I am so sorry for the wait! This chapter just took me forever to write! :( But I added a new character who you all should love. If you don't you do not have a heart... Anyway, quick news: I just got a tumblr! So please follow me! And I will follow back! It is my fanfic account noxiris63 . tumblr . com! You should check it out! Anyway, like always: thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited! I really appreciate more than you think I do! And please continue those reviews! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Howl's Moving Castle. If I did, that would be totally awesome. I do own my own characters though. :)

O..O

"I have to mention something before we leave…"

Sophie and Calcifer glanced at Brian who was looking around the house nervously. Sophie had her bag on a seat and was about to pick it up to leave the house. "What's wrong?"

"You remember when I told you about my sister who had that child… Well, I am the child's guardian now. She lives with me, and I have to bring her along." Brian waited for the two to lash out at him, but all he received were smiles.

"Why did you not tell us that sooner?" Sophie asked with her eyes lit up. "She could have had dinner with us or stayed with me if you were working."

"My neighbor looks out for her most of the time. Anyway, I need to pack for her and me. Don't worry, Celeste will be on her best behavior. She may ask a lot of questions, but she is only six and is very curious. She is one of the sweetest children you will ever meet. Also, I think that she will love going on an adventure with the two of you," Brian smiled.

Calcifer looked as if he did not know whether to smile or frown. A child would make the trip take longer, but so did Sophie's pregnancy. But the fact that he never really interacted with a child besides Markl made him feel uneasy. What would a fire demon say to a little girl without scaring her?

"Calcifer," Sophie said softly, "Is everything ok?"

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Calcifer glanced at Brian who looked confused and scared. "Celeste can come," the fire demon stated quickly, "I just have to ask Sophie a personal question."

Sophie held the demon in her hands as she walked to her bedroom. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know, Sophie. I am fine with Brian bringing Celeste along since she won't really slow us down, but I don't know how to react around her. I don't want to scare her. I wish I knew how to speak to children…"

"Calcifer, just speak to them as you speak to me. It always helps if you act funny too," Sophie chuckled. "She will love you, and I already know that the baby will love you as well."

"You think so?"

"I am positive, Calcifer. You always know how to cheer someone up, and you never judge a person before you get to know them… or at least until you figure out if they are a witch or wizard," Sophie smiled.

Calcifer nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. That is true."

"You just need to give yourself a chance. Trust me."

"I can always trust you, Sophie," Calcifer smiled.

"Good!" Sophie gave the fire demon a little hug as she stepped into the living room. "So, when are we going to get little Celeste?" Sophie spoke up, brightly.

Brian smiled as he looked at Sophie. "As soon as you are ready to go."

"Then let's go!"

O..O

"Sophie, Calcifer… I would like you to meet my niece, Celeste."

The young girl looked up at Sophie and smiled with her blue eyes shining. Her blond hair ran down her back in a long braid. "You are the lady my uncle was taking about?" she asked Sophie. "But Uncle, she doesn't look like she has a baby in her…"

"Should we get going?" Brian interrupted as he carried his and Celeste's satchels. "We have a ways to go anyway, and well, we have all that time to get acquainted…" Brian looked around nervously, hoping that Celeste would not say anything else embarrassing.

The group started walking the journey to the castle, stopping occasionally to rest and eat. Sophie found herself feeling sick after traveling for two hours, and felt herself slowing the group down as she walked slower. Brian seemed to notice this as he signaled to Calcifer.

"Is everything okay?" Calcifer whispered as he looked back at Sophie.

Brian shrugged. "I think we need to call it a day. Sophie is looking worn out and sickly," he whispered back.

"I know you are talking about me!" Sophie shouted from behind. "But I would appreciate it if we called it a day."

Brian placed the bags down and started putting up the tent for the upcoming night. In the meantime, Sophie and Celeste gathered sticks and twigs for Calcifer to build himself on. When they were settled, Sophie boiled a pot of water for tea and handed out rice cakes for the others to eat. As they were eating, Celeste kept chatting and asking questions from the pasts of Sophie and Calcifer to the length of the trip.

"Uncle Brian never lets me go out by myself. I wish he would. I am a big girl. I can go to the village by myself. Watch this!" Celeste got up and ran to the opposite end of the field. "See! I am fine!"

"Celeste," Brian stated, "come back here and finish your dinner." Celeste grumbled as she walked back to the fire with slouched shoulders.

