Raven was laughing. Laughing hard. Amelia could hear her from the kitchen.

“Why am I like this?” Aidan sat on the couch. He was confident that Amelia had put every blanket on him that they owned. He had just convinced Raven to go turn down the climate control so he wouldn’t fry any more than he was already frying. He hadn’t even gotten to take his coat off. He had one hand free from the blankets that were suffocating him and even that hand had been given a mug of instant chocolate.

“Why are you like this?” Forsythe had come through the door in the middle of his question and was staring dispassionately. From his expression it seemed he understood something that Aidan didn’t. “Raven.” He said in greeting.

“Forsythe.” Raven started to whisper a minute later. “I think Aidan broke Amelia. She is making loud noises in the kitchen. I think it might be for a bucket of water that she’s boiling for his feet.”

Forsythe turned his gaze toward the kitchen where there were indeed a number of loud clanking noises. “I believe the noise is a message,” he said soberly. “A message of anger and rage.” There was an especially loud crash that seemed to punctuate this last statement.

“You think?” Hunter pushed around Forsythe, smirking slightly at his pleased noise.

“Do you really not know why she’s mad at you?” Elisha also appeared behind Forsythe, almost coming up to his shoulder now. She was getting so tall.

“I really don’t.” Aidan said miserably.

“Suffer well.” Hunter smirked horrifically, looking like she was REALLY enjoying this. Like she was thinking really wicked thoughts and found herself pleased regardless.

“You’re so stupid.” Elisha frowned. “We saw the newscast. Someone with their terminal got the whole thing. Even though you didn’t stay. You should have stayed. The authorities are going to find you for a statement.”

“Why would I stay? I didn’t do anything! I am innocent!” Aidan exclaimed. He looked miserable. “Do you go to jail for being a wizard?”

“You’re not a wizard,” Elisha said solemnly.

“But I am pretty wizard though, right?” Aidan smiled at her and despite the eyeroll she gave him, she smiled back.

Forsythe went toward the couch and leaned down, delicately picking up the hat. “This the hat?”

“Yes.” Raven nodded.

Forsythe slapped Aidan across the face with the hat. Satisfied, he put the hat back down. Aidan glared at him, suddenly furious. “What the hell was that for you stupid boulder?”

“Amelia is angry with you? Truly?” Forsythe raised an eyebrow, immediately sobering Aidan despite the fact he had been smacked moments before.

“Yes. What do I do? She’s hysterical. She gets it from her mother.” Aidan said miserably.

“Who gets what from me?” A shrill voice from the doorway. Amelia’s mother was there, and suddenly Aidan looked even more cowed. “We saw the newscast. You are lucky a smack is all you got mister! Where is my daughter?” She demanded.

“Kitchen.” Forsythe and Raven immediately shouted. Both of them suddenly looked terrified. Hunter and Elisha shared a look of amusement as Amelia’s mother tore off.

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“Forsythe. Raven. Miss Forsythe. Missus Forsythe.” Francis, Amelia’s father came in looking less frantic.

“Did Amelia call everyone?” Aidan suddenly complained.

“Young man. You are lucky.” Francis said seriously.

“Lucky how?” Aidan demanded, all civility gone from his tone.

“That we are the only ones here,” Francis said just as seriously. “Is this your first Patrick tantrum? Well, you’ll get better at it.” He patted Aidan on the shoulder, started to lift the blanket from Aidan, then seemed to think better of it and replaced it, smoothing out the line with a pat.

“Would you like to have a seat?” Aidan said, looking suddenly tired but trying not to forget his manners.

“Yes. It is good to see you, my boy. You did a good thing.” Francis pulled up a chair near the wall and immediately turned on the light curtain. He had pulled up some local soccer to watch and was immediately entranced as if he were entirely used to this sort of thing. The only thing he said before turning his attention to it entirely was a bit of advice. “Don’t remove the blankets until you’re told.”

“Magic doesn’t work here.” Forsythe said quietly, earning stares from everyone as he glared at Aidan.

“Yeah?” Aidan glowered at him. “And?”

“And there is this wizard in the intersection of Greene and University, waving a hand as if he has control over magic.” Forsythe motioned slowly imitating the gesture that Aidan had made. His gaze never leading Aidan.

Almost as if it were the universe again, the light curtain showed a far away scene of the incident on the news of Aidan making that same gesture with the little girl in his arms. It was already going viral on the ethernet.

“I was directing traffic.” Aidan snapped from under his blankets. He shook his chocolate mug at Forsythe. “Of course I know that.”

“Do you?” Raven asked softly, looking hesitantly concerned. “We are free.”

“I know that!” Aidan whispered harshly. “I knew what I was doing.”

“Infuriating me.” A cold voice from the kitchen doorway silenced him. Aidan tried to turn to look at her but couldn’t see her over the swath of blankets and the couch. He could well imagine her stone face. He’d never had it directed at him before but it wasn’t hard to picture.

“I can explain.” He said. Aidan decided the best thing he could do was apologize.

“Smart. But not good enough.” Francis said good-naturedly.

“Not nearly.” Amelia replied icily.

“We’re all worried.” Hunter said finally after the silence had apparently gotten to her.

“Yeah. I mean just because you look cool doesn’t mean you can’t die Aidan.” Elisha finally piped up.

“I know very well who can die.” Aidan said hotly. “More than…”

“Me?” Raven asked.

“Me?” Forsythe smiled.

“You know what I’m sick of this…” Aidan threw the blankets off and stood up, casting his coat off. “God. Thought I was going to die.”

“So did I.” Amelia whispered. “Don’t do that again.”

“What should I say?” Aidan muttered. He looked around the room, scandalized. This seemed too intimate to share with anyone and he didn’t know what to do.

“Lie to me.” Amelia whispered. “Tell me you won’t do it again.”

“I won’t.” Aidan said finally.

“You’re lying to me.” Amelia sighed.

“Of course I am!” Aidan looked around the room and after a moment his expression changed from sour to happy. He started laughing. Doubling over and holding his arm with his hand so he didn’t spill his chocolate mug.

“Why are you laughing?” Raven asked, curiosity overwhelming the mood.

“Look at us! Forsythe! Raven! We are so many now.” He continued to laugh and despite everything even Forsythe and Raven seemed to lighten. There didn’t seem to be anything else to say after that. Amelia returned to the kitchen to deposit the bucket of hot water she had.

Amelia finally came to the couch and leaned on him. That night their family talked of many things, but never again broached the subject of the car accident or the little girl.

The door chimed once during the night and Aidan stepped out to give his statement to the police. They had, in fact, found him. By the time he stepped back through the doorway Amelia noticed the haggard and exasperated looks on the faces of the police.

They really looked like they wanted to arrest him for something.

Aidan just had that effect on people.