Because it was demanded...

The Ireland hotel in the magical city of Lainn was one of the most beautiful locations Carlos Torres had ever decided to build upon. The greens were plush and rich, the streams crystal clear, and the sky seemed to almost be enchanted with it's bright colors. There were magical creatures in the woods located close by, all of them having three stars or under on the Ministry of Magic chart. It wasn't home for Callie necessarily, but it was a close runner up.

As they apparated in the stone walls of the hotel, Callie and Aria gazed at their surroundings curiously. It looked like there were renovations being made. Many house elves walked in and out of the main lobby, and a group of squibs (non-magical folk that were born from magical parents) were chatting amicably with one another over what appeared to be cups of hot coffee.

"Aria! Calliope! What pleasure it brings this old man to see his lovely daughters!" Carlos bellowed from the top of a grand set of pearl white stairs directly in front of the girls. Aria grimaced as her father took her into a side hug, but Callie smiled widely.

"Hello, Father! What's with all of this work being done?" she asked curiously. Although she did not get along with her Mother (who had yet to speak to her directly since Callie had not combed her hair well enough for her standards that morning) she usually found a good deal of camaraderie with her father. They both had a deep love for magical creatures, and when Carlos found out his daughter was an Equling, he couldn't have been more proud. He was slightly jealous that he himself did not carry the gene, but since he kept Callie close by his side in most of his escapades with the beasts, he grew to get over his childish jealousy.

"Ah, we're changing it up a bit here, my darling girl! It's a surprise, though! I've kept it a secret from most everyone, you see. The final product will be revealed on New Year's Eve." he told her with a wide smile on his face. He placed his hand on her back and led her over to the wide window that overlooked the beautiful blue lake of the marsh green land. Callie smiled as she saw Glitter flying high in the sky with Carlos's horse, Dulce, an Aethonan. Aethonan's were similar to Abraxan's in a sense. They were both flying horses, but their appearances were difference. Where Glitter had a butterscotch colouring and white-blonde hair with blue wings, Dulce was chestnut in colour with mocha coloured hair and black wings. Carlos took her with him everywhere, but since her native land was Ireland, she loved soaring in the Irish skies the most.

"Calliope, your birthday is coming up. You'll be 16." Carlos said solemnly. Callie chanced a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, confused as to what he was getting at.

"Yes, I know...why do you speak of such things?" she asked. The older man sighed, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet. It was then she noticed a few grey hairs poking out from her father's goatee. She wondered absentmindedly how long they had been there.

"I never thought I would need to worry about you, Calliope. You are so strong, and yet you're often times curious. So very, very curious. I had hoped that perhaps your mother would leave you alone. I'd hoped she'd be satisfied with your sister marrying whomever it was the old bat chose for her." Callie giggled slightly as her father smiled at her, chuckling over the term he had used to describe his wife. He often joked with Callie about the ridiculousness that was Lucia Torres. He had loved her once, but a few years after Callie was born, something had changed in her. Carlos's business started really taking off and with the fame and fortune that it brought, Lucia's demeanor had shifted drastically. They had always been a wealthy family, but never had they been so deeply in the public eye. The woman he loved grew to be a memory, and although he couldn't bring himself to leave her, he found that he hated the way she brainwashed his older daughter. He smiled to himself every time he thought of how Callie had escaped all of that. That is, until more recently.

"Your mother tells me that she's set up a sort of arrangement for you and the youngest Kibbe boy." he spoke softly. He watched his daughter's face fall into one of stone. She often wore this expression around his wife, and he did his absolute best to make sure she didn't have it on when he spoke to her.

"I've told her time and time again to butt out of the lives of you girls when it comes to love. Hardly seems fair to arrange something so personal, don't you think?"

Callie eyed him suspiciously. She had always loved her father, she truly had, but this seemed a little too much like what she had over heard Aria speaking of. Was her father acting as a spy? Did a student at Hogwarts write to their parents about her relationship with Arizona, and now her mother was using her father as bait to get the truth out? Callie didn't know how to react.

"Well," she replied cooly, "I think Mother ought not meddle with my life at all, seeing as the last time she told me she loved me with truth in her heart was on my 5th birthday. If it's a pet she wants, we've got plenty."

Carlos frowned sadly. He would have loved to disagree, but he knew his daughter was speaking the truth.

