Topic: Decisions

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:32 EST
The snow was already starting to lay out by the homesteads. Even just half a day's ride from Pax, the weather was just that little bit colder. It was both a blessing and a curse - a blessing, in that the deep drifts coming their way were a barrier to the mutants, who tended to hibernate underground mostly when the winter was holding on tight; a curse in that, for about four months, there was nothing to look at but whiteness and each other. And those four months were going to be important ones on the Mullen homestead - the end of them promised not only the first flicker of spring, but the birth of the baby currently rounding out Dale's mid-section. Stubborn woman that she was, she refused to take it easy unless Eli absolutely insisted, but even he had learned to pick his battles. This was how he ended up chopping wood to add to the store in the cellar in the falling snow, just to keep an eye on a pregnant wife who had insisted on sweeping the snow and ice off the porch, despite the fact that more was just going to fall.

The eldest of the Mullen brothers, Eli had taken charge of his younger brother after the death of their parents - an event that had molded and shaped him into the man that he was. As stubborn as Dale and just as bossy, one might think the pair did nothing but argue, when in fact, mostly the opposite was true. After a few rocky first weeks together, they had settled into comfortable companionship that neither had recognized right away as love or affection; but now that they were married and Dale was with child, it had become clear to everyone who knew them that they were perfect for each other - even when they were arguing. But Eli had learned to pick his battles carefully, and today - this first real day of significant snowfall - he had grudgingly relented and let Dale do as she liked, so long as she wasn't chopping word or shoveling snow. He may have been overheard grumbling to himself a little, but it was just his way of showing he cared.

"Pretty sure you can't cuss the wood into splitting for you," Dale commented from the porch. She was, at least, properly dressed for the weather, wrapped up in coat, shawl, and hood over her thick woolen dress. An unwise man might even suggest she looked like a woolen sausage wielding a broom, if he wanted to be eating horse fodder for the foreseeable future.

But Eli wasn't that man - he wasn't stupid or brash enough to insult the only woman who'd ever been able to put up with him. "And I'm pretty sure you're fighting a losing battle," he retorted, though there was no anger or malice in his voice. Unlike her, he was not wearing a coat, but did have a wool sweater on over his shirt, a scarf loosely wrapped around his neck, and leather gloves on his hands, which were more to protect against calluses and wood chips than the cold. He had managed to work up a sweat while swinging the axe, as well as a modest pile of wood.

Leaning on her broom, Dale twitched the hood back from her mouth, huffing out a small cloud of breath. "I'm goin' crazy shut up inside and only allowed to do gentle things," she pointed out. "One bit of sweeping isn't going to do any damage, worrywart."

"Well, you can take a break in a bit and make us some hot cocoa, if that's not too gentle for you," Eli replied, trying hard to hide the smirk on his face. He knew how Dale usually reacted to his demands, whether they were sincere or in jest. He knew she was likely to scold him about it, but the prospect of making up was the best part of arguing.

Her eyes narrowed at the twitch of his lips, knowing he was prodding her just because he could. Arguing was one of the things they did best, after all. "Very funny," she drawled in response. "You know what? One of these days, I'm going to cut the wood, and you'll make the cocoa. Then we'll see who's laughing."

"Not while you're carrying my son," Eli retorted again, though he had no idea whether the child she was carrying was a boy or a girl. Nor did it really matter, so long as it was healthy, but he just couldn't help teasing her about that, too. He swung the axe, splitting yet another log and tossing it into the growing pile before straightening and wiping the sweat from his brow. "Reckon that'll do us for at least a few days."

"Your son, huh?" The broom clattered against the side of the house as she laid her hands on hips that were invisible under all the layers covering her. "I'm what, just a walking incubator for the spawn of your loins" No wonder you were so ready to marry me just because I asked. When do I move out - after the birth, or after he's weaned?" Anyone overhearing might have thought she meant what she was saying; Eli had the advantage of eight months in close contact with his hot-tempered wife. She might be a little offended, but she was blowing it out of proportion on purpose.

For the couple that was nearing the house, but as yet out of sight among the trees, they might have thought just that. They couldn't see the looks on Dale or Eli's faces yet, though they might have heard him chuckle, before he leaned over and scooping up a handful of snow, rolled it into a ball and tossed it in Dale's direction.

They didn't see the smirk that flickered onto Dale's face, either, or see the way she hoisted up the broom to bat the snowball away. "Such bad manners, Mr. Mullen," she scolded him teasingly. "I guess you're aiming to be sent to bed with no supper tonight, huh' And you get so grouchy when you don't eat regular."

"I have a better idea. Why don't we just go to bed now?" Eli teased back, peeling the gloves from his hands as he stalked his way toward the porch in pursuit of his cheeky wife. He still had to stack the wood into a neat pile on the porch, but it wasn't going anywhere.

One gloved hand rose, pointing a wool-covered finger at him. "Not a chance, you rutting stag, not until the wood's away and I've finished my chore," Dale informed him, standing her ground despite the fact that she knew he was more than capable of manhandling her inside without much in the way of resistance from his feisty wife.

"Can't be a rutting stag, if I don't rut!" Eli pointed out, though that was exactly what had gotten Dale in the condition she was currently in in the first place. He didn't seem too discouraged by her scolding - in fact, just the opposite - stomping his way up the stairs to stalk his pretty wife.

Still wielding the broom, she held it between them, a grin playing about her lips as he stamped up the steps toward her. "You know I'll hit you with this," she reminded him. She'd done it before, after all.

A familiar laugh sounded to them, catching her attention as the sound of snow-deadened hooves made itself known. She peered at the copse that hid the house from the track, rolling her eyes as a familiar horse trotted into sight.

"Missed your chance, stag-boy," she informed her husband fondly. "We've got company."

"There will be others," Eli pointed out with a grin, as he turned to see who it was that had braved the weather to come visit. His smile faded a little when he saw who it was that was approaching the homestead, not because he wasn't happy to see them, so much as he was worried they might have come bearing bad tidings. "What brings you two all the way out here on a day like this?" he asked, as Brona and Cody came into view.

"What, we're not allowed to drop by and make sure you two haven't killed each other yet?" Brona called back to him, clinging on comfortably behind Cody.

Dale snorted with laughter. "Nosy," she accused the pair, but there was a fondness in her tone for them now that had been lacking just a few months ago. Slowly, she was coming to appreciate having a family again.

Eli smirked at both Brona's question and Dale's response, relaxing a little now that he was fairly certain the pair wasn't bringing bad news. "We were just about to make some hot cocoa. Care to join us?" he asked, though it kind of went without saying. They obviously hadn't come all the way out here just to turn around and go home.

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:33 EST
"Oh, we were, were we?" Dale asked her husband, prodding him in the back with the broom handle. "I think you should see to the horse, and I'll make the cocoa. Since, you know, I'm just a feek and weeble woman."

"You said it. I didn't," Eli replied with an equally cheeky grin, before leaning over to touch a kiss to Dale's temple. No matter how much they poked and prodded each other, it was always done with fond affection. "Come on, Cody. Let's see to the horse while the women see to the cocoa," he told his brother as he started down the porch stairs toward the couple, where Cody was helping Brona down off the horse.

