The first thing that Preston noticed when he stepped off of the skyship Colossus at Rhodes was the blast of heat that swept up from the island in the middle of the sparkling blue Aegean. The tower that the Colossus was moored to was ancient, although it had been adapted by the small wizarding community to allow the docking of the airship. It had been just a year ago that Rhodes had become a stop on the MMT routes stretching out to the four corners of the globe.

Somewhere in this brilliant white town below was the small hotel where he'd stay and meet with the team that was heading on to Egypt in a few days -- hopefully the diplomatic work that the IMC had done was enough to get them to Alexandria, where they were supposed to be working. Meanwhile, Preston had a chance to talk things over with the local Mayor, and see how what changes the new service ha brought. Rhodes had been a small, but vocal member of the International Concordium of Wizards for a thousand years, but largely ignored by the European Ministries until they had forwarded the idea of creating (or re-creating)an ancient Quidditch team known as the Rhodes Kolossi.

The platform on the tower led to a small staircase, and Preston descended the steps rapidly, his long legs skipping three or four of the ancient stone steps at a time. He son emerged into a cool plaza, Greek in influence, with cool walls of the houses that surrounded it in brilliant whitewashed splendor. A few other wizard or witch tourists had descended with him, and now took stock of the sleepy town. The Hotel Helios was just a short walk up the street.

Jenn's own trip to Rhodes had been uneventful, and she was able to deliver the needed paperwork to Hugh's team that was staying in Rhodes. She then booked a room at the Hotel Helios where the other members of the Ministry team were staying, and had a couple of days down time while the red tape was being un-raveled. She got in some sight seeing around the little town, with its old style walls and towers. She never spent much time on any of the Greek isles, and they were strange to her.

The place was also hot. She spent a lot of time in the hotel cafe, parked under the big ceiling fans that revolved to cool the place in the heat of the day. But it was an adventure, and she was enjoying the feeling of being on her own in a strange place. The other withces and wizards in Rhodes were friendly, and told her about places she could go. Apart from one or two of the local fellows that followed her around,(she was able to blunt their advances) she talked mostly with the team headed up by Haephestus Kent.

Today, she got out a white short-sleeved blouse, a short flowy skirt with gold sandals and a big sunhat, and took a walk towards the center of town. She stopped at a local shop to buy a newspaper (in English), as her Greek was schoolgirl at best, and then folded it into a carrybasket, and set off for where the book blimp was supposed to arrive. Preston had written her a few days before saying to expect him soon.

It had taking a lot to convince him to go. Adrian was about to drug the Brazilian and send him down but finally he gave in. Jake was not too pleased about leaving his beloved team behind or his best friend. Luckily for him he had been able to bring Maggie and he had a feeling Tamora would be joining him sometime soon. She did not seem too happy that he would be leaving and she was set free in a sense. He thought the woman would be glad to leave the house. Apparently he was mistaken.

Regardless, it was brought to his attention some Ministry personnel he may know would be arriving soon by blimp. He was given the option to travel that way but Maggie wanted to go by plane so by plane they went. The little girl was gripping her father’s hand tightly as she looked around in wonder. The city looked nothing like London, Surrey or any place she had been before. Even Jake had to admit, he was in awe.

In the midst of his marveling, his eyes caught sight of a familiar gate of a blonde woman. The sun hat only confirmed the identity. Hell, Jake had been chasing Jenn long enough to know her walk anywhere.

Scooping Maggie up like a baby doll, Jake picked up his pace and came along side of the woman. He whispered something in his daughter’s ear and she nodded.

“Bom dia, senhorita. Onde tu vais?” She asked in a small voice when they drew next to Jenn.

Jake smiled. Maggie was lucky she was so cute at times.
(*where you going)

The blonde girl checked her watch for the expected arrival of the skyship, and discovered that she had a few minutes. She headed for the market to pick up some food, in case there was time for a quick lunch with Pres. Jenn looked like any other tourist as she walked through the little marketplace and towards the clock tower with its flat top where the skyship would soon arrive. She took the sunglasses off her hat, and placed them on her eyes again as she looked up to scane the skies for any sign of the large silver ship. While she was halted, she heard a small voice speak in Portuguese to her. She turned and came face to face with either the tallest child in the world, or one being held by a tall person. She was quite startled at seeing Jake Darney standing there, holding up the little girl, Marguerite. She quickly recovered from her surprise and removed her sunglasses and smiled, despite her shock at seeing them both there. In truth, Jenn was used to traveling, and wizards turned up all over the place, so she reasoned that they were on some kind of summer holiday.She herself looked as if she was ready for that holiday, herself. Above them, something large cast a shadow over the square momentarily, and then the sun came out again.

