Once everyone was at the table, Grandma came out and stated "Breakfast will be out shortly; a pair of mischievous mind leeches discovered what I was planning and took over the kitchen. While you are still getting the same thing, they insisted that I let them prepare it for you."
As Grandma took a seat, Dermot leaned over to Barrett, "Daddy? What's a mind leech? Are they dangerous?"
Barrett smiled. "You know that voice in your head before you were born that helped you get ready?"
"Yeah ..."
"That was your Uncle Kyle, he's the first of his type of Human, and his close family calls him 'Leech' because his telepathy was uncontrolled before he evolved, which meant he knew everything they were thinking. He looks just a little older than you, but he's the King of the Mikyvis; that's what his branch of humans are called. Him, his husband, and their kids are only dangerous to bad people, so you guys don't have to worry."
"Okay," Dermot replied, satisfied at his Daddy's answer. The rest of the new boys relaxed as well, trusting Barrett's word completely. Evan caught Barrett's eyes, giving him a smile and a nod to let him know that he'd done good, which earned him a huge smile from Barrett in return.
Just then, Kyle and Tyler rolled out two carts piled with plates of blueberry waffles, all topped with whipped cream. As Tyler began passing them out, vanilla shakes appeared in front of each of the table's occupants. As the plates were placed, Kyle explained "My first real mommy used to make these like this to show me that I was special to her. Grandma wanted to show you that you were special to her, so she was making these for you; they only get made like this for special people. We took over because you're all special to us too, so these are from us and Grandma. Kaen, Foem, Derm, Diam; the four of you were the very first time I've ever helped someone like I did for you to give them a life. You're under the protection of all of my family, and are the only ones that my family has the approval to judge anyone who attempts to harm you. You're on your own if you are the reason that they are doing it, so don't go starting fights or stuff like that. Caedon, you stuck with your Daddy long before anyone said he was really your Daddy, then as soon as you met your Poppa, you latched onto him too. That makes you really special, since most kids would have gave up. Haden and Barrett, you didn't even blink before accepting the twins, then Hayden made sure that it was me that prepared them for life. You trusted me absolutely; that is something that I will never forget. Evan and Jimmy; the two of you finally accepted the role that you have held - Evan since the day they jumped time, and Jimmy from the day that Evan accepted him. Both of you are the heads of the Sheiraen family not only because of your ages, but because every member of your bloodline respects you.Grandma; while you've been having fun messing with Clan leaders since the second you met Julio, this is the first time that you've taken someone under your wing to guide them instead of challenging them. That earned you your own special waffles, because most adults don't know the difference."
"Hey Evan?" Tyler added as him and Kyle grabbed their plates, which didn't have whipped cream piled on top, "You guessed right about waiting to talk to Cleiton; you guys needed the overnight bonding to think clearly."
Evan glanced at the two plates, then quipped "Grandma, I think there are two little leeches who are unaware of their status in the family. Could you please get the whipped cream to make their breakfast the proper level for their status in the family?"
"Gladly," Grandma smiled, before quickly getting up to take care of the request.
"You are the Godfathers of our sons," Haden stated firmly to the two shocked Mikyvis. "Kerry answered some of my questions about what Cleiton's family has went through, and he filled me in on the meaning of Glen's status. I have a gut feeling that the family structure in Brazil closely matches the structure of our original family. Our sons shall address you as 'Uncles', and if approved by Evan, you are blood to the family Sheiraen."
"But ..." Kyle and Tyler tried to argue in unison, only to be silenced when Evan held up his hand.
After motioning for Grandma to do the honors on the plates of Kyle and Tyler, Evan spoke. "I think you just figured out why I have the urge to be the head of what remains of our bloodline, Haden; that also explains their response to us vanishing. Due to the actions of Kyle and Tyler, they are now declared Godfathers of our sons as well. Kerry, stop hiding and have Justy update Vulcan. While you are at it, I find Haden's logic sound, and declare the bloodline of Kyle Richardson and Tyler Short, which includes all humans designated Mikyvis as well as those adopted as Mikyvis, as blood to the family Sheiraen. As Patriarch of the family Sheiraen, my Word is given."
