“See you tomorrow, remember what we talked about! Don’t flake on me!” Destiny called to Nora.

“I won’t! I’m doing it, promise! I’m radiating confidence!” Nora responded as she walked backward to the car where Joan waited to pick her up.

“That’s the spirit!” Destiny held up a thumbs up before running over to the bus port.

Nora giggled before running over to the car and jumping into the passenger seat.

“What was that about?” Joan asked.

“Nothing!” Nora said too quickly her cheeks turning a bright pink.

Joan raised an eyebrow but left the subject.

Nora synced up her phone to the car and quickly began to play her music. She headbanged along to the music before Joan turned it off.

“Hey! What gives? You always let me listen to my music.” Nora pouted.

“Nora, we need to talk.”

“Ugh!” Nora rolled her eyes before turning in her seat to look out the window.

“Nora—”

“Let me guess she told on me. Ugh. What a big baby.” Nora snarked.

“Nora!”

Nora flinched and shrunk in on herself a bit.

“She is your mother; you will not talk to her or about her like that.” Joan chastised.

“You’re my mother! She’s nothing but a witch trying to tear our family apart!” Nora turned in her seat to face Joan.

Joan slammed down on the breaks as they caught a red-light causing Nora to jerk forward in her seat.

Nora eyed Joan cautiously. Joan clenched her jaw and held the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turned white.

“Sorry,” Nora muttered when Joan still hadn’t said anything.

When the light turned green Joan hit the gas and drove past their usual turn.

“Where are you going?” Nora asked.

Joan remained silent as she drove.

“Mom!?” Nora called when Joan still hadn’t said anything.

Joan pulled into the town cemetery before driving in and pulling over. Turning the car off and getting out. Nora eyed her but followed. Joan grabbed her hand before leading her over to the family plot. Where her mother’s and her father’s grave laid.

“Say hello to your grandparents Nora,” Joan said.

Nora eyed Joan and remained silent.

“I was around your age when I lost my dad.”

Nora looked down to the headstones and backed up slightly. Joan held her hand firmly, not letting her get away.

“Nora, Rooney is as much as your mother as I am. She was there when you were born. She was there when you learned to talk and walk. She’s always been there. We are all you have. If anything were to happen to us… I don’t even want to know what would happen to you. If anything were to happen to me, she would be all you had. Don’t you ever talk to her like that. She has sacrificed so much for you. Not everyone has their parents, be grateful that you do.”

“Be grateful!? Screw you okay. She hasn’t always been there! Or don’t you remember when you cried on my 12^th birthday because she promised she’d show up, but she didn’t! Where was she when I broke my arm at 13? Or how about when I was sitting in that dentist chair scared out of my skull because I was sure they would pull out all my teeth, I was only 7. Where was she then? My school field trip in 6^th grade. My first band concert? Where was she mom?” Nora glared at Joan as tears streamed down her face.

“Nora—”

“No! You are so blinded by your love for her that you don’t see that she’s the problem with this family! She’s never there when I need her and when she is, she’s such a bitch to me all the time that I wish she wasn’t there! I hate her and I hate you for loving her.” Nora snatched her hand away before running over to the car, leaving Joan alone at her parent’s headstones.

 Joan cried silently before wiping her tears and kneeling down in front of their graves.

“I could really use you guys right now,” Joan said to the graves.

“I don’t know what to do, how to make her see. I wish I could talk to you guys. How did you ever make me see? Was I as bad as her? What am I doing wrong here?”

It was silent for a moment.

Joan sighed before standing up again.

Nora wiped desperately at her eyes as she tried to will her tears to stop. Just thinking about Rooney leaving her alone again was enough to wound her on a level she couldn’t do anything about to fix. The wound was so deep that no matter how much she willed it not to hurt, it did. She hated Rooney for having this power over her. Hated that deep down she knew that she didn’t want Rooney to leave again but was too scared to let herself hope or trust again. Too scared to let Rooney back in, for fear that she would just be hurt all over again. She loved Rooney, but didn’t want to, and didn’t want people to know she did either. If no one knew she cared, they couldn’t hurt her again.

Nora hiccupped her sobs, trying hard to regain control of herself. Joan just walked up behind her and engulfed her in a hug.

