Nat gazed across the Seine at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

“Cool,” he whispered almost in reverence.

“Matt, you make sure Wren doesn't get lost and Wren you make sure Matt doesn't get lost,” Jessy all but commanded.  “And I will make sure Nat doesn't.”

Nat glanced down at Jessy then over at Wren, a faint plea in his expression.

“Okay!”  Matt agreed enthusiastically

“And if we get separated we all meet back here at 4,” Jessy continued to deliver orders.

“Where too first?” Matt was all but rubbing his hands together in glee.

“So which bakery, Wren,” Jessy asked.

A man stepped out of the shadows.  “Qu'êtes-vous des gosses faisant dehors à ce moment de nuit?”

The group eyed the man.

“Pourquoi juste ne me donnez-vous pas votre argent?”  The switchblade in his hand snicked open.

Wren translated “’Why don't you just give me your money?’”

Jessy’s skin altered to the grey and black speckle of granite.

“Man,” she said, “Just when we were about to have some fun!”

“Notre argent est simplement bon où il est.” Wren said calmly.

Jessy spread her fingers and the cobbles and mortar at the man’s feet seemed to open up and swallow him up to the ankles.

“Merde!”  the man said, looking down at his feet.

Matt stepped in close, slowly shaking his head.  Standing boldly in front of the man he patted his stomach as if asking the man to stab him.

“Vous êtes des mutants!”  the man said, paling.

“Wren,” Jessy said.

“Oui . . . I mean, yes, Jessy?”

“Just say daddy’s name,” she said her voice full of confidence and pride.  “They shut up quick.”

“I have learned the hard way that using your father’s name for personal gain ends up never working,” Wren said blandly.

“Okay,” Jessy tucked her hair behind one ear as the man fought with the earth holding him.  Reaching over, she took the knife from the man then released the stones around his ankles.  “Be a good boy now.”

“Vont, monsieur. Laissez-nous seuls,” Wren said.

The guy paused for a moment looking at the four, then bolted, disappearing quickly into the night.

“Gee, some people,” breathed Jessy.  “But I got a cool knife out of the deal.”

She relaxed and returned to her normal soft skin.

“I would not suggest staying right here for much longer,” Wren said, “He is bound to bring friends back with him.”

Matt shrugged.  “Ok, fine. Let’s move.”

Jessy took the lead and they followed her out onto the brilliantly lighted Champs Elyse.

“Where first,” Matt asked again.

“Want to climb the Eiffel Tower?” Jessy suggested.

“From the inside or outside?” Matt grinned.

“It is still too early for the bakery,” Wren observed, glancing at her Cartier watch.

“We can walk the river,” Jessy offered.

“How far is the bakery?” Nat quietly asked Wren.

She looked around, “Not very far,” she replied just as quietly.

Jessy had slowed, allowing Nat and Wren to come up beside her.  She took Nat’s hand and he resisted jerking it back.  He let her tow him along but was careful not to close his fingers.  She might think she was tough, especially when ‘stoned up’ but Nat wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t come away with crushed fingers if her accidentally closed his hand.  Matt took Wren’s hand and pulled her ahead, the excitement of being in Paris and holding Wren’s hand making him a little more playful than usual.  Jessy stopped as they rounded a corner half a block away.  She slowly brought her eyes up to Nat’s face and settled there.

“Umm . . . “ Nat started.

Jessy shook her head as if to clear it.

“Nothing,” she said,  “So whatcha want to do?”

Nat shrugged and looked around the sparsely populated street.

“It's a nice Paris night,” Jessy said, coyly.

“Not much open and I guess the Seine doesn't have much surf,” he watched the black water slowly drifting by with barely a ripple.

“Nope,” Jessy said with a sigh.  “But it is way romantic.”

“Romantic?”

Nat shifted uncomfortably.  Jessy rolled her eyes at his reaction and gazed out at the dazzling lights of the city.

