"Nail," Matthew Albright said, holding out a hand without looking.

"Hoo," said Hoolio, and a second later a long iron nail was pressed into his hand by two very long and delicate fingers.

"Thanks Hoolio, thanks Onesie," he said, glancing up at the odd pair. He wasn't entirely sure when it had happened, but sometime after he and Allie had declared that they were going to be instituting new routines and structure around the camp, Hoolio and the big snake-with-way-too-many-limbs thing had wound up working together as a sort of foreman-and-forklift duo.

Look let's be honest, a corner of his brain thought sardonically. This is not the weirdest thing you've seen since getting here.

He placed the nail in its spot on the board beneath him and with just two easy strokes hammered it home. The nail joined its brethren in securing this portion of the sub-floor of what was going to be one intensely cool tree-house when he was finished with it.

Hey, if you're gonna do the whole Swiss Family Robinson Marooned On An Island thing, you gotta build a treehouse. It's the law, I'm pretty sure.

"You're sure this doesn't hurt you any, Billy?" he asked the tree for what was the fourth or fifth time after straightening up from where he'd bent over on his knees for the hammerblows.

"I am certain, Consul," Billy said, his rustling voice seeming to come from everywhere this close to his canopy. "I barely even register the nails, and that is… I think it would be similar to 'tickles' in your own forms."

Matt nodded and stood up, cracking his back. "If you're sure…"

"I am positive. I thank you for your concern, but you need not trouble yourself with it."

"Fair enough." Matt sighed and worked out a kink in his neck. The 'Many Hands' Art sure did make things go smoother, but it didn't do beans for lumbar support.

But by God it felt good to be building things again.

He'd drawn up the plans the night before, borrowing one of Olivia's unused notebooks for the task. At first it had been little more than an exercise, plotting out a 'tree-house' that would house his family comfortably. Then he had shown it to Allie, and she had perked up immediately.

The next couple hours had been spent in collaboration with his wife, writing down plans for a home that was two parts fantasy tree house to one part fortress. She spoke of angles of attack, of vantage points, of fields of fire, while he concentrated on square footage, maximizing living space, and how to give everyone the privacy they would eventually want while also keeping them close enough together for protection.

In the end, they had come up with a workable plan, one that would keep them elevated and out of the reach of any ground-bound predators, and that would offer Allie a full field of fire in just about any direction, while also offering all the comforts of home.

It had been… Nice. He hadn't had much of a chance in the Before to share his passion for building things with his wife. Not when he'd used it as an excuse to escape his wife, anyway.

"Hey Dad!" Luc's voice called up from about twenty feet below. "Can I come up? I wanna see how it's looking!"

"Sure bud, come on up. There's a ladder over–oh." Matt cut off as his son rose up to the level of the platform, borne up by several of Billy's branches. "Right. That works too."

"Thanks Billy," Luc said, patting one of the branches as they set him down on the platform. "Woah," he added, eyes getting wide as he looked out over Matt's handiwork. "This is so cool!"

And it really was, Matt had to admit. It was just a bare wooden platform made of wooden planks nailed to an underlayer of Billy's stronger branches, but it was level and smooth and about 500 square feet so far. The plans were for a main 'house' of about 1200 square feet–which was roughly the size of a regular 2-bedroom-1-bath home back on Earth. There would be a wrap-around lanai around the entire structure, as well as pathways and ladderways leading up and down to other structures that would become individual rooms for the kids and for Matt and Allie.

Back on Earth, a project like this would have taken months with a full crew, and would have cost tens of millions of dollars. To say nothing of the difficulties in getting things level and square in the branches of a big tree like this. But Billy was capable of shifting and even changing the size of his limbs somewhat, which was making it much easier to make sure everything came out the way it should. At least at this stage.

"So where's my room?" Luc asked, looking around the platform, then up into the branches overhead. "Can it be up there?" he pointed to one spot about twenty feet above the space Matt was currently working on.

"Probably," Matt said, taking another nail from Mr. Handerson. "We'll get the main room finished first then see where the best spots for more rooms are after that."

"As long as it's high up," Luc said, wandering around the platform and admiring the work. "I wanna be able to see 'em coming."

Matt paused in hammering in the nail and glanced up at his son. "See 'them' coming? Which 'them' are you talking about?"

"Y'know," Luc waved a hand. "Them. Just your basic 'them'. I mean, there's bugs we already know about. Sentinels. We know there's elves and fairies, so there's probably orcs and goblins and kobolds and stuff too. And when they realize we're here, they're gonna come at us, either to fight us or to make friends with us or to trick us or something. And I wanna be able to see 'em coming."

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His son's words conjured up images in Matt's mind that he hadn't actually considered before. They'd known ever since the Gator Cat fight that they weren't alone on the island, but the events of yesterday had brought that reality into sharper focus. And, if Toraline was to be believed, as Sojourners Matt and his family were going to be basically the center of anything that might happen on the island moving forward.

"Hey Billy," Matt said after a second's more thought. "How would you feel about some observation platforms high up in your canopy?"

"I think that would be an excellent idea, Consul," Billy said. "Such platforms would also be of use to you once Consul Lucas's ideas for traps are fully implemented."

Matt blinked. "Traps?"

He turned to Lucas, whose wide grin had turned just a bit nervous.

