It had been several months since Troy last saw his brother, David. He had been hoping it would just be the two of them to talk and catch up. Instead, Troy entered David's home to find his little brother and several men he didn't recognize gathered around the table and playing a dice game of some kind.

"I do believe this is awkward," Anah said, poking her snout out of Troy's shirt. She was coiled around his ribcage.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is." Troy gently pushed her back into his shirt.

"Hey, Sam," David said. "We're just getting started. Want to join?"

"No, thanks. I thought it was just going to be us tonight."

"Some guys from work stopped by. The more, the merrier, right?"

"More does not always mean merry," Anah whispered.

"No it doesn't. Shut up," Troy hissed.

"I sense you are apprehensive, dear. We should find somewhere private to talk."

Troy decided not to argue on that, and went upstairs to hide in the bathroom. As soon as the door was closed, Anah slithered out of his shirt collar. "Alright, what do we do?" Troy asked.

"You do not like strangers all that much," Anah said.

"No, and I really hope my little brother's not gambling."

"I do not see it in David's nature, dear. You are worrying a little too much, and letting your general anxiety around people you have never met before take over."

"Okay. You're probably right, but now there's the problem of… you. David knows you. His coworkers do not."

"That will not be an issue."

"Don't make it an issue."

Someone knocked on the door, and David said outside, "You okay in there, Sam? I heard voices."

"Uh, yeah, just—"

"Have you not heard of privacy, dear?" Anah said.

David opened the door, looking a tad confused at seeing his older brother talking to a snake on the sink. "You didn't tell me you were bringing Anah."

"Well, it was going to be a surprise until I saw all your coworkers," Troy said.

"Yeah. I really am sorry about that." David looked genuinely upset. "We can do this another night if you want. I know you're… anxious around people you don't know. Some of them are already asking about you, and why you ran off."

"I didn't 'run off'—"

"Yes, you did, dear," Anah said.

Troy glared at her. "I am 'using the bathroom,' like a normal person. I did not 'run off.' That's what his coworkers will hear."

"When have you ever done anything like a normal person, dear?"

"When have you ever done anything normal?"

David gave his brother a mildly concerned look. "Do you need to be left alone, Sam?"

"No. It's fine." Troy gave a heavy sigh and rubbed his face. "Any idea how long they're going to be here?"

"Depends on how many games they want to play."

"So, potentially most of the night," Anah said.

"Yeah, pretty much. Not sure what else to tell you. They're not bad people. You can say 'hello.'"

"Maybe," Troy replied. He bit his tongue, but still asked, "You're not gambling, are you?"

"No. Why would you ask that? You know me."

"Just making sure."

David still gave his brother a strange look. "If you don't want to join in, you can still watch."

Anah returned to Troy's shirt before the two went downstairs. Troy decided to stay in the kitchen and watch from there. It didn't take long for him to start pacing, and eventually Anah emerged onto his shoulder.

"You need to stop worrying so much, dear. You are just as bad as Moffitt," she said.

"I am not as bad as Moffitt," Troy replied.

"Yes, you are. Not all the time, but you can be as much of a bundle of nerves as Moffitt."

"No, I'm not. Why are you out?" Troy pulled a beer can from the fridge, then began searching for a mug.

"Why not? Everyone else is in the living room—oh, the mugs are in the cupboard by the sink, dear."

"Thanks." Troy opened the cabinet, and saw one of David's coworkers, a tall, muscular man with graying dark hair, entering the kitchen. Thinking fast, Troy yanked Anah from his shoulders, and put her in the sink.

"Hey," the older man said. "You must be Sam."

"Yeah. David's older brother," Troy replied.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Henry. David's told us quite a bit about you. You were in North Africa during the war?"

Troy nodded. "I was." He moved to block Henry's view of the sink.

"That must've been a fascinating experience. Any interesting stories?"

"Not particularly."

"David said you once rescued—"

Troy's voice dropped to a growl. "Not. Particularly."

"Okay." Henry gave him a weak smile. "Nice meeting you, Sam."

As soon as Henry left the kitchen, Troy turned around and saw that he had dropped Anah into the side of the sink that was full of water, and not exactly clean water. He cursed as he reached in and pulled Anah out. Her hood was flared as far as it could go, and she was giving him a long, low hiss.

"Consider yourself extremely lucky that I like you." Anah glared at him as she was placed in the clean side of the sink.

