Maybe it had been premonition that had prompted Neri to propose the short get-away, or maybe she was just selfish for once and wanted him for himself – whatever the reason, by the end of the day, Jason was more than grateful to the prospect of getting out of range. Their friends had been calling in one by one, all happy and relieved – well, most of them. Vanessa screamed at him for ten minutes for being stupid and reckless while Mike gave him apologetic looks and tried to calm her down. Froggy bombarded him with questions about the healing pod. Lena who had seen him in his bad shape stayed calm as always which was one of the more comfortable call. She also had good news and shared the wedding date. She and Anya had decided to no longer postpone important decisions and events in their life – seeing how fast and unexpected everything could come to an end. They ended the call with the promise to send them official invitations. Above all, Diane was constantly hovering over him, touching his hand or his shoulder at every possible moment.

By the end of the day, Jason was exhausted. Somehow, Winston who respected Jason's need for distance convinced Diane to stay in the apartment when Jason took his small bag to get up above. Neri had already changed back into her dress. Brett and Cass accompanied Neri and him in the elevator.

"Uff," Brett made, "I thought we have to shackle Mum to a chair to let you go. With chains of steel."

Cass smiled. "She just got her son back after believing him dead. I can understand why she has trouble letting Jason out of her sight, even if it's just for a few days."

"That doesn't mean, Mum has the right to declare sole claim of him. Good thing, you thought of it first, Neri."

Neri grinned. When she took Jason's hand, it only felt the tiniest bit possessive.

The sun had almost vanished behind the horizon when they stepped out of the elevator. Brett took Jason's bag and went ahead to ready the boat. Jason and Cass followed but the way she slowed down told him, she wanted to talk to him alone. He matched her stroll pace.

"He seems mostly unaffected of it all – besides the bickering with my Dad," Jason remarked while watching Brett and Neri talking in the distance. Cass stopped, hands in her pocket.

"Someone had to hold it all together," she replied and gave him an almost sad smile. "I think, he didn't allow himself to grieve at all. Just went busy taking care of everyone." She gave a nod in Neri's direction. "Neri was the worst. I'm sure you saw still traces of it – the blue marks across her skin."

"Water withdrawal. Did she…?"

"Want to die?" Cass shrugged. "I don't know. No, at least not actively, I think. She stopped talking except directly asked. She was trying but everything she did became so mechanical. And there were moments …" She shuddered. "… where I thought she had simply decided to cease existing."

"What about Mera and Shalamorn?"

Cass shook her head. "They went along. Some kind of grieving tradition."

"What?" Jason felt a rush of anger.

"Only for three days," Cass explained quickly. "After that, they were supposed to pull Neri back but it didn't work. We all tried. With patience. With understanding. With force. Nothing worked. In the end it was Brett who got through to her. I don't know how."

A wave of affection and love for his little brother swept through him. As he observed him goofing off with Neri, he realized that Brett indeed looked a little thinner, and his eye sockets a little darker.

"Maybe, I shouldn't go after all," Jason thought out loud. Suddenly he felt guilty and selfish.

"Oh bullshit," Cass said firmly and it made him smile. "I didn't tell you this to make you stay. Just to remind you that you have an amazing family waiting here for you."

"I do." Jason smiled. "I appreciate it."

"Enjoy your holiday," Cass said. "And don't worry about O.R.C.A.. It will still be here, when you come back. And we will all look after your Mum."

"Thank you." Jason shook her hand. Cass nodded waved goodbye to Brett and Neri. They waved back and Cass turned back to the elevator.

"What was that all about?" Brett wanted to know when Jason arrived at the boat.

"Nothing," Jason responded. "Just friends catching up. You're ready?" he asked directed at Neri.

"Yes, I see you on the Island. Brett –" She gave him a hug, gave them another smile and jumped into the water.

For a moment, they stood in silence they gaze fixed to the spot where Neri had disappeared.

"Hey, about you and Dad…" Jason started and Brett moaned.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'll go apologizing." Brett grimaced. "Since you went missing, we were riding each other hard. Helped, you know, with the grieving. Guess, I went overboard."

"You both did," Jason agreed. "I'm kind of surprised, though. You never held a grudge against him for his affair, not as I did."

Brett shrugged. "I was a kid when it happened. From my perspective, they were grown-ups with grown-up problems. But that had nothing to do with our relationship. I accepted that he wasn't that big part of our lives anymore when we got to O.R.C.A.."

"So, what changed?"

"He took over most of the commander's duties after you disappeared. Mum… well, she wasn't…" Brett sighed und Jason just nodded. "He restricted communications, suddenly enforced rules and regulation, no one ever cared about like fraternization and alcohol consumption." He said the last two with anger and frustration. Jason suppressed a smile. "And then he also took over the family. Sort of. Starting to call the shots, acting like the head of family. I just couldn't take it anymore."

"I get it," Jason replied. "Look, I'm sure he does his best. You're right, he hasn't been around for too long. But he helped us getting Neri back from Praxis, no questions asked."

"Why are you suddenly acting as his advocate?" Brett asked, his forehead in disbelieving wrinkles. "You were the angriest of us."

"As you said, grown-ups and grown-up problems," Jason explained with a shrug. "I almost made a mess of my own relationship. I get it now: things can be complicated. We all make mistakes. I know how much he regrets it. Besides, you're not really angry at him for that affair. You're just seeking ways to get back at him. That's hardly fair."

Brett sighed, put his hands into his pockets and pawed the concrete with his right foot. "Yeah, I know. I'll try going easier on him."

They watched the sun disappear in another moment of silence, lost in thoughts.

"In retrospective," Jason went on then, "maybe it wasn't such a big mistake at all. At least not for us."

"What do you mean?"

"Mum was so driven after the divorce. She threw herself into her research and that got her the position at O.R.C.A.."

Brett's eyes lightened up when he picked up Jason's line of thoughts. "And now she's the commander," he concluded.

Jason nodded. "You think, she would have pulled that off while married to Dad? She always put his needs first, so he got the better jobs and the attention from the research community. So, moving out from his shadow …"

"Or rather kicked out…"

".. was a good thing in the end," Jason concluded.

Brett grinned. "Yeah, she turned into a bad-ass."

"Do me a favor and remind her of that," Jason asked. "She has better things to do than to worry about me."

"Sure thing. I'll try to stop her from calling you every five minutes. Since you'll be very busy." Brett grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

If he had hoped to annoy him, Jason wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Probably," he replied calmly with a small grin.

"Jeez." Brett moved his head in surprise. "You have changed. I like it."

"That doesn't mean I allow you to make jokes about our sex life."

Brett rolled his eyes. "And there you are back again. Spoilsport." He grinned though and pulled Jason into a quick hug. "It's good to have you back."