New U Redux ch. 9 : Key of the Twilight :: BigCloset Classic :: BigCloset TG Stories <br /> June 2001 to November 2004

C'mon all you anime geeks! Sing it with me!

New U
Redux
9 - Key of the Twilight

"Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for a while. Tell me of a story never told in the past..."

hehe, three sets of quoted lyrics seemed too much even when I finally manage to put out a chapter twice as big as any one of the original 8. Still, the title and quote seemed appropriate, y'know?

Anywho, this is the first (of many I hope) new chapter in the New U saga. Thanks go out to Tyrone for discussing story points with me. Gwen, Aardvark, Rhonda, TiffFox, Jerrie, Chris, Damon and Nora( Not to mention the ever present guest reader who seems to read more than all of us combined... Or at least comment on it. ^_-) for encouragement and in many cases willingness to "listen" to me ramble in BCChat.

And of course our dear Lady Erin, who did all of the above and actually provided a place to sit and read.

*Looks off camera* Have I kissed up enough yet?... Oh, is this thing still on?

Standard Disclaimer: Obviously, the characters and situations presented are fiction and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental unless they're public figures and then shame on them. Please feel free to post or archive with notification. Otherwise, this work should be considered copyright 2004 NiGHTs and no part should be published electronically or in printed form except for review/critical analysis, or offered for sale without consent of the author.

Not So Standard Disclaimer: No fireflies or raccoons were harmed in the writing of this story and no one was bitten by a moose.

New U ch.9:
"Key of the Twilight"
By NiGHTs
Copyright 2004

I understand about indecision
And I don't care if I get behind
People living in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind

- Peace of Mind
Scholz

Tell me how would you feel with no world of your own
and nobody to hold, I just can't see the way
I'm so glad it's today and you're here.

- Sweetness
Anderson, Squire, Bailey

"Is this gonna be a 'talk-talk', or a 'thump-my-head-talk'?" Jamie asked from the doorway, wondering if she was going to have to install a key lock on her door. "Cause if it's the latter, I'd like a chance to find a helmet. Or at least a pillow to cover my head."

"I suppose I deserve that." Dan'l grinned.

Jamie shrugged, smiling and entered her room. "Less so for not thumping me anyway for saying it." Placing the flattened egg cases against the wall next to the doorframe, she crossed to the small nightstand/fridge. Kicking her trainers under the bed, Jamie squatted while sorting through the fridge. "Guess I'm the host. Want something?"

"Pepsi?" Dani answered, "Um, and a bit of advice?" Jamie looked over her shoulder. "The only time you should really squat like that is if you're out camping, hidden behind a bush and really have to go."

"Ah"

"Oh, and if that were the case," Dan'l added, "I'd have my feet apart."

"Ew." Jamie commented, tossing Dan'l a can and hopping up onto her bed. She started to tuck her legs in Indian fashion, but thought better of it. Then she began thinking better of thinking better of it. She was in shorts after all and couldn't think of a reason not to sit as she pleased. "Ok, now you're fed and I'm properly self-conscious." Jamie said to Dan'l as she reached an internal compromise and tucked one foot under her bottom while letting the other dangle off the edge of the bed. "So what's on your mind?"

Dan'l grimaced "I think you mentioned that nothing's ever easy. I really just wanted to apologize and maybe have a real chat."

They chatted quietly for a bit. Jamie asking questions about Dan'l's past family life while passing on saying much about her own. Slowly the conversation began centering on their current situation.

"You haven't said anything to the girls yet, have you?" Jamie asked tapping the side of her head.

"No." Dan'l admitted and shifted with crossed legs uncomfortably in his chair. "Seemed too…weird I guess, even considering everything else wrong with me." He tried switching his legs around, but that was just as bad.

"Y'know," Jamie mentioned, seeing her "twin's" distress, after feeling some phantom pains that had her squirming a bit trying to accommodate a non-existent set of organs. "Not to be rude or anything, but you'd probably be more comfortable resting your ankle across your thigh. Or tucking it under like I'm doing."

Dan'l started to protest, but realized that Jamie was as uncomfortable as he was and had no other means of dealing with it. Upon shifting position, both sighed relief. "Better." They said to each other and laughed, albeit nervously.

"I guess we should file this under 'reasons to be nice to each other', no?" Jamie commented when their laughter trailed off into an even more nervous silence.

"Too weird." Dan'l finally said. "I was just starting to feel I was getting a grip."

"Oh lord hon, don't do that. I'm having enough trouble telling which bits to do what with as it is." Jamie sniggered and then collapsed on the bed in a serious case of the giggles that Dan'l could feel was genuine, but for the life of her had no idea what was so funny. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that Jamie had dropped her mask. That didn't matter as Dan'l's confusion clashed with the sense of humor flowing out from Jamie and sparked anger. What was wrong with Jamie that she could joke about their condition? Maybe she liked all this? Maybe she just delighted in frustrating him?

"Dammit! Do you have to appear be so content with this!" Dan'l raged at Jamie. He found himself standing with clenched fists and a fierce need to break something. Jamie had scrambled off the bed quickly and crouched in a position that would allow her equal ease making a break for the hall or bath doors depending on whether Dan'l tried to charge across the bed or circle it.

"Dan'l, get a grip." Jamie said with the dead calm one might use to pacify an angry dog. "C'mon now, think it through. You're reliving puberty from the other end, no? And in an accelerated state at that. Testosterone increases aggression and I bet your levels are through the roof." Jamie slowly began moving closer to Dan'l, who continued to stand there, fists clenched and trembling. She hoped that "projecting calm" would help bring Dan'l back to earth. "Hoped" because calm was anything but what she felt. It was taking every bit of will she had just to stand steady.

When Dan'l had leapt up, red-faced and looking ready to kill, Jamie's heart started pounding fit to burst and she knew as she had last night, that Dan'l could do her serious harm without thinking. She'd never really been scared about physical confrontations as Jim. Even in high school, when he no longer had a clear size advantage, getting into a fight wasn't as worrisome as the potential humiliation of not making a decent show of protecting himself. James McGowan had been built to take a fair amount of abuse and walk away. Jamie though, was thin and stretched and underweight. She could be broken too easily.

Jamie continued moving in nonetheless. "You're a sentient being Dan'l. Just like any guy or girl worth the title, your mind ultimately rules your body." She was too close to run now and besides, Dan'l seemed to get that he was overreacting so she spread both arms out in welcome. "So…Ummm…" Unfortunately, Jamie also was running out of things to say that didn't smack too clearly of rejected 'Seventh Heaven' scripts. "Care to join the happy squad?" she finished with her best cheesy smile.

Dan'l's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "I need some air." He said and turned to leave.

"Right you are," Jamie said, tensing herself to do what she knew was needed. Dan'l was spiraling down emotionally and needed some added control to keep from crashing. She shoved her feet quickly into the pink trainers and stomped the ankle supports flat. "And you have just the guide on hand here." She said slipping an arm about Dan'l's shoulders and leaning into him. "But let's hit the kitchen first."

Dan'l tensed again, but also felt oddly comforted. "Suddenly find your appetite?" He asked.

Jamie ignored the "Not really, but you're always hungry and…" She paused, and decided to make the real reason a surprise. "Besides, we'd prolly better let someone know we're out and about, no? Now, c'mon and let's de-frazzle you, 'kay?" As they walked down the hallway to the stair, Dan'l chuckled into Jamie's ear, "Are you all comfy hanging off me like this?"

