Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles Ch. 12

Here we are with the next installment. I'm aware it's a bit shorter than normal, but personally I felt this moment in the chapter needed this focus. It's a bit of a roller coaster for all characters. As usual many thanks to Jaz, Asylum and the guild for their continuous help, feedback, nagging, demanding(yes! Haha) and editorial skills. SIW wouldn't have turned out this good if it wasn't for them, but also because of you all, my dear readers. I love and crave the constant feedback, so keep them coming.

Enjoy the reading.

Mokkelke.

SIW : Christopher Saint Ives – Whelan.

Chapter Four: Reunions.

They arrived at Chris' house just before noon. Their little intermezzo in Mia's shower made them a bit on the late side and Chris wanted to be sure he was on time. He wanted to order lunch first, before his guest would be arriving. Chris was really hoping Mia could understand why he waited to come clean.

He just stood still as Mia entered his top floor loft and watched her taking in the view. She had opted to wear a loose, long lilac dress, emphasizing her breasts with a dark purple ribbon tied snuggly just under her bosom. Her hair cascading down her back and the look of awe on her face made her look like a Greek goddess who just stepped out of a millennia old painting and was overwhelmed by everything around her.

"Chris, this place is beautiful. Oh my, look at that view!" she squealed when she stood in front of the window, which went from floor to ceiling. Turning around she said, "That is a killer view you got here. How did you find this place?"

"The building belongs to the pack." He shrugged. "But you're right, it's the view that made me want to live here."

Standing behind her now, he had his arms around her waist, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head. Together they looked out over the city below them, the traffic so small it looked like those tiny Matchbox cars.

"Come, you go exploring and I'll order in some lunch. Anything in particular you'd like to have?" Chris asked after a few minutes.

"Something light, a salad with chicken or anything like that," she answered. "Ooh and if you can get hold of those tiny cherry tomatoes? That would be good."

"Think I can manage that," he chuckled. Bending down he gave her neck a little kiss before he playfully swatted her buttocks. "You go exploring, I'll come and find you once I'm done placing our order. Then you can tell me what you think of this place besides the awesome view," he said as he winked.

With a large smile on her face he saw her slowly walking across the large kitchen annex living room. She studied the little pieces of art he had placed all over the place. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her picking up the odd piece and carefully putting it back down. Chris couldn't help but smile, almost each piece she'd picked up was somehow crafted by her own grandfather. He had watched each piece being crafted and was still was amazed what Merlin was capable off.

Quickly he called one of the nearby restaurants his pack owned, put in an order and told them to deliver it to his address right away. Tossing the phone on the counter he decided it was time to show Mia the new little trick he had learned. Closing his eyes he envisioned him holding Mia as they were just minutes ago then smiled as he suddenly felt her soft curves pressed against his hard body.

"What the fuck!" Mia screeched and tried to fight him off, but he quickly trapped her arms and reassured her everything was well.

"It's only me, Mia, I just wanted to show you a little something I seemed to have picked up last night," he explained.

Mia turned around, a surprised look on her face, "You scared the living daylights out of me, don't ever do that again!"

He couldn't help but smile, she looked so damn hot when she was angry. All he longed to do was bury his hands in her hair and kiss all her anger away until she would turn to putty in his hands. The idea of his hands roaming over her body had his groin stirring with interest and he tightened his arms around her, letting her feel what she did to him.

"Can't promise to never do this again, kinda like how easy this is to get around," he told her and winked.

Mia relaxed in his arms and snuggled closer.

"Just be careful of what you think of, you could crash into a wall," she said firmly.

"Really now?"

"Really, trust me, it's a 'been there, done that' – kind of thing," Mia replied.

"Ok, ok, I promise I'll be careful. Come on, I'll show you the rest of this place before lunch gets here," he relented, grabbed her hand and led her to the other side. Opening one of the huge sliding doors, he held out his arm, motioning her to go ahead.

