It was almost exactly as she had described, the sensation of something that felt like water but was not flowing over and around them as she drew back from the kiss. For a few seconds, they were surrounded by a kaleidoscope of sparkling stars rushing through a black sky. Then the sensation faded, replaced by the feeling of a breeze on his skin beneath warm sunshine, sand beneath his feet, salt on the air.

"Welcome to Rhy'Din."

For a moment, he almost thought what he was experiencing was in response to her kiss, before he realized that she'd sufficiently distracted him enough to ease his nerves as they traveled through the portal. He smiled, amazed to find himself standing on a beach, a sea breeze in air, not to mention relieved. So, as impossible as it was to believe, it seemed she hadn't been lying.

"You tricked me," he told her, tapping a finger against her nose. "Next time you kiss me, I expect it to be the real thing."

"Promise." Nali's grin was utterly shameless, however, glad the distraction had worked. He wouldn't be anywhere near as worried about returning. And that thought brought an unexpected pang to her heart. Still, she covered it with another smile, nodding to the beach behind him. "That over there is where your brother lives," she told him. "The house with the purple door."

"Are we early?" he asked, wondering if they'd arrived too early or too late for the welcoming committee. Or maybe they just didn't want to overwhelm him. His gaze followed to where she had indicated, noting a couple of houses on the beach, but not many people. "Private beach," he murmured, impressed.

"Yeah, this part of it, at least," Nali agreed. "They discourage people from spending too much time in the Cove, because it's their home, you know?" A yell from the house she had indicated drew her attention to the little figure of Noelle, blonde hair flying, accelerating across the sand toward them. "Brace yourself, niece incoming."

Rick turned, startled to find a child rushing across the beach toward them, despite Nali's warning that three of the smaller crowd called this place home. "Er, what am I supposed to say?" he asked, clearly out of his comfort zone when it came to anyone under the age of maturity.

"She does most of the talking, you should be fine," Nali assured him with a grin.

Noelle was about halfway to them, a huge grin on her face, her hands waving excitedly, yelling out, "Unca Rick!" as she ran. Behind her, Jaz was only now stepping out onto the porch, visibly laughing at the welcoming party of one.

Jack wasn't far behind, hanging back just a little, though the new arrival was supposed to be his brother. He felt a mixture of anxiety and shyness, though he was excited, too. Rick smiled at the little girl's greeting, open and friendly, though she had never met him before. "What's her name?" he whispered slyly to Nali, so he could offer a proper greeting.

"Noelle," Nali supplied, just as the little girl in question thumped straight into Rick's leg, wrapping her arms around his thigh and kissing it enthusiastically. She looked up at her new uncle, whom she had been excited to meet all day, one eyes closed as she squinted in the sun.

"'Lo, Unca Rick. You got a furry face."

Rick couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiastic greeting. How could anyone not feel welcome here with that kind of greeting" "Hello," he replied, shrugging the duffel bag from his shoulder as he crouched down on the sand so that he was at her level. "You must be Noelle," he said, offering her a hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you."

Noelle looked at his hand in confusion for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed his thumb with a bright grin. "You gotta come see Mumma and Daddy and Milo," the little girl informed him. "An' sleep over an' have dinner an' play!"

Not to be outdone by a child, Rick gently took her tiny hand and brushed a kiss against it, just as he had with Nali. From the smile on his face, the three year old had charmed him completely. He looked up and over at the house, where a pair of adults was standing, as if they were waiting for him to come to them. "That must be them, huh?" he asked her. "Are they nice?"

Behind him, Nali snorted softly at the silliness of asking a child that question about her own parents, but kept her mouth shut. Noelle was nodding energetically. "Mumma has a baby in her tummy and Daddy didn't eat breakfas'," she shared, as though confiding a deep dark secret. Then she held her hands up to him. "Carry."

"Oh," he replied, with a very serious expression on his face. Of course, he had not expected her to admit that her parents were anything but nice, but the question got her to tell him things she may not have otherwise. "Uh ..." he muttered uncertainly at her request. "Are you sure your parents won't mind?" he asked her.

Noelle wasn't going to be shifted, shaking her hands insistently at him with a very stubborn look on her face. "Carry," she repeated firmly.

Nali stepped forward and took charge of his duffel with a grin. "Give in gracefully, that's my advice."

He thought she was a little too trusting; then again, she was just a child, and he was her uncle. He nodded at Nali's advice and scooped the little girl up into his arms as he rose to his feet. She weighed next to nothing really - his duffel was heavier than she was.

Crowing with delight at getting her own way, Noelle wrapped her arms about Rick's neck, rubbing her cheek against his beard with a giggle.

"C'mon, you two," Nali said with a grin of her own, moving to lead the way across the sand to where Jack and Jaz were waiting patiently.

"Like it?" he asked, as Noelle rubbed her cheek against his beard. He took great pride in maintaining that beard. It was more work than shaving sometimes keeping it clean and trimmed. "It's not fur, you know. It's a beard," he explained, as he followed Nali up the beach toward the houses.

"Unca Des and Unca Jon has beards," Noelle informed him. "They prickly and scratchy. You has fur." She didn't seem to be prepared to let go of her assessment of his face for the time being.

As they approached the couple by the house, Jaz called out to them. "He's not a pet, Nolly!"

"Thanks," Rick said, taking the glass from her and taking a sip, but not moving from where he sat beside the dog. "He was just a kid. There's nothing he could have done," he assured her, pausing a moment to take another sip or to consider something before continuing. "I'm not sure how you feel about it, but maybe it would give him some closure to visit her grave."

"I think you're right," Jaz mused, leaning back comfortably. "He seems most affected by the fact that he never got to say goodbye to her. He's mostly at peace with why she left, he certainly doesn't blame her. But at the same time, he loved her very much, and even though it probably wasn't her intention, she did abandon him. I think he needs to let go by seeing her at peace."

"She left him a message," he told her, glancing toward the stairs and wondering if he should have waited before giving that message to Jack. He'd brought some other things with him - photos and a few other keepsakes - but he hadn't unpacked those yet. "I've been looking for him for a long time. To be honest, I didn't even know I had any brothers, until Jack's father died."

"I figured." Jaz smiled gently at Rick. "Jack spends a lot of time in his own head, but I know how to get him talking. He'll deal with it, I promise." She tilted her head curiously toward him. "How did you start looking for your brothers?"

Rick shrugged. "It wasn't as hard as you might think, once I knew who I was looking for, but Jack ..." He shrugged. "Jack's a ghost. Not even Joe - Jack's older brother - knew where to find him. It was like he disappeared off the face of the Earth." Which he had, in fact, done.

"He didn't want to be found," she murmured. "I think he's still a little scared of his dad, even though the old bastard's dead and gone. But he is very glad to meet you. I hope you can become friends."

