Topic: The Prodigal Returns

Leilani · Date: 2013-05-06 06:57 EST

Maple Grove had changed a little. Long empty homes were open, strangers taking refuge from the dangers of the Old Temple Khuldin affair still living there, filling the approach to Beecham House with unaccustomed noise. Almost a full year had passed since this man had been home, a year filled with adventure and excitement, and love. Nine months in the company of the little woman by his side, clinging to his hand even as she looked around at the loveliness of the Grove's accumulated gardens in quiet wonder. Even after all this time, she was still just a little awkward on her feet, still awash with some kind of innocence that would never truly fade. It had taken all his powers of persuasion to draw her away from the sea that lapped against Rhy'Din's shore, to turn here and venture into unfamiliar territory, smiling support as he dared the grasping embrace of family once again.

It was mostly because of his sister, Gabrielle, that Cian had ventured home and because of a promise he'd made that he'd be home to see her before she gave birth. But it was also because of the timid creature at his side, who had healed his broken heart and offered him her own. It was because of these two women, who were more dear to him than life itself, that he'd come back to Rhy'Din, so that they could at last meet each other and understand how much he cared for them.

In the months since they had left Yang Terlupa, Leilani had never been far from his side, eager to learn about the world beyond the island where she had been born and raised and kept imprisoned by her mother's will. In those months, Cian had finally taught her the necessity of clothing on a daily basis, though they had yet to find her anything that did more than cover her nudity. Their searching over the weeks and months had resolved itself into the curious ensemble she wore now - a peasant-style dress in blue cotton, a long sheepskin coat, and green boots on her feet. The underwear conversation was still ongoing, and it seemed as though the little Syreni might actually be winning it. With her hair plaited untidily to keep it out of her way, she was dusty with travel but bright eyed, squeaking excitedly as different houses came into view. "Is that Beachy Hut?"

Cian had taken great pleasure in teaching Leilani about the world away from the place where she'd lived all her life. Though sometimes those lessons could become frustrating, he was ever patient, ever loving. Even now as she tripped over the name of the home where he'd grown up, he only smiled fondly in amusement before gently correcting her. "Beecham House," he told her for what seemed like the umpteen thousandth time as he led her through the grounds that made up Maple Grove. A lot had changed, and yet, it still felt like home.

He only knew what Gabi had shared in her letters, wondering what kind of welcome would await him when he arrived home at last, unexpectedly and without warning after being gone for a year. He wondered if Jon had received his letter of apology and if Gabi had shared any of his letters with their father.

"Beecham House," she repeated, a familiarly studious frown touching her brows as she endeavored to commit the words to memory fully, aware that some of the details she had failed to memorize were important. She knew his family's names - Cian had begun to teach her to read using Gabrielle's letters - but very little of the content of those letters had remained in her mind. Her small hand squeezed his as the frown abruptly flickered into a wide smile. "You are happy to be home, Cian?"

He was actually not quite sure just how he felt about coming home. He missed his father and his sister, and he was hoping to make peace at last with the rest of the family, but he wasn't sure how long they'd stay. Happy was a relative term. He was happy to be with Leilani, and he was happy to be seeing his sister again, but he wasn't sure if this place would ever be home. "I'm nervous," he admitted with a frown, more nervous than he'd anticipated.

His little mermaid smiled fondly up at him, tucking herself closer to his side as she hugged his arm to herself. "Your sister will be happy to see you," she predicted, though it was almost a guarantee. However guilty she'd felt about doing it, Gabi had been pleading for Cian to come home even for a flying visit for months now. "You will be a brother-father."

"A brother-father?" he asked, not quite understanding what she meant by that. He was understandably nervous, and yet, this was Gabi. She'd love him no matter what he did, and he had to admit that, of all the people he'd left behind, he loved and missed her best. Ironic that, since Gabi was the one person in his family who wasn't even technically related by blood, but that had never mattered. Adopted or not, as far as Cian was concerned, Gabi was and always would be his sister.

Lani frowned thoughtfully, trying to make sense of the phrase she had created to pin down what his relationship would be with his sister's children. "You are her brother, and she will be a mother, and the man side of being a mother is a father, so you will be her young's brother-father," she broke it down innocently, c*cking her head in that childlike way of hers to watch his expression. "I do not know the right word."

"Oh!" Realization dawned, and Cian smiled. Their conversations often went something like this - with one of them saying something the other didn't understand, but after some discussion, they always seemed to eventually understand each other. "The word is uncle. I'll be their uncle," he said, giving her a word for what she was trying to describe.

"Uncle." As usual, she repeated the word a couple of times to be sure she had it right, before falling silent once again, distracted by the distant sound of barking from the lawns in front of the biggest house on the estate. Her fingers tightened in Cian's grip; while equally comfortable on land or at sea, the girl who was fearless in the face of a rampaging shark still got nervous around any land animal with a mouth big enough to bite her.

