Chapter 14

Visiting Oregon

Talia stretched and got off the plane. Their luggage was loaded into the car and they drove out of PDX as soon as they could. David was driving, Fox was at his side and Owen was in the rear seats with Talia.

"We'll be at the chalet in about an hour." David said as he drove.

"Ok." Talia nodded.

"Are you excited, Talia?" Fox asked.

"Yeah." She watched the river.

"I'm sure you will love the luxury cabin I bought: it's big enough for us and your friends so they can sleep over, and there's a room downstairs with a ping-pong table, a foosball one, a big sofa with a tv, a small library and a couple of pinballs. I'm sorry I couldn't bring the AC/DC...seems like they're busy with an upcoming tour." Xanatos huffed, annoyed. "So I thought about something more cozy and quiet."

"It's fine. I'm just happy to be back." Talia reassured.

"We will go see Adriana later." Owen added. "I know you miss her."

"Who's Adriana?" Xanatos asked.

"My friend." Talia answered. "We knew each other since we were kids. She has brown hair and dark blue eyes. She loves art and drawing stuff."

"I see. Next week, after we had our Thanksgiving lunch, I'll send a couple of taxis to pick up your friends. They will stay here for the weekend and then go back home. It wasn't easy to convince the parents." He explained.

"No, it wasn't." Owen said softly.

"How is Mommy?" Talia asked.

"Good, I think. The crate is in the trunk. Luckily we used my private jet, otherwise it would've been difficult to explain to the airport security why there's a body in there." He smiled lightly.

"You and Owen will have to carry her inside. I'm exhausted." Fox yawned.

"Why don't you rest a little? You haven't slept at all on the jet." David said sweetly, stroking her red hair.

"I'll try." She rested her head on the headrest.

The drive was quiet. It had begun to rain by the time they got to the cabin. It was a two story wood building. Owen got out a rain jacket for everyone and they unpacked the car.

"Go in with Fox, Tai, and start unpacking." David said as they carefully lifted the wooden crate from the trunk."

Talia took her bag. "Ok."

Fox led her to the door and unlocked it. They went in. It was fully furnished. The walls were yellow and had a stone doorway leading somewhere. They put their bags on the living room floor.

"So? What do you think?" David asked, grinning as he and Owen put the crate down.

"It's nice, sir." He put black out curtains on the windows before he pried open the crate a little bit. They would still need it to get home.

Roxanne was still asleep, her hands interlaced over her chest. "You and Roxanne have your room upstairs, on the North side of the cabin. No risks of having the sun coming through your window."

"I'll see what she says when she wakes up. Where will we put the crate?" He asked.

"Let's take it in your bedroom first. She won't wake up until later." They brought the crate with Roxanne upstairs with some effort.

Fox and Talia finished figuring whose bags were whose. She tried to look at her presents, but Fox chided her. Then she sat in the armchair. Talia went to her room. Owen got their bags and unpacked their clothes into the dresser. The room was large with a king size bed and a nice view of the forest. He gazed at Roxanne. He hoped she would like it. Fox and David were done with their luggage, unpacking everything and neatly putting it in the drawers and armoire.

"Talia, are you done with your bags?" Xanatos asked out loud from the hallway.

Talia dragged her empty bags to the closet. Her clothes were put away and she had brought a couple books with her to read, sitting on the desk.

"All done." She called back.

"Alright, want to help with dinner?" He asked.

On the plane, Xanatos made a phone call to the cleaning crew of the cabin and told them that he would double their paycheck if they went to make groceries and fill the fridge and refrigerator. And of course they complied immediately. It wasn't as much because he wasn't going to lower himself into making groceries (he was still a multi-billionaire), but mostly for the fact that they were all too tired after the journey to even set foot outside.

"What're we having?" Talia walked out.

"Something light, maybe soup? Fox, darling, what would you like?" David wanted to make sure that dinner was something his wife could and would eat: after all, she was pregnant.

"Soup sounds good." She nodded.

"Again? We had that last night. " Talia pouted.

"We could also make some pot roast with salad. Go with Owen downstairs so you can decide." He smiled, rubbing the teen's head. Talia left.

"You know you don't have to eat the same thing I do. It's fine." Fox turned to him.

"Nonsense, my dear, I'd rather have a light dinner too after driving for an hour on curved, bumpy mountain roads." He reassured, kissing her temple. "How do you feel?"

