((Takes place the evening following The Smallest Detail.))

Central Park in autumn was a pretty place, albeit a bit chilly. Leaves crunched underfoot and you could almost smell snow in the air. People went about their business, as usual - jogging, walking their dog, feeding the birds, tending children at play. No one seemed to notice or care when the mists parted and out stepped a man and woman from behind the cover of trees. Rhys recognized where they were almost immediately, a smile crossing his face as he muttered a single word - "Home". He led Nat through the park, through the crowd of people going about their ordinary mundane lives to hail a cab that would take them to Brooklyn, and before long, they were deposited outside the brownstone that Gina and Joey and presumably Adam called home. The sun was slanting low in the sky as evening approached. It had been a long day, but they had nearly reached their final destination. "Come on," Rhys urged Natalya onward with a tug of her hand as the taxi sped off into the gloom to pick up another fare.

America felt different to any other place Natalya had ever traveled to. It was a new land, a young land, vibrant and not yet weighed down with the blood of the centuries. She knew, just as Rhys did, the moment they stepped from the mists of Avalon that she had brought them to the right place, relieved and a little astounded by this skill she had not known she possessed. They had prepared only a little before coming here, each of them bearing three of the polished obsidian stones that had been enchanted by the Templar, Yves, as traps to hold the exorcised spirits of any demons they might come across, forgetting to return to Glastonbury for such basic needs as clothing. It was just as well that Nat never traveled anywhere without their passports in her bag, or they might have had a little trouble explaining their presence if anyone thought to stop them and ask for I.D.

Caught up in Rhys' eagerness to reach his friend's home, she let herself be pulled along, unsurprised when the journey took them to a row of brownstone houses in Brooklyn. Hand in hand with her husband, tired after a long day that had begun in Glastonbury, taken them to Avalon, and finally here, she mounted the steps with him to the front door, hoping Gina, at least, would not mind their just appearing on her doorstep.

As for Rhys, he was unconcerned about such things as I.D. and passports and a change of clothing. Those were worries for someone with more practical common sense, like his wife. He had criss-crossed the country multiple times with little more than his car and a few dollars to his name. Necessity had made him resourceful, with little need for anything but what he could carry in his car, but he did not have even that at the moment. As tired as he was, he was burning with excitement to be home and to see the two closest friends he had in the whole world. He flashed a grin to Natalya as he led her up the stairs. "Should we tell them the good news?"

She blushed, the whole concept of their good news still not quite sunk into her own brain. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain to Gina and Adam that they'd found out she was pregnant before her body had produced enough hormone to make for a viable home pregnancy test. "Oh, I think we should wait a little longer," she managed through a surprisingly shy smile. "Until, perhaps, there is more than a miniscule speck making its way to my womb."

"I'm sure it's not a miniscule speck. Not with my sperm," he remarked with a grin, but then what did he know about pregnancy and childbirth' "Well, here goes nothing," he said as he pressed a thumb to the buzzer. He'd promised Adam he'd call from Glastonbury, but there had been no time. He hoped he wasn't catching them at a bad time, but he knew them both well enough to know he and Nat would always be welcome here.

"I hope you are not suggesting that our daughter is going to be supersized, Mr Bristol," Nat murmured playfully as he pressed his thumb to the buzzer, feeling nerves light up in her stomach. She didn't know Adam and Gina as well as she would like - certainly not well enough to feel entirely comfortable to just show up on their doorstep. But Rhys was so excited, she was making a very real effort not to let it show.

There was the sound of feet thumping down stairs, and a moment later the door opened to reveal neither Gina nor Adam. Joey wasted about half a second in identifying the visitors before letting out a loud yell. "Uncle Rhys!" Pajamas and all, the little boy launched himself out through the door and into Rhys' arms, whether the man was ready for him or not. Gina was just visible in the hallway beyond the front door, glasses on the end of her nose as she witnessed her son tackling a full grown man head on.

Rhys grinned widely as they were greeted by Gina's son, and he swept the boy easily up into his arms to give him a proper greeting, complete with hug. No kisses though. He deemed the boy might be too old for that. "Joey!" he exclaimed in gleeful exuberance. "How's my favorite nephew?" he asked, though Joey was not related to Rhys by blood, nor did Rhys have any other nephews. "You being good for your mom?"