For all their good-natured grumbling at each other, Eli and Dale were a pretty effective team. Within the space of half an hour, both they and their guests were settled in the kitchen, where the stove was warm, sipping from mugs of cocoa. Divested of her layers, the bump at Dale's waist was unmistakable - five months of baby rounding out her middle nicely beneath the cling of her warm dress.

Brona groaned happily, stretching her stockinged feet toward the stove. "I feel like an icicle."

"A rapidly melting icicle," Cody corrected, as he leaned closer to help warm his wife up by affectionately rubbing his hand against her leg.

"Winter's early this year," Eli remarked, though not too early. It was his first winter at the homestead, but Dale had warned him it was likely to be a long winter. He didn't mind so much, so long as she was with him, and the cold was sure to keep the mutants at bay. With a child on the way, he'd been thinking about that a lot lately, but had yet to speak his mind on the matter.

Brona snorted with laughter at Cody's affectionate tease, welcoming to warming rub of his hand. "It'd be shorter if you winter with one of us, you know," she pointed out to her eldest brother-in-law, possibly the only person apart from Dale who dared to go straight for the kill with Eli. But Brona had wiggled her way into the role of little sister with enviable ease; she could sometimes get away with things even Dale couldn't.

It wasn't just that Eli felt guilt for kidnapping Brona and forcing her to tend to a wounded Cody out of desperation. Not even a year had passed since then, and yet, it felt like a long time ago. No, it wasn't just guilt, but genuine affection for this young woman who had not only fallen in love with Cody, but had forgiven Eli and now accepted him as a brother. Eli frowned at her statement, though, knowing what she was suggesting. He darted a glance at Dale, who would be birthing a child in a few months, while they were snowed in alone here in the dead of winter. Though he'd said nothing of it, it worried him.

"Who would take care of the animals?" he asked, though of course, the animals would go with them.

Brona blinked, surprised that he seemed to have skipped the instant refusal and moved smartly onto the logical problem solving. That wasn't what she'd been expecting. "Uh ....we live on a farm," she reminded him. "There'd be room for them there."

Dale tilted her head curiously toward Eli. "Once the snows start drifting, that's it," she warned quietly. "We wouldn't be able to come back until the thaw."

"So, we need to decide soon," Eli replied, understanding completely. And by soon, he meant in the next day or two. As much as they both enjoyed the solitude the homestead offered, he wasn't sure he liked the idea of being snowed in all winter with a child on the way. He wasn't even sure he liked the idea of raising a child so far from the village, but it wasn't that easy. "The farm is crowded enough already," he pointed out, knowing they already shared the place with Brona's brother and his family.

"Actually ....we moved out of the farmhouse a few weeks ago," Brona told him with a faint grin. "Remember that cottage we were doing up" It's all done. So there's room with us, or with Mahon and Nemone. I don't think Nate's got more than one box room free these days, though."

Eli looked over at Dale again, guessing this was something they wouldn't be able to decide without discussing a little. Things were different now that they were starting a family, but he wouldn't decide for her. She had more reasons for wanting to remain in seclusion than he did - good reasons - but there were the mutants to consider, too.

"I don't reckon we'll decide today," he replied, his gaze never leaving Dale's.

She met his eyes thoughtfully, understanding his unspoken concerns. She shared most of them, mainly centered around the baby. As much as she loved Eli, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to force him to deliver their child cut off from any help at all. "Should know by morning, though," she agreed with him, the flicker in her eyes suggesting that the decision had been made already. Her wide mouth curved into a smile. "Guess I should make a start on dinner then, since we've got guests. You should light up the stove in the spare room, it'll be freezing in there."

No matter what Eli wanted, no matter what he felt was best, he would always defer to Dale's wishes, especially where her safety was at stake. It seemed they had a lot to discuss, but it wasn't going to be discussed on an empty stomach. He smiled back at her, catching a hint of the flicker in her eyes and the smile on her face. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, draining his cocoa before getting up from his chair. "Looks like you're staying the night," he told his brother, as he gave Cody's shoulder a squeeze. That, too, went without saying, but the fact that Eli remarked on it showed just how much he was missing his brothers.

"I'll make up the bed, then," Brona volunteered, skipping to her feet. She knew where everything was in just about everyone's house - it was an advantage of having been the only healer in the area for five years. Besides, it gave her a chance to tease Eli in private about being a grouchy snowman, and to ask about his unexpected agreement that wintering closer to Pax was a good idea.

But whether Brona had decided to join Eli on purpose or not, it was Cody who chuckled and asked Dale, "Why do I get the feeling they've left us alone on purpose?"

Eli gave his brother's hair an affectionate tousle, the hint of a smirk on his face. "I'm trusting you to keep your hands to yourself, little brother," he teased, before leaving the pair alone in the kitchen. "Come on, Brona. At least we're not lazy."

"I trust his hands more than I trust yours," Dale informed her husband sweetly, making no move to rise at all. For all her complaining, she did rather enjoy being treated like glass from time to time, and besides, she enjoyed Cody's company. He tended to go quiet when Brona and Eli got started on each other.

With a gentle kiss to Cody's cheek, Brona followed Eli through the house, instantly regretting leaving her boots in the kitchen as her socks found the cool wood of the stairs. "How's it been out here, anyway?" she asked in her nosy way. "Any mutant trouble recently?"

"Nothing we can't handle," Eli replied as he led the way toward the spare bedroom. "They'll go into hiding once winter sets in." He had a feeling she had some questions for him regarding their isolation out here on the homestead, but he had a few questions for her, as well. "How are things on the farm, now that you and Cody have your own place?"

"Calmer," Brona told him with a smile. "Pretty sure Nem's happier now it's just them and the kids in the farmhouse. She's spent her whole life living with loads and loads of people in the same place, and then she got here, and we were all on top of each other. I mean, we didn't move far, and the cottage has more rooms than we really need, but it's easier on everyone to give Mahon and Nem the chance to ....express themselves ....in relative privacy." She grinned impishly. "Nate's worried about you guys living out here, you know."

"Nate worries too much," Eli replied, perhaps a little too quickly. Eli worried, too - he just wasn't as open and vocal about it. As the elder brother, it had always fallen on his shoulders to take care of Nate and Cody, and that meant keeping his own worries to himself.

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:33 EST
Unfortunately for Eli, Brona had got to know the three brothers during a time of stress. She knew what that tone in his voice meant. "Uh-huh," she said in a drawling tone as they reached the landing. "Want to take another punt at that one?"

"It's true," Eli insisted as they shuffled up the stairs to the spare room. He frowned a little as he pushed open the door and was met with a chill. He'd have the room as warm as toast in no time, though. "We both know Nate worries too much, but I've been thinking this place is too isolated to raise a family."

"He's not the only one who worries about you, you know," Brona added, moving to the closet to fetch out clean sheets and blankets, and a thick eiderdown. "I mean, in summer, it doesn't seem like you're that far away, but this time of year" If you stay, you'll be out of contact for months. No one will be able to get through, not even to help when the baby comes, or if the house catches fire, or anything. It's a scary thought, Eli."

Eli knew all this already, of course, and so did Dale. Though they might not have openly discussed it yet, he knew if they didn't make a decision soon, they'd be trapped here all winter, for better or worse. He didn't bother to ask if Brona worried about them. He knew it wasn't just Nate who worried, but he also knew Dale had good reasons for staying away from the village and it wasn't his place to share those reasons. "I know. I've been thinking about it, too," he admitted, though he didn't admit to worrying.

