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Jonas and Harry glanced at each other, then dropped to their knees beside the two front windows, and peeked out. Six men carrying drawn phasers were standing on the front lawn. Jonas recognized Pastor Friendly from the FCC and Ralph Wheeler from the tire dealership. "Quick, Philip, take the twins in the dining room, and get them behind the wall and Mother's buffet," he said.
George stepped over to get a look at what was happening, and was immediately struck down by another beam.
Jonas and Harry drew their phasers and began to return fire. The men quickly moved behind the big old maple which dominated the front yard and the two lilac bushes; Jonas winged one of them. Harry, at the left window, aimed for the men behind the lilac bush to the right. "Got one!" he exulted. Moments later Jonas picked off another.
"What are you set for?" Jonas asked.
"Lethal dose," Harry answered grimly. For several minutes they exchanged ineffective shots with the four men left standing outside.
Harry quickly pulled out his communicator to try to reach Clan Short.
"Seth here."
"Seth? I didn't meet you before. This is Harry, up in Maine. We're being attacked, and we need help!"
"We've sent everybody who can fight up to Montana already. The guys we were asked to protect there -- they're in a pitched battle with the FCC."
"We're being attacked by the FCC here, too!"
"If I get anybody, I'll send them up, but I've got nobody trained left here at all." Seth answered.
"All right, I'll try Starfleet. Harry out." He turned his attention to resetting his communicator to raise Starfleet. Distracted, he leaned sideways, was struck by a phaser beam, and collapsed in a heap.
Philip came running in from the dining room. He grabbed Harry's phaser, and darted to the front door, which he flung open. He got off two shots that took down unsuspecting FCC men, then was struck by a shot from Pastor Friendly's phaser, and he too fell to the floor in the house's entryway.
Jonas felt alone. 'They've shot everyone else but the twins,' he thought. He felt a cold, black, implacable anger take hold of his heart, and he steeled himself to kill the last two FCC men if possible, or die trying to kill them.
He fired again, towards the lilac bush, and let his finger slip, so that it looked like he was running out of charge. As he'd hoped, that brought Friendly and Powell out to try to finish him off, and he downed them in two quick shots.
Jonas felt cold inside. 'They're dead,' he thought. 'My mother is gone. She loved me, she gave me life, she cared for me when I was little, and she helped me grow up giving and getting respect. I've seen and heard other parents and teens; I know just how rare what she gave me is. Harry's dead -- and I never got to tell him I love him. I let Tanya turn my head, when he gave me his body and his heart, and I took them and shared love with him, and then threw it away because a pretty girl walked into my life. I was going to ask his forgiveness today, and now I never can.' And with a sudden insight, he realized that Harry was what he had truly wanted in his life, all along. 'And Judge Josiah -- the man who was legally and bodily my father was a creep; it's better he left. But I've never lacked for a father, and it's Josiah who was there. Today I lost my father too, and I never told him that. They're all gone.'
He felt a cold, bleak feeling come over him at the prospect of a future without his mother, Josiah, and Harry -- especially good old loyal Harry, the friend that he realized he'd never appreciated. 'It's all over now,' he thought.
He picked up his phaser, checked to make sure it was set to lethal power, turned it towards his face, and....
"Wait!" said a voice behind him. Startled, he looked up. Outside, police and the EMT had just arrived. A cop was frozen in the motion of opening a car door, and Bobby was likewise frozen standing on the toes of one foot, as if someone had taken a snapshot of him running.
Jonas looked behind him, at the voice. He was surprised to see a white figure, apparently of a man about 40, hovering just inside the archway to the dining room.
"Time's frozen outside this room," the figure said. "Just wait." It held up its hand and moved into the room, in clear view of all the bodies lying slumped. "Put the phaser down, Jonas."
Several seconds went by, and the apparent corpses in the room began to stir. Josiah roused and shook his head, as if to clear it. Then Maureen came to, and then George. They both sat up groggily, blinking.
Maureen caught sight of the apparition, and her eyes widened. "Neil?" she gasped, and slumped over in a faint. Josiah caught her and glared at the figure.
"You're dead!" said George. Then, with realization, "Then that means that we're...."
"Yes, I'm dead, but you're not," the figure said. "And yes, I'm the late Neil Patrick McConnaghay, at your service. 'I am your father, Luke,'" he quoted to Jonas with a Darth Vader imitation.
Held by Josiah, Maureen was just coming to from the joint effects of the phaser and the faint. Josiah looked at Neil. "What are you doing here?" he asked with asperity.
"I was Sent to save a couple of lives, including our son's," Neil answered equanimously. "Let Mo pull herself back together, and I'll explain."
Maureen sat up on the couch; Josiah pulled her protectively to himself. "I figured you'd never come back after you left with that bimbo," she said. "Nor am I wanting you here now."
"I'm dead, Maureen," Neil said. "Nor do I have any claim on you or the young man I fathered. Josiah has been there for you; I haven't. It took me most of my life to realize that, but I do now. But tell Jonas who 'that bimbo' was; I don't believe you ever have. And he needs to hear the irony of it."
