"I think she would love to show you the fairies," the redhead assured her. "And you could meet her dog and her Kneazle, too." She knew she was probably making a few assumptions here, but frankly, Vicki didn't think Piper and Des would mind bringing their family over to the big house for a few hours and having time off from being completely responsible for all of them for a little while. "We'll see what your mummy thinks, but we can invite them over today or tomorrow, easily." Pushing open the door to the kitchen, she blinked as a Cheerio got her right between the eyes. Emily cackled from her high chair.

Daisy's eyes widened again. "She has a Kneazle?" But before Vicki could confirm that claim, Daisy was breaking into a fit of giggles at the look on Vicki's face when that Cheerio hit her in the forehead. She knew throwing food in the kitchen was frowned on, but she just couldn't help herself. "That was funny!"

"Well, now, little miss mischief," Vicki declared, reaching over to pick up a Cheerio from Emily's bowl. She licked it, and stuck it firmly onto her daughter's forehead with a grin. "Serves you right." Lifting Daisy gently up onto a chair, she winked at the little girl. "What would you like to eat, Daisy?"

She giggled again at the playful exchange between Vicki and her daughter. She had met Emily and Benjamin the night before, and though there was a difference in age with her being the eldest, she thought they had already become fast friends. Besides, they made her laugh. She thought the people who lived here liked to laugh a lot - all except the tall man who had tucked her into bed the night before. There was something sad about him, she thought, but she wasn't sure why. "Um ..." She scrunched up her nose again as she was set on the chair, kicking her feet merrily beneath her. "Do you have toast with cimmanom sugar?" she queried, hopefully.

"Hmm ....do we have toast with cinnamon sugar?" Vicki asked Emily and Ben, neither of which had the slightest idea. She chuckled at the blank expressions on their faces. "Of course we do," she assured Daisy. "What would you like to drink with it' We have apple juice, and orange juice, and we have -"

Emily interrupted, banging her cup on the tray of her high chair. "Smoo!"

Vicki snorted with laughter, moving to set up the cinnamon toast. "Yes, we have coconut and banana smoothies as well."

"Yay!" Daisy declared, clapping her hands happily at the thought of cinnamon toast. It was her very favorite breakfast ever. She made a face at the suggestion of a coconut and banana smoothie, though. "Can I just have some orange juice, please?" she asked politely.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." Vicki grinned, flipping on the radio just to give the little girl some background sound to disappear into. Unfortunately, it was playing Hot and Cold, and she couldn't resist wiggling her backside as she boogied to it, dancing about for the children's entertainment.

Daisy giggled again at Vicki's silliness. It wasn't just her mother who danced around the kitchen when she was cooking, it seemed. It wasn't long before her tummy was full of toast and orange juice, and she had been ushered into the bathroom to get dressed. She took pride in the fact that she could mostly dress herself, but combing her hair was always a problem. She knew the pretty lady was busy and really wanted to do it herself, but all she seemed to do was get it all tangled in knots.

Lyneth had deliberately picked out the prettiest clothes she could bear to part with for the little girl staying at the big house. As Daisy dressed herself, Vicki went in search of reinforcements, a little overwhelmed with two smalls and a bigger small, especially now Ben and Emily were out of their high chairs. Thankfully, the main hall of the house was more than big enough to offer a challenge to the pair.

Hauled inside, Dom found himself pushed bodily into the bathroom with Daisy as Vicki grinned at them. "I need to catch my naughty dumplings and put them somewhere they can't make trouble," she explained to Daisy gently, "and I'll look in on Mummy while I'm doing that. Dom's going to help you with your hair, okay?"

Daisy nodded obediently, sniffling back tears of frustration when she realized she was going to get some help with her hair. It was the only part of getting dressed she hadn't yet mastered. She could even tie her shoes, but combing her own hair was just a little too hard for a five-year-old. "Okay," she replied agreeably, wiping her nose with a hand, tears shining in her big brown eyes.

Left with the little girl, Dom seemed a little at a loss for a moment. He looked down at Daisy, offering a slightly helpless smile. "Shall we go out into the garden?" he suggested, crouching down to see if he could lessen his loom a little. He knew he was a big man, after all. "So you can watch Cosmo running around like a looney toon while I do your hair?"

