Topic: Home Visit

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:26 EST
Today was the day Miranda had long been awaiting. No, it wasn't a wedding or an anniversary or a holiday of any kind. Today was the day Bethany and Jason were going to meet Kaylee and Taylor. As far as Miranda was concerned, Taylor was as close to a son as she was ever going to get. He was Rufus' nephew, the son of his once beloved sister. She knew how much he meant to Rufus, and as such, she had opened both their home and her heart to the young man. To say she was thrilled beyond belief that he was dating Kaylee, who was like another daughter to her, was something of an understatement. In light of the gathering, she had spared no expense.

The small cottage she shared with Rufus and her cat - the pair of whom barely tolerated each other - was spic and span from top to bottom. She was even wearing an apron over her dress, just like a regular Suzy Homemaker, a roast in the oven and the dining room put to good use, rather than just as a catch-all place for so many of their belongings.

"Rufus!" she called from the kitchen. "Can you come take the garbage out, love, before the guests arrive?"

Of course, Miranda's culinary talents had improved somewhat since she'd married Rufus, or she would never have even considered cooking a roast. Rufus himself had been delegated cleaning duties for the morning, given the responsibility of making sure that the room in which Jason, Bethany and the twins were going to stay was spotless, and that every bathroom in the place could essentially host the dinner being prepared. He wasn't surprised, then, to hear his lovely wife calling out fresh duties for him, chuckling to himself as he thumped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Beth would laugh herself silly to hear you calling her a guest," he pointed out to Miranda, pausing to lay his hand against her back and kiss her cheek. "Rubbish, you say' How have you managed to fill that bin already?"

Even if her culinary talents hadn't yet come anywhere near as close to Kaylee's, she was at least trying. And because Kaylee was so good at cooking and had been since she was a youngster, it only made Miranda all that more determined to impress her younger cousin. She smiled as Rufus came up behind her and kissed her cheek. She was in high spirits and wasn't going to let anything ruin her mood. Not today - today was too important to her. She was going to have her whole family in one place at one time - at least, those who were or she thought of as her own children. "Well, they don't live here so they are guests, whether they like it or not."

"Is everything prepared, oh mighty temptress of the culinary arts?" her husband asked, unleashing his charm with a grin and twinkle in his eye as he patted her rear end fondly before turning to deal with the trash.

She chuckled at her husband's remark. "Just about, oh master of the boudoir....or is it the universe?" She giggled at her own sense of humor, imagining him in a He-Man costume and wondering if she could somehow wrangle him into wearing one for Halloween.

"Master of the universe," he agreed with a chuckle, pulling the bag out of the bin and swiftly replacing it with one fresh. "Which, naturally, contains your boudoir, and simply makes me even more awe-inspiring as I prance around in a posing pouch." She was never going to get him in one of those, but it was fun to tease.

She rolled her eyes at him, the thought of him in one of those making her giggle again. "Maybe, if you're lucky, Mrs. Claus will put one in your Christmas stocking." Although, that might be more of a gift for her than for him. She could just imagine Rufus prancing around in one and feeling ridiculous.

He snorted. "I could always make you wear it," he suggested, making his way toward the front door. "And nothing else." There was a pause as he juggled the front door with the rubbish bag. "At the Christmas party!" he added, stepping outside briefly to toss the bag into the trashcan.

"Don't be silly. I don't have anything to put in it!" She wondered if she should just fill all the Granger mens' stockings with g-strings of various colors - and sizes, though that might take a little more scrutiny than she would have liked. "I have an idea. What do you think about having a Halloween party at the big house this year?"

There was a thump as the door closed behind him. "Everyone in costume, you mean?" he asked, returning to the kitchen curiously. Leaning in the doorway, he watched his wife flutter about, wondering if she even realized how adorable she was when she got nervous. "Would this be an attempt to get every single child under the age of forty into something ridiculously cutesy for photographs and blackmail?"

"That is the point of a Halloween party, Rufio," she pointed out the obvious to her dear but occasionally dense husband. She leaned over to open the oven and pull out the roast in order to baste it. It was her very first roast and she wanted it to be perfect. "No, this would be an attempt to do something fun. You remember what fun is, right?"

"Are you suggesting that I am not enough fun for you, angel?" Rufus asked, shamelessly enjoying the sight of his wife's rear end as she pulled the roast from the oven. "You didn't seem to have any complaints last night. Or the night before. And I didn't hear any protest at all about how boring our night in the park turned out." He smirked, knowing this wasn't what she was talking about; as highly driven as his libido was, they did spend a lot of time together, doing all sorts of other things.

"You, my dear husband, are a shameless exhibitionist," she countered, tit for tat. She basted the roast as best as she could and as she'd read how to do in the Idiot's Guide to Cooking, unaware that he might be ogling her from behind as she did so. "What do you think about Tarzan and Jane?" she asked, out of the blue, wondering what he'd look like dressed in what amounted to a loin cloth.

"How do you feel about Bond and Moneypenny?" he countered with a chuckle, pushing out of his lean to pinch her rear just because he could. The idea of wandering around in a loin cloth at a party was not the most appealing to his mind. "You should stop waving that at me if you don't want our daughter to catch us enjoying the kitchen in ways not intended by its builder."

"But Moneypenny never got her man, and I got mine," she pointed out as she shoved the roast back in the oven and straightened, turning to him with a playful smirk on her face and batting at his pinching hand with an oven-mitt. She laughed outright at his last remark. "We have christened every room of this house more than once. Do you really think Bethany doesn't know that?"

"Knowing and seeing are two very different things," he intoned teasingly. One finger rose to play with the ruffle that lined the neck of her apron. "This is a very silly little thing. You should bring it to bed some night." He grinned, bending to kiss her. "All right, I'll behave myself. Will I do, or have you bought something ridiculously expensive for me to wear so I don't embarrass you?"

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:27 EST
"Be careful, Rufio," she warned with a grin. "Your kinky side is showing." She kissed him back, lingering in that kiss for just a little longer than was necessary. Kissing him was one of her favorite things to do, after all, and she had been known to spend inordinate hours doing nothing but. "If I wear an apron for you, will you wear a g-string for me?" she countered, patting his cheek with the oven mitt that still covered her hand.

His eyes narrowed above his smirk at her counter-proposition. "Only if I can be absolutely certain that my beautiful, sneaky wife has not secreted cameras around the bedroom," he informed her, not putting it past his Miranda not to take pictures or a video, just so she had proof he'd done it.

She gasped audibly. "Rufus Bennett!" she exclaimed, swatting him playfully, still with that oven mitt. "What kind of pervert do you think I am?" she asked, feigning insult. "Someday when I die, I do not want my children or grandchildren to find a scrapbook full of our sexual escapades. Do you?"

