Memories Part 3: And A Child Shall Lead Them

---

Orlando: Outside CIC:

Cory appeared with his group, a surprised smile coming to his face as he spotted his house waiting for him.

Expecting the question Cory was about to ask, Ezzy stated: "Uncle Mikey told me to bring you here; he says Dad will explain it when he gets here."

"Thanks, Ezzy," Cory replied with a nod.

"Where are we?" Milo asked, his eyes wide as he looked around the compound.

"We're home." Cory replied as he pulled Milo into a one-armed cuddle.

"This place is HUGE!" Milo exclaimed, "Do I getta map to find stuff?"

"Even better," Sean giggled, "you have brothers to show you everything!"

"What if they lose me?" Milo asked, his body unconsciously shivering.

Cory pulled Milo closer to comfort him. "Not gonna happen, son; no matter how lost you get, George is just a tap on that new commbadge of yours away. If I know your brothers though, you'll have at least two of them within sight of you at all times until they're sure that you're gonna be okay."

"Why?" Milo whispered, "I'm just the new kid."

"No," Sean corrected softly, "you're a Short brother, and Short brothers never abandon one of their own."

"Promise?" Milo asked softly.

"Pinky swear," Sean replied as he held out his hand, pinky extended. Milo gave Sean a small smile as he hooked his pinky on Sean's, sealing the promise.

Just as they broke their ceremony, Kyle and Tyler appeared in the middle of the group. Kyle immediately claimed the unused side of Cory, while Tyler latched on to Sean like his life depended on it.

"What's wrong, bro?" Cory quickly asked Kyle as Sean quietly comforted Tyler.

"Mikey sent me here;" Kyle explained softly. "Remember the Superman stuff that happened in the battle in London?"

"Yeah," Cory stated with evident worry, "I hope I never have to see it again, though. Why?"

"Mikey says that some of it messed up Time," Kyle stated. "We saw it already, it's just Davie, and Pablito kept it from messin' us up. Our new twin sons that were born last night showed up at the orphanage earlier yesterday. We went with Trace an' Karl to go to their home, but Mikey says that we were supposed to be here, so we're there and here at the same time so that he can fix stuff."

Cory nodded, his eyes showing the concern he hid from his voice. "Let Mikey handle that stuff, lil' bro. Now you get to help us show Milo how the Short family plays Monopoly!"

Taking the hint to just relax, Kyle grinned as he reached over and pulled Milo back into the cuddle, stating "You picked a good Dad; Cor knows what's really important! You're on Ty and me's team; we gotta kick the old fart's butts!"

"Who you callin' an old fart?" Cory asked with a grin as he began poking at Kyle's ticklish spots.

"You!" Kyle laughed as he tried to avoid the worst of the tickles.

"Yeah, you!" Milo added in, feeling more secure after watching how Cory helped Kyle relax.

Careful not to push Milo too fast, Cory added him to the tickle torture. Within a minute, all-out war was declared with Kyle and Milo going on the offensive against their teenaged opponent. Not to be left out, Sean and Ty exchanged grins before joining the free-for-all, neither wanting to miss the chance at a good all-out tickle war.

A few minutes later, Davie came out of the house, shaking his head as he asked with a grin "You guys gonna join us inside?"

Cory looked up from where he was holding Sean down, allowing the rest of the group to freely tickle his husband. "Yeah, we'll be right in!"

Once all of them had brushed off, they went in, finding that the newly-expanded family room was the scene of a quickly-forming party. Most of Cory and Sean's family was present, as was most of Kyle's. Peter and Galen's family were mixed in among the group, doing their sworn duty to ensure everyone got hugs.

Now that everyone was present, Davie looked around the room with a serious expression on his face. "Okay y'all, listen up!"

Once the room was quiet, Davie continued. "Right now, as far as the rest of the compound is concerned, you're not here. The only people who'll know that you're here are gonna be the ones that gotta be here. Some stuff happened during the Battle that screwed up Time events, stuff that's thrown a bunch of normal loops into trouble that takes the Host to fix. Galli kept it stable enough with his Paradox Machine that we were able to handle the emergency stuff, but now we have to re-align when everyone here is. The guys who ain't here yet are in some of the stuck loops, as soon as they're unstuck, they'll be here. Mikey said to warn you that there might be new people coming in, mattering on what the loop was. If that happens, just do like you always do with new guys, since after we're done, they will be part of the current timeline."

"The good news is that Kano got lucky and didn't loop Oceanic in any of the areas affected by the battle; Mikey's handling the Rimmers personally, since they were affected along with a couple of guys that ain't here yet. Pabs is doing the same thing I'm doing down at Alligator Alley, he's isolating the guys who're sensitive to Time so the big guys can fix things."

"Why do we need to be isolated?" Sean asked, his tone showing his worry.

"Because Headquarters and Alligator Alley both have people who were in overlapping loops," Davie explained. "The Rimmers only had one overlap, and since one side of it was clean, fixing the damaged one is going to be easier. Des Moines ended up in the same situation; Mikey's already straightened 'em out. Marc and Danny somehow managed to shield themselves by being on Archnania when the damage was done, so they're all set."

Further questions were forgotten as the first of the time victims appeared in front of Cory. The room fell silent as an obviously distraught Dylan spotted his Uncle Cory and latched on for dear life.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Cory! I didn't mean to!" Dylan sobbed into Cory's chest.

Cory glanced at Kyle, who shrugged in confusion. As he stroked Dylan's back to calm him, Cory softly asked "What happened, Dilly? You gotta tell me what happened."

"I ... I ... I kill ... killed ... a ... human," Dylan sobbed.

Kyle's eyes grew wide as he spun to face Davie. "I don't care what ANYONE says; we need Poppa Spock NOW!"

"He's not on my..." Davie started to reply.

"I ... SAID ... NOW!" Kyle growled, his tone sending a chill down even Davie's back.

Fortunately for Davie, Mikey popped in with Spock by his side. "Special delivery!" Mikey giggled before vanishing back to whatever he was doing.

Raising an eyebrow at Kyle's obvious rage, Spock placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder as he stated, "My son, Michael has informed me of the reason you required my presence. I will require you to regain control to assist with my investigation of the issue."

Kyle nodded, closed his eyes for a minute, then spoke. "Davie, I'm sorry. Grandpa Sarek had to help me when I punished someone; since Dilly's never done that before I figured Poppa Spock can help him heal his head."

