Mom had taken Tiff out for a movie as a reward for good grades, which seemed to be all she got any more now that Emmy was tutoring her. I know Mom had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Tiff’s grades were better than they ever had been, and she seemed to be enjoying school more than ever. Mom loved that, and as her grades had become a source of pride, Tiff was more motivated than ever to excel. Of course, all the rewards she was getting from Mom helped, too.

But on the other hand, I think it rubbed Mom the wrong way that the big change had been Emmy’s tutoring. Although Mom appreciated being relieved from her duties as homework coach, it galled her to think that somehow Emmy was a better teacher for Tiff than she was. I’d told her that I thought it was just the novelty of Emmy helping her, and also the fact that Emmy was as patient as a saint with Tiffany. Although Mom agreed on both points, she still couldn’t help but feel a bit troubled by it all.

In any case, I was home alone, working on my paper for English when I heard a knock on the door. Peeking out my window, I saw Emmy’s mother standing by the front door.

I opened the door, expecting Edouard as well, but there was no sign of him. Emmy’s mom was alone.

“Emmy isn’t here,” I apologized.

“No, I didn’t think she was,” Madame Lascaux replied. “I didn’t see her car in the lot. Actually, Leah, I came to speak with you and your mother.”

Realizing I was being rude, I invited her in, grateful that the house was currently clean. As she stepped inside, her eyes swept our little living room and kitchen. I was worried at first that she’d be appalled at how the peons lived, but there seemed to be no judgment in her gaze, just assessment. She was taking in every detail, reminding me of the first time Emmy visited, months ago.

Just like Emmy, she commented on the family photo with my father in his dress blues. “Your father was a handsome man, Leah. I am sorry at your loss. I’m sure he would be very proud of the lovely young lady you have become.”

"Um, thanks.” I replied, still nervous and unsure what this was all about. “You said you came to talk to my mom, right? Well, she’s not home, either,” I apologized again.

“Honestly, Leah, I knew she wasn’t home. That’s fine, because you’re the one I really want to talk to, in any case. In fact, it may be best if our conversation is just between you and me.”

“Well, O.K.,” I said, awkwardly. “Uh, would you like something to drink? Some tea, maybe?” I asked, hoping that Emmy’s mom wasn’t the coffee drinker that Emmy was. We still hadn’t gotten a coffee maker, because of Emmy’s insistence on buying her morning caffeine from the coffee hut.

“Tea would be lovely, Leah. Thank you,” she said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

She looked so out of place, in her very expensive and elegant skirt suit, but I have to admit that Emmy’s mom seemed perfectly comfortable. She seemed so at ease, in fact, that I started to loosen up, too.

As I busied myself putting the kettle on and getting cups and teabags ready, Emmy’s mom asked “Where is the princess tonight? I’m a bit surprised she left you unprotected.”

That use of the word ‘unprotected’ sent my nerves back into the red zone, but I tried to remain as casual as ever when I asked “What do you mean, ‘unprotected’?”

“Emmy is so very protective of you, Leah. She values you more than anything. It is quite remarkable to see, actually.” I’m not sure that this really answered my question. In fact, I think Emmy’s mom was being a bit evasive, but I tried to ignore that nagging doubt in the back of my mind.

“Yes, she is. I’ve seen it first hand,” I replied, and this seemed to arouse Mrs. Lascaux’s curiosity.

“Yes? How so?” she asked, leaning forward.

Realizing it might be a mistake to tell her anything, I replied “Oh, you know, just little things here and there,” waving my hand in what I hoped was an offhand way.

Just then the teakettle whistled, so I turned off the burner and poured two cups. Glad for the excuse to end the conversation, I asked “Sugar?”

“No, thank you, Leah.” I’d wondered where Emmy had picked up the habit of using my name in conversation so much, and now I knew. In fact, I saw a lot of Emmy’s familiar habits in her mom. I’ve heard it said that if you want to know what a woman will be like in twenty years, look at her mother. In some ways, I hoped that was true for Emmy. Her mom was a powerful, beautiful woman, confident and assured. On the negative side, although she was very charming, Mrs. Lascaux was also quite intimidating and more than a tiny bit scary.