"Your father left me almost thirteen years ago," Maureen said to Jonas, "to be with a sweet young thing -- Kelly O'Ryan. She'd be an aunt to that Tanya girl you boys go to school with, the one they don't talk about." Jonas looked as if he'd been poleaxed.
"Your girl friend," Neil said.
"Not any more," Jonas said. "After Rachel confronted me with what I'd done, Tanya gave me the choice between her and Harry. I chose Harry, of course," this last said with an air of defiance toward Neil. Harry gasped.
"Good," Neil said. "You've turned out a lot wiser than I ever was -- something I can thank you for," he added to Josiah, who continued to scowl.
"Josiah, lose the attitude," he continued. "You've been the man I never was to both of them, and your anger at me is doing both of us spiritual harm. I'm here for exactly three reasons, and when I'm done, I'm out of your lives forever. I pass on to my judgment. And for what it's worth, what you have in mind has my blessing. Of course, that and a dollar will buy you a cup of coffee at the Corner Cafe."
"Probably that's the best place to start," Neil continued. "When Kelly and I left Arkham, we went to Boston and then to New York. And after a few months, the thrill wore off, and she left me. She's on her third husband now, down in Jersey. I wish she'd had a happier life, but like all of us, she has to live with the choices she made."
"After she left, I started drinking, and then got into drugs. And Mo, you remember what I was like when I got drunk." She nodded, stonefaced. "I went on like that for a while, and then I concocted this harebrained scheme to win you back. I joined the I.R.A." At Harry's look of incomprehension, Neil explained, "the Irish Republican Army -- the group fighting British oppression in Ireland, sometimes by terrorism."
"I did a bunch of things I'm not very proud about with them. I thought I was a Freedom Fighter, and Mo would welcome me back as a hero when it was over. I ended up with an action task force among the Provos, the guerrillas of the I.R.A. A few of them were idealists like me, fighting to free Ireland. But some of them were real psychopaths, and I didn't recognize the signs."
"A month ago, our group sent out a party to bomb a new building. The Taioseach [pronounced "tea-shock"], the Prime Minister of Free Ireland, was supposed to dedicate it, and they figured that would be the way to pick him off. Why we were after our own Prime Minister, I don't know ... I'm not sure I want to know. Then I found out what kind of building it was."
"It was an orphanage. And they'd already begun to move kids into it, because there are so many left without parents, after the fighting."
"I think you might say that was the point at which I woke up. I went there to disarm the bomb. And I almost succeeded before it went off."
"It killed me, three kids from the orphanage, and one of the Taioseach's aides. It maimed another seven kids and a couple more of his flunkies. Two kids and the Taioseach himself got off without permanent injuries, just shook up and bruised."
"What's the afterlife like?" George's question was sincere and awed.
"If I get a chance to tell you after I find out, I will," Neil said. "I've spent that month sort of in a holding cell, the afterlife equivalent of a drunk tank."
Maureen chuckled. "The story of your life, Neil. And now, apparently, of your afterlife, too."
Neil smiled ruefully. "Too true. Anyway, I was given to understand that my wayward ways had earned me an eternal vacation on the balmy shores of the Pit of Brimstone. But He took into account how I died, and granted me mercy."
"They're a bit shorthanded Up There today. Lots of people died, were injured, or went into despair, in all the stuff that's been happening across America and Canada. And they offered me the chance to intervene for my family and the people they love. I jumped at the chance, of course. It might swing the balance for me, and I'd very much appreciate your prayers." They all nodded, Josiah after a short pause to compose his feelings.
"That's the first of my three duties," Neil continued, "to tell you about my life and give you what you all need to move on. The second one is to show you a series of alternate scenarios." He gestured at the television, which had been off, and the screen came to life. They all stared entranced as the events of the past half hour replayed.
Jonas and Harry drew their phasers and began to return fire. The men quickly moved behind the big old maple which dominated the front yard and the two lilac bushes; Jonas winged one of them. Harry, at the left window, aimed for the men behind the lilac bush to the right. "Got one!" he exulted. Moments later Jonas picked off another.
"What are you set for?" Jonas asked.
"Lethal dose," Harry answered grimly. For several minutes they exchanged ineffective shots with the four men left standing outside.
Harry quickly pulled out his communicator to try to reach Clan Short.
"Seth here."
"Seth? I didn't meet you before. This is Harry, up in Maine. We're being attacked, and we need help!"
"We've sent everybody who can fight up to Montana already. The guys we were asked to protect there -- they're in a pitched battle with the FCC."
"We're being attacked by the FCC here, too!"
"If I get anybody, I'll send them up, but I've got nobody trained left here at all." Seth answered.
"All right, I'll try Starfleet. Harry out." He turned his attention to resetting his communicator to raise Starfleet. Distracted, he leaned sideways, was struck by a phaser beam, and collapsed in a heap.
Philip came running in from the dining room. He grabbed Harry's phaser, and darted to the front door, which he flung open. He got off two shots that took down unsuspecting FCC men, then was struck by a shot from Pastor Friendly's phaser, and he too fell to the floor in the house's entryway.
Jonas felt alone. 'They've shot everyone else but the twins,' he thought. He felt a cold, black, implacable anger take hold of his heart, and he steeled himself to kill the last two FCC men if possible, or die trying to kill them.
