"So miss your sister?" Aaron asked Penny, as he bought the drinks from the kitchen and placed them on the sand coasters on the coffee table.

"Some," Penelope admitted. "But they'll be back Sunday night, before they start teaching classes Monday, so it's not like it's going to be a long separation. This is no worse then when Alex went off to college. She was gone for weeks at a time back then, though she did visit fairly frequently. We both have different lives now and while we are still fairly close, it isn't like when we were growing up. The thing is, I can visit her anytime I like and I don't even have to worry about airfare or driving down to see her."

"That teleporting you do is really spectacular and very useful," Aaron said admiringly.

"Thank you, but it's pretty easy, once you are the proper age to do it that is, so long as you know where you're going of course. You can't do it if you don't know the area and where it's safe to appear, so while it's useful, we just usually go anywhere we need to go by car. Of course, to visit Refuge, I know exactly where to teleport to and it doesn't matter who sees me. Considering it's hundreds of miles from here that's really useful not to have a long car journey."

"That's true," Aaron said. "It's just easier to go by sea for Dave and me half the time if we want to go somewhere specific. We just go to somewhere close by to our destination and then rent a car."

"If our relationship goes well you'll get a chance to see my hometown or at least it became my hometown when Sedgwick and Branna adopted my brother and me."

"So what's it like?" Aaron asked curiously.

Penelope begin to describe her home and Aaron listened to the sound of her voice, which was incredibly soothing.

"It sounds really nice," Aaron said. "You must miss it."

"Sometimes, but I can go back and visit anytime I like, so it's not as bad as it could be. I realized sometime ago, that I would never find a husband of my own in Refuge. A lot of the people look down on me and Dade, because we really don't have any Blake blood. Not the Blakes of course, other people. Most of them are very nice and don't think of my brother and I that way but there are some... We have an elementary school and a high school and some of the kids tried to bully me, because I was adopted. Dad put a stop to it when he learned of it though. He had a long talk with the offenders parents. They left me alone after that, but I know some of them thought that my bother and I were interlopers, even though we were also magical."

"It shouldn't have mattered whether you were adopted or not," Aaron said sympathetically. "The elder Blakes took you in out of the goodness of their hearts. Some of their motivation may have been to protect magicals, but they genuinely loved you and that should be all that matters to anyone."

"I think they also teased me, because one of my parents is a normal, completely human and as unmagical as you can get," Penelope said. "All of the people in Refuge have a witch and warlock for parents and my brother and I were different in that regard."

"Your parentage also shouldn't matter, though I know it does to some people," Aaron said, placing a comforting hand on his girlfriend's arm.

"You're right, the Blakes loved me, which was more than enough," Penelope said. "Those idiots that think of me as a lesser being just because I have a nonmagical mother can just go stew in their own prejudices. I still miss my parents sometimes, but Sedgwick and Branna make good replacements."

"You have every right to miss your parents as they were your blood after all. I doubt Sedgwick and his wife, expect you and Dade to not miss your original family," Aaron said.

"They don't, they told us when we first came to them that we didn't have to call them mom and dad if we didn't want to. They said that they knew we loved our parents who were watching over us from heaven and that was more than all right with them and that we should. They were more understanding than I know a lot of people would have been," said Penelope.

The two sipped their drinks slowly and continued to get to know each other. Aaron talked about his life in the selkie colony and Penelope told him more about her life growing up. Finally, Aaron offered Penelope one of the guestroom if she wanted to stay over and not go back to Alex's apartment at his hour of the night.

"Sounds good, it's late. We just got so busy talking, we both lost track of time. I could just teleport I know, but I really don't feel like I have the energy right now I'm so tired, so I might end up hurting myself, because I can't concentrate. It's better not to teleport when you're very tired, unless it's an emergency." Penelope said looking at her watch. "I can just redon my clothes in the morning, as they are hardly dirty. I can always go back to my place and change."

"Good, I'll make up what are the guestrooms for you," Aaron offered.

"Let me help," Penelope said.

"No, you're my guest for tonight and you're tired. I've kept you up way too late," Aaron denied firmly. "I'll change the sheets and everything."

"I don't have any night clothes is the only problem," Penelope said.

"I'll loan you one of my tee-shirts, which I'm sure is plenty big enough for you. I don't like to sleep in much anyway, especially in the summer, so they don't get a lot of use this time of year."

"Sounds okay for one night," Penelope said. "Thank you letting me stay, as teleporting right now would probably not be wise."

"You're more than welcome. You know Alex would kill me if anything were to happen to you, just because I didn't offer you a bed for one night," Aaron told Penelope teasingly and she laughed tiredly.

"True," Penelope agreed. "I am her favorite sister after all."

"Okay then, why don't you take a shower and I'll leave the clothes on the bathroom counter for you," Aaron said.

"That's really nice of you Aaron," Penelope said kissing his cheek in thanks.

