Classification: TRHA

Rating: PG

Summary: Leaving Las Vegas...in a hurry.

Spoilers: None here.

Disclaimer: Have to say it or we'll all get swallowed up by Scylla. Property of 1013 Productions and Fox Television.

Quid Caeco Cum Speculo?

"Down; be steady. You've seen worse, that time
the Kyklops like a rockslide ate your men
while you looked on. Nobody, only guile,
got you out of that cave alive."

Homer, "The Odyssey," Fitzgerald Translation, Book 20, Lines 19-22. Used without permission. (Homer is sooo cool)

August 8, 1999

"Ally, call her back right now!" Langly was just about to jump out of his skin. "They can't go to Shelby's or Sarah's!"

"They can't be alone in the house, either!" I shot back.

"I'll send Frohike over. Call her NOW! Believe me, you don't want the other moms freaking out over this, and Shelby's mom's a psycho!"

"Yeah, I didn't think about that." I dialed Miranda back, and told her there'd been a change of plans. She and Shelby agreed to wait for Frohike.

Langly then dialed the Gunmen offices. Fortunately, Frohike was in, and he was off the phone before Langly had finished yakking.

"Frohike went over there last night. Lydia was still there, though, when he stopped by."

"About what time did he go over?"

"Says around 6:30. Didn't stay long."

"Lydia didn't leave for about another hour."

"I gotta go find Byers."

"Langly, we've got to get the fuck out of here now!"

"We're going, we're going! I gotta let Byers know what's happening though!" He sped off. I finished packing my stuff and started on his. I wasn't staying a moment longer than I had to. My daughter was home alone with her friend on the other side of the continent, and I was not about to wait for these guys to pull it together.

Langly and Byers appeared just as I finished throwing Langly's things into his backpack. Actually, there were odd items of both of ours in the wrong bags, but I didn't give a fuck. Byers, amazingly, was dressed, immaculate-and holding his bags.

"I'm so sorry, Allison. You guys get the car, I'll take care of the room charges."

"I'll pay you when the statement comes, Byers."

"Fine. Don't worry about it. Let's move."

Nobody ever hauled ass to McCarran faster.
 

Getting our tickets changed was not the hard part; produce your Visa card and magic happens. The trick was getting a flight back to DC. There was one seat available on a flight at 6:45 p.m., and it was agreed that I would get on it. There was a seat available on a redeye, and Langly would take that. Byers would take a flight to Baltimore and head south when he got in,
but that flight was a redeye as well. I was so immensely grateful that Byers was there to arrange all this. I did not realize how much we had all come to rely on this graceful man's calmness, good sense, and intelligence until now. He told me to take a cab from the airport back to Alexandria-it would be expensive, but he felt it was better that I not drive it. I wasn't sure of his reasoning, but I went with it. Langly would get the Sentra when he arrived. Byers would take an airport shuttle and Langly would meet up with him after he got to DC.

Frohike picked up the phone when I called home. He appeared to have calmed the girls down; when I spoke with Miranda, she was appreciably more relaxed than she had been during the conversations in the hotel room. When Frohike came back on, he said that he had a tempted to contact Mulder, but Mulder was on his way to the west coast with Agents Sternberg and Smullen. He had, however, contacted Dana, and she had contacted Walter Skinner.

"Frohike, do you think it might be...premature to call the FBI?"

"Allison, my dear. The police have located Lydia's car. It's still in the parking lot near Blockbuster and Ming Yuan. She obviously didn't take off on her own. No, I don't think it's premature." I hadn't even thought about the car. Shit. "My dear, this is not the time or place to be discussing this. Get on the plane, get home as soon as you can, and we'll talk. In the
meantime, the girls and I are going to make some spaghetti."

"Love you, Frohike."

"And I love you too, my dear."

"I can't thank you enough for doing this."

"It's no bother, believe me." No bother?! Was this man crazy?! If he was, I was immensely grateful for it.

I hung up the phone. I gasped. "My cellphone! I left it!"

"I have it, Allison. And with your permission, I'd like to hold on to it until I get back to your home," Byers stated in a calm voice. "Just to contact Langly when I arrive in DC."

"Sure, thank you, John."

I had an hour and a half until my flight. "I need a drink, guys."

