A/N: As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer

CHAPTER 29: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Orion called in early the next morning to make sure Orin would be in and that he and Becca would be able to see him.

By plan or by sheer luck, Connie, Orin secretary, told him Mr. Bale had the day free and they could come as soon as they could arrange it.

A half hour later Orion was once more seated in his superior's office with Becca beside him.

Though the circumstances had changed, little else seemed to. Becca was no less nervous and Orin was no less formal.

Shuffling through a folder on his desk, Orin had hardly even glanced up at them since they had sat down.

"It was good of you to come early." He stated, slipping the papers back into the file folder after a brief glance through them. As soon as he closed the file, it immediately disappeared off his desk. "Becca and I didn't get a great deal of time to talk last time we met."

Orion studied the man behind the desk. "You were gone for nearly two hours."

Bale turned to him. "Most of that time, as I am sure Becca told you, was spent checking her magic level. How well was she able to control her magic in this realm."

"And that level would be where?" Orion ask.

Orin gave him a calculated look. "I'm not sure that is something Becca would want me to discuss with you, Mr. Black."

But the girl sitting next to him suddenly came to life. "I don't mind Mr. Black knowing that." She stated quickly. "He and his wife have been very kind to me."

Bale quickly turned his stare to the girl. "And sometimes people have their own reasons for being kind to us, Becca." He stated in a cool voice. "You'd do well to remember that."

The girl instantly fell back into silence.

"Becca wanted to come here because she needed someone to teach her." Orion pointed out. "Is this what you're going to 'teach' her? Mistrust?"

"I'll teach her what she needs to know to survive here, Mr. Black. And 'mistrust' can be a lesson well learned in this realm of yours, since most of your people seem to have mastered it so well themselves."

"As is it a lesson you seem so well qualified to teach." Orion fired back.

"Because I had some very good teachers." Bale responded, putting an extreme amount of emphasis on the last word.

Orion held his emotions tightly in check. "I don't want her to learn fear and hatred. She's already had enough of those subjects."

"You brought her to me to be taught, Mr. Black. I can't help if you don't like the lessons."

"She came of her own accord." Orion answered. "I didn't 'bring' her anywhere. I was only the door. Becca asked for help to control her magic, so I brought her here, thinking this was the best place for her to learn. At the time I had no idea what I was getting her into."

"What you were 'getting her into' was the best possible circumstances she could hope for. She at least has a teacher now who is eminently qualified to guide her."

A low, gruffled laugh suddenly echoed in the room.

Orion quickly glanced up, while Bale seemed to pay the interruption no attention at all.

Becca, however, also quickly snapped her head up and looked around. "What was that?!"

Bale seemed to give the question as much time and consideration as he would if Becca had asked him about the weather.

"No one of any real consequence." He answered, though Orion quickly noted the slight tension that crept into his voice. The man quickly dismissed the intrusion as he laid his folded hands over his desk. "The point, Mr. Black, is that Becca does need guidance. She needs to learn to control her magic, and she needs to learn how to handle herself in this realm."

"And you're going to teach her all of this." Orion stated.

"I will be her primary teacher, yes. But certainly not her only one. Becca is also a young girl. One who is growing up very fast. I certainly have very little experience teaching a young lady what she would need to know. Especially when she's growing up in a world not her own. Therefore, that task I think would best be left to someone far more qualified."

"And that would be?"

Bale waved the question off. "A friend. Someone I assure you is more than capable of the task."

"The same way someone else seems to believe that you are 'eminently' qualified to teach Becca?"

Bale raised his eyes to the man in front of him.

"If someone else is going to being teaching Becca, I'd like to meet them, as that I am, for the moment, her guardian. I'd also like to know what makes them so 'eminently qualified' to teach her."

Pausing as he stared at the man before him, Bale finally reached to the side of his desk and pressed a small button on it.

"Connie, would you come in here a moment?"

Without so much as a question, an instant later Bale's secretary appeared next to his desk.

