AN: As always, comments make me happy. Have a great day!

"So you packed all of the stuff in the car last night?"

Billy leaned onto the counter. "Actually, I packed it this morning. Are you going to get used to normal sleeping hours again, or are you just going to sleep until noon every day?"

Machiavelli spit out some of his tea. "It's noon?"

"No, I'm just kidding." Billy handed him a napkin. "Well, we plan on spending the entire day at the old home day and I didn't want to pack at night, so…" He shrugged.

Niccolò continued to eat his fruit. "Well, I would have fallen asleep earlier, but you decided to show me that horror show right before I fell asleep." He shivered. Last night, he had nearly jumped out of his skin at some of the more scary moments of the film.

Perenelle came in the back door, Scatty close behind her. "Where's Nicholas?" Billy asked, handing the Frenchwoman a cup of coffee. She took a sip from the cup before answering. "He just jumped in the shower," she said. "He'll be ready soon."

"Alright, I'm going to put some waters in the trunk and then we'll be ready to go."

Machiavelli put his bowl in the sink. "There's Nick right now. I'll help you with the waters."

"I'm going to get in the car," Scatty said, following the two guys out.

They decided to let the Flamels take the front seat of the new car, the other three immortals squishing into the back. They decided to put Scatty in the middle, as she was the smallest of the three of them at this point. The teenaged Machiavelli was a few inches taller than Billy, who was maybe half a foot taller than Scathach.

Getting into the car proved more difficult than they had originally anticipated. "Ooh, sorry Scatty," Billy apologized, accidentally hitting her with his elbow. He put a careful hand on her shoulder as he buckled in, being careful where he put his other hand. "Here, give me yours and I'll get you too."

"Ah, before you do that, maybe I should buckle mine," Machiavelli cut in from her other side. Scatty leaned into Billy to give the other immortal a chance. "This car is pretty small in the back." He groped around on the seat for his belt buckle receiver and ended up ghosting the back of his hand on the underside of the Shadow's thigh. "Sorry! Maybe I'll just ride over without the seatbelt on."

"Nope, you'll put it on," Billy called over her.

"Here, I'm tired of this debate," Scatty said. She scooted over and sat on Billy's lap. "What? Now you can see the receiver and I don't have you feeling up my ass."

"That wasn't on purpose," Machiavelli protested. He snapped it into place and the Shadow moved over again. She buckled up.

"I know, honey," she consoled him. She patted him on the knee, unable to get her arm up around his shoulder. "I was just teasing you."

"Oh, good, here are the Flamels," Billy said, peering out the window. "I hope they'll roll down my window."

"Can't you do that when they turn the car on?"

"No. Stupid child controls." Billy grumbled a little under his breath. He smiled winningly into the rear view mirror when the two oldest immortals got into the front seat. "Miss Perenelle? It's kind of hot back here. Could you?" He mimed rolling down the window.

"What's wrong? Oh, sure," she agreed, complying.

"What are you going to do when we get there?" Machiavelli asked Scatty softly. He leaned on her shoulder, feeling the warm sunlight play on his face. "Are you going on the rides with us?"

"I don't know," Scatty said, rubbing his knee absently.

"I thought you were always sure of everything," Billy joined in. "Come on the rides with us," he cajoled.

"Maybe."

The Italian leaned forward. "What about you?" he asked the Flamels. He strove to use the last of his residual childhood cuteness. "Please?"

Nicholas twisted in his seat to see the Italian. "I'll go on with you, sure. But not the Twister." Niccolò shook his head in agreement. "My sentiments exactly," he said, shooting a look over at Billy.

The outlaw chose to ignore that comment. "We're getting close," he said, leaning his head out the window. In front of them, they could see the tops of some of the taller rides, blossoming into view. Perenelle drove down Main Street and turned on one of the side streets, following Billy's instructions. They parked in a grassy field.

"Wow," Machiavelli said, getting out of the car. "It's loud."

Billy got out of the other side of the car. He bent down to help the Shadow out. "I like it," he said happily.

Nicholas and Machiavelli were already moving towards the rides, so Billy slipped an arm around Perenelle's waist and rested one on the small of Scatty's back. "We'd better move if we're going to keep up with them."

"I've been thinking about your mother and Niccolò's wife," Perenelle told him as they followed the other two through the crowd.

"Yeah?" Billy asked cautiously.