She was surprised to see this little haven on top of the building. A lot of greens made it look like a secluded little garden with lots of pots, filled with a multitude of brightly colored plants and flowers. Slowly she walked around the rooftop garden, she even spotted a Jacuzzi hidden behind a few larger pots. This really looked like a little piece of heaven, sure it wasn't big, but this garden didn't need big. It felt large and secluded in the middle of town.

"This really is beautiful, Chris," she spoke respectfully. "Shame there are no animals to enjoy this."

"There is the occasional bird that visits, that's about it," he said, watching her walk around and touching all the different plants. After touching them, the plants seemed to be more lively, the flowers brighter, as if her touch woke them up.

Chris stood there, leaning against the sliding door, just admiring how she seemed to float everywhere. Vaguely he heard the doorbell, turned and went to answer it, letting Mia continue with her exploring. After accepting the bags of food, he set the table and then called out for Mia.

When she approached she took his breath away, again. He didn't know how she did it, but in a span of mere minutes she had a bright pink blush on her cheeks. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she was out of breath, tempting his eyes to her heaving breasts. Gulping rapidly he tried to temper his lust, there were a few other things that took priority right now. He was sure he could indulge in more intimate things later on.

"Lunch is served, take a seat," he offered her as he pulled back a chair.

"Maybe there is a little bit of prince charming inside you. Thank you," Mia said as she sat down and looked at the delicious food displayed in front of her. "This smells absolutely divine, where did you order this?"

"Where did we agree to go to last night?" he answered with a question and winked.

"They deliver at home?"

"Nope, favorite nephew, remember?"

"Of course, I should have thought about that."

"Come, hold out your plate and then just point out what you want. There is plenty," Chris told her as he grabbed a large spoon, keeping it ready to serve her the food she wanted.

"Let's be daring, give a little bit of everything," she said as she grinned with glee, holding up her plate.

They eased into an amazingly easy conversation during their lunch, both talking about their childhood. In Chris' case it was more a recollection of all the mischief he got into with his brothers, in Mia's case it was more about meeting new friends and having to leave them, over and over again. This little fact made Chris a bit sad. Mia had never known the joys of living in a pack, being able to shift, almost whenever and wherever you wanted.

That would change now they were mated and he already looked forward to their first run together under a full moon, which was in two weeks' time. Biting back a smile he mused at how his brothers would react now their little brother was done being the Don Juan. Focusing back on Mia, he also realized the time for Merlin's arrival was getting closer too. He did his best to hide his anxiety but couldn't help notice one or two strange looks on Mia's face as she observed him in turn.

"Come, let's clear the table. It won't be long before my friend will arrive," he said, as he tried to sound normal, as if nothing was about to happen.

Mia couldn't pinpoint it, but she felt something was off, he wasn't telling her everything. This wasn't a good start; she convinced herself that if in less than twenty four hours he was already keeping secrets from her, then how could she still trust him? Without giving away her concerns she assisted him by bringing all the boxes to the kitchen and helped do the washing up.

She could sense his restlessness and how much he tried to hide it. He was starting to look like a caged animal. They'd gone out on the roof garden and he was pacing from one end to the other. It got so bad that Mia reached her boiling point and placed herself in front of him.

"Will you stop this pacing already. Something is up and you better start talking," she spoke with a clipped voice, at the same time poking him with her index finger in the middle of his broad torso.

He let out a long sigh, he had failed hiding his anxiety and now he had to try not to make things worse. Chris felt like cursing and bit his lip to prevent himself from doing just that. Just as he wanted to try and recollect his thoughts and give her an answer his doorbell rang. Saved by the bell, he thought, relieved. The look on Mia's face showed he wasn't out of the woods yet, but he had high hopes knowing he could stop hiding now his guest had arrived.

"Let me get that first, then I'll explain everything, my little druid," he spoke softly, then gave a her a light kiss on the tip of her nose before turning around and walking inside to answer the door.

As he opened the door it was clear that the tall man standing in front of him was as anxious as he himself was. Able to relax again he had to smile as he gestured for the tall blond man to enter.

"She doesn't know who you are yet, I only told her I had a friend coming over and that I couldn't get out of the appointment," he whispered, knowing if he spoke louder Mia was bound to pick up his words.

