Alone in Steve's guest bedroom, Maggie sent a text.

Mom, I need to talk to you. When is good?

Moments later, she got an incoming call and grinned. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, there! How's my little girl? What's wrong?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine. I wish you would call me when you're fine."

"I do sometimes!" Maggie protested.

"When you call me first, you're either very happy or very worried. Sometimes both at once. So, I assume this is about Nick Tomsun being 'back in town', so to speak?"

"Yeah, Mom, it is."

"Are the press bothering you?"

"Uh, no, I'm hiding out at Steve Horton's. So are Vanessa and Brian," she added quickly. Her mother tended to jump to strange conclusions sometimes.

"Well, that's good. Hopefully, all the hoopla will die down after a bit and he can get a real visit in. You know he's welcome to join the family for dinner any time he can come by, or beam down, or whatever it is they do."

"Yeah, about that, Mom..."

"Yes?"

Maggie took a breath. "I'm not sure Nick is ever going to be allowed to land on Earth. It might not be safe for him."

"Well, that demon lady doctor seems very competent, curing diseases one after another, when she doesn't even know what they are the first time someone asks her."

"Yeah, but this isn't medical. It's...politics."

There was only the briefest pause. "I see. Well, he's a very important person now, sweetie."

"Yeah, he is. I really want to see him, though."

"Are you going to go visit him up there?" her mother asked.

"...yeah. Yeah, I think I might, if he'll have me."

"Well, that will be an adventure! I bet you never thought your dreams of being an astronaut would come true!"

Maggie frowned. "When did I dream of being an astronaut?"

"Oh, it was when you were four or five. I think you wanted to be a rock singer, scientist, Olympic gymnast and astronaut, all at once. No wait, there was roller-skating waitress in there too somewhere."

"Mommm..." Maggie groaned.

"You were adorable."

"Yeah, well, that's genetics for you."

"Sweet talker. Now, I wouldn't worry about Nick. He will welcome you with open arms. That poor boy has been all alone with aliens for over a year! You'd better move fast, though, before that Jillian girl does."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Mom! We're not—!" Maggie hated the way her mother could reduce her to sputtering in moments. It was part of why she didn't call more often.

"Sweetie, come over for dinner tonight. I'll call your brother, and get him here too. Six o'clock, and remember to budget time for getting past the paparazzi."

"Mom..." Maggie trailed off. It would be good to see everyone. She took a breath. "Thanks, Mom."

"Of course. Now, I'm sure you have a lot to do between now and then, so you get to it while I talk Sean into leaving his bimbo of the week behind tonight."

"All right. Love you, Mom."

"Love you, sweetie."

* *

Steve ordered a security contingent in two cars to lead and follow her to her parents' house. When she protested, he just said, "We're going to be richer than Midas. It would be stupid to let expense stop us from using any precaution."

The drive was hectic but manageable. Traffic was bad, the paparazzi was worse, and more than once she saw one of her escorts disappear from view, making her wonder what they were doing. Finally they arrived, and the team in the lead car got out first and convinced the reporters hanging out to back off long enough for Maggie to get inside.

The house was a bit ramshackle, handed down through the family from her great-grandparents. That was the extent of their generational wealth, but Maggie was grateful to have a fallback in hard times. It was far enough out from Boston that her parents could afford the taxes. It could use a fresh coat of paint; the white was starting to peel and buckle a bit in spots, but it was her first home. She touched the door frame for a moment, just remembering.

She glanced two doors down at the house Nick had grown up in, but looked away when she heard cameras clicking, and went inside.

Her older brother Sean had beaten her there. He towered over her at 6' 3'', beating even Dad, who he resembled a great deal. Both men had broad shoulders, light brown hair and brown eyes, and a bit of a hook to the nose that Maggie unfortunately shared. She looked like Mom in most other respects: hair so dark it was basically black, dark brown eyes with just a hint of an epicanthic fold, and a more reasonable height—she beat her mother's 5' 5'' by a couple of inches.

"Hey, sis. Congrats on finding Nick Tomsun, Defender of the Galaxy, Savior of the Oofa Loofas, Boinker of alien babes no man has boinked before..." He trailed off at a glare from their mother, then cleared his throat and changed tacks. "Well, we were all glad to hear that Nick is alive. I'm happy for you, Mags. I know how much you missed him."

Maggie swallowed and nodded. "Thanks, Sean."

They all worked together to get dinner on the table, and settled down after a moment to say grace. "Lord, thank you for protecting Maggie's lost sheep, and for shepherding him back home. We're grateful for the food on our table, the roof over our heads, and for each other. Amen."

"Amen," they chorused, and dug in. There were a few minutes of quiet appreciation of the food. Then, her father wiped his mouth with his napkin and cleared his throat. In his rumbling voice, he said, "Maggie, your mother tells me that you've got some decisions to make." He looked sad but was trying to hide it.

"Like what?" Sean asked, clueless.

"Sean," Mom explained gently. "Maggie is here to say goodbye."

Sean looked shocked, and Dad's eyes got a little wet. Maggie recovered from her surprise at her mother's blunt declaration and jumped in quickly. "It's not a sure thing! I haven't even asked him yet, let alone decided."

"What, isn't Nick going to come live on Earth again?" Sean asked, confused.

"I don't think he can."

"Disease?"

"No. Too many people will want him, want to control him, use him. He'd be eaten alive by politicians and spies and I don't know what else," Maggie corrected. "Realistically, his only chance is not to come down. Plus, I get the feeling that they need him up there. We haven't been able to talk about all the details, though. That's part of why I want to go up there and go through it with him in person."

Dad cleared his throat. "Well...if you'd asked me a year and a half ago, I would have worried about him as a provider, but he's clearly got resources now, and he was always a good kid. If it comes to it, you tell him from me that he'd better take good care of you, you hear me?"

Maggie got up and gave her father a hug. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."

He held her tight, and cleared his throat a couple of times before he let go. "You'll always be my baby girl, you know. No matter where in the galaxy you go, you can always come home if you need to." He wiped his eyes. "Now, finish your dinner. Your mom made her special apple pie for you, and we wouldn't want it to get cold."

"Yes, Dad." Maggie retook her seat and looked around. I have been so blessed, in my life. Even my darkest sorrow is gone.

I want to help Nick know how this feels. That's what I've always wanted for him...

She finally admitted it.

...and for me.

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