A Family Dinner Out (Collins Family)

Isaac entered the Leaky Cauldron and looked around. Well, not here yet. That was all right, he could work a little on the blueprint that he'd brought with him. He sat at one of the tables and ordered a double firewhiskey. He paid for the drink and set it on the table in front of him as he looked over the blueprint.

His keen eye caught a mistake in the measurements right away. He took out a drafting pencil and changed it to the correct distance.

If we made the room that height, we might as well be building this establishment for Goblins!

When he was satisfied with the revisions he had made, he rolled up the document and slid it back into the tube it had been in, and picked up his drink. Taking a more than healthy gulp of the potent alcohol, Isaac let his hazel eyes scan the interior of the Leaky Cauldron speculatively. It was well built, that was for sure. There was little damage that had been suffered over the years, but he was sure that it was magic that had been responsible for that.

Isaac felt a pang of impatience. Where were his famliy members already?! He had asked them to join him at the Cauldron for dinner, but he was the only one at the table, and it was beginning to grate on his nerves.

Finally one of his family walked in the door and he stood up to let them know where he was.

"I was starting to think that none of you were coming," he said with a vague smile.

Isaac

Park smirked and shook his head at his father. Leave it to Isaac Collins to whine over his family possibly not showing up, when he had definitely had his share of missing family gatherings due to work. But, he had been the one to organize this whole thing, so Parker was trying to believe that he was making a legitimate attempt at being a better father. He wondered if Mari would see it that way, or if she would even show up. They were definitely used to having conversations about him and how many times he had screwed them over during their childhood. But then...there were many times when he had come through for them as well. To be quite honest, Park loved his father with all of his heart. He just didn’t always know how to show it. And he thought that maybe his dad felt the same way.

He sat down across from his father and before Isaac could say a word, Park grabbed his firewhiskey and finished it off. With a hiss of pain mixed with pleasure, he set the glass down and smiled.

“Thanks for that. I needed something to take the edge off. So...” He began again, looking at the blueprints. “Still working?”

He leaned forward and took a look at the plan set before his father and gingerly turned it to face himself. When Parker looked at things like this, the building seemed to jump directly off the page. He could envision it in his head, and the architecture seemed to come alive for him. He knew it was something that he would love to do for his future career, but he also didn’t want everyone to think he was doing it just to be like his father. But was there anything so wrong with that? Other than the times he was a bit too strict with them, or maybe aloof...Parker wouldn’t really mind being like him.

Park

325

Isaac's eyes widened briefly. He had to admit, his son had nerves of steel. If he hadn't been feeling rather relaxed at the moment, he would have instantly jumped when Parker had picked up his glass, and downed the Firewhiskey. As it was, his jaw clenched.

"Parker Isaac Collins, you are too young to be drinking. I'll let you get away with that one, but only that one." He looked over the papers that were strewn over their table and sighed. He had been working, but it wasn't really all that important to him tonight. He had been trying to mend the rifts he'd dug into his relationships with his family lately, and hoped that he'd made some headway with Marisol.

He'd taken care of her recently when she'd had pneumonia, but had been much better recently when he'd called to invite her to dinner.

"I only needed to finish a few things on this blueprint, and then I was going to put it away for the night. I want my complete attention to be on my family."

He watched as Parker turned the blueprint toward him and examined it with what appeared to be the same critical eye that he, himself had.

"So, what do you think of the design, Park?" he asked, genuinely wanting his son's opinion.

Parker smiled at having gotten away with that one shot of firewhiskey. He was tempted to try for more, but he knew that look in his father's eye. Enough really was enough this time, and he couldn't afford being grounded or anything now that Ava was in the picture. Although, he wouldn't really follow a grounding, especially if it was during a phase. He knew his girlfriend needed him then, and he would make himself available no matter what.

He continued his perusal of the blueprints in front of him and nodded in approval. He loved the angles, the lines, the symmetry. He loved how in architecture, art and creativity went hand in hand with math and logistics. And then with magic, there was another added element that could not be overlooked. There were rooms that would be bigger in the inside, than physics would seem to allow for. There were even some rooms that could transfigure themselves into others, or change locations. It intrigued Parker to no end and he couldn't wait to try his hand at it.

"I love it, Dad, it all fits together perfectly. I'd love to try something though, may I?"

