Family Resemblance (NJ)

[Maira]

Rowan’s little nose crinkled up as he thought over what the man had said. He didn’t have a father. Looking once to his Uncle Tobin and then back to the man…Niko…Rowan smiled at him. The smile was one full of innocence, that innocence was betrayed in an instant when Rowan leapt off of Tobin’s lap and he grabbed one of Niko’s hands and bit it. His little fangs left two small spots of blood when he finally pulled away.

Seeing his handi-work on Niko's hand, Rowan took off running for the kitchen where the Dion-looking woman had gone. She has to be nice if she looked like Dion.

~~~~~

Dominic watched with baited breath as Nikolas explained to the little five year old just why they looked alike. While he watched, Dominic couldn't help but admire the man's guts. Telling a child something like that, not even knowing the child, was brave. Then when it seemed that Rowan was taking the news well, Dominic watched as the little fiery haird boy lunged at his father, latched onto his hand for a split second and then bolted for the kitchen.

~~~~~

Rowan didn't find the lady, and he didn't find his mother or Aunty Dion either. The kitchen was completely empty except for stuff he wasn't allowed to play with and so he eventually made his way back out to the livingroom. First he poked his head through the door, just enough to see if Niko was still out there. He was, he was sitting on the couch next to Uncle Tobin still. Hissing at the man from the doorway, Rowan then made his way back over to Uncle Tobin and clung onto his pant leg, just watching Niko.

~~~~~

Saiyuri could't figure out why Dion was smiling when she opened the door but when the woman spoke, she got a small smile herself. Finally something was happening that didn't involve either of them. Relaxing, Saiyuri slipped in through the cracked door and looked down at the woman that was her aunt. So strange having an even bigger family than she'd had yesterday...

Scooting herself up onto the counter that had the sink, Saiyuri asked Demeter softly, "I know its not my place but being somewhat in Rowan's position I have to ask, when exactly did you plan to tell Rowan who his father was? All my life, my father told me that Olivia was my mother. Just this morning I found out that wasn't true. What would you have told the little guy when his vampire powers kicked in? How could you have explained that without telling him who his father is?" She knew she was rambling, and getting a bit too personal, but Saiyuri was trying to be gentle and blunt at the same time, a very tricky thing to do.

[Demeter]

Demeter eyed the young woman sitting on the counter for a moment and then dropped her head forward. "I was waiting until he started showing signs of his vampire hertiage. I know that I probably should have said something to Nikolas sooner, like when I found, but I was scared. I've never gotten along with emotions and feelings. Nikolas and myself had never talked about children or any long term plans and Rowan just sorta happened. I've had time to deal with this and I'll admit I was a coward and things will probably be different now."

Demeter thumped her head against the tile wall and winced. "I think...that I can probably go out there and face him now. He'll want answers."

***

Dion nodded and ushered everyone out of the bathroom. As they were leaving, Demeter between the other two just to make sure that she didn't try to run again, Dion grinned and glanced back at her daughter. "So, now that you've seen a Custos, were-tiger, vampire child in action, do you think you can handle your own?"

***

Demeter rolled her eyes at her sister's back, glad that Dion couldn't see her. Demeter swallowed against the lump that had appeared in her throat and stepped into the living room to see Rowan clinging to Tobin's leg and staring at Nikolas. She looked towards Tobin and shook her head. "Do I even want to know?"

[Shinigami]

Niko had been watching Rowan carefully, ralaxing slightly as the boy tipped his head to the side. He smiled to himself, as that was a habit he was prone to, but he had let down a guard he didn't know he needed. He yelped and his son's little fangs caught his hand, out of surprise really, having gotten worse injuries from his brother and sister, who was now 6 herself and also a biter. Once the boy released him Nikolas was hoping to catch him, see if the bite was a playful one, but that was proven wrong quite fast as Rowan took of into the kitchen.

Nikolas rubbed his hand, hissing quietly in pain. Children's teeth were like puppy's: needle sharp and always gnawing. He shook his hand once or twice. He glanced up at Dominic and Tobin, putting on a smile, though it never quite reached his eyes - now grey and clouded. "The younger biters aren't so bad. It's when they get a bit older and learn to use their powers. The Keahi ones'll burn you if you're not careful."

