“Only for the fact that I didn’t think she had it in her.” Cash laughed, “It was more something I’d expect from Kitty, Remus or Sirius, not her. I honestly didn’t think she was that twisted.” Cash commented as he materialized a handkerchief and wiped off his face. “It took me nearly three hours to get out of it, every time I thought I had figured it out, the damn maze changed and I got dunked into another vat of dust, or cobwebs or who only knows what else, I lost track.”

Sev’s eyes grew wide as he stared at Cash, he had been expecting the vampyre to be angry at McGonagall’s outburst, not find it humorous. “Exactly ‘what’ did happen to you?” he asked, hoping Cash would now be in the mood to tell him.

“I went to check on you when Rick came to see Roel. He told me Hamish was keeping his eyes, or more precisely, ears, on you. That didn’t sound quite right to me, then Josh and Coco tell me they saw Hamish and Fang together, also not sounding right. I go to check up on you first, to make sure you were still alive, but as soon as I touch the knob of your office, BOOM! I’m transported into some sort of maze, where all manners of nastiness are dumped onto me. Bloody brilliant, that woman, no wonder Albus relies on her so much.” Cash stated. “And you? Where were you and why wasn’t Rick with you?”

Severus sighed as he sat down, he might as well confess now, Cash was sure to find out sooner or later. “I was with Minerva, Mohrg, Raul and Brutus. We needed to make sure that Tremere would be trapped forever. Minerva came up with a plan, a good plan. I was needed to create the edax leech and to second Minerva, should she become too weak to complete the spells alone. I sent Rick away, told him a story, convinced him to leave me alone for a few minutes. I needed to slip away and join them, I didn’t want to risk his life too.” Severus was becoming so tired, he barely noticed when Cash dropped to his knees in front of him.

“Severus, hey, Severus….stay with me here.” Cash insisted as he knelt down and gently cupped the wizard’s face in his hand. “Gheez, you’re a waste, you need to sleep.” Cash slipped one arm around Sev’s middle as he helped the professor to his bed and turned down the covers. “Come on, Slytherin, just a few more questions before you pass out on me.”

“It worked” Sev mumbled as he kicked off his shoes, “the Tremere is trapped, no one was lost, save Brutus, but he understood the terms of the spells. Minerva gave him every chance to change his mind, I heard her myself. And don’t blame Rick, it is completely my fault, I manipulated him into leaving, I knew he was worried about Roel. And Minerva only set those traps to keep you safe, we were all concerned you would find out what we had planned and sacrifice yourself….”

“Alright, professor, alright. Just cuddle up and take a rest, I’ll get the whole story from Minnie.” Cash stated as he tucked Severus into bed. Taking several steps back, Cash stared intently at the potions master, there was something the wizard was hiding from him, but his mind was so overly tired that Cash couldn’t pick out a sensible thought in the man’s head. Either way, between Minnie and Rick, he was sure to figure out what had truly happened, and then when he understood the whats, hows, and whys. He was going to pull Raul aside for a little ‘chat’ about communication, the primogen knew full well that Snape was under the protection of Clan MacLeod now, one of ‘them’ should have been there. And then there were the other problems, Hamish, Fang, Roel….. This was already proving to be a very long day.

Cat smiled as she sat on the edge of her bed, lacing up her shoes and listening to Sirius humming happily in the shower. She had been so close to giving in to him, if only she knew for certain whether or not she was with child. But, she reminded herself, she needed to keep her promise to herself, she had sworn that if she thought she and Sirius had a real chance at having a relationship, she had to tell him everything, ….including why she hadn’t ‘shared’ herself with him yet. She cringed as she thought of telling him about that night with Sev…..poor Sev….and all those letters Rick had brought to her. She had to read them, part of her ‘needed’ to read them, she hoped they were letters of good bye, ‘dear Jane’ as it were, but deep in her heart she knew better than to think such a thing. Severus loved her, he had had a crush on her in school and it appears it only grew deeper with time, and she had done nothing to discourage him, not then, not now.

Sighing deeply as she realized how horribly she was going to have to hurt one of them, Cat rose from the bed and left the room. She had told Siri she would get him some fresh clothes and he had to be closed to done with his shower by now. “I hope he remembers to shave” she sighed as she walked down the hall to his room. Silently opening the door to his room, she smiled tenderly as she saw Remus sleeping soundly, snuggled deeply under the thick, down quilts and warm flannel sheets. Walking to the wardrobe, she quickly picked out some warm clothes for Sirius, taking great care not to disturb either Remus or Paddy. Holding up the jumper, she tried to determine whether it was black or dark blue by the weak morning light that had just begun to make its way through the window.

