Brotherhood of Love

Chapter Nine: Thank you for being a friend

Monday, November 15th, Clan Wagner Dining Room:

Hearing the shuffle of little feet, Mary looked up from her conversation with Helen, who had came over to assist Mary with adjusting to cooking for a small army. "Good morning, Angels! Did Y'all sleep good?"

AJ and Axel nodded nervously, not moving from the doorway. "Did we miss breakfast?" AJ asked in a small voice, his younger roommate huddled tightly into his side.

"Dear no, Honey!" Mary smiled. "All you boys had really long days Saturday and yesterday, so I decided to make breakfast for y'all as you woke up. You boys can come in and sit; this here's Helen, she lives over at your great-grandma Teri's place, and cooks for her and your Grandpa's families. Your Daddy asked her to help me out, so y'all know she's okay."

"You promise?" AJ risked.

"Think of what your Daddy would do if I lied to you about something like that," Mary responded calmly. "I promise. As soon as you are ready, pick a seat and we can figure out what you'd like for your first real family breakfast in a safe home."

AJ considered her reply, then cautiously navigated his way across the room with Axel glued to his side. After picking a seat three chairs away from Mary, ensuring that Mary was between them and Helen, AJ took a seat with Axel on the far side of him from Mary. Remembering what Mary had said, AJ asked softly "You mean we can have something besides cereal?"

Mary nodded. "Y'all are growin' boys; cereal ain't e'nuff food to keep y'all growin' right. What do y'all think sounds good?"

"I don't know," AJ admitted, Axel nodding his agreement. "All I ever had was cereal or toast."

Helen interrupted with a smile. "In that case, I think that the one breakfast that is reserved for special little boys who need reminded that their new family loves them is in order. Do both of you like blueberries?"

Axel's smile and fast nods gave his answer, while AJ replied "I didn't know you can eat them for breakfast! I love them!"

Helen smiled. "Why don't you two tell your Aunt Mary about the foods you like and don't like, and I'll make your special breakfast. Axel, I've been told that you can talk in heads; both me and your Aunt Mary are aware of it and we fully accept that you use that way to talk. You're not alone; one of the families down in Alligator Alley has some boys from a place that doesn't talk at all. They can't, where they came from they used their heads to talk for so long that their bodies don't have vocal chords any more, so all of us are perfectly fine with you talking the way you're most comfortable."

"Really?" Axel's voice asked in the heads of the other three.

"Yes," Mary and Helen both replied. AJ felt no need to reply, as Axel had been holding mental conversations with him from the second they woke up.

As the two boys were joined by their hawks, Asher taking his spot on the back of AJ's chair while Orin cuddled into Axel's lap, AJ stated "Me and Axel can talk to each other in our heads now; Asher says it's 'cuz we're Spirit Helpers. Axel's throat hurts if he tries to talk too much."

As Helen headed into the kitchen, Mary replied "That there's normal at times if he ain't been talking. You boys might be wantin' to tell Antonio that, so he can make sure there ain't no problems."

"Okay," AJ replied, surprised that they were being trusted to follow up.


Following their noses, DJ, Tanner, and Chek walked into the dining room to find AJ and Axel part way through finishing off individual piles of blueberry waffles, both of which appeared to have been topped with whipped creme. Helen and Mary were watching the two boys with smiles on their faces, obviously enjoying the sight of the pair as they decimated their breakfast.

DJ grinned, stating "I recognize those waffles; two boys needed to be shown just how much we all love having them in our family! Good morning AJ, Axel, Mary, and Aunt Helen!"

"You're not mad we didn't wait for you, Daddy?" Axel's voice asked in DJ's head.

DJ walked over and kissed the tops of AJ and Axel's heads, replying as Tanner and Chek collected their morning hugs from Mary and Helen. "I'll never be mad at you guys for eating when you are hungry. If there was a reason that you needed to wait, Mary would have told you. Did you guys sleep good?"

"Yeah, Axel cuddled me ALL night!" AJ replied between bites.

DJ smiled. "That's good; Axel needs one of his big brothers to help him feel safe, and I think you'll do great since JR taught you how by him making you feel safe."

"When I woke up, he was sleepin' and holding my weiner, but it didn't feel bad," AJ stated. "I never had anybody touch it without me feelin' dirty before. Why's that?"