He took a deep breath, the wound already starting to heal itself. He had his head down slightly, as if in defeat, when Demeter's voice startled him. He glanced over at her, then back to Tobin and Rowan, who seemed to be clinging quite hard as Tobin rubbed his back. Tobin had a worried look on his face, glancing from Demeter to Dion. He was antsy about how this part would would out, especially with Rowan there.

NIkolas stood, making a show of being a gentlemen and giving Dion and Dememter room to sit on the couch. He sat on the coffee table, making sure the tea tray was out of the way. He knew that wasn't a very guest-ish or polite thing to do, but he wanted to be able to face Demeter, and then Dominic and Saiyuri - which he has just remembered was his original intent in coming.

He took yet another deep breath, a sad smile on his face. "For starters, I think Rowan is quite upset with me. Dememter, we really need to talk..."

[Maira]

Saiyuri followed her mother and aunt back out tothe livingroom and when Dion turned to ask her if she thought she could handle a mixed child now that she'd seen Rowan, Saiyuri couldn't help but give a small shudder before answering. "Life will never be the same will it?" As she said this, she smiled though, showing she was up for the challenge.

When the trio finally made it back to the livingroom a very tense scene greeted them. Rowan was standing gripping Tobin's pant leg, eyeing Niko warily. Tobin was comforting the child, Niko looked rather sad, and poor Dominic just looked lost. This was his family now too, through Saiyuri, but he didn't feel he knew them well enough to see such intimate parts of the inner family workings just yet.

Saiyuri was torn whether to stand with her aunt and mother, giving Demeter support, or whether to go to her husband. In the end she gave Demeter's hand a squeeze as she passed, and she went to sit with Dominic. She cuddled up close to him and smiled and waved at Rowan, hoping to lift the child's spirits a bit.

Rowan saw the lady that looked like his Aunty Dion smile at him and he smiled back before turning his attention back to Niko. Then, hearing his mother's voice he turned and ran to her, wrapping her legs up with his little arms. Still clinging to his mother's legs, Rowan turned his head and stared at Niko some more, the man kept looking at him.

[Demeter]

Dion sidestepped Rowan, gave Nikolas a comforting pat on the shoulder and sat down next to Tobin. This was...tense. First the appearance of Saiyuri and now Nikolas's, and the rest of them, discovering that he was a father in one of the harshest ways possible. Dion glanced at Tobin and smirked. "I think we should be thankful that we have found all of my children," whispered into his ear and settled her head on his shoulder.

***

Demeter smiled at Saiyuri and wobbled a bit as Rowan attached himself to her legs. She reached down, unhooked her sons arms and picked him up. Once she had settled Rowan on her hip and muttered something about not being able to pick him up much longer. She walked over to the couch and sat down in the only free spot; the one right across from Nikolas. She sat Rowan down on her lap and wrapped one arm around him in the hopes of keeping him put.

Demeter grimaced at what Nikolas said and sighed. "I know, we really need to talk," she said and glanced at the young couple over on the loveseat. "Maybe after we talk, I'm assuming that we are here for the same purpose, to Saiyuri and her husband?"

[Shinigami]

Tobin smirked, just barely holding in the chuckle that Dion's comment made bubble up. He wrapped his arms around her as he sighed, eyes settling on the scene. He knew Nikolas wasn't going to be happy, and it was going to show. He wasn't one to hide emotions, whether large or small, and these were some big invovled emotions. As he heard Demeter's attempt to postpone the talk he inwardly winced. This was going to be interesting.

***

Nikolas watched as Demeter sat infront of him, Rowan in her lap. He had a slight wistful smile on his face as he looked at Rowan for a second. As he heard Demeter talk his eyes trailed up to hers, and eyebrow twitching slightly as he heard Demeter's attempt to postpone their talk. He took a deep breath, staying silent for a moment, his eyes looks quite green as he fought to keep himself calm. He could either yell, or some close to tears, he wasn't sure which was going to come forth, but he saw Demeter's point. They had been called there to help Dominic and Saiyuri work through pregnancy and posible baby problems.

