The holiday season had begun, it seemed, but in one house in the Temple District, the festivities were being held off for just a few more days to accommodate another celebration that had been planned for over the past weeks with meticulous enthusiasm. It wasn't often a certain Fae-child was put in charge of what amounted to a tiny birthday party, and somehow Des had been kept almost entirely in the dark. With the collusion of his brother and sisters, he'd been kept out of the house for a good part of the afternoon, and finally his girls were ready to welcome him home. The living room was decorated with a banner that had obviously been made with the help of fairies, declaring that it was his birthday, and the dining table set for a meal whose scents were wafting through the little house enticingly. Roast pork with all the trimmings had been designated for the evening, as well as a dessert conjured up in Lyneth's mind and insisted upon with cheerful ferocity. As Piper finished setting the dishes on the table, covered and in warmers, Lyneth was sat in the window of the living room, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the birthday boy with impatient glee.

Desmond had been kept busy for most of the day with various tasks his brother and sisters, and even Humphrey, had concocted and insisted needed immediate attention. Getting acquainted with his long lost siblings was one of the excuses of the day, though no one bothered to mention his birthday, and they'd done such a good job distracting him, he'd almost forgotten about it all together himself. Not even Miranda or Jason had called to say hello, but he knew they were busy with their own lives and didn't hold it against them. It was just another day to Des, a way of counting the years. Hours later, he was finally allowed to go home, his car pulling into the driveway where he lived with Piper and Lyneth at precisely quarter past six - late for dinner, or so he thought.

"He's here!" Lyneth's over-excited declaration of his arrival made itself known, loud enough to be heard even before he stepped onto the path that led to the front door. She disappeared from sight at the window, only to reappear at the front door, pulling it open with a bright, wide grin on her face, bouncing up and down on her toes. The tiny girl was wearing a previously unseen party dress, complete with sparkly shoes and a pretty headband, waving her arms wildly for Des to get inside. "Got to come in, Daddy! It's your birthday!"

Des looked a little tired as he made his way to the door, and maybe even a little disappointed, though he'd never admit it. It was his first birthday in Rhy'Din, and no one had remembered. Not that it mattered, it was just another day, after all. Whatever disappointment or pity he was feeling for himself disappeared completely when Lyneth pulled open the door looking like she was dressed for a party, declaring it was his birthday, and ushering him inside. "What's this?" he asked as he stepped inside, a smile starting at the corners of his mouth as he realized his birthday hadn't been forgotten at all.

"It's your birthday!" Lyneth insisted, seizing hold of his hand and pulling him inside, pointing insistently to the banner and the balloons that were holding it up. Not only that, but the smells of the meal combined with the sparkle of entirely too much glittery confetti spread around the place to add credence to her insistence that it was a special day. A small pile of presents sat on the dining table beside his set place - presents not just from his two girls, but from his family and friends as well. Lyneth had been very insistent on having Des all to herself and her Mummy for this evening, after all.

"Oh!" Desmond exclaimed, at a loss for words as he was tugged inside to see all the decorations, gifts, and preparations that had gone into making his birthday special. And he'd thought everyone had forgotten. It wasn't often Desmond was caught by surprise or shocked into silence, and even rarer to find himself overcome with emotions, touched by the care and the love that had obviously gone into this surprise. "I-I don't know what to say," he admitted quietly, at a complete loss for words, which was saying something for the lawyer.

"You say, "Yay!", and you give me a hug and a kiss, and you open some of your presents, but not mine and Mummy's, 'cos they're for with pudding," Lyneth told him confidently, beaming her wide, happy grin up at him. Even Loki had been persuaded to join in the celebration, his collar decorated with possibly the world's biggest ribbon bow.

Piper came into view finally, setting the last of the dishes down on the table, pulling her oven gloves off as she turned to smile at Des. "Welcome home, birthday boy."

He looked between the two of them - or rather, three, including Loki - a warm smiling curling his lips and dimpling his cheeks, blue eyes shining with happiness. It wasn't the gifts or the decorations or even the pudding that made him happy, but just the fact that his little family had remembered and had thought enough of him to make his day special. "I thought everyone forgot," he admitted, reaching for Lyneth to scoop her up in his arms and slide his free arm around Piper's waist to hug them both. "This is-it's awesome! Thank you!" he said, kissing one and then the other.

"That was a certain little person's fault," Piper informed him with a smile as she was tugged into the little group hug, exchanging a cheeky glance with her daughter.