Evan's commbadge beeped. "Evan, this is Justy, I've got a message for you."
"Go ahead, Justy," Evan replied, wondering if he had screwed up.
"I have received the following message from the Vulcan Council, Patriarch." Justy stated seriously, obviously in official mode. "The Council has been advised of the restoral of the ancient bloodline 'Sheiraen' within Family Clan Short, and the events which allowed this to occur. As the bloodline has been maintained by three members, who were unaware due to events beyond their control, and verified historical data shows the bloodline to honor Vulcan traditions, the Council has determined that Logic dictates the recognition of the bloodline. It is declared that House Sheiraen of Family Clan Short of the House of Surak of the Planet Vulcan is to be recognized by all Houses and given all rights as Vulcan citizens. The Council has spoken."
Even though he was in shock, Evan managed to reply "I find the Council's determination logical, and am honored to accept."
"Sent, and congrats, that title of Patriarch is now official!" Justy replied. "On the subject of our favorite shoulder pirate and his cuddle buddy, it's all approved. I heard Cleiton's offered to help you guys settle in; he's the only head of a family around here who was prepared for it before it happened, so he's probably your best resource for figuring out what you got stuck with. Just so you know, you've got direct access to me now for any questions on how to do stuff, so don't be afraid to call me. Unlike Cory and the rest of the clowns he calls Directors and Sub-Clan Patriarchs, I'm betting your calls will be sane!"
Justy's jab at the Clan leadership served its purpose; it made Evan laugh. "Thanks, Justy! I'll call you later; maybe you can bring your family over to meet ours."
"Sounds like a plan!" Justy giggled. "Catch you later!"
"Later!" Evan replied. He then turned towards Kyle and Tyler. "Were you saying something, little brothers?"
"You're just as bad as Cory!" Kyle giggled, Tyler nodding his agreement with a grin.
"That's what I thought," Evan smirked. "Now that you have proper waffles, let's eat!"
"Thanks for the help, Xavier," Evan and Cleiton stated as they re-appeared in the Family Room.
"You're welcome Uncle Evan and Uncle Cleiton," Xavier replied. "Daddy and Poppa need to figure out being Godfathers with Uncle Glen, so since I'm the Divisional Mikyvis, I decided to help."
"Whose house do you stay at?" Cleiton asked.
"I don't really need a room, I just pick someone and cuddle," Xavier grinned.
Cleiton raised his eyebrows, then gave Evan a questioning look.
Evan nodded, then looked Xavier in the eyes. "Xavier, you're blood to my Family now. You saw the same things we did while we were checking out how my family was structured. Can you think of any logical reason that I shouldn't insist that a member of my family have a place of his own at the location he is watching over?"
Realizing that it was a serious question, Xavier reviewed everything they had just seen. After checking a few lines they didn't follow just to be sure, he replied "The Elders of your family would not allow one of their own to be without their own place at the location they were working, or if they were not working, the place they were located."
Evan nodded. "So that means that unlike your parents, you won't try to argue when I make a decision, correct?"
Fully realizing where this was going, but appreciative of how Evan was walking him through it to learn how his normal-human family would process such a situation, Xavier replied "As you are Patriarch of my bloodline, unless your decision would destabilize a Time event, it would be my duty to accept it. If it has an effect which you would not normally be aware of, it is my duty to give you as much information as I can to incorporate it into your decision."
"Good answer!" Evan smiled. "Now go pick a bedroom, you live here now."
"Thanks Uncle Evan!" Xavier grinned before speeding up the stairs to find an empty room that he liked.
"You sure that you're new at this?" Cleiton joked, "I learned a couple of things just now!"
Evan nodded as the two of them picked a couch to continue their talk. "I think I did too; I know that Xavier's only a few days old, so I walked him through things instead of just assuming that he knew them."