It was then that she noticed it, the mark on Remus’s neck, “Oh, Tris, no,….you didn’t” she gasped softly as she went to Remus’s side. She slowly lowered herself onto the edge of his bed and gingerly ran her fingers over the mark on his neck. Not feeling the puncture wounds she had expected, she squinted her eyes and took a closer look at the wound. “A hickey?” she said, disbelief evident in her voice, “She gave you a love bite? Oiy and vey, what am I going to do with the two of you?” Cat giggled as she tenderly stroked Remus’s cheek, watching him smile in his sleep as her fingers moved to his wavy, grey streaked hair. Cat felt a pang go through her as she realized how much she wanted to wake him up and ask him for advice, but he looked so peaceful and the full moon was coming soon, he needed his rest.

Deciding it was best to just let him be, Cat kissed his forehead and got up to leave, but stopped as she heard a strange noise coming from Paddy’s bed. Tip toeing to his bed, Cat smirked as she saw Edana fussing, “Come on, sweetie. Let your god mum take care of you so your Da can get some rest, he’s been looking a bit washed out lately.” Cat whispered as she tucked Siri’s clothes under her arms and took Edana with her to her room.

Cat grinned widely as she placed Edana on the bed and laid down next to her, curling her arms around the little girl as she sang softly to her. A feeling of contentment spread over Cat as she watched the baby snuggle in her arms and yawn sleepily. She couldn’t wait for the day that she had her own babies, she wondered what it would be like to actually feel a baby kicking from the inside, or hiccupping, or any of the other things her cousins had already felt their own children do.

She was so entranced by her god daughter, that she hadn’t even noticed Sirius had come out of the shower and was now leaning against the door frame, smiling tenderly at her and the baby. “So, gra, how does it feel?” he asked quietly as she looked up at him, a startled expression on her face.

“How long have you been there?” Cat asked, obviously flustered.

“Long enough to see I’m not the only one thinking about raising a family.” he replied as he slipped into bed with them, wrapping one arm around Cat and the other next to Edana. “You do make a wonderful mother, gra. Harry loves you almost as much as I do.” he winked “And it appears our little girl feels the same way.” he added as he heard Edana gurgle with delight as Cat tickled her under her chin.

“If your trying to tempt me, don’t bother,” Cat sighed, “its all I can do NOT to think about children. I always pictured myself as having a large family by now. I certainly never thought I’d be a spinster.”

“Stop it, Cat.” Sirius admonished, “You are far from being a spinster. I can think of two men right off the top of my head who would marry you in a heartbeat. Of course, being the intelligent woman that you are, you are going to forget all about them and marry me, aren‘t you.” He laughed as she rolled her eyes at him and went back to cooing at Edana.

Sirius watched them for several minutes, a bright smile on his face as he imagined that Cat was his wife and Edana their daughter. This was the life he had missed, the one he had always wanted for them, to be in love and raising a family together. Very tenderly, Siri cupped Cat’s face and kissed her softly, “When, gra? When can I truly call you my wife?”

“Sirius” Cat replied, her voice was stern yet her eyes were filled with tenderness for him.

“I am not giving up, Cat. Read his letters if you want, cry over them and over him if it makes you feel better. But I love you. I loved you first, and I swear, I love you more. And NO, I am not trying to make this into a competition, I’ve grown up an awful lot over the past seventeen years. I honestly couldn’t care less what Snape does, as long as it doesn’t hurt you or Harry.” Siri stated firmly. “I want this for us, gra, I want a loving home and children. I know I may never truly regain my good name or my fortune in my own world. But I swear, I am more than content to stay here, as part of the clan, as your husband. Hell, I’d even put up with ALL your brothers to call you my wife.”

“Well you would pretty much HAVE to put up with them if they were your brothers in law, now wouldn’t you?” she asked sarcastically. “Come on, Edana, I think Siri’s been too worried for too long, his mind isn’t working anymore.” she teased as she scooped the baby up in her arms, cuddling her as she went to sit in front of the fire. “Siri, you might want to get dressed. If Harry would walk in and see you in nothing but a towel…..not that I mind the view, mind you.” she added, smirking as she saw the quick flush of red on Sirius’s cheeks. “I placed your clothes on the foot of the bed, and don’t give me that look. Its going to be very cold today, I don’t want you to catch a chill.”