Aaron said nothing just looked pleased at the kiss, then rose to get the sheets out of the hall closet in order to make up the guestroom bed.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

Back in Refuge

"And this is where I went to high school," Alex said pointing. The two of them had parked the car in a nearby lot and were simply strolling along the sidewalk, as Alex pointed out familiar sites.

Dave had released the spell on himself that stopped him from leaving wet footprints all over the place, as he knew that people were less likely to bother them, if they knew he was a selkie and that he wasn't just a warlock that had stolen Alex from Samuel Cohen. No one tried to steal a selkie's mate, so if Alex's former boyfriend believed that he was just a warlock instead of a selkie he might try to win Alex back. It wasn't too likely after all this time, but better safe, Dave admitted. He was ruining his tennis shoes though as water sloshed out of them and also made a weird squelching noises. Unlike some shoes though his tennis shoes would dry eventually and still be usable and he had several other pairs with him, so it didn't matter if he got one pair very wet.

"Sorry about the water," Dave said. "I removed the spell that stopped my footprints from leaving water in them. I want everybody to know I'm a selkie and not just a warlock. I figured it will stop any kind of confrontations, as no one tries to steal a selkies mate, not if they have any sense."

"It's alright," Alex said simply. "Remember, everyone in town is used to selkies, though most of them don't come this far from the ocean. It doesn't mean however, that it hasn't happened. The water will likely be gotten up with magic, so people won't slip on it. You're going to ruin those tennis shoes though."

"If I do it's for a good cause," Dave shrugged unconcerned. "I can buy a new pair if I have too."

Alex just nodded in acknowledgment.

"Alex!" called a voice and both her and Dave turned at the sound of the voice.

"Samuel," Alex said calmly, though on the inside she was bracing herself for a confrontation, a confrontation that she had hoped to avoid. "What can I do for you?"

"You can get back together with me," Samuel said and Alex shook her head.

"No Samuel, it's been far too long for one thing and for another this is my fiancé David Rossi."

"What does he have that I don't?" Samuel exclaimed in anger glaring at Dave, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"Well, for one thing I don't treat her, as if she's only a vehicle to bear my children," Dave told Samuel. Samuel looked rather surprised at the response.

"I told Dave all about you Samuel," Alex said her tone calm. "I warned him we might run into you, though I was hoping we wouldn't. I didn't want this confrontation, especially out in public."

Samuel looked around and saw the small crowd gathered around them.

"Then why don't we go talk in private?" Samuel suggested.

"I'll tell you right now in front of all these good people that no, I will not be your girlfriend again. You treated me as if my opinion didn't matter and like it was a foregone conclusion I was going to marry you. You rolled over what I tried to tell you again and again until I slapped your cheek to get you to listen. You wanted me to waste my education just looking after the children and taking them to activities. You didn't care to ask me what I wanted, just assumed I agreed with you. Assumptions are dangerous Samuel," Alex told her former boyfriend in a calm soothing tone of voice "I would've been miserable being just a house witch something you didn't bother to find out. I hold no grudge against you, so long as you let it go. Find a good witch, marry her and have those children I know you want, but that witch will not be me."

"But I love you," Samuel tried. "I've loved you for 10 years."

"The way you treated me did not tell me that you loved me Samuel," Alex told him gently with genuine sympathy in her voice. "If you love someone you treat them like an equal not like their opinions don't matter. You'll find someone someday, but it will not be me. I love Dave so much and we're getting married in a couple of months time. You'll be invited to the wedding so long as you promise not to cause a scene. If you can't promise me that then you'll just have to not attend."

The crowd had been murmuring doing the confrontation and Samuel looked devastated.

"You have to be under a love spell," Samuel cried out in desperation. "You love me, I know you do."

"That's a serious accusation young man. It could get you in serious trouble," said one person from the crowd.

"Especially since she's a Blake," said someone else. "You could be thrown out of Refuge to make your way in the outside world."

"Samuel, do you really think my father wouldn't have checked for that?" Alex asked him in exasperation shaking her head. "My father is on the council and he's well aware that someone can use that type of spell on me. He checked me for any type of spells at all and found nothing. My father could have you thrown out of Refuge for that type of accusation, just as one of these good people has already said. You're lucky he's such an understanding man. Now please move aside and let us pass."

Samuel looked desperate and Alex felt a strong surge of pity for him. Samuel was so convinced he was in love with her he was stopping himself from finding happiness with the right witch.

"I have a job I'm going to start tomorrow and Dave already works there," Alex told Samuel in a gentle tone. "Go find yourself a girlfriend, allow yourself to fall in love and forget me. Don't dwell on what might have been."

"Good advice," said another voice from the crowd.

"But...but...but...," Samuel tried to articulate what he was thinking, but Alex had derailed what he was going to say.

"Go see a witchdoctor and see if they can help you get over me," Alex said. "We didn't share a lot of the same ethics and morals and we were just too different in other ways for us to ever be a good match. I'll never be forced into being something I don't want to be. We would only have divorced a few years down the road Samuel if we had married and then any children we had would've been traumatized. Remember that talk my father gave you 10 years ago."

