Kassandra pulls into the driveway of her parents' house with a tiny squeal of tires, and a moment later she's at the front door and getting her house keys out of her purse, a pouty look on her face. She unlocks the door and walks in, looking around for anyone, but she doesn't see anyone. She's a little early for dinner, but she really needed to get home after the horrible day she just had!
The first thing she notices is the wonderful smell of cooking coming from the kitchen. Her eyes tear up and she throws her purse on the sofa and hurries to the kitchen where she knows her dad is.

Armande stands in the kitchen and opens the oven and pulls out the lobster. He smells the aroma of cooking and smiles. "Ahhh perfect." he says just when Kassandra rushes in. "Kassy!" he says turning around and hugging her. "You're early! I haven't even gotten the appetizer done yet."

Kassandra just hugs him tightly, not saying anything for a moment. Seeing her dad has gotten her a little choked up for some reason.
She swallows and finally speaks. "Hey Dad...that's OK. I just wanted to be home." she says in a small voice. "I guess Mom's not up yet, huh?" she asks. "Dinner smells great. It always does." she adds.

"No she's still asleep." Armande says. "Oh," he turns and runs over to the toaster oven and opens it up and pulls out the appetizers. "Here they are..." he says. "Almost burned them." he sets them down on the counter. He smiles at Kassandra and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

Kassandra smiles at him, and then watches him hurry around the kitchen and feels relieved to be back in a familiar place where everything is normal. She keeps starting to talk, and then her throat closes up with tears and she quickly swallows. She knows if she starts talking she'll just burst into tears, and then he'll be worried and ask what's wrong, and then something will start burning while he's trying to comfort her, and she doesn't want to ruin his hard work. She'll wait to talk until they're eating.
She swallows, glancing out the window. The sun is almost set. "Dad-- I'll go check on Mom really quick..." she says.

Armande smiles. "Go ahead and wake her up. Tell her to get ready and then dinner is almost ready," he says as he takes out the garnish and starts sprinkling it on the lobster. "I hope you're hungry," he says to Kassandra. "I made lots of food."

Kassandra can't help but smile back, no matter how bad her day's been. Her dad always cheers her up just by being himself.
"That's why I haven't eaten since breakfast!" she beams. She gives him a little wave, and then starts down the hallway to her parents' room.
She glances around to make sure no stray sunlight will come in, and then opens the bedroom door and walks in, closing the door behind her. She licks her fingertips and touches them to each of her eyelids, and suddenly she can see perfectly in the dark. The bedroom is always kept pitch-black for her mother-- the windows painted over and then boarded up and then covered with black curtains that have been nailed to the wall.
She sees her mother's shape laying motionless on the bed, and walks over to her. She sits on her father's side of the bed and gazes down at her mother. It's always eerie watching her mother when she's sleeping-- so pale and completely motionless...not even her chest rises and falls. Her mother is beautiful. Flawless-- like a porcelain statue. In Kassandra's opinion, anyway.
Like clockwork, the moment the sun sets Vanessa's eyes slowly open and her skin flushes with life. Kassandra watches quietly-- almost reverently. Vanessa can instantly sense her daughter in the room, and shifts her eyes over to look at her while she reads Kassandra's surface-emotions in case there's an emergency. Which, thankfully, there is not. Her daughter is very sad�near tears�and also angry�frustrated�betrayed�and a little spark of what has to be jealously.
Vanessa quickly sits up and opens her arms, and Kassandra falls into them, crying. If there's one thing Kassandra's always appreciated about having a vampire for a mother, it's the fact that she never has to explain how she's feeling-her mother just always seems to know.

"What's wrong, mija?" Vanessa asks quietly in a soothing voice.

Kassandra cries for a moment, and then finally calms down enough to talk. "He's been gone all day! I tried to call him and some other English guy answered and said he was with some woman and said she was his student!" she finally bursts out, and then starts crying again.

