To the casual observer, she was travelling alone, arriving at La Guardia Airport in New York city from Bl�dhaven. She carried neither luggage nor purse, but she didn't appear distressed at the absence of accoutrements. Her step was hurried with excitement, and she fairly flew through the terminal to the cabs waiting outside.

"Mineola," she told the driver as she slid into the backseat. "Take Grand Central Parkway," she added, knowing that the driver would take the most circuitous route unless directed otherwise.

She gazed out the window as the cab sped off, taking in the sights of a city she hadn't seen in months. Odd that she would miss it, considering that she normally visited no more than annually, and then only for the sake of her parents. But perhaps she was not the one feeling sentimental about the place; her unseen companion had lived there most of his life.

As the cab neared her destination, she directed the driver to her parents' house, slid out the back door, and tipped him generously. He grinned at her and roared off in typical New York cabbie fashion, leaving her alone on the sidewalk in front of the house that looked no different than when she'd last seen it, a lifetime ago.

Joseph phased out and she smiled at him. 'I can't believe it,' she signed, 'I'm actually nervous about seeing my parents again!' She shook her head at her own silliness and headed up the stairs; he followed a few steps behind.

The woman who answered the knock at the door was petite and leaning toward plumpness, though she could not yet truly be considered fat. Her hair, dyed a darker black than it normally would have been at her age, was piled high on her head, as if to make up for her lack of stature. The simple dress she wore was as black as her hair, and was a match for the veil she had drawn over her face.

The veil hid her expression, but the hand she placed on her chest displayed her shock. "David!!" she called, her voice louder than one would have expected from such a tiny woman. "David, Jessica's returned!" In two steps, she had pulled her daughter into an embrace, sobbing in joyful Hebrew, "Baruch HaShem, kalahee he bayeet!"

A man appeared in the doorway, also dressed head to foot in black, his grey beard turning white with age. "Chaya, is it true?" he asked his wife, trying to see past her mound of hair. Jessica held out her hand to him, and the embrace became communal.

After an emotional minute, Jessica broke free of her parents and eyed them with concern. "Eema, abba, you're sitting shiva! Who died?"

"Bubaleh," her mother said gently, "we all thought you had! We just knew something terrible had happened when you didn't show up for Yom Kippur services. The police � I tell you , why do we even pay for them? They told me they could do nothing until you were gone 72 hours, and even then they did nothing. So good they were at doing nothing! I called your work; I thought, maybe they'd had an emergency and asked you to return, though why you would go and not tell your mother, I wouldn't know. But they said you weren't there, and none of your friends could tell me, either. Nearly 200 days you were gone, bubaleh, and your poor parents with one foot in the grave!"

Jessica held her mother's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'm safe now, eema. I'm all right."

Her mother nodded, wiping her eyes beneath her veil, and peered over her daughter's shoulder. "And who is this you've brought with you?" she asked.

Jessica automatically reached out to Joseph and stopped herself, her hand dropping back to her side. "This is the man who saved my life. Eema, abba, this is Joseph Wilson. Joseph, these are my parents, David and Chaya Cassel."

David stepped forward and embraced Joseph firmly before holding him at arm's length with a heartfelt grip on his shoulders. "Any man who saves my daughter is as a son to me. If ever there is anything you need, ask of me, and you shall have it."

'Thank you,' Joseph signed.

David's bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Eh? You speak her language?" He turned to his daughter, a troubled look on his face. "What can this mean, I wonder?" A wave of his hand indicated Joseph. "Surely this is the work of HaShem." Jessica blushed and dropped her eyes, leaving Joseph unsure of what had just transpired.

"Come, all of you, inside," her mother announced, ushering them into the house and gesturing for them to sit in the living room. Divesting herself of her veil, she immediately went into the kitchen and began to prepare food for everyone.

Jessica shot a poorly-suppressed smile at Joseph as they sat on separate chairs. 'Welcome to a Jewish household. Prepare to be stuffed full of food.'

Chaya returned quickly with tea and honey cake, which she served to everyone before sitting down. Immediately, she fixed her daughter with a penetrating stare. "You've lost so much weight, Jessica � you're just bones! Have another slice of cake, bubaleh; you'll catch cold being so thin."

"Yes, eema," Jessica replied dutifully.

"And where did you get that black eye?" her mother gasped, outraged that anyone would dare strike her daughter.

Jessica paled, her fingers touching her bruised face as though to hide from her mother's inspection. Too late for that, now. "I was kidnapped by a gang of criminals," she explained. "Joseph was being held prisoner by them, too. We were lucky to escape before they killed us both."

"But what would they want with you?" Chaya persisted. "New York is home to hundreds of good doctors, and thousands of bad ones. They could have taken anyone!" Her eyes widened when her daughter failed to respond. "Bubaleh, they didn't � they didn't do anything more than hit you... did they?"

