Chapter 10

The following Monday marked the beginning of the last week of school, and Chloe was in good spirits as she had scored well on her finals and only had two more assignments to turn in. Her Mai schoolmates were also much better behaved than before, and Chloe hoped they'd turned a corner.

That afternoon, Chloe and Alek were making out on Chloe's living room couch, since Meredith was still at work, letting them have the whole house to themselves. When their make out session seemed to be getting hotter and more involved than ever before, Alek eased back, peppering soft, chaste kisses over her mouth and cheeks.

"What?" Chloe murmured in hazy confusion as Alek resisted her efforts to resume kissing. Instead he eased his weight off of her so he was lying on his side with his head propped up on his bent arm. "Why'd you stop?"

"Your mom asked us to be respectful of her home, and…"

"Yeah," Chloe agreed, her flushed cheeks growing even more pink. "So what do you want to do?"

"I think you know what I want to do," Alek teased.

"You're the one who stopped," she said sharply and Alek realized he may have hurt her feelings. He rested his hand on her stomach gently.

"Not for lack of desire."

"Oh." She smiled up at him and he could see that she was pleased. "We could watch TV, or we could… talk."

Alek regarded her seriously, realizing that she had something on her mind, but knowing her enough to know that she wouldn't come right out and say it.

"We've both had a lot of changes lately, with our families, our lives… each other," she said hesitantly. "You and I weren't even friends at the beginning of the semester."

"You asked me once, why I stopped talking to you. It wasn't because I lost interest, or because I didn't want to be your friend anymore," he explained, their gazes locked on each other as Alek raised the sore subject.

"Then why?"

"I almost kissed you."

Chloe blinked up at him with a blank expression. "I don't remember that," she said softly, trying to remember. She remembered a few times when it had seemed like Alek might kiss her, the butterflies in her stomach had been terrible, but in the end he'd always kept his distance, and now she knew why. Teenage crushes might feel like life or death, but Alek had thought the he really could kill her with a kiss.

"You love who you love," he said with a questioning tone, no bitterness this time. "I guess that is true. If I had been able to stop feeling… what I felt for you, we could have stayed friends, then maybe when you transitioned, you would have trusted me more."

Chloe swallowed hard, realizing that the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' was painfully true. She'd wanted Alek to open up about his feelings, wanted to know why he'd stopped being her friend years before, but knowing only made her feel worse.

Realizing that she had been silent too long, she forced words past the lump in her throat. "It was exhilarating at first, then it got scary… but you and Jasmine made it better, and I did trust you…" she said, earning a doubtful look from him. "I did. Mostly. I should have trusted you more, you have always had my best interests at heart. I didn't see that, but I do now," she said emphatically, trying to right the mistake she'd made over and over again even as she felt like her heart had been scraped out of her chest with a rusty spoon. He might not return her feelings, but that didn't change hers or that he had proven himself to be the best friend she could have in her situation.

He nodded and shifted positions, climbing over her and off the couch. Chloe watched him go feeling adrift, but she quickly realized that once again she was making an assumption, and that her and Alek's miscommunications were many and often. He moved towards the kitchen, thinking a glass of cool water was in order, but her voice stopped him.

"Alek…" the uncertainty and hurt in her voice made him turn around. "Felt?" She looked down, afraid of what she would see in his face. When his feet came into view she looked up finding him standing so close she had to crane her neck back to keep from looking directly at his crotch. The way the light hit his face, she could see the lighter flecks of green and yellow in his eyes. "I know I don't have any right to ask… but if you're… If you don't… if this is just something to pass the time, I'd… I'd like to know, so I can…"

"So you can what?" he asked, his fingers tracing the square shape of her jaw, tangling in her loose curls before trailing down her neck and along her collarbone.

"So I can… know what to expect," she said huskily. "So we can be… friends without any confusion… between us."

"Is one of us confused?" he asked, his old cockiness in full evidence, brown eyes gleaming with mischief.

Chloe shifted uncomfortably and stood up, tired of bending her neck back to look at him. She had been fairly sure he wouldn't reject her hurtfully, no matter how much she'd hurt him before, but she'd also been pretty sure that he wouldn't volunteer anything, despite their recent make-out sessions.