"Can we?" she asked, looking up at him with large doe eyes. She'd been dying to go outside and play with Cosmo ever since she'd seen him in the garden. "He won't bite, will he?" she asked, sniffling again and looking up to him with a hopeful and trusting look in her eyes. "Mummy puts it in piggytails, but you can do what you want," she added, trusting him completely, at least with her hair.

"No, he won't bite," he promised her, offering her his hand. "Let's see if we can sneak out without Vicki telling me off." He winked at Daisy, eyes sparkling with mischief, and dropped into an awkward crouch, doing the worst impression of a sneaking ninja there ever was. He even checked the kitchen before they went in, sweeping Daisy up under one arm, and running through behind Vicki's back, all the while making ridiculously loud shushing noises.

She giggled at his sneaking, though she wasn't quite sure what he meant by her telling him off. "You're a bad sneaker!" she scolded him, squealing with laughter as he swept her up and darted outside. He was nothing like the bad men. They had been mean and covered her head so that she couldn't see and it had been dark and she was scared of the dark. She waved to Vicki behind his back as he darted outside with her. "Bye, Mrs. Vicki! We're going to play with Cosmo!"

"What was that?" Vicki played along, spinning about in place. "Who's there?"

Laughing, Dom settled Daisy down onto her feet on the grass, dropping himself to sit on the steps leading down. "Well, that was fun," he said cheerfully. "I know, I have really smelly sneakers. Don't sniff them, it'll make your nose turn inside out." Grinning down at her, he started to gently draw the comb through her hair, starting at the bottom. He'd done this for Gwen a few times, but it was different with a child. More fun, somehow.

"Your nose can't turn inside out, silly!" Daisy scolded him again with another giggle. "And I think you smell nice," she added, turning her back to him so that he could start combing her hair from the back the way her mother always did. "This is a happy place. Mummy says you can always tell when a place is happy because the people there laugh a lot." He couldn't see the frown on her face because her back was turned, but he could likely hear it in her voice as she went on. "I wish Mummy laughed more."

"The bad men won't find you again." Quite why he'd promised that so instinctively was a little beyond Dom to explain, but he felt absolutely certain he would stand by that promise in the days and weeks to come. Of course, that would involve convincing Elle that staying put was the best idea, which might take a little work ....As he considered this, Cosmo snuffled Daisy's outstretched fingers, his tongue lolling out to lick her as his tail thumped against the grass.

Daisy frowned a little at the talk of the bad men, but thankfully, Cosmo distracted her from those thoughts by licking her hand. "He licked me. Does that mean he likes me?" she asked, turning a curious gaze to Dom.

He raised a brow above his smile, glancing between the happy dog and the curious child. "Why don't you ask him?" he suggested with a gentle chuckle. "He's a pretty smart cookie. I bet if you throw the ball, he'll bring it back to you."

She considered that a moment, wondering if Mr. Dom was just teasing her or if Cosmo was really that smart. "I saw you playing with him before. It looked fun," she remarked quietly and thoughtfully, a little afraid for some reason. "You won't leave me here alone, will you?" she asked, turning to look at him with those big brown eyes of hers, trusting and innocent and with just a hint of fear.

"Now why would I leave a beautiful little princess like you out here all on her own with a fearsome beast like this?" As Dom said this, Cosmo bounced up onto his feet, slipped, and fell over, legs flailing wildly. Some fearsome beast.

"And I have Princess Leia hair!" she declared with a happy grin, bursting into a fit of giggles at Cosmo's antics. "He's funny!" She suddenly found her courage and slipped off Dom's lap to dash after the ball, picking it up and tossing it as far as she could. "Catch, Cosmo!"

The collie bounded after her, overtaking to snap the ball out of the air and run around like a looney before bringing it back, dropping it at her feet with wide eyes and a hopeful expression. Dom chuckled as he watched, stuffing the left over bands and bobby pins back into his pocket. It was good to see the little girl happy after such a shocking experience.

It was a good thing they were keeping her so busy, so that she didn't have time to think about what had happened over the last few days. She might wake up with nightmares in the night, but so long as the sun was shining and she was surrounded by people, she had little time to think about the bad men who'd tried to hurt her and her mother. She laughed at Cosmo and clapped her hands, before picking up the ball to toss it again. Cosmo was only too happy to play along and to have a new friend to play with.

