“Well, you've got friends that'll stand behind you through this.

You've got me for sure, and hell, even my parents like you."

Madison grinned.

"How do I rack up against the other g-friends?"

"I dunno. I don't think they've ever really met them. In high school, I didn't date much, and they certainly didn't meet any of the girls I met in Europe."

For some reason, that made Madison happy. Okay, so maybe Heda was only nineteen and not exactly a middle-aged spinster who needed to settle down, but it was still nice to be the first girl to meet the parents.

"Of course, they only met me because they came out to see what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into. Am I really considered 'trouble' now?"

“You have NO idea," Heda replied, kissing Madison's nose, then lips, then lips again.

"Big, big trouble.”

“Are you calling me fat?"

“Shut up and kiss me."

“Got it." Their Lips met and —-

"Ahem!" came a voice from behind them.

“Dad!" Heda shouted, then slunk down into the tube as far as she could without pushing Madison out. She had just, for the first time, been caught making out by her parents.

"Don't make me come over there," Mr. Adler said, his attempt at a stern voice almost brimming over with amusement.

Heda extended her arm.

"Start paddling," she whispered.

Madison was tired but surprisingly chipper. Her show had gone well, with Billy and Sasha both hanging out. She had managed to get caught up on her homework too, something which had fallen not-so- surprisingly by the wayside due to other recent events. She had gotten a brief call from Mr. Hannity arranging a time for Sunday to meet with the doctor who would have the test results. That had been a slightly awkward conversation, but she was not going to let it get her down.

Even at two o'clock in the morning, the house was still somewhat active. There was some drinking going on, Peter was still up playing "Call of Duty 4," Carla and Anthony were making out in the kitchen (yuck), and Edgar was going over case files. Madison greeted everyone she saw, dropped her stuff off in her room, then headed upstairs (and upstairs again) to see if Heda was still awake.

"Hello?" she said, softly enough that she would not wake the girl if she had drifted off.

“Hey," came a groggy but warm welcome. Heda was hunkered over her laptop typing furiously away at something.

"What'cha workin' on?" Madison asked, allowing herself to be pulled into Heda's lap and kissed.

“Hmm, finally got an idea for my great American novel," the eagle- shifter replied.

"I was thinking of a story where Little people with hairy feet find a mysterious ring that an evil overlord wants to find to take over a placed called ‘Middle Earth' and . . . What, not a good idea?"