Chapter 10:

[Ethan Talon]

"Oliver!" Ethan shouted.

A youth of about sixteen appeared out of the crowd, "Yes sir?"

"Get these people settled out in the west field."

"Yes sir."

"What do you people need as far a food and other things?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing," Aimee Macdonald said with a prideful grin.

Ethan gave her an appreciative nod, "Oliver, have them turn their stock out in the north pasture. It won't get over grazed in a few days."

"Yes sir!"

"As for me," Ethan grinned. "I'm taking a bath. I reckon I smell rather stong. Unfortunately we don't have running water yet so it's the creek for me."

The groups separated as they went about their tasks. The wagons and the newcomers sans the party of leaders were lead through the dusty makeshift streets towards the west where the sun was already casting shadows off the Wet Mountain Range.

Kat, Jeremiah, Caterina, and Angel were ushered inside the castle. The original 1878 ranch house stood in the center. All around the massive castle curtain walls. Two story apartments were being built out of brick along the inside of the massive walls. A stable sat to the right with several horses and a milch cow where they ignored the humans as they picked through their hay.

Along the south wall a keep rose and still incomplete. The inner bailey wall was not even started. The wide walkways were paved with more concrete to fight the inevitable mud. Every square inch of earth was dedicated to truck gardens, the scents of animal dung wafting from the tilled earth.

[Trinity Talon]

"I'm hoping the flowers and other more aromatic crops I planted will cover up the smell of manure." Trinity said with a slight wince. "So what do you think?"

"You always did want a castle." Angel said with a smirk. "Impressive work though."

"We had a lot of good people that helped build this, the old ways of building were actually pretty smart. Think of the castles still standing in Europe. Granted we have a lot more bathrooms. Hot water is in shorter supply though, but at least the sun still warms the tanks and we can divert the waste underground." she gestured with her hands. "So it's very old school, but it works. At least we're not literally throwing our shit out the window."

"We'll get used to it." Angel said as she pulled out her glasses from her pocket and cleaned them. "Remember when my dad used to take you to the Circus for the week of the parade? Similar feel to that."

"I remember Uncle Marcus flirting with the circus girls." Trinity said as she rubbed her slight baby bump. "Remember Francie? Something like 7th generation in the circus. Her brother was this huge body builder guy, knocked Marcus out with one slap."

"I show him the picture of that every year." Angel laughed. "No idea if Marcus is still alive... or Jack. I think the family is just us and your family kiddo. Your father and I... we should have met up before this, but we was still on a ship. I said a few things I regret, even if he's still alive... who knows." she sighed and shook her head. "I was hoping my grandma Tess would have been around but I couldn't find her."

'That's because I was here. Maybe you should fire that girl at your office, I really don't think she took a message." Tess said as she walked over. "Of course I brought no medical equipment, supply or even a first aid kid. So I was barely useful other than as a counselor." she shrugged her shoulders. "I really hope you brought something from home."

"As much as we could. Dr. LaForge and I used your house as a base for a while." Angel said as she hugged her grandmother. "Sort of used up a lot of great-grandpa Dan's crap."

"About time." Tess said with a laugh. "C'mon kiddo... Trinity... you too. Three generations in one place. Must be a good sign."

[monica Laforge]

"We've been raiding every hospital and pharmacy between here and Milwaukee," Monica said. "At first most were pretty well stocked. The Oxys and what nots were already cleaned out, but that's to be expected, but I think people were starting to realize how important these irreplaceable these valuable medical supplies would be. I did manage to salvage an old mechanical microscope. I think I can create some penicillin."

[Tess Ryder]

"Been working on that as well as other natural things." Tess replied as she glanced at the crops. "We may have lost the ability to create synthetic but natural is capable." she cocked her head slightly. "LaForge... didn't we work at St. Luke's together?"

[monica Laforge]

"I did my residency there," she said with a grin. "You were the one to tell me that obstetrics wasn't in my wheelhouse."

