“Felicity, come in.” Sounding cheerful as she stood in the doorway of her office looking my way, Abigail beckoned before turning to head back in. “Miss Handsy, would you mind having some coffee and a couple pieces of that wonderful cherry pie sent up, please? Actually, make it three and take one for yourself.” After almost disappearing entirely, she poked her head back out abruptly. “Scratch that last one, I just remembered you’re allergic to cherries. Do not get yourself any cherry pie. Get… something else you like, I guess. Banana? I keep thinking of banana.”

Miss Handsy, in turn, raised about six of her tentacles, the hands on the ends forming into thumb ups. “Of course, of course, Madame Principal Abigail. I’m quite certain I can locate a fine treat just suited for my particular tastes. Your pie and coffee shall be delivered soon.” And as she said that, three more of her tentacles were tapping at a couple different computers behind her, while yet another one picked up what looked like a phone and brought it close, and another two continued to knit a sweater of some kind. It was incredibly chaotic, yet fascinating to watch.

Still, I finally shook myself out of that dazed moment of staring and stood from the chair where I had been waiting to talk to my sister. It was just a little bit past dinner time. Which meant I had made it through an entire regular day, attended all three classes, lunch, had an afternoon with friends (most of which was taken up training with Avalon and the others), and even had dinner. Now I was here to talk to my older sister about something important. Yet not about life-threatening danger. Oh yeah, and apparently I was going to eat pie too. Today was a pretty good day.

Taking a moment to thank Miss Handsy for everything she did, I followed Abigail into the office. It was pretty huge, as far as offices went. Especially for educators. But there wasn’t much in it, aside from a simple (quite large itself) wooden desk, a few chairs, and some packed bookshelves. Oh, and three filing cabinets behind the desk, next to several wide video screen ‘windows’ that displayed views from across a few different planets. All of which left enough empty space in the office to have played a full tennis match if we’d had the equipment.

Rather than sitting at the desk, Abigail walked over to look at one of the ‘windows.’ It was displaying an image of a beautiful blue and violet desert landscape with some incredibly dazzling rock formations. A flock of four-winged birds went flying past with a series of loud chirps, while something that looked sort of like a crocodile poked its head up out of the sand, gave a warbling cry at them as though annoyed about being awoken from its slumber.

“There really are some beautiful sights out there in the universe,” Abigail murmured. She raised a hand to touch the screen and ran her fingers over it thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. “I hope we all have the chance to visit them, without all the terror and violence. I hope we can get through this whole…” Trailing off, she seemed to realize only then that she was speaking out loud. With a shake of her head, Abigail turned to face me. “Sorry. You wanted to come talk about something? Is there anything wrong? I hope Persephone isn’t causing–”

Quickly, I shook my head. “She’s fine. Seriously, she’s not pushing. I’m pretty sure she’s actually with my dad right now. He said something about taking her to the bowling alley. Also, apparently we have a bowling alley. You think Seller ate his body weight in their nachos yet?”

She, in turn, blinked at me uncertainly in response to that last bit, clearly lost. “I’m sorry?”

Still smirking inwardly at the memory of the man’s first taste of those back when I’d met him at the bowling alley in Laramie Falls, I shook that off. “Never mind, no big deal. Anyway, yeah, I umm, sorta need to ask about going somewhere. A few different somewheres, actually.”

Raising an eyebrow, Abigail gestured for me to go ahead to the desk before taking her own seat behind it. Her tone was flat. “Now, Felicity, I know you’re not about to tell me that you’ve gotten involved in something else already. If the next words out of your mouth are something about needing to run off so you can stop a hybrid vampire-werewolf ninja assassin who has a close personal rivalry with you and a secret history of being your teenage boyfriend before he detonates the explosives he’s planted underneath a children’s hospital, I swear to all that is–”

My head shook quickly. “No, no. Trust me, there’s no bombs or hybrid terrorists or anything. And no crazy old boyfriends. Definitely no crazy old boyfriends. It’s not–it’s about the umm… ghosts that I still have.” Over the next few minutes, I told her about making the deal to take the ghosts Fossor had enslaved to places where they could say goodbye to loved ones and be set free.

