Lone Wolf (EDITING)

Dreaming

Seren stood by Donovan as they watched the white car pull up the long driveway to stop in front of the porch. She plucked nervously at the hem of her shirt while he simply groaned and rubbed his hair back and forth.

"If she gave him a hell of a time, she is going to bore me to death talking my ear off for hours!" His shoulders slumped like he was going to throw a grade A pouty fit. "And she is going to expect me to go do something about it, too. The last time Liam and I got into a fight, we totalled three cars and destroyed half of the garage...sorry, I forgot you don't really like hearing his name," he grumbled. 

A ghost of a smile passed over her face and then vanished again as she saw the car door open and Cara, as real as she had ever been, stepped out, pulling Gillie out behind her. The little girl tugged her pink roll-along suitcase behind her as she walked briskly toward the house with the air of a Princess, her mother retrieving her own bags from the car's trunk before following. 

"Come on, if I am not down there when she comes in, she will only nag me more," he sighed. 

"Are you sure you aren't overreacting?" Seren nearly tripped trying to keep up with him, pulling back suddenly when he walked into the living room where Cara was so that she could hide and see what Cara might say.

"Sissy," Donovan began, holding open his arms.

"That stupid son of a b-!" The last word was muffled in his chest as he hugged her a little tightly, perhaps trying to keep her quiet. She continued to rant into his pectorals until he released her. "- and safe? I don't even know what is going through that thick skull of his. That packs needs her now more than ever and hell knows where she is by now! What if the Gray Paws tracked her down!?"

Donovan bent down and picked Gillie up, hugging her and swinging her back and forth like a teddy bear while her mom continued to rant. He set her down and they did a secret handshake, with a portion being some of the motions from the "I'm a Little Tea Cup" song, which looked hilarious when performed by a big man. He sighed wearily once he had finished. "Cara. We can talk about this later-"

"Really? Because I think you need to go over there and kick his ass!"

"Mommy, it's booty, not A - S - S. And don't yell at Uncle Don," Gillie said, silencing her angry mother. "He's just a boy. He doesn't know things."

"What she said!" Donovan piped up. "No, wait. Just, both of you hold on just a second. I need to show you something."

"It's a pony, Mommy!"

"No, it's not. Sorry," he grumbled. He turned to where Seren was hiding and waved for her to come out. 

Taking a deep breath, butterflies in her stomach, she stepped forward, watching as Cara's eyes widened in disbelief and then, to Seren's amazement, pure joy. 

"Seren!" She and Gillie cried in unison, sprinting over to hug her. 

Never in her life had she been so surprised. Here, she thought that Cara would have the same opinion as her older brother about her, that she was too weak, when in reality Cara was angry that he had forced her to leave and was happy that she was safe on top of it all. 

"I am so sorry, Seren, for what that shit-for-brains put you through. Gillie, erase that from your brain," she said, covering the child's ears. "The morning you were gone, he just locked himself in his office and wouldn't speak with anyone except to tell us that he had sent you away. I barged in and yelled at him for about an hour and he didn't seem to care about a word I said! Then he put Derrick in charge and said he would be unavailable until further notice and sent us here to get me off his back. Can you believe that? I don't know if he is preparing for a war or if he is losing his mind because he stupidly pushed the one person in the world who-" She closed her eyes and exhaled. "I'm sorry. I'm just really angry at him and think he is being the dumbest ever."