Jamie had intended keeping hold of Dan'l to be a bonding thing, and was hopeful that proximity would help shore up Dan'l's emotional control. Unfortunately when she did it she forgotten that even with the extra inch of height her cross trainers supplied, she was still shorter than Dan'l and forced to lean into him to keep a grip on his shoulder. It was a bit uncomfortable, more because the angle she was forced to walk at was making it difficult to keep from walking out of her shoes since she was wearing them more like mules. The stretch wasn't that bad though and truth be told, there was something oddly pleasant being this close to someone. Holding and being held. She felt…

"Yeah, I'm comfy enough," She smiled, "Besides, I figure between us we might make one sane person." She said as they started down the stairs. "You know, I help you mellow out and you lend me an appe-urk!" It was the shoes of course. Two steps down and her left shoe slipped far enough forward to catch on the step, pitching Jamie forward, but the hand at her waist tightened and forced her to spin tighter into Dan'l, whose left arm was gripping the banister.

"…Tight?" Jamie finished as Dan'l eased her to the next lower step.

"You wanna put those shoes on properly now?" Dan'l asked, lowering Jamie to next step down.

* * *

Rick cut the conversation with Anne, Chris and Beth at the kitchen table short as Jamie and Dan'l entered. "Getting on then?" he asked and noted that both children looked slightly abashed, though they recovered rapidly. Jamie said she thought they could use a little air and wanted to get in a little walk before the night set properly. Rick nodded as Jamie retrieved a couple of bagels from the breadbox and stuffed them in a paper bag. On their way back out, Dan'l stopped beside his father hugged him tight. Rick felt Dan'l stiffen for a moment though and realized that Dan'l wasn't going to kiss his cheek, as was their custom. "It's ok son." He whispered into his boy's ear. "We'll let it go 'as said' if you feel uncomfortable."

"Love you Dad." Dan'l whispered back before stumbling off to join Jamie.

As the door swung shut behind them, Rick sighed. "I'm going to miss getting kissed on the cheek."

Beth raised an eyebrow. "Marital problems? Ow!" The last exclamation being followed by a glare from Anne.

"By my daughter I meant." Rick answered.

"You could talk to Jamie." Chris supplied, "She's close enou-ouch!"

"Chris!" Anne yelled. She closed her eyes, sighed and ran long fingers through her shoulder length chestnut hair. Continuing in a more civil tone she said, "I'm possibly even less pleased with Richard's proposal than the two of you. However, if you think you can kick a man when he's down, I can return the compliment in spades…Or shins as the case may be."

"I honestly don't see the problem here." Rick said, moving the conversation away from his personal life. "I'm simply looking for a fix to Jamie's concerns about providing a body that will also suit our collective needs. Tell me what I've missed or at least provide an alternative solution and I assure you I'll be as receptive as I can."

"The problem is that when you first approached us we all agreed that the New U will not be involved with … "

"'Harmful intent', I know. But look Anne, the police will be of no help in the long run. If what Harry's done is made public, it'll be as bad as a 'blue goo' incident. That will put the kibosh on any further nano-machine development for ages. Look at the current stem-cell and cloning restrictions. Hell, even you actively refused to have the nanites build a Jim clone to spec."

"Bring a new life into the world, for the sole purpose of killing it?" Anne objected.

"No reason to kill him Anne." Beth stated flatly. Although I have doubts about how whether such a clone would even be alive once completed. Saying we could secure the raw materials needed to let the nanites do their thing, we'd have to program all new behaviors, and I'm not sure a 'built from scratch' brain would even be… useable…" Beth's eyes glazed for a moment, swept up in the problem. "I'm thinking it would take almost a year just to get the preliminary work set up, and then I'd bet we still would have to scrap at least the first couple of tries. Another year down the tubes there and that doesn't account for time to construct a functional doppelganger."

Beth shook her head at Rick. "Ethical questions aside, can you wait 3-5 years for a clone to be … I guess born is the word."

"That long?" Rick gasped. "Anne and I have to put all this to the committee tomorrow. I doubt they'll sit for leaving a loose end that long, though we should have every option available. Can you begin working out a proposal for the morning and take a spin at the working out what needs to be done, just in case?"

Beth looked at Chris, who nodded. "We'll need Jamie's help though for any construction. I'm an engineer and tinkerer, but Jamie's the practical plumber and welder here."

"No building yet." Rick said. "Nearly everything I have is tied up in ongoing projects for the committee so anything we do has to be done with corporate funds."

Chris waved the concern off. "No worries there. I'll need to see a complete plan before design can even begin."

Anne sipped her coffee dejectedly. Now they were talking about potential body banks. Some of the implications of nano-machine use could rock the more reactionary elements in society. The key would be to introduce successfully basic nanites to the public. The Chemo Delivery System was a good start, but the nearly complete Immuno Stimulants line would push things over the edge and solidify public acceptance of the use and development of nanotechnology at the personal level. On the other hand, discovery of the "accident" with Jamie and Dan'l or something like Rick hinted had already happened at Biomech, would only spur fears of nanites running wild and converting the world to "blue goo". What Rick wanted from them was just another potential step in the wrong direction.

"And if Harry survives his treatment?" Chris asked driving the conversation back to the original debate.

"You know the only reason Jamie did was that she was expending heat through mass reduction and if we hadn't been there to keep her clean, she'd have drowned in her own waste products." Beth said. "Harry, won't have as much mass to expend. So long as whoever Rick has administer the treatment isn't as attentive as we were… No that won't work. The conversion would have to be complete enough to pass a standard autopsy, same as a clone, or it'd be a waste anyway."

"I think the man I have in mind can make whatever arrangements are necessary." Rick admitted. "Should he or a clone survive though, I'm sure we can arrange care in an appropriate institution, no?"

"I still don't like this." Anne muttered, staring into a cold and bitter cup of coffee. "This stinks of expedience."

"Hello, Ms. Pott." Chris smirked at Anne. "This is Mr. Kettle," She added, indicating Rick Angstrom. "As you may have noticed, he's black. Anne, you talked us into treating Jamie with a lot of the same kind of chatter. I bought it because I didn't see any harm in adding Jaime to the club as it were. I'm not sure, but I can guess why Beth went along."

Beth's normally pale face pinked briefly, but she masked it with a stern look. "Don't go jumping to conclusions, Chris. I had my own reasons for going along with Anne's reasoning. That's enough."

Chris stirred her cup idly. "Fine Beth, but my point is that regardless of the 'how' of it, Harry can't be allowed to walk about free. And so far, this is the only thing I've heard that keeps the big picture safe and gives Harry a taste of what he did to Jamie and Dan'l. I only hope he's awake long enough to figure out what's happening to him."

Anne sighed. "There is that. God, how I'd love to throttle that man myself."

The table went silent as they all contemplated the problem. Beth finally rose from the table, collected her cup and sipped thoughtfully. "Ok, Rick I think we all can agree to proceed for now." Anne started to object and even Chris turned in her chair, but Beth simply tapped the side of her nose and Anne stifled whatever she'd been about to say. Chris nodded acknowledgement. Beth continued without pause, "I'll have a simple outline ready for you in the morning and try to get something a little more detailed while you're traveling. You can pull it out of your email wherever you settle in. So when can we expect your wife Mary and is there anything you can think of that we need to have prepared for her?"

