We all got comfortable in the living room. Ash and I took the big chair, Mark and Tate sat together on one end of the couch, and Hedera curled up on the other end. She seemed more relaxed, and I was glad.

I wondered what she'd do here and hoped she'd be happy with whatever it was. I couldn't stop my mind from wandering to all of our futures.

Since Mark and I didn't bother to apply to any colleges yet, we were free to go back through the mist after graduation. I wish our plan could go farther than that. Not knowing exactly what we needed to do was going to drive me crazy.

Ash pulled me close and kissed my cheek, "You're worried," he whispered.

I sighed and smiled up at him, "A lot is going on."

He nodded, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

With my attention drawn back to the room, I saw we still hadn't picked what we were going to watch. Tate was flipping through the channels watching only a few seconds of everything. Usually, that would drive Mark crazy, but he looked totally content leaning against Tate's side.

We were still flipping through channels a little while later when Bea walked in and called out hello. She was carrying bags from the grocery store, and Mark jumped up to help.

"Are there any more in the car?" he asked as he took the bags from her and carried them to the kitchen.

"There are a few more in the back seat."

Tate got up, and Bea called out, "Lock the doors when you're done, please."

I followed Bea to the kitchen to help put things away. She looked at me and laughed, "That nightgown of mine has swallowed you whole!"

I smiled as I started emptying bags, "It's super comfy, thanks for letting me borrow it. Geez! You bought a ton of snacks."

"I figured you guys cleaned me out, so I wanted to restock. Plus, I got a bunch of extra for everyone."

"Thanks, Bea! Mom's going to bring pizza for dinner. She should be here pretty soon."

Mark and Tate carried the last few bags in and started to empty them onto the counters. I was putting things away when Ash and Hedera walked into the kitchen.

Hedera walked up to Bea shyly and said, "Thank you for allowing us to stay in your home. You've made me feel very welcome here."

Bea gave her a hug, "Of course you're welcome. I'm happy to have the house so full." She handed a stack of plates to Mark, "Why don't you go ahead and set the table?"

I stood back and watched everyone moving around the kitchen. It was crazy how natural it felt; everyone fell right into place.

Bea decided it would be good to have a salad to go with the pizza. She handed me a bunch of vegetables to chop, while Mark got a big bowl down from the high shelf for her. Ash leaned against the counter next to me and snacked on cucumber slices.

Mom walked in earlier than we expected, which was great because everyone seemed to be starving.  "Hi, everyone! You all look clean and rested." She paused to give Mark and I each a kiss on the cheek before setting the pizza boxes on the table.

I put the salad next to it, and we all sat. As soon as everyone had their plate full, Mom looked around the table and said, "Who wants to tell us what happened?"

I looked pointedly at Mark. It'd be better if he told her everything. She'd question him a lot less than she would me. He took a sip of his drink and started telling her the story we'd decided on earlier.

Between bites of food, he told her everything in a few minutes. He covered for the amount of time that passed by blaming travel and saying there was a lot of hanging around at court before we could leave without being rude to the Queen.

He spent more time talking about their plants, clothes, hair, and wing coloring, and how beautiful and different everything was. He described it all in detail, with only nods and sounds of agreement from the rest of us. By the time he finished, Mom and Bea were excited we'd had such a good time.

It was a couple of minutes later when Mom looked at me, "You've been awfully quiet. Don't you have anything to say about all of this?"

I took my time getting a drink. I was trying to think of something benign to say that they hadn't already covered. "It's lovely there. They have amazing food too! The best thing I had by far was Hedera's bread. It's soft and yeasty and coated in sweetness."

I smiled at her, and Bea did too. For a second, I was amazed at myself. I managed to come up with something true and took the focus off of me.

"You like to cook?" Bea asked Hedera.

"I do. Mark said you might like to teach me. I've never seen a stove like yours before today."

Bea beamed at her, "I'd love to! Where will you be living while you're here? With Tate and Ash? Not too far, I hope."

Hedera's face went blank, so I spoke up, "Actually, they just found out they have to find somewhere else to live. The woman they were living with decided to go home and sold her house."

"Oh, no!" Bea instantly looked worried about them. That was exactly what I was hoping for. She only thought about it for a second before saying, "I have plenty of room if you don't mind living with an old lady."

Tate smiled, "I don't see any old ladies here, but if you'll have us, we'd be grateful."

"Yes, thank you so much," Hedera looked relieved.

"Thank you, Bea. We'll be glad to pay you and help in any way we can," Ash smiled at her and nodded his head.

"There's no need to pay, but I can always use help around here. The yard was so beautiful when Flint was here to tend to it. I'm sure you're just as good at growing things, and I'd love to see this place beautiful again. Do you think you could do that?"

