Tara pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she walked down the street.  She watched ahead of her as several of her siblings looked in the downtown shop windows.  She smiled at Gavin who was beside her, Victoria on his shoulder babbling happily.

“That sounds like one hell of an adventure.”  He said shaking his head. “Not at all the sort of thing we figured we’d be doing if we ever got into the family business when we came back to the states.  How’s Oriana?”

“Well, you can ask her yourself.  Her place isn’t much further up the road.  We won’t hang out there, it’s not a good place for the kids - though I suspect Jack and Izzy might want want to linger.”  She chuckled. And then looked at Gavin who was still staring at her.

“You’re too much like Dad sometimes.”  Tara said softly.  

“Thank you.”  Gavin said with a smile.

“Hey Gavin!  Look, an ice cream shop!”  Sage called out pointing across the street.  

“Is that…?”  Gavin asked.

Tara smiled and nodded.  “One and the same. This whole place is like some sort of book come to life - well, some of the things.  The pier isn’t anything like it used to be in Nona Bella’s time. The shops are all new and shiny. High end stuff.  Really fancy, the tourists love it.” Tara was happy to have a way to walk away from the topic of Oriana. Gavin had enough on his plate without worrying about her and Oriana.

“So… Cerise.”  Tara said looking at the blonde half-a-block ahead of everyone, leading the pack of children marching down the road window shopping.

“How’s Brigitte?”  Gavin threw out.

“Hmm.”  Tara said nodding, his quick change of topic spoke mountains.  She stared at him.

Gavin glanced at her, “Now who’s like Dad?”

Tara chuckled, “Thanks.  Brigitte is much better. She should be at Shots too.  She’s been working for Oriana mostly. She took a little trip to New Orleans with a friend recently.”

“Is that where the gift came from?”

“The gift?”  Tara arched an eyebrow.

“The cash.”  Gavin and Tara came up on the kids gathered outside of Shots.  

“She sent you cash.”

Gavin nodded.  “Quite a bit. I mean, we’re okay but I can’t say it hurts my feelings to have a little more of a cushion.  Of course, with what you’ve given me… I don’t think we’ll have much to worry about for a long time to come.”

Tara reached a hand out and ruffled Malcolm’s hair.  Mal had been more quiet than anyone on the walk. “You ready to head inside and see Ori’s place?”

“We get to go into a bar?”  Izzy asked.

“Well, Eric the bartender isn’t going to serve you anything but sodas, but yes.  It’s daytime, we won’t be staying long but I figured there wasn’t any harm in a short visit.”

“Yeah I’m ready,” said Mal, who’d been staring around at the city as if he was trying to absorb it. “Your mom told me lots of stories about this place. Philadelphia.”

“I bet she did.”  Tara said putting her hand on his back and walking forward with him.  “The bartender in here used to be a very good friend of Nona Bella and Grandpa Gavin’s.  He’s gonna take one look at you Mal and instantly know who’s kid you are. I swear every day you look more and more like Byrne.  You fit in this place… mom would say so.”

Mal smiled wider than Tara had seen thus far. “Thanks.” He dropped his voice. “Could I talk to you alone sometime before we go back?”

“Tell you what, I got a booth in this place where I do all my official business.  Why don’t you and I go steal a moment alone there? Gavin why don’t you take the kids up to the bar?  I’ll introduce you quickly to Eric and you can all get a soda to enjoy while we wait for Oriana to come down.”

Tara walked in with a big smile, the herd of children around her ranging in ages from the beginning of live to nearly adult.  “Surprise!” Tara called out brightly and loud enough to get Eric’s attention. “Bartender, I got a whole crew of thirsty folks who are dying to meet you!”

Eric grinned. “I can barely believe my eyes.” He raised his voice. “I knew your grandparents; it’s exciting to finally meet all of you!” His eyes particularly lingered on Izzy and Malcolm.

“So quickly this is Gavin, he’s my older brother.  This Cerise, my older sister - adopted but sister nonetheless.”  she chuckled. “We’re all getting used to this um… okay so let’s see it’s Izzy and Jack and next in age and they’re twins.  That’s Sage she comes after them in age. Then after her is Will & Angie’s son, Malcolm. And lastly this is Victoria my youngest sister.”  She kissed the little red-head’s crown and rubbed her back. Gavin bounced her gently getting a giggle from her.

“Well, why don’t you all line up at the bar here, I’ll get you some pop, and we can do a little catching up?” asked Eric.

“Brigitte around?”  Tara said casting her eyes across the room, “Or is she busy with Oriana?  She didn’t know Gavin and Cerise were coming, it was a little surprise for her and Ori.  I brought them out for a short visit.”

“They’re upstairs with Leo. Want me to call up for them?”