"Well, hello cutie-pie, what brings you to Rhodes? Who's your tall friend?"

Preston adjusted his Panama hat against the glare thrown back from the walls of the houses, and hoisted his Gladstone bag onto his shoulder as he walked in the direction of the Hotel Helios. Pigeons scattered in little clusters before him, and the distant sounds of babies crying, doors slamming, dogs barking, and muted traffic noise came to him as he walked. He tipped his hat to a couple of greengrocers setting out their carts on the sidewalk, and passed a group of women washing clothes at a fountain in a small square. As he passed by a small cafe, a familiar figure came into view across the square over by some market stalls. The slim figure, long legs, and stylish clothing could only belong to one person he knew.

He dodged a kid on a bicycle, and cross the square of the market, ignoring the calls of the chicken farmer who tried to show him some poultry. "Uh, thank you, but I'm not hungry just now," he said, in bad Greek, and tipped his hat again. However, he did stop by an old woman selling flowers, and got a few of the local varieties in a bunch, and swept onwards. As he approached where Jenn stood with a basket, he noticed a man and a little girl speaking with her. They looked familiar...

He smiled, sent a 'hellooo' wafting across the street, and waved.

Maggie looked between Jenn and her father confused. He had said they knew each other... That meant she would be talking to Dad and not her. This lady was odd. The little girl finally cocked her head as she heard her dad give a small laugh from behind. It was official, she was confused...

Jake's eyes narrowed with his laugh as his head shook slightly. Jenn had confused Maggie something awful. Normally she was the center of attention when her name was shrieked by Auri. That was who he usually played this game with. It was normal for them in any case. He'd have to catch Jenn up on that at a later time.

"Way to go, Jenn. Now Maggie's lost," he joked, extended his spare arm to hug the blonde. "I have been chosen to... guide the new Quidditch team here."

It was kept on the down low, even in the Ministry that Jake was finally picked for the job. Mainly because England helping out a foreign country was strange and slightly against the rules. It was not like when Brazil tried to recruit Jake for the World Cup but equally as unusual. Especially since he had no tie to Rhodes what so ever.

"How about you, Mi'dear. Oh..." Jake shifted his daughter so the little girl could face Jenn. "Marguerite, Jennifer. Jennifer, Marguerite."

Maggie gave a shy smile and waved slightly.

Jennn shook hands with little Marguerite. She looked back to Jake, and took in the news that he was there for some kind of Quidditch project. That would make perfect sense for him, but it seemed a strange sort of place to be drawn to for Quidditch.

"I didn't even know they had a Quidditch Team" she said, and then addressed her health. "But I'm great, Jake, just great. Finally got to do a trip abroad where I'll get to do more than run coffee for diplomats."

At that moment, she was distracted again. Across the marketplace she could see the tall figure of Preston approaching, looking very casual in traveler's garb, with a hat on his head. Very Preston, and at the sight of him, her heart gave a nice jump, and a subconscious smile came to her lips again.

"Oh, there's Preston! hello, darling," she called back. "Look who's here, Jake Darney and his daughter."

The trio across the street must have spotted him as he wove in and out of the grocery carts and stalls of the market. He nearly tripped over some tent ropes that were holding up a pole attached to a storefront awning in his haste, but he got up close to Jenn, Jake, and the little girl with them without much more fuss. He bustled up, and gave Jenn a nice hug, and then turned and shook Jake's hand. A small person was there, too, so he tipped his hat to the little girl.( whom he'd heard about, but never met)

"Look at this gathering, I don't think I've ever seen so many people I know gathered in one spot so far from home. Quite a coincidence to see you here, Jake. It's been a long time. This must be Marguerite."

Jake paid little mind to the man across the street that would have looked familiar. The only thing was he never noticed Preston was even there. His mind was a little more intent on talking to Jenn. He realized that the more time he spent with Tammy the less he seemed to want to be in the company of any other well-off females. He was convinced they all went crazy at a certain age. Perhaps Jenn had not reached it, yet. It was nice to have a female around not acting like crazy fan-girls or like she is about to blow off his head with her eyes.

