"I like to think my temper has stood me in good stead all these years," Keira countered with a low laugh, giving him a gentle push. "They should have reached their bedroom by now, you know."

He chuckled at her comment. "You keep me in line," he remarked, brushing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Love you," he told her quietly, reluctant to let her go, but the boys were too little to dress themselves and their mother insisted on them being dressed before breakfast.

"Love you back," she murmured, smiling as she stepped away to get herself ready for the day ahead. She'd rescue him when she was done, so that he could sort himself out as well, but right at this moment, she was pretty sure there was vomit brewing.

After being through this twice before with her, Jamie was familiar enough with morning sickness not to argue. He kissed her once more, just because, before heading for the boy's room, a huge roar as he pushed into the room to get the boy's day underway.

Keira smiled to herself even as she bent over the toilet, listening to the squealing giggles emanating from the boys' bedroom. Life was good. About forty minutes later, the little family was dressed and ready for breakfast, heading toward the stairs down to the communal level of the house. Nate insisted on walking himself, clinging to Jamie's fingertips as he toddled along, still unsteady on his feet at just over one year old.

But Jamie was not only a devoted husband, but father, as well, and Keira didn't need to worry about either of the boys getting hurt so long as he was around. Oh, they might attempt to get into trouble now and then, but Jamie, at least, always seemed to be one step ahead of them. It might not always be that way, but for now, how much trouble could two boys under the age of three get into, after all"

Plenty, as it turned out, but they were generally well-behaved around their grandfather, and their uncle. It was when their parents were trying to have a relaxing afternoon that things got wild. With Freddie tugging on her hand impatiently, Keira laughed, overtaking Jamie and Nate when they reached the bottom of the stairs in their unspoken race to the dining room.

They were going to have "the talk" soon and explain to the boys that their mama was going to have another baby and that they'd have to go easy on her for a while, but it didn't have to happen today. Jamie wasn't sure if Nate would understand, but Freddie was probably old enough to remember when his little brother was born.

"That is not fair!" Jamie complained, half-heartedly behind Keira and Freddie. After all, Nate had littler legs and had only learned to walk a few months ago.

"You're only saying that because you're losing this morning," Keira called back to her husband affectionately. To be fair, they weren't going that fast, but Freddie was definitely steadier on his feet than his little brother.

"Ha!" Jamie exclaimed. "I could easily overtake you both, but Nate is littler than you are," he complained. And Jamie was bigger, by far, than all of them. He could have easily swept the little boy up and won the race, but it didn't really matter to him that much.

"And he made it all the way down the stairs on his own two feet, which is amazing," she responded, giving Freddie a gentle tug. "Isn't it, Freddie?"

The older toddler stopped, looking back at his little brother with a goofy grin. "You done good, Natty."

"Yes, he did!" Jamie agreed, sweeping their youngest son up into his arms. "Good job, Natty! Now, what was it you boys wanted for breakfast again? Waffles and froo?" he asked, mimicking Nate's request. "Froo!" Nate echoed, triumphantly, a silly grin on his face.

"Waffles and froo, it is!" Keira agreed, pushing open the door to the dining room.

As usual, Duke Oliver was already sitting at the head of the table, ensconced in his newspaper and drinking coffee while he waited for them to arrive. He looked up as they entered, smiling his familiar warm smile. "Well now, good morning to you all."

"Morning!" Jamie greeted his father as they joined him in the dining room. He hadn't been much of a morning person before he'd married Keira, but it seemed having a wife and children had changed him.

Letting go of Freddie, Keira turned to the footman who was there to await the breakfast order, greeting him cheerfully before asking him to relay to the cook what the family wanted for breakfast. Jamie didn't need to worry these days about what his wife was going to order for him; she knew he didn't feel the day had started right without meat of some kind. The three year old rushed across the room to his grandfather, claiming his morning kiss and cuddle with a delighted crow.

Jamie chuckled as Freddie went to greet the duke, just as he and Josh had when they'd been children - before their mother had died and the man had sobered a bit. Even then, Oliver hadn't let his boys forget that he loved them and that their mother would have been proud of them.

"Anything interesting in the morning paper?" Jamie asked as he settled little Nate in his high chair, while Keira arranged for breakfast. It was a question he asked every morning, especially now that he was being groomed to take over the duchy someday.

"It looks as though Parliament has voted through the bill to amend the law on imports," Oliver mused, smiling as he kissed Freddie's hair and hefted the boy onto his own booster seat. He winked at Nate as well. "We should be able to negotiate better trade deals now that xenophobic law is ended."

He smirked, though, and passed the paper over to Jamie. The headline blazed out: LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! above a picture of Dru and Josh in royal regalia from the last official function.

Jamie arched a single blond brow. He'd known what was going on in Parliament, but he hadn't expected to see that headline splattered in the newspapers for some time yet.