Cleiton nodded. "I think both of us might want to do that more often, especially if we're dealing with something new. When Xavier brought up that he would only accept something if it didn't mess up a timeline, that made me wonder how many other decisions might have went different if the option for input was there."
"Good point," Evan replied as he glanced around the room. Haden and Barrett were absent, having taken charge of entertaining the kids from all of the families. Glen, Kyle, and Tyler had picked a private corner, all three flickering occasionally as they confirmed just what their titles of 'Godfather' really entailed. Jimmy and Kaique had their own little conference going, sorting out their responsibilities as the 'seconds' to their Family Patriarchs. Grandma Morrison was in the dining room with Bento, bringing him up-to-date on the new Family and their status.
"I think we need to have a combined Family meeting after dinner, what about you?" Cleiton asked.
"I was just thinking something similar, " Evan replied. "I think it might be an idea to have Hac come over and help our husbands, though. He might help the Godfather Squad some, too."
"Good point; Dad and Pop might be some help to us figuring out what the stuff we saw means for this cycle, too. Should we call them over?"
"Let me check with Haden and Barrett; neither one likes surprises, and the extra kids would be a big one."
"I understand just how they feel," Cleiton admitted.
Nodding, Evan tapped his commbadge. "Evan to Haden and Barrett, you guys have a second or two?"
"Whats up, bro?" both boys giggled at the same time.
"Cleiton and I were thinking that Ardell, Colin, and Hac might be some help for those of us in here figuring things out. That would mean ten more kids, though, and we don't want you guys thinking that you're just babysitters for everyone who visits. What do you guys think? If you want to be in here, we can figure something else out for the kids who just want to play."
"Give us a minute," Haden replied.
"Is that good?" Cleiton asked as soon as Evan muted the mic on his commbadge.
"I think so," Evan replied. "Haden doesn't hold back; that response means that him and Barrett are considering it, or they are checking with the rest of the kids for issues."
"Evan?" Barrett asked over the commbadge.
"Yeah bro?" Evan replied.
"Haden and Cae are making sure that the rest of the boys understand some of the things they need to know about their cousins. We'll let you know when we're ready."
Evan grinned. "Xavier's getting his new bedroom here set up; do you want him to come out and give you guys a hand?"
"I'm not gonna ask how that happened!" Barrett giggled. "That's a good idea, though; he might catch something we're missing."
"I'll send him out as soon as I figure out when he's at," Evan replied.
"I'm NOT going there!" Barrett groaned. "Catch ya later, bro!"
Before Evan could ask, Xavier came down the stairs. "Kerry says you wanted to see me?" Xavier asked.
Evan nodded. "We're thinking of asking Hac, Ardell, and Colin to come over to help us get things organized. Would you mind helping Haden and Barrett with the little guys; getting the ones here now ready, and maybe helping with some of the ones coming over?"
"That sounds like fun!" Xavier exclaimed. "Can I take them on field trips to watch some kewl stuff?"
"Keep them out-of-phase and you're okay;" Evan stated, "each scratch or bug bite means no cookies for a week - no matter when or where you are, understood?"
"Yes, Patriarch," Xavier nodded seriously. "I'll be with Haden and Barrett, I'll poke you and Uncle Cleiton in the head as soon as everyone is ready!"
"Sounds good; have fun!" Evan replied.
"Thanks for handling that, I was lost!" Cleiton commented as soon as Xavier was out of earshot. "Can you really make the cookie threat stick, and why cookies?"
"Every single one of Kyle and Ty's kids will hold to a punishment unless there is an emergency," Evan explained. "It's a Mikyvis thing; they hold themselves and each other to a higher standard because of the power that they have. I chose cookies because it proves that I am serious; while Xavier doesn't actually need to eat, one of the things him and his brothers are known for is their addiction to cookies; the only thing more important to a Mikyvis is cuddles. That told him that I don't want him taking any chances that are not required by a timeline; if it is required, the orders to do it will come from a lot higher than anyone in this room ... or even on this planet."
