"Happy birthday dear sissy, happy birthday to you!"

Stella's singing got a bigger smile out of Mila than Marcus ever saw. Stella rested on Mila's lap at the table, looking down at the cake covered in sprinkles and frosting piled on so thick, he wondered if there was actually more frosting than cake.

"Make a wish," Stella said, nudging Mila. "Make a wish!"

"All right, all right," Mila said, dinging her fingers into Stella's sides until she squealed and started giggling. Mila leaned forward and closed her eyes as she blew out the candles, wishing the one thing she wanted more than anything else. I wish for a miracle to make Stella healthy and live a long life.

"Yay!" Stella clapped when the candles were blown out. "Presents now!"

Terry moved the cake out of the way and slid two packages concealed with black wrapping paper and pink bows. Stella grabbed the present from her and pushed it into Mila's hands. "Mine first," she said with a toothy grin.

"Okay, yours first," Mila agreed, a breathy laugh escaping as she tore open the paper. Underneath was a clay bowl with Stella' thumbprints pressed against the outside in the shape of hearts. Mila smiled, running her finger over the heart prints. "Did you make this?"

"Terry helped me make it," Stella grinned. "We saw it on Pinterest! Do you like it? It's for your keys, so you stop losing them. You can put it by the door and always keep your keys there. Like mama used to do."

A lump lodged in Mila's throat at the mention of her mother but she smiled and hugged Stella tightly. "Thanks, baby," she said, kissing the top of her little sister's head. "It's thoughtful and beautiful. I love it."

"Okay, Terry's next," Stella said, grabbing the present and dragging it closer.

Stella helped Mila get the wrapping paper off and Mila raised her eyebrows, surprised to find a shirt she would actually wear, sporting the logo of one of her favorite bands. She glanced up at Terry and gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"You like it?"

"Yeah, it's cute."

"Try it on!" Stella insisted, sliding off Mila's lap and looking up at her expectantly.

Mila rolled her eyes but went to the bathroom anyway and switched shirts. She stared at the shirt in the mirror, running her fingers over the purposely torn sleeves. It was her style and she was a little surprised Terry thought of it. They hadn't exchanged gifts in a long time.

Mila came back out, finding Stella over by Marcus and Terry cutting up the cake. "Well?" Mila asked, striking a pose and winking at Stella, making her giggle. "What do you think?"

"You look beautiful!" Stella clapped.

"It looks nice," Terry nodded in agreement.

Mila swallowed and fiddled with her mom's necklace. "Thank you. It's nice... The shirt and the bowl. Thanks for helping her make it."

"It was all her idea, I just got her the stuff."

Mila nodded, wringing her hands together. Terry rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if it ever wouldn't be awkward between them unless it was directly about Stella's health.

"Didn't you get sissy something?" Stella asked, setting her hands on her hips, her gaze fixed on Marcus. "Good boyfriends get presents for their girlfriend."

Marcus chuckled and leaned forward to get more eye level with her, clasping his hands together. "You're right, and I did get her something. It's just that it's..." His gaze glided over to Mila and he winked, making her cheeks warm. She stuck out her tongue and he winked again. She covered her face with her hands and giggled. "...More private," Marcus finished. "Not something I can give her in front of everyone."

"Oh my God," Terry groaned, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Aw, so it's a special secret present?" Stella whispered, a smile spreading over her face.

"Exactly."

Stella nodded decisively and grabbed her oxygen tank, rolling it behind her as she approached Mila and gestured for Mila to come closer. Mila bent down and Stella cupped her hand over Mila's ear, whispering so no one else would hear. "Was it a good present?"

Mila bit on her lip but smiled anyway. She cupped her hand around Stella's ear and whispered back. "It was the best present I ever got from a boyfriend."

Stella grinned at Mila then looked back at Marcus over her shoulder. "Okay. You're off the hook."

"Appreciate it," Marcus said, leaning back in his chair and pretending to scratch his face but more using it as a way to hide his smile.

"Sissy, you want to spend the night?" Stella asked, bouncing up and down. "We can sleep together!"