"Sitting in the armchair helped. I think it was the all the time we spent in the air and driving that made me tired." She said.

"Well, now we're here: our cozy cabin in the woods, two weeks of relaxation and peace." He held Fox's hand while they walked downstairs

Owen was preparing the salad and boiling the broth. The vegetables were already diced. Talia was rubbing spices on the pot roast. The rain came down harder now.

"How about we make some popcorn and roast marshmallows after dinner? The fireplace is clean and ready to be used." Xanatos suggested.

"Marshmallows sound great." Talia smiled.

"Are you feeling better, Fox?" Owen asked.

"Yes, Owen, I'm fine. You and David both are more worried about my health than my doctor." She laughed.

"Can't help it, love. You're carrying a new life inside." David grinned and turned towards Talia. "Are you excited to become a big sister?"

"Hmm, yeah." She shrugged. Every time he asked that, her answer was the same. The baby was coming and that was that. She just couldn't really picture what life after the baby meant.

They made dinner and had a nice meal.A couple of hours later, Roxanne woke up. She got out of the crate, stretched and went downstairs. The Xanatoses were watching a movie by this point of the evening. Fox was leaning on David, they would probably go to bed soon. Talia ate some popcorn. Owen noticed someone coming down the stairs.

"Hello, Roxanne." Owen smiled.

"Hi everyone." She greeted.

"Did you sleep well?" Fox asked.

"Morning, Mommy." Talia greeted.

"I would've, if someone would actually learn how to drive." She raised an eyebrow at Xanatos, who blinked.

"What? I drove good enough, considering that the road was full of holes and bumps." He said.

"Yeah, yeah..." Roxanne said.

"I'm going to bed soon." Fox yawned. "You're not only one who didn't get a good rest."

"Talia, give me the popcorn. You've had enough of snacks with the marshmallows." Owen reached.

Talia took another handful before giving the bowl to him. "Fine."

"You should all get to bed and rest. I'll stay on guard." She said, peeking out of the window.

Owen glanced out the window. It thundered outside and the rain came down quickly.

"Go brush your teeth, Talia." He told her.

Roxanne seemed focused on the forest. Talia walked past Roxanne, who was in the middle of path to the bathroom. There were bears and bobcats out there, but they wouldn't come close to the cabin in this weather.

"Roxanne, what's wrong?" Owen asked.

Roxanne waited for Fox and Xanatos to go upstairs before speaking.

"What's wrong is that our boss decided to buy a cabin in the middle of the forest instead of going to a luxury hotel like he said he would. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to worry them...but where there's a forest, there are Gangrel. Or werewolves." She narrowed her eyes towards the bushes. "I better go introduce myself. Hopefully it's a pack of Gangrel."

"I'll get your coat." Owen sighed, getting up.

Roxanne ran into the forest, her senses on alert and ready to defend herself; she truly hoped it weren't werewolves, but she needed to make sure. She stopped in a clearing and waited. A few moments later, a big, grey wolf stepped into the clearing, followed by other five wolves, who surrounded Roxanne, growling.

"I mean no harm. I'm simply here to ask your permission to let me stay here with my herd for a couple of weeks. Then I'll leave." She told them.

The bigger wolf transformed into a huge man, with grey long hair and beard. "At least, someone that knows good manners." He smirked. "I'm Gray. I'm the leader of this pack."

A smaller, comparatively, brown wolf stood behind Gray along with the rest of the pack. Its ears were pinned back to its skull. The rain made their fur stick to their body.

"I'm Roxanne, of the Brujah clan. Please allow me to stay in this forest and hunt if I need it." She requested.

Gray narrowed his eyes. "You have a whole herd to feed from...why do you need to hunt?"

One of the wolves transformed into a man and jumped forward, close to Roxanne. "These woods have already very few animals as it is! Stupid tourists drove them away!"

"Kurt-" Gray turned to him.

"No, Gray! We barely have enough blood for ourselves!" He shouted.

The brown wolf transformed into a twenty something looking woman with medium brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Kurt, not here, you fucking moron." She scolded.

The other two transformed as well, a man and a woman, as old as Gray. "Shut up, twerp! I say we kick this bitch out of our forest and eat her herd!"

"ENOUGH!" Gray roared, all the birds in the trees around them flied away, scared. There was silence for a moment.