He fired again, towards the lilac bush, and let his finger slip, so that it looked like he was running out of charge. As he'd hoped, that brought Friendly and Powell out to try to finish him off, and he downed them in two quick shots.
Jonas felt cold inside. 'They're dead,' he thought. 'My mother is gone. She loved me, she gave me life, she cared for me when I was little, and she helped me grow up giving and getting respect. I've seen and heard other parents and teens; I know just how rare what she gave me is. Harry's dead -- and I never got to tell him I love him. I let Tanya turn my head, when he gave me his body and his heart, and I took them and shared love with him, and then threw it away because a pretty girl walked into my life. I was going to ask his forgiveness today, and now I never can.' And with a sudden insight, he realized that Harry was what he had truly wanted in his life, all along. 'And Judge Josiah -- the man who was legally and bodily my father was a creep; it's better he left. But I've never lacked for a father, and it's Josiah who was there. Today I lost my father too, and I never told him that. They're all gone.'
He felt a cold, bleak feeling come over him at the prospect of a future without his mother, Josiah, and Harry -- especially good old loyal Harry, the friend that he realized he'd never appreciated. 'It's all over now,' he thought.
He picked up his phaser, checked to make sure it was set to lethal power, turned it towards his face, and fired. His handsome face was quickly burnt to a crisp. He slumped over and fell to the floor.
"Nooooo!" Harry screamed.
"And that's it," Neil said. "In that version, you're all dead."
"How did we live through it?" Maureen asked.
"It was the windows, right?" George guessed.
"Right the first time," Neil answered. "They must have guessed someone would ask, because I got a short briefing. Don't count on this being right, because Mo will tell you I never was any good at science."
Maureen chuckled. "I don't think the high school ever guessed how much of your homework was really what I did for you."
"Well," said Neil, "if I got it right, a phaser works by using a phased hypersonic blast. But it's carried on a beam of collimated light, just like a laser. Mo's windows diffracted just enough of that laserlike beam to cut the force of what hit you from lethal to stun level. Except for Philip and the two men he shot; they got the full force."
"Here's scenario number two. Now, watch this...."
Jonas felt cold inside. 'They're dead,' he thought. 'My mother is gone. She loved me, she gave me life, she cared for me when I was little, and she helped me grow up giving and getting respect. I've seen and heard other parents and teens; I know just how rare what she gave me is. Harry's dead -- and I never got to tell him I love him. I let Tanya turn my head, when he gave me his body and his heart, and I took them and shared love with him, and then threw it away because a pretty girl walked into my life. I was going to ask his forgiveness today, and now I never can.' And with a sudden insight, he realized that Harry was what he had truly wanted in his life, all along. 'And Judge Josiah -- the man who was legally and bodily my father was a creep; it's better he left. But I've never lacked for a father, and it's Josiah who was there. Today I lost my father too, and I never told him that. They're all gone.'
He felt a cold, bleak feeling come over him at the prospect of a future without his mother, Josiah, and Harry -- especially good old loyal Harry, the friend that he realized he'd never appreciated. 'It's all over now,' he thought.
He picked up his phaser, checked to make sure it was set to lethal power, turned it towards his face, and fired. His handsome face was quickly burnt to a crisp. He slumped over and fell to the floor.
Bobby and Skipper came running in, First Response kits at the ready.
"They're just stunned!" Bobby cried out, and began to rouse them.
"Except for this one," Skipper said, trying to keep Philip alive despite his burns.
Bobby brought Harry back to consciousness. He looked over at Jonas, and quickly went to his knees beside him. "Oh, God no!" he screamed, holding Jonas's lifeless, burned body.
The scene changed, to the woods southwest of town overlooking the Sandy River gorge. Harry came shuffling along through the fallen leaves, as downcast and gloomy as the dreary overcast sky above. He stopped at the cliff edge, looked down at the water, began to cry, and stepped forward.
"That's two," Neil said. "Here's number three...."
Jonas felt cold inside. 'They're dead,' he thought. 'My mother is gone. She loved me, she gave me life, she cared for me when I was little, and she helped me grow up giving and getting respect. I've seen and heard other parents and teens; I know just how rare what she gave me is. Harry's dead -- and I never got to tell him I love him. I let Tanya turn my head, when he gave me his body and his heart, and I took them and shared love with him, and then threw it away because a pretty girl walked into my life. I was going to ask his forgiveness today, and now I never can.' And with a sudden insight, he realized that Harry was what he had truly wanted in his life, all along. 'And Judge Josiah -- the man who was legally and bodily my father was a creep; it's better he left. But I've never lacked for a father, and it's Josiah who was there. Today I lost my father too, and I never told him that. They're all gone.'
Stoically he pulled himself together, walked to the kitchen, and grabbed a plastic bag. He walked back through, forcing himself not to look at the bodies in the living room, stepped around Philip, and walked out to the lawn. As he was gathering the phasers from Pastor Friendly and his five FCC members, the EMT mobile unit and a police car pulled up. Bobby and Skipper jumped out.
"Everyone's dead," Jonas said. "Mom, the Judge, Harry, and them are in the house."
