AN: Hey guys! I know this story isn't your typical story for , but I'd really appreciate you giving it a read! (It's on wattpad too if you'd prefer to read it there: 326153701-winter%27s-kiss-i ) I really love the Shadowhunter universe and I thought it'd be really interesting to see more stories in that universe. I hope you enjoy :)
"I really think you need to lighten up a little." Reagan said as she continued to crawl through the air duct on her hands and knees.
"I really feel as though this is not an appropriate time for me to lighten up." Her partner in crime and parabati, Dyani responded in a violent whisper. "You better know what you're doing or I swear to god I'll-"
"You'll what?" Reagan rolled her eyes. She knew the other girl couldn't see the eye roll, but she still felt it was necessary.
"I'll- I'll do something bad."
Reagan began to chuckle at the idle threat when she was shushed;
"Shut up!" Dyani hit her on the shoulder.
"What?" Reagan maneuvered her body around in the small space so that she was facing the girl behind her.
"Shh." Dyani put her finger to her lips before nodding towards the bottom of the air duct. Reagan knit her brows together as her ears strained to hear what was going on below. There wasn't much to hear. She was surprised that Dyani had even been able to pick up on the soft sound of footsteps in the room below them. Reagan pressed herself to her stomach and squinted through the small ventilation cracks in the air duct. Through the small space, she picked out a teenage girl sitting behind the customer service desk. The girl had earphones plugged into a computer. She was tapping her foot along to the music and it could be heard echoing through the empty room.
"What exactly are we waiting for?" Dyani asked as she let her hand hover over her Seraph blade.
Reagan searched the room. There was something wrong. A young werewolf had tipped her off. He'd said that she needed to be protected, but as Reagan watched the girl she seemed to be alone.
"What's wrong?"
"It's much past midnight and it's a full moon tonight." She thought aloud.
"Wolves?" The word had hardly had time to leave her mouth before the window to the observatory was broken. Reagan didn't have to think before bursting out of the air duct and into the guest services room. She landed and rolled in front of the desk as the wolf made contact with the display cases under the window. She felt Dyani land softly on her feet in the center of the room behind her. The wolf got up and shook the glass from its fur. A snarl bellowed from beneath its curled lips. The girl froze. Reagan silently cursed her. If only everyone had the instincts of a warrior. It would make her job so much easier. Reagan didn't have to talk to Dyani. She knew what she'd do next and without thinking adapted to it. Dyani darted around the desk toward the wolf as Reagan flung herself over the desk and onto the girl. They fell to the ground with Reagan hovering atop her. The girl's mouth hung open in shock. To her, some unseen force was protecting her. Reagan made a silent prayer that her glamor wouldn't wear off anytime soon and quickly shoved her under the desk before turned her attention toward Dyani. She'd gotten the wolf into the back corner of the room. It snapped at the glowing blade held between them but didn't dare to touch it.
"Get the closet!" Dyani shouted. Reagan turned and sprinted across the room. She tore open the closet just as Dyani sheathed her blade and ran towards her with the wolf on her heels. Just before the closet, Reagan watched the wolf's teeth become dangerously close to her parabati. She did the only thing she thought possible: protect her. Before she could register what she was doing the dagger was already spinning through the air. Dyani ducked. The blade buried itself in the wolf's shoulder. It crumpled with a dog-like whimper and slid across the tile floor away from its prey.
"Get it in the closet now!" Dyani shouted as she rose to her feet. Reagan made it to the wolf just as it began to rise. Its leg where the dagger still lay jammed in it could hardly bear any weight. The wolf stumbled and fell once more as it attempted to stand. She snatched her blade back and held it in front of the wolf. It growled in defiance but still it backed up just enough for Dyani to close the closet doors on it. Reagan threw her body against the door. The wolf pounded on it from the other side with its claws almost penetrating the thin wood of the door. Dyani took the fire stoker from the fireplace and shoved it between the door and where the now broken lock should have been. It seemed to hold for the moment but Reagan wouldn't dare lift her weight from the door. The girl from behind the desk stood up. She saw that the wolf was now contained in the closet. Shock, awe, and maybe a little disbelief, or a lot of disbelief, crossed her face all at once. She did not know that Reagan and Dyani had rescued her today. She couldn't see them holding the wolf at bay for they'd both glamoured themselves before entering the observatory's air ducts. All she knew was that the wolf was somehow trapped and she was miraculously not dead. She scrambled out of the building without turning back to lock the door.
