Author's Note:

Hey guys! I've just edited this so I can put in an AN. This is my first story so I'm still figuring out how to do these things! I really hope you enjoy! I'll be updating regularly on weekends and I will try my best to update during the week when I can.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except Marcy Corry, Stella and Alicia. All credit goes to the wonderful Joss Stirling.


STELLA'S POV

We all sat together in the family room. It was Dad and Mom's idea of helping me work out my problems the savant way. Everyone was here. All my siblings, blood or otherwise. The room was overcrowded with fourteen people. Mom, Dad, Trace, Diamond, Uriel, Victor, Will, Xav, Crystal, Yves, Phoenix, Zed, Sky, and me. The full Benedict family.

It was all because I got in trouble at school again. I mean big trouble. The only one who tops my record is Zed. He got suspended once when he was fifteen. My parents went to the principal's office yesterday to discuss my "intolerable behaviour."

I was heavily shielded, I didn't want any of them inside my head right now. I surveyed them all, my family. I knew exactly what they'd say to me. I'm lucky to have a big family who all love me. But there are downsides to being a Benedict. We're all savants and it's impossible keeping everyone away from my private thoughts.

My gift is to relive people's memories. I can experience a person's memories as if it's happening to me at that moment. It is impossible to control and I have dreams every night. Weird experiences from random strangers who I've briefly crossed paths with in the day. It could be anyone from the local librarian to a person who I've brushed past in the street. If I try, I can channel a certain person's memories by touch. But it really drains me and sometimes the thoughts are so private I really wish I'm not seeing it. So mostly I don't use my gift, but the dreams are impossible to handle. I always see the most memorable things. Generally, the painful things. Other people's physical pain and dark feelings leave imprints on me. My mood in a day is determined by what I dreamt last night. Zed gets it, because of seeing all the crime we deal with because he's the seventh son. He couldn't deal with it until he found Sky. Now he's got her he's ok, permanently.

Crystal was practicing her gift so soon she could find mine, Uriel's, Victor's and Will's soulfinders. I secretly didn't want to find mine. He was unlucky to have me. I was unsociable, plain looking and a failure as a savant. And as a Benedict, for that matter. I remember very clearly what I was thinking: I can't control my gift at 16 years old. It's pathetic.

"Stella," Mom began. "We've gathered because we're worried about you."

"We won't tell you off, just try to help," Dad added. "Tell us the truth about what happened at school, Stella. Please."

They were tickling me with their gifts, trying to get in my brain. I forced myself not to slam up my shields harder. The quicker they got what they were after, the quicker I could leave.

"Looks like Stella's the first Benedict girl to get in trouble at school!" Xav quipped. He was making a misguided attempt to lighten the mood. My eyes shot daggers at him.

"Xav..." said Yves. I continued to glower at Xav.

"There only are three. Offically. And the other two are past school age, so go stuff your face with shit, Xav!" I wouldn't normally be so sharp, but I was pissed off right now.

"Stella Benedict! Would you please watch your mouth!" Mom looked angry too now. Damn.

Nice come back. Phee's rebellious voice in my mind. My sister-in-law and I our constantly trying to outsmart Xav's jokes and I was grateful to her for being nice to me.

Thanks. I said no more, in case the others realised we were using telepathy.

I got back to my original point now.

"Why do you bother about me so much? Zed's been in more trouble than I've ever been and you never did this to him!"

"That's debatable," Zed muttered.

"Shut up, Zed," Trace said darkly.

"If it's because I'm your only daughter, well, well... that's so stupid!"

"Stella, you know we consider ourselves blessed with five daughters now," Mom said.

"Ugh! Whatever! I'm your only real daughter-!"

"Stella," Victor said, with angry calm. I could see hurt looks on Diamond, Crystal, Phee and Sky's faces, attempting to be concealed with varying degrees of effort.

"Sorry, biological daughter then! Just because, just, because I'm the failure in this family!" I stuttered.

With that everyone started talking at once. With fourteen of us, well... you can kind of imagine.

"Don't you dare put yourself down like that Stella!" Crystal shouted.

"Stella, that's not true," Dad tried to be calm.

"Stell honey, that's dumb," said Will loudly.

Sky was speaking but her quiet voice didn't carry enough over everyone else. Mom started to try and calm us down then Uriel said something to Zed who was yelling at someone, I've no idea who. Phee was whispering a comment into Yves's ear when Diamond suddenly shouted, "Silence!" bringing everyone to a hush. She was using her peace making gift, calming everyone down. "Everyone just relax." Her eyes bored into us all for a moment. Diamond sighed. "Now. Karla say everything else you need to say to Stella."

"Thank you, Diamond." Mom said. "Stella, we know that your gift is difficult for you. We just want to see if anything we can do as a family might help."

"It won't." I get a series of unconvinced looks, mainly from my brothers. "Seriously. I don't think anything you do will help."

"Ok Stella," said Dad. "But. I... Zed's told us about your dreams getting to you a lot and if you want us to lighten the load. I mean, you could do less in the crimes we solve, a smaller role in the Net." I shot Zed an angry look. He looked guilty and uncomfortable.

Traitor! I hissed in his mind.

I'm sorry sis. It's just they were pestering me about you. You know what it's like with Mom...

Yeah, I know. I also know you have her gift and are the best at shielding against her.

Except for Vick and Crystal.

But still! It was the telepathic equivalent of a shout. Even Sky can shut Mom out when she really wants and you know more than anyone that Sky's shields are the weakest by a lot!

