Epilogue

193 years later.

"It's really nice to see you Margot," Beatrix greeted the first child she and Dave had ever had. "So is there a reason for your visit? It's just that Dave and I haven't seen you in about 20 years."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that mom," Margot apologized, hanging her head in shame. "I just got so caught up in life, you know?"

"So is there a specific reason you're visiting me and your father now?" Beatrix asked, sitting down in her favorite chair in the living room.

"I just wanted you to know that I met someone," Margot offered.

"Some man or your mate?" Beatrix immediately asked.

Beatrix stopped herself from trying to read her daughter's mind, as her daughter had the same receptive telepathy that she did and would immediately notice the intrusion. Also it would be rude to try to get answers from Margot that way. Her daughter might never forgive her if she did leave her mind for such a minor issue as Margot had a temper.

Margot had also gotten some of her grandfather's projective powers as well, though she had to work to develop that side of herself as her projective side just wasn't as strong as her receptive one. Beatrix also had some of her grandfather's projective telepathy and could carry on a conversation silently if she had to, but it wasn't the way her mind worked naturally.

"What do you think?" Margot asked with a mischievous expression.

"I think you're too sensible to tell your father and me about just any men, as we don't want to know about your sexual exploits, since you're our child after all. I think you just want to drag it out, annoying your mother and even though you've been grown up for sometime now I can still take you over my knee."

Margot winced at that and knew that her drawing it out had only annoyed her mother. Her father had far more patience for some of the antics then her mom did.

"Yes, I met my mate," Margot finally said.

"Now was that really so hard," Beatrix asked her daughter with a cooly raised eyebrow. "You should have just spit it out in the first place."

Margot nodded meekly.

"So what's his name?" Beatrix asked.

"Aaron Hotchner," Margot answered honestly.

"So is he mortal or immortal?"

"Immortal and it's a good thing," Margot said.

"Oh, why?" Beatrix asked.

"Because he's not the type to believe in the supernatural," Margot explained. "He believes in the realistic not in the fanciful. I think if he hadn't been born immortal that he probably never would have believed that it existed. I don't think he has a fanciful bone in his body."

"I see," Beatrix said thoughtfully.

"So where is dad?" Margot asked.

"He went to his favorite shoe store to get him a few new pair of loafers," Beatrix explained. "It's a very exclusive and expensive place and they only carry the the best and most expensive brand names."

"I'm surprised that you don't do that for him," Margot said.

"You really need to try on shoes yourself, particularly if you've never worn a particular style before. You need to make sure they're comfortable so you don't have to take something back. You know the sizing, particularly if it's a foreign brand isn't always the same as American."

"Yeah, dad does like his shoes from Italy in particular," Margot agreed.

"And some of the brands he used to buy went out of business," Beatrix said.

"Unfortunately, something that happens all the time," Margot agreed. "I've had some of my favorite brand names change hands or go out of business. Could be something as simple as a child not wanting to go into the family business."

"Or those business owners might not have any heirs," Beatrix agreed.

"Or those heirs have no talent for the fashion business," Margot said.

"Dave should be home soon, as he's been gone about three hours now," Beatrix told her oldest child.

"I'm surprised it's taken him this long," Margot said.

"I'm not," Beatrix told her daughter, shaking her head. "He likes to look at all the new shoes to see if there's a style he likes, then he likes to try them on. He's about as bad as I am when it comes to footwear. He has shoes for every occasion. Boots, loafers, sneakers, different types of dress shoes, though at least he sticks to black, brown, white, tan or gray oh, and occasionally navy blue, particularly for the sneakers."

"All manly colors," Margot said.

"True," Beatrix agreed. "Why don't you invite your mate for dinner and I'll tell Dave soon as he gets home that were going to have you and Aaron for supper."
"I think tomorrow night would be better," Margot said. "It's not that long until dinner now Aaron won't want to feel like he's interfering in an intimate dinner for two."