Lyneth giggled, hugging her arms around Des' neck as she kissed his cheek affectionately. "I wanted to do a big party but then I thought maybe you wouldn't like a big party so I said I wanted a little party and Jon and Lena and Dru all did what I said, and so did Jason and M'anda, and they brought pressies 'round for you, and Mummy cooked nice food, and I made pudding," she declared, barely pausing for breath in the midst of this long litany describing her plans.

Well, that certainly explained why no one had said a peep about his birthday - not even Jason or Miranda. "That's a mouthful!" he said, laughing at Lyneth's lengthy explanation. "There is no one I'd want to spend my birthday with more than the two of you." Des smirked upon noticing Loki. "Three of you!" Four, if he included Oisin, and even more if he included all the fairies that lived within and around their little abode. "This is going to be the best birthday ever!" he exclaimed, kissing each of them again and beaming a bright grin, with an "I love you!" for each in turn.

"I love my Daddy," was Lyneth's response, answering his kiss with one of her own and a tighter hug before demanding to be put down so she could go and bounce impatiently next to his chair at the table.

Piper chuckled, sweeping her fingertips against Des' cheek as she kissed him a little more gently, understanding that his birthday could be difficult without his mother there. But then, that was why she'd let Lyneth arrange everything. "I'm sorry I let you think I forgot," she murmured. "I was threatened with no Christmas present if I told you anything about what she had planned for the day."

"And just think, Lynnie, you and Daddy can come home and make the house all snuggly and warm after the party at the Grove while I go to midnight mass this year," Piper added, and it was obvious in her tone that she was richly relieved by this. It had been two years since she had been able to attend the later masses, not wanting to expose Lyneth to too much ritual dogma too early. The little girl found being not quite human confusing enough without adding religion on top of it all.

"An' wrap your pressies while you're out, an' have hot choklit an' gingerbread," Lyneth added, turning her beady eyes onto Des. He was either going to have to put his foot down, or be steamrollered into letting a two-year-old stay up into the wee hours on Christmas Eve.

Des arched a brow at Piper. It was no big secret that he wasn't overly religious, and he didn't really mind staying home with Lyneth while Piper went to church. In fact, he preferred it, but he wasn't really sure if she wanted him to go with her or not. Des pushed aside his questions for now, not wanting to discuss it in front of Lyneth. He turned to Lyneth to set her straight before she got too carried away. "You realize Father Christmas won't visit until you're asleep."

Piper's smile promised they would talk about it later as she took a sip of her wine. She had no intention of forcing her religious beliefs on the rest of her little family, but nor would she keep them out if they chose to take an interest. It was just something they would have to navigate over the next few years until things settled down once again.

Lynnie, meanwhile, was staring wide-eyed at Des. "You're gonna let a big fat man with a huge sack come into my room when I'm sleepin'?"

"No, silly girl. I'm going to let a big fat man with a huge sack come into the living room while you're sleeping, and don't even try to gutter that!" he warned with a smirk. Lyneth might look like a two-year-old, but Des knew better. As far as Christmas Eve went, he felt a little torn. While he wanted to be there for Piper, he wasn't very religious, having lost his faith somewhere along the way, and the thought of spending a little father-daughter time with Lyneth outweighed his need or desire for religious ceremony, despite feeling a little guilty about it.

Unknown to him, Piper had a solution in mind for the conflict that was making him feel a little uncomfortable, but she was waiting to put it to him later, when Lyneth wasn't around to try and skew any decision in her favor.

The little girl snickered at his smirk, turning her attention back to her dinner for a minute or two. "Is you gonna be wearin' stockings for Santa to fill up?" she then asked, apparently innocent, but anyone who knew her knew better.

"No, I is not. Is you?" he asked with a mirthful grin on his face again as he scooped up a forkful of mashed potatoes and gravy. "You know very well Santa isn't going to fill your stockings while you're wearing them. You're just being cheeky. Now, I have a very important question for you because I am thinking we are long overdue for a family vacation."

"I doesn't wear stockin's," Lyneth informed him with a grin. "Mummy does. Betcha anything you're gonna fill Mummy's stockin's on Chrismuss Steve."

"Christmas Eve," Piper corrected her gently, rolling her eyes at the very cheeky response to Des' teasing. His mention of a family vacation made her smile, though - they hadn't yet told Lyneth that she was coming with them on their honeymoon, expecting at least a whoop that would rattle the windows when she found out.

