CHAPTER 2: Never a Fairy Tale Ending.
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"Sophie?" Howl rolled onto his side and rubbed the sleeping redhead's arm. "Time to wake up. You'll sleep the day away at this rate. Who knows what kind of mischief the others could be up to right now, under your nose?"
Sophie gave a moan of protest and stretched herself out onto her back, straining every muscle as far as she could. "What time is it?" she sat up reluctantly and rubbed her eyes, pulling the coverlet up with her.
"Six-thirty."
Sophie slammed a pillow into the grinning wizard's face and buried herself back into the vast feathery expanse of their bed. "If I had a saucepan handy I'd use it, too!"
"Come now, cariad. You wouldn't want to ruin my dashingly handsome face in an act of blind passion like that would you? Imagine how all of the healthy young women who flock to the store every day would feel about that?"
Sophie poked her head out from beneath the great folds of blanket. "I'm sure they would feel just fine. You, Mr. Jenkins, are a heart-stealer."
Howl smiled dazzlingly down at her. "Have I ever denied it?"
Sophie willingly gave in to his almost magical grin. With a sigh of mock-protest, she snuggled herself nicely onto Howl's side, her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating steadily beneath her fingers.
"Mmm, I feel nice." She wriggled herself into a more comfortable position as Howl gave a small chuckle.
"As you should, my dear." he said, grinning slyly down at his wife. "Baby asleep, children going to spend the day with Mrs. Fairfax, Calcifer clearing off for a trip around the country,"
Sophie raised a quizzical eyebrow. "House to ourselves, then? Can't remember the last time that happened. Don't think I know what do so with myself."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll work something out." Howl and Sophie drew together for a kiss when they were cut off abruptly by a far too familiar sound.
"Mummy!" A shrill cry shattered the quiet, waking the sleeping baby Elizabeth with a start. "Anwen stole my dolly and she won't give it back! And Morgan was sick all over his bed last night!" The young girl's strong voice roared over the din, equal only the loud wails of the awakened infant.
Sophie fell back onto the bed with a sigh. "I guess Morgan caught that bug Martha's boys had. I'd better go see to him. Will you…?" She let the question hang in the air.
"Done." Howl leaned in for one last quick kiss, before walking over to the wooden cradle on the other side of the room, scooping the crying baby into his arms and jiggling her gently.
Sophie crawled out of bed, grabbing for her housecoat. At times like these she sometimes wondered why she'd bothered having children at all. But Morgan bringing home a test completed without any mistakes, or the girls' first piano concert, or even the simple sight of Howl walking back and forth across the room, gently shushing the babe in his arms sent all of those thoughts to the moon. Fairy tales couldn't compete with the family she had made.