However, her shift in expression was not missed by the Brazilian. He knew the look very well and his head cocked slightly in an attempt to figure where it came from. That was when his gaze finally left the blond and found it s way to Preston, who was crossing the street. It figured that was the reason for her shy side coming out slightly. Well-to-do Rostron, son of the former Headmaster, was hardly someone not to look at. He was very amiable for females.

It sucked.

“Good to see you, mate,” said Jake through a smirk. “And yes, this is my girl. Maggie, this is Preston.”

Maggie looked at her father then at this new male. Her head tilted in a similar way to Jake’s. She finally smiled and waved, deciding that she liked the man.

“Hello,” she said with a giggle.

Jake knew that if Maggie will talk to someone, there was no need to be a protective father. He shifted the girl to the other hip quickly.

“What are you doing here,” Jacob asked.

The introductions were soon given and exchanged, and Preston was glad to see Jake, although it had been many years. In fact, in Preston's memory, their one and only meeting might have been the night he first met Jenn as a young girl at Hogwarts, although he'd seen Jake's picture in the newspapers during Quidditch season, and he knew a few of Jake's friends. He'd always been partial to the Hufflepuffs at school, although he himself had been in Gryffindor. He'd never had a problem with any of them, and indeed, Jenn was an ex-Hufflepuff, and he thought they shared a lot of common threads of character.

"Likewise, good to see you, Jake," said Preston brightly, and he shook hands; "I'm somewhat here on official business for the IMMF. We've got a team here, probably a few old schoolies that you know, too. But I knew Jenn was going to be here, and we made some plans ahead of time. This is a nice surprise. I didn't see you on the airship, or I would have said hello, sooner and we could ahve made plans."

He smiled at Jenn. She looked really nice and cool in her ensemble, perfect for the heat. She was a gal that could look good under any conditions, though, he knew well.

"I read something in the paper about Rhodes starting its own Quidditch team, or something like that. Are you scouting the competition?" he asked, with a toothy grin.

Jenn kept her arm hooked into Preston's and waited while th guys got caught up. She wasn't sure how Preston would take it, meeting an ex-boyfriend of hers. You could never tell with guys whether they'd go all frosty on you. But she shouldn't have doubted that Preston remembered Jake, and favorably as well. She looked at Preston, who was his usual cheerful self. She was glad of that.

"That's about right, Pres; Jake's here because he was asked to help with the Rhodes Quidditch team. We're free, though, becuase I already delivered the documents to Haephestus and Constance and the others at the hotel. I was coming to meet you when I met up with Jake and Marguerite."

Seeing Jenn link her arm around Preston was hard for Jake to watch. After all, the last person he saw her with and doing that was… well, it was him. Of course, not that he could really say anything. He had been days away from being engaged to Angelina, his girlfriend for two years. And he was living with Tamora, even though they weren’t dating…

At the sound of a familiar name, Jake’s head cocked slightly.

“Wait, little Connie?” he asked.

Connie had been one of his favorite underclassmen on the team. She was a reserve Beater for his last year on the team and would religiously watch their practices before that. He often brought the girl out for one-on-one practice after classes.

Maggie had decided that during her father’s fond trip down memory lane she wanted to get back up. He pulled her up but instead of placing her on his hip, the girl went to his shoulders. She looked around from a much better view, staring at the city in a new way.

“We’re free, just make sure we hit a store for Maggie,” the Brazilian replied.

If anything, Jenn knew that Jake loved to pamper and his little girl got better treatment than all of his girlfriends combined. Jamiel often said that his wife would have to compete with her. Jake never disagreed.

Preston explained that the team that included Constance Jones had been mired in red tape on Rhodes for more than a month. With the help of the Diplomatic corps from International Magical Cooperation, they'd been able to unstick them.

"That's why Jenn's here. She's going on with the team and I to Egypt in a few days, once we get clearance. It's an underwater exploration that Haephestus Kent and Constance, and some others are doing. They're looking for this magical chamber that was part of the Lost Library of Alexandria."

He indicated that they ought to walk as they talked, and see if there was anything worth shopping for.

"Who are you meeting with here on Rhodes?" He looked to Jenn. "If you need any help, Jenn's a whiz at paperwork."

Jenn took another glance at Jake and Marguerite, and thought how nice it would be to have a child, especially when they were so free with giving love. Of course now that she had someone like Pres, she could indulge a little in those fantasies. She had been fortunate to know these two men that had the right makings for a father-figure.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw someone dart behind a cart of some kind, but she didn't see whether it was a man or woman.

