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Chapter -18- Unresolved

Wednesday, December 29, 2049 - midday New Atlantis

The park was bustling with activity. So many people - friends and loved ones. People were whole again.

Karla stood at the center of the gathering, speaking to the group. Eric, Elvena and Donovan Loupe were sitting on a bench in silence. Reno Nevada and Nicky Parker were on another bench, holding hands. Conner Parker sat with his parents, Topaz, Fox and Vincent. Sinopa sat with them.

Raul Poliandro sat alone on the far left.

Heimdallr, Sekhmet, Rufus, Collobulous, Evan, and Johann and his brother Charlie took the benches to Karla's right.

Missing from the group were James and Albert.

Kalen Kincade made his way through the park. As he drew closer, he could hear Karla's words.

She spoke calmly but with a projected voice. "...Regardless of those we have lost, like Nichole, Abby and Kalen, we _can_finish this. James and Albert took the artifacts to the surface. For those of you who didn't hear the news, Fox Parker was able to make radio contact with the surface. Jaye and Al met with Reno's friend, Trajen. I still don't know much about that guy but ... Reno says that our friends are in good hands."

A strange silence, followed by awkward gazes befell Kalen Kincade as he approached Karla from behind.

She also noticed the gawking. She turned around, facing Kalen. "Oh my God," she whispered. "We thought you died."

"I did," Kalen said with a grimace. "Ironically, being undead, one might say I ... un-died."

"What does that even mean?" she asked.

Kalen shook his head. "I don't know."

"God, look at your face. It's all ... rosy."

Kalen grimaced. "Thanks, I think."

Karla reached her hands up and touched Kincade's cheeks. "Jesus, Kalen - you're warm. Like, you don't feel cold. What happened to you?"

"I'm not sure." Kalen reached for her wrists and gently eased her hands from his cheeks. He added, "Have you found your son?"

"No. We think he might be in the city below us. Where have you been?"

"I just woke up in the vault a few hours ago." Kalen raised his voice so that everyone would hear him. "I went to a hospital_looking for blood. Imagine my surprise when I had to give myself a transfusion the old fashion way ... the human way. And then? I ate _food. I cried real, salty, hot tears. I don't understand what's happened to me. However, if James and Albert have left with the relics, they forgot one - I have the spearhead of Longinus. Suffice it to say, this one is important, so I will be holding on to it."

No one spoke.

Kalen continued, turning to face the gathering. "We're not finished. We're not leaving until we are. Now, some of us should figure out a way to destroy the Underground City. We should stay up here and prepare. Also, this city isn't fully evacuated. It's empty, but I've come to learn that there are plenty of people still here. They're hiding. They don't want to leave their homes and they don't understand why they should go."

The park remained silent.

Kalen motioned for Karla to sit down. She joined her husband and daughter on the closest bench.

Kalen began pacing as he spoke to everyone. "In my opinion, we should break into two teams. We should prepare this city for some sort of destruction. We should clear it out until everyone is gone. The rest of us should go to the Underground City, find Falcon and Loki, and make sure they're dead. Then we flood it."

"Flood it, huh?" asked Karla from her bench.

"Wouldn't you?"

Karla nodded. "Yeah. I would. I know Peter and Steven want to access it ... but let's face it, everyone, whatever is down there waiting for Conner to unlock ... the world has been fine without it for over ten thousand years. Steven and Peter do _not_need it."

Kalen nodded. "I would never say that to Peter's face. However, it is the wisest course of action. If the contents of the Underground City's inner sanctum are not necessary to save the world, then they're not necessary at all."

Sinopa said, "Help us understand your frame of mind."

"Let's not bring back anything that can later become stolen from Peter or Steven, and then used to make our lives more difficult than it is already."

Conner put a hand up. "You think we should split up?"

Kalen stopped his pacing and turned to the group. "Your grandfather played American Gridiron."

"Football," Conner said with a wan smile.

"Mm." Kalen smirked in reply. "Let's use a different analogy ... just for you being a smartass." Kalen cut his eyes to Karla. "In baseball," he started, causing her to grin at his words, "there are offensive and defensive..." Kalen trailed off. He looked around at all the eyes on him.