Orion, even through all the years he had been at the agency, had had remarkably little contact with the woman. She was, as he would have described her, rather average in appearance, but in a classical sort of way. In her low, black pumps, she stood just a head shorter than her boss. Her long brown hair had a slight curl to it and she always dressed exactly as one would expect to see the personal assistant of a high ranking Ministry member. Her suits were always impeccably tailored and her makeup on the light side. She looked, as much as anyone would describe her, business-like.

For his part, Bale never once turned to look at the woman as she stood at his side.

While the implication wasn't lost on Orion, the significance of the choice was a complete mystery. "You're going to turn part of Becca's....'teaching'....over to your secretary?" He asked carefully.

Orin gave his agent a small smile. "Connie, tell Mr. Black your name." He stated, but then added quickly, "Your full name."

The woman stared down at him, something akin to disbelief skirted across her face before a look of puzzlement replaced it.

"May I ask why?" She questioned.

"Call it a show of trust."

The woman seemed to consider the answer for a few moments before she slowly turned her attention to Orion.

"My name," she stated slowly, seemingly wanting to make sure Orion caught every word without question, "is Colleen. To most here, I am simply 'Connie'. It's much less formal, I thought, than 'Colleen'. My 'full' name," she stated, giving the man next to her a dark look before continuing, "is Colleen Bale."

Orion's eyebrows shot up. "Bale?"

Orin drew his attention back. "My sister." He explained. "Or as much as she can be to me. Colleen came to me quite a few years ago. She had lost her host, she was alone, and needed help. At that time I had been in your realm for quite some time and felt I could offer her the haven she needed until she was more settled into her new situation."

The woman seemed less than interested in anything Orin had to say about her. Her attention, Orion noted, had now shifted solely to the young girl sitting next to her. But Orion quickly shot a look at his superior.

"Connie....is......."

"What I am, Mr. Black, yes. A bit younger. Less powerful perhaps......"

The woman's voice rang out in a musical peel of laughter. "Less powerful?" She stated as her laughter died down. "Oh, Orin, how you do love to polish that ego of yours."

The man turned only his eyes to the woman next to him, answering her with nothing more than a tolerant sigh. But Connie paid it little mind, as that her own attention had already shifted focus back to Becca.

"So," she practically purred at her, walking over to where Becca sat, "You're Becca? I've so been wanting to meet you."

Becca stared up at the woman, but didn't so much as move a muscle. She reacted, Orion thought, much like a small mouse being sniffed at by a cat.

Connie turned back to her brother over her shoulder. "My, you certainly understated the reticent part, Orin. This girl is practically non-existent." Turning back to Becca, she didn't wait for him to reply as she leaned down to the girl's level. "Don't you worry, Love." She stated in the same low purr, though this time with a blinding white, perfect smile accompanying it. "A few days with me will bring you out of that shell. This realm has a great deal to offer. Especially in the way of....physical comforts. And the first thing we'll do is go shopping. You need proper cloths."

Becca quickly looked down at the simple shift she was wearing. "What's wrong with my cloths?" she asked in a quiet voice.

The woman standing before Becca straightened up as her form suddenly gave off a small glow, then shimmered for a moment before it blurred out completely. When it reformed, standing in Connie's place was now a whole different woman. Still the same, but......different. Gone was the dowdy, secretarial look; the fitted coat and trim skirt with the black, low-heeled pumps.

Instead the woman now wore an elegant, sleek black dress with high-heeled shoes and her hair and makeup done to perfection as she struck a pose to suit the new look.

"There's nothing 'wrong' with it, girl." The statuesque beauty replied in a low, sultry voice, "if you prefer to stand in a corner and be a wall flower the rest of your life."

Orion quickly noticed that for the first time since she came into the room, Bale looked up at the woman.

"Why don't you ever dress like that for work?" Was his sole question to her.

The woman turned and looked down at him with what to Orion was a cross between pity and amusement. The form quickly flickered, then blurred again. A second later Connie once again appeared as she had when she first came into the room.

"Because if I did, dear brother," she replied in the same sultry voice, "I'd never get any work done." A frown creased her brow. "Truly, some of your agents are nothing more than animals, Orin. They're bad enough when I dress like this." She added, indicating her usual attire.

A frown quickly creased the man's brow. "Which agents of mine?"