He grabbed the closest pen and leaned in to the blueprint, slightly changing one of the outer decks on the roof to accommodate more spectators. It didn't seem like a huge change, but he could see in the future possibly making a tunnel or a ramp leading to the next building in the square. Whether this building was for wizards or muggles, something like that would come in handy.

"What do you think? I know it's simple, but I really think it might broaden that space there. I mean, you don't have to keep it, it was just a suggestion. But I like it."

Isaac looked at the modification that Parker had made to his blueprint. It went well with the original design, didn't take that much room, and allowed for the dimensions of the interior to be slightly exanded as well if need be.

He looked up at his son. What was happening? Was Parker considering a career in Archictecture? Isaac wouldn't be able to be any prouder if that were so. He'd hoped that all of his children would find their happiness in life with whatever they did. Marisol had done that with her tattoos, and now it appeared that Park might be following in his father's footsteps. But he didn't want him to feel that he had to do it. He wanted his son to choose, rather than submit.

He smiled at Parker, and rolled up the blueprint with the change still there. It was now part of the plans, and he was going to present it to his clients in the morning, and let them know that his son had contributed to the final draft of their soon-to-be business.

"So, tell me something, Park. How is it that you know so much about Architecture and design? Have you been just watching me, or maybe you're planning on making it part of your life? Not that I'm prying, of course. I'm just curious."

Parker blushed slightly and took a sip of the water that the waitress had just brought him. He looked up at his father, a little embarrassed, but mostly just nervous that this would lead into some kind of rejection or something. He was starting to trust his dad more and more, but that didn't mean he wasn't self-conscious. His future career was a big deal, and he was worried that either his father would think he was good enough, or he would put too much pressure on him to perform well. What if he changed his mind and wanted to do something else with his life? He didn't want to disappoint the one man he looked up to most in this world. He cleared his throat and tried to sound confident.

"I think it might be a combination, actually. I was always fascinated by your work when I was a kid. Even when I would steal your blueprints when I was little...it wasn't to be bad, it was just because I wanted to see what else could be made with your designs. It...it just speaks to me, Dad. And I know there are other things I would like to do with my life. But nothing I love quite as much as designing. It's like pure creativity just flowing out of you. And I want in."

Well now there was no going back. He had told his father that architecture wasn't just a hobby...it was basically a dream that he had harbored for a while. It seemed that any pressure he would feel to complete said dream would be on his own shoulders, not his father's. He just prayed they would not get into any kind of argument about it. Park could not handle that at the present moment.

Isaac had always been proud of his children when they made important decisions that would be shaping their lives, but now he felt that he would burst. Marisol was doing wonderfully with her tattoos, her designs all originals and she never comprimised for anything. And now Parker was telling him that he wanted to follow his father's path?

"Parker, you have no idea how much I love hearing you say that. I don't want you to think that you have to do what I do, though. You do what is in your heart. If you want to pursue architecture, then by all means, do it. If you think that you might be able to do something else with the designs, then go with that. Whatever you want to do..... do it."

He grinned happily at his son. This was exactly what he'd felt when he was Parker's age. He'd been looking at buildings and examining them critically, redoing the design in his head to make it more suitable for whatever he had in mind. He'd walked by construction sites, watching as the builders put the creation together, and he'd usually figured out exactly how it would look long before the acutal building was finished.

He pulled out another blue print, one that he'd just started for no reason whatsoever, unrolled it and lay it flat on the table in front of Parker, handing him a drafting pencil as well.

"What would you do with this one, Park?"

As soon as the blueprint was laid out in front of him, the page seemed to be flashing at him. He saw rises in floors here, stretched alcoves there. It was like the page was almost screaming for him to add his ideas. He picked up the pencil and looked at his father one last time.

"Are you sure?"

He shrugged and then went back to the blueprint, adding and tweaking to his heart's content. He smiled as he worked, happy to be able to give some outlet for his creativity, that usually just sat around in his brain with nowhere to go but rot into nothingness. And when the blueprint was finished, he was rather proud of himself. He knew that there were probably mistakes. If he had more time, he most likely would have tried to reach for perfection. But as it was, he liked the changes he had made and he hoped his father did too. He wanted the man's approval, though he wouldn't admit it. And he couldn't wait to hear his thoughts on it. But the bell chimed on the door, alerting the patrons of the pub that new people had come in. And Parker's face brightened.