Langly shook his head. "No, not now, Ally."

"What do you mean, 'not now,' Langly?" I was not in the mood for this shit.

"Allison, you're obviously upset, as we all are-" Byers, ever reasonable.

"C'mon, Ally, Starbucks. And we'll talk there." Langly grabbed my duffel and hoisted it with one arm and took my arm in his free hand. "You coming, Byers?"

"No, I think I'm coffee'd out, thanks." He turned to me, leaned over, and kissed me on the cheek. "Have a good flight, Ally. I'll see you when I get there tomorrow morning."

I gave him a quick hug. "You guys are the best. Thanks for everything."
 

Langly got me my favorite-a double latte, nothing extra in it. He went for a Frappucino with extra vanilla Torani in it. The place was very crowded and noisy, and I could feel the noise making my nerves crackle.

"Not exactly the most romantic spot in the world, eh?" He made a weak attempt at a joke.

"Babe, you could take me to Manzanillo right now, and I'd be in the same shape I'm in now."

"You ever been to Mexico?"

"Yeah. It's my favorite place to go for vacation. Eric and I went to Puerto Vallarta alone, and we took Miranda with us to Cabo San Lucas, Ixtapa, and Mazatlan. We wanted to go to Cozumel sometime. Eric was learning how to scuba, and Miranda wanted to learn when she put a little more meat on her bones."

"How about you?"

"Me? She of the worst vestibulars known to God and man? I think not." I laughed a little. "No scuba for this chick, babe."

"Me neither. Sometimes I get this ringing in my ears, and it hurts real bad. And I've got shitty sinuses. But what's this about Manzanillo?"

"Ever see the movie '10'?"

"Bo Derek? Of course."

"Filmed in Manzanillo. It's still not horribly built up yet."

"So I'll take you there after the wedding."

"I'd really love that, babe." I sipped on my latte. "I'd kill for a cigarette right now. It doesn't usually bother me that the friendly skies are now smoke-free, but right now..." My hands were shaking. "So what was this you pulled back there? I love you, honey, but that does not give you the right-"

"Hear me out, okay?" He blinked at me. "God, first thing tomorrow, I gotta get new glasses. I can't see for shit." He gulped some of his Frappucino. "Okay, I drink. And last night, I drank too much. But that was happy times. We were celebrating good stuff."

"True."

"Ally, for the first five years of being out after my, as you so eloquently put it, federally funded vacation, I was a mess. I was so down and so lonely and so out, and whenever I got to feeling bad-which was most of the time-I'd crawl in the bottle. And I mean crawl in and lose myself completely.

"I got in the habit of getting totally wasted and showing up at Frohike's-we were still in Baltimore then, and we still had our own places. We'd have this little ritual going on. I'd show up, he'd steer me to the bathroom, I'd puke my guts out, he'd wash my hair, and then I'd sleep it off on his sofa. He did this for a long time, and then one night, he wouldn't let me in anymore. I freaked. But I didn't stop drinking.

"I started showing up at Byers's. He didn't throw me out. And I got worse and worse. I started blacking out a lot. What was worse, I didn't quit driving when I drank. I was lucky-never hit another person-but I used to have this really sweet '65 Mustang convertible. It was my baby. I got that car in college, and I loved it. I kept it up real nice, too."

"You smashed it."

"I totalled it. I almost totalled myself, too. Spent a week in a coma. I'm lucky not to be crippled or vegetated. Anyway, when I came out, I decided I'd try AA.

"I never did real well in those kinds of situations. And as you know, I still drink. But I did learn my limits. I don't drink when I'm really bummed. If I don't drink when I'm really bummed, I'll be okay.

"So that's why I get real nervous when you're all upset and you go grabbing for the bottle. Tequila's not your friend when you're down, Ally."

"I think right now I have a little bit of a reason to be upset."

"My point exactly. Look Ally, Miranda's okay. Wish I could say the same for Lydia for sure, but..."

I set my head down on the table. I could feel the tears starting to seep out of my eyes. He touched my ponytail and played gently with it. "Hey Ally. Nobody expects you to feel decent about this. Least of all me. C'mere." I stood up and moved over to him. He pulled me into his lap and held me into him.