Connie gave him an affectionate smile as she walked back over to him and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Oh, you are being a love now." She purred once again. As she turned back to Becca, she gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry. You'll get used to him." She told the young girl. "Maybe even learn to like him. He can be a frightful bear sometimes." She added, giving her head a small shake. "Acting like he has a thorn in his paw. But most of the time he's like this. Even suggest someone's done you a bad turn and he gets all protective. He really is a love."

Becca turned a skeptical look towards the man behind the desk. One that wasn't lost on Connie at all.

"Oh, my." She gave a small, exaggerated gasp as she straightened back up. "What have you done to this poor child, Orin? She looks at you like she's in school and you're about to pass out grade cards."

Bale leaned back in his chair, studying the girl before him. "I have no idea." He replied. "Becca, have I done something to upset you?"

Orion watched the reticent girl next to him for a few moments, then turned to his superior. "Becca isn't upset with you." He explained. "It's actually quite the opposite. Becca feels that you might be upset with her."

Bale's expression shifted to one of puzzlement. "Upset?" He asked, quickly shifting his attention back to the girl sitting before him. "Why should I be upset with you, Becca?"

The girl at first said nothing, leaving Orion feeling that he was going to have to supply all the answers during the meeting. But just as he was about to reply for her, Becca turned her gaze slowly from her fidgeting hands to the man behind the desk. She replied quietly before dropping her gaze again, "I didn't answer your questions very well. And I didn't perform my magic at all right."

Bale quickly leaned forward on his desk, folding his hands before him once again. "Becca, I'm sure you did the best you could with your magic." He replied in what to Orion was likely the most reassuring and encouraging voice that could be mustered from a man not used to having to deal with either. "And I certainly wasn't upset by the answers you gave, but more by the circumstances you described yourself in."

Becca looked back up at him.

"You haven't had the easiest of times in this realm, Becca." Bale answered her questioning stare. "You were treated poorly, you were given no explanation of your circumstances, and you have had no training whatsoever. For how far you have come, I would say you have, in fact, done remarkably well."

Clearly the pep talk did very little to raise Becca's spirits as she continued to stare at her hands.

Bale gave a quiet sigh, pausing as Orion wondered if he was reconsidering his decision. But finally he set his gaze back on the girl before him. "Becca, I think you are a very bright, very intelligent, gifted child. But a 'child' you are. You need training and you need guidance on how to live in this realm. In short, my girl, you need help. Now, Connie and I are more than willing to give you whatever assistance you need. But you have to work with us, and more importantly, you have to want it."

Becca quickly pulled up in her chair, gripping the handles on either side. "But I do want help!" She stated bluntly. "And I will work. I'll work very hard."

Bale leaned back in his chair with a slight smile. "I'm sure you will, Becca. So, with that decided" he added, turning briefly to the other 'Power' standing next to him, "if you'll go with Connie, she'll let you know when you need to come ba............."

"Just a minute." Orion spoke up. "This is, I believe, far from decided."

Three pairs of eyes suddenly shifted to him. One pair wide in amazement, one pair that regarded him as they had since she appeared in the office, with a quiet sort of amusement, and the third pair slightly narrowed.

"And your problem with the arrangement, Mr. Black, would be.....?" Bale asked.

Orion met the man's stare. "For starters, someone obviously didn't think very highly of your taking on Becca's mentoring."

Bale steepled his hands in front of him. "And I told you, that person is of very little concern in this matter."

"Just the same," Orion replied, "I'd like to hear their reasons."

"No you wouldn't." Came the blunted answer.

Orion continued to hold the man's stare. "Without knowing all the facts, Becca will not be having her training here." He stated in a firm, finalizing tone.

One that Bale met with a small smile. "Really? And who else, in your opinion, is qualified to teach her? You?"

"If I have to." Orion defended.

Again the low laughter rumbled through the room. "This is getting better and better." The disembodied voice commented.

"Oh, shut up." Bale hissed at it. "You're the reason for this problem in the first place. This matter would be settled had you kept your opinions to yourself."

Orion kept his eyes fixed on the man in front of him without saying anything more.

