=::= Melody's PoV =::=

It was about half past four when I got to my parent's place, and fortunately their long driveway had been fully cleared of snow so my little compact car wouldn't get stuck. I pulled in past the house and continued on towards the back, where I found there was plenty of cleared space to park alongside my parents' vehicles.

I noticed dad's big black pick-up had a heavy plow blade attached to the front, that was new this winter. Beside that was mom's jeep, but I was surprised to find a new-looking luxury SUV there too. My folks never said anything about other guests when we made the arrangements for my visit, so I figured maybe it belonged to a neighbour, or a friend of theirs who'd dropped in unexpectedly.

I parked my little compact next to the mystery SUV and grabbed my overnight bag from the passenger seat, then made my way up to the back porch and the kitchen door.

It was unlocked like usual so I let myself in and called, "Hi mom! Hi d- Alison!"

Fortunately I caught myself before shouting 'dad', since that would have been difficult to explain to whoever they had visiting.

"Hello Melody," mom called back as she hurried into the kitchen to greet me. She wrapped me up in a big hug as she added, "Belated happy new years hon, it's great to see you again!"

I smiled as I hugged her back, "Thanks mom, it's great to see you too. Sorry Craig and Kelly couldn't make it, but they both send their love."

Mom still had her arms around me as she asked, "How was the drive? I hope my old car handled the winter roads ok?"

"It was fine mom," I replied as I finally extracted myself from the hug. "The highways were all pretty well cleared, and the roads around here seem ok. It's not as great up north, but it's fine as long as I don't try and drive in the middle of a snow storm. It just means I have to wait it out, then wait a bit more for the plows to do their thing."

I lowered my voice as I added, "So who else is here? You didn't say anything about anyone else visiting, I hope this isn't a bad time after all?"

Mom hesitated, but before she could respond my dad spoke up from the kitchen doorway.

"Hey kiddo, it's good to see you again!" she stated as she moved to join mom and I.

We were all standing just inside the back door, and I still had my coat on and my overnight bag in one hand which was starting to feel kind of awkward. I was stuck with it for a bit longer though as dad pulled me into another hug.

"How'd you like your first holidays away from home?" she asked, before releasing me from the hug. "I hope you and your boyfriends stayed out of trouble."

I shrugged, "It was good. We didn't do a big turkey dinner or anything, but xmas was really nice and cosy. And for new years we went to a big party in town. It was fun, but a bit awkward. We got to know more of our neighbours and people around town, but a few of those folks didn't seem to approve of our poly relationship."

"Craig and Kelly send their love by the way," I added. "Sorry they couldn't make it down this weekend."

Dad smiled, "Maybe next time. Anyways, Laura could I ask you to take Melody's bag up to her room? And maybe give us some time? I'd like to introduce her to our other guest, and..."

Mom rolled her eyes, "I know Alison. Just call me when it's safe to come back downstairs."

That exchange left me frowning, even as mom relieved me of my overnight bag. She took my winter coat too, and hung it on one of the hooks by the back door. Then she left the kitchen and headed upstairs while I turned my attention back to dad.

I was still frowning as I asked quietly, "Ok what's going on? Who's this other guest, and why isn't it safe for mom to be around them?"

"I know this can't be something to do with the council," I added in a half-whisper. I gave dad a look as I continued, "They're long gone, thanks to that friend of mine you said couldn't possibly be a goddess."

My dad grimaced, "I know. I owe you an apology, and an explanation. Which I'll get to shortly. For now there's someone I'd really like you meet."

I continued watching her for another second or two, then just nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. I followed behind her as we moved from the kitchen into the living-room at the front of the house.

Waiting there for us was a very pretty girl who looked right around my age, like twenty at most. She was standing by the big bay windows as if she'd been looking outside, but she turned around to face my dad and I when we entered the room.

The stranger was just a tiny bit taller than me, with wavy shoulder-length platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Dressed casual in a pair of tight jeans, a low-cut pink t-shirt, and a pale purple hoodie, her outfit did nothing to hide her shapely legs or the curves of her hips and bust. She briefly looked me up and down as if she was checking me out, then our eyes met and a wide smile settled on her face.

"Hello Melody," the stranger greeted me. "It's great to finally meet you!"

I wasn't sure how to respond to that since I still had no idea who she was.

Fortunately dad spoke up and took care of the introductions, "Sorry for the awkwardness Melody, and I'm sorry for keeping this secret from you. This is my older sibling, currently my sister, your aunt Tiffany Sinclair. And Tiff, this is my daughter Melody."

My eyes widened as I stared at my young attractive aunt while the realization slowly sank in. I'd never met another shapeshifter before, apart from my dad. I didn't even know we had any other surviving family, dad never mentioned anyone else apart from her older sibling that turned evil and ended up getting themself killed.