"I see you're making friends with my daughter," Elle said as she stood in the doorway watching her little girl laugh and play, like a proper child should.

Surprised by the sound of her voice behind him, Dom rose to his feet, turning to look at Elle with a gentle expression in his eyes. "I was conscripted," he admitted, a little ruefully. "I hope you don't mind. I assume Vicki thought it better not to wake you up when she fetched Daisy down for her breakfast."

"No, of course not," she replied, pushing her way out into the yard. She had showered and was wearing a pair of Vicki's jeans and a t-shirt, which fit surprisingly well, her hair still damp from the shower and hanging loosely about her shoulders. She had a cup of coffee in one hand, proving what Daisy had said earlier about her mother's preference for the stuff true, despite her being English. "I hope she isn't too much trouble," she said, tucking a bit of damp hair behind an ear in an almost nervous gesture. "I suppose I owe you an apology for last night. I was a little rude. I'm sorry."

"No, she's no trouble at all," he heard himself say, despite not having witnessed Vicki's slightly wild-eyed look when she'd somehow managed to end up doing breakfast for all three smalls in the house at once. "She seems a little shy, but that's to be expected." He paused, glancing about, and gestured for Elle to join him at one of the tables set out on the patio. "You have nothing to apologize for," he told her firmly. "You were recovering and it was a lot to take in. It's forgotten."

"Recovering," Elle echoed with a short laugh. "Does one ever recover from something like this?" she asked doubtfully before taking a seat at the table with a quiet, "Thanks." She turned to watch Daisy playing in the grass and smiled faintly. "She looks happy. I haven't seen her that happy in a long time," she said, with a pang of guilt and regret.

Easing down into a seat himself, Dom watched as Daisy ran about with Cosmo, smiling at the bright giggles that filled the garden. "She's a good girl," he said quietly, complimenting the mother as much as the child with those words. He looked to Elle, considering her question. "I'd say ....yes, you will recover, but no, you won't forget. I meant what I said last night, even if I was an idiot in expressing it. I'd like to help you find some kind of safe normality for yourself and for Daisy, if you'll let me."

"She's an angel," Elle replied quietly, turning back to Dom. "And just how do you propose to do that?" she asked, more curious than anything else. He had already told her he planned on entrapping the men who were after them so that they couldn't hurt her again, though he had not yet explained how he intended to do so. She got the feeling he was talking about doing even more than just that. She took a sip of her coffee as she awaited his answer.

Rubbing his hand against the back of his neck, Dom seemed a little embarrassed as he spoke now. "Well ....I had thought to help you find a job here, somewhere to live," he offered awkwardly. "As a professor attached to the museum, I have a lot of contacts I can call on to find you something you would actually be interested in, people who would have a use for your skill set without asking you to do anything illegal or dangerous." He glanced at Elle, expecting her to shoot down the idea entirely, or at least argue with the notion that she needed help at all.

"Something that's not waitressing or cleaning other people's toilets, I assume," she remarked with a bit of a blush. "I'm sorry about that. I tend to get a little defensive, I guess. It's been a long time since anyone's ..." She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid, as if she was afraid of going too far.

"Since anyone's cared enough to try?" he asked gently. "I meant it. The museum would take you, most likely as an assessor for the jewel pieces that are donated. As far as I know, there's an entire vault there filled with pieces that haven't even been valued, much less researched and accredited. Or if that doesn't appeal to you, there are other routes you could take. There's no reason to be on the run."

"Something like that," she replied, glancing at her cup so that she didn't have to meet his gaze. "You don't understand, Dominic," she said, choosing to call him by her first name for once, though the more formal version of it. "I'm a thief. What museum is going to take a chance on someone like me" No one is going to trust me, and why should they?"

"Elle, this is Rhy'Din," he reminded her quietly. "It isn't Earth, it isn't the world you seem most familiar with. There are former thieves, murderers, fraudsters, in high ranking jobs across the city, because they have the skills those jobs need. One of the men who put together the history of medicine and anatomy exhibit at the museum used to be a body-snatcher. Don't define yourself with the word 'thief' - look at the skills you have because of that phase in your life, and apply them."

