Love's Entrapment

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. - I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own Das doppelte Lottchen ("The Double Lottie"), or, as it was later renamed, Lottie and Lisa, written by Erich Kästner. However, I can and DO claim to own this story, its inspired ideas FROM each aforementioned creation, in addition to any featured original characters - Specifically, Alazne and Kalila.

Note: Yayyy, a new update! =) Not much to really say within this particular note, as majority of what's needed to be said has been within my usual 'A.N.,' so please to be liking this chapter, My Lovelies!

This chapter was created/written in August 2016, and revised within June 2018.

Chapter Nine

When Alazne's plane finally landed at the airport and she'd exited the terminal, she honestly felt like she was going to be sick.

After nearly thirteen years, she was at last going to meet her long lost father face to face . . . and her mind was honestly drawing a huge blank on what to say to him once she did!

She imagined that Kalila was probably having similar issues over where she currently was with their mother back in Florida, but at least she had a vague idea of what the redhead might have been like, based upon the picture Kalila had secretly held within her possession throughout the years.

But Alazne hadn't been so lucky by comparison, and even though she, too, now had her own photograph of their father, it still wasn't really enough to embolden her initial resolve, especially since learning from her sister that the man could sometimes be rather . . . serious-minded, as well as broody.

Sure, the twins' mother could become a bit pensive, herself, here and there, but it was never for very long, nor anything the tomboy couldn't handle. Plus, there was the added bonus that both Alazne and her mother were female, so she could naturally better relate to her in some sort of fashion, anyway.

But this was her dad.

How in the world was she meant to properly combat against any possible mood swings he might get into once she started living with him, and all while pretending to be Kalila?

There was always her usual telling a joke here and there, as she would with her mother, but . . . what if he didn't understand, nor appreciate her brand of humor, and ended up becoming even more upset?

Alazne was vastly different to her twin sister, after all, and given that she was meant to now be behaving like her from now on, the more outgoing girl wasn't honestly certain suddenly displaying a new, out of character antic as Kalila would have been wise, anyhow.

. . . . Well, I guess I'm just going to have to follow through with the plan of acting exactly like Kalila no matter what, and just hope for the best, the normally, much more confident preteen thought with a nervous exhale as she blindly reached up to readjust the crisscrossing hair chopsticks, which were still thankfully within one piece . . . given her constant tossing and turning within her seat back on the plane, having been that restless to finally land.

Slinging Kalila's bright yellow and paint splattered duffel bag across her right shoulder, Alazne began to warily make her way through the vast throng of fellow travelers within the airport, which only made her feel that much more anxious, as she suddenly felt as though she were drifting out to sea.

It was a sharp contrast to the far quieter, and much smaller, private airport she had originally gone to back in Florida, before taking her generous Aunt Irma's equally private jet to Virginia . . . with the keyword, of course, being 'private.'

She had never traveled by plane before, at least, not a commercial one, as even when going to visit her grandparents all the way in California every summer before now, both she and mom would either brave the long journey by car, making an admittedly fun road trip of it, or simply use her aunt's jet once more.

And so, despite generally enjoying being among large crowds, this one in particular just felt completely . . . suffocating the longer she was there and continued to clumsily bob and weave between as many people as possible while trying to finally locate her father. . . .

Ugh! I'll never find him like this! . . . . Screw it, Alazne thought with a growing frown, before a new idea suddenly sprang to mind.

Having just then spotted a row of conjoined seats, one of many free to be used by her fellow, weary travelers, Alazne quickly jogged over to the first two empty ones she saw and carelessly threw her sister's duffel bag onto one of them, before climbing onto the other.

Now try to miss seeing me, Dad, she mused proudly as she renewed the search for her father, beginning to wring her hands together unconsciously within further anxiety as she did so.

Thankfully for Alazne, her smart thinking had done her well, as it hadn't honestly taken the young man in question very long at all to find her, immediately spotting the familiar sight of his uniquely dressed daughter only several feet away as she turned her head within the other direction.

She hadn't appeared to yet notice him quickly approaching, and so, while her attention was continually elsewhere, the brunet thought it might be fun to take advantage of the situation by being a bit coltish for a change. . . .

As Alazne just then turned her strawberry blonde colored head back within the direction of where her father had been approaching, she'd only just missed when he swiftly dove behind her, before gently tapping her on her left shoulder.

"H-Huh?" she uttered confusingly as she turned her head again and looked down to see who had touched her, and felt that much more befuddled when there was no one, as that side only held her yellow duffel, which remained perfectly perched upon the seat. ". . . . Well, that was str -"

"- Boo!" Alazne suddenly heard a young man call out as she turned her head once more, and suddenly found herself face to face with her now chuckling father, causing her to let out a sharp cry of alarm.

