The Brambles had become a real home for the Mallorys, the first they had ever truly enjoyed. There was no danger here, no threat to the peace they had gathered around them. As Duncan developed the stables with Evan Lassiter, Mara had taken a few lessons in running a home from Marin, finally finding her place in this new world of theirs. It had been a pleasure to watch Rob blossom over the year; even more so when he'd won a role on stage at the Shanachie. They had been to see A Christmas Carol virtually every other night when it was on, sometimes alone, sometimes in the company of the friends they had made, but nothing made Rob glow more than having his father tell him how proud he was of his son. Even now, with Christmas over for the year and so many presents to enjoy, the best part of Rob's holiday was his parents' laughter as they settled down with Elise to enjoy the season with him.

They had found their routine over the months, and despite the holiday, had managed to stick to it, with Duncan settling Rob to bed when the young boy started to nod, and Mara finally allowed to help Elise tidy the kitchen and dining table before the adults relaxed together a while longer. But inevitably, each evening, Mara and Duncan would wander away to their own room, to linger in each other's company a while longer before sleep caught up to them.

Tonight, it was Elise who slipped off to bed earlier than usual, leaving the married couple in front of the fire, illuminated only by the flame in the hearth as they lolled together on the couch. Mara glanced up at Duncan, a smile playing at her lips as she toyed with his fingers. "Are you happy, dear heart?"

Despite all the hardship and heartache they'd been through before Marissa had brought them to Rhy'Din, Duncan and Mara were happy now - as happy as any couple could be - and it showed in the quiet love they shared for each other, whether alone or in the company of others. "Happier than ever," he replied, his fingers linked to hers as they nestled close together on the couch, warmed by the fire and the closeness of the other.

Her smile softened at his answer as she nestled a little closer into him, sighing contentedly. Her gaze lowered to their joined hands, to his mother's ring sparkling on her finger. It was hard to believe they had been married for a full year by now, finally allowed to enjoy the life they should have been sharing long before now. "Do you think you could cope with a little more happiness?" she asked him in a soft voice, lifting her green eyes to his once again.

He arched a brow the way he tended to do when something she said surprised or puzzled him. "I can't imagine myself any happier than I am right now," he told her with that puzzled expression on his face. It was mostly true - he had everything he'd ever really wanted, or very nearly. He'd once been the master of his own manor; it was the one thing he'd sacrificed to come here, but in truth, he didn't really miss it. He was content to give the farm an honest day's work and spend his evenings relaxing with his family. There was only one thing that might make him happier, but he was sure a daughter would come to them in time.

"Oh, well, perhaps I shouldn't tell you, then." Her smile had matured over the year, no longer haunted with the fear of what might happen if certain eyes saw it, relaxed and warm - the grown smile of the girl he had known a long time ago. There was a definite tease in the way she looked at him, though - teasing enough to prove that whatever she had to tell him was enough to make her fizz with excitement at the thought of his reaction.

There was that look again as he turned his gaze to her, clearly confused by her teasing. "Mara, love, I have everything I want and need right now," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. There was no Stefan to taunt or torment them, and Rob was clearly settled in and happy here. What more could either of them want, unless ...."You're keeping something from me, Mara. What is it?"

"It's only a little something right now," she promised him, enjoying the game too much to put him out of his misery too soon. It had been a long time since she had teased him like this, all the evidence he needed to know that she truly was happy and healthy exactly where she was. "It will get bigger, though, and harder to hide."

"You know what happens when you keep something from me," Duncan warned, blue eyes glittering playfully. They both knew there was one surefire way he knew to make her talk, and that was to tickle her. If she didn't open up to him soon, it was very likely, he would just have to tickle it out of her.

She wriggled a little way from him, her free hand held up defensively between them. "Oh no, you don't," she laughed. "You have to be gentle with me for a while, love, or Elise will probably spank you with her wooden spoon."