"Why do you care so much?" she asked, out of the blue. "And please don't tell me it's because it's the right thing to do. I broke into your apartment. I intended to rob you. I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you," she added with a smile. "Is it because of Daisy?" she asked, turning to look at her daughter again. "She's worth more to me than all the emeralds in the world."

"I promise I'll eat whatever it is and pretend that I like it, even if I don't," Elle reassured him with a smile. After all, pancakes were still better than going hungry. When had she become so picky' As it happened, Cosmo had followed Daisy and Vicki inside, as if deciding it was his job to look after his new charge, leaving Dom and Elle alone for the moment.

"You had better, or I might end up having to do your hair to cheer up your little miss in there," he pointed out through a wry smile. Shaking his head in amusement at that thought, Dom leaned back comfortably, stretching his legs out beneath the table. "Vicki suggested inviting another cousin and his family over at some point today or tomorrow," he warned Elle gently. "Not to overwhelm you with people, but to give Daisy someone close to her own age to spend some time with. I daresay Des and Piper will hand their newborn over to Jon and pass out for a few hours while the little girls socialize."

She arched a brow at him, curling both hands around her coffee cup as she surveyed him. "Would you have me dress in a skimpy slave costume, as well, Mr. Granger?" she teased, the barest hint of a smirk on her face before he continued. "This family seems a bit ....prolific," she said, for lack of a better word, except for him anyway. It had not escaped her attention that he had not remarried.

His jaw dropped for a moment before he recovered himself, though not before his gaze swept her down and up at that mental image she had conjured for him. "That, ma'am, is one hell of a tease," he informed her pointedly, clearing his throat before continuing. "Prolific is one way of putting it," he agreed in amusement. "Sometimes a little too many of them, but it's good to have family available."

Her smile faded and she turned serious. "My life has not been very conducive to forming friendships, I'm afraid, but it would be good for Daisy to make some friends." She turned the cup between her hands, as though she was a little nervous. She made no comment regarding family, having none for her daughter. Of course, she wasn't spawned. "I thought we were going to wait until tomorrow to exchange life stories," she pointed out.

"Hopefully your life will change for the better now," he suggested, shrugging lightly as she pointed out the fact that he had said today was not the day for such conversations. "You're very welcome here, Elle. And as for tomorrow ....you're right. So what would you and little miss sunshine in there like to do today?"

"I suppose going shopping is out of the question," she replied with a teasing grin. In point of fact, all of her and Daisy's possessions had been lost, but they were still alive and they still had each other - everything else could be replaced. For now, it seemed they were relegated to hand-me-downs. It was a little ironic to a woman who had gone from rags to riches and back again. "If I tell you the truth, will you promise not to laugh?"

He raised his brow curiously, not even bothering to rise to the shopping comment. The idea of walking through the Marketplace with the pair of them today was too huge to even contemplate. Instead, he tilted his head, looking at Elle with gentle curiosity. "I doubt very much that I will laugh at anything you say to me, unless you mean me to."

"That little girl in there hasn't had much of a chance to be a little girl lately. You ask me what I'd like to do ....All I really want is to see her smile. So, I'm wondering if you'd like to go on a picnic with us. What do you think of that?" she asked, with an infectious smile. The beauty of the idea was that they could go on a picnic and never even leave Maple Grove.

It was such an innocently charming idea that Dom found himself smiling along without a second thought, impressed that all she wanted was to see her daughter smile, but a little concerned that she didn't seem to want anything for herself. "I think that is an inspired idea," he nodded to her warmly. "And I do believe we should steal Cosmo when we go, too, since he and Daisy seem to have bonded together."

"Borrow," she corrected, smiling a little at the irony of his statement. "There will be no stealing today." She quieted a moment, wondering if she should ask him the question that was prying on her mind, or whether she should wait until she knew him better - if she ever knew him better.

"Babysit," he corrected her further with a teasing chuckle of his own. Relaxed back against the chair he sat in, he looked out over the garden, resisting the urge to look at her once again. She was the most beautiful view there, but Dom wasn't quite as confident in that respect as most people seemed to think he should be. "Would you like Daisy to meet Lyneth?" he asked suddenly. "Or would you rather she didn't, for now?"

