Raelin’s eyes went wide and she leaned over to the little girl to pretend like she was whispering. “It’s not polite to eavesdrop on what people are thinking, without their permission. Do you think that you can think back your answer to me?” The witch thought to the little girl.
“I wasn’t dropping I promises. I’m sowwies Aunty Raedin,” Ariel said sadly. “What is think backs. In my heads?”
“Yes Baby, in your head. Do you see how I am not moving my mouth, but I am talking to you? I’m thinking to you, like Rori does.” Raelin smiled at the girl, trying to get her to understand.
Nodding, the little girl scrunched her nose as she concentrated. “Likes this? No talkies?” The little girl thought.
Having heard Ariel mention about something in her head Del knew what Raelin was doing and watched curiously to see how it would turn out. Jessie just watched, mostly in confusion.
“That’s right. Such a good girl. Do you wanna see if you can no talkies to Aunt Delly?” The witch didn’t turn her head to her wife. She didn’t want to alert her to what might be happening.
The little girl beamed at the praise, but concentrated once more. “But how will you know if I did no talkies, if I do it to Aunt Delly?”
“Why don’t you tell Aunt Delly that she needs to put her napkin in her lap before her food comes? That way I’ll know that she heard you?” Raelin had to think of something easy for the little girl to say.
“Kays. Aunt Delly, Raedin says to puts your hankie in your lap for Emmy gets back.”
Delaney just smiled proudly at the toddler and did as she was asked unfolding the napkin and laying it in her lap.
“Did good?” she thought back to Raelin.
“Very good Baby. Now I want you to do no talkies with your Momma. I want you to tell her that you love her very much and that she is the bestest Momma in the world.” The witch hoped with all of her might that Jessie would be able to hear her daughter.
Nodding, the little girl stuck her thumb in her mouth out of habit and thought extra hard. “Mommy, I loves you and you is the bestest Mommy in the world. You’re my favoritest.”
Jessie started at the light sound of her daughter’s voice, but her mouth had never moved. The words filled her chest with warmth and she swallowed the lump in her throat, leaning down to press kisses to fine blonde curls.
“I love you too baby. So very much.”
“She hearded me Raedin!” Ariel yelled excitedly in her head.
“I see that. Now we can’t tell everyone that you can do no talkies okay? Right now, just Aunt Delly, me, and your Momma needs to know. Your daddy will find out when he gets home, but this needs to be our secret for a while, okay?” Raelin asked.
“Our secret. I’m a big girl, so I can keeps it.” Ariel nodded. “Can Mommy no talkies too?” she asked curiously.
“I don’t know. How about I ask her? I’m going to talk with her the regular way okay because Momma can’t hear me, I don’t think.” Turning to Jessie, Raelin smiled. “It’s a morning for discovery, isn’t it?”
“It seems that way. Was she talking to me telepathically? I thought you said it was just a bit of Empathy?” Jessie asked then pointing at Delaney. “And why don’t you look surprised?”
Del just shrugged. “Considering who I’m married to, not a whole lot surprises me anymore,” she resumed reading the paper she’d grabbed on the way into the diner.
“Jessie, Ariel wants to know if you can talk with her by thinking. She calls it no talkies. I would like for you to just look at her, think of something and see if she can hear you. Don’t try too hard, just think as you normally do,” the witch instructed.
“I’ll try,” she paused for a moment, and then smiled. “Ariel, if you’re a good girl today while Mommy and your aunts look at cars, maybe we can stop for ice cream later?”
“Yay! I’ll be goods, I promises,” Ariel said aloud in her excitement.
“I told her if she was good, that maybe we could stop for ice cream later,” Jessie said. “She heard me. Will she hear all of my thoughts?”
Shaking her head, Raelin leaned her elbows on the table. “I don’t think so. I think that with you and maybe Mike, you will have to focus your thoughts on her. I’m not real sure why she can hear me, since I’m not related to her by blood, other than it’s just a by-product of my abilities. I’m going to have to read up on it some.”
