THE IMMORTAL AND THE BAKER14

A month later

Tim and Zelda competed on two different computers on a role-playing game to see who could gain the most points and reach the finish line faster. This was what they both loved, playing electronic games, though they preferred playing together, which meant multiplayer, for 2 to 8 people.

"I just got the king's magic crown," Zelda crowed to Tim, who was sitting on the couch while she was in a chair across from him. "I now have a lot more power, Tim. You'll have to get the king's scepter in order to outclass me."

"I will beat you, Zelda," Tim said his face intense in concentration, as their avatars race side-by-side on their computer screens. "I'll pound you into the ground."

Zelda didn't take offense at Tim's words, because both of them could be intense when it came to winning when they were competing in the same electronic game through their avatars of course.

Zelda's avatar was a beautiful figure with dark hair, much like her own in real life, except the figure on the computer screens eyes were blue and was dressed as a warrior. Her avatar wore a leather skirt and cone bra, with a sword strapped to her side and leather boots on her feet. Tim's avatar had red hair and blue eyes and was much more muscular than the live version.

Tim was a god and much more confident when it came to role-playing games then he was in real life, though he was improving.

The two competitors concentrated on their screens, determined to beat each other to win the ultimate prize.

This role playing game was relatively new to the market and required cunning, intelligence and strategy in order to win. You had to collect certain objects throughout the levels in order to gain enough power to win at the end. You had to face monsters, mages and sorceress to win each level.

"You know my company is working on developing something similar to this," Tim finally spoke after they had finished competing against each other for now, as they had just completed the level.

"You don't need to tell me any of the details Tim, as I know that kind of project is probably top secret so that nobody else can develop the same thing," Zelda said.

"It is, but I trust you to not to go blabbing it to any of my competitors. We're sitting here alone in my apartment and we're not in public or I never would've said anything where somebody might have overheard us," Tim said.

"I'm glad to know that you trust me, Tim and I swear I'm not going to tell anyone that you're developing a role-play game similar to this," Zelda swore.

"The only difference is that the one that my company is working on will have a translator package that you can add to the game, though that will cost extra," Tim said. "You'll be able to translate into multiple languages, ancient Chinese, ancient Italian, ancient Japanese, and so on. You get the picture, whatever language fits the scenario you're playing your avatar will speak it with the game and without the need for VR glasses."

"That's really neat," Zelda told him. "I'm surprised that this game doesn't have something similar where it can be translated into multiple languages for those that don't speak English. To be able to speak in something like ancient Italian would be pretty amazing to a lot of people not just me."

"They aren't really any good speaking translator programs out there. While they are such programs on the market and they do a pretty good job of translating someone's words they're translating words on a computer screen. This will be a more updated version, one specifically made for games like this. It will be like the characters we are portraying in this game are actually speaking in French or Spanish or any other language whether modern or ancient. It would be good if you were say playing a specific character in a game on a holodeck then you would sound like you were speaking whatever language that was programmed appropriate for the scenario you were playing."

"That's really, really advanced tech Tim," Zelda said. "It should project your company into the stratosphere. If you can perfect it that will bring you in billions of dollars. I mean, who wouldn't want to speak in say ancient Gaelic if the character and the scenery is based back in that particular time and country."

"That's one thing I like about you, Zelda, is that you understand the implications that this could do for my company," Tim said. "It would certainly put my company on the global map."

"I know that's what you've been aiming for ever since you started the company and if you managed to accomplish that after say only 15 years or so of being in business then you'd have done more and faster than probably every other electronics company that ever opened it's doors," Zelda said. "I know it will take you awhile to perfect the program but if you can get it up and running..."

"Get out all the glitches," Tim added.

"You'll be a celebrity Tim if you manage to get your program on the market," Zelda said, as she got up, put her computer aside and went to hug her mate. "It will revolutionize the gaming industry and can be used for many more applications."

"It's going to take a lot of work to perfect it, as there's still a lot of glitches," Tim said modestly.

"You'll get there," Zelda told him smiling confidently. "I might like playing games, but I don't know how to create programs like we're talking about, as that's not a skill set I have. I do have a sister-in-law that you might want to talk to by the name of Penelope Garcia Rossi that could probably help you with your translator program, as she's good at that kind of thing. Really, she is just as good as you are at all kinds of electronics."

"I'll think about it. There is no reason to think about making such a decision today," Tim said.

"I'm sure that Penny would be willing to help you perfect your program," Zelda said. "You're right though, we don't need to worry about it right this second."

