Topic: Summer Nights

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:26 EST
Summer was the busiest time for Kings Cove and the two families who lived and worked there, but even in the busiest of times, they were able to snatch a day off just for them. With three toddlers to entertain, they were never short of fun, and with the weather proving fair and warm, the Kings and the Grangers had decided they were going to camp on the beach tonight. That meant setting up tents with two three year olds, one eighteen month old, and two dogs getting into everything trying to be helpful. Lena had long since given up even trying to help herself, and was instead sitting on a blanket, sketching the mayhem she could see in front of her.

It was hard to tell who was in charge of the projects - the adults, the kids, or the dogs. It was organized chaos at its best, but under Jack's direction, the little camp on the beach was finally starting to take shape. Noelle was the reigning queen bee of the beach, easily wrapping the boys around her little finger, at least until they tired of being bossed around or until one of the adults intervened.

"Nick!" Tommy called, upon seeing what his eldest son was up to. "Don't bury the dog in the sand, unless you want to give him a bath later!"

"Awww ..."

Nick's complaint echoed across the beach, but was quickly silenced as Luna stood up and shook the sand out of her fur, licking his cheek affectionately. Lena watched, smiling indulgently, absentmindedly opening one arm as Luke, the youngest, toddled over to sit down beside her with a thump and a sigh.

"Tired, bubba?" she asked, stroking his blonde hair gently.

Nick grinned, happy Luna didn't hold it against him anyway. There wasn't much he could do to upset the dog, even when he insisted on Luke riding on her back. He scurried off to chase Luna, leaving the adults to finish the work. Tommy adjusted the last tent stake and stood back to admire their handiwork, hands on hips, a grin on his face. He tossed his head to shake a stray blond curl from his face.

"There. That should it!"

"Hey, fuzzy face," a familiar voice called from the other side of the tent. "What did you do with my daughter?" Jaz stood up, brushing the sand from her hands with a grin. From inside the tent came the sound of Noelle's tell-tale giggles.

Tommy knew Jaz was talking to him, even though he no longer had a beard or even the slightest bit of fuzz on his face. He had stopped bothering to point that fact out a long time ago and just answered to the nickname now without argument.

"Uh, I think she's around here somewhere," he said, tossing Jaz a wink, since it was pretty obvious where the little girl had gotten to. "Noelle!" he called, shading his eyes from the sun as he looked around the beach, everywhere but inside the tent. "Where are you?"

"Oh where, oh where could she be?" Jaz declared, joining in with the subterfuge. "Milo! Find Nolly!"

The Golden Retriever, who had grown significantly in the last year, erupted from the porch where he had been sunning himself and came barreling across the sand, ears and tail flapping in the breeze.

Jack watched all this with an amused grin. The quiet, serious one of the group, he was perfectly happy to stand back and watch while the others goofed around, but would only let the teasing go so far. He knew his daughter was hiding inside the tent, and he knew Milo would find her, so what was there to be worried about'

"I don't know! I don't see her anywhere!" Tommy said.

"Papa!" Nick called, tugging at his father's shorts. "She's hiding inside the ..." he started, unable to finish that thought as his father scooped him up into his arms and carried him off in the direction of the waves. The boy shrieked in surprise, laughing as his father splashed though the waves, soaking them both.

Over on the blanket, Lena snorted with laughter at the antics. Luke had all but dropped off next to her, so now she had him wrapped up in her arms, rocking him gently as she watched their family playing.

"Do you need any help, Jack?" she called softly.

Jack smiled amicably over at Lena, from just outside the tent. "No, it's okay. You have your hands full already," he called over, seeing her with the youngest of the bunch cradled in her arms. "Do you want me to get the fire going or wait a while?" he asked, his question aimed at either of the two women. Jack, at least, knew who really wore the pants in the family.

Lena glanced over at the tents, where all she could see of Jaz was her backside as the other woman wrangled Noelle out of her hiding place. "It might be an idea," she agreed with Jack. "These guys are going to want feeding before they crash out."

Jack shoved his fingers through his windblown hair and glanced over at the water, where Tommy and Nick were shaking off, blond hair flying in the hair, like Milo and Luna. He chuckled, knowing he wasn't going to get much help there.

"If Noe was here, she could help me gather some driftwood for the fire," he said, raising his voice a little.

There was a grunt from Jaz as she was bowled over onto her rear under the sudden momentum of a little girl who really wanted to help her daddy. Noelle came scurrying over the sand, throwing her arms around Jack's leg with a loud giggle.

"We gon' make a fire?"

Jack laughed as he suddenly found his daughter wound around his leg. It was no secret that the pair adored each other, and given the fact that she was their only child made her all the more precious to him.

"Unless you want cold hotdogs, we are!" he told her.

"I guess that's the hint that it's time to bring out the bits and bobs, huh?" Jaz said with a chuckle as she stood up once again.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:27 EST
Noelle beamed up at Jack adoringly. "Can't have cold hot dogs 'cos they hot!"

Jack chuckled again, offering a hand to his daughter so they could wander off in search of something to burn. It probably would have been easier to just get the grill going, but that was not proper camping, in Jack's opinion.

"Naw, then they'd be cold-dogs," he said, with a grin.

Inserting one sandy hand into Jack's, Noelle was more than happy to potter off at his side in search of driftwood. A moment later, Milo joined them, leaving Jaz chuckling by the tents.

"I've been abandoned," she bemoaned theatrically, tossing a grin over to Lena.

"It's okay, Jaz. I still love you," Tommy said sneaking up behind her and smooching her cheek, his lips cold and wet from the water, not to mention his hair and clothes.

Warm from the sun, Jaz let out a shriek as she was suddenly exposed to the chill of the sea. Little Nick let out a loud cackle of delight at the reaction, scurrying around to throw his arms around his aunt's hips and cling on.

"Oh, you two ..." she grumbled, laughing at the mischief. "I'm all wet now!"

"I hate to break it to you, Jaz, but it's the beach. You're supposed to get wet!" Tommy said, without remorse. "Like father, like son!" he said, ruffling his son's hair. "You need help?" he asked her, as if that might make up for getting her wet.

Jasmin snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes at both of them. "You go and keep your wife company for a bit," she suggested. "You wanna come and start getting the food out, Nicky?"

The little boy nodded enthusiastically, eyes wide. Whenever Jaz did anything with food, there were always "scraps" that needed to be eaten up before anyone else found them.

"I can do that!" Tommy replied agreeably. There wasn't much more that needed doing at the moment, with Jack off fetching firewood and Jasmin getting the food ready. Anyway, he thought he deserved a break after all the hard work putting the tents up. "Be good for Aunty Jaz!" he told his son, though he wasn't worried.

"I will, Daddy!"

Nick waved before taking Jaz's hand, both of them chatting back and forth as they headed over to her house and the food contained therein. Still gently rocking Luke, Lena already had a bottle of iced water ready for Tommy when he thumped down beside her.

"Having fun, moonbeam?"

At least, Tommy had the sense to make a meager attempt at brushing the sand from himself before he thumped down beside her, leaning over to smooch her cheek.

"Every day of my life, Midget!" he assured her, reaching over to brush a wayward curl from their little boy's brow. "Life's good at the Cove. I've got no complaints. How 'bout you?" he asked her.

"I'd say I'm pretty content," she agreed warmly, leaning her shoulder against his. "Business is turning a good profit, our family's doing good ....yeah, I'd say I'm pleased as punch right now."

What would he have to complain about' He had a good life here in Rhy'Din, doing exactly what he loved and wanted to be doing, surrounded by those he loved most. Life didn't really get any better than this, and it was all because of Lena. If it hadn't been for her - if it hadn't been for the Nexus - he probably would have been dead a long time ago. "No complaints?" he asked, his chin coming to rest against her shoulder. "Nothing you wouldn't wanna change?"

"None that come to mind." She tipped her head slightly, touching a kiss to the end of his nose. "Wouldn't mind having a little girl sometime, but we can keep trying."