"Langly, I am so scared!" I choked back on the tears. Focus, Allison, focus. "And I can't help but still be worried about Miranda. And Shelby. They're just kids.   Miranda's been through so much. And there's one thing you have to realize."

"What's that?"

"There are no limits on parental paranoia."

He nodded and put his head on my shoulder, then laughed softly. "Maybe I'll be better at this than I think."

He actually made me smile.
 

It was the flight from hell. Not only was I scared out of my mind, but we encountered thunderstorms much of the way back. Here when what I really needed was a good strong tail wind to just push us to the East Coast, I was being bumped and jolted and white knuckling it. I'm not a bad traveler, but this was not my finest hour. The worst part was flying alone. Had Langly
been there, I could have snuggled up against him and been comforted by the smell and warmth and feel of him. He'd have wrapped his impossibly long arms around me, and I could just curl up and fit myself into him...he marveled continuously at how small I was, and I think sometimes it made him feel very protective. And at that moment, I could have used some
protectiveness.

All I wanted was to get on the ground, get the hell back to my house, and hold my daughter. I kept checking my watch...every four hours another ten minutes would pass. My novel couldn't hold me. I couldn't concentrate adequately even for trashy fiction that wouldn't challenge a high school student. Oh God. What had Lydia gotten into? What had I gotten my daughter into? So far, in spite of everything, she had held together, even thrived in the midst of everything...but this was different. Miranda had seen tragic with the death of Eric. She'd seen upheaval with my changing jobs, with our move to DC, with my relationship with Langly. She'd been through more in less than a year than most adults could stand...and she was all right so far. Better than all right. She loved Alexandria. She had good friends there. She had adults she could talk to. She had retained her sense of humor. After an initial academic slump, she had restored herself to her usual performance. It was a testament to her strength, her courage, her resiliency. And to the people around her who made her feel cherished and important and safe.

This was different. It felt dangerous. My daughter didn't deserve this. My God, what had I done?

With large quantities of meclazine HCl stuffed into my system, I managed to avoid vomiting through the murderous trip, but the nausea wouldn't abate. I had a feeling that it wouldn't for a very long time.
 

I landed at National around 2:30 in the morning EDT, and as per instructions from Byers, called Frohike upon arriving. He told me which cab company to take, and after about a half hour of waiting on the curb, I was on my way back home.

Arriving at the house, I tried to insert my key into the lock. No such luck. Looked like Frohike had had the locks changed. I knocked. No response. I thought I would pass out from the tension. I didn't want to ring the bell, just in case the girls had fallen asleep, but I didn't have a choice if I planned to get to the other side of the door tonight.

"Allison?" I barely heard the voice, but recognized the footfalls. Chain, deadbolt, knob all were unworked and I stepped inside. Frohike gave me a huge bear hug and led me in.

Except for Frohike's presence, the scene could be one from any other summer night in our home. Miranda and Shelby were stretched out on the floor in their makeshift bed, concocted from sleeping bags, comforters, blankets and sheets piled about eight inches thick. The TV was softly playing an infomercial, and there was one light on in the living room, one in the
kitchen. I expected the place to be lit up like Hanukkah for some reason, but the normalcy of the scene was mildly reassuring.

"I made some coffee, my dear. May I get you some?"

"Sure, thanks, I'm not going to sleep now. Frohike, I really appreciate all of this."

"Don't be ridiculous. Glad to be of service. Now, you take it with just a splash of milk, right?"

"Frohike, you're amazing. I'd expect Langly to know that, but not you." I laughed weakly.

"One needs to be observant in all matters. How was your flight?"

"Horrible. We hit thunderstorms all the way from Denver to the East Coast. I barely kept from tossing my cookies. Fortunately for my fellow passengers, I managed. And flying alone was the pits. At least if Langly were there..."

"He'll be back soon," Frohike soothed. "He's supposed to be in at 7:30 this morning, and hopefully, he'll be somewhere close to on time."

"I hope he remembered where we parked. I drove. Right now, I can't even remember where we parked." I laughed a bit, ruefully. "Looks like you got rain here as well."

"We had a bitch of a storm earlier, but it calmed down quickly. Rained just long enough to make everything wet, not cool." I felt so cold, I was barely cognizant of the ambient temperature.

"How're the girls holding up?"

