Cadence made it through the door almost as quickly as she had at Barbarosa's house. Once it was shut tightly behind her, she leaned back against it for a second, catching her breath. It took her a second to realize that she wasn't alone. "Mom?" she said, peering into the dim light of the living room.
Liz was sitting in her husband's chair, curled up under a blanket, the only light the soft glow of her Kindle reader. "Hi, honey. How was the party?" she asked, setting the Kindle down as Cadence entered the room.
"Why are you still up?" Cadence asked, dropping down on the couch. She hoped her makeup wasn't smudged or if it was that her mother wouldn't be able to see it in such a poorly lit room.
"I was waiting for you, sweetheart," Liz replied, stating what should have been obvious.
"I know that, Mom. But why? You never waited up for me when I was with Jack," Cadence questioned.
Liz took a deep sigh. "Well, this is different," she said, looking down at her lap for a second. Then, she looked up at her daughter and smiled. "I worry about you, darling. That's what mothers do."
"Oh, Mom," Cadence said, waving her left hand down sharply. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Tell me, darling," Liz said matter-of-factly, "Are you still on the pill?"
Cadence gasped. "Mother!" she exclaimed, feeling the red rise up in her face.
"Oh, now, Cadence, let's be adults," Liz said, her tone still even. "I just want to make sure you're being safe," she continued.
"Yes, Mom. Yes!" Cadence said, hiding her face with her hands.
"Well, honey, you know you can get pregnant from a Guardian just as well as you can a human or another Hunter," Liz explained.
"I know, Mom! I know that's how Dad got here. And that's gross enough to think about without this...inquisition."
Liz laughed. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"I mean, when you said you were worried, I thought you meant about the Vampires who try to kill me almost nightly, not about... that!" Cadence exclaimed.
"Of course I worry about that," Liz said, her eyes wandering off. "But there's not much I can do about that.” She took a long pause again before continuing. "I'm very proud of you, Cadence. I could never do what you do."
Cadence said nothing, but she looked at her mom inquisitively, her embarrassment temporarily gone.
"I thought I would, at one time," she explained. "I was all set to. But then, I started thinking, 'What if I can't do it?' You know? It must be difficult, especially the first time, to take another life, even if it is an awful creature."
The room was silent again for a moment before Cadence spoke up. "I didn't think about it the first time. I just did it. I guess it's gotten easier."
"I'm sure some kills are harder than others," Liz stated. Cadence nodded at her. "Anyway, I didn't think I could do it. So I didn't. But I am very proud of you, darling. Very proud."
"Thank you," Cadence said quietly. Some kills must be harder than others. The possibility of having to face Jack in such a situation temporarily entered her mind, but she brushed it away. "I'm really tired. It's been a long day," she yawned.
"Okay, honey. Just...be careful. Try not to put yourself in a position where you might get hurt," Liz cautioned.
"I am being careful," Cadence said, a slight tone of defensiveness in her voice. "You just don't like him, do you?" she asked, not angry but a bit surprised.
Again, Liz hesitated. "There's just something about that boy--"
"Mom, he's 150 years old," Cadence interrupted.
"Okay, that MAN," she replied. "I just don't trust him, honey. I'm sorry. Just be careful. I know you are quite smitten with him..."
"I love him," Cadence said quietly.
"What's that, dear?" Liz asked, a puzzled and concerned expression on her face. "Did you say you love him?"
"Yes," Cadence whispered, not looking up at her mother.
Liz took a moment to ponder what her daughter had admitted to her. Finally, she advised, "Well, whatever you do, don't tell him that."
Cadence looked up. "Why not?" she asked, the defensive tone back in her voice.
Liz inhaled sharply. "Because no good can come of it, that's why."
"Didn't you tell Dad you loved him?" Cadence countered.
"Not first," Liz replied. "You never say it first. If you do, well, they'll find a reason to run."
Cadence shook her head. "Aaron would never..."
"Oh, not intentionally, darling. I don't think he would do that. But he'll find a reason. Subconsciously. Even if he loves you, too. They always do."
Cadence considered her mother's words but said nothing more about it. Of course, she thought her mother was wrong; she had to be wrong. After a few moments she said, "Mom, how long have you known him?"
"Since before you were born," she replied, her lips pursed.
Cadence nodded her head. "Do you know about Aislyn?"
"Oh, Aislyn," she repeated. "I had forgotten. Even when your sister said she was surprised he wasn't married, I didn't remember. I don't know everything, darling. That was a very long time ago. But anyone with that type of history is bound to have some hang-ups when it comes to love, sweetheart, no matter how long ago it was."
Again, Cadence considered her mother's words. "Do you know about Jack?" she asked.
It was her mother's turn to nod.
"Who told you?" she asked quietly.
"Does it matter?" Liz could see on her daughter's face that it did. "Elliott," she admitted.
"Then, you knew before I did?" she asked.
"Yes. Elliott explained that Aaron felt he should tell you himself. So, we didn't say anything."
"Okay," Cadence said, though she wasn't sure it was. "It must be hard to keep all of these things from me, all the time, for all of these years."
Liz considered the statement. "No harder than it is for us to keep things from Cass."
"That's super hard!" Cadence exclaimed. "I hate keeping things from Cassidy."
"Well, you won't have to much longer," Liz reminded her oldest daughter.
Cadence knew that was true. "Okay," she stated again. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Mom," she said. She stood, crossed the few steps to Liz's chair, and kissed her mom on the cheek.
"Good night, darling," she replied, kissing her back. As Cadence made her way up the stairs, she decided to clarify one more thing. "Cadence," she called.
Cadence paused, one foot on the stairs. "Yes, Mom?"
"That's not Jack."
