For a child who had been supremely unimpressed by her cousin when he was born, Ana Clare Bristol seemed to have done a complete 180 when it came to her own baby brother. Fast approaching three years old, she had very nearly convinced Rhys to let her be in the same room when Micah was being born, and only the intervention of the Lady's Handmaidens had prevented a very small person from seeing entirely too much of her mother. She had also proved to be very good at being quiet when her Papa was passed out after a long night of trying to look after all three of his dependent little family, and after much deliberation, the Bristols had decided not to linger in Avalon too long this time. They needed to be a family together, close to others who were like family, and that meant New York.

Which was how Rhys found himself being dragged in through his own front door by an excitable toddler, who was then herself knocked to the ground by two equally excitable dogs. "S'sha! Cody!"

"All right, all right. Calm down!" Rhys scolded the dogs as he crouched down to pick Ana up and set her back on her feet, and help her greet the canine members of the Bristol family. "You'd think we were gone forever!" he added with a chuckle as he rubbed each dog behind the ear. As much as he loved Avalon, it was kind of nice to be home, and it seemed the dogs were in agreement.

Ana was filled with giggles as he picked her up and helped her find her feet again, throwing her arms around both dogs' necks as they licked into her ears and down her neck before twisting away to do the same to Rhys in enthusiasm.

"Shhh!" The imperious little madam wiped her neck dry and pointed to the floor. "Sit!" With a double thump, two canine rear ends landed on the floor, tongues out as they looked back and forth between Rhys and Ana, hoping for praise. "Papa, they sit!"

Rhys chuckled as the pair of dogs gave them each a bath and then obediently sat at their tiny mistress' beckoning. "They know who's the boss!" he agreed with a grin. "C'mon," he said, taking hold of her hand. "Let's let them out in the yard for a while so they can run off some energy." They weren't going to get anything done with two huge dogs underfoot.

"'Kay!" Inserting one tiny hand in his, Ana beamed up at her father, toddling along at his side. She might be on the upper curve for her age, but there was still that endearing attachment in her for her father. He was her favorite person in the world.

"C'mon," he repeated, this time addressing the dogs. He whistled low to summon them to follow. "Sasha, Cody! Outside!" he called. Though they might not understand his words, they knew their names and understood his meaning, especially once he had the back door open and was waving them outside. Hand in hand with Ana, he followed them outside and found a seat on the stoop. Setting her on his lap, he reached for a half-chewed up tennis ball and tossed it across the yard for the dogs to chase after. "So, what do you think of your baby brother?" he asked her.

Kicking her feet as she was set on his lap, Ana cuddled into her papa's chest comfortably, giggling at the dogs' antics. "S'baby," she offered in answer to the question. She thought about it a little more and added, "My baby."

"Our baby," Rhys corrected with a smile, glad she was taking to baby Micah better than she had to baby Tristan. Hopefully, in time, she'd come around to liking her cousin - maybe when he was old enough to toddle around after her. Rhys circled his arms around her as she leaned against his chest. "I remember when you were that little."

She shook her head vehemently. "Ana no' wittle," she insisted fiercely. In her mind, she was as tall as her mother and as fierce as her father, and no one could possibly challenge her on that fact. The only person who could lay down the law to Ana Bristol and expect to be obeyed without resentment every time was the Lady herself. "Twissan wittle."

Rhys chuckled again, amused at his daughter's bravado. She was definitely her mother's daughter, with her fiery disposition. "Tristan won't be little forever. Neither will Micah. Someday, they're gonna be as big as you are, but they're always gonna look up to you because you're older than they are. You know what that means?"

Distracted by the nudge of the tatty ball into her hands, she threw it for the dogs once again, absently wiping her hands off on Rhys' shirt. "Gir's better'n boys," was her sage reply to her father's query. Well, obviously they were. If they weren't, then the Lady wouldn't be a lady in the toddler's mind.

Rhys smirked at the toddler's logic, unsure if he should argue or agree with her on that subject. "I'm a boy," he pointed out instead, curious what she'd have to say to that. He was a grown boy, anyway. Despite that, there was no mistaking how attached to him she was, and vice versa. Having a child had been a dream come true, and now he had two.

"You Papa," she corrected him firmly, cuddling close to nestle her little cheek against his shirt. "My Papa. An' you make wittle Micah wiv Mama, an' where Mama?" Ah, the logic of a toddler; he wasn't a boy, he was Papa, and that was all there was to it.

