Glorious sunshine, a lawn covered with people happily passing the time of day, and a patriarch sitting pink right in the center, beaming over his teacup at his family gathered all around him. What could be better, right?

Tali didn't often come home these days, caught up in touring with Nate and their show as they plugged away at getting some kind of publicity and press recognition over on Earth. But Humphrey's birthday was an important day - one, because he was at an age where every single birthday that came by was one to be cherished, since there might not be many more; but more importantly, because it was Humphrey. The head of the family, the gruff Old Man who had looked out for all of them one way or another as the years went by.

So as soon as the invitation had come along, Tallulah Granger had packed her bags and her boyfriend and skipped the nearest portal to be at Maple Grove on the Old Man's special day, certain that she wouldn't be the only one who had done so. It wasn't often that the far-flung reaches of the family came together. This could be one of those days. ____________ http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/l7hIWBeF1dWvfXSM5tWaA/cid/93303118/id/ESuoBxZxSdyuyuvRdkVMug/size/c600x575.jpg

It wasn't long before another bundle of fun and smiles came running across the grass to throw herself into Humphrey's lap, giggling as he grunted, only just managing to rescue his tea from being spilled all over her. A helpful hand took the teacup away as Lyneth cuddled into the Old Man's lap, and anyone who looked that way in that instant would have been left in no doubt that in Humphrey's mind, Lyneth and Piper were and would always be family.

"Happy birfday, Hump'y," the tiny girl told him, snuggling close to press a loud kiss against his cheek.

Chuckling, Humphrey returned the kiss with a gentle caress of one aged hand against the round little face beaming up at him. "Thank you, little Miss Lyneth," he smiled, the gruff exterior melted away in the presence of a small child, though everyone who knew him knew it would snap back into place as soon as an adult approached. "You look very pretty today."

The little half-Fae giggled again, looking down at her dress happily. "You like it' Mummy buyed it for me, 'specially for your birfday."

"Well, I shall remember to thank your mother, and Desmond," Humphrey chuckled once again as she scrambled down off his lap. "Where did you leave them?"

One small hand waved vaguely across the lawn, toward a pair of figures who were still some distance away. "They comin'. Can I have cake?"

Humphrey snorted, shaking his head. "Not yet, little madam," he told her, knowing she thought he was a soft touch and rather determined to prove himself to at least be on a par with her parents. "Have some sandwiches first."

Lyneth pouted for a moment, drumming her little fingers on his knee as she looked around. And then ...."Kaylee!" ....she was gone in another flash of bright pink, to tackle her favorite of the younger Granger cousins.

Humphrey watched her go, shaking his head again with a fond smile as Kaylee went over backwards under the enthusiastic hello. It was always good to see the little ones, even if they were somewhat excitable. ____________ http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/UKS7CTgAEaT8g44t0Gtj2A/cid/93383995/id/RmmqKbrTSYGTgF83ASpi0g/size/c600x435.jpg

Despite the promised imminent arrival of Lyneth's parents, the next pair to come wandering into conversational range were Dominic and Ashlyn, as usual minus their middle sister, Isabella. There had been noises made that she might make an appearance, but everyone knew not to expect too much. Still, what Isabella pulled apart with her enforced self-isolation, Dom and Ash more than made up for in the effort they put out to be sociable. For a pair of academics, they made stimulating company, the perfect foil to send out into any party and get those lurking on the sidelines to feel a part of the gathering around them. They also knew the value of silence, each offering a nod and a grin to the Old Man, who was still recovering from Correy's exuberant hello, filling up their plates as they chatted with everyone else taking advantage of the buffet.

"So," Ash was saying as the siblings moved away from the Old Man, "do you think it's true about Cian having a mermaid for a girlfriend?"

Dom rolled his eyes, knowing his sister far too well. "If it is true, Ash, try to remember she's a person and not a science project."

