Topic: Family Planning

Gabrielle Bradford

Date: 2018-07-17 15:06 EST
Summer seemed to be the season for adding to the Granger clan. All unexpectedly last winter, a pair that no one had thought would ever concieve had done just that, and only a couple of days ago, the newest Granger had been born. Not that anyone had known about it until this morning, of course - not when both parents and the baby had spent two days under the ocean to make absolutely sure that everyone had come through the unusual birth hale and well. Gabi couldn't quite get her head around how Leilani had managed to give birth in the ocean, given that her sister-in-law had a tail in contact with salt-water, but that was the least of her concerns right now. She wanted to see her first niece. The message had been a little garbled and very short, but she'd got permission to come and visit the little cottage close to the shore. Which was why she was now walking over the sand, hand in hand with her own husband, eyes bright at the thought of seeing Cian's baby for herself.

"I'm not quite sure how it is biologically possible for a mermaid to mate with a man and bear him a child," George said, ever the doctor, wrestling with the plausibility of the situation, though he'd seen stranger things since he'd arrived in Rhy'Din some years ago.

"Well, she isn't, strictly speaking, a mermaid, is she?" Gabi answered, just as thoughtful as he was. "She has a tail when she's in the sea, but she walks on land with legs and all the appropriate bits in the right places, I would assume. It could be as simple and as complicated as magic, George. Rhy'Din doesn't have to make sense."

George chuckled as Gabi stated the obvious. "Gabi, Rhy'Din never makes sense," he corrected, but he didn't argue the facts. Somehow, Leilani had managed to give birth to a child, and they were about to meet that child. "Do you think she'd be offended if I asked to examine the baby?" he asked, uncertainly.

"I think you may have better success if you try not to use any clinical words about it," Gabi ventured. "She is your niece, you know. They're worried enough about being so very different from the rest of us - they're going to be quite sensitive about anything that suggests she's somehow wrong."

"I'm not sure there is such a thing as wrong here in Rhy'Din," George pointed out. He hated to think what might happen to Leilani or a child of hers back on Earth. She'd probably end up in a lab as a science experiment somewhere, but here on Rhy'Din, she was no more strange than an elf or an orc. "I'm only curious about how it's possible, but I suppose some things can't be explained or understood."

"She's half-human herself," Gabi reminded him. "And the existence of half-orcs, -elves, and -dwarves does suggest that the human DNA makes certain that it can reproduce. Wouldn't it?"

"Humans do tend to be rather prolific," George agreed, but he wasn't a geneticist or even a biologist. He was a simple doctor, his specialty that of surgery. He was good with a scalpel, but not so much with research. Still, he found the idea of a mixed birth fascinating.

"I should imagine she at least has gills," Gabi pointed out, raising her hand to knock on the door as they arrived. "She has been underwater for two days, and I don't think Cian can share his charm."

"It makes one wonder what would have happened if the child had been a boy," George remarked further. Would the boy then be a merman' Did mermen even exist' Just how did mermaids proliferate" Did they lay eggs like most fish or were they livebearers, like swordtails" Lelilani's birth seemed to suggest they were the latter, but George thought it might be a little rude to ask.

Gabi paused thoughtfully, prepared to wait for as long as it took for Cian to untangle himself from wherever he was and let them in. She remembered being that groggy after the boys' births. "You know, it might not even be possible for her to have boys," she mused. "She said she only had sisters, no brothers."

"That's an interesting thought. I guess no one told King Triton," he remarked, hiding the smirk from his face as soon as the door opened.

"Hey," Cian greeted them, looking a little tired, but none the worse for wear. "Come on in," he said, pulling the door open for them. They were expected, after all.

"Triton's one of Poseidon's sons," Gabi told her husband with a triumphant grin, tilting her head as the door opened. "How's the daddy?" she asked, stepping in to hug her brother tightly. "Eating properly?"

George might have opened his mouth to debate mythology further had Cian not answered the door. Cian smiled as he returned his sister's hug.

"I'm fine, Gabi. Just a little tired. And you can tell Miranda and the rest of the family to stop sending casseroles. We've got enough food to feed an army!" he said with a chuckle. "Hi, George. Thanks for coming," he greeted his brother-in-law with a handshake. While the two men got along well enough, they had not yet become close friends.

