Harper went thoughtfully back into the salon. He looked down at the sleeping trio and smiled to see that both little girls had a death-grip on the old man's beard. Zeus opened one eye and attempted to lift his head. He winced as the movement produced a tug on his whiskers. Very carefully, he untwined the little fingers, and without disturbing the twins managed to rise from his seat. He motioned to Seamus, and they moved over to the window, where they could still see the sleeping toddlers, and also glance outside.

A quick look without brought a smile to both faces as they saw a harassed nursery maid trying to persuade the boys to stay out of the lily pond.

"Thank you for not giving me away," the father of gods said softly. "But I really wouldn't have hurled a thunder-bolt at you if you had."

Harper grinned a little uncomfortably. "A guy can't be too careful." A thought occurred to him. "How do you know all this? I mean, I know you're a god and all, but I was beginning to get the impression that there were limits."

Zeus shrugged. "I do like to keep track of my family."

&&&&&&&

Charlemagne cuddled Meaghan close. "You should really rest now, my darling." He kissed her and brushed her hair back from her face. "You've had a very busy week, my love."

"I'll rest," she promised. "But I'm not sleepy tired. Stay and talk to me?"

"My pleasure," he assured her. "Are you up to answering a few questions, Meg?"

"Anything you like, love." She began idly tracing designs on his bare chest with her fingers.

Charlemagne caught the hand and kissed it. "Stop trying to distract me. And resting does not mean making love again." He paused to kiss her properly. "How did you heal me, Meg?"

"I didn't know I was," she admitted. "I didn't think I could. I was healing myself."

He frowned. "What do you mean, healing yourself? What happened to you, love?"

She snuggled against him. "Does it really matter? Suffice it to say that I needed some healing and it spilled over to you."

"No, it does not suffice," Charlemagne said sternly. He tipped her face up to look in her eyes. "And yes, it does really matter. I want to know what was wrong with you, Meg. And don't even bother trying to lie to me. You're such a terrible liar the children could probably see right through you." When she didn't answer immediately, he added, "I love you with my entire being, Meg. Don't you think I have a right to know?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "And you're right, you are entitled to know. I just didn't want to distress you after what you've been through."

"You still haven't answered the question yet, love," he reminded her gently.

"Everything that happened to you," she muttered, directing her gaze away from his eyes. "Every terrible, painful thing they did to you happened to me too."

"What?" Charlemagne was horrified. "You felt it all too, Meg?"

"Every bit of it," she confessed. She reached up to stroke his cheek gently. "Why do you think I was so angry with them? Why I was nearly insane with rage? It was because of the pain they caused you."

"Can we go back?" Charlemagne asked grimly. "I think I have a few comments I'd like to add to the little discussion you had with them."

"No, love," she answered, stretching up to kiss him. "No one can get in or out of there ever again. It's sealed for all time."

"I wish I had known," he said. He thought a moment, and reconsidered. "Maybe it's just as well I didn't know. I might have given in to them just to spare you."

"I wouldn't have liked that at all," his wife told him. "But I would have understood. Because I would do anything to keep you from harm, my beloved."

Despite her assurances that she was not sleepy, her eyelids were starting to waver. "And I would rather go through hell and back than betray you, my goddess," Charlemagne murmured as she fell asleep in his arms.

&&&&&&&&

Several hours later Charlemagne crept out of their room. Meaghan was still sleeping soundly, but he was fully rested, and didn't want to disturb her. "Andromeda?"

"Yes, Charlemagne?" The hologram appeared before him.

"If Meg wakes up while I'm out of the room, could you please inform me?" he requested.

"Certainly." The AI didn't wink out as he expected. "Is there anyone you wish to see? I can direct you."

"I was thinking of paying my respects to the captain," the Nietzschean answered.

"He and Bekka are currently on the bridge," the AI informed him, and then the hologram did disappear.

&&&&&&&

Meaghan slept the whole of the trip back home, and only the combined assurances of Trance and Eros kept Charlemagne and indeed the whole crew from a mass anxiety attack. But when they finally arrived, she woke rested and refreshed and completely back to normal.

&&&&&&&&

The Eureka Maru was practically full up. Besides Bekka to pilot, plus the four passengers for the ducal palace, the rest of the command crew of the Andromeda was along too. Charlemagne had insisted, by way of thanks, and had added that it was something of a family reunion and since his wife considered them family.., He hadn't had to say more, and since the galaxy seemed to be running smoothly, Dylan had given his consent.

Of course, no one realized just how much of a family reunion it was going to be.

