Nobody really ever got the chance to see Vera like this and she prefered it this way, after all, how could you be the leader of the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose when people knew you had this kind of side to you? Laying on the ground across from Theo she watched the baby more or less just watching her. It's all Theo ever did these days, keep her eyes constantly glued to everything she or Hamish did. All the more reason they had to be careful about what they did around her. "Theo, you are getting so big." Who knew three weeks would make such a big difference when it came to a baby? It was a little anxiety inducing watching her tiny girl growing so quickly week by week. Almost as panic inducing to know they'd caught and killed three Wendigo this week and there was still another death by one just last night. Worst part was none of the Wendigo were older than a few days at most, certainly not the big one that had been living down in the caves.

She tried not to think about it now as she rested her head on the floor and just watched Theo with that look of absolute astonishment in her eyes. Theo could do virtually nothing and she'd still be amazed by the baby girl. Theo watched Vera with a furrowed brow, looking like she was really concentrating on everything her mother did. As Vera sat back up she made a funny face at Theo making the baby lift her head up on her own for a few seconds and kick her legs out before laying her head back on the ground. Little by little she was getting a tiny bit of control over her own head though she was still a little floppy. Making another silly face at Theo Vera laughed when the babies eyes got wide, trying to understand what she was actually doing. It would be more fun once Theo could laugh and react to her more than just wide eyes and whines.

"I can't tell if you like me doing silly faces or if they frighten you." Theo took a few quick breaths, something she normally only did when she was excited about something. Vera stuck her tongue out at her making the baby look at her with wide eyes again before she leaned forward to put her mouth on the blanket. "Oh, no, don't lick the blanket." Vera reached to grab her only to have Theo sneeze and bonk her head into the floor making her instantly burst out crying. "Uh oh, did you bonk your face?" Vera picked her up and bounced her lightly as Theo's face turned red from crying so hard. "It's okay Theo, you didn't hurt yourself, I think you just startled yourself if anything."

It didn't matter if Vera rocked her, bounced her, or talked to her right now though. She was going to cry and there wasn't anything to do about it. At least until between her crying Theo had a hiccup and spooked herself again looking up at Vera with wide eyes like 'what was that?' Once the novelty of this new ability wore off however it was right back to crying until another hiccup interrupted her and made her flail in her mother's arms. Theo looked back up at Vera again as if she was the one making her hiccup. "You are crying too hard Theo, that's what happens when you cry so hard." Theo hiccupped again breathing quickly through her nose as though she was frustrated. "I'm sorry your day is going all wrong."

Reaching back to Hamish's couch Vera settled Theo on her shoulder and patted her back lightly. "We need to tell your daddy to sweep the floor when he gets home. This place is a bit dusty." It hadn't been lived in since Hamish had moved in with her but while her doors were being replaced the family was stuck here. Might as well make it more livable for a baby until then. "Let's go have a change of scenery." Vera walked over to the balcony and slid open the door before stepping outside. She pulled a chair up closer to the railing and sat down with Theo in her arms as she looked down at the town. "Funny." Vera smiled a little, "Last time I was out here you were still in my belly." It felt like not too long ago. How quickly time went when your life was suddenly worth living.

Rather than looking out at the scenery Theo continued to keep her eyes fixed on Vera, yawning a moment before closing her eyes. It didn't take much to make the newborn tired. She didn't follow a strict schedule but she did tend to sleep after either eating or belly time on the ground. "Nothing more exhausting than having to be that cute." Vera smiled at the baby as the corner of her mouth curled up a little. Even if she was too young to smile at her she swore sometimes that she was at least attempting it.

Hamish had called Alyssa to the reliquary, even now sitting in Vera's desk felt so wrong to him but he was Temple Magus now. He had to feel less out of place and realize he was the guy in charge now. At least until Vera came back. Once Alyssa entered the reliquary she already knew what would be asked. On the desk next to Hamish was the all too familiar book, the Vade Maecum. "Alyssa, would you please sit down."

"You want me to give Vera her powers back." Alyssa stopped him. "I don't trust her and neither should you."