Nikolas closed his eyes for a second before a sigh escaped, nodded to Demeter. Opening his eyes again, he spoke, pointing at her. "Very well, but you're not allowed to leave here until I talk with you. And I'm quite fast, so not running." The last part was his heart trying to throw in a joke, longing not to hurt Demeter's feelings.

He spun around on the table to face the young, and seemingly happy couple. He smiled, his bad mood looking as though it just vanished. "So, I hear there could be possible Keahi questions. Yes?"

[Maira]

Saiyuri and Dominic were both starting to squirm a bit at the tension in the room between Nikolas and Demeter. When Demeter tried to postpone talking with Nikolas about Rowan, and likely other things, Saiyuri nearly blurted out, "We can come back later," but Dominic stopped her.

In the brief silence that followed Saiyuri watched Rowan, seeing how the boy was taking all this. As each of his parents talked, he looked between them, likely trying to figure out just what was going on. Poor kid, she thought, at least she'd been old enough to come to terms with the revelation and understand what was going on. Rowan was just five. As she watched him, Saiyuri's hand trailed to her belly again and a small smile of contentment tickled the corners of her mouth. When Nikolas spun to face them, Saiyuri was still watching Rowan, who was now looking at her, and only Niko's voice brought her attention to him.

Dominic had been watching the conversation and so when Nikolas turned to talk to them, he met the man's eyes, and question, with a steady gaze. Looking once to Saiyuri and then back to Nikolas, Dominic said plainly, "Well initially, we didn't really have questions about my Keahi heritage, we didn't know any better. The reason Saiyuri came here today was more to find out what's going on with her that only her mother would understand." Then with a bit of a smile, he added, "But since you're here and offering, and neither of us know a thing about Keahi children, tell us anything you think we need to know."

[Shinigami]

Nikolas' smile widened as he listened to Dominic, amused by the last sentance. He cocked his head to the side, not even noticing really. "Well, there's quite a lot you'll need to know, but most of that is just learning what it's like to be parents for the first time, which you'll learn as you go. Keahi children - well, vampire children in general - have a habit to bite. As you noticed." He held up his hand, the wound now just looking like two small red welts on his hand. "But you should be glad to hear they aren't born with the ability to use any of their powers. Infact, Rowan isn't even of age to start using them yet. And he'll grown into them slowly, so you don't have to worry about things being lit on fire in your house for quite a while."

He paused for a moment, letting what he said sink in for a moment before going on, "Keahi are also very full of energy, so be prepaired to run ragged once they learn to walk, which they'll do faster that human children. And you might want to invest in blankets. Keahi like to be warm, warmer than most people in general due to their powers. Since Dominic has a night job, it would be best for him to deal with the brunt of the daily temper tantrums. Once they get their powers they can burn you when upset." He gaze was on Saiyuri, a warning to be warry of her child's temper. Dominic would be less likely to be injured, being Keahi himself.

He leaned back slightly and took a deep breath. "The only other major problem I can think of is that Saiyuri is going to have bouts of hot flashes, but they shouldn't be too bad with the other mixes of blood to keep them in check. Though, there are things dealing with being a vampire in general that you have to think about." His gaze flickered to Dominic, addressing him directly. "Right now, you are considered a rogue Keahi, and the Keahi line doesn't look kindly on rogues, like the one who turned you. You're child will be a rogue as well, as is mine."

His eyes momentarilly flicking toward Demeter and Rowan before returning. "Normally you'd have to go see the Keahi council members, but as Bryce's son I can more than stand in. My father trusts me to keep an eye on things. I just have to record where you live, that you bitten, that you can control your powers, all that boring stuff." Nikolas had actually rolled his eyes during the end part of that. "The council likes to keep a tight leash on us, being that our power can be chaotic if you can't control it."

[Maira]

Dominic and Saiyuri both listened carefully as Nikolas talked, Saiyuri's attention a bit divided as she kept looking at Rowan who was staring at Niko's back. Both were a little unnerved by some of the things he said, but both were also greatly relieved. Just knowing what they were going to be coming up against was a relief. Not to mention knowing the child wouldn't have access to Fire until it was at least older than Rowan.