He placed the pencil back on the table and stood, rushing over to his baby sister and pulling her into his arms. He had a special bond with both of his sisters and in his heart, neither one of them could ever be replaced. He loved his parents too, but sometimes his mother was rather territorial of his father. And though he knew she loved him as well as his sisters, she sometimes took advantage of the time she had with her husband. But that was alright with Parker tonight. He wanted to cuddle Kinn and he NEEDED to talk to Marisol. There were just some things that only she could know out of his whole family.

"Well hello, my girl!" He said with a smile to Kennidee. "How is my favorite six year old?"

Kennidee squealed and laughed as her brother held her tightly in his big, strong arms. She always felt so safe with Parker. And now they got to eat dinner together in Diagon Alley! This day just could not get any better! Except for if Marisol arrived. That would help. Kinn loved her older sister as well, she just didn't get to see her as often. Another thing that would make this the best night ever, would be if her mum didn't ask why she was a few hours late from school that afternoon. It wasn't her fault she had really cool friends who wanted to show her their houses. She had only forgotten to call her mum and tell her she'd be late. Kennidee was hopeful that they would all be so happy to be near each other, that today's adventure would just go unnoticed.

She laughed at her brother and shook her head in a dramatic fashion.

"Park, you're so silly! I'm not SIX, I'm NINE!"

She leaned forward and blew a raspberry on his cheek, then she wriggled down his body and ran around the table to her daddy. She loved him so much too. Kennidee Collins just didn't know where to put all of this extra love that she had in her heart! So everyone around her usually felt it. Unless she felt like giving an attitude. Then her mummy would tell people to watch out.

"Daddy! I missed you so much today!" She kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. No one was going to take her daddy away from her, not ever.

Kennidee

Isaac smiled as he watched the exchange between his son and younger daughter. He remembered acting the same way with his younger brother before a car accident had taken him and their parents away forever. Marisol, Parker and Kennidee had never known their uncle, who Parker had been named for, or their grandparents. He often wondered what his mother and father would think of their grandbabies.

He hugged Kinn as she kissed him and threw her arms around his neck. He needed to talk to her, but didn't really want to ruin her good mood just yet. He'd gotten a call on his cell from a few of her friends' parents wanting to know if it was all right that Kinn was there that afternoon. Isaac supposed that she'd not told her mother that she was going to her friends' houses, and she might be worried about their daughter. Isaac had sighed with relief that he's put his number on the parental contact list that Kinn's school gave out to their students, and was just so happy to know that his daughter was safe that he'd said yes at once, but knew that he was going to have to speak with Kennidee about her behavior.

"Did you have fun at your friends' today, Pumpkin?" he asked softly, letting her in on what he knew. "I don't want to talk about it now, this time is for family, but you are going to explain to your mother later where you were, and why it was that you forgot to let her know that you were going to be late."

Kennidee paled and felt her tummy ball up into a big fat bundle of yuck. He already knew about it! How did he always do that? Well, now she was in for it unless she could butter him up. That's what Mummy always said she did when she had made Daddy mad. Kennidee was well aware of what her cute little pout could do to the man in her arms. So she turned to him and made her eyes well up with tears and her bottom lip stick out nearly a mile. Then she unleashed the quivering chin and prayed that he was done for because of it.

"Daddy, please don't be mad at me," she whispered softly so that her mummy wouldn't hear. "I just forgot. And Mummy doesn't need to worry about it. She thinks I was home, I think. She was so busy with a new client for her books, she doesn't know."

Or at least she hadn't talked to Kennidee about it when they finally did see each other. Sometimes it seemed that both parents in the Collins family were a little too busy to always know what their children were doing. Except in times like this when she didn't want to be caught. Of course her father would find out now. But grumbling about it wouldn't change anything, and it especially wouldn't help. She had to stay sweet Kinn for the next few minutes to convince him that she had already learned her lesson. She had skills...and she was well aware of it.

"Let's just keep it our little secret," she said with a small grin on her face, then she laced her fingers with his to give her acting job that final 'push.' Nothing worked better than a sweet little touch.

'Our little secret'. That was enough to tell Isaac that his youngest didn't want her mother to know about their daughter being gone that afternoon. It also told him that she didn't want to be punished for her actions, even though he knew that without being told. However, if he let her get away with this, she would think that she could always snuggle up to him and she'd get away with anything. He looked down at his daughter and shook his head.

