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"How are you doing?" Delfina asked a couple of days later. They hadn't yet talked about the revelations that her family had revealed.
"Still struggling," Tony admitted honestly. "I had mostly forgotten about what I saw as a kid until your family told me what they were."
"You have every right to still be struggling Tony," Delfina said. "Believe me, me and my family understand why you are, as I'm sure your worldview has taken a dramatic shift. Any questions you have I'll answer them."
"All right," Tony agreed. "I know it was kind of glossed over, but what I got from what everyone said is that mates is pretty important too an immortal. Would you care to explain that farther, just so I understand better?"
"Sure," Delfina agreed. "Basically, mates, is all important to an immortal. When mates meet the immortal knows immediately that they have found the one they can settle down with, start to build a life and a family with. A mate, is basically an immortals other half. Once an immortal meets their mate they'll never be happy again if they are rejected and I'm sure you can guess what happens if that occurs."
"They find a way to die if that's possible for one of your kind," Tony guessed, as he thought about what Delfina had revealed.
"It is, but it takes outside help in order to accomplish it," Delfina said. "There's practically no way in immortal can kill themselves unless they step in front of a car and even then that probably wouldn't work as they would just heal in a few hours, possibly a few days or simply come back to life once whatever was broken healed. They would have to lose their head or be sliced in half in order to permanently die. Well that, or be burned to a crisp in a fire."
"Ouch!" Tony said wincing. "All those ways sound very painful."
"And they would be, but if an immortal is determined enough, and if they can convince someone to end their life, then they will, if they have lost their mate to rejection or death. It hasn't happened yet in my family, but that doesn't mean it's not possible," Delfina said. "My family would never want to do something like that, but they would also understand that if an immortal lost their mate, then they wouldn't want to live anyway, and would eventually find a patsy to kill them permanently dead. I hate to be dramatic, but I wouldn't want to live if you rejected me, Tony. You might be alive, but I wouldn't be able to be with you, because of that rejection so either the situation, if that happened, was corrected quickly or you know what would happen. I don't want to put any pressure on you, quite the opposite, so don't think that. I'm just telling you what would happen if you rejected me."
"I wouldn't want your death on my conscious Del," Tony said after a lengthy silence.
Tony's voice was strained as if he had forced that statement past his lips.
"I'm sorry I put all this on your shoulders Tony I really am," said Delfina. "I loved you from the minute I saw you, even though you didn't see me at first, not until I spoke to you. The more I've gotten to know you the deeper that love has gotten to where if we are ever parted on a permanent basis, you know exactly what would happen. I don't and won't force you to stay with me as that wouldn't be right so you're free to go if you like. Just remember if you ever speak a word about what you learned my mom and aunt will have no trouble tracking you down and taking your memories of immortality and me away."
Tony realized suddenly in a startling moment of clarity that Delfina was offering him freedom from their relationship if he cared to take it. No matter how much she loved him she wasn't going to force him to stay with her if he wanted to be free, even if she was miserable without him. She had been made her feelings perfectly clear.
That Delfina was willing to sacrifice her happiness for him, spoke volumes about her character. It spoke of the fact that Delfina was willing to put his happiness before her own.
"I'm not leaving Del," Tony told her his voice more normal than it had been, less strained. "You'll need a blaster to get rid of me."
Tony watched as Delfina slumped in relief that he wasn't taking her up on her offer to let him fly free.
"I'm glad," Delfina said after a minute of getting her emotions under control. "If you wanted to be free, I wouldn't stop you no matter how much it would hurt me personally."
"That right there, is why I'm staying Del," Tony told Delfina. "You're willing to let me go, if it's what I want and nobody, I mean nobody, including my father, has ever made that kind of sacrifice for me. No one has ever put me first other than my mother when she was alive. That is love in it's truest, purest form and I'd be a right idiot to give you up now that I know you're willing to sacrifice your happiness if I wanted to be free."
Delfina felt as if she had been through the wringer emotionally, but she was happier than she had ever been, because Tony didn't want out of their relationship despite all he had learned about her and her family.
"I didn't have the best childhood, which you know already, so I often have trouble with my emotions," Tony said.
"Being unable to express your emotions is not exactly unique to you Tony, but to the human race. Many people have trouble with their emotions when their family, as children isn't what it should be for one reason or another. Having trouble expressing your emotions is not just a male trait as some females have that problem too.
"I'm more sorry than I can say that your father was not the supportive, nurturing type and that he put you in boarding school instead of raising you. You have me and my family now and we'll never reject you. You're always be welcome at any house my parents own.
"You'll also be welcome in the home of my godparents with or without me. My siblings will also welcome you with open arms and my cousins. You'll soon be smothered in so much, love and caring you'll probably go into shock," Delfina told Tony with a smile that was tinged with relief that Tony hadn't taken the opportunity she offered him to get out of their relationship.
