This is a tribute to Emily Zhang, basically! I really appreciated the mention to the army in the book, I appreciated her character, I felt so incredibly sorry for Frank, I thought she was so brave... And I wrote this to go more in deapth. Enjoy, and happy New Year's Eve!

Disclaimer: I don't own Emily Zhang, her family, or her world.

Dedicated to: Anybody in the army, including the veterans, as well as their families.

Emily crouched behind a bush and giggled into her hands. Mother wasn't going to expect this!

She closed her eyes for a second and suddenly she felt so much… lighter. She opened her eyes and she saw colours that she couldn't see when she was her- she'd heard it being called the ultraviolet range of colours. She saw farther and more off to the sides.

She knew she'd done it because of those changes.

She zipped around forwards, backwards, up, down, hovering over one spot in midair... Once she was perfectly at ease she zoomed through the open kitchen window and hovered around her mother's ear. She could make out every single hair in her braid.

"Emily, stop that, land!" Mother scolded.

Emily lowered herself so she wouldn't fall, and forgot all about hummingbirds. She turned back to a girl, her feet suddenly touching down something solid. Her feet staggered at the shock of the pressure. She looked up smiling, waiting for praise from her mother.

"Birds are my absolute favourite!" She told her mother.

"Well you could be a bird, always on your toes like you're going to take off, and chatty and always moving. Now don't do it just because!"

The smile was slowly whipped up Emily's face as her mother put down the knife she chopped peppers with and turned to look at her.

"If you're going to do it; do it right. Hummingbirds are far shier around humans and you could have bitten off my ear!" Mother said.

The smile reappeared on Emily's lips.

"Now try that again, and go see if you can trick your father." Mother said. So Emily closed her eyes again, and opened them to a world under a hummingbird's vision.

She forced her hands not to shake, and kept staring down the shaft of her arrow. She couldn't lose it, no matter if she was losing the feeling in her fingers, or if her arm muscles were burning. That wasn't a reason to quit, it never would be.

"Release," Father finally said. So Emily let the string go and watched the arrow split air and dig itself in the second ring from the bulls-eye.

"Good. You are getting better," Father said.

"Not by much!" Emily complained, shaking her hand as if the numbness would come tumbling out.

"Small things go far, Emily." Father explained. "If I remember, you were only this long when you were born." He said showing a few inches' distance with his hands. He ruffled her hair just as a bicycle's bell dinged.

Two bicycles emerged from a forest path of Lyn Canyon park. The two girls braked.

"Hey Em," Izzy Mermondike said. "Hey Mr Zhang."

"Hello," Donna Wright said.

"Care to join us for a ride? We weren't planning it, but it sort of just happened." Izzy shrugged.

"Yes!" Emily said. "I mean-" she quickly turned to her father "-May I?"

"Yes, you have done well," Father nodded. Emily grinned.

"Thank you Father," she said. "Just wait a sec guys, my bike's in the shed."

She walked into the shed and looked around. It was a mix of gardening tools, weaponry, and balls and bikes and helmets. She had to turn into several primates to unscrew jump ropes and grappling hooks from her bike (how did that happen? She'd only brought it in here yesterday! Geez.)

She came back seconds later, running at its side. She swung her leg over the seat and started pedalling without stopping or breaking the momentum.

"Bye!" She yelled over her shoulder as Izzy and Donna caught up. She'd be good to go in three, two, one…

"Emily- your helmet!" Dad called.

Too late; she was already in the forest. Score one for morphing daughter.

She and her friends held up a conversation as they pedalled over the moist leaf and root floor of the forest, winding between trees, going up hills, down hills… Izzy always broke its trail with a comment that made no sense whatsoever, and Donna used long words that nobody knew the meaning of, but they managed. They were like the three musketeers; they always did.

They stopped when they found a fallen tree. They abandoned their bikes and sat on its log.

"Em, were you training with your dad again?" Izzy asked.

"Mmm-hmm." She said. "He's a great archer." And sword fighter, and wrestler, and martial artist, and spearman, and good with about any other weapon.

But she didn't tell them that. They were her best friends, but she couldn't tell them everything. It was part of her family and being who she was.

