Sorry for the long wait, blame my boss. And everyone has Skrye to thank for this, who reviewed and gave me a kick up the butt to get on with some writing. So thanks to Skrye for the lovely review!

Chapter sixteen.

When Ayla returned from her parent's home her girls were busy teaching Marcus how to make scones. The two adults shared a significant look, while they were normally able to read each others thoughts from their expressions there was a difficulty concerning this new situation. Ayla could not think of an expression to convey the news that she had told her mother that Jake was not actually Marcus's son, and that while her mother had been surprised she was, on the whole, quite supportive of Ayla. Despite the unnecessary mess she believed her daughter to be in. Ayla just smiled.

She sat and watched her family, feeling a small significant tug of guilt that Jake was not there. Ayla knew all too well that baking was not her son's thing, but just to have him sit and watch with her would have made all the difference. The family together and happy one more time before things changed for good. Yet while the fear and doubt nagged at her from the back of her mind she couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of her. The girl's were now both pro's at baking, all thanks to Karen's careful instruction. Marcus on the other hand was a mess of ingredients, there was very little in his mixing bowl, the majority having attached itself to his clothes, hair and the floor around him. She shook her head, only Marcus could make that much of a mess over such a simple task that his daughters were more than capable of achieving.

"If the Falcons could see you now." she muttered, grinning in spite of herself.

In the end, as Ayla knew there would be, there were more scones than the small family could even begin to attempt eating. Marcus was such a push over, he had let the girls convince him to let them make several batches each when just one between them would have been sufficient. They packed one off to Jake, with a note telling him how much his family missed him. Another went to Ayla's parents, the third to Marcus's mother, but this still left them with five spare batches.

"We could send one to Karen!" Rae suggested triumphantly.

"One down, four to go." Marcus muttered in his wife's ear.

"Don't get grumpy with me mister." she muttered back. "This was your little project. Any fool knows you only need one batch."

"Ah but saying that any fool should know that scones do not take all afternoon to bake, and therefore more than one batch had to be made." he replied.

He wound his arms around Ayla's waist and pulled her close to his chest.

"How'd it go anyway?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"Not with the girls around eh?"

Marcus looked over her shoulder at the identical faces grinning at him.

"Good point." he agreed, kissing her once more.

Ayla nodded as giggles from the two girls were unsuccessfully stifled.

"Ok then, one batch for us and we give the other three to the neighbours agreed?" Ayla offered.

"But I wanted to give some to Aunty Saz and Aunty Kris!" Edie protested.

"We could do that." Marcus agreed, sensing a potential tantrum.

"Nope, sorry kiddo." Ayla said, releasing herself from her husbands embrace and catching hold of her daughter, and kissing the small girl's head. "Aunty Saz doesn't like sultana's and Aunty Kris is still in Bulgaria. But it was a nice thought."

They bundled the kids up and watched from the garden gate as the two raced down the lane, eager to deliver their goods.

"Now?" Marcus asked, pulling his wife close once more. His chest was to her back, and he leaned his chin on her shoulder, stooping just a little to reach.

Ayla raised her eyebrows at him.

"So many hugs today, whats gotten into you?" she asked, a teasing smile creasing her face.

"Just want you close. And it's cold. Come on give me the edited version, its hours til the girls go to bed and I need to know now." he begged.

"I only told Mum, Dad was in bed. He's been ill, and she's been hiding it from us all so we don't worry."

"Nothing serious though?" Marcus interrupted.

"So she says but then why would she hide it? Which I suppose I can't really say anything about because I've been keeping a fairly big secret myself."

"For all the right reasons." he reminded.

"Yeah, sure. Anyway Mum was fine with it all. Shocked obviously, she had no idea. And she doesn't really blame either of us. But she's going to keep it to herself for now. Dad needs to get better first and she doesn't think we should tell my brother's and sister's until Jake knows. That way he isn't the last to know."

"Well that's good right?"

"It's just more secrets, isn't it?"

"Can't really be helped now Ay'. Besides, it's one less person's reaction to worry about, right?"

"I guess."

"But?"

"But, well my Dad..."

"Ayla your Dad is old enough to take care of himself. He'll see that we didn't tell him straight away because he needed to concentrate on getting better. And you know he won't treat Jake any different. He's still his grandson."

He spun her round to look in her eyes, holding her at arms length so she couldn't hide from him.

"Why do I get the impression that that little pep talk did no good whatsoever?"

"It's nothing."

"Don't go shutting me out again." he warned squeezing her shoulders.

"It's just like you said, my Dad's no spring chicken. What if it's serious?"

"Don't you think your mother would have told you if it was?"

"I guess."

"Ayla please don't add something else to your ever growing list of worries. I hate to tell you this but you're going grey from the stress."

She hit him then, but Marcus just grinned. He had successfully lightened the mood.

"I've got an idea."

"Yeah?"

"You give me something to worry about, lighten your load. It can be anything, I'll be the one who worries about it."

"My Dad?" Ayla offered.

"Deal. When I tell my Mum about you know what Ill call in and see your parents. Do a little investigation you know? I bet Ill find out there's nothing to worry about."

"See that just makes worry about what my mother will catch you doing."

"Sweet Merlin I married a born worrier." Marcus said shaking his head in mock frustration.

"Don't act like you never knew!"

"Never knew what?" asked two small voices.

"Little ears do hear everything don't they?" Marcus whispered.

"Never knew what?" Edie insisted.

"That you two were due a bath. Come on, in you get, it's getting icy out here." Marcus ordered.

"Actually love, the girl's are spotless. You on the other hand could definitely benefit from a good rub down."

"Only if you do my back." Marcus suggested, throwing his wife over his shoulder and carrying her upstairs. "Girls your mother and me are going to clean the bathroom, you watch some t.v."

"But Daddy the kitchen's dirty, not the bathroom." Rae told her father's retreating back.