.~*Chapter Thirty-Six*~.

A Few Days Later…

FLASHBACK

Henry should have known this day was coming. He had been dreading it ever since Beary returned to his life back in 2002. Yet, as he stared at his tentative child standing beside his desk in his office a few days after the incident with the wolves, he found his mouth had gone dry and fuzziness filled his ears. He had been trying to find a way to raise the money to fix the fences, and was having difficulty. And now this.

Beary bit his lip as he nervously shuffled his feet. He had been biding his time to ask his father the question. Now he wished he hadn't. The way Henry was looking at him, as if he were horrified at what Beary had asked, spoke numbers to the young bear. It had taken him so long to gather up the nerve to ask his father to take him to see his paternal grandparents. He'd thought that his father would be happy to do so. Why did he look so upset?

The pepper furred grizzly was pulled out of his frozen state when he noticed his son's downcast expression. He had been purposely not telling his child about his extended family, because the Taylor family was crazy. Memories flowed through his mind, most of them being unhappy and things he'd rather forget. Maybe not crazy, but they weren't… very friendly would be a good term.

"S-Sorry for bothering you, sir," the thirteen-year-old murmured, turning to leave. "I'll go check on Mama."

At that last word, the elder bear's heart sank. He used to address his own father in that way, and he didn't want his son to do the same, especially since he was finally living at the Hall for good. Henry reached out and gripped his paw, gently pulling him back towards him. "Hey... You're not bothering me. You've never managed to bother me before, so why think you are now?" He swallowed nervously, trying to quench his fears. "If you really want to meet them, then I suppose we could go tomorrow. Then we could also visit your parents, sister, brother, and his family."

Beary's eyes lit up with excitement as he agreed. "I'll go give them a call! Thanks, Dad!" He bounded away, his dog, Smores, prancing beside him as they left the office.

Henry smiled and shook his head wearily, letting his worry show on his face once he heard the door to the cabin shut. Somehow, he just knew he was going to regret this.

END FLASHBACK

The elder bear drove to Nashville, listening to his son ask a billion questions, such as what his grandparents looked like and if they were nice or not. Henry described them the best he could, but wasn't sure how to answer the second question. He had left Fred in charge of taking care of Helen, which Helen had not argued over.

When he had spoken to his father the night before to set up the appointment, he had been surprised that William had been courteous to him. It struck him odd that his father would be that way considering the last time they had spoken, William had made it quite clear that he never wanted to see him again. What was his father planning? It couldn't have been because of Beary, because Henry didn't mention him over the phone. So what was it?

Beary fell silent as they pulled into a long driveway leading up to a three-story stone mansion. His eyes grew large and his jaw dropped in shock. Was this some kind of special hotel they were meeting his grandparents in? If so, where were all the cars? He blinked in surprise when he finally noticed an open garage down another pathway, revealing several very shiny vehicles.

Henry parked on the gravel road off to the side so as to keep out of the way of any other cars, and drummed his thumbs nervously on the wheel, trying to still his thumping heart.

"Dad? Where are we? Is this some kind of medieval themed hotel?"

He barely heard his son as he turned his head and looked upon his former home. It didn't look like it had changed much over the decades. There was some ivy climbing the walls, but that was the only change he could see.

Beary gently shook his arm, worried. "D-Dad?"

"Y-Yes? Uh, I was just, um…" He looked at him. "What did you ask? Sorry."

"Is this some kind of medieval themed hotel? I don't see a name anywhere, though."

"No. This is the mansion on the Taylor Estates. My parents', and therefore your grandparents', home, and where I great up. I haven't been here in years… Not much has changed, though."

If it was even possible, Beary's jaw dropped even further as he turned back to the massive building. His father grew up here?! "So, you were rich, right? Threw huge parties that lasted for days? Large banquets? Have a million sports cars? Travel around the world? Do you have a private jet?! Did you have a butler or something? Private tutors, anything you could possibly desire... Wow, your childhood must have been amazing!" He then frowned. "Wait. Then how come you had such money problems with the bank? I don't understand. Why were you $20,000 in debt?"

