"Come on in," Zara offered Kip as soon as there was a knock on her apartment door.
Kip entered Zara's apartment not seeming nervous at all, and if anything, he seemed eager, and Zara couldn't blame him.
"Take a seat," Zara offered playing hostess. "Can I get you a drink?"
"Soda, if you have any will be fine," Kip said.
"Of course I do," Zara said.
Zara left the room and was back shortly with two bottles of soda and two clean glasses with ice already in them.
"Considering you have the ability to talk to spirits that must mean you're magical," Kip offered.
"And if you know about magic, since hardly anyone does, unless they themselves have it that must mean you do to," Zara countered. "That you didn't question the mate thing that you heard me talking to Jerry about is another clue that you also have magic in your blood."
"That's true I do. I come from a family where only my mother has magic, but my father is still very much in love with her once he was in on her secret and I'm grateful for that, because you know what happens a lot of times when one parent has magic and the other doesn't."
"Yeah, I do," Zara agreed. "My family is the same. My mother has magic and my father does not, but they're still just in love, as they've always been and are mates. They've been together for a long time."
"Just as my parents have," Kip agreed seeming to relax a little at a time. "So do they live here in Celina?"
"I'm afraid not, as I moved here for work, but I actually grew up in Montana, but they moved a long time ago and are now living in Florida," Zara answered honestly. "They'll need to meet you, just so you know, as there is another secret of my family, but it's not something that's going to be easy to accept."
"Are you going to tell me this secret?" Kip wanted to know and Zara looked undecided.
"The secret is usually only told when my parents and godparents are present to help explain," Zara said finally. "In your case, though, you already know about magic, but that's only half of my family's secret. You'll still need to meet my family, but I suppose I can tell you my other secret now."
"You see, my entire family is immortal, meaning that we don't physically age past the time we reach 30 and also heal at an incredible rate of speed to any physical injuries like if I cut myself. Things like broken bones also heal much faster, than is possible even with advanced medical technology.
"Before you ask, I can prove what I say, just in case, you doubt my explanation," Zara said.
"I'm not going to claim that immortals can't exist considering that magic does, but still, I'd like that demonstration just for my own peace of mind," Kip said and Zara nodded.
"Happy to," Zara agreed rising to her feet. "I need a knife in order to do that demonstration. I'll be right back."
Zara headed into the kitchen and was back in less than a minute with a knife in her hand and a roll paper towels.
"Do you want to do the honors or do you want me to?" Zara asked Kip, as she held out the knife in his direction.
"What do you want me to do?" Kip asked suddenly looking nervous.
"There's no reason to be nervous. I'll be fine. You'll see," Zara assured him. "All you have to do is cut me on the back of the hand or on the arm and then watch me heal in just a few seconds. Feel free to cut me fairly deep and it will heal much faster than medical technology can manage."
"I don't know," Kip said suddenly uncertain.
"You don't faint at the sight of blood do you?" Zara wanted to know. "I know some people do or at least get very green and feel nauseated when they see blood."
"No, but this is different, because you're my mate," Kip said, and Zara considered that.
"I hadn't thought of that and dad has said that a mate doesn't want to watch their other half injure themselves at least the first time their immortality is demonstrated," Zara said.
"So your family has demonstrated their immortality before?" Kip asked, and Zara nodded.
"Yes, as I'm not the first one in my family that has met my mate," Zara said. "It's happened multiple times over the centuries. It's why my family is so enormous because mated couples have children multiple times throughout their lives. I have more siblings than I know what to do with, and I love every single one of them, even if I don't know some of them very well, since we don't see each other much.
"If you don't want to cut me though, I'll do it," Zara added.
"That's best," Kip said and Zara nodded, as she used the knife to cut her own flesh on the back of her hand, just like her family used to demonstrate their unique ability to heal in seconds.
Kip saw no hesitation in Zara expression, as she swiftly moved the knife across her flesh on the back of her left hand.
Kip flinched as he saw the blood well out of the deep cut, but he noticed that Zara did not, though she did wince at the pain that cutting her flesh caused.
Kip almost couldn't believe that Zara had done it, but she had. She hadn't let the expected pain stop her from proving what she had said was the truth, so Kip felt obligated to watch, even as the blood welled up from the deep wound. Kip begin to look amazed as the wound began to heal right before his eyes even as the blood continued to run down her hand onto the paper towel that she had placed under it in order to catch the blood.
Just a few seconds later, Zara flexed her fingers to show him that there was no more pain in her hand, as the wound had completely healed.
"I believed you before you did that, but that just brought home what you said was the truth," Kip finally said, as it took him a few minutes to regain his voice.
"As my father is fond of saying seeing is believing," Zara said smiling.
"So how did you become immortal?" Kip asked.
"I was born this way as were all my siblings," Zara said. "My father on the other hand, was turned immortal a very long time ago, but I'll let him explain his story."
"I'd really like to meet your parents," Kip said.
"You will, as I'm going to take you to see them sometime in the next few weeks," Zara said. "They'll be surprised that I've already told you our secrets, but will accept it, once I explain why. Normally, my parents and godparents get together for a fantastic meal and share our secret with the perspective mate. That won't be necessary this time, though we'll still get a fantastic meal out of it, we just won't have to share our secret after dinner."
