Gregory flew us back to the castle in no time at all. Once we got there, he continued to carry me throughout the castle looking for his mother. He told me to just bear with him and that he would treat my wounds after he relayed his father's message to his mother.

I simply nodded my head in understanding. Keeping to myself that I secretly didn't want to leave his safe embrace anytime soon.

We found Freda and my parents sitting in the den, talking to Maney as he finished installing an updated sound system to the television set. A surprise gift to the children for our movie nights. They didn't hear us come in at first until my mother's scream caught their attention.

"Lucy?!" My mom called out in alarm, "What happened?"

She stared at my bruised, scraped, and shaking body in complete shock. Dad rushed over to check on me, but Gregory refused to set me on the ground.

His arms pulled me even closer to his body.

"I-I'm okay, really," I tried to reassure them and myself at the same time.

"Sweetie, what happened?" My dad asked, pushing my hair out of my face.

"Clan Genovese came earlier than expected," Gregory hoarsely whispered to the group, "I was discussing plans with my father when…when they—I'm so sorry I wasn't there—"

"Gregory, stop it, you saved me," I interrupted him, making him look into my eyes, "If it weren't for you then…then I wouldn't be here right now."

"Oh, my heavens," Freda whispered coming closer to me, "I am so sorry you went through that, Lucy…Frederick and I will make sure those villains know their place!"

I've never seen such a fire in Freda's eyes before, it made me smile at the woman's maternal instincts.

"Oh, my God…"my mom suddenly exclaimed, "Where's Tony?"

My head snapped toward my mother's direction.

No…no, no, no.

Tony…he's—

"He's alright," Freda reassured my parents, "Him and Rudolph are near the cowshed playing with Countess right now."

Countess was the name they came up with for their vampire cow. And I have never been so happy at hearing that silly, flying cow's name before now.

"Oh, thank God," I muttered before slumping my head onto Gregory's chest.

My parents gave out a sigh of relief as well before turning their attention back to me.

"I-I can take her and get her wounds cleaned up…if that's okay?" Gregory hesitantly asked my parents. I don't think I've ever heard him talk to my parents without an air of confidence about him. This situation must have really shaken him up.

"Oh, yes of course!" My mom exclaimed.

"Gregory, we don't blame you for what happened, and you shouldn't blame yourself either," my dad assured the teenaged vampire.

"He's right you know," my mom supported, "None of us were prepared for this scenario, but you saved our daughter. We owe you our eternal gratitude."

Gregory just tightened his grip on me in response.

I could feel his stance tense up from my mother's words.

Something was wrong…

I don't know what, but my friend was hurting, and I wanted to take him away from it all.

I needed to fix this.

"Mom, dad, please keep an open mind," I begged them, "I know I'm asking a lot, but we can't start a clan war because of this…"

"Lucy, we can't just—" my mom began before my dad interrupted her.

"She's right, Dottie."

"Bob, you don't really mean—"

"Look, we knew that we were taking a huge risk when we agreed to all of this," dad began, "We can't let our anger color our decisions from here on out. We can plan and prevent further…incidences, but we can't shut out a group of people for making one terrible mistake."

Mom still didn't seem convinced on the matter.

"Mom, the Sackville-Baggs gave Maney another chance even though he also tried to kill their clan members," I reminded her, making eye contact with the former hunter who was standing to the side.

"But he is actually sorry about—"

"And who's to say that Clan Genovese won't come to regret their actions?" I disputed.

"She's, right, Dottie," my dad repeated, "We have to give them more time and interact with them to show that we mean no harm. I'm sure, in time, we can all reach a peaceful agreement together."

"…Fine," my mom begrudgingly agreed, "BUT, if they lay a finger on either of my babies again—then there isn't a crypt dark enough nor hidden enough that will keep them safe from my wrath!"

I lightly chuckled at her mama bear instincts coming out.

God, I hope to one day be as intimidating and loving as my mother is.

"Come on," Gregory whispered to me, "I'll help you get cleaned up."

His body was still tense, and I had a gut feeling that he didn't like my forgiving behavior just now…

My parents thanked Gregory again for saving me before letting him carry me off to my bedroom to get cleaned up.

He stopped at one of the closets to grab a first aid kit from the shelf on the way upstairs.

Once we arrived in my room, Gregory gently placed me on the ground. He told me to go take a shower and that he would bandage my scrapes once I was done. I nodded my head in agreement before quickly grabbing some clean pajamas to change into.

