Reparation [Keara + Jersey]

[Jersey]

“I’ll get them to you as soon as possible, and if I don’t, Lucas will.” Jersey smiled before Peter’s words surprised her and she looked at him with an uplifted eyebrow. But, the expression of surprise faded to one of approval as she continued to pet at the animals that gave her attention. When they all began to notice Keara, Jersey leaned back and set her palms on the floor before leaning partially into Peter. She was comfortable, listening to the two talk.

Eyeing the watch as it became visible, the blonde seemed to ponder on something before her green eyes lifted to Keara and then to Peter. “That is if I don’t distract him later on in the evening. I was painting some,” She sat up straighter and pulled one knee to her chest, “and may return to it when I leave here. Otherwise, my evening is pretty uneventful. I may go search for a few items to be able to make some gadgets before Peter returns home.” Jersey let out a chuckle.

A soft expression played across her features as she looked at the man before she felt one of the dogs lay down on the top of her shoe. “And thank you. You’re looking well, too.” She smiled, remembering it. “How are Gizmo and Leeloo doing? I haven't really been around much aside from when I’d run into drop off the codes. It’s been a while.”

[Keara Aithne]

Hunter leaned into Keara and without even thinking she reached down to pet the creature as her son spoke. It was instinctual, the way she responded to the canine, and it was far different to her instinct for those of humanoid form. There was no desire to attack and defend herself, only the desire to appreciate the warmth of the creature and the way the fur felt as she ran her hand over it. Touch had been a powerful thing for Keara since her awakening and the sensations lingered long after she’d moved away from whatever she’d made contact with. Touch grounded her, though the newer members of the family likely didn’t know it. Enver had long since replaced her need to stand close to the wall and to reach out to the nearest inanimate object for reassurance of her continued existence. It was a habit that only surfaced if the female spent too long from her husband’s side, which meant such occasion were now quite rare.

Fifty-four minutes was incredibly precise and incredibly Peter. Keara’s concept of time was quite different and she paid no attention to the actual hour unless she had something specific she had to do. Sunrise of course had to be observed, but for the rest, she wasn’t one to schedule or organise her activities and she hoped that in time that Peter would perhaps become less rigid. With eternity before him, he might one day learn to relax.

“Wish I do not for to disturb your time together,” she said looking between the pair. She didn’t suspect them to be an item, though she quickly noted the closeness of the two. “And the puppies good are. And their puppies also. Have you Jamie met? Adopted a young man Enver and I did. Very nice he is. Adjusting well too he is.”

She didn’t go into specifics as to why they had adopted the boy, but she’d tell them if they asked. Jamie wasn’t something they’d kept hidden from the family and the teenager had the run of the Asylum. He knew who and what they were and was adjusting to living with a house full of vampires, almost as well as he was adjusting to living in Canada.

[Peter Parkman]

Peter shook his head. Jersey suggested that she might distract him later - deter him from the plans that he had already set in motion, but he refused, in that moment, to allow her. What he said now and what happened later could be two entirely different things, of course, but at least he was warned, this time. He could schedule in some ‘distraction’ time; work a little faster or reduce the number of things he had to achieve in order to fit it in. He couldn’t help the way that his mind worked; the cogs turned over without much hindrance, and most of the time he didn’t even realise what he was doing. Life was divided into chunks of time. Time was his master, and he didn’t like to do anything to displease it.

As Keara piped up, the shake of Peter’s head continued. “It wouldn’t have been smart for me to bring Jersey here if I didn’t want to be disturbed. The statistic chance that someone else from the family would come here at the same time is high. The statistic chance that yourself or Enver would visit is much higher,” he said. He didn’t think that he’d have to clarify - this was Keara’s home, a home that she had offered to them all and which Peter accepted as a safe and comfortable place. He didn’t think that she should need to be assured that she was welcome.

When he leaned back to make himself comfortable, it was with an arm resting behind Jersey’s waist, providing her with the perfect triangle to lean into. The second part of Keara’s statement took a while to sink in.

“...adopted?” he asked. This time when he shook his head, it was to say no. No, this was the first time he had heard about any young man called Jamie. “Did you… I mean, did you turn him like you turned me? Together?” he asked. He assumed he had to have been turned, by Keara’s use of the word ‘adjust’.

[Jersey]

A warm smile played across her lips as she listened to the two talking, chuckling a bit. She had a few ideas already formulating against Peter and his love of schedules. “You wouldn’t be disturbing any time we're spending together at all, Keara.” The blonde agreed, adding in her statement as she looked at Peter with an uplifted brow. “We’d be happy for you to join us.”

At the mention of the two small dogs having puppies, Jersey’s smile remained on her lips. “That’s fantastic to hear.” KD dropped her head on Jersey’s foot and the animal was pet lovingly, the blonde Inclining her head at the mention of Jamie. She turned her head towards Peter, her expression questioning. It was when he begun to speak, she was glad she wasn’t the only one.

