Fire Book Two

The story is a work of fiction. Some of the people named herein are real persons and celebrities in their own right, but their mention or involvement in the plot is strictly fictional and purely for the purposes of the story, and in no way implies any personal or sexual preferences, ideas or beliefs, on the part of the real person of that name.  No inferences whatsoever are implied or intended to the persons mentioned, as a result of this work.

A second spotlight shown on the solitary performer who approached the piano and began a song he had not sung in a long time.  It was the version of his hit that he sang for Princess Diana's funeral.  The entire audience was struck by the emotion of those words, as strongly now as they had been years before.  The Phoenix boys had heard the song, and hearing it now, live, was amazing.  Lou sat in his wheelchair, almost as if he were in a trance.  The entire stadium rocked with applause when Elton finished the song.  He wiped a tear and acknowledged the audience, then played several of his early hits.  He then played one for his 'little American friends.'  Needless to say, 'Crocodile Rock' was a big hit with the Phoenix crowd.

After Elton finished his performance, for the time being, he left the stage, and the curtain closed.  Then a voice from off-stage announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, 'Queen of Hearts'!"

The curtains then opened, revealing the group ('Chameleon' and the remaining members of the original 'Queen').  They began 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.  At the final note, the applause went on for at least three minutes {'Harrumph! Three minutes, twelve point six seconds.'}  While the ovation was going on, Chris' synth was brought out and set near center stage. 

After being introduced, Kit came on stage, joining Chris, and nodded, indicating he was ready.  Chris mumbled "Ready," into the intercom, and the song started, with Kit's voice soaring ever higher into the heavens.  He sang his song just as he had in the music room, and it was absolutely perfect.  The applause, when it came, was not just polite, it was tumultuous.  All the boys, as one, were on their feet, cheering him.  Kit ran to Chris and hugged him; Chris hugged him back, and, with muted mic, said, "Well done, Kit.  That was just right."  Kit smiled.  Chris got up and led him back to center-stage to take a bow, which he did several times, as the applause went on and on.  This was the cue for the directors and owners of the Phoenix Youth Foundation to make their way to the stage.  They now waited in the wings.

When the audience finally began to quiet down, Chris signaled Neal, Brian, Mitch and Travis to come on stage.  Chris turned on the mic and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you, the owners of the Phoenix Youth Foundation."  He turned toward the boys.  "Mr. Neal Richards, Mr. Brian Richards, Mr. Mitch Harris and Mr. Travis Harris."

The four boys came forward into the light, and the audience fell silent in confusion, wondering if this was some kind of joke.  Neal approached Chris and took the microphone.  "Hey everybody!  This is like, awesome!"  Cheers of agreement rocked the stadium.

"My name is Neal Richards.  Believe it or not, I am the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Phoenix Youth Foundation.  Yes, I am a kid, twelve years old.  All of us have been abused in one way or another.  We have set out to provide a safe haven for kids like us.  So far, we have closed down a bad place and rescued like forty guys.  We set up the Phoenix foundation to take care of them and see that they could build a good life for themselves.  Through mutual friends, we met Chameleon, and they have been doing much the same thing.  We decided to ask Chameleon to do this concert, so we can organize more places that can help kids.  I am pleased to tell you that the money from this concert is going to be put to good use and will enable us to help a whole lot of kids. 

"As you might have noticed, we are all in our Scout uniforms.  The Scouts are real important to us, and we feel that Scouting will give us and others a good set of rules to live by.  Looking around, I see lots of others that must feel the same way.

"Folks, please help us.  There are kids everywhere that need help.  For those of you watching at home, there is a website and phone number to contact us.  You will get to meet our best friend, 'Philip'. He can be a bit grumpy, but he's really okay."

'Harrumph!'

"See?  There is a bunch of stuff on the website, if you want more information.  For those of you here, there will be booklets you can pick up on the way out.  They also have some neat stuff about the band and all.

"Now, where is Kit?  Ah, there you are."  Neal took out a neckerchief, put it around Kit's neck and put on a slide he had in his other pocket.  "Now, you're one of us!"

There were cheers again.  During the commotion, Kit said something to Neal.  When things settled down, Neal walked over to Chris, who was now sitting at the piano.  "Chris?  Kit says he would like to hear that finger exercise you did the other day.  Do you have any idea what he is talking about?"

"He would, eh?" said Chris, still with his mic live.  "I guess that means I have more work to do.  Frankly, I had kept this piece in mind, in case our guests here in the audience pressured me into playing something, after last week's Proms concert at the Albert Hall."

This must have triggered a few people's memories, as the applause began gradually, and grew and grew.  Eventually, Chris held up a hand for quiet, and, when things calmed down a little, he spoke again.  "Thank you for that... I didn't know you cared!  It would take a little too long to play one of the pieces that I did at the Proms, so I settled for something much shorter, Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Flight of the Bumble Bee'--at full speed, I should point out!" 

The network cameraman, with his shoulder held camera, came on stage and stood slightly behind, and to one side of Chris.  Another moved onto the other side.  To Kit, Chris said, "Okay, matey, you can go and sit with your friends, if you want."  All the boys followed Neal off stage, to the applause of the crowd, and, as they got back to their row of seats, Neal was very pleased at how his speech had gone.  Tym had saved Kit a seat, and gave him a hug!  "Great job, Kit!" 

John, who was sitting on the other side of Kit added, "Fuckin' awesome, dude!"

On the huge screen, the cameras zoomed in on Chris' piano keyboard, but Chris just sat still for a moment with his eyes closed.  Then, suddenly, he was off!  His fingers flew over the keys, at an unbelievable speed.

"Yes!" whispered Kit.

"Jeez!" Neal murmured.

As he ended the piece, the audience stood, shouted and applauded.  In their row, the boys were going wild.  They were even more impressed with Chris, now!

Justin took center-stage for his solo number, which he dedicated to his father.  The audience was emotional and very appreciative.

The boys were really excited now, because they knew it was time for their part in the show,  'Barcelona.'  The boys were on the edge of their seats, ready to go.  The stage was set, and the boys all got their candles ready.  Jason helped Andy get the candles attached to Lou's wheelchair.  Lou was almost bouncing in his chair with excitement.  The lights went down, and Chris began the bell chimes.  That was the cue for the boys.  They filed out of their seats and began their trip to the front.  They lit their candles as they got into the aisle.  There was a roar of applause from the crowded auditorium.  The kids were so surprised and pleased, they giggled.  With their candles held high, they gathered around the podium.

Chris ended his bells, and the conductor raised his special baton, switching it on, so it glowed like a light-saber.  The orchestra raised their instruments to the ready.  'James' raised the curtains and turned on the spotlights. Pete and Montserrat took their places, and 'Barcelona' was off and running.  The boys watched the conductor and turned their candles off and on as he signaled.

As the bells died away at the end, the candles flicked out one by one, just the way the boys had practiced.  The cheering and applause went on until they agreed to do it again!

The conductor leaned over and told the boys to stay put, and just light their candles when the piece restarted.  They did that, and at the end the applause was just as ecstatic.  The boys loved it, and even took a bow, before taking their new seats in the front row.  Then they sat back to enjoy the rest of the concert.
 
After another hour the concert was nearing its end.  Those in the audience had certainly gotten their money's worth!  After the original Queen had rejoined the band to play their biggest hits, and the others had joined in on a few, also, it was time to do the one set that had so far been missed. 

