"We should be the one thanking you, in many ways...", Moses said. "After all, Joshua told us of how you basically managed to help keep him alive when he was captured. Probably the sole reason he's still here to this day.".
Jerika nodded, "Oh, yes, thank you for saving our son, and giving him more love that he truly deserves.", gently and happily hugging Nola with a smile, and replied, "And I've always wanted a daughter, Nola, and true, we had expected one grandchild at least, but three grandchildren, it's a miracle yet easy to be high-risk, we'd be so honored to help take care of you and the little ones, no doubt about it, for we are both knowledgeable in healing and delivery like our son.", stepping back a bit yet awed to see her daughter-in-law looking quite lovely in person, and to see that she's looking good and healthy with the triplets being 5 months along.
Nola gave a small sob, smiling happily, overjoyed to hear her mother-in-law's words. True, she has been supported and taken care of by others of her new family as it was clear that Kida and Milo and the others saw her as more than just a beloved healer and all, but it means so much to have essentially the blessing of Moses and Jerika, and their support.
"Thank you, Mrs. Sweet.", Nola replied, and Jerika smiled warmly, "Please, call us Jerika and Moses, and in time, Ma and Poppa, okay?".
Nola blushed hearing that part as Moses shook his head, "Don't say that, Jerika, she's already nervous enough with the triplets, she doesn't need that embarrassment on top of it.", as he gave a light laugh.
Sweet smiled, "They're just teasing but they're right...You're not alone and you got us.", holding her hand lovingly. Nola chuckled, "I know.", with a loving smile, rubbing her baby bump full of happy kicks from the triplets.
Meanwhile, Whitmore was in amazement as he walked to his best friends, Thaddeus and Abraham, "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the story from the group several months ago...You're just like how I remember you back in our college days, Thaddeus.".
"Quite the shock that morning, that's for sure...", Thaddeus said as he took a deep breath. "Almost feels unfair right now, I'm a young man once more and you... you're still old.".
Whitmore replied with a smile, "Hey, I may be a billionaire and all, but I ain't selfish, and seeing you and Abraham happy together as it should be, it brings joy to my heart, and of course, I still get points for being a grandpa to your kids...that is, if that's okay?".
Abraham smiled, holding Rachel and Klaus that's six months old now, "Preston, we'd not have a better offer than that...", as the kids looked at Whitmore curiously, babbling, reaching out to him with smiles.
Whitmore chuckled, "So, this is Rachel and Klaus...You two are cute as buttons...Looks like your dads told you a lot about me, eh?", with a smile, and Thaddeus replied, "I'm the dad. Abraham is the papa. But yeah, we told a lot of stories at their naps.".
"They're perfect...", Whitmore whispered as Abraham nodded. "Yep, our special little gifts... still hard to believe sometimes that they are here.", he admitted.
Whitmore smiled softly, having seen the file of Abraham, and saw the horrors he had experienced, and replied, "Now, you don't have to be afraid of losing them again, Abraham... They deserve to be with their father again, and now they are, able to grow up safely and free.", with a nod before seeing Milo and Kida and Tokivath coming over.
"Mr. Whitmore!", Milo smiled widely as he hugged Whitmore gently, and he laughed warmly, "Oh, I'm glad to see you, dear boy!", patting his back, "Or should I say, young man? And look at you, you're the King of Atlantis, married to the Queen of Atlantis, and a father to a cute baby!".
Milo blushed, smiling widely, "It's good to see you, Mr. Whitmore...", stepping back softly, and Whitmore looked at Kida, "And this must be Kida, and your little one.", with a respectful smile, "I'm honored to meet you, Your Majesty.".
"The pleasure is all mine, Elder Whitmore.", Kida said. "After all, none of this would've been possible without you, actually. Certainly not sending Milo our way...".
Whitmore chuckled, "Actually, you'd have to thank Thaddeus for convincing me, and if it wasn't for Abraham, we couldn't have been comfortable to send an expedition in war, but with the situation of trying to find extra aid, we got there...And I will not either push you into exposing this beautiful city that needs to be hidden for good reasons, especially when I have great friends here who has families and such to protect.".
Kida smiled, "Thank you, Elder Whitmore, I very much appreciate that.", before Tokivath cooed, tilting his head, and she smiled, "Toki, this is Elder Preston Whitmore, a great friend of your daddy. Elder Whitmore, this is Tokivath aka Toki, prince of Atlantis, and our son.".
Whitmore smiled, "Oh, he's absolutely a wonderful boy, and those eyes, quite unique. Hello, Toki, pleased to meet you.", and Toki gave a giggle, cooing, and Whitmore chuckled before widening his eyes, "Oh! Rude of me, I have a gift for you all. After all, it's tradition to give something to a royal family in many cultures. Dazis, can you receive Fluffy, please, and keep the cage closed until we get into the palace? Wouldn't want to cause her stress with this crowd and all in this city center.", calling back to Dazis.