She had no way of knowing how confident he was with women, though she had a feeling he was a little afraid of losing someone again, just as she had lost Daisy's father. Still, she wasn't asking him to spend the rest of his life with her - only to go on a picnic. She arched a brow, noticing how he looked past her, rather than at her and wondered if he'd rather not, but if that was the case, why was he laughing" "Honestly' Yes, I would. She needs friends her own age, and it's about time we put down some real roots somewhere. Would you mind if that place is here, Dominic?" she asked, curiously and a little pointedly.

He eyed her in amusement. "Haven't I already said so?" he pointed out to her warmly. "I want to keep you under my eye, Elle. I'd like to help you find a place to settle down, a job you love, peace and safety for Daisy ....and I'm selfish enough to want to be able to see all of that on a regular basis. Perhaps I might even ask you to dinner, if it pans out the way I hope."

"Really?" she asked, brows lifting in surprise, the hint of a smirk on her lips. "Why is that selfish, Dom' So far, you've been anything but selfish, in my opinion. Is it selfish to want a little happiness out of life" I don't think so. Everyone deserves to be happy. Besides, I already beat you to it. I asked you out first," she added, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. "You didn't think I just asked you along to be nice, did you?"

To his everlasting embarrassment, he felt himself blush at her unexpected flirtation. He hadn't made much of it last night, when she'd been frightened and then tired, but in the light of day, it was hard to miss. Clearing his throat nervously, he rubbed his neck, glancing at the kitchen door as though expecting someone to come out and rescue him. "I ....have no answer to that," he admitted honestly, his smile more than a little rueful. "You have rendered me speechless, congratulations."

She chuckled, clearly amused by his reaction and reached over to pat his hand - the first time she had touched him, other than the kiss on the cheek she'd given him the day before. "Don't feel too bad. I seem to have that effect on men." It was just a brief touch and then she was taking another sip of her coffee, scrunching up her nose, just like Daisy had a habit of doing, when she found it had gotten cold.

"It's been a long time since I've let a woman have that effect on me," he admitted quietly, watching as she scrunched her nose. "That is rather adorable, you know. Nice to see that the beauty has a few cute flaws to play with." For just a moment, guilt touched his expression as he realized he was openly flirting with someone for the first time since Gwen had died. But it was only a moment, replaced with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Flaws?" she echoed, smiling back playfully. "What flaws would those be? I thought I was perfect," she teased back. She noticed his smile falter, if only for a moment and guessed where his thoughts had gone. Her own thoughts had gone that way, too, once or twice, but she wasn't dead yet and neither was he. "Do you really think they'd want us to live the rest of our lives alone? Life goes on, Dom. The vows are until death do us part. You can either let her go or spend the rest of your life grieving for someone you can never bring back. It's your choice. Just for the record, I'm not asking you to marry me. It's just a picnic." She smiled warmly to try and soften the harshness of her words, but maybe he needed to hear it.

Elle arched a brow at the two of them. She had not heard anything about a Kneazle, though having read all the Harry Potter books to her daughter, as well as seeing the movie, she was aware of what one was, in theory, anyway. She assumed he was teasing her daughter and that Lyneth simply had a cat for a pet, but she had never been one to burst her daughter's bubble. Despite everything that had happened, the child was still innocent, and Elle was in no hurry to spoil that.

"Oh, Mummy! Can we" That would be so much fun! I'm going to go ask Vicki if we can take Cosmo with us!" And with that said, she darted away to look for Vicki inside the big house before Elle or Dom changed their minds.

Dom laughed as the little girl darted away, a little nonplussed by how very enthusiastic she seemed to be about everything and everyone. "I thought Lynnie was hyperactive," he mused. "We could end up exhausting ourselves with both of them around." Not that this prospect seemed to bother him too much. He looked back to Elle with a low chuckle. "Well, Mummy' Shall we ask my cousins if we can borrow their daughter for the afternoon?"

"I don't see how we can say no now," she replied with a light laugh and a blush to her cheeks, averting her gaze in hopes he might not notice and turning her attention to her breakfast. It was his calling her Mummy that had brought that blush to her cheeks, as though he was taking the part of the Daddy role. It wasn't an unpleasant thought, and that was precisely why she'd blushed. She cleared her throat as she picked at her eggs, laughing nervously. "This is more food than I usually eat in an entire day!" That was a bit of an exaggeration, but hopefully, it diverted his attention from her blush.