Rufus smiled. The werewolf stood up and approached Kalen. He wore human clothes and was in his human form. He turned to the group. "I know what Kalen is tryin' to say here, y'all. Our offensive people should head down below and finish this shit. Our defensive people should clear this upper city and prepare to blow-it-the-fuck-up, should the other team fail. We got the artifacts back. We beat Falcon. We finished this crap. Now we gotta take out the trash, cleanup whatever is left, and turn out the lights before leavin'."

Kalen nodded in agreement. "Well stated."

Rue paused and shook Kalen's hand. The werewolf approached Reno and said, "We could draw straws to see who fights. We could have a volunteer group. But the truth is, we should elect two leaders to run the operations. We need an offensive team captain, and a defensive team captain. I nominate Reno, here, to lead the charge - pun intended."

Reno grinned up at Rufus. "Oh, so that means I'm definitely going to fight down there. Thanks a lot, Rue." He chuckled.

Rue returned the chuckle, adding, "Any-damn-time, son." The southerner smiled. "I'm goin' wit'cha."

"So am I," Nicky said. "I've hunted that bastard for years. He and his sleazy pal, Rick Peterson..."

Reno held his hand up. "Wait. Hold up, hon." Reno stood up. "We need a leader of the defensive group."

Topaz lifted her hand. "I'll get everyone out of here and prep things. My brother can help me rig this place - we know it really well. Besides, we can't fight people like Falcon, Loki, or his men. They have sonic equipment that is designed to throw us off balance." She turned to Conner. "Conner, I want you to wear hearing protection, or see if you can't tap into their networks and shut off their equipment down there."

Karla's eyes widened. "He's not going."

Reno held his hand up, gesturing for Karla to relax. "We need him to access electronics. What if they're keeping your son inside of a Faraday Cage, with a networked lock? Conner can rescue him, and I wouldn't be able to. We need him."

Karla sighed. "Fine."

Conner frowned. "I thought we were on good terms again, Karla."

"It's not about that. You're a minor. You've started a family. You shouldn't put yourself in danger like that."

"No offense," said Conner, "but I'll make my own life decisions, thank you." He turned to Reno adding, "I won't let you down, Uncle Reno."

Reno ran his hands back through his hair and walked through the group. "Okay, let's make this simple. This is who I need on my team - Karla, Conner, Evan, Charlie and Johann, Eric, Sinopa, Heimdallr, Kalen and Rufus." He turned to his fiancé and said, "Nicky, if you want to go, then that's fine." He cleared his throat. Reno turned to his brother. "Also, I need Vincent, and Elvena. That's fifteen if we count Raul."

Raul grinned from across the way. "Sixteen when you rescue Karla's son."

"It's two groups of seven, not counting myself," said Reno. "Elvena will take her brother back to the surface. She's trained and seems very disciplined. Also, the kid would trust her enough to behave for her. So he'll be safest with Elvena. They're not saying. When we find them, they'll come up here and join the others." Reno paused, thought for a moment, and then added, "Vincent and Raul are basically my fallback plan."

Sekhmet glowered. "You would not bring a warrior of my caliber on your little adventure?"

Reno turned towards Sekhmet and said, "You're going to be too busy to help me. You will fight the soldiers that try and come up when we push our way down there. Collobulous and Donovan can help you. They're intelligent, powerful, and their powers make them outstanding backup."

No one spoke.

Reno folded his arms across his chest. "Topaz? Are you okay with these teams?"

"You need all the power players, but you left me with a war goddess, a man who can throw busses, and a shadow master. You also left me with someone who can access computer systems. I'm happy with that."

Reno turned to the rest of the group. "Kalen? You okay with coming to where the action is?"

"I don't have my strength anymore. I don't have my fangs."

"Oh." Reno pretended to rethink his plan, briefly, then said, "So ... all those times you snapped people's necks and used strategy to..."

"With all due respect," said Kalen, "I do not know my limitations anymore. I know I need to keep this spearhead safe. I know I need to..."

