Across the Divide and Through Valhalla

All Together

Chapter 39

Sherry wasn't surprised to see the other two up when they got back in. She was a little surprised to see Caius in the kitchenette, but she wasn't going to complain about it. She gave him a smile as they walked in. She didn't see his frown when she walked by but turned when he called out as Genesis kept going to talk to Sephiroth in the living room.

"Are you alright?"

She gave him a confused look. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

He paused, but only for a moment. "I only ask because it looks as though you were crying."

Sherry sighed and looked away. She realized that with Daniel and his family coming over, it was likely to come up at some point anyway, so there was no reason to deny it. She turned back and gave him a small smile to show she really was alright. "I'm fine now. It's just that today is the anniversary of my mother's death. Sometimes it's hard to deal with, but it'll be fine. Daniel will be here soon, so I don't have much time to be moody anyway."

Caius set the pan down and gave her a brief hug. She chuckled against his chest but didn't push him away. When he stepped back, he evaluated her smile, and once he was satisfied that it was real, he nodded. "If you feel the need to talk, I will be here."

She patted his arm. "Thanks. I appreciate it." He gave her a nod as she walked away.

She had barely joined Genesis and Sephiroth when there was a knock at the door. She grinned as she went to open it. As soon as it was open, she was nearly bowled over by two familiar little bodies that were closely followed by a short woman. Sherry hugged the woman for several moments before they both stepped back and wiped their eyes. She opened the door wider and motioned them all to come in. "We haven't eaten yet. Have you?"

Daniel followed all the girls into the condo and held up several bags. "We just stopped."

Sherry shook her head and grinned. "Why don't we all sit then."

It didn't take them long to get it all laid out, and introductions were made. Sam still looked skeptical, but she didn't want to say anything in front of the girls. As for the men, they had no idea how to take the couple when they saw them side-by-side. Daniel was pushing 6'1", and Sam was barely 5'1", but the tiny woman made up for it in personality. It wasn't long until she was giving them the third degree. At least as much as she could with her children still there.

As soon as they were done eating, Sherry made a point of taking the girls for a walk to get them out of the house. She asked Sam to come with them too. She was sure the guys could use a break, and she hadn't had a chance to talk to her sister-in-law in ages. They walked down to the water's edge and watched as the girls started trying to find shells in the sand. It was too cold for them to get in the water, but they still enjoyed the beach.

While the girls were occupied, Sam turned to Sherry. "It's true, then?" She didn't need to ask what she meant. She flipped her wrist over and showed her the symbol that hadn't changed much since she got it.

Sam ran her fingers over it before she looked up with a frown. "And the magic?"

Sherry looked around to make sure no one was close enough to be able to see, at least not clearly, and then let a fireball form in her hand. It disappeared almost instantly, but it was long enough. Sam gasped and grabbed her arm. Sherry saw tears in her eyes and shook her head. "Please don't. I know it's hard, but this is supposed to be a happy day. We need it to be."

Despite her request, Sherry could feel tears in her own eyes as well. Still, Sam gave her a nod and a smile as she wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "Well, let's get back and make sure my husband hasn't tried to kill anyone. He did tell me he didn't think much of Genesis."