Jack stepped out of the elevator. He grinned when he saw June and Boim looking

around the Hangar floor. He clapped his hands to get their attention.

“Everybody’s eating downstairs,” said Jack. “You might want to hurry if you want

to grab something.”

“I knew you could have done better when I showed up,” said June. She pointed at him

in mock anger. “You put in an office as soon as you could move us out.”

“I offered to build you a house,” said Jack. “It would have been a nice house.”

“That’s what you’re saying now,” said June.

“Did you get your com, Boim?,” said Jack. He led the way to the elevator.

“Yes, Jack,” said Boim. “We’re tried it out to make sure it worked.”

“If you need us, open the gate,” said Jack. He held the door for them. “Then you can

call us from up north.”

“I’ll remember,” said Boim. “Things seem steady for now.”

“All right,” said Jack. He pushed the button for them. “Keep your eyes open in case

there are more body choppers up your way. I doubt we will get quests for it, but I

might want to swing by and do some things before it’s over.”

“What makes you say that?,” asked June.

“The FBI stated once that over fifty serial killers were in operation in America at any

one time,” said Jack. “As soon as one goes down, another takes his place.”

“So?,” said June.

“So it’s a heck of a lot easier for one to operate here than back home,” said Jack.

“And we already found one that liked to chop people up and put them back together

in the name of science.”

“Okay,” said June. “That’s a valid point.”

“I will keep an eye out for anything strange,” said Boim. “And I will be armed when

I am out.”

“Thank you,” said Jack.

The doors opened on the crowd at the table. June looked around the main room. She

couldn’t stop herself from being amazed. Then she glared at Jack. He grinned back

at her.

“Your dinner is getting cold,” said Jack. “Angelica is an excellent cook. Dig in while

you can.”

“You could have done this at any time for us,” said June.

“You’re not a princess,” said Jack. “I think you two know everybody here. Make

room for our last guests.”

“You can sit here, June,” said Beatrice. “Thad and I are going to talk about some

things now that we are done.”

“Thad Budd,” said Jack in his gruff voice. “Beatrice is the oldest Duckling and I

know she knows what she’s doing, but you best know what you are doing if you

know what the hot lead pouring down to cut your hair is going to be.”

“I already handled this,” said Josie. “And don’t ask for three of his fingers in case

they want to move beyond this.”

“What about just a pinkie?,” said Jack.

“No,” said Josie. “Thad knows what the line is, and he will be good for Bea. You can

practice your finger cutting on Case.”

“I need my fingers,” said Case.

“You don’t need them all,” said Jack. He grinned. “Neither does Caroline.”

Case and Caroline blushed at that.

“Can we be excused?,” said Beatrice. “I think we need to settle things before Jack

says something worse than that.”

“Yes,” said Josie. She smiled slightly. “Thad bring her back before the moons go

down.”

“Yes, Madam Witch,” said Thad. He stood and held out a hand for Beatrice.

“And stay out of trouble,” said Josie. “Jack is not the only one who can throw

lightning in the city.”

Beatrice and Thad went to the elevator to head upstairs. As the talk resumed, the

sound of the Tardis filled the Hangar.

“The Tardis?,” asked June.

“We needed a klaxon for the gate working,” said Jack. “I wanted a sound that was

distinctive.”

“Okay,” said June. She and Boim sat down and started talking about their day, and

what had happened in Hawk Ridge since they had moved up north.

Jack went back to the elevator. He rode back up and opened the roof. He climbed the

stairs and laid down on the grass. He looked up at the clouds.

Everything had worked out so much better than he had thought. He was surprised at

how neat things were at the moment. He wondered what could go wrong.

He planned to do nothing the next day. Sitting on the lake and just watching the water

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seemed the best of a break he could come up with since he had no way to play

basketball with anyone from the neighborhood.

He hoped the girls liked their gifts. He knew that things like what he had given could

cause their own problems. He was glad that he hadn’t given Matilda a stroke.

He should be hanging out with his extended family, but he just wanted to be alone at

the moment. Later, he would be ready to deal with things.

This might be better with Elaine. A little snuggling would be nice right about now.

“What are you doing?,” asked Emily Budd from the stairs.

“Thinking,” said Jack. “What are you doing?”

“The Queen has Caroline in hand,” said Emily. She stepped out on the grass. “They

don’t need me at the moment.”

“That’s good,” said Jack. “I wonder how long it will take them to get their acts

together.”

“Case is a skirt chaser,” said Emily. She sat down a few feet away from Jack. “I’m

surprised someone finally said yes to him.”

“All it takes is one,” said Jack. “What do you think about Beatrice?”

“I think she is what Thad needs right now,” said Emily. “He’s been coasting along,

helping Eric. It’s about time for him to form his own party.”

“Josie said he’s the one that wanted her to help you out,” said Jack.

“I made a mistake,” said Emily. “I wanted to go out on my own, and my party

betrayed me.”

“It happens,” said Jack. He turned his gaze back to the sky. “If Thad and Bea formed

a party, would you want in?”

“I don’t know,” said Emily. “Maybe, or maybe form my own.”

“June might need an adventurer to help her when she comes back,” said Jack. “When

this bodyguarding job ends, you could ask her if she wants the help.”

“Do you think she will need the help?,” said Emily. “She has arms big enough to

throw a horse to the ground.”

“She will need someone with combat experience,” said Jack. “Boim can chop people

down, but I don’t know if she has had experience raiding other people.”

