Due to Tyler’s superb sense of timing, Jared ended up spending what was left of his evening in the cafeteria with the only slightly younger male, trying his hardest to make any of the last year make sense to anyone other than the four people who had lived it. Perhaps he was attempting to rehearse the conversation for when they’d have to have it with Miranda. But more likely, he was trying anything he could to keep Tyler from sharing any piece of that story without the first-hand understanding of exactly why they had all done...all the things they had done; some of the most shockingly intense and passionate of those things, just that very morning.

Kyle also kept himself occupied with the attempted repair and restoration of the computer system which had been beyond devastated by Serena literally wiring herself into it. More accurately, the devastation mostly occurred when she had then gone and gotten her throat torn out, somehow, by the attractive young brunette who lay recovering from her own brush with death at that very moment.

It was past midnight already when Kyle’s continued slaving over the computer system was interrupted again. Looking a bit worse for wear, but still wearing a small smile, Miranda had now appeared in the doorway to the computer hub. Kyle moved his eyes up to greet her, hoping she didn’t notice the way his breath caught at the prospect of her asking about her daughter, which she almost certainly was sure to.

“Well this definitely brings back some memories” she attempted as she took a few shaky steps toward the seat Jared had occupied earlier.

“You mean of the last time you were in this room, or the last time I was?” he had to ask.

Miranda thought on that a moment as she sat, with a bit of remaining pain obvious from the surgery, “let’s just go with last time you were; that involved less death and terror at least” she then swallowed as she looked around the long since abandoned room that had used to be the heart of the ship she had spent twenty years of her life commanding, “so, I’m hoping my daughter’s story has a better ending than mine, anyway” she stated sadly.

Kyle took another shallow breath as he also averted his eyes before attempting to smile back at her, “ending? Pretty sure us finding all of you would more likely be considered a new beginning, wouldn’t it?”

Miranda seemed to be trying to find more words then as she looked around once more, “you weren’t just saying what you thought I wanted to hear cause I was dying at the time, were you?”

Kyle narrowed his eyes at that, “not sure I follow.”

“All I got when I begged you for news of her, was ‘Lili’s alive.’ You barely said another word about her. Is there something you all are leaving out? Please, I need to know.”

Kyle allowed another smile, slight though it was, “I swear to you Miranda, Lili is indeed alive.”

She simply shook her head again, “see, you’re doing it again. No details whatsoever. How am I supposed to not worry about what the whole story may actually be, especially after...” her voice then trailed off as she averted her eyes again.

Another skeptical look from Kyle as he finally turned his full attention to the older woman, “after what?”

Miranda took another deep breath, once again searching for words, “Serena told me about your theory.”

“What theory would that be?” he had to know.

“About the E-children, and the things they can do as they get older” she supplied, then watching him closely to see the way he did quickly avert his eyes as she feared that he would. “And then I saw it for myself, up close and personal” she stated as she shivered slightly at the memory of all the death Serena had rained down on them that day, “and all I could think is: My god, my daughter is out there with two of them” she added with another shaky breath as Kyle continued to look down, silent. “So how am I not supposed to think the worst when you keep leaving so much out?”

Kyle thought a long moment before calling on his logic, “yeah, the E-children are different” he admitted softly, “but every single person on this planet with you right now is one of them...and other than Serena, have any of us ever hurt you?”

Miranda allowed a small sigh, “but you so easily could. All of you. It’s pretty scary when you’re one of the obsolete models.”

“Normal humans used to hurt each other every day” Kyle pointed out, “were you scared of all of them too?” he asked her pointedly.

“It’s just...” she began, only to cut herself off before she could finish that cliche.

“It’s been just as hard for Ian and Lili” he attempted, as if just realizing it himself, “but they’ve been trying, really trying, cause they know they have to get used to the idea of ‘us,’” he swallowed a bit, “especially now.”

Miranda then looked up quickly at the last bit of his statement, “I suppose you mean because of the fact that there’s now twenty of them, and only three of us?” she asked, another slight shiver.

“Well, they didn’t even know about the other sixteen here, til today” he offered. It was then that he almost decided to tell her about the fact that she now had a grandchild who was indeed one of these E-children, but after taking a breath, and biting his lip, he made himself move on from being the one to drop that particular bombshell. “I have something that might make you feel a slight bit better about your daughter...and about all us scary E-kids, too.”

She looked up quickly again at that, but expectantly, “what would that be?”

“The computer may not be up to sending Lili a message about you being alive and well again, but I could” he offered, with more than a bit of nervousness at confessing one of his own abilities to her right then.

When Ian returned from his hunting trip earlier that evening, he was more than a bit shocked to find that Will had not once, but twice in the same day traversed space and time to get himself back to their shack. More surprising than that though, was that he found Will and Lili sitting close together in the open doorway of the shack as the stars had slowly begun peeking out. Not only were they sitting so close you’d think they’d known each other for years, they were both laughing and conversing with each other with a happiness that had been way too foreign to any of them for way too long.