“I’m sure they’ll be down eventually.  I need a few minutes alone with Malcolm anyway.  He and I have some private things to discuss.” She gave Malcolm a smile.  “Do you mind if we have our sodas at the booth?” She asked Eric.

Eric dismissed even the possibility that he would mind, and soon Tara found herself sitting across from the only child of William and Angie Byrne. He was getting older, and the first hints of adulthood were just breaking out from the child that she was used to seeing. In a few years, he’d be a handful. For now, he looked too serious for his age as he studied his cousin.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Tara, because I feel like you might actually listen to me. I brought it up to Gavin, and he dismissed it. I brought it up to Cerise, but she just told me to do whatever I want.”

“I’ll always listen to you and take you seriously Malcolm.  I can’t say that I will always agree with you, but I will always be honest with you and I will hear you out.”  She smiled and looked at his arms. “You’ve been working hard. Gavin letting you chop firewood already?” She arched an eyebrow.

“Yea. And I’ve been training- every day. The program that Ori helped me put together. Sometimes I run it twice.”

“Did she tell you that was something that was safe to do?”  Tara asked. “I don’t mean to sound like a nag, but if you over do it you can actually be counterproductive.  I know you have goals, you’re every bit as hard on yourself as my mom was… I can see it in your eyes.”

Mal’s icy blue eyes fixed on Tara for a moment, then he nodded. “Okay.”

Tara gave a small smile and nodded, satisfied.  “So, what’s this thing you need to me to hear with an open mind?”

“I think I want to change my name.”

Tara had been taking a sip of her drink and she found herself coughing.  “I’m sorry. You want to change your … which name Malcolm? Or Byrne? Or both?”

“Malcolm.”

Tara exhaled.  She nodded. “Okay.  So, have you given thought to what you’d like it to be?”

“I have a few ideas. I don’t think I’d really change it until I move out here to help you and Ori, though. So a few years, at least. I just..” He paused. “I love my dad. And I miss him. And I’m going to want to make him proud. But it would bother me if like… when I get arrested or in the newspapers, if people could make the connection there. Say bad things about my parents. There’s a lot of Byrnes in the world. But not too many Malcolm Byrnes in Philadelphia. Does that make sense?”

Tara was thoughtful and she nodded.  “Your mom was one hell of a reporter.  I’ve read some of the things she wrote digging into our family before she and your Dad became a couple.  She was a pit bull. She’s the sort of person who would have figured out someone changed their name, if she wanted the story.  I think you need to be prepared for that possibly happening and understand that no one will ever say anything bad about your parents.  The truth is they died young, they died fighting a righteous cause, and publically anyone who ever said something bad about them would look like monsters.  Now, they might say how sad it is that you fell so far away from what you father would have wanted and … that might be hard to see in print. Even if you know the truth about your Dad and why he went on the crusade he did… it never feels good having someone say we’re not living up to the legacy we were left.”

“Well, Cerise told me that you have more money than God now, so I figured you could help me take care of that. Changing the records, stuff like that. Fake my death maybe. I just don’t want to see my dad’s picture on the front page next to a mugshot of me- ever. Please.”

“And… you’re completely decided on going into the family business?  No doubts? No… lingering possible other options?” She arched an eyebrow.

“Well…” Mal paused. “What else would I do? Even if you’re not comfortable doing all this now, could you at least promise you’ll do it when I’m older if it’s still what I want? Help me change my name, change the records?”

“It would be easier now.”  she said softly. “You’re off grid so to speak.  No one knows where the son of William Byrne has gone.  If you want this, I’ll do it. I just… I want to make sure you’re happy and you don’t have any regrets.  My father’s name wasn’t Billy, did you know that?” Tara smiled.

Mal frowned. “No. What was it?”

Tara chuckled and lowered her voice, “I wouldn’t repeat it much, the ghost of my father might hunt you down - he hated his name.  Good reasons too… not that it was a bad name, but it had a lot of hard memories for him. Things all tied up with his mother and father.  Benedict was the name they gave him when he was born. He was about your age when he decided he was going to start going by Billy. Eventually he had it legally changed.”

“Oh…” realization dawned in Malcolm’s eyes. “... shit. That’s why your mom called him Eggs sometimes. That makes a lot more sense now. I thought it was just because he ate so much. But uh, yes. Make me disappear. I’m old enough to decide that, I think.”

“Eggs was Grandpa Gavin’s name for my Dad.  He gave it to him after he learned about Dad’s real name and that he didn’t like it much.  I think Grandpa Gavin thought there was strength in the stuff that hurt us. Like his scars, ya know?  He didn’t want my Dad to forget who he was. Did your parents ever tell you how they came up with the name Malcolm?”  Tara asked arching an eyebrow and picking up her drink sipping it.

“No… do you know?” he asked, curious.