"We'll be overnight at least in Virginia." Rick answered, pointing to Anne. "Mary's flight into Dulles isn't due in until Wed. Anne and I can pick her up and get her aquatinted with the situation on the way back in." Rick paused while looking at his watch, adding, "I'm due to call again in a few minutes." He rose, nodding to the women before him. "Ladies. Anne? What time should we be ready to leave?"

Anne blinked and pulled a loose hair away from her eyes. "The earlier, the better. Traffic through the DC corridor is murder during morning rush."

"Five then?" Anne nodded assent after Beth assured her the proposal would be ready and Rick took to his room to call his wife.

* * *

Dan'l watched with a mildly amused look as Jamie shut the front door behind them and began sorting through the bag she'd collected from the foyer. "You ready?" He asked. The temperature was slowly going down and that the sun had all but set. A warm, humid breeze was coming in from the west and the moon and stars were already making their appearance.

"Yeah, I've got everything I think." She said stuffing the plastic baggie containing their bagels into her bag and then snatching what looked like a cigarette case from a zippered side pocket.

"Getting used to purses?"

"Za?" Jamie asked, then looked at the bag in her hands. For just a moment, Jamie's mask slipped again and this time Dan'l caught a hint of embarrassment.

"Umm, Not as such, no. I mean I've been carrying around something like this since I got out of the service." Jamie handed the bag over. "Got used to having a tool bag on me I guess. Anne and Chris wouldn't accept it as a purse earlier though. Take a look. All the things a growing boy needs, eh?" Jamie said, walking past him and starting down the porch steps. She had the cigarette case open and was fiddling with something inside intently.

Dan'l peeped into the case, and saw the typical keys, tissues, decongestants and ibuprofen, but the central compartment also had a mini maglight and toolkit along with a what looked like a bizarre array of power, audio and video adapters. The flap on front contained a GBA, carts and clip on headphones and one of the zippered side pockets contained a very (at least two whole years! How gouache.) old cell phone. Now that he had the bag in his hands, Dan'l realized it wasn't even a proper man's handbag. Stitched neatly on the front panel and pressed into the scalloped leather shoulder strap was a logo.

"Nintendo Game Cube?" He read.

Jamie took the bag back and stuffed the now closed "cigarette case" into one of the side pockets. "Yeah, I've been using game bags. My first was for a Sega CDX, then a Dreamcast and now the Cube. Inexpensive, decent looking and surprisingly sturdy if you look before you leap. C'mon," she said, shouldering the bag and motioning Dan'l to follow. "We're burning daylight and I want to show you something before it gets too late out."

"No PS2 or Xbox bags?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Too big unless you're going backpacking." She said as if explaining the obvious.

Dan'l joined Jamie as she walked purposefully to the east end of the yard. Dad had been impressed at the deck Jamie had supervised installing on the back end of the house and there were plots opened at various spots about the back yard, some already planted. Others were simply covered with mulch and bordered with landscaping stones. The plots were less obviously organized than the ones out front, which were set to establish the front yard's borders and provide some color without obstructing the view of approaching visitors. By comparison, Dan'l could see that once fully planted, the layout out back would act to break up the otherwise desolate acreage and provide a pleasant, stroll. Jamie mentioned that the unplanted plots would have to wait until spring rolled round, as the deck construction had taken precedence this year and it was too late in the season to get root systems established before fall.

"Dad and I walked the yard this afternoon y'know."

"What I've got in mind isn't in the yard though, Dan'l." Jamie replied just as they'd reached the storage shed at the back edge of the property. She slipped behind the shed, leaving Dan'l for a moment before a slim hand popped out and motioned for him to follow. The grounds of the back yard were bordered by forest. In the deepening gloom of sunset, made worse by the shadow of the shed, Dan'l could just make out a trail.

"Is it my turn to say 'Za?' now?" Dan'l asked peering into the largely overgrown path.

"You wanted to know how I could deal with all this, no?" Jamie said, gesturing down the path. "And you wanted some air. A trip down the path should clear up both points and give us a chance to really talk." Jamie pulled out her "cigarette case" again but Dan'l was close enough this time to see it contained a PDA. "Look, it's nearly 8 now and if we don't start off now we may miss what I wanted to show you Dan'l."

* * *

"Ok, Rick's on the phone with the little woman." Chris whispered closing the kitchen door. "What's the big secret Beth?" She asked, refilling her coffee. "And who used the last of the amaretto creamer?"

"Put it on the list Chris." Anne said a bit impatiently from her place at the table. "And sit down. I want to hear Beth's reason for committing us to this path too."

"Well, we all agree that something has to be done to punish Harry, right?" Beth asked sipping her coffee.

"Well yes but,"

"… killing him outright is at once a notch too far and at the same time, letting him walk free is to invite another disaster."

Chris nodded. "That sums it up for me." Anne held her tongue. Harry had jepardized everything with his sabotage, and worse he'd hurt Jamie … and Dan'l of course. She'd had discussions with Beth already about her mixed feelings on the subject of what she wanted to do to Harry Selznick.

"Then I have just the solution." Beth grinned. "Anne, you'll need to work something out with whoever Rick is having handle Harry's punishment, but I think I can guarantee that everyone will be as satisfied as possible at the end. Remember how I said before that Harry worked some wicked changes to the Jamie and Dan'l's treatments? Well, think for moment about how he had to safeguard their brains."

* * *

Mary Howard-Angstrom looked up from her book on comparative psychology, noting that she'd read the same paragraph four times in the past ten minutes and still had no idea what it was about. She stared accusingly at the phone by the sofa and, muttered a curse on Alexander Bell. Mary never liked waiting for phone calls. She liked the waiting even less than the prospect of having to talk on the phone. Voices without at least faces to read always made her vaguely uncomfortable. In her teens, one of the few stereotypically ''girl'' things her father had to complain about was phone abuse. The only thing that made talking on the phone more acceptable than waiting for it to ring, was knowing that she would be able to hang up and get on with her life. Mary glared at the phone again, but simply lay there displaying the time.

"Nearly 40, silent partner in one of the best damn clinics in the state and still waiting for the phone to ring." Mary said to no one and toasted the feminist movement with an imaginary glass.

It was only just 4:30pm here anyway. With three hours difference between coasts, she still had a half-hour wait ahead. Sighing at the book that was patently failing to distract her, Mary dropped it to the coffee table, picked up the phone and wandered about the living room ticking off things on her mental checklist. She'd called the maid, lawn and security services, and had the paper stopped. Emails to friends had been posted, reminding them she was going out of town for "a while".

Her clients had been notified and arrangements made. That part at least had been simple enough. She'd dropped her active partnership in the clinic, working with troubled teens and dropped back to seeing only a limited list of children some years before when caring for Dani had begun taking up all her free time. They would be fine.

Glancing at the phone in her hand again only to see that less than five minutes had passed, Mary decided that yes, she'd had all the baths she could usefully have and was officially engaged in what the late Douglas Adams called "the long, dark tea-time of the soul". She walked into the kitchen and collected a cup of hot water and a Darjeeling tea bag and settled into the home office Rick had set up for them both. Her desk faced the window that offered a lovely view of her garden. Rick's desk by comparison was surrounded by monitors and video displays. Mary had never argued about the arrangement, as it suited her to see the world outside when working, while Rick seemed to need to shut out anything but what he was working on. She thought it interesting that somehow he never thought to make separate offices.

