unfinished nevergonna finish stories.

here's some stories i'm never EVER going to finish... mainly because i started them, then lost the will and inspiration to work on them again. then i got all caught up in what i DID write and put out (Reclaimation) that i didn't care about these anymore. if you like any of them, comment and let me know. n.n' i might could be persuaded to pick one or two back up and give them another try.

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this story titled simply "Miguel" was the original background story for the Reclaimation villain of the same name. however, due to continuity issues, i dropped the project completely.

note: this story jumps from first person (Miguel's POV) to third person (past events.)

From the Mind of a Saivor

 I'm 25 now, and one of the best fighters in the world... my fathers made sure of that before they moved off the island to live in a town just outside Paris, to be closer to Tem's new job they said... it didn't matter...
 I knew what they were really up to...
 There's a war coming... and this they cannot stop. Neither can I, nor any of us...
 It's our job to be strong. To live, to fight, and to survive.
 President Bush was re-elected in 2004. He managed to con his way into having a bill passed, giving him unlimited terms... exhaustable only upon his death...
 It's my job to kill him. To start the war before it has a chance to create the unstopable killing machines that my fathers prophesised would rise from the dark laboratories of Area 51... already I can hear the voices of the unfortunates, the women and children who must die before the war's end... and those who must die after.
 The Makai, a race so vile, so sinister... they would rise to power before the end... but not this time.
 This time, in this world, they'll never awaken while I still draw breath.
 They key is Mr. President, the antichrist. In 2035, the war was due to start. The trigger is his blood; one drop spilled in the Holy Land of Israel, even as a papercut, will wake the thirst of the Makai in him.
 Makai... how I hate and love them. My kin, my eternal enemy. I love them because I'm a son of their breed, and one cannot hate his family. I hate them because it is they that will destroy the world that I hold so dear.
 My team, experts of various arts and tactics, arrived before I did to the first City-State, DC. I stood atop the building, looking down through my visor at the street below as the rain pelted my coat.
 I tapped the side of my visor, a modification of Tem's earlier goggles invention. "Hawkeye standing by," I said, raising my rifle. I had one shot, just like the others... and we had to make it count.
 The five of us had specific targets. Troy was schedueled to take out the Prime Minister of Canada, Ms. Loretta Sheffield. Genk had called first dibs on Tony Blair... he had a score to settle with that old chap. Korey laid claim on Castro... seemed he took a great, although strange, pride in being the one to take down the in-assasinatable. Nicholae... I had to literally beat him with a stick (a kendo stick that is) to get him to take Fix Mendez for himself... he'd wanted to lighten my load, to shoot down Bush. But that republican is a sly one.. there would be no telling if I got one of his clones, or the real thing this time. But at least I had to try.
 "Typhoon, standing by," Troy's voice said calmly over the piece in my ear.
 "Original Recepie, standing by."
 "Genk, this is no time for games. Get serious," Korey said.
 I listened in silence, peering through the scope and waiting.
 "Both of you shut up."
 "Thanks Nick," I said. "At least we know their mics are in working order..."
 "Yeah yeah... Mile, check," Genki finally said.
 "Angelico, check," replied Korey.
 "Raven, standing by," replied Nicholae.
 I watched through the scope as a black limo pulled up in front of the UN... this was it... the moment we were waiting for...
 "Looks like targets 1 and 5 are on the left. Target 2, middle back. Targets 3 and 4 on the right...." Troy said.
 "Radio silence. They could pick us up. Use subvocal only if necessary," I said, twitching my right eye. Immediately the piece in my ear went dead.
 Four shots rang in the air as their heads emerged from the vehicle. Men in black suits drew their pistols and looked around, gathering around the fifth, and last of their charges...
 My palms were sweating. My nose itched as I forced my racing heart to slow. When I saw an opening, I squeezed the trigger...

Days Past

 He sighed, rolling over and throwing an arm over his lover with a smile, watching as early morning sunlight streamed through the windows onto the black coverlet. The rays seemed to kiss that baby soft cheek and decend into shadows at the scarlet lips, parted in gentle sleep.
 He lifed a hand to brush a bit of red away from the sleeping eyes as his lover's form moved closer, snuggling into him. He stroked his side slowly, before slipping his hand up to the chest...
 His eyes went wide in suprise, finding two soft, yet strangely firm mounds of flesh there that he knew didn't belong. Suddenly, he thought he'd must have done something stupid... that his love must not have come home last night after all... that he was still stranded in Greece and that in a drunken depression, he must have picked up the first thing that resembled Tem.
 He backed away, throwing the covers off him and leaping from the bed as he stared down at the lean, female form that still lay there. He was quickly grabbing up his clothes, thinking that if he left for work fast enough then he could have time to think of what to do before he and Tempest started their classes for the day.
 He'd managed to pull down his wifebeater before he caught a shifting beneath the blankets from the corner of his eye. Shit... he'd been caught.
 "I thought you had the day off. Least, that's what you told me yesterday..." the sleepy voice said, most of the words coming out ng yawn.
 He didn't answer, only stopped in mid motion and turned his head slightly to look.
 "You told me we were going to go buy a new car today since the Diablo broke down."
 "Tem?..." he finally said, looking at his lover full in the face, who was sitting up and stretching.
 "What?" he replied before rubbing his eyes.
 Joe only pointed at him, specifically at his chest. The red head looked down seconds before saying "Shit.... I knew I shouldn't have had that 13th margarita..." he said.
 "What the hell... I thought that since.... I thought we fixed...That!"
 He shrugged. "Well... we 'did' ask for our orignal bodies back... with no changes...." he said, rising up, casting the blankets from his lap. "Where's my robe... I gotta call Mirei and get some clothes..." he said as Joe's black orbs traced the line of a small happy trail of hair starting just bellow his belly button, down to a tuft of reddish-black. He blinked silently as the slim, female body picked up a silken robe from the floor and slipped it over thin arms, not bothering to tie it closed.
 "Don't worry koibito, it should go away in a day or two... depends on how much I drank last night..." he replied, leaning close to give his lover a kiss on the cheek. "At least I didn't drink enough to become Schiz..."
 "Who the hell is Schiz?"
 "Oh.. he's my inner child. You two haven't met yet? Hm... that's suprising...." he said, turning and slipping into the bathroom.
 Moments after the door closed Joe could hear the shower running.
 Over the following weeks, he still did not change, causing slight confusion in his son Astarte, as well as everyone else. His feminine form also caused small oddities in his personality.
 No one, except himself, could understand why it hadn't worn off like it used to. He knew why, but he dreaded telling anyone else, most especially Joe... although Tem knew this would happen sooner or later. It had to in order for history to follow it's correct course.
 The morning of March 13th, just three weeks after the morning he woke to find himself in this state, he told Joe. The man insisted he take a test to prove it. He did, and it came back positive. He did this three times before his lover insisted they see a professional.
 Two days after Joe was told, it was official... Tem was pregnant...

Unnatural Creation

 Tem enjoyed being pregnant, especially since his beloved Imootosan was as well. Her third child, Korey. The two of them shopped together, craved strange foods together, and if Tem hadn't have been a few months further along than Mirei they probably would have tried to give birth together.
 Tem and Joe's son was born on Christmas Day. He was 6 pounds 9 ounces; pretty small. Miguel was a siamese twin. He and his brother Ichiro were attatched at the side.
 Ichiro Plato Sanders died on December 29th, an hour before midnight.
 The death of the babe stirred an extreme feeling of loss in the unnatural duo. Joe, not so much. But it devistated Tem, his strong maternal insticts wanting him to force himself up and knock out every last one of the doctors in his misery.
 The new year came and they mourned, but their hearts picked up with the knowledge that at least one child came out of it safe and sound...
 "He's got his father's eyes," Joe said, handing him a glass of strawberry flavored cider. (Tem couldn't drink while pregnant... plus he didn't want to try any alcohol until after he changed back... whenever that would be.)
 "That'll change in time...," Mirei said as Tem took a small sip from his glass before setting it down to the side.
 He sat on the couch with his blouse open, the child in his arms suckling greedily away, so innocent and oblivious to the fact he was an abomination to the rules of life.
 "Ow!" he suddenly exclaimed.
 "What happened?" Tempest asked, looking up from the TV.
 "The little monster bit me!"
 "But he's just been born. He can't do that yet Tem," Joe said, sipping a beer.
 He looked down at the smiling newborn curled up in his arms, his head of just the faintist blue fuzz resting peacefully against his right breast. That child's smile seemed almost evil on that small baby's face. "I think it's time someone goes back to bed," he said with a small sigh.
 He started to rise from the couch, but when he got to his feet Joe came and took the baby. "Sit down, you're about to fall over," he said before dissapearing down the hall to what was once Cross's room, then a guest room, and now a nursery.
 He flopped back down beside Mirei, his black blouse still hanging open as his eyes slid closed. When Joe returned, he leaned over and started buttoning the blouse up, at least enough to cover him before grabbing a blanket off the back of the recliner.
 "I think we should go now..." Mirei said, starting to rise.
 Tempest already had her jacket in his hand. "Don't worry about it... it's late and you guys are tired. You guys can use the pull out in the game room tonight."
 "We can't... you guys are tired and we'd only get in the way..."
 "Don't worry about it. Besides, I'd feel better if you were here. We barely know what we're doing. All we know is what we read in that book Cross bought us for Christmas."
 "Okay... maybe we could stay put for a while... I'm sure Lexi and Star won't mind staying with Genki and Sei a few more days."
 "Yeah... besides, there's too many crazies out tonight. don't want anythng to happen on your way home."
 Tempest grinned and clasped him on the shoulder. "Welcome to hell. No more parties, no more strangers dropping by to have sex in your livingroom, no more wild hairbrained adventures...."
 "And why not!"
 "Because Joe, that's just not what responsible fathers do," he said, still grinning. Mirei watched the pair, thinking her husband had finaly lost his last marble.
 But in this instant, an unspoken understanding came between them, and their old differences and arguments and animosity for each other seemed to lessen, then finally dissapear altogether.