Davie smiled. "It's okay, bro; you did it because you love him."

Smiling slightly at Davie's reply, Kyle stated: "Poppa Spock, Dilly needs head healin', and then we can figure out what happened without him messin' up his head tellin' us 'bout it."

"It would be logical for you to assist me," Spock stated. "Cory, to prevent your mind being damaged by being drawn into a meld you will need to refrain from contact with Dylan."

"I won't be hurt," Cory replied as he gave Dylan a squeeze. "I asked Kyle to make his room in my head two-way; now we're like Jamie and Jacob, so I'm used to being inside his cute little head and wandering the halls."

 "I shall find the results of investigating this development intriguing;" Spock stated with a glance at Kyle. "Dylan, are you acceptable to the recommendation of my performing a meld to assist yourself with reducing your trauma?"

"Yes, Grandpa," Dylan whispered as Kyle cuddled in next to him.

Having permission, Spock began the meld, Kyle and Cory joining him. A few minutes later, they finished with Dylan obviously much more in control.

Without a word being spoken, Spock retrieved a tricorder from the table by the door and proceeded to scan Dylan. Once he was satisfied with the readings, he spoke. "Dylan will require the emotional support of all present. While on an excursion which is yet to happen, he was caught in a situation where he needed to protect himself and his charges from a humanoid who verbally stated that he planned on continuing his pattern of abusing and killing youth, beginning with the Clan personnel present. Dylan used purely human methods to reduce the threat, punching the assailant in the face."

"A unique combination of random factors made this assault lethal. The first was that the adult receiving the blow shifted in such a way as to present the most fragile section of the facial structure, therefore causing the impact to drive the bones and cartilage of the nasal organs into the cranium of the victim. The second was that while Dylan had grown to adult size, he still maintained to reflexes and speed of youth. The final factor is that we have now determined that the Mikyvis retain the standard adrenaline systems of humanoids; Dylan's organs indicate a recent adrenaline surge serious enough to scar them permanently. Humans have stories of mothers lifting transportation means to save their children; Dylan experienced this same phenomenon and in the process terminated the assailant by ejection of the cranial matter from the rear portions of the skull."

"That means you didn't break the rules about judging humans," Cory told Dylan as he gave him a squeeze. "You reacted like any other human would to a human situation. You protected your family; I'm proud of you Dilly."

Kyle added his thoughts as well. "If you didn't do that, a buncha people woulda got hurt. You didn't mean to kill him, but things happen when you are really mad. It's just like your Pop blowing up CIC; he didn't mean to, but it happened."

Spock nodded. "To learn control of your base emotions, you must first experience them. You have done well in determining when you lost control; the next occurrence of that point that you experience is where you will be required to determine if it is prudent to continue. This situation was proper, as the needs of the many outweighed the need to protect the life of the human which presented the danger."

"It sounds like he wasn't using his brain anyway," Milo said barely out loud, "You just helped it escape the prison."

The comment got Spock's attention, as well as eliciting snickers from the rest of the group. Milo quickly tried to melt into Cory's side, uncomfortable with suddenly being the center of attention.

With both eyebrows now raised, Spock stated "Cory, it is evident that you have neglected to introduce one of my Grandsons. When did you plan to rectify this?"

"Next Tuesday last month!" Cory quipped, causing Spock's eyebrows to creep even higher. Deciding not to push his luck, Cory added "Dad, this is Milo, Sean and I adopted him. Milo, that's your Grandpa Spock."

"Hi," Milo replied, more to Cory's shirt than anyone else.

Spock came closer, then squatted to be more on Milo's level. "Milo, by your observation and actions it appears that you have much in common with your parents and some of your uncles. I believe an informal talk with myself and your Aunt Helen would assist you greatly in adjusting to your new life. I'm certain the talk will include excesses of cookies, brownies, and your favorite beverage."

"Dad?" Milo asked, looking up at Cory.

Cory didn't need to read minds to understand the question Milo wasn't asking. "He's not gonna try to change you, son; that'd be illogical, and he'd have to deal with me and your Pop if he tried. What Grandpa wants to do is make sure that you're ready for some of the stuff that happens at headquarters, and give ya' ideas about how some of your uncles and cousins figured out ways to avoid the worst of it. One of Helen's sons, Travis, is a lot like you, and I wouldn't want him changed either."

Quickly deducing the issue from the pieces of the puzzle that Cory provided combined with his observations of Milo's behavior, Spock added "It would be illogical to attempt to change your reactions to becoming the center of attention, grandson. It is a common trait of emotive humanoids in the higher science and technology sectors; I believe it may be associated with the requirements of those levels to control events which may result in casualties or critical failure. As your personal path becomes apparent, I shall assist your parents in ensuring that you receive full support."

Milo involuntarily smiled as he mentally added his new grandpa to the short but quickly growing list of people he trusted. Cory and Sean had proved by their actions that they considered him normal, and his new brothers made it clear that they accepted him just as he was. Now not only did his Grandpa say that he didn't need to change, but he actually said that his nerves might be something really good! After giving Cory a thank-you hug, Milo turned towards Spock, expecting to be following him to wherever his new Aunt Helen was. Instead, he suddenly found himself being effortlessly lifted by Spock to ride on the Vulcan's shoulders.

"Hey!" Milo giggled, "I can't run away from up here!"

"Your logic is sound, Grandson," Spock replied as he turned and headed towards Cory's kitchen.

Cory and Sean exchanged knowing grins, sure that their newest addition would be fully prepared for meeting the Clan. Both then turned to find out what Kyle and Dylan were giggling about.

"What ya' up to?" Cory asked with a grin.

"Dad and me's writin' an eviction notice for the butthole's head to give to Uncle Mikey to give to that butthole before it goes to Final Judgement!" Dylan giggled.

'Way to run with Milo's comment, bro!' Cory sent down his newly-formed twin link with Kyle. 'You've got his mind off the details of what happened, so now he can heal.'

'Milo did it!' Kyle giggled back, 'I'm just seeing how far I can take it!'

Any more comments were dropped when Thomas popped in, a little five-year-old boy sitting on his shoulders, said boy casually spinning a drumstick in his left hand and bracing Fluffy the turtle on top of Thomas' head with his right hand.