That thought led to another, and suddenly a crazy new idea crossed my mind. What if that mysterious older sibling didn't die after all? What if instead of helping the council kill them, dad helped them escape? I found myself wondering if this Tiffany might be the only other person in the world who could do what I did for Kelly.

Except I couldn't just ask her that. I'd probably have to wait until I got a chance to talk to my dad in private, to find out for sure. In the meantime I focused on the next biggest thing, as I finally took my eyes off Tiffany and glared at my dad instead.

"It's been two and a half years since I found out about being a shapeshifter," I demanded, "And you didn't think to mention I had an aunt until now?! Who else have you been keeping from me? Any half-brothers or sisters I should know about? Or grandparents maybe?"

Dad cringed slightly, "I'm sorry kiddo. I can explain though, if you'll give me a chance?"

I watched her for another second or two before finally greeted my aunt, "Hello Tiffany, I'd say it was nice to meet you too but so far I'm mostly just a little shocked and annoyed."

"I understand," she replied as she gave me a sympathetic smile. "It's not all Alison's fault though, ok? Part of the blame lies with me. I had to keep a very low profile for a while, your dad was trying to keep us both safe."

Hearing that made me think about dad's 'dead' sibling again, and only made me more curious. I held off though as I asked dad, "Mom knows Tiffany's a shapeshifter, right? So why's she hiding upstairs? If we're going to have some explanations I think she should be here too."

"I don't know Melody," dad grimaced. "We're probably going to end up discussing some big family secrets."

I gave her a hard look as I stated, "She's my mother. You don't get any more 'family' than that. She already knows what we are, and I remember you told me she was the one human you'd trust with your life, and all your secrets."

My dad sighed again, but after a few more seconds she finally agreed. So we called mom to come back down and join us. Of course mom immediately noticed the tension in the air, which she broke by getting out some snacks and drinks. That took five or ten minutes, but we all finally sat down in the living-room together, me and mom were on the sofa while dad was in the easy chair and Tiffany took the rocking chair across from us. And we all had mugs of hot chocolate spiked with Irish creme, while a plate full of cookies sat on the coffee table for everyone to help themselves.

"So," I stated as I looked back and forth between my dad and my new aunt, "You two were about to let me in on a few more secrets? Maybe we can start with what other family members are out there that I don't know about yet?"

Dad took a deep breath then sighed, "This is it kiddo. We're all that's left now."

"Your dad and I used to have three more siblings," Tiffany added. "I know you've already heard a little about our older sister Constance, she was killed by a council agent in nineteen twenty-two. I was the second child. Your uncle Michael was the middle child, she mostly kept to herself and spent his last few decades living alone in Montana. He passed away in nineteen seventy-one. Then Rachel was the fourth, and unlike the rest of us she never manifested. She lived a normal human life, had two human children, and passed away in nineteen-oh-five. And your dad Alison was the fifth and final sibling."

Then dad picked up the story, "I should point out Tiff and I are half siblings. Connie Tiffany and Mike all had the same parents -"

"Sort of," my aunt interrupted. "I mean yes they were the same couple, but my and Connie's mom was Michael's dad. Our dad was Michael's mom, but he got into some trouble he couldn't shift his way out of and was killed a few years after that."

Dad continued, "Mom remarried after that, he fell in love with a human girl and they settled down out west and had Rachel. But mom's wife died in childbirth, so mom shifted back to a woman and raised Rachel herself. Then she fell for someone else, another human who became my father. My dad passed on after a normal human life, while mom made it until nineteen thirty-six when he died in an accident."

My mom and I exchanged a few glances during that family-tree infodump, and I could tell she was having as much trouble as me processing it all. Maybe even more, with the various pronoun changes and everything. I ended up quietly sipping my hot cocoa as I thought it all through, before coming up with a question.

"Thank you for filling me in on our family history," I finally responded. "Did none of you have any children? I can't believe I'm the only one, considering how long you've all been around."

Dad and Tiffany exchanged a glance, then my aunt answered first. "As I said, Rachel had two children but both were human. No shapeshifters on that branch of the family tree. Michael never had any kids as far as we know, nor have I. Constance had a daughter named Mary, who was a shifter like her mom. Mary may have even inheirited her mother's special talent, but we'll never know for sure. He enlisted during the Great War and died in the trenches during a poison gas attack."

"I think that's what ultimately pushed Constance over the edge," dad added quietly. "Finding out that her child died in such a horrific way changed her. That's when she decided to use her gift to help those important to her, and punish those she deemed deserving."

I grimaced as that sank in. I didn't have a chance to comment though as my dad had something else to say.

She gave mom an apologetic look before addressing me again, "You had a half-sibling Melody, but James died long before you were born. His father was human, but my first child was a shifter like us. And like Mary, James answered the call in the second war. He loved airplanes and flying so he joined the airforce, and ended up piloting a bomber for the RAF. He flew eleven successful missions, before his plane was hit over Germany. His bombs exploded in the plane, James and his six crewmates were killed instantly."