The two relaxed, as they closed their computers for the time being after saving their current level in the game and just started to talk about the possibilities the translator program could have for Tim's company and all the positive media that could come from it what he revealed it to the public.

~~~Tim and Zelda~~~

Six months later

"It's good to see you, Zel," Jazz greeted her daughter. "So I know you have a reason for this visit."

Zelda's parents, Dave and Jazz were living in San Francisco along with her godparents Aaron and Shonda. They'd lived in San Francisco before, but that had been several centuries ago, and the city had changed a great deal in that time. They also lived in a different neighborhood than they had previously, one with an excellent private school.

"Of course I do," Zelda promised smiling, as she took one of the brownies her mother had made for her. They were white chocolate, with macadamia nuts, and ribbons of caramel throughout. They were her absolute fave, especially when her mother did the baking. She often made a batch for herself or brought them from the bakery that her brother owned. Neville had inherited their mother's bakery magic just like most of her siblings, but her talent lay in a different direction. The brownies were a very popular item with her brother's customers, and so they were part of his regular stock and usually there weren't any left by the end of the day, but occasionally she asked her brother to put a dozen or so aside for her before they ran out, which she then picked up and took home. It was really nice to have a bakery run by one of her siblings in New Orleans so she could have something from there whenever she wanted to, even if she had to go out of her way to get there. She would never go to another bakery when there was one that was owned by her family and she got their desserts for free. Unfortunately, she hadn't inherited her mother's magic.

"Your mother and I suspect why you decided to come for a visit," Dave told her, as he took one of the brownies off the plate that had been placed on the table in the middle of the room and placed it on the napkin that was spread out on his lap. There was a couch on one side that held Dave and Jazz and another couch on the opposite side of the table as well. Zelda settled into the other couch with a brownie on a napkin.

"The only question is whether you're going confirm our suspicions or not," Jazz added.

"Damon was the last one of our family to find his mate, so I suppose, the Rossis were due," Dave said.

Damon was a Hotchner, not a Rossi, even though the Hotchners were considered family they weren't related by blood. Damon had met Abby Sciuto, who was a forensic scientist some time ago.

"We definitely were," Jazz agreed calmly taking a bite of brownie.

"And how do you know I met my mate? I could have other news," Zelda mock scowled at her parents. That they were right didn't surprise Zelda in the least, as they were intelligent, just like all their children.

"Tell us we're wrong?" Jazz asked her daughter simply recognizing that Zelda wasn't really upset. She just felt as if her thunder had been stolen

"You're not wrong, but you could've let me tell you the news no matter what you suspected or felt you knew," Zelda told them mock glaring at them.

"I know you feel like we stole your thunder," Dave said looking contrite.

"We're sorry, if you feel that way, it's just that we can anticipate when one of our children meet their mate, because it's happened so many times now," Jazz said.

"I suppose it doesn't matter," Zelda finally shrugged, as she stopped, pretending she was upset at her parents.

"So what's his name?" Dave immediately asked once his daughter had confirmed what they had been talking about.

"Timothy McGee," Zelda immediately answered. "I met him at a gaming convention in New Orleans, as we were both at the same presentation for new VR game. I took some time away from the shelter in order to go, and the staff that I have working there urged me to attend."

"So when did you meet him?" Jazz wanted to know.

"Six months ago," Zelda said.

"Why haven't we heard about this before now?" Dave asked looking kind of shocked at the length of time Zelda had kept such important information from them.

"Because I had to be there in case he called or something and I didn't want to tell you over the link. I simply couldn't afford to leave town until he stopped being so timid and shy around me. He's very, very shy around women and it's taking me a long time to get him to relax around me. I actually had to ask him out instead of the other way around he's that shy. He just doesn't have much confidence in the dating arena, though he has improved a lot over the last few months."

"Well, it's not like that's unusual for intelligent people," Dave said now understanding why Zelda hadn't come to visit them to tell them the news before now.

"Yes, he is very intelligent. He owns his own gaming company, which is one reason he was at that presentation in the first place," Zelda said. "He's just now gotten comfortable enough for me to leave New Orleans a few weeks ago, even if I was only going to be gone a day. I wasn't gonna take the chance that I would lose him, because I wasn't around when he wanted to take me to lunch or something, as that could have been seen as I sign I was breaking up with him, even if I wasn't. Even if I told him I was visiting my parents I still didn't want to chance it. If that had happened, it would've taken me forever to fix it, even if it could've been fixed."

"I wonder what made him so timid when it comes to dating, that he would assume you were breaking up with him if you weren't around when he wanted to take you somewhere like for a vid," Jazz mused. "I mean there could be all kinds of reasons including it just being his personality. Much like Spencer he's just nervous in that kind of situation. Of course, in Spencer's case, he'll never be in that kind of situation again since he's mated to Shawnda. He wasn't quite like Tim when he met Shawnda, but there are similarities."

"It's partly his personality, but I think it has more to do with the fact that his father John McGee was demanding controlling, high handed and arrogant. He wanted his son to go into the Navy, as he was a colonel, before he passed away just last year. Tim defied him, which shows that he's strong mentally. I know for a fact, that Tim hadn't spoken to his father in years before his death, though he did keep in contact with his mother and his sister Sarah."