When had someone gotten a dog" He didn't remember any dogs on the property the last time he'd visited. He thought about detouring to say hello to the family patriarch, but he decided against it with a frown. He needed to see Gabi first, before he saw anyone else. "It's okay, Lani. It's just a dog." He'd have to make a point of asking Gabi when Humphrey got a dog. It struck him suddenly how out of touch with his family he'd really become.

Reassured, Leilani relaxed a little, stepping to walk closer by his side. Under the spring sunshine, her coat was heavy and hot, but she'd promised him she wouldn't lose it, not after all the trouble he'd gone through to procure it for her. So she was suffering in silence, hot and sweaty, but determined not to say anything about it. "Should ....should I wait somewhere?" she asked suddenly, realizing she hadn't actually considered whether or not she would be welcome at this little visit. "Your sister will be wanting to see you."

"No, my sister will be wanting to see us!" he corrected, stopping in his tracks to turn and face his beloved. He took her hands in his and smiled softly and reassuringly at her. "Lani, this isn't just about me seeing my sister again. This is about us. You and I. I love you, and I want her to meet you."

Those exotic green eyes of hers blinked up at him in the usual way, that odd double-eyelid adding a split second to the movement before her eyes opened wide once again. She hadn't had a close relationship with any of her sisters, not knowing truly what a human family was like. But slowly, her familiarly sweet smile spread over her face, pleased that Cian hadn't even considered not taking her inside with him. "I love you," she promised him. "And I do want to see Gabrielle's eggs."

Cian's heart swelled with love and affection and something he hadn't felt in a long time - hope. He'd felt like the black sheep for so long. This trip wasn't just about seeing Gabi again, or about him introducing Leilani. It was about healing - about setting things right, about making amends, forgiving and forgetting the past and becoming part of a family again. Though he didn't know it, he had never not been part of the family. He just needed to hear it from someone that mattered. He chuckled at her remark, brown eyes dancing with amusement. "They're not eggs, Lani. Humans are..." How could he explain it in a way she'd understand" "Humans are live-bearers."

Leilani · Date: 2013-05-06 06:58 EST

"But how do the young get out?" the young Syreni asked in confusion. She had a feeling that if you gave birth to live young, they didn't smash their way out as she had done from her own egg. And something in the way Cian had taught her the word "baby" suggested that when they were born, they were useless when it came to instincts and self-care. "Will it hurt her very much?"

Cian wasn't too sure how to answer her questions. He knew how it all worked biologically, but he had obviously never experienced childbirth and never would. He wondered momentarily if he and Leilani could ever have children, but at that point in time, he knew neither of them were ready. It was something they hadn't really discussed yet. "I'm-I'm not sure. I mean, it will hurt, yes, but women have been doing it for....Since the beginning of time."

"Oh." She nodded, the sound that left her lips merely acknowledgement that she understood what he had and hadn't said. The sound of the path under her boots changed, and she looked down to find herself on loose gravel that would lead them to the house that contained his sister and her eggs, wherever she was keeping them. Her free hand rose to toy with the pearls that hung at her throat, his first gift to her from the ocean's floor. "Will she like me?"

He came to a halt again to turn and face her. They were close to Beecham House now and he didn't want her to worry. He touched her cheek gently, lovingly, with a soft, reassuring smile. "Stop worrying. She's going to love you." He brushed a kiss against her lips to calm and reassure her, whispering, "Trust me."

It wasn't that she was worrying so much as almost terminally curious, wanting to know ahead of time if she would be difficult for his sister to meet or not. His smile, his touch, his kiss ....they wiped that curiosity away as she leaned into him, a content little chatter of sound reverberating from the back of her throat, a throwback to her time beneath the waves. Brushing the tip of her nose to his, she grinned. "I do."

Trust had become an implicit part of their relationship. He'd had to put his trust in her almost from the first moment he'd met her. She'd saved him from drowning and without her help, he would never have survived, but the favor had been returned ten-fold. He'd won her trust, even as she'd won his. They had relied on each other to survive and to escape both the island where she'd grown up - the island that had kept her prisoner all her life. Trust was something Cian didn't give easily, having been betrayed once too often, but if there was one person he trusted more than anyone, it was Leilani - and he felt the same way about Gabi, as well. "Come on," he smiled, his heart feeling ten times lighter than before, excitement growing in him to see his sister again. "Let's go surprise Gabi."

It didn't take much more than a few minutes to reach the tall house at the end of this neat little driveway. Leilani peered up at the facade as they approached, charmed by how little the house seemed to pretend to be anything but what it was. There was no ridiculous decoration in the stone; merely brick and granite combining to create a sturdy, elegant structure set in what seemed to be an unusually peaceful part of the Grove itself. As they mounted the steps, a laugh made itself known through one of the open windows that faced front - feminine and giggly, fading away with easy comfort into the gentle silence. Lani smiled at the sound, sharing her beaming expression with Cian as they paused in front of the door. At least it sounded as though Gabrielle was in a good mood.

