Now I know why I never go to bed with wet hair! I sigh unhappily as I stare at the tangled mess atop my head in the bathroom mirror the next morning. My phone chirps beside me. It's Mina. "Heard you grumbling around over there. Remember there's so much food leftover in the fridge, you probably won't have to cook for a week. I'll let you rest today. Glad you slept in late. Call if you need anything." Always the mother, that Mina. I stretch and realize how stiff I am. Looks like a good morning, make that afternoon for some yoga. I take my disarrayed hair and wrangle it into submission so it's outta my way and change into my yoga gear. I grab my mat from the guest room and set it up in the living room. It's still a mess from the day before, but there's enough room for me to do my thing. I find a playlist and get into a routine. About ninety minutes later I end up in corpse pose, relaxing in a pool of sweat.

I finally get up when I start to feel clammy. I clean up my mat before jumping in the shower to cool off and rewash my hair, so I can cut it again. After that's all taken care of, I give myself two pigtail braids and head to my room to see what needs to be done there. I find a small parcel on my bed with a note. I open it to reveal a birthday card from Cas. "I heard you needed something to hold your shuriken, I hope this will suffice." I unwrap the box to find an awesome ninja belt? A harness? I'm not really sure what it is as there are straps and buckles. It comes with a set of twelve kunai nestled in between spots for my shuriken. They have their own holders that come free with the lightest touch of my finger, once I figure out how to unbuckle the clasp. It is an awesome gift.

"Thanks, Cas!" I say out loud then put it back into the box. My fingers are itching to practice with the kunai, but I know I can't fully concentrate until my house is clean. I sigh and push the box under my bed. I wash the sheets and blanket I accidentally stole from Max. I clean off my floor of clothing, looking for my dress from last night. I bet it's dry clean only and hope if I get it there today, I can salvage it. I'm just about to text Mina when I find it in my closet. It still looks brand new, so I have a feeling Mina had a hand in that. I text her a thank you. She pretends not to know what I'm talking about. Then I head to the guest room to clean up from when Max used it. The rest of my house needs a lot of work too. I know I'll never be able to relax if it's not cleaned up. I sigh.

The kitchen, dining room and living room are the worst. I start in the dining room, clearing out decoration and the extra plates, silverware, and napkins. All the food was put away, or should I say the stuff that should have been put away was. There's still a lot of baked goods, boxes and condiments out. I hear a knock at the door and wonder who it could be. I look through the peephole and find a scruffy looking Max outside. I open the door. "What are you doing here?" I chuckle. "Checking up on me?"

"But of course!" He kneels and kisses my hand. Standing up he runs his hand through his hair trying to get that lock that always falls to stay put. "I thought you might want some help cleaning up your place." He pauses. "I probably should have called first." He says checking me out.

"Nonsense!" I say and pull him inside. "I appreciate the help. Mina could prob..." I stop myself before saying more.

"Mina could what?" Max asks curiously.

I laugh, "Come and help me out, but she's off at classes today. Wait. Don't you have classes today?"

He smiles. "I played hooky this afternoon."

"Max!" I swat his arm. "You shouldn't do that!"

"Just kidding." He snickers. "My afternoon class was canceled which is why I came over. And I wanted to bring you your present. I still should have called though."

"Nope. You have earned the right to pop over whenever you feel like it." I grin at him.

"Even if I pop over and your cleaning your house in your underwear and pigtails?" He says a little awkwardly, looking at my feet.

I follow his gaze and realize I have no pants on. Just some boy short underwear with a cupcake covering my who-haw and sweet cheeks on the butt. My face flushes, giving away my embarrassment before I can think of a witty comeback, so I stumble out. "Well yeah! Obviously!" and giggle nervously.

"Alright, then Heidi!" He says not skipping a beat and tugs on my braid. "Where do you want me to start?"

"The dining room," I answer quickly. "Bring in the piles of food and food-related stuff to the kitchen. I will get a box for the decorations... and probably find some pants."

