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Suddenly, I had a family again. Myself, and the twins. They kept me company so I never missed Edward and Vlad, never regretted what I had done. But then I noticed something odd; When Henry came over to visit, they hid and didn't reappear until he was gone. The second time this happened, I asked them why.
“Your light is blue; and clear.” Suki said.
“His light his muddy.” Saki continued. “We don't know what he'd want from us.”
“He's my friend.”
They both turned from what they were doing, and favored me with an identical looks of disgust.
“You were friends with vampires.” they chorused.
I covered my eyes with my hand, and counted to five. “But Henry's not a vampire. You two can't live the rest of your lives only seeing me.”
They blinked a few times, thoughtfully.
“Are you sick of us?” The pulled together, holding each other.
“No no...” I came forward, and followed my instincts, wrapping them both in a hug. They had become my family; I wanted them around. “I don't think I ever could be. I' m just worried about you.”
After a moment, they relaxed, and I felt their arms go around me. “You two may be the best thing that's happened to me since my parents died.” I felt myself crying, and I didn't care, but my chest tightened, trying to make me cough. “I don't know why. But you're scared. I don't know why that, either. But I wish I could help you.”
“Thank you.” they said. “We're sorry Xan.”
I pulled back, and ruffled their hair. “Someday, I want to know. I want to know who hurt you, and where you came from.” I smiled again. “But for now, somehow, it's enough that you're here.” I laughed, then had to turn to cough. “Listen to me, I sound like a father.”
The twins smiled at me, then hugged me around the neck, pressing their cheeks to mine.
“Our father never sounded so kind.”

Fall eased into winter by the simple expediency of being so cold that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. I found the twins jobs at the theater, helping with costumes and other small jobs. I bought them winter coats. But somehow, I kept forgetting to get more bedding, or a trundle bed for them. Somehow hearing them breathe in the night made me breathe easier.