Katie threw the dirty rag into the bucket of sudsy water and wiped her arm across her brow.
The house was beginning to look liveable- finally- but there was still so much work to do. There was a long crack in the plaster of one of the scullery wall and the windows in the master bedroom rattled with the slightest bit of wind. The ceiling in the kitchen was leaky and there were pots and bowls all over the floor to catch the dripping water.
"That's quite a good look on you, lass."
Katie didn't even turn around. She merely continued surveying her work. The front windows were now clean and one could actually see through them all the way up to the road. It had taken both magic and a bit of elbow grease to remove the years of dirt and grime from the old glass.
"Go bother someone else. I'm reveling in my victory here."
She'd been struggling to get the shadow out of the glass for three days. It was actually Percy Weasley who'd suggested the spell that finally worked.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around her and she leaned back automatically into her husband's broad chest.
"You smell like fire," she said, noting the smoky scent wafting off his shirt.
"And you, Mrs. Wood, smell heavenly."
Katie wrinkled her nose.
"I smell like dirt and sweat. I haven't had a shower since yesterday and I've been cleaning all morning."
"Like I said, heavenly."
She turned around in Oliver's arms and smacked his chest.
"You're disgusting."
Oliver's only response was to bury his nose in Katie's neck, going straight for the spot where she was most ticklish.
"That beard is going to be the death of me," Katie managed through her laughter.
"I thought you liked it," Oliver mumbled into her neck.
"Isn't that what I just said?"
His hands slid down from her shoulders to rest her bulging belly.
"I fixed the nursery door this morning. Doesn't squeak anymore."
Katie grinned and laid a hand on top of Oliver's.
"He's a lucky boy to have such a handy daddy."
"I think you mean she's a lucky girl."
"Boy or girl, they might actually have a nursery to sleep in now."
"Aye. My brother's going to come over and help me sort out the kitchen ceiling tomorrow afternoon. And until we can get the windows upstairs fixed, George gave me a spell that should silence them."
"The girls are going to come over tomorrow to help me paint upstairs. When this place is to rights we'll have to have everyone over for a meal to say thank you for all their help."
Oliver nodded as he rubbed Katie's belly. She often felt like one of those giant Buddha statues when Oliver did this, like he was rubbing her belly for luck, but she knew that was silly. He liked to rub her belly to feel the baby kicking. He liked to recount Quidditch matches to her belly as well, but that was a whole other type of weird.
Oliver grinned that wolfish grin he reserved just for her, his expression changing in a flash, as his hands traveled down her sides and around to her bottom.
"Ah-ah, none of that, Mister. We've got work to do. This place isn't going to fix itself."
"Maybe so, but when it's done…"
Katie nodded her agreement. Oliver didn't need to finish his thought- Katie knew exactly what he meant.
The cottage-style house was approximately 120 years old and sat on five acres of lush fields and heather moorland. The land butted up to a small lake- loch, Oliver always corrected her- perfect for swimming and fishing and there was a tree in the backyard that would be perfect for a treehouse one day. Once it was finished, the house would look like a dream.
"It's not going to get done if you get all worked up like this every time we're in the same room," Katie said with a wry grin.
"It's not my fault you're radiant. Like an angel. Or a goddess."
"Ooh, goddess, I like that."
Honestly, she felt like a goddess. When she learned she was pregnant she did worry about how it would make her feel. So many women hated being pregnant, comparing themselves to a beached whale or an elephant. Katie felt wonderful.
That's not to say she enjoyed her swollen feet or the recent back pain. Those things sucked.
But Katie loved being pregnant. She almost didn't want the baby to come. Almost. Because as much as she loved having her baby inside her, she couldn't wait to hold him in her arms.
She leaned up and kissed Oliver, her fingers playing with the curls at the nape of his neck.
"Let's have another one soon, ok?" she murmured against his lips.
Oliver chuckled and leaned down to lay his forehead against hers.
"You just don't want the foot massages to stop."