Dawn came and the wolf stopped pounding on the door. It had let up around two o'clock in the morning only to start again even more furiously as the sun began to rise. Now that the sun's orange glow bathed the room all of its attempts had stopped. Dyani looked at over at Reagan before sliding to the ground, exhaustion finally taking its toll. Her gear was stained with sweat and her dark hair was falling in chunks out of her braid. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
"How'd you know a werewolf was going to attack her?"
Reagan fell to the floor as well and responded with, "He told me he would."
Dyani sighed and smiled at her parabati. Reagan knew it was a congratulatory smile and a smile that apologized for the bickering in the air duct at the beginning of the night. Dyani was genuinely proud of Reagan for taking such precautions and being here just in case anything happened. It would've been horrible if they weren't here. Dyani knocked on the closet door as she pulled the makeshift lock open. A deep groan was the only response she got, but it was a human groan so she proceeded to open the door. Curled up in the back corner was a boy. He was no older than herself and he was stark naked. She averted her eyes and tossed a towel towards him from the shelves at the side of the closet before looking back. He wrapped it tightly around his body yet continued to shiver. His light hair was damp and the wound from the blade still letting blood run down his shoulder.
"Who are you?" Dyani asked as Reagan entered the room with some bandage from the emergency first aid kit she found under the desk. She tossed it to Dyani who immediately started to take care of his wounds.
"Randy Melville." He stuttered through clamoring teeth. He was obviously still in shock.
"Is this your first time?"
He nodded slowly.
"Call Lucy. Tell her to come pick him up." Dyani told Reagan. Reagan nodded and stepped out of the closest to call Lucy. She'd had the head of the werewolf clan in her contacts for nearly four years now. It came in handy more than its fair share of times.
"How'd you know you'd come here when you turned?" Dyani asked Randy, a motherly softness found in her words.
"Lucy told me I'd go somewhere I felt most comfortable in." He told her, "So, of course, I ended up going here to see my sister."
"Why were you not locked up last night?"
"Lucy tried to. But I'm claustrophobic so I kind of freaked out and let myself out right before I turned. It was an accident I swear! I didn't know this would happen."
"I know." Dyani smiled lightly, "It's a good thing you called us. You did the right thing."
"Lucy is on her way." Reagan stepped back into the closet.
"Is my sister okay?" He asked, the worry clearly echoing in his voice.
Dyani nodded, "She's okay. Scared, but okay."
"You're lucky Dyani decided to come with me." Reagan scoffed, "If she wasn't here you would've gotten more than just a dagger mark."
Randy's face twisted into a fearful expression at this remark and Dyani turned to her parabati with a judgmental look. Reagan raised her eyebrows as to say 'What? It's true.' Dyani rolled her eyes just as a truck was heard pulling into the parking lot.
