Cait jostled the bag of food that she had brought for Fiona as she struggled to exit gracefully from her car. Not that Fiona deserved the fresh baked goods that she had picked up on the way out of town, Cait thought. She was still a little miffed that Aislinn had been given a hangover cure while she hadn't received one.

Excited barks greeted her and Cait grinned as Ronan, Keelin's dog, whipped around the corner of the cottage. Cait knew that Ronan still preferred the cottage to Flynn's massive estate just over the hills. Testing herself, she reached out with her mind to scan the dog's thoughts.

"Happy you're here. Hi, Hi, Hi. Play?"

Cait laughed at Ronan and, kneeling down, she wrapped her arms around the Irish setter's neck. "No time to play, but I didn't forget to bring you a treat."

Cait reached into her bag and brought out a pupcake. The bakery made a special cupcake just for dogs and she knew that Ronan loved the special treat. Ronan jumped and did two excited spins before sitting eagerly in front of Cait. Cait pulled the wrapping from the pupcake and held it out to Ronan. He took it delicately from her hand and then raced across the grass to find the perfect spot to eat it.

"You certainly have a way with animals." Fiona's voice cut over Cait and she straightened, bringing the bag with her.

"Yeah, well, any dog loves you if you bring a treat for them." Cait shrugged her shoulders and moved to give the old woman a hug. Fiona, though diminutive in size, had a presence that was larger than life. Known around Ireland as a healer of great power, just as many people revered her as feared her. Fiona had been instrumental in helping Cait to understand the weird thoughts that would pop into her head as a child. In some respects, Fiona had become her real family.

"Methinks it is more than the pupcake…" Fiona trailed off with a smile and ushered Cait into her stone cottage. The door opened directly into the main room and a huge wooden table dominated the space. To the left, a small kitchen sink was framed by large windows that overlooked the hills and Grace's Cove far below. On the right, a small alcove housed two rocking chairs and a charming wood-burning stove. Doors led from the main room into two bedrooms and a pantry. Cait allowed her gaze to trail over the long wall of shelves that held hundreds of glass bottles, steel canisters, and burlap bags. Each one was meticulously labeled and Cait knew that Fiona used these herbs religiously in her healings. Fiona was known across the country for her powerful skill in healing and Keelin was following in her footsteps. Between centuries-old herbal remedies and an otherworldly gift for healing with their hands, the pair made a powerful healing duo.

"Speaking of treats, I brought you some, though I shouldn't have, old woman," Cait said as she put the bag on the table and turned to glare at Fiona.

"Hmpfh," Fiona said and snatched the bag from the table, digging around until she found her favorite lemon poppy seed muffins. "And why am I undeserving of my favorite muffins?"

Cait laughed at Fiona's raised eyebrow.

"Because you took Aislinn's hangover away but not mine!"

"Ahh, yes. Well, sometimes you need to feel the consequences of your actions," Fiona said and took the bag to empty the muffins into a small basket that she lined with a dishtowel.

Cait sighed. It has always been like this between them. Fiona had all but acted as a stand-in mother when Sarah refused to acknowledge Cait's gift when she was growing up.

Cait sat at the long table, eyeing the large pile of wedding presents that were clustered on one end.

"Have you heard from Keelin?"

"Yes, they are having a lovely time on the Aran Islands. It seems that now Keelin has embraced her Irish heritage, she never wants to leave."

"What about Margaret?" Cait asked and reached for a muffin. The lemon scent teased her nose and she could all but taste the muffin without having taken a bite.

"She left today. Though I'm unclear if she is going back to Boston or not," Fiona said.

Cait raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"Did you see Keelin's father last night? He kept to the background."

"I didn't at that. Did she invite him?"

"She did, yes. But they have a lot to work out. But…hm, I get the sense that Margaret may not be heading back to Boston," Fiona said.

"Do you think she'll stay here? For him?"

Fiona shrugged her shoulders and gave a casual wave of her hand. "Affairs of the heart…you never know where they will lead one."

"Does she use her power?" Cait asked curiously.

"We spent a long time talking yesterday. I don't know if she will ever accept who she is though she is starting to come around to Keelin living here." Fiona shrugged her shoulders sadly.

"I know that you wish she would stay," Cait said. Margaret was Fiona's only daughter.

"I do. I love her. But…just maybe, the tide is changing with Margaret. We'll see. But everyone has his or her own path, Cait. I can't force her to find her path." Fiona turned her eyes on Cait.

"Isn't that what you are trying to do with me?" Cait demanded churlishly.

"Is that what you think that I am doing?" Fiona raised an eyebrow at Cait.

Cait hung her head and tore her muffin to pieces on her plate. "I don't know."