"What?" His little sister looked as innocent as she could, but frankly, no marine biologist would pass up a chance to even talk to a real mermaid, would they? ____________ http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/5BA33WSsrepn6BxbS6E54g/cid/93635146/id/MFWrKtElSMioRV5hH2JJ7g/size/c600x804.jpg

The two figures Lyneth had waved so indistinctly at turned out not to be Piper and Des, but Piper and a very uncomfortable Bethany. Des had already gone to Earth to make headway with the Nicoletti case, and somehow Beth had been persuaded to stay with Piper and Lyneth while that case was ongoing. It was either that, or live under the threat of Miranda calling every twenty minutes to make sure she was still alive. She loved her mother, but the over-protectiveness was beginning to take its toll.

On the other hand ...."Piper, I know maybe three people here," she hissed under her breath to the woman beside her, twitching awkwardly at the skirt she was wearing. Thankfully, Piper had opened up her wardrobe to Des' newest cousin, or Beth would have shown up in jeans.

Piper chuckled softly, squeezing the other woman's hand. "Trust me," she promised Beth warmly, "by the end of an hour, you'll know so many people, it'll be a relief to be able to run away back to our house. Been there, done that, remember?"

"Yes, but you had a Granger to hide behind," Beth pointed out worriedly. "I am the Granger. Where's Mom?"

"She'll be here," Piper assured Beth firmly. "Now stop worrying. You're in good hands - Lyneth won't let anyone overwhelm you."

"I should have stayed at your house," Beth muttered, though not quite quietly enough.

"And disappoint the Old Man on his birthday' You'd never hear the end of it." A wide grin made itself known at her periphery vision, and yet another brunette came into view, holding out a hand to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Caroline. You must be Bethany. Welcome to the family." ____________ http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/f2HeXZekR6a9VaIDMGg9jg/cid/93709465/id/kgMtBTcgQ66czeD2pg8XEg/size/c600x576.jpghttp://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/1yexcGwCWK8VhFl36ema5w/cid/93775492/id/7R0HOhEAQEq9r8nhKCuMyQ/size/c600x537.jpg

Somehow, within minutes of reaching Maple Grove, Mataya had lost Max in the milling throng of Grangers and Granger friends. Not that she really minded that so much - she was enviously comfortable in almost any crowd, and she'd mixed with this family enough to know a few of them better than others. Still, she was a bit of a woman on a mission today, though; acutely aware (and proud) of the little bump that were emerging at her waistline, she made a beeline for the Grangers she knew and loved, fully intending to get her hands on Emily Rose for a few minutes.

Jon was, naturally, swept up in the hug to end all hugs, and the passing of his daughter to him was stage-managed by Mataya with such aplomb that it was a wonder either he or Vicki quite realized they'd been rearranged to the bubbly theater-owner's plan. The redhead, too, was gathered into a warm hug as Mataya beamed at them both, and somehow, in the midst of all this cheerful excitement and hello-ing, Emily ended up on Mataya's hip, giggling her gummy laugh as the baby thief in question tickled her fondly. It was a masterful bit of movement all round, worthy of the woman who'd managed it. ____________ http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/d0MbUwr5rHcIFx2ZQraxiA/cid/93899642/id/jjntB8DjS8G9_3ZPEr_Fhw/size/c600x527.jpg

Her fingers twisted in the soft fabric of the simple sundress she'd chosen to wear and seemed intent on wrinkling the material with knots when she felt a large, warm hand wrap around her own, and squeeze gently until she stopped. "We do not have to tell him now. We said we would have a reception for family and friends in October, Little Bird." Came the owners deep voice in a whisper.

"I know, I know but I'm not good at keeping things from my family and there are an awful lot of my family members here." She sounded stressed and it was only because of his calming presence that she didn't run from the event apologizing the whole way about keeping them all in the dark about recent events.

"Re-introduce me to the Old man." He used her nickname for her Humphrey Granger and that made her smile, Shon'ge was good at making her smile.

"Don't let his age fool you, he has a mind like a steel trap, things that go in stay there even if he feigns otherwise." She did a pat down of her dress, which as most dresses tended to do — which was lack pockets, and she was about to panic when Shon'ge whispered. "I have the tickets for him in my pocket." He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, not wanting the show of affection to be too blatant in the midst of so many Grangers.

