All the cards

47

"So, is Isaac going to just be here till Caroline gives birth?" Aeliana asked. "Because I very much doubt he want to be in the room as a stranger gives birth."
"Well, that's why we're lifting Mal's curse before then." Amity shrugged.
"You can't."
"Not on my own. But together, we can."
"Why would I help? You're the one who trusted Mal."
"If I recall correctly, you once trusted him too."
"Yeah, and you remember how well that ended for me. And for you, or are you so easily forgetting when he tried to kill you."
"Yeah, well, I also remember that we punished him for it for a millennium, and that he's not dark Mal anymore."
"He's still dark. Or he wouldn't have been able to help you with Caroline."
"Are you going to help me or not?" Aeliana looked between Mal and Amity and huffed.
"Just this once. Next time Mal screws you over, it'll be up to you to deal with it."
"Okay." Amity nodded, earnestly and the sisters linked hands. Amity placed her free hand on Isaac's head, and light flowed through her and Aeliana's joined hands and through her free hand and into Isaac. A few minutes later, she dropped her hand. Isaac tried to blink away the fatigue he could feel crawling down his body.
"Okay, I'm done playing babysitter to your boyfriend. You can take him home." Aeliana said. "I'll watch the pregnant vampire."
"Thank you, Lia."
"What would you do without me?"
"You saw what happened in my life without you."
"Right... all of this happened. Your life really sucked without me."
"How long have you two known each other?"
"Haven't you heard the saying curiosity killed the cat?" Aeliana said exasperated.
"Good thing I'm a vampire."
"I will hex her." Aeliana said.
"Uh huh." Her sister replied humorously.
"On second thoughts, I will take the yummy human home." Aeliana said.
"Why don't you go see Amira? I think we can leave Caroline alone for a half hour to spend some time with her boyfriend."
"Spend time with your granddaughter or babysit a pregnant vampire..." she pretended to weigh the two options. "Huh, that's a hard one."
"Oh please, you love Amira."
"Who wouldn't?" She shrugged, and Amity smiled in agreement.
"Very true." Amity glanced at Isaac and saw his weariness in his expression. She looked at Caroline. "You can call your boyfriend in whenever. I'll send you a text when I'm coming back." She grabbed Isaac's hand and disappeared.

"Woah." He said when they'd rematerialised in his house. She kept hold of him to keep him from falling.
"Come on." She said, helping him into his room. She stopped at his bed and he climbed in.
"We never talk about this again." He said and she laughed.
"It took a lot out of you for us to wipe out Mal's influence." He smiled at her as she sat on the edge of his bed.
"Thank you." He said softly. "For coming to save me."
"Well, I wasn't about to leave you stranded now, was I?" She smiled. "I'd miss your music."
"Right." He laughed. "My music."
"Yeah."
"I'm starting to think it's the only reason you ever hang out with me."
"Not the only reason."
"So is there another?"
"Give me a second, I'm sure I'll think of something."
"Hm." He laughed softly. "You're funny."
"So are you." He reached out and tucked a hair behind her ears.
"Your hair is blonde."
"Yeah, this is my natural colour. Amira used to take me to get it coloured brown a couple times."
"I like the blonde." He said.
"I do too." She smiled. Izzy appeared between them and Amity moved back in shock. She picked him up. "Hey, baby. Where did you come from?"
"Ben." He said simply.
"You saw Ben?" He nodded. Amity cleared her throat. "I should probably.. go now."
"Thank you, Amity." The vampire smiled at him before turning to walk out.
"Aren't you supposed to be with your- with Amira?" She said, walking with him. Izzy disappeared out of her arms.

Amira and Aeliana were playing with Hope when Amity called.
"Hey, grandma." Amira greeted.
"Hi, sweetheart. Is Isaiah with you?"
"No, he's with grandpa. He's been gone for about an hour. Why?"
"Well, I was with Isaac and he randomly appeared, but after I left, so did he."
"He probably just missed you." Amira said.
"Yeah, maybe."
"So Isaac, huh?"
"Oh, relax. We're just friends. Mal hexed him so Lia and I were undoing it."
"Uh huh." Amira didn't sound convinced.
"I have to go now, I'll talk to you later, sweetheart."
"Bye grandma." Amira said and hung up. She pouted at Hope. "Your cousin- I'm talking about my dad, not Izzy, totally sucks." Hope just stared up at her. "I know, I'm not supposed to badmouth my dad, bla bla bla, but he totally sucks."
"You think your dad is trying to sabotage Isaac and Amity?" Aeliana asked.
"Yeah. I mean, he's not eight anymore so why is he acting like a child? It's been a thousand years, and grandma should be able to move on." Amira huffed. "I wish aunt Starr was there to just smack him upside the head and tell him off. I love my father, but I swear he's having a temper tantrum because grandma might finally be happy, you know? She's spent all the time she has looking out for everyone but herself, and all he's actually doing is hurting her more. All the reminders about grandpa. All the interrupting them."
"Maybe he just doesn't approve of Isaac?"
"Who wouldn't approve of Isaac? He's literally perfect for grandma. Dad's just acting out. He gave grandma a gift and pretended it was from grandpa. He's acting like a child. That's all there is to it. He's acting like a child who just wants his parents back together, no matter how impossible."
"Well, maybe there's something we can do about that."
"I'm listening." Amira looked up from Hope.