A/N: *bangs head on the table* I KNOW HE CARES ABOUT THEM, HE SMILED AT THEM 4 TIMES IN THE SERIES! That doesn't make writing him in character any less of a challenge.


"Saruman?"

Usually, he would have brushed the incorrect name off- Actually, he usually wouldn't be caught in a sweater and jeans in a coffee shop this far into Sherman, but that was besides the point. Usually, the incorrect name wouldn't have bothered him. What made it irritating this time was the flurry of giggles coming from the three teens behind him. Why he ever agreed to meet with them was behind him at this point.

"... Its Solomon." He muttered, taking his coffee quickly from the barista and trudging back to the teens. "You all seem pleased."

"Yours was the only name they did not get right." Newton said, "It was very funny. I watched him write it down, but I didn't say anything."

Solomon rolled his eyes slightly before walking over to the table that they had picked out earlier. It was marked clearly by Ilana's pink backpack and Lance's jacket, as well as the scattering of homework and pencils left by the three when their order was called. He picked up one paper and scanned it with some interest. School work certainly had changed since he was in high school, seemingly for the worse.

He didn't have time to look at it for long, as he could sense the others returning to the table quickly. With that, he set the paper down and sat down at the only chair that wasn't claimed by someone.

Ilana got to the table first.

"I'm glad you decided to come with us." She chirped, taking a seat next to him. "We weren't expecting you to reply to any of our invites."

"I was honestly surprised that you managed to find us." Solomon admitted. "We tend to stay pretty off the radar."

"True, but you also sent a distress call to us." Newton said suddenly. "It wasn't too hard to trace its origins and then find you from there."

"... Don't trace us again." Solomon said firmly. "Thats a-"

"You follow us constantly." Lance snapped. "And may I remind you what your group put us through-"

"Boys, calm down." Ilana cut in, raising her coffee up and smiling her signature smile. "Today we are a normal family, having a normal coffee with our normal homework... As thanks for having said normal family back in one piece."

"Family-" Solomon started, but a quick glare from Ilana shut him up. Not that he feared her in any way, but he simply didn't want to cause a fight. Especially in a location that was this public, even if the coffee shop was practically empty. "Alright... But... Why?"

"Well-" Ilana began to twiddle her thumbs, while Lance and Newton looked around awkwardly.

Solomon frowned, almost certain that there was an interesting story to go along with not only the invite, but also the teens' sudden declaration of family. Even their wording felt off, even if it was just a cover while around others. Whatever the reason, he knew he would be told soon enough, and that he wasn't going to approve of it at all. That much he could just feel.

"Our fellow classmates and teachers were wondering about our extended absence, and we informed them that our uncle was having trouble at his home, and that we had been with him assisting with said problem and were staying there until our dad came to retrieve us." Ilana admitted.

"Your uncle..." Solomon scoffed. "Very clever, you three."

"Unfortunately, some of the school officials were skeptical." Newton went on. "They did receive a call from Mr. Lunis to apologize for the absence-"

For once, Solomon allowed himself to smirk slightly at the story. Which succeeded and catching the trio off their guard. The story could have stopped there, but he was honestly curious now, and gestured for them to continue.

"Our classmates were the skeptic ones." Lance said suddenly. "And our neighbor Barb. She barged in and started asking why we didn't have any family photos of us with our uncle, or why we didn't say anything."

"Even Kimmy- my girlfriend- asked that." Newton added. "I hope you don't mind, but I forged a few, using an image from memory. Just to sell the story."

"You did what-" Solomon settled quickly, and rubbing his forehead. "Proceed."

"It got Kimmy off our backs, but Barb was still not convinced." Ilana explained. "She normally comes in here around this time, so we were-"

Solomon stood up quickly. That was absolutely out of the question. Using his name and image was bad enough, but actually involving him went beyond any of that. He had his secrets and wanted to know as few people as possible by the time he died. Though- he did owe these three his life, and a second life in return, even if their friend was alive and well now. The weeks of hardship and their brushes with death could have been avoided- as well as the order he had disobeyed to capture them the first time. Which reminded him, of what his leader would think. He had been told NOT to get involved with Titan, only to observe- but this felt like more than getting involved.