"Private tutors as a child? Anything you could want? Life wasn't as pure gold as you think, Beary. I'll tell you another time about the problems, okay? It's not really the best of times, son."

"Kenya said they disowned you. I didn't want to believe it. How could parents disown a child? She said it was because you married my mother." He bit his lip nervously, hoping he wasn't causing his father grief or angering him.

"That's not entirely true, thought it might seem that way. They weren't happy about our marriage, but they didn't disown me until much later. After… After you were conceived." He looked away.

Beary was about to ask more, very confused, but then Smores started whining from his carrier, wanting to get out and pee. Beary looked behind him and hurriedly got out. He folded the front seat forward and climbed into the back to help his dog. Where could he take him to relieve himself? He had forgotten to bring poop bags.

"Uh-oh. Uhh, okay, come with me. I'll show you a place you can take Smores." Henry got out and waited for his son.

Beary followed his father over to a bush and instructed Smores to use it.

"The bushes looked like they needed some fertilizing," Henry explained as they walked away from it once Smores had finished. "Now, do you have your feather?" He was worried about Beary's abilities being discovered by his father.

Beary nodded, not sure what else to say as he then followed his father's slow walk up the stone steps, through the porch archway, and up to the massive front doors. He flinched when his father turned the doorbell, hearing the loud ringing from within the building. He felt so small standing here in his jeans, black t-shirt, and his trademark gray jacket, feeling as if he didn't belong here.

Semiconsciously, he moved behind his father as the large doors opened, revealing a graying sun bear in tuxedo.

"May I help you, sir?" the bear asked, looking at Henry with dignity.

"My name is Henry Taylor. My father is expecting me, may I come in?"

The sun bear's eyes widened in surprise. "C-Certainly, Master Taylor. Right this way." He opened the door fully, allowing Henry to pass, shutting the door behind him, unaware he had just smacked the slow-moving cub in the nose when he did.

Outside, Beary let out a startled squeak when the door shut and he walked right into it, smacking his nose on an ornament. Holding his nose, he meekly knocked, feeling very embarrassed about not moving fast enough to get inside. The bear who had answered the door probably hadn't even noticed him.

Henry glanced around the magnificent foyer, and turned to speak to his son, when he realized Beary wasn't behind him. "Beary?" Hearing the knock at the door, he sighed softly. Oh, dear. He started for it, but the butler beat him to it.

The butler frowned, hearing the knock. He opened the door, surprised to see the boy and his dog. "I apologize, young sir."

"It... It's okay," Beary stuttered, attempting to walk inside, still holding his nose.

The sun bear, however, stood in front of him, holding out his paw. "No outside pets allowed. Master William will be most displeased if your dog gets into a scuffle with his own prized Tibetan Mastiff, nor would Madame Gwyneira be happy if her own Samoyed were to mingle. Pandora is very protective of her new litter, and we would not want to upset her. Stryker, meanwhile, does not take kindly to strange dogs coming into his home."

Smores sat down by his master, looking up at him attentively as he wagged his tail.

Beary, in turn, looked past the butler at his father with worried eyes. They had forgotten to bring Smores' vest and information stating he was a service dog. "I..." He looked down at his pup and sighed. "Smores, stay here on the porch, all right?" He didn't want to cause any trouble, though he knew he'd be putting himself at risk without his four legged friend.

Smores whined, but obeyed, watching sadly as Beary walked through the door.

Henry put a paw on Beary's shoulder and stopped him. He turned to the butler, not knowing his name. "Smores is a trained service dog, bound to my son for medical reasons. He is also well behaved and has an excellent temperament. I'm sorry, but what's your name?"

"Hubert, sir, and I apologize, but I see no vest. Do you have certifications?" Hubert questioned, looking between them. "Is he a seeing eye dog? Your son does not appear blind."

