"Go, Mommy!" Lucia said as she tugged on Lina's hand.

Lina smiled tiredly, "I'd love to, but I'm stuck here until the babies come, kiddo."

They had tried to explain the situation to her, but they had yet to be successful. And Lina was used to explaining things so that Gourry could understand!

"When will they get here?" Lucia asked.

"You know how your birthday is coming up?" Lina said, and Lucia's eyes lit up at the mention of it. "It will be a little bit after your birthday."

Lucia's eyes widened, "That's a long time!"

Lina stroked her soft purple hair, "I know."

"Why can't they come now?"

"They're too small. They have to get bigger." Lina explained.

"How big?"

"About as big as your dolly." Lina said as she rested a hand on her belly.

"How big are they now?"

Lina shook her head in irritation, "Smaller than your dolly."

Gourry, sensing that Lina was getting tired of answering questions, said, "Hey sweetie, do you want to practice your light spell while Mommy can help?"

"Oh yeah!" she said as she started working on the chant with feedback from Lina. Eventually she yelled, "Lighting!"

Lina nearly toppled over as a small orb of light formed between her tiny hands. "You did it!" Lina exclaimed.

Lucia beamed proudly, "Daddy, look!"

"I see!" Gourry said, "Wow, you're going to be quite the sorceress one day, just like Mommy."

"I'm impressed. I was four or five when I first cast mine, and that was considered prodigal." Lina said as Lucia played with the ball of light between her hands.

"So is she a powerful sorceress?"

Lina shrugged, "It's too early to say. And a light spell is the only thing I'm teaching her right now."

From the courtyard Lina heard the tolling of the bells marking the arrival of Lucia's bedtime. Lina smiled sadly, "Okay, kiddo. Choose a book, any book."

Lucia walked over to the bag Gourry had brought with them, light spell trailing behind her and pulled out one and attempted to sit on Lina's lap. "Sorry, kiddo, it's getting crowded." Lina said as she directed Lucia to sit beside her instead and wrapped an arm around her.

Lucia pouted slightly but said nothing as Lina read to her. It was when Lina finished reading and Gourry picked her up to take her back to their room that the trouble started. Lucia stiffened flat as a board, making it difficult to get a good hold on her as she threw her head back and screamed, "No! I want to stay with Mommy!"

Lina felt her heart seize. She was alarmed as guilt swept through her. "Mommy has to stay here." Lina explained, "And you have to go to bed."

"No!" Lucia cried, really cried as tears streamed down her cheeks, arms and legs flailing.

Gourry got a good grip on her, "We'll see Mommy tomorrow."

He gave Lina a small smile and then whisked her out of the room, kicking and screaming. Lina was trembling when they left. Stay in bed for two months. Nothing should be easier than staying in bed for two months. But in reality it was exceedingly difficult.

Her feelings of anger and distress upset the twins, and they responded with a flurry of activity that was downright painful. Lina laid back on the bed and fought the urge to cry. She had only been bedbound for one week and it had been hell. She was feeling restless. She could walk only as far as the edge of the magic circle, and that was only a few feet around the perimeter of the bed. She felt as though she was going to dig a rut around the bed pacing it as much as she did.

And her back hurt, and staying still didn't help at all. But to top it off was that Lucia was having a difficult time adjusting. She couldn't understand why she couldn't leave and take care of her. And it was breaking her heart. The twins weren't even there yet and already Lina's ability to provide the one on one care to Lucia that she was used to was upset.

"Lina?"

Her eyes widened as she sat up in bed, "Mom? When did you get in?"

"Just now. I ran into Amelia in the courtyard and she told me you were here." Mrs. Inverse said as she hugged her as sat beside her.

Lina took a deep breath and did her best to keep her tone casual. "You mean you saw me before you saw your granddaughter?"

"You're still my baby, too. And you're the one in the temple. How are you?"

"Fine." Lina said a bit too quickly.

Mrs. Inverse stared her down. "Miserable." Lina finally corrected.

Mrs. Inverse wrapped an arm around her, "Just think. It's only two months out of thousands of months you'll have in your life."

Of all of the things to miss, this was the hardest. Lucia's third birthday party was going on full swing in their apartments. And Lina was stuck in the temple. The twins kicked within her, and she wanted to kick them right back. Resentment flowed through her. If it wasn't for the fact that she was having them, then she could enjoy her daughter's birthday. Something that a mother should be able to do.