Training

 "Why are you here!" he barked.
 "To stop the war!" the child snapped back, staring straight forward.
 "Why are you here!" he barked again. He hated doing this, but there was no other way. The boy had to train, and the only way to get him up to par was to push him as far as he could go, then farther. And with the boy's lack of focus lately, he was having to become more and more harsh with him.
 He brought his hand up, black painted nails extended to their full 2 foot length on each hand. Black lavender swirls stared out defiantly as the seabreeze blew, scarlet streaked cobalt hair flying about his head in it's own secret dance of fury. His footing shifted, suggesting he would attack from the right... but he knew better than to make it that obvious.
 "Why are you here!!" he shouted again.
 "To save my family!" crimson lips spat back.
 "Who is your family!"
 "The WORLD!" was the reply as he sprang, as did his teacher. The two clashed in a blur of blue and black and white.
 When all was said and done, the boy was on his back in the sand, a boot to his chest as 4 knife sharp nails were held to his throat, nearly twice as long as his own.
 "With skills like that, the world is doomed. Your timing is flawless, but your focus is completely gone. What's going through that head of yours Miguel?"
 "Dad comes home today," he said, looking up at him.
 The world was silent, save for the crashing of waves on the sand and the distant call of seagulls, coupled with their own labored breathing.
 He lifted his boot, retracting his nails and offered his hand. "C'mon. You're already late for your cram session with Korey..."
 "Can't I come with you!"
 "I don't think he'll be in any shape to deal with you quite yet kiddo," he said, ruffling the boy's hair when he was on his feet. "Besides, you fail another test and you'll be repeating 12th grade..."
 "But J... pops, I'm only 12!" he exclaimed, not for the first time.
 "Look, it's not my fault you got your dad's brains," he said with a shrug. "Run upstairs and get changed. Don't forget your AP Physics book when you head to the ferry."
 "Fine fine... you never lecture Star like this..."
 "That's because he's not my problem. You are." He gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "If dad's feeling up to it tomorrow, the three of us will go out to any of the fancy resturaunts you want. My treat."
 This caused a smile from the kid before he took off up the beach. He was already up the deck stairs when Joe was halfway across the sand. If one were to look down on him feom above, they would see the hunch in his back and his sluggish movements of which age was only a minor factor. His mind had been on other things since last month when Tem was sent to the best hospital the the world could offer. He wished he could have prolonged the spar with his son just a bit longer. For it was a welcome distraction from his husband's cancer.
  ---
 He waited at the gate. The plane had been delayed by two hours. Miguel was probably going to sleep over at Mirei and Tempest's farm for the night. That was actually perfect. It'd give him and Tem time alone to discuss things.
 He sighed, leaning over the rail as a tall, thin looking red head came over carrying a small leather pack.
 "Hey," he said with a crimson smile.
 Joe perked up. He'd been dozing again, this time standing up. "Oh, hey babe... how'd it go?"
 The smile was wiped clean from his face. "Let's wait till we get home... where's Mig?"
 "Crash studying with Korey," he said, taking the pack. "C'mon. I think I parked in a 15 minutes or less zone."
 He smiled again and put his arms around the bigger man. "I missed you so much," he said, kissing his cheek and nuzzling his chest briefly.
 He pryed himself from him, wiping at his eye with a smile. "A bug..." he said.
 All Joe did was give a weak smile before putting an arm around his shoulder and start walking from the terminal.
  ---
 "Don't think you can, know you can... Again!" Tempest shouted as the class began the exercise once more.
 He passed up and down the rows, inspecting everyone and ocassionally scrutinizing. He looked up a moment to see a kid standing outside the window, dressed in black with short cropped dark hair. Gray eyes pieced the glass as he hoisted a dark green backpack over his shoulder.
 "Free spar!" he called. Everyone broke formation and chose a partner as he passed through them to the door as the kid, taking his coming near as a sign, came through it.
 "You here to check out the dojo?"
 "Yeah... sometin like that..." he replied, his voice a bit deep for a kid his age.
 "Heh... well, you're free to join the class today if you want. Check things out, maybe if you like it you'll-"
 "Uhm. Yeah, I'm not here to join..." he said, pulling on the pack strap again. "I'll watch till he gets here though."
 "Oh, you're meeting someone then?"
 He pulled a picture from his pocket. It was an old newspaper clipping, the colors faded and the paper so worn it must have been held and folded and crumpled hundreds of times.
 Tempest had to hold it almost on his eye to see the faces clearly. "Sorry kiddo... these two won't be comin in for a long while."
 "I can wait."
 "Could be weeks, maybe a month before the big one comes in."
 "And the other?"
 "Probably just to watch and deal with the accounts... he's not been too hot these days. Sorry I can't help you out. Maybe if you check back every week or so-"
 "No. I can wait."
 "Suit yourself kid," he said as the boy moved to a chair on the wall.
 The whole afternoon he sat in silence, watching the class with such intensity, such scrutiny that it almost drove the teacher mad with annoyance at him.
 "See you guys next week," he said. The class scattered, heading for the showers and whatnot. But that kid, he continued to sit there. "Yo kid! I'm closin up shop for the day. You'll have to come back tomorrow.
 "Not now. I'm dippin in..." he said, his voice sounding as if he were zombified.
 When he looked up, he saw Tempest through the haze of the Ocean... his very eyeballs swarming with flourescent blue code.

From the Mind of a Sinner

 When I came in through the door, soaked to the bone by the rain that had begun to fall after the bullet struck it's mark. Eight years of planning, and finally the deed was done. Genki gave me a hearty slap on the back. Korey looked up at me, his eyes hazed over with code.
 Troy ran to me as I set my rifle down, throwing her arms about me as her lips tried to touch every inch of my face. "I'm so glad you're alright! Korey and I jacked in as soon as we realized you weren't coming to the rendevouz point on Jackson. What happened!"
 "I didn't have time to get the second shot. I think the first got him anyway..." I looked past her to Nicholae, sitting in the corner with his laptop open, his visor wired to the hard drive. "I was swarmed. The five guards locked onto me. Chased me all the way to southwest sector..."
 "Oh my god! Are you alright! You're not hurt are you!" Troy exclaimed as Genki went to peer over Nicholae's shoulder.
 "Guys... come have a look," he said, waving us all over.
 Troy pulled from me and went to his side, and I stood sort of behind her and behind Nicky.
 "We're fried.... gotta get back to the island asap dude," Korey said. "It's all over the Ocean too."
 "Damn it! I had a clean shot! how the hell..." I shouted, leaning even closer while clamping a hand hard on Nicky's shoulder.
 He scrolled down the page. This had only happened about an hour and a half ago, and already it was in the top of the news. "It was a decoy... Bush that is. 'Five armed gunmen, assumed to be Islamic extremests, were seen in the vicinity of the shooting. New York City poilice led by chief...' " Nicholae's voice trailed off as I read on.
 "Police chief Yvonne Motoboshi... isn't that..."
 "Yeah... but dad said she was back in Jersy with mom and Mik... what the hell is she-"
 I cut him short, pointing at the screen. "Four confirmed deaths. Bush was flown immediately to the hospital..." I turned and punched the wall. "fuck!" I shouted as the others scattered. Korey came out of his trance and went with Genki.
 "Mig..." Troy said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We'll have another chance."
 "We only have one left. There's a final stop on the Peace tour before Israel." I looked over my shoulder to see Nicholae looking back at me. "Paris." I shrugged Troy's hand off me. "Get some sleep. I might need you."
 "What do you mean 'might'? You're not..."
 "I don't know yet... don't tell Genk and Kor."
 "Alright," she said, albeit reluctantly, before kissing me on the cheek.
 When she left us, I turned back and leaned on Nicholae, draping my arms over his shoulders. "Looks like we'll be paying Little Red Rifing Hood a visit then," he said.
 I rested my chin on the top of his head with a sigh. "Yep. Looks like.
 "Go to bed. You're a wreck and you're soaking my shirt."
 "Nah... I think I'll stay up a while. Well, as long as you're up anyway."
 "Don't bother," he said, suddenly cold. "Patch yourself up and get some sleep."
 I kissed the top of his head and pulled away. "Don't be up too late. You an me have a lot of work to do tomorrow." I left him sitting there, his face lit up by the screen as he typed away, every so often stopping to click to mouse.
 I went into our room, for this week anyway, and stripped down. After draping my clothes over the room's only chair, I crawled into my bed, staring across the room at the vacant one in the opposite corner as I drifted to sleep...

