Julia wakes up before Christmas does and slides out of bed, without waking her. She looks at Christmas peaceful sleeping form, before slipping on her robe and heading downstairs towards the kitchen. Sphinx was following behind her as she steps into the kitchen. She selects her favorite coffee and put it in the new coffee machine. Selina had it installed a couple of weeks ago. She grabs a biscuit for Sphinx and toss it to him. She knew if chaos was alive, he would want one as well.

She glances up at the clock in the kitchen and notices that it was 6:00 a.m. she was surprised that Gina wasn’t up already. Next to Selina, Gina was the one you could count on most, to be the first one up. Julia looks at the temperature outside and saw it was 21f degrees outside and knew the Liger’s weren’t going to enjoy that today.

She just stands in front of one of the big bay windows sipping her coffee. It looked out towards the back of the property and swimming pool area. She feels Sphinx rub up against her leg as she stretches the top of his head with her fingernails. She was happy that his wounds weren’t as bad as she thought they would be. She felt sorry for Cadmus, because his wounds have basically taken him out of active service. The vets did what they could for him, but now he was going to be walking with a limp. It was going to be hard for him to do any jumping.

“You’re up early.” Selina comes walking into the kitchen and spotted Julia standing in front of the large bay window.

“I couldn’t sleep anymore.” She turns around to face Selina.

“Well, since your up. Why don’t you come over here and give me a hand making breakfast for everyone?” Selina grabs a spare apron and hand it to Julia.

Julia accepts it and start mixing the batter for the biscuits Selina was famous for. Julia always found that cooking always made her feel better when something was bothering her. An hour and half later, people start waking up and coming into the kitchen. They either grabbed a cup of coffee or grabbed some juice.

The secret door that lead to the tunnel that went to the barn opens. Jack comes stepping out of it followed by Debbie. Both were bundled up in their cold weather gear.

“Mmmm, do I smell fresh biscuits and country sausage gravy?” Jack looks over towards Selina and Julia.

“Yes sir.” Julia was just finishing up the grits and scramble eggs.

Debbie strips out of her cold weather gear and hangs it up in the closet in the kitchen. She’ll move it later. She picks up one of the platters and take it into the dining room and set it down on the table. Jack follows behind her with another platter. The wolves are feed outside on the back porch, except for Cadmus. He was feed inside down in the laundry room.

Cheshire appears a few minutes later from the secret corridor that lead to the barn wearing her cold weather gear. She peels herself out of it and hang it up. She just got finish feeding the Ligers out in the barn, where it was nice and warm. They were in a separate area that Jack had built for them, whenever they came to visit.

Tizzy comes walking into the dining room with her boyfriend Ikaika helping her. She was wearing a back brace just like Gina. Ikaika helps her over towards a seat where Cheshire normally sat.

Krisha, Alyona and Silvia all come walking in rubbing their eyes. They were wearing their robes over their nightgown and matching slippers.
Krisha’s robe had kittens chasing after a ball of yarn on it. Alyona had Eagles flying on her robe and Silvia had puppies on hers.

Christmas comes walking into the kitchen and notices Julia flipping sausages patties on the griddle. She walks behind her and wrap her arms around Julia’s waist.

“This is a side of you I have never seen before. I never knew you were so domesticated.” She places a kiss on Julia’s cheek.

“It helps me relax and I enjoy cooking. At one time I thought about opening a restaurant.” Julia squeezes Christmas’s hand.
Christmas releases Julia and picks up the platter that Julia has been filling up with sausage patties.

“Thanks sweetie.” Julia places a kiss on Christmas cheek.

“You’re welcome.” Christmas carries the platter out to the dining room.

Julia, Selina and Debbie join the rest of their family and sit down and enjoy breakfast with them.

Jack and Debbie look at everyone gathered around the table, while the twins eat their breakfast by their mother and father side. Jack could never imagine how big his family would had gotten. He looks at Debbie and realize how much like April his first wife she resembles. True,
Debbie was April’s older sister, but he never realized till now, how much they resembled each other.