"They're pretty upset, as is to be expected, but we told stories and talked and they calmed down enough to get some sleep about two hours ago. Allison, I think it's very important for now that you don't leave them alone in the house."

"I'd have to agree with that."

"In fact, don't let them be alone anywhere. Wherever they are, they need an adult accompanying them at all times."

"They're pretty accustomed to doing things by themselves."

"Yes, but right now is not the time. They may feel like their wings are being clipped a little, but they're also feeling very vulnerable, and they won't mind it for a time. At the same time, I think we need to keep their lives as normal as possible. Under the circumstances, that is going to be difficult, but it's something we all need to strive for in this situation."

"Frohike, I have to go back to work in two weeks."

"And you will. Langly can do some of his work out of here. And if he needs to get into the office, Byers or myself will be here. Of course, the optimal situation is that this is resolved fairly quickly, but in the event that it's not..." He let his thoughts wander off to a place I didn't want to go.

"Frohike? Remember, Langly's starting at the Pentagon."

"Oh, yes, that's right. Do you know when?"

"I don't think they nailed down a start date."

"Hmm. All right. It will have to be the three of us during the day, and when you're working-and I hope the situation is resolved by then, but in the event it's not-it will have to be Byers and myself." He sipped some coffee. "I wonder if Dana would mind having them at their home during the day? She can't really do anything with them, but she would know how to deal with what has transpired. Perhaps I'll ask her. And it would give her some company during the day."

"Her mom comes down most days and spends some time with her."

"And from what I understand, she is nearly ready for matricide. Are you comfortable with them being with Dana?"

"I have no problem with their being at Dana's-God, I sound like Shelby is my own here!"

"Shelby regards you as her second mother," Frohike reminded me quietly. "Her own family life is not exactly 'Father Knows Best.'"

"Neither is ours."

"But there are people to talk to, and adults who care, always within reach."

"As a mother, that's just my job, Frohike."

"You would be amazed how many parents don't feel that way, my dear. And believe me, I've been more than guilty of neglect of my own." He winced hard. "If I could change anything, it would be that."

"I don't think you need to beat yourself up over that. I think circumstances got...in the way."

"Then don't beat yourself up over this, Allison." He looked up at me and I at him. "Yes, I know how parental guilt works. I'm an expert in the field. And right now, you're probably thinking, my God, what have I done to this child? Don't fall into that. You have nothing to feel guilty about, my dear. There is so much beyond your control, you would have trouble grasping
the scope of it..." Perhaps this was meant to reassure, but it had the effect of lowering my already ice-cold blood a few degrees down.

"I can't help it, Frohike."

"Of course you can't. You're a concerned and caring mother. Just don't get trapped in it, that's all."

"Easier said than done."

"Oh, yes, indeed." He went to the coffee pot and poured us each another cup.

"I know this is hardly the time to be discussing this, but how is Miranda with Langly's and my engagement? She wasn't very enthusiastic when I first told her, but she seemed, at least last night, to be warming up some to the idea."

"We talked about that a lot. This is a big step for her, Allison. She needs time to get used to it. She loves Langly very much, but she is a little nervous at the idea of having a...stepfather. And I don't blame her. This changes the dynamics of the relationship dramatically, my dear."

"She's been through so much."

"And she has the capacity to learn from it, not get beaten down by it. Miranda is a very strong child. She is also a very sensitive child, and a very intelligent one, and a very observant one. And do you know where she says she gets her strength from?"

"I think she was just born that way."

"Maybe, to a point. But she says she gets it from you."

"Me?! Frohike, you've got to be kidding. I don't consider myself to be particularly strong. I am probably the most ordinary woman you'll ever meet!"

"That's where you're wrong, my dear. If you were such an ordinary woman, how did you ever get that boy to notice you?"

I giggled in spite of my misery. "I don't know. Maybe he was looking for someone ordinary."

"I doubt that," he commented drily. "Dana doesn't think you're ordinary. Mulder doesn't think you're ordinary."

"Mulder probably thinks I'm a pain in the ass."

"I don't think so. Besides, he's the king of pains in the ass. He would barely notice. And Byers and I hardly consider you to be the average female on this planet. For one thing, you like us."

"That I do. And I really appreciate your generosity, and I always have."

"And we like your cooking."

