Nichole had been thinking about Xavier after the last time she had seen him. He had been a really good friend and she wondered how he was doing. Since she knew Cindy was related to him though distantly she decided to hunt her down at school. If she remembered rightly she was the daughter of one of his aunts second husband.
She finally found her during lunch and flopped down next to her, "Hey Cindy do you have an address or something for Xavier? I would like to send him a letter or an e-mail. It was really nice seeing him at Christmas." She started eating as she waited for Cindy to answer.
Cindy almost choked on the bite she had taken. That hadn't been a question she had been expecting. On top of that knowing what she now did about Ray and the others it was almost too much. After clearing her throat, she pulled out some paper, "I have an e-mail addy, they have been traveling so they don't have a fixed address." Well not on earth that was, "He will get the e-mail eventually though sometimes it takes time for him to respond. It was nice to see him and his family. Nuzzle was darling wasn't she?"
Nichole almost frowned when Cindy seemed to choke due to the question. What was the problem? When she took the paper she did raise an eyebrow. The addy was Packhands @ liraque.com, "Huh? What the heck type of addy is that?" When Cindy started snickering Nichole almost glowered at her. It was as if she knew something she wasn't sharing.
When Nichole glowered at her Cindy settled for a good smirk. She definitely knew something she both couldn't and wouldn't share, "Yup, that is his e-mail addy and I had to scratch my head as well." She stood and with a wave took her tray to the window. She was going to have to send a message to Hands to let him know.
Nichole glowered at Cindy since she just knew she was getting laughed at for some reason. It was annoying and she was going to find out come hell or high water. With an annoyed mutter she finished eating and carried her tray to the window as well. Once she made it home she typed up a nice e-mail and sent it to the addy. She had made sure to include mentioning if the addy was a joke she was going to do something to Cindy.
When Hands finally received the message he could only stare at it for a short time. After reading it several times he turned to Savory and sent it to her, "Huh, not sure why she decided to e-mail me but okay..." It mostly talked about how things were going in town and some general gossip about kids he had known.
Savory snorted as did Light, "Hands she has a crush on you. I could sense that when we were there. She likes you and thinks you are really cute. I have a feeling she would like to visit you and maybe see if you might like to date." Light was grinning as she was talking.
Hands looked at Light before facepalming, "As if I need another female in my life or pack. So not going to say anything more." He settled down and called up a VR keyboard and knocked out a quick reply with some generic gossip as well. He did his best to keep it as human-centric as possible. It was something he was going to have to work on. He had been on Folicia long enough that he had started to think Folician. There was so much he was going to have to edit to keep from making Nichole suspicious.
Savory was laughing at him as he was working on the reply. It was actually amusing to see him stressing about attention from a female from Earth. Considering he lived with 20 females it was really amusing. When he sent the reply off she snuck up behind him and leaned against his back and nibbled on one ear. It had been a few months since Christmas and both were growing. It was still going to be some time till they were of age but the older they were getting the more playing they could do. It wasn't anything like earth pups of their age but it was more than when they were younger.
Hands ears shot up and he could feel his tail stiffening as well when she did that. When he realized she was teasing him he growled at her, "Savory I am going to bite you later for that. I know you did that just to tease me!" He was definitely pouting until Light attacked his other ear. When she did he leaned into it and then jerked away with another growl, "Darn females are so annoying." He stood and stomped out of the lounge. Once he was outside he had to rub his ears to get rid of the reaction. Darn it, that felt good and I can't wait until we are old enough. I am going to have to do something to Savory just because though. He mentally grumbled and headed to dinner.
Savory and Light snickered at his reaction and his stomping out of the lounge. They two stood and followed him out as did many of the others. It was time for dinner and few felt like cooking. When they reached the dining room Hands pretended to ignore Savory and Light for the teasing. He settled next to several of the trainee's which were Nuzzle's friends. Many of them had been in that first class he had taken. It was odd knowing they had grown so much in the last few years.
Savory was definitely amused by his reaction to the teasing. She did have to wonder what Nichole really wanted with Hands. He had received a few e-mails over the years but this was the first real one. He had shown her the others and this was the most personal she had seen. Savory had to wonder what was behind it other than just saying hello.