"Tryin's the best part," he said with a mischievous and unapologetic grin. "Little man's tuckered out," he added, looking over her shoulder at their youngest. It was amazing they had any energy left at the end of the day, running a business and chasing after two active boys all day long.

Looking down at Luke, fast asleep against her chest, Lena smiled. "Well, he didn't have a nap today. This is his pre-dinner nap, I think." She sighed happily, leaning against Tommy. "We should take days off like this more often."

"Yeah, we should," Tommy said, though summer was their busiest time of year. "I was thinking ..." he started, always a dangerous thing where Tommy King was concerned. "What if we closed up shop for a week or two and took a break" Summer's too short." It wasn't like money was a problem.

"I was thinking maybe we could do that beginning of autumn?" she suggested. "When it's still hot enough to enjoy the weather without being so hot the kids are going to keel over after more than an hour outside?"

"Hm, yeah, it always gets a little slow then, when the kids go back to school," he said, considering. They wouldn't lose much business by closing the shop then, and they'd all be ready for a well-deserved break. "Sounds like a plan," he said, carefully sliding his arms around her, even as she held their son. "Want me to take him for a while?"

"If you think you can without waking him up," she challenged cheerfully. Luke was adorable, but he could be the grumpiest little monster on the planet when he was jostled awake.

"Thought I'd lay him down on the blanket," Tommy said. Before his wife's arms went to sleep. "I'll be careful. Promise!" he added, as he very carefully reached to pry their son from her arms and lay him on the blanket.

As the very careful hand-off took place, Luke stirred a little but stayed sleeping, smacking his lips as he settled down once again. Lena eased away to shake out her arms, pulling Tommy's brownie camera from her bag to snap a quick picture of father and son.

Tommy flashed the camera a cheesy grin as Lena took his picture, but was careful not to wake their son as he laid him down for his nap. "Must be nice to sleep the day away without a care in the world," he said, leaning back and stretching his long legs out in the sun.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you could do that if you set your mind to it," she laughed, easing down to lay her head on his thigh comfortably. "That gallery owner came by again this morning."

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:27 EST
Tommy arched a brow at her news, his fingers wandering through her hair. "Oh' What did he want?" he asked, though he could probably guess. He'd been telling her for years that she should look into opening a gallery. He believed in her, even if she didn't believe in herself, and he thought she could be doing so much more with her talent than painting surfboards.

"Well, he started out by asking if we'd be interested in exhibiting some of the boards in his gallery," she murmured, enjoying the stroke of his fingers through her hair. "And then he said something about putting together an exhibit of landscapes from around Rhy'Din, and asked if I might be willing to paint the cove to be a part of it."

"Paint the cove?" Tommy echoed, wondering what she meant by that exactly. "You mean, the whole cove?" His fingers had come to a halt in her hair for a moment as he tried to sort out what kind of painting the man had in mind.

"A scene of the cove," she clarified. "Maybe from up on the hill, and just leave out the buildings. Or I could do the moonlight on the water. I'm never going to get tired of painting that."

Tommy smiled as she painted him a figurative picture, visualizing it in his head. "Yeah, it is pretty here," he agreed. "So, what did you tell him?" he asked, wondering if she'd already decided or if she was hoping to get his opinion. He had always been supportive of her artwork, so long as it didn't take her too far from home.

"I said I'd need to talk to you about exhibiting the boards, since they're collaboration," Lena admitted, glancing up at him. "I, uh ....I agreed to paint that one piece, though. Looks like I'm gonna have a few late nights."

Tommy shrugged. "All I do is make them. You're the artist," he told her. Custom made by hand, there was actually a lot of hard work involved in the creation of a surfboard, from start to finish, but it was Lena who gave them the finishing touch.

"What you do is artistry, too, Tommy," she told him firmly. "Without the boards, I wouldn't have anything to paint on. And they're fully functional pieces of art by the time we're both done with them."

"Canvases, Lena," Tommy reminded her, idly winding a lock of her hair around his finger. "I think it's a good idea," he told her. "Most of the customs are done for the season, and if we need to, we can hire another kid to help out in the shop."

"I'll call and ask him how many boards we'd need for an exhibit," she promised, smiling at the sight of her dark hair looped about his finger. "I love you, you know."

"I know," he replied with a teasing grin. She knew him well enough to know he adored her, too. "So, when does he expect all this will happen?" he asked, wondering how quickly they'd have to get the boards together and how soon he'd want her landscape done.

"I'd guess it's a couple of months," she mused. "Or maybe however long it takes for us to put together an exhibition. He needs the one painting by the end of August, but that's an easy job for me."

"Do you think we'll still be on track to take a break in September?" he asked. They were their own bosses, after all, but money didn't grow on trees, even in Rhy'Din.

"We'll make time to take a break," Lena said, determined that they would have some kind of vacation together, even if it was just time off here at home. "Nothing's more important than our family."

"Think we should go away somewhere or just become hermits?" he asked further. He didn't really have a preference. The cove wasn't only their home, but it was their own private getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"I think the kids are too small for too much travel," she mused. "But there are a lot of things to do and places to see in Rhy'Din and around about. We haven't really explored as a family yet."

"Such as?" he asked, merely curious. Even after living here a few years, there were still a lot of things he hadn't seen and places he hadn't been here. He was an easy-going sort, content with a simple life and simple pleasures. All he really needed was right there in front of him.

"There's Hatton Point, and the Wonderplex," she said, pointing out the obvious ones first. "But there's a toy museum, and a few interactive places. There's a water park, too, on the other side of the city - not many people know about it."

"Ah, the Wonderplex," he echoed with a grin. "Still trying to get me on that roller coaster, Midge?" he teased. The mention of a water park got his attention, though he didn't think anything could beat what they had right here. "Or are you hoping to get me on a waterslide?" It seemed a little silly to him when all he needed was a wave and his surfboard.

"I think you and the boys would love the water park," she said cheerfully. "So long as no one accidentally drowns anyone."

She chuckled, lifting her head at the sound of movement on the sand. Jaz and Nick were coming back out of the house - Jaz with her arms full of food, Nick holding an enormous bag of marshmallows.

"Oh, lord ..." Tommy chuckled at the sight of his son with a bag of marshmallows. "How many of those do you think he's eaten already?" he asked, knowing how Jaz enjoyed spoiling him.

From somewhere down the beach, Jack was returning with Noelle in tow, both of them lugging an armful of driftwood.

"Hopefully only three or four," Lena muttered, rolling her eyes. "Should we offer to help" I'm kind of comfortable right here."

"We probably should," Tommy said with a smirk, though he seemed as reluctant as she was to stir from the blanket, and he didn't want to shout and risk waking Luke.

Lena smiled, pushing herself to sit up and stretch. "You hang onto Luke for a bit," she told Tommy. "I'll go and help get the food started."

"You sure?" he asked, frowning a little. He was more than willing to help, but he didn't want to leave Luke alone here on the blanket either.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:28 EST
"I'm sure." She leaned over to kiss him tenderly. "You should lie here and dry out a bit," she murmured in a teasing tone. "I do solemnly promise to cook your sausage just the way you like it."

Tommy smirked, unable to resist the double entendre she just presented him with. "I can think of better things to do with my sausage," he told her, playfully waggling his blond brows at her.

She laughed, popping another quick kiss to his lips before pushing herself up onto her feet. "Later, moonbeam - have to feed the horde, first."

The horde that consisted of four adults, three small children, and two dogs. "You know where to find me," he said, smiling into her kiss.

"Always." She winked down at him, turning to make her way across the sand and grab Nick about the waist to make him squeal. She pressed a loud kiss to her eldest's cheek. "So, what's going on over here?"

"Nuffin', Mom!" Nick said, his mouth full of marshmallow. "Me an' Noe are gonna help make hotdogs!" he informed his mother. He had also informed her recently that he and "Noe" were going to get married someday, but that it was a secret.

"Wow, you're going to make dinner for us" That's impressive!" Lena ignored the mouthful of marshmallow, catching Jasmin's eye with a grin. "Are we having more than hot dogs, though?"

Jaz chuckled. "Nolly made up a load of veggie skewers we can grill as well," she told her cousin cheerfully.