Booting her computer up, she was treated to the ancient "Happy Mac" smiley and a welcoming fanfare in the form of Steve Howe's "Clap". She smiled thinking of how proud Dani had been to have "fixed Mommy's computer". She'd been so depressed at the time. Chemo had all but eliminated her energy and left her with limited mobility. As therapy, it had been little enough to suggest to the girl that her mother hated the boot up sequence of her (then) new machine and wished it were friendlier somehow. It had taken hours for Dani to work her magic on the iMac, but had left the girl knowing that she was still able to do what she put her mind to.

Opening the folders that had been forwarded to her by Dr. Anne Howe through Rick, she began looking at the recent photos taken of Dani and Jamie. "Oh god Dani, what have we done to you? And can we pull you back together." she murmured. The call Dani had made was the first real talk they'd had since she found Dani last week crying hysterically in her bathroom. They'd all known something was wrong by that point, but seeing her daughter collapsed in the shower, desperately gripping her crotch had totally thrown her. The look of abject terror only got worse when Dani realized her mother was there.

Before that point the two of them had been inseparable, and long past any body modesty as Mary had been forced by necessity to bathe Dani regularly in the months prior to her "cure". But now Dani almost fell over while trying to push Mary away. Dani had locked herself away from that point. She wouldn't speak or look at Mary, and though she hated to admit it, the deep sense of shame and self-hatred that emanated from Dani made it too easy not to reach through to her hurting child. One of the curses that went with the family gift, was how easy it was to block the ones closest to you out.

That self-hatred was still there during the call, but moderated, perhaps even passing. There was shame in Dani's voice still, but only over the way she'd shut Mary out. Dani had obviously found something to lock onto other than her… "No," Mary thought. "Himself." She sighed and wondering if she'd ever get used to that. In any event, talking to Dani had given her a fair idea who had focused her… boy. Mary looked thoughtfully at an image of James/Jamie McGowan.

Now there was someone she was anxious to meet. The files didn't really give her enough information to form an opinion, parts seemed badly understated. Still, some of the things Dani had mentioned intrigued her. The bond they seemed to share was not unusual within the Howard clan, but the strength Dani described was more like something from tales Mary's Gran would tell her when she was a child. She wondered if Jamie might not have some family secrets of her own.

So deep in thought was she that Mary missed the first ring of the phone and only broke her reverie on the third ring.

"Rick?" She asked into the handset finally.

"Mary, You ok? You sound…"

"You caught me in the middle of a thought, Hon." She admitted with an embarrassed laugh and a mental curse on the shade of Alexander Graham Bell. "I think I've got everything settled out here. And are you aware Dani called last night. We had a pretty good talk for the first time in days. How're things on your end with him?"

"Dan'l's -"

"Dan'l? Richard, have you picked up a southern accent?"

"No Dear. That's just the name that seems our child seems to have adopted. I think Jamie started it, though she does have a very mild accent, so it could just be a local mispronunciation of Daniel."

"Or Danielle. No, I hail from Delaware, remember? Marylanders don't have that distinct an accent." Mary said pulling up James/Jamie's file while wondering that 'Dan'l' hadn't mentioned the name preference to her. "I think 'Jamie' made a deliberate choice to choose a pronunciation that didn't force …Dan'l… into either gender category."

"Possible, the kid's brighter than I'd have given credit for."

"On the other hand, the files you had forwarded to me point out that her family is from deeper in the south."

"Backing off your initial evaluation then?" Mary could almost hear Rick's wink on the phone.

"No, I don't think so. But really, I won't know 'til I meet her." Mary chuckled. "Now tell me everything you've been up to."

As was typical, Rick kept things as light as possible and went to great lengths to detail the trip east and Dan'l's eventual opening up to him as well. "I won't say we worked everything out, but I think the boy's on the mend." Mary confirmed that she got the same impression, but she went back to Rick's impressions of Jamie.

"Humph, she's a hard nut to crack. She looks like Dan'l before the cancer, moves like a tomboy, and goes out of her way to sound like a hick until you get her rambling on some subject." Rick mused, discussing some of the topics they'd covered the night before.

Mary pointed out that most of what he was describing lined up with the profile in her files. Somewhere down the line that child had been hurt seriously and repeatedly. The sob story about this Rose person just didn't cover enough she thought. Aloud she cautioned, "Rick, don't go by appearances. Remember there's a 30 year-old mind in that body. Have you even bothered to discuss the new identity you have planned with her?"

Rick coughed and said a second later, "I thought I'd surprise her?"

"Men." Mary said in an exasperated tone. "Remind me again why I married one?"

"It was illegal to marry my younger sister?"

"You don't have a sister, Rick."

"Which made it all the more logical for you to marry me and not her."

* * *

It was dark and hot and branches seemed to have nothing better to do than snag at clothing and scratch at uncovered limbs and faces. Dan'l was a little too warm in straight leg jeans, but was grateful for the protection. From watching Jamie, it was obvious that shorts were not the way to go. Since he was following her, it was also amusing to watch Jamie try to keep hold of the bag on her shoulder. Besides dealing with snatching bushes and tree limbs, Jamie hadn't bothered to shorten the strap and the bag now was beating a tattoo into her thigh when she wasn't struggling to keep it on her shoulder.

"Jamie? What's wrong with us?" Dan'l asked brushing a limb out of the way. "I get what was done to us I guess, but what about, you know, like our eyes and all?"

"Introns." Jamie replied as if that explained everything. She stopped, tugging at her bag, which appeared to have formed an intimate bond with a holly bush.

"Here, let me fix that and you can explain 'introns' to me like I never heard of what they are." Dan'l demanded, easing the strap off Jamie's arm and working the bag free of the bush's loving embrace.

"Introns…" Jamie started, idly scratching an already half-healed cut on her left calf. "Are left over bits of genetic instructions in DNA. All multi-celled organisms have them and the higher you go up the evolutionary chain the more appear. No one really knows what purpose they serve now, but the arguments I've read compare it to what happens on a hard drive when you use it for a while. Something to do with 'Selfish DNA'."

"Uh-huh." Dan'l nodded with no idea where this was going. The bag was free now and he put it back on Jamie, but indicated that she slip her head through the strap as well as her arm. Settling the bag in place, Dan'l noticed that Jamie was staring down where the strap now crossed between her small breasts. "You had the strap too long Jamie and I don't feel like taking time to shorten it. This way, at least it's closer to your body and won't slip off."

"Just not used to seeing a cleft there, y'know?" Jamie said, still staring. The tank top had been a modest enough style and big enough not to make an issue of her breasts. "Or," Jamie mused to herself, "You kids aren't big enough to be that noticeable." A tug to set her bag in a more comfortable position on her hip caused the strap to pull on the tender tissue there though and Jamie had to concede to herself they were noticeable enough.

"Get used to it, Jamie. They're only gonna get bigger and it's not like I couldn't see your bra straps anyway, you know." Dan'l's amusement at his fraternal twin's discomfort was cut short when he realized Jamie's gaze had shifted to his own chest and shoulders.

"How come…"

"I don't need a bra anymore, geek girl" Dan'l said, self-consciously covering himself. "Now you said something about hard drives?"