“Guess I am going to be the untypical teen,” she said with an exaggerated sigh, “But it is a nice night.”

“Untypical?”  Nat said.  “Is that a word?”

“If it isn't it should be,” Jessy stared into the distance, a dreamy look on her face.

“What's an untypical teen?”  Nat knew he was playing into whatever she was doing.

“Me,” she said, and then looked up at him.

“Lessee,” Nat said.  “You are an ex-human elf with super powers.  Pretty ‘untypical’, I guess.”

“Ever wonder what it would be like if your life didn't go the way it did?” she asked.  “Yeah I could have been normal and the daughter of a hit man.”

“Kinda hard to help, isn't it?”  Nat said.

“More typical than being an elf with the most powerful super hero as a dad and guys are afraid of,” Jessy said wistfully.  “So even if one would look at me they get scared away.”

“Scared of what?” Nat scowled.  “A sand wave?”

Nat could see Jessy’s instant pout.

“I just don't want my birthday to come,” she said.  “And it's so close and I will never  get . . . never mind.”

“When IS your birthday?” he asked.

“Well, for real I don’t know,” she admitted.

“You don’t know?”

“All the documents had the same year on them,” Jessy shrugged.

“When do you celebrate it?” Nat asked.

“December 21^st,” she replied.  “But that isn’t enough time!”

“’Nuff time for what?” he said.

“To . . . umm . . . get a boyfriend and . . . umm . . .” she stammered.  “Never mind, you’re a guy, you will never understand.”

“What do you need a boyfriend for?”  Nat said, uncomfortable again.

“To KISS me, OKAY?” she blurted.

“Kiss you?”  He scowled.

“I am almost 16 and never been kissed by a real guy,” she said, her voice bordering on desperation.  “I don't want to be 16 and never kissed, OKAY?”

Nat looked at her with an odd mixture of disbelief and amazement.

“Why are you worried about it?”

“’cause,” she replied.

“Didn't you spend time in that forest place?”  He asked.  “Weren't there any elves that were willing?”

“Yeah, but I’m like a kid to them,” she complained.  “They are tall and all but not . . . never mind.”  She sighed again.  “If I kiss them they might want more.”

“It's what guys do,” Nat said honestly.  “We all want more.”

“No, see you get a boyfriend and do the kissing, hugging, and holding,” she explained.  “And then if he falls nuts in love with you, you get engaged and married not like mom who thinks you just mate and then maybe marry.”

She stopped, peeking up at Nat to gauge his reaction.  She couldn’t tell and abruptly she was uncomfortable.

“I think that is the bakery,” she pointed to a building up the street.  “Looks like movement in it.”

They started toward it, Nat’s stomach rumbling.

“Maybe it's Wren,” he said, not noticing Jessy’s sudden scowl.

The front door opened and yellow light flooded the small patio between the building and the street.  There were four small round tables but no chairs.  A figure came out of the shop with a chair under each arm.

“Hullo, Wren,” Nat said with a smile.  “What happen to Matt?”

She set the chairs beside one table then tucked them in place.

“Matthew scampered off in search of better company I believe."  Her tone of voice is teasing but kind.

“French girls, huh?’ Nat said then scowled.  “He'll probably get into trouble."

“They are said to be very hard to resist,” Wren admitted.

Nat shrugged “Not really."  He said.  “I like homegrown girls.”

Jessy beamed and Wren chuckled, a rare thing.  "I am safe from your wiles then, sir,” she said, giving Jessy a knowing little look, girl to girl.

“I am home grown,” Jessy tossed in then immediately changed the subject.  “So is this the bakery?”

Nat grunted, not at all happy with the outcome of THAT little comment.

“Yes, that it is,” said Wren.  “I hope you haven’t spoiled your appetites.”

“Nope,” said Jessy.

“Well, I come here for the bread myself, but their pastries are also very good,” Wren said pulling out a second pair of chairs.  Nat made as if to give her a hand but she deftly blocked the way.