"Honestly, if I didn't think that it would dishonor Bento, I'd suggest that we merge our families and share the role of Patriarch," Cleiton stated softly. "Both of us know so much that the other doesn't; I don't even know where to start sometimes."
"Just why would you think I would feel dishonored, neto?" Bento asked as him and Grandma walked into the room.
"What of our family heritage? Wouldn't that end our bloodline?" Cleiton asked.
Bento smiled as him and Grandma took seats on a nearby couch. "The two of us have made use of the resources available to trace our bloodline back from before your Father was born. The team that you have declared the 'Godfather Squad' just verified that which was missed in the initial search; missed because events of the time masked one important connection. Before I can continue, the persons that you and Evan wished to invite are required to be present."
Just then, both Evan and Cleiton heard Xavier's voice in their heads. "READY!"
"Why do I get the feeling that Xavier was waiting for that to be said?" Evan groaned. "Xavier says they are ready for the rest of the kids."
"We had to wait for you to reach the time branch," Xavier explained in both boy's heads. "Don't worry, you're not starting anything weird; you're just clearing up some loose ends from yesterday."
"Thanks, Xavier," both boys thought back, both feeling relieved that they had Xavier instead of one of his more outgoing brothers involved in whatever was happening.
Evan smiled as he turned to Cleiton. "Your turn, bro!"
"What is this, pick on big brother week?" Cleiton complained with a grin. Kerry, could you open a conference call between me, Dad, Pop, and Uncle Hac?"
Neither boy noticed the raised eyebrows on both adults at their form of address of each other, or the quiet giggles that came from the Godfather Squad.
"We're all here, what's up Cleiton?" Colin's voice announced over the badge.
"We were going to ask to to come over to help us figure out some things," Cleiton replied, "but then Grandfather and Grandma just came over saying they needed all of you here for something they found. Haden, Barrett, and Xavier are keeping the little guys occupied and, from the sounds of it, getting them caught up on things that concern them. Xavier says they are ready for all of our brothers and cousins to join them, so nobody would be left out."
"How'd you guys get Xavier to stop running around long enough to hang out?" Colin giggled.
"He lives here; Evan has declared all Mikyvis as blood, and the Vulcan Council has verified it," Cleiton explained.
"Oh shit," three voices exclaimed in unison. "We'll be right there!" Colin added before the call went dead.
Evan and Cleiton exchanged shrugs of their shoulders at the response from the other end of the call. Still not picking up on the reactions of their elders, they simultaneously asked "Hey, Kerry? We need a big platter of cookies!"
Grinning at each other at the coincidence, they finally noticed the expressions on the adult's faces. "What'd we miss?" Evan asked with concern.
"I'm checking now!" Kyle announced from the corner.
Seconds later, Tyler announced "There's a Fixed Point that was just triggered; Kyle is cleaning Time up right now."
Colin, Hac, and Ardell popped in at that instant, all three quickly becoming concerned at the expressions they were seeing. "What's wrong?" Ardell asked.
"I dunno, but a Fixed Point that Kyle has to handle is involved," Evan stated.
Tyler and Glen joined the group, and just as they were seated, Kyle appeared on Glen's lap. "Xavier's relaying bi-directional to Barrett and Haden, they're going to update the rest of the kids if needed," Kyle stated. "Now that Time has opened the Fixed Point, there are a few things that we couldn't see before that explain a lot."
"I'm sorry," Bento asked, "but just what is a Fixed Point?"
"That's okay; you haven't consciously had to deal with one," Kyle stated. "Unconsciously, you, Hac, and Ardell played a very big part in this one. A fixed point is an event in Time that MUST happen EXACTLY in a certain way; if it doesn't, it will break the entire Time tree. There are two types, yes-no and locked. A yes-no usually sorts itself out naturally; an example would be you stopping to get a coffee at a shop, which makes you miss getting in an accident. A locked point HAS to happen; if it doesn't, either one of us High Race people or an Angel has to get involved, or everything after that point fails. Since there was a long period where there were no High Races in our timeline, there are fixed points that we occasionally have to go back in time to fix. Usually it is related somehow to something current that leads us to it, so we're not always bouncing around looking for them."