"I think it's because you knew in your heart that he wasn't doing it to abuse you," DJ explained. "Axel, you are not in trouble, but were you awake when your hand went there, or did it happen in your sleep?"

"I didn't know I did it," Axle replied softly, unsure if DJ was okay with head-talking if others needed to hear his answer too. "Does that mean I gotta get a new room?"

DJ shook his head. "I think you need to keep sharing a room with AJ, son. Things happen when you sleep, and there's nothing that'll change it. Even though you didn't mean to do it, what happened is actually something good for AJ; he got the chance to experience contact with another person that didn't mean sex. Where you two take it from here is a discussion that you need to have, then you need to tell me what you decide so I can make sure you're not going too fast or doing something I think you should wait on."

"Why ain't you mad, Daddy?" AJ asked.

"Because neither one of you did anything wrong; you had something happen that is normal for boys your age," DJ explained. "I bet that your feathered friends can help you understand what I mean if you ask them."

The boys turning their attention back to their meal told DJ that he'd settled the first crisis of the morning. After collecting his hugs from Mary and Helen, DJ asked "Is anyone else up yet?"

"Not that I've seen," Mary replied. "Let the young'uns get their sleep; they need recovery from the last couple'a nights."

"I've actually been thinking about that," DJ said. "If we head out about two this afternoon, we'll be just in time to have another breakfast in Hawaii. That would make it so the kids can spend a whole day meeting their family over there, and gives us all a little beach time. I'm expecting all of the adults to take a break too."

"That's not a bad idea," Helen stated, "Mary, I think that you'll love getting to know the Hundsers; they've went through sudden expansion something like you are, so they'll have tips for you. I might just join y'all; I've been wanting to visit again anyway."

Mary nodded. "Even though it seems I have no choice, I have to agree with DJ; we all need to take a break. Insanity in small doses is good, but this is getting to be too much for the boys to deal with."

"You had a choice, Mary," Tanner stated with a grin, "either you took a break or we were going to kidnap you to make you take one!"

"Just remember, turnabout's fair play," Mary stated, attempting to look stern. "Since neither of us know what you was eatin' on Archnania, the three of you are getting a full Southern breakfast. No arguin'; Helen and I are puttin' our feet down. Plant your butts and give us a few minutes to cook the parts we can't prep for. AJ, Axel? If you see somethin' on your parent's plates you want'a try, speak up and I'll get you some."

Once Helen and Mary vanished into the kitchen, DJ commented "I'm glad she stepped up to take the kitchen; I don't think mac and cheese for every meal would have worked!" Turning his head to take in the sight of the blueberry-stained faces of AJ and Axel, he asked "Did you guys enjoy your special breakfast?"

Both boys nodded, smiles on their faces. "Those were GOOD!" AJ added.

Smiling, DJ replied "You guys earned them, I'm glad you liked them. AJ, Rand passed on to me that you said that Axel's throat hurts when he talks too much. What do you think about you passing on what Axel wants to say when there are people around when he doesn't feel comfortable talking in their heads? Go ahead and head-talk it over with Axel, but I had to ask you because you would be doing the hard part."

It took almost a minute before AJ replied, Axel now cuddled on his lap with a big smile. "Axel was worried I'd get mad about him bein' around all the time to do that, but now he knows that I want him to be with me so I can make sure he don't get hurt again."

"We're all proud of both of you," Chek stated. "What you are doing isn't easy for anyone, especially after what both of you went through. AJ, don't be afraid to ask us or one of the big brothers if you are unsure about something, okay? Axel is going to be counting on you, which is just how it needs to be right now."

None of the occupants had noticed the four boys in the doorway, at least not until one of them spoke. "That's why KZ thinks you're so great, JR; you taught AJ that!"

Tanner spoke as everyone turned to see who was there, "Come on in and grab a seat, guys! Rand, please let Mary and Helen know that Nash, JR, KZ, and Davey are here."

"You're slow, Tanner!" Rand replied. "Noah and Caleb had Peter put a monitor in the kitchen so they could watch for new arrivals!"

"Not a bad idea!" Tanner admitted. Turning to the boys just taking their seats, he asked "Davey, how was your first weekend sleepover?"

"It was fun, Uncle Tanner," Davey replied with a smile. "I wish Jimmy hadn't of got scared though; he really wanted to try to stay again, but too much was happening so he had to go home to relax."