"He wouldn't be," Beatrix protested, then tried to think about it from Aaron's point of view. "I suppose, I see your point. Me and Dave weren't expecting to have guests for dinner and it is kind of short notice. If we had met him before it would be different. Still, your father and I don't mind and we always cook enough so we have leftovers. That way we don't have to cook every night."

"I, for one, know that, but I have to consider Aaron's feelings to. Once he meets you and gets to know you he'll know he's always welcome," Margot said. "Remember, he's immortal and he was born hundreds of years ago. Social etiquette was a lot different back then."
"You're right," Beatrix finally agreed. "Depending on how old he is of course. He might even be older than Dave. I suppose tomorrow would be okay. 6 o'clock."

"I'll let Aaron know," Margot agreed.

"So when did you meet him," Beatrix asked.

"Nearly 6 months ago," Margot admitted.

"And you just now introducing him?" Beatrix said her voice dangerously low, more of a growl really.

Margot winced at her mother's tone.

"It's not like I met him here in Chicago mom, where we could just drop in and introduce him over coffee and cake," Margot protested. "I met him in France if you must know. Paris actually."

"Alright fine," Beatrix gave in, still rather perturbed at her daughter, but understanding the circumstance hadn't been ideal. "I still think you should introduce him sooner, but I suppose since you were overseas..."

"Yes, we spent all six months in France, though not all of it in Paris."

"I bet you wanted to stay over there for at least the next couple years," Beatrix said knowingly. "Dave and I spent about 10 years in France, decades ago now. We explored a lot of the country doing that time and saw a lot of the famous sites."

"Not to mention I'm sure you ate a lot of the fantastic food," Margot said.

"Particularly the desserts," Beatrix agreed with a rather dreamy expression. "I really had to watch what I ate, as so much of French food is fattening. A lot of their recipes include pasta for one thing, which is not good for the waistline, as it's full of carbohydrates."

"Yeah, unfortunately, immortality does not prevent you from gaining weight," Margot said. "It would certainly be nice if it did. For me, it's a constant battle. It doesn't help that I love everything that's not good for me, pasta, rice and chocolate, just to name a few."

"Yeah me too," Beatrix agreed. "I got into exercising so I could basically eat what I want. It helped that I used a run around with my brothers helping out as a Shadow, so exercising wasn't as abhorrent to me as it would've been to most young ladies back when I was born."

"Particularly the ones in your social strata," Margot agreed.

"Women just didn't exercise back in those days or at least most of them didn't," Beatrix said. "Those that did were often looked down on, as it was seen as being unwomanly."

"Do you miss those days of helping out your brothers?" Margot asked. "Of catching criminals?"

"Some, but I always knew I wasn't cut out for the Shadow life. I still helped my brothers occasionally when Dave and I first married. Getting mom or dad to babysit if Dave was busy wasn't a problem either since they were retired. I still use my powers occasionally to catch a criminal, but only when that kind of thing takes place practically in front of me. You have to remember that I'm female and when I'm pregnant that makes me vulnerable. If I do catch someone doing something wrong I just hypnotize whoever it is to report to the authorities, because of a guilty conscience or something, which does relieve some of the tension on my barriers. Usually, it's something simple like a shoplifter though, which is hardly a challenge. Still, I'm very happy with Dave other than that and you know that your grandmother, who you are named for, never wanted me to get involved in the family business. Since the Shadow is a New York icon now and Dave and I haven't lived in New York, ever since my parents died that's not really a problem for us. We have plenty of descendants to carry on the Shadow's mission into the future."

"Well, that was more of an answer than I expected," Margot said rather startled at her mother's long winded response.

"I've had a lot of time to think, over the last couple hundred years," Beatrix shrugged.

"I had better get back to Aaron as I didn't realize that dad wouldn't be home," Margot said looking into a watch.

"He should be home any time now," Beatrix said. "I would stay a little longer, so you can at least say hello before you get back to Aaron. I could always call him and ask him to come home immediately."