Bale leaned back in his chair again with a deep sigh. At the exact same time, a streak of dark light, much like a single, clear bolt of lightening, struck the ground on the opposite side of Bale's desk from where Connie was standing. Neither of the 'Powers' paid the display much mind. Connie seemed to regard it as normal while Bale treated it as more common place in his life. The emphasis being on the word 'common'.

"Mr. Black," he stated in a tone that bordered on something between tedium and all out irritation, "may I introduce my brother."

Rather than slowly clearing with the currents of air in the room, as one would expect it to, the smoke from the aftermath of the light hitting the ground instead began to swirl about in a circular pattern, consolidating until it finally formed itself into a solid shape with an appearance Orion knew all too well.

"Eric Matterson." He stated in what came out as more of a tone of disbelief.

Q&A

ilovesiriusblack

Back in family relations Orin bale came up against Beccas magic (the funny tunnel thing) and lost could this be why he is so unhappy now? Is Eric a power as well?
Looking forward to the next chapter.

Actually, as he stated in this chapter, Orin isn't unhappy with Becca so much as her circumstances.

Also, Orin knows a little more about her than he's telling right now. But what he knows will come out later in the story.

What gave Orin serious pause in the last story, when he came up against the tunnel, was that he was starting to get a very good idea what Orion and the others had just walked into, but he had no way to help them without tipping his own hand. The moment he couldn't disrupt the tunnel's magic, he knew they were up against magic that was closely related to his own, but had no way to prove his suspicions. Then his agent comes back from the mission and doesn't say a word about coming up against anything unusual. So Bale decided to let things go for the time being and see what developed.

Well called, Dear. Yes, Eric Matterson is another 'Power'. He is also Bale's brother.

Silverfox

LOL at Becca he 15 year old being babysat by Bo the 3 year old. ;)
And now it's right back to Orin. What a hectic day!

You know, it's very strange that I never looked at it that way. But you're right. Basically you had a three year old babysitting a fifteen year old.

All reviews are as of 11/8/2009.

And remember;

This week is Veterans Day in the US. Take a moment to remember those who served our country.

::
Becca only shook her head quickly.

PART ONE

: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Ties as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

A/N: As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer

: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Ties as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

CHAPTER 29: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

PART ONE

Orion called in early the next morning to make sure Orin would be in and that he and Becca would be able to see him.

By plan or by sheer luck, Connie, Orin secretary, told him Mr. Bale had the day free and they could come as soon as they could arrange it.

A half hour later Orion was once more seated in his superior's office with Becca beside him.

Though the circumstances had changed, little else seemed to. Becca was no less nervous and Orin was no less formal.

Shuffling through a folder on his desk, Orin had hardly even glanced up at them since they had sat down.

"It was good of you to come early." He stated, slipping the papers back into the file folder after a brief glance through them. As soon as he closed the file, it immediately disappeared off his desk. "Becca and I didn't get a great deal of time to talk last time we met."

Orion studied the man behind the desk. "You were gone for nearly two hours."

Bale turned to him. "Most of that time, as I am sure Becca told you, was spent checking her magic level. How well was she able to control her magic in this realm."

"And that level would be where?" Orion ask.

Orin gave him a calculated look. "I'm not sure that is something Becca would want me to discuss with you, Mr. Black."

But the girl sitting next to him suddenly came to life. "I don't mind Mr. Black knowing that." She stated quickly. "He and his wife have been very kind to me."

Bale quickly turned his stare to the girl. "And sometimes people have their own reasons for being kind to us, Becca." He stated in a cool voice. "You'd do well to remember that."

The girl instantly fell back into silence.

"Becca wanted to come here because she needed someone to teach her." Orion pointed out. "Is this what you're going to 'teach' her? Mistrust?"

"I'll teach her what she needs to know to survive here, Mr. Black. And 'mistrust' can be a lesson well learned in this realm of yours, since most of your people seem to have mastered it so well themselves."

"As is it a lesson you seem so well qualified to teach." Orion fired back.

"Because I had some very good teachers." Bale responded, putting an extreme amount of emphasis on the last word.

Orion held his emotions tightly in check. "I don't want her to learn fear and hatred. She's already had enough of those subjects."