Who was he to argue with that' For now, she only had eyes for him and maybe Micah. There would come a day when she realized that boys weren't so bad after all, but Rhys didn't want to worry about that now. For now, she was enamored of her "Papa", and he was enjoying every minute of it. "Mama and Micah will be here soon. We came ahead to get things ready, remember?"

One hand rose to point at the scampering canines. "Doggies dancin'," she pointed out innocently. "Ana make lunch?" Those big green eyes of hers rose to meet his gaze hopefully, although the last time Ana had been allowed to make lunch with Rhys' supervision, somehow the entire pan of bacon had ended up on the floor.

"I was thinking peanut butter and fluff sandwiches. What do you think?" he asked, knowing Nat would prefer he fed their daughter something healthier, but peanut butter passed for nutrition, didn't it' And it was something Ana could concoct without making too big a mess.

"Pea'fuff!" Little hands clapped together happily - Ana wasn't allowed sweet treats very often, but Rhys tended toward them when Nat wasn't around to give him the stink-eye for it. Besides, Nat had only given birth a few days ago; she wasn't going to be in the right frame of mind to argue about having a sticky daughter when she arrived home.

It was better than risking bacon grease all over the floor again. Rhys grinned, glad she approved of his lunch choice. It was no secret that she was the apple of his eye and then some. "What do you say we leave Sasha and Cody to run around the yard while we make lunch?" he asked, moving to his feet and hoisting her into his arms.

"Bethany had twins, though," Rhys reminded her, though he got her drift. They were lucky to be able to travel back and forth to Avalon and take advantage of all it had to offer, and yet, again, it was good to be home. He smirked as she noticed the patch of sticky stuff on the counter. "Better fluff than bacon grease," he told her, with a grin. "Here, why don't you take Mini-Me, and I'll pour the coffee," he said, carefully handing off their new son.

Licking her palm clean, Nat laughed as she took Micah back from his father. "Are you a Mini-Rhys, malyutka"" she asked the scrunched up little face. "I think you are. You will break so many hearts before you find your one, someday." The baby stretched in his blanket, smacking his lips as he opened his eyes to stare with unfocused intensity at the shape of Rhys easing by.

"Green eyes, like his Papa," Rhys remarked proudly, though baby Micah's eyes were more like a vague shade of gray at the moment. He took down two mugs from the cupboard and went about fixing two cups of coffee, one of them just the way she liked it. "One more to go," he murmured to himself with a grin. He was doing a lot of smiling these days, it seemed.

"In a few years, da," she agreed fondly, sharing that smile. They were, both of them, wearing ridiculous smiles an awful lot these days. Each time their life together moved on another step, the Lady's predictions were proved true. It was a wonderful way to live. The sound of footsteps underneath the kitchen window, however, alerted them to the prospect of visitors, and a moment later, there was a gentle tap on the back door. The Sparrowhawks had arrived, eager to see the new baby and welcome them home.

The Lady had also predicted that they needed to be careful and that there was some possible danger awaiting them in the future, but lately, they almost seemed to be leading charmed lives. Rhys took a sip of his coffee before reaching to take the baby from her arms again, so that she could relax and enjoy the cup that he'd set on the counter near her hand. "Wanna guess who's at the door?" he teased. His money was on the Sparrowhawks.

"I can narrow it down to three families," Nat laughed, rising to her feet, coffee cup in hand, to open the back door.

"Oh, my God, look at you!" That could only be Gina, crowing cheerfully at the sight of her friend as she hustled in off the doorstep, Adam and Joey not far behind. "Woman, you should be in bed. You," she said, pointing at Rhys, "should be looking after, oh, isn't he beautiful?" Instantly distracted, Gina abandoned Nat to go and coo at Micah, giving Rhys a kiss on the cheek as she did so.

"Spitting image," Rhys boasted proudly, as Gina came to take a look. "Wanna hold him before he gets hungry or poopy?" he teased his friend. "Joey! Thanks for taking care of the dogs for us," he called over to the boy, who was seemed to be getting taller every time Rhys saw him.

Joey had entered the wilds of teenage-dom, and was coping surprisingly well with it all. He grinned at Rhys, setting a heavy bag on the counter. "They're more fun than soccer," he told his pseudo-uncle cheerfully. "Where's Ana?"

