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Chapter 97: The Legacy Of Lily

Geoff sat naked in his kitchen watching Faelen cook a late tea. They had just gotten back from their Tuesday kung fu practice, but Geoff's muscles were still twitching from pent up nervous energy. His grandfather, the alpha, was making a special trip all the way over here to check on him...and Nathanial.

He stood up quickly when the twitches became worse. "I'm going to mow the lawn."

Faelen didn't bother turning from the pot he was stirring. "Are you off your nut? There's no way in all the hells you're going outside alone. Go run on the treadmill or something."

Geoff growled and began pacing in the kitchen. "That'd work up too much of a sweat." He threw a few punches and then kicked toward the door to the dining room. "The lawn needs a bit of attention, and it'll be the last time it gets mowed till spring. We haven't had any trouble with Hunters in...oh..." He tried to remember the last time.

Faelen's accent came out heavier than normal as he sarcastically exclaimed, "Weeks? Aye right! 'Tis perfectly safe! Weeks! They must've forgotten the feckin' Dark Spirit lives here!"

Geoff stopped and stared at his best friend, shocked.

Faelen put the spoon down and leaned over the stove with a sigh. "Sorry, sir, that was uncalled for. I will accept whatever discipline you decide is necessary." He turned around and stood in a military rest stance.

"Stop it with the 'sir' already, Faelen." And then a brilliant idea struck him. "Fine. Here is your punishment." Geoff grinned when Faelen's eyes widened momentarily in surprise. "You have to tell me what's gotten you so worked up the last few days; all of it, and with full honesty."

Faelen growled and turned back to the pot. "It's none of your..." He trailed off and dug his claws into the edge of the stove. The muscles in his arms and back rippled for a second before the grey Wolf relaxed. "It's affecting my ability to serve you, isn't it? Fine. I'm worried. I'm worried about us, how we feel about each other. I'm worried about Liam -- his health, both physical and emotional. I'm worried about Nathanial the same way. I'm worried about Nicholas and what a mess that pup is. I'm...gods, Geoff! Do you need me to go through the whole list? I'm worried about everything that can come crashing down on your head! There are so many things that can go wrong that I can't do anything to protect you from! Like Bran. What do I do if he starts coming over and finds out about all of...this?" He waved his paw around to try to indicate everything. "I'd wager he already thinks that one of us is having sex with Nathanial -- probably you, which is why he seemed so jealous. How can I shut him up? Do I have to do what Uncle Ciaran did to Aunt Muireann? If I do, will that start a feud between Cardiff and Cork? If I don't, will that plunge the whole Hidden World into some sort of war? I-I just don't know what to do!"

Geoff walked over and wrapped his arms around Faelen, pulling the bulkier Wolf's back against his belly. Geoff rested his chin on Faelen's shoulder. "I know, Faelen. I don't need the whole list, and you probably know that those worries plague me, too. I absolutely forbid you from killing Bran, though."

Faelen chuckled weakly and rubbed one of Geoff's paws, but stiffened as his nose twitched. "Crap!" He grabbed the spoon and quickly stirred the pudding. "I don't think it burnt." He leaned over and sniffed the bubbling pot, to try to confirm it. His movement unknowingly pushed his rump against Geoff's sheath. Faelen's muscles suddenly tightened under Geoff's arms. "Let me go, Geoff. I'm pretty sure I caught the milk in time."

Geoff hid a sigh, let Faelen go, and stepped back. 'Will Faelen ever let me hold him again? Wait, he's worried about us_?_ Our feelings for each other? Faelen has feelings for me?' Geoff's heart beat a little faster in his chest. "Ummm..." He wasn't sure what to say, but Faelen seemed to.

"Yes, I love you, Geoff, just not the way you want me to. I'm in love with Liam."

"I'm in love with Nathanial. You're the one saying I'm in love with two people, so if that's the case, why can't you be in love with two people?"

Faelen was prevented from answering by the house phone ringing. "Get that, Geoff. I can't leave the pudding."

Geoff sharply exhaled in vexation and grabbed the phone from the counter where he had been sitting before mashing the "answer" button and growling, "What?"

His father sounded surprised and annoyed. "Hello to you, too. Don't answer the phone like that, Geoff. Understood?"

