Jake, Rachel and I demorphed quickly while Tobias kept an eye on Lora. When we were done, Ax showed us the Helmacron ship, the dull grey smoke at one end indicating it was disabled. He handed the ship to Jake, who went to Cassie's dad's supply cupboard and fished out a boss clamp. At least, I think that's what it was. Anyway, he screwed the Helmacron ship in nice and tight and set it on the mini operating table at our end of the barn.

Promptly, as ever, angry thought-speak voices issued forth.

Replace us back on the ground, inferior humans!

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you ever shut up?"

We mighty Helmacron females will not be silenced by a mere human! Take this and tremble beneath our towering might!

And with that, a pint-sized Dracon beam lanced out of the front of the ship. And hit a beam at the far side of the barn.

"Nice shot. I'm over here, by the way."

"Shut, up Marco." Rachel. Who else?

Glaring slightly at me, Jess helped Jake get Lora onto a par with the ship. With the help of Tobias and a couple of hay straws, of course. Jake blocked Lora's assumed position with the back of his hand and addressed the Helmacron ship.

"Unshrink our friend and we will let you leave here alive. Refuse…" he left off, leaving the comment completely open for interpretation by all parties.

We'll feed you to the opossums.

We'll feed you to Visser Three. Nice protein content helps evil megalomaniacs grow big strong bones.

We'll give you to Ax. Ah, true hell on Earth. Survive the week, and we'll get Ax a VCR.

Memo to self: Avoid mentioning concept of VCRs and DVD players to Ax. It may well send him over the edge. Life will be nothing but Gilligan's Island reruns over and over and over and over and over…

Jake removed his hand and a green beam shot out from the front of the alien ship. For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. Then Cassie pointed at the table. Lora, the size of a Barbie doll, and complaining. I could just about hear her.

"Lousy stinking aliens, lousy stinking forest. I need the loo. I need some FOOD. Cheese on toast ought to do the trick. Lousy stinking aliens. I miss sandwiches. Plenty of butter should do it. Lousy stinking forest. I want my shoe back…"

Not for the first time, I kind of pitied Tobias. Kind of.

By this time she was full-sized and blinking at the ship-in-a-clamp. Then at Jess, then at me. At the both of us.

She loped over from her little hay bale and started hugging me. Tightly. Again.

"Can't breathe…get off…Jake!…help…"

Nobody did. Typical really. After a couple of minutes, Jess let go (a little) and instead held my hand in a fierce grip.

I looked over her shoulder. Rachel looked pale, both eyebrows raised in my direction. On second thoughts, Ax had four eyes trained on me, not one of them blinking.

"Isn't anybody going to say 'Welcome back'? I mean, come one, I've been in the Forest from Hell for days and I want to go home!"

I looked at her briefly, then I turned back to Jess.

"I talks to talking birdies
I likes to eat blue-green cheese
I want my straitjacket creased
In my bouncy rubber room…"

Welcome back, Lora. But please, do not sing. It is quite painful.

Trust Ax to be blunt. He looked around at us all for backup and found us smiling. Except for Tobias, who had his little hawk head cocked to one side and was blinking at Ax. Probably Bird-boy's version of a smirk.

Then Jess started laughing, which set off a chain reaction as we all started laughing. Even Rachel, although she was trying hard not to. Jess let go of me and walked over to the operating table. There she and Lora had a sniffly reunion. You know the sort. Mushy. Huggy. Long.

And then, in a quiet voice, I heard Jess whisper, "Welcome back, sis. Let's go home."

They then pulled apart. Jess grabbed my hand and Rachel's hand, while Lora attached herself firmly to Jake and Cassie. A couple of minutes later, Tobias and Ax were human, and the eight of us walked to Jess and Lora's house. Halfway there, Tobias slapped his head in a very Homer Simpson-like moment, but refused to elaborate further when pressed by Rachel.

Marco, it's the butter! Tobias, likely in private thought-speak. Jess. Whenever she hears the word butter! It has to be!

I leaned behind Ax and Rachel and gave Tobias a distinctly fish-eyed look, one that said Eh?

Never mind.

Now that I understood.

A few minutes later, we got to Lora's house. She rang the bell and a couple of minutes later, Mr Maxwell opened the door. For a couple of seconds he simply stared, the engulfed his daughter into a bear-like hug before doing the same to Jess. He ushered the rest of us in and silently showed us into the living room, where Lora and Jess's mum was watching the TV on mute. She looked up and first registered the presence of eight teenagers before she picked up on the fact that two of them were her daughters.

Contrary to her husband, she burst into tears and had to be consoled by Lora for several uncomfortable minutes before she spoke.

"You…you must be hungry. I'll get you something to eat."

She looked up at the other seven of us. "You can all stay. Come on. I've got chilli on the stove. I can do some more if there isn't enough…"

Cassie looked worried.

I soon found out why.

Ax, you see, loves chilli. Loves, as in LOVES the stuff. Had it at Cassie's once, apparently. Couldn't get enough of it, apparently.

I'll leave the rest to the imagination of whoever might be reading this. Except for the fact that this time round, Jess never let go of my hand.

The End
(We hope…)