Gina, on the other hand, was shucking off her coat, more than happy to cuddle with the new baby as soon as she possibly could.

"Upstairs, taking a nap," Rhys replied, though that wasn't going to last long once she heard all the voices downstairs. "Don't let me forget to pay you," he told the teen, not wanting to forget to pay the boy for taking care of the dogs in their absence.

"You don't have to pay him," Adam pointed out. "That's what family is for." He hung back a little, allowing Gina to get her ogling done, or maybe just because he was a little anxious around babies.

Nat, however, wasn't going to let Adam hang back for long, pulling him into a warm hug. "Come and sit down," she told him, half-an-eye on Gina as the other woman planted herself with Micah in her arms.

Joey chuckled at the offer of payment, winking at Rhys before heading out of the room, no doubt to get Ana up so she didn't miss anything.

It was no secret that Adam was fond of Nat, but then they'd bonded in a way few people had. She'd saved his life, in a way, and had come to think of her as the sister he'd never had, just as Rhys was his brother. "You look pretty good for just having a baby," he told her with a smile and a hug of his own. He wasn't being flirtatious, but honest. Avalon had obviously treated her well.

Nat laughed softly. "Avalon has magic of its own, Adam," she reminded him with a smile, moving to pour him a cup of coffee. "There is a reason I prefer to give birth there, after all." She paused, peering into the bag Joey had left on the counter. "What is all this?"

"Presents!" Rhys exclaimed, as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. If someone didn't stop him, he was likely to dive right into the bag to see what was inside.

Adam chuckled at Rhys' outburst. "Only if dinner counts as a present."

"Dinner?" Nat's smile widened as she set another couple of cups out in front of Adam and Gina, stepping out of the way for Rhys to explore the bag.

Gina looked up with a grin. "Well, I figured you guys wouldn't have much time to cook for a while, so I made up a few things you can freeze down."

"Not a tuna casserole, is it?" Rhys complained, actually wrinkling his nose as he nosed around in the bag. It wasn't very likely that Gina had made one, but he couldn't help mentioning it.

"Would I do that to you?" Gina snorted with laughter, stroking her fingertips over Micah's nose as she leaned closer to Adam. Her husband was a little ....nervous ....of babies, so this was likely the closest he was going to willingly get for a while. "Hot dog spaghetti, now that I know you like."

"If you do, I might disown you!" Rhys replied, a teasing grin on his face, though they all knew it was an idle threat. "What do you think" Chip off the old block?" he asked, of the bundle in her arms.

Adam was at least smiling as he looked on the newborn, even if it was a nervous smile. "You're the only person I know who likes hotdogs in his spaghetti," he remarked of Rhys with a chuckle.

Gina grinned, twisting with a certain amount of aplomb to deposit the newborn boy directly into Adam's arms. She tapped his nose gently. "No complaining, you gotta get used to having someone smaller than Joey hugging you," she informed her husband fondly, rising to help Rhys unpack the bag.

"You have been matched?" Nat asked, her eyes bright with hopeful delight for them.

"I don't think he can hug yet, Gi," Adam pointed out, looking terrified to find himself with a newborn in his arms, afraid he might break the baby just by looking at it the wrong way. And as babies could sense when they were being held by someone who wasn't very sure of themselves, Micah started to fuss. For a man who had fearlessly faced demons and other assorted nasties, it was a little ridiculous to be scared of a tiny, helpless baby.

"We're about to," Nat told her husband, rising to her feet to steer him over to the counter for a few muttered words.

Gina snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes as she met Adam's gaze. "And he wonders why he needed us so much before he met her," she said playfully, tilting her head to gently chuck Ana's chin. "Did you get her out of bed?"

Joey shrugged. "She cries if she wakes up and hears more people downstairs," he defended himself.

"I can hear you!" Rhys reminded them, even as he got ushered to the counter for a whispered lecture from his wife.

"She adores you," Adam told his adopted son, though that much was obvious enough. Maybe not as much as she adored her father, but there was no mistaking how fond Ana was of Joey either. Adam might have suggested a trade, but Micah seemed to have finally gotten comfortable in his arms, and he didn't want to risk annoying either the newborn or Ana.

"She's good practice," Joey defended his attachment to Ana with typical teenaged bristle, his scowl completely undermined by the fact that he had her stuffed rabbit tucked into his pocket.

