26

Jess was not surprised at all to see them. Steve must have called her to say they'd be stopping in.

"Jess…you look exhausted." Vi skipped tact. She was surprised at how tired the other woman looked.

"I know. It's horrible." She led them toward the living room. "When I can sleep I'm too nervous to sleep. I never thought it would be so hard to have a baby around the house. Can I get you guys a drink or some coffee?"

"No. Why don't you sit down and let me get you something to drink." Vi ignored Jess's sputter of protest and pushed her gently down into a chair before turning and going into the kitchen. She had been there on many occasions, so she knew generally where things were. She poured the three of them glasses of iced tea and carried them into the living room.

Jess smiled tiredly and took hers. "Thanks. I take it since you're here and not kicking or screaming that you took the news well?"

Mark smirked at that. "She handled it."

"I'm glad." Jess grinned at Vi but it was an effort.

"So where is the baby? Robin." Vi corrected herself, wanting to see the baby and get a cuddle.

Again Jess looked toward Mark. Vi caught his nod. As if the other woman had sought his approval. "I'll go get her. She's been napping but it's almost time for a bottle anyway." She was up and out of the room before Vi could offer to do get the baby for her.

"Is there something…wrong…with the baby?" Vi asked softly, not wanting Jess to overhear. Mark set his tea aside and reached over, taking Vi's hand.

"She's fine. Healthy and pretty demanding on Steve and Jess." Mark smiled but it did not quite reach his eyes. He interpreted the look Vi was giving him and sighed. "Even babies born to demons look human. Usually. Sometimes there are…" He shrugged. "I don't want to call it a mutation. But something obviously not human happens. The common thing is red eyes. I've seen that a few times. It usually fades after a couple of months. I heard a story once that there was a baby born with horns." He used his free hand and picked up his tea again, taking a sip.

"You're joking about that one." Vi said with a disbelieving snort.

"Yeah. I said it was a story. Doesn't mean it's true." He shot her another look. "Whatever the differences are, usually they fade by the time the baby is a few months old. Because we have to blend in. It's a survival thing I guess."

Vi nodded at that, smiling when Jess entered the room with the baby cradled in her arms. "She'll probably be hungry in a few minutes. You can almost set a watch by her." Jess's smile widened when the baby made a soft cooing noise. And she did not hesitate to put Robin into Vi's arms.

Vi looked down at the tiny little girl, who was wrapped in a pink blanket. Her eyes were open, and the baby stared back with a little frown creasing her forehead. She was sporting hair but it was so light blonde it was almost white. "Oh my…she's too precious." Vi said, smiling down at the baby.

"Thanks. She also has her days and nights mixed up. And lung power equal to a jet plane." Jess laughed and picked up her tea. "She's certainly made life more exciting."

"Kids have a way of doing that." Vi smiled and traced a finger lightly over the baby's head, stroking her soft hair. She glanced at Mark, who was watching her with an amused expression on his face. "Do you want to hold her? I've been accused of being a baby hog…"

Mark held up his hand. "She's all yours, darlin'. I'm not really a baby person."

"Everybody is a baby person." Vi rolled her eyes and turned, handing the baby over whether Mark wanted her or not. He took her willingly enough and got her settled into the crook of his arm.

Mark looked the baby over for a moment, slight smile on his face. "Good thing you favor your mama, little bit." He observed, stroking the baby's cheek with one finger.

"Babies turn everybody to mush." Jess observed with a yawn. "Sorry. I wasn't made to run on 4 hours of sleep a day."

"If you need a hand you know you just have to call." Vi admonished her, taking the baby back from Mark.

"I would have. But…"

"But nothing." Vi waved her off and kissed Robin on her forehead, getting a whiff of baby powder and soap and just the baby smell that made her smile. "Even if you have that new mommy distrust of everybody else on the planet, I wouldn't mind helping out around the house."

"Well, we had to consider that you didn't know about us. About Robin." Jess said with a smirk. "You haven't said anything. I know you can tell there's something a little off."

Vi shrugged. She had but she hadn't wanted to be the one to bring it up. "What is it? I can feel that she's got something on her back…"

Jess smiled. "She does. She needs to be changed before she gets fed. I'll show you." She got up and led Vi back toward the baby's room. Jess hovered for a moment, acting like she was going to step in and take over as Vi started to unwrap the blanket from around the baby.

"Believe it or not, I have done this a couple of times." Vi said with a laugh. Jess only shook her head.

