The others come out a few days before the Lights Festival, looking around at the changes happening at the dorm.

"Stuff Doc wanted to do, we figure he'll tell us when he's ready. Josette had to get it somewhere." David snorts. Josette rolls her eyes, then pulls Bronwen down onto the couch when she comes downstairs and they talk about the plans for a building for the looms. Josette chuckles as four Docs huddle together to talk about the plans for the dorm.

"Josette, the building for the mirrors?"

"Dad's starting it next spring, the ventilation is the part that takes the longest."

"Mirrors?"

"Hank and the glassblowers are going to be working together to make mirrors after the animal planet order is finished." She inwardly smirks when the others shudder and they add them to the list of stuff they'd like made. "That's why the plain glass order is two years this time, the colored glass and the other stuff for stained glass work should be another three years, then they're going to be working on the glass formula for crystals."

"Chandeliers?" Professor Druid's mother asks.

"Yep. Somebody. . ." David looks at Josette who smirks. "Had the bright idea for the glassblowers and Hank to work on that after they were finished with the orders for the animal planet."

"Please, they're like the rest of us. They'd be bored stiff without something new to work on." Josette snorts. "That's why 9th planet GD is working on expanding their research now that they're settled in." The others nod.

The next few days pass and the business at the burger place is brisk the first day of the festival.

"This is new." Professor Druid's mother says.

"Kinda, we refinished the tables and chairs here and in the back room. Maintenance cleaned everything and painted here and the front room at the pizzeria when I grabbed the furniture to show the manager what it'd look like furnished like the traditional pizza place. We won't have booths but that makes it easier to clean without them. We took care of the furniture of the floor above us, but they weren't able to get to the rest of the building before winter. It's easier to open windows than run fans or heaters to dry the paint and carpeting." Everybody nods. "Right now they're replacing flooring in the other buildings that need it then we'll go back to cleaning the dining halls and refinishing the furniture. With the first floor of our building in constant use, we're going to move to one room while they work on the other, then back." Everybody nods in satisfaction

"Paint and flooring?"

"Right now we're going through what we have in storage or replicating it but we've got a list of factories and manufacturers to bring out in the future."

"Josette, rug yarn?" Marilyn asks as they're walking through Town.

"I'm looking for a good location right now. Once it's out we'll start looking everything over and seeing what we'll need.

"Fabric?" President Bartlett asks, walking past them.

"Not this year but next year they'll start on the satellite. I was going to bring it up at the meeting after my finals."

"Will you have enough for the looms?"

"Yes, between the cotton and linen, we might have to grow offplanet for that too. Edinborough and Assyrian have been experimenting with smaller batches for yarn and cloth blends."

"Basket weaving?"

"A couple of years when we get finished with the sunpainting degree."

"So how many classes are you going for this semester?" Doc asks at the government meeting a couple weeks later.

"25. I'm starting my third year for the sunpainting degree and the one comic book degree I'm taking on the school computer and finishing my chem doctorate this year."

"When are you uploading the dissertation?"

"Finals."

"Are the boys glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the orders?"

"Yes and no, it's like when the school closed. . .you know it's coming but it's still a shock when it happens." The others nod.

"Mirrors?"

"Dad's starting the building this spring, they'll be nearly done with the interior work on the movie theater and pizzeria then. I delivered more scrub trees for their first order of supplies."

"Their other buildings?"

"I'll bring them out while Dad's busy here." David nods.

"Rug yarn?"

"I'm still looking for a good spot and might bring out one of the big bulk warehouses I have of yarn." They nod.

"The other dining halls?"

"Maintenance will start working on them starting with the back room of pizzeria and the second floor as soon as they can open windows in the spring, working on the rest of the empty rooms before they start ours. It might take a couple more years." The others nod. "They won't get all the floors replaced this year either."

"We weren't expecting them to." Principal Madison says. "Weaving building?"

"We're deciding what we need first then where it's going to be put up. We've already got the textiles buildings." The others nod. "And we're going to be talking about if we want to continue to use the big building and my outfit for dyeing or if we want another place just for that."

"How are you on the dyes?"

"I was going to start looking through that and see if I want to bring out a manufacturer." Josette nearly inhales her arm covering her mouth for a yawn. "Snow again by dinner."

"To be expected, we knew it would be a cold, snowy winter."

"Yep, but all the snow helps the water table."

"Yes thank gods," Principal Madison says. "I remember the years of droughts California had and the snow pack being only a quarter of what it should be."

Josette detours to the new bakery, buying stuff she takes back to the dorm. Putting everything up she checks the animals food and water, dropping the baggies of dirty litter into the replicator before washing her hands and dropping into her recliner with a doughnut, bottle of Haven Dew, and a book. Doc chuckles as he looks in her first floor room and starts working on something.

"I'm surprised Grammy Allie didn't come out to 'talk' to you four about more degrees over the break." David says at lunch.

"Dr. Stark might have had something to do with that." Josette drawls with a smirk.

"Ohhh really." he purrs, laughing.

"Yeah, she was giving him a disgusted look when I was out there to sell the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs to Vincent." The twins laugh. "Did you send over a gift bag?"

"Yep. She had a little boy named Marshall James a couple days ago." she sends them the picture of the new baby laying on Daddy Jack's chest.

"Awwww."

After lunch Josette heads upstairs and starts looking through the quilt patterns, grabbing one and laying it out when she suddenly disappears. Reappearing seconds later she splits off a couple duplicates, one that gets in her linked TARDISES while the other flies to Hidalgo.

The TARDISES appear back in the room in a couple minutes and she absorbs her other selves before copying and cutting out the pattern pieces on plastic, checking the store of what she has and making a mental note to either get or make more before copying the pattern and laying out the fabric.

"Did you guys make a decision on the possibility of grab bag projects?" Alexander asks at dinner.

"We're going to be working on that over the next few days, with plans for putting up a poll at the stores and offering them at the Harvest Festival if there's enough demand. If they sell well there, making them permanent."

"I can see something like hats, gloves, and scarves selling more than quilts or sewing projects."

"Probably, we'll see what the demand is. Lots of online places had grab bags of stuff marked down." The others nod.