"Can I go help Noe with the fire?" Nick asked, looking up at his mother hopefully, though from the looks of things Jack and Noelle had things pretty well in hand. He shifted from one foot to the other, almost dancing on his toes, the sugar rush from the marshmallows making him antsy.

"I think you and Noe should go and play a bit more while we get the fire started and the food on," Lena suggested. The last thing she really wanted was her son on a sugar high playing with flames.

If it wasn't for Luke napping, Tommy would most likely have music blaring by now, but that would probably come later.

"Okay, Mom," Nick said, only looking a little disappointed. He made a grab for a couple more marshmallows, intending to offer at least one of them to Noelle. "Hey, Noe! Wanna march-mellow?" he called as he headed her way.

It was good to know they'd always have days like this, even when the kids started school. Summer would always be a good time at Kings Cove, especially with two sets of pretty laid-back parents ruling the roost. And, of course, there were the regular visits from Josh and Dru whenever they could get away from Tirisano and their duties there. Long, lazy days in the warmth of the sun gave way to warm, balmy nights, and by the time the moons were rising, the children were tucked up in their tent, sleeping peacefully. Jaz picked out a soft tune on her guitar by the light of the fire, lending a gentle lullaby to the calm evening enveloping them.

Tommy had an arm around Lena as they lounged together near the fire, while Jack and Jaz serenaded them with music. It wasn't unusual for the little group to end a day this way, at least during the summer months. The warm nights would only last so long, and they intended to enjoy every one of them.

"If it weren't for work, I'd wish for summer all year long," Tommy remarked, taking a swig from his ale.

"There's nothing quite like a winter storm on the sea, though," Lena murmured. She knew that the sharp changes of the seasons here had come as a bit of a shock to Tommy and Jack at first, but she hoped they enjoyed the winters, too. She knew Jack liked snow, anyway.

Tommy chuckled. "You say that like it's a good thing." "Five more months and we'll have snow." Come winter, they'd switch the summer stock out in the shop for winter sports gear, like snowboards and skis, but it was no secret that both Tommy and Jack lived for summer.

"It is a good thing," she protested laughingly, nestling into his side with a small giggle. "You're just a summer baby."

Across the fire, Jaz caught Jack's eye with a grin. "Nothing wrong with that," she said mildly. "It's easier to get everyone's clothes off in summer."

That had Tommy laughing. "No complaints here," he said, flashing an impish grin at Lena. "Maybe we should visit Cali sometime. See how things have changed," he suggested. It had been forty years or so since he and Jack had left Half Moon Bay for Rhy'Din. He doubted anyone would remember them there anymore.

"We could do that," Lena agreed with a smile. "Show the boys where Mommy forced Daddy to take her seriously." She winked up at Tommy cheerfully.

"I always took you seriously!" Tommy protested, pulling her close to press a kiss to her cheek.

"There's always Disneyland," Jack suggested. He'd made no comment regarding Jaz's remark, and was grateful it was too dark to see the blush creeping into his face. Of course, it might have just been the heat from the fire.

"Maybe we should wait for the kids to be a little older before we try Disney," Jaz suggested, setting her guitar aside with a smile. She inched closer to Jack, wrapping her arms about his waist from behind to kiss his warm cheek. Her eyes flickered over to Tommy and Lena. "Think we should tell them?"

Jack smiled, more than happy to have Jaz wrap her arms around him. She had to know he'd been blushing, but thankfully, she'd said nothing about it. His smile grew at her question, blue eyes bright in the firelight, but before he could reply, Tommy was interrupting.

"Tell us what?" he blurted.

Jaz met Tommy's gaze with a smirk. "You know, eavesdropping is a very unattractive quality, Timmy," she informed him, deliberately switching out the vowel in his name because she knew it annoyed him.

"Well, then maybe you shouldn't be telling secrets where we can overhear you, Jane," Tommy replied, sticking his tongue out at her. He was only too happy to spar with her if she wanted to - he was just that immature.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:29 EST
"I wasn't telling a secret, I was asking my husband if we should share our secret with you guys," Jaz countered easily. Next to Tommy, Lena rolled her eyes. The pair of them got on almost exactly like contentious siblings, all the time.

"Well, now you kinda have to," Tommy countered in return. "So, spill," he said, looking from Jaz to Jack and back.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to answer my wife's question first," Jack said, stringing together enough words for once to make a whole sentence.

"Come on. You both know you're going to tell us, so just tell us!" Tommy insisted. "No, wait ....Let's guess!" he added with a grin.

"Moonbeam, all you're doing is convincing them not to share," Lena told her husband with a chuckle. She waved a hand at the other two. "Talk amongst yourselves for a sec." Then she turned and bowled Tommy over onto his back, doing her damndest to distract him from even thinking about prodding for information until they were sure they wanted to share it.

"But I ..." Tommy started, breaking off as Lena pulled him over onto his back, the rest of whatever he'd been about to say muffled by her lips. But like he'd already said - he had no complaints.

Jack chuckled, mostly at the way Lena chose to shut his friend up. He and Tommy were like brothers, and he was used to the other's teasing, but he was grateful Lena and Jaz had his back.

"I don't know if we should tell him now," Jack said, raising his voice just loud enough for Tommy to overhear. "It would serve him right to be the last one to know."

"Oh, so just Lena and the kids then?" Jaz said, her own voice at the same level as Jack's. She grinned at him, cuddling close to his back as she lowered her voice. "I can't believe they haven't noticed, to be honest. I'm already showing."

There came a muffled sound of protest from the direction of Tommy and Lena, but it was short-lived, as Lena seemed to be doing a pretty good job of distracting her husband. Jack smiled, his hands rubbing Jaz's arms as she cuddled against his back.

"I'm sure Lena's noticed," he whispered back. She was probably waiting for them to confirm it before she congratulated them.

"Mmm, you're probably right." Jaz grinned. "I'm glad we didn't say anything until after the scan, though. It was nice, holding it as a secret for just the two of us."

"Are you sure you want to tell them?" he whispered further. Jaz and Lena were cousins, after all, and Tommy was Jack's best friend. They weren't going to be able to keep it secret much longer.

"Can't really hide it much longer," she murmured. "This belly's gonna pop out sooner or later, now we're in the second trimester." She kissed his neck affectionately. "He'll be happy about it, at any rate."

"Not as happy as me," Jack said, turning to face her, his arms going around her as his lips met hers. It was about time they caught up to their friends and had a second child of their own.

"Best husband ever," Jaz murmured into the kiss, smiling happily herself. She couldn't have imagined this would be the outcome when Lena had introduced her to Jack, but she knew she would be forever thankful to her cousin for it.

Across the fire, Lena finally let Tommy up, breathless and grinning as she sat up and shook out her hair.

Jack grinned with pride at his wife's remark. He'd never visualized himself happily married with a wife and kids. He'd always been far too shy, but thankfully, Lena had seen something in him she thought might interest Jasmin and the rest was history.

"Now I'm gonna need a cold shower!" Tommy complained as Lena let him. Or a cold swim. He'd already forgotten all about Jack and Jaz's news, so it seemed the distraction had worked.

"The sea's right there," Lena told her husband with a grin, reaching to pick up his ale and take a sip from it. It seemed as though Jack and Jaz had got the moment they'd needed, anyway, and that had been fun.

"Maybe I should take you with me!" Tommy threatened with a grin.

"Shh! You'll wake the kids!" Jack scolded his friend. "If you wanna go skinny dipping together, do it quietly."

Tommy laughed, retorting, "Yes, Mother. So what's the big secret?" he asked, as if just remembering.

"You see, this is why we think you need glasses," Jaz said, stretching out the tease for as long as possible. "I'm pretty sure Lena's already noticed. Right?" She looked her cousin right in the eye, and Lena let out a quiet laugh.

"Well ....yes."

Tommy narrowed his eyes, looking confused. "Noticed what?" he asked, looking the other couple over. He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary about either of them. They both looked the same as always, except for the fact that Jasmin looked like she'd gained a little weight. Not much, but just enough to make her look ....It was then it hit him, like a whack in the head. "Oh," he said, a grin spreading slowly across his face.

