Elizabeth sighed heavily as she plucked more herbs from the small patch she found behind the Boar Hat Tavern. I wonder where this feeling of dread is coming from?

She put her hand over her heart, herbs squeezed tight in her clutch, "Hah, I know it's only been an hour, but it feels like forever! And they should've been back by now!" Suddenly, she shot up from her crouch, What am I doing? I should go and check on them instead of waiting and worrying here! Meliodas wouldn't mind if I—

"I hope you weren't thinking of using those herbs for dinner, you've already crushed them to bits!"

Elizabeth spun to see Meliodas approach her with an easy smile on his face and a small wave, "Heya Elizabeth!"

"M-Meliodas?! You're back! But where's—" A golden haired blur shot pass Meliodas towards Elizabeth, but he caught it before it could crash into her, "Mama!"

Elizabeth quickly recovered from the shock when she realized that the pre-teen child being held upside down in Meliodas' grip was their own, "Mezlyn! Oh, I'm so glad that you're back from your trip, I was getting so worried!"

Her daughter laughed, and squirmed in Meliodas' grip, "Silly Mama! You shouldn't worry about us, I took down a dragon before, remember? If anyone bothered us, I would've punched their faces to dust!"

Meliodas turned his daughter towards him, "Geez Mez," he said in a wry tone, "What am I, chopped liver? As your father, I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around." Not missing a beat, Mezlyn responded, "Yeah, but Papa, you're old!" Meliodas quickly turned to stone from his daughter's harsh words. Elizabeth thought to comfort Meliodas, but became flustered as she thought of what to say.

Mezlyn wiggled again, "Papa! Put me down so I can show Mama what I got for her at the market!" He let her go and Elizabeth rushed to his side and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, I don't think you're old at all. Mezlyn didn't mean anything bad by it!"

He chuckled softly, "Thanks Elizabeth, but it's not like she's wrong. I mean, I am a few thousand years old."

While her parents were talking, Mezlyn pulled out the purchase she'd made at the market and offered her closed hand under her mother's nose, "Mama, Mama, look! A gift just for you!"

Elizabeth held out her hand and turned pale when her daughter dropped her "gift" into her hand, "W-w-why thank you Mezlyn, it's quite, eh, lovely!" She held the dead lizard in her hand even though she was shaking harder than a leaf. Meliodas plucked it out of her hand, and she breathed a sigh of relief, "Why would you buy something you can find on your own?" He turned the amphibian carcass in his hand, "Is it special somehow? What's it supposed to do?"

Her daughter snatched it back, "I'll have you know, the lady who sold it to me said it's a good luck charm! If you carry it with you everywhere and sleep with it under your pillow for seven years, you'll cry tears of gold for the rest of your life—ow!" Meliodas bopped her on her head halfway through her explanation, "I figured that you bought something useless again, you do know that you were cheated don't you? I thought we already talked about trusting strangers."

Mezlyn sulked with tears in her eyes, "But I thought Mama would like it!"

Elizabeth once again became flustered, torn between comforting her daughter, but not wanting to accept the terrifying gift. Before she could act, the dead reptile was pulled from her daughter's grip and sent sailing into the air, landing in a nearby bush, "Mezlyn, you should always check with me first before making crazy purchases. We've talked about this before."

Elizabeth's face brightened to see her silver haired eldest child, "Elah! Oh, and you have Sven with you as well!" Elah was holding her youngest child in his arms and his back was weighed down with the goods they bought at the market. Sven reached out to his mother and as Elah handed him to her Elizabeth looked him over, "Why are you carrying so many things? Aren't they heavy?"

Elah sent pointed glares at his twin sister and father, "That's a good question, but I think you'd be best asking those two."

Meliodas and Mezlyn shared a look. Mezlyn quickly bounded towards the bush that the lizard landed in, "I still paid money for that lizard. I really, really, need to find it!"

Meliodas began to walk leisurely towards the entrance of the Boar Hat, "I should restock the inventory since we just got back."

Elizabeth wasn't having it, "Meliodas! Mezlyn! You two explain right now why Elah was not only carrying everything, but Sven as well, when you both know he isn't that strong!"

Meliodas laughed nervously and shrugged, "He was carrying everything for that exact reason, don't you want to get nice and strong like me, son?"

Elah's answer was short and to the point, "No."

Elah knew that he wasn't weak. But his twin sister held more of their father's demonic power, making her physically stronger, while he had more of his mother's Druid power flowing through him.

Meliodas gave him a bland side-eye, but avoided eye contact with everyone when he pointed at his daughter, "It's all Mez's fault."

"Whaat! No way!"

Meliodas picked at his ear, "Maybe if you didn't start racing me home we wouldn't have had to leave Elah and Sven behind."

Elizabeth jumped in, "YOU LEFT THEM BOTH BEHIND?!"

Meliodas continued to avoid eye contact, "Oops, maybe should have left that part out."

"Meliodas, how could you?! I knew I was right to have been worried!"

Meliodas walked towards her, "Hey, relax Elizabeth, everybody's fine. And even if something did happen, you know I would take care of it right?" He walked closer to her, leaning in to give her a kiss, "I would never let anything happen to—"

Just as he was about to kiss her, their toddler son Sven slapped his hand over Meliodas' face, "No, go away." Elizabeth gasped and took Sven's hand, "No, no Sven! We don't hit other people, especially not Papa!" She turned back to Meliodas and tilted her head, "I wonder why he does that you every time I hold him?"

With a fresh red mark in the shape of his son's hand in the middle of his face, he answered sarcastically, "Gee, I wonder why." He continued underneath his breath, "That stupid pig trained him well." Thank goodness that bacon with legs was on vacation right now.

Elizabeth turned back to him, "Hm? Did you say something else?"

Meliodas went to Elah and effortlessly grabbed all of the baggage from his back, "Nope! Let's go inside and get ready for dinner!"

Elah blanched and reached for the bags, "W-wait Papa, d-don't tell me you're-" he gulped, "y-you're not going to make dinner are you?"

Meliodas laughed, "Sure am! Unless you want to make it instead?"

His answer was immediate, "I will!"

Meliodas snickered again, "'Kay! I'll take this into the kitchen and you can get cooking!"

Elah sighed and his color came back to him, We just narrowly avoided death…

The family made their way inside their home and got ready for dinner. Despite Elah saying that he would cook, it was really a family affair. He did mostly everything but Mezlyn chopped vegetables, and Elizabeth read from a recipe book with Sven still clutching her bosom. Meliodas sat at the bar with a foamy mug of beer watching his family, smiling ear to ear. This is everything that I've always wanted, and I will do anything to protect it. I won't let something happen to them like…

Elizabeth bounded over to him still holding Sven, interrupting his thought, "Dinner is almost ready!"

Meliodas got up from his seat "I'll set the table then."

"Great!" Before she could turn away he caught her and brought her close, finally giving her the chaste but sweet kiss he'd meant to give her as soon as he saw her. He rested his forehead against hers, "I love you Elizabeth, I swear I've never been this happy."

She was surprised at first, but softened when she heard his words, "Meliodas, I-"

"I SAID NO." Sven smacked Meliodas' face away again, angry that he got close to Elizabeth with such a sneaky attack. Elizabeth grabbed his hand, "Sven, no! I'm sorry Meliodas. I really don't get why he does this."

The corner of Meliodas' mouth began to twitch as he tried to smile at his son, but also keep his anger at bay, Why do all of my kids hate me?!