Atop Unkindness, the Ravenlock home. We find one Brian Ravenlock, leaning against the railing, his eyes panning the market below. It?s early in the morning, made quite evident by the fact that the sun has just broken the horizon, leaving a rather beautiful cascadement (New word, sue me) of gold throughout the sky.

?You?re right, you know that??

?No? No, I mean that. You are.?

?Hmm? No? It?s just that?well, I guess I was rather na?ve, truth be told. I assumed way too much, there. Maybe, I expected too much as well??

?No, it?s true? I did expect too much. Far too much.?

?What? Oh, sorry here ya go. Just the way you like it.?

?Heh? I knew chocolate was gonna be your number.?

?Now where--- Oh yeah.?

His eyes shifted to the sky a moment, taking notice of a pair of rather large and quite puffy clouds. ?I guess deep down inside, I always thought some things would be the same, you know? So deeply down, that I never even bothered to see for myself, actually. Hmm? Oh no, this is long before your time. Back then there were so many of us? We were like the Bloods and the Brambles? True story, in fact?in some ways we were related to both, well the Brambles by a short marriage. The Bloods by a few of our own, being very close to theirs. In fact, I dare say back then, if we?d all combined our forces--- no one would have stood a real chance against us.?

?What was tha?Oh no, it wasn?t like that. I mean there were campaigns all over the realm. There were the Guild Wars, the Goblin Wars? In fact a lot of that is what caused some of us to come together as a family.?

?That?s right, it was Jewell, Alex and myself. There were also a few others back when who were there. Katharine, Link, Meghan, Cher? A lot of others too. But it all began with the Alex, J an me.?

?Huh? Oh sorry, I get lost in that sometimes. It?s funny, cause I didn?t really think a lot of that, until recently.?

?Until she told us the other night??

?That?s when I realized something.?

?Yeah, you?re right--- I?d been a fool.?

?No it?s not an insult? I mean I?d say ignorant, but the truth is, part me of knew. So I guess, foolish would cut it. I mean let?s be honest here? How could I really expect things to be the same, as they were--- gods, it?d be lifetimes ago, if we count time here and away.?

?I mean who the hell am I to talk of that--- I was gone too. In fact I was the first one to leave. It was Jewell who brought me back, truth be told. I was hardly the same, then as I?d been before I left. Alex left us multiple times--- Hell he?d died more than anyone we know. When he returned, he wasn?t the same either??

?Even tried to kill a few of us here and there, no hard feelings though.?

?So how the hell could I really expect that she?d be anywhere near the same when she came back--- especially since when I first met her on her return, she was someone else completely.?

?That right there goes back to the word assume, and it?s first three letters??

?Deep down, I knew things weren?t the same? I mean not just the outside things, like new family members and additions and arrivals. New troubles, and even some returns. You came soon after too, heh. So yeah, the landscape changed severely.?

?Her landscape changed just as much, actually?it was more? Either way, the playing field wasn?t the same for any of us? Then again it had been that way for years before she?d left us for Faerie? Before the children were taken.?

?That?s when I was taken as well, leaving Jen to handle things? Which was so unfair to her at the time, you know? But she did it? She stepped up, took everything head on and did whatever she had to do to make sure that I made it back somehow, that we still had a place in this world? That the family had a place. In a way, that gave way?to this new generation of family we have here with us. And mind you, that?s despite all the ^&%$ that we had to deal with.?

?Bhaal? The Scathach vanishing, Scarred, Jac?Raven? Other Raven, Issy and her lot returning, Jen leaving them entirely for the CoS, that?s not counting all the Political mess we?ve taken on and Renna?s fall out to boot. I can go on--- but it?s alright, y?know? Because out of all of that we came out that much stronger. We didn?t let any of that define us, or hinder us. We used it to make us better, than before.?

?I know she?ll do the same??