“Is it possible that she’s just not strong enough to be able to pick up other people’s thoughts? Maybe as she gets older, she’ll start being able to hear more and more around her,” Del said thoughtfully.
“That’s one possibility, but what you don’t know is that this morning she told us about you being hurt by Sumners, me making you a drink to make you feel better and that she saw it all in a dream and Fiona helped calm her down.” Raelin shut up as Emily was coming with their food.
Del looked at her wife in surprise. Turning her attention to Emily as she started handing out the various plates of food, she smiled when Ariel clapped her hands in delight at the smiley face on her pancakes. “Thanks Emily, this is great.”
“You folks are more than welcome. Enjoy,” the young woman placed everything right where it was supposed to be and left them to their conversation.
“I’ve told Ariel that this is a secret that she needs to keep for a while. It will give me time to read up and see how much I can help her,” Raelin explained, as she picked up a piece of bacon.
“Okay, I’ll try to make sure she understands how important that is,” Jessie replied, tucking a napkin into Ariel’s shirt. “Do you think you can help her?” she asked quietly.
The witch was quick to amend her words. “Jessie, I can teach her how to control her abilities, but...” And Raelin smiled at the little girl who had whipped cream on the tip of her nose. “Let me assure you that there’s nothing wrong with your daughter. She’s a perfectly normal little girl, who is quite special.”
“I know there is nothing wrong. I just worry about her. I mean, soon enough she’s going to be in school and now she’s going to have to learn how to deal with this on top of everything that comes with being around other children.” She sighed smiling as the toddler giggled and ran her fingers through the whip cream.
“Well, if Raelin can teach an old woman like me new tricks, working with your impressionable daughter shouldn’t be too hard.” Spotting Ariel looking for something to wipe her hands on and going for her shirt she quickly intervened. “Use your napkin munchkin, not your shirt.”
The tiny blonde looked up and scowled. “Object!”
Laughing, Del looked at her best friend. “Can’t blame me for that one.”
Smiling, Jessie tried to wipe the toddler’s fingers. “It’s objection baby, and overruled. Use your napkin.”
“You don’t want to get all messy, do you sweetie? If you do, you won’t look like Aunt Delly,” Raelin suggested.
“Fine,” the tiny blonde huffed wiping her fingers with the napkin her mother handed to her. Grabbing her fork she finally started working on the pancakes the whip cream having falling prey to the Ariel’s fingers.
“So, after this shall we head to the Audi dealership?” Del asked around a bite of sausage.
“Audi or Lexus. I can’t decide. Any suggestions?” Raelin chewed her scrambled eggs.
Del choked as she tried to swallow a bite of hash browns.
“Lexus can be fun. Ever test a Benz out?” Jessie asked casually.
“No, I just want a car that is well built and very safe. Very safe,” the witch muttered the last part under her breath, thinking about the nightmares.
Taking in a breath after having finally gotten her food down, Del looked between the two women. “Lexus? Mercedes Benz? Good lord, Mazda makes a couple of nice cars that are safe and professional looking at a fraction of what you would spend on either of those makes.”
“I don’t like Mazda, something too confining about them. I can’t explain it,” the witch shivered.
/> “Oh well, it was just an example,” the blonde replied, finishing her food and pushing her plate away, leaning back in the booth as she nibbled on the last of her toast.
“Well, all of the dealers are pretty much right next to each other so we can look at a bunch of them,” the attorney stated, finishing her own breakfast.
“So let’s go buy a car.” Turning to the little girl, Raelin asked, “You wanna help me pick out a car Ariel?”
“Yes!” The little girl clapped her hands excitedly. Pausing, she looked at her mother and leaned towards her. “But can we go pees first?”
“Yeah, sure thing, Munchkin. I’m just going to run her to the bathroom, we’ll be right back.” Jessie slid out of the booth and took Ariel’s hand as they headed for the washroom.
“That kid slays me.” Del chuckled shaking her head.