Pete made the announcement.  "And now, it's time to end our show.  We very much hope you've enjoyed this evening," (massive roar of assent), "so now our final numbers.  These are the ones you've all been waiting for, and I suspect that, when you all join in, as I'm sure you will, they'll probably hear you right across the other side of Zurich!"  He grinned.  This was going to end up loud, he knew!  "But, before we start, we'd like to have all you boys join us on stage, too, including you, Lou."  As the boys stood up, there was a huge cheer and applause as they all made their way down and Lou was bodily hoisted onto the stage by Chris and Paul.  His chair followed quite easily as well.  The numbers started.

Three basses playing slap bass and two powerful drummers hit the beat and left everyone else in the band to clap on the third beat. Pete soon got the audience in on the act, and, yes, much to everyone's delight, it was deafening!  Soon the crowd was stamping on the first two beats, as well as doing the hand-clap on the third, and the stadium rocked.  The boys loved it, and joined in with all their energy!  It was so loud they even heard it clearly in the reception area of the hotel!  Just like the original, it cut off abruptly, but, of course, then they had to get all the other artists back on stage, before starting 'We are the Champions'.

Naturally, they weren't going to get away without an encore of the two numbers.

The show was over, and after about five calls to take bows, the curtain finally fell.  It had been an outstanding success!  Instruments went back in their cases and were quickly taken back upstairs for security reasons.  The important equipment was stowed and made secure, and they all made their way back to the restaurant, where they were joined by everyone else, including the sleeping babies!  Reg, Jane, Tom and the rest congratulated all who'd performed, and Elton was introduced to everyone.  He wasn't staying long, because he had a flight to catch by one a.m., but he wasn't going to leave right away, either!  He shook hands with all the boys, including Lou, who received special attention from the star, before being introduced to the adults.  Tym explained how his name was pronounced, and Elton seemed to get it right first time, as well.

The performing artists had a proper meal this time, while the other adults and the boys had whatever they wanted.  The adults congratulated Neal on his speech.  Word was filtering through via 'Philip' that donations had already been received, some quite sizable, plus a lot of smaller ones!  This was good news so soon after the concert, since it hadn't yet aired in the States.

The hotel had a very large restaurant.  Due to the number of guests in the reservation, the management had screened off one entire section.  Curtains were drawn to prevent the paparazzi from taking flash pictures through the windows.  Once again, the band had mixed themselves in with the boys, although this time they had been joined by Brian, Roger, and John, as well as Montserrat, Sarah, Tony and, of course, Kit.  Tym had pretty much monopolized Kit, as they were really becoming friends.  Elton had also joined them.  The boys were overwhelmed that all these people would pay attention to them.

Reg had ordered some very good champagne for the performers and other adults, and even Kit and Tony were allowed a sip.  Neal, of course, tried to weasel a bit for himself, but one look from Tom stopped him in his tracks, with just a muttered, "Jeez."

After eating their fill, the younger boys were yawning and rubbing their eyes.  Linda and Martha said their good nights, and after Martha gave Elton, her favorite rock star, a special hug, they led the younger boys off to bed.  There weren't any protests, and the boys were asleep nearly as soon as they were in bed.

Things wound down, and everyone was relaxed.  Elton said his farewells and left to gather his luggage and head for the airport.  The discussion turned to exactly which of the boys and adults would be staying over in England for a few days.  There were some things that had to be dealt with before they returned home.  It was quickly decided who was staying and who was going home.  Reg told them that they would all be stopping over at Gatwick while the plane was refueled, and that a special 'British' snack had been arranged while they were on the ground.  Chris asked them if there was anything 'British' they'd like to take home with them.  Tym had immediately replied, "Kit."  That produced a laugh. As a concession, Reg said he could stay over with the others, so that he could get to know Kit better.  He would be Kit's guest.  Since Tym was more or less the same age as Kit and obviously liked him, Reg thought this would be a good thing for both boys.  That meant that Shorty needed to stay too, which greatly pleased him, as he'd not been to England before.  Of course, if Tym was staying, Peter wanted to stay, which meant John wanted to stay.  If Peter and John were staying, Jacob would stay to supervise them.  Luckily, that didn't snowball to include everyone.  John, Becky and Eddie scowling at the rest of the Phoenix boys and Leo at the other Haven boys was enough of a warning for them.

One thing Tom requested was that they pick up a pair of full-size Union Jacks, if possible, one for the Haven Manor and one for the Phoenix House.  (It seems Tom is a closet vexillologist.  Who knew?)  'James' was busy immediately, and the flags would be waiting for them at Gatwick.  The boys were told they would have the night to think about what they wanted, and 'Philip' and 'James' would see to their list in the morning.

Things soon broke up; everyone was tired and went to their rooms.  Tym asked if Kit could stay with him overnight, and Reg okayed it, as long as Shorty had no problem with it.  Breakfast was to be at eight o'clock in the conference room.

When they were in bed, Travis said to Mitch, "I'm really worried about all this Tzar stuff."

"Why?  You proved it to the bank well enough."

"I just proved I could get into the vault.  I'm not related to the guy in the book." Travis turned on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Yes, you are.  Your mother was, so you are."

"Mitch, we had the same parents; we're identical twins."

"Duh!  But those ladies that we were born to are our mothers, too, so all that stuff is yours."

"Okay, so maybe the stuff is, but I'm not the Tzar of the Russias, or whatever."

Mitch thought on that for a minute or two, then said, "Mr. Reg said we were going to meet the Royal Family, so why don't you ask them?  If they think you are related, then you are, right?  They must think so, to let 'Philip' and 'James' do all they are doing for us."

Travis hugged his twin.  "You're pretty smart.  You been hanging out with Neal?"

"Jeez!  You don't have to get insulting about it.  Jeez!"  Both boys went to sleep giggling.

At seven thirty, Andy, Jason and Neal were out in the hall pounding on doors and doing their Drill Instructor impersonations.  Eddie opened his door, with Howie and Artie watching their dad.  "You three could have a great future in the Marines."

In unison the three shouted, "Sir!  Yes, sir!"

Howie and Artie went into giggles, and Eddie said, "You guys watch too many movies."

At eight o'clock, everyone descended on the conference room.  A mountain of bacon appeared, and then, just as quickly, it disappeared!  Pete had already had 'James' drastically up the order for bacon, and order a gallon of maple syrup!  He had the best quality French bread 'James' could get, but he would make the hash browns himself.  Reg and Jane watched in amazed amusement, as the boys devastated the huge mounds of food that Pete had provided. 

Nick made the comment, "I hope we raised enough money last night to keep them fed for the rest of the week."

Eddie just scratched his head.  "Maybe we should change the name to the Locust Foundation."

John Gregory laughed and said, "I'll be glad to bring that up to the Board.  I will, of course, give you full credit for the idea."

"Jeeeeeezzzzzz!  Never mind."  The adults all laughed at Eddie's impersonation of Neal.

When breakfast was over, everyone returned to their rooms to pack.  When Chris received word that all their equipment had been loaded into other vans and had been taken to the warehouse where the semi's were parked, Eddie and Oliver left immediately, to oversee the loading.  The boys' luggage was sorted into two groups, those going home and those staying in England.  Tom double checked with Reg that the group visiting wasn't too large.  It seemed more and more were going.  Reg just laughed and said if Haven Manor could hold all of them, then he would have no problems.  {If he only knew, Haven Manor seems to grow daily ;)}

It wasn't long before Oliver and Eddie were back.  Eddie spoke to Tom, Reg and Chris.  "All equipment safely stowed.  You can't see or tell there's anything out-of-place; looks like a regular load.  The drivers have got the trucks on the road, and are being shadowed by the NatSec people.  They're headed straight for the 'chunnel' train, as they call it."