Gina chuckled softly, glancing over at Rhys. "Well, fatherhood isn't supposed to make you deaf, you know."

"She's more than that," Adam replied with a smile, as he started to relax a little. He wasn't quite sure what they were getting themselves into adopting three kids, but he was looking forward to it. "You know, I could take a leave of absence for a while," he pointed out, circling back to the subject Gina had already dismissed. Then again, three of their four children would be going to school, which only left the littlest needing daycare while they were at work.

Gina sobered, leaning close to him for a moment. "We can work it out, toward the end of our leave," she suggested. They'd both managed to get three months off work to accommodate their adopting three children at once; it was what happened next that would need talking over, and they'd only know for certain what was needed once they'd been with their new family for a while.

"I know," Adam said, touching a kiss to Gina's lips, only in part to assure he was wasn't worried. They'd been over all this before and had decided they'd find a way to make it work - it was too important to them both not to. "Would you like to hold him a while?" he asked of the newborn, knowing Gina probably couldn't wait to get her hands on him again.

She smiled, glad he'd at least held Micah for a little while, though she knew not to push her luck. "Sure," she agreed, scooping the little man out of Adam's arms and up onto her shoulder.

On Joey's shoulder, Ana rubbed her eyes, pointing at her baby brother. "S'my baby."

"No worries, Ana. We're just getting to know him a little. We'll give him right back," Adam assured the sleepy little girl who didn't seem too much in a hurry to give up her spot on Joey's shoulder.

"And what about your mama, malyutka"" Nat asked the toddler with a smile, flickering an apologetic look to Joey as Ana's head snapped up, eyes wide as she reached out to her mother. "You looked like you could do with being rescued," she murmured to the teenager, who chuckled back to her.

"She's getting heavier."

Adam wound his arms around Gina's waist, looking over her shoulder at the newborn before turning to Nat. "We were wondering whether Ana would like to spend the night with us," he said, though it was entirely up to Ana and her parents. They knew Rhys and Nat had to be exhausted and a night alone with the baby would do them good.

Nat smiled as she hugged Ana, swaying with the toddler in her grasp as she turned her eyes toward Rhys. She had no problem with Ana spending the night on the other side of the road with the Sparrowhawks, but Rhys was the one who was painfully attached to his children. "What do you think, milaya"" she asked him softly. "Would Ana like to spend the night with Gina and Adam and Joey?"

Rhys had turned uncharacteristically quiet, since his little chat with Nat over the making of coffee, but he returned to the conversation without batting an eye. "I think that's up to Ana. What do you think, Anabanana" Would you like to spend the night with Uncle Adam and Aunt Gina?" he asked, knowing if there was a problem, they were right across the street. It was a convenient arrangement for everyone involved.

Ana blinked owlishly at him for a moment before nodding her head. "An' Joey," she added, making sure everyone knew who the most fun person in the Sparrowhawk house was.

Nat smiled, looking over at Adam. "She might not make it through the whole night," she warned softly.

Adam shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "That's okay. It's not like we have to drive halfway across town if she gets homesick," Adam told her.

From the look on Rhys' face, it was likely he would miss Ana more than Ana would miss them, and yet, it would do them both good to only have to focus on one child for the night. Hopefully, Ana didn't notice the look on her father's face, or all bets might be off.

Gina was biting her lip at the look on Rhys' face, finding his disappointment at Ana's choice to spend a few hours away from her family genuinely hilarious. "Oh, cheer up, kiddo," she told her friend. "Make room in the freezer, this food's not gonna stay frozen out here."

It wasn't disappointment, exactly. Rhys knew it was a good idea; he just didn't want his little girl to grow up and leave her Papa too soon. "I thought we were having that tonight," Rhys told Gina, looking confused again.

"There's more than one meal in here, you know," Gina assured him with a grin. "Leave the one you want tonight out, all the others go in the freezer for other days. And be grateful I'm the one who cooked and not Aurelia, or you might have ended up with that fish stew she makes with squid."

"Aren't you guys staying for dinner?" he asked, before making a face at the mention of squid. "Did I ever tell you about the time Nat tried to make me eat snails?" he asked, sticking out his tongue and wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"If you want us to stay, we'll stay," Gina chuckled, not really needing to glance at her boys to confirm this.

Joey cleared this throat. "Uh, Mom?"

She glanced at him, surprised to find her son fidgeting awkwardly and looking toward Adam for help.