"Did I miss something?" he asked, knowing his brother's wife wouldn't truly become queen until her uncle either stepped down or passed away.

Oliver grinned. "As of the new year, Tirisano will be a kingdom, rather than a principality," he told his son, absentmindedly pouring juice out for Freddie and Nate as he spoke. "Julius will remain His Serene Highness, the Prince, but when she ascends the throne, Dru will be Queen Claudia. And Josh might become King Joshua."

"King Joshua," Jamie echoed, frowning thoughtfully at his father. "I have to wonder, Father, if you were hoping for this all along," he mused quietly, not quite an accusation. Odd for a brother who'd never wanted anything but to become an actor; it seemed Josh would be performing on the biggest stage in Tirisano.

Oliver's expression gave nothing away, but he was not quite that much of a schemer. "I don't believe anyone could have predicted that Dru would become the heir, much less that she would take control of the government as effectively as she and Josh have," he pointed out. "For the first time in decades, the Parliament is fully representative of the people. Is it any wonder some things are moving fast?"

"Is it any wonder Josh fell in love with Dru?" Jamie countered. He knew his father couldn't control everything - certainly not his son's feelings - but he had arranged it so that the pair came in contact with each other. He couldn't have predicted they'd fall in love, but he had to have been hoping for it.

"I hoped they might find something in each other," Oliver admitted quite freely. "Indeed, Julius was hoping as well. But neither of us could have predicted just how popular the pair of them are, nor how well they have taken to, essentially, running the country."

Rolling her eyes at the surprise that seemed to be on her father-in-law's mind, Keira kept her mouth shut as their breakfast dishes were brought out to them.

To his credit, Jamie wasn't the jealous sort. He was and had always been perfectly happy knowing he'd follow in his father's footsteps as the Duke of Roslae someday. He'd never had any aspirations to be Prince Consort or even King, but at times, it was a little strange to know his younger brother outranked him.

"Josh has acclimated well to the role," he admitted, voicing rare praise for his brother.

"With the import law overturned and amended, he'll be able to start bringing more culture into the country," Keira pointed out, cutting Freddie's waffles for him so the little boy wouldn't cover her in syrup attempting to do it himself.

"Frooo!" Nate demanded, interrupting the adults and kicking his feet in excitement, until his father popped a blueberry into the little boy's mouth to quiet him.

"I will admit, they are doing better than even I had anticipated," Jamie conceded, as he, too, went about cutting a waffle into bite-size pieces.

"I can't help wondering how they're taking that news, though," Keira said, nodding toward the newspaper even as she sipped her coffee. "Becoming the first monarchs of Tirisano since the region was populated on a wave of popular support has got to be intimidating."

"Is it?" Jamie asked, uncertainly, choosing to see it from a different perspective. "Or is it reassuring?" he countered. It seemed that Josh and Dru had the people's support, as well as Parliament's, and they couldn't ask for much more than that.

Keira considered that for a moment. "I hadn't looked at it that way," she admitted. "Which way will they look at it, do you think?"

"I am Josh's brother," Jamie repeated, looking just a little insulted by the implication that he might do something to cause his brother and his brother's wife harm. He huffed at the rest of her statement. "Had I know they were humping like bunnies, I would have happily left them alone," he insisted. That was a sight it had taken weeks of effort - and more than a few bottles of booze - to eradicate from his memory.

"At least try and see it from his perspective, love," she said gently, leaning her shoulder against his, one ear on the burble of chatter from the window. "He never stops you from seeing your brother, after all. And it isn't as though you're the only one who gets checked - everyone does."

"I'm his brother, Keira," Jamie reiterated. "We grew up together," he argued, though that much was obvious. He might not say it out loud, but there was no one he loved more than Josh, save his wife and children.

"And I'm his father," Oliver said, a hint of sternness in his voice. "I have yet to hear myself whine about a good man doing his job to the utmost of his ability just because I share a blood connection with the prince." He eyed Jamie pointedly. "Complaints like this are beneath you, lad, and they demean the people who daily put their lives at risk for the people we love."

"I know that, Father," Jamie said, struggling not to get too defensive. "My point is that I would never do anything to put my brother - or Dru's - life at risk. Ever." In point of fact, there was a good possibility, he'd do the exact opposite and put his own life at risk for them.

"And we know that," Oliver told him. "They know that. Xoren and his team know that. But they have procedures that they must follow, Jamie. There are so many ways you could be used to harm your brother, without ever knowing it. It is not a case of mistrusting you. It is a case of keeping you as safe as they keep Josh."

"Do you think Xoren will begrudge them a visit?" Jamie asked, knowing that was not likely to be the case. He was just feeling a little put out by the fact that he had to go through Xoren first before he could see his brother. It wasn't that he had anything against the man, who was only doing his job, after all, so much as that he missed his brother.

"I highly doubt he will," Oliver said, his tone gentling once again. "He worries about them working too hard almost as much as we do, after all. He's been looking after Dru since she was small."

