"Mother, Jack took my cloak again, and he won't give it back!" Holly's yell grew louder as she rushed back into the cottage.
Ella sighed. Today was Holly's birthday, could Jack not refrain himself from teasing her, just for today? James was putting the finishing touches on her birthday cake, and Ella herself was trying to clean the house.
"Jack," she called from the window, "please give Holly back her cloak. It's her birthday, play nice!" Reluctantly, he gave it back to her, and they resumed playing in the meadow.
That, of course, was when Matthew started crying, and Ella rushed to get him. He was teething, and would soon be off milk before his first birthday. But teething made him cry, and he always needed something to chew on, usually a thick scrap of cloth.
"There there, Matthew, you're okay. I know it hurts, but when you get all your nice pretty teeth, you'll be mighty handsome." Her voice and the cloth comforted him, and she kept him on the rug while she cleaned the hearth. Almost all of his teeth were in, and he would be a year old.
Amazing how time flies, she thought. A little less than a year ago, they had just moved in to this little cottage. Now, they had rebuilt James' cottage, making the whole thing a bakery, and had fixed up this home very nicely. By now, Ella was comfortable calling herself 'Mother', because that was what she was to them. They were a family, although no one dared to call James 'Father' to his face. If he was away from home, sometimes they would call him that, but if he was there, he was James.
"Ella, could you come help me ice the cake? You've always been better at it than me." She smiled and wiped her hands on her apron, coming into the kitchen, one eye always on Matthew.
"Okay, but how about you help with your son now? Just go and pick him up, tickle him, snuggle him, I don't know. But you're his father, and that's what fathers do." He sighed reluctantly, but went over to his son.
"Hi Matthew," he picked him up, and the boy giggled. This made James smile, and he tickled him, making the little boy shriek with laughter. Then Holly came running over to the window in front of him.
"Father, Jack is trying to burn my cloak in a bonfire!" He sighed, leaning out the window to see that, indeed, there was a fire made at the edge of the forest, with Jack too close to it.
"Son, stop that right now! Come inside, the cake is almost ready, and it's time for supper." He didn't realize what he had said until after his head was back in the window, and Ella was staring at him from the table, surprise on her face.
"You…you called yourself 'Father', and Jack 'Son'." Matthew started crying then, and James held him close, trying to sooth him, letting the boy chew on his finger.
"Yes, Ella, what else are they supposed to call me, and I them?" He was exasperated, not even realizing now what he had said. Ella smiled quietly as the children came in, washing their hands before sitting down at the table. It was another year for a little girl, who wasn't so little anymore. Time to celebrate and not just this.
"We can't, we shouldn't, what if one of them hears something?" James kissed Ella neck as she lightly protested. Once they had started this type of relationship, James for one, wasn't sure he could stop.
"That didn't stop us last time, and they won't hear anything." He was a man with needs, and didn't want the children, who really weren't so much children anymore, getting in the way of this. Once again, a blissful night was spent in each other's company.
One month later…
She was pacing the room when James woke up. Her skirt, chemise, and corset were on, although the latter was only halfway tied. She was whispering to herself.
"Maybe I should call the doctor. No, he wouldn't do much good, and then he would know about it. But, how can I be sure, I mean, only twice…?"
"Ella honey, is everything alright?"
She turned to him. He was still in his nightclothes. Why she was up so early, he didn't know, but it probably had something to do with what she was muttering about.
He pulled his clothes on as she continued to pace, finally making the bed before he helped her with her corset. When he was done, she turned to him, and he put his arms around her, looking deep into her eyes.
"Tell me what's wrong."
She looked down before gently opening her mouth. "How would you feel about us having a baby?"
He stared at her. A baby? They had only had relations twice. Maybe it was Aden's…but she would have been showing by now if it was, he would have known, she would have told him. How could she even know?
"How can you be sure sweet?"
That sent her pacing again, walking the length of the small room over and over. "I haven't bled this month, I'm a week late. I'm never this late. Which means…"
Although James didn't know everything about women, he knew a good handful of information. Charisse, she had wanted to skip her monthly cycle, because that would mean she was pregnant. Now, he was getting the other side of a different situation. What if you didn't want to have a baby? There were already five of them, how many more could fit?
Ella sat down on the bed, tears in her eyes. "I…I can't have a baby! We're not even engaged, the children have no idea what's going on between us. Childbirth scares me to death, I've never been pregnant, I don't know what to do…Oh no…"
James went over and put an arm around her back, pulling her close. "Everything is going to be okay, honey. We'll get through this. But we need to get up and start the day as if it's normal, alright?"
She nodded and finished getting dressed, while he went out and started baking his bread. The day was normal, until about lunch.
James always came home for about an hour for lunch, and the whole family was there, playing with Matthew by the fireplace. He was just learning to walk, and was the cutest little thing, teetering around on his little legs.
Ella and James sat next to each other on the floor. He had unconsciously put an arm around her, and she leaned into him slightly. Holly was helping Matthew stand, holding his two hands until he pulled them away and started walking across the floor.
"Mama, Papa!" They stared at him in surprise. He had the sweetest grin on his face, and he seemed so pleased with himself. He fell into Ella's arms, and she swung him up in the air and kissed his cheeks, making him giggle more. James face was right next to hers when she brought him back to her chest.
"Mama, Papa!" He said again. James was thrilled that he had called him 'Papa', but how would Ella feel about 'Mama'? Turns out, she was as thrilled as he was. The grin on her face was obvious. Maybe she could do this after all.
"Yes honey, good job. I'm Mama." She held him close as he pointed at her and grinned, clapping his hands. She handed him to James.
"And I'm Papa." The little boy responded in the same way, pointing and laughing, as if he knew everything now. They stood him back up, and he walked around a bit more, giggling with his first words.
Dinner conversation that night surrounded Matthew, until there was a lull, and James cleared his throat, looking at Ella, who gave him a small nod.
"Holly, Jack, Ella and I have an announcement. We're going to have a baby."
Holly, who knew nothing about how babies are made, was thrilled. "A new baby, yay! I hope its girl. I'll teach her how to use a knife."
Ella and James smiled at this. She was still so innocent, besides being four- and ten. She would love any child, no matter what.
Jack, however, knew a little bit more than his sister did. Saying he had helped slay a giant had earned him some friends in the village, some who were older with much less virtue, and had explained a few things to him. He was silent upon the news, knowing what it meant his Mother and Father had been doing, when they were in no sort of relationship of the sort. But for Holly's sake, he put on a surprised grin. "Congratulations, but Holly, boys are better." His smile was smug, and Holly was soon chasing him in the house and out. Their parents could only laugh.