"Are you finishing anything this year?"

"Just the Flash comic book degree, I'm a year from finishing that entire curriculum and I'm getting in one semester this spring. I'm three semesters from the second and starting the third year for the third so I'll get those next year."

"Feel nice to finish the multiple degree curriculum?"

"Feels damn nice to finish them." Josette says. "Probably the same way you felt when you finished your doctorates and David will when he finishes his mechanical engineering course." David sighs and nods.

The next few weeks pass and Josette makes her way to the linked warehouse for the factories, bringing out the doors to start linking the slipper and socks factories. She hides a cackle as Dr. Blake swats a smirking Dr. Stark in the testing center her first testing week.

"I'd planned on coming out last fall after Thanksgiving to talk to everybody about their degrees Josette, but somebody had other plans. What are the others up to?"

"The twins are keeping busy, talking with the other teachers at the school about the projects they want to work on now that the school's closed, checking on how the burger, chicken, and pizza places are doing at the school, and helping out with the kids classes at the dorm. I brought back a *lot* of textbooks from the other dimensions and they've been going though those."

"Did Clark tell you he wanted to work on your dorm?"

"Yeah, he's been working on it since just after Thanksgiving, on and off." Dr. Blake nods in satisfaction. "Mirrors?"

"Dad's starting the building as soon as the ground's clear, I'm taking over the job of bringing out the factories and the other buildings on the 9th planet."

"Did I hear rumors you're weaving rugs?"

"Yes, now that the school's closed down and education is changing on Haven we have the time to start projects like that. I've got a rug factory that we plan on bringing out in a couple year, both area rugs and the braided circular rugs since most of our rags go to quilts."

"I hear rumors you take care of the recycling on the other dimension."

"People recycle yeah, but nobody wants to take care of that recycling, let it be somebody else's problem. 'We did our parts'." Josette says in a snide tone. "Even those charities that are always bleating about needing money won't go to the drop off centers and work for a few hours. But they'll hold their hands out for you to give them the money."

"Whatever happened to helping those who help themselves?"

"Some do and some don't." Dr. Cross sighs. Josette nods and pats him on the hand. "So anyway the others and I flatten cans and run them through the machines, run the cans that you can't through the machines, do the same with glass and plastic, and I can fill bags of deposit cans and bottles. Tearing apart appliances for recycling. We can all make a couple thousand dollars. The only place I saw the dropoff centers bare was in Vegas."

"Gambling." Dr. Stark chuckles.

"Yep."

"Do they drop off clothes?"

"Yep, and I take a ton of those, the glass, plastic, and paper. And what I take is a drop in the ocean, let alone the bucket. Some if it's just like new."

"Socks?"

"Cotton, various styles and colors. We have a good stock on hand but .. ." The others nod.

Coming back to the dorm Josette looks out the front of the dorm at the black sky. She'd been glad to get out of the house for a few hours, everybody else was holed up until the storm passed. Pulling on a sweatshirt she heads upstairs to her workroom to grab a knitting kit, opening it up, looking at the pattern, and casting on.

"Factories?" David asks, leaning into the room.

"Going to start bringing them and the extra storage areas out next week."

"Heard from Dad?"

"Yeah, he's going to ask me to start copying the movie library in a couple of weeks. I'll deliver it and the paper factory order when I deliver the first part of the animal planet order and pick up the recycling." David nods and heads back to his room to work on his dissertation and project.

"Did you start your dissertation for the herbal medicine degree?" Alan asks at dinner.

"Yeah, and the papers for the art history degree. Get them started and out of the way even though I still need three semesters to finish the bachelors."

"Are you two getting the same degree?" He looks at Alexander and Michael.

"We don't have the smarts for Oxford." Michael complains.

"Buffalo chips." Professor Druid says in the front room. "Of course you're smart enough to go to Oxford. You're smart enough to do whatever you want as long as you apply yourself." The other teachers in the room nod. "Even if it is boring ass shit as Josette would say."

Josette slides into her seat at the government building after her third testing week.

"Factories?"

"Socks and slippers are brought out along with their supplies. They'll start working on them after they finish everything else."

"Mirrors?"

"Dad's starting work in a couple of weeks, I start bringing out the buildings for the 9th planet in what would be my second testing week this summer. I'll be there a couple weeks but I'll be on one of the ships so I'll only be gone an hour since the yearly crops and offworld harvests will be coming in. I'll enjoy the time off of only having one thing to do before coming back to the asshole to elbow crops coming in here." The others laugh but nod.

"Nails?" Principal Madison asks

"We could bring out a factory sometime in the future, lord knows we've got enough steel for it, but the replicator works just as well right now and you don't need different forms for each type of nail. The boys use wooden pegs on a lot of the furniture, that I need to look into." The others nod.

The next few weeks pass and Josette heads off after her second testing week, landing Hidalgo on the ocean and flying to her place in the middle of the night, joining Doc, Charles, Rex, Dr. Cross, and Dr. Stark the next morning to start bringing out the new buildings where they wanted them. Once they're up they have a walk through to see what work would be needed before Josette heads to Eureka, starting to bring out the copied tapes for the movie theater, the people who'd be working there starting to shelve everything.

Josette slides into her seat at dinner an hour later for Haven but six weeks later for her.

"How'd it go?"

"The new buildings are up, crews will shift over when they're finished with the pizza parlor and movie theater. I copied the tape library and the people who'd be working there shelved everything so they'd know where it was. I got nagged by Doc, Dr. Cross, and Charles to sleep more while I was there. . .' The others snigger.

"Aww did you decide to stay up the full 60 hour day? Not once but twice?" David smirks. "In a row?

"No, that would have got me shot with a trank and shoved in Doc's special room.. I lost track of time working on my papers while I was there. Charles took the laptop, saved everything, and shut it down while Doc carried me to my room. I was already in my pajamas since I'd tried to go to bed when the damn papers howled at me to write." She frowns. "I think they might have locked my bedroom door to keep me in there since I'd been writing for hours and they'd gone to bed after I did, but they actually slept." The others snigger again. "After that I headed back to my house and set up the 'do you really want to be slowly disintegrated, please bother me then' alarms. Not that it stopped anybody. Of course I got the 'shouldn't you at least finish the bachelors, let alone start your Masters before you start working on your thesis' looks."