First Impressions

 "Who's the kid?" he asked, nodding his head to the boy in a chair atthe wall.
 "Dunno. He's been dropping by every week for the last month and a half."
 "Well do you even know why numb skull?"
 "Waiting for you or Tem to show up. He showed me a picture when he first got here. Really old one too. A clipping from when Tem wrote that damn book of his. Remember the award banquet?"
 "Oh god... don't remind me...." he muttered, trying not to recall the night that for some stupid reason Tem had about 4 vodka and bourbons, 9 coronas, and 13 martinis (shaken, not stirred)...
 "Well, it's a pic from that, before Tem had any drinks that night," he said with a snicker.
 "I am not amused..." he said, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing over the groups of three and four in sparring.
 Just then, as if suddenly waking from a trance, the kid got up, leaving his pack where it lay on the floor and crossed the dojo, walking right through about 5 of the sparring groups, who continued as if he was't even there. Amazingly, he wasnt even touched by a single flying kick or power punch.
 "Joe Sanders?" he asked when he was but a few feet from the men.
 "What do you want?" he said. Tempest gave him a ruefull look.
 "Don't be rude."
 "I'll be rude whenever the hell I want to be rude. Now who the hell are you kid?"
 The kid gave a small bow. "Nicholae Korossu Motoboshi," he said, rising back to full height and pulling out a picture, a poloroid. He handed it over immediately.
 Joe looked it over and knitted his brows. "Where did you get this?"
 "My father sent this with me to give to you and the Red One," he said.
 Joe looked over the picture more carefully. Tem was near center, holding up a small, mildly chubby, child in a cute sailor outfit. He with a grin, and the boy with a look of embarassment on his cute, chubby little cheeks. Even at one years old, the kid understood what he goes through with Tem's eccentricness every other day. Joe himself was kinda behind Tem, hands on his shoulders and a big smile.
 "Oh yeah... Hey Tempest, remember Mig's first birthday?"
 "How could I forget... the clowns..." he shuddered.
 Joe smiled and pocketed the picture. "So you're Cross's pride and joy... what are you doing on the wrong side of the coast kid?"
 He looked down at his feet. "I got in trouble..."
 "What kind of trouble..."
 "I don't want to talk about it... it's kinda...personal." He looked up with a bright smile. "But he said you and Tem-sama can complete my training for him."
 "He what? You can't tell me he trusts you two imbiciles to-"
 Joe quickly covered his mouth. "Don't mind him. He never thinks before he speaks..." He pulled Tempest away to the side. "I see your point... and I'd be more than willing to take this kid so Mig will have someone his own age besides Korey and all... but Tem's..." He glanced back over to Nicholae. "He's so freakin sick. I don't think another kid hangin around would help anything. Probably make things worse..."
 "Absolutely not. I am not taking him home with me."
 "Please man. I've never asked you for a favor in my life... any of them. Don't do it for me, do it for Tem."
 He considered this for a moment. Joe for once was right on the money. they couldn't afford any extra stress on the man than he already had. After all, it'd be a shame for him to go at such an early age and all... (Yeah... mid-thirties... early... right...) Besides... what would Mirei do in a situation like this?
 "Fine. He can crash at the farm. Only until we can figure something else out for him But he comes to you for training, just like Cross wanted."
 "Thanks man, I owe you," Joe said, clasping him on the shoulder and going back to talk to Nicholae.
 "You have no idea..."
  ----
 "Why didn't you bring him home. We do have Star's old room you know," Tem said, picking at his plate.
 "I didn't think you'd want the extra-"
 "Pish posh! I haven't seen the boy since I drove Vash back to Mile! He was only about 2 then I suppose."
 Miguel sat in silence, picking over his salad for all the cucumbers. Finding he didn't have anymore, he set the salad aside and started back on his pork chop as he listened intently to the conversation.
 "...Joe, I think I can handle watching two teenagers. I mean, what did you think I was doing when Star was younger?" he said, putting a forkfull of lettuce in his mouth.
 "Shut up and eat your chops will you..." Joe muttered as he idly stirred his coke with a straw.
 "...fine... but I won't like it..." was the reply. Miguel burst into sudden laughter at the expressions on his fathers' faces as Tem tried to eat his porkchops. Joe was slightly amused, while Tem was utterly disgusted... but doctor's orders are doctor's orders... and his doctor said he needed, nay had to, eat at least some form of meat to get his blood count back up to where it should be.
 The duo turned to look at their son then smiled and joined him in laughter until... the phone rang.
 "I'll get it!" Miguel said, jumping from his chair so hard it fell backwards. He was at the phone across the room before it hit the floor.
 joe shrugged and took a sip of his coke. "Eat," he said, looking at his husband.
 Tem stuck out his tongue playfully before making his second attempt at the porkchops.
 "You WHAT! Oh god... okay, counteract it with the neptunium compound I made. No, I'm sure it'll work... you what...." then the boy fell into a deathly silence.
 "What's going on now?" Joe asked.
 "Okay. Call Star..." he checked his watch. "He doesn't leave the lab for another hour. Uh... I dunno... tell them uh... tell them I was in a car accident with Joe. They'll be sure to let the call through then... I'll be right over, and don't mix anything else until you get ahold of my bro." He slammed the phone down and headed for the door.
 "Where are you going? And why are you bothering Astarte at work?" Tem said with a sudden sterness.
 Miguel knew he only said Astarte's full first name when he was completely serious. "Korey fucked up-"
 "Language," Tem snapped.
 Miguel let out an annoyed sigh. "He screwed up our science experament and set his dad's parrot on fire. The neptunium compound isn't counteracting the plutonium solution and now we've got a nuclear melt-down of minor scale on our hands which could result in massive radiation of his family and the farm." And with that, he ran outside and jumped on his dirtbike.
 His parents stared at one another in silence as they heard the motor speed away. Finally when there was complete silence, Joe spoke. " 'Let's get him a chemistry set for his birthday' you said... 'Of course he won't blow things up' you said... no. He won't blow it up! He'll fuckin drop a nuke on it all!"
 "Hey... who's idea was it for him to enter the science fair?" was the red heads reply right before he finally took a huge bite of his porkchop. "Speaking of which, did you watch the news today? Bush has plans for China..."

Worries

 "Isha Kinzu!" he shouted sending an energy blast to block the barrage of blades. The two forced collided and negated each other, leaving the brunette and the blue-red haired ones standing across the beach from one another, staring down and ready to strike.
 At once they sprung, both crashing into one another with fists flying. Their movements seemed a blur to the two men watching from the deck above.
 "He's made progress."
 "Yeah. Mig's been real tough on him, trying to catch him up to his level. how did things go with your treatment today?"
 "The usual," he replied, leaning forward on the rail with a sigh. "I got yet again the lecture of having a less active lifestyle."
 "You really should take it easy though Tem. You're pushing yourself too hard. Keep it up and you'll fall flat on your face," Joe said, slipping his arms around his waist from behind as he rested his head on his shoulder, both of them watching the boys on the beach.
 "You worry too much..." he said with a yawn. He'd been up only four hours and already he was exhausted again, but he didn't let his wearieness get the best of him. "Nicky! Mig! That's enough for today! Come on back up and rest a while before we go!"
 They stopped in mid-attack/defence. Mig being held up by his ankles with the nails of one hand driven straight through Nicholae's arm while Nicholae had his boot inches away from Miguel's head, ready to stomp his brains out.
 "Where we going Tem-sama!" Nicholae shouted, not even batting an eye when Miguel pulled his nails out of him.
 "Little Tempy's birthday party remember!" Tem called down.
 "That kid feel no pain..." Joe said in astonishment.
 "Yeah, he does... but he's too much like his father... which is sometimes not a good thing," he said, pulling away from him and going inside. "I'm going to lie down. Wake me an hour before we go so I can get a shower and change."
 Joe followed him and took him by the arm. "Tem, you don't have to come tonight. Everyone will understand..."
 "...I'm going. I'm not an invalid Joe," he said coldly, shrugging him off. "Not yet." He slipped quickly into the house as the kids bounded the final stairs. Once he was in the hall, he put his hand up on the wall to brace himself, shutting his eyes tightly and gasping. "Bed... must get to bed..." he muttered, feeling his way down the hall to his bedroom.
 Joe however, didn't see any of this. He was busily tryong to wrap Nicholae's arm to stop the bleeding. "What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed kid?"
 "No. I'm just doing what you said to do."
 Joe sighed. "If Mig was half as obedient as you, he'd be 6 feet under by now..." He shook his head and rose to his feet. "Get inside and go freshen up."
 They started for the door, laughing their asses off as they raced. "Hey! Be quiet, your dad's trying to sleep."
 "Yes sir..." Miguel said and grabbed Nicholae's good arm.
 The crept into his room quietly, Nicholae sitting in his computer chair. "Dude... what's his deal?"
 He shut the door and ran a hand through his hair before going to his closet, tossing clothes over his shoulder. "I don't wanna talk about it..."
 "Whatever..." his friend replied, turning to the computer. He didn't touch it and the jungle screensaver went away. When Miguel looked up, he saw Nicholae just sitting there staring at the screen, his hands on his lap, and the mouse pointing and clicking various things...
 "What the hell..."
 "Not now. I'm having a quick swim in the Ocean."
 "Dude... it's outside."
 "Mig, shush. I'm concentrating." The boy's brows knitted together when a parental control screen came up, barring his access. "Like hell..." he muttered. suddenly it dissapeared and was replaced by a giant picture of a woman getting buttfucked by a donkey.
 "Nicholae!" Miguel shouted.
 "What? Never seen beastiality before?"
 Miguel blinked a few times as various pictures and windows opened on the screen without either of them touching the computer.
 "God that's hot..." Nicholae said suddenly, leaning closer to the screen.
 "Man, what are you doing, I'm gonna be in so much trouble! Pop's is gonna check the AOL Guardian and-"
 "Don't worry, I turned it off. All it's going to say is that you went to your normal chats and whatever. Trust me...."
 "But-"
 "Shut up and be a man Mi-" he started when suddenly an instant message popped up. "Hey... who's this 'Ubersexeh Gael'?" he asked, checking her profile. He raised a brow where it said 'kawaii miggy' next to Marital Status.
 "Don't talk to her."
 "Why? She your girlfriend?"
 "Something like that... now get off the computer."
 "Or you'll what? Take my toys?" he laughed, for once putting his hands on the keyboard.
 Instantly Miguel tackled him to the ground, slamming the chair to the floor. Pinning him to the carpet with his knees, he started punching him in the face. "You sick sombitch. I oughta kill you..."
 Nicholae grinned, looking up at him with his bloodied nose and busted lip. "Yeah... but you won't."
 "Give me one good reason..." he said, raisibg his arm again to land another punch.
 Nicholae's smile dissapeared. "You don't have what it takes to kill anyone..." he said coldly. "Fine. I'll leave your stuff alone okay..."
 The two stared at each other for a long time before the computer screen went blank and the computer itself turned off of it's own accord. "You can't tell me those pic didn't make you randy."
 "Whatever..." Miguel muttered, getting off him and grabbing a pair of jeans and a nice shirt from the floor. "I'm gettin a shower... don't touch anything. Go play playstation or somethin."
 "Aye aye cap'in," Nicholae said with a smile as he pulled himself up from the floor. "But I'd rather nap a while." And he threw himself on the bed against the wall, turning his back to the door and staring out the window at the beach.
 "See ya in an hour or so 'kawaii miggy'," he laughed.
 Miguel shook his head and shut the door, passing Joe in the hall carrying a glass of water and a bottle of pills back to his room. "Hey, can you take these to Tem for me. I'm sort of in the middle of something..."
 "Yeah... sure..."
 "Thanks Mig," he said. The boy dropped his things in the bathroom and grabbed the water and pills, going back to their room and going in.
 "Dad, med time," he said, setting the glass on the nightstand on his dad's side of the big bed. The red head rolled over with a warm smile as he watched his son shake out four pills. "Here."
 Tem took them with a sigh, then popped all four in his mouth and swallowed, following up with half the glass. Miguel set the closed bottle next to the glass and helped him with the covers. "you're looking better today."
 "Understatement of the millenia..." Tem muttered, closing his eyes again.
 "No dad, I mean it. You do." Positive thoughts, yes, positive thoughts in a hopeless situation. He leaned forward and kissed him on the forhead. "Sleep tight dad."
 "Thanks Mig..." he said, drifting back to sleep.
 The boy left only when he heard the light snoring of deep sleep. He brushed blood colored locks from his father's face before going to the door. When he was in the hall and had the door closed, he looked up to notice Nicholae looking at him, not mockingly, nor was it even spitefull... it was more like a worried expression.
 "I'm sorry man... I didn't know..."
 "You didn't need to," Miguel said coldly, slipping into the bathroom and closing the door.
 Nicholae went to the spare room to lie down. He didn't sleep like he'd intended. Instead he let the blue coding consume his view of the ceiling as he slipped back into the depths of the Ocean.