"He has no reason to be afraid of you," Nat pointed out with a smile of her own. "He is warm in your arms, and comfortable because we are comfortable with you, and you are giving him something that he wants and needs. Children are not so hard to connect with when they are small; you give them what they need, your love and attention, and they give back something utterly without price. And I should know, I steal priceless things for a living."

"What about older children" What about toddlers?" he asked curiously. Maybe babies weren't so hard, after all. All they really did was eat and sleep and poop, after all. Older children were a much different story, and it was the toddler that worried him most.

"How did you make friends with Ana?" she asked him in return. It was as simple as that. "Children under five, I think, have very basic needs, and the people who meet those needs are the people they grow to love. You will feed her, clothe her, look after her. You will hold her when she is hurt or sad, comfort her when she has a nightmare, protect her when her brother and sister pick on her - because that's what siblings do. They will all learn to turn to you when they need you, Adam. I have found that the most important thing when it comes to being a parent is consistency."

"That was different," Adam pointed out, regarding Ana. "She isn't our child. We aren't raising her. We don't have to discipline her. We just give her back. We can't give these kids back, Nat. They need a family and a home. They need love and affection. I know it's gonna take some time for all of us to get used to each other, but what if they don't like us or something?" He was probably worrying for nothing. They'd already met the children in question, and they'd all gotten along fine. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have made it this far.

"Adam, you would not have been matched with these children if they had not also expressed a liking for you," Natalya reminded him gently. "The child's preference is taken into account, I know that much. So these children have told the people who care for them now that they like you, and they like Gina and Joey, and they would like to be a part of your family, if you want them. They like you already, Adam."

"I know, but what if they change their minds" What if we're ..." He paused a moment, almost as if he was afraid to say it. "What if we're making a mistake?" he whispered, feeling all the usual fears and nervousness most anyone did when they were making such an important decision and change in their life. "Did you ever worry about that when you were having Ana?"

Nat smiled in her gentle way. "Adam, I still worry," she told him in a calm tone. "It is a part of being a parent. Am I doing the right thing" Have I prepared myself enough' But you could attend every lesson there is, read every book written on the subject, and you still would worry. Because every child is different, and so is every parent. You will make mistakes, of course; everyone does. But you will learn from them, together."

He looked back at the baby in his arms, enchanted by the tiny fingers and the way he seemed to trust Adam implicitly. Of course, the baby didn't really have much choice at the moment. "I wish I'd known Joey when he was a baby," he mused quietly. He didn't think he'd have loved him any more if he did, but sometimes he wished Joey had truly been his and that he'd been there to help raise right from the beginning.

"I think Joey does, too," she said quietly. "But he is your son. You are his father. There is far more to being a parent than simply planting your seed, Adam. I have every faith that you can do this. You have already done it once, and you are raising a young man who wants to be just like you. I do not see that as something to worry over."

"I don't want him to be like me. I want him to be himself and do what he wants with his life," Adam explained, meeting Nat's gaze a moment before looking back at the little one in his arms. "And I don't want him to be a hunter," he added for good measure. Anything but that.

"Adam ....All children want to be like their parents," she pointed out, carefully not mentioning her own utter fiasco of a childhood. She firmly believed that she was the exception to the rule. "It does not mean that Ana will be exactly like me, or like Rhys, but that she will take the parts of us she admires most and make them a part of herself. That is all I mean by it."

"I didn't want to be anything like David," Adam confessed, his focus on the child in his arms. He rarely if ever mentioned his own foster father, the man who had raised him after his father had abandoned him and his mother had died. It was one of the things that had bonded him with Rhys - that they were both orphans, though Adam had been raised by a blood relative and Rhys had not. David and Dylan had been best friends, just as the boys they had raised as sons were.

"And I did not want to be anything like my father," she agreed gently, leaning on the counter as they talked. "But it is because my father was such a terrible parent that I will be better than he was. I know the wrong way to do things, because I experienced it. I will not allow my children to experience it. I will correct his mistakes, and they will learn from mine."

"It wasn't that," Adam pointed out before she got the wrong idea. "I didn't want anything to do with hunting. I wanted to leave that life behind. It's why I left, in the first place, but that life tends to follow you wherever you go. I've come to accept that and use my connections with the FBI to help, but I don't want that kind of life for Joey, or anyone else."