"Speaking of pets," he whispered excitedly, turning around and making his way into one of the spare rooms on the first floor. Callie followed closely behind him, excited for whatever it was he was about to show her. They entered through a violet coloured wooden door with a brass handle you had to jiggle a few times before it would allow you to open. Carlos's smile grew wide as he gazed upon the four figures in the room. Turning to Callie, he grabbed her by the sleeve of her emerald green sweater and tugged her in by the elbow.

"Come take a look!"

As she stepped into the forgotten space, she searched the room with her eyes before stopping and widening on four figures in the far corner. A large cat-like creature with neon green fur and bright yellow stripes stared at her with orange eyes, it's ears incredibly large and pointy for it's face and a long lions tail behind it. Three kittens were surrounding their mother, each fighting one another playfully at her belly, feeding whenever they felt it was necessary.

"Kneazles?! Oh, Father, they're precious!" she announced excitedly as she slowly stepped forward to inspect them further.

"Well, yes, one kneazle and four half-kneazles. When I had purchased the mother a few months ago I had no clue she was pregnant by means of a regular house cat. We're going to have to get rid of them all, though, I'm afraid." he stated glumly, a sad smile on his face as Callie pouted from the small collection of kittens she kneeled next to.

"But why? They're so precious!" she said while smiling. Carlos beamed as he watched his daughter interact with the usually finicky mother.

"Well you know kneazles only allow themselves to latch on to wizards or witches of pure heart and...let's just say Mango over there isn't particularly fond of your mother."

Callie gave a small laugh at that, understanding the incredibly large cat's feelings. She studied the three kittens near her with a smile on her face as she watched them play. Each of them were mostly grey, except for a few random stripes or freckles of neon colours. One of them had a bright pink nose with matching eyes and one long zig-zag down its back in the same hue. Another took more after the mother with a mix of grey, lime green, and bright yellow spots all over its body. The third looked nearly completely like a house cat, save for the purple eyes and lavender colored spots near it's tail. She counted them and then frowned, confused by her father's earlier statement.

"You said there's four of them. Where's the other one?"

On cue it seemed, a little rascal of a kitten fell from the top of the canopy of the four poster bed and directly into Callie's lap. She screamed slightly and leapt up a bit, startled by the kitten's sudden arrival. Carlos laughed and shook his head, placing his hands in the pockets of his expensive suit.

"That's the runt of the litter. The sweetest one for sure, but always off getting into mischief!"

Callie took a moment to stare down at the kitten who had just landed in her lap. Upon inspection she saw that it was a girl. Her back was to Callie as she looked around the room curiously. She had electric blue stripes, freckles, and spots all mixed up with the grey with the occasional fleck of pink and green. Her tail was almost as long as the length of her body and came into a light blue little tuff at the end of it. Her ears were comically large sitting on top of her head, and though she was the smallest, it was clear she had the most personality. But what Callie was not prepared for was the wave of emotion that ran over her when the kitten turned back around to look at her with the largest set of blue eyes she had ever seen, immediately reminding her of her girlfriend. Or, 'ex' girlfriend. Suddenly, a thought rushed into her head, and she allowed herself the tiniest of smiles as the kitten pawed gently at her face, propelling itself forward to sniff at her cheek suspiciously.

"Father, kneazles are hypo-allergenic, correct?" she asked. He nodded, smiling as he watched the two of them interact. Apparently the kitten had approved of Callie, even though it tortured the rest of the inhabitants of the hotel.

"Yes, they are, why do you ask?"

"Umm...Addison's been looking for a kitten, and she's slightly allergic to them, so I'm thinking that's one kitten I can take off your hands. May I take her with me?" she asked him, jutting out her lower lip slightly and whipping out the puppy dog eyes. He laughed at her and shrugged, stroking his goatee thoughtfully.

"I don't see why not! I'll have to find homes for the rest of them anyway."

Callie smiled, leaping up and rushing over to give her father a big hug. He laughed at her actions but closed his eyes once his daughter's arms wrapped around him, relishing the feeling of his little girl finally home. She pulled away and kissed him on the cheek before giving him a broad smile.

"Thanks so much, Daddy."

"Oh, Lucia, it's simply gorgeous!" Penelope Kibbe gushed as she and Clarissa Wigner gazed upon Lucia's enchanted up-to-date wedding ring.