"Ding, ding, we have a winner," Jaz announced with a chuckle, adjusting herself in Jack's arms to rest comfortably against him.

"When are you due?" Lena asked, glad she could finally ask without overstepping her bounds.

"Middle of January," Jaz answered, smiling contentedly.

"Congratulations, Jazzy!" Tommy said, as he wrapped his arms around his wife, grinning from ear to ear. "Now, we'll be even, assuming you're not having twins or something."

Laughing, Jaz shook her head. "Not twins," she assured them. "Noe is a big enough handful on her own!" She nestled into Jack as Lena snorted with laughter.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:29 EST
"Mmm, that's what we thought about Nick," she teased. "And then Luke came along."

"Luke is an angel compared to Nick," Tommy said, though that might only be because Luke couldn't get around as easily as Nick yet. There was no denying Nicky took after his father. With any luck, Luke would take after his mother.

"You seem to handle two well enough," Jack interjected.

"I actually find it easier with two," Lena admitted with a rueful smile. "But then, I'm a sucker for my boys. Maybe I'm just made to be surrounded by little men all day every day."

"Weren't you just telling me how you're hoping for a girl someday?" Tommy reminded her, reaching for a stick and the bag of marshmallows.

"We could always trade for a few days," Jack suggested, with the hint of a smirk - as if he knew something they didn't.

"I'm allowed to hope," Lena defended herself laughingly, easing up so Tommy could play with the marshmallows. She eyed Jack's almost smirk suspiciously. "You're having another girl, aren't you?"

Jack laughed. "If I could have a baby, I'd be a millionaire," he said, letting Jasmin either confirm or deny, though it seemed obvious enough given his teasing remark.

"If you could have a baby, you'd be female," Tommy teased in return, as he stuck a marshmallow on the stick and held it over the fire.

"Just so long as you don't mind being outnumbered by females in your own home, baby, that's all that matters," Jaz said, stroking Jack's cheek fondly.

"Why would I mind that?" Jack replied, smiling softly at Jaz as he caught her hand to kiss it - that is, until a marshmallow boinked him in the head. Thankfully, it hadn't been roasted yet, so it wasn't hot and sticky.

Tommy only smirked and whistled innocently.

"Oh, so you don't want to see the scan, then?" Jaz asked Tommy bluntly. "Seeing as you're more interested in pelting my husband with food?"

Next to Tommy, Lena snorted with laughter. A casual observer might find this conversation all kinds of contentious, but there was genuine love and respect between all four of them.

"Of course I want to see the scan!" Tommy insisted. "It's not my fault Jack didn't have his mouth open."

Jack rolled his eyes and bent down to grab the fallen marshmallow and toss it into the fire now that it was covered in sand.

"Maybe if you'd warned me!" he muttered.

"What fun is that?" Tommy countered.

Jaz eyed Tommy thoughtfully. "No, I think I'm gonna punish you," she said, as though coming to a decision. "No looking at the scan until you apologise for being an ass."

"Jaz, c'mon ....It was just a marshmallow," Tommy argued, pouting like a child.

Jack knew better than to say anything, either in defense of his friend or in support of his wife, stuck between the two people he loved most in all of creation, not to mention Lena.

"Try being supportive and happy with us instead of turning it into an excuse to act like the little brother I never wanted," Jaz countered with a grin. If she wasn't pregnant, she would have tackled Tommy by now, and they all knew it.

Lena rolled her eyes. "Gods, it's like having four children instead of two," she said, happily prepared to take on the heat from both of them for that comment.

"What do you mean that you never wanted?" Tommy said, taking Jasmin's remark to heart. Didn't she like him anymore" Did she only put up with him for Jack's sake" He knew he got carried away sometimes, but it had only been a marshmallow.

"Oh, geez ..." It was Jaz's turn to roll her eyes, shaking her head as she chuckled. "Tommy, you really have to learn to take it as well as you give it out," she told him fondly. "Didn't anybody push back until you met me?"

"Push back?" Tommy echoed.

Unlike Jack, Tommy had been an only son - one who'd left home at a young age to escape going to war. He'd definitely had his ups and downs, but he'd decided long ago that life was too short to spend worrying about the past.

Lena decided to jump in at this point. "It's how siblings work, moonbeam," she explained. "You've seen how Jon and I pick at each other, right' We don't take it to heart because it's just another way of showing how much we care about each other. You and Jaz don't say you love each other, you pick at each other. She doesn't mean anything by it, any more than you do."

"Like me throwing marshmallows at Jack," Tommy reasoned. It seemed like reverse logic in some ways, but he'd never throw marshmallows at anyone he didn't trust or love. It was just his odd way of showing affection.

"In a way," Lena agreed gently. "Let me put it like this, then ....if Jack and I talked to each other the way you and Jaz do, and in the middle of sharing some pretty big news, Jack threw a marshmallow at my head, are you saying you wouldn't jump in on that all defensive?"

Tommy sighed. He still wasn't sure he would have reacted like Jaz, but he understood what she was trying to say.

"Okay, I see your point," he admitted, frowning again and feeling a little ashamed. "But I didn't mean anything by it."

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:30 EST
"Don't worry about it, Tommy," Jack said at last, coming to his friend's rescue. It really wasn't a big deal, and he knew his friend hadn't done it to be obnoxious, but sometimes he just got a little carried away.

Jaz smiled, shaking her head again. She pressed a kiss to Jack's cheek, rising to her feet to pull the scan out of her back pocket as she moved over to sit down beside Tommy. Throwing an arm around his shoulders, she planted a loud, wet kiss on his brow.

"Don't take me so seriously," she told him affectionately. "You're my baby bro, whether you want to be or not."

Tommy's frown deepened, confused not only at Jack's easily offered forgiveness, but at Jaz's abrupt change of heart. "I didn't mean anything by it, Jasmin," he reiterated again. "Jack and me are like brothers."

"I know, fuzzy face," she assured him. "Just sometimes your timing's off, or you go a little bit too far. So I step in. Because I am, of course, the worst kind of bully." She said this with an absolutely deadpan expression, only her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Tommy was still frowning, and Jack was mirroring that frown, feeling strangely guilty, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. Tommy wasn't the type to dwell on things very long, but he truly didn't want to hurt anyone either.

"I'm sorry, Jack," he said, looking over at his friend with a contrite expression on his face.

Jack shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he said, feeling suddenly awkward.

"Oh, good grief." Lena sat forward, shaking her head. "Get your butt over here, Jack, and tell us all about your new baby. There's way too much angst around this fire."

Though the two men were like brothers, they very rarely discussed their feelings, the affection between them mutually understood, if not mentioned. Lena knew better than anyone how much Jack adored Tommy and how devastated he'd been when Tommy had died before Lena had changed the past to bring him back. It was Lena who put a smile back on his face as she summoned him over.

"It's really Jaz' news to share," he said, though he scooted closer.

"Oh, so you had nothing to do with it, and you're not over the moon excited about it?" Lena challenged him with a grin, leaning over to grab his hand and pull him up close beside her.

On the other side of Tommy, Jaz had unfolded the scan to show it to him. "Say hello to your new niece, Uncle Tommy."

"I didn't say that!" Jack argued, grinning as he got tugged onto the log beside Lena. "I had a little to do with it."

On the other side of Lena, Tommy's face lit up at the scan of the baby that was growing inside Jaz. "Wow," he murmured in quiet amazement. "How can you tell it's a girl?" he asked. He'd seen the scans of his own sons, but the miracle of birth never ceased to amaze him, not to mention the miracle of modern technology.

"There's nothing poking up between her legs to say hi," Jaz pointed out, glad to feel Tommy relaxing again as he got a chance to take a look at the very first picture of the newest member of the Cove.

"Not so little," Lena was saying to Jack as she hugged his arm. "I've seen your contribution, don't forget."