"It's okay," Tanner nodded, "he can try again any time he's ready. We're going to visit Hawaii this afternoon, and I was thinking of inviting your parents, you, and Jimmy to join us. Do you think you'd be able to handle that?"

Davey nodded, "Yeah, Uncle Prez is funny! It might make Jimmy feel better too."

"Okay, I'll call your Dad and Pop after we eat," Tanner smiled. "AJ, do you like the idea of Jimmy joining you and Axel while you explore Hawaii?"

AJ nodded, "Yeah, that way he knows he's still my friend. Do you think he would be mad if I asked him to come over now?"

"I bet he's worried that you're mad at him," Nash interrupted. "Even if he says no right now, you asking him would show him that you're not mad, so why don't you call him?"

AJ nodded, and after working up the courage, he tapped his brand-new commbadge. "Jimmy, this is AJ, are you there?"

"Hi, AJ," Jimmy answered, his voice reflecting his worry.

"Do you wanna come over? It ain't crazy no more," AJ stated hopefully. "Daddy and Poppa said we're going to visit Hawaii later today, and they said you and Davey can come too, they're gonna invite Uncle Gabe and Uncle Travis too."

Proving Nash right, there was an immediate difference in Jimmy's voice as he replied. "If Pop says it's okay, I'll be right over."

"If he says no, I'm sending Daddy after him!" AJ threatened seriously. "We're in the dining room when you get here!"

"Okay!" Jimmy replied before ending the call.

"If Travis heard that, you're never gonna live it down, Deej!" Tanner giggled. "Super-Daddy to the rescue!"

"Uh-huh!" AJ nodded with a small grin. "Was I okay talking like that?"

"When it is close family, what you said was fine once in a while," Tanner replied. "As long as you don't do it all of the time, you won't be in trouble; but if you repeatedly use any of us as a threat just to get your way, then it becomes a problem. Remember saying that later today, because knowing Travis he's going to joke with you about it."

"Pop knows what you and Axel are feeling right now," Davey added. "He'll tell you what it felt like from his side, and he'll help you know when he thinks it is okay to do things like that. He does that a lot for me and Jimmy."

Just then, Gabe, Travis, and Jimmy appeared in the dining room. AJ immediately waved Jimmy over, stating "C'mon Jimmy, I need help teaching Axel the cuddles you taught me!"

As Jimmy quickly took AJ up on the offer, Gabe motioned for the rest of the group to join him on the other side of the room. Once they were out of earshot, Gabe smiled as he turned to Davey. "How was your first weekend sleepover with a friend, Davey?"

"Great!" Davey replied with a smile. "Me and JR talked some, and we fell asleep watching a movie."

"It was really fun," JR added. "Will we get to do it again?"

Gabe nodded. "Unless there are family plans, you guys just need to ask when you want to do it. JR, when you're more comfortable, you're welcome to stay at our place as well."

"Thanks, Uncle Gabe," JR replied. "I think we better wait until AJ and Axel feel safe without me here first."

"Don't be surprised if AJ tells you to do it anyway, even if you don't think he's ready," Tanner giggled. "I think you'd be shocked at just how much he's learned from you."

"Just tell us before you get the dimensional doors installed between your bedrooms," DJ sniggered. "We need to plan ahead for the midnight munchie raids in both kitchens!"

"What's a dimensional door?" Nash asked curiously.

"It's one of Javyk's successful experiments," Travis explained, "It is like a teleporter in a way, but it lets you walk through it like a doorway. You have to be on a list to use it, or else it is just like a wall. Every major Clan base has a set of them in their CIC that lead to the other bases, and most of the family houses have at least one to their nearest CIC."

"Does that mean we have one?" Nash asked, awestruck.

"We've got a few," DJ replied. "Once all of your brothers, cousins, and nephews are comfortable, we're adding one to get to your Grandpa's place; the adults already have one in their area that goes to Grandma Teri's house."

"We're going to use one to go to Hawaii later today," Tanner added. "It's easier than trying to coordinate a mass teleport of this group."

"Speaking of Hawaii," Travis grinned, "Since AJ beat you to asking, yes, we'd love the break!"

"I think having his first friend that isn't direct family is cracking his shell," Chek stated.

"Axel's helping AJ and Jimmy," Gabe observed after a glance at the trio. "Since AJ trusts Jimmy, it looks like Axel's decided that Jimmy's going to join AJ as his protector. I think having someone looking up to him is making Jimmy more confident."

