The phone once again pulled Zaira from unconsciousness. She sat up to take in her surroundings and a half dozen stuffies fell off her torso. Callie babbled a complaint. Zaira had passed out in the playpen. And it looked to her like Callie had taken the opportunity to stack all the stuffies available to her on top of her mom. There were a couple of dozen still left on her legs.

The phone rang again. Right. Zaira stood up. And Callie cried.

“I’m sorry.” Zaira scooped the girl up. “But someone is trying to reach us.”

She looked at the phone number this time. Not that it mattered, she hadn’t paid attention when Arthur called so she couldn’t confirm it was him. The Rosses only had a landline. She didn’t know the number, Hannah always just walked over. She picked up the phone crossing her fingers that it wasn’t Arthur.

“Hello.”

“Hi. Is this Zaira?”

Zaira smiled. “Hi, Julian. How’s your dad? How did the reunion go?”

“They were so happy to see me.”

“I told you.”

“Yes. And Dad’s doing so much better. The doctors want to keep him at the hospital for treatment for about another week, then he’ll be an outpatient for a couple of months.”

“So, everything on track?”

“Yeah, though Dad thinks he’ll be able to leave sooner.”

Zaira rolled her eyes. “He better stay there until discharged or I’ll drag him back there.”

Julian laughed. “I’ll help.”

“So um, did you tell them?”

“Yeah… Mom didn’t care at all.”

Zaira smiled. “And your dad?”

“He, he’ll get used to it I guess.”

“He will,” Zaira assured him. “You also have grandkids to bribe him with.” She joked.

Julian snorted. “Yeah. You have kids too, right?”

“Just the one, Callie. A little young to play with yours.”

“I can hear her whining.”

“Yeah, I had to topple her tower of stuffies to come to the phone. She isn’t pleased.”

Julian laughed. “I know the feeling. My eldest actually loves to play with babies. My youngest is a little rough and tumble tough.”

“Jordan’s eight and Luke is five, right?”

“I guess my parents told you about them.”

“Your mom loves to talk.”

“Yeah, she does. Are you able to come back to the hospital today?”

“Yep. What’s up? Do they need anything from home?”

“No, Dad just wants to talk to you.”

“Oh.”

“He says he owes you an apology.”

“Um, right, ok. I’ll be there in a few hours.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you then.”

“See you later.”

She ended the call and returned her attention to her unhappy baby. “I know.” She kissed Callie. “I’m so mean. Come, we have time to build another pile.”

This time she made sure she wasn’t the base of the structure.

The pile was a slow build as Callie seemed to have precise plans for every stuffy. Zaira enjoyed watching the little girl’s mind work as she piled the stuffies into an unsteady pile. To be honest, pile was a generous word. Accumulation maybe? It was only two stuffies tall at the highest points.

She heard a knock on the door. What was it now? She threw her glamours up and made her way to the door. Detective Constable Brown could be seen through the window.

“Detective Brown. How can I help you?” Zaira opened the door and stepped aside.

“Thank you,” He stepped in. “We collected quite a few prints from around the Rosses’ garage and house. We are assuming some of them are yours but have nothing to compare them to. I was sent to collect your prints.” He shrugged, “We should have done it during our first interview honestly.”

“Of course.” She waved him to the dining room table. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, that’s ok. It won’t take long.”

They sat at the table and Detective Brown pulled out his materials. He spotted Callie as he did so and waved to her. “Hi, sweetie.”

Callie barely looked in his direction, she was still concentrating on her pile.

Zaira let the Detective do his work and one of her hands was printed in silence.

“I don’t assume you can tell me anything about the case?” She asked as he pressed her second thumb down on the paper.

“No mam.”

“That’s what I thought. Thank you anyways.”

He nodded and did a couple more fingers.

“We heard your conversation with Arthur. Any comments on that?”

“He’s a fucking asshole. I think he’s just trying to share the blame. As I said, we’ve never really gotten along.” She couldn’t mention the pukwudgie of course. In its case, there were no non-human prisons on this continent. It was reform or die.

“Fair enough.” He said as he finished up. “That’s it. You are good to wash your hands.”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

They both stood and Zaira went to the sink to wash off. It took some scrubbing to be able to all the ink off. The detective went to talk to Callie. He cooed at her and watched her play.

