Shake Your Body

Reunion

Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough
You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love

– Robert Palmer (Addicted to Love)

=/\=

The engraving, such as it was, was finished by Malcolm and he and Lili waited. "I think the capital R is a little crooked," he said.

"It's fine. Don't worry. You're such a perfectionist."

"Well, I just want it to be right. Do you think Richard will understand what sort of a message we are sending?"

"I think it identifies time and place – at least on our side of the pond – pretty readily. And it's obscure enough that anyone who means him – or us – harm wouldn't immediately understand it. It's probably odd enough to draw him here."

As if he had heard her speaking, they saw and heard a ship in the sky above them. They walked to the side, near Joss's house. Joss had gone to work at the veterinary hospital, but Jia was home with Jay. She came out, holding him. "What's going on?"

"The stone," Lili explained, "it looks like someone took our bait."

"Hopefully, the right fish bit," Jia said, holding Jay a little closer.

"I hope so as well," Malcolm said to Lili quietly. He still had the hand phaser with him, and was still a decent shot, but his eyesight was failing a bit. He was none too comfortable with the idea of shooting someone, particularly in front of the baby, but if he had to defend them, he would. Even though he was no biological relation to Joss, he still felt a kinship. A stepson was as good as a son, so far as he was concerned. There was no step involved – the prefix had no meaning to Malcolm.

They need not have worried. The ship landed, and the pilot was careful to not land on top of the garden. Lili smiled to herself. The last time Rick had come over; he had landed right on top of the day lilies and the asparagus. Then he had knelt over the patch and done something to the soil. She didn't know what. But afterwards whatever grew there was always incredibly resilient. She did not know that it was Stem Cell Growth Accelerator, which was a substance added to his blood that made his body repair itself considerably faster than normal. The substance, in the soil, also affected the plants, so they survived and grew and even thrived. The asparagus eaten at the Temporal Museum in 3110 was a descendant of the plants right before them.

What Lili also did not know was that Norri and Melissa had added a little of that soil to where they'd planted the tofflin root on her own property. They had just thought it was particularly good, rich soil, nothing more.

The time ship landed and out stepped Rick, with a young man with a military bearing. They came over to her. "I see you got the message," Lili said, hugging Rick. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Thomas Grant, ma'am. I am glad to know you. You're, uh, I've read about you."

"Me?" Lili asked, taken aback. "Read what?"

"Stuff," Rick said, "things we can't go into. Gotta protect the timeline and all. Suffice it to say, you're in the first pioneering family and we come from nine hundred plus years later, so there are books written and all." He didn't mention that the first – and it was considered to be the most authoritative title – one was a book by Norri, The Human Pioneers of Lafa II.

"Got it. Mysterious, magical things that I'm not supposed to know about," Lili said, smiling and introducing Tom to Malcolm. "Tom, you look a little like Tommy.  I never know what to call him. Stepson?"