I'm starting to get a little writer's block, but hopefully it'll pass soon. I promise the next chapter will be full of smutty goodness for those of you who have missed it, and for those of you who haven't, well, you'll have to suffer through. Please review! I like to know you're there.


Dorian was disappointed with the duration of the bargain I had set up with my parents. He had been hoping to see the twins soon and six months felt like just as long of an eternity to him as it did to me. He also wasn't very pleased at my parents having the final say in whether or not he got the chance to see them. I had tried to explain that it was nothing personal, they just wanted to make sure the twins stayed safe, which of he argued with saying that if I trusted him then that was all that mattered.

We had spent the better part of the two days leading up to his first meeting going over that same conversation, each making the same, equally valid, points. When all was said and done though, Dorian had agreed to the deal, though that didn't mean he had stopped grumbling about it. I had decided we should leave for Tucson early so that Dorian could buy something normal to wear. After spending a few hours rummaging through his extensive wardrobe the day I got back, it had become clear to me that nothing he already owned would do. That was Dorian's showy self.

Thursday morning found Dorian whinier than ever.

"Why do I have to bother dressing down, it isn't as if your mother doesn't know what I am." This was true, and I had debated showing up with him in his royal garb, but my mother was still sensitive about the Otherworld and its inhabitants and after all the effort she was putting into trying for me the least I could do was attempt to make it more comfortable for her.

"I've told you already, I just think it would put my mom at ease more if you acted as un-Otherworldly as possible. At least at first." I covered his lips with mine before he could protest further.

Shopping with Dorian was an event that I never want to experience again. It was like shopping with a very whiny, narcissistic child. He thought jeans where ridiculous, tee shirts hideous, Henleys too restrictive, and slacks too monochromatic. He finally agreed to dark khakis and a deep blue button up shirt under the condition that I buy a dress to match. I was very tempted to call the whole thing off right there, but, despite the whining, he was putting forth a valiant effort and I supposed it wouldn't kill me to dress nice for a change. This was a family dinner after all.

My dress was a blue, knee length sundress with spaghetti straps that suited the warm Arizona climate. Dorian would have preferred me in something dressier, but he knew better than to push his luck after the look I had given him when he mentioned hair styles. This was as good as it got. It was getting late so we stopped at my place to get changed and then headed for my parents' house. Even Dorian had to agree that human clothes suited his tall muscular physique. The shirt he wore hugged his body and the half rolled up sleeves showed off his beautiful porcelain skin, as did the fact that he left the top few buttons undone and it made him look completely irresistible. We were almost late because of that.

When Roland opened the door there was a stunned silence at first, followed by a coughing fit to conceal his laughter. He was used to the Dorian I was used to and his new appearance didn't quite have the same effect on him as it had on me. I glared at him and led us into the living room. My mother's reaction was at least what I had been hoping for.

She stood up when we walked in the room and came over to give me a hug.

"Eugenie, you look so beautiful, and you must be Dorian." She surprised all three of us by giving Dorian just as tight of a hug as she gave me.

"Mrs. Markham, it's wonderful to meet you at last. Eugenie speaks of you often." Dorian responded, his voice like honey. I should've known he could handle this. Diplomacy was like a form of art for him.

We took our seats and I braced myself for the intense grilling that was bound to follow.

"I'm making pot roast for dinner, I hope that's alright." My mother directed the statement at Dorian. Not exactly the inquisition I was expecting, but the night was young.

"That sounds wonderful and it smells delicious." He replied, flashing her one of his heart stopping grins. He was right too. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until we'd walked inside and the smell of a simmering pot roast had reached my nose.

"I agree. When will it be ready?" I asked, hoping the answer would be "now".

"In just a few more minutes sweetheart. Actually, why don't you go and check on it while Roland and I get to know your friend a little better." And there it was: that mom-tone that had me feeling like I was thirteen, bringing home a boy for the very first time. I started to object, but she looked at me so sternly that I felt compelled to obey. What was it about mothers?

I gave Dorian's hand a "good luck" squeeze and headed off to the kitchen to check on dinner, trying to move as fast as possible so that they would spend as little time alone as possible. I needed to be there for damage control. I couldn't hear what they were talking about from the kitchen, but I could just make out the faint sound of my mother's laugh as I pulled the roast out of the oven. That seemed like a good sign, hopefully. I was so focused on eavesdropping that I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and I attempted to take to top off the roast without using a potholder. Bad idea.

"Fuck!" I yelled, dropping the top and moving over to the sink to run my hand under some cool water. A few seconds later Roland showed up in the doorway.

"Burn yourself?" He asked, looking over to the stove and back to me.

"Yeah, I wasn't paying attention." Roland opened a cabinet and pulled out two asprin for me. "Wait a second; you left them alone in there?" I was shocked Roland had let my mother be alone with Dorian.