Not that she blamed him. He'd always been the one to declare himself and his feelings before, and she knew she should be brave enough to do it now, to balance things between them, but she was nervous and afraid. Afraid of rejection, afraid of having her heart broken, afraid of complicating their friendship even more and risking losing their current closeness.

"I… may be," she admitted. "Things have been good… between us. I mean, we're getting along, working together, not fighting, then there is the kissing…" she said, laughing nervously.

"I like that part," he murmured, inching closer, his hand curling around her hip and tugging her closer. "I like all of that."

"But kissing does not a relationship make," she said brightly, her eyes rising to meet his then moving off to his left, her mask much too thin to stand up to the scrutiny of his direct gaze. "Or, at least, that's what I told Paul after he and Amy started dating, but then that just led to him thinking that stepping up the romance meant getting naked in her bed, which she did not appreciate, and then they broke up, but… well, that story had a happy ending at least."

"So, to be clear, you do or do not want me to get naked in your bed?" he teased.

Her shoulders slumped and he laughed, charmed by her floundering words and the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "Chloe," he said softly, lifting her chin with a soft finger. "I suppose we never really did get that first date. Might be a good place to start."

"I'm not sure first dates really lessen confusion," Chloe said, hoping for more of a definitive statement of their status.

He grinned at her. "So you're looking for a declaration from me," he said contemplatively.

"No, I-"

"One way or the other," he said, cutting her off.

Chloe blew out a noisy breath. "Yeah. I guess I am."

"I'll see what I can do," he said with a wink. "Now, what do you have to eat around here?" he asked, clapping his hands and moving to the kitchen to open her fridge without asking.

==-Nine Lives-==

The next day, Chloe woke up next to Alek, letting herself enjoy a few minutes of quiet comfort, lying next to him, his heart rate slow and steady as he slept. It didn't last, though, it never did. Once she was awake, Alek would wake up within minutes. Pressing a kiss into his shoulder she climbed out of bed pausing to watch him go out the window with a graceful jump.

Amy picked her up for school, the girls running too late to stop for coffee and from the way Amy was bubbling over about her plans for the summer, which apparently included camping trips, shopping trips, beach days and Amy auditioning for a reality singing competition, she didn't need caffeine.

Arriving at school a few minutes before the warning bell, Amy and Chloe slipped into the crowded hallways, moving with a sea of teenagers excited for summer. Chloe stopped at her locker spinning the dial to open the lock while Amy moved down the hall to hers.

Feeling a tap on her right shoulder, Chloe turned her head expecting to see Alek since he was the only one who could sneak up on her. Her gaze had barely landed on him, taking in his still damp hair, when he spun her around with heavy hands on her shoulders, easing her back against the bank of lockers. Chloe's eyes were wide as he stepped closer, pressing against her body, his cockiest smirk in place. She bit the inside of her lower lip to keep from smiling and shot him a warning look that only succeeded in making his smirk shift to an actual smile. Resting his weight on his left forearm, now braced against the wall, he had effectively trapped her between him and her locker door.

Lifting his right hand from her hip, he tugged her lip free from her teeth and leaned in. Chloe's gaze darted from his eyes to his mouth and back seeing the gleam in his eyes. He was as aware of their audience as she was, but unlike her, he was enjoying it.

Some of Alek's jock friends passed by and one offered a helpful suggestion to the amusement of the rest of the watching students. "Get a room."

Alek twisted his head and nodded in acknowledgement. "Not a bad idea."

Chloe opened her mouth, clearly annoyed, but as Alek turned back to her, he caught her mouth in a kiss. Chloe would have liked to say she put up more of an effort to dissuade Alek from making a spectacle of them, but as soon as his lips pressed against hers firmly, she gave up the fight.

His hand drifted back down to her hip, tugging her closer to him and Chloe responded by gripping his sweatshirt in tight fists, as their tongues tangled in a sensual duel.