"You know," Brona added companionably as she shook out a bottom sheet over the bare mattress, "that cottage really is too big for me and Cody right now. I mean, we've got three bedrooms! Three! And we spend all our time in the kitchen, so the main room doesn't get much love, either." She cast a sly glance toward her brother-in-law, hoping this might tip the scales in favoring of wintering on the Dugan farm.

Eli went straight to work on getting a fire started in the stove, almost glad Brona wasn't able to see the look on his face. "I know what you're trying to do, Brona, and I appreciate it, but it's not up to me," he said, as he took out the tinderbox and started working on getting a fire going in the stove.

"But you'll talk about it, right?" She was trying not to press him too hard, but with the snow already falling, time was cutting very short to make this decision. "Even if it's just for the winter. At least talk to her about it. Please?"

He knew time was running out to make a decision on whether to winter over at the homestead or at the farm, and he knew what he'd decide if the decision was his to make, but Brona didn't know why it was that Dale had chosen to live in isolation. There was an audible sigh from him before he spoke again.

"I worry, too," he admitted. "I don't like the idea of being out here all alone with a baby on the way." It went without saying that it was mostly Dale's safety and the safety of the baby that concerned him, more than his own.

"I know it probably doesn't help, but I really don't think Dale's going to have any complications," she offered, spreading the first of the blankets over the bed now. "It's pretty damned obvious she was made for breeding. Your trouble might be in stopping her getting pregnant every few months."

That got Eli's attention almost more than anything else Brona had said thus far, and he turned on a heel to face her, a puzzled expression on his face. "How can you know that?" he asked, dubiously. He didn't doubt that Dale might be in danger of getting pregnant again, but that was only because they could hardly keep their hands off each other.

Brona's smile was just a shade too cheeky for comfort. "Well, you know those hips you can't keep your hands off?" she pointed out in a cheerful tone. "They're perfect for giving birth safely, nice and wide, and the bump's a good size for this time, too. Not to mention the fact that she's clearly not got any impediment to getting pregnant, seeing as the two of you planted something pretty damned fast."

"So, what are you saying exactly?" Eli prodded curiously. Was she trying to convince him to be more careful next time or not to worry so much about Dale giving birth without the help of a midwife or healer"

"I'm saying that she should probably start taking something straight after the birth, or you're going to end up with a newly pregnant wife and a newborn to look after," she informed him. "The birth will be fine, I'm sure of it. But too many of them, too close together, and it'll kill her."

Eli's expression darkened at that thought, before he turned back to the stove in an attempt to hide his worries from Brona. Now that his brothers were safely settled near the village, the possibility of losing Dale and the baby was what terrified him most. "I'll talk to her," he promised simply. There wasn't much more he could do than that. It was going to be Dale's decision in the end, but he'd do what he could to convince her.

Of course Brona knew that would darken his thoughts, but she needed him to be aware of the consequences of the big family she was pretty sure Dale would gladly embark on creating. So long as Eli knew what might happen if she rushed it, there was every chance that he could put the brakes on her eagerness, just a little. "Besides, you gotta meet little Liam," she added in a gentler tone. "Aedan would love to see a real big brother in action."

Eli inwardly winced. It wasn't that he disliked the idea of meeting Brona's new nephew so much as he wasn't overly fond of the boy's father, Mahon - Brona's older brother. "I'm not so sure I'd be a good example. Besides, what about your brother" Isn't he example enough?" he pointed out, hinting at his own uncertainty as to whether he'd really be welcome at the Dugan farm.

"Well, seeing as Mahon's Aedan's papa and can't possibly be anything else in the kid's eyes, not really," she laughed gently, reaching over to nudge his elbow. "He's mellowed, you know. You both have. I don't think either of you are going to be handing out bloody noses and black eyes any more."

Eli eyed her suspiciously over his shoulder a moment, unsure if that was really true or whether it was just wishful thinking. If he had mellowed, it was only because of Dale, though in truth, the change in him, subtle though it might be, had started after meeting Brona. "Don't let it get around," he warned her. "I have a reputation to uphold."

"I will protect your grouchy reputation to the death," she promised with a grin. "Get over here and help me finish the bed so I can go downstairs and get warm again." Young though she was, Brona was the undisputed queen of the now sprawling family that had come to be because of her. She could get most of them to do just about anything if she asked in just the right way.

Now that he had the fire in the stove going, it was only a matter of time before the room was as toasty warm as the kitchen. Obediently, he abandoned the stove to help her with the bed, where she and Cody would spend the night. "Yes, ma'am," he replied with a grin. Despite his reputation, he knew it was the females who really ruled the roost. And who was he to argue" He and his brothers had been without the company of women for far too long.

In the kitchen, Dale had roused herself to begin preparing the main meal of the day, pressing Cody into service to beat batter together in a large bowl as she knelt on the floor, fighting with the door of the stove. "Swear to god, this thing sticks just to annoy me."

Cody laughed. "All you have to do is ask for help, Dale," he reminded her, moving over to help her get the stove open. Of the Mullen brothers, Cody was the youngest and the least moody of the three, though it was hard to say if that was just his personality or the fact that his brothers had gone to great pains to shield him from trouble.

She rolled her eyes, inching back across the warm slate floor to let him try the iron door. "Asking doesn't come easy to me," she admitted reluctantly. "As your brother's probably already complained to you. Been on my own too long not to give everything a damned good try before giving up in disgust."

"I know, but you're family now," he reminded her. "And family takes care of each other." Was he subtly hinting at the same things Brona had with Eli" Maybe, but he knew some things were a matter of pride.

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:34 EST
The little woman tipped her head as she looked him over, reaching to add a little more wood to the fire in the stove so it would be hot enough to bake for a while. "I, uh, I don't have the best understanding of what it really means to be family, Cody," she offered, a rare opening moment from the prickly woman. "Me against the world, that's something I understand."

"And yet, you're gonna have a family of your own soon," Cody pointed out further, once he had wrestled the oven door open, taking the wood from Dale to help her build the fire up. "Might be a good time to get used to the idea."

She studied him for a long moment, one hand resting over the little swell at her middle. "I'm trying," was all she could offer in reply. She'd spent too long hiding behind her husbands, expecting her brothers to leap from the shadows and take vengeance for what she'd done to her father. Any more than what she was already doing was going to take time.

Cody smiled warmly, understanding that things that came easily to him didn't always come easily to others - including Eli. "It takes time but I'm glad you're part of the family, Dale. And I'm glad you're with Eli." Not just for Dale's sake, but Eli's, too.

Dale's expression relaxed in the face of Cody's nonjudgmental smile. "I love him, you know," she heard herself say, wondering abruptly why she felt the need to tell his brother that this was how she felt. "Didn't think I would, but ....I do. I won't let him come to harm."

"I know," he replied again. He might be young, but he wasn't stupid, and of the three brothers, he was the most keenly observant. He often noticed things others didn't - like the fact that Dale and Eli had forged a bond that went beyond that of mere convenience. He wasn't sure exactly what it was that had brought them together, but he was glad they seemed to have found something in each other both had previously lacked. "There's nothing wrong with letting him take care of you a little, too, you know."