“Maria makes them great,” Jessy said, defending her favorite cook in the whole wide world.

“They do anything like Marie?”  Nat almost drooled.  He really loved Marie’s pastries.

“Marie was raised here you know,” Jessy said.

“Bernard would rival your Marie's best, I assure you,” said Wren.  “He's quite talented.”

The display case in the window was rapidly filling with an assortment of fresh breads and pastries.  Nat had to try hard not to press his nose to the glass.  It all smelled like heaven.

“How much time did you spend here, Wren?” He asked.

“I was here a couple of times, for a month or so at a time,” she replied.

“I like the cream puffs,” Jessy was standing beside him, looking at the goodies.

“Look messy,” Nat observed.  “I'd smush one.”

“I'll feed it to you,” Jessy said.

Nat looked horrified at the thought of Jessy feeding him and she caught the look in the window’s reflection.

“It's not THAT bad,” she said with a huff.  “Man I am just being nice.”

“How about a couple of those?”  Nat pointed at a neat row of almond pastries.  “Four, I think . . . and coffee?  What do you guys want?”

               Wren glanced at Nat’s choice and nodded.  "Alright.  What about you Jessy?"

While Jessy considered Wren looked at Nat oddly.

“I really did not think of you as a coffee drinker myself, Nathaniel,” Wren said, mild surprise in her voice.

Nat looked around the little bakery and said absently  "Love Starbuck's, Wren"

He looked down at the tiny wire framed chairs.

“Umm . . . think we can pull the table up beside that brick planter?”

“That would be acceptable, as long as we returned it to its original place,” Wren said.

“I will just take one cream puff and some white grape juice, un-aged,” Jessy said.

Nat wondered what the heck was ‘un-aged’ white grape juice.

“Alright, Jessy,” Wren said with a nod.

Matt came around the corner of the building with a huge grin on his face.

“Hullo there.  Back so soon?"  Wren set the last two chairs in place.

Nat placed the table he had lifted into position before the brick planter and seated himself carefully so as not to crush the plants.  Jessy took the chair to his immediate left.

“Hullo, Matt,” he said.

“Matthew?  Is there anything you would like since I seem to be taking orders?” Wren offered.

Inside, a girl in the white of a baker, obviously not Wren’s Bernard, place a perfect cream puff on the center of a dainty plate then dusted it with powdered sugar.  For Nat, she selected four pastries and, as requested by Wren, placed them on a thick stone plate normally used for baking.

“Hi,” Matt said, dropping into the chair opposite Nat.  “Just had to run a quick errand.”

The girl came out with the two plates and set one before Jessy and the other before Nat.  Jessy immediately dipped her finger into the creamy filling and sucked it off her finger.  While Nat apparently didn’t notice, Matt almost fell over backward in his chair.  Wren made shooing motions at the girl.

“Loin avec vous Gayle.  Bernard aura votre tête.  Je peux finir vers le haut ici,” Wren said to the girl.

“I guess a cream stuffed croissant.  Got one?” Matt said, not really caring what else might be available.

“Of course, Matthew,” Wren said.

The girl, Gayle, returned with a thick stone mug of coffee and a delicate crystal goblet with what was probably the white grape.  She placed the mug before Nat and smiled at him.  Jessy lifted the goblet to her lips and sipped.

Gayle grinned and said in English, “Like old times, no?” as she passed Wren in her way back into the bakery.  “Il est très beau, votre garçon de surfer?”

“Oui, Gayle,” she said with a little smile, answering two questions with a single word.

Wren easily found Matt’s croissant and placed it on a plate. She added a second plate with a single fresh bun then hooked her fingers into two mugs and a pot of coffee before carrying everything out to the table.  She smiled as she passed Gayle again.

Matt sniffed Nat’s coffee.

“I’ve never had that before,” he admitted.

