"Mom?"

Bonnie hummed, her hands ceasing their motions while still holding onto the mortar and pestle. She looked up, her eyes meeting the curious blues of her daughter, Lydia, as she peered over the table. The witch smiled as Lydia's eyes continued to wander across the counter - noting all the various ingredients that were spread out across a drying towel.

"Yes, Liddy, what is it?"

The ever curious eleven-year-old reached out and poked at the mortar and then to the many empty glass vials. "Whatcha doing?"

She flashed her daughter an even wider grin. "Making spells." Lydia's eyes lit up like Christmas morning and she laughed. "Did you want to help me?"

"Yeah!"

Bonnie helped Lydia as she scrambled up onto one of the stools situated at the island in the kitchen. She gently slid the mortar and pestle to her daughter - Lydia's expression growing more and more determined. Her hands moved as if she still were holding the items and the young witch mimicked her movements as she ground the items in the mortar. Bonnie gave her step by step instructions and was pleased to see how easily her daughter was moving on to the next step without her.

Lydia had always been a smart thing and had an exceptional knack for potion making.

The rush of hurried footsteps were heard just outside and Bonnie looked away in time to see Abigail and Thomas barreling into the kitchen. The twins were holding each other's hands and her brows furrowed when Emilio crashed into them from behind. The three of them were sprawled out on the floor, whining in exaggerated agony as Josiah appeared in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. Lydia continued grinding things in the mortar - unfazed by the sudden commotion.

"Josiah?" Bonnie called to her son, her question clear without it needing to be stated.

The nine-year-old shrugged and pointed at the heap on the floor. Her eyes followed where he was pointing and she was shocked to see an intricate wooden puzzle box held in the air by Emilio. The rest of him was buried under the weight of her two-year-old twins.

"Emilio, where did you find that?" She made sure her tone didn't sound accusatory. Bonnie was genuinely curious.

The boy grunted, shoving his brother and sister off of him and they giggled in delight while trying to reach for the box. Emilio held it out of their reach. "The attic."

"Huh." She leaned against the counter, her hands slipping into the pockets of her apron as she took a moment to think. "So that's where he put it."

"I found it! I found it!" chimed Abigail as she continued to reach for the puzzle box. "Gimme it, Leo! Gimme!"

Emilio tossed the box into the air where it was caught effortlessly in Josiah's hand. Both of the twins looked at their oldest brother before soft puffs of air were heard, signaling an oncoming tantrum. Josiah shrugged again as he met Bonnie's gaze. There was the trademark grin that belonged to Kai plastered over his features and he looked so much like a miniature version of his father that it was slightly off-putting.

Bonnie snapped her fingers and the box flew from his hand and into her own. The twins looked at her with eyes wide as saucers before she laughed, handing the box off to them. They gave triumphant cheers before skittering out of the kitchen- their little feet thundering upstairs to their room.

"I didn't think the twins would find it," came Kai's voice suddenly.

Bonnie jumped, turning quickly to see her husband now seated in the spot she'd just vacated. She hated when he did that. Kai winked at her narrow-eyed gaze, returning his attention to their daughter.

He handed Lydia a small quartz for her to grind up in the mortar. "I figured it would be our little princess."

Kai pressed a kiss to Lydia's temple and she scrunched up her nose while trying to bat him away. "I found one in the basement," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small box that had intricate metal gears attached to the outside. "Took me an hour to unlock it."

Lydia handed the box to Bonnie and went back to grinding. Her eyes met Kai's and he shrugged. When they first got married, they used to leave little puzzle boxes around the house as scavenger hunts for each other. There would be notes, gems, flowers, or other magical items inside each puzzle box. In time, they locked the puzzles up and hid them away in various parts of the house. Or, at least that's what Kai did apparently.

The uniqueness of these puzzle boxes? They could only be unlocked with magic.

There was a soft grumble that cut through Bonnie's thoughts. She looked around and saw a soft flush tinting Josiah's cheeks. Another rumble followed suit - this one coming from Emilio. Her brows raised and she heard Kai snickering behind her. A few seconds later, Lydia's stomach sang a similar song. Both Kai and she sputtered into tiny fits of laughter and she proceeded to shoo her children out.

"Alright," she said, shaking her head, "I hear you loud and clear. Go play so I can get dinner ready."

Her three children's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Stir fry?"

"Fajitas?"

"Spaghetti?"

They all said their wants simultaneously.

"Brownies!"

The twins yelled from upstairs and Kai stood up from and popped his knuckles. "Looks like I'm going to need to help you out."

