This was not the way I would have wanted Cam to be introduced to this world. In truth, I hadn't wanted her to be a part of this world at all. Humans generally didn't slot in well with the whole 'use kick-ass powers to kill random hot guys' thing. To my surprise, and horror, my dad, seeing as she wasn't buying the falling over idea, marched up the stairs and helped her into a seat at the table with the rest of us. My dad for crying out loud! And Griffin just went along with it so I guess I had no choice.

As it turned out Cam really did have some news. Despite the fact that I thought Alec had done away with my friends memories of all things Grigori apparently he didn't do a very good job. At all. No, one shower and a lie down later, Cameron remembered everything. And what's more? Her dreams became a documentary on Grigori. She knew almost more about us than Griffin! She knew my parents were soulmates and what they'd done to save the world. She knew all the local Grigori names and special abilities. Damn it! She was a bloody walking, talking encyclopaedia for our entire race! And the strangest thing was she had no idea how she got the information in the first place.

    "When I hugged Rose at school," she explained, "I was suddenly flooded with, like, everything she'd ever known. One second I was normal me and then whoosh! I was a back-up drive for my best friend's brain. And boy is there a lot of weird stuff in her head." I blushed a little and she continued. "I found out about this whole Grigori thing including all this stuff on you," she indicated Griffin, "And you and Mrs Wood," she looked to Dad, "And all the people at your party plus a whole lot of others. Talk about family secrets!" She seemed pretty calm about it all though; despite being slightly annoyed. It was later confessed to me that, with parents who occasionally wrote sci-fi or supernatural stories, this was a little bit like a dream come true.

    "I had to skip a whole lot of school," my friend whined, "At the start it was all too much to process. On the first day I was leaning over a bucket at least twice an hour. But I talked to Phoenix about it and slowly got used to it, I guess." Dad was staring at her bug eyed.

    "You talked to Phoenix about it?" he choked out. Cameron shrugged as if it was the only logical course of action to be taken.

    "Who else was I meant to talk to? Out of all of you he was the only human...ish," she responded, "Yeah, I know he's an ex-exile. Anyway, we arranged that he'd come to my house and we talked about it all. We worked out that I seem to get info on anyone I touch skin to skin." Now it was Griffin's time to freak out.

    "How did you arrange to meet up with Phoenix?" he questioned. Cam rolled her eyes, a gesture I knew all too well as I was often the cause of the action.

    "Aren't you the parent's every kid wants?" I snorted at this muttered undertone but the comment had seemingly been missed or ignored by the two men. "Okay. So I do History right?" she explained, a 'do I really have to tell you?' vibe running in her tone. "And it's very rarely that I find someone as interested in the subject as I am. So meeting Phoenix at Rose's party was like Christmas coming early. We got talking and I was able to convince him to be my study buddy. He has an amazing memory for dates and events and seeing as he is an ex-exile it makes sense he knew so much about history. Heck! He was there for almost everything we talked about! His memory will be awesome for History assessments and projects."

. . .

    "Cam is doing surprisingly well, don't you think?" Dad smiled, stirring his hot chocolate slowly, legs stretched out in front of him as we sat on the grass outside. It had been four days since we'd accepted my friend into our world and I couldn't agree more. She fitted so easily into everything and had even attempted sparing which she'd been surprisingly good at. Dean had been missing from my usual Monday session but Griffin was one step ahead and had arranged for the other Grigori to come and meet Cam as well as 'demonstrate' their powers.

    "I do have five brothers!" she'd defended when told so by Spence. It made my heart ache that she fitted in so perfectly with her miraculous knowledge and I was still plain old me. Had I missed my window of opportunity? When was it coming? I quelled my questioning mind.

    "Yeah," I agreed nodding, "She doesn't seem to want to be anywhere else but here." Dad and I sat in silence for a while, soaking in the afternoon sun, stomachs full of basil pasta and enjoying our little allotment of backyard. School had been busy for a Wednesday and I was glad for the peace and quiet.

    "How are you feeling about it?" Dad asked after a few minutes, "Cameron being around it all and such." I thought about it carefully before answering.

    "I'm okay with it, I guess," I replied slowly, "But she won't be allowed anywhere near exiles, right? I'm drawing a line for her there." Dad nodded and chuckled.