"Well, they'd certainly know that their sex lives will continue right up until the day they die," he commented cheerfully, genuinely pleased with himself to have even slightly shocked her. Grasping her hips, he pulled her to him, kissing her with fierce tenderness. "I am never going to grow tired of being with you, angel."

"You had better not, Rufus," she warned him with a very serious look on her face as he pulled her close. "Because I plan on spending the rest of my life with you," she told him. She had thought about teasing him again, threatening that she might replace him with a younger model if he so much as hinted at getting tired of her, but she just couldn't do it. She loved him too much, and it showed, getting lost in a kiss that threatened to heat up the kitchen more than the oven was already doing.

"Don't ever doubt it," he told her, as serious as he could be, nose to nose with the woman who had won him with barely a look almost thirty years before. The woman he had been faithful to despite decades of separation. The woman who held him in the palm of his hand. He caught her hand, kissing her knuckles with soft lips, his eyes reinforcing his promise fervently.

The hand that wasn't wearing the oven mitt, anyway. She smiled softly at him, touched by such a romantic gesture from the man she had loved for more years than she could count. They both may have dallied a little along the way, mostly out of loneliness, but now that they were together again, the flame of their rekindled love burned brightly. "Never, my love," she told him quietly, her gaze tender and loving.

He smiled tenderly at her, dropping a kiss to the curved tip of her nose, even as the doorbell rang. A low laugh escaped his lips. "That would be our daughter and her husband," he sighed. "I'll get it." A last kiss pressed to Miranda's lips, and he turned toward the front door. Upon opening it, he blinked as Brody was thrust into his arms by his charming daughter.

"Sorry, Dad, I really need to pee!" was Bethany's cheerful hello as she pushed past and sped toward the nearest bathroom, yelling a hello to her mother on the way past.

Rufus looked down at the dozing boy in his arms, and raised a vaguely bemused expression to Jason. "Would you like to come in, or are you going to dump and run like your delightful wife?"

Miranda sighed softly as he pulled away from her. As excited as she was to get their entire family gathered in one place, she was decidedly nervous, as well, though she had not admitted it to him. She shook off the oven mitt and set it on the counter so she could join him in greeting their "guests", but before she had much of a chance, Bethany was pushing past her to get to the bathroom. "Hello to you, too, sweetheart!" she called after her daughter with a chuckle. "Don't you two use the bathroom before you step through the portal?" Miranda asked her slightly abashed looking son-in-law.

"No, I think she'd kill me if I left her here without me," Jason replied to Rufus as he stepped into the house, arms laden with the other twin, as well as a diaper bag. He'd have to make another trip out to the car to get the rest of their luggage. Even a simple weekend trip wasn't so simple when you had to pack for twins.

Chuckling, Rufus handed Brody over to Miranda, rolling his eyes in amusement at the antic of his daughter and son-in-law, and slipped past Jason to investigate the contents of the car on their drive. He had a feeling there was enough luggage in there to mobilize a small army.

Or at least two healthy children, as well as their parents. Jason and Miranda made a little small talk while they waited for either Bethany or Rufus to rejoin them. As awkward as things were between them, Miranda was doing her best to make Jason feel comfortable and welcome in her home.

"Okay." Beth came back into view, looking a good deal less rushed than she had moments before, and gave her mother a wide grin. "Sorry about that. Did everything but use the bathroom before we set off," she explained, smirking as she looked to Jason. He'd had to put up with her whining virtually from the second the engine revved.

"Would you take Evie so I can help Rufus with the bags?" Jason asked his wife as he handed off their daughter, not really waiting for her reply. A bark was heard coming from behind him and he knew Lucky had made herself known by greeting Rufus.

Miranda frowned a little, unsure what Lucky was going to think of her cat.

"Sure." Beth took their daughter into her arms, resting the baby girl against her shoulder with a smile for Jason. She caught the frown on her mother's face with a roll of her eyes. "Mom, Andy's a big boy," she pointed out. "A big boy who somehow gets on with Cosmo, and Lucky actually does what she's told. They'll be fine."

Miranda knew her daughter was right, but she was still frowning a little. Andy had poked his nose out to see what all the fuss was about, but as soon as he'd heard Lucky's greeting, he retreated to his mistress' bedroom. Maybe he'd come back out later when he was feeling a little less bashful. "I know, I know. I'm just not used to dogs. That's all." But she didn't waste too much time lingering on that fact. Family was family, canine and all. "And how are my little angels doing?" she asked, looking to the sleeping baby that had been thrust into her arms.

"Lucky's a good girl," Beth assured her mother, dropping down onto the nearest couch to begin the process of getting Evie out of her coat. "She's excellent at predicting when these two are going to wake up." Summer it might be, but the twins were still very small, and that meant coats when they were outside. She smiled as Miranda turned the subject to the children. "They're ....a handful," she managed with a low chuckle. Beth did look more than a little tired, but she was clearly reveling in motherhood. "I, uh ....I'm not going back to work," she added quietly. "All I'd be doing would be earning money to pay for childcare. I want to raise my kids myself, the way you did."

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:28 EST
"Don't flatter me, Beth. I raised you, but it wasn't easy doing it alone. It was easier once you were in school. You just don't remember the nannies who came and went when you were little," Miranda said with a small frown as she settled herself on the couch to start unwrapping Brody from his coat. "They really don't need that much wrapping, Bethany!" she remarked with a chuckle as she started undressing the little boy, though she quickly bit her lip. "Sorry, I promised myself I wouldn't be that buttinsky know-it-all grandmother."

"Aw, c'mon, you wouldn't be you if you didn't comment on it," Beth grinned, not taking offense at her mother's amused comment on the coats. "They're still a little under weight, I'm not taking any chances." With Evie freed from her coat and supported in one arm, Beth twitched a padded quilt from the bag nearest to her and spread it out on the floor, gently laying the baby girl down. "At least they're roughly the same size now, though," she added with a grin. "Nice apron, by the way."

"What?" Miranda remarked, arching one perfectly-shaped eyebrow. "Oh!" she exclaimed, glancing down at the apron she was still wearing. "I didn't want to ruin my dress. It's designer, you know!" Of course it was. If Miranda had her way, the twins would be in designer baby-wear as soon as they were able. "I'm making a roast," she admitted a bit sheepishly.

Beth had the decency to withhold her initial reaction to that news. "You're cooking?" she asked instead, her smile gently teasing. "Good for you! And Dad kept his big nose out of it?"