“I’m sorry, I don’t hate you, I’m sorry.” Nora sobbed.

“I know Nora. I know. Shh, it’s okay. Shh.” Joan soothed her.

“I don’t want her to leave, I don’t want her to leave me.” Nora cried as she turned and buried her head in Joan’s chest.

“Hey, look at me.” Joan pushed back.

Nora hiccupped her sobs, looking at Joan with watery eyes.

“We are going to make this work, all three of us. I can’t promise you she won’t leave again because I don’t know the future, but I can promise you that she’s working on it too. She doesn’t want you to hate her for the rest of your life. She’s trying Nora. And guess what?”

“W-what?”

“She agreed to retire with me from fieldwork. We are going to open up our own business and hire people to do our work for us. That way we can be home and always be there for you. That’s all we want Nora; we just want to be there for you. Be parents you can be proud of. We love you very much and I know she hurt you, I won’t make excuses for her. But she does love you, she does, and she hates that she hurt you. Give her another chance, let her try and prove herself to you again. She wants to be in your life, Nora. You have to let her.”

Nora quieted her sobs and looked down as she wiped at her tears.

“You don’t have to do this alone. I’m just learning to trust her again, same as you. but I’m going to tell you a secret, you can’t tell her I told you.”

Nora looked up at Joan.

“She only runs away because she’s scared of you.”

“She is?”

Joan nodded, “She didn’t grow up with parents. She was in and out of foster homes and orphanages all her life. She doesn’t know how to be a good mom. She’s scared she’s going to mess it up. Scared that no matter what she does, you will always hate her. That’s why she runs Nora. Because she’s scared she’s going to fail you; just like you’re scared she’s going to leave you. But you know what we have to do when we are afraid of something?”

Nora shook her head no.

“We have to face our fears. The only way to get over a fear is to face it and conquer it. Rooney’s ready to face her fear, are you ready to face yours?”

Nora avoided Joan’s gaze and shrugged.

“It’s okay if you aren’t ready yet, but eventually you will have to face her again. Face what she’s done to you, to us. You are going to have to make peace with it, that’s just a part of growing up. You’re not a little girl anymore Nora. You have to make your own choices and be held responsible for those choices. I know it’s going to be hard, but I’m always going to be here for you. Even if you don’t trust Rooney, you can trust me. I’ll never leave you. I promise. And when you're ready to face that pain and fear inside of you, I’m going to be right here. Promise.”

Nora tackled Joan in another hug and nuzzled her head into Joan’s chest.

“I love you mom,” Nora said.

“Love you too Nora. Now I can’t fix what’s broken between you and Rooney, but I am going to be here for you, for both of you. What you said to her earlier really hurt her. I have never seen her cry like that. Can you please apologize to her? Even if you don’t mean it yet, just let her know that you see her effort but you're just not ready to accept it yet.”

“Okay,” Nora said.

“Thank you, now let’s get out of here. I’m making us a family dinner tonight. Chicken strips and ice cream sundaes.”

“My favorite.” Nora giggled.

“Come on.” Joan led Nora to the car and opened the door for her.

When they got home, Rooney was pacing the entryway waiting for them. When her eyes met Nora’s, she went still.

“Uh Nora, I’m—” Nora cut Rooney off by running to her and hugging her.

Rooney yelped in surprise.

“I know,” Nora said.

Rooney’s eyes watered and she held her tightly.

“I’m sorry… mom,” Nora said.

Nora hadn’t called Rooney mom since Rooney came back into her life last year. Rooney whimpered and buried her head into Nora’s. Holding Nora tighter than she ever held the girl before.

Joan smiled at the two before moving to the kitchen to get to cooking.

“I love you, Nora, I love you so much. I am sorry I hurt you. Words will never be able to express how sorry I am to you. I know what I did to you is unfair and I will never be able to make up for all that lost time. but I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. Promise.”

Nora grabbed fistfuls of Rooney’s shirt and closed her eyes tight before saying, “If you leave me again, I’ll never forgive you. Never. Don’t… Don’t leave me again.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Never. I’m right here Nora. I’m going to stay right here.” Rooney rubbed Nora’s back.

Nora sniffled and just held on to Rooney.

“Alright my lovely ladies, who wants dessert before dinner?” Joan sang as she pulled out ice cream from the freezer.