"Kurt is not completely wrong, Brujah: we barely have enough blood to sustain us and we cannot risk you killing animals... We do not feed from the humans that come here on vacation...but we do kill the ones that come here to hunt for sport." He spat the word with disgust and rage. "You are allowed to stay. But not hunt. Feed from your herd of humans, Roxanne of the Brujah clan. Make sure they don't disturb the creatures of this forest or they won't see another dawn."

Roxanne clenched his jaw, but bowed. "As you wish, Gray."

The woman glared at Roxanne. "You have some nerve asking us to share with you."

"I merely wanted permission to hunt. I had no idea of the situation." She tried to appease them.

The elder woman placed a hand on the young girl and turned to Roxanne. "Humans come here more and more often...they scare the animals, hurt them, kill them for sport or cause devastating fires...please understand."

Roxanne sighed, but nodded. "Of course."

"Is that all you wanted then? Go back to your herd." The woman turned back into a wolf.

The whole pack transformed into their animal forms before disappearing into the forest. Roxanne went back to the cabin, completely drenched by the rain.

Owen was ready with a towel, helping her dry off. "How did it go?"

"I have permission to stay...but not to hunt." Roxanne grimaced. "If I want to do that, I'll have to reach the nearest town. Which is at half an hour from here."

"Oh. I suppose hunting for hikers is out of the question then." He lifted her foot.

"They don't attack humans unless they hurt or kill the animals. I guess they prefer a very low profile."

"Hmm. Is the trip an inconvenience or a hindrance if you get thirsty?" Owen stood up.

"Well, I mean, it's not that far so I can go to in town no problem, but it's annoying." She huffed, taking off her boots.

"If the roads get washed out, you have to drink from Xanatos or I. We can handle it." He told her seriously.

"Are you sure?" Roxanne asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Thanks. I shouldn't need to drink often, since I won't use my powers." She said.

"They drain you faster?" Owen raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. And not just my disciplines, but anything I want to do: if I want my heart to beat or my lungs to work, I need to use blood." Roxanne explained.

"I suppose it makes sense. Do you want to sit down?" Owen asked.

"I think we could both use a warm bath. Just a relaxing bath, though." She said, eying him.

"Very well." They made their way to the bathroom.

After filling the bathtub with warm water and a scented bubble bath, they both sat into the tub. Roxanne sighed wistfully, absentmindedly caressing Owen's thigh with her foot. The tub was round and big enough for four people.

"It wasn't such a bad idea after all...I like this place." Roxanne smiled.

"I helped him choose a cabin. I'm hoping that we could come back soon, just us." He rubbed Roxanne's ankle.

"Well, the pack already knows me, so as long as I ask for permission and respect their rules, it shouldn't be a problem." She told him.

"Good to know." Owen smiled, leaning back to kiss her.

They stayed in the bathtub, cuddling and washing each other for a good while. Owen was happy to cuddle his girlfriend for as long she wished, but eventually the water became unpleasant to sit in. They dried each other off and drained the tub.

"What are you all going to do tomorrow? It's probably going to rain again, going into the forest isn't the best idea." She said while changing into a set of pajamas.

"We're going to take Talia to see her childhood friend, Adriana." He told her.

"That's nice. I hope she'll have fun." They laid in bed, under the covers. Roxanne added an extra blanket for Owen. "It must be very cold tonight."

"It's more the wind chill. I just hope she doesn't sneak off with Adriana." He said.

"Aw, come on, let them have some privacy: teen girls have a lot of secrets and they haven't talked to each other in a long time." She kissed his cheek.

"Talking is not what I'm worried about. Talia and Adriana are close." He draped his arm over his face.

"Oooh...well, come on honey, it's not like Talia can risk getting pregnant." She teased.

"It's Adriana who needs protecting. Don't make me think about this anymore." Owen groaned.

"Anyway, I think you should be happy for Talia." Roxanne nuzzled him and turned off the lights.

Talia was on the floor surrounded by moving shadows. Blood and bleach overwhelmed her nose. Thunder shook the house. It was getting hard to breathe. She was barely awake.

"What a pitiful sight. Tell you what? I'll grant you a wish." An impish voice asked.

Talia woke with a start. It was raining outside. She tried to calm herself. She rolled up her sleeves. Everything was fine. Her arms were clean.