They didn't stick around for the werewolf lecture. Randy was Lucy's problem now. By the time they got back to the institute it was just after ten, and their home was basked in the early morning sunshine of late autumn. The institute stood as any lumberjack's wet dream. It was five stories of sturdy rock and log with a large chimney and a stable off to the right. It sat like a castle against the backdrop of the stunning Canadian Rockies and the dense forest surrounding it on all four sides. The only way to the driveway was a single dirt road that weaved its way up the sloping countryside. Despite being so secluded it was never lonely as one might think such a home would be. Not only was there many people always home to greet you on arrival, but the road was deceiving. It looked long and tiresome but in reality, it only took ten minutes (on a good day) to get into town. Reagan pushed the heavy door open to be greeted by a sudden wave of noise, delicious smells and two giant dogs barreling down the hall from the kitchen. She greeted both dogs with a kiss on the nose and a quick pat before scampering away to the kitchen. Both dogs followed gleefully at her heels. They were both large; the older one, Enyeto, was covered in brown curly fur that could be found all over the house, and the younger one, Tiny, was even bigger than the older. He wasn't supposed to be that big but no one seemed to mind. He was white with flecks of gray, the same coloring as a wolf, and a ball of endless energy. Reagan followed the scent of waffles to the kitchen where Wesley was busy serving the rest of the institute. He flashed her a prize-winning smile as he flipped a waffle onto, the youngest of Dyani's siblings, Luca's plate. Dyani had four siblings and they were all younger than her. The Ravenshades had become just as much family as her own brother and parents were to her, maybe even more so. Dyani was the oldest and her parabati. She was tall and fit with dark eyes and tan skin: a startling image of her mother. Braeden was the second oldest. He was three years younger than Dyani and looked more like her father with his fairer skin and lopsided grin. Born hardly a year after him was Adsila. Living up to the name she had pink feathers strewn through her caramel hair. Tahlia was next to be born. She was rounder than the rest of the children but the family resemblance was still uncanny, as she had short dark hair and the same piercing eyes. The youngest was Luca. He was born just seven years ago. He had a head full of curls and the same face as Dyani. These people were Reagan's extended family in a way. Her parabati's sisters were her sisters and her brothers were also her brothers as well. Reagan did have a sibling of her own. She had a twin. His name was Connor. They shared a lot of features; they had the same large green eyes, pale complexion, sloping features and golden brown locks. Connor was shouting something at Wesley who threw a fork at him in response. It bounced off him and hit the ground. Tiny grabbed it and ran down the hall with it in his mouth. Luca, leaving half a waffle uneaten chased after the dog.
"Hey, Reagan!" Wesley called, "Want a waffle?"
"Of course I do!" She responded.
"Then come get it." He had already gotten one prepared for her and had it waiting on the counter. She snatched it and thanked him. How could Reagan describe Wesley? First off, Wesley was on placement at their institute. He'd been here for just over a year. He was one of the best Shadowhunters Reagan had ever seen. Why he wasn't at a more dignified institute was beyond her knowledge and she never dared to ask. His past was mostly shrouded in mystery. All she knew was that he was born in Italy and had been going to many different placements ever since he was sixteen. Besides, she didn't really care why he was here. She was just glad that he was. She glanced back at him as he thanked Luca for getting the fork back from Tiny. Wesley certainly wasn't hard to look at either. He was tall and muscular with definition in all the right places and a smile that could make even the biggest hardass return one. His olive skin carried a healthy tan, unlike her brother who just burned, and his brown hair had sun-bleached streaks from being out in the sun all summer.
"Where's Dyani?" Tahlia pulled her from Wesley.
"She's in the shower." Regan responded.
"She's going to miss waffles!"
She chuckled, "I don't think she cares." Dyani wasn't a big fan of waffles. She knew she'd make an omelet later in the morning.
"What'd you guys do this morning?" Braeden asked.
"Had to deal with some werewolves. No big deal."
"I told you." Braeden turned to Adsila and held out his hand.
"Fine." She didn't sound impressed as she fished a five-dollar bill out of her pocket and placed it in his hand. He grinned and shoved it into his pocket.
"What did we say about betting guys!" Reagan exclaimed.
Adsila quietly said, "Sorry."
"You mean what did Dyani say." Braeden rolled his eyes before darting from the table.
"Put your plate away!" Reagan yelled after him but he was already up the stairs.
"I can get it." His sister offered.
She shook her head, "It's alright. I've got it."
"Thanks." She smiled back before she too headed upstairs.
"That goes for the rest of you." Reagan stood up and began collecting plates. Connor shoved his plate towards her and she said, "Oh, but not yours."
"C'mon!" He chuckled.
"How about you keep your plate so that I have someone to eat with." Wesley swung himself into the seat across from Connor. He always seemed to eat last. That's what happens when you are the cook.