"He does take care of me," she assured Cody, her wide mouth curving into a warm smile as she raised her hands, silently asking for help to stand once again. "I know it looks like we argue about everything, but most of the time, we argue just because we can. The decision's already made."

"The decision?" Cody echoed, lifting his brows questioningly as he helped her to her feet. What decision was she talking about' The decision to fall in love and have a family or where to winter over"

Dale's smile turned a little teasing, glad to note that Cody didn't see everything. She reached up, gently patting his cheek. "All will become clear in time," she assured him, mischief sparking in her eyes.

"Dale," Cody started, hoping to get her attention with what he was about to say. He wasn't sure what decision she was referring to, but there was something she needed to know, if she didn't already know it. "Eli ..." He glanced over his shoulder, almost as if to make sure they were still alone and that his older brother wouldn't overhear what he was about to say. "Eli's always had to take care of everyone - of me and Nate. He was never really able to have a life of his own. And ..." He hesitated a brief moment before continuing, as if he was unsure whether to tell her the rest. "He's too proud to say so, but I know my brother, and I know he's terrified of losing you."

"He's not going to lose me." It was an instinctive answer, a denial of the very real possibility that she might not come through the winter still breathing if they stayed out here. But she softened as soon as the words were said, hesitantly touching the younger man's arm. "Cody ....he's not going to lose me," she repeated, holding his gaze. "Like I said, the decision's been made. We just haven't talked about it yet. So keep it to yourself until he tells you."

This time, Cody seemed to understand what she was telling him, even if she didn't say it in so many words. His smile brightened and he nodded his head, both pleased and relieved at this bit of news. It likely meant they wouldn't be returning home alone. "Don't worry. I won't say a word," he promised, miming locking his lips and throwing away the key.

"Good, because he doesn't like it when I don't let him have the final word." She smiled. "How's that batter coming?" Wiping her hands on her apron, she headed back to the counter, pausing brief to stab one of the boiling potatoes to test its consistency.

Distracted by her question, Cody furrowed his brows as he looked to the batter she'd had him beating. "Almost done, I think," he said. He had never been the one to do the cooking, though he was learning. That chore had always fallen to Nate.

"Good." Wielding a stick of butter, Dale applied it to a flat pan, liberally coating the inside. "Curious here ....how do you not know your way around a kitchen?" she asked gently. "I'd have thought with Brona prodding you around you'd be a dab hand at most of this stuff by now."

"After ..." Cody hesitated a moment again, as if something about his explanation was difficult to talk about. "After our parents died, Eli took charge. He wanted to hunt mutants and there was nothing left for us on the farm, so we left. We moved around a lot, never staying in any one place for too long; but when we did, Eli made sure I learned how to read and write, while he and Nate did the chores. They wanted me to do something with my life, something more than hunting mutants. So, I never really learned much about cooking or farming. I'm learning as I go, but if it wasn't for Eli and Nate, I don't know what would have become of me," Cody confessed. Despite all this, his brothers had made sure not to spoil him, but the truth was Cody hardly remembered his parents. The only family he'd ever known had been that of his brothers, until now.

"Well, you're learning now," Dale pointed out to him warmly, her shoulder gently nudging his arm. "Pour that in here, I'll get the sausages." She tapped the pan on the counter, turning to head for the pantry and the cold store.

He nodded his head, a little lost in his own thoughts while he kneaded the dough. Talk of the past had made Cody turn quiet, a little introspective, but his confession was more for Dale's benefit than his own. Brona already knew all this about him, but how much Dale knew of Eli's past, Cody couldn't say. It likely wouldn't sway her decision one way or the other, but maybe it would help her to not only understand Eli more but to understand his brothers, too.

Arms wrapped about him from behind - Brona, who had managed to sneak up on her husband in stockinged feet, rising up on her toes to kiss behind his ear. "Everything okay there?"

It was Brona's voice that brought him back to the present and put the smile back on his face. "Yeah, I think Dale wants to teach me to cook," he remarked with a hint of amusement in his eyes at that notion.

She giggled softly, nudging her way around him to take a look at what he was doing. "How is it going?" she asked, leaning against his arm comfortably. "I lost Eli into the pantry - I think he saw Dale going in there and wants that kiss we prevented by arriving."

"It's going," he replied, with an uncertain frown. "Am I doing this right?" regarding the batter he was currently pouring into the pan.

"Looks good to me," Brona assured him, watching as he poured the batter into the greased pan. Unable to help herself when it came to the kitchen, she inspected the pan of boiling potatoes thoughtfully. "Looks like we're having toadinole and mashed potatoes. Nice. Gonna be the masher, too?"

"I can do that," Cody replied, setting the bowl on the counter, now that the batter had been poured into the pan. Whether he knew how to cook or not, he was a quick and eager learner. "How did things go with Eli?" he asked, lowering his voice a moment, in case the other couple was in hearing distance.

"Hopeful," she murmured back to him. "He's just as worried as we are, about everything. I think I got him talked around, but it all depends on Dale. He'd walk through fire if she asked him to."

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:35 EST
Cody had promised not to tell Eli what he and Dale had discussed, but he'd made no such promise regarding Brona - not directly, anyway. "I don't think it will come to that," he told her quietly, subtly revealing his conversation with Dale without coming right out and saying so. He smiled. "Are you sure we can all live together without killing each other?"

Brona's eyes sparkled cheerfully as he reassured her without needing to say it all aloud. "Good," she murmured, tucking herself under his arm fondly. "We can do it. You and me, we're out a lot of the day, anyway. And it'll be good for you to have company when I get called away. Winter's a harsh time for the healer."

So long as Eli and Mahon could put their differences aside and get along, Cody could see no problem with the arrangement. Thankfully, the two men wouldn't be living in the same house, anyway. "And if things work out?" he asked, secretly hoping Eli and Dale would decide to stay close and not return to the homestead once winter was over, but perhaps build a place of their own near the farm.

"If they work out' Maybe we can persuade the guy that wants this homestead to swap lands instead," Brona suggested in an impish whisper, grinning as she leaned up to kiss her husband fondly. "It'll work out," she promised, stroking her fingers through his hair. "They'll have months to get used to being close to everyone."

"It might take more than a day to pack everything up," Cody remarked further, though that mostly depended on how much Eli and Dale wanted to take with them and how quickly winter set in.

"Probably," Brona agreed. "But we could take a few things with us when we go home tomorrow, and they can follow the day after." She squeezed her arms about his waist. "Don't worry so much."

"I'm only worried about this snow," he admitted, glancing toward the window, as he turned into her embrace. So far, the snow had been the wet slushy kind that melted almost before it could accumulate, but a drop in temperature overnight could quickly change that.

"If it snaps tonight, we'll make do with what we can get on the cart in the space of a morning," Dale said suddenly, startling Brona. It seemed as though she and Eli had had a brief conversation in the pantry, and might have been watching the younger couple worrying together for a while. She smirked at the feigned innocence on the healer's face. "Nice try."

Equally startled, Cody's head snapped in the direction of Dale's voice, Eli smirking in amusement beside her. His mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, afraid she might blame him for spilling the beans.

"Relax, Cody. We've already decided," Eli assured his brother, sliding an arm around Dale's waist and grinning her way.