Roxanne decided to read a book while Owen was sleeping. She turned on one of the small lamps on the bedside table next to her and picked a book from her backpack about nature. She heard a small yelp coming from Talia's room and tilted her head; walking silently down the hallway, Roxanne knocked at the door lightly.

"Tai?" She asked loud enough for her to hear comfortably.

"I'm fine. Just... want some water." Talia said.

"I'll bring you some." The woman quickly went to the kitchen, filled a glass of water and went inside the bedroom. "Here you go, sweetie."

Talia drank a few gulps. She still wasn't calm; her heart beat was still a little fast. "Why are you up?"

"Because I'm a vampire and I'm always up at night?" She smirked. "What's wrong?"

"Nightmare. I was bleeding to death. None unusual." Talia laughed awkwardly.

Roxanne frowned. "Sounds awful."

She looked outside the window: the weather was getting worse. "Just like this weather. Would you like to sleep with me and daddy? Your father was so tired he collapsed immediately, and I'm reading a book about fauna and flora of the United States."

"Yes please." Talia grabbed at Roxanne to pick her up.

The vampire picked up her daughter and went to their bedroom; Owen was still sleeping soundly. She quietly placed Talia between him and her, before sitting in bed. Talia laid down, resting her head on the mattress.

"Mommy?" She asked.

"Mh?" She looked at her.

"I missed you." She hugged her.

"Missed me? But sweetie, we haven't seen each other just for a few hours." Roxanne hugged her and kissed her hair.

"My nightmare got me shook up. It was awful." Talia said.

"Oh, baby girl..." She rubbed her back in circles.

"I couldn't breathe, blood everywhere. Don't tell Daddy, he'll just be upset." Talia shook her head.

"Alright Talia, don't worry. You're here now, safe and sound with mommy and daddy." She cooed.

"Mommy, what will you do when the baby is born? Daddy said they hate you." Talia snuggled closer.

"It's not hate, it's fear. Babies are so innocent they can feel a vampire's presence...I don't know, I guess I'll stay away from them." Roxanne explained.

"For how long?" She asked.

"Until they're old enough to be less sensitive. I'll still live in the castle, just far from the baby." She said.

Talia frowned. "Poppa is all excited for the baby and I know he wants me to be too. But..."

"But?" Roxanne waited.

"But what if they stop being nice and cuddling me anymore because they realize how clingy I am? They're going to tired from the baby." Talia added.

"No one will stop cuddling you and loving you. But I think David and Fox hope you will help them with the baby." She added.

"Like feeding it?" Talia made a face.

"Yes. And playing with them, helping giving them a bath...you know, baby stuff." Roxanne shrugged.

"What if we switch bodies, you can bathe the baby without it screaming and I can sleep?" Talia suggested jokingly.

"Talia..." She wasn't amused.

"What? It was a joke." She said.

"Listen: you're going to be a big sister. Which means that you will be responsible of the baby as well. Not only to help taking care of them, but also protect them and making them feel loved. You'll be their guide, and they will absolutely adore you. I know it sounds scary, but that's what's going to happen...but we'll all be here with you. You won't be alone and certainly not be forgotten or left alone." Roxanne smiled, nuzzling Talia.

"I don't know if I want to be a big sister..." Talia sighed. "But you'll still love me, Mommy."

"Of course I will. We all will. One more child in the family doesn't mean less love for you." Roxanne turned off the lights and cuddled closer to Talia and Owen. "Now try to sleep."

"Good night, Mommy." Talia yawned.

Roxie kept caressing Talia's hair with one hand, listening to the rain. The storm was slowly calming down. Talia slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

In the morning, Owen realized there was another body in bed with them. He saw it was Talia and stroked her hair lovingly. Talia wouldn't have come into their room if she didn't need anything. He kissed Roxie on the forehead.

"Thank you for comforting our daughter." He whispered.

There was a knock on the door.

"Owen, have you seen Talia?" Fox asked, peeking in.

"She's in here." He confirmed.

"Oh, good. David is making pancakes for breakfast and he asked me to get her." She explained.

Owen gently shook Talia's shoulder. She mumbled, smooshing her face into the pillow. He tried again. Talia opened her eyes this time. They went downstairs to the kitchen.