Bonnie threw him a pointed look, her gaze moving to each of her children. They got the message loud and clear. With happy giggles, they skittered out of the kitchen and up the stairs. A sigh left her as she turned to look at Kai, her brows furrowing from how tired she was already.

"I wish you wouldn't spoil them like that."

He shrugged, making his way to her so he could pull her into him. Bonnie braced her hands on his shoulders as he leaned down to nuzzle his face into the crook of her neck. "Kids need to eat."

"You aren't seriously expecting me to make all that, are you?"

He flashed his patented 'I'm being a little shit' grin. "I said I'd help." Kai locked his fingers together at her lower back. "We should start putting magic puzzles around the house again."

"You think so?"

"Mm," he hummed, giving a slight nod, "it's good practice for them. We can't hold their hands through everything. They should figure out the basics on their own. They'll learn faster that way too."

She gave him a dubious look. "And if they stumble across something they shouldn't?"

"I'll shower them with praise."

"Kai!"

"I won't restrict them, Bon. Neither should you." His playful expression shifted. He was in his serious mode. "Limitation only breeds curiosity and that leads to mistakes. Careless ones."

Her mouth opened to protest but she remained silent. Bonnie couldn't argue with him because he had a point. Her own lack of magical upbringing had brought on more than her share of misfortune. If she had only been given the right tutelage, she could have avoided many mishaps and saved her own life several times over.

"They need to be prepared for anything that may come their way. Even our own kind." His lips pressed against her forehead and she gave a sigh of defeat. "We don't exactly play fair either."

"The world isn't fair. Life isn't fair." Her tone was bitter.

"Exactly." She felt him pulling her even closer and she looked up at him. "We can teach them to be as fair as they can, but not at the sacrifice of themselves."

She frowned. "I won't let that happen."

"Neither will I. While we're still around, we'll keep them safe." Kai waggled his brows playfully. "And when we're not, they can snap a neck or two."

Scoffing, she pulled herself from him and headed toward the kitchen cabinets. "You're the worst."

"Nah, I'm pretty awesome." He paused, causing Bonnie to cast a sidelong glance in his direction. "I got you, after all."

Bonnie felt like the wind had been pulled from her lungs. Kai had this effect on her from time to time, even after all these years. He was still a kid at heart, but then he would drop little adult bombs on her that she was never prepared for. Warmth touched her cheeks and she cleared her throat loudly, motioning for him to get moving.

"Shut-up and help me already."

He grinned. "Love you too, Bonster."

Kai knocked gently on the door of his youngest daughter's room. There was no answer, but he could hear her quietly sobbing on the other side. He knocked again, a little louder this time, and the noise stopped almost immediately. He knew she was trying to silence herself, pretending that she was okay, but Kai knew that she was anything but.

He'd experienced the same anxiety when he was her age. Younger, in fact.

"Lonnie, baby," he said softly, attempting to coax her into letting him in. She'd locked the door and, while he he could have easily opened it with magic, didn't want to invade her space without consent. "Let me in, hm?"

"No!"

He sighed, pressing his forehead against the door. "Hiding in your room won't solve anything." He knocked again. "It doesn't make the problem disappear. Talking to me might, though."

"I don't wanna!"

"Come on, baby. Please?"

Kai gritted his teeth, steeling his resolve to do this alone. While he would have appreciated Bonnie's help with this, she had been right. No one could help their child through this better than him.

Because she was a siphoner.

After a few minutes, the lock unlatched and the door slowly opened inward. Standing on the other side was his ten-year-old daughter, Lonnie. His little miracle and the last of his children. Her honey wheat curls hung like a soft curtain around her shoulders, her face aimed at the floor as she refused to look at him. Her shoulders tensed when Kai sighed, reaching out to stroke her head. She finally looked up at him, blue and green eyes bloodshot with the tears she'd been shedding.

He flashed her a warm smile in response to her sniffle. "Can I come in?"

She took a moment to catch her breath, nodded and stepped to the side to give him space to enter. Once inside, he heard her shut the door and watched Lonnie immediately flop herself onto her bed. Kai bit his lip to stifle a chuckle when he saw her groping blindly for her pillow to cover her face again, her hair fanning out wildly in every direction. He waited for her to still herself before sinking down onto the bed beside her.

Kai slid his hand over Lonnie's lower back, giving it comforting rubs. He saw her shoulders and spine visibly relax and he patted her head. "Max is fine, by the way." She slowly turned her head, eyes peeking from the edge of the pillow and his smile widened. "So you can stop beating yourself up about that."

