"Is it me, or did your brother and his wife decide to have babies in the coldest month of the year?"

Seren's complaint was barely audible to human ears, but even through layers of wool, she knew Dorian would hear her. He wasn't entirely human, after all. Her eyes sparkled teasingly as she glanced up at him, hand in hand as they made their way through the drifts toward the Ashton family home. Demeter had given birth to her expected triplets just a few days ago, a girl and two boys, and after allowing a little time for the new parents to get used to the now very crowded den they shared, Seren had prodded Dorian into going to visit them.

As much as Dorian loved the theater, it was nice to have a break to spend time with his wife, friends, and family, especially that of his twin brother, whom he'd been separated from for too long. It had always been like there was something missing from his life, but he hadn't really understood what that something was until he'd learned of the brother he'd been separated from at birth. Now that they had been reunited, their family had grown, extending to that of Seren's family and Demeter and the children who'd just been born of her marriage with Dorian's brother, Neville. To say Dorian was pleased was a bit of an understatement. Nothing could have pleased him more, except perhaps to have children of his own. He chuckled lightly at his wife's remark. Now that he was more than human, the cold was the least of his concerns.

"I don't think they timed the birth on purpose just to annoy you, love," he teased her in return, his voice as quiet as hers, knowing she'd hear him even if he whispered.

"I don't like being cold," she whined back laughingly, grateful when they reached the porch steps. Stamping up onto the relatively clear wood, she knocked the snow from her boots, reaching up to press the bell. "Just because I have a furry form does not mean this form likes cold."

"I'll just have to do my best to keep you warm then," he replied with a dimpled, but scruffily-bearded grin, his arms going around her waist while they waited for someone to answer the door. "Better?" he asked, burying his face in her neck, the feel of warm lips against her bare skin.

She giggled as he pulled her in close, nibbling at his ear as he pressed his face to her neck. They were the only pairing in their strangely diverse pack who had not yet started a family, but they were not any the less for that. There was plenty of time.

It was certainly not from lack of trying. When the door finally opened, it was to find the pair smooching and giggling like a pair of hormonal teenagers. It was Neville who answered the door, clearing his throat to let them know they were no longer alone. Dorian laughed at the expression on his brother's face. Though nearly identical in appearance, the brothers' personalities couldn't have been more different. Neville was the more serious of the two, while Dorian was light-hearted in nature.

"Brother, do not look so somber," he chided his twin, untangling himself from Serena's embrace to pat a hand against Neville's smoothly-shaven cheek. "This is a happy time. A time for celebration."

"Be nice," Seren teased her husband. "Cats don't always like finding wolves on the doorstep." She offered Neville a brilliant smile of her own. "Are we allowed to come in, or will you just parade them past the door before dismissing us?"

"Yes, well, we haven't come to blow the house down or eat the children," Dorian pointed out, matching his wife's good humor.

Neville smirked at both Seren's question and the marital verbal sparring going on between the pair. "I think Demi would prefer to not put them on display," he countered, pulling the door open in invitation for them to enter. Whatever happened to them during a full moon, they were still family and always would be. "Come in. We've been wondering how long it would take for you two to get here."

"Well, we didn't want to be annoying and camp on your doorstep straight away," Seren pointed out cheerfully, already shedding her layers as she stepped past Neville and into the hallway. She raised her voice just a little. "We might have brought takeout money."

Demi's voice called to them from the living room. "If it comes with the promise of something meaty, then get your ass in here."

"I assume pizza is out of the question," Dorian remarked with a chuckle and a wink at his brother. He took Seren's coat and remained behind to shed his own and have a few private words with his brother before the two of them rejoined the women in the living room. "Where are the little angels?" he asked as he swept into the room and looked around for the youngest Ashtons.

The living room of Neville and Demeter's home had been transformed into a luxurious sort of den for the time being, parts of it almost knee deep in cushions. Warm quilts and soft blankets covered the floor, rucked up into nests not only by hands but clearly by paws as well, and in the center of the floor lay the three newest members of the family, mostly asleep.

Demi was lying on her back beside them, looking exhausted but smiling, rising onto her elbows to greet Dorian and Seren as they crept inside. "Welcome to the lair," she laughed quietly.