"And since you decided we're wintering with you, you can finish dinner," Dale informed the younger pair with a fresh grin, tossing the paper packet of sausages to Brona.

The healer caught them automatically, her face creasing into a bright smile as she laughed at the apparently pointless concern she and Cody had been sharing. "Sneaky," she said finally. "I guess we should put locks on the bathroom and bedroom doors with you two lurking around the place."

"I've already seen Cody naked, and I don't really need to see it again!" Eli assured them with a chuckle. "The feeling is mutual, brother," Cody was quick to reply. "Why don't you two start packing while Brona and I finish cooking?" he suggested.

"Half an hour or so - plenty of time to get started," Brona agreed with a warmer smile, already separating the sausages to drop them into the batter neatly. Dale glanced up at Eli, raising a brow. "Shall we?"

"That sounds like a plan," Eli replied, agreeably, with a much more relaxed and sincere smile than he'd had a short time earlier. He almost couldn't wait to see the look on Nate's face when he learned they were staying the winter. "You two behave," he scolded the younger couple, before reaching for Dale's hand to lead her away from the kitchen.

With Brona's laughter echoing in their ears, the older couple slipped from the kitchen, Dale's hand firmly ensconced in Eli's warm grip. "We don't need so much for winter," she murmured to him thoughtfully. "Clothes, sure, personal stuff; the food from the larder, fodder from the store for the animals. One cartload."

Eli nodded in agreement. They really didn't need much to get through the winter, and whatever they couldn't bring with them, they could probably obtain in the village. He just had one question. "You're not just doing this for me, are you? You're sure about this?" he asked as the pair made their way, hand in hand, to their bedroom.

She tilted her eyes up to his, curious that this was his only concern. "Eli ....I'd be lying if I said it wasn't partly for you," she told him. "But it's not all. I know how harsh winter can be out here, and ....it's been horrible all on my own these last few years. If I wasn't pregnant, maybe I'd be more stubborn about it, but I don't want to be cut off from everyone we know when we might need them to be nearby, and ..." She sighed, shaking her head with a faint smile. "They're family, Eli. I have to get used to having family again, and this will help."

"It's strange to know there are people who worry about us," Eli said. It wasn't just his brothers he was talking about, but their extended family, too, which included the Dugans and even the Wilsons, all of their lives connected and intertwined in some way.

"It's strange to have a family that cares for more than their own comfort," Dale murmured quietly, already moving to open the chest of drawers and investigate what should and shouldn't come with them.

Eli pulled out a trunk and opened it, before going over to the chest of drawers to help Dale pick and choose what they needed to winter over in the village and what could be left behind until spring. "It's probably mostly Brona's doing," Eli remarked, knowing Brona too well. Oh, it might have been Nate who'd suggested it, but he was pretty sure it was Brona who'd taken it upon herself to talk them into it.

"She can't help interfering," Dale agreed in amusement. "She's always been like that, even when she was just a gangly kid with a big basket and no idea what she was doing. Cody's good for her, you know. She's softer these days - not quite so inclined to kick you if you don't do as you're told straight away."

"You've known her that long?" Eli asked curiously. Either she'd never told him that before, or he'd forgotten, but either way, it surprised him to hear that Dale had known Brona long before the Mullens had arrived in Pax.

She glanced up at him, turning to lay boots and shoes into the bottom of the trunk. "I came to Pax almost ten years ago," she told him quietly. "I was only just out of being a kid myself. Didn't get to know Brona until Bart was killed, but she made a point of making sure I had things under control. And found too many reasons to drop in on her rounds."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Eli asked, even more curious now that he knew Dale had known Brona all along. He added a few things of his own to the trunk, carefully choosing practical items over things he was unlikely to need or wear.

She paused thoughtfully. "Never really occurred to me," she admitted. "I mean, you knew her, I knew her. She's just ....there, you know" I've never really been a part of Pax. I don't think of myself as being a part of Pax. That should change. It will."

"I don't, either," Eli admitted, pausing a moment as he crouched down to add a few things to the growing pile of their belongings in the trunk. "Fact is, I've never really felt like a part of any place I've been. This is the first place that's ever really felt like home," he told her, at least, since his parents had died.

Her fingers gently pushed into his hair - a rare occurrence from this angle, since he towered over her in the general scheme of things. "Home is with you, wherever you are, whatever you choose to do," she said quietly. "You are my home now. We might always be a little bit on the outside looking in, but we'll get better at being a part of this place. Right?"

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:35 EST
Eli smiled, not only at the affection displayed by her tender touch, but at the statement that reflected his own feelings exactly. He reached for her hand, taking it between his own, his touch gentle, despite the calluses that were the result of hard work. "We're in this together, darlin'. There's no you or me, just us. It's not about what I want, only what we want. Together. Home is wherever we are together."

"Home is us." She peeled his hand away briefly, laying his palm flat against the smooth bump at her waistline. Beneath his hand, a very faint pressure from inside made the point for her as she smiled at him. "Not just you and me anymore, Eli."

He blinked as she pressed his hand against the bump that was their child growing inside her, almost as if he was afraid or in awe of the knowledge that they were going to have a child of their own before long. "Is that ..." he trailed off, darting a glance at the place where he thought he'd felt movement.

Biting her lip, Dale nodded, stroking her fingers over his knuckles as he looked down at her middle. "Yeah," she assured him in a low voice. "That's your baby. Our baby." She reached up, gently stroking her fingertips over his jaw. "It helps if you remember to breathe."

He smiled, not only at the reminder that he was going to be a father, but at the gentle reprimand in her voice at his mingled fear and wonder. He lifted his gaze to her as she touched her fingers to his face, the smile warm with affection and even, to his own wonder, happiness. "I love you, you know," he said, a rarity for him.

"I should hope so," she drawled fondly. "I'm not in the habit of getting naked with just anyone, you know." Which, from Dale, was a rousing declaration of the same feelings. It didn't matter that she'd told his brother she loved her husband only a little while before; it was going to take time before the words came without shyness to Eli himself.

That made him laugh anyway. "I hope not, or I might have to shoot someone," he replied with a chuckle before leaning close to brush his lips against hers, touching his fingers to her cheek in a soft caress. "I reckon we should finish packing before Brona and Cody wonder what?s taking us so long."

She giggled softly into his kiss, a flicker of the gentler girl inside the strong-willed woman he had married showing herself as she nuzzled into him for a long moment. "I reckon they can probably guess what?s taking so long," she pointed out with a faint grin. "We can't pack everything in one go, anyway. And I, the pregnant woman in the room, demand another kiss, Mr. Mullen."

"Who am I to argue with that, Mrs. Mullen?" Eli countered with a smile, more than happy to comply with her request. That second kiss was a little more passionate than the first, his lips lingering against hers, but just as tender as the first.

He got another soft laugh at that, her hands gentle against his chest as he gave her what she demanded. Not a moment too soon, either.

"Hands off cocks, dinner's gonna be ready in ten minutes!" a familiar voice yelled up the stairs to them.

Eli sputtered laughter at Brona's warning, not only because of the way she'd phrased it, but because she knew them so well, even though they hadn't had a chance to get that far yet. "Are you sure we wanna live in the same house with them?" he asked, though the arrangement would probably only be a temporary one. He and Dale were far too independent to happily live under someone else's roof for too long.

