"Hi Zac!" Kylie said cheerfully.
Kylie had arrived in Tulsa by train and Zac was picking her up at the station.
"Hey, Kylie," he greeted. "Have a good trip?"
"Yeah."
"That all you got?" Zac eyed her two bags.
"Naw, the rest is coming by courier."
"Fair enough."
They got into the car and drove home, chatting about this and that, and what the other had been up to. When they arrived, Zac took the bags out of the car.
"Who's that," Kylie frowned.
Zac looked up to where she was pointing. Ella had opened up the front door.
"Oh, that's Ella. She's the nanny. I'm sure I mentioned her..."
"You close?"
"Professionally, maybe. Friends by now I'd say. I mean, she does look after my kids."
Kylie's on response was to press her lips together in a thin line. Zac didn't notice and headed inside.
"Thanks for getting the door, Ella."
Ella nodded and went back inside, Kylie following.
"I'll show you to your room," Zac said to Kylie, heading up the stairs.
He took her to a room that he had taken pains to get ready in time for her arrival. Kylie looked around inside critically.
"I thought I'd be sleeping with you."
Zac was rather taken aback by this remark. He stammered for a reply and was relieved when Saku inadvertantly interupted.
"Daddy! Come see what I'd done!" He beamed.
"Okay, sure," Zac said agreeably. "But first, I'd like you to meet Kylie. She's going to be living with us for awhile."
"Hi Saku," Kylie said, her voice coated with false-sweetness. "How are you? I'm carrying your little half-brother or sister."
Saku eyed her.
"I hope its a boy," he said. "Because I have eight sisters and only three brothers. B'Elanna, Tom, Kanika, Faolan, Serafina, Victory, Dee Dee, Annie, Brett, Tru and Briar. Briar was only born yesterday."
"I see..." Kylie trailed off.
Did Zac really have all those kids? Or were some of those this child's wanton mother's children? As if sensing these less than charitable thoughts about Nyx, Saku glared at her.
"So, what is it you have to show me?" Zac asked, noticing nothing.
And thus Saku took the opportunity to drag his father away from the woman whom he had taken an almost instant dislike to.