"Told ya' you we wasn't in trouble!" Thomas giggled. "Next time you'll listen, husband of mine!"

Cory held up his hand. "All stop! Husband? New kid? And did you just pop in?"

Giggling, Thomas replied "Yes, Jimmy Bonham Richardson, Mikyvis. Next question?"

"When, why, how?" Sean asked in confusion.

Rolling his eyes, Thomas replied "When? Just after Dilly almost destroyed Creation because he couldn't deal with what just happened with that asshole he punched. He didn't think anyone would like him after that, so I proved him wrong by marrying him on the spot. Why? When Dilly was takin' guys around to learn from people, something went funky with the timeline after we were there. We couldn't do nothin' about John or Pat, but Dilly managed to pull Jimmy in time to save him. Jimmy's been stayin' on Archnania to recover an' get over losing his parents. We was 'bout to bring him home anyway, but things goin' nutty made us do it now. As for how, I made Dilly convert me, 'cuz I ain't lettin' the goof get off that easy by me gettin' old."

Cory tilted his head. "So, Jimmy's the son of the Zep drummer in an alternate timeline?"

"Yeah Uncle Cory!" Jimmy said as he passed Fluffy down to Thomas. "Can you help me down, Gran'pa?"

"Sure thing, Jimmy!" Kyle replied as he came over and braced Jimmy as he slid down Thomas' back. After getting a quick hug, Kyle told Jimmy "Go give Uncle Cory and Uncle Sean some hugs, little guy. I just told Uncle Cory to let Uncle Sean know everything I do, so you ain't gotta tell it all over again."

"Kewl! Thanks, Gran'pa!" Jimmy exclaimed as he launched himself at Cory.

Barely catching the blond missile, Cory giggled "Guess who's met Timmy!"

"Uh-huh!" Jimmy nodded. "Timmy's right, you cuddle good!"

Seeing the grin on Kyle's face, Sean just shook his head and joined in the cuddlefest with Kyle's newest grandson.

Seeing as Cory and Sean were busy, Kyle pulled Tyler, Dylan, and Thomas off to the side. "Guys, after what Mikey told me about all the stuff being messed up in Time, I think we need to have him look at what happened with Jimmy's family after he's done. I don't understand what happened, and we don't want to repeat it if we can stop it."

"You think he'll send Jimmy back?" Dylan asked, his worry obvious.

Before Kyle could respond, Mikey's voice answered in the heads of all four of them. 'While what happened was not Planned, the end result of the breech made changes that strengthened the Universe. What happened was a direct result of an attempted attack against Dylan by powers which later participated in that which I am now cleaning up. The branch that you rescued Jimmy from has been pruned, and the branch that was assisted in growth in which you never visited has been strengthened and sealed. Jimmy is where he belongs, and that which occurred in your memories is as a dream. Do not seek more, as this is all you shall know.'

"Mikey really needs to stop hangin' with Saint Peter!" Tyler giggled. "He's startin' to talk all Prophety and stuff!"

'Bite me, Turtle!'

"Ewww! Angel Feathers!" Ty shot back with a grin.

"Okay, forget I said anything!" Kyle giggled. "Just like I told ya when I met Jimmy after you brought him to Archnania, you did the right thing Dyl; never forget that."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Dylan grinned. "Me an' Thomas are gonna take Jimmy to meet his Great Grandpa Spock; we'll bring some cookies back for you an' Pop."

"You'd better!" Ty threatened, his grin giving him away.

"Cookies?" Jimmy's voice asked from somewhere between Cory and Sean. "COOKIES? WHERE?" Seconds later, Jimmy wiggled out of the cuddle, ran over, and shimmied onto Dylan's back. "Giddeee-up, horsey! We gots cookies to find!"

"Race ya!" Thomas exclaimed as he took off running. Never one to miss a cookie hunt, Dylan took off after him, Jimmy laughing merrily as they ran towards the kitchen.

Kyle and Tyler rejoined Cory and Sean, all four grinning at Jimmy's antics. Once they were out of sight, Cory observed "Kyle, did you notice that Dilly's being more like you guys than his brothers, not popping around everywhere anymore?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah; he's spent so much time with your kids he's got used to walkin' an' stuff. Jimmy an' Thomas helped too; Dilly don't feel right doin' stuff Jimmy can't do yet."

"Yet?" Cory asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kyle nodded. "Even though Dilly's kinda the reason his parents died, Jimmy's bonded with him an' Thomas really close. I didn't look, but my tummy tells me that one day when he's older Jimmy's gonna make them make him one of us."

Sean was thinking it over, and spoke his conclusion. "Since Dylan saved his life, unless things change a lot I can see Jimmy not wanting his parents to watch him get old and die. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess."

"Besides, I'm sure his grandparents are going to spoil him rotten!" Cory giggled as he reached down and poked Kyle.

"Not any more than his goofy uncles!" Kyle shot back as he wiggled around to try to avoid Cory's attack. "Stop it!"

"Nope, you hid our new grandnephew, now ya gotta pay!" Cory giggled as he went on the offensive and quickly took Kyle down to the floor in a tickle war.

Confident that things were back to normal, Davie cuddled into Sean's side. "Ya know, it's good those two love each other, or else they'd kill each other."

"Naw, they're too much alike," Sean giggled, "they'd figure out what the other would do before he did it!"

Davie was about to respond, but he stopped with a tilt of his head. After a few seconds, he grinned. "Ohhhh, so THAT'S why Robin and Kayla are here with Crystal and Clint! This is gonna be fun!"

"Why am I worried?" Sean quipped as Davie broke away to find his next targets. A knock at the door signaled that insanity was returning, so Sean decided to answer it; mainly because Cory was busy protecting himself from Kyle's revenge with Tyler yelling out suggestions.

 Sean opened the door to find Ian standing there, a ten-year-old under one arm and a nine-year-old under the other. "Hey Sean, you seen our 'rents?" Ian asked with a grin.

"Davie went to find them," Sean replied with a grin. "C'mon in; I can't wait to hear this one!"

"Kewl! Thanks, Sean!" Ian replied as he guided his companions inside. Noticing Cory, who was now dealing with Tyler along with Kyle, Ian asked with a smirk "What'd Cory do THIS time?"

"The usual, picking on people smarter than him!" Sean sniggered.

"I heard that; you're next!" Cory yelled from somewhere under Kyle and Ty.