"Where'd Luca go?" Connor asked after scanning the room for the young boy.
"I don't know." Wesley shrugged, "He went off chasing Tiny last time I saw him."
"Hey Tahlia, go find your brother and make him wash his hands." Reagan told the only person under seventeen remaining. She knew Luca would still be covered in syrup. He was not a neat eater, especially when it came to waffles.
"Why me?" Tahlia complained.
"Because I asked you to."
"I don't have to listen to you."
"You go find Luca or I could give you a big hug." Reagan stood up and approached her with open arms, "And I was out fighting and haven't showered yet."
"Ew gross." Tahlia stood up and left. She was in her makeup and fancy outfit stage.
"How'd it go?" Connor asked once Tahlia had left.
"It was nothing really." Reagan explained, "Some werewolf was afraid he'd attack his sister during his first turning. He was right but we were there so nothing happened. Lucy came and picked him up in the morning."
"You glamoured yourself right?"
"Yeah. I'm not stupid Connor!"
"Well sometimes-"
"All the mundane knows is that she didn't get ripped apart by a wolf."
"Who's the new wolf?" Wesley inquired as she shoved large bites of waffle into his mouth.
"Some guy named Randy." She shrugged.
"Melville?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"He works at the visitors center." The twins looked at him quizzically so he explained, "What? I went there a lot when I first got here. He's a cool guy."
"Do you think he'll make a good wolf?" Connor asked.
"Is there really any way to tell?"
"Where are Patrick and Chenoa?" Reagan just realized she hadn't seen them all morning. Which was odd as they were the only acting parents at the institute currently. Of course, they trusted Wesley and Connor to be in charge of the other children. Reagan never doubted that, but she also knew that they both loved to be amongst the morning bustle of their family.
"They're at the store." Dyani answered as she walked into the kitchen. "You'd know that if you listened during dinner every once and a while." She sauntered into the kitchen wearing a loose tee and a pair of leggings while she continued to tie her wet hair into a loose braid.
"Morning lovely." Wesley grinned at her from his seat.
She ruffled his hair as she walked by, "What a beautiful face to wake up to."
"It's the Photoshop."
Dyani let out a giggle before opening the kitchen to pull out some eggs, just as Reagan had thought.
The four older children continued to chat as Dyani made her omelet. Reagan caught the boys up on the case. Connor was worried about the lack of control over the wolves but Reagan reassured him that Lucy would be on higher alert from now on. Connor told her he'd gotten a letter from their parents. They were supposed to be home by November 14, but they'd been held up at the Clave and now needed to stay well into December. They didn't mention anything about missing their birthday. Both Reagan and Connor pretended not to notice and Dyani and Wesley didn't mention it.
"Hey, what do you all think about a Halloween party this year?" Wesley changed the subject.
"We're Shadowhunters, we don't really celebrate Halloween." Dyani shrugged between bites of omelet.
"I know. I just think it would be kind of fun."
"What's this all about, Wes?" Connor asked gently.
"It's the kids. They've been asking me about it. You know how they are. Hocus Pocus and Halloween Town have been on TV recently and they think it might be fun. It's not really fair that we always get to go to downworlder Halloween parties while they stay home."
"I guess that's true." Dyani agreed.
"So you'd rather hang out with the kids than go to a party?" Reagan asked, only the slightest hint disbelief in her voice.
"Yeah." He replied, "Braeden is fifteen now and Adsila is fourteen. They're not stupid. They want to come to the parties."
"I mean we were going to those parties at their age." Connor remarked hesitantly.
"No." Dyani did not budge, "We went under much different circumstances. And I don't think they are a valuable use of our time anyhow."
Reagan's breath caught when she heard the harsh words come from her parabati's mouth. Dyani hadn't gone to a party with the rest of them for three years. Ever since the Cold Peace she hadn't had the will to go. There was no longer anyone for her to look forward to seeing. Going to the parties only brought back memories of those she reminded herself to forget about daily.
"Nevertheless, I believe that a little dress up and trick or treating would be good for the kids. For all of us." Wesley pushed.