"I was thinking that if we were going to find them, you and Niccolò should really start to think about the places they were most emotionally attached to. Where you think they might have come back to," Perenelle listed thoughtfully. Billy relaxed. He nodded.

"I could do that. Though to be honest, I'm not entirely sure where we'd find my mother. I loved her so, but there was so much I didn't know about her." He started to say something else, but Machiavelli ran up to him.

"Billy! There's a Tilt-A-Whirl, here, too. Want to go on with me?" He looked over at Scatty. "Come with us," he urged.

"Oh, okay," Scatty hedged, looking back at the Flamels.

"We're going to look around," Nicholas called. He took Perenelle's hand.

The others headed for the line. Billy had an arm on Machiavelli's back, causing several people to give the two immortals funny looks. They relaxed when Scatty caught up to them. "People are looking at us," Machiavelli mentioned in an undertone.

"I know," Billy acknowledged. "I don't know what they think we're doing. You still look like a teenager."

"It's hard to say if they're looking at us cause they think we're homosexual or because they think you're a pedophile."

"Why can't I just be your big brother," Billy queried, talking out of the corner of his mouth. "People are too suspicious."

"Well, so much for not drawing attention," Scatty said frankly. "Here," she said. Standing on her tiptoes, she caught Machiavelli's mouth in a brief, but surprisingly tender kiss. "That should confuse them for a while."

"Thanks," Machiavelli touched his lips, trying not to look as stunned as he felt. They all stepped forward as the line moved. Billy tapped Scatty on the shoulder. "Not that I'm complaining, but why him, not me?"

"If I had kissed you," Scatty said quietly. "It would still look like you're dating a teenager."

"True." Billy smiled, his grin spreading across his face like wildfire. "It's funny. I'm hardly ever the oldest in the group. I like this."

"Congratulations," Scatty said tartly. The outlaw laughed.

"You're still technically the youngest. And people are going to have to get used to two men spending time together," Machiavelli said harshly, scanning the crowds. "It's my understanding that your country's just made it legal to get married to someone of your own sex."

"It's still going to take people time to catch up," Billy said soothingly. "Opinions don't change overnight."

"They're going to have to."

Billy looked over at the other man as they got on the ride. Once again, they let Scatty sit in the middle, Billy thanking the man who secured their fastenings. Scatty patted Machiavelli's arm. "I wouldn't have thought you'd be so supportive of gay rights. As old as you are, I expected you to be a bit more conservative."

"Homosexual relationships were actually just as common back then as they are now," he told her. "Less of a big deal, actually."

Billy started to ask something, but a buzzer sounded and the ride began to roteate. "We shouldn't have put you in the middle," he shouted instead. "You're going to get smushed!" Machiavelli couldn't help laughing from her other side. The force of the ride pushed him up close to the Shadow.

After they got off the ride, they looked around for the Flamels, but couldn't find them, so they continued up the path. Finally, they decided to go on the Scrambler. Luckily, all three of them were quite skinny, or they would have never fit in the seat.

"I'll sit on the outside this time," Billy said.

The Italian especially liked this ride. Their car swung in its own circle, while the entire ride rotated independently. He could feel the pit of his stomach drop down and he dizzily wondered what it would be like to get kissed whilst on this ride. He struggled to banish the thought. "I wish the rides lasted longer," he said as they got off.

"Me, too," Billy agreed. He looked around. "Okay, what other ride takes three people."

"How about the Twister?" Machaivelli called, stopping in front of said ride.

"I thought you weren't going to go on this one?"

"It looks fun." He glanced over at Scatty. "What do you think?"

"Oh, you're more likely to get sick than I am," she said airily. The men followed her, a small grin spreading on the outlaw's face that others couldn't help but look at. He ducked his head.

After that ride, they decided to take a break. Billy pointed out a face paiting station to the European immortal but Niccolò scoffed, to the outlaw's great amusement. He bought two burgers and a thing of fries for Scatty.

"Ah, you remembered that I like them well done," Machiavelli noted with appreciation.

"Course," Billy said, stuffing his own burger in his mouth. "There's the Flamels. Hey!" He waved them over. "What have you been doing?"

"We went on a couple of rides," Perenelle told him, sitting next to Machiavelli.

"Oh, yeah, which ones?"

"The Ferris wheel, the Himalaya, the bumper cars," Perenelle listed off.

