"Ooh, I need to try that one!" Spectre joined in excitedly. "I don't think I've ever beaten anyone at arm-wrestling! And of course, I have to let Mara win... Ooooh! We could have me beat Thomas at arm-wrestling on the DVD!" Having so many of his friends around was having a very good effect on Spectre. He bounced on the couch excitedly, and really felt like his old self again.

Tasha moved closer to Thomas, and snuggled up to him again. "Doing better than I have been," she said. "Things were really hard, with what happened to Hope and Fiona, for a while. But Hope's come through it amazingly. She's just... god, I love her so much, Thomas. I'm really fucked off that Emma's gone, though. Being abandoned by another parent is seriously the last thing Hope needs, you know?"