"Stella, Mila's probably spending the night with Marcus," Terry said as he passed out slices of cake.

"Marcus can stay too!"

You wanna spend the night with her? Marcus's voice echoed in Mila's head and she made eye contact, giving a subtle nod. She would take as much time with Stella as she could get.

"Hey, we don't mind a sleepover," Marcus shrugged. "But I do need to take Mila away for a little bit before we settle in."

"Another secret present?" Stella whispered. Marcus chuckled and nodded. "Aww," Stella cooed. "I like you better than Mila's other boyfriends."

"Hey, I rarely bring boys around," Mila frowned as she returned to her seat at the dining room table where Terry left a piece of cake for her.

"Yeah but I hear Terry complain about them," Stella said simply, glancing at Mila with an expression Mila swore look exactly like her mama's when she was scolding her. "It's about time you had a nice boyfriend."

Mila raised her eyebrows and sat back in her seat, shooting Terry a look. "Wow."

"I didn't say anything!" Terry defended holding his hands up in surrender. "Where did you even hear that, Stell?"

"When you were on the phone with your friends," Stella shrugged. "You're loud."

Terry sighed, narrowing his eyes at his baby sister.

"She's right," Mila chimed in, cutting into her cake and taking a bite. "You are loud."

"Okay, well, Stell needs a bath before bed," Terry said, deciding to change the subject before he got in trouble. "Why don't you two go do your thing and she'll be done when you come back?"

Marcus nodded and Stella cheered before going over to Marcus and grabbing his hand. She took him with her to the living room, babbling on about what they could watch in bed for their sleepover.

"Is this really okay?" Mila asked once Stella was out of earshot. "I mean Marcus. I know I can, but if you feel weird about him staying we can just make up an excuse. He won't mind."

"No, he's fine," Terry shrugged, darting his eyes away. "I mean... Stella said it. I like him better than anyone else you brought home before."

"But you don't like him, you're just glad he's not an ass," Mila pointed out.

"No, I like him just fine," Terry said. "As long as he treats you right, I like him."

Mila wasn't sure how to respond to that so she ate cake instead. She couldn't talk if her mouth was full. Her and Terry sat in awkward silence eating cake until Stella and Marcus returned with two movies. Stella devoured a piece of cake as well as some of Marcus's that he snuck to her when Terry wasn't looking.

As soon as they finished cake, Terry took Stella upstairs and Mila and Marcus walked out of the house. Mila turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "What is it then? One last really good fuck before you better keep your hands off me since we'll be with my baby sister?"

"No," Marucs said, narrowing his eyes and gripping her hips, pulling her against him. "I'm capable of more than sex, you know."

"I guess we'll see," Mila teased, stretching her lips up to his. Her breath caught when he kissed her back softly, deeply. His hand slid behind her head, keeping her in place as his lips moved over hers in a sweet, intimate caress that had her heart racing again.

Marcus pulled back and they both stared at each other breathlessly. Mila went to step back to put some distance between them before she felt even more out of control in her feelings for him, but his hands kept her in place. Those hands moved down to the back of her legs and he lifted her up, holding her close against him as he pushed off the ground and took to the air.

Mila wrapped her arms and legs around him, never quite able to suppress that initial gasp when they took off. She was more used to flying now and looked around, watching all the city lights as they passed over it. They went away from the city, landing in the middle of a dark, thin forest.

Mila frowned, looking around as Marcus set her down. "Oh my God," she said, a smile spreading over her face. "Are you going to kill me for my birthday? Fuck the demon thing, you're an angel!"

"No, no, no," Marcus said, shaking his head vehemently and crossing his arms. "No. Not happening. That's not why we're here. Did you really think that's why I brought you?"

"I mean, it's creepy," Mila shrugged. "It's got that, 'I brought you here to kill you' vibe."

Marcus sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples. "No. We just needed privacy."

"Privacy for what?"

"I called in a favor," Marcus said, nodding behind Mila.

Mila turned, her eyes going wide when she saw the same Death she was familiar with standing there. Death offered a small smile and nodded to Mila. "Long time no see, thank goodness."

