Topic: Surprise

Piper Granger

Date: 2017-03-16 13:08 EST
It might still be cold, it might still be snowing, but the sun had come out over Rhy'Din. It was a welcome relief for the parents on Maple Grove, but sadly, that relief was only half-experienced by one set of parents. While Lyneth bounced gleefully outside to say hello to her fairy friends and play in the snow, her Kneazle delicately bounding after her, the fast-approaching-two Dylan was housebound, nursing a fever that had left him snuffly and very put out. Piper swayed by the kitchen window with him in her arms, letting him watch his big sister in the hopes that just seeing all that energy being expended might convince the little lad that sleep was a good thing.

Desmond came up beside Piper, glancing out the window with her to watch their fae daughter bounding happily about in the snow. "Would you like me to put him down for a nap?" he offered. "You could go make snow angels with Lynnie," he suggested with a soft smile.

Piper chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure she would thoroughly enjoy watching me get snow up my skirt for her benefit," she drawled warmly, slowly her sway as Des joined them by the window. Dylan yawned, one hand sleepily reaching out to grasp hold of Des' collar. Both their children seemed to like cuddles best when both parents were involved. "She's got Knip and Loki under her thumb out there. I think adding me would spoil the balance of power."

"You have a point," he replied, reaching to take the toddler from her arms. "Come on, little man. Let's get you tucked into bed before you fall asleep. There'll be time to play in the snow when you're all better," he told the little boy as he took him into his arms.

Dylan whined pathetically as he was handed over, clinging to Piper's neck until she kissed him gently. "Be a good boy, and we'll have something yummy for dinner tonight," she promised him, always resorting to bribery to get good behavior out of the children when they were ill. Lyneth was worse than Dylan; when she was ill, they had to lock all the doors and windows, or she'd go wandering. Not that Lyneth actually got ill at all, but when she pretended, she could be a nightmare.

Piper smiled up at Des, brushing a kiss to his cheek, too. "I'll put the kettle on," she suggested. "And try not to go back to that manuscript while you're busy."

"You have to write when you can," he told her, not really minding if she wanted to work on her manuscript. He was perfectly capable of taking care of two young children on his own these days, even if one was a little ill and the other hyperactive. He leaned over to kiss her brow, that soft smile still in place. He never would have expected to be enjoying domestic bliss as much as he was these days. "I'll be right back."

She laughed softly, stroking her hand over Dylan's hair as Des bore him away. Left to her own devices, she watched Lynnie playing for a while longer, laughing when Loki pounced the little girl straight into a deep drift and got smacked by Knip for his trouble. The big Malamute came running back inside to be comforted, and that was what Des returned to - his wife hugging her dopey dog and commiserating with him over mean old Kneazles and their perfectly legitimate discipline habits.

The kettle was going off, as well, announcing that it was once again tea time in this particular Granger household. Desmond had once been a strict coffee drinker, but his English wife had changed his tastes about that a little bit over the last few years. "What's the matter?" he asked as he went to shut the kettle off and make them both a cup of tea. It would be hot cocoa for Lyneth once she was done cavorting in the snow. "Did Knip hurt his pride again?"

"Loki got over-excited and pounced Lynnie into a drift," Piper explained in amusement as she rubbed the dog's fur. "So Knip smacked his backside for him. And that cat-thing packs a wallop, doesn't he?" This was addressed to Loki, who was just pleased to be getting some attention. He licked her cheek for the warm hugs, taking himself off to make the most of the fire in the living room before he was moved over by the Kneazle. Piper laughed, rising to her feet once again. "Sorry, I got a little distracted there," she apologized. "I did intend to deal with the kettle, I promise."

Desmond chuckled at the interaction between wife and dog. "He's such a big baby, and he's ten times the size of that cat!" Okay, so technically, Knip was a Kneazle and not a cat, but he looked like a cat. Only in Rhy'Din could such things be possible.

"He's a big softie, and that's just the way I like him," she declared happily, wrapping one arm about his waist as she leaned into his side. "I can't believe he's almost ten. He's practically an old man these days."