"Are you hungry, Frohike?"

"No, but when was the last time you ate?"

"Let's see-Jason took us out Saturday night to celebrate for dinner. I think that was the last real thing I ate, unless you count coffee."

"No, I do not count coffee, and neither should you. How would you feel about Frohike special blueberry pancakes? I did notice you had some frozen blueberries."

"I'm really not very hungry, Frohike, but thank you for the offer."

"All right, I'll make you a deal. You can wait until Langly and Byers get here, but once they're here, you're going to eat something. Understood?"

"Okay."

"And they're going to eat, too, whether they like it or not. Of course, with Langly, he can eat anytime, anyplace, in any quantities."

"And I thought it was only my imagination that my grocery bills were higher," I chuckled.

"I'm surprised he hasn't driven you to destitution, the way he packs it in. I have no idea where he puts it."

"I don't either. Sounds like an x-file." We both laughed. "God, I wish they'd get here." I checked my watch. 5:30. It would be at least three more hours before Langly got here, and that was provided the plane was on time. I buried my face in my hands. "Frohike, do we have any more coffee?"

"I'll put on another pot, my dear. Are you sure you won't eat something with it?"

"Maybe some toast. I think there's some bread in the freezer."

Frohike wandered about my kitchen as if he had lived in it all his life. He was certainly far more domesticated than Langly, who could manage toast-provided you didn't mind eating it slightly burnt. He popped two slices of bread into the slots and pulled a jar of raspberry jam from the fridge. The toast popped up golden brown and perfect.

"You certainly have the touch, Frohike. Thanks. For everything."

"Oh, in spite of it all, I had a very enjoyable time with the girls. They're quite well organized, you know."

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh, we started planning your wedding, my dear. You surely don't think we trust you and Langly to do better than run to the justice of the peace, do you?"

"Actually, I do insist on the presence of a rabbi. Beyond that, it's pretty optional."

"Exactly. Miranda wants this to be a party, Allison."

"That's her thing, not mine."

"Ally, I realize that weddings are supposed to be for the couple, not for anyone else, but hear me out. You said yourself that Miranda has been through hell and back."

"Several times."

"One of the things you can do for her is to let her do this for you. In spite of her hesitations, she really would like a wedding. This seems to be very important to her. And by allowing her to play a major part in it, you will be doing something that at this point in her life may allow her to feel less shunted aside and less anxious. If she has your wedding plans to worry over, she's going to have less time to worry about her aunt. And you."

"Why would she be worried about me? You just said-"

"Yes, but at the same time, she has commented that when things get ugly, you have a tendency to..."

"Drink too much? Please, I got this lecture from Langly a few hours back."

"So you do know about him."

"Yes, he told me. Well, sounds like he gave me the Cliffs Notes version, anyway."

"Just as well. I wouldn't want you to know some of the gorier details."

"Frohike, answer me this: Why does everyone want to protect me from things?"

"Because you're so...guileless."

"I believe my daughter refers to that as gullible."

"Miranda is a suspicious sort."

"She's a Scorpio, you know. I don't know much astrology, but supposedly it's the most suspicious of the signs."

"As I learned this evening, she and I share our birth sign. And we're both October."

"What day are you?"

"26th. And I don't celebrate, so please, don't plan anything!"

"Miranda's the 25th. And believe me, she celebrates. You've probably heard all about her Bat Mitzvah last year."

"At length, and many times. But it's such a fun story to listen to. I'm so glad she her last memories of her daddy are happy ones. It's more than I ever gave my own kids." He sighed deeply.

"You know, your kids are old enough to decide for themselves how they feel about you."

"I know. But I just can't do it. I owe them so much. And they owe me nothing."

"Maybe they'd be happy just to talk to you."

"Maybe." He seemed unconvinced. "But let Miranda have this, Ally. And me. You did promise that I could walk you down the aisle. I'm holding you to that."

"Deal."

"Fair enough. Now, you'll need to set a date, of course."

"Frohike, right now, I need to know what's happening with Lydia before I plan anything. On the flight home, I was thinking about Eric...when he died, I thought nothing worse could ever happen. I was wrong. This is worse. And I am very, very frightened."