"Freeze, punk!" said the policeman, revolver aimed at Jonas from behind his car.
"That's actually a fairly positive one, despite the looks," Neil commented. "You four live; Jonas spends some time in jail; but ultimately you guys get reunited, you help out Pen Throxton, and Sheriff Roscoe gets what's coming to him.
Now, here's four...."
Josiah and Maureen sat primly in two different chairs, watching TV. Jonas and Harry lounged on the floor, playing a board game.
"Looks peaceful and nice, right? That one's a version where Harry never calls Clan Short. But here's the bad points: Jed and C.J. are taken and killed; Scordo's men put it about they've been sent to a relatives place out of state. Scordo, Elvira Oakridge, and the rest are still in office. Jared's sent to live with the Eccleses, runs away, and ends up beaten and raped. Philip and the twins are of course still in their hands, too. Mickey stays in the old folks' home for a few months, growing more and more depressed, then finds a way to kill himself. Josiah's car is hit by a drunk driver; and he dies, on his way home tonight. And Harry never opens up to Jonas, gets more and more depressed, and ends up killing himself, too." Neil's voice was cold.
"Five...."
Jonas felt cold inside. 'They're dead,' he thought. 'My mother is gone. She loved me, she gave me life, she cared for me when I was little, and she helped me grow up giving and getting respect. I've seen and heard other parents and teens; I know just how rare what she gave me is. Harry's dead -- and I never got to tell him I love him. I let Tanya turn my head, when he gave me his body and his heart, and I took them and shared love with him, and then threw it away because a pretty girl walked into my life. I was going to ask his forgiveness today, and now I never can.' And with a sudden insight, he realized that Harry was what he had truly wanted in his life, all along. 'And Judge Josiah -- the man who was legally and bodily my father was a creep; it's better he left. But I've never lacked for a father, and it's Josiah who was there. Today I lost my father too, and I never told him that. They're all gone.'
He felt a cold, bleak feeling come over him at the prospect of a future without his mother, Josiah, and Harry -- especially good old loyal Harry, the friend that he realized he'd never appreciated. 'It's all over now,' he thought. "But just to be sure...."
He walked over and checked his mother, then Josiah, then Harry. "They're alive!" he shouted.
He dove for his communicator. "Jonas to CIC! I need medical help here!"
There was no answer.
"Six...." Neil said.
Jonas felt cold inside. 'They're dead,' he thought. 'My mother is gone. She loved me, she gave me life, she cared for me when I was little, and she helped me grow up giving and getting respect. I've seen and heard other parents and teens; I know just how rare what she gave me is. Harry's dead -- and I never got to tell him I love him. I let Tanya turn my head, when he gave me his body and his heart, and I took them and shared love with him, and then threw it away because a pretty girl walked into my life. I was going to ask his forgiveness today, and now I never can.' And with a sudden insight, he realized that Harry was what he had truly wanted in his life, all along. 'And Judge Josiah -- the man who was legally and bodily my father was a creep; it's better he left. But I've never lacked for a father, and it's Josiah who was there. Today I lost my father too, and I never told him that. They're all gone.'
He felt a cold, bleak feeling come over him at the prospect of a future without his mother, Josiah, and Harry -- especially good old loyal Harry, the friend that he realized he'd never appreciated. 'It's all over now,' he thought.
He picked up his communicator. "Jonas to Clan Short," he said. "Harry's dead, and my mother, and Judge Josiah. I quit!"
"Those are all alternate realities," Neil said. "He normally doesn't answer 'What if' questions, but you needed to see them."
"But there's one thing common to all of them. Did you see what it was? George?"
"My son," he said. "He dies. I lose Philip, before I even got to really connect with him."
"Right," said Neil. "And Philip is just as important to Him as any of the rest of you, just as needed in the Great Plan. Now, in this world there are two things that can be done. Starfleet Medical will treat him, and save his life. But he'll be a mass of scars for the rest of his life from the burning. Or the Clan can send him to a new facility they have at the South Pole."
"The South Pole?" Jonas and Harry exclaimed together.
"You need to keep more in touch with C.I.C." Neil said. "There's a whole lot of new Clan members and some resources you never thought you'd have. One of them is an ancient A.I. at the South Pole with advanced medical facilities. The problem with this is that he never grows up, or at least not before the next Ice Age."
"So instead, what I'm supposed to do is transport you for a vacation into an alternate timeline. You'll be returned to here and now when you've dealt with what you need to resolve between you, and Philip's been healed."
"Jonas, go grab a few pairs of jogging shorts and T-shirts for you and Harry. Maureen, pack a couple of items of summer casual wear. Josiah, George, hold out your arms." As Neil finished speaking, Josiah's arms were filled with two pair of Bermuda shorts and several polo shirts. George got a similar armload, but of clothes not only his own but for all three boys as well.
As Maureen and Jonas came back from packing, stunned out of argument by the apparition of their missing husband and father, Neil gestured. Abruptly the whole group, including George's three boys, appeared on the patio of a large, attractive house of Spanish styling, overlooking a clearly tropical beach. Offshore, two U.S. Navy warships cruised by with an air of authority.
