Early that morning, almost four o'clock, the boisterous thrum of helicopter blades cut through the silence, waking nearly everyone—including the captain.
"Guys! I think they've arrived!" Nick was the first to notice.
The guards soon arrived at the guestrooms and quickly escorted the allied group to the waiting choppers. Upon arrival, Tiffy ran forward to embrace her husband tightly.
"I missed you, Nick! I thought we lost you completely that night you left! You never told me you were leaving. I was so worried about you!"
Nick gently pulled back, taking her hands. "I'm really sorry, Tiffy. I never meant for any of this chaos back home."
He pointed toward their allies and continued, "We've got Elizabeth, Jasmine, the four comrades who stood for our wedding, plus Mikal. He's a stranger—I know you don't know him. I'll explain everything when we get home. For now, we should be glad you all did everything you could to rescue us. Thanks, dad-in-law!"
Tiffy's father smiled warmly. "You're welcomed. Your wife was very anxious—especially since she's expecting again. She needed you close more than ever. She told me you got lost in a forest and were rescued by choppers that brought you here. When she called me in an emergency, I sent the two hired choppers right away, even though it was late at night. Family matters come first for me—even if I'm a government official!"
"That's good to hear. Family always comes first," Nick replied. "My relative used to say a man like you deserves respect, even from people at church who criticized her for her rumoured misdemeanors."
Just then, the captain approached, noticing the official. He hurried over with a respectful greeting.
"Ah, Your Honor! I didn't expect you to pick up your friends at such an hour!"
After brief smiles and handshakes, Tiffy's father said, "Tiffy told me you should be informed. Right, Tiffy?"
"Yes, Dad. I meant to notify Nick after alerting the leaders, but he seemed oblivious," Tiffy said.
The commander replied, "I knew about the pickup but not the exact timing. No worries. As long as everyone's safe, you may continue your journey. Glad to meet you all. Oh, and taking the baby's DNA…"
Suddenly, Nick winced. "Ouch! Guys, let's get on board. I've got a muscle pull from my leg injury."
"Okay, take care!" the captain called as everyone hurried into the choppers.
For most of the morning, the two helicopters flew simultaneously, evacuating the lost crew to the urban areas. Later, after taking two taxis, everyone except the dad converged at Tiffy's home.
"Welcome!" Tiffy said, ushering everyone inside. Large framed photos of Nick and Tiffy's wedding adorned the walls.
"I see Nick is really married!" Jenny remarked, breastfeeding her newborn.
"Things move fast," Elizabeth added with a smile.
While the guests mingled, Nick and Tiffy had a quiet conversation in the kitchen.
"Tiffy, promise me you'll keep this secret," Nick said seriously, looking into her eyes.
"What is it, Nick? I promise I won't tell," she replied softly.
Nick pulled out a small black gem and some worn pages from his backpack. "We were hunting a puzzle book and relics held by four clans—secret societies, if you want you could join us. We found the first black gem and some pages of the puzzle book. We need to find all four gems and all four copies of the puzzle books to restore order."
"Four gems and four puzzle books? Restore order? What do you mean?" Tiffy whispered, curious.
Nick smiled. "The book talks about 'Anointed Kissers'—people who then will unlock a 'goodness magic' after collecting everything. The kissers are inheritors of two islands where the gems were first found. It's like a game, but it's about solving problems… maybe against misuse of magic."
Tiffy frowned, crossing her arms. "So, Elizabeth Shadd—the same annoying high school girl—is going to kiss my husband to unlock this… magic?"
"It's a gamble. We might not unlock anything. You could take the test yourself, if you want. I can take you to the witch secretly," Nick offered.
Tiffy became grumpy but laughed. "Hmph. Fine, we'll visit the witch. But your flirting is making me horny right here in the kitchen! One day, people will find out what goes on in here—everyone thinks we're perfect because of social media."
Nick grinned. "Alright, deal. When do you want to go?"
"Tomorrow, maybe?"
"Okay. But first, let's serve our guests before we get too distracted."
Tiffy kissed Nick briefly, pushing him gently toward the kitchen window. "Now, do you believe these kids are yours because of how much we kissed?"
Nick laughed, holding her belly. "I believe you fought for my love from the start. Despite the cheating, I'm sure you aborted unnecessary pregnancies to keep ours."
"And you'd do the same! Men don't know how to do that," Tiffy teased.
"Stop it," Nick said as they served snacks.
"Let's take a selfie!" Tiffy urged.
They posed to take a selfie quickly, then served the guests, who enjoyed the meal.
Jenny suddenly teased, "It took you guys forever in the kitchen. What were you doing?"
"Cooking, as couples," Nick said with a smile.
"The way you like it, actually," he added.
Jasmine looked curious. "Can you elaborate?"
"Based on the wedding and past meetings, I remember your tastes. Just guessing, really," Nick said.
Elizabeth backed him up. "He's right. These are mostly our favorites."
After the meal, conversations flowed about missions and close calls.
"Time to leave," Elizabeth said, standing. "We can't wait to see our parents. Thanks, Nick and Tiffy, for everything, including the rescue. I hope we can repay your kindness someday."
Tiffy arranged taxis for everyone.
Once alone, she eyed Nick suspiciously. "Whose baby was Jenny holding? And why was she winking at you while caressing the baby like that?"
"I honestly don't know. I just love babies. No accusations, please."
"I'm just suspicious, Nick!"
"No, you're paranoid. Let's change the topic. How about we hold Andrew?"
"Okay, sorry. Let's check the kid out."
---
The next day, Nick led Tiffy to Madam Jezebel's place. After a long walk, they arrived.
"Nick! You're back!" Jezebel exclaimed, embracing them warmly.
After hugs, she asked, "And who's this?"
"My wife. Don't worry, I'm healing," Nick said, pointing to his injured leg.
"Oh no, what happened?" Jezebel asked as she ushered them inside.
"I do care for my children, whether they claim to be related or not," Jezebel said. "Can I give healing herbs? Looks like a muscle pull."
Tiffy held Nick's hand sympathetically. "We'll get through this."
After some herbal healing, Jezebel asked, "How's the search for the four gems going?"
"We have the black gem and puzzle pages," Nick said. "But we feel like we're being followed—by the government or secret societies. We were tracked before the fetching the relics. If not for our battle tests ideas—dueling and stealing the relics—we wouldn't have escaped."
"You sound like Deli and Nick from the stories who planned to steal gems during the bullfighting ceremony," Tiffy recalled.
"It was life or death. The chief justice was involved. And yes, the authorities are close behind us."
"Does the rest of your group know you're here?"
"No. It's a secret. I don't want them to feel betrayed."
"Well, be careful. Now that you mentioned the pursuit, trouble is ahead—unless you have backup plans?" Jezebel asked.
"We rescued them with my political dad from Melon airbase. I'll try to distract the government."
"You got lost at Melon airbase? Didn't they arrest you?"
"We trekked after escaping the villains, then hitched a ride uphill. Military choppers spotted us. The captain tried to communicate with our captain, but no reply. The next day, Tiffy and her dad picked us up with the choppers," Nick explained.
"Wow, chilling stories! I'm glad you're safe. But be careful—now you're on their radar," Jezebel warned as she led them to the basement.