"Has he ever said that he wants to be a part of that life?" she asked curiously. "He admires you, and Rhys, but I believe he has always been sheltered from that side of life, hasn't he" His experience of you is as the man who chose to be his father, not the man who dreamwalks and knows how to beat up demons."

"No," Adam replied, with a frown. "We've tried to shelter him, but he's not a baby anymore, Nat. We can't protect him forever." He sighed, wishing that wasn't so, and yet, like Rhys, he'd do everything in his power to protect those he loved - his wife, his son, his new children, and these friends of his that were like his family.

Nat sighed softly, reaching over to take the bottle from his hand as Micah stopped sucking, tiny fingers still gripping Adam's hand as the baby boy put the tip of one of Adam's fingers into his mouth instead. "You cannot live his life for him, or choose his path," she said in a gentle tone. "But he will always be your son."

"I hope so," Adam said, pausing quietly a moment to watch Micah try to suckle at one of Adam's fingers. "So, I have to burp him now, right?" he asked, changing the subject, though he already knew the answer to that question.

"Da, you do," she nodded. "Settle him against your shoulder, and gently rub and pat his back until he burps. You cannot miss it, he is definitely his father's son when it comes to wind." The wicked little flicker of a grin on her face was definitely encouraging as she moved to clean the bottle and set it aside to be sterilized.

Rhys nodded, a serious look on his face. "I meant it when I said you're doing a good thing, Gina," he told her. While he might enjoy teasing his friends and kidding around, he wanted her to know how he really felt about things. "I didn't get to see their picture," he said, having been too busy juggling baby Micah at the time - or something.

Her smile faded briefly. "I might not ever be able to give Adam a child of his own," she admitted softly. "But together, we can give at least some children a better life than the one they were born to." His curiosity about the trio who would be moving in across the street relatively soon brought her smile forth once again, and she reached for the file, opening it up to show her friend the pictures of the three young people who would soon be an integral part of all their lives.

He smiled as he looked from one young face to the other, tapping a finger against the photo of the youngest - a girl by the name of Amy. "This one's gonna be trouble. She's got mischief written all over her face," he warned, though he had no real way of knowing that for sure.

"Just like someone else we know, who happens to be snoring in between us right now," Gina pointed out in amusement, unconsciously stroking Ana's hair out of her face as they pored over the pictures. "Amy's a sweet kid. Very eager to please; kind of easily scared, too."

"Scared of what?" Rhys asked, looking over the photos a moment longer before handing them back. They were a good-looking trio of kids, and he was sure they'd be happy with Adam and Gina, eventually anyway.

"Any hint that you might be anything less than pleased with her, and she goes quiet," Gina told him, her expression more than enough to state how angry that reaction in such a small child made her. It could only have been learned. "When Amy goes quiet, Oliver gets angry, and Laura tries to distract everyone so no one focuses on any one child. I don't think I want to know what their home life was like before they were taken into care."

"Oh," Rhys murmured, with a frown. He'd assumed the children's parents had died in a car accident or something, not that they'd been the victims of abuse. No wonder Gina felt so strongly about them, when she'd grown up in similar circumstances. "I'm sure they'll do fine with you and Adam, but it might take some time." That kind of went without saying.

"I know," she sighed softly, looking down at the pictures on her lap. "They're really bright kids. I couldn't bear the thought of splitting them up in any way - the agency jumped on us as soon as we said if we were taking one, we'd take them all."

"I can't imagine what they've been through," he said, truthfully enough. He'd lost his parents when he was a boy, but they had never been abusive to him in any way - at least, not until the night his father became possessed by a demon. After that, he'd grown up under Dylan's protection, but he'd seen some of what Gina had gone through growing up, and he knew what Nat had told him of her own childhood.

"I'm glad you can't," Gina said quietly, tucking the pictures away once more. "I hate that any child has to experience it at all. But we can do something about these children, and now I'm working in family law, I can do more as well." It had taken a long time to get there, but she was finally working in the area she had been aiming for all these years. That was why she didn't want to stop working.

"Do you think we're selfish for having children of our own?" Rhys asked, the burning question that had been niggling at him for longer than he cared to admit. It wasn't just about what the Lady of Avalon had told him - that Ana would one day have a daughter that would take the Lady's place. He had been burning with desire to have children of his own for years, and now he was wondering if that desire had been an egotistical and selfish one.