I see him smirk as he heads that way, but he knows me well enough not to say more. Good one Alyx! I run to my room, grab some pants and find a box for the decorations in the spare room. I drop it off to Max and head to the kitchen to organize the food. I open all the cupboards and see that I am a little lacking in the food department so the birthday brunch things will fill me right up. Mina knew after all. Max comes in and sets things on the counter or the sideboard as I put things away.

"Hey, this decoration box is all full and I still have more that needs to be stored. Any more boxes?" Max asks setting the full one on the counter.

"Yeah, in the guest room. I'll go get it." I say turning.

He stops me with his hand on my shoulder. "No, you're busy. I'll get it. Are they in the closet?"

"Yeah, if there is something written on it with a sharpie, its full, otherwise its free. There are some flat ones in the back to make up if there aren't any that are available." I tell him.

"Okie Dokie." He says taking the full one and going down the hall.

Okie Dokie! Tyrion used to say that and it makes me remember him. Why does Max remind me of Tyrion so much?! They look nothing alike, don't even really have the same personality. Is it me just putting him in that box? I ponder it for a moment before deciding it's definitely me and I need to stop. Max is not Tyrion. Tyrion is gone and I have to accept that. Chuck himself said he's not coming back so I have to find a way to get past it. Give Max a chance to be Max. As he passes back through the kitchen, he gives me a curious look as I'm standing at the counter staring off into space, a cereal box in my hand.

I get back to organizing my shelves with food. Then I tackle the fridge, everything is stuffed in there all wonky. Max comes back in with the full box. "Dining room is cleaned up. Table looks great but it needs a vacuum. Want me to do it?" I nod and before I can tell him where the vacuum is, he's off. He grabs it from the front coat closet and sets about doing it. He really has been here a lot, looks like more than I know of. After vacuuming the dining room, he starts cleaning the living room. He grabs another box for decorations, throwing out the garbage of empty plates, lost cups and silverware, making the place look livable again. He even grabs the stuff off my patio and sweeps it too. Then he wipes down every surface that he found something on. Takes out all the rugs to shake them and vacuums all that too. By that time, I've gone through the fridge and combined things threw out some stuff and got it ready to repack.

"Help me get this stuff in and then we can have a snack or two." I laugh at my own joke. "Anything you want to eat though keep out." Max hands me bowls, Tupperware containers, plastic boxes and bags of things. Once everything is in there's still plenty left on the table. "You want any of this? Otherwise, I'm just gonna throw it away."

"Don't do that. I'll take it. I know some people who could use it." He says and goes to grab another box. "I'll just pack up here and leave you be. I know you need your rest after yesterday, but I also knew you wouldn't be able to relax with a dirty house." He winks at me.

"You were right. Thanks again for the help." I say truthfully.

"I put your earrings on your dresser, is that cool?" he asks.

"Oh yeah! Thanks!" I exclaim having forgotten all about them due to the no pants thing.

"Okay. Well, if you'll open the door for me, I'll leave you for some peace and quiet." He smiles that megawatt smile of his, the famous dimple making an appearance. I sort of live for that smile. I know it's hard to get him to. I've never seen him do it with anyone else either. I open the door for him. "Call if you need anything." He hefts the box higher before heading down the stairs into a snowstorm that has started. I hope he makes it home safe. Then I go back to my kitchen, make a huge plate of food and settle myself into the couch. Mingho and Midnight decide to make an appearance now that all the work is done, and there's food present. I chuckle connecting to my Netflix and pick up where I left off on Stranger Things.

A few hours and a few episodes later, I turn off the TV. I see the pile of mail on the coffee table and figure I better go through it now. I take it and head to my office for my letter opener. This much mail requires a hand. Mostly bills, some credit card offers and several cards from family members. I even get one from my good for nothing brother. Maybe Johnathan really is trying to be a better person? I haven't gotten one in years; this could be a good sign. I try not to get my hopes up though. I also spy Dean's card in the pile and pull it out. If Johnathan's card makes me sad, Dean's will cheer me up. I open Johnathan's card. There's an actual little blurb written in it. "Sis. I know I haven't been the greatest brother in the world and I'm sorry about that. I'm also sorry for, well you know what for. I don't need to dredge up those painful memories. I know you're still hurt and mad and I respect you enough to give you your space. I just wanted you to know I'm working on being better. I want to be the kind of brother you would be proud to have and am getting help so I can be, someday. Hope you have an awesome birthday. Twenty-five, wow! Where did the time go? I do love you and am so very proud of what you've accomplished. Happy birthday, Sis! Love, Johnathan." I blink back tears. I feel like he is growing and maybe he is actually getting his life together. I don't want to put too much stock in it because he's let my family down before, but I let go of a little more of that hurt I've been keeping inside. I've forgiven him, but I haven't forgotten what he did. That's the part that I'm working on so I can grow to trust him again. I still have hope that it could happen.