"How big is this thing?" Machiavelli wondered out loud. "One town puts this on?" he asked Billy in disbelief. On Billy's other side, Nicholas shook his head. He explained how an information booth they had passed had detailed the fair's funders. Apparently, several towns had banded together to put it on, aware of the positive implications for their economies.

After lunch, they all headed back towards the rides. They all went on the bumper cars. Perenelle was surprisingly brutal, getting all of them at some point, especially Machiavelli who was fairly unskilled at driving even this small car. He was, in short, a sitting duck out there.

From there, they went on several rides. Machiavelli begged the outlaw to go on the Tilt-a-Whirl two more times. After some extensive wheedling, the Shadow finally managed to convince Machiavelli to go on the Zipper. "I can't believe we're doing this," he said repeatedly as they moved closer to the ride.

"You can still change your mind."

"No, I'll be okay." But he forced himself to breathe in and out when it was their turn to get into their cage. He got in first, handing her the seat belt.

"You sure?"

"I'm okay,'' he said again as the door to their compartment was shut and locked. "I'm okay. Scatty? I'm not okay." His chant changed as the ride lurched into movement and rose ten feet in the air.

"We can still probably get off."

"No, I'm okay." The ride rose another ten feet and stopped again. "No, I'm not okay. What are they doing?"

"Well, they have to let people on," Scatty pointed out reasonably, grabbing his hand. "You'll be okay."

Machiavelli nodded. He hung on to her hand as their compartment flipped over. "I'm okay. Everything's fine."

Scatty was a little inclined to laugh at him when they finally got off the ride. He stumbled off as if they hadn't been on dry land for days. She followed him over to the others as he padded very carefully over. "Are you alright?" Billy asked him, grabbing his shoulder. Machiavelli nodded, but seemed very reluctant to open his mouth.

"It was a little scary for him," Scatty said cheerfully. "So I guess he won't be going on the Twister with us."

Billy patted him on the shoulder. "Why don't you stay here on solid ground for a little bit? Scatty and I are going to go on the Twister now. Maybe that'll exercise out her need for adrenaline." He grinned at the red headed girl.

Perenelle slipped an arm through Machiavelli's. "Come on, mon petit, I'll buy you a fried dough."

He allowed her to lead him away. "Good. Maybe then we can get dinner?" he asked hopefully. "I'm starving."

"We could always go to a restaurant," Nicholas mentioned, following them to where a church group was minding the concession stand. "After they get off the ride of course."

~MB~

They decided after the restaurant to ride a couple more rides before heading back to the cabin. Night was already beginning to descend upon them, the days getting shorter now that they were moving into crisp September.

The last ride they went on before they went home was the Ferris wheel. The wheel turned slowly, lit up in cotton candy colors against the ever darkening skyline. Billy and Machiavelli went up in one seat, the others in the seat below them. The outlaw wrapped a hand around Machiavelli's wrist the moment they got above the sightline of the people on the ground below. "You alright?"

Niccolò nodded. "This isn't like the Zipper at all," he said smiling.

The wheel was loading seats two at a time. It came to a halt again as two more seats were filled, then started to ascend again. Billy pushed over carefully in the seat, trying not to make it rock overwhelmingly, but closing the person sized space between them.

"Mac? Can I ask you something?" he said very hesitantly. He waited for the teenager's response. "Of course, Billy." Machiavelli looked over at him.

Billy tipped his head back and forth thoughtfully. "Remember earlier today you said that people did- did… hmm." He sighed. "You said homosexual acts were more common back then. What'd you mean by that?"

"Mmm? Well, it was fairly common for politicians to take on a younger male lover. It wasn't thought of as strange." Machiavelli looked over at Billy, but Billy wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was looking ahead, at the lights of the town ahead.

"Did you?"

"Did I what?" Machiavelli already knew what Billy was asking him, but wanted to hear the other man say it himself.

Billy turned the solitaire ring on his pinky round and round. "Did you ever have a male lover?" Machiavelli shook his head, a soft no on his lips. He couldn't tell what the American felt by this, his reaction somehow masked. "Have you?" he asked teasingly. Billy made a face and shook his head, unconsciously mirroring the Italian's reaction. Niccolò felt both glad and disappointed at the same time.

"I did have a fair few female lovers, though," Machiavelli admitted.