Keira interjected at this point. "She's still pretty small," she pointed out in amusement.

Jamie let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing as he realized how they all had Josh and Dru's best interests in mind, including Xoren. "Very well. I will agree to suffer the man's scrutiny, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it," he told them, grudgingly.

Keira laughed, kissing his cheek. "You could even try, I don't know, making friends with him," she teased affectionately.

A thump from behind them alerted the adults to the impending wail of shock from Nate, who had just slipped off the window seat onto his padded backside.

Jamie actually scowled at his wife's suggestion. "I'm not sure I want him to scrutinize me that much," he said, turning at the startled wait from Nate and moving over to scoop the little boy up off the floor. "There, now, nothing is broken is it?" he asked, looking his youngest over.

"Natty went plop," Freddie shared, wriggling down from the window seat to toddle closer and make sure his little brother was okay. Keira exchanged an amused smile with Oliver as the Duke rose to his feet. "I should be going if I'm going to visit Roslae and be back for dinner," Oliver announced, bending to kiss both little boys as he squeezed Jamie's shoulder. "Try not to tire yourselves out too much."

"Father," Jamie said, turning to face the man who had raised both him and his brother with love, almost entirely on his own. "Thank you," he said, which was just another way of him telling his father he loved him.

Oliver's smile morphed into a very particular smile that was reserved purely for his sons, a smile Jamie had known since childhood. He squeezed Jamie's shoulder just once more, and turned to kiss Keira's cheek before slipping out of the room.

"Gwanpaw go 'way?" Nate asked, his former mishap forgotten.

Jamie returned his father's smile, something seeming to pass unspoken but understood between the two men. There was no one Jamie respected and appreciated more than his father. The man had always been there for him, and he hoped he could return the favor one day, if he hadn't already.

"Just for a little while, lad. He'll be back in time for dinner," Jamie assured his youngest. "Now, what do you think about a visit from Auntie Dru and Uncle Josh?" he asked the pair.

"Can we play pirates?" Freddie asked immediately. Josh was eventually going to rue the day he had first introduced Freddie to the world of make-believe - it was the boy's immediate desire whenever his "Unca Jos" was around.

"That, my lad, will be up to your uncle," he replied, which was the truth. "But if we are going to have a visit, someone is going to have to invite them," he said. "Can you both be good for your mother while I fetch your aunt and uncle?" he asked the pair further.

Nate nodded happily enough; he was their easy-going baby for the time being. Freddie, on the other hand, looked rebellious for a moment. Keira swooped in with her suggestion for what they could do while they were waiting.

"If you're very good, you can come into the office and draw something spectacular for Auntie Dru and Uncle Josh on the special paper."

"What do you think, Freddie?" Jamie asked, seeing signs of a mild rebellion brewing in the little boy. He was almost too much like himself, he thought, but he was protective of his younger brother, and that was all they could ask for.

The toddler narrowed his eyes as he considered it. "Wiv the eckstar speckle pens?" he asked.

Keira snorted with laughter. "You're going to be an amazing diplomat, young man," she informed him. "Yes, with the extra special pens. If you're good."

The cheer this got turned into an celebratory hug for Jamie, because he was closest.

Jamie chuckled as he was rewarded with a hug he really thought should have belonged to Keira. "I guess that's a yes," he said, smiling over at her. "Now ..." he said, hunkering down in front of Freddie and Nate both as he set the younger of the two on his feet. "You boys be good for your mother, and we'll play pirates later. All right?" he asked, looking from one to the other.

"Yes, Daddy." Beaming, Freddie made the most of his charm by inserting his hand into Keira's and looking innocent. Nate, on the other hand, was too busy chewing his fingers to do more than offer his patented wide-eyed stare in answer.

Jamie drew both boys in for a hug, kissing each one on the top of their blond-haired little heads. "You're good boys, and I love you both," he murmured to the pair. They weren't angels all the time, of course - no child was - but as far as Jamie was concerned, they were good boys, even when they were getting into mischief.

"Wuv'oo, Dada," Nate mumbled into his shoulder, always happy for a hug even when he didn't know what it was for.

Freddie, of course, couldn't be outdone. "Love you loadest, Daddy!"

"Love you loadest, too, Freddie!" Jamie replied, with a chuckle, kind of knowing what his son meant by that. He moved to his feet, to face Keira. "Are you gonna be okay without me for a few hours?" he asked, though it wasn't like he was going too far.

Rising with him, Keira smiled, leaning close for her kiss and hug. "You won't be too long," she assured him. "It's barely twenty minutes to the palace from here, after all." She kissed him tenderly. "I'll survive. Forsythe is always on hand to rescue me if things go badly."

"All right," he told her, one hand drifting to touch his fingers against her abdomen, though she wasn't showing yet. "Call if you need anything. I won't be long," he promised, touching a kiss to her lips and letting it linger a moment longer than necessary.