Beary looked down, really wishing he hadn't forgotten the important documents and vest. He could already feel the anxiousness filling him at the thought of leaving Smores tied to a railing on the porch, which he was sure the butler was going to do.

"He's trained to detect in my son oncoming epileptic seizures. He does have certificates and a vest, and he is registered as a working dog." Henry looked towards his son. "I am guessing you didn't bring them, Beary?"

The cub's ears shot back. "I forgot. S-Sorry, Dad..."

"Epilepsy?" Hubert blinked, noticing the medical bracelet on the cub. "May I?"

Beary held out his paw, letting Hubert see it, revealing two, one stating a severe allergic reaction to nuts.

"Hm. This will satisfy for now. Come along, pup." He looked back at Smores, who, after getting confirmation from Beary, quickly moved to his side, holding the leash in his jaw.

Beary took the handle graciously and smiled. "Th-Thank you, sir." He looked around the large room, eyes widening as he took it all in. Marble flooring and pillars, a grand curved staircase... To the right, he could see the doors leading to the dining room. To the left were glass paned doors leading to what seemed like a large empty room. Just beyond them, he could see another set of doors and a piano.

"Ballroom," Henry murmured to him. "Across from that through those doors is the music room and library. On your right is the dining room and beside that is the living room. Through the opening over there is the first kitchen which we used for everyday use. In the basement, we had a larger kitchen for when my Father and Mother throw their grand parties. Also in the basement is storage and a wine cellar.

"Up those stairs is the second floor with five or six guest bedrooms and my parents' room and my mother's library and office. Up another set of stairs is the top floor where mine and my sister's rooms are. The floor was split down the middle. We each had a guest room of our own for when we had friends over for sleepovers. Those guest rooms both had their own bathrooms, just like we had our own bathrooms." He chuckled lightly. "Of course, the second-floor guest rooms only had two bathrooms to share. Out back is a large pool with a built in waterfall."

The thirteen-year-old was impressed and intimidated. This place was amazing! In a scary sort of way. He could just not get over the fact that his father grew up here of all places. And to think, he had had part of the top floor all to himself. What must it have been like?

Henry sighed with relief and amusement as he watched his child take this all in. His own memories rose to the surface as he looked around his former home. Some of them good, but quite a lot of them bad, but at times, he wasn't sure if that was because the mind tended to remember the bad more. Hurriedly, he shook it off and looked at the other bear. "Am I safe to assume that my father's office is still through that door?" he asked, gesturing at the wooden door behind him, directly across the foyer from the front doors.

Hubert nodded. "Shall I announce you, Master Henry?"

"Please."

The butler gave a little bow and led the way across the grand marble foyer to the office. He lightly knocked and then walked in.

The office was dark with dark green paint on the bottom half of the wall and crimson wallpaper on the upper half. The room was surprisingly sparse compared to what it used to be years ago, and seemed to be lit with only candlelight, but Henry knew this was only because his father preferred it dim.

Towards the back wall of bookcases layered with thick books, a graying grizzly with half-moon spectacles scratched on paper with a quill and ink.

Henry couldn't help but smile at the sight of his father and his customary writing utensils. It was one of the few aspects he liked about the bear. William Taylor never had a liking for modern day pens, finding them lacking in character. He would use a beautiful fountain pen when in public, but when at home in his office, he preferred his feathered quill. The familiar scratching was soothing to Henry, yet it also made him nervous.

Beary once more hid behind his father. He wasn't quite sure why fear had suddenly struck him; perhaps it had something to do with how this office felt oddly familiar to Thrasher's in terms of lighting and atmosphere.

"Master William, Henry Dixon Taylor to see you."

"Thank you, Hubert. You may leave."

Hubert did as ordered, leaving the three bears and dog alone in the room.

After a few moments, William put down his quill and lifted his head, examining the newcomers.

Henry could feel his piercing brown eyes baring into his very soul, looking for every flaw, as if searching for the answer of how things had gone so wrong between them. The manager breathed slowly and deeply, never breaking eye contact with him, as he knew this was a sigh of weakness.