"Remind me to be scared later!" Sean quipped as he escorted Ian and friends to the living room. "It'll be quieter in here, and you won't sneeze from the dust coming out of Cory's ears," Sean grinned.

Knowing his Patriarch well, Ian ensured that he and his companions were out of any possible direct line of retribution. His caution was validated as Cory, Kyle, and Tyler's group pounce hit Sean, knocking him into the couch; said couch quickly flipping over onto its back with all four boys on it.

"Don't try that yet, guys," Ian advised, "they're professionals!"

"Professional what we haven't determined... yet!" Clint chuckled as him and Crystal joined the group. "Hey lil' bro. Who're the new guys?"

"Wait for Mom and Dad," Ian smirked, obviously having fun. The fact that his two companions were obviously having to work at being silent just proved that something was brewing in Ian's eleven-year-old mind.

Crystal smiled at the boys. "This should be good; I think Toby's been giving him pointers."

"That's not all Toby's been giving him..." the youngest of Ian's companions commented before quickly covering his mouth.

"CRISPY!" Ian exclaimed as he immediately did a very good impression of a tomato.

Fortunately, Robin and Kayla entered the room before Ian recovered enough to retaliate. Spotting the blush on his youngest, Robin quickly stated: "I don't want to know, please don't try to tell me why Ian's glowing."

"I'll second that!" Kayla snickered. "I recognize that glow, and don't need those nightmares."

"MOOOOMMMM!" Ian groaned.

At that point, Davie wandered in as well, and after scoring the wrestling match going on between the couch and the wall, he joined Ian and his friends. "Ready, guys?" Davie asked as halos appeared above the heads of all four of them.

"Wait!" Cory exclaimed from behind the couch. "We gotta see this!"

Once Cory and Sean managed to return the couch to its proper position, all four of the previously wrestling boys took a seat, Tyler providing the popcorn. "Okay, you may proceed!" Cory giggled.

Davie smiled, glad that Cory was taking this so well. "I'll have to give a little background before I can explain why these guys are here. Back when Timmy was still learning guitar, Dylan took a few guys to meet Paul McCartney back when he was still with the Beatles. Since he was gonna be there anyway, my Boss decided to have him stand guard over an event that hadda happen a certain way. Well, things didn't go exactly as planned; in fact, Timmy found out just how much power a Spirit Guide has when needed. Dilly got stuck with cleanup, but he also was chosen to fix a problem that fixing the timeline caused."

Sean and Cory exchanged glances. "Why were Dilly and Timmy involved if it was that serious?" Cory asked.

Davie nodded, "Normally, they wouldn't be. This time needed live people to handle parts of it, and they were the best ones there. To give you an idea, the Gates had temporary guards at them while this was being fixed."

"Damn!" Sean muttered under his breath.

"These two were caught up in the families of a couple of the problems," Davie continued. "Thing is; when things had been fixed, it caused both of them to be ripped from their home timeline and basically become homeless souls still in bodies. The Boss couldn't let that happen, since they were innocent, so He passed down an order to bind them into a new family, and had the Guardian teach Dilly how to fix someone who has broken from their own timeline."

Davie paused, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to gently. He finally decided that it would be best to just get it over with; "Kayla, those were not miscarriages you had a year and two years after Ian was born. That was Our Father binding your sons to you; Alistair ten years ago, and Crispin nine years ago."

Crystal caught Kayla, and Clint caught Robin as both adults fainted. Simultaneously, Cory and Sean yelled "MEDIC!" as loud as they could.

Seconds later, Antonio and Chris came running in, Antonio asking "Okay, who adopted who this time?" as soon as he saw Robin and Kayla were passed out.

"Not an adoption;" Davie giggled, "I'd call it more of a delayed delivery!"

"I'll let you explain that as soon as we undo whatever you did, featherhead." Antonio grumbled as him and Chris each took a victim to bring back to awareness.

"Did he just call an Angel a featherhead?" Crispin asked in shock.

"Yeah, he's called him a lot worse," Ian giggled. "Tonio and Byron musta had some fun recently!"

"Keep it up, Ian; I CAN arrange for you to be pissing through a straw!" Antonio quipped as Robin started to come around. "I'll have Chris help; he's just learning pain suppression."

"Promise?" Chris asked hopefully. "Can I use the spiral straw?"

"You'll have to excuse their bedside manner," Cory said with a grin to the new boys, "usually they're lots crankier."

"Bite me, Cor!" Antonio said before sticking out his tongue.

Once Robin and Kayla were both awake and sitting in nearby chairs, Antonio and Chris claimed spots on the couch. After they were both comfortable, Antonio giggled "Okay Batboy, start over without scaring the natives this time."

"Here's the short version, since I know you Doctor-types have the attention span of a kitten on catnip," Davie prodded. "Alistair is the bigger kid with the really dark brown hair; he's ten. The blond nine-year-old is Crispin. Both of them are genetically Ian's brothers thanks to a Miracle done by Our Father."

"I got them, bro!" Chris exclaimed as his tricorder appeared next to him. "One full scan comin' up!"

Antonio's smile could have lit the room as he watched his slightly bigger little brother proudly take on the job of performing the intake physicals.

"What's he gonna do with that funny box, Ian?" Crispin asked.

"That's a medical scanner," Ian explained. "It's like a tiny X-ray machine from your old timeline, but it does a lot more without touching you."

"Is it safe?" Alistair asked warily.

"It's safer than any doctor you've ever seen," Ian assured his new brothers. "This is one'a the things I was tellin' you 'bout that is better than the old way."

Both boys kept a close eye on Chris as he scanned them, then scanned Ian. Chris studied the display for a moment, then stated "Ian, both of them are on shakes until we see a better nutritional balance; Crispin needs to put on five pounds, and Alistair is ten pounds underweight. If your parents aren't around, you're responsible for making sure they get 'em. Now all three of you need to separate so I can do a genetic scan without you contaminating each other."

Over on the couch, Cory leaned over to talk to Antonio. "He's doing pretty good; how's Chris picking it all up so fast?"

Antonio grinned. "He makes me go to Archnania for months at a time every couple of days. A couple of days ago, he made Uncle Bones join us just because I had to look up an answer to one of his questions!"

Cory laughed. "You two make a great team. Let me know when he's ready to test; I'll help pull some strings for ya."