"I will, love." She smiled into his kiss, unsurprised to feel little fingers gripping her pants. The boys had a slight jealousy issue when they saw their parents being affectionate to one another.

Jamie smiled, not even having to look down to know the boys were starting to get antsy. "All right then. I'm off," he said, stepping away. "Be good for your mum," he reminded the boys again, pointing to each of them in turn.

"See you soon, sweetheart." Keira chuckled as the boys offered up identical promises of good behavior that would go straight out the window if she didn't get them to the office in good order.

And with that, he headed off before the boys did something that detained him further. Unfortunately, not unlike the monarchs, he couldn't go practically anywhere but the bathroom without an escort of his own. On rare days, he was allowed to take a drive on his own, but today wasn't one of those days. He'd need a car to smuggle the monarchs out of the palace, and so he arranged for someone to bring a car around, along with a driver.

It was easily arranged, however annoying it was to wait the few minutes it took for the car to arrive for him. The driver picked him up at the house, and within twenty minutes, they were passing through the gates to drive around to the back of the palace, where Jamie could enter without being harassed by the press.

Jamie smiled at Dru's question. "She promised them special paper and markers if they were good," he told her, which was basically a form of bribery parents used to encourage their children's good behavior. "I may have promised them a game of Pirates later," he added with a shrug.

Josh chuckled. "You mean, you promised I'd play a game of Pirates with them later," he corrected his older brother.

"Same thing," Jamie said, taking another swig of his coffee.

"No one plays Pirates better than Uncle Josh," Dru agreed laughingly, sipping her tea. "Sadly, I think Mum is going to have to be the damsel in distress today."

Jamie arched a brow at Dru's remark. She was always the damsel in distress, and the boys were bound to have questions if she begged out of the role. "And why's that?" he asked, already having his suspicions regarding the answer to that question.

Josh exchanged glances with Dru, allowing her to decide whether they share the news with his brother now or wait until later.

Dru caught Josh's glance, her smile blossoming into a wide grin. She looked over at Jamie, and lifted up the hem of her sweater, revealing a sweet little baby bump. "Well, this rather gets in the way."

Jamie glanced briefly at the baby bump before a huge grin appeared on his face. "I knew it! Keira will be so pleased!" he said, not only because the family would be growing, but because the two women would be pregnant for at least a few months together.

Dropping the sweater, Dru laughed at her brother-in-law's exuberant reaction to her condition. She could only hope that everyone would be that pleased with it. After all, speculation had been rife for a couple of years now that perhaps she or Josh were infertile, which had been hilarious to read about.

"What about you?" Josh asked, wondering how his brother felt about the news.

"Me?" Jamie echoed, with another shrug. "I'm eager enough to be an uncle, if that's what you mean," he assured the pair.

"So off-hand, darling brother," Dru teased him. "You can hug your brother, you know. I won't get jealous." To be honest, she was looking on this as a sort of test run for telling Des, Jon, and Lena tomorrow.

"I knew it was going to happen sooner or later," Jamie replied, his reaction somewhat subdued, but happy, nonetheless, if the grin on his face had been anything to go by. No, he hadn't shouted and jumped up and down, but he'd already guessed it as soon as he'd walked through the door. "I'm sure Father will be overjoyed," he told them. As well as relieved. The entire country would no doubt find it cause for celebration and exhale a collective sigh of relief.

"Clearly, you have more faith in my uterus than the gossip rags," Dru told him laughingly, sliding her fingers between Josh's as she spoke. "Uncle Julius is over the moon, but he's the one who told us to keep it secret until it was too late."

"I agree," Jamie told her. It was better to keep it secret until they couldn't anymore, not only for Dru's safety but her sanity, too, just in case something went wrong. There was no reason to think anything might happen, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He tapped a finger against his coffee cup, as if he was debating something, his thoughts his own, at least momentarily.

"There's something you're not saying," Josh said, knowing his brother almost as well as he knew himself.

Dru glanced between the brothers, curious to know what it was Josh had picked up on that she had not. She knew she was mostly oblivious to the unspoken words that passed between the Stuart men, but they'd never held it against her.

Jamie smiled, a final tap of fingers against his cup, as though that would dismiss the matter. "I think perhaps I should wait for Keira," he told them, though he couldn't help it if they guessed his own news before that.

"A-ha!" Josh said, waggling a finger at his older brother. "You see" There's something he's not telling us."

Dru's eyes narrowed teasingly as she considered Jamie's evasive response. "You're pregnant again, aren't you?" she accused rather merrily, taking a shot in the dark.

"Me?" Jamie said, with a huff of laughter, tugging his shirt up to check if he had a baby bump where there had only been a six-pack earlier that morning. "Now that would be a feat, wouldn't it?" he teased, eyes flashing with humor. He knew what she'd meant, but couldn't help teasing her.

Josh rolled his eyes. "You know what she means."