"A-Ahh!" she shrieked uncharacteristically, causing several passersby to naturally look on as she then unfortunately lost her balance and quickly fell off of her chair.

Thankfully, however, her father apparently had rather quick reflexes, which she imagined he could have rightfully been accredited to his martial arts training, as he effortlessly caught his now furiously blushing daughter before she could have hit the cold, marble floor.

"W-Whoa! I gotcha, Baby Girl, no worries," Alazne nearly swooned at hearing her father speak once more as he smiled warmly down at her and still cradled her protectively within his arms.

She no longer felt that being the far more reserved, artistic Kalila was going to be as difficult as she originally thought, as Alazne suddenly felt dreadfully shy, herself, and at a complete loss for words.

She couldn't even bring herself to hold the gaze the two were previously sharing, as the unexpectedly close and understandably unfamiliar proximity to the brunet was simply becoming too much for her.

It was those eyes!

How could her sister manage to look into those very open, and honestly mesmerizing emerald colored eyes all the time?

Alazne was honestly beginning to feel rather petrified that, if she'd have kept looking into them within that moment, her father would have somehow already figured out that she wasn't really whom she was pretending to be right then and there. . . .

Oh, God! Am I . . . Am I honestly crushing on my own dad? Ewwww! J-Just . . .get it together, calm the heck down, and relax, already, before he really does suspect something's up! the now mortified tomboy mentally chastised with a light shiver of disgust as her father carefully set her back down onto the ground and smiled once more.

"I'm sorry that I scared you, Baby Girl! I didn't think my little joke would have gone over so poorly," the man Alazne had not too long before had previously, and finally learned to be known as Caleb Lin sheepishly apologized, gently rubbing the back of his brown colored head as he did so.

Suddenly seeing the tall man carry on within such a way Kalila might have within such a situation made Alazne immediately begin to calm down as she slowly smiled back, although her overall timidness had yet to completely dissipate.

". . . . I-It's okay . . . Dad," she at last replied quietly, putting great emphasis upon the last, albeit truly hallowed word as she struggled to carry on her very first conversation with the man. "I-I . . . I missed you so much!"

"And I've missed you so much, Kali," Caleb repeated within ongoing affection and another smile as he referred to Alazne by the nickname Kalila had informed her of, and gently pulled her into his very strong arms within a warm, and secretly long overdo embrace.

It was like reading a favorite book, eating a favorite meal, and watching a favorite television series all that once, except infinitely better, as Alazne swiftly returned the hug and effortlessly felt herself getting lost within the profound moment.

She had thought about this very moment so many times for most of her entire life, yet never dared dream it would ever be made possible, and thus never fully allowed herself to feel any of the hopeful emotions which would have naturally come with it.

Now that said moment was actually, finally here, however, Alazne absolutely never wanted to let go, as she regrettably felt herself beginning to cry against her father's fortified abdomen. . . .

". . . . Ohhh, shh . . . Don't cry, my love, don't cry. You're back home, now, safe and sound," Caleb gently cooed while beginning to stroke his daughter's hair, which honestly made Alazne weep even harder.

She knew she was probably going to be a rather unflattering, rather uncharacteristic 'Gushing Geyser' the moment she'd finally met her long lost father, but she didn't believe it was going to be anywhere near this much, nor this hard . . . which suddenly made her realize just how much she really had been holding back emotionally where he was concerned, and just how much she had truly yearned for him to be within her life. . . .

A momentary feeling of sheer resentment against her mother had then swelled up within Alazne at the continued realization, making her wish that she was presently there so that she could give the older woman – Give both parents a sound piece of her mind for having selfishly chosen to keep both Kalila and herself away from the rest of their family in all this time. . . .

. . . . But I'm sure Kal and I will get our chance to finally air out our grievances when the time comes, for sure. For now, though . . . I'm just going to enjoy my time with my dad, the emotionally distraught tomboy thought as she slowly began to calm down, wiping away a few tears with the back of one of her hands before reluctantly detaching herself from her father.

Apparently freely crying and carrying on within such a manner in front of their father was something Kalila did a lot, as Caleb thankfully did not seem phased within the slightest by his daughter's current behavior.

Instead, he simply crouched down onto one knee as he carefully removed his sable colored and rectangular shaped eyeglasses away from his face, before smiling warmly at his 'only' daughter.

