Dan carefully removed the pork tenderloin from the grill. "That will need to rest for a bit…" He mumbled to himself as he puttered about on the porch. The counter here wasn't an ideal place to cook, but the garden was such a lovely, secluded place for a cookout. The willow tree provided shade overhead while the tall juniper hedge sheltered Octavia and her guests from neighbours and onlookers. Dan was thrilled to have all these lovely metamours gathered in one space, not just because Octavia had kept him on denial for days in anticipation of this little party, but also because he genuinely loved these people. He checked on the potatoes again, but they needed to stay on the grill longer. He proceeded to pour some drinks and brought them out to the terrace where everyone was sitting.

He handed a can of energy drink to Artemis. She wore a deep green slinky dress as she sat on the bench under the willow tree with Tim. "This is your favourite brand, right?"

"Thanks. How thoughtful of you." She smiled and then turned back to Tim, who was holding her Nintendo Switch.

Tim was dressed in khakis and a pink floral shirt."So how do I get onto that ledge?" He asked her as he ran his hand through his blond hair with a hint of exasperation.

As Artemis showed him how to play the game, Dan placed a tall glass on the table near Tim's arm. "Some home-made lemonade for you."

Tim was too busy to react and Dan moved on with his tray full of drinks. He brought two glasses of lemonade to the table beside Raf, who was lounging on an air hammock wearing only a pair of black jeans to show off his tattooed chest. Josie stood behind him massaging his massive shoulders. Dan blushed as he tried not to stare at her pretty frilly dress, he had never actually spoken to Josie. She was so boisterous and fun.

"You really need to stretch and warm up more beforehand." She chided Raf as she dug her small fingers into his muscles. "Or this is what happens."

"Thank you, Dan." Raf nodded as he rolled his shoulders.

"Sit still!" Josie's voice was adorably high-pitched.

Octavia and Syd snuggled on the chaise longue together. She was wearing a white lace dress and he was dressed in a muscle shirt and shorts.

"I can't believe how this one has faded over the years." Octavia mused as she ran her fingers over the snake tattoo on the side of Syd's neck.

Syd quickly moved his feet off the table when Dan set down a glass of lemonade and a can of coke. "Thanks, buddy."

"Oh Dan…" Octavia veered up out of Syd's arms. "Would you mind bringing me a can of iced tea instead?"

Dan lowered his eyes and took a sip of the lemonade. "I'll have this myself then."

"Thank you, my dear." She kissed him on the forehead before she settled back in Syd's arms.

As Dan made his way over to the fridge, he smiled to himself thinking how mundane his chosen family sometimes seemed and how blessed he was to have these people. When he returned with the can of iced tea and sat down on a stool to drink his lemonade, the conversation had turned to something less mundane to his delighted surprise.

"Are you ok to be hypnotised here with these people?" Raf asked Josie as he held her hand and looked up at her as she stood in front of him.

She bounced up and down in her pretty dress. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Syd leaned forward on the tip of his seat. "Can I tease you a bit, or should I keep my mouth shut?"

Dan blushed and quickly took another gulp of his lemonade in the hopes that it would cool his face somehow. Watching this pretty girl be hypnotised and teased would be a treat, and he didn't need to worry about the grill for a while yet.

Octavia laid her hand on Syd's shoulder. "I'll keep him in check, Josie."

"Please don't." She shook her head and stuck out her tongue at Syd. "You look like a tough fucker, but I doubt you can hypnotise me."

Tim and Raf chuckled to each other, while Artemis let out a low "Ooh…"

Octavia patted Syd on the shoulder and relaxed in her seat. "That's a challenge if I ever heard one, my dear."

"Welp…" Syd ran a hand through his jaw-length hair and shrugged. "She got me there. I may be switchy as fuck, but I'm not actually a hypnotist."

Tim crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. "Language, people…"

Raf blew a kiss at Tim. "Octavia doesn't mind. You can be so straight-laced sometimes."

Artemis narrowed her eyes at Syd. "You've been Octavia's lover how long? And you claim you never picked up any of her tricks?"

"Tricks…" Octavia chuckled as she lounged on the chaise longue, stretching her legs behind Syd's back as he perched on the edge.

"I know I have." Artemis said with a big wink.

Syd spread his arms with a disarming smile. "I was banking on Rafael doing the heavy lifting, since he knows just how you like it, and then I'd swoop in later."

Octavia laughed out loud as Raf settled back into his air pillow. "It's not like it's hard to hypnotise my Princess, she'll do the heavy lifting for you." Raf laid his enormous hand on the pretty ruffles on the backside of her skirt and pushed her towards Syd. "She wants it so bad."

Josie squirmed but her eyes twinkled with excitement. "Are you calling me easy?"

"He's calling you a skilled sub." Artemis smiled. 

Octavia nodded. "There is no virtue in being difficult, after all." 