"Do your parents know about me at all?" Kip asked.
"Yes, I took a trip up there several months ago on one of my days off and told them," Zara promised.
"Why not just do it over the link?" Kip wondered.
"Because they deserve to be told in person and also because such communications can be eavesdropped on even if that's an accident," Zara explained. "Just imagine what would happen if somebody overheard our conversation about immortals and mates. It wouldn't be that hard to track down our number and then our address if that person knew how to hack or knew somebody that could do it for them."
"You're thinking that they'd try blackmailing you," Kip said who was well aware of how the world worked. He had to admit it was a possibility that could happen so he could understand why Zara and her family were so cautious when communicating with each other or talking about such a delicate subject in public or over electronic communications.
"It has happened before to my godparents," Zara explained.
"So what did your godparents do about it?" Kip asked.
"Dealt with it, of course," Zara explained calmly. "My Aunt Shonda and my mother tracked down the reporter that had found out about us and performed a sleep spell on him, and then they worked together to take that reporter's memory, so that he never remembered learning such a dangerous piece of information.
"Using a memory charm can be dangerous," Kip noted not seeming upset at the information he had just received. However, he understood that magical users around the world had a great deal to protect them from being killed by their own government or some criminal element that would want to use their magic for themselves. All of the above could go to great lengths to get what they wanted. There were just as many bad people in the government as there were good ones, so it was just as well that Zara's family took the memory of anyone that discovered their secret accidentally. Also, Zara's family had a lot more to protect then just the secret of their magic, they also needed to protect the secret of immortality, as just as many people if not more would want that for themselves.
This was why Kip had no problem with them taking someone's memory, as it was the lesser of two evils. They could outright murder the person that learned their secret, but apparently the Rossis or the Hotchners for that matter, didn't like to do that, which meant that they had a lot of the same ethics and morals that he did. This pleased him a great deal.
"My mother and godmother are well aware of that fact, which is why they're usually the ones that perform the spell because they're the only ones that have ever had to," said Zara
"You said usually, that implies that one of your other family has had to perform the spell at least once," Kip said.
"You're very perceptive," smiled Zara. "It has happened that one of my godmother's children had to perform the charm and luckily, she didn't mess up the woman's mind. It was just one of those situations where my mother and godmother wouldn't've been able to get to where my cousin was living in any reasonable length of time as all the flights heading in that direction were full up, even first class. It happened on a holiday weekend and you know how full flights can get during Thanksgiving and Christmas when everybody's flying somewhere to visit family or friends and driving wasn't feasible either, as it was just too many miles away to get there within a couple of days especially with traffic being what it is."
"Yeah, I do," Kip agreed having tried to get a flight out a few times around the holidays and so he'd learned to make his reservations in advance. "Flights during holidays are usually at maximum capacity unless you have a reservation."
"Exactly, even if you have an emergency of some kind and you need to be somewhere else, you're usually stuck until after the holiday, unless you care to drive the distance, which takes longer than flying," Zara agreed.
"Unless there is a cancellation, which usually doesn't happen," Kip agreed. "I would love to know how immortals were created, though I know we have more important things worry about right now."
"Not even my father can answer that question, as there are different methods to it at least from what little dad has said, but you really will have to ask him, because I only know the barest details of how he was changed into what he is today. All I know is, he's my father and I love him, just as much as I love my mother and it doesn't matter to me that he's immortal just that he's my father," Zara said.
"Of course, it doesn't matter how he became what he is today, just that he's your dad and that you love each other," Kip said. "My scientific curiosity can wait, even if I would eventually like an answer to my question."
"I would appreciate if you didn't mention to your parents about the immortality, though you can tell them about magic, since you have it as well," Zara said.
"If that's what you want then I won't," Kip agreed. "It isn't my story to tell."
"Thanks for that. That immortality is possible for most people must remain a secret," Zara said. "Of course, that's true for magic too at least for most humans, but you are a different case, just like all mates of immortals learn both my families secrets. In your case, it's OK to tell your parents that I also have magic just not about the immortality. Now, what about some dinner? After that, we need to arrange a time to go up and visit my parents and godparents in Florida."
"I really haven't been working long enough to take a vacation yet," Kip said.
"You do get days off though, and we can go and come back in a day, two at most," Zara said. "If we take two days, you only have to miss a day of work and you could call in sick or something if necessary."
"That could work," Kip said thinking about it. "I hate to leave Clarissa and Charlie to handle everything alone, even though we're only going to be gone a day or two."
"That would happen anyway on our days off," Zara pointed out. "They can handle it for a day or so by themselves."
"A point," Kip acknowledged. "Let's do it. Maybe the weekend would be best."
"Any day would be fine, as you know we're busy every day of the week really, though there are some days that are less busy than others, but they're not consistent," Zara said.
Kip knew the truth of that statement so he nodded in agreement. He had been working at the historical society in Celina for long enough to realize that what Zara said was true.