"Thanks, Eddie.  You can relax now and enjoy the trip back.  It's up to them now."

"Well, I reckon we should be okay.  Those boxes of stuff look exactly like regular equipment boxes.  It was a great idea, using the water for ballast."  He went to finish packing his bag, which he'd take as hand luggage.

Nine o'clock came, and John Gregory was starting to get all the Phoenix boys organized.  They were all returning home except Tym, John, Peter, Shorty and Jacob.  Those five were going with Tom, Neal, Brian and the entire Harris household, Lee, Linda, Andy, Mitch, Travis, Lou, the triplets, Nick and Martha.

At nine fifteen, two deluxe forty-eight seat buses and a sixteen seat stretch van arrived in front of the hotel to take the crowd to the airport.  'Philip' had settled the hotel account, and Tom picked up the passports.  Outside, there were a few flashes from the remaining paparazzi, as they left the hotel and boarded the buses and headed for the airport.  Jason noted that a certain reporter was absent, and he wouldn't be able to return the memory stick that 'Philip' had taken care of.

On the trip to the airport, Tom and Leo sorted the passports, separating the ones for the boys going to stay in England and those returning home.  Tom kept the ones for those staying, and Leo took those returning to Haven.  The buses took them to the private terminal, and the boys and everyone else followed Tom and Leo into the terminal to the security/customs check point.

The Phoenix boys lined up by squad and in the order they had been told and everyone passed through without any problems.  Tom had thought the plane they were boarding was not the same one they had on the trip over but once inside, he recognized a blemish on the third row portside leather seat.  He made a note to check out the paint on the outside when they arrived in England.

Reg's group boarded airport buses that took them and their luggage and instruments out to the two waiting Lear jets.  Reg noticed what was painted on the plane they had assumed was a charter.  He leaned over and said to his wife, "Jane, dear, I do believe we will get to witness a bit of fun between 'Philip' and Tom."  They were both laughing, as they boarded their plane.

The flight to Gatwick was uneventful.  They arrived right on schedule, at twelve thirty-five.  All three planes taxied to the hangar where the Watkins Enterprises jets were housed, and everyone disembarked and boarded the waiting buses.  The luggage on the 'charter' plane was easily sorted, as the ones to go through customs here had bright red tags, and had been loaded on the aircraft last.  A short ride, and they were at customs.  Tom was the first to reach the waiting agent.

"Anything to declare, sir?"

"Er, it's been a hell of a weekend?" he grinned.

Then the agent spotted Reg, as he arrived with Jane and Kit.  "Ah, I see."

"This is the Chameleon Concert party," explained Reg.  "Some will be staying over here for a week or so, and some will be going on to the United States, once their 'charter' plane is refuelled.  However, we are all going through to the restaurant for a meal, before they go."

"I see.  In that case, only those staying will need to check their baggage through here; the remainder can stay on the transport."

"There's a red tag on each bag coming through now, and they've all been separated from the rest."

"Ah, great.  That makes it easy."

"Can you just do the passports now and stow the baggage somewhere?  We want to get to the restaurant as soon as possible.  We sent a phone call ahead to the chef to start cooking, and it won't be as good, if we get held up too long."

The Customs Officer and his assistant went through the passports and stamped them all in record time!

Reg smiled at them.  "Thank you so much."  They retrieved the passports, and the huge group of adults and boys went to invade the restaurant.  Pete headed straight for the kitchens to have a word with the head chef, and it wasn't long before the whole group were settling down to heaped plates of real 'fish and chips'!

The boys were really impressed, and just loved the English French fries, that the Brits insisted were called chips.  Pete said the potatoes he ordered made the difference.  The fish wasn't the cheap stuff, either, and the taste was out of this world.  There wasn't much left over!  The young boys were enjoying the meal, and, by the look of it, were going to end up with clean plates, too.  Lou was certainly enjoying his!  He was grinning at Pete, as he kept shoveling the food into his mouth.  Tom had eaten fried fish before, but it hadn't been as good as this, and the fries were something else again.

"Somehow, we've got to import some of these potatoes, Tom," Leo suggested.  "These, I could get used to, real quick!"

"King Edwards," Pete volunteered.  "Not usually used for chips, but they are real scrummy.  We often use them for roast potatoes." 

Well, the fish and chips turned out to be a great success.  Pete told the boys how true Brits ate them and quite a few had put salt and vinegar on theirs, some only a little salt.  Once a few boys had given him pitiful puppy-dog looks, he relented and let them put a little ketchup on their chips!

A little ice cream for dessert, and they were ready to go.  They returned to the customs area, to find that the luggage for those staying had been loaded in a very plush-looking coach.  There were, however, two full-sized Union Jacks in packs, waiting to see if they were staying or going home.  Tom gave them to Leo to take with him.  There were a lot of hugs, a few tears, and then a lot of waving goodbye as the 'charter' plane party went to the boarding ramp having had their passports re-stamped. 

"We'll be in touch with you on the computer link tomorrow," Tom assured them, wondering just what 'Philip' was going to say about their 'Charter' plane'.

After a final wave, the plane taxied away.  They boarded their bus and were finally on their way to the Manor, which was only about forty minutes away, at this time of day.  Everyone was pleasantly surprised to see how green the countryside was. 

Jane began instructions to her guests and was careful to emphasize the need to maintain a little decorum around the Manor and its gardens, and to try not to break anything, if possible.  "If in doubt, ask 'James'!"

Tom was relieved that they seemed to listen to Jane very well, so he just hoped to hell it had sunk in!  She told them about their gardener, and how he was proud of the work he did in the garden, so would they please be careful where they played.  There was plenty of room; it was just a case of picking the right place.  If in doubt, they could check with Davey and Luke, the assistant gardeners.

It wasn't long before they were turning into their lane, and soon passing through the tall wrought iron gates.

"Wow!  You've got bigger gates than we do!" exclaimed Neal.

Reg smiled.  "Yes, Neal, but just remember this is quite an old house, quite unlike what you're used to.  So, as Jane was saying, be a little gentle with it, ok?"

"Sure.  We'll behave.  It's nice just to be invited to stay at your home."  Tom wondered what Neal was cooking inside that head of his, or maybe he was just growing up, or... maybe NOT.

Everyone pitched in, and the bus was quickly unloaded and sent on its way.  They used the back door to the estate without a problem, since 'Philip' had sent 'James' the ID for each of them.  Much begging and puppy dog eyes had the boys on the same floor as the group.  Of course, that had been the plan from the beginning, but no use letting them know that.

Pete took Lou and Andy and showed them where the elevator was.  The luxury of the bedrooms impressed everyone.  Lou and Andy were very impressed by the huge main staircase they saw near the elevator.  Andy wondered if Neal was going to try sliding down the bannister.  The group members helped the younger boys upstairs with their stuff.

After settling into their rooms, all the boys ended up in Kit's room.  Tym, John and Peter were all staying in with Kit anyway.  Kit was telling them about all the really neat things there were to do here.

'Ahem.'

Neal giggled.  "Well it sure beats 'Philip's', Harrumph.  Jeez."

'I have tried, Master Neal: however, I do not see any way short of reformatting my brother to accomplish the task.  Now, to the point, your presence is required in the music room.  Kit, would you please lead the way for your friends?'

"Sure, 'James'.  Follow me, please."  Kit led the group out of the room.