[Tess Ryder]

"You were a gifted surgeon and an amazing diagnostician, saw a lot of myself in you. Granted I love delivering babies, but I like reattaching severed limbs and doing organ surgery. By the way, I managed to set up an amazing custard making operation. Leon's Custard runs during lunch breaks were one of the things I missed about working there. I always teased Leo that he should have found a way to work there or take some of our nest egg and buy into it. That N on the neon sign always sort of blinked, but it's a landmark.."

[monica Laforge]

Monica shrugged, "I've learned from the besr, but I suppose those days are gone."

Young Arthur came bounding out of the house, "Mrs. Ackers said that 'if you all are just going to stand outside your jaws don't bother coming in because dinner'll be cold'!"

[Tess Ryder]

"And you can tell Mrs. Ackers that if she wants more of that hand creme she better be nice." Tess said with a smile, bent down and kissed him on the cheek leaving a bright red lipstick mark. "I suppose we should go inside then. It'll be good to have another doctor around. Some of the med students I found... they need a LOT of seasoning."

"Buscia... if you don't mind... can you tell Mrs. Ackers I'm not really feeling up to eating." Angel said softly and closed her eyes. "I need a shower and a bottle of something very strong. It's been a hell of a trip."

"I'll run interference but Mrs. Ackers is going to probably deliver food directly to your room when you're done." Tess said and gave Trinity a look. "And don't you walk out of dinner too, you're eating for two."

"Better than eating for three..." Trinity joked as she walked into the house.

"I rather envy her." Tess said as she put her hand on Angel's back. "Being single is not as fun as it used to be. I'll show you to my little wing of this castle. If you shower with the boys, you're going to have a lot of boyfriends. Ethan keeps the men in line but I have plenty that I have to keep at bay. Civilization falls and the pervs come out."

"Don't I know it..." Angel said and sighed heavily. "I clung to the hope that maybe Nathan may have found his way here, but... I guess we're both single ladies. Anyone I'd like here?"

"Depends on your standards. Are you still into Jewish nerds?" Tess nudged her arm. "Won't find many here."

[Ethan Talon]

Ethan entered the dinning room of his original old house cleaned up, and wearing a clean western shirt and a pair of Wranglers. He kissed Trinity on the cheek, and ruffled Arthur's hair, "Did you wash up for dinner?"

"Yes daddy," Arthur lied.

"You sure? I see a rather nice ring of black around your neck and behind your ears. Go wash. You too Dianna. Don't think I can't see you over there snickering, and your ears just as unwashed."

Arthur leaped out of his chair and ran out the back door with his sister following behind. Ethan took his seat next to Trinity. He was exhausted from an entire day in the fields reaping the wheat.

Mrs. Ackers came in with her massive black pot and started loading up everyone's bowls with spoonfuls of chili complete with pecies of dried beef. It wasn't a particularly delicious dish, but it was filling and packed with energy.

There was a still steaming loaf of bread sitting in the center of the table mitcicucly pre-sliced with a bowl full of fresh butter.

The eyes of all the newcomers were as wide a saucers. They hadn't eaten this well since Des Moines, and there had been several times where their meals consisted of nothing more than Johnn cakes. "Oh my God," Catarina said. "It's amazing how perspectives have changed. This is a mean fit for a king. You are rich!"

[Trinity Talon]

"Well we're doing alright because we have a lot of people helping out." Trinity said with a smile. "But I can see why you'd think that."

"I love soups and stews... so versatile. Can do a lot with whatever we have handy, although without normal refrigeration. have to make do with a lot of things that can be warmed using other ways of cooking and preserving." Tess said and smiled at Mrs. Ackers. "Mrs. Ackers here is a miracle worker that's for sure."

"That's why I hired her." Trinity said with a wink. "Ethan and I really rely on her for so much... never was that great of a cook. Oh sure I can do a few things, but before the Change, it was mostly things I could make in a microwave or slow cooker." she squeezed Ethan's hand. "Can't say he married me for my cooking skills."