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Becca weighed the pros and cons of lifting her daughter and accepting the mutation she was carrying today. She ultimately wanted to hold her daughter enough to live with hot, steamy skin. She took the grabby baby, flinching at the heat of Iris's skin before her own skin got hot to match.

"Soonds loch a parentin' challenge tae me. Gosh, Ah've never seen a baby mutant," Aoife admitted, genuinely curious. "Sae ye're a mutant tay, right Becca? Anaither thing ma only gae ain ay us."

Becca awkwardly chuckled, assuming that was not meant with ill intent. "Ah am, though Ah gie mah powers late, sae Ah was a very normal baby."

Aoife gestured her finger between the couple. "Sae what dae ye both dae? Must be impressive tae be superheroes! Any chance of a demonstration?"

Becca grimaced, still in no condition to demonstrate her powers. "Ah'm a magnetic manipulator, but... er, mah powers have been a wee bit haywire thes past year, sae now demonstrations. Sorry..." She really needed to spend more time out in the desert, refining her control somewhere she couldn't break a building.

Rebecca knew her way around a photoshoot. She was no professional model, but occasionally, as an online personality who was admittedly pretty attractive, she was pulled in to model for a clothing line or collaborative project. There was even the ViewTuber sexy calendar that one year. Still, she had to be impressed by a professional high-end photoshoot for a fashion magazine.

Kalos asked if she was allowed to come meet her new aunt, but Rebecca gently told her she would meet Aunt Aoife next time. She wanted to meet her sister first, she reasoned, though the true reason was to fulfill her promise to Gawain. Before bringing Aoife to meet the family, she wanted to get to know the woman she was apparently related to, making sure she was the kind of person Kalos and Iris should meet.

A fussy administrative assistant spotted Rebecca and asked what she was doing visiting the shoot. Rebecca tried her best to explain the situation when a soft, sweet voice in a familiar Scottish lilt interrupted. ”Oi, Mina, calm doon, cannae ye teel by lookin' at 'er?” A stunning redhead in a tailored, unbuttoned suit stepped out from behind a wall of cameras and associated photographers. Aoife grinned. ”Mah wee sister's come by fur a visit.”

Rebecca felt warmth, because she had never been anyone’s sister before, and she was not expecting Aoife to call her that so readily. The word was validating, giving her confidence that perhaps the circumstances surrounding their births and separation might not prevent them from finding some relationship as sisters.

Mina was already apologizing, but Rebecca did her part to ease the situation. ”Nae, Ah’m a proper distraction, Ah gie it. Ah’m jist excited tae meet mah big sister. Maybe got here a wee bit tay early.”

Aoife buttoned her shirt and pulled off the sleek suit jacket of her ensamble. ”Yoo're reit oan time,” Aoife assured Rebecca, turning her focus back to her assistant or manager. It was hard to tell when Aoife was so clearly in charge. ”Mina, Ah’m takin' lunch. Ah'll be back later, but Ah hink Rebecca an' Ah ur gonnae dae some catchin' up.”

Mina seemed to consider protesting, but thought better of it. Aoife grabbed her purse and smiled, showing off flawless dimples. ”Mah treat; aam th' older ain, efter aw.”

Rebecca would have happily waited for the shoot to be over, but she would be lying if she said Aoife’s prioritizing did not make her feel welcome. ”Okay, bit… weel, thes is silly, bit…” Rebecca and Aoife were face to face, and the moment felt so surreal. This was her sister; someone she could have bonded with and depended on if their lives played out differently. She was here and they had a real chance to make up for that, and Rebecca did the emotional Rebecca thing and hugged her sister. ”Sorry, it’s jist… it’s guid tae finally meet ye, Aoife.”

Aoife was surprised, but her smile warmed and she accepted the hug. ”Nice tae meet ye, tay, Becca.” It was a big moment for both of them, so with that out of the way, they could finally pick the right cuisine to catch up on almost three decades of life stories.

A family photo sounded like the perfect way to wrap up their day. Well, that and ice cream, because what perfect day wouldn't have room for ice cream? Gemma obliged them by taking the camera, and Rebecca watched Kalos do her best to wipe away the tears. Rebecca helped, carefully brushing the water from her daughter's cheeks. She smiled proudly. "Look at mah daughter, th' looveliest yoong lady." And how lucky was Becca to be there to watch her grow up into the amazing woman she would become?