I take all the cards and put them in my living room to display, I like to look at them and see all the people who sent me love for my birthday. I sit on the couch to open Dean's. He sent me a very beautiful, moving, wordy card. Inside is a smaller card. I open it. Inside are instructions: Solve these two riddles to take you to your present. Two haikus were present below the note. They read:

Like teeth sharp and white Purple star reaching

Surrounded by softest down In twisty twilight I sense

They stretch to the stars. Scent floating on air.

I was usually pretty good at riddles and I knew that these had to be the clues to where my present was. I thought about it but couldn't think of what the answers might be. I was still a little off. Dean had said no rush on getting there, but I wanted to see what he had gotten for me. I had the weekend to figure it out before I headed back to classes on Monday or I would have to wait a whole week before I could try again. I thought about asking Mina but remembered she had texted earlier and said she was going out with some other witches to celebrate Matronalia, even though it was technically a day late, whatever that meant. I give a big yawn and decide to call it a night. It's early, but I know I need my rest anyway. Maybe I can work out the clues while I dream.

Saturday morning, I awake and instantly know the answers to my riddles. I knew that sleeping on them would do the trick. The first one was describing the mountains and the second one was describing a lilac bush. There's only one place that I know and Dean knows of that has that. Tyrion's cabin. I glance out the window hoping that yesterday's snow was a spring snow and had melted off. It wasn't. Chunks of snow hang over my window waiting to fall to the ground below. Icicles sparkled as they caught the early sun's rays. A thick layer of crunchy snow lay on the ground because it tried to melt but then was refrozen. I sigh and pull out my long winter underwear and warm wool socks. I don't want to be cold out there. I put on a second layer of everything before finding some jeans and a sweater. I pull on my high-top winter hiking boots and my poufy coat before grabbing some pastries and my keys.

My phone pings. It's Ben. I haven't heard from him in a while and it's early for anyone to be up at this hour. Seven on a Saturday morning, what college kid is up now? Unless he hasn't gone to bed yet. I glance at the message and see its some loooong sort of letter and know he's drunk. Pft! I can read it later.

I head out to my car that's blessedly been cleared off by some good Samaritan and start her up. I sit inside waiting for the heat to thaw me out and munch on pastries. This is that one last push of winter that we always get. Spring looks like it's here and we get one last snowstorm that wreaks havoc on everything. Usually, it's close enough to spring break that it makes for good skiing, but not this year. Brrr! I think about texting Mina, but if she went out last night, she's probably just getting to sleep now. I should be back before she even knows I'm gone anyway. I'm finally warm enough which means the car is finally warm enough so I put her into drive and head out on the lonely streets into the mountains.

Even with the snow on the roads, my car gets me through the curvy roads to the turnoff. People live out here so the road to the cabin is mostly clear. That last little bit isn't since no one is staying there now. I slip a little but make it to the garage before cutting the engine. I zip my coat up higher and get out. The snow is deep, but not so deep that it gets in my boots. I head around back and towards the lilac bush. It's still blooming, the strong scent wafting towards me. A sliver of land around the plant is full of green grass, untouched by the snow. As if it's in its own little bubble. I glance around looking for something that might indicate my present. A box, some wrapping paper. Nothing. I peer through the branches next and I find a white ribbon, tied to what looks like a scrap of yellowed paper folded in two. I entangle it from the branches and open it to find another Haiku. I roll my eyes chuckling to myself. So, it's going to be one of those wild goose chase scavenger hunts then. I totally love it! The poem says:

One page on another,

dark stains in ordered patterns,

knowledge bound together.