Sure, Gourry would likely come down after it was over with cake. And she'd already had Gourry take a few presents to her room the previous night so Lina could give them to her when he brought Lucia with him. But it wasn't the same as actually being there.

She stared up at the ceiling and stretched and tried to ignore the war raging within her tummy. She'd already tried reading and focusing on some research, but it did little to quell her nebulous mood, nor did it take her mind off the party. A healer poked his head in to check on her and Lina nearly bit it off.

She glanced at the clock. Time moved agonizingly slow. Her two months was now one and a half months, but it might as well have been eons. She drummed her fingers on her stomach. There was nothing actually keeping her in the room she reasoned. Would there really be any harm in joining the party for an hour and having Sylphiel cast another spell to stop her labor? Of course it would mean battling contractions during the party, but at least she would be there.

Surely one hour would be safe. Her water hadn't broken with Lucia until she started transitioning. Surely everything would be fine.

She looked out the door and felt a deep yearning in her heart. Slowly she got up and crept towards the edge of the magic circle. She took a deep breath as she stared at the door. The desire to walk to it and out of it was overwhelming.

She looked away. As much as she resented the fact that she was having twins she knew that if anything happened to them because she didn't do her best then she would never be able to forgive herself. And Gourry would be devastated. One of the twins aimed a punch into her lungs, winding her.

"Alright." She groused as she made it back to the bed, "But you two had better appreciate this one day and never give me any trouble!"

"I've just been so bored!" Lina complained as she moved her rook.

"Check." Zel said. He'd been on Lina Duty (so called in the presence of everyone who was not her) for the past three hours. He had things to do, but every time he made noises to do so she guilt tripped him into staying for another round of chess.

"Damn." Lina swore as she looked at the board. "All those years of playing with Amelia sure have paid off for you."

"Your move." He said noncommittally.

"Yes, yes. So, have you beaten her in a game yet?

"No one beats Amelia in chess." Zel said, "And it's still your…Are you okay?"

Lina's face had scrunched up inscrutably as she put her hands to her stomach. "It's nothing. They're just having a major battle in there or something. By the time this is over my tummy is going to be one big bruise!"

He gave her a sympathetic smile as he asked, "How much longer do you have? A month?"

Lina sighed. "One whole long month." She shook her head as she moved her bishop. "So, what's going on in the outside world?"

"I know it's bad if you're referring to Seyruun as the outside world." Zel said as he contemplated the board. "The magic school is going great. Only the person I started it for is showing no inclination in it."

"Benny?" Lina asked, "Well, he's still young."

"Says the woman whose daughter who just turned three trails a light spell behind her wherever she goes."

"Well, Benny is not from a family of powerful sorcerers." Lina countered.

"That's what concerns me. What if he doesn't have any magical capacity?" Zel said as he moved a pawn.

"Well, so what if he doesn't? I mean you have plenty of other things you do together."

"True." Zel said. "I'd just like magic to be one of those things."

"Kids are going to do what kids are going to do." Lina said as she moved her knight. "And they're going to be who they're going to be."

"Hmm." Zel said, "Checkmate."

Her eyes shot open as the remnants of the dream faded. The twins kicked and punched vigorously within her as she took a deep breath. She sat up slowly as she looked about the room. It was difficult to shake the feeling of danger and believe that she was safe.

"Lighting!"

She scanned the room for any trace of what might be hiding in the shadows. Of course, if Xellos really did want to harm her children like he had in the dream, he could very well be lurking on the astral plane.

Lina shook her head and told herself that she was being silly. To see humans as a threat was a sign of weakness for mazoku. The likelihood that they would preemptively strike against her children was nil. But still, she could not shake the feeling that she was being watched.

She desperately wanted to talk to someone. But it was the dead of night and the only person within shouting distance was the healer on night duty. And Lina didn't know her well. And she didn't want to trouble her with her silly fears.

The hair on the back of her neck started to prickle as the feeling of being watched intensified. She got up and walked to the edge of the circle, walking slowly along the line as she hunted for anything out of the ordinary.

"Everything okay?"

Lina cried out as she jumped and spun around. Or at least she intended to spin around. But the combination of being unusually bulky and having been sedentary for a month had made her clumsy. She found herself tumbling. In a second the healer was there, helping her up, "I'm sorry Mrs. Gabriev, I didn't mean to startle you. I just noticed your light spell."