"I'd like that, too. I know my mother never stopped missing him and never stopped blaming herself for leaving. She made me promise to find him and tell him how sorry she was," Rick explained with a sigh. "I know it doesn't make up for all the heartache, but maybe it will give him some peace."

"Being a dad himself did a lot for his peace of mind," Jaz told him, another smile on her face. "Noelle's nothing but sunshine, and she was an amazing Christmas present."

"I kind of figured from her name that she must have been born at Christmas," Rick remarked with a warm smile. He gave Milo another rub and then got to his feet to claim a chair, reaching for one of the cookies. "Do you mind?" he asked, before taking one, even though he was clearly welcome to do so.

"Help yourself," she encouraged cheerfully. "Yeah, she wasn't the only one. Her cousin, Nick - Lena and Tommy's eldest - he was born on the same day. We were sharing a hospital room for Christmas that year."

"Really?" he said, taking a nibble of the cookie. "Was that by design or by chance?" he asked curiously. Nali had told him about Jack's best friend, and though Rick was glad his brother had someone who was like a brother to him, he wished he'd been there for him long before now.

"Really." Jaz laughed as she recalled that year. "It was totally by chance, too. Nolly decided to arrive first, and she took most of the day. Lena had it so much easier with Nick."

"I'm glad Jack has found happiness," Rick said in a sincere tone of voice. "I'm looking forward to getting to know him better ....and getting to know you and Nolly, too." Not to mention Nali, but that was another matter.

"Well, we're not going anywhere," she promised. "What is it you do, anyway' Or is that classified?" Her voice took on a teasing tone as she said this, despite having given him an out.

"Not classified exactly. At least, not here. I'm a Federal Agent with the D.E.A.," he told her. "Sorry, Drug Enforcement," he was quick to add, in case she wasn't sure what that meant. "Drug dealers mostly. Smugglers." He shrugged. "It's not as exciting as it sounds. It involves a lot of leg work." This was more than he'd told even Nali, but he'd assumed Nali had already known.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Jaz asked. "I mean, I don't know a huge amount about Earth, but I spent a while in Houston years ago, and some of the worst shootings were drug-related. Are you often in danger?"

"Sometimes," he said, not wanting to worry her. "But we know what we're doing and we take the proper precautions," he told her, which mostly meant following procedures, being careful, and wearing a bullet-proof vest whenever necessary. Of course, he couldn't prepare for everything, but he was as careful as he could be.

"All right." She nodded, accepting his word for it, but still frowning a little. She hated the idea that Jack might have made contact with his blood kin only to lose him again. "Just be careful, okay' You've got people who worry about you."

Rick smiled at Jasmin's concern. "I appreciate that, but you hardly know me yet." And yet, if first impressions were anything to go by, she had nothing to worry about. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Jaz brightened, suspecting that the topic was about to be derailed entirely and not that worried about it. It took time to get used to having a close family who cared what happened to you when you'd been alone for a while.

"How well do you know Nali?" he asked, changing the subject completely, but curious about his travel companion.

"Me" I only met her about a week ago," Jaz told him, though her smile suggested she might have just made an educated guess about his interest in that particular person. "Lena's the one to talk to if you want the scoop on Nali. They've been friends for years. Lena's my cousin," she added, gesturing in the vague direction of the other house.

"Right. Tommy's wife," Rick admitted, knowing that much. "I like Nali, but ..." There was that shrug again. But what? There were a lot of reasons not to pursue a relationship with her, but for some reason, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

"But?" Jaz tilted her head, her smile gently encouraging him to put words to the thoughts in his head. "Sometimes it helps to say it out loud."

He shrugged again. "Her life is here and my life is there," he told her. It was as simple as that, or was it' He hadn't been with anyone in a very long time. He'd purposely avoided relationships, mostly because of the danger inherent in his job, but it made for a lonely life.

He'd dedicated a good part of his life to his chosen career, and for good reason, but one he was reluctant to share.

"There's more to life than bills," Jaz commented, resting her head on Jack's shoulder. Thankfully, she was in her second trimester, so the fatigue was nowhere near as bad, but after spending most of the day running around after an overly excited Noelle, this quiet sit down was definitely appreciated.

Rick knew Jack had more questions for him, and he had a few questions of his own, but looking between the couple, he sensed this reunion had been harder on them than it was on him. Jasmin looked tired, and he knew the letter from his mother had most likely put Jack through the wringer. No, there would be more time for questions later. "You know, I should probably go find Nali before she thinks I got lost."

"Well, don't forget to come back for dinner," Jaz reminded him, happy to let him wander the beach a little. It was a strange situation, but one she hoped they'd all grow accustomed to sooner or later.

"I won't!" he promised, returning the empty glass to the tray before moving to his feet. "Thank you both for having me," he said. "I'll be back in a little while."

Jack shifted as though he, too, was going to move to his feet, but Rick waved him away.

"Relax. I can find my own way to the beach."

"She's probably on the porch with Lena, across the way," Jaz suggested. "Tommy's been put on child duty for the afternoon so his wife can paint." She chuckled quietly.

Rick didn't bother to follow that up with any questions, taking Jaz at her word. He knew Lena and Nali were close friends, and though his ears weren't ringing, there was a good chance they were talking about him.

"Okay, thanks!" he called back as he retraced his steps through the house back outside to the beach.

Nali was immediately noticeable, not on the porch of the other house, but down by the water line, her shoes dangling from one hand as she stood, ankle deep in the water, looking out over the horizon.

He spied her almost immediately, a smile spreading across his face at the sight of her. It had been a long time since anyone had given him so much reason to smile. He was dressed casually enough in jeans and t-shirt, but he had yet to take off his sneakers and feel the sand beneath his feet.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said, as he strolled down the beach toward her.

She turned, her face brightening in a familiar wide smile as she brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I'm just enjoying the view," she told him cheerfully, stepping out of the water to join him. "I don't get to see the ocean unless I come out here, and there's just something very peaceful about being able to touch base with something so vast."

"It is peaceful," he replied, in complete agreement. "I haven't been to the ocean in years. I forgot how peaceful it can be. At least, when it's not crowded." He wasn't sure, but he assumed it never got too crowded here, as she'd said it was a private beach. "I can't think of any place more peaceful than this."

"Even on busy days, when the shop's open, there's usually only surfers here," Nali mused, looking out over the waves once again. "I don't think I've ever seen a truly crowded beach around here."

"So, why don't you live here?" he asked curiously, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, the sea breeze mussing his slightly too-long hair. He had a feeling he knew the answer to that question, but he couldn't help asking anyway.

"Because I like the city, too." She laughed as she answered. "I like being close to my parents, although I don't live with them anymore. I have an apartment that is the right size for me these days." Absently, she leaned against his arm.

"An apartment for one, or do you mean you can stand up without having to duck?" he teased. He was all too aware of her closeness, not taking advantage just yet, but not moving away either.