Jessica closed her eyes, a pained expression on her face. "They were evil men, eema," she whispered, staring at the floor. "Killers. If something as sacred as human life meant nothing to them, why should anything else?"

Her parents exchanged glances, clearly horrified. "But... what about Chaim?" her mother asked.

"That's over," Jessica stated firmly. She glanced up at her mother. "You'll tell him, won't you? It will make him feel better if he doesn't have to be the one to reject me."

"Jessica �"

"Eema, I'm very tired," she interrupted. "May we please continue this later? I'd like to take a nap." She looked pointedly at Joseph. "I'm sure Joseph is tired, too. We've had a very trying day."

"Of course," her mother said, not even trying to disguise her offense at being so rudely cut off.

They were shown to separate rooms. Joseph sat on the bed, wondering if Jessica was really tired or if that had been a polite excuse to end her mother's interrogation. Whether or not she had been telling the truth, he found that he could use some rest; she had taken a nap on the flight to New York, but he had to stay awake while using his powers. He lay down and closed his eyes.

The next time his eyes opened, half an hour had passed. He stretched, yawned, and rose, feeling much better. He also wanted to talk to Jessica, but wasn't sure what the protocol was in such an obviously segregated household. Perhaps he wouldn't even be able to see her alone; it might be taboo to try. After debating the issue for ten minutes, he got up and went to her room.

She had changed outfits, and now wore an ankle-length cobalt turtleneck dress with delicate silver embroidery at the hem and cuffs. It was unique enough to be home-made, although whoever had sewn it obviously knew how to make dresses; it clung to her body, flattering her figure without being too tight. Her hair peeked out from the edges of a matching scarf that framed her face.

She was just hanging up the phone, and not looking happy about it. He waved from the doorway to catch her attention. Her expression brightened when she saw him and she beckoned him to enter, indicating the empty chair at her vanity.

He started to close the door but she stopped him with a vigorous shake of her head. 'It would give the wrong impression for unmarried people of the opposite sex to be alone behind closed doors,' she explained.

He smiled as he sat down. 'We've already been there,' he reminded her.

'But not in my parents' house,' she replied, 'and that's not something they need to know, at any rate.'

He gave her a sympathetic look. 'And they don't need to know the truth of why you were kidnapped?'

She sighed and looked away. 'What was I supposed to say? "Father, it was your fault that I was targeted, it was your fault I couldn't leave"? You saw what it did to them to have the knowledge I gave; what good would more specifics do? My father is old, and he has a bad heart. If he knew his past actions were linked to my... dishonor...' She shook her head. 'That would kill him.'

'But you will tell Chaim?' he asked.

She looked at him strangely, trying to figure out his motivation for asking such a question. 'No,' she answered, 'only that our engagement is off, for the reasons I gave my parents.' Given the nature of the relationship they had shared, he was clearly disturbed by the fact that she was engaged, so she decided to give him a better explanation.

'Chaim Leberman and I were betrothed by our parents at a very young age. We were to be married several years ago, but I decided to go to medical school. My parents didn't have a son, and someone had to go to medical school,' she joked. He smiled, and she continued. 'The wedding was postponed until my graduation next year. But an Orthodox bride is expected to be a virgin, and Chaim would not be pleased that his was not. He would have been too kind to reject me, even though it is his right to do so, but I know how it would have been between us. He would have been contemptuous, as though I had not done enough to prevent what had happened. And I found that after what I'd been through, I have no desire to be treated poorly for the rest of my life.'

'Is he, too, held to such rigid standards?'

She laughed. 'No, of course not; what would be the point? The woman is a virgin to guarantee the paternity of the children, which is important � one's clan status is passed through the father. It has nothing to do with "repressing female sexuality", as these modern feminists would have everyone believe. So restricting single men is just silly. As long as they only have such relationships with non-Jewish woman, they aren't ruining anyone's chances for marriage later on.'

He didn't look convinced. 'Did you love him?'

'I barely knew him.'

He shook his head, confused. 'Why would you agree to such a marriage?'

She smiled gently. 'Arranged marriages can be good, just as marriages supposedly for love can go bad. My parents have a good arranged marriage. One can marry for respect, and love may come later. But respect can only be had between equals, and now... now I'm not good enough for Chaim, and we both know it. So he is free to marry elsewhere.'

'As are you.'

She shrugged and looked away. 'I suppose. Few men would marry me, now.'

He reached out to her, but she shook her head quickly � no physical contact between unmarried men and women was permitted in Orthodox households. 'A non-Orthodox wouldn't care about that, you know,' he told her.

'I � that wasn't an option, before,' she admitted. 'But thank you.' She made a dismissive gesture. 'You're kind, to sit here and listen to me prattle on about my boring problems! We should call your parents, to tell them the good news.' She picked up the phone. 'What's their number?'

