Packing was a simple enough affair. It was a bright and early Sunday morning with boxes and other items neatly packed and stacked near the main doorway. Aunt Elizabeth was busy in the kitchen making a hearty breakfast and shooing the cats away. They were about to move Christa back into her father's home, and her brother was ridiculously excited. He hadn't been smiling since the family found out about the passing of their cousin Bradley. Father and son were up early, cleaning the house and preparing for the return of their family member. Christa herself was excited, but in a more subdued way. She knew that this was one of the last hurdles before Bradley's funeral, and since she knew it was coming, she'd thrown herself head first into her senshi duties. If only they would know how much she worried about them late at night while on patrol...

Melinda would probably be thinking the same thing. Now that they were both under the same Queen, they could work more closely together. The operation was slowly taking shape and before long, they would be able to devote a night to actually completing it. Whether or not Ares would be proud of them would be anyone's guess, but Christa tried not to think about it. Instead, she concerned herself with arranging as many boxes in the front of the house as possible. Her bedframe was dismantled and waiting in a box of its own, all the linens were washed and folded, and her desk was the only thing that had to be transported in one piece. Nothing the truck they'd borrowed couldn't handle. Christa wondered then if sneaking out to do her patrols would be easier or harder once she was back home. Would Zach find out? No, she'd have to find a way to keep her senshihood a secret. Melinda still went home when school was out, and no doubt other senshi lived at home. If they could do it, she could do it too.

"Christa? Breakfast is ready!" came a cheerful call from the kitchen. Aunt Liz had made bacon, eggs and toast for everyone and the cats were going balistic. They wanted in on the breakfast too. Standing up from her arrangement near the door, Christa turned around, her pants scraping softly against the carpet. Her smile was small, but noticably warmer than usual. Liz knew this was the right decision, though they would miss her. Uncle Al patted the chair next to him.

"You know, it'll be lonely without you here. Without all the kids here. I mean, we have the cats…Yes Theo, I see you there, you fuzzy lump." A jovial laugh escaped him as Christa sat down. "Cats aren't exactly the same thing. They don't hold a conversation."

Liz had to retort to that. "You seem to have a great many intellectual conversations with Sasha."

"Sasha's different, though. She's always got something to say--"

Christa chimed in. "But you don't know how to translate yet."

They all shared laughter over the kitchen table then, digging into breakfast as if it were their last. The cats all napped around them in some fashion. The mood was both hopeful and a tad melancholic, but Christa knew she'd be back. Perhaps Melinda could come and spend a few days in the house the cousins all used to run around in. They could stay up late, eat popcorn, watch old horror movies and discuss where they came from. Their place in the Court. Their place in the stars.

(590 words)