They gathered together and Rebecca smiled and said, "Cheese!" right along with Kalos. The smiling was contagious.

With their first official photo as a family (at least in the eyes of New York,) Rebecca took the papers for everything that would come next. "We'll hand th' papers tae th' court." Recognizing the way Kalos looked at the papers and quickly added, "Bit they'll gie us a copy and ye can take it haem. It can remin' ye ay today." Though she doubted Kalos would need something to remind her.

"Sae whit dae ye say? Aw th' Grey-Morris family members in favor ay gettin' it ay th' court an' intae an ice cream shop?" She raised her hand to initiate a vote, though she was sure she knew her family well enough to know how a vote like that would go.

Rebecca placed a reassuring hand on Kalos' shoulder, letting the young woman process her emotions. The tears welling in Kalos's eyes were contagious. It was a big moment for a girl who grew up on the streets alone, and for someone who grew to love that girl as a daughter, watching her realize she would always have a home with them was everything.

"We can. Maya an' Ah awready signed our part coz we cannae wait fer ye tae be our daughter officially." Officially because she had been that for a long time now in their hearts. Rebecca pointed to a line on the papers where a child of fourteen or older would sign to consent. "Ye'll sign yer name here an' we'll gae tae an' office two hallways doon. We'll hand the paperwork in, an' then we can gae gie ice cream. Sae are ye ready tae be Kalos Grey-Morris?"

Admittedly, there was probably a processing time while the court got everything in order, but why get lost in the minutia? Today would be the day they remembered as the anniversary of them becoming a family.

Gawain knew how to keep things light when Rebecca needed levity. God, she loved him for that. ”Note for th’ next antler day: button-doon shirts.” Gawain and Maya both looked great in button-downs, so if anything, that was an absolute win.

Rebecca unloaded some of her initial concerns about her sister, which admittedly started at the surface level. She blushed when Gawain replied incredulously. ”Aye, it crossed my damn mind! Ah’m an appreciator ay th’ female form! Hoo awkward a start woods ‘at hae bin?” Hi, I’m your half-sister, also, I ogled your photoshoot once! Let alone of she had kissed her at a bar at Oxford!

It was not the polite thing to say, but Rebecca also assumed Gawain would be the one dealing with this, if it were to ever come up. ”Ance Ah heard travellin' assassin mom, naethin' woods surprise me abit yer family,” she admitted. ”Wi' thes, Ah guess thaur is some shell-shock. Ah didne expect anythin' loch thes frae mah ma. Ah guess, thocht, when Ah gie pest 'at... weel, mebbe it's a wee bit excitin'?”

It was hard to see that with the weight of her mother’s confession on her shoulders, but in her safe space on the couch in her husband’s comforting arms, she could reflect on the news itself. Getting past the surprise that she could have a secret sister, Rebecca thought about the world of possibilities that opened up. She could not go back and change her experiences of growing up an only child, but she could get to know someone she had a unique, familial bond with. Her sister sounded like she was doing well for herself, and Becca had a stable life with a loving spouse and two amazing daughters.

The news was unexpected, but unexpected things could be good! ”Ah hope she’s guid. Ma said she disnae think Aoife is a mutant. Ah hope me bein’ a mutant willnae be a problem. If sae, she disnae gie tae meet Kalos an’ Iris. If she’s guid thocht, our girls may hae an honest tae God auntie tae meet.”

Having Gawain around was a comfort while Rebecca came to terms with the lie her mother told her for years. Well, that was unfair. It was not a lie, it was a secret, and did Rebecca not have secrets of her own when she was a teenager? Nothing that big, but she was trying—really trying to understand what happened from her mother’s perspective. Hurt and alone and out of her depth. There was no easy choice there.

Mackenzie continued, confessing the choice she eventually made. The baby, Rebecca’s half-sister, was given up for adoption with the help and guidance of Rebecca’s grandparents. The Scot sat quietly, but Gawain was the empathetic person Rebecca fell in love with. Mackenzie appreciated. “It wisnae easy an' Ah thooght a lot abit 'at lassie, hopin' she was livin' a better life than Ah coods gie 'er.”

