AN: Chapter 2! I know it's not very long, and I did think about going on, but then it would have come out too big, and tiring, so...

Thank you to everyone who already reviewed! I'm so glad the idea seems to please you all. Hope you enjoy this one, too.

Don't own anyone; all amazing characters belong to Richelle Mead, I'm just having some fun with them ;)

As I watched, Dorian's face turned from confused to shocked, to ecstatic within seconds.

"They're mine? Truly?"

Smiling softly, I grabbed his cheek with one hand, and turned his face so he was looking at me instead of the photo album. "Yes, Dorian. They're ours."

His smile was so bright it was almost blinding. "When will they come here, then?"

I hesitated, and looked away. "I'm not sure…"

"Well, the sooner the better, yes?"

I shook my head. "Dorian," I said, getting up and pacing beside the bed. "I'm not sure they should come here. Not now, at least. Not for a few years."

His golden-green eyes bore into my own violet ones. "What are you saying, Eugenie?" he asked, his voice cold.

"I'm saying I don't know what to do, Dorian! Just because Pagiel was the firstborn son of one of Storm King's daughters, doesn't mean that people won't still target Isaac. And they could use Ivy to get to us – or to him. Bringing them here, to the Otherworld, will only be exposing them to unnecessary danger. They are safe and hidden right now, and as much as it kills me to not have them with me, I also know that it is for their own good."

"Well surely, as father, I have a say in that, too?"

I sighed, and stopped my pacing in front of the window. Almost a year ago, I had stood in this very same place, watching our troops prepare to go to battle over my honor. I rested my head against the cool glass.

"I know what you'll say – what you want," I shook my head slightly, staring out the window without really seeing anything. "I'm just so worried about them, Dorian. They can't protect themselves now, and we can't stay with them 24/7. Remember Jasmine? No one was supposed to be able to touch her, and then she was kidnapped. What if they did that to Ivy? Or Isaac? I'm willing to bet they wouldn't be so hospitable if they got Isaac alone and unprotected…"

I felt Dorian come up behind me. "Then we'll just have to make sure no one gets them," he breathed against my neck.

I shivered when his warm breath tickled the back of my neck, and turned to look at him. "I'll never be able to forgive myself if something happens to them, Dorian."

"Eugenie," he said sternly, grabbing both of my shoulders in his hands. "Nothing will happen to them. Not ever. Do you understand me?"

"So then they'll have to grow up being followed all over the place by guards? What kind of a childhood is that?"

Dorian shrugged. "Try to imagine you're a child, and someone gives you a choice; to live with your parents, being loved and cared for, even if it means no privacy or growing up with strangers, without knowing your real parents because it's safer like that. What would you choose?"

I paused. I hadn't thought of it the way he put it. I knew any child would choose to grow up with their parents, even if it meant being followed by guards every waking hour of the day. And even though this wasn't about what any of us wanted, but about keeping them safe, what would happen in a few years, when they finally met us? Would they resent us for staying away to keep them safe? Would we ever feel like a real family, after having been separated for so long?

Taking advantage of my silence, Dorian stroked my cheek tenderly. "And what about when their magic starts manifesting?"

I snapped my head up to meet his eyes. "What?"

He smiled softly. "Eugenie, even if they weren't my kids; even if the kitsune was the father, they'd still be your children. You're powerful enough to rule two kingdoms without a problem. And they're not the kitsune's, so they have a lot of magical genes in them. They won't be able to control their magic, and how would the humans understand what was happening?"

I paled. "I hadn't thought about that," I muttered.

He smiled impishly at me. "I know. Which is why you should have talked to me about this, Eugenie."

I sighed. "When do gentry kids usually start showing signs of magic?"

He shrugged. "It varies from kid to kid and from family to family. Some start the day they are born; others take as long as seven years to start. It's impossible to know, but considering who we are…"

I groaned. "My mother will kill me if I so much as suggest bringing them here."

He chuckled, and hugged me tight. "They'll be fine here, Eugenie. I promise you I will never let anything bad happen to our children."

"I have to think about this, Dorian."

He looked down at me, and then nodded. "But don't think too long; remember, they might already be cooking up storms."

I groaned again. "Or burying the entire town under stones."

He smiled down at me. "Yes, I guess they could be doing that," he whispered. "I can't wait to meet Thundro."

I gave him the evil eye. "His name is Isaac, Dorian. And don't forget you have a daughter, too."

His eyes turned dreamy, as he continued to smile down at me. "A daughter." He hugged me tighter to him, and I smiled back up at him, happy that he seemed to amazed by the mere idea. "Thank you, Eugenie Markham," he whispered silkily in my ear, making shivers go down my spine again.

"For what?" I mumbled as he started kissing down my neck, making me grasp his soft hair in my hands so I'd stay up, as my knees felt like they were about to buckle.

"For giving me," he said between feather-light kisses all over my face and neck. "The chance of being a father. You have no idea how much it means to me; how much you mean to me."

"Mmmm," I sighed contentedly as he finally found my mouth with his. Pulling back slightly, I smiled at him. "I'm just glad they're yours," I whispered against his mouth, and felt his own curve up in a smile.

AN: Slow chapter, but I had to show them figuring out what to do with the twins. Next one will be longer, and not so slow, promise!