"Welcome home, Stephen," a pretty redhead with green eyes greeted Stephen when he opened the door to the house he had a grown-up in. Stephen assumed that this was Minerva Hotchner and he wondered what a very pretty redhead could see in his father.
Stephen never thought about the fact that his father was a very handsome man if a little careworn from the pressures of teaching hundreds of students and raising a son.
"I see dad warned you I was coming by," Stephen offered, even as he came into the house.
"Did you expect him not to?" Minerva asked Stephen with a raised eyebrow.
"No, he said he was going to, as he was very honest with me," Stephen said.
"Why don't we sit down in the living room and talk," Minerva suggested calmly. "I've already prepared some snacks for us."
Minerva didn't appear at all nervous about being interrogated, Stephen instantly noticed. She looked relaxed and at ease.
"I see you've been busy, since it's only about 20 minutes from Stanford to here," Stephen said.
"It's not like it took me long to put cookies and cakes on a plate Stephen. They were already preprepared and were bought at the grocery store," Minerva told him.
Stephen silently admitted that was a point. He didn't recognize the plate once they reached the living room that the snacks were on so that meant it was either new or it was Minerva's from her place of residence. Stephen assumed that Minerva was maintaining her apartment or condo until she married his father.
Stephen sat down in the chair he remembered from his childhood while Minerva sat on the couch with her legs crossed like a lady's
"So where are you from originally?" Stephen began starting out with an easy question.
"I was originally raised in New Jersey," Minerva answered honestly, "but have traveled a great deal over the last few years."
"And how did you obviously fall into writing?" Stephen asked. He was genuinely curious as to the answer to that question as her books were some of the best he'd ever read. They were full of mystery and adventure as well as some elements of thrillers. The plot were complicated with several subplots within each book, which is what made them so good.
"I was always telling stories as a child," Minerva answered. "My father always dropped me off at the library for story time when I was young along with my siblings. I found all those stories as a young girl fascinating and even though they were fairly simplistic I was young enough to enjoy them. I used to enjoy telling stories to my siblings as well as my cousins in order to entertain them."
What she didn't say was that her talent to see the future had developed, as she hit puberty at 13 so she had decided that she couldn't have a job that dealt with the public and her parents had agreed. There was too much chance of going into a vision when she was at work.
"It just developed from there," Minerva concluded.
"So Minerva what are you doing with my father?" Stephen asked his next question.
Minerva gave him a look as if to say that she had known this was coming but she answered anyway. "We just happened to run into each other in the office where my nephew was registering for his college classes. My brother, Kaiden asked me if I could take Braxton to register for his classes and show him around the campus since that is where I attended. He said I wasn't likely to have forgotten my way around, even though I graduated sometime ago. While I won't say Braxton couldn't have registered himself he was nervous about starting college and so Kaiden asked me to guide him."
Stephen watched Minerva's face closely, but there was nothing there for him to see that even hinted she wasn't being truthful.
"Since I love my nephew very much, I agreed to take him and now Kaiden owes me a favor in the future," Minerva continued. "Whenever I have my own kids I'm going to ask for him and his wife to babysit, just so I won't have to hire anyone. I'm really glad that Kaiden talked me into it, as I wouldn't have met Jason otherwise and that would have been tragic from my point of view."
"That doesn't tell me why are you with my father," Stephen persisted.
"I would think it would be obvious Stephen," Minerva told him with a raised eyebrow, her expression amused. "You do know what attraction is right? He might be your father, but he's also a very attractive man in an absent minded professor kind of way."
Stephen grimaced not liking to think of his father as handsome or attractive to the female of the species, but Stephen supposed he was and since he looked like his father that meant he was too.
"But you are famous writer you could do better than my father," Stephen said.