Reno held his hand up. "Okay. Stay up here, man. It's fine. I can do this with fourteen instead of fifteen. It's fine, honestly. It's for the best we make sure Topaz has plenty of people anyhow. Just in case, right?"

Kalen nodded. "Just in case, yes."

Reno clapped his hands together and rubbed his palms vigorously. "Okay then! Everyone whose name I called out, we'll be getting together tomorrow to prepare for the assault on this Underground Capital City below us."

Karla turned to Kalen and frowned. "No offense babe, but that's awfully weak. You're backing out of a war? Since when? We've got to shut down this nonsense down - Falcon's people, and Loki ... I've never known you to run from a fight."

"I'm not running," said Kalen with a frown. "I feel terrible for not fighting. But I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know how effective I will be. I tried to kill a man less than an hour ago. Instead, I may have healed him with my touch. It was unintentional. I couldn't bring myself to take his life."

"What?" Karla blinked. "You're the last of the feared and respected Four Horsemen of the Esoteric Council, Kalen. You rip heads off and kick down the body just because it's a Wednesday afternoon. That's what you do."

"I don't know if I can anymore."

Sekhmet approached the two. She looked Kalen over. "You healed the man you attempted to kill?"

"I don't understand how it happened."

The warrior goddess nodded. She held her left hand up and opened a gash in her palm with a fang. She offered her bleeding hand towards Kalen. "Any vampire would delight in an offer to try the blood of a goddess."

Kalen grimaced at the sight of blood. "I'm not offended by the sight of it, but it is no longer appealing to consume. However, I _am_feeling sympathetic pains, seeing how you opened your hand in such a way."

"Pain makes me a better warrior," she said.

Kalen reached for her hand. "Fine, but perhaps, for now, we should bandage your wound." He took her hand into his. The simple act of laying his hands upon hers caused the gash to seal.

No one spoke.

Karla blinked. "Sekhmet, you didn't have to..."

"I did nothing," said the warrior feline to the succubus. "Your friend healed it."

Kalen stared at the Egyptian woman's palm. He glanced up, briefly, and back down at the healed hand. "I did?"

Karla spoke almost in unison. "He did?"

Sekhmet nodded. "Yes. Furthermore, he cannot be harmed."

"I can't?"

Karla tilted her head. "He can't?"

Sekhmet reached for Kalen's hand and a pushed a thumbnail into his skin. It bled for a few seconds and sealed itself.

Kalen grimaced. His expression faded as his hand healed itself.

Sekhmet nodded. "You see? He has the spear of Longinus. It is covered in the blood and water that poured from a deity - from Christ. Kalen is protected from injury." She turned to Kalen and said, "But that does not explain why you were able to heal the gash on my palm. You do not have true-faith believers. You were not born in the Celestial Realm."

Reno approached. "Okay, if Kalen is invulnerable because of the relic, shouldn't he come with us?"

"No," said Sekhmet. "He should stay up here with my group. True he cannot be injured, however ... in attempting to kill, he will heal every attacker he fights. He will be more useful to my group than yours."

"But..." Reno titled his head.

Sekhmet turned to Nevada, head tilted back in a mocking fashion. "Unless, of course, you want him to accidentally heal every soldier you fight."

Karla shook her head. "Jesus, Kalen. Becoming human and healing the sick and injured? It gives a whole new meaning to the term 'born again.'" She put her hands up, as if defensively. "Don't mind me. I'm deflecting by making jokes. Look, when my kids get up here, I want you to keep them alive, Kalen. You understand me? I am trusting you to keep them alive at all costs."

Kalen turned to Karla and hugged her. "I will keep them safe. We have known one another for how long, now?"

"A long time," she said.

"Yes, and you know I will make sure they are safe until you make it to the surface."

"Thanks, Kalen." Karla hugged him back. "You're a good man. Sorry if I was rude. I just want to make sure we win this time."

"I understand."

Karla relinquished the hug and told him, "I noticed you're not clearing your throat anymore." She gave Kalen a grin.

"Mm..."