"Of course I am!" Joey protested, seemingly insulted by even the suggestion that he misbehaved in even the slightest way. Nat might as well not have been there, but she didn't mind that. She and Joey had met only once, on her wedding day, and frankly if she'd been his size and introduced to her in that dress, she wouldn't remember her as being an actual person either.

"Oh really?" Gina said, walking to the door to draw it open and invite Rhys and Nat inside, eying her son all the while. "Because I seem to recall you were already halfway to bed when the doorbell rang."

"Surprise!" Rhys greeted Gina with a warm smile as he juggled Joey in his arms and stepped inside. "You remember Nat," he said, drawing Natalya with him, if only by pointing out she was there with him. He was confident Gina would have her feeling at home here in no time. "I think maybe a surprise visit from your Uncle Rhys is reason for staying up a little past your bedtime, don't you?" he asked Joey with a playful smirk.

"I think it's an awesome reason," Joey agreed, nodding vigorously as both visiting adults stepped inside at his mother's invitation. "Are you staying?" He looked briefly over Rhys' shoulder at Nat, only vaguely acknowledging her presence before returning his hopeful grin to Rhys.

"He kinda is my dad already," the boy pointed out, sniffing and scratching his nose. "He does all the dad stuff, and he's fun, and I can talk to him. And he has a cool car." Quite what that had to do with Adam becoming his father was anyone's guess, but it seemed to loom quite large in Joey's assessment of the situation. "I asked Mom when they were getting married, and she said he hadn't asked her yet. So I told her to ask him, and she told me to ask him about me."

Rhys wondered what the hell Adam was waiting for, but maybe what he was waiting for was exactly this. Rhys considered a minute. He'd never lied to the boy before or sugar-coated anything, and he wasn't about to start now. "I think the reason Adam hasn't asked your mom to get married is because he's waiting on you. I think maybe he wants to be sure it's okay with you first. And my car is cooler!" he added, mussing the kid's hair with a smile. "If you really want Adam for a dad, then I think you should ask him. I'm pretty sure he'd say yes."

Joey made a face at the declaration that Rhys' classic car was cooler than Adam's modern, sleek vehicle, still having a child's lack of appreciation for the vintage. But he felt reassured, glad that Rhys had been able to tell him what he wanted to hear. "Cool." With a sleepy smile, he settled onto his side, his head nestling against the pillow comfortably. "Hey, Rhys" M'glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here, too, kiddo. Get some rest. We've got to do some serious pancake-making in the morning." He smiled again and leaned down to brush a final kiss against the boy's cheek and a final muss of his hair before moving to his feet. "Sweet dreams, Joey. I'll see you in the morning."

"G'night." Happy with the reassurance of someone who knew Adam better than he did, and the promise of pancake for breakfast on a school day, Joey tucked himself down beneath his blankets, asleep almost before his eyes closed.

Rhys lingered a moment in watchfulness, remembering himself when he was that age, just before his own innocence had been shattered by tragedy. He wasn't going to let that happen to Joey or to anyone else he cared about, if he had anything to say about it. He collected the empty plate and cups, crept toward the door and pulled it quietly closed before sneaking back downstairs to the kitchen to set the dirty dishes in the sink, feeling a little more tired and drained than before, but still too wired to sleep.

A decidedly dirty laugh sounded from the sitting room, where Gina had taken Nat after the boys had headed upstairs. The two women had spent the better part of a year talking regularly on the phone, and though this was the first true face to face chat they'd had together, it was apparently going very well. Gina's laughter declared that to the man in the kitchen, complimented by Nat's only slightly less filthy giggles. God knew what they were talking about, but it was pretty safe bet that sex had wandered into the conversation at some point.

Rhys rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth, hoping the two women were not swapping stories about their significant other's sexual prowess. Rhys knew he'd win that contest hands down anyway, at least, in his opinion. He rinsed the plates and the cups clean, waiting for the cackling to abate and for him to deem it was safe to rejoin them. In the meantime, he poured himself a cup of coffee to help keep himself awake a while longer. It had been a hideously long day, but for the most part, a good one.

