"C'mon, Sagan, doesn't someone else need to go next?"

That was Jack's voice.

After he said that, I glanced around the corner to catch Sagan physically dragging him in. Grunting, she said, "You. Are. Too. Strong." She gave up. "Ross, help me out."

Kyle's middle sibling took the bend of her boyfriend's elbow. "Come on, Callahan. Wingmaster will be happy to have a minute with us."

"I am, yes." I waved from the door where I could see this comedy show. "Uh, Sagan?"

"Hm?"

"You can let Jack go now."

Sagan looked at where she was straining with her entire body to pull, while Jack remained utterly unaffected. She giggled. "Right. I'll get the next pair rounded up."

I grinned at her. "Thanks." It stayed on my face as I turned to the young couple, saying, "Please come in. Of course, I'm happy to see you both."

Rayne, if you grin any wider, your face will hurt. Trust me. I know.

Your giggle is precious as you admit, "I still can't believe my little brother grew up to be—Well, that's not true. I can believe it. I'm happy for him, is all."

This private session isn't totally necessary. I see Jack at least three times a week when the King Elects give reports on Earth's migration, and Jack provides the voted specs for New Earth's design in Ishkur.

Still smiling with so much pride in your eyes, you say, "I'm glad he sees you so much. You really were a wonderful influence on him. Chris, too, obviously. But seeing Jack for work stuff isn't the same as a one-on-one with the Wingmaster."

True enough.

Ross went first. "I'll give you two some privacy, but I wanted to ask about Bethany. Can I be there for her Razor-memory transfer? I'm worried the resurgence might trigger her PTSD." Her hopeful eyes held something else inside.

I tried to keep from frowning at the doubt there, but I couldn't keep the concern from my voice. "What else is there, Ross?"

Exposed, Ross cleared her throat and glanced from Jack to me before saying, "Uhm. Well." Her eyes became glassy and her voice thickened. Jack took her hand for support as Ross said, "Bethany is pulling further away from Kyle and I, and I worry this transfer will make it worse. I worry about what's in her head. And—" She choked and shook her head, unable to continue.

I pulled Ross in for a hug.

It's funny how the gesture doesn't solve any problems, but it makes them bearable.

"Especially your hugs."

Ross seemed to agree. By the time she pulled away, her eyes were dry and her chin was stiffer. Especially after I assured, "Of course you will be there. Kyle, too." The next point I wanted to make might sting, so I captured her eye contact. Let her see the sincerity in me. "You may need to accept Bethany's estrangement."

Ross winced.

Jack chafed her arms, but he gave me a look which said he'd been thinking the same thing.

I pushed through Ross' initial aversion. "Bethany is making her way in another circle. Still wonderful people, but more similar to her mindset without the pressure of returning to 'normal.' Matt, Lucy, and the others don't place expectations on your sister. Whether you and Kyle intend it, that's exactly what you're doing."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"I know." The defeat in Ross' voice hurt, but there was hope in it. That mattered. She said, "That's why we're letting her go with them to Pil. I'll worry the entire time she's gone, but I trust them to keep her safe."

I almost winced because the next part wouldn't be easy to say either. "Ross, I think your sister keeps herself safe. If anything, Matt and Lucy will keep others safe from her." Something shifted in Ross' eyes, and I knew I was getting through to her suspicions. I said, "They'll teach her the right and wrong of it. I trust them, and I think that's what Bethany needs right now."

"Having Razor's history in her head couldn't be helping," Jack muttered.

While I couldn't disagree, my first reaction was always to defend Razor out of hand. I should work on that.

Ross visibly steadied herself and straightened her shoulders. Fitting her place in the Shadow, her words were clear and genuine. "Thank you. I'll leave you two alone now."

I gave Ross one more hug before she could go. The strength of her squeeze told me she needed it.

Jack waited for the door to close behind her before he blurted, "I think Rayne's really alive."

I blinked at him. "Absolutely. I've been telling everyone—"

He interrupted me, shaking his head, with his hands on his hips trying to figure out a way to word what he wanted to say. After a few heartbeats, Jack said, "I think she's in my dreams. Like not her. But... her presence. It's warm and smells like the beach we went to on Labor Day forever ago. I can't mistake it though: ice cream and surf. The cotton candy and sand. It's all there. Sometimes I'm even on the beach—"

"Are you saying you didn't believe she was alive this entire time?" Was everyone keeping up a pretense for my benefit?

Jack scruffed a hand through his short hair, finding the words. When he finally met my eyes, I knew.

Everyone thinks you're dead but me.

You look away, tucking a strand of hair behind your hair, muttering, "That was kind of the idea..."

Are you visiting your brother?

Still not meeting my eyes, you swallow and simply nod.

It's okay, Rayne. I told him what everyone should already know.

"Nothing could kill Rayne Echo Callahan. Not for long."

Jack gripped the collar on his t-shirt and pulled like it was choking him, shaking his head repeatedly. "No. She would come home, wouldn't she? Where is she, Xelan? Why would she stay away from us—"

Another hug. Another person who needed it.

If I hadn't grappled your brother into the hug now, he'd head down a dark road. One which led to self-blame and lessening his opinion of you.

My voice was tight with emotion as I tried to assure him, "I know, Jack. I know. But trust me, she's working on it. Rayne will come home the second she can."

Against my shoulder, the King Elect asked, "What's so important that it would keep her away from us?"

You meet my eyes, and the answer is there.

"It's my fault."

Jack pulled away and stared into my eyes, close enough to see the secret inside.

I swallowed and repeated. "It's my fault. There's still work to do, and your sister is doing it. I know it."

He searched my face with a twinge of anger emerging in his brows as he asked, "Are you in contact with her?"

"No. Nothing like that. Can you wait for me to explain to everyone? Please? She's not in danger, I promise."

Again, suspicion and conflict warred in Jack's eyes. There was more than a hint in his voice when he asked, "You're certain? She's alive, and she'll come home soon?"

I nodded. "Dead certain, little Jack Callahan."

All the tension rushed out of his body with a sigh. The relief changed his entire demeanor. He breathed in deep and exhaled long as if exorcising stress from his blood. Eventually, he confessed, "I thought... Damn, Xelan, I thought I was losing my mind with grief and survivor's guilt, but... It felt like her. You know?" The last squeezed out of him as tears spilled from his eyes. "Rayne's alive. Really alive."

"Your sister is a juggernaut. Nothing can stop her."

"You did not say that." Again, that incredulous laughter is almost as priceless as your four-year-old giggles.

I did, and I meant every word.

You fall back on the coffee table and cover your face, mortified. "You're so cheesy, Wingmaster!"

Well, it seemed to do Jack some good.

After another more celebratory hug, I saw him out of my study with one final caveat. "Don't tell anyone, yet. Rayne's not coming home for a reason, and I think it's keeping us safe."

Jack admitted, "I don't know how long I can keep this secret, but I'll try to think of what she wants."