I let the shower spray wash the dirt from my body but couldn't find the energy to wash my hair. I told myself I would just wash it tomorrow. My mind was still in a whirl over the whole experience.

Maybe I just needed a good rest to get my mind right.

Yeah, that was it, I just needed to…to…

A silent sob racked my body and I quickly wrapped my arms around my torso to try to stop the shaking.

I crouched down into the shower when I thought my legs were about to give out.

More sobs shook my body and I tried to stifle each one the best I could.

There was only one thought going through my mind in that moment.

I could have died.

The shower spray had long since turned cold when I finally found the strength to move.

I quickly stepped onto the bathmat and warmed my body with a fluffy towel, minding my cuts and scrapes in the process. Once I was dried, I put on my undergarments, panties and a sports bra, before getting dressed in dark blue boxer shorts and a white t-shirt. I had a light blue, long-sleeved, flannel shirt to go over the t-shirt but figured that it'd be easier to bandage my arms without it on.

The leftover steam billowed out of the bathroom once I opened the door and I saw Gregory sitting at my desk.

His head in his hands.

God, he looked so broken.

I walked over to him with my flannel shirt in my right hand, and gently placed my free hand onto his shoulder.

"Gregory…" I called out.

"I knew this was too dangerous," he hoarsely whispered.

"Gregory, please…" I begged, wanting to take this guilt from his shoulders, but not knowing how.

"Lucy, I-I need to tell you something," Gregory began, remorse in his eyes, "It's about the name Marcus called me…Gruesome Gregory…I—"

"Stop," I commanded, dropping my flannel shirt on the ground before kneeling before him and cupping his face in both my hands.

"That is your secret and your past," I firmly told him, "You have the right to tell me everything when you are ready—not because somebody forced your hand."

"Lucy…I've done terrible things," Gregory rasped out, clinging to my hands in fear.

"Gregory, you are 426 years old—of course you've made mistakes and done things you aren't proud of," I told him with a smile, "Hell, I'm only 15 years old and I've done things that I'm not proud of, but that's to be expected when you're growing up."

"Lucy, you don't understand," Gregory told me shaking his head, "The sins that I have committed—"

"If Marcus hadn't mentioned your past, would you be telling me this right now?" I questioned him.

"God, no—"

"Then, don't tell me now," I decided for him, "Gregory, we are friends. Good friends share secrets with each other when they are ready. Please understand, I trust you and will always trust you. I only care about your current and future actions; not something from your past."

I started soothingly rubbing my thumbs along his cheekbones in small circles.

"Just like I told Maney, your past doesn't define you—only how you face those past mistakes and experiences truly shape you into the person you are," I continued explaining, "Gregory, I know the person you are and I won't leave you, my friend…I promise."

"Lucy…" he began, searching my eyes to make sure I was telling him the truth, "Thank you."

"Thank you for saving me," I whispered back to him with a grateful smile.

"Always," he vowed while pulling me into his lap, hugging me to his chest, "I swear I will tell you one day…"

"I know you will, Gregory, and I'll be right here when you do."

"On my lap?" He cheekily asked with his wonderful sarcastic wit, "Because you do realize it will be awkward when we shower or change…"

"Oh, shut up, you idiot," I joyfully laughed out, happy that he was starting to come back to me.

I don't like seeing my friend so broken like that.

Gregory pulled away to smile at me and pushed my damp hair behind me ear.

His smile seemed forced, but he was trying to stay positive for my sake.

"Come on, let's get your wounds treated," He told me while setting me gently on the bed.

I nodded my head in agreement as he gently disinfected my cuts before applying the bandages and the plasters to them. His fingers were gently tracing the gauze on my wrists before tracing the plaster on my knees.

His shoulders were hunched down in shame.

No...I thought I had him back...

I need to fix this.

"Gregory…" I called his name, not really sure what to say.

"This shouldn't have happened," I heard him mumble, "You should never be hurt…"

"Gregory, don't—"

"Lucy, I should have been with you."

"You were in a meeting with your fath—"

"Then I should have kept you by my side!" He angrily cried pulling my face into his hands. Almost trying to reassure himself that I wasn't a ghost or figment of his imagination.

"God, when I saw him on top of you like that…I nearly killed him, Lucy—I should have killed him—"

"Don't say that!" I shouted at him while taking a firm hold of his hands that were still cupping my face, "How do you think that makes me feel when I hear you blame yourself or talk about killing someone?"

