I'm having fun. Oh, and I can't remember exactly what Mircea tells her about his visit to Tony's when she was a kid; it was in a later book where he talks about telling Raph to paint her ceiling.

(-)

"So, you're entertaining little clairvoyants as well as full-grown Pythias. Your social calendar is getting busier," I said. I liked how my words got a slight blush from him and he refused to look up at me from his gun.

I'd shifted into his room, maybe hoping for the welcome I'd received: being tackled and pinned to the bed. Given that most things couldn't shift past his wards and appear in his room, and given that my visits had become a common occurrence, I had to wonder if he had that reaction because he knew it was likely to be me. Because even if he would scowl and chide me, I saw the hunger in his eyes as he let me up.

"Jeannie's safe, right?" I wanted him to confirm how he felt about children before asking him, and sharing my theory about why they might appeal to him might force him to be honest, at least if it was true.

"She's a little girl. I might be a monster, but not the kind who preys upon children." It'd been a while since I'd gotten a real glare from him, and this one was vicious.

"No!" I said, thinking I was an idiot who should have worded it better. "I mean that she's safe for you, not from you. I know you don't hurt children, that you never would so I thought…maybe being around people you could never pose a threat to makes you feel like you aren't a monster at all."

All the rage drained from his features, and he stared at me. When he said nothing, I added, "We wondered if you wanted to hang out with the Misfits tomorrow."

"…hang out?" Pritkin said, almost sounding suspicious.

I had to keep myself from laughing. "They went swimming today up in my room. Jeannie got really excited when I suggested we invite you. Tami seemed to like the idea too. They're coming to swim tomorrow too, so I said I'd ask."

"Swimming?" The suspicion was kind of hilarious, and it was getting harder to keep a straight face.

"Yes. Tami and I just sit and watch, so you don't have to swim either. And, in case you haven't noticed me showing up when there's no crisis going on, people can desire your company even when there are no enemies to fight." I looked in his eyes and said, "You're an amazing warrior, Pritkin, but you're worth a lot more than just that."

And he bent over his gun again, clearly uncomfortable. "Fine. What time?"

"Five. Be prepared to have people pleased to see you," I said with a smirk. That got me a glance with a small, grudging smile.

I picked up a book he'd suggested I read to educate my ignorance on magic. Settling down on his bed with my back against the headboard, I caught the heated look he shot me. Yeah, getting cozy on a half-incubus's bed might be tempting him, but he shouldn't have occupied the only other chair with ammo belts draped across the back and the seat stacked with books if he didn't want me sitting on his bed. In fact, there were more books than there had been yesterday. If he wanted me off his bed, he'd clear a space for me to sit. Maybe I was right where he wanted me to be. Well, of course I was, but he'd made a big deal about needing to fight his instincts, which this didn't seem to support.

Still, I settled in with my book. I glanced over at him and said, "People can enjoy your company even without needing to converse." My gaze only stayed long enough for his eyes to meet mine before I turned it on the pages. Even if I couldn't get involved romantically with the mage, I enjoyed getting closer. Closer being figurative, since Pritkin seemed to want to keep a room's worth of space between us while still getting me on his bed.

Sometimes I could see things about Pritkin I never would have expected, and that he clearly didn't expect me to notice. Other times, he made absolutely no sense to me.

(-)

"Mr. Pritkin!" It was practically a shriek when he came out onto the balcony with a book and a notebook, clearly prepared to keep to himself if possible.

All eyes turned to him, and he momentarily froze, a "deer in headlights" expression as he looked at all the children. But then Jeannie dashed up and reached for his hand, being only a little too small to reach it. That got a soft smile as he knelt down and shook her hand. "Hello, Jeannie."

"You aren't swimming?" she asked, looking him over. He was fully dressed and mostly armed. There were a few bulges missing, but he still had an arsenal.

He looked at me as he said, "I was told I didn't have to."

Tamie cut in. "Jeannie, Mr. Pritkin is a knight, remember? He's always ready to protect people, so he can't go swimming while he's armed."

Knight was a more classic job title for war mages, but it had fallen out of use, I assumed, because any kind of chivalry or decency had fallen out of use as well. The two best war mages I knew were on the outs with the Circle because they were good people: Pritkin and Mac. Remembering the tattooed knight gave me a pang. Mac deserved that title.