    "I didn't expect any less," he agreed, "There is no way anyone would let Cam near them, she'd probably scare them all to death with sci-fi quotes and we wouldn't have jobs anymore." I couldn't contain my laughter then.

    "Dad, do not underestimate the power of the sci-fi," I chided trying for a Darth Vader voice. My father shook his head laughing even harder than before.

    "Rose," he replied keeping with the Star Wars theme, "I am your Father."

    "Dad," I snickered, "Misquoted, you did." Together we collapsed into another fit of giggles. Each time either of us was close to stopping the other would spout another science fiction movie quote and the cycle of giggling would begin again.

    "Don't ever change, Rosie," Dad whispered after we'd laughed ourselves out, "I love you so, so much."

    "Don't worry Dad," I returned gently with the last of my strength, "I'm always going to be me." Silence wrapped around us momentarily once again before Dad broke it.

    "Mum and I love you," his voice was even softer than before, "even if you don't become Grigori. You know that, don't you, Baby?" I couldn't move. I didn't even have the energy to nod. But Dad understood my silence.

    "Good."

. . .

I'd slept in late. Really late. I'd planned to start the weekend off by training at Dad's warehouse with Spence, Chloe, Salvatore and Zoe. 'Damn it' I thought as I flung the sheets off me and scrambled to dress in my training gear. Dad was waiting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.

    "I was wondering when you planned on making an appearance," he grinned, folded up the wad of pages and dropped them in the recycling bin. He made for the door.

    "You can eat something proper after training," Dad explained as he jangled up his keys, "C'mon." I snatched a choc-banana Up&Go from the fridge before following him out to the car.

We detoured to Cam's house to see if she wanted to come to training, which, being naturally uncaring about being squashed like a bug, she did. After she loaded herself into the car we continued onto the warehouse. Still several blocks from our destination I felt my stomach hit the floor. Something had changed. I turned my head to ask Dad if he had sensed it too. It took me a moment to realise what was happening. No blood was left in my father's face as he gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned the colour of bone. Beads of perspiration streamed down his face and neck dying the blue of his shirt to navy creating a large dark ring around his collar. His jaw was clenched so blood vessels protruded in his throat and temples. His breathing was short and laboured, his eyes out of focus and slightly glazed. Dumbfounded, I stared at my father as I recognised the symptoms Griffin had described at the hospital. I was shocked into action.

    "Dad," my voiced came out as a squeak so I started again. "Dad! Pull over!" Instead of listening to me, my father shook his head as much as he could without worsening the spinning.

    "I'm fine, Rosie," he insisted barely getting the words out through gritted teeth. I wasn't going to be giving up that easily.

    "Dad," I repeated forcefully grabbing his shoulder, "I want you to pull over. Now." He still continued to ignore me.

    "Mr Wood," a voice I'd completely forgotten about from the back cut in, "Please pull over. I think I'm about to be sick." Spinning around I caught a flash of a thumbs up from my friend. Cameron was every bit the actress her mother had trained her to be. The red-head was hunched over on the seat so that her chin easily rested on her knees, hiding her face in case anyone would use it to call her fraud. Not being able to argue, my father obliged but it wasn't Cam vomiting on the sidewalk.

My friend went to get out of the car but before she could pull the latch on her door, the driver's side swung open. I watched as Dad braced himself on the car bonnet, head below shoulders, clearly trying to keep the waves of dizziness at bay. His hands slipped a little on the metal due to the sweat on his palms. Suddenly, his body was racked with a cough. Another followed close behind. And with a third came a gush of red water. It took me a few seconds to work out what it actually was but Cam was already by his side.

    "Mr Wood," my friend directed calmly, "Let's get you on the ground." Carefully she helped him lie on his side on the grass between the road and the sidewalk. I found myself hovering over the top of the pair unable to help in any way.

    "Rose," Cam ordered gently having grasped full control of the situation, "Call your mother. I'll mind your dad." With a smile of encouragement from the red-head I did just that.

    "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up," I muttered as the phone rang.

    "You've reached Violet Wood's message bank," came the automated response, "I'm unable to talk right now so please leave a message." I swore and hung up hoping that it hadn't been recorded before trying again to the same result. By now I could fight the crying tears of desperation that ran down my face.

    "Rose," Cam pleaded plucking my mobile out of my hand, "I'll try getting help. You keep your dad company. Tell him to hold on. He's internally bleeding or something and he mightn't have much time. Don't worry though. We've got this." She turned away and dialled a number.

