"Sometimes you only get one chance to rewrite the qualities of the character you played in a person's life story. Always take it. Never let the world read the wrong version of you."

Shannon L. Alder

Douglas

Douglas curled his fingers into his spiky hair, pressing his palms into his forehead. He traced the grain of the wood table he sat at with his eyes just to distract himself, but it wasn't working. He mussed up the follicles with a sigh, dropping his hands down to press his fists against his mouth. Upstairs, the shower had been running for a while now, but Douglas didn't want to rush the kid. He doubted that Chase had many opportunities to shower out on the streets. Besides, it allowed them both a few minutes for the situation to sink in.

Douglas blew another sigh out. He wasn't stupid. He knew that Chase didn't decide to stick around because he wanted to be a family. That much was apparent in the tension Chase held in his shoulders the entire time Douglas was showing him around the house. The pinned ears and twitching tail just accented that. No, Chase was here because it was better than wherever he had been before, and that was fine. Douglas didn't want Chase out there by himself. He didn't know where Krane was anymore, for starters. More importantly, it looked like Chase had more significant concerns: food and shelter.

He just hoped things settled down. Hopefully, Chase would relax in a few days, and they could go from there. He couldn't fix their relationship overnight, but he was given a chance to try, wasn't he? That Chase trusted him enough to stay was more than Douglas deserved.

The oven let out a soft pop across the room as the smell of frozen lasagna wafted through the air. It was offensive that such a thing was in his oven, but it was faster than making one of that size from scratch. He didn't think Chase would care if he got a masterpiece or cardboard, just as long as he could eat as much as he wanted. After that, they would have to work out the details of their living arrangements.

It would be easy enough for Douglas to turn his office into a room for Chase. He kept a capsule in storage after his first home was destroyed, so that wouldn't be a problem. All Douglas had to do was move his work desk to his room, and that would be that. Until then, Chase could crash on the couch in the living room. He would need clothes, too, while Douglas was thinking about it. They had a shopping trip ahead of them.

The shower turned off at last. Douglas glanced at the stairs, noting the twin gargoyles perched on the railing. One glared upstairs with her whip-thin tail lashing. Douglas laughed at her. Someone didn't like her new housemate. The other gargoyle watched Douglas with large, yellow eyes. He hopped down onto the floor and scurried across the room, his claws tapping on the floor. Once he reached the table, he climbed on a chair and then the table to stand in front of Douglas. "You're keeping the half-breed?"

Douglas laughed again, letting his hands drop to the table. "He asked to stay. I'm not about to throw him out if he wants to stay, Yahn."

Yahn's large ears flicked a few times. "Did we not serve you well?"

Douglas reached up to rub behind Yahn's ears. "You did just fine. It's just that he's my son, so - "

"Family connections." The gargoyle on the stairs snapped her beak, letting her words drip with contempt. "Demons don't have families."

Douglas shrugged. "He's half-human, too."

The imp in question – a spitfire Douglas called Oly – scowled, turning her attention to the top of the stairs again. "He's destructive, is what he is." She glanced over her shoulder, pointing a long claw at Douglas. "He'll burn the house down. You just watch."

She was speaking from experience, and Douglas knew it. Of the myriad djinn out there, fire elementals tended to be a more destructive classification. It was odd that Chase landed in that category – Douglas would have called Chase an earth or air kind of guy – but neither he nor Chase had any control over that. Douglas gestured towards the stairs with his free hand, scoffing. "He's not going to burn the place down. He lives here. That would just make his life harder."

Yahn cast a weary look at the stairs, curling his tail around his feet. "If he's only three months old, he might not have enough control to avoid it."

Douglas let his hand rest on the table again. "He's sixteen years old. If you guys are that worried about it, why don't you teach him how to use his powers?"

Oly snorted, giving her wings a beat. "No way. I'm not teaching a half-breed how to light a match."

Douglas blew a sigh through his teeth. Of course, Oly wouldn't teach Chase how to use his demon abilities. That would mean she had to actually do something. "Yahn - "

Yahn rubbed his claws, looking at Douglas. "I can try, but fire doesn't respond to me."

"Try is all I can ask." An imp teaching a djinni couldn't be easy. By definition, Chase had more power at his fingertips than Oly or Yahn ever could. The only thing that made this feasible was Yahn's millennia of experience. "Just don't do it tonight, please. He needs time to settle."

Yahn grimaced but nodded. The polite way Douglas phrased it didn't negate the order behind the words.

Douglas smiled, moving his hand to scratch between Yahn's wings. The imp settled down onto his belly, curling up to appreciate the attention. Meanwhile, Oly hissed and jumped to the floor. Chase appeared at the top of the staircase and was headed down, one ear aimed at Oly while he watched Douglas with those slitted pupils of his. Douglas suppressed the urge to shiver at the sight. Those eyes were the hardest thing to get used to. Nothing cemented Chase's demonic status as well as that.

He couldn't let Chase know that, either. His self-esteem seemed shaky as it was. The last thing he needed was Douglas avoiding eye contact.

Chase used both hands to point at Oly and Yahn, his tail swishing as he glanced between the two imps. "Who are they?"

Douglas nudged Yahn a bit. "This is Ajiiyahn, and that – " he pointed towards the imp that hissed at Chase earlier – "is Olyanaeci. I just call them Yahn and Oly. It's easier to remember."

Oly growled before she scurried away into the living room. Chase frowned, knitting his brow together at that. It wasn't like Oly was a threat to him. He could kick her out the window if he wanted to, and he looked like he knew it. "Oly and Yahn. Got it."

Yahn raised his head to look Chase over, his ears fanning out. "Hello, Half-Breed."

Chase perked his ears, crossing the room to the kitchen table at last. His feathers and longer hair – it had lost its spiked style - were damp still, and Douglas' old clothes seemed to swallow him whole. He rested his hands on the back of a chair, wrapping his tail around his legs. "Hello, Yahn."

Douglas sat back in his chair, watching the two. He could only hope this went more smoothly than when Oly and Yahn met. He didn't want to clean blood off the tile that evening. He didn't think Yahn would pick a fight with Chase, though, so things were looking more positive already.

Yahn sat up, curling his tail up around his feet. "How do you like being a demon?"

Chase tapped a finger against the chair, frowning. "It's…different. I'm still getting used to it."

Yahn cocked his head to the side. "Okay. Can you change forms?"

Chase scoffed, then blurred around the edges. In the span of a second, he was nothing but a black, swirling blob. Another breath passed, and Chase was solid again. He had reconvened as his old human self, except-

Douglas raised his chin. "Since when are your eyes neon green?"

Chase cut him a sideways look, his eyes bleeding from green to hazel. "It's harder than it looks, okay?"

Douglas held his hands up as Yahn nodded. "Remembering your colors takes time. Your form is very symmetrical and natural, and that's the most important thing." He shifted his wings around to resettle them. "Do you have any other forms you like?"

Chase blurred again, but his cloud shrank down to the floor this time. Douglas frowned, sitting forward until a black cat hopped onto a chair. It climbed onto the table, its tail straight up in the air before it sat down. This time, Chase's voice was a higher pitch when he spoke. "I like this one, too. I rotate between this one, the human, and myself."

A chill ran up Douglas' spine. Something was unsettling about Chase referring to his old self as "the human."

Yahn shifted to the side to give Chase more room on the table. "So, you can do other forms?"

The cat's ears flicked as he laid down, tucking his paws under his body. "Yeah, I can. I usually don't have to, though."

Yahn wagged a claw at Chase's nose. "You should practice as many forms as you can. You never know what will be useful. Insects and birds are excellent to know."

"Practice my forms. Got it." Chase rose to his paws. He had the cat act down, Douglas had to admit. Chase had a butt wiggle and everything before he hopped off the table. A second later, Chase appeared in his demonic form. When he leaned on the chair again, he was focused on Yahn instead of Douglas. Maybe the kid appreciated having a demon teaching him. He did enjoy learning.

Douglas couldn't prevent his smile as he pushed away from the table, the chair scooting across the floor. Chase's eyes snapped to him, and Douglas' heart shot into his throat for a split second. He held up his hands, shaking them slightly as he stood up. "Don't mind me. You guys keep going."

Chase watched him until Yahn spoke up again. "What about planes? How many can you see?"

A second passed before Chase focused on Yahn again. The question led to a discussion on the nature of planes that Douglas couldn't wrap his mind around. Even with everything Chase attempted to describe, Douglas had issues understanding it. He caught snippets of it – Chase saw nine planes, Oly yelled from the next room about how that many was just showing off, and Yahn claimed that Chase should be able to see all nine at the same time instead of flipping through them like a book – but Douglas couldn't contribute.

Keeping quiet, Douglas crossed the kitchen to turn on the oven light. The cheese was bubbling on the lasagna. He turned the light off, then checked the timer. He turned to the demons at the table, clearing his throat. "About ten minutes to dinner."

Chase lit up at that. It wasn't hard to see that the kid had problems finding food over the past few months. "Sweet." He grinned, pushing away from the table with his ears perked up towards the cabinets. "Where are the plates?"

Douglas waved the offer away, turning towards the cabinets himself. "Sit, sit. You guys talk. I'll get things set up."

"No, it's okay. I can help."

Douglas looked back over his shoulder towards Chase. The kid was frowning now, watching Douglas with narrowed eyes. "Are you worried I'm going to drug your drink or something?"

Chase's cheeks colored as he lowered his ears, but he held his ground. "Track record."

That was fair enough. Douglas let out a sigh but gestured towards a cabinet to his left. "Cups are up there."

One of the things Douglas loved about the house was that he could hear thunderstorms so clearly. The roll of thunder, the flash of lightning, and rain drumming on the roof and ceiling. It was soothing. He could even smell the storm. Chase kept his room window open all the time down the hall, allowing fresh air to circulate. Douglas had asked about it once, but Chase didn't seem to have an answer. He just said he liked the breeze, and that was that. The scent of rain wafting through the house was a nice benefit.

"What's that?"

Douglas started. Tiny gears flew from his hands, some clattering on the desk while others took the plunge to the floor. He snapped his head around only to find Chase standing in the doorway to his bedroom. The kid raised his hands up, leaning back. "Sorry, sorry."

Douglas let out a breathy laugh, his heart beating out a swift cadence. Krane had been there in the back of his mind, ready for something cruel. It was hard for him to remember that he wasn't with Krane anymore, that he was as safe as he could get now. He pushed his chair back from the desk, offering Chase a smile before he bent down, squinting to find the gears he dropped. "What's up, kid?"

Chase hadn't come to his room before. Tension had eased over the past week, but Chase kept to himself unless food was involved. There was a rift between them, created by Douglas and his short-sighted schemes. Hell, he talked to Yahn more than Douglas. It wasn't an ideal situation, but Chase would have to settle in at his own pace. That he sought Douglas out for something was more than he expected anytime soon.

"Just curious." Chase stayed by the door, his tail swishing behind him as he pointed to the desk. "I just saw you working on something, and – "

A clap of thunder cut Chase off. He winced, his face twisting into a grimace as he covered his ears.

Douglas sat up with a frown, his dropped gears in his hand as he watched Chase. Bionic hearing could be a blessing and a curse. He kept his voice quiet, sitting back in his chair. "Worried it's something for you?"

Chase rubbed at the base of one of his ears, his cheeks turning red. "Yeah."

Douglas turned back to the desk, motioning for Chase to come closer. "It's just a watch I'm fixing. You can come look it over, if you want."

A beat of silence, then the shuffle of footsteps. Chase's shadow fell across the desk as he stood by Douglas' side. Douglas shifted the chair to the side, giving Chase enough room to crouch down beside him. Douglas watched him look the desk over out of the corner of his eye, pleased to note that Chase was gaining weight. Chase's right eye turned green as he picked up the clock spring, turning it over a few times in his hands. An ear swiveled towards Douglas. "Why are you fixing a watch?"

Douglas picked up a tiny screwdriver and reached up to adjust his magnifying glass. "I'm getting $50 to do it." He shrugged, picking up the watch casing. "The money won't hurt anything."

Chase set the spring down, nodding. He drew a breath to speak, then flinched at a crack of thunder.

Douglas frowned, setting the watch down again while Chase rubbed his ears. "I think I have some noise-canceling earphones around - "

Chase shook his head, rubbing one ear. "No, thanks." He forced air between his teeth, then perked his ears up again. "Does this stuff work like a windup toy?"

Douglas raised an eyebrow. "Similar concept. Did Donnie not give you watches to mess with?"

Chase shook his head, focusing on the desk again. "Straight to digital stuff. I had a little windup toy, but Adam broke it before I could really figure out how it ticked."

Douglas chuckled. That about figured. He swept his hand at the desk. "Want to learn now?" He was well aware that Chase could download all kinds of technical knowledge without Douglas' input, but he liked to think he would be teaching Chase something. Maybe Chase asking questions was his way of trying to build some kind of connection with Douglas? He didn't deserve it, but he could hope.

Chase held up a finger and stood up, leaving the room. Douglas watched Chase's tail vanish around the corner before he turned back to the gears and tools strewn across the desk. He picked up the casing again, lifting it until it came into focus under his lens. He didn't know what Chase was up to, but Douglas didn't want to rush him. He picked up the bent spring he had pulled out of the watch when a kitchen chair landed on the floor beside him. "Okay," Chase said, plopping down in the chair and leaning in, "how do watches work?"

Chase caught on to a watch and its inner workings too fast. Douglas found Chase offering him gears that he hadn't explained yet or finishing sentences he shouldn't know. Chase had pulled a wealth of information from the internet and applied it already. That didn't matter, though. Douglas enjoyed the exercise, and Chase seemed to relax once the thunder eased into nothing but rain. Chase might know everything he needed to about analog watches now, but at least they had something to talk about besides demons. Everything else they had in common were touchy subjects, and Douglas didn't want to dig into those yet. He might ruin what little relationship they were building.

No, Douglas was willing to limit their discussions to safe topics. This situation was too new, too fragile. He didn't want to risk Chase fleeing again. That meant no talking about bionics, no talking about his other kids, no Krane, no asking for details on why Chase thought they wanted him gone. That left him with a limit on conversation. Inventing, though, was something they could work on together.

Douglas made his living now through odd jobs. It was why he spent hours asking Chase about demons. It was why he was repairing a watch. He didn't have the financial support of Krane anymore to allow him to work on some grand new thing he could sell. He took what he could get, and that was fine. There was a kind of zen to working on simple things. If he could work on this stuff with Chase, it would make things just that much better. An extra pair of hands couldn't hurt, right? If they happened to bond over it, that was all the better.

The skitter of claws in the living room caught Douglas' attention. The house was too quiet for that to be nothing.

Douglas tightened his hold on the handle of his skillet as he poked his head through the door. The only thing in the living room was Oly, and she was curled up on the couch with her beak buried under her wing. He narrowed his eyes at the sleeping imp. If something was going on in here, it would make perfect sense for Oly to be the one who instigated it. She was the one who liked causing problems. For all he knew, she could be pretending to sleep until he went away.

At least nothing he could see was broken or on fire.

Douglas let a moment pass, but Oly didn't move. It seemed that she really was asleep. Douglas let out a sigh. Maybe he was just paranoid? He could have heard a mouse or something. Spinning the skillet in his hand, he turned back to the kitchen –

Krane.

Douglas yelped, swinging the pan up high. It connected with the side of Krane's head with a dull clang, the pan stopping as if Douglas had hit a wall. The sensation reverberated up his arms, but Douglas barely felt it. He was yelling out, trying to reach the entire house with his voice. "Chase, run!" Douglas was under no delusion that he could fight Krane off without some serious firepower, but he could be a distraction.

Laughter rang through the kitchen.

Krane didn't move. He didn't even react to the hit. A second passed before the man just…faded away. Behind him, Chase and Yahn were crouched at the foot of the stairs, laughing. Chase had shaking arms raised in the air, but he dropped them to hold his belly after a second. Yahn wiped at his eye before he spoke, a grin on his beak. "Very good."

Douglas stood in the kitchen with his pan raised, breathing hard as he watched the two. What did that mean? "What?"

"It wasn't real," Chase said between quieting giggles. He raised his arms a bit and wiggled his fingers as he stood up, stepping closer to Douglas. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he approached. "I made an illusion." He grinned, his fangs flashing dully in the light. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Douglas looked between Chase and Yahn. It wasn't real? Krane hadn't been inches from him, ready to kill everybody in the house? Douglas lowered the skillet, letting out a breathy laugh of his own. "Just give me a heart attack, why don't ya? God damn."

Chase wiped at his forehead with his sleeve, still grinning. "That was the idea."

To give him a heart attack or convince him for a second that Krane had found him? Whatever it was, it had worked. His heart was still pounding. "That was an illusion, huh?" Douglas winced. "It felt like I hit a brick wall."

Chase nodded, inclining his chin even as a purr rumbled through him. "That was the hardest part. Didn't know I could make things solid."

Yahn crossed the room at last, stopping at Douglas' feet. "You need to make it react when someone touches it," he said, looking up at Chase. "Otherwise, you did very well."

Chase gave a bow, his purr increasing in intensity. "Thank you."

Douglas blew out a breath, trying to force his tension out into the world. Krane wasn't here. Chase was safe. He was safe. It was just a prank. He reached out, patting Chase's shoulders with his free hand. "Christ, kid."

Chase straightened up, pulling his shirt down before pointing at the skillet, an eyebrow rising. "Were you seriously going to fight him with that thing?"

Heat surged in Douglas' cheeks. He narrowed his eyes at Chase, raising the skillet again and giving it a shake. "It's all I have right now. I didn't think I'd win."

Chase held up his hands, but the corners of his mouth quirked upwards. His tail swished, the tip brushing the floor. "Right." His ears perked up. "Were you making lunch?"

Douglas let the skillet drop again, spinning it by the handle. Of course, Chase would latch onto that like it was Christmas. "I was just going to make some grilled cheeses. You want a couple?"

Chase lit up as he started for the cabinets. "Sure. I'll help." He pulled one open to grab the bread, his tail curved up so that it didn't rest on the floor.

Douglas smiled and crossed the room himself, setting the skillet on the stove. Chase wasn't a chef by any means, but he could follow recipes to the letter, so it wasn't impossible to cook with the kid. If Douglas managed to teach him a few tricks in the process, that was just fine. Douglas took a few steps to the side to open the fridge, fishing out a tub of butter, cheese, sliced ham, and salami. He set them on the counter, stepping aside to close the refrigerator as Chase set bread and a couple of plates down by the rest of the ingredients. He had to skirt around Chase to get back to the stove as Chase pulled a drawer open to find a butter knife.

Yahn jumped onto a chair, then onto the table. He curled up, wrapping his tail around himself as he watched Douglas dig a spatula out of another drawer. He settled his wings against his back, his ears flapping. "Maybe after you eat, we can work on seeing all of your planes at once again."

Chase grimaced, pinning his ears even as he nodded. "Just what I wanted after lunch: a headache."

Speaking of studying, Douglas watched Chase pull out a piece of bread and pop the top off the butter. "There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about." Chase turned an ear towards Douglas as he spread some butter over the bread. "You've been here for a couple of weeks now, and I just…." Douglas turned on the stove, trying to find the safest way to phrase what he wanted to say. "I just wondered if you wanted to go back to school."

Chase frowned as he pulled out more bread, spreading butter onto that, too, as his tail twitched. For a long moment, Douglas worried that Chase might not answer. He couldn't blame the kid. It was a loaded question. Chase pulled out a piece of cheese, laid it on one of his bread slices, and stuck it in the pan. Then, he finally sighed. "It's…complicated."

Douglas nodded as Chase fished out a couple of slices of ham, laying those on the cheese and covering them with his final bread slice. "Complicated how?" After the past few months, he didn't want to tell Chase what to do with himself. Turning into a demon and living on the streets probably left one hell of a mark. If Chase wasn't ready to go out in public for hours at a time yet, that was fine. The least Douglas could do was act as a sounding board while Chase worked out his thoughts.

He also had a feeling that Chase's biggest hang-up wasn't purely about demons.

Chase started buttering more bread, sighing. When he spoke, it was hesitant. "I would like to go back to school. I want to graduate. It's just that holding my human form for too long starts to hurt. Dealing with that for hours on end would be agonizing." He assembled another sandwich, this time with salami, and set it on a plate as Douglas turned the first sandwich over in the skillet. "People would ask questions about where I went, too. I don't know how to answer those. I mean, what am I supposed to say? 'Hey, I decided to run away for a while, but I'm back now just because'?" He shook his head. "Then, there's…."

Douglas wasn't surprised Chase trailed off there. It was the closest they'd gotten to talking about the family since Douglas Summoned Chase. He nudged the sandwich as it hissed in the skillet, filling the silence for a second before Douglas took the plunge. "Worried about your siblings?"

Chase lowered his ears, nodding. "I just…. I don't think I can explain anything about this to them. What would they do if I just showed up at school before I even went home?"

Douglas slid his spatula under the first sandwich, setting it on the free plate. Chase picked up the second one, placing it in the pan before constructing another one. "That would be difficult."

Chase blew out a sigh, gesturing at Douglas with his knife for a second. "And I'd have to explain why I'm staying with you – "

Douglas winced.

"– and why I didn't go home." Chase pinned his ears now, his tail lashing enough to brush Douglas' leg. "It's a can of worms I'm not ready to open, you know?" Another ham and cheese sandwich settled onto a plate. "And…and I'm not ready to hear how they explain themselves. Not yet."

Douglas flipped the second sandwich. "That makes sense."

Chase offered Douglas a half-smile. "It's not like I don't know the majority of what they'd teach, anyways. I can just download anything new."

Douglas raised an eyebrow, looking at Chase. "You miss it, don't you?"

Chase was quiet a beat before he let out a laugh. "Yeah, but I'm not ready for it again."

Douglas slid the second sandwich to the plate, scooping up the third one. Chase was almost finished with a fourth. "I think I have some college textbooks in storage, if you want to look at those." He nudged the sandwich to the center of the skillet. "I have a library card somewhere, too, but I don't remember what I did with it."

Chase set the final piece of bread on top of the last sandwich. He picked up the bread loaf, twisting the top and picking up the twist tie. "I'd love to see those books."

Douglas smiled, flipping the sandwich over in the skillet before looking at Chase. "You know, you should at least talk to them."

Chase twisted his mouth up to the side, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know."

Douglas pointed at Chase with the spatula. "Listen, I've been on the family blacklist for years." He nudged the sandwich in the skillet. "I don't think you're on there with me." He waved the spatula around a bit. "Look, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do, okay? I just think they probably had a reason they didn't look, you know?"

Chase snorted, rolling his eyes. "Me, too. Between Adam throwing me around and everyone else either ignoring or insulting me, I'm betting those reasons range from indifference to relief."

Douglas raised an eyebrow, scooping the sandwich out of the skillet and setting it on the plate. "Do you want to see what they're doing before you go? I can get into – "

"No, no, I'm good." Chase raised a hand, looking at Douglas at last. "I don't want to see it."

Douglas shrugged, getting the last sandwich and setting it in the skillet. "It's up to you, man. I'm just saying that it might not be as bad as you think."

Chase popped the lid back on the butter, then sighed, his hand resting on the container. "I'll think about it."

A black cat hopped up onto the couch.

Douglas paused the movie he was watching, a pig zombie frozen on the screen as he watched Chase. That cat couldn't be anybody else. Oly had taken Douglas' bed earlier that evening, and Yahn was stretched along the top of the couch behind him.

Chase curled up against Douglas' leg, purring as he laid down. Douglas narrowed his eyes at that. Chase wanted to talk about something, he guessed. He had even thrown on heterochromatic eyes to look more interesting. One was a vibrant green, and the other was a soft blue. Douglas raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

Chase's voice was higher, his word tucked into a meow. "Yeah." He curled his tail around himself, tucking his paws close to his body. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going out tomorrow."

Douglas set the remote down on the arm of the couch. His hands free, he rubbed at Chase's shoulders. The purring crescendoed at that. "Where?" This would be the first time Chase left the house on his own since he got there.

"I've been thinking about what you said about my family."

A week had passed since Douglas brought that up. "Yeah?"

"I just – I don't think I'm ready to talk to them again," Chase explained, "but I kind of want to see them." He leaned more against Douglas' leg. "I know it sounds weird, but I want to haunt the front gate a bit. Just to see what they're up to, you know? I mean, demons haunt things, right? Why not me?"

Yahn shuffled his wings. "Demons don't haunt things, Half-Breed."

Chase shook his little head. "Lies and slander."

Douglas forced a laugh. He didn't want Chase to go home. What if he decided to stay there? Where would Douglas be then? Alone without his kids, talking only to imps. "I'm telling you, I can get into the cameras so you can watch."

Chase's ears twitched. "I want to see them in person, if I can."

Douglas wasn't laughing anymore. "You sure? Are you sure you won't get homesick and stay?"

"I'm homesick, anyways." Chase let his hindlegs extend out to his side. "I don't think it can get worse." Chase blinked those colorful eyes of his, looking up at Douglas. "I don't know why, but I have to do this. I don't think I'll talk to them, but I just want to see."

Douglas couldn't help but think this was ideal for Chase. It hurt being separated from your family. Douglas would know better than anybody else; he wasn't allowed to visit his kids. He deserved it, but it still stung. He couldn't imagine staying away voluntarily. He rubbed small circles into Chase's shoulders. He didn't want Chase to go and decide that he didn't want to come back, but he didn't want to stop Chase, either. At last, he sighed. "You do what you have to do, kid."

Chase flicked his ears again. "However tomorrow goes, I'm coming back here. Don't worry about that."

Douglas felt the tension leave his shoulders. It was nice having one of his kids around for the past three weeks. He didn't want to lose Chase already. He smiled. "I wasn't worried about it."

Chase purred, his tail swishing. "Sure, you weren't." He looked at the TV, perking his ears at the screen as he tilted his head. "You know pigs can't drive, right? No thumbs."

Douglas scoffed, gesturing at the screen. "It's called 'suspending disbelief.'"

Chase shifted his weight to get more comfortable, his whiskers twitching. "If you say so."