Samuel hung his head and remembered the talk to Sedgwick Blake had given him, after Alex had slapped him on the cheek to get him to listen to her.

"I will never treat Alex like you would have," Dave who had been staying out of it told Samuel firmly. "She is an intelligent person in her own right with a good career ahead of her. You didn't treat her as intelligent at all, you didn't listen to her opinion."

"And what do you know about it?" Samuel said looking as angry as Alex had ever seen him.

"I know only what Alex has told me," Dave answered calmly. "From everything she has said it's clear that you would've just disregarded her and expected her to be the bearer of your children, to cook and clean, but you wouldn't have listened to her when she tried to give her opinion. You expected her just to ignore her good education to become basically housebound, with no job outside of it. I have no doubt that when you had daughters you would've arranged marriages for them whether or not Alex agreed, which likely only would've made your daughters miserable and they likely never would have agreed to marry someone they barely knew. Any children we happen to have will be free to choose their own spouses once they reach the age to do so."

Alex's fiancé was spot on about him arranging marriages for his daughters when they came of age, something his daughters likely never would've agreed to.

He had lost Alex for all time, as even he knew better than to interfere between a selkie and his chosen bride. It would only end in disaster and he knew it, as there were stories that were often told in pubs and over campfires about what happened when somebody stole the fiancé of a selkie, so long as no love spells were used. He knew Sedgwick Blake well enough to know, that yes, he would've checked his daughter for spells and finding none, would have known his daughter was really in love. Alex's father would have approved so long as his daughter was happy. Alex had chosen her husband and he cursed his luck that the two had met at all, as he was sure he could have convinced her to marry him if only she had been free and hadn't given her heart to her fiancé.

Samuel had no clue that Alex could be very stubborn when she wanted to be and that she never would have agreed to marry him because she knew she would be miserable if she did. Alex wasn't one to make yourself unhappy, no matter the reason and she'd rather not marry at all then marry someone that would treat her as a nonentity, even though she wanted children. She refused to be the author of her own misery if she made such a poor decision and she refused to drag any children into a situation where she and Samuel divorced down the road. Alex also knew she would earn the eternal amenity of Rodney Cohen, if she and Samuel did marry then divorced.

Samuel remembered Alex's father telling him that he never would have agreed to an arranged marriage, that his children's happiness was all that mattered to him. They would marry whoever made them happy or not marry at all if they chose.

Samuel finally moved aside and Alex led the way back to the car. "Goodbye Samuel, don't dream about what might have been. Find yourself a good wife, one who has the same ethics and ideas as yourself, as only then can you be truly happy," Alex told her old boyfriend in farewell.

Alex said no more and soon they were out of hearing range.

"Well, that was rather...interesting," Dave decided.

"I guess I was wrong," Alex sighed looking pensive. "I never imagined that he would confront me in public."

"He did try to get you somewhere private," Dave reminded, "and when you refused to come with him he had to say what he was thinking in front of about 20 strangers."

"I suppose so," Alex said. "I never expected him to accuse you of using a love spell. That's a very serious accusation, here in Refuge. He's not usually like that at all."

"He was desperate," Dave reminded Alex gently. "Sometimes a person will build up a fantasy of someone in their heads, a fantasy that has nothing to do with reality. Sometimes the woman or man in question has no idea that this person has done so, as they probably don't know them more than casually. In your case, you actually dated Samuel for awhile, before you broke up with him, so his fantasy of you marrying him and having children is likely very rich and impossible to tell from reality. Happens all the time."

"I don't think he's truly right in the head," Alex sighed. "I think his father damaged him, by all the demands he made, when he was growing up. His father is a bit of a bastard and I have no doubt that he demanded the oldest son turn out as much like him as possible. You can damage someone if you're not careful, mentally at least, especially if you're not very strong in your mental processes."

"Which might be why he believes he's in love with you," Dave suggested. "You treated him with kindness, something he never likely got from his father and his mother was likely to intimidated by her husband to show him the love he needed, as a child."

"That's very possible," Alex said, as she and Dave walked along back to the car.

"You can't help how his father treated him, though you can sympathize. Even if you'd married him you wouldn't be able to correct the damage that Samuel's father likely did to his son, just by being overbearing and demanding," Dave said.

"I guess that ends the tour of my childhood haunts," Alex said, as she got behind the wheel.

"You can show me the rest sometime. Let's allow things to calm down for now," Dave suggested, as he got into the passenger side.

"We can do that sometime," Alex said as she drove back towards her parents home. "So what do you think of our little town."

"It's hardly little for one thing, even if I realize it's not as big as a major city. I think you're family's done an amazing thing. It's very quaint, but you have all the comforts of home and I would think it would be a nice place to live," Dave said.

"It was," Alex said, as she drove. "I had a very happy childhood for the most part."

"That's the way it should be," Dave told her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~