"I have something to tell you," Penelope told Ambrose.
It was several months later and they both had become inseparable in that amount of time. The two of them were sitting together in Penelope's apartment as there was no reason to buy a house when she lived alone.
"I have something to tell you too," Ambrose agreed. He tried not to appear nervous and certainly in that moment he wished he had his aunt's telepathic ability, so he could tell what Penny was thinking.
Ambrose had fixed dinner for the two of them and it had been very good Penelope thought trying to hide her nervousness. Ambrose had brought some donuts for after dinner. They were from his sister Marla. Unlike him Marla had inherited their mother's baking magic and he had requested that she bake him some donuts as a favor with the magic added so Penelope would accept his explanation easier.
He could've requested his parents to come or at least for his mother to send him some kind of treat in the mail, but it was always chancy to mail food, especially something like a cake or a pudding. Yes, people mailed food all the time, but it often came messed up when it shifted in the package and there was no guarantees that someone hadn't added some kind of poison or virus to it. Ambrose knew their were evil people in the world that would do such a thing as poison a cake or whatever his mom would send him just for kicks whether or not they knew the recipient. The temptation for such people would simply be too great.
It was easier and safer just to get his sister to fix of donuts, as she lived in California, even if that wasn't in San Diego. Ambrose had simply taken a shuttle to pick up the donuts when they were ready and then taken a shuttle back. He had held him on his lap the whole way and several people wanted one to try some but Ambrose had refused.
Ambrose mentally crossed his fingers and prayed that the donuts worked.
"I'll go first," Penelope offered.
"If you want," Ambrose agreed secretly relieved that he wouldn't have to tell Penelope his secret first.
"You see my family has..." Penelope begin and then explained about magic and Ambrose listened in astonishment, as he had no idea that his mate was also magical.
"Alright, just let me say that there's no need to explain any farther," Ambrose interrupted. "I just want to say my family also has magic so I already know all about it."
"You do?" Penelope asked astonishment. Ambrose nodded producing a witch light, which is how his family demonstrated their magic to those they told, as it was simple and easy.
Penelope stared at it for what seemed like forever then her shoulders slumped in relief. "I feared..."
"That you were going to face rejection," Ambrose finished. "I understand that fear believe me I do."
"That means you know that we're..." Penelope said.
"Mates, yes, I do," Ambrose agreed calmly. "I knew the minute I set eyes on you."
"That's not the way it works," Penelope said with a little bit of a confused expression. "We got close quickly which is a sign of us being mates, but a magical doesn't know just by setting eyes on whoever it is."
"There is a reason why I knew," Ambrose told Penelope. "You see not only am I magical I also am immortal."
"Immortal?" Penelope asked and Ambrose nodded his expression serious.
"Yes, I'll have to tell you the whole story sometime but not tonight," Ambrose said.
"Can you prove what you say?" Penelope asked with an arched eyebrow and Ambrose nodded.
"If you bring me a sharp knife out of the kitchen and some paper towels I'll prove it to you," Ambrose said.
"How exactly?" Penelope asked thinking it was a strange request.
"Well, the normal way is I take a knife and cut into my skin usually on the hand and it will heal in about 10 seconds," Ambrose explained. "If you have another idea I'm willing to listen."
"I have some truth potion, as I used to mix them up in my spare time and sell them to other magicals. I did this before I started my business and while I don't keep many clients anymore, as I just don't have time, the truth potion I mixed up several months ago is still good. It was left over from a batch I did for a client. You take it willingly and I'll ask you questions."
"So long as you agree not to ask me anything too personal while I'm under the potion," Ambrose said. "Just ask me if I really am immortal and I'll tell you the rest freely."
"I won't, as I won't betray your trust like that," Penelope promised.
"Alright then," Ambrose verbally agreed.
Penelope went into her spare room to retrieve the potion and came back within a minute. Ambrose had never been into that room as the door was always closed when he was here and he hadn't wanted to make Penelope angry by snooping. He saw it briefly for the first time and it looked like some kind of laboratory.