“Just can’t help yourself can you?” Sirius teased, “You’ve been watching out for me almost since the day we met.”

“Someone had to, you obviously weren’t taking care of yourself. Or was all that yellow and blue hair some sort of fashion statement.”

“Uhm, no…that would have been an angry Ravenclaw seventh year. Seems he thought I was trying to steal his girlfriend.” Sirius grinned as he picked up the clothes and walked back into the bathroom.

“Oh, Edana, that naughty Sirius. Whatever shall we do with him?” Cat cooed, only to laugh as she heard Sirius shout out a few suggestions from the other side of the door. Turning her attention back to the baby, she materialized a bottle and coaxed Edana to feed, smiling happily as the baby gulped down the milk. Cat sighed contentedly as she heard Sirius humming and watched Edana’s little hands move as if to grasp the bottle. This was the most at peace she had felt in days, the most natural and content. She looked over at the letters and her eyes teared up, she knew what would be in them, she knew he loved her and worst of all, she knew she had used him. Trying to force down the tears and the gnawing feeling of guilt in her heart, she turned back to Edana, hoping the baby’s clear, innocent eyes would distract her from her thoughts.

She laughed softly as she saw that Edana had fallen back asleep half way through the bottle. Setting the bottle down, Cat cuddled the baby close as she rubbed her nose against Edana’s and kissed her on the forehead. The smell of the baby was nearly intoxicating to her, she wanted to have a baby so badly, a fact that was well demonstrated, considering the lengths she had gone to over the past month. And exactly how was she going to explain to Sirius what she had done when she couldn’t even justify it to herself? And would Sirius still be able to love her when she did finally tell him the awful truth of what she had done with Severus…..

Sirius couldn’t help but weep with joy as he watched the tender and loving way Cat tended to Edana. A deep pang of guilt washed over him as he realized once again that he should have fought Hagrid, that he should have taken Harry from the Hollow that night, found Cat and raised their godson as James and Lily had meant for him to be raised. It just wasn’t fair that Harry had been forced to grow up without this sort of love and support. But Sirius silently swore that Harry would never again experience the loneliness and neglect he had been forced to endure over the past fifteen years. He deserved better, and Cat certainly deserved more than a life with someone as cold and selfish as Snape, she deserved someone who loved her with all of his heart and soul, or at the very least, someone who had a heart and soul.

Casting a sideways glance towards the table, he saw that Snape’s letters remained untouched and unread. Could it be she honestly didn’t want to read them, or was she just waiting for some privacy so she could pour over them? At the very least, the fact that she insisted he stay with her when Rick handed her the letters, and then allowed him to stay with her all night, even to the point of trusting him to ‘behave’ himself while she was showering…..well, that HAD to be a good sign. After all, if she had wanted to read the letters so badly, she would have let him leave, or at least insist he sleep in his own bed, not stay up for several more hours talking to him about Harry and Callista and what to expect when they all returned to Hogwarts, IF they all returned to Hogwarts.

Sirius smirked slightly, he had honestly thought the idea of never seeing the world he had grown up in would bother him more than this. But as it was, he barely minded it at all. Of course he would miss Dumbledore, Raul and Fang, but everyone else who truly meant anything to him was already here, or could easily be here. Harry, Cat and Remus were only a few breaths away from him. Cash, Hamish and the others came and went as they pleased as did many others that Sirius was finding himself growing increasingly fond of. Most particularly, Duncan, Luke and Paddy….they were quickly becoming the brothers he had always wished he had had, or maybe even the new marauders, at least Duncan and Paddy anyway. Luke was too much like Remus, he worried too much about what may happen, he was quiet and smart, but Siri had the feeling that once Luke got going he would be every bit as hard to stop at Remus was. And then there was his favourites, Paddy, the younger brother he always wished he had; and Duncan the older brother could have used on so many occasions. Gods, how much easier would his life had been if he had had someone he could have asked all those questions he was too embarrassed to ask his father? He never would have made so many mistakes, or at least he sincerely hoped he wouldn’t have. And then there was Edana, Paddy’s infant daughter, Cat’s godchild, and if what Cat had told him was anywhere near correct, soon to be their daughter.