"Maybe I wasn't nearly as ready for mommy-hood as I thought I was. I can't seem to relax."

"It'll pass. She's still new." Vi deftly unsnapped buttons and got Robin out of the wet diaper, wiped, powdered, and into a fresh diaper. "The secret is to never get peed on." She said with a smirk.

"Oh. She nailed Steve the other day. That's what he gets for dozing off when he's holding her." Jess laughed. "Go ahead. You can take the sleeper off her. She's probably hot. I'll re-dress her later."

Vi carefully maneuvered the baby, pulling off the tiny outfit until Robin was laying there in just her diaper, her big blue eyes comically wide. Vi would have to be blind not to see what Jess wanted her to see. In fact, she had sort of figured it out before she'd gotten as far as the outfit's sleeves. Robin was a perfectly normal, adorable, tiny little newborn.

Except for the wings.

Vi didn't try to kid herself. The baby in front of her looked absolutely normal from the front but had a set of wings that seemed to come from above her shoulder blades. They were short and flexible, almost curling around Robin's shoulders like a shawl. She was without the words to describe what they were made of – not feathers, not cloth, not even the leathery membranes that bats had for wings. Whatever it was, it was almost as soft as the baby's skin and shimmered a little in the light. The wings were iridescent, flashing different colors depending on how Vi tilted her head to look at them.

"She's amazing." Vi said it softly and picked the baby up again to cradle her against her chest. Robin snuggled into the curve where her neck met her shoulder, and Vi slowly stroked her back, touching her wings again.

"She can hide them." Jess said, smiling and reaching out to lightly touch her daughter's hair. "But she's too little to really control it. And nobody has ever seen anything like this before."

"Hide them?"

"She curves them flat. Like now." Jess pointed out that the wings were once more curled over Robin's shoulders. "And sometimes they disappear. Kind of. You saw how they change color?"

"So she can camouflage them?"

"I think so. Time will tell." Jess smiled, equal parts happiness and exhaustion. "Do you see why we have to hide her? Not from our kind…but from outsiders. Humans. Most of them would never understand."

"I do see."

"Not that I'm calling you an outsider." Jess said, as if Vi had argued. "You're different. I don't know why…I don't want to sound like I'm putting you down or anything like that, but you aren't like them."

"Maybe I'm just too accepting."

"Or maybe you're special." Jess grinned. "Steve kind of hinted that there was something between you and Mark?" She made it a question.

"There's something. I'm not sure exactly what yet, though." Vi smiled and rubbed the baby's back one last time before moving her to lay her on the changing table once more. She was making smacking noises, indicating she was getting hungry. Vi picked up a clean sleeper and dressed the baby again.

"I'm glad." Jess took the baby when Vi was finished buttoning her up. "Ready to eat, Babydoll?" She asked Robin and kissed her on the forehead as she led the way out of the room.

Vi and Mark stayed for another hour, taking turns holding the baby, not letting Jess do anything but sit and relax. When Robin fell asleep again, they decided to head out so that Jess could try to catch a quick nap.

Outside Mark reached for Vi's hand and stopped her before she could climb into the passenger seat of the truck. "You're taking all of this a little too well." He said, smiling down at her.

"You probably shouldn't question it." Vi smirked.

"I'm thankful for it." He ducked his head and brushed his lips over hers.

"So all of this just brings us back around to what I told you earlier." Vi said, ignoring the urge to deepen the kiss. They were still in Jess and Steve's driveway after all.

Mark nodded and heaved a sigh. "That's gonna take some thought on my part." He hesitated a moment, absently running his hands up and down her arms. "My brother died a long time ago, Vi. I learned to live with it I guess."

"I know." She looked at him for a long moment. "I think he should know though. He doesn't remember anything about his past. There were a couple of things…" She trailed off, not really wanting to discuss the road trip she had taken with Glen, at least not there in her friend's driveway. "I'll keep it quiet until you decide what to do about it. But I think the sooner you sit down with him the better."

"I'm not sure…maybe I need to make myself a little clearer. What I am is not necessarily all sunshine and happiness. There is a side to me that is dark. And I am not saying that to be melodramatic. It isn't as bad as it used to be, but I was lucky that I found somebody who could balance me out. That's why my kind doesn't last long on either side."

"You think he might be the same way." It wasn't a question.

"You've been around him. Have you seen anything odd? Like mood swings…or maybe a violent temper of…"

Vi frowned at that. "Everybody has mood swings."