"She sent me in here; I didn't really have a choice. Also told me to tell you to watch your mouth." He handed me a glass to fill with water so that I could take the asprin. The pain had subsided, so I filled the glass and shut off the sink.

"Is that a good sign or a bad one?" I asked, not really knowing what to think of my mother's attitude thus far.

"Depends on what side you're on." He stuck a fork in the roast to see if it was done. Apparently is was, because he turned the stove off and looked back at me.

"You should be on my side." I said, feeling again like I was a child.

"And you should be on Ivy and Isaac's side." Came the retort.

"I am! They're going to have to meet him one day."

"Not necessarily." He griped. I sighed and got out the first aid kit to bandage my burn. We stood there in silence for a couple of minutes.

"You think we're allowed back in there yet?" I asked, breaking the quite. I wasn't very comfortable with my mom and my boyfriend talking and I was pretty sure that was coming from an entirely human place.

"No need." He nodded towards the kitchen doorway where my mother and Dorian had just arrived. My mom was looking at the open first aid kit.

"Are you alright kiddo?" Kiddo? Seriously?

"I'm fine." I snapped the lid closed and replaced it in the cabinet. I studied Dorian's face, but it was pointless. He was a master at hiding his emotions, so I moved on to my mom. She looked perfectly normal, like we did this every week.

The table was already set and mom motioned for us to take our seats while she put the food on the table. Dinner went by relatively smoothly. There was a lot of small talk and a few brief discussions of Dorian's kingdom, his family (something I had no idea about), and his intentions where I was concerned. That was probably the most awkward ten minutes of my life. Dorian was a perfect gentleman though and it seemed to placate my mom and, to some extent, Roland. I was more than ready to get back home and grill Dorian about what he had said while I was out of the room, but I had to wait through dinner, dessert, and an excruciatingly long cup of coffee. Finally it was time to leave.

"What were you two talking about?" I asked, as soon as we got into my car. Dorian was still extremely uncomfortable being surrounded by all that metal, but he was trying to hide it.

"When?" He asked innocently.

"When Roland and I were banished to the kitchen, that's when!"

"You're very nosey my dear. If your mother had wanted you to know she would have discussed it over dinner."

"You do know you're in my world now, right? I'm stronger than you and I can make you suffer if you force me." I was trying to balance glaring angrily at him with paying attention to the road.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" He raised an eyebrow and raised my dress up my thigh. I swatted his hand away, but I could feel the heat of my face betraying me. I thought for a minute.

"Both." I changed tactics, "please? At least tell me if she's actually ok with you or if she was just pretending for my benefit." I was sure her prejudice would not let her befriend Dorian so easily.

"She just wants you to be happy. And safe. A wish she doesn't get fulfilled often. She thinks you are truly happy with me," he was looking smug now. I knew I was going to regret their private talk. "And probably as safe as you're going to get and she wants to make sure that I keep you that way. With your recent propensity for on again off again relationships though, she thinks that it would be best to give it some time and see where we are in six months." I was rendered momentarily speechless.

"So you're saying she's leery because of my relationship history, not because you're a fairy king who, until just recently, was fully supportive of the world domination prophecy about the grandson of her lunatic rapist?" I was so confused. I had no idea where anybody stood on the issues anymore!

"Yes. Though when you put it that way, it sounds a little…"

"Psychotic? Yeah, it does." I was thankful we were almost back to my house, because I didn't think I could handle driving much farther.

"I'm not saying that she isn't cautious of me, I'm just saying that she is much more open minded than you give her credit for. She really does want you to be happy. Even if that means choosing the life she would have hidden from you forever if she could have. Funny, it's kind of the same plan you have for your children, isn't it?" Ouch. Point one to Dorian.

"I'm not planning on hiding it from them forever, you know that. It's just until they're old enough to understand and make a choice for themselves whether they want it or not."

"They can't fight their heritage; you of all people should know that." Another point won.

"Everyone has a choice. They'll stay safe where they are until they're old enough to take care of themselves and make informed decisions about their own fates."

We were in the driveway now and I quickly cut off the ignition and climbed out of the car. I was done with this conversation.

The night had had the outcome I was hoping for: Dorian and my mom had gotten along. She had as good as told him that she was fine with him meeting Isaac and Ivy, so long as we were still together in six months. Even Roland had let up on the snide remarks and overly protective father behavior a little. Still, Dorian's comment about the similarity between my decision and my mother's bothered me. My world had been shattered into a million pieces when I found out the secret that had nearly gotten me killed and raped countless times. I didn't want to do that to my children, but it seemed like the best option I had.

"Let's get out of these clothes." Dorian said, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me to him as we entered my bedroom.

"Dorian, I-" I really wasn't in a mood to play. I felt stressed and just wanted to take a hot shower and go to bed for a week. I could possibly skip the shower.

"Stop thinking for once and come to bed." He cut me off. "Besides, you have a promise to fulfill."