New Faces

[Demeter]

Carmine looked at Gareth's girl. "To be honest, eventing really isn't my thing. I'm just here to intimadate all the other people who have an inkling about sabotage. And that guy does a good job of scaring them off," Carmine pointed over his shoulder to the stallion secured in a large stall by cross-ties made of chains. The color of black diamonds, Kublai Khan was a force to be reckoned with. Even now, the stallion tugged at the chains securing him to the wall, snorting and stamping his feet at being locked up. "Me and Kublai, we perfer the battle field over eventing. I like killing things. He likes killing things. People scream in terror and run away when they see the two of us charging towards them." Carmine smiled as he thought of of past battles where he'd riden Kublai into the thick of Custoss.

Zhara, coming to see if Carmine could get himself sprung from guard duty, looked at Lissa. The poor thing was pale and trembling. She slapped the back of Carmine's head. "Idiot," she hissed, "You just had to go and scare her, didn't you. Don't you mind him, Lissa, he is just a big softie."

Carmine and Kublai rolled their eyes. "Says Zhara, she who rides a dragon."

Zhara just slapped him again.

***
Gareth made it a point to keep Lissa away from Carmine for the rest of their trip. In addition to the event, which landed Dane in the top five, he took her to four star resturants and to the hottest clubs in the area. A few weeks after that, Gareth took Lissa to another Dark One event. This one was an exhibtion. One where the tickets had been sold out for months but as there were a handful of Dark Horse riders participating, Gareth managed to get ahold of two tickets. He grinned as Lissa looked everywhere at once.

This was one of those events where the old guys competed against the new guys. Dane and Corrine, who'd only recently made her debut in the Dark One eventing world, would be up against Trey and Hope. There were, of course, others but everything was interested to see if someone could knock down the two Dark Horse top riders.

He heard the commotion before he saw anything. His uncle was like a rockstar in the Dark One Eventing community and, considering, he had the others with me, this was sure to be a riot. He nudged Lissa and pointed in the direction of a rising dust cloud. "Recognize anyone?" he asked as the security personal cleared a path for the riders.

Trey, mounted on Khan, Hope with Legacy, Dane on King and Corrine on Dragon Spider were slowly walking their way. He grinned at Lissa. "I'd like you to meet a few people."

[Maira]

The trip to Italy, except for the brief run-in with Carmine in the stables that first day, had been absolutely amazing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had that much fun. Not to mention, Gareth himself was just amazing. How he managed to treat her like a princess at the same time that he was acting like nothing had changed between them she had no idea but it sure did have an affect on her feelings for him. They just kept growing and getting stronger. Sure there were a few points about their relationship that would need working out but until they actually came up she was just perfectly content to let things go along as they were.

*****

If she'd thought Italy had been fun, the next trip that Gareth took her on blew her socks off within minutes of their arrival. The four riders that were headed their way were awsome, but it was the horses she was drooling over. When Gareth dragged Lissa through the line of security personnel, Lissa squeeked. Of course, security just ignored Gareth once he flashed his Dark Horse Inc. badge. Hope and Legacy were on one end of the line and Gareth steared her towards them, which she was grateful for considering the looks the other three horses were giving her. When Legacy reached over and butted his muzzle into her stomach in greetin, Lissa's breath whooshed out of her and she had to grab hold of Gareth before she fell down.

Hope, once she'd seen Gareth, had turned her attention back to Trey and Dane, they were plotting something about a new stable and she wanted to know details. Of course, when she felt Legacy's head jerk and she heard somebody go "oof" her attention was immediately back on the black beast she called a horse. Looking down she saw a poor girl clinging to Gareth while she tried to catch her breath and Hope swatted Legacy on the shoulder, "You brat, I've told you a million times -not- to greet strangers that way! They don't know you're insane and that you like to try and knock them on their ass as your way of showing affection!"