"Not like this." Mark reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. "It might be better if he doesn't know. If he thinks he's human…or doesn't know what he might be, maybe it's for the best."

"You don't want to tell him."

"I think I have to let it settle first." He sighed again. "I don't know how to explain it without sounding like I'm crazy. But it's like having two people living in my head. There was a time when the darker side pretty much ran things. And then…well. Rayne made me learn how to balance it out."

"I'll do whatever you want to do about Glen. He's your brother after all." Vi finally said after thinking it over for a moment.

"You didn't really answer my question." Mark pointed out.

"I know." Vi had hoped he'd drop it. Had she noticed Glen having mood swings or temper problems? He might as well have asked if she thought maybe the sky would still be blue tomorrow. "He's mostly quiet. And helpful and polite and sweet. But every now and then he has…I guess…spells where he's short tempered." She hoped that would be enough. She really did not want to get into the details.

"And he doesn't remember anything."

"Nothing before I found him."

"I'll need to ask around to see if that's maybe a...uh…demon thing." He obviously had problems just saying it out loud. "Forgetting like that without some kind of trauma…first I've heard of it."

"But you don't want him to remember."

"Not if I can help it." Mark shook his head. "I don't know what he was like before you found him. He doesn't know. I don't even know how the hell it's possible he's back. But I don't want to take a chance that he was…that he followed his demon side."

"Ok. I'll keep it quiet."

"I don't mean you should be afraid of him or…"

Vi only waved that off. She should have been afraid of Glen, all things considered, but she wasn't. Much like the acceptance she felt toward Mark and everything he had told her, it probably would have surprised him. She wondered if maybe there was something wrong with her, that she was just accepting things that a normal person would think was insane.

She glanced over at the house, and thought of the baby. Robin was living, breathing proof that people here were more than they seemed. She would have to keep that in mind.

Mark apparently was ready to drop the entire thing for now, though. He glanced at his watch and raised an eyebrow at her. "Want to grab something to eat? I have a couple of things I have to do before Drew gets home from school…"

Vi tilted her head to peer at his watch as well. It seemed like the day had just flown by. "I might have to take a pass. Got those people working at the house, remember?"

"Well we can go by and check on 'em." Mark said, helping her into the truck. He went around and slid behind the steering wheel before continuing. "But if you need to get back, I'll take you back."

"You could just eat lunch with me at the house." Vi said as he guided the truck toward the road.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea."

She raised an eyebrow. "If you're worried about Glen…"

"I am. A little." Mark admitted. "Only because until I know what I'm dealing with I don't want to force it."

"Ok."

He must have heard something in her short answer because he glanced over at her. "That doesn't mean I don't want to see you when I can."

Vi shook her head and smiled. "I'm not too worried about that."

"Then what are you worried about?" Mark asked as he turned into her driveway.

Vi didn't answer him. Instead she slid across the seat as he pulled to a stop, leaned up and kissed him. "I'll talk to you later." She pulled back before either of them could get too distracted, grinned at his expression, and slid out of the truck before he could do more than sputter. She waved at him and watched him turn and leave before heading into the house. She was going to grab a sandwich and go over paperwork and try to clear her mind.

~~!~~

Vi woke up with a start, heart pounding. She had been in a deep sleep, completely oblivious to everything. So when Josie shook her it scared her half to death.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Immediately Vi was worried. Josie'd had her share of nightmares after her father's death, and there were still occasions even now that she woke up from dreams she didn't want to talk about, crying. This was different though.

"Glen's gone."

Vi frowned and pushed to a sitting position, glancing at the alarm clock by the bed. It was after 1 in the morning, late by Vi's standards. She'd gone to bed early, as much a victim of information overload as she was tired.

"Glen went out with what's-her-name." Vi said, feeling slow.

"He came back. And then he left again. I heard him talking and it woke me up." Josie sat down next to Vi on the bed. "It was kind of weird. Like he was talking to himself."

"Maybe he was on the phone." Vi shifted so that Josie could crawl into bed with her.

"Maybe." But Josie sounded unsure. It had been so odd, hearing Glen talk. And the oddest part was that it was almost like someone else was there too, talking. But she didn't want to bring that up because her mom might think she had dreamed it up or…something. "Can I sleep in here?"

"Sure." Vi snuggled down onto her pillow again. "Get some sleep. You've got school in the morning."