Probably where she mixed up all her potions or had used to anyway Ambrose figured. His family didn't really do potions as a rule though they were capable of it. Who knew if one day one of his parents future children would want to take up mixing and selling potions as a profession or even his Uncle Aaron's and Aunt Shonda children.
Penelope handed Ambrose the potion with it already unstoppered and watched Ambrose put it to his lips winkled his nose at the smell and then swallowed it.
Ambrose made a face at the taste that made Penelope giggle despite the seriousness of the situation.
"Ask your questions," Ambrose said.
"What is your full name?" Penelope asked first just to establish his identity.
"Ambrose Caspar Rossi," Ambrose said.
Penelope made a face at Ambrose's middle name, but said nothing out loud.
"Are you immortal?"
"Yes," Ambrose answered being unable to lie. "There are several caveats though
"What caveats?" Penelope immediately asked.
"While we don't age from the time we reach 30 we can still be killed, by us losing our heads, or having our hearts carved out of our chests or losing too much blood to fast for us to heal. It is all but impossible for an immortal to kill themselves and they always have to ask somebody else to do so."
That was enough Penelope figured to establish that Ambrose had been telling her the truth, so she simply handed him the antidote.
"Drink this," Penelope ordered Ambrose and he drank the other vial of potion without a word.
Ambrose merely blinked and looked up at Penelope.
"I guess we have established that you are basically immortal," Penelope said she took her seat. "I wasn't entirely sure I believed you until you agreed to take the potion without hesitating."
"I really don't blame you," Ambrose said. "My family knows how difficult it is to tell someone about our immortality and normally our magic as well. I should tell you that the donuts you ate had my sister's bakery magic in them since I want to be completely honest here.
"I've heard of that type of magic," Penelope said calmly. "I don't know anybody who had it though. It means that your sister has magic to whatever she bakes instinctively."
"Any dessert type item," Ambrose corrected. "Magic can be added to regular food too, but you have to think about doing it or at least my sister and my mother do."
"So your sister inherited the talent from your mother," Penelope said and Ambrose nodded.
"That's right," Ambrose agreed.
"Did you inherit that gift?" Penelope asked.
"I'm afraid not," Ambrose said shaking his head. "It's one reason I started my own security company instead of opening a bakery or in my sister's case a donut shop. I've always had a knack with security systems or electronics in general actually, much like you do. That's my gift and I'm not sure if it's magical or not. A great many of my siblings have gotten my mother's bakery magic, but not all of them."
"So how old are you Ambrose?" Penelope questioned.
"About 257," Ambrose said and Penelope stared at him in astonishment.
"I'm assuming that you have other siblings then the three you mentioned," Penelope said.
"More than I can count or keep track of," Ambrose snorted in amusement. "My parents never get to old to have children and every time they move somewhere new they have another four or five. I do try to keep up, but it's nearly impossible. I don't know how my father or my mother remember all their names. They used up all the more normal names like Walter, Ashley, Nicholas, Christopher, Margaret or Leslie."
"That's probably how you ended up with a name like Ambrose as they probably ran out of more normal names," Penelope suggested.
"That's entirely possible," Ambrose agreed. "But it might also have to do with the fact that my father David Rossi rescued this family back in the dark ages and their last names happened to be Ambrosius.
"Merlin's descendants," Penelope said immediately and Ambrose nodded.
"That's how my family became immortal, as my father rescued the family from execution and took them into hiding. In return, Godfrey Ambrosius turned my dad immortal, though he did have to agree to it. I'll have to tell you the whole tale sometime, as that's just the readers digest version."
Penelope thought that was an odd way to phrase it and asked, "What's readers digest?"
"It was an old magazine that had inspiring stories in it and they tended to be thicker than your normal magazine. The magazine was shaped more like a book than your normal magazine."
Ambrose used his hands show Penny exactly the size of Readers Digest.
"The company's been out of business for a long time, but at one time they were really popular. They were in business for well over 100 years," Ambrose added.