Once she'd scolded the Legacy, who looked totally unrepentant, Hope apologized to the girl who was once again able to walk on her own and breathe. "Sorry, he's just likes to push people's buttons and see what their made of. The fact that you didn't run screaming has probably given him the courage to try and find edible things on your body so beware his teeth. If he nips, just bop him right between the eyes or pull on his ear."

Lissa couldn't help but stare at Hope for a moment. Was the woman serious? Bop a hell horse on the forehead or pull his ear? She wondered only for a moment who was crazier, the horse or the woman, before deciding it was a moot point as they were both obviously a little "off". Before she said anythin else to the woman on the crazy horse, Lissa turned to Gareth and asked, "So, you wanna introduce me or do I get to fumble and guess who all the people on the fancy horses are?"

[Demeter]

Gareth introduced Lissa to Hope and Trey. He pointed out that Lissa already knew the other two riders. Corrine was the riding instructor at Three Rivers and she'd met Dane in Italy. He mentioned that Trey was the President and CEO of Dark Horse and that Hope had recently taken over the management of the flagship stable outside of Le Havre, France. That is, of course, when the others rode up.

Brodie and Gift joined the crew. Gift held the reins of another. After introducting the two, Gareth grinned and took hold of the riderless horse's bridle. "And you already know this guy," he said as he easily mounted Dark Heart. "Go find your seat, Lissa. The Dark Horse Flag is there. I imagine that Larkin is there as well. Probably along with some others."

He winked at her when he passed by. He was pretty sure that Lissa's jaw would hit the floor. The Italy trip had been strict eventing. Today was an exhibition and that meant all the stables would be strutting their stuff for the opening acts. The first event of the day was the stables participating in the eventing to show off what they could do. There were three more Dark Horse riders on the grounds. Aunt Nerissa, Bella, and Gabe would be joining them.

And then Lissa would learn just how insane all the Dark Horse riders were. And they would show everyone that they hadn't lost their edge yet.

After a practice run in a guarded location away from prying eyes, Gareth changed into the traditional Dark Horse uniform. Military in style and black with red accents, the uniform's collar tabs displayed his rank in the company. Stable Owner.

Gareth returned to Dark Hearts saddle. The gelding wore the traditional tack of the Dark Horse Stable. His saddle, bridle and reins were dyed a deep crimson red. What should have been bright metalwork was black. Gareth joined his half of the ten rider troup and waited for the cue to charge into the arena.

They were last on the list of opening acts due to their specially designed course. When he heard the announcer say "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Dark Horse International!" Gareth and the others tore off. The pounding hooves of ten horses in synchronized galloping drowned out the sound of cheering. It was Zhara who created the fog surrounding the impossibly high fence surround the arena but it would be them who wowed the crowd.

At a prearranged mark, the horses were given their heads and plunged forward. Sunrise King quickly took the lead, as he and Dane were the top pair, and headed for that fence. No one in the crowd could see them but he'd bet everything that they could her them. King, with the strength and might of his breed, launched himself over the eight foot fence, Dane easily following his mounts actions. The others followed suit.

Across the ring it was Trey and Khan who popped over first. Once all the horses were on the ground, the old guard pulled a sharp left while the new guard went right. King hit the first of seven jumps and sailed over, Dark Heart and Corrine's Dragon Spider on his heels. Gift's First Star and Bella's Shadow Dancer on their heels.

The old guard mirrored their movements. Gareth could hear the crowds cheers and wild shouts but they didn't matter. Dark Heart and Spider moved up, running nose to nose with King. There was space enough to fit a horses body between each of theirs.

They hit the next jump, sailed over and the line of three became a row of five, running neck to neck. Gareth grinned. He could see Trey and the others bearing down on them. He could hear the shouts and gasps of the crowd. Ten horses running head on. This was Dark Horse International. This was how they been a top-ranked Dark One Stable for multiple Millenia. They were know for being insane men and women with Custos-mad mounts and little sense of self-preservation.

