Chapter 2: Silent Confessions

Dinner was an enjoyable, lively affair.

I realized how much I had missed everyone as everyone sat around the dinner table chatting exuberantly. The tiny fuzzball Van had rescued was now contently napping on my lap with a full belly while Impey antagonized my hunter to no end. I stroked the kitten's soft fur while listening to Saint's soft tales of his most recent trip to abroad to France. Lupin and Cardia where chatting with Delly and Fran across from me, while Keres and her sisters spoke rapidly with Raphael and Garan at the far end of the table. Alone in the middle of everything was a sullen blond who kept staring at Cardia with apprehension while looking like he was going to murder Lupin at any minute.

I raised my eyebrows to Saint, remembering our disastrous conversation from earlier. The count gave me a curious look as I bit my lip and gathered my courage.

"So Finis, how is the reconstruction going?"

The pint-sized blond scowled at me as I sensed Van pause his heated conversation on cooking with Impey in order to listen in.

The boy stuck his nose up at me and pointedly refused to answer my innocent question.

I puffed up a bit, upset that he would give me the cold shoulder after eating a meal I had prepared but Cardia leaned over put her arms around him playfully.

"Finis has been doing a great job fixing the house up! I wasn't aware that he was such a good carpenter."

Impey jumped right into the conversation with no tacit whatsoever and I watched the small blond turn seven shades of bright red in embarrassment as the whole table stopped to focus in on him.

"Of course he is! I taught him everything he needs to know."

"N-no you idiot! I can't believe I spent time with you! Uggh, what a waste of a week." Finis mumbled under his breath as Impey stole the spotlight from him by flaunted his engineering skills and teaching ability to the rest of us. I felt a smile creeping onto my face as someone touch the back of my head lightly. I looked away from the redhead's boisterous antics and looked around to see who it was.

Van smiled at me as I felt him softly pat the top of my head. I gave him a soft smile as the conversation quickly turned to focus on Finis, and the boy's mismatched blue-green eyes widened as everyone peppered him with questions and asked for stories on his experience rebuilding their home is Wales with Impey.

"Hey Van?" I easily acknowledged the change in conversation and took the opportunity to speak with the hunter while everyone's attention was on Impey and Finis.

"Hmm? What is it?" The hunter looked at me inquisitively with his spoon halfway to his mouth. Van slowly lowered it back onto his bowl in order to listen to me.

"Oh, please don't let me keep you from eating. I was just wondering if you had an idea about what to name him?" I gestured down at the purring napping on my lap.

"I see." Van seemed to think for a minute and then took a bite of his soup. "I didn't have anything in particular in mind. Wouldn't you like to name it?"

I shook my head slightly as I stroked the kitten. "I was hoping you had an idea. I am having problems coming up with any thing suitable."

"I am sure you'll come up with something."

I looked down at the kitten who yawned sleepily at me and it blinked its large green eyes up at me slowly. "I suppose I could always ask Impey. I hear he is good at picking out names."

Van looked at the engineer with an oddly pained expression. Apparently, the thought of the eccentric redhead naming another pet bothered him. "Puck."

I wasn't sure what I had just heard was a name and repeated it softly. "Puck?"

Van nodded and ripped a roll open in order to clean the dregs of soup from the bottom of his bowl.

"Puck..." I thought about it, rolled it over on my tongue, trying to think of where I had heard that name before. "Puck, as in Goodfellow from Shakespeare?"

The hunter grinned at me sheepishly, obviously a bit embarrassed that I knew which literature he was referring to. "You caught me. Yes, I thought this little guy could help keep you from being lonely while you are here at the mansion."

"That is a classic works..." I mulled it over a bit more and finally recalled where I had seen that name before. "Haven't you been reading 'Midsummer's Night Dream'? I believe I recall that particular title resting on your nightstand recently?"

I leaned in as the soldier blushed. "Possibly."

I grinned and laughed at the hunter's sheepish expression. "Alright, hello Puck!"

The kitten blinked sleepily up at us and gave us a soft mew of acceptance. We both smiled as Puck slowly drifted back off to sleep.

The rest of the group missed our little exchange as Impey harassed Finis to no end. The irritable little blond was furiously trying to keep a lid on his temper while the redhead only antagonized him further.

Cardia burst out laughing at Finis's frazzled nature and she wiped away happy tears. "Ahaha, Finis what are you going to do when you become an uncle then?"

I stopped petting the kitten as the entire room froze in order to focus on the cheerful brunette.

The normally composed and cheerful master thief looked like he just might fall over as he struggled to find both words and a proper expression. "C-Cardia, w-what did you just say?"

