Episode 22

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Smoothie Sims, Inc. proudly presents

A Villainous ApocalypseEpisode 22 - Hang Tight

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Azula sighed as she took a last look a round the hotel room. Guess Im ready, she said to her husband.

Dominic offered her a ha lf-smile that m irrored her reluctance. The shuttles downstairs.

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Holding hands, they walked down the stairs and out to the curb.

This was a good idea, she said then.

Yeah, I think it was good to have a break , he replied. Id like to stay longer, even, butwell, even though your uncle

is my friend, I hate to take advantage of his generosity. Lex had offered Dominic a spot on the force, starting as soonas they returned.

Youll be great at it, Dom. I know it, and so does he.

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Thanks, Azula. I hope so. He smiled and touched her stomach. And we have something else to look forward to, too.

Reflexively, she glanced down at her abdomen. Yeah, we do, she said, with a teasing smile. I guess going home

might not be s uch a hardship after all.

He grinned. Tha ts the spirit. Lets go. I think stea ms starting to come out of the shuttle drivers ears.

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***

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Eighteen hours later

Citizens of Sierra P lains

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It has come to my attention that some citizens are taking illegal vacations to unauthorized countries. This is no tacceptable and must stop for the safety of Sierra Plains a nd everyone living here. Therefore

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I hereby instate a ban on all airplane travel to and from Sierra Plains, until such a time when political relations with thesecountries can be established.

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This means that the Sierra Plains airport will be closed indefinitely. In addition, Sierra Plains citizens will not be permitted to flyinternationally out of any airport in the surrounding areas, including Sim City. There will be strict security checks at every point,

and anyone found disobeying this decree will be indicted and punished.

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Please understand that this is me rely a safety measure, one I hope we will not have to en force and one which willhopefully be done away with swiftly as we try to establish peaceful relations with the countries in question. In the

meantime, I ask for your patience and your obedience in this matter.

Thank you.

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Stephen turned off the television. Thats not good.

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Saffron frowned deep ly. She and he r new colleagues had already hea rd about the decree from Lex Holm, so the

announcement did not come as a shock, but she still didnt understand it. The whole thing just seems stupid to me ,she said. Maybe its just cause Im not a Sierra Plains citizen, butwhy?

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Actually, theres a very good reason for it, Selina said soberly. The fact of the ma tter is that we dont have a

centralized government s ince were s till under martial law, so a lot o f places, like Takem izu, dont officially sanction

travel from Sierra Plains.

Which means that Azula and Dom inic might be in serious trouble, added Stephen, with a glance at his wife. We might

not be able to do anything about this one. Raikovs been waiting a long time for this chance.

Dont I know it. Bastard.

He turned to Saffron. Have you talked to Azula yet? Maybe if we find out their situation

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I left her a message telling he r to call if and when she could, sa id Saffron. No idea when thats go ing to be. Its the

middle o f the night over there right now, and they m ight have taken her phone . If I dont hear back from he r tomo rrow

Ill try her hotel, see if they can tell me a nything.

Did you get anything from Harry or Elle?

Ellie doesn t know a lot, either. Its bad, though . Like, if this doesnt get resolved soon Azulas going to have to givebirth there bad.

There was a pause, in which the o ther four could only stare incredulous ly. Well, shit, Vaughn said then.

Shespregnant? cried Cherryh.

Saffron nodde d. Almos t through her first trimester.

Cherryh turned pleadingly to Stephe n and Selina. Theres got to be some thing we can do ! Rhys would want us to he lpher, you know he would.

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Selina sighed heavily. We cant do anything until we know whats going on over there. Saffron, kee p trying to get hold

of Azula. She turned and hurried ou t to the balcony, muttering Stupid girl shouldve known be tter as she went.

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Stephe n followed, lea ving Saffron, Vaughn , and Che rryh to ex change awkward glances.

This is awful, said Che rryh, eventually. Why did they even go in the first place?

Azula said something about ge tting as far away from Sierra P lains as they possibly could, Saffron replied, shrugging.

Its not like illegal travel is a new thing, and no ones gotten called on it before. They probab ly thought it was worth therisk.

How did he find out, is what I want to know, Vaughn said. I guess it would have been easy if they flew straight out of

Sierra Plains

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No, said Saffron firmly, theyre not idiots. They probably went out of Sim City.

Still too close.

She frowned. She had never thought she would see Vaughn loo k so serious, or Cherryh so distressed. Come on,

Raikovs not thatanal, is he ? Would he really go out of his way to look up outside records?Hes never been like this with anyone but the Fitzhughs, Che rryh ventured. He s rougher on them than a nyone e lse.

Vaughn nodded his agreement.

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Damn. Saffron looked a t her hands. Sohe m ust have heard that they were going out of town, got suspicious when hesaw they hadnt flown out of Sierra Plains, and found their flight record in Sim City?

It wouldnt surprise me, said Vaughn, with certainty.

It sounded too simple to Saffron, but she felt as though she ought to take his word for it. He and the others had beenwatching the s ituation much longer than she had. T hats probably it, then. I guess Ill wait for Azula to get back to m e.

***

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The Fitzhughs did not have a TV--there was no room for one--but they were able to watch a rerun of the a nnouncement

online.

Afterward, Harry called a family meeting. Ive talked to the gene ral, he said grimly. He sa id its imposs ible to just

have them deported.

He says that, Mya muttered. T ristan snorted.

Hes having trouble negotiating with the Takemizan lea ders, Harry continued. Apparently they think Azula and Dominic

are spies a nd are refusing to let them out of the country.

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Dad, that could be dange rous for them, Elle sa id, eyes wide. I snt there any way--

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The ge neral has assured me that they will not be harmed, bu t thats all he can promise, sa id Harry. If anything

changes, he ll let us know, but I dont think we can o r should count on that. He g lanced at Tristan. Hones tly, thequickest and best way to deal with this is just to keep going with the government work. How are things going there?