Cian felt more nervous than ever the closer they got to the place that had been his childhood home, the place where he'd grown up, the place that held so many memories, both good and bad. He recognized the sound of Gabi's laughter, and it filled him with both happiness and a kind of nervous tension. Despite what he'd told Leilani, he was worried about this reunion, worried seeing him again would bring back a flood of bad memories for his sister. It had been because of him that Frank had died, though he'd made partial peace with that fact long ago. He couldn't stay away forever; he had to face the past and reconcile it, one way or another. He drew a deep breath to gather his courage, knowing it was now or never. "Ready?" he asked his gentle companion, though he was, in reality, asking himself.

The little woman at his side rose up on her toes, touching a reassuring kiss to his cheek with a smile. "I'm ready," she promised him, though they both knew he was more wary of this visit than she. Whatever happened, however, he could be secure in the knowledge that his Lani wasn't going anywhere.

He tried to dismiss the butterflies that were flitting through his stomach as he raised a hand to knock on the door. It seemed odd to be knocking on the door to the house he'd grown up in, a house that was supposed to be his home, but his arrival was unexpected, and it no longer felt right just barging in, whether he was welcome or not. Whatever happened, he knew Gabi, at least, would be happy to see him. He paused a moment and then rapped his knuckles against the door. "It's now or never," he whispered to no one in particular, though it appeared he was talking to Lani.

"Just a minute!" Gabi's familiar voice called out in answer to the rap on the door, followed by a series of somewhat breathless grunts of effort, a testament to the struggle that was getting off the couch these days. She was due any day, rounded out like a balloon and miserable in the growing heat, but still, being pregnant suited her ridiculously well. As Leilani smothered a giggle at the noises from inside the house, familiar footsteps made themselves known, and the door swung open to reveal Gabrielle, flushed, hugely pregnant, and quite suddenly beaming with delight. "Ci! You're here!" Whether he was ready for it or not, Cian was about to get an armful of his sister and her bump.

"Oh my god, Gabi!" Cian laughed at the sight of her, both happy to see her and amazed at the way she looked pregnant. He knew she was having twins, but until this very moment, he hadn't been able to imagine it in his head. "You're huge!" Leave it to Cian to be bluntly honest with his sister, though he meant no insult. He beamed a warm smile for his sister and best friend and opened his arms to hug her close - well, as close as her bump would allow.

"Hey!" Far from being insulted - she knew she looked like someone had overinflated a beach ball and shoved it down her top - Gabi laughed with her brother, thumping him lightly on the arm for the unintentional bluntness. "I'm days away from losing a whole lot of weight, thank you very much!" She kissed his cheek, hugging tightly for a long moment. She'd missed him more than she dared say, wanting so much to apologize for her behavior this time last year, for not being there to see him off when he left, and for her pleading letters over the past months.

Shy of anyone new, Leilani stepped back from the siblings, her green eyes dancing with pleasure for the obviously happy reunion, even as her gaze turned curiously to the bulge at Gabi's middle. Was that where she was keeping her baby eggs?

"You look like you ate a watermelon!" Cian remarked with good-natured laughter, flushing excitedly at the welcoming hug from his sister. In that moment, it seemed everything had been forgiven. Nothing that had gone before mattered. Perhaps in the days to come, he'd explain everything about why he'd left, but it hadn't been Gabi's fault. It had never been because of Gabi. She had always been the one person in his life who'd remained constant. He hugged her back, careful of her baby bump, and reached for Leilani's hand, drawing her gently toward him. "Gabi, I want you to meet someone. This is Leilani, the girl I wrote you about."

Pregnancy had definitely brought Gabi more out of her shell than she had been a year ago - Cian wouldn't have to worry about being stuck between two very shy women. Releasing her brother, Gabi turned her eyes to the tiny girl drawn close beside him, seeing the familiar signs of shy nerves and curious amusement. Glancing at Cian with one raised brow, Gabi offered his companion a warm smile. "Welcome to Rhy'Din, Leilani," she greeted the girl, knowing better than to reach out until Lani was more comfortable. "Thanks for looking after my brother."

Beside Cian, Leilani beamed silently for a moment, squeezing his hand between her own, and nodded to Gabi, shy but warm. "Thank you, Gabrielle."

The two women shared a long smile, before Gabi realized they were all standing outside the front door. "Oh gods!" she laughed, stepping backward to usher them inside. "Come in - geez, I swear my manners are all shot to heck."

