"I know," Nick says.
Jackie practically crushes the magazine to her chest, then turns and hugs Nick so fiercely that his ribs ache. "Thank you," she says. "Thank you so much."
Nick hugs her back, and they stay like that for a minute before he hears a low growl and looks up to see Maya lurking.
"You're upsetting my mate," Maya says, showing teeth.
Jackie looks up at her and smiles through her tears. "May—Maya, look. Look, it's a picture of my parents." She gets up and brings the magazine over to show Maya. Maya looks at it, and her scowl melts into an expression of understanding. She scoops Jackie up into an embrace, and Jackie wraps her legs around Maya's waist.
Nick leaves them like that, squeezing Jackie's shoulder as he walks by and heading into the water treatment plant to find Ryan.
*~*~*
With Nick now in charge of setting the perimeter patrols, getting out of the valley is ridiculously easy. They sit down and sketch out a quick plan, Nick sets up the patrols to create an opening, and they're good to go. The men on patrol will never realize it, because nobody bothers to review the entire schedule; they just look up their own assignment.
Nick could do the supply run himself and take the truck, but he decides against it, because then he would have to bring other men along. There's no way he could explain his passengers, so he goes alone. It's just reconnaissance, he tells his men. He wants to check out what's at the mouth of the valley. Yes, he's read Leo's reports. But he needs to see it for himself if he's going to make good decisions.
Jackie is quiet, almost suspiciously so, as they trek through the forest to the meeting place. Maya doesn't seem to mind. It's nice to just walk in the woods, like she used to as a child. Ryan is quiet too. All of them are dealing, in their own way, with the idea of finally having answers.
They wait in the little clearing that Nick had specified. He's prompt. The military Jeep pulls up a few minutes later.
Ryan saunters forward and says, "Going my way, stranger?"
"Get in the car," Nick tells him.
Ryan laughs and leans through the open window to give Nick a kiss. Jackie clambers into the back of the Jeep to find Valerie there, and gives her a tight hug. "Check out those two gross old guys in the front," she says to her sister, and Valerie laughs.
"Watch your mouth," Ryan says, getting into the front. "I'm your stepfather now."
"Oh my God," Jackie says, and laughs harder. "I take it all back. I never should have wanted you two to get together."
"It's definitely for the better," Maya says, getting into the back so Jackie is squished between her and Valerie. "Ryan is a lot more tolerable now, trust me."
"Is that the best you can say about me?" Ryan asks.
"Absolutely," Maya replies.
Nick shakes his head at all of them, but a smile is twitching at his lips. "Okay," he says. "Are you guys ready to see what's out there?"
Jackie lets out a breath, reaches out and squeezes Maya's hand. "Yeah," she says. "We're ready."
FIN
About the Author
Emily Holloway has been writing as long as she can remember and loves all kinds of fantasy and science-fiction. She is an active participant in multiple fandoms and loves to converse with other writers and artists. Some of her favorite topics to write about include families of choice, mysteries, magic, dragons, and werewolves. She is a devout Hufflepuff, lover of cats, baker of cookies, and eater of those cookies.
Emily is a cisgender, biromantic, gray-asexual woman who is married to another woman. They live in New Hampshire with their dog and three cats. She believes strongly in representation in literature and popular media, and is thrilled to be joining with Less Than Three Press to contribute more of it to the world.
She can be found on social media at http://gingersnapwolves.tumblr.com and is always happy to talk to readers.
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