A man in his mid-20s with long dark hair and a deep suntan, dressed in white casual shirt and slacks, walked out the open French doors leading to the patio. "Welcome to the Conch Republic!" he said. "Mi casa es su casa."
Harry chucked. The man grinned. "It seems we like some of the same stories," he said to Harry. "That's where I got the idea for the greeting. This is La Casa del Perdido, the House of the Lost One, and I am Ben, your host for the next week."
"A week?" said Maureen. "Sure, and me house is sitting wide open for anyone to walk in."
"And we have dead or stunned FCC men on the front lawn," added Jonas.
"Don't worry," Neil said. "This is an alternate dimension, and time doesn't work here like it does at home. When you leave, you'll go right back to the exact time and place you left, Saturday morning, the 23rd. By the way, Ben knows about all this, but he's one of only a handful of people in this dimension who do. I wouldn't talk about Clan Short, Starfleet, or any of the rest of it to anyone but Ben; they'll think you've been into the MJ or something harder."
"Aren't you supposed to be going 'Fear not!' and like that instead of 'Don't worry'," Jonas said grinning.
Neil grinned back. "Hey, Saint Mikey, Saint Davey, San Pablito, and a good dozen others called in for the occasion are helping out with the main Clan, the A.I. Division, and the new attack group and Missoula elements. You guys got a scruffy Irish angel who's one step shy of heading for damnation. Given the alternatives I showed you, and the fact Philip will die if George and I don't leave immediately, don't argue with what you got!" He winked at Maureen.
Neil turned serious suddenly. "Mo, I was a fool to leave, and remember that I was planning to come back; a little detail of my death got in the way. And that's just as well; you've got a far better man than me, if you'll stop your stubborn ways and go for it. 'Til death do us part,' we said, and it did part us. Follow your heart, with my blessing."
He turned to Jonas and Josiah. "Judge, I gave you more grief as a teen when you first became judge than any three people ought to. I cannot be happier that you've gone past that to take care of what was my family. Jonas, you've turned out far better than I could have ever hoped for. I'm very proud of you -- not that I had much to do with your upbringing. Let me make formal what you already know. Reach out and take Josiah's hand, please." Shocked, Jonas did as asked. "Josiah, I present to you your son, with my thanks for the fathering you've already given him. Jonas, behold your father."
"George, pick up Philip and let's be going. Everyone, please pray for me!" As George lifted Philip into his arms, the three of them vanished.
"Come inside, and I'll show you La Casa," Ben said. "And I'll bet you two" (addressing Drew and Randy) "could help me dispose of a couple of ice cream sundaes."
Randy giggled. "Can we have 'em, really? Ice cream sundaes are yumscrious."
With the twins settled down with their sundaes, and beverages to taste distributed around, Ben asked, "What did your ghostly friend tell you about where you are?"
"Hardly a friend," Maureen said. "He was my ex-husband."
"And my father," Jonas interjected.
"And he didn't tell us anything except that we were being sent on a vacation."
Ben looked irritated. "He was supposed to fill you in before you got here -- or so I was told."
"Neil never was the most organized of people," Maureen commented.
"Well, it falls on me to try to explain things, then, and I know I'll miss details, so feel free to ask any questions you may have. A few things, I can't answer, but what I can, I will."
"To start with, are you vaguely familiar with the 'Multiple Worlds' theory of physics, the 'alternate dimensions' of science fiction?" Nods of agreement. "Actually, there are multiple planes of existence, some of them parallel worlds and some higher planes -- or lower. Heaven -- or at least the heaven we human beings go to when we die, is one higher plane. But also there are alternate Earths, just like the one you came from and this one."
"We're in a different world?" Josiah was skeptical.
Ben gestured out the French doors. "In your world, do warships patrol the Keys on a 24/7 basis? And if either of you boys brought your communicators, you can just leave them in your rooms; Clan Short doesn't exist here."
"In every world," he continued, "there seem to be a group of people intent on forcing their religious views on others by force of law, or just by main force. In your world, they were organized as the Fundamentalist Church of Christ, and infiltrating government. In your friends the Farnsworths' world, they were divided among a large number of competing but cooperating ministries."
"The Farnsworths?" asked Harry with a puzzled expression.
Ben looked startled. "What's today to you?"
"Saturday, October 23, why?"
"It's actually Monday, June 9, 2014, here, though you'll go back to the time you left. But I'm terribly afraid that I'll have to ask you to forget my mentioning the Farnsworths until you're introduced to them -- two days after you get back, if I remember right."
"Anachronism!" Jonas exclaimed. "If we know something is going to happen before it does, it messes up the fabric of reality, right?"
"Nothing quite that dramatic," Ben said. "It's just that from sad experience, we've learned that anachronisms have sharp teeth and can bite hard when you least expect it. Speaking of which," he said, turning to Josiah, "I'll need to ask you specifically, sir, to avoid the Holiday Inn in Key West and the area immediately surrounding it."
"Why might that be?" Josiah asked pleasantly.
"Because this world's Judge and Mrs. Josiah Brewster were on vacation here last winter and got caught in the course of events."
"Maureen and I?" Josiah smiled.