"You wear socks, don't you?" Des countered, knowing there was no point in getting into a debate with the little imp because he'd never win, but he just couldn't help himself. "I don't wear stockings either," he pointed out, sticking his tongue out at her for good measure. "And whether I fill Mummy's stockings or not are none of a certain little girl's beeswax," he added, reaching over to tweak her nose.

"No, 'cos you got to fill Mummy's belly so I can have a baby to play with," Lyneth finished that one for him, kissing the ends of his fingers once he'd tweaked her nose.

He had rather walked himself right into that one, but at least this time Piper didn't choke. "No more baby talk, little woman, we talked about that," she pointed out to her daughter, who grumbled and agreed to behave herself briefly.

Looking back to Des, Lyneth then said, "What's a stay-vation?"

Des' smile faded as the subject of a baby came up again, as it had been doing quite often lately. "Lyneth," he started, getting that fatherly tone to his voice that signaled he had turned serious. "Babies aren't something you can just make happen. Sometimes it takes a while; sometimes it doesn't happen at all, no matter how badly you want it. I know you're excited about the idea of having a baby sister or brother, but you have to be patient and know it will happen when and if it's meant to happen." Yes, they'd sort of cheated and had obtained inside information from her future self that they were going to have a child, but the future was uncertain, and nothing was set in stone. "I don't want you to be disappointed, and when it does happen, it's supposed to be a surprise."

To the surprise of the adults around the table, Lyneth took this in stride, nodding agreeably. She didn't know much about the disappointment he was talking about, but she was still child enough not to think too much about what might or might not happen. "Don't worry, Daddy," she told him confidently. "We can buy a baby if you and Mummy can't make one."

"You mean adopt," Des corrected, darting a glance at Piper. This was a topic of discussion he wasn't sure he felt comfortable having just now, but he thought Lyneth should at least know that you didn't go to the store to buy a buy or order one out of a catalog. "Anyway, we were talking about a vacation," he said, clearing his throat and changing the subject.

As for Piper, she wasn't entirely comfortable talking about babies at all, given what they knew of the future, but she wasn't going to stop Des from trying to explain to Lyneth the basic mechanics of the system. All she offered was an encouraging smile as he looked to her, glancing down at the little girl as Lyneth began to speak again.

"What's a vacation?" the tiny girl asked hopefully, one hand full of mashed potato as she inspected it, waving her fork around cheerfully. "Is it like a train station?"

Little arms flailed as he tickled her, the familiar cackle of Lyneth's out of control laughter filling the lower level of their house as she wriggled in Des' grasp. "No! I hasn't finished my dinner an' I'll throw up!" She squeezed her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek in an attempt to prevent him from tickling any more. "Anyways, you got to open my present what I been workin' on for weeks and weeks and what Mummy only helped a little bit with!"

He had no intentions of tickling her enough to make her sick, only to distract her from her fall. He smiled again, charmed by her kiss, just as he had been the very first time he'd met her and her mother. Looking back, he wondered which of them he'd fallen in love with first. He could no longer think of one without thinking of the other, loving them both equally but differently. He returned the kiss to her cheek before setting her on the floor so she could finish handing out prezzies. "I'm ready when you are!"

Beaming, Lyneth seized the bigger package - which had obviously been wrapped by her as well, given the sheer amount of sticky tape on it - and pushed it into his hands. It wasn't huge, but it was squishy, and she was definitely excited about him opening it. "I maded it," she told him again, climbing up into his lap to help him open the mess of tape and paper. "With help. 'Cos I can't do the starting and finishing bit."

Des arched a brow as Lyneth handed him the messily-wrapped package and climbed into his lap. The fact that she'd made whatever it was made it all the more special, but he had absolutely no clue what was wrapped inside all that paper and tape. "Should I guess?" he asked, settling her on his lap before picking up the package in two hands and shaking it gently.

The package did nothing but squish in his hand as he shook it, his curiosity making the tiny Fae-girl laugh with impatience. "There's nothing to guess," she informed him, grinning happily. "You should open it and see what it is and then you can open Mummy's and then we have pudding. Won't we, Mummy?" This last was called out significantly louder than was entirely necessary, eliciting a laugh from the kitchen.

"Sooner, if you don't hurry up," Piper warned, leaning into view for a moment before returning to her mysterious preparations in the kitchen proper.

Des leaned close to Lyneth and whispered conspiratorially, "Is it choklit?" Pudding, that is. It seemed he and Lyneth shared a mutual obsession for just about anything chocolate, though he was much better at not gorging himself on the stuff. He frowned thoughtfully as he shook the package, which only went squish in his hand and made no noise at all. Whatever it was, Lyneth had had a hand in making it, but he wasn't quite sure what it could be.

