Scarlett was sitting in her living room watching a movie with her family when there was a knock at the door.

"I got it!" she said, secretly hoping it was Lucas coming to join the family night.

She opened the door and a Coyne did stand behind it, though it wasn't the one she expected. It was Declan, Lucas dad. She wondered what he was doing at their place. She just assumed he was there to handle business with her father.

"Oh hi Declan, I'll go get my dad."

"Actually Scarlett I'm here to see you. See, our coven is having a meeting tonight and you haven't confirmed. Fiona likes to know how many people are coming because she gives out gift baskets. I could have called but I was in the neighborhood."

"Coven meeting?" She asked confused.

"Yes. You're half vampire now. Lucas sired you and he's a part of my coven so that automatically makes you a part of it to. Didn't you know that?"

"No. I didn't."

"What's going on here?" Asked Eli.

"Oh hi Eli. I was just asking if Scarlett was attending our coven's meeting tonight. After all she is a part of it now. I guess Lucas didn't tell her about any of this. Kids..."

"Well Scarlett…with vampirism comes covens. As much as I hate to admit this the Coynes are as decent as vampires get. We'll still be watching movies when you get back." Said Eli.

"I'll be there Declan. Midnight right?"

"On the dot!"

Scarlett shut the door and she was suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed.

"What's wrong Scarlett?" Asked Eli.

"I don't know. Am I still part of the pack?" She asked.

"Of course Scarlett… and even if you weren't still part of the pack you're still part of this family. Okay? You have to face the facts that you're half vampire too now and you have to go to their meetings and stuff too. Plus your loverboy or whatever will be there." Said Eli as he rolled his eyes into his head.

"Dad don't say it like that."

"Alright I'm finished now let's go back to the movie before Todd and Clare eat all the popcorn. You know those two have very healthy appetites." Said Eli.

"I heard that!" Said Clare from the living room.

Scarlett was apprehensive about the meeting with her coven but she knew it had to be. After the movie went off it was two minutes until midnight so she transported to Coyne Manor and she followed everybody into the room with the chairs. She found one beside Lucas and she sat in it.

"Scarlett! What are you doing here?" Asked Lucas

"I'm a part of this coven. I didn't know it until your dad stopped by earlier."

"Well... I'm glad you're here. This meeting might not put me to sleep like usual."

Things were a bit off schedule so while they waited for the meeting to start Jay snuck in. He sat right beside Scarlett so suddenly she was sandwiched between him and Lucas.

"Hey little britches! Whoa… I see we have a new face. Scarlett… you're looking fine girl." Said Jay with a nasty look on his face.

"Hi Jay." Said Scarlett flatly.

"So tell me if you ever want somebody to hunt with or just to talk to. I'm a great listener and I'm an even better fu…"

"Dad! Jay is hitting on my girlfriend!" Yelled Lucas

"Jay! Stop hitting on Scarlett!" Said Declan

"Stop cock blocking big britches and little britches!"

"Jay…no offense but you're a little too um…mature for my taste." Said Scarlett with a giggle.

"Damn Jay. You got rejected by a sixteen year old half vampire. Who has little britches now?" Said Lucas

Scarlett had only been there for a few minutes and she was laughing harder than she'd laughed in weeks.

"Alright everybody, I'm calling this meeting to order." Said Declan as he banged his gavel. "First I want to welcome our new member Scarlett. Everybody, except Jay, give her a warm welcome…well as warm as it can be." He said with a chuckle.

Everybody in the room laughed except her until Lucas whispered in her ear that is was vampire humor. It took her a second but she finally got it. Scarlett was actually surprised how mundane the events discussed at the meeting were. Mostly they talked about new shipments of synthetic and donated blood. They also talked about how to pick the right donor when feeding. They talked about recent businesses of vampires and other supes in the city that they wanted to support and Declan addressed the recent spike in laced blood use. Scarlett sniggled when Declan gave Jay evil eyes from behind the podium.

"Well… that adjourns tonight's meeting. If you've been having the alcoholic blood I advise you to walk and not drive. Safety first."

She realized that she had nothing to fear. She's always suspected that they killed people at the meetings or discussed killing off other supes but now that she actually went she'd seen that it was more like a town hall meeting than a meeting for a coven of vampires.