"I don't get it," Donna said. "What's he training you for?"

"Oh, you know, just… Physical shape." She hated lying to her best friends. She honestly did. So she always slipped a bit of the truth in it. "It's a family thing."

"Lucky! My dad's idea of bonding is hockey." Izzy said. "Yeck."

My dad's idea of fun is teaching me how not to get killed.

They talked for ever, and finally they realised the sun had dipped in the sky.

"No way- I have to babysit Dylan at four!" Izzy said, picking up her bike and getting on. "Think I'm late?"

"One way to find out," Emily said, as Donna sped off ahead of them.

They finally got into Emily's backyard.

"Come check the time, maybe you can call your mom or something," Emily offered to Donna.

They crept into the Zhang mansion and Emily heard something she never heard in the Zhang mansion. Crying.

"Mother?" She asked. She walked up to the front, to the living room with all the Chinese and Zen knick-knacks. Her mother was sitting on the couch, twisting her hands together and trying not to cry, but it wasn't working. A police officer was standing in front of her, trying not to be there.

She looked up at the sound of Emily's voice. Looking through the window she saw a police cruiser car there.

"Mother what's..?"

"Emily, come." Mother said spreading her arms. She sat next to her mother, who gathered Emily in her arms. Something was horribly wrong, Emily was getting extra nervous. Where was Father? Why wasn't he comforting mother?

"Emily, your father… There was a drunk man going home. Your father was going to get groceries… They were on the same road…"

Emily chocked.

"No!" She said.

"Emily Zhang, don't be difficult, you know it's true." Her mother said, whipping her own tears.

Emily felt like everything around her had dimmed a bit.

The lights didn't shine.

Izzy's glossy black hair wasn't shining.

The mirror didn't reflect the light.

Colours weren't bright.

She looked at everyone in the room to make sure they were all on the same page. The officer looked serene, mother had been crying a minute ago, Izzy's face was frozen in shock, Donna had her hands on her mouth…

And so Emily broke down and sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

Just once, weakness was permitted on her behalf. She looked up at Mother with tears blotching up her vision of everything.

"And he told me to be safe and wear a helmet," she said. Mother wrapped her arms tighter and stroke Emily's hair.

"He would not be mad at you for such a petty thing," she tried to be reassuring, but Mother wasn't reassuring; she was brutally honest. "He would love you. And he did love you. And you loved him, which is why you cry now. But if you really loved him you'd stop crying because he wouldn't want that."

The officer was leading Izzy and Donna back outside, after her friends shot Emily one more look. She nodded, although she couldn't smile at them like she always did to prove things were okay. Like in gym class when she'd get shoved really hard and she'd get back up and smile even if she knew for a fact her arm shouldn't bend that way. Now she couldn't offer them that smile, because you couldn't get a cast to fix this and make it better, and Emily didn't think it was ever going to be okay. Her father was gone. How would things be better?

Since Father had died, Emily had tried to sugar-coat her behaviour for Mother's benefit. Yes; that included listening to the family history about her great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great…

But as she listened, suddenly Emily realised that her family was… Cool. She could pretty much walk into class on her family project and point to legionnaires and princes and Argonauts! Who else did that?

"Is that why we have the family gift?" Emily asked Mother a sunny Sunday morning, where the light shone into the parlour and lit up everything.

"Yes, girl, that's why. There is hope for your fluttering brain to catch any of this, I see."

The door was creaky when she closed it. Oh damn-

"Where were you, young lady?" Mother asked. She looked up and saw her mother with her hands on her hips, holding a wooden spoon like she'd been cooking. A part of Emily's brain was hoping she had, because she was starving, but the other was slapping it and going 'priorities!'

"I was… Umm… Why don't you come sit with me for a second?" She asked.

"Emily-"

"Mother, I need to talk to you."

"Emily if you are pregnant I will beat you with this spoon." She said.

"No!" Emily said. "No I'm not- I'm fine! I just have to tell you something."

They sat down on the couch.

"I just enrolled myself in the military." She said. Mother's eyes glazed over.

"Mother…" She said tentatively. "Are you..?"

"Is that why you think we showed you all those weapons? Your father and I? Did you think that's what we wanted?"