Soon everyone, with the exception of the kitchen staff, had gathered in the music room.  Reg and Chris summarized their conversation with the Prince of Wales, that they had just completed.  Reg included, for everyone's attention, that, so far, after expenses, they had sixty-eight million pounds in donations for the Phoenix Foundation.  Neal, of course, responded, "Jeez!" 

After explaining that the Queen's visit was to be informal, Reg told Travis, "Which does NOT mean you can address Her Majesty as 'Aunt Betty', Travis!  Harry and Charles will brief you on how to handle the formal bit of meeting her, right?"

Travis grinned.  "Okay, Reg.  I'll be respectful."

Reg frowned at him.  "If you were older, and part of a Royal Family, you'd expect it too, Travis."

"I guess."

"Well, don't forget then, which family are your ancestors, and imagine yourself a bit older, ok?"

"Ah, yes, I see."

Between them, Chris and Reg explained to everyone in layman's terms what would be happening over the days the Queen was here.  There was a general air of relief that things would not be too formal. 

When they were finished, Chris spoke to the boys.  "Guys, we don't want you ruining your Scout uniforms, so we got you some play clothes, okay?  That crate over there contains bags with your names on them, and there's a pair of jeans, a couple of tee-shirts and a pair of trainers, all in the right sizes, as supplied by 'Philip', so if anything doesn't fit, blame him. Let us know, and we'll get them changed for you.  Adults canchange into their casual clothes, if they want to go out and have a look around the fishing club and garden centre site with the kids.  That should keep them busy until this evening's meal," he chuckled, looking at Tom and the rest.  There was much good-natured laughter.  "Everyone ready in about twenty minutes?" Chris asked.  "Lou?  You'll be able to go, too.  It's all accessible for wheelchairs."  Lou brightened considerably.  "You might want to keep an eye on him, though, Andy.  It might be a bit bumpy in places over the grass by the river.  Lou will be able to fish from his chair, though, I think."  Lou beamed ecstatically at him, pleased he would be able to join in.

The boys dashed for the crates, and found their own bags.  Neal pulled a dark tee-shirt from the bag and saw the yellow emblazoned Chameleon logo on it.  "Guys.......Jeeeeeeeezzzz..... a Chameleon tee-shirt!  Wow!  Wow!  Oh wow!"

They all dashed away to change.  Chris walked over to Tom, Nick and Martha.  Turning first to Nick and Martha, he said, "You're the expert chefs in this party, I gather?"

Nick grinned.  "Martha makes the cookies.  No one makes chocolate chip cookies like Martha!"

Chris then explained that the regular cook had been given a few days off, since she had been running everything while they were gone, and the Queen's visit would be extra work.  Nick and Martha were happy to be asked to help out the next couple of days.  They discussed the meals until the sound of stampeding wildebeests, well a herd of boys, really, demanded their attention.  "Boys!" Nick said sternly. "What did we say about no running around the Manor?  You're not at home now; just respect Reg's and Jane's home,please."

"Sorry," Neal apologized, "we were just excited and forgot."

"Well, don't forget.  Make a point of remembering.  It'll be twice as important, come Wednesday, when the Queen arrives."  The boys looked suitably admonished.

Andy arrived with Lou, and members of the group wandered in with the other adult guests.  Once everyone had gathered they began their tour of the estate.  In the garden, Chris pointed out Luke to Lou and mentioned that he was their local artist.  Lou looked very intently at Luke's face so he'd know him again.  Chris told Lou he'd see Luke again at dinner.

They passed Kit's 'football pitch', which Kit pointed out enthusiastically.  They all wanted to try out some 'English football' sometime before they went back home.  The kids loved the freedom of the wide open grassy fields and played at rolling down the hill (no rocks like at home), luxuriating in the soft fragrant grass (also no horse droppings!). 

It wasn't long before they came to the river.  Chris warned them to be careful not to stand close to the bank's edge.  "The thing is, guys, parts of the bank can crumble underfoot if you put your full weight on it.  Prince Harry found that out the hard way, and got soaked all over!  Don't let it happen to you.  If you want to get close and look in the river, get about a yard back and then lie down and crawl up to where you can look straight in the river.  There's no way it'll crumble under your spread-out weight."

"The stream is very nice, Chris," remarked Tom as the boys all crawled to the river's edge.  He was  very glad the Maroochi River that ran through Haven had much safer banks.

"Oh yes.  It can be very relaxing, just sitting here listening to the murmur of the water rippling along and watching the dragonflies skim the surface in the summer.  There are still flies around, and sometimes it makes you jump, when a fish jumps out of the water."

As if on cue, a fish leaped and splashed right in front of young John.  "Shit!  Did you see the size of that fucker?" he yelled, as he jumped back.  The younger boys, who were not in squad six, looked shocked; the adults and older boys hid their grinning faces. 

Jacob was right on him.  "John!  Remember, I warned you to watch that foul mouth in front of our hosts?"

John looked sheepish.  "I'm sorry, everybody; it's just force of habit, when something startles me, but I'm trying, really."

Justin to the rescue!  "Now look here, John.  I used to speak quite badly when I came here.  I had to try really hard not to say anything I shouldn't.  Pete wasn't over-brilliant either, but because we had so much respect for Reg and Jane, we learned very quickly not to swear and all that stuff.  Why don't you try the same, while you're here.  I wouldn't say anything until I'd thought of what I was going to say.  Now, that fish.  Did you know you can catch one like that without a rod or anything?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really.  My dad taught me how."  He pulled his shirt off and lay down on the bank.  Slowly lowering his hand tight against the bank he slipped it into the water.  He was barely there for more than five seconds, before he whipped his hand from the water, clutching a huge fish.  "There.  That's Reg's breakfast for tomorrow!  That's what you call 'tickling' a fish."

The boys were very impressed, and asked more about how he did that.   Justin noticed John sticking alongside him.  He patted his head and that of his friend Peter, who had joined him, too.  He had two new friends!

They continued on until they came to the small lake.  Chris told them how he used to come down here with his brother and they'd spend hours here.  As they wandered along, they saw even more fish jumping.

After a while, they came to the garden center site and the fishing club.  Both Linda and Martha had spotted the cottages, and were delighted by their appearance.  Who lived in each cottage was quickly explained.

Justin then showed them around the clubhouse.  The boys were impressed with the facilities, and the adults even more.  Soon the adults were sitting down and had made themselves cups of tea and coffee.  Justin put a code into the soda machine and put it on 'free vend' for any of the youngsters who wanted a canned drink.  He then put it back to normal.  Kit showed Tym where he had hidden when Jane first found him in the clubhouse.

While the adults were having their drinks, the boys went outside and explored.  It didn't take long for them to decide to ask if they could camp out overnight, maybe tomorrow.  As Tom wandered out to see what they were up to, they spotted him and soon were flocked around him.  Neal was once again the spokesman.

"Daa-aad?..."

"Yes, Neal?"

"Do you think we'd be allowed to camp out here tomorrow night?  You know, like Scouts?  Justin said there are tents and sleeping bags, and that stuff."

"Hmm... let's talk about it over dinner.  That way, I can ask Reg first if it's okay."

A well-known voice came from seemingly nowhere:  'I doubt Sir Reginald will mind, Mr. Richards.  I have full coverage down here, purely for the safety of any of the younger club members in particular.  I make sure there's no bullying or such, and that the youngsters come to no harm.  If other help is needed, I can summon someone very quickly in an emergency.'

Tom was impressed.  "Well, 'James', I didn't know your coverage extended down here!"

'Oh, yes, sir.  I am the security system for the Garden and Market Garden sites as well. Woe to the criminal that tries to evade me!'