"Nothing doing, Kennidee. You didn't tell your mother that you were going to a friend's house before you actually did it, and if she had been looking for you, she'd have been frantic. You know that you are to tell either her or me if you are not going to be home right away, and where you are going to be if we need to reach you. If I hadn't gotten a call from your friend's parents, I wouldn't have known either. What if something had happened to you? You could have been taken, and we wouldn't know."

He leveled his hazel eyes at her, hoping that she understood that he was not going to give on this. There were going to be consequences for her behavior, and he was to be the one to give them to her. He loved his children dearly, and didn't want to lose any of them. He had to make Kinn understand that, for her own good.

Quinn sat between her husband and her son, her two very favorite men in the world. She had her arm around her little boy...who wasn't very little anymore, actually. He was taller than she was, and she was pretty sure he was taller than Zac as well, though she couldn't be positive until they stood next to one another. She was asking Parker about this mysterious new girlfriend of his, but she hadn't been very successful at getting information out of him. She knew he was much more comfortable talking to Marisol about these things. And she didn't want to be a bother, so she just let it go. But someday, she was going to figure out how to get her older children to communicate with her.

For now, she was somewhat transfixed on the conversation her husband was having with their youngest child. She couldn't hear what was going on, but she could see the pout on her Kennidee's face and she knew it couldn't be good. She couldn't think of anything her daughter had done wrong recently, but she also knew that look on her husband's face. That sexy 'I'm laying down the law' look, that Quinn so appreciated. She was not very good at disciplining her children...if Isaac had not been around, they would have all run amok. She knew that sometimes Mari and Park had issues with him, but overall, he was a wonderful father and they just didn't give him enough credit. She supposed she was a little biased toward her spouse, but that was the way it was supposed to be.

"Zac...honey, would you mind telling me what is going on? You two look so intent over there, I am wondering if I'm missing something."

She thanked the waiter for bringing her a glass of white wine to calm her nerves, and then she turned back to Isaac.

"Oh, and have you heard from Marisol? Is she coming tonight? I can call her cell phone if we think she might need a little reminder, though it might be better coming from Parker."

Quinn

Shooting one more look at his daughter, Isaac turned to Quinn and told her what Kennidee had done. He knew that she'd be furious at their child, so he added that they weren't going to be dicussing this during dinner. This was a time for them to reconnect, to remember that they were a family. Kinn's reprimand could come later, when they had gone home. It was Friday, and Isaac was thinking that their youngest could do with a few days grounding. Meaning no phone, no going to her friends' houses. But now, they were just going to enjoy dinner and being with each other.

He hadn't heard from his Mar-bear that day. He'd been hoping to, since she had been the first one that he'd invited. He hoped that she was all right, and that it was only work, or perhaps someone that had caught her romantic interest, that would be keeping Mari from arriving, and that she would be there soon. He wanted to talk to all of his children, to remind them that he was proud of them, no matter what they did (Kinn's current behavior included; she was very well behaved on the whole), and that he was hoping that since his company had taken on a few more employees, that he would be able to spend more time with them all.

"I haven't heard from Mari, Quinn," he said, shaking his head. "I think she should be here soon, but she's not late." He grinned cheekily. "I believe I was just here early."

Marisol was late, but that was okay...she had no intention of going to this family dinner anytime soon. She really hated family gatherings, mostly because both of her parents liked to rule her life. She was going to see Parker, and her little sister. Continuing down the darkened street she stopped at a shop window and checked her reflection in its glass. She looked nice tonight, and her tattoos showed vividly on the skin that wasn't covered with her flimsy sweater. She knew that her mother did not appreciate her "defiling" her body in such a manner; but it was Mari's body and she didn't really give a flying damn. She saw the Leaky Cauldron coming into view and she groaned. How was it that even when she wanted to putz around she still found herself getting to where she needed to be. Rolling her eyes she walked into the restaurant. Visiting the bar first she ordered a rum and coke and went to join her family.

"Hello loves," she grinned cheekily. "Miss me?"

Bringing the cup to her lips she sipped from it and set it back down. She wasn't hungry and secretly she was looking to get drunk. Or at least tipsy at the very most. She had a rough day with a horrible client and she just wanted to slip off into oblivion...and maybe fuck Chace a couple hours later if he was available and willing. Taking another swig from her drinks he wrapped her arm lazily around Parker and winked at Kennidee.