That got a blush out of Jack, his gaze darting to Jasmin, though she probably already knew about his drunken and naked venture into the Pacific before he'd met her. There wasn't much Lena didn't seem to share with her, after all. "That's not what I meant," he muttered. Compared to Jasmin, his own contribution to making a child was a small one.

"Oh, I see ..." Tommy said, chuckling. "I think."

"Don't downplay your part in it," Lena told him firmly. "Without you, there'd be no Noelle, and she wouldn't have a little sister getting ready to join the world. And you're an amazing dad, Jack. So shush up about not doing much, okay?"

Jack's smile widened at Lena's gentle scolding. She was good for his ego and as much a sister to him as Jasmin was to Tommy. "Thanks, Lena," he told her quietly, as if it was their little secret, though it was hard to say what he was thanking her for. Maybe for just being her.

"Your boys had their winkidinkies out in your scans, right?" Jaz was saying, keeping Tommy occupied with her own brand of cheerful conversation while Lena did her best to perk Jack up again.

"Anytime," Lena murmured to her best friend, hugging his arm tight. "So what're you gonna call this one" If you say Leia, I will be forced to stuff your mouth with marshmallows until you change your mind."

Jack laughed at her threat. "That's so much better than throwing one at me," he teased, but at least, he was laughing again. "Actually, we haven't really talked about names yet. We're still trying to convince ourselves it's real."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it's real," Lena assured him cheerfully. "Unless you're prepared to say your wife is getting dumpy." She squeaked as Jaz reached around behind Tommy and poked her in the side.

"I heard that, pipsqueak."

Jack chuckled. He would never call his wife dumpy, no matter how much weight she gained, pregnant or otherwise. "She isn't that big yet!" he pointed out in defense of his wife.

"Well, I'm happy for you guys," Tommy said. "This calls for a celebration!" It was just like Tommy to use any excuse for a celebration, though this was good news.

"What kind of celebration did you have in mind?" Lena asked her husband curiously. Just taking the day off had been a celebration in itself for them - what more could Tommy have in mind"

"Remember how we were talking about going away?" Tommy asked, prodding her memory.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:30 EST

"Going away where?" Jack interrupted. He had a feeling he knew where Tommy was going with this. There wasn't much Tommy and Lena did that Jack and Jaz weren't in on.

"All of us together?" Lena asked, now genuinely intrigued by the idea of a group holiday. It sounded like a fantastic idea to her.

Jaz glanced at the other couple, then over their heads toward Jack. "Spill."

"We were thinking about visiting our old stomping grounds," Tommy said. "See how Half Moon Bay is faring without us."

Jack's brows arched upwards dubiously. "Why would we want to go back there when there are so many other places to see?" he asked.

"That is a very good point, actually," Lena agreed, tilting her head toward Tommy. "There are so many places, on Earth, on Rhy'Din, even on other planets. Maybe we should do a little research and try to come up with some ideas?"

It was Tommy's turn to frown, and yet, he saw Jack's point. "Okay, so let's make a list," he suggested, reaching for one of the sticks they'd been using to roast marshmallows.

"I mean, there's no reason we couldn't pass through Half Moon Bay on our way somewhere else," Jaz pointed out, skewering a marshmallow and handing the stick over to Jack with a faint grin.

"We should go somewhere the kids will enjoy," Lena mused thoughtfully.

"If your heart is set on California, there's always San Diego," Jack suggested. "There's a pretty cool zoo there and Sea World, too," he said, thinking of the kids. He took the stick from Jaz and held it over the fire while Tommy scratched "San Diego" into the sand.

"Okay, where else?" he asked, making no further suggestions of his own.

"What about Tirisano?" Jaz suggested. "I mean, it's not as though we could visit Dru and Josh while we're there, but I don't think any of us have actually seen where they come from, have we?"

"What's the point of going to Tirisano if we can't visit Josh and Dru?" Tommy pointed out.

"Maybe they could get away for a while," Jack suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. It would probably have to be incognito, or it would be a security nightmare.

Jaz was a little gobsmacked by the question, not really understanding why visiting someone had to be the only reason to go to a place. Before she could express this, however, Lena cut in.

"They do safari adventures on Earth," she offered. "The kids might like that as much as we would."

It wasn't the only reason to go, but as far as Tommy was concerned, if they were going to Tirisano, he thought they might as well see Josh and Dru while they were there. "You know, if they knew we were coming, maybe we'd get the royal treatment," he said, not exactly ignoring Lena's suggestion, but getting a little carried away with the idea of visiting royalty.

"Maybe we should ask the kids where they'd like to go," Jack suggested. They might be too small to suggest places, but he was pretty sure they'd have a pretty good idea what they'd like to see and do.

Lena laughed gently. "Baby, we wouldn't," she reminded Tommy. "We stayed in the palace because we were invited to the wedding. That wouldn't happen again. Too many people would take it as an invitation to go prying into finding out who Dru's father was."

Jaz was nodding along with Jack. "You know, that's a good idea," she agreed. "I'm pretty sure Noe and Nick must have some ideas about what they'd like to do on a vacation."

"I guess you're right," Tommy said, pouting in disappointment, as he scratched it off the list he was making in the sand.

"I'm pretty sure the kids would like the safari idea," Jack added, in support of Lena's suggestion. "Maybe we should put this discussion on hold until morning," he said, so that Nick and Noelle could add their two cents.

"Now that is a good idea," Jaz said decidedly. "I thought we were roasting mallows here!" Lena chuckled, leaning close to kiss Tommy's cheek affectionately. He'd get over it, but she was pretty sure she could swing a stay in at least one of the stately homes if they went to Tirisano.

Jack withdrew the stick from the fire and handed Jaz her marshmallow, all warm and gooey, grinning at her. He didn't think it had been entirely his idea, but he was glad they were including the kids in on the planning.

Tommy smiled at the kiss, rubbing the list on the sand out with his foot. "It's not like we have to decide today."

Jaz switched out an uncooked marshmallow on a stick for the cooked one with a smile to Jack. "Plenty of time," she agreed with Tommy. "Just, you know, not Christmas time. I'm gonna be waddling like an engorged duck around then."

"No, we were thinking late summer or early fall, once the shop starts to slow down," Tommy clarified with a chuckle at Jaz's remark.

"Sounds like a good time for a vacation," Jack said as he went about roasting another marshmallow. He couldn't remember the last time they'd taken a real vacation since arriving in Rhy'Din. "It'll be a nice break."

"But we shouldn't wait until then to celebrate," Tommy pointed out.

"So what else did you have in mind for this celebration?" Lena asked her husband, handing him a toasted marshmallow stick before holding her own out over the fire.

"I still have a bottle of champagne leftover from New Year's," Tommy said, unsure if Jaz could partake or not. There were worse things than champagne.

"Champagne and roasted marshmallows?" Jack asked, chuckling.

"Why not?" Tommy countered.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:31 EST
"We've done it before!" Lena laughed. "Although we had hot dogs, not marshmallows."

"We had hot dogs earlier," Jaz pointed out with a smile. "Just sharing the news is celebration enough, you know. It's good to know we're not the only ones happy about it."

"Why wouldn't we be happy for you?" Tommy asked. "The more the merrier I always say," he added with a grin, though he had a feeling Lena and Jaz might not agree with that sentiment.

Lena snorted with laughter around her marshmallow, catching sticky strands before she coated her chin with them. "Baby, you sound like you want to open an orphanage."

Tommy laughed. "I'll leave that to your brother," he told her, as he tugged a gooey marshmallow free from the stick with his teeth and grinned around the mouthful.

"Wait, is Jon adopting more?" Jaz asked in surprise, her elbow resting on Tommy's shoulder as they all sat together enjoying their treats and each other's company.

"Not that I know of," Tommy said with a shrug, displacing Jaz's elbow if only for a moment. "But we have a lot of catching up to do!"

Jack snorted, ending his silence. "Don't they have five now?" he asked.

"Yes," Lena confirmed. "And Bea's a sweetheart. She was made to be the big girl in Jon's family."

Jaz chuckled gently, standing up to move over and settle in on Jack's other side, handing him a new marshmallow in the process.