"Both?" Nali giggled quietly, but sobered, tilting her head to look up at him. "You okay?" she asked in a gentler tone. She figured that first meeting and talk must have been a little rough on his senses if nothing else.

"Yeah," he replied with a slight frown. "I know I upset Jack in coming here. I just hope I'm doing the right thing," he said, perhaps not only referring to Jack. They both had a lot to think about.

"Finding your family will always be the right thing," she said quietly. "There's a lot that comes with it, but right at the heart of this is you and Jack. Brothers. That's what's important, and I'm sure he knows it."

"Family," Rick murmured in agreement. Jack was the only family he had left, and vice versa. "I told him I'd take him to see Mom's grave," he told her, turning to face her, needing to be completely honest with her. "But I'm wondering if I should take him to see Mom instead."

Nali frowned thoughtfully. "What did she tell you about him' When she asked you to find your brothers?" she asked curiously. She wasn't sure there was a way to get Jack to his mother in a way that wouldn't break the timeline, but if she had managed it, then Mary might have said something to Rick.

He shrugged, unsure what she was getting at exactly. "She just said she wanted me to find them so that she could ..." He trailed off at the memory of it. "So that she could say good-bye," he continued, his voice turning quiet, brows furrowed in thought.

She bit her lip, still looking thoughtful. "Rick ....was she at peace when she died?" she asked as gently as she could. "Did she talk about them, did she say she regretted not saying goodbye to them?"

"I-I don't know, I ..." For quite possibly the first time, Rick's well-maintained composure cracked a little at the memory of his mother's last days. His expression almost crumbled, frowning at the memory - obviously troubled by the memory. "She told me I needed to find them. That they were my family." He rubbed a hand across his face, as though the memory was either painful or he was having trouble remembering or both.

Lena, washing her brushes in a jar of filthy water, smiled back at Rick warmly. "That's Luna," she told him, the dog lurching onto her feet at the sound of her name. "I'm Helena, but everyone calls me Lena."

"Lena and Luna," Rick murmured, wondering if the dog had come to them already named. "Luna as in the moon goddess?" he asked, assuming he'd heard her right and hadn't mistaken Luna for Looney.

"I assume so," Lena admitted, setting her palette down and wiping her hands before moving away from the canvas. She was spattered with blues and whites and browns, but she looked incredibly relaxed. "She's a rescue. Aren't you, sweetie?" Luna's tail wagged happily as Lena bent down to stroke her ears.

"She's lovely," Rick praised the dog again, though he'd yet to meet her up close. "What are you painting?" he asked with interest. He seemed perfectly at ease now that he'd gotten meeting Jack out of the way. Either he was good at getting to know people or just good at asking questions.

"Just a view of the ocean," Lena told him, hesitating for just a moment before saying, "You're welcome to look, if you'd like."

Nali made a sound of surprise, earning herself a roll of Lena's eyes. "You're privileged," the little woman told Rick. "She usually guards her art like an angry wasp."

"Art isn't made to be shoved in a closet and forgotten," Rick argued. "It's made to be shared and enjoyed," he added, even before he'd had a chance to look at Lena's work. "Would you mind?" he asked, as he set one foot on the stairs, asking permission again before starting up.

Having backed herself into this corner, Lena stepped aside to let him see the canvas. "Of course," she assured him, still trying to wipe her hands clean on her rag. The painting seemed all but done, though there were no true details yet. She would add those another day, once the blocked lines and shadows were set.

Once he joined her on the porch, he could see that the painting wasn't finished yet, but that hardly mattered. What he could see what the fact that it showed promise. "I'm no art critic, but I like it. I like what you've done with the colors. It's almost as calming as the sea itself," he said, as he looked the painting over.

Flushing a little, Lena smiled faintly. "That's the idea," she said, almost shy in the face of someone's immediate sight of her unfinished art. It was different when Tommy told her he liked her work. "Get the lighting right, and it feels alive."

"Have you ever thought about opening a gallery?" he asked, assuming she wasn't accustomed to people praising her art, much less viewing it. "Art is made to be seen, Lena. And you are clearly talented."

"I'm ....considering something like it," Lena managed, but Nali was quick to interrupt.

"She's going to be one of the featured artists in a gallery exhibit in the city in September, and the same gallery asked to put an exhibit together of the boards Tommy makes and she paints," she said enthusiastically. "They're awesome."

"I'm glad to hear it!' Rick said, smiling amicably. "I'm Rick, by the way," he added, offering a hand in greeting. "But you probably already know that." He chuckled. If Nali and Lena truly were best friends, there was probably a lot Lena already knew.

"Knowing isn't the same as an introduction," Lena pointed out with a smile. "How did it go?" She jerked her head toward the other house to clarify her question, her smile softening as she did so. From inside her own house came the sound of a suddenly raucous cheer, two small voices raised in absolute delight.

Rick shrugged, his expression changing, first to one of worry regarding her question and then to curiosity at the sounds coming from inside the house. "As well as can be expected, I guess," he replied, nodding behind her to indicate what was going on inside. "Sounds like someone is having a good time," he added, smiling.

"I'm surrounded by mischievous little boys," Lena said with a wry laugh, but it was obvious she would not have it any other way. "Come inside and meet them, if you dare."

Nali snorted. "She's making it sound way too intimidating," she informed Rick cheerfully. "Those boys are adorable."

"Even the big one?" Rick asked with a smirk, assuming they'd know he was referring to Lena's husband. Was it true that boys would be boys, even when they were grown"

Nali let out a cackle of laughter. "When she's got him under control, sure," she declared, earning herself a gentle slap on the shoulder from her friend.

Lena was laughing herself as she opened the door. "Come in, Rick," she told him. "I promise that if they get you dirty, we can clean you."

"Uh, okay," Rick murmured, arching a brow, and tossing a questioning look at Nali. What could they possibly be doing indoors that might risk making him dirty. Finger painting" Playing with Play dough' Glitter" Baking cookies?

"You'd be amazed at how sticky boys can get sitting in the middle of a clean room," Nali told him in amusement, following Lena into the house with a gentle tug on his hand.

"Nali," he said, leaning close and lowering his voice. "I am a boy," he reminded her with a smirk, knowing she hardly needed the reminder. Or at least, he had been a boy before he'd become man; it seemed like a very long time ago.

"That's the point." Nali grinned up at him. "You're a boy, so you don't notice unless someone else gets you sticky."

"I'm going to be in the kitchen," Lena announced laughingly, pretty sure this conversation was going to go somewhere less than child-friendly for a few moments.

"I'm not sticky," he pointed out, a little defensively. At least, he didn't think so. He prided himself on keeping himself clean and groomed. Even his beard was well-groomed, clean and brushed and trim.

