Casa di Tygra, New Thundera, Milky Way Galaxy, Q-niverse.  Stardate 1 066 969.86; June 19, 3012.

The next morning, Johanna awoke at seven.  She got up out of bed readily, feeling energetic.  She went over to the window and looked out.  It was not very disappointing to her, though, that it was raining outside.  There were other worlds, and one of them had to be as sunny as her mood this morning.  Still enthusiastic, she ran over to her brother's bed.  "Hey, Johannes!" she said brightly as she jiggled him.  "Why not get up?"

            Johannes was very drowsy.  He yawned.  "Please let me sleep," he protested.

            Johanna was annoyed.  "Oh, come on.  Get your lazy butt out of bed."

            "My lazy butt would like to get in about fifteen minutes' more worth of sleep, if you please."  He turned over.

            "Get up!" she cried, neglecting her temper.

            "I asked politely, but now I'm telling you.  No!"

            "I told you to get up!"  Ferociously, she shoved him over the other side of his bed and onto the floor.

            "Ow!" cried Johannes when he crashed.  He was angry when he stood up.  "Hey!  In Jaga's name, why did you do that?"

            "Because I wanted you to get up!"

            He yelled very loudly, "Well, that is not how you get people up if you want to be friends with them, my biological relative!"

            "Don't be rude!" she retorted, trying to match his volume.  He had a larger voice than she did, though.  "I'm more than a biological relative to you!  Call me 'sister' or 'Johanna'!"

            "You're not my sister anymore, and you won't be my sister until you quit pushing me around!"

            "Shut the hell up!" she cried, shoving him into a wall.

            "Ow!"  Johannes used his full volume, capable of sounding for kilometres in a ferocious storm, to call, "Mom!!"

            "Why are you calling her?" Johanna asked angrily.

            "You aren't going to push me around!  I don't want a bitch for my sister!"

            "You retract that word!"

            "Not until you apologise!"

            "I have done nothing that requires any apology!"

            "I have the same rights that you do!  I'm not your slave, Johanna!  I can get up when I want!"

            "Why are you two shouting?" called Wilykat's voice.  Johanna and Johannes turned to the door and saw Wilykit and Wilykat there.

            "She shoved me out of bed and started shouting at me!" Johannes wailed.

            "Because he was too lazy to get himself out," snapped Johanna.

            "I was still sleepy!" her brother retorted.  "Mom, unless she can treat me like I am my own person, I want my own room!"

            "You don't deserve it!" Johanna bellowed.

            "Johanna!" snapped Wilykit.  "Behave yourself!"

            "What?"

            "I told you to behave yourself.  I never bellowed at Wilykat like this.  You're treating Johannes as if he's your property, but he's not, and I'm going to have to segregate you two until you learn not to."

            "Mom!  Don't take his side, please!" begged Johanna.

            Wilykit said softly, "Quiet down, Johanna.  I'm not taking sides here.  I'm trying to do what's best for both of you.  I hope you understand that I'm not trying to be nasty.  And Thomas would never approve of your behaviour, daughter.  Kelly would never treat him like this, and if she did, he'd bring her back to her senses.  In fact, Johannes, that would be a good thing to learn."

            "The thing is she never treated me like this before we came back," Johannes said.

            "Hm.  Johanna," asked Wilykit curiously, "how close were you to Siegfried?"

            "I cared for him a great deal," Johanna replied, the terror of her actions sinking in.  What was happening to her?  "Almost as if he were my brother.  But I love Johannes!  I. . . don't know how I could be mistreating him like this!"

            "You're probably frustrated about having to let Siegfried be killed, and you're probably blaming your brother because he was ultimately the one who had to let it happen."  The door-chimer sounded.  "Is either of you expecting somebody?"

            "No," said Johanna and Johannes in unison.

            "Who's there?" Wilykit asked on the room's intercom.

            "It's Thomas Keene.  Is it a bad time, Wilykit?"

            "You're just in time to be helpful, my friend.  Come in."

            The door opened, admitting Thomas.  "What's up?" he asked with concern.

            "I did it again," Johanna said meekly.