“Do you have any kids?” Zaira asked as she dried her hands.

“My wife and I are expecting our first.”

“Congratulations.” She led him to the door. “Have a good day Detective.”

“You too, Zaira. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Smiled and closed the door behind him.

Just as she let go of the knob, she heard a squeal. She spun to see Callie had set the floor on fire. The baby was giggling at the sight.

Zaira grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the small fire out quickly. Callie immediately started crying.

“You can’t set the house on fire, I’m sorry.” Zaira picked her daughter up. “Come on, let’s get ready to see Hannah and Ryan.”

----------------------------------------

“Hi, Bean!” Hannah cooed at Callie when she saw them cross the room’s threshold.

“Bean?” Zaira asked as she handed the baby off.

Hannah smiled and kissed the little girl before answering. “I don’t know, it just came to mind. Yeah, you are a sweet little bean.” Hannah bounced the girl on her lap.

“Well, the sweet little bean just set the floor on fire at home for her enjoyment.” Zaira took out a portable fire extinguisher from her pack.

That drew Ryan’s attention as well. He had been awake when she came in but hadn’t looked up. Now he was frowning at Zaira.

“Um, what?” Hannah looked at Zaira wide-eyed.

“Looks like she might be a firebug.” Zaira showed the extinguisher to Hannah and placed it nearby.

“Is that normal?”

“Witches don’t really start to learn to control their magic or understand its consequences until they are a young child. We’ve got a few years of surprise magic to look forward to. I’ll get you some fire extinguishers and pay for any damage if you are still ok with having her at your place.”

“Of course, I still want her over!” Hannah exclaimed. She bounced the baby, who giggled. “I guess we’ll need a safety briefing.”

“Where’s Julian?”

“He went home. He’s going to be bringing Jordan and Luke over after school!” Hannah practically squealed.

Ryan smiled at the reminder.

“Amazing!” Zaira pulled Hannah into a one-armed hug.

“I know!” Hannah bounced. “I got them some toys at the toy store down the road.”

Hannah went to get a plastic bag off the floor. She sat Callie in her chair and started pulling an assortment of trucks and dinosaurs out of the bag. Zaira smirked.

“That’s a lot of toys.”

“Yeah, I figured we would keep them with us so the boys would have something to play with when they come over.”

“That makes sense.”

“Oh, and of course, I couldn’t forget this little one.”

Hannah pulled out a purple bunny from the bag and showed Callie. The girl knew that was now hers she immediately reached out for it and squeezed it tightly gripping the soft fur in her fists.

“Thank you, Hannah.” Zaira moved closer to pluck the price tag of the bunny so Callie wouldn’t chew on it. “One more to add to the pile right Callie?”

“Pile?”

“She spent the whole morning gathering her stuffies into a pile on the floor.”

“Does she walk?”

“No, she pulls them along as she crawls.”

“Cute,” Hannah said as she watched the baby cuddle the bunny. “Dear?”

“Mmm?”

“Julian said you were gay?”

“Oh yeah… I may have told him I come out to you. I figured if you could deal with a demon as your neighbor, you could deal with a gay son.”

Hannah laughed and pulled Zaira into a hug. “Thank you so much for telling him to talk to us.”

“Yes, thank you.” Ryan echoed softly.

She smiled at both of them. “Oh, you’re welcome.”

“That’ll be an interesting correction for Julian later.” Hannah joked.

Zaira scratched the back of her head. “I mean, I’m not straight.” Wouldn’t be that much of a correction.

“Oh.”

“I suppose that’s pretty normal for a demon.”

Zaira ignored the mumbled comment from Ryan for a moment so she could finish her thought.

“I’m more concerned about letting Julian know about the whole demon thing if he starts being around regularly. I’m going to especially have a hard time hiding Callie’s magic.” She turned from Hannah to Ryan. “If you must know, sexual orientation does fluctuate in percentage between species. Witches have one of the highest percentages of same-sex attraction than any other species and, as far as I know, my species’ percentages roughly mirror humans’. And the only type of sexual activity that is a sin is one that is non-consensual. If I need to sick Rushka on you again to drill that into your head, I will.”