~~~
Over the last two years Nichole and Cindy had been trading e-mails and video messages with Hands. For Cindy, Hands did the video's in his real form. For Nichole she had seen a few and he was in his human form. In either form he had grown well and was darn attractive. Nichole had commented on how attractive he was as well. Nichole had also mentioned she wished Xavier could come and visit again. Cindy knew that was not going to happen anytime soon.
When they finished high school, it was only a month away, Cindy was considering going to the Enclave and seeing about a job. She hadn't decided as of yet though. Since she knew about Hands now, both he and Ray had been very open about most aspects of their life. She knew that some aspects neither had been willing to mention. Cindy had to wonder since some of it had been related to relationships between Hands and his pack. She hadn't bothered asking Ray since he was old.
The two girls had become really good friends and had enjoyed getting to know each other. Cindy had been somewhat shocked when Nichole had told her she had found a website for the company. Even more shocking was she had applied for a job and been approved. That had really confused her and especially when she had received a job 'approved' message from the enclave as well.
Both were scheduled to fly out for the job interviews the week after school was out. When Nichole came over that afternoon Cindy glared at her, "Why did I get a job offer from the company you applied to? What the heck did you do?" It wasn't that Cindy didn't want to say hello to Hands but that was so underhanded it wasn't funny.
Nichole returned the glare and then frowned, "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything like that. I applied and they said that I could come for an interview. How could I apply for you?" She was most definitely shocked at the accusation.
Cindy glared at her since she knew, it wasn't just a thought but knew, it was somehow related to Nichole's application, "Well I am going to say no. I don't have any urge to go and deal with this crap." Being honest she had wanted to go and learn about Folician's since she had seen Hands. What she didn't want to do was to come across as being some sort of groupy.
Nichole didn't buy it for a moment and bumped her friend, "Oh come on, I know that you think he is cute as well. You aren't related and though he had a girlfriend I know you want to get to know him even better right?" She gave her friend a sly look.
Cindy blushed even as she kept glaring, "So what does that have to do with it? He is still seeing Savory and..." Damn it she knew that it wasn't an exclusive relationship. Folician's simply weren't that way. She knew that Light was almost his second girlfriend and maybe a future pack mother if something happened to Savory. What the hell was she supposed to say?
Nicole tilted her head as she looked at Cindy, "Fess up, you know something don't you? It is something about Xavier isn't it? You do know where he is. Why won't you talk about it?" It was almost a plea from her when she said that.
She had to turn and look away, "Nichole I can't say. It isn't that I don't want to but I can't. It doesn't matter what you try and threaten me with I simply can't tell you. There are reasons and I have been wanting to tell you but I can't. Don't push please."
The other girl walked over and turned so she was looking at Cindy. She took a very good look and realized her friend was serious, "You will tell me as soon as you can Cindy. I want to know what you are hiding. Now shall we study for the last test tomorrow?"
~~~
He jerked awake from one of his nightmares. Stan couldn't say he was used to them since it would be a lie. He stumbled to the bathroom and splashed water on his face before he looked in the mirror. Any more Stan was used to seeing his expression after one of the nightmares slash flashbacks. It had been a while since he had been injured but he knew it didn't matter.
It was something he had to deal with and nothing was going to stop him. After splashing the water on his face again he headed back to bed to get some more sleep. It might not be good sleep but it was sleep. When he finally woke up the next morning Stan sat up in bed and stretched. He pulled on his prosthetic leg and finally stood. Since it was all metal and plastic he could shower with it and it wouldn't be a problem. Once done he would have to dry off and ensure the sleeve for the socket was dry but he was used to that.
Eventually Stan was dressed and ready for the interview. He slowly left his small apartment and walked to his car. It had been modified so he could drive it though that hadn't taken much. Since he was a wounded warrior he had gotten a deal he couldn't believe on the vehicle. The SUV had been worth about 45K and he had actually gotten it for about 10K after the rebates and some donations. He climbed into it and started it up.