Tara sighed.  “No. I don’t.  I never asked that question and it wasn’t something in my mom’s journal.  She knew about your birth and she wrote about it - but the entry was mostly about how sad she was that she couldn’t be there.  That she and your father had grown so much apart and how she wished at least one of us had been born at Hollowpoint like your Dad was.  Said that she felt like that was a place Byrnes should come into the world. Who knows though… maybe one day you’ll have a child there?”  she chuckled.

Malcolm seemed to regard that as a future so distant he couldn’t contemplate it. “Maybe. But in a few years, when I’m an adult… I can come live with you and Ori?”

“Yes, Mal.  We’d like that a lot.  You and any of the kids who actually want to get mixed up in this shit… family sticks together.  We help each other. Right now, I’ll help with this name thing of yours. Be thinking of what you want to be called.  Nothing too silly, okay? I know you’ll give this all the seriousness it deserves. Also, there’s something I need you to have.”

He exhaled. “Okay. Good. Thanks, Tara. And I’ll think about it.”

Tara reached inside her purse and pulled out a small box and handed it to the boy.  “We’ll put it in a bank vault for you, but I think that this belongs to you more than anyone in the family.  I wanted you to see it before I have it locked away for when you’re older.”

Mal opened the box tentatively.

Tara smiled as the boy looked at the most brilliant diamond ring that anyone had the pleasure of laying eyes on.  It wasn’t overly large but the gem was as lovely a diamond as any man had ever cut. “That was our Nona Bella’s engagement ring.  When Grandpa Gavin asked her to marry him, he had that diamond cut from some of the rarest in the world - and put into a ring. It was lost for a very long time.  My mom thought we’d never see it again. That man behind the bar, he brought it back to us. Eric used to be Nona Bella’s bodyguard. He was out of town the day she was murdered.  He’s … a good man who took the loss very hard. Kept that ring and her memory all these years. Anyway, I won’t ever need it. And it seems fitting that it stays in the Byrne family.  One day, you might find a girl you want to give it to and when you do … well, it’ll be waiting.”

“... thank you. Are you sure you won’t need it? I know it’s… I mean, I understand that…” he paused. “I thought you might want to keep it.”

Tara lowered her voice again, “I think you’re smart enough to know that I’m not the marrying sort.  And I could give it to Gavin, but something tells me legally he’ll never marry the woman he loves.” Tara’s eyes went to Cerise who was looking at Gavin playing with Victoria at the bar.

“Brigitte … it’s complicated and sure there is a whole line of Mastrosimone kids who might come first if we’re talking about age but I know my mom.  My mom, if she were here and I handed this to her… she’d be saving it for you. I want to honor her wishes.”

“Okay. Thank you, Tara. It means a lot to me, even if I might not be using it for a long while.”

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing.  Grandpa Gavin and my Dad didn’t find the woman they loved until they were … almost 30.  Maybe the best guys take a while to find the right woman. Nothing wrong with that. Of course… your dad was pretty fast by comparison.”  she chuckled. “Maybe he perfected it, maybe it’s in your genes and you’ll find some girl worth leaving all this shit behind for.”

Malcolm’s eyes darted over Tara’s shoulder and a smile broke out on his face as Oriana sashayed downstairs and was rushed by the kids.

Tara smiled at the sight of Ori with the kids.  “Why don’t you go say hello too. I know you want to.”  She said finishing her drink.

“ORI!”  Izzy ran over and gave the older girl a hug.  “I tried to doing Mal’s workout but I think I’m going to stick with what Cerise has us doing - holy crap!  It’s nuts!” She laughed.

Jack smiled but he didn’t rush her like the girls did.  The young man was starting to fill out and actually had a little fuzz on his upper lip.  He smirked at Ori, clearly appreciating her in a new way. Seeming to recognize that Ori realized she was being looked at, Jack looked down at his soda.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” said Ori, “Brigitte and I were looking at some merchandise upstairs. She’ll be right down.” Detaching herself from the kids, she slid over to Gavin and Cerise, greeting each of them as well.

“Tara was just telling me about your trip down south.  Thanks for all you guys did down there.” Gavin said nodding.  

“Yea. Tempted to just quit and hunt treasures full time. But I don’t think Tara’s going to get too many letters like that one.”

“Did Brigitte go with you?” Cerise asked.

“Not this time.”  Tara said walking over to the bar behind Malcolm.  She gave a smile to Oriana. “They’re in town for the weekend.  Visiting a few places and the like. Figured we might have a big family dinner at Hollowpoint tonight… you up for it?”

“Uh, sure. I… just let me head back now. I have a few things I need to clean up and put away before.”

“Oh no worries.  I was figuring I’d lead the kids down to the market and do some shopping, grab some food - not like we’ve kept the amount of food around to feed this many people.  Then we’ll get to cooking something good up. You come on out whenever you’re ready. We’ll have dinner together like the old days and maybe after the young ones hit the hay us older kids will chill out and enjoy a few drinks around the fireplace.  Maybe play some cards and listen to the radio.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“I’ll play cards,” said Mal, eagerly. Izzy and Jack both sighed.