Panic

 "C'mon bro. Get up."
 "Huh? It's not even time for class yet..."
 "Dude... Tem's been taken to the hospital."
 Miguel lept from the bed, snatching a pair of white briefs up off the floor. "When! Why!" he exclaimed, throwing on some clothes.
 "About an hour ago. Joe just called to tell us. He said to go to your uncle Sei's straight away," Nicholae said, grabbing up his shoes and tossing them to him.
 Miguel didn't even bother to tie them, tucking the laces in beside his foot. "Like hell I will. Which hospital?"
 "He didn't say. Mig, just come with me to Sei's."
 "No. I'm going to my dad. He needs me."
 Nicholae grabbed his arm before he could leave the room. "Mig, Joe told us-"
 "I don't give a damn what pops said. Now let go of me," he growled. Instantly his friend let him go, and chased him down the hall. "Then I'm coming with you. I don't want you doing anything stupid."
 "Why do you care?" he snapped as they came into the living room. He stopped by the front door long enough to grab his keys out of a drawer.
 Nicholae didn't answer, just followed him outside, locking the door behind him as he had to run to catch up. He jumped on the back of the dirtbike behind him. "Because I just do okay. You got your phone on you?"
 "No. No time."
 "Fine... I'll hack my way around the Ocean and see if I can find which one. I know they took him off the island, so head for the ferrt up on Jasmine Ave... and make sure I don't fall. I gotta concentrate really hard on this..."
 "Alright man," he said as Nicholae slipped his arms around, locking his hands tightly on his own wrists.
 He cranked up the engine and sped out of the yard, heading north to the ferry station.
 It wasn't until they hit mainland when Nicholae had the location of the hospital.
 "St. Benjimin's up in Gilroy county... let me drive, i know how to get there."
 They boarded the dirtbike again at the station. "How do you do that?"
 "Do what?" Nicholae asked.
 "That thing... the Ocean?"
 "It's a required thing on the east coast, especially around DC and New England. Couldn't attend school without it."
 "Why?"
 "Hell if I know..." he reved up the engine, concentrating once more as the blue code clouded his vision. Then suddenly it was as if his eyes turned into two mini-screens and a map was laid out for him with a yellow dot on the end of a long blue line. "Okay, got it."
 "Lets go," Miguel said as they sped off.
  ----
 Three days earlier they'd been at Mirei's. It was Miguel's 13th birthday. The kid skipped his classes at the university that day. Now, on Friday, Joe was pacing the floor in the hall when two young boys ran up to him panting.
 "Why the-... nevermind. Just go to Seijin and Gem's."
 "But pops!"
 "I tried to tell him Joe-sama. I did. But-"
 "It's too late now. We're here and we're not leaving... at least, I'm not."
 Joe looked over the two and drew in a deep breath. "Guys... you're not needed here..."
 "Pops... what happened to dad?"
 He didn't answer, even as Mirei came quietly out of the room. "...The doctor said he's..." She stopped short when she saw the two boys staring expectantly at her.
 She tore her blue gaze away from them and pulled Joe to the side. Miguel tried to listen in, but all it sounded like to him was a series of grunts, groans, and growls.
 "Nicky... downlaod that language."
 "I'm trying... but it's not... I can't find a match besides Draconic... and that's definately not it. Otherwise you'd know it already. Suddenly Mirei threw herself into Joe's arms sobbing.
 Miguel couldn't stand the sight of the two crying together, it unnerved him, especially since he didn't know what was going on... He slipped into the room, telling Nicholae to wait in the hall for him.
 What he saw was more horrifying to him than any nightmare he'd ever had.
 His father lay in the bed, slightly propped up with a breathing mask over his mouth, his cheeks sunken and his bronzed skin a slight sallow yellow tinted. Thin, near emacipated arms lay still over the white blanket as a doctor stood before a set of machines, making notations on a chart as a nurse was checking vitals.
 He put a hand over his mouth to keep from vomiting as another nurse drew tube upon tube of blood through an IV. None seemed to notice him but those large, lavender-blue eyes that stared out almost blankly from that unrecognizable face.
 "No..." was all he could manage to say as one skinny finger on one fragile hand on one bony arm lifted to point at him, letting the boy know that he saw him there.
 One of the nurses noticed this and put his arm down. "Get that boy out of here!" she shouted. Instantly Mirei was there, pulling him from the scene.
 "What the hell do you think you were doing in there!" Joe shouted at him when the door was closed.
 "I wanted to see him!" Miguel exclaimed.
 "Mirei... take them with you..."
 "I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna stay right here with you and dad."
 They stared each other down for a long, breathtaking moment before Joe, finally conceeded as the doctor and nurses left the room. The nurses continued on down the hall.
 "Mr. Sanders," the doctor started, pulling Joe off away from everyone else's earshot.
 "Mr. Sanders... I'm afraid the treatment this past year only delayed the inevitable..."
 "What are you saying? He's-"
 "It's spread too far. We can take out the lung, but it's only a matter of a month, maybe two, before we'll have to take out the other and put Temmothy in-"
 "The Iron Lung..." Joe finished for him.
 "Yes. I called up for some bloodwork, but I can tell you now that he's beyonf the point where we can just give him a transplant."
 "So he's just going to lay there and die then. That's what your trying to say isn't it."
 The doctor tried to control his expression as best he could, but failed. "I'm sorry Mr. Sanders. There is nothing that can be done. Not unless God suddenly decides to get off his ass and perform a miracle..."
 Joe briefly glanced down the hall to his son and Mirei; one shocked and trying to hide it and the other sitting in a chair wailing as if her own child had just been struck dead.
 He drew a deep breath. "How long does he have?"
 "My best judgement would say he won't last the month... but we won't know for sure until the test results come in." He put a hand on Joe's shoulder. "I'm sorry, bad news always comes to the good ones..." He too caught sight of Miguel. "That your son?"
 Joe nodded, then slowly answered. "Yeah... looks so much like his mom."
 "...he looks nothing like..." he started, looking at the weeping woman.
 At this, Joe was able to smile for the first time all day. "Of course not. His mom's in there on the bed," he replied, going back to them, leaving the bewildered doctor trying to figure out how a man could give birth without his brain exploding and shattering the skull from just the intensity of the pain.

Assassins Hideaway

 Nicholae was the only one to come with me to Paris. We left in the dead of night two days after the assassinations. Now we prowled Paris by night, waiting. It wouldn't be until next month when Bush would come, his last stop before Israel. This was our last chance to get him before he had a chance to do, unknowingly, his unholy duty to the devil himself.
 At the moment, we sat in my fathers' appartment in the small town of Charle (pronounced sharl). We only got here about 30 minutes ago with the spare key card dad had sent me after they settled in.) Tem was out, doing the week's shopping in the town's open market. Joe had just come in from work and was in the shower (not that either of us saw him come in. We only heard him drop his hard hat and tool belt in the hall.) He worked construction, a site supervisor. Not the best of jobs, but it payed well and helped them keep their cover.
 Tem worked at the new Greek Embassy as a translator. It seemed when Greece put one here, they couldn't find many of theor own people who spoke French. And the French couldn't find many people who spoke Greek... which was perfect for my dad, a master linguist (like almost all his closest friends and relatives).
 "God... what's that smell?" Nicholae said suddenly.
 "Just pops's hair dye... you get used to it after a while..." I muttered, working on the laptop.
 "Geeze Joe-sama! You look like you haven't aged a day past 20!" Nicholae suddenly exclaimed.
 "Don't tell him that, he still think's he's 40..." I muttered.
 "Thanks Nicky," Joe said with a smile, slipping on a white dress shirt, but not bothering to button it up.
 "I said don't encoura..." I turned around and my jaw dropped. "It has to be the dye... it has to be..."
 ".....Don't you two even read anymore...." Joe muttered, shaking his head with a sigh before plopping on the couch and picking up the remote.
 "....." I opened my mouth to say something then promptly shut it again, turning in disbelief back to the computer.
 "How did you-" Nicholae started.
 "Go read a book of fairy tales and figure it out. I'm trying to watch TV..." he said, flipping channels.
 The front door slammed and something made a thud on the floor. "Koibito! I'm home!" he called, strangly too happy for my taste.
 "In here babe! We have visitors!" Joe called, not moving from his place on the couch. "Would one of you get me a beer?" he said as my dad came through the living room door from the hall.
 "OHMYGOD!" Nicholae shouted. I turned around.
 "Will you ever shut up! How am I supposed to get any work done with you shouting like that! Go get pops a beer and be qui-" I cut off quickly when my dad shot me a glare.
 "You young man need to learn some manners," he said grinning.
 I sat, staring at this younger man, wait... he's olderm of course, but damn! He looked WAY too young to be the man I waved to at the airport 5 years ago!
 He slipped off his coat and threw it over the back of a chair. "...the least you two could have done was call to let me know. I would have cleaned the place up and got the spare room ready," he said, putting his hands on his hips.
 "I...don't want to know...." I finally said, blinking three times, then turning back to my work, rather disturbed.
 "Tem-sama!" Nicholae shouted, running over and giving him a hug. I shook my head and tried to ignore them so I could dive back in the Ocean... but it just wasn't happening.
 "Looks like we won't make it for our reservations tonight babe," Joe said, still watching TV.
 "Looks like... and I was supposed to be meeting with Mr. Sylvana tonight too..." he sighed and pulled away from Nicholae's death cling, loosening his tie and plopping down beside his husband. "Anything good on tonight?"
 "Is there ever?"
 "Guess we'll just watch porn...again... want me to get the popcorn?"
 "Nah... I'll get it. The only ones on tonight are ones we've seen anyway..."
 Nicholae pulled his chair next to me and stared at the screen, instantly blanking out into the Ocean.
 Sometimes, I envied him for his one-track mind...
  ----
 "So you wanna know how we did it eh?" he said, looking up from his laptop briefly. "It's actually really simple if you think about it."
 "Dad, i'm not up for a guessing game."
 "I know. But, okay, here's what happened. Me and your father went on vacation a few years ago and stumbled upon this village in the Congo where at the time they were having a celebration. Of course, these people were like 'Whoa! White dudes! Party!' and invited us to join... this was after of course they heard us speaking their language, which even to me is still suprising how a civilization like them could preseve Draconics in a way that was near perfect. Anywho... all the old people were jumping off this waterfall in the jungle and one of the village elders (called so only because he was very wise, not old) told us why.
 "And I was like 'Koi, we should jump off! We're old! It'll work! See those people down there! Man, he's hot-' "
 "Dad...."