"Fluffy?", Milo's eyes widened. "You brought my cat all the way down here?". Whitmore nodded, "Yep... wasn't easy too... poor thing was really stressing out; might have been the sea pressure getting to the feline more than it would be the people.".
Kida blinked in surprise, using some of Milo's memories to remember what they meant by Fluffy, and exhaled, "The very same cat that kept you company when you thought you were alone without Thaddeus?".
Milo nodded, "Yeah. I know she was about 2 years old when I left the mainland, and she must be close to four years old now...I wonder if she remembers me...", with a bit of his lip, and Whitmore replied, "She's bound to, after all, you were the first one who gave her love and a home after you adopted her. And well, considering how affectionate and playful she can be sometimes, I was hoping that she would be Toki's companion pet, like father to son.", with a smile.
"Perhaps... still would have to think about what to feed her now; not exactly easy to find what she was probably so normally used to eating.", Milo said.
Kida replied, "We do have seafood, Milo, she might like that better as you mentioned once that she liked both wet and dry cat food.", and Milo nodded, "True...", as Dazis came over with the carriage cage, "Your Majesties.", with a bow of his head, "She's sleepy, but aware.".
Milo leaned down, whispering, "Fluffy?", and Fluffy perked her ears up, sleepily glancing at Milo, and sniffed his finger through the door, and then mewed as she recognized her old master's scent, leaning her face into his finger, purring.
"Hi, Fluffy...I'm glad to see you, pretty kitty.", Milo smiled happily as Fluffy purred under his adding fingers' strokes and rubs, and Kida was awed to hear such sounds coming from a literal fluffy creature that's awfully beautiful and cute, with Toki staring in wonder and curiosity.
As Milo is reintroduced to Fluffy, Audrey laughed heartily as she ruffled Vinny's hair in the way she knew he hates to love, as he hugged her happily, "Hey, Vinny, you're looking good for a kid taking to Atlantis way more than I thought.", as she, Bucky, Manuel, and a shy Rebecca came to the Nedakh family of Sia, Jacques, Kory, Jen, and Vinny.
"It's been a bit of a challenge...", Vinny admitted. "But it certainly beats what it was before...", he told her. She was obviously glad to see just how well Vinny had been doing.
Jacques smiled widely, "Hey, Manuel! Looks like you are your daughter's father, alright. You helping out on Bucky's prosthetic?", and Manuel chuckled, "You know it, though I am mighty curious to check out the technology around here and explore this magnificent city. The architecture they did for centuries, I gotta see how they did it.".
"Couldn't imagine you doing anything else than that, Manuel.", Jacques chuckled, and then smiled, "Hey, Bucky! You're looking great for a guy with half of a limb missing. Let me guess, fate got you eventually?".
Bucky widened his eyes, whispering, realizing that Jacques didn't know..."Jacques...What did the note say?", and Jacques looked a bit confused, "Just that you lost it in a mission, in Germany, and that you needed a prosthetic so you can get back into ending the war sooner...You have to know that the strength of the Great Kings only can do so much, and a short note next to teleporting a whole fleshy part of preserved arm is small, due to the distance from the surface and all, and I think it was busy elsewhere.".
Bucky realized that the energy arm he had that night in lovemaking with Audrey in Paris was kept up because of the Great Kings, as a temporary gift, hence why the strength of the crystals and all was mainly strong yet weak, thanks to the layers and such of the Earth and the distance from Atlantis to Paris, hence why it was busy for them, and perhaps Steve and Peggy as well since Audrey told him that Peggy wanted to try again in conceiving a baby too.
Bucky shook his head, "I know you guys told me about the Heart and all... but I swear... all this stuff, I'm honestly surprised I haven't lost my mind with just how much it breaks everything I've ever learned growing up.".
Jacques chuckled, "And I thought the better advanced weapons in war was the surprising part at first before all of this, but yeah, you eventually get used to everything around here...Why did you ask that anyway?".
Bucky looked at him, about to confess, but the words caught in his throat, and Audrey went to grasp his good hand, seeing the familiar signs, and seeing that he couldn't say it in front of Jacques, she said softly, "Jacques...we...we lost Mole.".
There was a moment of silence as Jacques was a bit stunned with the news. "W- what do you mean?", he whispered.
"He's gone, Jacques. He died saving me... so damn close to safety too... we were just near the allied front line after he dragged me for so long when I was missing behind enemy lines... we got ambushed by scouts only some hundreds of yards away.", Bucky said quietly.
Jacques whispered, "No...", as nearby, Sia was talking with Rebecca gently, showing off Kory and Jen, and felt her husband's pain through her crystal, and swiftly came to Jacques, "Jacques?", giving Kory and Jen to Vinny.
Jacques gave a sob, "Mole is dead, he's gone! Damn the Nazis!", almost collapsing into Sia's embrace, as the others heard Jacques' anguished shout, as Sia was shocked, having heard tame war stories without scaring the children too much, about her husband and Mole, and she rubbed his back.
