Andrew, understandably, had a lot on his mind. He and Gideon left the Museum and flew across the forest. The trip wasn't long, but it gave Andrew time to think.

He didn't want to think. Already a voice in his mind was condemning him for killing Lee. Murderer, the voice said. You have agreed to become a murderer. How can you ever hold your children in your arms again if your hands are stained with blood?

He tried to ignore that voice. There were plenty of other things to think about. Like Caleb — what about him? Should I go to him and ask him to join us in fighting against Bill? This would be a good opportunity for him to serve penance for what he did, but what if he betrays me again? Can I ever trust him?

Both topics were ones he'd bring to the elders tomorrow, along with the recruitment efforts for the other minotaurs. Tonight, though, he and Gideon were recruiting the fairies. Andrew tried to keep his mind on that.

True to his word, Gideon really was known by the fairies. They flew up to him, asked him a few questions (mostly about something called the Northwest's Relief), and then listened as he told them about their plans related to the Cipher Wheel.

At first, they didn't want to "come and risk ourselves fighting against Cipher's magic when we could easily kill one human and fix all this." It was true that tomorrow would be a risk — large spells always were — but Gideon tried to convince the fairies that it would be worth it. There was a possibility it would work, he said, and they wanted to do everything they could to avoid any deaths.

"We'll use every precaution," Andrew promised. "There will be some risk, but isn't this what our ancestors came here to do? To take risks if it meant keeping Cipher contained?"

The fairies couldn't very well ignore the ancestral argument. They agreed, although from their looks in Gideon's direction, Andrew suspected it was more sympathy than argument that convinced them.

Sympathy. For a human, no less. Andrew hadn't seen that from fairies before.

Andrew and Gideon spent some time planning with the fairies, deciding who would visit what other groups and when. The planning gave Andrew something to focus on, though his thoughts kept trying to slip back into worry. Would one day be soon enough? It would be an impressive feat if they could gather so many species so quickly, but surely everyone would recognize the urgency in stopping Cipher. Andrew just hoped Cipher couldn't get up to any mischief in one day.

Maybe that was too much time. Maybe they should spend the entire night gathering the others. The sky wasn't going to be getting any darker or lighter, so maybe that would trick their brains into staying awake. But as Andrew looked at Gideon, he could see signs of fatigue. The Cipher Wheel had taken a lot out of the Symbols today; they would need their rest tonight before trying again tomorrow.

So Andrew didn't say anything, and when they were done talking to the fairies, he went with Gideon back to the Museum. They found the place quiet, with only one woman in the living room. "Hello, Mother," Gideon said.

"How did it go?" the woman asked, standing up from the couch and approaching.

"It went well," Gideon said. "The fairies are going to help us."

"Wonderful," she said. "And they're going to get other species to come here? Stanford says you're going to try the Wheel again tomorrow with their help."

"Right," Gideon said. "Andrew and I are also going out tomorrow to get people."

The woman nodded. "Well, in that case, you two should get some sleep. Andrew, Melody put some blankets in the lab for you. She hopes you don't mind sleeping in there with the perytons."

"That's fine," said Andrew to her. To Gideon, he said, "I'm glad we could start the gathering process tonight. I'd still like to plan on leaving early tomorrow. But if you want to go at a particular time on your clock, then you'll need to wake me. We minotaurs aren't as specific about time as humans are."

Gideon nodded. "Good night, then."

"Good night."

Andrew left the living room and went to the Hall of Mysteries. The humans in there were getting ready for bed. Lee was there; he sat alone and didn't talk to anyone, didn't even look at Andrew.

Andrew picked his way through them and went through the connecting door into the lab. He was a bit surprised to see Dipper and Mabel, sitting with the perytons. "Hello there," he said. "I thought you'd be in bed."

"We wanted to see you first," Dipper said. "How'd it go with the fairies?"

"It went well," Andrew said, echoing Gideon from a minute ago. "Was everything all right while we were gone?"

"I guess so," Mabel said. "Dipper and I heard people shouting earlier, but Ford and Lee didn't want to tell us what it was about. They just told us where you and Gideon had gone."

"They seem mad at each other," Dipper said.

It didn't seem like they knew about the plan Andrew had made with Lee. Andrew didn't think he should tell them, not if Ford and Lee hadn't. "Things are hard," Andrew said carefully. "But we have a plan. It sounds like you know about it."

"Yeah!" said Dipper. "Lots of magical creatures helping with the Cipher Wheel. It sounds awesome."

"It's a lot of power," said Mabel. "Will it work?"