"Don't worry about it." Lina said, as embarrassment coursed through her.

"Is there anything I can get for you?"

"No, just…" her voice trailed off as her stomach started to tighten. Fear rose through her as she recognized the deceptively pleasant build up that rapidly surged through the boundary between pleasure and pain as it gripped her body.

She cried out as she clutched her abdomen and the healer touched her arm. "Looks like you stepped outside of the barrier when you fell."

"No shit!" Lina snapped as the contraction subsided.

"Why don't you sit on the bed and we'll get it shut down again."

Lina nodded, and then froze as something warm and wet started trickling down her leg. "Oh no." she breathed.

"Mrs. Gabriev?"

Lina clenched her pelvic muscles like she would if she were stopping the flow of urine. It did no good. It kept coming out, gushing out embarrassingly. "My water broke."

The healer looked down as Lina asked, "Can we stop it?"

The healer shook her head, "It's too late. They're going to have to come out now."

Panic flared through Lina, "But I've still got another month to go!"

"There are things we can do. It's early but they still have a good chance."

Lina shook her head in disbelief. This could not be happening! After spending a miserable month in a bed to get them to term she could not go into labor a month early and lose them! "Get Sylphiel down here!"

"She's going to tell you the same…"

"Just get her down here!" Lina snarled as another contraction started to build, "And my husband, and…"

"Breath." The healer told her, and Lina waved her away irritably.

"Go!" she grunted.

"What happened?" Gourry asked as he ran into the room, still dressed in his nightclothes.

"I'm sorry." Lina said quietly as she sat on the edge of the bed. While she wanted to go back to her apartments, the healer had said that as the twins would be premature it would be safer for Lina to have them in the temple.

Gourry touched her shoulder as her lower lip trembled. "I fell." She said, "I didn't mean to, but I guess I landed out of the ward and…"

Her voice trailed off as her face went red. He wrapped an arm around her as tears leaked from her eyes. She grabbed his arm and squeezed hard as he comforted her through the contraction. At last she relaxed. "What if something goes wrong? It will be my fault."

"Stop that." He said, "You've been amazing enduring this for as long as you have already."

"None of that means a damn if they aren't born healthy!"

"They're going to be fine!" Gourry said.

"We're going to do everything we can for them." Sylphiel said as she entered the room. "And you got them to a point where their odds are much better."

"You can do this, Miss Lina!" Amelia added as she followed Sylphiel in.

And as her next contradiction built, Lina was reminded of the fact that she had no other choice but to do it. It was too early, but her body was not aware of that. It had already taken control, forcing the hard work of delivering the twins upon her. Her first labor had been long and slow. This one proved to be anything but. Within the hour after falling out of the ward she was transitioning, and then pushing. Gourry and Amelia supported her in a squat as Sylphiel worked to guide the infant out as it crowned. But unlike last time the delivery of one did not mean it was over. There was still another one to get out.

The feeling of compression rose and Lina grunted with the effort of forcing it out. She felt it slide from her and she leaned back onto Gourry. Right away she realized that something wasn't right. Why weren't they putting it on her chest? And something else was wrong too. She lifted her head up as it hit her, "Why isn't he crying?"

Sylphiel started chanting a spell as she held the smallest baby Lina had ever seen. But what truly alarmed Lina was the shade of blue that tinted its lifeless body. Shakily she stood up, supported by Gourry and Amelia.

"What is she doing?" Gourry asked.

"I think she's casting some sort of modified wind spell to force air into his lungs." Lina explained as guilt surged through her. She hadn't wanted twins. She was mad that she was having twins. Had she really accidentally fell? Had some part of her wanted to do this, to prevent her from caring for two babies?

Finally it sputtered and coughed, followed by an ear piercing cry. Lina felt a well of tears erupt as Sylphiel breathed a sigh of relief. "Congratulations. You now have a son."

She handed him to Lina. "Let's get you two to bed."

Lina nodded as she sat down. "He's still not breathing right." Gourry pointed out.

Sylphiel nodded as she placed a blanket over them to keep them warm, "We're going to have to watch him closely. His color still isn't too good and his vitals are irregular."

Lina reached out to stroke the soft sprawl of pale red hair that covered his head. "What do we need to do?" she asked.

"Right now I need to check you out, see how the second one is doing." Sylphiel said, "And I believe Mr. Gourry needs to cut the cord."