They hit the premarked spots and all ten horses lept over the fourth jump. The old guard from one direction and the new from the other. Gareth could feel the hides of Khan and Legacy brushing against his boots. The crowd was screaming.

Hooves touched down and both groups were off to hop over the remaining jumps. The swung around after the last jump, galloped towards each other before swinging around and formed a line before the judges. Each horse 'bowed' and each rider inclined his or her head. Gareth winked at Lissa.

When the spokesman for the judges asked the traditional question of who they were., Trey answered. "We Are Dark Horse. We Do Not Fear Death. We Fly Into The Face Of Death And Laugh."

Later, when the chosen four were competing, Gareth and the other five walked their mounts cool. Or, rather, some walked while others attempted. First Star was dragging Gift along as he headed for the feilds for a good roll and Shadow Dancer was being her usual, stubborn self and not allowing Bella to get a halter on her. Gareth was thankful that they'd been granted the use of a closed in arena.

He sat on the thick wooden wall, holding Heart's lead while the monster entertained himself with a Jolly Ball, and waited for Lissa to show up. He laughed when Heart tossed the ball at Spider, making the mare snort. The mare snagged the ball and whipped it back at Heart. Both Gelding and master ducked.

[Maira]

She'd been watching the horsey antics for as she approached but somehow she'd missed the sight of Dragon Spider launching a jolly ball at Gareth and Dark Heart. So, when the horse and his rider both ducked, it didn't occur to Lissa to duck as well. This resulted in a jolly ball square in the face, a loud pop from her nose, and blood suddenly gushing out of said nose. Before she had a chance to curse at the damn horse, and the two chickens who should have taken the hit, Lissa felt her body catch fire as she Shifted. The pain of shifting was nothing compared to the pain that had been in her nose but as soon as her form settled into that of the wolf the pain in her nose was gone.

Quite irritated at the mare, Shadowheart stalked up to the fence that Gareth was sitting on and raised up on her hind legs, resting her front paws and her head on Gareth's thigh. The low, nearly silent growl rumbled in the wolf's throat as she glared at the mare. Once she'd gotten her point across to the idiot mare, Shadowheart looked up at the man that her human half wanted to be her mate and whined softly. Her human half wanted very badly to come back out but as her clothes now lay in tatters on the floor she couldn't very well do so.

[Demeter]

(So fastforwarding time)

Autumn was coming on fast, Gareth thought as he leaned against one of the posts of his newly completed porch. Just a few more things, mostly punch out work, and he'd be able to move into his new house on the farm. The stables were mostly finished. At least, the exterior work was finished. The winter would consist of interior work on all of the stables. They were on track for their spring deadline.

And he was about to brave his first New England winter. He'd made damn sure that he had both a supply of wood and a working heating system. Storm was not pleased about the idea of actual snow appearing in the coming months. The cat had made it quite clear that he would be staying indoors during the winter.

Gareth shook his head. He would be indoors as much as possible, he'd assured the cat. Snow wasn't his friend either and he was glad that Winterbrook had an indoor arena. He was doubly glad that his own indoor ring would be heated once it was operational. When Lissa had learned of his aversion to snow, she'd just given him this look like he was insane. Then again, the girl complained about rain while he just smiled and went about his work.

Gareth looked out over his land and smiled. He could see Lissa, mounted on Serenity, riding towards the house. She'd only recently be able to ride the mare again and did so at every chance she got. He had, of course, over the past few months, taken her out on normal dates like movies and dinner and trips to various places that didn't require a plane or horse trailer. But they mostly just stayed in. She'd helped him with decided what colors to paint his walls and what style of stalls to use in the stables.

She'd wiggled his way into every part of his life and didn't seem to be willing to leave it. Not even after his mother had made a surprise visit and given the poor girl the third degree. He'd told her about Lani and the baby.