Dale grimaced laughingly. "It's only for the winter," she said, sounding as though she was assuring herself as much as him. She patted his chest affectionately. "Pretty sure she'll stop trying to order us around once we've taken over her kitchen."

"She's the one taking over the kitchen today," Eli said, pointing out how the tables were turned. He wasn't complaining. It was secluded out here on the homestead and it was kind of nice to have both help and company for a change, but he wasn't sure they'd all feel the same after being cooped up in the same house together all winter.

Dale chuckled, shaking her head. "Only because I made her," she pointed out. "She's probably enjoying not being ready to leave at a moment's notice for once. Even with Ember in Pax now, it's still a tough life for a healer, seeing to a village, farms, and homesteads."

"Maybe we need a few more healers, then," Eli replied, though he wasn't sure if that was going to happen anytime soon. It was hard enough for Brona and Ember to find time to make their rounds without finding time to train someone new.

"Gonna hire some, or volunteer?" she asked cheekily, sliding her fingers between his as she turned to pick her way back to the door and the landing beyond. "Eli Mullen, Medicine Man."

"Somehow, I don't think I'd make a very good healer," Eli admitted with a chuckle at her teasing, though the title sounded impressive. It wasn't just his bedside manner, though he had done his best to take care of his brothers after his parents had died. He just felt he was better with a shotgun than a medical kit.

"You're doing pretty well with me," she pointed out over her shoulder, pausing at the top of the stairs with a quietly defeated sigh. "Fine, you first." With good reason - the stairs were old, creaking, and had at least one trick step that liked to try and throw you bodily down the rest of the flight.

He tossed a few last minute items into the trunk before closing it and joining Dale near the stairs, frowning at the sound of her sigh. She'd never complained about the house or the stairs before, but it had never really occurred to either of them how rickety they were before she'd become pregnant. "One more night, Dale," he reassured her, taking her hand to lead her slowly down the stairs, one step at a time.

"I hate that you need to lead me down the stairs like I'm a child," she growled, brows lowered as she concentrated on not falling. It was just another reason to winter in another house - the thought of her nine months gone on this staircase did not bear thinking about.

"You're not a child. You're carrying a child. There's a difference," he pointed out as he carefully led her down the stairs. He didn't want her to fall anymore than she did, not just because of the child. He wasn't sure if there was a first floor bedroom at the cottage, but even if there wasn't, he hoped the stairs wouldn't be as rickety at these.

"I'm the size of a child that's eaten a smaller child," she countered in a grumpy tone, but there was no hesitation in the way she clung to his hand as he guided her safely down to the lower floor. "Can't argue with that one. I am a midget and proud of it."

"Or I'm a giant," he remarked with a smirk. No one could really argue with that. Though all three of the Mullen brothers were exceptionally tall, Eli was the tallest. As it happened, they'd all ended up with wives who made them look like giants, but no one was complaining.

"Well, obviously you're a giant, but I was a midget long before you came along." She paused as they reached the bottom of the stairs, deliberately staying on the third step up just so she could rival his height for a moment. "Are you happy about this decision?" she asked in a softer voice. "Not just doing it for me?"

Now that was a loaded question. Of course, he was doing it for her, but not just for her. He turned to face her as she paused on the third step, almost but not quite eye to eye with her. "This house is falling down around us," he pointed out, for starters. "And we're too far from town, at least for the winter months." Even though Brona was confident the rest of Dale's pregnancy would go without a hitch, Eli would never stop blaming himself if something happened to her or the baby because he'd been too stubborn to leave the homestead.

"And what about what you want?" she asked pointedly. "I'm hearing all the practical reasons, and nothing about what you actually want here, darlin'." Her hand curled to the side of his neck, thumb smoothing against the hook of his jaw. "Do you want to do this?"

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:36 EST
There was a time when all Eli had wanted was to hunt down and kill every last mutant in existence, and though he wasn't fond of mutants, there were other priorities in his life now, and Dale was just one of them. All of that was hard to put into words though, and so, all he said was, "I miss my brothers."

And that was all he needed to say. "Then we winter with them, and we see if anyone will swap land with us when spring comes," Dale told him gently. "Family's more important than anything else we've got, darlin'. I'm not going to let you lose them because of my problems."

It was hard for Eli to even admit that much, but it was true. His brothers were all he'd had for a very long time, and as annoying as they could be sometimes, he missed having them around. "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, Dale," he promised her for what had to be the hundredth time since they'd met. It didn't matter what had happened in her past, he had promised to protect her, and he meant to keep that promise, no matter what.

"I know." She drew his brow to hers, her free hand resting over his heart. "I'm safe with you, I know that. I'm always safe with you." She hadn't felt safe with anyone until Eli had walked into her life, yet she had no idea how to tell him how very special that made him in her eyes and in her heart. All she could do was show how much she trusted him, and hope that it was enough.

He snaked his arms around her waist, as his brow came to rest against hers. Neither was very good with words, but somehow they always seemed to make their feelings understood. He touched another kiss to her lips, as if to underscore his promise to keep her safe, and then he lifted her easily off the stairs and set her down in front of him.

She snorted gently, amused by the way he still lifted her around from time to time. She enjoyed being the tiny wife to her giant, handsome husband, though she would never admit it aloud. "C'mon then, man of the house," she suggested. "Let's see what your sister-in-law got your brother cooking without us."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a grin, though he was in no hurry to rejoin Cody and Brona, no matter what he said about missing them. "Whatever it is, it smells good, anyway," he added, hoping they all got along once they were living on top of each other in Cody and Brona's cottage.

"Should do, I left all the hints right there for her to follow," Dale chuckled, drawing him into the kitchen, where Brona was giving Cody instructions as he mashed the potatoes in the pan.

The healer herself was shaking another pan of greens, draining the water from them as she glanced over her shoulder at the other couple. "Look at that, you don't even look mussed," she teased impishly.

"That's because all we did was pack, Miss Smarty Pants," Eli teased back with a chuckle as he and Dale rejoined the younger couple, hand in hand like teenagers.

"Uh-huh, I heard the no sound of hot and heavy smooching, Mr. Smarty Pants," Brona countered. "Put your wife down and lay the table like a good boy."

Dale grinned, looking up at Eli to see how he was going to react to being bossed around by a 20 year old.

"Is she always this bossy?" Eli asked of his brother as he did as he was told, despite the fact that he was older and bigger than she was and that this was not her kitchen.

"Someone has to be, I guess," Cody replied with a smirk, knowing how bossy Eli could sometimes be. This housing arrangement for the winter was going to be interesting, if nothing else.

"You love being ordered around by girls, it makes you go all squishy at the knees," Brona accused her brother-in-law cheerfully, shooing Dale to sit at the table as she worked on serving up the sausage and baked batter pudding onto the plates.

"I think maybe you're confusing me with your husband," Eli replied, as he took up the plates and cutlery and started setting the table.

Cody snorted a chuckle at his brother's remark. "I think maybe you forget how you let Brona take charge when I was hurt," he pointed out, though he had been unconscious part of the time.

"Oh, yeah, I heard all about that," Dale agreed, enjoying having easy company. It was rare to have company for these particular Mullens, and though they would all likely have their spats over the winter coming, they were a better match than Eli and Dale would be with Nate and Millie. The middle Mullens were a little too gentle in their ways; the youngest would at least push back.

