Part III: Family Matters

Chapter: Out of the Closet

"Relax, Margot." Myers asked for a thousandth time. "It's just a small family gathering. Not all of my siblings are going to be there."

They were in a car, one of BPRD's big, black vehicles, driving from Newark to Boston. Margot was on the wheel and Myers by her side, though now he he had began to think that perhaps he should be the one driving, for she was clearly nervous.

"No?" Margot didn't seem convinced. "So this gigantic league of people, who's attending your sister's Thanksgiving dinner, is not your whole family?"

"You know that." Myer sighed. "Come on, it's not like my family is a legion."

"John. You have seven siblings! That is a legion."

"And only four of them will be there tonight."

"Plus their significant others? And kids?"

"Well, yeah. But you'll love them. I promise."

Margot made a desperate sigh and rolled her eyes.

"So you keep saying. I'm just worrying that I won't remember their names."

"It's going to be okay, honey. If you forget their names, can't you just check their minds? I mean, that's what I'd do if I was you."

"So, I got you permission then? To read their minds?"

"Only if you promise to leave their personal lives in peace, that is." he noted with a smile. "Besides, who would even want to see the thoughts of my teenage nephews? Especially Jack's been giving his mother a hard time these past few years."

"Oh?" said Margot, with an impish grin. "I can hardly wait to meet him. So, he's the son of your eldest sister, Sue-Ellen, right?"

"Yeah."

"And she is married to that guy, that… What was his name again?"

Myers rolled his eyes. "Ronald. And they have three kids: Jack, who is sixteen, Daniel, who is fourteen and Juliet, the one who is twelve years old. I'm her godfather, remember?"

"Right."

"Amanda, my youngest sister, is coming too. I know you'll love her, she is the best."

Margot gave him a look, that told him just how she didn't really believe him.

"Sure, John." she nodded then, looking away. "Who else?"

"Edward and Michael, my brothers. And Edward's wife Melissa too. She's-"

"Great?" Margot raised an eyebrow. "And I'll love her?"

"Actually I was going to say that she's pregnant, but what the Hell."

Margot gave a sigh, and glanced at John.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being difficult. It's just that-"

"You're nervous. I get it. I was scared as Hell when I first met your family. And look at us now? Your Dad congratulated me on our engagement and he invited us there to Christmas."

Margot gave him a dubious look. "Yeah, I'm still wondering what on Earth you said to him."

"Man to man -talk." he stated with a cool poker face.

"Right." Margot sighed, and turned to give him a glance. "But about your family… You know, we'll have to tell them the truth about me."

Her words made him suddenly concerned. They had talked about this already, but he had dismissed the idea, for several reasons. Apparently Margot didn't share his opinion, though.

"I'm still not convinced, Margot. I don't think it's a great idea."

"Why not? You think they'll freak out and hate me?"

"No, not because of that. They'll love you." he gave her a reassuring look. "It's just… talking about your abilities is practically breaking the rules. Manning's gonna go mental if he finds out we have been talking."

"Huh." Margot snorted. "Leave Manning to me, alright?"

And there was another thing that made him worried. He seemed to be worried for something most of the time.

"I don't like the fact that you keep messing with his mind, Margot. It might backfire."

"I don't mess with his mind that much, not really. I don't have to. He gives me what I want, even without telepathy."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

Margot gave him an impish grin.

"Jealous, are you, John?"

"Of Manning? Hell, no. You're marrying me, not him."

"Yeah, and about that." Margot said, suddenly serious again. "That's the exact reason we must tell your family the truth. They'll be in our wedding. What are they going to think if we haven't warned them?"

The wedding. Just a thought of it made his heart jump! But he knew what Margot meant. There was no way she would agree to a small wedding - she wanted to invite everyone! Including their supernatural friends.

"Yeah. You've got a point." he had to agree.

"I mean, Red is going to be there, and so is Abe. And even if Kat and her brothers can change into human form, I don't want them to feel like they have to hide in our wedding. They are our friends."

"Hey, wait a sec. We're inviting Jay and Andu?"

"Of course we are." Margot frowned. "Jay healed you, for heaven's sake! Still holding a grudge against him?"

Myers gave a resigned sigh. "I guess not. But just because he did me a favor, doesn't mean I have to like him."