"Oh…yeah." Jamie blinked even in the deepening gloom, Dan'l thought he caught sight of her hiding a blush as she started back up the overgrown path. "Thanks. Well, when you delete a program from your computer, you don't actually remove it, right? Just the information on the disc that tells the machine where the program is located so it won't overwrite it." Dan'l nodded that he was following so Jamie continued.

"So anyway, here are all these accumulated instructions from past evolutionary stages. Some are recent and maybe just missing the final part of the instruction set that would activate whatever they're supposed to do. Like a line of code in a program without an execute command. It's yoai."

"Yow-ee?"

"Sorry, I'm geeking again, I guess." Jamie giggled and even Dan'l had to smile. She sounded too cute to have been a 30-year-old guy. "Yoai is japanese slang for comics and anime featuring homosexual relationships. Given the way the plots work usually, it's also a way of saying 'goes nowhere and does nothing.'"

Jamie looked behind her when there was no response. "Hey! It's not like I dig that kinda thing. Well, I do like anime, but not that stuff… for the most part."

Dan'l shook his head, barely holding back a laugh at feelings washing through him. "Ok, I get the idea. So introns with their gay instructions…"

"Are normally just ignored." Jamie said. "Now according to Anne and Beth, that guy Selznick didn't just swap out our x and y chromosomes. Even though we have a lot in common genetically, that would've killed us. Instead he patched a bunch of stuff together to kinda homogenize us and let us share the "best" traits of the other."

Jamie didn't realize just how relaxed she had gotten until she absolutely felt Dan'l's eyebrow lift behind her. "Take your eyes for instance. By the time I was your age my astigmatism was already so bad I had to wear glasses all the time. Now, I can see fine without them. You never needed glasses, right?"

"Yeah."

"There you go." Jamie said. "So somewhere down the line, to balance us out, Selznick activated an intron that gave us turquoise eyes instead of hazel. I'll bet your hair doesn't thin out any as we get back to age 18. The empathy thing though…" Jamie stopped as the trail opened onto a small clearing. "Wow, look at the fireflies. Wanna take a little rest?" Jamie smiled at Dan'l and jogged to the center of the small field.

"Hey, what about…" Dan'l paused as he got a good look at where he was and all thoughts of picking Jamie's brain slipped away. The clearing was roughly circular and about half the size of a football field. It was covered in tall grasses except for a boulder sticking up in the center of the field. A slight breeze moved the cooling night air and above the tops of the trees the stars graced a not-quite indigo sky. Between them though, soft flashes of green winked at him. Jamie was clambering atop the boulder and seemed happy as a clam to stay right there for a while. "…Whoa, Jamie this is so beautiful."

As Dan'l walked through the waist high grass, he couldn't help staring at Jamie sitting on the boulder, surrounded by flickering fireflies. Part of him was depressed that it wasn't him sitting there. Sitting there indian fashion in a tank top, baggie shorts, and even the silly touristy game bag there was just something innately beautiful about her. Just as he was about let that thought drag him down though, he felt an opposing wave of awe flush through him and his next step drew him completely from the shadows of the surrounding forest. In the clean starlight he realized that he was surrounded by fireflies too. And Jamie was beckoning him to join her.

"Don't take this wrong Dan'l," Jamie said as he approached. "But you look great. If I hadn't known you were back there I'd have thought…" Jamie's face scrunched as she tried to find the right words. They weren't necessary though. Over the course of their walk her mask had, for the time being, fallen more or less aside and Dan'l could feel the mixture of admiration and a kind of sisterly (?) love coming from Jamie. Dan'l had been seen, not as a boy or man, to be evaluated and measured on that level, or as a son or daughter, but as a person. Someone who commanded attention by their simple presence. What was amusing was that Dan'l knew he bore more than a passing resemblance to the boy Jamie had been at the same age. Jamie's face-scrunching confusion was at least in part due to the fact that she'd never seen her past self in that same light.

Dan'l chuckled to see Jamie at a loss for words. Even irritating words.

"C'mon up here, Dan'l." Jamie called giving up the effort to find the right words and offered her hand.

"Alright, already." Dan'l returned, climbing the three foot tall chunk of rock. As he rested beside Jamie, he added. "You didn't look so bad yourself in a tomboy-fairy-princess-geek-kinda way."

"Ah, the qualified adoration of my public." Jamie laughed. "Where'd I pick up the 'fairy-princess' bit from?"

"In this light, surrounded by fireflies, you'll pass. The twigs and leaves sticking out of your braid don't hurt any if you go for Brian Froud's illustrations." Dan'l replied. "Have you a comb or a brush in that bag?"

As Jamie searched and finally came up with a comb, Dan'l repositioned himself behind Jamie so that he was sitting directly behind her with his legs straddling Jamie's hips. As Dan'l picked a few loose twigs out of Jamie's hair, he also undid the French braid and combed out her hair as gently as possible.

"You really don't mind this being turned into a girl, do you?"

Jamie grunted as Dan'l hit a tangle. "Ugh. Who says I don't mind? I just don't see a viable alternative at the moment. I'm pretty much a 'dead man reincarnated' and at the mercy of your folks, Anne, Chris and Beth until I can figure out the big picture and whether I want a part in it."

"'Big picture'?" Dan'l asked, now sliding the comb easily through Jamie's hair, which now hangs just below her shoulder blades and deciding to bypass the pun on "dead man walking".

"MMmmm, yeah." Jamie purred, deciding to ignore Dan'l's ignoring of her pun and just enjoy the attention her hair was getting. "New U's technology feels about three or four generations early. If you know the old saw about there being railroads only when it's time to be railroading, you'll have to admit that what they've cooked up doesn't yet seem to fall into place with what's around us." Jamie reached back, took the comb from Dan'l and started to lift herself up to get behind him. "Ok, My turn."

"Hand that back." Dan'l said pushing Jamie back down. "I want to put this in a ponytail at least, or your hair'll be in a worse mess when we get back."

"Bully." Jamie said mockingly as Dan'l snatched the comb and started gathering her hair together.

"Well, New U is just one of a bunch of companies Dad's been working with. From the things I remember hearing though, he's acting as a coordinator between them for the most part. Trying to get them working together instead of at cross-purposes. That the kinda big picture you mean?"

Jamie nodded and then paused and shook her head.

"Was that a yes or a no?"

Jamie chuckled. "Oh, it was a yes, I just never had a ponytail set so high before. Feels a little weird. Anywho, yeah that's a possible, even probable clue to what I'm talking about. Maybe I should have you look at the phone logs and see if you recognize any of the numbers."

"Doubt I'd recognize any but I'm game. Ok, Now you can comb me out." Dan'l said, turning so his back was to Jamie. "So, you don't trust them? Dad, Anne and the rest I mean?" He asked as Jamie settled in behind him.

"Oh I trust your Dad to try to accommodate me so long as it helps his cause and keeps you safe." Dan'l started to object, but Jamie hushed him and started combing out his hair. "Sorry, he seems nice enough and all, but I don't know him well enough yet to give more than that, y'know? And I do trust Anne to act in what she sees as my best interests. It just took this," Jamie said, emphasizing her words by leaning into Dan'l close enough that her small breasts pressed into his back, "…to remind me that what Anne considers to be in my best interests might not coincide with what I think. Also, I can't assume Chris and Beth will back my side of an argument. They are my friends, but they have history with Anne and she is their ringleader. I was just a kid in their eyes even before… Well before this turned me into a kid."

