Chapter 27

December 24, 2000

She made it to Frank's family party, which was held at his uncle Louis'. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to attend it. For the past 2 weeks, the EBEE sent her on cases whenever she was off the flyball field. She would normally be flying to the Fullemons at this time, but told them she'd be coming over the next day instead, knowing that it meant the twins would be grilling her with questions.

During the evening, she became good friends with Audrey, Frank's cousin. Audrey was 8 years old. She couldn't figure out why, but there was something about Audrey that intrigued her. Audrey, like Frank, was also raised by a single mother. However, unlike Frank, she never knew her father: he'd left her mom before she was born. Lizzy, Audrey's mother, was Molly's younger sister.

His sister Stephanie kept hearing about how Coralis had saved her mother against four guys. She started working as a nurse aide in a trauma centre near Mirabel the week after that incident. She was intrigued: her workplace was owned and managed by werewolves and specializing in werewolf health, so she wondered if Coralis knew about their world, if she actually was a werewolf, but she couldn't directly ask: humans weren't supposed to know about werewolves and her coworkers swore her to secrecy.

"Is she coming tomorrow to brunch with mom?" said Stephanie to Frank, as the evening was about to end.

"No, she's taking a flight to the UK tomorrow morning, she wasn't supposed to come tonight."

"Oh… well I kinda like her, so I was hoping to talk to her more tomorrow."

"To be honest, I was also hoping to talk to her more tonight, but seems like Audrey won."

Coralis' pager beeped. She silently cursed and apologized to Audrey. She walked to Frank, who was still standing next to his sister.

"Mind if I borrow your phone for a minute? Need to call work."

"But it's Christmas Eve," he said, while pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

"Yeah, but most bad guys don't care about that."

She grabbed his phone and walked outside. Frank followed her. Stephanie became convinced that Coralis knew about werewolves, and probably was one, but didn't know how to confirm it.

Cautious, she first dialed a code to make sure he wouldn't be able to call back that number, then typed in the number on her pager. She knew that Frank was struggling with the secrecy regarding her work, but she couldn't have him trying to call the numbers she dialed. She knew she'd have to eventually tell him about who she was and what she was doing for a living, but tonight wasn't the night. She also knew that he was standing behind her.

"Yes… seriously?... Ok, I'll be on my way."

"You really have to go?"

"Yes, it's related to a case Eva and I started at the Côte-des-Neiges cemetery."

"The one you were heading to when me and Mark saw you on the bus?"

"No, a different one."

"Does that mean you won't be able to take your flight to the UK tomorrow morning?"

"I don't know about that, but if it's not tomorrow, it'll be the next day. I've been going there… hmm… every year for the past 9 years, I can't miss it."

"But that's not fair. I barely get to see you and to spend time with you, while they get to live with you. Can you miss it just this year?"

"What do you mean? I don't actually spend more time with them than I spend with you. Do you think something is going on between me and them?"

She stood on the side of the house, by the shadows. He was pacing, but was careful not to yell.

"I never met them, so I don't know. All I know, is that you live with three guys that I've never seen, and you're going to spend Christmas Day with them instead of me. I'm really serious about you, but I barely know anything about you."

With her right hand, she grabbed his left hand, to get him to stop pacing, and brought him closer to her.

"I'm sorry, it didn't occur to me that you could get jealous of them. Yes, in the UK, I live with three guys, but it's really not like that. Gus likes males. Erik and Henry are like brothers to me. I mean, their family had tried to to adopt me, but bureaucracy is what it is and they couldn't. By the time the paperwork would have gone through, I'd have been an adult, and I told you that I'd been emancipated at 15. You can't make me choose between me and them, that's not a fair choice."

Frank felt bad. He realized he'd been overreacting. Victoria told him that they weren't any threat to them and warned him against getting jealous, but he couldn't help himself. He held her face between his hands and pecked her lips.

"No, I'm sorry luv, I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's just, I know so little about you, that sometimes I catch myself looking too much into the little you give me."

It didn't escape to Coralis the nickname he used on her: luv. She decided not to fight it. She sighed.

"I told you that one of my works was kind of related to extreme sports, right?"

"Yes, I remember you saying that, but you also added classified to it, and I know that both of your works relate to national defence."

"Erik and Henry also work in that field, but uh, for a different branch. In February, they are supposed to come here, for some kind of gathering. If you want to, I'll introduce you to them when they're in town."

She wrapped her right arm around his waist, and her hand behind his neck, and pulled him closer to kiss him. Neither of them had a jacket on, and both chose to ignore the cold temperature creeping on them.

"I'm sorry if I can't tell you much about work and such, but don't worry, I'm not seeing anyone behind your back."

He kissed her back, and didn't want to break it. At that moment, Frank just wanted to take her back to his place, and made sure that she knew she was his.