Lonnie's mismatched gaze shifted to the floor before looking back at him. "...I didn't mean to. I don't even know what happened!" She lifted her head up from the pillow. "Is he really okay, Daddy?"

He nodded, gathering up his daughter into his arms as she clung to him. Lonnie trembled against him and Kai gave little shushing noises against her hair as she did her best not to cry again. "It's okay, Lon. I promise."

A few quiet moments past before she finally pulled away from him. He gingerly wiped her face of the tears and he could see the fear and confusion etched into her blue and green eyes. Kai smiled as he looked at her - his baby girl. He always did love how she turned out with heterochromia.

"I'm a weirdo, right? A freak?"

Worry lines formed across his brow and Kai pursed his lips together. "Why would you say that?"

Tears filled her eyes and Lonnie's face began to screw up in an attempt to keep herself from crying again. But water leaked from the corners anyway, despite her efforts. "Because I'm not like Liddy, Jo, Tommy and Abby! Or Leo and Max! They can do all sorts of things and I can't! I can't do anything and every time I touch something, someone gets hurt!?" Her fingers dug into his shoulders. "Why me? It's not fair!"

"STOP!"

Kai's voice boomed and Lonnie gasped slightly. He was sure there was something scary in his eyes, but he couldn't shake it no matter how hard he might have wanted to. These fears and self-deprecating things flying out of his daughter were almost word-for-word what he had once voiced many years ago.

He quickly came back to himself, the anger bleeding out of him and he gave Lonnie an apologetic look. "Lonnie, you're not a freak. You're just different and there's nothing wrong with that, you hear me?"

Her bottom lip quivered. "B-But…"

"No," he stressed, shaking his head, "you are just fine." Kai patted her head, eyes full of affection. "I was like you once. I still am."

Lonnie gave him a confused look and he held out his hand, urging her to take it. She did it hesitantly and Kai closed his eyes, focusing some of his magic into his daughter. A deep inhale was pulled from them both and a soft wind danced around them. When he opened his eyes, she looked a little more lively than she had just a moment ago.

"This is going to hurt," he whispered. Before she could ask anything, Kai's hand glowed red and Lonnie hissed in pain. His magic was pulled back, but only a fraction. The rest he let stay in his daughter. "See?"

"You too, Daddy?"

Kai smiled. "Yeah, me too."

There was a gentle knock that got their attention. When they looked to the doorway, there stood his younger sister, Olivia, looking both disgruntled and amused. Kai blinked, not expecting to see her at the house.

"Well, looks like I came out here for nothing." She folded her arms across her chest as she leaned against the wall. Lonnie scrambled out of Kai's arms and ran to her aunt, all but barreling her over.

He stood up, rubbing his palms against his jeans. "What's up, Liv?"

Olivia stroked her fingers through Lonnie's curls lovingly and then pressing her niece's cheeks together in a teasing fashion. Lonnie giggled and Kai watched his sister's expression soften. "Jo called me." She finally met Kai's gaze. "I think Bonnie might have said something?"

"Figures," he said, half scoffing but feeling a certain weight lifting off his chest. "Where is she?"

"Downstairs making tea." There was a stretch of silence that began to form before Olivia looked at Lonnie and smiled. "You mind helping your mom out? I think she was struggling a bit. I need to talk to your dad for just a second."

Lonnie nodded, gave Olivia another strong hug and then disappeared around the corner. Olivia waited until her footsteps faded off in the distance before looking back at Kai. That previous, soft expression was nowhere to be seen. She was back to the edgy sister he knew so well.

"Kai. It's coming up." His eyes narrowed but Liv gave him no quarter. "What are you and Bonnie going to do?"

"I'm working it."

"It's next year, Kai!"

He felt the muscle tick at his jaw. "I said I'm working on it, Liv!"

Liv glared at him. "Does Bonnie know there's no way around this? Have you even told her about Jo's kids not wanting anything to do with this fucked up tradition in our family?"

"She's aware of The Merge. I've never hidden it from her."

"But now it's your kids." She smiled but there was no humor behind it. "You think Bonnie is just going to lie down and let it happen?"

Kai averted his gaze. "It's not going to come down to that."

Scoffing, Olivia made to leave the room but paused at the doorway. She waited until their eyes met again. "We'll see about that."

AN: Not gonna lie, guys, this chapter had me feeling a certain kinda way. Bonkai with kids... Just, lord it goes downhill from here peeps. Love you, mean it!