I know immediately the answer to this is a book. But which book? One at my house? One at the library? The bookstore? I'm so busy pondering I almost miss the rest of it. At the bottom in Dean's handwriting is a PS. To give you a little hint: it's one of yours, a first edition, and one I know you love. I think I know which one he's talking about but am not sure. We never had a conversation about books other than Game of Thrones. How would he know some of my favorites? Maybe he spent a little time in my library? Either way I'll have to go back home to find this book with another clue in it, I'm sure. I clip off some flowers to bring home with me and head back to my car. I catch a whiff of wolf and wonder if it's one of the pack or a real one. "Hello!" I call out hoping it's Beta or even Ahna. I haven't heard from them since I left, and I'm worried about what they went back to. When no animal or person comes forward, I get in my car and start her up, eager to get back to my place and find the next clue.

By the time I head back into the city the early morning crowd is alive and well. All the drive-up coffee stands are full and people are out shoveling snow off their driveways. The snowplows are at it too. Thankfully my parking lot is done when I get there. If you're already parked when they come to plow, they just box your vehicle in with snow, they don't care. I see several people that are not going to be happy when they leave later. I get to my assigned spot and upon exiting my vehicle run into my downstairs neighbor Lyle. "Hey, Alyx! I heard you were in the hospital. You are looking remarkably well for someone who just got out! Is... is it okay if I hug you?" He asks cautiously.

"Of course, Lyle!" We embrace. "I was actually released three days ago. I've had some time to recover since then."

"With that party the other day? It was quite crowded," He comments.

I laugh. "Yes, even with the party. It was mostly food and talking. Everyone stopped by to wish me well and see how I was doing. How come you didn't show up?"

"I thought about it, but I figured you wouldn't want some old fart like me cramping your style," He admits.

"Lyle!" I swat him. "You could never cramp my style. You're pretty awesome for an old dude."

"Yeah?" He questions, his eyes searching mine.

"Why do you think I stop by with baked goods all the time?!" I tease him. "I make those cookies and muffins special for you. I know you can't have sugar." His eyes light up at that comment. "I love to hear your stories and watch Jeopardy with you. I think we make a great team. I know all the newer stuff, you know the older stuff. Sorry I haven't been around much lately."

"Ah well, you kids nowadays overwork yourselves. And that thing with your best friend dying, and then your boyfriend leaving you. I don't blame you for not coming. I'm going to miss you when you graduate here in May though. Hopefully, the next batch of kids will be as great as you." He gives me another squeeze. "Promise you'll come see me at least one more time before you leave?"

"I promise, Lyle." He gives me a grandfatherly eye. "Scouts honor!" I laugh. "I will!" I have every intention of keeping that promise too. "I gotta get inside now though, it's a bit cold." I shiver and he nods understanding. "Have a great day!" I call and head to my place.

I get inside and first thing put on a pot to boil. It really wasn't that cold out, but I was feeling it. I knew I needed to take it easy for the rest of the weekend if I wanted to go back to classes next week. And I did, I already missed them. Yeah, I know I'm a nerd. I take off my wet things while the pot heats up and put on a sweater with a sweatshirt over it. More long winter underwear goes on under my sweatpants and I grab a blanket to wrap around me like a cape. I pour some water into my unicorn mug and drop in some hibiscus rose to steep, while thinking of what book I'm looking for. When the tea is ready and I add some honey, I take it with me to look at my immense shelves of books. I check if any are out of place or look as if they have been tampered with. Nope, all look right where they should be. I put my hand in my pocket to grab the paper forgetting that it's in the other clothes. I set the tea on my desk and head back to the kitchen, noticing the lilacs on the counter.

I get them situated in a vase and find my jeans digging through the pockets. In the last one I find the paper and read his PS again; To give you a little hint: it's one of yours, a first edition, and one I know you love. Ah, a first edition, that usually only pertains to older books. That narrows my search down quite a bit. I take a sip of tea and put it on the desk. I don't have many books that old. Several I got from each set of grandparents when they passed away. I didn't really get to know any of them, they lived too far away and all passed before I was ten. But my parents knew I loved books and this was their way of letting me get to know them. Huckleberry Finn, The Poems of Emily Dickinson, Riders of the Purple Sage and The Rainbow Trail by Zane Grey, A Tale of Two Cities, Gone with the Wind, The Daybreakers by Louis L'Amour, A Separate Peace, And Then There Were None, Wuthering Heights, Of Mice and Men, The Old Man and the Sea, Anna Karenina, and Jane Eyre. I still couldn't believe how lucky I was to have all those in first editions.