"Emily's not jealous?" Jack asked curiously, gaze following Jasmin's movement to his other side.

"Why would she be jealous?" asked Tommy, who'd grown up an only child, never quite understanding what it was like to grow up among siblings.

"No, she seems really happy to be a little sister," Lena told Jack. "I haven't heard of them having any problems like that."

"It can be weird for kids to suddenly have a big brother or sister," Jaz explained to Tommy. She was an only child herself, but she had grown up with a lot of cousins close by.

"I don't remember ever being jealous of my brothers," Jack murmured. It was rare for him to mention his past, and even rarer to mention his family. He'd often wondered what had become of them, but he'd never been tempted to seek them out.

"It's different for everyone," Lena mused, gently nudging his shoulder with her own. "I mean, look at Izzy and Ash - you'd be hard pressed to find that Ash was ever jealous of Izzy, and they're about as contentious a pair of sisters as ever were."

That wasn't entirely true, but Jack didn't really want to get into all the sordid details of his family and his past.

"Girls are different," Tommy put in, though he'd never had any experience with sisters or even daughters.

"Girls can be really catty," Lena agreed. "But boys can harbor resentments, too. Everyone lashes out in their own way if they feel the need to."

"I suppose," Tommy said, with an uncertain shrug.

"My oldest brother always had to be the best," Jack confessed with a frown. He wasn't sure why he was telling them that. He didn't really want to think too much about it; it only made him feel guilty.

Jaz slung her arm about Jack's shoulders, knowing that going back to those memories was difficult for him. Her lips brushed his brow.

"Being the oldest can be a tough job," she said. "But it doesn't excuse bad behavior."

"Doesn't matter," Jack said, shrugging. His eldest brother was gone, killed a long time ago according to Nexus time. He had no idea what had become of the rest of his family, and it was probably too late to find out. "It was a long time ago."

"Okay, you know what?" Lena abruptly moved to stand up, giving Jack a tug. "I was gonna wait a bit to show you this, but you come with me." She patted Tommy's head gently. "Play nice for the time being."

"What?" Jack said, looking puzzled as Lena tugged him to his feet. She wasn't going to show him her belly, was she" They may have gone skinny dipping drunk once, but those days were past, and she belonged to Tommy.

"Where are you going and when do I not play nice?" Tommy asked, a smirk on his face. He harbored no jealousy about Lena's affection for Jack, as he knew she loved him like a brother, nothing more.

"We're going to look at the archive on the 'net, and if you and Jaz are trying to get each other to eat sand when I get back, I'm going full mommy on you," Lena informed her husband fondly, claiming Jack's hand in her own.

Jaz smiled encouragingly at Jack. "Go on, baby. Tell me about it later."

Tommy only grinned and threw an arm around Jasmin's shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll be on my best behavior," he assured both his wife and his friend.

"The archive?" Jack echoed, looking no less confused than before as Lena took him by the hand.

"Rhy'Din Library finally got the archive extranet hooked up," she explained as she lead him across the sand and into the King house. "It's linked into all the various internets, and you can access it from your own computer. So we're going to look up your family, because that question hanging over you is getting heavier by the day."

"My family?" Jack echoed again, with a dubious frown. "Lena, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you can't fix this for me," he told her, coming to a stop on the porch. "Mom left when I was a kid. Whatever the reason, she's never even once tried to get in touch. And Dad?" He shrugged.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:31 EST
"Dad was a dick. He's probably the reason Mom left."

"That's not what I mean," she told him, pulling him over to the shared work computer and firing it up. "You're pretty much at peace with your memories of your dad, and with letting go of your mom. But you worry about your brother, babe, we can see it. So let's find out what happened to him, okay?"

"You mean Joe," Jack said. Jimmy had been the eldest, then Joe, and then Jack. He already knew what had happened to Jimmy, and but he'd always wondered about Joe. The guilt had been eating away at him for years, but it was Joe who had told him to leave in the first place.

"Yeah, I do." Lena pulled up another chair to the computer, and patted it for Jack to take a seat, reaching to tap in the first search that would take them to the list that needed narrowing down.

"My last name isn't really Smith, you know," Jack said. He'd never been too attached to that name or to his real one and had easily given them up when he'd married Jaz, officially becoming a Granger.

"What was it, then?" she asked gently, tilting her head toward him. With luck, it wouldn't be too much searching before they found an answer for him.

"Mitchell," he replied, not quite as common as Smith, but still fairly common. "John James Mitchell is what was on my birth certificate. Jack for short." Never JJ.

"And your brother was Joseph James Mitchell?" Lena asked, typing it in. "What was his birth date?" She asked several other questions as she filled in the template online, each answer narrowing things down until all that remained was to press "search" and hope for the best.

"Lena, he lost both his legs in the war. Even if he's still alive, what makes you think he wants to be found?" Jack asked, unsure if it was wise to do this kind of digging. In truth, he was a little afraid what they might find - or not find - about his past and his family.

"This isn't about him, Jack, it's about you," she told him firmly. "Listen, you're my brother, whether by blood or not. Not knowing these answers is hurting you. Knowing them might hurt, but not as much as never knowing will. Okay?"

"Sometimes I think I should have never left," Jack said with a sigh. And yet, if he'd stayed, he'd never have met Tommy or Lena or Jasmin. There was a good chance he wouldn't have had such a happy ending as this one. It might have even been tragic. "Joe told me to leave. He begged me to leave. He said he didn't want me to end up like he had ....or like Jimmy." He shook his head and rubbed a hand across his face, clearly still at odds with his past. Though it might be nearly fifty years in the past, according to the Nexus, for him it had been less than ten.

"Did you ever see Joe after the war?" Lena asked quietly, scrolling through pictures and profiles as she spoke.

"No," Jack replied, frowning. "I tried calling him once, but ..." He shrugged, without explaining. He'd even considered driving down to see his brother, but he didn't want to risk running into their father.

"Well ....this one seems to be the right one," she said thoughtfully, opening the page in a new tab. The pictures were definitely grainy, from the seventies and eighties, but the people in them were still discernible. She frowned a moment. "Wait ....you came here from the mid-70's. So who's that, with Joe, in this picture from the early eighties?"

"Who's who?" Jack asked, brows furrowing as he turned his attention to the screen. He hadn't been paying much attention to what Lena was doing with the computer, her fingers tapping the keys and flipping through various pages of information. Computers weren't really his thing, and he still preferred doing things the old fashioned way. "Where'd you find that?" he asked, his face paling.

"It's on your brother's page," she explained, scrolling quickly to the top so he could confirm that. Then she scrolled down more slowly, through the pictures from his childhood, pictures that charted the growth of him and his brothers. There came a time when Jack was no longer in those pictures, and soon enough, neither was his father, but a new face appeared - one who looked an awful lot like Jack.

"My brother's page?" Jack echoed. "What are you talking about?" he said, looking very confused, even as he recognized photos of himself and his brothers. But how had they gotten there" Who had put them there" And who was the guy in the photos who could pass for Jack's double"

"I found your brother on the extranet," she explained gently. "These are all the details about him that have been uploaded to the internet on Earth." The cursor hovered over the picture that had caught her attention. "Do you want me to investigate who this is?"

"But why would anyone upload these to the internet?" Jack said, still confused. Unless ....There was one obvious answer to that question, but Jack wasn't sure what he thought about that. Unless someone was looking for him.

"Some people upload pictures because they want to share them," she told him. "Or maybe because they're hoping to find someone in those pictures who isn't easily accessible anymore. There are a few reasons."

"If you search my name - my real name - is this what comes up?" Jack asked, curiously. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. As far as he knew, he was a ghost. No one had looked for him in a very long time.

Lena reached out, gently squeezing his hand. "Yes, Jack," she said quietly. "That's how I found all this on your brother." She knew he wasn't conversant with computers and the internet, but at least he trusted her not to steer him wrong.

He absorbed this information, trusting her not to steer him wrong, but that didn't answer all his questions. "Okay ....but who's that?" he asked, pointing at the figure standing beside his brother who drew a striking resemblance to himself. "And what happened to Joe?"