"No, but it does mean that he's coming to our wedding. And so is your family, so we must give them a heads up."

"Fine. You are probably right." Myers had to give in. "But we're not doing that in the middle of the Thanksgiving dinner, alright? We'll tell them later."

"Sure." she smiled, though her smile was more than a bit nervous. "And if they hate me after that, we won't invite them to the wedding."

A few hours later Margot found herself sitting on a large dining table, and actually enjoying herself.

Myers had, of course, been right. Margot did like his family, and they seemed to like her too. Especially John's sisters Sue-Ellen and Amanda, to whom Margot instantly felt connected. It was a heart-warming thought, that they'd be sister-in-laws soon!

Margot let her gaze sweep by all the people in the table.

Yeah, she had managed to remember all of their names, and she hadn't made a fool of herself once - at least not yet.

Though, there was still plenty of time to do that, she thought. No Tequila tonight, just to be sure!

Across the table to Margot, was Sue-Ellen, John's eldest sister and the lady of the house. She was full 15 years older than John was, and it was clear that after the Myers kids had lost their parents, she had became the 'head of the family'. She was a pleasant, calm and warm hearted lady, with beautiful blue eyes - just like John's - and chubby cheeks with dimples. By her side was her husband Ronald, who seemed to be a nice and decent guy with gentle nature. His grey eyes had a smile in them every time he turned to look at his wife, which made Margot like him quite a lot.

Sue-Ellen and Ronald's kids were on the dining table too: the 12-year-old Juliet with her ponytail and braces, 14-year-old Daniel, a sharp looking kid with glasses, and last but not least, the 16-year-old wannabe rocker, Jack.

Margot let her eyes stop in Jack for a short while. Yeah, there was more than met the eye in that kid, that was for sure. The youngster, who had barely said a word, had also - to his mother's great embarrassment - refused to change into formal clothes (he was wearing a band T-shirt with black, ripped jeans). His hair, that was dyed black, was long and fell to his eyes in a way that made it possible for him to hide behind it. To add to his emo looks, he had a lip piercing, and a another one on his nose, a ring that made him look a bit like a confused cow (which probably hadn't been the look he'd gone for).

Margot didn't even have to read Jack's mind to know that he had a severe case of puberty, but luckily that was something that would pass in time. Who knew how he'd turn out to be after a few years?

By Jack's side was Amanda, John's youngest sister, who was just one year older than he was, and clearly very close to John. She had the looks of an angel - her honey blond hair was long and soft, her skin was fair and her cheeks rosy, and her eyes were the same as John's, big blue eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes. There was something otherworldly about her, something ethereal - as if she had some elven blood in her. Margot almost expected for her ears to be pointed, when she pulled her hair behind them, but of course they weren't.

The other people present in the big dining table were John's older brothers Michael and Edward, who were twins, and they both had a strong resemblance to John, except that their hair was blond like Amanda's. But even if the twins had a similar appearance, Margot soon learned that their personalities were quite different. Michael was a jazz pianist, a restless soul who traveled around the country to perform in clubs and bars, and somehow he reminded Margot of Jay (something she thought she should probably keep to herself). He had that same sparkle in his eyes, the same grin that told he was an accomplished ladies man, and Margot did her best not to take a peek at his mind when he was looking at her.

Edward on the other hand, was the kind, silent type, an educated man with a university degree in literature. He was happily married to a petite brunette called Melissa, who was very much pregnant. Margot couldn't help but to stare at her round baby belly, and she felt an odd longing piercing her heart.

She had never wanted kids, knowing that she couldn't have them. It had always seemed like energy wasted, to long for something that you could never have. But now… seeing how Edward lovingly caressed his wife's round abdomen, and the baby kicked back feeling her father's touch - Margot couldn't help but to wonder how it would be like.

How would it feel to have John touch her belly like that? To have John's child growing under her heart?

She glanced sideways to John, who seemed likewise enchanted by the sight.

Yeah, Margot might not want to have kids, but John sure as Hell did. That thought brought a bitter taste to her lips, one she found hard to get rid of.

But just as she was beginning to get too gloomy for her liking, Ronald raised his glass and cleared his throat.

"Dear friends and family! I hope you have all stuffed yourself silly with the turkey, and-"

"Oh, yes we have! It was delicious!" said Michael.

