There's a really long story about why I haven't updated in forever, but I'm sure you don't care, so I'm just going to go ahead and continue the story :D

I'm surprised nobody's guessed Grace's father- most of the guesses for Benjamin's dad were absolutely right, so good for you guys XD

Shout-out to LucianWriter77, for guessing most of the plot XD

More background and Grace's Dad! :D

WARNING- BOOK 7 AND UP SPOILERS (this includes number 9!)

GRACE POV

The nervous woman who I refuse to believe is my mother led me up the stairs to my uncle Dan's house- a huge building that used to be an apartment complex before Dan bought out the whole thing. She pressed the buzzer for apartment 39, which, along with providing Dan with endless amusement ("39! Get it? This is freaking sweet!"), served as his main house. The clicking sound meant that the cameras that surrounded the building had turned on, and Dan's bodyguard Matt was watching us.

Matt's voice came over the speaker.

"Password?" he droned.

My mom rolled her eyes "that's just like him," she muttered

"That's not the password!" Dan's voice sang

"Fine," she said, and thought for a second before answering "Sap Sword"

Dan snorted. "Come on in!"

The door unlocked and my mom and I slipped inside, stopping at every door for Dan to unlock them- he takes security very seriously. When we finally got into the front room, which basically looked like a mall security center with lasers, Dan walked over and gave us each a massive hug- we hadn't seen him in at least a year.

"To what do I owe the honour, you two?" he asked with a smile that quickly faded when he noticed the state my mom was in.

"Let's go downstairs to talk about it." He said in a quieter voice, nodding at Matt to unlock the doors.

The basement of the apartment complex used to be a crap exercise room- a couple of treadmills, and a corner with weights and a yoga ball. Dan wouldn't stand for it.

The walls are steel-plated for protection, decorated with Dan's sword collection. There's a full-sized wrestling ring in the center of the room, and all over, beanbag chairs are scattered so you could "flop down where ever the heck you want!"

This is exactly what Dan told us to do, and my mom ghosted over to the mini bar and got something to drink that I'm sure had a high alcohol level. She walked into a corner and sat down away from Dan and I.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"We were at the opening for the new joint stronghold- we got the Janus to see reason, and opened a safe place for all the branches." Dan smiled at this; he quit the hunt after I was born, but likes to stay informed. "Evidently, the Lucian's aren't the biggest fan of safe places or, like, happiness or something, because they broke into it right before my speech."

"Who actually broke in?" Dan asked, worry lines appearing on his forehead.

"Some kid with his army of muscled-up backup. But what was weird was I think my mom knew him- she knew his name, anyway"

"Benjamin" he said solemnly.

"Yes!" I said, "Why is it that everyone knows this kid except for me?"

"I never knew him," Dan said, "I just knew that was his name. Dark skin, brown hair, smirk that makes you want to punch him?"

"Yeah..."

"Figures Kabra genes are dominate."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Let me tell you a story." He said with a sad smile. "You've probably never heard about it, because you're mom doesn't like talking about it, but you're old enough to know.

When your mom was 14 and I was 11, our grandmother died."

"Grace." I said, hand going to the jade necklace my mom gave me for my 14th birthday.

Dan smiled.

"Yes, Grace. She was all Amy and I had- our parents died when we were young."

"Like my dad." I said, eyes cast down.

"Yes, like your dad- now stop interrupting and let me have my dramatic monologue.

At her funeral, a video played, showing Grace talking about the hunt- your mom and I gave up 2 million dollars to join. We had no money, no friends in the race, and no way to get anywhere. We had an Au Pair, Nellie, who ended up carting us around.

Nobody thought that we would be any trouble to eliminate, but after we had a few clues under our belt, everyone thought a bit differently. Teams started working extra hard to kill us, some sneakier than others."

I knew all of this already, but I let him talk.

"The Kabras were the branch leaders of the Lucians- they still are, but now their children do most of the work. Ian was 14, like Amy, and Natalie was my age- 11. They were nothing like us though- already cold and hard from years of the hunt, willing to do whatever it took to win. They forged an alliance with us, and Amy fell hook, line, and sinker for Ian- I really thought he felt the same, I saw them kiss when they thought nobody was watching." He took a deep breath.

"When the clue took us to a cave, Ian and Natalie left us to die inside it. We managed to escape, but your mom was never really the same.

We made the alliances after that, and we made one with the Holts, a Tomas family who we thought were too stupid to ever pull one over on us, and we were right except for one thing- we never thought Hamilton Holt would be such an awesome guy.