"No, don't do that," Margot protested. "Alright, another half an hour or so won't matter. It's not like he's going to worry about me, as he knows where I am and I'm not going to be run over by a car, or die on any other way."

"So I'm assuming that Aaron came with you to Chicago?" Beatrix asked, already really knowing the answer, that where she went Dave went as well, especially back when they first met, so she doubted it would be different for her daughter. Of course, there were some things that he couldn't come with her for, like when she was on a mission as a Shadow, but for the most part she and Dave did everything together.

"If you think he was going to be separated from me before we're even married...," Margot protested.

"I take it you and Aaron didn't wait for you wedding night to make love," Beatrix said looking at her daughter with a little smile.

"Of course not, this is a different time then when you were born mom. It's not unusual to have sex before marriage and most people don't look down on you for it if they discover you have," Margot said not even blushing. "There will always be those with a negative attitude though that just like to point out when they believe you did something wrong but for the most part having sex before marriage is more accepted.

"Yeah, you're right. There's no way you can still be a virgin after all this time. You're nearly 200 years old after all," Beatrix said. "It's hard to believe that Dave and I have been married for nearly 200 years. It doesn't seem like it, as the years have just flown."

"They have for me as well," came David Rossi's voice from the doorway of the living room. Dave had entered the house without anybody noticing that he was home.

"So did I hear right Margot? You finally met your mate?" Dave asked his oldest child.

"How long have you been standing in the doorway dad?" Margot asked her father, even as she rose to give him a hug and kiss.

"Long enough to hear about this Aaron," Dave shrugged not looking at all embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping. "I only caught the last five minutes or so."

"Well, they're coming over for dinner tomorrow night," Beatrix told her husband.

"Good, I'm anxious to meet this Aaron that you told your mother about," Dave said. "So is he an immortal or is he completely mortal?"

Margot repeated everything she had said to her mother that was important, mostly just info about Aaron Hotchner.

Dave listened attentively and then congratulated his daughter again on meeting her mate. "And so young to."

"I'm hardly young dad," Margot protested.

"You are compared to me when I met your mother," Dave countered. "I was over 400 and you're not even quite 200 yet."

"I suppose from that point of view I'm really just a babe in the woods," Margot said.

Father and daughter chatted for a few minutes while Beatrix disappeared into the kitchen to start fixing leftovers for her and Dave. She put a plate of food in the microwave to heat it up. She thought the microwave was a wonderful invention. It was quick and easy to heat up leftovers now. Of course, now that it was so early 22nd-century, microwaves had been improved up on, so that they heated up your food in seconds, instead of minutes and the heat lasted longer. You actually had a chance to finish your food before it went cold and it heated more evenly so it wasn't cold in the middle.

"I really have to go now dad, but I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner," Beatrix said.

"Alright then," Dave agreed kissing his daughter's cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

~~~Dave and Beatrix~~~

Once Dave had seen Margot out he into the kitchen to hug an kiss his wife.

"So buy out the shoe store?" Beatrix teased her husband.

"No I didn't, but I did spend over $4000," Dave shrugged, as if the money literally meant nothing to him and really it didn't.

"It sounds like you did to me," Beatrix told her husband with a smirk.

"I bought a dozen different pairs of shoes that should last me for a good long while," Dave said. "They're in the trunk of my car, but I saw you had a visitor and so I came to see who it was instead of getting them and bringing them inside.

"Well, it's true you don't go shoe shopping, but every five years or so," Beatrix admitted. "I suppose I have no right to comment as I've been known to spend that much at one time on shoes as well."

"And for clothes in a single sitting to," Dave said amused.

"Well, I was born into money," Beatrix shrugged. "I also married into money, so I'm not going to worry about how much I spend in a single day. I suppose if I'd been raised poor or solidly middle-class I might be concerned about spending $4000-5000 in a single day."

"And you shouldn't worry about it, as there is no point. Yes, we shop at very expensive and exclusive shops, but we can certainly afford it," Dave said. "Between the money from your trust fund that you managed to increase, before turning it into a regular checking account and what I have we're not going to go broke anytime soon. I mean your trust account was over a million dollars and that was an enormous amount back in the 1960s. While prices in this centuries have increased due to inflation we still don't need to be concerned. I'll go get those shoes out of the car now," Dave added. "I'm looking forward to meeting this Aaron Hotchner tomorrow night."

"So am I," Beatrix agreed. "I'm very happy that our oldest daughter has finally found her mate. Now if only the rest of our children could be so lucky."

"It will eventually happen sweetheart," Dave told his wife. "It just takes time."

Beatrix nodded in agreement and watched as the husband left to get the several dozen pairs of shoes he had bought out of the car.