&&&&&&&&

Harper was a nervous wreck as he herded the children out to greet their parents. He hadn't seen Zeus all day, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

As soon as the little ones caught sight of Charlemagne and Meaghan, they picked up speed until their little legs were pumping as fast as they could. Everyone gave the Nietzschean and his goddess some space while they greeted their children. Harper was welcomed back by his crewmates, but he seemed a bit distracted, looking around anxiously.

"Something up, Harper?" Bekka inquired. "You seem awfully tense. Or is it just the aftereffects of all that babysitting?"

"No, no, the babysitting was actually.., not so bad," he admitted. "But there was something else going on." He stopped, not knowing how or if he should say anything else.

"Such as?" Trance prompted.

"Well, such as," Harper broke off as he spotted an imposing figure striding towards them. "Like him."

"And just who is that?" Dylan asked.

"Grandfather," Eros said, from the back of the group. "What's he doing here?"

"He said he wanted to meet the family," Harper explained. "Do you think I was going to try to throw him out?"

"The father of the gods has been here and you didn't tell anyone?" Rommie demanded.

"Well, geez, Rom, would you want to take a chance of ticking him off?" Harper shot back. "I've been walking on eggshells here."

"Point taken," the android conceded.

Eros and Psyche had gone over to the little family group. Eros nudged his mother's shoulder and gestured to the old man.

Meaghan stood up and Charlemagne followed suit. The children, suddenly deprived of parental attention, looked to see what had usurped it. Spying the bearded figure, they launched themselves at him. "Grandad!"

Charlemagne looked at his wife questioningly. "I'm afraid so, love," Meaghan mumbled, looking like she was torn between several emotions at once. "I guess it's time for you to meet your father-in-law."

&&&&&&&&

Once everyone had gotten over the shock, a party atmosphere held sway. Early on, everyone was mostly playing with the children and carefully avoiding subjects that the Bolivar's didn't want discussed within the hearing of little ears. But once the children had been tucked in for the night, with protests, the entire group gathered together and caught each other up on the last eventful few days.

"Wait a minute." Harper was laughing so hard he nearly choked on his drink. "Meaghan kicked the crap out of two other goddesses? Our Meaghan?"

"My Meaghan," Charlemagne murmured, his arms wrapped possessively around his wife. Since their return, the two had been in almost constant physical contact. And if they weren't, they were with one of their brood.

"She certainly did," Eros answered Harpers question. "She was greedy about it too, didn't let anyone else in to help. And I, for one would have been happy to oblige."

"So would I," Charlemagne declared. "Especially if I had known that everything they did to me, Meg felt also." He kissed the top of her head.

Meaghan looked over at Bekka and they rolled their eyes, and in unison said, "Men!" followed up by a mutual giggle.

"What exactly were you doing there, my boy?" Zeus asked Eros.

"I heard Eos and Selene discussing their plan just before they left," the youngest god of the group replied. "I didn't have time to tell anyone, but I thought maybe I could help out a bit. Not that I was able to do much."

"And just who guided your mother to where Charlemagne was?" Trance asked.

"That's right, dear," Meaghan said. "I'd probably still be looking if you hadn't been there. And I thank you with all my heart."

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a long time," Bekka broke in before things could get too mushy. "I know why you came here the first time, and I would have thought, no offense Charlemagne, that a husband and family would kind of be a hindrance."

Meaghan laughed and snuggled into her husband's shoulder. "Believe me, Bekka, love and most definitely marriage were not on my itinerary."

"So what happened?" Bekka pressed on. "Couldn't you just have, you know, made him not fall in love with you? Or doesn't it work that way?"

"It can," the goddess answered calmly. "But it didn't. I tried to put a binding on him, so that he wouldn't feel anything for me but the friendship you all showed me. But it wouldn't work." She looked up at her husband and smiled fondly. "Stubborn Nietzschean."

Charlemagne couldn't resist the implicit invitation and kissed her. "Any regrets, Meg?"

"None at all."

&&&&&&&

The party had broken up, and almost everybody had turned in. Bekka and Dylan were getting a breath of air out in the garden before they too, called it a night. Suddenly, a bright light lit up one of the upper rooms.

"What is that?" Dylan started.

"Check the color," his first officer suggested. "It's that light of love thing, again." She glanced up. "It's a lot brighter than it was the last time I saw it, though."

Dylan smiled and said, "Maybe because they're not just kissing this time?"

"Oh." Bekka grinned. "Fifty guilders says she gets pregnant again."

&&&&&&&&

"Charlemagne?"

"What is it, love?"

"It's another boy."

&&&&&&&

As soon kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words. William Shakespeare