"It would be, for it was the only thing I did for this meal." Ronald replied. "Sue was the one who did her magic in the kitchen and prepared everything else. Thank you darling, for going through all this trouble, once again."

"You're welcome." Sue-Ellen replied with a smile. "It was a pleasure, really. Daniel and Juliet helped me a lot."

This remark made Jack roll his eyes, which luckily went unnoticed by his mother.

"As it is Thanksgiving, it is time for tradition. I hope you all find something in your hearts to be thankful for, other than my delicious turkey, and share it with the rest of us." stated Ronald. "Who wants to begin?"

"Me, me, me!" Juliet was almost hopping on her seat. "Can I go first, please Dad? Mom?"

Her parents gave her an approving smile, which was rewarded by her braced grin.

"I'm soooo thankful for you guys promising to buy me a pony!" she exclaimed. "You're the best parents ever!"

"Hey!" Sue-Ellen exclaimed. "That never happened. Don't think you can fool us."

Juliet made a face. "Can't blame me for trying."

"Anything real you feel thankful for?" her mother raised an eyebrow, and the girl shrugged, resigned.

"Being able to continue my riding lessons, I guess. It was nice to participate in the horse show."

"Will there be no end to your stupid pony talk?" Jack snorted. "God, Jules, there are other things to life than just horses."

"Yeah, like what? Your dumb rock music?"

"It's not rock. It's alternative-"

"Mom!" Juliet protested. "Tell Jack to shut up!"

"Kids, please." Sue-Ellen replied calmly. "No fighting on the table."

This made Juliet give Jack an angry glance, but Jack was again hiding behind his hair, seemingly indifferent.

"I am thankful for my progress in the science club." noted Daniel, trying to change the subject. "They made me the president of the club last month, and it's awesome!" The boy was positively glowing, which made Jack (again) roll his eyes.

"We're so proud of you." Sue-Ellen stated, with a warm tone. "Always the straight A student! Just like your uncle John was."

Jack muttered something that Margot had a hunch was 'Kiss-ass', but luckily no one was paying him any attention, as the next one to speak up was Edward, who was still holding his hand on his wife's abdomen.

"We're both just so thankful for the baby." he said, clearly emotional. "It's a blessing, really. Can't believe she'll be born in two months!"

Melissa, with her pregnancy hormones, couldn't say a thing, but concentrated on drying her tears with a napkin.

"The first Myers baby in a decade! About time." Sue-Ellen said, reaching to place a hand on Melissa's arm. "We're so happy for you."

"Michael, anything you want to thank for?" Ronald asked.

"Me?" the musician asked, clearly surprised. "Not so much, just the usual."

He gave a grin that was a bit too much like Jay's and Margot knew well enough what he was thankful for. Good thing he had reason enough not to say it out loud.

"I've got something." Said John then, taking Margot by surprise. She turned to look at John, who was sitting by her side, and he reached for her hand under the table, her gloved fingers entwining with his.

"Um…" John hesitated, and he blushed slightly, on a way that Margot just adored. She gave him an encouraging smile. "A lot has happened in this past year, and I certainly have a lot to be thankful for. But I just wanted to take this moment to thank you, Margot, for saving my life. I would not be here without you, and I hope you know how much I-"

"Hey, it's alright." Margot raised her hand to his cheek. "I know. You would've done the same for me."

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't be thankful." he breathed.

"What do you mean, she saved your life?" a faint voice interrupted their moment, and they both turned to look at Sue-Ellen, who had gone visibly pale. "Your life… was in danger, John?"

"I noticed you'd gotten some new scars." noted Jack dryly. "So, what happened? Or you gonna just say 'classified', like you always do?"

"Jack, be quiet." his mother snapped. "John, tell me, now."

"Ah, it really is class-"

"Let me." Margot said, for she had seen what was in Sue-Ellen's mind. Fear, a horrible fear of losing John, and she could totally relate to that. She felt like they owed her some kind of an explanation.

"Occupational hazard. John had a bit of a misfortune on a mission. There was this crazy lady, who liked to kill people, and she had her eyes on John. But luckily I'm an excellent shot."

Her words were followed by a silence that told Margot, that perhaps her explanation had not had the effect she had hoped for.

