Chapter 14: Spark

Clara's squeal of excitement drew Nico and Will's attention from their hushed conversation, man and wolf, heads close together, on the couch. "Uncle Mike! You're here!"

Nico chuckled softly and tucked his forelegs under his body. "Seems as though the guests are arriving early for Clarina's party."

"Michael would never miss Clare's birthday. Not for the world."

The werewolf sent him a warm, amused glance, silencing as Clara came into the room, Michael in tow behind her. Will's brother appraised the room with a hint of surprise and admiration. Nico and Aaron had gone out with Clara while Will had been working to gather the decorations—she wanted a moonlit party. Silver, black, white ribbons, glitter…they had gone all out to make the entire room look like the woods at night. A dark carpet stretched the length of the room with the same shade hanging over the walls from curtains. The lights were dimmed but for little white electric candles that flickered as though they were the real thing scattered over the floor. White lights hung from the curtains and hugged the ceiling sparsely, resembling stars. On the couch Will and Nico sat on, a thin throw-rug stood contrasted against the dark of the couch and the rest of the room. It was sure to have black fur on it, but otherwise it was the moon of Clara's night.

"It's gorgeous," Mike said. "Astounding. Did you do this, Will?"

Will smiled at his brother, sharing a knowing glance with his daughter. "I did next to nothing, Mike."

Michael's eyebrows rose. "Who, then? The door man?"

"It was Nico!" Clara supplied helpfully. She saw her father's sharp look of warning and giggled. "Oh, sorry! That was a surprise. Don't tell anyone I said that."

Mike frowned and looked between Clara and Will suspiciously. "Who?"

Will waved a dismissive hand at his brother. "Don't worry about it, okay? You'll see him soon enough."

Nico—currently Ghosty—coughed and nosed Will's outstretched arm.

Ghosty's action caught his brother's attention. "I see you still have him," he mused, all thoughts of Nico apparently slipping from his mind. "Weren't you going to return him to the wild? It'll be next to impossible, now. He'd be too used to human attention."

It was Will's turn to cough. "Got a bit attached," he muttered.

Clara giggled again.

Ghosty huffed and nudged Will again, eyes gleaming.

The man gave the werewolf a gentle rap on the head. Ghosty bit him. Will laughed, returning his attention to his brother, his hand returning to Ghosty's head to scratch him behind the ears. "Well, no matter what happened, he's here."

Michael smiled. The look was almost relieved. "That's good, brother. I'm happy for you all."

"Hey, hey! Uncle Mike!" Clara bounced on her heels and tugged on her uncle's shirt. "I want you to sit with me! Here, here!" She dragged him over to a couple of bean bags, closing a circle between chairs and the couch.

"I can't sit down yet!" Mike laughed. "Where am I supposed to put this?" He reached into his pocket and came out with a box wrapped in shiny blue paper.

Clara squealed and hugged her uncle tight, narrowly missing collision with the present. "Oh my gosh! Thank you! Thank you Uncle Mike!"

While Mike was distracted, Ghosty—Nico—leaned over and whispered in Will's ear, "I'll make myself scarce after a few more people show up. When is Katherine supposed to arrive?"

Will did his best to answer without tipping Mike off. "Around the time the party starts, she said. But she'll be packing around three boys."

"So late," Nico mused.

Will nodded.

"That's fine. I can work with that."

"Is Aaron outside already?"

The wolf nodded.

"Leave in about half an hour. A few more should arrive by then, but no children."

Children meant anyone curious enough to follow Nico off to the woods and stay there until he came back. The wolf cocked an ear in acknowledgement.

Michael sat down, having left his present at the center of the room, with Clara at his side. "So," he began, turning Will's attention away from Nico. "What else have you all been up to recently, kid?"

Will cleared his throat. "Ah, not much really."

Clara slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggle. Mike looked at her, back at Will, then at Clara again. He was starting to look suspicious. "Not much, hm?" he asked.

Will shot his daughter a look and mimed zipping his lips closed. "Not until everyone's here."

Clara repeated the action, locking and throwing away the key. "I won't, Daddy."

"There's my little actress. Don't worry, it won't be much longer."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "What have you two been plotting, exactly?" He focused on his brother, raising a fair eyebrow. "Will?"

The blond grinned rather impishly. "Surprise," he promised.

Michael didn't look convinced. However, before he could breathe another word, Fenwick knocked on the door. "Another guest, Mr. Will Solace."

Will stood. "Who has arrived?"

"Mr. Apollo Solace, sir."

Michael stood also as Fenwick waved their father into the room.

He hadn't changed since the last time Will had seen him, two years ago. Still tall, still with pristine golden hair, still looking like a runaway male model. He wore expensive clothes, his jacket shed and tucked under one arm, his other hand holding a present for Clara. His lips were tipped up in an easy smile—enough to woo anyone, man or woman. "Hello, all." He grinned a devilish smile and offered a wave with his present-occupied hand. "Where might I find the birthday girl?"

