Sometime after 12 Feb (when he gets his voice back).

*rrrrrrrrring rrrrrrrrring*

Salem picks up after the second
      ring with a brisk, "Salem here."

"Jack. Hi." There's a brief clearing of the throat, but
      the kinswoman's lilting rasp is unmistakable. "How's tricks?"

"Drew!" He sounds pleased, to say the least.
      "Things are... good. Better than they have been." Wry touch there. 
      "How're you?"'.

The kinswoman doesn't waste any time: "I'm moving.
      And... I'm doing pretty well. Thanks for asking. The kids are shooting up 
      like--" She breaks off and calls away from the phone, "Di, honey, don't 
      touch the cookies yet, they're too hot!"

He waits until she's stopped yelling away from
      the phone. "...Ah. I... see." He sounds disappointed. "May I, ah, ask 
      where you're moving to? I might know someone in the area... Or if you 
      need any help..."'.

"Don't sound so sad, Jack," she chides him gently.
      Despite the months of little communication, there's a touch of fond 
      familiarity in her voice. "It's the right thing for me, you know? Too 
      many ghosts in this town. It's been sucking me dry. And, I'm not going 
      far... Just Portland Oregon, right across the border. You can drive there 
      in three hours." In the background, the sounds of laughter and cartoons 
      are audible.

Salem exhales, accepting the gentle rebuke with
      good grace. "Ghosts... yes, I can understand. Portland, hm?" He snorts. 
      "That's better than Seattle, anyway."'.

Drew sounds a little indignant as she points out,
      "At least it's not crawling with leeches. And I hear the Gnawers are in 
      full strength there, so... it's my kinda town. Quieter. Safer for 
      families, ya know?"

"I know, I know." His voice is
      rueful. "John'd prefer that anyway. For you _and_ the children."

At the mention of the dead Walker's name, Drew
      falls silent for a moment. "Yeah," she murmurs softly, unreadable. "..So, 
      I actually bought a /house/ there. Five bedrooms, full basement and a 
      /yard/. The kids will love it." It's a quick, nearly seamless change of 
      subject.

He chuckles softly. "Yes, they
      will. Sounds... perfect, actually."

Clearing her thraot again, the kinswoman asks
      quietly, "How's Rina?"

Silence for a moment, then,
      "...Better. She's... seeing someone, thank god. But she still has... bad 
      days."

Drew makes a thoughtful sound in the back of her
      throat, then ventures, "Will you--will you tell her, for me? I don't 
      think that I can handle a big farewell scene with her. I'm gonna call her 
      as soon as I'm settled down there."

"I'll tell her," he promises. "And
      you... keep in touch, all right? You're sure you don't need any help 
      moving?" His voice takes on a note of wry, self-deprecating humor. "Brute 
      and brawn, free for exploitation."

Some of the music has returned to Drew's laughter,
      as she chuckles quietly. "I think I'll be fine, Jack. Thanks for the 
      offer. But... I wanted to let you know, if you ever need a weekend 
      getaway from the big city... there'll always be a room waiting for you at 
      my place."

She can hear his smile over the
      phoneline. "...Thank you. I appreciate that. And if you, er, ever want to 
      stomp back into town and revisit old haunts, we have plenty of guest 
      space here at Roach Mansion."

There's a pause on the other end of the phoneline,
      and then a second voice speaks up... much younger, and with a definite 
      lisp. "Hi-hi, Unka Jack!"

That takes him a little aback. "Ah,
      hello."

"You gonna come visit me in my new house, 'kay?"
      Di's enunciation has matured incredibly since last he saw her. "I'm gonna 
      get a /puppy/!"

"A puppy, hmm? Thought of a name,
      yet?" He's recovered his composure.

[Alas, couldn't RP the rest of this adorable conversation. Sniff.]