"We all are. But Walter Skinner is aware of everything, and believe me, he'll make certain that things are...resolved. He's a good man, Ally. I know that he's not your favorite person on the face of the earth, but do realize that he will do whatever he can to help you. He is in your corner."

"I wish Mulder were here, and Dana wasn't laid up. They'd know what to do."

"Yes, they would, and Dana is trying to help in any way she can from her bed. She's probably been crunching away at her laptop all night, trying to find out everything she can about Lydia and the people around her and what her circumstances have been. And trust me, Mulder will call."

"He and Ellen and Mark are on a case."

"And they'll work their case, but they won't stop from helping you. And maybe once Langly is inside, he can find out something."

"I think it's her employer, if you want to know."

"I think so, too. But I don't think it stops there."

"You don't."

"No, Ally, I'd love to able to tell you that everything will be all right. I can't do that. I think this is symptomatic of something larger."

"You think she had something that sensitive to reveal about her employer that they'd go after her?"

"I think not just about her employer. I think it goes much farther." Of course, this from one of the most paranoid men I'd ever had the opportunity to encounter.

"Frohike, what if they...killed her?"

"Let's hold on to a little hope, my dear. At least for now. We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

"You know they killed her boss and mentor. At least she thinks they did."

"So she said. And I am going to try and get up to New Jersey to meet with Sam Silverman as soon as he responds to my letter. He refused to answer my invitation via telephone. Said I had to write him in my own handwriting as to what I wanted, and if he agreed, we could talk."

"Lydia says he's an odd bird."

"I think he sounds like a kindred spirit to me." Frohike actually grinned on that one. "I'll probably like the old bastard."

"You sound like you think he'll talk to you."

"Oh, I think he will, my dear. I think he's dying to talk to someone. When the time is right."

"I wish I knew what the hell was going on. I wish Langly was here. And mostly, I wish my daughter didn't have to go through this."

"Your daughter will be fine, Allison. She's made of very stern stuff. And do you know what?"

"No."

"She believes her aunt is alive. She believes she'll return to us."

"I hope it's not wishful thinking on her part. She's been right before, but when you want to believe..."

"You will believe. Yes, I know how that works. But I don't think she is inclined to self-deception. If anything, she is frighteningly ruthless in her assessments. Much more than I would expect from a 13-year-old."

"I love her so much. I wanted a good life for her so bad, Frohike."

"And she has one. And she'll continue to have one. She has a very good mother, you know."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"It's simply the truth, my dear. And while I bust on Blondie all the time, the fact is, I think he'll do very well in his new roles. And Ally?"

"Yes?"

"If you quote me on that, I will deny everything unconditionally." We both laughed.
 

I actually managed to doze for a short time, but it was not a sound sleep, and when the phone rang, I just about jumped from my skin.

"Allison?" The voice on the other end of the line came through. "It's your mother."

"Mother. Hello." Frohike had been aroused from the recliner, and I mouthed that it was my mother. He nodded. I checked the clock. 7:45 a.m. God, that woman gets off to an early start. "How are you?"

"The better question would be, where am I? Well, I have a tournament here in Washington, but I'm not scheduled to begin until 5:00 tonight. I was thinking that perhaps I could take my granddaughter out for some shopping."

"Shopping?" Frohike nodded in the affirmative. "Uh...sure. That'd be great. I know she'd love to see you."

"I've also never seen where you live, Allison." (That's because you never asked, and you've never bothered to visit, Mother. I didn't voice that).

"Well..." I looked desperately over at Frohike. "Sure. I can pick you up in a few hours, if you'd like."

"Don't be silly. I'll take a limo. What's your address again? I don't have my book with me right now."

I gave her my address and some of the major cross-streets near my home.

"All right. I'm having breakfast with some of the players, but I should be there between 10 and 11."

"Very good. We look forward to seeing you," I lied.

"Allison, are you all right?" She asked me sharply.

"I'm fine. I'm just...tired. I came back from Vegas last night."

"One of my favorite cities. Of course you'd be tired. What were you doing in Vegas, anyway? You hate the place."

"Went to a...computer convention."

"Why would you go to a computer convention?" Third degree time.

"I went with...someone. Mother, I have to go now. My house is a mess."

"Allison, your house has always been a mess. Why don't you get a housekeeper if you hate housework so much?"

