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The kettle whistled, and Toni jerked back to the present She had to stop thinking about Ian so much

Howard strode into the kitchen "Those women are psycho! One of them hit me with a poster when I told her Ian wasn’t here"

Toni winced "Sorry They do seem awfully determined"

Radinka handed Howard a cup of tea "Such nonsense Are they still there?"

"I got them to leave, but I’m afraid they’ll come back" Howard drank souys Is Ian still on the fifth floor?"

"Shanna’s already on her way up there" Radinka set a cup of tea in front of Toni

"I’ll start in the baseulped down the rest of his tea, then left the roo about crazy women

"Is this truck?" Constantine looked up at Toni, then pointed at another word

She glanced at his book "Yes, it is" He had finished his banana "Would you like so to drink?"

"Can I have soh the cabinets, but couldn’t find any plastic cups She’d have to give hilass She set it in front of him, and he drank without hesitation

She sat next to hirinned with a aped, then shut her mouth quickly since she didn’t want to embarrass the little boy

"You’resure?" "He’ll be two in March" Radinka added some milk to her tea "He’s very clever, isn’t he?"

More than clever, Toni thought He was a wonder child

"Is Toni with us?" Constantine asked

Radinka tilted her head, considering Toni "She may not know it yet, but I believe she is" What did thatsense of confusion

"Do you want to see what I can do?" Constantine backed away froreat!" Toni save her a dubious look "I haven’t done it yet"

"Oh, sorry" Toni’s"Oh osh"

Radinka sat at the table with her cup of tea "He’s very special"

"I’m back" Shanna strode into the kitchen She picked up her cup of tea and glanced around the roo drew her attention, and Shanna snorted "I should have known" She gave Toni a wry look "I’ve been trying to teach hi," Toni said laled and perfor off" Shanna sipped some tea "You should see hioal by sitting in the hoop," Constantine boasted

"He--he’s really Roenius Don’t ask me how, but he inserted his DNA into hu another one in May A little girl"

"Oh Congratulations" Toni watched Constantine float down to the floor She couldn’t believe it Shanna and Radinka were sipping tea like it was entirely normal to breed half-human/halfvampire children

"Did you ask if it was okay before you levitated?" Shanna asked her son

"Yes, Moood" Shanna sat across fro hi ant just anyone to see"

"Like Grandpa" Constantine drank reed "My dad is the head of the CIA Stake-Out team They’d like to eliminate all vaot to be a little aard for family reunions"

"Tell randson, so he’s ignoring the Va on the Malcontents But if he found out that Tino’s inherited soenes, it could cause a problem"

The little boy slumped over his book "Would Grandpa not loveher son "He’ll always love you We all love you so liarded the little boy Toni felt a tiny twinge of envy How lucky this boy was to be so loved She’d alanted her one on to marry the man of her dreams and have two more children Toni had never been welcome there Her only experience with randmother, and that had ended abruptly when she was thirteen When she had failed her

When Toni had first entered the Vao, she had expected to find a scary place filled with creepy characters Instead she’d found a group of Va and compassionate It was obvious that they looked out for one another Shanna had run up five flights of stairs just to leave Ian a note

Was she with them? That was the question Constantine had asked With a small shock, Toni realized she could be an accepted member of this extended family--a family that cared for one another and trusted one another She could be a part of it all Never rejected again Never h

It was sote, too, for she already had her life planned out with Sabrina Sabrina was her family, not these people in the Vamp world As soon as the mess with Sabrina was resolved, Toni could leave the Vaer to leave Now she was starting to feelwanted And valued For the first ti pulled in two different directions

"Are you all right, dear?" Radinka asked

"I--I’d better go" She glanced at the clock over the kitchen sink "My final starts in an hour"

Constantine placed his small hand on her are of wary rushed from the little boy’s hand She stiffened, then iy washed over her with a soothing gentleness Her tensionthat she could acco

She looked at the little boy, and he sht blue eyes that should have been frightening in a child so young, but she felt too relaxed to be concerned Constantine radiated goodness, so she knew there was no need to be afraid

He withdrew his hand and focused his attention back on his picture book Toni gathered her things and said her good-byes As she walked to the subway station, the little boy’s question kept repeating in hersucked into this neorld? Would it be hard to give it up when she left? Not so hard, if they coive up the ive up ever seeing Ian again?

That evening, Toni was celebrating the end of her college education with a big bowl of triple chocolate ice cream on top of a double chocolate brownie, when Ian walked in

"Good evening"

He’d caught her with her ulped "Hi"

He opened his ed his erator and took out a bottle of blood He hesitated, then placed it back in

"Not hungry?" She scooped more ice cream into her mouth

"I already ate" He paced across the roo about his knees

"Did you see the Christmas tree in the parlor? It’s very pretty Shanna and Constantine decorated it"

"Aye, it’s nice" He continued to pace