?Still a part of still sees her, as that foul mouthed girl who loved to brawl? The again, I can still see Alex wearing Padawan robes? Shh, that?s secret between us, alright? Just like the fact that before we discovered the tactical prowess of wombats, we used to have??

?Brace yourself? Here it comes??

?Poke?mon.?

?Yeah, I know? Hey, don?t judge me, okay? We were young, and very well could have needed the money.?

?Not buying the money part, huh? That?s okay, I don?t blame you. I mean we did manage to somehow fit what I believed to be a pizza parlor and burger restaurant in our first home together. True story--- and a statue of David to boot. So yeah, there was money.?

?We were so close back then too? There wasn?t much we didn?t know about what went on with the other. You know you could actually feel one another?a bond? Yeah, really. It?s amazing how much magick flowed through this family, back then. How close those threads were. Now--- well the last few years, here. Not so much. We were so close, yet so far away these last few years. Some were tied up in their own ordeals so much so, that they had no idea what had gone on with the rest. Some were taken away, some just didn?t care? Hmm? No, I know that?s not the case here. Well, in our own house, that is. I guess because of that, I thought that those bonds we had back when were still there somewhere.?

?I checked from time to time? I knew the answer, honestly. Where there was once a bond, there was nothing? A void, that?s what it was. It just wasn?t there anymore. When did it go away, I can?t say? Maybe through everything that happened, it just diminished over time. I thought maybe some of it might have been there, when she came back?when she recognized me, when she was her other self. Looking back. I don?t think that?s the case. It wasn?t there.?

?She knew that, in the end.?

?And now, so do I.?

?And that?s okay, you know? Granted it was a long time coming for me to admit, but it?s good.?

?Hmm? Well, yeah?I was hard on her. No, not just the other night, either. Mmhmm, too many times. You?re right. It?s cause, I loved her?I still love her. I always will. It doesn?t matter about what happened--- yes, I am hurt about the children? I just hope none of them suffered. I know she?s hurting more? So I had to be that much harder on her, one last time.?

?No matter what happens, she will be my sister. It doesn?t matter what she does from here on out, she?s my sister. You know why? Because the love this family has for each other--- that?s unconditional.?

?Even if there is a void, even if she thinks we tossed her out?if I tossed her out??

?It doesn?t matter.?

?Does it hurt? Yeah it does, but you know what--- eventually in time?maybe a good while. It?ll all be better somewhat. For all of us, near or apart.?

?Till then, as long as it may take. We do what we do, she does what she does.?

?Heh, yeah?so it?s not so different as the last few years, nice one.?

?What? Oh, do I feel better? Hmm?you know what??

?I actually do.?

?You know what??

Turning, Brian flashed a warm smile to the one he?d been speaking with all this time. ?You got a gift there, Dom. I wonder how you do it, kid.?

Leaning into the play pen next to him, Brian lifted the youngest Ravenlock as the blue eyes of the father, met the same of the son with a kiss to that head of black hair following suit. Dominick was then hefted into Brian?s right arm, where he held the little one closely, the pair each looking over the marketplace.

?Look Dominick? Everything the light touches is??

The elder Ravenlock was soundly cut off by what seemed to be a? raspberry? Yes, a raspberry from the younger. This of course cause Brian to raise a brow, his eyes falling to the little one. ?Really? I mean, really??

Dominick replied with a rather raucous laugh, to which Brian replied with??Yer killin? me smalls. I go all ?LK? on you, and that?s what I get?especially after, we have this Doctor / Patient deal going on??

Dom?s laughing began to ebb, that smile of his was ever present though. Brian gave a nuzzle to that small cheek, then a kiss. ?Alright, let?s go make some breakfast for the girls, yeah??

?Linxoncrisp! Linxoncrisp!? exclaimed Dominick, his eyes lighting up as he did so.

?Links on?You?ve been listening to Kerri too much, kid. Alright, let?s throw some links on the crisp.?

Hefting the boy once more, Brian made for the stairs.

?Y?know what?everything?s gonna be gravy, Dom. We got this.?