"Oh, right, of course." She laughed and the drew in a deep breath. "Let's go say hi. I think I saw Tali over by the tables, we'll need to catch up with her too." She rocked up on her toes and scanned the crowd. "I think most of the others you met in passing during the holidays but I'll make sure to give you names as we go. Is that Lyneth' Good lord she's a magical sprout!" All this was said as she started toward the Old Man, the warm well wishes ready to be said with complete sincerity.

Left to make her own way into the large gathering of Grangers and those who were Granger-adjacent, Liv couldn't help laughing a little as her husband swept into the air above them, knowing without needing to look what his personal imp of mischief had dared him to do. He was always exuberantly excited whenever they had a chance to socialize with anyone, but the Grangers - and the Old Man in particular - seemed to have a special place in her hot-blooded Johnny's heart.

The peal of Lyneth's delighted giggles made her look up at the sky in time to catch the spelling mistakes, deliberate or otherwise, listening as the words were read out by various people all around her, accompanied by warm laughter and a loud toast raised to "Humpey". The Old Man scowled good-naturedly, raising his own glass in response, and Liv felt herself quail a little. Though they had smoothed over their differences since the ghoul incident last year, she was still more than a little wary of Humphrey Granger.

Glancing up once again, she chuckled at the sight of Johnny speeding back down toward her, tempted to hide behind Jon and his wife as they reclaimed their daughter from a friend. Until she noticed something rather important. "Sweetheart?" she called up to Johnny as he swept overhead. "Naked flames and babies don't mix!" ____________ http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/M5O7Cceen49pJXb2EerjA/cid/94170520/id/x2Vak6uQTbOu4MUJ0kthsg/size/c600x617.jpg

Jon laughed as his personal assistant's overly-exuberant husband - and one of his closest friends - snatched baby Emily right out of Vicki's arms.

There were those who might have doubted Jon and Vicki's decision to have Johnny and Liv as godparents, but Jon and Vicki knew something they didn't. They knew how much the pair loved their daughter, which was the most important thing, and who better to protect her than a man who could turn to flames at a moment's notice? Unlike most in Rhy'Din, Jon and Vicki had seen Johnny in action, and though he might play the part of the clown for the public, they knew he had the heart of a hero.

"Emily. Her name is Emily," Jon reminded the man with a chuckle and a wink to Vicki. There was no point in scolding him; it would only make him feel bad, and he knew Johnny and Liv were as much enamored of their little bundle of joy as he and Vicki. He also knew they were hoping to have children of their own one day, but so far remained childless. Jon wasn't worried for them; there was plenty of time for that, and in the meantime, he didn't mind sharing a little.

"That's what I said! Emmykins!" Johnny replied as he tickled Emily's chin with a too-warm finger. She was never in danger of catching a chill so long as he was around. He looked around for another little bundle of joy he had become rather fond of. And, oh, there was Jack! He hadn't met the little guy yet, but he thought it was high time he did.

"Lynnie!" he called, searching the crowd for the little imp of a girl. "Come say hi to Uncle Johnny and Emmykins!" And off he went on a mission to acquaint himself and baby Emily with every other person present who was under the age of twelve.

Jon rolled his eyes and laughed again with an apologetic shrug of shoulders to Vicki and Liv. There was no stopping Johnny once he got going, but he was harmless really. At least the party was in no danger of becoming boring, so long as he was around!

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Late arrivals tended to be able to slide in unnoticed when Granger parties got underway, which was why Gabi always tended to be a little late. However, she quickly learned that when you have 3-month-old twin boys, a brother who is often more notable for his absence, and his little mermaid with you, arriving unnoticed was never going to be an achievable goal.