"Damn," I frowned as I slowly shook my head. "I'm sorry dad. I had no idea."

Tiffany had a grim look on her face as she commented, "Like your dad said, we're all that's left now."

My mom finally looked at dad and said, "I'm so sorry for your loss Alison. I never knew about... That you had a child, and that you lost him. I can't help wondering though, just how old are you? I know you can be whatever age you want, but if you lost a sister over a century ago, and your first child died in the second world war..."

Dad replied softly, "I was born in eighteen forty-seven. I'll be a hundred and seventy-six this year."

"We're not immortal though," she added a moment later. "That should be obvious, given what we've just been discussing. We can be killed, and we can succumb to aging."

Tiffany elaborated, "For us aging is more of a mental thing rather than physical. I'm sure that's what happened to Michael, I think he got tired of life and decided it was time to move on."

"Anyways let's talk about something a little less tragic," she added a moment later. She looked at me and continued, "The reason your dad couldn't tell you about me before Melody was I've been working under cover, and if I'd been exposed I probably would have been killed. Or worse."

"What kind of under cover work?" I asked.

Mom added nervously, "And what could be worse than death?"

"You don't want to know the answer to that," Tiffany replied as she shook her head.

Then she answered me, "As for what I was doing, after the business with Constance I wanted to know about the people who killed her. It took a couple decades and several identity changes, but I eventually found my way into the Council. I've spent the last forty-eight years growing old pretending to be a normal human, while I slowly worked my way into the Council's upper echelon."

"It meant your dad and I had to avoid each other for a few decades while I was getting established as Arlene Sinclair," my aunt continued. "Then once I found my way onto the board of directors I had enough access and leeway we could communicate without either of us being caught, provided we did it carefully. It also meant I could keep your name out of Council records, I made sure to scrub any mention of you from all the reports and updates we got from the field agents here."

After a moment to process all that I demanded, "If you had that kind of access then how come you let those jerks keep attacking all my friends?! You know they almost killed Kaylee Holt and her parents?"

"What?" mom gasped. "Kaylee was one of my students! Who was trying to kill her? And why?"

After that we spent the rest of the evening filling mom in on all the other stuff we'd kept from her. Like who the council were and what they did, what they stood for. Dad explained how they roped her into working for them as a spy, while Tiffany told us how she used her position on the board to try and steer them in less-evil directions.

And because of my slip-up mentioning Kaylee's name I had to explain how I knew her and that we were all part of a secret supernatural club. I was careful not to out anyone else, but I did explain how I'd met an actual goddess and a couple demons, plus witches and werewolves and a sorceress. And how the club had faced ghosts and vampires and zombies and fae.

By the time all my and mom's questions had been answered I felt like I'd got to know Tiffany a bit better, and it seemed like there was really only one big family secret left. Which I decided to share with my aunt and mom.

"So we talked a bit about Constance's special talent and how no other shifter since her has been able to do that," I commented quietly. My dad started slowly shaking her head but I focused on mom and Tiff as I continued, "I can do it too. I've only done it once, but I have the same gift."

"I figure it's safe to tell you two since you're family. And with the council gone there's nobody out there policing us shapeshifters anymore," I added.

Mom's eyes widened in surprise, while Tiffany looked like she didn't entirely believe me. She asked, "You only manifested a couple years ago, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "It was my eighteenth birthday, and my very first shift completely changed my entire body. A couple days after that I accidentally made myself eight years old, then that same day I made myself eighteen again. And less than three months later I successfully used my gift to help one of my boyfriends transition."

My aunt still seemed skeptical, until she looked over at dad who just sighed and nodded once. At that point Tiff seemed almost as shocked as my mom, and maybe a little uncomfortable too.

Then I looked at mom and added, "Dad made me promise not to do it again, and to keep it secret. But if you ever wanted to reset your age to keep up with dad or change anything else, I can help you."

Mom continued to stare at me in surprise, but dad finally found her voice.

"Council or not Melody, please don't get in the habit of using that power," dad stated quietly. "And please don't let it go to your head. I'd hate to see you go down the same road Constance did a century ago."

I shook my head, "I won't dad. I've only done it once in all this time, and I'm not looking for excuses to use it again. If mom asks though, I won't turn her down. Same with Craig and Kelly."

"Anyways even with this power I'm still nothing special compared to the rest of the club," I added with a smile. "When you're friends with goddesses demons sorceresses and witches, being a shapeshifter isn't even noteworthy."

Mom dad and Tiffany all grimaced slightly about that, all for different reasons. I kept smiling though, I was happy we'd finally got all those secrets out in the open. At least within the family, that is.

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