"All you need is a tent, and this would be a virtual paradise!" Dorian remarked at the sight of the makeshift den, with its plethora of pillows and blankets. It was a child's dream, though he was far from childhood. Who needed a bed when one could make an entire room into such a comfortable lair" He toed off his shoes and shoved them aside before moving to join them, his first order of business inspecting the newest additions to the family. "Aren't they adorable?" he asked, as he leaned over to make his inspection.

"They are right now." Demi chuckled softly. "Wait until they all wake up demanding attention."

Seren snickered softly, lowering down onto her knees to inspect the triplets affectionately. "They must be a handful," she mused. "Which one is which?"

"May I?" Dorian asked, not waiting for permission before swooping in to snatch one of the babies from their place of rest.

Neville lifted a hand to protest and point out that the children shouldn't be disturbed when they were sleeping so contentedly, but it was too late.

"Oh, they are adorable, Demi. You must be so proud," Dorian gushed, as he cradled one of the newborns in his arms, obviously bewitched.

It wasn't the baby Dorian had lifted up that noticed the change - after all, he was being cuddled. No, it was his sister in the middle, suddenly lacking the warmth from her other side, who started to fidget.

Demi rolled her eyes, nodding to Seren. "Help yourself," she told her sister in law, shaking her head as Seren squeaked and leaned in to gather the protesting baby girl into her arms. Demi looked up at Neville. "You want to hug the last one, or shall I?"

Neville couldn't help but chuckle at Seren and Dorian's anxiousness to hold the new babies. "You rest. I've got it," he volunteered, bending down to scoop up the third child before he squalled in protest at being left alone. He murmured softly to soothe the child before he had a chance to fuss. "There, there. It's all right," he said, patting the baby's bottom and swaying him to and fro and in his arms. "It's just your aunt and uncle come to say hello."

"They're gorgeous," Seren enthused, hugging the baby girl to her chest as the protests calmed down. "And they smell so nice!"

Demi snorted with laughter, relaxing onto her side as she watched the three of them cuddling the babies. Hearing a werewolf comment on the smell of your children wasn't entirely a reassuring comment.

"Almost good enough to eat," Dorian teased, though he had no interest in actually eating them. It was just a figure of speech, but he couldn't help but tease his brother and sister-in-law with it. Even in wolf form, he would have recognized their bloodline and known they were off limits, and he had been careful not to be tempted by human flesh since being turned.

"Oh, shush, that isn't what I mean," Seren laughed, dipping her head down to touch her cheek against the warm head against her shoulder. "They are beautiful, guys. Are they a lot of trouble to look after?"

"I don't have much control when I change," he admitted, though he had enough control not to rip those he loved to shreds and enough foresight to prevent himself from attacking strangers. Only a hungry wolf was a dangerous wolf.

"Have you tried changing with Seren's mind inside yours?" she asked curiously. "It sounds ridiculous, putting it like that, but that's what it feels like."

"Changing with her mind inside mine?" he echoed, shaking his head in confusion. "How do we do that?" he asked, clearly never having done this before or even thought it possible. in the meantime, one hand instinctively rubbed the baby boy's back.

"When you're wolves together, can you feel her mind?" Demi asked him gently. "The bond is there between you, but it can take some time to isolate it and learn how to manipulate it."

"I think so," Dorian replied uncertainly. He always felt something, some connection to her, but he'd never really explored it much. "How do I make that bond stronger?" he asked further.

"Sex," Demeter told him baldly. "In either shape. Find the connection, be aware of it, and make love. You'd be amazed how much stronger it gets when you share something like that."

Dorian's mouth dropped open at Demi's unabashed frankness. He and Seren had an active and healthy sex life, but it had never occurred to him to try and bond with her in any other way while making love. "I, uh ..." he stammered again. "I'm not sure how. To make a connection, I mean." He was perfectly aware of how to have sex.

"The connection is always there, Dorian," she assured him, gently jostling the baby boy in her arms. "Even now. Concentrate. I bet you'll be able to tell what she's feeling at this moment without needing to hear her or see her."

"Now?" he echoed again, blinking in astonishment. He glanced toward the kitchen where he could just barely make out the soft of voice chatting amicably, one obviously male and much like his own and the other softer, quieter, and feminine.