The rest of the group turned to look, smiling when they found AJ and Jimmy were now sharing a chair, with Axel perched on their laps. Axel bore a contented smile as he held the arms of both of his companions securely across his belly.

"You did a great job with AJ, JR," DJ stated as he turned back to the group. "From what I know about your old life, nobody else but you could have taught him that."

JR's face glowed with his blush; while it had been years since he'd had any parent that would take the time to praise him, the actions of his new family were quickly pushing his more recent trials into the background. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered just loud enough to be heard.

Unseen by all but Gabe, Helen had snuck up behind the group. "If you are all done embarrassing the poor boy, your breakfast is waiting!" Helen stated. "Travis, we've already included your little family in the food plans."

"Thanks, Mom," Travis smiled as the boys turned to re-take seats at the table.


"Aunt Helen?" AJ asked warily as she walked past to return to the kitchen.

"Yes, AJ?" Helen replied with a smile as she stopped.

"You said the blueberry waffles were for special people. I think Jimmy is special, does that mean he can have some?"

Helen's smile grew as she deduced the intent of AJ's request. By the look on Jimmy's face, it was obvious he didn't expect it, and Helen knew that he was fully aware of just what it meant. "I think that is a perfect way for you to show him what he means to you, AJ. Do you and Axel want another one as well, that way all three special boys are eating at the same time?"

"We can have more?" AJ asked in amazement. "We thought that was all we got!"

"You can always ask for more at any time, angels," Helen stated. "Our job is to make sure you get enough to eat, and your job is to be the great boys that we know you can be. I'll be back in a few minutes with special blueberry waffles for all three special boys." 


"Hey Deej," Gabe quipped, "I don't think Davey and JR are the first ones that are going to need a door!"

"The question is, do we order it now or wait for them to ask?" DJ smiled as he watched Jimmy manage to hug AJ, even with Axel on their laps.

 "I don't think any of them will ask," JR offered hesitantly.

"I think you're right, son," DJ replied, earning him a smile. "We'll see how things go today, then decide. JR and Davey, we'll need your input; you know how your brothers think better than we do."

"KZ and me'll help with Axel's input," Nash offered to JR and Davey. "I think between the four of us, we should be able to figure out if they're going to stay this close."

"Sounds like a plan." DJ stated. "The four of you have the lead on this; if it goes like I think it will, all three boys will appreciate it more if their big brothers arrange it."


As breakfast was winding down, with all families finally present, Rand got DJ's attention. "Hey DJ?"

"Wazzup, Rand?" DJ replied as he watched Finn and Chris trying to explain to their sons why Helen had said 'Yankees can't cook no real breakfast'.

"Even though Noah said not to," Rand replied, "I thought you might want to know he issued me a touring body so the kids have a face to go with the voice they're hearing."

"He has a point," DJ admitted. "These guys don't trust what they can't see, and I don't blame them. You planning to join us?"

"This is probably a good time, since everyone is there," Rand offered. "Would you mind warning them, I don't think a surprise would be good thing."

"That sound like a good idea," DJ admitted. He stood up, and raised his voice to be heard. "Could I have everyone's attention?"

"NO!" Antonio and his family replied with a round of giggles.

"You gotta suffer!" DJ shot back. "Rand just told me something that all of you need to know about. Thanks to Noah, he now has a new body so that he can hang with us while he's running the house. He's about to join us, so you guys need to remember that you already know him, you're just getting to see his body for the first time."

Noah stood up and added "He's still the same guy, it's just that we can make it so his personality can jump between his body in the basement and his body that walks around. No matter which body he's using, you'll be able to talk to him; his body brain has a link to his house brain."

Caleb quipped "If y'all ever want to know how it REALLY works, ask me; my husband gets confused writing 'Hello World' code!"

"Keep it up, hon," Noah shot back. "I'll tell Marc to stick you on the COBOL compiler again!"

"Okay, kids!" DJ stated with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, Rand will be coming in here in a few minutes."

Ignoring the giggles from Noah and Caleb, DJ sat down and shook his head in defeat. "Remind me to dunk all four of them when we get to Hawaii!" he grumbled just loud enough for Tanner and Chek to hear him.

"I think there's gonna be a line," Tanner observed as he noticed multiple groups of boys quietly plotting, occasionally glancing at their future targets.