            Thomas extended his right hand invitingly.  "I may know what it is.  C'mon."  Johanna went to him and took his arm.  He looked inquiringly at Wilykit.

            Wilykit nodded.  "Please do," she told him softly.  "Just go with him, Johanna.  I trust him."

            "Okay," said Johanna.  Thomas led her out of the room.

            Johannes asked angrily, "Mom, why are you rewarding her?"

            "Johannes, losing Siegfried was traumatic to her," Wilykit said.  "I want Thomas to see if he can help her deal with it.  She's not as likely to intimidate him as she is you, and if she does try, he knows how to handle the situation.  I'm not trying to reward her for abusive behaviour."

            "Well, like I said, she was never like this before we came back.  -Sigh.-  Well, we did have a little argument, but it was nothing like this.  I was so scared, Mom.  I didn't know what she was going to do.  She'd already shoved me off the bed and then into the wall here."

            "Did you try to defend yourself?"

            "I'm not going to fight my sister!"

            Wilykat said, "Johannes, you should not allow anyone to push you around, not even Johanna.  You should never show her that you're afraid when she's enraged.  I know how to help you with this, too."

            "Mom?"

            "Sure," said Wilykit.  "You have to learn to stand up for yourself, especially when your sister tries, consciously or not, to control you.  In fact, that is taught in school to younger members of twin-pairs."

            "Well. . . ah, I was. . . using an element of pretty bad language."

            "What word?"

            "It was, ah, the word. . . 'bitch,' " he said meekly.  "After she'd pushed me off the bed and into the wall.  I didn't want to, but I just got so mad.  I'm really sorry."

            "You should apologise to her. . . once she's learned her lesson, of course.  But I'm not the one to whom you should apologise."

            "Okay, Mom."  He and Wilykit hugged each other.  "I'm really sorry I had to call you."

            "That's okay, son," said Wilykit, gently rubbing his back.  "Brother, do you want to talk to this guy alone?"

            "That'll be fine," Wilykat said.

            "Okay."  She and her son released each other.  "Don't worry too much about these incidents, Johannes.  I'll do anything that I can to keep them from recurring."

            Johannes smiled.  "Thank you, Mom."

            "Whenever you two have finished, come on down and we'll have breakfast, okay?"  Wilykit left the room.

            Wilykat said, "Let's sit down, Johannes."  He and Johannes sat down in the chairs at the table.  "How are you feeling?"

            "Physically, aside from a little lingering pain, I feel fine," Johannes said.  "But my feelings are very hurt, Uncle."

            "When did this rough treatment first start?"

            "We first argued, you know, yesterday afternoon when we were getting ready for Kevin's coronation.  She fussed at me for not getting ready fast enough.  Then, she fussed at me when I told her you'd be giving me violin lessons, until Thomas said he'd teach her the 'cello.  There was that time last night, and then now.  Each time, she seemed to get progressively more enraged."

            "I see."

            "I really get scared when she does that, Uncle."

            "It's okay, Johannes.  Don't let it upset you.  When she gets upset, try to say something or do something to get her to laugh.  That's how so many of us younger siblings get to be silly, but it works until you're at the age where the constant arguing seems to stop."

            "Even if she's thrown me off the bed?"

            "Sure.  You won't get anywhere by turning it into a shouting contest.  Be silly.  It helps quite a lot.  Also, can you look cute?"

            "Pardon me?"

            "We younger siblings can sometimes de-fuse our older siblings' anger with a cute look.  Your face is just perfect for it, Johannes, and if nothing else, it usually slows down their anger, at the very least."

            "All right."

            Wilykat smiled.  "And one last thing.  Just call me Wilykat.  We're going to be around each other far too much to be so formal."

            Johannes smiled.  "Sure thing, Wilykat."

            * * *

            Thomas and Kelly's Room, Palace of Power.

            Thomas led Johanna into his and Kelly's room.  "Why'd you bring me here?" Johanna asked curiously.

            "I think you need someone to release some of your tension," said Thomas.  "Someone you love."

            "Release. . . how?"

            "I know several back-, neck-, and shoulder-massage techniques.  There are some other ways, too, but I won't get into any sexual ones yet."