Oh, he'd seen her blush, and he had a feeling it was because of the way he had addressed her. He'd had second thoughts the moment the word left his lips, but decided to follow through with it anyway. She seemed to like teasing him too much to let him get away with stumbling over his words, so why not commit' Besides, he'd gotten a blush out of her because of it. "Well, you'll have to eat as much as you can, or the little cook might not ever forgive you," he teased her cheerfully, drawing his phone from his pocket. "Let me call Piper, and we'll set something up for this afternoon."

"At least it's edible. The last time she made me breakfast, I nearly broke a tooth!" she told him, keeping her voice low so that Daisy wouldn't overhear. "I guess it's a date then," she told him, with a teasing smile, peeking up at him from beneath a fringe of dark lashes. It wasn't a true date, but she thought it would do them all some good to have a little fun for a change. She quieted, turning her attention to her breakfast so he could make his phone call.

"Sure about that?" This time it was Dom performing the more overt tease, his own grin sparkling as he rose to his feet. "That only gives you two more dates before you have to put out, you know." He winked at her rather wickedly, punching in his cousin's number as he stepped away to make that call.

She looked up at him with something like shock on her face at that very unexpected remark. She got the feeling he was teasing her, but she had to admit the prospect wasn't an unpleasant one. She likely would have replied with some cheeky remark of her own, if he hadn't chosen that moment to step away and make that phone call. No matter what happened, she had decided that Dominic Granger was a very interesting man.

A few minutes later, he was back, sitting himself down with a rather satisfied smile on his face. "Piper trusts us," he informed Elle with a chuckle. "I should probably warn you that Lyneth is half-Fae, though. Magic and fairies are her thing - she'll probably have Daisy utterly enthralled for hours on end."

"Piper trusts you," Elle wisely pointed out. She had nearly finished breakfast while he was making his phone call and was sipping her coffee while she waited and enjoying the tranquility of the garden. "Half-Fae?" she echoed, arching a dubious brow. Then again, this was Rhy'Din and just about anything was possible here. She'd read her fair share of fairytales, but she had never thought she might come face to face with them.

He nodded, smiling at her skepticism. "Just keep an open mind," he suggested warmly. "Otherwise you may end up in an earnest debate about fairies and why it is so very important to believe in them." Something about the resigned way he said this suggested he'd been tricked into one of those conversations himself.

"Is this where you sprinkle me with fairy dust and ask me to think wonderful thoughts?" she teased, that smirk appearing on her face again as she watched him over her coffee cup.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Be careful of saying that around Lynnie, she might find a way to do it," he warned her cheerfully, fairly sure she wouldn't believe a word of it until that imp of a little girl had proved every bit of it was true.

"Would it be such a bad thing to find you could fly?" she countered, that smile still on her face, though she hardly believed it possible. The part about the fairies" She'd believe it if and when she saw it. "Well, I should probably help Vicki with the dishes and see about a picnic basket."

Dom looked surprised and, perhaps, just a little cornered. "Am I on Daisy duty, then?" It wasn't that he didn't like the little girl, but the idea of being put in sole charge of her while her mother was awake and able to do it for herself was more than a little daunting.

"No, of course not," she replied with another laugh, sensing his discomfort. "You're on Lyneth duty. I can handle Daisy. Give me an hour or so to get ready?" she asked, assuming he'd have to go pick up his niece or maybe they were dropping her off. She hadn't gotten all the details. "That's very cute of you, Dominic. The look of panic on your face when you asked that."

"And that's so much better," he muttered under his breath, moving to his feet with a smaller smile. He should go and shower, at the very least, knowing Lyneth certainly wouldn't be above commenting on his smell after a night spent in the same clothes. He eyed Elle for her teasing. "I've not been responsible for small people entirely on my own," he pointed out. "I live in constant fear of dropping them off something."

"Don't be silly. They're people, just like you and me. Just smaller versions." She would have reached over to pat his hand reassuringly but he was already moving to his feet. "You'll be fine. I have faith in you," she told him with a smile. It was a far cry from the night before when she had been tired and frightened and just a little defensive. "It'll be fun," she reminded him again, moving to her feet and taking up the tray. "You know where to find me."