Poor Paddy, it would kill him to loose her, but its not like he would never see her again. She would be right here, he would become her ‘special’ uncle, but she would never be told that Cat wasn’t her mother, that much even Aunt Orpha had made clear. If he and Cat accepted her as their child, then their child she would be…..their child… Merlin, how wonderful that sounded!

And then there was that other little matter of whether or not Cat was with child herself. Sirius had never felt so torn over anything in his life. Part of him so desperately wanted her to be with child he could hardly stand it, but another part of him could only think of who the father was and cringe with that knowledge. Sirius looked deep and long at Cat, wondering when or even if she would ever tell him the truth of what had happened at Snape’s house, not that he hadn’t already figured it out for himself. But he wanted, no..needed to hear her say it herself. He needed to know why Snape, why not someone else, ‘anyone’ else….did she choose him because of his strength, his pure blood? Or did she choose him because she felt something more than pity or sympathy for him, did a part of her love him? And if it was love, would reading those accursed letters turn her heart towards Snape and away from him……

“What do you mean, ‘how dare I accuse one of your teachers’, Minnie? I sure as hell know ‘I’ didn’t set those traps for myself, and forgive me if the thought of one of my own trying to kill me didn’t enter my mind.” Cash deadpanned.

“I would say you are being a bit melodramatic, Cash. You and I both know it would take a great deal more than that to kill you.” Minerva replied mirthlessly. “Although I dare say if you had found us, you yourself would have put an end to your own life. Or am I wrong in thinking you intended to face the Tremere one on one?”

“That has nothing to do with……”

“It has EVERYTHING to do with this!” Minerva shouted as she slammed her palms against her desk, shocking both Cash and the many portraits hanging on her walls. “Do you honestly think I would stand by and watch you end your life? Even disregarding the fact that you are my clan, that you protected me for the first several decades of my life. Even forgetting the fact that you saved my son’s life….. Cash, did you truly think I would stand aside and NOT do everything within my power to protect you the way you have always protected us?” she asked, her voice now little more than a whisper.

Cash’s façade fell as he watched Minerva fall back into her chair, obviously exhausted by the toll last night’s activities had taken on her. Before she could blink her eyes, Cash was at her side, his arm encircling her waist as he gently guided her to the mirror she used to travel between her office and her rooms. “Come on, Minnie. Just because you proved once again you don’t always need me to be the hero, it doesn’t mean I stop taking care of you.” he cooed softly as he gave her a kiss on her cheek.

“Promise me you won’t take any of this out on Severus, he only did what I asked him to do. I needed him there in case the Tremere had more tricks up his sleeves. I was concerned…..if I didn’t have enough strength to cast the spell by myself.” Minerva sighed. “Cash, I know you don’t have any particular fondness for Professor Snape, but in his heart of heart’s he is a good man. Kitty can see this and so can Rick, please, try not to interfere with her decisions. This will be hard enough for her as it is…”

“Shhh, I know, Minnie, I know. But I can’t ignore the obvious, like the way he treats people, especially her son. You would think he’d go out of his way to be nice to Harry, you know, brownie points -- get the kid on ‘his’ side. And I can’t help but see the way she and Sirius look at each other.” he added as he pulled back her covers and sat her on the edge of the bed.

“Those two….how could I ever forget those looks.” Minerva laughed. “Do you know that I gave him two straight weeks of detention because he refused to leave her side when she was in the hospital wing after the attack? Even threatening him with no more Quidditch didn’t make him move.”

“That was an empty threat and he knew it.” Cash teased, “No one loves that crazy game like you do, rules and such aside, YOU would have FOUND a way to make sure he played and we all know that.”

“True, I would, but I would never let HIM know that.” she chuckled, “Tell me the truth, Cash, how are things between Kitty and Sirius? I do know that Harry has his heart set on the two of them marrying and giving him the family he’s always dreamt of.” she paused as she hung her head and sighed. “It’s a dangerous thing that boy’s doing, putting so much of his hope and faith in something as broken as their love.” She sighed once more as Cash took off her shoes and gently pressed her shoulders onto the pillows.

