Driving together, hammering cigarette after cigarette into my face, I remembered the night Dan had come to Disney World, when I'd driven him to my -- _Lil's_ -- house, and how happy I'd been then, how secure. I looked at Dan and he patted my hand. "Strange times," he said. It was enough. We found Lil in an underground break-room, lightly dozing on a ratty sofa. Her head rested on Tom's lap, her feet on Rita's. All three snored softly. They'd had a long night. Dan shook Lil awake. She stretched out and opened her eyes, looked sleepily at me. The blood drained from her face. "Hello, Julius," she said, coldly. Now Tom and Rita were awake, too. Lil sat up. "Were you going to tell me?" I asked, quietly. "Or were you just going to kick me out and let me find out on my own?" "You were my next stop," Lil said. "Then I've saved you some time." I pulled up a chair. "Tell me all about it." "There's nothing to tell," Rita snapped. "You're out. You had to know it was coming -- for God's sake, you were tearing Liberty Square apart!" "How would you know?" I asked. I struggled to remain calm. "You've been asleep for ten years!" "We got updates," Rita said. "That's why we're back -- we couldn't let it go on the way it was. We owed it to Debra." "And Lillian," Tom said. "And Lillian," Rita said, absently. Dan pulled up a chair of his own. "You're not being fair to him," he said. At least someone was on my side. "We've been more than fair," Lil said. "You know that better than anyone, Dan. We've forgiven and forgiven and forgiven, made every allowance. He's sick and he won't take the cure. There's nothing more we can do for him." "You could be his friend," Dan said. The light-headedness was back, and I slumped in my chair, tried to control my breathing, the panicked thumping of my heart. "You could try to understand, you could try to help him. You could stick with him, the way he stuck with you. You don't have to toss him out on his ass." Lil had the good grace to look slightly shamed. "I'll get him a room," she said. "For a month. In Kissimmee. A motel. I'll pick up his network access. Is that fair?" "It's more than fair," Rita said. Why did she hate me so much? I'd been there for her daughter while she was away -- ah. That might do it, all right. "I don't think it's warranted. If you want to take care of him, sir, you can. It's none of my family's business." Lil's eyes blazed. "Let me handle this," she said. "All right?" Rita stood up abruptly. "You do whatever you want," she said, and stormed out of the room. "Why are you coming here for help?" Tom said, ever the voice of reason. "You seem capable enough." "I'm going to be taking a lethal injection at the end of the week," Dan said. "Three days. That's personal, but you asked." Tom shook his head. _Some friends you've got yourself_, I could see him thinking it. "That soon?" Lil asked, a throb in her voice. Dan nodded.