Karla turned to the rest of the group and announced, "This shit is hitting the fan tomorrow. I don't expect it to happen in one day. We might have to take our time and do things in stages the way we have been. But tomorrow night - that's when we should strike. That will give us thirty-six hours to get our heads together. Is everyone good with that?"

No one spoke against the idea.

Karla smiled. She turned to Reno. "Okay, Top Cop. Tomorrow night, you're taking me to get my son back."

"I promise." Reno and Karla hugged.

The succubus walked away from the group and approached her daughter. "Vena, you heard the plan. You do whatever it takes to keep your brother safe."

"Why do they have him?" Elvena glanced at her father, then back at her youthful-looking mother. "What can Donnie do? Did he get a power?"

Eric placed his hand on Elvena's shoulder. "It manifested around the time you started training. He can access any communication wave. Karla's friend, Peter Fieldwing, has postulated the possibility that Donnie could one day learn to read brainwaves and intercept telepathic abilities, or be able to emulate them, himself."

Karla turned to her husband. "What? Are you serious?"

Eric nodded. "I've kept an eye on a lot of people for a while. Especially Steven. I presumed he would know the easiest way to get back to Falcon. However, it turned out that Steven never learned the _exact_coordinates of this city when leaving."

"Back up," said Karla. "My son can read minds?"

Eric shrugged. "We do not know yet. But the brain is a computer and it emits waves that can be measured. It stands to reason that Donnie might one day learn how to understand the information the way he can surf through digital information."

Karla turned to her daughter. "That's not all. You have something, too."

Elvena tilted her head. She looked somewhat like an older version of her mother.

Karla grinned. "You'll stop aging soon. Just like your father, you should stop aging within a few years from now. You won't look like a child, like me; you won't get old - just like your father. Late thirties for life. Best of both worlds. I hope you're prepared to stick around for a while."

Elvena looked from her mother to her father and back to her mother. "How do you know this?"

"It's complicated." Eric reached an arm around his daughter and kissed her forehead. "But trust us. Falcon kept you in stasis, and people who study abilities have told us that it's likely you'll stop aging. Falcon kept you in stasis for a reason so I had Fox hack into the files. You have the genome. You will stop aging before you reach the age of forty."

"I see. So I'll ... what? I'll be thirty-seven forever?"

Karla grinned. "Thirty-seven is the new twenty-seven."

Elvena shrugged. "I'll believe it when I see it. Right now, I just want to find my little brother and get him out of here. Why didn't you guys tell me he had an ability before I went off on my mission?"

Karla sighed. "At the time, you seemed jealous. Or maybe you were angry. I don't know. But, honey, we're a family. I know your father and I argued a lot but..."

"A lot?" Elvena turned to her mother. "How embarrassing was my sweet sixteen party when you telekinetically knocked my father across the living room in front of all my friends?"

"It was a slap," Karla murmured. She frowned. "I'm sorry I was eccentric. I'm sorry I was dramatic. I'm sorry your father and I disrespected you, and, even more so, that we disrespected each other during our spats. But, honey, that's what marriage is sometimes. You have lover's quarrels, and then you have makeup sex. And then you apologize to each other, and your children. I have a relationship and a solid foundation with your father. I made a life with him. I'm ready to try again."

Elvena looked down. "I don't feel comfortable talking about this right now."

"What's wrong?" Karla asked. She drew her daughter away from Eric. The two stood alone together.

"Carmen went home. She and I got into trouble down here. I feel like it was my fault. And now her fiancé is no longer a vampire, so she'll be thrilled she can have kids with him. You know how you hate being alone, mom? I'm the same way. And sometimes you act half my age, so it's difficult trying to take you seriously when I had to be the adult about things half the time - that's what is wrong."

Karla reached for Elvena's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'll get my shit straight, sweet-pea. I've been given another chance. Yet another chance, I should say. I was given a new lease on life in 1906, and again in 1999, and one more time in 2024. Fourth time's the charm."

"That's not how the saying goes. If you haven't learned your lesson by now, you need to adapt your game and bend the rules."

"Now you're starting to sound like me, Vena."

"Yeah. I just need to learn how to accept you for who you are and work with you."