"Like I said before ....Looks like you're got your hands full!" Rick said, chuckling again as he dared enter the kitchen and claim a seat. "Lemonade sounds great," he told Lena. He might have wondered how his mother had handled three sons, if she hadn't left home when her boys were so young.

"It's a good kind of full," Lena admitted, pulling a jug from the fridge to set it on the table before turning back for glasses. "I seriously have no idea how my brother does it, with five kids. I don't even know how Rosie does it."

"My mom," Nali offered to clear that up. "Right now, she's got two teenagers and an eight-year-old at home."

"It kinda creeps up on you, doesn't it?" Rick asked. "I mean, you start out with one and before you know it, you've got five," he said, obviously teasing. He assumed birth control was available in Rhy'Din, after all, so big families were a choice. "To be honest, I wish I had siblings growing up." In truth, he had; he just hadn't met them yet.

"It's never too late," Lena promised him. "I should know - my oldest brother and little sister showed up in the last seven years, and we're all pretty close."

"It's a little late for me, Lena," he admitted, and that was okay. "But better late than never, right' I'm glad to be here and I'm really looking forward to getting to know Jack better."

"So is he," Lena said confidently. "He keeps a lot of stuff tamped down inside, and he gets quiet when he's unsure or upset, but I promise you, he is just as excited to know you as you are to know him."

"I know Jack and Tommy are like brothers. I'm not looking to come between them. I'd just like to know my brother. He's all the family I have left," Rick explained, just to be clear.

"You won't come between them," Lena assured him. "That was my worry when I found Tommy, but they've been through a lot together and built separate lives that are still connected. You don't need to worry about that."

"I don't expect us to get close overnight. I know it's going to take time and effort to get to know each other," Rick continued, nodding at what Lena had told him. "I bet they have a lot of stories," he added with a wistful smile.

"I bet you do, too," Nali pointed out, gently nudging his elbow with her own. "You just need to spend some time together, that's all. And you will - we can make sure of it."

For some reason, that comment made Lena cast a very sharp look at her best friend, but Nali dismissed it with a smile.

Rick nodded, not noticing the look that passed between the two women, as he was focused on the condensation that was developing on his glass of lemonade. "Yeah, we will," he murmured, hopefully, not daring to mention that he was hoping to take Jack back in time to see his mother before she died.

A delighted squeal caught their attention, followed by the approaching patter of small feet, and Nick streaked through the kitchen, naked as the day he was born, waving his green hands and spraying water everywhere. Lena sighed as she smiled.

"Excuse me a moment," she apologized to Rick, and lurched out of her seat, chasing the runaway into the lounge.

Tommy was nowhere to be found, still upstairs dealing with Luke, but a shout was heard calling for Lena and warning her that Nick was incoming, just a little too late. Rick laughed. "Like I said, they have their hands full."

"In the best way," Nali agreed cheerfully. "So what's the plan tonight?" she asked Rick curiously, just wanting to know how the evening was looking for him. She had already agreed to stay the night with him, but she wasn't sure quite how that was going to progress.

"They seem happy, anyway," he remarked, taking a sip of his lemonade at long last. "Tonight?" he asked, brows arching upwards. "I think Jack and Jasmin are expecting us to stay the night. Then, we could meet your family tomorrow," he suggested, though nothing was really set in stone.

"There's no rush on that, you know," Nali assured him. "And you can stay in Rhy'Din as long as you like - I can get you back within a week of when we left. So don't feel like you're running out of time to do stuff, okay?"

He smiled, a little overwhelmed by it all, but doing a good job of hiding it. "I think someone might notice if I go back looking twenty years older," he pointed out, though he was obviously teasing again. "Sorry, all of this is just a little much to grasp."

"Stop apologizing," she told him, laying her hand over his. "You're allowed to be out of your depth and a little overwhelmed, you know? And we all get it - Rhy'Din is a big deal to absorb, even without the time travel thing."

"I didn't really believe you. I mean, I wanted to, but ..." He shrugged. "It's a lot to take in. I'm sorry for that, but I believe you now," he assured her, turning his hand upwards so that he could link his fingers with hers.

Nali's smile made it clear she definitely didn't hold that against him, her smaller hand curling into his without a second thought. "Take your time," she told him gently. "You've got plenty of it right now."

"I'm glad you brought me here, Nali, and not just because of Jack," he assured her, his voice soft, his words meant just for her. "In a way, this is the first vacation I've taken in a long time." Though that wasn't why he was glad she'd convinced him to come here.

Her smile softened as she listened to him. "I'm glad you came," she murmured back, her fingers flexing gently in his grasp. "Seriously, though ....take as much time as you need. You're not going to be late for anything, I promise you."

"Okay," he said, nodding his understanding, relieved he didn't have to rush this. There was a lot he needed to do here, and a lot of decisions that needed to be made. It didn't occur to him that she might be trying to convince him to stay longer for a reason.

"Okay, well ....how about I tell you about my family?" she suggested. "We're kind of unconventional, even around here, but we're a pretty good example of the anything's possible concept this place runs on."

"Okay," he said, drawing her toward a circle of logs that seemed to have been set out on the beach around a long-dead fire. "You already told me about your parents," he said, though he still wasn't too sure what a halfling was. She had tried to explain it to him, but he still wasn't too sure.

"I did," she agreed easily, following along with him. "But do you actually know what a halfling is" From what I can tell, Earth has stories about them, if nothing else - little people who like a good home well kept and family?"

"Sounds like hobbits to me," he said, chuckling a little to himself, as hobbits were supposed to be no more real than Santa Claus. "Next thing you know you're going to tell me elves and fairies and dragons are real, too."

"My mom is a hobbit, my dad is a halfling," Nali reminded him, letting the chuckle pass her by. "I also have a human, a half-orc, a halfling, and a tiefling for siblings."

Rick furrowed his brows, looking a little confused. "I am not sure what those are," he confessed, though he assumed they were all humanoid species. He also assumed her parents had adopted all of most of their children, though he wasn't sure why.

Thumping down onto one of the logs, Nali pulled a wallet out of her pocket, and flipped it open, handing him two photographs. One was of herself, kneeling between two people who looked older than her, but couldn't have been more than three feet tall. The other was a recent picture of Nali with an interesting array of people - a young human man with red hair and serious eyes; what seemed to be a teenage boy with green skin, pale eyes, and what looked like the beginnings of tusks starting to protrude between his lips; a tiny brown-skinned girl of the same sort of proportions as the two small people in the other photograph; and a little child with blue skin and blue hair and horns. "That's my family."

"This is your family?" he asked, dropping down beside her on the log to look over her shoulder at the photographs in her wallet. That much was obvious, though there were understandably no family resemblances. "Are they all adopted?" he asked, noting how they all appeared humanish, but with slight deviations.