"Sooner you get the damn things finished, the less you have to think about them." David says.

"Amen." Michael says. "'Cause not only are we going to have the comic book dissertation, I know the others will start dropping hints with the force of a sledgehammer about going for the same art history course Josette is taking."

"D'awwww." David says.

/Has anybody noticed that Mom Clarinda and the others aren't aging as fast as they. . ./ Susan says on their tightest mental link.

/Should be? Yes, and I think they dosed us with whatever they use. I woke up one morning to a suspicious mark on my arm like an injection and a strange taste in my mouth./ Michael says.

/Then I wasn't dreaming when I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and Black Jack was there and helped me to the bathroom./Alexander says. Everybody looks at each other. /Whatever./ Nods from the others.

"Factories?"

"I'm heading off to start making a list of what is going to need to be done in a couple of days."

"Don't most companies make just one type of slipper?"

"Yeah, that's why I went looking for one that had the machinery for all the types, they're the fallback supplier for manufacturers who have an emergency. We've got to adjust the feet though, the damn things always wear out on the side since they're too small." Nods from the others.

"Finishing any degrees beyond the Flash and chem doctorate?"

"I might try to finish the art history or other comic book degree this year, I'm three semesters from each but more likely I'll get those next year along with the other degree."

"How are you coming along on your mechanical engineering diss?"

"Good, I figure on having it done next year and uploading it summer year after next when I'm a semester from finishing it."

Josette looks over from the machinery she's crawling over at the sound from the doorway, finding Doc and Clark in the doorway. She 'flips' the PADD she'd been making notes on to them and they start looking them over.

"Everything looks good."

Josette nods as she flips herself off the machinery, putting the PADD back on her belt.

"Now you were talking about bringing out warehouses?"

"Possibly one of the big ones for rug yarn before we bring out a manufacturer and one for dyes since we're beginning to run low on what I brought out." Josette sighs and grabs her PADD again. "Fabric paints, if we're running low on dyes, we'll be running low on them too. I'll talk to the suppliers to see who they ordered from before I start looking."

"Do you plan on opening the factories for limited production?"

"Yeah like the others. The slippers we're working on adjusting the bottoms since they always wore out on the side if your gait goes to one side or the other." The two men nod.

"Do we need factories for the stains and sealers?"

"The factory I looked at for the paint can handle them, all it is is different formulas." The two men nod as they walk outside. "No use having different buildings that can do the same thing unless we need them like the pizza places and bakeries."

"And speaking of pizza parlors and bakeries?"

"Awww, you found them? I've had the pizza parlor for years, I brought out the bakery when we were talking about this one, since I had plans on a baking degree." They walk into the building and Josette buys a bag full of doughnuts, fudge, brownies, and snack cakes.

"I've got a bad habit of adding stuff that we'll need and making sure it works before it's brought out."

"That's not a bad habit, and like you said it's stuff that we're going to need. Are you setting up a linked area like we have then moving them?"

"Yes, that way I'm not taking up tons of room. Yes, we have plans for another round of expansion now that the school's closed but. . ."

"You don't have to fill it right away and unlike the bakery and pizza parlor they're not going to be in use that often or at the same time." Josette nods as they walk to the dorm. She shakes off and hangs up her cloak, then pulls off her boots, putting them up to drain and pulling on shoes. They settle to talk about the plans for the dorm in the living room, David coming out from working on his paper to go over what has already been done, what Doc has planned for the future, and the expansion plans.

"Papers?"

"I'm uploading my diss after finals, David's uploading his year after next when he's only six classes from finishing it. I finished the other one while I was on the 9th planet working on stuff for six weeks. I'll present it next year. Is CJ presenting his this summer?"

"Yes, that will leave him three classes and we want him to go on for a doctorate. Thomas is starting another degree next year, so's Bruce." Doc nods. "Bethany and Susan have been talking about the degrees they have in common, though theirs are different areas. The twins?"

"Been going over the textbooks we've been getting from the other dimension and talking about what degrees they want to go for in the future when they're not at the school talking about their plans for future projects now that the school's closed."

"How are you coming along on your rug?"

"Finished the first one and got bit by the second, I started that one and when I have that done I'll put the backing on them bot. . ." Josette sighs and makes another note on her PADD. "Gotta see what we'd need to make that and the stuff that goes on hospital socks for extra traction." Everybody else nods. "I'll talk to the suppliers or chemists at GD since there's different grades of the stuff. We'll need it for the bottoms of the slippers that aren't fabric anyway."

"And the ones that are usually have tiny dots of it."

Josette sends a message off to GD, getting a list of formulations and uses, the chemicals to tint it to match the fabric, and 'yes, you'd need a different factory or to clean the machines really well, which you'd do anyway switching from paint to stain'. She passes the PADD over to David at dinner, he nods and passes it back. Principal Madison looks at them from the front screen. "Formulations to make the backing for rugs, that goes on the bottoms of hospital socks, and for the bottoms of shoes and slippers." Josette thinks a moment. "I gotta check a factory for those, I know we could make them on the 3D printers, they did it on Earth but doing them one at a time is kinda stupid." Everybody in the front room nod when Principal Madison repeats what Josette had said.

"With everybody walking everywhere, soles wear out."

"We make the good shoes and heavy work boots since we do do all that walking." Principal Madison says. The others nod. "We've got everything to resole them if the uppers are still good."

The snow finishes melting and Josette spreads manure on the garden and fields, tilling it under then planting over the next couple of weeks. She heads to the various places to pick up the orders for the animal planet and heads to pick up recycling and deliver the orders after her finals. The payments are passed out when she gets back to Haven and she picks up a batch of tables and chairs to work on so maintenance can clean the back room of the pizzeria.

"Did you pick up the order from the paper factory?" David asks.

"Yep, delivered them to the 9th planet and the pizzeria, picked up the stuff from the back room." Alexander nods around a mouthful of food. "Once they get the first and second floor done for when they open later this year, they'll start on the other floors in case they're needed, then finish the burger place building."

