The search for Bella masters if you post here please put your location in the subject line. Thank you.

  Stepping outside the Gysbourne residence, Meg wrapped a shield around herself, then shot herself into Near Earth Orbit.  Then she scanned the sphere spinning below her, her powers fully 'operant' for once.

Ex flew around the city searhing with his eagle sharp eyes while sending out near constant mindworm messages at Bella {[Bela where are you?! I'm sory, please come back]]

  Bella held her knees to her tightly, sobbing like the world was ending.  Or like her heart was broken.  Curled up in a little cave, in the rocks, not even trying to scrub the tears away as she sobbed.

  Meg read the GEM scan results, and dove earthward, following her senses to the spot she'd found.  She sent to Ex {{I think I've found her.  And unless my ears deceive me, I know why she's not talking to you.}}

  Meg came to hover in front of the cranny where Bella had crammed herself.  Still crying.  Meg said softly "Bella . . . I think you need a hug.  Come, let me give you one."

  Bella sobbed, and flung her arms around her Mommy. She sobbed, and said "M-m-mooom!!  Th-th-they-ey don't . . . don't want me-e-e." And sobbed into Meg's shoulder again.

  Meg, being considerably shorter, hovered, her arms around Bella as she stroked her hair, and she said softly "OH yes they do.  They want you very much, Bella.  You're a beautiful daughter, and any man who isn't a complete frigging moron would be more than proud to have you as his little girl.   And I can assure you, Darren and Bill aren't morons.  You're how old?"

  Those gray eyes came up, looking at Meg, tears still sneaking down her cheeks, and she hitched in a breath to admit "I'm f-f-fif-f-ftee-een."

   Meg nodded, and hugged her, then very gently wiped those tears away as she said  softly "Right now, Bill and Darren are only sixteen.  They're not as old as they will be when you're born.  Not as experienced, not as wise.  They know that being parents is a huge responsibility, and they're afraid to screw it up, you darling girl.  They're afraid of hurting you, and hurting them, and leaving more bruises and bumps than they are good gems of advice."

  Bella bit her lip, and said softly "But they want to send me away.  I don't even know how I got here.  I can't jump more than six months, Mom.  I couldn't . . . I couldn't do more than twenty years."

    Meg made a magnetic field that would emulate a rocking chair, and pulled Bella into her lap, still stroking the younger woman's hair in a comforting gesture.  "For one, they only want to get you back to the parents you know, and love, and are used to.  However, it appears you can't go back, because where and when you came from, Penny says it isn't there anymore.  So you won't be going anywhere."

  Bella kept leaning on Meg, sniffling a bit.  She asked Meg softly "You still want me, right Mommy?"

  Meg hugged her, and said softly "Absolutely.  I'm going to make sure I learn all the things I need to know to make you happen, Bella.  You're beautiful, and I really, really think you're a wonderful, charming young woman.  You know Bella means beautiful, right?"

  Bella shook her head, and said "Dads never told me that.  Who named me, Mom?"

  Meg said quietly "I don't know, but I'm going to guess that I probably will.  Since apparently I'm the one that makes you.  That's going to be an honor, you know.  I'm very fond of both your fathers, and giving them the gift of a daughter is very appropriate."  She tipped Bella's chin up, and asked her gently "May I tell your fathers where we are?  They're both worried about you."

  Bella's eyes dropped, and she said softly "If you have to."  Which got a nod from Meg, so Bella sighed.

Getting the location from Meg Ex flew straight up at top speed. [[Hold on tight love we're going to space and back]] Gradually gaining speed till he left the atmosphere Ex aimed himself at the coast of morroco and headed back towards the earth. In about 20 minutes the two arrived at the Canary Islands. After a second or two of searching he found Meg and Bella landing  within sight but not approaching in case Bella was angry with him, which was a good possibility. Slowly approaching on foot Ex removed his mask to let the tears flow freely. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I-" He hung his hed in shame "So sorry."

  Bella was still curled up on Meg's lap, and he could see the tear-tracks on her cheeks.  She sniffled, leaning on Meg, and said "I don't mean to be an inconvenience.  I don't know HOW I got this far back.  And M-m-mom says that home d-d-doesn't exist an-n-nymore."  She looked up at Ex, and he could tell she badly wanted a hug, but didn't want to 'make' him deal with her if he didn't want to.