William Isaac Taylor was still quite handsome for a seventy-five-year-old grizzly with a graying muzzle and short cropped hair that seemed to add even more character to him. He wore a suit and tie, and Henry could still see the rippling muscle that lay beneath the fabric. Trust his father to keep in shape. His chocolate brown eyes peered over his spectacles searchingly.

Henry almost flinched when his father pushed his high-backed leather chair back and stood, approaching them. "Henry, my boy. The years have not done you justice." His voice was pleasant, but held authority. He held out his paw for a shake. "How long has it been?"

"More years than I can count, Father. I hope I find you well?" He accepted the handshake, swallowing down his nerves.

"I'm here, aren't I? Still strong and haven't fallen ill. Hmph." He squeezed his paw before letting go. "Tell me, what is the reasoning behind you contacting me after all this time? And where is your dear wife? Oh, yes, I apologize. I had forgotten about her passing. Your mother told me, since I wasn't invited to the funeral. I am sorry for your loss. Helen was truly a unique bear, and she is sorely missed."

Henry blinked in surprise. "Thank you for your condolences, Father, and I am sorry I have not kept in contact. After all that happened, I did not know if you would speak to me." He cleared his throat. "I called due to someone wishing to meet his grandparents."

William Taylor arched an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly. "His? Last I remembered, you only had one child, and she was a girl. It is a pity that that tornado stole her away. I was rather fond of her."

Beary flinched, remembering what his father had only revealed to him a few days ago – that he had an older sister. Why had his father kept such a secret from him? Why were so many secrets kept from him? It wasn't fair. He tried to calm himself down, doing a few breathing exercises.

Henry moved aside, looking over his shoulder. He frowned and put a paw on his son's shoulder comfortingly, trying to calm him down. "Father, this is my son. Beary, stop hiding," he chastised when the cub moved behind him again.

"Is this the one that came from the test tube?"

Beary froze. "Test tube?"

Henry's eyes widened in shock. "Father!"

"Does he not know the truth?"

Beary looked up at his father, confused. "Dad?"

"L-Later, Beary." Henry was shaking with anger.

Beary frowned and walked out from behind his father.

William blinked in surprise as his grandson came into view. The cub looked like he was gaining some muscles, and he was lean. His hair and ear was turning white. Just like his mother. However, the unease and nervousness in the cub's demeanor placed a small smile on the aging bear as he got down on one knee in front of him, now able to look into his eyes. "Hello, little one. You're not afraid of big ol' me, are you? I'm not going to hurt you." He reached out slowly, gripping the cub's shoulder. "To my surprise, you do indeed look like a bear. Huh. Though, I question your fashion choices." His eyes focused on the crystal covered golden feather pendant.

The teen's heart seemed to stop for a moment as he looked into the brown eyes. He was at a loss for words. His paws reached up to cover the pendant protectively.

Henry watched his son and his father carefully, giving Beary a reassuring smile, though he was still furious, and knew his son would be asking many questions later. Questions that Henry wasn't sure he could answer.

"H-Hello, sir," Beary mumbled meekly.

"You don't need to be so nervous around me. I'm not going to hurt you. You're a Taylor! Why don't you sit down in one of these chairs and we can talk? Unless you'd rather visit the library? Or has Henry taken you on a tour of the home yet?"

Beary shook his head. Why did he feel so nervous?

"Well then, shall we do that? Perhaps we may even run into your sister, Henry. I know she's been dying to see you. As for the boy, I understand we had a falling out over your decision, but you still should have told me that the treatment was a success. Your mother, if I recall, never mentioned seeing him with you at Helen's funeral."

The teen bit his lip, wondering what his father would say. Would his grandfather be upset knowing that Beary had been raised by a loving human family instead of his own father?

Henry glanced at his son, seeing his anxiousness, and so answered the best way he could. "Beary I had raised by a nanny and her family. He was too young then to come, Father. I did not think it was a good idea at the time."