"Something you want to tell me, son?" Matt asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah, uh," Luc chuckled nervously and scratched at the back of his head. "So, y'know how Billy was having trouble with the Sentinels? Well, I kinda came up with some ideas about how to fix that in the future…"

* * *

Alejandra stepped around a couple felled trees and paused her patrol to take a drink from her canteen. The day was tending towards the hotter side of things, and although the trees around the clearing provided shade from the harsh tropical sun, the jungle itself also produced a truly abysmal amount of humidity. She was sweating like a congressman at a reporter convention.

I now have a new respect for the soldiers who fought in Vietnam.

Her tours of duty had been in the desert, back on Earth. Which yes had been almost unbearably hot at times, especially when on patrol in full kit, with fifty pounds of assorted gear and ammo in her ruck, flak jacket, helmet, and all the rest. But it had been a dry heat. And much as people complain about how much that might not matter when the mercury was pushing 108 degrees in the shade… At least it hadn't had the added benefit of trying to suck air in through a hot wet towel that someone had apparently wrapped around your head.

"Hot enough for ya?"

Alejandra turned to see Dinah leaning on her axe handle, wiping sweat from her brow and grinning wider than a girl should grin in this heat. The girl was dressed in a pair of Alejandra's shorts and one of her shirts, and like the other girls had rolled the hem up and knotted it to expose her midriff to the air, likely in hopes of keeping cooler during the chores. The girl's red hair was plastered against her pale scalp, but she was grinning like she had just won the jackpot at Vegas.

"How are you not a puddle?" Alejandra asked, offering her canteen to the girl.

"This?" Dinah made a dismissive noise with her lips before accepting the canteen. "This ain't nothin'. Come by Tennessee in the summer sometimes. At least this planet ain't swarmin' with skeeters the size of birds."

Alejandra smiled at the distinct twang that had emerged in the younger girl's voice. "If we manage to make it back to Earth, I will have to make the trip. Although, I shall have to remember to bring along some mosquito repellant with me."

There was a stretch of silence as Dinah drank from Alejandra's canteen and eyed her over the rim. The girl took several deep swallows, then handed the canteen back and wiped moisture from her lips.

"Thanks," she said without inflection, her eyes narrowed and roaming over Alejandra's face like they were searching for something there.

"What is wrong?" Alejandra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You really think there's a chance we'll get back to Earth?" Dinah asked, and her voice held so little inflection that Alejandra wasn't sure whether the girl was hoping for a yes or for a no.

Alejandra took her own swallow from her canteen, using the time to think about her answer.

"I… Do not know," she said finally, shaking her head and re-capping the canteen. "In truth, it seems like a very long shot. But," she added with a smile, "our familia, we believe in a God for whom nothing is impossible. If He wishes us to return home, then we shall. If He wishes us to remain here and make for ourselves a new life amongst the magic and creatures of this world, then we shall do that too."

One of Dinah's eyebrows climbed towards her scalp, the other one stayed at sea level. "We've been ripped from our world and put into a fantasy world full of elves, magic, and ancient mysteries. Heck, there are probably other gods running around here too. You really think God is in charge here?"

"Of course," Alejandra said without even thinking about it. "He is God. He is everywhere, he is everywhen, and he is all-powerful. There may be gods in this world, but they are not God."

"Isn't God, like, against magic? Why would he create a world that literally has magic in it?" Dinah asked.

Alejandra grinned. "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt about in philosophy," she said.

Dinah blinked. "Did you just quote Shakespeare at me?"

"No," Alejandra said, "I think it was an episode of Twin Peaks."

Dinah blinked again, opened her mouth, closed it again, then glared at Alejandra.

"You're screwing with me, aren't you."

"About the quote? Yes," Alejandra grinned. "About God? No. I believe he is here watching over us. I believe he brought us here for a reason. I do not know what that reason is, and I do not know how this world fits into His plan. But I do not need to know. It is enough to know that he is here and that mi familia is in his hands, and together we will face whatever may come."

Dinah kept her squinty glare going for a couple more seconds before sighing and shaking her head. "Well, I guess you do you Mrs. A."

It was Alejandra's turn to blink. "Mrs. A?"

"Well, I ain't ready to call you Mom yet," Dinah said, this time her own lips quirking into a half-grin. "But you're right, Mrs Albright is just too formal. Is that okay?" she asked next, a hint of doubt creeping into her voice.

Alejandra smiled and reached out to squeeze the girl's shoulder. "It is fine. I like it, even."

"Good," Dinah said, and her grin turned mischievous. "Because the other option was for me to start calling you Dubba."

Alejandra blinked again. "Dubba?" she echoed the strange word, not understanding.

"Sure. Dubba. Double. Double-A. Alejandra Albright. Dubba." The girl was grinning wide now. "What, you don't like it?"

Alejandra knew she was making a face, and couldn't school her features quickly enough. "It is… Certainly unique?"

"Aaaaand that's why I decided on Mrs. A," Dinah said.

Alejandra had to laugh, and reached out to swat at the teen. "Enough, back to work with you. 'Mister A' will need the wood you are cutting soon enough."

"You got it Mrs. A", Dinah threw her a salute, still grinning. Then the grin softened into something else, and her eyes lowered a moment before raising back up. "And… Thanks. I dunno if we'll ever get back either, and I can't pretend like I don't miss it. But… I guess if I was gonna be marooned on an alien world, you folk are pretty near and close to bein' the only folks I'd wanna do it with."

Alejandra patted Dinah's shoulder again. "And, strange as the sentiment sounds mija, I am glad you are here as well."

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