Gourry nodded and unsheathed the Blast Sword. Some might say it was a little overkill for cord cutting, but for generations his family had used the Sword of Light for that purpose and now the family he had created would use the Blast Sword. "He's so small." Gourry commented after he had sheathed the blade as he touched his back while Sylphiel felt along Lina's abdomen. "Will he break if I hold him?" he wondered out loud.

"I bet he's stronger than he looks, just like your wife." Amelia said encouragingly.

Lina wasn't feeling very strong as she struggled to help the baby latch on to nurse. Eventually he latched, but had a difficult time suckling. Fear welled within her as she wondered what problems the second one would encounter. Sylphiel's next words did little to quiet her anxiety, "It looks like the second one is breech."

"Breech?" Gourry asked.

"It's going to come out bottom first." Sylphiel explained.

Inwardly Lina groaned. Head first was bad enough. Butt first sounded even worse. And she knew enough to know it was more risky as Sylphiel put a hand on Gourry's arm, "It's nothing I can't handle."

"How long until contractions start again?" Lina asked.

"Could be any minute, could be thirty." Sylphiel explained.

"Why is his arm shaking like that?" Gourry asked.

Sylphiel's eyes widened as she examined the boy. "Is that a seizure?" Amelia asked.

The boy's color worsened as he stopped breathing. Sylphiel grabbed him as his body started to convulse, "I'll be right back." She said hurriedly as she ran out of the room and yelled something to the other healers about some magical herbs she needed.

Gourry felt torn as he watched Sylphiel run out of the room with his son. In one room his son needed him and might be dying. And here Lina and the second baby also needed him. And he could only be in one place at once! "Go!" Lina commanded.

"Will you be…"

"Go!" she cried, "I want one of us to be with him!"

A grim feeling captured him as he squeezed her hand and then followed Sylphiel out. Lina burst into tears as soon as he was out the door, wishing she could go with him. Amelia squeezed her shoulder. "It will be all right, Miss Lina." Amelia consoled, "He has the best healer in the…"

"Shut up!" Lina spat, "It means nothing when I can't even stay in a damn ward for two months!"

"Stop being so hard on yourself!" Amelia said.

"But it's my fault!" Lina protested, "I didn't want a third one!"

"That doesn't mean you did this!" Amelia said.

"But I did! I fell out of the ward."

"This isn't like you!" Amelia said.

"I know." Lina said, "I used to do the impossible. Now I can't even…I feel like a failure!"

She stopped as she put a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. Amelia wrapped her arms around her as she buried her face into her shoulder and cried.

Gourry didn't understand any of what was happening. Sylphiel and the other healers crowded around his son, shielding him from view as they barked orders at each other. Unfortunately they were the only ones making noise. His son was ominously silent.

He stood there immobile, paralyzed by fear. What could he do? There was nothing he could do! Helplessness overwhelmed him as the situation seemed to lose its reality.

And then a sharp cry rang through the air. Sylphiel and the other healers cheered as Gourry erupted into tears. They said a few more things to each other that he didn't quite catch, and then Sylphiel, smiling tiredly, walked towards him and handed his son to him.

Gourry cradled him, and felt his amazement grow as he watched him throw his little fist in the air and the blue tint to his skin started to fade. "Will he be okay?" Gourry asked.

"Let's get you two back to your wife. She's probably worried sick."

Gourry nodded as they started to walk back to Lina's room. "But will he be okay?"

Her answer was not comforting. "He's not out of the woods yet." Sylphiel said.

Gourry stared at him. He was undoubtedly the smallest baby he had ever seen. And his breathing was still difficult. And, he considered, the right side of his body was limp, a major contrast to how animated his left side was. A lump formed in his throat, followed by gooseflesh as he heard Lina scream from her room.

He and Sylphiel ran, and in an instant he was back by her side. Her eyes were closed in pain as she sat chest to knees on the edge of the bed, receiving instructions from Amelia. He sat so that he was beside her as Sylphiel moved close to Amelia to observe what was happening. He put an arm around her as she relaxed and opened her eyes and looked at them.

"He's alive!" she breathed as she reached out to touch him, "I was so sure he was dead."

Gourry squeezed her to him and kissed her forehead. At that moment, she didn't need to know about the damage he had suffered. "Remind me to always listen to you and your instincts." He said gently.

"Miss Lina," Sylphiel said calmly, "You're going to need to listen carefully and follow my instructions perfectly because we're going to need to get the legs out with the next push."