“We’ll see, maybe I’ll make a little wager with you guys and if you win… you can stay up late.”  Tara gave a wink to Mal. “I’m kinda wondering if you have your Dad’s talent for poker. Might be nice to find out.  No promises though. If there’s a ton of bickering…” Tara gave a look that said if there was a lot of fighting there definitely would not be any staying up late.  “But I might let you guys stay out in the guest house. Can’t imagine you’d hate having some space of your own for once.”

Gavin looked as nervous as Cerise looked excited. 

“Would give Gavin and Cerise a chance to have a real night’s sleep… hell, I’ll take care of Victoria tonight too.  Give you both a break,” said Tara.

“I don’t need a break,” insisted Gavin. “I get a full night’s sleep. Every night.”

“Yes but when was the last time you got to sleep in and have a big breakfast made for you by someone else?”  She smiled. “You deserve it. You and Cerise have taken on so much. Let me do something nice for you.”

“Absolutely,” said Cerise, before Gavin could say anything. “And we’re fine. It’s tiring, but being trained as a manipulative secret agent was actually decent preparation for parenting.”

“You sound like…”  Tara cut off and then just nodded.  “You know, I bet it was. Well, just um… tell Brigitte she’s got an invite too.”  She looked over the bar to Eric. “You too, Eric. When was the last time you sat around and played some poker?”

“Uh… with Gavin, actually. He’d always try to rope me into games.”

“Well, you’ll be glad to know most of us inherited Nona Bella’s talent for the game so you stand a really good chance.  And I’ll take it easy on you.” She gave him a wink. “But I do make a mean manicotti if I do say so myself. There will be tons for everyone so… if you’d like I’ll save you a seat at the table.”

“Sure,” beamed Eric. “That’d be great.”

After a quick goodbye, Tara and her siblings went down to the Italian Marketplace her grandmother had so loved.  Tara gave a little walking tour to everyone and purchased items for dinner. Before she knew it they were back at Hollowpoint, she was in the kitchen and making a dinner the way she used to with her family in New York and before that, Canada. 

The faces had changed over the years, the food always evolving, but the feeling was the same.  There was some laughs and more than a few arguments and annoyances. A few times someone had to walk out of the kitchen and not just because of the heat from the oven.  Tara found herself not annoyed anymore by her family’s constant pushing and pulling on each other but had come to see it as a thing that was nature - like breathing. In with good air, out with bad.  The rise and fall of emotions in the house meant that they were alive, and all was right with the world as it could be. She finally wasn’t stressing over making everyone be at peace the way she used to be in Canada in her youth, nor did she want to run off into the woods and hide with a book.  Tara had learned to read life and maybe a little bit more, the people within her life, as she used to words on a page.

As everyone arrived Tara had Gavin put the leaf in her Grandmother’s table to make it big enough for everyone.  She wondered if Gavin and Bella had ever had such a big gathering here before. Had they ever used the leaf? She supposed it was possible. Bella was a Godmother and she liked to cook for people. Something to ask Eric about later, when he wasn’t answering rapid-fire questions from the next generation of Byrnes and Mastrosimones. 

The table was set by the kids.  Tara watched each of them making quick work of the small odds and ends that once took them so long to do as children.  Everyone but Victoria was nearly grown In many ways she felt bad for Victoria. Not just for how she would never know Aurora and Billy, but for the fact that she would not grow up with all the siblings that Tara had.  By the time Victoria was old enough to really remember things, most of the kids would be gone and onto lives of their own. She would most likely think of Cerise as a mom… and Gavin as her father. That was a hard thing to think about and she did not envy her brother, who she suspected thought of that more than once himself.  

Tara carried the main course to the table and smiled at Gavin motioning to the head of the table, a place for him to sit.  To her surprise he shook his head and took a seat near the end. He sat between Sage and Malcolm, who had taken a seat at the foot of the table.  Brigitte had already sat her left hand when Tara resolved to sit at the head. She gave a smile to Oriana and waited for her to sit beside her before she began dishing up food.  And, once all the plates were full, Tara lead her family in grace as her mother and father would have wanted. She thank God for allowing them to all sit together again and in a place her mother had always wanted them to be. 

Dinner was a loud and raucous affair, as it always was in the Mastrosimone home.  People talked over each other, conversations happened in small groups and across the table with everyone commenting.  Victoria made a huge mess of the soft foods she was being fed and everyone enjoyed commenting on her - she was just as indulged as she would have been, had Billy and Aurora lived.  Only now, instead of one parent who favored her - everyone doted on the little princess - even Ori when she thought no one was looking.