"Tahlia is in her dress up stage." Reagan agreed hesitantly, "And Luca would love to go out with you." She turned to Dyani, "What do you think."
Dyani stayed quiet in thought for a minute as the others awaited her response, "Fine." She sighed, "Only if mom and dad agree."
"Yes!" Wesley cheered.
Connor smiled wide at his enthusiasm and Reagan glanced worriedly at her parabati whose smile had fallen.
Reagan had gone to shower shortly after Chenoa and Patrick had arrived home. They'd gotten home just after dinner. Turned out Chenoa was looking to redo the upstairs master bedroom's washroom so they'd spent much of the day at Canadian Tire looking at countertops, toilets, and whatnot. They'd brought home pizza to apologize for missing dinner. The kids were more than happy to accept this apology. While eating Wesley had popped the question about having the Halloween party. Patrick had been hesitant at first with his children doing such a mundane activity but Chenoa had swayed him into agreed that it would a fun family activity. Chenoa was a mundane herself until she was 24 when she married Patrick. She'd always been the one to walk the line between mundane morals and Shadowhunter morals. She believed in what the Shadowhunters stood for but it was obvious that at times she questioned their hard laws. She had always thought it was important for her children to be kind, compassionate and understanding of all cultures, whether they be that of Shadowhunters or not. She'd made her children learn not only about Shadowhunter culture, but about mundane culture of all types, werewolf culture, vampire culture, and up until three years ago, fae culture as well. Wesley was ecstatic that his idea was embraced with such good intent. He'd already told the kids and they were just as excited, if not more. Reagan had heard Tahlia and Adsila brainstorming their costumes through Tahlia's bedroom door as she walked from the bathroom back to her room to change. She pulled on some pajama shorts and an old sweater knit by Chenoa that used to be Dyani's but now no longer fit her. It fit Reagan well. She was four inches shorter than Dyani and the sweater was big enough to accommodate her larger breasts and wider shoulders. The sweater did not reach further than Dyani's belly button now. Reagan loved the sweater. She'd never been a big fan of yellow but it was one of Dyani's favourite colours. She padded softly out of her room towards Dyani's room. It was the room next to hers so it wasn't much of a walk. They'd tried to get Patrick to blow a hole through the connecting wall so that they could put a door between their rooms but he'd refused. Reagan still thought it was a good idea. She knocked softly on the door and Dyani invited her inside. She entered the room to see Dyani flipping through her flower journal. The journal was old and leather bound. It was filled with pressed flowers, diary entries and the occasional photo or sketch. She'd tried to show Reagan how to press flowers but Reagan did not have the patience or self-regulation to survive the process. Her flowers always came out moldy or only half pressed. Dyani's were always beautiful. Reagan remembered her favourite one of Dyani's pressings: she'd pressed a whole forest of pine needles and fern then used water colour to paint the mountains towering overhead.
"Hey," Reagan said softly as she closed the door to the bedroom. Dyani moved over on her bed to make room for the other girl to sit beside her. "How're you feeling?"
Dyani breathed a quick sigh and placed the book down beside the bed, "I'm fine. I don't know why I still let this Halloween thing bother me."
Reagan knew why; Dyani was a deeply nostalgic person. She'd always been one to get lost in her feelings or daydream of past adventures. Yet she always made decisions with her mind instead of with her heart. Reagan knew that was hard for her to do. Every time she made a choice a war waged inside of her. She'd always choose the objectively better choice. Whether that choice was the right one or not was something that was best left unsaid and unthought-of. Halloween was hard for Dyani. It was true that she'd never liked parties as much as Reagan did. She used to go for the company. They'd all been very close with the halflings, a half human half fae race, that lived up in the woods of the mountains. They'd attend their parties and invited them to the institute for barbecues all year round. Some of their best friends had been halflings. Of course, this was before the Cold Peace. Dyani was most affected by this sudden change. She'd been closer to a halfing than any of the others could have ever imagined. Halloween brought back memories of these parties and memories of him. Reagan knew she wasn't fine, but she also knew that there was no stopping Dyani from reminiscing. All she could do was distract her, and that was exactly what she needed right now.