"Oh, that." said John. "Yeah, thanks for that too. I was actually thinking about the first time you saved my life, but-"

"There were more than one time?" Sue-Ellen said, her face even paler than before.

"You didn't tell them you got shot to pieces last year?" Margot blurted out. "John!"

"You got shot to pieces and you didn't tell me?" shrieked Sue-Ellen.

"Neat." said Jack, clearly interested for the first time the whole night. "Let me guess, 'classified'?"

But no one bothered to answer him.

"I'm sorry, Sue. I didn't want you to worry." John said, his cheeks blushing. "But yeah, that's why I missed last year's Thanksgiving. I was in kind of a bad shape for a few months."

"How could you not give me a call?" Sue-Ellen's voice faltered. "You know how I always worry for you, working on those secret FBI projects, and you always just tell me that everything's fine…. I can't believe we all sat here eating turkey last year, while you were dying!"

"I wasn't dying." John stated silently. "Thanks to Margot."

"What did you do?" Jack asked Margot, leaning his elbows to the table. "How did you save uncle John's ass?"

"Some first aid." Margot shrugged. "John's making a big deal out of nothing. It was the hospital staff that did the real fixing."

She turned to look at John, and raised an eyebrow.

Enough of this topic, she sent to him.

Yeah, it had been a nice gesture of him to thank her, in front of his family, but now it was clearly time to move on. Carefully, not letting anyone notice what she was up to, she reached into the minds of the other's, and began to clear the atmosphere. The tension, the guilt, the fear, the shock - she found them all, and made them disappear as if they had been carried away by the wind. She left the memories, though, for she valued the fact that John had given them at least some of the truth.

In just a few seconds the tension on the dinner table diminished, and it was replaced with a more relaxed atmosphere.

John gave Margot a glance that told her he had noticed her little mischief, but that he approved.

"So, Jack." Margot turned her eyes to the young rebel. "Anything you're thankful for?"

"Ah, dunno." the boy replied, his cheeks suddenly blushing. He looked a lot like John, when that happened.

"He never thanks for anything!" Juliet was quick to mock. "All he cares about are his dumb rock bands and CD's and posters-"

"Shut up, brat!" Jack snapped. "All you care about are the damn ponies."

"Mom!" Juliet exclaimed. "He's being mean!"

"You started it!" the boy stated. "You're such a little bi-"

"Children!" Sue-Ellen shrieked, her voice again tense.

Silently Margot reached into all of their minds, again, and eased the situation. Damn, the Myers clan had more temper than she had thought!

"Alright, Jack." said Ronald. "If you have something to be thankful for, just tell us, please. Without further teasing."

"Fine." the emo boy rolled his eyes. "I'm gay."

A shocked silence followed his remark.

Sue-Ellen blinked a few times, and Ronald seemed like he had lost the gift of speech.

Jack, clearly discouraged by his family's reaction, leaned back on his chair, and let his hair fell on his face again. He shrugged, to show just how much he didn't care.

"It's not something I'm thankful for, really. But I just thought… that you should know."

It took another few heartbeats for anyone to speak up, but finally Sue-Ellen gathered herself, and reached to take her son's hand.

"I'm so glad you told us." she breathed. "It was a brave thing to do."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Jack muttered, and got to his feet. "I'll skip the dessert."

"But-"

"Let him go." John said. "Let's give him some space."

They watched as Jack left the dining room, and soon his hurrying footsteps echoed from the stairs. Sue-Ellen turned to look at Ronald, who was still staring at the empty seat, where his son had sat on.

"Did you have any idea that he-"

"No. None." Ronald shook his head.

"Well, I did." stated Daniel. "God, It was so obvious. I thought everyone knew! Besides, what does it even matter? It's the 21st century, for God's sake."

"He has a point." stated Amanda, on her silent and soft voice. "This doesn't change anything. He's still our Jack."

"I don't wanna hear any of this." said Juliet, and her face was miserable. "Everything is always about Jack!"

"Hey Jules." Amanda said, and turned to look at her niece. "It's hard to grow up as a girl with big brothers, I know. That's exactly how I felt too, with these two." she pointed to Edward and Michael. "And then there were Pete and Casper too! You only have two big brothers, and you're a smart girl. You'll be fine."

"That's totally different! You love your brothers, but I hate Jack! He's always so mean."