"The chicken place."

Josette waves a hand. "One night after they opened." The others nod. "The front and back rooms anyway, maintenance can handle the other floors, then they'll start on ours."

"Been a while since the buildings got a good cleaning and the furniture worked on."

"Since the first time the school closed."

"Shit." Josette says, facepalming. "The others look at her. "Our tables and chairs in the dorm?"

"I'll look them over after the Harvest Festival."

"Did you upload your paper?"

"Yeah, before I left. I know I won't hear about it for a couple months."

"Are all the offworld harvests going to be in by the Harvest Festival this year?"

"Yeah. Next year we'll have the harvests coming in during the winter."

"9th planet?"

"Not this year but next year they'll get both. That way they've all got cover crops."

The others nod.

"Just finishing the Flash degree this break?"

"Unless I pick up a semester for the Cambridge male youth lit degree. I'll be two years in if I do. If I don't I'll pick it up next break and finish the third year for the art history degree this fall."

"Two multiple degree curriculum down and two to go." Josette says the government meeting the first day of the summer semester for her.

"How many classes are you taking this summer?" President Bartlett asks.

"Only 19 with all the offworld harvests coming in before the Harvest Festival, plus the yearly harvests."

"9th planet?"

"Not this year, I'll harvest twice for them next year with the cover crops." The others nod.

"Are you only finishing the chem doctorate this year?" Principal Madison asks.

"No, I finished a comic book multiple degree curriculum over the break."

"Amanda was looking at those."

"She's got time to take them now. David's going for the doctorate in comic books when he's done with this one."

"Soooooo, have the others started nagging you for degrees yet?" Josette gives her father a look and everybody laughs. "Gods, have they." David moans. "That's one of the reasons the girls are looking through the textbooks while Susan and Alan have been looking at other degrees. Josette doesn't need the encouragement, I've got my doctorate, and the boys have the apartment orders, that's the only thing that kept us from the nagging."

"Speak for yourself, Doc, Charles, and Dr. Cross were hinting about a medical degree until Abby told them I already had one." David chuckles.

"First planet crops?"

"I'll head off to take care of them after our crops are in."

"Olives?"

"This is a more oil year, we're getting low and I've still got a good supply of green ones in the barrels."

"Black olives."

`"Last year since I had to go out for the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs."

"Do you see a need to expand the crops there?"

"Not for a while, but maybe eventually."

"The factories?"

"I've been working on them for a couple weeks now and looking over the other things we'll need. There's a factory that makes the soles of shoes, they'd be sent to the factory that makes the uppers to be joined with the insoles. I'll bring that out, the rug factory, a warehouse for dyes, a warehouse for fabric paints, a warehouse of paint and stains, warehouses for the various types of flooring, and a warehouse for the rug yarns. The factories will go on the first floor, but I might put the warehouses on the second."

"Do we have the room?"

"Yes, we'd always intended to add to the warehouse in the future, that's why there's three hallways on each level. When we start running out of room, we can expand it by tesseract. Both longer and more hallways on each floor. Possibly more floors but we'd have to take employees into consideration who work in the factories on the upper floor if they get too big. or add a freight elevator."

"Are you still looking for a spot for the rug yarn manufacturer?"

"No, I have a few good spots for it and anything else we might need to bring out in the future, including on the other planets." The others nod in satisfaction.

"Sooo, anything else."

"How is maintenance coming along on the dining halls?"

"Good, they have the back room of the pizzeria finished then moving up to the second floor."

"The chicken place?"

Josette waves a hand in a 'I did it' manner and they nod. "They couldn't do it while they're in operation so I did after they shut down one night."

"Just the front room."

"Front and back just in case they spread out and it gives the workers a place to sit." The others nod. "They should have the pizzeria and burger place buildings done by this fall and started on the chicken place building."

"And next year we'll finish the others." Principal Madison says. "With the buildings that need new floors done afterwards." The others nod. "Exterior painting?"

"Over the next few years after we finish the dining halls since some of the buildings will probably need it. And you can't really paint inside in the winter even with the VOC paints." The others nod. "We can only open our windows or doors for fresh air fifteen or twenty minutes before the furnace starts running."

"Movie theater and pizza parlor on the 9th planet?"

"Should be opening by the Harvest Festival."

"Hear anything about your dissertation?"

"No, but I wasn't expecting it. I don't need the automatic acceptance I would if I had another degree to sign up for in the series." The others nod.

"Show?"

"Me this year, I'll be taking more dollhouses back with me along with the furniture the boys and I have been working on."

Stopping at the bakery for a bag of snacks Josette heads to the ranch after putting the bag up, checking on the garden and crops before heading upstairs to start coating the chairs to be stripped. Instead of using a foam brush on them she lays out plastic and uses a hand-held sprayer, making sure everything is coated before starting on the rest of the tables until dinner.

"How are we on the the tables?" Alexander asks as she comes downstairs.

"I got about half of the remaining tables and a quarter of the chairs coated. If they're not done after dinner we'll start staining and sealing the others." He nods as they walk to the dining room, walking past the freshly cut grass where maintenance had been mowing.

"CJ's thesis?"

"He's presenting it in a few weeks. Once the crops are in and they've planted for the second batch but before their tree crops start coming in."

After dinner Alexander heads up to their woodworking building. The furniture isn't ready so they start staining tables, working for a few hours until they rinse the brushes, putting them up to dry before heading to bed.

The crops start coming in and everybody's busy in the gardens or fields, Josette taking wheat and rice to the flour factory for the 9th planet and putting bags of theirs in the basement of the store until they're running low after the new crops are planted.

"Flour?"

"We've got a good supply on hand and I'll pick up the pasta before the Harvest Festival."

"Are all the other planets growing wheat?"

"Yes, either taking it to the flour factory for their bread, having it sent to the pasta factory for pasta, or making their own bread and pasta if they have the time and want to cook."

"Are we seeing any pairing off among the former students now that they're in permanent housing?"

"Not yet. We think they're arranging schedules and putting away money for when they're not working and for the future children." Principal Madison says.