"Do you have time to read tonight?" Reagan asked.
"Of course." Dyani smiled a silent message of thanks to her parabati, "Pride and Prejudice?"
"And Zombies!" She added. Dyani rolled her eyes but picked up the book anyway. Dyani had wanted to read Pride and Prejudice but when they went to the bookstore and found the zombie version there was no changing Reagan's mind to read anything else. Dyani had already read the original, but that was beside the point.
"Get comfy." Dyani shifted her pillow to support her back and Reagan lay down beside her. She kicked her bare legs under the blankets and snuggled closer to her parabati. "Are you ready?"
"Ready."
Dyani began to read. Her voice was soothing as it flowed from word to word forming each intricately laid sentence with ease. Listening to Dyani read had always calmed Reagan down. It calmed Dyani just as much to read to her. This is why it was such a foolproof system and had become a lasting tradition. Dyani had loved to read from a very young age. She'd picked up classics like Treasure Island or Jane Eyre at the young age of eleven. Reagan, on the other hand, had the most difficult time reading. She'd had dyslexia all her life, yet she'd always been entranced by the art of storytelling. It was when the two were only ten that this reading arrangement first took place. Dyani had read Reagan the first Harry Potter book by flashlight after dark when she'd snuck into her room. From then on it had become a tradition that lasted until now when the two of them were seventeen (and almost seventeen). Reagan would add in the occasional smart remark or snorting laugh at Dyani's mispronunciation, and she'd get kicked from beneath the blanket for it. This would only make her laugh even more. Dyani would laugh too. It was an infectious thing, laughter. After they'd both calmed down the reading would continue until Reagan's eyes began to grow heavy and sleep claimed her as a willing victim. Dyani noticed she was fast asleep and marked the page they'd ended on. She always marked a few pages before the one she'd last read so that Reagan wouldn't be confused next time they read. Then she turned off the lamp, put the book down and snuggled into bed next to Reagan. She closed her eyes and let her breathing slow and her heartbeat match that of her parabati, and she too drifted into the gentle caress of sleep.
Dyani woke much earlier than Reagan. She always woke with the sun. Reagan, on the other end of the spectrum, could sleep through the apocalypse. Her brother was quite the same way. Neither of them would be seen up before ten o'clock unless the situation was incredibly dire. It's not morning until I wake up; Connor had told her many times. She always joked that by that standard it wasn't nighttime until he went to sleep well past four am either. He'd laughed and told her that she was just starting to understand the way he lived. Crawling over Reagan to get out of bed was a familiar task to Dyani now. She'd fallen asleep with her parabati next to her too many times to count and now her many ugly habits went unnoticed. She hardly noticed Reagan's snoring or her tendency to steal all the blankets anymore. She pulled on some ratty jeans and a heavy sweater before quietly leaving the room. The institute was oddly quiet at this hour. Six am brought little company. The only voices she heard were those of her parents in the kitchen as she stole away out the back door. She could easily picture the scene in her head; her father would be leaning against the kitchen counter and her mother sitting at the island, her hands wrapped around a cup of black coffee. Her father preferred two sugars and a milk. He'd tell her mother a joke and she'd laugh her shrill loud laugh before stifling it quickly as to not wake the children. It wasn't an annoying laugh but an inviting and infectious laugh full of pure joy. It was one of Dyani's favourite sounds. Thinking of it now made her smile to herself as she pushed the door to the stable open. The familiar scent of freshly laid straw overtook her. She breathed it in with delight. The stable was small. It only held four stalls: for the four horses. The horses spent most of their time outdoors in the pasture but at night they all slept inside. Her mother had not let them out yet so they were all here. In the first stall was the eldest. Whiskey stood at a whopping 16.2 hands. His Clydesdale colouring matched the dark wooden paneling. In the dark, you'd hardly know he was there. Next to him stood Rain. She was an old mare with a white coat splotched by the occasional burgundy blotch. Beside her, Elvis was lying down in his stall. Patrick had named him after his extensive collection of Elvis vinyl. At the very far end was the youngest. The otherwise black mare had white markings on all of her feet. That's where she'd gotten the name, Socks. She was a handful. No one but Dyani was able to ride her. She was young and they hoped she'd grow more even-tempered with time. Even now she had to show attitude in the way she stood with her tail facing the door as she swished it slowly. A small low bark was heard from the other end of the stable.