"What about me" Am I a big softie?" Des teased, a smirk on his face as she leaned against him and he turned slightly to hand her a cup of tea, just the way she liked it. He knew Loki had been with her longer than he had, longer than even Lyneth, and she would miss him when he was gone, but he still had a lot of life left in him.

"Only when you're not hard," Piper murmured, careful to make sure that her lips barely moved. Lyneth had recently discovered lip reading, and had been doing it to every adult trying to have a normal conversation out of earshot. She wouldn't put it past the little girl to be spying even from the garden.

He chuckled at that. "Better not talk about that until Lynnie is asleep in bed, love," he teased back, leaning in to brush his nose against hers. It didn't take much, and they both knew it. If they weren't careful, their family would be expanding once again, but Des wouldn't mind that so much. "So, what are you writing about?"

She groaned softly, but she was smiling. Ever since she had finished her slightly autobiographical trilogy, the publisher had been itching for more. "They want more magic," she said thoughtfully. "Other writers back home have been trying their hand at it, but they all seem to think I've created rules and they have to follow them. I thought I might take the bare bones of one of those fairytales Lyneth loves so much and re-write it in my own style, see what those nitwits at home think of it."

"That sounds like a plan," he said, though he really had no idea what would make for a good children's book or what would sell well. "Harry Potter seems to be the book everyone wants to emulate these days," he remarked, the series still popular after all these years. He'd read it to Lyneth at one point, but she hadn't seemed too impressed.

"Oh, I don't mean for children," Piper clarified with a faint smile. "It's strange to imagine it now, but I grew up with no concept of magic. We didn't have witches and wizards, or even fairytales, not even fictional ones. I was woefully ill-equipped to handle what happened to me, but I learned fast. I was actually thinking of turning a simple fairytale, like Cinderella perhaps, into a novel. Fantasy isn't a genre that has much in the way of writers on my version of Earth, love."

"Do you think they'd like that?" he asked, uncertainly. Each was originally from two very different Earths - one that knew nothing of magic and the other that thought magic was merely the stuff of fairy tales.

Piper Granger

Date: 2017-03-16 13:09 EST
"They liked the dark and horrific tragedy that was my first book," she pointed out, "and the sequels sold even better. The publisher thinks that was because those books had happy endings." Her eyes were warm as she looked at him; he was the reason her two sequels had been so much less bleak than the initial book. "I think, if they can handle the concept of the Fae and everything that comes with them, my demographic should very much enjoy the innocence in a story like Cinderella."

"Well, if you intend to base a series of novels on fairy tales, you will have plenty of material to choose from," he assured her, touching a kiss to the tip of her nose before taking a sip of his tea as he turned to watch Lyneth outside their window. Even though the danger from her fae father had passed, there were other dangers to worry about, especially with all the pro-human nonsense going on.

"Well, I need to get this one done and published within the next few months," Piper mused, sipping her tea as she lingered next to him. Her eyes followed Lyneth as the little girl molded snow into shape. Even from here, it was obvious that she had a lot of little helpers, and that Knip was their subject. "I doubt I'll have much time to write toward the end of the year."

"Oh' Why's that?" he asked, sipping at his own tea while the two of them watched Lyneth enjoying the snow. There were few reasons he could think of that would take her away from her writing, other than ....He paused in his train of thought, turning once again to face her. "You're not ...?" he asked, not daring to guess at what he suspected.

The smile she gave him was partly delighted, and partly mischievous. "You mean you hadn't noticed?" she asked innocently. "And here I thought you knew every inch of me intimately, Mr. Granger."

"Mmm, perhaps I need to study you closer," he replied, with a teasing grin. He set his tea on the counter and turned to face her, his hand wandering over her middle as if to see if he could determine the validity of her news. "How far along?" he asked, his fingers in gentle splay against her abdomen.

If it had been a first pregnancy, there would have been nothing for him to find. But Piper's body had done this twice already, and where her slender waist was usually flat, there was a small bump, only just big enough to fit into his palm. "About nine weeks," she told him. "I never know how to tell you. Other people have grand plans, or creative instincts. I thought I'd wait and see how long it took for you to notice."