When Niko started speaking directly to Dominic about his Keahi standing, Dominic blinked confused. "Honestly Nikolas, I had no idea I needed to register myself. The woman who bit me didn't really have time to explain before I kicked her out..." He felt somewhat foolish now, as he had many times, for not taking advantage of having her around to teach him about his heritage. Struggling to control his Fire on his own had been the biggest trial of his life.

While everybody was distracted by the conversation between Niko, Dominic, and Saiyuri, Rowan climbed down off of his mother's lap. He looked up at her only once before taking the two steps around to his father's side. Niko was quite involved in the discussion, listening to Dominic at the moment and so Rowan took advantage of it. Lifting the man's arm, he then proceeded to crawl up into his lap and look at him.

He'd listened to the man talk and Rowan had decided that he wasn't a bad man. He didn't know him but he seemed to want to, even a five year old could see that. Rowan squirmed just a bit to get comfortable, pulling his knees up to his chin as he sat sideways on Niko's lap.

As Saiyuri's attention had been flickering between the father and the son anyway, she saw the boy climb off his mother's lap. Curious as to what he'd do, she watched as he looked at Demeter for reassurance she thought, then make his way over to Niko's side and climb up into the man's lap. Once the boy was comfortable Saiyuri raised her eyes to Nikolas's face to see his reaction, now sparing glances Demeter's way as well.

[Shinigami]

Nikolas smiled at Dominic, "Most would react that way to be bitten, that's why they try to keep track of us. It's not a big..." Nikolas blinked, leaving off the end of his sentance as he felt a small hand lifting his arm. He glanced down to see Rowan climbing into his lap and making himself comfortable. He smiled, and placed a hand on the boy's back. He was in shock, but a pleasant shock as he smiled at his son. He glanced at Demeter briefly before he remembered he had been in the middle of speaking to Dominic.

Nikolas turned his attention back to Dominic. "Uh, sorry. As I was saying, its not a big deal if you didn't 'register'. They won't get angry if I explain the circumstances." His attention was back on Rowan for a bit, smiling at his son, sliding his arm around him fully as he watches the boy in his lap. Tobin was smiling at the two, happy that Rowan came around and showed an interest in getting closer to Nikolas, in a nice way. His arms tightened around Dion as the room was silent.

Nikolas turned to look at Demeter. "My father is going to want to see Rowan. He is his first grandchild, after all."

[Demeter]

Demeter slumped back against the couch, clutching Rowan to her chest, as if he was a sheild, and nodded to Nikolas. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get away after this little dicussion. Nikolas knew, it was hard not to, that he had fathered a child. She was sure there where many questions for her from him.

Once Nikolas raised his hand and showed off the two small puncture wounds, Demeter growled and lightly cuffed her son on the shoulder. They'd had the talk about biting random people. Family was fine, as they probably deserved it for something but strangers, or unknown fathers in this case, were strictly off limits. Demeter swallowed as Nikolas mentioned the rouge thing and leaned back against the couch cushions. "Sorry," she mumbled as Rowan started to squirm back and forth in order to get away from her.

Demeter tried to keep a hold on her son but Rowan proved to be just to slippery and got away from her. Demeter watched as Rowan looked from her to Nikolas and gave a small nod. The boy was curious about Nikolas; that was just his nature. She watched, her throat tightening, as Rowan clambered up into Nikolas' lap and sat there. "I...suppose...that meeting this other half of his family would be a good thing," she choked out and looked towards the ceiling.

[Maira]

The sight of Nikolas holding Rowan so tenderly was enough to make Dominic tighten his arm around his wife's shoulders in a loving embrace. Saiyuri, feeling Dominic's one armed hug, finally tore her eyes from the little boy and his father to look at him. "Dominic," she whispered softly before leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes contently. Not for the first time she wished that he possesed the mindspeaking ability that her Pard heritage had given her. In big gatherings like this when she had so much she was feeling but couldn't tell him, Saiyuri wanted nothing more than to drag him aside and tell him. Instead, she sat there quietly watching Niko, Rowan and Demeter.