"Speaking of future children?" Principal Madison smirks. "Since you are turning as old as how many children you have."

David smirks as the others chuckle. "Probably after Thanksgiving. The kids will be ten when we deliver if we get pregnant then. It's not like we haven't been trying, it just hasn't happened yet." Doc chuckles and nods.

"You know, you could have sex more than once a year with the school closed." Principal Madison says like he's giving them the secrets of the universe.

"We have, maybe that's why we haven't been getting pregnant." Josette snorts. David sniggers.

A couple weeks later everybody heads off for a couple hours to the other dimension for Josette's show, Josette and Alan moving the furniture and doll houses to be delivered before heading up to the rooms, putting their clothes away in their rooms then gathering in the living room since the others are away for a few more hours.

In another building Clarinda looks at her beeping computer, typing quickly. "Ahhh, the kids are here for the show."

"Did they deliver stuff to Dexter?" James asks.

She types more. "Yep, a few roomfuls of furniture and tables full of dollhouses with a note on each order. He's bustling around with his helpers."

"Stuff?

"Alexander, Michael, and Josette build custom furniture. Josette also makes custom dollhouses, the ones that start at a thousand dollars and are miniature mansions. They're all artists. Who's got the show this year?"

"Josette." The art fan in the room looks at them. "You might know them better as Madison, Jalex, and Jakahawa."

"Oh god yes, I was at the boys last show and I've got a ticket for hers. They are fantastic artists, the boys work with wood and metal while she's a textiles artist."

Josette shakes her head at the laughing boys as she comes back from the spa for a pampering before she show, getting dressed and joining the others for a fancy sit down dinner at a restaurant before the show.

"Josette looks good walking the red carpet."

"Years of practice smoozing the reporters with the boys." David says. "Better them than us."

"I know Josette hates dressing up but she looks good."

"Josette's of the mindset, if I have to do it, I'm going to look damn good while I'm there."

"In other words, try to make me look bad and I'll bury you." Professor Xavier looks over at Clarinda and chuckles, Josette is definitely her child. He looks around and the others look at him. "I swear I just heard somebody cackling." The kids grin.

The offworld harvests and yearly crops keep Josette busy and she heads off to the first planet for a few weeks of peace and quiet as she's bringing in the yearly crops there, pressing the oil and putting paste and olives in barrels of brine that go in an area of the ranch before she starts bringing in the crops, then helping with the garden and putting the last of the orders on the ship to deliver to the animal planet.

"Josette's chem doctorate?" Mom Clarinda asks when she comes downstairs from putting away her clothes when the others have started arriving from the other dimensions a couple days later.

"She uploaded the dissertation to GD before she took the first batch of orders to the animal planet this year." David says.

"Yours?" His mother from that dimension asks. His other mother looks at him.

"Working on it and planning to upload it year after next around this time when I have six classes left."

"Is Josette done with hers?"

"No, she has one more class she's getting in next semester."

"Herbal medicine Masters?"

"She's going to be done next year since she's already taken the classes for all degrees from Oxford for her other degrees. She's going to be presenting it next year, one of four degrees she's got to do in person. That, the doctorate, and her art history thesis and dissertation."

"Where is Josette?"

"Upstairs in the woodworking building stripping the old stain and sealer from tables and chairs in the other dining rooms with Alexander. That way Alexander can see if there's any work that needs to be done on them maintenance missed."

"Are they done?"

"Yes, Josette delivered the last of the orders yesterday. Everybody was looking a little stunned, there's a difference between 'yeah, this batch is done but we've got another apartment complex to furnish in a few months so enjoy the break' and 'Thank you gods and goddesses, it is o-vah." The others chuckle.

"Has the pizzeria opened for sit-down service?"

"It's opening the Harvest Festival, we figure it will take a couple weeks for the new to wear off even with the four dining rooms. Ours is different from the others in that we have the salad bar as well as the pizza bar. Maybe in the future we'll offer soups or grinders."

"One kitchen or two?"

"Two, the top two floors they're reserving for delivery orders." Alexander and Josette come downstairs for dinner.

"How are you coming?"

"We've got half the tables and nearly a quarter of the chairs stained and more with the stripper on them. We'll start sealing everything that's stained tomorrow and keep working on the rest."

"How long has it been since they were worked on?" James asks on the walk to the dining hall.

"Since the first time the school shut down. The dorms and school buildings also got good cleanings that time."

"And this time?"

"Yeah, since everything had been open over 20 years."

"At least the school's not seeming so empty this time with classes being offered at the textiles and fine arts buildings and the dining halls are getting more business." The others look at them. "This isn't the first time we opened the dining halls to restaurants, but back then it was just replicators like the movie theater."

"We've got better recipes this time and there's the whole 'we made this, we didn't replicate it' thing. And there's others to talk to as they eat."

"Are they turning the tvs on while they're open?"

"Yeah, with five stations something should be on while they're open. If not, there's always DVDS."

"More original programming?"

"Yep, they've been taping this year and last, they'll be editing the footage for shows over the next year and start airing the new episodes. They're expanding into some of the food that we don't grow right now. Balaclava is in love with that idea so we can expect some shows there. Cambridge and Oxford are talking with their tv station about stuff they're doing, if they're not interested we'll handle it."

"Then the person who turned down the proposal will pout since it succeeded." Bronwen laughs.

"Yep." Josette smirks.

"Doesn't Cambridge and Oxford have their own TV or radio stations, we saw them on the brit shows."

"Yes, they didn't have enough people at first, then they've been overhauling everything since the students came over from the other dimension."

"Josette, have you had a chance to look over everything you got when you came over earlier?" Bronwen asks.

"Not yet, I've been busy with bringing out factories here and buildings on the 9th planet, classes, planting, and checking everything we're going to need in the future." The others look at her. "A supplier went out of business and I got all his stuff. It's on my TARDISES and Brigadoon."

"As big as ours?"

"Combine them, then multiply by at least fifty." The others whistle and shake their heads.

"Excuse me TARDISES? As in more than one?"

"Thirteen, linked. These two," she points at Time Lord Doc and the Doctor from his dimension. "Got me into the Academy since I'm already used to living and working under time dilation thanks to the ships and visits to the other dimensions."

