Tears dropped onto the table as Caroline shook. "I know, but..." Suddenly she broke down and threw her arms around him, sobbing. When she had gotten some control over herself, she spoke. "Sometimes I wish I knew what it was like to have your mother tuck you in at night, or your dad chase away the monsters. Alex taught me how to take care of myself, but I don't think I wanted to know how to use a dagger when I was seven, or fight three people at once when I was 12. I don't know what it's like to be normal, and I hate it." She managed to pull herself together enough to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I never told Alex how much I hate this life. He's doing the best he can."