Previously…

The week all the weirdness started, Chloe was standing with Amy at the bottom of a stairwell at school, telling her best friend about how she was suddenly possessed with off the charts confidence and how that resulted in Chloe's first kiss. Alek approached in the hall with several of his jock friends. Noticing Chloe, he stopped behind her friend, but Chloe ignored him, despite Amy's instruction to 'look perky for London Calling.'

Annoyed, he bounced the basketball he was carrying off the wall above Chloe's head. Still getting no reaction from the pretty strawberry blonde he repeated the move, leaving Amy gaping, until Chloe finally reacted, catching the ball and stepping towards him, getting in his face without any hesitation. "Hey, Jocko. Do you mind? People are trying to have a conversation. Go play 'look at me' somewhere else," she said sassily before spinning and throwing the ball down the hall where it bounced off the wall and landed directly in a distant trash can.

Every student in the hall turned to look at Chloe who appeared stunned.

"You did not just do that," Amy said managing to pick her chin up off the ground.

"I think I did," Chloe said, glancing at Alek who appeared interested but not overly surprised. She grabbed Amy's hand and towed her down the hall, hurrying self-consciously. Alek watched Chloe disappear, his expression thoughtful.

Later that day, Chloe exited her last class and walked the hall, but Alek was coming towards her and put himself in her path. When she tried to go around him, he put his hand against the wall in front of her, forcing her to stop, her eyes shooting up to meet his dark brown gaze. "That was very impressive," he said, stepping closer to her. Chloe backed up instinctively, but Alek followed closely. "Maybe you can show me some of your moves sometime."

"No moves, just a lucky shot," she said, trying to play down the incident, even as Alek crowded into her personal space.

"I wasn't really talking about basketball," he said with a smirk.

"Subtle," she said with a faintly disgusted look, trying to slip around him, but he pressed his hand into her stomach, holding her in place against the wall.

"I'm not trying to be."

"Um, you haven't spoken to me in two years. Let's go back to that," she squeaked, shocked at the forwardness of his touch.

Alek dipped his head down to her neck. "You smell very good." He felt a tension he'd been carrying for years suddenly disappear as the unmistakable scent of Mai lingered in his nose.

With her heart racing with anxiety and her mind stumbling to understand why Alek was suddenly talking to her, touching her, Chloe looked for an escape. "Okay, crazy non sequitur man, it's called bathing. Try it."

Alek smiled, not moving back despite her efforts to discourage his interest. "Why are you giving me such a hard time, Chloe King?" She'd liked him once, when he'd courted her friendship, certain that she was Mai and that he just had to wait for her to transition. But after months of waiting while she remained human and his feelings grew, he'd finally had to cut off their friendship to keep her safe from him. Despite knowing that he'd hurt her, he'd thought that after all that time and with a little interest from him, she'd warm back up to him quickly enough.

But apparently not.

"Believe me, if I knew it was going to have this kind of effect, I never would have touched your ball," she said then grimaced. "Don't say it."

Alek smirked down at her from his greater height. "Something tells me we're going to be very good friends."

He started to lean in, her eyes wide as she realized he was going to kiss her, but before their lips connected, a girl called his name loudly, stopping him.

Chloe's shocked blue eyes looked at Jasmine, catching the look that the dark haired girl shared with Alek. Thinking that Jasmine was Alek's girlfriend, Chloe beat a hasty retreat. "Well, uh, nice chattin'. Let's try and never do that again."

Alek watched her go, his dark eyes burning into her back.

"What the hell was that?" Jasmine demanded, pulling on his shoulder so he turned to face her instead of staring down the hall at Chloe's retreating form.

"She's Mai," he said definitively.

"Not this again," Jasmine sighed.

Present day…

Now, of course, Chloe could admit that she hadn't meant it, hadn't wanted him to keep his distance, had never really wanted that. She thought she could go on kissing Alek forever. Or at least until the warning bell sounded breaking into her dazed thoughts.

Alek pulled back only a few inches, grinning at the stupefied look on her face. He dipped his head down and kissed her neck lightly before shifting back enough to allow her to move. When she just continued to stare at him he laughed lightly and pulled her binder and the text books she needed for her first two classes from her locker before closing it.