"Of course," George replied politely with a handshake of his own. "You're family."

"You know you're allowed to freeze most of it, right?" Gabi teased her brother. "We just want to know you guys are eating properly without getting tired out - babies are hard work!" She toed her sandals off and set her bag down in the hall, trying to be calm and patient.

"I'm starting to realize that," Cian replied with another chuckle. "Can I get you anything" Lemonade" Iced tea?" he asked, in an effort to be a gracious host. He and Lani weren't used to getting a lot of visitors at their little cottage near the shore, but Gabi was one who was always welcome. A little mewl sounded nearby, a little tabby cat named Harper making himself known as he curled himself around Cian's leg.

"You sit down, I'll make the drinks," Gabi told him. "You did it to me when I had the boys, it's my turn to bully an overtired parent for once." She flashed him a cheeky smile. "Where have you left them, in the bath?"

Cian laughed. "No, they're in the living room. Go on in. I can get the drinks," he insisted.

"You know there's no arguing with her," George interjected. "I am constantly being reminded that the woman is always right."

"When she's the only woman in the house, that counts double," Gabi insisted, waving them away toward the living room. "Shoo. I know my way around your kitchen."

Cian laughed again. "Have it your way. I'm too tired to argue." He waved George ahead of him. "Right through there," he said, though the cottage was small and quaint enough for them to find their way around easily enough. Cian scooped up the cat as he followed George into the other room. "What's the matter, Harper" Feeling left out?"

The little cat purred as he was picked up, nuzzling his soft face against Cian's chin affectionately. The introduction of a new baby was always a bit of a shock for any animal in the house, after all.

Leilani was dozing in one of the enormous armchairs Miranda had insisted on getting for the couple's home, her feet up on the arm of the nearby couch, and a small squirming bundle lying on her chest. She smiled as George preceded Cian into the room, raising a hand to wave at him. "Hullo, George."

"Hello, Leilani. It's good to see you. How are you feeling?" he asked, the doctor's bedside manner kicking in and asking about her well-being. She had just given birth, after all. Had she or the baby even seen a doctor" He wasn't sure.

She breathed deeply through her smile. "Sore," she admitted with that disarming candor no one had been able to break her of. Lies just didn't exist in Leilani's world, even gentle ones. "Tired. Very proud of myself, too." Her smile deepened for a moment. "Would you like to meet your ..." She hesitated, glancing at Cian to make sure she got the word right. "Nice?"

Gabrielle Bradford

Date: 2018-07-17 15:07 EST
"Niece," Cian gently corrected as he claimed the chair closest to Leilani and their daughter.

"I would like to meet her very much," George replied, politely and maybe a little too cordially for family. As a doctor, he was accustomed to dealing with patients and their families, but babies were another matter. Even the twins had been toddlers when he'd met Gabi.

"She won't break, you know," Cian assured him, trusting George wouldn't drop her.

"Niece," Leilani repeated, tasting the word for a moment. Then she nodded, seemingly happily with it, and lifted the little squirming bundle of blankets and baby off her chest to lay her daughter gently into George's arms.

Even the doctor seemed taken aback by the small squirming bundle in his arms, looking down into the ruddy, wrinkled, little face that charmed him to his core. "She's tiny, isn't she?" he said, though he wasn't expecting an answer. In truth, he hadn't had much cause to hold many babies and had never had one of his own. He knew they were small, but he'd never quite realized how small until now.

"I'm not very big," Leilani pointed out impishly. "How much bigger were you expecting her to be?"

In George's arms, the baby girl rubbed at her nose with one uncoordinated hand and blinked open huge blue eyes. It remained to be seen whether those eyes would change color as she aged, but for a child born in the ocean, blue did seem very appropriate.

"Oh, my, what lovely eyes," George murmured as those blue eyes blinked open and seemed to regard the man holding her so carefully in his big arms. "I'm afraid I'm not too acquainted with babies," he said, as he found a spot on the couch and settled himself in it, so that he wouldn't chance dropping her. Meanwhile, Harper jumped up onto the couch and mewled at George and the bundle.