Duncan had to chuckle at that. It had been a very long time since Elise had taken a spoon to his bottom, and now that he was a full grown man, it was hardly likely she'd be doing it again anytime soon. "And why's that' The only reason I would need to be gentle with you is if you were ..." That's where he broke off, realizing what he'd just said and what she was insinuating. "Mara, you're not ....are you?" he asked, his gaze moving to her middle.

The look on his face was everything she could have wished for. She nodded as he looked down at her midriff, where there was no sign yet of any growth through her gown. Indeed, the tiny bump was only just beginning to make itself known, promising a summer child for them to enjoy. "In the summer," she told her husband fondly. "I wanted to wait until I was sure."

"You're having a baby?" he asked, needing confirmation, though it seemed all the signs were pointing to that fact. He hadn't been there for Mara's pregnancy or for Rob's birth, foolishly believing she no longer loved him, which was exactly what she'd wanted him to believe in order to keep him safe from Stefan's wrath. He turned to face her, laying a hand against the tiny bump that was their child. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, though she'd already answered that. He felt his heart swell with unbridled joy, blue eyes swimming with tears. "You're sure?"

"We're having a baby," she corrected him gently, laying her own hand over his. The tiny bump fitted perfectly in his palm, but she knew from experience that would not last. Fairly soon she would start to show in earnest. Her other hand curled to his cheek as she looked into his eyes, her smile softly delighted to see him so pleased with her news. "As sure as I can be," she promised him.

"A daughter," he said, his hand cupping the tiny bump at her waist. "I hope it's a daughter." Though, in truth, he'd be just as happy with another son, he couldn't help but hope for a daughter, as sweet and lovely as her mother.

Cradling his jaw, she drew him close to brush a tender kiss against his lips, a gladness deep in her heart that this time there was no enemy to keep them apart and no need to even consider the drastic action only her first pregnancy had prevented her from taking. She was happy, and that made all the difference. "I love you, Mal."

Drawn closer, he slid his arms around her, content just to hold her, his lips answering her kiss with tenderness of his own. He had always been a tender lover, even when they were young and only just learning each other. That hadn't changed, despite all the years apart, nor had the depth of his love for her, only growing stronger as time went on. "I love you, Mara," he whispered back, tracing her cheek with a gentle fingertip, his eyes bright with happy tears.

Her hand turned, curling to his cheek as she shared her smile with him. "On the contrary," she told him softly. "Even with me, and Elise, he could have turned cold. Having his father with him, a father who loves him and is proud of him for his own sake ....that makes all the difference in the world, dear heart. Don't be so quick to discount yourself and your influence in his life."

Put that way, he couldn't deny her. Stefan had been no father to the boy, cruel and arrogant in his torment of both mother and son. It was nothing short of a small miracle that the man hadn't crushed the boy's spirit entirely, but children were usually more resilient than they seemed. "Why wouldn't I be proud of him' He's a good boy. I'm happy to call him my son."

"As it should be," she nodded in agreement, nestling close to them both on the couch. Her smile deepened as she realized something. "This time next year, there'll be four of us sitting here."

"One more mouth to feed," he said with a smile. "What do you think Marin will say?" he asked, knowing their friends would be happy for them. Though they might have started out here at the Brambles as farmhands, the Lassiters had quickly opened their arms and their hearts to the little family in their midst. Of course, it didn't hurt that their children had become best friends.

Mara chuckled softly. The little redheaded woman who seemed to rule the Brambles under the watchful eye of her own version of their Elise was someone she aspired to be like, glad of Marin's friendship as the months went by. "She will probably ask what took us so long."

"What did take us so long?" he asked, a lopsided grin on his face, eyes bright with amusement, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They were a long way from home and a long way from the troubles they'd faced there, happy and content here in Rhy'Din, thanks in good part to those who'd come to be their friends. "We should have Marissa over for dinner sometime soon." It was the least they could do for the girl who had brought them here, allowing them a chance to start over in peace and harmony.