The drive to the company he had the interview with didn't take a long time. With the morning rush it was longer than he had expected. Once he arrived he found a spot and after grabbing his bag he slipped out of the SUV. It had a special step so he could get out of it easier. Once he was on the ground he closed and locked the door. The walk to the entrance wasn't that far since he had a handicapped tag.
When Stan walked into the main office he noticed two women close to his age. When he noticed them he turned away since he didn't want sympathy due to his injuries. There were some burn scaring on one side of his face, one of his arms had been injured, and he lost part of a leg. Most women seemed to either ignore him or go for the pity angle. He hated that and wanted someone who might actually care for who he was and ignore the outer aspect.
Stan smiled at the woman behind the desk, "I am here for an interview for the data entry job. Here is my resume and application." He handed the papers over.
Alonia looked up and gave Stan a smile. She had looked up what had happened and felt so bad for him. It didn't show as she took the papers, "Thank you Stan and I have the appointment on my calendar. I am going to contact Kevin and his assistant to let them know you are here." She had him go and sit down while Gloria took care of Nichole and Cindy. She knew that Ray had already hired them pending their acceptance.
It wasn't that much later when Smiles came out, "Mr. Longbrook if you will come with me please? Kevin is ready to talk to you." She gave him a polite smile even as she watched him work to get up. She had looked at his records as she had with all the applicants. Knowing he had been injured in a battle really hurt. He had lost one leg somewhat below his knee. His arm had been damaged and he had some bad burn scaring. This was something which called her and demanded helping him. She could feel his deep emotional needs.
Stan stood and walked over to her. It had been enough time that as long as he was slow he could look relatively normal. If he had to hurry he was going to show that he had a fake leg. He could have had a powered leg but it didn't feel right. When they reached the office he was surprised to see Kevin sitting in a comfortable chair and not behind the large desk.
Kevin waved Stan towards another seat, "Have a seat and relax. I really hate the impersonal interview thing. I like to have a more relaxed feel. If you want something to drink my assistant will get you something."
Smiles knew that Kevin avoided using her use name because it was so odd on Earth. She had considered changing it but she had decided not to. It was entirely to amusing watching people's reaction to her use name.
Stan sat down and looked at Smiles, "If you have some lemon water it would be appreciated." He pulled his resume out of his briefcase and handed it over to Kevin, "Here is my paperwork Sir. It is what I e-mailed to you." It also had a copy of his last evals from the military and several letters from his senior enlisted and officers.
Even as Smiles went to get the flavored water Kevin took the papers and set them on the coffee table, "I have looked at what you sent and you have some good references. I do see that you are looking for work in data entry. We are looking for people in that area since the company is expanding. We are trying to avoid expanding too fast. I have seen what that can do and I won't have some of the effects happen with this company. I only hire those I feel will be the best for the company." He would be taking over the earth side and he knew he had been groomed for it. Kevin was still going to college for the law degree. It was hard being a CEO, student, and a Pack Father but he was managing it.
The other man had to wonder how Kevin had become a CEO at his age. It was obvious to Stan that Kevin was close to his age, "I am Sir since I can't do heavy lifting any more. I can use my arm for keyboarding and such but beyond that it doesn't take it long to start aching. I know you have noticed my disabilities but I will not let them stop me." When the woman handed him a bottled water he nodded at her, "Thank you Ma'am."
Smiles settled down next to Kevin and let him deal with Stan. She wanted to give him a good hug and comfort but now wasn't the time. Eventually she would if he worked out. Instead she settled for contacting her mate, *I like the feel of him. He hurts and has issues but he isn't letting it stop him. He is younger than Ray by a fair amount but he makes me think of him. Hire him and we can see how he does.*
Kevin had already been considering hiring Stan and what she had to say pretty much settled that, "Stan, we need to do a medical exam and assuming you pass consider yourself hired. Don't know if you knew it but this company has a track record of hiring those considered disabled. We don't look at those as disabled but as people we can expect to keep going. Our owner had a life threatening heart condition, another person is mute and his little sister has leukemia. We know that many who have issues are those who are stronger and harder workers." He stood and held his hand out to Stan.