That must have been hard. Rebecca always saw her mother as such a positive, vibrant woman. Was she carrying a burden like that alone the whole time? “Ah didne think it was mah place tae seek 'er it jist coz Ah got mah life back oan track. Ah prayed she foond a guid family ay her own. But Ah got a caw frae 'er oan New Year's Eve, sae evidently she foond me.”

This woman, Becca’s half-sister, found Mackenzie and there was evidently a long talk to give the abandoned daughter closure. Mackenzie apologized and made peace, and they learned about one another’s lives. She was apparently working as a model and was on a shoot in New York. When Mackenzie explained who Rebecca was, she jumped at the chance to meet a long lost sister.

“Aye. She wants tae knoo our family. Especially ye, Becca. She ne’er grew up with a sister.”

”Neither did Ah,” Rebecca muttered, quickly adding, ”Sorry.” She had already decided not to hold this secret against her mother, but Becca did feel like she missed out on something she was unaware of until today.

Her mother shared the details of the meeting, should Becca decide she wanted to meet her half-sister. When they finished things up, Becca walked her mother out to the gate. “Ah apologize fer droppin' a bomb loch thes oan yer happy growin' family. Ah hope ye can forgife me fer thes ain day.”

At the gate, Rebecca looked at her mother, stowing away the stew of complex emotions she was dealing with, and hugged the woman who raised her. ”Ma. Thes will tak' time, but... Ah forgife ye anyway. Ah dunnae know whit Ah woods dae in yer place. But thenk ye fur tellin' me noo. Ah loove ye.”

“Ah love ye, tay, Strawberry.”

---

Iris finally drifted to sleep in her crib. Seeing grandma was exciting, but clearly tuckered the baby out. After fussing and receiving appropriate amounts of attention, it was finally nap time.

Rebecca wanted to get Iris to bed before she took the time to talk about the day’s news with her partner. She flopped onto the couch, conscious of the protrusions on her head. She liked her couch and her spouse, so gouging either would be unfortunate. ”It's tragic 'at we're dealin' wi' serioos revelations while walkin' aroond wi' antlers. It feels tay silly tae be appropriate.”

Letting out a long breath to finally decompress, Rebecca reflected on the confession and the author on the table. ”A sister. ‘At’s jist mental. An she’s a model! Gosh, it's a guid hin' redheids arenae mah type. Coods hae hud some uncomfortable realizations otherwise.” At least when Rebecca ogled admired swimsuit models, she gravitated to brunettes and blondes. ”An’ she wants tae meet me…”

Mackenzie watched how her daughter lit up when her spouse entered the room. Becca had been timid growing up, but as much as Mackenzie missed having her daughter in the country, she had blossomed in America. She was confident, she built her own life, and clearly found someone to be head-over-heels in love with. She could suffer the distance to see her daughter so happy.

"Gawain! it's guid seein' ye again. Glad tae see yoo're takin' guid caur ay mah tois favorite lasses." Mackenzie doted on Iris, kissing the spot between her baby antlers. "Thes wee ain is growin' sae fest awreddy. Ah hae half a min' tae move tae th' States sae Ah can see 'er every day."

Rebecca scoffed, laughing at her mother in the biggest city in America. "Ma, Ah loove ye an' 'at woods be wonderful, but ye woods haaaaate it haur. Troost me." Mackenzie was still passionate and full of life, but she was a woman who loved nature and her idyllic home away from the noise and concrete.

Gesturing for Gawain to join them, Rebecca sipped her hot drink. "If ye'd loch tae join th' antler party, ye're welcome tae Iris, jist dinnae gie tay close tae me an' Ma." The power-gifting complicated life, but now that Iris was no longer in Rebecca's stomach, those gifted mutations had expiration time limits. With good time management, they could be back to default status by the time they needed to be.

Once everyone got settled back in, Rebecca recalled the conversation she was having with her mother before Gawain entered. "Oh richt, Ma, ye were sayin?"

Realizing what her daughter meant, the older woman looked to Gawain, then back to Rebecca. "Eh, mebbe it shoods bide fur later."

Rebecca dismissed the thought with the wave of her hand. "Nae, it's fine. Gawain an' Ah've got nae secrets. What's up?"

Her mother considered pushing the matter one more time, but that would send warning signs anyway. She smiled sadly. "That's guid. That's hoo yer faither an' Ah hae lasted thes lang. But... Ah'm sorry, honey. Ah've bin keepin' a secrit frae ye. An' it's time Ah come clean."