Gale paced anxiously in the living room of the manor, worried at the late hour on the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, as well as her failed attempts to contact any of her siblings by phone. She was nearly at her wit's end with needling distress for her overdue siblings, about to call for Amanda's assistance, when the relieving sound of a rumbling coupe stampeded up the driveway, being chased by another just like it. She went to the garage in haste to make sure all was well.

    When Gale turned down the hallway that ended at the door leading into the garage the door opened, allowing Corbin and Lydia to file into the hallway where they acknowledged Gale's worried expression with knowing frowns, but kept silent. Gale studied their timid demeanors for a moment, about to ask for confirmation that all was well when Shade walked in and they parted to present her to Gale. The sight of her swollen and badly bruised face dropped Gale's mouth with a whispered gasp of shock.

    "Oh Shade, this is the worst yet," Gale admitted with a frowning sigh as she examined Shade's battered face.

    Shade shrugged with a devil may care raise of her brow. On more occasions than either would like to recall through the years after their parents' deaths Shade had shown up with various injuries that sometimes had explanations and sometimes not. Gale had never withheld her healing abilities from her troubled sister and she certainly wasn't going to now.

    She went to Shade and gently cupped her wincing face in her hands, then she closed her eyes and filled the hallway with the surreal hum of her healing  melody that escaped through her barely open lips. Corbin and Lydia watched in awe as the deep bruises on Shade's face receded, leaving behind the creamy texture that normally adorned Shade's alluring features. Her swollen and split lips shrank back into their usual, tempting shapes under the mending power of Gale's gift. Within a few incredible moments Shade's face was completely restored and Gale's divine song faded away.

    After Gale removed her hands, Shade stretched her formerly sore jaw to enjoy a sampling of the surety of Gale's unique ability. "Thanks sis," she offered.

    Gale nodded with a half smile, then the four of them went to the dining hall where Gale was told of the events of the evening. Aghast at Shade's ordeal, she did not pry for any more details than what were given, and in the adolescent presence of Lydia even those were properly censored. Upon Lydia's praised account of her gift's part in Shade's rescue, Gale marveled at the evolution of her youngest sister's gift, and she doted on Corbin with an appreciative stare when his role was bragged about by Shade.

    "Well...," Gale said, looking across the table at each of her siblings, but eyeing Shade more keenly with a compassionate concern for her trauma,"...situations like tonight are exactly why Mother bestowed each of us with our gifts; to keep her family safe and whole."

    Gale's statement received nods and fleeting smiles of agreement from everyone gathered at the table, then because of the late hour and everyone's reasonable exhaustion bedtime was unanimously opted for instead of further discussion, which would surely resume tomorrow. After a round of hugs that the gravity of recent events called for, everyone departed from the dining hall in the direction of their bedrooms.

     Shortly after the midnight hour, when the manor had become still with sleep, Corbin was roused by a discreet but determined knock at his door. He sat up, turning a small lamp on near his bed and said,"Come in."

    The door to his room opened and he watched Shade sneak around it in her black nightgown then close it quietly behind her. She strolled over to his bed with the weight of something heavy on her mind and sat down, drooping near him. Looking at him with a guilty smirk that quickly fell into a contrite little frown, she turned her head down as if she were ashamed to look at him further and brushed her straight brown hair behind her ears.

    Clearly she was struggling with something and Corbin could see the toll it took on her whole being. From the downward stare of her dark eyes that looked over her saddened mouth to her slouching shoulders and unusually timid hands that rested in her lap she seemed so fragile, so vulnerable; more like a lost little girl than the self-assured, strong young woman he'd come to know and admire since moving into the manor. Seeing her like this made Corbin's heart go out to her.

    Softly, he coaxed her in a voice she knew was as sincere as any she'd ever heard, perhaps even more so,"Shade, what's wrong?"

    She floated a troubled glance at him before returning her head down with a sigh. "Corbin, there's a lot about me you don't know yet. I used to run with a pretty rough crowd."

    "Yeah...I um...I heard," he confessed.

    Shade tossed another quick look in his direction, this one of a somewhat surprised nature, then she went on. "Well, let's just say I've made my share of mistakes. But I never wanted any of those mistakes to hurt the ones I love, not ever," she emphasized. 

    "Shade, you don't owe me any explanations," Corbin said, trying to wave off the guilt he saw rising in his sister.

    She turned to him with a flare of the confidence he envied about her, then she addressed him forcefully. "I do. I do owe you an explanation...and so much more. After what you went through back there tonight, for me..."

    The words to express herself failed Shade and her dark eyes began to appear watery as she sought a way to continue. Corbin frowned at his sister's struggle, as well as the reminder of what he'd done in that old rotting house. With a subtle sigh he locked away those memories to digest them later and focused on his sister's obvious need of his assurance.

    "Hey," he whispered firmly, to steal her away from her inner conflict. "You're my sister, and no matter what you've done or what you do...that will never change."

    She stared at him wondrously for a long moment, hoping he knew somehow just how much that meant to her while she tried to find a way to convey her own immense affection for him. Finally, she reached up and caressed his cheek tenderly with the backside of her hand as he smiled warmly at the meaning behind her touch, keeping his earnest eyes locked on her. 

    When she withdrew her hand he reached up to return the gesture but she carefully caught his hand just before it reached it's mark, leaving him momentarily confused. Then she pressed his hand, palm first, against her cheek and leaned her entire head into his hand as she held it firmly in place. Closing her eyes she lost herself in the consolation of his touch.

    Corbin treasured the union until his heart began to swell with a vow. He leaned in close to Shade, opening her eyes with the rustling of his movement but he was careful to keep their touch unbroken. The purple tint of his eyes deepened as they swallowed Shade in a heartfelt gaze.

    "You told me once, after saving me from Jarell, that you would always come for me. I'm telling you now that as long as there is a breath left in me, I will always be there for you," he vowed, with all of himself.

    Corbin's hand cupped her restored smile as it grew from her mouth to her eyes, forcing out a single tear made from the joy of their shared love.