"Now." Demi's smile softened. "No, don't look. It's like ....feeling the murmur of her voice in the back of your mind, tucked away with your own thoughts."

Dorian turned back, closing his eyes so as not to be distracted by anything around him, fully aware of the little bundle propped against his shoulder. He tried not to focus so much on Seren's voice as on her presence, opening not only his heart but his mind to her, though she only stood a mere few feet away.

The muted conversation in the kitchen faltered for the briefest moment, Seren's voice rising again even as that little flicker of her in the back of Dorian's mind intensified, seeming to solidify, colored with tenderly affectionate amusement. It was almost as though she'd been waiting for him to realise this was as much a part of him as everything else.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Dorian mused aloud, even as his mind brushed up against Seren's. Why hadn't anyone told him' He'd been turned before his brother, and yet, Neville seemed several strides ahead of him.

"Perhaps because it can be overwhelming," Demi suggested gently. "Or perhaps because she was afraid of how you might react' You've experienced a lot of changes in the last year or so, Dorian. Surely she can be excused for not wanting to throw this onto you as well?"

Dorian's expression turned thoughtful. Yes, he had experienced a lot of changes in the last year. He hadn't set out to become what he was, but becoming Lycan had not only saved his life but given him a connection to Seren he would have never been able to experience otherwise. "I am not blaming her, Demi. I'm just curious, that's all," he said, opening his eyes and turning to regard her, the connection with Seren still there, but not as prominent as it was a moment ago.

"It's something new to explore," she told him with a gentle smile. "The bond was something Neville needed when I first turned him. He was so afraid of losing himself to the tiger, he needed my mind enclosing his, reminding him who he was. As far as I can tell, Emrys didn't need to overwhelm your mind with his. You were ready for the change."

"Neville was afraid?" Dorian asked, never having been told or realizing this before. Though Dorian was the older brother by a few minutes, he had always thought Neville the stronger one, when the truth was they were equally strong.

Demi nodded. "He was very afraid, but so was I," she admitted quietly. "And there are still things that frighten us. But we're stronger together than we were apart."

"I wasn't afraid of the change," he confessed, though she probably already knew that. In fact, he'd been eager for it. But then he'd been sickly and close to death and had seen the change as a kind of cure, a way to stay alive.

"You may look very similar, but you and your brother are not carbon copies of one another." Demi smiled as she spoke. "And that is a very good thing. Your experiences have made you the man you are, the man Seren loves, just as his have made him the man he is."

"But he's good, isn't he?" Dorian asked further. Whether he admitted it very often or not and whether they'd been raised together or not, he had become fond of his brother and loved him even. Once upon a time, they had shared a womb, after all, though neither knew much about their birth parents.

She held his gaze steadily. "He's the best man I've ever known," she said, calm and quiet but filled with certainty. "I am very lucky that he allowed himself to love me."

"He deserves to be happy," Dorian said, with feeling, thinking perhaps Neville deserved happiness even more than he did. "What does he think of being a father?" he asked further, though he could just as easily have asked Neville himself.

Demi laughed tiredly, stroking her fingertips over the little wobbly head in the crook of her arm. "He's delighted, and a little afraid," she told him. "He worries about us, about being a good father, a good teacher. He doesn't need to worry, but every parent does."

Dorian frowned a little, not wanting to admit that he shared those worries. Maybe that was in part why he and Seren hadn't become parents themselves yet. "He'll be a good father," he said, sure of that fact without needing proof.

"As will you, when the time comes," Demi predicted easily. "The simple act of worrying if you will be good, means that you have a better chance of being a good father than someone who doesn't worry."

"What makes you think I worry about it?" Dorian asked, carefully shifting the baby from one shoulder to the other. He'd managed to learn a little bit about babies from Marissa and Emrys in the months since their twins were born, but he was no expert.

"Dorian ....I'm a psychologist," she reminded him gently. "I can read body language and expression, even without recognising the tension in your scent. I do not doubt that you and Seren will start your own family, but in your own time. There is no rush."

"I guess I do worry about it a little," Dorian admitted with a small frown as he looked to the small, helpless bundle nestled against his shoulder. "I didn't really ..." He broke off. "I mean, I never really had a father figure."

