Rain

"She hasn't seen him in awhile," Brian said. "She's missed him. Even since he's moved back, he's kept to himself. Its good for her to have him back in her life agsin. He loves her. She's been through a lot in the last year, and Michael makes her laugh. I like it when she laughs. She deserves to have more fun in her life. We all do. She feels bad that we've all been stopped from living any sort of normal life while we keep her from gelding and from burke and barker. At least Burke is dead. And Barker is behind bars, but we do still have to contend with Gelding. I've promised her I'll get him for her. I mean to keep that promise to her."

"She'd rather see you alive and in one piece, Son," Robert said quietly, "Gelding is a powerful and dangerous wizard."

"I know. I've gone toe to toe with him before," Brian said.

"And you put your life on the line every time you did it. Your life is different now. You have her to live for now, and your children. You don't have the option of throwing yourself under the bus for my cause. Not in the same way you used to. Its different now. She'd lose her mind if she lost you."

"That's what got me started in it," Brian said, "Robert too. But I'm afraid Robert is right. I can't just go chasing after Gelding by myself in the dark anymore, much as I want him stopped...."

"I never told you to do that," Robert said. "You're lucky he hasn't mailed you back to me as little jar of dust. I want my grandchildren to have fathers, Brian. If you haven't noticed, I haven't let you go on active rescue missions almost at all since Abbey was born. There is a reason for that. You're a hell of a fighter. I need you active. However--my grandchildren need a father far more. And my daughter needs someone who will take care of her for the rest of her life. She deserves that. And that is never going to be Rob."

"You're pulling me from active duty?" Brian asked.

"No," Robert said. "You aren't worth a thing to me unless you're willing to lead a charge. Unless you're willing to go first. They are not going to go anywhere if you're afraid to lead them."

"I am not afraid," Brain glared at him.

"I know. I'm only pulling you back. For the sake of my family. There are a lot of things I believe in, Brian, but you should know that I always put family first. No matter what." He looked at everyone else, "And that includes the rest of you. Once you enter the inner circle, you become family. You all know that. I'm not separating you out."

"And its our privilege to do it," Brian smiled. He was pleased with the people he surrounded his new family with. "You know, a year ago, I came to see Robert because he sent for me. He sent me an urgent message to Paris saying he needed a healer--immediately. I had no idea it was Khaat, or that she was even pregnant, much less delivering her first child. And I had no clue I was going to become her delivery coach." He sighed, looking at Abbey, "And I had no idea whatsoever that night would change my life forever to something that I could never go back from. I had only ever seen myself as a single man--forever--like Michael. And you know what, I would not have missed one minute of this last year."

His mind was thinking of all the wonderful moments he'd had that he had valued so much. Bringing Abbey home from St. Mungos when Khaat was still in ICU. Bringing her home to his house. Moving Khaat's things in, duplicating Abbey's nursery here in the house, taking in Dakota just like he had Abbey. Bringing Khaat home. Watching her bond with her daughter. Feeding and changing the babies. Playing with them. Soothing them when they cried, walking the floors with them.

His first serious kiss with Khaat. Venice. Oh, Venice had been wonderful. And it was a place in his heart he couldn't come back from. Love. It had come when he had least planned for it. Hadn't wanted it, had planned to live a purely platonic life with Khaat. It hadn't gone that direction. And now she wore his ring, not Rob's. And he was going to do what? Manage Sparks? Really? Managing a restaurant was the farthest from his mind. And their family was going to be bigger soon. By Christmas they'd have at least four babies in diapers all at the same time. Four? That was a bit overwhelming.

"Brian," Robert said, "Come back. Where were you?"

"Do you know how much my life has changed from one year ago?"

"I do," Robert laughed. "Do you regret it?"

"Not for one moment of it. Do any of you?" Brian asked the rest of them.

Khaat came back downstairs with Michael after giving him the tour around the house. She smelled the food and her stomach growled. Michael laughed.

"Was that you or the baby?" he asked.

"Um...I'm not sure," she laughed.

"Angus, toss Khaat a snack, would you, Boy?" MIchael called. Angus floated in a fresh pear to her.

"Will that hold you until dinner?" Angus asked.

"Yes, thanks," Khaat said.

"Its quite a house, Brian," MIchael said, bringing Khaat back to the living room.

"Thank you," Brian smiled. "And Khaat seems to be happiest when the house is running over with people. You're welcome here any time." She looked at Brian. "You look like you're all in an odd mood. What did you all talk about?"

Angus took the piece of biscuit and tasted it. "Good job," he said. "American biscuits are tricky to do well. There really is an art to them the Southeast really specialize in doing them well. Places like Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama. What Americans refer to as Southern Comfort food. I"m making a beef stew to go with them, and people can take their pick as to whether they have the biscuits separate or whether they want to do it the old fashioned way and open up the biscuit into two halves and pour the stew over it. Either way is good. I am, though, putting a bit of vermouth in the stew to help the flavors marry a bit more."

Khaat had never known of Jess to be so jumpy about storms. She didn't know what the issue was, but Khaat had been out in the rain for days. She didn't even notice the thunder and lightning anymore. Didn't even hear it. She noticed the babies didn't seem to hear it either. They were much too happy as they were. Dakota was playing with Max, and Abbey was being completely spoiled by her grandfather. Khaat was glad to see her father enjoying every moment of spending time with his grandchildren.

"Oh, Jess," Angus said, "I made some chocolate chip cookie pizzas for dessert. While we're eating, I'll bake them, and decorate them. Everyone will get their own little cookie pizza. What do you think?"