"We don't know," Andrew said truthfully. "If it doesn't, we'll go up to the Northwest Manor and attack Bill directly. We have some other plans to stop him in that case. Actually," he added, "we'll go to the Manor no matter what happens tomorrow. To prepare for that, Gideon is going to help some other minotaurs cross the rifts and join us here at the Museum."

He said that last part mostly because he knew it would excite Dipper. And it did. "Cool!" the boy said. "I mean, I hope the first idea works. But it's cool that more minotaurs are coming. Will Enoch come?"

"He's been helping me teach the others combat magic, so I imagine he'll want to come," Andrew said. He had to ignore a thrill of fear at the thought of his eldest son fighting in a battle with real danger.

"He's cool. I want to see him again. You'll think he's great, Mabel. Oh, oh, and what about Caleb?"

Andrew hesitated. "What about Caleb?" he repeated, though he knew what Dipper meant.

"He should help, too. At the Manor. Won't that be a good way for him to show that he's on our side? And then the elders won't banish him. Plus, if he comes, then Candy could come too, and you'll want her up at the Manor. She's good at fighting."

Andrew nodded slowly. Those were essentially his thoughts on the matter. But he still had hundreds of questions and worries running through his mind. He didn't say anything for a moment.

Finally, "I want to visit Caleb," Andrew said. "We'll. . . we'll see if he's willing to join us."

"I think he will be," Dipper said. "Can I come with you? Rowan or Marigold can take me."

Andrew thought about that, then nodded again. "I'd like that," he said.

"Great."

"For now, I need to go to sleep, and I'm going to stay in here with the perytons," Andrew said. "Is that all right?"

"Oh, yeah, sure! Mabel and I should turn in too." Dipper helped Mabel to her feet, and they went to the door to the lab, the one Andrew hadn't come through. "Night, Andrew!"

"Good night."

The twins left, and Andrew felt his ears relaxing, which was the minotaur way of showing happiness or calm. These young humans definitely helped him feel better.

He still had a lot on his mind, though. He turned to the perytons, who sat on their blankets and watched him silently. "Thanks for letting me stay with you," he said.

The perytons were happy to have him, which they communicated to him using their wordless telepathy. Andrew knew what perytons were like, and he somewhat dreaded the idea of other creatures knowing his thoughts, especially when said thoughts were so tangled. But the perytons, of course, could sense his dread, and they responded with feelings of peace. They wouldn't share his thoughts with anyone else, and they wouldn't probe. That made Andrew feel better.

He wondered how to make it dark in here; it took him a moment to remember about the light switch and locate it on the wall by the door. He crossed the room to it. But before he could reach it, the door opened.

"Andrew," Ford said, his voice low.

Andrew tensed; he didn't want to be alone with Ford right now. "Please, Ford, let's not—"

"I won't let you near my brother, Andrew."

Andrew let out a long breath. He suspected that Ford understood the necessity of Lee's sacrifice, but that he refused to accept it. "Ford," Andrew said, "I will do what I have to do to get my people — and everyone else in this forest — home. I hope we can do that with everyone intact, but I don't know if that will be reality."

Human faces were so much more expressive than minotaur ones. Andrew alternated between finding it fascinating and disconcerting. Right now, the anger in Ford's expression was impossible to miss. "I will not let you near my brother," Ford repeated.

Andrew didn't want to have this conversation, especially if Ford just kept repeating himself. "I'm sorry," the minotaur said. "I hope you can find peace. Good night."

He reached forward and flicked the light switch, hoping Ford would get the message and leave. Ford stood in the doorway for a moment, lit from behind by the dim hall light. Without another word, he turned and walked away. Andrew closed the door with a sigh of relief.

The perytons expressed concern at the emotions they'd just felt from Andrew and Ford. In the darkness, Andrew found the blankets Melody had laid out for him and lay down. Then he silently communicated with the perytons about everything on his mind. They listened, offering feelings of empathy and comfort.

After a few minutes, the door leading to the gift shop opened. Andrew listened as someone stepped quietly through the darkness and exited the room through the other door. Was it Lee, going to be with Ford? Andrew hoped so. It was comforting to think of the brothers being near each other, instead of separated by fear and anger.

Good, the perytons thought. Good for them to be together. Tomorrow you'll be with your own brother, and that will be good, too.

Andrew hoped it would be. He focused on that hope instead of his fear. With the perytons' help, he was able to reign in his circling thoughts.

