~

 

 “Well, you’re too old for menopause, and there’s no way in hell that you’re pregnant … so, I’m guessing that you either have some kind of hormonal problem or you’re just plain surly.” Hank announced.

He shrugged his broad shoulders at the elder witch and the woman bit down on the need within her to zap him a good one. Maybe two, probably three, but who was counting…?

“Well, if I’m so damn surly then go take a long walk off a short plank!” Dorothy bit back.

“Love too!” Hank grumbled a growl.

“Be my guest. I don’t see me rushing to stop you anytime soon,” Dorothy tossed back.

“I don’t see you rushing anywhere without putting out a hip,” Hank snorted.

“Oh really?” Dorothy’s hands went to her curvy hips and the man should have taken that as a warning of intent, but he didn’t…

“Yes, really,” He leaned his head in on his neck and eyed the woman with a dark glare.

“Fine!” She tossed up a hand in his direction and then did what she felt was right and zapped him hard…

Hank bit down on the pain that felt to him as if he’d been damned stupid enough to lick an electrical socket … his eyes went wide, and the growl that rolled through him rattled the windows in the frames…

“Ok, now stop it!” Sarah said, tossing up her hands and berating the both of them with just a look.

“He started it!” Dorothy grumbled, releasing the man from her magic and replacing her hand on her hip.

“How’d I start it?” He snapped back.

“By claiming I was your mate!”

“That’s…” He tossed up his own hands in frustration … the woman was a nightmare…

“You’re both acting like children, and for elder’s – I have to tell you – it isn’t pretty!” Sarah said, with just the right amount of berating and frustration to match exactly how she felt inside.

She’d thought Angela finding out that she was a mate was bad enough, but Dorothy…!

“I can’t be dealing with this … man now,” Dorothy said, stumbling over her words for just a moment.

“This man?” Hank growled. “You mean your mate, don’t you?”

“Oh, go chew on a stick!” Dorothy bit out, as she turned on her heels and started away from the pair of them.

“Another insult,” Hank said, tossing up a hand after her and watching her go.

He did like the view of her walking away. Those shapely hips swinging from side to side …

The front door flew open and Fallon stalked inside. The look on her face said that she was fit to kill … and as Jamie limped in after her – Sarah could imagine why…

“Because I’m not sorry…” Fallon said, tossing up a hand in the exact same way that her grandmother hand done.

“Well, that’s just great!” Jamie announced with a low, deep growl and the shake of his head in frustrated disbelief.

“What’d that one do?” Hank asked on a scowl.

“I’m sorry grandpa, do I know you?” Fallon shot back…

“That’s actually somewhat ironic,” Sarah muttered, and Hank twisted his head on his neck and glared back at her.

“Nooo, but I know you, Missy!” Hank grumbled.

He could scent her fae essence in the air and she reminded him of Dorothy with her attitude, and after what Sarah had said, well, he wasn’t slow at putting two and two together.

“Ya think?” Fallon snorted.

“Witch!” He bit out. “Enough said.” He grumbled a growl.

“Yeah!” Jamie snorted a miffed off chuckle, and Fallon shot a look back over his shoulder at him.

“Well, hell. If that’s the way you truly feel,” Fallon offered back.

“Wait, what?” Jamie growled.

“Loud and clear, buddy,” Fallon said, and then she stalked away.

Jamie took a long moment to consider what had just happened. Then the realisation hit him and he rolled his eyes in his head and a growl rumbled through his broad chest…

“Damn it,” he grumbled…

“Smooth move,” Hank berated him.

“You started it!” Jamie tossed back with a whole heap of accusation in his tone.

“Did not.”

“Did too!”

“Oh, I so want this day to be over,” Sarah sighed as she sidestepped Hank and started after the two witches, leaving the males to bicker back and forth like they were in a schoolyard.

 

 

~

~

~

 

“Oh!” Fallon said, pulling up short.

She was startled out of her mood by the sight of her grandmother as the elder lowered herself down into the large wing back chair with a huff of exhaustion, and Fallon shot a quick look around her, berating herself for not paying attention and walking in on the woman.

“Don’t mind me, just pretend I’m not here,” Dorothy grumbled.

“Like you did with me for the last twenty two years,” Fallon muttered back.

“If you’ve only ever heard one side of that story then I guess you’d think it the right one,” Dorothy said, and she lifted a hand and motioned back towards the door. “Go ahead, don’t worry about my feelings.”

Dorothy lifted her chin in hurt and defiance. Fallon took a step back and started to turn around, when guilt smacked her upside the head, and she groaned inwardly…

“Ok, fine.” Fallon turned back.

“Ok, fine, what?” Dorothy tossed back.

“Ok, fine, go ahead – what’s your side of the story?” Fallon asked, but from the way the young woman was pressing her lips together, Dorothy knew that she was probably on a hiding to nothing…

“Is that going to be a waste of my breath? Cos I’m a little out of it…” Dorothy shot back.

“I’ll listen, but I can’t say as I’ll believe it or not.”

“Then … park your backside,” Dorothy sighed.

She guessed that she had a shot of telling her granddaughter what she wanted her to know. The woman was an adult and she’d take it or leave it at will, but at least she’d get to say her piece.

Fallon bit down on the inside of her cheek as she walked towards an identical chair to the one her grandmother was sitting in, and she eased herself down into it.

She figured that she’d driven all that way to track the old woman down, and the least that she owed herself was hearing what the elder had to say in her own defence…

After all, she figured that there had to be something concrete to come out of the chaos that her life was in at that precise moment in time.

Finally meeting her grandmother after all those years of wondering about her was strange enough, but now she had found a mate as well … her life was inside the tumble dryer and someone had been kind enough to press the on switch…

Whatever happened next – the day really couldn’t get any stranger, or worse – could it?