~~~Dave and Beatrix~~~

The next evening just before six p.m.

"Welcome to our home," Dave greeted his daughter and her mate.

Dave kissed his daughter's cheek affectionately and shook Aaron's hand.

"Thank you for your warm welcome," Aaron said with a smile.

"You're quite welcome," Dave said. "As far as Beatrix and I are aware our oldest daughter is the first to find her mate, which is always a special occasion."

Aaron was nodding at this, because it was indeed very special for an immortal to meet the one they were supposed to settle down with and they always knew instantly when they had met the one.

"The kitchen is this way and dinner is nearly ready," Dave said leading the way to the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind eating in the kitchen, though we could eat in the dining room if you want something more formal."

"Not at all," Aaron said. "I prefer it actually."

"Good," Dave said pleased. Dave pushed the door open to the kitchen and let Aaron and Margot pass him, before entering himself.

"Welcome to our home Aaron," Beatrix greeted the tall handsome man. "I'm Beatrix Rossi, but you can call me, Bea."

"Thank you for your welcome," Aaron said shaking Beatrix's hand.

"Dinner is served everyone so just sit where you like," Beatrix said, as Dave helped his wife put dishes on the table.

"It all looks delicious," Aaron complimented Beatrix.

"Thank you, it was something I had to learn," Beatrix admitted. "I came from a wealthy family and we had a cook, a butler, a gardener, a housekeeper and several maids. While Dave and I could have servants now we mostly prefer to do for ourselves. Learning to cook just wasn't something I was taught and to be completely honest I probably would've hated learning how to back then."

"Well, with you being immortal that's probably a good policy," Aaron said.

"I do know how to cook, as I had been taking care of myself for a long time, so I taught her everything I know and we often share cooking duties," Dave said.

"Particularly when we have kids," Beatrix agreed.

All of them chitchatted with each other, even as they served themselves.

"So you're related to the New York Cranstons," Aaron said to Beatrix. "That's one thing that Margot hadn't told me."

"I just wanted to get to know each other better before we got into old family history," said Margot. "I knew my grandmother until I was nearly grown, but she died when I was about 17. Margo Lane Cranston, who I was named for, was nearly 80 when she passed, which was pretty old for someone back then. Lamont Cranston lived for another 15 years and was in his 90s when he died. He was the first Cranston to live past 60."

"Because he was fully awakened," Aaron guessed.

Aaron knew all about his mate psychic power, which she had inherited from her mother and father, who had inherited it from their parents.

"That's exactly right," Margot told him smiling.

"From what my father said about his parents they were likely both unawakened projectors," Beatrix explained. "They were also the usual upper-class parents cold and cruel. My father had four partial awakenings before he finally fully awakened and if it wasn't for the help of a Tibetan monk he probably would've had a heart attack or stroke, which is what happened to all his relatives before him."

"Enough power spilled over the barriers that his body wouldn't have been able to handle it," Margot said and Aaron was nodding, as like Dave he knew something about psychic phenomenon. He wouldn't claim he was an expert, but he did believe that such forces existed, as he had encountered people who had it, both awakened and unawakened.