"You don't need a father figure to be a good one yourself," she assured him. "It might help a little, but you have friends and family around you, some of whom have their own children and can also set an example. It's a learning curve, for everyone. And everyone makes mistakes."

"I guess," Dorian admitted, not really sure. There had been a time when he hadn't thought he'd make a very good husband either, but he'd proved himself wrong. Why not a father, too' "I know one thing for sure ....I would never abandon my children, no matter what."

"You'll be a wonderful father, Dorian," she promised him. "Not an exact copy of anyone, but your own man. And it will happen. I have no doubt about that."

"Thanks, Demi," Dorian said with a faint smile, hoping she was right, though he didn't have to worry about that right now. He and Seren hadn't really discussed having children yet, though both their siblings had beat them to it.

"And clearly you are a wonderful uncle, because the noisy one you have there hasn't offered a peep yet," she added, nodding to her son in his arms, who was awake and had apparently been so for some time. Unfocused blue eyes gazed up at the familiar unfamiliarity of Dorian's face.

"Noisy one?" he echoed, looking to the little one on his shoulder. He'd had no idea the newborn was awake, as he'd seemed as content as, well, a kitten.

"Any opportunity to make a fuss, he makes it," Demi told him in amusement. "And yet look at him now ....awake for at least five minutes, and quiet as a lamb. I think he has a favorite. Just don't tell Neville."

For some reason, when Neville said this, Seren blushed and hurriedly turned away, placing the world's most enthusiastic order for pizza with every meaty topping she could think of.

Demi bit her smiling lip, finishing up her own diaper. "There now, messy boy," she said cheerfully. "Think I should save Uncle Dorian from your wriggly sister?"

"I think she's doing it on purpose," Dorian said with an exasperated sigh as he tried and failed to get a diaper on her, as she kept kicking her legs at him. Thankfully, he didn't notice Seren's blush. Neville did, but all he did was smile and pluck his son up and settle him on his shoulder.

"She enjoys the attention," Demi told Dorian in amusement. "Here, have a clean warm boy. I'll swap you for little miss trouble there."

"She enjoys having her diaper changed?" Dorian asked, confused. He'd thought babies mostly liked being fed and cuddled, more than being changed. It didn't seem like much fun to him, anyway.

"You have to make it fun," Neville interjected, letting Demi demonstrate.

Making it fun, it seemed, involved blowing raspberries on the baby girl's bare tummy, tweaking her nose, and making ridiculous noises, all to distract her from wriggling around while Demi quickly finished up the diaper change. In fact, Penelope seemed genuinely surprised when she was lifted up, fully dressed, and cuddled close.

Demi flashed Dorian a grin. "She's a nightmare, but a fun one."

Dorian's jaw dropped open as he watched the master at work. "That's amazing. How do you do that?" he asked, clearly impressed with Demi's skill at diapering a wriggling baby. Of course, she'd had a little more practice than him.

"By being so tired I don't care how ridiculous I look anymore," she told him with slightly brutal honesty, jostling her daughter on her shoulder. "I hope your mate remembers to order sides. I'm craving onion rings as well as meat today."

"I'll, uh, I'll tell her," Dorian replied, feeling a little awkward again as Demi drew attention to her looks. He wandered off to find Seren and make sure she ordered onion rings, with one baby boy still propped against his shoulder.

"What was all that about?" Neville, leaned in to whisper, noting his brother's odd behavior.

Leaning against Neville's side, Demi smiled faintly. "I think your brother might have seen a few of those catalogues I'm in," she suggested. "He may be having difficulty getting his mind off the fact that he's seen me in underwear."

Some men might have been offended or angry or even jealous at that bit of information, but Neville had known about Demi's past and it had never bothered him so long as men didn't bother her or ogle her in public. But his own brother" He couldn't help but find that amusing, chuckling a little her explanation. "Well, too bad for him. You belong to me," he reminded her, leaning close to touch a kiss to her lips. Besides, he knew how much Dorian adored Seren, even if he had admired Demi's photo in a magazine.

She grinned up at him, brushing her lips against his affectionately. "He smells of wet dog," she reminded him. "I much prefer your scent." A wobble from the head on her shoulder caught her hard in the chin, making her laugh. "Your daughter is violent!"