"No! No, you showed those to me, because I have the blood of Pylos." Emily said. "And Periclymus or what's his face, but… But there's nothing else I wanted to do with my life, and this is it. Please Mother, don't be mad…"

"Mad? Do you think I'm mad?"

"Enraged?" She risked.

"No! Of course not. Silly girl, we taught you to fight so you could defend yourself. If you want to defend a country that's more than…"

Emily jumped at her mother and threw her arms around the old woman's neck. She'd been so afraid. A bunch of the people there had looked at her and said 'ouch' when she'd revealed that her Mother wasn't in the know about her military engagement. And Mother was so tight about old rules and dusty traditions, she'd wondered if the breach of telling your parent first was going to cost her.

But no.

And Ya Zhang acted like she was just that much more surprised (which Emily didn't think was possible considering she was her daughter), but hugged her back and started asking questions about when she'd start going to training.

Emily brushed the hair from her face and looked around the airport terminal. Mother had said that she'd come pick her up from the airport, but she was home earlier than she was meant to. The thought made her smile. She wondered how hard Mother would smile when they'd see each other for the first time in a bit less than a year… Had she missed her like Emily had missed her back?

And then she wondered how she'd get back home…

Maybe she could call Izzy… Or get a cab… She didn't really want to get a ride with any of the other soldiers, she rather let them spend their homecoming with their family and friends.

"Hey, who are you waiting for?" Someone asked. Emily spun around and saw a guy in camouflage, with an angular face that'd seen more than one fight by the looks of the scars on him and the brutal look it had. She'd seen him around a lot, although she kept forgetting his name. She asked other people and so did they. It was weird, like everyone forgot him when you looked away. It was weird, but Emily supposed he was the strong silent type.

"Oh, nobody. I'm trying to figure out how to get home." Emily said with a smile.

"Need a ride?" He asked.

"Oh- no- that's fine. I rather leave you and your family and friends or whoever's picking you up alone." She said. He laughed- the loud kind of laugh that made you want to laugh with him. Emily chewed on her lower lip instead.

"My family pick me up, oh that's good." He said, recovering from his laughter. "Yeah, I've been out there so many times… Don't think anyone keeps track anymore."

"Oh," Emily frowned. "That seems cold."

"Well, it's totally legit." He said. "Need a ride?"

"If it's no problem."

"Very little things cause me problem, you are definitely not one of them." He said. "Your name's Emily, right?"

"Right," she said. "Emily Zhang. And you are…"

"People call me Mars," he said.

"That's funny, he's the war god. And you're a soldier." She said thinking back to Grandmother's old stories, the ones about Rome.

"I actually think it's funnier that the descent of Periclymenus was in the army the same time I decided to dwell in the Canadian forces."

Emily froze. She was barely called that, and usually it envolved putting her training to use seconds after, after whoever she was talking to grew teeth or suddenly breathed fire.

"Well, who are you to know that I- oh…" It sunk in and Emily's mind. "Gosh- should I bow or..?" Mars laughed.

"I'm fine. You still need a ride?" Mars asked.

With the god of freaking war and the father of Remus and Romulus… That won't turn out to be anything bad at all…

"I'll take it," Emily said.

Once they got outside Emily wasn't sure what she expected. Pegasus, war chariot, limo, chair carried by slaves, BMW… What did gods drive around in anyways? But it turned out to be a motorcycle. The seat was made out of something that looked suspiciously and freakishly like human skin, and it was scary enough, so Emily got it.

"You need a helmet?" He asked.

"I never wear helmets," She said. At least not on bikes and scooters and skateboard and anything else that required a helmet that she'd ever tried.

"I do. They make me look badass." Mars said.

"Please, I was in base with you for months. I may have never figured out your name-"

"Little trick I like to use," he said.

"-But I know you're badass." Emily said. He laughed, and pulled on a helmet. Emily didn't even ask if it'd been parked there since he'd gone, or if it'd just poofed out of nowhere.

"Hold on tight," he said, starting it. Emily wrapped her arms around his waist feeling just a smidge shy about it and he got going.

