Although Mama appeared to be on the verge of protesting further, Jamie almost immediately stepped in to offer his congratulations, as well as his blessing. I stood back, feeling as if John's arm tethered up in mine was an anchor, while Jamie properly met Brianna and Roger, and seemed to immediately approve of his son-in-law. Fergus was sent to track down Ian, who John said should be at our upcoming nuptials, and Willie seemed utterly delighted at the turn of events.

He gently tugged at my hand and I bent my head close, due to the notion that he wished to whisper something to me. "Will you be my mummy, Tris?" he whispered.

I smiled, patting his cheek. "As soon as I marry your papa, Willie, yes, I shall."

Willie seemed pleased with that, bouncing on his feet. "A proper mummy," he said, his eyes shining with excitement.

John smiled down at his son. "Yes, although now it grows late," he said. "Say your goodbyes to everyone, Willie. We must return to our lodgings before it gets dark."

Willie sighed, obviously not pleased with that, but turned and dashed toward Roger, who had, clearly, made an impression.

"I must write to my brother in London," John told me, once we stood alone again.

I raised my eyebrows. "Will you need his permission?" I asked quietly.

John shook his head. "Of course not," he assured me, "though he will likely be angered that I told him numerous times that I had no intention of marrying again, and yet, here I am, proposing to Red Jamie's own daughter."

"Red Jamie?" I asked.

"A story for another time," John said gently. "I will also write to my mother; she kept rings from my father, as well as her first husband. I shall inform her of your coloring, and she will send me a suitable engagement ring for you, my dear."

"You needn't go to all that trouble," I told him softly.

John smiled, taking my hand in his and kissing it. "It is no trouble, I assure you, Beatrice," he informed me, his tone gentle. "My mother will love you, as will Hal's wife, Minnie. Hal will take his time to warm to you, but I know that he will come around eventually. Especially once he sees how charmed Willie is by you."

I nodded, knowing that I would have to leave this in John's hands. "I suppose you are a member of the Church of England... You know I was brought up Catholic?"

"And I shall never tell you to give up your religion for me," he said, smiling.

I shrugged. "I shall convert, for you," I decided, straightening my back. "I suppose it will make things far simpler, as we shall have to marry in one church or the other."

John smiled. "Very well, if that is what you wish." He kissed my hand again. "Spend some time with your family, while I make enquiries as to a proper church for our union. Perhaps we may see one another tomorrow for a meal, with either your sister and brother-in-law, or your parents, to act as chaperones?"

I nodded. "I shall make it known to them," I answered, thinking that Brianna and Roger likely would be more understanding, given the hastiness of their own nuptials, although that scenario was entirely different.

"As soon as we are wed, we shall go to Lallybroch, if you wish it, as I'm sure your father is keen to introduce you to the rest of his family," John said, giving me a genuine smile.

I found myself returning his smile. "You don't mind?"

John shook his head. "Of course not. It is only natural that you would wish to meet them as well, and I know that Jamie will be keen to introduce you," he said gently, before turning to see Willie waiting for him. Offering his son his hand, Willie came forward, kissed my hand and wished me a quick farewell, and the pair of them slipped through the crowd.

"You are truly sanctioning this?" Mama demanded, from where she stood with Jamie, and, when I turned to regard her, saw that she was completely apoplectic. "Jamie, really..."

Jamie regarded Mama, his expression stoic. "Will ye tell me why ye didna have any photographs of Beatrice when she was a bairn, or a wee lass?"

Brianna, meanwhile, had been speaking softly to Roger close by, but her head dramatically turned towards Mama when Jamie uttered his final sentence. "Mama! How could you not tell him?" she demanded.

I looked over at Roger, who gave me a solemn nod, before I crossed over to stand beside Brianna, taking her hand in mine, which appeared to calm her. "It's all right, Bree," I told her softly, not wanting her to become upset.

"No, it most certainly is not all right!" Brianna said, her tone indignant. "Mama lied to Da, and she shouldn't do that!"

"Bree," Roger said gently, placing a guiding hand upon her shoulder, "I ken ye wish to say what ye want, and I willna move to stop ye. However, ye are drawing a crowd," he continued, leading Brianna to flush deeply at her husband's words. "Perhaps we may continue this conversation elsewhere, so that we can speak about it properly?"