Geoff's grandda could be heard chuckling in the background. "He was probably fucking his boyfriend silly, again. Our pup has stamina, Conor. I don't know if you could hear him going at it for hours Saturday night; he must've emptied his balls six times into that Mage. I'm surprised Nathanial could walk or sit down the next day, but he's probably used to getting--"

Conor yelled, "Da! Shut the hells up!" Geoff could actually hear Grandda Luke's jaw click shut. Conor growled into the phone. "Geoff, I don't care if you're balls deep in him or just about to start; don't answer the phone or talk to me in that tone of voice ever again! Now, pull out of Nathanial and get that damned portal open!"

Geoff glanced over at Faelen and saw that his ears were flattened and his tail was pinned between his legs, too. Gods, his grandda heard him having sex all Saturday night? He didn't think anyone could overhear them like that; even Faelen shouldn't have been able to hear anything through all of that...stone. Oh, gods. 'Hades just take me now.' Geoff managed to squeak out, "H-He's not here. He's at his house."

"Then call him. We'll be waiting in the room he's been using for the portals." Conor took a deep breath. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I'll see you soon, Son. Love you."

"Y-Yes, Da, um, you, too." Geoff hung up the phone and quickly called Nathanial.

"Hi, Geoff." There was a slight pause. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing. I, um, just got Da a little, uh, upset. Could you, ah, open a portal for him, please? He's waiting in that room you've been using."

"Oh! Right! I still have to go to JWD's and look for those books! Yeah, I'll open the portal here and let you and Faelen get dressed, eh? I better get over there and... I mean, I should call Liam, first, to see if he can join me and then go to the bookshop and find the books we need. Um, I should probably apologize to Conor and the alpha for not having started studying up on the teleporter...but, uh, portal first. Right. Hi, Conor, Dirk, sirs." Geoff found Nathanial's disjointed chatter more than a bit confusing. "Um, I'll talk to you later, Geoff."

"Um, Grandda heard us, um, you know, Saturday night." Geoff mumbled, embarrassed.

"Oh... U-Um." *S-So that explains the grin on his face. I-I... Gods. Wh-What did you say to C-Conor? He's kinda angry and really embarrassed. Even Den s-seems embarrassed.* "Y-Yes, sir. Sorry." Nathanial suddenly sounded rushed. "I'll talk to you later, Geoff."

He smiled as best he could at the phone knowing his pup was watching him. "I love you, Nathanial."

"L-Love you, too." Nathanial hung up the phone.

Geoff forced himself to stop cringing and turned to Faelen. "I'll go get dressed and bring your clothes up for you."

Faelen grinned weakly at him. "Thanks. It almost makes me glad that Liam was sick. At least the alpha didn't hear us having sex."

Geoff curled up again and slunk downstairs.

---

Nathanial hung up the phone and managed to smile weakly at the gigantic Wolf standing before him. "Hi." He couldn't lift his arm enough to wave. "S-So let... Um, d-do you want me to give you a tour o-or just open a portal over to Geoff's?" He was glad Nick had gone out with friends and Micah was visiting his grandfather, Fellwedyr.

Alpha McDougal snorted and shook his head. "What's gotten into you, Mage? You're trembling as much as you were the night I first met you. If you're tough enough to take a McDougal dick--"

Conor's sharp interjection cut him off. "Da! Stop talking about Geoff fucking the pup! We all know they shag every chance they get; I sure as hells don't need to hear about it from you."

Ah. That's why Conor was angry and embarrassed.

He just got a gruff harrumph back and a rather cross sounding, "You don't need to act like you shoved a chestnut under your tail, Son. I'm just saying I'm proud of my grandson for being so manly; I was worried he'd secretly become a limp-wristed fop who'd need someone to do everything for him." Alpha McDougal suddenly leered at Nathanial. "But nope, this pup can attest that Geoff is still good at doing something! Or in this case, some_one."_

"Da!"