"Ohh Merlin," she yawned. "I think I'll stick with desserts and liquor...what do you think?"

Grinning she took off her sweater, letting the tattoos from her shoulder blades show, as well as several that were etched into her arms.

"Park," she grinned. "I got a new tattoo to add to my collection, I need to show it to you...hey, where's your girlfriend? I thought you said she was coming? You texted me like an hour ago throwing a mini-bitch fit."

Marisol cringed when she realized Kennidee was there.

"Never say that Kenni," she scolded. "Otherwise I'll tattoo something particularly nasty on your butt."

Mari

Quinn glared at her oldest daughter and could feel her newly manicured nails digging into the table cloth. She hated whenever Marisol just breezed in somewhere, without seeming to care whether she was late, or whether she was thinking of anyone else besides herself. The attitude she was exhibiting made Quinn want to take her outside and smack the smug look off her face. Not that she would ever do that. But she thought about it.

"Marisol Elizabeth Collins," she said in a harsh whisper. "You watch the language, young lady. I don't care if you are an adult, you were taught better than that. And lose the cheek."

She was already pretty upset over what she had learned from Isaac about her youngest daughter and her escapades that afternoon. And now, she found out that her son had some girlfriend that he was obsessing over. And he hadn't even bothered to tell them! Or maybe he had...Mari knew. Did that mean Isaac already knew as well? Quinn always felt so hurt when she was left out of her children's lives. Her heart bled for them every minute of every day, but did they ever see it? Did they ever appreciate how much both of their parents had sacrificed for them? Quinn was nineteen when she had Mari. And though she knew it was her own choice and not her daughter's, she still felt that Marisol took it for granted that neither one of her parents had been able to be young adults for very long before parenthood.

Quinn sighed in frustration and turned to Kennidee. She kept her voice low so as not to attract attention, but she spoke so that her child could not mistake her tone.

"You are grounded as soon as we get home. I'll have to talk to your daddy to figure out how long, but be prepared to get to know your room very well. And you," she said, turning her gaze on Park. "You have a girlfriend? Is it serious? I'd like to know more about this girl and whether she is treating you well enough. We give you trust and room to make your own decisions, Parker, because we love you. And we do trust you. So that means you should respect us enough to at least let us in. Got it?"

She felt her chest heaving and she knew that if she didn't stop now, she could go on for hours. And lecturing was definitely not the reason they were there. So she sat up straight and pulled her hair behind her back, settling down into her chair again.

"Now I hope you all realize exactly why we are here. It is not to be selfish and put ourselves in the spotlight, and it is certainly not to argue. We are here to have family time and to enjoy each other's company. So I expect to put every outside influence on the back burner. Is that understood?"

She took a calming sip of her wine, then she sighed deeply. She did not always like being the bad guy, but sometimes it felt good to be stern with her children. It made the sweet moments even more fine. Hopefully the rest of the night would be full of those sweet moments.

Marisol rolled her eyes and finished the last of her rum and coke. Taking her brother's hand on the table she slipped something into his palm. It was something special, something that he could give to Ava and make it official that she was his. Marisol didn't believe in romance or true love, it just never clicked her in her head that something of that nature existed. But her baby brother believe in it and because she loved her baby brother so much that it hurt sometimes, she was going to help him keep this girl. Because if he was happy she knew that she was doing something right in this world.

"Give it to her later," she whispered to him, so that her parents couldn't hear. "I promise she will love it."

Turning back to her folks she gave her mother a very cold glare. That was one of the reasons she never got along with her parents. They never saw her as an adult. Her mother saw a punk, and her father...well her father was getting a bit better... which was strangely ironic. Ordering herself another drink, this time a scotch, she sipped from it again.

"Chill mother," she said coldly. "None of us had plans to steal the night from you and dad...no need to go all Pope on us. And maybe Park was waiting for the right opportunity to tell you and dad? Did that cross your mind?"

Marisol was not intimidated by her mother, and her respect for either of her parents had diminished when she got into her early teens. Why? She really did not know...it just had. She saw them as the strict parents she never wanted to be. Marisol prayed she would never treat her children that way. That she would always remember they were people too...rather than these little ankle biters that followed adults around. Even so Mari didn't want kids, she wasn't a good influence...that was part of the reason she never let herself around Kenni too much...as much as it broke her heart. The little one learned far too many bad habits when she was around her eldest sibling.