His green eyed beauty seemed to realize she had let something slip and she was looked around nervously at everyone.

Quickly I came to her rescue as the situation turned a bit awkward. "That's wonderful news Cardia! I am so happy for you both!"

The revelation seemed to take a few more seconds to process for the guys around the table, as the father-to-be stuttered on his words. "C-Cardia? Y-your…"

Saint couldn't stop beaming next to me as he thoroughly enjoyed the show unfolding in the dining room. "Haha, yes a congratulations are in order my dear. There is nothing the Lord blesses us with more, if it is not with children." The sly-eyed count targeted the ready-to-faint thief. "That must have been some performance monsieur, has it not been but six months since your wedding night?"

The entire table laughed as we all watched as a small ghost of Lupin left his body and the thief was officially robbed of his words.

Fran reached over to steady Lupin and guided him back down into his chair. "Haha, Cardia you seem to have finally managed to rob Lupin of his voice."

Delly was grinning as he chimed in. "Rather! She stole the spotlight out from right under him!"

I felt Van chuckling next to me as I tried to smile and laugh along side everyone. Saint promptly picked up on my discomfort and pushed some tea towards me. I quickly hid my uneasy laughter behind my teacup as Finis also froze as if just realizing what his sister had just announced.

The boy took on a look of utter shock and horror and he promptly kicked the chair out from under him and lunged forward to attack Lupin. "W-what did you do to my sister you lowly cut purse?!"

After Cardia's announcement, the dinner conversation was suddenly by far, a largely more interesting and a slightly more heated affair. Everyone was talking and discussing the news but I couldn't get my mind to focus. I tried really hard to hide my worry as the gathering ran later into the night.

Luckily, Impey had brought over some of his own creations, while Saint had been polite enough to bring over some snacks from a local bakery so there was plenty to eat even after my simple fare of hearty soup and rolls ran out. However there was an air of despair from the master thief was he learned that Cardia couldn't enjoy the wine he brought for everyone, so Fran and I carefully packed it away in the cold room and we were careful to offer several teas and coffees in its stead.

As it so happened, the whole reason Cardia had been feeling under the weather had nothing to do with her jewel at all, but rather it was the morning sickness from the result of being in the earlier stages of her pregnancy. Fran politely explained everything to Lupin once it looked like the thief wasn't going to topple over, but it didn't stop the Finis from fretting and protesting as Cardia just smiled and laughed at everyone fussed over her.

As the meal concluded I walked plates back to Impey with a sigh, with a now wide awake Puck my shoulder.

"Starshine, light of my eye! I would never complain about you bringing me dishes to wash, but just how many more do we have out there?!" The engineer was up to his elbows in soap bubbles and plates surrounded him on all sides.

I answered Impey dismissively. "Sorry Impey, I think that's the last of them. I had some problems washing the ones from earlier, that's why there are so many."

The cheerful redhead just grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. "No problemo! I just assumed you liked seeing me all wet and covered in suds! You should really join me sometime!"

"Huh..?" Impey's eyes widened in surprise as a small hissing sound sounded from the woman on his arms.

The source of the hissing was Puck. The tiny kitten had jumped down into my arms to defend me from Impey as I was further preoccupied with my thoughts and had been not paying any attention at all to what was going on around me.

Impey's off colored comment finally caught up with me and I found myself blushing quite heavily. I hurriedly attempted to backpedal. "Wha-No! No, thank you!"

"Aw, you don't need to be so shy dewdrop! I am more then willing to be at your beck and call if that scowling trigger-happy four-eyes is ignoring you! You can come get a full love maintenance tuneup from yours truly any time you wish!"

I was fairly sure that I could hear the shotguns in the foyer being racked and I scurried for an excuse. "I-I'm leaving now! Sorry about all the dishes Impey!"

I skated into the darkened hallway, away from all the festivities, hoping to just get my thoughts in order before heading back in.

I walked a ways down the dark hallway, watching the snowfall peacefully in the gardens while petting Puck. I heard heavy footsteps following behind me, but I was much too lost in my thoughts to bother.

What does my future hold?

I wondered passively.

Will I ever have family one day? Even if I do will it be a normal one?

With who?

I scowled as I looked out at the snowbanks. "I want one but…"

"You want one of what, exactly?" The distinctly low male voice came from behind me and startled me out of my passive musings.

"Van! Oh my god, don't scare me like that!" I gasp as I took a deep breath. My heart was absolutely hammering in my chest and Puck was all fluffed up and upset.

The hunter's brows knitted together in concern, but he smiled softly for me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You looked like you were deep in thought. What's the matter?"