Holding onto her books, he took her hand in his and led her down the hallway, all eyes, including Amy's gleeful gaze, on them.

"Well, I guess you did…"

"Did what?" Chloe asked breathlessly, still recovering from the kiss and the knowledge that half the school had witnessed it.

"Show me your moves," Alek teased.

Chloe shook her head but followed him all the way to the door of her first class. Instead of relinquishing his hold on her or her books, he lifted their joined hands and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of her hand.

"So how about it, Chloe King?" he said, speaking in at a normal volume, ensuring that people could hear their conversation. "How about we finally get around to that first date?"

Chloe tried to suppress her smile, shaking her head at his antics, even as she was unable to deny the warm feeling the filled her chest at his very public display.

"I'm not letting you go without an answer," Alek stated, apparently in no hurry to make it to his first class.

"Ms. King?" her teacher asked, sounding amused. "Are you coming or going?"

Chloe ducked her head, a blush coloring her cheeks as she looked back up to meet Alek's eyes. "A date. I think I can do that."

Alek's eyes gleamed, and she could see that while he was playing to their audience, he was genuinely happy. "Tonight. Just you and me," he said before dipping his head to her ear, keeping his next words between them. "No adults of any race, no assassins, no drama or violence of any kind."

She smiled up at him, accepting her books as he finally handed them over before slipping into her normal seat, her mind occupied with less than academic thoughts.

==-Nine Lives-==

Valentina returned from a meeting with the mayor of San Francisco at city hall to find that her assistant was flustered. Appearing faintly amused, the leader of the San Francisco Mai glanced from her nervously speaking assistant through the glass walls into her office to see a man in a suit sitting with his back to her.

Entering her office, Valentina saw him clearly for the first time. He had a square jaw with a straight nose and pearly, even, white teeth, the symmetry of his face almost too perfect, but Valentina didn't deny that it was an attractive package, capped with dark lashed blue eyes. A few days growth of stubble tipped him from pretty to masculine, and his rangy muscled build only reinforced that.

With her three inch heels adding to her already 5'9" height, her eyes were nearly level with his as he rose to his feet to greet her. Valentina assessed him, not seeing any tension in his stance. "Mrs. Bakari," he greeted her without even attempting a polite smile.

Valentina nodded and moved around her desk setting down her to-go coffee cup and bag before turning to face him. "Mrs. Bakari – Olufemi, as I think you know."

"Yes," he agreed, sitting down and tilting his head slightly as if observing something faintly amusing. "You kept your maiden name… despite what I believe was a happy marriage."

Valentina regarded him passively, but he could see the tension in her eyes. "As brief as it was happy, thanks to your organization. Your organization is also the reason I kept my maiden name. My brother was killed before his ninth birthday, and my sister lived only long enough to deliver two daughters before being killed, along with her entire family. I am the last of my line, and I carry our name proudly."

He nodded his head, as if acknowledging the facts, but offered no apologies. Valentina could appreciate that.

"What can I do for you Mr…"

"Ramsey, David Ramsey," he offered. "And I am here to offer my assistance to you."

Valentina raised one skeptical eyebrow. "I appreciate your prior support, but don't see what further you could have to offer." She would never forget his face, even though it had been partially covered when she'd woken from her coma.

"Your Uniter is doing well for herself. Jackals, Oracles and Mai, all living and working together in the city."

"Yes," Valentina agreed. "She is quite remarkable."

"The members of my organization took a risk in choosing to allow the Uniter to proceed with her mission. A great risk to our own lives and potentially all humans," he stated. "She has humans in her coalition. We see promise in that."

Valentina waited patiently for the reason for his visit.

"We want you to set up a meeting. Representatives from your pride, and whomever else you would like can accompany the girl," he offered graciously, tenting his fingers to wait for her decision.

"I'm sorry, that is not possible at this time," she denied his request. Rounding her desk she motioned that he should leave and he stood and walked with her without protest. "As I said, I appreciate the goodwill you have shown me and my pride in recent days, but I cannot in good faith agree to your request at this time." He nodded as he'd expected the rejection, and Valentina supposed that he had. "I will however make your request known to Chloe, so that she may consider her course of action." She walked him to the elevator, and he turned and held out his hand to her. Hesitating only a moment she accepted it and gripped his large hand firmly.