At least the attention wasn't entirely on her, helpfully diffused by her boys and her brother. But this was Gabi's first proper outing since the birth, and unsurprisingly, she was a little descended upon by various aunts and uncles and cousins, all eager to see Theodore and Jacob and find out how she was. Offering up a slightly despairing look to Cian as she was led away, Gabi obliged for now, grateful to have not one, but two small babies to hide behind. ____________ http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/Uq0S7fiMZdlORXmL9W3uRw/cid/94297549/id/nl95ftm9TJWhS0skogcI3g/size/c600x598.jpg

The last Granger gathering Cian had attended had been his brother's funeral. Thankfully, this was a much happier affair, though Cian shied away from Humphrey as long as he could. Whether it was only his own self-perception or not, he always felt like he was the black sheep of the family. Or at least, he had felt that way since he'd run away from home all those years ago. That was the only way to describe it really - accused of something he hadn't done and afraid of the consequences, he'd left home and hopped aboard the first ship going anywhere. He knew it was his own cowardice that had driven him away, and though nothing had ever come of the incident in question, he still feared the wrath of Humphrey.

Cian held tightly to Leilani's hand, as nervous and anxious as she was, though he did a better job of hiding it, at least until a black and white collie bounded over, tail wagging happily, and knocked his little mermaid onto her rear with an over-exuberant greeting.

"Cosmo, down!" a male voice called across the lawn, and suddenly there was a tall, handsome Granger Cian recognized to be his cousin Jonathan crouching down to wrangle the dog away from the young woman, but Cosmo soon spied the much larger Loki and after a moment's hesitation bounded off after the Malamute to get acquainted and see if he wanted to play.

Jon offered the pair an apologetic smile, just as Cian was helping Leilani to her feet. "Sorry about that. He still thinks he's a puppy. Cian, right?" he asked, not really remembering his slightly-older cousin, only knowing him from the family photo albums. Jon had always gotten the feeling Cian was trying to avoid him for some reason, and though he didn't know why, he wasn't one to press his luck. "I'm Jon," he said, offering a hand to the other man.

Cian looked slightly sheepish at the unexpected intervention of his estranged cousin. There had been a time when Cian and Jon had been close, but the event that had driven Cian away from home had been the same event that had driven a wedge between himself and Jonathan - or at least, that's how Cian perceived it. Though people had told him that Jon held no grudges against him, and in fact, didn't even remember the incident in question, Cian still felt an odd awkwardness between them that was of his own making. He'd been told Jon had visited him in the hospital after the accident, but when Cian had finally awoken, the news of his brother's death had over-shadowed that and everything else. It had been over a year since Frank's death. A lot had happened in a year. Fresh starts and new beginnings, Cian thought. Forgive and forget. None of it had been Jon's fault. It was time to move on.

Cian helped Leilani to her feet before grasping hold of Jon's hand. "Yeah, I know who you are." Cian paused, a worried frown on his face. "Look, I..." He glanced briefly to Leilani, unsure if it was the right time or place for this conversation, but someone had to break the ice at some point, and it might as well be now. "I know you don't remember me, but..."

Jon's smile never wavered, as if Cian was talking about nothing more serious than the weather. "I don't remember a lot of things, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends." He turned that smile on Leilani, as bright and welcoming as a warm, summer day. Whatever had happened in Jon's past, he was happy now, and nothing was going to change that, except his own self-recriminations, but he had Vicki to help him with those. "You must be Leilani," he said, offering her the same hand he'd just retrieved from Cian. "Welcome to Maple Grove. Have you met anyone yet?" He glanced over at the huddle of women who were oohing and aahing over Gabi's twins. "Vicki?" he called. "Come meet Cian and Leilani!"

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It was hard to miss the man in the blue uniform with the big 4 in the corner of his chest, and though Cian hadn't yet made his acquaintance, even he knew "Melty-Man" equated to one Johnny Storm, the "Human Torch". There was that worried frown again, wondering what Leilani would think of a guy who could go up in flames at a moment's notice.

"Uh..." was the only thing that came out of his mouth for a moment, before he regained his senses. Noting the amused smirk on his cousin Jonathan's face at his reaction didn't help matters any. "Why is he surrounded by kids" Is he like the Pied Piper or something?"

Jon chuckled at his cousin's analogy. "No, he just likes kids. Come on. Vicki and I will show you two around."