"Oh, God, Rhys, no," she told him firmly. "Having a family, no matter what way you do it, is a privilege. There's no right or wrong way to do it, and your kids are beautiful. Just because we've chosen to adopt, it isn't a reflection on you and Nat, or anyone else who chooses to have children of their own. You're a good father, and your children will never want for anything. You're not a part of the problem, Rhys, and you shouldn't feel any pressure to try and be a part of the solution."

"I know, but there are so many children who need a good home," he told her, and yet, he had a feeling he and Nat were not the people to give it to them - not with the kind of lifestyle they led - and yet, he couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

"And so many couples who want to give them a good home," Gina reminded him. She eyed her friend thoughtfully, and decided to go for the anvil approach. "Rhys, feeling guilty about this is a bad thing for you. Because you feeling guilty about this particular thing means that you're regretting having Ana and Micah, and I refuse to believe that you regret them in any way."

"Regret them?" Rhys echoed, lifting his brows. "I don't regret them. I adore them," he insisted, getting Gina's drift, albeit slowly. He exhaled a sigh. "All I've ever wanted was to have a family of my own," he admitted quietly, though Gina probably knew this already.

"I know," she said with a fond smile. "You were made to be a dad, Rhys. Even before Nat, you were always missing that little piece that makes you whole now. Seriously, babe, you're good. So don't let yourself linger over trying to tell yourself what you should be doing. What you are doing is absolutely right."

She was right, of course. It was a good thing he was surrounded by such wise woman, first Gina and then Nat. "I'm happy for you, Gi. I really am," he told her, returning the favor. He wasn't just saying that, but in his own way, telling her how much she meant to him, too.

"Hold onto that feeling," she warned him comically. "Give it a couple of weeks, and you're gonna have me and Adam coming over here separately to panic in your general direction about what awful parents we are." That was all part of Gina's charm - her self-awareness. She knew exactly what she was like, and she knew she was due a nervous ranting session pretty soon after the arrival of their insta-family.

Rhys chuckled, quietly enough that he wouldn't wake his daughter. "Just be yourself, and you'll be fine, Gina. Trust me," he assured her, knowing it to be true. She'd always been a strong woman, even when she'd been a teenager. She was a loving, caring wife and mother, not to mention friend. She had once been the closest thing he had to a sister. "We'll always be there for each other. We're family," he told her, reaching across the sleeping child to take her hand.

"Of course we are," she promised him, squeezing his hand. "You asked me once if I would think of you as my big brother. Do you remember what I said?" Her smile warmed as she held his gaze. "It would be a honor. And it always has been an honor to be your sister, Rhys. Just don't tell Rachel, or she'll scalp me."

Adam linked his fingers with hers, as Gina's hand found his. "The best laid plans of mice and men and all that," he said with a chuckle. "We should get home before Joey does," he added, though he really just didn't want them to overstay their welcome.

"Yeah, I can't miss the look on his face when he walks in," Gina agreed with a certain amount of mischief. "If she kisses him, we'll know instantly."

Nat snorted, rolling her eyes. "You are an evil woman sometimes, Gina."

"He's bound to get a lot of kisses in his life with that face," Adam remarked. If the way the girls were calling the house was any indication, Adam was probably right, but Joey didn't seem to realize it yet.

Natalya chuckled, shifting Micah on her shoulder as she moved to kiss them fondly, each on their cheek. "Thank you for coming over," she smiled. "He misses you when we're away. He'd never admit it, but he does."

Adam didn't have to ask who "he" was - they all knew Natalya was referring to Rhys. He was, after all, the glue that held them all together, the common denominator. If not for him, Nat would have never met Gina or Adam. If not for him, who knew where anyone of them would be now, if they were even still alive, but even Rhys knew they were stronger together than apart. "We've been friends a long time," Adam replied, smiling fondly back at her as she kissed them each on the cheek. Things had worked out pretty well, in the end, all things considered, and he had few complaints. "We're right across the street, you know. So don't be strangers."

"We won't," Nat promised with a grin. "You let slip that you haven't changed a diaper, you're not getting away without doing it this time around."

Beside Adam, Gina let out a low cackle of laughter, giving him a tug toward the door. "Why would you admit to something like that, you daft soppy?"

"Because I haven't!" Adam replied with a chuckle as he got tugged toward the door. If nothing else, at least he was honest. Out they went to return to their own house right across the street and await the return of their eldest.