After the movies went off Gray showered and he put the babies to bed. They went down surprisingly easy and he suspected that they'd soon be awake causing trouble but he was just grateful for the peace and quiet he had at the moment. He looked at the clock and it was only a little past one. He wondered if Maria was up. He didn't want to call her at an indecent hour but he did want to talk to her. The first time he called and he hung up. "Stop being a coward" He muttered to himself.

He called again and he let is ring until there was an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi…Maria? This is um Gray Goldsworthy." He said, his voice slightly cracking.

"Oh, hi."

"I didn't wake you up did I?"

"No. I was just reading. I'm actually glad you called. This book is getting to the really meaty part and I needed something to break up my anxiety."

"Well… I'm glad I can help. What's the book?"

"It's called Passion, Desire and a Rose." She said with a giggle. "Yes, it's one of those cheesy romance novels."

"Don't you mean a word porn book?"

"Ha ha ha… I don't suppose your literature is any more sophisticated."

"Well actually… I'm more of a horror man."

"Really? What's your favorite?"

"Frankenstein."

"Oh okay…well you win this one."

They'd been on the phone for hours talking about books. Only books. He never knew having a conversation about books could be so interesting. Suddenly he remembered his responsibilities because both babies got up, pulled themselves up and reached their little hands out to him.

"Maria?"

"Yes Gray?"

"I have to go now. Sarah and sterling are about to attack me for their midnight snack and diaper change…duty calls so I gotta go."

"Oh okay. It's just as well I have to go with my father to his hockey practice tomorrow so I should be resting anyway. Um, I'll be bored there so you could text me if you'd like."

"Count on it." He said.

He fed the babies and he tried rocking them to sleep but they wouldn't go. He ended up turning on cartoons, which always caught their attention, and he let them lie in the bed with him while he fought sleep. Finally, somewhere around the crack of dawn he dozed off.

Clare was having an outing with her friends today. It was the first since the battle and she hoped this would help to make things normal again. She transported to this alley beside the café they were meeting at. When she walked around the corner she was shocked to see that she wasn't the first one there.

"Well it's so nice of you to join us Clare." Said Alli.

"I didn't know I was late. How are you guys?" She asked

"Not so good." Said Fiona as she stirred the foam in her coffee. "I don't think Adam loves me anymore."

"What? Fiona why would you say that?" Asked Clare.

"We never talk anymore. I don't want to get out of bed most days but I do anyway because I figure that if I don't, then Adam won't be he still stays in bed all day. I get that he's depressed but when I try to talk to him he just transports away. The other day when I tried kissing him he pulled away like he was disgusted by me. I don't know what to do so I've been making these little clowns because I know that if all else fails they will always look happy to see me." She said, bursting into tears.

"Oh Fiona I'm sure Adam still loves you he's probably just in shock from losing the baby and losing his brother in the same night. Didn't he come out as a wolf to Mrs. Torres?"

"Yes! She disowned him. She blamed him for Drew's death and I get why he's sad about that. I just want him to talk to me. I want him not to act like I'm a leper."

"Yeah Mrs. Torres is a tough nut to crack… I remember when…when she caught me and Drew having sex in his apartment." Said Alli slowly.

"Oh Alli! How are you holding up? I'd almost forgotten that you and Drew were er… friends." Said Clare

"We were sex partners." Said Alli with a tear filled chuckle "Sometimes I get sad but mostly I try not to think about it. Since I've been helping Lulu work with her patients…most of which have been your children, I've been in a decent mood."

"Things are going to be okay you guys. Fiona, I'm going to go and kick Adam's ass! Alli… if you ever need a distraction you could always babysit for me. It's like a zoo so you'll always have somebody to feed and poop to clean up." Said Clare.

"Thanks but no thanks. Hey, didn't you two gain another kid?" Asked Alli.

"Yeah… Dorian. He's still having a really hard time adjusting. I wish I could say that he's getting better but he's actually getting worse. Eli even tried spending quality time with him but that didn't help."

"Well I have a knack for cheering kids up. Maybe I could come and help."

"I would greatly appreciate that."