Raelin closed her eyes and concentrated. “Don’t forget to wash your hands,” she thought to Ariel, wanting to see if there was a distance limit to her ability. Turning to her wife, she smiled. “Jessie was feeling left out before so I’m glad that Ariel is able to ‘hear’ her, so to speak.”
“Left out?” Del asked, “Is everything okay?”
“When Ariel was telling us about her dream, Jessie felt that she wasn’t really her mother, now that these abilities are coming up. That Ariel is truly your daughter and not hers. I talked with her a bit and I think that she gets it.”
Looking down at the table, Del played with the napkin scrunched up in front of her. “Should we stay away for a while? I don’t want her to feel like I’m taking Ariel from her.”
“I asked her that and she said no. That Ariel wouldn’t like it at all.” Raelin scooted her chair closer and leaned her head against her wife’s. “Darlin’, this is normal for someone to think like this when they find out that their child is different. Whether they’re gay or telepathic. Give her a chance to get used to this, okay?”
Closing her eyes she simply nodded in response, letting the closeness with Raelin soothe her. “Also, I’ve never slept with Emily.”
“Okay, what’s your favorite color of car?”
“Nice subject change, Captain Obvious,” Del drawled jokingly. “I like black and depending on the car, sometimes blue.”
“Would you mind terribly if I kissed you? I didn’t get a proper kiss this morning. I had your drooling mini me between us.” Raelin grinned.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, about the drool. I probably should have warned you about how she likes to sneak in with me whenever I stayed there.” She laughed. “And you can kiss me all you want. As if I’d ever say no.”
Leaning forward Raelin brushed her lips against her wife’s before capturing them in a gentle kiss. She had to restrain herself from letting it get out of hand.
Del sighed into the kiss, letting it linger. Well aware that they were not at home, she kept it sweet, rolling her eyes when she heard the catcalls from a group of boys in the corner. “I hate people sometimes,” she murmured.
“They just want what I have Darlin’, I can’t fault them for that,” the witch whispered against her wife’s lips.
“Over my cold dead body,” Del whispered back, giving Raelin another kiss. She pulled away after a few minutes, shaking her head. “We should probably behave. We aren’t at home where everyone are used to us, and I don’t need Ari hearing the insults a few of the people in here are liable to throw.”
Leaning back, the brunette agreed. “I would like for you to do me a favor and I know that it’s gonna be hard.”
“Okay, what do you need?” Del asked warily.
“I don’t want you freaking out on how much money I’m going to spend on the car. I’ve never had a lot growing up just like you, but the dreams that I’ve been having are really bothering me, and I would feel safer if we had at least a vehicle that is well built and we can floor it when we need to.” Raelin was mentally wincing at what she thought her wife would say.
“Exactly how much money do you plan on spending? There are plenty of affordable cars out there that art built very safe,” Del replied back.
“As much as I need to, so I feel that when we are in the car with Ariel, we’re as safe as we possibly can be,” Raelin replied honestly.
“Okay. You do what you need to Darlin’, I know you aren’t one to spend money without thought anyways. I forget sometimes that I don’t have to worry about making rent anymore,” Del said sheepishly.
Ariel and Jessie finally returned and once they had settled the bill they piled back into the car and over to the car dealers. They walked into the dealership and a salesman walked up. Ariel insisting on holding Delaney’s hand.
“Hello ladies. My names Dan Stevens. What can I help you with today? Any particular model you had in mind?” he asked nicely, sticking his hand out for the women to shake.
“Hi Dan, I’m looking for a four door sedan. I want it to have some muscle under the hood, and I want it to be the safest car possible,” Raelin stepped forward and started talking.
“Well, you’ll be glad to know that all of our models have been built with the highest safety standards. I can assure you our vehicles will keep you and your friends safe. Airbags, solid build and reliable parts are key ingredients in an Audi. Now we have a few things with a bit of muscle under the hood as you say. We have a couple of two door models that pack a real punch,” he said, leading them to the showroom floor.
“I, once again would prefer a four door model. It’s easier to get kids in and out, if you know what I mean,” Raelin corrected him.