"That was an accident, Anah," Troy said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, really? After how many years of me pulling mischief on you, you expect me to believe that you throwing me in dirty dishwater was an accident?!"

"Yes… you also make a good point, though. It is kinda funny seeing you like this, even if it was unintentional."

"Moffitt will be hearing about this when I return home."

"Do you really expect him to take this seriously?"

"He might."

"He won't."

"Maybe Jules will."

"Jules is nine! His opinion doesn't carry any weight!"

"He will be ten in a month."

"Doesn't matter!"

Anah turned the faucet on, and sat coiled under the water, still looking very displeased. "I can also tell that David used very cheap olive oil in whatever he made for dinner."

Her griping prompted Troy to turn around and not pay any attention to her. When he heard the faucet turn off, he looked over his shoulder to see Anah, still sitting in the sink, water dripping from her hood, and the angriest look he had ever seen in her eyes.

"You know, this was supposed to be a night when you and David had a chance to catch up," Anah muttered. "You have not even told him about Antheia yet, have you?"

Troy sighed. "No. That was going to be a surprise. Even Mom doesn't know, and… there's a part of me that isn't sure that she should find out because of everything leading up to me basically saying 'screw everything' and running off to enlist."

"This is up to you and Shauna. I will not convince you one way or the other. Could you get me a towel, please?"

"Well, you did say 'please.'" Troy placed a hand towel over Anah.

Now it was Anah's turn to sigh.

"That is one reason I asked for you to come. Not just a social call. I know David's going to ask if Antheia will be introduced to the rest of my biological family, and I don't know how to answer that. I don't know if there's a right answer, a wrong answer, if I should even answer at all—"

"And why did you not just say so when you called?"

Troy didn't respond right away.

"If you were afraid of me rubbing it in that you of all people were asking for help, you should not be. This is serious. This does not just affect you. This will affect Antheia as well."

"It's bad enough that she's met Dietrich, Moffitt, Tully, Hitch, and their families before mine."

"She fits in more with them anyway. After all, none of you are related, you all found each other through unusual circumstances, and you all consider each other family and genuinely love each other like one. I would say that is better for her than what you grew up with."

"I just… don't want Antheia to be already considered a failure by my blood family just because she's mine. I know Mom's going to throw at me the fact that I really disappointed my father by not going to college, and she'll assume I'm going to raise Antheia to be the same way."

"How long have we been trying to convince Dietrich that he is not a failure?"

"A long time."

"You are not a failure, either. I told you that all those years ago, when I was staying with you during Moffitt's honeymoon. Your wife does not see you as a failure. None of your friends—including and especially Dietrich—see you as a failure. Most importantly, your daughter does not see you as a failure. It is so heartwarming to see and feel how much she loves you."

"I'm trying my best with her. It happened so fast that sometimes I do wonder if maybe I jumped into this a little too quickly."

"I do not think you did."

"You didn't see this ahead of time, did you?"

"Antheia? No. If I had, it would not have bothered me for so long that… I would not have something to remember you by."

"Even though she's not technically mine?"

"She is yours in spirit. That is all that matters." Once Anah had dried herself off, she climbed back up to Troy's shoulders. "Have your drink, dear." She rested her head on top of his while watching him pour the contents of a beer can into a mug.

Anah was mostly shielded from view by the cabinet door when Troy went looking for something to eat, but when Troy heard Henry's voice saying that he would get another drink for someone at the table out in the living room, Troy swiftly pulled Anah from his shoulders again and closed her in the cabinet before standing in front of the cabinet so she couldn't escape.

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Henry asked when he saw Troy. "David says you're good at this game."

"I'm better at card games," Troy said. He tensed up when he heard a cereal box being knocked over in the cabinet.

"We can do that if you want. Sorry, I kinda feel bad seeing you by yourself in here. I know we ruined your time with David, but—"

"It's fine." Troy suppressed a sigh.

As Henry opened the fridge to grab a beer can, Troy noticed one of the cabinet doors opening above the fridge itself. Anah, no. No, no, no, Anah. Please don't do this. Please, Anah, no—

"You okay, Sam?" Henry asked, jerking Troy from his frantic thoughts. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Anah slithered out on top of the fridge.

Go back in the cabinet, Anah! "Oh, yeah, I'm okay," Troy said. He braced himself when Henry turned around, but saw Anah had ducked out of sight.

"Huh. Was that cabinet door open before?" Henry asked.