She was the second person to know about, besides Lani, of course. After he'd London to return home, he'd bunked out at Trey's for a few weeks before anyone even knew he was back. He'd threatened his uncle into keeping quiet. Not that Trey couldn't take him but he could only assume that the older man had seen something that kept his quiet. It wasn't Trey who knew but Uncle Lysander. He must have gone to London and learned about the whole thing. The vampire returned to Cedar Valley and, judging by the way the man had stormed up to him, had been intent on ripping him to shreds.

He'd spent those weeks between leaving London and that point being tossed around by yearling hellhorses being tamed to saddle and bridle. He'd gotten up every morning before dawn, did most of the everyday chores of a working stable and then climbed up onto one yearling after another. By the time Uncle Lysander had shown up at the farm, he'd had bruises on top of his bruises. He had strains and pulls and probably a few cracked ribs by that point but no one had been able to keep him from working himself in exhaustion.

Uncle Lysander had hauled him out of the exercise room and sat him down. The vampire had only asked one simple question and Gareth responded that yes, he had wanted the baby. Whatever drive that Uncle Lysander had to beat the living tar out of him had faded at that point. The man had bullied him into eating, sleeping and having a healer look him over. And that, Gareth thought as he watched Lissa untack Serenity and turn her into one of the front paddocks, had been that.

Lissa had comforted him after hearing about that episode and that's when Gareth knew that he loved her. He hadn't told her that yet and the ringbox sitting in his nightstand drawer was starting to burn a hole through the wood. But not just yet. He'd at least wait until he got the house finished and furnished before that.

When Lissa hopped up the steps, Gareth pushed away from the post and kissed her. "Hey, Lovely. How was school today? Did you resist the urge to throw things at idiot teachers?" he asked while leading her into the nearly completed house.

[Maira]

Being able to ride Serenity again was a total joy to Lissa. She had missed her mare terribly over the past couple of years. Journey was still her go-to horse for competitions at the moment, but only because Serenity and Lissa were still working out the kinks of their rekindled relationship. The mare still sometimes spooked at Lissa's presence, especially if Lissa had let Shadowheart out to run recently. The smell of wolf tended to linger, even after a shower, and no matter how hard she tried Lissa couldn't get the mare to work with her on those days.

It had been almost a week since the wolf had been out and so as soon as she'd gotten home from class, Lissa had dropped her school things off at the house and then bolted for the barn to brush and bridle Serenity. She patted Journey as she bypassed him on her way to the tack room to grab what she needed, then slipped him a treat on he way past him again as she made her way to Serenity's stall.

The pair had eventually slipped back into their old routines, once Gareth had worked with them enough that Serenity had gotten to the point she would allow Lissa near her again, and in no time at all Serenity's coat gleamed and Lissa was comfortably mounted bareback on the mare and they were following the trail that they had worn over to Gareth's farm.

Once she and Serenity came out of the trees separating the properties, Lissa could see Gareth standing on his newly completed front porch and she couldn't help but smile. They had been dating for quite some time now and unlike many other relationship she knew of, and the couple she'd experienced herself, every time she saw him she still got butterflies in her stomach. She knew she loved him, that she had for some time, but she hadn't told him yet and wasn't sure how to even go about it. She'd said it before to the other guys she'd dated, but those boys had been nothing like Gareth. There was something very special about him, and about their relationship. At this point she was mostly just waiting to see if he gave any indication that he felt the same way.

Once the girl and her mare reached the house, Lissa slipped down Serenity's side, tied her to the wooden post placed specifically for such a purpose, and then bounced up the steps and happily received the kiss that Gareth gave her before asking how her day was. She laughed and answered, "Yes, my professors remain unmaimed. Two of my classmates however got beaned with pennies today. I hate when they ask the dumbest questions over content that was covered not 5 minutes prior."