Ryan’s mouth was agape. Zaira had never been one to push back, but she’d found her footing, and from now on she vowed to stand up for what she believed in.

“And for that matter. My being alive and a demon isn’t a sin either.”

Ryan closed his mouth and nodded. “Rushka explained that last part to us after you left… I’ll admit, it’s difficult to…”

“Relearn what was taught to you all your life?” Zaira asked after the silence had stretched for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Ryan nodded.

“I understand. I’m very willing to answer questions. Though, for my sanity, I may answer only a couple at a time. I’m working through my own shit right now too.”

Ryan nodded. “I can definitely agree to mutual respect.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Other than the chewing out from that angel? I’m not dumb. You’ve continued to help my family despite my actively trying to kidnap your daughter. I appreciate it.”

The man turned his hand so his palm faced the ceiling and stretched it towards Zaira.

She hesitated but reached for it. He squeezed her hand as tightly as he could, though his grip was much weaker than it would have been and the hand colder than Zaira would have expected.

“You are a good woman. I promise you I will try my best to keep an open mind from now on.”

“Thank you.” She squeezed his hand back and pulled away.

Ryan took a deep breath. “Rushka went over quite a few things with us, so I don’t have many questions at the moment. There is one thing. One thing that’s been bothering me from the start. It’s a hard question. So, I promise it’s the only thing I will ask today.”

Zaira frowned, then nodded.

“What happened to your son?”

She felt the air being pulled out of her lungs. Her knees weakened and she sat on the edge of the bed. She felt Hannah’s hands on her shoulders.

“Ryan! I told you he died when people found out she was a demon. You don’t have to answer, dear.”

“There’s more to it than that Hon.”

“There really isn’t. I was such an idiot.” Zaira’s eyes burned, and she closed them. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Both elders gasped before Zaira felt something wet pop on her nose. She smiled slightly. She heard the hospital door close. She opened her eyes and bubbles were filling the room. Again, Callie wasn’t smiling. One hand still gripped the bunny tightly, but one fist had opened to let bubbles rise from it.

Zaira leaned forward, scooped Callie from the chair, and kissed her cheek before settling her on her chest. The best safety blanket one could ask for.

She took a shuddering breath. “His name was Asher.” The name rang in her ears. She hadn’t said it out loud since he had died. She hadn’t even told Rushka. “I met his father when I was living amongst a small village of humans in Habsburg. He was so kind to me. I lied to myself that I could make the relationship work, and pretend to be human. His personality changed the night we were married. I was too scared to leave.”

“I feel like you could have just killed him and left.”

“Ryan!”

Zaira snorted. “You aren’t wrong. I could have killed him, flown away and no one would have been the wiser. If the non-human rulers had found out I likely would not have even been prosecuted given what he had done to me. But one’s mind can create the strongest of barriers.”

Zaira took a break. No one spoke. Callie had stopped producing bubbles, but they still hung in the air. She stared at the wall and continued.

“Asher was born the next year. He looked human,” He was human, she bothered to start the rituals that would have turned him into a Borim, “When he was about 8 months old, his father took him for an outing, and I took the opportunity to remove my glamours – the spells that make me look human–”

“Why would you do that?” Ryan asked.

“Spells take energy. I’m well practiced in these ones, so it isn’t too draining but it still gets tiring.”

Callie cooed in her ear. Zaira imagined to herself that the baby was commenting about spellcasting. She laughed. “Yes, you would do a better job.” She peppered some kisses on the baby, who giggled. “Anyways…” She shifted Callie to the other side. “They came back earlier than I had thought… He put Asher aside and… Well, he was not a fearful man. He beat me, worse than before… I suppose he hoped to kill me then and there.” She felt Hannah’s arms tighten around her. “I pleaded for him to stop. Of course, that didn’t work. I ran to Asher and took him. Before I could fly away, he ripped Asher from me…”

She looked at Ryan. “You have no idea how much I regret flying away without him. When I returned to get him… They had already killed him. The humans figured he was a demon as well and needed to die.”

Her tears had stopped. She was just numb.

Ryan put his hand on her thigh. “I’m sorry.”