Tom and the boys laughed.  They liked the way it was easy to converse with James.  He was certainly the ideal electronic butler!

"Well, James, I'll keep that in mind, and it makes me feel better about the boys' safety."

'Glad to be of service, sir.'

Tom walked back inside, leaving the boys to play, knowing now they were perfectly safe!  He told the others of his conversation, and was suddenly struck with an idea.  "I suppose that means you cover this place, too, James?"

'Oh yes, sir.'

Nick remarked, "So we could get 'Philip' to improve and extend his coverage a bit more?"

"We'll check that out and talk to Reg about it.  'Philip' will be able to guard Travis' vault then." Tom said.

"A good point," Lee agreed.

Later, when, they decided to return to the Manor, Chris suggested they take the road, but that the boys could go back the way they had come, if they wanted.  They did!  Lou went with the adults, though, because the road was smoother and he'd had enough for a while of being jiggled around in his wheelchair.  He told his dad that he had really enjoyed himself a lot, but now wanted to meet Luke.

When they got back to the Manor, they cleaned up for dinner.  The aroma of Pete's creation was mouthwatering, and Nick and Martha were hoping to get the recipe.

As the rest of the workers returned to the manor, Chris spoke to Luke about Lou.  Luke nodded understandingly.  "I'll be friendly with him, Chris.  After all, he's what?  Just five, you say?"

"That's right, Luke.  He's been looking forward to meeting you, ever since he found out you were our local Rembrandt!  He's highly skilled with art himself, especially considering his age."

"I'll bear that in mind."

"Lee is foster father to Lou, as well as being the adoptive father of Travis and Mitch.  They look so alike you'll be hard pushed to tell who's who!"  Luke got the picture.  [groan.... sorry about that.  - CW]

Dinner was soon ready.  Everyone took their seats, and introductions were made.  John and Peter wanted to sit on either side of Justin, and Lou had just about glued himself to Luke.  The boys were interested in the work crew's stories of how they came to be here.  Andy and Kenny had a chance to talk, and were becoming friends, since they were about the same age.

Everyone turned towards the doors from the kitchens, as they opened, and the aroma of Pete's  Lancashire Hotpot filled the room.  Dinner was served, and everything tasted as good as it smelled.

Pete had made plenty; there was some left over even after the boys had eaten their fill.  Nick and Martha were suitably impressed.  Now they knew what they were up against.  Pete was evidently in a class by himself.  After such a heavy meal, Pete didn't want anything too heavy to finish with; he served trifles.  Of course, the adult version tasted slightly different than the ones served to the boys!  There were also cheese, cookies, or ice cream, for anyone who preferred.

Everyone was so full that they didn't want to move.  The boys decided it would be a good night for a little television or computer games.  Chris told them that James could tell them where the control pads were in their rooms, if they asked him politely.  James had some fantastic games that he could display on the ceiling monitor in each room.  They thought that was a great idea, and went off to their rooms to play games.  They'd already decided who was sleeping where, and Chris discovered that Kit and Tym were together for the night.

The adults joined Reg and Jane.  Some of the celebrities were going to bed early, since they were leaving early.  Nick and Martha were deep in conversation with Pete, with occasional input from Jane and Reg.  Pete wasn't telling much at this point, but did discuss some of the dishes he had in mind once the Queen arrived.  Martha and Nick knew they had their work cut out for them.  But it was going to be interesting!

No one stayed up very late after such a long day.  The beds were so comfy, everyone went to sleep very easily.  Just one entity was fully alert and protecting all the occupants, while at the same time conversing with his counterpart across the pond.

* * *

Pete and Justin were up first, followed soon by Reg and Jane.  For once, Kit didn't join them; he was still fast asleep, cuddled with Tym.  It seemed that most of their guests were sleeping in, and James had to wake up the celebrity guests who were leaving early. 

Meanwhile, Reg and Jane had their usual breakfast in peace and quiet.  "Nice to get back to some form of normality, Pete.  You know, I really enjoy our regular breakfasts, even if I do have to eat less now.  It's nice to get back to them, even though we were only away a couple of days!"

Before Tom got ready ready to go downstairs for the day, he opened his laptop.  'Philip's' image came on the screen.  'Good evening, sir.'

"We need to talk."

'As you wish, sir'

Tom almost went cross-eyed.  "Buttering me up isn't going to work.  When did I buy that airplane?"

'You didn't, sir.'

Tom nearly growled, the realization struck.  " No, not Neal!"

'Certainly not.  I haven't lost track of my senses... sir.'

"Then why was 'HAVEN ONE' painted on the plane?"

'I thought it was a nice touch.  It is my aircraft, and I will have anything painted on it I want...Sir.'

Tom's eyes did cross.  "You bought the plane?  Why?"

'By the time we chartered it four times, I could buy it.  So I did.  Travis will be needing to travel back and forth, and I imagine Neal will, also.  Tym and Kit are getting to be good friends, and I saw the sense in acquiring the aircraft.  It is available for use by Haven Enterprises and the Phoenix Youth Foundation...Sir.'

"God, I hate it when you're right.  And Uncle Philip would never call me 'sir', Jeez."

'Harrumph, can't make some people happy.'

Tom smiled.  "Welcome back, 'Philip'.  Is Leo available?"

'He and the boys are catching up on sleep.  I could wake him.'

"Let him sleep.  Tell him I love him and we'll talk later.  Goodbye, 'Philip'.

'Harrumph, Goodbye, nephew.'

About forty minutes later, all the Americans were up.  Pete started on a mountain of bacon and the rest of their regular breakfast.  He'd made his own hash browns with a touch of his own flair, and the boys pleaded with him to give Nick the recipe, so that they could enjoy them at home.  They certainly weren't hungry when they'd finished.  Boys full?  Whatever next!

When breakfast was finished, the transportation arrived for the rest of the celebrity guests, and everyone turned out to see them off.  The media were still raving about the concert, and the fund was growing steadily.  They all felt they'd done something very positive to help abandoned and abused youngsters.

With one group of guests gone, it was time to turn full attention to the rest.  Lee had talked to Chris about Travis and Mitch, and the way they appeared to heal him and each other.  Chris had already made a point of talking to them, and had felt some connection between them, although he couldn't say what yet.  The two boys had sensed a similar ability in Chris.

After breakfast, everyone started off for Dewsbury Hall.  This time Chris had taken some soft cotton gloves and a camera to photograph the letter from Alexei.  As they were walking down the road, Chris explained that you walked in single file in the direction facing the oncoming traffic, so that you had time to get out of the way if the driver didn't see you!  It was okay while they were walking down their lane, but once at the end, they turned right, onto the main road.  Fortunately, they all understood, especially the older boys since this was taught in the Boy Scouts; the only difference is that here they walked on the other side of the road. 

After a short distance they arrived at the farm and spotted Frank and Fred loading a cart.  Justin introduced them to all the visitors.  Frank congratulated all of them on a brilliant concert and made a fuss over Kit, whom he actually quite liked.  Fred spotted Lou at the back, so he went and spoke to him.  Lou was always happy when someone made a point of noticing him.  He giggled with delight, and Linda said, "You're another friend, now, Fred.  He always likes it when people pay attention to him."

"Who doesn't?" he quipped.  "I don't see that many people that take notice of me, come to that, so I understand how he feels."  Lou was silent for a moment, then reached over and gave Fred a hug.  But Fred was about to get more attention than he expected.

"Travis, Fred was the one who found the ring down the back of the coach seat," explained Chris.  "You can thank him for finding Alexei's mother's ring." 