Tara made a point of telling the middle kids to go find Aurora and Will’s rooms upstairs.  To take their things up and unpack. And before Gavin and Cerise knew it, the matter on where they were staying was decided.  When they finally did retire, it would be to the only beds left open… the ones in the guest house. Tara expected this meant that Gavin would stay up late drinking and playing cards until he couldn’t bear it anymore.  This suited Tara fine, but one way or another she planned to get her way. Her brother would have a night off, if he wanted it and wasn’t too stubborn to accept it. 

While Malcolm continued to linger in doorways watching the older Mastrosimones, he eventually drifted back up to join Sage, Izzy, and Jack apparently deciding he’d be invited to join in poker in his own time.  Tara watched him wander away what she was sure was the last time as she turned on the radio in the den and Gavin finished getting a fire roaring in the fireplace. Cerise had been taking a spin around the room with Eric, who was taking time to identify people in the pictures to her - explaining who folks where and how they related to the Byrnes, the Lucianos, and the Mastrosimones.

As Brigitte took up the dance with Eric, she spun off Cerise towards Gavin. Tara watched them dance for a moment with a strange look on her face, until Oriana tipped her chair forward and slipped her arm around her to dance.  Tara was a bit lost at first, unsure if she was leading or following, she felt as ungraceful as she ever had been in her life and yet, she was laughing. She was happy and after a bit of back and forth, Oriana and Tara found their footing and grace came upon them. They were dancing in the same den, Tara realized that her parents had danced one of their first dances.  It was the same den Bella had slow danced with her husband and God willing it would be the place where many generations of their family would one day dance with the loves of their lives.

It was nearly ten in the evening when the eldest of the family were finally all seated at the card table in the den.  The good whiskey was broke out and while the stakes were low, the mood seemed high. Brigitte was regaling them with the tale of her adventure in New Orleans, not sparing the salacious details that made Eric’s ears turn pink or the humorous details of the multiple boat crashes she and Rex had suffered. Oriana, who’d always had a low tolerance, seemed to be walking on the edge of sobriety.  Tara had been careful to make sure water was on hand, but she never told Oriana no or to stop, seemingly amused at her girlfriend being tipsy.

Eric, tiring before the crowd of adults in their twenties, made his excuses and departed with many hugs and well wishes.

“You know,” said Tara. “Mom and Dad used to be a very big fan of competitive games… not like the alphabet game we used to play as kids - but like… really competitive games.  I ever tell you about that Gavin?”

Brigitte smirked devilishly and took another drink of whiskey before throwing a few more chips into the pot.

“Um… don’t think so, but it doesn’t shock me.”  Gavin said, his sleeves rolled up and top buttons unfastened, looking more relaxed than Tara had seen him in some time.

“They used to play this game of Truth or Dare.  How they played it was they set some sort of cash value on refusing to tell the absolute truth or perform the appointed Dare.  Of course, they were both notoriously competitive and never refused to do a dare or tell the truth. Which, as you might expect, lead to more than a few fights.”

“Mom running into bathrooms crying.”  Brigitte smirked.

“Dad following.”  Tara added. “They were really freaking happy.  It’s almost hard to imagine that Nona Bella wasn’t immediately supportive of them being together.”

Brigitte nodded.

“I mean, if two people love each other they should be able to be together.  Who cares what anyone else thinks.” Tara tossed in a few chips. “Life is too damn short and fucking depressing at times.”

“I’ll drink to that,” said Cerise, sipping her wine. She was holding her liquor better than anyone, seemingly. 

Gavin was tragically quiet and folded his hand.

“Too rich for your blood?”  Brigitte said to her brother.  

“Stakes too high, color me conservative.”  He said leaning back in his chair.

Tara glanced at Brigitte who gave a gentle shake of her head, barely perceptible.  

Tara wet her lips, “So you and Rex aren’t…”

“Nah.”  Brigitte shook her head.  “Just friends. I like him a lot, but he’s not the marrying sort.  I mean, he will probably… but not me.”

Tara nodded.  

“I should have brought some of Dad’s cigars.”  Gavin chuckled.

Brigitte smiled brightly, “Oh that would have been something, I haven’t smelled one of those in ages it feels like.”

“Gavin smokes them sometimes.”  Cerise said putting her chips into the pot.  “Usually after everyone else has gone to bed.  He goes down to the shore and stares off at the Blue Water Bridge.”

Gavin’s eyes looked toward Cerise but he didn’t say anything directly to her, instead he just remarked, “It’s peaceful.”

“We’ll be coming up there for Christmas.”  Tara said. “You’ll have to get me a list of things the kids want as gifts.”

“I have plenty of gifts,” said Ori. “They’re ready for small caliber stuff, aren’t they?” She looked at Gavin and Cerise. “I mean… the bigger ones. Jack. Izzy. Malcolm. Sage. Just .22s. Nothing crazy.”