'Heh. If the alpha is so proud of his grandson's escapades and seems to like it when I stand up to him, let's turn the tables and see how he reacts.' Nathanial ducked his head sheepishly and grabbed the end of his tail. "Y-Yes, sir. He is very good and knows how to please me, but..." He glanced up at the alpha and slowly began walking to the suddenly nervous alpha. He swung his hips subtly as he went and tried to exude sexual confidence. "You must have a lot more practice and are probably a lot bigger, too." He was close enough to the giant Wolf that his quarry began backing up. "I've seen -- and felt -- all Geoff has, but the alpha is supposed to be the biggest, the toughest, and--" He chuckled deep in his throat. "--the manliest in the clan, isn't he?" Alpha McDougal thudded into the wall, trapped. Nathanial gazed predatorily up through his lashes at the dumbfounded and terrified Wolf as he placed a paw delicately on the muscular chest. He could feel the thunderous beating of the powerful heart within through the pads of his paws. "So, Granddaddy, how do you compare?" He ran his other paw down the alpha's cheek and along the underside of the slack jaw.

"Uhhh..." The fear rolling off him was intoxicating. Alpha McDougal was obviously unused to losing control of a situation like this and had no idea how to respond to non-aggressive threats. He quickly shot a beseeching glance to his highly amused son before staring back down at Nathanial. He swallowed heavily. "Um...down boy?"

Den burst out laughing. "Oh, gods! Sorry, sir, but this is a lot funnier when it isn't me put in that spot."

Conor joined into the laughter, even though Nathanial could see 'Daddy' was more than a little hard. "All right, Nathanial, I think Da will behave, now." Nathanial ducked his head sheepishly, but very pleased, and backed off. Conor shook his head. "Da." He looked up at his father's face and started laughing again, and had to take a few seconds to try to control himself. "Ahem. Da, if you don't want Geoff and Nathanial's sex life thrown at you like this, I suggest you keep your comments about it to yourself."

"I-I was... It just... Why...?" The alpha's inarticulate attempts to respond made everyone else, including Dirk and Nathanial, start laughing uncontrollably. Alpha McDougal's tail crept up between his legs in embarrassment before he harrumphed again and sorted himself out. "Enough of these shenanigans, pup! Keep your paws to yourself! Now, I want to take a quick tour while I'm here, see the family, and then get over to visit my grandson. So get a move on!" He walked out toward the middle of the room, then stopped and looked around. "Start here. Where am I?" He turned back to look at the Akita.

Nathanial cringed away from the initial outburst but relaxed a little. The alpha wasn't angry; he was just trying to hide how rattled he was. Sgt. Heimdolf did the same thing, and Rolph seemed to, too. Nathanial ducked his head and scuffed the floor with a hindpaw. "You... You wouldn't want to hold my paw while I give you the tour, would you?" He looked up at the big Wolf pleadingly and hid his laughter when the Elemental stumbled back with wide eyes.

Dirk caught the alpha and helped him keep his balance. Nathanial noticed with surprise that Dirk was only a hair shorter, with similarly sized muscles. It was the breadth of the alpha that made him seem so...massive. Not that Dirk looked small by any means. Were all the Cork Clan males so sexy?

Alpha McDougal shook Dirk off and exploded. "No! By Zeus's thunderous farts, I said no! Keep your paws to yourself!" His voice said angry but his eyes and his scent said scared.

Nathanial huffed, "Fine. This is the basement of my house, where my brothers and I live. You can see..." He proceeded to start the tour, but merely pointed to the various bedrooms -- mostly because Micah's room smelt like a brothel due to the strong aroma of sex in it.

Nathanial noticed, as they walked out of the living area, that Micah had taken the Disney movie Alice In Wonderland off the shelf and had it on the homework table next to a number of quick pictures he drew -- Micah was a lot better at drawing than Nathanial. They'd watched the movie, along with Mulan and Princess and the Frog, on Sunday, but Micah was fascinated by Alice. Maybe Wonderland reminded him of Faery.

The tour of the basement and main floor was pretty quick; the alpha was just as keen about the gym as his grandson was and didn't seem to bat an eye over the open nature of the showers. Nathanial wasn't sure everyone would be comfortable about that style of showers being in a home -- particularly when Spirits seemed to be culturally inclined toward homophobia.

The front gate chimed, signalling that Garret was pulling in and startling Nathanial. He was just getting to the base of the stairs to the second floor, so he stopped. "Up there are all of the guest rooms, Dad's room, and...other stuff. I'm not sure what's up there, really." He hid his shivering as best he could; there was only one room he had any real familiarity with beyond this point.