"I'll have you know, Bethany, that I do not have a big nose," her father pointed out as he returned, leaving the luggage in the hallway for now. "And your mother is an excellent cook when she isn't distracted."

Miranda smiled over at her husband for coming to her rescue just then. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, darling," she replied, without a single drop of sarcasm. "But I guess the roast will prove whether I'm a success or we end up ordering out." Of course, she'd be successful. She was successful at most anything she put her mind to, so long as Rufus didn't distract her from it. "Oh, look at you!" she exclaimed as she turned her attention back to the tiny bundle in front of you. "Aren't you adorable! You and Jason must be doing something right. They're already grown."

Jason smiled from the doorway, Lucky at his heels. He set down a couple more bags near the ones Rufus had brought in.

"Where's your mom?" Miranda asked, glancing his way. "She's family, too!"

Jason frowned a little at the question. "She wasn't feeling up to traveling. I'm sorry."

"Next time," Rufus promised, gently touching Jason's shoulder. He understood a little of how it felt to know someone you loved was living on borrowed time. "Now then ....drinks" Tea, coffee, water?" He winked at his wife, refusing to offer alcohol to new parents who looked about ready to fall asleep then and there.

Beth chuckled, leaning back against the couch as Lucky padded into the room, sniffing curiously at Miranda and Brody for a moment before returning to Jason's side. "Do you do beer in IV form?" she asked as sweetly as she could manage, laughing at her own poor joke. "What's the occasion, anyway' You said something about a big family meal, but there's no way all the Grangers can fit in this house."

To her credit, Miranda didn't so much as flinch when Lucky came over to investigate, though she felt a little bit nervous. Maybe there was hope for her yet, but she was still a long way from adopting a dog of their own. Maybe a poodle or a little dog of some sort. Nothing so imposing as a German Shepard. "The occasion?" Miranda echoed, as Beth turned her attention back to the present. "Oh!" She exchanged a knowing glance with her husband. "It's, uh....sort of a surprise. And I have another surprise for you!" A playful smile appeared on her face. "Dru is engaged!"

"What?" Beth sat up a little, genuinely surprised. "To Josh' And they let her" Wow, Mom, you're gonna have royalty on your books!" She laughed, leaning over to scratch Lucky's ears gently as the dog yawned. She'd become good friends with the German Shepherd, especially since the twins had been born. "Have they set a date yet?"

"October," Miranda replied, frowning a little, as she knew it didn't give her much time. "It doesn't give me much time. I may have to travel there to make sure it all gets done in time. I'm not sure yet who's being invited. No one there knows about David....I mean, her father."

Jason looked a little uncomfortable standing there while his wife and her mother chatted about family affairs. "Where would you like the bags, Rufus?" he asked his father-in-law, who he had yet to refer to as "Dad".

"Mm?" Rufus looked up from where he was constructing a trap of random drinks in the kitchen. "Oh, you're the third door on the left at the top of the stairs," he answered Jason's query warmly. "Want a hand?"

"No, I've got it!" Jason replied, as he hefted as many bags as he could carry at once and started toward the stairs, leaving Rufus to take care of the refreshments and the women to chit chat.

On the couch, Beth smiled at her mother's worried look. "Mom, this is Dru," she pointed out. "Princess or not, she's not gonna overwhelm you. Maybe you should wait to talk to her before you freak out about it."

"Maybe I shouldn't assume," Miranda replied. "I mean, she is a princess. She probably has half a dozen advisors and designers at her beck and call."

"Yeah, and she's also a Granger," Beth pointed out with a smile. "You've already made dresses she's worn, at two different weddings. I know who I'd ask, in her shoes." She chuckled, reaching over to gently squeeze her mother's hand. "So the other guests are a surprise, too, huh' Let me guess - they don't know we're here either."

"Yes, but they don't know she's a Granger and no one there can find out," Miranda replied with a frown. "So, I won't be there as....family." It seemed she shared the same worry as Jonathan, though it didn't really much matter. Here in Rhy'Din Dru was family, and that was what really mattered. Once again, Bethany drew her mother out of her own thoughts and worries. "Hmm' Oh..." She glanced at the clock and then at the kitchen, as if Rufus might know the answer to that question better than she would. "They should be here soon, I think."

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:28 EST
"But you'll be there," Beth pointed out. "And knowing you, you'll have a party for them when they come back to Rhy'Din after getting married, so everyone can celebrate with them as family." She followed her mother's gaze to the clock, and then to the kitchen, rolling her eyes with a teasing smirk. "Mom ....are you springing a family surprise on someone?"

Miranda looked back at her daughter, letting her see the worry and nervousness in her eyes, despite her excitement. "It's not you and Jason I'm worried about." She wasn't quite sure how Taylor and perhaps more importantly, Kaylee, were going to react to a family gathering. "Just....when they get here, try not to fuss too much and overwhelm them, okay' Just act like....like everything is very normal." It was a bit cryptic, perhaps, but necessary.

Beth was definitely her mother's daughter. She nodded slowly. "Taylor," she said, making the guess. There was no one else whom Miranda would be this concerned over. "Since when do I make a fuss" Hell, they'll be lucky if I'm awake when they get here!" She chuckled reassuringly, glancing down to the quilt by her feet as Evie started to fuss. "Oh, come on, little woman," Beth complained, inching forward to look down at her daughter. "I fed you, like, a half an hour ago."

"Hm, like mother, like daughter," Miranda muttered to herself, at the little girl's fussiness. Brody, on the other hand, looked as peaceful as an angel. Miranda scooped the little boy up in her arms and crouched down to lay him beside his sister. "There, maybe she's just missing her brother," she suggested with a maternal wisdom that only came from years of experience. Miranda lowered her voice as she looked back to Bethany, with a furtive glance at the kitchen. "This is really important to him, Beth. We want Taylor and Kaylee to feel like part of the family, but they've been through so much."

It was certainly the voice of experience. Within moments of Brody being laid down beside his sister, she quieted, little hands clutching at his. Beth smiled, meeting her mother's gaze with quiet understanding. "It's important to both of you," she pointed out. "So you need to relax a little. I'm about as easy-going as they come, and Jason's good at reading people. That, and we have twin babies and a dog if either one of them needs to take a step back without running away. You can do this, Mom."

Miranda sighed and reached for her daughter's hand. "I hope so, Bethany. Taylor is all your father has left of his sister, and I know this means a lot to him." But her daughter was right - it meant a lot to her, too.

"We can handle it," she promised her mother, leaning over to hug her affectionately. From what she had heard of Taylor and Kaylee, she had a feeling they weren't going to be quite as touchy as Miranda seemed to fear. But she understood the concern. She glanced up as Rufus returned from the kitchen with a tray that had been loaded with a steaming teapot, a cafetiere, and a jug of iced tea, together with various cups and assorted oddments. "Forget anything, Dad?"