"She must take after her mother," he replied, grinning back at her. "Careful, Kitten, or we might end up with another litter on our hands," he warned laughingly. He didn't remark on what his brother smelled like or that he was technically lupine, not canine. It was minor technicality.

Demi laughed softly, touching her brow to his shoulder. "Not unless I go into heat prematurely, darling," she reminded him, not without some relief. The idea of having more babies to deal with right now was terrifying.

"Thank Mother Nature for that," he said, smiling as she rested her head against his shoulder. As much as he loved their little family, three newborns all at once was about all they could handle right now. "So, I guess we better decide on names," he mused aloud as he drew the little one from his shoulder. "What do you think" Are you a Bobby or a Billy?" he asked his son, who only blinked at his father and blew a few spit bubbles.

"What about a Will?" Demi suggested, remembering the ever-shortening short list on the fridge. "Do you think we might have a Tom and a Will here" What do you think?" This last was addressed to their daughter, sucking happily on her fingers as she was cuddled close.

"A Will?" Neville echoed, realizing she meant the name, not the document. They were names that had been added to the list at some point, though no final decision had been made, as they'd decided to wait and see what they ended up with and what names seemed to fit. "I don't know. What do you think?" he asked uncertainly, mulling it over.

Demi tilted her head to look up at him, a faintly amused smile on her face. "That's what I asked you," she pointed out fondly. "There's no rush, sweetheart. We're stilling mulling."

"Thomas and William?" he asked, assuming those would be their official names, calling them Tom and Will for short. "Thomas and William Ashton," he mused aloud, trying the names out to see how they rolled off the tongue. "Any particular reason?"

"I like them?" she offered. A more coherent reason would have to wait until she was operating on more than two hours sleep at a time, but it was good enough all on its own. She grinned up at her husband. "You don't have to say yes."

"Better than Tom, Dick, and Harry, I suppose," he replied with a dimpled smirk that matched his brother's but was more prominent due to a lack of facial hair.

She giggled, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "At least no one will be able to call any of them Dicky," she agreed. "It's not set in stone, love. But it would be nice to be able to call them something more than "the boys"."

"No, I don't think we want a Dicky," he agreed, with a chuckle. "Why don't we try the names on for size and see what we think" We can always change our minds if they don't fit." He glanced over at Dorian and Seren, who were busy ogling either Tom or Will. "But which is which?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

"Well, do you want to be holding a Willy?" Demi grinned up at him mischievously. "Or tell your brother he's holding a Willy?"

"Will, not Willy," Neville corrected with a scowl. Willy was not better than Dicky, in his opinion, and was slang for the same thing. He sighed. "Maybe William is a bad idea, too."

Her smile faded, a low sigh escaping her lips. "It was just an idea," she said, a little defeatedly. Trying to name their sons was close onto impossible.

He frowned, not wanting to disappoint her. "William is fine. Just not Willy, okay?" he asked, leaning close to brush a kiss against her cheek, a soft smile on his face.

"You know I wouldn't call him Willy," she pointed out quietly. "I just ....I wish this was easier, you know" I feel as though I'm leaving everything to you, and that isn't fair."

"I have an idea," he said, moving to his feet. "Dorian, come help me with something," he called over to his brother, the two of them disappearing into the kitchen for about ten minutes before they re-emerged. Dorian was carrying a coffee cup into which there were several small folded slips of paper.

"Pick two," Dorian said, offering the cup to Demi so that she could pick two slips of paper, each of them bearing a different boy's name from the list they'd tacked on the fridge.

Juggling Penelope so she was nestled in one arm, Demi picked a pair of slips from the little cup, a little bemused by the mens' slightly mischievous disappearance and reappearance. She glanced at Seren curiously, but the other woman seemed just as mystified.

Neville thought it was kind of obvious what they were up to, but even if it wasn't, she'd know as soon as she opened the slips of paper and read what was written there.

"What do they say?" Dorian asked curiously, as anxious to find out what names they were going to decide on as the new parents.

"Re-frame that thought," his wife suggested in a gently teasing tone. "Try if I had a daughter, instead." Her eyes sparkled for a moment before she turned to put the dry plates away.