"So," he yelled over traffic once they were in a red light, "The family gift. You got it?"

"What, turning into animals? Sure." She called.

"That's sweet."

"It's sweet until I'm a charging mountain lion. Then it's just plain dangerous." Emily said.

"Pretty badass yourself, Zhang." Mars said. Emily felt herself crack a grin.

"So where is this place I'm taking you to anyways?" He asked.

"Oh, right! Umm, North Vancouver…" She gave him her address.

"Oh, I remember, your parents had to defend the place from a hellhound stampede someone let loose once. That was a fight. Can your mother still move like that?"

"Probably not." Emily said. "She's getting older."

"'Course," Mars said. The line of cars started moving and he accelerated. The hair flapped through Emily's hair. She liked the wind in her face; it reminded her of whenever she became an eagle or a hummingbird. How she'd just zip through the air at incredible speeds. Emily loved daredevil speeds and heights. She pulled the elastic from her hair to let the wind blow through. She felt even more like an eagle at an ear-popping altitudes.

She also liked talking over the wind and traffic with Mars. He was funny in a harsh way, but that was fine because Emily could be pretty violent on her own. He was a daredevil too, wheelies on the highway, racing with cars in smaller streets, and such...

They braked in front of the Zhang mansion. He whistled.

"Some place," he said.

"Yeah, it's nice." Emily said. "Thanks a lot. Do you want me to sacrifice a chicken to you or something?"

Mars laughed.

"No, but your number would be great." The god said. That's right, god. And he was asking Emily for her phone number. For a second she just froze over.

Then she remembered talking to him in traffic, how he'd given her a ride, his contagious laugh…

She pulled a pen –something they'd been giving out in the airport and that she'd felt way too forgiving to refuse- from her pocket and grabbed his hand. She wrote her number on it.

"There you go," she said.

"Thanks." Mars said. "I'll definitely catch you later."

Emily smiled and felt warm inside.

"Definitely. Thank you for the ride," she said. And then he sped off. Emily watched him round the corner and go off to who knew (or wanted to know) where. She wondered what he'd do. Target practise? Barehanded lion hunting in Africa? Drive around and find some other gods to flashmob a monster? Or would he just reapparate in the middle-east and keep fighting?

The door opened, and there was a huge gasp.

"Emily Zhang don't you just stand there, come greet your mother!" Someone yelled. Emily turned around with a smile and ran to her mother. She tackled her in a hug as she scolded Emily about her hair being down and all windblown, or her uniform being even an inch crooked from the airport…

Emily smiled, an arm around her mother, her mother's arm around her, as they walked back inside.

There was no other homecoming she would rather get.

Emily punched into a punching bag and turned into a lioness. She roared and her two front paws shot out claws that ripped through.

"Why are you so mad?" Someone said. "Did this date of yours not go well?"

Emily turned back into a human, wearing shorts and a tank top, covered in sweat from the intense anger management/training session.

"No, it went well." Emily said, sitting down on a bench, and bringing a water bottle to her lips.

"If things go well you tell me about it. You don't sit in this basement and destroy equipment." Mother replied.

"Oh no. That was because he's going back to Iran in a few days' time." Emily said.

He had to. He was the god of war. He fought. What else? It was like Emily in a way. He did one thing, and his life spun around it.

"Well then you should be proud," Mother said. "Men in uniforms are noble and prideful. Just as daughters in uniforms are."

"I know," Emily said. "And was that a compliment?"

"Yes. Now nail your fluttering brain into your head so you catch these things." Mother said.

"I guess I am proud of him. He's an incredible fighter, mother. He's brave and strong and selfless. But… I don't know. It's a greedy thought, but I wanted him to stay around, I suppose."

There was a sound of creaking stairs and Mother's maid, Jacintha, stood there with Mars and Emily's heart nearly stopped.

"Ma'am, he says he knows Miss." She said in her rich Spanish accent that Emily loved hearing.

"Ah," Mother said. "And what might be your name, young man?" She asked. Emily met his eyes and shook her head, teeth clench thinking if you tell him your name is Mars she will totally put one and two together and I am going to kill you, immortal or not.