Pritkin just stared at her, because he probably hadn't been called that in a long time. Jeannie just pouted. "It's no fun being a good mage," she said. Then she smiled at him. "But I'm glad you are."

She pulled him over to us and grabbed her teddy bear. "You can guard Bert, then." When he sat down on a lounge chair, she plopped the bear next to him. "Take care of him!" she said as she went back to the others.

The mage just stared at the bear, and I fought not to laugh. Seeing his reactions to people treating him like he deserved was like watching him get hit with a stick, but he'd somehow forgotten what violence was and didn't know what to do about it.

Tami said, "It's a big responsibility. It means she trusts you." She looked both amused and fond as she said it. And, okay, Pritkin seemed to mesh with the Misfits just fine.

In order to jar him out of his stunned state I said, "So you left like, what? Two guns at home?"

Those green eyes flicked to me and Pritkin was back. "Yes, actually."

I couldn't help a giggle. "So this is what you look like when you're ready to relax."

And now that gaze was heavier as he said, "I never relax."

Suddenly, all I could think about was sex. I'd only had it twice, but the incredible release and the way all my muscles went completely limp afterward was so relaxing. Hell, touching myself was a pretty good way to unwind. And looking into those heated green eyes, I wondered if Pritkin could unwind like that, or if there was some weird incubus problem with masturbation.

My thoughts must have been advertised on my face, because we were exchanging the kind of look we shouldn't in public.

Thankfully, Tami cleared her throat and said, "Sounds exhausting, constantly being on guard."

"Better than being dead," Pritkin said simply. He sat the bear on his lap and opened his book.

I exchanged a look with Tami and said, "Maybe you could talk to us? Or play with the kids?"

He looked up at me and his hand went to the back of his neck in an uncomfortable gesture. "I had thought I might show them a bit of magic, but…" He looked between Tami and Astrid. The girl had her baby in a baby float we had bought, and she looked so happy and maternal as she moved the giggling girl around that it was beautiful.

With eight rowdy kids and a baby in one small-ish pool, it was chaotic, but I still thought that children who had gone through everything they had still being able to behave like children was the most wonderful thing I'd seen in a while. I don't think I ever knew how to act like this, not even in my oldest recollection of my youngest years.

Of course, with Tami and Astrid, the chaos was all mundane, no fires or dead things running around. "Show or teach?" I asked.

He looked surprised at the idea. "I suppose I could teach them a small, basic spell. Aside from the other null and the baby, they all have power enough for something simple."

"And harmless, right?" I added, imagining the Misfits getting more purposeful applications for their magic and the additional problems that could cause.

That got me a glare. "I wouldn't let them near anything dangerous. And the practice of focusing and harnessing their raw magical power might actually help them control their more inadvertent abilities. I've always wondered that the education centers didn't institute even that."

"You support those jails?" Tami said, a sudden snarl.

"I didn't say that," Pritkin said, keeping calm and keeping his voice low, because she had attracted the attention of some of the children. "But it used to be worse. Go back a century or so, and children like this were outright murdered." His eyes flicked to Jeannie. "They don't deserve to be locked up, but it's an improvement. And if we went from murder to imprisonment, we can move forward from that. As a society, we have to push for progress, for a better future." Looking between me and Tami, he said, "You both obviously know that."

And there was sudden understanding and respect in Tami's eyes. "You are the most decent mage I've ever met." When Pritkin blushed slightly and looked back down at his book, she added, "You know a lot of history."

Pritkin didn't flinch, although I had tensed slightly. "Even before the disgraceful behavior of the Circle regarding our new Pythia, there have been a lot of terrible things that have been done in the name of order and the greater good. You have to learn from the mistakes of the past and make sure they never happen again." That was a personal motto of his, I was sure, given that he'd been there through many historical mistakes. Had, in fact, made some historical mistakes.

"If you live long enough, that is the most obvious wisdom," a richly accented voice said, and, holy shit, when had Mircea gotten here? We'd had the doors open today, partially because it made Alice more comfortable, since her magic didn't work when around Astrid and Tami, but also just to let some fresh air into the suite.

The only vampire around had been Marco, who was a first-level Master and could tolerate direct sunlight. They never went into the sun without a reason though, so he was staying where the blackout curtains protected him.