"It says his name is Rick Connors," Lena read from the page. She glanced over at Jack, wary of sharing what had happened to Joe if it was bad. Scrolling down, she scanned the information with no little relief. "Says here that Joe met ....whoa. I'm just reading this out, okay' Joe met Rick in 1978 when Rick was researching his mother's family, and discovered that they were brothers. Rick helped Joe find a place to live funded by the veterans association in 1980, and Joe got married in '82. No children ....oh. Joe died in '85 from lung cancer. I'm so sorry, Jack."

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:31 EST
Jack frowned, not only in sadness at the news of another brother's death, but in confusion, too. "'85," he murmured. He'd entirely skipped past half the 70s, 80s, 90s, and everything after that. His brother wouldn't have been all that old in 85, much too young to have died of natural causes. It seemed he'd outlived all his brothers, except one he'd never met. "Joe met Rick three years after we left," he mused aloud. And probably never stopped looking for Jack until he died. "What's this Rick doing now?" he asked, though 1985 was over thirty years ago. He'd be at least in his fifties by now, wouldn't he"

"Let's find out." Lena clicked on the link embedded in the new name, opening a new page that gave them all this Rick - or Richard, as his birth certificate named him - all the information available on him. There were pictures here, too.

It looked like the man had been born in 1960 in Dallas to Mary and Oliver Connors, but it didn't tell them much more than that. There was no date of death, no marital information, nothing about whether he had any other living relatives. Like Jack, he was a bit of a ghost. How did one find a ghost"

Lena frowned. "You know, if you wanted ....I have a friend in town who does a bit of intel gathering on the side," she said carefully. "She could probably find out more about him."

"I don't know," Jack said, uncertainly. What was there to be gained from digging into this man's life" What were they likely to find out' Jack knew what had become of Joe now, but what of his parents" If they were still alive, they'd be pretty old by now. And what of this other brother, or half brother" What would he care what had become of Jack" Still, the man was the likely the last living link to his mother.

"What would it hurt to know a little more about him?" she asked in a gentle tone. "Nali won't go and talk to him or anything like that. She's good at discreetly picking up information."

"I guess," Jack admitted. "Is there anything there about my mom?" he asked, wondering what had happened to her. No matter what he found out about his brothers, there was no answering the questions he had about his mother. The only one who had the answers to those question was a brother he'd never met.

"There's no link on her name," Lena mused. "Which kind of makes sense, in a way' I mean, she left to get away from your dad, so it would make sense that she'd keep her presence on the internet to an absolute minimum."

"So, my only connection to my mother is through this Rick Connors," Jack said, thinking out loud. He frowned thoughtfully, unsure what to do. "What about my dad?" he asked. "What's it say about him?"

Clicking back through the pages until she found the information on his father, Lena skimmed quickly. "Looks like he had a heart attack in '79 and died a few months later from complications during bypass surgery," she said. She tilted her head to look at Jack. "Little brother or not, Rick seems like a pretty brave guy, to make contact with Joe while your dad was still kicking."

"Maybe," Jack allowed. It was unlikely he and this brother shared the same father. He'd been born too many years after Jack for that, but apparently, they had shared the same mother. And he couldn't deny the resemblance. "He's the only connection to my mother," Jack said. And the only hope he had of having all his questions answered.

Lena turned, wrapping her best friend up in the warmest hug she could possibly muster. "We'll find out," she promised him softly. "I'll call Nali in the morning, and she'll get on it as soon as she can. She owes me a favor or two."

Jack nodded, hugging Lena back a little awkwardly, that worried frown still on his face. "Do you really think this is a good idea, Le?" he asked uncertainly, though all they were doing was looking into the matter. Surely no harm could come from that.

Holding his gaze, Lena studied him for a long moment. "Yes, I do," she said confidently. "You need answers, Jack. And for all we know, this Rick is completely alone. He might even have been looking for you himself."

"Maybe, but he's not likely to find me, is he?" Jack said, quietly contemplating. "You went back for Tommy," he pointed out, the gears in his head turning. "What if I went back for my mom?"

"Well, depending on how the timeline fits around her, and if she wanted to come, that could be possible," Lena agreed thoughtfully, careful not to say that it was absolutely certain. She had only been able to bring Tommy and Jack out of the timeline because of the tragedy that would have ended both of them in disparate ways anyway.

Jack sighed. There were still too many unknowns. "I guess we'll just have to see what your friend finds out and go from there," he admitted.

"But it's a start," she said encouragingly. "It's better than being completely in the dark, isn't it?" She hoped so; Jack had been living under a cloud for a long time.

"I hope so," Jack admitted. His family's past had been a mystery for a long time, and one he'd had no idea how to solve. "Thanks, Lena," he told her, offering her a brotherly hug. "I need to know what happened to my mom." And by extension, to his last living brother.

She hugged him tight, smiling to know she hadn't been wrong on this count. "It'll all work out, Jack," she promised him fondly. "But maybe we should go and see if Jaz and Tommy are being friends."

Jack smiled, even chuckling a little. "It's pretty quiet out there," he said, which was presumably a good thing. At least, the other pair weren't killing each other yet.

She giggled with him, turning to shut down the computer. She'd talk to her friend in the morning and get this on track. "C'mon, let's separate them just in case." Looping her arm through his, she drew Jack out onto the moonlit beach with a smile.

"You're a good friend, Lena," Jack told her, as she drew him back outside to rejoin their significant others. It wasn't the first time he'd told her that and it probably wouldn't be the last, but he needed her to know it.

"Hey now, there's nothing I wouldn't do for my bestie," she assured him, smiling in the gloom as they approached the tents gathered in a semi-circle around the bonfire. It looked like Jaz had given Tommy her guitar and was playing Jack's with him, passing the time by sharpening his waning skill with the instrument.

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:32 EST
Tommy wasn't very good with a guitar and probably never would be. He just lacked the patience needed to master it. Unlike surfing, there wasn't much of an adrenaline rush from playing the guitar. He smiled as Jack and Lena returned, only too happy to give up the instrument.

"There you are! I was starting to wonder," he teased.

"Yes, darling, we've had plenty of time to consummate our passionate love affair now," Lena told Tommy with a grin, thumping down onto the sand beside him.

Jaz snorted with laughter, gently setting the instruments to one side as she gathered Jack into the circle of her arms.

Tommy chuckled, knowing Lena better than that. He knew she was found of his friend, but that she thought of his as a brother, not a lover. "Oh, good. I was worried," he replied, sarcastically with a wink at his wife, as he drew her down onto his lap and slid his arms around her. "What do you say we hit the sack" The kids will probably be up by dawn."

Jack let his wife gather him in, content to rest his head against her shoulder and take comfort in her embrace.

"Mmm, that sounds like a good idea," Lena agreed with Tommy, smiling as she wrapped her arms about his neck. "With the flap open, so we can see the sea?"

"So long as we keep our clothes on!" Tommy agreed with a grin. "See you kids in the morning!" he told the other couple. "Don't stay up too late!" he added, blowing them a kiss as he led Lena in the direction of their tent and giving her bum a cheeky squeeze on the way.

"Sweet dreams!" Jaz called after them, but she didn't move, gently stroking her fingers through Jack's hair as he rested against her. She could feel how shaken he was.

Jack knew sooner or later, she'd ask what Lena had found, and now was as good a time as any to tell her. He had no secrets from her, and he didn't plan on keeping any now. He waited until the other couple had retired to their tent before sharing the news.

"Lena has a friend who's going to look into what happened to my mother," he told her, for starters.

"I guess she found something she wanted to show you about your family, huh?" Jaz wasn't surprised. She knew Lena was desperate to help Jack find a way to be at peace with his past, and his mother was the first step to that.

"Yeah ..." Jack said, pausing a moment, as if having a hard time believing what Lena had found himself. "I might have another brother," he said, though given the fact that his mother hadn't been very old when she'd left the family, it shouldn't be all that shocking.

Unlike Lena, who wanted to make the whole situation as positive as possible, Jaz barely seemed to react to this, still combing her fingers through his hair as he shared what he had found out. "And how do you feel about that, baby?"

