"Where's Toshiro?" Gin asked as he stepped in the front door to find Rangiku sitting at the table with an actual home-cooked meal spread out for the two of them.

"Captain Ukitake has about thirty nieces and nephews visiting for the week, and they offered to take Shiro-chan with them while they went to watch the meteor shower tonight. They'll bring him back in the morning."

"It's just you and me-all night?"

"Yep."

"What's the catch?" Rangiku had a tendency to find people to watch their son for extended lengths of time when she wanted something from Gin. Once it was just to drag him to every bar in Seireitei, another time it was a vacation in the World of the Living; there was no predicting her.

"There's no catch. I just heard that Captain Ukitake's entire family is in town-they're celebrating his parents five hundredth anniversary or something and because he isn't feeling very well everyone came here, and he has eight younger brothers and sisters, and at least half of them have children, and probably half of them have children too, so there must be just herds of them, and I didn't think one more child would make much of a difference, so I asked, and Captain Ukitake said Shiro-chan was welcome to come as long as he didn't mind a crowd."

Gin looked at her even more doubtfully. That sounded a hell of a lot like an excuse. She definitely had something planned. But he might as well enjoy it while he could, so he sat down to the rarity of an actual Ran-chan cooked meal.

"It's nice when there are other children around for Shiro-chan to play with, don't you think?" Rangiku said after a bite or two of over-cooked fish.

Gin shrugged, unwilling to commit himself to any opinion at this juncture.

"He's too serious all the time. I think he almost forgets he is just a child. I don't want him to grow up too fast like we did. We need to make sure he spends time with other kids, just playing and having fun. It's important."

Gin shoved a large scoop of undercooked rice into his mouth when she looked at him. Clearly, he couldn't answer.

Rangiku frowned. That was cheating, and he knew it. Rangiku dropped her eyes to her watery miso soup, and she wished she'd just dragged Gin out to dinner. "It's important to have other kids around, not just friends, but maybe a brother or a sister too."

Gin dropped his chopsticks. "Are you wanting to adopt?" he asked after a moment.

"Gin, I want another baby," Rangiku said, leaning forward and trying to meet his eyes. "When you're a captain we'll have plenty of money and space, and it will be so much better than last time. I'll do everything right and keep myself really healthy. And it'll be fun! Instead of everyone trying to pretend they don't notice they'll all be happy for us, and-"

"You hated being pregnant," Gin reminded her.

"But I wouldn't this time. This time it would be on purpose. I could have so much fun getting ready, and think of Shiro-chan. He's so lonely. He shouldn't have to be all alone like that. He needs a little brother or a sister or maybe both," she added grinning hugely.

Gin's eyes widened. "How many children do you want?"

"I don't know. We did such a good job on the first one we ought to make as many more as we can, don't you think? Even your captain said so. He said Shiro-chan was such an amazing child that it would be a pity if he was the only one."

"Aizen said that?" Gin said softly.

"You know he would never say it if he didn't think it. Shiro-chan really is special, Gin. He's so smart and so talented it scares me sometimes, but I think if he had a little brother or sister who was like him it would be better. He wouldn't be the only one. Please, let's make another little baby that's too smart and too talented for its own good."

Gin took a deep breath. "Having a baby isn't something you should decide to do on a whim, Ran. We need to take our time and think about it."

"I have been thinking about it, for years!" Rangiku declared. "I knew we didn't have the money so I didn't say anything, but I do want one, I really do, Gin. It's important to me. Please?"

Gin raised his head to meet Rangiku's bright, hope filled eyes. The very idea awoke at least a dozen distinct fears that he'd been fighting to bury since Toshiro's birth. After all the work he'd put in trying to make Rangiku strong enough to protect herself, she'd become weak again. A pregnant woman was so completely vulnerable, and he couldn't watch her all the time. Like last time, Aizen would be watching him, trying to judge exactly how much Rangiku meant to him, and how that value could be used, and he would have to do everything he could to show absolutely no concern, to be bored or annoyed by the whole thing. And then there was the birth, as far as he was concerned that had been a night from hell itself. Rangiku suffering, her life in danger, and him absolutely helpless, he'd never spent a worse night. And then, as a reward for all those months of misery, there would be one more completely helpless person to worry about-and what if it was like Toshiro? another child leaking reiatsu everywhere, looking far too tempting to everyone, and more than anyone else to Aizen. It had taken years to get Toshiro to the point that he could walk safely through Seireitei suppressing his own reiatsu. There was no way Gin could manage it again, especially not if he was a captain living inside a division.

He shook his head. "Don't you think Isshin will be annoyed if the moment he makes you a lieutenant you go and put yourself out of commission for over a year?"

Rangiku's eyes narrowed. "He's the one who permanently sidelined me," she answered, sounding very annoyed. "There's not one part of my job I can't do pregnant, nursing, or with a baby strapped to my chest."

"Is this how you're punishing us for protecting you?" Gin asked, and immediately knew he'd made a mistake.

"You think a baby is a punishment?! What about Shiro-chan? Do you think he was some sort of divine punishment for having loose morals? What about getting married? Was that a punishment too? Is this whole family just-"

He shut her up the best way he knew how, by kissing her so thoroughly her anger was enveloped by an entirely different sort of passion, and the conversation was put on hold for another time.

Gin's head was cushioned against Rangiku's breasts, enjoying the gentle rise and fall of her chest with each breath, as he listened to the beating of her heart. Her fingers were running lightly through his hair, showing a careless affection that somehow meant more to him than any impassioned cry or declaration. Possessing her love worried him, because, like she said, it made it possible for him to hurt her. He never, ever wanted to hurt her, and he knew that one day he would hurt her worse than any love could possibly endure. All he wanted was to love her, and all he needed from her was simply to be allowed to love her. A simple gesture like running her fingers through his hair was acceptance without any more weight attached.

"You really want another baby, don't you, Ran-chan?" he said softly.

Her breath caught for an instant. Then she said, "Not if you don't."

"I hadn't actually thought about it before," he lied. He'd dreaded the possibility since Toshiro's birth, the hell of another pregnancy and birth, the burden of yet another innocent soul at risk because of him. "It might be fun. Shiro will be annoyed when he realizes he has to share you, though."

Rangiku laughed. "It'll be good for him," she said. "He's starting to get spoiled. He needs to learn he isn't the only person in the universe who matters."

"When you put it that way I'm all for it."

Rangiku sat up, dislodging Gin from his perfect pillow. "Really?" she asked.

"Sure," he agreed.

A huge smile spread across her face. "I'll talk to Unohana. I'll get all the barriers in place before I stop the kido just to make sure the baby's completely protected. I will be so much more careful this time, I promise."

"Poor Shiro," Gin said, grinning. "You make it sound like he was the practice baby."

"I can't help it!" Rangiku protested. "I didn't know anything then!"

"I'm joking! Just joking! You have been the best mother any kid could ever have. Shiro adores you, and you know how picky he is. I'm never going to win him over. He thinks feeding me is awful generous on your part."

Rangiku burst out laughing. "He really does!" she declared.