"Yeah, we are." She nodded. "Mom and Dad can't have kids of their own - apparently hobbits and halflings are just different enough to make it impossible." She inched closer, pointing to each face. "That's Isaac - he's twenty-two, he's in college; that's Colt - he's fourteen, he's the half-orc, and he's pretty damned cute for a half-orc, let me tell you. The smiley one is Bethan - she's fourteen as well, and she's a halfling. And the adorable blue one is Merilee - she's a tiefling."

"A tiefling?" he echoed, entirely at a loss as to what kind of species - or race - that was. He was no expert when it came to genetics. "Are those horns?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, they are." Nali smiled at his expression. "Tieflings are kind of genetic throwbacks, I guess you'd say. At some point in her bloodline's history, one of Merilee's biological ancestors mated with an infernal being - a demon, or a whatever, from the Abyss. Which means that her bloodline will produce tieflings from time to time. Tieflings are almost always rejected by their biologcial families."

"Why?" he asked, though he could probably guess the reasons one might be rejected. It wasn't so much different back on Earth, though he thought such things were less common these days than they might have been in the past. "I mean, so she's blue and has horns. So what? She's adorable."

"It's the Infernal thing," Nali tried to explain. "You know, comes from demons. Living embodiment of a terrible mistake in the bloodline's distant past. But whatever. You're right, she is adorable, and she definitely lives up to her name. She's turning eight pretty soon."

"I'm looking forward to meeting them," he assured her. Though he was a little nervous about it, he had too much pride to openly admit it. "She shouldn't have to suffer for something that wasn't her fault. Back on Earth, people used to ridicule those who were of mixed race. Hell, some people still do. It's just ignorant judging people without getting to know them."

"She sometimes gets people yelling things at her," Nali admitted with a frown. "Which sets Colt off, and generally someone needs to hold him back. He's got all the orc anger management issues. But we're her family, and we love her, and we will not let anyone hurt her."

"It sounds like Rhy'Din has some of the same problems we have on Earth," he told her, which was kind of sad in a way. Maybe this place wasn't as perfect as it seemed.

"There's always going to be people who can't see beyond the end of their own nose and thing anything different to them is bad," she shrugged. "But they're in the minority. Most people here are pretty tolerant of differences."

"I'd have to side with Colt. It's not her fault - or his, for that matter - that they're of mixed blood," he said, though she already knew this. "I'm not sure if I'm annoyed or relieved to find you have some of the same problems here that we have back home."

"It's something familiar?" she suggested, leaning against his arm. "It's not institutionalized or anything. It's just the occasional thing."

"Right," he said, one arm casually sliding around her shoulders to draw her close, as she seemed to want to lean against him. "People will be people, no matter whether it's here or there, I guess."

"Yeah, they will." She tipped her head onto his shoulder easily, smiling at how perfectly she fitted under his arm. "But you know what? Most people, no matter their race, they're good people. Even the races that some people call monstrous, like the goblins and the orcs and the minotaurs, they're good people at heart."

He arched a brow as she ticked off fantastic races that he'd always assumed were the stuff of myth and legend. He hadn't seen proof of that yet, but he assumed if he stayed here long enough, he soon would. It was either that or she was delusional, and he thought he knew her well enough by now to know that wasn't the case.

"I suppose, though my job requires me to deal with some of the darker side of humanity," he admitted.

"Yeah," she murmured. "A monster isn't something you're born, it's something you let yourself become over time." She shifted, tilting her head back to look up at him. "Not too freaked out yet?"

"In the meantime?" he asked, wondering what he'd do while she sorted it out, other than spend time getting to know Jack and his little family.

"You're here to get to know your brother," she reminded him. "I shouldn't really be attached to you all the time. I guess I'm kind of pushing my luck still being here today."

"Yeah, but I can't follow Jack around every minute of every day, Nali. And I'm not here just because of Jack either," he said, though this was the first time he'd admitted that, even to himself. Jack had been his primary reason for coming here, but not the only reason.

"What do you want to do?" she asked, frustration showing on her face. She was afraid that he would want to look up his own history, and there were rules about that.

"Honestly?" he said, meeting her gaze with a serious expression of his own. No more jokes, no more flirting, no more teasing insinuations. "I am here mostly for Jack, but I'd like the chance to get to know you better, too," he said, reaching for her hand. "It's been a long time since I've said that to anyone, Nali. It's not something I take lightly."

The frustration faded from her eyes, replaced with a softness that made the green sparkle. "We'll have time," she promised gently. "I still owe you at least a lunch. And I did volunteer to be your teddy bear tonight."

There was that smirk again, his sense of humor still intact. "If you snore and steal the covers, all bets are off," he teased, though there was always the possibility he might do the same.

"Oh, good, because I'm not a betting girl," she countered, her smile rising. "I'm so much happier with a sure thing." She tweaked his beard teasingly.

"There are no certainties in life, Nali," he reminded her, not wanting to dampen her mood, but just being practical. "How does the saying go' Carpe Diem?" he added, smiling. Seize the day.

She grinned back at him. "I'd rather carpe coles, but I can be patient." She flashed him a cheeky wink, inching back under his arm to look out over the ocean.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, brows arching upwards. He'd never heard that remark, and he wasn't fluent in Latin, but he knew her well enough to know she had probably just made a lewd remark.

"Oh, you don't know that version?" she asked innocently, knowing perfectly well that most people didn't know that carpe coles translated to seize the penis. The only reason she knew it was because of a poor choice when it came to modern languages in college.

"I'm not sure I should ask," he said, eying her suspiciously. "How about Carpe Pectum?" he teased in return, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. She could sort that one out of her own; he wasn't translating.

"You can do that," she allowed. "I'd rather lick them, though." She giggled, tipping her head back to watch the mischief in his eyes. He was utterly gorgeous, but it was deeper than physical. There was a beautiful soul in there, hiding behind his resting sternness.

He laughed, trying hard not to think too hard about all the things she claimed she wanted to do with him. "Maybe you should stay at Lena's tonight," he told her, unsure he'd be able to keep his hands off her.

"Well, that is up to you," she reminded him. "The balls are in your pants, after all." Given that she had told him her mother was a bigger and blunter flirt than she was, what in the world was it going to be like when he met Rosie Dewsun"

Seeing as how her mother was already married, he hoped she would go easy on him. He couldn't help but grin at her continued flirting. "How do you know I don't sleep naked?" he countered. "Or did you look that up, too?"

"I don't know that, you're right," she agreed sweetly. "It's a mystery." Laughing, she leaned up to kiss the end of his nose, just because she could. "Amazingly enough, I didn't dig that deep into your life."

"I doubt that's anything that's documented anywhere, unless you talked to one of my old girlfriends," he remarked, smirking as she kissed his nose. "You're adorable, you know," he told her, for no reason at all.