"I'm here, Grandpa!" Clara cheered from her seat on the floor. She waved wildly.

"Ah! There she is!" Apollo dropped his jacket over the back of a seat and strode over to collect his granddaughter in a hug. "How is my big girl?" he asked, drawing back to hold her at arm's length. "God, you've gotten so big. How old are you now? Twenty?"

Clara giggled. "No, Grandpa Apollo. Seven! I'm seven!"

"Seven!" Apollo cooed. He patted her on the head. "You look so mature for your age! Beautiful, too. But what can I say? You got it from the best."

Ghosty chuckled soft enough for only Will to notice. "Very charismatic," he murmured. "I had wondered where the two of you got that from."

Will rolled his eyes.

Apollo turned to him and Michael. "And look at the both of you," he said, standing up. He waved his free hand idly. "You've both grown up. Soon you'll be dyeing your hair just like Papa."

Mike scoffed and exchanged glances with Will. "Sure we will, Dad."

"I, for one, am very much looking forward to it," Will agreed mock-dryly.

Ghosty snorted, plopping down from the couch and shaking himself off. Apollo stopped and looked at him, vaguely interested. "That's an oddly-colored Husky," he commented.

"Pretty dark for a Husky," Michael agreed.

"Not so much for a wolf, though," Will added.

Apollo looked from one son to the other. "Oh?" He looked back down at Ghosty. "Hm. Well, I suppose you're right," he said some time later, not seeming all that phased. "What's its name?"

"His name is Ghosty!" Clara helpfully supplied.

Said wolf grunted, slinking over to where the girl was hunkered down in her bean bag. He curled up on the floor next to her, watching Apollo and his sons from above his tail.

"Big dog," was all Apollo said in reply. He turned back to Will and Michael. "I trust you've both been well? No issues from workers and coworkers?"

They shook their heads in unison. "Of course not, Dad," Michael said. "And you? Have you had any issue?"

"Had to fire a couple of incompetent workers." Apollo sighed wistfully. "But such is the life of a man such as I."

Another knock announced the arrival of another guest. Kayla stepped in, followed by a lady young in face but silver in hair.

"Ah, Artemis," Apollo breathed. "My dear sister. You look positively haggard this fine summer's day."

"Shove it where the sun don't shine, you idiot," Artemis barked, glowering at her brother. "This isn't your party. Where is my niece?"

Clara leaped to her feet at once. "Aunt Art! You're here!" Her excitement was making her tremble, but that didn't stop her from bounding over to hug her 'Aunt Art' tightly around the waist.

"Ah, there's my dear. Finally seven, I see. You're growing up into a fine young lady."

Clara grinned up at Artemis.

Apollo's sister smiled delicately back. She handed Clara her present—a rather large parcel. "Sadly, I cannot stay very long," she admitted, silver-blue eyes softening at the devastated look on Will's daughter's face. She laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. "But, I intend to return. With a party ten times what this one was. We'll go hunting. How does that sound?"

Like always, Clara's mood was quick to switch back to elated. "Yay! Thanks, Aunt Art!"

Fur brushed against Will's leg. He looked down and met the measured gaze of Ghosty—Nico.

He tilted his head to the door. I should go.

Will nodded. "Hey, Clare," he said, cutting through the mild chatter. "I'm going to take Ghosty out before too many people show up."

Just like her part asked of her, Clara looked blue. "Does he have to go?"

"You remember what happened last time," Will soothed her. "He'll come back after things die down. Let's just not let him get stressed again."

Clara nodded once, twice. "Okay."

Will nodded and walked out of the room, Ghosty at his heels. Kayla whispered a greeting to the wolf and waved, to which the wolf twitched an ear and sighed, pressing closer to Will.

Fenwick bowed as Will passed by, not saying a word in comment. They continued their path to the back door, completely silent save for the sound of their footsteps echoing down the hall.

Nico was the first to speak up. "Your father…" he began. Will looked down at him, stunned to find him shifting from paw to paw, as though he were nervous. "I did not realize he'd be here. Will he be an issue?"

Will relaxed, lips tipping up in an easy, joking smile. "Absolutely. He's pansexual. Bound to hate you, I swear it."

Nico snorted. "Right."

The blond opened the door to the backyard, baring the woods to Nico's sights. "Take care, then," Will said, not really wanting him to leave just yet. "Come back soon."

The werewolf gave him a toothy grin. "I wouldn't dream of being late to Clarina's birthday party."

With that, he bounded into the woods.