"Hey guys. I have to go. Declan said Holly J is binge eating again so I have to go and stop her. I love you guys and Clare…please don't forget to kick Adam's butt for me? I really need my husband back."

"It's at the top of my to do list."

Clare and Alli stayed in the spot a little while longer before deciding to go to the Goldsworthy residence. Eli was sitting with Adam in the family room playing video games and Dorian was sitting at the breakfast island crying. Alli went in the kitchen and Clare went into the living room. She stood in front of the TV.

"Blue eyes what are you doing?" Asked Eli.

"Adam Torres! I have just come from lunch with your wife and I cannot believe what she told me. What's this about you being mean to her?" Asked Clare in her lecture voice.

"I wasn't mean to her."

"Well you've been distant! You transport away when she tries to talk to you. She says she tries to hug you and you act like she's a freaking bearded lady or something. She tries to talk to you about your brother and you mom disowning you and the baby and you blow her off! What the fuck is up with that?"

"Look I just… I don't know okay! It's not that I want to hurt Fiona and it's not that I don't want to talk but what the hell am I supposed to say? Oh and whenever I hug her or kiss her I think about the baby and it hurts!"

"Look Adam, I understand that but you should at least try to talk to her and communicate with her. She loves you and she thinks you don't care anymore. You have to show her that you still love her or else you're going to lose her and she's going to lose even more of herself. Did she tell you that some days she doesn't want to get out of bed?"

"No."

"Do you know why she gets up anyway?"

"Why?"

"Because she knows if she doesn't then there will be absolutely no possibility of you getting out of bed that day. She's hurting too but she's trying to move on with life and cope with the tragedy. Sure, she could heal herself without you but she wants you to be there because you are her husband and you're a team."

"Do you happen to know where she is now?"

"At Coyne Manor stopping Holly J from binge eating."

"I'll make my way over there. Later Eli."

"Later Adam." Said Eli with a slight chuckle.

Adam left and Clare turned to look at Eli who was turning off the video game he was playing.

"Why are you laughing?" Asked Clare.

"Nothing…just thinking about how much ass you've been kicking this week. First mine and now Adam's. I'm starting to think I married a little bully."

"I only bully when it's necessary." Said Clare as she sat in her husband's lap.

Todd was bored. He wished the Dorian would stop crying or that Sarah and Sterling were old enough to play with. Not that he didn't like helping Gray take care of them; he just sometimes wished he they could play with him instead of poop and drool.

He went into the sunroom where his mom's plants were. He didn't go in it often but there was absolutely nothing else to do, so he went in searching for plants that she might have missed during watering. He didn't find a dry plant in the room but he did find one that was dying despite the fact that it was getting water and sun. He stroked the plant's leaves.

"Come on little plant… don't die on me. You can be anything you want. An astronaut or a cowboy but you have to live or else my mama will grind you up and make you food for your brothers and sisters."

He wasn't surprised when the plants started to slowly come back to life. He knew all it needed was a little pep-talk to get it back on track. After that task was done he left the sun room and went around the house looking for more to do. He finally decided to knock on Gray's door.

"What is it Todd?" Asked Gray.

"I'm bored! I need something to do! Can you play with me?"

"I can't right now. I'm about the feed the babies but if you're sooo bored you can help."

"Sure, why not?"

Gray lifted the babies from the crib. He handed Sarah to Todd and he held Sterling. They went into the kitchen and got the babies squared away. Todd greeted Alli and Dorian. He was surprised to see that Dorian wasn't crying anymore.

Todd got to feed Sarah, which he was glad of. Sarah was nicer than Sterling. Sterling always liked to spit his food out and throw it but Sarah didn't.

"Alright now Sarah, eat your food or else you'll be skin and bones and you won't grow up to be big and strong like me."

Sarah smiled at him and Todd knew his little chat had gotten through to her. Even though she didn't usually like the sweet potatoes she ate them and he just knew it was because of his pep talk. He found himself not really being that bored anymore. He had a task so he was content plus he knew Gray was depending on him. He was the helper.

Thanks for reading you guys and thanks for reviewing! I plan on writing the next chapter tonight at work so if I can get it edited and stuff while I'm there then I might post again in the wee hours of the morning. =)