"Lucy—"

"NO! You listen to me Gregory Sackville-Bagg, you do not have psychic abilities and couldn't have known what would play out this evening," I sternly told him before pulling him into a strong hug, terrified that he would leave me, "You answered my call and bravely saved my—Gregory, you saved my life! I was so close to…I don't even want to think about it…"

I trailed off while trying to stifle the sob that escaped my throat.

No, I have to stay focused.

He needs to know how much he means to me.

"And, by the way," I continued to tell him after getting control over myself, "I am so proud of you for pushing your feelings of rage aside and doing what was best for the clan. If you had killed him, Gregory…I don't even want to imagine the consequences our families would be enduring for such an action."

I pulled away to look him in the eyes at this last part.

Hoping to convey the truth in my statement.

He is the future leader of this clan; he needs to be able to control himself even when his instincts scream at him to act.

A look of understanding began to shine in his eyes.

I continued my speech, hoping to drive home how grateful I was for him in my life.

"It was all thanks to you that I arrived home safely in your arms and we were able to calm our families down together. You could have just dropped me off in my bedroom and left me alone while you talked to your mother, but you kept me with you. I needed that extra feeling of security, Gregory. You even waited while I took the longest shower of my life just to mend my wounds and further assure that I was alright. You did everything in your power to keep me safe and secure. And I'll be damned if you don't recognize what an amazing person you are!"

My fingers were tangled in his soft, dark hair at this point.

I was silently praying that my words were reaching him through his haze of guilt.

Gregory tangled his own hands into my hair as well before wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

"I'm the one who should be reassuring you that you're safe…" he whispered in my ear.

"I'll let you take the lead with my next near-death experience," I lightly joked.

"Like Hell there will be a next time!" Gregory snarled and tightened his hold on my body, "Never again, Lucy…Never again will I let anything bad happen to you."

He vowed to me while suddenly standing up with me in his arms.

The way his arms tightened around me further, almost made me feel as though he was trying to blend our bodies into one.

I smiled at the thought of us always being connected.

He flew us into the air before laying us both down on my bed and pulling me back into his side.

My mouth opened to say that he couldn't possibly protect me from everything in the world, but the words got caught in my throat when I looked at him.

His eyes…his dark red and hypnotizing eyes stared back at me in the darkness.

He meant every word he said.

And I felt an overwhelming sense of security and protection surge through my body as I gazed at the truth of his promise that shown so brightly in his eyes…

"Thank you…" I gently whispered to him, stroking the side of his face.

In this moment, everything finally felt right in the world.

"Tony," I groaned out, "Will you stop fussing over me, I swear I'm okay!"

Oh, how the tables have turned.

Tony was currently in my bedroom trying to get me to show him the cuts and scrapes on my arm. Rudolph and Anna were also hovering nearby, incessantly asking Gregory questions about how he treated my wounds.

"Gregory, you don't understand!" Anna cried out, "If you missed one part when applying the antiseptic spray on Lucy's arm then it could get infected!"

"Or cut off the circulation if the bandages are wrapped too tightly!" Rudolph added on while plucking at the gauze on my arm.

"What?" Anna shrieked out in alarm, "Lucy, why do you have to be so fragile!"

She glowered at me with a look of disappointment, as though it was my fault that my human body could so easily be shattered.

"Sorry, Anna, I don't know the answer to that question, but the next time I see God then I'll be sure to ask him for you," I drily commented back.

"You are not seeing God anytime soon!" Tony bellowed with rage, "We are growing old and gray together and dying at the same time."

"Tony, darling, don't say that!" Anna cried out, big tears in her eyes, "I don't even want to imagine y-you—"

"Sorry, Anna, it's kind of habit to say…ya know," Tony sheepishly replied cutting off the young vampire's tirade before she could cry, "Especially since when you're a human, a long life is something to strive for—but, anyway, I won't say anything like that again in front of you."

Anna quickly forgave my brother's careless statement and wrapped him in a hug.

That was the quickest lover's spat that I have ever witnessed.

Rudolph seemed displeased by his sister hanging onto his best friend and quickly pulled the vampire girl away from Tony.

"Alright, yes, that's all very well," he began while giving Anna a look of frustration, "Can we please focus on Miss Lulu?"