Dru snorted with laughter, throwing a fresh bread roll directly at Jamie's bare midriff as he showed it off. "You are a ridiculous hack, James Stuart," she informed him, "and I am never going to stop being pleased to be able to call myself a Stuart because you're all wonderful. Not as wonderful as Josh, of course, but I shouldn't be too greedy."

Jamie laughed as he caught the bread roll and took a bite. It almost seemed as if he had a voracious appetite that was never truly appeased.

"Be careful, brother, or you're going to look pregnant, even if you aren't," Josh warned.

"And if you say something like I'm married, I don't have to look good, the next thing I throw will be heavier," Dru added cheerfully. With nothing to do today but be herself with family, she was definitely more relaxed than usual.

"Don't worry. He's far too vain for that," Josh interjected, seemingly contradicting his previous warning. He knew his brother better than that, but he still couldn't help teasing him when the chance arose. "So, are you or aren't you?" he asked. Or rather, was Keira or wasn't she"

"Yes, do tell." Dru leaned forward onto the table again. "After all, you are in the privileged position of being the first person outside the palace to know our big secret."

Jamie smiled sweetly at them both and replied with a simple and blunt, "No." He took another bite of the roll before setting it aside. "But if you two would get your arses moving, I'm sure Keira will tell you herself."

"Oooh, you stubborn brute." Giggling, Dru leaned back, unfolding her legs to rise to her feet. "Let me find my shoes, wherever they ended up, and I'll be right with you." Of course, finding her shoes was code for talk Xoren out of sending the entire secret army with us.

"I brought a car and a driver," Jamie informed her as Josh moved to help his wife up from her chair, even though she probably didn't need any help just yet. They should be able to sneak away without the press noticing.

"You thought of everything, then." Dru smiled, squeezing Josh's hand gently. "I'll be fine," she promised her husband. "My ever-present shadow will be on me like glue the second I leave the room, you know that."

"He's just doing his job, Dru," Jamie pointed out, ironically, considering how he'd just been complaining about said shadow a short while ago. Josh didn't bother to echo that, knowing how much Xoren cared for her, almost as though she were his own daughter.

"Says the man who has a tendency to look at him as though he's produced a particularly odious fart," Dru drawled. She kissed Josh's cheek. "I'll be back in just a few minutes."

"I just don't like being fondled, unless it's by my wife," Jamie retorted with another shrug and a smirk.

Josh nodded his acknowledgment. He would have accompanied her, but someone had to entertain his brother while he waited for them to be ready to leave.

A few minutes later, and Dru rejoined them, flat shoes on her feet and a scarf wrapped about her neck, ready to put her coat on to go outside in the blustery autumn.

"Subtlety is the watchword of the day, it seems," she told the men cheerfully. "No one's coming with us, but they'll be keeping watch on the house."

"Good! Shall we?" Jamie declared with a grin, as he moved to his feet, allowing Dru to lead the way through the palace to their inevitable exit.

Josh had grabbed a jacket, while Dru had been chatting with Xoren, and if no one was the wiser, the trio looks like ordinary citizens, casually dressed for an ordinary autumn day.

Buttoning her coat, Dru slid her hand into Josh's, wishing they could walk through the city to the Stuart house for once. But it just wasn't safe to do so. They could never be wholly certain that everyone on the street wished them well, and they were too well-known to take that risk.

But that was something they could do in Rhy'Din, as they were nothing but ordinary citizens there. Even Jamie and Keira enjoyed the ability to get away every now and then and not be recognized, but they all had their fair share of responsibilities here. The car was waiting for them, as expected, the driver ready to take them to the house Jamie and his family called home when they were in the capital.

"No, you look about four months to me," she said with a grin. "Maybe closer to the end of four months than the beginning. It's only going to get bigger from here on out."

"What about you?" Josh asked, as Keira examined Dru's bump. He couldn't yet tell whether his sister-in-law was pregnant just by looking at her, but from what she'd said, it seemed it was true.

"A little under two months, I think," she told him, settling herself on one of the couches comfortably. "I think we are probably due in April."

Covering herself over again, Dru smiled as she sat down on the other couch, toeing off her shoes to get properly comfortable. Josh took a seat beside his wife, fingers still tangled with hers.

"Congratulations," he told Keira, a soft smile on his face that indicated genuine joy for her and for his brother.

"Well, Freddie put up a little fight," Jamie interrupted as he joined them, dropping onto the couch beside Keira. "But we should have at least an hour of peace and quiet."

"Before someone has to put on a dress to play Pirates," Dru said, throwing Jamie a cheeky grin. After all, the two likeliest candidates should be treated gently for a while, right'

Keira snorted with laughter, leaning into Jamie's side. "Congratulations to you two, as well," she said finally. "When will you be announcing it?"

Jamie huffed. "Are you suggesting I play the damsel in distress?" he asked, though it seemed the conversation had moved on without him.