Her grin grew wider as he made a pretty accurate guess at the content of their dessert, which she had conceived and spent a whole hour earlier putting together. Mummy only had to do the finishing touches, after all. "Maybe," Lyneth conceded aloud, however, nudging him as he put off opening her present again. "Do I has to open it, too' Only I maded it and I wrapped it and I gave it to you. You should do something, shouldn't you?"

He smirked as the little Fae girl chided him into opening his present. "Maybe I should make you wait a little bit longer," he teased, but gave in, tearing at the paper and tape as best he could to get it open before she burst with excitement.

The wrapping was more tape than paper, admittedly, but eventually it started to come away, revealing something woolen and so irregularly knitted, it had to have been made by the hyperactive child on his lap. Lyneth had somehow managed to knit her daddy a scarf for winter, albeit with her mother's help. "I chose the wool and I did the knittin', and Mummy helped with starting and finishing, and do you like it?"

"Oh!" Des exclaimed as he pulled the scarf out of the wrapping of paper and tape, or vice versa, and held it up to take a better look at it. It was irregularly shaped and a few stitches had been dropped leaving a few gaps, but in Desmond's eyes, it was the finest bit of knitting he'd ever seen mostly because it had been made for him by his Lyneth with love. He beamed a smile as he wrapped the scarf around his neck, happy to be the proud owner and wearer of such a carefully and lovingly made work of art. "I love it! Thank you!" he said, smooching a kiss against her cheek.

Utterly delighted with his reaction, Lyneth cuddled into him with a giggle, deeply touched by how quick he was to set the scarf around his neck. She didn't actually know what to say in response to that effusive thanks he gave her, saved from having to think of something by Piper's return. Her mother bore with her a wide tray, on which was set one bowl of melted milk chocolate, and a carefully arranged rainbow of fruit - the dessert Lyneth had put together pretty much all by herself. "And look, I made puddin', too!"

Des took in the rainbow array of fruit on the tray, along with the melted chocolate and chuckled. "I think it's actually called a fondue, Lynnie. It looks delicious!" He reached for a strawberry, fingers hovering over the fruit, unsure if he was allowed to help himself or not. "May I?" he asked, uncertainly.

"S'only fondy if you got a special fountain thingy and we only has a bowl," Lyneth informed him, not bothering to wait for permission as she snagged a grape for herself and dipped it liberally in the chocolate.

Piper only just got the towel around her neck in time before the first glob of molten sweet treat dripped onto her front, chuckling as she moved to sit with them. "Help yourself, Des," she told him through her grin. "It is supposed to be your treat, after all."

"Our treat," he corrected, reaching for the makeshift bib to catch the blob of chocolate before it dripped on his pants. "There's not much point in celebrating a birthday unless it's with those you love, and I can't think of anyone I love more than the two of you." He plucked up the strawberry, dipped it in a liberal amount of chocolate and then offered it to Lyneth's lips.

Which, naturally, parted to envelop said strawberry in one mouthful, despite already having a mouthful of chocolate covered grape. Piper rolled her eyes at her daughter, laughing at the sheer enthusiasm displayed by the combination of two of Lyneth's favorite things - fruit and chocolate. "She's been planning all this for weeks," she told Des, reaching out to stab a piece of pineapple with a fork and dip it delicately in the melted chocolate. "I think I may have Humphrey to blame for the fondue idea."

She shook her head, obviously very proud of herself for this accomplishment. For the adult Fae in her, it was such a simple thing; yet for the human child, however accelerated her growth might be, the mere fact of cutting up lots of bits of colored paper and sticking them down in a vaguely recognizable rainbow was something to be immensely proud of. "I did it all by myself," she said cheerfully. "Mummy only had to help with the writing, 'cos I'm still not very good at it."

He could only imagine the time and effort that had gone into making these presents for him, both the card and the scarf and the "pudding", as well as the planning, and he turned suddenly very serious as he opened the card to read what was written there.

It was pretty simple, as cards went. Evidently Lyneth's boundless imagination had failed when it came to thinking up a suitably outrageous message to write inside the card she had made all by herself, or perhaps some part of her had realized it didn't have to be outrageous for it to mean something. Whatever the reason, the message there read: To my Daddy, who is the best Daddy in all the world. Have a Happy Birthday. Lots of love, Lynnie.