Just talking about her stupid classmates raised the hackles on the back of Lissa's neck, which in turn causd poor Serenity to jerk her head up from the grass and start sniffing the wind. In an instant, Lissa had poor Shadowheart shoved so far down that the wolf barely registered as the normal silent presence in her mind. Lissa let Gareth lead her into the house and she hoped that by the time she was ready to leave that Serenity wouldn't still be on alert.

It had been a couple days since Lissa had been over to the house to visit, Gareth had come and seen her at her little house on her parents' property. So, when she saw that some more walls had been painted in the colors she had helped pick out, Lissa couldn't help but bounce a bit and exclaim at how good they looked. "They're even better than I thought they would be in here Gareth!" It may not be her house, but Lissa had put a fair amount of her own sweat, time, and heart into the place and she really was happy to see it coming along. Plus, it was fun to pretend that maybe someday it -would- be her house. A girl could dream right?

[Demeter]

Gareth grinned at Lissa as she examined the wall colors. He waited until she calmed down before getting her attention. He had a question to ask her. Not the big one but a pretty good one all the same. He took her hand and led her over to the lawn chairs in what would be the living room - he still didn't have real furniture. "Got a question for you. Thanksgiving is coming up soon and I have been commanded to attend the family dinner this year. Livvy was sneaky and got herself excused before any of us others could ask."

He could see the confusion. "Ever since we became adults, only one person can be excused from thanksgiving dinner. Its kinda like a contest - who can be the first to convince Mom to let us miss dinner. The only other excuse is to be married or on another continent. We can get pretty creative but Livvy won this year. 

"Anyway, I was wondering if you would want to come along this year. It's at Carma's, you remember him don't you, mountain cabin. Though I really wouldn't call any place with 60 bedrooms on 200 acres of land a cabin," Gareth muttered. "Please say you'll come with me. If my mom sees me with a girl, she might stop wailing about never getting any grandchildren."

[Maira]

The words, "Got a question for you," nearly stopped Lissa's heart. Considering what she had been thinking about only moments before he'd spoken those words, Lissa's mind was a bit primed and when the question that followed wasn't the "big one" the let-down was a little rough. She was still a little off balance as she tried to listen to the rest of what Gareth had to say and she couldn't help but smirk at his mother's rule about Thanksgiving dinner.

When Gareth finally got around to actually asking a question, Lissa smiled and answered him after he stopped talking, "I already know your sisters and I've met your brother so its not like I'll be completely overwhelmed by people I don't know."

The look that crossed Gareth's face the, one of mixed surprise and worry, made Lissa laugh. "What are you worried about? It really can't be that bad right?"

[Demeter]

Gareth raised an eyebrow at Lissa. He'd told her about the "family" but she'd yet to meet anyone beyond his siblings and Uncle Trey. The entire time they'd been a couple, he'd been expecting her to run for the hills once she experience the Delorme effect. "Eh, it isn't just going to be my parents and my siblings."

She blinked at him and swallowed. "You see, the majority of the family not only lives on the west coast but they live in the same town. So, on holidays, everyone kinda gathers together. By whatever means necessary, everyone heads to Cedar Valley. To clarify, this is my mother's mother's family. The DeLorme side; you know...the one I told you about in Italy. There could easily be 100 people for Thanksgiving dinner."

Gareth pointedly stared up at the ceiling while waiting for Lissa's response.

***
Lissa's response had been remarkably surprising. Maybe she felt that having River, Tovah and Lily present would provide backup and reassurance if things got crazy. Which, Gareth mused as he turned their rental car onto the two mile long dirt road that led to Carma's cabin, happened often enough. He stared through the windshield at the car ahead of him. It contained Sebastian, River and Tovah. Lily and Shay were riding with him and Lissa. Behind their car, more turned onto the road.

Shay had already announced that it their parent's van was part of the convoy behind them. She'd also spotted Uncle Lysander's Mustang but that had been earlier when the man had ignored the rules of the road and sped past them on a empty stretch of highway.

