Chapter 2

With a soft moan, Acacia stretched herself to wakefulness. It was her favorite morning activity. She hooked her fingers under the headboard and pushed with the palms of her hands so that her arms were extended in a muscle-pleasuring stretch, then continued the stretch down her body until her back was arched, her legs were fully extended down the bed, her toes wriggled and stretched and the moan turned into high-pitched whine of sleepy contentment that only Rex could match. Relaxing her muscles, Acacia flopped back flat on the bed and rested there, limply, contemplating life and general and her navel specifically. Or, more accurately, the yawning hole of a stomach that resided somewhere near her navel. Running her tongue over her teeth, her contemplation turned to the fact that she really needed a wash. Resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have to get out of bed to solve these problems, as well as the developing problem of an overly full bladder, she finally opened her eyes to meet the gaze of fire-haired little girl that was no older than 7 years.

"Hullo," she murmured sleepily.

Two other small red heads popped up over the edge of the bed, right next to Acacia's face so that she had to move her own back in order to focus on the smaller two.

Did I suffer a head wound? she wondered as she studied the identical faces. No, the little girl isn't doubled. Wait…twins…Graham and Merrick. And their big sister, Sariah.

Three pairs of expressive brown eyes stared at her, and she calmly returned their stares with her own blue eyes. Then the little girl stepped forward and sniffed pointedly.

"You stink."

The boys took up the chant. "Stinky! Stinky!"

Acacia arched a brow. "Do they always do the same thing?" No point in arguing the stinky part, since I am stinky…

"They're twins," Sariah replied, as if to say, What, are you an idiot?

"Right." Acacia forced herself to sit up and repressed a groan as stiff muscles grudgingly functioned. "All right, Chuckles, Giggles and Grins. Get out of my room so I can get cleaned up."

Sariah's back snapped straight. "This isn't your room," she informed Acacia.

"Oh really? Whose room is it?"

"It's Acacia's room."

Acacia grinned. "Well, then. I'm in luck. I'm Acacia." She nodded to Sariah in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"You're not Acacia."

"I'm not?"

Sariah shook her head emphatically, sending her red curls flying. "Nuh-uh."

"Then who is Acacia?"

"Dunno. But you're not her." The twin boys shook their heads in unison at Acacia.

"You have some strange power you have mastered over your younger siblings." She paused for dramatic affect. "I wish to master this power."

Sariah rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "They're boys. They do whatever you tell them to."

"Not the boys I spend every day with," Acacia muttered.

"Then-"

"Sariah!" Kero's bellow came from outside the cottage. Sariah grimaced. "I thought I asked you to come out and help me gather kindling!"

"Coming, Auntie Kero!"

Sariah pattered out the door, careful of treading on the hem of a gown that looked suspiciously like one of Caia's old favorites. Acacia spotted the hem of a newer gown underneath the old one and accurately deduced that a game of dress-up had been in progress when the more interesting puzzle of someone sleeping in Acacia's bed had been presented to them. Her suspicions were confirmed when the twins turned around to wander after their big sister. Both of the boys were also dressed in Caia's cast off gowns, the hems and sleeves trailing on the wooden floor behind them. Shaking her head in amusement, Acacia rose and gathered up clean clothes and bathing supplies. Since all of the clothes in her saddle bags were dirty, she had to resort to digging out some of her old clothes left in her closet. All of the clothes were now too big for her, but they would do for a day or so of lounging around the cottage. She could always borrow something from Aiko or Caia's pre-pregnancy wardrobe.

When she emerged from her room, she was surprised to see Eldan seated at the kitchen table, fiddling with what looked like a broken wooden toy. He glanced up when he saw her enter the common area. His smile was warm and lit his brown eyes. Like Kero, Eldan was almost the same as she had remembered him. The startling streaks of white in his hair were almost the same size, despite raising three more little ones and loving a mercenary, and he was still in fighting trim.

"Welcome back to life, Oh Dead One."

Acacia stopped where she stood and rubbed at her head. "Huh?"

"Graham thought you were dead for a while there. Scared him, too. Kero had to sit down and explain that you were just sleeping. Then he got confused and thought people died when they slept. That made bed-time interesting."

She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I was a little worn out."

"I figured as much." Eldan put the toy aside and rose from his chair to give her a hug. He stopped before touching. "Acacia, you do realize that I love you dearly."

"Yes…"

"Then you understand that when I hesitate to hug you, it's not from a lack of love but out of an unwillingness to take a second bath so early in the day?"

"Huh?"

"You stink."

"So I've been told. I was on my way to get a bath when I was interrupted by that strange little puppet show you guys are raising these days."

