Abesence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Chapter 6- Stop the World

Author's Note: Hey guys, so sorry for the long wait! I had plans this weekend, so I couldn't work on this. But I'm back:) enjoy and review!

Alex's POV

I watched my mother's eyes widen with shock as Dad squeezed the mustard bottle in his hand, which sent the mustard flying. They stared at Leah for the longest time, probably making her feel pretty uncomfortable. I mean, if two middle-aged people who you had never met were staring you down with big eyes and dropped jaws, wouldn't you feel just a little weird?

We stood in total silence for the longest time. I glanced at Mom and Dad, then looked at Mason, who had the same uncertain glance as I did. Leah didn't know what to do. She looked at the floor, then at me, then the ceiling, and back to the floor. I hugged her reasurringly.

"Mom?" I asked, my voice cracking.

She finally broke her gaise at Leah. "She's your ...daughter?"

"Yes, Mom." I smiled. "She's our daughter, Justin and Max's neice, and your granddaughter." I started over towards her, "Leah Nicole Graybeck."

Mom was completely speechless. I sighed. I knew she was disapointed. I could just feel it. Before I could say a word, a smile spead across my mother's face, sending me into a state of confusion.

"Can I...hold her?" Mom asked, slowly holding out her arms.

"You mean, you're not...mad?" I asked her in surprise.

"Why on earth would we be mad?" Mom demanded, smiling at my daughter. Leah waved weakly.

"We're kind of, surprised," Dad admitted, "But we are far from mad."

Mom bent over to where she was eye level with Leah. "Hi sweetie," she smiled.

I adjusted Leah's position on my hip to where I could face her. "Leah, this is my mom. Say hi to Grandma."

Leah flashed her one of my irisitable smiles. "Hi," she said softly. She turned to face me, "The guy with the mustard is my grandpa, right?" Her failed attempt of a side comment sent the entire room into a burst of laughter.

"Yes, honey, that's your grandpa," I laughed. Leah wiggled out of my grasp and made her way to my parents, instantly hugging them. Mom beamed. She smiled kindly and scooped her into her arms.

"Wow, Leah," she smiled, "You're such a pretty little girl," she studdied my daughter's face. Leah smiled at her again.

Dad looked her over, "Are you kidding me, Theresa? She's gorgeous! Prettiest kid I've ever seen!" He glanced at me, "That includes you too, honey. Sorry, but she's cuter than you were!" He smiled at my daughter, who was giving him the puppy eyes. I knew she was milking it. "She's just-just-so-just- awww!"

"Wow," Mason whispered to me, "this went better than I thought it would."

"I know," I whispered back. I smiled at him as he took my hand. We watched my parents obssess over my daughter.

"So this is where Momma lived?" Leah questioned as she glanced around the room.

"That's right," Mom replied, "Just about every milestone in her life happened right here."

"Really?"

"Yep," Dad smiled. He pointed to the dining area, "That's where your momma took her first steps!"

Mom guestured to the stairs separating the dining room from the living room, "And that's where your momma fell down the stairs right after taking her first steps!"

Mason snorted a laugh. I gave his shoulder a quick backhanded smack. Apperently that was his first time hearing about that. I rolled my eyes.

Dad pulled Leah playfully on his back and took her to the living room. "And this," he said as he gestured to the couch, "is the very place that your momma loved the most!" I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Leah asked, "Its just a couch."

"Oh to you, its just a couch. But to her, it was her second room!" Dad laughed.

"Speaking of rooms," Mom laughed, "Why don't we go upstairs and see her old room? That can give us time to come up with a name besides Grandma. That sounds too old and gray for someone who could," hairflip, "easily pass for your mother, or even older sister." Leah smiled and rolled her eyes as my dad carried her up the stairs with Mom. I gasped.

"What is it, brown eyes?" Mason asked concerningly.

"My room!" I exclaimed.

"What about it?"

A smile spread across my face. "It's still there!" I sprinted excitedly up the stairs as if I were Leah's age again. It kind of felt fitting, due to the fact that I was that age at this place.

I raced up the stairs with Mason and Justin trailing behind. I dashed down the hall to the second door to the right. I caught my breath from the previous exercise, then lost it when I saw the white door. My colorful sign I painted years ago was still there. Alex's Room: enter at your own risk. I turned the faded golden knob and slowly entered the room.

"Oh my gosh," I said softly. I glanced around my childhood room in complete awe. All my stuff that I left behind was exactly where I left it, like it hadn't been touched.