"Rudolph's right," Tony agreed, "Lulu, are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? You should get x-rays and a CT scan to be sure that you didn't break anything or have a brain bleed—"

"Tony, sweetie, I promise you that I am fine," I reassured while pulling him into a hug, "Trust me when I say that I would have noticed any kind of fracture and I did not hit my head during the, uh, confrontation."

"Is that what we are calling it now?" Gregory growled out sardonically, none too pleased with my downplaying the attack.

I gave him an unamused look before tilting my head at the group.

He didn't need to worry them anymore than they already were.

Rudolph simply ignored his brother and focused on me, "Miss Lulu, I know that you must be exhausted after this whole ordeal, but it's necessary for you to eat to help the healing process. Did you want us to bring you a tray of food?"

He was such a sweetheart.

I smiled at his generous offer before gently shaking my head.

"No, Rudolph I don't think that's a good idea," I began informing him, "I don't want the visiting clan thinking they got the best of me since it would reaffirm their beliefs that 'mortals are weak creatures'."

I rose up from my bed while putting my blue, long-sleeved flannel on and buttoning it up. Next, I grabbed a pair of socks and my sneakers with blue and white stripes.

"Besides, if you were to bring me a tray right now, they would probably make a snide remark about a 'superior being serving a lowly mortal worm' or some other rot," I added on while mocking their ignorant beliefs.

"Miss Lulu, my clan and I couldn't care less about what those…scoundrels think of us at the moment," Rudolph replied with a slight snarl, "We only care about your well-being and that includes mental care as well!"

"I know you guys do and I am so grateful to have such a large support group," I confided with a warm smile on my face, "And right now, I need to be surrounded by said support group, even if it means dining with my attackers, okay?"

Gregory came to stand beside me before holding onto my hand, "We'll be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you…now let's go eat!" I eagerly announced, hoping to mask the fear that I still felt in my heart.

I have my family and my clan behind me.

Nothing can touch me now.

The dining hall was, obviously, more packed than usual.

It wasn't left in complete silence like before when Maney first showed up, but it was still quieter than normal.

The sounds that I missed most in the dining hall was the laughter.

We'll get back to that point…eventually…

A lot of our own clan flew over to me to check if I was okay and asking me to point out the vampire who dared to touch me in such a rough manner. I quickly reassured them that all my injuries were minor, and that the additional bloodshed would not be needed.

They told me if I changed my mind to come find them and they'll take care of it. I gave each one a hug to show my appreciation towards their concern.

Once everyone had settled back in, Gregory finished leading me to our table where Frederick stood up to greet us.

"Lucy, you don't know how happy it makes me to see you in better health," he sincerely told me before giving my shoulders a slight, reassuring squeeze. His fatherly gaze assured me that the previous incident would never happen again.

I nodded my head towards him in understanding as he placed his arm around my shoulders and had me face the leading family of Clan Genovese.

Here goes nothing.

"Now, since you weren't formally introduced, from right to left is Maria Genovese, daughter of clan leader Cornelius and his wife, Ismey," he began pointing at the small girl from earlier. She looked to be about five years old and had short, wavy, dirty-blonde hair with big, blood red bows on each side of her head. Her face still had some baby fat on her cheeks and a cute, little button nose in the center. Maria had clear sapphire blue eyes that held a sweet innocence in their depths.

"Hi!" She kindly waved to me making me chuckle at her adorable behavior.

"Hello," I politely responded back, earning a glare from her mother sitting next to her.

"Next, we have Ismey Genovese, she is the wife of Cornelius and the mother of Maria and Marcus," Frederick continued while addressing an elegant woman in her thirties who was wearing a formal dress from the Italian Renaissance era. She had strawberry-blonde hair that was curled into ringlets around her face and decorated with pink pearls. Even though her face was set in a scowl, she had an ethereal beauty about her with dark blue eyes, a small nose, and a delicate mouth.

However, her glare reminded me that she was anything except delicate.

"So, many bandages even though my son barely touched you," she commented in a mocking tone of voice, "Fredrick, why on earth would you ally yourself with such weak creatures."

Frederick had opened his mouth to respond, but I beat him to it.

"Yes, human skin can be, unfortunately, weak at times, but I am most grateful that it can at least withstand direct sunlight better than others," I drily replied, not letting her get to me.

She growled at my response while Gregory coughed into his hand to hide a laugh.

I thought Frederick would reprimand me, but he only slightly chuckled before whispering, "Well said."