"Keep going, little brother; you're explaining it good," Evan commented, earning him a small smile from Kyle.
"I don't really want to say the rest, but I have to," Kyle admitted. "I really hope you'll still want me as your little brother after you find out what I had to do."
"Get over here and plant your little butt on my lap," Evan stated, his tone clearly stating it wasn't a suggestion. "Out of all of us, the only three here that understand what a twisted sense of humor Time has more than me, Barrett, and Haden are you, Tyler, and your son. For some reason that only a power higher than you knows, you had to do what you had to do. Anyone tries to hold it against you, they have to deal with me; then if anything is left, I'll let JJ take his turn."
Deciding that he didn't want to lose two arguments with Evan in the same day, Kyle came over and took a seat on Evans's lap. "You're right, I wasn't given any choice," Kyle stated softly. "Please, don't say anything until I'm done; this isn't easy," he added as he looked around the room. After taking a minute to bring his emotions under control, he began. "There is a really big tangle in the family tree back then. Ardell, I think that you'll be glad to know that the man who abused you and almost killed you was not actually your biological father. He allowed your Mother to be artificially inseminated by a lab ... and the source donor was, unknown to him, the man that you ended up calling Father for the rest of his life."
"That was the easy part; now things get twisted. Ardell, when Klaus fixed you, it cleaned up your genetics to the point that there were no incompatibilities with close relation anymore. That's really good, because their was a genetic fault that was introduced into the Sheiraen line that popped up every once in a while. The man you called Father was actually the brother of the woman that Evan, Haden, and Barrett called Mother. I just found out that she wasn't killed when the skimmer crashed. Bento, your daughter didn't make it to being born. That week that your wife was really sick? That's when the baby was lost. Someone a LOT Higher than me replaced the lost baby with Evan, Haden, and Barrett's mom, aged back to an infant. That undid a lot of damage that she suffered from being raped as a child by an uncle in the second cycle, which made it so that she was able to give birth to Cleiton ... and Evan."
"To make it more twisted, Ardell's mom's maiden name was Sheiraen. For Haden and Barrett, I had to take a good egg from the Mom that Cleiton came from, have it mixed with a sperm that ended up being half Ardell and half of their Sheiraen father to make it stable, then a little Divine intervention to make it last to birth. Evan and Cleiton? That means that you're twins, even though you look like different ages. You and your little brothers carry the Sheiraen bloodline, with Ardell next in line after the four of you, then Haden and Barrett's sons."
"Evan? You had to be there for your little brothers, so one of the Angels shifted you to the version of your Mom that you grew up with as you were born, then cleaned things up until I could tell you now. Cleiton was born just after you vanished."
Kyle fell silent, his face clearly showing that he was just waiting for the explosion as silent tears ran down his cheeks.
Cleiton and Evan exchanged a long look, then silently instructed Xavier to come in with the rest of the family. Once they were all there, Haden and Barrett joined their big brothers to create a five-way hug with Kyle in the center, all four brothers silently comforting Kyle and proving with their actions that they held nothing against him.
Once Ardell composed himself, he joined the group hug, while Bento considered how this affected earlier discussions. Having made his decision, Bento got the attention of Colin and Hac. "Hac, Colin? Before you arrived, Cleiton had suggested that if it wasn't for his feeling that it would dishonor the Ramos linage, he believed that it would be most constructive to merge the two families. As it is now clear that both families are in fact one and the same as of their birth, is there any reason that you can see that would prevent both brothers from heading one combined family?"
"I can't answer that, but I know who can," Colin replied. "Xavier, could you please file a full report with Justy, and then have him call me? You might have to pop over to Vulcan to address the Council for this one, little guy."