"Oh... right. Well, I jumped off the waterfall, dragging him with me obviously and voila! Here we are as you see us today! Two hot young bucks in their prime again."
 I shook my head with a sigh and lifted my bottle to my lips. "So you stumbled across the Fountain of Youth..."
 "Nope. That's in Wakaiwa Falls State Park in central Florida. What we found was a waterfal of perpetual youth. As long as we go back every few decades and jump off again, we could live forever."
 "Can't you two already do that? Well... you at least. I mean, you're a mythilogical being and all. Just wave your hand and boom."
 "Yeah... I could if not for one thing... This body wasn't built for that." He shrugged. "Me, Mirei, your father, and Tempest were all given our original mortal bodies and such. Don't make me go into this again..."
 "Then why don't you just die and get another one?" I muttered.
 "Because I like this one. It's proven to be pretty durable when the occasion calls. Besides, there's no telling how ugly I might turn out in the next one."
 Nicholae sat to the side of us, listening to all this while trying to figure out what the hell we were saying.
 "It's your grandfather's fault really. I mean, not equipping any of us with our full potentials. I'd have to go back to Hades to get that accomplished, and I don't think my nerves can deal with 'that' mess any time in the next century..."
 "You're an idiot," I said.
 "I've been saying that for years. You're just now catching on?" Joe said, coming into the room. I hadn't even heard him come in. "Get that data yet? Mirei's been nagging me for it all day..."
 "That's why your phone was off..." my dad grumbled. "Yeah... almost. Just lemme forward it to her then I'll be ready to go."
 "Where you going?" I asked as he went right back to work on the laptop.
 "Well... since you two little kids decided to drop by so unexpectedly... we had to postpone our anniversary dinner a few days..."
 "Oh... sorry about that..." I said as he rose from his chair.
 "I'm filthy... take your time babe, I gotta shower," Joe said, stopping to kiss him on the top of the head.
 Tem grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into a sloppy openmouthed kiss that lasted 5 minuets (judging from my wristwatch). "God... Nicholae... if we wever get like that when we're their age... shoot me," I said, rising from my chair.
 Nicholae gave me a puzzled look then an annoyed glare as I left the room for the spare one. Rest; rest and a dip in the Ocean was all I needed.
 I was just settling in when the lock clicked and the bed shifted, arms coming to wrap around me as his head nestled in the juncture of my neck and shoulder. Instictively my hand came up to stroke that long brown hair, even as the Oceanic Code took over.
 I felt his lips on my skin as I swam in cyberspace; my mind speeding through tunnels of information faster than the speed of light. "Nicky, no," I said but it's like he didn't hear me... then I saw why. I stopped floating when I passed him in the Ocean, and I turned to him while he turned to me.
 We'd never met in this world before; it was always so vast that we lost one another. His long brown hair in this place was an off blue like mine, like all the pseudobodies in the ocean, but it was him alright.
 And in this tunnel, burried deep within the information bank of some place out there jacked into the internet, our minds crashed together in bliss as in the real world our bodies, our shells used their hands to explore while hormones surged uncontrollably.
 For me, this was just sex...

Jacked In

 He stood at the bedside, looking down on the emacipated figure there, kept alive only by the will of the different machines that were plugged into the wall.
 His father didn't know he was there, as a matter of fact he thought the boy was at home crash studying with Nicholae and Korey. Joe was out of town, tending to business that otherwise should have been Tem's responsibility.
 His hands gripped the bedrail so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Korey sat in a chair beside him, a book in hand while Nicholae was in the corner, tranced out to the Ocean again.
 "I'm in," he said suddenly, then his voice went to monotone as Miguel sighed, his dad's eyes opening only a little and a crimson smile forminf beneath the transparent mask.
 " 'What are you doing here?' " he said through Nicholae, who'd hacked his way into Tem's microchip burried in his brain.
 The boy wanted to cry then, but forced his tears back. "I'm worried about you."
 " 'Where's your father? Shouldn't he be here too?' "
 "He's in Atlanta for the weekend," Miguel said with a smile. Korey looked up, wholly amazed at the whole situatuation.
 " 'Oh... well... what day is it?' "
 "Saturday, March 30th," he replied.
 " 'God... how long have I been in here?' "
 "Almost 2 months. You lived longer than the doctor said you would," he said, the tears finally coming to his eyes. "Star and Lexi came by earlier and-"
 " 'I know.' " One of Tem's hands rose, and his face contored in a mask of temendous effort doing it. But, he managed to lay his hand over one of his son's on the rail. " 'Don't worry so much about me. I'll be fine.' "
 "No you won't. You're going to die and leave me and pops," he said, the tears gushing now, dripping onto their hands.
 It was then Tem gave a weak smle, conveying all the warmth in it he could muster. " 'Not if Star can help it. Don't worry, he's working around the clock on this. I'll be home and running around with you two in no time again.' "
 "What do you mean? The doctor said-"
 " 'The doctor doesn't know anything... after all, he said I should have already been dead right? Your brother will find it, I know he will.' "
 "How can you be so sure?"
 " 'Because Miggy, that's all that's keeping me alive now. My hope.' "
 His hand slid back down to the bed and his eyes closed. " 'I need my rest. You boys get back home and get some sleep too.' "
 "But dad!" Miguel exclaimed as slowly the smile on his father's face faded.
 " 'If I die now. At least I'll know you'll be taken care for. I'll be happy in the end.' "
 "Daddy..." Miguel cried, breaking down completely.
 Nicholae rose from his seat in the corner. "He shoved me out the backdoor and locked it behind him," he said, pulling the blue and red haired boy into a tight embrace. "He told me he's glad you came."
 "...daddy...my daddy..." he said softly, laying his head on his friend's shoulder.
 "Sh.... have faith. He'll get better, just wait and see."
 "How do you know?"
 "He showed me Astarte's database at the lab. He's been keeping close tabs on his research... and has been for a year now... Star's so close... He's almost got the key."
 "To what?" Korey asked.
 It was a long moment before Nicholae answered. "The Cure," he said finally. At this, Miguel was stunned and even his sobs went deathly silent. "Come on guys... we'd best be heading back before someone finds out we're here."
 Korey nodded and put his book back in his pack, slinging it on his shoulders as Nicholae led Miguel from the room.
  ----
 A week had passed, and Miguel had been to the hospital every day with his father to see him. Mirei had come by once or twice with Tempest, but neither of them stayed long. The sight of their dearest friend seemed to bring too much grief, especially to the blonde sisterly one.
 It was in that same week Astarte and his fiance Alexia had dropped by twice. Once to give the man something in a vial, and another in a test tube.
 They of course, had done this without the hospital's knowledge, not wanting to deal with the fuss of people thinking they were trying to just kill the man in the bed.
 After two weeks, Joe received a call, verrily unexpected by all save the three boys, and Astarte and Alexia of course.
 Joe dropped the phone, staring blankly at the wall as Nicholae, Korey, Miguel, and Astarte looked up from their various books/papers atthe kitchen table.
 "What's the matter?" Miguel asked, setting down his college English book.
 "They took Tem off the machines..."
 "But... wasn't that all keeping him alive?" Korey asked innocently.
 Joe nodded, finally looking at the quartet. "He's breathing on his own again."
 Astarte's crimson lips smiled as the three boys looked at him, knowing the reason for his smile... Joe gave him a queer look of confusion.
 "Race you to the car!" Miguel shouted, jumping from his chair. The other two chased after him out the door.
 "C'mon Joe. We'll take mine. You're in no shape to be driving right now." Astarte rose, pulling his keys from his pocket before picking up the phone. "Thank you for calling. We'll be there as soon as we can."
 He hung up, then led the very stunned Joe to the door.