"And we still don't want to look up and see the ships moving through the time stream." the Doctor from Clarinda's dimension says dryly. "For all that we know that's the next step."

Josette snorts. "Please, I see myself waving at the Atlantis from that fanfic as we pass in the timestream and cackling at the hopping up and down screaming fit every version of you would be having." Everybody laughs.

"What was the interest on the grab bag kits of patterns and supplies?"

"Good, we're bringing them out for the Harvest Festival. If the demand is as good as the interest was, they'll be permanent."

"Josette, the factories and warehouses you were talking about?"

"Going up after the Harvest Festival, that way I can work on everything over the winter.

"Did you hear about your dissertation?"

"It's tentatively approved, they'll have the official word for me when I finish my last class next semester."

The grab bags do brisk business at the Harvest Festival, almost as good business as the pizzeria and everybody heads to the beach for a cookout after it's finished.

"Have you started growing the clams, mussels, and oysters?"

"We started this spring. We might harvest this fall but we're planning on next fall to make sure." The others nod.

"What are you working on?" Godly Clark asks as he sees Josette drawing on the PADD.

"A windmill to bring water to the crops on the first planet and help augment the solar panels." Josette hands the PADD over. "I've been toying with it for an engineering degree if I go that way in the future."

"Is the shorter day a problem with charging batteries?"

"Not really, yes with the shorter days the batteries don't charge fully but they're not drained as quickly and they start charging again sooner. And we don't use that much power when we're there to drain them further after dark. If we had a permanent place there it would be different, then we'd link to the building's alternate power source."

"How do you water now?"

"Rain and drip irrigation on the roots for the raised beds. I have containers hooked up the the lines with a sensor that opens a valve when they need water and closes it when they don't."

"Raised beds?"

"Tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. Everything that grows well in a high temperature climate."

"Do you grow them continuously?"

"Two crops a year, every other year. One crop a tomato or pepper we're running low on, the other something new."

"Heirloom tomatoes?"

"Yep."

"Beds plural?"

"Three, each 20 by 20. It was two then GD asked me a couple of times to grow an experimental pepper they wanted. When the 9th planet inhabitants came out I added the third one permanently and sold to their Vincent as well as Archimedes Vincent and somebody on the fourth planet. He uses them in herbal medicine, his mate eats them and the growing conditions on the first planet make them hotter than normal."

The others head back to their home dimensions and Josette heads off to the factory warehouse, adding the factories for the soles and rugs and the warehouses on the second floor.

"Did you get that semester in you wanted for Cambridge over the break?"

"Yeah." Josette says, lacing her fingers together to stretch over the back of her chair.

"How was the demand for the grab bags?"

"Good, they'll be permanent after the Lights Festival."

"Has the crowds at the pizzeria let up?"

"Hell no, I'm expecting it to die down around my second testing week."

"Chem class?"

"Started that first to get it out of the way. I'm finishing the third year for my art history degree and starting one of the new multiple degree comic book curriculum this semester. Next year will be the other two comic book degrees I'm in my last degree for, the fabric painting hands-on degree, the herbal medicine masters, and the art history bachelors."

"Did the others talks to the boys about degrees?" Josette nasty kitty smirks and everybody laughs.

"Amanda talking to the others at Montague about the degrees?"

"On and off for a couple months now. She's planning on starting next year since it's been decades since she took classes."

Back at the dorm she starts making an inventory of everything that's in her TARDISES while another is doing the same on Brigadoon. She'd just been moving stuff and while she's got a list of what she has . . .somewhere, she doesn't know what's in each room. Working under time dilation in both places she gets everything sorted out months later before joining with her other selves and walking with the others to dinner. She's waved to the front room by Principal Madison, nodding.

"The first room on the pizzeria third floor is finished, I'll deliver everything tonight and pick up the back room's furniture." Alexander nods. "We'll start work on it tomorrow when we're not working on the other stuff." This time Josette nods, even with as many orders as she brought out for the show she's got still more on the list and some people are buying multiple houses in different styles. And she's still got requests for her sheets and other stuff. The others snigger at her sour look.

Josette's dancing in her room at the end of the next week.

"Finished the chem doctorate?" David asks, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. She grins and nods.

"We need to celebrate." He purrs. She holds up a hand in a halt gesture. "Uh-uh buster, that kind of celebrating needs to wait until after we visit the other dimensions so I'm not pregnant when we head." The others snigger but nod as they walk down the hall, whistling for the kids.

"How's the work coming on the factory and the warehouses?"

"Slow but none of them are needed right away." The others nod.

"How's the crews coming along on the other buildings on 9th planet?"

"Good, they set the alternate power source up right away and they're busy installing the solar panels and water and septic systems." She looks at Melissa and the others. "Have you talked to GD about internships?"

"We're going to Stark and both Waynes, we figure the kids can take Archimedes GD, and the triplets 9th planet GD when we take over the worlds, ruling with an iron fist in a velvet glove just like you taught us Mom." Their parents cackle in the back room as everybody laughs in the front once Principal Madison repeats Melissa's words.

"Intern housing?"

"For the first few years then apartments there or here on Haven or building houses."

After dinner Josette heads upstairs to work on the dollhouses, bringing up a new order and on the screen and starting to work.

"Congratulations on finishing your doctorate, Josette. You'll get the official confirmation in a couple days but your dissertation has been approved." Dr. Stark says at the testing center on GD when Josette heads off for her first testing week. Josette grins. "Did you get everything out you wanted this year?"

"Yes, I figure to get everything hooked up by Thanksgiving."

"Rug yarn manufacturer?"

"I'm bringing it out next year."

"Fabric?"

"A group is going to be working on it next year on the satellite." the others nod in satisfaction. "Assyrian and Edinborough are working on blends for cloth."

"Weavercrafthall?"

"We've settled on a location and plan on starting construction next year, Hank and the others are looking over the files for the looms."

"Mirrors?"

"The exterior work will be finished by first snow, then the interior work and it should be ready for them to start work by the Harvest Festival next year. Once the glass for the stained glass workers is done, including the specialty stuff, they're going to be working on the crystal stuff for chandeliers. The glassblowers are working on the formulas now."

