Little New Year bonus ;)

~Kota's POV~

We spent the whole day in the backyard going over how to use the magic that was becoming a part of us.

Mr. Blackbourne had woken up in the morning with a light grey tattoo in the same pattern as myself, Luke and Gabriel covering his arm in the same place as us.

I thought it was because of Sang taking his blood, which led me to assume that all of us would have that same tattoo sooner or later.

I had managed to control the water inside a cup and mold it into different forms as the day went along.

The others still hadn't displayed any signs of being able to do anything magical, but Sang had assured them it was just a matter of time.

Currently I watched as Mr. Blackbourne leaned in close to Sang to see what she was trying to show him as she played with a potted plant.

He wore only a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, displaying his tattoo and grey slacks.

Sang was still in her pajamas and barefoot while walking on the grass.

It seemed that she had no difficulty playing with the elements of nature and expected that we wouldn't either.

He stared attentively at what she did, but I had the impression his focus wasn't exclusively into the plant.

Mr. Blackbourne had never been that comfortable around females. He treated them with respect, the same way he did everyone else, but he always kept a distance between himself and the supposedly frail sex.

While he still didn't get too close to Sang, he was definitely more comfortable with her being inside his house.

Living forever by her side could cause more than a few problems among our family considering how everyone was becoming more and more interested in her.

How would such a relationship work? A girl in the family, would she become the girlfriend of one of us while the rest was left to find others?

And what about the age thing? How would the others find girlfriends if they weren't aging properly?

It was a puzzle I needed to solve before the end of the week so we could give her a proper answer.

Luke was sitting at the step of the back porch, his eyes unfocused as he daydreamed.

Gabriel was frowning down at the same cup of water I had used for training before, trying to see if it was his element.

Suddenly the wind around us strengthened picking up leaves and dirt from the ground.

The weird part was that the wind smelled strongly of vanilla.

My eyes flew to Luke and I saw a wicked smile stretching his lips.

Luke could control the wind.

Shit.

That was all we needed.

"Oy! Fucker! How the hell did you do that?" Gabriel suddenly shouted at him, annoyance clear in his tone but also a note of uncertainty in it that I didn't think the others had noticed.

That is until I saw Mr. Blackbourne nodding at Sang before she headed straight for Gabriel.

My eyebrows rose up.

They were already working together? When did that happen?

Looking back at Gabe I saw that he was getting more and more frustrated with himself and as the wind whipped around us and threw his hair on his face I notice how the strands began to stand on end and sparks began to spark from his hands before a fire lit on his palm.

My eyes widened as did Gabe's and his mouth fell open in shock.

Sang appeared on his side and grabbed his wrist, her gazed focused on the tiny orange flame that flickered in the wind.

Her eyes rose to Luke's and the wind stopped.

She nodded at him and went back to focusing on Gabriel.

"Holy shit!" Gabriel suddenly shouted, his wide eyes staring at the flame in shock.

"Careful with that!" North barked as he came out of the house, a sandwich in one hand and a cup with some weird, green glob on the other.

Now, I might be in favor of healthy eating habits. But even I would balk at drinking whatever was on that cup.

"Shut up!" Gabe snapped back and the flame on his hand flickered dangerously.

"Gabriel," Sang's voice was calm and soothing, but the underlying command on it was clear to anyone who had ears.

Gabe seemed to relax instantly and the flame flickered out of existence, leaving a thin thread of smoke on its place.

North came down the steps, frown firmly in place as he gazed at the four of us who had gained superpowers.

Mr. Blackbourne still hadn't displayed any form of magical abilities, but if the others were doing so, then it was just a matter of time.

"You better learn to control that thing and fast or it could be very dangerous." North said sternly as he gazed down at Gabriel.

Sang had stiffened and I could practically sense the animosity wafting out of her, but Gabriel acted quickly and laid a calming hand on her back, rubbing up and down.

We knew why North was so freaked out with the fire. Silas mother had been killed in a fire caused by his brother when they were younger, and she had been like a mother to North as well.

The trees around Mr. Blackbourne's house were blackened and the air still smelled faintly of burned wood.

"I will." Gabe assured North quietly.

The other boy nodded sharply and turned back around to sit at the steps alongside his older brother.

He handed the juice and sandwich to Luke with a glare and the other boy took them with a grimace of distaste but began eating quietly.

I shook my head at them. Poor Luke.

Then again... he really shouldn't have put bright orange paint on North's shampoo last month.

That color didn't go well with his complexion.

"Miss Sorenson," Mr. Blackbourne called, drawing our attention.

He crouched close the water cup that currently stood empty as the liquid formed a ball right above it. "I think I've got this."

