Jack calls everyone to the dining room. The news he received last night had hit him hard. A mentor and good friend of his had died. Him and Debbie were going to fly to Netherlands for the funeral of his friend.

Once everyone arrives in the dining room and takes their seats. Jack looks out over his family. He knew Cheshire and her family were planning on heading back home in a few days. He hated leaving his girls and the injured wolves right now.

“Me and your mom are going to be leaving for the Netherlands tomorrow morning. A good friend of mine has died and I’ve been asked to attend his funeral. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but till we get back. I want you two girls to listen to Cheshire and do what she says.” Jack knew Julia and Gina were old enough to make their own decision, but he also knew that they were like him as well.

Well, Julia was more like him. Gina would follow her sisters lead and protect her. He looks at Gina and notices she was wearing her new corset, instead of the back brace.

“Are you taking the twins with you Jack?’ Selina looks towards Jack.

“We’re leaving the twins here. I was hoping you and the girls wouldn’t mind taking care of them.” Jack didn’t want to take the twins with him and Debbie to the Netherlands.

He thought about taking them to his mother in Ireland, but he remembered that Anika and her crew were in England.

“We don’t mind, Jack.” Cheshire didn’t mind spending time with the twins.

“Thanks Cheshire. Would you mind keeping an eye on Sphinx and Cadmus as well? I know wolves aren’t your specialty.” Jack knows Cheshire had a degree to treat big game cats.

“No problem. Are you still using Doctor Kilmer if I need assistant or help?”

“Yep. She has a clinic in town and will come to the house.” Jack has her on retainer for the horses on the property.

Jack looks over towards Julia “I want you to follow your Captain’s order, Julia. I know you want to go after who shot you and Sphinx, but you’re in no condition to do either. So, stay home and let Christmas take care of you.”

Julia just glares at her father because she wanted the bastard that shot her and the other officer, including Sphinx. However, she knew her father was right. Her leg was still healing along with her arm as well. Sphinx had been lucky that the bullets hadn’t hit anything vital.

The rest of the day Jack and Debbie packed for their flight to the Netherlands. Jack couldn’t believe his friend had died in his sleep. He glances over towards a photo on the wall of him and his friend. He had been with MI 6 for ten years. When he had been given orders to work with the ICC investigated branch. Normally, MI 6 wouldn’t do that, but he needed the down time from a very bad case.

Debbie spotted her husband looking at a picture on the wall in their bedroom. She glances towards it and spotted the person he was staring at.

“You two seem to be close.”

“We were. He was my mentor and close friend. He helped me through a bad patch of my life back then. You saw how I was after losing April. I took whatever dangerous assignment I could and threw myself into it. My Supervisor at MI 6 saw that I was on a self-destructive path and assign me to the ICC till I got my head together.” Jack had bad memories of that time that still haunted him.

“I didn’t know about the rest of what you told me Jack, but I did know how much you loved my sister. I also know if any of us had known you were acting that foolish. We would had brought your ass back here to Montana and beat the crap out of you. April wouldn’t have approved of your actions.” Debbie knew how her sister would had reacted to Jack acting like that.

“Well, she had company in that. Henry Holzknecht saw how messed up I was and put me back together. He showed me how to better myself and care more about the people in my life. He’s also the one that gave me the drive to go after people like the Cartels and Warlords that commit crimes against humanity.” Jack checks his suitcase and sets it aside to help Debbie with hers.

“Well, I’m just happy you came back to Montana and decided to take over the operations of your father’s ranch. I never did ask how you built your wealth or companies.” Debbie had been curious about that.

“It comes from my mother side of the family. My great, great grandfather built the family fortunate from the ground up with help from our family in Ireland. Most of the companies I own are partially owned by my family. Only a few like the telecommunication companies and a few others are owned 100% by us.” Jack looks towards Debbie when he says that.

“I know Jack. April said that money and power never meant anything to you.” She kisses him.

Julia and Christmas:
Julia was sitting at her father’s desk going over the report she managed to get her hands onto about the shooting. She made a call to a CI she knew that managed to dig up some dirt on the people that attacked her and the other officers that night. She reaches down and scratches
Sphinx on his head, between his ears. Her father said he was allowed to move around the house, but he couldn’t do any chasing or jumping till his wounds have healed.

She reads the information she was given. She couldn’t believe that a drug gang had put a hit out on the people they had stopped. She sighs and lean back in her father’s comfortable chair. She notices sitting on his desk. There was a picture of her and Gina when they first came to live with their father. The wolves were only a year and half years old at the time. It took her father, her now mother and their Uncles to help her and Gina recover from what they had been through.

“You don’t like listening to your father, do you?” Christmas comes walking into Jack’s private office.

She knew Julia liked working in her father’s office. She had gone looking for her and Sphinx. It was time for Sphinx’s to take his pills. The only people he would take them for were Jack, Julia and Selina.

“I know. I just wanted to look at some information I just received from a CI of mine.” Julia looks at Christmas.

“You know, if you keep disobeying your Captain and your father. You are going to be in trouble.”

“I can’t help it. Someone shot at me, Sphinx and my fellow officers. I want to know why they did it.” Julia couldn’t believe someone would be that stupid.

Even if the information she received made sense. It still didn’t sit right to her. Why would someone go to such extremes? She scratches Sphinx’s head again and closes the folder she had all the information in.

Christmas had sat on the edge of Jack’s desk while she watched Julia.

You know something Julia. You might not carry your father’s gene’s, but you’re a lot like him. You are just as determine, hard headed and stubborn as your father is.” Christmas has known the Bounties since she first came to know Julia and Gina.

“I know. He may not be my birth father, but he is the man that rescue me and Gina. Him and the rest of our family made us the women we are today. I have always wanted to be like my father. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect or help people who have been mistreated and abused.” Julia glances at the picture of her, Sphinx, Gina and Cadmus sitting on her father’s desk.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what ever happened to your birth family?” Christmas had always wonder about that.

“They abandon us for something we had no control over. They said we deserved what we got. So, the only family Gina and I have known are the Bounty’s.”

“And now you have me, and we can start our own family.” Christmas leans forward and kisses Julia.