"You brought her to me to be taught, Mr. Black. I can't help if you don't like the lessons."

"She came of her own accord." Orion answered. "I didn't 'bring' her anywhere. I was only the door. Becca asked for help to control her magic, so I brought her here, thinking this was the best place for her to learn. At the time I had no idea what I was getting her into."

"What you were 'getting her into' was the best possible circumstances she could hope for. She at least has a teacher now who is eminently qualified to guide her."

A low, gruffled laugh suddenly echoed in the room.

Orion quickly glanced up, while Bale seemed to pay the interruption no attention at all.

Becca, however, also quickly snapped her head up and looked around. "What was that?!"

Bale seemed to give the question as much time and consideration as he would if Becca had asked him about the weather.

"No one of any real consequence." He answered, though Orion quickly noted the slight tension that crept into his voice. The man quickly dismissed the intrusion as he laid his folded hands over his desk. "The point, Mr. Black, is that Becca does need guidance. She needs to learn to control her magic, and she needs to learn how to handle herself in this realm."

"And you're going to teach her all of this." Orion stated.

"I will be her primary teacher, yes. But certainly not her only one. Becca is also a young girl. One who is growing up very fast. I certainly have very little experience teaching a young lady what she would need to know. Especially when she's growing up in a world not her own. Therefore, that task I think would best be left to someone far more qualified."

"And that would be?"

Bale waved the question off. "A friend. Someone I assure you is more than capable of the task."

"The same way someone else seems to believe that you are 'eminently' qualified to teach Becca?"

Bale raised his eyes to the man in front of him.

"If someone else is going to being teaching Becca, I'd like to meet them, as that I am, for the moment, her guardian. I'd also like to know what makes them so 'eminently qualified' to teach her."

Pausing as he stared at the man before him, Bale finally reached to the side of his desk and pressed a small button on it.

"Connie, would you come in here a moment?"

Without so much as a question, an instant later Bale's secretary appeared next to his desk.

Orion, even through all the years he had been at the agency, had had remarkably little contact with the woman. She was, as he would have described her, rather average in appearance, but in a classical sort of way. In her low, black pumps, she stood just a head shorter than her boss. Her long brown hair had a slight curl to it and she always dressed exactly as one would expect to see the personal assistant of a high ranking Ministry member. Her suits were always impeccably tailored and her makeup on the light side. She looked, as much as anyone would describe her, business-like.

For his part, Bale never once turned to look at the woman as she stood at his side.

While the implication wasn't lost on Orion, the significance of the choice was a complete mystery. "You're going to turn part of Becca's....'teaching'....over to your secretary?" He asked carefully.

Orin gave his agent a small smile. "Connie, tell Mr. Black your name." He stated, but then added quickly, "Your full name."

The woman stared down at him, something akin to disbelief skirted across her face before a look of puzzlement replaced it.

"May I ask why?" She questioned.

"Call it a show of trust."

The woman seemed to consider the answer for a few moments before she slowly turned her attention to Orion.

"My name," she stated slowly, seemingly wanting to make sure Orion caught every word without question, "is Colleen. To most here, I am simply 'Connie'. It's much less formal, I thought, than 'Colleen'. My 'full' name," she stated, giving the man next to her a dark look before continuing, "is Colleen Bale."

Orion's eyebrows shot up. "Bale?"

Orin drew his attention back. "My sister." He explained. "Or as much as she can be to me. Colleen came to me quite a few years ago. She had lost her host, she was alone, and needed help. At that time I had been in your realm for quite some time and felt I could offer her the haven she needed until she was more settled into her new situation."

The woman seemed less than interested in anything Orin had to say about her. Her attention, Orion noted, had now shifted solely to the young girl sitting next to her. But Orion quickly shot a look at his superior.

"Connie....is......."

"What I am, Mr. Black, yes. A bit younger. Less powerful perhaps......"

The woman's voice rang out in a musical peel of laughter. "Less powerful?" She stated as her laughter died down. "Oh, Orin, how you do love to polish that ego of yours."

The man turned only his eyes to the woman next to him, answering her with nothing more than a tolerant sigh. But Connie paid it little mind, as that her own attention had already shifted focus back to Becca.