Vanessa raises her eyebrows and looks down at her daughter in surprise, and then starts stroking Kassandra's shiny black hair. She's talking about John, of course. No other man she's known has caused so many people to be frustrated! Although she's NEVER heard Kassandra say a single bad thing about him, nor been this upset about anything he's done before. Even when he's disappeared for years on end! Kassandra always said he was probably off on some great adventure, fighting great evil in England, or something.
Well�of course this must be related to her captivity at Orfirio's hands. Ever since Kassandra was rescued she's had these panic-attacks whenever she can't reach one of her parents or John when she needs them. Poor Kassy.
"That must have been Beamer�he owns the bowling alley." she explains to her daughter in her most soothing voice. "I wonder why he answered the phone, though. Hmmm. So John was with a student, eh�did he say who she was?" she asks.

"No!" Kassandra cries. "And when I said I was John's student so he couldn't possibly BE with his student, he didn't even know who I was!! Uncle John NEVER TOLD HIM WHO I WAS!!" she cries angrily through her tears. "Why didn't he tell anyone who I was??" she cries, more tears coming. "If he owns the place, he must have seen me coming and going for 10 YEARS!" she cries. "But he knows THIS woman!"

Vanessa lets her daughter rant, enjoying her feistiness and recognizing which parent it comes from! "OK, OK�is there anything you can tell me about this woman?" she asks, but secretly she's wondering the same thing-why HASN'T John told Beamer about Kassandra? Hmmm�probably because John told she and Armande to keep Kassandra a secret from everyone, so he has, too. That's it.

Kassandra wipes her eyes. "Yeah�she's 'a raven-haired beauty!'" she spits with contempt, "and dresses in fishnet tights and an outfit like a magician's assistant!"

Vanessa smiles as all is made clear to her. "Oh Kassy�that's just Zantanna! She was John's student before you. She was the only mage who was nice to me and your uncles when we first got to San Francisco. A little ditzy�a little single-minded�but an OK chick."

"But why is she here?? And why did she take Uncle John somewhere and has been gone with him all day?? And why did they go into the library and then disappear into the spirit-world?? And who is the boy with them?? And why has he been gone all day! And when's he going to be home??" Kassandra cries, working herself up more and more with each sentence.

Vanessa lets Kassandra rant again, and then resumes stroking her hair. "That's a little odd that they went into the spirit-realm�don't worry, baby. If he's not back by tonight I'll make contact with him, myself. You know how it goes-- anytime anyone is in trouble they always come to your Uncle John wanting him to get them out of it. I'm sure Zantanna's gotten herself into some mess or another and is looking to John to make it all better. You'll see."

Kassandra's lips turn down in a pout. "If she's graduated from being a student, she can get herself out of it�HERSELF!" she sniffs. "He's MY teacher now, and I need to be able to call him when I need him!"

Vanessa pretends to be brushing a strand of hair out of her face to cover her smile. She feels a streak of guilt that her daughter had to inherit her temper instead of getting her father's calm, cool demeanor. Hmmm. But it IS odd that her daughter is reacting so violently. Usually she IS calm like her father! This panic-problem she has is pretty bad.
"That's true�but don't be mad at John until you hear him out, OK? Keep talking, baby. I can smell that your father is done with dinner so I'm going to put something on." Vanessa gets up from her bed slowly, stretching.

Kassandra watches her mother stand up. She's wearing some slinky black see-through shorts-thing and matching black see-through tank top-thing. Her mother is perfect. She wishes she could be more like her mother�so calm and confident about everything! And she moves so�smoothly! Sensually! Kassandra feels like a clunking clod compared to her mother!

Vanessa finds a tight but tasteful red outfit from her closet, strips off her nightclothes, and starts dressing. She can sense her daughter is feeling wistful right now�wistful and wishful.
"You stopped talking, Kassy�" she calls over her shoulder. "And don't think you can't dress like this, either, now that you're living out of the house! What your father can't see won't hurt him, right?" she grins. "You can borrow any of my clothes anytime. In fact, I'm going to send you home with a few things I want you to try, OK?"

Kassandra smiles in spite of herself. "OK�"

Vanessa finishes getting dressed, runs a brush quickly through her hair, and then walks over and puts her arm around Kassandra. "Venga�let's go see your father. If there's anyone who wouldn't want to miss you complaining about John, it's him!" she laughs.