"Park told me first because he knew I wouldn't throw the worlds biggest fit," she continued sipping her drink. "Maybe you trust him...but that doesn't mean he has to trust you, does it? At least not with his date life."

Marisol wished Parker would move in with her. God she yearned to have him away from her parents. She wanted him to live with her because she would give him a little breathing room! She would give him something their parents never did! SPACE!

Ava's Necklace

Quinn felt her face fall and her lungs seemed to be fighting for breath. She should have just kept her mouth shut...she knew Marisol wouldn't be able to handle any kind of lecture. She had been beyond help since she was thirteen years old. And though she loved her very much, Quinn was tired of trying to teach her oldest daughter, or trying to show her how much she loved her. It would never get through to her. And Quinn had made herself sick over it. Literally, her healer had diagnosed her with anxiety and mild depression. She hadn't even told her husband about it, because she didn't want him to think differently of her. But as of right now, it didn't feel like the potions were working at all. She looked up to her husband, directly into his eyes and she mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry.' Then she stood up and walked out of the Leaky Cauldron.

By the time she was only a block away, her hands were shaking uncontrollably and her eyes were burning. What had she ever done wrong with her daughter? Probably a lot, actually. There were plenty of times she had been too hard on her, she knew that. But had she been a bad mother? Usually, she liked to think that her and her daughter had a close relationship, maybe even a friendship. But now she knew that must have been a pack of lies she had spun on her own, just to convince herself she hadn't been awful as a mother.

She sat on a park bench, the breeze blowing through her dark locks. She looked up toward the small sliver crescent moon and felt tears sliding down her cheeks. Maybe if they had been more careful and had waited until they were married, none of this would have happened. Her children would love and respect her and she would smile more. For now she just held onto the armrest of the park bench and allowed her tears to fall.

Marisol rolled her eyes and stood, she had probably overstayed her welcome, but that was fine with her. She was never one for these family type things she looked to Parker and sighed. She didn't know what was going through his head, or if he saw through their parents like she did...but she didn't care. She glanced at her father...wondering if he was going to leave them once more. Her parents always preferred one another over their children. That was just how they were. When she was little her father was always so busy with her mother. "Mummy's pregnant, mummy's sad, mummy's sick, mummy's mad...mummy, mummy, mummy..." God it was enough to make her vomit. Her parents should have never had her, she was a firm believer of that. Mari believed that she should not exist, and she was sure her mother and father believed it as well. They thought she was...oh, how did they put it? Ah yes, beyond help was their term...

"I believe that is my cue to head out gents," she sighed. "Let me pay for your meal..."

Taking out her wallet she pulled out several galleons and a handful of sickles. That should be more than enough to cover their meal and any dessert her siblings wanted. She turned to Park and leaning over hugged him tight and kisses his cheek. Feeling tears come to her eyes she held her breath. She hated leaving her brother...she just hated leaving him. There was a bond there that no one could touch...just like the bond she had with her father...God...she didn't want to leave him with them.

"I love you Parker," she whispered. "If you need me call me...you know my door is always open."

Turning to Kennidee she smiled and pulled the little girl up into her arms. Kissing her gently on the cheek and the pecking her lips dramatically she smiled.

"Alright little beautiful," she grinned. "You know the rules...no boys in your room before nine pm, no drinking alcohol...without me....oh, and only talk back to mummy and daddy when it's funny."

Winking through moist eyes she set her sister down and walked over to her father. Gently wrapping her arms around him she sighed but she quickly pulled away before he could react.

"Come into the shop tomorrow? I need to finish the color to your tat..."

And without another word she walked out of the bar and headed down the street to her shop.

Isaac watched his wife and daughter leave the Leaky Cauldron and fumed for a few seconds. This was ridiculous! He didn't know what the hell kind of problem Marisol had with Quinn at the moment, but it needed to stop. Quinn thought that he was in the dark, but Isaac knew that she was taking potions for anxiety and depression. He did his best to keep her from having her symptoms, but he knew it was impossible to stop them altogether. But he'd be damned if she was going to go off and miss dinner with her family because she felt that she wasn't wanted. If he could, he'd get both of the women in his life to come back, but he had the feeling that Mari didn't want to be there anyway.

