That evening after dinner, Sheena fetched a small round ball from the satchel in her room and set it on the table where their drinks rested. Angus and Erin leaned forward to study it.

When Bri reached out to pick it up, Sheena smacked her hand. “It’s activated and will shut down if anyone picks it up but me. For you, it’s nothing more than a decorative ball.”

“I can’t believe you became a geneticist when you can do stuff like this,” Bri said. She looked at Erin and Angus. “This device creates static noise so our conversation will be kept completely private, even from the sharp-eared aliens outside the door. If any recording is going on without our permission, all it will pick up is what this device creates.”

Erin stared at the ball on the table. “Ya know, no matter what I think I’ve learned, new things in this place always manage to surprise me. My mind can’t take anything more in. I think it’s full.”

Angus leaned back on the sofa. “Okay, lass. What do ya want to talk about that ya don’t want anyone to hear?”

Sheena sat in the chair across the table from Bri, and leaned close to Angus and Erin so she could talk low. “I found out you were abducted from another universe. I told Bri, so we both know the truth now.”

Angus leaned forward too. “That’s nothing but a relief to me and Erin. Neither of us liked keeping the truth from ya. We just didn’t know what would happen to the two of ya if we confessed.”

Sheena nodded. “The rest of the world thinks you’re sophisticated clones that the aliens helped us make. It’s in our best interests, and yours, to let them think that, at least for now. Most of the people on our planet aren’t ready to handle time travel or universe hopping. They’re still mentally dealing with the aliens.”

Erin nodded back. “I can certainly see that being the truth. I see the aliens every day and still don’t believe what we’re doing. Angus has adjusted to them much better than I have.”

Angus patted her knee. “I see the aliens as men like myself. Ya always see the good in their souls. That’s no small thing to see the best in all creatures. The aliens adore ya for it, Erin.”

Erin gripped the hand on her leg and squeezed. “Yer words are a balm to me, Angus.”

“Now that’s real romance and love. I want what they have,” Bri interjected, grinning at Sheena as she pointed to Angus and Erin.

Sheena grinned back. “I wish it was in my power to give it to you, Bri.”

“Tell me something, Sheena. Is Nate friend or foe to us?” Angus asked.

“Excellent question,” Sheena replied, looking away for a moment. When her gaze returned to Angus, she smiled. “Nate’s family is our real problem. He’s just… a tool.”

“Beg pardon? Nate’s a tool?” Erin repeated, covering her giggle with a hand.

“Not that kind of tool, luv. Sheena was being literal,” Angus said, chuckling at Erin’s amusement.

“I meant, Nate’s family is using him, and lying to him. He lies to us because… well, I don’t know why other than he has no real sense of family. But I think he’s mostly good inside—deep, deep inside—but the goodness is there. It comes out at times despite his strange dedication to this big hunk of metal.”

“Are ya still in love with him, lass?” Angus asked bluntly. “Because it sounds like ya are.”

Sheena looked at her sister, and then at her ancestors from another version of her world. Outside her parents, these people offered her the only real sense of acceptance of herself that she’d ever known. If she couldn’t tell them the truth, who could she ever confess it to?

“Unfortunately, I think I am still in love with him. Those feelings have no positive place to go, but that’s how it is between us.”

“What about the handsome man who came to visit ya last evening? The one Bri told us about?” Erin asked.

Sheena glared at her sister. “Bri talks too much.” She looked back at Erin. “I was Scott’s assignment. He came to check on me to see what I was doing on the AAS airship. I didn’t know that about our relationship until yesterday.”

“Are ya grieving his loss then?” Erin asked. “Seems like the good-looking ones always linger too long in yer heart and mind.” Erin gave Angus a pointed look and he laughed.

Shaking her head, Sheena laughed softly. “No. I was over Scott well before I came here. I just hadn’t broken it off. He’s married anyway. He’ll not miss me.”

“A married man?” Angus rolled his eyes. “Ya can do a lot better than the likes of him, Sheena. Even fecking Nate is better than that.”

Sheena laughed. “Agreed, but nothing with Nate is going to work out. I’ve given him chance after chance to tell me about you two. He never has and I don’t expect he ever will.”

“Huh,” Angus said. “How did ya find out about us then?”

Sheena gave her sister a warning look before meeting Angus’s curious gaze. Bri held up her hands in protest and rolled her eyes.

“Best not to ask me that question, Angus. Those blissfully ignorant can’t be accused of any wrongdoing.”

Angus laughed. “Would that be MacNamara logic?”

“No, something my mother used to tell me,” Sheena admitted. “So probably more O’Shea logic than MacNamara. My mother was a peace lover.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Angus declared.

Sheena let out a breath. “There’s one other thing I need to tell you before we can talk about normal things again.” She paused and looked at them. “I applied to be your DNA owner. Well, actually Bri and I both did. You see, if you’re a clone, you’re the responsibility of the people whose DNA was used to create you. I wanted to make sure you were mine and Bri’s, just in case you ever needed serious legal help.”

“I see. So like an adoption then?” Angus asked.

“Yes. Exactly like an adoption,” Bri burst out, clapping her hands.

Sheena sighed heavily. “Bri and I will have final say on any decisions concerning you. By taking this action, we’re basically making sure Nate doesn’t have control.”

Erin looked at Angus. “I trust ya, Sheena. Do ya trust her, Angus?”

Angus nodded his head slowly. “Yes and I’d like to think the originals would have been pleased that their daughters showed up to help us. This all has a fated feel to it, don’t ya think, Erin?”

“I agree. It definitely has a fated feel,” Erin replied.

“I’m not sure about fate,” Sheena said dryly, “but I know how much clout my parents had on New Earth. I’m not about to let Nate’s dysfunctional family mess with mine. That includes Carleton and Elsa. As soon as I get some new security put into place at the castle, we can all go home. If you guys want to come back here and keep working on the airship, that’s up to you. Until the castle is secure again, I’m staying nearby.”

Angus sighed. “Yer a fine woman, Sheena MacNamara. Yer parents would have been proud as could be if they’d lived to see ya like this.” He looked at Bri too. “Yar both fine women.”

“Did ya say ya intend to increase security at the castle, Sheena? Angus, tell Sheena about our idea. Maybe we can all work on it together. Then we wouldn’t need the Guardians to give us anything but their blessing that the weddings can happen.”

Angus waved at the humming ball on the table. “Ya can turn that bugger off and save the battery, lass. What I’ll be sharing is no secret around here. I’ve personally told everyone but the Guardians. Erin sweet talked Director John into taking it forward to them.”

Nodding, Sheena reached out and turned off her white noise creator. It would take far too long to explain perpetual energy to Universe 6 humans. Their universe had obviously been less technologically developed. Best they think for now that they were being helpful in conserving.

“Let me run get us an ale and we’ll have ourselves a nice talk about the castle. It’s a grand place. We only visited once, but Erin and I loved it.”

Sheena nodded and hoped she was doing the right thing.