He soon fell asleep.

~~~~~

Things were moving along. Andrew had consulted with the elders at the minotaur village. The fairies had been flying around the forest all day recruiting other species. Perytons and other flying creatures were transporting volunteers to the Museum. A group of minotaurs was trekking through the forest, aided by Gideon and his amulet when they reached a rift and needed to cross. Plans were falling into place, and everyone would be ready to try the Cipher Wheel again by the end of the day.

But Andrew wasn't a part of that at the moment. Right now, he was standing in front of the Chiu house.

Gideon was there as well; he took a break from helping the other minotaurs to bring Andrew here. Dipper and Marigold had also come along. Enoch had originally wanted to come, too, but Andrew had convinced him not to. If anything happened to Andrew, Enoch would be needed as the second most knowledgeable minotaur when it came to magic and Cipher's prison. Not only that, but the calf needed time to heal from the traumatic experience of Caleb's betrayal, and going to see Caleb now — when he may not be remorseful — didn't seem very helpful.

Andrew stared at the door, feeling too nervous to go up and knock. Would Caleb be remorseful? His letter from a few days ago had expressed regret for hurting his family and a desire to make things right, but he seemed to think he had done the best he could with the information he had. He didn't seem loyal to Bill, but he didn't seem loyal to his fellow minotaurs, either. Would he be willing to help, then? Or would he stay with his human family and refuse to get involved?

"You can do this, Andrew," said Dipper.

Andrew glanced at him and nodded. Okay. He could do this.

He went up to the door and knocked.

A few seconds passed. Then the door opened, and Andrew found himself staring at a small human girl.

She grinned. "Are you my uncle Andrew?" she asked.

Andrew's ears relaxed. "I am," he said kindly. "You must be Mei Xing."

"Candy," she corrected. "Call me Candy."

"Candy it is," he said. "Could I come in and talk to Caleb?"

Her smile faltered. "You're not here to take him away, are you?"

Andrew shook his head. "I just want to talk to him."

"Awesome," she said, the happy expression returning. "Come on in."

She moved out of the way, and Andrew entered the house. He glanced back and saw Dipper and Gideon following.

"Wait a second," Candy said. She went outside and marched up to Gideon, her hands curling into fists at her side. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Gideon regarded her calmly. "I flew Andrew over here with my amulet."

This didn't lower Candy's defenses. "You're not coming in," she said. "You're not erasing my memory of my dad again."

Gideon sighed. "I'm not here to wipe your memory," he said. "And I'm sorry that I did in the past. If it helps, I was forced to do it."

Candy didn't move. Andrew couldn't see her face, but he imagined she was glaring at Gideon in that unsettling expression humans had.

Then, in a flash, Candy swung her fist into Gideon's shoulder. He cried out and stumbled back.

"Candy!" said Dipper. "Not cool."

"There," she said. "Now you can come in."

Gideon rubbed his shoulder, glaring at her. "I said I was sorry."

"That's why I only punched you once," she said. And with that, she turned her back on him and came into the house.

Gideon grumbled something under his breath, but he and Dipper followed Candy inside. Dipper closed the door, and Andrew had a fleeting sense of panic, as if he had just been trapped. He tried to ignore the feeling. He would be fine.

"I'll go get my parents," Candy said. She headed for the hall, but before she got far, a door opened. A human woman came into view, followed by Caleb.

Andrew's heart pounded in his chest.

Caleb looked tense, but he approached Andrew and met his eyes. "Hello, Andrew," he said.

"Hello," Andrew replied.

"Looks like you've met my daughter, Candy. And this is my wife, Yingtai."

You're not actually married, Andrew almost said. She's not actually your wife. But he bit the words back; they wouldn't be helpful right now. And maybe. . . well, if Caleb made things right with everyone, then maybe he and Yingtai could officially get married someday.

"Nice to meet you," Andrew said, nodding to Yingtai.

She looked apprehensive, but she inclined her head in return. "Your letter said you would talk to the elders. What did they say?"

Andrew hesitated. He stared at Caleb, and all sorts of unpleasant emotions accompanied the sight: fear, resentment, even hatred. Caleb had betrayed every single person in the forest — no, in the entire multiverse. Secret family or no, what he had done was unacceptable and would lead to someone's death. In fact, it already had led to someone's death. How could Andrew ever forgive him?

"Andrew?" Caleb asked carefully.

"Did you know?" Andrew blurted. "Did you know about Xítway?"

Caleb tilted his head. "Moira's niece? What about her?"