"I would appreciate that," Karla told her daughter.

Elvena shrugged. "I was jealous. I was jealous of everything - that you'd be forever young, that you could argue with Dad and he would eventually cave in and give you your way ... I was angry you'd live forever and stay beautiful. I was pissed off that you had someone to love you, no matter how goofy you acted. Meanwhile, I had no one. I tried so hard to be something in my life, and you didn't have to try at all. Guys fawn over you. Look at the werewolf guy - he keeps looking at you. And that guy over there - the one with the stupid name ... he just got his fiancée back, but you can tell he cares about you. And the young one, Johann or whatever - he's obviously attracted to you. I'm trying to acclimate myself."

"Please don't judge me for my past lovers."

Elvena sighed and shook her head. "All of them?"

"Yeah, and Kalen."

"Christ. Most moms are jealous of their daughters for being young and pretty. It's weird for the daughter to be older looking than her mother. I put my job first and now I realize just how lonely I am because of it."

Karla put her hands on her daughter's face. "Vena, you are beautiful. You worked hard, and if you wanted to be special ... you always have been. If you wanted to live forever, well, now you will. And you've worked hard at it. Just ... be ready, honey. It's not as easy as you might think. It's hard on the soul."

"I'm sorry I was difficult to deal with." Elvena added, "I'll bring Donnie back. Nothing will happen to him when I bring him up here. I promise."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Rufus Darken approached the two girls. He nodded to Karla and offered his human hand to Elvena. "Howdy ma'am."

Karla grinned at Rufus. She knew what he was doing; she knew he must have overheard the conversation. "What are you doing, Ruebear?"

"I'm just introducing m'self to those in the group I dunno very well. You mind, Blondie?"

Elvena offered her hand to Rufus. "This gives me the chance to thank you and the others. I appreciate all the hard work everyone has accomplished."

Rue grinned. "Ain't you just the belle of the ball, kiddo. Perdy face and you talk all kinda smart." They shook hands. Afterwards, Rue put both his hands into his pockets, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his pants.

Elvena lowered her eyes, briefly, then lifted her gaze. "It couldn't have been easy."

"Nah," Rue said. "But we're the 'calvary', darlin'. Failure ain't optional."

Karla laughed and shook her head. "Rue, it's cavalry. Cah. Val. Ree. 'Calvary' the way you said it, is the hill where Christ was crucified."

"Oh. Damn - I been sayin' it wrong for ages. Best not to chant 'go Calvary' at mah next pep rally. Don't want people thinkin' I'm rootin' for the Romans."

Karla grinned. "And let's talk about how often you say 'ain't' and double negatives."

"Reckon so." Rue smirked at Karla, adding, "You gonna go getting' me all 'fustrated' till I'm liable to go 'nu-cue-ler.' Seriously, though, you likes yer big words but you don't speak near as eloquently as yer daughter."

"Mom, you're embarrassing him," Elvena said. "Rufus?" she asked, "That was your name?"

"Ayup. But I reckon you can call me Rue, if'n ya like."

Karla and Rufus made brief eye contact, as if agreeing on the unspoken situation.

Karla motioned to Elvena and stepped back. "If you two want to talk, I'll go away so I don't correct anyone anymore. I need to catch up with my husband anyhow."

Elvena nodded. "You go and do that, mom. I'm sure dad misses you. I know you pulled me aside because it's been so long since you and I connected. I appreciate that you miss me, and I promise I will spend more time with you soon. But dad is standing over there kicking rocks."

Karla grinned back at her husband. "Actually, now that I think about it, I have a lot to do. I'll catch up with you _and_Eric later on." The succubus turned to Rufus and whispered, "Be a gentleman," into his ear and walked away from the two.

Karla excused herself from the pair and walked back towards the bulk of the group. She gestured with her hands, motioning for the dispersal of chatting people.

When no one moved right away, Karla announced, "You people trying to make yourselves targets? We don't know if this place is fully cleared yet. C'mon. Break it up. Stop standing around like a bunch of wallflowers at a crappy high school dance."