"Aye," Jamie said, nodding. "I will listen to ye, lass, but I willna have yer reputation spoilt on account of others."

Brianna's lips thinned as she glared at Mama, before she took Roger's arm in hers, retained her grip upon my hand, and gestured with her head towards Mama and Da. She then led us back through the crowd of people, towards our lodgings, and, upon arrival, ushered us upstairs. She turned and looked at me in silent communication, and I nodded, knowing that my bedroom would be more appropriate, given that I hadn't begun to unpack yet.

I led the charge inside, relieved that there was a settee, as well as two chairs, by the fireplace, meaning that there was plenty of room for everyone. I allowed Brianna to steer me, as well as Roger, onto the settee, meaning that Mama and Jamie would take the two vacant chairs. I did hope that Jamie had told Fergus where to find us, presuming that he could easily find us eventually, knowing that Roger had likely made it known where we were staying. I perched on my space upon the settee, while Mama sat, every inch the scolded child, upon one of the chairs, and Jamie took the other.

"Claire, we canna continue our marrit life if ye dinna be honest with me," Jamie explained to Mama, every inch the diplomat.

Mama's eyes snapped immediately onto his. "Perhaps you should be honest towards Beatrice first," she snapped, already quite confrontational.

"I think you owe Da an explanation about Tris first," Brianna countered, crossing her arms with a hint of exasperation. "We are talking about you, and what you didn't tell him. Don't try to turn it around, Mama, please," she begged, her voice cracking a bit at the end.

"Sassenach," Jamie said, his voice gentler than before, which directly caused Mama to look up at him, albeit slowly, "please. Tell me. Or, if ye canna, let the lasses tell me."

Mama folded her hands upon her lap, shame and embarrassment leaking from her at being called out. "The reason that I only had pictures of Brianna as a baby, and Beatrice only recently, is because I didn't even know she existed up until a few weeks ago."

Jamie stared at her, silent, though his eyes filled with a clear mixture sadness and rage. "How could ye not ken about her? One look at her," he said, looking at me for a moment, before turning back to Mama, "and I ken she's ours. She is yer mirror image, Sassenach, but for her eyes, which are mine. How could ye not ken her?"

"It was Frank," I said at last, when Mama wouldn't answer him, likely not wishing to speak ill of the dead.

Jamie's neck snapped at the force of looking over at me. "Frank?"

I nodded. "Yes, Frank," I continued, assuming that Mama had told Jamie about him, both before she had returned to the future, and after, when she had met him earlier that day. "Doctors had a method of pain relief during childbirth, with two drugs called scopolamine and morphine, which are inhaled by the mother in the hospital, when their labor pains begin, in an effort to keep them calm and put them to sleep. Mama was asleep throughout the delivery, and the nurses told Frank that Mama had delivered twins. He saw us in the nursery, picked Brianna, and told the nurse to place me immediately for adoption. She was not to tell Mama about me, and the nurse listened. I was put into an orphanage, where, at three months, I was adopted by a Maximilian and Virginia Carlyle, and raised as their only child."

Jamie had, with every word I spoke, curled his hands into fists upon the arms of the chair, the rage palpable in the room. "Were they good to ye?" he asked at last.

I sighed. "Max was," I answered, "though he died in an explosion while working when I was nine years old. He was everything a child could want in a father—kind, compassionate, patient, and loving. He encouraged my love of reading, and was always bringing home new books for me to read. We would often read together..."

Jamie nodded, a combination of relief and sadness on his face. "And Virginia?"

"Ginny, she was... Different," I said at last, biting down hard upon my lower lip. "At first, she was loving and attentive, but, after Max died, she changed. I believe her mind was tethered to being the picture-perfect wife and mother, and I was seen as a stepping stone to that, when it was discovered that she couldn't have children of her own. I think her mind, quite literally, snapped once Max died, and she was unable to cope because of it. She took to going down to the pub close by our home, near Inverness nearly every night. Because of this, it wasn't too long before she began taking men home, leaving me to do my homework, cook the meals, and clean house, all on my own..."

Jamie shook his head. "I am sorry about that, lass. Truly..."

I kept my eyes upon him as I forced myself to continue speaking. "The alcohol, as well as her mind, continued to make her unwell. One of her male companions asked about me, and she told me, with him in the room, that I was to do whatever he wanted—"

"She did what?" Jamie demanded, the last of his control snapping, as he jumped to his feet. "She permitted this man to use ye, lass?"