"I don't know," Jack replied, honestly. "But he might be the only remaining connection to my mom, so what choice do I have?" he asked. "There were pictures of him with Joe, but that was years ago. I don't even know if he's still alive. He's like a ghost, Jaz. I'm not sure how much Lena's friend is going to find."

"You always have a choice, baby." She drew back, curling her palm to his cheek as she looked into his eyes. "But no matter what they do or don't find, you have some things in your life that will not change. A home, a successful business in music, a wife who loves you, and children who adore you. Those things are not going to change. So where is the harm in finding out if you can add a blood brother to the list of people who love you?"

"I don't know what I'm afraid of," Jack said, taking comfort in all Jasmin was saying. He already had a brother in Tommy and a sister in Lena; he had a wife and daughter and another on the way. He had extended family and friends, like Dru and Josh and all the other people he'd come to know since he'd moved here. So what was he afraid of exactly"

She drew his forehead to hers. "Courage isn't the absence of fear, baby," she murmured. "It's forging on, even though you're afraid. And you are one of the most courageous people I know." She kissed him tenderly.

"I don't know about that," he told her, though he was smiling. His father had always thought him a coward and for a long time, he believed it, until Jasmin, Lena, and Tommy had convinced him otherwise. He returned her kiss, his lips soft and warm against hers. "Should we turn in, too?" he asked, not really tired, but eager to snuggle.

"I do," she whispered fiercely, smiling into his kiss. "Want to cuddle up and watch the moons with me for a while?" she asked him in turn, absolutely on board with snuggling in the relative privacy of their own tent.

"I can't think of anything else I'd rather do," he replied, kissing her again and pulling her to her feet. "Love you, baby," he whispered, so that Tommy and Lena wouldn't overhear.

Nuzzling close, Jaz sighed, deeply content with the life she had built with Jack. He was her greatest blessing, even if he wasn't ready to hear her say that just yet. "Love you back."

"We better get to bed, too. Tommy's right. The kids will probably be up early," he told her, leading the way toward their tent. He didn't bother to extinguish the fire, as it was well contained and surrounded by sand.

"You say that like you don't know that Nolly is going to come crawling into our tent around midnight," Jaz said with a quiet chuckle. Ever since Noelle had got her own child-sized bed, she had yet to spend an entire night in it, and they were far too easy-going to stop her climbing in with them.

"Maybe not," he said. After all, she was sharing a tent with Nick tonight, and they were only a tent away. "They had a busy day," he pointed out, though he wouldn't be too upset either way.

"They did," Jaz agreed, kicking her shoes off before ducking into the tent. The less sand in the blankets with them, the better. She and Lena had similar ideas about what a good tent set-up should be - no sleeping bags for them, oh no. There were plenty of cushions and quilts to soften the floor, and soft blankets to cover up with. There was even a string of battery operated lights hung in the roof of the little space. Wriggling down into the nest of blankets, she patted the space beside her invitingly. "Come and snuggle."

Jack Granger

Date: 2019-08-10 11:32 EST
Jack kicked off his sandals before stepping into the tent and settling into the little nest of cushions and blankets beside her. "You don't think this is stupid, do you?" he asked. Not camping on the beach, but poking into his family's past.

Wriggling about until she was tucked close into his side, Jaz smiled, kissing his neck affectionately. "No, I don't," she said quietly. "If I was in your place, I'd want to know everything, just to be able to put a lid on it. And if there was a chance I had a brother or sister out there, I would jump at the chance to meet them, even if it was just once."

"But what if he doesn't want to meet me?" Jack asked, though there was no reason to believe that, especially considering the photo that had been taken of this Rick and his brother Joe. "I wish I'd been able to see Joe again," he added quietly. There was a way, of course, but he wasn't sure it was worth the risk.

"What if he does want to meet you?" Jaz said, turning it around on him. "What's scaring you, baby?" She didn't know about the picture, or the multiple pictures of Jack himself, that had been uploaded, possibly in search of him.

"I don't know," Jack said, unsure of the answer to that question himself. "I feel guilty. I've felt guilty for years, but Joe's the one who told me to go. I guess I always figured I'd see him again someday," he confessed with a sigh. As for his mother, she'd made the choice to leave and never get in touch. There wasn't much to feel guilty about there.

Lifting her head, Jaz reached up to stroke his face, drawing his gaze to hers. "Jack, do you want to find a way to visit Joe?" she asked him, blunt and to the point, but knowing he needed to know the answer to that question before they could move on with any of this.

"I'm not sure that's possible, Jaz. I mean, it's not like me and Tommy. Tommy was gonna die in a car crash and I ..." He trailed off. His own fate at that time had been a question mark, but Jack hadn't seen much of a future for himself without Tommy. He'd never felt more alone in the world than when Tommy had died. Lena had saved them both from that, but going back to see Joe would be different. Joe had a life to look forward to. It wasn't so much a question of going back as it was when.

"Let me worry about how," she told him. "Do you want to visit Joe" That is the question I am asking you right now, at this moment. Do you want to go and see your brother, and show him how well you're doing" Do you want him to know that him telling you to go resulted in you having a good life and a family of your own?"

"Yes," Jack replied, without hesitation. To see his brother again and let him know he was okay was more than he could have ever hoped for. And to make sure Joe was okay without him.

"Then that's what we'll do," Jaz told him firmly. "Lena and her friend can look into this other guy, and we will find out how to manipulate the portals so we can visit Joe."

But what about his father" Did he want to see him again, too, or not' The man had been hateful, abusive, strict, and demanding, expecting his sons to do what he told them to do, not what they wanted to do with their lives. It had been a confusing time, not only for Jack's family, but for an entire generation.

"Are you sure it's safe" I mean, we don't want to change anything. If Joe was looking for me, and we go back, he won't be looking for me anymore, and then Lena might not find anything on the extranet, and ..." Jack scratched his head. The consequences of traveling through the Nexus always gave him a headache.

"Let me talk to Lena, and find out a little bit more about his life," she suggested. "There's got to be a time when we can visit without screwing over the timeline or preventing us from ever having this conversation to begin with."

Jack understood the dangers of traveling through the Nexus, especially to the past. They had to be careful they didn't change anything that might unravel the life they'd built here or jeopardize anyone else's lives either. "Okay," he admitted, trusting the matter to Lena and Jasmin to figure out. And if it wasn't possible to work out a way to see Joe again, he could at least look forward to meeting this other brother he'd never known he had.

"And whatever happens," she murmured, catching his hand and drawing his palm to the smooth swell at her middle, "you've got this little one to look forward to."

Jack smiled, his eyes bright in the darkness, but whether with tears of happiness or sadness, it was hard to say. He had mixed feelings about what Lena had showed him, and yet, he couldn't deny the fact that he was happy here at the cove. "I'm the luckiest man in the multiverse," he said, as he touched a kiss to her lips, his hand warm against her middle.

"Damn straight," she agreed with a grin, pressing her lips to his in a smiling kiss before she nestled close, laying her head on his shoulder with a soft, contented sigh. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you, too, baby," he told her, one arm going around her to hold her close, turning his head to press a kiss to her temple. "I just don't wanna do anything to risk losing you," he told her quietly. If seeing his brother again in any way jeopardizes the life he had here, all bets were off.

"I won't let that happen," she promised fervently, her voice fading as she began to drift off to sleep. She jerked awake briefly as a scuffle of paws heralded the arrival of Milo padding into the tent to lie down across their legs comfortably, one hand reaching down to ruffle the dog's fur. "One down, one to go," she muttered, expecting Noelle at any second now.

Jack smirked as Milo joined them. "Maybe we should get a bigger tent," he suggested with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Go to sleep, baby. Everything's gonna be okay," he assured her quietly, touching another kiss to her lips before settling himself for sleep.

There would be time enough to worry and talk and make plans on another day. Tonight, the breeze was warm, the sea was calm, and the moons shone down on Kings Cove with silver light. There really was nowhere more perfect, in any universe. After all, it was home.