She pinched her lips and nodded. “I need some air.”

“Go. Do you want us to watch Callie?”

“Sure.” She handed Callie to Hannah. “I won’t be long.”

Zaira left the room. As she walked away, she heard Hannah scold Ryan.

“What on earth were you expecting?”

“Not… That. I don’t know anymore.”

“Be nicer to her.”

“I will.”

Zaira circled the city of Nanowin several times. Enjoying the wind and freedom. She returned to the hospital, her head slightly clearer.

When she returned to Ryan’s room, Hannah was in the bathroom changing Callie’s diaper. Ryan waved her over.

He took her hand again. “I don’t need you to comment on this. But I want you to know, that nothing that happened was your fault.”

After all that work to clear her head, her eyes teared up again. She closed her eyes and tried to push down the memories once more. Thankfully Hannah came in and broke the tension, cooing at Callie. Zaira pulled away from Ryan.

“Oh, um… I should probably tell you. Arthur called me. He confessed to poisoning you at the hospital.”

“Oof.” It was Hannah’s turn to go weak. She sat down in her chair.

Ryan’s lips were pursed. “Why would he call you to admit that?”

“He accused me of poisoning you at home.”

“He readily admits to poisoning me here but says you did it at home?”

“I had that same thought. The first thought is he just wants to try and frame me too, or rile me up… But I had to check… I investigated your garage and, well, the cryptid living in your backyard, it poisoned you at home.”

“What!”

Both elders looked at her wide-eyed. Then anger flashed in Ryan’s eyes. “Was this because we were feeding it?”

“Well, actually, I think it's because you kept trying to tell Hannah to stop.”

“And it poisoned him over that?”

“Cryptids are fickle. This isn’t the first time someone was targeted for something similar.”

“So, what do we do about it?” Ryan looked almost ready to jump out of bed to confront the pukwudgie.

“I’ve taken care of it already. I caught it and told it that if I ever saw it near your vicinity again, I would kill it.”

“Good,” Ryan said.

“Do you, do you have to kill it? What about jail?”

“For one, cryptids don’t really follow most non-human laws. For two, the non-human cultures here don’t really believe in imprisonment… It's be nice or die.” Zaira shrugged. “It sounds a little vulgar to say out loud but it's quite common.”

“Oh.”

Their conversation was interrupted by loud footsteps running down the hallway.

“Boys! You missed it.”

“Ah!” Hannah jumped up from her seat and went to greet her grandchildren at the door.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Julian and his boys. They were lovely, generally well-behaved boys. You could tell Julian loved them just as much as Hannah loved her boys and he made sure to show them. By the end of the afternoon, Ryan had perked up, looking rejuvenated by both the visit and an extra round of meds. The Rosses reconnected with their grandchildren, and Ryan even made an effort to reconnect with Callie, who was still wary of him. Callie also became quick friends with Jordan.

As much as everyone was enjoying themselves, Zaira noticed that Ryan was slowing down two hours later.

“Jordan, could I have Callie back? I think it's time for us to go home. Your grandfather looks like he is getting tired.”

Everyone but the two youngest looked at Ryan.

“I’m fine,” he said, a dinosaur in his hand, his eyelids drooping.

“No, Zaira’s right,” Julian said. “It's time to go home.”

“Will we see you again?” Hannah wrung her hands as she addressed her son.

“Of course,” Julian pulled her into a hug. “How about we visit on Saturday afternoon. It’ll give Dad a couple days of rest and more time to visit since the boys won’t have school.”

“We look forward to it.” His father smiled.

“Come on boys.”

“Can I carry Callie to the car?” Jordan bounced the baby on his hip as she was slipping. Callie giggled.

Julian looked at Zaira.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Yay!”

“Hannah?”

Hannah looked at her husband.

“Go home with Zaira.”

“But –”

“No buts. You’ve slept in a chair for the past few days.”

Hannah hesitated but finally said. “Oh, alright.” She leaned down to kiss her husband. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The boys kissed their grandfather goodbye and so did Julian. Ryan asked to see Callie and he shook her hand goodbye and blew her a kiss. Finally, he wished Zaira a goodnight and all left the room and headed home for a routine night.