“Come on mom!”

“I’m coming Leonardo. Be patient.”

Leo was anything but patient. He was turning eleven and Suzie was coming over for the first time in the years! He missed her and couldn’t wait to see their again! He was excitedly bouncing on the heels of his shoes outside as he waited for Abigail’s car to pull up. His new, slightly older disguise made his hair longer so it was tied up into a bun with his two streaks of bright red hair loose and bouncing over his face. A black truck pulled up in front of the hotel and the passenger door was opened to reveal Suzie. She was fifteen and was super tall! Her human disguise was super different from what Leo remembered.

Her grayish black hair was buzzed completely on one side and the rest fell on the other side, she over a neon green cropped jacket over a black t-shirt with a white wolf silhouette howling, ripped jeans with some chains, a lip piercing in her lower lip on the left, and a single dangling feather piercing hung from her left ear wear her hair was shaved.

She looked vastly different, but the bright smile on her face and the hug she gave to Leo was all it took for him to cry and hug her back.

While the two were escorted into the hotel. Big Mama gave Abigail a gentle smile. Abigail was hesitant on letting Suzie anywhere near the hotel, but she couldn’t stand the hate from her daughter. When she asked Suzie if she wanted to spend a week at the hotel for Leonardo’s eleventh birthday, Suzie gave her the first real smile in years. Her eyes were wide, her tail was wagging, her ears were at attention, etc.

Suzie couldn’t keep still on the car ride over. Abigail herself was considering moving back or at least closer to the hotel to keep her daughter happy. David passed away, so the decision was left to her. She returned Big Mama’s smile and left her car to the valet.

“Welcome back, Abigail.”

“Thanks Mum.”

The two women chatted aimlessly as they went to the outside pools. The weather was finally getting warm enough, so it was nobody's surprise to see a glamor around one of the pools. Leo was wearing a pair of indigo swim shorts while Suzie wore a black and plum one piece. Their clothes and broaches lay on one of the lawnchairs while they played in the water. Abigail took her broach off and changed into a smoky gray two piece. Big Mama opted for a pair of plum shorts and a lilac tank top.

She was so happy Leonardo was laughing. Sure she could make him laugh and giggle, but no one else had ever been able to make Leonardo laugh the way Suzie did. She was his sister in everything but blood. By all accounts, the two grew up together. She was miffed that the other children never kept in contact, but there was nothing she could do about them.

“Mum, I have something to ask of you?”

“What is it my dear?”

Big Mama set her fruity drink on the table between their chairs and looked at Abigail.

“Would it be possible to let Suzie stay here for a little while? I’m starting a business in the Hidden City, but I don’t want to uproot her from the hotel for now. It won’t be long, just an extra week while I get my affairs in order.”

“Sweet Abigail, you and your marvelous daughter are always welcome here. The Grand Nexus will always be your home.”

“Thanks Mum. I made Leonardo a birthday gift. Suzie told me that he’s grown a liking to unicorns, so…”

Abigail pulled her phone out of a special nowhere space in space. (Escentially a rift in the space around her where she stores things.) She pulled up a picture of a turquoise unicorn onesie with a dark purple tail and mane. The next few pictures were similar onesies, but all were different in one way or another.

“Abigail, these are absolutely darling! This will be a splendiferous little birthday indeed! I can’t wait for Leonardo to open his gifts.”

“Who else is coming to the party?”

“Us, Godrick, Mrs. Davies and her wife, our kids, Mister Hueso and his son Hueso Junior, and that’s all I think.”

“What about the other kids? Danny, Jack, Shika, April, and Nathaniel?”

“April and Nathaniel are on a vacation with their father in California at the moment, and the other children didn’t keep in touch the way Suzanne has. She still wants to become a Nexus Champion.”

“That girl…She’s just like her father. Devoted, headstrong, loyal, and fiercely stubborn. I don’t think I can stop her at this point even if I tried. She’s been taking hand-to-hand combat lessons from some guy she met.”

“If it is alright with you, I’d like to set Suzanne up with a contract that will allow her to become a champion for two years after the required training, and then become Leonardo’s personal bodyguard. Godrick is planning to settle down soon and wants to help me train his replacement.”

“I think it’s a good idea, and I know the kids would be overjoyed, but can you promise me she won’t die in the Battle Nexus?”

“Dear, I make the Battle Nexus sound worse than it actually is. Warriors who sign up for it voluntarily are treated with the utmost luxury and courtesy, making a substantial amount of money. The people who I choose to punish are…quite envious of their treatment compared to their own.

  Suzanne would receive living accommodations in the hotel or a nice place to live within the Hidden City, medical treatment after every fight, lessons from past Champions on how to make the fights look enrapturing, and so on and so forth. Her matches will be the cynosure of every week.”

“Thank you Mum, I really appreciate it. Let's tell the kids tomorrow. Leonardo is already having the best day ever, we shouldn’t take that away from him.”

