Maya furrowed her brows and cocked her head, looking the way that they had gone before she looked at Charlie with worried filled eyes. "What was that about, Uncle Charlie?" she asked, and concern filled her voice while she looked at him.

Charlie sighed and moved a hand through his hair while he shook his head and pursed his lips in annoyance, not saying a word.

"Uncle Charlie?" Maya asked, pressing her lips into a thin line. She stared at him with concern filling her eyes because she was worried about her mother.

Charlie cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Don't worry about it, Maya," he said, not answering her question with a shake of his head. "Your mom is being dumb again and questioning things about what had happened before you were born and so forth." He looked toward me when he said that before he looked at Maya again.

I pressed my lips into a thin line but didn't say a word, not knowing what he meant by looking at me and then looking at her.

Did she regret leaving me in my "time of need" when she also needed to work on herself and then was "called" to help her brother..?

I knew why she had to leave, understood why she left all of those years ago, and I had never once blamed her.

I could still remember every evening where we talked to each other while I was asleep, and I would tell her everything about my day and what happened to me and to the pack as well as telling her how much I missed them.

Charlie bit back a small sigh and leaned back in his seat. He folded his arms across his chest while he stared at me, pressing his lips into a thin line. "If you are thinking that she regrets everything, then she does," he said while he tucked his head closer to his chest. "She didn't like being away from the four of you, but unfortunately, duty called."

"But what about me?" Maya asked, folding her arms across her chest. She pouted and looked between the two of us with sad eyes that were filled with pain and sadness.

"You weren't born, Maya," Charlie said and looked at her. He slowly blinked and pressed his lips into a thin line, giving her a little annoyed look.

Maya shrugged and grimaced, not saying a word. She tapped her finger against her arm before she looked between the two of us.

"That's why she didn't regret leaving you." Charlie winked and gave her a small smile, and Maya rolled her eyes and scowled, still not saying a word.

"But that did change when you were born," I said, and Charlie nodded in confirmation while my sister looked at me. "She is also nervous about leaving you as well and does feel guilty whenever you all have to be apart."

"But she lets us go to Uncle Brody and spend time there," Maya said and cocked her head while she stared at him with wide eyes. "Speaking of which, when will we be able to go?" She gestured to the three of us, and my whole body grew tense because I had no idea if and when I would be able to go down there again.

Charlie glanced at me before he looked at Maya, slowly blinking. "You and Bryson will be going down there shortly," he said. "I am sure that you both will be going there during summer vacation because your uncle had requested it."

Maya and Bryson looked at each other before they looked at Charlie. "But what about TJ?" Maya asked and looked at me before she looked at Charlie again with wide eyes filled with tears.

Charlie looked at me before he looked at Maya, his face becoming neutral and blank. "That is for him to decide," he said before he looked at me again. "Brody does want you to come down to his pack whenever, but he will understand if you don't want to go down to his pack until everything is taken care of."

I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded, and my whole body became relaxed, and I was grateful that he would allow me to go back to his pack, even though I had no idea if he wanted me there until I was able to get my shit figured out.

But maybe because he was also a child of the Ten, he wouldn't care...

Charlie cocked his head and studied me, pressing his lips into a thin line. "What do you want to ask me?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he cocked his head and studied me. "I might be able to calm any fears that you have if you are willing to ask them."

I sighed and moved a hand through my hair before I slowly nodded and pursed my lips in annoyance. "Can I ask my questions later when we are alone?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, deciding that it would be best if the kids didn't know what was going on.

"Sure," Charlie said and nodded in confirmation, earning a small groan from my cousin while she banged her head against the table with a loud thunk, and we instantly looked at her.

"What was that for?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, amused that she decided to bang her head against the table. "Why did you bang your head against the table, Maya?"

"Because you are hiding stuff, and I do not know if I like it or not," she replied and looked up at us. "Why do you want to speak to Charlie privately? What are we going to do about it?"

"Listen in and then say something to your mother," Julian said from where he had been playing with her babies. "Even though she can hear you and knows what's going on, TJ." He glanced at me when he said that and winked, and I pressed my lips into a thin line but didn't say a word.

I knew that she was listening to us, her presence a small comfort in my mind that I didn't want to kick out, especially since I was still having problems of being a child of Vengeance.

'You will get through it, T,' she soothed, putting me a bit at ease. 'Hopefully you will have an easier time than me, but that will come with time, practice, and a lot of patience.'

I didn't respond, and my heart ached because a part of me still had this feeling that nothing good would come out of it.

Charlie cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, and we looked toward him, pressing his lips into a thin line. "So, I guess I should find where I am sleeping and put my duffle bag up," he said and gestured toward the large duffle bag that he had pushed under the table. "TJ, do you care to join me?"

He tucked his head closer to his chest while he said that, staring at me with dark brown eyes, silently urging me to accept his offer, even though he knew this place like the back of his hand and knew where he was sleeping.

"Sure," I said and nodded before I stood. I moved a hand through my cousin's hair, earning a small groan of annoyance and swat from her with a small scowl on her face. "Behave for your uncle," I said before I looked at Bryson, tucking my head closer to my chest and smirked. "Both of you."

"I know, TJ," Maya sassed and swatted at me again. She scowled and narrowed her eyes. "Now, go ahead and leave us. We will be fine with Uncle Julian and won't hurt him too bad." She looked at Julian and grinned while she narrowed her eyes, and Julian stopped playing with my younger cousins and stared at her with wide eyes and a pale face.

"Uh... what?" Julian asked while his eyes were growing wide, and a look of nervousness appeared on his face. "What did you say, Maya?"

"Nothing," she said innocently and shook her head. "I said nothing at all, Uncle Julian."

Bryson sighed and shook his head as if he was tired of his sister's antics before he looked at me. "I will make sure that she behaves herself and make sure that she does not act too much like Mom," he said. "You and Uncle Charlie can go ahead and leave so that Uncle Charlie can get settled in and then eat." He looked at Charlie and scowled while he narrowed his eyes.

Charlie smiled and nodded, bowing his head ever so slightly. "I will eat once I am unpacked and settled in." He cleared his throat and stood, growing serious. "I will also make sure that TJ eats as well because I do not think he has eaten yet either." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question, and I hesitated and shook my head no because I hadn't yet.

I hadn't eaten since the night before, and I couldn't help but feel hungry and wanting something to eat right then and there.

But I will get it after I talk with Charlie because I wanted to see what Charlie wanted to talk about with me...

"Ok, well, bye," Julian said and waved, and the twins waved goodbye, too, mimicking their uncle with a huge grin on their faces.

I bit back a small chuckle and shook my head. "Bye, you guys," I said and waved goodbye. "I will see you all in a bit."

Charlie grabbed his bag from where he had it before he gestured for me to follow him, and I did, praying that whatever he wanted to discuss wasn't about something that I wasn't too keen on discussing.

Oh Goddess, please...