“Their coffee is too thick,” Jessy said, wrinkling her nose.  “I would need a gallon of water to make it weak enough to drink a cup.”  She pulled out a wade of Euros and peeled off a few, tucking them under the edge of her empty plate.

Matt’s hand dips into his back pocket and comes out with a wallet.

“How much do I owe,” he said.

“I covered it, “ Jessy told him.

Wren placed her burden down on the table and placed a cup before Nat, the croissant before Matt and the bun and second cup in the empty place.

“Bernard is going to wave your money away, I’ll have you know, but it is good of you to offer,” Wren seated herself in the remaining wire chairs to Nat’s right.

“Matthew, would you like to try French coffee?”  Wren poured herself a mug.

“Yeah,” he said.  “I like to try new things.”

Wren filled the second mug and slid it over gently before refilling Nat's mug as well.  Matt sipped the coffee, black, and almost gagged.

Nat saw the amusement in Wren’s eyes as she watched Matt over the rim of her own cup.

“Perhaps you need some cream?  Sugar?" Wren moved a small pitcher and bowl of sugar over to Matt.

“It's . . . strong,” Matt sputtered.  “It is strong coffee, isn't it?”

“Yes, compared to American coffee,” Wren agreed.

Matt added four heaping spoons of sugar to the cup then topped it off with the cream.  He sipped the concoction but set it aside, giving it up as a lost cause and concentrated on the excellent croissant.

               “This place is nice,” Matt observed.  “Did you work here, Wren?”

               Her expression was cool.  “Not formally, no, but I turned up here so often they eventually just let me roam on my own.

               It became very quiet.  The cream puff before Jessy was beginning to look as if Nat had ‘smushed’ it.  Jessy was playing with it even as some made its way to her mouth.  Her attention seemed to be somewhere near Nat’s head.  Wren tore the hot bun apart and picked out the soft center.  Nat sipped the black coffee obviously in thought and Matt watched Wren, his chin on his elbow, with a sappy grin.  He moved his arm and the mug of coffee tipped, dumping the content into his lap.

               Matt jumped to his feet, brushing the hot liquid off his lap.  Wren came to her feet and had a towel before anyone else reacted.  Matt took it with a sheepish smile of thanks.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking what I was doing,” he said.

“Are you all right?” Wren asked.

The shape-shifter daubed at his coffee soaked jeans.  Nat had to struggle not to smile so he turned his attention to the pastries.

“Yes, thank you,”  Matt said.  “I'm just so embarrassed.”

“It's all right,” Wren assured him.  “No one knows where we are from.  They will just assume you're still tired.”  She resumed her seat.

“Thank you. You're so sweet,” Matt told her.

“As you say,” Wren seemed to accept the words with aplomb but Nat nearly choked on his coffee.  Sipping her own brew, she looked at Nat.  “Are you all right, Nathaniel?"

“Needs sugar,” he prevaricated.

Matt sat back down, chagrined but not quite sure why.

“Mm.  Acquired taste I guess,” Wren said to Nat.  “Matthew?  Would you like to try something else to drink?”

He shrugged, trying to regain his usual cool nonchalance.  “Pop, I guess.  What do they have?”

“Not much in the way of soda.  Mostly just cola and Sprite I believe.  Although I could mix juice and Sprite for a punch,” Wren offered.

“Cola would be find,” he said.  “Thank you, Wren.”

The girl nodded and rose, off to play hostess once more.

“Oh, Jessy, How are the jobs around the school? I heard the Fireoaks and Catlings are looking for baby sitters,” he said.  “The Fireoaks are offering a lot, why would that be?”

It was Jessy’s turn to choke.

“Need extra money, Matt?” Nat asked.

“Yeah, it's a real strain on my parents to let me come here that doesn't leave much money for anything else,” he said.

“Umm . . . you paying to go here?” Nat said with a smile.