“Some of them need to go to other worlds, even his world,” I explained, “but there are a lot who just want to be umm, released from different places here on Earth. I just need to make some trips down there and, you know, let them have their last moments before they fade away.”

Swallowing visibly, Abigail met my gaze before quietly saying, “Fossor had a lot of ghosts for you to inherit.” When I nodded silently, she exhaled and looked down at the desk for a moment. I wasn’t sure what was running through her mind. Probably thinking about all the death and suffering that piece of shit had caused. And not just for our own family. After all, she had seen just how many people celebrated the news of his death here on the station alone.

Finally, she looked back up at me and offered a very faint, somewhat sad smile. “Of course, we’ll arrange transport whenever you need it. But it can’t interfere with your schoolwork, and I want you to always go with a group. Absolutely no going down there by yourself, understand?”

I started to nod, just as there was a buzz from the phone on the desk. It was followed by Miss Handsy announcing that pie and coffee was there, and Abigail told her to go ahead and send it in. Rather than the door opening to admit anyone into the room, a large silver tray with a couple plates full of pastry, and a pair of mugs full of steaming coffee appeared on the desk between us. A second later, a second, smaller tray with some sugar, cream, utensils, and napkins appeared beside the first.

“It really is amazing pie,” Abigail assured me before taking her own coffee. She didn’t bother with any sugar or cream, simply taking a gulp of it before exhaling happily. “And coffee.”

Arranging my own drink and treat, I took a bite before murmuring appreciatively. Damn, she was right, it really was that good. With a shake of my head, I focused once more. “Don’t worry, I don’t have any intention of going to these places alone. Seriously, I run into enough problems without actively trying to court trouble. Let alone trying to ding dong ditch Trouble’s house and then taunt it from across the street while it’s standing in its underwear on the porch.”

For a few seconds, Abigail sat there with a bit of pie on her fork, staring at me. Finally, she found her voice. “You truly are a very odd girl, when it comes down to it, do you know that?”

Blushing a little despite myself, I offered her a shrug. “So I’ve been told. But hey, my pet rock thinks I’m cool. And he helped kill Fossor by breaking his connection to his own world. So I think he knows cool when he sees it.”

Clearly hiding a smile behind a long gulp from her coffee, Abigail quietly replied, “I am truly privileged to finally get to know my little sister over this past year. And my brother. And now…”

“Now our mother,” I finished for her, reaching out to touch the older woman’s hand. “It’s a privilege for me too, Abigail. All of it. All of this. I’m really glad I get to know you guys now. You, Wyatt, and Koren. I just…” A lump formed in my throat, as I caught myself.

I didn’t want to bring it up, but Abigail knew. A touch of emptiness filled her voice as she glanced away with a nod. “Kenneth. I wish he was here too. I wish…” A very soft sigh escaped her. “I wish.”

“You remember everything about him now?” I hesitantly asked.

Her head gave a slight nod, voice even quieter than before. “Yes. Sariel helped with that. She said she didn’t have to if it would be too painful, but I had to know. I had to remember. Koren… she hasn’t decided yet. I mean, she hasn’t decided when to do it. She says she wants to know her father, but doesn’t… doesn’t want to rush into it. Something about needing it to be the perfect day. A perfect day for being sad. I’m not sure what that means. Honestly, I’m not sure she knows either.”

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Yeah, I couldn’t blame Koren for being hesitant about that whole thing. She definitely wanted to have the memories of her father back, but boy would that ever be a harsh blow. Right now, she missed him, but it was more of an academic thing. She knew facts about him, stories from other people, that sort of thing. She knew of him, but the full force of that loss hadn’t hit her yet. If her own memories were fully restored, she would know exactly what she had lost forever. No wonder she wasn’t sure when to do that.

“Maybe you could talk to her?” Abigail suggested gently. “I mean, you’re her age, you’ve… you’ve seen a lot and spent more time with her last year. I don’t mean you should push her, just… find out how she’s doing. Make sure she knows it’s always her decision.” There was a very slight crack in her voice. I knew she was thinking about her husband, and how he would feel about whether Koren should remember him or not.