"And I think maybe you're all forgetting how I'm the eldest, so I get the last word," Eli replied, taking no offense to anything that was being said. Though he still regretted the way he'd gone about obtaining Brona's help, he didn't regret how things had turned out.

"I'm the youngest," Brona pointed out. "By default, I get the last word because I'm so adorable." She nudged the plates toward Cody. "Share that out onto the plates, and let's eat."

Dale snorted with laughter at the banter between the three of them; she didn't often engage with it, but it was nice to know she was included simply by dint of being present.

This time it was Eli's turn to snort with laughter at Brona's remark. "You're lucky I like you or I might have to take you over my knee," he warned her, though it was hardly likely.

"Lay a hand on me, and I'll set my nephew on you," Brona threatened cheerfully back at Eli, grinning as she took the empty pan from Cody's hands to set in in the sink to soak while they ate.

"Don't worry. Eli's bark is worse than his bite," Cody remarked, as he finished helping Brona dish out the food. Once that was done, he pulled out a chair for her before claiming a seat for his own.

Eli might have been tempted to stick his tongue out at his little brother, if it wasn't such a childish thing to do. Instead he only growled as if to prove Cody's point.

"I dunno, his bite certainly does more interesting things to me than his barking does," Dale offered, not quite under her breath as she drew her chair closer to the plate in front of her.

Brona cackled at this, tucking her hair back behind her shoulders as she considered her own meal.

Eli grinned almost proudly at Dale's remark, reaching under the table for her hand, if only briefly.

Cody chuckled at Dale's remark. "That's more than I need to know, thanks," he said, before turning a questioning look at the faces around him. "I should we should say grace," he suggested mildly.

Guiltily, Brona let her cutlery drop. Years of snatching meals when she could had given her a healthy disrespect for grace, but Cody was slowly teaching her to at least pause before eating. "Dale, do you know any versions of grace?"

Glancing up herself, Dale shook her head, stroking her fingertip over Eli's palm as he released her hand. "Nope, never did it myself."

Eli's brows were arched upwards, clearly surprised at Cody's suggestion, but not opposed to the idea. "Go ahead, little brother. It's your idea," he said, giving Cody permission to do as he pleased.

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:36 EST
Cody smiled, and reached for Brona's hand before reaching across the table for Dale's, waiting for them all to take hands so that they were all connected, as a family should be. Brona bit her lip, trying not to giggle at the fact that it wasn't just her who didn't know much about saying grace before meals. She slid her hand into Cody's, reaching across to take Eli's hand in her own. Across the table, Dale eyed Cody's hand for a moment before taking it, glancing a little warily at Eli as her fingers tangled with his.

But Cody had no ulterior motives in what he was about to say. All he wanted to do was give thanks for everything good in his life, in their lives. Of all of them, it was not so surprising that Cody was the one who'd insist on doing it, seeing as he was the most widely read, but it was no book he quoted as he shared his simple prayer with the others at the table. The words he said now were his own and came from his heart.

"Let us give thanks, not only for the food we are about to eat, but for the greater gift of family and friends. Thank you, Lord God, for bringing us to this place and for all the blessings you have given us and for which we are ever grateful. Amen."

The echoing "amen"s were a little uncertain, but sincerely meant, hands slow to release hands as it dawned on at least the women that they were allowed to eat now. But still Brona hesitated, wrapping her fingers around her cutlery as she looked hopefully toward Cody.

Cody nodded his head in assent, as if to give Brona permission to eat, his eyes bright with just a hint of amusement at his companions' reactions to his little prayer. He almost wished Nate and Millie were here to join them, but he was sure that would come in time. "In the Before Time, it was the custom for people to thank whatever Gods or Goddesses they worshiped for their blessings before meals," he explained.

Given permission, his wife attacked the food in front of her. She was never going to learn to eat slowly, but at least she had good reason for that.

Dale, on the other hand, was genuinely interested in what Cody was saying, reaching to pour water from the jug into their cups as he spoke. "Why were they thanking them?" she asked curiously.

Cody, too, picked up his cutlery and but into his dinner, skewering a bit of sausage on his fork. "Because they believed that their gods watched over and protected them. Some believed in a pantheon of gods, some only one. There were many different faiths and religions, as different as the people and places who lived then."

"So ....they were saying thanks for being alive enough to eat the food on the table?" Dale asked. She wasn't uneducated, but her childhood had not involved much in the way of tolerance or gentle guidance. This was a new concept for her.

"In a way, yes, but they were also giving thanks for the food, as well," he said, not wanting to confuse her with too much detail. He had started teaching in the village, but Dale was neither a child, nor one of his students.

"They thought the food had been given to them?" Dale's head tilted curiously as she chewed her mouthful. "Even if they were the ones that slaughtered and dressed the meat, and harvested the wheat to make bread?"

Next to Cody, Brona grinned around her mouthful, happy to just listen. She could listen to Cody talk for hours.

"In a manner of speaking," Cody replied, unsure if he wanted to explain further. His gaze darted to Eli as if to ask his older brother's permission, but Eli only looked back in amusement before turning his attention to his own dinner. "They believed it was their gods who made it all possible," Cody explained further.

"How" I mean ....gods are just fancy people with all the money, right?" Dale pointed out, taking a sip from her cup. "How does having gold make you the person that makes animals and plants happen?"

"Gold?" Cody echoed, furrowing his brows in confusion. "You have a very different understanding of gods," he said, taking up another forkful of his dinner. "When I use the word god, I am not talking about people, but about supernatural beings who are so powerful as to be beyond our understanding. But mostly, when I give thanks, I am giving thanks to the Creator - the maker of all things."

"But I make things," Dale pointed out. She wasn't deliberately being obtuse; she just wanted to understand. "I make clothes, and cloth, and meals. Does that make me a god, too' Does it make Nate one, for bein' able to make flour out of wheat and corn?"

Cody paused for a long moment as he studied Dale, as if he was trying to determine whether or not she was serious. "No, I mean, God the Creator, who created the world. In ancient times, they even wrote a book about it called the Bible."

She grimaced. "My poppa used to yell at me things from that book," she said in distaste. "Not sure I care for anything that means folks can use it as an excuse to be nasty to each other."

Cody frowned, but it was Eli who spoke next. "It wasn't the book that made your Papa that way, Dale." Eli had never read the book Cody was referring to, but he didn't have to. He was pretty sure it wasn't a book that made her father the way he was, though he wasn't quite sure what it was.

Eli had spoken just in time - not doubt he could feel Dale tensing beside him. She never volunteered information about her life before Pax, and what she had just shared inferred a little too much about her childhood in the mountains. She let out a slow breath, nodding to Eli, and made an effort to soften her annoyance. "Sorry, Cody," she apologized awkwardly. "Didn't mean to make it sound like what you believe is wrong."

Cody shrugged. "Not sure what I believe, Dale, but I'd like to think there's a greater power out there somewhere watching over us. A greater power that led me and my brothers here."

Beneath the table, Eli reached over to give Dale's knee a reassuring squeeze, as if to say, "It's okay."

"Greater power that made sure the one person you guys needed happened to be on the road and unarmed in the small hours of the night," Brona drawled mildly, deliberately drawing the attention to herself. She'd known Dale long enough to be able to spot the wobble in the older woman's temper.