Conor noticed it immediately, but Alpha McDougal didn't seem to. "So? Let's go explore then, pup. If I'm going to be your grandfather I should know more about you, and a person's home says a lot."

"Da." Conor cut in. "The Marks pups were always forbidden from going above the main level and, while I think Garret rescinded that order when he came back, I don't think Nathanial is comfortable going up there." He turned to Nathanial. "Did that beep mean that Garret is home?"

Nathanial nodded, resolutely facing away from the stairs. "Y-Yes. H-He will be in sh-shortly." He motioned toward the front door. "L-Let's go meet him, and then I-I can send you over to see Geoff."

All the Spirits looked at him closely in concern except the alpha. He scrutinized Nathanial, but his expression was closer to contempt. "Get a grip, Mageling. You keep bouncing between raw terror and surprising nerves. Pick one: cowardice or bravery. Just remember, only one of them is allowed in the McDougal family."

Conor growled loudly. "Da!" He advanced on his father, who stood his ground until they were nose-to-nose. "I don't give a damn what you have to say in this matter. I am Geoff's father, not you. If I say Geoff can date -- or marry -- Nathanial, then he can. You have no fucking idea what this pup has gone through, and I won't have you harassing him!"

Garret came running down the hall toward the sound of yelling and rounded the corner when Alpha McDougal started his response. "Don't take that tone with me, Conor! You may be his father but I'm the alpha of this clan and the patriarch of this family! NO ONE marries in the McDougals without my blessing, and NO ONE marries into this clan without it, either! Especially a FUCKING MAGE! Your arse-bandit of a boy is already breaking several of our laws, and you have the gall to get in my face about this!? You and Dirk have also broken the strictest laws we have, so don't go lecturing me about harassing the bloody fag!"

Nathanial had backed up to cringe in the corner, staring out to where his worst nightmare seemed ready to come true. Garret pushed his way between the two Wolves, who backed up in surprise. "Hello, Conor, Dirk, Faeden. May I ask who this fourth Spirit is? I assume he's Alpha McDougal?"

Den hurried forward; he seemed very relieved to see the yelling stop. "Garret Marks, may I present Alpha Luke McDougal, leader of the Cork Clan of Spirits and grandfather to Geoff. Alpha, sir, this is Garret Marks, Vice President of Sales at PackSolutions, a large software company dealing in customized programs for corporations and governments."

Garret's eyes glittered angrily as he shook the alpha's paw, but his voice was warm and welcoming. "Welcome to Nova Scotia, sir. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I apologize for interrupting your conversation with Conor, but it sounded like one you may wish to continue in private anyway. Were you in the middle of a tour? I can continue it if you wish."

Nathanial could detect a very faint tingle of magic. His father was using a Charm to try to calm Alpha McDougal down, and it seemed to be working.

Conor and his father spoke at the same time, but the alpha overrode his advisor. "Yes." Conor started to object, but Alpha McDougal growled him down. "I said yes. I would like to continue the tour, Conor. It has practical purpose as well being a means of getting to know the Markses, too. If more of my family or the O'Conalls want to visit, we'll need a place to sleep. The clan may tolerate one or two non-Spirit pups amongst them for a weekend, but do you think they'd want all of the Smiths or Markses there? How about the O'Conalls trying to visit with Smith as their 'poppy'? It's too big of a security risk; what if his true identity got out? If we have friends here -- family even -- where we can visit each other and be welcome, then this is something we should find out."

Garret's smile was colder than midwinter in Winnipeg. "You called my son 'fag,' sir. I don't know if you would be welcome in my house. Two, maybe all three, of my sons are gay -- that's 'gay,' not 'fag.' Would you want to sleep here knowing that?"

Dirk chuckled but muffled it when the alpha glared at him. The glare returned to an unruffled Garret. The Spirit growled and rubbed a claw around his ear embarrassedly, but he sounded like he nearly choked on his apology. "Yeah. Sorry." He turned to Nathanial, who was still cringing in the corner. "Sorry, Nathanial." He extended his paw to the older Mage. "No hard feelings? I spoke in anger; I didn't mean it. It's...something I'm getting used to. Geoff and him, I mean."

Garret laughed and shook the offered paw. "Yeah, tell me about it. I'm having trouble cleaning up my language, too. So, let's show you the guest rooms." He motioned to Nathanial. "Come on, Son, the fighting is over. I promised to give you a tour, too, remember?"