Leilani · Date: 2013-05-06 06:59 EST

Finding himself sandwiched between the two women he loved most in the whole universe, Cian smiled happily, his heart warm and full with love and admiration for both of these two lovely women. He'd known once Gabi had met Leilani, his sister would put the little Syreni's mind completely at ease and fall in love with her as much as he had. He also knew that, given time, these two could become almost like sisters, and being as shy as they both were, he thought that relationship would be good for both of them, but much of that depended on how long they stayed in Rhy'Din. He laughed again at Gabi's mild self-recrimination, a little nervous who she might have been spending the afternoon with and worrying they were intruding. "I'm sorry if this is a bad time. I wanted to surprise you."

His sister laughed again, shaking her head. "No, it's good. I'm all alone, reading scary books about how to do night feeds with two kids." And though that was a scary prospect, she was still smiling as she said it, deliberately not thinking about the friend and father who had disappeared a month before. Ushering Cian and his girl inside, she waved them toward the living room. "Dad's gone up to the big house to play with Jack and Emily, if he can pry them out of Humph's hands. Can I take your coat, Leilani?"

The little Syreni jumped, startled to be addressed directly, and squeezed Cian's hand harder even as she answered softly, "I promised I wouldn't lose it."

Gabi blinked, and turned an enquiring look onto her brother, her lips twitching with amusement.

"Jack and Emily," Cian repeated with a thoughtful frown as he followed the two women into the house. She'd kept him abreast of most of the news regarding the family over the last year or so since he'd been away, but he'd yet to meet the newest additions to the Granger family, the prospect of which made him nervous, especially when it came to his estranged cousin Jonathan. Cian blinked out of his own thoughts and worries. Drawn back by Leilani's remark, he laughed again, the sound of it warm and amused. "You don't have to wear it every second, Leilani. Gabi isn't going to lose it. She'd just going to....to put it somewhere safe for you until you need it again." He found himself trying to explain something humans took for granted once again.

It was just as well Gabi was a Rhy'Din native; she could spot the signs that gave away someone who might be non-human. And she knew her brother; I've met someone special had obviously become I've fallen in love, and that in itself was reason enough to welcome Leilani with open arms. Gabi had been very afraid that her altercation with Tera might have shattered her brother's heart for good.

Reassured by Cian's laughing explanation, Lani slipped her hands from his, pulling her thick coat off her arms with an obvious sigh of relief, letting Gabi take it from her.

"Goodness, this is so heavy!" Cian's sister declared, flickering a teasing glare in his direction. "Shackling your girl with sheepskin now, hmm?"

Leilani blinked, looking between the siblings in vague confusion. "What is shackling?"

"It was cold at the time. She needed it!" he explained with a good-natured chuckle at his sister. He was feeling obviously relieved at his sister's warm welcome and genuinely happy to be home. He smirked at Leilani's innocence and the lengthy explanation that would probably ensue. "I'll explain later," he promised her, with a gentle squeeze of her hand. He had a feeling that his explanation was likely to lead to further questions.

"Mmhmm." While Gabi wasn't exactly a fashionista, even she could tell that what the pair of them were standing up in was likely the only set of clothing they each owned right now. She chuckled a little. "Well, it's just as well I've got all this stuff to pass on to my new little sister, then, isn't it?" she said, as tactfully as possible pointing out that Lani looked ridiculous. "And as for you ..." She poked Cian's shoulder playfully "....all your clothes are still on the floor of your closet. Exactly as you left them." Hanging Lani's coat in the closet near her, she gestured toward the living room again, waddling in that direction with as much grace as a duck and as much dignity as a swan.

He didn't think Lani looked ridiculous. In fact, he loved what she was wearing, even if it had gotten a bit too warm for the sheepskin coat. As for himself, he was dressed in layers that were equally too warm for the warm spring days - a beige shirt with long sleeves that ballooned at the wrists, loosely laced at his neck. Over that he wore a belted brown vest with matching trousers, boots, and a cloak on his back. His ever-present sword hung heavily at one hip. Tucked beneath his tunic, hung what looked like a shark's tooth - a gift that had been given him by Leilani's mother and one that was more than mere decoration. Clean-shaven, he still looked boyish, though he was in his late twenties, his hair swept to one side and just brushing his shoulders.

"Maybe I should change," he said, with a somewhat sheepish grin. Though his attire was appropriate for travel, it wasn't exactly made for comfort. He wondered what Leilani would think if he were to change into more modern clothing.

As Gabi groaned softly, folding herself back down onto the couch in deference to her aching back and swollen ankles, Lani lingered in the hallway with Cian, not entirely sure what she had just missed in the conversation. "Change what?" she asked him, her curiosity touched with a little worry as she peered into the living room for a moment. "What do you need to change?"

He unclasped his cloak and hung it on a peg, as it didn't really fit very well on a hanger. He turned with an amused smile to his companion and brushed his fingers fondly against her cheek. "I mean change my clothes. You could change, too, if you want. I'm sure Gabi has something that would fit you." Come to think of it, the thought of a hot shower sounded good, too, but all in good time. He wasn't even sure if they'd be staying here yet. He knew the cottage he'd been renting with Tera was out of the question. The lease had run out ages ago, and there were too many memories there.