"So," she practically purred at her, walking over to where Becca sat, "You're Becca? I've so been wanting to meet you."

Becca stared up at the woman, but didn't so much as move a muscle. She reacted, Orion thought, much like a small mouse being sniffed at by a cat.

Connie turned back to her brother over her shoulder. "My, you certainly understated the reticent part, Orin. This girl is practically non-existent." Turning back to Becca, she didn't wait for him to reply as she leaned down to the girl's level. "Don't you worry, Love." She stated in the same low purr, though this time with a blinding white, perfect smile accompanying it. "A few days with me will bring you out of that shell. This realm has a great deal to offer. Especially in the way of....physical comforts. And the first thing we'll do is go shopping. You need proper cloths."

Becca quickly looked down at the simple shift she was wearing. "What's wrong with my cloths?" she asked in a quiet voice.

The woman standing before Becca straightened up as her form suddenly gave off a small glow, then shimmered for a moment before it blurred out completely. When it reformed, standing in Connie's place was now a whole different woman. Still the same, but......different. Gone was the dowdy, secretarial look; the fitted coat and trim skirt with the black, low-heeled pumps.

Instead the woman now wore an elegant, sleek black dress with high-heeled shoes and her hair and makeup done to perfection as she struck a pose to suit the new look.

"There's nothing 'wrong' with it, girl." The statuesque beauty replied in a low, sultry voice, "if you prefer to stand in a corner and be a wall flower the rest of your life."

Orion quickly noticed that for the first time since she came into the room, Bale looked up at the woman.

"Why don't you ever dress like that for work?" Was his sole question to her.

The woman turned and looked down at him with what to Orion was a cross between pity and amusement. The form quickly flickered, then blurred again. A second later Connie once again appeared as she had when she first came into the room.

"Because if I did, dear brother," she replied in the same sultry voice, "I'd never get any work done." A frown creased her brow. "Truly, some of your agents are nothing more than animals, Orin. They're bad enough when I dress like this." She added, indicating her usual attire.

A frown quickly creased the man's brow. "Which agents of mine?"

Connie gave him an affectionate smile as she walked back over to him and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Oh, you are being a love now." She purred once again. As she turned back to Becca, she gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry. You'll get used to him." She told the young girl. "Maybe even learn to like him. He can be a frightful bear sometimes." She added, giving her head a small shake. "Acting like he has a thorn in his paw. But most of the time he's like this. Even suggest someone's done you a bad turn and he gets all protective. He really is a love."

Becca turned a skeptical look towards the man behind the desk. One that wasn't lost on Connie at all.

"Oh, my." She gave a small, exaggerated gasp as she straightened back up. "What have you done to this poor child, Orin? She looks at you like she's in school and you're about to pass out grade cards."

Bale leaned back in his chair, studying the girl before him. "I have no idea." He replied. "Becca, have I done something to upset you?"

Becca only shook her head quickly.

Orion watched the reticent girl next to him for a few moments, then turned to his superior. "Becca isn't upset with you." He explained. "It's actually quite the opposite. Becca feels that you might be upset with her."

Bale's expression shifted to one of puzzlement. "Upset?" He asked, quickly shifting his attention back to the girl sitting before him. "Why should I be upset with you, Becca?"

The girl at first said nothing, leaving Orion feeling that he was going to have to supply all the answers during the meeting. But just as he was about to reply for her, Becca turned her gaze slowly from her fidgeting hands to the man behind the desk. She replied quietly before dropping her gaze again, "I didn't answer your questions very well. And I didn't perform my magic at all right."

Bale quickly leaned forward on his desk, folding his hands before him once again. "Becca, I'm sure you did the best you could with your magic." He replied in what to Orion was likely the most reassuring and encouraging voice that could be mustered from a man not used to having to deal with either. "And I certainly wasn't upset by the answers you gave, but more by the circumstances you described yourself in."

Becca looked back up at him.

"You haven't had the easiest of times in this realm, Becca." Bale answered her questioning stare. "You were treated poorly, you were given no explanation of your circumstances, and you have had no training whatsoever. For how far you have come, I would say you have, in fact, done remarkably well."

