I sighed softly as I dialed the number of Avalon's cell phone in the States. I leaned back into the armchair of my apartment and hit the video-chat button on the touchscreen. I crossed one knee atop the other and felt my shoulders slump as I listened to the ringing sound of our call connecting. "C'mon, Avalon, don't stand me up," I whispered. My attention shot towards the door that connected my room to my mother's when I heard gentle coughing. It continued for a short few seconds and then all fell quiet. It made me want to sigh again.

It had been just over eight months since my mother brought me to the London coven house. It had taken some adjustment to get used to living in a hole in the ground, ten stories beneath the surface. There were no nightly strolls through gardens to be taken or watching the horses in the pasture in the United States, or the games of hide-and-seek and full-moon swimming along the New Zealand coast. There was only business.

I hadn't talked on the phone with my brother for a while and the months had begun to feel like an eternity of separation. We had only spoken one other time, when he was finally trusted enough to have private conversations. I had wanted to call through the American switchboard and demand them to allow my brother to speak to me. I had been afraid to call and talk to our father in the near-year we had been separated. Our parents had yet to reconcile.

I glared at the screen in my hand, annoyed he wasn't answering my call. We had agreed to talk, despite the eight hours I was ahead of him. It was well past sunrise for me, threatening to shut my body down with dormancy; in the United States, it was just now eleven o'clock, when Avalon could sneak away from the nightly routine of things to talk.

Finally, a gentle click sounded and my screen mutated from my face to another camera angle, showing my brother's grin looking back at me.

"Hi, Big Brother," I greeted with a smile. Seeing him again made me happy as my excitement doubled.

His hair had been cut shorter, now just past ears and pushed back with product to stay out of his face. His blue eyes were brighter than the last time I had seen him, announcing his delight. He looked well, no longer appearing tired and rough, but refreshed and healthy.

I had missed him so much.

"Hey, Eris," he greeted, his voice light and melodic to betray his good mood. He grinned again. "How are you? Sorry it's so late over there."

"I'm fine. How are you?" I answered, making sure not to let my voice rise too much in volume so as not to wake our mother. "It's okay. I think this would've been my only free time, anyways. Seems like everyone goes from sunset to sunrise and not a minute shorter here."

"Ha-ha, yeah, I remember that," he chuckled as he moved to sit on the edge of some piece of furniture. I could see a bed post behind him and the outline of a chair just past it. He must have been in his room. "Have you gotten used to the bells for drills and guard-change yet?"

"Not really," I said honestly.

"I don't think I ever got used to hearing them, either. I'm sorry it's been so long since we got to see each another..."

We stared at one another for several seconds, unable to say anything. We both knew it wasn't our faults individually, but it was obvious we both felt guilty regardless. We had always been partners-in-crime together as we grew up. I was always his sidekick. But the English and the American covens had been looking in opposite directions, costing both of our times. England was lobbying to put me in front of the High Council of the Capitol; America was aiding in every collaborating play against our enemies across the globe.

"I know. I should've tried to ring you more when I knew I could talk," I answered him finally. Texting a couple times a week wasn't enough.

"You shouldn't have to stay up past your bedtime to talk to your lame 'bro,' either," he said sarcastically. His grin made me smile as we both giggled at his attempt of cool talk. "But, how are you doing otherwise? You look good."

I continued to smile as I leaned my head back into the cushion of the armchair. I could feel my hair readjust around my neck and ears. I inhaled the need to sigh and tried to hold the air for a few seconds. "I'm fine. We've been busy trying to continue the campaign from here," I said. "That and training with Thaddeus occupies all my time, it seems."

"Good. I think you'll learn a lot with him. He's the one who tutored Mum in medicine and politics," Avalon replied. He glanced over his shoulder as if towards his door for a second before turning to look back at me.

"How are you, since what happened?" I asked, meaning the werewolf attack.

"I'm fine. Physically, mentally... I'm hanging in there. It's been an adjustment, being here full-time," he said, "but everything's been going pretty well. It took a while for people to get used to me and Dad."

"You haven't had any problems, have you?"

"No, not really. Marc is still a huge dick towards me, but hey, I guess it's better he likes you rather than me," he chuckled.

My eyes rolled as I tried not to smirk at his name-calling. I had been quick to observe the two weren't fond of one another during our short time in the States with the American coven council. "That's probably true," I said finally, giggling. "Are you chatting up his commander still?"