"Stephen you just don't get it," Minerva told him in a gentle, but firm tone of voice. It was a tone that Stephen recognized as it was one his mother had used on occasion. The tone basically said you're being dense on purpose. "Do you know how many guys out there that want to change who you are? Want to be the breadwinner and for you to do nothing with your life, but be a housewife and mother? Even in this advanced century there's still a lot of men who think like that. Do you know how many men I dated that turned out to be of the type that wanted you to be anyone but yourself? Or they just wanted to latch onto me, because I was a famous writer and I had money. Also, I dated several men that turned abusive when they were drunk, so it's a good thing I can defend myself. If they hit you once then it will happen again, so I dumped them like hot potatoes after that. I wasn't about to get myself involved in an abusive relationship. I could give you numerous reasons why none of my previous relationships worked out but why bother? Do you know how rare someone like your father is? Someone who will let you be yourself without trying to change who you are? Someone who doesn't mind that you have more money than they do and doesn't try to just to get you to be a housewife? Also, I appreciate that Jason rarely drinks and even when he does he's never violent."
"You might not see your father, as a man that has needs of his own, but he is Stephen. Why would you prevent your father from being happy with someone else?" Minerva asked him.
"I don't want to prevent dad from being happy," Stephen protested.
"No, you're just trying to find a reason not to like me, not to accept me," Minerva told him bluntly. "If you keep this up you are going to push your father to choose between us and I know which one he will choose in the end."
"You seem confident of that," Stephen shot back trying not to visibly pout. He suddenly remembered that his father had said almost the same thing when they been talking. Minerva hadn't lied or stretched the truth, even once, as he had been watching her face closely. Either she was a really excellent liar or she was telling the truth.
"I have every reason to be," Minerva told him. "Jason can love both of us Stephen love is infinite, not finite. Your father loves you and me, they're just different kinds of love. He loves you, because you're his son and you share his DNA. You are the last reminder of your dead mother Sarah. His, for me however, is more romantic. They might be different kinds of love but love is love."
"Here," Minerva added handing Stephen a folder. The folder had been on the couch beside her and Stephen had figured it was some of his father's papers though the couch was an odd place to leave that type of thing. "If seeing my finances will help ease your fears that I'm after your father for his money then you're welcome to look at mine."
Stephen stared at the folder in shock he had never expected for Minerva to give him access to her financial records.
"You were certainly prepared weren't you?" Stephen finally said looking at Minerva and away from the folder that Minerva held on her lap.
"Prepared to prove I'm not the villain here," Minerva suggested with a little smile playing on her lips. "Yes, I am. I would like for us to get along Stephen. No, I don't want to take your place in your father's affections like I know you fear. There's no reason that we can't share him. You're basically grown-up and out of his life, but that doesn't mean he's gonna stop loving you, just because you're not going to always be around. I want us to come to an accord."
Minerva handed Stephen the folder again and this time he took it opening it to examine the financial records that Minerva had put together.
His father had been absolutely right Minerva's bank account was more than healthy and she certainly didn't need his father's money. He stared at the numbers and saw she had made over $1 million just on her writing. That would only increase the more she wrote so it looked like he had been wrong about Minerva's motives for being with his father. That upset him almost as much as just suspecting her of being some kind of criminal, just because he didn't want anybody with his father on a permanent basis.
He had no right to expect his father to remain relationship free for the rest of his time on this earth. As his father had already pointed out humans could live to 200 or more now depending on general health. Did he really expect his father to remain alone for the rest of his life?
It was hard to see his father with anyone who was not his mother but his mother was dead, so his father was free to pursue another relationship. Every man had needs after all and his father really wasn't that old, just in his early 40s.
Stephen handed the folder back to Minerva who was intently watching him with an odd expression.
"Look, I'm sorry," Stephen apologized awkwardly.
"Sorry, for thinking I might be a gold digger," Minerva told him her tone amused, not seeming at all offended. "I can't really blame you for thinking that way, as they are a lot of people in the world that would try to take advantage of someone like your father. However, I love your father very much Stephen. We just connected that day we met totally on accident. It was like being punched in the gut if truth be told."
Minerva didn't bother to tell Stephen why she and Jason had connected so well as he knew nothing about immortality or magic.
Minerva wasn't entirely sure that she and Jason would ever tell him the truth she'd have to see she supposed.
"I was happy to discover that he was a widower and that his wife had died sometime ago. I'm sure your mother's death was hard on you and your father and I am really sorry I never met Sarah Gideon, but I happen to believe in fate Stephen."
"Fate," Stephen asked the question more curious than anything else.