I nodded. "Yes," I answered softly, "and he was not the only man..."

Jamie's eyes appeared haunted at my words. "How old were ye?"

"Ten," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jamie's jaw clenched as his eyes filled with tears. "Did she no' give ye a choice?"

I laughed darkly at that. "I was whipped if I refused, and so I took razors to my arms and legs afterwards, cutting the flesh, in the hopes that, once those men saw me naked, then—"

Jamie looked over at Roger for a moment, inadvertently cutting me off. "Are ye sure ye dinna mind Roger being here?"

"He knows," I told him softly. "He was my professor at university; that was how we met. He is like a brother to me..."

"And, had I known where Ginny was imprisoned, I would have liked to kill her myself," Roger admitted, and Brianna rubbed his shoulder.

Jamie nodded slowly, before he turned to look at me again. "How long did it last?"

"It lasted until I was fourteen," I told him, sighing. "Max's closest friends, who were like an aunt and uncle to me, took me in afterwards. Their son accidentally walked in on me before I was going to wash, and saw everything. He told his parents, and they contacted the authorities, managing to get me to live with them. They sent me to a boarding school, where their own children went, and I was educated well there. It was from there that I went to Oxford, and how I met Roger, thus becoming a family friend of the Wakefield family."

"Which was how Brianna and I met her," Mama said, speaking at last. "We were in London visiting family when we heard the news that Reverend Wakefield, Roger's adopted father and biological uncle, had died. I knew him, as he was an old friend of Frank's, so Brianna and I went down to the reverend's home to pay our respects. When I saw Beatrice, I didn't want to believe it, at first, but she and Brianna acted as if they'd never been separated at all. They are the same height, as you know, but, when they discovered that, not only were they born in the same city, but also the same hospital, and on the same day... Well, it certainly helped that Beatrice knew that she had been a twin, as it was in her notes."

Jamie blinked, momentarily distracted. "Notes?"

"Hospitals have these things called files when it comes to patients," Mama explained to him, her tone patient despite the circumstances. "In each one, specific information is given—the patients' date of birth, family history of diseases, vaccination history, and what the patient themselves is allergic to. If you ever change doctors, you need to contact your previous one, and then they will send the file to your new doctor, to ensure that the best quality care to the patient is given."

"But, if you're just a baby, especially one who is declared a ward of the state and sent to an orphanage, you are lucky if you have a handful of notes to your name," I said quietly. "Max and Ginny were given the notes when they adopted me, and then Aunt Freya, who became my mother figure once Ginny lost her mind, got ahold of my file once she and Uncle Patrick, her husband, took responsibility for me. It came into my possession once I turned eighteen; it's actually in my belongings now," I said, nodding towards the small trunk I'd brought with me, which was currently stationed across the room. "I've shown it to Brianna, Mama, and Roger, and they confirmed that Frank's signature is on the first page of information given, alongside the nurse's that took me to the orphanage herself." I sighed, feeling utterly depleted at the notion of it all, wondering what had possessed Frank to give me away in the first place—a helpless baby who had done him no wrong. "If one look at me didn't confirm that I was a Fraser, well, that certainly solidified it completely."

Jamie sighed, looking completely tormented. "Do ye have photographs of yerself as a child, as a wee lass?" he asked quietly.

I nodded. "Yes. Max mostly took care of that until I was nine, and then Uncle Patrick and Aunt Freya took over. Once Mama told me that her intention was to show you photographs, I called them up, requesting that they send over copies of what they had."

"Called them?" Jamie asked, obviously interested. "Ye told them that ye had found your true family?"

I gave Jamie a small smile at his apparent happiness. "I did. They spoke to Mama and Brianna on the phone, and were very pleased for me. We told them that you lived a very modest lifestyle, and didn't have a telephone, television, radio, or anything like that. It was the simplest way, as I didn't think that they would understand the whole time travel thing, despite how understanding they were about other things in my life."

"May I see them? The photographs of ye as a wee lass?" Jamie asked softly.

I hesitated, before I looked over at Brianna, knowing entirely well that I had completely monopolized everything, and I certainly didn't want her to think I was deliberately hogging our father—

Brianna, however, got to her feet. "I think I'll have that nap now," she declared.

Roger promptly stood beside her. "Aye, that sounds agreeable," he said, nodding.