We will probab ly be holding e lections toward the end of Sum mer, said T ristan.

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Elle bit her lip. Azulas baby will be here by then.

Baby, T ristan said, turning to her, these things take time. Look how long its take n Sierra Plains to get this far. Weve

never had a real government be fore and if we want to avoid this sort of thing in the future, weve got to do it right. And,

wellI hate to say it, but the good o f the comm unity is more important than fam ily problem s.

She looked at him, then at her father.

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Hes right, Ellie, said Harry wearily. We will not give up on Azula, but we have to keep on no matter what.

All right. She hated it, but she knew she had to a ccept it. They could do nothing else .

What about you? Any luck with the job hunt?

She nodded. The Culinary Institute in Sim C ity offered me Azulas old job. Its dicey since I have to start about whenthe babys due, but Ill make it work.

Good for you. Just be careful.

I will.

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When Harry adjourned the meeting, Elle went straight upstairs, changed into her pajamas, a nd collapsed on top of he r

covers. She fe lt too e xhausted, after the awful day, to do anything more than that.

Azula cant come home for a long time, she thought, trying to comprehend it. Her sister, he r biggest supporter, had always

been so close, and now

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She rolled over on her side, trying not to cry. Youre the heir, she adm onished herself. You cant do this. You cant let the

pregnancy hormones get to you now.

But it wasnt just the pregnancy hormones. The whole situation m ade her fee l very, very alone, even with her husband

and parents in the house and Billy only an hours drive a way.

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Ellie?

She stiffened a little at the s ound of Tristans voice coming up the stairs and hastily wiped her eyes. He cant see me like

this, she thought, determined to keep it together.

He appeared over the top of the stairs before she could compose herself. There you are. Youre not asleep yet, areyou?

No, she said.

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He lowered himself down next to he r, and she automa tically rolled over to face h im. I tll be all right, baby, he said

soothingly, putting an arm around her.

I know.

So dont worry so ha rd. He began to trail his fingers up and down her spine.

Shes my sister--

And shell be fine , he interrupted. Trust me .

Elle swallowed. I do trust you, she said.

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Thats my girl. He leaned in and kissed her.

Elle was so tired that she almos t pushed him away when h is hand s lipped unde r her shirt. At the last second, she pulledhim closer instead. They hadnt had any alone time since before he r first pop, after all. Maybe itll make me feel better,

she thought.

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It didnt.

***

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Azula.

Startled by Dom inics low tone of voice, Azula look ed up from her dinner. Wha t is it, Dom?

He kept his eyes fixed on her face, as if he were afraid to look anywhere else. In a second, casually glance at the man

over in that corner and tell me if you think weve seen him befo re. Over your right shoulder. Just a quick glance a ndthen back at me.

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She blinked, then very quickly looked behind her. With the sunglasses? she murmured, frowning.

Yes, bu t dont stare, Dominic said urgently.

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She turned back around, nodded once, and took a big bite of her food before elaborating. He was at the hotel the daywe were supposed to leave.

Ive noticed h im a couple of other places too, Dominic said, forcing a big sm ile on his fa ce in an effo rt to pretend she

had just said something delightful. I think hes following us.

Why?

I dont know. It could be any number of reasons . Maybe He took a sip of water. I cant see his e ars.

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Cold fe ar suddenly gripped her. Marina said--

That they wouldnt follow us to Sierra Plains, yes. She didnt say anything about Takem izu, and shes gone now in any

case. He reached for her hand. I ts probably not them. I hope it isnt, anyway. But hes de finitely following us.

Lets go back to the hotel, she sa id quickly.Finish your food first. We have to stay calm.

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Food no longer appealed to Azula, but she forced herself to finish most of her meal, and when she announced that shecould not eat another bite, Dom inic settled their bill and led he r out of the restaurant.

She glanced back only once on the way back to the hotel, but it was e nough. The man was s till following them.

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Finally, they reached their hotel room . Dominic made sure the door was locked be fore he reached for her. They wereboth shaking.

Can we switch hotels? she asked.

I doubt itd do us any good. We cant leave the city. Hed find us somehow.I dont like this, Dom.

I dont, either.

***

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You havent--nothing at all? Billys heart sank. Ok ay. Dont get upse t, Ellie, its no t your fault. Theyre p robab ly okay.

Zuzu will call again when she can. Just let me know if you hea r from her, all right? Okay. Love you.

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Though Billy did not look fo rward to moving back in with his parents, he had never lived a lone be fore, and it made him

feel just as isolated as Elle fe lt. Graduation could not come fast enough for him. He still had mos t of his last semester

to go, but he had already done everything necessary to graduate. T here was nothing to do but wait, and the waiting

drove him crazy. There was a crisis at home , and he could do nothing to help.

He knew that his being there would probably mak e no difference, but that did not comfort him.

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He tried to suppress his frustration by focusing on his cousins and Snow. Spending time with them made him fe el a little

less lone ly and helped him fo rget to fee l guilty for short periods at a time.

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When Cid called to report that he had proposed to Anne Austen, Billy happily agreed to m eet the rest of his group at the

twins disco-inspired house to celebrate. It felt like freshm an year again. He was m ore than able to let his anxiety go

and spend the afternoon focusing on his best friends happiness.

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Im really going to miss this, sa id Kirby, after the sun had set and things had se ttled down somewhat.

Thanks for reminding me, Billy thought, but he managed to keep his tone light. Yeah, me too. Thanks for giving us an

excuse to hang out tonight, you two. He winked at Cid and Anne, and it hardly felt forced at all.

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Cid grinned. Thats totally why I proposed , he sa id.

Anne lifted an eyebrow. Are you being fa cetious?

Whats that mean?

The others laughed, and even Anne had to smile. It means that you are not speaking seriously, that you mean it as ajoke.

Mm, possibly. He k issed her, then turned to the othe rs, shielding his mouth badly with his hand. The other reason I

proposed is that Anne is a walking dictionary, and I think thats hot, he said, in a stage whisper.