He turned our attention back towards the group and continued his introductions.

"You've met Marcus," He began, and I heard Gregory mumble 'unfortunately' under his breath before his dad continued, "Marcus Genovese is the son of Cornelius and Ismey, and the future clan leader."

He barely glanced at me and had a permanent sneer on his face. As though just being in the same room as my family and I caused him great pain. He had long wavy blonde hair and dark blue eyes like his mother. Also like his mother, he was dressed in regal clothes some parts seemed to be from the Renaissance while others, like his black pants, seemed to be from the colonial era. Marcus had a strong, square jaw and a scar on the right side of his face. It started at the base of his jaw and ended just below his cheek bone beneath his eye. He looked to be around Gregory's age, but the temper tantrum he was throwing could have fooled me.

"Finally, we have the clan's leader, Cornelius Genovese. Husband of Ismey and father of both Marcus and Maria," Frederick motioned to the man besides Marcus. He too looked like he was in his thirties but wasn't dressed up as elegantly as his wife. Instead, he had on clothes that you would picture a knight without armor to be wearing. He even had a sword strapped to his side. Cornelius had blonde hair that seemed to crimp in waves around his face and framed his sapphire blue eyes.

His face was clearly battle-worn. There was massive a scar over his left eye and another on the right side of his mouth. He had smaller scars littering the rest of his face.

I was slightly confused because I thought that vampires had a fast healing ability. I'd have to ask Gregory about that later.

I politely nodded my head in greeting before Frederick motioned towards me.

"This young lady is Lucretia Thompson, and as I've already mentioned before, her and her family are part of our clan and are strictly off limits," Frederick reiterated to the disinterested group before having me take my seat.

Gregory pulled my chair out for me before sitting down next to me on my right side. I heard Marcus scoff at his polite gesture, and I scowled at the rude vampire.

The seating order was a bit skewed because of the extra guests but on one side of the table it was Maria, Ismey, Marcus, Cornelius, Freda, Anna, Rudolph, Tony, and my mom. On the other side it was Auntie Greta, Uncle Gernot, Aunt Wulftrud, Frederick, Gregory, myself, Maney, and my dad.

It was almost as though our vampire friends were trying to keep a safe distance between Clan Genovese and my family.

Wait…

Don't tell me.

Did my mother…?

I looked over at my mother's face which still looked extremely irritated as my father tried to calm her down.

Oh, boy.

She definitely said something to them about the attack.

Freda noticed my concerned gaze and laughed, "You didn't really expect a mother to be able to control their maternal instincts, did you?"

I let out a small chuckle at her appropriate observation and shrugged my shoulders in return.

"A girl can dream," I replied back.

Freda smiled lovingly at me before turning her attention towards the blood being wheeled out. My mom quietly excused herself to go grab our own plates of breakfast but was halted by Anna.

"Let me come help you with the cart, Mrs. Thompson," the little girl offered, not wanting to leave any of us alone while the new guests were in the castle.

My mom thanked her for her assistance and walked towards the kitchen with the small child.

The Genovese clan were too distracted by the pints of blood being wheeled out to the tables to notice.

"What is this, Frederick?" Cornelius questioned the man sitting across from him.

"This is an ingenious plan that was thought up by the mortal you recently attacked," Frederick supplied in a bitter tone, "A brilliant plan that feeds our families without consequences and prevents long periods of starvation."

I could feel embarrassment color my cheeks as Frederick praised my hard work.

Can't I just stay off the radar for the rest of the night?

"Let me guess, cow's blood?" Ismey sneered in disgust.

"Ismey, darling, when was the last time you were able to actually feed your family again?" Freda asked with a bite in her voice.

If this banter continued then there was going to be an all-out brawl.

"There are packages of human's blood on the carts today," I quickly informed them, cutting into the two women's conversation.

"Gregory told me how your family didn't like the taste of animal's blood, so my mom and dad wrote off a few 'damaged' bags from various blood banks to present as a...gift to your family," I further explained.

Freda and Frederick seemed delighted at my statement that promoted peace between the clans.

However, Marcus shattered the sweet moment.

"Tsk, like we would ever accept a bribe from pathetic mortals," he sneered.

"Fine, then you can accept it as a gift from Clan Sackville-Bagg," I snipped back with pride. Further reminding him that we are honorary members to the clan hosting his family.

Marcus growled at this while Aunt Wulftrud and Uncle Gernot cheered about my wit in the background.