"While I do think that the time has come for you to fully understand your gifts, you absolutely can walk out the door right now and go on living as you have been." Fiona gestured towards the door.

Cait felt her heart sink a bit. Though worry gnawed at her stomach, she kept thinking about what Aislinn had said about viewing their talents as gifts and something to be excited about. Perhaps it was time to stop rejecting that side of herself, after all. Never one to step away from a challenge, Cait made a decision.

"No. I want to learn more. I…well, this all makes me kind of uncomfortable. I've done my best to just keep the shields up that you taught me. Perhaps it is time to delve deeper into what I can do."

A wide smile brightened Fiona's face and she reached out to clasp Cait's hand.

"You're stubborn, but I've dealt with worse," Fiona said. Cait knew that she spoke of Margaret.

"Sooo, how does this all get started?"

"Why don't we go for a walk and I'll give you your first history lesson," Fiona said as she rose and cleared the plates.

Together they stepped from the cottage and into the bright sunshine. It was one of those perfect summer days in Ireland, though Cait knew that the weather could change in a heartbeat. At the moment, a light breeze teased Cait's hair and the azure sky was clear. Smiling, Cait took a deep breath and followed Fiona on a path that cut directly across the blindingly green hills that rolled towards the cliffs that guarded Grace's Cove. Fiona let out a sharp whistle and a bark responded. Cait laughed as Ronan tore across the hill in a flat-out run, his ears streaming behind him in the wind. Teagan, Flynn's dog, followed closely behind Ronan.

"Oh, aren't you both the mighty beasts?" Cait called to them as they circled and barked around them. The dogs raced joyously through the grass and Cait smiled after them before continuing to follow Fiona. She stiffened as the old woman led her closer to the cove and a whisper of trepidation slipped through her.

"Are we going to the cove?" Cait called to Fiona.

"Aye, we are."

The old woman continued nimbly along the path and Cait picked up her pace to keep up with her. She really didn't want to go into the cove and wished that Fiona could just tell her what she needed to know from here.

They reached the edge of the rock ledges and Cait steeled herself to look down into the cove. A seemingly normal, and stunningly beautiful, beach scene greeted her. Crystalline blue water filled the perfect half-circle cove, and high rock walls hugged the water, shrouding it in privacy. A long sand beach lay below them. It was the kind of beach that Cait would expect to see packed with people. Startling in its beauty, it begged for families to camp out with their kids and play in the water. Yet, it was very few people that ventured to the cove. Too many had died here. Too many had been harmed here. They felt it, she thought. There was no way that the average person couldn't feel that there was something off with this beach.

"Let's go," Fiona ordered and picked her way along the path that switchbacked down the cliff to land at the beach.

Cait hesitated and felt the brush of Ronan's fur against her leg. He looked up at her for a moment before following closely on Fiona's heels. With a sigh, Cait began the descent. She was surprised at Fiona's dexterity on the hike down but she supposed that she shouldn't have been. The old woman had walked these hills since she was a child. Cait watched as she gathered snippets of flowers on the way down and wondered what remedy she would make with them. As they drew closer to the beach, Cait shivered as she felt the hum of power brush against her skin.

Fiona stopped at the base of the path and waited for Cait to catch up.

"Have you been down here before?" Fiona asked Cait.

"Just once. It wasn't a good experience," Cait said mildly. It had been more than not a good experience, she thought. She'd almost drowned. It had been a stupid dare from her childhood friends to run down and grab a rock from the beach and bring it back. She'd been almost to the path when a rogue wave had caught her and pulled her back. Cait shuddered as she remembered the wave tossing her like a rag doll across the sand before somehow spitting her out back at the path. She hadn't looked back and she and her friends had run all the way to the top of the path. Cait hadn't returned to the beach since. One thing you could say about Cait was that she wasn't stupid. Well, at least most people would say that, Cait thought, and kicked at the sand.

"Pay attention," Fiona said fiercely and Cait snapped back to the present. Fiona held wildflowers in her hands and pulled a few stones from her pocket. Lifting them up, she gestured to Cait.

"These? These are offerings. Never come on this beach without them," Fiona said sternly. She walked forward a few steps and drew a large circle in the sand with her big toe. Without looking, she motioned for Cait to join her inside the circle.

"What…" Cait began but Fiona cut her off quickly.

"Shh." Fiona sliced a glare at Cait and she shut up.

"To those that rest here, we offer these gifts as a token of our respect. In return we ask for your protection during our time here. Our purpose is pure." On those words Fiona tossed the flowers and the rocks into the water. Cait found herself trying to bite back a laugh but when the water slapped higher on the beach than usual, she clasped her mouth shut.

