Page 110 of Darkness Falls

"Avery..." Callie sighs. "Avery is my sister."

Natasha gasps. "How is that possible?"

"The short version is that the Stones didn't die in the house fire. They thought I had died, so they changed their names and started over. They had Avery and kept Rogue a secret from her until they were killed by Damien. They revealed their real identities in a letter and gave her a box with Rogue’s symbol on it."

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. If I had known they were still alive, I would have found a way to get you to them. I would have gotten you away from Gabriel and Rogue and all of this mess." Tears fall down her face, and her eyes are full of pain and regret.

"To the world, they were dead, Momma. There’s no way you could have known. Besides, I'm glad you kept me. You’re an amazing mom, regardless of all the other factors. You did the best that you could, and I’m not upset with you. I love you."

"Thank you for saying that, LeeLee. I love you too," Natasha chokes out.

"I just wanted you to know about Avery because we agreed there wouldn't be any secrets going forward. She will most likely start spending a lot more time with us since her parents aren't around anymore. Idon't want her to feel alone, and I don't want you to be caught off guard if I refer to her as my sister."

"You don't need to explain any further. I love that the two of you are going to spend more time together. I think it's good for both of you."

"It doesn't mean I plan on spending less time with you though. I just got you back," Callie tells her.

"Any time you want to spend together, I will gladly take." Natasha smiles and continues eating her food.

We all fall into a hushed silence for the rest of dinner now that everything is out on the table. Tomorrow, we will go back and help the survivors of Rogue move forward.

When we finish eating, Barrett takes the plates into the kitchen to do the dishes, and I catch Callie giggling and whispering with her mother. The two of them are talking about ideas for the foundation, and it seems like Natasha is genuinely excited to get things started. It’s something she can be passionate about and call her own.

I hate the idea of interrupting the evening, but we really should get back home to prep for the drive tomorrow. I also want to get my hands on my wanderer. "We should head home. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and I think we could all use the rest before the trip. I'm not sure how long our stay will be, but anything you don't pack, we can buy while we're there," I suggest toNatasha.

"Yeah, we should be getting back," Barrett agrees, his eyes landing on Callie. If he thinks he’s getting her in his bed tonight, he's sorely mistaken.

Callie gives her mother another big hug, whispering something to her that I’m not able to hear. It makes both of them cry, and they squeeze each other tighter before Callie releases her and walks over to me to slip her hand in mine.

"Let's go home." She smiles, and with that, we all funnel out of the house and into the car.

Chapter 50

Barrett

Isnuck down to my security room after leaving Natasha’s so I could pull up my monitoring software and check on the cabin. Everyone else is up at the house, and I’ll join them soon, but I need to make sure there are no surprises. I won’t risk Callie getting hurt.

Almost as if she knew I was thinking about her, I turn to see her standing in the doorway after hearing the door creak open. “Hey, princess, do you need me for something?"

"We've been so busy with everything since blowing up Rogue that I haven't had time to check in with you, and I know you've been processing a lot of heavy emotions lately." She walks over and sits on my lap.

I place my hand on her thigh, thankful that I'm able to trust her enough to have full transparency. She took the time to check on me. It means the absolute world.

"I'm doing fine. I'm more worried about you. How are you holding up?"

"I feel free." She smiles. "I've never felt free in my entire life. But we can do anything we want. There is no gray cloud following us around anymore."

"Good, you deserve to feel like that."

"Barrett, I owe you a massive thank you." Her eyes fill with tears, and it confuses me.

"What for?"

"You helped me work through my pain. You gave me an outlet, and it's been so healing. Now that everything with Rogue is over, I really want you to know how much you mean to me. You were a large part of the reason I made it through my time at Rogue after Damien took me back. Every time I started to spiral, I thought of you and the techniques you taught me."

I pause for a moment. I’ve never considered the fact that I've grown enough to be able to teach someone else how to utilize their strengths. Hearing that from her gives me the biggest boost of confidence.

Now that I think about it, I haven't had to lean on the pain as much since she’s come into our lives. The more time I spend with her, the less I feel the urge. Her love fills this part of me I never knew needed to be filled.

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