"Shush. It's just Dyani." Wesley patted Tiny without looking up from the book he was reading. The dog stopped barking and began to wag his tail at Dyani from where he lay at Wesley's feet. Wesley sat on a hay bale in the corner of the stable with his legs bent and the book resting on his thighs. If only he had on a cowboy hat and some hay in his teeth, Dyani thought to herself with a smirk, then he'd be the perfect man to any country bumpkin. He was the only one who ever got up early. Like Dyani, he enjoyed the serenity that came with the dawn.
"What's it today?" She asked, knowing the book he was reading was the same one he always read: a large poetry collection from the institute's library.
He didn't look up from the book while he read:
"Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow"
"Poe, right?" She asked.
"A Dream Within A Dream." He agreed then closed the book, letting it lay on his thighs still. Dyani held out a hand to Tiny who licked it furiously. She wiped it on her pants. There was no shame in that. Besides these pants were old and worn.
"Reagan not up yet?" Wesley asked with a cheeky smile.
She rolled her eyes, "What about Connor?"
"You know how the O'Ridley's are." He chuckled and quoted Connor with a lopsided grin, "'Anything before ten is a regret.'"
"Right." She smiled a light flitting smile and clasped her hands in front of him. "Hey Wesley," her smile became tight-lipped, "I'm sorry about my attitude against the Halloween idea. It will be fun and the kids will love it. It wasn't right for me to be so" She searched for the right word, "Standoffish. I overreacted."
"Standoffish, maybe?" He shrugged and gazed reassuringly up at her, "An overreaction, I don't think so. You over think your actions too much sometimes, you know? It's fine. You're allowed to have feelings."
"Thanks." Her heart felt less heavy already. Wesley had a way of doing that.
"Shall we let the horses out?" He hopped to his feet and Tiny promptly followed, his tail wagging in anticipation for the next activity.
A wet tongue dragging across his face awakened Connor. He groaned and shoved the attacker away from his face. His hands hit long curly fur and he didn't need to open his eyes to know it was Enyeto.
"You're gross." He muttered as he rubbed his eyes. Sitting up and opening his eyes he saw the dog looking up at him with a dopey expression on his face and drool still dribbling from his mouth. "Nice." He wiped the dog's slobber on his sheets before reaching for his watch. It was long after noon.
Connor was still stretching the sleep from his limbs when he passed through the house and ended up in the kitchen.
"I thought that was you." Wesley greeted him from the kitchen table. "I could tell by the shuffling."
"Good morning." Connor yawned back.
"Afternoon." He corrected.
"Whatever." Connor went to grab the coffee from the pantry.
"Coffee's already on."
"Halleluiah." He averted his path to the coffee maker and poured himself a large mug. He added almost half the coffee's volume of milk before shuffling his way to sit across from Wesley. "What're you doing?" He asked after noticing Wesley had been making a list. The list had been there the whole time but it was just now that he noticed. He did not function very well the morning (or his version of the morning).
"List of stuff for the party." Wesley shoved the paper across the table to him.
His coffee was too hot so he read the list aloud; "Apples, candy (lots), decorative table settings, other decorations (not too scary), Rick's special brew (for after bed)." Connor stopped and looked up at Wesley, "Uncle Rick's brew?"
"Uncle Rick's brew." He smiled slyly back at him.
Connor snatched the pen from his hand and scribbled something down on the paper before passing it back with a smirk. As Wesley read what he wrote a grin crept up his face. In Connors looping scrawl 'lots' was written next to Wesley's small clean words stating 'Uncle Rick's Brew'.