Dad was still retching thick streams of blood. He was absolutely covered in it but despite it all I pulled him into a hug as he continued to heave, too weak to resist me.

    "It's okay Dad," I whispered through my tears. He was like a limp puppet in my arms so different from the strong, capable man I'd known for my entire life. Was I going to lose him now? Was that my Embracing? If he died would I be Grigori? Disgusted with myself I pushed the thought aside. "Help will be here soon. Just hold on. You have to stay alive. Please, for me and Mum and Griffin and Spence and Zoe and Salvatore and Chloe and . . ." I kept reeling off names in an attempt to distract myself but Cam's voice cut my chant like a torch breaks the dark of night.

    "Thank God!" she cried, "Spence! We need help. Mr Wood is in a bad way. Please hurry. Yes, I understand. Thank you." She was by my side in seconds.

    "I got through to Spence," she relayed, "Everyone's in at the warehouse. They'll be here in five." A brief smile of relief brushed my face but then I met Cam's eyes. She didn't have to speak for me to interpret the message in them. He probably wouldn't have five minutes.

Lincoln's POV

It started like it always did; a sudden wave of dizziness, a flash of pain at the base of my neck. Then came the bile biting up the back of my throat as my stomach churned like washing machine on high. It would be okay though. It was ... inconvenient that I was driving and that Rose and Cam were here but not terrible. In a moment everything would go back to normal soon. I could still see the road. Most of the road. Any second now. Suddenly Rose was talking at me.

    "Dad," demanded Rose from next to me, "Dad. Pull over." I decided to ignore her. It would be over in a few moments and stopping the car would just be a waste of time.

    "I'm fine, Rosie," I aimed to sooth but I could barely form the words. I could hear my daughter shifting, clearly agitated.

    "Dad. I want you to pull over. Now!" Rose demanded. Still I ignored her. It would go away soon. It always did. 'Patience' I told myself on repeat, 'Patience. Patience.'

    "Mr Wood," Cameron's voice pierced my mantra. "Please pull over. I think I'm about to be sick." I knew I couldn't just ignore a passenger in need so I pulled over. But Cam wasn't the one who got out of the car first. It was me. Suddenly the air in the car didn't hold enough oxygen. I couldn't breathe! A roaring filled my ears as pressure built up in my head and blood gurgled into my mouth. I couldn't help but gag and then I couldn't stop it. I continued to vomit the thick scarlet liquid on the car bonnet, painting it in my blood. I coughed and my lungs burned. Then Cameron was by my side. She was saying something that I didn't understand, obviously talking to my daughter. Her voice became more clear as she turned her attention to me.

    "Rosie's calling for help," she explained, her voice was so calm as if this happened every day, "You need to calm down. If you can slow your breathing it will help. That's better. You mightn't think you're getting enough but the slower you breathe the more you'll get. Yes, that's right." I relaxed into her voice amazed by how much she sounded like Griffin. Calm, cool, collected and totally in control of the situation. In the distance I heard Rosie swear. 'Bad girl' I chided to myself. The pain struck out like a sharp knife and my chest felt like it was being ripped to pieces. My head throbbed like a drum and my throat was constricting. Every breath was a fire tearing down my airways. Then I felt myself move involuntarily and was vaguely aware of someone holding me.

    "It's okay, Dad," Rosie was back and her voice was thick with tears. I gagged again and more blood poured out of my mouth. I felt like I was burning, sweat clouded my vision and the pain intensified. I quickly realised it wasn't just sweat, everything was getting darker. Black wispy clouds clung to the edge of my vision. Pain wracked my body mercilessly.

    "Help will be here soon. Just hold on. You have to stay alive," Rosie was crying in desperation, "Please, for me and Mum and Griffin and Spence and Zoe and Salvatore and Chloe and . . ." I lost her there. My sight was almost completely black. A small speck of light remained; a single petal of a pink daisy.

    "Thank God!" I heard Cameron exclaim, "Spence!" And the darkness consumed me.

...

Poor Lincoln! Always being such a hero. Anyone else getting a serious case of deja vu? What did you think? I'd love to hear what you have to say. I'm updating a few more chapters today because I've done them and I think you deserve to read them now rather than later. Please enjoy!

~SpanishFox