"No, you and your wife Annie. They were here for dinner three months ago."
Josiah's face slumped. "Encountering yourself would be uncomfortable, as well as blowing your cover here. Meeting your late wife, still alive, would be emotionally traumatic to you -- and I believe to Maureen as well."
Josiah nodded understanding. "I buried her. This is going to hurt, I think." Maureen moved over to comfort Josiah.
"I don't doubt it will," Ben said with consolation. "But not as much as it would to encounter her again."
"Anyway, when you first arrived, I welcomed you to the Conch Republic...."
Harry interrupted, "That's like a joke, for how free the Keys are to be different, to be yourself, right?"
"It used to be," Ben said. "But today it's in dead earnest. The Conch Republic is one of about twenty 'caretaker republics' that seceded from the Free Holy Republic, and are pledged to preserve and eventually restore the United States of America. We're host to half of the Atlantic Fleet of the U.S. Navy, which is all that keeps the Holies from swooping in and taking us over. The other half is based in the Republic of Nantucket, Vineyard, and Barnstable, up in what used to be Massachusetts -- except for the patrols protecting the Delmarva Federation. The Republic of Hawai'i, Alyeska, and the Bear Flag Republic host the Pacific Fleet."
"Somehow I can't see Key West and the Navy getting along well," Jonas commented.
"It's been ... interesting," Ben said with a grin. "But the one thing that united the hippies, gays, and just generally different people that made up the Conches was the threat to take away their freedom to live as they chose -- and the Navy took seriously its oath to uphold the Constitution. Fortunately, a lot of the fleet was in the Florida Straits when the Holies won the 2012 election and turned America into a religious dictatorship. Some of us think that was no coincidence at all."
"So the Navy is protecting these, what did you call them, 'caretaker states'?" Josiah asked.
"Exactly," Ben answered " -- at least the ones protected by water. To the best of our knowledge, there are Army detachments backed up by local militias protecting the Big Sky Republic, the Yuper Republic, and so on -- plus, of course, there are a few of the seaside states with land borders, like Delmarva and the Bear Flag Republic. There's no single law applicable to the caretaker states; to be one, you merely have to be independent of the Holies and pledged to the restoration of the U.S.A. when they're finally overthrown. All other local affairs are completely up to the individual republics."
"It hasn't been without cost," he added sadly. Everyone's eyes followed his to a black-draped portrait of Ben himself with a tall blond man of the same age. "That was Lucas, my partner," he said somberly. "He was killed when the Holies took out the Seven Mile Bridge last winter. We bought this place together, and had five wonderful years together before they killed him. That was when I changed the Casa's name to La Casa Del Perdido, in his memory."
"He was your business partner?" Josiah asked.
"Life partner, Judge," Harry said.
"Right, Harry," Ben said. "More than half of me died with him. And I resolved on revenge on the Holies. That was how I got into this role. I'm sure you realize that the Outer Keys are hardly a self-sufficient economic entity. We lived on tourism -- and tourism in the Free Holy Republic is a joke. So there are a group of us innkeepers -- I know a half dozen of us, and I'm aware there are more -- who were recruited by a group that can cross timelines. We provide their people a place for R&R, and income from them supplements the Conch Republic's gross product by quite a bit. Even at that, I was taken aback when St. Mikey appeared and told me he was sending a party here from your timeline. Obviously, we keep the knowledge of different timelines a secret among ourselves."
"So why are we here?" Maureen asked. Randy and Drew, having finished their sundaes, came in and cuddled up to Harry.
"For a vacation, a life break, and a chance to sort out your personal affairs," Ben answered. "I don't know of any other purpose, except that Mikey and Neil's Boss decided you six and the other two needed a chance to get your lives together. That's your 'duty,' if you will, for now: to sort out your personal affairs and be prepared to cope when you get back to your home."
"How are we getting home?" Harry asked.
"I know it's covered, but I don't know the answer for sure," Ben added diffidently. "If it comes to that, the big guest house down the beach that's part of La Casa is occupied by a family who can probably help. But what I was told when Mikey made the arrangements is that you'd be taken home by Mikyvis -- whatever that is." Looks of consternation spread across the faces of all.
"Feel free to make use of any of the facilities of the house and grounds," Ben continued. "My suite is right over there, through those doors. Dialing '1' on any house phone reaches me. The beach, by the way, is clothing-optional, and most of our younger guests opt for bare skin. Walk around the grounds, if you like; I know you have a lot to talk about. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to see to preparing your dinner." He rose.
Josiah blinked. "Well, you've certainly given us enough to think and talk about."
Jonas stood up. "I don't know about anyone else, but a swim sounds good to me. You twins interested? Harry?" Big grins and bouncing up and down made clear Drew and Randy's opinion. Harry smiled and nodded. They stood up and the four boys headed for the French doors and the path to the beach.
On the beach, Jonas began stripping. Randy said, "We don't got swimsuits."
"You don't need them here," Jonas answered. "I'm going in bare butt, and you guys can too. Harry?"
Harry blushed. "Yeah, I guess I am too."
"Is that OK?" Randy persisted. "Mrs. Eccles said being naked was sinful."