"Gabi told me that new babies are boring, but she was wrong," Leilani offered, tucking her legs underneath herself as she leaned toward Cian from the depths of her own chair, smiling at Harper's mewling. "Hard work, but not boring."

"No, I suspect there's not much time to get bored," George remarked, wondering why Gabi had said that. Did that mean she wasn't too fond of babies or that she didn't want anymore" It was a subject he hadn't had the courage to broach yet.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Cian said, smiling proudly.

"Of course she's beautiful, she's your daughter," Gabi interjected, entering the room with a tray on which was balanced a large jug of iced tea, several glasses, and a plate of sandwiches.

"Be careful, Gabi. She's actually rather beautiful," George said, clearly enchanted by the small bundle in his arms. He had not yet unwrapped her to see what the rest of her looked liked, but he could feel two legs wrapped up in the blanket and he assumed she had all her fingers and toes.

"See?" Cian said, his smile widening. "I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Smiling, Gabi set the tray down, moving to lean over George where he sat and meet her niece. "Oh, aren't you a little piece of precious?" she breathed, gently sweeping her fingertip down the little button nose. The baby girl's eyes crossed briefly before she blinked again. "What's her name?"

"We're calling her Kai," Cian answered. "It means 'sea' in Hawaiian," he explained further, reaching for a sandwich and handing one to Leilani before taking one for himself. Despite his good-natured complaints about the over-abundance of casseroles, he seemed eager for the sandwiches.

"I didn't realize that could be a girl's name, too," Gabi admitted, still cooing over the baby. She absentmindedly kissed George's brow as she did so, making Leilani giggle around her mouthful.

"I like it," the Syreni said tentatively. "It reminds me of Cian's name."

"It's sort of a combination of both our names," Cian pointed out. Sort of, but not exactly. That wasn't why they'd chosen it, though. It had just seemed to fit.

George furrowed his brows as he looked back at the little bundle in his arms, still curious about how it all worked, not only biologically but psychologically, too. "Will she be a child of the land or the sea?" he asked, curiously.

"Both," Leilani told him quietly. "She grows gills and webbing between her fingers and toes in saltwater, just the way I grow gills and tail."

Gabi looked impressed, moving to fill the glasses from the jug. "So she really is a perfect mix of both of you," she commented. "Can she already swim?"

"That's amazing," George said, though he wasn't surprised, as he assumed the baby had inherited at least some qualities from her mermaid mother.

Cian glanced at Leilani, as if expecting her to answer that question. "Babies can instinctively swim, Gabi," he replied.

"You know what I mean, Ci," Gabi laughed, sliding into a seat beside George. "What was the birth like?"

Leilani suppressed another giggle as she glanced at Cian. "Are you sure you really want to know?"

George said nothing, only looking to Gabi for an answer. Whether she ever had another child was up to her, and even if she did, it wouldn't be half mermaid.

"You're the only one who can answer that," Cian said, leaning close to wrap an arm around his mermaid, an affectionate smile on his face.

"I'm just curious," Gabi admitted, blushing a little. "You don't have to answer. I just ....Well, I didn't think there was ....an opening ....when you have a tail."

Leilani's laughter was bright in answer, even as she leaned into Cian's affectionate arm. "I didn't have a tail when I gave birth," she told her sister- and brother-in-law. "I had legs. I'm not very good at swimming with legs, but I had gills, so it worked out all right."

"Lani hasn't had a tail since she became pregnant," Cian explained further. Protective as he was of his wife and new daughter, if it had been anyone other than family asking these questions, he probably wouldn't have been so willing to answer. "Lani's father was human," he said, mostly for George's sake, unsure how much the man knew about his wife's past. "Mermaids can't procreate on their own."

"Now I know how we did it, I still don't know how my mother did," Leilani added in a curious tone of voice. "She never had legs ever."

Gabi was silent, just a little overwhelmed by the wealth of information she'd got in reply to what she had assumed would be a simple question. "So ....you won't ever have a tail again?" she asked, mildly aghast.

"Perhaps she only didn't want to admit it," George suggested. There was a bit of a mystery there, as to just how mermaids did conceive and give birth, but he didn't think it was something anyone should pursue. Some mysteries were better left alone.