"This is very serious, Cait. You must never come here without first offering a gift and asking for protection. This is how people die. How you could die," Fiona said.

Cait shivered at the truth in the old woman's words.

"Come." Fiona motioned her forward and together they began to walk the beach. Fiona was silent for a while and Cait allowed herself to begin to relax. Truly, the cove was stunning. A private, mystical beach that was untouched in its beauty. The dogs ran the beach and dug in the sand, all but laughing their joy at being by the water.

"Do you know the history of Grace O'Malley?" Fiona asked.

"I do. It's hard to live in the town of Grace's Cove and not know about Grace O'Malley," Cait said with a shrug. The small village that they lived in had been named after Grace O'Malley, the famous pirate queen. She'd been ferocious on land and at sea, staunchly romantic, and Irish to the core. Her battles with the English had done much to preserve Celtic tradition. The most famous story surrounded her giving birth at sea mid-battle. But Cait knew that the most important story came not from how she lived her life, but how she had ended it.

"She's here, isn't she?" Cait nodded towards the water.

"Aye, she is," Fiona said. "She knew she was dying. Grace had a strong and pure intuition. She knew it was her time. Her daughter helped her to get down here and together they blessed and protected the cove. The night that Grace burned on the water is the same night that her daughter birthed her baby on the beach, alone."

Cait shuddered to think of it. How horrible to lose your mother and birth your child in one night…not to mention having to do it all on your own.

"Things were different back then," Fiona said, reading the thoughts on her face. "Women were more stoic. And it is through the powerful magick that transpired that night that the daughters of Grace all carry extra gifts. Her bloodline runs strong and there are more of you out there than you know."

"Well, sure, I mean, Ireland is such a mish-mash of family history. I'm sure we are all interconnected somehow."

"True, but not all carry the bloodline. It must go mother to daughter straight from Grace, not a male son who then births a daughter," Fiona explained.

"So…wait, does that mean my mother has a gift?" Cait exclaimed, and put her hand on Fiona's arm to stop her from continuing down the beach. Cait's cheeks flushed and she could swear that she heard a roaring in her head. All these years her mother and she had bickered, never really seeing eye to eye. They'd always been poor, and Cait's mother had often disapproved of Cait's decision to open a pub and try to better herself. "We're simple people, Cait Gallagher," was her mother's constant refrain. Not so simple, after all, it seemed, Cait thought.

Fiona said nothing, simply waiting for Cait to put the dots together.

"Well, of course she does. So if every daughter of Grace has something, then what is hers?"

Fiona turned to her and smiled gently.

"That would be a conversation you're to be having with your mother, not me, lass." Fiona pulled a worn tartan blanket from her bag and bent to spread it on the sand. Cait caught the rough corners of the blanket and helped Fiona to stretch it out. Fiona plopped down and patted the spot next to her and Cait joined her, the sand lumpy beneath her bottom.

Ronan rushed over and jumped on Cait, giving her one rough swipe with his tongue before turning to tear off across the beach. Cait choked out a laugh and wiped his slobber from her face with the back of her arm.

"Interesting, isn't it, how much animals love you?" Fiona asked.

Cait felt a small nerve of awkwardness twinge in her but instead of immediately contradicting Fiona, she took a deep breath.

"I…I can read their thoughts too," Cait admitted carefully, keeping her eyes trained on the water that kissed the rocks of the cliff. She was worried that Fiona would think she was weird.

"I suspected as much. What a marvelous gift!" Fiona's excitement rang pure and true and Cait felt her heart fill with light.

"Really? You don't think it is weird? I mean…people, yeah, but animals?"

"Why should the ability to read thoughts be constrained to just humans? We aren't the only species capable of thinking," Fiona said excitedly.

"So is that what you wanted to work with me on? Being a pet whisperer or something?" Cait asked.

"No, though I think the idea is wonderful." Fiona laughed at her. "Perhaps you should have been a vet."

"I probably would have if I could have afforded the education. Far too rich for my blood," Cait said.

"Well, we all have our paths. You never know where yours will take you. However, I want to talk to you about how you currently use your ability," Fiona said.

"I don't. I mean, not really. Once in a while I will catch a stray thought or I will let my shields down to scan someone's thoughts but for the most part, I don't. I…I feel like it is wrong so I stuff it way down inside of me," Cait admitted softly. She looked down at her hands to find them clenched tightly in her lap.

"Ah, yes, you've always held yourself to a very exacting code of honor, haven't you?"

Cait shrugged one shoulder and nodded.

"It just doesn't seem right…peeking in on people's thoughts. I have lived so long shielding myself that now I rarely do it. Though it is fun to do with dogs. They are just so happy."