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Yeah, your vocabularys a lready doubled from ten words to twenty, Riku said dryly, as Anne playfully shoved Cid and

received another, sloppier smooch in return. Keep that up and you might even become a genius someday!

Hey, Im sma rt!

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Billy laughed and squeezed Snows waist. Too bad Heidis not here to keep him on his leash.

How is Heidi, anyway? Snow asked , turning to R iku. I s she going to be able to visit again this year, or is she just

going to wait until she moves in with us?

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Rikus face darkened. Shes not.

What do you mean, she s not? Billy asked, g lancing between him and the twins, who were s tarting to look distinctly

uncomfortable.

Shes just not, okay?

But what--

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Riku let out a snarl and stomped out of the house.

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Billy got up. What the hell

Did som ething happe n? Snow asked, s tarting up as well.

They broke up because of the ban, said Kirby quietly.

Why the hell would-- Billy paused as it hit him. Oh, no, Heidis a Takemizan citizen, ofcourse she cant move here.

Kirby nodded. Itd be impossible even if the ge neral travel ban got lifted. R iku figured it would just be be tter to get itover with.

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Why didnt anybody tell us?

Riku doesnt want to talk about it, and Cid and I just thought itd ma ke you fee l bad, considering

He glared at her. Oh, right, because letting me make an ass of myself isntgoing to ma ke m e feel bad about it?

I never said it was a smartplan, said Kirby mee kly.

I did, C id volunteered. To his credit, he barely flinched when Billy turned the dirty look on h im.

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We were going to find out eventually anyway, Snow pointed out. Since were going to be living with him, and all.

I know, Kirby said, with a sigh. Im sorry. Its justits Riku. Theres no good way to deal with him when hes upset. I

figured maybe if we just gave him some time to calm down first, itd be be tter.

Billy couldnt blame her too much for thinking that way. You two still could have warned us not to talk about her.

Kirby nodde d. Yeah. I m really sorry about that.

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I feel sorry for Riku, said Snow. The only time I ever saw him smile for real was when he was with her. Its a shame.

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Shortly after that, Billy and Snow excused them selves. They ex pected to pass Riku on the ir way off the lot, but he wasnowhere in sight. He must have gone home, said Billy sourly.

Its probably just as well, Snow replied. Kirby did say he didnt want to talk about it.

Yeah, but I thought Id apologize at least.

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When they reached his house, Billy took one look through the windows at the em pty living room a nd knew he could notface going in alone. He turned to Snow. Stay here tonight?

Of course I will.

***

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Saffrons cell phone went off just as she was about to turn in for the night. She glanced at the caller ID, then at heralready sleeping roommate. Ill tell her and Vaughn later, she decided, and ran upstairs with the phone .

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Azula, finally, she greeted her friend, even as she pounded on Stephen and Selinas door.

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Hi, Saffy. Sorry I didnt call sooner, but it wasnt possible.

Where are you?Isnt it like five in the morning there?

Im in the lobby of our hotel.

What about Dominic?

Hes still asleep. I was ge tting antsy but I didnt want to wake him up, so I just snuck down he re.

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Saffron? Whats going on?

Saffron covered the phone briefly with her hand. Azula called m e back. I thought you guys should know just in case you

think of something I dont.

Selina nodded and indicated that she should continue the call.

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Saffron turned partially away. Sorry about that. Why couldnt you call any sooner?

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Were being followed.

Followed? What do you mean?

Theres this man whos been showing up everywhere weve gone for the past several days. The first time we saw him we didntthink anything of it, but then we found out that we couldnt leave the country, and since then hes just been showing up more and

more often. Hes never talked to us or anything, hes just watching us. We dont like it. I didnt want to make any calls where he

could possibly hear.

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Is he there now?

I dont think so. Even a s she said it, Azula glanced over her shoulder. I did check first, but I dont see him anywhere.

Plus, everyones got to sleep some time.

Not with your uncles Energizers they dont.

Great, thanks for making me even more paranoid.

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Sorry, Zuzu, but it sounds like you cant be too careful, said Saffron, with a worried glance at the Morgans. So yourebeing followed. Honestly, Im surprised theyre letting you go a nywhere.

What do you mean?

Didnt you get indicted? Did they not take you into custody?

Oh, no. We actually havent seen any officials in person except at the airport. All they said was that they couldnt let us out of thecountry because international travel to Sierra Plains and Sim City has been shut down. They canceled our flight and there havent

been any new ones. We cant even get a flight to anywhere else.

What about ground transpo rtation?

We can go anywhere within Takemizu, but not outside it.

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She relayed the information to Stephen a nd Selina. Maybe if we could get them out of Takemizu, we can fly them fromsomewhere else, Selina suggested, looking questioningly at her husband. Do you know anything about the area,

Stephen?

A little, said Stephen. Twikkiis not far from there, and their regulations are a lot less strict. They would probably let

Azula a nd Dominic go through their airport.

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Who are you talking to? Azula asked.

My colleague s, said Saffron. Remember how I told you I had an a wesome job I couldnt tell you about?

Yeah.

Well, I still cant. Especially not over the phone . But we m ight be able to he lp. Are you sure theres no way you andDominic can get out of the city? If you could just do that--

Azula sounded doubtful. We can try but theyve got it locked down good. Anyone not from Takemizu has to show a passport

before leaving.

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Saffron repea ted that to Stephen, who looked thoughtful. This is a long shot, buthave they seen the ninja around?

The n inja! Saffron cried. O f course! Azula, have e ither you o r Dominic seen the n inja?

Ninja?

Guy in a hood and mask wearing traditional Take mizan clothing.Oh, that guy. Yes, weve seen him a couple times, but only briefly. Why?

See if you can track him down. If you can ge t him to talk to you, hell ask you a que stion and if you ge t it right, hell

teach you to teleport. That could be your way out of the village.

