Alice Turner reminded Coby of a small whirlpool he once got himself caught up in. He’d been a merling, no older than Sophie, and was exploring an area just outside of the city with some of his friends. He noticed how the plant life was being pulled in a strange circle and how the fish avoided it completely. Curious, he went towards it, against the protestations of his friends. He’d approached it slowly, cautiously, feeling the drag of the current several feet before the actual whirlpool itself. Before he knew it, however, the current caught him by the tail and dragged him in, spinning him around, end over end and sideways, before finally releasing him, tossing him out into the open water, dizzy and half-conscious. He’d also been struck in the head by a loose coral, something that added to his lightheadedness. 

When he’d returned home, his father had been furious, calling him a careless boy with no sense in his head. He’d banned Coby from ever going near any whirlpools again, no matter how mundane they may seem.

If only he’d met Alice Turner.

She burst through the door to a loud chorus of excited shouts and exclamations from both Lynn and Sophie, herself greeting them with exuberance. She dropped her bags just inside the door and knelt down, arms open wide to accept her daughters into a large hug, kissing them both several times on the cheeks. When it came to Ash, she hugged him so tightly, Ash thought he was going to suffocate, laughing when she released him and giving her a kiss on the cheek. 

He barely got the introduction out for Coby when her arms went around him, too, making him freeze out of instinct. Ash tried to pull her off him, but she was too excited to listen.

“I’ve heard so much about you!” she exclaimed, finally releasing him and holding him at arm’s length. She took his face in her hands, squeezing his cheeks together until his eyes bulged. “You are just so adorable! Oh, Ashley, you caught you a real winner with this one, let me tell ya. So cute!” She pinched his cheek and shook it a little before finally letting him go and turning to her husband who gave her a warm hug and a kiss, his face lit up at the sight of his wife.

Coby stood rooted to the ground, unsure of how to react or how to fully process what was happening. Alice bustled around quickly, moving from one place to another, talking excitedly, grabbing up bags and depositing them on the couch before pulling out item after item, handing them out to her children and husband.

Ash put his hand on Coby’s lower back, rubbing in small circles. “You okay?” he asked with a slight grin. “You look like you’ve just got run over by a freight train.”

“I don’t know what that is, but I’ll assume that’s accurate,” Coby said in a daze, rubbing his cheek. Ash laughed and kissed the side of his head.

“Sorry, I should have warned you,” he said. “Mom’s a bit…enthusiastic, sometimes. She’ll settle down in a bit.”

Coby tried to smile back, but it felt forced. Ash could tell immediately that he was shaken by Alice’s physical assault, well-meaning as it was. Even with his shadow scales firmly in place, Coby still had issues being touched by anyone other than Ash. 

“Do you want me to talk to her?” Ash asked quietly, his brow furrowing with concern.

Coby shook his head, fingering his long braid. “No,” he said softly. “I don’t want to sound like an ungrateful guest.”

“You won’t, babe,” Ash assured him. “She’ll understand once it’s explained to her. She might seem a bit scatterbrained, but she’s actually pretty smart and considerate. Like I said, give her a few minutes.”

Coby relaxed slightly, leaning into him. 

Just as Ash predicted, Alice calmed down fifteen minutes later, sitting in the plush rocking chair with Sophie on her lap while Ash and Lynn finished emptying out the bags she’d indicated by the door. 

While Lynn was pulling out and admiring all the gifts she had received, new music, some clothes, and other random souvenirs from Norway and Scotland, Alice pointed to a bag that sat at the end of the couch that Ash and Coby were leaning against.

“Ash, that’s for you,” she said, readjusting a contented and sleepy Sophie. Ash grabbed for the bag and grinned as he pulled out the contents. “I figured they might be of some interest considering your chosen field of study.”

“They really are, thanks, Mom,” Ash said, shifting through the old books and handing a few off to Coby to examine. They were on old mythic cultures, including those from the sea, something he’d had a hard time finding on his own. “Where did you find all these?”