(Because I don't have a net worth of 32 fucking million dollars, I thought to myself). "I've been away, and it really needs a once over." Right. Like a once over would even get the top layer.

"Well, try to make it look decent. And tell Miranda I look forward to seeing her."

"Okay. See you soon. Bye."

I looked wearily at Frohike. "My mother is coming."

"I gathered as much. I also gather you two don't particularly get along."

"It's not so much we don't get along, it's just that...we don't connect, I guess. But she does love her granddaughter." I yawned. "Would you mind terribly helping me beat this place into shape?"

"Not at all, my dear. The work will be good for us. Why don't you take a shower and I'll start by getting the girls up and cleaning up the kitchen."

"Frohike, I really love you, you know."

"That's what all the girls say. Now let's get this place in order."
 

I stood under the shower for a long time, letting the hot water run over me. I could feel a migraine coming on, which I did not need right now. When I stepped out of the shower, I ran to the medicine cabinet to grab my inhaler-then I remembered the last time I had a migraine. Fuck. I gulped down four Excedrins and prayed I wouldn't have a puking version this time.

I was barely dressed when Miranda and Shelby came bursting into my room. "Mommy!" Miranda shrieked. "Why didn't you wake me up when you got in?" She ran over to me and gave me a bear hug so tight I thought I was going to break. Shelby also wrapped herself around me, and between the oncoming headache and two kids clutching at me, I was in pain. But I was not going to make the kids back off. No way.

"I got here as soon as I could."

"Where's Langly?" Miranda demanded.

"He had to take a later flight. We were lucky to even get the seats we did. He should be here any time now."

"Mom, I was so scared. I'm still scared. Mom, what's going to happen to Aunt Lydia?" Her voice had a hysterical tinge to it that unnerved me.

"Ally, Frohike says I shouldn't say anything to my mom," Shelby added.

"I don't expect you to lie to your mother, Shelby. Just tell her what you think she needs to know."

"Well, I'm not going to tell her, or she won't let me come over. And I'm not putting up with that shit." Shelby crossed her arms and planted her feet into the ground. "I don't consider that lying where my mom is concerned. Besides, she's so drunk most of the time, she wouldn't even realize what was going on. I'm scared of what happened to Lydia, but not half as scared as I am of listening to my mom and dad go at it when they've had too much to drink." I cringed. I knew Shelby's mother drank. I had no
idea it had gotten to this level.

"Shelby, you're always welcome here. You know that. Regardless of what happened, you can come here anytime. However, for a while at least, you two are not going to be on your own. I'm sorry, but it's a bad idea right now."

"Well, we can still go to the pool and Walgreen's and stuff, can't we?"

"Not without an adult present."

"Hey, I can live with that," Shelby decided. "Might be a new experience for me." God, I hated listening to this. These kids were having their childhoods robbed viciously from them. No wonder they sounded so old.

"Frohike's making pancakes for us, you know," Miranda added. "With blueberries."

"He did threaten to do that. Did he tell you that Grandma called?"

"Yeah, he did. She wants to go shopping."

"Well? Don't you want to see Grandma?"

"Sure. Do you think Shelby can go?"

"Ask Grandma. And girls? I hate to ask you to lie, but please don't tell Grandma what happened to Lydia. I don't think I could handle the fallout this morning."

"Mom, I never tell Grandma anything. I never know when she'll go ballistic."

God, they were far too young to be this old.
 

The phone rang again, and I wondered if I was ever going to be able to get through a ringing phone without having my heart stop.

"Hey, Ally, it's me." A very tired Langly was on the other end of the line.

"Hey babe. You all right?"

"I feel like shit," he whined. "And when Byers arranged for all this, he forgot one little element."

"And that is?"

"I lost my glasses. I'm gonna be a road hazard if I try and drive your car."

"Shit." I had forgotten about that as well. "Frohike's downstairs. Maybe he can come."

"That's fine, but how are we supposed to get the car back?" He was not in a good mood.

"Okay...here's what we'll do. When Byers calls in, I'll have him shuttle over to National from Baltimore, and he can drive back."

"When's his flight come in?"

"What time is it?"

"I can't see the clock." He was really testy now.

"So look at your watch."

"Okay, okay. I think it's 8:45."