"You do have the legs for it," Josh interjected with a smirk before glancing at Dru in anticipation of an answer to Keira's question. It was really up to her to decide that.

"Why, yes, James, I do believe I am," Dru told her brother-in-law innocent, catching Josh's eye with a gentler smile. "We'll be going over to Rhy'Din tomorrow to tell the rest of the family, so I'll give the PR department permission to make the announcement a couple of days later. Any longer than that, and someone there is going to leak the story."

"Are you going to take a leave from the theater?" Jamie asked his brother curiously, at the mention of Rhy'Din. It was a gentler way of asking if he was going to quit now that his responsibilities in Tirisano were increasing. 

Josh looked at Dru once again, this time with a small frown on his face. "I haven't really thought about it much," he admitted, though he supposed he should.

Dru bit her lip. "We are going to be under more scrutiny from now on," she admitted. "But we can work around it. I know how much you love performing, sweetheart."

"A boy's dream," Josh replied with a shrug. A dream his mother had encouraged and that he'd spent most of his life working toward, but that was before he'd met Dru. Now, nothing else seemed as important as her, their family, and their country.

"Not just a boy's dream," Dru argued, shaking her head. "We'll work something out, I promise." She squeezed his hand, her brow furrowed with worry now that it seemed Josh was once again volunteering to squash his own ambitions for her sake.

Jamie looked between them, wondering why they didn't realize the simplest solution was the best one. "Why don't you just take a leave until after the baby is born and you're settled, and see how things go?" he suggested.

Dru didn't dare show any reaction to that suggestion, knowing from experience that Josh would agree to anything if she showed interest. This had to be his decision. The theater was his dream.

What he'd said was true though - the theater had been a boy's dream. Now, there were far more important things to consider than a career in the theater. Josh sighed. If he'd known how things were going to turn out, he might not have auditioned this past summer.

"Jamie's right," he said, his attention on Dru, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You and the baby are the most important thing to me right now, and the theater isn't going anywhere."

"I'm sorry."

The guilt in her eyes was plain to see, absorbing all the blame for his having to give this up, despite the fact that the decision to get pregnant had been an agreement between them both. Across from them, Keira rolled her eyes discreetly, glad she and Jamie had never had to navigate this.

Jamie moved to his feet, pulling Keira up with him. "I think I hear Natty crying. We'd better go check on him. Would you excuse us?" he asked the other pair, tugging Keira from the room.

Keira flickered an encouraging smile to the royal pair as she was tugged out of the room, missing Dru's wince that they had felt the need to leave at all. The princess sighed, shaking her head.

"I can't believe it didn't occur to me," she murmured. "I'm so sorry, Josh."

"Sorry for what?" Josh asked confused. He'd never blamed Dru for any of his own decisions and he wasn't about to start now. He curled his fingers against her cheek with a gentle touch and a soft smile on his face. "I love you, Dru, and I have no regrets."

"I never once thought about what you might have to give up for this," she said, gesturing to the bump at her middle. "It seems selfish to have asked to have a child when I know how much performing in Rhy'Din means to you."

"Dru, I knew when I married you that I might have to give up the theater someday. I know how important having a child is to the nation, but most importantly, I know how much I love you and how much I want this baby. Nothing else is more important than that. Nothing," he tried to assure her, taking her hands between his.

She sighed, twisting to rest her brow to his, clinging to his hands. "I love you so much," she whispered. "I couldn't bear it if I did anything to hurt you, or to make you resent the position being with me has put you in. Promise you'll tell me when you want to go back?"

"I wonder sometimes if my mother knew what she was doing when she encouraged my interest in the theater. After all, we're more comfortable in front of a crowd because of it, aren't we?" he asked, a soft smile on his face as her brow rested against his and he lifted one hand to touch her cheek again.

She smiled faintly. "It did help," she admitted a little ruefully. "At least we know how to deliver a good speech." Her cheek tilted into his palm, her guilty tension fading once more under his reassurance. "Josh ....do you want to be a king?"

He smiled, glad to see his reassurance was helping her to relax, but that question surprised him a little. "King?" he echoed, brows arching upwards. He knew that was a possibility, but it was one he hadn't really thought much about. "I want to be your husband, your partner, and the father of our children, but king?" He shrugged. "If you want me to be, but that's not why I'm with you."

She laughed, a soft huff of breath colored by her smile. "I know," she promised. "And before everything, I am your wife, your partner, and the mother of your children. But it seems more and more likely that Uncle Julius will abdicate within the next few years, and now Parliament wants to name me a queen. Your role won't change, no matter which title you take. Would you rather be king, or prince-consort?"

"I ..." Josh started, trailing off, brows furrowed. "I really don't know, Dru. I'm sure my father would want me to be king, but is the title that important?" he asked, uncertainly. It was just a title, after all. It wouldn't really change anything, would it"

"Perhaps we should wait and see what the public opinion is," she mused. "The title won't change anything for us, but it could change the way you are viewed. Most people expect a king to take precedence over a queen, after all."

