The first family dinner at the Dugan farm with everyone in attendance had gone off without any enormous hiccups. Though there had been some tension between Eli and Mahon, it had been overcome by the determined good humor of Cody, Nate, and Brona, who had gone out of their way to make the time pass amicably for the sake of everyone at the table. Now, as darkness fell outside, the house grew quiet. Evening chores were being done, the barn and house being secured in case of a mutant incursion, but in the main family rooms, all was still.
Nemone knelt beside Aedan's bed, the little boy still wrapped up in her arms as he slept. She was afraid to leave him, afraid that doing so would mean that this wonderful dream was over. Her lips brushed his red curls tenderly as he sighed in his sleep, smiling still at the memory of his quiet goodnight.
Mahon stood in the doorway, having finished his chores in the barn and, along with Eli and Nate, made sure the house was secure against attack from mutants. Though the two men had hardly said a word to each other, a kind of quiet truce seemed to have settled between them, and Mahon had realized it was hard to stay angry when Nate was around. Now he had returned to the house to say his goodnights and settle in for the night ahead. He watched as Nemone held the boy close, knowing what it felt like to not want to let go. He'd felt the same way at first and had spent a few nights sleeping on the floor beside his son's bed, reluctant to leave him.
He moved over to the bed, bending over to touch a kiss to the boy's curls that were so like his mother's. "Sweet dreams, my bonny lad," he whispered quietly to the boy.
Nem raised her head as Mahon bowed over them both, knowing she had to let go sooner or later. They would only be in the next room, after all. "He looks so much like you," she whispered to her husband, reluctant to disturb the sleeping child in her arms. "He's so handsome, and brave. He's everything I could have hoped for."
On the contrary, Mahon saw more of her in the boy than himself - her hair, her eyes, her quiet courage. "He'll still be here in the morning, love. He's not going anywhere," he whispered to her, though he understand her reluctance to leave him, after being away from him so long. It had broken her heart to have to send him away, and yet, by doing so, they had insured he would live. One day maybe he'd understand and thank them, but for now, all they could do was love him and try to make up for lost time.
"I know," she murmured, reluctantly easing her arms from about Aedan. He protested quietly, but she tucked him in warmly, brushing another kiss to his forehead. "I love you, little man. Have sweet dreams." In a graceful motion, she rose to her feet, having to force herself to leave the room before she tried to get into the bed with their little boy. "This is ridiculous," she said, her voice a more normal volume once she had passed through the doorway and into the bedroom that was now, apparently, hers to share with Mahon. "No one is going to hurt him here. I'm never this clingy, why am I so clingy?"
He might have suggested she stay with him this one night or even that they bring the boy to bed with them, but they had a lot to discuss and they had already disrupted his life enough for one day. "Because he's your son," Mahon replied, a soft smile on his face as he closed the door quietly behind them. The boy was just next door - close enough that they could hear him if he needed them, yet far enough away to give them a little privacy. Thankfully, he'd already bathed, so there was little to do that would take him from her side tonight. He tugged her by the hand until she was safe in his arms. "I'm sorry about before. I was being an ass."
Tugged into Mahon's arms, Nemone sighed softly, trying to get a grip on herself. The last time she had felt this out of control had been ....She cut that thought off, tightening her arms about Mahon's waist. "You were protecting our son," she reminded him softly. "He isn't holding it against you. He's pleased to have his papa back home with him, anyone can see that." Like Mahon, she, too, had bathed earlier, wrapped in a warm robe that was simpler and somehow more luxurious than anything she'd worn before. Brona had shyly produced it from a chest of clothes that had belonged to her mother.
Mahon was dressed in a simple shirt and pants, clean but a little worn - hand-me-downs from someone in the village or maybe something his father had once worn. He didn't much care about clothing so long as it was clean and comfortable. "He's a good boy, Nem. Uther and Han and Brona did well with him." He held her close, burying his face in her hair to breathe her in, not because she was clean so much as because she smelled like his Nemone again.
It was a scene that would never have come to pass in the valley, even now. But Nemone was no longer the Captain of the Guard. She no longer had any reason to pretend to be the forceful one in a relationship that had taken her completely by surprise; no one in Pax would think twice about a woman who leaned on her man, and for the first time in her life, she was allowed to be the weaker of them. Held close in Mahon's embrace, she breathed him in, nuzzling gently to his throat. "We'll do well," she whispered. "We owe him that."