"Marty," he said. Emily breathed out in relief. Ya Zhang spun around to interogate her daughter and Emily sucked her face together so she looked casual.

"Emily, you know him?" Mother said.

"Of course," Emily said. "Hey… Marty." He winked at her and she shot him a look.

"Well, we'll leave you two." Mother said. "Come Jacintha, I found a box of Emily's old toys in the attic, you can look and see if your daughter might like any of them…"

Both of them stared at each other awkwardly.

"I'm guessing you're mad at me," Mars said, pushing the stuffing with his boot.

"No, not really." Emily said.

"So you tear things apart for the fun now? And you call me violent."

"You are the most violent person I know," Emily said. "And… I guess I was more… I don't know, disappointed."

"For what? You're heading back to Iran in a month too, you know."

"I know, I know. I guess it's just that I… I don't know, I thought you wouldn't leave before me."

Mars spread his arm, and Emily took the affection she could get and went to burrow against his chest.

"What part of my being a god don't you understand, Em?" He said. "I thought I'd shown you the whole teleporting thing. Don't mistake me for gone, because I'll never truly leave you."

And that made everything else okay, as she leaned against him.

"Mother?" Emily asked. The old woman looked up from the book she read.

"Yes, Emily?"

Emily walked slowly to go sit next to her.

"Mother, you know how when I joined the army… I said I wanted to talk."

"Yes," she said.

"And you know how you said you'd beat me with a spoon if I was pregnant?" Emily said.

Her mother froze and looked over at her with fire in her eyes.

"Oh gosh- do I need to go get your spoon?" Emily asked, worried. Her mother didn't say a thing and Emily started fearing the worst that Izzy had talked her out of earlier in the day.

"Who..?" She asked finally. Emily's worry melted like butter in the sun.

Then it revealed a whole new layer of another worry. What was she supposed to say? If she didn't know now somehow, her mother would figure out that Emily's… baby was more than human. He was even less human than either of them were. Should she say it?

"You won't believe me." She finally said, figuring that her mother should have the choice.

"Emily Zhang, I am your mother and I know when you lie and when you don't, so you tell me, and if you're being truthful, I will know." Mother finally said. Emily took a deep breath.

"A god." She said. "A Roman god. I met him in Iran, the first time I went. And I see him every time I go back." She looked up half expecting the spoon to come out.

Her mother just sighed.

"I believe you, my daughter." She said. She wrapped her arms around Emily. "I believe you; our family has always been winded with the Roman gods… With ancient gods, ancient bloods and ancient myths… And even more so once your child will be born."

Emily exhaled, although she didn't particualrly need a reminder that there was a kid inside of her (because that was still freaky).

"Tell me more about that," Emily asked. Her mother was taking this awfully calmly, and so rubbing in why she was would do her nothing but good.

"You know all those stories," Mother said.

"I want to hear them again," Emily said, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Well," she said. "Maybe you aren't beyond help..."

She stroke the match against the stone surrounding the fireplace, and touched it to the fire. She blew a little, and added some newspaper. Soon the fire was caught and ablaze, warming Emily's cheeks. She took a step back and threw the match in to burn.

She picked up Frank from his lounger and bounced him up and down until she sat down next to Mother. If she put her finger in his palm, Frank would squeeze it and make smiles. And yes, she was sure it wasn't gas. It was a real smile from a real baby.

Mother was sitting next to her, working on knitting because an old person's group had suggested she get a hobby (because apparently her hobbies didn't count as what senior citizens were supposed to do. Emily really hoped Mother hadn't actually told anyone there about her hobbies, though). Every now and then though, Emily could tell she looked at them. But she wouldn't say it because it would be downright denied.

Suddenly the air started to shimmer in front of the fire. It was hard to see- even for Emily whose eyes had long ago started to keep animal quality sharpness to them.

"Mother," she said. Ya Zhang threw her knitting aside and squinted. Her eyes were older, but she saw it as well, and it was getting clearer... Now she was sure the human eye would see it...

And then someone appeared in front of the warm fireplace. The woman had dark eyes and her hair was done in complex braids, brought up behind her head. She was dressed in blue silk with a less lavish goatskin cloak over her shoulders, and immediately Emily knew there was more to her. And not just because she'd materialised in the living room.

