Blood Connection

.:Brooke's POV::

I pushed Lilian up my hip as I reached for the door to my apartment. Before I could even touch it fully, I heard stomping sounds to my left. I looked over to see Mandy stomping her way over to me.

"Brooke! Where the hell have you been!?" She shouted, pulling me into a hug. At this time, I saw Juan behind her. He looked mad, shaking his head. I wasn't sure if it was because of me disappearing or because of Mandy probably dragging him around town looking for me.

"Uh..." Was all I said before she cut me off.

"What is wrong with you? You, taking off with Lili and not telling anyone where you are. Not answering your cell or anything!"

"You can't do that B." Juan finally said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to...I didn't...I" I said struggling. Straining my brain for an excuse or just something to make me stop stuttering or look guilty.

"And your parents' house being destroyed by some 'Military exercise gone wrong'" She said rubbing her head.

"What? They're house was destroyed?" I lied, pushing my hair behind my ear and acting shocked.

"Yeah. Apparently, the Military was trying out some new Air-based weapon and it went off course into they're house." Mandy explained, taking Lilian out of my arms.

"Wow." I said in a shaky breath. So, that's the house excuse, huh? Tony is good. How did he do it?.

"Some man from the Military came and told them when they got back. They called me over when they couldn't get to you. The guy was kind of cute. Blond hair..." She muttered to herself as I opened the door. That Stefan guy. He had blond hair but it looked like his roots where turning brown. Wonder where he got the uniform...

"Next time you wanna leave and don't say nothing or call....don't." Juan said before leaving. I just blinked and looked at Mandy.

"What did you do to him?" I questioned.

She shook her head "I didn't do anything. I swear. I just went to his room, woke him up and we've been looking for you ever since." I know there was something more to that. She probably yelled and talked the whole time. "I got to go. I have to stop my parents from building up a search party." Mandy said quickly before kissing Lili's head and placing her in the play-pin. "Call your parents!" She shouted on her way out the door. I sighed before gasping in surprise when Tony jumped down from the ceiling.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He said smiling with fangs and all. I guess he was comfortable enough not to hide them anymore.

I nodded. "Its okay." I said catching my breath. He smile over at Lili and walked over to her

"Hey, Flower." He said rubbing her head. He looked over at me. "Like the house alibi?" He said smirking.

"It was....very creative." I giggled. He laughed a little before starting to walk up to me.

"Yeah, well, covering our butts is what we do best." He said.

"I see that." I said back. He took me in a short embrace. I smiled up at him before walking off to my room to change clothes. I really needed a shower but I need to get to my parents. As I pulled off my shirt, I realized I knew nothing really about Tony and still had questions.
"So, you mentioned you have siblings?" I asked to him through the next room.

"Yeah," He answered. "They're nine of us."

"Nine?" I said wide eyes.

"Yup. Three of us are blood related. Six are adopted." I nodded even though he couldn't see me. But he continued as I put on my pants. "There's my brother Kendrick, My sister Hannah, My brother Will...then there's.... Lyza, Sid, Denis, Samantha, Natalie and Me" He said fast.

"Wow..." I said coming out the room to find him on the couch staring at my remote with his feet up. "I always wanted a big family like that. It's always just been me." I picked up Lilian to change her clothes. But I'll wash her up with a few baby wipes first. Tony followed, laughing.

"Yeah, but you got along great without a big one." He stated.

I shrugged "Yeah. I guess your right." I said starting to undress Lili

"But if you want to give Lili a big family, I'll be happy to help." At that, I stopped and looked up at him to find him hugging one of Lili's teddy bears with his head tilted and batting his long eye lashes innocently. I know that look. I was nothing innocent. I just laughed at him. I never really thought about a future with Tony since he left and Lili came. But it was something to think about now.

"Let just think about getting to your family in a few weeks." I said wiping Lilian with baby wipes.

He Chuckled. "You'll meet my family soon enough. But I wish the situation was different." He said lowly, tossing the bear with the rest. I nodded. I wished that too. I looked over at Lili's locket.

"Hey Tony. That locket..." He looked at it. "How is it the same as my-- I mean Lili's --music box?" I asked. He smiled and walked up to it. He whined it up and opened it, letting the room fill up with its music.

"Both of them were my mother's. But she sold the box to a human merchant a long time ago."

I looked at him. "My ancestors were merchants." I stated. He looked at me over his shoulder.

"Fate." He simply said. I just giggled to myself before I listened to him continue. "The box and locket will always find each other. Kind of like us." A soft smile made its way to my face. I sigh soon after and pulled Lili up, fully dressed and ready to go.

"Time to face the music." I said placing Lilian on my hip.

"But I'm here now." He appeared in front of me. I nodded, smiling.

"I feel like I'm going to tell them I'm pregnant all over again." I said trying to pull myself together. His cold hand touched my face.

"I'm sorry... I wasn't there and I should have been." He said sadly. I gave off a small smile and put my hand over his.

"Enough of this sob-story. Let's get to the adventure part." I said softly making him smile again. And that's all I wanted.

I found myself rehearsing my little speech, driving my way to my parents. Lili was in the back talking her non-understandable baby talk. I pulled in front of the house to see a world of contruction going on around it. I hopped out the car and grabbed Lili out the carseat. I looked around before finding my parents among the workers.

"Mom. Dad." I said walking up to them quickly. My mother looked at me with sad eyes before gasping in relief. She grabbed me into a hug as she started crying.

"God-damnit, Brooke-Anna! Where the hell were you?!" My father said grabbing and hugging me while mom hugged Lili into her arms. "You just go off and disappear with no notice. We saw the house and thought the worst before we saw your car gone." He said looking at me with a hard look. They must have thought I was still in the house. And Stefan must have took my car off somewhere before bring it home to my apartment.

"I'm so sorry Dad. About disappearing and the house." I said without thinking.

"Don't aplogize about the house. Its not like it's your fault." He said. 'Of course not, Brooke. Hold it together!' "What I want to know is where were you that you couldn't call?"

I thought about what I practiced in the car. "I took Lili to see the appearence of Yo Gabba Gabba at the Sierra Vista Mall. It was almost 3 hours away but I wanted Lilian to go and see it. We crashed at a hotel and I lost my cell on the way there before I had a chance to call that night." Wow, that's all I came up with. I'm a terrible liar. "I thought I'd make it back before anyone noticed so I didn't use a payphone or the hotel phone. I would have just not gone if I knew all this would happen." I breathed and rubbed my steeved covered forearms.

My Dad sighed and my mom shook her head. "Don't do that Brooke." She said. "Anything can happen...as you can see." Mom looked over at the house being re-built.

"How are you paying for this?" I questioned.

"Military is paying for it. This is their doing" Dad said pushing his thumb into the loop of his jeans as he looked at the house.

"Yeah, I heard. Mandy told...me." I said pausing before finishing the sentence as I saw Tony dressed as one of the workers, winking at me. I shook my head as he really started to help with the building.