Homecomming

 "WOO! Par-tay!" Astarte shouted, opening a bottle of champange, laughing as the cork almost smacked his younger brother in the back of the head. The bottle fizzled and foamed as he started to pour it into a row of glasses at the bar.
 Music was blasting out of the speakers as Tempest was chasing his grandson around to try and get the crab he was trying to scare everyone with away from him. Nicholae and Miguel were at the rail passing jokes and laughing wildly as Korey had secluded himself in a corner with chairs and stools to hide away from the world with his textbooks. Always the studious one that Korey.
 Joe was at the grill while Mirei was keeping a still weak and wheelchair bound Tem company at a nearby table. Alexia wandered around, mingling with the various other guests... Tem's brother Sei and his new boyfriend Rune, their cousin Andrei and his new fiance Denise. A sunblock drenched vampire Ghaila with Tem's old friend Issa (who like the vampire didn't seem to age a day!). Tem's old sweetheart Dagger, with his cohorts Gil (Sei's ex), Beirez, and Feldeta (who kept twitching every time little Tempest came near with the crab). And of course a few childhood friends of Astarte and Alexia themselves. As well as countless others.
 Then there was...the crash of the front door, followed by a girl running through the house and out the back door with an armload of boxes.
 "Come back with my doughnuts!!!!" he screamed as he ran out to the deck, his wife crashing into him from behind.
 "Troy!!!! Gimme the doughnuts or I'll be forced to ground you from the computer and phone.... AGAIN!"
 At this point, everyone was silent and stared at the trio: Troy with the boxes of doughnuts, the bottle blonde Vicky from Missing Mile... and Vash the Stampede, ready to tackle the girl for the boxes of his precious doughnuts.
 Suddenly, Tem pushed away from the table and wheeled his way over to sit beside where Troy stood. "Late as usual aren't we Vash?"
 "Yeah yeah... talk to you in a minute...." he said, focusing his gaze on Troy. "Hand over the boxes and nobody gets hurt."
 "Gotta catch me first old man!" she shouted with glee before taking flight down the stairs to the beach. And of course, Vash took off after her and sound resumed on the deck.
 "....god.... They've been like this all day... We get invited over for one party and they go nuts..." Vicky said, pulling a flask out of her purse.
 Tem smiled, still laughing as shouts and giggles came from the beach below. "Well... it's good to see you again to Vicky."
 She smiled after taking a swig from the flask and screwing the cap back on. "Thank heavens you're still kickin... for the most part. Vash was falling apart worrying about you," she said, pulling a chair over to Mirei's table. Tem wheeled himself back over and the trio instantly fell into conversation.
 Joe burnt himself by accident, paying more attention to Vash and Troy than to the food. Little Tempest, suddenly stricken with an idea, went down to the beach... now chasing his grandfather with the crab. Alexia had fallen to the floor laughing, grabbing onto a chair leg for support.
 Astarte tried to ignore all of this as he passed out glasses of champagne to everyone (well... everyone who didn't eat humans or drink blood. To these he merely said "I don't have any blood or pieces of human. Sorry.")
 "So..." Nicholae said, finally laughed out. He was leaning on the rail with a bottle of root beer in hand. "That's your girlfriend huh?"
 "What?"
 "Your girlfriend... you know... that girl you stay up late talking to online..."
 "Yeah..." he said with a sigh, looking down at her with a kind of happy smile.
 "She's prettier than I thought she'd be. Looks a lot like Vash though," he said, taking a swig.
 "Well... the girl is part plant."
 "She's what?..."
 "Part plant. Vash is a walking talking dougnut loving veggie. I thought you knew that."
 "Nope... not a clue... really weird though... how could a plant and a human..."
 "If you can figure out how a man can give birth to a kid without using any science or cloning, I'll tell you how a plant can be the father of a half human girl," he said with a smirk, draining his bottle of diet coke.
 The day passed into evening, then to dusk. All ate happily (albeit Tem reluctantly ate half a steak, thinking yet again of the poor cow who had to die for it) and those who didn't eat just made merry with the entire day and so forth.
 The lanterns were lit, and the party went well into the night. Around 10 or so, Mirei made a toast.
 "Ahem... okay..." she said, but got no one's attention.
 "AHEM!"
 Still no response.
 "Imooto... let me handle this..." Tem said before smiling and shouting. "IF NONE OF YOU PAY ATTENTION I'LL THROW MYSELF OVER THE EDGE AND BREAK MY FUCKIN NECK!"
 At this, everyone turned, wide eyed and speachless to Tem, who grinned even more as Mirei cast him the stink eye. "There. See. That got everyone's attention."
 "That was uncalled for Oniisan..." she muttered, then raised her glass. "Anyway... aside from that little outburst! I'd like to make a toast! To Tem for not dying on us. To Joe for taking care of everyone in his absence. To Miguel, Nicholae, and my son Korey for sticking by Tem's side against everyone's orders. And finally, to my daughter Alexia and Tem's son Astarte."
 At this the duo looked up from their laptops (yes... they brought work with them... everywhere.) They blushed and waved their hands embarassedly.
 "For working round the clock and finding a cure for my Oniisan. If it weren't for you two, we'd all be at a funeral right now instead of drinking ourself into oblivion."
 Everyone raised a glass in apreciation for all mentioned (even those who drank nothing raised at least an empty one.) Astarte and Alexia blushed even more as they tried to focus on their laptops. Joe bent down and gave Tem a kiss on the cheek, still rather thin from his long battle. Nicholae and Miguel just started craching jokes and laughing again as Korey once more secluded himself with his books in the corner, this time equipped with a flashlight on a headband.
 Little Tempest was alseep under the table his parents sat at. Mirei's Tempest was grabbing up dishes and taking them into the house with Sei and Rune. Everyone else sat on their bums for a while longer, then started wandering home... except Vash, Troy, and Vicky... who'd driven all the way from Missing Mile to stay the week.
 When everyone went to bed, Nicholae and Miguel were still up doing the dishes while Troy played FF7 on the PSX. Yes... a classic, but nevertheless one of the best games of all time.
 "So... are we camping out in the living room while she takes over your room?" Nicholae said. He'd already had to give up his bed for Vicky and Vash. He put the last of the dishes in the cabinets.
 "No way. She gets the futon."
 "Harsh. I thought she was your girl man..."
 "I give up my bed for no one," Miguel replied, letting the water out of the sink. They had a dishwasher... but it always left spots on the dishes... and when there's spots on the dishes... Tem always went postal, sick or not. He wiped his hands on his jeans as his friend tossed the drying towel onto the counter.
 "You'd give up your bed for me," he said with a grin.
 "Like hell. You're sleeping in the floor."
 "Yeah yeah..." Nicholae said as they went to the living room to plop on the couch, watching Troy as she sat in the floor playing the game.
 "Stupid.... gr...... Evil Sephiroth bishie man! Why won't you die!" She threw the controller at the TV, of course the picture dissapeared and black smoke started rising from the back.
 "Great... now we have to get a new one... my dads are going to kill me..."
 "Just blame it on the girl. That's all their good for anyway," Nicholae said. And as the words left his mouth Troy took a flying leap into the air and landed on his lap, pinning him to the couch with a death grip of doom.
 "Wanna say that again little boy?" she said with a deep southern accent and the look of death in her eyes as she squeezed his arms harder, digging into his skin with her bright sunny yellow painted fingernails... which were actually normal nails and nothing like Miguel's or Joe's... she just knew how to use a death grip really good.
 "Uh.... uhm.... no. No. Sorry I said it. Please don't kill me."
 "I should. But I don't wanna get blood on uncle Temmy's carpet. Papa says he don't like that." She gave a grin that made her look even more like Vash before letting go and scooting herself over to Miguel's lap.
 "You never did send me a picture pretty boy. Care to tell me why?"
 "Uh.... my scanner broke?"
 "No it didn't. Uncle Joe was sending all kinds of pictures of you when you were a baby over to Papa and Ma."
 "Uhm.... I didn't have the time. My classes are always in the way?"
 "Always with the classes... god. You have an excuse for everything don't you?" She grinned, wiggling in his lap. "Care to have one for that thing pokin me too? Or are ya just happy to see me?"
 Nicholae snickered and got up. "I'm gonna go take a shower while you two... get aquainted."
 "Oh no you're not. You're stayin right here. You make a good leg prop." And with that she grabbed his arm when he went past and threw him back down on the couch, putting her bare feet, which looked realy good as far as feet go, in his lap.
 "Oh joy..." he said as it was Miguel's turn to snicker.
 "Okay. Now then. Who are you?"
 "That's Nicky."
 "OH! Uncle Cross told me 'bout you! You're the creepy one with the chip in his head ain't 'cha?"
 Nicholae blushed and nodded.
 She narrowed her eyes then and glared at him. "I thought so... you haven't been doin anythin funny to my Miggy have you? If you have I swear I'll clobber ya so hard your pappy will feel it all the way in Jersey."
 Miguel blinked in suprise at her, then slowly turned his head to his friend, who turned even brighter red and pushed her feet from his lap. "I really need that shower now... got school in the morning..."
 Troy watched him, narrow eyed, until he dissapeared down the hall. When he was gone, she turned her full attention back to Miguel. "What, why are you looking at me like that?"
 "What the hell was that about?"
 "Oh... you don't know? I thought you knew?"
 "Knew what?" he asked.
 "Why uncle Cross really sent him all the way out here... he figured uncle Temmy and Joe could handle it better than him and auntie Kaku could, being that they know just about everything about being g-"
 He stood up, dumping the girl into the floor with a thud.
 "Hey! What was that for!" she said, her short shorts riding up her thighs a little too high and her Care Bears tank top coming up to expose her flat belly.
 "I've got an early class tomorrow. I gotta get to bed," he said calmly, trying not to smack her for embarassing his best friend the way she did.
 He went straight for his room and changed into his pajamas. Then he crawled under the covers, scooting as close to the wall as possible as he listened to the sound of running water across the hall. Fifteen minutes later he heard Nicholae sneak into the room, filling it with the scent of fresh soap. He listened as his friend pulled the sleeping bag out of the closet and rolled it out on the floor.
 "Don't worry about it... we'll get her back tomorrow after you get home from school," he said.
 "I thought you were asleep."
 "Nope... just waitin for you bro," he said and rolled over, scooting to the edge of the bed, his eyes already adjusted to the dark. He watched Nicholae's form slide into the sleeping bag and turn on it's side. "Hey, did you tape today's episode of King of the Hill for me?"
 "Yeah. You shoulda seen it man. Bobby, Connie and Joseph told Dale an asteroid was coming straight for the earth and then Peggy told Luanne..."
 The two talked until Nicholae had talked himself to sleep. Miguel just lay there staring at him for a while before finally rolling over and going to sleep himself.
 Troy had crept to the door to listen, but found the conversation absolutely boring and went back to the futon, turning out the lamp and laying down.
 Her parents on the other hand, had woken up at the sound of the thud and instantly started a romp in the bed like two wild animals...
 And of course Tem was still up with his glasses on, pounding away at the keys of his laptop, fine tuning his book of history and important events of the world as well as anything else he could recall from his overloaded memory. Joe was dead asleep, snoring away beside him, so drunk that once he hit the bed, he was out cold for the night.
 Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

Why the Hell did I even Write this Part? Gotta Name it Later.