"Nine weeks!" he echoed, frowning at the knowledge that he'd disappointed her by not noticing, though he probably would have before much longer. "Sorry, I guess I've been a little distracted lately," he admitted remorsefully. It was all the pro-human crap that had distracted him, what with the Grangers trying to provide safe havens for those affected by the violence, but things seemed to have settled down to a semblance of normalcy lately. He'd done his best to keep his family as sheltered as possible, but there was only so much he could do. "So, September?" he guessed, doing the math in his head.

"Beginning of October," she told him. She made no mention of his distraction, knowing he'd been involved as much as he could be when it came to defending anyone who found themselves at the sharp end. Of course, he'd also had to be restrained after one incident in town when she'd been with Lyneth, but that had worked out well in the end. They never had gotten Tiernan to admit to being the one who had exposed that particular man's relationship with his dwarven mistress, but it had certainly resulted in a particularly lovely public apology. "I know we didn't plan on having any more children, but I can't be upset about it. It's wonderful."

There was only one worry where another child was concerned, and she was playing in the snow just outside the window. Desmond wasn't sure, but it was even possible that Lyneth already knew. Nothing really surprised him where she was concerned. "Does she know?" he asked, his gaze going to Lyneth again.

"If she does, she hasn't said anything," Piper said quietly, her own eyes straying to their eldest. "She's older now, and the worst is past. Besides, she and Dylan get into so much trouble with each other, I doubt either one of them will mind if we're distracted for a few months this time around."

"She adores Dylan," Desmond replied, which had been a relief. There had been some danger that Lyneth might be jealous of a younger sibling, but thankfully, that had not come to pass. Besides, no matter how many children Desmond and Piper might have, Lyneth would always be special, even if she was not his by birth. "We should tell her," he added, before it became too obvious. The question was how"

"We could tell her now," Piper suggested softly. "She must be frozen out there." Telling Lyneth about Dylan had been difficult, but surely this time it would be easier" They had been through it once already, and this time, there would be no danger of an attack. Their little girl had made her point with terrifying success, not only when it came to her little brother, but also when it came to Tiernan, the elder brother who had saved her parents' lives.

"Not without hot cocoa, we can't!" Des remarked with a grin. Whether she was his birth daughter or not, he knew her well enough to know her weakness and "choklit" was definitely one of them. "How about I make the cocoa while you get her inside?"

"That ....sounds like a plan," she chuckled in agreement, wandering over to the back door. She paused to slip her feet into her wellies, dragging his coat on to keep warm. "No marshmallows before dinner," she reminded him with a teasing waggle of her finger, pushing open the door to go and fetch their eldest bundle of fun from her snowy activities.

"Yes, ma'am!" he replied with a mock salute, though he might sneak a marshmallow or two into the hot cocoa; just not a handful of them, as Lyneth was a little too fond of sweets.

He had a perfect view of the garden from where he stood, perfect enough that he got to see Piper take aim before her snowball hit Lyneth on the back of the head. The little girl looked around, deeply offended, and the scowl abruptly melted into a wide grin as she abandoned her snow Kneazle to clamber up into her mother's arms and share a warm hug. The real Kneazle nipped into the warm kitchen, abandoning the pair outside to go and shove Loki out of his claimed spot by the fire.

Desmond went about making hot cocoa while Piper fetched Lyneth, but the Kneazle's antics temporarily caught his attention. "Knip!" Desmond scolded from the kitchen. "We are all about sharing in this house, and that includes Loki!" If the cat had been a normal cat, he might not have bothered, but Knip was no ordinary cat, and he knew he'd pushed Loki aside on purpose.

The answer he got, if he'd been able to speak the feline tongue the Kneazle excelled at, was definitely an echo of his diminutive mistress when she was disciplined. A whining protest, followed by a grumpy acquiescence, and despite leaving Loki be, the Malamute was quick to join Des in the kitchen for fear of reprisals at a later date. The dog's mood picked up, however, as Lyneth burst in through the back door, dragging Piper along with her.

"I got to go 'way 'cos bubba's all cold outside," the little mischief sang off-key, wriggling her chilly fingers in Des' direction.