"That'll be a first," Tony wisecracked in order to hide the depth of emotion, he was feeling. "You know I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to it," Tony added after he had gotten his feelings under control.
"I'm glad you are, because we're invited back for a meal," Delfina said.
The two were silent for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.
"I'm glad we met Del," Tony told Delfina softly, his voice sincere. "Despite your unusual family."
"My family is what every family should be like Tony," Delfina said. "I'm not talking about the immortality or the magic I'm talking about the love and caring and compassion and understanding of others. Every family should feel those emotions on a regular basis and raise their children to feel them and while it happens, so many people are selfish or self-centered or both.
"Nobody is perfect you know that from your own experiences, but the world would be a better place if children were raised to understand others and to love their families, their spouses and children. Your father might not have been much of one, but there are much worse human beings out there then him and you know that," Delfina said.
"True there is," Tony agreed, even as he got up and hugged Delfina close to him. "Yes, I agree that there are much worse people out in the world than my father. Just think of the corrupt cops that I worked with for a couple of years before I left."
"I wonder if they've been caught selling drugs yet," Delfina wondered.
"I have no idea, as I haven't bothered to find out," Tony said. "While I'm sorry about all the kids they're going to get hooked on drugs there's nothing I could do, as I just didn't have the authority, as I was only a rookie after all."
"I know, but I think it's sad that cops have broken their own vows of serve and protect," Delfina said. "I realize this is not the first time cops have been on the take and it won't be the last either. I also know that human beings are very flawed, but that doesn't mean I don't feel sympathy for their victims, especially the children."
"Yeah, they'll sell what they steal of heroin, or some other drug from a bust to someone who will distribute it to a bunch of kids," Tony said, looking resigned.
The two continued to talk softly sitting together on the couch in the little seating area of their hotel room just enjoying spending time together.
~~~Tony and Delfina~~~
"We're having lunch with my parents before we head home," Delfina said.
It was a week later and they had an evening shuttle back home.
Delfina still hadn't found a good time to mention about her special ability, but she had better get to it before lunch as she was sure her parents particularly her mother would want to know if she'd told Tony about it yet.
"Tony," Delfina said as soon as she was dressed for the day, "I have something I need to tell you before we go to lunch with mom, dad, my aunt and uncle."
"Why do you look constipated?" Tony wanted to know, as he studied Delfina expression.
"You see there's something I haven't had a chance to tell you. You were already dealing with so much..." Delfina began. "I just haven't found a good time to mention it."
"Just tell me," Tony nearly ordered and Delfina did so only hoping that her mate took the news well.
"You see every magical has a unique ability that has to do with their magic," Delfina begin explain. "My Aunt Jazz is what is known as a bakery witch, which means she adds just a touch of magic to whatever recipe she's working on and does so instinctively. It's what makes her desserts so utterly delectable that customers are hooked as soon as they eat one no matter what it is."
"Are you telling me your secret runs along the same lines?" Tony guessed and Delfina nodded.
"Yes, I am and before you ask, the bakery magic of my aunt does not run in the Walters line unless someday one of my siblings, marries a bakery witch. No, my talent is of a different variety. My talent is instant travel, disappearing from wherever you are and reappearing somewhere else. I rarely get a chance to use my talent though. I might be able to Apparate, but it's basically a talent that is limited in usage unless I'm out in the middle of nowhere and then I can get back to civilization in just a few seconds. I can't allow anybody to see me appear or disappear for that matter. With cameras everywhere and unless I know where I'm going, where there are none or at least where they don't work then I don't dare use it."
"So you can disappear from where you are now and appear somewhere else that's miles away, right?" Tony wondered his curiosity obvious.
"Yes, I can and it's called Apparating or the singular is Apparate," Delfina said. "Apparating can be tiring though, if I use it to much in a short period, but since I have to be very careful when I use it, that's not going to be a problem. I just thought you should be aware of it just in case."
"In case you have to use it for some reason and have to take me with you," Tony said, and Delfina nodded.
"Yes, I believe I can take you with me, but I want to ask my mother and my aunt before I can say for sure, because you don't have any magic," Delfina said. "I wouldn't want to kill you or seriously harm you at least by Apparating with you when a human's body might not be designed for such a process without magic I mean.
"That brings up a subject, I've been pondering for the last few days and that's how do you turn someone immortal?" Tony asked. "I mean, I can't see you letting me die and from what I got from the discussion that night was that your mom and aunt used to be mortal so there has to be a way to turn someone immortal or both would be long dead and you and your huge family wouldn't exist because you never would've been born."
"That's a good observation, Tony and it's simple," Delfina said smiling, and then explained how it was done while Tony listened.