"I don't remember. Must be a bad hinge." Troy kept praying that Anah wouldn't be discovered, but when he saw Henry reaching up to close the cabinet, he realized he had ran out of English prayers and immediately tried to remember some of the Greek ones his grandparents taught him.

The cabinet door was closed with no issue. Anah was still hidden on top of the refrigerator. Henry left the kitchen, and Troy slumped against the counter. "Anah?"

"Yes, dear?" Anah asked, slithering down to see him.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"No."

"Why couldn't you stay in the cabinet?"

"Just to mess with you as revenge for putting me in the dirty sink water." She returned to Troy's shoulders. "You were not going to get away with that, you know."

"You could have waited."

"Too late."

They were interrupted by David entering the kitchen, all smiles. The smile faded when he saw his brother and the cobra. "You doing alright out here, Sam? Henry said you're acting a little strange. I mean, I know why, but to the others… it's a bit rude."

"Well, I didn't appreciate him asking if I had any 'interesting stories' from my time in North Africa," Troy said.

"He's curious. That's all. I talked about what I did in the RAF. All I said about you was that you were in North Africa, and… I did talk about the minefield."

"He asked about that." Troy shook his head. "I'm not talking about it with a bunch of strangers."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just trying to think of a way to make this less awkward."

"May I say something, dear?" Anah asked, softly.

Troy could tell by Anah's tone that she was trying to be serious. "Sure, go ahead."

"I think it is safe to say that discussion of your experiences during the war is off-limits, but seventeen years have passed, and so many wonderful things have happened since then. Why not discuss them?"

"The problem, Anah, is that Sam and I really haven't seen each other much in those seventeen years. We see each other, what, once every few months?" David asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Troy replied. "What happened during the war was a big deal. I'm not saying you're wrong for jumping to that if someone asks."

Anah turned back to David. "I sense that you wish to be more involved."

"A little," David said. "Kinda feels like an exclusive club that I need to pass a test to enter."

"Oh, poor dear, no. I am so sorry if that is the impression we gave you."

"It's okay, Anah, don't feel bad. I know… I know why Sam chose you and Moffitt and the others over our blood relatives. You don't treat him like garbage, and you actually helped him instead of painting him as a problem."

"And we are perfectly willing to help you with any troubles if you need it." Anah looked up at Troy. "I think now is a good time for you to tell him, dear."

"Tell him what?" Troy asked.

Anah glared at him. "What were you originally going to discuss with him before you saw his coworkers here?"

"Oh, yeah." Troy struggled for a moment, trying to find the right way to break the news to David. "You're an uncle now."

David's eyes widened. "What? Wait, I thought you and Shauna—"

"Adopted."

"That's great, Sam! Congratulations! Do I have a niece or nephew?"

"Niece. Her name is Antheia. She's been through quite a bit, but we're working with her."

"When can I meet her?"

"Soon. You can come over tomorrow if you want."

"How about next weekend? I won't be busy then."

"Sounds good."

David was still trying to contain his excitement. "How did that happen? When did this happen?"

"Back in January. She found us, in a way. She was running away from the orphanage she was at since she was three. Her parents died in a car accident. She's not all that good at expressing herself yet, and she has days when she'll be mute. There's still some legal stuff that has to be sorted out, but once that's taken care of, you'll be an uncle."

"I'm really happy for you, and I'm looking forward to meeting her. How old is she?"

"She'll be nine in August."

"Did she always have the name 'Antheia?'"

"No. Her birthname was Grace. She made it sound like she had no name when we found her. I'm wondering if it's because she wanted something different."

"Start fresh." David nodded, and his smile faded. "Who else knows?"

"Moffitt. Hitch. Tully. Dietrich. Their families. Now you."

"I knew you were going to say them. What do you want me to say to Mom?"

"I don't want to control what you tell her. I'm glad you still have a good relationship with her, and I don't want to ruin it."

"You're still worried about what she might say, though."

"Yeah. Worried that she's going to think I'm going to turn Antheia into a failure, just like me."

"I don't think she'll say that, Sam. You know she's getting older, and… I think you should give her another chance." David looked hesitant for a moment, but eventually added, "Before it's too late."

Troy didn't want to think about that, but it wasn't something he could just ignore. He glanced at Anah. "What do you think?"

"I think we should go outside and talk about this alone, dear," Anah said.

"Okay." Troy turned back to his brother. "Do you mind if we—"

"Go ahead. Take all the time you need," David replied.