"I guess being away from home for two whole months is a bit long for a child, isn't it? I know how you feel, love: I was once far from home, myself, when I was barely just a little older than you, and for even longer," Caleb revealed within furthered comfort, causing Alazne's eyes to slowly widen within surprise as his own then did the same, as though suddenly having realized a mistake of some sort.

". . . . You were? For how long? Was it when you went away to college?" Alazne asked within honest interest, as she couldn't recall Kalila telling her stories of any possible traveling adventures their father might have had during his youth.

Caleb blinked at this, clearing his throat with curious nervousness as he then nodded, smiling lightly before responding.

"O-Of . . . course, Kali! College, that's right! At first, it was pretty hard to get used to all the new, strange ways – B-By comparison to high school, that is! But . . . after a bit of time and adjusting, I got through it just fine . . . just like you did by being away at camp," he oddly stammered for a moment, before quickly recovering with another loving smile as he then reached out to gently stroke his little girl's cheek. "But I will say one thing: There is absolutely nothing like coming back home to the family whom love you, and whom are always there for you. . . ."

". . . . You have no idea," Alazne murmured within agreement, automatically leaning into her father's embrace as she momentarily closed her eyes and smiled . . . just as Caleb's curiously began to fade away.

As she reopened her eyes a moment later, Alazne could then finally witness firsthand the apparently infamous contemplative facial expression Kalila had let her know their father was known for within their family household, as she watched him slowly drop his slightly calloused hand away from her face as he abruptly stood up.

Watching him carry on in this way honestly made Alazne immediately worry, despite her twin's forewarning, as seeing it happen in person was far different to only hearing about it.

He looked a lot like how the tomboy would feel whenever she would allow herself a moment to think about her previously missing father, his naturally handsome face becoming rather flat and darkened within expression, while his formerly luminous green eyes suddenly became rather . . . hollow, and forlorn.

She wished to ask if the man was honestly all right, maybe even ask after whatever it was he was thinking about to presently have him so down, but she hadn't a clue how to go about doing so.

I have only known the man for like, three minutes, now, after all. . . . And besides, I know that I never like it whenever Mom tries to find out what's wrong with me if I'm feeling pretty down about something . . . at least, not until I'm ready, anyway, Alazne pondered as she softly bit onto her lip, watching helplessly as her father continued to appear positively torn up. . . .

It was over before she knew it, however, as she confusingly watched the brunet awkwardly replace his glasses back onto his face, before smiling broadly down at her, forced at first, before becoming quite genuine the longer they stared at one another.

"A-Anyhow . . . I'm just really glad you're home, again, Baby Girl – Everyone is," he stated soothingly, as though the previous episode of sorts hadn't just occurred, nodding within added affirmation before reaching out to pick up Alazne's momentarily forgotten luggage from off of the seat behind her.

Choosing to move forward, as well, Alazne simply smiled within return, feeling herself beginning to blush once more as she began to recall the rest of her long lost family she was finally going to meet.

"I can't wait to see them, Dad! How . . . How have they all been?" she asked within natural excitement as she continued her best to sound every bit as her far more emotionally in tune and attentive twin sister.

"Great! Everyone's great, although they obviously can't wait to see you – Your gūgu, especially, who just got back into town two days ago, actually! Hard to believe that she's been in Italy the last three months, hard at work with her latest series of paintings," Caleb revealed with blatant pride over his adoptive, younger sister, and clearly feeling every bit as happy as Alazne currently was over having the talented artist return back home to the States.

Out of everyone, negating their father, of course, Alazne had admittedly been looking most forward to meeting the young woman, as her newest aunt honestly sounded like a fun mixture between both Kalila and their Aunt Irma, which, if it turned out to be the case, then Aunt Irma was going to have a run for her money as her continually steady place as the tomboy's favorite aunt . . . even if she previously had been her only aunt.

Alazne nearly plowed into several oncoming people as she let her father lead the way out of the unyielding crowded airport, absolutely refusing to take her eyes off of him for even a second as she practically became glued to his side.

"O-Oh? I was hoping . . . Gūgu would have come back home before school started again, Dad! She's. . . been away for way too long," she remarked with a bit of awkward hesitance as she briefly struggled with the proper pronunciation taught to her by Kalila of how to address her – Their aunt, before letting out a light sigh of relief that her father hadn't seemed to notice the slight hiccup.

"She really has, hasn't she? At least it wasn't anywhere near as long as when she'd stayed away for six months last year, when she was too busy being so awestruck by all the wondrous sights of Nepal! Honestly, you know I love your gūgu to death, but I sometimes wish she wouldn't let her passion and inspiration take her wherever next she felt like, and for however long she felt like. After all, you're growing up so fast, now, I'm afraid she'll be missing out on a lot of truly important family moments . . . or simply life changing moments, in general," Caleb began with energetic steam as he continued to carry on about the attachment he clearly felt for his younger sibling, before curiously trailing off to nothing more than a whisper, so low in fact that even with her extremely close proximity, Alazne still could not make out the tail end of his sentence.