"Thanks, Cor;" Antonio giggled, "it's pretty kewl having a brother who wants to be like me. This real family stuff is lots better than my old life!"

"I heard that; you owe me a week of cuddles!" Chris giggled as he joined them. "Could you check this, bro? I'm seein' some weird crap."

"Sure!" Antonio replied as he leaned forward to look at the tricorder readout. After flipping back and forth through various screens, Antonio gave a low whistle then stated "That ain't possible, but I'll be damned if it isn't lookin' like some fancy DNA cloning! Dad needs ta' look at this later, then we'll probably do a bed scan to be sure."

"Yeah," Chris nodded, "The only differences I saw were a few recessives and dominants were flipped. That ain't normal."

"So that means they are not only brothers, but almost triplets?" Cory asked.

"Pretty much," Antonio replied with a nod. Looking over at Robin and Kayla, who were just listening to the debate over the findings, Antonio added "It's official; we're gonna log them as your genetic sons. Question is, do you both accept taking them in?"

"Yes!" both parents said in unison.

Kayla added, "That little prankster posing as an angel said that in a way they came from us now, so why wouldn't we accept that all three are our genetic sons."

"I just hadda hear ya say it!" Antonio giggled. "Ian, your brothers are overdue for mom and dad cuddles, get to work!"

---

Thirty minutes later:

Cory and Sean walked with Davie to the dining room, all four smiling at how the new boys were bonding with the York family back in the living room.

"That wasn't too bad, once they recovered from you pulling a Pablito on them, brat." Cory giggled.

"Hey!" Davie protested, "I'm not anything like Pabs!"

'Bullcrap!' Mikey's voice echoed from the ceiling. 'You're both pains in the butt!'

"You ain't got no room to talk!" Cory and Sean giggled in unison.

"See, they agree with me!" Davie laughed.

'Get back to work, all of ya!' Mikey laughed. 'Here's some help!'

All three exchanged confused glances, which got even more confused when JR Legette popped in next to them.

"What the Hell?" JR exclaimed. "What're Y'all doin' that needs me? I was goin' to grab some grub, and now I'm here!"

"Hey JR!" Cory replied. "No idea why featherhead did it; something about unwinding time loops and screwing up everyone's lives for fun."

"Okay, same crap, different day then," JR laughed as he rolled his eyes.

"Pretty much," Sean replied. "So, how's it been going?"

"Not bad, I still owe y'all for draggin' me inta' this mess, though," JR stated with a gleam in his eye. "I was enjoyin' being depressed about Jeremy, and then y'all hadda take and make me Clan and made livin' fun again. Y'all done made things fun, and I'll get ya' back for it sooner or later!"

"Give it your best shot, bro!" Sean laughed.

"I'll help!" Jeremy quipped as he suddenly appeared, Timmy and a redheaded seven-year-old appearing with him.

"Hi Daddy, Hi Poppa!" Timmy exclaimed with his most innocent expression plastered on his face.

Spock had noticed the group approaching, so he witnessed Jeremy and crew appearing. Before anyone else could comment, Spock stated "Sons, based on Timothy's expression I would suggest running as fast as you can."

"Grandpa!" Timmy protested, "Meanie!"

"When historical evidence provides a history of miscreant behavior accompanying your current expression, it is logical that one should protect themselves from whatever you have prepared as your next escapade," Spock explained patiently.

All the boys chuckled as Timmy's expression quickly shifted from innocent to totally lost. Since they were watching Timmy, none paid attention to William flying in and landing on Spock's shoulder.

Timmy did notice, however. Breaking into giggles, he commented "Told ya you're gonna be my Uncle, Gar! That's Grandpa Spock!"

The boy that Timmy referred to as Gar grinned. "You'd better start runnin' if you think you're calling me Uncle, Tims. Just because you saved me don't mean you can give me lip!"

Spock turned his head to look directly at William. "I believe a nice brown gravy will go well with you for dinner tonight, William."

With a squawk, William vanished from Spock's shoulder, re-appearing on Timmy's shoulder.

Looking up, Spock stated, "Michael Patrick Short, I believe that your mother would wish to join myself in determining your punishment for not controlling the actions of your nephew."

Almost instantly, Teri appeared next to Spock. Without appearing, Mikey's voice commented "Sorry, gotta go! I'm needed in another time! It's good to be a Saint!"

"Our brother's a chicken," Cory stage whispered to Sean, glad that he was not directly involved in what Timmy had schemed this time.

"I believe your son is the responsible party, which implicates both of you!" Teri commented, having been updated by Spock though their bond.

"Nuh-UHH!" Sean stated with a shake of his head. "Dilly was in charge; they were outside our time on one of his trips!"

"Nice try, kiddo!" Teri smirked as she and Spock headed towards the group.

Suddenly remembering he was supposed to be a GUARDIAN angel, Davie shifted his gaze from watching JR and Jeremy doing tonsil inspections. With a blink of his eyes, they all found themselves on the balcony overlooking the courtyard that had been created when Quint redid all of the Nexus housing. Milliseconds later, Dylan, Thomas, and Jimmy appeared among the group, all three grinning when they saw Gareth and Timmy present.

"Everyone take a seat," Davie instructed, indicating the couches and loveseats with a sweep of his hand. "Timmy and Gar, sit with Momma Teri and Poppa Spock; y'all's gonna want cuddles."

Something in Davie's tone caused all but two of the group present to comply immediately. Jeremy couldn't comply mainly because Timmy had decided that the temporarily-solid angel needed Timmy-hugs.

William had decided to perch on JR's shoulder, watching his human guide with a tilt of his head. If anyone had looked, they would have seen that eagles really do smile, at least Spirit Eagles do.

Timmy leaned his head back, looking up into Jeremy's eyes. "Ya' really do love JR forever, don'cha?" he asked in a whisper only Jeremy could hear.

"Yes," Jeremy replied, somehow unable to say more.

Timmy twisted his head, locking eyes with William. With a nod, William took to the air as Timmy looked skyward. In a whisper softer than the breeze yet heard by all, in a language not spoken aloud since the Dawn of Man yet somehow understood, Timmy stated: "We accept thy Mandate, Great Spirit."

As William landed on Timmy's shoulder, absolute silence fell across the balcony; even Nature seeming to be holding its breath in anticipation. Once he landed, William seemed to sink into Timmy's back, his wings spread and growing to Timmy's scale as both began to glow.

