((Follows the events of To Save a Life.))
Rhys heaved an audible sigh as he plunked himself down at the table, clearly exhausted, but not as exhausted as the pair they'd just tucked into bed. It was almost like babysitting, not that Rhys knew what babysitting was like. He'd never babysat even once in all his life. "You better talk to Rachel about birth control. It's like The Blue Lagoon. At the rate they're going, she's gonna end up pregnant. If he ever learns what to do with that thing." He picked up the tankard of ale the Handmaidens had seen fit to deliver, along with a few other supplies as soon as Rhys and Natalya had arrived in Avalon.
Nat laughed at him, shaking her head. She was not quite as tired as he was, but then, she had not gone head to head with witches only a few hours ago. Between them, they had helped the newly arrived Rachel and Zachariel to wash and tucked them into bed, and finally Rhys now had a chance to sit down while his wife went about making dinner from the various bits and pieces that had been brought to them. She wasn't the best cook in the world, but it was difficult to make any food on Avalon taste bad. "Do you really think the Lady would allow her to become pregnant on Avalon?" she asked her husband, glancing up from where she was adding a pinch of spice to the pot on the stove.
He shrugged as he took a long swallow from the tankard, which helped to soothe his nerves a little after a long day at the office, so to speak. "I don't know. Would she allow you to?" Though it was kind of a moot point, considering Natalya was already pregnant and that the Lady had predicted it would happen. "I'm not even sure if he's shooting live bullets," Rhys remarked regarding Zach's ability or inability to sire a child.
"We conceived outside Avalon," his wife reminded him. The Lady had been very clear on that point. "And for a man who was very unhappy about teaching Zach to wash himself, you seem very concerned that he is in full working order, milaya." She grinned over at him cheekily, reaching for a wooden spoon to stir the pot before setting it to simmer. She didn't know how to make much, but soup was a given when Nat had done a few interesting things with vegetables. Rhys had watched her wrapping thick slices of beef to bake in the oven, too, so he couldn't complain that she was going to make him eat rabbit food.
"I'm just not sure how I feel about him sleeping with my sister." Rhys took another thoughtful swig of his ale. "I mean, I hardly know her either. It's kind of weird." That was something of an understatement. His stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him he hadn't eaten since breakfast. At this point, he would have eaten just about anything. "There's no question he's in love with her."
"You both have a lot to learn about one another, Rhys," Nat told him, her voice gentle as she moved to stand at his side, smoothing her fingers through his hair. "But I do not think you will make a good start, if you try to tell her that she cannot be with the man she loves. Despite her childlike tendencies, she is a full grown woman, and ....though it may seem unnatural, unpleasant to you, I think that it is best this way. He won't hurt her, milaya. Not at all."
"That's just it, Nat," he said, lowering the tankard to the table and pulling her into his lap as she came to stand by his side. "It doesn't seem unnatural. Not at all. And I want her to be happy." He frowned a little bit sadly. "You should have seen it, Nat. They were going to kill him, and she stepped in the way. They were both willing to give their lives for the other. Sound familiar" If that's not love, I don't know what is."
"Then what is truly bothering you, dusha moya?" she asked him softly, curling her arms about his shoulders as he drew her down into his lap, her fingertips trailing against his throat affectionately. "They cannot stay innocent forever, and it would be better for them both if they lost that innocence together. But the fact of her loving him does not mean she will love you any less. You are her brother. No one can take your place."
"It's not that," he said, his arms going around her waist, as he rested his chin against her shoulder. He was perfectly happy to share his sister's love; that was as it should be. "It's just....They're both so innocent. They're like children. What are we gonna do with them' I mean, it's been twenty-five years, Nat. Can you imagine" Twenty-five years all alone." He turned quiet, saddened by the thought, though she never had to be alone again. In fact, Rhys would make sure of it.
She pressed her lips to his forehead as he quietened. For once, Nat did not have all the answers he wanted, regretting her lack of vision in not having considered all this days ago. "If the Lady allows, perhaps they should stay here a while," she said again, revisiting the first thought that had entered her mind concerning the sleeping pair above them. "They could be taught the basics of our world, how to pass unnoticed. I do not think I have the patience to teach such simple things, but I could build upon a foundation. We have months ahead of us, Rhys, where nothing is looming but the birth of our child. We could include them in those preparations, in finding a house, in settling. But I would not take them to New York without first knowing that neither one of them will freak out on the street."
"I promised Joey pancakes," Rhys remarked, unsure why he was reminding himself of such a thing, except that he perceived it as another in a long string of broken promises. All at once, he realized what was niggling at him, or at least, part of it. "I don't want to leave her behind again, but....I don't think they're ready for New York." And he knew they couldn't stay here forever. He had left Adam behind to clean up the mess in Iowa, and he'd promised to meet him in New York in a few days. Whether he had a sister or not, life went on. What was he supposed to do now" He felt torn.
"And you will be able to follow through on that promise," she assured him. "A little late, perhaps, but it will not be broken. And ....well, I do not think that a visit to Gina's house would break your sister, do you? She will get to see where you will be, and who you will be with, and you will both know that the mists are only a thought. You can visit her every day, make sure she knows that her time here is only temporary. That she will be coming home, soon."
"A thought I can't control," he added. "You know, when it was all over, and I realized he wasn't gonna make it, the first thing I thought of was bringing him here, but I couldn't do it alone, and if Lailah hadn't been there to fetch you, it would have been too late. He wasn't gonna make it, Nat. Not without help. I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to bring him here."