“Where’d the children go?”

Abigail’s head snapped up and frantically looked around before smiling fondly. She gestured to a chair not too far from them where the kids laid sleeping. After a few pictures of them like old times, the mothers set about making Big Mama’s office look like an adorable unicorn paradise.

Even though she loved her son, Big Mama will never give him an actual unicorn. They breed like vermin and eat everything. No unicorn would ever be allowed in her hotel.

The color scheme was pastel purples, pinks, blues, etc. The balloons and streamers matched the pastel theme but were glittery, the gift table was a plain mahogany wood table with a lavender colored table cloth.

The food table was where the real fun was at. Diced fruit kabobs consisting of pineapple, thin pieces of coconut, mango, peaches, and cantaloupe were arranged to be a beautiful bouquet on both ends of the table.

There was a set of matching tables next to the main table with a few meat options. The majority of the party's attendees were carnivores, so it'd be plain bad hospitality to not have food for them. There were similar bouquets of steak and chicken kabobs with bell peppers and onions on both tables along with the cutest of cold cuts and cheese.

Back to the main table, there was a plate of fried tofu squares, a bowl of "Unicorn Punch" (apple juice mixed with plain spite with a small amount of edible glitter), and the cake was the magnificent masterpiece of everything.

A two tier strawberry angel food cake with a sugar free vanilla frosting (Maria fixed the frosting to actually have the sugar for the kid's sake), cute strawberry roses on each tier, and a "11" candle on top.

Mama was in charge of baking the cake and was generously offered help by Mrs. Davies. The help was greatly appreciated since Big Mama never cooked a thing in her life, box cupcakes and brownies with Leo during the winter holidays didn't count.

All that was left to do was to wake the still passed out Suzie and Leonardo. It was getting close to dusk outside so they were moved inside and covered with blankets by the staff. Big Mama and Abigail cooed at their babies and took more pictures.

Leonardo was gathered in her arms and taken to a nearby restroom to change for the party.

"Mom? What time is it?"

"It's almost time for your party baby-shell. Arms up."

Leo was barely comprehending his mother's words. He moved on auto piglet until he started brushing his teeth. He liked his new birthday outfit. A pastel blue polo shirt with a lightly fluffy collar and his clocking broach in the center just like his mom's, a pair of soft white pants, and his favorite pair of indigo fuzzy socks.

He was excited for Suzie to attend his party. He ran out of the bathroom and saw Suzie waiting for him. She wore a pastel purple top, a pair of black jean shorts, knee high fuzzy socks that matched her shirt, and a matching fuzzy belt. Leo was hoisted to her back and laughed and flapped his hands excitedly as Suzie ran around the barren lobby.

"Come on children. We must use the elevator to get to the party. We don't want to be late now, do we?"

"Never!"

Leo "guided" Suzie to the open elevator. She was tense on the ride up and was fidgeting with her hands and lightly pulling on her hair. Leonardo rubbed the top of her head gently, trying to calm her down.

During one of their Skype calls, they'd both gotten into what happened to them that day, and they learned things about each other. Suzie was nervous in elevators, didn't eat egg salad anymore, couldn't stand the sight of a baseball bat, and hated the sight of mullets.

Leo was also a little wary of elevators, but not as bad, had a massive case of hemophobia, hated the smell of second hand smoke, and was nervous around humans.

Right now all that went out the window as the two enjoyed the little games Godrick had made with Big Mama. A toy archery game with velcro arrows and targets, a small indoor, mini golf, and darts.

Suzie was the best at the archery and darts games but Leo dominated the mini golf. Leo was raised onto Suzie’s shoulders after they both had cake and ran in mini circles over to the gift table.

Godrick gave Leo a small bebe gun with water based pellets, Maria and Amanada gave him a big basket of sugar free snacks and chips in his favorite flavor (cheddar and sour cream), Hueso gave him a small book with exactly eleven coupons for free and discounted family meals at his restaurant, H.J gave him a large wooden block with all his loved one’s names burned into the front with plenty of room to add names.

Suzie gave him a bunch of pc accessories like blue wolf ear headphones, a neon blue and black mouse, and plenty of stickers. Big Mama gave him a suit that matched her professional work outfit but it was a beautiful ombre mix of indigo and cobalt as well as a new, custom made blue cloaking broach for his collar.

Abigail was a little hesitant, but smiled when Leonardo opened her gift. His eyes were shining with stars and ran off to put it on. When he came back the hood was up and he couldn’t stop smiling. His eyes grew wide when he saw Suzie wear the onesie meant for her. A full black pegasus onesie with a white stomach, tail and mane. He was over the moon that they matched.

The smile Suzie gave her mother would live in Abigail’s memories and phone (thanks to Big Mama) for as long as she was alive. The kids played more games until they eventually passed out while eating snacks and watching a movie. Best birthday of Leo’s life, to date.

Vote, comment, and have a fantabulous day 😊😊💖💖
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