Mama watched them leave, after Brianna and Jamie embraced, while Roger and Jamie warmly shook hands. "I think I'll go and see to Fergus, and introduce myself to Ian," she said, slowly getting to her feet as well. "Will the two of you be all right?"

"Aye, Sassenach, we will be," Jamie responded, before turning towards her, and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "We'll speak more later. Go gently on Ian," he told her. "The lad is young yet, and he doesna ken ye still live."

Mama nodded, smiling softly at him. "Don't worry. I think I shall know what to say," she told him, squeezing my arm as she walked by, and left the room.

"May I see the photographs now, mo nighean?" he asked, as eager as a child on Christmas morning, waiting for Father Christmas.

I smiled, going into the small bag I'd kept around my waist, filled with some of the smaller things I'd brought, and pulled out the miniature photo album I'd found at a shop while we were preparing for our journey. Of course, Brianna and Mama had already seen and gushed over them, while Roger had said that there was no mistaking that I was Mama's other daughter. There were definitely similarities between myself as a baby and Brianna as a baby, and it warmed my heart to know that, although we couldn't be together in infancy or childhood, we certainly were now that we'd reached adulthood.

I got to my feet and crossed over to Jamie, whose eyes went wide as I opened it slowly. "This is the first photograph of me," I said, nodding down at the first page, which featured the nurse who had taken me to the orphanage, who was symbolically handing me over to one of the nuns. "I was only a day old at the time..."

Jamie gasped slightly, taking in every detail of the photograph of the small, pale baby, hovering in mid-air as the picture was snapped. The swatch of raven hair was already visible, despite the black and white photo, while Nurse Cummings, and Sister Louise, beamed at the photographer, likely another nun. "Bonny," he whispered, clearly overcome.

I waited for him to nod his head, and I patiently flipped to the page; in the next photo, I was three months old, and being held by Max and Ginny, who stood proudly with the social worker, Mr. Travers, who had solidified my adoption. It wasn't the first time I'd seen the photograph, as a massive copy of it had been on permanent display in the Carlyle household for as long as I could remember. "This is in Boston still," I informed Jamie quietly, and began pointing at all the key players in front of the camera, "that's Max, that's Ginny, and that's Mr. Lionel Travers; he was something called a social worker, and they're in charge of ensuring that adoptions are all legal."

"Paperwork?" Jamie asked, regarding the important-looking document that Max held, while Ginny was holding onto me for the photograph.

"It needs to be signed by all three of them to make the adoption legal," I explained. "Of course, since I was three months at the time, I didn't need to sign anything."

Jamie regarded the photograph for a few moments. "Max looks to be a kind man," he declared after a few moments, nodding his head with approval. "Ginny is... Cold."

I nodded, staring at the photograph, and seeing that her eyes were distant, even though she was, according to societal expectations, getting everything she'd ever wanted. "In comparison to Max, she certainly was," I agreed, turning the page. "This was after we'd moved to France," I said with a smile; all I had to remember it was speaking French, but I did appear happy in the photograph, in the accommodation we'd rented in Brittany, nearby the distillery that Max had been employed at. "We lived there, in Brittany, for two years, for Max's work."

"What did Max do for work?" Jamie asked.

"He was a thermodynamics engineer," I explained, and, at Jamie's confusion, decided it best to explain further. "He would test out and fix equipment in distilleries. We had to travel several times for his work. He and Ginny always encouraged my education, and I started learning French as soon as we got word that France was where he'd be sent next."

"How long were ye in France?" he wanted to know, peering closely at to photo; I was a toddler by the time we'd lived there, so walking and talking plenty, and my personality was beginning to shine through in the photos.

"Two years," I replied. "I don't remember much about it. I was two when we arrived, and four when we moved to Spain."

"Spain?" Jamie whispered, his eyes alight with something. "Yer mother and I lived in France for a time... Did... Did she tell ye about Faith?"

I nodded. "She did," I said gently, shaking my head. "I cannot imagine how devastating that would have been for you both. I'm so sorry."

Jamie gave me a soft smile at that. "I have ye, and Brianna," he declared, nodding for me to turn the page, "and I shall be happy with that."

