Dawn Redeemed

Torr nodded. Erica's reluctance with spilling the truth, the whole truth, was understandable. Fallon was only a little girl with a child's understanding. The big introduction would need working up to. Besides, he had more truths to tell and couldn't hold Erica's hesitance against her. "Good friend, I like that. So you'll see me again?"

"Yes." Erica didn't have to think too hard to answer that question. Torr had a darker side that she'd just caught a glimpse of. He had secrets, big ones. The secrets didn't bother her. She could see past them to the man. Not the man she met years ago, but through to the man who sat beside her now. His secrets intrigued her. She had to be honest about that. She liked him. And the feelings she'd suppressed for all these years were just beginning to surface. She wanted to know more about him and exactly where he fit in her life.

"Fantastic." Torr shut off the engine and palmed the keys. He slid out from behind the wheel and trotted to the passenger side. Since she'd asked him in, he didn't see the harm in holding the door open and offering a hand to help her climb out of the truck. He was a bit surprised when she placed her hand in his, accepting his help. First steps were the most important ones. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and held it tightly as they walked along the narrow gravel walkway that led to the front porch.

"Here goes," Erica whispered. Her sandals made hollow echoing sounds against the weathered boards of the front porch. Her hand was hot and damp with sweat. She hadn't been this nervous since she was a teenager caught out past curfew with a boy. Uncle Alexander was the closest thing she had to a real father. And Torr was the first man she'd ever introduced him too. She wondered if he'd behave himself or just humiliate her utterly. When it came to Uncle Alexander, one could never be sure. She only hoped he wouldn't scare Torr off before she got the chance to decide, really decide if she was genuinely interested in him or not.

"Alexander behave," Leigh warned as she looked up from her crochet work. "Come away from that window right now. I won't have you embarrassing Erica or her friend."

Fallon hung on the window sill and pushed up with her toes against the wall for a better look at the man holding her mom's hand. She balanced precariously and pressed her nose to the screen. "Do you think he kissed her, Uncle Alexander?" Fallon's voice was far away and dreamy. "Do you think he's mom's prince charming?"

"Whether he's a prince or a frog remains to be seen," Alexander grumbled. He could feel his wife shooting daggers into his back with her eyes. Pissing off the misses was never a good idea. The couch was almost as old as he was and it didn't sleep all that comfortably. Fallon's shoulder was bony and slight in the palm of his hand as he guided her away from the window and pushed her toward the front door. "I'll go put on some coffee."

"Use the decaf, Alexander. You know what Doc Sterling said about too much caffeine." Leigh wove her crochet hook through the ball of yard and smiled at the sound of her husband's grumbling from the kitchen. She honestly didn't think one more cup of coffee would increase of decrease his lifespan. But, they were in the twilight of their lives. They had more years behind than ahead and she wanted to make sure she milked what time remind for everything it was worth.

Fallon tugged on the door with all her strength. The old door groaned open with a metallic sigh as hinge scraped against hinge. She looked up at her mom and the man and gave her best smile as they walked through the door. "Hi, Mom. Guess what we had for dinner."

Erica ruffled Fallon's tangle of curls playfully. Her daughter was curious about Torr. Working her charm on him, batting her eyes and smiling shyly up at him. "Chicken gizzards and pond scum?"

Fallon giggled that musical giggle that only little girls are capable of making. "No. Chocolate cake!"

"Chocolate cake, for dinner?" She frowned at Fallon's enthusiastic nod. "No wonder you're bouncing off the walls. Who let you eat chocolate cake for dinner?"

"Uncle Alexander."

Exasperated, Erica rolled her eyes at her aunt. "Naturally."

"The annual Spring Fling is coming up and I was at a planning committee meeting tonight," Leigh said in self-defense. "I left your uncle in charge of Fallon. Sorry. I should have known better, but I figured he could handle one little girl for a few hours. Supper is still in the oven, if you want some."

"Its ok, Aunt Leigh. As for you little missy, you are forever banned from chocolate cake." Erica swung Fallon up into her arms, balancing her on a hip. For ten years old, her daughter was a solid kid. And it was all Erica could do to lift her.

"Not even on my birthday?" Fallon faked a hurt frown. She always, always got a cake on her birthday. Baked and decorated in the way that only a mother can do, with love.

