Elise laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'd best be going home and putting our dinner on, then, hadn't I?" she said cheerfully. "Jodie's just finishing up with the Taylors herself."

Mara smiled gratefully to her dearest friend. "We'll be along in a few minutes," she promised, glancing down at Rob. "Unless you two made plans we don't know about yet?"

Rob lifted his brows, before turning to give Maggie a questioning look that silently asked if they'd made any plans for the evening. He was more curious than excited about the newest additions to Brambles Orchard, but he had a feeling they weren't going to get to see much tonight.

Maggie looked curiously up at her own mother. "Can Rob come and have dinner tomorrow night?" she asked, knowing not to push her luck with tonight.

Marin smiled affectionately down at her. "So long as Rob's parents don't mind, he is always welcome to dinner with us, sweetheart."

There was a lot of coming and going between the two families for Rob and Maggie, almost as if they belonged to both families, as welcome with one as with the other. They'd been best friends for years, ever since they'd first met, almost inseparable at times, but not quite the same as siblings. Rob had burgeoning feelings for Maggie that he didn't quite understand, feelings he worked hard to keep to himself. All he knew was that he was happy when he was with her and that he loved her in an entirely different way than he loved his family. "Can I, Mama?" he asked, turning eyes as blue as his father's on his mother, hopefully.

Mara's smile softened at the hope on his face. "Of course you can, sweetheart," she assured him. "But for now, you need to take me home before my feet freeze."

Marin chuckled, glancing over her shoulder to where Elise was already disappearing down the lane toward the Mallory's home. "I suppose we should think about feeding you, too, hmm?" she suggested, looking down at Maggie, who grinned back at her just as hopefully.

"See you tomorrow, Maggie!" Rob told his friend, just as he did nearly everyday, except when one of them wasn't feeling well or was off on an outing with their family. The shy, timid boy who had arrived in Rhy'Din a few years ago was slowing growing into a happy, confident teen and Maggie and her family were at least partially responsible.

With hands waving warmly back and forth and voices calling out their good nights, no one noticed Jodie quietly leaving the Taylor cottage with a smile on her face, drawing the door shut in her wake to let the new parents come to terms with their suddenly enlarged family.

In the main bedroom, Jess lay on her side, two tiny babies swaddled and laying on the wide bed between her and Will, weary but smiling. "We did it, darling."

Will had been a nervous wreck through it all, but now that the babies were born and Jess was doing well, he could relax a little and not worry so much. He knew Jess was tired - she'd had a long day of pain and pushing - but he was determined to help as much as he could. "You did it," he corrected, reaching for her hand. "I love you, Jess, and I'm gonna do everything I can to take care of you and our boys."

With her thick hair braided and thrown over her shoulder, and a clean nightdress hiding the interesting bruises that birthing twins had given her, Jess did look tired but no more than that. Her fingers entwined with his over the gentle squirm of their sons. "I did not do it alone, Will," she reminded him fondly. "They're your sons, too. And it will not be so long before I am up and about again, you will see."

"You are the one who birthed them, though," he pointed out. In his estimation, she was the one who deserved all the credit. After all, she had carried them inside her for the last nine months and had just endured hours of pain in birthing them. It didn't seem fair that he had been unable to do anything to help but give her moral support. The least he could do was provide for them and help where he could.

She laughed wearily, tucking her head down onto her bent arm as her eyes drifted down to the twin boys between them. "And you will be as active a father as it is possible to be," she reminded him. She was grateful that Marin had insisted on giving them that powdered formula stuff, and teaching them how to mix it up. That was going to make life a lot easier for the new parents. "But I will not allow you to destroy yourself because of me."

"Destroy myself?" he echoed, brows arching upwards. "Why would I do that?" he asked, unsure what she meant by that. He wanted to help as much as he could, but he wasn't planning on killing himself doing it.

"By working yourself into the ground trying to do everything," she pointed out to him with a fond smile. "I may be a little weak for a few days, but that is no excuse to keep me in bed, or to prevent me from doing what little I can do when I am awake. I may have to put my foot down if you attempt to argue with me."

"I want to help, Jess," he insisted, not only wanting to help, but needing to help. His father had walked out on his mother when she'd needed him most, and though he had nothing to prove to her, maybe he needed to prove to himself that he wasn't going to be like his father.