"But you were born to be queen, Dru. I am only the second son of a duke," Josh pointed out. "And I do not care if I'm king, so long as we're together," he assured her again. The people might not take well to the second son of a duke rising to become king, when they were so fond of their queen.

"I wasn't even the heir to the throne five years ago," she reminded him, but her expression was more relaxed. "I just want you to be comfortable with how people perceive you, how they look at you. We're under a microscope so much of the time."

"Something we both got used to being performers at the Shanachie," he reminded her with a grin. "I don't mind being a prince, so long as I outrank Jamie," he told her, only half serious. "We can stop at the theater and talk to Mataya while we're in Rhy'Din. I'm sure she'll understand."

Dru snorted with laughter. "You're always going to outrank Jamie," she promised, inching closer to kiss him affectionately. "This might turn into an overnight visit, you know. But that's fine. It's been four months since we took any real time off."

"We might end up with a curious three-year-old waking us up in the morning," Josh told her, returning her kiss with one of his own. Or was she talking about an overnight visit in Rhy'Din" But it hardly mattered. She was right - they deserved a little time off, especially now that she was with child, and they had another family to share the news with.

"Well, whether we stay overnight here or in Rhy'Din, that's usually a gimme," she pointed out. Despite the fact that they had a house of their own on the beach, somehow her nephews always managed to convince an adult to bring them to the house around dawn.

"And for the better," Keira agreed. "This isn't something that will come up for a few years, anyway. They'll name this child the nominal heir, no matter what."

Dru sighed. "That is true. But this family still holds the power, and we will exercise it if we have to."

"Enough talk about politics," Jamie said, hoping to change the subject to more pleasant topics of conversation. "How long are you staying in Rhy'Din?"

"Just a few days at most," Josh replied, though he didn't think it would even be that long.

"Two days?" Dru ventured, looking as Josh as though wanting to confirm that. "We won't be away for long. And you are due at the palace for dinner at some point, you know. Uncle Julius' guest lists have been getting stranger."

"Why's that?" Jamie asked, licking his fingers as he finished off a piece of cake. He knew Dru's uncle was getting older, but he wasn't sure about his health.

Dru laughed as she leaned. "We had ....who was it last night?" She looked as Josh as she racked her memory. "A beekeeper, and a trapeze artist who moonlights as burlesque dancer?"

"Something like that," Josh said, not too sure himself.

"Why's he inviting beekeepers to dinner?" Jamie asked, as surprised as he was curious. "Are bees in danger?" That didn't really explain the trapeze artist though.

Chuckling, Dru shook her head. "The public/private dinners are about meeting people who are foremost or notable in their fields," she explained to Jamie in amusement. "But my uncle doesn't usually stretch much beyond politicians, teachers, and musicians usually."

"Maybe it's for your benefit," Jamie suggested. Now that Dru was going to be queen, maybe Julius was hoping to introduce her to more than just the usual round of politicians and affluent citizens.

"Possibly, but the impromptu demonstration of how to make nipple tassels twirl over dessert was a little much." Keira stared at Dru for a moment, and abruptly burst out laughing, hastily setting her tea cup down as she tried to imagine that.

Josh frowned, looking more worried than amused by Dru's admission. "It's a bit strange," he admitted, which was a bit of an understatement.

Meanwhile, Jamie's jaw had dropped open, clearly shocked. "A bit?" he asked, sarcastically.

Giggling faintly, Dru shook her head again. "There are other people we would have chosen to invite, but if he is trying to broaden our horizons, it's rather sweet."

"Why else do you think he'd be doing that?" Jamie asked curiously, hoping it wasn't because the man was starting to lose a grip on his sanity.

Dru's smile faded. "He's not well," she said quietly. "Honestly, I don't think he ever really recovered from that stroke. There's a good chance he'll abdicate within the next few years. These new people at the dinners might be his way of trying to keep himself interested in his position until we're more established as parents."

"You don't think he'd step down before that?" Jamie inquired. He didn't want to see it come to Parliament having to force the issue, but he wasn't sure how unwell her uncle was.

"Well, with the whole queen thing decided, I'm a little concerned he might announce his abdication at New Year," Dru admitted. She did not want to go through a coronation while heavily pregnant.

"How bad is he?" Jamie inquired uncertainly. From the little they'd told him, he wasn't too sure, and it didn't seem like a good time to leave Josh and Dru to deal with the responsibility of running a government when she was pregnant with their first child.

"He's not confused or anything like that," Dru tried to reassure him. "I think he's just tired. A lot has happened in the last few years, after all."

Keira nodded. "I doubt your uncle would simply abandon you to rule alone, even after abdicating," she pointed out. "He loves you both too much to do that."