Setting a cup in front of Emmy’s mom, I sat down opposite her at the table.

“So, could you please give me an example of the princess’ protectiveness? You’ve piqued my curiosity.”

It was clear that Mrs. Lascaux wasn’t going to be distracted, so I told her about the thing that happened at the mall with those gangbanger-looking guys. “We were out, and these three guys who looked really rough started giving Emmy a hard time. I mean, about her looks. She made sure I was behind her and protected, then beat up the lead guy and we got away.”

“The princess beat this man? How did she do that?” Emmy’s mom was very interested now, and I regretted telling her anything.

“Well, he made a move to grab her, and she tripped him and then, as quick as lightning, kicked him in the back of the head so he plowed face first into the sidewalk. Really, it was just self-defense, and it was too quick for the guy’s pals to even react.”

“Were there others around? Did anybody see this happen?” This wasn’t the question I expected at all, and I wasn’t at all sure where Emmy’s mom was going with this.

“Well, it happened in a busy shopping mall, so I guess so. But it was so fast, I’m sure that anybody who wasn’t watching closely wouldn’t have actually seen what happened.”

Mrs. Lascaux seemed satisfied with this, but asked one more question. “You say she shielded you from the thugs? Is that right?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I didn’t quite realize it at the time because everything was happening so quickly, but yeah, she definitely stepped in between me and the three guys.”

“That is remarkable.” Emmy’s mom took a long, thoughtful sip from her tea, then continued. “It just proves what I said earlier. She is very protective of you.” Then, changing the subject, she asked “If I may ask, where is the princess tonight?”

“Oh, she’s at the dance studio. She practices her dancing three nights a week.”

“Really?” Mrs. Lascaux’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “I’m happy to hear that she is continuing her dancing. I’d been worried that she would let it go when she moved out of our house.”

“Well, she did at first, but after a couple of weeks she realized she needed the exercise, and also she really missed it. Now she works out with a couple of her friends who also dance.” It was obvious from her reaction that this was unexpected but welcome news.

“A couple of friends? Does she have a lot of friends?”

It seemed to me that Emmy’s mom was genuinely pleased for her daughter, so I elaborated a bit. “Well, she has a few good friends, but pretty much everybody at school likes her, too.”

“There haven’t been any more racist incidents against the princess?” Mrs. Lascaux’s questions were leading me to believe that she hadn’t talked to Emmy at all since Emmy moved in with me, and that made me a bit sad, and sorry for her.

“No, nothing that I have seen, anyway. A lot of the boys on the football team really like her, and I know they would beat the heck out of anybody who tried anything against her. I’m pretty sure everyone in school knows that, too, so that may be a factor, too.”

“She has defenders? Young men who would fight for her?” This idea seemed to please Mrs. Lascaux quite a bit.

“Uh, yeah. You met Andy Temple. He’s a huge Emmy fan. Some of the other guys on the team, too. It’s kinda cute, actually.”

“Andy Temple?” Emmy’s mom sounded surprised. “I had the impression that he was romantically interested in the princess. It doesn’t bother him that you and she are lovers?” she asked.

“Um, no, I guess not. I was surprised, too, but he took it really well and has been just as much of a good friend as ever. In fact, even though I’ve known him for years, he and I have gotten to be better friends than ever.”

Looking thoughtful, Mrs. Lascaux asked “Are you concerned that he may have some hidden agenda?”

“What? Andy? No way. No, he’s a good guy. If you mean do I think he’s trying to move in on what Emmy and I have going on, no I don’t think so. I think he’s just a friend.”

“Perhaps so,” she conceded, still looking a bit doubtful.

“No, he really is that good of a guy,” I insisted, wanting to convince her that Andy was all that.

With a slight shrug, Emmy’s mom indicated she was done with that conversation. After another sip of her tea, she finally got down to the reason she’d come to talk to me.

“Leah,” she began. “I don’t know how much the princess has told you about our family, and why her father and I object to the two of you as lovers.”

“Um, we’ve had some talks,” I said, hesitantly. I know Emmy had been instructed not to tell about her people, and I didn’t want to get her in trouble with her parents.

“Talks?” asked Mrs. Lascaux, in a casual voice.