'My parents are divorced,' he said.

She put down the phone. 'I'm sorry.'

He smiled sadly. 'So am I. My father lives in Kenya; I can contact him later. We can call my mother.'

She dialed the number he gave her and waited for a response. Just when it seemed like no one was home, someone answered the phone. "Hello, is Miss Adeline Wilson there?" she asked. A pause. "Oh. Well, when do you expect her back? ...Germany?? ...I'm calling on behalf of her son � no, he isn't dead, that's why we're calling. ...Castle Waller. Thank you. Goodbye."

She turned back to Joseph with a wry smile. "Your mother's quite the jet-setter. I was told she was supposed to be at her family estate in England, but apparently she's in Germany at a 'Castle Waller'. I suppose that's some resort."

He laughed. 'No, it's her... friend,' he explained. 'She runs a company with global contacts called Searchers, Inc. He � Waller � was one of her employees, who is now something more.'

'You aren't comfortable with that,' she observed.

He shrugged. 'It's silly of me. I know my parents aren't going to get back together; they can't stand each other, from what I can tell. But somehow it doesn't feel right to see them dating other people. Just wishful thinking, I guess. It's childish.'

'Some people would say that all optimism is childish. I prefer to think of it as striving for tikkun olam � improving the world.'

He smiled, but didn't reply to her. Instead, he reached for the pad of paper that lay on the table near the phone and wrote down a long string of numbers before handing the pad to her. 'That's for Castle Waller, including a Searchers, Inc. credit number. I'd like to contact my mother as soon as possible. Mr. Waller refers to her by her maiden name, Kane.'

'I understand,' she said gently, picking up the phone once again. The wait was longer this time, on account of the intercontinental connection. "G�ten Tag, Fra�lein Jessica Cassel am Apparat. Sind Herr Waller zu Hause? ...Ach, nein � es tut meir leid! Und Fra� Wilson? ...Bitte � Fra� Kane? ...Ich verstehe. Danke sch�n. Auf Wiedersehen."

Her face was pale as she turned back to Joseph. 'Mr. Waller is in the hospital. He was attacked by masked intruders a month ago, and very nearly killed. His maid was quite distraught, moreso when I asked about your mother.' She bit her lip, not wanting to convey the unpleasant information she had learned, but knowing that she had to. 'They kidnapped your mother. The maid didn't know why, and didn't know if Waller would know why. But she's been missing this past month now.'

Joseph was on his feet instantly, heading for the door. She followed quickly and grabbed his arm, forgetting her own restrictions in her haste to stop him. "Joseph, where are you going?" she asked, releasing her hold on him as she realized what she was doing.

'I have to go to Germany,' he told her urgently. 'I have to find my mother.'

'I'll come with you.' The statement was out before she thought about it, or what it would mean to her parents to have her leave again so soon after returning. For reasons she didn't want to examine, that knowledge didn't bother her.

He didn't protest, waiting with subdued impatience as she packed the basic necessities for their trip. As she finished, she noticed her mother standing in the doorway, looking at her questioningly.

"Eema, Joseph's mother is in trouble in Germany. We have to go help her; I'll return as soon as I can."

Chaya gasped at the mention of their destination. "Germany! Bubaleh, no self-respecting Jewish girl would set foot on that tainted soil! Whatever would you need to go there for, and leave your parents, just when we've found you again?"

Jessica slung her bag over her shoulder and gave her mother a brief but heartfelt hug. "Eema, I'll be fine. Joseph needs me to come along; he doesn't speak German, and I doubt anyone there knows ASL."

"You barely speak any German yourself," her mother argued.

She waved away her mother's complaint. "Yiddish is close enough to German. We'll get by." She ushered Joseph out of the room and down the hall. "I'll call you nightly, eema. Don't fret; nothing will happen to me, I promise."

They called a cab, went through the same routine with her father, and finally made their escape as the cab pulled up to the curb. "New Hyde Park," she said to the driver before turning to Joseph. 'I love my parents dearly, but as you can see, they're quite smothering. It almost makes me wish I'd been born a boy; they aren't coddled so intensely.' She thought about that for a moment, then added, 'Usually.'

They were met at the door of Adeline Kane's condominium by a black woman wearing a low-cut top and the tightest spandex pants Jessica had ever seen. She politely said nothing, even when the woman flung herself at Joseph and hugged him fiercely. "Joey! I didn't believe it when I was told, but � oh, hon, I'm so glad the stories about your death weren't true! Your mom was really fallin' apart; heck, we were ALL fallin' apart! Most've us have been with your mom since you were just a little 'un, an' we all remember seein' you grow up." She kissed him on the cheek and stepped back, apparently noticing Jessica for the first time. "Pradip said someone had called, an' here I didn't believe him. You must be her."