A stack of pancakes was waiting for Owen and Talia. She sat down and ate them quickly. She asked for seconds. Fox drank a glass of juice and some crackers. Owen ate then took over so David could eat. After breakfast, Talia went to go watch TV.

"Sir, you remember I told you we were going to take Talia to see her friend, Adriana?" Owen started.

"You told Talia we were going see her, but yes..." David looked at him.

"Well, Talia and Adriana have a close relationship so don't point it out if they come back with rumpled clothes." Owen kept an eye towards the living room.

"Rumpled clothes... Talia likes girls?" Fox realized her voice was too loud and stopped talking.

"I really didn't make the best environment for her, did I?" Xanatos questioned glumly.

"Your relationship is still new, I'm only telling you this so you don't embarrass her." Owen told him. "All I know is that Talia likes Adriana. She hasn't put any labels on it yet."

The couple mulled over the news. It didn't matter if Talia wanted to be with Adri. They knew why she would keep it from them. Although, it made Fox a little sad.

"Sir, there's a little bit more to this. With Talia's magic, she could get Adriana pregnant." Owen added. "Keep your voice down."

"Are you serious right now?" Xanatos whispered angrily.

"I will take care of it, just let Puck talk to her." He said.

"Owen..." Xanatos frowned.

"Punish me later if you want. I needed to set the scene before I dropped that on you. Don't villainize her powers for doing what comes naturally." Owen said.

"What I'm hearing is that we're taking Talia to see her girlfriend this afternoon and she could very possibly get her pregnant." Fox looked at Owen.

"She just needs to careful with her magic. I won't go into the nitty gitty, but unless she uses her magic, then it won't happen." He reassured her.

"Interesting." Xanatos hummed, his features clouded.

"You better make that crystal clear to her, Owen." Fox got up and left.

Fox went to the living room and sat next to Talia. She looked at her then the TV. Talia was watching a weird cartoon.

"Hi, Fox. What're you guys talking about?" She asked.

"We're talking about your sleepover dinner. What do you want?" Fox sat.

"Um, Chinese?" Talia shrugged.

"Chinese food? You know your Poppa wants to do something special." She smiled.

"I dunno, lemme think about it." Talia said.

"Ok, Tai." Fox pulled her close.

Talia blinked but let Fox cuddle her. They watched the cartoon. Talia was soothed by Fox's heartbeat and her soft scent. Fox herself found Talia's magic relaxing her, easing her pregnancy symptoms. Unsure if it was part of her powers or just how much she needed the rest, she kissed Talia's hair. They fell asleep on the couch.

David woke them up for lunch. Talia rubbed her eyes groggily. Fox stretched. They had sandwiches for lunch. Fox had a half of one and tomato soup. Owen called the Casons earlier so they were expecting them to come by. It took almost two hours due to the rainstorm. Talia was wiggling in her seat when she saw Adri's house. Owen rolled down the window. Before Xanatos could ask why, Talia jumped out of the car window and bounded across the yard.

"TALIA!" Adri flung open the door.

"ADRI!" Talia hugged her.

A blond woman with dark blue eyes came from inside the house. "Alright, girls, go into the living room. No bag today, Talia?"

"I missed you so much." Adri sniffled. Talia cooed in her ear softly.

The house was single story, painted light blue. There were flowers along the front. Two cars were parked in the driveway. The Xanatoses got out and walked to the door.

"Thank you so much for bringing Talia back. Call when you're ready to come get her." Adri's mother said.

"Mrs. Cason-" Owen started.

"Call me Cassidy, dear." She corrected.

"We're not here to drop Talia off, we came to introduce ourselves." Xanatos told her.

"Oh, really? I thought you wanted to see the sights." She hummed.

"Without Talia?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I love my kids to death, but sometimes you just want to be away from it all, you know? Especially when you're new parents. There's no shame in it." Cassidy smiled.

Before Xanatos could up with a suitable rebuttal, correct her notions, Fox gulped heavily.

"Can I have some water?" Fox asked hoarsely.

"Of course. Do you need the bathroom? You look pale." Cassidy stepped aside.

"That would be nice." They stepped inside.

"Jackson, clean up the living room!" Cassidy called.

A man with brown hair and beard started scooping up papers and carrying them out. The living room was white with gray carpet and brown couches. The coffee table was dark stained pine. Talia and Adri were sitting on the loveseat, clearly having been listening to Jackson talking. Cassidy showed Fox where the bathroom was.