That spring night was a bit on the cold side. Anah was partly nestled under Troy's jacket, doing her best to stay warm. She waited until Troy had lit up a cigarette and put his lighter back in his pocket before speaking, "The choice is yours on whether or not you want to make amends with your mother."

"I know, but I really don't know what the right thing to do is," Troy said.

"She is your mother after all."

"Yeah, but look at how Shauna's mother treated her. I had to sit there and watch them yell at each other on the front porch. I didn't want to step in, because this was Shauna's fight, but… I was willing to if it got out of hand. I just… don't know if the damage is irreparable with mine."

"You never will know if you do not try to fix things."

"Should I? That's what I want to know."

"At least you will have answers."

"Yeah. There's that. Who knows? Maybe things have changed. That would be nice."

"I remember you telling me that things were different when you were a child."

"Very different. Then David and I grew up. He was the good one, the one who, for the most part, followed our parents' wishes. I became the monster. This… This thing that wouldn't listen, found his own drumbeat to march to, and seemed out to embarrass them at every turn."

"I think that is too strong a term, dear." Anah paused, then gave Troy a sad look. "Did someone actually call you that?"

"No."

"Well, good. I would have some choice words of my own for them."

"I guess you'll have some choice words for me, then?"

"As a matter of fact, yes! Stop beating yourself up, dear. You are not a terrible person for going your own way." Anah telekinetically yanked Troy's hat over his eyes. "Like I said, the choice is yours. I should not interfere. Frankly, you should be asking Shauna for advice."

"You're the first person I told about what's been going on. You even helped me acknowledge it."

"Still, this is a matter—"

"Anah, I want you with me when I talk to Mom. I don't want Shauna getting caught in the crossfire if things go south, and I certainly don't want Antheia involved. I don't even want David involved, because I don't want his relationship with Mom damaged. I need to do this alone… but I also don't want to be alone."

"What about Dietrich?"

"Alone, Anah. I don't want anyone else getting hurt. You don't even have to show yourself. You can hide in my shirt."

Anah sounded like she wanted to argue, but instead she sighed.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Troy took a draw on his cigarette. "I can do it alone."

"No. I will go with you, and I will do my best to help you if things go wrong. You have tried to manage this alone for long enough, and your burdens will not be too much for me to help you carry."

Troy sighed. "You know, if I told myself twenty years ago that I would be asking a cobra to help me with my personal issues, I'd think I would need to check myself into an asylum."

"Twenty years ago, you never thought you would be asking anyone for help, because you felt that you needed to carry all of this alone. Even though you have become more open about your troubles, you do sink back to your old ways every once in a while, when things become too much."

"Yeah. Pretty much. I… don't want Shauna feeling like she needs my problems on her shoulders, even though I know she'd help me. I did marry her after all. I didn't say those vows just to say them."

"You were trying not to tear up when you said them," Anah said with a grin.

"Shauna was worse. She actually did cry, especially since 'til death do us part' nearly happened just a year before that." Troy smiled at the memory, but quickly went back to the situation at hand. "Am I bad husband for not wanting her to come with me on this?"

"No. If you feel that I am a better option, that does not mean you feel that your wife is inadequate. It is like going into battle—would you take her into North Africa with you?"

"I feel like she could handle North Africa, but… I see your point. You're… a more seasoned warrior, in a way. Just don't tell her I said that."

"I make no promises, dear, especially if you put me in a dirty sink again."

"Can we put that behind us?"

"No."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Fine. I did apologize for that, by the way. You're still going to tattle to Moffitt, though, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Of course you are." Troy finished his cigarette. He pondered having another, but sensed Anah was getting cold. Without bringing that up, he made sure her ebony coils were tucked into his jacket, and pulled up the zipper as far as it could go. He felt her shift to get comfortable, and heard a sigh.

When Troy went inside, he heard Henry say in the living room, "Damn! Snake eyes. Better luck next time. Good game, David."

Troy opened his jacket a little to look at Anah. "I know snake eyes generally mean bad luck, but I think it's safe to say that I've had some good luck with you."

"You say that now, but the moment I concoct some mischief, you will immediately assume that I am bad luck," Anah said.

"Don't concoct mischief, then." Troy picked up his beer mug, which had been left on the counter. He didn't notice Anah smirking at him, especially since he was suddenly overtaken by a coughing fit from the strangely pungent and spicy beer in his mouth. Once he recovered, he shouted, "What the hell was that?!"

"Horseradish."