She nodded. "Dr. Jessica Cassel," she said, shaking the woman's hand.

The woman smiled at her. "Call me Amber. C'mon in, both of you. Joey, hon, what are you wearin'? Those clothes look like they're three sizes too large."

'They are,' he laughed. 'Are any of my things still here, so I can change?'

Amber swatted him playfully. "As if Addie could bear to part with anythin' of yours! It took her two years to even consider gettin' rid of all Grant's stuff. Your room's untouched, hon; we'll wait for you down here."

She led Jessica into the kitchen and set water boiling for coffee. "You hungry?"

Jessica hesitated. "Do you have any hard-boiled eggs?" she asked.

Amber stared at her. "I could make some, but we've got better things to eat here than that! Got some wonderful pork chops I could heat up, or even a sirloin steak, if you're really hungry."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I can't eat any of that. I'm Jewish, and your food isn't kosher. Your kitchen and utensils haven't been kashered. Technically, I can't even eat parve foods � neutral ones � here, but I am hungry, so I wouldn't mind an egg. Or plain salad, if you have it."

Amber laid a hand on her arm and smiled. "Hon, don't you worry, I can make you anythin' you like. Eggs 'n' salad, comin' right up."

As her offer of assistance was firmly declined, Jessica sat at the kitchen table, hands folded in her lap, feeling uncommonly useless. Despite being attired like a streetwalker, Amber seemed like a very nice, sensible woman, just the sort of person Jessica would have assumed Joseph's mother would associate with. She didn't understand how a respectable woman could dress so immodestly, but she didn't know any way to ask without sounding condescending, so she kept her peace.

Then again, dressing modestly hadn't helped her any when it came to Number One.

She quickly wiped away the tears that sprang to her eyes, hoping that Amber wouldn't catch the movement in her peripheral vision. The last thing she wanted to do was explain her current emotional state to a complete stranger.

The kitchen door swung open and Joseph entered. She wasn't sure if it was merely coincidence or if he had deliberately matched his clothes to hers; his polo shirt was a shade of blue very close to that of her dress. It was one of the currently-popular cotton/spandex mixtures, and while it wasn't nearly as skin-tight as Amber's pants, it certainly gave her a good sense of what lay beneath the fabric. She felt an unexpected rush of desire and looked away, embarrassed.

Joseph caught her expression and smiled, but said nothing. Oblivious to it all, Amber turned around and handed him a cup of coffee. She handed another to Jessica and set her own on the table after dumping in three heaping spoonfuls of sugar and a dash of cream. Refusing to let Joseph help either, she set the salad and eggs in front of Jessica while she and Joseph had the pork chops.

Having observed where the cups were kept, Jessica rose before Amber could offer to do it and removed a cup and a small bowl from the shelf. She filled the cup half full of water and returned to the table. Setting the bowl down, she held the cup over it and poured the water over each of her hands. Closing her eyes, she mumbled a brief blessing, sat down, and recited another blessing. She noticed Amber giving her sidelong glances as she reached for her fork, but neither she nor Joseph made any comment. Still, Jessica instantly felt supremely incongruous � another strange experience for her.

Amber was the one who broke the silence. "Joey, hon, there's somethin' I have to tell you about your mom."

'She's been kidnapped,' he said. 'We called Castle Waller.'

Amber nodded, seemingly unsurprised. "That's not all; the bastards also attacked Kane Manor in a raid last week, killin' four people an' woundin' nine others. Funny thing is, all they did was access the computer system to find the location of a scattered suit of armor. You know, that dented old Greek helmet your great-great-granddaddy found? I can't figure why they'd want it so bad, but your dad's on the case, too, so don't you worry none; with everyone lookin', we'll find Addie in no time, now."

'I want to go to Germany.'

This, too, didn't appear to surprise Amber. "I'd take you, hon, but I'm coordinatin' the info at this end, an' Addie'd kill me for leavin' the post unmanned. But I can book a flight for you out of JFK International."

'Yes. For two, as soon as possible.'

They finished lunch, Joseph and Jessica clearing the table while Amber went to make their travel arrangements. Jessica shot several glances at the kitchen door when Amber left, trying to decide whether or not she should try to prop it open. She blushed when she realized Joseph was looking at her, and shook her head.

'Don't bother,' she told him. 'It's not a door that can be locked, so I can rationalize it as not being a true door.' She smiled. 'But thank you for noticing.'

Amber met up with them as they left the kitchen and headed for the living room. "Here you go, hon," she said, handing a sheet of paper to Joseph. "Sorry I couldn't get it any sooner, but most flights are booked solid on account of President's Day. So three a.m. it is."

End, Part One

Part Two!