"Talia, Fox isn't feeling well. I think we'll take her back home." Owen told her.

"Ok." She nodded.

"We'll come back soon for you, Sweetie." Xanatos smiled.

"But I just got here!" Talia whined.

"Mister Xanatos, it took you two hours to get here. By the time you come back, it'll be dinnertime. Not to mention the drive to get her home. You'll all be tired. Talia will be fine here. There's no need to rush and cut the girls' reunion short." Cassidy told him.

"I think four hours is enough time for them to visit." He told her, hoping Talia wouldn't contradict him.

"Please, Mr. Xanatos! I haven't seen Talia in forever." Adri pleaded, smooshing Talia to her chest. They both gave him puppy eyes.

David sighed. "You're ok with Talia staying the night?"

"Of course." Cassidy beamed. "Eddy will be so happy see her."

"Eddy?" He asked.

"That's my brother." Adri told him.

Fox came out of the bathroom. She looked slightly better. Cassidy got her a bottle of water. Jackson came back. He stood next to the other men. Fox patted Talia's hair gently.

"I'm sorry I can't meet Adri's family today." She said.

"There's no hard feelings. If you don't feel good, there's no reason to stay." Jackson reassured.

Talia got up and said goodbye to her parents. Xanatos was hesitant to let her go, but looking at Fox made him conflicted. She was unwell. Fox needed to go home. Owen knelt and hugged Talia, whispering in her ear. She looked surprised. He stared at her steadily. Talia nodded subtly. They got in the car and left. Cassidy watched the car leave. Then she turned to her husband.

"Alright, we need to go to the grocery store and get some stuff for dinner. Talia, you want lasagna?" She asked.

"Yeah." Talia nodded.

"Atta girl. I suppose we should get some new pajamas as well." Jackson checked her shirt tag to see what size she was.

"My pants size went up a couple sizes." She said.

"Yeah, Tai, you got a big booty now." Adri smacked her butt playfully. Talia yelped.

"Adri, be nice." Cassidy chided her.

"We'll be back soon, girls." Adri's parents kissed them on the forehead and left.

"So, now what?" Adri looked at her.

Talia kissed her on the lips. "I can think of something."

Adri pushed her face away. "Stop it. We haven't talked in forever."

"Spoil sport." Talia stuck her tongue out.

"What's it like living with them?" Adri asked.

"Well, for a long time, it was just Poppa, D- Owen, and me. It wasn't great. But then Fox got out of jail. Things are better. Oh, I also have a bodyguard now. Her name is Roxanne." Talia said.

"Not great how?" Adri frowned.

"Uh, ok, look-" Talia started.

"Talia!" She scolded.

"It's not my fault. Daddy kept secrets from me." Talia said.

"Is it Daddy or Poppa?" Adri crossed her arms.

"Do you remember my imaginary friend?" Talia asked suddenly.

"'uck?" Adri furrowed her brow.

"His name is Puck. I was 4 and couldn't pronounce the letter p. Well, Puck is real. He's Owen." Talia grabbed her hand.

"Tai, I think he's pranking you." Adri patted her hand. Talia growled, eyes glowing red in frustration. Adri gasped. She tried to pull away.

"No, Adri, it's me." Talia said softly. Adri saw how upset she was. She stroked her hair.

"What did Puck do to you?" She calmed down.

"Puck... He had to change me." Talia rolled up her sleeve. Adri looked at her forearm. Her eyes became dewy.

"Tai..." She shook her head.

"He used his magic to change me, I wasn't going to make it. He's my Daddy now." She explained.

"... Puck as in Shakespeare's Puck?" Adri asked.

"Yeah." Talia nodded, pushing the sleeve back down.

"How did he change you?" Adri led her to the couch.

"Aside from the obvious?" Talia tugged on her hair.

"What're you talking about?" She frowned.

"My hair was straight and my eyes were brown. His magic changed them." Talia looked at her confused.

"No, you always had wavy hair and green eyes." Adri insisted.

Talia went to the bookshelf and pulled out the photo album. Most of the photos with her were altered to look like she did now. She flipped through until she found a baby photo of her and Adri in the grass. Talia had little ponytail in her hair, but it was straight. She shoved the book in Adri's lap.

"See?" She pointed.