Nathanial pushed himself away from the corner and slipped up to walk beside his father, taking comfort in the arm that was soon draped over his shoulder.

Garret brought them upstairs and showed them the most of the second floor without incident. Having his father so close -- his arm didn't once leave Nathanial's shoulders -- and having Conor and Dirk nearby soothed his frazzled nerves. But when they paused outside the door to Lily's office, Nathanial couldn't stop himself from whining.

Garret explained it to the others. "This is Lily's office. Was her office." He turned to his son. "Remember that she's..." Garret cleared his throat before continuing hoarsely. "She's dead, Nathanial. She can't hurt you anymore."

Den looked aghast. "She hurt him? Like, abused, _beating-_type hurt?"

Garret nodded glumly. "Yeah. I never knew about it; I was...absent. It's something I deeply regret, but I have to own up to it. She seems to have been physically and emotionally abusing him for years: ever since Micah was born."

Alpha McDougal seemed to be simmering just below an explosive boil. "Damn it all! How can you Furs, Mages included, treat your pups like that!? We--We spend decades, sometimes a whole century, trying to have a child, and you pop them out so fast you can...can...trash them like that!?" He pushed forward and threw open the door to the office, then lifted Nathanial into his arms. "Look!" He carried the petrified pup in, cradling him tenderly in his arms. "Look around, pup! She's gone! No damned witch will hurt my grandson's boy again, got it!?"

Garret walked in slowly, followed by the three remaining Spirits. "I haven't been in here...in..." He trailed off shaking his head.

Conor's nose twitched like mad, but Den pointed to something before Conor said anything. The Dirt Spirit sounded almost spooked. "Sir? What is that?" He pointed to a long dented and bloodstained piece of bamboo in the corner behind the dust-covered desk. "Is that blood?" Garret retched and staggered toward the door.

Nathanial buried his head into the side of the alpha's neck, muffling his already faint voice. "It's her rod. 'Spare the rod and spoil the child,' she always said. Well, she never spared it; that's the twentieth one. The others broke from...overuse."

Shudders went around the room, both from how dead Nathanial's voice sounded and what he'd said. Conor stepped to the edge of the rug in front of the desk and flipped it to one side. The white carpet was stained brown from years of blood soaking into it and had dried into a crusty mass of inseparable fibres. Alpha McDougal's arms tightened around Nathanial and began rocking him, as the awareness of what he was looking at sank in.

Garret ran from the room in search of a bathroom; it looked like Den felt scarcely better.

Dirk looked at the rod and then the carpet. The impassivity in his voice was frightening. "If she wasn't already dead, I'd kill her for doing this to a pup. If the Fates had given Faelen to someone else, that could've been him standing there, or Geoff, or...Gwen."

The words seemed to have the desired effect, if there was any intent behind them. The alpha's grip became painfully tight around Nathanial as he spun around and strode out of the room. "No one will ever harm you again, pup. Not while I can prevent it. Now where is your damned father? I have some things to say to him."

Nathanial sniffled through his tears. "He's... H-He's in the washroom. He has a blood phobia f-from his childhood; i-it was worse -- far, far worse -- than mine. P-Please, don't be mad at him; w-we've already sorted it out."

The alpha froze, staring down at the Mage in his arms. "Worse!? Hera have mercy, Nathanial! Did you see the blood there!? The dents in the bamboo? How the feck could his childhood have been worse!?"

"I-I don't... I shouldn't have said anything. Please p-promise not to tell anyone I told you."

"As long as you tell me, fine! I promise."

"He was kidnapped by a Nosferatu. A blood D-Demon. It kept him alive for a year as it b-bled him to power its magic." He hastened to add, "Don't worry, he's been cleansed of any Taint. Liam made sure of it."

"Zeus preserve us. You Markses are cursed. Did any of you manage to make it this far with any sort of childhood intact?" Nathanial was forced to shake his head no. The alpha sighed heavily and began carrying Nathanial downstairs. "Damn. You mon... Those monsters shouldn't be allowed to have pups if this is the way Furs treat their own. Short lives, ease of breeding, whatever; it's inexcusable to treat a child like that. If any Spirit was suspected of harming their pup, they'd be in trouble. At the very least the pup would be taken from them until it was proven no harm had been done. If they did hurt the child..." He trailed off, probably thinking this wasn't the best time to talk about abuse and bloody vengeance.