Andrew wasn't one to lose his temper. But now he did. Now, something exploded out of him. "She's dead, Caleb!" he shouted. "While you were busy stealing the dagger and traumatizing Enoch, Cipher's human servants came and killed Xítway! Ásham has been staying with us, mourning, ever since! And because of what you did, I have to—"

He stopped. He shouldn't talk about his and Lee's plans — not in front of Caleb, who might try to sabotage them, or Dipper, who didn't know about them yet. So instead, Andrew took a step closer to his brother. "You put everyone in danger, Caleb," he said. "Everyone in our village. Everyone in the forest. Everyone in every dimension."

The room was silent for a long moment. Then, "I had no idea." Caleb's voice was horrified. "Nobody told me about Xítway."

Andrew took a deep breath. "I'm glad you weren't involved in her death. But as far as the elders are concerned, you're responsible for it. Your conspiracy with Cipher gave him the opportunity to kill her."

Caleb sat down on the couch and lowered his head into his hands.

"So what do they want to do?" said Yingtai. "The elders?"

"Your crimes are severe enough for execution," Andrew said to Caleb, "but the elders are willing to negotiate. If you renounce Cipher and join us in the fight against him, they will reconsider the punishment."

Caleb looked up. "Reconsider?" he said slowly. "As in, I won't be banished or executed, and nothing will happen to my family, and I'll be able to stay with them?"

"I think you can convince the elders not to banish or execute you. But having a family of humans has never been accepted before, and I don't—"

"No," Caleb said immediately. "Andrew, I can't be separated from my family. I can't help you unless I know they'll be safe and I'll be able to be with them."

Andrew took another deep breath. It seemed he couldn't get enough air. "You're not in a position to make demands," he said.

"I'm going to make demands," Caleb retorted. "I need my wife and daughter to be safe. Can you promise me that?"

"No one said anything about hurting them," Andrew said. "There was talk about keeping the village safe from Cipher if there are humans around. And, yes, some of the elders want you to be separated from Yingtai and Candy. But no one wants to hurt Yingtai for being an Order member or hurt Candy for existing."

Caleb let out a small breath of relief, though he was still tense. "And what are the chances I'll be able to stay with them, if I help you?"

"You would have to make your case before the elders, but I'd say there's a chance."

Caleb exchanged looks with Yingtai and Candy. Candy, who was standing by Dipper and Gideon, left them and climbed onto the couch beside her father. No one spoke for a few moments.

In the silence, Andrew struggled to keep his composure. "Caleb," he said, his voice strained. "Caleb, how could you do this? How could you hide all this for thirteen years?"

"That's what I wanted to know," Candy said. "I didn't know about him until now, you know."

Caleb put his arm around Candy and pulled her close. She laid her head on his chest, apparently accepting his silent apology.

It took a few seconds for Caleb to look back up to Andrew. "I'm sorry, Andrew," he said. "I'm sorry it had to be this way. I didn't know of any other options."

Andrew held back the words that simmered on his tongue. Oh, let's see, he thought. You could have not had a secret romance with a human in the first place! You could have come to me and explained things when you found out Yingtai was pregnant!

Instead of saying all that, Andrew switched to a different topic. "How did you make Candy human?"

"Not entirely human," Candy said proudly.

"It was a group of fairies," Caleb said. "They performed magic on Candy before she was born. But I'm not giving you names."

Andrew instinctively clenched his fists before opening them again. "There were fairies keeping the secret from me, too?"

"A few. It was Cipher's idea to go to them, though they didn't know that."

"Cipher has helped us," Yingtai said. "He has helped us to be together, at least part of the time. I wish Candy could've known, but Cipher gave us the best situation given the circumstances."

"The best situation wouldn't have involved so many lies," Andrew said, his voice hard. He'd only just met this woman, but he felt hostile towards her. She was an Order member, after all, and she'd been involved in Caleb's betrayal. "The best situation wouldn't have gotten one person killed and put countless other people in danger."

"You're right," Caleb said bluntly. "You're right, okay? We could've done better. We could've been truthful with our daughter. We possibly could've been truthful with you, although I don't think you would've been willing even to consider my having a human family thirteen years ago. It was just after Papa died that I met Yingtai, and you'd just been given full responsibility for Cipher's prison. You wanted nothing to do with humans; they were just liabilities to you."

"No they weren't," Andrew protested.

Caleb sighed.

"They weren't!" He hadn't actually interacted with any humans at that point, but he wouldn't have treated them as if they were dangerous. . . would he?