"I already have a tail again," Leilani assured Gabi with a light shrug. George's comment brought the curious light back to her eyes. "I don't think she could have had legs," she admitted thoughtfully. "My mother wasn't like me. She was a full Syreni, a Queen. She looked like a lionfish and a shark and an octopus. She never looked human at all."

Gabrielle Bradford

Date: 2018-07-17 15:08 EST
"But your father was human," George said, more question than statement. He shook his head lightly. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid we'll have to call it magic and leave it at that," he said, more for his own sake than the others, perhaps.

"There are a lot of things on Rhy'Din that don't seem to make sense," Cian said, sympathetically.

Gabi smiled, stroking her husband's hair gently. "At least you can be sure you tried to make it make sense," she reassured him, glancing down at the baby in his arms once again. Kai was drifting back off to sleep, little fingers clutching at the edges of her blanket. "She really is beautiful."

George shrugged, smiling Gabi's way. "I'm just a doctor, not a scientist." He looked back at the infant in his arms. "She is lovely, though," he said, clearly enchanted. It didn't much matter if she'd someday have webbed fingers and toes or a tail; she was beautiful just the same. "Would you like to hold her?" he asked of his wife.

"May I?" The question was addressed to Cian and Leilani, but Gabi was already shifting to be able to take the tiny girl into her arms when George chose to give her up. "It's been a long time since I cuddled a newborn."

"Yes, of course," George replied, thinking the question had been meant for him. He carefully transferred the newborn to Gabi's arms, looking a little wistful. He didn't dare mention how he felt about having a child of his own, knowing how busy they were with the twins, whom he loved no less, despite not being their birth father.

Across the room, Leilani was already dozing again, following through on the advice to sleep when the baby slept. Gabi bit down on a happy squeal, gathering the tiny girl into her arms. "Well, hello, little one," she murmured, blinking back as the baby blinked at her. "Have you been keeping your mummy and daddy up all night?"

"Not all night," Cian murmured with a yawn. Now that he'd finished his sandwich, he was starting to look as sleepy as Leilani.

"Babies are a lot of work," George observed aloud, though he was not speaking from experience.

"Not so much work that I wouldn't want to do it again," Gabi murmured, still enchanted with the tiny girl in her arms. She said it almost absently, but she had noticed the look in George's eyes when he was holding Kai. It would be a novel experience, actually expecting to get pregnant this time.

"Oh?" George murmured, brow arching upwards in surprise. Maybe there was hope for them yet, but what would the twins think of that'

Across the way, Cian smiled and closed his eyes, confident his daughter was in good hands.

"Mmhmm." Tearing her gaze away from Kai's sleepily unfocused stare, Gabi found herself looking into her husband's surprised face. Her smile warmed. "Why didn't you mention you were getting broody?"

George chuckled quietly. "You're the hen, love, not I," he pointed out helpfully, though he knew what she meant. He followed that up with a light shrug. "I know how busy you are with the twins, and I thought if you wanted another, you'd bring it up."

"We never really talked about having more children," she mused softly. "I suppose we should have. I would like more. The boys are in school now. We have space to breathe."

"Really?" he asked, looking even more surprised by her statement. "Are you sure" I wouldn't be opposed to the idea," he said, not wanting to pressure her into having another child, if she really didn't want to.

"George, I wouldn't say it if I wasn't sure," she promised him. "The boys were a surprise, especially when they became plural. Are you sure this is something you want' There's always a chance we'll have twins again, you know."

"I adore the twins, you know that," George started, needing her to know that first and foremost. He wanted to be careful how he answered, so that she didn't think he would love the twins any less, even if he wasn't their real father. "But yes, I would like another, and I wouldn't be upset if it was twins," he assured her.

"Darling, I know," she assured him fervently. "They adore you - you're as much their father as anyone could be. Besides, it would be good for them, too, to have a little brother or sister. They keep talking about Emily's little brothers and sister."

"When shall we start?" George asked, with an eager grin. He leaned close and touched a kiss to her cheek. She knew him better than anyone, but he had never spoken of the desire for some children of his own.

Blushing, she tilted into that kiss, biting down on a giggle. "I think tonight is probably a good time to start, don't you?" she offered softly.

Across the room, Leilani was grinning, apparently not as asleep as she first appeared. Cian, too, couldn't help but smirk a little upon overhearing his sister and her husband plan their future. Not only was he happy that they were going to try providing another cousin for their daughter, but he thought it was high time Gabi gave George a child of his own.

"There's no time like the present," George replied, though he didn't mean right that minute.

"Well, the boys are with Dad right now," Gabi mused, and suddenly caught sight of the twin smirks across from them. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. And Harper chose this moment to clamber up onto George's lap and demand some affection from him.

"And we are with your brother and his wife," George reminded her, amused by her eagerness to start a family. "There will be plenty of time later, love," he told her, leaning over to brush a kiss to her cheek, laughing as Harper hopped onto his lap. "It appears we're popular today."

The little cat was certainly demanding, though with that peculiarly detached sense of entitlement cats had. Gabi giggled softly. "It must be a big adjustment for him."

"Probably," George agreed. He didn't seem to mind the cat's desire for attention, his fingers gently stroking his fur as the cat made himself comfortable on his lap. "What do you think your father will think about us expanding our family?" he asked, wondering if it was time they find a house of their own.

"I think once he pulls his finger out and proposes to Jessica, he won't mind the idea of us finding a house of our own somewhere nearby," Gabi told him. "Though I don't want to move too far away from him, if that is possible?"

"I don't see why not," George replied. There seemed to be plenty of places to live at the Grove, though they might have to search for one that isn't currently occupied. Then again, if Jessica and Gordon did get married, they wouldn't need two separate houses anymore.

Gabrielle Bradford

Date: 2018-07-17 15:08 EST
"Thank you." She brushed a kiss of her own to his cheek, dipping her head to kiss Kai's soft brow in the same motion. "Wouldn't it be lovely to have a little girl of our own?" she murmured. It was very easy to imagine George with a small princess on his shoulders.

"I have to admit I'm a bit biased toward having a daughter," George said. He smiled as he leaned closer, his head touching Gabi's as he admired the newborn, his fingers still stroking the tabby's back.

"You can't have that one," Leilani mumbled from where she was tucked under Cian's arm, one eye open and fixed on the other couple with a lazy grin. "I called dibs."

Gabi snorted with laughter.

George chuckled at the Leilani's choice of words. She was becoming more and more acclimated with the world around her.

"You can borrow her sometimes though," Cian put in with a sleepy grin.

"That means you give her back," Leilani added. "Not a melon from Gordon's garden in a blanket."

Giggling, Gabi rolled her eyes. "Anyone would think you didn't trust us!" she protested mildly.

"I'm pretty sure you'd be able to tell the difference between a baby and a melon without much trouble," George said. He didn't bother to insist that they'd never do that, as he thought that went without saying.

"If you two really want to make another cousin for Kai, you better not waste much time doing it," Cian teased.

Despite her renewed blush, Gabi raised her brow in her brother's direction. "Would you like us to get started here and now?" she asked with an arch smile. "Give us some tips on conception in the act, as it were?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you two can figure it out on your own," Cian retorted, with a teasing smirk. "Though I've heard if you do it standing up, you'll have a boy."

George laughed. "That's utter nonsense."

Leilani was the one giggling now, yawing through her laughter. It had taken a while, but she had finally grown comfortable with Cian's immediate family. She could even be trusted to hold a decent conversation with Miranda, if supervised. "So if they want a girl, do they have to do it upside down or something?"

"Missionary position," Cian said, though where he'd heard that, he wasn't sure. Or maybe he was just making it up. George snorted again, knowing this was utter nonsense, and yet it was Rhy'Din - there were probably ways to make it happen.

"Oh, so nothing too outlandish, then," Gabi countered, rolling her eyes as she grinned. "Maybe I should tell Miranda you're giving out conception advice when asked these days. I'm sure she'd love to pick your brains."

"Isn't Miranda a little, er, old to be having a baby?" Cian asked, a little confused. He knew his aunt and Rufus had adopted a baby, but he was pretty sure they weren't looking to have one themselves.

"You really think it would be for her?" Gabi teased her brother. "She keeps going on about wanting more babies, and Beth's the nearest available womb for her."

"I have a feeling she's going to be doing some ooohing and aaahing over this one, as soon as she gets her hands on her," Cian said, knowing his aunt well enough to know how much she adored babies, and Kai was the most recent addition to the Granger clan.

"Of course she is," Gabi agreed in amusement. Miranda's soft spot for babies was legendary among the Granger clan. She tilted her head to look closer at her brother and his wife. "You look exhausted," she said quietly. "I think maybe we should go. We'll come back for another visit."

"We could use a little sleep," Cian admitted, though he didn't really want to toss his sister and her husband out. "Would you mind" It's been like Grand Central Station in here the last few days with people coming and going," he said. He appreciated all the well wishes, but all they really needed was a little peace and quiet so they could catch up on their sleep.

"Trust me, I remember what it was like," Gabi promised her brother. "Give it another week, and they'll stop showing up unannounced." She glanced down at the tiny girl in her arms. "Which one of you wants this one back before I magically turn her into a melon in a blanket?"

"I'll take her," Cian volunteered, knowing Leilani was even more tired than he was, if that was possible.

"She really is lovely," George told them. "Congratulations."

Cian smiled as he got up to fetch his baby girl from his sister's arms. "Thanks! Won't argue with you there."

"I suppose we'll just have to make one just as lovely," Gabi said impishly, raising her arms gently to hand Kai back into Cian's grasp before making to stand up.

George followed Gabi to his feet. "Is there anything we can do for you before we go?" he asked, not just wanting to be polite, but wanting to help.

With another yawn cracking her jaw, Leilani rubbed a hand through her hair. "Could you feed Harper?" she asked politely. "He just needs fresh water and a cup of biscuits."

Gabi smiled gently, pausing to bend and kiss her mermaid sister's forehead. "Of course we can."

"If there's anything you need, give us a call," George said, more than happy to help whatever way they could.

"Thanks, George. Sorry we're so tired," Cian said, apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. I've worked enough double shifts to know how it feels. Just get some rest and let us know if you need anything," George assured them both. "Don't get up. We'll feed the cat and let ourselves out."

Dropping another kiss on her brother's forehead, Gabi smiled at the sleepy pair in goodbye, turning to slip into the kitchen with Harper close on her heels. Evidently the cat was well aware of the bargain that had been struck.

George bid them both farewell with a nod of his head before turning to follow Gabi into the kitchen, privately wondering if Gabi was serious about wanting another child.

"Yes, all right," Gabi was saying to the impatient little cat winding himself around her ankles. "You can flirt all you like, I am not moving any faster."

"I'll refill his water dish," George volunteered, while Gabi went about finding the cat's food. "Do you think he's jealous?" he asked regarding the cat.

"Maybe a little." Gabi shrugged, catching the little cat about the tummy as he jumped up onto the counter and putting him back on the floor. Measuring out the cup of biscuits, she glanced over at George. "And the boys will only be a little jealous, you know," she added. "They're old enough to be able to handle it."

Gabrielle Bradford

Date: 2018-07-17 15:09 EST
"I'm not worried about the boys," George said, though a small part of him was. They'd had their mother to themselves for the last five years, at least before George had entered their lives. Together, they'd become a family, but George was always aware of the fact that he wasn't the boys' real father. Still, he didn't treat them any differently than he would if they were his own, and the boys seemed to reciprocate.

"Darling, I know you worry about this still," Gabi pointed out gently, setting the bowl down on the floor for the cat before turning to catch George's arm. "Please trust me. They love you like a father. The only wobble they will have is going to be whether or not you will love them when you have a "real" child of your own." She even did the air quotes, proving what she thought of that idea.

George furrowed his brows at her statement, looking worried himself. "Of course, I will love them. How can I not love them?" He sighed, his worried expression relaxing. "I know they're not mine, Gabi, but I love them like they are. You know that, right?"

"They are yours," she told him firmly. "It may seem unconventional, but they love you as much as they love Ennis. They're ridiculously proud of having two daddies as well as a mummy. I know it's hard, love, but they love you deeply. Almost as much as I do."

"It's not hard. It's just different," he admitted. "You know, I never really had much time to think about having a family before I met you." Back home on Earth, he'd been too busy studying medicine and then trying to save lives during the Great War. There'd never been much time to think about marriage or family, though his parents had thought otherwise. They'd arranged his entire life for him, before he'd shocked them by volunteering for service. "Do you remember how the boys wrapped themselves around my legs the first time I met them?" he asked with an amused gleam in his eyes at the memory.

