She remembered entering the library and seeing Nik disappear between two bookshelves. She had followed her there and had been grabbed and pushed up ag...inst the window her mouth covered. She had tried to fight back, but she had hit her head and face against the brick window edge and fallen to the floor feeling dizzy. She vaguely remembered struggling to breathe after that before losing consciousness. Try as she might, she had no memory of how the other injuries she had sustained or if she had. But if you want to hit the high sea's again, I'll understand, I figure you must be missing your Sea Dragon a lot by now." Connor laughed, reaching out he grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap "I love it when you get your hackles up, at least you put the coffee down first, that had me worried for a minute. That's the first time you've said you loved me, I've been waiting to hear that, it's all I need to know. Your right I do miss the Sea Dragon, I don't know what I'm going to do. Keith apologized for bailing on Aaron right after he had returned home from school, and apologized for not disclaiming it sooner but he wanted to keep it as a special surprise for his new wife and he booked the tickets before he knew exactly when Aaron would be coming home. Aaron claimed that he understood. Keith and Heather told the k**s that this would give the three of them some time to bond as new siblings.The three of them waved goodbye as their parents were taken away by a taxi to go to. He walked down the stairs. His tools were still right where he left them.“She’s not much of a housekeeper ... the place still smells like shit,” he said. “Six weeks. There should be some kind of improvement. The place looks just like it did when I left.”He walked out the front door. The hose was still across the drive ... the grass was still wet ... the shit smell was redolent.“What the Hell?”Forty-five minutes later John was still trying to get a grip when Miss Sultry Voice walked up the path.