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Okay, Azula agreed. Well do our best. And if anothe r way to lea ve opens up , well tell you right away.

Hang in there, Zuzu. Well figure something out.

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I dont know, said Dom inic, after Azula told him the plan in a hushed voice over Mah jong the nex t day. This ninjathing sounds like a made-up legend for tourist entertainment.

It does to me , too, but I trust Saffron, said Azula. She wouldnt have told us to do it if she didnt know it was

possible.

He nodded. So did she tell you how to find him?

I guess just keep an eye out. Maybe we can ask someone. She glanced over her shoulder. The man who had been

following them was walking around outside. De spite her trepidation about him, she felt relieved that she could at least

see him. That meant he could not have been listening at the doorway.

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She glanced disconsolately down at the Mahjong table. I dont ge t this game. Lets go have lunch.

Okay, Dominic agreed, getting up. We need to keep it cheap, though. The res not a lot left in our account and we

dont know how far we need to make it stretch.

She frowned, but nodded. Okay. Will you order some chirashi for me at the stand? I nee d to use the restroom .

Will do. He kissed her on the cheek and left.

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She leaned her chin on he r fist. He was right--they couldnt assume that they would find the ninja be fore their money ranout. The way he had put it worried he r, however. Unless she remem bered the amount wrong, their savings would

probably not last beyond the end of Spring, if they even made it that far. Dominics pride and se lf-sufficient nature had

always been one of the things she loved about him, but they had a hotel to pay for and a baby on the way. Taking carewith their funds could only go so far.

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Excuse me.

Azula looked up to see a redhead in an identical kimono to hers. Hello, she said cautiously.

I am very sorry, said the woman, I did not mean to overhear, butdid you say you were seek ing the ninja?

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Quickly, Azula looked beyond the woman. She could still see the man a good distance away, but that did not mean theywerent working together. Why do you ask?

Please , I only wish to help, said the woman. I am a friend. Your conversation sounde d urgent. I would have joined

you at the table, but you ended your game so quickly.

Azula studied her for a moment. There was nothing but earnestness in the redheads face, and she moved and spokelike a local. It was no t proof, but it was a good sign. If she had a lead Yes, we are, she said, at length. Do you k nowhow we can find him?

The woman nodded. He can often be found at the Immortal Zen Garden for lunch and dinner. He likes the ramen atthe food stand.

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Thank you. Thank you so much.

The woman nodded and hurried back out the door.

Wait, said Azula, fo llowing, You didnt tell me your--

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***

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Mya had a set mo rning routine that rarely deviated from day to day. She got up promptly at six, showered and dressed,had an instant drink while planning ou t the rest of he r day, and then se t about whatever tasks needed doing while

staying as close to Jumbok or Snappy as possible. Since becoming an elder she had adhered to it more rigidly than

ever, clinging to it as a method of keeping herself healthy and moving as long as she possibly could.

But to spite everything, she was beginning to slow down. She still woke up at six--that part was easy--but with an ailinghusband, a pregnant daughter, five bus inesse s to run, and the constant feeling that she was be ing watchedshe wasbeginning to find that she could not keep up with the othe r things as much.

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Staring into the mirror, she tried to focus. Breakfast. Email. Ledgers. Drop by the salon. Mya frowned. Or maybe the salon canwait until after Elle has the baby. Phone call for sure. She frowned at her hair. I suppose I dont need to put it up today. My

shower can wait until later, too, if Im not going out. Patting a stray wisp back halfheartedly, she turned away and headed

downstairs.

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Its good to hear your voice, princess, Harry was saying, into the phone . We ve all be en very worried.

Princess. She stopped. That meant Azula. Relief flooded through her so suddenly that she had to snatch for the table to

keep from fa lling over. If Azula could call, that meant she was a ll right, at leas t for the m ome nt. The only person who

had talked to her since the ban was Elle, and she had been so distraught a fter receiving the call that Mya and Harry

could hardly get anything out of her at all.

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She stepped up next to Harry. Can I talk to her?

One s ec. Zuzu, your mom wants to talk to you. He listened for another moment, then offe red Mya the receiver.

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Hello, Azula.

Hey, Mom. Her daughter sounded uncertain, and Mya unconsciously hunched up a little. How are you?

Im all right. How long had it been since she had last spoken with Azula? She couldnt remember. She couldnt even sayfor sure that it had been at Elles wedding, and be fore that Keeping bus y. How are you two ho lding up?

A pause. Wellthats part of why Im calling. We dont know when were going to be able to come home and our savings arerunning out. Could you wire us some money?

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How much do you need?

Ten thousand Simoleons would be great if you can spare it. I promise Ill pay it all back.

Mya was surprised Azu la had asked fo r so little--ten thousand was spare change for her, by that time, and she wasntsure it would last if they ended up having to stay in Takem izu through Sum mer. You can ha ve twice that, and you dont

have to pay me back.

Are you sure?

Im sure. Think of it as the rest of your pay from the bus inesse s, if you want.

You said that was going into my college fund.

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You earned a lot mo re than I ended up giving you, Mya said quietly. I want you to have the m oney, princess. Youllget it by tomorrow.

Okay. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

Youre welcome. I ts the leas t we can do .And the only thing, she added silently.

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There was another awkward pause. Are you angry with me? Azula asked then.

No, Azula. The only person Im angry with is the general.

If we hadnt--

Whats done is done , Mya said b riskly. Theres no po int in dealing with ifs. You went. Illegal travel ha s always beenand will always be an issue, and the way hes chosen to dea l with it is immature and unnecessa ry.

Azula let out a sho rt laugh. Well, that makes me feel a little better.

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Just come home safely, please.

We will. Thanks, Mom. Is Ellie awake yet?

I dont think so She glanced up the stairs. Her pregnancy is wearing her out, but shes due soon so hopefully shellfeel be tter then.

I hope so too. Tell her and Gabriel and Dad that I miss them, okay?