"Okay, Chris, I sure will."  Travis came over and shook hands with Fred.  "Fred, I'll explain to you sometime why that is so important.  But, right now, I'll just say thank you, and I'll be sure you get the very large reward.  You deserve it.  We've come over to see Dewsbury Hall and see the evidence that proves the ring belonged to Catherine the Great, Alexei's mother.  You've done me a really big favor." 

Tom came over, too.  "Fred, you don't have any family in America who are lawyers, do you?"

Fred was now totally gobsmacked, but Chris told him not to worry about it. 

Chris then explained to Frank that the Queen was arriving sometime Wednesday, and would be back and forth between the manor and Dewsbury Hall, so he would probably see her, and he shouldn't be flustered.  He should greet her formally just the first time.  He added that they were likely to see Harry first, and he would fill him in on any details; if it wasn't Harry, it might be Charles.

"You mean Prince Charles?"

"Yes, of course, who else?"

"Oh, my goodness, Chris, you do throw some people at us!"

Saying goodbye for now, they went on up over the hill, Tom helping Lou where the ground was a bit rough.  With Chris giving Lou a piggy-back ride over the stiles and the other men lifting his wheelchair over fences (it took four, one on each corner, because the batteries in it were that heavy), they made good time over the fields.  They did stop once or twice to enjoy the view.  The rich, green, rolling hills, with trees of all hues, now that the leaves were changing color, delighted them all.

As they came up to the mushroom wood, Pete ran ahead and disappeared inside.  In a moment he reappeared, holding up a mushroom.  "Still enough for a couple of weeks, I reckon, Chris, unless we get a frost."

"Let's hope not, Pete.  We don't need it as chilly as that overnight, yet!"

Eventually, they came to the hilltop overlooking the lake and the Hall behind the trees.

"Jeez.... it's fu..... frickin' huge," gasped John.

"Careful, John," smiled Justin, who was closest to the younger boy.

"Sorry."

"Think first, remember?"

They headed down slope and to the lake.  The boys spotted the little boats.  "Can we take a boat out, Justin?" asked Neal.

"Sorry, Neal.  We've got to send them all off to be repaired very soon now.  It's probably a good time to have them done, over winter.  You might sink faster than you could bail it out!  Anyway, we haven't got any life-jackets, and you'd have to have one of those before we let you loose out on your own!"

Neal saw logic in that, and grinned ruefully back at Justin.  "I'll have to get dad to bring me back next summer!"

Justin laughed.  "Maybe.  You like it here?"

"I do, actually.  Everything here is so fresh and green.  The grass is softer, and the ground, too.  Ours is pretty hard and rocky, if you fall."

When they came within range of James' pick-up, Chris asked, "Could you ask all our own working staff except Gloria and Lee to come out and meet us outside on the back lawn for a few minutes?"

'Certainly, Chris.'

"Thank you, James."

"You really do treat James like another person, too, don't you, Chris?" observed Linda.

"As I said, Linda, that's exactly how we think of him; he's just like one of us.  I can't understand why you have such a problem with Philip."

"If you knew Philip Richards as well as we do, you'd understand."  Linda giggled.

"Philip Richards?  So he's a relative of......?"

"Tom's, yes.  He was a real old curmudgeon in real life.  Fortunately he didn't impress his whole personality on the Watkins computer we call 'Philip'.  We'd have probably burnt the place to the ground and started again.  He's bad enough as he is."

'Harrumph!  I resent that...'

"Oh god, he's here, too?"

'I'm sorry, Linda, we were communicating right at that moment, and he caught that comment,' James quickly added.

Chris practically snorted fire.  "Private link-through to my father, please, James."

'You're through, Chris.'

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Could you run a correction program to prevent any automatic pick-up by Philip of conversations over here?"

"Right on it, Chris.  James!  Talk to me..."  The connection went dead.

"Oh dear, I hope I haven't got James into trouble," Linda whispered.

'Oh no, Linda, it is just a program glitch we missed originally,' came James' voice.

People began to stream out of the building, and move toward them.  Chris turned to the Americans  and announced, "Our 'rescued' staff people."  He introduced each group to the other, one by one, so everyone would know who was who.

"Now, then," announced Chris, "I think we ought to look inside the building first.  Dan, did we have a large package arrive by post this morning?"

"We did, Chris.  It's in the office."

"Thanks, Dan.  Right, then, everybody, we'll go in through the front doors, I think."  And so they walked up along the side of the huge building, with the kids trying to jump up and look through the side windows!  They came to the front entrance, and briefly looked up over the vast front lawn and up the driveway to the ornate wrought iron gates in the distance.

"Wow!  You got kewl gates here, too!" exclaimed Neal.

"Yes, and like the Manor, they are remotely controlled and monitored.  There are several hidden infra-red cameras up there too, just in case anyone should come snooping in the middle of the night.  There's a car park just over there, to keep the cars tucked out of sight.  There'll be a railway station up that path, eventually, and, before that, there's the gardener's sheds and a building still under construction for Callum to do his restoration work."

"Restoring what, Chris?" asked Shorty.

"All our paintings!" laughed Justin.  "You haven't seen how many we've got, and they all need cleaning.  You can't just stick 'em in a washing machine!"

"Ho, ho, ho!  No, I don't suppose you could!" Shorty laughed. 

Lou had picked up on the conversation and looked at Lee.  "Reah pic, Dada?"

"Yes, Lou, I believe so.  Old pictures by real artists."  Lou's eyes went wide open with real interest.

Justin opened the massive oak door with an instruction to James.  They heard the massive bolts withdrawing into their recesses, and the door swung silently open, courtesy of James.  Fascinated, the visitors poured inside.  The first thing they spotted was the cold drinks machine.  It hadn't been moved yet, as there was no need at the moment, really.  The only boy not to notice the machine was Lou, who almost froze in amazement at what hung on the walls.

"Jeez, Justin, can we have a Coke?"  Neal was the first to ask.

Justin grinned at him, then laughed.  "Typical yanks; always at the Coke!"

"Aww, jeeeeezzzz....."

"Go on, then."  He set it to free vend.  "As for the rest of us, we can get a nice hot drink in the temporary canteen in a moment if you'd like?"  Noticing that Lou was engrossed in the paintings, he asked him: "Would you like a drink, Lou?"

"Ha chockit, plea?"

"Sure, Lou.  You like the pictures?"

"Yeah"

"Well, there's lots of them around, all over the place.  Mmm, I wonder...  Would you like to talk to Callum?  He's our painting restorer, and he's looked around at a few.  He could probably point out some of the interesting ones for you."

"Yeah, plea."  The young boy's smile was a mile wide, so Justin reckoned he'd probably hit it spot-on, as far as Lou was concerned.

While the boys were drinking their sodas, they were shown into the old kitchens with their spits set into recessed fireplaces, and the old copper boilers in the wash rooms.  Justin pointed out that these were the old fashioned versions of the modern washing machine!  When asked why the spits were so big, he explained that they often used to cook a whole cow carcass at a time, or a couple of pigs.

"Jeeez, Justin, how many were they cooking for then?"

"Oh, it would have been a very large number of people, Neal.  You'd be surprised how many people attended one of those special banquets.  And, I guess when there were Royal banquets, then there needed to be no shortages of food to eat, with all those attendants and hangers-on around the Royal Families.  That would have amounted to quite a few people, I'd guess."

"And you'd probably be quite right there, Justin," added Chris.  "Some Royal Banquets were huge affairs and went on for days.  I don't mean that that necessarily applied here, yet from what we've recently discovered, it's highly likely, and there was the capacity to feed and sleep a huge number of people.  I mean, for heaven's sake, look at the number of bedrooms in the place!  Oh, and the size of that dining room.  They wouldn't have fed the servants in there, either."