Kassandra gives a little laugh, too, and the two exit the bedroom and walk down the hall to the kitchen.

In the meantime, Armande has set the table with the meal. A small plate has three appetizers on it, around the table are various vegetables and in the center is a pair of lobsters, baked to perfection. Armande unties the apron and looks at his table with satisfaction. He always takes pride in his food and he loves to cook new things for his daughter!

Vanessa and Kassandra walk into the dining room, and Vanessa lets out a low whistle. "Wow, baby...you have outdone yourself this time!" Vanessa says, impressed, as she greets Armande and kisses him.

Kassandra's stomach rumbles audibly, and she holds her stomach in embarrassment with a little grin. "Mom's right...I feel really spoiled! It's not even my birthday!" she exclaims, looking everything over. She slides into her seat and has to exert all her willpower not to get into the appetizers immediately!

"Well that's because you are," Armande chides wagging a finger at her. He kisses Vanessa and then pulls out her chair at the empty seating. He then leans down and kisses Kassandra on the forehead as he passes her to his seat. He sits down and pours wine for Kassandra and himself.
"So how is everything?"

Vanessa takes her customary goblet of blood from in front of her empty place and sips at it quietly.

Kassandra shrugs and sighs. "It's a nice place, but I'm a little confused about some things. The elders-- teachers-- keep themselves in a part of the chantry that's forbidden to the rest of my cabal, and then tell us to go to them for anything! How can we go to them if they're in a place that's forbidden?" Kassandra complains, not knowing that at this very moment the Petals of the Rose are no more and her cabal has been granted permission to enter the horizon realm.
"Also, everyone's just been keeping to themselves! I feel shy around everyone, and everyone's so quiet! Well, except for this one guy...he's a little TOO mouthy! There's another guy named Darcy who's been really nice to me...I think he's boyfriend and girlfriend with Aidan. There's another guy who was nice to me-- a Jewish guy who's heard of Uncle John. They're in the same Tradition. But those guys aren't in my cabal. And then the leader of the whole place is HORRIBLE and MEAN! Oh DAD! He came up to me after you left and started asking me questions about you! He said he 'knew what you were!' Now I'm scared he's going to come after you, or something! Do you think he will?? That's why I've been trying to call Uncle John!" she cries.

Vanessa almost drops her goblet. "What??" she cries. After 26 years of laying low, they fucked it all up in a single night by sending Armande over with Kassy's car!

Armande looks at Kassandra and then to Vanessa and then back to Kassandra. "Knows what I am eh? Well he's an asshole." he says. He looks over at Vanessa and winks. "I know that guy. I had a run in with him years ago and he thinks I'm a fuckin cheat. He asked me to do some catering work for him and I did and he refused to pay me." he says. "So don't let him scare you hun. Just keep this between us alright? Don't mention to him that you know right? I don't want to have to pull you from that place got it?" he says and then looks over at Vanessa. "He's an asshole."

Vanessa gets Armande's hints and makes her face resume a calm look. "Yeah...John recommended your father to him, and then the guy turns out to be a cheap-skate after all your father's hard work. I didn't realize he was still in charge there!" she says, the mother of all liars! She folds her arms and affects a convincing scowl.

"Wow...Jesus...that sucks, Dad! I didn't know about that! I can totally see him being the kind of person to do that, too!" Kassandra shakes her head.

Vanessa gives a tiny wink to Armande, and then talks to him through their mind-link. 'You think we're in any kind of trouble now? I'm definitely contacting John later to make sure he handles this!' she thinks to him.

'Nah...I think the guy is just a blowhard.' He thinks back to Vanessa. "Yeah he said some derogatory comments about my swordfish. He said it was too raw and that it tasted like I had marinated it in saw dust. That fuck." Armande says getting himself riled up. "Like I said Kassy... let's just keep this between us. I don't want him to take it out on you."

Kassandra's mouth drops open at the "insults" her father's swordfish had received, and she looks like she would punch that guy right in the face were he within reach right now! Her dad is the best chef in history!
"He was totally lying, Dad! He just didn't want to pay you! Oooh I could crush his balls for saying that about you!!" she cries, tearing up one of her appetizers violently and jamming it in her mouth angrily.