"You-you see her, right?" Mila whispered, stepping back, bumping into Marcus. "You see her standing there?"

"Yeah, I see her," Marcus said, setting his hands on Mila's shoulders. "Not crazy, remember?"

"Did you bring her here to help me feel less crazy?" Mila asked, furrowing her brows and glancing back at him.

"No, I asked her for a favor. She's not the one I brought to see you, she just needs to be here because you only have a couple minutes. Death will have to sneak her back before anyone notices."

"Sneak who back?" Mila frowned.

"Mila."

Mila's eyes went wide, her entire body going rigid at the sound of a voice she hadn't heard in years, except in old home videos and saved voicemails. Tears brimmed her eyes as Mila slowly looked over, to the source of that voice: her mother.

The tears spilled out as Mila stared at the entity that was her mother, Alicia, but looked... Different. There was a faint glow around her but she was wearing her favorite clothes. Her Sunday best dress, the big hat she always wore with it clasped in her hands as she smiled at Mila, tears in her own eyes. "Hi, baby."

"Mama," Mila whispered, taking a step towards her.

"I only have a little bit of time," she said, moving forward. "I know it's strange but-"

Mila ran to her mother, throwing her arms around her and unable to stop the tears. Part of her expected to try to hug her and her arms to come up empty, but they didn't. She felt her mother. She felt her mother's arms wrap around her and hug her the way her mom always did. Tight and gentle all at once, a hug no one had ever been able to replicate. Her mother's hugs were the best hugs because they felt like her hugging you was the only thing in the world that mattered, and when Mila felt that familiar hug, she cried harder. She hadn't felt that hug in a long time, since even before her mother died. Her mom lost all sense of what was real towards the end. There were no hugs, there were no heartfelt loving goodbyes, there was no return when Mila told her mom she loved her right before her last breath. Her mother didn't even recognize her, kept calling Mila her nurse instead of her daughter. That hug was one she'd been waiting to feel ever since her mother's mind was taken over by disease and only left with the confusion that came with it until the bitter end.

"Happy birthday, baby," Alicia whispered, kissing the side of Mila's head.

Mila cried harder, held her mother tighter. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Alicia said, pulling back and cupping Mila's face. "You're so beautiful," she smiled through the tears. "You've grown even more."

"Only a few more seconds," Death warned, smiling sympathetically.

"Okay, okay, there's just one thing I wanted to say," Alicia said, pressing her forehead against Mila's. "I'm sorry you had to watch me forget you, so let me say what I couldn't say before. I love you for always, Mila."

"I love you for always, mama," Mila choked.

They stayed hugging as long as they could, until Death set a hand on Alicia's shoulder. Alicia pulled back and cupped Mila's face again, pressing a kiss against Mila's forehead. "I have to go, baby. Give your brother and sister a hug for me."

"It won't feel anything like yours," Mila whispered, staring at her mother, memorizing the version of her that did remember who Mila was.

"It'll feel like yours, and yours are better," Alicia said, smiling sadly. "I'm here with you, baby. Even when I'm gone, I still check in on you and I always will. Goodbye, my sweet girl," she said, kissing Mila's forehead again.

"Bye mama," Mila managed to get out through the tears. Alicia kept her hand on Mila's face as long as she could, until she vanished right in front of her, Death disappearing along with her.

Staring at the space her mother was occupying a few seconds ago, Mila couldn't move. She'd wished for a time to see her mother again, when her mother actually knew who she was, and she couldn't believe she finally had that moment.

"Sorry it wasn't longer," Marcus said, setting his hand on Mila's shoulder. "We're not exactly supposed to do that."

Mila shook her head and turned, throwing her arms around Marcus's neck and for the first time in a long time, didn't hold back as she cried. "It was perfect," she said, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

Marcus returned the hug, cradling her head in his chest and wondering why it was he was happy she cried on him. He didn't want her to be crying, but if she was, he wanted her with him. Not by herself. Not hiding it so no one could know. He wanted her right where she was and that worried him. He wasn't supposed to be attached but if he was being honest with himself... He was. Hopelessly attached to the woman in his arms. "Happy birthday, mea deliciae."