Page 11 of Witch's Promise

Gabe opened his mouth, a dozen more questions on the tip of his tongue, when his phone buzzed insistently in his pocket. The vibration felt like a small earthquake against his thigh, impossible to ignore.

"Shit, sorry," he muttered, fishing the device out. "I need to take this. Give me a sec?"

Alex waved him off, turning back to the observation window. Gabe stepped out into the hallway, his heart rate picking up as he glanced at the caller ID. Mom. Fuck.

For a split second, Gabe considered letting it go to voicemail. He was in the middle of a case, after all. But the gnawing guilt in his gut wouldn't let him. How many times had he ignored his family's calls in the name of work? How many birthdays, holidays, and simple family dinners had he missed because the fate of the world always seemed to hang in the balance?

With a resigned sigh, Gabe swiped to answer. "Hey, Mom. Everything okay?"

"Gabriel Reed, don't you 'hey Mom' me," his mother's voice crackled through the speaker, a mix of exasperation and fondness that only she could pull off. "Do you know what day it is?"

Gabe's mind raced, flipping through mental calendars. Shit. What had he forgotten this time? "Uh, Tuesday?"

His mother's sigh could have powered a small wind turbine. "Your father's birthday is coming up. Please tell me you didn't forget."

The bottom dropped out of Gabe's stomach. His dad's birthday. Of course. How the hell had that slipped his mind?

"No, no, of course not," Gabe lied, running a hand through his hair. "I've just been swamped at work, you know how it is. But I've got it marked down, don't worry."

"Mm-hmm," his mother hummed, clearly not buying it. "Well, since you're so on top of things, I'm sure you've already requested time off to come home to Salem for the party we're throwing him."

Double shit. A party? Gabe leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as a fresh wave of guilt washed over him. "Yeah, about that. I'm not sure I can get away, Mom. Things are pretty intense at work right now, and-"

"Gabriel James Reed," his mother cut him off, her voice taking on that steel edge that had struck fear into his heart since childhood. "Your father is turning sixty. Sixty, Gabe. This is important. Whatever 'security work' you're doing can wait for a couple of days."

Gabe bit back a bitter laugh. If only she knew. How could he explain that his "security work" involved keeping the supernatural world in check? That while they were planning surprise parties and blowing out candles, he was out there literally saving the world?

But he couldn't tell her that. Couldn't drag his family into the dangerous, chaotic mess that was his life. Keeping them in the dark was the only way to keep them safe.

"I know, Mom," Gabe said softly, the weight of his double life pressing down on him. "I'll try, okay? I promise I'll do everything I can to be there."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Gabe could practically see his mother's expression softening. "That's all I ask, sweetheart. We miss you, you know. Your father would never say it, but I know how much it would mean to him to have you here."

The lump in Gabe's throat threatened to choke him. "I miss you guys too," he managed. "I'll call you later this week, let you know for sure if I can make it, alright?"

After a few more minutes of catching up and promises to call more often, Gabe ended the call. He stood there for a moment, phone clutched in his hand, trying to push down the swirling mix of guilt, longing, and frustration that threatened to overwhelm him.

Taking a deep breath, Gabe straightened up and headed back into the observation room. Alex and Lily looked up as he entered, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Everything okay?" Alex asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.

Gabe hesitated. He could lie, brush it off as nothing important. It's what he usually did, compartmentalizing his personal life to focus on the job at hand. But something in Alex's gaze, in the genuine concern he saw there, made Gabe's carefully constructed walls crumble just a bit.

"It was my mom," he admitted, the words feeling strange in his mouth. How long had it been since he'd talked about his family at work? "My dad's birthday is coming up. They'rethrowing him a party back in Salem, and well, they want me there."

Understanding dawned in Alex's eyes. "Ah. And let me guess, you're trying to figure out how to be in two places at once?"

Gabe let out a humorless chuckle. "Something like that. I mean, with everything going on here, the new case, Grant..." He gestured towards the interrogation room, where Emma was still working with their unexpected guest.

To Gabe's surprise, it was Lily who spoke up. "Gabe, when was the last time you took a day off? And I mean a real day off, not just catching a few hours of sleep between crises."

Gabe opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. He genuinely couldn't remember.

"That's what I thought," Lily said, her tone softening. "Look, I know you feel responsible for... well, everything. But you're not Atlas, Gabe. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time."

"Lily's right," Alex chimed in, his expression unusually gentle. "Take some time off, Gabe. Go see your family. We can handle things here for a few days."

Gabe felt a surge of panic at the thought of stepping away, even for a short time. "But what about the team? And Grant? We can't just-"

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