"You are NOT an Inconvenience Bella. You are our daughter. I'm not much older than you are I don't know how much of a Father I can be for you, but I can be here for you at the very least." Ex held out his arms towards her. "Now come here and give your Dad a hug."

  Bella moved, wrapping her arms around him (with Fluid in the middle) and hugging.  Hard.  She was strong!  And wasn't upset when Darren used a pseudopod to gently dab her tears away, while she hugged them.  She said softly "It sounded like you didn't want me here at all."  Her voice was soft still.

Ex wrapped his arms around his daughter placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I'm just scared, Bella, scared I can't be the father you need me to be. Scared that I'll screw everything up. Scared that I'll just end up hurting you. I'm sorry I said those things, I panicked I was scared, I didn't mean to hurt you with them."

  She leaned against his chest, even though she was taller, and said "I love you, Daddy.  Both of you.  You're my Dads.  Mom's always told me love was the important part . . ."

Ex patted the back of her head. "Your already growing on us Bella. Just...give us time, we'll get there soon enough" Pulling a way slightly he looked in her eyes. "You ready to go home now? Or would you rather stay in Africa a while? And I understand if your mad at us and want to stay somewhere else, Your Mom's place is kinda wrecked right now, but I can call your grandma and grandpa if you want? They're going to be awful shocked though."

  Bella blinked, and shook her head, then said "I'll stay with you.  I don't know them.  At all."  She glanced at Meg, who was smiling as she strolled over.

"Really? We'll have to change that." Bill asks, Darrens parents he could account for his Dad wasn't even THERE for any of their visits. But HIS Dad seemed to be warming up and his mom was positively cool with his sexuality. "You can stay with us, we'll let Jack and Penny know that they need to find another place to stay. We'll get you all set up with your own room. Then tommorow we'll go and get some things for you, so you'll have your own stuff. Do you NEED to sleep?"

  Bella admitted "Well, no.  I never have, I just got in the habit because Dad-D does.  You don't either.  Jack and Penny can stay until they find a place.  I don't want anyone else stuck on the streets or anything, Dad-E.  Oh, yeah, you sorta have two handles.  Dad-B and Dad-E.  So when I yell for Dad, I get whichever one of you I want, and not both."

Bill smiled at his daughter. "Then you and I, are spending all night, getting to know eachother, I want to know EVERYTHING about you. DadD will need his sleep but he can get you tomorrow. I'm going to try and see your grandmother tommorow theres some things I need to talk to her about, one of them being you."

  She smiled a bit, and asked softly "Am I really that big of a shock?  You know, what with, being like, from over twenty years from now?  Ohhhh, and, did I explain??  I timejump.  My maximum is like, six months though.  Which is why I knew there was something wrong when I didn't see all the stuff I should have in the apartment."

Bill smiled. "Wouldn't you be shocked if your kid popped up out of thin air? I though there might be something like that, you mentioned a six month limit before." He held her tight just as tight as she was holding him as if he was afraid she'd poof into thin air as quickly as she appeared. "You sure your okay with them staying with us? They'll need the guest room, I don't think they'd both fit on the couch."

  Bella nodded, and said "I'm sure!  Dads, you yourselves raised me to be generous and to share with those who didn't have as much.  You think I'm not going to uphold that when I know they're homeless?"

Bill smiled at his daughter reaching up a hand to stroke her face. "Thats my girl, you ready to go home?"

  Bella nodded, and asked him "Can you do the orbital hops too?"

"Would've taken me HOURS  to get here otherwise. Lets go home, and then you and I are going to have a LONG talk, and tomorrow your Dads are going to take you shopping, as you seem to just have the clothes on your back."

  Bella half smiled, and said "Well, Dads, it's not like I was expecting to do more than a five minute jump.  I have my books from the library . . ."

You'll at least need more clothes Bell and some stuff of your own, not sure what to do about music though most of your favorite artists probably aren't around yet."

  Bella giggled, and said "Actually . . . . I am really into the techno-trance-dance stuff that's around, and some of it's even oldies!  I'm really fond of what they call hardcore techno rave music.  Almost my whole collection is older than I am by a good bit, like six or seven years.  So it is all around now, we'll just need someone with a good music program to do some serious downloading for me.  Umm.  We gonna take Mom orbital hopping or what?"

"Yes lets get moving, then then we get home you can show me how you do in the kitchen, your Dads are horrible cooks." He chuckled and began to head upward slowly at first then gradually gaining speed.

>>To Condos>>