"Byers is supposed to get into Baltimore at 9:05. That's only about twenty minutes from now."

"Yeah, and Byers has to go through baggage claim, and get a shuttle, and I'm gonna be hanging around here, and I can't see for shit, and-"

"Okay, babe, cool it. I'm not in the mood for this. I don't know what else to do right now."

"Yeah, but you guys..."

"Frohike is here, and he's not going anywhere right now. We'll be okay, if that's what's bothering you."

"Yeah. It's bothering me. Shit, Ally, what if they come for you guys?"

"They're not going to do that, babe." But the words he uttered made my blood cold.

"Do you know this for a fact?" He was really starting to lose it.

"Langly. I don't need you going off the deep end right now. I know you're tired, and I know that when you're tired, you're a real pain. Right now, you're just going to have to keep it together and WAIT like the rest of us." I almost hissed out the last words.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just wanna get out of here, Ally."

"I want you to get out of there, too. But unfortunately, I can't leave right now. I can't leave the girls, and my mother is coming in an hour or so."

"Your mother-oh, fuck! I need this like I need a new asshole!"

"Look, I couldn't very well tell her not to come. I don't want her thinking anything is wrong. I've told the girls not to say anything to her. She's taking them out shopping, by the way, so she's going to be out, and she has a tournament at 5 in DC. All you have to do is play nice for about 5 minutes."

"You told her yet about us?"

"She's about to become enlightened, babe. That's where your 5 minutes comes in."

"How're you gonna explain Frohike's being there?"

"Frohike? I'll tell her I hired a housekeeper." Silence. "Look, when you see her, you'll know." I was going to say that I was keeping a lover on the side, but somehow, I had a feeling that wouldn't go over well right now. He seemed to be running on empty in the humor department.

"Ally, couldn't you just tell her no?"

"How long has it been since you talked to your mother, Langly?"

"I don't remember, and I don't want to."

"Well, in the event you've forgotten, when your mother calls you and asks to visit, you don't say no."

"That bitch has no respect for you, Ally. And I don't like it."

"Langly. This is what you're going to do. You're going to have something to eat. You're going to wait for Byers outside. You're going to let him drive the Sentra back to Alexandria. You're going to meet my mother, as my fiancee, and you're going to behave. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay." Grudging acquiescence, but acquiescence nonetheless.

Sometimes you take whatever you can get.
 

I hung up the phone and went downstairs, where the marvelous odor of pancakes cooking actually enticed me to eat.

"Frohike, these look delicious."

"Sit down and eat, my dear. Was that Langly on the phone?"

"Yes, and he was being a brat."

"He does that."

"Well, he did forget one detail."

"Which is?"

"I have twenty years of prior experience in dealing with a moody, irritable, snappish man. If he thinks he can use his foul moods to manipulate me, he's got another thing coming."

"My dear, I knew you were right for him." We gave a real laugh, and it felt great.
 

Byers's flight had come through Dallas, and he was nearly a half hour late in landing; we were all chewing our nails by the time he called to let us know. We explained that he needed to go to National and grab Langly and the car, and he had our permission to smack Langly around if he wasn't behaving. Langly had been calling every fifteen minutes, demanding to know if Byers had called in. Finally we could answer him in the affirmative.

If this shift caused any surprise on Byers's part, he did not display it.

"That man may not have invented grace under pressure, but he did perfect it," I commented to Frohike as we dusted and picked up and vacuumed the living room and dining room.

"He is a man of uncommon class and style," agreed Frohike. "And if you ever quote me-"

"You'll deny everything."

"And I'll hunt you down and kill you." We laughed. The joke was in bad taste, considering our circumstances, but we had a laugh anyway.

Frohike went to the stairs. "Miranda, are you finished cleaning your room?"

A few moments later, both girls appeared at the top of the stairs. "Frohike, you've gotta be kidding! This is my room we're talking about!"

"Well, your grandmother will be here anytime. You need to get moving on it."

"She knows I'm a slob."

"Miranda, pick up your room, and don't argue." I don't stomp on her often-don't need to-but I was not in the mood for opposition right now. From ANYONE. She stamped her feet and went back to her room, where I could here muffled cursing, but also the sounds of things being moved about.

Loud rapping at my door.

"Shit, she's here!"

END OF PART 22