"Okay, Uncle Colin," Xavier replied. "I'll be right back."
To the surprise of all who were not comforting Kyle, it took a full five minutes before Xavier returned, with Justy at his side. "Once everyone is ready," Justy stated, "I will begin. Know that Xavier is providing a two-way audio/visual link for Grandfather Sarek, who is sitting in Council for this action. Any words spoken by Xavier are of the mouth of Sarek."
After a short pause, Justy stated "As House Liaison of House Surak, I call this Conclave into session as required by Patriarch Sarek of the House of Surak."
"Proceed, Liaison." Sarek stated through Xavier.
"Patriarch Ardell;" Justy began, "have you verified the observations of the Mikyvis Council on the effects of their recent intervention?"
"Yes, Liaison." Ardell stated. "The raw details have been provided to appropriate persons on Vulcan. I believe a summary of my findings would be logical before stating my conclusion."
"Your Logic is sound; proceed," Justy replied.
"It would be logical to first document the procedures used to maintain data integrity," Ardell stated. "Due to the genetic manipulations present in the Second Cycle, Klaus has maintained a read-only sequential archive of the genetic print of every single person who has ever been through his medical facilities. A print was taken upon arrival and just prior to release. Three copies exist; Klaus, Ark, and the redundant backup of Klaus that we just discovered, Nick. To access the data requires confirmation of two of the AIs holding the data, as well as myself and Nyo, or whomever replaces us. Each sample is stamped with an encrypted code generated by the AI not submitting the data, which ensures minimal risk of tampering. For his own protection, Nick modified his program to give himself conscious control of updates. That has provided a historical check, as he added his own timestamp on the saves and stored it in such a way that it was impossible to overwrite with a modified copy."
Not expecting any comments, Ardell continued. "Both the Ark archive and the Klaus archive were opened to verify the stated genetic patterns; Nick provided the tampering check, independently verifying that his archive matched the other two records. As my genetics were damaged on arrival to the Klaus compound, a clean copy from when I was born was retrieved by Doctor Antonio Barnes with the assistance of Bryce Richardson. Comparison of the two revealed a twenty percent degradation due to the genetic effects of the 'learning bands' of that timeframe."
At Justy's nod that he'd covered the background, Ardell moved on to the details."At birth, my genetic map contained twenty-seven percent of the unique patterns of the Sheiraen bloodline. Six percent remained undamaged at the point that Klaus began the procedure to save my life, and due to the Sheiraen bloodline being once of the templates used for the modifications, ten percent was recovered. While the modifications of the procedure used were normally masked to prevent offspring from inheriting them, due to my natural makeup, I provide a fifteen percent continuance of the bloodline to my offspring."
"The Vulcan Science Council has verified your findings," Xavier stated. "The genetic makeup of Patriarch Ardell at his conception shall be the sole determinant of bloodline."
Ardell nodded, knowing that response wasn't needed. "The scans at birth for Patriarch Evan and Patriarch Cleiton show the expected deviations for fraternal twins. The standard appearance deviations are present, and Patriarch Evan checks to a sixty-seven point three percent bloodline, while Patriarch Cleiton is at sixty-six point nine."
"Both Haden and Barrett check at sixty-five point eight; their sons are a match to their fathers," Ardell stated. "Based on my findings, Patriarch Evan and Patriarch Cleiton are genetically the heads of their bloodline, with Patriarch Evan being seven minutes the elder. This has taken into account the possible errors in calculations of unmapped regions."
"The acknowledgement of statistical deviations is noted, and I find your logic sound in your determination. I shall return once this has been presented to the Council." Sarek stated through Xavier.
Noticing the questions in Bento's face that he was trying not to ask, Justy took the break to clear the air. "Grandfather Bento? Vulcan takes the merging of two bloodlines very seriously, as it decreases diversity. It is only allowed with the approval of the Vulcan Council, and is rarely granted. Cory and Alexi were approved based on the services provided to the Russian Royal Family by one of Cory's ancestors. Since this situation is similar, I think it will be approved as well, but I'm not able to declare it myself."