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" finished Justin.

Sodas now finished, the cans were disposed of in a large bin by the back door of the kitchen.  Justin led them on through to the Grand Dining Room, and all of them gasped at the size of it and the huge chandeliers, that, now fully rewired, blazed with light, showing off their splendor.  Chris took the opportunity to slip into the study and pick up the package there on the desk.  As he came back to the group, he noticed Lou again staring up feverishly at the pictures hanging on the walls.  No wonder this little lad had wanted to chat with Luke!  Thankfully Luke had been very kind, and had given up a lot of his spare time to him, so far, and they had sat down and done sketches of each other.  Lou had produced incredible results for his age, and so Luke had encouraged him further.

The party had just about finished in that room and were moving into the Ballroom.  Once again, chandeliers showed their splendor.  James asked the boys to be careful not to damage the floor.  He reminded them how proud Philip was of the ballroom in their own place.     

"Jeez, just like 'Philip', only nice!"

They showed them the secret door to the chapel and also the secret library.  As space was a little limited in the old library, a few people went in at a time.  However, Lee and Travis were allowed to stay  and help Chris photograph the old letter from Alexei.  Actually, it was in remarkably good condition, due partly to the fact that the room was dry.  Once finished, they gently covered it over again.  Chris had not only taken two copies of each page, but had taken some pictures of the desk and surrounding area, where it was discovered.

Knowing the boys were probably getting a little bored with looking around the old building by now, Chris gathered them all together outside.

"Okay, I know you'd probably like to go and play by now, so I got you some of these."  He opened the package and produced the whistles and small compasses he'd bought.  "I want each of you to carry one, and when you've done looking at the trains, ['Oh yeah!'] you can play whatever games you want in the woods.  I'd suggest that you go in pairs, if you want to wander off exploring, and use the whistles to summon help if you get in trouble.  Now, you're Scouts, so make a note of which direction the Hall lies, when you go in the woods and which direction you're traveling.  That way you shouldn't get lost.  Don't take any risks.  We don't even know this whole estate yet, so it might be hard to find you, if you get yourselves in a pickle.  We don't need any broken bones or cuts!"  The boys got the message, all right.  "You have watches, so aim to be back around twelve thirty, when we'll have a tasty baguette waiting for you, and another drink."

"I'll go with them to supervise in the engine shed," volunteered Jimmy.  "I'm sure you don't want the trains in pieces just yet, do you, Justin?"

"No way!  Thanks, Jimmy."

Having done with the rules, the boys all tore off in the direction of the steam trains!  They could hear the shouts and whoops of delight for quite a while.  Chris suggested they might like to go to the canteen and have their tea or coffee, while he downloaded the photos from the camera, to James, and afterward he would join them for a coffee himself.  He went and did the download quickly, and got a quick initial set of printouts of them.  He took them and joined the others at the canteen.  He found Gloria and Lee sitting with them, taking their break.  The extra baguettes were in, baking, ready for lunchtime!  Gloria had been pre-warned by Pete of the numbers required and what to put in them as advised by Nick and Martha.  Chris grabbed his coffee and sat down.  Martha, Nick and Gloria were comparing notes!  He gave the photo prints to Lee.

"James will have those all translated and printed out for us by the time we get back," he advised.

"That's great, Chris.  We'll all be able to see what's in it, then."

Tom looked up.  "Chris, it occurs to me that none of us thought to bring a camera down with us.  If you've finished using yours, may we borrow it to take a few pictures?"

"Yes, of course, by all means, Tom.  If you want any taken of the group of you, just ask, as well.  The only photos you'll have to avoid taking are any of the Royals.  Harry won't mind so much, but the Queen would be a no-no, as this is a secret visit."

"Okay, I can understand that, but we would like some of you and the family, as well as the group, of course, for the boys!"

Chris laughed.  "No problem."

The rest of the visit to the Hall today was spent with the boys playing, while the adults were shown the state rooms and the cellars.  The boys turned up looking like eighteenth century chimney sweeps, totally filthy, having climbed all over the engines, and were made to sit outside, while they munched their baguettes, which disappeared in no time!  A short time later, after lunch, they headed back, as they had to get cleaned up, and then get out their camping gear for tonight.  They had barely walked in the drive at the Manor, and were heading for the back door, when a car swept in behind them. They turned to see who it was.

As Charles and Harry got out of the car, there were a few gasps and a comment from Charles.

"Have we come to the right place, Harry?  It looks as if they got kids in to do the chimneys, but Reg said they had central heating!"  A few smut-covered faces grinned back at him.

"We's bin playin' wid da trains, suh."

"Ah, that explains it."

Tom stepped forward.  "I'm Tom Richards, and I'm very pleased to meet you, sir.  I'm afraid the boys have been playing in the engine shed, and we weren't exactly expecting to bump into you before they'd showered and changed."

"Good showers here, though!  I can recommend them!  They're better than we have at the palace, I think; well they are newer of course.  Reg looks after his guests well.  Oh, and before the Queen gets here tomorrow, and when she's not around, you can call us Charles and Harry, all right?"

"Thank you, Charles.  Allow me to introduce you to everyone."  He did so, while, to the American contingent's amazement, Harry dived in and greeted the members of the group with hugs and handshakes, before joining his father.

Eventually, Charles came to Lou who was the only clean boy!  As Lee introduced him, Charles appraised the situation accurately and swiftly and dropped down on one knee to his height.  "Well then, young man, I see you are the only relatively clean lad around here.  I'm pleased to meet you."

Lou giggled.  "Yoo ni man."  Harry tousled his hair, and Lou took an instant liking to him, as well.

Tom grinned.  "I think we ought to go and get cleaned up, before the dirt rubs off and gets Reg's place dirty!  Shoes off, before you go in, boys.  Showers and clean clothes, now!  And put the dirty play clothes in a bag or something."

Justin said, "I'll go around and collect them up, Tom.  I know where the bags are; then they can go straight in the wash!  They'll be done before tonight then they can put them on while we wash the uniforms, if you'd like.  Jeans will be warmer than Scout and Cub uniforms, I'm sure."

"You're probably right, thanks."

The boys and Justin disappeared inside, removing their shoes at the doorway.  The adults and Lou  followed more slowly behind.

"Need a hand with your bags, Charles?" asked Chris.

"Oh, thank you."

"Your usual room?"

"Well, don't forget, there's both Mummy and Granny going to be coming down.  That's Pete's fault of course; she'll never miss any opportunity now, you know?"  Chris chuckled.

"We've allowed for that."

"Oh, I hope this doesn't throw a spanner into the works, my father wants to come, too.  I've got to ring him this evening and let him know."

"As long as he doesn't mind the boys, I'm sure we'll cope.  Pete will just order more to be on the safe side."

"Oh, it's because of the Boy Scouts that he wants to come.  He'll explain all when he gets here, but I'll tell you, he thinks the American kids are doing a fantastic job, and he wants to talk to them."

Harry had been getting the bags out of the car.  He put the last one down, and closed the boot.  Rex and Spencer grabbed all the bags between them and hauled them upstairs behind Charles and Harry, who on this occasion had to have his own room.   Of course, he could access the staff passageways from his bedroom and could go where he wished, later on!  Chris went and saw his parents and Pete and let them know that Charles had joined Harry, and that Prince Philip would be coming with the Queen.  Pete quickly called his suppliers for extra quantities of food, and as soon as Nick and Martha turned up after freshening up, asked them if they needed extra quantities.  They just hoped that Charles would like their meal tonight, but Pete said he'd likely go with anything, having been in the Navy!  Even Reg and Jane were quite looking forward to a bit of an American meal for a change.