"I know we will," he replied, confident now that they were free of the valley to raise their son on their own - and with the help of those who loved him - he would grow to make them proud. Mahon was proud of him already, proud to claim him as his son and proud of the woman who'd given him that son. "It's over, Nem. We're free now to live our lives as we see fit, and to raise the family we always wanted." He wasn't sure why he was telling her this - was it because she needed to hear it or because he needed to make himself believe it"
Perhaps it was both. Nem smiled against his neck, raising her head to look up at the man who had opened her heart and taught her that love wasn't the burden she had been taught to expect. "Does that mean I have to start wearing dresses and behaving like a good little girl?" she asked him impishly.
Mahon chuckled in amusement at her remark. "Not for me, you don't," he replied, tugging her toward the bed, not just because he wanted to hold her close but because it had been a long day for both of them and he knew how tired she was - especially if Brona was right and she was with child.
"Might have to in a while," she grumbled quietly, only too happy to be drawn onto the bed with him. She nestled close, unused to an actual bed rather than padding laid on a stone ledge. It would take time for her to get used to the house and the farm; everything was very different here. Tucked snugly against his side, she lay still for a long moment before raising her head to look up at him. "Do you think Ember still has some of that borlis root left?"
It had taken some days for him to get accustomed to the luxury of a soft bed when he'd first returned, but he'd had a little time to get used to it before returning to the valley. "Borlis root?" he echoed, arching a brow at her as he put out the light and lay down beside her, tucking her close, the only light cast that of the moon. He wasn't a healer and didn't know much about herbs and potions, but he remembered what borlis root was for. "Brona thinks you're with child."
Nemone's expression was soft in the moonlight, the contrast between this moment and a similar one three years before so pronounced as to make them wholly different. "I think Brona might be right," she told him quietly. "I don't know for sure, but ....it feels the same."
"How can we know for sure?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up too high just yet, until they knew for sure, though the thought of another child was an exciting one, even if they had only just moved back to the village.
"Use the root, if there is any around here," she mused. "Or we wait and see if I really have stopped bleeding and started swelling." She shrugged, a faint smile on her face. "Figures, doesn't it' First night of freedom, and we might already have a stranger in the bed with us."
"Check with Brona in the morning. If there's any around, she'll know." He touched a kiss to her forehead, smiling in the moonlight. "Not a stranger, love. Our son or daughter, just like the boy in the next room. I can't say I'd be unhappy to have another child, even if it is unexpected."
Nemone knelt beside Aedan's bed, the little boy still wrapped up in her arms as he slept. She was afraid to leave him, afraid that doing so would mean that this wonderful dream was over. Her lips brushed his red curls tenderly as he sighed in his sleep, smiling still at the memory of his quiet goodnight.
Mahon stood in the doorway, having finished his chores in the barn and, along with Eli and Nate, made sure the house was secure against attack from mutants. Though the two men had hardly said a word to each other, a kind of quiet truce seemed to have settled between them, and Mahon had realized it was hard to stay angry when Nate was around. Now he had returned to the house to say his goodnights and settle in for the night ahead. He watched as Nemone held the boy close, knowing what it felt like to not want to let go. He'd felt the same way at first and had spent a few nights sleeping on the floor beside his son's bed, reluctant to leave him.
He moved over to the bed, bending over to touch a kiss to the boy's curls that were so like his mother's. "Sweet dreams, my bonny lad," he whispered quietly to the boy.
Nem raised her head as Mahon bowed over them both, knowing she had to let go sooner or later. They would only be in the next room, after all. "He looks so much like you," she whispered to her husband, reluctant to disturb the sleeping child in her arms. "He's so handsome, and brave. He's everything I could have hoped for."
On the contrary, Mahon saw more of her in the boy than himself - her hair, her eyes, her quiet courage. "He'll still be here in the morning, love. He's not going anywhere," he whispered to her, though he understand her reluctance to leave him, after being away from him so long. It had broken her heart to have to send him away, and yet, by doing so, they had insured he would live. One day maybe he'd understand and thank them, but for now, all they could do was love him and try to make up for lost time.
"I know," she murmured, reluctantly easing her arms from about Aedan. He protested quietly, but she tucked him in warmly, brushing another kiss to his forehead. "I love you, little man. Have sweet dreams." In a graceful motion, she rose to her feet, having to force herself to leave the room before she tried to get into the bed with their little boy. "This is ridiculous," she said, her voice a more normal volume once she had passed through the doorway and into the bedroom that was now, apparently, hers to share with Mahon. "No one is going to hurt him here. I'm never this clingy, why am I so clingy?"