Rufus shrugged, not even attempting to defend his inability to actually ask what people wanted. "All bases covered."

Miranda remained where she was on the floor beside her grandbabies and reached behind her to tug the strings free of her apron. She'd put it back on later, if she needed to. She had dinner timed so that she didn't really have to check on anything again for a while. "Thanks, dear," she said to Rufus as she reached for a glass of iced tea.

Jason finally managed to find his way back down the stairs, Lucky on his heels. "Sorry that took so long. Lucky and Andy were making friends." Well, miracles never cease!

"Dad, you're a life-saver," Beth praised her father, reaching to pour a cup of coffee for herself. "I tell you what, I'm so glad I'm not breast-feeding. I'd have one permanently attached at all times if I was!" She laughed, handing Jason a coffee the way he liked it. They both needed the caffeine injection.

"Friends, eh?" Rufus chuckled, taking up position himself on the opposite couch comfortably. "And here Miranda was worried that Andy was going to leave home because Lucky came to stay for a night or two."

"Well, he's used to having us all to himself," Miranda pointed out, defending her beloved cat, even if he was a little standoffish. He had been with her for what seemed like forever. Craving companionship, she'd adopted him right about the time when Bethany had gone off to college. Miranda set the apron aside in favor of a glass of iced tea. She smiled as Jason took a seat on the couch, not far from his wife. "I have to say, it's good to have you both here. I've missed you," she told them both, though New York was only a portal away.

"Missed you, too," Beth assured her, letting her body slump toward Jason's comfortably. "Especially that voice that trills out "Don't worry, I'll get it" when the babies start crying at four in the morning." She grinned at her mother teasingly. Everyone in that room knew how close Beth and Miranda were.

Rufus laughed, rolling his eyes at the tease. "How are you finding parenthood without the grandparents around?" he asked Jason.

"Exhausting!" Jason replied honestly, with a short chuckle, grateful for the cup of coffee. Both he and Beth were used to long hours, but nothing they'd ever experienced in their careers could have prepared them for the kind of responsibility it took to raise two small newborns.

"I'm sure you're doing fine," Miranda remarked, with a fond smile at her son-in-law. "Are you going to drop in on Piper and Desmond while you're here" Lyneth has been pestering me to see her babies." Those had been her exact words.

"That's the plan," Beth agreed with a smile. "Drop in on the other happily-wedded weirdos and their terrifyingly precious little girl." To be honest, she was very much looking forward to the sight of Lyneth spoiled for choice between two babies of exactly the same age.

Rufus took a swig of his tea, leaning forward to let his fingers play gently against Miranda's neck as the four of them talked. "You're clearly getting something right," he assured Jason. "They look wonderful - happy, healthy little angels, the pair of them."

Beth and Jason had made a bet on which twin Lyneth would choose, and Jason had bet on Evie. He was convinced Lyneth was going to want to dress Evie up and put ribbons in her hair, though she didn't really have much of it yet.

Miranda leaned into her husband's touch, almost without realizing it. Despite her worries, she was happy - really, truly happy. Surrounded by family and the only man she'd ever loved, there wasn't much more she could ask for. "They are that, aren't they, Rufio?" Miranda asked softly, reaching for her husband's hand as she looked on the sleeping babies. Hopefully, they all still thought so when it was two in the morning and the little ones were screaming to be fed.

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:29 EST
"Just like their grandmother," Rufus murmured, leaning down to kiss her temple.

Across from them, Beth grinned into her coffee cup, trying not to draw attention to how lovey-dovey her parents were being in company. "You know, if I told them to get a room, they'd probably ground me for a month," she commented to Jason playfully.

Jason chuckled and reached for his wife's hand. "They'd probably abandon us and go upstairs for a while," he teased before taking a swallow of his own coffee, grateful for the caffeine.

"Not today, they won't," she assured him, lowering her voice a little to fill him in on who was expected and how important it was to her parents that they all at least get along.

Playing with Miranda's hair, Rufus was utterly entranced by the twins sleeping together on the quilt, truly enchanted by the way the little hands clutched at one another as they smacked their lips and sighed in their sleep. He'd missed so much of Beth; he was determined not to miss her children.

Jason listened quietly and attentively. The only sign that he was surprised by the news was the slight upward shift of an eyebrow. He nodded his head, assuring her he'd be on his best behavior, but then when wasn't he"

Beth had absolute faith that Jason would be perfectly all right in this situation, but felt it was only right to warn him in advance what was expected. She nuzzled against his cheek, sighing contentedly, and took another sip of her coffee, trying not to giggle at the sight of both her parents going gooey over the sleeping twins. There wasn't much opportunity to enjoy that sight, however - the doorbell rang just a few minutes later, announcing the guests of honor who had no idea what had been planned.

Miranda - the eternal optimist - beamed a smile at her husband when she heard the doorbell rang and rose from the floor, pausing a moment to smooth out her skirt before reaching for his hand to tug him to his feet. "It's now or never, Rufio!" she declared with that optimistic smile of hers, even if she was just a little nervous. She had a feeling this would be a good thing for all of them, but most of all for Taylor and Kaylee. "We'll be right back!" she told Jason and Beth as she tugged Rufus toward the door, leaving the small family alone for a moment.

Given no option but to greet their guests with his wife, whether he wanted to abandon his vigil over the sleeping twins or not, Rufus chuckled, shrugging helplessly at the other couple as he was tugged to the front door. "Calm down, angel," he suggested to his wife warmly. "No one is going to be angry with you for this."

"I'm just not sure if they're ready for this yet," Miranda explained as she and Rufus made their way toward the door, but then, if someone didn't give Taylor and Kaylee a gentle shove, they might never be ready, and it was only a small gathering. She wasn't planning on inundating them with the entire Granger clan just yet.

"They're ready," he promised her, and he should know - he'd been training with both of them over the past months, when he wasn't with Des or Shen Lei. "They might be a little vulnerable, but they can handle this, angel. Have a little faith."

"It's Kaylee I'm worried about," she confessed quietly. Taylor had had longer to come to grips with what he'd been through. For Kaylee, it was all still too fresh, but Miranda had a feeling she needed this. She needed to know that life went on and that she had a family who loved and cared for her.

"This would be the Kaylee who almost put my back out last week, yes?" Rufus smiled, gently stroking his wife's cheek. "She'll be fine, love. But not if you don't open the door."