He arched a brow as his wife's suggestion. He'd thought she wanted to wait, but maybe seeing his brother's children up close and personal had changed her mind. "How about when we have a daughter?" he corrected.

"That'd be nice." After all, what real reason did they have to wait' They had a house, a strong marriage, steady income from her business and his employment with possibly the nicest boss in the city. What better time to consider starting a family of their own"

Dorian studied her silently a moment, forgetting the dishes that were still left in the soapy water. "You're serious," he said, hoping she wasn't just teaasing him.

Green eyes tilted toward him curiously. "Of course I am," she agreed softly. "Aren't you?" Seren might seem like she had her head in the clouds a fair amount of the time, but she knew her own mind.

"Yes!" he insisted vehemently. "I just thought ..." He trailed off again for a moment to reform his thoughts and put them into words. "I thought you wanted to wait," he said, though she hadn't exactly said that.

Leaning her hip against the counter, she met his gaze with gentle eyes. "It's been more than a year," she pointed out softly. "You've settled into the moons, and your place at the Shanachie. My business pretty much runs itself. Are things ever going to be more perfect for starting a family?"

"Really?" Dorian asked, his expression brightening. While Neville had wanted to start a family for a long time, it was Dorian who'd gone in search of his brother and in search of a family, never knowing that search would lead him to Seren. "You're sure?" he asked, needing to be sure himself.

"Dorian." She caught his hands, turning him to face her fully with a wide smile at her lips. "I was ready to have your children the day we met, remember" The delay we decided on was because we had time, and you needed it, to get settled in a life that is very different to the one you were living before we met. Of course I'm sure."

Turned toward her, he met her gaze, studying her face for what had to be the thousandth time. He nodded his head, remembering their first meeting, the immediate connection and the obvious attraction. They'd flirted back and forth practically from the first moment they'd laid eyes on each other. "I remember," he assured her. And now that he was accustomed to the change of the moons and their sway on him, there was no reason to delay anymore. "I'd like to have children, Seren," he admitted, not for the first time. "Whenever you're ready."

She beamed up at him. "I'm ready," she promised. "I really am ready. It's not like being pregnant would instantly mean I couldn't work. I take pictures for a living, not X-rays."

"When do you want to start?" he asked, beaming a happy grin at her. Practice makes perfect, after all, not that their love life was lacking in any way.

She laughed, reaching up to pull him close, brushing her lips to his. "Not in your brother's kitchen," she informed him teasingly, nipping the end of his nose for good measure.

"I think we can wait 'til we get home," he said, chuckling a little at her teasing. "Shall we finish up here and head out before we wear out our welcome?" he asked, settling his hands against her waist and brushing his nose to hers.

"Oh, I think we should," she agreed impishly, wriggling close to slide her hands down and squeeze his backside. "After all, I have something very important I want you to do, and it really should happen in our bed. Because I don't think we're going to want to get up once we get started."

He chuckled at the way she grabbed his rear, pulling her closer. "Hmm, I can't imagine what that something might be," he said, eyes bright with amusement. Actually, he had a pretty good idea what she was suggesting, but it was too much fun teasing her.

"Honey, if you can't even imagine it, you're in for one hell of a night," she giggled, kissing the cute cleft in his chin before drawing back. "C'mon, before one of them wakes up and we have to pretend we're not horny teenagers again."

"I'm pretty sure they're as horny as we are ....or will be when they're aren't so exhausted," Dorian said, smiling down at his pretty wife, before letting her go so they could finish cleaning up and go home.

"Difference being, they don't have to use protection unless she's in heat," she pointed out in amusement. "Cats have it so easy compared with the rest of us." Not that she was complaining.

"We don't need to use protection if we're trying to start a family," Dorian reminded her. He knew the biology of it was a little different for them now that they weren't entirely human, but he still wasn't entirely sure how it all worked.

"Exactly." Seren winked at him, patting his rear as she passed by behind him to open up the cutlery drawer and put away the now clean forks and spoons.

He smirked as she patted his rear again, making a mental note to repay her when they got home, as he drained the water in the sink and helped her finish putting the dishes away. It was going to be an interesting evening.