“Now you know why I like living in Hawaii, Jack.” Cheshire hated cold weather.

She didn’t like it when she was stationed in Russia during her first year with the CIA. She loved the warm weather and living in places like
Florida, California, and the Bahamas. Why Jack choose to live in Montana, she’ll never figure out.

Jack just gives her a smile. He didn’t mind living here in Montana. First, it would be the last place someone looking for him or his family would look, two, he had property out here that use to belong to his father. Three, he could raise his wolves without anyone complaining about them. Fourth, he was raising cattle and Bison. He had a large parcel of land for his herd to roam.

After everyone eats their breakfast. Alyona, Krisha and Silvia help clear the dining room table and put away the left overs. Tizzy and Gina heads towards the library with their boyfriends. Christmas and Julia let the wolves back inside the house. Jack, Debbie and Cheshire heads towards Jack’s home office to talk. Julia goes upstairs to her bedroom and changes into her exercise outfit and have Alyona, Krisha and Silvia change into theirs, along with Christmas. They all meet later downstairs in the underground gym. Julia puts the girls and Christmas through the same exercise routine her father uses to put Gina and her through when they felt comfortable around him. The gym was equipped with all sorts of exercise equipment and acrobatic equipment.

“Why don’t I teach you girls some ballet?” Christmas looks at the three new girls.

Christmas takes over teaching Alyona, Krisha and Silvia ballet. She teaches them how to stand and what the different positions were and how to stretch.

Julia stands back and watches her girlfriend. She forgot that Christmas took ballet when they went to school. She joins in after a while of watching and does what her girlfriend says. She could tell Christmas attitude changed when she teaches them. This was something she had never seen before about her girlfriend.

Jack’s Home Office:
Jack sits in his chair behind the desk as Debbie and Cheshire sit in the high back leather chairs in front of his desk.

“How is Christina adopting to living with Nora?” Jack looks towards Cheshire.

“She is adjusting, I spoke to a friend of mine that was looking for help at a Special Effects company in Memphis. I managed to get Christina an interview with the manager. Nora is helping her with the interviewing process. If she manages to get the position, it will because of her own accord. If she doesn’t get hired by this one. I know another company that would take her on as apprentice. Also, Nora has taken a young girl under her wing.” Cheshire hopes Christina get this first one. They had a contract with a movie company that would be a great way for Christina to learn her trade. As for the young girl, until Nora ask for her help. She’ll let Nora handle the problem.

“Are Anika and her people in position to figure out who the mole is in MI 5?” Jack had them prepping for that mission.

“According to what Anika told me. Hatter, Terry, Dakota and Shigeko are already in position. Hatter and Dakota have contacted Hatter’s old gang and are working with them. Terry and Alexa have finished the modifications to the cab. All Terry needs now is to contact Mouse and establish a link with MI 5’s computer systems. Morgana is going to handle IT support from this end. Anika and Bart should be flying over tomorrow and be picked up at the airport by Terry.” Debbie has been keeping tabs on Anika and her team. While Jack and Cheshire had been after the Jones person.

“Do we know what the conditions are of the Marshal’s that were in the explosion?” Cheshire was curious about them.

“The two of them are on medical leave right now. As soon as they are cleared for duty. I’ll contact them.” Jack had a meeting with the Deputy
Director of the Marshal service. He informed him what had happened in Memphis. It was beyond his people and the Marshals control. No one knew Jones would had booby trapped the place to explode like it did.

Jack turns the monitor on to see how the girls were doing down in the gym. He saw Christmas giving them ballet lessons.

“I think we have just found a new instructor for the girls.” He moves aside to let Cheshire and Debbie watch.

“When I get back to Hawaii, I’ll sign Krisha up for ballet lessons. I know a good instructor on the island.” Cheshire saw Krisha moved and could
see how she took to the music they were listening to as Christmas taught them how to dance.