Milo paled, looking sick as Kida gasped in shock and horror, with Nola looking stunned, and many of the others were shocked, while some bowed their heads, especially Sweet, knowing how Jacques had fought much longer with Mole than him, Steve, or Bucky.
The crowds murmured in surprise and stunned shock as they have been visited by Mole for food, exploring, and digging assistance during the few days after the volcano.
After a moment of silence, Kida exhaled, "Audrey, is that his previous crystal on you?", and Audrey replied, nodding, "Yeah...He gave it to me shortly before...before he died...He said that he ain't going to risk Atlantis, if people were going to desecrate his grave thanks to the war, they weren't going to find the crystal if he could help it, knowing that the city cannot be risked to war or something worse...He didn't die alone, but he died peacefully at the end...He may not have loved Atlantis as much as he did his homeland, but he still loved Atlantis just the same...".
Seeing that Audrey's crystal is on Bucky now, since Rebecca gave it back just before the landing, seeing that she's now safe and not needing the crystal anymore, and so, Bucky would need his own crystal, as Kida took a deep breath.
Kida then announced to the people, "Everyone, we have lost a good man who had saved this city not once, but twice, in his adventures. He was part of the volcano battle, risking his life yet saved Atlantis in part, and now after saving Bucky Barnes, Warrior Steve's brother, Friend Mole has become Warrior Mole in giving his life for another, and saving Atlantis once more. A hero's funeral ceremony for our good friend will commence at sunset tonight, and as he is buried in his homeland, we will give a remembrance pyre with his crystal to send out into the waters. His sacrifice shall not be forgotten, so say I, Queen Kidagaskash Thatch, and so mote it be!".
Only the Kings' Crystal and the Queens' Crystal is allowed to pass through the family from ruler to ruler. But the people are having a choice to have their crystals given between family if there's a loss or something, but they also have the option to be cremated with their crystals on pyres into the lake as it is tradition.
Sia placed her hands on Jacques' shoulders. "Let it all out...", she told him. "Don't feel like you need to hold back...".
"I'm sorry...", Jacques sighed as he was trying to rub his eyes dry. "I... I just thought that almost after everything... if anything, he was the one least likely to be killed considering how unconventional he was... the enemy never would think of someone quickly burrowing like a, well, a mole.".
Sia nodded softly, "Indeed, but he has given a lot in fighting alongside your side, has he not?", and Jacques replied, "He really did give a lot to the fight...He was really a hero...A wacky hero, sure, but he meant well...I really thought he'd be the funny yet weird uncle to Kory and Jen...", as he cried in her embrace, trying to take deep breaths.
"I know.", Sia whispered. "That's the tragedy of war... and just the sheer randomness of it too, right?".
"Yeah.", Jacques shook his head. "You think some folks will be alright and then a moment later, gone forever; and then there are some you're sure that they will buy it... maybe someone you dislike or deep down, hate, that somehow come out of it unscathed.".
Sia brushed his hair in a smoothing manner, "It's okay, Jacques...I'm here...we're all here...", as Thaddeus, upset to hear the news of one of his beloved friends, spoke to Kida, "I think we better get into the palace...People may not be hungry after this reveal, but it's gonna be some hours until the remembrance funeral...".
Kida nodded as she held Toki, feeling the sadness as he's confused and quiet, seeing his uncle Jacques grieving, and so, the whole gang headed up into the palace, with occasional breaks to rest a bit for the sake of Nola and Rebecca, and then went to share stories in the big dining room.
The people went to unpack the narwhal, respecting their king and queen's unsaid orders, and so, the day was quiet and peaceful, and at sunset, the remembrance funeral ceremony was attended by the whole city as Audrey gently took off the crystal that once belonged to Mole, placing in the center of several flowers and earth and even minerals that got solidified by the lava on the pyre, and being the ones who knew him the most, Sweet and Jacques sent off flaming arrows once the pyre was sent out into the lake, hitting the pyre straight center.
An Atlantean song was sung as Kida gave out a blessing, "May your soul rest well in the heavens of Earth and Atlantis, and we do hope that you enjoy all the dreams that will be there into the heavens, Warrior Mole. Thank you, for all what you have done in protecting your friends, family, your homeland, and this city. We pray that your Lord and the Great Kings bless you. We will not forget you nor your sacrifice, for you are truly a hero. We bid you farewell, and we will see you someday, Warrior Mole.".
Bucky really was feeling pained again by hearing that. He still blamed himself for what had happened, even if everyone around him said otherwise. It just added to the pain of him losing other men that were serving under him in other raids.
Audrey knew that guilty look again and strived to bring him back from that dark hole once more, as the others bowed their heads, echoing, "Amen.".
Places of living were straightened out, and so, Whitmore went to live in Thaddeus and Abraham's house, in their guest bedroom, eventually distracted by the twins' clever actions of cheering them up, with Sweet, permanently living in Nola's bedroom, with his parents just a few doors down the hall in a guest bedroom, with Manuel taking up an empty house just of the palace, and Bucky & Audrey taking up their own room, with Rebecca in a room with a balcony view for her fear of darkness in another part of the palace.