"She said a lot of things, I'll bet. That doesn't make them all true," Harry answered. "C'mon, the water's waiting."
Without further ado, the four stripped and ran into the waves. Harry picked up Drew and tossed him, giggling, into the waves.
Randy stood looking at Jonas. "Your wee-wee's big and gots hair around it," he commented.
"That's 'cause I'm growing up," Jonas answered. "Yours will get that way too when you get older, probably about age thirteen. I'll let your new Dad explain the rest of it."
"Kewl," said Randy, and ran into the water. Drew splashed him, and then splashed Jonas. A water fight broke out, with everyone having a good time.
In the house, Josiah extended an arm to Maureen. "Come, let's walk around the grounds." They strolled the paths outside La Casa in companionable silence for a few minutes. "This is truly strange," Josiah said. "And it's given me a lot to think about."
"Me too," Maureen said. "But I think we need to deal with the most important issue first. When I saw you shot earlier today, I was ready to panic. I know we've been courting for several years now, but that brought home to me just how fragile our lives really are. We don't have time to waste." She turned and looked Josiah square in the eyes. "Josiah Brewster, will you marry me?"
Josiah drew a breath. "I've tried to give you space to be the professional woman you wanted to be. And there are proper procedures to be followed, my dear. It's my prerogative -- Maureen McConnaghay, will you marry me?"
"I asked first," Maureen said, a grin beginning to break out.
"Yes," they said together, and broke out laughing, which segued into a kiss --and then another kiss, and another.
They walked hand in hand, pausing to kiss. "You'll need to buy another house," Josiah said.
"Oh? And why might that be?" Maureen asked quizzically.
"Because my old mausoleum is nowhere I'd think of bringing you and Jonas, and your house isn't large enough."
"What? Why do you say that?"
"Well, I have my law library and office, I presume you will want to keep your newspaper files in your study, and I suspect strongly that our family will be growing -- Harry, at a minimum, and he and Jonas will need a larger room. And I saw you with Peter, and with young Jacob and Jed two weeks ago, and before that with the Briscoe children when their mother died. Your warm heart cannot see a child in pain without wanting to comfort and heal it, and we will have the resources to take them in." Josiah smiled. "Assuming you agree to it, of course."
"Of course I do," Maureen answered. "But why should I buy the house, not you or us together?"
"Because what I have in mind would be a conflict of interest for me," Josiah answered. "I am, after all, representing Jed and C.J., and the Templeton house would be just right -- with an addition if we need more bedrooms, of course."
"You're a sly one, Josiah!" Maureen said with a smile. "That's perfect!"
Down by the oceanside, four naked boys came walking down the beach -- two slightly larger with strawberry-blond hair, one of the smaller two with platinum blond hair and the other very skinny with dark brown hair, the hair of all four shoulder length. "Hey, Harry, Jonas!" the slenderest one called out.
Harry shaded his eyes against the ocean glare. "Holy shit!" he said. "What are you guys doing here?" He began to run out of the water, followed closely by Jonas, with Randy and Drew following more cautiously.
"Tyler told me I needed a break, after all the stuff that's happened," the slender boy answered.
"And Kyle wouldn't come unless we brought along Jacob and Jamie," Tyler added.
"We were going to beam down this morning to get these two trained," Jonas said, indicating Randy and Drew. "But we got shot at by FCC people."
"Story of our lives," said Kyle. "Jamie here got his brains blown out by them this morning." Everybody looked at the apparently healthy Jamie.
"Who's Seth?" Harry asked. "When I called for help, I got him instead of Tommy."
"Oh man, do you guys need an update!" Jamie said. And he proceeded to tell them the events of the past week in Orlando, Charleston, and Missoula.
Tyler sat with a wan expression, listening in. "What's with Tyler?" Jonas asked.
"He's worried about Adam," Jacob explained. "He was severely wounded by a grenade at close range, and we sent him to the Ark to be made Vifer?"
"Huh?" said Jonas and Harry together. And another detailed explanation followed.
"C'mon, you two," Jamie said to Randy and Drew. "We might as well begin your training now." He grinned, and flashed a thought at them.
"Eewie," said Randy. "They're gonna do that kind of stuff?" Drew asked, an evil smile on his face.
"Yep, it's lots of fun actually," Jacob said. "But I think they ought to get some privacy for it. Race ya!" And he started running down the beach, with the other five younger boys in hot pursuit.
"They going to be OK?" Harry asked.
"With those four?" Jonas answered. "Count on it. C'mon, it's time for dinner; let's go eat."
"Where are the twins?" a worried Maureen asked.
"Safe, mother," Jonas answered. "Some of our Clan brothers came by, including the ones we were going to have train them. They went with them. No need to worry; they'll be safe as can be."
Ben summoned them in to dinner just then. After the meal, Harry and Jonas went back to the beach to watch the sunset.
Jonas sat down and looked Harry in the eyes. "Listen, bro. Way too much has happened in the last day. But you gotta hear me out. I know I hurt you badly with the thing with Tanya. I told her to get lost Friday when she demanded I choose between you and her." Harry's eyes widened. "I know I don't deserve it, but I need to ask if you'll forgive me."