Hamish was visibly annoyed by the statement, his eyes flashing over silver for a brief moment. Trust, if there was anyone he trusted it was Vera. The others at times might think he was a puppet under her control but how wrong they would have been. What they saw and what he saw were two very different women. Vera's wall and Vera herself, one was cold and calculating while the other was a feeling emotional woman who cared so much for these kids and their future and the future of the Order. She was selfless, always willing to sacrifice herself and her own happiness for the good of others. Her 'coldness' was her protecting herself from others caring about her because in the end she didn't feel she mattered as much as their futures did.

"Vera wanted us to destroy it, she asked us to until we realized the book you'd given us was a false one."

"You really believe that?" Alyssa scoffed. She'd fallen out of the disillusion of Vera Stone as Grand Magus once Salvidor came into her life. "Hamish, do you feel safe knowing this book is in the same world as your daughter and Vera Stone? You do know the book accepts the payment of a first born living child. Theo doesn't have to be her first born to be an acceptable payment. Why else would Vera have kept the baby?"

Hamish stood up, his eyes flashing silver again at Alyssa's suggestion that Vera would ever harm their child let alone trade her life for unlimited power. However something had frightened him. Vera had traded her own life for easy spellcasting. He knew Vera would never give up Theo but she'd already sold herself. "Vera loves Theo too much, she'd never let anything happen to her and as soon as Vera gets her powers back I'll assure her wishes are followed through on ripping the Vade Maecum apart and hiding the pieces forever. However before I can do that I need to know something. Is there anything in this book that can save her?"

Alyssa looked confused a moment, arching her brow at Hamish. "Save her from what?"

He sat back down, "Vera told you about the risks of the Fors Factoram, did she tell you that the spell makes you the sacrifice? It gives you a cancer, magic based that you can't be saved from and slowly the cancer will eat away at you until you die."

"Vera used it didn't she."

"Yes." Hamish looked at the book. "It's the only reason she kept the Vade Maecum. She wanted, she hoped there was something in there that could save her life. Magic was the only thing she ever had Alyssa, it's the only reason she had to live after her daughter died. You should know that better than anyone, you saw into her mind. She did everything in her power to become the best practitioner. The cost never seemed to matter to her back then but it matters to me now. There is a way to save her, isn't there."

"Never give her powers back, if she doesn't have her powers then the cancer can't get worse."

"Are you so certain that would work? What about the book? We can't destroy it because her powers are bound to it. It will kill her if we destroy it. I can't let that book stay in one piece Alyssa, it's too dangerous."

Alyssa didn't like Vera but she still trusted Hamish, "There is something else but." Alyssa stopped. Vera hadn't wanted her to use the Fors Factoram out of knowing it would kill Alyssa eventually one day. An unstoppable death just as she had said there was no hope of saving her because it would push her death onto another. "It's like the elemental transference but for magic, curses, hexes, even disease. However in order to get rid of the magical curses upon you someone else has to take it."

Hamish didn't even hesitate a moment, "Me." Alyssa looked up at him a bit shocked. "The price is going to be me, I'll take it for her. My hide will keep healing my body, I won't die from it."

"How can you be so sure your hide can heal magical cancer?"

"I don't but i'm not willing to lose Vera. I already lost Cassie, there was nothing I could do to save her. I won't make that mistake again. I can't lose her too and at least there is something I can do to save her. I don't want Theo to grow up and never remember her. I don't want to live in a world without her."

"Now you sound like Jack."

Hamish raised a finger up at her, "That was offensive."

"Sorry...Magus." Alyssa looked back at the book. "You'll need something of Vera's."

"Hair?"

She smirked a little. "Or a finger."

"I'll go with hair."

Alyssa smiled at Hamish and flipped the book open again. "You sure you want to do this Hamish?"

"I know you don't like her but you want the Order to change for the better. Vera is the best bet of making that change with the wolves behind her. I'm willing to risk that my hide might not save me because I'm not the only one who needs her. If I die Tundra lives on and I've left Theo behind to protect her. I'm not too worried though, the hides heal up just about everything that doesn't instantly kill us and we can't even get sick. It's why Theo is alive right now. She shouldn't be, she should be dead. Now she can't even get colic."

"Must be nice."

"Not having a colic baby? Very nice actually."

"No, I mean having a family like that, that you care about."

Hamish folded his hands looking back at Alyssa. "You know, stop breaking Jack's heart and maybe one day you'll have a family like that too."