"Oh, we definitely should," she agreed, ignoring the tease he offered her as his free arm curled about her waist. "We've missed her over the holiday, and I'm sure Rob would be delighted to see her again." She drew her hand gently against his cheek, leaning close to kiss him. "What do you say to going to bed, love?"

"I'd say that sounds like a good idea," he replied, touching a kiss to her lips. "I just have to tuck Rob into bed first," he told her, stating the obvious. It had been a long day, as most were at the Brambles, but a day full of good, honest, satisfying work. One couldn't ask for more than that.

"I'll damp the fire down," she told him, having finally convinced him that she could be pretty and feminine and still be useful. He still took the axe away from her when she went out to chop wood, though. Smiling, she brushed a kiss of her own to the tip of his nose, tucking Rob's fresh candle into his pocket.

The day might come when Rob no longer required a candle to chase away the nightmares, but for now, it was a minor request, so long as the candle was secured and there was no chance of it falling over and setting anything on fire. "I won't be long, love," he promised her, touching another kiss to her lips before moving to his feet to sweep the boy very gently into his arms.

There was no protest from Rob as he was lifted up into Duncan's arms. He simply curled his own arms around his father's neck, drooping against the big man's shoulder as he was borne back toward the stairs and his own bedroom, leaving Mara to damp down the main fire before she joined them above.

Duncan tucked the small boy into his bed and lit the candle, making sure the candlestick was properly secured in the holder and far enough out of reach there was no chance of Rob knocking it over, even if he was in the throes of a nightmare. He tucked the blankets around him and brushed a tender kiss against his brow before taking his leave.

There had been a time, not so very long ago, when putting a sleeping Rob to bed would have taken Duncan an hour or more, the father transfixed by the wonder of his son. Though that wondering desire to stand and watch had eased somewhat, there was no denying the deep bond between father and son, and Mara never begrudged them their time together. She was smiling as she reached the top of the stairs, not needing a candle herself to find her way to the bedroom she shared with her Duncan.

He hovered a little longer than necessary, still in wonder of the boy that was his son and needing to make sure he was indeed safe before he left his side to join Mara in their own room across the hall. It wasn't unusual for Rob to find his way to their room sometimes, especially when he woke from a nightmare, and thankfully, the bed was big enough to three, though Duncan wasn't sure it would be big enough for four. "Love you, lad," he whispered softly before pulling the door closed behind him and creeping across the hall to the room he shared with Mara.

There was no answer from the sleeping boy as he cuddled deeper beneath his blankets, his teddybear hugged close in his arms as his face turned toward the flickering light of the candle.

Across the hall, Mara had already begun to undress for bed, bathed in the silvery luminescence of the waning full moon through the window, and as Duncan entered, her silhouette showed clearly the tiny bump he had somehow missed over the past days. There was no mistaking that she was with child with that image before his eyes.

He paused in the doorway, his wife's shape a silhouette in the moonlight, and his heart leaped with joy. All of this was like a dream come true - Mara, Rob, Elise, their home, their friends, the baby - all of it. It was like a wonderful dream come true, and Duncan had sworn to do everything in his power to make sure no harm ever came to them again. "Such a lovely sight you are," he told her as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

She looked up as he came inside, her smile glowing at his pretty compliment. "No lovelier than you are to my eyes, love," she told him, reaching for her nightgown, golden hair cascading over her shoulder. "I suppose you're going to start hiding the axe now, aren't you?"

He stepped closer to help her with the gown, happy to let his fingers glide over the silky softness of her skin and hair. "Not if you promise to let me chop the wood," he told her, smiling in amusement.

She laughed softly, raising her hands to let him slip the gown over her head, warming to his touch as she always did. Her hands fell to his chest as she smiled up at him. "And what am I supposed to do when I'm in a bad temper?" she asked him sweetly. "And if you say crush nuts, I may have to pinch you where it hurts."