He glanced at Lissa. "Not too late to back out, you know. We could dump the girls and make a run for it. Though, Shay the Tattler would probably tell mom that I had a girl with me and we'd be tracked down in no time."

When Lissa shook her head, Gareth sighed. In only a few minutes, they were pulling up to the grand cabin. Seconds later, he was introducing Lissa to his parents. That's when the front door of the cabin was pulled up and a blonde bullet was streaking out to jump on Sebastian.

Gareth stumbled over the introductions as Lani tackled Sebastian and squealed her brains out over River. Maybe Sebastian's subdued method of coming out would distract everyone from the tension. Surely everyone would remember how violently Gareth had refused his invitation to Lani's wedding.

[Maira]

Despite Gareth's obvious misgivings about going to his family's Thanksgiving dinner, Lissa was actually a little excited. She had listened to him try and convince her that his family was crazy and overwhelming and after meeting a few in Itally she fully believed him. But because he so obviously wanted to shelter her from them and not go himself, she had a feeling that he really needed to go and settle some sort of drama and if the only way to get him to do that, which would in the end be better for him, was for her to go along then she was happy to.

When a blonde haired woman bolted through the cabin door and almost flattened Gareth's twin, Lissa couldn't help but laugh. It didn't take an introduction for her to recognize the other woman as Lani, Gareth's step sister. Considering the history between the pair, maybe Lissa should have had a slight grudge against the other woman but she didn't. The loss of a baby, and with it the loss of love between them, just made Lissa feel sad for them both. It was an unfortunate situation and Lissa couldn't find fault with either of them. Of course, it wasn't her place to say it was anybody's fault anyway.

Once Sebastian had divested himself of Lani, the blonde woman's attention shifted to who their parents were talking to and Lissa saw the mix of hurt, happiness, and confusion flicker in the woman's eyes when the landed on Gareth and then Lissa herself. Gareth was as still as a deer in headlights beside her, so Lissa took it upon herself to make the introduction. She walked toward Lani, a warm smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, and held out her hand as she greeted the other woman, "Hi, I'm Lissa. Gareth has told me about his family, so I'm guessing that you must be Lani?"

After squeeing at Sebby over his new boyfriend, Lani had finally noticed Gareth. She had also noticed a girl standing with him that she could only assume was his girlfriend since very rarely did familing members subject non-romantic interests to the insanity of their extended family at the holidays. When Gareth froze, Lani noticed the girl's concern, and then immediately warmed to her when the girl stepped forward to do for herself what Gareth couldn't. At the girl Lissa's greeting, Lani smiled full force and ignored the outstretched hand and wrapped her in an embrace. "Thanks for coming with him," Lani told Lissa, her voice carrying just a hint of sadness.

Lissa stiffened momentarily in Lani's hug, and then returned it happily. If Lani, given her history with Gareth, could accept her so easily then Lissa was going to do her best to be friendly with her. She didn't miss the sadness in Lani's voice as she thanked her for coming with Gareth and when she pulled away from Lani, her own smile was slightly sad as she answered, "Family is important to him and if me being here helps him, then that's all the reason I need." Lani nodded at her, a sad smile of her own now on her face, before turning to pounce on other members of the family that were arriving now.

With Lani fluttering between the new arrivals, Lissa turned back to Gareth and smiled at him. He was staring at her, shock clear in his eyes. She was back at his side, slipping her arm through his and leading him into the house in only a moment. Once they were away from the others she assured him quietly, "I love you Gareth, she loved you and still does, we understand each other." He was still looking at her skeptically so she laughed softly and added, "If things go badly, cats are scared of canines. I'll save you from her." That finally caused a smirk to replace the concern on Gareth's face and he led Lissa further into the cabin to give her the grand tour.

[Demeter]

Carma leaned back against the counter in his kitchen, watching as his man showed off the custom brick grill on the back patio. Rune was like a proud new papa over his grill, Carma thought as his husband stoked the brickwork and Dominic pouted. "How come Dominic doesn't have a fancy grill?" He asked his companion.