Vanessa grins at Armande behind her hand. She feels bad about lying to Kassandra, but they had to. Now she feels bad about enjoying the anger radiating from her daughter, but it sounds like the guy deserves it, anyway. And god knows her daughter needs a little anger as a weapon to take back with her. She'd always been too trusting before...before Orfirio. Time to get a little more jaded.

"Well that's his problem. That's another lesson for you, Kassy. Cash on the barrelhead and up front. Or no deal. Get half up front then do the work." Armande says. He smiles at Vanessa. "See that? She has your fire there, Vanessa. Now what else is on your mind there, Kassy?"

Vanessa smiles and goes back to sipping from her goblet, but on the inside she's still a little preoccupied about this head-mage knowing what Armande is.

Kassandra finishes her appetizers and then goes about the task of cracking open her lobster. "Yeah...I was just telling Mom that I haven't been able to get a hold of Uncle John all day. That guy who owns the bowling alley said he left with some woman...Mom said her name is Zantanna and she was Uncle John's student before I was his student." she says contemptuously. "I tried following his trail and it went into the spirit-realm and then disappeared into some Celtic book! I don't even know how to follow him into that!" she pouts. "And there was some boy with them! Do you think that stupid woman is trying to get Uncle John to take that boy as a student??" she suddenly asks, her panic coming back. "Because he can't!! I'M his student! No vacancy!" she cries, cracking the lobster-claw so violently that it flies into one of the room-plants.

Armande chuckles. "I doubt it, Kassy. Maybe she's pissed at him and filing a paternity suit," he says and then starts laughing. He cracks open his lobster and takes a bite. "You sound jealous, Kassy. You're not in love with your Uncle John are you?" he asks hoping and praying she says no.

Kassandra's eyes bug open and her face turns red. "HUH??" she exclaims as if this were the most absurd thing she's ever heard in her life. "With Uncle John??" she stammers, and then quickly gets up and retrieves the lobster-claw from the plant. "Please, Dad! It's Uncle John!" she cries, dropping the claw. She has to bend over and get it off the floor. Finally she sits in her chair with a big huff, looking very flustered. "And what do you mean 'paternity suit?' He doesn't have any kids!"

"Well he might, Kassy...he disappears for years, remember?" Vanessa says, looking curiously at her daughter. She's trying not to invade her privacy, but emotions are flying off of her unavoidably. "That would serve him right, too!" she grins. "He got such good training helping your father and I when you were a baby!" she smiles. She thinks for a moment.
"It would explain some things about Zantanna, if it were true. The reason she disappeared was that she and John got into some kind of big fight. John wouldn't talk about the details, but he also wasn't shielding himself very well at the moment." she smirks. "So what does this boy look like?"

Kassandra's face is hard to read. She doesn't quite know how to react to all of this information. "Well...the spirit I talked to said he looked like the woman-- dark hair and blue eyes, I think."

Vanessa shrugs and takes another sip of the blood. "Then anyone could be the father. Maybe he just 'awakened' and she was looking to John to direct her to a good teacher." she says, knowing that if she says 'looking to John to be the teacher' that Kassandra will fly into another rage.

"Exactly, Kassy. This is your society right? And Uncle John is known to a lot of people, I suppose. Maybe Zantanna just wanted some advice or help finding some place in this spirit world...or whatever. All that's beyond me," he says taking a sip of wine. "So anyway when he gets back just ask him, you're worrying over nothin right now, Kassy."

Kassandra sets her mouth in a hard line. "He still shouldn't be gone all day like that, especially during my first week in the chantry! Besides, I need him to train me in a new sphere! Now I'm set back another day!" she complains, but Vanessa can tell these are 2nd-tier complaints compared to her complaint about him being gone with Zantanna. Now Vanessa is a little curious about who this boy is and why Zantanna is back! Does John have a secret family and THAT'S why he's been gone for years on end?
"Kassy, it's OK, mija. If you feel your panic-attack coming on just call home. Someone will always answer here if John doesn't answer at his place. OK?" Vanessa asks soothingly.