Stan hadn't known that but it did impress him. Many companies were hesitant when it came to disabilities. He stood up and took Kevin's hand and gave it a good shake, "Thank you Sir and I will do my best. Where do I need to go for medical?" He hated medical now but he could deal with it.
Kevin returned the handshake, "Smiles will show you to our small clinic. I will talk to you later." He watched the two leave the room and wondered what Smiles would have to say. He liked what he had seen of the man though he had a feeling it was going to be a hard road for Stan.
Smiles stood and gave Stan a wide smile, "Come with me and yes it is a nickname. I have been told I am almost always smiling. Go figure, it stuck and I rather like it." She walked with him out of Kevin's office. She took him down to medical and waited for him to be shown the Doctor and his reaction.
~~~
Somehow Nichole had convinced Cindy to go with her to the interview. How she wasn't sure but finding herself in the waiting room at the company was still shocking. Cindy was almost glaring at the other wall as she was trying to figure out how she ended up here. She had refused to even consider it but she was still there damn it. What made it even worse was Nichole was relaxing next to her and grinning at her irritation, "You realize I hate you now don't you?"
As Cindy was grumbling at Nichole a man next to them was forced to snort. He had applied for a job as well and was pleased to have gotten an interview. Stan was waiting for his name to be called for his interview.
Cindy glanced at the man and frowned for a moment before she had to look away. He had scaring on one side of his face. It looked like burns and he also had a prosthetic leg and his arm appeared to be injured as well. It just didn't seem to move the same as his other arm. After watching him move she had a feeling he had been in the military at some point. He wasn't bad looking but how was she supposed to react? It wasn't something she had ever encountered before. Their town was small and they had people in the military but she didn't know any who had been hurt like this.
Nichole had noticed the man as well and she watched him move to the desk. To her it was obvious he had some sort of disability. One of his legs was obviously fake and he walked with a limp. She almost stood and thanked him for his service but it felt wrong at the moment. She watched him briefly talk with the woman at the front desk before being taken away. She had to assume it was for an interview as well.
Eventually she and Cindy were called into an office and they were greeted by an Asian lady, "Good morning I am Gloria and if you didn't know, I know Xavier. His brother is the father of my children. I did talk to Xavier and he just wanted me to tell you for shame for stalking him like this!" She tried to come across as stern but she was giggling when she said it.
Nichole looked fascinated when Gloria first started talking and then stared on shock. It only lasted a moment before she crossed her arms and tried to look annoyed, "I will get him for that." She relaxed and pulled her folder out with her resume and application. It didn't have much on it since she had just graduated but it was expected, "Thank you for seeing us ma'am and here is a copy of my resume, cover letter, and several letters of referral."
Gloria took them and set them on her desk, "As per Xavier's orders you already have a job. It is going to be in the warehouse at first. Since Ray is the owner Hands talked to him and Ray told me to hire you." She grinned at Cindy, "You as well if you want a job. There is all the usual stuff to deal with including a visit to medical, signing your life away, you know the usual stuff."
Cindy narrowed her eyes at Gloria, "I would have preferred to have actually applied. It feels like nepotism to me. I will think about it for a day or two if you don't mind." A question crossed her mind, "So did Xavier tell you about his lovely Christmas when he came home? It was really good to see him and listen to some of the stories of his travel."
Nichole gave Cindy an odd look as Gloria started laughing again, "Oh heavens yes, I got an earful from him, Xavier, and Misty. Kevin died laughing as well. Everyone loved their new pets as well. They are darling little stinkers. Misty was here a short time not too long ago but left with a client on a business trip."
Nichole turned and gave Cindy a hard look, "You are hiding something from me. I know this and have known it. Fess up, what is going on and where are they? Traveling is one thing but nary a call since he visited?"
Gloria stood, "We can talk about that later. For now, why don't we run you past medical and then we can get your paperwork started." She offered Nichole a hand up and then tucked an arm around one of hers, "Medical won't take very long and assuming there isn't a problem we can go from there. Why don't you come with Cindy?" She had already let the doctor know they were coming down.