Even Davie was affected by the charged atmosphere, as despite his enforced solid form during the 'vacation' he was now on, his clothes transformed into flowing robes, his wings appeared in their full glory, and his halo became visible to all. Jeremy found himself in the same state, the only difference being his wings were folded behind his back.

Now merged fully with William, Timmy spoke clearly, still speaking the same language. "The Great Spirit has heard the prayers of yourself and your Love. Jeremy Devin Martin, you took your life when that which you knew to be the greatest gift to the one you love was stolen from you. You refused to appear for Judgement until you were assured that the one you loved did not follow you into the Afterlife before his Time. You have dedicated your Afterlife to his protection, never leaving his side unless Summoned. That which should not have been shall nevermore be; by Mandate of the Great Spirit I restore you to your rightful place in Life."

Only one person witnessed what happened next, as even Davie was forced to avert his eyes from the glow that formed around Timmy as he channeled the power of a Miracle being performed. JR watched in awe as Jeremy's wings seemed to melt into his back, and his halo sank down to vanish into his cranium. Without conscious thought, JR joined the pair, only to find himself included in the embrace of the wings on Timmy's back.

As the glow started to subside, Timmy stated "It is done; that which evil took has been restored, that which was damaged has also been renewed, that which was lost has now been found. Go forward with the Blessings of the Great Spirit, brothers." With that, William extracted himself from within Timmy, perching himself on Timmy's shoulder with an obvious grin.

Giggling, Timmy added "That was fun! Ya ain't gotta worry, Jer; He fixed it so that you're livin' wit' JR an' sharin' a bed... room."

"TIMMY!" JR and Jeremy exclaimed as they both instantly blushed from their heads to their toes.

"Kissy kissy!" Timmy giggled as he scrambled for the safety of Teri's lap.

"Davie?" Cory asked the resident Guardian Angel, who was busy adjusting the clothes that had reappeared on him, "What just happened, and how does it affect how we met JR?"

Satisfied that his clothing was in-place, Davie grinned, escorting the two lovebirds to a seat as he replied. "I'll answer those backwards!" he giggled. "It doesn't affect you at all, because it just affects legal stuff that never actually saw Jer. Everyone will remember what happened; they just will accept the Changes without question from this point forward."

"I guess that makes sense," Cory acknowledged, "now for the big answer?"

Taking a seat, Davie unconsciously brushed his hair from his eyes. Suddenly serious, he replied "When Timmy and Ricky accepted their Gift from William and Duke, they accepted a lot more than warpaint and talking to animals. As they grow spiritually, they will sometimes be Called to do things that only Legends speak of. Even Timmy getting Red was not by chance; you can think of Red as Timmy's equivalent to an Archangel's sword, and I can tell you that Red has performed that function more than once."

"When?" Sean interrupted.

"Montana, and at the start of the event which gave Ian his brothers," Davie explained. "Montana was unconscious, but back in 1965 for the first time ever Timmy and Red were fully aware of what they were doing and why. What you just saw either Timmy or William could have turned down, in which case one of us would have done it. They were Given first choice, because they added something that I'm still learning, something that you taught Timmy."

"What's that?" Cory asked with a glance at Timmy.

"Unconditional hope," Davie replied, "Timmy learned it from you, the knowledge that no matter how bad things seem they will balance out in the end. That's why no matter what kind of day someone has, a Timmy cuddle makes them feel better. It's also why you have a new little brother."

A stereo set of giggles came from the occupants of Teri and Spock's laps at the last statement, making Davie grin. "Normally, a Guide like Timmy would just pick up on things that are not as they should be, then through William, it would be reported, and one of us Angels would fix it. Sometimes, though, Our Father decides that the Guide needs the temporary power to do it themselves to make things right, either for the Good of the person receiving the Gift, or to prepare the Guide for a future event. Is everyone ready to hear the story of Gareth Guy Short?"

Spock glanced down, raising an eyebrow at finding Timmy and Gareth intent on counting the freckles on each other's arm instead of listening. "I believe that will be intriguing," Spock commented as he turned his attention back to Davie.

Seeing nods of agreement, Davie began. "Back in December of 1964, the Finn family was on their way from Wales to London to visit with family. As they came around a blind curve, they were hit by a lorry which had lost control on a patch of ice. Their car was crushed as the loaded trailer rolled over directly over the passenger compartment, killing the parents, Guy and Deloris, instantly. Their son Gareth survived with multiple injuries; the most serious of which was his lower spine was severed. He remained in a coma well into 1965, with his Uncle Harold being the only family to continue to stay by his side every day. As his Uncle came to terms with the fact his only nephew would probably never play again; he made arrangements for the guitar he'd purchased as a present for the child prodigy to be passed on to someone who would use it as his nephew would have."

Davie paused to wipe his eyes; knowing the end result did not change how it made him feel telling the tale. "Now is when things start looking up. You see, while Dylan was busy getting Ian's new brothers ready to jump back into the timeline, the rest of the guys found a little music shop that got their attention. Timmy was far enough along in his guitar training that he impressed the owner, who then arranged for Timmy to get the guitar that was originally for Gareth, only telling Timmy that Gareth was in a coma."

Timmy interrupted Davie, adding "When I touched the g'tar, it felt sad."

Davie nodded. "Yep, you knew something was wrong, Timmy." After a pause to make sure everyone caught what Timmy's comment could mean, Davie continued. "Just like his Dad and Pop, Timmy only thought of what help was needed; the request he ended up sending through William was simple. 'Please fix the boy so he can play guitar again.' Just like he's done before, Timmy carried on, knowing that now Our Father would make the final call."

"Hey, stop moving, I lost count!" Timmy giggled.

"It tickled!" Gareth giggled back.

"ANYWAY!" Davie laughed, "Timmy and William were intercepted on their way back to Archnania, even though nobody could tell. They landed in the hospital room with Gareth and his uncle. Gareth's Uncle Howard was there to say goodbye, as the doctors had informed him Gareth was slowly losing his life despite all of their attempts to stabilize him. William passed to Timmy that Howard was on borrowed time; between the loss of his only living brother and the worry over his nephew, watching over Gareth was the only thing keeping his spirit from moving on. He assured Timmy that none of Gareth's other family would take him, as they considered him a freak because of his natural music skills; it was certain that Gareth would end up in an orphanage."