"Defying a parent is never easy," Dave said, and Zelda nodded in complete agreement. "That this Timothy McGee was estranged from his father isn't really surprising considering what you just told us."

"So why Tim didn't want to join the Navy?" Jazz asked.

"Because he gets bad seasickness and gets queasy because of the movement of the waves, even if the ship is docked at that time, but his father didn't care about that and yes, I know there are medicines for it, but still, it wasn't exactly Tim's choice of career. Much like some members of our family he has a genius level intellect, especially for electronics, so I can see why he went into the career he did. The father didn't care if Tim wouldn't've been happy in the Navy, he was just damned determined to get his way while making his son miserable in the process."

"He sounds like a piece of work," Jazz commented making a face.

"I won't say he didn't love Tim. He just didn't know how to show it and they never made amends before he died," Zelda said.

"It sounds like John McGee wasn't an emotionally giving sort of father, which is probably one reason he died relatively young. People can live much longer in this century than was possible in the past and Tim's father couldn't have been one more than 70 or so?"

"About that yes," Zelda agreed impressed with how accurate her father was. "He didn't get married until his 40's, so he was around 76 when he died."

"That was old in the past, but 70s is considered the new 30s now," Jazz commented.

"True that," Dave agreed. "We can't wait to meet this Timothy McGee, but we know it'll probably be awhile yet before we do."

"You might want to start feeding him treats from your brother's bakery, so he'll hopefully accept the news easier when we tell him that we're different from everyone else," Jazz suggested.

"That's a really good idea, as it's worked in the past with a couple of prospective mates," Dave said.

"I'm way ahead of you on that," Zelda said smiling mischievously.

"As it happens, he likes things with caramel and fruit and it's not that he doesn't like chocolate just that he'll go for something like that every time. He loves apple turnovers with the dusting of cinnamon on top and caramel apples. Also, the cherry turnovers and the banana cream pie. Really, whatever I bring back from Nev's bakery, he'll eat, as he's not really too picky, even if like everyone else, has clear favorites."

"Well, it looks like you're right on the ball," Dave said amused.

"What can I say? I know it's worked in the past and even if we didn't have such an advantage, we still would've fed him some kind of treat when I introduced him to my family. Who knows if feeding him a constant stream of treats really makes any difference?" Zelda said thinking out loud.

"It's true that we really don't know one way or the other if it does make a difference, but there's also no harm in it, except the fear of gaining weight," Jazz said.

"True," Dave agreed, even as he patted his six pack of a stomach. "Its the main reason I exercise, because you happen to be such an excellent baker as well as a cook. Of course, I can cook too, but you have me beat when it comes to any kind of dessert item. Yes, I know there's a reason for that," Dave added before his wife and daughter could say a word and point out the obvious.

"So how are Lily and Remington," Jazz asked after Zelda's puppies.

"They're fine and I made sure I filled their water bowl before I left and I should be home in time to feed them since I was only going be gone a few hours, half a day at most. Of course they'll claim they're starving even after they've just been fed," Zelda said amused.

"You'll have to send us pictures, as I know they've grown quite a bit since the last time we've seen them," Dave said.

"They have as they're nearly a year old now and out of the puppy stage, but they're still cute and adorable. The fact that I can communicate with them is a great advantage."

"You have room to foster another dog or a cat if you want to," Jazz said, "thanks to the fact you own a house."

"I've been thinking about it, but Lily and Remington are still something of a handful. Perhaps after they settle down I'd be willing to foster another dog from the shelter this time instead of a pet rescue, but we'll see how it goes. I am only one person and they have to be walked several times a day and let out to do their business and I still don't have a doggie door, even though my yard is closed in. I could probably handle three at the same time when I take them walking to the dog park that isn't too far away, so they can run around. Still, I'm not sure how my two will react if I do decide to foster another dog," Zelda said

"Unlike most pet owners, you have the ability to communicate with them to see how they feel about it," Jazz pointed out.

"True, I do," Zelda agreed thoughtfully. "I'll think about it and that's all I can promise. It really depends on Tim and whether or not he likes animals. I wouldn't give my two up for anything, but he doesn't own even a goldfish, as I've been to his apartment while he hasn't seen where I live yet and not because I haven't tried to get him to relax and come over."

"I suspect that he's never had a pet not even when he was growing up, which is probably why he hasn't thought about getting an animal," Dave said.

"It's also possible he's allergic, as many people are around anything that has fur," Jazz said.

"Let's hope not, because I would be very sad if I could never have another dog or cat, and my talent would be wasted, though not entirely since I own and operate a no kill shelter for cats and dogs," Zelda said.

"That's probably something you need to find out," Dave suggested, and Zelda nodded.

"I suppose I can live without ever owning a dog or cat again if I have to, but let's hope that's not necessary just because my mate is allergic to animal dander," Zelda said. "I would have to make sure I change my clothes whenever I come back from the shelter because I tend to get fur all over them, but let's not worry about problems that might not exist."

"Let us know either way," Jazz said, and Zelda nodded.

"I will," Zelda promised, smiling as she rose and gave her parents hugs and kisses before saying that she had a shuttle to catch.

"We're looking forward to meeting Tim and make sure you tell your godparents that you've met your mate as soon as possible," Dave told his daughter.

"I will," Zelda promised, smiling as she took her leave.

~~~Tim and Zelda~~~