I knew I was treading on thin ice here, but I wanted Mrs. Lascaux to understand that I knew, but wasn’t about to tell anybody else.

“Well, I figured out that she could see in the dark.” I was going to do everything I could to make it clear that Emmy wasn’t a blabbermouth.

“You did? That’s interesting. Did she explain why she has this unusual ability?” She was fishing, it was obvious even to me. She wanted to know what I knew, and how I came to know it.

“She didn’t want to tell me, but I figured out that you and her dad have the same ability. You can all see perfectly in the dark.” Emmy’s mom made a little ‘Mm hm’ noise to indicate she was listening, and I should continue. “It seemed to me that there was something special about your family, and I asked Em about it. She finally admitted that it wasn’t just your family that could do it. She admitted that you guys are actually not normal humans at all.” There, it was out.

Emmy’s mom had maintained an attentive, but not overly concerned attitude as I said this, but I knew her next questions were very, very loaded. “And how did you react to that? What have you told your mother?”

“Well, I was surprised, that’s for sure. Emmy was terrified that I wouldn’t want anything to do with her when I found out. She really didn’t want to tell me, but she also knew that she couldn’t keep it a secret from me any longer.”

“I see. And yet, here you are. How long ago did you figure all this out?”

“It’s been a while. Over a month now.” I was sweating bullets, but in all honesty, I wasn’t sure why I was so stressed. All I knew was that it almost killed Emmy to tell me the secret of the existence of her people, so I figured that it was a really big deal for her parents, too, and I didn’t want her to get in trouble with them.

“Over a month,” Mrs. Lascaux said, leaning back, looking thoughtful. “What does your mother think of this?”

“She doesn’t think anything of it because she doesn’t know. I’m not going to tell anyone Emmy’s secret. If she wants to share it, she can do it. But I’m not going to.” I hoped this would take some heat off Emmy, and it seemed to reassure Emmy’s mom.

She seemed a bit surprised at this news. “So you haven’t told anybody at all? Not even your own mother? Does anybody else know?”

“No, nobody. Just me.”

Emmy’s mom took another sip of her tea, looking pensively at me. I felt as if this had been a test, and the results were unexpectedly positive.

Coming to a decision, Mrs. Lascaux leaned forward a bit. “Well, if you know about the existence of our people, and have for over a month now but still haven’t told anyone at all, that’s no small thing. We, my husband and I, had always hoped but never actually expected that Emmy would find a confidante that would learn our secret and yet still care for her. Did the princess explain to you why we live in the sunlight?”

“She said it was an experiment. She said that her dad wanted to prove to the rest of your people that it could be done.” I figured we were out of the woods, since now Mrs. Lascaux was actually sharing information with me.

“Yes, that is part of it. A very important part. But not all. Now we are getting to the heart of our objections to your relationship with the princess.” She took another sip, and I realized I was holding my breath and sitting on the edge of my seat. I sat back, and Emmy’s mom explained.

“You see, Leah, we are few in number, and our birth rate is very low. My husband and I recognize that our culture is dying, and something must be done to preserve what we can.”

“What does this have to do with Emmy and me?” I asked, but I had a suspicion that I knew where she was headed, recalling what Emmy had said after her show at The Bonfire.

“The princess is the heiress to our family legacy. There is none other, and there won’t be another if she doesn’t bear any children. If she doesn’t find a husband, our line is finished,” Mrs. Lascaux said, confirming what I’d feared.

I wanted to ask why that was so important, but thought better of it. Instead, I admitted “Emmy hinted something about that. She said something about pure blood once, but I had no idea what she was talking about.”

“She did?” asked Mrs. Lascaux. “She told you what was expected of her?” Her look of surprise only lasted a moment, but I caught it.

“Yeah, she said that you guys expected her to have children. She said she’d always known that it was very important to you, and she’d just accepted it.” Then a thought occurred to me. “She’d also said that you guys approved of Andy, but I guess I don’t understand how that could work. I mean, he’s not a child of the night.”

“No, he isn’t, but that isn’t very important at all. In fact, he would probably be an excellent choice for Emmy.”