Raelin took the man aside and told him exactly what she was looking for and what she was willing to pay. The salesman’s eyes lit up at her offer, and his started mentally counting his commission.
“Well, we would have to check your credit to see if you would qualify for financing.”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll write a check for the entire amount,” Raelin stated.
Dan almost passed out. “Uh, yes ma’am. Would you mind stepping into my office and I’ll show you what we can get for you? We can special order and get it here by the end of the week.”
“I’ll add a bonus if I can have it by delivered to my home Tuesday night.” Raelin smiled sweetly. “I have an important meeting that I have to go to Wednesday morning, and I need to make an impression.” Reaching into her purse, she drew out a list of extras she wanted across the car to have.
Looking over the list, Dan smiled. This was his lucky day. Looking back at the woman sitting from him, he asked her for her name.
“Raelin Delacroix.”
“Well, Ms. Delacroix, I’ll get the paperwork started and have you out of here in no time.”
“It’s Mrs. Delacroix, and thank you very much.” She smiled as he almost stumbled over his feet to head to the General Manager’s office.
The witch stood up and walked out to where Delaney, Jessie, and Ariel were looking at a car. “Do you like that one Ariel?”
“It’s nice, but not green. I want a green one like Delly’s,” she said, reaching up so Del could lift her to look inside. She settled onto her Aunts hip looking in the windows with a serious look on her face.
“Are you going to give it a test run?” Delaney asked her wife.
“No, I’m gonna let you do that. I figure that with your experience, you’ll put it through its paces and let me know if it okay,” to Raelin, that made perfect sense.
“I’m not the one who’s going to be driving it. What I like isn’t going to be the same as what you want in a car. For example, I like imports with a compact design, but a beast of an engine. This car would make me feel like I’m driving a tank. That’s why I drive the Jeep,” Del replied, pulling Ariel’s fingers off the glass of the window.
“Would you ride with me and give me your opinion?” the brunette asked.
“Of course. I’m just saying my experience isn’t going to be the same as yours.” Del smiled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Raelin’s ear.
Walking out of
the General Manager’s office with the man in tow, Dan smiled as he came up to the group. “Well, I’ve got the paperwork started and the order ready to go at your approval, so why don’t we go for a test drive and see if this is really what you want?”
“Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind,” Del said, stepping forward. “Ariel, you stay with your mom okay?”
“No Aunt Delly, I wants to go too,” the blonde whined.
“Sorry baby, you need to hang out with your Mommy for just a while,” Del said, handing the squirming toddler off to her mother.
“Why don’t we go get that ice cream I promised you while they are gone?” Jessie suggested to her daughter.
“Oh yay!” Ariel squealed, wiggling in her excitement.
“Well, I guess that fixes that.” Del smiled and turned back to her wife and the salesman.
“Shall we go ladies?” Dan escorted them outside to a duplicate car that Raelin was interested in buying.
Del held the driver’s side door open for her wife and gave the salesman a glare when he made to sit in the passenger side. Seeing the look, he moved to the back seat so Del could sit next to Raelin in the front. They drove around the city a bit and hit a highway briefly so Raelin could test the engine under the hood. Del offered her opinions when Raelin asked being honest with what she thought of the car’s performance as they put it through its paces. Eventually they pulled into the car lot again, parking it in its space and Raelin handed the keys back to the salesman.
“What do you think Darlin’?” Del asked.
“I like it. I like how it handles, and it has plenty of pick-up. It’s a bit heavier than I’m used to, but I like the way that it feels,” Raelin admitted.
“It’s a bit like riding in a huge boat, but I was surprised by the handling for a car this big. There’s plenty of back seat room for little ones, if we ever have any and Ariel would be safe in it,” Del replied, brushing a small piece of lint off Raelin’s shoulder, using it as an excuse to let her fingers linger.
Underneath her breath, the witch asked, “Is it big enough for other things?”
Del wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh yes, plenty,” Del purred back.
Intuition Page 25