            "Oh.  All right."

            Thomas sat down in a chair and pulled out another chair so that its back was in front of him.  "Sit, please."  She sat down, and he began to massage her back.

            She sighed.  "Oh, that feels good."

            "You miss Siegfried, don't you?"

            "You guess pretty accurately."

            "It was more than a guess.  You were about as close to him as you are to Johannes, and Kelly and I could see it as we followed you the past few days."

            "I see."

            "You have to deal with your feelings, Johanna, but not by taking them out on your brother."

            "-Sigh.-  I know.  It's very difficult."

            "Yeah.  You and he must have been pretty close."

            "Yes.  My brother and I were kind to him, and he was happy when Johannes and I did stuff with him."

            "You feel angry at Johannes because you feel, somewhere in your heart, that he let Siegfried die."

            "Yes."

            "Well, so did everyone else.  Ludwig, for example, wanted Siegfried to die.  Mumm-ra and Luna let it happen, and they probably also wanted it.  Your brother wanted very much to stop Hagen, but he didn't.  He had to let it happen, to endure the intense pain of it.  Your mother told him that he had to let it happen."

            "You're rationalising.  Stop that."

            "Why?"

            She whirled to glare at him.  "Because I said so!"

            Thomas knew that pure logic would not prevail here.  "Don't take that tone with me," he told her with profound sternness.  "I'm older than you are."

            "Yeah, about a nanosecond older!"

            "I'm also more educated than you are, Johanna.  I also know how to argue until you give up."

            "Oh, yeah?  You weren't there!"

            "Yes, I was, Wily-johanna!  I was there every second.  It hurt me, too, to let this happen because I knew how special Siegfried was to both of you, but getting mad is not going to bring him back.  Do you copy?"

            "Oh, I copy, all right!  Why, you. . ."

            Thomas could sense her anger getting out of hand.  He couldn't let her say something she'd regret.  "Johanna!  Silence!"

            Her eyes widened, and she shrank back.  "Oops.  Tho-. . . Thomas, I'm really, really sorry."

            "It's okay," Thomas said, unperturbed.  "I am not easily intimidated."

            "That's not the point, my friend."

            He smiled.  "Do you consider me your friend as well?"

            She looked him in the eyes, then smiled back.  "Yes, Thomas, I do."

            "Good, because I'd like us to be friends.  I have a good feeling about our other relationship, but it seems like a good idea to have a good friendship, in case something terrible happens to that other relationship."

            "It'd be my pleasure, Thomas."  She turned her chair so they could hug each other.  Not knowing how she felt it, she felt more love than she could ever imagine swell into her from him and soothe her entire body.  "Oh, Thomas!"  She looked into his kind, gentle eyes.  "I can never express my gratitude for this.  It's just too great."

            "You don't have to," Thomas told her quietly.  "I have enough affection to keep you warm for eternity."

            "Heh, heh!  You really make me feel loved."  She rested her head on his right shoulder and began to cry softly.  "Thomas, I've been so mean!  How can I ever make this up to Johannes?"

            "It's okay," he told her softly.

            She looked into his eyes.  "Thomas, you're so sweet."

            "You needed someone who recognised your needs," he told her.

            "And you satisfied them a thousand times over.  Thank you, friend."

            "You're more than welcome."  They kissed for a few moments.  "If you want to see me, just ask the computer where I am and come see me, okay?"

            "I will, Thomas.  I wish I could adequately compensate you for giving me so much of your compassion."

            "Maybe when I'm not in too good a mood.  Right now, pass some of that on to your brother.  He truly needs it, too."

            "Yeah."  As they stared into each other's eyes, their lovers' feelings returned slowly, and they had another, more affectionate kiss.

            "May I take you back?" he asked.

            "Sure," she replied.  The two went out the door and to the warp a casa di Tygra.

            * * *

            Casa di Tygra, New Thundera, Q-niverse.

