"Thayet?" Alanna asked, voice slightly strained. "What was SO important?"

Thayet blushed. "Nothing. Now, you lay down...," she began, but Alanna sat up and glared at her. Thayet turned an even darker shade of red, and began rummaging through cabinents, picking out herbs to ease the pains of childbirth.

"Thayet. Come on," Alanna said, voice too kind. "Please? Tell me?"

Thayet pointed to her nose, eyes misty. "Your nose?" Alanna asked. "It's fine, Thayet! Goddess!"

"I thought I saw a zit and I thought you could use your Gift to make it go away," Thayet murmured.



Alanna rolled her eyes. Honestly. "You're sooo vain." Thayet nodded, shamefaced. "Daine?" Alanna asked. "Think you can take care of the kids?"



"Sure," Daine said. She walked to a window. "Kally, Roald, Alan, Alianne, and Thom! Come inside, please!" The children ran in, looking too innocent.

"What'd you do?" Thayet asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kally smiled. "Nothing, Mama. You know we'd never do anything bad."

"Yes, we didn't do anything bad," Roald agreed.

"We most definately didn't try to give the cat a bath in the horse trough," Thom added.

"And the horse certainely didn't get upset and kick a hole in the wall," Alan whispered.

"I was good, Mama," Alianne told Alanna. "I promise!"

Alanna sighed. "Thom, Alan, Alianne, I've told you a million times-," she was cut off by a contraction. "Ouch," she said, almost in a daze. "Alan and Alianne, even though you're six, you are staying in the nursery. Don't argue with me. That's part of your punishment. I need you all out of my hair. Thom, you better be good for Daine. You're not off the hook either."

Thayet put her hands on her hips and looked at her children. "I'm very disappointed. We're GUESTS. This isn't our house. Now, I have to help Aunt Alanna, so you are to stay with Daine and BE GOOD. Thanks Daine," she said.

"No problem. Now, do you want to go for a walk?" Daine asked, a bit uncertain. She wasn' t used to babysitting.

The children exchanged smiles. "Yes," they all said, angelically.