"That's not possible. I've looked at that album hundreds of times. Why don't I remember?" Adri frowned.

"It's Daddy's doing." Talia said.

"What else is there?" Adri looked at her.

"I have magic now." Talia made her hands glow.

Adri tried to poke it. It tingled. Talia's magic seemed to recognize Adri and it became warm and soothing. The sensation traveled through her body.

"Oh... That's nice." She sighed.

"I guess Daddy had a point." Talia hummed.

"About what?" Adri scooted closer to her.

"He said to be careful about using my magic during sex." She explained.

Adri grinned slowly. "But it wasn't a no. We have some time before my parents get back..."

Talia grinned back. "It wasn't a no."

Cassidy and Jackson pulled into the driveway. They unloaded car, carrying the groceries in. Talia and Adri had gone to her room.

"You think the girls are behaving?" Jackson asked.

"They're definitely making out by this point. I'll call them when dinner is ready. Honey, I just don't trust that Xanatos man. He kept Talia away from us for a year. It doesn't matter he was in jail when he officially adopted her." She went to the kitchen. They unpacked the food, keeping what they were going to use right away out.

"I don't understand how she even got to New York. Look, that doesn't matter now. Peter has been holding onto Talia's inheritance from her father's old boss. Apparently, none of his calls got through. We just have to take Talia to the attorney and hash out the details." He got out the pan for lasagna.

The front door opened. A blond haired man who looked like Jackson walked in. He wore a green shirt, a blue hoodie and jeans. He was thinner than the brunette man and wore glasses.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, I'm home." Eddy announced.

"Oh, good, you're home early. Talia is here. She's playing with Adri." Cassidy hugged him.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes, I told you about that phone call we got. Dinner will be ready in an hour." Cassidy turned to the stove and cooked the meat.

"I didn't think it was real. Anyway, my professor got sick and canceled class." Eddy told them.

"Let's go in the living room, son." Jackson wrapped his arm around Eddy and led him out.

Dinner was cooked and it was time to eat. Cassidy made fruit salad and garlic toast. She went in the hall to call the girls, but Adri was walking back to her room.

"Adri bear, what're you doing? It's dinner time." She asked.

"I had to go to the bathroom." Adri said.

"Oh, well, tell Talia dinner is ready." She left.

Talia and Adri came out a few minutes later. They sat at the dining room table. Eddy and Jackson smiled at her. Cassidy served them and they began eating.

"So, what're you going to do with your inheritance, Talia?" Jackson asked.

"Um, I dunno. I remember going to Grandma Lilliann's in the summer. Why would she give me all that stuff?" Talia looked at the adults.

"Peter said she didn't like how her remaining children were behaving so she wrote them out. Originally, it was going to your parents, but then the fire… He will tell you more tomorrow." He shrugged.

"So, how have you been?" Eddy ate a bite of his lasagna.

"I'm good. Uh, I'm being homeschooled since I missed a lot of school. That's been going ok. Pop-"

"You don't have to call him that here. It's just us." Cassidy said.

"... David took us out to the park and we fed ducks. I met Grandpa when he and Fox got married. Oh, Fox is having a baby. We just found out before coming here." Talia thought.

"Oh. I... see. Well, I guess it makes sense now." Cassidy pursed her lips.

"Do you want to be a sister?" Jackson asked carefully.

"I mean, what am I supposed do?" She shrugged.

"Mom, that's enough." Eddy frowned deeply at her.

"Do you like Manhattan, Sweetie?" Cassidy ignored her son.

"It's ok. Not my favorite." Talia ate her fruit salad.

The rest of dinner went smoothly. They told Talia how they had been. College was going well for Eddy. He was going to be an accountant. Jackson coached the high school wrestling team and Cassidy was an English teacher. Adri was doing fine in her classes. Eddy and Jackson took their dirty dishes and put them in the dish washer. Adri got the phone off the hook.

"What're you doing with the phone?" Her mother asked.

"Talia wanted to call her, uh, friend in New York. Elisa, I think. But then dinner was ready. It'll only take a minute." Adri said.

"Oh, well, alright. But not too long." She sighed.

Adri and Talia went back into her room and closed the door. It took about 15 minutes before the conversation was done. Cassidy got out the chocolate chunk ice cream and Oreos. They ate dessert in the living room and watched a rerun of Star Trek.

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