Cindy raised an eyebrow but stood and followed the two out of the office by a side door. Since Gloria was chatting with Nichole she was simply looking around. She couldn't help but wonder what this place really looked like. Hopefully she would find out and get a chance to talk to some of the Folician's.
Gloria showed them to the exam room and had the girls have a seat, "I have a question for the doctor as well so if you don't mind my waiting with. When she starts the exam we will leave the room to give you some privacy."
Nichole was about to say something when Evening walked in. She was in her Folician form, "Good morning Nichole, Cindy, and Gloria. I am Doctor Cool Evening and no I am not human. I am the sort of 'take you to your leader' alien though we didn't ask that. We have no urge to take over other worlds." Her ears were twitching in amusement even as her whiskers were curled in amusement.
Nichole sat there in a stunned silenced as she stared at the woman. She turned to Cindy and then Gloria before looking back at the Doctor. All she could do was gape before glaring at Cindy, "And where the hell is Ray and his family? How long have you known about this and what the hell did you do to my coffee this morning?"
Cindy started laughing at her friend's reaction, "Could you really see me telling you that there are real live Aliens on earth? You would have yelled at me and then ignored me. As far as knowing now, I will tell you about the Christmas you saw Hands later. Oh, he no longer goes by Xavier and goes by Strong Hands. It is something about his being renamed but I was to fascinated with their ears to listen." Even now she was resisting the urge to see if the Doctor would let her pet her ears.
Gloria settled down next to Nichole, "Just so you know I am human as are my children. I do have a Folician partner but Ray is the father of my kids. I can introduce you to Storm and our kids later. She is an Alien and if you ask nicely she will allow you to check and see." For the moment she wasn't going to make any jokes about Nichole inviting anyone out for a date.
Cindy grinned at Nichole, "My first reaction was to ask to pet their ears. Hands' little sister let me cuddle her and they were so soft and nice. I will tell you more later and see if Gloria has any pictures she can show you."
She looked at Cindy and then at Gloria, "I am going to guess this was some sort of test wasn't it? Why are you testing me?" Nichole did look at the Doctor and finally decided she was going to take it at face value. It was simply too hard to believe this was done just to screw with her. She knew Cindy and had known Xavier, or Hands as he seemed to be called now. This just didn't fit with what she would expect. They did have horrible senses of humor but this? No, not even for them.
Gloria lightly scratched her chin, "It was but it was at the request of Strong Hands. I am not completely sure why. He indicated that he would be contacting both of you in the next day or two. As far as where he is, he is on the Folician homeworld and that is two weeks of space flight from here. He can make a call but only rarely."
Nichole wondered why Hands was taking an interest in her and Cindy. Cindy sort of made sense since she was family even if not by blood. Nichole had barely seen him since they had been in 8th grade. It had been almost two years since she had seen him that Christmas, "Um, okay, so I passed now what?"
Evening smiled at Nichole, "Now I give you your medical exam while Gloria and Cindy waits outside. Then it will be Cindy's turn. If she decides to stay here she will need the exam and a bracelet. The only reason they need to be outside is you will need to strip down and lay on the scanner. Clothing rarely affects the scanner but we chose the safe than sorry method."
Gloria waved Cindy out of the room and waited for Nichole to come out. When she did she was looking somewhat perplexed. That hadn't been anything like what she had expected. When she had been given the bracelet it had honestly shocked her. Feeling it flowing around her wrist wasn't something she had expected.
Cindy was sent in next and when they came out Gloria collected the two girls, "It is lunch time and I assume you are somewhat hungry. You two can eat with the rest of the enclave if you want. I can introduce you to Kevin and introduce you my kids and girlfriend."
Both girls traded looks and shrugged, "Whatever you feel best Gloria, I am trying to take in what I learned today. I am going to need to see about finding an apartment which might take a few days." Nichole was trying to think of what she needed to do to make sure she had everything to stay here.
Gloria glanced at her, "No worries, we have spare apartments and the cost will be deducted from your pay. It costs virtually nothing to live here since the nanites are about 98% effective in taking care of the utilities. Water is actually purer after being processed than when it comes in. As far as the utilities we have our own power system for the enclave though for the business it comes from the grid. All that we can talk about later."