"Isn't it?" Lucia commented, flicking her wrist extravagantly so she could admire it as well. All three women let out a dramatic sigh of happiness. Callie rolled her eyes, chuckling as she caught Mark and Derek mocking the women across from her. Accidentally snorting into her soup, she sent a small stream of it splashing off of her spoon and onto the freshly baked rolls. She quickly dropped her spoon, the clanging noise catching everyone's attention. She hurriedly reached forward for the bread but just before her hand could grab the right one, Leopold snatched it up, taking a hefty bite out of the newly moist in. Callie froze in fear momentarily, watching as the pompous man's facial expression turned to one of confusion. She ignored Mark and Derek's snickering and gave a large sigh of relief once Leopold shrugged it off, chomping away at it greedily anyway.

"Lucia, do tell us more of this new potion you've been trying," Penelope requested, her high-end British accent dripping with vanity.

"Yes," added Clarissa, "do!"

"Well, my skin looks 20 years younger, does it not?" Lucia asked, giggling arrogantly as she droned on about the topic and bragging of the high prices she knew hardly anyone could afford. Callie darted her attention over to Aria who had jumped in on the conversation. Callie took in her sister's attitude, realizing just how fake she was being. It hurt her that she had been so blinded before, not noticing how unhappy her sister really was.

"Carlos," Mr. Shepherd asked the oldest Torres, "what exactly are these renovations? Surely you could tell a group of your closest friends."

Carlos smiled, winking at his friend and twirling his fork between his thumb and forefinger. He reached forward, grabbing his goblet and raising it to the man across from him.

"Let's just say, inspiration struck. I felt the need to bring the outside...in."

With that he lifted the glass a bit higher before smiling and raising it to his lips, taking a gentle swig.

Kurt Kibbe took that exact time to stand up, bumping the entire table as he did so. His large frame shook terribly as he withdrew both a crumpled up sheet of paper and a handkerchief from his front jacket pocket. He batted his now perspiring forehead with the small piece of fabric, clearing his throat to ensure everyone's attention was on him.

"I-I have something to uh, to um...to say," the boy announced. He looked over at Callie, a worried grin over taking his face.

"Uh, I wrote this for uh, for Calliope. Calliope? This is for you."

"This is gonna be good," Mark mumbled to Derek, shooting a wink Callie's way. Derek did his best to remain dignified, though he himself was coughing just to disguise his laughter. Callie turned bright red, absolutely hating being in the spotlight. It was a conflicting feeling, since she felt like she was cheating on Arizona, even if the attention was incredibly one sided and entirely unwanted to begin with. Still, she sat quietly, eyes staring at the piece of paper that looked to have been scribbled on all over and waited for the poor boy to start.

"Ahem," Kurt cleared his throat.

"Wild as a weed, beautiful as a faerie,

unique as a flower, and sorta, kinda scary.

You are my betrothed, I could not love another,

it is fate's own doing that threw together our mother's.

I'm grateful you sit here, with your gorgeous green eyes,"

"Callie has brown eyes," Mark whispered.

"Shh!"

"The fact that you're pretty now caught me by surprise,"

"Oh that's real nice."

"Shut UP, Mark!"

"I'm very happy now that you're in my life.

And I'm glad, some day soon, that you'll be my wife. Th-thank you."

Kurt sat back down, fumbling awkwardly with his coat while he stuffed the paper and handkerchief back in it's original place. The occupants of the table gave a slow, strangled clap to which Kurt nodded appreciatively. Mark pretended to stab himself in the eye with his fork, to which Derek immediately removed from his grasp.

"That was um...well, that was something! What do you say, Calliope?" Lucia asked, eyes widening at her youngest daughter. Aria worriedly watched Callie, biting her bottom lip subconsciously. Callie let a fake, dazzling smile cross her features.

"Thank you, Kurt. The poem was lovely."

"Gorgeous green eyes? Gorgeous green eyes? She's Latina, for Christ's sake! How many hispanic women do you know with green eyes? I mean, come on. Out of the three options I think knowledge of basic biology would've ruled the other two out."

Mark couldn't let go of the fact that Kurt had unknowingly insulted one of his best friend's in the most god awful poem to date. Callie and Derek ignored him, playing wizard's chess by the fire as the other boy paced back and forth next to them.