Lina nodded as she grabbed Gourry's knee and squeezed it tightly as the next contraction built. Tears spilt down her face as Sylphiel maneuvered the legs out, and then the shoulders. Finally Lina felt the infant slide out from her and she relaxed onto the bed. "Never again." She breathed, "Never, for as long as I live, never!"

Sylphiel brought the baby up to Lina's chest, just as she let out a beautiful wail. Lina's eyes opened, "She's crying!" she said in relief.

"She's looking good." Amelia commented, "She's a bit bigger than the boy, and her color is good."

"Put him on Miss Lina's chest." Sylphiel instructed.

Gourry was reluctant to let him go, but he realized that it was likely where he needed to be. "How come she's so healthy as he isn't?" he asked.

"Sometimes that happens with multiples." Sylphiel explained, "And boys tend to be born with more complications."

"She's completely bald." Lina said.

"I think she has Mr. Gourry's eyes." Amelia said as Gourry cut the cord.

Lina turned her attention to the boy, "He's still not breathing right. What happened?"

"He had a seizure." Sylphiel explained.

"What's that?" Gourry asked.

"It's when the body starts trembling. We're not sure what happens exactly, but it seems like something goes wrong in the brain. It's why he stopped breathing. And I'm afraid there might be brain damage."

Lina's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Look at his left side. It's limp compared to his right."

Lina gazed down at him and felt the urge to cry again. She battled it down as she asked, "What does this mean?"

"It's too soon to say. He could recover completely, or he may never walk. There are things that we can do, exercises that can help. But there are no guarantees."

The news chilled Lina to the core as the boy, frustrated with not being able to get as much food as he would like, screamed vigorously. Meanwhile, his twin latched on and started suckling fiercely. She stared at the boy and wondered if he would be forever damaged because of her carelessness. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that Sylphiel said he could make a complete recovery. At that moment she just wished she knew which way he would go. The anxiety of not knowing which was painful.

A silence fell across the room as Gourry rubbed her arm. "How long until we can bring them home?" he asked.

"When they're strong enough." Sylphiel said.

"What do we need to do to help him?" Lina asked.

"Once the placentas are out, we'll get you healed and the twins bathed." Sylphiel said calmly. "And then we're going to wrap them to your chest. Continuous skin to skin contact is very healing, and it will help the boy breath and nurse better and will help keep them warm. And when you need a break, we can strap them to Mr. Gourry for a while."

Lina nodded as she stroked her son, resolving that if she needed to stay in the room for an entire year that she would if it meant he would be healthy and whole.

Lucia bounded into the room ahead of her grandmother, trailing a ball of light behind her. She stopped in her tracks as she noted the infants strapped to her mother's chest. "Hey, sweetie!" Gourry said as he picked her up and kissed her on the forehead. "Are you ready to meet your little brother and sister?"

Lucia leaned forward towards her mother as Mrs. Inverse entered the room, "Oh, Lina." She breathed.

"Do you want to say 'hi' to Mommy?" Gourry asked. Lucia outstretched her arms towards Lina.

Gourry sat her on the bed as Mrs. Inverse came closer, "Can I hold one?"

Lina handed the girl to her, "She's been doing better. She's small but she's breathing well."

Mrs. Inverse blinked tears from her eyes as she cradled her, "What are you calling them?"

"That one is Gwynn. We're calling the boy Glynn." Lina explained as Lucia peered at her brother.

"That's so cute!" Mrs. Inverse said, "What perfect twin names."

"Yeah, I'm glad someone in here has some taste." Lina said pointedly to Amelia.

"All I said was that it might get confusing!" Amelia defended.

"What's wrong with Glynn?" Mrs. Inverse asked as she stroked his back.

"He's not breathing right, and his heart beat is odd. He is also having problems latching." Lina said quietly as she hoped her mother didn't ask her why.

"It's strange." Gourry said quietly.

"What?"

"That she's so healthy and he's struggling."

"I wouldn't read too much into it. Sometimes it just happens that way." Sylphiel reminded him.

But Gourry could not help the feeling that in the fight for resources in the womb, Gwynn had come out the victor, taking more than her fair share from her brother. He realized how stupid the thought was as he looked at her, sleeping peacefully. If that had been the case surely she hadn't done it on purpose.

"So, Lucia, what do you think?" Lina asked.

"When are you coming home?" she answered.