"H-Huh? What was that last bit, Dad?" she asked within honest curiosity, not wishing to miss even a single word her father uttered after so long of having never heard any, as she quickly began to pick up the pace in order to better match his honestly long stride.

Geez! And I thought I had long legs, Alazne mused with a soft smirk of amusement, as she honestly found it to be rather humorous that for once she was the one struggling to keep up with someone, as it was usually the other way around for most of her friends back home in Florida.

It was then Caleb's turn to feel suddenly awkward once more, his naturally olive hued skin curiously growing a shade darker as he chose to continue walking, looking straight ahead and acting as though he hadn't just nearly jumped a rather large bombshell onto his daughter . . . within a bustling airport, and right when she'd just finished returning home after eight weeks at summer camp.

Come on, Caleb! You've a PhD within Military History for Metamoor's sake! Surely you can manage a much better strategy than simply letting the big news slip to Kalila right here, right now, the brunet silently admonished himself with a light scowl as the duo were finally exiting the airport and headed straight for his car, which was thankfully parked just across the street within the near distance.

"W-What? Oh, no, I was just . . . thinking aloud, really, about how much has . . . changed over the years. I-I mean, how much you've grown into a beautiful young lady – Which, to be honest, it looks as though you've done some more growing during the last two months the more I look at you, because . . . I don't know. You just . . . suddenly look . . . different to me, somehow," Alazne listened to her father state within proud honesty, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest as he stated his final observation.

Holy crap! Is my cover already getting blown? But, how, when Kalila and I are identical! Not to mention that I think I've been doing a fairly decent job of being her, acting all nervous and jumpy and whatnot – Like right now! the voice inside her head practically screamed as she immediately froze midway through opening up the passenger's side to her father's vehicle, upon having finished placing her duffel bag into the trunk.

"W-What? Different? Me? Don't be silly, Dad! I'm still the same ol', quirky, happy-go-lucky girl you've raised the last twelve years!" Alazne heard herself weakly cover within response, honestly wishing to slap herself across the face for the poor excuse she was positively sure her father would have immediately seen through.

Luck certainly appeared to continually be on her side, however, as although Caleb's current, facial expression did hold an honest look of uncertainty, he simply smiled crookedly and shook his head, a few, loose strands of his short, slicked back brown hair waving back and forth as a result.

"Well, of course you're still you, sweetheart! I just meant that . . . I don't honestly know what I meant!" he admitted with a light chuckle, as he too resumed opening up his own car door, before a new thought then occurred to him. "But, hey . . . there is one thing new about you: You keep on insisting upon calling me 'Dad' at the end of majority of your sentences. Did you really miss me that much?"

Alazne nearly fell back out of the car just as she had gotten in the moment she'd heard this, her heart beating a thousand beats a second as she struggled to think of what to say next . . . before her face slowly melted into an honest, confident smile.

". . . . U-Um . . . yes! Yes . . . I really . . . really did, Dad. . . ."

"Oh, man, Grandma! If only I could still somehow travel to Kandrakar and talk to you face to face, again, because I could really use some guidance about these freaky feelings I've been having ever since I'd woken up earlier this morning," newly turned thirty-year-old Lin Hay Lin softly murmured to herself where she was, inside of her older brother's always inviting and spacious living room of his admittedly impressive, and well deserved lake house.

She was presently practically driving a deep groove into Caleb's meticulously polished, wooden floor as she continued to pace back and forth, having begun doing so pretty much from the very moment she'd dragged herself out of bed and temporarily interrupted her ongoing, post-travel recuperation.

"I mean, you know that I know that you can always hear my thoughts, powers or not, and that we will always remain connected within spirit and all, but . . . well, I'm not exactly an active Guardian of the Veil, anymore, or have all my abilities, either – E-Except the few here and there The Oracle was kind enough to permanently bestow onto the girls and I after we'd retired, yes, yes, I know what you'd say and remind me of, Grandma," Hay Lin continued carrying on openly with her dearly departed grandmother and fellow former Guardian, Yan Lin, an act the young woman clearly was no stranger to doing on a fairly regular basis. "Obviously you know all of this, since you were still here – On Earth, that is, when it all happened all those years ago, duh, ha ha. . . . I-It's just – ! I-I don't know! I guess I'm just still feeling a bit jet laggy from the flight, coupled with all of my traveling the past few months that maybe I'm just not thinking straight, here, but . . . I just can't help shake the feeling that something major is about to go down, kind of like right before a 'Big Time Baddie' would show up back in the day, or something. . . ."