~~~~~

Again, Rowan was looking from one parent to the other trying to figure out what was going on. As the silence dragged the boy gave up and snuggled in closer. The longer he sat on his father's lap however the sleepier he got. He'd had dinner not long ago and his father was very warm, the perfect combination to get the rambunctious boy to drift off to sleep.

[Shinigami]

Tobin's eyes scanned over the occupants of the room, one by one, as he leaned his head against Dion's. There was a content smile on his face. It seemed as though Dominic and Saiyuri had relaxed, and they looked like such a good couple, and Rowan had certainly warmed up to his father, appearing to be fast asleep in his newly found father's lap. Dipping his head down to his wife's ear, he whispered. "I have a good feeling about all this. What do you think?"

***

Nikolas smiled down at Rowan as he snuggled closer to him, most likely finding him warm, as his skin, like most Keahi, was much warmer than normal. It was like having a perpetual mild fever, only without all the other bothersome things that come along with it, such as actual illness. As his one arm was the one wrapped now securely around his son's back, he used his other to reach around behind him, for the tea. He tried to keep from turning his body and disturbing Rowan, so Niko was left to blindly feel around for the sugar, a cup, and the tea pot. He managed to collect them all next to him and prepare his tea in just a little more time than usual.

He frowned as he felt the cup and saw that it was without the steam that hot tea lets off. The tea had cooled during the commotion and talk, but he shrugged it off, setting the cup on his knee as his hand warmed further, heating the cup. Soon Niko smiled as steam rose from the cup, sipping at his now hot tea.

[Demeter]

Dion smiled up at Tobin and nodded. The two newcomers to the family had calmed down considerably. Demeter, while more then likely still being nervous about this whole situation, was watching his son and his father with a dreamy smile on her face. Rowan wasn't bitting anyone. Nothing had been killed.

She'd been about to comment about something, mostly likely about having Nikolas heat up her tea as well (what good were friends if you didn't make use of them every once in a while?) when the front door creaked open and then slammed shut. She cringed and jumped along with Demeter.

***

Oberon barely glanced at the line of cars in the driveway to his mother house as he pounded up the walkway. He barely glanced at the collection of dead and dying plants in the gardens. He pushed the door open, momentaily stunned by the amount of shoes in the entryway, and slammed it shut. He moved forward and walked into the living room. He was stopped by the sight of all the people crowded into the living room.

Oberon forgot his surprise at the sight of all the people when he spotted his mother curled up against Tobin. "Okay, would someone please explain to me why I just killed off all the fish in my salt water tank?"

After speaking, Oberon lean ed against the wall, stared at his mother and waited.

[Maira]

Saiyuri and Dominic both jumped at the slamming of the front door. Turning they saw a very angry looking man, standing in the entryway glaring at the people sitting in the livingroom. In particular he was glaring at Dion. A nagging feeling told Saiyuri that this would be Dion's other 'missing' child, the first new sibling that she had the chance to meet.

~~~~~

Rowan had been playing at the lake that his mother had taken him to the previous summer and chasing one of the kids he'd come to know in the past few hours. He had just jumped off the dock when a loud noise scared him outta his mind. Instead of landing in the water, he landed on some strange man's lap.

Scared from the noise, being woken from a dream, and being faced with a stranger right upon waking Rowan panicked. The man was holding him securely and the poor little guy tried to squirm away but the man wouldn't let go. Finally, not knowing what else to do, Rowan latched onto the man's arm. His fangs, though still small, sunk in as far as they could go and he just kept biting harder trying to get the man to let him go.

