-3-

Agnes had been admiring her granddaughter all day. She had her mother's long eyelashes and wicked brows but other than that she was Claus' child. Egypt had her father and grandfather's lips which were also had by Snowie. Like Snowie she had huge gray eyes. Because she looked so much like them, her grandparents adored her even more. 

Egypt also had a mischievous streak, like her father did at her age. "Don't play in your food." Claus chastised his daughter. "I've got my eyes on you Egypt Winter." The baby grinned up at her father.

Claus went over tot he window and peered out at the dawn sky. "I'm still watching you Egypt." 

"Aaah?" Egypt said innocently.

"Don't you dare."

When she realized that her father still hadn't turned around to look at her, Egypt grabbed a fistful of the warm porridge and allowed it to slip between her fingers, getting it on her clothes, the floor and the feeding table.

"Egypt! What did I just tell you?" Claus shouted, Egypt squealed with laughter and clapped, eventually tossing the entire bowl on the floor.

"Hungy!" She told her father afterwards.

"No you're not, you just want to make a bigger mess." He told her.

"Boy, go get ready for work. Come here angel!" Jack told his granddaughter and scooped her up into his arms. 

"Ga'pa!" Egypt said and patted his face.

Jack sat the girl on the floor and played with her. "Come on honey, I'll get you dressed. Momma is taking you to Grandpa Erik and Grandma Jamie today. Now, are you going to be a good girl for them?"

"Des!"

"Are you sure? Because you remind me of another little child who got himself into trouble all the time." 

Egypt's answer was to grin and stuck her fist into her mouth.

"Oh no, was it today you were coming?" Erik asked when he pushed the door open. "I was going on a trip today. You'll bring her back though?"

"Sure Daddy."

Jamie came out of the house and made sure that her husband got into a cab. She sighed heavily, "Human husbands expire so quickly." She told her daughter. "I do hope that your father will be okay, he's beginning to forget things." Jamie tickled her granddaughter's ribs, Egypt squealed with delight.  "Come on in."

"What brings you here Jaylee, I doubt that you're just paying a courtesy call."

"I'm worried about my daughter. I don't want to have to send her away."

"You're talking about letting the humans know of our existence again? Jaylee, it is a serious risk, one that we were unwilling to take for centuries. It is easier to just leave things the way that they are."

"You want us to continue living in fear? Hiding away?"

"We do not live in fear, the humans do. They kill each other out of fear, imagine what they will do to us. They outnumber us greatly although we have many advantages they can easily wipe us from the face of the planet. However, my friend Vita will be here soon, she has great influence in human politics."

"Jaylee, tell me what do you expect for the future? This thing that you're trying to accomplish. This will require time and effort, rules and guidelines, persons to create these rules and enforce them."

"Perhaps your friend Vita will be able to assist with this."

Jamie was silent for a while, listening to her granddaughter playing behind them babbling and cooing at her doll. Every now and again the little girl would sink her already developed fangs into the soft neck of the teddy and shake it around. 

"All of this for your daughter?"

"No." Jaylee said. "All of this because I love my daughter, because I can't change what I am and I do not wish to hide away when my husband dies and I have grandchildren and great grandchildren who appear the same age as I do. I don't want to have to move away from the town that I love because I should have been dead centuries ago. I don't want to be you Mother."

Jaylee moved to the couch were Jamie sat. "How many friends have you watched die, how many lovers? How many times have you moved only to end up where you left from a hundred years later? I just, I don't want to do that Mother."

Before Jamie could reply there was a knock at the door. "That's Vita."

Vita Alto was a thin woman with birdlike features and an air of confidence. "Vita," Jamie greeted her. "You've met my daughter Jaylee. The baby she's holding is my granddaughter Egypt."

"Another hybrid? If this keeps up our blood will be so thin that we will be mere mortals ourselves."

Egypt made a miserable sound and scrubbed at her eyes. "Mother, Egypt is tired."

"Erik put up your cot in your old bedroom, you can lay her in there."

Jaylee had Egypt just about settled when Vita came into the room. "Jaylee, your mother has told me about your plans, and I must say that they disturb me. Why on Earth would you wish to change something which has been in place before you were born?"

"Why would you wish to hide out for centuries?"

"How do you propose even going about letting the humans know of our presence other than sinking our fangs into their soft fleshy necks?"

"With people that the humans admire, politicians, celebrities. There are many of us in those positions." 

Vita nodded, "And then what?"

"We shall cross that bridge when we get there."

"Leave well enough alone Jaylee, you are a baby, as helpless and naive as the one sleeping behind you. We have kept our secret our reason, the last time someone came up with this same brilliant idea many of us were burnt alive, slaughtered, cut to bits and even those pieces were burnt. I will not assist you on this venture, if you persist I will get rid of you for my own good and the good of my kind."