"We'll see." Erica gave Fallon a gentle peck and slid her down to the floor. Before too long, her baby would be too big for her to cuddle and hold like this. She enjoyed a stolen moment or two with Fallon while she could. "I want to hear all about your day, but first, I'd like you to meet someone. Fallon, this is my friend, Torr."

Fallon looked up at the man towering over her. She was not intimidated by his sheer size. At ten, almost everyone was bigger than her. She appreciated though, that he'd dropped to one knee to make eye contact with her. The gesture made her feel important, as if he really was interested in her instead of just simply trying to impress her to win over her mom. His face was somehow familiar, something in his eyes said more than the casual, friendly hello and handshake he offered her. She'd met him before, at the wedding. She remembered that, but there was something else terribly familiar about him. "Hi."

Torr knelt, not sure what to say to the little girl in front of him. His heart stopped for a moment when he looked into those blue eyes, so much like his. "How are you Fallon?" She stood in her pink nightgown, blinking at him, meeting his stare with a curious gaze of her own.

"Good," Fallon answered and cocked her head to the side. Nervously, she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Look what I made today," she proudly thrust out her wrist, showing off the braided bead and leather bracelet Marianne had helped her make today.

"That's very pretty Fallon," Torr said as he fingered the tri colored leather weave and ran a fingernail along the colorful beads. The style of the bracelet was traditional Native American. And just looking at it gave him a slight twinge of homesickness and hope.

"You can have it if you want," Fallon said, wiggling her wrist free from the bracelet. She held it in the palm of her hand, offering it to Torr.

"That's very nice," Torr said as he held out a thick wrist. "But, I don't think it'll fit."

Fallon slid the bracelet back on and smiled. "I'll see if Marianne will help me make one that will be big enough for you." She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, gauging how long the braid would have to be. Studiously, she memorized the size of his wrist. "It might take longer than a day to make."

"That's ok. I can wait," Torr answered. Relieved that the ice between them was officially broken. He grinned up at Erica, communicating in a way that only adults can. Erica's smile reflected part relief and part amazement at how well he was getting along with Fallon. Maybe she'd tell Fallon and her family the truth sooner than he hoped. He'd love to hear the word 'dad' on Fallon's lips. Pushing would do nothing but make sure that he never did.

"What else did you do today?" Erica asked. She'd never seen Fallon so relaxed or take to a stranger so readily. It was almost as if a part of her daughter knew that the man crouched on one knee was more than just a friend to the both of them.

"We went on a hike and Nash is teaching us how to keep from getting lost in the woods and what to do if it happens. Mom, I like it there. I really had fun today and I am learning, honest I am." Fallon batted her blue eyes up at her mother, hoping the begging would score her a few points.

"We'll discuss this later, Fallon. For now, it's past your bedtime." Erica nodded to Torr. "I smell fresh coffee if you feel up to my uncle's version of the Spanish Inquisition." She dreaded leaving Torr alone at her uncle's mercy. Tucking Fallon in wouldn't take that long and then she'd come rescue him.

"A cup of coffee sounds great." Torr followed Erica and Fallon down the hall that led to the bedrooms and the kitchen in the back of the house. He played dumb, acting as if he didn't know where he was going. He knew where Erica's and Fallon's rooms were. He'd spent too many nights alone, in wolf form, sitting on the cold ground beneath their windows listening to them sleep. "Good night, Fallon," he said as he turned into the kitchen.

"Good night," Fallon answered in a pout. When she was a grown up and had kids of her own, she wasn't going to impose a bedtime on them. Most nights when her mom tucked her in, she wasn't tired. She lay awake for hours daydreaming about her wolf. A jolt of worry ran though her. She hadn't seen her furry friend all day. Had she chased him away? Had he gotten hit by a car? Was he laying on the roadside somewhere suffering and hurt? Was he hungry and cold, all alone somewhere? She climbed into bed and hugged the pillow close to her. Tomorrow as soon as the sky grew light, she'd call for him. If he didn't answer, she'd sneak out and look for him. She couldn't take not knowing.

"Mom, I haven't seen my wolf for a couple of days. Do you think he's okay?" She knew how badly her mom hated the wolf, but she had no one else to confide in.