I turned the page in the album, which featured me with Max and Ginny again, although this time we were living in Spain, and I was four. "I was four here," I said, nodding to the notion that I was no longer being held in the photo, and my hair had grown longer. "I was learning Spanish by this time, and, as you can see, the weather was quite warm," I said, smiling at the notion of the little sundress I wore, which was my favorite article of clothing, as clearly evidenced by the massive smile I was giving the camera.

"Which part of Spain were ye in?" Jamie asked.

"It's called Guipúzcoa, and it was in Basque Country," I told him. "I saw many wild animals while I was there. We lived in a converted farmhouse, which was very exciting for me, as it was more in the country than in the city. I learned about the history of the area, and made a few friends, which was quite fun, because I could actually speak with them..."

"Do ye like animals, then?"

I nodded. "I do. I think, had I been more settled..."

"What lass?"

I shrugged. "I've always wanted a cat," I confessed. "I love cats."

Jamie smiled. "My mother, yer grandmother, kept a cat called Adso, a ball of gray fur," he remarked, obviously pleased at the memory. "I ken we will find ye a cat, lass."

I smiled back at him. "I would like that."

Jamie peered more closely at the album. "Do ye have any more photographs?" he asked.

I laughed. "Yes, sorry," I said, turning the page. "We only lived in Spain for a year, and then we moved to Ireland for two more years," I said, looking down at the picture of my five year old self, again, beaming at the camera, this time in my first school uniform. "This was the first day of school in County Westmeath, and I was all dressed up to go..."

"Some lucky lassies are taught at home by their ma, but school is mostly a place where boys go off themselves," Jamie observed; he didn't sound irritated that Brianna and I had been given educations, however, much to my relief. "I ken things are different in yer time."

I gave him a soft smile. "This is my time, Da, and it always should have been," I told him gently, before I turned the page, revealing a seven year old me standing with Max and Ginny again, although this time we were in Scotland. "We moved to Scotland, to a small village, for Max's next assignment. Little did I know how much would change..."

Jamie didn't protest when I broke off, and, instead, turned the page on my behalf. He went silent once Max vanished from the photographs and, in short order, Ginny did as well. I pointed out Uncle Patrick, Aunt Freya, as well as Kenna, Elsie, and Angus, who heavily featured in the next few shots. He questioned if Angus was the one who had opened Pandora's box, when it had come to Ginny's treatment of me, and I confirmed to him that it was.

It broke my heart to see the torment etched on Jamie's face as I grew thinner in photographs from the age of nine to fourteen, and then came brighter days, when I was sent off to boarding school with Elsie. My high school graduation, alongside Elsie, was a highlight for him, and then there were a few of me with Roger at Oxford, two with us and Reverend Wakefield for Christmas, and even one with me and Fiona. "She knows," I said, nodding to that one, "Fiona. It was her grandmother, Mrs. Graham, that knew beforehand. The stones don't call to her, but she helps tend to them, and knows all the legends."

Jamie slowly shut the book at the final photo, which featured Brianna's wedding day to Roger, and Mama and I dressed up alongside them. He slowly handed the album back to me, staring off into space for several moments. "Did ye tell John?"

I nodded; I didn't need to question what he meant. "I did," I confirmed, "and you saw for yourself that he proposed."

Jamie nodded at that. "He is a good man. I ken he will treat ye well, mo ghràdh," he assured me, though he was still fraught with emotion.

I slowly stepped forward, slipping my hand in his. "Don't worry, m' athair," I said softly, and his eyes snapped to mine. "I'm not going anywhere. I can't speak for Brianna, Roger, or Mama, but I don't think any of them intend to leave anytime soon either."

Jamie blinked, wonderment marring his face. "Ye speak Gaelic?"

"Tha, tha mi deònach," I confirmed, nodding my head. "It was encouraged to know how to speak it, once you were in school. I came to Scotland when I was seven, and, but for my days at Oxford, I've never left it since."

"Do ye speak anything else?" Jamie asked, laughing slightly.

"Latin," I answered. "I also learned it in school."

Jamie continued laughing, before he stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. "I never thought I'd ever meet any of mo chlann," he whispered, "although ye and Brianna are more than I ever hoped for."

I clung to him tightly; other than John, he was the first man in quite a while that I felt comfortable being so close to. I felt the overwhelming sensation of safety, as well as the notion that this man would never hurt me causing shuddering sobs to echo throughout the room. "You are more than I ever hoped for, too, Da," I whispered back.