"I believe everything happens for a reason," Minerva explained her voice as calm as a lake. "I believe meeting your father was fated to happen. Why else would Jason and I have connected so well if we weren't fated to be together?"
"I don't believe in fate," Stephen said.
"Most people don't," Minerva acknowledged. "My whole family however, believes there are forces in the universe that guide our lives."
"That makes you sound like a kook you know," Stephen informed her.
"Just because I believe in fate? Or in supernatural forces?" Minerva asked him coolly and it was clear that she hadn't appreciated what he had said. "Believing in fate does not make me a kook Stephen it just means that my view of things is different from other peoples. If everybody was the same life would be very boring, don't you think? You have no right to call me a kook, just because you don't believe in fate like I do. You have a right to believe in what you want to, but you need to open your mind and consider other people's views before you label them as kooks."
"Look, I'm sorry," Stephen said apologizing yet again, as he knew he had offended her by saying what he had.
He supposed it didn't matter if his father's soon to be wife believed in things like fate as it wasn't like she went around preaching it to other people, as it was just her opinion. It was clear she'd picked up her opinion from her own family.
"Apology accepted," Minerva said. "So long as you learn from your mistakes then everything will be OK. You should never call anyone to kook Stephen, as it's offensive, even if they truly are crazy. Even crazy people deserve sympathy and understanding."
The two continued to talk until the front door unlocked and Jason entered the house finding his son and Minerva talking.
"Everything OK?" Jason asked Minerva looking at his son, as he relaxed in his favorite chair.
"Welcome home, Jason. Yes, everything is fine. Stephen and I have come to an understanding. Haven't we Stephen?" Minerva asked him her expression neutral.
"Yes, we have," Stephen agreed as he relaxed in his chair.
"You were right dad and I'm sorry I doubted you."
"Apology accepted, Stephen," Jason told him with a smile.
Minerva had worked miracles, as he had not expected to come home to a son who would actually apologize.
"Don't you need to be heading back to campus so you can attend your classes tomorrow?" Jason asked him.
"Yeah, I should get going," Stephen agreed. "It's a good thing that travel is so fast now, as it will only take me an hour or so to get back."
"Feel free to come back for the holidays," Jason told him. "I'll have to spend part of those holidays with Minerva's family though."
"I'm sure we can come up with a good arrangement," Minerva said. "How about you spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with my family and the other holiday with Stephen. It's not like my family won't understand that you want to spend at least one holiday with your son."
"So you'll have to go to Jersey to visit them," Stephen said.
"Actually, we will have to go to Nashville, as they moved there a few years ago," Minerva said. "I did grow up in New Jersey but that was a long time ago."
Jason knew that Minerva meant much longer go then he was sure Stephen thought, but he said nothing.
"I'll see if I can be here for Christmas," Stephen conceded.
"What are you gonna do about Thanksgiving?" Jason asked his son.
"I have a friend that offered to let me come spend the holiday with them if I had no other plans," Stephen explained.
"You be careful and make sure this friend of yours is on the level," Jason told him. "I don't want to be called and told that you're dead, because your friend or someone they were close to killed you. I also don't want to get a call where I'm told that you're in the hospital seriously injured."
"I'll be careful dad," Stephen said knowing his father was genuinely concerned for him, as there were a lot of people in the world that would kill you, just because you had caught their attention, murders, serial killers and a lot of other people.
"Make sure you are," Jason told him his tone stern. "Let me know as soon as you make it back to campus would you please?"
"OK," Stephen agreed before he was and headed for the front door.
"You want us to drive you to the shuttleport instead of you taking a cab?" Minerva asked Stephen.
"That would be good," Stephen agreed.
"Just let me get my keys and get out of this suit jacket and I'll be ready to go," Jason said.
"I hate for you to have to come home and then leave immediately again," Stephen said.
"It's no problem, why waste money on a cab when you don't need to?" Jason told him, "I'm always happy to see you Stephen. You went and grew up on me."
"Children do that," Stephen told his father with a rather devilish grin.
"That they do," Jason said smiling himself.
Minerva watched this smiling softly and then she followed Jason and Stephen out to the car.

~~~Jason and Minerva~~~