"Celeste, you should listen to your uncle Brian," Sophie stated. She watched as Celeste frowned in response. "I know that he is a worry-wart and over-protective, but he means well." Celeste laughed at Sophie's response.

"Sophie, why doesn't Calcifer talk to me like he talks to you guys?"

Sophie felt herself smile as Calcifer turned into shades of pink and red. "He is embarrassed because he does not know how to talk to you. He thinks he might scare you."

Celeste stared at Calcifer before speaking. "Calcifer, you aren't scary. You are actually a pretty fire!"

Calcifer felt himself lighten up. "Thank you, Celeste. That makes me feel better."

"Are you going to be embarrassed when Sophie's baby comes?" Celeste asked.

"Tell you what," Calcifer stated, "I need you to help me with not being scary. Can you help me?"

Celeste nodded her head enthusiastically as Sophie and Brian chuckled over the girl's expression.

"Sophie, Uncle Brian… Where do babies come from?"

Brian looked at Sophie as he struggled for words. "Well, um, Celeste. You remember how babies come from a mommy's tummy, right?"

"Yes, but Sophie's is small!"

Sophie smiled. He needs help. "You know how you grow up? The baby grows up in my tummy until it gets too big for my tummy. Then it will grow to be as big as you are!" Sophie finished as she poked Celeste's stomach, making her laugh.

"One more question," the little girl stated. "How does the baby get into the mommy's stomach?"

"Oh would you look at that?" Brian stated as he stood up stretching his legs. "It's time for a certain young lady to go to bed."

"Five more minutes? Please?" the little girl pleaded.

"No. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Brian said as he picked up his niece. "Say goodnight to everyone."

"Fine… I expect an answer in the morning to my question… Goodnight, Calcifer. Goodnight, Sophie."

"Goodnight, Celeste," the two respond in unison.

After Brian put the girl in the tent, he went back outside and sat by Sophie and Calcifer. "She'll forget that question. Don't worry," he laughed.

"Celeste is not as bad as you made her out to be. She just needs an outlet for her extra energy," Sophie smiled.

Brian concentrated on his feet as he shuffled them in the dirt. "I am over-protective for a reason…" he spoke softly.

Sophie and Calcifer looked at the man as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. "What's the matter, bud?" Calcifer asked.

"I am over-protected since I don't want anything to happen to her. She is the only family I have left."

"What happened to her parents?" Sophie found herself asking softly.

"It was two years ago when my sister, Angela, and her husband, David, stopped by my house with Celeste. I knew that they needed to go off on a trip and that I was to watch Celeste for the time being. You see, my brother-in-law was also a wizard, and he traveled frequently for the king. Angela was one of the king's advisors so she decided to accompany David on this one trip. They could not bring Celeste with them, due to the possible dangers of the trip. I did not know where they were going or when they were going to get back. I was just told that they may be back by the end of the month. I got a letter a month later saying that Angela and David were murdered while carrying out the king's orders. In their will, I was left as the guardian of Celeste as well as the caretaker for her estate. You see, Angela had a lot more success than I did when it came to working. She was always so smart and had a bright, bubbly personality. Everything an older brother would want in his younger sister.

"Anyway, once Celeste turns sixteen, I am to give her a letter written to her by her parents. When she is eighteen, she gets the rest of the fortune left to her by her parents. In the meantime, I have been using the money to buy her clothes and food and to make sure she had a comfortable lifestyle. I do not want her to grow up spoiled. That's why we live the way we did- in a humble cottage. She is going to be the most beautiful young woman when she grows up, and she will be sweet. I know that is how Angela and David would have wanted her raised, so I am fulfilling that." Brian paused for a moment to wipe away a tear from his eyes. He looked back at the tent Celeste was sleeping in before continuing. "That's why I have to protect her. She means the world to me. It's as if she is my daughter. But I cannot call her that. I want her to remember the heroes her parents were. I want her to remember them as well as she can. And I will see to it that Angela and David did not die in vain."

Sophie and Calcifer sat there in silence after Brian was done with his story. Under the skittish and nervous man laid a passionate and loving uncle who wanted the best for his niece. He wanted her to be always happy and loving. Sophie smiled as she thought of Howl. He would have been the same way if he was put into a similar situation.

Calcifer was the first to speak. "Do they know who killed your sister and brother-in-law?"

"No. A spell was casted upon them so it could be any witch or wizard. But I will tell you this. If I find whoever killed them, they will have me to deal with. That is a promise."