"A nanny? Hmph! And to think you said you would raise your cubs on your own. Hiring a nanny. Now you sound like one of us purebreds again. About time, boy." He looked at his grandson. "And you? How did you appreciate being raised by a nanny? Was it a mixbreed or whatever?"

"Human..." Beary murmured, glancing sideways at his father. Why did he lie?

"Human?" William blinked a few times, startled. "Henry, what in the world?"

"Would you think anyone looking for members of the Taylor bloodline would look in a human family? And it meant he would grow up with the knowledge on how the human people are." He apologized silently to the gods and to Beary himself for lying, but it was for his own safety.

"Why would someone be looking for him? Who did you piss off? Is that why the boy's mother died? Hmph. I have to admit, having him raised by humans was not a bad move. Fairly stupid, though. He stands out more in a human family than he would have in a grizzly or brown bear family. If anything, you put him in more danger."

Beary lightly knelt down, stroking Smores' head as he tried to figure out what his father was playing at. Why was he lying?

"I made sure he would be safe, and I didn't piss anyone off. Please, do not swear in front of my son, Father. I only did so because I thought it was for the best, what with Helen being murdered. What would you think of doing if the same had happened to Mother, and we were just cubs ourselves?" He shook his head. "But on a different topic, if I may break this one, my son asked to meet his grandparents, and if Andrea is around, perhaps meet his aunt?"

"Your mother is not in the best of health at the moment, Henry, but if you'd like, you may go up and visit her." He flicked an ear, hearing the phone ring. "That must be the important business call I have been awaiting. You take the cub along-" He suddenly frowned. "You never did tell me his name."

Beary scowled. "It's Beary."

William's jaw dropped, horror reflecting from his eyes. "You're joking." Oh, the embarrassment of it all. "How much did your father pay you to say that? $100? $200?"

Beary blinked in confusion. "But... my name really is Beary, sir. Beary Henry Taylor."

The elderly bear didn't know whether or not to laugh, scream, or cry. He couldn't believe this. The boy must be joking; there was no way Henry would ever give his child such a ridiculous name. "Henry, what is the meaning of this?" His voice took on a dark tone, his eyes flashing with anger. "Are you trying to make a joke of this family?"

The cub looked down, ears flattening as he sighed softly, hurt by his grandfather's words. He didn't know why he was letting it get to him – it wasn't the first time he'd been made fun of due to his name.

Smores whined softly, nuzzling his paw.

Henry looked down at his son, and put his paw on his shoulder. "I was thinking about naming him Beaufort Henry Taylor, after my great-grandfather, but I thought it would be too much of a mouthful, so we chose Beary. Please, do not attack my son over his name, Father. Ridicule me, if you must, sir." He pulled Beary closer to him, trying to calm him down and reassure.

Beary's eyes widened and dread filled him as he looked up at his father in shock. Was he serious? What kind of name was that?! It was dreadful!

"Beaufort?" William scratched his chin thoughtfully for a few minutes, contemplating this. It was a strong name, but a rather ugly one. He wasn't sure if it was any better than the one the cub had now. "Henry, if you had named him that, I'm fairly certain this cub would have kicked your ass. I'm surprised he hasn't already."

The cub frowned for a few moments, looking down. He had to admit his grandfather was right about him kicking ass if Beaufort had been his name. He shuddered slightly.

"I'd have thought you would have liked it, considering it was great-grandfather's name." He glanced towards a portrait of a rather strong, magestic looking bear with many medals pinned to his military suit. The name underneath read "Beaufort Bartemius Taylor". He shrugged and looked at his son, sighing. "That's why I called you Beary, instead."

The teen simply raised an eyebrow, not sure if his father was serious or not. "Then... what about Erik? Is that a good name?"

"Erik?" William asked. "Is there another son I don't know about, Henry?"

"Mine," Beary replied.

The elder bear's startled expression was one Henry had never before witnessed. Henry's ears went back as he looked at his father's expression.

