XXXX

Flynn's last words, "Why are we doing this?" still rang in the air as the mother-ship settled into the damp forest ground as her engines winded down.

Anthony powered down the ship and turned in his chair looking at Lucy expectantly. Lucy looked back and then at Flynn. Flynn was studying his hands pretending to ignore them both. John snorted in his sleep, startling Lucy. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and began explaining her plan.

XXX

"So you see, if you had killed him John would have been the perfect martyr for Rittenhouse to rally around and then press on. This way their side has to spend time and energy trying to find him. Once they realize they can't then they'll spend even more time trying to reorganize. I can imagine the power struggle that will go on with various lieutenants vying for Rittenhouse's daughters' hands so one of them can claim legitimacy. Even then it will take them decades to get back up to strength. Maybe they never will."

"We could have killed him and left the body elsewhere, else-when." Flynn replied coolly. Up to this point he hadn't spoken.

"Killing John was never an option." she said wearily.

Flynn scoffed his eyes boring into her.

"You know it wasn't right and you know how much it would have cost you. Could you really have killed a child in cold blood like what happened to…" Lucy stopped short of saying her name.

There was silence as Flynn looked away.

"So we're to spend 6 months living in France waiting for John to get up to speed so he can be left on his own? An apprentice to the local clock maker?" Anthony asked.

"Yup." Lucy nodded. "I worked it all out yesterday morning before we left. I even managed to rent us a small farmhouse on the outskirts of town."

Flynn's head whipped around, "You expect us to farm?"

"No, I expect you to teach." At his dumbfounded look she continued. "Look, I spent all night planning this out and while you slept in I had a long chat with the local clock maker. He's looking to take on a new apprentice once his old one moves on. I noticed the sign in his window while you were buying a newspaper two days back. Before we spoke in the park."

"But I'm still not following why we need to be here 6 months or why I am supposed to be a teacher."

"It'll be Spring before the old apprentice moves on and John can have his old room at the clock-maker's. We need to do something so that we bring in an income and don't look too out of place while we wait."

At Flynn's hum of disapproval her eyes skewered him, "It's not perfect but it'll do. Small towns always need teachers. I can't work outside the house without a serious step down in status for all of us: meaning John won't get taken on as an apprentice to the only clock maker in town, a skill he happens to excel at. Anthony doesn't speak French. What else were you going to do? Catch fish to sell in the market? Hire yourself out as the local hit-man?"

Flynn looked down, his face tight.

"Why couldn't we have just shown up at the correct time? Why do this the slow way?"

"Because I know that John doesn't speak French fluently."

"How could you possibly know that?" Flynn was getting exasperated.

"I spent time talking with him while you guys were busy doing whatever it was while we waiting on David Rittenhouse to show up."

"But then why not drop him in England?"

"Too easy to find him. And too easy for John to find a way back if he wakes up uncooperative." Lucy's voice took an edge. She was getting tired of Garcia giving her grief over this. He knew it was her way or no way at all. "Come on, we're in the middle of the Alps. He's 13. No money and bad language skills. I don't see him walking out of here to go back to Rittenhouse."

At Flynn's sigh, she finished more gently, "Look, I know it's not ideal but it's the best I could come up with on short notice. I'm not looking forward to 6 months with no indoor plumbing and keeping house but we're all in this together now…. And really it's my way or I go my own way and disappear."

After a long silence Anthony clapped his hands together, "OK, what's next then?"

Lucy shrugged, "We wait for John to wake up, we tell him everything, and then we go take a look at the farmhouse I rented for us."

Flynn tipped his head back, groaning, "Why are we doing this again?"

XXX

In the end John had been surprisingly easy to deal with. When he awoke inside the mother-ship it took him some time to come up to speed on what had happened to him, what his new reality was, and that he really wasn't dreaming. Showing him the documentation on all the Lucys had helped, as had powering up the mother-ship. John may have been a child and incredulous but in the face of such technology, not to mention the color photos, he eventually came to grips with everything.

At one point John started to weep. The adults were not surprised. Despite children growing up quicker in his time he still was a child and a mere few hours ago Flynn had tried to murder him. When Lucy attempted to comfort him, to apologize for her plan, for the death of his father, for taking him away from everything he knew they were shocked with John's reply.

"No, no. You don't understand." he drew in a shuddering breath. "My father was a monster and he was… very cruel to me. He made me watch when… you wouldn't have been the first." his glance strayed to Lucy and but he couldn't meet her eyes.

"He said that when I was older I was going to help him with his plans… " John paused again and tried to get control of himself.

"I have prayed and prayed… for so long… that God would take me out of the hell I was living…" He looked up at them meeting each one's eyes in turn, "And now He has."

The adults fell silent, dumbfounded. No one had expected this reaction. Lucy had thought they would need to plead with John. Anthony had thought that John would be angry and confused. Flynn had assumed the boy would run. The three of them exchanged glances. Flynn shrugged, sat forward and flipped out his knife. As the blade flipped open John flinched but didn't say anything as Flynn cut his bonds.

"Well, since you're being so agreeable at least I won't have to carry you out of here. We should go and start the next part of Lucy's plan."