Just a one-shot I came up with while reading Beautiful Darkness. The whole Ravenwood family intrigues me, mostly due to how dysfunctional it is. I mean really, can you imagine what one of their family reunions would be like?

Disclaimer: I own nothing everything belongs to Kami and Margi

"You're cheating," Macon accused of his little brother, eyeing him suspiciously over the cards in his hand. He had been attempting to teach his brother how to play go fish, but every time he glanced down he would catch his brother trying to look at his cards.

"I am not," Hunting countered indignantly.

"Are too," Macon cried. "I saw you."

From his spot by the fireplace Boo pricked his ears up, but otherwise stayed where he was at. Normally he would be outside keeping away any unwanted visitors (which was pretty much everyone in Gatlin) while Silas slept during the day. Lately though, he'd been spending more and more time inside with the boys. Macon had noticed this but hadn't given it much thought. He had simply assumed that the dog preffered his company to pacing outside all alone.

Hunting put his cards on the floor and pouted at his older brother. "If you keeping saying I'm cheating I'm not going to play with you anymore."

Macon rolled his eyes. "No you won't. Who else will you play with? Boo? Baby Leah?"

"Mamma and Pappa." Hunting folded his arms and looked smugly at Macon, expecting him to cave in.

Macon, however, didn't say a thing. He had been avoiding both his parents for a while now; his father because he always seemed to be in a bad temper and his mother because he couldn't stand to see how sad she always looked. Something was wrong with his parents and he didn't think they would be in a playing mood.

"Okay, fine." Macon let out a sigh of defeat. Being a big brother sure was a pain. "Let's play something else, though I'm tired of go fish."

Hunting jumped to his feet, the card game already forgotten. "Okay," he said eagerly, "let's play hide-n-go seek."

Macon smiled to himself. Hide-n-go seek was a game he excelled at. He loved exploring all the knooks and crannies of Ravenwood and therefore knew all the best hiding places. "Okay. but you have to count first."

Hunting folded his arms, and pursed his lips in a pout. Macon prepared himself for more whining when he heard the unmistakable sound of someone coming down the stairs. He glanced over at the clock which read only four thirty, a half hour too early for it to be his father, so naturally it was his mother that walked into the family room. She held Leah, who was fast asleep, in her arms, and though she appeared calm Macon thought her eyes seemed to hold some kind of sadness in them as she regarded her two sons. Macon felt the cold prescense of fear begin to spread in his chest.

"Macon, Hunting, why don't you two sit over on the couch for a minute, there's something we need to talk about." Macon and Hunting exchanged puzzled expressions but did as they were told and sat on the couch next to the fireplace. Shifting Leah to her other arm she sat down next to them.

"You both know that I love you, right?" Macon and Hunting both nodded.

"And you know your father loves you too, right?" Again, they nodded and Macon began wondering why she asking such questions. Her face looked completely serious, no trace of a smile in it causing his fear to press down on his heart.

His mother took a deep breath before continuing. "Your father and I have been talking and we've both agreed that it would be best if I moved back to New Orleans."

"So...we're all moving to New Orleans," Hunting asked, his confusion mirroring Macon's own. Macon knew that Ravenwood was important to his father, and couldn't figure out why he would want to leave it to move to New Orleans.

His mother shook her head. "No, cher, it will just be me and Leah that move back to New Orleans. You and your brother will stay here, with your father."

Macon sat on the couch in silence for a few seconds while he let her words sink in. "But...but why," he finally managed to asked. The fear in his breast had been replaced by pain, now.

His mother looked at him, her face full of compassion. "It'll just be better for us all if your father and I live separately. You'll be able to visit me, I promise."

"Then why doesn't Leah stay here too," Hunting asked accusingly. Macon said nothing but couldn't help but agree with his brother.

"Because, she is only a baby and still needs me around all the time," she said gently.

"We still need you, too," Macon countered.

She smiled at him, though it didn't quite meet her eyes. "Not the same way Leah does and you know that." She glanced at the clock, and rose from the couch.

"I have to leave now."

Macon and Hunting both hopped off the couch. "Do you really have to," Macon asked, feeling his throat tighten.

She bent down and kissed him softly on the forehead. "You'll understand someday."

She gave Hunting a kiss on the forehead as well, telling him to be good for his brother and father. Hunting said nothing in return, he just folded his arms and stared at the floor. They both followed her to the door, though, where her suitcase was waiting causing Macon's heart to clench at the sight of it.

"Aren't you going to say good-bye to papa," Macon asked, as much as out of curiosity and a way to delay her leaving.

His mother looked down at him in unease for a few seconds before saying apprehensively, "I don't think that would be best...your father won't mind."

With that she picked up her suitcase and gave them a final good-bye dashing any hopes Macon had of making her stay longer. "Good-bye, mamma," he murmured quietly.

Hunting didn't say anything the whole time, he just kept his arms folded and stared at the floor. "Good-bye, cher, I'll call you later this week once I've got settled." Giving them one last small smile she opened the door and stepped outside, briefly allowing sunlight in the otherwise dim foyer, before closing it softly behind her.

For a moment afterwards Macon just stood there staring at the door wishing she'd come back through it declaring it was all just a course then he realized nothing like that was going to happen. Swallowing back tears he glanced down at his brother's face to see his lips quivering with tears beginning to spill from his eyes. Macon hesitated to comfort him, when all he wanted to do was cry, too. How could he tell him everything was alright when he didn't even believe it was? In the end he decided to just suck it up. He was about to attempt to offer words of comfort when he heard the unmistakable sound of four feet walking on the foyer floor.

Macon turned his head to see Boo standing behind him wagging his tail and holding something very familiar in his mouth. "Boo!" Macon cried in outrage, his sadness momentarily forgotten. "My cards!"

