She Looked at Alex again. ALL that bright, shining talent, bound up in one fragile young man. Talent enough to bring an audience weeping to its knees or roaring to its feet. Virtually untapped, its loss would be an unspeakable tragedy.

And only her standing between him and a terrible, bloody death.

She shook herself. Stop being so melodramatic! Yes, Alex's death would be a horror. But so would Rachel's. Or Joshua's. Or Yasna's. All seven of the members of what they were all beginning to refer to as "the family," even if they were not all genetically related, had some innate skill which set them apart from the rest. Acting, cooking, healing. A lawyer, an artist, a moral center and a gardener. The real question to be answered is how you are going to stop it.

Her face taut with concentration, Althea Carpenter began to plan.

"Sarah?" The voice was hesitant, and Sarah looked up from her book to find Yasna framed in the doorway.

“Can I come in?"

“Sure, Yasna. Come on in." As the older woman entered, Sarah gave her a smile and closed the book on a finger.

“What can I do for you?" She frowned suddenly.

“And don't take this the wrong way, but why aren't you at work? Don't you have an entire branch of a hospital to be overseeing?"

The doctor gave her a wry smile.

“Althea and your mother more or less forbade me to go. They seem to be under the impression that Kincaid is hunting high and low for me, and will chop me into mincemeat if he catches me wandering around unprotected. So I called in sick and delegated my duties to my chief of staff."

“Well, I suppose that makes sense. So what do you think of our resident succubus, anyway?"

Instead of answering the question, the raven-haired doctor peered at her book, apparently trying to read the title from her vantage point.

“What are you reading?"

"One of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books," she replied, noting the evasion but not objecting to it.

“I got hooked on the TV show last year, and then Daddy bought me the set for Christmas Last year. Well, at least the ones that have been published so far. Apparently there are more to come. I'm not a huge reader like Mom, but I'm working my way through them. And some of the sex scenes are pretty hot."

Yasna smiled, and in response to Sarah's waved invitation, took a seat in her office chair at her desk.

“I read all the time when I was a girl. I used to go through books like candy. I'd come home from the library with a big pile, read them all, then go back for more. I don't have much time for it anymore. It made my father so happy that I was getting a good education here in America.”

Her face darkened suddenly, as if talking about her father was an unhappy reminder.

“Were you two close?" Sarah probed carefully.

“We were. For a long while. We've grown apart quite a bit in the Last several years." Taking a deep breath, Yasna explained her unhappy marriage and subsequent divorce and the reason for it in short, terse sentences.

When the recital was over, Sarah blinked. "So...are you worried you might be a lesbian? Because if you've come here for advice about that, you're shopping at the wrong store."

“No. I'm not worried I might be a lesbian. I..." Yasna blushed fiercely, and finished in a stuttering rush that would have made Sarah laugh if her own life hadn't undergone so many fundamental changes in the last few weeks. "I...I'm pretty sure I'm bisexual. I mean, I find women attractive. Althea of course," she sighed, and Sarah nodded agreement. Even she was not completely immune to her allure.

“And women like your mother and Maria, as well. But if I could find the right man, someone who is both strong and gentle, like your father, I could see myself being happy with him as well."

Sarah nodded enthusiastic agreement.