Wren returned with a can of Coke and set it before Matt who smiled and nodded his thanks.  She returned to her seat and wrapped her hands around the warm coffee mug.

“Yeah, my parents had to do something after I . . .” Matt hesitated and bowed his head.

“Matt . . . nobody pays . . .” Nat said gently.

“What?!”  Matt’s head snapped up.  “I want my allowance back!”

“My mom couldn't afford anything like this,” Nat admitted.  “But Archer told us that it's totally free.”

“Nicky,” whispered Jessy.  “I bet he ‘volunteered’ to deliver it.”

“Now you tell me!”  Matt was back to his overdramatic self.  “I have to talk to my parents.”

“We can go there when we leave here,” Jessy suggested.  She had finished dipping all the cream from the puff, leaving it nothing more than an empty shell.

Matt shook his head.  “Not tonight, it’s too late.”

Nat pushed his empty plate away.  Wren seemed cold and he wished he’d brought a jacket.  She was using a second cup of coffee as a hand warmer.

“Anything wrong, Wren?” Matt asked.

“No,” she said.  “Thank you.”

“Let’s go,” Jessy rose to her feet.  “I think climbing the Eiffel Tower is a good idea!”

“A very illegal idea,” Wren cautioned.

“But a fun idea,” Jessy grinned.  “It’s gorgeous up there in the wee hours of the morning.  I’ve chased Nicky up there before.  It was breath taking.  Everything so quiet.”

Wren blinked and gave Jessy one of her odd looks.

“Yeah, you can say you were trying to get back your pet chimp!” Matt suggested.

“Going as King Kong, Matt?”  Nat said with a little smile.

“I was thinking more like Chango. As in A O Chango,” Matt told him.

Nat scowled  "A what?"

“I guess you're not subject to the same reruns I was,” Matt shrugged.

“Musta missed that one,” Nat admitted.

“Whatever. Do we want to do it or not? If not, anywhere we can go swimming?”

Nat gave him a cool look.  “You look in the river?  I saw a rat floating there.”

               Matt sighed.  “I guess the answer is no then.”

               “Guess we go home,” Jessy said reluctantly.  “Spock?  Can you hear me?”

               They all waited expectantly but there was no response from the ever-present computer.

               “I forgot a radio,” Jessy groaned.  She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and dialed.  She put it on speaker.

               “Wild Hunt,” came the machine voice.

               “Hi, Spock,” she said.  “Four to go home, please.”

               “Did you turn your radio on?” the computer asked.

               “Nope forgot it in my new room, could you ask daddy to come pick us up if you can't,” she sounded like a little girl.  We are in Paris, 123 Champs Elysées.”

          “I will inform him.”

“Cool,” she said,

“Will he need to recover you and Master Nicky from the police station again?”

“What for?” she asked.  “I'm sitting in a bakery.”

“Very well.  Stay where you are.”

“K, later Spock.”

She flipped the phone closed and tucked it into her pocket.

“Radio?” Nat said.

“Yeah so we can talk to the Hunt and Spock,” she explained.  “He will have to wake daddy up to get us.”  She paused, in thought.  “I think next time we go to Hawaii.”

“Hawaii, huh?”  Nat grinned.

“Yeah,” Jessy gave him a speculative look then added, “or Australia but I like the islands.”

“Nat do you have all the best waves mapped out around the globe?” Matt said.

“Are you kidding?” Nat responded.

“I heard in on a movie,” said Matt.

“Hawaii, North Shore . . . Australia, Bondi . . . 30 foot waves!”  Nat’s eyes seemed to glow with excitement.

Ghost Archer slowly materializes beside Jessy and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Did you forget?” he said.

Matt almost came to attention.  “Hello sir.”

“Hello, Matt, Wren, Nat,” the archer returned.  “A little late for Paris, isn't it?”

He held out his hand to Jessy, four tiny radio earplugs resting in his palm.  Wren blinked and pushed back from the table, reluctantly taking her hands from the warmth of the mug.