I leaned against the windowsill knowing my unease lay somewhere between Cardia's news and my own desires for the future. I licked my lips nervously, not quite sure if I was ready to have this conversation with Van just yet. We had been courting for the better part of year now, but some things were just difficult to express some days.

"Its…nothing..."

The hunter waited for me to gather my thoughts, giving me space to think, but his expression clearly told me he wasn't going to leave this alone.

"It's not about what I said earlier is it?" The hunter's eyes flashed with a hint of worry. "Or is it…"

I worked on trying to soothe Puck as I looked around for help escaping the conversation, but when now escape route appeared, I gathered some of my wits and tried to redirect the conversation."I am sorry Van, I just invited everyone over. I didn't expect them all to just show up unannounced like this. Your probably tired..."

"No, I am fine. I am...enjoying the company and seeing you smile and laugh is the finest relief I can think of." The hunter murmured in a low voice that sent shivers down my spine.

I smiled at him and took a few steps towards him. "You really have changed love. I didn't think I would ever hear you say something like that."

I reached out a hand to softly caress the hunter's cheek as he closed his eyes and spoke. "Yes, I don't think the old me would have ever admitted that fact either...but it's all thanks to you." I chuckled weakly and Van opened his dazzling blue-violet eyes. "However, your avoiding the question. What is bothering you?"

I bit my lip and answered him softly, slowly withdrawing my hand from him. "It's Cardia. It's such good news! I..I'm very happy for them...but..."

Van moved decisively and quickly. The hunter softly put his hand around my waist and drew me in closer with a gentle tug. He seemed to be desperately attempting to read my expression and anticipate my concerns.

I was very conscious of the promise I had made him earlier to not hide things from him and it didn't help ease my subconscious that I was hiding a lot from him.

"But what dearest?" The hunter's voice was gentle and reassuring as he tenderly lifted my chin to meet his soft gaze. "What is bothering you so?"

"It's not that I am jealous!" I quickly attempted to cover up my dismay and guilt that I was feeling about hiding things from him. I felt tiny tears of frustration pricking at the corners of my eyes as I stared up at the hunter who was listening to me with an expression of utmost concern and trust.

I took a deep breath.

"I just can't help but wonder... " My voice faded as I found it harder and harder to speak.

"About...?" The hunter's calm voice urged me to speak.

"Our...future…" I whispered so quietly that it almost was inaudible.

I trembled slightly, pressed up against the windowsill and sheltered by Van, but it also meant I was trapped without means to escape. I took a slight breath and lifted my gaze to the hunter's concerned deep blue-violet eyes.

"...Please don't ask me to explain right now."

The Van's frown deepened but he backed away from me. "Alright, why don't we rejoin everyone in the dinning room then?"

I trembled as my hunter released me from his embrace. The look he was giving me was oddly discomforting as he waited for my response."Please...excuse me. I need some time to think."

The hurt was visible for just a quick second on the hunter's surprised face as I turned down his polite offer.

Unable to take my guilt any longer, I quickly turned and fled outside into the snow feeling terrible.

Author note:

We are still in the foreshadowing chapters, but I hope your enjoying the little give and take conversations Van and Sierra have going on. As you can see there isn't much wrong with their relationship - rather its more outside factors that are causing the problems. =/

Summary:

As this takes place in a storyline where I married Cardia and Lupin off - Finis and Impey took off to repair the mansion back in Wales. It seems that Finis is still putting the house back together with Cardia, as Lupin must be busy elsewhere? Ever the master thief I suppose - however its been a few months since their wedding and it looks like their little family is growing again. Lupin's amazed - while Finis is furious - and Cardia is just laughing in the back with Fran - Impey's crying half happy half upset - Saint's acting like a grandparent or a eccentric uncle - Van's happy - Sierra's happy - So why is the angel seemingly upset about her own future?

We also learn that Van might be a bit of a romantic - as he is naming the kitten after Robin Goodfellow aka 'Puck' - and referencing a classic literature William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Apparently that book is a favorite of his. (Totally my artistic liberty here - I figured if he had 'limited' schooling in his youth he might enjoy classics - reading to unwind before bed perhaps? If not Aliester might have forced him to read them - either way I thought it was a bit fitting.) - This is also a tie in to chapter 46 in Silver Lady - where Sierra is reading a random book she found on Van's nightstand

We also see Puck is behaving just like Van hoped he would - defending Sierra from the impetuous Impey - though perhaps he might have been better off with a larger dog if he was looking for a guard?

Poor Impey - animals just don't seem to like him very much.

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