~~~~~

Being the closest to Rowan and Nikolas, Saiyuri was the first to react to get the child off of his father. She reached out and flicked his ear (like she had done so many times with her younger Pard siblings), startling him into letting go, before grabbing him and holding him out at arm's length just in case he turned on her.

Rowan hissed and squirmed even more when he was picked up from behind and tried kicking out at his captor, only succeeding in kicking Niko in the kneecap. That actually hurt his foot so he stopped straining. Once he did, once the panic had passed, Rowan knew he'd done something very bad. A weak, "Sorry Niko," escaped his mouth before he started to whimper and sniffle.

Saiyuri could feel the difference in the boy's mood through the way he held his body. When he slumped in shame and started to whimper she pulled the boy in close to her and shushed him, whispering soft assurances to him.

With a scared, sad little five year old clinging to her, Saiyuri got up from the loveseat she shared with Dominic and walked past the new arrival. As she passed, she said not too sweetly, "Nice to meet you brother, but next time don't slam doors if you don't know there's a little one in the house." Just as she was about to enter the kitchen she added, "And your fish died because of your lovely temper!"

~~~~~

Dominic watched his wife with Rowan and couldn't help but be impressed. She'd told him that she'd practically raised her younger siblings but he honestly had never seen her in action with children. Sure she was going to be a pediatric nurse and all, but he'd honestly had no clue she had that good of a way with the knee-highs.

He smiled at her proudly as she first pried the boy off of Niko and then comforted him when he realized what he'd done. Then when she got up, the child still in her arms, he was about to follow until she said something to the new arrival that made the man's face go dark. When she reached the kitchen he actually heard what she growled at the still glaring man and he just wanted to hide. Nobody had ever said Saiyuri was the mild-mannered type.

Instead of hiding, Dominic got up from where he was sitting, and beckoned to Nikolas saying, "Come on, lets go get that cleaned up. I know we heal fast but that one is deep." He waited till the older man got up and made to follow him to the kitchen before Dominic bolted (as calmly as he could muster) into the kitchen.

[Shinigami]

Tobin had jumped along with the others as the door slammed, but he had recognized the voice that followed and relaxed quickly. He really had to make it clear that there was no more door slamming allowed. He scowled to himself slightly before the commotion Rowan started caught his eye. He blinked in surprise as the boy jolted, struggled and bit his father once again. He winced at Nikolas's yelp, thinking to himself. 'Now -that- had to hurt.'

***

Nikolas flinched when the door slammed, immediately setting out to keep his tea from sloshing over the edge of the cup, but the now struggling boy in his lap made his task difficult. He didn't want Rowan to fall from his lapp during the struggle so he held tight, quickly finding that might not have been the best thing to do. He let out a yelp of surprise and pain as Rowan's needle like teeth sunk into the hand that was holding him. He loosened his grip lightly, but Rowan's jaws clamped a little tighter. He winced, and glanced up as he felt Rowan being pryed away.

Nikolas gave a slight smile of gratitude when he saw Saiyuri helping to pry Rowan off and calm him. As the teeth left his hand he pulled it back against his chest, a habit one often has with a wound. He glanced at his hand, the bite mark just below his thumb, and bleeding quite steadily still. He had just enough time to notice that he had almost a full impression of Rowan's teeth on his hand when he heard his son's muttered voice, just making out the apology. His heart sank as he glanced up and watched Saiyuri comforting the sniffling little boy, continuing to watch as Saiyuri stood to take the boy into the kitchen.

Nikolas glanced at Demeter momentarily, missing Saiyuri's snapped remark to the man now standing in the hallway. His attention was quickly drawn back around to Dominic as he spoke of cleaning up the bite on his hand. Niko nodded slightly and was glad to see Dominic meant to lead him into the kitchen. He wished to let poor Rowan know that he wasn't angry with him. He stood, following Dominic, who was obviously fleeing from the livingroom, given his fast pace.