He pulled back, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I ken that John will likely no' wish for a long engagement..."

"He's requested that we go to Lallybroch afterwards," I said softly. "He figured out that I had never met you before. I used Mama's cover story, that she believed you were dead, and went away to the Colonies. I also mentioned that the man she married over there didn't want me, which led to my adoption. I filled it in along the way, mentioning Max's travels for work, and whatnot, which should keep many questions at bay for the time being."

Jamie nodded, likely relieved at that. "Aye," he answered, nodding. "For the time being..." He hesitated for a moment. "I've spoken to yer mother about this, Beatrice, but..."

I blinked. "Is something wrong, Da?"

Jamie slowly reached into his pocket, taking out what appeared to be a miniature oil painting, which he held reverently in his hand. He hesitated for a moment before he handed it over. "I need ye to understand..."

I raised my eyebrows, staring down at it. "Why do you have a portrait of Willie, Da?" I asked him, deliberately speaking slowly in my shock.

"Because he's yer brother," he answered.

I felt my jaw drop as I looked up at him again. "Brother? What do you...?"

"After Ardsmuir, I was a prisoner of war in England, at Willie's ancestral estate of Helwater," he explained, his tone grave. "The lord and lady who owned the estate had two daughters, Geneva and—"

"Isobel," I said softly, "John's first wife."

Jamie gave a short nod. "Aye," he said, nodding. "Geneva was beautiful, but headstrong, and very, very cruel... Her parents, having no proper heir, betrothed her to the elderly Earl of Ellesmere, in the hopes that she would have a son, and have someone proper to, one day, inherit the estate..."

"And she didn't want to sleep with him," I guessed, nodding my head. "While I can sympathize with her way of thinking, surely, I can't imagine you going to her bed willingly..." I broke off as my eyes found his again. "Oh, no. Da... She didn't..."

He sighed. "Aye, she claimed if I didna go to her bed when she ordered, she informed me that she would tell her father that I had raped her," he informed me darkly.

I gritted my teeth. "She deserved a good slap, at minimum," I muttered.

Jamie chuckled. "Aye," he agreed. "So, I went to her bed, as she wished, or, rather, commanded, for her first time to be someone young and handsome. When she returned from her honeymoon, she was with child, and the earl was quick to claim that she wouldna allow him to touch her. He attempted, after Geneva died in childbed, to harm the baby, but I managed to save the child, Willie. He doesna know, of course, as it would mean forfeiture of his inheritance. When my imprisonment came to an end, I begged John to raise him, and be his father, so he wed Isobel to ensure that such a thing could happen, legally..."

"May I tell him that I know?" I asked softly. "John," I reiterated quickly, not wanting him to think I wanted to inform Willie of his true parentage so young. "I won't inform Willie of it; that is for you to decide. However, Willie has asked me to be his mother, and I intend to fulfill that wish..."

"Aye, ye may tell him," Jamie assured me gently. "I willna have ye hiding secrets of that nature from him, as he is to be yer husband."

"He is," I said softly, looking down at Willie's portrait, before handing it back to Jamie, who took it with reverence, before slipping it back into his pocket. "What happens now?"

"Now?" he asked, giving me a soft smile. "Now, we continue to get to know one another... I believe yer brother Fergus should be done fetching Ian by now. Would ye like to meet yer cousin now?" he asked.

I laughed. "I should wait for Brianna..."

Jamie smiled. "Aye. Perhaps we can interrupt her nap?"

I scoffed at that, hurrying after him out of my room. "Not if you don't want to be scarred for life," I warned him.

Jamie looked over his shoulder at me. "They've got a wildcat in there?"

I shook my head. "No, it's an expression," I explained. "It means that Brianna and Roger are treating this as a honeymoon."

Jamie blinked. "A honeymoon?"

I nodded, my movements slow. "Yes, as in: Please don't come into our room unless it's thought to be an emergency."

"Oh," Jamie said softly. "Oh!" he said, once he caught on to what I was saying. Promptly, he turned towards the door to the bedroom where Roger and Brianna were in and proceeded to knock on it very loudly. "Brianna, Roger! It's an emergency! Come and meet yer cousin!" he bellowed, quite pleased with himself.

I smacked my forehead. "Not that kind of emergency," I muttered, not looking up as the door opened, knowing that, more than likely, Brianna and Roger would be most displeased at being interrupted from their "nap".