“I have one for each of you.”

Jessy selected one, then each followed in turn.

“I should have given them out when to arrived,” Archer said.

Jessy inserted the device into her ear and adjusted the fit.

“At least I had my cell phone, daddy,” she said.

Wren held the radio in her palm.  “I do hope we are not to always wear these.”

“You can't even see it when it's in,” Jessy assured Wren as if that might be the only reason for her concern.

With a sigh, Matt stuck the thing in his ear.  “I guess no art gallery . . . “ He smiled at Wren  “but this place has the best pastry and the cutest staff . . . “

“You can contact Spock or any member of the Hunt through these,” Archer told them.  “You should when you are away from the Valley.”

“That’s fine,” Wren said with a shrug.  She placed the device into her ear as if she had been doing it for years.  Nat had a little trouble getting it comfortable but it seemed to expand to fit after a moment.

“We're going home?”  Matt sounded disappointed.

Archer shook his head.  “Just make sure you are back in the Valley by ten.  That’s  . . . about 30 minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” Wren said.

Matt put the radio in his ear and his form shifted into that of a very old man.  He cupped the ear with the device and said “Speak up Sonny, I cain’t hear ya.”

Nat shook his head, Wren almost smile and Jessy giggled.

“I was thinking Hawaii next, dad,” she said.

Matt returned to his natural form.

“Make it tomorrow, and earlier,” Archer told her.

She hugged his neck  “You are awesome, daddy!”

She released him and grinned at her companions.

“We can use James’ penthouse!”

“Beach house,” Archer corrected.

“He has one EVERYWHERE!” Jessy said.

“The penthouse is in Sidney,” Archer said, “Or is it Christchurch?”

“Daddy,” Jessy was bouncing with excitement.  “Can you have Spock put us at the beach house?”

“Just let him know, he'll set you guys up right,” Archer said.  Jessy looked at him hopefully.  “Now?”

Jessy grinned  “Yeah, I am bored with Paris.”

“It is only about 3 p.m. there . . .”

Nat’s eyes glazed over. 

“Hawaii?!”  Nat was almost drooling.  “Wanna give surfing another try, Wren?”

“But surf would be up,” Jessy said with an evil grin.

Nat scowled, reading the girl’s intent.  Jessy’s grin turned to a look of total innocence.

“Maybe I’ll just go out on my own . . . “ Nat said slowly, his voice dead.

“Wimp!” Matt crowed.

Wren blinked.  “If you prefer.”

Archer raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughter.  “I’ll call James,” he said.

“I guess you just have a sand magnetic personality,” Matt taunted.

“I will leave the sand on the floor if you promise me to take a walk with me on the beach,” Jessy said.  “Alone.”

“Why?” Nat snapped.

“Cause I want one,” Jessy said.

Matt huffed in frustration.  “Nat, are you a eunuch?”

Nat flushed and gritted his teeth.

“Stop picking on NAT!” Jessy turned on Matt, eyes blazing.  “Or ELSE.”

Wren bit her lip and turned away, suddenly very interested in the goings on across the street.

“Or I will get Nicky after you,” Jessy warned.

Matt ignored Jessy and watched Wren slowly moving away.  “I'm sorry I guess I should just butt out."

“How's this thing work?” Nat said suddenly.  “I just talk?”

Archer nodded, “Yes.”

“Spock, can you get me back to my room?” Nat asked to the air.

“I just want to go home,” Matt said.

“Activating teleport, Nathaniel,” the computer said.

Nat vanished in the beam.

“Spock, take me to Nat!” Jessy said sharply.

Wren sighed,  “I just be in the dance hall then.  Please.”

“Activating teleport, Wren,” said Spock.

“Jessy, you cannot teleport into Nathaniel’s room.” The computer advised.

“Fine!” she snapped.  “Outside his door!”

The computer said “Activating teleport, Jessy.”