"I'm sure he will continue to advise us even after he steps down," Josh remarked. For some reason, he didn't really like the word abdicate. It seemed to have a negative connotation to it, for some reason. "What about Father?" he asked, changing the subject slightly. "He hasn't mentioned retirement yet, has he?"

"I don't think anything has been said about that," Keira mused, looking to Jamie. "He's just as vital and involved as ever he was. Case in point, driving out to Roslae today to take tea with four different farmers."

"That sounds like him," Josh replied, chuckling a little to himself. He used to think his father kept himself busy because he missed their mother so, but as he got older, he realized it was just the way he was.

"He did promise to be home for dinner," Jamie said, glancing at his watch. It wasn't that late yet, but it was nearing time to wake the boys from their nap.

"There is no way he is going to miss having the pair of you here for dinner," Keira added in amusement, She caught Jamie glancing at his watch, just as the soft sound of someone scrabbling at the door made itself known. "I swear those boys have internal alarm clocks."

"Did they get out of bed by themselves?" Josh asked, arching his brows in astonishment. He'd assumed at least one of those boys was still sleeping in a crib. Then again, he didn't know much about raising children ....yet.

"Freddie has worked out how to break Nate out of his crib," Keira told him with a resigned smile, rising to her feet to open the door. Two little boys, blonde hair disheveled from their nap, came tumbling into the room, bright-eyed and smiling.

Anything Josh might have said about that was put on hold as they were joined by the two boys in question.

"There they are," Jamie said, opening his arms to give them each a hug - if they wanted one. "All bright eyed and bushy tailed, I see," he remarked, grinning from ear to ear.

Freddie lurched over to hug Jamie, but Nate was already toddling toward Josh and Dru, climbing up into Josh's lap with a wide grin. "'Lo," the youngest Stuart said happily, eyes focusing on the leftovers of lunch. "Sammich."

"I wonder which one takes more after his father," Josh teased, reaching for a finger sandwich while the little boy made himself comfortable on his lap.

"I don't know, they're both pretty food oriented," Dru said, nodding to Jamie's lap, where Freddie was reaching for a piece of cake. Keira chuckled as she sat down. "Just you wait - give it a year, and you'll have half of this problem, too."

"Not if we have a girl," Josh said, though he knew what she meant. He hadn't told Dru, but he was secretly hoping for a daughter - a little girl just like her.

"You'd be surprised," Keira drawled, switching out the cake for a sandwich before Freddie got hold of it.

The little boy pouted at her, but munched away happily nonetheless. "We gon' play Pirates, Unca Jos'?"

"Sure, we can play pirates, but you have to go easy on your Aunt Dru," Josh warned. "You remember when Nate was still growing inside your mum?" he asked the little boy. "Aunt Dru is gonna have a baby, too, so we have to be careful not to hurt the baby growing inside her."

Freddie stared at him. "Mummy got one too," he said, looking suspiciously at Dru. "Did you give Mummy a baby, Arnie Dru?"

Dru opened her mouth to reply, and abruptly squeaked as Nate prodded her bump through the sweater. "Well, excuse me, little man!" she laughed instead.

Josh chuckled. "It's not catchy like a cold, Freddie," he told the boy, glancing at Dru to find Nate poking her bump. "See that bump" That's the baby," he explained to both boys, though he wasn't sure whether little Nate would understand.

Nate looked up at Josh for a moment before a wide grin split his cheerful face.

"No," he giggled, denying the miracle of pregnancy with all the confidence of a small child.

"Arnie Dru gon' play wiv us?" Freddie asked, dismissing the whole conversation as boring.

"I can play little games, sweet cheeks, but not big moving ones," Dru told the toddler with a smile. "Making a baby is tiring."

Freddie rolled his eyes, apparently already fed up of babies, and slithered off Jamie's lap. "C'mon, Unca Jos'," he declared. "Me an' Natty got a tree house."

Jamie couldn't help but chuckle a little at his boys' reaction to the news that they were going to have a cousin. "Sorry, Dru. I guess they're not that easily impressed," he told her.

Meanwhile, Josh let Nate slid off his lap before taking the little boy's hand. "Lead the way!" he told Freddie, though this was the first he was hearing of a tree house.

Claimed by the two little boys, Josh was in for an entertaining afternoon at the very least. It had been a long time since the two brothers had been able to bring their families together without ulterior motive, and once Oliver arrived, the evening became even more comfortable for everyone involved. With so many high political players at the table, it was nice to remember every once in a while that they were, first and foremost, a family.

Given all their duties and responsibilities, it was an important point to remember. While the rest of the nation might only think of them as royalty, here among family they could just be themselves. Just Josh and Dru, Jamie and Keira, Oliver, and the boys. Whether they lived in a palace or a mansion or a cottage, home wasn't about the place where they lived, but the people they called family. And tomorrow, Josh and Dru would be traveling to another place to see another family - back to Rhy'Din, another place they called home.

That was what would get them, all of them, through the struggles that were bound to come - family.