Jersey wondered if she’d missed the announcement of Jamie being brought into the line and accessed CrowNet, checking as she leaned into Peter’s arm slightly. “I haven't either, no. I’m glad he's adjusting, though. I’m afraid I haven't really been keeping much of my attention on the family. It’s something I plan to work on.” A sheepish smile played across her lips. “I still catch glimpses of people in the Asylum I haven't learned the names of when I drop off codes before heading back.”

Her hand brushed through KD’s fur as she spoke, listening to the sound of the dog’s breathing. “And, congratulations on your adoption, too. I hope you're all very happy.”

[Keara Aithne]

Peter made sense, and so any fear she had that she might be intruding quickly evaporated. Of course she didn't know that Peter had summoned Jersey to him and that he had chosen that specific location in which to do so. he was right when he said the chances of running into someone was high, as people did seem to be coming and going more often these days. She and Enver were too, often there, somewhere, even if they were in their cell. It was strange that she was so content to be confined within four walls for the majority of her time but she was happy, and she did hunt every night. Hunting for her was in fact exercise, training and therapy all-in-one. She lived to grow stronger and having a violent outlet helped her to control her inner darkness. Not everyone was as she was, and she wouldn't expect them to be. Each member of the family added to the family unit in their own way. Hunting for Keara even allowed her to better keep her husband entertained, which in turn meant less of his female employees went missing. It was a win-win situation for all concerned.

Her smile was obvious as she thought over Jamie. It was more than possible that Peter had no idea who the young man was, as they hadn't made an announcement about his arrival at the time. They weren't sure how the young man would settle in and they didn't want to overwhelm him by making him meet too many people. His existence was easy to keep hidden, even if unintentionally, as the young man lived his life in the daylight hours, unlike the rest of them.

Since Jersey too, seemed happy for Keara to stay and spend some time with them, she lingered and decided to tell them a little about her son. They didn't need to be informed about the selection process or how long they had been looking for the child, no, instead she took to answering Peter's questions, as they seemed to be of a matter of importance to him.

"No," she shook her head. "Jamie human is. No plans have we for him to turn. Though perhaps that a possibility for the future is. but seventeen he is. So his schooling first finish he must. Blood of my blood he is. Though not like you," she gestured to the couple before her. "Descendant of my sister he is. Of my mortal blood he is. Hoping we are that he Enver's businesses one day for us will run. Since from this life withdraw one day we must. Our names changed must be. Easier it will be for Enver's enterprises to control then through another."

She'd said a little more than she'd intended to, but they deserved to know, after all they may wish to put a similar plan in motion for themselves one day. It was perhaps too obvious why they had chosen to adopt a teenager, and more obvious still while the young man might needed to have been related to the raven haired female; though perhaps a little thought into the matter would have to be placed for the right conclusions to draw. To anyone who knew the couple though, it wouldn't take long for the pieces to fall into place.

[Peter Parkman]

Peter nodded along with Jersey’s words. Even he had been remiss; having been such a recluse for so long, he had missed on on getting to know the others; others who had been there longer than he had, or those new to the family. He knew that he had been remiss in a lot of things. His own progeny, for one; he needed to schedule in some time to find them. To at least try to find them. To see where they were and what they were doing and if there was anything that he could do to help.

One step at a time, though. He’d only just allowed Jersey back into his life; he’d only just allowed the slightest changes to a schedule that hadn’t changed for months. Although he could feel his life twisting, changing around him to accommodate for new happiness, he knew that he would take it slow. Not that he had to, not that he needed to. But it was logical, given how fragile his anxiety could be, to take it slow.

At first, Peter was confused. Hadn’t Keara once explained to him the importance of keeping their kind a secret? Or was that something he had picked up from somewhere else, and had gotten confused? As Keara continued to explain, however, Peter began to understand. A human adopted as family for the main purpose of looking after their assets when they could no longer do so. It was logical. It was smart. It wasn’t something that Peter could argue with. It made complete sense. There was something that Peter’s mind tripped over, though. One thing that he thought required further clarification.

”Your… sister?” he asked. From what he knew of Keara, she was not like the rest of them. She had awoken four years ago from a two-hundred year stay in the Shadow Realm.

”I’m sorry but… I don’t… how can you have a sister? A living sister, who can have children?” he asked. The questions came unbidden. He hoped that the answer wasn’t staring him right in the face. He would feel foolish. Peter didn’t often like to get things wrong.

[Jersey]

There was a soft smile that remained on her lips as she listened to Keara explain her relation to Jamie; she liked that the woman had found some of her mortal blood, and it was good, too, that the boy was family. "Does he know that the family are vampires?" She asked after hearing that he was human. She remembered how paranoid Peter had been in the past, when she hadn't known anything. How adamant the man had been that it wasn't safe for her, that she would be hurt for just being around him.

Leaning into him a bit more, Jersey considered the reason. It made sense, really, to keep business in the family. "That's true. And it'd likely give some relief, right? I wouldn't want someone clueless to take over something I created." She had assumed that most would go through thralls and have them do it, at least, that's how she would have gone about it. Lucas was wonderful help, even if he sometimes made Jersey want to punch him.