"Saying that kind of thing just shows me how old you really are though most people probably wouldn't pick up on it," Penelope said.
"They have been out of business since before I was born and I most have picked up the saying from my father or possibly my mother," Ambrose said. "I'll try to remember not to use that old saying anymore, since most people wouldn't understand what I meant."
"I knew there was something odd about you," Penelope admitted. "It's just the way you talk sometimes and use odd turns of phrase. Now I know why you do. It's natural for you to use certain phrases and words that have basically dropped out of the English language of today."
"It's a problem that all immortals of any age have," Ambrose admitted. "My father, especially. He is the oldest one of us and while he's done a lot to modify his speech, occasionally someone has to ask what he means, as he slips into the language of his youth, which was way different from today.
"I would say so," Penelope agreed, "as language changes over time as words are added or come back into usage that were dropped at one time. Language is constantly evolving."
"True," Ambrose agreed.
"You need to meet my siblings since you have accepted the fact that we're mates," Penelope said.
"Just so you know that immortals have a mate too," Ambrose said. "When my father met my mother in a small town known as Moonlight Gorge he knew instantly that she was the one. She ran a bakery then as well, but she was just starting out and she wasn't immortal yet, simply a witch with a gift for all types of desserts. She's made a fortune selling sweets in different cities, doing different generations. It took my father awhile to convince her to go out on a date with him as she had a really bad experience doing college, but he did and the rest is history."
"That's not the whole story," Penelope said when Ambrose didn't continue.
"Of course not, but like my father's story, I'll tell you some other time, because if you're willing we have other things to do," said Ambrose.
"So if you're immortal and I'm not that means I'll die someday," Penelope said knowing exactly what Ambrose was talking about.
"Sorry, I didn't explain, but I was distracted. Once we start having sex my seed will transform you into an immortal," Ambrose explained. "It's how my father turned my mother and how every male in my family has turned their mate into what they are though none of the rest of them have magic, just you and my family. So long as you agree to it you won't be dying anytime soon."
"Living for centuries is a strange concept for me," Penelope admitted.
"I don't blame you for that," Ambrose assured her. "It was a strange concept for every human that was mate of one of my family. They all accepted though, because they loved my brothers or my sisters or my cousins."
"And the magic in whatever dessert was made helped," Penelope guessed.
"Yes," Ambrose admitted. "The magic does them no harm and stops them from rejecting their mate whoever that is. It just makes them accept the concepts of magic and immortality easier then would happen otherwise."
"That's some gift," Penelope admitted a little envious.
"It does come in handy on occasion, but it also does positive things to people. It makes my mother's treats utterly irresistible so that she always has repeat customers. She always does a booming business whenever she opens a bakery and it also makes her immortality a little less boring. It's one reason I own a security company and go into work every day, as I might have plenty of money, but it makes life more interesting if I stay busy. Every single one of my siblings would tell you the same if you asked them."
"If I live for centuries I can turn my little business into a conglomerate," Penelope murmured. "I know that'll take a great deal of time, but it's not like I won't have that time."
"Exactly and you could let one of our children take it over when it's time to move on," Ambrose said. "We can't stay in the same city all our lives unfortunately. I've lived in several places in my 257 years and my parents have lived in most major cities, as they are much older than I am."
"I see that," Penelope said. "I love you very much Ambrose so yes, I'll agree to be turned immortal so that we will always be together."
"I love you too Penelope," Ambrose told his mate getting up from where he was sitting and going over to her so he could kiss her on the cheek. "I'll never stop as long as we're both alive, just like my father has never stopped loving my mother and they've been together for a very long time."
"That's what being mates is all about," Penelope said.
"True," Ambrose agreed. "Accepting the other person for all their faults that would break up normal relationships doesn't when you're mates."
"Some people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to relationships," Penelope commented with derision in her tone, as she rose and led and Ambrose to her bedroom where she had a queen size bed.
"I won't disagree," Ambrose said following willingly and couldn't wait to make love to his mate for the first time.

~~~Ambrose and Penelope~~~