"Uncle John needs a cell phone! I keep telling him to get one but he doesn't trust them! But MINE is safe and warded! Maybe he just doesn't want people to be able to call him whenever they need him!" she sniffs.

Vanessa covers her mouth and laughs. "That sounds just like John!"

"He's a strange one, you got that right, Kassy." Armande says. "Don't be too concerned, you got us and hey that's all you need right?" he asks looking at her with a smile. "Your family, Kassy. Blood is thicker than water and family is everything. As long as you got that, you got everything."

Kassandra looks up at her father's smiling face, and suddenly she feels so ungrateful for complaining about all of this while her father slaved for hours to make her a five-star dinner. Tears fill her eyes and she gets up and hurries over to Armande and wraps her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry, Dad! I'm ruining your dinner! I'm sorry!" she cries.

Vanessa watches her daughter in concern. She's become so emotional since getting the mind-control drugs out of her system! She hopes she'll still be fit for whatever roll the loas have in mind for her! Or maybe this is all part of the greater scheme of things. She HOPES so, anyway!
"Don't worry about it, Kass. I'll contact John later and give him a tongue-lashing!" she smiles, getting a mental picture of tying John up and whipping him with her razor-sharp snake-tongue! Hmmm...VERY erotic! She might have to ask Armande if he'd be into a little experimentation later!

Kassandra quickly looks up. "No, no! Don't tell him anything! Just tell him I was looking for him and I was worried! That's all! OK??" she pleads.

Vanessa nods. "OK, Kassandra...it's your call."

Armande looks at Kassandra and pats her hand. "It's ok, Kassy. You had some concerns and we talked it over. That's what we are here for. So ahh let's go ahead and talk about some lighter stuff then so you don't get so upset." he says. "So tell us some good things that are goin on."

Kassandra goes back to her seat and resumes cracking pieces of her lobster and then dipping the meat into the dipping-sauce her father made, relishing each piece.
"Well...Andromeda loves my new room, and all three snakes helped me do the ritual to cleanse and dedicate my new ritual-room! It's not the same not having you there to play the bongos, Dad-- I had to set up my stereo in there and play one of Mom's CDs, but it will work! I haven't seen Culebra and Dientes following me around yet, so they're doing a good job being sneaky!" she grins at her mother.

Vanessa grins back and winks. Culebra and Dientes are two of her three ghoul-snakes who she's had for decades. She sent them off with Kassandra to be her bodyguards, as well as report back to Vanessa from time to time, with the strict instruction that they not be seen if they can help it.

"Let's see...Darcy invited me to come with them to the next drum-circle at the club they go to! I'm really excited about that! I haven't danced to drums with a group since-- well...for a long time. I can't wait to go! Don't worry, Mom! I said I would only go if it was with a group." she quickly adds.

Vanessa nods, folding her arms. "Make sure you do, baby. If anyone has to come rescue you again, it will be ME and it will be UGLY."

"Yeah you listen to your mother. Go in groups and don't go off with any strange men." Armande says and then takes another bite and washes it down with wine. "I'll be coming with your mom if we have to rescue you again except I'll be coming to tan your hide." he says.

Kassandra's eyes open wide and she pauses in mid-dip of the piece of meat on her fork.

Vanessa grins. "Isn't it tan enough?"

Kassandra makes a face at Vanessa and pops the piece of meat into her mouth. "You said not to go off with any strange men, but then you tell me to go to with Uncle John to study! Jesus, Dad! I'm confused!" she teases.

Vanessa falls back in her chair, laughing loudly.

Armande looks at Kassandra and leans back and folds his arms. "It'll be even tanner if you don't listen to me young lady. Now Uncle John is strange enough, but he's the relatively harmless kind. You know what I mean, missy." he says. He looks over at Vanessa. "And you're not helping."

Vanessa grins and wiggles her eyebrows at Armande as if to say, 'Me?? Help? You must be joking!'
Kassandra tries to hide and grin and goes back to her lobster.