Gavin nodded.  “Izzy and Mal would like that, I think.  Jack… don’t know. I think maybe the shine has worn off that sort of thing for him.”

Tara arched an eyebrow, “Really?”

Gavin simply nodded.

“Well, he and Sage can watch the other two and critique them,” smirked Brigitte. 

“No doubt they will.”  Tara chuckled and threw her chips in, “Call.”

“I’ve been thinking about the cabin up north.”  Gavin said looking to Tara mostly.

“Oh?”  Tara said, not looking up from her hand as if considering it still.

“Just… wondering if maybe we should have one of us go up from time to time to make sure the place isn’t falling apart or… I don’t know, do repairs if animals or local kids manage to find it and tear stuff up.”  Gavin stood up and went to refill his glass. Tara watched as Cerise adjusted herself in her chair as Gavin rose.

“Wouldn’t want a fox to live inside there or anything,” said Oriana. “Bandit Junior.”

“Bandit?”  Brigitte arched an eyebrow.

Tara sighed and rubbed her neck, for a moment she seemed to furrow her brow at her cards, and she quickly tried to recover her blank face.

“They don’t know?” asked Ori with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t know what?”  Gavin asked coming back over to the table but not rushing to sit down, Tara noted.

Ori’s mouth made an “o” shape, as Tara wished- not for the last time- that her girl could hold her liquor better.

Tara started slowly. “You remember that fox I killed, the one in the bush with the-”

“The vixen with the tear in her gut.”  Gavin sat down, perhaps forgetting he hadn’t wanted to.  “Yeah I remember.”

“She… had kit.”  Tara said.

“What?!?”  Brigitte chuckled.  “You gotta be kidding me.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?!?”  Gavin smiled.

Tara waved a hand dismissively, “Well, at first I thought it might die.  I didn’t want anyone to get their hopes up and I mean, you were so upset about the momma fox dying.”

“You killed it.”

“Gavin it was going to die slowly there was nothing to be done for it.”

“You didn’t know that for sure.”  Gavin insisted.

Brigitte rolled her eyes.

“Anyway… I kept the kit for a while, it ran away eventually.”

“And you called it Bandit?”  Brigitte asked.

“You had a pet.”  Gavin shook his head.  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us.”

“Well, after I realized she was gonna live… I guess I didn’t want to share her with anyone.  I mean we shared like everything.” Tara shook her head.

“Where the hell did you keep it?”  Gavin asked.

“Oh, my, God!” Brigitte looked at Tara, “That’s the fox that ripped up Joe’s cabin!”

Tara shrugged.

“I wondered how a fox got in.  I mean, we never did get out there and the place was super well built, maybe better than our house.”

Gavin gave a chuckle that sounded more of a snort, “Remember the possum?”

“Oh that was the worst!”  Brigitte roared with laughter.

“Possum?”  Tara said looking between the two of her siblings.

“Yeah, you were pretty little.”

“There’s barely two years between us.”  Tara insisted.

Gavin shrugged, “You were littler than I was and I was pretty little… but a possum got in the house and the only reason I remember it is because I never again heard dad scream like that.”

Brigitte almost doubled over laughing, “He was sure it was a damn demon!”

“Mom got rid of it, but not before Dad had you and me picked up and he was running around the house calling out in French -”

“Bad French, he still didn’t speak it well.”  Brigitte inserted.

“For all of us to wake up and Brigitte to run.”

“He wasn’t exactly saying run, though he meant run.”  Brigitte corrected.

The laughter died down.  Gavin looked at Cerise and she smiled as she raked in the pot.  

“Nice hand.”  Tara said to the blonde across the table from her.

“Thank you,” she purred. 

Oriana followed Tara’s eyes to Cerise’s hair. “I was thinking about going blonde again,” said Ori.

“I have to admit, you do make a very striking blonde.”  Tara said as the next hand was dealt. “Of course it’s not really the hair that I like so much but the woman wearing it.”  She gave a wink to Ori, who returned it with a smile.

“So Mal talk to you about the name thing?”  Gavin asked Tara.

Tara nodded.  “I don’t want you to feel like I’m putting my nose where it doesn’t belong, you’re raising the kids and all…”

“I’m glad he’s willing to listen to at least one of us.  What did you tell him?” Gavin asked.

“He knows you mean well, Gavin, it’s not really about not wanting to be who he was born as you know… it’s about his fear of seeing his father’s name hurt.”  Tara insisted.

“I don’t know, Tara.”  Gavin shook his head picking up his cards.  “I think sometimes he wants to be someone else, to leave things behind, but a man can’t do that.  Mal can’t escape his past any more than anyone else can. And while his story is understandable, I think it’s still a story.  He needs someone to tell him that it’s okay to be who he is. That changing his name won’t make the scars go away.”