"And if you're not there, I'll hunt you down and bring you back," he added with a chuckle, his hand twitching with the temptation to pat her rear end as she bent to take up the tray. He rather sternly informed himself that was not appropriate, and shoved both hands into his pockets. "After you, ma'am."

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that. It's so formal, and it makes me feel old. My name is Elle. It's short for Elizabeth," she informed him with a small frown, another small piece of the puzzle that was Elle. She would have stood there chatting longer, but the tray was heavy and they had already chatted most of the morning away. "Unless you would like me to continue to call you Mr. Granger," she teased before stepping around him to head back in the house.

"Well, until I know your last name, you're stuck with ma'am every time I want to make a point," he informed her with a certain cheeky glint to his grin, reaching over her head to push the door open for her. "Elle is a beautiful name. Much like the beautiful woman it is attached to."

Elle wasn't stupid by any means. She didn't become a master thief without having some brains in her head. She eyed Vicki suspiciously. "What do you know that I don't?" she asked curiously. The redhead obviously knew something she wasn't telling Elle, but Elle had no idea what it was or what it had to do with something that happened so long ago she hardly remembered it.

"Probably quite a lot," Vicki told her with a certain amount of glee. She turned back to her preparations for lunch, which was finger foods today. She and the children were going to crash Humphrey's study and share. She couldn't help wondering whether or not she should tell Jon about this little development, though; he'd either blab to Dom straight away, or go covert ninja on his cousin. "I'd work on remembering that little detail poking at you, though. It's a big clue."

"I've never been very good at Clue," Elle admitted with a smirk, wondering if some of those finger foods were going into a picnic basket or if she was going to have to raid the Granger refrigerator. "I cheat," she admitted with a grin. That statement alone said a lot about who Elle was. It wasn't that she didn't believe in following rules, but she wasn't afraid to bend them to get what she wanted.

"Oh, believe me, so do I," Vicki laughed. Her own version was wildly unbelievable, of course, unless you'd experienced it for yourself. "What about you, though, Elle" Dom's got all these hopeful plans for you and Daisy, but what do you want?"

"Me?" Elle echoed, shrugging a little. She wasn't one to talk about herself very much and it was rare when someone was interested enough in her life to bother to want to know more. She thought about that for a moment before answering, knowing exactly what it was she wanted, though it might not quite come out sounding the way that she meant it. "Freedom," she replied with very little hesitation. "I want to be able to raise my daughter without looking over my shoulder and worrying about where our next meal will come from."

As a mother herself, Vicki could understand that, her smile softening as she looked at the other woman. "Then I'd say ....maybe it's time to swallow a little of your pride and let someone help you," she suggested gently. "Believe me, I know it's hard to accept even a little help from people who seem so much more privileged. But the Grangers are good people, and they like to help. They - we - would rather you hated us for eternity but were living safe and secure because of our help, than have you refuse any help we can give you out of pride."

"I don't think you have to worry about me hating you," Elle replied reassuringly. "I'm not very good at accepting charity, but I have to think about what?s best for Daisy. The truth is, we aren't quite as needy as we might seem, but unless I can transfer my assets to Rhy'Din, we're as good as penniless." All things considered, it wasn't safe for her to go home and empty her bank account or pack up her belongings just yet, if ever.

Vicki raised a brow. "Is that your only concern?" she asked gently. "Elle, that's easily done. Believe me, I did it myself when I moved here, and Piper still gets an allowance from her parents, who are on a version of Earth that doesn't have any kind of magic at all apart from a single portal that they know of. We can get your assets transferred here within a few days, if you really need it."

"Of course, it's not my only concern, but I don't want to rely on charity forever, and I have a child to think about." She sighed. "Dom seems to think I won't have any trouble finding work. He seems rather optimistic about the whole thing, in fact. I've only been here a few days. I need a little time to figure it all out before I can decide where I want to go from here. Do you understand?" she asked Vicki, not quite answering her original question at all.

The redhead nodded. "I do understand," she promised. "And you just pointed out one of those flaws you couldn't define earlier, too." She grinned, glancing toward the door. "So what?s this I hear about a picnic?"