She couldn't help but blink a few times as she heard Peter, turning slightly so that she could properly look at him. "Her descendant, honey. Jamie would be related through Keara and her sister over generations," and then her green eyes went back to the woman, an inclination of her head showing that the wording still had her a bit unsure, "Is that right?" She got the gist of it, at least. Keara was related to Jamie and that was all that was important to her - the boy had a home and a family that would care for him.

[Keara Aithne]

It was all too obvious that Peter had gotten lost somewhere along the line when he questioned if her sister was alive. Even her vampiric sister couldn't boast that accomplishment. She lightly shook her head and was about to explain when Jersey settled the matter for her. Thankfully, her words hadn't been so jumbled that at least one of the pair hadn't picked up on her choice of words and what they might mean.

"My siblings long dead have been," she clarified as she tried to smile, but it was obviously painful for her to think of her family even now. Thankfully for her, Jamie didn't bare any striking resemblance to any of those that had once been her immediate family. "As Jersey said. He my descendant is. No children of my own I had, before turned I was. But two sisters and a brother. All of whom children did have. All three lineages to this day survived have. That quite something is."

It was impressive, to Keara at least. She'd expected to have learned that one branch had died out either through disease or disaster, but it wasn't so. All three lines had flourished well enough that she had descendants scattered across the globe. Some of which she still planned to help when the time was right, as it seemed wrong to her that her new family had so much, while those of her mortal line had so little. It was something she would have to arrange with Enver, a charity of sorts, but Jamie had been the priority since they'd researched the lineage and would continue to be so until he was more settled in his new home and role.

She nodded to Jersey as she continue to speak. "And yes Jamie our true nature knows. Dangerous it would be for him here to live and for that not to know. Deanna him followed did. At first. For him safe to keep and for to make sure that he our secret kept. A good boy he is. Though worry I do that Enver him spoiled shall make," she laughed. "The gifts that bought Jamie he has for Christmas quite something are."

[Peter Parkman]

Peter had never thought about finding someone else to take over his businesses - whether it be human or otherwise. After a certain amount of time had passed, he figured he would sell them. He would change his name. He could start new ones. He had about ten years, he figured, before he would have to do anything about it. Even though the topic was at hand, it didn’t worry him. His businesses were not his empire; they were something to keep him occupied, but he had no personal investment in them. Not at the moment, anyway. Maybe he’d change his mind in ten years, but that was something to worry about then.

Keara explained that Jamie knew about the existence of vampires. That would be unsafe for him if he didn’t. Although Peter understood that given the nature of the reason why he was brought here to begin with, he ought to know who he was dealing with, he still remained confused. With his arm still around Jersey, he nodded as his question was answered about the lineage and forged on to the next.

”It’s not safe for him to know either though, is it?” he asked, glancing sideways at Jersey.

”When I first met Jersey she was human. I did all that I could to try to keep my nature from her, because I thought I would put her in danger if I didn’t. If she knew… if someone knew that she knew, she would be in danger. Are you worried for Jamie’s safety?” he asked.

There were more questions that bubbled beneath the surface. Why did Enver seek to spoil him? Did Enver want children of his own? Had Keara wanted children of her own? Was this their way of exhibiting the maternal and paternal instinct that they couldn’t hide from? In Keara’s case, Peter could understand. The woman called him her son even though he had asked her not. There was no way to stop her. She was one of the most maternal women he had ever met.

”This is… something we are allowed to do, regardless of the masquerade?” he asked. He just wanted to make sure.

[Jersey]

As Keara and Peter talked, Jersey leaned more into the man and listened. She didn't really have much input, as she didn't really know what her views were when it came to vampires and humans interacting. She had been human when she met Peter, human when she had met Kallista. She had never quite understood why it had been such a major deal - the need for blood and never aging aside - that the two couldn't get along. At Peter's words, she lifted her eyebrow.

"You were extremely adamant that it wasn't safe for us to be friends before I even thought you were strange and had a hint of what you were." She frowned, "And honestly the more conscious you were in trying to hide it, the more obvious you were that you were hiding something. I would have never had guessed had I not had the habit of looking at your picture that you were not human." Jersey lifted her green gaze to Keara, her features softening as she caught the expression.

It was really interesting, the woman’s past and history. She enjoyed hearing about it, learning about the matriarch of the Vedarian line. To know that her biological family was still living, too, was a good thing.

At the mention of Christmas gifts, she laughed. It was a reminder that the holiday that was coming up, that she needed to finish her shopping. Truthfully, she still needed to figure out what to get Peter other than a watch as her green eyes drifted to the one he wore on his wrist. Looking back to Keara, she smiled, "Everyone deserves to be spoiled from time to time." She, herself, had a bad habit of spoiling the dogs and her cats. "And that’s okay, so long as someone doesn’t become spoiled rotten."

The masquerade. Jersey narrowed her eyes briefly as she considered the words before looking between the two, and then she frowned. "Aren't people more understanding these days? A lot of literature has references to vampires, and yes, I know some of it is romanticized, but still." She scratched absently at her cheek, "I never really understood that. Peter would always said I would be in danger, but if no one knew, it wouldn't be a threat to either of us."

She had known Opal before and after she was turned, the woman hadn't been a regular human, but she had never hurt Jersey. If anything, they'd remained friends.