I will.

***

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Good luck, sweetie.

You, too. Tak e care of Junior.

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Once she had sa fely seen her husband o ff to work, Elle trudged back upstairs to take a nap. The baby had kept her upa good po rtion of the night, mak ing he r wonder if it was a lmost time for the birth.

Whether it was or not, she had work later that day. She hadto be rested and ready for her first shift.

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When she woke up several hours later, she felt no less exhausted.

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Are you all right, Ellie? her father asked, when she wandered downstairs after a shower.

Ill manage, she said lightly. Are there any instant drinks left?

Right here on the counter! He m oved to ge t one fo r her.

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Thanks, Dad--oh!

Ellie?

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I think the babys com ing!

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It was a long and agonizing labor, but the end result was more than worth it to Elle.

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Boy or girl? Harry aske d he r, as she held her child close .

She smiled. Its a boy, she said. Were naming him Harold Saxon Fitzhugh.

Bit of a mouthful, he laughed.

I know. We just thought it sounded nice. We a greed were just going to call him Saxon, though. She beam ed a t him.

After all, theres already one Harry in this family.

As it should be, Harry agreed, though he couldnt help feeling pleased that they had thought of him.

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Elle did not have long to linger--she had already missed a good portion of her shift. When her parents told her the time,she regretfully took Saxon upstairs and tucked him in his crib. Ill be ba ck tonight, she whispered to him. Just as soon

as I can.

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She hurried downstairs, but Gabriel stopped her, looking as troubled as a Servo possibly could. Miss Ellie, the truck isnot in the d riveway.

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Elle blanched. What do you mean, its not? Mom and Dad are both he re and Tristans at work--

It is not there, Gabriel repeated. I regret to sa y that I have no knowledge as to why, but I went outside to recharge

and found it gone.

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She pushed past him and ran down the s tairs to the d riveway.

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No, she whispered, staring at the bare patch of concrete. No, no, no

Tristan had the car. Unless it had bee n stolen in broad daylight, and that was very, very unlikely, there was no other

explanation.

She took out her cell phone.

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Hey, baby. Do you need something?

Tristan. Did you take the truck to work this morning?

Not this morning, but I came home earlier and got a call that something urgent needed to be dealt with at the office, so I took itthen. Why?

Elle pressed a hand to her forehead , shutting her eyes aga inst tears. I ne eded it to go to work. Now Im going to m issmy shift. Theres no way Ill get to Sim City in time.

Oh, baby, I forgot. Im so sorry.

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She babbled on as if he hadnt spoken. Now I have to quit, andoh, no, what if no one ever hires me again?

Elle. The sternness in Tristans voice shocked he r into quieting. I said I was sorry. Theres nothing we can do about it now.

Just call them. I have work I need to do, and if I get it done I might come home with good news.

All right, she said, after a moment. Sorry to bother you.

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Her parents were more sympa thetic. Im sorry, honey, sa id Harry, enveloping he r in a hug, while Mya look ed on insilent rage .

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What am I going to do, Dad? Elle asked, despairingly.

There will be other jobs. He pu lled back just enough to look her in the eye. There will, Ellie. You just have to be

patient. I know its not always easy to wait, believe m e, bu t you will find something. Depend on it.

Elle, this might not be exactly what you want to hear right now, butperhaps you ought to wait until youve finished

having children, anyway, said Mya. Y ou ha d a rough pregnancy. It could be because everythings be en s tressfu l lately,but it might also happen with the next one. If youre planning on a next one.

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Elle wiped her eyes. Thats a good point, I guess. I justfeel like a bad heir because I didnt plan enough.

These things happen, Ellie, Harry said gently. Were not blam ing you.

Absolutely not, Mya agreed .

All right, said Elle, although it was no t all right. I guess I ll see if Saxon needs anything--

Hes fine, said Mya. I just checked on him. You need rest.

But--

Elle. Her mother pinned he r with a stern look. You are exhausted. You wont do anybody any good if you cant take

care of yourself. I want you to rest.

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It was the las t thing Elle fe lt she ought to be doing just then, bu t she nodded and turned to go upstairs. Moms right,things have been terrible, she thought, trying to reassure herself. Ill just try to get a decent nights sleep tonight and figure it

out in the morning.

***

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The ability to mask his emotions was the one Tristan took the most pride in. He had spent most of his adult life thus farcarefully pruning it. Since marrying Elle a nd beginning his slow rise through the political ranks, he had had to call upon

the skill almost every day.

As he climbed out of the truck, he carefully composed his features to hide the ange r he felt. I should have tried harder forAzula, he thought, not for the first time . Elle had book sma rts, certainly, but she had no spine, which made her pliable

but caused her to fall apart as soon as the slightest thing went wrong. He could not have her calling him at work in tearsagain, and he intended to make that clear immediately.

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He found his in-laws sitting at the kitchen table. Wheres Elle?

Sleep ing, said Mya. And she needs it badly, so I suggest you wait for her to wake up on he r own.

She has all night to sleep. I need to talk to her.

The elderly woman go t up. Tristan straightened , but Mya was not cowed desp ite the fact that he had s ix inches on he r

and k ept himself in much better shape. You will not, she sa id firmly, wake her up just to pick a fight with her. She isexhausted and upset. Wa it until tomorrow, when you can both talk like rational people.

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Interfering old bat, Tristan thought, incensed, but instead of replying he stood there and took several deep breaths. Hehad to stay in their good graces. All right, he said, at length.

The baby should wake up soon, though, Harry volunteered. You might go check on him.

She had the baby? Tristan a sked, deflating a little. Harry nodded .

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He promptly turned and ran up the stairs to the se cond floor.

Sure e nough, a tiny boy lay in the weathered crib. Tristan slowly moved closer and look ed down at his son.

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So far, Saxon looked like Elle.

Of course he did.