“And you’re telling him that.”  Tara said simply. “One day, if he regrets it, he can undo it.  It’s window dressing Gavin. Mal will always be who he is. Like you said, he can’t wish away the scars.  He’ll learn that in time. Forcing him to face that truth before he’s ready will only push him away. I’m going to give him what he wants… and you’re going to be there with the truth when he’s ready to hear it.  It’s not a bad play. It’s the benefit of me not being his parent.” Tara didn’t realize how heavy that was going to sound coming out of her mouth. Parent. None of them had said that word, not really. Not since Aurora and Billy had gone.  Died.  Mal wasn’t different than them.  They were like Mal too. Orphans.  Even if they were older and better able to face it, there was no looking at him as if he were the sad child and they not just like him.  Gavin was, like it or not, Mal’s parent now. While he wasn’t married and had no children of his own… Gavin had become a father.  

After a moment of silence Tara found herself saying, “I’m sorry.”

Gavin shook his head, “It’s true.  Odd. I mean, sometimes I’m not really sure if I’m doing it right, but I’m trying Tara.  And I’m not upset with you for telling him you’d help. Honestly, he’s the one I’m most scared of messing up with.  I look at him like mom did, you know?”

Tara nodded and folded her hand.  It was garbage and sometimes it was just best to call a thing what it was.  “Is that what’s got you all bound up in knots?” She said taking up her whiskey glass and taking a big drink.

Brigitte’s eyes went wide and she made the mouth shape of a whistle but said nothing.

“I’m sure it’s the travel,” said Cerise. “First time we’ve been anywhere since we settled in Port Huron, really. And between the baby and the teenagers, it’s like herding cats. I’m surprised they haven’t tried to sneak out yet.”

“Bells on the doors?” asked Ori. Cerise nodded.

Brigitte chuckled.  “That’s not a bad idea.”

“Necessary with Jack.”  Gavin said nodding.

“I thought you said he’s given up on some of that-”  Tara started to ask.

“It’s not mischief of that sort we worry about anymore.”  Gavin shook his head. “The girl’s name is Anna. Lives about a mile up the way.  He spends a lot of time with her.”

“Oh.”  Tara said nodding.

“You should find a girl for Malcolm,” said Ori. “Or suggest it to Jack. He can set him up with someone.”

“Kid only has eyes fo-”  Gavin started to say but was cut off by the sound of a thud under the table.  He grimaced.

“Kids only have eyes for someone until someone else strolls right past them,” said Ori.

Gavin rubbed his shin under the table.  “Yeah, I guess that’s true. Jack’s had dozens of young girls he’s liked.  Of course, none of them have kept his eye as long as Mirella. I assume there’s no word on that front either?”

Tara shook her head sadly, “Not word.  Uncle Charlie and Aunt Addie… the kids… they just disappeared.  I keep hoping they escaped the war. Pulled a mom and dad.”

“I’m sure that’s what happened,” said Cerise. “We got out. They probably did, too.”

Gavin looked at Cerise and for a moment he held her gaze and then nodded.  “Yeah.” He smiled, but it was slow in coming, though genuine. Tara suspected it was more for her kind words than because he believed Cerise’s input.

“So what do you guys think of the place, does it live up to all the hype mom gave it all these years?”  Tara asked.

“Are you kidding?”  Gavin chuckled. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Cerise nodded, tilting her head imperceptibly before smiling. “It is.”

The quintet drank and talked until there was light in the sky, then they wearily trudged off to sleep. They’d stay for a few more days, absorbing each other’s presence in meals, training sessions, business discussions, and the thousand quiet moments that stemmed from a family under the same roof. It couldn’t last- but while they had the time, they made the most of it.

*

“You’ve been in the shower a long time,” said the female voice in the bathroom.

Malcolm, who hadn’t heard anyone come in, just about jumped out of his skin. “Fuck, Izzy… you scared the shit out of me.” She’d always been able to move around like a cat, and lately she’d had the annoying habit of showing off this skill.

“Literally?”

“No.”

“Well, I was worried about you. Thought you might have drowned in there.”

Malcolm peered around the curtain and saw his cousin Izzy perched on top of the toilet seat. She had her legs crossed and was filing her nails.

“Where’s Jack?” asked Malcolm, closing the curtain. “I thought the two of you were going to have a long chat with Tara.”

“We did. Caught up on a lot of things. Then they got talking about… college. Education stuff. I got bored, so I wandered off- caught the tail end of your sparring session with Oriana.”

“Well then you saw all the bruises I got,” muttered Malcolm. "I'm sore. Hot shower is helping."

“Yes,” said Izzy, still filing her nails. “Oriana looked particularly beautiful today, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t-”

“I have to figure out where she got pants that tight. I might need to order a pair.”

“I didn’t notice.”