"That would explain the detail," Bento acknowledged. "While I find this process much different than what I would expect, I can see how it places safeguards in place that I might miss. Thank you for assisting my Family."
"You're welcome," Justy smiled. "Just remember, you're all part of my family now, and as liaison, I'm required to make sure that your family has everything they need to grow and prosper. I get chewed out if someone needs something and I don't arrange it, so just give me a call, even if you don't think I'll be able to help. I make it a point to confuse all of the AIs by coming up with stuff they can't figure out!"
"Point taken," Bento smiled. "We need to sit down later so I can be brought up to date on resources that are available to my offspring and their families."
"Get with Xavier when you're ready," Justy replied. "He'll set it up so that we can take a few seconds out of normal time to spend a month or so sorting out details."
"I will do just that," Bento replied.
"A determination has been reached," Sarek announced through Xavier.
The room fell silent, awaiting the declaration. "We await your determination, Patriarch," Justy stated formally.
"It is determined that the bloodline Ramos and the bloodline Sheiraen have merged. The bloodline Sheiraen has precedence within the merge. As no members of the Ramos bloodline exist which exceed the presence of the Sheiraen bloodline in members of House Ramos that are present, it is logical that the merging of House Ramos into House Sheiraen be acknowledged. The ancestral makeup of Patriarch Evan and Patriarch Cleiton is within the margin of error, so it is declared by the Vulcan Council that they are equal within House Sheiraen and are both to be acknowledged equally as Patriarch of Family Sheiraen. The Council has spoken; Liaison, you are to update the Family Archives appropriately."
"I shall make it a priority, Patriarch." Justy replied. "I estimate the training of the new patriarchs to take one week before they are fully versed in their new stations."
"That is acceptable." Sarek acknowledged. "I shall visit tomorrow to assist with the training."
"I find your assistance logical, and await your arrival," Justy stated formally. "Live long and prosper, Grandfather."
"May Logic be your guide," Sarek replied.
Xavier relaxed, and after a few seconds, giggled "That was fun! The Council liked the secure relay through me, Uncle Justy; they said that they'll call me if they need to hold a remote Council session again, since I can't be hacked!"
"Congrats, Xavier; you just earned something that is yours alone," Justy smiled. "Your Uncle Cory's gonna be really proud of you once I explain it to him in small words that he'll understand!"
"I heard that, Justy!" Cory's voice announced over the speakers. "Xavier, could you please bring Grandfather Bento, Grandma Morrison, and Julio up to Archnania? I'll meet you guys there once I finish convincing Kyle that he did a good thing."
"Okay, Uncle Cory," Xavier replied.
"You'll like Archnania, Grandfather," Cleiton stated. "It's kinda weird at first, but it is safe and really private. Tell Prince Chance I said Hi!"
Bento smiled, "Thank you for calming my worries, Cleiton. We will leave you and your brother to make the arrangements necessary for merging the families; do not worry, as between the two of you, I am confident that you will make the right decisions."
As Xavier vanished with Grandma and Grandfather, Colin, Ardell and Hac came over to join the newly-designated co-Patriarchs. "Don't worry, we've got your backs," Ardell stated as he gave them both a hug.
"I'll hang out here to give you a hand," Justy announced. "That way, you at least have one sane person to ask for advice!"
"You're just trying to go swimming, ain't you, Uncle Justy!" Glenn giggled. "Me and Uncle Ty are going to help Haden and Barrett answer all of the questions from the little guys. We'll be in the Rec Room if you need us."
"That means you stay with us, little brother," Evan told Kyle with a smile. "We're not letting you go until you admit that you didn't mess us up in any way."
"Yep, they're your sons, Ardell!" Colin quipped, earning him a slap upside his head from Ardell.