"Its all still here!" I announced. I took off around the room, feeling like a kid in a candy store. "My desk, my bed, my mini fridge, my tape ball," I looked at the wall, "my fur wall paper!" I rubbed my hands up and down the wall, probably recieving some pretty akward looks, but I didn't care. I sank to my knees and felt a few tears coming down. I was wearing the biggest smile I'd ever had.

Mason was instantly at my side. "What's wrong, Love?" he asked.

I gave everyone around me a crazed smile. "It's all still here!" I cried. I wiped my tears away and smiled at my daughter, who was dancing around my room wearing about three of my old scarves. She picked up a picture frame, studied it with a puzzled glance, and brought it over to me, settling in my lap.

"Is this you and Daddy?" Leah questioned, handing me the picture. I gasped when I saw it. In a lime green frame, surrounded by black polkadots and a hot pink heart, was an old picture of Mason and I.

The picture was of back when we were just about sixteen. It was right outside the house on a very special night. I was wearing the true love neclace, which was glowing brighter than the sun, and Mason was a werewolf, not unusual. We were both in each others arms, as if time had stood still. Neither of us where looking at the camera, evidently. But it was still one of my favorites.

I rested my head on Mason's shoulder, "Oh my gosh, Mason. Look how young we were!"

"When was that?" Leah asked us.

"That was about seven years ago," I smiled.

"Right after you figured out I was a werewolf," Mason smiled, kissing the top of my head. Leah, who was used to Mason's werewolf-ness, smiled up at us.

"And right after you said you loved me," I grinned.

"And I haven't stopped since," he put his arm around me. I stood up and looked at the ceiling, where a red splatter mark was. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey! That's from when we got into that fight back when when I was ten!" I told Justin.

Justin laughed, "Yeah, when we were home alone and I didn't want to get in trouble, since Mom and Dad said you couldn't use your paint in your room!"

I gave the paint splatter a quizzical glance, "Yeah, I'm starting to see why I wasn't supposed to." I dashed to my old nightstand and quickly moved it out of the way, trying my best not to knock over the lamp. "The stain!" I cried, "the stain is still there!" I jumped excitedly. My family gave me an odd glance.

I pointed to the faded pink splotch in the carpet, "Remember? Max threw up strawberry milk in here when I was six!" I smiled happily, then faded it. "Oh my gosh! Max! Harper! Where is everybody?" I competely forgot.

"Oh, right!" Dad announced, "We sent Max to the grocery store, then realized that we sent him to a store with cash so Harper took off after him. They should be back soon."

"Ah, I see," I laughed. Leah toddled over to my Mom.

"Do you have anything to eat?" she questioned her. My head turned to see my daughter giving her another irisistable smile. She knew that I had grown slightly immune to that, but she was just getting started with my parents.

"C'mon, sweetie," Mom smiled, scooping her up on her hip. She took her down to the kitchen. Dad waited until the coast was clear, then lowered his voice.

"So, is Leah a, you know," he gave us some unreadable hand guestures, sending both Mason and I into a state of confusion.

"He means," Justin corrected, "Is she a wizard or a werewolf?"

"Oh," I replied. "Um.."

"We're, actually not sure," Mason answered. I smiled and shrugged.

"So far she hasn't shown signs of either," I finished for him.

"Does she, well, know about magic?" Dad asked.

I shook my head. "I really didn't want to tell her until it was nessecary, or until I had some sort of proof, so she'd believe me."

Dad raised an eyebrow. "Alex? She's four. I'm pretty sure she'd believe anything."

I rolled my eyes. Clearly he didn't know her well enough.

"Leah, well, understands things," Mason explained, "Much more than a normal kid."

"What do you mean?" Justin asked, suddenly interested.

"He means," I explained, "She gets things. Like, for some weird reason, she can tell when something's wrong. And she can tell when she's being lied to."

"She can even read and write," Mason announced proudly.

Dad and Justin exchanged glances.

"What?" I demanded.

"Well," Dad began, "They say that some of the world's most powerful wizards show signs at an early age."

"What kind of signs?" Mason asked.

"Well," Justin stated, "Levitation, shapeshifting-"

"Well that sounds nothing like her," I told them.

"You didn't let me finish," Justin replied, "it also is said that the signs include special abilities, and slight mind reading." Mason and I exchanged glances.

"Well that sounds a lot like her," I restated.

Chapter 7 coming hopefully sooner than this did! Review? :)