As they started to walk, in long easy strides, Jenn remained silent as Preston explained what they were doing next on the trip. She was a little surprised when he mentioned that he was going to go all the way to Egypt with the IMMF team; although of course, she was delighted. A nice long trip, with some sightseeing, and light official duties was just what he’d promised her back in London.

“What kind of stores do you like, Marguerite? I like places with pretty clothes, and maybe a few – um – toys.”

She noticed movement again in the inside of her sunglasses, coming from behind. Yes, there was someone back there, a woman with a camera and a notepad. A reporter? Then the woman was gone a moment later into a storefront that was some kind of novelty shop with a wide vareity of things.

Jenn said nothing, but then asked Preston about what kind of boat the IMMF team had been given to do the diving. Before he could answer, Jenn had a thought that they ought to have brought –

“A camera!’ she burst out suddenly. “Pres, we don’t have a camera. Is there a shop around here where we can get one?”

Maggie was all about the attention she was receiving from Jenn. It was slightly spoiling the girl and Jake knew it. She was not used to a female being so involved in her life. Tammy was getting there- he had caught them watching movies rather close a few nights before she moved out. It devastated the little girl when he freed the ex-Slytherin. He needed to either get a replacement or bite his pride and admit bot he and his daughter enjoyed having her around.

The slight distraction from the Preston and Jenn thing was very welcomed. Of course, Maggie was trying to explain to Jenn what stores she liked from her fathers shoulders. Jake could answer it easily. Toys. But the girl needed to learn how to talk for herself so he let her go on and on about the toys until it got on his nerves.

"Mag," he whispered before putting a finger to his lips. The little girl giggled and returned the gesture. Luckily, they had that understood.

Jake's eyes scanned through the crowds. He was glad to be out of the public's eye for once. It was stressful for him to walk around his home town. Seeing his family was a top secret mission. The reporter went unnoticed by the Brazilian, who was far more interested in the dark skinned beauty in the bright blue day dress over Jenn's left shoulder.

The sudden outburst about a camera startled Jake slightly. He was not into the pictures of everything. That, and he was also not going to have much time site-seeing. He was lucky that Maggie was a part of his terms of agreement.

"I think there was a small store over there," Jake told her, nodding in the direction of his hotel. "I can't read any of these signs, but it had camera..."

Preston listened, amused as the little one chattered on about bead kits and toy tiaras and special dolls that talked. He knew of some really good toy stores back home where she could get some very interesting magical toys, but he understood she was thinking more of the muggle variety. Jenn was also listening to the girl, but seemed distracted by something, and suddenly asked about cameras.

"No, I really didn't remember to bring my camera, but I suppose we could go get one of those disposable types the muggles use."

He looked in the direction of where Jake was pointing, and it was in the same general direction as the Hotel Helios.

"Let's go and have a look then. We need to get a picture of all of us near that fountain there. Now, Jake, what was the name of the fellow that you were meeting about the team? Was it this fellow? he contacted us about travel arrangements for the Kolossi"

He handed Jake a card with a name and address on it as they began to walk slowly in the direction of the novelty shop.

Alexandros Aello
Ministry of Sport - Rhodes

Jenn took Preston's arm again, and urged the party to move towards the small novelty store across the square. She wasn't sure what she'd seen with the woman with the camera, but she was going to find out. The store she was headed for was more like a tobacconist's shop, and she wanted to get a better look at the woman with the camera.

"Let's try this one, first," she said, and indicated the novelty store, which had pictures of different odd drinks and posters of strange products Jenn had never heard of. There were also some small toys in the shop window, so Marguerite would be happy, even if it turned out to be a completely wild goose-chase.

Ignoring any protest by the two men, Jenn entered the store, which had crowded shelves, magazines, and a smell of tobacco, which made her nose wrinkle up a bit. She looked around to see if the woman was in sight, but there was no one else in the store except the proprietor, who was reading a magazine beneath a slowly revolving fan. A radio behind him was sending out some kind of broadcast in Greek, but it sounded like some kind of sports show.

"Did you see a woman come in here?" she asked in English.

"No, no other women," said the man. " I never see anyone else."

"Thanks," said Jenn, puzzled. She was sure that she'd seen the woman duck into this store. As she turned back to see if her boyfriend and the rest of her party ahd followed her, a woman hopped out from behind a large display case full of small electronic devices, and walked up to Jenn. Her accent was British when she spoke.

"Hello Miss Sloane-Underwood, I'm Linda Lanternbeek, Daily Prophet, I'm wondering if I might talk with you a moment?"