Katie pulled away, trailing her finger down Oliver's arm as she went.
"Those are nice. If the whole Quidditch thing doesn't work out for you, you definitely have a future as a masseur."
It had just started thundering when Callum Alexander Wood came into the world, but no one could hear it for his squalling.
"This one's got a healthy pair of lungs," Oliver said from Katie's side, squeezing her hand.
Katie watched, holding her breath, as Cassandra Pucey, Alicia's girlfriend and a Healer at St. Mungo's, checked out the tiny screaming baby. She was still in loads of pain and she was absolutely exhausted- the labor had taken nearly 16 hours- but she would not rest until she knew her baby boy was healthy.
Cassandra waved her wand and a zig-zagging line appeared in the air above Callum. Katie wasn't sure what this meant, but Cassandra nodded decisively and the line disappeared with another wave of her wand.
"Alright, congratulations you two. You've got a healthy baby boy."
Cassandra wrapped the baby in a white swaddling blanket and handed him off to Katie. She let out a large breath and tears started flowing down her cheeks in earnest. Her son had a tiny button nose, a surprising amount of dark hair on his head, and the blue eyes of all babies.
"He's perfect," Katie said, brushing her nose over his downy hair.
"Just like his Mum," Oliver murmured against her temple.
Katie couldn't take her eyes off her son. After nine months of carrying him around in her belly, he was finally here. She was finally holding him in her arms and she didn't ever want to let go.
Later that night, after family and friends had left, Katie watched as and Oliver stood over the bassinet beside their bed, just watching their son sleep.
"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Katie asked from her spot in bed, where she'd been ordered to stay in for 24 hours.
"Aye, that he is. Though with you for his mother and me for his da, was there ever any doubt?"
Katie laughed softly, so as not to wake Callum, and reached out for Oliver's hand. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her.
"Still keen for another one?" He asked quirking a single eyebrow at her.
Katie answered immediately. There was no consideration for the pain she'd felt during the birth, for the exhaustion she was feeling at the moment. She didn't I have to think about it at all.
"Definitely."
The house wasn't officially done until just after Callum's first birthday. Oliver stood with one arm around Katie and the other holding Callum. He looked so much like Oliver now and it gave Katie a thrill every time she noticed the likeness.
She rested her hand on her growing belly as they surveyed the house from the end of the lane. She was five months along, although she felt huge. Much bigger at five months than she'd been with Callum. A byproduct of carrying twins.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Katie said clapping her hands.
Oliver extracted his arm and carried Callum and the wooden sign at his side to the side of the drive.
"Alright laddie, help your old dad out and hold the sign."
Katie giggled as Callum squirmed out of his father's arms and sat down hard on his butt in the grass.
Oliver held the sign in place and grinned up at Katie.
"Whenever you're ready, lass."
Katie pointed her wand at the sign and whispered an incantation that worked as a mallet and drove the carved wooden sign into the ground.
Oliver rejoined her and they watched as Callum pulled himself up on the sign that read Wood's Keep.
"I canna believe I let you talk me into it," Oliver said, shaking his head.
Katie chuckled. "It's perfect and you love it. Even Cal loves it, look at him!"
Callum was running his chubby hands along the smooth front of the sign. And it really was perfect. Katie had come up with the pun late one night, wrapped up in the sheets after a long day of painting the house and a long night of love-making brought on by the pregnancy hormones (and her hot, hot husband). Oliver was checking on Callum, now sleeping in the nursery regularly, and it just sort of came to her.
"Get it," she said as Oliver sat staring at her doubtfully. "Wood's Keep. Because you're a keeper! It's good right?"
So far, Katie had been most impressed by her brilliance but she wasn't going to let her husband's obvious lack of pun appreciation ruin her fun. So Wood's Keep would be the name of their Home and the surrounding land.
"I can't believe it's done," Oliver said.
"It's perfect. The perfect place for them to grow up," Katie said rubbing her belly, watching Callum crawl through the grass after a butterfly.
"Aye, the perfect place for a family."