Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Chapter 18 - Who You Are

Justin's POV

I watched from the window as Alex and Mason parked their car in front of the sub shop. Leah slid out instantly, Wearing a light blue dressy shirt with a white Hawaiian flower in the front, along with a ruffled white skirt that came to her knees. Her short dark brown ringlets danced around her head as she walked; a few curls were pulled out of her face with a light blue ribbon. She looked heartwarmingly innocent. She smiled up at her mom, making the best of the situation as always. She walked between her parents holding both of their hands. They lifted her slightly off the ground as they approached, letting her swing every few steps.

"Hey," I said to them in a flat tone.

"Hey.." Alex replied with a sigh. She looked at me. I saw the despair in het eyes. She put on a smile for Leah, but we could all tell how much she was hurting. It was painful to see.

"Hey Uncle Justin!" little happy-go-lucky Leah smiled as she hugged my legs.

"Hey kiddo," I tried to grin. It was hard to. I turned to Mason. "Did they give you guys a time for the trial?"

"No," he replied flatly. "I have no idea how we're going to get there. Are we supposed to go through the portal or-" he was cut off by a blinding flash of light. Once it faded, I realized what had happened.

"Well, that answers that," Alex scoffed.

"Welcome," an old voice stated monotonously. "Take your seats."

Alex's POV

I really don't know much about wizard court, so my mind wasn't really registering what was going on. I guess I can recap what I can: Justin explained our story using lots of mature and professional words that I didn't know the meaning of. It was as if he had been rehearsing his speech for days. Crumbs didn't look very impressed.

So then this other dude on the other side of the courtroom started bagging on every word Justin said, totally contradicting the situation. Justin and the dude started arguing about us. I remained silent. The two were getting louder and louder, and the argument was getting more and more intense. Crumbs, obviously not enjoying this, picked up his hammer.

I looked to the side, only to find Leah trying to stand in her seat. What on earth? I asked myself. My glance went back to Justin and the dude.

Then, a small voice spoke up above the rest right as Crumbs was about to hit the table with the hammer.

"Wait."

Mason and I exchanged glances. Our eyes directed to Leah, who had her little arms folded over her chest, giving Crumbs the puppy eyes.

"May I say something?" she asked politely.

Crumbs raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"Leah, get down!" Mason ordered in a whisper. Of course, she ignored him.

She readjusted her position to where he could see her. "Well, since half of the reason we're here today is because of me, wouldn't it be fair to hear my side of the story?"

Crumbs raised an eyebrow at my daughter. I looked at Mason, then at Crumbs. There was no telling what Leah would say.

"Alright. I am a fan of keeping things fair, so you may. You have three minutes."

"Thank you," she smiled. She slid off her seat and skipped to the seat next to him. She had to stand on the chair just to see over the rail. She looked so small up there. Mason took my hand in reassurance.

"Hi. My name is Leah Graybeck. I'm five and a quarter, and I'm a wizard, and a werewolf." she spoke clearly and confidently, like she had rehearsed it.

"My momma was a wizard. She met my daddy. He's a werewolf. They fell in love when they were young. Then, they lost each other for a long time. But they found each other again. They learned that the only way that they could stay together, was if Momma won the wizard competition. She tried her very hardest, but she lost. As some of you know, true love is unstoppable. My momma and daddy were meant to be together, and they knew that. So they ran away. Close enough so that Mom could make sure her family was okay, but far enough that no one could ever find them.

"Later on, I was born. They say that wizards and werewolves can't have kids, but I'm a mortal, too. My Nonna is. They also say that the youngest a werewolf can phase is around ten. I phased the night before my fifth birthday. The next day, my powers came in. That's the youngest on record. That includes you, Professor Crumbs. You were seven.

"My parents say that I have special gifts, and only the greatest wizards can have them. I get feelings when something is wrong, I can tell when I'm being lied to, and I can see whats going on in different places, even if I'm somewhere else. It's really cool. My poppy and Uncle Justin have been giving me wizard lessons. And I can control my werewolf side. I only phase once a month. Its kind of confusing, but I'm me.

"My parents are the best parents in the entire world. They support me, they care for me, they give me everything i need. They love me and I love them. I love them more than being a werewolf, my special gifts, all the candy and sunshine in the world. I love them more than magic. Because their love is stronger than magic. They were meant to be together from the start, and you can't stop fate. You can try, but it always works out the way it was supposed to. They fell in love. Is that such a crime?"