At least one of the groups decided not to wait, however; Antonio, Byron, and their boys suddenly vanished, only to re-appear soaking wet. The appearance of purple halos above every dry person's head was proof that Dylan or Thomas was involved in the execution of the plan, but gave no clue as to the originator.

Chek smiled, and told DJ and Tanner over their link "Finn and Chris did it; Thomas says Finn didn't think it was funny saying no when Deej had something important to say, and Chris still owes them a few."

"You might want to talk with Finn, Chek," Tanner observed. "If he's too serious, he'll scare his brothers away. Coming from me or DJ, he might think he's in trouble, but I think you can help him understand that we just want to make sure he doesn't become protective to the point that he's mean."

The conversation was interrupted by Antonio yelling across the room "I'll get you later, DJ!"

"It wasn't me, 'Tonio!" DJ shouted back. "I'll do it in person when you least expect it; someone else decided to beat me to it!"

"Oh! This is gonna be fun!" Antonio giggled. "Operation 'Find the Dunker' is now active!"

"That should help," Chek stated on the link. "Antonio making it a game will make everyone relax, even if it does result in a few more dunkings."

Just then, Rand's voice announced from the doorway "Antonio, do you realize that I just had to bring an extra core online to track the queue for your family's scheduled dunkings?"

Everyone turned to look, curious as to just what Rand looked like. Standing in the doorway was a very thin but healthy fifteen-year-old with wavy bleached-blond hair halfway down his back, and electric blue eyes. He was wearing well-worn blue jeans, and a dark blue tee shirt that stated in yellow letters "SK8 4 LIFE".

Within seconds, Sylys and Dylan's son Jimmy, who had decided to go by James when he realized that Gabe's son Jimmy would be around a lot, homed in on Rand. "Uncle Timmy says we're in charge of cuddle tests!" James notified Rand, just before the two of them took him to the ground with their pounce.

Finn, Chris, Thomas, and Dylan came over to rescue Rand. When they saw his grin as he tried to tickle the two giggling imps attached to him, Finn announced "I think he passes the cuddle test, guys! Let him up so the rest of us can finally give him welcome hugs!"

"Meanie!" James giggled as they broke free, quickly moving to the safety of the nearest parent.

Once Rand was standing again, Chris asked "Is that what your first body looked like?"

Rand nodded. "Yeah, my original parents were both thin and tall, but had delayed puberty. They asked for a random match using their genes, and this was the first result; my Dad said I looked just like he did at fifteen, except for getting Mom's hair, so they took the first try."

"You don't have to answer, but what happened to them?" Finn asked.

"Old age," Rand replied. "Dad knew George from working with him, so he set it up so that George looked out for me after they died. I worked with George for a while, and we kept in touch after George moved in at Headquarters; when I started to have joint problems, he talked to Marc and I ended up getting my wish and moved in here."

"What did you and George do?" Thomas asked, more for everyone else in the room that was listening carefully to the conversation.

"We worked with kids that were considered hard-to-place in the foster system because of abuse they'd suffered," Rand explained. "The last thing I did was helping with turning the offices over to FYS; George and Aunt Teri are working with the kids right now to get them ready to join into Clan life. Since all of the current group knows me and George, they'll probably visit once they know I live here."

"Are you going to Hawaii with us?" Chris asked.

"Try to stop me!" Rand grinned.

Finn smirked as he tapped his commbadge. "Grandma Teri? This is Finn."

"Good morning, Finn; how's the family doing today?"

"We're doing good, Grandma," Finn replied. "Rand just got a body again, and he was telling us that you and George are helping the kids they used to help."

"Yes we are, and right now I have two dozen boys who are suddenly very interested in what you're saying!"

"Good; that means they know you ain't making this up!" Finn giggled. "Dad, Pop, and Mom decided that we're gonna visit Hawaii this afternoon. Since Rand's going too, do you think you can let them come with us? That way they can hang out with Rand, and meet the rest of us that they'll be seeing when they visit our house."

"Considering that I'm seeing smiles on faces that haven't smiled since they arrived, I think you just found exactly what they needed. Tell your parents to let me know just before you're ready to leave; I'll meet all of you there, and help with introductions before you all run off to the nearest beach."

"Thanks Grandma; we can't wait to meet Rand's friends! See you in Hawaii!"

"I'll see you there, and you just did something really great for a group of boys that you've never met. Grandma out."

As Rand stared in shock at Finn's scheming, DJ spoke up from where he'd came up behind Finn. "Do I need to ask Peter to add another floor, son?" DJ quipped.