Cindy was feeling pretty confused as well. Seeing Ray and the others had been shocking but it had only been for part of a day. It didn't help that there had been a dragoness there as well as the stories she and the others were telling. She had known there were aliens there but over time the shock had faded and bits of disbelief had grown, "Um, food for now and then I will need to try and think. I... Too much information today."
Nichole felt much the same though probably more than Cindy. She didn't have any idea of what Cindy might have encountered but for the moment she was quiet. Her mind was working to process what she had seen and learned.
When they walked into the lounge two little kids came running over to Gloria and gave her hugs. A striking Folician female came over as well and gave Gloria an intimate kiss, "They were missing you as usual love." She turned to the two new adults, "It is nice to meet both of you. I am Storm, Gloria's Liraque and girlfriend."
Cindy deliberately walked over and gave Storm a good hug, "Hands said that Folician's hug instead of shaking for the most part. It is nice to meet you Storm." She leaned into the returned hug before moving back, "Nichole one thing I do remember from what Hands said is that Folician's are very tactile. To them a hug and even a generic kiss is simply their saying hello and nothing else." As she was talking someone walked past with a tray and her nose caught the scent. When her stomach rumbled she grinned.
Gloria waved them towards the food line, "It is all safe for you to eat and you will find a mixture of their food and ours. Take what you want and don't worry about the cost. Again a general fee is deducted for the monthly food costs. Believe me, even though I say fees are deducted you will still end up with a nice pay check. Let's eat and I will try and keep my two little ones from making too much of a mess."
Alonia was walking past and she grinned, "Gloria you have two very good pups. They might occasionally be beasties but they do listen well." She scooped up Danita and gave her a hug, "I will take care of this one for you. Next heat I might just consider having a pup."
They started walking to the line. For the rest of lunch, the two young women mostly listened to Gloria and several others talking. They ended up at a table with several Folicians and it was fascinating but almost overwhelming. It was a case of too much information and Nichole was going to need some time to think. Thankfully after lunch was over Gloria had done some paperwork and shown them to an apartment they could use.
One of the others had taken them to the hotel they had rented to collect their things. Both of them had finally been shown to an apartment for their use for the moment. When they collapsed on the couches both looked at each other and groaned. They had been given a thumb drive with information they were going to need to review as well. It would work with their laptops as well as the room systems once they had the implant.
~~~
By the end of the first week Stan had settled into his new job. It was a good job and well paying. Between it and the checks from the government due to his disability he was doing well. He could have lived off of his VA disability and medical retirement checks but that wasn't him. Stan had to have something to do. He had been infantry but after he had been injured he had to find something else to do. Computers had always fascinated him so he had worked to get a degree in data entry. It was only a two-year degree but it was a start.
Once he had started working he found the two woman he had seen when hired were working there as well. One, Nichole had actually come over during lunch and sat down. She had looked at the damage to his face and not flinched. She had talked to him and seemed to really get to know him. He couldn't help but be flattered since she was a good looking girl. As they were talking he had discovered she was just over 18 while he was close to 22. It wasn't really a massive age difference but experience wise it was huge.
Stan had to wonder if she wouldn't mind going on a date with him. He couldn't bring himself to ask since he wasn't able to handle even a gentle no at the moment. He settled for chatting with her and Cindy at lunch or when they ended up coming to the office he had.
~~~
Two evenings later Nichole and Cindy were in the apartment provided to them. Cindy had decided to take the job for the moment. She was so fascinated with the entire alien aspect. It wasn't the groupy aspect, or she really hoped she didn't come across that way. It was simply fascinating how they were both similar and different from human's.
Cindy had been told by Gloria that since her bracelet turned green it meant she was a fertile female. That had made her blush big time though she understood. Part of it was what Ray had told them and the balance was a number of conversations with Storm and Smiles. They hadn't met Kevin yet since he was out of the office for some reason. They had met Brice and his sister. When they discovered the two were living in the apartments in the building they also learned why. Cindy had ended up crying when she learned about Sophia having cancer. Storm had held her while she cried before continuing to talking to her.