He still couldn't believe that his mate was not only magical like him, which was a blessing he had not expected, but also immortal, which was still strange to him, but he accepted it because he loved her. Really, it was no more strange than having magic or being a shifter or some other species.

~~~Kip and Zara~~~

"Kip and I are taking the day off tomorrow," Zara informed Clarissa and Charlie.
It was over a week later and Zara had been in contact with her family who knew they were coming.
"Both of you together?" Charlie asked, looking between Zara and Kip. "I could understand one of you taking off to run some errands or whatever but both of you?"
"Can't you tell that their dating and I have no doubt that Kip will propose at some point. They haven't been obvious about their relationship, but it's clear to me that they've been dating, but you as usual are oblivious," Clarissa told Charlie her tone scornful, as she studied the two. "They're probably taking a day off so that Kip can be introduced to Zara's parents or so he can introduce Zara to his."
"You were right the first time Clarissa," Kip said smiling at his coworker. "You're very perceptive."
"Clarissa's always been that way ever since I've known her," Zara complimented the other woman who blushed. "Yes, we're heading up to Florida so I can introduce him to my family, my parents and godparents at least and then sometime soon he's going to take me to meet his, though they live in North Carolina."
"I guess that means it's serious between you," Charlie said remembering the conversation he'd had with Kip when he'd only been working there a few weeks.
"Very serious," Zara agreed, as she smiled at Charlie. "The two of us just clicked on the moment we met. It happens that way sometimes. It happened to my parents when they met many years ago and also my godparents."
"I had noticed how close they had gotten," Clarissa admitted, "and I knew what that could possibly lead to, though I certainly didn't expect you to already be introducing each other to their families this soon."
"It is what it is," Kip shrugged. "Besides, it's been nearly a year so it's not like it's that soon Clarissa. When you know your right for each other, you just know, so why wait any longer to introduce each other to our families, even if we have to travel to where they are."
"My family is really looking forward to meeting him," Zara added, "which is why we're taking tomorrow off so we can go up there. We have an early morning flight and we should be back in time to come into work the day after that. We're only going to stay for a few hours not a week. We're going to go up there and my parents are already planning a terrific meal and then they'll be some conversation so they can get to know Kip a little better before we head home on a late flight."
"Well, here's hoping your introduction to Zara's family goes well," Charlie said.
"They already love him because I do," Zara said. "This is just a meet and greet type of meeting. They've already accepted him once I told them about him. They just haven't met yet that's all. So long as I am happy, my parents will have no problems with Kip at all. We'll go up there, I'll do the introductions and we'll have a terrific meal including one of my mother's fantastic desserts and then we'll come home."
"My parents already love Zara too when I told them about her over a link call," Kip added. "They also can't wait to meet her, as I will be the first to even come close to settling down as my brother has not yet met a girl that he would consider marrying. They can't wait for grandchildren."
This was said with fond exasperation, even as Kip rolled his eyes. "Mom's already dropping obvious hints, even though we haven't even started planning the wedding yet about grandchildren."
"My parents are the same way," Zara grinned. "In my family's case, it's not like they don't have nieces and nephews galore, but they still want grandchildren out of me and my siblings and I am the only one so far that has come close to settling down."
What neither Zara or Kip told the other two was that none of their siblings had met their mate yet and in Zara's case those nieces and nephews were actually her siblings, but from different generations.
"That's what every parent wants, though," Charlie said. "My parents have been hinting for a long time that it's past time for me to settle down."
"My father doesn't care one way or the other," Clarissa shrugged. "We don't exactly have the closest relationship."
"What about your mother?" Kip asked not realizing that he was touching on a sensitive subject.
"It's just my father and me as my mother died when I was just a teenager," Clarissa said shortly and immediately changed the subject.
Kip said nothing else realizing that he had touched on a sensitive subject without realizing it and Zara gave his hand a squeeze to let him know she sympathized and would explain later.
"I guess we'll see you when you get back," Charlie said and Clarissa shot him a grateful look for changing the subject.
"I'm sure you won't even have a chance to miss us," Kip teased them. "We'll be gone and back before you know it."
"Of course, we'll miss you while you're gone," Clarissa said, "but it's not like you're going to be gone very long."
"Not this time at least not until we take a real vacation together, then you'll miss us, I'm sure, especially if we leave for two or three weeks like for our honeymoon," Zara shot back smiling, as Charlie and Clarissa laughed.
"We'll both expect an invitation to the wedding when you actually decide to get married," Clarissa said.
"You said when not if," Charlie noted. "Your relationship could break up so that might not be in the cards."
"Charlie, you're an idiot, if you can't see, they're totally besotted with each other," Clarissa told her coworker rolling her eyes in exasperation at Charlie's denseness. "I, for one, don't see them breaking up ever, especially if they're already introducing each other to their families and you don't do that unless it's serious."
"One point for Clarissa," Zara said, raising one finger in the air and drawing it downwards in a number one. "She is absolutely right, there's no chance we'll break up and marriage is in the cards, though there's no reason to rush. Right now, let's get meeting my family out of the way and then his, then we'll talk about marriage at a later date."
Charlie just shook his head at the pair but said nothing else.

~~~Kip and Zara~~~