Rue and Elvena started walking together, talking amongst one another.

Karla glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. She turned back to Eric and said, "I'm going to start organizing people. You talk to Donovan - lord knows you've been wanting to do that for twenty-six years."

Eric nodded and turned to Donovan.

The rest of the group dispersed and headed back to the apartments where they'd been staying for the past few nights.

The park cleared until only Donovan and Eric remained.

They sat in the park, speaking very little.

Finally, Donovan turned to Eric and asked, "Justus finished your training?"

"No. Most things I figured out on my own."

Donovan nodded. "Are you prepared to finish this? Would you prefer that I go in your place?"

"No. This is something I must do for myself. I appreciate you making the sacrifice for me all those years ago, but Falcon tried to kill me after you were gone. As soon as your eyes shut, he told his people to hunt me."

Donovan shook his head and sighed. "And I was not there to protect you. I am truly sorry, Eric."

"It doesn't matter. I lived. You're still alive. I raised a family, and Justus began working with Natalia. Our family name is beginning to grow. We assumed we were all dead, or nearly so ... but now we all know better."

Donovan feigned a weak smile. "You know, I asked Karla to stay away from you."

Eric smiled back. "On some days, I wish she'd have listened. But we have no regrets. Things have turned out well, considering."

"Considering what?"

Eric sat down on one of the benches. "Considering we are not soulmates, her and I. Immortality will be difficult unless we take breaks from one another. Don't get me wrong - we love one another. I dare say we are in love with one another. However, we are not perfectly matched. She will never stop loving this young man who died in 1999."

"Ah. Well, no one can control such a loss. If the love of her life died fifty years ago, it is now up to you to hold her in her time of need. Perhaps I am not explaining myself properly - Karla is your wife, now. You have children. You are a family. No one can take that from you, even if short breaks are necessary."

"It was Sire."

"Pardon me?"

"He programmed me to love her. He thought I was mentally unbalanced enough to be driven to insanity by her. He thought that an unbalanced relationship like ours would make me less likely to stand in Falcon's way. He thought I would keep Karla distracted from her war against Falcon."

"Then Sire gambled and lost on his decision regarding Karla and yourself. Twenty-five years and you're still married. You're still alive. I'm told Reno killed Falcon. I'm told Sinopa killed Sire."

"Yes. Thank you for believing in me."

"Thank you for taking your training seriously." Donovan stood up. "After this, we'll finish what I started. I'll make sure you know everything I know."

"I would like that."

Donovan nodded. "Please, go and rest with your family. We'll speak later, when the dust has settled."

Eric offered his hand to his uncle. They shook. "See you then."

Meanwhile, several blocks away, Rue and Elvena continued walking and talking together.

The pair, now alone, continued their casual stroll over a mile from the park.

Elvena shook her head. "I just read a lot. I'm a bit of a loner I guess."

"I'd have benefited a lot from readin' more. Thing is, I was illiterate most of my life."

"Seriously? You were illiterate?"

"Ayup, sure was. When Bull was just'a young kid, maybe fourteen or fifteen at the time, we crossed paths in Australia. He were all outta sorts, 'cause his father died and his mother wanted to move from Oklahoma back to where she grew up, in Australia - Bull didn't know anyone there and he didn't like living in a village like it were some sorta cultural crap. He didn't get along with black kids his age from nearby Melbourne. So, he went for a walk one day and headed right out inna middle of nowhere."

"Yeah?"

Rue nodded. "Well, he got inna bit of trouble, y'know? I were over there on my walkabout. I helped him out. I walked him back to town. I couldn't read street signs once we were in the village, and he said he'd teach me to read. Guess that was 'bout 2005. But! I known my numbers. I knew numbers real good - known'em a long damn time."

"I see. So you learned to read from a teenaged boy who never finished high school?"

"Ayup. Funny, huh? Learnin' to read was harder than listenin' to Peter talk quantum theory crap." Rue grinned a bit. "I shouldn't say 'crap.' It wasn't crap. I gotta good deal of respect for it."

"Do you understand any of it?"

