Liam spent two days in the woods with Tim and Kat. During this time, he reached out to Robyn to confirm the arrangements for when they arrived. Two two left what they could, and piled the rest of their possessions into the trunk. They had a long drive ahead of them, and even driving in shifts, they had to stop for the sunrise. Tim rode along in his homid form as not to attract attention.

They arrived in the early hours of the morning on the second day. Most of the compound was asleep. Robyn, however, was waiting for them when they arrived. She was bleary-eyed and on her first coffee when they pulled into the driveway. She stood on the front porch and waited for them to disembark.

"Welcome back," she croaked. "I am... not usually up this early."

Liam smiled. "Thank you," he said. "Its good to see you, Robyn."

"This is Kat, and this is Tim," he said, holding out a hand in introduction. He turned to Tim next. "Tim, this is Robyn. She's the one who helped me find you."

Tim kicked at the earth shyly. Kat offered her hand to Robyn.

"I feel like I know you already," Robyn said as she shook Kat's hand.

"My deepest sympathies," said Kat with a smirk.

"It's good to finally meet you, Tim," Robyn said, moving toward the Garou. She offered her hand, but Tim merely stared at it. Kat elbowed him gently, and he shook it. Even in his homid form, he towered over Robyn. But it was clear who intimidated who.

Robyn gestured around herself. "Welcome to the family," she said. "I've set up a tent on the edge of the grounds, as requested."

"Thank you," Liam said again. "What does Moira know?" he asked. "Anything?" He'd touched on the fact that she might not immediately be receptive to the idea in their previous phone call.

"I told her that you'd be bringing someone close to you from your past, and that she might have a problem with it," Robyn said. "And I asked her to hold any objections for you. If you don't think whatever beef they have can wait 'til sunset I suggest you go wake her."

"I think I will," Liam replied. "Thank you, Robyn. That's everything I could have asked for. I'll talk things through with Moira. Would you mind if Tim watches TV in the house with you while I get this sorted? I'll call for him as soon as we've hashed it out."

He looked up at Tim. "It's okay. I promise."

"I haven't watched TV in a long time," Tim said eagerly.

"Go on in," Robyn said. "Pockets'll put on something nice. Just shout down the stairs."

Kat winced, and patted Liam's shoulder. "C'mon," she said. "Let's get this over with."

Moira and her kids were still relegated to the edge of the encampment as well - albeit on the opposite edge as Tim and Kat. From the looks of things, she and the kids were sound asleep.

"Should we all go down there, or do you want me to hang back?" Kat said. "No telling how she'll react when she sees me."

"Let me wake her," Liam replied. "I'll ask her to come outside. No need to wake the kids for this. They'd have been too young to remember anyway."

Moira had detected Liam's approach, and stepped out of the tent to meet him long before he was able to tap on the tent. She looked a little bleary, which was understandable given the hour.

"You're back," Moira said matter-of-factly. "And you still smell."

"I'm not exactly thrilled about that either," Liam confessed. "Its been a long few weeks."

"The kids are still asleep?"

"Yeah," Moira said. "Alice woke up, but I told her to wait inside. I'm guessing you wouldn't come to my tent this close to dawn unless you had something important to share. What's up?"

"Its about Borealis," Liam said, deeming there no better way to address the issue apart from head on. "I found him. And I brought him back."

The name hit her like a bullet, to the point her body jerked slightly as the word connected. She was silent for a moment, her mouth half-open. She blinked slowly. "That... is a lot of information at four thirty in the morning," she finally said. "I haven't heard that name since I thought he died. I'm sure he isn't eager to see me, considering how many years I hunted him."

"So you say you found him. Were you... looking for him?"

"He's terrified of you," Liam confirmed. "In fact I'm not sure who he's more afraid of, you or Robyn."

"And yes. I went looking."

"Definitely me," Moira said sourly. She ran her hand over her face. "Why... why were you looking for him?"

"Because I wanted to know if he was alive," Liam replied. "If he was still alright."

"Its a long story, but I never knew him as Borealis. I knew him as Tim. I didn't put the rest of it together for quite a few years. Melissa - White Wind - she let it slip. That's when I made the connection."

"And by then I couldn't reconcile the monster Borealis had been purported to be with the person before my eyes. He isn't that thing at all. He's a child in the body of a giant - about the sweetest soul I ever met. He just wants to belong somewhere."

She flinched again as another name from her past stung her. "Look, I... I don't blame you for keeping this from me," she said. "You'd have been foolish not to. I do, however, question the wisdom of allowing him into your trust, and into this sanctuary. He may be sweet, but he's also malleable - and he absolutely can not keep a secret."

"People have used his sweetness to lure him down the Black Spiral. He betrayed his pack, and then joined up with a group that sought to bring about the end of all things. True, he may not have appreciated the full ramifications of his actions, but that doesn't change the fact that he did what he did. Excuses and explanations don't really matter to the victims. And I dread what else he may end up doing, while not knowing what he's doing."

"Nothing can change what happened," Liam acknowledged. "He did those things under the influence of a malign intelligence, and he has to live with those awful memories forever. But then so does everyone who was forced to commit an abhorrent act under the Fugue." Liam let the sentiment hang for a moment, though he refrained from openly acknowledging Moira's own involvement in the destruction of the caern. He had no doubt that she was guilt wracked over her own coerced complicity and thought it cruel to put too sharp a point on it.

"I know he can't keep a secret. Which is why he's safest here. Everyone inside this compound is in on it. Who's he going to tell? And if the Tremere should ever find us, he will protect this village to the death. You and I both know that."

Liam ran his fingers through his hair and glanced up at the eastern horizon.

"Look, Moira, I know this is a lot to take in. Especially at this hour. I'm not asking you to trust him. I'm asking you to give him a chance. Let him live here in peace."

Moira bristled at the comment about the Fugue. She began to say something, but caught herself, and took a deep breath. "There is a world of difference between gullibility and mind control," she said. "But you're right. It's early, it's unexpected, and it's a lot to take in. I have no doubt he'll be keeping his distance today. You have my word I'll do the same. We'll... take this in small doses 'til everyone's comfortable."

She turned back toward her tent, and added something as she moved away. "Oh, and tell that conniving Bastet that if she says so much as a word to any of my children I'll tear out her voicebox."