Eight hours later, a little voice exclaiming "Snow!" roused Cat.

The next moment the plane rocked hard enough to bring a curse from Bones. Cat snaked her hand out for him to hold and he gripped it so hard a bone snapped.

"Mother--!" She cut herself off before she could finish.

"Sorry, Kitten," Bones said quietly, letting go long enough for her to heal, then accepting her hand again, though somewhat less forcefully.

Forty-five minutes of turbulence later, the plane bumped lightly onto the runway.

Bones' armrest was no longer attached to his seat, and Cat was impressed with the variety of languages he could curse in, but he hadn't hurt her again.

Cat peered out the window at the creamy white house in the distance. Black peaks adorned the ground floor windows, and in the deepening dusk, a candle burned in each of the many, many windows.

"Where are we?" Cat asked, gaze swinging between Bones and the huge house.

"Norway."

"What the hell are we doing in Norway?" Tate demanded.

"Surprising my wife," Bones replied curtly.

"It worked," Cat said.

Bones began to bundle Katie, and gestured to the bag. "Brought a coat for you too, Kitten."

Cat rifled through the bag and found a jacket for Tate and Justina, too. Bones already wore his leather jacket. "You've been planning, haven't you?"

"Oh yes, Kitten."

The plane door opened to let in a blast of cold that made Cat gasp in surprise. She quickly wrapped the scarf around Katie's face, then followed Bones down the steps.

A long black limousine was parked nearby, and the driver hurried to open the back door for them. Cinnamon and smoke filled Cat's nose and she exclaimed "Vlad!"

"Cat, it is good to see you again. Bones. Ian. Veritas. Welcome. Justina, Tate. And Katie." He smiled at Katie, genuine warmth in his eyes.

"Do you remember Vlad?" Cat asked Katie, who looked rather unsettled with all of the people.

Katie nodded, watching him. "Why do you smell like smoke?"

In reply, Vlad conjured a very small flame in the palm of his hand.

Katie's eyes widened and she inched back into Cat's side.

"It's okay," Cat assured her. "Vlad is pyrokenetic. He is an old, powerful vampire but he is my friend."

Vlad inclined his head in agreement and extinguished his hand. "Leila is at the house. I assume you all need to feed?"

Cat's stomach grumbled at Vlad's words and he chuckled.

"I would have thought you'd be well fed, with a plane full of vampires to chose from."

"No one else was eating so I decided to forgo until we arrived as well."

"I'll top up and then get you fed, Kitten." Bones said.

Leila waited at the front door for them. She greeted them all with warm handshakes with her gloved right hand, though Ian hugged her after shooting a cheeky grin at Vlad. "Stimulating," he teased, and Cat remembered that Leila emitted a current when touched.

Vlad sent him a smile that should have scared the hell out of him, but Ian laughed heartily. "I am married to the daughter of the keeper of the river of death, Tepesh. I've died and been resurrected. And while your bride is certainly exquisite, you have nothing to worry about." And he took Veritas' hand and kissed her knuckles.

Cat looked around to see Katie on Bones' hip again. She increasingly sought the tall, powerful vampire during periods of unsurety as she continued to acclimate to life in a family, and Cat suddenly realized that this was more people than Katie had been exposed to at one time than any time since they'd found her.

Katie had one arm around Bones' neck, but her expression was unfathomable as she regarded the strange vampires around her.

"Katie, this is my wife, Leila. Leila, Katie, Cat's daughter."

Leila extended a gloved hand, which Katie shook briefly. She eyed Leila's glove but said nothing.

"Cat, Bones, Katie, please follow me. Ian, Veritas, you as well."

Members of Vlad's staff carried their luggage as Leila showed them to their rooms. They took two sets of stairs up to the third floor, and stopped at the second door from the landing first. "Ian, Veritas, you'll be in this room. Would you like someone sent up or do you prefer to go downstairs?"

They exchanged looks and Ian answered. "Send up two, please. Thank you."

Leila nodded to one of the vampires who had carried their luggage, and he went off to fulfill the request.

"Cat, Bones?" Leila said after Ian had closed the door.

She led them down the hallway to another door, and took them inside a large bedroom done in greys and blackened wood. "Your room, and Katie's is through there." Leila gestured to another two doors on the right hand wall when standing inside the entrance.

Both were open, and one revealed a bathroom with a sinfully luxurious tub and shower combo, while the other was a smaller bedroom decorated in white.

"Would you like someone sent up, Bones?"

Cat spoke up first. "Go ahead, I'll be unpacking Katie."

Cat saw Leila's brow go up, but she didn't comment. Cat supposed Leila could guess that Cat's vampire territorialism caused it to be difficult for her to watch Bones feed, since it was known amongst most of their acquaintances that Bones preferred female donors.

"Thank you, Leila."