"Ronan," Fiona called and Ronan raced to them. "Will he understand if I ask him a question?"

"I…I don't really know. I haven't had full conversations before, I just catch snatches of commentary," Cait said.

"Well, let's see what happens," Fiona said. She turned to Ronan and invited him to lie down on the blanket before her. Teagan sat behind him.

"Ronan, do you like living at the cottage?"

Cait lowered her shields and reached out to Ronan. His thoughts came to her through a pink haze of love and happiness.

"Love house. Love you. Love Mom."

"He says that he loves the house and loves you and Keelin," Cait said.

"Do you want to stay at Keelin and Flynn's or at the cottage?" Fiona asked, raising the complexity level of the question.

"Cottage. Love cottage. Friend. You need friend."

Cait stared at the dog, her mouth hanging open. She had no idea why she hadn't tried this before and was quite certain that she would never look at an animal the same again.

"Um, gosh, he said that he wants to live with you because you need a friend."

Fiona's face softened and she rubbed Ronan's head.

"Don't feel like you have to stay, buddy. I have lots of friends."

"No. Stay." The dog pushed his head into Fiona's hand.

"Well, I guess you are going to have to break the bad news to Keelin that Ronan is staying with you," Cait said with a chuckle.

Fiona laughed.

"Okay, Ronan, if you stay where will you sleep and what's your favorite meal?" Fiona said inquisitively.

"On your bed. Bed. Foot of bed. All the meals. Love meals. Food. Food. Food."

Cait couldn't help but chuckle at the dog's enthusiastic response.

"It appears that he will be sleeping at the foot of your bed and he seems fairly easy to please on the food front. He likes it all."

Fiona laughed and leaned over to wrap her arms around Ronan.

"Okay, buddy. You get to stay with me. We'll deal with Keelin. Now, go play."

Cait shook her head and couldn't help but feel like her whole body was lit with joy. She'd had her first real conversation with an animal. It was fascinating and provocative and, quite simply, beautiful.

"I…I, just wow. I'm amazed at this."

"It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Power?" Fiona leaned back on her hands and gazed at the water.

"So, you said that you have lessons for me. What did you mean?"

"Not lessons so much as an uncovering. I think that it is time for you to start using your gift more. For the greater good," Fiona said.

"What? How could I do that?"

"Fairly easily if you put your mind to it," Fiona said quietly.

Cait stared at the edge of the water where it blurred into the horizon. How could she use it for the greater good? She'd never considered her gift as something that could be useful, instead it had always been something that she had tried to hide or ignore. A guilty feeling crept up on her as she thought about how many nights Fiona dedicated to healing others. And now that Keelin had embraced her power to heal with her hands, she also joined Fiona quite frequently in her healing sessions. Cait had been so engrossed in getting the pub up and running that she'd done little to help others at all as of late.

"I suppose that I should do more to lend a hand. Can I help you with your healings?" Cait asked.

Fiona tilted her head at Cait. "I don't know, can you?"

Cait thought about it.

"I suppose if someone is unable to talk then I'd be able to help in that respect?"

A quick smile shot across Fiona's face.

"You absolutely could. But you understand what you would be opening yourself up to, right?"

Cait shook her head no.

"Well, say you connected mentally with someone unable to speak. If their family is in the room then they are going to know about your gift. Healing is one of those things where you either embrace it fully or you stay hidden. Or, you find other ways to use your ability."

"I hadn't thought about it like that. How do you deal with it? With people knowing that you are different?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't really deal with it at all. I just let myself be me and other people are forced to wrap their heads around it. For those that I have healed from the brink of death or serious sickness…they don't even bother trying to understand. They are simply grateful. Others, well, they don't want to understand so they don't associate with me. But, with anything, if someone doesn't want to know the real me then I don't need them in my life, you understand?"

Cait nodded. It made sense and yet…

"God, I've lived with this secret for so long. I don't know how people in the village would react."

"Do you really think that nobody else in this village has secrets?" Fiona raised an eyebrow at her.

"I guess that I hadn't really thought about it like that. I don't know. I'm scared," Cait admitted and shrugged her shoulders. Her stomach twisted in knots at the thought of revealing her ability to people.

"Fear is a useless emotion," Fiona said forcefully.

"I…okay, yes, I get that." Cait blew out a sigh and watched the dogs race through the waves, barking at each other.

"Mrs. Donovan, the older one, recently had a stroke. She lost her ability to speak and her hands are too shaky to write. She might appreciate some company," Fiona suggested.

Cait looked down at her hands, clenched so tightly in her lap. Okay, she thought, an old woman needs help. I can do this. Coming to a resolution in her mind, she turned to Fiona.

"I'll go to see her this afternoon."