Upon hearing Ian approach, they both looked his way, still each wearing their smiles. Not making any move to get up from his cozy seat next to Lili, Will yawned slightly through his greeting, “Ian, you came back.”

“Yeah, I tend to do that” he said with another skeptical glance at his two most recent lovers and that easy familiarity the two seemed to have immediately fallen into upon their very first ‘official’ conversation with one another even.

“You can barely keep those pretty eyes open” Lili teased Will with another smile, “why don’t you go cuddle up and get some rest inside. You’ve more than earned it.”

“I guess I am a little tired.” he agreed with another smile as the two finally stood and he stretched a bit before heading over to where Ian had just finished tucking that day’s game away for later use.

He then easily moved to wrap his arms around Ian as the older man stood. In the next moment he leaned in for a passionate kiss, sliding his tongue inside the other man’s mouth for several long moments before finally moving back.

“Don’t stay out here too long” he then looked back at Lili’s still smiling face, “either of you. It’s getting colder” he added with another smile before moving back toward where she was still leaning against the door frame. He then moved close to her and placed a slightly less passionate kiss upon her lips, briefly, “good night, girl” he teased with a sort of inside joke between the two of them, before heading inside at last.

“So, girl” Ian spoke as soon as Will had gone inside, taking a tentative step toward Lili, “how exactly did pretty eyes earn his nap, or that kiss?” he had to add.

“I’m pretty sure he kisses everyone, doesn’t he?”

“Nice deflect” he called her on it, “now confess” he added, though managed to keep a trace of playfulness in his tone.

Lili chuckled softly, “Well, he did sort of single-handedly get us our ship back, and survivors too. I’d say that’s a pretty big earn.”

“Go on” he prodded as he moved close to her as well, knowing enough to know there was more to the story.

Lili just allowed another only slightly nervous laugh before responding, “I can see why you fell for him so fast. Everything about him is just so...refreshing” she decided on.

Ian thought about that statement as he gave her another skeptical look, “I don’t recall ever saying I fell for him” he teased.

“Oh, you did” she disagreed, though with a continued smile.

“So you’re the mind-reader now?” he chided her, reaching out to gently wrap his arms around her waist as they spoke.

“It’s impossible not to fall for him” she allowed herself to admit as she lay her cheek against his chest wistfully, “maybe that’s his third super-power” she chuckled, more to herself.

“They get three now?” Ian narrowed his eyes again, while the two continued holding each other under the stars.

“He is the oldest” she reminded.

“I’m aware” he returned, then looked down at her again, “so, you’ve just admitted that you’ve fallen for my other lover. Dare I ask?”

Lili laughed again, allowing herself to give him a little squeeze as they continued standing in each other’s arms, “what exactly are you asking again?” she stalled for a bit of time to prepare for whatever question was coming her way.

“I guess the loudest question is, should I be preparing for my second threesome with you in one day?”

“You really think I’d have sex with three guys in one day?” she asked, though her look made it seem like she really wanted to hear the answer.

“So, that hasn’t happened before?” he asked, his own curiosity about that particular question having crossed his mind more than once since their arrival there.

She just looked up at him warily, “I’m not sure how I should take that question, actually” she then quickly moved on “plus, don’t I already have three different lovers? Wouldn’t a fourth kind of...well....make me...” she wasn’t sure how to end that question honestly.

“Make you...have even more than twenty orgasms in one day?” he offered with a slight smirk.

She just scowled up at him as she finally pulled out of his arms to head back inside, Ian following quietly behind her. As he followed her into her room, she spoke again, “but seriously...how fucked up would I be if I actually did do anything with Will now too?”

Her question was followed by a long silence before Ian finally looked up at her expectant expression, “that wasn’t rhetorical?”

Lili scoffed again, “I mean...my mother might be one of those survivors Jared went to help, and she doesn’t even know she’s a grandmother yet. If I were to...let anything happen with Will now too...don’t even wanna know what she’s gonna think of me as it is.”

Ian was silent a long moment, as he and Jared had spoken that same day about what Miranda might think of them as well. So, he definitely understood Lili’s worry. But, he decided he needed to give her an honest answer to her soul-searching on that particular evening.

“If you still thought that you were never gonna see your mother again, then what would you want to do, or not do. with Will?” he asked her pointedly. “And keep in mind, I know how you like deflowering E-children” he had to get in one more little teasing comment.

“That comment didn’t help” she scowled, “besides I thought you already took care of the deflowering of our little ghost, weeks ago” she called him on it.

“Well, technically, I only took his boy-virginity” he smirked.

“That’s actually a thing?” she had to laugh again.

“Believe me, that’s a thing. Take me; I know you like to” he teased again as he sat down next to her on the bed, “but I lost my girl-virginity when I was thirteen. However, I didn’t lose my boy-virginity til I was fifteen. See, it’s a thing” he assured her with another smile.

Lili couldn’t help another laugh, but it soon got lost in her throat as she had much to still ponder about her own true desires right then.