“But you don’t want the bloodline to end, and Emmy’s pure blood,” I objected, clearly missing something.

Mrs. Lascaux, seeing my confusion, laughed a musical little chuckle, reminding me how I’d had the impression that she almost sang when she spoke, her voice was so melodic. “Our society is matrilineal, Leah. The bloodline passes from mother to daughter.”

“Well, O.K., but how does mixing in human genes work to keep the kids’ bloodlines pure?”

“It doesn’t,” Mrs. Lascaux conceded. “But it’s close enough. The offspring will all be children of the night, and any daughters will pass the bloodline along. The time for strict rigor of purity of blood is over. If we worry too much about that, we will only have a few more generations before we are gone entirely as a species.”

“So, you’re telling me that your only real objection to Emmy and me being together is that she won’t have any kids? Otherwise it wouldn’t bother you?”

“In a nutshell, yes,” Mrs. Lascaux agreed.

“So it doesn’t bother you that she’s a lesbian?” I was starting to see a way out of this predicament.

“We have no cultural taboos against homosexual or lesbian love. It is not common for our people to take lovers of the same gender, but certainly not unheard of.”

“So what if Emmy and I stay together, but she has a child by in vitro fertilization? Would that be O.K.?”

Again, a momentary look of surprise passed over Mrs. Lascaux’s face, but was quickly reined in. “I see no reason that couldn’t work, as long as it is the princess who bears the child,” she said, giving the idea some thought. Clearly it had never occurred to her, and she had to mull it over. “You would raise a child born this way?” she asked, sounding doubtful.

“Well, if Emmy and I are a couple and we make a life for ourselves, I could see it being a wonderful thing.” Honestly, as I gave more thought to the idea of raising kids with Emmy, it sounded better and better. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and I knew how much she loved Tiffany, so I could see her being a good mother.

Clearly another turning point had occurred in this strange conversation, and Emmy’s mom was silent for a long time, gazing off into the distance and sipping her tea, which must have been getting cold by this point.

Suddenly turning to me, Mrs. Lascaux asked point blank “Do you see a life for yourself with the princess?”

“What?” I asked, surprised.

“When you imagine five, ten years from now, do you see yourself with her? How about in her old age? What if she becomes infirm and weak?” Mrs. Lascaux was looking at me with an intensity that was hard to bear. I found myself unable to look her in the eyes, intimidated.

“Yeah, I do, actually. I think about it a lot, and I can’t even imagine a future without her. I want us to spend our lives together.”

“And this future you imagine would include children?” Again, that intensity. My answer was evidently very important to Emmy’s mom.

“Well, honestly, I hadn’t thought of it until just now, but yeah, I can see kids in our future. I know Emmy loves kids, and had grown up wanting them, so if we could somehow make it work I think it would be wonderful.”

Leaning back in her seat, Emmy’s mom gave me a long, appraising look. This whole conversation had been very stressful for me, but also strangely reassuring. It had seemed like some kind of weird job interview, and we’d gotten to the part where terms get discussed. I thought I’d done a good job of avoiding the various obstacles, so I was waiting to hear what Mrs. Lascaux had to say next.

“Leah,” she said in a softer tone than she’d used so far. “I love my daughter. I want her to be happy in life, and she certainly seems to be finding that with you. That pleases me, but it is also of crucial importance that she fulfills her obligations as princess. If some way can be found to accommodate both competing and possibly contradictory demands, my husband and I would be pleased to support it.”

“Um, what do you mean, ‘her obligations as princess’?” I asked, puzzled. “I guess I thought you guys just used that word as some kind of endearment or something.”

Once more, Mrs. Lascaux looked surprised. “She hasn’t told you? No, evidently not,” she answered herself, seeing my blank expression. “Leah, our daughter, Emerald De Lascaux, is the sole heir to the throne of the Sahar nation of Children of the Night. It is the most prosperous of the five remaining nations.” Then, returning to her intense mode, as if to make her point crystal clear, she said “The princess may not simply walk away from her birthright and legacy. It cannot happen.”

I was shocked. I mean, I knew Emmy’s family was crazy rich, and they certainly did seem like some kind of royalty, but come on! An actual princess? Seriously? Suddenly, with practically an audible click, a lot of random pieces started to come together and I realized I should have figured it out before.