Will watched him until he disappeared from sight, holding open the door. This is it, he realized, his breath hitching in his chest. He looked over his shoulder, back into his home. Where his family waited. Reluctance flared in him, but he shook it away hurriedly, his hand trembling slightly on the door. He touched his chest, feeling his racing heart under his fingers, and breathed in. He could do this.

Before he could run into the woods after Nico, he spun on his heel and trudged back inside.

~ΨΩΨ~

"So…" Kayla leaned forward, sitting down close to Will on the couch as everyone else chattered around them. A few others had arrived, but there was still time before the party would start. Katherine hadn't yet arrived.

Will raised an eyebrow at his cousin.

Kayla flashed him a knowing smile. "Is a certain you-know-who coming today?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Will replied, not sounding convincing even to his own ears.

It was obvious Kayla wasn't fooled, either. "When is he going to be here?" she said under her breath, glancing over at the crowd around Mont Present.

Will exhaled. "Soon," he said just as quietly. He met gazes with his daughter over the gifts. She grinned and gave her father a thumbs-up. "He might be a bit late, though," he admitted.

"All's fine," Kayla said, excitement bubbling into her words. "I, for one, cannot wait to see him again. It's been a little while since I've last seen him. Will his son be with him?"

Will managed to give her a positive just as Fenwick announced the arrival of a new group of guests, moving out of the doorway to usher in the very person Will had been dreading to see the most.

Katherine zeroed in on Will, scrutinizing him, before she ignored him altogether. Clara greeted them at the doorway, also nervous—but she held more energy than all of the guests combined. She took her present from her mother as Travis brought in his sons and their dog into the room to talk with everyone.

Will's hands clenched and unclenched in his lap. "She's here," he said dumbly.

Kayla heard him and covered his hand with her own. "Don't worry—he'll outshine her in a heartbeat. You'll see."

The blond flashed her a comforted smile.

"Well, it seems everyone's accounted for," Apollo said, glancing over the guests. His gaze landed on Will before sliding over to his granddaughter. "Shall we get started, then?" he asked her, smiling.

Clara's eyes darted over to her father. Will nodded his head.

"Okay!" Clara's eyes held a bit of disappointment, but she stood up and had everyone sit around in the circle without complaint. Mike sat in the bean bag next to hers as Kayla clamped Will on the shoulder, gave him a reassuring smile, and abandoned him to sit with her mother.

The chatter in the room hushed as attention was turned to the birthday girl. The social butterfly.

Clara looked at Will again and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Her eyes flew to the door and returned to him. He nodded once, barely moving his head. He gestured for her to begin with his hand.

Clara sighed and nodded. She looked at her family surrounding her, all of them wondering why she was being so quiet. She breathed in a deep breath. "Well, I…" She glanced towards the doorway again. "I'm happy everyone came all this way to see me. I know you're all busy, just like Daddy. So, um…" Again, a look towards the door. She froze.

The flip was switched—a gleam returned to her eyes. "You're here!"

A chuckle came from the doorway, prompting the entire group to turn and look. Nico and Aaron stood there, hand in hand. The elder looked like he was just about to knock on the door frame, his hand poised by the wood. He let down his hand and settled with hugging Clara when she came bounding into his arms. Aaron was the next one to be pampered.

The boy handed her a tiny box covered in silver wrapping paper, and she was revitalized even further, if that was possible. "You didn't have to do that!" she cried, looking from Nico to Aaron and back. "I'm happy you're here! I don't need anything else."

"Consider it a thank you gift, then," Nico suggested, exchanging amused glances with Will over her head. "Won't you accept that?"

Clara, touched, threw her arms back around the Italians. Once again, she narrowly missed the present. It was lucky Aaron had Nico's quick reflexes.

Apollo leaned back in his chair, staring at the spectacle with mild humor in his blue eyes. "Not to break up a sweet moment," he cut in, waving at Nico to garner his attention. "But, if I might be so bold in asking, who might you be, monsieur?"

Kayla was already on her feet and edging towards Nico as he gently dislodged himself from Clara's delighted embrace. She held out her arms to give the man her own hug. "Nico. It's so good to see you. I had a feeling you'd be coming by today."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Nico replied. He accepted her embrace and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'd hope not," Kayla said.

They wore identical crooked grins when they pulled back.

"Nico?" Will's brother cut in, recognizing the name. "So you're the one who provided the décor."

Said man nodded at Mike, grin softening to a smile. "I see they've spoken of me," he chuckled, scratching his chin. "You must be Michael, right? Will's brother? It's a pleasure to meet you." He turned his smile to Apollo. "Forgive us. I had forgotten that you didn't know we would be arriving today. My name is Nico di Angelo." He turned slightly and gestured to his son. "And this is my boy, Aaron. Aaron, do say hello."

Aaron bowed slightly. "Hello, sir."

Apollo nodded distractedly, eyes still trained on Nico.

Nico did not fidget under the older man's gaze. He tilted his head.