As the youngest at the table grinned innocent at her husband, Dale's fingers curled over Eli's hand under the table, grateful but silent once more.

It was Eli's turn to frown now, still feeling guilty for the way he'd forced Brona to help them, though everything had turned out okay in the end. Cody noticed that there were something Dale wasn't telling them, but he wasn't rude enough to ask. If she wanted them to know, she'd tell them. Until then happened - if it ever happened - he wouldn't ask. He only hoped whatever it was that she wasn't saying wouldn't put his brother at risk. On the other hand, did they deserve to know now that they were inviting the couple into their home"

Either way, Cody decided it was better to leave well enough alone for now. "Some people say everything happens for a reason," he said, turning to look at Brona. "I'm not sure if that's true either, but I can't say I'm not glad you were there."

"I'm glad I was there, too," Brona answered, her voice soft with affection as she reached over to stroke his cheek. "I got myself a husband and two more big brothers out of it. I don't understand why certain people still get all grouchy and guilty over the whole thing; water under the bridge."

Dale Mullen

Date: 2017-12-08 07:37 EST
Eli knit his brows in Brona's direction. "Certain people by the names of Eli and Mahon?" he asked, knowing one of them felt guilty, while the other got grouchy. "What's done is done. Not much point in worrying about the past when it can't be changed," he pointed out, trying not to sound too defensive. He'd already apologized to Brona and thought they'd put it behind them, though he still felt bad about the way he'd handled things.

"Eli and Nate, actually." Brona chuckled. Mahon had never been told the circumstances of that meeting, and never would be. "It's done and forgotten. Stop holding onto it so hard - I'm not." She winked at her honorary big brother across the table. "Did you make these sausages" They came out real good."

Dale relaxed as Brona effectively changed the subject, smiling down at her plate. "It all came out good," she agreed. "You've got a talent, Cody."

Eli opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to say a word before the subject was changed. What bothered him now wasn't the fact that he still felt guilty about what he'd done, but that Nate did.

In the meantime, Cody chuckled at Dale's compliment. "I didn't do anything but what Brona told me to."

"All right, maybe it's a gift instead," Dale countered, deliberately filling her mouth with mashed potatoes and moaning to make her point.

Brona choked on her own mouthful laughing, groping for her cup to clear her throat.

Eli had stopped eating and was staring at his dinner, as if he was lost in thought, but it wasn't his own guilt that was eating away at him, but the thought that Nate was troubled by the same thing. Cody chuckled again, even as he gave his brother's leg a small kick to catch his attention and draw him back into the conversation. The ploy worked, but it only earned Cody another frown from his brother.

"It wasn't Nate's fault," Eli said, unable to let the subject go just yet.

"It wasn't anyone's fault, that's the point," Brona said sternly. "You're both too hard on yourselves about something that turned out better than any of you could have hoped for. So let it go."

Dale's hand gently touched Eli's thigh, urging him to do just that. If he felt the need to talk to Nate about it, he could, but Brona had made it very clear that she held nothing against the brothers for what had brought them all together.

Talking to Nate was exactly what he needed to do, but that would mean visiting the mill. It wasn't going to happen today though. "She's right, Eli," Cody said, agreeing with Brona. "You did what you felt you had to do. No one got hurt, and if you hadn't done what you did, I might not have made it. No one's to blame. If anything, we should be grateful."

Eli wasn't sure he agreed with all that, but nothing could be done now to change it. "It's Nate I'm worried about," he said.

"I know I'm grateful," Brona commented mildly. "Seriously, Eli. It means so little in the greater scheme of things, and even though Nate gets quiet and guilty, he's not holding onto it the way you are. He's got a whole house full of blessings that came out of that one moment of madness, and so do you. You'll both feel better when you stop trying to hold yourselves accountable for something bad that never happened."

"Nate has only ever done what I told him to do," Eli argued, though he didn't really want to talk about it now. The one he really needed to talk to was Nate, and Nate wasn't there.

But Cody knew his brother well enough to know where his thoughts were headed. "Eli, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have survived. You kept us together and you kept us alive. And I don't think I've ever really said thank you."

"Nate's a grown man," Dale added. "He's a good man, too, just like you are. I'm sure he wouldn't have done anything just because you told him to, especially if it was wrong. And you wouldn't have asked him to do it, either."

"Thank you for what? For dragging you around while I hunted down every mutant I could find?" Eli asked, feeling guilty for more than just forcing Brona to help Cody. Their parents' deaths had forced him into raising his brothers, and it was a weight that had laid heavy against his heart. All he'd wanted in those days was vengeance, but he'd had his brothers to think of, too.

Cody spoke before anyone else could say a word, a solemn look on his face as he met his brother's gaze. "Let it go, Eli," he told his brother as gently as he could. "You did the best you could. I don't hold anything against you, and neither does Nate. You're my brother. You're always gonna be my brother."

Dale caught Brona's eye across the table, the two women scanning the plates to make sure everyone had finished eating. "You know what?" Dale said suddenly, proving that she could be even blunter than Brona when the mood took her. "You men gotta talk. Go do it while you're bedding down the animals. It's not something you want us to hear, I'm thinking."

Eli snorted at Dale's suggestion, not because he thought it was a bad one but because she knew him too well. "Mind if I finish my dinner first?" he asked, but at least there was a hint of amusement in his tone now.

"I thought I was the one eating for two," she teased him back, smiling as he relaxed back from the bristling bluster that might have caused heated words. She winked up at her husband, glad to feel the tension easing away.

"Looks like you and me are having a heart to heart, little brother," Eli said, skewering the next to last piece of sausage on his plate.

"Long as you don't wanna talk with your fists," Cody remarked, a teasing gleam in his eyes.

"Anybody hits anybody, you can sleep with the animals," Dale informed the pair. "It's Brona's night off."

The healer in question felt her mouth drop open; she'd never had anyone outright refuse to let her heal incidental bruises and cuts before, even if it was only teasing.

"I'm not gonna hit anybody!" Eli insisted, looking a tad insulted and maybe just a little defensive.

Cody winked over at Dale, as if they were in cahoots at getting Eli wound up.

"In that case, all smooching should be aimed this way," Dale told her husband, leaning against his arm as her smile warmed just for him. He always rose to the bait that little bit faster around his brothers, and he knew she liked seeing him that way.

"Yes, dear," Eli replied with a smirk as he leaned closer to do just that, his lips smooching hers with a loud smacking sound.

It was Cody's turn to groan. "Not in front of the children," he teased, though he was actually glad to see Eli happy. It had been a long time coming.

"Far as I can tell, there's only one in there," Brona told her own husband, nudging him impishly as she laughed. It was good to see Eli happy; to see that he and Dale were happy together. They'd all been a little concerned at the suddenness of that marriage, especially given that there'd been so little apparent between them but convenience at the start.

It might have seemed like convenience, but even at the start of it, there had been something between Eli and Dale - they just hadn't recognized it or had a name for it yet. Maybe Cody was right. Maybe it had been some greater power that had brought them all together. They'd probably never know. As for Eli, he knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be, and that was with Dale. He'd learned home wasn't so much a place as it was simply being with the people you loved and who loved you back. If that was the true definition of home, then the Mullen brothers had finally found it. After years of wandering, at last they had all come home.