Despite this, Tristan felt a small surge of pride. He had a son. He had hardly dared to hope that the baby would be aboy.And now we dont have to have another child, he thought, absently reaching to tuck Saxon in. Elle had had such a

rough pregnancy that he was certain he could talk he r into settling for only one , and h e a lso had he r guilt over losing herjob to play off. What a lucky break that had bee n. He could not stop Elle from completing some career, for fear shemight be disinherited, but the de lay would work in his fa vor. The General would certainly be p leased.

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He glanced up to the ceiling. Irritating as she was, Mya had a point. In the m orning Elle would probably be back to he rnormal, settled, compliant self. If he talke d to he r now, he risked he r break ing down, and he was not entirely sure he

could keep his own ange r in if that happe ned.

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Come on, Saxon, he said to the infant. Ill get you a bottle.

***

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Which came first, the ninja or the sword?

The ninja.

Wrong! What would a ninja be without his sword? You are not yet worthy.

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Which is more important: wisdom, or courage?

wisdom.

Correct! Bravery would be meaningless without the wisdom to guide it. You are worthy.

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The sword came first.

It is not enough to know the correct answer, you must demonstrate that you understand it.

The sword had to have come first. Its one of the oldest weapons in the world. Theres more to being a ninja than just swordmastery, but thats one of the foundations of it.

Correct! You are worthy.

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Once again, Azula snuck down to the lobby in the early hours of the morning to make a clandestine phone call. Pleasepick up, she pleade d s ilently, clutching he r cell.

Three rings. Azula?

Saffron. Though she cast a furtive glance around he r, just to be sa fe, Azula could no t help a relieved sm ile. We did it.

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Tell her youll call her back with further instructions, said Selina, when Saffron repeated the news to her colleagues.She and Dominic have to be ready to go a t any time, but they have to act norma l until we give the signal.

Did you ge t that, Zuzu? Saffron asked. All right, great, hang tight. Ill get back to you as so on as I can. She hung up.

Ill get the bags, said Vaughn. He and Saffron had packed several days previously in preparation for this moment. The

operation could not be as clandes tine as they wanted, so to counteract that, it had to be fast.

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Selina turned to Cherryh. Che r, I need you to go reserve seats for Saffron and Vaughn on the first flight to TwikkiiIsland out of Sim City.

Yes, maam ! Cherryh hurried to the computer.

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Do you have the fake passports for Azula and Dominic? They had decided, just to be safe, that the Dorans were lesslikely to be stopped at a checkpoint if they did not fly under their real names.

Saffron nodded. Theyre in my inventory.

The first flight out leaves in an hour, Che rryh repo rted from the computer. The nex t ones not til tomorrow.

Book the first one , said Selina. Stephen?

Ill drive them, Stephen agreed.

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Saffron was not entirely surprised that Cherryh gave her a hug goodbye, but Selinas o pen display of affe ction and worrydid take her off guard. Be on your guard and call as soon as you get there.

We will, she promised. She covered he r apprehension with a bold grin, picked up her suitcase , and followed Vaughn

and Stephen to the garage.

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When they got there, Vaughn took Saffrons bag a nd hoisted it in along with his before turning to her. You nervous?

No. I t was a lie, o f course, since the s ituation had proved that they could no t expect such a risky plan to go flawlessly.

Raiko v was sure to notice e ventually. The only variable in the equa tion was when. If anyone can pull this off, its us.

He sm iled. Yes , we can, he said cheerfully. Lets get go ing.

She flashed him a sma ll grin in return, stee led he rself, and got in the car.

***

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Azula and Dominic spent most of a long and tense day waiting in their hotel room . Food was cheapest at the stands, bu tAzula did not want to stray far for fear that someone would figure out that they were plotting their escape and ha ve them

stopped before Saffron called back to tell them what the plan was.

So they changed out of their kimonos in preparation, and ordered room service.

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And then they waited.

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Close to midnight, Azulas cell phone finally rang, mak ing her jump. Scare the crap out of me , Saffy, why dont you,she m uttered, reaching for it. Dominic grinned crookedly and squee zed her hand.

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Hey.

Hey. Where are you right now?

The hotel.

All right. Listen very carefully. Your hotel room faces the ocean, yes?

How did you know--

Zuzu, please. This is me were talking about. Yes or no?

Yes, it does.

Okay, look out right now and tell me if you can see Twikkii Island from the window.

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Slowly, Azula moved toward the window, waving Dominic after. Yes, I can.

Good, sa id Saffron. The basic rule of teleporting is that if you can see where youre going, you can teleport there. Its a bit far,

but since you can see the island you should be able to make it. Right now Im on the pirate ship beach, facing Takemizu.

I know which one youre talking about, Azula agreed. They could just make out the sails on clear days. Tha ts where

you want us to go?

Right. Do it fast. Your cell phone isnt secure, so someone might be listening to the call. Ill see you in a second.

Okay.

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Azula hung up and turned to her husband. She wants us to telepo rt to Twikkii, she said. Shes a t the pirate shipbeach right now, waiting for us.

He studied her for a long moment, then kissed her, hard. Lets do it.

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Clinging tightly to his hand, Azula shut her eyes and focused on it.

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In the next moment, she landed rather ungracefully on the cooled sand of Twikkii Islands most visited beach. Whoathere, she heard Dominic say, and felt his strong a rm guiding he r to a standing position. Azula? Are you all right?

Yes, she said breathlessly, glancing between him and the scene around them. Yes, Im fine. Numb with relief, she

had to hang onto him for several seconds.

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Zuzu! Dom! Saffron was running down the beach toward them, a befauxhawked man ho t on her hee ls.

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Saffy! Azula moved out of Dom inics grasp to hug her friend. After nearly a sea son o f unea sy isolation, the s ight of afamiliar face was too much, and she burst into tears.

Calm down, Zuzu, youre okay, Saffron sa id soothingly.

I know, I justpregnancy hormones. Azula wiped he r eyes. Im so glad to see you.