"I am not saying you shouldn't," she told him. "Only that you should not feel you must do it all. We can help each other, Will." Her fingers, still tangled with his, squeezed tenderly. "And we can start by giving them names."

"That's all I want," he agreed, smiling as she gave his hand a squeeze and turned his attention back to the two small lives they had created together. Names had been something they'd talked about but had never really made a final decision on, and he frowned thoughtfully at the realization that they couldn't delay that much longer. "I don't want them named after my father or me," he told her.

Jess bit her lip. She had been hoping to give one of them William as a second name, but he sounded very certain of that. "Then we shan't," she promised. "Nor shall we name either after my father, or my grandparents."

"We could name one Jesse, after you," he suggested with a grin, though he had a feeling she'd veto that. It wasn't so much that he didn't like his name as it was that he didn't want either of his sons to think they were better or more favored than the other just because they bore their father's name. "But I think we should give them their own names," he added. Names that belonged only to them.

She laughed her soft laugh. "You made that up," she accused him affectionately. "If it is a real name, then perhaps a second name for one, but only if the other were allowed to have William for his second name. If it is not a real name, then I feel I should have to punish you for suggesting it." Her smile widened, warm and sweet despite her weariness.

"No, it's a real name! Haven't you ever heard of Jesse James?" he asked, before realizing that she had been born on the other side of the pond and possibly even before the outlaw had become famous. He paused a moment to consider the rest of what she'd said, which made perfect sense. "All right, but we still need first names."

"Should I have heard of ....him' It is a him, I presume?" she asked in amusement. Between them, the twins fussed a little, one wiggling his head as the other kicked in his blankets. "Oh, now, boys, shhh ..." She looked back to Will. "We definitely need to give them names. And possibly put a sign on them saying which is which."

"Only until we get to the plane," he pointed out, logically. He turned his attention back to the newborns, noticing how the one he'd named seemed to be getting a little fussy again. "They do that a lot, I'm told," he said, pausing in thought a moment. "Well, I guess we have to learn how to do this sooner or later!" he added with a cheerful grin. "Do you want to take one and I'll take the other?"

"That might be best," Jess agreed softly, though she was visibly wincing just at the thought of sitting up again. "Jodie did say we should try to keep them eating and sleeping at the same time, or we will never get any rest." She gently tweaked Patrick's nose, laughing as Daniel began to complain along with his brother. "Or perhaps they are already on the same schedule."

Will would have happily volunteered to solely take care of both twins, but he wasn't sure how to manage it when they both wanted feeding or changing at the same time, and he frowned at the thought of it. Then again, Jess had warned him against trying to be a hero and do everything himself. "Bottle or ..." he asked, without filling in the blank that was left unsaid.

"Bottles, I think. I'm not entirely sure I have anything in these yet." She blushed just saying that, despite the fact that he was the only person in the multiverse who knew exactly what she was talking about. She was still a product of her time, though she was improving.

"Bottles it is," he said, unsure if he was relieved by that or not. Bottles meant he was able to help, but he knew breast feeding was the more natural way to go. In the long run, so long as their sons were happy and healthy it didn't much matter either way. He leaned over the boys to touch a kiss to her lips before turning and swinging his legs off the bed to move to his feet. "Do these need to be warmed?" he asked as he started toward the door.

"I ....I do not know." Jess frowned worriedly. "If they have been in the cool cupboard, I would say yes, but ....did Jodie say something about leaving two out so they would not be too cold?"

"I think she did," he said, looking around the room and spying the small basket of baby things Jodie must have left for them. Inside were two bottles, all ready to go, carefully wrapped in some sort of cloth to keep them warm. There were other necessities in that basket, too, as if Jodie and Marin had already thought of everything.

As Will investigated the basket that had been left for them, Jess negotiated the uncomfortable business of sitting up and settling herself back against the pillows. They had been promised a visit from Mr. Hale in the morning, but for now, she was just going to have to suffer through the aches and twinges that came from having birthed two healthy boys in one day.

If she had waited, Will would have helped her get comfortable, but by the time her returned to her bedside, she was already sitting up and settled against the pillows. He frowned a little at her, but was a little too distracted with the matter of learning how to feed a newborn to remark on it for now. "Which one do you want?" he asked, setting the bottles and burp cloths on the nightstand.

