Chapter 13

There was silence at the dinner table after Christina's exit. Heads were down, unsure how to proceed. Luckily Katherine's soft voice cut through the air. 'Dad.' She said gently. 'That was out of line.'

'She needed to hear it.' Robert said.

'No she didn't.' Dani said, slightly more aggressively. 'She know's what she's doing dad, you basically yelled at her for protecting us.'

'The reason she was bleeding this morning is because otherwise it would have been me.' Amy said. 'She took a bullet for me and you're telling her to what, do more than that?'

'Girls, you don't know everything.' Robert said.

'So tell us dad, we aren't kids any more.' Lisa said.

'I made things worse with Chris.' He admitted.

'How could you possibly make things worse? She already wasn't speaking to you.' Katherine reminded him.

'That day I dropped off supplies at the house for you, I asked you to convince Chris to come for coffee with me.'

'Yeah, she said she'd think about it.' Katherine said.

'Well, she agreed.' Robert said. They all looked at him, shocked. 'She met me for coffee about a week ago. She said she couldn't work and she was bored, so she thought she'd try, for you.' He looked at Katherine.

'Why wouldn't she tell us?' Lauren wondered.

'She didn't want you to be mad at me.' Robert said, he laughed ironically. 'She was protecting you.' He rubbed his eyes. 'I've really fucked this up.'

'No kidding.' Lisa said. 'What happened when you got coffee?'

'It was really awkward, we didn't speak for the first twenty minutes. She's almost too much like Michelle, I couldn't get passed it.'

'Was she right? When she said you blamed her for mum?' Dani asked.

'Yes, I blamed her.' Robert said honestly.

'Dad, how could you? She was eighteen.' Katherine said.

'She had powers, same ones as your mother. At the time I thought she should have done something.'

'She would have died.' Amy said.

'I know that now, Chris told me a little more about Belial and who he was, I know now.'

'What else?' Amy said. 'I can feel there's something else dad.'

'I also blamed her for turning you guys against me.'

'Dad!' Lauren looked at him.

'She has never once told us we couldn't see you.' Lisa said.

'You still left us dad, we had some of our own anger to get past.' Katherine said. 'It was just easier for us because we didn't take on the weight of the world like Chris did. And still, you just sat here and told her to be better.'

'She's the best person we know.' Dani said gently.

'I didn't mean for it to come off that way.' He lent his head in his hands. 'Your mother was so much better at this.'

'At what, being a parent?' Lisa asked.

'Yeah.' Robert said. 'It may sound stupid but the amount I worry about you guys is insane. It would be bad enough if you weren't magical. Do you know when your mother decided to tell me about her powers? When we were pregnant with Chris. She had to tell me because there was a chance the baby would be magical too.'

'So you're saying you wouldn't have married her if you'd known?' Katherine asked.

'No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying I would have been more prepared, that's all.' He lent back. 'I love you, so much, but after that night, looking at Christina. It was too painful.'

'Dad.' Lauren whispered.

'I hated the fact that my wife was gone, that my girls might never know the real reason, and that every time I looked at Christina I wanted to be sick. Because I hated the fact that I could blame her, that I did blame her. So I left.'

'Dad can I be excused.' Lauren said, standing up.

'Yes, go, all of you go. I'll clean up.' He said. They left the room and went to look for Christina.

xxxxxx

After checking the bedrooms they determined that Chris wasn't upstairs. Katherine looked out of the window and saw a small fire burning in the distance. 'She likes to go outside when she's upset.' Katherine reminded them.

'But I don't imagine she took a jacket.' Amy said, grabbing Christina's from the coat rack as they made their way down a bumpy path until they could feel the warmth of the fire on their bodies. Christina was sitting on a log, playing with energy in her hands. She was twirling the blue energy around her fingers as they all sat around her. Amy came up behind her and draped her jacket over her shoulders. Christina smiled.

'That's pretty.' Lauren said.

'Thanks.' Christina said before the energy evaporated into the air. 'I'm sorry about starting a fight with dad.' She pulled her arms through the jacket and held it to her chest.

'You didn't really start it.' Katherine reminded her.

'Still, I shouldn't let him get to me.' Christina said as Lauren hugged her from the side. 'What's this for?' She smiled, putting her arm over Lauren's shoulder.

'Just, thank you.' Lauren mumbled. 'For everything.'

'Dad told us about when you met for coffee.' Katherine spilled the beans.

'You should have told us.' Lisa said.

'I didn't want you to be mad at him, he loves you guys and you should know him.'

'He loves you too Chris.' Amy said.

'Yeah, maybe.' She shrugged. 'But I don't need his love, haven't for a long time.'

'He wasn't right either, about you needing to be there all the time to protect us.' Dani added. 'We know you try to do that anyway.' She smiled.

'I've never seen him angry before.' Lauren said.

'It happened a fair bit early on, he was still adjusting to his magical wife and children.' Christina told them. 'He has some issues with the magical stuff. I remember mum told me when I was about ten that I might get powers some day, so she let me watch her practice. Dad hated it, he kept trying to make me do gymnastics instead, Kath too.'

'I think I remember that.' Katherine said, Lisa nodding.

'She came home late one night, I was about thirteen I think, just covered in cuts and bruises.' Christina remembered. 'I sat at the top of the stairs and watched. He was fixing her up and yelling at her all at once. I think she was crying.' Chris said, wiping away her own tear. 'But I don't think he spoke to her for like a month after that.'

'Did he ever shout at you?' Dani asked.

'Sometimes.' Christina said. 'I didn't have my first power until I was seventeen. I found out I had power when he was shouting. I'd been out all night with this guy from school.' She looked around the group who were grinning. 'Nothing happened, I just stayed out all night.'

'Sure Chris.' Lisa giggled.

'Anyway, he was yelling at me and I just got so angry, I sent him flying across the room.'

'You didn't.' Katherine smiled. 'You never told me that.'

'I only just remembered it. But mum was so happy she just started cheering, because one of her girls had her power. Dad never understood that.'

'What else did you and dad talk about when you met?' Amy wondered.

'My work, his work, you guys. Then it all took a turn. I brought up that night because I wanted to know why he didn't tell me. We just started arguing, pretty similar to what you just heard actually. I think he wishes Belial took me that night instead of mum.'

'Chris, you can't think that.' Lisa said sadly.

'Well it makes sense. I have the same power, it could have been me. Robert would still have his wife and you'd still have mum and dad. He blames me for turning you against him anyway.'

'But we wouldn't have you.' Amy said.

'Yeah, I know.' Christina smiled. 'But you'd have a proper family.'

'We have all the family we need right here.' Katherine said firmly.

'And you're not allowed to say otherwise ever again.' Dani added.

'Okay.' Christina smiled.

'Come on, it's getting late, and cold. Let's go inside.' Lisa said, standing.

'I'm going to stay out here for a bit, you guys go in.' Christina said.

'Okay but promise you'll come in soon.' Lisa said.

'I promise.' Christina smiled, watching them all go before pulling the picture out of her jeans pocket. She studied the picture of her mother, running her fingers over the image as tears spilled down her face.