He yelled back over his shoulder, "Conor! Get your arse down here! Den, where the feck are you!?" He seemed to realize he still had Nathanial in his arms and gently put the Mage down on the step beside him, but seemed to subconsciously keep him close. "You need to exercise, pup. You don't weigh anything. Put some muscle on that body so Geoff has something to work with...though your arse seems well-padded."

Conor was just coming down the stairs as his father said that. He stopped with a growl. "Da. Please tell me you aren't getting after the pup about his sex life after that?"

Alpha McDougal rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Conor. I was saying he needs to put on some more muscle. He weighs so little I'd forgotten I was still carrying him. I was just observing that he has a well-muscled arse already, so it wouldn't need much more work."

"Oh." Conor looked nonplussed. "Well, all right. It is nicely muscled; it's very firm and perky. His rump makes a very nice pawful."

His father looked at him, shocked. "Why the hells would you know how well it fits in a paw?"

Conor snorted. "It's not like you were the first person to carry him, Da. He's been knocked unconscious on more than one occasion."

Garret paused halfway down the stairs, holding his stomach. "I walk into the middle of very interesting conversations around here. Why in Hestia's blessed halls are two adults talking about my son's ass halfway down my stairs?" He wavered as another bout of vertigo and nausea overtook him. Conor hastened to catch him and held him steady until Garret recovered a little. Garret smiled weakly. "Thanks. I'll have everything in that room torched, I think. Or give everything in it to charity and then gut the room entirely. I don't think Nathanial or I will ever be able to set a hindpaw in there again, and sure as hells the other two won't be allowed to. Not..." He swallowed heavily, prompting Conor to put a paw out to stabilize the Akita. "Not like that."

Dirk and Den came down the stairs behind them. Den took Garret from Conor, while Dirk slipped by everyone, saying, "I'll put the kettle on. Is Sensei's tisane upstairs or down in the kitchenette?"

Nathanial stepped away from the alpha and accompanied Dirk downstairs. "It's on the counter now. I've just put a kettle on, too. Or, wait! Um, Faelen is cooking a late tea; shouldn't you guys head on over? I wouldn't want it to get cold. I-I, um, need to start supper soon, too. It'll be simple...or late. I need to get to JWD's to buy some books to study your teleporter. They close at six."

Garret was leaning heavily on Den by the time they got to the kitchen. He looked really sick. "Don't... Don't talk about food. How the... Ugh, Nathanial, don't..." He put a paw over his stomach and leaned on the counter. Dirk and Conor watched him, concerned, but Garret just took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Don't push yourself, Son. We can think about it later. I won't, urk, be driving anywhere for a while, or, gods, be...eating."

Den hooked Garret's arm back over his shoulder. "Here, sir. The sitting room is right next door; let's get you on the couch so you can rest a bit."

Nathanial ducked his head. "I-I was pretty sure about that, Dad -- the driving part, I mean. I was going to see what Liam was doing and see if he could go with me. He knows more about that stuff than I do and should have a better idea of what books I need. Do, um, d-do you want me to see if he can give you a massage?" He glanced at the alpha through his lashes and addressed him before Garret could answer. "I'm s-sorry, sir. I didn't mean for, uh, a-all this --"

"Shut it, pup." When Alpha McDougal's forceful interjection made Nathanial cringe, he continued in a somewhat softer tone. "This isn't your fault. I made you -- and your father -- give me the tour when it was bloody obvious you were scared to. I..." He rubbed the back of his neck the same way Geoff did when he was struggling for words. "I... You had reason to be afraid, pup. I'm sorry I pushed you into going up there." He whirled toward the sitting room and roared, "Den! Where's our bags?! We're leaving!" The sudden verbal explosion made Nathanial squeak, so the alpha spun back around. "Calm down, Nathanial." He half-turned his head. "Garret! Where do you keep your scotch? The pup could use a stiff drink!"

Den chuckled on his way to the basement stairs. "He gets a lot of stiff...drinks from Geoff. I'm sure they help steady his nerves, too." His ears flipped back under all the flat stares directed at him. "Sorry."