 Miguel pulled up in the yard, noticing a strange red sportscar in the driveway, parked behind his father's black Diablo. He put the kickstand down and went inside, slinging his bookbag into the usual corner behind the recliner as he went to the kitchen for a snack.
 "What are you doing home so early?" his dad asked, wheeling out from the hall. Over the past few days his strength had been returning at an amazing rate, but his legs weren't sutrdy enough to hold him up wuite yet.
 "Classes were canceled over in Jamison Hall. Some moron called in a bomb threat and half the university was put on lockdown."
 "Isn't that where Star's lab is?"
 "Yeah? And?" he said, popping open a can of diet coke. "So he can't get out of the building for a while... like he was going to anyway. Lex usually has to bride him with sex and food to tear him away from that place long enough to eat and sleep."
 "I see... well... lets just hope it's a false alarm..." he said.
 "Who's car is in the driveway?"
 "Mine. You like it?"
 "Uh... red?"
 "So I'm going through an early mid-life crisis. I think I deserve one after what I've been through." He grinned and went to the counter, grabbing a box of granolia bars and taking two out.
 "Where's Troy and her parents?"
 "Out. Vash wanted to take them sight seeing. It's there first time on the island."
 "Not a lot to see here... just trees, sand, and more sand..." Miguel muttered, sitting at the table. "I wish she hadn't broken the TV..."
 "Oh... Tryo did it? She said it was Nicky... now I fel bad about giving him the extra chores..." He shrugged and tore open one of the bars, taking a large bite of it. "Anyway... since your father's out, mind helpin me with my physical?"
 "Sure... get in the recliner and I'll be ri-"
 And then the door burst open. "WE'RE BACK!" she called, dumping her bags in the recliner that Tem had halfway rolled over to. He cursed under his breath as Kakurine and Vash came through the door, their arms piled high with boxes... so many in fact that together they resembled two walking groaning and grunting towers of boxes... much like Tem had looked a few christmases back when he was on that sudden shopping binge.
 "Hey Miggy sweetie! Look what I found!" Troy instantly pulled a box from one of her bags and tore it open as Miguel leaned on the back of his dad's wheelchair.
 He dropped his coke in his lap in a sudden shock and horror at what she held up... no.... it couldn't be.....the Outfit...
 "Now I can dress you up like a sailor just like uncle Temmy did in that picture he sent papa!"
 "Arrrgh!!!!" he kinda shouted groaned and grunted as he instnatly took off for the door to the deck. He was up and over the rail before she could drop the suit and chase after him.
 "......he threw his coke in my lap....."
 Vash set down the boxes and clamped a hand on Tem's shoulder. "Tem... I never thought I'd have a chance to say this but.... 500 bucks says Troy can whip his ass."
 His eyetwitched as Vicky slipped into the back bedroom to grab a clean pair of pants for Tem, as well as sneak a drink frm her flask. "Men... they're all imbiciles..." she muttered just before Tem wheeled into the room.
 "Thanks Vicky," he said brightly. "Now... can you help me put them on?" he asked, his face slwoly turning three shades brighter than his hair.
 Outside, Troy stood with her thin, willowy body ready to spring, and Miguel was trapped. If he ran, she'd run after him. If he hit her and ran, she'd catch him and kick his ass.
 There was nowhere to hide from this girl...
 "The logical thing to do is give up and put it on..." she said, her pale eyes suddenly flooded with green code.
 "Never!"
 "Then prepare to feel the wrath of the Typhoon!" she shouted as she sprung. It seemed that instantly her tennis shoe crashed into the side of his head with such force he instantly was on the ground.
 He spat a wad of bloody flem to the sand and looked up at her, marveling briefly at the streaks of green shifting across her eyeballs before he grabbed her ankle and pulled, trying to tip her over. Instead she put her hand down and spun, bringing her foot once more against his head and popping him across the sand.
 She jumped up and smoothed out her tanktop, pulling her short shorts down just a bit. "Damn... I broke a nail..."
 Miguel was on his feet again, shaking sand from his hair and trying to right his senses again. He wasn't prepared for her attack... "Mirei was right... never underestimate a woman..." he said, catching his bearings.
 "WOO!!!! GET HIM TROY! I GOT A NIGHT'S WORTH OF POKER RIDING ON YOU!"
 Miguel took this moment of distraction to his advantage, tackling the girl to the ground and pinning her with his hands, to knee her in the gut quite a few times before he jumped up out of her leg range.
 That was her strong point, the legs. If he could stear clear of those then he was in the green. He extended his nails only half their normal length and used them locked together as a shield to block her foot, then spun around to slice across her back, but at that same moment she used his hands as leverage and came up, crashing her other foot down on the back of his skull.
 "Pay up!" Vash shouted.
 "It's not over yet!" Tem snapped harshly, in the same tone he reserved only for when he was fighting with Joe. "It's not over until one of them is too ingured to go on or unconcious. That is the rules."
 "But it's only a spar!" Vash exclaimed.
 "Bet money on it and it's no longer a spar. It's an all out fight..." he leaned forward in his chair and cupped his hands around his mouth. "What are you waiting for! Put that training of yours to good use or it's tripple the work for you!" He turned to Vash and smiled wickedly like he did in the old days. "Keep your money. You're gonna need it to patch that girl of yours up..."
 The expression in his old friend's eyes was a mixture of fear and worry for his daughter as on the beach the two kids again locked into combat.
 They broke apart again, panting and grinning darkly at one another. "You got skill," Miguel said.
 "You don't know the half of it pretty boy..." she replied.
 "Bring it on bitch."
 She grinned, a lock of yellow hair suddenly coming down and off to the side of her face like he'd seen on Dragon Ball Z so many times as a small kid.
 He braced himself against the sand and broucht up his hands as she clenched one of her fists and brought it up high into the air. "This is a little diddy I picked up from Genki back home..." she said, closing her eyes. When they opened again they were a pale blue again. But they glowed. And this glowing spread starting with her hand and came down, cloaking her in a pulsing light blue.
 "What the-"
 "Tsunami Barrage!" she screamed before suddenly launching herself at him with such speed that not even the adults up on the deck could keep up with her.
 "Where did she learn that! I didn't teach her that one! Vicky! Did you!?"
 "Nope.... sure didn't.... I don't have magical powers...remember." She crossed her arms over her chest, knowing exactly how she could know that attack but not bothering to tell him.
 Miguel tried his best to block her attack, but she barrelled right through with her feet, finally knocking him high up into the air before dissapearing. When she reappeared she was floating above him, bringing her leg up high and smashing her foot into his spine with a crack.
 He crashed down on the beach again in a puff of dust and sand.
 "WOO! That's my baby!" Vash said, pumping his fist into the air as Troy picked Miguel up by the collar.
 "Ready to give in and wear it yet?"
 He turned his head to her and smiled weakly with blood dribbling down his lips. He threw all the strength he could muster into twisting himself from her grip and burrying his nails in her side, extending them further once they were in her flesh.
 "Never," he said close to her ear before spinning her off and slashing again at her before toppling over. They lay sort of beside eachother in the sand as it soaked up their blood and sweat.
 Vicky and Vash ran down instnatly and checked on their daughter as Miguel rose slowly to his feet and spat to the side.
 "She okay?"
 They didn't answer. Only glared at him with contempt before carrying her body away.
 "I'm sorry!" Miguel called, looking from them to the man sitting up on the deck. "I'm sorry..." he repeated as he felt as if his gut had been knotted suddenly, then he doubled over from the nausea of being kicked in the head so many times.
 All the contents of his stomach spewed forth, giving the blood soaked sand a slight pink-brown tinge.

------------------------------------------------------------

this is the unknown story of Astarte Pike and Alexia Valar's bizzare and strange hellish wedding. this story, again, was dropped for OBVIOUS continuity errors.

 She stood at the makeshift altar, smoothing out her ruffled dress as the warm sun beat down on her from above. Her bouquet now but a few of those red and purple weeds that usually grow in the patches of clovers. One of the bride's maids held her 2 inch heels as her toes wiggled free in the soft grass. The priest had donned a straw hat, his head being bald and he not wanting to it to turn bright red from sunburn.
 The wedding march was being played on guitar by one of her mother's friends. Tears streamed down her face, the day, HER day was ruined! The church was going up in flames, her mother and father wasn't even here to see her, and what made it worse was her cursed soon to be brother-in-law...

 Let's rewind....

The day before:

 "No... you tell Cross I don't care if he has to strap himself and his horde to the ass end of a jet, he better be here by tonight!" she shouted into the phone. She was apparently talking to the man's wife. "No, you listen! You may not care for any of us, but I'll be damned if-"
 "Let me..." he said, taking the cellphone from her and walking off. She turned back to the woman standing before the mirror.
 "I don't like the way the bodice is styled... it makes me look anorexic..." she said, turning around to see her backside once more. "And my ass sticks too far out."
 "You look fine dear. It's too late to complain now. You should have gone with that one we saw in the catalog instead of my old one..."
 "You're right..." she said, stepping down from the stool with a smile on her bright pink painted lips. She took off her veil and lay it on the table.
 He came back and set the phone beside the veil. "He'll be here tomorrow at 9 in the morning."
 "Oh Oniisan!" the elder exclaimed, trying to wrap her arms around him, though her enlarged middle seemed to prevent it. Instead she had to settle with as close as she could get. "How did you-" she started, then abruptly stopped and looked at her belly. "Not so hard Korey... mommy needs her kidneys..."
 She placed her hand on her belly with a laugh.
 "Mommy!" cried a shrill voice as a child ran up to the younger of the two women, clinging to her legs and looking up.
 "Sorry we're late sugar," he said with a grin, giving his brown hair a quick toss. "The dipshit couldn't find the church... I told him to turn down Hamilton going east... but he-"
 "Hey... I got us here didn't I?" called another as he came in through the door, doughnut in his hand.
 "I thought we talked about this..." said the first man, plucking it from his hand and tossing it in a trash can.
 "But babe I-"
 "You know you're on a diet Joe... it's not my fault Dr. Weaver considers you at risk for another heart attack," he said, crossing his arms ove rhis chest.
 The two stared silently at one another before suddenly laughing. "Fine, whatever..." Joe said.
 Tem patted his shoulder. "The first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem..." he grinned, giving his shoulder a small squeeze.
 ".....someone's a little cranky this morning...." said the second man.
 "Sod off Tempest," Joe snapped. "I'm gonna go check on the kid... probably doesn't know what to do with a tie that's NOT a clip on..."
 "You do that," the young woman said. Tem followed, chattering on and on about his diet and how if he didn't want to die...again....for what was it now, the fifth time?... then he should stick to what Dr. Weaver said he has to do.
 "I thought you told me he wasn't coming!" she barked when the door was closed. "You assured me he wasn't going to be here! What happened!"
 Her parents rolled their eyes, her mother sitting in a chair while her father leaned on a table, crossing his arms over his chest. "And what exactly do you have against him?"
 "Daddy.... remember what happened the 'last' time he came to a big event?"
 "Alexia.. you're not still bitter about-"
 "I am! That was a big thing for me! And what did he do? Just 'swallowed' my engagement ring! I hadn't had it for even five minutes before he DRANK the thing!"
 "Well you're going to have to deal. He's here and there's nothing we can do about it," her mother said sternly.
 "Yes there is! Put a blessing on the entire church!"
 "But Lexi, sweetie.... he'd go up in flames," her father said.
 "That's the point," she replied calmly, turning back to the mirror to adjust her dress.
 Her mother rose from her chair and grabbed her roughly by the arm with a heated stare into her face in the mirror. "You listen here. Temmothy is paying for your entire wedding. He's paying for the reception. He's paying for your hunnymoon. The least you could do is not bitch about his husband you hear me. If I even think you're going to spout off one more insult, two-faced lie, or even random mean thought about that man I swear I'll put you over my knee as if you were 9 again," she snapped as she squeezed the woman's arm.
 "Daddy!" she exclaimed.
 He continued watching, not making a sound. He knew better than to come between his pregnant wife and his daughter at times like these.
 "You wouldn't dare..." she said suddenly.
 "I may be pregnant... but I can still whoop your ass if I take a mind... ask your father. I fought demons while I was pregnant with your brother."
 "Maybe that's why he's such a 'freak'."
 "You're about to marry a freak so why are 'you' complaining?"
 All three heads turned to the door to see Miguel and Nicholae standing side by side. It was actually amusing, like a little Joe standing next to a little Cross...
 "He's not a freak. Astarte's the only 'normal' man in your family," Alexia said.
 "Yeah? Have you got a shitload to learn about the Pikes..." he said, putting his hands in his pockets and turning. "Come on Nicky. Lets go ravage a nun or something, I'm bored."
 Together they walked off, whistling happily nonetheless!
 Alexia drew in a deep breath, closing hr eyes tightly and screaming at the top of her lungs as if she were being murdered.
 And this was only the day before, the practice show...
  ===
 He stood at the window. He was actually dressed and ready before they came to the room. And that's where his fathers found him, staring blankly out the window at the church's side garden as a few nuns tended it.
 Though, he did cover his ears when the blood curdling scream started.
 "She's got a set of lungs on her," Joe said, plopping himself in a chair as he ran his hands through his hair. "Damn.... a gray...." he muttered, pulling it out.
 "Stop that."
 "What?"
 "If you pulled out all your gray hairs you'd be bald before you're 45," Tem said with a sigh.
 An awkward silence fell on the room as Miguel and Nicholae passed the open door. "And where are you going young man..." Tem asked. The duo stopped in their tracks and went back to the door.
 "Just outside dad. It's really stuffy in here."
 "The air's on. Besides... you're just trying to get out of this. Get in here."
 "But..... I have to pee," Nicholae suddenly said.
 "Yeah, Nicky's gotta take a piss."
 "Well make it quick will ya... we've got to..."
 "Forget it babe," Joe said, looking at his son and Nicholae. "Just go. Stay out of trouble. And don't get caught buggerin your brains out."
 "Sorry pops... I'm butter side up," Miguel said with a smile and dragged Nicholae away as the boy asked what that meant. The only reply he got was "You've lived such a sheltered life haven't you?"
 "....pops? He called me 'pops'! Do I look old to you!"
 "You look fine for 40," Tem said, patting him on the shoulder as he started to sulk in the chair. "Really, you do... god.... now you're depressed.... I don't like the new sensitive you...." he said before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "I'm going out for a smoke..."
 Astarte rolled his eyes with a deep breath. "...how did I end up being the only normal one..." he sighed as he watched the nuns out thw window...
 Then he saw his little brother trying to rape one of them.... then his father chasing after them flailing his arms with a pack of cigarettes in one hand and a pen in the other screaming "I'm getting too old for this you little snots!"
 Astarte reached on the table behind him, grabbing a flask he'd hidden in his jacket. "This is going to be a long, long day..." he said, taking a swig.

The night before:

 He sat at the kitchen table, laptop open and headset on... even on special occasions such as this, he couldn't get a day off...
 Tem walked behind him, setting a cup of coffee on the table. "Don't stay up too late Starte," he said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.
 He blushed, and the entire boardroom at the university saw via webcam. "Dad..." he said.
 "What?" he asked, then looked up and poked the camera. "Oh.. sorry.... forgot...." he said with a smile and waved before his son shoved him out of the way.
 "Now then... where were we?"
 "You were about to explain your theory on the cancer cure Professor Pike," one of the board members said, trying not to laugh.
 "No.. not theory. But fact. You just saw tesr subject 0, diagnosed with lung cancer in his right lung 3 years ago. My team and I found..."
 And on he droned as his father, test subject 0, went out to the deck to wrap his arms around his husband and watch their son down on the beach with his friend.
 "It seems only yesterday Lexi and Star were down there, chasing all the other kids away with sea crabs..." he said with a sigh, resting his chin on the others shoulder as he sat at a table.
 "Yeah... too bad training picks right back up after tomorrow... can't we just be normal? Like we used to be?"
 Tem laughed and ran his finger's through Joe's hair. "Us? Normal? You've  got to be joking! Since when have I ever been normal?"
 "You know what I mean... besides... we might have to hight tale it over to the flat in Tokyo soon anyway."
 "Why's that?" Tem asked, now braiding his hair boredly.
 "God... you'd think a historian would keep up on the news... you dult. Bush is pressing the homo issue again. Looks like Cali might be forced to make it a law this time," he said, tapping his fingers on the side of the bottle on the table before picking it up.
 "God... can't we have one happy peaceful night where you 'don't' worry about the war?"
 "You know it's going to happen sooner or later Tem... I'd preffer it sooner, then they'd have a better chance."
 "Can't we just-"
 "You know the rules Kage set down for us. We can't step in unless Shadou, Blank, and Voide show up again."
 "But-"
 He turned in his chair to stare at his husband. "Do you want the world to end.... again?... I've had enough with the apocolyptic shit. Just let it go and stop meddling with things that don't belong to you."
 "God... you're starting to sound like Tempest..." he said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. "You two spend too much time together now... I don't like it."
 "What? I can't even go to work without you being suspicious! God Tem, it's just work. Besides... Mirei would kill me if I tried anything, then you'd kill her for killing me, then Tempest would kill you for killing her AND the baby, and then that would yet again cause the end of the world."
 "Okay... you put way too much thought into these things..." he said, glancing down to Miguel and Nicholae down on the beach, laying on the sand and staring up at the sky. "They grow up so fast..." he said with a sigh.
 "Yeah yeah....." Joe muttered, taking a swig of his drink. "Too fast from the looks of it."
 Confused, Tem narrowed his eyes, then put on his glasses to afford a better view....
 "By the gods... you see that! Cross is going to kill me!" he exclaimed before running down the steps shouting things such as "Miguel Aristotle Sanders you get your hand out of his shorts this minute!" and "Nicholae! Your father is going to throttle us both if you don't let go of that... whatever THAT is!"
 Joe, watching his love pry the two groping boys apart, laughed so hard his side ached and he fell from his chair.
 Astarte, hearing the loud crash, jumped from the table and ran outside, thinking Joe was having another heart attack, only to find him laughing all the harder when Tem dragged the two boys up to the deck by their ears, swearing in every language known to man... and then some... as he threw one to each corner.
 "You sit and you stay," he barked. "Both of you!"
 "What's going on? I can hardly conduct my meeting with all thi-"
 "Your stuppid little snot of a brother was trying to bugger Nicky thats what!" he snapped, whirling around again to stand with hands on hips, chin squared and his two narrowed eyes glaring daggers through small lensed wire framed glasses. "Don't even think about sneaking a look either. You do that and you'll find yourselves sleeping in my bedroom floor tonight,"
 "Babe... don't you think.... that's a little harsh!" Joe said, finally rising to his feet and gasping for air between words and laughter. He'd been laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face.
 "What are you laughing at Joe," Tem snapped with another glare.
 "God I can't wait to get back to mainland..." Astarte said under his breath as he turned to go back inside.
  ===
 They were sitting to dinner...with a rabbit on the table, nibbling away at a bowl of salad. "So what exactly are you doing here again?" she asked as her son reached up to pet the bunny. "Hands down Tempy. Eat your dinner."
 "But I don't like meatloaf!" he cried with a pout.
 "Young man, there are starving people in China who-" Mirei started.
 "Mom... world hunger was solved by my research team three years ago..." Alexia said, playing with the food on her plate. Her mother gave her an annoyed stare. "I think I'll go lie down. It's going to be a long day tomorrow..." she said, rising from her table without looking at anyone. Her father had the glimmer of a smile on hsi face, her mother still very annoyed, her son playing with his food, and the bunny well... just kept nibbling.
 "Night Chocho," she said, petting the bunny on the head as she passed with her plate to the kitchen.
 "Nighty night Alexia-san!" the bunny cheerfully replied, which caused little Tempest to stare wide eyed at her. "I didn't know rabbits could talk! COOL! This is going to show and tell!"
 "Not if you don't eat your dinner," Alexia said before retreating down the hall to the guest room.
 "Why couldn't I have a normal family..." she sighed as she got ready for bed.
 She slipped under the covers with a sigh and closed her eyes, beginning to pray. "Please god, don't let them ruin tomorrow... just once make all six of them behave. Tem-sama, Joe-sama, mum and da, Cross-sama, ...and... Miggy-kun. Don't let them do anything stupid until after Star and I are gone and away."
 She smiled, turning on he side and feeling the bed, wanting her fiance's warm, comforting form to be there, but it was just cold sheets. Slowly she was drifting of to sleep when the sound of the TV blasted into her ears.
 The rolled over on her belly, picked up the pillows and put them over her head to muffle her frustrated screams, then to drown out the droning on of the All Sports Channel's number one ratings hit, "Martial Arts from Around the World".

The big day:

 She woke up with a smile, pressing the button of the alarm to shut it off. She yawned and looked to the time. "Ah... 7:00 in the morning... such a nice, calm, peaceful time in the-"