Telling Parker to watch his sister for a minute, Isaac got up and hurried out the door in search of Quinn and Mari. His daughter was gone, just as he'd feared. He growled softly, feeling more than a little frustrated. He knew that he'd made some headway with his eldest, she'd shown that much when she'd left, asking him to come to the shop to have the coloring finished in his tattoo, but she'd not let him hold her or try to talk her into staying. He'd not had the chance before she'd left without saying goodbye. He wished he knew what had been the start of the problems with his children and their mother. He held himself responsible for the rifts between himself, Parker and Mari, but he'd been trying to mend them as best he could. However, he didn't know what Quinn had done. From what he'd always known, she'd been a wonderful mother to their children.

He turned his head in the other direction and saw Quinn heading into a park about a block away. He ran after her, reaching her as she looked up at the moon and he saw tears falling from her eyes. He slowed his pace to an almost stop for a moment, then went to sit next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Quinny, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but it wasn't your fault. I don't think it was any one's fault, to tell the truth, but we'll work it out the best we can. And we'll fix this argument with Mari, I'm sure. I know that I had to have screwed up my relationship with her more than I would have believed reparable, and I seem to be making some kind of headway. Surely there is hope for you."

He pulled her head to rest on his shoulder and kissed the top of it.

"Please, come back to dinner? I'm sorry to say that Mari left as well, and she's gone back to her shop, but please, come back with me? I want you there." And if she agreed, Isaac would go after Marisol next. As soon as he was sure that she'd gone to her shop.

Quinn felt her shoulders shaking, and she immediately wrapped her arms around her husband's chest and cried. She felt like the walls were closing in on her and there was no way she would ever get her daughter back. And now that she had caused a scene and left the restaurant, Quinn was worried her other children would think she had gone insane. But she knew she wasn't really crazy. She just loved her family with all of her heart, and she didn't always know the best way to show it. Sometimes she lectured unnecessarily, or yelled when her nerves were frazzled. But that didn't change the fact that Isaac, Marisol, Parker and Kennidee had each taken a piece of her heart and claimed it as their own, whether they accepted that fact or not.

"Oh, Zac...honey, I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't have left. It was selfish and immature, and now Mari is gone too. I ruined your whole night, and you've been looking forward to this for weeks!"

She cried against him for a few very tense minutes, no doubt soaking his chest with her tears, then she sat up and wiped her cheeks.

"God, I am making such a fool of myself. Okay...I'm ready to go back and apologize to the kids, they didn't deserve the way I acted."

She leaned forward and kissed his lips, wishing that the kiss didn't taste like salt from her tears. But at least he had come for her, whether she deserved it or not. She loved her husband so much it almost hurt. But part of her worried that her children resented them for their strong bond. Isaac wasn't just the person she was married to, he was her best friend. And when they met and began dating...even at such a young age...Quinn knew they were soul mates. They were meant to be together forever, meant to have children with each other, meant to love and support each other throughout their entire lives. She would never, ever regret their love, or any of her children who were by-products of that love. She only prayed that they knew it for themselves.

As soon as she was sure her make-up had not smeared everywhere and she still looked mostly presentable, she stood and took his hand, leading him back to the Leaky Cauldron. When she reached their table, she sat down and smiled softly at her son and youngest daughter.

"I'm sorry I left. Are you two doing alright? I think your father will go and find Mari. And then we can have that lovely meal like we talked about."

Issac made sure to tell the owner of the Leaky Cauldron to give his children and wife whatever they needed. Within reason of course. And kissing his family members, even Parker, though he knew that the teen would more than likely be bugged about it, he went out into the evening air again to find his eldest. He figured that she would have gone to her shop, but if he didn't find her there, he'd try her apartment.

As he walked along the street, he thought about what could have gone wrong between her and Quinn. Of course, having been gone so much like he was when his two elder children were growing up, he didn't think he'd ever find out the whole story. He'd hear one side, and then another completely different version from someone else, but he'd never get the whole thing of what had happened, who was truely at fault, or how to resolve it. Maybe they would all just have to do what he and Mari had done and just start over again. That seemed the only viable solution.

He reached her shop door and went inside after checking that it was unlocked. He sat in a chair, staring at his daughter, who was indeed there, wondering what to say to her. He didn't want to put her off repairing their own realtionship as father and daughter, but he wanted this to come to an end. All the fights between his children and their parents.... It was exhausting.

"Mar-bear, what was that back at the Cauldron? I honestly don't know what has been going on with you, Park and your mother for the last few years, and while I know that's my own stupid fault, I'd like to see if it can't still be fixed."