"Mommy, do I get to eat today?" Maria asked her mother, drawing everyone's attention to the sweet girl.

I wanted to answer yes to the small child, but knew that at the end of the day, the decision was up to Cornelius and Ismey.

Cornelius stared at me for a moment, almost trying to sense any deception in my soul. I stared back waiting for him to make his decision.

"We will drink this…bagged human blood, if you drink with us as well, old friend," Cornelius finally declared while turning towards Frederick.

He clearly wanted to make sure that it wasn't a trap of some kind.

What on earth happened that made this guy so paranoid?

Frederick turned to me in question, "Lucy, is there enough human blood for both clans?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," I reassured him, "I actually planned on both clans celebrating on being together when, uh…well, before the whole, uh, misunderstanding."

Gregory looked as though he wanted to comment on my description of the past altercation when a different thought popped into his mind.

"This extra supply won't draw too much attention to a short supply of your stock, will it?" He asked remembering me explaining why it was critical to be extra careful with write offs.

"Nah, it's to be expected that after such a quick buyout that there would be a couple of 'slip-ups' as we incorporate immediate policy changes and staff rotations," I simply explained, "In fact, it was really easy to declare more 'damaged' or 'expired' bags with the changes of upper management transpiring."

Gregory seemed appeased with my explanation and opened his mouth to say something, but Rudolph's voice rang out and interrupted his older brother.

"So, what I understand you are saying is that if I declare my undying loyalty to Miss Lulu now, then I can avoid future slave labor in the salt mines, correct?" Rudolph joked with Tony off to the side.

"Yep, sure can, and if you gain her favor then you might be appointed as one of her advisors and live in the lap of luxury," Tony kidded back while Rudolph held his chin as though he was deep in thought.

"Sounds like a win-win to me," Rudolph concluded.

"Are you two, quite finished?" I called out to them in irritation.

"Oh, please forgive us future supreme overlord," Tony and Rudolph begged together.

I let out a laugh at their act before correcting the two little idiots, "You both realize that if I ever take over the world you two clowns would be court jesters and not advisors, right?"

"Eh, as long as we get out of the salt mines," Tony happily commented while Rudolph nodded his head in agreement.

Before they could continue the joke about my world domination, mom came back with a cart of food and Anna by her side.

She quickly handed everyone an already prepared plate of eggs, toast, hash-browns, and steamed veggies. She then gave us each a glass of milk before sitting down to eat food with the rest of the family.

By this time, the vampire clans had already dispensed the blood in the goblets and were hungrily slurping their life source. I noticed that many of the Genovese clan reached for seconds before finally having their fill.

We all ate in relative silence.

It wasn't awkward, but it sure wasn't comfortable.

I had just finished my meal and was downing the rest of my milk when I noticed Maria waving at me to get my attention.

My head turned towards the little girl who smiled so brightly at me.

"Thank you for the blood!" She happily chirped.

The rest of her clan looked away, clearly happy with the blood, but not willing to stoop down to thanking a mortal for their food.

"Yes, Lucy, thank you so much," Freda chimed in since nobody else from Genovese would.

The rest of our clan started thanking me as well, causing my blush to creep back onto my face. I was nervously fiddling with the hem of my shorts when I felt Gregory's hand slip into mine.

His support gave me the strength to look up and finally speak, "Y-you're very welcome…however, I must admit that my plan would never have worked without—"

"Lucy, sweetie, don't be so humble," my mom interrupted me while glaring at Ismey, "It just goes to show that you can't judge a person's strong will and brilliant mind on their 'physical weakness'."

Oh, boy.

"Mom…" I groaned, trying to get her to play nice.

"I'm just saying," she simply responded before returning her attention to drinking her milk.

My dad seemed so proud of his wife's spiteful attitude and delicately took her hand into his own before declaring, "I love you."

She smiled in return before quoting their favorite movie line, "I know."

Yeah, they were Star Wars fanatics…it was kind of cute.

Dorky, but cute.

Tony of course had to ruin it, "Mom, dad I really don't want to be an older brother."

The majority of the table erupted in peals of laughter as my parents' faces turned a brilliant shade of red.

I absolutely love my little brother.

AN: Hey everybody! I'm sorry about the wait...life has been pretty hectic, but everything should be back on track now. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I really appreciate all you so much! Your feedback and support encourages me to keep growing as a writer.

Lots of Love!