“His hope and faith are well placed. The more time they spend together, the more they remember how much love was once there….is STILL there.” Cash explained as he tucked her in. “And I have other news for you Minnie, our little girl may well inherit two daughters as well. Callista and Edana are with her now and they may well remain with her, although it would tear Paddy’s heart out not to be a father to his own daughter. But Sirius is like a brother to him, and Duncan has already agreed to step aside as Edana’s godfather if Angel and Sirius agree to raise her as their own, should it come to that.”

“Duncan said that? But that would mean that he approves of Sirius Black, that he is willing to accept him as his own brother, as Kitty’s husband.” Minerva stated, not bothering to hide the look of shock on her face.

“It gets better, or worse, depending on your point of view.” Cash continued. “No one has forgotten about Snape, and that includes Orpha, who is rather intent upon meeting the man and judging him herself. It seems she’s giving Maharet a run for her money, and she’s winning. Oh, and Merlin wants to come along as well, and Paddy too, more than likely. You know, Angel’s husband and Edana and all.”……….

“Sirius? Gra? What is it? Why are you crying?” Cat’s voice asked tenderly as she rose from her chair, Edana still sleeping in her arms, and walked to Sirius. “Why are you crying, Siri? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing you can’t solve, gra.” Sirius replied softly as he pulled her close and wrapped her in a tender embrace. “I don’t suppose you would suddenly see fit to answer me if I asked you to marry me yet again, would you?” he whispered, kissing the crown of her head. “I didn’t think so, but I thought I’d ask.” he added as he saw her shoulders slump slightly. “You do realize you can’t keep ignoring me, right? Sooner or later you have to make a decision…hopefully before I get desperate enough to get on my knee and propose to you at supper in front of your entire clan.” he stated, innocently.

“Sirius….you wouldn’t?!” Cat gasped, knowing the sort of firestorm that would set off.

“I’m growing desperate, gra. I’m not getting any younger, we both want a large family, we both love Harry,…..we both love each other.” he paused long enough to kiss her, “We …… I think we should be together, Catrianna. I’ve never been the same without you, and unless my eyes have been deceiving me over the last few weeks. You look much happier now than you did when you were at school. And before you ask how I can say such a thing, please realize that even if I couldn’t let you or anyone else see me, there was rarely a moment I wasn’t with you.”

Before he could continue, Edana woke up, suddenly hungry and very noisy. He accio’d the bottle before Cat even had the chance to react. Placing it quickly in Edana’s mouth, Sirius smirked as he watched the little girl gaze up at him with her large, innocent eyes. Staring at the baby for several seconds, Sirius finally continued the conversation. “Are you going to read those letters, Cat? Will they change your mind about me? About us?”

“I’ve got to read them Sirius, I owe him that much, I told you that earlier.” Cat reminded him, “Please don’t be angry at me for this, you know I’ve never shared your dislike of him. He’s always been there for me….”

“I know, gra, even when I wasn’t” Sirius winced, only to be surprised when he felt Cat’s warm lips pressing against his cheek. Smiling sadly at her, he suggested, “Why don’t you get to reading them, I’ll take Edana with me. Maybe have her and Harry spend some time together or something.”

Cat shook her head, “How about we all go downstairs and get some breakfast and then we can discuss what to do with the children afterwards……as a family.” …..

“Oooooo Raulllll” Cash half growled as he stepped into the haven. “We need to talk, Primogen…..Now.” he disregarded the stares of the Garou and the worried looks of his own Gangrels as the tone in his voice sent shivers down their spines. Yes, he was upset, angry even, and why shouldn’t he be? They had taken foolish and unnecessary risks, not only with their own lives, but with the lives of everyone within the castle walls.

He could forgive Minerva for what she had done, her one and only concern had truly been the safety and well being of those under her charge, and oddly enough, she seemed to think that included him along with the students. But Raul…. WHAT had he been thinking? Encouraging her to deceive both he and Albus, not to mention leaving Snape unprotected for who knew how long. As much as they may not care for the Slytherin, if he was in fact the father of what was quickly appearing to be Angel’s sudden change of family status, he had to be protected, and by one of them, by a MacLeod.