Whatever was fueling the laughter in the sitting room didn't last long, the talk subsiding into something less embarrassing for him to walk into if he chose to. Though Nat and Gina didn't generally discuss their other halves, it was bound to happen at some point. The fact that they seemed to have gotten it out of the way early on was a good sign, especially for a man who wanted his friend and his wife to get along.

Rhys purposely waited until he deemed the coast was clear, allowing the two women to finish their girl talk before he interrupted. Sipping a cup of coffee in the kitchen, he had no way of knowing that he was practically repeating Adam's own actions of not more than a day or two ago. His thoughts turned on the situation in front of them, and he suddenly wondered where Adam had gotten himself off to. Was he working late at the office" He'd asked him to dig around for the coroner's report, not go on a wild goose chase somewhere.

"So," he started as he wandered back into the living room, coffee cup in hand. "Where's Adam hiding" He join a bowling league or something" The kid's anxious to make him his dad. What the hell are you two waiting for anyway?"

Gina looked up from where she had been admiring the Lady's token at Nat's throat, lowering her glasses from her nose as she smiled at Rhys. It had been a long time since she'd had a normal interaction with him - the wedding didn't count - and though she might want it otherwise, she had a feeling it wasn't going to be particularly normal tonight, either. "Okay, tough guy, the day you can beat me at arm wrestling is the day you get to lecture me on my love life," she informed him with a chuckle, rolling her eyes in his direction. "And Adam's in Iowa. He went down there a couple of days after you called."

Rhys chuckled, the coffee cup halfway to his lips. "Don't get a big head. I let you win." He took a sip of the coffee, the bitter brew warming his insides as the caffeine started to flow through his veins, waking him back up. Rhys coughed, nearly choking on that sip as Gina revealed the whereabouts of her significant other and his best friend. "What' Iowa' The hell's he doing....Oh, Jesus Christ." His gaze darted to Nat with an almost knowing look and he lowered the coffee cup from his mouth. He didn't want to startle Gina, but Iowa was the last place he wanted Adam to be.

It didn't take a genius to spot the signs of something bad. Rhys was appalling at keeping his expression schooled to protect the people with him from what he was thinking. As Nat's expression went very carefully blank, Gina glanced between them suspiciously. Disappointment flared for a moment as she realized neither one was going to tell her exactly what was going on, but even she could tell that Iowa was apparently not a good place to be.

She sighed, shaking her head. "You and your secrets," she muttered, rising to her feet. "He called me last night, he was fine. If you're that worried, you call him, and ....I'll go find your car keys."

Her lips quirked in a faint smile, touched that Adam had been so constant before she'd even looked at him in such a way. "You could have told me a few years ago, you know," she informed Rhys, finally locating what she was looking for. "Instead of having to do the whole dying thing just to get him vulnerable enough to be seduced." She pushed the chair back, scooping up the keys from the table as she came around to put them into Rhys' hand. "Keys to car, all of which's contents are still intact," she informed him, handing over the paper as well. "Address of garage, because I can never remember it. Go and get your car, and come back here before you set off. I'm not going to let you go without packing a bag for Nat, at least."

"Things were different then," Rhys replied with a small frown. A few years ago there had been John, and after John had died, they'd all needed time to grieve. Adam had never considered John a rival for Gina's affections, keeping his own feelings for her a secret. If John had lived, it was likely Adam would have remained in Arizona, far from New York and far from the woman he'd secretly loved for years. The mention of his own death only deepened that frown, though Rhys knew she was teasing. They'd faced their own demons years ago, together. He had Gina to thank for rescuing him once, but he had repaid that favor a few times over. "Gina," he started as she set the keys and address in his hand. "I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to Adam, okay' Promise."

"You'd better not." There was a certain amount of fierceness in her face and voice as she said this, meeting Rhys' gaze with stern insistence, trying not to be as frightened as she wanted to be, not to worry as much as she wanted to. She had Joey to think of - she had to stay calm and keep the real truth of what Adam was doing, of what he had walked into, away from her son. She surged forward suddenly, hugging Rhys tight. "Don't let anything happen to you, either," she told him in a terse voice. "Either of you."

He was a little surprised by the sudden show of affection from Gina. There was a time when she'd been softer, more demonstrative in her affection for him, but they weren't kids anymore, and, not unlike him, she had been forced early on to learn how to take care of herself. "I won't," he promised, returning that hug, pulling away to offer a reassuring smile. "I gotta wedding to go to sometime soon. Your son is looking forward to having a dad." He instinctively knew she was including Nat in that equation, but Nat was the last person Rhys was going to allow to get hurt.