Lysander didn't look up from chopping up a pile of herbs. "Dominic has a kiln. A very fancy, very pricy kiln. He bad to compromise somewhere. Are you going to help?"

Carma shook his head. "Nope, I only attempt cooking on birthdays and anniversaries. Want me to track Darius down? He'd be happy to help."

Lysander pointed his knife at Carma. "Don't you dare send that man in here."

"All right, I'll distract him with trashy romance novels if you tell me what's up with Gareth and Lani. I eat spies for breakfast yet haven't figured out those two yet and I know that you know something."

Lysander, tapping his knife against the palm of his hand, regarded Carma. "I do know what happened between those two but I was told in confidence and I'm not about to betray their trust in me. So, go ahead and send Darius in, let him do his worst but I still won't tell."

"All right, I suppose that since you are being a good dad and all, I'll keep Darius out. Just, is it anything dangerous?"

Lysander shook his head. "No, nothing bad but they still some unfinished business to work out. The longer this unresolved stuff festers, the worse its gonna get and this is the first time they've been near each other since he returned from England."

Carma groaned. "Well, that's going to be pleasant," he muttered while heading for the door. He stopped halfway there and turned to face Lysander. "Did you know about Sebastian?"

Lysander just grinned. Carma sighed.

***
Holding Lissa's hand, Gareth tugged her towards the small stable on the property. His reasons for heading towards the stables were twofold. The first being that Aunt Zhara's mare had had a colt earlier in the year and he wanted to get a good look at the demanding little emperor. And the other reason would be that the stables wouldn't smell like Lani.

He wouldn't keep catching nosefulls of her pregnancy hormone laden scent out here. He's hurried Lissa through the tour of what Carma called his little cabin (three wings, 30 bedrooms, with tennis courts and a pool did not, in Gareth's humble opinion, qualify as a 'little' cabin), smelling Lani the entire time. He didn't need the excited squeals of mothers, sisters, aunts and nieces, to tell him what his nose already knew. And it annoyed him.

The attention lavished on her made him twitch. The hearty handshakes and praise her mangy husband had received for being the father of Lani's first child had made little growls rumble in his chest. He'd wanted to shout that he was the father of Lani's first child; that it didn't matter that the baby had never been born. Even when faced with his growls and narrowed eyes, she hadn't said anything. As if that baby had been something to be ashamed of, Gareth thought.

For the sake of the Gods, they weren't blood siblings!

His female relations had nitpicked at him, first for his somewhat violent refusal of his invitation to Lani's nuptials and now for his refusal to congratulate the proud parents. The growls had grown in his chest with every glance and disappointed sigh until Lissa had shoved him from the room.

Thank the Gods for Lissa!

She'd shoved him outside before wrapping him up in a tight hug and pressed his nose against the curve of her neck. He'd held the young woman, her feet dangling off the ground, while filling his lungs with her clean, sweet scent. Then he'd dragged her off towards the stables when he'd spotted his mother heading towards them.

He didn't want to answer the questions he knew she had. Once at the stables, he'd watched the colt without really seeing him. "It hurts, you know, that she's never going to admit it. That she's apparently ashamed of what we shared and of that baby. She's never even told me why she won't say anything. She won't say way but expects me to keep my mouth shut."

Gareth sat in the grass and leaned against Lissa's leg. "It was my baby, too," he murmured.

[Maira]

She remained silent, unless spoken to directly, while meeting the rest of the family. Lissa could tell that Gareth really didn't want to socialize much and the reason became quickly apparent as she listened to the conversations between family members and overheard the congratulations to the expectant parents. When Gareth started growling, Lissa immediately shoved him out of the house and practically flung herself at him. She knew his feelings were still raw, and once she knew what was going on she too could smell what he did. She could only imagine the way that played on his emotions and memories.