Rambling.

Yep. Rambling, and generally carrying on until she finally got what was off of her chest had always been a strong suit of Hay Lin's . . . well, more or less, anyhow.

And of course she was well aware that, be it years ago when she was still twelve-years-old when she'd first received her blessed dominion over the element of air, much like her honored grandmother, or right within that present moment as a well retired and (mostly) de-powered Guardian of the Veil eighteen years later, Hay Lin's beloved Yan Lin would have still understood precisely what the talented artist had meant to convey all the same.

Still, Hay Lin didn't think she could have missed hearing the soft, slightly baritone voice of her former mentor, nor her profoundly sage advice any more right then if she'd tried.

Maybe it really was simply due to the fact that the normally quite carefree, and energetic young success had been previously busy living abroad, too wrapped up within her usual (and frankly, only) love affair with inspiration for her next masterpiece to strike, while somehow simultaneously sparing just enough time to check on how her comic book sales were coming along and, more importantly, how the rest of her family were doing.

Family still meant everything to Hay Lin, after all, no matter how old, nor thankfully blessed with prosperity she'd become over the years . . . nor how admittedly often she didn't see her parents and older brother.

If it wasn't their father, Chen, usually being the one between their two parents to habitually talk her ear off over being "too far away from home for my liking," as one of the top criticisms the older man would throw her way, it was definitely her at times too overly protective sibling who'd pick up where their equally worrisome father might have left off the most, and far greater than she would have liked, to be honest.

Without a doubt Caleb had most taken after their father more so than their mother over the years, always worrying constantly about their loved ones and what was next over the horizon, even if said worry could have been light years away, or unwarranted . . . as the majority, especially concerning his baby sister were concerned.

But then, even before their parents had decided to make him an official part of the family many years ago, especially once the cat was finally out of the bag concerning his particular origins and Hay Lin's former status as a Guardian of the Veil, Caleb had always been rather serious, choosing to walk throughout life alongside that of caution.

"Hope for the best; prepare for the worst," was something he'd absolutely revel within quoting to Hay Lin throughout the years, much to her chagrin, especially as it was a philosophy within direct contrast to her usual desire to simply live within the moment.

She'd done enough personal worrying to last her a lifetime and beyond during her time as a Guardian, after all, whether or not Caleb or the girls had ever truly been aware . . . which, back then, of course, they had to have been, what with all of them having been so close like family, themselves.

But then, saving the universe on a fairly regular basis, and placing your very life within each of their fairly capable hands would do that, naturally . . . just as getting older, graduating from high school and going off within separate directions would end up causing all of them to grow apart and become honest strangers would do that, as well . . . naturally, apparently.

Sure, of course Hay Lin had been tremendously heartbroken once she'd been forced to realize, fairly quickly, unfortunately, that what now amounted to be a silly little fantasy that the five of them – Six, if one counted Queen Elyon Brown (who was probably presently up to her elbows within stinky diapers of however many adorable little heirs to the peaceful throne of Metamoor she might have produced with the lovable as he was honorable, her for sure by now husband, Aldarn), would always remain as close as they'd been as children, no matter the distance, nor lack of rescue missions to contend with or travesties to avert. . . .

Now, however, as an adult with far, far more 'real world' experiences underneath her belt, as well as general change of perspective which maturity naturally bestows over time, Hay Lin had long been able to put that girlhood dream to rest, reconciling it with the fact that life simply went on, and with it, people, although she would always wish her old friends all the very best while carrying them within her heart, regardless.

Besides, while she could not speak of the whereabouts, nor status of two of her former friends and once Fire and Earth Guardians, respectively, Taranee Cook and Cornelia Hale, Hay Lin could at least give a brief synopsis of sorts regarding her old leader of the Guardians of the Veil, and Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar, Will Vandom.

She'd ought to be able to, after all, and not simply due to the fact that her cleverly deciding to turn all the girls' adventures (and, quite often, misadventures) into a comic book series had naturally loaned a hand within broadening her descriptive skills over time, either.

Although having lost touch with the once shy, but tremendously caring redhead over a decade ago, now, more or less about as long as her other, once closely knit friends, as well, Hay Lin had unexpectedly gotten to know Will within new, far closer ways than the artist had ever before done so, even during their Guardian years.