"I guess it runs in the family," was her answer, her hands slithering up to hook together behind his neck. "Careful, I might wriggle my way right under your skin, and you'll never be free of me."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" he asked, turning to face her and sliding his arms around her waist before leaning so close their foreheads were just about touching.

"Not for me, I don't think," she murmured through her smile. "I can't speak for you. I am persistent, though."

"You realize I'm old enough to be your father," he told her, if they went by calendar years. She did go back over twenty years to fetch him from the past. That hardly mattered though, as he was physically barely into his thirties.

"You're pretty spry for an old guy," Nali teased, the tip of her nose circling his playfully as she looked into his eyes. "Seems to work for other people."

He realized she probably meant Jack and Tommy, who were from even farther back in Earth's past than he was. "Point taken," he said, wasting no more time in kissing her, "seizing the day", as it were.

She grinned into his kiss, as enthusiastic in kissing him back as she had been about everything else. But time ran out on them. Just as the kisses grew deeper, a familiar voice yelled from Jack's house.

"Dinner! Put the girl down and come and eat!"

Rick smirked into Nali's more than enthusiastic kisses, his own kisses as eager as hers, at least, until they'd been interrupted. "We've been found out," he told her, his lips mere inches from hers, reluctant to part.

"Wait, so this is Mexican too?" Nali asked curiously, around a mouthful of her own food. In the high chair, Noelle was blowing into the end of her fajita to cool it down, her eyes fixed on Jack in hope of being praised for not gobbling for once.

"Yeah," Rick replied, chuckling between bites. "Looks like I'm gonna have to familiarize you all with Tex-Mex. Well, maybe not Jack," he said, quick to make an exception for Jack, since he'd grown up in California, not far from the Mexican border.

Jaz tilted her head curiously. "I know about fajitas, enchiladas, and burritos," she said, swallowing her own mouthful. "Not how to make them properly, obviously. I'd love to expand the repertoire a little."

"And tacos," Jack added, helpfully, which were the easiest of all to throw together.

"I could be persuaded to offer a hand in the kitchen, if you want," Rick volunteered.

"Mmm, what does it take to persuade you into the kitchen, I wonder?" Nali asked teasingly, batting her lashes at Rick over Noelle's head.

Jaz snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes.

"Not much," Rick teased her back. "I'm pretty easy," he added with a grin, letting her take that however she wanted.

Across the table, Jack smirked and exchanged an almost knowing glance with Jasmin.

"Good to know," Nali responded cheerfully. "I'll just tuck that away for another time."

"Boys can' cook," Noelle said decidedly. "Daddies can."

"Ah, but I'm not a boy or a Daddy," Rick replied, reaching over to tweak little Noelle's nose yet again. At least, not yet. He'd never really thought much about having a family of his own, partly because of his job and partly because he'd never met anyone he'd consider having a family with - at least, until now.

"Does you live on barbie cues then?" the little girl asked curiously.

Jaz squeezed Jack's hand as she grinned. Just because she did most of the cooking didn't mean Jack didn't know how to cook; it was more that someone was always required to keep an eye on their little terror.

"I'm an uncle though," he said, almost as if he was just realizing it. "Your uncle, and no, I don't live on barbie cues," he assured her, chuckling again.

Jack smiled as Jasmin gave his hand a squeeze. It was going to be a while before he felt completely comfortable around this new brother of his, but he was hopeful.

"Does uncas cook den?" Noelle asked, full of questions even as she filled her mouth with her food. She had a healthy appetite, that was for certain.

"Sure, why wouldn't they cook?" Rick asked. "Tell you what, how about I make breakfast in the morning?" he asked, looking from Noelle to Jaz, as if for permission. "I promise I won't burn the place down and no barbie ques."

"Oh, you are more than welcome to make breakfast," Jaz assured him. "Gives us a bit of a lie in." She flickered a fond look over to Jack as she said this.

"You ever help in the kitchen?" Rick asked, looking back at Noelle. He assumed she did, though he wasn't sure what exactly she helped with. He looked as though he had an idea, but he wasn't sure he wanted to share it just yet.

Noelle's bright nod was enthusiastic. "I make pancakes," she said proudly.

"I bet Uncle Rick knows how to flip pancakes," Nali interjected.

"Not only that, I know how to make special pancakes," Rick said, not to be confused with special brownies.

"Special pancakes?" Jack echoed, curiously. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

"Are they shaped like a cactus?" Jaz asked. She was pretty sure Rick wasn't going to feed their daughter anything untoward, but he was going to have to clarify that statement.

Rick chuckled. "No, they're shaped like a pancake," he said, not really offering any more details than that just yet and looking amused that they had no idea what he had in mind.

"Yeah, you're going to have to tell the parents about what you're planning later," Jaz told him, a warning in her smile.

"I know how to make smoothies," Nali volunteered, attempting to steer the conversation away from this for the time being.

"Will do. I'm not even sure if you have all the ingredients," Rick said, basically assuring Jasmin he'd check with her later. He wanted it to be a surprise, as least as far as Noelle was concerned.

"Whassa smoovie?" Noelle piped up, catching Nali's attention again as Jaz nodded to Rick.

"It's like a chewy fruity drink, honey," the little woman explained. "But you can't drink very much of it at a time, because it fills you up."

"Sort of like a milkshake, but made with fruit," Jack added, though he'd never made one himself.

"I'm sure you know how to make more than just smoothies," Rick interjected. "Nali's parents own a ....what is it again? A cafe?"

"A tavern," Nali corrected with a smile. "The Dewdrop Inn."

"Oh! We've played there," Jaz said with a bright smile. "You're that Nali?"

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, looking between the pair. They were guests, after all.

Nali chuckled, already moving to gather the plates together. "Go on," she told Jack. "We've got this."

From the stairs, the first wail of the evening's over-tired sobfest made itself known as Jaz carried Noelle up toward the bathroom.

"She's adorable," Rick said as he moved to his feet to start clearing the table. "Adorable but loud," he added with a chuckle. Maybe he wasn't as ready to have kids as he thought.

Thankfully, Jack had already ducked out of sight, taking the stairs two at a time to help Jaz with the wailing child.

"All kids are loud," Nali told Rick in amusement. "You get used to it." She pulled open the dishwasher to begin loading it up as he brought the empty crockery over to her.

"I imagine your parents' house is pretty lively," he said, substituting the word "lively" for "loud", though he knew Nali had a place of her own.

"It can be," she agreed cheerfully. "But not overwhelming, once you're settled in. They don't work the bar anymore, so they have plenty of time to corral the kids."

"You said your oldest brother is away at university?" he asked, not only making small talk but filing away information about her family for future reference.

"Yeah, Isaac goes to college at Bristle Crios in the city," Nali told him. "He lives at home still, but he does weekend shifts behind the bar to earn a little money."