The rest of the evening is spent with nothing but light-hearted banter-- much to the relief of all three of them! Finally it's approaching 11PM and Kassandra figures she better get back to the chantry-- seeing as how she never told anyone where she was going when she left late that morning! Plus she doesn't want to get on the bad side of Mean and Limping Man! Not that there's any reason this should do it! She's an adult, and they don't have a curfew! She just doesn't want her cabal-mates to think she's stuck-up or anything...she wants this cabal to work since she promised John and her parents that she wouldn't run away anymore.
While Armande's loading the dishwasher, Vanessa sneaks some of her lingerie and outfits to Kassandra, and Kassandra sneaks them into her car! Then she sneaks back into the house-- both women pretending like they'd been in the parlor talking all along when Armande joins them!
Kassandra hugs and kisses them good-bye, promises to call them once she gets a hold of John-- and Vanessa will do likewise-- and then Kassandra hurries to her car and drives back to the chantry.

Vanessa closes the door and turns to Armande. "Well I'm going to try contacting John now. I'm still worried about that mage-elder knowing what you are." She pauses. "You really think Kassy's got the hots for John?" she asks. "Or do you think she's just getting worse with her panic-attacks?"

"Nah," Armande says shaking his head. "I just think she needs people to be on call since her little problem. I think she's getting better. I also think she's a little spoiled in that, too." he says. He shrugs. "Who knows tho, it wouldn't be the first time a girl had a crush on her teacher."

Vanessa laughs. "Or her pack-priest-- and neither of those situations can lead to any good, can they!" she winks. "At least I'm PRETTY sure John doesn't have a fetish for wearing women's flesh and sashaying around his apartment on Friday nights!" she grins, and then bursts out laughing at that image. She's just glad Carter turned her down that fateful night that she came on to him. If he hadn't, she might not have turned to Armande for comfort...never realizing her soul-mate was right down the hall in the kitchen.

Armande laughs and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm goin to take a shower eh? In a few minutes why don't you join me?" he says with a wink. He turns and walks down the hall towards the bathroom.

Vanessa grins and nods, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe, closing her eyes and linking her mind to John's.
"Well, at least I know he's not dead!" she comments when she senses his mind. "Here we go!
'John...it's Vanessa...' she thinks quickly, and then pulls back a little with the usual precaution that he might be involved in some kind of magic or dangerous situation.

John sits in his apartment downing one more shot of scotch. He winces as it burns down his throat when he hears the voice. 'Oh right...what's goin on now, Vanny? Someone summon a demon? Or are you just botherin me?' he thinks.

Vanessa's forehead furrows and her mouth turns down in a pout, making her look almost identical to her daughter from only a few hours ago.
'Oh shut it, John! You know I only bother you if it's important!' she snaps, not in the mood for his teasing tonight. 'Besides...I think I got the demon-catching thing down now.' she sniffs. Why her daughter gets upset when John DOESN'T answer the phone is beyond her! He's infinitely more frustrating when he's actually there!
She takes a mental-breath and returns her voice to a soothing calm. 'Kassandra's been trying to reach you all day. She's really worried. You OK?' she asks casually, not letting on that she knows most of the story already.

'Oh yeah...I'm peachy...' John says. 'Had to take a little jaunt into the other realm. Is there a problem? She in trouble?' he asks and then pours another drink.

'There's a bit of a problem, you could say. Armande's so used to feeling like a normal dad that he slipped up...drove her car over to the chantry for her after Chaz dropped her off, and then took a tour of her room with her. Looks like the head-elder of the place got a good look at him because he approached Kassandra after Armande left and started interrogating her about who Armande was...told her he 'knows what Armande is.' Hell-- WE haven't even told Kassy exactly what Armande is! All she was told is that the snake-loas blessed Armande to live as long as I do because we're mates like they are! You think this guy is going to come sniffing around...or sic someone else on us?' she asks, concern in her thoughts. 'Because if anyone comes around, that promise not to harm any of your mages is off.' she adds.

John shakes his head and takes another drink. 'No no...Andel is an ass, but he's not a brave ass. Just don't go near the chantry again, either of you. Hell I don't even like going there because of him. No, stay put and relax, this will blow over...' John thinks. 'So is that why she was trying to reach me?'

