"Mine!" "Is not! Mine!"

Harper went to break up the incipient fight between William and Leander. The two oldest boys had been getting increasingly combative and territorial. Seamus couldn't keep them apart, they were practically inseparable, but he couldn't keep them from fighting either. He shook his head as he pulled the tussling twosome apart. He had never seen any of these children misbehave so badly. He began to wonder if they were just missing Charlemagne and Meaghan, or if the presence of the goddess of love exerted a calming influence on the fractious children. Maybe he'd better re-think the whole fatherhood thing through.., again. There certainly weren't any goddesses lining up to marry Seamus Zelazny Harper.

&&&&&&&

Charlemagne was feeling fidgety. He had been able to take his confinement with a certain amount of stoicism before, but now that he knew that Meg was on her way, the adrenalin pulsed through his veins and he felt very much in need of some sort of activity to help work off the tension. And not the sort of activity that Eos and Selene had in mind. That could most definitely wait till he was reunited with Meaghan.

Eros and Psyche appeared with his meal, and Charlemagne paid a great deal of attention to his step-son, trying to see if he could have detected the absence of the compulsion if he hadn't already known. He couldn't. The love god's act was absolutely perfect, or if not, as near to it as made no odds.

Once he had finished eating, with the pair of immortals patiently waiting to clear up after him, he remarked, "Is there any chance I could get cleaned up? The bathing facilities here are so Spartan that I can't even find them, and while I don't mind offending my gracious hostesses, I'm beginning to offend myself."

While Eros cleared the table, Psyche fetched a basin of water, soap and cloth. She began washing Charlemagne.

"Here now!" Charlemagne attempted to get the cloth away from her. "I'm entirely capable of bathing myself. I've been doing it for a few years now. Meg says that someday I may even be housebroken." He didn't know why he felt compelled to joke, in the dead silence it was like talking to himself.

Eros fought back a grin. If Charlemagne didn't stop that nonsense, he would certainly give himself away. Psyche still had the washcloth in a death-grip, so he carefully unwound her fingers from it and handed it to the Nietzschean.

"Thank you." Charlemagne felt his dignity had suffered more than enough in the last few days, and having his step-son's wife wash him like a baby was most assuredly stepping over the line. "If clean clothes could be arranged also, that would be much appreciated." He started to peel off his trousers when he realized that Psyche was still blankly staring. He sighed heavily. "Would you mind turning your back, my dear?" he suggested.

&&&&&&

The Andromeda came to a halt in the empty space that Meaghan had indicated on the star chart.

"See, Meaghan?" Bekka observed. "Nothing here but empty space. I don't know where Charlemagne is, but he's not here."

"We have to wait a bit," Meaghan said. Her eyes got distant and her lips moved silently for a moment. "Oh drat! I never was any good with figures. Andromeda, when will the moons in that last solar system we passed eclipse?"

"37 hours 4 minutes and 16 seconds," the AI answered.

"Thank you, dear," Meaghan said absently. "That's how long we have to wait, Bekka. Till those two moons eclipse each other."

Bekka shrugged. She had no idea of what Meaghan was talking about. "You're running the show, Meaghan," she said. "Like I said, I'm just here to drive."

"And no one does it better," Meaghan remarked. "Just be a little patient, Bekka. Believe it or not, I really do know what I'm doing."

&&&&&&&&

Harper had finally lost patience with William and Leander and had stood them in opposing corners. Richard was also getting exceedingly grumpy, and so far, only the two pretty little girls had caused him no trouble. He suspected that it was only a matter of time before they joined the wild animal act.

&&&&&&&&

Bathed and properly dressed, fed and healed, Charlemagne felt better than he had in days. If all was not quite right with his world, it would be shortly, when Meaghan arrived. Since he was in a relatively good mood, he began expecting the next onslaught against his virtue. It had been several hours, and given the extremes the two goddesses had gone to, he didn't honestly believe that they'd give in completely just yet.

Almost as if on cue, Eos appeared. "You look very nice, Charlemagne," she trilled. She closed the distance between them until she was almost standing on his feet. "You smell nice, too."

"Thank you," Charlemagne responded formally. He couldn't back away from her, because he was leaning against the table. He also didn't want to show any apprehension to her either. But the single-mindedness of the two goddesses was beginning to wear on him. If he ever had been attracted to either or both of them, their manner would have completely eradicated that attraction.

The goddess of dawn pouted, and that was starting to wear thin, too. Charlemagne was counting his blessings more and more each day that he had Meaghan.

Eos made as if to twine her arms around his neck, but Charlemagne caught her hands and held them away from him. He had reached the point where he was so repulsed by them that he didn't want them to touch him anywhere. Ever.

She moved as if to knee him in the groin, but he shifted so she couldn't, then shoved her away from him.

"Don't you think you'd be defeating your own purposes if you did that?" he suggested mildly. "I thought you were trying to seduce me."

She shrugged. "You won't play anyway. Besides, you'd heal. Eventually."

"Hardly an effective method of foreplay, though," he pointed out. "If this is an example of your courting techniques, it's no wonder the pair of you are desperate for a man."

She went to slap him, but he was ready for her this time, and blocked the blow. "This is becoming exceedingly boring," he drawled. "Can't you broaden your repertoire?"

Eos glared at him a moment, then launched herself at him. And landed on the table as he neatly side-stepped her. "Stupid, stubborn, Nietzschean," she muttered and disappeared.

Charlemagne grinned. That had almost been fun.

&&&&&&&&

Seamus was almost ready to pull his hair out by the roots. Richard had just gone up to Bekka and shoved her over for no apparent reason. Like her namesake, Bekka was not about to take it lying down. The toddler flung herself on her brother and a scuffle ensued until Harper was able to separate them.

"What has gotten into you guys?" Harper demanded. "I hope you all know that you're completely putting me off ever becoming a father."

"Don't be so hasty, young man." Seamus hadn't even noticed the old geezer enter, had never seen him before, and had no idea who he was. "In the long run, the joys outweigh the sorrows."

"Who the.., heck are you?" Harper demanded. "And how did you get in here? Charlemagne has enough security here for a mint."

"Why I'm their grandfather," the old man claimed. "Come here and meet your granddad, children."

"Wait a minute," Seamus protested. "I don't want to be petty or anything here, but these kids are in my charge, so I'd like a little verification of your credentials, if you don't mind."

The old man just stared at him for a moment, stroking his snowy beard. Then, he held out one hand in front of him. An orb of pure electricity formed in his open palm. He let it shimmer and dazzle Harper for a moment, then negligently tossed it over his shoulder, where it disappeared.

"Oh, boy." It was all getting to be too much for him. Seamus sat down. "You're Meaghan's father, aren't you?"

"Good guess." Zeus sat down beside him. "Am I now allowed to get acquainted with my grandchildren?"

&&&&&&&&&

"How much time left?" Bekka asked Rommie.

"15 hours, 22 minutes and 12 seconds," the avatar said.