"Couldn't his Uncle have been healed too?" Teri asked.

"Yes, but..." Davie replied. "Remember that unconditional hope? Timmy knew things didn't look good, and he knew enough about time to not just drag Gareth into the present. He made the only choice he saw as right; he put a condition on accepting the Mandate."

"You can do that?" Cory asked in wonder.

"I get more of the picture than he does, so I only get that choice in extreme circumstances," Davie explained. "A Guide who blindly accepts them no matter what the outcome makes more work for us Guardian Angels, so Timmy did it right. He asked to be Guided only to do what would be best for Harold AND Gareth. That ended up with Harold laying on the floor dead, Harold's spirit standing out-of-phase with Timmy and a fully healed Gareth, and the clothes Gareth was wearing in the hospital bed laying there as if he had vanished out of them. Harold and Gareth said their goodbyes right there, with Harold telling Gareth to go with Timmy and make his new family proud. They hung around long enough to watch the doctors and nurses freak out about the missing body and dead uncle; then the boys went to Archnania while Harold went to see Saint Peter."

Sometime during the tale, Spock had ensured that Gareth was protectively held in a cuddle. Looking at Davie, he asked, "May I presume that all necessary documentation has been created to indicate that our son is part of our family?"

"Your logic is accurate," Davie replied with a smirk.

Pointedly ignoring the smirk, Spock stated "Timmy, I find your grasping of your skills commendable. Your actions have honored the House of Clan Short."

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Timmy replied with a big smile.

Seconds later, the Short family was one big pile, as Cory and Sean welcomed their new brother and showed their pride at the actions of their first son. Satisfied that all was well, Davie turned to JR and Jeremy. "C'mon guys, I'll take ya home while they catch up on cuddles."

"Thanks, Davie!" JR grinned. "Me and Jer will be in the bedroom while you explain this to Mom and Dad!"

"How'd I guess?" Davie sniggered as all three vanished.

---

Rec room an hour later:

Teri smiled as she looked around at the family occupying Cory and Sean's rec room. Timmy and Ricky were busy escorting Gareth around the room, introducing him to everyone and making sure he gathered as many cuddles as possible. Milo found himself hijacked by Dylan's son Jimmy, and was now sitting with the five-year-old cuddled on his lap while he read a book to him. Dylan and Thomas were nearby, sharing a chair as they watched Jimmy bonding with one of his uncles. Kyle had decided a Transformers marathon was in order, so just about everyone else was watching along with him, Cory and Sean included.

Teri unconsciously braced herself as out of the corner of her eye she spotted Davie entering the room with the final missing members of Cory's family; Austin, Nine, Brandon, Leo, Conner, and a pair of new boys. "Cory, Sean? Austin's here," Teri announced.

Having been worried about his absence, both Cory and Sean jumped up and looked for where Austin was. Once they spotted him, they rushed over to see the group, not really noticing the two additional boys. "Where ya' been?" Cory asked as he pulled Austin into a hug.

"Taking Conner and Rayn on their honeymoon!" Austin replied. "Can I breathe now, Dad?"

"I'll second that question, Pop," Brandon added, as he was getting crushed by Sean.

"Honeymoon?" Cory and Sean giggled.

"Okay, fill us in, Conner; we have hugs to finish!" Cory added as he let Austin free.

Conner stepped up, holding hands with a pale boy who Cory finally realized had four arms, two of which were holding a younger version of his species with much darker skin. "Grandpa Cory and Grandpa Sean? This is my Bonded, Rayn and our son Wyryn."

Sensing their nervousness, Cory smiled. "Relax Rayn; if anyone gives you trouble, we'll make them eat Sean's cooking."

"Hey!" Sean whined, "My cooking is better than your driving!"

"NO, IT'S NOT!" most of the room commented before breaking into mass giggles.

Spock came up behind Cory, laying a hand on his shoulder. "While I see the logic in poisoning for transgressions of that nature, I believe torture is not acceptable."

"Sorry, Dad," Cory replied trying to keep a straight face as he watched Sean trying to figure out a reply. Rayn and Wyryn outright giggled, the interplay relaxing their worries.

Nodding. Spock turned his attention to Conner and Rayn. "Could you enlighten me as to the term Bonded that you applied to your union, grandsons?"

Slightly surprised that the bonding question came before asking where Rayn and Wyryn came from, Conner began to explain, but was interrupted by Wyryn, who had spotted Timmy. "Daddy, can I go play with Timmy?"

"Go on, I'll call you when the boring stuff is done," Conner replied with a smile.

"Thanks!" Wyryn replied as he quickly wiggled out of Rayn's arms, then jogged off to join the Cuddle Patrol.

"Okay, where was I?" Conner snickered. "Oh yeah; I needed to let ya know that when you ask about family stuff, due to the way our Bond works, I will automatically answer for both of us. I'm actually unable to lie about what Rayn thinks about something."

"I think we better find someplace comfortable; this is gonna take a while!" Cory quipped.

"That would be logical," Spock acknowledged.

Teri joined them as they took seats off to the side of the main room. Davie decided the Transformers marathon looked fun, so he chose to join the crowd watching it.

Once everyone was comfortable, Conner continued. "Where Rayn comes from, they pair off with an automatic mental bond that only forms between mentally compatible partners. It's kinda like the Vulcan one, but it's deeper and there's no real way to predict if it'll happen."

"If I missed it, I apologize; but where is Rayn from?" Teri asked.

"He's from Earth;" Conner replied, "but it's an Earth way out on the Universe rings." After a pause, Conner added, "Nobody really knows how it happened, but Rayn and I fell asleep hiding from the sunlight and woke up Bonded."

"Since you're both human," Sean observed, "it makes sense that you could Bond like that when you're there. I wonder if it'll work here too?"

"I'm pretty sure Grandpa Spock will have it figured out by the time Wyryn is mature enough to Bond," Conner stated. "That makes sense though. The Bond is kewl as far as knowing what each other is thinking, and Wyr can find either one of us in absolute pitch-black darkness without tripping over stuff. The bad part is that if the three of us are separated from each other without contact for an extended time, it makes us sick. Once Wyr Bonds with someone, then he'll be able to go off without us hurting, but as long as he is alive and under our care, he needs to be nearby most of the time."