On the other hand, there were still plenty of smaller houses on the Grove that stood empty. Any one of those would be opened at a moment's notice if Cian expressed an interest. Lani's head c*cked to one side as he explained his meaning, deepening the caress of his fingers against her cheek with a softer smile. She nodded, obedient to what seemed to be his wish and his sister's suggestion, not truly understanding what it was she was likely to be offered from Gabrielle's wardrobe.

"Well?" Gabi's voice floated to them from the main room. "Are you coming in to chat, or are you going to disappear upstairs and christen your bathroom?"

He smiled at the mild chastening from his sister. "Coming!" he called back, dipping his head close to Leilani to brush a kiss against her lips. A shower could wait a little while longer. "Come on. We'd better go talk to Gabi before she has my head." He smirked, knowing she was more than likely to misunderstand that comment, as well. He wrapped long, slender fingers around hers and drew her with him into the living room to where his sister was waiting.

"Has your head for what?"

Gabi looked up from where she had reopened her book at Lani's query, watching in fond amusement as the little woman trailed into the living room behind Cian. They looked inseparable; she hoped it would last this time. Cian deserved to have some constant in his life that loved him as deeply as Leilani seemed to. She set her book down once again, waiting for them to take a seat. "So ..." Gabi looked back and forth between them. "You can't keep me in suspense any more. Details!"

Though they might never have a traditional wedding or relationship, as far as Cian was concerned, he and Lani were going to be together for life. He'd never been in love like this before, never met someone who lit up his life the way that she did. It had taken him a while, but he believed he had finally found his true love. Cian's eyes twinkled with amusement at his sister's impatient prompting. "I could ask you the same thing!" he exclaimed, gesturing toward her bump with a hand.

Leilani · Date: 2013-05-06 07:00 EST

"You need a blow by blow account of how this happened, do you?" Gabi countered laughingly, drumming her fingers on the curve of her bump. Intriguingly, the bump moved in response, cramped little arms and legs stretching out to push back against their mother's contact.

Leilani's jaw dropped as she put two and two together finally. Gabi's baby eggs were in there.

"Well, I know what goes where and why, so no....I don't need all the little details." Cian unfastened the cutlass at his hip and set it aside so that he could make himself comfortable and take a seat on the couch without it getting in his way. He deliberately dropped down beside his sister, tugging Lani after him. "May I?" he asked, lifting a hand in anticipation, but asking permission first.

Gabi's smile softened. Unlike certain other Grangers who shall remain unnamed, she loved the interaction people around her offered to her enormous bump, delighted to find that Cian was as fascinated as everyone else seemed to be. "Of course," she told him, twisting a little to present the rounded curve to him with a twinkle in her eyes. "They're boys," she added, carefully not looking at Leilani. She wasn't quite sure how to take the almost reverential awe on the girl's face.

Cian arched a surprised brow at Gabi's announcement, wondering how - and perhaps more importantly why - the past seemed to be repeating itself. He'd been a twin himself, the firstborn of twin sons. He knew twins ran in families, but Gabi wasn't truly related by blood - she'd been adopted by their parents when they'd failed to produce a daughter. The irony wasn't lost on Cian, and he knew it wasn't lost on Gabi either. "When are you due?" he asked as he laid an ever-so-gentle hand against his sister's tummy and the babies she held within.

"The tenth," she told him quietly, smiling as she felt both boys in her womb twist toward the gentle palm laid on her skin. A foot and a hand were her best guess as to what pushed up against Cian's hand, but she was more interested in his expression as his nephews moved to say hello. "Apparently most multiples don't go fully to term. If I haven't given birth by then, they're going to induce me anyway." Her eyes turned toward Lani, an invitation in her gaze. "You can touch, too, you know," she offered her brother's girl. "It won't do any harm."

Leilani's beaming smile made itself known once again as Gabi spoke to her, the sweet curiosity on her face suddenly focused as she leaned forward to lay her own small hand against the shifting curve of the other woman's belly.

Cian looked from one woman to the other as Lani's hand joined his against his sister's belly and the moving twins beneath, their fingers touching. The smile on his face was an obvious mix of love and affection for both women, and a little bit of wonder at the miracle of life that was taking place inside his sister's womb. He had never thought about having any children of his own until that very moment, and the thought of it brought a flush of color to his face, though he was too shy to express those thoughts. "I think I can make out fingers and toes!" he exclaimed with a laugh.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Gabi giggled softly, the babies shifting in response to the merry vibration. She'd been hoping Cian wouldn't mind too much about the pregnancy, never daring to contemplate that he might actually be pleased about it. Seeing him in wonder was charming to her eyes. She looked at Leilani, seeing the vague disappointment on the girl's face, obviously not able to find somewhere to feel the twins moving. "Here."

