There was a time, not so very long ago, when a large number of men would not be seen dead holding bright pink backpacks or absentmindedly wearing teddy-sized tiaras. Luckily for the little girls growing up on Maple Grove, they were blessed with dads who would do virtually anything to make their daughters smile. And this, of course, explained why Jonathan and Dominic Granger were currently sitting on a pair of plush unicorns in the middle of Rhy'Din's own Build-A-Bear, attempting to keep an eye on Beatrice, Maisie, and Daisy as the three girls giggled and wandered about, chattering happily while constructing for themselves a little trio of cuddlies intended to guard them against nightmares. Dom, in particular, looked very fetching with a tiny tiara balanced on his head and a rainbow tucked precariously on his shoulder.

Jon couldn't help chuckling at the image of his elder cousin looking a little too much like a princess. "I don't think that tiara is quite your style," he remarked with an amused smirk, though he wasn't much better, shouldering a very pink backpack covered in hearts.

"You say that as though you haven't seen me dressed up as Ana to Daisy's Elsa in the past." Dom chuckled, catching the rainbow before it fell off his shoulder. "At least it isn't crowded in here today."

"I've been there, believe me. Emily likes to do my nails, and she always paints them pink!" Jon confessed, though he did not clarify as to whether he was referring to his fingernails or his toenails. At present, his fingernails were thankfully free of any trace of nail polish.

"There's nothing wrong with getting in touch with your feminine side, Jonny boy," Dom teased him. "Means you can please your wife that much bett -"

He was cut off by the thrusting of a pair of pink teddy skins in front of his face - one rabbit and one bear.

"Which one do you think, Mr. Dad?" Maisie asked pointedly. "And Mr. Uncle. Rabbit or bear" Bea is making a dragon."

Jon rolled his eyes at Dom's remark. He didn't know anyone more masculine than his cousin, and yet, there he was wearing a tiara and a rainbow and owning it. What they wouldn't do for their daughters.

"Uh, I'm not sure what a rabbit or bear have to do with a dragon," Jon murmured, uncertainly at Maisie's question. Vicki was usually the one who handled these sorts of trips, so it was no secret that Jon was a little out of his comfort zone.

"Which one do you think is better?" Dom turned the question around on the little girl who was definitely going to be adopted in the near future. "This is going to be your friend, not mine."

Maisie frowned thoughtfully, looking at the shapeless plushies skins in her hands. "I dunno."

"Which do you think you'd rather cuddle with?" Jon asked, finally getting the gist of the question.

Before Maisie had a chance to answer, Daisy came flouncing over with a few possibilities of her own. "Pink or black?" she asked, holding up one of each in the shape of a cat.

"That depends," Dom answered Daisy with ridiculous aplomb for a six foot something man in a decidedly unmanly environment. "I think the black one might startle you in the middle of the night, but that's just my opinion." He flashed her a grin, turning back to deal with Maisie's issue. "And you, little miss, are definitely a bunny kind of girl," he went on. "But maybe not pink or purple. What about that butterfly one over there?"

As Maisie scurried off to look at the multicolored options, it was Bea's turn to accost her father. She was holding a Light Fury, a white dragon skin, and attempting to decide on a dress or pajamas for it.

"Daddy, what looks best?"

"Oh!" Jon said, surprised to find Bea there with a white dragon. "Isn't she cute! It's a she, right?" he asked, presuming the dragon was a she based on the fact that Bea was considering a dress. "Mm, why not both' One outfit for bed and one outfit for daytime?" he suggested.

Beside him, Daisy was frowning thoughtfully as she considered her father's advice.

"I think you're right!" she said at last. "Thanks, Daddy!" she said, touching a kiss to Dom's cheek.

"Anytime, munchkin," was Dom's answer as he took his kiss and watched Daisy skip off in Maisie's direction again. This gave him a moment to watch Jon at work.

Bea bit her lip. "Can I really do both?" she asked Jon, just a little bit worried about her new cuddly costing too much.

"Yes, of course, you can. But if you only want to pick one, then I'd say the pajamas, since she'll be sleeping with you a lot," Jon told her, unaware she was worried about the cost. Money wasn't a problem when one was a Granger, but Vicki had warned him against spoiling her, too.

After a moment's continued thought, Bea brightened and nodded. "Okay, Daddy. Thank you!" She skipped off toward the clothing racks, her decision made.

Dom nudged Jon's shoulder. "And you were worried about making her feel at home," he teased gently.

"I worry about her feeling like part of the family," Jon confessed with a small frown as he watched Bea rejoin her cousins. "She's a sweet girl. She deserves to be happy," he said, as if wishing there was some way he could ensure the little girl's happiness without realizing all she really needed or wanted was a family to call her own.

"She looks pretty happy to me," Dom pointed out. "You worry too much, Jon. Bea's as much your daughter as Emily and Maddie are. You've got this."

"You sound like Vicki. She says the same thing," Jon admitted, with a nod toward his cousin. "What about you? Everything finalized with Maisie yet?" he asked, with interest. Was it just coincidental that both families had decided to adopt or had their wives been in cahoots?

"Court date set for next week, hopefully getting the certificate through a couple of days after that," Dom told his cousin with a wry smile. "I can't believe she's been part of our family for four months already. She fits so well with us."

"Well, if you hadn't adopted her, we might have! Those three are inseparable!" Jon said, chuckling a moment as he turned to watch the girls as they went about choosing their stuffed pets. "Seriously though, now that they're part of the family, it's hard to imagine our lives without them."