Nikolas smiled as he entered the kitchen, spotting Rowan sitting up on the counter with Saiyuri at his side. He immediately walked over to the boy, making sure his demeanor was gentle. "Hey there, little guy..."

[Demeter]

Dion groaned as Oberon's arrival sent the occupants of the living room into a frenzy. Everyone jumped and little Rowan clamped down on Niko's hand. Dion sat up and covered her face with a hand. She peeked out between her fingers to see Saiyuri calming Rowan down, Nikolas looked down at his bleeding hand, and Demeter rubbing her knee while glaring at her nephew. Dion sat up and felt her temper snap for the first time. "Oh, Very good, Oberon," she growled as more then half the occupants dashed out of the room.

***

Demeter growled at Oberon while she rubbed at her knees. After the first shock of seeing Rowan latch onto Nikolas and not let go, Demeter had moved to pry the two apart but she'd slammed her knees into the coffee table. After regaining feeling in her knees, Demeter left the room, snarling at Oberon on her way out. Her temper, like her sisters, was getting just a little frayed.

In the kitchen, Demeter composed herself and crossed over to her son. Knowing that Rowan had bittne because he was startled, Demeter leaned against the counter where Rowan had been plopped and picked him up. As she nuzzled the little boy and stroked his soft hair, Demeter thanked Saiyuri and turned to Nikolas, Rowan clinging to her. "Sorry about that, he..uh...bites when startled."

Demeter turned back to Rowan as he sniffled and hoisted him up higher on her hip. "It's okay, baby."

***

Dion pushed herself off the couch and crossed over to Oberon. She grabbed him by the ear, forgetting that he was a man grown, and pulled him towards the stairs. Once she had him in one of the spare bedrooms, she turned on him. "I'll give you the fact that you just killed your fish but did you ever think about knocking? What if I'd had been dancing around naked?"

Oberon winced and rubbed at his now sore ear. "Well, excuse me for being more then a little shocked that several hundred dollas worth of fish just went belly up. I'd like to know just how that happened, mother. And thank you for that image! And what was that about a sister? Did you leave any more children?"

Dion groaned and leaned towards the wall, arm braced againts the wall and her head resting on her arm. This was the difference between her two missing children. Oberon had always known that she existed while Saiyuri had believed another woman was her birthchild. Oberon had heard uncomplementary stories about her while Saiyuri had only heard the basics. "You, just stay here until I get everything cleared up and yes, you have an older sister," Dion left the spare room on that note, fighting her tempatation to not slam the door behind her.

Dion speedwalked down the stairs and straight into the living room. She kneeled down on the couch and pressed her face into Tobin's chest. "Please, just kill me now."

[Maira]

Saiyuri had walked herself and Rowan over to the counter by the sink so she could wipe his face with a cool paper towel. Once he'd mostly stopped sniffling and his face wasn't as red from emotion, she was about to pick him back up when Niko's voice caught her's and Rowan's attention.

Rowan looked at his father and if it hadn't been for the man's gentle tone, he likely would have started crying again. "I'm sorry Niko," he said again, this time a little louder than before. He didn't have a chance to hold out his arms to the man, strangely Niko was very comforting for Rowan, before his mother came into the kitchen.

When his mother picked him up, Rowan wilted into her. "Sorry Mama, sorry," he kept repeating. She always told him not to bite and most the time that he disobeyed her it was conciously (though not maliciously). Whenever he bit unintentionally Rowan always had a guilty conscience, he didn't like accidentally hurting people.

~~~~~

Saiyuri watched Demeter with Rowan for only a minute before she heard dripping. Looking at the sink she saw that wasn't the sound. Looking at Nikolas, as the noise seemed to be coming from his direction, she quickly found the source of the dripping. Gasping in surprise at the amount of blood Nikolas was still loosing, she grabbed his wrist and his other hand, pressing the fingers from the good hand into a pressure point to stop the flow of blood. "You may be a vampire Niko but you don't heal instantly," she said as lightly as she could. As soon as she was sure he would hold pressure on the wound himself, Saiyuri withdrew to Dominic's side, leaving the newly united family to themselves.