Erica smoothed the look of worry off Fallon's brow. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably has a family of his own to take care of. He's probably very busy right now." Inside she whispered a prayer of thanks. Maybe this problem, just this one simple problem had taken care of itself. Her uncle must have called animal control like he promised or maybe the wolf had been splattered by a semi on the highway. As long as the smelly beast was gone, what did it matter?

"Yeah mom, you're right," Fallon faked a smile. Her mom made an attempt at her concerned mother's face. The face that was supposed to alleviate even the darkest of a child's fear. She failed. Her mom was glad that the wolf was gone. Fallon scooted up in the bed and rested her head against the pillows. "Mom, I like Torr. I really do."

"He's a nice guy. I like him too," Erica said, tucking the covers up under Fallon's chin. Although late spring had arrived, the nights were still chilly. She looked down at Fallon's sideways grin and matched it with her own. "What?"

"Mom, are you going to kiss him goodnight?"

"That's my business Fallon, but maybe I will."

"I hope so. You need someone to do things with besides me. You need a boyfriend."

"I do, huh? You do realize that if he's my boyfriend long enough, he could end up being your step-dad."

Fallon yawned and snuggled under the covers. "That's ok." Her mom's lips were cool and moist against her cheek. She felt safe and warm, tucked into her bed. "Leave a night light on."

"Ok. Goodnight, Fallon." Erica flipped on the nightlight and pulled the door shut. She'd take time to analyze Fallon's reaction to Torr later. Right now, she had a rescue mission to accomplish before her uncle got his hooks too deeply into her potential boyfriend.

Fallon sighed a light little girl sigh. Her eyelids grew heavy with sleep as thoughts melted into dreams and swept her away.

Alexander set the mug of coffee in front of Erica's would be suitor. No words of explanation were necessary between the man and him. He knew what Torr was. Preternatural energy flowed over Alexander's skin nipping and biting like an army of fire ants. Leigh sat beside him calmly, as if the sensations didn't bother her at all. She always had been better at shutting down the supernatural links than he was. "Does Erica know?"

Torr spun the mug in his hands and stared down into the opaque black liquid. "No." He glanced up at Alexander and his wife. They were good people. Honest people, human as anyone else. But, somehow these good, honest, people had chipped through his years of careful practice and blown the lid off his cover. They could expose him to Erica and cut off any chances he had with her and Fallon.

Leigh sighed and sipped at her coffee. Tension hung thick in the air between the two men. She loved Erica like a daughter, but Erica had to learn things and make decisions for herself. Interfering was not her place. "Honey, we should give him time to explain things to Erica himself." Alexander's posture was tense and defensive. He was almost as protective of Erica as he was of Alex.

She studied Torr from across the kitchen table. His face was vaguely familiar, especially the eyes. His eyes stood out in brilliant blue contrast to his dark walnut, almost black hair and the hard as steel line of his jaw. Fallon's eyes, both the shape and the color were almost a carbon copy of his. They shared other similarities down to the dimple in their chin. "Are you Fallon's father?" she asked gently, trying not to stir up a hornet's nest in her own home.

Alexander huffed and sat back as far as the wooden rungs of his chair would allow. "I'll be damned," he muttered as realization struck him. He knew, Leigh knew, but knowing and hearing an admission to the truth seemed to make it stick somehow. Torr had never admitted it. Erica hadn't admitted it to anyone but Alex and perhaps the man sitting across the table from him. But now with everything out in the air. It was an absolute and no longer just an idea.

Torr shifted his weight uncomfortably in the chair. Erica was right. He did feel like he was on the examination block. The couple was good, too good. Their keen powers of observation made him stop to wonder if they had a touch of preternatural blood running through their veins. If they did, they'd sense a lie before it left his lips. "I am. Erica and I have discussed this issue in depth. For now, we've decided to keep the truth of who I am from Fallon."

"And how long will you keep the truth of who you are from Erica?" Alexander asked. His great-niece was going to grow up to be a wolf. He wanted to grab the man and shake the man for being irresponsible enough to bring a child into the world, a child with special needs and abilities, and then abandoning her.

