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Separation, Combination: The Grandfather

by Jade Griffin

11-12-99 to 01-04-00

The phone rang early one evening, catching Malcom in the middle of feeding Mara. He picked up his furry toddler and jogged in, Beial right behind him. Mara fussed slightly at the abrupt change of scenery but Malcom was able to catch it after the second ring.

"Hello?"

There was no answer at first. Then, "…Malcom?"

He was sure his heart skipped a beat as he recognized the voice. "Dad?…"

"Yeah. Please, I’m sorry I never called you before but I really have to talk to you. Don’t hang up."

No chance. He never blamed his parents for their reaction to the Lady. But that didn’t make their fifteen years of silence any easier. And yet, his father was calling. "I’d never do that. And I don’t blame either of you for anything. How are you? How’s mom?" He shifted a squirmy Mara to the other arm and noted Beial’s intense interest in the conversation.

"Good. We’re both fine. She’s in town tonight. I finally… I finally got up the courage to call. Got your number from an old Bureau friend. Your old one didn’t work last time I tried…"

"It’s okay, dad…" He finally had to put the child down. Not content to crawl, she lurched right for her brother. "I’m glad you called."

"Is the Lady Epona there? I’d like to apologize to her, too…"

"She’s sleeping, for a change. Can you stay on long? She’d love to hear from you."

"Not sure. Your mother left a while ago."

Malcom gave up his hope then that his mother would ever accept the knowledge of her son marrying a ‘creature’. "..Okay."

The sound of laugher filtered through the phone as Beial, distracted by his baby sister, tickled her.

"Are… are those your kids?"

There was something so hurting… No; a longing in his father’s voice. "Yeah. Our first, Meisa, is grown and gone but we have two others. Beial, our son, and Mara, another girl… Dad?"

"Yeah, son?"

His throat sounded tight. Dad was all choked up. "Are you okay?"

"No. No, I’m not okay." He sounded angry now. "How could I push you away for fifteen years? For what? Ya married the girl ya loved. Some of the best moments in your life, I’ve missed. Malcom, I don’t want to miss any more."

Malcom’s voice was also closed with emotion. "I don’t want you to, either."

"Son, I have no right to ask but… Can I come see you? It’ll just be me. Your mom… She gets upset… But she’s going on a trip to see Cinda and Ralph in a few weeks. I…I just don’t wanna miss anything else."

Malcom turned from his children’s view, not wanting to explain the few tears that escaped him. "Dad, nothing has changed. You are always welcome here. You and mom always were. Oh, dad, there’s so much to tell you! And show you. But I won’t overwhelm you. However much you want at one time is fine."

"I’d like to see them… My grandchildren."

"Dad." Beial tapped at his arm.

Malcom glanced down.

The half-breed boy pointed. "Mom’s awake."

Indeed, his Lady stood, watching from the archway. She saw his flushed face. "Malcom?"

He waved her over and handed her the phone. Wiping the wetness from his eyes, he smiled to calm her. "It’s my dad."

He watched as his Lady’s face transformed into a mask of joyful tears. He couldn’t hear what his dad was saying but it didn’t matter. Just… Just talking to him was enough. But she soon handed the phone back.

"Malcom, I hafta go."

"Bye-" The phone clicked on his words. Mom must’ve come home.

"So he didn’t know about gargoyles or anybody but humans until you told ‘im?" Beial asked. He was nearly ten but still his gargoyle feet didn’t touch the ground from the couch.

"Yes. He did not react as well as hoped." Epona had not, however, told her son of his human grandmother. She and Malcom had discussed this several nights ago. The boy knew how humans thought but having such a reaction from family… They would not press it.

"You mean he freaked out." The half-human boy had a pretty good understanding of the divide between what he knew and the ‘human world’.

"No… It was difficult for Jim to understand, but I believe he does now. That is what is important."

"Do I call him Jim?"

The Lady smiled down at her son. "What do you think the appropriate title for such a family member is?" Her son knew the word, but had never had a face to go with it. Not even her own father. She must thank her husband’s father very much for this gift.

Beial grinned. "Grandfather!"

She nodded and rose, giving the boy a hug before heading off down the hall to check on Mara.

A ‘grandfather’… If he was dad’s dad, what about mom’s dad? Is he my grandfather, too? Winter Green was mom’s mom and he could call her by name but she was his ‘grandmother’. So… dad had a mom, too. Where was—

The door zzz’ed and opened. Beial immediately jumped up. Dad walked in smiling as big as when Mara hatched. And a man followed right behind him, his eyes closed. He was bigger than dad, and had lotsa white hair, with some dark here and there.

Malcom’s smile grew even wider at the sight of his sone, and at what was about to happen.

"We there yet?"

"Yep. Open your eyes, dad."

He did, blinking the blur away. It… It kinda looked like a cabin—and pretty normal. The couch even—

Jim locked eyes with the startling young person in the middle of the room. "Oh, my…"

Beial came forward with modest steps, wings half lax. "Good evening… Are you my grandfather?"

Jim could only stare. "I… am that."

"I probably look really strange to you." the boy commented.

"…No. Not strange… Unexpected." He kneeled down to eye level with the child.

"I get my horn and wings from my mom. And my body from dad. Except my feet. They’re gargoyle feet. They’re real good for climbing." The boy flexed one, held out a little.

"What’s your name?"

The boy smiled. "Beial." He held out his small, powder-blue hand to shake.

Jim stared at it a second before accepting the gesture with a gentle return. This child was his grandson. The hand was so normal. It was so normal, this gesture. But all of a sudden, it wasn’t enough. "Beial? Would you be afraid or embarrassed to hug this old fool?"

"No." But that was sure a funny way to ask for one! He wrapped his arms around the old human and gave him a good squeeze, noting with approval that the return embrace didn’t meet with his wings in the way.

He didn’t want to let the boy go. Strange, but not really. He’d been needing this for a long time. "I’m sorry you’ve never seen me before tonight, Beial. But it was never because of you, or your mother or father. It was because of me. I’m sorry."

"That’s okay, grandfather."

Grandfather… He was grandfather to this boy. Despite appearance, despite lineage, this was his grandson. And it really didn’t feel strange at all. He finally released the child, looked him over. "You’re a very special boy, Beial."

The powder-blue-skinned child grinned. "Yep! I’m a one-of-a-kind halfling!"

Jim laughed at that and glanced up at Malcom, smiling with pride. And joy. Could this make up for some of the grief suffered all these years?

His son’s gaze shifted and Jim cast a look that direction. The radiant Lady Epona stood in an archway, holding a gray bundle. He rose as he approached, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. The last time he’d seen those eyes… She’d been crying. Now, there was no sorrow, no hurt, no anger. Only radiant joy.

"We welcome you greatly to our home, Jim." she greeted, stopping before him.

He saw the gray mass (that he’d thought was a blanket) move, and when he looked at it, Jim saw… fur! Furry arms and legs and a body, and a little head, too. The baby also had her mother’s hornlets and a white forehead horn. And curled around the Lady’s arm was an unmistakable tail.

He blinked at the sleeping baby, utterly froze. Malcom was by his side and looked between him and the Lady Epona. They waited anxiously for him to speak.

"She’s… She’s the most…" Astonishing, unusual, bizarre. Nothing like that fit, and would most likely hurt the parents’ feelings.

"Isn’t she beautiful, grandfather?" Beial said, popping up at his elbow.

Jim stared down at the boy, then broke out into laugher. He hugged the grinning boy to him. "Yes. That’s exactly it!"