"Ok, so how do we handle this then? Don't think she'll appreciate the gentle approach, my daughter never liked it and I'm sure if she's anything like her mother, she won't either," Merlin replied.

"I think telling her right away would be best. She sensed my apprehension and if I don't clear this up really fast I will probably spend a long time making it up to her. Come, she's out back," Chris countered as he motioned Merlin to follow him.

When Mia heard the approaching footsteps, she turned around. Chris stepped outside first, then was followed by another handsome man. He was about the same height as Chris, but he had short unruly blond hair. A pair of bright blue eyes were looking friendly, but curious at her. Something about him seemed familiar to her but she couldn't put her finger on it.

He didn't look that much older, but then again, age didn't matter much, she was a lot older than she looked too. Taking in the rest of his looks she was convinced he would make any woman happy, but not her. She had found her match and looking back to Chris, his guest's looks paled in comparison. She smiled politely and waited for Chris to introduce them to each other. Chris fidgeted a little, knowing stalling things wouldn't help at all.

"Well Mia, first let me tell you I'm sorry I didn't warn you up front. There is a reason that everything you told me last night doesn't surprise me as much as one would normally think," Chris started.

"Will you get it over with already? I never thought you'd be such a coward and stall things even longer," Merlin interrupted. With a smile on his face, he softened his harsh words, making it clear he was teasing Chris, who now felt even more uncomfortable.

"You know better than to call me a coward, you old man!" he answered back, glad the initial tension broke a little. Turning back to Mia it was clear she hadn't a clue about what was going on. "Mia, I hope introducing you to each other will bring some happiness back, maybe even make it possible to stop living hidden away. Mia, this is Merlin, your grandfather," he said.

Mia's eyes widened in disbelief. That young man in front of her, that barely looked ten years older than her, was supposed to be her grandfather, Merlin. Chris has to be joking, this can't be right she thought. She shook her head and looked again. The man next to Chris was smiling a little. After giving him another good look she had to admit to herself his eyes looked very similar to her mom's which meant also the same as hers. As if he was able to hear her thoughts, Merlin nodded politely as if to confirm her suspicions.

"Hello Mia, you have no idea how much it pleases me to finally meet you. You look exactly like your mother," Merlin said a low friendly voice, stepped up and wrapped her in his strong arms.

Mia didn't really know what to do, she was still surprised, shocked even. After a few seconds she realized she was just standing there and Merlin still wasn't letting go of her. Yet it felt comforting and familiar and slowly she wrapped her arms around him as well and hugged him back.

After a while he finally let her go, but the smile he had on his face was even larger now, making him a very fine specimen of a man.

"There is so much I want to ask you, you're as surprised as I am. I don't know where to start," Merlin spoke again.

"That makes two of us," she said while she shifted her eyes towards Chris, who looking a bit uneasy. "Why didn't you tell me this last night? You knew him!" she accused Chris.

"Think last night we had other things to discuss and clear up. I never meant to keep this hidden, that's why I called him this morning and asked him to come over," he replied. "I didn't want to keep something like this from you, but you know our wolves wouldn't have agreed with waiting. Our pull was very strong."

Mia had the decency to blush at that last statement and she felt Merlin chuckling a little as if he was trying to hold back his laughter.

"Mia, little one, I understand you're a bit upset about Chris not telling you right away, but I've been around his pack long enough to know that when they feel the pull it's hard to resist. He just followed his wolf, just as you have yours, so don't hold it against him for not telling you straight away he knew me," Merlin tried to ease her a little.

Mia couldn't argue against his words and a small smile appeared on her face.

"So are you going to hold me like this all day? Or do you think I can have some breathing space and catch up on everything? Well maybe not everything right away, but I hope you get what I mean," she asked Merlin as she looked up in his bright blue eyes.

She saw the joy reflected in them as he gazed down on her. Somehow she couldn't really believe that this handsome man was her grandfather. Knowing how old her mom really was, it shouldn't have surprised her, but still face to face, it amazed her to no end.