Rhys heaved an audible sigh as he plunked himself down at the table, clearly exhausted, but not as exhausted as the pair they'd just tucked into bed. It was almost like babysitting, not that Rhys knew what babysitting was like. He'd never babysat even once in all his life. "You better talk to Rachel about birth control. It's like The Blue Lagoon. At the rate they're going, she's gonna end up pregnant. If he ever learns what to do with that thing." He picked up the tankard of ale the Handmaidens had seen fit to deliver, along with a few other supplies as soon as Rhys and Natalya had arrived in Avalon.
Nat laughed at him, shaking her head. She was not quite as tired as he was, but then, she had not gone head to head with witches only a few hours ago. Between them, they had helped the newly arrived Rachel and Zachariel to wash and tucked them into bed, and finally Rhys now had a chance to sit down while his wife went about making dinner from the various bits and pieces that had been brought to them. She wasn't the best cook in the world, but it was difficult to make any food on Avalon taste bad. "Do you really think the Lady would allow her to become pregnant on Avalon?" she asked her husband, glancing up from where she was adding a pinch of spice to the pot on the stove.
He shrugged as he took a long swallow from the tankard, which helped to soothe his nerves a little after a long day at the office, so to speak. "I don't know. Would she allow you to?" Though it was kind of a moot point, considering Natalya was already pregnant and that the Lady had predicted it would happen. "I'm not even sure if he's shooting live bullets," Rhys remarked regarding Zach's ability or inability to sire a child.
"We conceived outside Avalon," his wife reminded him. The Lady had been very clear on that point. "And for a man who was very unhappy about teaching Zach to wash himself, you seem very concerned that he is in full working order, milaya." She grinned over at him cheekily, reaching for a wooden spoon to stir the pot before setting it to simmer. She didn't know how to make much, but soup was a given when Nat had done a few interesting things with vegetables. Rhys had watched her wrapping thick slices of beef to bake in the oven, too, so he couldn't complain that she was going to make him eat rabbit food.
"I'm just not sure how I feel about him sleeping with my sister." Rhys took another thoughtful swig of his ale. "I mean, I hardly know her either. It's kind of weird." That was something of an understatement. His stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him he hadn't eaten since breakfast. At this point, he would have eaten just about anything. "There's no question he's in love with her."
"You both have a lot to learn about one another, Rhys," Nat told him, her voice gentle as she moved to stand at his side, smoothing her fingers through his hair. "But I do not think you will make a good start, if you try to tell her that she cannot be with the man she loves. Despite her childlike tendencies, she is a full grown woman, and ....though it may seem unnatural, unpleasant to you, I think that it is best this way. He won't hurt her, milaya. Not at all."
"That's just it, Nat," he said, lowering the tankard to the table and pulling her into his lap as she came to stand by his side. "It doesn't seem unnatural. Not at all. And I want her to be happy." He frowned a little bit sadly. "You should have seen it, Nat. They were going to kill him, and she stepped in the way. They were both willing to give their lives for the other. Sound familiar" If that's not love, I don't know what is."
"Then what is truly bothering you, dusha moya?" she asked him softly, curling her arms about his shoulders as he drew her down into his lap, her fingertips trailing against his throat affectionately. "They cannot stay innocent forever, and it would be better for them both if they lost that innocence together. But the fact of her loving him does not mean she will love you any less. You are her brother. No one can take your place."
"It's not that," he said, his arms going around her waist, as he rested his chin against her shoulder. He was perfectly happy to share his sister's love; that was as it should be. "It's just....They're both so innocent. They're like children. What are we gonna do with them' I mean, it's been twenty-five years, Nat. Can you imagine" Twenty-five years all alone." He turned quiet, saddened by the thought, though she never had to be alone again. In fact, Rhys would make sure of it.
She pressed her lips to his forehead as he quietened. For once, Nat did not have all the answers he wanted, regretting her lack of vision in not having considered all this days ago. "If the Lady allows, perhaps they should stay here a while," she said again, revisiting the first thought that had entered her mind concerning the sleeping pair above them. "They could be taught the basics of our world, how to pass unnoticed. I do not think I have the patience to teach such simple things, but I could build upon a foundation. We have months ahead of us, Rhys, where nothing is looming but the birth of our child. We could include them in those preparations, in finding a house, in settling. But I would not take them to New York without first knowing that neither one of them will freak out on the street."
"I promised Joey pancakes," Rhys remarked, unsure why he was reminding himself of such a thing, except that he perceived it as another in a long string of broken promises. All at once, he realized what was niggling at him, or at least, part of it. "I don't want to leave her behind again, but....I don't think they're ready for New York." And he knew they couldn't stay here forever. He had left Adam behind to clean up the mess in Iowa, and he'd promised to meet him in New York in a few days. Whether he had a sister or not, life went on. What was he supposed to do now" He felt torn.
"And you will be able to follow through on that promise," she assured him. "A little late, perhaps, but it will not be broken. And ....well, I do not think that a visit to Gina's house would break your sister, do you? She will get to see where you will be, and who you will be with, and you will both know that the mists are only a thought. You can visit her every day, make sure she knows that her time here is only temporary. That she will be coming home, soon."
"A thought I can't control," he added. "You know, when it was all over, and I realized he wasn't gonna make it, the first thing I thought of was bringing him here, but I couldn't do it alone, and if Lailah hadn't been there to fetch you, it would have been too late. He wasn't gonna make it, Nat. Not without help. I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to bring him here."