Josie snorted softly and listened to the soft sound of her mom breathing as she fell asleep once more. She could not immediately drop off though. She hadn't slept well that night at all, and it seemed like every little noise had brought her awake. Usually Josie slept like a rock once she was out, so she couldn't figure out why.

Eventually she did drift off. But Josie woke up again sometime after four and heard footsteps climbing the stairs. She saw Glen pass by the open door, heading for his bedroom. Josie turned onto her side and felt as though she barely had time to close her eyes before he mom was shaking her awake.

Josie practically slept through her shower and got dressed. Her mom took pity on her and instead of juice handed her a can of cold soda. Glen appeared a few minutes later and sat down across from Josie. He smiled at her but it changed to a look of concern.

"You all right, Josie? You look kind of tired."

Josie shrugged. "I didn't sleep so great last night." She looked at him for a moment. He didn't look tired for someone who had been gone half the night.

"She heard you coming and going." Vi said, cracking eggs into a pan. "Don't forget to feed Bridger."

Josie sighed and got up, hauling out the bag of food. She set down a fresh bowl of water too. The dog must have heard his food because he appeared in the kitchen, practically knocking Josie aside to get to his food. She spent a moment rubbing his head before sitting once more at the table.

After breakfast, Josie felt slightly more awake. She finished her soda and went upstairs to grab her backpack. Vi was taking her to school that morning, so the two of them said goodbye to Glen and got into the SUV. They were quiet, with only the soft sound of music from the radio breaking the silence. That was until Vi cursed under her breath. Josie snickered at that but it was cut short when she saw what her mother was looking out.

There were police cars blocking the road. Josie could see the sheriff's Jeep pulled onto the shoulder, along with a white van. As Vi slowed to a stop, Josie saw that one of the deputies who was blocking things on their end was Eli Smart, her school's safety officer that year. He smiled grimly and waved when he saw who had stopped before turning around to speak to one of the younger officers, then into a cell phone. After a few minutes, Eli jogged over to their SUV and went to her Mom's side of the vehicle.

"Mornin', Vi. Josie." Eli tipped his hat, a gesture that never failed to make Josie smile. "We're gonna have this blocked for another half hour or so."

"Was there an accident?" Vi asked, peering through the windshield. All she could see was Steve's Jeep and that white van.

Eli sent a cautious look in Josie's direction before looking to Vi again. "Steve wanted to know if you'd walk up to his vehicle for a minute. He wanted to talk to you."

Vi lifted an eyebrow. "All right. I guess." She looked to Josie. "You sit tight for a few minutes."

"And then can we turn around and go back home to bed?" Josie asked hopefully, grinning.

Vi laughed at that and shook her head before climbing out of the SUV. Josie watched as she went to stand next to the Jeep, hands tucked into her pockets. After several long minutes Steve appeared. There was also another man with him, a tall thin older guy that Josie could not place. Steve glanced up the road toward the SUV before turning to Vi and speaking.

Whatever it was, Josie was pretty sure her mom didn't like it. It was in the way her brows drew together in a frown mostly. From this distance it was hard to tell anything other than that. Steve was gesturing, pointing to the other side of the road, and Vi was shaking her head. That was pretty much it. They spoke for another few minutes before Vi walked back toward the SUV.

Josie waited for her mom to get settled into the driver's seat before raising an eyebrow. "Well? What happened? Did one of the cows get out again?"

Vi snorted at that. It had happened plenty of times before, a cow wandering off to roam and block traffic. She wished it was that simple. Josie could almost hear her mom's hesitation as she worked out exactly what to say. "It looks like something similar to what happened the other day. The girl that was killed in the hit and run I guess. Looks like we'll be taking the back way into town."

"We live on the back way into town." Josie said, smiling grimly, feeling a little queasy. There had been some wild stories at school about the girl who had been found, ranging from the mundane to the extreme. "Mom…"

"Nothin' to worry about, Josie." Vi said, reaching over to pat her on the leg. "At least not right now. Steve and the guys are going to take care of it."

Josie nodded absently, quiet as Vi managed to turn their vehicle around to head back toward a one-lane farm roam that would cut around the road they were on. It was a bumpy ride, and normally Josie would have enjoyed it but her thoughts kept drifting to the girl, to the police cars blocking the road, and to her mom's too pale face.

Vi dropped Josie off and watched as her daughter disappeared into the crowd of kids going into the school. She had to do a couple of errands before heading back to the ranch, but sat there for a moment gnawing worriedly on a fingernail. She could have gone all day without Steve telling her that they'd found another body, once again with bite marks that weren't necessarily animal in nature, and he had asked if she would compare the bite marks to see if they were maybe made by the same person.