"Come on, Nico!" Clara said, bouncing on her heels. "Sit down, sit down!"

"That poses a problem, though," Travis piped in, taking a pointing look around the room. "There don't seem to be any spare seats left. Are there any others we can squeeze in?"

"You can sit with me," Will said, surprising everyone. He nodded to the empty space by his side, where Ghosty had been lying only half an hour before. There were coarse black furs on the white fabric, but that didn't bother Will one bit. Nor would it for Nico or Aaron.

Nico's dark eyes warmed. "You're too kind."

Aaron was ushered over to the couch, pausing for a moment to place their present at the very top of the mountain, and sat on the arm of the chair farthest from his Papi.

Nico stood over Will, looking at the blond as though waiting to give him permission, again, to let him sit down. Or at least to say something to him. Will decided to oblige him.

"You're late." He meant it to sound accusing, but he found himself smiling like an idiot. He didn't even notice the looks his relatives and friends were giving him.

Nico pressed his lips together, appearing stoical. A corner of his mouth betrayed him, edging upwards with a twitch. His eyes gleamed. "I do hope you'll forgive me."

He sat at Will's side. This time, Clara did not hesitate to begin the party. She was already standing, moving with buzzing energy, a wild grin on her face. "Okay! Everyone's here now!" she announced, giggling. "Again, thanks for being here! This is already my best birthday yet!"

Her eyes were trained on Nico the entire time she spoke.

Nico nodded and graced her with an angelic smile. "It is our pleasure to be here, caro."

"Sì," Aaron murmured.

"I thought you had an accent!" one of Clara's friends' mother piped in. Will couldn't quite recall her name—Rebecca? No, Rachel. "Are you two from Italy?"

Nico smoothed imaginary wrinkles from his dark trousers—a tic he had whenever he was overwhelmed with attention. "I come from Italy, yes. But my son, Aaron, he was born in this country."

Rachel hummed appreciatively. "Where's his mother? Did she have other things to do?"

Nico's back muscles tensed; his smile slipped from his face. "No."

It must have been the curt finality of the way he said it that tipped her off. She sobered, puckered her lips to keep from saying a word, and nodded to him. A silent apology.

The man tried for a smile, but even that looked strained. Aaron eased off the arm of the couch and sat hip-to-hip with his father. Quiet as a mouse, he murmured to him in soothing Italian, drawing from Nico a breathy sigh. He smoothed the boy's unruly hair.

"Anyway," Kayla's voice drew everyone from their uncomfortable silence. "We can play get-to-know-you later. Right now—it's Clara's birthday! What would you like to do first, Clara?"

Clara looked thunderstruck for a moment. "I, um…" She glanced towards the couch. "I had actually wanted to introduce Nico and Aaron to everybody…"

Everyone seemed to shift awkwardly in their seats.

Will looked over at Nico to find his eyes already trained on the blond. The doctor quirked an eyebrow and gave a jerk of the head: is this the right time?

Nico's mouth twitched, revealing some remaining amusement. A finger in his lap twitched towards the group in front of them, then curled back to himself. There won't be a time like this one again. Let's do it.

Will nodded and turned to his daughter. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Clare," he announced. He nodded at her encouragingly. "Why don't you go ahead?"

Clara looked from her father, to Nico, and back at her father. Her blue eyes brightened as the silent conversation they were having registered to her. They practically glimmered. "Okay!" she cheered, clapping her hands and hopping on the balls of her feet.

Will's daughter darted around the present mountain and hopped onto the space between Nico and Will, standing on the couch and facing the crowd. Will would scold her for that later, but for the moment he was too paralyzed by what was about to happen to reprimand her. She was about to tell them.

Nico, on the other hand, was becoming more humored by the moment. He turned his head so the others wouldn't see him and winked at Will, provoking a blush from the man.

Clara breathed in a dramatic deep breath and gestured wildly towards the werewolf. Nico had to duck to narrowly miss getting hit in the face. "This is Nico! He and Aaron have really cool accents and I love hearing them speak in another language and I hope I get to learn everything that they're saying one day! Daddy and I met them—oops, I mean him. Nico. We met Nico several months ago. It'll be a year soon, I think. No? Well, I love Nico. I love Aaron, too. I'm happy Nico brought him so I could meet him! Anyway. Side-tracked. What was I saying again?"

Kayla laughed. "Just tell them already, girl! I can practically taste the suspense!"

Katherine's suspicious voice came next. "Tell us what, exactly?"

Clara bounced excitedly, stirring everyone on the couch. Her bright eyes swung from her father to Nico. She didn't seem to hear her mother at all. She wasn't nervous, not one bit. "Nico is my babbo!" she declared, puffing out her chest. Proud. "Nico is Daddy's boy-friend!"

One second passed. Two. Then, the actual chaos struck.