Laughing, Nat watched them across the street before closing the door, brushing a soft kiss to Micah's warm head as she listened to the sound of Rhys tucking Ana into bed. Avalon was beautiful, peaceful, a magical place to be where all your cares and troubles would be left behind. And yet, despite that, it really was wonderful to be home again.

It wasn't long before the sound of footsteps on the stairs precluded Rhys' return. He looked around, frowning to find their friends had already left without waiting for him to say goodbye. "They left already?" he asked, looking disappointed. Yes, it was late, and they needed to get some sleep, and yes, they just lived across the street, but Nat was right - Rhys missed them more than he'd ever admit.

"They want to be home for Joey when he returns," she explained gently, tucking her free arm about his waist. "And we are very tired, milaya. If they stayed much longer, we would fall asleep on them." Because even with the modern conveniences restored to them, looking after a newborn and a toddler was an exhausting experience.

"Right," Rhys replied, trying to hide his disappointment. Now that they were home, they could visit anytime they wanted and probably would, but as far as Rhys was concerned, they were family. "I didn't even get to say goodbye," he murmured, knowing how silly it was to even say that out loud, when they'd likely see them the next day anyway.

She considered him for a moment, and despite her weariness, offered something that he probably wouldn't understand the reason for. "You do not have to stay here for the evening, milaya," she told him quietly. "I am sure they would not mind if you spent the evening with them."

He furrowed his brows, confused by her suggestion. They'd only just arrived home - together. As much as he'd missed his friends, he wasn't going to abandon her for them, not today, not ever. His expression softened and he slid his arms around her waist to draw her close. "No, they're not going anywhere, and there's nowhere I'd rather be than here with you," he told her, touching a soft kiss to her lips.

She smiled, relieved that she wouldn't be alone with the children. She didn't feel quite ready to be the only parent in charge of both at once just yet. Her lips were soft as he kissed her, leaning into him with a tender sigh. "I love you, my Rhys."

He smiled at the way she'd phrased that declaration of love. "I love you, my Natalya," he replied in return, brushing another kiss to her forehead. "Should we tuck the little man in and try to get some sleep before he wants to eat again?"

"I think that sounds like a very good idea," she agreed warmly. "He is becoming very attached to nibbling on necks today." And, true to form, she had a small trickle of dribble already on its way to her cleavage, courtesy of the infant on her shoulder.

"He's a little vampire in the making," Rhys said, with a chuckle, though nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, he hated vampires with a passion and with good reason, which was what made the comparison so funny.

She snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes at him. "Then take your little vampire and tuck him into his coffin for a few hours," she suggested, gently handing Micah into his father's arms. "I am going to run a bath." Her eyes flickered over him teasingly. "You can join me, if you don't get distracted."

"You expect me to take a bath with you without getting distracted" That's like leaving a cookie on the table and telling a kid to ignore it," he told her as he took baby Micah from her arms. If they were lucky, they'd get a few hours of peace before the feeding and burping and diapering and settling started all over again.

"Well, I was referring to your habit of staring at your sleeping children for hours on end," she teased laughingly, wiping her neck dry. "I don't mind you being distracted with me."

"Oh, I see," he replied, a bit sheepishly. He didn't really realize he did that, until she pointed it out. "It's just ....I keep wondering when I'm going to wake up and find out it's just a dream," he admitted, with a serious frown.

"How many dreams have you had that included Ana breaking your foot when she dropped that book off the library table onto it?" Nat pointed out in amusement. "Or managing to lock yourself out of the towerhouse on Avalon while your daughter ran amuck inside?"

"But that's all part of the dream, Nat. That's what makes it so ..." He trailed off, understanding what it was she was trying to tell him, muttering at last, "....real." He smiled, that sheepish look on his face again. "Okay, I get your point."

She giggled, leaning close to kiss him once again. "Go and tuck your little man into bed, milaya," she told him. "I'll be waiting for you."

"I'll try to join you before the water gets cold," he promised, kissing her again, little Micah tucked against his shoulder.

"Mmm, promises, promises," she teased, waving him away to climb the stairs. It was only a matter of minutes to tidy the downstairs and turn out the lights, to make certain that the dogs were fed and had done their business for the night. And despite her tease to Rhys, Nat stood silent in the dark kitchen, listening to the sounds of their home with a faint smile on her face. All she needed was the ruby slippers, really. There's no place like home.