Cindy had known about Ray's heart condition and she knew what it was like. When you know someone you care for was going to die and sooner than later it affected you. Both Nichole and Cindy had started to get to know Sophia. She was almost tickled pink knowing there were girls not much older than she was living there. Brice was rather nice as well though they had to talk to him through his sister. They didn't have the implant yet so he had to sign.
Nichole was relaxing in their small apartment as well and was looking at the bracelet she had on. In her case it was purple which Storm had been very careful to explain to her. Since she was already an adult Storm had immediately started training her on using her powers. There had only been one class so far but it had been very fascinating. It was going to be a learning process but she felt it calling to her.
Thankfully Hands was supposed to be calling this evening and talk to them. She had to wonder what he was like now. That short time she had talked to him Nichole could tell he had changed. He still was him, as awkward as that sounded. There was a difference as well. He had a depth to him others his age didn't. That was one of the things which had caused her to try and contact him. There was something more to him but she couldn't really explain it. If she had known about the first few months on Folicia she would have understood better.
When the screen in their room lit up both looked up and Nichole jerked. It was a male Folician though he looked familiar. When Cindy grinned and spoke Nichole had to turn and stare at her. "Hands, it is so good to actually see you and talk to you. You are looking good and how is your pack doing?" It hadn't even occurred to her to mention his physical changes.
Nichole stared at him and then stared at Cindy, "Um... What?" That was the best she could come up with.
Hands snorted slightly and rolled his eyes, "Cindy that wasn't nice of you. You should have shown her some of the pictures I sent you over the years." He gave Nichole a warm smile, "Evening Nichole, I really am the Xavier you grew up with even with the name and body change. I know I look Folician but I am still human. It is a long story and something for another day. I am pleased that you applied to Kevin's company. I know you were told Ray owns it but we are in the process of turning aspects of it over to him. We, Ray's pack, don't want to completely control the trade." He waved a hand, "Sorry, I got carried away there. I am doing well and so is my pack."
He looked very pleased, "Savory recently delivered our first pup. I will send you some pictures of Cool Morning. He is a lovely little boy. When he received his bracelets he came back as a pack Father but with a hint of the purple of a Liraque. Dancer thinks he is going to actually end up a Liraque and Pack Father like Ray is. We are so pleased with that."
Nichole could only stare at him, "You have a baby? But..." He was only a bit older than they were. Why did his girlfriend end up pregnant?"
Hands was still looking pleased, "Nichole please keep in mind different culture. Savory is both my pack mother and my mate. When we became adults she accepted my request to become my mate. Normally Liraque don't get pregnant until they are much older. Since I am the Pack Father for the first Liraque pack for many generations we are learning what that means. Talk to Kevin and Smiles about what it means. Smiles has his pup as well and Crisp is a good boy."
Nichole ended up resting her head in her hands, "Oh damn it, I might just go back home and forget about this. I am not sure I can survive the litmus test of whatever this is about."
Cindy settled down next to Nichole and wrapped an arm around her, "Believe me I understand. My introduction to what they had gone through was rougher than yours was." She looked at Hands, "I am so pleased to hear that. Send me pictures of all of you and even Ray's pack. I really want some new ones. I will talk to Nichole about what you mean by saying Pack and stuff. Hands I do have a question about why you told Kevin to hire us via Ray."
Hands knew that both girls were going to have issues with what they were learning. It simply was part of the entire process, "Cindy before I go into that simply get to know my people. Learn what it means to be a Folician and both how and why they are the way they are. Take the jobs, work, talk, and spend time with Gloria and Kevin. They can explain it better than the Folician's can. I will contact you in a week or two and we can talk more. Please don't hesitate to drop me e-mails and even video mail. I will do my best to answer your questions."
They talked for a while longer before both ends were disconnected. When they were done Nichole was sitting there staring at the wall where the image of Hands had been, "Oh hell, I am going to bed and try and sleep. I really don't know what to think." She stood and left the living area and headed towards her bedroom.
A/N: I am making changes to the time line for a better flow. The next few chapters are not accurate at the moment. I am going to have them updated in the next few days.
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