Merlin smiled and let her loose and took a step back. "Sorry, it just seems so unreal, I could hold you an entire day until it would sink in you are my granddaughter. No doubt about that, you look almost completely like her, you only have darker eyes, but for the rest I would dare claim it's my daughter in front of me." He let out a weary sigh before he looked her straight in the eyes again. "Please tell me she's all right?"

"She's fine, so is my Da. She's not going to believe this. I don't know why but something tells me she convinced herself you had passed on because you never tried to find her."

"Oh I did try, for many decades and centuries, but I never picked up her magical presence. It pained me endlessly but like her I convinced myself she must have passed on. Then when Chris called this morning..." Merlin shook his head in light disbelief, "It fuelled my hope of seeing her again. How is she doing? Or better how are your parents doing?"

"They're both doing fine, once I tell them you'll be surprised at how fast they'll be here. She always told me of you, she never hid her heritage from my Da and me. However from an early age on she taught us how to cloak ourselves. Maybe that is why you were never able to find her?" she opted.

"That is a very likely possibility, little one. She has always been good with her powers and she excelled in hiding them just as good. So yeah, I would have to agree that she hid you all very well. Even I wasn't able to find her. I bet if you hadn't met Chris I still wouldn't have known," he said as he turned to Chris and bowed his head with gratitude, saying a silent thank you to him.

"Why don't you two go and sit down, I'll get us some drinks inside and then we can catch up with everything?" Chris suggested.

"That's an excellent idea my friend, or should I call you my son now?" Merlin teased Chris.

"Don't you dare, old man," Chris replied with mock anger, but with eyes sparkling with mischief.

Merlin let out a bellied laugh and gave Chris a sound thump on his shoulder.

"Never forget who you're dealing with, son," Merlin continued his teasing.

Rubbing his upper arm, Chris rolled his eyes, turned and went inside.

Mia had just stood there watching this little scene play out, it was clear those two had known each other for quite some time and also there was a deep trust between them, how she knew that she couldn't tell, but it showed how easy they were around each other. From what she remembered her mom telling her, Merlin had always been a very cautious man, hardly letting anyone close.

It amazed her he even had a daughter, sadly enough her mom couldn't tell her much about that, although Merlin was old and so was her mom, he never told much of the woman who gave him his daughter. Maybe now he would, she would definitely ask about it. Her family was already small and very much sought after, she would grasp any chance she could to get to know more about her family, especially now she had found Chris and with him gained a large influential pack as a second extended family.

It seemed that all the pieces of the puzzle that resembled her life were finally falling into place, starting with her finding Chris and now her grandfather, the elusive Merlin. She already started to prepare her mind to contact her mom for she would want to come over once she knew who was with her.

A gently placed hand on her shoulder startled her out of her reveries, looking up she saw Merlin gesturing towards the few seats that were scattered over the wooden deck.

"This sure has been a day with many surprises," he started to talk to her.

She couldn't agree more.

"So how have you been all these years? Chris didn't tell me much, just that he had found his mate and who you said you were. And your father, who is he?" he fired his questions.

"Hold on, one thing at a time. I go through life as Mia Barlow, but as I explained to Chris as well Barlow isn't my true surname, MacLachlan is. My father is Richard MacLachlan," she answered, then waited to see if Merlin was up to date with werewolf history.

"THE Richard MacLachlan?" he asked after a few minutes.

Mia nodded.

"No wonder your mom taught both of you how to keep yourself hidden. I know of what happened, not in much detail, I wouldn't mind hearing how it truly happened. He's been made out as a coward but looking at you tells me they couldn't be further from the truth even if it bit them in the ass," he ended.

"You're right. My Da was cast out and when he left that wasn't enough for his father, he had sent the Betas after him to terminate him. He barely made it out alive. From what mom told me, he was a terrible mess when he ended up in her backyard. He was very lucky to have collapsed where he had, anywhere else and he surely would have been killed for sure. Mom knew right away he wasn't just a wolf and took him in and nursed him back to health. When he was back up and about it didn't take him long to 'claim' my mother," she ended with a smile.