"Don't say that you hate your brother, Juliet." stated Sue-Ellen. "He might be annoying, but he loves you. He would die for you, and you know it."

"It gets easier when you're adults and you don't have to live with him." said Amanda. "You'll see. And meanwhile, what do you say if you came to my place next weekend? We could go shopping and have some girl time. If your Mom doesn't object?"

"That's a great plan." Sue-Ellen said, clearly relieved.

"So I can go?" Juliet asked, again full of enthusiasm, all her bad mood quickly forgotten.

"Sure." her mom gave her a nod. "But Amanda, you still haven't told what you're thankful for? Do you have anything special in mind?"

"Apart from having the best niece in the world?" Amanda gave Juliet a wink. "But seriously… after all this-" She gave John a look. "-whaterew I'll say will sound like a huge letdown."

"Come on, Amanda!" Juliet begged. "I wanna hear what you're thankful for."

"For still having my job, even if I never, ever clean the cappuccino machine?"

"Eww." said John. "Remind me never to buy coffee from you."

He stood up from the table, and Margot noticed that even if he had been joking, he had that serious look on his eyes, that meant his mind was elsewhere. Reluctantly she let go of his hand, as he stepped to Sue-Ellen, and with a low voice, said: "Sis, I'm gonna go and check on Jack. You guys have dessert already."

A few hours later, they had gathered in the cozy living room, enjoying the warmth of a fireplace. It was late, and the kids were already in their rooms (including Jack, who hadn't left his room since dinner, despite John's efforts). Edward and Melissa had headed home after the dinner, since she had been feeling tired, and Michael had left at the same time, with some vague explanation (Margot suspected he was meeting a girl). So the only ones still present were John and Margot, Sue-Ellen and Ronald, and Amanda.

"A drink, anyone?" Ronald asked, stepping into the room, holding a bottle of whiskey.

Margot was immediately interested, but tried not to seem too keen. She glanced around, and only after noticing that everyone else was having, did she agree to accept a glass too.

"Thank you." she said, when they were all contently sipping the beverage. "And not just for the drink, but for everything. This has been a wonderful night."

"You're welcome." Sue-Ellen said with a smile. "I'm happy that you could make it. It's great to see you two together, I'm so happy for you."

Margot glanced at John, and silently he took her hand, and gave her an encouraging smile. It was time.

"About that, we have something to tell you..." she said.

Christ, she felt nervous! Her hand trembling slightly, she took the thin, golden chain that she wore around her neck, and pulled it to everyone's view. The ring was hanging on the chain, it's diamond glimmering with the light of the fireplace.

Sue-Ellen gasped. "Is that… is that mother's ring?"

"Yeah, it is." John replied, still holding Margot's hand. "We're getting married."

"Oh my God, that's wonderful!" Sue-Ellen was on her feet in a heartbeat, and had rushed to hug John. And then her arms were around Margot, and she felt squeezed against her soft chest. Feeling so relieved and happy, that she was high headed, Margot did her best not to touch Sue-Ellen's skin while embracing.

They were all so happy about the news, that Margot could hardly believe it.

Everyone was hugging them, congratulating and wanting to see the ring, that for a while Margot forgot all her usual nervousness and fear. These people loved John and they were happy that he was marrying her.

It was something Margot hadn't felt in a long time. A feeling of belonging.

And that's why what they were about to tell them next, felt even more terrifying.

After another round of drinks, that now were raised to congratulate their engagement, they all sat back on the sofas.

"There's something else we have to tell you." John said on a voice that got everyone's attention.

"You're having a baby?!" Sue-Ellen took a guess.

"Nope." replied John, and glanced quickly at Margot.

The look in his eyes pierced her heart. She knew, that he would have given everything, to be able to say 'yes' to that question.

"No babies." Margot forced herself to smile. "Let's leave that to Edward and Melissa, okay?"

"Then what is it?" asked Ronald. "Something serious?"

"Yeah, you could say so." John glanced at Margot again. "It's about work."

His words were followed by a short silence, and Margot felt the atmosphere tensing.

"But you never talk about your work." said Sue-Ellen. "Jack was right about that, you always just say that it's classified."

"And it is." he said. "But now I - we have decided to make an exception."