She giggled at the memory of him trying to move further into the house with a two-year-old attached firmly to each leg. "How could I forget?" she admitted, automatically turning to finish the washing up that had been left in the sink since they were there. "They were very happy to meet you at last."

The first time he'd officially met them anyway; he had already bumped into the boys in the hospital cafeteria once, but that had hardly counted as a proper meeting. He set Harper's water bowl on the floor and grabbed a towel as he turned to face her again. "Well, they were happy enough to meet my legs anyway," he said with a grin.

"They're good boys," Gabi smiled, setting the clean dishes in the rack as she washed them. "They knew you made me happy. And now you make all of us happy, together. Because we're family."

"You and the boys make me happy, too, you know. I may not have realized it at the time, but before I met you, I was pretty lonely. It's hard to be lonely when you're chasing after two active five-year-olds all day," he told her, smiling warmly.

Shaking the suds off her hands, she pulled the plug, turning to meet his gaze affectionately. "I love you, you know," she reminded him all over again. "I feel very privileged that you love me."

"I love you, too," he said, pausing in his drying of the dishes to lean close and touch a kiss to her lips. He smiled and brushed his nose against hers before straightening to finish up the last of the dishes. "Are you really serious about having another?" he couldn't help but ask.

Gabi's smile softened under his kiss, the gentle warmth of her brown eyes all for George in that moment. "I really am," she promised him. "I think we're ready for it, all of us."

"I think we are, too," he said in complete agreement. The boys were older now and going to school most days, and more than willing to help however he could. "And I don't mind if it's twins, but you might," he teased, that gleam in his eyes again.

She laughed, flicking water off her fingers at him as she reached for a cloth to dry her hands. "Surprisingly enough, I don't mind if it's twins, either," she pointed out. "I know we can handle it."

"The important thing is that they are healthy and happy," he said, stating the obvious. Isn't that what everyone said" But not everyone wanted twins. "Shall we sneak out or check on them before we go?"

"I think sneaking out is probably the way to go," she mused with a faint smile. "And maybe ....park up somewhere out of the way for an hour or so before going home?" She blushed even as she suggested this - despite her progress over the years, Gabi was always going to have that shy innocent streak.

"Park?" George repeated, brows arching upwards. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting, Mrs. Bradford?" he asked, sliding his arms around her waist and drawing her close.

"Possibly." She giggled quietly as he drew her into the circle of his arms. "But only if you don't make me say it out loud." She tipped her head back to meet his gaze with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Don't you think we'd be more comfortable at home" I know a certain aunt who might be willing to take the twins for a night," he said, touching a kiss to the side of her neck, as if to convince her of that fact. He was a bit tall to comfortably have sex in the car.

"Mmm, that is enticing," she murmured, looping her arms about his neck as she rose onto her toes, answering that kiss to her neck with a kiss to his own. "Think you can wait that long?"

"I'm not a hormonal teenager. I can wait that long," he assured her, just so long as it wasn't too long. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we drop the kids off, the sooner we get started on making a baby," he told her, though he seemed in no hurry to stop kissing her neck. Whether the new parents overheard what was going on or not, they were pretty quiet about it.

"Mmm ..." She lingered there for a long moment, enjoying the gentle affection he lavished on her. Then she tilted her head back, meeting his gaze with a playful grin. "So you're not starting in my brother's kitchen then."

He smirked, replying simply, "No." Unless she counted the kisses they'd been swapping back and forth. No, George preferred privacy, where they could enjoy each other without risk of anyone interrupting. "Shall we?" he asked, offering his hand.

She giggled again, sliding her hand into his. "I rather think we shall, Dr. Bradford," she agreed, moving to slide her shoes back onto her feet and collect her bag. "After you."

The last thing George had expected upon visiting Cian and Leilani and their new baby girl was to end the visit with Gabi and himself deciding to have a child of their own. It had been the last thing from his mind, and as happy as he was for the new parents, he was even happier to know he and Gabi were about to try to do the same thing. It might not happen right away, of course ....but it would certainly be fun making sure of it.