She smiled up at Crumbs. "The point is, my name is Leah Graybeck. I'm five and a quarter, I'm Half werewolf, a fourth human, and a fourth wizard, and I have the best momma and daddy in the entire world. It's kind of hard to understand, but that's me. And that's all I can be." she flashed us a grin of confidence.

I looked at Mason. We were both smiling wider than ever before. Anyone could tell that it was well over three minutes, but Leah's speech proved that she had learned the most important lesson I had ever learned: always stand up for what you believe in. Mason put his arm around me. I squeezed his hand tightly, as proud as can be.

A small clap came from behind us. I spun around in my seat. It was Max; big shocker. The entire audience turned to him. He stood up and clapped loudly. Jeremy joined him. Followed by Bazzy, Harper, And Will. Mom and Dad joined them. Then Hannah, then Justin, then us. The rest of the audience quickly stood and burst into a loud applause. Leah was beaming.

Crumbs looked surprised. I glanced at where the judges were sitting. Some were whispering to each other, two were writing something down on a sheet of paper. One was wiping her eyes. After about three minutes of applause, one judge lifted his hand.

Crumbs picked up his hammer and hit it against his podium. "Order! Order in the court! Everybody calm down!" the room silenced. "Thank you. The judges have made their decision." he snapped his fingers, and the paper appeared before him. He studied the paper, and raised an eyebrow.

"Alex. Mason. The judges had decided that for the next month, they would like to have Leah under observation."

My face lightened up. "Really? So, we're off the hook?" Mason squeezed my hand.

"Don't get too excited, Ms. Russo-"

"Graybeck." I grumbled.

"No matter. Leah will be under observation at the WOC. The Wizard Observation Center. She will remain there for the next month. You two may remain together for the time being and visit her twice a week. We'll discuss your fate after Leah's."

That struck me hard. "Excuse me? You want her to stay alone? She's just a baby! She can't be separated from us! Sorry sir, but that ain't happening!" I was steaming mad.

Mason tried to remain calm, trying his best not to make matters worse by going all werewolf on us. "She's right, sir. The longest Leah's been away from home is two days, and she was with family then."

"I assure you, Alex, she will be very safe and under close watch. Other wizard children will be there too."

I folded my arms over my chest, totally not buying it.

Its okay Momma. I'll be fine, I heard in the back of my mind. I spun around, only to see Max and Jeremy. I looked at Leah, who was staring straight at me. She nodded. Another gift. Awesome.

"Fine," I finally agreed. It broke my heart, but it was probably the only chance Leah had.

XxXxXxXxX

I handed Leah her pink rolling suitcase, trying to hold back tears. I didn't know what I was going to do without my lovebug. But I had to stay strong. I didn't want to make her more afraid than she probably already was.

"Alright, Leah. Say your goodbyes," Professor Crumbs ordered. "You'll be flashing to the WOC very soon. Your parents can visit you on Wednesday."

Mason squatted down to her level. "Are you going to be a good girl for us, Lee?" he asked her with a small smile.

"Yes Daddy," she told him with a sniffle. He scooped her up into his arms and hugged her to his chest.

"I love you, little princess," he whispered into her ear. "We'll be together in no time." A tear rolled down his cheek. He didn't even bother to wipe it away or try to disguise it as allergies. It takes a real man to cry with no shame.

"I love you too, Daddy," she whimpered pathetically in his shoulder. He finally set her down. She faced me.

I bent down to look her in the eye. "Remember what the song said last night." I told her.

A tear rolled down her face. "For one so small, I seem so strong."

I picked her up and placed her on my hip. "My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm."

"This bond between us, can't be broken."

"I will be here," I pointed to her heart and wiped her tear away, "Don't you cry." I smiled, then wiped away my own tear.

She hugged me tightly, tears flooding into my shoulder. "I like that song, mommy."

"Sounds like us, doesn't it?" I said with a small laugh. I set her back down on the ground, and reached into my jacket pocket. I pulled out Leah's birthday locket and placed it around her neck.

"Now, any time you're scared, or sad, I want you to open this. Justin charmed it this morning, so it will have a surprise for you. Okay?"

"Okay, momma." she tried to smile. "I love you."

"I love you too. Be strong for us, okay lovebug? Wednesday will be here before you know it."

"Okay, momma." she wiped away one last tear, and turned to Crumbs. He offered her his hand. She took it. She gave us a weak wave, and with that, they were gone.

Hey guys- Hope you liked this chapter cause it took me FOREVER to write! More chapters coming soon! Thank you all for reading.