"And you help out there, too," he added, though that seemed to go without saying. "Did you go to college?" he asked, curiously in an attempt to get to know more about her. He set the dishes on the counter and turned on the water to fill the sink.

"Yeah, I did," she said easily. "I got a degree in Modern Civilizations, not that I've ever used it. I've never really wanted more than to help out my parents, but they insisted I get an education."

"So, how'd you get into looking up lost people then?" he asked, as he added a squirt of dish soap to the water filling in the sink. Even if they had a dishwasher, he preferred doing dishes the old-fashioned way.

Closing up the dishwasher with a faint smile, Nali found a towel to dry with instead. "Looking up my own origins," she told him. "All I had was a name to go on, and Mom and Dad encouraged me to find out as much as I wanted to. It took me about a year, but I did manage to track down my birth mother."

"And what did you find out?" he asked, as he started scrubbing dishes. He didn't want to pry, but he also didn't want to seem disinterested in her life. He sensed there was a story there, but it was up to her whether she wanted to share it or not.

"Basically that I was a huge mistake that she wanted to forget all about," Nali told him with a shrug. "No clue who my biological father was - not even she knew that. Some circus performer on his way through town who seduced his way into her bed and left her pregnant. Coincidentally, that was the day before she agreed to marry her now husband."

"I'm sorry," Rick said, sobering, a sympathetic look on his face. What did you say to something like that' At least, her adoptive parents loved her" That hardly made up for the initial rejection. He wondered suddenly if Jack had felt that way when their mother had left.

"She was a pretty selfish woman, and her husband was worse," Nali said. "It screwed me up for a while, but I have great parents, and an amazing family, and I wouldn't have them if that pair had stuck with the responsible thing to do and raised me themselves. But that's how I got into finding people. I don't do it for money, I do it because the people who ask me to do it need to know."

"Like Jack," Rick murmured, more to himself than to her. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty at the knowledge that he'd had the happy childhood that Jack hadn't. On the other hand, Jack had had brothers, and Rick had been an only child. "It's too bad we can't change our pasts, but if we did that, we wouldn't be who we are, would we?"

"It's a cliche, but everything does happen for a reason," she agreed. "Some of it sucks, but without it, how would we know what to do to avoid it in future?"

"Does it?" he asked, eyeing her a moment, knowing she knew something he didn't, but unsure what that something was. "If you could change one thing about your past, what would you change?"

"Nothing," she said honestly, but she was avoiding his gaze again. And it wasn't a lie; there was nothing in her past she wanted to change. The past, now, that was a different question.

"Nothing, really?" he asked, a little incredulous. "Well, I can tell you what I'd change," he went on, noticing the way she was avoiding his gaze but not commenting on it. "I'd change who I asked to the prom," he said, with a grin.

That brought her smile back, and her eyes back to him, curious laughter sparkling in her gaze. "Oh' Did she not turn out to be the first love of your life after all?"

"No," he replied without hesitation. "Her name was Amy, and she was a complete bitch. Excuse my French, but it's true," he confessed, with a smirk that indicated he was over it. "High school sucks."

"Yeah, it absolutely does." Nali grinned back at him. "So who would you ask, if you could go back and change that?" she asked curiously.

"Well, since you wouldn't have been born yet, you're out of the competition," he said, lightly bumping her hip. "Looking back, I probably should have asked Jenny, but she was dating my best friend at the time. I didn't find out until later that she was only dating him to get close to me."

"That sounds like a complicated knot to unravel at sixteen," Nali pointed out with cheerful warmth. "Is he still your best friend, or did you lose touch out of high school?" As she spoke, she was busily drying the plates and cutlery he passed out of the sink, piling them neatly to be set back into the cupboards.

He wasn't alone in the kitchen long; Jasmin appeared with an armful of laundry, looking damp and tired as she smiled over at Rick.

"Thank you for cleaning up," she said quietly, bending to put the laundry in the washing machine.

"No problem. I've got some coffee going," he told her, though she could probably smell it brewing. "I hope you don't mind. We were going to sit on the porch, watch the stars come out for a little while before bed."

"No, not at all," she assured him. "We're probably going to be going up to bed in a little bit. Maybe practise a little before we do. Before I forget, your room is second on the right at the top of the stairs; Jack put your duffel up there earlier. It's all ready for you."

"Thanks. I really do appreciate it, Jaz. I hope it's not too much trouble, and I will make breakfast in the morning," he told her. "Is there anything else I can do to help?" he asked, taking a lean against the cupboard while he waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

"Tonight, you're a guest," she said, straightening up. She paused, stretching out her back with a faint groan while one hand gently rubbed the small bulge at her waist. "Tomorrow, I'm sure I'll be able to come up with all kinds of things for you to do."

"Fair enough," he replied, smiling and glancing briefly at the hint of a bump at her waist. "When are you due?" he asked, not only making small talk but genuinely interested. After all, the baby was going to be his niece or nephew.

"January," Jaz told him easily. "This is just going to get bigger for the next few months." She patted her bump affectionately. "It's another girl, so at least Nolly's happy about it."

"What about you?" Rick asked. "Are you happy about having another girl?" It was the way she'd said it that had made him ask, though he didn't want to pry

"I am. I mean, I'd like a boy, but I'm just happy my little girl isn't going to be an only child," she said with a smile. "I was, and even though I was surrounded by cousins, I never really had the same connection with them that they had with their siblings, you know?"

"Yeah, I was an only child, too," he said, though she already knew that. He turned quiet a moment, as if considering what else to tell her, if anything. He hadn't said too much about his past; it wasn't really relevant, except maybe to understand who he'd become. "I wish I'd known I had brothers, but I understand why my mother kept it from me."

"She did what she thought was best at the time," Jaz said with a half-shrug. "That's all anyone can do. Oh, by the way ....special pancakes?" She tilted her head with a curious smile. "We're not talking special as in ....special brownies here, are we?"

Rick laughed. "Do you really think I'd do that to your daughter?" he asked. Never mind the fact that he was a Drug Enforcement Agent and that pot wouldn't even start to be legalized for another two decades. "I was thinking chocolate chips or blueberries, if you have any."

Laughing with him, Jaz nodded. "I thought so," she said. "We have both, actually - blueberries in the fridge, chocolate chips in the bottom of that cupboard there with all the baking stuff. You're going to be her favorite person in the world."

"Which would you prefer?" he said, asking for her preference and not her daughter's. He had no doubt that given a choice, Noelle would choose the chocolate, but he wasn't sure how Jasmin felt about chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

"You can do the chocolate chips," she told him. "Just this once, for a special occasion. Just make sure she eats some fruit as well, if we don't show in time for breakfast."

"I'll do my best," he promised. He glanced a moment toward the doorway, as if checking to make sure his brother wasn't eavesdropping. "I'm sorry for dropping in like this. I know it must come as a bit of a shock. I don't want to get in the way or upset your routine."