And if I didn't know any better I'd think Mr. Blackbourne sounded suspiciously like a boy trying to impress a girl.

Sang approached him with a smile and he gazed up at her, his grey eyes lighter than I had ever seen them, his posture almost relaxed.

"So I see." She said, a proud tone on her voice.

They nodded at each other quietly and she went back to Gabriel who was still trying to control the flame he'd bought back to life.

My curiosity finally got the better of me and I walked over to where Mr. Blackbourne now stood, quietly surveying everyone around himself.

"So," I began, "You and Sang?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow expecting him either to glare at me like he did with Dr. Green or raise a disdainful eyebrow.

What I got instead was a blush.

My eyes widened in shock and I actually took a step back.

Oh my God, what now?

~Sean's POV~

After we had all had our dinner Nathan and I were left in charge of clean up, the only thing I was allowed to do in the kitchen nowadays.

The boys were all excited about their new "powers" and if I was to be sincere with myself I could barely wait for my chance at gaining that cool tattoo they were all sporting now.

Owen's was currently hidden under the long sleeve of his white shirt but this afternoon, when they had been learning how to handle their powers he'd rolled up his sleeves, displaying the mark clearly for all to see.

It was the most underdressed I had seen him in a long time. It was a rarity for Owen Blackbourne to remove that damned suit of his.

Once the kitchen was all tidied up I went in search Owen.

As I expected he was on his office.

What was unexpected was finding him sitting on the couch instead of behind his desk and working.

More unexpected was the sight of a familiar, small black cat on his lap, purring loudly as Owen petted the creature with care using one hand while the other held a book he was reading.

Reading to the cat, I might add.

My eyebrows rose at the incredible sight.

I never knew Owen liked pets, much less that he'd take the time to read to one.

With a snort I entered the room and threw myself on the other side of the couch, sprawling lazily over the comfy cushions.

"So," I began as he'd paused to flip the page. "You keeping the pussy?" I asked with a smirk.

The cat had been lying with its back to me, completely relaxed, but the moment the word "pussy" left my mouth the creature turned its head in an impossible angle until it was staring fixedly at me with vengeful green eyes and hissed furiously.

The creature looked like it was possessed and my hands immediately flew up in a "I came in peace" gesture.

"Really, Sean?" Owen questioned with disapproval dripping from his tone.

My eyes remained in the hellcat, however. "Pussy? I said pussy? I meant Pookie. Yeah, that is right, Pookie." I tried to excuse with a soothing tone of voice.

With a final hiss of warning the cat finally turned its head in the right direction and resumed its purring as Owen went back to petting it.

I let out a relieved sigh and hopped I wouldn't wake up in the morning to find my room sprayed all over with cat's piss.

"She is as prickly as you are, Owen." I told him warily.

He smirked at me, that damn smirk that was so rare but had happened twice already since he found the hellcat in the shopping center.

I had to admit, if having my room reeking of urine was the price to pay for making my brother happier, then I guess we were keeping the damn cat.

Too bad I was much more a dog person.

I pouted at him, "Are you substituting me for a cat, Owen? I thought you were happy in our relationship!"

He glared at me, "Don't talk as if we were an old couple, Sean. Besides, Miss Cuddles is different."

I nearly swallowed my own tongue. "Miss Cuddles?" I asked in a wheeze.

His glare heightened as his cheeks turned red, "I was going to call her Miss Rose, but it wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, she likes it."

My mouth fell open and I felt sure I was catching flies, "She likes it?" I asked stupidly.

Owen raised his chin proudly at me, glare firmly in place, "Yes." He answered crisply.

I looked down at the cat and took notice of the amused light in its eyes.

The little Miss Cuddles was smart enough to find the whole situation downright funny.

The sudden urge to giggle assailed me but I fought against it, knowing that my prickly best friend would feel outraged.

Clearing my throat I considered a change in subject, "So, how are things going with the little Miss Sang?"

His eyes rose to mine, the icy grey seemingly darker in the moment. His face was as expressionless as ever but I knew he was choosing his words very carefully at the moment.

I waited patiently, knowing he wouldn't say a thing until he'd organized his thoughts.

"She..." he paused, "she is a rather fascinating, new addition to the family." He concluded musingly.

My brows rose, "Are you telling me you will accept her, then?" I asked shocked.

Owen was the most reserved member of our family and I thought for sure that getting him to accept Sang would be a struggle. Thought I knew her beauty and charm would go a long way to swaying him.

He looked down at the little cat on his lap that watched him quietly and smiled, "Yes, I think it would actually be good to us to have her around."

AN: Hi! Sooo, Miss Cuddles? Can you imagine something like that coming out of Owen's mouth? It sure gave me a giggle fit while I was writing, must be Sean's influence ;D