Saffron grinned. Aw, you know Id never have left you there. Good thing the teleporting worked, a lthough I completelywould have gone in there and bus ted you out the messy way.

Im hones tly surprised you didnt try that first, Dominic said, amused . Who s your friend?

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Im Azula s uncle Vaughn, said Vaughn , with a smile. Nice to meet you, Dominic.

Azula frowned. Why are you here?

He sm irked . Didnt Saffron tell you? We work toge ther.

No, she didnt. She said it was a secret.

Feigning offense, Vaughn turned to Saffron. You wound m e, Saffron--OW. He quickly ducked out of the range of herelbow, wincing. Dam n, tha t hurt!

Good, it should have, Saffron said dism issively, but Azula sa w her smile.

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Right, lets get going. We are taking the next flight to Sim City and we have fake passports for you and Dom so,fingers crossed, we wont have any trouble getting through security checkpoints.

Dominic looked troubled. Youre sure its going to be that easy?

Twikk iis security is reallychill, Saffron deadpanned. Im not worried a bout ge tting you two o ff the island at a ll.

And what about when we get to Sim City? There a re people who know us there. We ll be in the air for hours, thatsplenty of time for someone to hear that were not in Takemizu anymore.

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Saffron and Vaughn ex changed glances. Okay, we m ay as well tell you now, said Vaughn. You cant try to get backinto Sierra Plains until a centralized government is es tablished.

Of course not, sa id Dominic. That wouldnt solve a nything, and itd just make trouble for Elle.

Thats what we figured. For a while, we thought we could hide you in Sim City, but like you just said, its too close. Its

the first place Ra ikovs go ing to look . So, youll stay with us there until the babys bo rn, and then you have to leave

town.

Im go ing to take you to my fam ily in the desert, Saffron added. One of my cousins can put you up for a while.

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Azula mu lled it over, then glanced up at Dominic. In turn, he turned his eyes to hers.

He was not happy. His face showed nothing but weariness, and rightly--he had been on the run constantly for almost

half his life, and Vaughns proposal meant more running. They had no way of knowing how long it would be before they

were sa fe.

Im sorry, she whispered. T his is my fault.

He shook his head. No, it isnt--

Yes, it is. I should ha ve just talked to my parents when I moved back in with them. I shouldnt have been such a--a

childabout it all.

I wanted to ge t away just as much as you, he rem inded he r. We both shou ld have thought it through more.

She bit her lip. Nothing we can do about it now, I guess.

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We should go, Vaughn said quietly. Well miss the plane.

Dominic sighed heavily. Right. Lets do it, then.

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Azula kept hold o f his hand the entire way to the airport.

***

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With graduation fas t approaching, Billy had to come to terms with the fact that he ne eded to m ove fo rward with his life.Of course, a ny plans he and Snow made would ha ve to wait until he finished his contribution to the relief work, but they

had to be made. He could not keep waiting for Azula to come home or Riku to magically become less sensitive.

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Both he and Snow made every effort not to de liberately step on sore spots, however, and even though livingarrangements were still something o f a delicate top ic, they managed to ge t through it without making a scene .

Billy, Riku and I were thinking about getting a roommate while we wait for you to be a ble to move out, Snow said, as

they ate dinner together one n ight.

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Billy glanced a t her, reading the unspoken because Heidi wont be coming after all in her eyes. Great idea, he said. Whowere you thinking of asking? Woody?

Snow shudde red. Hes nice enough, butno. He s planning on moving to Sim City, and a nyway I wouldnt like him

bringing strange rs home at all hours of the day.

Its disgusting, Riku a dded. Ha ving Phil wouldnt be so bad, but hes going to the city, too.

But everyone else already has plans , too, Billy pointed out.

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We were thinking wed place an ad , said Snow.

Billy frowned at that. Really? You wouldnt rather just live with Uncle Jon for a while?

No, I wouldnt, sa id Riku, rather flatly. If I moved back in with them theyd expect me to stay, and Id rather gougemy own eyes out. Theyd start bugging me about grandbabies. Hell no.

Therere worse things your parents could do, Billy thought, but didnt say it.

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Besides, R iku continued, therere new people coming into Sierra Plains all the time, so well probably get a fewresponses and be able to screen em first, if thats what youre worried about.

Billy exchanged a glance with Snow. All right, he said. I trust you both. And if you dont find anyone, Im completely

okay with helping pay for the place m yself.

Snow smiled. Itll work out, she sa id confidently, and when she talked like that, Billy couldnt he lp but believe it, too.

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After dinner, Riku left for home, m uttering something about toilets and cow mascots. Snow and Billy watched him go,then turned to each other in amusement. Im not sure what the he ll he was going on about, but I don t think I want to

know, said Billy.

Its Riku, do we ever? Snow asked lightly.

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He took her hands in his, a sm ile beginning to form on his face. Be ing alone with Snow never ceased to thrill him, andhe k new it always would. He felt as though he ought to say something, but no words would come , so he just contented

himse lf with looking at her.

What? she asked, with a puzzled frown. Do I have dressing on my chin?

Billy laughed. No, no, I justyou know I love you, right?

Her features relaxed. O f course. You on ly tell me so e very day.

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Billy had imagined more than once how he might propose to Snow. He had expe cted to do it in a mo re romantic settingthan his living room, and he had planned to have some kind of elegant speech prepared, but in that moment all those

plans flew right out of his head .

Snow Bohem ian, he said, voice shak ing a bit, II love you so m uch, and I cant imagine the rest of my life withoutyou in it. I should have asked this a long time ago. Marry me?

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She stood there in breathless shock for several seconds, then tackled him. Her yes was d irected to his neck ratherthan his fa ce, but he didnt care very much.

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Sorry it took me so long to ask.

I knew youd do it eventually, and I know youd never leave m e.

So you werentthinking about hurrying things up and doing it yourself?