I wasn’t sure what good it would do, or if I was anywhere near the right person for it. Still, I promised Abigail I would talk to Koren and find out how she felt about the whole thing, and offer any sort of advice I could. At least, if any actual advice came to mind by that point. More importantly, no matter what, it would be her choice. I wouldn’t push her one way or the other.

“Thank you, Felicity,” Abigail said quietly while lightly tapping her fork against her now empty plate. She was gazing off at nothing, clearly thinking about her own memories of her husband. I could see the sadness and loss in her gaze. Yet there was also something else. Love. She loved her husband, of course. Losing him had been painful, horrifically so. But forgetting him? That had to be so much worse. The pain of loss was bad, but I couldn’t even imagine forgetting someone I loved as much as she had to have loved Kenneth. The thought of losing every memory I had of my dad, my mom, Shiori, Valley, or anyone else like that was… yeah.

But then, my grandmother had basically been through the reverse of that. She remembered everyone, but they forgot her. Her own daughter had forgotten her and even now had no idea who she really was. Everyone she loved had forgotten her. Yes, Gaia had eventually remembered, and now she had Koren and me. But still. The thought of forgetting one person I loved had been painful. The thought of everyone I loved forgetting me? I honestly had no idea how Dare continued to function as well as she did. How the hell were my mother and my grandmother both strong enough to deal with the sort of shit that was thrown at them?

“Felicity?” Abigail’s voice interrupted my thoughts, reminding me of where I was. “Is something wrong?” She reached out, hand touching mine gently. “You looked… you looked sad right then.”

I squeezed her hand and shook my head. God, I wished I could tell her the truth, but there was no way. No matter how much I disliked lying about it, I could never risk bringing the Fomorians back here. Especially not now that I had really seen what they were capable of doing to any world they invaded. If they managed to come back to Earth, that would be the end of everything.

So, I pushed my distaste for not being able to tell people who Dare really was aside and insisted, “It’s okay. I was just thinking about everything our family has been going through for so long.” There, that was actually the solid truth without lying or accidentally unleashing an invading horde of genocidal monsters onto the Earth. Mental pat on the back for me.

Of course, Abigail wasn’t dumb. She seemed to realize that there was at least a little bit more to it. But she let it go and offered me a very faint smile. “And yet, we manage to pull through. I suppose it’s a matter of tucking your chin and moving through the hits. That’s what…” She trailed off, swallowing slightly before quietly finishing. “That’s what Kenneth used to say.”

Picking myself up from the seat, I moved around the desk and leaned over to embrace my sister. “I’m really sorry about what happened, Abigail. I… I’m sorry. I’ll talk to Koren, I promise.”

She returned the embrace, staying silent for a moment before pushing herself up from the chair. “Thank you, Felicity,” Abigail murmured, pulling back just a bit to offer me a somewhat sad smile. “I suppose that’s how we get through these things. Besides the chin tucking. With help.”

“We can do both,” I assured her, giving the woman one more tight hug before stepping back. “Oh, and umm, thanks for helping out with the whole… taking ghosts where they want to go thing. I’ll get you a list of the places I need to visit, and we can work out a, you know, a schedule.”

She agreed and I turned to walk out of the office. At the doorway, I paused and looked back at her. “Thanks for being here. Thanks for doing all this. I know it’s–I know it’s a lot of pressure, and a lot of work. I’m glad you’re up to it. I’m just–I’m glad I finally get to know you.”

Abigail’s voice was very soft. “I’m glad I get to know you too, Felicity.”

********

“So, how’s Dries doing?” I asked Avalon about twenty minutes later as the two of us walked along a stone path that wound its way through the big park in the middle of the small ‘town’ of houses where we lived. “I haven’t really seen him since I umm, made it back here.”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Avalon blinked toward me. “He’s with a few other experts, getting the last things they need to make Liesje’s spell work. There were a few ahh, hiccups.” She squinted at that term before continuing. “Getting the spell to work for every species, and do the extra things that we wanted ended up being more complicated than they expected.” Belatedly, she amended, “A lot more complicated.”

Behind us, Salten made a huffing noise, pacing his way off the path to sniff at a tree there before taking a bite of the leaves. He chewed thoughtfully, then took another bite. Apparently he liked it, judging from the way his wings fluttered a bit against his back.