Vi wasn't sure how she could help with that. She was a glorified country vet, not a forensics expert. It was all over her head. But he had been so baffled she had agreed to look at more pictures whenever he was able to bring them by.

Her cell phone chirped from the center console, making Vi jump. She laughed at herself and picked it up after glancing at the caller ID. "Hello…"

"Hey." It was Mark. He sounded as if he had just gotten up, with a rough edge to his voice. "Tried you at home but I guess you're out and about early."

"I have things to do. You're calling awfully early. Did you miss me or something?" Vi asked with a laugh.

"Yeah. Is it obvious?"

"Well it's obvious you're checking up on me for some reason. So let me take a shot in the dark. Steve called you and told you about what they found, and now you're just checking in."

"Pretty much." Mark admitted, chuckling a little. "Just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine. Dropped Josie off at school, on my way to take care of some stuff."

"Want some company?"

Vi raised an eyebrow at that. "Company?" She wasn't completely dense. She figured it out pretty quick. "Do you mean a babysitter?"

"Why would you need a babysitter?" From the way Mark's voice changed, Vi knew she'd hit the nail on the head.

"Probably because you're a male and you have that whole mindset that a damsel is in distress somewhere. I don't need "company", Mark. I'm just going to go across town, pick up some bedding for recovery animals, and then go home. So your house is already out of my way. And believe it or not I know better than to stop and talk to strangers along the way."

"Ok, ok. Thought I'd offer. Some people might get a little freaked out about what happened."

"I'm sure I'll freak out later. For now I just have to run to the store." Vi glanced over her shoulder, making sure she was blocking anyone who was trying to get out behind her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"The other woman who got killed…and now this one. Steve has obviously put you into the loop."

"Yeah. And that wasn't a question." He sounded amused. He also sounded like he'd just had a good stretch.

"I realize that. My question is…these women…are they like everybody else around town?" There was a moment of quiet and Vi could almost hear Mark trying to decide how much he wanted her to know. "Because it strikes me as odd that you'd offer to be my bodyguard in a roundabout way. Which makes me think they were both probably human. And also that someone that isn't human is the one doing the killing."

"You'd be thinking right." Mark admitted, although he did not sound too happy about Vi figuring it out.

"So am I in trouble? Or Josie?"

"I don't know." At least he was being honest. "I don't think so. Because nobody knows who these girls are. Not even the one from this morning. They're outsiders."

Vi sensed there was more. Normally she'd let it drop and figure that he'd tell her eventually. This time she pressed. "So what is it? Is it some kind of message or something?"

"I don't know. I wish I did. Because so far all we have to go on are two dead bodies that were gnawed on." Mark cleared his throat. "I have to ask, and I don't want to because the thought of it still kinda pisses me off, but…you were here staying that night and you have bite marks on you. Do you think…"

"No." Vi didn't let him finish his train of thought. In fact she had hoped he'd forgotten the whole thing. No such luck. "That had nothing to do with this."

"You're sure? Because a person who bites is a person who bites."

"And the person who bit me didn't have pointy filed teeth. And I would rather not talk about it." What was Vi supposed to tell him? That his brother had done it in the midst of some weird sexually motivated sleep walking?

"All right." But he still sounded unsure. And a bit angry. Although once again Vi knew the anger wasn't aimed at her. "Sorry but I had to ask."

Vi knew better but she let it drop. "I have to go. I want to be back at the house before 9 so I can open the clinic." And the only reason she had told him that was so he would not feel the need to constantly check on her through the morning. It was sweet but damn near annoying, having someone think she needed to be watched over like a four year old.

"Ok. How about lunch then?"

Vi laughed at that. "If you want. Come to the house around twelve-thirty or so." Again he hesitated. She knew why. It was funny really. "You don't have to worry about bumping into Glen – he won't be back until eight or so tonight. Ray took him and a couple other ranch hands out to pick up some equipment and they were going to stop and eat at some steakhouse or other."

"Right. Then I'll see you at twelve-thirty. Be careful, Vi."

She was oddly touched by that. "I will. Bye, Mark." She hung up and plugged the phone back into the charger in the console. With a sigh she put her SUV in gear and pulled into traffic, refusing to dwell on thoughts of dead bodies or bite marks. At least for now. She had too many other things to do.