"Absolutely," Tate said, at the same time that Ash said, "We'd love to."

"Wonderful! It's all set then!" Bea was thrilled, and Mom looked happy for her.

I wasn't expecting her to take all three of them, but it was perfect. When we were finished eating, I helped clear the table while Mark and Tate started washing the dishes. It was kind of adorable; watching them be all domestic together.

When Mark looked over and saw me smiling at them, he rolled his eyes and flicked soap bubbles at me. I laughed and followed everyone out of the room to give them a few minutes alone. It was getting late, and things had to get back to normal tomorrow; we'd be leaving soon.

I walked into the living room as Ash walked out of the front door. "Where is he going?" I asked Mom.

"To my car to get the bags of clothes I brought." She leaned closer to me and whispered, "Although it's almost a shame to give those boys shirts. My goodness that Tate is well built."

"Mom!"

She chuckled, "Oh honey, I'm just saying, way to go, Mark," she elbowed me playfully, and I giggled.

Ash walked in carrying the bags, and the crooked grin on his face told me he heard at least part of what Mom said. My cheeks warmed, and I looked away. Mom would be embarrassed if she knew he could hear her.

She walked over and took the bags from Ash, "Thanks, hun." Looking through them, she handed one back and said, "This is a couple of shirts for you guys until you can get your things."

"Thank you. We'll get them back to him soon."

Mom smiled as she held my phone out to me, "This was in your room. You might want to let Clara know you're OK."

She took the other bags over to Hedera on the couch. They started going through them, talking about what she picked out for her.

As soon as Mom was out of earshot, Ash leaned down and spoke quietly, "Way to go, Mark? Should I be offended?"

The fake look of hurt he gave me made me chuckle, "No, you shouldn't. She commented on your appearance weeks ago, and I asked her not to." I scrunched my nose up, "It was weird."

He laughed and pointed at my phone, "Are you going to call Clara?"

I thought about it before shaking my head, "I don't think I can handle that tonight. I'll just text."

I typed a message quickly, telling her I was sorry we made her worry, but we'd see her in the morning, and we'd explain everything after school. I told her we were with Mom and Bea, hoping she wouldn't want to talk right now.

Her response was immediate. This better be good. I'm so mad at you two.

A few seconds later. I'm glad you're OK. Love you and Mark too.

I showed Ash, and he smiled, "That's good. I think it'll be alright." His face turned serious, "I guess we'll be living here now."

"Are you OK with that?"

"Of course. I'm just thrilled your Mother knows about us and doesn't care."

"Me too, that went a lot better than I could have hoped for," I grinned up at him. "Everything is kind of perfect, right?"

He smiled but then tilted his head and looked a little sad, "It is for now, but after graduation..."

I shook my head to stop him, "No. Let's just be happy. We'll worry about what we have to do after graduation later. I just want to be happy and normal for one week? OK?"

He smiled and leaned down to rest his forehead on mine, "That sounds wonderful." He wrapped his arms around me and whispered, "I love you, Jolie."

"I love you too."

I leaned up to kiss him, and he hummed happily, making the butterflies in my stomach go wild. Standing on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands moved to my back and pulled me against him.

We only got a minute before Mom noticed. "It's late, time to go."

I reluctantly took a step back, making Ash chuckle as he took my hand. Mom stood at the door, waiting for Mark and me.

Bea came in the room, carrying a pile of folded sheets, "I'm going to get beds ready!" She was delighted to have people staying with her.

Hedera jumped up from where she'd been going through the clothes, "Let me help you," she smiled and looked genuinely happy as she followed behind Bea.

Bea yelled, "Bye! See you guys tomorrow!" Over her shoulder as they went upstairs.

Mom said, "I'll come by after work, Bea. Let's go, Mark."

Mark and Tate walked out of the kitchen, holding hands, and I got the distinct impression they'd been doing more than washing dishes. They stopped at the door, and Tate gave Mark a quick peck before asking, "You'll come by after school tomorrow?"

Mark smiled, "I'll be here. I think we'll have Clara with us too, so you guys should probably prepare mentally for that."

Tate laughed, "I think we can handle it."

Mark walked out with Mom following, and I turned to say goodnight to Ash. "I'll miss sleeping next to you."

Ash grinned, "I'll miss you too, but I'll be in the parking lot in the morning."

"Then I'll be early," I kissed him on the cheek and walked out the door.

In the car, Mark glanced back from the front seat to give me a quick smile. I'd never seen him so totally content. The last few days had been hard, but I couldn't keep the grin off my face.

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate the votes and comments!!

How do you guys think Clara will handle finding out about faeries?