Without another word, William summoned the butler with a ring of a bell, pointed at Beary and Smores, and allowed his servant to usher them out of the room with a promise of a tour.

"D-Dad!" Beary cried as he was pulled away, separating father and son. He saw his father's frightened expression just as the door was closed. He looked at Hubert, confused. "Why'd you take me away?!"

"Master William wishes to speak to your father alone, young master. I ask that you respect their wishes." Hubert studied him. "Would you like anything to eat?"

Beary shook his head.

Hubert nodded, gave a bow, and left him.

By the time Henry emerged from the office nearly an hour later, he found Beary standing in the foyer, too afraid to sit down or move anywhere. Smores licked his paw comfortingly.

Seeing his son like that made him pause in confusion. "Beary? You okay, kid?" he asked softly, approaching.

Beary glanced up, relief evident on his face as he rushed over to his father and hugged him. He didn't want to admit that he'd been frightened of being separated.

Henry blinked for a second before kneeling down a little and holding him close. "Hey… What's the matter? Are you all right? What's on your mind?"

"Just... This place... I... It's not welcoming, Dad. It's cold and heartless. And... and Grandpa... he scares me," he finally admitted after some more coaxing. "He... he reminds me of..."

"He may be scary, and he may have some crazy ideas on how things should be, but he's not the monster that hurt you and Jewel. He's not like that," he whispered into his ears, nuzzling him. "I admit that the house has changed since I was last here, and you're right, it is a little cold."

Beary hugged him tightly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to stay and see the rest of the family. What if they were the same?

"Your grandmother is very different to him. I wonder where she is…" He stood after a few moments and looked around.

"Is grandma like you?" He backed away a bit, stumbled, and fell backwards as his leg cramped up from standing still too long.

Henry was ready for him, and grabbed hold of him, pulling him back onto his feet. "I'll answer that in a second. Hang on. Lean on me." He knelt down again and, after rubbing his paws together to warm them up, he put them on the cramped leg with gentle, but firm movements to massage the cramped muscle. "Tell me if I hurt you, all right?"

Beary nodded and purred at the soothing relief, though he almost kicked his father back when his paws got too high.

"Is that feeling any better?" He continued, moving his paws lower, being very careful where he put his paws. He didn't want Beary to have an anxiety attack.

Beary nodded, biting back the pain that was in his thigh. He didn't want his father to touch him anywhere above the knee.

Henry frowned when he found that his son's muscles were cramped all the way up his leg. "Beary… I'll find another way to relieve the cramp if you don't trust me, but, would you let me move my paws up a bit? You really are locked up, kiddo." He explained the other way, which involved finding a suitable form of heat for locked up muscles.

Beary frowned, but nodded and agreed to the first one. He just wanted the pain to end! Smores whined and licked his paw again.

"I'll go slowly, okay? The second you want me to stop, say so." He frowned as well, and slowly began to massage his leg, moving very slowly up the limb.

Beary bit his lip and closed his eyes, trying to block out the memories. His ears flattened and he backed away suddenly, shaking as the memories poured through against his will.

"Okay, all right. I'm done. I won't do anymore." Henry moved backwards, holding his paws up away from him. "It's all right. I'm not him, Beary. I've stopped, see?" Damn it!

He sighed and just plopped down heavily, feeling frustrated and embarrassed. "I'm s-sorry, Dad. I know you're not. I do. I just…"

"Don't be. I understand why that happened, and I know it's still taking you time to trust again, Beary."

"I'm just being stupid."

"No, you aren't. If I had been in your situation, I would be just like this, as would anyone."

"Yeah, but no one can hurt you!"

"Actually, they can and have. No matter the age, be you young or old, you can still get hurt."

Beary looked at him in surprise. "But you're huge! How could anyone hurt you?"

"Simply by hurting those I love," the older bear responded softly. "A bigger bear than me could, yes, hurt me in a fight, but anyone, be they thin, fat, muscular, short, tall, human, or bear, could still hurt me by hurting someone dear to me."