He wasn't her Daddy by blood or by birth, but in the last year or so he had earned that place in her heart and her life, just as she had become in his. In one short year, the bond between the three of them had become unbreakable, and though her words were simple, they were from the heart, touching his own heart so deeply that his blue eyes turned misty with happy, heartfelt tears. The best Daddy in all the world... Des bowed his head a moment to try and hide his tears, though these were happy tears, so rarely shed but difficult to contain.

"I, uh..." he stammered.

Piper had thought that those words might get more than just a moment of silence from her fiance, not entirely sure she was glad to have been proved right in her guess. One hand gently slid a tissue into his fingers as discreetly as she could, knowing that he wouldn't want Lynnie to know she'd reduced her Daddy to tears with the message she had dictated for him. As for Lyneth herself, the little girl seemed oblivious to the tears, cuddled close into Des' arms with a contented sigh, happy to trace the letters with her fingertip until someone spoke again.

He had never felt so loved in all his life, or at least, not in a very long time than he did at that moment. He cleared his throat, finding his voice, though it was ragged with emotion. "I love you, too, Lynnie," he told the little girl quietly, squeezing his eyes shut as he hugged her against him, holding her close and quiet for a moment, wondering if she had any idea how very much she meant to him.

Perhaps some part of her did - the older, wiser part that should have been completely cut off from human emotion had she been born a pure Fae. But that injection of human blood had made Lyneth a very special kind of hybrid; a Fae who understood and felt real human emotion, and knew when such emotions were reciprocated. She just cuddled into Des, letting him hold her for as long as he needed to, reveling in the quiet adoration that was shared between them for a long moment.

For the first time ever, he said what he'd been thinking for a long time, and perhaps had been a little bit afraid to say, "You're my girl," he told her quietly, whispering into her ear. "The best daughter a father could ever want."

The tiny girl wrapped up in his arms twisted, curling her own arms around his neck as she hugged him back, her lips beside his ear as she whispered in answer to him with the wisdom that was in her blood. "You are the only man who could ever be a father to me. Blood doesn't matter, Daddy. You do."

Desmond's mouth twitched as he felt those tears rising again, and he held her tighter, all too aware of the woman who was sitting close by, of the brownie and fairies who were witnessing all this, but he didn't care if they saw him or the tears that were welling up in his eyes. Nearly a year ago, the fairies had doubted him and had issued a warning, but he had proven his worth, not only to them and to Piper and to Lyneth, but to himself. He was worthy of their love and affection, and had earned a place in their hearts and their lives. "No, it doesn't, sweetheart," he whispered back. "All that matters is that I love you."

Judging from the look on Des' face, Piper guessed that the older, wiser part of Lyneth had made one of her brief appearances, her smile just a little wistful at not having been included. But then, Des seemed to get more out of those brief moments of adult lucidity, not so discomforted by them as she was, and she didn't begrudge him that closeness with the adult Fae that resided within her imp of a daughter. As Lyneth released him, pressing another messy kiss against his cheek, the tiny girl was back, displaying her cheeky grin as she settled on his lap once more. "Now Mummy's pressie."

"Last but not least," Des said as he turned a warm smile on Piper, not really needing any presents as everything he ever wanted or needed was right there in front of him in the form of mother and daughter. He wiped the wetness from his eyes. Though they'd seen them once or twice before, tears from him were rare and even rarer were tears of happiness.

"That's if you think you can handle any more saccharine nonsense this evening," Piper warned him, sharing a knowing smile with her daughter as Lyneth turned her attention back to fruit and chocolate. Tossing her raven-dark hair back over her shoulder, she leaned forward, pushing the small wrapped box toward Des. "I'm appalling at presents," she added, as though already apologizing in case it wasn't something he wanted or liked.

"Someone wise once said that it's not the gift but the thought that counts," he said, reaching for the small wrapped box, already knowing there was nothing in that box that could possibly disappoint him. Everything was a bonus at this point. He'd already received the best gift of his life when he'd won her heart. There have been a time when Piper had almost thought him cold and emotionless. He'd conditioned himself to be that way out of necessity, but somehow she and Lyneth had broken down his barriers and thawed his heart.

The content of the box was simple on sight, unless you knew what it was you were looking at. Piper was counting a little on the fact that Des wouldn't know that he was looking at not just any watch, but an A. Lange & S?hne, one of the most expensive watches on Earth. She hadn't known what to get for him, and so had turned to her father for advice, who had advised her to get something everyday but special, and personalize it. Of course, Des would have to turn it over to read the inscription, but she was watching him warily for any sign that he knew exactly what he was looking at for now.