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was busy baking chocolate chip cookies. He reached for one of the cookies on the cooling rack, not being able to resist the warm sweetness.
    Pam turned in time to see Daen sneak a cookie. "Hey! Upstairs. Now. Mary and Caille will be here any minute."
    Daen stuffed the cookie into his mouth smiled. "Mmm ... t's 'ood."
    Pam just laughed and shooed him away before he could snag another. "Shower." She raised her spatula and dared him to go for another.
    Daen bowed and backed out of the kitchen.
    ~~~
    "They're here!" Randell ran down the stairs, jumping from the fourth stair to the landing with a resounding thud onto the foyer tile floor before slamming through the front screen door.
    "Randell!" Ander set his cup of coffee on the kitchen counter and headed for the front door , mumbling that his son needed to learn restraint or their home would never survive.
    Pam and Daen followed at a calmer pace, amused by the commotion that a visit from family could invoke.
    Pam told Daen, "They always bring him something from their travels. And there will be lots of pictures to look at this evening."
    Daen was pleased for the Young s' happiness but he couldn't help but feel a little envious. He'd been in the world of shadows for six weeks with no sign of being able to return to his world. He missed his world. It was one thing to move away from your family to have your own life. It was something else entirely to be moved to a place where you couldn't see them at all. Although he could manage being away from his family for a while, there was one person he didn't want to be away from. He wondered if she would wait for him. He wondered if anyone knew where he was.
    Pam reached the front door just in time to see Ander close the trunk of his parent s' car. Randell picked up as much as he could carry and headed for the front door, followed by Mary, Caille, and Ander.
    Pam held the door open. "Hello! I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece."
    Mary smiled but rolled her eyes. "You know Caille. Nothing was going to keep him from touring half of Europe."
    "Oh , Mary, it wasn't half of Europe. Just a few countries." Caille winked at Ander, knowing that he'd put Mary's old body through quite an adventure.
    Mary walked slowly to the kitchen carrying a pie and fresh bread they'd picked up at a farmer's market on the way to the house. "It sure felt like it sometimes." She glanced at Pam. "I don't know where he gets the energy."
    Pam knowingly glanced at Ander, trying to hide her concern. They knew Caille hadn't shared much about his ancestry with his wife, Ander's mother. Raisal had been the one to inform Ander of his potential family traits, including an unusually long life and the power to read people.
    Pam had shared with Ander that she felt it was time Mary was told and he agreed. It was already apparent from looking at Caille and Ander that the men would significantly outlive their wives, barring any tragedies.
    Ander had shared this possibility with Pam when their relationship started to get serious. He'd held back on some of the family stories, not wanting her to think he was totally nuts. Pam hadn't laughed or run away. She'd listened and seemed to take it all in stride.
    Pam remembered when Ander had told her of the chance he would live a very long life. She hadn't thought much about it, or maybe she hadn't believed it, until Daen had shown up. Now, looking at Mary compared to Caille, the signs were there. She couldn't deny the possibility anymore.
    Mary placed the pie and bread on the counter. "I don't know how he stays looking so young." She laughed to herself. "Maybe it's in the family name."
    Daen stayed clear of the family chaos, watching from a distance as Ander, Randell, and Pam helped Mary and Caille get their things into the house. In the weeks leading up to their visit, Ander had told Caille that Daen was from the same world as Raisal but nothing more, waiting to have the discussion when Daen could hear and ask questions