“Wow,” was all I could say.

Emmy’s mom, though, wasn’t done with what she had to tell me. “It is important to us that our daughter get the very best education possible, and we’ve determined that Stanford University would be the best school for her to learn what she needs to know to take on her duties when the time comes. As I understand it, you are interested in attending Stanford as well. We would be prepared to cover your tuition and costs there, to make it easier for you two to stay together.”

“What?” I stammered, caught by surprise. “I thought you wanted Emmy to find a husband?”

“Apparently that may not be as much of a requirement as Monsieur De Lascaux and I had thought, Leah. If you and the princess are happy together as lovers, and wish to stay together as mates, perhaps Emmy could still fulfill her responsibilities as required.”

“And if it doesn’t work out for us, then you can always find her a husband down the road,” I said, understanding Mrs. Lascaux’s meaning.

She nodded, and gave me a wry little smile. “Perceptive of you,” she admitted. “Now that you understand our position a bit better, and I have a much more complete picture of where you stand, I think it is time for me to take my leave. Thank you for the tea,” she said, standing up. I stood up and walked her to the door, where she took hold of my shoulders and looked me in the eyes one last time. In her first real show of motherly concern, she gave my shoulders a quick squeeze, and said “Leah, I’m very glad we had this talk. It was a pleasure to get to know you better, and also a great relief to learn that you and Emmy are keeping no secrets from each other.”

“But keeping them from the rest of the world?” I asked.

“Yes,” she agreed, with that beautiful musical laugh that reminded me of her daughter. “Please, continue to keep our secrets from the rest of the world. We are not ready to be revealed yet.” One last quick squeeze on the shoulders, and she walked down the stairs to her waiting car. I saw Edouard open the door of that big BMW sedan for her, and then off they went.

Emmy got home about an hour later, coincidentally at the same time as Mom and Tiff. I heard their voices as they came in, but I was busy trying to focus on my Lit paper (but failing miserably). Emmy came in to our room, and wrapped her arms around me from behind.

“How is your paper going?” she asked, giving me a little kiss on the nape of my neck.

“Well, actually, I’m having a hard time getting anything done. I had a visitor earlier,” I said, leaning back into her embrace. “Your mom came to talk to me.”

“What?” asked Emmy, surprised. “What did she want to talk about?” Her tone had gone harsh instantly at the mention of her mom’s visit, and she pulled away from me and sat on the bed.

I turned to face her. “I think she just wanted to talk one on one, to get to know me better.” I leaned forward, taking Emmy’s hand. “I think it went well. Honestly, I think it went really well, Em. I kinda think you should talk to her about what we discussed tonight.”

“I am not going to talk to my parents,” Emmy said with finality, pulling her hand out of mine.

“Em, please, just listen. It was a good talk. I think she might be O.K. with us. I mean, us being together. In fact, she offered to pay my tuition so we could be together at Stanford and not have to worry about a thing.”

“She did what?” Emmy demanded, standing up, furious.

“She said she wanted us to be together,” I said, wanting Emmy to understand it was all good. I was failing miserably, though, as Emmy was obviously very, very pissed off. Without another word, she grabbed her keys and stormed off, slamming the front door on her way out. I watched her out the window as she got in her car and took off, tires squealing as she exited the parking lot.

“What was that about?” asked Mom, leaning in my door. “What got Emmy so upset?”

“Emmy’s mom visited this evening, while you were all gone. She wanted to talk to me, and I thought it went really well. It seemed like she was O.K. with Emmy and me, and maybe things could get back to normal at her house, but when I told Emmy, she got really pissed off.” My voice must have told Mom more than my words did, because she came in and gave me a hug.

“It’ll be O.K., Lee. She’s got some issues she needs to work out with her parents, but it doesn’t have anything to do with you. She loves you, and I’m sure she’s not mad at you. You just need to support her, and be there for her.”

Mom’s arms felt comforting, and the tears I’d been fighting since Emmy stormed out came out with a rush. “Why is it so complicated?” I snuffled.

“Oh, honey,” Mom said. “Love is always complicated. That’s just the way it is.”