Alien Proliferation

plans in place.”
    “Not even you, Mister Organizer?”
    He grinned at me. “No, girlfriend, not even me. I never thought I’d see the day Jeff would retire from active Field duty.”
    “Hey, I’m a father now. Have two girls to watch over. I’m sure Jamie-Kat’s going to be just like her mother . . . genetics seem to work that way. Need all my focus to keep up with them.” He grinned at me, and I went over and sat on his lap.
    “We don’t have anyone to learn from,” I reminded the others. “Diplomacy is sort of challenging.”
    “Especially for some of us,” Gower said dryly.
    White smiled. “I’m sure we’ll all adjust. Everyone who works with us is adaptable, Missus Martini, or else they wouldn’t be here. I’m sure Mister Reynolds and your mother can come up with some suggestions for who might be able to assist us with the learning of diplomacy. Sooner than all of you think, we’ll be through the transition period and onto the next threat to our safety and security.”
    “My partner. I’m so proud. ’Cause, yeah, we know something else will show up.”
    “And return,” Amy said darkly.
    I shrugged. “We’ll be ready. Might be tough, might be scary, will for sure have some freaking fugly, lunatic politician, or power-mad megalomaniac involved, but we’ll have what they don’t and they won’t.”
    “What’s that?” Chuckie asked. Everyone else looked like they didn’t know, either. Amazing. Then again, maybe they were just being modest.
    “Um, guys? Us. As long as we’re together never torn apart sort of thing.”
    “Oh.” Chuckie nodded. “Great. Yeah. I was hoping you had some weapon you hadn’t told me about.”
    “Yeah, or knew some weakness of Al Dejahl’s,” Reader added.
    “Or had a bomb strapped to my stepmother’s ass,” Amy snarled.
    “I thought she meant our alliance with Alpha Four,” Naomi admitted.
    Abigail shook her head. “Me, I thought it was going to be that ACE was going to go kick butt or something.”
    Christopher sighed. “I was hoping you knew where they were headed. They’re past whatever range I have, so, no clue now.”
    “Geez, last time I try to give you guys a ‘go team’ talk. Fine, get out and go back to the party. I think we actually can, now, relax and take the rest of the night off.”

 
    CHAPTER 87
     
    G OT THE ENCOURAGEMENT to come over to the party again. Declined. Christopher and Amy decided that, since they were up, they’d go to the party, too. White ushered the gang out, and we were alone, back to just the three of us.
    Jeff whipped up dinner. He was a great cook, the kitchen had everything you could want or need, and the Elves provided all the fixings. There was a breakfast bar with stools, so I perched and watched while he cooked. The Elves took care of cleanup. I loved the Elves, whoever they were. I didn’t believe Christopher’s weird scientific explanation, and even if it made sense, someone was doing all the housekeeping work. Wondered if, now that we were here, I was supposed to leave milk in shoes or silver dollars or something.
    Jeff laughed. “No. The Operations team’s jobs are to do all forms of maintenance. We’re not big on being tipped for doing our jobs, baby.” He’d gone for simple on the meal—steak, potatoes, and vegetable primavera.
    “Dinner smells great.”
    “Thanks. Where do you want to eat, at the bar, in the nook, in the informal dining room, or in the formal dining room?” He was serious.
    “Um . . .”
    He grinned as he picked up the filled plates. “We’ll go for the nook.” Which was in the kitchen, table for four. Cozy. More my speed. “This way I get to sit across from you and watch you and Jamie.”
    Dinner was nice. Just us, talking about things that didn’t matter to the whole world. I felt more normal after eating and being with Jeff this way. I didn’t feel celebratory, but my heart wasn’t aching so much, and I wasn’t too homesick for either Arizona and New Mexico in general or the Lair in particular.
    We finished up, and Jamie wanted her next meal, so we took care of that. Jeff gave me a funny look as he changed her diaper. “Put on some warm clothes and boots.”
    “I’m from freaking Arizona, Jeff. I don’t own those items.”
    He rolled his eyes. “This from the girl who talks about Elves.”
    Oh. Duh. Well, it’d been a busy week. Got up and went to the closet. “Wow. Black pants and a white sweater, black hooded coat, black boots. Thank