He might have suggested she stay with him this one night or even that they bring the boy to bed with them, but they had a lot to discuss and they had already disrupted his life enough for one day. "Because he's your son," Mahon replied, a soft smile on his face as he closed the door quietly behind them. The boy was just next door - close enough that they could hear him if he needed them, yet far enough away to give them a little privacy. Thankfully, he'd already bathed, so there was little to do that would take him from her side tonight. He tugged her by the hand until she was safe in his arms. "I'm sorry about before. I was being an ass."
Tugged into Mahon's arms, Nemone sighed softly, trying to get a grip on herself. The last time she had felt this out of control had been ....She cut that thought off, tightening her arms about Mahon's waist. "You were protecting our son," she reminded him softly. "He isn't holding it against you. He's pleased to have his papa back home with him, anyone can see that." Like Mahon, she, too, had bathed earlier, wrapped in a warm robe that was simpler and somehow more luxurious than anything she'd worn before. Brona had shyly produced it from a chest of clothes that had belonged to her mother.
Mahon was dressed in a simple shirt and pants, clean but a little worn - hand-me-downs from someone in the village or maybe something his father had once worn. He didn't much care about clothing so long as it was clean and comfortable. "He's a good boy, Nem. Uther and Han and Brona did well with him." He held her close, burying his face in her hair to breathe her in, not because she was clean so much as because she smelled like his Nemone again.
It was a scene that would never have come to pass in the valley, even now. But Nemone was no longer the Captain of the Guard. She no longer had any reason to pretend to be the forceful one in a relationship that had taken her completely by surprise; no one in Pax would think twice about a woman who leaned on her man, and for the first time in her life, she was allowed to be the weaker of them. Held close in Mahon's embrace, she breathed him in, nuzzling gently to his throat. "We'll do well," she whispered. "We owe him that."
"I know we will," he replied, confident now that they were free of the valley to raise their son on their own - and with the help of those who loved him - he would grow to make them proud. Mahon was proud of him already, proud to claim him as his son and proud of the woman who'd given him that son. "It's over, Nem. We're free now to live our lives as we see fit, and to raise the family we always wanted." He wasn't sure why he was telling her this - was it because she needed to hear it or because he needed to make himself believe it"
Perhaps it was both. Nem smiled against his neck, raising her head to look up at the man who had opened her heart and taught her that love wasn't the burden she had been taught to expect. "Does that mean I have to start wearing dresses and behaving like a good little girl?" she asked him impishly.
Mahon chuckled in amusement at her remark. "Not for me, you don't," he replied, tugging her toward the bed, not just because he wanted to hold her close but because it had been a long day for both of them and he knew how tired she was - especially if Brona was right and she was with child.
"Might have to in a while," she grumbled quietly, only too happy to be drawn onto the bed with him. She nestled close, unused to an actual bed rather than padding laid on a stone ledge. It would take time for her to get used to the house and the farm; everything was very different here. Tucked snugly against his side, she lay still for a long moment before raising her head to look up at him. "Do you think Ember still has some of that borlis root left?"
It had taken some days for him to get accustomed to the luxury of a soft bed when he'd first returned, but he'd had a little time to get used to it before returning to the valley. "Borlis root?" he echoed, arching a brow at her as he put out the light and lay down beside her, tucking her close, the only light cast that of the moon. He wasn't a healer and didn't know much about herbs and potions, but he remembered what borlis root was for. "Brona thinks you're with child."
Nemone's expression was soft in the moonlight, the contrast between this moment and a similar one three years before so pronounced as to make them wholly different. "I think Brona might be right," she told him quietly. "I don't know for sure, but ....it feels the same."
"How can we know for sure?" he asked, not wanting to get his hopes up too high just yet, until they knew for sure, though the thought of another child was an exciting one, even if they had only just moved back to the village.
"Use the root, if there is any around here," she mused. "Or we wait and see if I really have stopped bleeding and started swelling." She shrugged, a faint smile on her face. "Figures, doesn't it' First night of freedom, and we might already have a stranger in the bed with us."
"Check with Brona in the morning. If there's any around, she'll know." He touched a kiss to her forehead, smiling in the moonlight. "Not a stranger, love. Our son or daughter, just like the boy in the next room. I can't say I'd be unhappy to have another child, even if it is unexpected."