The others nod as Josette puts her feet up in another chair and yawns.

"Yes, we're expecting rain starting tonight." Dr. Cross says. "Four days before we can plant our last crops of the year."

"Josette, did you find large supplies of cotton?"

"Yes, both yarn for socks, cloth for underwear, and raw fiber. I'll bring them out in a couple years as needed. Assyrian and Edinborough are working on fiber blends for future needs."

"Fabric painting?"

"Be finished with that last year along with the two comic book multi-degree ones I'm two semesters from finishing the whole kit and kaboodle, the art history bachelors, and the herbal medicine Masters. I'll finish the dye degree that I'm partway through we went on hiatus for since the teacher teaches them both, and we'll start working on making baskets from grasses and other plant fibers."

Back on Haven Josette absorbs a burst of solar energy to wake herself up before she heads upstairs to her workroom. Patting her TARDISES Josette brings out a new kit from the containers on the shelves and copies the pattern pieces to plastic, cutting them out and labeling them before copying the pattern and starting another envelope for them. Sighing, Josette grabs her PADD and makes a note before she starts looking over the fabric. Grabbing pieces of paper she starts sketching out ideas for quilts, looking at the three pages she's filled before joining the others for dinner.

"How are we on the dining rooms?"

"I'm picking up the tables and chairs from the fourth floor front room after dinner." Josette says. "We all took a couple days off over the weekend." Principal Madison nods.

The next day Josette walks to Sue's store, looking over her notes and the fabric.

"More quilt ideas?" Marilyn asks with a grin when Josette starts making notes on the papers in her hands and making different piles of fabric on the table.

"Oh yeah, the freaking bunny grabbed me by the shirt and shook me like a rag doll yesterday after I got back from taking my tests on Archimedes. Everybody in the building sniggers but nod in a been there, done that manner.

"Is that everything?" Marilyn comes over to help Josette measure and cut fabric.

"Hell no, I'm sure I'll have to hit Agatha's too." Josette sorts everything into different tote bags she pops into subspace and helps put everything away, paying and heading to Agatha's where she repeats the process, double checking with Agatha she has everything.

"Did Josette make it to your place, I saw her stopping at the bakery and pizza parlor." Marilyn asks after the stores close for the night.

"Yes, those quilts are going to be magnificent but she won't be done for a few years."

"They can go in the pool of projects." Sue says with a grin.

"How many?" David blinks as Josette continues to bring out bags of supplies in her workroom.

"Thirteen." She says sourly. "The fucking bunny was psychotic. I figure three quilts a year to go in the pool of projects to draw on." Swearing fluently she grabs more paper and starts sketching and making notes.

"Are you going to be working on furniture after dinner?"

"Yes, I need a break from the screaming banshee in my head."

"You know, there's medication for that. . ." David sniggers as he walks downstairs.

"Thirteen quilt ideas?" Susan asks.

"And I got another shitload of drawings and ideas dumped on me but I'll wait on those, I gotta work a few extra shifts to pay for everything I brought today." Everybody laughs at her and she blows them a raspberry.

"Factory and warehouses?"

"Be finished by the end the term. Unlike the factory, the warehouses won't draw a large amount of power." The others nod. "We selected where the weaving building is going and Dad will start building it next spring."

"Are you okay?" Sue asks when Josette signs in for work the next morning.

"Yeah, the damn bunny jumped me again when I got home with the other quilt stuff and I have another dozen quilts planned out." Sue lays her head down on the counter and laughs as Josette starts grabbing bolts from the 'gotta replace' bin and starts measuring them to go in the remnants bin then heads to the back room to refill the shelves.

"Yeah." Josette says when Sue runs to the bathroom she was laughing so hard.

"Oh god Josette, that's priceless. I know I shouldn't laugh but. . ."

Josette snorts. "Didn't stop the others when David 'innocently' told the others what happened. And they weren't impressed when I said I was holding off on those since I was working extra shifts to pay for everything I brought yesterday." Sue and Marilyn, who'd just come into the building, make rude sounds.

"Yeah, that was their reaction."

"Josette, how are we on cotton?"

"I have warehouses of cotton yarn for socks, cotton fabric for underwear, and raw cotton. I haven't brought them out since I didn't think we needed them for a while yet." The other two women nod as Marilyn heads to the shelves to help make 'grab bags' for the store with Sue.

The next few weeks pass quickly with Josette working at the stores, taking classes, and working on the factory and warehouses. The second testing week she slides into her seat at the testing center.

"How is everything coming?"

"Hopping, we've got the dining hall the pizzeria is in finished, the inside at least. Maintenance is starting on the remaining floors of the burger place. They should get those done by Thanksgiving. After that it will be too cold to have the windows open for the paint."

"Did the pizzeria ever slow down?"

"It should start slowing down after this week."

"Does they have their own garden?"

"Yeah, the burger and chicken places share one. Or rather they took over the ones the school used when the dining halls were full." The others nod.

The rest of the semester flies by and soon everybody's busy bringing in the crops and garden, canning, drying, or otherwise preserving everything for winter and getting in supplies while Josette's off taking her finals.

After Thanksgiving they start heading off to the other dimensions, coming back several months later for them.

"How lazy are people that they'll dump perfectly good clothes, shoes, belts, scarves, and purses in recycling bins rather than take the time to donate it to a resale store?"

"But I'd have to pack everything in bags and take it there." Abby says in a whining voice that would etch glass. "Ohhh, they're poor. They don't deserve the good stuff." Josette says in a mock airhead voice. "I don't want them, they're last year's clothes." Susan says in another pouting voice. Pat who'd come in to see if they were back chuckles.

"Yes, people like that kept me in business for years. I take it you brought clothes back?"

"Tons. Along with plastic, paper, glass. . . Spent days cleaning up the recycling drop-off sites, making a couple thousand dollars for a couple weeks worth then headed to Vegas with the girls. Principal Madison and Professor Druid was introduced to his Da's school when they took over for about six weeks when he had to leave for meetings, expos, and symposiums, they were nearly crying when they found out they'd been running a private school for years so they didn't have to babysit them."