"Well, you still would've rejected Yingtai for being an Order member."

That they could agree on. "Yes, I would have!" Andrew said. "Because Bill is evil, Caleb! He killed Xítway, almost killed Mabel, and might kill others!"

Caleb flinched. "I'm really sorry about Xítway. And Mabel — she's safe now, isn't she? The sphere in the sky changed colors."

"She's back," Dipper said. "She's alive."

"That's good," Caleb said, his voice softening as he looked at Dipper. But then he turned back to Andrew, and his voice hardened. "But Cipher isn't absolute evil. I never did believe that, even before I got in contact with him. Life isn't that simple."

"Sometimes it is!" Andrew couldn't believe what he was hearing. Caleb had expressed some of his false beliefs in his original letter, but hearing them out loud made a tight, dark knot form in Andrew's chest. Andrew continued, "There's nuance in a lot of things, Caleb, and things aren't always simple. But Cipher is simple. He is evil incarnate. And you just chose to ignore that after Papa taught it to us our entire lives?"

"There had to be more to the story!" said Caleb. "And there was. Someone absolutely evil wouldn't have helped Yingtai and me."

"But he didn't help! He helped you lie and hide, but he didn't help you live a happy life together! He manipulated you and used you for his plans!"

"Look, we've gotten off track," Caleb said. "We were talking about the elders' judgment on me. They say they'll be lenient if I help you, but what does that mean? What do you want me to do?"

Andrew was annoyed at the topic shift, especially because it allowed Caleb to get out of responding to Andrew's claim about Cipher. But fine. "Cipher is at the Northwest Manor," Andrew said. "A group of us are going to go there and attack. We've been gathering people to the Museum all day, and we'll leave in a few days. I want you to come with us and help us neutralize the human servants and Cipher so that the Symbols can defeat him. Show that you're sorry for what you did by helping undo it."

Caleb spoke with a defensive, biting tone. "And what if I'm not sorry?"

"Then you were lying to me," Dipper said. "You told me you were sorry for helping Pacifica and Bill. When I was here a few days ago. Remember?"

Caleb didn't respond for a moment. "I did say that," he acknowledged.

Andrew figured Caleb had said what he did just to be defiant. The brothers often did that to each other in fights. "So you are sorry?" Andrew said gently.

Once again, Caleb took a moment to respond. He was probably battling with the instinct to continue opposing Andrew rather than show penitence. But eventually he let out a long, slow breath. "Yes," he said quietly. "Nothing has turned out the way I thought it would. And Xítway — yes. I'm sorry I helped Cipher."

Andrew relaxed his shoulders, which he hadn't realized were tense.

"But," Caleb continued, "I have to be with my family. I can't spend another thirteen years apart from Candy."

"What about the rest of your family, Caleb?" said Andrew. "Naomi and Drew don't know what you did. They just know you're not there, and they keep asking about you. And Enoch — you have to make things right with Enoch, or I don't know if he'll trust anyone ever again."

"I want to be with the rest of you, too," Caleb said. "I shouldn't have to choose."

"But you did choose."

Caleb closed his eyes. "Because I thought I had to. I'm sorry."

"Stop it," Yingtai said suddenly. "Andrew, stop it. Stop humiliating my husband."

Andrew instinctively wanted to yell at her, but he managed not to. Instead, he tried to find compassion for this human woman, Order member notwithstanding. "Yingtai," he said, "if you and Caleb help us, then the elders might allow you to marry in truth."

He wasn't sure that this mattered to her. But she and Caleb insisted on referring to each other as husband and wife, didn't they? Marriage was strict in the minotaur village, where the small society couldn't survive the turmoil of noncommitment. From what Andrew knew of human cultures, marriage was expected in them as well. Having society officially recognize your union was an important part of having a stable relationship, and Andrew felt sorry for Caleb and Yingtai that they were missing that piece.

It did matter to Yingtai; her eyes filled with tears. "I would like that very much."

"I don't know if might is enough, Andrew," said Caleb.

"I can't promise anything more," said Andrew. "I don't speak for the elders. They listen to me, but they're in charge. You know that. But it'll be much better for you if you help us than if you don't. Because if you just stay here, you'll be considered a fugitive and taken to be executed as soon as we get back to our dimension. And the elders won't bother with secrecy, since the humans have already seen so much."

"I'm not planning on wiping any memories after this," Gideon added.

"Please, Caleb," said Andrew. "I'm angry with you, but I don't want you to die."

Caleb was silent for a long time. Then, "Has Xítway appeared to anyone yet?"