"The first one to hand, darling," she told him easily, the pain fading as she settled into this position. It was only movement that made her aches flare - that was an encouraging sign. "I'm sorry I can't reach them from here."

"I want to help, Jess," he reminded her, not for the first time and that meant she didn't need to apologize every time she was unable to do things for herself. She had just birthed not one but two babies, and he knew she needed time to rest and heal and regain her strength.

"Darling, you help simply by being here," she answered fondly. "I do not like being bed-bound. My day is usually so full, and yet for the next few days, I may not be able to anything much at all. I am already feeling guilty for not cooking for you today."

"I took care of myself a long time before we met, Jess," he reminded her further. "I reckon I can take care of us both for a while." It wasn't often that the Texan accent came out, but every now and then, he almost echoed Evan Lassiter's drawl. "Shh, now. Your mama is right here, so stop your fussing," he whispered to the twin closest her as he carefully scooped him up into his arms and handed him over.

"And your papa is right here, too," she added, gathering little Daniel into her arms. The baby boy calmed a little at the embrace from both his parents, but Patrick was still fussing, and getting louder by the second. "Shhh, both of you. Papa's doing the best he can."

He took up the bottle and the cloth, handing Jess the bottle, but unsure what exactly to do with the cloth. "Jodie said this is for burping," he told her, having been given a very quick lesson in baby-care before they'd been left alone.

"It goes over your shoulder," she explained, a little better versed in the theory, at least. "It's all right, love, I can do that part for myself. I think your son might never forgive you if you don't at least cuddle him soon." She might well have been right about that - Patrick was screaming, but he was lying on his own with no one in reach. Daniel was silent now he was in her arms.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, reaching over to carefully scoop up the second twin, if only to quiet him down a little before offering him the other bottle. "Shh, hush now. There's nothing to cry about," he whispered as he instinctively cradled the small boy in his arms and rocked him to and fro. "Are you hungry' I bet you are, aren't you?"

As Patrick quieted down, Jess smiled, tilting her head down toward Daniel in her own embrace. Unfocused blue eyes looked back at her, making her smile. "You look like a small person in dire need of a full tummy," she informed the newborn boy, examining the bottle for a moment before pulling the cap off with her mouth. Tipping the bottle up, the weight of the milk inside made a little squirt out, hitting Daniel in the forehead. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

Will chuckled, assuming it was going to take a lot more than a little mis-aimed squirt of milk to harm their boys. They were learning anyway, just like parents had been learning how to care for their children for eons, by trial and error. "I doubt he minds much, Jess, but he'd probably like it better if you aimed for his mouth," he teased.

She primped a little, but laughed. "I am not going to squirt it into his mouth from a distance," she said firmly, looking down at the baby in her arms. "Am I" No, because that would make you a very hungry baby indeed. Open wide." Whether he understood the words or not, Daniel's mouth opened to take the teat, contentedly sucking as Jess felt herself relax.

Will smiled at the sight of his wife feeding their son, who greedily and hungrily took to the bottle without any trouble. It looked simple enough, so far. "Well, now, it looks like your brother is happy. How about you?" he asked, turning his attention back to the one they'd named Patrick, who was wrinkling his nose up at his father, as though he was working up to another screaming fit. Will reached for the remaining bottle and settled himself on the side of the bed, somehow managing to get the cap off before offering the bottle to the newborn.

As the sound of two little mouths greedily sucking away filled the quiet bedroom, Jess felt herself relax back more fully, lifting her head to smile over at Will. "Do you know, I have the distinct impression that we may well have times when we feed them just for a moment's peace in our future," she commented almost teasingly.

"I expect we'll have the happiest, most content twins in the world," he remarked, smiling back at her. Now that the twins were happily sucking away at the bottles and no longer screaming their displeasure, he, too, relaxed a little, feeling a strange sort of contentment wash over him at such simple pleasures as these. It wasn't exactly a happy ending, but it was certainly the start of one.

After everything they had been through to get here, perhaps ending wasn't the right word. Perhaps beginning was a better way to describe this day, of all days. The beginning of the family for which they had yearned for years together was finally here. But beginning or ending, it certainly promised to be happy.