"Oh..." He frowned a bit, thinking. "I'm sorry..."

"Why be sorry? You've done nothing wrong."

"I'm not hurting you?"

"Nope, you've never hurt me, not once."

"No trusting you doesn't hurt?" He looked surprised.

"No, because I understand why you don't. I wouldn't trust anyone, if I'd been in your situation, Beary."

"Only Jewel... And that... sucks, you know? You're all my family!"

"And in time you will find your feet around us all. No one is rushing or forcing you to trust us, Beary."

"I know... I wish you would, though."

"Trust comes with time, to speed it up would make it unstable and easy to break, Beary," he responded wisely.

He sighed and looked down. "Sorry. I'll... Maybe... I don't know..."

"You don't know what, little one?" Came a voice, soft and gentle to the ear from the grand staircase.

Beary's ears flicked around curiously. Who was that?

Henry slowly lifted his head up, a big smile on his face. "Mama." He looked at the beautiful she-bear on the staircase, wearing a blouse and long skirt, her hair done up in a lovely bun.

"Is she scary?" Beary asked, looking at his father, glancing nervously over at the she-bear.

He smiled and shook his head. "As scary as a powderpuff."

"Powderpuff?" He shook his head.

"A powderpuff, Henry? Really? I'm far scarier than that!" the lady on the staircase laughed, her voice full of warmth.

"Would you have preferred me saying a marshmallow?" Henry chuckled and helped Beary over to his mother, a broad grin on his face. "Hello, Mother."

"You know I prefer Mama, my dear," Gwyneira Taylor smiled, stepping down.

Beary could feel his heart racing at the sight of the she-bear. What if he screwed up? What if she didn't like him?! Smores walked beside him, gently on his leash.

Gwyneira made her way down the stairs, smiling brightly. She wasted no time in wrapping her arms around her son's neck, nuzzling him lovingly, and nipping at his ear. "Oh, my little boy! Henry, my dear, it's so good to see you again! Who is this?" Gentle eyes turned to regard the young bear. Immediately, she could see a lot of Helen in the cub, but Henry's eyes.

"I... I'm... Bear..." He looked down. "Uh... Beaufort." His ears flattened.

"I'm sure that isn't your real name, sweetheart. Henry, don't tell me your father gave you the long lecture over names." Gwyneira frowned a moment, before smiling kindly at her grandson and approached him.

"His name is Beary, Mama, and yes, Father did."

"I see. Sometimes, I fear he remains in the old ways too much."

"I... But Beary's a stupid name..." Beary murmured bashfully. "Everyone makes fun of it. 'Have a Beary Christmas!' 'You are Beary nice!' that sort of thing."

"That sounds like mere familial playing around and teasing, my dear. Never feel your name is stupid because someone uses it in a context like that. It's nice to meet you, Beary. I've been wondering when you would come visit. I saw in the papers that you had reunited with your father." Sensing the young bear had his father's bashfulness, she smiled fondly as she held out a paw to shake, crouching so she didn't tower over him, as he wasn't fully grown yet.

Beary looked up at her and shook her paw after some hesitation. Her grip was steady and strong, but not hurtful. "So... You're my grandmother?"

"Grandmother sounds a little formal, don't you think? But yes, I am, young one."

"You... seem nicer than grandpa." His eyes widened in horror as he realized how rude he sounded.

She raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before laughing. "I'm going to guess he scared you when you went to his study?" She shook her head. "He always carries with him an air of superiority and can be a little… bombastic, is perhaps the word."

Beary felt a grin forming. He liked her! And she seemed to like him, too! He grinned softly and looked up to her, purring. He smiled and began to relax, though he was still nervous about meeting her. "He did scare me. Reminded me of... never mind." He blushed and looked away bashfully. "Dad looks a lot like you." He looked at his father, then at the gracefully aging she-bear. He could see wisdom in her eyes, and it made him completely relax. She was in no way like William or Thrasher.