Garret called back from the sitting room. "No scotch! I mean, I do have some, but he's not allowed to have any. He doesn't like alcohol anyway. If you don't have room at your house, Conor, your father can stay here...or Geoff and Faelen can. Hells, all of you can; it's not like I don't have the space. It feels too empty as it is."

'That kinda explains why Dad spends so much time downstairs with us. He's lonely. The house must almost echo with silence when he's up here by himself.'

Conor stepped over to the door to talk to the nauseated older Akita. "Thank you for the offer, Garret; I'll talk to my family about it over tea. It'd defeat the whole purpose of the visit if Da and Geoff stayed in different houses, though. Faeden was looking forward to spending time with his son and grandson, too."

The kettle whistled, so Nathanial bustled about making two cups of tisane, one for his father and one for himself. Dirk sidled up next to him while he poured the hot water into the pot and asked, "Do you want me to come over and help you cook, tomorrow? Or Faelen? We have to set up a time for that; the food can't be late or it'll affect the boys' football match."

"Thanks. I-I can handle it on my own, but I d-do like the company. We aren't going to kung fu, so I was going to aim for half-past four. Dad is leaving work early, since he's coaching tomorrow's match."

The mundane task of preparing tea helped steady his nerves, which the alpha seemed to notice. His muted voice rumbled, "You seem to be settling down quickly, pup." He saw the wooden rolling pin by the marble slab used for baking and picked it up by one handle curiously.

The sight of someone holding a big wooden stick like that, so soon after being in Lily's office, sent visible shivers through Nathanial's body. Dirk noticed it immediately and quickly figured out the cause. He stepped between Nathanial and the alpha, sharply barking out, "Sir!"

Alpha McDougal looked up in surprise then stared at Dirk in confusion for a second until the dark-furred Wolf tilted his head back at Nathanial and eyed the rolling pin. "Oh. Oh! Right." He fumbled with the pin as he tried to quickly put it away.

Nathanial took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. 'Only one of them is allowed in the McDougal family, eh? Then I'll get the most surprising nerves he's ever seen!' He stepped around Dirk and pulled the rolling pin out of the alpha's paw. "It-It's a r-rolling pin, for baking." He rolled it over the slab a few times. "It flattens the dough out and spreads it around. Yes, it can also be used as a cl...c-club, too. Rolling pins appear in lots of stories that way." He put it away.

Nathanial could see the admiration in the Spirit's eyes, but only received a gruff, "Right, I knew that."

Den came upstairs carrying all four bags. "I'm ready, sirs. If you're looking at donating everything in the office to charity, Mr. Marks, would you consider donating some of it to the Halifax Clan? There were a lot of nice things there that they could use or sell to raise a little money. It might even be enough to ensure everyone has enough food this winter, if they ration carefully."

Garret coughed and bolted upright on the chesterfield. "They usually don't have enough food? Why not? Don't you guys make sure that the other clans have enough food to feed everyone?"

Alpha McDougal growled angrily. "In Ireland, yes! Do you think one clan can feed the entire world? We wouldn't have to give charity to any clan if you fucking Mages didn't keep us locked up! If I was a working bloke I'd be getting close to being forced to retire! How the hells could I, or anyone, be expected to raise enough money to support myself for the next two hundred years in that short of a time? If you won't let us work, then it's you Mages that should be making sure we get enough food!"

Nathanial sighed and put his paw on the alpha's arm. He smiled slightly when the large Wolf twitched in surprise and jerked his arm away. "Sir, we aren't the Arcane Society; their decisions aren't ours. Most of us, from what I can tell, only join so we aren't forced to join the Knights or risk being killed by them."

The Earth Elemental grumbled but acknowledged that. "Yes, so I've been told. Now, what's keeping you? Geoff's waiting, so open the portal, already." Garret struggled to get off the couch, but the alpha just said, "Stay there, Garret. We'll be seeing you later today or tomorrow. Thanks for the tour."

Nathanial quickly opened the portal, hiding a smile when Dirk moved over to stand in front of it, blocking the McDougals' path. The Bone Spirit clapped his arm on Nathanial's shoulder. "Good seeing you, Nathanial." He raised his voice. "Bye bye now, Garret!"

Farewells were exchanged, and the Spirits quickly left the Mages' home.