Carmilla stretched out sleepily. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and the first time in a long time, the house was quiet. Usually the pitter-patter of the twins' little feet across the hardwood floors and their babbling and giggling filled the house with a comforting noise. Carmilla loved the twins; the tiny little humans with squishy faces and plump fingers that loved to clamber all over her whenever she sat down. Sometimes she could sit on the couch with a book and the twins would scramble over and cuddle up to her, often falling asleep. She could hear them outside, coming up the pathway, but the children were quiet. There was the comfortable hum of Danny's voice and then Laura's as she laughed at something Danny said. Carmilla smiled, she never really thought that things would work out the way that they did, but when Kirsch had his accident and passed away, she knew that the right thing to do would be to have pregnant Danny move in with her and Laura. They had been there throughout the majority of the pregnancy, Carmilla dutied with dashing out for the midnight cravings of pickles and beef jerky while Laura was always more than willing to fetch a bucket for Danny's morning sickness. They held her hands while she delivered the babies naturally, without any pain relief (much to Carmilla's surprise and admiration) and now she could not imagine her life without little Wilson and Artemis. They were due to turn three next week and were beginning to form a private language all of their own. Carmilla loved to listen to them babble for hours on end while they played. She could hear Danny and Laura coming down the hallway, and smiled to herself. She would probably never openly admit it, but she really loved having Danny around, and the three of them had formed an unconventional relationship, where by the twins had three mothers. The door to the bedroom opened and Carmilla smiled at the two ladies who entered.
"How was your walk?" Carmilla asked as she moved over to allow Laura to sit on the bed.
Laura pulled out her hair elastic and shook her hair. Carmilla noticed Danny reach over and pick up a brush from the nearby dresser. "Good," Laura remarked. "The twins fell asleep by the time we got to the end of the path but we kept walking because it is such a lovely day." Laura moved closer to Carmilla and Danny knelt behind her on the bed and took Laura's hair in her hands to brush it.
"Artemis strung together a pretty comprehensive sentence today" Danny mentioned as she brushed the knots out of Laura's hair. "I was setting up their lunch and I put down the food and went to get them some water. When I came back she asked me "More cheese please mummy."
Carmilla grinned, and snuck her hand around Laura to brush Danny's leg.
"That's adorable" she remarked with a genuine smile.
Danny grinned and finished the braid in Laura's hair before tying it off with a hair elastic.
"Since we have some time…" Carmilla started, shifting over even more on the bed, "C'mere."
Laura turned to smile at Danny and moved to lay down facing Carmilla. Carmilla felt the mattress shift as Danny lay on the other side of Laura and moved in close. Carmilla trailed her hand down Laura's arm before she pressed a kiss to her forehead. She let her arm fall over Laura and found Danny fingers, which they linked. Able to see each other over Laura's head, Carmilla squeezed Danny fingers and gave her a look that she hoped would say everything she felt, without having to voice it. Already Laura's breathing was slowing and Carmilla could feel her falling asleep sandwiched between the two off them. Danny pushed herself up and reached over to flick the switch on the baby monitor. A gentle snoring filled the room and Carmilla smiled at Danny. That was Wilson, so much his father's son. Moving her arm out from between her and Laura, Carmilla ran her fingers through Danny's hair. She knew that they had a few minutes to spare, and she was going to relish the feeling of being in the presence of the two people she loved most in the world, with two more asleep in their pushchair, only a room away. Carmilla waited until she saw Danny's eyes close and her face soften as she too began to fall asleep. Carmilla watched them both, their breathing deep and even. The slightest change happened in the snoring that came over the speaker, and Carmilla knew it would only be a few minutes until Wilson woke, and then woke his sister. Carmilla kissed Laura's forehead and then untangled herself from the mass of limbs. Walking around to the other side of the bed, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Danny's forehead. Just before she left the room, she switched off the monitor. She could occupy the twins for a few hours, and let two of their three mothers rest… at least that is, for now.