"All right, all right. Don't rush me!" she told him with a chuckle, followed by a deep breath to gather her courage. It was just Taylor and Kaylee on the other side of that door - two people she loved and adored almost as much as her own daughter. And then she was pulling open the door and smothering the befuddled couple with a welcome full of hugs and kisses.

Rufus stayed back to watch as Miranda swooped on the young couple waiting on the doorstep, a small smile playing about his lips. He truly was inordinately proud of Taylor, not just for his mother's sake but for his own. They had been through the worst together and come out fighting, and it was a privilege to see him finally beginning to look beyond his revenge with the young woman who had caught his heart. He nodded to them over Miranda's shoulder, chuckling as Kaylee laughed at the effusive welcome.

"Good grief, Miranda, anyone would think you hadn't seen us in a few years," she teased her cousin, kissing the older woman's cheek affectionately. A few more months had worked wonders on the young woman - she was still a little haunted, still wary of the darkness and of strangers, but there was no more fragility in her physical appearance, and a new light in her eyes. Taylor had, quite simply, worked a miracle on her.

"Oh, you look lovely, darling!" Miranda told Kaylee, taking her in from head to toe. It wasn't just the way she was dressed, but there was an inner light that was shining through to help banish the darkness of what she'd been through. Miranda wasn't sure if it was Taylor who was responsible for the change, but she thought he was likely a good part of it. As for Taylor, he, too, seemed less brooding, less moody. There was a light in him that was shining through that had only been a spark before. "Hello, Taylor. As handsome as ever, I see," she grinned up at him.

"I think you'll find that is good genes and a young lady prepared to whisk him out of them whenever the mood takes her," Rufus commented with a wry smirk, ignoring Kaylee's blush to lean in and kiss her cheek. He clasped Taylor's hand firmly, hugging the younger man. "Come inside," he told them, stepping back to allow room for that maneuver.

"Are we talking about his DNA or his pants, love?" Miranda teased back, eyes twinkling with amusement and affection for her husband and the children that brightened their lives.

Taylor chuckled at both Miranda and Rufus' remarks, returning her hug and clasping his hand with a firm grasp of his own. Unlike the other couple who'd arrived a little while ago, they brought no overnight bags of any kind, since they lived on Rhy'Din, a short distance from Maple Grove.

"Whatever you're cooking smells delicious," Taylor remarked as they stepped inside.

"Oh my goodness! The roast!" Miranda exclaimed with a gasp. "Make yourselves at home! I'll be right back!"

"Wait, you're cooking a roast?" Kaylee stared after her cousin, fidgeting for a moment, and gave in, squeezing Taylor's hand. She did love to cook, after all. "This I have to see. Be right back." And with that, she scurried after Miranda to see if she could help out with anything.

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:30 EST
Rufus rolled his eyes, laughing, and glanced down as a furry body brushed past him to investigate Taylor thoughtfully. "Ah ....yes," he said a little awkwardly. "Taylor, meet Lucky."

Taylor chuckled as Kaylee hurried after Miranda. "Abandoned already!" he remarked, arching a dark brow as he and Rufus were joined by an inquisitive dog. He knew Miranda had a cat, but hadn't heard anything about a dog. "Hello, Lucky," Taylor greeted the German Shepard with a scritch of fur between the dog's ears. He wondered if there was a story behind the name, but before he could ask that, he had a more immediate question. "When did you get a dog?"

"We didn't," Rufus told him, his voice carefully gentle. "This is Bethany and Jason's dog. They're in the living room, with their children." He studied his nephew for a moment before continuing. "Miranda was sure you wouldn't agree to come if you knew they would be here, and this will be good for all of you."

"Bethany and Jason are here?" Taylor echoed, arching both brows. There had been no prior warning that they should be expecting to meet other guests. Though Beth was his first cousin, and he thought they were probably overdue to get acquainted, he wasn't too sure what Kaylee would think. Still, it was better than a couple of strangers showing up unannounced on the other couple's doorstep. "I'm fine with it, but I'm not so sure about Kaylee. She's still a little skittish around people, and she doesn't want her family doting on her."

"Well, she's in the right place with the right people, then," Rufus assured him quietly. "Beth and Jason won't make a fuss, and as Beth pointed out a little while ago, there's a dog and twin babies to hide behind if things get uncomfortable. Besides, she obviously didn't notice them on her little run into the kitchen, which I think bodes well, don't you?"

"Maybe," Taylor grudgingly admitted, relieved he hadn't heard any commotion coming from the living room. That was a good sign, anyway. "I know we can't be recluses forever." Though there were times when it was a tempting thought. As an EMT, Taylor was out in public all the time; it was mostly Kaylee he was worried about. "So, I guess you better introduce me then," he continued, thinking he might as well get it over with. What was the worst that could happen"

Rufus chuckled, nodding. "Come along, then," he invited his nephew into the living room. "Beth, Jason ....I would like you to meet Taylor, my sister's son. Your cousin, Beth." He smiled at his daughter, deliberately not making a point of pushing Taylor into speaking.

Beth grinned, raising her head from Jason's shoulder but making no effort to stand up. "One secret meets another," she said cheerfully. "It's good to meet you, Taylor. I've been wanting to for a while."

Taylor took in the small scene with sharp eyes. He didn't miss the obvious affection shared by the other couple, evidenced by the closeness between them, not so very different from himself and Kaylee. His expression remained neutral as his uncle introduced him, though the mention of his mother made his heart ache, and he felt a brief stab of jealousy that both Bethany's parents were still living. The thought didn't last though, as he recognized it as selfish and banished it as soon as it made itself known.

He offered a polite, if slightly awkward, smile to the other couple. "It's good to meet you," he said, leaning forward to hold out a hand to the other man who took it and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Pleasure is mine," Jason replied, his other hand curled around Bethany's.

"Exhibits A and B are Brody and Evelyn," Beth added, gesturing to the month-old twins sleeping peacefully on the floor. She watched her cousin carefully as she told him their names, remembering how touched Rufus had been when he had realized that his granddaughter was named for his lost sister. "I'd get up and offer a hug, but I think I'd fall over. I'm running on caffeine fumes today."

Taylor would have remarked on the need for caffeine, but as soon as she shared the twins' names, he didn't really hear anything she said after that. He was obviously startled to learn that his cousin had chosen to honor her father's sister by giving her own daughter her name. It didn't occur to him at that moment that he'd never be able to do the same thing with a daughter of his own, if he ever was lucky enough to have a daughter, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that someone who didn't even know him had passed his mother's name along, helping to keep her memory alive. "Evelyn," he echoed quietly, though, of course, to him, she had always simply been Mother. He wasn't quite sure what to say and for a moment, seemed lost in thought.