“If this bodyguarding job ends, I will talk to your sister about whether or not she will

need another aide,” said Emily.

“Just don’t tell her I thought she was helpless, and you should be in like Flynn,” said

Jack.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t like her younger brother looking over her shoulder,” said

Emily. She smiled at the shrug that got her.

“As long as I don’t have to tell my mom she got eaten by a goat, I’m good,” said Jack.

June and Elaine came up the stairs. June grinned. Elaine looked perplexed.

“What can I do for you two?,” said Jack. He gestured for Elaine to sit beside him.

“I’m getting ready to go home,” said June. “I have the letter for Mom, return paper

in case I need it and it works in the real world, and a list of stuff to bring back. You

want anything?”

“We need some more books,” said Jack. “Mister Warner said he was going to try to

ship my collection here. You got the Limitless series for Matilda, right?”

“Yep,” said June. “I’ll help with the comic books.”

“The only other thing I really want is my laptop,” said Jack. “It’s in my space back

home.”

“At Mom’s?, asked June.

“Yep,” said Jack. “June, Emily and I were talking. When this thing with Case and

Caroline gets settled, she was thinking about looking around for another job. I told

her you and Boim might need help up north. She still has a couple of years before

Thad can form a party with Beatrice and her.”

June looked down at Emily. She nodded as she thought and made a decision.

“If you want to come up north and hang out with us when I get back, that will be cool

with me,” said June. “Boim is decent with a sword, but another set of hands might

make things go smoother. We have a house there. You can stay if you want to work

with us.”

“What would I be expected to do?,” asked Emily.

“Help us stop bad things from happening,” said June. “It’s pretty much my job. Like

I said, another set of hands who knows how to navigate the lay of the land could be

useful.”

“All you have to do is keep June from abusing her position,” said Jack.

“I suppose as long as she doesn’t bring home a dragon, that would be fine,” said

Emily.

“Come along, Emily,” said Elaine. “I should show you your room so you can get

ready for bed. June, you’ll always be welcome.”

“I’ll be back in a week at the outside,” said June. “This could be what I need.”

Jack watched Elaine and Emily descend down the steps. He sighed.

“Being in love looks good on you, Jack-Jack,” said June.

“I doubt that,” said Jack.

“It’s better than not,” said June. “I’ll let the parents know you’re all right.”

“I need you to come back so you can show Alicia your fancy moves,” said Jack.

“I thought she wanted to be an archer,” said June. She grinned down at her little

brother.

“She’s decided to be the best fighter she can be,” said Jack. He stood. “I figure if

you’re retiring, you can teach her something.”

“It’s just more fighting,” said June. She frowned at him. “Are you okay with all these

people roaming around?”

“I’m fine,” said Jack. “I have a place to have private time with Elaine. That’s all I

need.”

“Look out for yourself, and Elaine,” said June. “I don’t know what the time

differential is but I have the fight in two days, and then I have to pack my gear, or put

things in storage, and arrange for payment, and then come back. It might be as much

as a month before I can come back, or I might have to do like Mister Warner and

switch back and forth until I get things squared away.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Boim, and your new house,” said Jack. “Josie will probably want

some of her stuff brought back.”

“Already have a list,” said June. “Try to stay on the rails.”

“I’m fine,” said Jack. “When will you go home? Do you think it’s something

automatic built into the trial?”

“I don’t have any clue,” said June. “You know as much as I do.”

A man in basketball casual walked up to them. He wore a hat with too many wings,

and carried a walking stick. He smiled at the siblings as he came to a stop.

“It’s time, Juniper Lee,” said the visitor. “I’m here to take you home.”

“It’s you,” said Jack. “We were wondering what was going to happen.”

“This one time I’m allowed to show her the path of her travels,” said the man with the

hat. “It’s sort of my specialty. After that, the watch will bring her back if she needs

to move back and forth until she is fully settled in.”

“Look out for her, or I will set Josie on you,” said Jack.

“I’m so afraid,” said the man in the hat. He gave Jack an eye roll.

“Let me get her,” said Jack. He stood up with a grin.

“I think you should say your good byes,” said the man in the hat. “We have an

appointment to keep.”

“I’ll be waiting for you, Juni,” said Jack. “Come back when you’re set.”

“One fight, some packing, and moving everything here,” said June. “How hard could

it be?”

“You know better than that,” said Jack.

June hugged him before he could step back. She let go. She smiled.

“I’ll be back,” said June. “Come on, bud.”

The man in the hat led the way toward Hawk Ridge. June followed, travel bag

hanging from her shoulder. They vanished in the twilight sky.

Jack watched the trees silently. He frowned at the sudden leaving of his sister. He had

just begun to get used to having her around.

“June?,” said Elaine. He turned to see her standing by the opening.

“She’s gone,” said Jack. “I suppose Mister Warner went home from the village

instead of coming here. He’s used to the shuttle. I have to let Boim know so she can

wait for Juni to come back.”

“She’s unharmed,” said Elaine. “She is coming back.”

“I know,” said Jack. He smiled at his beloved. “I was just getting used to having her

around again.”

“I would like to meet the rest of your family,” said Elaine.

“I would rather chase an axe murderer through some filthy sewers,” said Jack. “Let’s

settle in to enjoy ourselves.”

“The Queen,” said Elaine.

“She has to get someone else to make her happy,” said Jack.

Elaine shook her head.