Marisol rolled her eyes, even if her father wanted it to be fixed that didn't mean it would be. She didn't want to fix things with her mum, as far as she was concerned they were fine where they were. She did not like how her mother spoke down to her, treated her like she was nothing but a child, Marisol had grown up and it was like she was the only person that could treat her like a child. Her father didn't do that shit...and even if he did Marisol would not accept it. She was a damn adult and demanded that her parents treated her like one. The way her mother had spoken to her at the restaurant was unbelievable....as if the years had been nothing. She acted like seeing her meant nothing...and then, she had to act like the victim? No...Marisol was not going to be the fucking doormat her parents chose to wipe their feet on. She would much rather just wash her hands of the both of them and be spared the frustration and pain.

"Don't worry about it," she grumbled. "Nothing's going to change dad."

And Marisol didn't care if it did. When she moved out it was like a breath of fresh air. She didn't have two adults breathing down her neck every second of every day. Didn't have a mother that scolded her just for the fucking sake of scolding her, didn't have a father that walked past her like she didn't exist, didn't have to answer to anyone, didn't have to deal with anyone.

"That family dinner just wasn't right for me," she continued, trying to be as polite as she could... "Thanks for inviting me though...maybe next time."

If there was a next time. Marisol did not want to eat at the same table as her mother until she was certain that woman had gained some respect for her. Because until then...until she treated her like the adult she was...Marisol would never give her the respect she wanted.

Isaac felt lost. He didn't know how to bridge this gap between his wife and daughter. He supposed they were just too far removed from each other. He didn't understand how. They were so much alike. Both so beautiful, creative, loving, intelligent. How could it be that they had so many problems with each other? He stood and nodded to his daughter.

"I understand, Mar-bear. I wish that you would change your mind, but I'm not going to force you to come back with me. That wouldn't be fair to you. I just wish that I undertstood what happened between you and you mum."

He walked over to Mari and tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. She so looked like Quinn. It was very rare that he saw himself in his children, and was always so astounded when he did. Now, all he saw was a younger version of his wife looking back at him, and it made him smile.

"Please don't hate me for saying this, but you look so much like her, and I wonder sometimes how it is that none of my children look like me, in looks, but all of you managed to get my temper. That's not neccessarily a bad thing, but I'm too quick to jump at something when I'm upset. I'm not saying that you do, just me."

He hugged her to him gently, kissing her cheek.

"You know that you are welcome to come see me anytime you want, or call me. You don't need an invitation to be part of my life. You are already part of my life. You are my first born, and I will love you until my last breath." He kissed her cheek again and stepped back with a soft good bye, and turned to the door.

He paused for a moment and turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"You're always welcome when it comes to family Mari. Always." With that he smiled and left her shop, heading back to the Leaky Cauldron.

He took his seat next to Quinn a few minutes later and had to wipe his eyes on his napkin.

"I don't think that Mari will be joining us for dinner, Quinny," he said sadly.

Quinn nodded sadly and wiped a tear from her cheek. She hated knowing that she had hurt her daughter, but she also hated the fact that she had ruined this night for her husband. He put so much work into his family, and Quinn had torn it down by letting her ego get in the way. The truth was, she wasn't the world's greatest mother and she didn't have all the answers. She never had, and tonight was just another example of that. She leaned against her beloved and looked up at Parker through her tears.

"Your sister was right...I shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion that you were keeping your girlfriend from us. I should have waited for you to tell us, Park. I'm so sorry. And Kinn?"

She looked to her sweet little girl, who she felt looked almost identical to Marisol when she was that age, and it broke Quinn's heart.

"I know you probably feel bad about what you did today, and I think you should still be in trouble when we get home. But maybe I was a little too hard on you, love. I'm sure your father and I can think of a proper punishment that won't be too bad, okay?"

She blew her smallest child a kiss, then turned back to her husband. She just wanted to continue this night in peace, even though it would kill her every time she didn't see Mari there. They had missed out on so many good times because of disagreements, and Quinn desperately needed to find a way to get through to her daughter. If not, there was a chance Marisol would move on and forget about her mother. And that was something Quinn didn't wish on her worst enemy. She sighed and looked up at Isaac, pushing down those feelings...because they never helped to resolve anything.

"Well, I'm ready to eat, what do you think, babe?"