Rufus squeezed his shoulder firmly, understanding the shock, the gratitude, the myriad of feeling that came with hearing that name for the first time.

"Evie, for short," Beth added gently. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Hold her?" Taylor echoed further, a look of mild panic on his face, though he had held plenty of babies in the past. He'd even delivered one or two, but this was different. This wasn't in the name of duty, nor was it a matter of life or death. This was a small newborn child who was of his own flesh and blood - the daughter of his mother's brother's daughter. By definition, a cousin, though the word seemed too vague and inadequate to describe the bond between them.

"Yes, of course," Beth assured him, trusting that Jason wasn't going to object. She eased herself off the couch and gently lifted Evie into her arms, moving to approach Taylor with a warm smile. "She's family to you, Taylor," she reminded him softly. "Just like you're family to us."

"She won't break," Jason added, remaining where he was on the couch to allow this moment between his wife and her cousin. He almost felt like an outsider, an intruder, witnessing something that perhaps he shouldn't. He moved to his feet, deciding they deserved and needed a few minutes alone. "Rufus, let's take Lucky for a walk. She's been cooped up inside long enough," he suggested, whistling softly for Lucky to follow him to the door, which she did.

Appreciating Jason's expert reading of the situation, Rufus nodded in agreement, side-stepping the cousins to follow his son-in-law and Lucky out through the front door.

Beth laughed a little, gently handing Evie into her cousin's arms, trusting him without a second thought to know how to hold a month-old baby. "That was subtle of them."

Taylor suddenly found himself holding this tiny baby girl that was of his own bloodline and bearing his mother's name, and he found that his eyes were growing misty with tears. "Why did you name her after my mother?" he asked quietly as he cradled the tiny girl in his arms, wondering at the miracle of this young life. There was another child, too - a boy - but he could only focus on one at a time for now.

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:30 EST
Beth didn't really know how to answer him for a moment, bending to retrieve Brody before he could fuss at being left alone on the floor. Tucking her son against her shoulder, she turned back to Taylor with soft eyes. "Because I never had a chance to know my family or where I came from until a year ago," she said quietly. "I want my children to have that link that I didn't have, to know that they're connected to the family that aren't around anymore. Evelyn Anna, for your mom and Jason's, and Brody's second name is Daniel, for Jason's dad. I hope you don't mind, I ....I guess I should have asked first."

"No, I don't mind," he assured her, lowering himself into a chair now that he didn't tower over her, the tiny baby still cradled in his arms. It felt strange to hold such a small helpless creature as this, knowing she was not just any child, but that of his own flesh and blood. "It's a little old fashioned," he said, though he didn't think that mattered. "She died when I was a teenager," he explained, though he assumed she already knew that.

"I think it's a beautiful name," Beth said softly, lowering herself down to sit once again as he did so. "A little grown up for her right now, but one day she'll progress from Evie to Evelyn, and it'll suit her perfectly." It was a relief to know that Taylor wasn't angry that his mother's name had been given to her daughter; she had been worrying over that for several weeks now. "I couldn't imagine losing my mom," she admitted quietly. "You know you're welcome to visit us anytime, you and Kaylee. We're not as scary as most of the rest of the family."

He turned his gaze back to the small bundle in his arms, offering her an index finger and watching as she curled tiny fingers around it to hold it tightly in her small hand. He had never thought much of children, had never so much as considered having any of his own. Even now, he wasn't sure what he thought of the idea of starting a family. He didn't dare think too far ahead, though he and Kaylee had promised each other to honeymoon in New Orleans at Mardi Gras. It seemed almost as though his life had ended when his mother had died, and that it had begun again when he'd met Kaylee. "I'm not afraid of your family, Bethany," he told her quietly, his gaze unwavering from the small child in his arms.

"I am," she told him with a smile. "Well, not scared exactly. Intimidated. There are a lot of them, after all. But they're a good bunch, most of them. Just a little much to take, all at the same time." She watched him with Evie, delighted by the way the little girl seemed able to charm just about anyone without seeming to try. "Call me Beth."

He knew from experience that there were far worse things to be scared of than family, than other people. There were monsters - real monsters - evil the likes of which she couldn't possibly fathom. That was what was to be feared, but he had vowed to conquer at least one of those evils, so that it couldn't hurt anyone ever again, but how could he tell her that' Her father was Rufus Bennett. She must know all this already, didn't she" "Taylor," he offered in return, tipping his head to regard her. "You don't mind that I'm..." He paused a moment, as if he was unsure of the question or of how he was phrasing it. "You should know that Rufus is like a father to me."

Beth shook her head, aware of what he was trying to say without being too blunt. Her father had been a father to him when it had been too dangerous to even acknowledge her. "No, I don't mind," she assured him gently. "I understand. And I'm glad he had someone. Me and Mom, we had each other. I always thought Dad was all alone. I'm glad he wasn't."

"I was in a pretty bad place after Mom died," he explained further. That was before he'd been abducted by some monstrous evil and endured seven months of torment, but he didn't want to talk about that, not as far as he was concerned, anyway. "He's always been there for me. I honestly don't know what would have happened to me if it wasn't for Rufus. I just want you to know, I'm not trying to take your place. I don't think anyone could ever take your place in his heart."

"He thinks of you like a son," she told her cousin, still quiet and gentle. If she felt any resentment for the time he had had with her father, it didn't show at all. "And, to be honest, I don't think of you as a cousin. I'd like it very much if we could be like a brother and sister. If that isn't asking too much."

Taylor's eyes widened a little when she made that request, surprised that she'd want such a thing from him, given the fact that they hardly knew each other, and yet, it made total sense. He felt his eyes growing damp again, a small knot forming in his throat, as he nodded his head in ascent. "I'd like that," he admitted, pausing a moment before adding, "Beth."

Beth's smile could light up a whole room when she truly meant it, and she really did mean it this time. Whatever tension she had been holding relaxed out of her as she beamed at Taylor. "Then you're my brother," she nodded firmly, as though that settled everything. "So tell me about your girlfriend." Though there was a faint suggestion of a tease about her eyes, it was a genuine question, and she thought he might be more easily drawn on the young woman who was discussing the meal with Miranda in the kitchen.

As simply as that, Taylor was officially adopted into the family, though if anyone had thought to ask Miranda or Rufus, they would have said that he was already family - that he'd always been family. He let go of the tiny girl's hand so he could brush at the wetness that had gathered in the corners of his eyes. "Girlfriend seems such an inadequate word to describe Kaylee," he said with a small chuckle, that was still tinged with tears.