Syd made eye-contact with Josie and tilted his head slightly. "You really want to be hypnotized, dontcha?"

"Nuh uh!" She crossed her arms and clenched her shoulders.

Dan could feel the tension rising as he put the empty lemonade glass down. Looking for something to fidget with, he tentatively touched Octavia's bare feet. When she gave him an encouraging nod, Dan pulled his stool closer and started to massage her feet as he watched the scene unfold.

"Oh come on." Syd grinned as he held her gaze, his voice was soft and warm. "I can see it in your eyes. You're already thinking about how good it would feel to go into trance, right here, right now, with all of us watching."

Josie stubbornly shook her head. "Nope!"

"That was a pretty good one, you have to admit." Raf nodded with approval.

"I don't have to admit anything. I'm resisting. Successfully." Josie huffed.

Raf threw his head back with laughter. "Until he finds the off-button on your head, Princess." 

Josie half-heartedly kicked him. "Shut up! There's no such thing."

"If there's no button, you wouldn't mind me touching your head." Syd stood in front of her with his hands open.

"Go right ahead." She put her hands behind her back and stood on her tiptoes to seem taller, but she still only reached up to Syd's chin.

His hands were rough and marred with cuts and scrapes, but he was surprisingly gentle as he touched the back of her head and pressed a fingertip into the nape of her neck.

She giggled and stuck out her tongue at him. "Wrong!" 

Syd let his hand rest on the back of her neck as he studied her face. His voice was charming and warm. "Are you disappointed? Are you thinking about where the button is? Are you thinking of how it will feel when I find it?"

Josie bit her lip and rolled her eyes, blushing.

"Clever." Artemis remarked. "Are you sure you didn't learn that from My Lady?"

Octavia held her hands up in the air. "I disavow all responsibility. He's just that crafty, always has been."

Dan's hands rested motionless on her feet as he watched Josie breathlessly. He could just feel that Syd was so close to finding it.

With a grin, Syd held his hand in front of Josie's face, his index finger raised in the air. "I know you want me to press the button. But you're resisting. You don't have to tell me where it is. Just think about how good it will feel when I find it. If you think really hard, I can hear it. You don't have to say anything. You're resisting successfully."

Josie was so quiet and still now, blushing as she alternated looking into Syd's eyes and lowering her eyes bashfully.

He studied her face for a few seconds and then ran his finger from the bridge of her nose over her forehead into her hairline. Immediately, her neck craned back and her eyes rolled up as if they followed his touch. Her mouth fell open with a deep sigh and she was gone. She swayed on her feet, her arms hanging limply down at her sides and he steadied her with his other hand on the back of her neck.

Dan swallowed and shifted on his stool, feeling hot and sweaty. Tim also shifted in his seat, mumbling "Damn…" while Octavia and Artemis applauded politely. Raf grinned ear to ear, not even moving to hide the growing bulge in his jeans. "See? Nothing to it." His voice was deep and pleased.

Syd stepped back and admired his handiwork. "She's pretty when she's all zonked and quiet." He said in a derisive tone. "I like her much better this way."

Raf burst into a howling laugh as Josie snapped out of trance and flipped Syd off. "I bet you're nicer when you're zonked too." She snarked. 

"I can neither confirm nor deny." Octavia put her hands in the air again.

Before Josie could say anything else, Syd pressed his finger against her forehead between and above the eyes. His voice returned to that charming, enchanting tone. "Does it feel better the second time?"

A moan escaped her lips as her arms fell limp at her sides again. Her eyes crossed and she froze in place like that.

"Fuck, that's hot…" Raf grumbled.

"I'll say…" Octavia reached out to grab Dan's hand and kissed it. 

Dan shivered with mixed feelings, he wanted to kneel for his Lady, grateful that she was paying attention to him, but he also didn't want to look away.

Syd cradled the back of Josie's head in his other hand as he drew tiny circles on her forehead with his fingertip. "Where's your sass now?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

Her hands made small flailing gestures as she moaned again. Her eyelids fluttered in time with the movement of his finger on her forehead.

"Excuse me…" Tim mumbled to Artemis as he got up to walk over to Raf. He went down on one knee and Raf laid a big hand on his bowed head.

"It's ok, my boy." Raf said in a low voice. "It's allowed here. I love you."

Syd continued with the little circles as he softly asked: "Josie, can you talk?"

Her lips moved fruitlessly for a second and then she managed to whisper: "Princess… Call me… Princess."

There was a moment of eye-contact between Syd and Raf. When Raf nodded, Syd turned his attention back to Josie.

"Will you say something for me, Princess?" His voice was gentle now.

She shuddered but his finger never stopped moving on her forehead. Her mouth opened and a long drawn-out "Yesss…" was her reply. 

Syd seemed to think for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Just say: I'm in a deep trance."