Watching her Peryton friend have his snack, Avalon added, “They worked it out now and just needed to get a couple of rare things to boost the effect. I think one of them was some sort of crystal from the bottom of a volcano. So, not exactly a run to the supermarket. But Dries said they could handle it. They should be back soon.” With an audible sigh, the girl muttered, “Not that this is the first time they’ve been ‘just about ready.’ Stuff keeps coming up. Just more and more problems. It’s like this whole anti-possession spell is cursed or something. You know, as though that wasn’t obvious already from everything that happened since Liesje first started this whole thing.”

“Hey.” Reaching out, I put an arm around the other girl and offered her a smile. “It’s not cursed. I mean, sure, the whole thing hasn’t exactly been smooth. But we knew it was going to be hard. Come on, think about the extent of what we’re trying to do here. It’s pretty huge, you know? Of course there’s going to be some hiccups with the whole process. But they’re getting through it, ironing out the details. And if they need help, we’ll be there. Not that there’s much we could do that they couldn’t, but hey. Moral support?”

Glancing my way to see me give her an exaggerated wink, Avalon snorted and shoved me a bit. Her voice was a mix of fondness and exasperation. “One, you’ll definitely be able to help. When they start the casting, they’ll need energy from everyone. It’ll take days, maybe weeks. And second, you are such a dork sometimes.”

“Oooh,” I chirped with a bright smile. “I’ve been upgraded to only sometimes? Wait, is that a downgrade? Cuz I’m pretty sure you like dorks. It’s not a downgrade, is it?” I made my eyes real big, staring at her with as adorable of a look as I could muster.

Snorting, Avalon stepped over, catching my hands before pulling me closer. Her voice was soft. “It’s not a downgrade,” she murmured before gently kissing me. “And you’ll always be a dork.” She paused, then kissed me once more, whispering, “My dork.”

A shiver ran through me before I managed to nod, returning the kiss. “Good to know,” I murmured the words, wrapping both arms around the other girl to clutch onto her. “I missed you, Valley. I love you.” God, just being there with her, able to tell her that in person and see her face, it meant… it meant everything. Avalon and Shiori, they made all the stuff I went through worth it. Just knowing they were there, that they cared about me the way I cared about them, it was… it was indescribable.

“I love you too, Felicity,” came the very gentle response. “And I definitely missed you.”

We stood together like that for a couple minutes, simply enjoying being together. There was no pressing emergency, no life and death problem. We could just… be with each other. Finally, the two of us turned to walk once more, accompanied by Salten as we made our way through the park and out the other side, on our way back home. On the way, I told her about what happened in Abigail’s office, and how I was supposed to talk to Koren about whether she wanted to have the full memories of her father back.

“She will,” Avalon noted. “She does want them back. She’s just not sure when she wants them.”

“You’ve talked to her about it?” I asked, glancing that way. When the other girl nodded, I chuckled despite myself. “Boy, who ever would’ve thought you’d have that sort of talk with Koren when you guys first met? What was it you called her?”

“Mayonnaise,” Avalon replied flatly, a very small smirk tugging at her face before she added, “People can change. I seem to recall I didn’t have that great of an opinion of you at first either.”

“You liked me from the start and you know it,” I teased. “I’m just that good.”

With an audible snort, Valley gave me a shove that made me stumble sideways. “You are a lot of things, Felicity.” She turned her head slightly, watching as I recovered. “Most importantly, you… you’re remarkable. I love you. Even if you drive me crazy sometimes.”

“At least I’m not boring,” I reminded her, jogging back over a few steps to catch up as she kept walking with Salten.

“That is true,” she agreed, reaching out to take my hand once I was beside her. “You are absolutely not boring.” By that point, we were out of the park and heading up toward the house, where we could see the others hanging out in the yard. “But just for the record, Chambers. If you go and disappear like that again, I reserve the right to smack you.”

“Gotta find me to smack me,” I reminded her. “That mean you’ll find me if I disappear?”

The other girl squeezed my hand, her voice soft. “Always, Felicity.

“I will always find you.”