She looked at Frank with a smile, and her eyes glinted like she could see him do miracles. Then she looked up to Emily.

"Who are you?" Emily said, putting a hand over Frank's head protectively.

The goddess raised her hand in a sign she didn't want to fight or harm anyone, and she spoke in perfect Mandarin, which startled Emily nearly more than her apparition.

"He will close the circle. He will return your family to its roots and bring you great honour. He will go to camp and restore your reputation there. He will free Thanatos from his icy chains."

Emily recognised the name and it chilled her. Death? Okay, she had under 72 hours of motherhood, but she already knew she did not want her kid messing around with Death.

"The blood of Pylos is strong in this child from his mother's side." She smiled at Emily and nodded her head, as if she was acknowledging a great power. "He will have the Zhang family gift, but he will also have the power of his father."

She held onto Frank tighter. The goddess said it like it was a bad thing.

"You…" Emily switched from Mandarin to Latin. She didn't think her mother spoke Latin, and she hoped not. "You're Juno, aren't you?"

"I see Mars told you about me. And taught you Latin."

"He taught me many things," Emily replied. "Gave me much more."

"Yes, I see this is another one of my grandchildren." Juno said. Emily's jaw nearly dropped, she hadn't even thought of that. Mars had always been so old to her, he'd always talked about anecdotes and animated battles from history books for her… It was weird to imagine he had a beggining with a mother and father as well.

"May I?"

"Of course," Emily said, because what else do you say to a goddess? She gently transferred Frank to Juno's arms, and Juno didn't move, letting Emily put him in like she wanted him to lie.

She watched the goddess smile down at the child, and rock him a little. She remembered Juno being the motherhood goddess. Well, she could certainly see why now.

"Here," Juno said lowering Frank into her arms again. Frank seemed to have fallen asleep.

"He will be the strongest of your clan," Juno said, back to Mandarin, "and the greatest."

Emily smiled, although the idea scared her.

"But the fates have decreed he will also be the most vulnerable."

Emily's smile faded.

"Why?" She asked in Latin. "What did he do?"

"Too many bloods, and too many powers are at work in his veins." Juno replied in the same language. "The doctors kept him at the hospital for a day more than they thought necessary at first? They saw the symptons, they just didn't see what they were caused by. His power and energy may consume him." The goddess warned, which chilled Emily to the bone.

"His life will burn bright and short. As soon as that piece of tinder is consumed- that stick at the edge of a fire- your son is destined to die."

She disappeared and Emily snapped out of her shock. She was going to lunge towards the fire, but Mother beat her to it, scooping up the piece of fireblood and blowing on it, squishing out the sparks with her fingers. Emily was even more afraid when she felt air blow on Frank, as if what happened to the stick was happening to Frank.

They both looked at each other, Emily holding Frank tightly against her and her mother holding the stick. Not that, unless Juno was lying, they were much different now. Emily's heart beat faster than it ever had. That was so small… It was so short… She looked down at Frank and she was filled with fear like she never had before. Was his life going to be that small and short?

"You're going back to war?" Mother asked, shocked. "Emily, what about Frank?"

"You'll take care of him." Emily said. She'd waited until Frank was four years old. He was old enough not to cry every single day if she left, like any young child would.

"But that's… Emily, if you don't come back?" Mother asked.

"Then he'll have an excellent grandmother to tell him what his mother fought for." She said.

"I think you're going back because you think you'll find your god again." Mother said, crossing her arms. Emily sighed.

"Mother, this is my job. It's fine for me to work in offices, but I want to be back overseas! Back in the action. Doing something meaninful for other countries."

"I still think you want to find your god. You think things aren't over because he only left to protect Fai and his scent, or whatever it is you called it."

"Mother, it doesn't matter what you think." She said. "Because you can accept to take care of him, or I can trust him with Izzy and that'll be that."

But of course, Ya Zhang would not let her grandson get away from that...

Emily Zhang remembered each time she'd come home from war for her whole life.