Nora pulled back and giggled, Rooney just shook her head at Joan as the two made their way over for some ice cream.

“I got everyone’s favorite, pistachio.”

“You mean your favorite,” Nora muttered.

Rooney giggled.

“Hey!”

“Do you have other options?” Rooney asked.

“Fine, you got me. I also have vanilla cherry swirl.” Joan teased Nora with the ice cream.

“Oh! Give me, give me, give me!” Nora begged.

Joan rolled her eyes before popping open the tub and serving out two scoops and putting a ton of whipped cream on top with a cherry and chocolate syrup and handing it to Nora.

“Yes!” Nora quickly dug in.

Rooney served herself and pecked Joan on the lips as Joan got dinner ready.

Nora used her phone to turn on the tv and put the news on for background noise.

“So what should we name our company? I was thinking Miller investigations.” Joan said as she floured up the chicken.

“Lame.” Nora sang.

Nora thought her parents were private detectives because that is what they always told her. Little did she know that wasn’t even the half.

“Oh, and what would you pick?” Joan asked.

“Not that.” Nora popped the cherry into her mouth.

“She has a point babe; Miller just doesn’t have a ring to it,” Rooney said.

“Hey, it’s a classic. Well what about—” Joan was cut off by her phone ringing, her work phone.

Nora frowned, knowing that it always meant that her moms would have to leave again.

“Hold that thought, here take over,” Joan handed Rooney a naked chicken strip.

Rooney made a face and looked to Nora who shrugged at her before shoving more ice cream in her mouth.

“Miller investigations,” Joan answered the phone and stuck her tongue out at Rooney as she walked to the home office.

Rooney rolled her eyes before dipping the chicken into the flour.

It was only seconds later before Joan came back with the phone to her ear. She snapped her fingers to get Rooney’s attention and motioned for her to follow her. Rooney dropped the chicken on the counter and wiped her hands off before quickly following Joan back to the study leaving Nora alone.

Nora stared down at her ice cream and frowned at it before pushing it away, losing her appetite. Instead, she got up and ran upstairs to her room, shutting the door behind her.

“I don’t understand and your sure it’s vampires?” Joan set the phone down, putting it on speaker.

“Dozens of them! Coming your way fast. It’s a war zone. They aren’t even trying to hide it!” A man shouted.

“A war?” Rooney chimed in.

“I haven’t heard of any war among vampires…” Joan said.

“Wait, you don’t think…” Rooney met Joan’s eyes.

“No, can’t be.”

“But what if…”

“Sir, you said your slayers had a run-in with them. Did you get a good look at any of them?”

“One side was running with demons! They were ganging up on them. There was this girl, black hair, green eyes. She looked to be the leader of the smaller pack.”

“Lyssa.” Rooney and Joan said in unison.

“What happened exactly?” Joan asked.

“One-minute peace, the next chaos! You have to come quick; we need backup. The town has been overrun, we need to run them out. Some of them ran off towards you guys. I’m guessing you want to stop them before they get there.”

“Alright, we’ll come right away. Hold them off as long as you can. Don’t let them escape, don’t kill them either. We have to interrogate them.” Joan instructed.

“You better hurry, we are outclassed here.”

“We’re on our way.” Joan hung up.

“I’ll go get the kits ready.” Rooney turned to leave.

“This is the last time Roo. I mean it. I’m only doing this because I think it might be Bex and Lyssa.”

“Fine, we’ll hire people as soon as we get back, promise.”

Joan sighed but quickly walked back to the kitchen to put everything up. She sighed when she saw Nora’s abandon sundae.

They quickly got ready to leave, loading up the car. Joan walked over to Nora’s room and knocked on the door. When she didn’t get an answer, she cracked it open.

“Nora?”

“Just leave me alone.” Nora turned over in bed.

“Nora I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency. We’ll be back in the morning. Are you okay staying here by yourself, or do you want to go to Darci’s?”

“I’m not a baby mom. Just leave money for pizza or something.”

Joan sighed.

“I’ll call you when I get a chance. Love you.” Joan said.

“Whatever,” Nora replied.

Joan sighed again before leaving. She locked up the house extra tight like she always did, turning on her advanced security system. Then she and Rooney drove towards the war.

The vampire war.