"That's a good name!" Daisy replied, grinning from ear to ear. "But I'm not sure yet," she said, turning thoughtful a moment. "Kitty is too boring, and not Pinky either. What do you think, Daddy?" she asked, looking up at her father with adoring, trustful eyes.

Dom blinked, surprised to find himself on the receiving end of two curious, adoring gazes. "Ah ..." He collected his thoughts hurriedly. "I suppose it depends what kind of cat she is," he told Daisy. "Is she fierce" Because she might want a wild name, or a strong name. Or if she's cute and sweet, she might want a sweet name to go with her personality. You tell me, what is she like?"

"She's sweet, of course!" Daisy replied, with a look that said he should know this already. The cat was pink, after all, so in her mind, it stood to reason she should have a sweet name to match her pinkness.

"Maybe a flower name, like yours?" Dom suggested, a little out of his depth but relatively sure that if they didn't think of a good name here and now, Elle would knock it out of the park later.

"Oooh, you could call her Honeysuckle," Maisie offered cheerfully. "Or, or ....Azalea."

Daisy considered those names a moment, wrinkling her nose in distaste. It wasn't that they weren't good names; they just didn't seem to fit her stuffed pet. "Those are too long," she said, suddenly brightening at something Maisie had said. "What about Honey, 'cause Honeysuckle is too long?" she suggested.

"She's your cat," Maisie reminded her, echoing Dom's words from just a little while ago. As for the man himself, he was watching proudly while his elder daughters brainstormed their way through naming a very special cuddly who, even now, was waiting to be claimed by her new owner and dressed in her best.

"No, I like Honey. Honey and Teeny and ..." Daisy looked over at Bea. "What're you naming your dragon, Bea?" she asked her new cousin.

Bea looked a little shy of answering, but this was her best friend and her best friend's new sister. They were all family now. "Bo," she said simply, one shoulder rising and falling in a shrug that Maisie, at least, knew meant Bea was expecting to be teased for her choice.

She beamed back at the friend who was now a cousin, nodding enthusiastically. "I like that!"

Jon arched a brow at the stuffed dragon's new name, but made no comment. He wasn't sure where she came up with that name or why, but the dragon was hers to name and do with as she pleased.

"Bea and Bo!" Daisy declared with a grin, hugging her cat close as it was handed to her at long last.

And now it was Maisie's turn to hand over her rabbit skin with the rainbow, watching with fierce interest as the rainbow was stitched onto the paw she indicated before the whole thing was stuffed and imbued with a heart of its own. Dom looked down at Daisy, stroking a hand over her hair. "Happy, munchkin?"

"Yes, Daddy! Thank you!" Daisy replied, throwing her arms around her father's waist to hug him close. There was certainly no lack of affection between the girls and their fathers, no matter if they were not of the same bloodline.

With Maisie distracted, Dom bent down to Daisy as she hugged him. "I need to borrow you for a shopping trip soon," he whispered to her. "Remember how we got your necklace the same day we got your Mom's engagement ring" I was hoping you'd help me pick out a necklace for Maisie, to celebrate her becoming officially part of the family."

Daisy's eyes widened at her father's suggestion and she nodded her head enthusiastically, silently mouthing an "Okay!" so that Maisie wouldn't suspect anything. She smiled as she looked over at her new sister and her new cousin, as well, before turning back to Dom and hugging him around the neck. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered quietly, for his ears alone.

Dom wrapped his free arm about her back, holding her close as she cuddled into him, eyes closing as he let himself revel in being anyone's Daddy, much less this precocious little sweetheart. His family had become so much bigger and simultaneously smaller in just a few years - bigger in number, smaller in physical size. They were his greatest blessing, and it was all because of Elle. "Love you too, munchkin."

"Do you love Honey, too?" Daisy asked, producing the silly pink cat to her father for a hug. She was old enough to know it was just a stuffed toy, and yet, it meant a lot to her, especially since it had been a gift from the only father she'd ever known.

To his credit, Dom didn't laugh, though he was sorely tempted to. "We haven't even been introduced," he pointed out to Daisy, taking the pink cat by the paw to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Honey. I hope you're going to take good care of Daisy."

Daisy grinned as her father played along. "She says it's very nice to meet you, too, Mr. Dom, and that you take very good care of Daisy." Of course, the stuffed cat hadn't said any such thing, but Daisy hoped her father got the message, whether it came from her or a stuffed pet.

Dom chuckled, kissing Daisy's forehead as his eyes turned to find Maisie watching them, hugging her newly stuffed bunny close. His smile warmed, other arm opening up to invite his newest daughter into a group hug that resulted in both little girls being lifted off their feet for a few seconds.

Daisy squealed in delight as she was lifted off her feet. "Can we stop for ice cream?" she asked once he set both girls down, giving her father those puppy-dog eyes that almost always got her what she wanted. It wasn't that she wanted to take advantage so much as she just wasn't ready for this day to be over yet.

"Oooh, ice cream!" was Maisie's addendum to this suggestion, and this time Dom did laugh as he set his girls on their feet again.

"Well, why don't you ask Jon and Bea if they'd like to go for ice cream, too?"

Daisy wasted no time in calling over to the other pair, who were only a few feet away. "Uncle Jon, can we stop for ice cream' Puhhleeeeeease?" she asked, batting her lashes at him the way she'd seen her mother do to her father when she wanted something.