I pulled out my favorite ones; Huckleberry Finn, Emily Dickinson, Gone with the Wind, And Then there were None, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina and A Separate Peace. But which one was it? I caressed each book, thinking about which one I loved the most. That was easy. Jane Eyre. It was also the one that was the most tattered. I opened the cover. Nothing. I turned a few pages and tucked inside on the first page was another note, just like the last. How did he know? I wonder if the ratty-ness of the book gave it away. I smile, not even Mina knew my favorite of these old books. I put the note on my desk and carefully close the book, lovingly placing them all back on the shelves. I take the tea and the note and head to my couch to read it. This one reads:

Loud crack of thunder

Burrowing through the still air

Flash of red appears.

That sounds a bit violent. I mull it over and for some reason, I keep coming back to guns. They are loud, the bullet burrows through the air and when it hits something, blood is red. I turn the paper over and find an address. 88 Black Hawk Lane. I take it I'm supposed to go there next. I google it and see it's not far into the country about twenty minutes north of me. It looks to be a gun store. Did Dean buy me a gun? How does that work? I decided to chill for a little bit as Google said it doesn't open until the afternoon. I had been talking about how excited I was to almost be done with my class and feeling so much more comfortable with the weapons. I think he took it as a hint.

I scroll through my social media sipping my tea, then I remember the text from Ben. I skim it. It basically says what all the others I've received have, just a bit wordier. He can't stop thinking about me, he cares about me and can't believe that jerk left me high and dry. Why don't I call him, he can comfort me, no funny business I swear. When I get out of hospital, he'll come take care of me, it will be his pleasure... blah, blah blah. Mina was right, this guy can't take a freaking hint. I sigh and delete the whole thing without responding. I think I'll have to talk to Mina about him.

I have the rest of the morning to kill, so I check in with all my classes making sure that is all set. Then I start fiddling with my data. I still haven't finished inputting it all into my spreadsheet and graph program. I finish that and start to theorize on some more things. Dang it! I need more data! My phone rings startling me back to reality. It's Jean. She wants to know if I'm up for lunch. She needs to talk. I don't really feel like going out for lunch, but I have to go to the shop anyway. "Meet me at La Parilla in ten minutes?"

"Sounds great! See you soon," She replies quickly. I wonder if this has something to do with her new status with Allen. I change into some jeans that are not wet over my cuddleduds, grabbing an extra sweater and fluffy scarf. What is with me today? Why am I so cold? I shiver as I finish buttoning my grandma sweater and wrap the scarf around me before putting on my coat and rushing down the stairs to my car.

I send Mina a text, in case she wakes up and worries. "Out to lunch with Jean, then have an errand. Don't worry." I head to the restaurant. By now the streets are clear and covered with salt to melt the remaining snow. It is definitely keeping people inside I notice as I pull into the almost empty parking lot. I see Jean's car and one other, so I know we'll basically have the place to ourselves.

Jean is waiting for me by the chalkboard menu. "I never know what to get here." I hear her mutter to herself.

"Everything is good. You really can't go wrong." I whisper in her ear.

"I know! That's the problem!" She giggles giving me a hug. "It's so good to see you looking more like your old self. I didn't want to say anything at the party, but underneath all of Mina's glitz and glamor I could tell you had been sick. Is that a horrible thing to say?" She says aghast. "I mean your party was a spectacular success, and I know we took out several things so you could have some resting time, but I wonder if it was still too much for you? How are you feeling now?"

"It was a lot, but that was why I plowed through. I could tell Mina had been planning things for a while and I didn't want to let her down you know? She worked so hard on it." I give her a smile. "But, yeah. When Max dropped me off after the dance/cupcake war I could barely get through my shower. I slept for almost fourteen hours the next day. Thankfully, I've had some time to recuperate. Today was my first day out since then actually."