As Gabi's hand covered hers, moving her palm to nudge into place next to Cian's, Lani inched even closer, pressed close against Cian's side as she leaned over him. A moment later, she felt it, and let out an amazed gasp. "There's a baby in there!"

Cian withdrew his own hand and leaned back to watch Gabi give Lani a small lesson in human birth. It warmed his heart to watch the two of them together, sensing they were going to get along just fine. He laughed at Lani's amazed exclamation. Explaining was one thing - seeing and believing another. "Two of them!" he added. "I tried to explain it to you!"

"You said they were eggs!" Lani protested, though to be fair, Cian had had to fall back on that explanation when she couldn't get her head around just how mammals gave birth and raised young in the first place.

Gabi laughed at the pair of them, rolling her eyes happily at how they interacted with each other. "I do have eggs," she told Lani, deciding now was as good a time as any to clarify that explanation. "All human women do. But they get released one or two at a time, at specific times in a year. If they are fertilized by a male, they plant themselves in her womb - what you're pressing into now - and make a bridge from her to the baby that grows there. It takes about nine months until the baby is big enough to survive outside its mother, and then she gives birth, which I suppose must be a little like laying eggs."

As Gabi spoke, Lani studied the shifting belly under her fingers, finally releasing her touch to lean back. "But they're still too little to look after themselves when they come out?" she asked, looking first to Cian for an answer, as she always did.

Somewhat relieved that Gabi had managed to put into words what he could not, he breathed a sigh of relief, nodding his head as Lani looked to him for confirmation of her assumption. "It will be years before they're big enough to take care of themselves," he added. "I'll take you to....to the big house in a few days, and you can see for yourself." Just the thought of going to the big house and seeing Humphrey and Jon, meeting Jon's wife and his baby daughter, was enough to make Cian feel that nervous tension again, but it faded quickly. He was too excited to let anything spoil his happiness for long.

"There are bigger little things at the big house?" Lani queried, her gestures somehow managing to convey that babies came in sizes that ranged from three inches to a foot long.

Gabi swallowed her smile, not even trying to get into this one. Just the fact that Cian was thinking of going to the big house was good enough; that reconciliation with Jon couldn't be far behind.

"Yes," he replied, looking to Gabi for confirmation and maybe a little reassurance. If anyone knew how anxious he was about seeing his estranged family again, it was Gabi. "My cousin, Jon, and his wife had a baby not too long ago." And then, there was Jack and he had no idea how to even start explaining Lyneth.

He got the reassurance he was looking for in Gabi's encouraging smile, as well as the way she lifted her feet off the floor and placed them firmly in her brother's lap. "Make yourself useful, rub my ankles," she told him cheerfully, squeezing his arm gently. She knew nothing bad was going to happen to him when he went up to the big house, after all. "They had a little girl, Leilani," she went on. "About two months ago. And another cousin, Caroline - she had a little boy. He's about eight months old now. If they're both there, you'll be able to see how quickly babies grow." She didn't mention Lyneth just yet, thinking that perhaps Cian needed a heads up about Des and Piper first.

He rolled his eyes at his sister's familiar insistence. "Good grief, do I look like a servant to you?" he teased, eyes sparkling, even as he re-arranged her feet on his lap, choosing one foot to start with, his fingers gently massaging one foot at a time. He frowned, not wanting to ask about the father of the boys. It was him who should be doing this for her, not her brother, no matter how much that brother loved her. He fell silent a moment while Gabi explained about the latest additions to the Granger brood. "Are you..." He paused a moment, the question dying on his lips.

Leilani · Date: 2013-05-06 07:01 EST

Eager now to meet other Grangers and their young, Leilani nodded happily, subsiding to watch as Cian rubbed the swollen soreness from his sister's ankles.

Gabi's dark eyes turned to meet Cian's gaze, knowing she wasn't going to be able to put off her own explanation for much longer. "No, I'm not with him anymore," she answered what she assumed to be the unspoken question. "We'd broken up before I found out, and we agreed right then it would be silly to try and force it to work just to make a standard family." Her face fell as she recalled the argument just four weeks before that had put paid to her hopes of working things out as they were.

"I'm sorry," he told his sister, with a look that went deeper than sympathy. He wasn't sure how much Leilani could infer from the looks the two siblings exchanged between each other, but often more was said between them with those looks than could be said with words. He was frowning both thoughtfully and a bit sadly, though he knew if there was hope for him, then there was definitely hope for her. He wasn't sure if he could promise to stay in Rhy'Din indefinitely, but she should know that he'd be there as long as she needed him. "I'm here for you, Gabi." He glanced to Leilani and back, correcting himself. "We're here."