After all, it hadn't been during those particular years that both Will and Caleb had suddenly fallen hopelessly in love with one another, ended up getting married at a young age during their college years, and gave birth to two of the most breathtaking, identical baby girls Hay Lin had ever seen within her entire life. . . .

Even with the occasional, precognitive abilities her position as the Air Guardian had bestowed upon her, Hay Lin still had never seen any of that happening.

None of them had, to be sure.

Hell, if anything, whether the girls had all stayed in touch over the years or not, they had all been one-thousand percent certain that they'd have each been bridesmaids to Caleb's union with Cornelia, not anyone else, and certainly not Will.

It'd just had made far more sense at the time, that was all.

Cornelia had always been Caleb's 'One and Only Someone' (as he'd later referred to Will within confidence to his adoptive sister, upon having revealed his very strong intention within making the redhead his hopeful, eventual bride) pretty much since day one, since he'd first stepped foot onto Earth from the mystical world of Metamoor all those years ago . . . even more so, the very moment he'd decided to make Earth his permanent dwelling.

Those two were just a sure thing, and one did not mess with nor question it, as sure as the sun rising and setting every new day and evening.

And Hay Lin, of course, as Caleb's new family, his sister, had only been all too supportive and happy about it, especially at knowing that one day soon, one of her closest friends she'd already thought of like a sister would legally become one . . . even if that would-be sister did have the nasty tendency to put her foot in it far too many times, due to being a bit too blunt and judgmental for Hay Lin's naturally forgiving and relaxed nature.

At least, teenage Cornelia had been, anyway. Who knows the sort of individual she'd shaped into as an adult, today?

Still, as positive as she'd been of their relationship, Hay Lin, and without a doubt, her super best friend at that time, the former Guardian of Water, Irma Lair, had both wondered from time to time what Cornelia and Caleb saw within one another to begin with.

Sure, they certainly had clicked, obviously, and cared a great deal for one another, but more often than not they'd seemed to butt heads a lot and challenge one another, and not in a good way, either.

Overall, however, it hadn't really been any of their business, and with neither Caleb nor Cornelia having been of the open book types, at least, not perhaps without the right persons, the only thing any of the girls had truly needed to have been privy to was the date of their impending wedding.

That is, until Will was suddenly the forefront of Caleb's entire focus and drive, really out of the blue, and all of the daydreams of sharing Sunday breakfasts and major holidays with the blonde Earth Guardian had to be promptly erased from Hay Lin's mind.

Now, it wasn't even to say at all that Caleb had been better off with Cornelia, or that Will had been somehow beneath him, which, even as her beloved brother whom she'd grown to love with all her heart and whom had become her truest friend of all, Hay Lin could always admit that Caleb was not without his own flaws.

It was simply because, if Hay Lin remembered correctly, both Will and Caleb hadn't honestly interacted with one another much, even with all of their shared magical duties to naturally bring them together.

They hadn't really much in common, either, if Hay Lin was honest . . . or so she'd originally believed, as she would later hear all about the 'new' Will Caleb had clearly discovered with newfound eyes as time went on, things that even Hay Lin, herself, hadn't previously known, or perhaps not even Taranee, whom had been the redhead's closest rock.

Certainly her own first, and only relationship at the time with boyfriend Matt Olsen hadn't fully unveiled 'the real Will,' or, at least, the parts of her which Caleb had been truly fortunate enough to have witnessed, himself, or else Hay Lin imagined that Will would have eventually become 'Mrs. Vandom-Olsen,' rather than 'Mrs. Vandom-Lin' as she had upon marrying Caleb in the end. . . .

. . . . The end.

Funny always to think of how that fairy tale, and really, that's how Hay Lin, even today and In spite of it all, had ended up believing it to be, even had one, rather than it's originally foreseen beginning.

Funnier still that after everything they had weathered together, and not simply as fellow comrades upon the battlefield, but as a young married couple still in college and struggling to provide for their newfound family, that they could not have somehow found a way to hold on just a little longer in order to see it through, and remain the beautiful family they had been.

And funniest of all is how two of the most levelheaded and caring people Hay Lin had had the privilege of ever knowing could have somehow thought it would have been a grand idea to not only divorce, as heart-wrenching as that had been for everyone involved, but to also separate their daughters for an undetermined amount of time, presumably for life at this point, and painstakingly allow them to grow up without the well deserved knowledge that either one of them exists. . . .

All to save face and further heartache, Hay Lin had been forced to bitterly reconcile over time, as neither party had been truly forthcoming upon the overall matter, naturally, even to this day . . . at least, not where Caleb was concerned.

