A Mélange of Blood

Return of the Parents (8)

Ana shivered. She had been standing on the front porch for the last ten minutes, pacing as she waited. Wulf had left a little while ago to pick up Cirrus and Chi-Lan from the airport. They were finally coming back from their honeymoon and the wait for them to return from the airport seemed longer than the actual trip.

Autumn was on its way. It was only the middle of September, but the breeze was a little chillier than usual. Maybe I should have grabbed a jacket. Should I get one now? No, they might pull in while I'm getting it and then there wouldn't be much purpose in the jacket. I'll be fine.

The front door opened behind her. Loki was poking his head out when she glanced back. "Hey," he said. "Whatcha doing?"

"Waiting for Mom to get home," she replied, hugging herself.

"Ohhhhh." He stepped out, closing the door behind himself. He put his hands in his pockets, drawing in a deep breath. "It's a nice day."

She nodded slowly. "It is."

He glanced over at her. "I'm excited for Papa and Chi-Lan to come home. They've been gone for a long time it feels like."

She nodded again.

Silence caught in the air, but Loki refused to let it stay. "Al mentioned you are having problems with someone at school." She glanced at him sharply and he held up his hands. "He didn't give any details, he's a good person to tell stuff like that too. He just mentioned that you were having a little bit of a hard time. I know I'm a year younger than you, but if you ever need any help or something, I'll be there. We're family now, Chrissy. We'll take care of you, okay?"

Ana smiled. "That's really nice of you. Thanks."

He punched her arm playfully. "Anything for my big sis." He went back inside, leaving her to mull over his apparent devotion to her.

They're a really close family, and they want to bring me into it. I don't have anything to worry about.

With a long sigh, she put her hands into her jeans' pockets, tilting her head up towards the bright sun. It was still warm, even if the breeze's heat was dulling.

It seemed like an eternity later, but finally the family SUV finally pulled into the driveway. Ana smiled, eyes brightening. She ducked back into the house, running to the garage.

Loki was plucking at the piano in the side room, but he stopped when she zoomed by. "They're home!" he shouted. He sprang from the piano, running up behind Ana as she skidded to a stop to yank the garage door open.

The SUV was still backing in, so the two of them waited by the door. They were soon joined by Anastasia, Alastair, and Ebony. As soon as the side doors opened, the family flooded their parents.

Ana reached her mother first, launching herself into the older woman's arms. "Oh, honey," Chi-Lan said, hugging her tightly. Even after her travels, she still smelled like home. "Oh, I missed you!" She kissed Ana's head with a resounding smack of her lips. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," whispered Ana hoarsely, tears coating her eyes.

"Chi-Lan!" Ebony cheered, throwing herself into their hug. "Welcome home!"

Chi-Lan untangled herself so she could give the vampire a proper hug. "Hello, Ebony. I'm so glad to be back."

It seemed the siblings were done hugging their father as they now attacked their new mom, leaving Ana to take a step back. She glanced at Cirrus, unsure of what to do. I don't feel like I know him well enough to hug him.

He smiled warmly at her. "Hi, Christiana." He stepped over and enveloped the girl in his arms.

Oh. I guess he feels like we are close enough for that. She lightly hugged him, backing away quickly. "Good to see you," she said softly.