"Not yet, Dad!" Finn grinned as he turned around. "I saw how much it's helping JR, Davey, AJ, Axel, Sylys, Jimmy, and James with making friends. If it's helping them, then maybe it'll help more of our family and Rand's friends if we are friends with each other."

"George just told me that Finn's cracked their shells," Rand added. "I think most of them thought they were just being bounced in the system again, no matter what George tried to tell them. Finn inviting them to leave the country for a trip to Hawaii, just because I know them, was unexpected; when Teri said okay right away, I think they started to believe things are different."

"That's what I guessed when I heard Grandma's comment about smiles," DJ replied. "This is going to take all of us working together to make it work; they're our guests, so we need to make sure they don't feel like they've just been dropped there and left. Rand, since you know them the best, I think you sitting down with the Big Brother squad should be the first step. That way you can consider which members of our families would be the best matches as hosts to each of your friends."

"I've already filtered out the bad combinations," Dylan stated as he fought off James trying to steal his cookie. "That'll save a lot of time, so if I help we should have a plan just in time to leave!"

"Is there anyone that has to be left out?" Chris asked.

"Nope, there's a few that having the little guys with their big brothers makes it better," Dylan explained.

"I know one that's going to probably shadow DJ, Tanner, and Chek as soon as he sees them," Rand grinned. "You might say he's a big fan; once he realizes that DJ and Tanner fake normal pretty decently, he'll probably stick with them the entire time."

"Hey Chek?" Tanner deadpanned, "You're the gatherer of knowledge in the family. What is this 'normal' that I keep hearing about?"

Chek grinned as he replied. "Normal is defined as a fictitious condition whereby a being or multiple beings apply seemingly observed societal or environmental phenomena to their worldview, with the mistaken conviction that random occurrences of said fragmented observations is a natural law of how that particular event should occur. A detailed study of this societal delusion was completed by the Mikyvis Council in 4325, with the final determination being that there is a genetic fault in emotive beings which leads to insufficient growth of the logic center of their brains, leading to an inability to recognize the uniqueness of all aspects of the multiverse."

"Thanks a lot, Chek; I just had to reboot a logic core after hearing that!" Rand grumbled.

"If you want, I could go into detail," Chek offered.

"NO!" every other occupant of the room, plus the base AIs that were listening in, replied loudly.

"That was mean, Mom!" Davner giggled as he came over and climbed up DJ's side. "Don't worry, Daddy; I warned my brothers and nephews, so they knew what Mom was doing."

"Warned them about what?" Rand asked.

"Daddy, Mom, and Pop like playing a game where Pop asks a question, and Mom answers it in the weirdest way he can without being wrong," Davner explained. "Uncle Chance told me about some of the ones that Mom's came up with before."

"Warn me next time! Please!" Rand begged.

"There was a warning," Tanner grinned. "The first rule is the question that's asked must be something that Chek knows that I already know. Honest questions get honest answers; what an adult would call a stupid question gets the weirdest answer he can come up with."

"Mom?" Finn asked, "Do you just do that for Dad and Pop, or can anyone play?"

"Anyone that wants to play can, they just need to let me know," Chek replied. "Tanner and Deej can signal me over our link to be sure. That just makes it easier to know when to play than it was before we were bonded, so I'd like to have some way to signal from other players too if we can."

"How's about the subvocals?" Finn suggested. "Pick a word that doesn't make sense to say by itself, and use it as a trigger?"

"That would work," Chek replied. "Were you wanting to join the fun?"

"I was thinking about a trick I'd use when our neighbor was getting too interested in Rollie," Finn explained. "I'd do something stupid to get his attention. What I was thinking is with that many kids joining us, there's a chance of some of them having issues with a big group, and maybe if we did something like that, they'd forget about their issues long enough for us to help them get with a smaller group within our group."

"That might just work," Chek replied. "Why don't you guys start getting ideas from the rest of the family while Rand grabs a bite to eat, and we'll touch base with the adults to get them onboard."

"We're on it!" Finn smiled as he turned to round up the crew.

Noticing Davner wasn't moving, DJ quipped "I think we've got a spy from our kids among us!"

"Yep!" Davner giggled, "I getta be the cute one to save you from the old people!"

"Sounds like a plan!" DJ laughed as he followed Rand to see what food was left.


To Be Continued...