Before Jamie could get back to grooming Dan'l, he leaned away from her. "Could you not do that again?"

"Huh? Sorry, I was just making a point. Didn't mean to stay that long, but it did kinda feel nice cuddled in like that."

"It felt too nice Jamie."

"Za?" Jamie said and then realized what it had felt like and was glad that Dan'l couldn't see her blushing. At the same time it occurred to her what she'd have felt like had girl rubbed her teats into her back at that age. She leaned her head over his shoulder, looked down and confirmed her fears. "Cushlamocree! I'm really sorry, Dan'l. I wasn't thinking. "

"Jamie." Dan'l pleaded.

"Oh! Yeah, right you are." Jamie said sheepishly backing off. "Kinda like having one of those little yappy-dogs that goes off at the slightest provocation stuffed down your pants, ain't it?"

"To say the least." Dan'l sighed, and then with mock anger. "And what do you mean 'little'. It looks plenty big to me."

"I've had more opportunities to compare Dan'l. Unless that was enhanced like my eyesight, it's strictly average, bro." Jamie chuckled, while combing. "But that's plenty big enough under the circumstances."

"True enough." Dan'l replied, but added with just a hint of malice. "Don't think you're getting off easy though. Your new tent poles may be smaller, but they're a lot more prominently placed."

"Ah, but I like bulky clothing" Jamie riposted while trying to get Dan'l's hair into a ponytail. Dan'l heard a distinct *snap* but his hair fell back around his shoulders. "Ummm, You don't want this in a ponytail, I hope."

"Why Jamie?"

"The rubber broke."

"I am so gonna get you for that later." Dan'l groaned.

"I promise I'll comb you out when we get back, I'll even help you with that fuzz on your face if you want." Jamie looked at the sky and noting how dark it had gotten, pulled out her PDA. "Scum puppies. It's nearly time." Jamie looked about the clearing, "I really hate to leave. I can't recall seeing fireflies this late in the season."

"Is it that important? Dan'l asked. "What could be more beautiful than this?" He wondered aloud, watching the fairy dance of the fireflies.

"This, as they say, is just a stop on the trail." Jaime said like a narrator on some history channel show. Hopping off the boulder she bobbled a bit but continued in her normal voice, "Literally, years ago this was a turn around point for the equipment that made the trail and what's at the end of it. And this trail, like the proverbial road, continues on."

"And what's at the end?" Dan'l asked dropping down beside Jamie with an ease that lifted her brows.

"The beginning of the return trip of course." Jamie winked.

Dan'l gave his best "annoyed" but neither of them were fooled. As the trail had become more difficult to discern with night fully settled around the pair, Jamie broke out her Maglight and the two trudged deeper into the forest. A firefly winked occasionally and sometimes moonlight would work its way through the trees, but otherwise Jamie's flashlight was the main source of illumination. Dan'l thought briefly about the fact that he was reliant on Jamie get him back home. Soon, even fireflies and moonbeams gave up on the thickening gloom. Although they'd left the clearing only minutes before, to Dan'l that magical place of twinkling beauty seemed miles away. The darkness of forest and the pressing branches and roots underfoot seemed that much more oppressive when the only things clearly seen were those illuminated by the thin beam of light coming from Jamie's hand. Both of them shared a gloom-laden silence for several minutes.

"Jamie, you never said anything about trusting me." Dan'l said, in an attempt to break the silence.

"Sure I did." Jamie replied and Dan'l caught a wisp of Jamie's punish sense of humor attached to her next statement. "I told you I have reservations about your father."

Dan'l thought on that. It could be taken two ways he thought. Either he fell into the same category as Dad, or the fact that Jamie had admitted having reservations in the first place to someone who might tell Dad immediately upon returning was a statement of trust in itself. And of course, there was the fact that Jamie hadn't blocked her feelings from Dan'l since dragging him out here. He knew that must have taken some effort on her part.

"Thanks Jamie."

Jamie shrugged in front of her. "No hoo-ha."

"I did tell Mom." Dan'l admitted, hoping to keep the conversation going. "About our link I mean. You called it empathy? But Mom won't tell anyone else." Jamie stopped where she was and looked at Dan'l. He was startled at the way her cocked brow reminded him of his mother, but set it aside. "Really Jamie. Mom has some…Well maybe she should talk to you about it, ok?"

Jamie just closed her eyes for a moment and Dan'l could not help but feel Jamie's internal conflict. On the one hand Dan'l had had no reason not to tell everyone and had made no promises even now, not to. So there really was no reason to be annoyed. On the other, the link between them seemed a very intimate thing to Jamie, and she dreaded exposing herself in any way that she did not have direct control over. Dan'l knew that less than 5 seconds had passed, but that little battle seemed to take an eternity to resolve.

Finally Jamie shrugged. "Would probably have come out eventually anywhich." Jamie resumed following the trail, admitting "Your good vibes while chatting with Rick got me pumped up today. For a minute there I thought Anne was gonna prescribe Valium or some such. We start doing that to each other long enough, and they'll eventually deduce something's happening and wanna know what."

"I made you feel good?" Dan'l paused, noting that starlight was beginning to filter through the trees again.

Jamie nodded. "You've also made me hungry and scared the bejeezus outta me. It balances out somewhere I guess." The trees were definitely thinning again and Jamie turned the flashlight off since the small beam would no longer make much difference. "Ok, we need to be quiet from here on in, so if you gotta talk, whisper ok?" Dan'l nodded, but as Jamie wasn't looking, he wondered idly if she was just taking for granted his agreement, or could she actually feel it. Did "agreement" have an emotional value?

Jamie stopped where the trees gave way to bushes and general brush and Dan'l looked about. They were about thirty feet from a man made lake about the size of a football field. At least Dan'l assumed it was man made. The shape was too regular to be natural in his opinion though. There was a large machine on what he thought was the western side of the lake that Dan'l guessed was a pump of some kind.

As with the clearing earlier, there was an almost magical feel to the place. This time due to the moon and starlight reflecting off the placid surface of the lake. Dan'l wanted to get closer and look more deeply into the water, but Jamie held him back and motioned him to follow he instead. Skirting the edge of the forest, Jamie lead them to a log about ten feet from the edge of the water. She knelt behind the log and motioned for Dan'l to join her.

"Coolness," Jamie whispered. "They haven't shown up for dinner yet."

"Who? Jamie what's doin'?"

"Looks like you get to snack on those bagels after all, Dan'l." Jamie pointed at a small pile of food at the water's edge. "See the food? Now look past that to the forest. Keep your eyes low."

At first Dan'l hadn't the slightest idea what he was looking for and was about to ask Jamie if he still had thumping rights when he saw it. A pair of bright green eyes staring at him from under some brush. An equally large pair joined them, and then the bushes seemed filled with a half dozen or so smaller sets of glowing eyes. Dan'l turned his head to Jamie, but she already had a finger to Dan'l's lips. Dan'l stared at Jamie a moment, thinking she either had fantastic peripheral vision or their link was more pervading than she'd thought.