Avalon grinned and blushed simultaneously, giving me his cheesiest smile as a form of embarrassment. "I suppose you could say I did chat her up, extensively. We, um, made up a few weeks after what happened. And it's been going very well."

"Really?" I asked, goading him to continue.

"Yeah, really. I know I promised I wouldn't mess with your alliance to her, but we've been together for a while now," he answered with a smile. "I think this one's going to do it for me."

"Wo-o-ow," I said, drawing out the word with my shock.

"I know, I know. I'm still getting comfortable with the idea, too," he chuckled.

"Are you saying you're going to marry her?" I asked, knowing he was getting serious with his relationship if he was saying that this time was the one. I had never seen him serious about a girl, ever. Everything seemed fleeting to him before. "Did you get a ring?" I asked, my voice going up an octave with excitement.

"Yeah, I did," he replied. "I'm just waiting to pose the question. We spend almost every minute together now. I can't imagine a night without her. And we're both at that age where we're starting to think about how forever is going to be."

"Wow," I repeated, my eyebrows rising in the same moment as I smiled fully. His joy was obvious all over his face. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Eris. I'm looking forward to it. She's the only person I've ever met that makes me feel free, like I can be something better than what I am," he said, his voice turning pensive. "...Hey, how is Mum doing?" he added, changing the subject before I could tease him any further.

My breath caught in my throat for a second, taking me out of my excitement as I choked on the truth. "She's been really sad. And she's been somewhat under the weather because of it," I said softly, my good mood gone. "I'm beginning to really worry, Avalon."

He sighed, his face sobering from his own grin. "How bad?"

"It's like she has no time to talk about anything beyond the High Council and our appointments with commanders. She coughs in her sleep, never finishes her blood, and I don't ever hear her talk about Dad at all. I'm pretty sure she's coming down with Hunting Anemia."

Avalon inhaled and exhaled heavily, looking concerned. "That's not good. How severe is it?"

Hunting Anemia was a disease often exhibited by elders and the newest of vampires. Just like starvation would kill any living being, the loss of sustenance from denying blood would make immortal bodies weak and fragile. It was believed to be the result of depression from age or being newly undead.

"I can tell she's becoming weaker. I don't know what to do other than try to keep her drinking. But Dad needs to come back," I said. "He needs to talk to her. I don't know who else could snap her out of it."

Avalon sighed heavily and nodded. "I know. He still sits around here and pretends to ignore the conversation when anyone brings up Mum's petitions to the High Council. I think he's afraid to go home."

I refrained from rolling my eyes. "I don't care. He needs to come back before she gets sick to the point she can't be helped. She's due next year. What if this is enough to put her over the edge? They haven't talked in almost a year."

My big brother's mouth quirked to one side, just as our mother often did, and he nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can do, Eris, I promise. We need to get her help before it gets bad... How are you doing, otherwise?" he asked, his voice gentle.

I sighed. "Okay," I said again truthfully, feeling my anxiety rush to the surface as I thought about the state of things in my life. "I'm going on my first field mission in a few months. There have been discoveries in Ireland and Scotland that may point to what the Moon Worshippers have developed as their version of the prophecy. I finally talked Thaddeus and Mum into letting me go this time. I think it's time they let me get a feeling for what I'm up against should the Council try to test me."

"Have they decided when to set your confirmation?" Avalon asked.

I shook my head slowly, tucking a piece of hair back behind my ear when it came loose. "No, nothing yet. We're still waiting to hear their final judgement on when I can be presented at court."

"How is the campaign going?"

"Slow, it seems. I've only been able to meet with the French and the Scottish covens. Next is Spain. But I'm hoping maybe going out into the field some will help in being able to address their questions about what I plan to do," I said.

He smiled reluctantly and nodded in agreement. "It will. You're getting a handle on everything. You can do it. I know you."

I chewed my bottom lip for a moment before nodding finally, too. "Can you just promise that you get Dad to come home? If I'm going to keep doing this, I want you here with us. Mum and I need you," I added.

"I'll talk him into going back to London. It would do them both some good to be together again. I don't want Mum to get any more sick in her condition," he answered.

I nodded again, trying to choke back the need for tears as my eyes stung. "I want you here, too."

"I know. But, I think I'm gonna be sticking around here from now on. She makes this place home for me," he said with another smile. "I'll always be just a phone call and a few hours away, okay? No matter what."

"Promise?" I asked softly.

"Promise," he answered, "cross my heart and hope to die."