"Oh, really?" Beth relaxed where she sat, leaning back against the cushions to settle Brody on her lap, lolling back against her chest comfortably. "What word would be better, I wonder?" she mused thoughtfully. "Lover" Or maybe ....fiancee?"

"Not officially," he said, as he tried to relax, taking his cues from her, settling the small sleeping bundle against his lap. "I mean, we haven't made an official announcement, but we're hoping to get married in New Orleans next February."

She chuckled a little at that. "You might end up with Mom hitching a ride," she warned him. "She's mad for seeing everyone she loves getting married. I don't think Jason and I ever officially announced our engagement. It was just accepted that we were going that way. Of course, we kinda got there less than a month after we started seeing each other, so some people thought we rushed into it."

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:31 EST
"It wouldn't be a celebration without our family there to celebrate with us, would it?" he countered. Though he was referring mainly to this little family that had gathered here, he wasn't too sure how Kaylee felt about that. "Your mother is a hopeless romantic," he remarked, making a simple observation. "Nothing wrong with that. We could use more people like her in the world." He arched a curious brow and tilted his head toward her a little. "What anyone else thinks isn't important. Rufus told me you're....old souls or something."

Beth nodded, still ever so slightly in awe of this fact about herself. "I can remember being a priestess in Ancient Rome, and meeting Jason for the first time," she told Taylor with a tender smile on her lips for her husband. "It didn't end well, but Vesta, the goddess I served, promised us eternity. In every lifetime, we've found each other. It's a big thing to get your head around."

"Every lifetime," Taylor echoed, a little in awe of it himself and maybe even a little envious. "Soulmates," he said, giving a name to that which he was describing, though he wasn't sure if that word was quite accurate. "And you've never grown tired of each other or wanted anyone else in all this time"

"Not that I can recall," she told him. "I haven't seen every lifetime, and not all of them have ended well, but I don't know who I'd be without Jason. Before he comes into my life, I have virtually nothing. This time around, I had Mom, and that was it. He helps me to live, every time. I couldn't imagine myself without him."

This wasn't a new concept to Taylor or to anyone really, though it was the first time he had ever heard anyone claim to remember a lifetime that had been shared or who claimed to have been given such a gift from a goddess in whom most no longer believed. And yet, anything was possible. "How do you know for sure" I mean, how'd you find out?"

"We dreamed it," she tried to explain, though how could she possibly explain how intense that experience had been" "Together. It was pretty horrific, the end of that first lifetime. He was flayed to death, and, uh ....I was walled up underground and left to starve. The Senate needed scapegoats, and they chose us. But Vesta had already honored our promise that we would be together once my term of service was done, and she chose to keep that promise. So we visited the Roman temple, here in Rhy'Din, a little while after we had that dream, and ....I don't know how to describe it. She was still there. We didn't see her, but we could feel her. And she recognized us."

He wasn't quite sure what to say to that. There were probably those who would have scoffed and told her it was just a coincidence or a figment of their imagination. They might have even laughed, but Taylor didn't laugh. He had seen things, experienced things that defied explanation. If anything, he envied them, though he didn't envy the tragedy that had ended their first lifetime together. "That's amazing," he said, after she had relayed the story. "I almost envy you."

"It doesn't mean that what you have with Kaylee is any less wonderful, Taylor," Beth hurried to assure him, knowing that others who knew of her very long-term relationship had a tendency to feel jealous of it. "One lifetime or many, love is love. And from what I hear, you two are very good for each other." She smiled, trying to be encouraging.

"Yes, well....I can't very well think past this lifetime. This lifetime has been challenging enough, but Kaylee is a blessing. My life was pretty bleak before I met her." Not quite so bleak as he made it sound. Though he might have been obsessed with revenge and justice, he'd spent and still spent a good deal of his time caring for the sick and the injured and bringing them help and healing. Life wasn't all darkness, but until he'd met Kaylee, he'd seen little light in the darkness.

Beth's smile deepened, recognizing that particular tone in his voice. Even if Miranda hadn't told her, she would have known from that alone that Taylor was in love."It sounds like you're both learning to live a little more with each other."

"What's the point of living if you don't have someone to share it with?" he asked, wiser than might be expected for his twenty-nine short years. "I wasn't looking to fall in love with her. It just happened," he explained further and might have told her more, if he'd had more time.

"I think that's the best way to come to it," she said thoughtfully. "People who go into a relationship expecting love always seem to be disappointed, but the people who find it without looking for it seem to share the longest lives with the person they never expected to fall for. It's a good thing."

He glanced toward the kitchen, where Kaylee and Miranda had disappeared. "Be patient with her, Beth. She's been through a lot," Taylor admitted with a small frown as he turned back. They both had, but he'd had more time to heal and to process what had happened to him than Kaylee had. He knew she was still hurting, still skittish, still scared, but she was making progress.

"I can do that," Beth promised him with a nod, absentmindedly stroking her fingers over Brody's clenched fist. "We're not going to ask her for anything she's not happy to give, Taylor, I promise you. Or you, for that matter."

"She needs her family, but she doesn't want them to pity her or treat her any differently. She just wants them to accept her and love her like they always have," he explained further, focusing on Kaylee's needs more than his own. Rufus had been all the family he'd had or needed for a long time, though it seemed all that had changed.

"Well, we've never met her, so she doesn't need to worry so much about that," Beth pointed out. "And neither do you. Seriously, Taylor, we're the best option as things stand, and we're pretty good at behaving ourselves. Besides, we come with babies, and I understand that Kaylee does like kids."

"Yeah, I..." He looked confused a moment or uncertain. Children was not something they'd discussed much, though both of them wanted normal lives one day, but what was normal" He glanced at the baby in his arms, knowing why he and Kaylee were doing what they were - it was so that no one ever had to suffer like they'd suffered again. They'd talked about getting married, about spending the rest of their lives together, but children" Maybe. Someday.

Beth raised a brow, wondering how she'd become the grown up adult in this conversation. Taylor was at least four years her senior, and he had been through hell and back. "I highly doubt she's going to demand babies of your own for a few years yet," she made a guess at his concern.

Bethany Daly

Date: 2014-09-03 08:32 EST
It was true - right up until she'd mentioned Kaylee's affinity to children, he'd been the mature one. He prided himself on his strength, his resilience. He had been through hell and back, and he'd survived, just like Kaylee had. He'd lived so long with no other thought but for revenge and justice. He hadn't really thought much about what he'd do after. It was because of Kaylee that he thought about these things. It was Kaylee who made him want to go on. What was it about the thought of children that seemed to undo all his self-control" "I haven't really thought that far ahead," he admitted, though he was starting to. "She deserves to be happy."