            Johannes was talking with his mother and uncle in the living room when Thomas and Johanna came in from the warp hall.  Johannes was overwhelmed when his sister ran down and hugged him with all her might; and he felt so much compassion from her that it almost blinded his emotions.  Her compassion calmed his feelings.  "I'm so sorry about this, brother," said Johanna.  "I guess I was in some sort of trauma, but Thomas helped me out of it."

            "Well, I'm sorry for calling you. . . that. . . word," Johannes told her.

            "I deserved it.  No apology necessary."

            Tears of joy filled his eyes when he looked into hers.  "Johanna, I had no idea you love me so much!"

            "I do," she said sincerely.  "I love you so much, brother."

            Johannes returned the hug and reciprocated the compassion.  "I love you, too, sister."

            Wilykit grinned at Thomas.  She directed him to follow her out to the hallway.  "I don't know what you did, but it worked, Thomas."

            "I successfully conveyed all my compassion in one powerful hug, like she's doing with her brother," Thomas said.

            "I love you, Thomas.  You're a very good friend."

            "I did it for them, though I'm sure you appreciate her not being at his throat."

            "Indeed.  Thunderian twins this age have enough arguments without assistance from whatever she had.  Did she lose it with you?"

            "She tried to, but I dealt with it.  Did he call her a name?"

            "Yeah.  He said he called her. . . well, I won't speak the word."

            "He probably didn't mean it."

            "I know he didn't.  He was getting fed up with Johanna snapping at him over the past day.  I'm really thankful, Thomas."

            "Just be compassionate with her.  That should help her get through this."

            "I agree."  She smiled again.  "For a logical person, you're so very nice, Thomas."

            "Thank you, Wilykit.  It rubbed off from all three of you. . . you, Wilykat, and Father."

            "Well, you're a wonderful guy.  I won't have to worry when Johanna is with you."

            "How much do you trust me?"

            "I trust you with my life, Thomas.  I think you're the best possible potential son-in-law to me."

            He smiled.  "Thank you, Wilykit."

            Johanna and Johannes came out of the living room.  "Thomas, thank you so much," Johannes said.  "I'd have hated for her to be shoving me around. . . especially when I start standing up for myself."

            "We'd probably kill each other," Johanna said.  She went over to Thomas and put her left hand on his right shoulder.  "Thank you again, Thomas."

            "With pleasure," he replied.  They hugged each other and kissed again.

            Wilykit would not have minded if Wesley were around, but she knew it would be unfair to prevent them from expressing their feelings for each other.  Johannes, to her right, gently put his right hand on her right shoulder; she turned to him.  "Are you okay, Mom?" he quietly asked with concern.

            "Yeah," she replied softly.  "I just. . . miss your father.  Seeing you guys in love like this makes me want so much to be with him."

            "He's still alive, though, isn't he?"

            "According to readings that Kevin and Quicksilver got recently from Metroid, yes."

            "Well, why don't we just go in there?"

            "They're in Norfair, the deepest part of Metroid, and one doesn't go that deep into the planet without exercising caution.  Not even Kevin, Wilykat, or me, because MotherBrain is a Q-cubed, as well."

            "Yeah.  She sounds like a real rat."

            "That's an understatement, son.  She and Ludwig are the most powerful villains in this universe."

            "So you've told us."

            Johanna and Thomas stopped kissing.  "I'd really like to stop them," Thomas said.  Though he appeared calm, Johanna could sense a very slight tension in his muscles.

            "Whoa, calm down, Thomas," Johanna told him.  She grinned.  "You might squeeze me too hard."

            He grinned back.  "You think that's squeezing?  I know you're not as soft as a tomato."

            "Ya got that right!  Heh, heh!"  The two kissed each other again.

            Johannes asked, "Mom, when are we going to get that ring away from Ludwig?"

            Wilykit sighed.  "I'm not sure, son."

            Thomas, having ceased his kiss with Johanna, interjected, "But the N-Team will stop him, Johannes.  However long it takes, we'll stop that evil turtle and his family and team from attempting multiversal domination."

            Wilykit smiled.  He was not yet her son-in-law technically, but she sure felt like he was her son-in-law. . . and her son, in many ways, though she normally tried to beat back that idea.  "A very optimistic appraisal,. . . my son."