Boo wagged his tail even harder, leaning down on his front legs, as if to say 'come and get me', before running off in the opposite direction. Macon dashed off after him with Hunting, who didn't want to be left out, right behind him. They chased the dog all over the house, but just when they thought they had him, Boo would dash away again, faster than Macon thought the dog was capable of. Finally they chased Boo into a corner where he finally stopped.

"Spit it out Boo," Macon commanded, "spit it out now."

Boo sat down and did as he was told, his tail thumping on the floor. Macon snatched up the cards and made a face at the dog drool covering them. "Ewwww..."

"Bad dog, bad." Hunting shook a finger at Boo who merely began licking his hand.

Macon tried his best to salvage his cards by cleaning them off with his shirt but he knew that they would never be the same again. Sighing he set them down on the coffee table just as Boo darted out of the room. Macon glanced at the clock; five. It was time for his father to get up

Macon followed Boo into the foyer and waited at the bottom of the staircase for his father. Maybe once he told him that mama was gone he'd go after her and bring her and Leah back. Then they could make up and stop fighting so much.

Silas didn't come down the stairs so mush as he appeared on them. To Macon his father was an imposing figure. Silas was tall compared to anyone, with broad shoulders, and the trademark black eyes of an Incubus. His face and deamenor were cold and unforgiving.

"Macon," he said simply by way of greeting as he stepped down the stairs. As usual he was impecabely dressed in a suit with his hair parted neatly on the side.

Macon swallowed hard and began chewing anxiously on his lip. Now that he was actually standing there in front of him, Macon wasn't quite sure how to tell his father about his mother leaving. What if his father got angry and took it out on him?

"What is it," Silas asked, noticing the way Macon was nervously chewing on his lip.

Macon took a deep breath and looked all the way up at his father. "Mama left with Leah, she said she was going to New Orleans."

Silas didn't seem at all surprised by this, intrigued perhaps, but not surprised. "Did she now," he asked, arching a brow.

Macon nodded, not comprehending his father's lack of reaction. How could he be so calm?

"That was very convenient of her, though I'm sorry Leah had to go with her, but at her age she's better off with her mother."

Stunned, all Macon could do was stare up at his father, who was completely unmoved by the fact that his mother had just left them, suddenly he felt like he wanted to cry all over again.

"Where's your brother," Silas asked, looking around.

"He's in the family room," he answered hollowly.

Silas strode past him and he followed behind him with Boo in tow. Hunting was busy trying to make a house of cards, using the ones Boo hadn't been able to get a hold of. When Macon and Silas entered the room he got up and ran to them.

"Papa, while you were asleep mamma-"

"Yes, yes I know," Silas said, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. "Your brother told me. It's alright, it's better this way."

Macon saw how confused his brother was at their father's words and couldn't help but feel the same way. It just made no sense, how could something that hurt them be better?

Hunting's eyes began to glisten. "But..."

"Just trust me," his father said placatingly. "Now you need to go wash up for supper."

For a second Hunting looked at his father uncertainly, then did as he was told and walked out of the room to wash up.

"You too, Macon," Silas said when he saw that Macon hadn't moved. "You have lessons afterwards, so you need to hurry up."

Macon stayed where he was though. "Why won't you go after mamma?"

Silas regarded him thoughtfully for a moment and then sighed. "Fine, since you're older than Hunting I suppose I can try to explain things to you. Go ahead and sit down"

Macon shook his head. "I'm fine standing."

"Sit anyway," his father commanded.

For a split second Macon considered refusing again just because he felt like being difficult but then decided he didn't want to get in trouble. Silas did not sit next to him as his mother had done earlier, instead he stood directly in front of him looking down at him.

"Macon have you ever noticed how certain casters have different eye colors?"

Macon thought back to some of the gatherings at Ravenwood and tried to remember what some of the people's eyes had looked like. As much as he tried though he couldn't seem to remember, he had never payed attention to that sort of thing.

He shook his head. "No, what's that got to do with anything?"

Silas let out a deep, booming laugh. "What's that got to do with anything? It has to do with everything. There are two types of people in our world; light and dark. Just like there are two types of eye colors; green and gold."

"Mamma's eyes are green." His weren't, though, they were gold. Without thinking Macon reached up and touched the spot right below his eye.

"Your mother is a Light caster that's why. All light casters have green eyes and all dark casters have gold eyes."

"But you don't have either," Macon pointed out.

Silas smiled. "That's because I'm an Incubus son. Our eyes are black, but we're dark creatures all the same. Just like you and your brother and sister."

Macon wasn't sure how to take this, mainly because he didn't think he liked the idea of being dark. "What does this have to do with mamma leaving?"

"I'm a dark creature, being with a light caster is an abomination against our kind. It just wasn't natural for us to be together."

Wasn't natural? How could two people living together not be natural? When Macon didn't say anything hid father sighed. "You still don't fully understand, do you?"

Macon shook his head feeling miserable all over again. Silas patted him on the back. "You will someday. Now go wash up for dinner."

This time Macon did as he was told. He walked off with his shoulders slumped. Someday. Both his parents had now told him he'd understand someday, but at the moment he didn't think he would ever be able to understand why eye color should make two people stop living together.

Macon did eventually understand what had been the reason for his parents splitting up, and what light and dark had to do with it. He just never understood in the way his father had wanted him to.

Thank you for reading and feel free to click the little review link. :) And also feel free to contribute your own works to this archieve, which is pathetically small for a New York number one Bestseller. Seriously where's the love?

I would have liked to turn this into a series but I really want to concentrate on finishing two of my other multi-chapter fics. Maybe someday though...ah see what I did there? Incorporated the title into my author's note...yea I'll shut up now