Ham and Amy were just friends at first, but then I started noticing how she would call him for help with things we could have figured out for ourselves, simple things we had done before. When I asked her about it, she denied it, but I could see her becoming confused. Hamilton started chasing after her, but he knew she would never really fall out of love with Ian, and eventually he gave up.

Jonah Wizard, another clue hunter Amy's age, dropped out of the hunt. Cora Wizard, the leader of the Janus branch, was his mother, and seeing that gave Ian the courage to apologize to your mom."

I had met Jonah and Cora Wizard a few months ago, to finalize the stronghold plans- Jonah had rejoined. I had never heard of Ian Kabra as anything but the leader of the Lucians, never someone who would apologize.

"I told her not to forgive him- once a rat, always a rat, right? But she couldn't stay away, and he had her again. They loved each other very much- the prospect of marriage and a family was always something they were talking about, even though they were young- Ian always insisted that, if they were to have a baby boy, his name would be Benjamin."

That was his favourite

" They were both so happy for a while, but then Isabel Kabra found out.

Isabel Kabra is the worst of the very worst- I hope you never have to meet her. She will kill you and feel absolutely nothing- she's done it before. She demanded Ian leave your mom, and once she threatened him enough, he did it. She set him up with a promising Lucian girl, and forced them into marriage a year later. Amy was absolutely crushed- she was 17 at this point."

A year older than me- I could never picture that happening to me now, or ever, for that matter.

"After that, Hamilton Holt came back into your mom's life. He was the best thing for her; he made her forget everything that happened."

I smiled- my dad was a good guy. I don't remember him, but I'm proud I'm his and not Ian's.

"When she was 19, your mom found out that she was pregnant. Immediately all the branches set out to find her- no Cahill had been born from two branches knowingly before. She spent 8 and a half months in this room, waiting it out- people have been trying to kill you since before you were born, Grace."

"8 and a half?" I questioned wanting to change the subject.

"At that point, we were going to make the trip to Russia, to hide out in a Madrigal stronghold there. When we were just taking off, Amy's water broke. She spent the entire flight in labour, and had you when we made an emergency landing in Sao Miguel, an island in the Azores. It was like you knew what was going on, that you needed to cooperate- you didn't cry at all. Your father got to hug and kiss you once before he died."

"How did he die?" I asked. My mom would never tell me.

Dan took a breath to compose himself.

"When we took off from the airport in Sao Miguel, a Lucian informant called Isabel Kabra, telling her where we were and where we were headed. Your parents had thought of this, and decided to take separate planes- your mom, you, and me in one, and Ham, his sister Madison, and Nellie in another."

"Oh God." I whispered. I knew where this was going.

Dan continued on grimly. "Isabel was staying in her house in Spain at the time she got the call. She got reinforcements and hit the skies. Your mom and dad were talking on the radios right before, and agreed to go separate ways- your dad knew that it was a suicide mission, and so did Madison and Nellie- but they had already fallen in love with you, and they needed to protect you. They said goodbye on the radios, both of them crying so hard Nellie had to take the wheel of the plane. Hamilton said he wasn't crying because he was about to die, but because he was about to die, and Amy was crying. He told her that she had a beautiful girl to look after now, a girl that had his eyes and his ears, and if that wasn't enough, than what more do you need? He made her laugh until the very end. He said goodbye to you, too- he told you that he was proud of you for doing all the amazing things he knew you would do, and he called you beautiful so many times- the times that he would miss. One for your first date, one for your first heartbreak, your first dance, your wedding day. Amy made us leave for a second, and she said her final goodbyes. I don't know what she said to him, but she was shaking and pale after. She ripped the microphone off its cord and slept the rest of the flight, making me take over. She held you and refused to let you go.

The other plane was gunned down over the ocean, and the police found the bodies after a few weeks' search. There were no survivors."

I was crying now, and Dan looked as if he was about ready to start too. I walked over to my mom, who was holding a bottle of Tequila and staring down at the floor. She wasn't drunk yet, but I had to take that bottle away from her soon.

"He said 'I love you' 365 times. I don't know how he did it, but he did. One for every day of the year, he said. The last thing he said to me was 'I'm so glad you just had a Grace, not a Benjamin. I love you so much.' I didn't know that he knew about that. And then the Benjamin I never had, the same age as you, talking to you- it reminded me that I would never have a Benjamin, not one with your eyes, or your ears." She laughed sadly.

I hugged her, stealthily taking the tequila from her.

"It'll be ok, mom."

And it will be, if I have anything to do about it.

Next time Benjamin Kabra Sees me, he will receive one swift kick to his manhood.