And if there's one of them that she remembers more, it was when she looked at all the families waiting, and she saw Mother holding Frank's hand, and Izzy with them, twirling car keys waiting for Emily to show up on the escalator. He spotted her first and he tried to break free of Mother's hold. Of course that didn't happen, but he was two. He didn't know about his Grandmother's iron grasp again. Maybe he did after these last eight months.

But she went down a few stairs on the escalator and got stuck behind a large oily businessman. But she couldn't wait.

"Excuse me, sir?" She asked. The man turned around and met her eyes. He must've been looking at her uniform.

"Oh, sorry." He said.

And she ran down the rest of the stairs, weaselling between the side and a lady talking on a cell phone, and scooped Frank –who'd managed to weasel away from Grandmother- in her arms.

Her ears caught the quietest cry from Frank. It was from outside.

Oh snap- is he on his own?

She darted down the stairs, and out the door.

"Come on Frank, inside." She said. She turned to the bear and the second Frank couldn't see her anymore, Emily let loose the fear and anger that this bear dared to attack her son. She jumped off the deck and landed on all four. Suddenly the sun was hotter because of a thick coat of brown fur and she felt bulkier than she was.

She growled and showed teeth.

Now, the transformation alone was a big shocker to animals if they didn't know people like the Zhang's existed, and if you didn't explain it to them or if you weren't nice about it, they were clueless and dead-shocked that one of the humans who killed the world could turn into them.

Well, Emily certainly didn't feel like being nice about it.

She growled and took a step forwards, pushing the bear back. She'd made a point of turning into a grizzly bear. She'd read once –when she was going research on animals she may eventually have to turn into- that grizzly bears and black bears had different territory, but when they met, the grizzly usually won.

That's my cub, Emily thought. With time she'd learnt to project thoughts. She never got anything back, but this worked. This is my territory. There are no other bears here, there's no food for you, there's nothing. You're going to have to leave and never go back, or you know what's going to happen.

Just because she didn't want to completely scar the bear. She'd learnt to respect animals.

The bear backed down into the forest.

She turned back to a human, and pushed herself back to a standing position.

"Where did the bear go?" Frank asked her when she went back inside. Emily smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Mama Bear just needed directions."

"Coach Emily," someone said. Emily turned around and saw a little boy in a blue shirt.

"Yes Jeremy?" She asked.

"I have to go early. My mommy said to say goodbye."

"That's fine Jeremy. You did really good today, you played like a pro!" She said holding her hand down. He slapped it as hard as a seven year old could before hurrying off where his mother waited.

She turned back to watch the game. Who had the ball? A boy from the other team… Oh- no Bailey got it!

"Pass it, pass it!" Emily encouraged. So he kicked it, and it went crooked instead of reaching Sue- oh Frank got it! Atta boy! She watched eagerly as Frank led a break away. He had nobody to pass to, so he kicked it towards the goal and…

All the parents on camping chairs this side of the field cheered as the players all high-fived each other on the field.

"'Atta boy, Frank," she clapped.

"Remind me," her mother's grumbling voice said next to her, "Why do we come here to watch little boys and girls run back and forth on grass? There are more exciting sports for a child like Fai to play."

"Because," Emily repeated, "He wanted to play soccer, and for this season, I could coach, so I did."

Emily was about to add that besides, Mother didn't have to be here; but she knew mother came to see Frank after all, so she let it go.

Walking back home from the game (Mother took the car, which she took more often now because she believed that in no time someone –like Emily- would call her too old and take away her licence), Emily put her arm around Frank.

"You're good at soccer," she said. "You could pull Canada out of its soccer shame, you know." She told Frank. He shrugged.

"I don't know… I don't think I'm good enough to be a soccer player." Frank said.

"You can be anything you want," Emily said.

And she smiled to herself at how true that was.

She lay in the infirmary bed and tried to ignore the pain. Her leg hurt so bad. Stupid bombs and roadside explosions...

She tried not to move, but tossing and turning seemed like the only good way to fall asleep. She thought about Mother, Frank, Izzy and anybody else she cared about back in Canada. Oh, they would worry once they heard about this... And she couldn't tell them that she was fine. Except for the leg of course... The doctors had told her that it was bad, and maybe one day she would walk again. With a brace...