Cory nodded. "Rayn, while I understand what Conner is saying about his speaking for both of you, how do you feel about being here? Also, how is it Conner is the Primary?"

Rayn smiled at Cory's insistence that his input was given directly. "Conner's older, which makes his part of the Bond stronger. I was a little nervous coming over here, since I've never left home before. Wyr knows Timmy and Ricky already, so he's not as bad, since they get along great. You guys seem to be just as nice as I saw in Conner's head, so I'm feeling a little better about it now."

"What about your family back home?" Teri asked.

"Pop Austin took care of that," Rayn replied. "He calls it a Dimensional Door; it's set up so some of us can go back and forth between there and here."

"That's a start," Cory replied. "We need to figure out some other ways as well. I'd really like to get to know your family too; they must be okay, or Austin wouldn't have set up the door."

"I think you'll like Mom and Dad," Rayn replied, "They like to joke around too." Rayn paused, looking at Conner, then added "Grandfather Spock, Conner believes you are impatient to look at his brain to see about the link. Go ahead if you want, I want to see what this 'mind meld' thing is."

Austin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you'll fit right in, Rayn!"

Conner giggled as he moved over to let Spock begin. "Paybacks, Dad. We can get even with ya' for when you're hiding stuff by mind talking now."

Austin glanced at Nine, who was behind Conner. Nine nodded, reached forward, and proceeded to pull the back of Conner's underwear halfway up his back.

"POP!" Conner squeaked, his voice hitting points on the vocal scale it had never hit before.

Slider strolled in, earplugs hanging from his mouth, and a doggie-adapted set already in his ears. He passed the earplugs out to everyone but Nine and Austin, who were busy trying to avoid being corralled by Spock and Teri. By the time everyone else had earplugs in, the efforts at avoiding the adults failed, and both Austin and Nine experienced their first Vulcan-induced wedgie. Once the onsite techbot replaced the shattered light bulbs, Spock returned to the task of preparing to meld with Conner.

 "Now I know why Slider was wearing earplugs!" Sean laughed. "Nine, I think you just covered portions of the frequency spectrum never heard planetside before!"

"Bite my posterior, Junior Father-in-law," Nine grumbled as he tried vainly to put his clothing back where it belonged.

"Hey, keep that between you and Austin!" Cory giggled.

"Meep!" Austin exclaimed as he blushed.

"You see what you taught our Grandpas, Grandma Teri?" Leo giggled from his snuggle session with Brandon. "I'm glad me and Bran are innocent of that stuff!"

"Trust me, they were that bad as soon as they were born," Teri sniggered, "Right from the first time Cory thought Sean needed a warmer pacifier. We went through more diapers because those two couldn't keep their hands and mouths off each other..."

"MOM!!" Cory and Sean squeaked, both almost cherry red from their faces to their toes.

"Where's a bag of marshmallows when you need one?" Brandon giggled. "C'mon Leo, we gotta catch up with the old guys!"

"I'm in," Leo laughed. "Anyone needs us; we'll be behind the couch!"

Austin rolled his eyes as the younger pair rolled over the back of the couch and landed with a thump. "Nine, why am I suddenly glad we got our dating out of the way where nobody could see us?"

"Because humanoid caregivers are sadistic?" Nine replied with a grin. "Leo; remember, no biting!"

"POP!" Leo whined from behind the couch.

"I see your point," Austin giggled. "It looks like Grandpa's finishing with Conner; I wonder what he's found out?"

The answer came quickly as Spock pulled back into himself. "Fascinating," he stated, both eyebrows raised. "I shall need to confer with Doctor Michaels as to the adjustments needed to the practices for giving medical assistance to your extended family, Austin and Nine." Turning to Nine, Spock asked, "Have you performed a scan to assign a designation?"

"Not yet, I did not believe my ocular implant was suitable for revelation at the previous location," Nine replied as he reached into the pouch at his waist. Once he had swapped out his normal-looking eye for the implant, he scanned his son and son-in-law then stated "Species 5618 Collective. Advanced hyper-neurological communication link. No adaptation possible, threat level indeterminate. Recourse: watch closely and do not attempt assimilation."

"May I ask why you did not give them a new designation other than Collective?" Spock asked.

"Despite physical differences, they are identical neurologically," Nine explained. "There is no other difference that I can detect from a standard human, yet they have formed a Collective which no Borg has ever studied. Despite the dimensional gap, I was able to detect low-grade Collective links to Rayn's home universe."

"I shall require your input when I report this to the Science Council," Spock stated. "It appears that a previously unknown capability has been uncovered in Humans. This might explain why Humans are receptive to Vulcan mind melds more than most other species. My review of Conner's memories of the Bonding suggests that Humans have the base capability for performing their own version of a meld, a version which builds upon the natural telepathic capability that has already been documented. I have determined that the bond exhibits the traits of a permanent meld transferred over a telepathic link. The bond between Conner and Rayn is bi-directional, while the bond to Wyryn is partially censored. I found it fascinating that while I melded with Conner, I was also melded with Rayn and Wyryn without affecting their normal activities."

"So you're saying that this was normal, Grandpa?" Conner asked after stealing a quick nose-rub with Rayn.

"Despite your Vulcan Family penchant for otherwise, the attributes that you have displayed appear to be a basic skill of the Human species," Spock replied.

Cory and Sean exchanged glances. "I think Dad just tried to make fun of us." Cory observed.

"An astute observation, you seem to be recovering well from your hair color," Spock commented.

"No fair!" Cory groused, "I can't get back at you for blond jokes!"

"That is a logical conclusion, my son," Spock observed.

Teri sniggered. "One of these days you'll learn, both of you! Don't worry, Conner and Rayn; from what my husband has shared with me over our link, your son should have no problems when he finds a mate. Now if we can just keep Timmy from corrupting Wyr..."

---

To Be Continued...

---

Clan Short Archivist's Notes:

This is truly an amazing chapter in more ways than one. While on the surface it may seem to be lighthearted and happy-go-lucky, it is actually a very serious chapter. This chapter resolves quite a few temporal abnormalities that had crept into the canonical stories. It also continues the much-needed humanization of the Mikyvis. It also gives us a lot of missing background information on quite a few characters new and old. Now the Clan can move forward with their mission of rescuing children and need and not have to worry about fixing screwed up time loops. Thanks for such an amazing chapter AC and it looks and reads much better whole than in parts.

TSL