"I appreciate that. It was lovely to see you again, Mrs. Bakari – Olufemi."

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Ramsey."

"You'll send the Uniter our best regards?" he inquired and Valentina nodded thoughtfully as the elevator doors opened. "Perhaps it would be agreeable for you and I to keep in touch. That may alleviate your concerns about our meeting with Miss King." Valentina considered his offer and nodded, keeping her watchful gaze on him until the elevator doors closed between them. Immediately three Mai converged around their leader, relaying information on the member of the order who had visited her after following her for two weeks.

"Yes, you did the right thing letting him enter. I don't believe he poses an immediate threat to us, in fact, he could be a useful ally."

==-Nine Lives-==

An hour later, Valentina looked up to see Alek enter her office. She smiled and greeted him warmly, inviting him to sit with her in the comfortable chairs by the windows. Alek greeted her in return, but wondered why she was never so warm with her own daughter. Valentina loved Jasmine, but treated her less as a daughter than a soldier to be trained for service.

"Where's Chloe? I almost expected her to be here with you for this," Valentina inquired.

"Home. She doesn't want to influence my choices."

Valentina considered that with some surprise. "Does she think any of us can remove her from our decisions going forward? She will define our future, planning without considering her would be counterproductive."

Alek shrugged. "I think she doesn't want or need any more responsibility. And to speak plainly, Mai politics are still indecipherable to her, and I don't think sorting out our issues with each other is the best use of her time."

"For the moment, I agree. The various Prides need some time to adjust to the news that the time of the Uniter is now. We'll work it out, and then the road will be clear for Chloe. But we're here today to talk about you and your Pride. I take it you have made a decision."

"My father's council had five members. Three of which are still alive. I think given the scattered state of the Pride over the last 15 years, we would be better served by seven council members," Alek stated matter-of-factly. Valentina remained quiet, not having expected him to propose something so definite at this time.

She nodded and listened as he explained his plan, first to make the announcement, then to organize an election for the open seats. A week prior Valentina had arranged for Alek to speak to a representative from each pocket of his pride. As a first step, it had gone well, with many of the Easter European Pride members stating outright that they supported reunification, and the others saying they were open to the idea, with several asking to come directly, wanting to support their leader as he laid the groundwork to take his father's position.

"Maggie has already mentioned that she is happy and ready to help you organize the political structure and ease any tensions that the exodus causes," Valentina said, mentioning a female member of her council, and trusted friend, who was also a poly sci professor at Berkeley.

"I'd like to begin as soon as possible," Alek said standing up.

Valentina rose, not stating her surprise at his change of heart. He'd already tasked the three existing council members to conduct a thorough census of pride members. "I'll set up a meeting with Maggie at her earliest convenience."

At the door, Alek paused and she could see the tension knotting his shoulders. "One last thing… I want to talk to Zane."

"To what end?"

"He's my brother, I need to know… to understand."

"And if he has no explanation to offer that helps you to understand?"

Alek's gaze was resolute. "I need to know either way. I need to close that door before I can take my father's position. It's the right thing to do."

"I agree," Valentina stated, pride and approval in her warm expression. "Chloe has already secured the Oracles agreement to speak to Zane, so that the truth is revealed even if he lies."

Alek smiled realizing that Chloe was looking out for him as much as he was always looking out for her. "We have a date tonight."

Valentina smiled openly. "Where are you taking her?"

"Pazzia, then a gallery that is showing some of the Jackals' work."

"Sounds like you've thought it out thoroughly."

"I've had some time to think about it," he said with an easy grin.

==-Nine Lives-==

A few hours later, Meredith opened the door to find Alek standing on the porch, looking like the cat that ate the canary. He presented her with a bouquet of flowers, making her smile. "I think these are for Chloe, you should-"

"No, these are for you, I have flowers at the restaurant for Chloe," Alek corrected her with a bashful smile.