"Well there's a side of Emily Zhang I don't know," she heard. She looked up in the dark and saw Mars. He wore dessert camouflage, he had a new scar going from his ear to the corner of lips Emily had kissed more times than she cared to count, but it was him.

"Mars..." She said. He sat down at the foot of her bed and took a look at her leg with as much expertise as a doctor.

"That's bad," he said.

"So I've been told," she said. He looked her in the eyes.

"You haven't changed a bit," he said.

"Neither have you." Emily said. "Then again, that's not much of a compliment, you're immortal. New scar I see." Mars rubbed it and muttered an ungraceful word about whoever gave it to him. She laughed.

"You'll wake everyone up."

"Well stop making me laugh," she said. Mars crossed his arm.

"How's Frank?"

"Amazing. He's the greatest, even if he doesn't see it in himself." She said.

"As long as he's not too cocky," Mars said. He looked back at her leg, and wrapped the bandage again, with the caring and gentle side of the war god most people didn't know about.

"You realise that I could help you with that, right?"

"Yes," Emily said.

"Are you going to ask?"

"No," she said. "It's your own choice. Although I will put in that I'd like to be able to keep doing my job."

"Well then tell that to your doctor tomorow morning when he checks up," Mars said. "Speaking of which, he's coming. So..." He gave her a kiss. It was a quick peck on the lips, but it was good enough for both of them. "Love you, keep up the good job Captain Zhang, and I'm out." He said.

"Nice seeing you again too," she said. He winked at her and he disapeared. That was all Emily had needed; to see him one last time.

"So how are you doing today Emily?" Doctor Paulo said, getting to her bed.

"Better than others," she said. "You?"

"Better than anybody here."

"I just still want to be able to do my job." Emily said. The doctor smiled crookedly, like it hurt. And it did hurt, every time one of these fighters went down and was cast out.

"You know that won't be possible with a brace."

"I know," Emily said. "I'm just saying."

The doctor took off the bandage on her leg and examined the wound. His jaw fell.

"Amazing," the doctor breathed. "Emily, you'll never believe this, it's a miracle recovery..." He looked up at her in awe.

"Emily, you'll never believe this, but I think you will be able to do your job..."

It was November. Everyone sported poppies. Emily made sure everyone in her own household did.

Was it really that hard to drop 25 cents in a plastic box and put a poppy on your clothes, compared to what the soldiers had to do?

It was so much easier, there was no reason not to do it.

She hoped the kids these days would always remember that.

Frank led her into his ninth grade homeroom for career day. He was swept away by friends and she stood in the back with some other parents. It was a very deep and awkward silence, and that kind of thing didn't fly well with Emily. So she held her hand out at a mother in a lab coat, with a tag that identified her as a doctor at the children's hospital.

"Hi, I'm Emily Zhang," she said extending her hand. The doctor turned around and looked at Emily.

"Suzanne McFriel." She said shortly, looking over Emily's uniform. Emily chewed on the inside of her cheek. She got that reaction every now and then from people. They looked at her and thought 'ooh, military mom, ouch'. Especially when they found out that Frank's dad wasn't around either. Then they just thought 'so she leaves her kid for months at a time?'

She'd learnt to ignore them. They didn't understand the importance of fighting for a free world, she didn't understand their judgements, she didn't try to. They were all fine.

"Hey, Mom," Frank said coming up to her with a guy, "Greg wanted to know about the badges and medals and whatnot."

Emily smiled.

"No problem," she said. She started explaining the military dress uniform, and on what occasion they wore it. Greg's eyes were wide and in awe.

"That's really cool. Did you hear that Mom?" He asked Suzanne.

And Emily just smiled at Suzanne McFriel.

She lifted the top of the box. It was hidden in the attic, but at a spot where it would be easily reached if she had to grab it and run- just in case. She lifted the top and unwrapped the stick one last time before heading off to Afghanistan. She did this every few weeks, just to make sure that her son's life was still intact. Just to make sure her baby was safe.

And when she died, when she tried to save the soldiers around her… She exploited her gift in a way she never should have. But she died thinking 'If this is it for me, at least I died fighting, and at least Frank has Mother and his safety'.