"So did I." Billy looked at the moon, high above them, as their seat reached the top of the wheel. He pointed it out to his companion, smiling, and the moonlight glinted on his teeth. "Nobody's perfect."

"I wish we could go around again," Machiavelli admitted.

Billy glanced all around, then kissed him on the side of his head, surprising him. "We can." With all of the seats filled at last, the wheel began to turn without stopping, picking up speed, but remaining supportively sturdy. The outlaw laughed when his companion yawned for the second time. He kept his hand on Niccolò's wrist, unconscious of the fact until they began to descend back to the earth again.

When they got back to the ground, Billy held out a hand to help Machiavelli down. They stepped off the platform and waited for the others. "Ready to go home?"

Machiavelli nodded mutely. He leaned heavily on Billy as they began to climb the hill where their car was parked. This time, they put the outlaw in the middle. Machiavelli climbed in after him, shifting around as he attempted to fit his long frame into the small car. "It's getting cool," he mumbled.

"We're going to be home soon," Billy said gently. He wrapped an arm around him, stroking the teen's hair. Scatty leaned on his other side in a rare display of affection. As Machiavelli dropped off, Billy carefully moved his other arm so it was around Scatty's shoulder.

"How is it that you're not tired?" Scatty whispered quietly, so as to not wake the Italian.

"I offered to buy you a coffee at the restaurant."

"I don't like coffee."

They pulled up the long driveway. "Here we are," Billy said. "Mac! Mac, wake up." The Italian groaned and complained. "I know, sweetheart, but you're too big for me to carry now." He got out on Scatty's side and came over to the other side. "Up you go," he said, pulling him out of the car. He directed the teenager towards the cabin and into the living room. "Say goodnight."

Machiavelli looked over at the others. "Goodnight," he said, embracing the others each in turn. He looked around the cabin, wondering when he'd feel like he was home again, and followed Billy up the stairs.

"I'll wait out here," Billy said, hanging back in the hallway. "Just open the door when you're done changing."

"No, you can come in," Machiavelli said, shuffling into his bedroom. "I'm just going to put on sweatpants and change my shirt." He moved around the room, quickly slipping his shirt off and over his head. He tossed the clothes he was shedding into the laundry bag Billy had gave him. "Are we going to do this laundry before we leave or bring it with us?"

"Ah, we'll just toss it in the trunk," the Kid yawned. Machiavelli nodded. Billy's yawning was making him yawn too. "Get some sleep, honey, we have a lot of driving to do tomorrow."

"Okay." The Italian immortal pulled his blankets back. He climbed in, settling on his side. He gave a small laugh when Billy pushed him over on his back. The Kid grinned down at him.

"Won't be doing this much, anymore," he said, pulling the sheets up around the teenager's neck. "Next week, you'll be legally an adult again. That's got to be a good feeling." He smoothed the blankets unnecessarily, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I guess so." Niccolò blinked. "Are the others going to be up when we leave tomorrow?"

"Course. We won't leave until after lunchtime."

"Good."

"Are you very sleepy, Mac?" Billy asked, fiddling with a toy knight on the Italian's bedside table that had somehow been left out.

Machiavelli nodded rather dumbly, settling back against his pillow. A certain drowsiness came over him. "I had fun today," he said sluggishly.

"Good," Billy said, smiling down at him. The Kid reached over and cradled his face. He could feel the coolness of the ring that Billy wore on his pinky finger. "So, are you upset that we're leaving tomorrow?"

"A little bit," he said softly, playing with the edge of his comforter. He refused to look up at the American. "I'm going to miss the others."

"Me, too. But at least we've got each other," Billy replied. Machiavelli chanced a look up at the outlaw. He was genuinely relieved that Billy knew what he had been talking about and hadn't waffled with him. Billy tapped gently on the Italian's nose. "So we're not completely alone. And we'll have fun. I still have a lot of plans." He paused. "Think I could give you a goodnight kiss? Or are you too old for that?"

"Sure," the Italian whispered. "To the kiss, I mean, I am too old... You know what I mean." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the skinny immortal. Billy kissed him on the side of his head, into his hair, and held him tightly.

After a moment, Billy let go of him. He eased the Italian down onto his bed. "Goodnight, Niccolò. I'll see you in the morning." As Machiavelli slept that night, he had a strange dream that Billy was pasting gold stars on the sky. When he woke up the next morning, he didn't remember the dream at all.