Anubis' Family

(All together now: Aaaaaawwwwwww...)


From the moment she woke up on Saturday, Zoe knew that it was going to be a bad day.

It was the middle of August, and the heat had been stifling for days. On this particular day, the humidity was almost unbearable, and when she looked out of her window, Zoe could see the storm clouds hanging heavy and threatening.

"Great," she muttered as she crawled out of bed and headed for the shower. It was the day of her birthday party - she had turned sixteen on Thursday - and her parents had planned an outdoor party for her. Over her objections, her entire class had been invited. It was a nightmare, as she had already complained to her two best friends.

When she'd complained to Anubis, he'd just smiled and hugged her, as he'd been doing a lot recently. Zoe was very confused by him currently. She found him attractive - hell, she had done for the past three years! - and was very sure he felt the same about her. She'd actually had a crush on him for a long time, but she could never tell how he felt. Whenever she thought she was close to figuring it out, he did something that made her change her mind completely. It probably didn't help that he was an immortal deity... or that he was her unofficial second godfather.

Paul had been much more comforting, asking if she wanted him to spike the drinks and ensure a real party. She'd declined, but it still made her feel better. He'd simply shrugged and asked if he was invited.

Zoe didn't deny that Paul was just as sexy as (if not more so than) Anubis, but for some reason, he'd always been more of a big brother to her. He had joked that he would claim her first child for himself, which had sparked the play-fight that lead to Zoe working out how to fling light beams.

When she finished musing about her friends, she was finished in the bathroom, and got dressed. She headed downstairs, where her parents were just arriving home. It was a mystery to them all why they were always rostered on the night shift together, but since Anubis was around to guard Zoe if there were any problems, they went along with it. They gave Zoe a hug and kiss each, then headed to their bedroom to get a few hours sleep before the party.

Peter and Natalie Rickman arrived shortly after, Nat carrying a basket filled with party decorations. She and Zoe smiled at each other - both had known full well that the Hooks wouldn't have time to decorate the back yard, so had arranged earlier in the week to do it themselves. Peter was sent into the yard with Zoe, while Nat stayed inside and started fixing the food.

Zoe had always liked her godfather. Peter had been in a serious accident when her parents were still just colleagues, and her father had been his doctor. That was how they had met - Peter had also been the key to getting the rest of the group to interact with each other, and for Anubis to enter the group. He'd been comatose for several weeks, unable to speak, but still conscious. He'd learned to listen then - and still knew when to keep his mouth shut. Whenever Zoe needed a living person's advice and didn't want to go to her dad, she went to Peter or Natalie.

The two worked in silence, making the yard look presentable. There wasn't much they could do about the dry grass, and the flowers were definately not looking their best, but with some streamers and tinsel, it slowly became festive. They covered the shed in posters of various random things they had found, then set up a table near the house for the food and drinks.

By the time it was all set up, Zoe's parents had woken and were helping Nat inside. Despite it only just being noon, the sky was dark with clouds, and James suggested that they put up the christmas lights as well. Zoe just shrugged and went along with it.

Two hours later she stood by the food table, fake smile plastered on her face as she tried to be nice to Amelia and her cronies.

"Thankyou for coming, Amelia."

"I only came because my mom made me. You know, it's almost sad. You had to get your parents to invite people for your party. It's because you're a freak. No one in school wants to be here - we only came because your parents are doctors, which means they have influence in the town. If it wasn't for that, the only people at this party would be you and your parent's weird friends." Amelia smirked at Zoe, knowing that she was hitting a raw nerve. Usually Zoe was fine with the lack of friends her own age, but every once in a while (like now) it hurt that other kids thought she was abnormal.

"I see," Zoe said calmly, tears pricking her eyes. "Well if that's the way you feel, you can piss off." She turned and walked into the house, head held high, refusing to let the tears fall where her parents could see. Once she stepped out the front door, however, she let go, and ran. She didn't care where she was going, she just wanted to get away from the party, and the people. She was sobbing by the time she realised her feet were taking her to the one place she'd always felt safe: Kingdom Hospital. As she saw the hospital looming above her, the storm broke, and the rain fell down, mingling with the tears on her face.

She collapsed in one of the gardens, underneath a tree, too tired and upset to care that she was getting wet and muddy. She curled up and cried, until she felt a hand on the back of her neck.

She looked up to see Anubis crouching next to her, obviously worried. He actually looked scared, and it hit Zoe that he must think she'd been hurt. When she saw that he cared that much, she threw herself at him, like she did as a child, and let him hold her until the sobs left her.

Anubis was taken by surprise when she hugged him, but knew better than to say anything. He quickly checked to make sure she wasn't physically hurt, then sat down properly, pulling her onto his lap. He held her until she could be coherant again, then smiled at her.

"Tell me."

At first she shook her head, still tucked into his shoulder, but he kept on gently pushing until it all came out - her frustrations, her lonliness, her sadness. He just listened until the words ran out, still holding her close.

"She's wrong, Zoe. You're not a freak. You're an intelligent girl, and very mature for your age. I'll agree that your parent's friends are weird, but that's a reflection on them, not you. If she's going to judge you by what your parents do, then she's not only a shallow bitch, but also very stupid."

Zoe looked up at Anubis in astonishment. That was the first time she'd ever heard him swear. It was enough to shock her back into rational thought... which made her blush. She was in the lap of the guy she'd had a crush on for three years, and his face was mere inches from hers.

Suddenly, the gap was gone, and so was rational thought.

When he pulled away, Anubis couldn't help but grin at the look on Zoe's face. "Happy birthday, love."

Zoe grinned back. She'd been wrong - this was the most wonderful day of her life.