Mircea was leaning on the doorway, the side that was angled towards the least amount of sun, but otherwise he was making no effort to hide in the shadows. And that comment made me nervous. Hinting at Pritkin's age meant he was still poking around. He'd been at MAGIC the past few days, stopping in to see me every so often. It was nice, not being ignored, and he was treating me like he always had, but those two weeks had awoken my paranoia, which meant I couldn't decide to trust him. And when he was gunning for Pritkin, I trusted him even less.

"Dulceata, a word?" He moved back inside, expecting me to follow. I did, not missing the meaningful look Pritkin gave me. It was the same look he had when he told Mircea I wasn't going anywhere I didn't want to: he had my back.

"Yeah?" I said, sounding casual, like I didn't know he was pissed Pritkin was up here.

"I believe you said not barring the mage from here was acceptable because he didn't want to spend time here anyway."

Sighing, I said, "The kids wanted to invite him. And I figured on the balcony his scent wouldn't be strong enough to linger and bother you."

Mircea looked at me for a long moment before he said, "He's quite knowledgeable about history, isn't he?"

No, we weren't doing this. Especially, I realized, since Pritkin could hear every word we said. I wasn't going to let on that his hearing was that good, because Mircea would take that clue and keep collecting facts until he figured it out. And if Pritkin knew how persistent Mircea was, he might feel threatened. I knew that he would take extreme measures to protect his greatest secret, which would include killing Mircea. I really didn't need this in my life.

"We aren't doing this, Mircea. Leave it alone. Seriously."

Amber eyes narrowed, and at first I thought it was my giving him a command in a firm tone. But then I heard, "Is everything okay?" from right behind me. I jumped slightly and looked up and back to see Pritkin standing there, eyes glued to the vampire's.

"This is a private conversation," Mircea said, voice stern.

"She doesn't seem to be enjoying it," Pritkin said. And he might say it was about me, but he had heard Mircea probing and responded.

"Then maybe you'd care to explain some things," Mircea said smoothly. "About an eventful night in Paris?"

"No, I wouldn't." Pritkin's tone was implacable. "And if that's what you want to ask her about, I'd like to know why you don't respect her more."

Oh, shit, Mircea's eyes were starting to get brighter. "I have the utmost respect for her."

The mage had a small smile now, and there was nothing nice about it. "Then why are you attempting to make her violate her integrity? If you told her something confidential and I asked, she would never tell me. I accept that, because that's who she is. She's loyal and trustworthy. I would think you'd appreciate that about her."

Okay, wow, that was both very flattering and a fantastic way to word a defense for my silence on his true nature. Any more questions could now be framed as questioning or disrespecting my integrity.

"You may think you can deceive and beguile her, but-" Mircea began in a low, threatening tone.

Pritkin let out a harsh laugh. "Me? Am I not speaking to the Vampire Senate's chief negotiator? Lies and mind tricks are your bread and butter. Deceit is what you breathe instead of air."

Crap, this was going downhill fast. That was even more evident when Mircea's eyes started glowing. "I may not know what you are, but I know who you are, mage."

"Obviously not," Pritkin said, and he looked like he was thinking of going for his weapons.

Then a small voice said, "Are you being mean to Mr. Pritkin?" And we turned to see Jeannie in the doorway, dripping and holding her bear, frowning at Mircea. She grew frightened when she saw his eyes, and he relaxed his power immediately. Tiny clairvoyant to the rescue.

"We are having a disagreement," he said in a gentle voice. I recognized it from my childhood and instinctively relaxed. And I saw Pritkin raise an eyebrow as he noticed.

Marco was leaning on the wall near the entryway, and I realized that we now had a second vampire who had an inkling that Pritkin wasn't human. Goddammit, Mircea.

Tami tried to steer Jeannie back to the pool. "The grown-ups just have to talk about some things. They aren't going to fight." She shot us a meaningful look that we damn well better not start a fight with the kids around.

And besides the obvious reasons for not wanting that, I didn't want the Misfits nearby if Pritkin and Mircea threw down because Tami and Astrid would seriously handicap Pritkin since he was outclassed physically.

"Let's not be mean to Mr. Pritkin, Mircea," I said. I looked back at the mage. "Why don't you ask Jeannie to tell you about Bert? I haven't confirmed it, but the way she talks about him plus the fact that 'Bertrand' isn't a name she made up, according to her, makes me pretty sure the bear used to be haunted. But even if you aren't interested in ghosts, she loves talking about him."

He looked out the doors at the little girl who hadn't rejoined the others, instead sitting on the lounge chair I had occupied, hugging her bear and watching us. "I suppose…"

I smiled at him when he turned back to me. "If Mircea starts being mean to me, I'll call you back over." That got me a small smirk and one more glance flicked at Mircea before he went to join the little clairvoyant.

Looking back at Mircea, I said, "She loves him. He killed the war mage who was dragging her away to be imprisoned again; it's pretty endearing to a little girl whose greatest fear is being locked up."

Mircea and I watched Pritkin sit down next to her, say something, and her face lit up and she started talking with enthusiasm. And I knew the vampire would be able to hear what she was saying as well. "I never would have guessed he'd have the patience for children," Mircea said mildly. "I didn't think he had the patience for anything not related to fighting and killing."

"Surprised me too," I said. "But speaking as a little clairvoyant who spent her childhood locked up in a vampire don's mansion, I can agree that having someone be kind and pay attention to you can really change how you feel about life."

Now I had all his attention and that warm smile I had always loved. "How you feel about life?"

I glanced back a Jeannie. "Look at her. He's a powerful war mage, just like all the ones she's spent her life around who terrify her, but he's different. She isn't afraid." I smiled at Mircea. "If she has him around, I'm pretty sure she'll grow up happier and braver than she would be otherwise."

"That is good to know, dulceata," he said. "I had no idea I had such an impact."

I gave him a skeptical look. "Like you didn't spend a year at Tony's to charm a little girl and win her favor in the future?"

"You were an odd but charming child. Spending time with you was quite enjoyable. And…you were the brightest thing at that whole estate. Among vicious vampires, you were a living, innocent child." A hand trailed down my face, and it was comforting. "The first time I heard you have a vision in the middle of the night, I thought someone was attacking you. But no one reacted. I asked someone and they just told me you were Seeing things. And when I went to look and found you crying…"

My eyes welled up at the memory. That vision had involved children, including a girl who looked a little like me. "You held me. You listened. And for once, someone treated me seriously."

"The kids and their parents were disappointed when the game was halted, but when the semi ploughed into the field ten minutes later, they thought it was divine intervention. But it was you." Mircea's thumb was rubbing gentle circles on my cheek.

And I started crying, because I never knew. All those children, the girl who resembled me… "You saved them? It…they really didn't die?"

"You saved them, Cassie. If you hadn't Seen their deaths, they wouldn't have lived."

Mircea pulled me into an embrace as I really started sobbing, letting me soak his silk shirt in tears. I had made a difference. One of the terrible tragedies I'd Seen had been averted. All my life, I thought I was a misery antenna, collecting every horrible thing into my head with no hope of redeeming any of it.

"I had to leave shortly after that, but I asked Raphael to paint your room with something beautiful, so you wouldn't always be surrounded by images of death."

I started to calm, that startling news helping, and said, "I thought Tony wanted to demean the great Renaissance artist by making him paint a little girl's room."

"Is everything okay, Cassie?" a voice asked from the balcony. It was Jesse, peering around the corner into the open doors. He was a bit protective of me, having accepted me into the Misfit family.

Wiping my eyes, I smiled at him. "Yeah, actually. Better than I thought."

"Okay," he said, still a little skeptical, but retreating back to the pool.

And my eyes flicked to Pritkin, who, along with Jeannie, was watching me and Mircea. He was frowning, but it was more thoughtful than anything. After a moment more of eye contact, he looked away and nudged the girl and asked her something.

"Your bodyguard isn't going to intervene when he sees you actually crying?" Mircea asked.

Groaning internally, I was jarred off the high of good feelings by the vampire's prying. "I told him I'd call him if I needed him. He respects that. And he's my friend, not my bodyguard."

"Then he shouldn't be allowed to take you out as an escort."

I sighed. "You know as well as I do that being my friend doesn't mean he isn't a highly capable and dangerous war mage."

"Dangerous indeed. Remind me again how he doesn't want to spend time with you up here," Mircea said, and yep, we were done with the touching moment.

"He came to see the kids. Pritkin is not coming to see me." There was probably a bit too much emphasis there, lingering bitterness that I wasn't allowed to get close to him.

Of course, Mircea could read my irritation. "Did he hurt you, dulceata?"

Damn it, Pritkin was listening to all of this. "No, everything's fine. He just wants some space. Another reason I've been spending more time with Tami and the kids; I don't want to bother him."

"I very much doubt that he is upset by your presence."

Before he could elaborate, Tami was calling the kids to dry off: swim time was over. "Be back in a minute, Mircea," I said, heading back out onto the balcony.

Pritkin had just thrown a towel over Jeannie's head, and she peeked out from under it to giggle at him. It was too precious. And Tami picked up a conversation I'd missed. "So, tomorrow?"

The mage nodded. Then he looked at me. "We're using our training time tomorrow to teach the children. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get you acquainted with magic as well."

"Me?" I'd never thought I'd get to learn any magic. Well, I had learned the one word of power, but it was entirely practical, and I didn't fully understand it, not to mention it not being something I could practice a lot. But what he had said: focusing and training raw power might help learn control over inadvertent abilities… There were quite a few things I had done with the Pythia's power without trying: stopping time, aging dark mages into dust…if I knew how to control magic, maybe it would help me get a feel for those extra abilities.

"Why do you think I've been giving you reading material? Because I thought you were bored? No, as you are now, all power with no idea what to do with it, you're a walking target."

Actually, I thought it had the dual purpose of giving me an excuse to spend time in his room as well. But the familiar harsh voice of my exacting drill instructor was comforting. I liked Prickly Pritkin as well as Pleasant Pritkin. Even when he was being a jerk, I found him attractive.

"Alright, I'll be there. The shooting range or the gym?"

"The gym. I wouldn't put the children near firearms." He sounded a little offended.

"As long as you don't expect me to run five miles on the stairs, I'm game," I said.

"Maybe after," he said with a smirk.

"You are evil," I said, glaring at him, although there was no heat to it.

"Will you walk back to our room?" Jeannie asked, giving him hopeful eyes.

Tami said, "Mr. Pritkin has better things to do than walk with us."

But the mage stood, picking up his book and notebook. "I don't mind. I don't think I'm welcome up here anyway."

"Why not?" Jeannie asked. Her eyes flicked to Mircea with a frown. "He's mean, isn't he?" she whispered to Pritkin.

I fought back a smile. I guess she didn't know enough about vampires yet to know that was useless. The kids were already mostly dried and ready to go. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow," I said.

"Thanks for letting us swim, Cassie," Jesse said.

Glancing at Mircea, I said, "We'll have to do it again later this week."

They left, Pritkin holding Jeannie's hand. And I didn't think that would ever stop being adorable and endearing. Of course, she was giving Mircea a wary stare the whole time. When the door closed behind them, I said, "I think you made an enemy out of Pritkin's biggest fan."

"He didn't even say goodbye to you," Mircea said.

Maybe because he knew there was a better-than-average chance I'd stop by his room tonight to read after Mircea inevitably left. "Like I said, he came because the kids wanted him to."

A strong arm slid around my waist to pull me closer to Mircea. "I'm glad they're gone," he said, and kissed me.

I was wondering when he'd finally get back to this. I wondered how I would react. And while the kiss was nice, I was also uncomfortable, my natural paranoia too active to enjoy it when I was questioning his motives.

"I had thought I would finally get to stay the night."

My heart sped up, but not in a good way. The idea filled me with anxiety, remembering the way I'd had two of him inside me. I didn't know if this was seduction and manipulation now. I knew he truly wanted me then, thanks to magic gone very wrong.

"That's good, but I don't know about…" How to tell Mircea I didn't want to have sex?

"You're uncomfortable." Right, I didn't have to tell him anything. "You know, you've gotten better at hiding things, but one thing you can't hide is that you're covered in the mage's scent. You haven't been giving him space."

Crap, I knew that would come up eventually. "He doesn't think the Pythia should be so completely ignorant about magic, so he has me reading. And since he isn't a lending library, the books aren't allowed to leave his room."

"And reading is all you've done there?"

I tried to keep my heartbeat stable. I'd been mentally preparing for this. "I watch him clean and organize his weapons, and I nearly died suffocating when he started making potions, so I had to leave. He isn't a great host."

Those amber eyes examined me. "No doubt. And, if you aren't looking for my company, I suppose I won't postpone my trip home." He sounded genuinely regretful.

"I'm sorry, it's just…after the geis, I'm not sure how this works." Understatement.

He kissed my forehead, and that hit the spot. "We'll figure it out."

It was true that I'd never thought of him as "Uncle Mircea", but I'd always thought of him like this: family.

(-)

More good feels coming up. Also some unpleasant foreshadowing, but mostly good feels and fluff.

Hope you're enjoying this, and feel free to review.