They had always done this, been able to share more than a look when their eyes met, though it still needed words to make her situation clear. But Cian was the only person who could possibly have understood in so few words that things really were exactly as they seemed. "He wanted more than I can give him," Gabi added quietly, her smile regretful of her parting with Ennis. "I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't lie to him and say I loved him like that, it would have been cruel. But I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Beside Cian, Leilani frowned gently. She wasn't certain she was following the conversation, understanding that there were more complex issues here than simply love that wasn't. But they'd made babies, and that was a good thing, surely"

"It'll be okay, Gabi. We'll sort it all out," he promised, that brief statement telling her in very few words how much he'd grown up over the last year. No longer willing to run away from his problems, but to face them head on, and maybe more importantly, to offer the love and support to those who needed him, especially to the two women he loved most in the world. His expression reflected all this without words - reassurance, admiration, adoration for his only remaining sibling, whether she was blood or not. This was what family was about, and it had taken him over a decade to figure it out.

"I know." And to her credit, she did feel the confidence that she spoke with. Despite the worries about being a single mother to twin boys, Gabi was in the best place, living with their father, close to the big house and the family that resided there. She had a lot of support ....but it meant a lot more that Cian had managed to keep his promise and come home before she had no time to do more than sleep and look after her babies. She offered him a smile, the brave Gabi smile that proved she was facing this head on with as much courage as she could muster. "But that's me and my sad story. You owe me an adventure romance, Ci." Her gaze flickered to Leilani playfully. "I want to know how you two met, and how you convinced him that he's a sexy beast again." Again, Lani's mouth dropped open, but this time it was to release a silvery peal of laughter, enjoying the way Gabrielle teased her brother.

Cian frowned again. He knew his sister better than that and knew there was a lot more she wasn't telling him than what she was, but he wasn't going to push her. If she wanted to tell him any more than that, she would in her own time. For now, he hoped it was enough to know that he wasn't going anywhere for a while. At least, not until the twins were born and Gabi was settled. He laughed at his sister's teasing remark, flushing with embarrassment, knowing he was nothing of the kind. "It's kind of a long story, Gabs."

She gestured at her big belly. "I'm not going anywhere." It was a big change, for Gabi to be so teasing, so light about herself and her less than stellar circumstances, but she'd tell him everything later. Probably when they were alone, when neither of them would have to stop to explain anything to Leilani, or soften their words for the sake of their father.

He closed his hand about Leilani's as he told his sister the story of how he and the little Syreni had met. How she'd saved him from drowning and he'd fallen in love with her. How he'd rescued her mother from pirates and had promised to help rid them of the pirates' tyrannical rule, once he made sure Leilani was safely away. He explained how he believed the man who had once saved his life aboard another pirate ship was Leilani's father and that the treasure he had entrusted Cian to find was none other than that of his beloved daughter. He told her how he and Leilani had finally escaped both the Syreni and the pirates, and how they'd promised themselves to each other with no one to witness but the stars in the sky and the powers that be. He told her nearly everything that had transpired since he'd left home a little over a year ago, but he did not tell her of the heartache that had caused him to leave in the first place.

Each time he mentioned Leilani's name it was with obvious love and devotion, and when he was finally through with the telling - told, for once, without embellishment - he looked to the gentle creature at his side and smiled on her softly, leaning over to brush a kiss against her cheek, as if to prove to both of them the truth of his words and feelings.

As he spoke, he was the focus of undivided attention from both women; one who had known him all his life, the other for less than a year, and both who loved him unconditionally in their own ways. Gabi listened with eager involvement, gasping, laughing, groaning, in all the right places, fascinated by the story as she had always been with all Cian's tales of adventure. There was a faint flicker of jealousy in her heart when the tale came to a close and Cian had eyes only for Leilani, but Gabi knew from experience not to let it show. She was happy for them, desperately happy for Cian that he'd found someone to love so fully, who loved him so obviously. And after all, she would soon have two little people to love who would love her unconditionally. It wasn't such a heart-wrenching exchange.

As for Leilani, though she had heard the tale before, she still listened with interest, following the cadence of Cian's words, interjecting only now and then with a detail he might have missed. When he kissed her cheek, she smiled, nudging the tip of her nose into his cheek fondly as both her hands closed about his one. Her eyes turned to Gabi, wide and sincere. "I love Cian very much, Gabrielle. Can I have him?"

Completely unaware of Gabi's little flare of jealousy, though he had given his heart completely to Leilani, Cian loved his sister equally and just as deeply, but differently. As far as he was concerned, she was and always would be his sister, and there would always be a special place in his heart for her that no one else could fill. Touched by Leilani's request of his sister, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and turned expectantly to his sister for her answer. If there was one person whose approval he desired and needed, it was Gabrielle. He had already promised Gabi he would be there for her, but they both knew it was time they each had lives and loves of their own.

