Once John had seen their "magic" in action, the boy had a hard time understanding why the immortals would build the cabin by hand. Billy tried to explain, with little success.

"It's better to do things with your own hands," he explained, while nailing down the wall Black Hawk held up for him. "If you do everything with magic, you lose the feeling of accomplishment you get from doing something good."

John shook his head. "What?"

Black Hawk laughed. "I'm with you, kid." He addressed Billy. "We could have finished this yesterday. It's not like there are people around to see us."

Machiavelli stopped his hammering for a moment with a certain reluctance to observe the conversation. Once he had gotten over his initial fear of doing something wrong, he had found a certain amount of joy in hammering. Each nail head had Dr. John Dee's face on it. The Italian had purposefully stayed out of the conversation, preferring to watch and assess. Now he spoke up, helping Billy ground the conversation.

"Your aura is like a battery in a phone. The more you use the phone, the more drained it gets. Eventually, you can recharge your aura, but it takes time." He paused and looked away from John. The boy seemed fascinated. "It's better to only use your aura for when you really need it."

"Besides, it's fun to build things," Billy chimed in. He climbed two rungs higher on the ladder he had been standing on and began to secure the corners. He paused and cocked his head. "Aren't you having fun?" he asked John.

The boy grinned. "I am. But I don't have any other options."

Billy laughed.

~MB~

"Are you done for the day?" Scathach asked incredulously a couple of hours later, watching Billy and the two boys lay down their tools. "I just started an hour ago. You guys are leaving me?"

"We're going to go down to the lake for a little bit since this is the hottest part of the day," Billy told her.

"Is it hot?" Scathach stuck her head out the window and looked toward the sky.

Billy lowered his voice so that John, who was staring at Scathach, wouldn't hear. "We can't all have your superior genes." He gently pushed the younger boy towards the lake. Machiavelli had already headed in that direction, but John seemed equally fascinated with and afraid of the Warrior. John broke his stare and headed for the water at last. Billy lowered his voice again. "He's in love," he said, nodding to the boy and smiling.

Scathach huffed. "He looks at me like I'm the first woman he's ever seen."

"Have you seen some of the women in town?" Billy laughed. "You just might be the first." He ducked as she struck at him.

"Careful, Billy," Black Hawk called. "If she had wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now. Best not to give her a reason."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep putting in the insulation, buddy." Billy clapped him on the back. He leaned in to gently kiss Scathach on the cheek before jumping out the front door and down into the grass. He took off, running with surprising agility, swinging around the main cabin and flat footing it down the incline.

"Incoming!" John shouted. Both boys swam desperately to the left, watching as Billy ran towards them. The American pulled off his shirt and flung it behind him, somehow pulled off both boots and made his way down the dock, stopped at the end of the dock and belly flopped into the lake.

Machiavelli expected Billy to come up right away and was surprised when the man didn't. John splashed around happily once the immediate threat of being squashed was out of the way, but the Italian waited for Billy to come up again out of the water and felt a twinge of fear as the moments ticked by and there was no sight of the American. "Billy?" he called, treading water and twisting in the water. "Billy, where are you?"

There was the faintest touch of something wet at his ankle and Machiavelli swung around, trying to see into the murky water. He had just barely convinced himself that he was imagining things when he was pushed rapidly upwards into the air. The Italian gasped in surprise, but was relieved when he looked down to find himself sitting on Billy's shoulders. "Wet, isn't it?" Billy said happily, spitting out a mouthful of water.

Machiavelli smacked him on the head. "You frightened me."

"Sorry," Billy apologized easily, walking around in the shallower water. "I figured you'd know it was me after a minute."

"Not for that," Machiavelli admonished. "I didn't know where you were. I was beginning to think you drowned."

"Me?" Billy grinned. "Never." He turned around so that his back was to the deeper water. He glanced up at Machiavelli with a mischievous glint in his eye that told the Italian he was planning something.

"Billy, what are you thinking of doing?" Machiavelli asked, but even as he was forming the question, he knew what the American was planning. "Don't you dare!"

But it was too late. Billy leaned back and let them both fall into the water with a gigantic splash.

Machiavelli came to the surface, spluttering. "You're incorrigible."

"Thanks, I work out." Billy floated on his back.

Machiavelli squinted at him. Sometimes he wasn't sure exactly where Billy was joking and where he wasn't. He looked back to the shoreline when he heard a happy yipping. Their dog was running ahead of the Flamels in their direction. "Is he wearing a life jacket?" Machiavelli asked with some amusement.

Billy straightened. "Oh, good, they got it on him." He looked at Machiavelli's raised eyebrows. "Well, he's just a puppy," he defended himself. Both immortals watched the dog skid to a stop at the end of the dock. He looked to where his owners were waiting, backed up slightly, and jumped into the lake with something akin to a cannonball.

Machiavelli spit some water in Billy's direction. "Did you two have the same swim class?"

"You're just jealous of my swimming prowess," Billy called. He floated on his back, taking long strides with his arms.

Niccolo did a quick breaststroke, his movements precise and quiet. In a flash, he was beside the American immortal again and tugged on Billy's shorts, surprising him. "I can swim well too," he said, wrapping an arm around Billy's shoulder. Behind them, they could hear John playing with the Pup. It was a welcome sound to hear the husky's barking and John laughing as it chased him through the shallow water. They looked back, both of them without realizing it, smiling as they watched the antics.

"Climb on my back, handsome," Billy said finally. "I'll give you a ride." He turned over.

Carefully, Machiavelli tried to figure out how to get on the other immortal's back. At last, he threw a leg over and pulled himself on completely. He was afraid he'd pushed Billy too far into the water, but the Kid seemed unfazed by it all. "Good boy. Okay, here we go."

~MB~

Their break turned into an all afternoon event. Scathach and Black Hawk had joined the group midafternoon, though the Warrior Maid firmly refused to go in the water. She kept Perenelle company on the end of the dock, the women trailing their feet in the water.

"How much did you two get done?" Billy asked Black Hawk, swimming up beside the Native American.

"We're almost done," Black Hawk said. He lowered his voice. "After you guys left, we starting using our auras to speed it up a little."

Billy shrugged. "That's fine," he said. "I'm amenable to anything if it means I get my bedroom back to myself."

"I bet I know why you want your bedroom back," the larger man grinned and made a discreet, but obscene gesture. Billy laughed, but shook his head and glanced around to make sure neither of the boys had seen what Black Hawk had done. "Oh, come on. You're telling me you don't miss it?"

Billy rocked his hand back and forth. He grinned reluctantly. "Maybe a little. But, there's always the bathroom." He floated away from Black Hawk a little, dipping his head below the water. He cocked an eyebrow at the older immortal.

Black Hawk splashed him a little. "Just as long as you aren't-"

"Mac! There you are," Billy said enthusiastically, cutting the Native American off before he could finish the thought as Niccolo dog paddled his way over. "There's my boy," he said, cupping Machiavelli's face. Black Hawk pretended to gag next to him.

"Are we going to have dinner soon?" Machiavelli asked, sounding sleepy.

"Getting hungry, honey?" The Italian nodded. Drifting lazily on his back, he bumped into the Native American immortal, apologizing. Black Hawk pushed him back to where Billy was bobbing. "Come on, we can ask Perenelle," he said, guiding his Italian friend back towards shore. "Coming in?" he called back to Black Hawk, noticing they were leaving him behind.

Black Hawk shook his head. He made the same obscene gesture to Billy.

He grinned happily, told Black Hawk not to do it, and swam over to the ladies at the dock. The American's easy laugh floated across the water. Climbing up next to them, he scooped Machiavelli up and out of the water, settling him on his lap.