Meredith shook her head, realizing the potency of Alek's charm. "Well, thank you, they're beautiful." She held the door open for him, walking to the kitchen to find a vase. "Chloe," she called loudly, not realizing that with Mai hearing Chloe could have overhead their whole conversation if she wanted to. "Your date's here."

Alek grinned, turning to watch as Chloe clambered down the stairs. "You're beautiful," he flirted, moving closer to her and taking her hand in his.

"So are you, I mean, handsome, you're handsome. You look good," she stumbled over the words.

Meredith watched with one raised eyebrow and a skeptical look, wondering how they could be so nervous around each other when they spent so much time together, much of it attached at the mouth lately. She opened her mouth to advise them of Chloe's curfew, but Alek beat her to it.

"I'll have her home by 10:30," he said.

"Midnight," Chloe countered.

"It's a school night," Meredith denied the request.

"A school night on the last week of school," Chloe argued.

"11:30," Meredith conceded.

==-Nine Lives-==

Chloe came home from the last day of school with a large smile on her face. Summer was always good, but this summer felt full of promise, and Chloe was happy that it had finally arrived. Not only were things going well with the Mai, but the Oracles had decided to stay in town through summer so Chloe could use their assistance while meeting with any of the other ancient races they could muster up in the next three months. And on a personal note, things were going well for Chloe. She and Alek were together, she and her mom were getting along, and Amy and Paul were happy together and apparently enthusiastic to help Chloe with whatever she needed from party planning to movie nights and dinners out where they only talked about Mai issues or never talked about Mai issues.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called out as she came through the front door. Alek was with, Maggie, Valentina's second in command, dealing with the logistics to electing four new council members to Alek's pride, and Chloe's other bodyguards kept a fair distance from her. "Mom?"

"Upstairs!" Meredith called out.

Chloe walked up the stairs her steps increasing in speed as she heard a male voice coming from her mom's room as well as Meredith's tone. She didn't sound like she was in distress, in fact, it sounded like flirting.

Chloe walked through her mother's bedroom to her en-suite bath to find Meredith leaning against the wall and Joe crouched on the ground with pieces of a plumbing pipe in his hands.

"Chloe, you missed all the fun," Meredith said with a happy smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Uh-huh." She hoped with every part of her being that her mother meant fun with plumbing, as evidenced by the wet towels pushed against the wall, and not any kind of fun that Joe and Meredith might get up to together. She wasn't quite ready for that. "What's up?"

"Hey Kitty-cat," Joe greeted her warmly, his ruggedly handsome face softened by a grin. "Your mom's sink decided to spring a leak."

"Uh-huh. And you just happened to be here?" Chloe questioned.

"Chloe," Meredith laughed, but it was an uncomfortable embarrassed laugh. "Joe offered to help, say thank you and be glad you're not mopping up water from downstairs."

"Thanks, but…"

"Your mom and I were talking on the phone when she came home to a puddle," Joe explained.

Chloe blinked at the casually offered explanation, assuming that that meant that her mom spoke to the hot jackal regularly, since he didn't give a particular reason for the call. "OK, and you offered your services as a plumber?"

"Chloe," Meredith said sharply, shooting Joe an apologetic look. Joe looked up at Chloe with an open expression, but there was a stillness to him that told her he was waiting for her judgment. Chloe opened up her senses and felt Joe's steady thrum of energy, a large dose of affection, and a small note of suspense. Her mother's emotions were more jangled, anxiousness and embarrassment mixing with hope and happiness.

Chloe smiled, then schooled her expression into one of watchful protectiveness. "That's fine, Joe's great, lots of skills, looks good doing it, I don't have a problem with that. But if you two are 'friends,'" Chloe said with a faux concerned look and accompanying air quotes, "I expect you both to be mature and upfront with me about your progressing relationship."

Chloe smiled brightly as she parroted back her mother's words, enjoying seeing Meredith's consternation at being on the other side of the parent/child dynamic.

Chloe retreated downstairs to leave the adults to their brand of flirting. When Joe came down the stairs a half hour later she greeted him with a bright grin. "So-"

"Zip it, kid. Your mom and I are adults," Joe said with a playful glare, mussing her hair as he passed her.