"Well, thank you. I had hoped he would get his good lucks from me." She looked at her son, purring happily.

Henry laughed. "I'm glad I got them, too. It's how I snagged Helen."

Gwyneira smiled fondly at the thought. "I do miss her so. She brought so much light to this house."

Beary frowned. "Wait. I thought you all hated her!"

Henry blinked. "Where did you hear that?"

"Kenya!"

"Well then, allow me to shed some light on the subject. While we may not have been initially happy in Henry's choice, we later came to love her. At least, I did. William, well… He tolerated her, but he never forgave his son for betraying the family."

"Betray?"

Gwyneira shook her head. "How about we go out on the back patio? It is such a nice day, rare for this time of year. Let us talk out there."

.~*~.

By the time dusk fell, Beary had forgotten that he was going to visit his adoptive family, too enthralled with learning about his father's family. He learned of the pureblood way, but had a feel some things were left out. He had had a grand time meeting his grandmother, and could not wait for the next date of meeting.

Henry, though relaxing, knew that the evening would most likely lead to Beary asking some questions about what William had said, but thankfully, it came not to pass. It was as if Beary had forgotten, something he was grateful for.

Beary waved as he and his father got in their car. "That was so much fun! Grandma's awesome! Thanks for letting me meet them!"

Henry smiled, glad to see his old Beary back. "It was a nice visit. Perhaps my memories were false."

The cub grinned and got Smores into his carrier, and then got into the front seat, and they were off, falling silent for a few minutes as they traveled down the long driveway. "Dad? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but go ahead," Henry chuckled.

Beary gave a weak smile. "Dad… Was I a test tube baby?"

Henry nearly slammed on the brakes. He coughed a bit and hooked a claw under his necktie, not looking at his son. "I, uh… what makes you say that?"

"I… I was thinking over some things that people have said. You said that Mom couldn't have any cubs, and then I have a sister, but then Mom gets sick and loses her tubes. Grandpa said something about a test tube… Dad, is it true?" Beary looked over at him, ears lowering.

Henry took a deep breath. "It's true."

"I see… Is that why I've got these freaky abilities?"

"If you're asking if we engineered you that way, then no. No one can give you those kinds of gifts. The only thing we engineered, in a sense, was a baby. We so wanted another, and after two decades of failure, we did the only we could. We heard of a doctor who could do IVF treatments for bears. At that time, it was against our culture. So many were against the thought of out of the womb conceiving. It was right up there with abortion, strangely enough, though it was the opposite.

"We went to this doctor, and he promised a child. The treatment, however, cost a lot. We took out a loan, and mortgaged the Hall."

"It was that important?" Beary was shocked.

"You are that important, my son. We gave up everything for the chance to have you."

"Even though you didn't know you'd succeed?"

Henry nodded. "Yes."

"Wow…"

"Are you mad?"

"What? Why would I be? You guys wanted a cub, and you got me. I don't care how I came into this world. I just know… that I'm not exactly normal, nor do I want to be. In some cases, yeah, having think insane amount of bad luck completely sucks, but… I have you for a Dad, I have a great adoptive family, I have the Bears, and I have Jewel and Erik. I wouldn't change anything."

Henry blinked, surprised at how maturely Beary was handling this. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

"I've had worse surprises thrown at me. Like this." He focused on his paw, grinning as the pad changed from black to emerald green.

Henry glanced at him, smiling. "I see you're getting some control. That's good."

"Yeah. Not much right now, and it's a good thing I have this feather, otherwise I'm sure my entire body would be green right now." He watched as the colors faded back to black.

His father smiled, purring. "You're one of a kind, kiddo." He reached over and patted his head.

"I'm the scientific impossibility, Dad. Of course I'm one of a kind!"

Henry suddenly slammed his paw on the steering wheel. "That's it!"

Beary looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You said the Bears earlier, remember? I know how to get the money to fix the fence! We'll have a concert!"