Try as she might, and Heavens Above know that she had, Hay Lin had done all that she could not only to futilely attempt to somehow bring them back together, mostly in thanks to the fleeting stages of her youthful naivety at the time. But it had been her biggest mistake, albeit justifiable, of bringing the well being of their twins into the matter which had been the straw to break the camel's back for both Will and Caleb, as neither one of them wished to ever discuss anything relating to their by then collapsing relationship with the generally optimistic young woman again. . . .

And as painful as that had been, watching not only her initially tightly lidded, adoptive brother revert right back to his old ways when he'd first arrived on Earth, even with her (at least, temporarily where she had been concerned, and thankfully so), it was just as mournful for Hay Lin to have witnessed the . . . light of sorts simply die out from within not only Caleb, but Will, as well, and even with still possessing their precious new children.

Will had, by that point, become the ultimate sister Hay Lin not only never knew she had been missing, but had also needed.

The redhead had honestly become all that which she'd supposed she might have possibly seen within Irma, or something similar to at the time while growing up together, yet so much more.

It had been Will, after all, whom had initially been the one to encourage Hay Lin to parley her undeniable gifts as an artist, as well as natural fondness for comic books in general into something which would turn out to be quite lucrative, helping her hold onto their shared, cherished memories as fellow Guardians of the Veil into a series which the whole world over could partake in and possibly treasure, themselves.

If it hadn't been for Will and her cheer leading at the time, Hay Lin might never have become the globetrotting creator she was today – Or, at least, would not have been as lucky enough financially, due to the honest franchise Veil Guardians was presently becoming, in order to literally afford the opportunity to live as she did, painting all around the world for as long as the mood would strike . . . or whenever Caleb would grow far too distressed about his little sister, and her beautiful, regrettably singular niece, Kalila would unintentionally guilt trip her into coming home sooner than originally intended.

Kalila.

A true marvel that that little girl has so far managed to grow up happy and simply unaffected by the fact that there curiously aren't any photographs, nor general mention of her mysteriously missing mother to be had within the Lin Household.

Well, no.

To be fair, the budding artist, herself, and Hay Lin's at times 'quirky clone' from especially her own youth had asked off and on about Will, and naturally if there were any pictures she could rightfully see, maybe even possess . . . however, once the young preteen had apparently asked far too many times for her father's liking over the years, Caleb had uncharacteristically raised his voice against his otherwise treasured daughter, and within no uncertain terms informed Kalila that she was no longer meant to ask after her mother again.

And, in all honesty, as respectful and non-judgmental as Hay Lin really did pride herself upon being, choosing to live and let live, especially concerning her beloved brother's wishes (however infuriatingly asinine) . . . when it came to her niece, all bets were generally off . . . which was why Kalila now secretly possessed a photograph of one of Caleb's favorite, if she recalled correctly, one taken during their late teenage years, and by Taranee, at that.

After all, it was the least Hay Lin could have done to sort of do right by the overall situation, if not even Caleb knew where Will, and perhaps, more importantly, their other daughter, Alazne was within the world in all this time. . . .

". . . . I'm beginning to think that maybe my globetrotting and staying away from home for extended periods of time might have more to do than just simply wishing to capture the beauties of the world through my art, Grandma," Hay Lin murmured within slight epiphany, blindly reaching up to rub vigorously at her temples as she squeezed her warm, dark brown eyes shut within a futile attempt to lull the growing, worrisome headache away all while continuing to pace. "You'd think all the mediating I've done, both while you were still alive and especially since, either through my martial arts or in general would have helped my feel better about this crappy situation. . . . It helped me heal during our grief over having lost you, although at least you'd gone home peacefully. . . . So why can't it, at the very least, help right now to quiet this insufferable feeling I'm still having even now?"

Whatever it is, it will just have to wait, because nothing is going to ruin my long overdo reunion with my bro, and especially my niece, Hay Lin mused the last without another word and gruff exhale, nearly tripping over the earthy toned rug placed before the unlit fireplace within the center of Caleb's living room, as Hay Lin's still overall impressive hearing suddenly heard the familiar sound of the front door opening. Speaking of. . . .

"Hellooo? Hay Hay, you up and about yet, Sleepy Head? We're back," Hay Lin could hear her adoptive brother happily call out into the previously quiet atmosphere of his inviting home, unknowingly bringing a thankful smile onto her lips upon having heard him refer to her by her old childhood nickname.

She was about to return the sentiment and let her family know where she was when suddenly her entire body tensed up and a shiver ran down her spine the moment Hay Lin then heard the familiar voice of Kalila also searching for her . . . or at least, it should have been familiar.