Lina smiled tiredly as she stroked her fine purple hair. "It's going to be awhile, sweetie."

"Then I'm staying here!" she announced as she curled up next to her mother and wrapped an arm around her possessively.

Lina felt a slight tugging at her heartstrings. Eventually Mrs. Inverse would have to leave with her. And Lina knew that moment would be fraught with tantrums and tears. This wasn't how she thought it would be, wasn't how she had wanted it to be. Being apart from Lucia tore her to pieces. But for now it was enough that everyone was alive.

Gourry woke up when something alerted him to the fact that something had changed. He looked down to see Gwynn nestled contentedly with him. He then glanced over to the bed, where Lina was sleeping with Glynn.

While Gwynn was healthy enough to not need continuous skin to skin contact, Glynn still struggled. Everything was a fight for him. Eating was challenging. Breathing a struggle. But like a trooper he fought. And as much as it saddened him that someone so young had to fight so hard, it was also a source of pride for him to see the little fellow give it his all.

In a flash Gourry realized what was different. Glynn was no longer struggling to breath! Slowly he walked over and smiled in relief as he noted that he was indeed breathing more normally. "That's my boy." He said as he patted him on the head.

Gwynn nestled her face to his chest, obviously rooting for a nipple before mewling in distress. Lina's eyes fluttered open, and she looked at Gourry startled to see him towering over her. "What is it?"

"I think she's hungry." He said as he handed Gwynn to her.

Lina put her on her breast and then turned her attention to Glynn, "Hey, his breathing…"

"I know!" he said excitedly.

"Keep it up, kiddo!" Lina encouraged, "We'll have you home in no time!"

Gourry studied the twins carefully. He had given Lina a much needed break and currently had Glynn strapped to his bare chest while he cradled Gwynn, who was nestled sweetly in the crook of his arm. He thought about what Sylphiel had said, that it was likely something about Glynn himself that was causing so many problems, and not the result of him being a twin. He stared at Gwynn, who had shown herself to be a rather sweet baby. She didn't demand food constantly like her older sister and twin did. And when she was hungry she would whimper quietly rather than scream incessantly. Other than that she seldom cried. And she certainly liked to snuggle.

Glynn had more of that fighting spirit. Though as Gourry was swift to conclude, he had to. He also had more of his mother's temper, getting frustrated when not fed, punching his twin when the mood took him. It was obvious now that whatever happened had caused his right side to be stronger than his left. He could still move his left hand and arms, but slowly and meekly. What terrified him was that Sylphiel said it was too soon to tell the full extent of the damage. And that it would be hard to say for sure whether or not he would have another seizure.

Suddenly worries about who would inherit the sword seemed rather distant and silly. There were far more pressing concerns to worry about.

Lina walked in, looking more relaxed than he had seen her in a while. "How are they?" she asked as she wrapped and arm around him.

"Same as when you left." He replied.

"Sylphiel said that we can probably take them home tomorrow."

He nodded. "How do you feel about that?"

"Happy. And scared out of my wits."

"Me too."

After two months, it was paradise to slip into her own bed in her own chambers. Gourry got in beside her. Of course, it wasn't as if they could snuggle together. She was still feeding the twins around the clock. But it was better than being in the temple.

"We finally got them home!" he beamed.

She nodded, "We got them this far, we can get them all the way."

She looked at Glynn, resolving that one way or another he would walk, and he would be strong. She wasn't going to let her mistake ruin him. They both turned as the door opened and light dazzled their eyes.

"Lucia?" Lina said.

"I want to sleep with you!" she said as she crawled onto their bed and over Gourry so she was smack dab in the middle.

Lina and Gourry exchanged a glance. Usually she would have sent her straight back to bed. But after spending the last two months devoting her energy to seeing that the twins survived, she just didn't have the heart to turn her away. "Well, just this once is okay."

Gourry rubbed Lucia's back. Sure, the bed was cramped with all five of them, but it was nice to be surrounded by his wife and children. "Gourry." Lina said.

"What?"

"Three is enough."

Gourry thought for a moment and nodded, "Agreed."

AN: The practice of bundling premature infants to a parent is known as kangaroo care and is practiced successfully in parts of the world where access to incubators is limited.

My reason for writing this was predominately to set up for something I've been working on called Slayers: Legacy! One legendary sword, 3 children to choose between. Will Gourry see the fights in his family of origin replay between his children? Hopefully to be released sooner rather than later!