For just a moment, Gabi could feel a part of herself screaming in the negative, not wanting to let anyone else have her beloved brother's love and attention. But she knew that was a ridiculous reaction, and not at all worthy of her, or Cian's opinion of her. So she suppressed it, pushing that jealousy aside to smile warmly at the little woman - little mermaid - sitting beside her brother. "Leilani, I haven't seen Cian this happy in years. I can see that it's your doing, too. It isn't my place to give him to anyone, but if I could, I'd give him to you, without a second thought."

Leilani · Date: 2013-05-06 07:02 EST

Lani's eyes brightened, happily touched by this wholehearted endorsement of a relationship that was as central to her being now as her transitional change from legged to finned when she reached the salt sea. "Oh ....oh, thank you!"

Cian laughed, not because he thought any of this was funny, but because he was happy. It was a feeling of sheer happiness that just bubbled up from somewhere inside him at the knowledge that this gentle little creature truly loved him and belonged to him completely, but the moment was a little bittersweet. He knew his sister well enough to know that she was lonely and hurting and had been for a long time, but if there was hope for him who had thought himself hopeless, then there was hope for her, too. "You'll find someone someday, Gabi. Someone who loves you as much as I do. Maybe more." He reached for his sister's hand, his other holding Lani's, connecting him to the two women he loved most in all of creation.

"I already have," Gabi told him softly though her smile, rubbing her hand over the curve of her gravid belly. She was guaranteed love from her sons when they arrived, but she was resigned now to remaining lonely. She'd learn to live with it, just as she was learning to live without Frank, and now without Cian, too.

Sensing something passing between the siblings that she could not follow, Lani subsided, staying quiet and still as she watched patiently. She'd said her piece, small though it was. There was nothing left she could say.

"Just promise you won't name them Frank and Cian," he teased, getting her drift. He was still convinced she'd find someone as special to her as Lani was to him someday, but he wouldn't push the matter. He gave her hand another squeeze before letting go and drawing an arm around Leilani to let her know he hadn't forgotten her.

Gabi stuck her tongue out at him, rolling her eyes. She had an idea of what she was going to call her sons, and no one was going to change her mind unless they absolutely vetoed the names she wanted. She looked between the two of them, and felt herself on the verge of yawning, glancing to the window to see that the sun had, indeed, disappeared while they'd been talking. "You must be tired," she said, making to heave herself up onto her feet once again. "And, uh ....Ci, I love you and all, but you stink." She grinned at her brother, and looked down at Leilani. "Why don't you two get cleaned up, and I'll find a few things for you to wear, Lani?"

The Syreni blinked, surprised again to be spoken to directly, lifting her eyes from her contemplation of Cian's face. "Is that what humans do when they come home?"

"Bathe?" Cian asked, curiously at Leilani's question. He let go of her hand to help Gabrielle to her feet, ever the gentleman, even toward his own sister. "Most of us bathe every day." Or in his case, shower. He wondered what she was going to think of indoor plumbing and all the other wonders of human invention that he had yet to show her. "I'm hungry!" he declared, too excited to sleep just yet, though a shower sounded divine.

"If it's not for food, I don't want to know about your appetite," Gabi caught that one pretty well, giggling to herself. She squeezed Cian's hands. "Go and get cleaned up, I gotta do dinner anyway. Um .." She looked at Leilani uncertainly. "Is there anything you don't eat, Lani?"

Rising to her feet with them, Leilani considered this for a moment. "I cannot eat sand," she offered quite seriously, knowing this for a fact. "Or shell. But I can eat what is in a shell." Blinking her exotic eyes, she looked up at Cian curiously. "What is bathing" Is it what you did when you threw me in that pool?"

He laughed, wondering again what Leilani was going to think of a bathtub. "Come on. I'll show you," he offered, taking her hand and drawing her toward the stairs to the second floor and the room he'd once shared with his brother. He assumed they'd be staying the night or maybe for a few nights, but at some point, they were going to have to find a place of their own, if only so that they had some privacy, but he'd worry about that later. "We won't be long!" he promised his sister as he drew Lani along behind him.

Gabi watched as Cian drew Leilani out of the room, listening to the thump of boots on the stairs that disappeared into a room she'd been forcing herself to enter once a week since it had first been vacated. It felt good to have Cian home, better to see him so happy. It made the heartache of having gone a year without him seem easier to bear somehow. Frank was gone, the good and the bad; Ennis ...she didn't know. Either he was gone for good, or he would forgive her for not loving him as more than a friend someday soon. It was out of her hands. But Cian was home, happy, and healthy, and for now, that was enough. Rubbing her hand against the active stretch of her own twin boys beneath her heart, Gabi smiled to herself, and turned to waddle into the kitchen. For the first time in a long time, Beecham House felt like home again.

((Long time, no see! What does this mean for the Grangers? Well, for a start, Gabi can stop clenching her legs together and actually pop out those twins now! :grin: Many, many thanks to Cian's player!))