A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews, sorry it's taken a little longer than normal. Only this chapter and the epilogue left! I am very sad :'( But thank you so much for reading and reviewing, please continue and I love you all lots!

"Aurelia" Dannyl knocked on the door for the third time, "Aurelia. Aurelia! You're going to have to let us in sometime"

"Fine. But if you say one word about last night ..." Aurelia threatened as she opened the door, scowling at Dannyl and Tayend's sheepish faces. Melody was hovering behind them.

"What happened last night?" she asked, beaming and reaching out to take baby Rothen from her mother, "Hey, sweetie pie. No, seriously, what happened? I got woken up in the middle of the night to find these two on Lorkin's doorstep begging to be allowed to sleep in my room"

Aurelia reddened, "Nothing happened, darling. Come in, then, you two, if you're coming"

Dannyl and Tayend, still wearing expressions of amused, childlike guilt, entered the rooms. Tayend winked at Dannyl behind Aurelia's back and Dannyl was forced to smother a snort of laughter.

Dorrien looked up from where he was eating breakfast with the children. Arbella was nattering away about something and he was nodding along, trying to look interested. When he saw Dannyl and Tayend, however, his cheeks grew pink and he looked quickly down at his plate.

"Hey, guys!" Melody said cheerfully, grinning at her siblings.

"Hey, Mellie" they chorused; Eden and Arbella both greeted Dannyl and Tayend with fond kisses on their cheeks.

"Good morning" said Dorrien stiffly, his eyes darting awkwardly towards the couple.

"Morning!" replied Tayend brightly. Dannyl shot him a sharp look and Tayend sighed heavily.

"Look, if we just talk about it, it won't be half as awkward! So it was a bit of an embarrassing situation – "

"Girls, could you play with Liliana and Arius, please?" Aurelia interrupted quickly, "Mellie, you too"

The twins took the children away from the group of adults, but Melody did not move. She was rocking Rothen and looking frankly suspicious.

"I'm almost seventeen, I'm sure whatever you're about to tell me can't be all that bad" she said sternly, eyes roving over the pink faces of her parents and step-parents, "Come on, I can take it. Here, Daddy, you wanted to see the baby" she placed Rothen gently in her father's arms and Dannyl smiled down at the baby, avoiding the question. Tayend sighed again.

"I've got no problem with telling you, Mellie. Last night, your father and I consumed rather a lot of wine – "

"It's not unusual" Melody cut in with twinkling eyes. Tayend grinned before resuming the tale.

"And we decided that we simply couldn't wait to see the baby, so we turned up here, completely unannounced – "

"That's quite enough of that story" interrupted Dorrien gruffly.

"No, it isn't" Melody insisted, "Go on, Tayend"

"And we caught your mother and Dorrien in a rather ...compromising position. That is to say that – "

"Oh my God!" Melody shrieked, blushing herself, "Okay, okay, I get the picture! Oh my...oh God. I understand why you're all acting so weirdly now. Oh my God"

Aurelia had turned a rather deep shade of red by this time, "I did say you didn't want to hear it. Now that's that, I don't want this ever bought up again"

"Well it doesn't matter, really. I mean, now everyone in this room has seen you naked" Tayend shrugged mischievously.

"TAYEND!" Aurelia yelped, "Stop it!"

Melody snorted with laughter, "Actually, Mum, that's sort of funny"

"The kids have never seen me naked. Like I'd walk around like that in front of my own children"

"Ehem" Melody coughed, "I have. We used to share baths when I was little, remember?"

"Yes, well, you were my first born and I didn't know any better. Oh, honestly, this is a horrid topic of conversation. And you weren't supposed to see me naked, Tayend, so I wish you'd stop mentioning it. God, having you two around always ends in some sort of sordid secret"

"I agree with Aurelia – "

"Don't you mean Lia?" Tayend's eyes were sparkling with undisguised mirth. Dannyl started laughing, and Melody had soon followed. Only Dorrien and Aurelia were still cringing with embarrassment.

"Right. If any of you mention this ever again, I will kick you both out of these rooms, you understand?" Dorrien threatened at last. Dannyl, Tayend and Melody sobered at once.

"Well, he's a lovely baby" said Dannyl at last, in a vague attempt to change the subject, "Looks just like you, L-I mean, Aurelia. He looks just like Aurelia"

Two days after Dannyl and Tayend had departed, Lorkin decided that it was time to ask Melody the question that had been on his mind for some time now. He'd been thinking about it for months, but every time the words tried to escape his lips, something always pushed them back. And he had wanted to ask Dannyl first, partly because it was a nice old-fashioned idea that he thought Mellie would like, but mainly because he thought it might make Dannyl like him a bit better. But now he had asked Dannyl, Dannyl had, with some persuasion, agreed, and he had no excuse left. The time had come. His palms were sweating.

"You look distracted" Melody observed, chewing on her pencil as she read through the notes Tayend had given her on Warrior theory. He'd found a book in the library on the subject and had taken the time to turn the text into revision notes for her. She loved Tayend for those thoughtful little things that he did for her.

"I am, a little" Lorkin confessed. Melody looked up, eyes sparkling, lips curving into a cherry-coloured smile.

"Well I'd love to, Lorkin, but I really do have to study right now – "

"No, no, that's not what I was talking about at all!" Lorkin cried, "Oh, look, Mellie, I'm kind of nervous to ask you this, but it's important..."

"Ask me what?" Melody looked quizzically at him, still smiling, "You do look a little nervous, actually. You're so pale! What's going on?"

"Mellie, I – "Lorkin gulped loudly, "I – I love you, so much, and I – I want to be with you...forever"

Her face was shining; she had guessed what was coming, "You do?"

"Yes, yes, I do, and I –" closing his eyes briefly to pluck up the courage, Lorkin knelt down on one knee. Melody gasped.

"Lorkin! "

"Mellie, will you marry me?"

"I – Oh my God – I – you mean now?"

"No! No, I mean in a couple of years, once you've graduated" he hesitated anxiously, "So...will you?"

"Yes!" Melody shrieked, flinging her arms around him, "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Yes! Of course I will, you fool!"

Lorkin had never smiled so much in his life; he thought it might actually break his face, "You're serious?"

"Yes, I am! Yes, yes, yes..." she was punctuating each word with kisses now, her warm body edging progressively closer to his. Lorkin grinned against her lips.

"I thought you had to study?" he murmured.

She nipped his lower lip lightly between her teeth, and smiled, "Screw studying"