Piper Granger

Date: 2017-03-16 13:09 EST
Desmond laughed. "What are you sing-songing, you little imp?" he asked as he stirred the melting chocolate mixture. While it was a lot faster and easier to use an instant hot chocolate mix, in this household they choose to make it the old fashioned way.

"Can't you tell, Daddy?" she asked, those beautiful turquoise eyes of hers as wide as she could get them. One hand tugged at Piper's dress as her mother hung their coats up. "Mummy, Daddy didn't recognize the song!"

"That's because Daddy doesn't expect to hear Christmas songs in February, munchkin," was Piper's indulgent reply.

"Oh ..." He chuckled. Using the wooden spoon as a makeshift microphone, he sang in a halfway decent sounding voice, "I really can't stay ..." He pointed the "microphone" at Lyneth to fill in the blank.

"But bubba's so cold outside!" she shot back, almost in tune, and with far more enthusiasm than accuracy, bouncing across the kitchen to embrace his hips like some feral little monkey desperate for kisses.

He chuckled through the next line at her "bubba", "I've gotta to go away ..." He pointed at her again to give her her cue before going back to stirring the mixture. They'd sang this one together countless times during the holidays, until Piper had begged them to stop.

"But bubba, it's cold outside!" That came from Piper as she sat herself down at the table, one hand on Loki's back.

Lyneth cackled with laughter, looking back to Des expectantly. "You gots two wimmins now!"

"Lynnie ..."

The warning was enough this time. Lyneth sighed. "You have two women this time."

And possibly another on the way, but Desmond said nothing of that, only exchanging a brief glance with Piper. "You are a little wimmin," he put in agreeably, as he poured the chocolate mixture into a mug. "Mummy says no marshmallows until after dinner," he warned her before she could ask.

Catching Des' glance, Piper bit down her own smile as Lyneth passed comment on the no marshmallows before dinner rule.

"Mummy is a good Mummy, and she should give me marshmallows all the time to prove she loves me. Or a baby sister."

Once again, Desmond couldn't help but laugh. "Neither of those things is up for negotiation, but nice try," he remarked, as he moved over to set her cocoa down on the table in front of her, leaning down to brush a kiss against her cheek, and dropping a single marshmallow into her cup on the sly.

Lyneth giggled at the sly undermining of Piper's orders, gathering her cup into her hands to slurp the marshmallow into her mouth before her mother noticed it. "So you want a baby sister now?" Piper asked curiously. "Ae you bored with Dylan already?"

Lyneth shook her head, beaming happily. "I want one of each."

"Are you sure?" Des inquired, going to rinse out the pan and leave it to soak in the sink before joining them at the table. "You can't change your mind, you know. Once you have a baby sister, you can't send her back." Of course, she knew all this already from Dylan, but it didn't hurt to remind her.

"Dyl was cool when he stopped pooping all the time," Lyneth pointed out, surfacing from her drink with a chocolate mustache.

Piper chuckled softly, reclaiming her tea to sip as she watched the pair of them. "Dylan did not poop all the time," she objected, only for Lyneth to answer,

"No, sometimes he peed, too."

"That's what babies do. They aren't smart enough to know how to use a toilet, until they're much older," Des reminded her further, though, again, she knew all this already. "If we were to give you a baby sister, you know she would take up a lot of our time, just like Dylan did."

"Yeah, but I can help," Lyneth pointed out hopefully. "I know what to do, and I'm bigger now, and I could look after Dyl and play with him and stuff when you're too tired." She eyed Des suspiciously. "You can't take the baby back now she's stuck in Mummy's tumbly."

There was a splutter from the other side of the table - Piper was choking on her tea.

Desmond gaped at their young daughter a moment before breaking into another round of laughter. "So much for surprises!" he said. Thankfully, Piper had just shared the news or he really would have been in a state of shock.

Lyneth's grin was almost wide enough to eat her own nose. She was absolutely thrilled to have shocked both her parents. Had they really thought she wouldn't notice that Mummy was pregnant again? After all, she'd paid very close attention last time. That, and Faolan had told her, because Mummy smelled a bit different. But her knowledge was mostly because of what she knew, Lyneth was adamant.

"You are such a little tease, Lyneth," Piper accused her daughter, wiping her mouth and chin dry as she cleared her throat.

"Such a little something, anyway," Desmond murmured, teasingly. "So, what should we do to celebrate?" he asked, already knowing this conversation was likely to end with Lyneth suggesting pizza and maybe cupcakes.

"Make Dyl all better so he can have pizza," was his daughter's predictable response. She adored her little brother; his minor fever had been almost as traumatic for her as it was for him.

Piper chuckled softly, reaching over to stroke her hair. "Love, we can't make Dyl better just like that," she told her gently. "But he is much better today than he was yesterday. You wait, in a couple of days, it will be like he was never sick at all."

A healer could probably make their son all better, but Piper and Desmond believed it was better not to depend on magic and healers too much, or risk becoming too reliant on such things. They had enough magic in their lives as it was with a half-fae child for a daughter. "He'll be fine, Lynnie. He has to get sick sometimes, so he can build up his immunity."

Piper Granger

Date: 2017-03-16 13:10 EST
"What's emu-titty?" she asked curiously, drawing her knees up to her chest as she hugged her cup close. As much as she enjoyed playing with her fairies, her friends, and her brother, one of Lyneth's favorite things to do was just sit and be herself with her parents.

"Um," Des started uncertainly. "It's something inside you that keeps you from getting the same sickness over and over," he explained, as simply as he could. "Something inside humans, anyway," he added, for good measure. He knew that wasn't a very good explanation and was likely to prompt more questions than it answered.

"Like a little person?" Lyneth asked, her eyes bright at the thought of that. "Does that mean Mummy has three little persons inside her right now" Her emu-titty, and the itty-bitty baby, and the itty-bitty baby's emu-titty?"

"Uh, no, not exactly," Des replied, looking to Piper for help. She was so much better at explaining things than he was. After all, she was a writer. "It's more like an invisible shield that protects you from getting sick."

"Like magic?" Lyneth asked hopefully.

It was at this point that Piper decided to rescue her husband from this line of questioning. "Do you remember when we talked about what happens if you let a cut get dirty?" she asked the little girl.

Lyneth considered this for a moment, and nodded. "If the dirt stays, it makes your blood all sick, and your blood goes everywhere in your body, and if your blood gets sick, then you all get sick, and sometimes you die."

Piper snorted with laughter. "I don't remember that last part."

"It could happen if you let it go long enough," Des said with a small shrug. She wasn't wrong, and he thought it was better for her to know the truth so that she took these things seriously than ignored them.

"Your body has its own defenses," Piper went on, glancing between them with a smile. "Like a flower can heal itself if its leaf gets cut, so can your body. And every time you get sick, your body learns how to defend itself against that kind of sickness. It doesn't mean you won't get that sickness again, it just means that next time it won't be so bad. Does that make sense, sweetheart?"

"What happens if you get really sick and your body hasn't had it before?" Lyneth asked. She was always interested in new information, even if she didn't understand it.

"It depends," Des replied, "But that's what doctors and medicine and hospitals are for. Don't worry, Lyneth. We won't ever let Dylan get that sick," he assured her. Though they couldn't control whether Dylan would ever get sick or not, they could promise to always take good care of him when he did.

"Why don't I get sick?" the curious little madam asked then, apparently satisfied with the promise that Dylan would never be allowed to get so sick he wouldn't get better again.

Desmond shrugged again, though the answer seemed obvious. "Because your fae blood protects you against things like that. Lynnie, trust me, you don't want to get sick. It's not much fun. You're a very lucky little girl."

"But when I have babies like Mummy does, I'll get sick then, won't I?"

Piper bit her lip to keep from laughing, sobering enough to answer that one for Des. "What happens when I'm pregnant isn't being sick, exactly," she explained. "It's all about the way my body is adjusting to having a growing baby inside me. And it doesn't last long, does it?"

Lyneth shook her head. "So ....I will get sick like you when I have babies?"

"I don't think you have to worry about having babies for quite a while yet, sweetheart," Des said, smiling, before getting to his feet to refill his tea. "So, pizza for dinner then?" he asked, already knowing what the answer to that would be.

One small head nodded enthusiastically, curls bouncing. "With mushrooms and with pepperoni and red numnums, but no anchovies or pineapple because you and Mummy said so."

"Red numnums, got it," Des replied, knowing what his daughter meant by that without having to ask for clarification and not bothering to correct her. "Shall we ask Tiernan and Faolan to dinner, too?" he asked, as he jotted down their order on a pad of paper so he wouldn't forget.

"Oooh, can we?" Lyneth asked excitedly. "I can make my hand into feathers now, I want to show him. And Fay can snuggle with Dyl, because she's so warm all the time, and she'll make him feel better, and you and me and Mummy and Nanny can play Twister!"

"I'm not so sure Mummy should play Twister right now, Lynnie. She can spin instead." As for the rest, it sounded find with him. They certainly had an interesting household with a half-fae daughter, her half-fae brother, and his werewolf mate to fill out the family.

"Maybe I could cuddle with Dylan and spin, then Fay could join in with the game?" Piper suggested.

Lyneth considered this for a long moment. "M'kay! I'll go call Nanny." Setting her cup down, she tottered over to the back door, throwing it open and opening up her lungs. "Nanny! Nanny, come to dinner! And bring Fay! No 'scuses!"

While most people - humans and otherwise - used cell phones to contact people these days, Tiernan and Faolan were wild things who not only didn't care for such things, but didn't have any use for them either. Lyneth didn't receive an answer to her summons so much as a feeling that her brother had heard her and understood.

"I guess we'd better order extra pizza," Desmond remarked with a chuckle.

"It certainly looks that way, doesn't it?" Piper agreed, shivering a little in the draft from the door. "Lynnie, shut the door, love. Why don't you go and drag out the cushions for the living room' Tiernan and Faolan don't feel comfortable sitting anywhere but on the floor, we may as well make it comfortable for everyone."

Shutting the door, Lyneth beamed, skipping back to them. "He's coming," she informed her parents, though how she knew was always going to be a mystery. "I can do fun stuff with cushions. C'mon, Loki!"

Des waited until Lyneth had left the room, though it was hard to keep much from the precocious little girl. "You think it's okay with Dylan sick?" he asked, lowering his voice for Piper's ears only.

She met his gaze, thinking this one over. "The worst that can happen is that it takes another day for him to get over the fever," she said thoughtfully. "Fay runs too hot to catch anything off a little boy. He's almost over it, love. You wait, tomorrow he'll be absolutely fine and milking it for all he's worth."

Piper Granger

Date: 2017-03-16 13:11 EST
"If you say so," Des replied, taking her word for it. She knew more about sick children than he did, after all. "One of these days, I'm gonna convince Lyneth that Candyland is more fun than Twister," he added with a grin as he got up to take the mugs to the sink and wash them out. "So, do you think she knows we're having a girl or is it just wishful thinking?"

"If you ever manage to convince her, I'll give you ten dollars," Piper teased him, rising to her feet to help dry up the mugs as he washed them. His question made her laugh, one hand touching the tiny bump at her waist. "I wouldn't put it past her to know for certain," she admitted. "But we won't know until the scan."

"You're not the one who has to fold yourself into a pretzel every time we play!" he pointed out with a laugh. "I wouldn't be too surprised if she's right either," he said as he washed and rinsed the mugs and set them in the tray to drain.

"You realize she's going to congratulate your genitalia for planting the correct sex if it is a girl," Piper warned him in deep amusement. "Probably in company."

"Lucky me," Des replied with a sarcastic frown. He didn't mind Lyneth's teasing so much, so long as they were with family, but there were some things that shouldn't be mentioned in public, even if you were an incredibly cute six-year-old. "One of these days, we need to have a talk." But not today; he wasn't feeling like it today.

"She'll stop at some point," Piper promised him, curling her arms about his waist from behind. Her lips brushed his neck fondly. "She hasn't mentioned it half so much in the last year as she did before."

"It'll be a little awkward if she's still talking about Mr. Winky when she's sixteen," he remarked quietly, but he wasn't complaining. He adored Lyneth and had almost from the very first moment they'd met at a Granger Christmas party almost five years ago.

His wife laughed softly against his ear. "I have no doubt she'll pull it out of her bag of tricks to tease you with from time to time," she assured him. "But trust me, she's growing out of using your winky to get a rise out of you these days. She knows you better now."