"Of course I will, Jonas," Harry said. "All you were doing is what you told me you needed to, that morning back when."
"Well, that's what I thought," Jonas said, "but I was wrong. I put you through hell, and made an absolute fool of myself chasing after a girl who doesn't care about people -- yet again, just like Holly. I realized that by how she treated Rachel, and then her attitude toward you."
"I don't want to criticize Tanya..." Harry began.
"Don't worry; I have already thought a lot worse than what you're likely to say."
"...But she didn't seem like she really cared about you as a person, just Jonas-the-stud-muffin. Do me a favor, bro -- ask my honest advice about your next girlfriend."
"Are you planning to get transsexual surgery and become a woman?" Jonas asked with a wry smile.
"Certainly not! Whatever gave you that idea?" Harry was emphatic.
"Because, Harry, that's what it would take for me to have another girlfriend -- for you to turn into a girl. I know I fucked up royally, but I know I was wrong now. if you'll still have me, I'm yours permanently."
Harry dove across the distance between them and bowled Jonas over on his back, smothering him with kisses. "You mean it? Us together? From now on?"
"There's more, bro."
Harry opened his eyes wider.
"Just saying it isn't enough," Jonas said earnestly. "I need to prove I mean it. Harry Johnson, will you marry me?"
To both boys, it felt like time stopped. Harry sat motionless, focused on Jonas, his thoughts going a mile a minute. Finally he spoke. "No, Jonas."
As Jonas's features dropped and his mouth opened to answer Harry, Harry himself continued. "It's what I want more than anything else in the world, Jonas. But it won't be fair to say yes to you now. You're on the mother of all guilt trips, and I know you, you're being all noble and stuff. But if I agreed, I'd be trapping you, holding you to a promise you made out of guilt. And I love you too much to ever want to do anything like that to you."
It was Jonas's turn to draw a deep breath and pause to collect his thoughts. "It's not like that at all, Harry. Yeah, I'm feeling guilty about what happened during the week. But when Ralph Wheeler shot you..."
"Was that who it was? I wondered."
"Anyway, when he shot you and I thought you were dead, I died inside. I knew, then and there, that I'd never replace what you were for me, and that I'd thrown it all away for something like Tanya. Then when Dad showed up and told me he'd left Mom for Tanya's aunt.... Well, if I have one ironclad rule about my life, it's to not be my father. Hopefully, twenty years from now, we'll be able to laugh about Tanya -- and I'll feel the same then as I do today. it's like I woke up and realized that the love of my life has been there all along, hiding as my best friend. And I am not going to let you go." Abruptly Jonas pulled Harry to him and kissed him hard.
As the kiss broke, the sun was just dropping below the horizon. They sat for a moment in silence watching it. Then Harry spoke. "Two things, Jonas."
"Yeah?"
"One: Yes. Two: Make love to me. Right here and now. I need you in so many ways."
Author's Note: That's Chapter 15. For obvious reasons, it needed to focus rather closely on the McConnaghays, mother and son, and their beloveds. I know you're all asking, "What's going on with Jed and Jared, and Mickey and Raffy? What's going to happen to all the new characters that got introduced? And who the heck is the Mystery Boy?"
Patience, people. it'll all come out in the next chapter or two. If you have any questions about what Kyle, Tyler, Jacob, and Jamie are doing crossing into another timeline, I recommend reading Memories Part 2, Chapters 15 and 16, Ark Chapter 22, and Sentenced to Life Chapter 15 -- which are terrific stories as well. Oh, and a quick acknowledgment of Sequoyah Pendor's "Saga of the Elizabethton Tarheels," available at The Story Lover's Home, from which I abstracted the rough idea for La Casa and the catch phrase when we first meet Ben. Thanks for reading!
<>Note from AC: I just wanted to take a moment to let everyone know how pleased I am with how D&B have added their own spin to the Universe. As you can see; they have masterfully brought a whole new dimension into the fabric of time. Stay tuned; I think they are just getting started!
Awesome job D&B!
AC
Clan Short Archivist Review Notes:This relative newcomer to The CSU is definitely holding up its end of the bargain. The characters are warm and lifelike and easy to love and hate as the case may be. It seems the FCC is far more pervasive and insidious than we had thought. I truly enjoy how this story explores all of the facets of the CSU while remaining true to itself. I am also enjoying how Harry and Jonas are working through the steps to build their relationship, I hope it lasts a long time.
i have been asked to inform the readers that it isn't a Cliffhanger if the clues are in the chapter.
Where is the next chapter?
TSL
Another editor pops out of the woodwork:
As TSL and AC both stated, D&B have made a wonderful contribution to the CSU and to our collective appreciation of love between young teens as well as adults. Of course we have also been given some lessons in life and in hatred, which is supposedly based on Bible study. Of course, we all know that is pure and simple CRAP, nothing more and nothing less than B. S. Anyone that has truly studied what the teachings of Jesus were, knows that his message was that we should love one another. He didn't say we should love only a person of the opposite, sex and only in the missionary position for the soul purpose of producing children by the dozen. He said, "Love one another!" Pay attention and do what he said and life will be better for everyone.
Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher