Chapter 8

Unforeseen

"Do you think it's possible to repair him?" Xanatos asked.

"Yes. If we use both science and magic, I'm sure it will work. The pieces I found of him are not enough, though. You'll have to build the missing parts." Xanatos pondered if he should trust Demona on this: the plan seemed easy enough, except for the technical part.

"And you believe that he will help us defeat Goliath." He stated.

"He will, after I talk to him. Just leave it to me, Xanatos, and we'll soon have a formidable ally." She smirked, wickedly.

"I-" The telephone rang three times before Xanatos decided to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mister Xanatos? I'm calling about your daughter's prescription co pay." The man told him.

"My daughter's...prescription." He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, for the pain killer. She came into the ER with tooth pain." He confirmed.

His hand clenched around the phone. "Ah yes, if course. I will pay for it as soon as possible."

"Alright, we'll send it you tomorrow. Have a good evening, sir."

"Goodbye. And thank you." Xanatos ended up the call and sighed. "I'm sorry my dear, but something needs my attention."

"Some issues with your human brat?" She asked.

"Something like that..."

Demona left. Xanatos went to his office and called Owen. He sat heavily in chair and waited for him. Displeasure darkened his face.

"You called, sir?" Owen came in few minutes later.

"Someone called me from the hospital a few minutes ago, telling me that I needed to pay a prescription made for my dear daughter. I did not take Talia to the E. R., Owen." He frowned deeply.

"Detective Maza suggested it and Puck decided it was best for Talia to go with her." Owen explained plainly.

"If Talia keeps being seen with anyone else but her official adoptive father, people will start to question my abilities as a parent. There's the risk that we may lose Talia's adoption...and I don't like the fact that she's becoming so friendly with detective Maza." Xanatos pointed out.

"Puck doesn't regret his decision and he wants you to know that. I will tell Miss Maza to call before doing anything like that again. Shall I make an appointment with Talia's doctor?" He asked.

"Yes. Tell her to come here tomorrow afternoon, so you can go pick the girl up from Maza's apartment." Xanatos stood up and walked towards the tall window behind his desk. "It's time for Talia to come back home."

The next morning, Elisa woke up early to feed Cagney and prepare breakfast for her and Talia. She really liked the kid, but was worried about leaving her alone all day while she was at the police station. Especially after what happened the night before at the E. R.

Talia woke up to the scent of food. Rubbing her eyes and yawning, she lumbered into the kitchen. "Elisa?"

"Hey Tai. How are you feeling?" Elisa asked.

"Um, gonna need more medicine soon." Talia sat at the table.

"After breakfast. How about some pancakes? I made you something easier to chew."

"Pancake sounds good." Talia nodded. Caney rubbed against her leg. She petted him.

Talia watched Elisa pour the batter into the pan then flip them. Her stomach growled in earnest. Talia rubbed her tummy, wondering what to put on her pancakes. There was a knock on the door; Elisa frowned, for it was early in the morning and she didn't usually have visits.

"Who's there?" She asked while getting closer to the door.

"It's Owen Burnett, detective. Have Talia pack her things. Mister Xanatos wants her home." Owen told her.

"It depends if she wants to get home." Elisa crossed her arms. "What do you want to do, Tai?"

"I want breakfast." She answered.

"Talia, you have a doctor's appointment this afternoon." Owen said sternly.

The detective sighed.

"Alright, how about I let you in so you two can talk? Mr. Burnett, would you like a cup of coffee?" She asked after opening the door. After serving breakfast, Elisa thought that they both needed some privacy, so she took her mug and a plate of eggs and bacon before going to her own bedroom.

"Yes, coffee will be fine." Owen walked straight to the table.

Talia crossed her arms, turning away from him. "I don't want to go back. You said I could stay."

"Talia, that was before you went to the emergency room." He said.

"David made you come get me, like always. He's just going to take away everything again. I bet he doesn't know why I left." Talia huffed.

"Talia, things are different now. He got a phone call last night. I'm sorry I le- your grounding went on so long. It wasn't fair to you. We didn't want you upset with us. But we should have just told from the start and helped you deal with the emotions." He touched her arm, adding softly. "I should have admitted the truth sooner. Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I'll be a better father to you."

"...I'll go home. But I want to talk to David." Talia said after a minute.

"Finish your breakfast, Talia." Owen smiled.

An hour later, they were back to the castle. Xanatos was reading an interesting book about occult inside the private library. Owen looked for Xanatos. He knew that putting it off would only make Talia angry. Owen found him in the library. Talia pushed past him.

"So, you were reading a stupid occult book while you made my dad do your dirty work?! You didn't even wait for us in the Great Hall." Talia fumed.

Xanatos merely smiled and closed the book. "Ah, Talia. Welcome back. I simply decided to wait for you in here, since I wasn't sure when you were going to be back. Why does that upset you? Your father is my personal assistant after all. It's his job."

"YOU'RE MY FATHER, TOO! I'm sick of you never treating me right. You just ignore me and tell me what to do. No more! I want an apology right now!" Talia's eyes glowed and when she snarled, Xanatos saw her fangs.

Xanatos narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up. "Oh, so now you care that I'm your adoptive father? Because since you arrived, you've been nothing but a disobedient, unsatisfied brat, causing me troubles. You hated me the moment you set your foot in here, never giving me a chance. You're so immature and ungrateful..." He sneered.

"And it seems that your temper hasn't improved in the slightest. In fact, you have spent so much time with Goliath and his clan, you're starting to resemble a gargoyle. Those fangs of yours aren't exactly normal...see by yourself." David pointed at mirror hanging on the wall to his right.

"What are you talking about?" Talia asked, looking at the mirror. "What is this? Puck?!" She started to panic and the ground shook.

"What is happening to her, Owen?" Xanatos asked.

"You shouldn't have upset her, sir." He said before turning into Puck.

"Hey, Tai, remember what I said about your senses? Just calm down. It'll be fine. Nothing's wrong." Puck soothed, moving her away from the mirror. Talia calmed down. Her breathing was still a little fast, but her eyes went back to normal.

"C'mon, little one. Let's go to your room." Puck led her out, glancing back at Xanatos. They would talk after he got her settled.

"She was already upset as soon as she came back. You're the one who chose to lie to her...don't forget it." Xanatos calmly replied, unperturbed by the whole situation. He say back into his chair and went back to reading.

"That may be true, but you did too." Puck reminded him.

He took Talia to her room. She burrowed under her blankets. Puck rubbed her back until she was snoozing. That was much faster than normal. He changed back into Owen. Xanatos was still where they left him.

"I'm not going to apologize." Xanatos declared, almost bored. "I'm not going to apologize for something you asked me to do: you decided to drop the kid in my house, under my name. You told me to not tell her about her past and who you really were. And now you keep lying to me." He slammed the book on the table. David very rarely lost his temper. "Have you forgotten our deal? One wish from the Puck, or a lifetime of service from Owen: someone who would always be loyal to me. Someone I could always trust. Are you taking back your word?"

"I haven't forgotten. You still have me. But if you continue this way with Talia, it would be wise to be cautious. She is stronger than I thought." He said.

"You didn't tell me she had magic." Xanatos accused.

"It awoke the night of the charity ball. I didn't know she had any before then." Owen let out a deep breath.

Xanatos stood up and paced around the table. "As if she wasn't already unstable as she is... Now the girl has powerful fae magic as well." He crossed his arms.

"Sir, please don't. You already triggered some bad memories for her." Owen pleaded.

"Then I suggest that you spend time with her. As a father, this time. She clearly doesn't want anything to do with me, and...I have to be honest, I don't like children or teenagers in general. I'm a multi billionaire businessman, not a babysitter or a father, for that matter." He sighed.

Owen let out a shocked laugh. "I honestly thought you two would get along."

"Seriously?" Xanatos raised an eyebrow. "We have nothing in common. She doesn't care about technology, or luxury items. She never wants to come at high society events."

"That's all you think there is to your life?! You both like mythology, reading, you're both creative." Owen sighed. "It could have been nice."

David put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "You're deluding yourself. Talia doesn't like me, and I...I tried my best. She barged into the library, ready to jump at my throat. Literally."

"She wasn't fully herself. I told you her magic was new. By any means, she gave you another chance. Do what you will with it." Owen left.

Xanatos remained alone in the library, feeling...confused. And strangely enough, bitter. It wasn't often that the billionaire felt like this. And he didn't like it. David had a brief flashback of his own father, telling him that he didn't have time to come to school and see the science exhibition, because he had to work. The man felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

Talia heard yelling. It was loud and angry. Growing closer and closer until her room was going to fall down.

Talia woke up with a start. It... No, it wasn't a dream. David was mad at her. She had never seen him like that before. She looked at the clock. It was lunch time. There were a few knocks on her bedroom's door.

"Talia?...May I come in?" It was David.

"I- I'll be ready soon." Talia called, her voice cracking.

"No, I...please let me in. I want to talk with you..." His tone seemed much more gentle.

"... okay, I guess." Talia looked away.

Xanatos entered the room, carrying a plate of sandwiches and a soda. Under his arm there was a book.

"Hey...I brought lunch. You don't have to eat it in here, but I thought you were hungry, so..." He sat on the bed and offered her the plate.

"But we always eat in the dining room." She frowned.

"You won't be forced to do anything if you don't want to, from now on. Of course, there will be rules, but we could decide them together. You know, compromise." He smiled slightly.

"You won't take away my things; you aren't mad? Even though I yelled at you?" Talia held Peaches tight.

"No. In fact, you're not grounded anymore." He inhaled and then exhaled.

"Talia, I know that I haven't been the best adoptive father...Hell, I haven't been even a decent one. You must understand...you see..." David seemed to feel uncomfortable and he rubbed his neck. "My father wasn't exactly great either. My mother died of cancer when I was little and he was just a poor fisherman; he had to work every day, all day. He didn't have time for me, apparently and...Earlier I realized I behaved just like him. It doesn't excuse my behavior towards you, but...I wanted you to know this. I never told this to anyone but Fox."

"We were poor, too. Mom and Dad worked a bunch. I was at Adri's house alot. It wasn't enough, they always yelled at each other. I think it was my fault." Talia whispered.

"It's never the child's fault when the parents argue." David shifted a bit closer.

"Owen asked me to give you a warm home. A safe place where you could grow and be happy...clearly, I failed. But I want to try again. To do better. So I thought that you would've liked this." He gave her the book, whose title was "The fairy-faith in Celtic countries" By W. Y. Evans Wentz "A little bird told me you like reading. And since now you know who is your father... Maybe this could help you. It's very interesting."

Talia took the book carefully. "This looks old. Are you sure you want me to have it?"

"It's the first edition ever published. I bought it at an auction." He grinned, still feeling proud of his purchase. "Of course. I think of all people in this castle, you're the one who deserves to have it. There are more books about this topic in the library: you can go whenever you like and read anything you want."

"Ok?" Talia furrowed her brow. She put the book down and grabbed a sandwich. It was turkey and cheese. She waited for David to change his mind and say no.

"You want to eat lunch in here? It's a nice day outside, we could eat together in the gardens, if you prefer." He smiled.

"Like a picnic?" She asked.

"Yeah. We could prepare a few more sandwiches and snacks...Owen can join us, if he wants. And I'm sure he always likes to spend time with you." He suggested.

"Owen lets me have fun." Talia said before she thought. "Can we go outside now?"

"Sure." Xanatos stood up and with Talia they went outside. The midday sun was warm, but not unpleasantly hot, and there was a slight breeze. David sat on the soft grass under a willow tree near a small, clear pond.

"I didn't know this was here." Talia said.

"I see we're eating out here today." Owen walked up to them.

"Hi, Dad." She hugged him.

"It's a nice day, why eat inside?" David shrugged, but smiled.

They sat on the blanket and ate lunch. David and Owen talked about work for a bit. Talia finished her sandwich and took another one. Pausing, she absent mindedly popped a chip into her mouth.

"Ow-ie!" She cried.

"Do you still have a toothache?" Xanatos asked, gently rubbing her back. "Owen, could you please go take her painkillers?"

"Of course, sir." He went inside.

Xanatos sat a bit closer to Talia and took the book. "How about I read it to you? It could help you distract yourself from the pain." He said as he laid his back against the tree. David patted a spot next to him.

"Sure." Talia rubbing her jaw, sitting next to him. She sipped her soda before putting it down.

Xanatos cleared his throat and started reading. "Chapter one: The religious nature of the fairy-faith. There is probably no other place in Celtic lands more congenial, or more inspiring for the writing down of one's deeper intuitions about the Fairy-Faith, than Carnac, under the shadow of the pagan tumulus and mount of the sacred fire, now dedicated by triumphant Christianity to the Archangel Michael..."

Talia listened to David read. His voice was nice. Steady and soothing. Goliath read aloud in the library sometimes. She smiled sleepily. Yawning, she rested her head on his shoulder. The man tensed slightly, feeling a bit awkward: he wasn't used to this at all, but when he saw Talia's relaxed and happy expression, he smiled softly.

He put an arm around her, moving her head to his chest as he kept reading. "The very name of Carnac is significant, and in two continents, Africa and Europe,to follow the certain evidence of archaeology alone there seem to have been no greater centres for ancient religion than Karnak in Egypt and Carnac in Brittany..."

Talia wondered why she was so sleepy today? Her adopted father's voice and cologne(?) lulled her to sleep. The sun rays peeking through the willow branches, the gentle breeze caressing him and the quiet...David, who woke very early as usual for his judo training, was having an hard time to focus on the book. He yawned a few times, and in the end, he fell asleep like Talia.

Owen hadn't meant to be gone for so long, but work pulled him in. He made his way back to the willow tree. David and Talia were asleep. Talia's head was laying on Mister Xanatos' chest. A book was in his lap so he must have been reading to her. Talia's magic, smelling of lilacs, earth, and apple spice, was content. Owen smiled.

"Talia, sweetheart, time to wake up." He bent down.

In hearing Owen, David woke up as well. He blinked, confused for a moment, but then memories came back to him. Right, he fell asleep under a tree.

"It's been so long since the last time I had a nap...I never have time for it." He sniffed the air. "There's a scent of flowers and apple spice here."

"I wasn't aware you could smell her magic." Owen said.

"I wasn't aware that magic could be smelled." David frowned.

"Not usually; not by humans. I can smell it because I'm her father. It's barely noticeable unless you have strong sense of smell. We can pick up the subtleties of it, but something like the gargoyles will only notice a sweeter scent." Owen explained.

"Maybe she wanted me to notice..." He murmured, caressing Talia's black hair. "Tai? It's time to wake up..."

"Wha- Uh, what time is it?" Talia sat up. There was some drool on her face. Owen passed Talia a small pill, and she swallowed it with water.

"It's time for your appointment with the doctor. We've been sleeping for a couple of hours, my dear." Xanatos chuckled.

"Ok." She stretched and got up.

They went inside to the infirmary. Dr. Alice was waiting for them. Xanatos hired her after he adopted Talia. She was surprised to see Xanatos with them. Talia sat on the exam table.

"What brings you here today?" She asked.

"My daughter here has a bad toothache. The doctor at the E.R. told us that her canines seemed to be...developing. Some sort of late growth." Xanatos explained.

"By growth, you mean the tooth itself? Not a tumor?" She asked.

"They're pointy now! See?" Talia opened her mouth.

The doctor looked at her teeth. They were pointed. She pressed on the gums with her gloved hand. Talia hissed. Her tooth caught the glove and ripped it. It missed the doctor's finger.

"Are you alright?" Owen asked.

"I'm fine. She missed my hand. It seems to be tender. Did you give her any medicine?" Dr. Alice asked, getting a new glove.

"Yes, they gave us these pills. They're painkillers." Xanatos said showing her the bottle.

She looked at the bottle. It was strong stuff. Talia wasn't taking any other medicine so she decided it would be fine for her to continue it.

"I'll order a test done so we can figure out what's going on. Alright, honey, take this to bathroom and pee in it." Dr. Alice got out a cup.

"Ok." Talia went to the bathroom.

Xanatos changed a brief look with Owen, both a bit worried.

"I'm making sure there are no steroids in her system. Is there any chance she's been out recently? Like a party or something." She asked.

"She did go to a concert...but you don't really think that Talia took any drugs, do you?" Xanatos asked.

"Oh. Well, I don't believe so. I personally don't know of anything that could do something like grow teeth. Talia's a good kid, but things happen at concerts." Dr. Alice looked a little disappointed.

"She would never take drugs. She knows how dangerous they are, she isn't stupid." Xanatos narrowed his eyes.

Owen shifted nervously. Tricksters were to known to overindulge. It was one of their vices. If Talia was drinking and she was given something... He didn't want to think about Talia was done, she gave the small cup to doctor Alice. Xanatos paid for the visit and the exams before she left.

"How do you feel, Tai?" Her adopted father glanced at her.

"I feel fine." She said.

"Is there something you would like to do now?" He asked.

"Um, can we go get a treat?" Talia asked softly.

Xanatos chuckled. "Of course. What would you like? There's a nice kiosk in Central Park, if you want."

"Do they have cookies? I miss cookies." Her eyes grew bright.

"You will get your cookies, don't worry." Owen smiled.

"I'm sure they have them. Come on." David put one hand on the teen's shoulder and they all got out of the building.

Talia hummed a happy tune as they walked to Central Park. People perked up as they passed. Owen realized she was unconsciously using her magic. It seemed to be strong in her voice. He knew some of it was from him, but perhaps it was Goliath's influence as well? That didn't explain the earth shaking. He pursed his lips. Xanatos couldn't care less about the looks of the people as he passed by. He never cared about others' opinions, so why start now? They walked to the small kiosk, a sweet scent of fresh baked sweets was in the air.

"Ooo, they got double chocolate chip!" Talia ran up to the display.

"Don't run off, Talia." Owen warned her.

David went after her. "Talia, please stay close to me and Owen, okay?"

"But cookie!" She whined.

"Talia, listen to your father. We don't want you getting lost." Owen told her.

"Ok... I want that one." She pointed.

"Three big chocolate chip cookies, please." Xanatos told the woman behind the kiosk. She smiled and nodded, before picking the cookies. "Anything else you would like?"

"Brownie." Talia thought.

"Talia, you're getting a cookie. I will have a cheese Danish and a coffee." Owen added.

"Hot cocoa." She said.

"And a coffee for me." David amended.

"Alright, then. You can sit at one of the tables, I will bring everything immediately." The woman told him.

"Thank you." David paid for everything and they sat at one of the small round tables near the kiosk.

Talia sat down. Her headache was coming back. It must have been the sun. She shaded her eyes with her hand. It sorta worked.

"Talia?" Owen asked.

"The sun is too bright." She complained.

"Wait a moment." David stood up and moved the table under the shade of an oak tree. "Here, much better, mh?"

"Yeah, that's better." Talia agreed.

"Do you want to get some sunglasses?" Owen asked.

"I dunno, maybe." She shrugged.

"We could buy a pair before going home. Maybe do some shopping for you, things you like." Xanatos sat on the chair.

"Ok." Talia looked as the woman brought their things. She drank her cocoa. It was rich and sweet.

"Here's your cookies, Tai." Xanatos said putting the small plate in the middle. He sipped his coffee and hummed. "This is pretty good."

Talia munched on a cookie. Owen bit into his Danish. He slowly realized that he had only taken an hour off of work for Talia's appointment.

"Sir, I hadn't realized we were going out so I only took an hour off." He said.

"It's alright, Owen. You can take the rest of the day off. I have a project to work on tonight, you could keep Talia company. Roxanne should wake up in a couple of hours."

"Alright, sir. Wha-" He said.

"I want to go to the bookstore. My notebook is full." Talia interjected.

"We'll go after we finish here." Xanatos smiled. "Don't worry about it, Owen, I'll explain later. Now let's enjoy this day together."

Owen was slightly confused why he hadn't been informed of the project, but let it go. Talia didn't really care about it. He was always doing projects. They continued to eat and drink. Owen could tell David wanted to talk with Talia, but couldn't figure out how. Owen brought up Talia's writing assignment. It was short story about the previous unit. She made it a comedy.

"I didn't know you liked to write. Would you like to become a writer someday?" He placed his chin on his hands.

"Maybe, I dunno..." Talia blushed.

"Don't be so modest, Talia. You're a great writer." Puck slipped out.

"You're just saying that cause I showed you our adventures." She muttered.

"No, the one about the castle is good too." He argued.

"That one's not done yet." Talia said.

"Don't give up your dreams: if you wish to become a writer, then just keep going. I could pay for any college you would like to go, so don't worry about that." David told her.

"Sounds nice." Talia finished her cookie.

They left the park and went to the store. Talia found few pairs of sunglasses. She got some new clothes as well. Then they went to the bookstore. She got a new notebook, some fiction books, and a small stuffed dragon. It was teal with splotches of other colors. Then they went home.

"Did you enjoy our outing today?" David asked as he helped carrying the bags to Talia's room.

"Yeah, it was fun." She carried the dragon.

"What would you like to eat for dinner?" He asked.

"Can we have shrimp alfredo?" She asked.

"If Owen can cook it, yes. And if we have all the ingredients. I think we have shrimps in the refrigerator." The freezer cellar was so big and so filled with various meat and fish, that Xanatos had no doubt that they also had crustaceans.

"I don't like the big freezer. I got stuck when I tried to find popsicles." Talia started to unpack the bags.

"And that's why we always tell you to ask for things." He stood near the door, leaning against it.

"You wouldn't let me have dessert then." She said.

Xanatos cleared his throat. "Right. Well, that's in the past. Come on, let's get dinner ready." He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. "Owen will need help cleaning the shrimp."

"We're making it together?" Talia looked at him like he grew another arm.

"Hey, I come from Maine, where lobsters are eaten on a daily basis. And since my father was always out, guess who had to learn how to cook?" David waited.

"You did?" She pointed.

"Exactly. Sure, it's been a long time since I last cooked, but I still remember the basics." He walked out of her room.

"I sure hope so." Talia followed him to the kitchen.

"Hey, how about a little trust here? Owen, tell her something." Xanatos smirked.

"Sir, I haven't seen you cook anything since I started working here." He said wirily. Talia snorted.

"Mph. We'll see who has the last laugh." He sniffed.

The two men began to peel and wash the shrimp. Talia gathered the ingredients for the sauce and started boiling the water. She was done soon after and wandered over to see how far they got. Owen shooed her away. David asked why. He explained that Talia had a mild allergy to raw shellfish, but if it was cooked, it was fine. Talia started to make the sauce. Half an hour later, everything was ready and they all sat at the table in the dining room.

"See? It came out pretty good." David winked as he picked up his fork.

"Yeah. It's good." Talia said.

They had made a salad and garlic toast to go with it. Although in Talia's case, it was more like bread with butter and garlic salt on it. Talia was hungry and ate everything on her plate plus another serving of alfredo. Owen watched her, but she seemed fine. They had cake for dessert. Once dinner was over, Xanatos bid goodnight to Talia and Owen and went to his laboratory. He had much work to do. Roxanne woke up soon after he left and walked into the living room. She stopped when she saw Talia.

"Hey..." Roxanne waved.

Talia stiffened. The weird smell was bad. Owen noticed a bit too late as Roxanne walked in. Talia's eyes turned red and she tried to lunge.

"Roxanne, leave!" Owen struggled to hold Talia back.

"Woah! What the fuck is happening here?!" The woman assumed a defensive stance, but did not leave.

"Talia, it's Roxanne. She's our friend!" Owen told her. Talia roared. She twisted and slipped out of her father's grasp.

"It's like she's berserk! She won't listen to you!" Roxanne waited for Talia to come at her; she easily dodged the girl's attempt to attack her, before grabbing her by the collar and blocked her on the floor. "She's like a savage animal right now, which means that she needs to understand who's the boss. I'll keep her like this until she submits."

Talia thrashed. She knew she was pinned and that was bad. Her survival instincts kicked in. Her magic radiated off of her.

"Roxanne, get off of her!" Owen shouted.

"Let me try something!" Roxanne focused, her eyes becoming pink as her voice became more gentle. "Hey, kiddo, it's me remember? Roxanne. I'm your friend...You're safe, just calm down, ssshhhh..."

Talia paused. She was confused. The bad thing wasn't attacking? But Dad was still there, he was in danger. She snarled weakly.

"Hey, it's alright, everyone's safe. See?" Roxanne used one hand to caress the girl's hair.

Talia looked at Owen.

"I'm okay. It's fine." He reassured her. Talia went limp and stopped fighting.

"O-kaaay..." The woman slowly let go of Talia and sighed. "Now, can someone please tell me what was that?"

"Let me take her to bed first. I don't know if that power will last for very long considering the circumstances." Owen picked Talia up. They went to her bedroom. Roxanne waited outside.

"Is she alright?" She asked him.

"It's been a roller-coaster of a day. Roxanne, I had no idea she would become hostile towards you." He sighed. "Let me start over. Firstly, Talia is my daughter. The night of concert her magic woke up. I believe Brooklyn must have claimed her as clan. That's why she has gargoyle traits... Roxanne, do you remember what you said in the elevator? When it first stopped."

"She's...your daughter? And she has...magic? No, I...what did I say?" Roxanne frowned, shaking her head

"Yes, Talia is my daughter. She's a halfling. You were mad at me for not telling her about her parents. You ranted that you weren't her mother or her sister or anything. You were nothing. Magic clings to strong words like nothing. You rejected any relationship you had with Talia." Owen grew more worried.

"WHAT? But she couldn't have possibly heard me! She wasn't with us!" Roxanne exclaimed.

"You were talking about her, with me. That was enough." He said solemnly.

Roxanne backed to the wall behind her and let herself slide down. "This is too complicated...I didn't mean that I don't want anything to do with her, I just-I don't really reason when I get angry." She sighed. "So...that's it? My relationship with Talia is ruined because of a stupid sentence? That's ridiculous!"

"It's not too late to fix it. She's young and her magic is still flexible. Although, it will be difficult. Give me your jacket." Owen said.

The woman took off her leather jacket and passed it to peeked in Talia's room. She was still asleep. He put the jacket near the air vent. "I fear you may not get this back once she finds it."

"Why did you do that exactly?" She groaned, while standing up.

"She needs to get used your scent. That's what made her attack you." He said, walking away from Talia's room. "She needs sleep. Let's continue this elsewhere. "

"I just woke up and I'm already tired..." Roxanne murmured, shaking her head as they went into the castle's gardens. They were high enough to see the stars shining, and the light of the lamp-posts illuminating the trees and bushes made the atmosphere almost magical.

Roxanne sat on a stone bench. "I'm still trying to get over the fact that you're a fairy. That magic exists."

"I didn't expect to reveal any of this to you. I thought we could be together for a while then 'Owen Burnett' would fade into the background." He sat next to her.

"Same thing. I didn't think I would've become so...attached to you. Or Talia." She turned her head away. "I'm a predator. I feed on humans, take their blood. They unconsciously fear me, but at the same time they're attracted...animals either run away or attack me. Babies cry whenever I'm around."

She grinned and laughed bitterly, before standing up and making a few steps forward. "What irony, what wonderful sense of humor life has...I'm everything that is darkness, and blood, and fear, and rage...I'm cursed and hated, and hunted and driven away. And you, you are fair, sweet Puck: you are light, and life, and love. You bring music and joy, and give humans lovely dreams...you are pure. You are everything that I'm not..."

She stopped by the fountain and sat on its edge. "Tell me: is Avalon as beautiful as I've heard from old storytellers? Is it Eden? I have to know that there is still beauty somewhere in this world..."

"It's not Eden, but it's home. Summer all the time. I miss it." He sighed despondently.

"Then why are you here? Why did you leave heaven and came on earth?" She asked, confused.

"We were banished. Lord Oberon thought his dear wife was too immature and needed to learn a lesson in humility. Of course, the rest of us had to go too." Owen's nose wrinkled in bitterness.

"Aah. Exile. That's always a classic." Roxanne smirked. "Adam and Eve were the first ones to receive this punishment. And then their son Cain, cursed to roam the earth, and never stop."

"I'm afraid I don't fully see the connection." He looked at her.

"They were all kicked out of their original lands, just like you and the other fairies." She explained to him.

"Yes, but why would you bring it up?" He asked.

"It is said that vampires come from Cain. He was the first vampire. And it is said that he still roams this world. Some believe it, some don't. The Sabbat is obsessed with it. The Camarilla thinks it's just bullshit."

"I suppose it makes sense. What do you think of it?" Owen hummed.

"That I'm too old to care." She shrugged. "If fairies exist, and werewolves exist, and vampires exist...why wouldn't this be true? But even if it is, what does it change? I'm still here, with you, in a castle on the top of a skyscraper in New York. I'm still living my unlife and moving on."

"You and Mister Xanatos have a similar attitude." The corner of his lip curled up.

"Maybe I underestimated the guy. Maybe he's even smarter than he looks." She raised a finger to the corner of her lip in thought.

"There's something I need to tell about my relationship with him." Owen got serious.

"I'm not going to judge, I mean, he's a pretty sexy man, so I think it's totally fine if you- you know. I'm not against polyamory." Roxanne waved her hands.

"No, not that. But we will be talking about that later. Puck found him interesting so we worked for as Owen for a bit. Puck revealed himself and offered a deal. A wish from him or lifetime of service from Owen. He chose Owen." He explained.

"Oooooh. Whoops." Roxanne cleared her throat. "That's great and all, but...why did you do that? Doesn't that mean that you have to serve him until his last day of life?"

"We're not opposed to polyamory." He smiled gently. "Not exactly, just a lifetime. But I do like the guy."

"Well. Good. Good." She walked back to him and took his hands. "Now I can't allow myself to die when I'll face the Sabbat in a few days."

"Roxanne, wait." Owen stopped.

"Wait for what?" She looked at him.

"Mister Xanatos wanted someone who was loyal to him. He wanted to know why you were acting oddly. He tried to ask me to use your interest to his advantage, but my feelings are genuine for you... Eventually, he'll ask me what I know." He hung back, unsure how she would react.

Roxanne remained very still for a few minutes. She didn't look angry, more like she was thinking about something. Then she smiled, wickedly. "Heh...so he wanted to use you to keep an eye on me, mmh? How adorable."

She caressed Owen's cheek. "Let's not tell him anything for now. I want to see what he's going to do. As for you..."

Her finger moved to his chest, sliding down.

"I want to make sure that you're really interested in me. And not because your master told you to..." She purred, her lips nibbling his earlobe.

"Wh- What exactly do you have in mind?" Owen stammered. His suit felt hot now.

Roxanne grinned more widely. "You'll see."