Vanessa relaxes a little and walks over to lounge on the sofa. 'She wanted to tell you about that, for starters, but she also said something about needing to learn a new "sphere"-- whatever that is. When she couldn't reach you she had one of her panic-attacks-- not that that's YOUR fault...we all know how she's been since the incident. But Beamer answered the phone when she called and said you were out with your student. When she said SHE was your student and he didn't know who she was, it hurt her feelings, and then she started panicking that you had taken on a new student and dropped her. So now she's mad at Zantanna.' Vanessa inwardly sighs. 'I take it you had a good reason for not telling Beamer about her? And what's up with Zant being back in town? And with a boy who looks like her?' she thinks back.
Yeah, she's being a bad mom and not listening to what Kassandra said about not telling John anything, but seeing her baby hurt and crying made her want some answers, too!

John sighs and shakes his head. He leans back in his chair and rubs his eyes. 'Well for starters she's not me student any more. And the boy is her student and she needed to take him to the other realm. I didn't tell Beamer because she's supposed to be a secret...I will tell him that she's me student now.' he says. 'I'll talk to her tomorrow.'

Vanessa nods. That makes sense.
'That's what I thought the reason was. She's probably going to try to call you before she goes to bed-- just pretend like I didn't tell you about her panic-attack...she was really self-conscious about it at dinner.' she warns. 'So John...not to torment you...I can tell you've had a long day, yourself...but me and Armande have a running bet. You don't have to answer, of course! But is that boy Zantanna's? Armande thinks she was coming back to collect on child support! You got a secret family and that's where you go when you disappear for years on end?' she asks curiously.

John sighs. 'No Vanessa. He's not hers nor mine. He's just a student that's all. He's just a little young...Zantanna found him by accident and didn't know what to do with someone so young...all right?' he asks a little irritated.

'Fine, fine...I didn't mean to piss you off!' Vanessa thinks back. 'I don't want to keep you too long in case Kassy calls soon. I was just worried because she was worried-- you know how it is. Be gentle with her, OK? She's had a long day, too, worrying about everything going through her head. Sounds like her cabal-mates are on the quiet side so she's having trouble making friends. You and me and Armande are her life-line right now. Hopefully her new companions will open up soon so she can make friends. Oh-- quick question. You know anything about a drum-circle club? She's been talking about going to it with some of her companions. I want to make sure it's OK...no demons or sadistic voodoo-bastards and stuff.' she thinks wryly.

John thinks for a moment. "No, drum circle club is fine...the worse she'll have to deal with is horny frat boys...' he says. 'I'll be nice to her...just let her know next time, Vanessa, that sometimes I have to leave...she should know this by now.'

'Oh she knows, and we have! She wasn't like this before the...incident. You remember! You could be gone for a few years and she was just fine the entire time...gave you a warm welcome when you came back...all of that. Now things have changed for some reason. Don't think I don't feel guilty every day over that. Armande has a good way of calming her down-- I'll have him work with her. Sorry you had a bad day, too.' she adds. 'I'm telling you-- you really SHOULD get laid soon! It's starting to show!' she teases. 'I'd be glad to help, but I still can't get up the nerve to propose a threesome to Armande!' she grins toothily. If John gets to be sarcastic with her at the beginning of the conversation, she gets to put in her usual sexual innuendos! It's the standard ritual!

'Goodnight Vanessa. Don't call me I'll call you,' He thinks and cuts the connection. He pours another drink and downs it quickly. He lights a cigarette and takes a drag. He looks over at the phone debating whether to turn it off or not.

Vanessa rolls up eyes and gets up from the sofa. She really hopes Kassandra doesn't have anymore John-episodes. Each time she has to call him through the mind-link gets less and less pleasant. She probably shouldn't have called-- now he'll be in a bad mood when Kassy calls. She decides she'll wait a little bit to tell Kassandra to call...let John calm down a little. And speaking of relaxing, she can hear the shower-water running in their bedroom with a certain sexy Italian waiting there for her. She decides to shrug this whole thing off and sink into oblivion in his arms. She leaves a trail of red silk clothing down the hall and disappears into their bedroom.

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