After changing, and leaving Nick and Martha in Pete's hands, the rest went searching for their camping gear.  The sleeping bags had been kept dry and aired at the Manor.  There would be ten boys needing sleeping bags; even Lou would be with them, and Kit had been given the go-ahead too.  Because Andy would be on-site with them, and with James doing such thorough monitoring, they considered they really didn't need any other adult on-site.  The tents were in a storeroom built onto the end of the fishing club.  This was proving a nice dry storeroom as well, as it had been well damp-proofed, because of the nearness of the river.  They decided it would be a good idea to set up their tents in the late afternoon, so that if there were any problems, they could be sorted out before it got dark.  Any fishing club members who subsequently turned up would know not to disturb any camping equipment, and they could quite happily go back up to the Manor for their evening meal.  So they picked their site and pitched their tents.  They went up very quickly, since, being Scouts, they were used to setting up tents, as they'd been instructed at this year's Scout camp.  Tom was really quite proud of them, as they'd even remembered to face the entrances away from the prevailing breeze, and they were neat and tidily arrayed.  One good feature was that although they'd cleared the ground before pitching the tents, there was a special 'ground mat' that went down, which prevented the ground sheet of the tent being pierced by anything sharp in the ground that hadn't been spotted.  Essentially, it also made sleeping on the ground quite pleasant, almost like an air mattress!

Camp set up, they slowly returned to the Manor.  They already had some rods, tackle and bait ready for the morning, so that they could try their hands at catching a few fish for breakfast.  Lou was getting quite excited about it!  Pete had given them a quick course in gutting and cleaning the fish, and the best way to pan cook them, so they were quite well prepared.  He entrusted the gutting knife in its sheath, to Andy.

Well before dinner, they all went to the dining room, which was a convenient place for Charles and Harry to instruct them about etiquette as far as the Queen and Queen Mother were concerned.  As Charles pointed out, it was important to exercise a little protocol when the Queen first arrived.  Both boys and adults listened attentively, while Charles spoke to them, as none of them wanted to get it wrong, especially since it would embarrass Reg and Jane.  The boys were somewhat in awe that they would be sitting down to eat with the heir to the throne of England.  They'd taken an instant liking to Harry and they figured his dad was okay, too, just older and a typical adult.  They had been surprised how friendly Harry had been with the group, and hadn't figured that one out yet.

Soon it was time for the meal.  The group and working party filed in and said their hellos to Charles and Harry.  Some of the workforce needed introducing, as they hadn't been there last time the Royal family stayed.  They had, however, known about the Royal visit for some time now, so they were quite prepared for Charles and Harry popping up early.  Reg and Jane came in. and dinner was quickly served.

The meal was quite a success, and everyone enjoyed it, much to Nick's and Martha's relief!  They'd done their own version of Southern Fried Chicken, making sure they'd done enough for Justin's appetite!  To go with that, they'd done special mashed potatoes with sour cream and a green bean casserole.  For dessert, there was German Chocolate cake, and cherry pie a lá mode.  Justin was torn between cherry pie, which he loved, and something chocolate, which was like a fatal attraction for him, so he had a bit of both.  Both Nick and Martha were glad Pete didn't mind the large quantities they made!

After dinner, the boys made themselves comfortable and played a few of James' computer games for a while to let their meal settle.  Although the boys said they were perfectly happy with Andy in charge, Nick felt duty bound to be nearby, just in case.  He would sleep on a bunk bed in the portacabin, which was close enough that he could be at hand within a minute if required, and also there was a small desk light, so that he could make a cup of coffee if he woke up and wanted one, without blinding himself with the main lights!

Before they went down to the campsite, they raided the snacks store and each made up bags of munchies. They had crisps, quavers, biscuits (cookies), small pieces of wrapped cake; a bottle of pop each, and really you'd have thought they hadn't had dinner!  Pete also gave them some provisions for hot drinks and breakfast, which they could do in the fishing club kitchen.  They had brought warm coats with them, as Europe was kind of chilly after their usual climate, and they wore these, as they made their way down to the campsite, complete with a few torches (flashlights) that Chris had rounded up.  A couple of the workforce had put the camp bed and its bedding in the portacabin after dinner, so that saved Nick having to carry it down and set it all up.  Boy, these guys were great at lending a hand!  Maybe they'd really enjoyed dinner!  Maybe employing some homeless older teens to help back home wouldn't be such a bad idea; he'd talk to Tom about it.  He made sure the boys were all right in their tents, then wandered back up to the Manor for another hour.  After all, the boys wouldn't settle that early, he knew.

All was peace and quiet on the campsite as no other club members had turned up tonight, and the boys were settling down quite nicely, chatting about the day's events and the railway.  That had been  exciting. That, and playing in the woods.  They wouldn't get bored around here, anyway.

It was a half hour later, just as they began to settle down to sleep after nibbling on a few night-time snacks, when every light in the place, plus a few spotlights, came on full power, and a klaxon sounded.  They could hear James' warning quite distinctly: 'Intruder Alert!'

Author's Notes:  Huge thanks to Crackerwriter.  He wrote most of this chapter.  The ending is of course all his work, I had NOTHING to do with it, honest.  Send hate mail to CW.

I hope Travis does all right when he meets the Queen.  I wonder what Prince Philip wants to meet the boys about.  I hope there are no protocol disasters.  Jeez.

Let us know what you are thinking.

            Str8mayb

Editor's Notes: Having been a steady reader of Love At First Bite, I was already familiar with the band and other people in the story, so it was nice seeing them again. I am sure that our Evil Author was totally innocent with regard to the ending, and If you believe that, I have a nice bridge that I would love to sell you. 

Please note that the posting schedule of both of these stories will be similar, and I would expect that there will be nearly a month before the next installments will be ready, Other Haven Universe stories should continue on their normal schedule.  I will point out that the other stories are actually somewhat behind in the timeline, compared to Fire 2.

Lou is having a wonderful time, or he was till all the klaxons started. He and everyone else was certainly shaken up.  I hope everything turns out all right. 

Those of you .who are reading the Haven Universe stories, and haven't yet read Love At First Bite, I do highly recommend that you read it. 

I do need to point out, however, that LAFB (no, Arli, it doesn't stand for Lacklin Air Force Base) has a consicerable amount of adult themes, so if that sort of thing would bother you, then you might not want to read it.   I really love the story.  Oh, yes, I suppose I should also mention that even though Love At First Bite shares its title with a wonderful movie that is about Vampires, Crackerwriter's story is not a Vampire story.  The title is about food.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Associate Editor's Notes: CW might have had a hand in the ending, but we all know the Evil Author much too well to believe that he is innocent!

I'm enjoying this story, as it gives a little insight into the British way of thinking and into the lives of the Royal family and how they impact on "ordinary people."  Thank you, CrackerWriter, for this view of contemporary British life.  I've also discovered that our British friends speak, and write, a very different language from ours!

Arli J

Fort Chief Editor's Notes: I am glad that I had virtually nothing to do with this chapter other than serve as a translator between British and US customs and phraseology. That and referring the "Battle of the Commas"; that is once nice thing about being the final editor and webmaster (LAFB) ;)

This was another wonderful collaboration between two completely different stories that at the same time have a large number of similarities. The authors and editors involved did a wonderful job of bringing everything together so smoothly.

TSL