"I should've figured that out for myself, but I was looking for a magical explanation instead of a scientific one," Tony said, shaking his head and feeling just a little stupid that he hadn't figured out how you could turn someone in mortal for himself.
"You've had a lot to absorb so give yourself a break," Delfina told Tony with an understanding smile.
"I now understand how you turn an immortal's mate into what they are," Tony said.
"Just let me know when you're ready to go through the process and I'll happily turn you immortal," Delfina told him. "You don't need to make the decision today though or tomorrow for that matter. You have as much time as you need to get used to the idea."
"So what kind of talent does your mom have? You never have said," Tony asked curiously.
"She's a powerful telepath," Delfina revealed hoping Tony didn't react negatively to the information, which was why she had mentioned her Aunt Jazz's talent instead of her mother's. It looked like her caution though was all shot now, so because Tony had asked, she would have to be honest with him. No immortal lied to their mate, as that just caused problems in the long run.
"I certainly hope she hasn't been reading my mind," Tony said looking apprehensive.
"Mom wouldn't do that Tony," Delfina promised him. "Remember, what she said about having ethics. You're not a danger to the family so she would never invade your privacy by reading your thoughts."
"How do you prevent it, though?" Tony wondered.
"You're not the first one to ask that you know, as to how you prevent it, the answer is simple. She has a mental barrier in her mind that she can poke a hole in when she needs to. It's something that all those with that kind of mental talent have naturally and that they have to learn how to lower it or poke a hole in that barrier as the case might be," Delfina said. "Also, my mother's and my aunt's, ethics and morals are rock solid, which means they would never hurt anybody who didn't deserve it. They wouldn't use their magic for the wrong reasons. The only time they use it in a defensive manner, is to protect their family like when somebody finds out our secrets and try to blackmail us, so they use it to take that person's memory."
"Taking someone's memory is certainly better than murdering them to keep your secrets," Tony said relieved at Delfina's answer, "even if I know there are certain drawbacks to doing it that way your mother and aunt explained."
"My family has always thought so, as we don't like to kill unless we have no other choice," Delfina said. "Taking someone's memory might be risky, but it's better than facing a murder charge if someone catches us killing whoever it is or even if it's just caught on camera."
"That would definitely cause complications," Tony said, "but still, I'm glad to know that you and your family don't kill unless it's in self-defense."
"Just so you know, I've never had to kill anyone and hopefully, I never will," Delfina said. "I won't claim I haven't kicked a man in the balls because he touched me inappropriately, but that's different."
"Yeah, it is," Tony agreed laughing, "but we had better get ready if we're going to have lunch with your parents.
"Be ready in 10 minutes," Delfina said.
"So you can go get dressed faster because of your ability to Apparate across a room," Tony said, and Delfina nodded.
"I can't use my ability full out, not in such a small space, but I can certainly Apparate and be on the other side of the room in just a second," Delfina said. "Want me to demonstrate?"
"Hell yeah!" Tony said so Delfina did exactly that and demonstrated her ability. Delfina Disapparated and disappeared from where she was standing, and a second later, she stuck her head out of the bathroom door and waved to Tony, who was staring at the door to the other room in amazement. "That was amazing," Tony spoke after he saw Delfina disappear from where she had been standing and reappear in the bathroom.
"Thank you your appreciation is appreciated," Delfina said grinning from ear to ear now that she knew Tony accepted her special ability.
"Why open a gym though?" Asked.
"Because my ability is limited in scope because of all the video cameras and people and I can't really use it that much because of that. It's good for traveling occasionally when I need to be somewhere in a hurry, but it's not good for anything else. I've always been into exercising and looking after myself and so I took college courses to become a personal trainer and I really enjoy my job, at least mostly. Cas is the same way and always been into exercise just like me. The only difference is he is not a personal trainer though he does enjoy helping people by showing them how to use the equipment. I, at least, take after my father, not my mother who is very athletic. My mother is not, though she does try to keep in shape by exercising using the treadmill and so forth. Something she hates by the way, but knows it's necessary considering how many desserts and fattening foods she eats."
"I see why you and your cousin opened a gym now, as it seems a perfect fit for you anyway, considering your like of exercise," Tony said, even as he hurried to get ready himself now that Delfina was done showing him some of her skill.
"That's definitely the reason, since I didn't get mom's telepathic talent like most of my siblings did. My parents have had so many children, however, that other talents started to pop up, but they were already part of our family line, the genes are just recessive instead of dominant that's all."
"They should be more dominant in our branch of the family once we start having children," Tony said, remembering some of his science lessons from when he was in school.
"Yeah, they definitely should be. We should get at least one child every generation that has my ability or at least that's the way it was with Aleah and Ducky," Delfina said as Tony finished getting ready hurriedly and they headed out to have one last meal with Delfina's family before they headed home.
~~~Tony and Delfina~~~