It was with some level of disappointment that Silas found himself again in Bojingles Fae Hospital. He’d spent so much time here in recent months the staff addressed him by his first name. Thankfully, this time, it was not him in the bed, although that might be preferable to watching Meredith go through the healing process.

“The doctors say I may always walk with a limp,” she said, her red hair bunching up on the pillow. “Alex broke a vertebra in my back and it compressed my spine. It could have been worse. The fire lily juice has healed the bone and my nervous system, but because it happened when I was in fox form, they couldn’t get the alignment quite right. One hip is slightly off.”

“Will you need a cane?” Silas asked. “Because if you do, I want to get you one with a skull and flames.”

“I won’t need a cane.” The hint of a grin broke through her annoyed facade.

“Well then, I guess you’re not broken enough to replace. I’ll keep you.”

“How kind of you,” she said flatly.

Silas folded his arms and leaned back in the chair next to the bed. “I talked to Manahan. Explained everything. You have your job back.”

She gave him a warm, authentic smile. “I’m your partner again?”

“It seems so. You’re not disappointed, are you? I could convince him to find you another assignment if you’re sick of working with the likes of me.”

“No. I’m good.” She met his gaze and this time her smile came at him at full force.

He cleared his throat. “I had a chance to talk to your mother.”

“She’s awake?”

Silas nodded. “She’s having a procedure done this morning, but I’ll take you to go see her later if you want.”

“Yes, please. What did you find out?”

“She says she was tracking Alex. She wanted her revenge as much as we did. She’d been in a deep depression since your father was killed and felt like she needed to take matters into her own hands when Alex resurfaced. Unfortunately, Alex captured her and infected her with sulfralite. She admitted to stabbing Laina and posing as you to finish Soleil off when she was recovering from her gunshot wounds here in the hospital, although she says she only did so because she was under Alex’s control.”

“Did you ever figure out about Soleil and the heart?”

“Yes. Your mom posed as Grateful and gave Soleil the idea of obtaining the heart for me. Soleil must have figured out it wasn’t the real Grateful. That’s why she was trying to get the heart back. Only, she assumed the shapeshifter who had posed as Grateful was you.”

“I shouldn’t have shot her. That’s what Alex wanted.”

“You didn’t know. And let’s face it, if you’d hesitated, I’d be an extra crispy corpse.” Silas rubbed his chin. “Was it you I chased from your house after Soleil died, or your mom?”

“Me. I’d figured out my mother was the one helping Alex when I saw the remnants of her shifting on the floor of Soleil’s bedroom. I wanted to give you a clue. I left the pictures for you to find, so you’d know what she looked like.”

Silas rested his elbows on his knees. “You know she’ll have to remain in custody until she can be tried. I believe Olivia will be cleared eventually, but the law is the law.”

“I know. I feel lucky she’s still alive. I still have a mother. That’s something to be thankful for.”

Silas could hear the tinge of empathy in her voice. He didn’t have a mother or a father anymore. But he did have a family, and she was absolutely right. “Yes, it is.”

* * *

“You’ll be happy to know I saved the world without you,” Silas said, as he walked into Grateful’s maternity room later that day.

His friend opened her eyes and adjusted herself in the bed. “Silas! Thank the Goddess you’re okay. I’m so sorry—”

“Oh please, Grateful. What could you have done? Even you can’t magically stop a baby from coming… wait, can you?”

“No. Believe me, I tried. I went into labor the moment I arrived at Polina’s. It wasn’t pretty. Rick had to bring me to Bojingles because I was coughing up bubbles with every contraction.”

“Bubbles?” Silas laughed.

“Not funny. Then the lights kept going out. It was crazy.”

“I guess the goddess wanted her born yesterday.”

“Today. She arrived just after midnight. During the eclipse.”

He handed her the gift bag he’d brought. “For Skyler.”

Grateful reached inside and pulled out a floppy stuffed wolf. “Awww. Silas, this is adorable.”

“Where is the little witch, anyway?” Silas asked.

“She’s sleeping in the bassinet.” Grateful pointed a hand toward a plastic box on wheels on the far side of her room. “Rick left a few minutes ago to pick up Lucas from my dad’s. We were taking a nap.”

Silas crossed to the bassinet and peaked over the edge. The babe, wrapped like a burrito in a pink blanket, blinked up at him with gigantic stormy blue eyes. “She’s awake, Grateful.”

“Oh? Bring her here.”

Silas scooped the baby into his arms, supporting her head and neck as he cradled her close. “You are a special little girl, aren’t you?” he cooed to her. “Smart. See how smart she is, Grateful? She’s already looking at everything.”

“You’re a natural with that baby,” Grateful said with a laugh. “Have you thought about settling down? Having a few of your own?”

He handed Skyler to her mother. “Thought about it. Meredith is amazing. She’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

“But?”

“But we’ve known each other such a short time and most of that time was under extreme circumstances. I want it to be right. I want to be absolutely sure that this is forever.”

Grateful stroked her daughter’s cheek and rubbed her nose against the baby’s. “Is it possible to be absolutely sure about anything? I can tell you one thing, I wasn’t sure birthing two magical children was the right thing to do. I’m still not sure there won’t be unforeseen consequence. But I don’t regret it. Not for a second. I think, sometimes, you’ve got to take a chance.”

Silas kissed her on the forehead. “Congratulations, Grateful. And thanks for the advice. I’ll think on it.”