Clearly the pep talk did very little to raise Becca's spirits as she continued to stare at her hands.

Bale gave a quiet sigh, pausing as Orion wondered if he was reconsidering his decision. But finally he set his gaze back on the girl before him. "Becca, I think you are a very bright, very intelligent, gifted child. But a 'child' you are. You need training and you need guidance on how to live in this realm. In short, my girl, you need help. Now, Connie and I are more than willing to give you whatever assistance you need. But you have to work with us, and more importantly, you have to want it."

Becca quickly pulled up in her chair, gripping the handles on either side. "But I do want help!" She stated bluntly. "And I will work. I'll work very hard."

Bale leaned back in his chair with a slight smile. "I'm sure you will, Becca. So, with that decided" he added, turning briefly to the other 'Power' standing next to him, "if you'll go with Connie, she'll let you know when you need to come ba............."

"Just a minute." Orion spoke up. "This is, I believe, far from decided."

Three pairs of eyes suddenly shifted to him. One pair wide in amazement, one pair that regarded him as they had since she appeared in the office, with a quiet sort of amusement, and the third pair slightly narrowed.

"And your problem with the arrangement, Mr. Black, would be.....?" Bale asked.

Orion met the man's stare. "For starters, someone obviously didn't think very highly of your taking on Becca's mentoring."

Bale steepled his hands in front of him. "And I told you, that person is of very little concern in this matter."

"Just the same," Orion replied, "I'd like to hear their reasons."

"No you wouldn't." Came the blunted answer.

Orion continued to hold the man's stare. "Without knowing all the facts, Becca will not be having her training here." He stated in a firm, finalizing tone.

One that Bale met with a small smile. "Really? And who else, in your opinion, is qualified to teach her? You?"

"If I have to." Orion defended.

Again the low laughter rumbled through the room. "This is getting better and better." The disembodied voice commented.

"Oh, shut up." Bale hissed at it. "You're the reason for this problem in the first place. This matter would be settled had you kept your opinions to yourself."

Orion kept his eyes fixed on the man in front of him without saying anything more.

Bale leaned back in his chair again with a deep sigh. At the exact same time, a streak of dark light, much like a single, clear bolt of lightening, struck the ground on the opposite side of Bale's desk from where Connie was standing. Neither of the 'Powers' paid the display much mind. Connie seemed to regard it as normal while Bale treated it as more common place in his life. The emphasis being on the word 'common'.

"Mr. Black," he stated in a tone that bordered on something between tedium and all out irritation, "may I introduce my brother."

Rather than slowly clearing with the currents of air in the room, as one would expect it to, the smoke from the aftermath of the light hitting the ground instead began to swirl about in a circular pattern, consolidating until it finally formed itself into a solid shape with an appearance Orion knew all too well.

"Eric Matterson." He stated in what came out as more of a tone of disbelief.

Q&A

ilovesiriusblack

Back in family relations Orin bale came up against Beccas magic (the funny tunnel thing) and lost could this be why he is so unhappy now? Is Eric a power as well?
Looking forward to the next chapter.

Actually, as he stated in this chapter, Orin isn't unhappy with Becca so much as her circumstances.

Also, Orin knows a little more about her than he's telling right now. But what he knows will come out later in the story.

What gave Orin serious pause in the last story, when he came up against the tunnel, was that he was starting to get a very good idea what Orion and the others had just walked into, but he had no way to help them without tipping his own hand. The moment he couldn't disrupt the tunnel's magic, he knew they were up against magic that was closely related to his own, but had no way to prove his suspicions. Then his agent comes back from the mission and doesn't say a word about coming up against anything unusual. So Bale decided to let things go for the time being and see what developed.

Well called, Dear. Yes, Eric Matterson is another 'Power'. He is also Bale's brother.

Silverfox

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LOL at Becca he 15 year old being babysat by Bo the 3 year old. ;)
And now it's right back to Orin. What a hectic day!

You know, it's very strange that I never looked at it that way. But you're right. Basically you had a three year old babysitting a fifteen year old.

All reviews are as of 11/8/2009.

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