Blinking in confusion, Dan'l turned his gaze back to the eyes peering out of the forest. Accompanied by a rustling in the surrounding foliage, a large raccoon made his way tenderly onto the grassy stretch between the forest and the lake. He (?) moved cautiously and looked directly at Jamie and Dan'l's hiding spot and seemed to be contemplating them. After a moment's indecisiveness, Dan'l thought they'd disturbed the raccoon too much with their presence because he turned to look back at his brood. Then the moment was past and the raccoon ambled quietly to the pile of food and began picking through it. As he did so the other adult began making its way across, keeping an eye out for trouble, especially from the other pair of mammals hiding behind the log. Still scanning, She (?) nodded to the six tiny pairs of eyes still in hiding. In single file, six smaller versions of the mother and father ambled across the green to join their father who was already "washing" a bit of stale bread in the lake.

Dan'l "aw'd" in appreciation of the sight and could feel the warmth of Jamie's love of the sight as well. When "momma" joined the feeding brood, Jamie whispered. "Ok, they've accepted that we aren't predators, so long as there are no loud noises or fast movements on our part, they'll hang here 'til they've had their fill."

"Jamie, what is this place?"

"The farmer who owns this property is the son of the family that bought the land from the people who owned the house we're in." Jamie paused, trying to see if she got the order right. "Yeah, that's it. Anywho, the Johnson's kept this section forested and had the lake dug out for irrigation. Old man Johnson Sr. didn't want it used as a local swimming hole, so part of the sale agreement had the folk who used to own our place allow the equipment to trail through their side of the property line. When I was choosing a site for the storage shed, I noticed the trail and found the lake. I followed the aboveground pipe from the pump there back to the Johnson's place and after nearly getting my fool head blown off, things settled out and I got the story from Mitch… He's the current head of the family. Bit odd, but I like him and Jane makes an apple butter that's better than sex."

Dan'l let the apple butter thing slide. So his "sister" was weird? From what he'd seen of other kids who had siblings, that was nothing new. That he'd started thinking of Jamie as a sibling, he placed on the back burner as well.

"And the raccoon feed?" he asked.

"Well, like I said, Mitch is a bit of an odd duck." Jamie replied. "Most farmers in these parts have some trouble with local critters. The state's a little gung-ho on keeping hunting seasons short and quotas low. Since all the natural predators were mostly killed off ages ago, deer and 'coons and rabbits get to be a problem for working farms. It's worse up near the Pennsylvania border I hear."

Dan'l nodded, "Wouldn't feeding the 'critters' just make matters worse?'

"Well, yes and no." The explanation continued. "Mitch doesn't feed the deer or rabbits you see. Instead he … and I know this sounds gross, but it does work. He bottles his urine and spritzes the borders of his fields and orchards with it."

"He what?" Dan'l said loud enough to draw the raccoons' attention.

"Heshup Dan'l. I didn't say he whizzes on the crops; just the borders around them. Deer and rabbits smell it and assume it's a predator marking and stay out for the most part. Raccoons aren't above hunting though and will ignore markings like that."

Dan'l smiled. "So he fills them up here and they leave the crops.."

"…and trash cans alone." Jamie finished. "And it's Sunday night so he left their feed early and hit the night church services."

They continued watching the raccoons eat. The smaller 'coons spent almost as much time playing as eating. Both Jamie and Dan'l found themselves laughing as quietly as they could at their antics. Even the older raccoons seemed to find amusement in their children's play. Soon though, it seemed everyone had their fill and Dan'l was a little surprised to see the adults pick through what was left and alternately carry selections back to the brush for later. When "daddy" raccoon's tail vanished into the undergrowth behind the last of his brood, Jamie rose and stretched her limbs.

"Well that's the show for tonight." She said smiling from the warm glow of shared joy. "You see why I can deal with this now?"

"You have a raccoon and firefly fetish?" Dan'l crossed his arms, suddenly feeling defensive for no reason he could name.

"Cushlamocree!" Jamie exclaimed. "Dan'l you just saw some really cool shit and… Gah!" Jamie started back to entrance to the trail, making no effort to hide her irritation. Dan'l stood there, for a moment missing the feeling they'd shared up to that point, and at the same time feeling stunned from being "slapped" by Jamie's indignation. With a short cry to Jamie to "Hold up", Dan'l chased the girl, who spun on her heel and glared accusingly at Dan'l.

"I thought you were really getting it Dan'l. Life is just a big ass trail you can't be sure exactly where it leads and sometimes you find yourself being pleasantly surprised and sometimes it's scary. There are shortcuts that lead to glory sometimes, but just as often they're freaking dead-ends. So you gather what you can and move on, because no matter what you're presented with life goes on around you. Enjoy the surprises and never overlook the beauty in the world around you, 'cause it'll get dark when you least expect it and you'll need something to light the way."

"'Bein’ human, havin’ your health... that’s the most important thing.' So our plumbing's fucked! You think those 'coons give a flying football!?" Jamie yelled in Dan'l's face just as he reached her. "They'd have come to eat whether we watched the show or not. I _sure_ didn't plan fireflies this late in the year. That was as close to a miracle of timing as anything I've ever seen Crumbs and martyrs Dan'l, you even have people who are walking _with_ you on your path." Jamie turned her back to Dan'l and tried to walk back to the house. " Quit trying to push us away. Everyone leaves soon enough without any urging, believe me." Jamie's anger was giving way to depression now and Dan'l hadn't needed to hear the choked sob at the end of her last statement to know that she was about to start crying.

"Hey," Dan'l stepped in close to his twin and tried to embrace her. "I think I we're swapping positions."

Jamie tried half-heartedly to break Dan'l's hug, mumbling something about "dependence" and "tactical weakness", but when Dan'l made it clear he wasn't letting go, she relented and rested her head next to his. "They all leave you know." She sniffed.

In a way, this was exactly what Dan'l had wanted from Jamie from the instant they met. To see that his opposite was just as hurt and despairing as he was. Now that he had it though, he missed the person who seemed to approach everything, as a joke at her own expense, but still funny enough to be laughed it. Suddenly the ruckus that marred her meditation last night made a kind of sense. Dan'l whispered, "I'm not going anywhere, Jamie. You don't have to face the nightmares alone."

Jamie stiffened in his arms. "I just know you have them Jamie, not what they are. That's price of that outlook of yours isn't it?"

He thought Jamie was about to say something when a voice came booming from the western end of the lake wanting to know who the hell was trespassing on his property.

"Cushlamocree." Dan'l said since Jamie seemed too startled to.

* * *

Having gotten through the "catching up" phase of the conversation, Richard Angstrom and his wife, Mary had settled into the quiet conversation of two companions who simply need the other's company to survive. Talk ranged over current events to suggestions as to what the two could do to celebrate their reunion Wednesday. Lost in the warmth of each other's company, Rick had lost track of the time until a crack of thunder drew his attention to the clock and he noticed it was nearly ten PM.

"Was that thunder Rick?" Mary's asked over the phone.

"I think so, but the forecast for tonight was clear." Rick said. "Honey, I'm going to have to get off the line. I want to check on Dan'l. I haven't seen him since he and Jamie went off for a walk two hours ago."

Rick had time assure Mary that Dan'l would be calling before bed and hang up, when a second "thunder clap" reached his ears. Looking out the window of his room though, he was a little concerned to see that the sky was indeed clear as a bell. He heard no more "thunder" and assumed someone was hunting the nearby woods. Although he couldn't see the kids in the back yard, his view wasn't perfect and they could be out front. Or, more likely, Dan'l was already inside and had not wanted to disturb his father's phone call.

Still it wouldn't hurt to check.

"Who the hell is stupid enough to go hunting this late?"