"Consenting adults?" Chloe questioned, following him out he front door to the porch, as she attempted to smooth back her hair. She felt much more at ease with the idea now that she'd had a few minutes to consider it. Her mom dating was a big deal, and while she'd liked Frank, she liked, trusted, respected and admired Joe, and thought he just might be the guy to make her mom happy.

"If and when I have something to tell you, I'll tell you."

Chloe beamed up at him, the foot difference in their heights making him tower over her.

"You're really OK with this?"

"I will be as long as you treat her well, and I have no reason to doubt that you will," Chloe said seriously.

"I like her, and she seems to like me, but a few good conversations is as far as it's gone."

"You should ask her out. She deserves to be happy, and so do you. If she's happy with someone that I like and trust, then I couldn't ask for anything more."

Joe ruffled her hair again and she shot him a look of ire, batting his large hand away. "You're a cool kid, you know that, Chloe King?"

"I heard a rumor," she said with a wink. "I also heard that I'm difficult when crossed."

Joe nodded, his eyes creased in a smile, his baritone laugh pleasant. "Duly noted."

"Chloe?" Meredith called from inside. Seeing the front door was ajar, she pulled it open to find her daughter and the large Jackal on their small porch. "Oh. You're still here."

"I was just inviting Joe to dinner. He's an expert at grilling meat of pretty much any kind. We could have a summer kickoff dinner," Chloe said quickly. "How's next Thursday for both of you?"

"Oh, I... my work schedule..." Meredith stammered.

"I might-" Joe started to reply, but was cut off.

"Great, it's a date. Discuss the details among yourselves, and let me know if I can invite Alek or if it's just the three of us," Chloe instructed breezily, going inside and shutting the door.

"What just happened?" Meredith questioned, looking from the closed door to Joe.

"I think your daughter just instructed us to figure out what we're doing. On her timetable," Joe laughed, but his dark eyes searched Meredith's face for an indication of what she was feeling.

"Thursday then," she said with a blush, but her eyes met his and held steadily.

"Thursday."

A week ago...

The dinner with the Oracles had gone well, and Chloe was feeling hopeful for the future. She hoped all reconciliations with the ancient races could be done without conflict.

After dessert, Chloe found herself sitting between Jessica and Meredith on a couch. Chloe's mother was blatantly curious about the Oracle, but was holding her tongue.

"You can ask me your questions, mother of the Uniter. I have no reservations in speaking openly to you."

"Oh," Meredith exclaimed, looking down for a moment. "I'm just learning about all this, and it sounds..."

"Crazy?"

"I was going to go with improbable."

"Yet you have seen the truth of it with your own eyes," Jessica said calmly. "Chloe is Mai, with all of their physical attributes, and the special abilities of the Uniter."

"Yes, and you can see the future, and know when someone is lying."

"Yes, we see the paths different choices will create, and the likelihood of each path being taken. We also see the past."

Meredith frowned, and Chloe sat forward her expression suddenly sharp.

"Yes, I can see your adoptive father. He had only the best of intentions when he took you into his heart and home," Jessica said causing Chloe's eyes to fill with tears. It was a terrible thing to doubt the man who had been the only father she remembered.

Meredith took Chloe's hand in her firm grip. "Is he dead?"

"Yes. For many years now. I am sorry for your loss."

"It's good to know, to be certain, once and for all," Chloe said quietly.

Meredith cleared away her own tears. "Can you see Chloe's birth parents?"

"Mom..."

"Yes, I can, but I think that that is a conversation for another day. Chloe is not yet ready to seek those answers."

"Chloe? Is that true? You can, if you want, it won't hurt my feelings," Meredith reassured her.

"I know, it's more complicated than that, but thanks," Chloe said, her lips twisting into the semblance of a smile. "Someday."

Jessica nodded, but her eyes had a fuzzy, faraway look to them. "Some truths do not wait for you to seek them, they find you."

Chloe frowned, but didn't get the chance to ask the Oracle what she meant before Jessica's daughter appeared and pulled Chloe away to talk to Jasmine about a girls night out.

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