Eldan barked with laughter. "That's one Kero and I haven't come up with. Go bathe."

Acacia saluted smartly. "Yes, sir."

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"Take the baby and keep him quiet."

Acacia's light doze in the bath tub in one of the Palace bathing rooms was interrupted by the abrupt plop of a squirming baby on her chest. Her arms automatically came up to keep the baby's head above water and her eyes popped open just in time to catch a glimpse of the now-slim Caia slipping into a bath of her own.

"Aren't you worried I'll accidentally drown him or something?"

Caia tchked. "I said quiet!"

"Yes, ma'am," Acacia murmured as the baby cooed and splashed the water with one chubby fist. "I think your mama's gone a little bit crazy, little man," she murmured, then grinned as the baby turned a gummy smile in her direction. Bram was as bald as an egg and plump as an overstuffed pillow. His blue eyes twinkled merrily up at her as he wriggled around until he was face to face with her.

"Ba ba ba."

"Is that so?"

Bram concentrated fiercely as he worked on plopping a wet hand on her mouth. Pulling in a deep breath, he let out a squeal that echoed around the room, then glanced around, startled, as his voice echoed. Delighted with this newfound talent, he let out one squeal after another while Acacia frantically tried to hush him before Caia became the raging monster they all knew was one squeal away from surfacing.

"Hey there, little man!"

Ianthe plopped into a tub of her own on the other side of Acacia and grinned at the baby. Bram stopped his squealing in mid-peal and growled fiercely, arms and legs splashing repeatedly in his excitement. Ianthe growled back and Bram erupted in a peal of giggles, splashing even more enthusiastically. Acacia raised her hands to protect her face, then realized the baby was not likely to keep his head above water without her help. He slid from chest and rolled to the side, completely submerging in the bathwater. Letting out a loud curse, Acacia grabbed Bram up out of the water and held him, terrified she had killed her nephew. He sputtered for a few seconds, the paused, looking up at Acacia. Then he grinned and growled fiercely. Ianthe's peals of laughter echoed around the room, were quieted for a second as she ducked under the water and wet down her long red hair, then began echoing again as she emerged.

"Do you see what I have to deal with every moment of ever day?" Caia groused from her tub, her head pillowed on the edge by her masses or rich brunette hair and her eyes closed. "Nothing scares the child. I don't know how often I've almost dropped him or killed him or something like that, and he just laughs. I'm a horrible mother!" she wailed. "I'm so bad, my child think it's funny when I mess up!"

"Your child," Dami husked as she entered the bathing room and began stripping her sweat and ash streaked robes, "is demented."

"But he's a cute demented child, Caia," Ianthe quickly reassured her sister.

"He is cute," Caia sniffled.

Dami rolled her pale blue eyes and let her own flame red, uncontrollable hair down from its severe bun. She sighed as she sank her muscular body into the hot water in the tub at Acacia's feet. "Where's the little one?"

"Right here."

Aiko strolled into the bathing room and stripped as she walked, eyes firmly targeted on the tub at the foot of Caia's. "No talkie. Must get clean."

"Speaking of demented," Caia muttered. Bram let out another growled and giggled in response to Ianthe's responding growl. "You need to stop doing that. He will never learn to talk and will only growl."

"Sounds like most of the men I've worked with," Acacia chuckled.

"You work with mercenaries, Cacie. I don't want my child to end up like…" Caia trailed off.

Acacia rolled her head to meet Caia's eyes. "I didn't mean that, Cacie."

"Is that why you won't let Auntie Kero spell you for a night? You don't want her to influence Bram?"

Caia sighed and rubbed her eyes. "After the whole ordeal with Ardana, I just don't want any more members of our family being hurt or killed in the mercenary business."

"Auntie Kero and I are a lot better than Ardana, Caia. Ardana's gone. We're still here. Don't keep her alive by letting her rule your family."

Caia smiled weakly in Acacia's direction. "I just get so worried when you or Auntie Kero go out. I don't want to have to worry anymore."

"You might not have to."

Dami grunted at Acacia's words. "Bad one?"

"The worst."

"Let's go out." Aiko's words dragged them back from the somber edge.

"Huh?" Ianthe spoke for everyone.

"Caia, you let your husband take care of that scary little creature, for once, and we'll all go to a pub, get into a brawl, have a little too much to drink, blow off some steam, remember why we're sisters. Hell, we can take over my common room and stay here if you don't want to go into town. But, just for tonight, let's relax and just be sisters again. Like when we were little."

"Honey," Dami laughed. "You're still little."

"Shut up, Aggressive Wench."

"You first, Wild Wench."

"Children." Acacia's voice broke in. "Aiko's right. Tonight, we relax. Tomorrow, we worry."