It was late in the evening when Charles and SeoHyun pulled into the driveway of their home. They noticed that Anna's car was there along with Nicolette's truck. This development confused them as they had not expected to see Anna with company this late in the evening, but they weren't too upset or concerned. Anna and Nicolette were getting rather close since the latter moved to Aspen Creek. They went inside, taking their boots off as soon as they entered so as not to track mud and other debris into the house.
"Welcome home." Anna said warmly.
"Well looks like you're going to be busy for a while; I guess I should head home." Nicolette said.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Anna asked.
"It is getting rather late, Samuel will be home soon." Nicolette replied. "I'll come back by tomorrow after my shift."
"Okay, I'll see you then." Anna smiled
Nicolette left and Charles notice that Anna seemed concerned about something.
"Anna, what's wrong?" Charles asked.
"Nicolette is talking about trying to adopt children and she isn't sure Samuel will want to do that." Anna replied.
"I'm sure he'd go for it, he's always wanted to be a father I don't see why he wouldn't go for adopting a child." Charles replied.
SeoHyun had excused herself so she could go take a hot shower, Charles walked into the kitchen with Anna so they could continue talking.
"SeoHyun brought up some things that got me thinking... her parents' graves are thousands of miles away, it isn't fair to her that they are not where she could visit them whenever she desires. I'm considering exhuming them and having them moved to the local cemetery." Charles explained.
"So are you planning a trip back to San Diego?" Anna asked.
"Yes, and she's coming as well." He said "this way she can visit the graves and an old friend she hasn't seen since she underwent the Change."
"Do you think I should come as well?" Anna asked.
"If you want to," Charles conceded figuring that SeoHyun might need both of them around her as she looks at her parents' graves for the first time since they were buried.
"Let me know when you want to leave and we'll go." Anna said as she finished up dinner.
"I will." Charles replied as SeoHyun came into the kitchen wearing comfortable flannel pajama pants in mint green and pink plaid along with a pink shirt that matched the pink in the pants. She had blown her hair dry and it hung loose down her back. She had decided at the beginning of the past school year she wanted to grow it out and by the summer it was to the middle of her shoulder blades. Anna fixed her a plate and she went to sit at the table to eat. She was nervous about going to San Diego, she wasn't sure how things and people had changed since she left.
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Bran smiled as he, Samuel and Nicolette decorated for SeoHyun's sixteenth birthday party along with several other members of the pack. They had planned this party for weeks ordered the cake from a bakery in Missoula. It was big but with the guest list consisting of werewolves it needed to be big. Mercy and Adam had sent her a birthday present even though they couldn't be there in person.
Bran knew SeoHyun would love her party and he knew the old wolves in the pack loved having a young submissive to take care of, or spoil as the case may be. The more stable the wolf the more likely they were to enjoy SeoHyun's presence in their lives but they all loved her.
Charles and Anna brought SeoHyun over about two in the afternoon and were stunned by the decorations.
The party went well and SeoHyun got more presents than she expected which included clothing and books among other things that she had either wanted or needed. She had said she wanted to look into the Divergent series of books and, much to her surprise, someone was listening and bought her the entire Divergent series in hardcover. She looked at the tag to see that the book had been from Bran. She had gotten a new dress from Sage, and copy of the Catching Fire dvd from Tag. She got to the gift from Mercy and Adam and wasn't sure exactly what to expect from them. She might refer to Mercy as her aunt on occasion but she really didn't know Mercy that well and vice versa. This made her wonder what Mercy could have gotten her.
She opened the gift and gasped in shock as she saw a collection of Hunger Games memorabilia, including a replica of the arena jacket from book one, which was surprisingly warm, a Mockingjay pen, which she had always wanted and a bunch of stationary supplies (notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, etc…) with the Mockingjay on them. She gasped, she would have to remember to send her "Aunt Mercy" and "Uncle Adam" a thank you card for this because she knew the jacket alone was expensive.
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Bran hid his smile, his suggestions for gifts for her had went off like a charm and SeoHyun's sixteenth birthday was a rousing success. He knew that they had a plan to leave for San Diego the next day to take care of some things they should have done months ago and he hoped that everything would go well for them. He knew Nathan had the pack in good shape but he wondered if San Diego would hold healing for SeoHyun or just more pain.
To Be Continued…