A/N: This took me soooo long to write. Who knew doing things to get into college would be so hard? I didn't. But now I'm suffering. School whyyyy??? Okay, here's the chapter. Hope you like it!

Sophie didn't know what to feel. She felt ecstatic, betrayed, depressed, and furious at the same time. But the overwhelming emotion was shock. This woman was her mother... Biologically. But she refused to call her mom or anything else. A mother wouldn't allow her daughter to be tampered with and used as a puppet. A mother wouldn't abandon her daughter like that. A mother wouldn't expose her daughter's life like that. No. This was just the woman she got her DNA from. Edaline was her mother, not this woman.

She clenched her fists, not knowing what to feel or do. As she looked off into the distance with honking cars and the smog filled air, the emotions faded. She felt numb. And feeling numb was shockingly worse than feeling a million emotions at once.

"Hey, you okay?" asked a voice behind her. She would recognize that voice anywhere. Dex.

Sophie turned around and wiped her eyes. "Yeah I'm fine. Don't... Worry about it."

He sat down next to her and followed her gaze off into the distance. "You're my best friend. I have to worry about it."

Sophie gave him a sad smile. "It's just... I've been wondering for so long, and now I know. And I don't know what to do now."

Dex shrugged. "What is there to do? Find the Black Swan, go help them. Sophie, nothing has changed. All that's different is that you know who you get your DNA from. But that's not what makes a parent. It's a lot of other things. Love. Trust. Caring for each other. DNA is just another added bonus."

Sophie wiped her eyes and threw her arms around Dex. "Thanks Dex. Hey, how did you sneak out? Wasn't Keefe all like 'Nobody follow she needs time on her own.'" She mimicked that last part.

"Haha very funny Foster," said the very voice she was mimicking. "Dex sneaked out. Great friend, huh?"

Sophie laughed. "The best."

Keefe held out a hand and Sophie took it, letting him pull her up. Dex stood up afterwards. "You two should come inside. That pasta is amazing."

*~*~*~*

"I'm really sorry for overreacting," Sophie repeated for at least the fifteenth time.

Mrs. Messenger laughed. "It's fine. You weren't overreacting; it was a lot to take in."

Sophie nodded and twisted the spaghetti in her fork. "Will you keep writing the stories?"

Mrs. Messenger nodded. "Sophie, that's my living. I can't just stop writing. And think about the readers. How would they feel if the story just... Stopped."

Sophie sighed. "I suppose so," she admitted, defeated.

"I'll make sure to send you a copy, though." Mrs. Messenger gave her an apologetic smile.

"What do we do now?" asked Biana. Sophie turned to look at her and was surprised by the clean plate... And napkin. Biana hadn't spilled a single drop of pasta sauce. Sophie didn't even know what was possible.

"I guess we go join the Black Swan," Sophie suggested. "I mean, what else is there to do?"

Mrs. Messenger picked up their empty plates. "After all you've been through, you need some rest. How about you stay for a few days and recharge? Then you can join the Black Swan."

Fitz stood up. "We've already intruded into your house, and taken your food. I don't think-"

Mrs. Messenger shook her head. "After the story, and Sophie, it's the least I can do. Besides, my husband is out of town, so I have more bedrooms open."

Sophie sighed. "We shouldn't, but..."

"We'll do it anyway," finished Keefe, with a wide grin on his face.

"Alright," agreed Mrs. Messenger. "There are two rooms open. One has a full sized bed, so you and Biana can sleep there, Sophie. The other has a Californian king- sized bed, which three people can sleep in. The boys can sleep in there."

The five elves grabbed their bags and placed them in their respective rooms. After Sophie had placed her bag in a corner by the window, Biana suggested something.

"Hey, can we go shopping?" she asked. "I've pretty much been wearing boy clothes for the past few days."

Sophie felt like groaning. Shopping was the last thing she wanted to do. But, her clothes were getting pretty gross, and she felt bad for Biana. She took a deep breath, knowing she was going to regret the next few words.

"Yeah, okay."

A/N: Yay! Sophie and Biana are going shopping in the human world! Feel free to comment ideas on what they should wear... Maybe for a special date with a special someone? *wink wink*