Margot let her gaze go through all the people in the room, her face now dead serious.

"What we are about to tell you now, is classified, and it is something you can never, ever mention outside of this room. You can never tell anyone what you have heard here tonight." she said.

"If any one of you wants to leave now, before we say more, you can do so." John continued. "We won't hold it against you."

But no one moved. They all sat on their place, their eyes fixed on John and Margot.

"If you want to tell us, then I believe you have a good reason to do so." said Ronald after a few heartbeats. "Go on, John."

Margot glanced at John - his eyes were nervous, his cheeks blushing. She grabbed his hand on hers, tight, their fingers entwining.

We're in this together.

"Have you ever heard of BPRD?" she asked silently.

Ronald turned to Sue-Ellen, and they both gave a small, nervous laughter.

But it was Amanda who spoke up. Her face had gone pale, her eyes were huge, their pupils dilated, like black pools.

"It's… real?"

"Yes." John replied.

"But it… it can't be!"

"It is. And we both work there." John said, holding Margot's hand so tight that it almost hurt. Margot noticed his hand was trembling slightly, even if his voice was cool.

Ronald cleared his throat. He looked like he was choking.

"You work for the Bureau for Paranormal Research, and-"

"-Defence. Yes, we do." John replied.

"This has got to be some kind of a joke. You're kidding us, aren't you?"

John and Margot both shook their heads.

"I wish, Ronald." John replied. "But I'm dead serious. It is real, and we're both agents there, fighting all kinds of threats you don't even know exist."

"And you are about to tell us of them?" asked Sue-Ellen. "Why?"

"Not about them, no." said Margot. "The less you know, the better for you. It is a blessing to live in ignorance, believe me. We only tell you what you must know - about BPRD, about our friends… and us."

"Why do we need to know about your friends?" that was Ronald. "Why tell us any of this!?"

Margot felt suddenly saddened, and had to look down. Even without reading Ronald's mind, she could feel his shock and disbelief in the air, and it hurt her.

For what felt like a thousandth time, she felt remorse of being here. This was a good family, a normal family, with good kids and decent parents. They didn't deserve to be dragged into the world of paranormal, a world of endless fear, pain and death. This family had just found out their son was gay, and that was about the maximum of weirdness their family was built for.

But no matter now, she thought. John had decided to marry her, and with that decision he had dragged his family into this. They could not keep her true identity a secret forever.

"Because you are all invited to our wedding." she breathed, her voice barely audible. "And you'll need to know that there will be… non-humans attending."

"Non-humans?" Ronald asked, his voice tense as a string.

"Like what?" Amanda exhaled. "Like… Hellboy?"

That made Ronald snort. "Come on! You can't be serious, Amanda! There's no way that big, red cartoon character is real!"

But the look John gave to him, was enough to make him shut up.

"He is real, and he is my best friend, so if I was you, I'd watch my words."

Ronald looked like he was about to choke, but Amanda broke into a hysterical giggle.

"Oh My God, John, this is amazing!" she laughed. "It is, really! I'm so excited to meet him!"

"Yes, I think... we all are." said Sue-Ellen with a surprisingly calm voice. "Though it might take me some time to get used to this idea. But I thank you for telling us, John. It must be… it must be hard work, to spend all your time with-"

"Freaks?" Margot completed her sentence. She had picked that word from Sue-Ellen's mind, even if she (wisely enough) had not said it out loud.

"I didn't mean it like that." Sue-Ellen said, blushing. "I don't know what is the correct word."

Margot shrugged. "Freak is fine, if you're talking about me. But I wouldn't throw that on Hellboy's face if I was you. He prefers 'human'."

There was a small silence, and Margot waited for her words to sink in. She felt John's hand in hers, and she knew, he was like a solid rock that she could always lean on.

"What are you?" asked Amanda. Her voice was nothing but a faint whisper. "An alien?"

That made Margot give a small, sad laughter.

"Who knows? The truth is, I have no idea what made me like this. I was born a human, of a human mother. But I am different. I am a freak." she paused for a second, trying to force the words out.

Her lips were dry and her heart tried to beat it's way out of her chest. Had it not been for John's hand in hers, she never would have been able to say what she had to.

"I can read people's minds." she confessed, looking down. "I am a telepath."

There it was. She was out of the closet.