All of them continued to chat as they ate their dinners and for several hours afterwards, before Aaron and Margot finally left after 10.

"Welcome to the family, Aaron," Dave told his soon-to-be son-in-law.

"I'll be glad to help you plan the wedding if you want," Beatrix told her daughter.

"I'm seriously considering eloping," Margot said not joking. "I heard what a big affair yours was and I don't need 500 people present at my wedding thank you. Something small, private and intimate will do just fine."

"So long as your mother and I are invited you can do what you want," Dave told his daughter giving her a stern look and Margot looked sheepish. "I don't really blame you for not wanting a big affair. I know that your mother and me would've preferred something much smaller then we were forced to have, because the Cranstons were so prominent socially. It was kind of expected that you had a big to do, when such a prominent member of the community was tying the knot. It didn't seem to matter that Beatrix's oldest brother had just married the love of his life a few months before our wedding."

"I agree with Margot," Aaron said. "Something with as few guests as possible, no more than 30 or so we can get away with that."

"I don't see why not, because technically, Margot isn't a Cranston she's a Rossi. Nobody knows that we're related to the Cranstons of New York, so you can probably get away with something small and intimate. While we are wealthy we're not that prominent socially, which is on purpose as I'm sure you know."

"Good, that's exactly what I want," Margot said sounding relieved. "I don't think I'll need help mom, but if you have any ideas I'll certainly listen."

"We can discuss it a little later, Margot," Beatrix said. "It's too late to get into all that tonight as I'm sure you're anxious to return to where you're staying."

Beatrix was too polite to say what she was thinking and that was her daughter and Aaron were probably anxious to make love, even though she knew that they hadn't waited to do so, probably not more than a couple of hours actually. Beatrix couldn't actually blame either of them for that, as she had been forced by the social conventions of the day to wait until her wedding night, unless she be shunned if anyone had discovered what she had done.

"Yeah, I am, as it is nearly 10:30 now," Margot said looking at her watch. "We'll talk sometime soon mom."

"You'll always be welcome here you know that," Dave said.

When their two guests had finally left, Dave turned to his wife. "So it's been a rather interesting evening."

"That's one way of putting it," Beatrix snickered.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know Aaron better," Dave said, as he kissed his wife passionately.

"Me to," Beatrix agreed. "I also can't wait for Margot to start producing those grandchildren."

"Neither can I," Dave laughed. "Family to a immortal is very important, as you know very well."

"Well, that's a few years in the future," Beatrix said.

"I would say no more than two or three years," Dave said. "After all, Margot looks 30 just like we do and while women can get pregnant later in life now and survive most of them still prefer to have their children while they're young."

Beatrix nodded agreeing with Dave, but she supposed she'd see.

"So now that our guests are gone for the evening how about we go upstairs and try to give Margot a sibling?" Dave suggested with a playful lear.

"Oh, we've given her plenty of siblings over the last nearly 200 years," Beatrix laughed.

"Yeah, I know, but we haven't had any in about 20 years," Dave said. "I just think it's time that's all."

"It's a good thing I agree with you, so I would say yes to having another baby," Beatrix said seeing her husband's expression lighting up at her positive response. She knew she had made her husband very happy with her answer.

"Good," Dave said with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Let's head up to our bedroom then."

Beatrix laughed, as Dave swept up into his arms and carried her towards the stairs.

"Set me down as we'll get there faster if you let me walk," Beatrix laughed at Dave.

Dave did so and then the two of them raced upstairs towards their bedroom both very happy that their oldest daughter had found the happiness she deserved. They were also looking forward to those grandchildren in a few years but that was for the future, as right now they intended on making love until the sun rose, still having the energy of young people because of their immortality.

The two of them were always happy so long as they were together and while people would come and go out of their lives they were each others constant companion, friend, lover and helpmate and really that was the way it should always be.