". . . . Y-Yeah, Gūgu! It's . . . me, your favorite niece in the whole wide worrrrld!" Kalila playfully chimed in with a soft giggle, although not without a curious sort of . . . uncertainty, as Hay Lin then watched the familiar strawberry blonde preteen trail slowly behind her father into the living room a moment later.

On second thought, scratch that, all the conflicting, befuddled emotions she'd been unable to place a finger on up until that point.

Completely scrapped.

Because while it may have been a decade since she'd last been on 'active duty' as a Guardian of the Veil, and shamefully a few more alongside since the last time she'd gone ahead and used the precious, lasting abilities The Oracle had seen fit to bequeath onto her, there was now absolutely no denying the feeling Hay Lin had been experiencing for most of that morning. . . .

". . . . A-Alazne?" the more-often-than-not emotionally in tune artist barely choked out to herself within an utterly startled whisper, promptly covering her mouth with both hands within continued affect at the same time that Kalila . . . or Alazne(?) did precisely the same thing . . . right before immediately proceeding to lose complete consciousness. . . .

- End of Chapter Nine

(A.N. Yayyyy, happy to finally find the time to get this one off my computer and onto here, where it belongs. =) But mannnn, do I hatttte being personally inconsistent with myself, Gotdamn it. LoL That is, before anyone might point it out, for whatever reason I'd honestly forgotten to change Caleb's last name of 'Lee' to 'Lin,' rightfully so, during the beginning of this tale. I'd originally had an idea for why it was meant to be that randomly picked name at first, as I usually might with some of my other stories, but as I was further developing this story and decided to have the Lins officially adopt him, I suppose I'd never gone back within my overall outline to change it, accordingly. Sooo, yeah, please to be ignoring the 'fact' that Kalila's last name WAS 'Lee' within the previous chapters, particularly during roll call on her first day of summer camp...SIGH. LoL

ALSO, yet another, tiny hiccup, regrettably, I know that I'd stated that Kalila refers to Hay Lin as 'āyí'/Auntie,' however upon a bit further checking, she'd apparently more so refer to her as 'gūgu/Auntie,' as that's apparently what one would refer to their father's sister...which, obviously, Hay Lin is to Caleb. LoL Sooo, double yeah, yet another one to personally get underneath my skin once this story's done and I come back to read it – At least, on here, since I obviously went back and changed it on my computer. You know me, I just 'love' researching and being as prepared as possible before presenting any sort of story on here for you all to enjoy...GODDDDD. LoL

ANYWAY! All THAT aside, I'm otherwise pleased with how this had turned out, having drawn inspiration from Evie's present relationship with her daddy, and how much the two of them adore one another. =)

As for Hay Lin, with her/her perspective, I'd honestly thought it'd have been much better to just sort of dive in, and have her reveal things almost as though you already know the full story, although 'everyone' knows I'm not traditionally a fan of doing that all too often.

But since I figured that Hay Lin and Al would undoubtedly 'have it out' very soon, ANYWAY, with Hay Lin filling in all the gaps for her long lost niece, I thought, "Why not? Let's just go with it for now." And surprisingly, it seemed to work out. LoL

And so, because of that, I also didn't really go into much detail about Irma in relation to Hay Lin anymore on purpose, either, as I expect to probably cover that within the next chapter.

Overall, though, I'm digging thirty-year-old Hay Hay. =) Kinda infused a bit of my own childhood naivety of dreaming all of my schoolmates, not just from high school but even back from elementary school, would still be around to this day, and we'd all be neighbors and babysit all of our kids together, blah blah. LoL But I, like Hay Lin, naturally grew up and realized sometimes it doesn't work out that way and it's okay – Wish 'em all well, keep moving forward, and just do you as best you can. =)

Uhhhh, what else, what else... Oh, right. Of COURSE I was going to SOMEHOW incorporate magic into this story. LoL Well, no, to be fair, I'd originally thought against it ages and ages ago when this all first came to be, but then when I'd decided to go ahead and do so, it might have solely concerned the twins somehow. Still on the fence about that, since I wouldn't want either or the both of them to just simply use their magic and somehow 'poof' their parents back together, one, two, three...although I had placed a tiny 'kernel,' if you will, earlier on regarding that. BUT, for now, we at least now know the Guardians retained some of their powers, albeit predominantly their secondary ones, really. At least, as it presently stands, anyway.

Hmm...methinks that's it, yay! HOPEFULLY the next chapter should be out either later this week or this weekend, if this rare free/'me-time' continues to hold out, that is!

Thanks, again, so sooo much for reading/reviewing, and see you with the next one, Lovelies!)