"So do you," she reminded him. "You don't have to look a long way ahead, and you don't have to make plans. Just ....don't shut the door to anything, okay' In a year or two, you might find yourself wanting something that right now you can't even imagine. Look at me. This time last year I was a workaholic who couldn't even get through a single date."

"I used to..." he started. "Before..." Before what? Before his mother died" Before he'd come to live with Rufus" Before he'd been tortured and left for dead" It wasn't so long ago that he couldn't still remember what it had been like to live a normal life, though it seemed like a very long time ago. Another lifetime ago. He looked at the child in his arms with tear-filled eyes, angry at himself for letting her get to him the way she was, but maybe it was necessary. If they succeeded, and he wasn't going to give up until they did, then what? "I don't know if....If I know how to do normal anymore."

"Normal doesn't exist," Beth told him firmly, believing in that statement as fully as she could believe in anything. "Besides, look at Dad. With his job and his life, did you ever think he'd come close to what passes for normal" And yet here he is, married and living with the woman he loves, and still protecting her from everything bad that comes to his attention."

He nodded his head quietly a moment. She was right. Rufus' life was anything but normal, and yet, somehow, he'd made it work. He had married the woman he loved and they'd made a life together, despite the dark side of his life or maybe in spite of it or because of it. Don't give in to the darkness or all is lost. "They say children are God's way of saying life should go on."

"The people who say that have obviously forgotten what it's like to be up at four in the morning with a crying newborn," Beth drawled. She loved her children, she truly did, but when both of them got going in the wee smalls, she and Jason had shared certain murderous thoughts that would never be acted upon. What parent hadn't felt that way at some point' "Life goes on, anyway. You just need to find the person who makes you want it to, and it sounds like you have. Anything else that comes to you is a bonus."

He blinked the tears away and lifted his head to offer a smile, both amused by her comment regarding parenthood and touched by her advice about life. "Yeah, I have. She's my light in the darkness." Though Beth might not understand completely, nothing could be more truthful than that.

"Then don't worry about the future," was Beth's advice as she shrugged gently. "It has a tendency to work itself out without us doing much about it." Glancing down at Brody, she missed the sight of Kaylee peering into the living room from the kitchen, shy and a little gobsmacked by the view she had of Taylor cuddling a baby.

He might have disagreed with that. He might have argued that the future didn't just work itself out, not for him anyway. Not for Kaylee, either. Oh, sure, they could have chosen to just go on with their lives and try to leave the past behind, but what then" What would happen seven years in the future" Others would have to suffer what they'd suffered, and he just couldn't live with that. He might have argued that fact if he'd had the words.

"He's a good man, Kaylee," Miranda said quietly as she glanced over her cousin's shoulder to the scene taking place in the living room. "I hope you can forgive me for not telling you Jason and Beth were coming. I thought if you knew, you might not come."

Kaylee jumped, startled to find Miranda so close behind her, and whirled to face her cousin, blushing and just a little bit wild-eyed. "No, I-I get it, I just ..." She drew in a deep breath, shrugging a little helplessly. "I'm really not good with people any more. I'm just gonna disappoint you, and I really don't want to do that." She didn't need to be told that Taylor was a good man; she knew, in a way that was etched on her fragile heart.

"Sweetheart," Miranda started, reaching out to touch her cousin's cheek, a soft, loving smile on her face. "Nothing you do - or don't do - will ever disappoint me. Beth is Taylor's flesh and blood. She's yours, too. In a way, she's the connection that binds you together. Do I find it ironic that you two are together" That you found each other?" She shrugged. "If you were meant to be together, then you were meant to be together." Miranda didn't really believe that Jason and Beth were anything extraordinary, despite Rufus' claims that they were soul mates. She knew in her heart that Rufus was her soul mate, just as Beth was Jason's and Taylor was Kaylee's. "When your heart knows its other half, there's no denying it, Kaylee."

Kaylee hesitated, letting herself enjoy being touched by someone other than Taylor for the first time in a long time. "I'd still be completely broken without him," she confessed in a soft voice. "He put me back together again. And I know I don't have the best track record, but ....I really do love him, Miranda. If I lost him now, I ..." She couldn't finish that sentence, so horrified by that thought that tears sprang up in her eyes as she shook her head helplessly.

"Why would you think you might lose him?" Miranda asked, her voice softening as she saw the tears gathering in Kaylee's eyes. She had been told some of what the young woman had been through and thought she was one of the strongest people she knew, but that wasn't what Kaylee needed to hear right now. She gathered her into her arms, despite the possibility that she might pull away, offering nothing but acceptance and love. "You're not going to lose him, Kaylee. I promise. He means too much to Rufus. He'd never let that happen."

Though Kaylee froze as Miranda's arms went about her, the young woman relaxed enough to lean into the offered embrace, sniffling just a little as she drew that thin veneer of control over herself once again. "I know," she whispered. "I just ....I have nightmares about it. It's scary."

"Life is scary, Kaylee. I can only imagine what you've been through, but I do know that life is scarier when you're all alone. You aren't alone, Kaylee. Not anymore," she assured the young woman, stroking her hair gently, like one might a child while she held her close. "You're not my daughter by blood, and Taylor isn't my son, but since when does blood matter" We're family now, linked through Rufus. Taylor is like a son to him, and that makes you a daughter," she explained further.

"You've always been more like a mom to me than Jay ever was," Kaylee admitted, lifting her head to meet Miranda's gaze trustingly. "Wouldn't Beth mind, though' She's had you all to herself for years."

Of course, they were already family. Cousins by definition, but what did that matter" Miranda had strong maternal tendencies, though she'd had one child of her own. Miranda smiled softly as she looked back at Kaylee. "Perhaps we should ask her," Miranda suggested, though she already knew Beth wouldn't mind sharing, secure in the knowledge of her mother's love.

"Later." It was as much borne of being nervous of meeting Bethany as not quite feeling right in a house with strangers, but Kaylee hadn't said no. That was far better than it could have been. She wiped her cheeks dry, brushing her hair back out of her face, and let out a swift breath. "Weren't we supposed to be looking at the roast?"

"The roast will be fine. You're more important," Miranda told her, watching as Kaylee wiped away her tears and pushed her hair away from her face. "Remember you're a Granger, and Grangers never give up." She could name all the Grangers who'd been broken through the years, but who'd gone on to overcome and conquer their demons, just like Kaylee would. "All I'm saying is that you have a family who loves you and cares about you. Both of you." She touched Kaylee's cheek again, with that soft maternal smile. "Now, let's see if we can save the roast."

((And finally Taylor meets Beth! Woohoo! Many, many, many thanks winging their way to my partner in crime!)