"Oh ..." Elle smiled at the reminder of the picnic. "That was my idea, I'm afraid. I thought it might be good for Daisy to have a little fun, and it will give Dom and I a chance to get better acquainted." She frowned, realizing Vicki had probably seen right through her. "Is it too obvious?" she asked, nibbling at the corner of her mouth.

"One, never apologize for a good idea," Vicki told her cheerfully. "And two ....it's probably only obvious to me. Don't forget, I've been in the position of getting to know a Granger. I know the signs." She chuckled, setting her prep into a box bound for the fridge. "Besides, if you're going to have Lyneth on board, you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with Dom. She may be a flighty little dumpling, but she's surprisingly responsible. That, and that cat thing that hangs around with her doesn't let her do stupid things anymore."

"Cat thing?" Elle asked, brows arching upwards. "You mean her Kneazle" Dom mentioned him." She wasn't quite sure what she thought of that. She had been in Rhy'Din long enough to know just about anything was possible, but was the cat really a Kneazle or did Lyneth just like to pretend it was" And what was a Kneazle, anyway' "Thankfully, I'm familiar with Hogwarts," she said with a smirk.

"Kneazle, right." Vicki nodded. "I've never read the books or seen the films, so I'm a bit lost on that score. I figured I'd save it for when Emily and Ben are ready." She shrugged, setting her tupperware into the fridge and beginning to pull out various other bits and pieces. "So what are we going for here ....sandwiches, fruit, that sort of thing?"

"I've no idea," Elle replied. "Something the children will like, I suppose. I'm not opposed to peanut butter and jelly myself," she said with a warm smile. One would never know from her easy-going manner that she'd been through any sort of danger less than twenty-four hours before. "So, what?s it like being married to Christian Grey?" she asked, hoping to change the subject and take a little of the attention away from herself.

"Well ..." Vicki surveyed the selection in front of her. "How about do it yourself sandwiches?" she suggested. "We can butter the bread and cut it, and sort out cold cuts and salads and a couple of sauces - there's a picnic set around here with plastic cutlery, so spreading peanut butter and jam wouldn't be a problem. That way, everyone gets to choose what they want, and you get to watch Lyneth construct and then deconstruct her food before she eats it. It's an education."

"Hm. A masterful job of avoiding the question," Elle pointed out with an amused smile. Vicki's suggestion for picnic fare seemed satisfactory, but Elle couldn't help but turn the tables on the other woman a little bit. She laughed at the woman's avoidance of the question. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. You must hear that a lot."

The redhead laughed, rolling her eyes. "I get fan letters addressed to me, asking for intimate details of my sex life," she admitted, snickering. "Never ever tell Jon, but I always reply to them with the same answer. Can't stop to write, too busy in bed."

Elle giggled girlishly at the redhead's reply. "Oh, that's bloody brilliant!" she spluttered, flashing an amused grin. "I think we're going to get along just fine, Vicki. I like the way you think." That was saying a lot, considering Elle hadn't had any real friends in a very long time. She had a habit of keeping mostly to herself, and for very good reasons. Trust was a hard thing to come by.

Chuckling, Vicki found herself more than happy to agree with Elle's assessment of their burgeoning relationship. "You know what? I think you're right," she nodded cheerfully. "But first ....let's see how we get on making lunch. Bread's in the bread bin, cold cuts and salads right here on the counter, tupperware in the cupboard by your knee ....ready, steady, cook!"

Though Elle wasn't much of a cook, she thought she could at least handle a picnic, so long as Vicki was there to guide her. Maybe if she was lucky, Vicki would give her a few pointers in the kitchen. One never knew when one's cooking skills might come in handy, especially when she had a certain gentleman in mind. It wasn't long before the two of them were chatting and laughing together like old friends.

Who would have thought that incidentally getting caught during a jewel heist would have led Elle to this moment within 24 hours? But that was one of the wonders about the Granger family - they might not all get along all the time, they might not all know what each other was up to at any given moment, but when someone needed them, be it friend, family, or stranger, they stepped up. Whether she knew it or not, Elle was going to be backed up by Grangers for a long time to come.

((That turned out LONG! But fun. Many thanks to my partner in crime!))