very valid point that I can find no argument to thwart. I'm sure my fellow council member agrees that you may keep your crystal and your title. You must still face punishment for your disobedience of an order from a Network Officer but for now I believe our business here is concluded."

Without a further word both men left the house leaving a triumphant Robyn and her two astounded grandparents alone. Robyn lifted a hand gently to Nine's jaw and pushed it up so his mouth closed before winking at him and leaving the room. His eyes followed her until she disappeared from view and they fell upon his wife who seemed amused as she stood up and walked over to him.

"I haven't seen you look like that since we first met, Nine. She's certainly not the person either of us imagined her to be." Yuliya observed as she kissed her husband's cheek.

"She most certainly isn't." Nine mumbled.

Yuliya chuckled as she left the room and went in search of Robyn. As she passed the front door someone knocked on it and she opened it slowly, fearing that the representatives from the Heroes' Council may have changed their minds. On the other side of the door was a man wearing a Network uniform, without hesitation she allowed him to pass through.

"Good afternoon," She greeted, her eyes studying him with a hint of nervousness.

The Network officer smiled gently, "Good afternoon. I've come to see Robyn and have a word with her if I may. I'm the division head of the team in Lazytown and there are a few things we need to discuss."

"Of course, I can fetch her for you." Yuliya acquiesced, "Who should I say is calling?"

"Boris."