She laughed a little, knowing as well as he did that Joey wasn't going to stand in the way of seeing his mother get married to a man she loved. "Can't disappoint the kid," she agreed, looking up as Nat came into the kitchen.

The Russian woman looked a lot less stressed out than Rhys in that moment. "He's at the hotel," she told them. "The duty manager went into his room to check for me - he's deeply asleep. The man couldn't wake him, but I heard Adam complain about being shaken, so he is only sleeping."

"Oh, thank God," Rhys exhaled in a display of relief. He visibly relaxed, his shoulders lowering, his whole body seeming to unwind a little. They weren't out of the woods yet, but at least they knew Adam was safe. "I'm gonna kick his *ss when I get there!" he warned, with a laugh that negated the threat from his words. He gave Gina another hug, just because he could. "Make sure the guest room is made up when we get back. We're gonna be bringing someone back with us." He flashed a teasing smile at Gina and a playful wink at Nat, so relieved that Adam was all right, he was feeling confident and almost cocky in his determination to find and rescue his sister. "You can fill her in while I'm gone," he told Nat. "I'm going to see my baby." His baby, of course, being the Chevelle he'd painstaking rebuilt after the Mustang had been wrecked.

"Just come back," Gina told him, squeezing him tight a moment longer before letting him go. His change in mood was so marked, she found herself chuckling along with him, unsurprised to see Nat smiling as she stepped out of the doorway to the kitchen. "Yes, you go and be a sobbing mess of happy tears with your car," Gina added. "I'm keeping your wife until you get back here."

Nat laughed softly, catching Rhys by the lapel to make sure he looked her in the eye. "Come back here before you go to Iowa, milaya," she warned him, "or I will be there waiting for you when you arrive." It was a pretty good threat; as much as Rhys wanted her kept out of the fighting right now, he also wanted her where he could see her. Seventeen hours in Centerville without his presence could see Nat get into all kinds of trouble.

He chuckled again as both women teased him in return, knowing him almost as well as he knew himself. He hadn't seen his baby in over two years, and their reunion was likely to be an emotion-filled event worthy of two long-lost lovers. His love affair with cars was well known among those who knew and loved him. He flashed a grin as Nat caught him by the lapel and drew him close. "Yes, dear. Don't worry, I won't leave you behind again. I learned my lesson the first time." He was not in so much of a hurry that he didn't have time to kiss her, sliding his arms around her waist and shamelessly letting her know with his kiss how much he loved her without caring whether Gina witnessed or not. "I'll be back in an hour, give or take, depending on whether I stop for take out or not."

Drawn close for that kiss, Nat didn't let herself think about their audience, letting Rhys reassure her that he wasn't about to abandon her for her own protection again, no matter his personal feelings on the subject. Her fingers stroked against his cheek as she drew back with a half-smile. "We'll be ready," she promised him, glancing as Gina as though for confirmation.

The other woman nodded, leaning back against the edge of her kitchen table. "Oh, yeah," she agreed. "Take out or no take out, we'll be ready."

"No swapping secrets while I'm gone," he warned the pair of them with a smile, reaching to tug Gina toward him and leave them both with a kiss, one brotherly, one not so brotherly. "I'll be back before you know it," he said, shoving the slip of paper into his pocket and starting toward the door. "I'm gonna owe Joey some major pancake-making," he muttered to himself and out he went. Thankfully, Rhys knew his way around Brooklyn well enough that he could either choose to hoof it or hop a bus to the garage where Adam had stored the Chevelle for safe-keeping. "I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride..." he sang as he stepped out into the night.

The two women watched him walk away, both of them a little agitated in their own way, but reassured that he wasn't just going to drive off. Well, mostly. "If he calls us from the road, I am going to kill him," Nat murmured, half-serious as she turned away from the front door.

Gina smirked, moving to close that door on the world outside. "Get in line."

((Rhys really needs to start thinking before he sends people off on a wild goose chase, doesn't he? All's well that ends well - here's hoping! Hugiest thanks to Rhys' player for this scene!))