I might have bee n tempted, once o r twice. R ing shopping would have bee n awkward, though.

Ha, I can so picture you go ing to a jewelry store and blushing and s tammering your way through.

Hey! Be nice!

I am! I think itd be cute.

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***

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The morning after her son got engaged, Mya dressed and walked downstairs just in time to catch he r middle childbidding an e cstatic goodbye to someone on her cell phone. Wha ts going on? she asked.

That was Zuzu, Harry said, with a grin, as Elle hung up. She a nd Dom inic found a way out of Takem izu.

Really? What happene d?

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He glanced at Elle. She said she couldnt talk abou-- Abruptly, his words shattered into a sudden deep, rattling cough,and he backed away, covering his m outh with his arm.

Harry?

Dad!

Im fine , he rasped, trying to stop coughing. R eally, its nothing--

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Harry Fitzhugh, that is most certainly notnothing, Mya said fiercely. The last time you sounded like that, you almostgot pneumonia. How long has this been going on?

Since last night, he adm itted, but I thought I could sleep it off.

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Clearly, you didnt. Go upstairs and rest.

Mya--

No, Harry! All the em otions she had tried no t to let herself fee l since their fight after the heirship discussion sudde nlythreatened to spill over. Her composure was nearly gone, no t that she no ticed. Y ou cant ge t that sick a gain! I wont

allow it! If something happened to you, I dontI couldnt She covered he r mouth with her hand. P lease just go rest.

Please.

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Harry smiled a little and reached for her hand. All right, Mya, he sa id. Ill go. He gave it a gentle squee ze, thenambled upstairs. He made it most of the way up before the next coughing fit.

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Mya cringed at the sound and hugged herself. I should have noticed before, she muttered.

Elle cautiously crossed over to her and laid a hand on he r shoulder. Hell be oka y, Mom, she said, in an uncertain

attempt at comfort. If he listens to you and gets plenty of rest, he ll be fine. P lease dont worry.

I cant help it, Elle. Hes my husband. Despite this, she tried to put he r brave face back on. Anyway, tell me a bout

Azula.

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Elle brightened a b it at the topic change . We ll

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My Takemizu contact tells me he hasnt seen them in three days. Today he went to the hotel to inquire and discoveredthat they had disappeared entirely. In addition, its come to my attention that a Sim City birth certificate for a Grey

Doran, daughter of Dom inic and Azula Doran, was filed yesterday. They had to have snuck out of the country, but Im

not sure how they possibly could have.

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Tristan frowned. W hat should I do?

Ask if Elle knows where they are, and if she doesnt, try to get her to find out. You may be able to convince her that its in their

best interest if we know. Meanwhile, Ill conduct a sweep of the residential area just in case they were idiotic enough to try to hide

in Sierra Plains.

Can do.

Good. Let me know what you find.

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He hung up, exhaling deeply. What an unnecessary annoyance, he thought. He had more important things to think aboutthan Azula Dorans whereabouts, such as keeping Elle firmly in check and planning the upcoming mayoral campaign.

Yet he had no choice but to go along with the Generals demands. He needed Raikovs support in order to make the

transition away from martial law, and the on ly way to keep it was to continue to feed him information on the Fitzhughs.He glanced up a t the house. He did not doubt that he could convince Elle to do what he wanted, bu t it would take careful

phrasing to keep her from suspecting his involvement.

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Taking a moment to control his face, Tristan turned toward the door. He would come up with a plan later. For now, it wastime to get ready for work.

***

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Authors Note

OMG Marina updated! Yeah, I know. When my Simself checked out of the story, I did not mean for me to check out of

updating as well, but for most of the past e ighteen months I have just felt incredibly apathetic toward Sims. The re was

one specific incident that killed my momentum before I even got started on the necessary staging for this episode, andI didnt ge t it back again un til recently. But here is a new update for you and I hope it wont be long until I have Episode

23 ready as well.

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To be honest, I wasnt expecting to even get started on this episode until December, and its thanks to another Simmerthat that thank fully ended up no t being the case. Back in Sep tembe r, I was d iscussing my concerns about it with

Ang/peasant007 (author ofThe Devereaux Legacy), and she offered to help me out with filming the extra shots I needed.

Staging has always been something I disliked, and this episode required a lot of it, and the longer I sat on it, the biggermy me ntal block go t. Her offer suddenly made the whole thing seem doable , so with that incentive, I was able to

actually write it and sort the pictures I already had. Thank you again, Ang, I really appreciate it.

Episode 23 does not need nearly as much staging since I actually had the presence of m ind not to play until I knew I

was up for filming necessary scenes, so in Decembe r Ill take a look a t what I ha ve for that, and with any luck you might

see it before 2012 is over. :D

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Down to business! No new lifts this episode. Its a lot like Episode 14 in that it needed to ha ppen for plot reasons, but itdoesnt cover a lot of time (like, maybe two-and-a -half days o f my Spring rotation).

However, as promised, we have seen the advent of generation 6 babies! Specifically, Saxon, the oldest main house

baby (pictured above). Generation 6 is my Doctor Who gene ration. I k now I already did a gene ration dedicated to villainsfrom TV shows, but Who is one of my favorite things ever and it just wasnt right notto name a Fitzhugh after the Master.

:D Saxon is a Sagittarius (5/5/9/8/1), an extreme ly fun Sim to play, and a character Im a lready excited about.

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While were at it, heres a picture o f Azula a nd Dom inics daughter Grey, as well. Shes a cutie and lovely to have around,but you probably wont see her in the story at all until shes a teen , so have som e toddler cutene ss for the road.

she got the ears lookit lookit :D :D :D

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And thats all I have to say about this episode, so until next time, Happy Simming and thanks for your patience!

Guest Sims

Saffron and Snow Bohem ian - The Bohemian Legacy

Dominic Doran - The Boolpropian Round Robin Legacy

Stephen Morgan and Vaughn Fitzhugh - The Morgan Legacy

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