"Ayup. Comprehension ain't no problem for me. Taking the time to learn stuff is where I sometimes fall short."

"Don't take this wrong," Elvena told the southerner with a smile, "because you're cute and you seem pretty smart, and I like your dialect ... but you don't seem like you're the kind of guy to care enough to want to understand quantum anything."

"Yeah?" Rue laughed. "Fair enough. I'd rather drink a beer and talk about monster trucks - guilty as charged. But I get it. I understand all this quantum gibberish."

"Okay, I believe you."

Rue's smile brightened. "Listen here, darlin'. I had thoughts about this stuff. I get it."

"Thoughts, huh? You really understand quantum mechanics and the theories behind it?"

"Ayup."

"Okay, so what kind of 'thoughts' were you having, cowboy?"

Rue grinned. "Okay, so like, what if people could invent a quantum state machine that could alter th' brainwaves of a subject, anywhere. Need a nap in Seattle, but ya left yer sleep machine in DC? Ain't no problem - just a quantum state adjustment, via internet access to the machine. Need to tranq a patient for an operation? Suppress them-there consciousness waves and add some endorphins to ward off any post-operation pain."

Elvena listened intently.

Rue changed the way he spoke so that it sounded more like a radio announcer selling some random product. "Better yet, change the quantum state of those pesky cells 'n just pee 'em away. Or cause'em to attach to yer poo for tha' extra fiber you need. Yes indeed, quantum mechanics are yours today, so Earth's scientists can go regularly 'n often!"

"Oh my god, you're as goofy as my mother."

"I'm jus' young at heart. When you stop wondering 'bout yer mortality, you become comfortable with yer true-self. You stop pretending to be what you think others want you to be, y'know?"

She nodded in understanding. "Do you really think I'll stop aging one day soon?"

"There're these lil' things in yer cells that determine yer aging. Check yers."

Elvena smiled a bit. "Right. I forget what they're called. My mother is the one with the big vocabulary. I always figured she likes people to feel inferior around her."

Rufus recalled the word - telomeres. However, after hearing Elvena's remark about feeling inferior to large vocabularies, Rue decided not to bring up the word.

"What was that damn word..."

Reu shrugged. "It's a'ite. It don't matter what the word was. You knew what I meant. Didja know intelligence is measured by comprehension? You could recall everything you've ever seen, heard, and read, but if you don't understand it, then you're about as smart as a camcorder."

"My mother is proud of her big vocabulary. It frustrates my father."

Rue reached over and ruffled Elvena's hair. He offered her a warm smile and said, "You don't need to memorize everything ya' hear to be smart. You just gotta understand things. Seems to me you got things perdy much figured out. I'd wager to say you're a shit-ton smarter than I ever was."

Elvena cut her eyes over at Rufus. She looked down. "Most guys are offended at the thought of a woman being smarter. They need to make more money, know more, and be superior on every level, else they feel intellectually threatened."

Rufus shook his head. "Nah. Bein' illiterate for fifteen decades has a way of humblin' a guy. Besides, I seen some of the smartest men 'n women around ... and there've been times where they couldn't change their own oil on their car. Who'm I to judge?"

"That's a really mature outlook, Rue." She offered a slight chuckle. "You go from talking about ... bathroom topics to philosophy and humility in one conversation. You're a very interesting man, you know that?"

"Well thank you, darlin'."

"How about coffee? I saw a coffee shop not far from here." She rubbed her chin, wanting to see the werewolf transformation again, mostly out of curiosity. "If you can get the door open, I can make us coffee."

"Elvena, I reckon I'd love a nice cuppa coffee. Lead the way. I'll bash down tha' door for you, if'n that's what'cha want. It'd be my pleasure."

"Would you consider doing it in the fur?"

"Yeah, but you should know I cain't wear these clothes when I change. I'd rip'em at the seams."

"I understand." She smiled with a nod. Her eyes cut away. Maybe she had more of her mother's personality than she initially realized. For some reason, the idea of him kicking down a door naked made everything far more interesting.

"A'ite then."

She side-nodded in the direction of the coffee shop. "It's not much further. I remember it was up here on the left."