Cash paused as he drew nearer to Roel’s bed, Rick was still holding his clan brother’s hand, both of them sound asleep. “Rick, hey, Rick….wake up, childer.” Cash whispered softly as he gently nudged Rick. He smirked slightly as he saw Rick’s bright blue eyes open, a look of momentary uncertainty and confusion within them as he tried to get his bearings. “Rick, its alright….Snape is in his chambers sleeping. You go watch over him, you can rest there too. We’ll let you know if anything changes with Roel, I promise.”……

Fang shook his head as he watched Cash, the man was positively pissed about something, his eyes were flashing, his fang’s were bared, yet the minute he talked to one of his childer he was as soft and tender as a new mother with her infant. It never ceased to amaze him, the way Cash could contain himself, controlling his temper or his desires until the appropriate moment. He was half tempted to go up to Cash, just to see how the Gangrel methuselah would respond to him. But one look at the way Cash’s eyes were flashing made him think twice about pushing his luck. He had seen Cash suffer indescribable pain and torment to protect those he loved, but he had also seen the methuselah inflict horrendous tortures and perform heartless acts against anyone he considered a threat to those he loved. And at this particular moment, Fang wasn’t really sure which group Cash would place him in.

Just as Fang attempted to lose himself in the dark shadows of the room, Cash looked up and saw him. “Where is he, Fang? I’m tired of the games and the deceit.”

Fang froze, was Cash referring to himself or to Raul with that comment? “I haven’t seen him since just after supper last night. Do you want my clan search the castle for him?” he offered.

“No, not yet….but I may ask you to if I don’t find him soon.” Cash replied almost absentmindedly. “Fang, could you ever hear us? With your mind I mean, not your ears.”

“Sometimes, when I was with her. If I touched her hand or stood very close to her I could hear all of you. Olia and the twins seemed to be able to hear all of you most of the time though.” Fang answered truthfully.

“Do you trust the twins Fang? With your life, with Angel’s life, with her son’s?” Cash demanded as he approached the Garou Alpha. “Do you trust them the way you trusted Gaz?”

Fang visibly bristled when Gaz’s name was mentioned. “She deceived us all, Cash…including you and Angel. We all trusted her. And to answer your question, Yes, I trust the twins completely. They have NEVER given me reason to question or suspect them of being anything but completely loyal to the clan, or to me.”

“Loyal to you? Even when Gaz was still Alpha?” Cash questioned, a slightly mocking tone in his voice.

“YES!” Fang stated loudly, only lowering his voice as he and Cash heard Roel moan softly in his sleep. “Even when Gaz was Alpha, the girls would always come to me. Something about Gaz unsettled them from the first time they laid eyes on her. I had thought it was simply her mannerisms, she could be very harsh. But I always turned a blind eye to that, after all, I owed her my life, I fathered two of her kits……I should have listened to the twins.” he added bitterly.

“We both should have,” Cash sighed “we need to trust our clans, Fang. Without trust there is nothing….no clan, no loyalty, no future.” Cash reached out and twisted his fingers in Fang’s platinum mane as he pulled the Alpha closer to him. “I want to be able to trust you again, Fang. My gut instincts tell me I can….I should… But someone is betraying us, someone came very close to killing Harry and Sirius the very night Angel left. I can’t believe my clan would betray one of its own, and I don’t want to believe one of your clan would either.”

Fang blinked his eyes to stop the tears he felt welling up “Is that why you’ve cut us off from your clan? Is that why you barely even look at me anymore?” Seeing Cash wince, Fang knew he had hit upon the truth. “Dammit, Cash, you should know I would never do anything to harm you or her. How could you think I…..that I would even be able to…..” he took a deep shuddering breath as he tried to continue. “I’ve needed you so much over the last few weeks. This is all so new to me, I don’t know how to lead, half the time I’m frightened that I’m making decisions that will lead my clan to their deaths, and the other half I’m terrified I’m not doing enough to prove that we can be depended on. I wanted to ask you for your advice, for the friendship you’ve always shown me, but you wouldn’t even look at me….you…you” Fang sobbed softly against Cash’s shoulder as the vampyre pulled him into a brotherly embrace.

“I am so sorry, Fang.” Cash cooed. “I knew it would be tough on you, but I had no idea you were hurting this much. You’re doing a wonderful job leading them, you must realize that. They trust and respect you, I know it’s a heavy responsibility, but you can do it, you ARE doing it. And you’re right, as arrogant and annoying as you can be, I just can’t see you doing anything to ever really harm her. Tick her off, yes…constantly… but I’ve seen you rush to her defence just as quickly as any of my own clan. The same goes for the others, especially the twins. It was wrong of me to suspect you or them. Forgive me…”