[Shinigami]

Tobin sighed as he was left to sit on the couch by himself. He stayed there, however, leaving those in the kitchen alone, and hopfully they would have the time and the silence to work out whatever else needed working out. Tobin stayed seated at the couch because he knew his wife would be back down momentarily, and she'd be upset. He heard the footsteps on the stairs and soon enough had Dion next to him on the couch with her head against his chest.

Tobin wrapped his arms around Dion, running his hands over her back as he chuckled lightly at her comment. Drawing his hands up, his placed them on Dion's face, tilting it up to meet his own. He placed a chasted but lingering kiss on her lips before smiling down at her. "You know, that almost fits within the confines of my job description, being an Angel of Mercy." He looked a little more serious now. "Though, I am worried. I understand Saiyuri spontainously killing things, but Oberon too? Something is off."

***

Nikolas blinked as Saiyuri took hold of his arm. He had been just about to reassure Rowan when his hand had been accosted. He glanced at the floor, which now was adorned with a few droplets of his blood. He was visibly shocked, not having thought the bite was that bad, but he turned hi hand over (once it had been given back to him) and noticed that Rowan's tooth had nicked a vein. He sighed, grabbing a handfull of paper towels quickly, pressing them to the bite mark to ease the bleeding as it healed itself. "I.. I usually heal faster than this, but it'll be fine"

Nikolas glanced over at Demeter and Rowan, taking a step toward them. He released his wounded hand, keeping the pressure on it by pressing up against his chest, his other hand now free to settle on Rowan's back. He rubbed the boy's back reassuringly, giving him a gentle smile. "It's okay, Rowan. I'm not mad, and I'll be fine. I heal fast." He paused, glancing from Rowan to Demeter and back. "I know you didn't mean it."

Nikolas pulled his hand away from his chest, removing the paper towel and smiling. The palm side of his hand had light bruising around the bite because of the nicked vein, but the bite itself was just a series of welts now. He held up his hand to show Rowan. "See? Look at that, I'm almost healed already." He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair a little.

[Demeter]

Dion gave Tobin a tired smile and rested her chin on his shoulder. "The only thing that could be setting Oberon off is stress. He's more his father's child then mine though for it to start appearing now is odd. Earlier he said that everything was fine," Dion wrapped an arm around Tobin and sighed. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take tonight. First what happened at work with that guy who would just not quit and now this," Dion said, referring to the child killer who just refused to die no matter how many bolts she fired off from her favored compound bow. "Oh, and there is that. Exactly how am I going to tell Saiyuri what her mother does for a living."

Dion gave a low whine and dropped her forehead against Tobin's shoulder. "I have a headache. Can I go lay down in a dark room yet?"

***

In the kitchen, Demeter watched from under lashes as Nikolas attempted to calm Rowan down. She nudged the boys head with her shoulder. "See," she whispered, "its almost all better. This isn't like all those other times. He heals faster then most people."

Demeter hoisted Rowan back up as he starte to slip back down and walked over to the booth surround the kitchen table. She eased herself down and rearranged Rowan. Demeter looked back up at Nikolas. "I am sorry...for everything," she sighed and then pressed a kiss to the top of Rowan's head. "You okay, little man?"

***

Oberon paced the length of the spare bedroom and glared at the closed bedroom door. He wanted some answers and the door wasn't going to give him any. Now that he'd had a chance to cool off some, he realized that his appearance had started several. The little guy, Rowan, had sunk his fangs into that one guys hand. Oberon winced; he'd had his own encounter with Rowan.

But he still wanted some answers. His father hadn't been able to help him when he'd called; slightly panicked about the fish he just seemingly offed. He'd worked himself into a temper on the drive over to his mother's house and he wanted those answers to why he'd killed his fish when Sara had told him that she'd thought about getting back together with Scott.