"And you came to lunch with me?! Ah, that makes me feel special." Jean says with a flourish.

"I can't say no to La Parilla and I need to run some errands," I tell her. "Plus, I know you needed to talk and I'm always here for that.

"I know I can always count on you. Thank you!" She strings her arm through mine or tries to but my coat is so puffy. "Why are you so bundled up? It's not that cold out!"

"I think my immune system is a little weak because I'm freezing! I need something spicy to heat me up!" I say. "I'm getting the Buffalo Gypsy instead of my alfurrito this time."

"That does look good, but I'm in the mood for some salmon so it's the blackened salmon wrap for me." We place our orders and find a cozy spot near the fireplace to talk. I take off my coat, but leave the rest on me, my back to the fireplace. Jean grabs some iced tea for us both and sits down. "I suppose you know what I called to talk about?"

"I have an inkling," I say with my mouth full. Finishing the bite, "Does it have something to do with the fact that you and Allen are officially dating now?" She nods, her own mouth full of food. "And it kind of freaks you out. You don't know what people are going to say."

"How do you know what I'm feeling! It's like magic!" She giggles nervously.

"I didn't know that's what you were feeling. I was only guessing." I put my burrito down and savor some iced tea. "It's only an issue if you make it an issue, Jean. Nobody needs to know about Allen's past unless he wants to share it. For all intents and purposes, you met at a party in September. Maybe he saw you last year but was just to chicken to ask you out. Why do you care so much anyway?"

"I don't. Not really. I could give two rat's asses about what people here think, or people in the future think. I guess what I'm really worried about is when I take him home to meet my parents. I mean he already knows them! Isn't that going to be awkward?!" Her eyes widen with apprehension.

"That's what you're worried about?!" I start laughing and she gives me a great bitchface. "I'm sorry. It's not really funny to you I suppose." I clear my throat becoming serious. "Allen may know your parents from when you were a kid, but that's completely different from knowing them now. You guys will be fine. Don't worry so much. You're trying to make things harder when they don't even have to be."

"You think?!" She asks coming to the same realization.

"I know. Seriously. Don't sweat it. It's all going to work out fine." I smile and take another bite of my burrito. We spend the rest of the lunch talking about classes and spring break coming up. "Are you two going somewhere fun for the break?"

"Yeah. Allen is taking me on a cruise. I'm really really excited!" Her face lights up with joy at the thought of them. "I've been shopping since I found out, trying to find the perfect bathing suit and fun things to wear. It's going to be a little strange going tropical since I usually go skiing, but I really want to go with Allen. I'm willing to give it up. The thing was my parents said I could only go with him if they met him. That's why I've been stressing so much. What if they hate him and tell me I can't go?!" She says horrified.

"You've already paid for everything right?" She nods. "Then I highly doubt your parents will stop you from going. They just want to make sure you're with someone who will keep you safe. That's all. I mean think about it. Would you want your daughter to go somewhere with someone you hadn't met before?" Jean thinks about it and we finish the last of or burritos. Then I ask, "So, when do you leave?"

"We're leaving Friday after classes and driving to my parents for the weekend. They are going to drive us to the airport Sunday night for a red-eye to Fort Lauderdale where we will pick up our cruise on Tuesday morning. It's for five days and we'll fly home Sunday and then drive back to school before crashing. I'm going to skip classes that Monday if I need to. Can I text you if I need notes?"

I nod, "Of course! That sounds so very exciting! You better take lots and lots of pictures."

"You know me, I will!" She giggles. "Oh, look at the time. I've gabbed your ear off, I suppose you need to get to that errand."

I see it's one forty-five now. "I guess. We have been loitering here long enough."

Stew from the kitchen hollers, "You ladies can loiter here all day by me. It's nice to have some eye candy."

"Oh, stuff it, Stew!" I holler back. He just laughs. We gather our things. Me rewrapping myself in clothing. Passing by the kitchen, I chirp, "You know I love ya, Stew. See ya next time." He nods and waves as we head out into the somewhat warmer day.