“A historian friend of mine had these sitting in his library collecting dust,” she replied. “In fact, when I mentioned you, Coby, he gave me another book I think you might enjoy.”

She motioned to Lynn to hand the boys the final cloth bag that hadn’t been gone through. When Coby looked in, his eyes went wide, pulling out the first thing he saw. It was a small book with a red cover, fraying on the edges, its pages yellowed with age. Still, Coby recognized it immediately.

“This is wonderful, thank you!” he exclaimed as he gently flipped through the pages, Ash glancing over his shoulder to see what it was.

“Oh, that is cool,” Ash muttered. 

Coby nodded, a wistful look on his face. It was an old book of hymns, verses, and prayers dedicated to Poseidon. It also had recitations for acolytes, along with directions on how a proper servant of Poseidon should conduct himself, especially in battle. There were also poems, and detailed illustrations throughout.

“Master had one of these years ago,” he said softly. “It got lost during a huge storm, though. He still remembered a lot of the passages and taught us some of them.” He glanced up at Alice, a warm smile on his lips. “Thank you, Mrs. Turner, this is a true gift I’ll cherish all my life.”

Alice chuckled. “Call me Alice, Coby, it’s fine.”

“Alice…of course, thank you,” Coby said, turning back to the book, closing it gently and running his fingers over the engraved Sarathian text.

“What the hell?” Ash exclaimed with an exasperated sigh, glancing up to give his mother an annoyed look.

She smiled back, an innocent look on her face. “What is it, dear?”

Coby furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong?”

Without looking from his mother, Ash pulled out a thick paperback book with an image of a woman with dark hair in a red dress and a man in a white suit on the front. For how old it was, it was in remarkably good condition.

Lynn snorted just as Abel walked in with four mugs of coffee. His eyes landed on the book and he smirked.

“Oh, Rhett is going to love that,” he chuckled, handing over two mugs to Coby and Ash. Coby took the book from Ash, examining the title.

“Gone With the Wind?” He looked back up at a grimacing Ash. “What’s wrong with it? Is it bad?”

“No,” Ash muttered. “It’s actually a really good book. It’s just an inside joke my mother enjoys playing on me and my brother.”

Coby rifled through the pages, stopping when his eyes landed on a particular name within the first few. 

“Ashley…Wilkes?” His brow furrowed. “That’s your name.”

Ash sank further down against the couch, sipping at his coffee, grumbling. “Yep. Ashley Wilkes Turner. Named after Scarlett O’Hare’s first big crush. Later she marries a rich dude named Rhett Butler.” His gaze slid to Coby. “That’s Rhett’s full name.” He rolled his eyes, mug to lips. 

Abel laughed, ruffling Ash’s hair, much to his son’s further annoyance, before sitting on the end of the couch next to his wife. “It’s a good name, Ash, may as well get over it.”

“I refuse.”

Coby tried to stifle a smile and failed, dropping his forehead to Ash’s shoulder, trying not to laugh. 

“It was my favorite book growing up,” Alice said. “I always wanted to name my kids after several of the characters, but Abel only conceded to the boys. He got to name the girls.”

Ash grunted. “It’s a stupid name,” he pouted. 

“It’s a beautiful name,” Coby cooed softly. If you come to my room tonight, I’ll say it over and over. An image of him lying under Ash, his face flushed with passion, swam down the link to Ash whose expression went blank, his eyes staring pointedly at the floor as he casually crossed his legs in front of him, a shiver running down his spine.

“I know it’s a bit archaic, but I like it,” Alice said, having missed the entire exchange, along with the rest of the family, much to Ash’s relief.

“It’s a good book, though,” Lynn said, taking it from Coby and flipping through it. “You should read it sometime.”

Coby looked to Ash, who shrugged. His lips quirked up at the silent question Coby asked, a shy smile on his lips.

He chuckled, dropping his forehead to Coby’s. “Yeah, we can do that.” He moved his lips to Coby’s ear. “But not tonight.” The huskiness in his voice made it very clear that Coby was going to get exactly what he asked for when the rest of the house was fully asleep.

**