"Michael?" Cassie answered before her aunt could say more. "He's going down for a nap. Got tired, taking his first steps. And you were here to witness it." She couldn't keep the joy out of her words—after all, it had happened. "Dad would be so happy."
"I saw..." She put one palm to her forehead. "I thought..."
Alec came down the stairs. "He's sound asleep. Couldn't keep his eyes open." He knelt down by the sofa, next to Jean. "Are you all right? Cassie said not to call 911, but..."
Jean shook her head, pressing one palm to her forehead. "I must have zoned out or something. Maybe the flight was a bit too much for me."
Cassie touched her arm, hating herself for the lie. "You must have. Why don't you go upstairs to bed, catch your breath? It's barely noon—you can have a nap and be up for dinner. Jet lag and all."
Jean got up, assisted by Alec. "Yes, that's probably it. A short rest and I'll be fine."
"Here." He offered her his arm. "Let me get you settled."
Cassie stayed seated as he escorted her out of the room and up the stairs.
She pressed a hand to her heart, willing away the ache.
Lying to her friends was hard enough. Lying to family...
Alec came down a few minutes later, a soft smile on his face. "She's already asleep. Passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow—likely a combination of the jet lag and shock doing a job on her. Not surprising, really."
"I don't—" She steadied herself. "I don't like lying to her. She's all the family I have left. I've always been honest with her and this, this would change everything."
"This'll change everything no matter what you do." Alec sat down beside her. "Do you want to tell her?"
"I don't know," Cassie said. "Part of me wants to, but the other... I'm afraid she'll freak out."
He took her hand. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to tell her, but if you want to, I'm open to trying it your way." Alec hesitated. "Just think about what could happen. If she believes you, if she doesn't believe you. How it could work out." He tilted his head, eyeing her. "This is a bomb we'll have to defuse, one way or another."
Cassie fell silent, her mind racing.
***
It wasn't until early evening that Jean came back out, covering her mouth as she yawned. "My goodness, I did need that nap." She smiled at Michael, playing with his toys as he sat in the middle of the living room.
Alec looked up from the fireplace, putting the iron poker back into the holder. "Glad you're up. Cassie was just about to go in and get you—dinner's almost ready. After that, we can turn on the television and watch the fireworks all night around the world until it's our turn."
"Good." She sat down on the sofa and watched the baby. "I can't believe I had that... issue earlier. Never happened to me before. Could be time for me to start watching my long trips more, be careful where I go and how tired I get."
Cassie wiped her hands on a towel, having watched the discussion from the kitchen. She hung up the towel and advanced on the couch.
"Got a lovely beef stew finishing up on the stove. Be ready soon enough." She sat next to her aunt, trying to banish the flock of butterflies clogging her throat. "How are you feeling?"
"Good. Pretty good," Jean replied. "Like I was telling Alec—I've obviously hit the age when I've got to rest up after these trips." She shook her head.
"Because you—" Cassie prompted.
"Because I get out of sorts and see odd things." Jean laughed, taking Cass's hand and squeezing it. "Imagine me, thinking your son went and turned into a weasel."
"Otter," Cassie corrected her automatically. "An otter."
"I guess." Jean's forehead furrowed as she studied Cassie's face. "Is there a difference?"
"Actually, yes." Alec, sitting in the chair opposite the pair, nodded. "Very much so." He watched Cassie, letting her take the lead.
"Aunt Jean." Cassie paused, searching for the words that had seemed so easy to say earlier in the day, practicing in the kitchen as she prepared the stew. "Michael—he's not like other babies. He's special."
"Of course, he is." An odd look flitted across the woman's face. "Oh, goodness... is he sick? Does he have some disability?" Her attention went to the baby, still sitting on the carpet and presently chewing on the stuffed dolphin's tail. "What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing," Alec said, a bit too quickly and with a bit too much bite. "Nothing at all."
Jean drew back, frowning.
Cassie shot him an angry glare before turning to her aunt. "What I mean is that he's unique. He's got something special, inherited from Alec."
The older woman blinked. "What? An extra toe? Mole?" She looked at Alec. "Forgive me, I'm not quite understanding this. Perhaps if you made it clearer..."
Alec stood up and began unbuttoning his shirt, prompting something akin to a peep from Jean, her eyes going wide.
Cassie put out her hand, cocking her head to one side with a raised eyebrow.
Alec stopped, and sat on the floor next to Michael. The baby reacted with a laugh and climbed into his father's lap, swinging the stuffed animal around.
"Could be easier to explain with Michael." She nodded at Alec.
He withdrew the small otter pelt from his pocket and handed it to his son. Michael immediately grabbed the fur square and pressed it to his neck with a smirk.
Before Cassie could blink twice, the baby otter was back—scampering over Alec's shoulders and legs.
Jean's nails dug into Cassie's leg, trying to dig through the jeans and failing. It still hurt like hell, however, prompting Cassie to put her hand atop her aunt's in an attempt to calm her down.
"What..." She let her breath out slowly, staring at Michael. "Who..."
"It's Michael. It's still Michael," Cassie said quickly, hoping she'd chosen the right path. "He's got an ability, a skill."
"He can change into an otter," Jean murmured.
"Yes." The tight knot around Cassie's heart loosened, just a bit. "He got it from his father."
"Ah." Jean looked at Alec. "I guess you can do this too?"
"I can." He gave her a half-smile as Michael scampered up and over his shoulders again. "This is how she found me on Christmas Eve, two years ago. I was on the shore, injured. She took me in, cared for me." Alec stroked his son's back. "The rest, well… you know."
Jean chuckled, a tinge of nervousness in her words. "Cass's been doing that since she was little—always bringing in wounded animals for her mom to take care of. Even if they weren't hurt, just lost." She drew a staggered breath. "She's always had a big heart."
"Yes. Yes, she does." Alec took hold of Michael and pointed the four-footed creature at them. "Go visit your mommy and great auntie. I'm going to join you in a minute."
As Michael did so, Alec got to his feet and stepped toward the bathroom.