He smiled. "All that means is that she's learned better ways to tease me," he told her, but he didn't really mind that much. Lyneth's teasing was never mean-spirited and if she ever hurt his feelings, she was always far too remorseful for him to get angry for long.

Piper grinned, releasing him from her hold to go and inspect the contents of their refrigerator. Tiernan and Faolan were wild creatures at heart, so they would not be interested in artificial drinks or desserts. Thankfully, this house always had juice and fruit. "You know better how to tease her too, you know," she pointed out to her husband cheerfully. A thought occurred to her then. "You know, neither one of you is as ruthless teasing me as you are teasing each other. Am I the delicate one in this family?"

"Would it bother you if you were?" he asked, turning to face her as she perused the refrigerator, arms crossed against his chest as he took a lean against the cupboard. There had been a time when Piper had been a little insecure where he and Lyneth were concerned, but that time seemed to have passed.

She smiled at him, knowing herself well enough these days not to take the closeness between Des and Lyneth personally. They had both gone out of their way to make sure she knew they loved her. "It just seems a strange dynamic to me," she admitted. "In my family, I was the delicate one, but that was because I was the baby. Here and now, I'm the mum, and I'm still somehow delicate. I suppose I wasn't expecting to still be delicate after going through childbirth twice."

"Sweetheart," Des started, pushing off the counter to close the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her waist, an affectionate smile on his face. "It's not that you're delicate so much as that we just love you. Is that such a bad thing?" he asked, touching a kiss to the tip of her nose.

The fridge door closed with a soft thump as he drew his arms about her, her hands finding a place to lie on his biceps, enjoying the strong definition of muscle beneath the fabric of his shirt. "It isn't a bad thing," she promised him through her own smile, nuzzling close. "And if I am honest ....I like being the one who needs protecting. I turn into a screaming harpy if anyone so much as looks like they might touch our children, but that is mostly because I'm terrified. I'm really not made to be a fighter."

"You don't need to be, Pip," Desmond assured her, holding her close, his voice reassuring and quiet beside her ear. "That what you have us for." Yes, us ....Desmond and Lyneth, and even Tiernan and Faolan. He had sworn to always protect her and his family, and though Lyneth enjoyed masquerading as a child, he knew she was more than capable of protecting them, too.

She buried her face against his neck, curling her arms about his shoulders as she breathed him in. It felt as though moments like these were rare between them, caught as they were often between a toddler, a child, and two animals, all of whom demanded a good deal of time and attention. "I love you," she whispered to him tenderly. "I will never stop being thankful you came back to us."

"There is no place I'd rather be than right here. This is my home now, Piper, and you and Lyneth and Dylan are my life." His smile softened, full of warmth and affection for this gentle creature that he'd been so lucky to have met and made his wife. "I love you, Pip. Always have, always will."

She drew her fingers along his cheek, raising her head to meet his eyes. "You know, you never told me what your mother's name was," she said softly. He knew her well enough to know where her mind was going, but how he would react was beyond her to guess.

He arched a brow, a little surprised by the question, though he didn't have to ask why she was asking, considering the news she'd shared with him just a short time ago. "Amelia," he replied. "Her name was Amelia."

Piper's smile softened as she leaned into him. "Then I know what we're calling her, if it is a her," she told him. Gentle though her voice was, it brooked no argument. The decision was made.

There wasn't much he could say to that, except kiss her, even if Lyneth was watching and was likely to tease them about it. He'd never dreamed life could ever be this good or he could be this happy, and it was all because of Piper and Lyneth.

They would be inclined to argue if he voiced that, of the shared opinion that he was the reason life was this good for all of them. But the truth was that life had been breaking them, all of them, before they had been maneuvered into meeting one fateful holiday. No one could pinpoint exactly which Granger it had been who had arranged that meeting. But without it, life might well have broken the three of them separately, and left them with no way of coming back. Together, they were strong, a strength born of love that had weathered the worst that life could throw at them. They deserved the good life, and that's what they had. And contrary to Lyneth's favorite saying, it was not all down to Mr. Winky.