"Rick ..." Jaz moved a little closer. "You didn't do anything wrong, you know" You and Jack, neither one of you is responsible for the fact that this is the first time you've met. Nobody should carry anyone else's guilt, and that includes the guilt from our parents. The past is in the past; what matters is what you do with the time you have ahead of you."

"You're right, I know. I just ..." Rick paused, as if having troubling putting what he wanted to say into words, which was not like him at all. "I don't want to intrude on your lives, but to be honest, you're the only family I have left." Apparently, there was no one left on his father's side of the family either."

"Why would you think this is an intrusion?" she asked gently, unaware that Nali had returned and was visible in the doorway, listening to every word. "Family should be together. You are very welcome in our lives, Rick. It won't be comfortable all the time overnight, but give it a little time, and it will be. You and Jack are a little too alike, you know - you both need to stop thinking you're a burden on the world around you."

"I just don't want Jack to think I'm butting in. To be honest, I doubt I'd have ever found him if it wasn't for Nali. This place is ....well, it's not exactly easily accessible." Even with his investigative skills, he'd never have found Rhy'Din on his own.

"Nali would never have found you if Lena hadn't asked her to," Jaz pointed out. "And Lena would never have asked her to do that if Jack didn't want to meet you, to know you. You say we're all the family you've got. Well, it goes both ways. You're all the blood kin he's got."

Rick smiled, as she reminded him of that fact. He'd known Lena had asked Nali to find him, but he hadn't known Jack had given them his blessing. "Thanks, Jasmin," he told her. "Jack's a lucky guy, but I'm sure you know that already."

"I don't know," she said with a shrug and a smile. "I think I'm the lucky one, but he won't have it." She set the washing machine turning and stepped back. "Let me put those in the room for you," she added, turning to take the pajamas out of Nali's arms. She grinned at the shocked look on the other woman's face. "What, you think I don't know what my own floors sound like?"

Nali snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes as Jaz headed further into the house.

"Spying on me?" Rick asked, turning to Nali, a teasing smirk on his face. "I think the coffee's done, if you still want a cup," he said, moving to search the cupboard for a couple of mugs. He didn't really care if she'd been listening, as he'd said nothing that she didn't know already.

"Well, my mom says the world needs more kindness, and the best way to make that happen is to be kind yourself," she said, tilting her head toward him. "She'd call herself a realist, too."

"I can be kind, when the need arises," he said, his eyes shining once again with a hint of amusement. He wouldn't go so far as to call himself an optimist or a pessimist, for that matter, but he was optimistic, where Nali was concerned.

"I know you can," she said confidently. "Look at how you handled Nolly. That's kindness, right there. I think kindness is a choice people have to make for themselves. It's not something passive, not something that just happens. You have to decide for yourself if you want to be kind, and that makes it a gift."

"You think so?" he asked, uncertainly. He wasn't too accustomed to being around children and wasn't sure if he'd handled himself well, but no one had told him otherwise.

"Yeah, I do." She smiled up at him. "Kids know when you're being false with them. You charmed Nolly just by being you, and that's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?"

"It's good to know I'm not as bad with kids as I thought I was," he said, a smirk on his face. That boded well for his future as a family man - if he ever had a family.

"Trust me, you'll do fine with kids," she promised him cheerfully. "Merilee is going to adore you." Mind you, her youngest sister adored anyone who took the time to see past her skin and horns, but Nali was pretty sure Rick was going to make a very good impression on her family.

"Merilee isn't the one I'm sleeping with tonight," he teased, gently bumping her arm, not hard enough to make her spill her coffee. Her youngest sister was far too young for him anyway; he could practically be her father.

She laughed into her coffee cup at his tease, one hand rising to pull her blonde hair back off her face. "I'm not what you'd call a kid, either," she pointed out in amusement. "Despite your insistence that I am child-sized."

"You're the one who keeps mentioning it," he said, chuckling. It didn't help that he was so much taller than her at about six feet in height. Still, tiny in size or not, he would never mistake her for a child.

"Fine, I won't mention it again." She stuck her tongue out at him, grinning. All right, so maybe she was a little sensitive about her height, but he'd understand that a little more once he'd met her family and realized that both Isaac and Colt loomed over her as well.

"I think you're adorable," he said, that teasing gleam in his eyes again. "And I don't mean adorable like a child," he added, so she wouldn't mistake his meaning. "Smart, kind, beautiful," he added to the list of words he thought described her. "Should I go on?"

She blushed beneath the moons light, shaking her head with a smile as she looked across the sea. "You're very good at that," she murmured almost shyly. "And I'm blushing because I know you mean it. That's a new feeling, you know?"

"I do mean it," he confirmed. "It feels like we've known each other forever," he said, though they'd only met a day or so ago. "Are you sure we never met before?"

She shrugged. "I guess it takes some people like that," she mused. "Look at your brother. Apparently him and Jaz were all moved in together by the end of the second day."

"Maybe it runs in the family," he suggested, though from the expression on his face, he was teasing her again. Whatever was going on between them, he felt more comfortable with her than he had with anyone in a very long time.

"Maybe it does. Or maybe it's something you just don't need to worry about," she added. "Maybe whatever this is will tell us what we need when we're ready for it."

"Who says we're not ready for it now?" he asked curiously, unsure what she meant by that exactly.

She tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "Really?" she asked. "You'd marry me tomorrow and move to Rhy'Din without a second thought, huh?"

"Oh, so that's what you mean!" he said, laughing. "You looking to beat Jack and Jasmin's record?" he teased further, eyes shining in the growing darkness, bright with amusement.

Giggling, Nali rolled her eyes at him. "Who says we have to beat anyone's record to be happy together?" she countered. "We don't need to rush this, after all."

"No, but like I said, with me there, and you here, it gives the term 'long distance relationship' new meaning," he pointed out. It wasn't like he could just disappear off the face of the Earth, like Jack and Tommy had. Or was it"

"It wouldn't always be long distance," she mused, but shook her head once again, producing another smile. "This got serious on us, didn't it' Having second thoughts about snuggling?"

"Not a chance. You?" he asked, sliding an arm around her shoulders to draw her close. It was almost a Folgers moment, with the stars coming out and the coffee mugs in their hands.

She eased happily under the curl of his arm, tucking her head onto his shoulder as she looked up at the stars. "Never."

"We agree on that anyway," he said, almost surprised to find himself smiling. "This is nice," he murmured, more to himself than to her. What wasn't nice about it' A pretty girl, a starry sky, waves lapping the beach. He couldn't think of a more romantic setting than this, and he found himself feeling strangely content - more content than he could ever remember being.

It didn't matter that he wasn't chasing criminals or putting bad guys in jail. It was like fighting a losing battle anyway. This right here - this was what life was really all about.

And, best of all, it wasn't just a Folgers moment. It was real.