Actually, Sky's shields are really coming on. I sensed he didn't like anyone criticising his soulfinder, but too bad, I was in a critical mood and he'd betrayed my trust.

"Stella are you listening to me?" said Dad. I was too busy replying to Zed.

This is beside the point! You betrayed me!

I'm really sorry, Stella. I thought they could help you. It was for your own good.

Will was looking at me, concerned. "Hey, baby sis. Earth to Stella, you in there?"

"Yeah, sorry." I told Will distractedly.

Don't go all wonder boy on me now! I thought you understood! My mistake, I don't think I'll trust you again!

Stella...

"Can whoever it is stop using telepathy? It's hurting Crystal." That was Xav, I looked at him to see that he was holding Crystal, who had her hands to her temples. I felt slightly guilty for forgetting that normal telepathy hurts Crystal.

All eyes turned to me. They knew I was the guilty party. I looked at Zed and Sky. I could tell from Sky's expression that she knew I'd just been communicating with her soulfinder. "Sorry Crystal, Xav," said Zed.

"I'm really sorry. I forgot. And no, Dad. Before you ask I don't want a lighter role in the Net. I'll handle the school stuff, like always. It's just a few stupid bi-" I caught myself "-girls. I'm fine guys. Really." With that, I upped and left.

I locked myself in my room. I could hear several people calling me but I blocked it out. I knew I'd just caused everyone a lot of stress that they could've done without and couldn't be bothered to talk to them now. I sat on my bed with my knees against my chest and waited for the tears to come. When they did I let the emotions take me over. My family had picked the worst time to talk this over, because last night I had a really bad dream about a girl who'd had an awful experience with a drunk guy in a nightclub. I moaned inwardly. Zed had Sky. Will had college. My two favourite brothers couldn't keep me as their top priority anymore. My parents had four lovely, new daughters to nurture. They were all prettier than me and definitely less bothersome. What was I now except the Benedict family's unwanted burden?

ZED'S POV

Everyone wanted to go upstairs and comfort Stella in their own ways, but I convinced them she'd be better off alone. I knew Stella's mind. It worked a lot like mine. Anyone trying to talk to talk to her would make her angrier. Sky and I were curled up on a couch, my arms looped around her. "Zed, are you feeling ok about Stella?" Sky asked. She can tell my feelings better than she can tell most people's. She doesn't need her gift to understand me.

"No, I'm not. There's no point lying to you, is there?"

Sky just shook her head. We sat like that for a while.

"You couldn't have done anything, Zed."

"Yes I could. I could've not told Mom and Dad about her dreams upsetting her. She trusted me."

"You were trying to help her."

"I made her angry and upset."

"Stella had an angry aura when she came into the room. She was a bomb waiting for an excuse to explode. If it wasn't you, it would've been your parents or Xav."

"I'm still mad at myself."

"I know. You're stupid." My lips twitched but she could sense she hadn't halted my worries. It can't be your fault all the time, you know.

"This time it is," I grumbled so low I doubt she heard me.

Sky just sighed and shifted so she was on my lap, her strong gaze locking with mine. She kissed me. It was gentle and angelic, like Sky. She slipped her arms round my neck and I gave up, letting her lead me into losing myself in her. We started to make out passionately. I smiled at Sky and began planting kisses on her forehead, all thoughts of difficult little sisters drifting out of my mind.

CRYSTAL'S POV

I was in the lounge with Diamond. She was surfing the TV channels half-heartedly. Yves and Phee were in the kitchen with Karla and Saul. Yves was cooking dinner. Everyone loves Yves's cooking. We all agreed that it might cheer Stella up a bit. Xav, Will and Victor had gone out for a quick skiing session, promising to be back before dinner was ready. Apparently it cleared their heads, though I had no idea how. Trace and Uriel were somewhere in the house. Probably working on some savanty stuff or something.

I thought about Stella. Before I met Xav, I was a lot like her. I'd flunked school and had very low self -esteem. I was dependant on Diamond. Because of my savant gift which, at the time, felt pretty useless as I didn't know what it was, I felt like the failure of my large savant family. I didn't think Stella realised how much the Benedicts really cared for her. They were all really affected by her outburst. She was usually withdrawn, never showing much emotion or giving stuff away about herself, completely independent. And, as Will had said earlier to ease the tension a little: Stella doesn't make a scene very often, but when she does, she does it good and proper.

"Crystal, is there anything you really want to watch?" Diamond asked me.

I glanced at the screen and then at Diamond. "What's on?"

"Nothing much. You have a look." She passed me the remote. I flicked it to TV guide and looked through. American X Factor, various soap operas and a documentary on crocodiles.

I saw a kids channel, with Tom and Jerry showing. Might as well, I thought. I flicked it to that channel producing a groan from Diamond. "Cartoons. Really?"

"You said something I wanted to watch. It's better than most of the junk on American TV," I said as Tom was hit on the head with a saucepan. I watched Jerry the mouse laugh evilly and smiled.

"Why don't you go and find Trace. Go make out or whatever it is you old married couples do," I suggested to Diamond.

She laughed, "Ok. Sure you're ok on your own here?"

"It's fine Di, you don't need to babysit me anymore. Besides, when Xav comes home, he'll watch with me. He might not want to, but he will."

Diamond laughed again, "God help him then! See you later."

"See you." I settled down to watch, contented for now.