The topic change was unexpected, but Caleb had probably thought of Xítway because Andrew had mentioned death. "Yes," Andrew said. "Two nights ago, she appeared as a spirit to Ásham. I didn't get to hear much about it, because Gideon came to take me to the Museum, but Ásham seems a little better after seeing her again. I'm sure they are making plans for her burial."

"Even if they can see each other again, they still can't hug or anything," Dipper said. "That's so sad."

"I'll need to make offerings at her grave," Caleb said.

"I think she would appreciate that," Andrew agreed. "But you can't do that unless you've been welcomed back to the village. Will you help defeat Cipher? Will you come home?"

"I want to," said Caleb, "but home is also with Yingtai and Candy. If you can't give me a guarantee that I won't be separated from them. . ."

"Do it, Dad," said Candy, sitting up and looking him in the eye. "It's either a guarantee that you won't be with us or a chance that you will. Take the chance."

"She's got a point," Dipper said.

Caleb met the eyes of everyone in the room, and the quiet moment gave him a chance to think. Andrew tried not to say anything. Finally, "You're right," Caleb said, hugging Candy hard, then relaxing his grip. "I'll do it."

He looked at Candy as he said it, though Andrew assumed the statement was meant for him. "Good," Andrew said. "That's a relief."

"Do you want to come too, Candy?" said Dipper. "Gideon and I fought the servants last week, and we managed it because we surprised them, but it would be great to have your help this time."

"I don't want Candy going to fight," said Yingtai, sounding alarmed.

Dipper frowned. "But—" He cut off when Candy shook her head at him.

"Enoch will be there," Andrew said. "We could find something for Enoch and Candy to do together, maybe, and they can get to know each other."

"Like being your battlefield messengers," Candy said eagerly. "I'm fast."

"So is Enoch, when he wants to be," said Andrew.

"Great!"

"Now wait just a minute—" began Yingtai.

"We don't have to decide right now," said Andrew. "I came to talk to you today, but the elders don't want you joining us right away, as a precaution. We're going to leave you three here until the day we go to the Manor, at which point we'll come get whoever is coming and make assignments."

"Right. I understand," said Caleb.

"Is that it, then?" said Candy. She sounded a bit disappointed.

"We should go," Andrew said, nodding. "Gideon is needed elsewhere, and I should be helping at the Museum as people gather."

Caleb gently pushed Candy off him, then got to his feet. "Thank you, Andrew," he said. "For giving me another chance. I know I hurt you and Enoch and everyone. I knew I was going to, but I thought it'd be worth it. But I was wrong."

It hurt to hear that, but it was mostly a good hurt. Catharsis. "I'm glad you've changed your mind," Andrew said.

Caleb opened his arms, silently asking if he could give Andrew a hug. Andrew hesitated.

"Okay," Caleb said quietly.

"No, it's all right." Andrew recovered from his hesitation and stepped forward.

Caleb wrapped his arms around him. Andrew returned the embrace. It was a long hug; Andrew didn't want to let go. It had been less than two weeks since Caleb had committed the worst betrayal of Andrew's lifetime — probably the worst betrayal of the entire history of their village. Yet here he was, agreeing to help make things right. Andrew would still have to be careful — there was still a chance Caleb would betray him again — but Caleb seemed sincere.

They eventually let go. Andrew bid a polite goodbye to Yingtai and Candy. Apparently inspired by her father, though, Candy also wanted a hug. So Andrew gave her one.

She pulled back. Quietly, she said, "I'm mostly human, but can I still be part of your minotaur family?"

Pity settled in Andrew's chest. He hadn't really been thinking about how hard his and Caleb's conversation must have been on Candy. She just found out her dad was a minotaur, and she needed to know how she could fit into this new world. But Andrew didn't know for sure; the elders hadn't made any final decisions.

"I hope so," he said. "I hope you can be."

She nodded, apparently not expecting anything more than that. She smiled, said goodbye, and stepped back.

Andrew went outside with Dipper and Gideon. Dipper mounted Marigold, and Gideon got on Andrew's back in order to levitate them both. Gideon would take Andrew to the Museum and then go immediately to find the travelling minotaurs, who had probably been waiting by a rift for a while at this point.

As they flew away, Andrew couldn't help but watch the house they were leaving behind. Caleb, Yingtai, and Candy had come to the doorway and were standing there like — well, like a family.

Maybe this could work. Maybe Caleb could rejoin the minotaur village and make amends for the damage he'd done. Maybe he could bring his human family with him. Maybe these humans could become part of Andrew's minotaur family, as Candy had put it.

Andrew found he liked the thought of that.