"You were there too." David snorts. "Josette was running the library for a few weeks since the woman who normally handles it broke her ankle and needed surgery. The look on her face was priceless when she found what she thought was a student behind the desk calmly working away and Principal Madison introduced her as his school librarian."

"When are. . ."

"Tomorrow after breakfast."

The next day Clark, Thomas, and CJ, Pat and the others come though and they all head to Atlantis, smiling as they soak up the heat and start switching to lighter clothes and putting on sunscreen. Renny, Clark, and Doc go over the plans Josette had for the windmill, nodding at the points Josette brings up and bringing up others.

"How about linking to the alternate energy source for the city?"

"I'd thought of that as well. It's not like we need the extra power."

After a few weeks of sunning, swimming and sex everybody heads back to Atlantis and back to Haven. Thomas and Clark settle on a couch as CJ starts shelving his books from his latest degree.

"I. . ."

"Want another baby? I was just thinking that myself." Clark says. "The others kids are turning ten next year and they're talking about more children. The twins will be leaving next year for their internships on the fourth planet." Thomas laughs then repeats what Josette had told him Melissa had said, making Clark chuckle.

"Did Principal Madison's family talk Josette, Michael, and Alexander into a similar setup to the one with the others?" CJ asks, coming in from the library and settling into an easy chair.

"Last year, they were just waiting until the boys finished the apartments before they started working on the details."

"Who's got the first show?" Principal Madison asks as they get ready to head back to their house after picking up Samantha.

"I do." Josette sighs. "We were talking about what we'd be bringing to the shows, including examples of our work while we were there. We'll talk more when they come out for the Lights Festival."

"Is maintenance back to replacing flooring?"

"Yeah, they moved over as soon as they finished the fourth floor of the burger place. The furnace was beginning to come on in the morning." The others nod and everybody splits up, heading in different directions. Josette takes her books for the two degrees she finished this semester upstairs and sends the file with the pattern, pictures, and details for the first quilt she'd gotten jumped by before starting the second to Agatha.

After lunch they start planting in the hydroponics and greenhouses, sighing as the furnace kicks on as they're walking downstairs and see it's snowing.

"Already?"

"It's too early, it won't last." They dress in their winter clothes for the walk to the dining hall for dinner, coming back to get the kids ready for bed and settling in the living room to talk about their plans for the next year. Josette had brought out books for the others classes when she'd stopped to pick up hers and David's from the previous semester when she'd picked up the recycling.

The next day Josette comes through the link from the other store with the others from Town for the meeting about kits. While it might not stick, it's certainly coming down outside and the lights are on since it's so dark out. After everybody eats they talk about how the grab bags are selling, jokes are made about the weavercrafthall, and what the demand would be for the portable looms before kits and cookies are passed out. The leftovers are parceled out and Josette heads off since she'd not been tapped to help clean up this year. Back at the dorm she puts everything away and hangs up her outside clothes to dry as the door to the basement opens.

"Any news on when this shit is supposed to last?" Anna asks as she and the others come up with the decorations for the Lights Festival.

"Through the next couple of days."

"At least it won't last."

"No, but the next storm will." David snorts as they start setting up the trees by the windows. After the storm the outside decorations start going up and the next few weeks pass with everybody coming out for the Lights Festival. Bronwen laughs about the bunny attacks but nods she's had that happen to her too and they take a flyer out to the locations Josette had pinpointed for the new complex, getting a nod as they talk about what would be needed.

"Josette, does the water wheels work on the mills?" Dr. McNider asks at the Lights Festival.

"Yes, we keep them ready in case we have to move them to switch to water. Or if we're feeling nasty and stick somebody in there to walk inside the wheel to run the machinery."

"Go do something useful before I beat you?" Ma Hunkel says in a 'I have one nerve left and you're getting on it. Get out of my sight before I kill you. I'd go to prison but right now it would be worth it' voice. Everybody around them sniggers.

"Exactly, not the first piece of machinery ran by people power. So you want a mill brought out?"

"In a couple of years, we don't have water near enough to run it that wouldn't freeze. Now harvests?"

"Next year they come in early enough that we could harvest twice. So we'll have rye and barley coming in when we plant the cover crops. You'll get both."

"Has the glass factory been replicating extra lids?" Professor Druid comes over.

"Yes, every time they replicated them for the apartments. They've got a good stock of rings and lids for when we need them. They've also got a good stock of jars in too."

"Glass factory?"

"Another couple years for the stained glass workers, including the specialty glass. They they'll start working on glass for chandeliers and stuff, I'm going to be working with the glassblowers to make goblets and wine glasses over the next couple of years."

"Cutting and grinding. . .the mirror place."

"Yep, they should be able to do that when they're not working on mirrors."

"When will the building be finished?"

"Harvest Festival, the weaving building is going up in the spring. After that we're talking about a building just for dyeing." Everybody nods as they walk back to the school, stopping at the pizzeria for a meal of salads and the pizza bar, then picking up pizzas to take home with them.

"Josette, is this the bakery from town?" Bronwen asks when they find Josette in a large kitchen bringing out supplies.

"Yes, I brought it out when we brought out the other since I'm working on a baking degree from Assyrian and they've got everything I'd need here."

"Did you get more books?" David asks

"Yeah, another shelf and a half of them."

The cooks in the family nod, they'd had just as many books when they went to culinary school.

Josette sighs as she slides into her seat at the government meeting the first day of the new semester.

"Mirror place?"

"Be finished with the interior work by spring planting then I'll start bringing everything out."

"Do we have any larger mirror factories?"

"Yes, but we won't need for for a while."

"Cloth?"

"Started work last week, they're working six hours a days, six days a week and will have a good supply of stuff I need to pick up by finals when I take out wheat and rice for flour and pick up recycling."

"Weaving?"

"Selected the location, construction starts this spring. After that's done we'll start a building for dyeing."

"Any other news?" Principal Madison looks at Josette and David, smirking.

"Yes, we're pregnant. Only one baby apiece. Lord Apollo confirmed them this morning."