Once he set her down, they made their way to the stables on the property and that helped ease tension that even Lissa had been feeling. Once they got to a new colt, Gareth just stared at the little beast so Lissa slipped in the paddock to give it the scratches and loves it was looking for. As she loved on the colt, Gareth started to talk and she slipped back out again to stand with him. When he sat in the grass, leaning against her leg, a few tears slipped down Lissa's cheeks. They had cried together over the lost baby plenty of times before but she didn't think now was the right time to do so again.

After her eyes were clear, she wiped her cheeks dry and settled into the grass next to him. She was quiet for a while, oblivious to the colt staring at them expecting more loves, before she told him, "I don't know her, but the hurt and sadness I saw in her tells me she's devastated, not ashamed. If she was ashamed there would have been guilt in her eyes and there was none of that." When Gareth didn't answer her right away, Lissa mumbled quietly, "Its just a thought," and then she leaned her head on his shoulder.

[Demeter]

Gareth didn't say anything. He just didn't know what to say. Even if Lani wasn't ashamed, it still hurt that she didn't say anything. He didn't like keeping this sort of thing a secret. It had been several years since his return to the States but the book had never really been closed on his time in Scotland and England. Instead of talking about the events and emotions that still confused and angered him, Gareth simply sat with Lissa. He remained there, back against the paddock posts, until it started to rain in typical Pacific Northwest fashion.

Once the light drizzle thickened to actual rain, he stood, pulling Lissa up with him and headed for the stable instead of the house. Rather then a loft, the stable boasted a spare stall for the storage of hay. It was easy enough to fire a text off to his brother, strip out of his clothing and let the wolf take over for the night. Things were less confusing for the wolf.

Later in the evening, Sebastian would check in on them, smile at the two wolves curled together and leave a cooler of food with a not that said Mom is pissed at your antisocial behavior.

***

It was Shay who was sent out in the morning to fetch her brother and his girlfriend. On order from her mother, she was to remind Gareth that this holiday was about family and being together, so he could just suck up his shitty attitude and haul his butt back to the house to be part of the family. As she trotted across the yard, Shay shook her head. Gareth only had a shitty attitude when Lani was the subject of attention. He may not have been the life of the party, she thought, because he was the oldest of the bunch and thought it was his job to take care of everyone but even at his most serious, his attitude was never this shitty. She wondered exactly what had happened with Lani when they'd both been overseas.

***

Gareth couldn't help but crack a smile, the first of the day, as he listened to Tovah rant about Rowan and his antics. She may have been just chopping veggies but he stayed out of her way while she slapped the blade of her knife against the cutting board. It seemed that all things Rowan irritated the young woman, even her apparent attraction to him.

Listening to her rant and to Lysander bossing people around had kept him distracted. Lysander had kept him in the kitchen, busy with simple tasks, ever since Mom and the Aunts had dragged Lissa off for a talk. He didn't envy her at all. He knew all about those talks.

And so he was kept happy until Lani and a bunch of their cousins wandered into the kitchen, all talking about the baby. Before he could even twitch, Lysander ordered him to go raid Carmine's liquor. Which is how he ended up sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner drunk.

He may not have been completely smashed but he'd spent a few hours brooding over a bottle of whiskey and the whole Lani's first baby thing. In later hours, he'd now that he was at fault for his own actions but at that very moment, he really didn't care.

There was a tradition in the family at Thanksgiving for each person to say what they were thankful for that year. Gareth waited until it was his turn before saying that he was thankful for Gavin Michael for teaching him that he wanted children in his life. Gareth saw the way Lani stiffened and he felt Lissa digging her nails into his thigh but everyone else was distracted by Saiyuri when she asked just who Gavin Michael was.

Gareth just grinned and turned to face Lani. "Yeah, Lani, why don't you tell Mom about Gavin. You know, our son who would have been her first grandchild?"

And then he sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, and listened to the chaos exploding around him.