"This goes against my orders, I hope you all realize this." He said stiffly. "I was only given leave to join you three for today, in full cover."

Actually, his orders had been to accept the invite and to maintain a non-suspicious appearance, but he didn't have to tell them that.

"Then its not against orders." Ilana hummed. "You're still with us, and in full cover- that cover being our story."

"Ilan-" Solomon was cut off by a sound that wasn't even human. Some kind of high-pitched whine that was almost deafening. "What is tha-"

The four turned their gaze to the source. A red headed, older woman stood a few feet before their table. She was dressed like she was going to a sporting event, full face paint and all. It was safe to say that he was only half right to assume the sound came from something that wasn't human.

"Oh, would you just look at the four of you!" The woman exclaimed, making her way over to the table and hugging Ilana in some kind of death grip. "I didn't expect to see you all here! I was just on my way back from the high school's football practice and decided to pop in here for my usual latte."

"Its good to see you too, Barb." Ilana replied, offering a kind yet forced smile. "We were just here to do homework."

"Well, I can certainly see that." The woman, Barb, laughed.

"Oh!" Ilana turned her attention to Solomon. In a silent conversation, she was begging him to play along. All three of them were. "Uncle, this is Barb. Our neighbor."

He was going to regret this. Really, he was going to. The look on Barb's face made him regret it before it even happened.

"So, this is the uncle you've been telling me about!?" Barb gasped, "Oh, I thought for sure you just made him up or something- Ha! I'm just joking."

"... Solomon." He said, "I'm their mother's older brother."

"Well, I figured you were." Barb laughed. "I can see the resemblance to your nephew. That boy definitely gets his looks from his mother."

"How do you figure that?" Lance muttered, his ears blushing slightly.

The pair looked at each other briefly. While there definitely were similarities, they didn't resemble each other in any way. Hair curls and pale skin aside. It was best to just let Barb explain her theory and go from there. At least then they didn't have to start pointing out random things and hoping something stuck for a bit.

"You both just look so broody." Barb smiled kindly before turning her attention back to Solomon. "Is the black hair from your sister or their father? I've never seen her before, so I just assumed they were both adopted, unless they are adopted and-"

"My sister." Solomon cut in suddenly, reaching into his pocket, withdrawing a photo, and then quickly handing it over to Barb.

For decades now, he had been the only one to see what it was a picture of, but today had changed that. As a member of the Galactic Guardian Group, he supposed it was his job to cover up the existence of alien life, and he supposed this fell into his jurisdiction also. Or at least, thats what he was going to tell himself and his leader when he went in to give his report at the end of the day.

The way the woman's jaw dropped wouldn't be included in said report, but it meant that he was doing his job well.

"Would you look at that..." Barb muttered, in complete awe before she handed the picture back.

"You have a picture of- mom?" Lance asked, sharing the same look of awe as Barbra and Ilana.

"Shes my sister still... I'll make a copy so you can have a picture of her at your home." Solomon sighed, tucking the picture away.

"...I'll just get my latte and go then. It sounds like you all have some things to talk about." Barb said, quiet for once as she hurried on over to the barista to order. They waited for her to get her drink and leave before letting out a sigh of relief and their facades dropped.

"I can't believe you went along with it." Lance said. "What picture did you show her?"

"I already said. A picture of my sister." Solomon said bluntly, taking a sip of his coffee. "She was trying to get answers from us, so I felt that it was significant enough proof to get her off of your case for a little while."

"... Thank you." Ilana said. "You didn't have to-"

"Just consider us all lucky that she had dark hair." He shrugged. "I was serious about sending a copy to your residence... It will help fill the gaps in your stories and what not."

"You don't have to- If its a personal picture-" Ilana gasped.

"Its just an old picture, Ilana." Solomon said. "Don't think anything more of it than a cover story."

"Very well." A silence fell over the group quickly.

It remained there as the kids did their homework, and as they finished their coffee. Even as they got up and soon left the coffee shop and soon went their separate ways for a while.