"It's not a big deal, Mark. It's not like Callie's actually interested in him. How's Arizona, by the way?" Derek asked, moving his knight to claim one of Callie's pawns. Callie frowned, realizing he had her in a trap she hadn't anticipated on the playing board.

"I wouldn't know, we broke up," Callie said, hoping she sounded convincing enough. Derek immediately looked up, sympathy etched all over his face. Mark scoffed from the corner of the room where he was messing with Lucia's trinkets.

"Psh, right, 'course you did. Have you to uh...you know, yet?" Mark asked, grinning widely at Callie. She growled at him, picking up the nearest throw pillow and chunking it at his head. The boy caught it and laughed, tossing it to the other corner of the room. Before Callie could retaliate, however, she heard a muffled argument through the wall. Mark's laughter died down, causing all three of them to hear it as well.

"Who's room is on the other end of this, Cal?" Mark whispered. Callie frowned, walking quietly over to the full length enchanted mirror.

"My sister's..." she said. Taking out her wand, she tapped the mirror three times on the jewel at the top of it. She instantly saw into the other room. Leo had a glass of whiskey and ice in his hand, his stance threatening to her sister. Derek and Mark exchanged worried glances, unsure of whether or not they should stay or go. Callie watched with bated breath as the rude man continued to belittle her sister.

"I'm too tired tonight, Leo. We can discuss it another night," Aria was telling him, her eyes pleading with him to understand.

"Another night, another day, another time. Always some place else with you, isn't it Aria?"

He stooped low, face inches from the young woman's. His slick black hair and tailored suit gave him an air of regality, but Callie saw him for what he really was.

A monster.

A loud slap echoed throughout the room. Callie's eyes darted back up to her sister who was clutching her cheek in her hand, eyes watering and nose running. She watched as the tail of Leo's coat whipped around the edge of the door frame, a quiet click sounding as proof that he was gone. Mark and Derek stood up angrily, making their way towards the parlor door. Callie darted after them, grabbing them both by the neck's of their nice shirts.

"No!" she shouted. Both boys haughtily turned on her, agitated and ready to fight the way most men their age would be after witnessing such a thing. Callie placed a calming hand to each of their chests, holding their collars just to make sure they wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Aria's strong, she can take care of herself. She knows what she's doing. Do not go after him-"

"But he just-"

"I know, Mark!" Callie interrupted. Mark scowled, looking away from his friend. "I know what he did. I saw it. I'm going to go talk to my sister, alright? Don't go saying anything. Do I have your word that you won't?" she asked seriously. Derek swallowed thickly, nodding his consent. He looked over at his best friend, nudging his shoulder slightly. Mark groaned before throwing his hands in the air in protest.

"Fine! Fine, I won't say anything. If that's what you want then fine."

Callie gave a relieved sigh, smiling at both of them before shooing them out of the room.

"Goodnight, boys. I'll see you tomorrow."

They both wished her a good night and headed off down the hallway, their stance showing just how hyped up and tense they were. Callie immediately shut and locked the door behind her before going to the adjacent door across the room. She timidly opened it, head peeking through and catching her sister staring glumly at the fire place. She slowly and quietly shut the door behind her before making her way into the room. WAtching her sister carefully, Callie pulled up a plush red chair next to her and sat, waiting patiently to be recognized, not knowing exactly what to say.

"You look hideous in that colour," Aria murmured, not able to come up with anything more disrespectful to say. Callie sighed and shook her head at her sister.

"Aria stop it. I saw. And I know what you're doing," she responded. Aria shook her head, a despondent and vacant expression crossing her face.

"Haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to, to be honest," she said. Callie nodded, realizing her sister wasn't going to open up as easily as she thought. Raising a tentative hand, Callie let it rest on top of her sisters, clutching it warmly. To her surprise, Aria didn't remove it. Callie smiled softly to herself. She lifted her chair up with one hand and scooted it as close to Aria's as she could get. Aria surreptitiously eyed her younger sister out of the corner of her view, smirking slightly when she felt a heavy head rest against her shoulder and lean into her side. The two sat in silence staring at the flames licking the brick above it for a long while before Callie spoke up again.

"Just remember, whenever you want to stop pretending and talk, I'm here."