Izzy smirked, focusing on one particularly stubborn fingernail. “That seems... surprising to me.”

Malcolm stayed quiet, but Izzy outlasted him. 

“I wouldn’t look at her that way,” said Malcolm. “She’s my... she’s with Tara.”

“Mmmmmmmmm.”

“Are you done?” asked Malcolm.

“Almost. I’m just curious. You know, I’ve introduced you to more than a few of my friends. And you have no idea how tiring it is to hear about your eyes, your-”

“What’s your point, Izzy?”

“It’s just strange that you never seem to be interested in-”

Malcolm slammed the water off and slid out an arm to grab his towel from the wall and drag it inside the shower. “Izzy, stop being ridiculous. I’m focused on other things. My training. Building my skills. Any sort of relationship would just be… a distraction. Now get the hell out of here. All this interest in my love life, I’m worried you’re not the only Mastrosimone in love with their goddamn cousin.”

Izzy laughed as she stood up. “That temper is going to get you into trouble someday, Mal. But that’s fine, I was of course just being silly. See you at dinner!” 

Malcolm cursed to himself as the door closed behind his cousin.

Sage was reading a book on the couch when Oriana dropped down next to her. They shared a smile, but Sage seemed to have something behind her eyes.

“Why’ve you been avoiding me?” asked Oriana.

“I haven’t-”

“Sure you have. And you’ve been quiet, unless you’re just with the three amigos there.”

Sage closed her book and took a deep breath. “I just… I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Gavin, Cerise, Jack, Izzy, Mal, Vic… they’re my family. But I just don’t think I want to get involved in the family business.”

“That’s fine, Sage. There’s no expectations there. So what’s the plan?”

“I don’t know. Go to school, maybe college. Maybe I could be a nurse or a teacher or something, I don’t know.”

“That’s good, Sage. Tara can help you with that.”

“Yea.”

They sat quietly for a while, before Oriana slid closer and she noticed Sage flinch.

Ori froze.

“... you’re scared of me.”

Sage shook her head, but her eyes told a different story.

“I’ve just been having nightmares,” said Sage. “About the mountain in Sicily.”

Oriana nodded; the mountain was where she had killed three of Sage’s “sisters.”

“It’s fine,” said Oriana. “For what it’s worth… I’m sorry.”

Ori stood slowly, moving away from Sage and heading towards the door.

“Ori,” said Sage. “I still love you. You’re still family. And I’m still glad you saved me.”

“Thanks,” said Ori in a quiet voice. “Thanks for saying that.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Sage, trying to force some cheer into her voice. “It’s just a string of bad dreams.”

Ori nodded and left the room.

*

Tara kissed Oriana gently in the very early morning light.  She did that sometimes, before getting up to go run. It was hardly the first time, but probably unexpected as Tara admitted to herself, considering the kids were here and they had been up late drinking.  She suspected that Oriana was not going to be a morning person today and so she whispered quietly, “Don’t get up, I’ll come get you for breakfast later. Rest.”  

Rolling out of the bed, Tara dressed.  Not in her running clothing. She had no intentions of running.  Instead, she had an important meeting. One she’d put off first out of denial and then out of telling herself she had no business.  However, the more and more she thought about the whole topic of Cerise and Gavin, the more she realized she not only had a right but a responsibility to sit across from the young woman and learn something more about her.  To make sure she knew who her baby sister would one day call mother - because like it or not, Aurora would never be mom to the little girl. Cerise would be, especially if Gavin and she continued on in this thing of theirs.

Tara descended the stairs and walked quietly among the trees down the old stone pathway leading towards the guest house.  The birds were singing and she could see her breath in the autumn chill. It would have been a great day for a run, for a moment she almost considered abandoning her plans - she had a hundred reasons why she shouldn’t press on but by the time she reached the door with her key in hand she’d pushed them from her mind and gone into the kitchen.

Tara put on a pot of coffee, settled in at the small table and she waited.  

Tara’s ears twitched slightly at the sound of a pistol being cocked, then heard a sigh from Cerise. “Should have knocked, Tara. I know it’s your place, but still.”

Cerise walked around the other side of the table; she was dressed in running clothes.

“It’s a useful skill to be able to kill a person, but a much more valuable one to be able to refrain when it matters most.”  Tara said lifting her coffee cup in a mock toast.

“Especially in this case,” smirked Cerise. “Not how I wanted to thank you for the guest house.”

“Well, now I know that I don’t need to worry about you accidentally discharging one of the weapons on one of the kiddos sneaking in and out… cause, that’s bound to happen eventually.”  She chuckled. “Want some coffee?”

“If I shot at those three troublemakers every time they snuck out, they’d look like Swiss cheese. And... “ Cerise paused, then mentally abandoned her planned run. “... yea, coffee would be great. Been a while since you and I have been able to sit down and talk.”