Her chest heaved with a quick breath and then she replied in a monotone: "I'm in a deep trance."

"Good. Again." Syd let go of her and stepped back. "Just keep saying it over and over."

"I'm in a deep trance." Every time she repeated the phrase, her voice became a little more steady. She stopped swaying and stood still, her eyes closed and a faint smile on her lips as she repeated the words. "I'm in a deep trance. I'm in a deep trance. I'm in a deep trance."

Syd sat down next to Octavia, staring at Josie as he muttered: "I can't believe I did that."

Octavia patted him on the shoulder. "I can, my dear. I can."

Raf allowed this to go on for a while before he rose to his feet and grabbed Josie in a tight embrace. "That was marvellous, Princess. Thank you." He sat back on the air pillow and pulled her into his lap, where she lay silently nuzzling his big hand.

Tim excused himself and went into the house to the washroom. And as Octavia cuddled Syd, Dan got up to check on the grill. He could hear Artemis quietly hinting to Octavia that she wouldn't mind something similar to happen to her. But the hissing of the grill as he opened it drowned out the rest of the conversation. Dan poked one of the potatoes with the tip of a knife and it looked delicious. He started to carefully pile the potatoes on a dish and then he checked on the meat. When he was almost done presenting the food on the counter like a buffet, he turned around to look into the garden and call everyone to grab a plate. But his voice died in his throat.

Blake stood under the willow tree wearing his black leather biking gear. His mane of blond curls was messy and wet with sweat. Artemis retreated to stand next to Octavia. Raf raised an eyebrow at the uninvited guest and protectively wrapped his arms around Josie. Syd quickly assessed the situation with his keen eyes and looked to Dan to figure out what was going on. Dan was frozen in place, torn between defending his family from an intruder and giving this man Octavia loved so much the benefit of the doubt.  

Octavia let go of Syd and rose to her feet. "Please, let me handle this."

As she approached, Blake gave her a hurt look. His voice was hoarse and low. "You didn't invite me." 

She crossed her arms and shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. "I did that on purpose. I wanted to avoid this." 

Blake bit his lip and lowered his eyes. His hands balled to fists and his knuckles turned white. "Do you hate me?" He whispered.

"No!" She stepped forward to touch his shoulder. Her voice trembled as she said: "Listen to me, Blake. I care a lot about you. I…" 

"Why then?" His voice broke. He grabbed her hand and she pulled it loose. As she recoiled from him, he raised his voice: "Why do you do this to me?"

Artemis stepped protectively between them and shouted: "How fucking dare you?" 

Blake backed up a step and stared at her with wide, bloodshot eyes.

"She loves you." Artemis sounded cold as she said it. "She ignores my advice and she gives you so much of her time and attention trying to help you. And this is how you repay her?"

"You?" Blake clenched up and took a deep breath. "You're keeping me away?"

He rolled his shoulders as if he was preparing to throw a punch and Artemis immediately dropped into a defensive stance, knees bent and mobile, hands out in the air and ready.

Syd stood beside Artemis and shook his head at Blake. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He nodded his head at her poise. "Real martial arts, not like that show fighting shit you're into."

Blake lunged and landed an uppercut that floored Syd, and Artemis immediately closed in to grab Blake in an armlock. 

"Ow ow ow." Blake complained as she wrenched his fingers back. 

Octavia crouched beside Syd to check on him and he waved her concern away. With a deep sigh, she looked up at Blake.

"I need you to go home. Will you do that for me?"

Blake closed his eyes and nodded silently. Artemis loosened her grip bit didn't let him go, if he tried anything she was ready for a takedown. 

Tim stepped forward and revealed his car keys from a pocket. "I'll drive him home. Keep some food warm for me?"

Raf rose to his feet to give Tim a kiss. "Always the gentleman."

Octavia stood in front of Blake and looked him in the eye. "Will you let Tim take you home? Without a fuss?"

When Blake nodded again, Artemis let go of him. As Tim and Blake left through the garden gate, Dan helped Syd to his feet.

"Thanks, buddy." Syd massaged his jaw. "Got any ice?"

Dan immediately went over to the kitchen to get a bag of peas from the freezer. 

With a sigh, Octavia sank down on her seat. "I'm so sorry, I should have prevented this."

Artemis kneeled in front of her, taking her hand. "You have nothing to apologise for, My Lady. This is all on him."

On the air pillow, Josie propped herself up on her elbow and nodded emphatically. "She's right. He needs to learn to behave."

"I kinda provoked him." Syd muttered as he accepted the frozen peas from Dan and pressed them against his jaw.

Dan also kneeled at Octavia's feet. 

She turned to him and cupped his chin. "I'm sorry, my beloved. Did he ruin your party?"

"Only for a moment, My Lady." He kissed her hand and then got up. He lead the way to the buffet on the porch and announced: "Dinner's ready. Dig in."