* * *

Dan'l didn't need to hear the *cha-chack* of the shotgun to start running, but it did cinch the decision. Since they were practically out in the open anyway, the old, overgrown trail would (he hoped) provide some cover. Dan'l pushed Jamie into motion and the two charged up the path. Just as the voice demanded they stay put.

Two seconds later there was a boom. "Ok," Jamie panted ahead of Dan'l, "Now that was… overkill, Mitch."

"What's he doing here!" Dan'l cried keeping pace just behind Jamie. "You said he'd be at church!"

"I guess…He got back." Jamie said managing to shrug while hopping over an exposed root. "Wanted… to clean up. I did mention he's an odd duck.

Dan'l was watching Jamie's feet and so missed the shrug, but jumped the root. "You failed to mention…Shotguns!"

"I did mention… nearly getting my fool head blown off." Jamie panted. "Or did you… think that was an… innuendo? He did say it was just… rock salt."

"Gah!" Was the best response Dan'l could manage. All he'd wanted to do was talk with to Jamie, but she had a bright idea and hauled them both off into the woods behind the house in what he supposed Jaime considered a lesson in life. To see raccoons of all things! They were in the darkest part of the forest now and Jamie briefly flicked her Maglight on and off to confirm the terrain ahead. As the pair jogged into the clearing at the midpoint of their run home, Jamie insisted they slow down and catch their breath.

"Other side of the clearing." Dan'l suggested breathlessly. He hadn't had to move like this since he was 12 and although he'd been working out since his treatment, this was the first time he seriously _had_ to push his limits. Even so, it felt wrong to slow down on the side of the clearing nearest the lake.

"Split the diff?" Jamie puffed. For her part, Jamie had never liked running and she was just realizing that what little endurance she possessed before her transformation was for spit now. "Far side of the boulder."

Dan'l agreed feeling the need to rest himself. As they slowed to a walk Jamie fumbled her cell phone out and rang the house. "Cell phones operate best on line of site. This clearing's the best reception point."

"You're calling …"

"Need to relay that we're on our way home." Jamie interrupted hitting the speed dial. "It also prevents Mitch from calling the house directly on the public line." Jamie walked with the phone to her ear for a few seconds, then stuffed it in her bag and rummaged out her PDA. "Busy. Wi-Fi card, don't fail me now."

"There you two are!" Came an outraged below from Mitch Johnson "Get your tails off my property or this rock salt'll be propelling your backsides back where you came from!" The last was followed by another booming shot into the air.

"Scum puppies, Too far away! I can't access the phones." Jamie exclaimed, jamming her PDA in the bag at her hip and pushing Dan'l onto the trail. They'd been running for a minute or so and Dan'l let the branch that had been in his way go as he had countless others over the course of this journey. It never occurred to him that he'd been behind or beside Jamie until then until he heard a startled, high pitched, but very unladylike "HORK!" and felt breasts he no longer had protest a painful abuse. It stopped Dan'l in his tracks and he had to go back to the pain management techniques he'd learned in the hospital to get past it.

Turning, Dan'l saw that Jamie was slowly and methodically ducking under the branch He'd let fly a moment ago. She was visibly shaking as she walked slowly to Dan'l, and caught between trying to hug herself protectively and keeping from bringing any more pressure to bear on her tender breasts. She kept repeating "owwie" in a low monotone until she was face to chin with Dan'l. Jamie paused in her mantra and asked, "Do they really have to get bigger?"

Dan'l nodded sympathetically. Jamie nodded back to him and began chanting "owwie" again. Dan'l continued nodding as she walked past him. Suppressing a smile broke Dan'l's concentration though and he grimaced in sympathetic pain.

"Danm. This is worse than when I caught that football wrong." He told himself as he joined Jamie's painful walk over the last few meters of the trail. When he caught up to Jamie, Dan'l heard ringing coming from Jamie's bag.

Jamie stared at the bag and then at Dan'l hopefully. For just a moment Dan'l thought about teasing her, but at the same time remembered all too well a similar situation. By the third ring he had the phone out where Jamie could see the display. She shook her head ruefully and told Dan'l to put the phone away.

"It's Mitch calling me to be on the look out for a couple of kids he scared off." Jamie winced when she reflexively rubbed her brow. "I forgot I gave him my number and not the house's." Jamie's rueful grin became a smile and then a giggle, which started Dan'l off and as they exited the trail they were hanging off each other laughing and trading "did-you-see-your-face-when's".

They were caught short by the sight of Richard Angstrom calling down from the deck.

Dan'l called back to his father as they approached, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Hey Dad! We were just taking a walk, but Jamie kinda had a… sports injury." He mimed catching the football his father had thrown when he was twelve. Jamie crossed her arms indignantly and immediately both kids regretted it. The wince of discomfort they shared dissolved into laughter. Dan'l couldn't be sure as Richard was backlit from a Mercury lamp above the deck, but he felt certain his father was raising an eyebrow as he nodded his understanding of the reference.

Anne appeared almost magically from behind Rick. "Did I hear you say 'injury'?" She called hurrying down the stairs.

"It's nothing Anne." Rick called down.

"Who's the Doctor here?" Anne called back, taking Jamie by the arm. "Let's get you inside where the light's better, Jamie."

"Anne, it can't be much more'n bruised and the nan…" Jamie protested as Anne rushed Jamie up the stairs, followed at a slower pace by Dan'l who recalled Jamie's thoughts on the Anne. She nodded to Jamie when she looked over her shoulder and shrugged a "At least she means well" kind of shrug. Anne seemed too concerned with dragging Jamie through the patio door to have noticed. Dan'l just shook his head slowly.

Stopping next to his father, Dan'l leaned back, resting his elbows on the railing. The deck was pleasantly built, providing ample space for an umbrella-covered table and chairs for four and plenty of walking space. A webber kettle and smoker were placed opposite the table, near the stairs. They occupied a shared niche that kept them out of the main walkway, but near enough that everyone could be tempted by anything being cooked there. Dan'l wondered if Jamie had worked from a prefab kit or if she'd designed the layout herself.

"Your mother's expecting you to call tonight before you sack out." Richard said still looking at the half-finished yard below.

"Yeah, I wanted to tell her about today anyway."

"Good walk I take it? You too seem to have come to a meeting of the minds."

Dan'l thought about that a minute and nodded smiling gently. Despite the unintentional pun, Dad was right. He had Jamie's measure now. He thought he could actually get to like her and maybe even learn something from her. He knew he had things to teach her.

"That's good son." Rick said patting the boy's shoulder. "You two are gonna be spending a lot of time together in the future. Can't have you scrapping _all_ the time."

"I guess not. Dad? I should go make that call to Mom, 'kay?" Dan'l asked, rubbing his father's shoulder as he rose.

"Give Mary my love, Dan'l."

"I will." Dan'l made it halfway in the door and stopped. "Oh, and Dad?" He called. When Richard turned to face him, Dan'l put as much steel in his voice as he could and said, "With all due respect, if I ever hear you call getting whacked in the teats 'nothing' again I will wait 'till you are totally unprepared and kick you in the crotch." Putting up a hand to prevent any protest, he added, "Before you think about what you could do in return, just remember that it's 'nothing'."

Rick stared at the young man in the doorway mulling over what he said, then laughed. "Point taken, Dan'l. Now get on the phone before I ground you for trying to intimidate your old man."

End ch.9

Note: TG scifi transformation Rated-M