Leigh patted Alexander's arm. The muscles were drawn tight and tense beneath the rough skin weathered by years of sun and hard work. "I'm sure he'll tell her when he feels the time is right. We all want what's best for Erica and Fallon. Erica has already had some pretty hard truths thrown at her about Alex and Chance. Her whole world view has shifted, and its about to do so again. I imagine she feels a bit like Alice did when she fell down the rabbit hole."

Alexander slumped in his chair and blew out a deep breath. "You're right. I don't like it, but I'll keep my mouth shut for now." He tensed again and pointed a finger across the table at Torr. "But, you better not hurt her or Fallon. Erica has had enough heartbreak in her life. She doesn't need any more."

"I regret that I haven't been part of their lives before now. You have no idea how much I regret that fact above all others. I was protecting them. Knowing that I had a daughter someplace in the world and getting the chance to someday meet her was the only thing that kept me going through some pretty tough times. If I'd tried to contact them while my father was still alive, if he'd found out about them..." Torr shuddered and sighed a deep, long sigh. "He would have killed them. I was unable to contact Erica till now. I did what I had to do to keep her and Fallon safe."

Alexander dropped his finger and swallowed hard. "I heard the rumors about your father. Bits and pieces. I never guessed that they were true. I owe you an apology. I judged you when I had no right to."

"You were just trying to protect Erica. I understand that. Please, understand my stand on this as well. Whatever rumors you might have heard. They do not do my father justice. Don't judge me by what you know of him. I am not my father." Torr gripped the mug in his fingers, pressing them against the hot outer surface. The sting of heat helped to pull him out of the pain of his past.

"I believe you," Alexander said. Torr's face was a storm of emotion and pain. Alexander understood what a burden a family legacy could be. He had protected Alex as best he could from the legacy into which she was born. In the end, he hadn't protected her from anything. Destiny still came to claim his daughter. His sister thought that she could outrun fate by taking Erica away from this place when she was just a baby. She thought that sending Erica back for the summer would be enough to trick destiny and send it in search of someone else. She hadn't protected Erica any more than he had protected Alex. The family legacy, the preternatural tie that was in their blood, was inescapable.

Looking back over the years and all the events that had taken place, Alexander was able to piece together the missing bits of the puzzle. The Great Father believed that Torr and his pack were the Lost Children. Destiny had brought him back home to the Great White Wolf's side at long last. Erica had been born into a family that from generation to generation had always been and would always be tied to the Sons through blood and sacrifice. The vampires and the werewolves were of one family through the goddess. Her influence shaped and molded them through their free will. Torr's meeting Erica and having a child with her hadn't been a quirky twist of fate, but destiny come full circle. "You have to tell her."

"I will," Torr answered.

"Then we'll step back and give you the time you need," Alexander said. He ran his hand over the back of Leigh's fingers as they shared a glance. Alex would never have children. Fallon would. She would grow up, fall in love, and have children of her own someday. What would those children become and what would fate have in store for them?

Erica stopped at the kitchen door puzzled by the intent stare her aunt and uncle exchanged with Torr and the heavy feeling of tension that hung in the space between them. "Fallon is all tucked in," she said as she crossed the room to the coffee pot. "I hope my aunt and uncle haven't tortured you too much, Torr." She slid out a kitchen chair and took the empty seat next to him.

"Not at all. I think I've passed inspection," Torr answered with a grin.

Erica wasn't fooled by her aunt and uncle's congenial nods or Torr's smile. The smile didn't quite wash away the worry reflected in his eyes or do a thing to ease the tension in the air. She felt as if she'd walked in and interrupted a very important intense conversation between them. If she had to guess, Fallon and she were the topic of their conversation. Inwardly she groaned. Hopefully, her aunt and uncle hadn't been too hard on Torr or said things that might embarrass her. Later on, she'd ask him.

Erica stretched and faked her best yawn, dropping a hint. At least, introductions were out of the way. No doubt, her aunt and uncle had just as many, if not more questions than Fallon did. They'd probably keep her up for hours interrogating her. She just wanted to Q and A session over with and to climb into bed.

Torr took Erica's hint and scooted his chair back from the table, "I really should get going." He reached across the table and extended his hand in a firm handshake to Alexander. He nodded to Leigh and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Nice to meet you both."

"Likewise," Leigh said, as she kicked Alexander's shin from under the table, extracting a masculine grunt of agreement from him.