"Morning!" I chirped happily, as Celeste and Art let themselves into the cottage via one of the French doors that opened from the back deck into the living room. "Sleep ok?"

"Slept wonderfully, thanks," Art said looking a little awkward.

"Good! I was worried it might have been too cold. Don't be shy to say so if it was – I can move you into Guardian quarters if you're not comfy there."

"Everything's perfect, thanks, Rose," Celeste quickly added.

"Good! Well, you're just in time for breakfast – Dimitri's cooking aren't you Comrade? Art maybe you could give him a hand? I'll just get the little man for his morning feed. Celeste – can you pour me a coffee? We can sit out on the porch swing while I feed and catch up."

I bundled Ivan in his blankets and grabbed a couple of quilts for Celeste and I. The porch was the perfect space to talk, and we wouldn't be overheard. Also, I found that Ivan squirmed a lot if I fed inside with other people around, but if it was chilly, he was happy to cuddle against me and enjoy a nice long feed.

Celeste appeared with our coffees, and I tossed her one of the quilts to wrap around herself.

"Well?" I asked.

"Well, what?" she countered, blushing a very pretty pink.

"Well, Dimitri was going to drop off a breakfast tray this morning, but when he heard you calling out about how good Art made you feel, he decided you might prefer to come across here instead."

Celeste swore loudly.

"You don't think he'll say something to Art, do you?" she moaned.

"Celeste? I think he'd rather walk over hot coals than think about it or mention it again," I giggled, and after a moment she joined me. "So…?"

"Oh. My. God, Rose! I can't even tell you how fantastic a lover he is!"

"So how did it all happen?" I asked, wanting to hear all the thrilling details.

"Well, we had a glass of wine each, and then I said I'd go freshen up. We sussed out the rooms, and he insisted I take the big one. I said he'd be cold so he said he'd take the couch. I then suggested we could share the bed and that we could keep each other warm."

"Celeste!" I hissed. "You naughty girl!"

"I had to kind of spell it out. I think the poor guy is a little out of practice with reading the signs for that sort of thing," she explained.

"As long as he's not out of practice with something else?!" I quipped.

"No. No complaints in that department! Rose he was a-maaaaaaaa-zing! He was so in control. He'd move me where he wanted me, and we went for over an hour! Every time I'd cum, he'd change us into a different position and start all over again."

"How many times did he make you cum?" I asked giving her a raised eyebrow look.

"Five times," she smiled blissfully. "It's like the man just lives to pleasure a woman."

"And this was all this morning?" I gasped.

"No. That was yesterday afternoon. Then we slept for hours, and then we did it again this morning."

I giggled. Celeste looked like a woman who'd been inundated with orgasms. She was relaxed, happy and glowing.

"So did you have a chance to talk between all this sexing? Is it just sex or does he want something more?"

"He said he likes me and he wants to see how things go during the week here. I told him I liked him too and he looked thrilled."

"So did you raise the 'what now' or did he?" I asked.

"He did. We were lying in bed after you know and he said he was a straightforward man, that he liked me and that if I were interested in something beyond just sex he'd like to take the week to 'see where things might lead.'"

"And how do you feel about that?" I probed, watching her carefully.

"I love the idea," she admitted. "Don't laugh, but when I woke up this morning, it just felt so right to be beside him. It's not like I'm a virgin, but I've never felt that before."

I gave her a huge smile.

"I understand, Celeste… I felt the same way the first time I woke up beside Dimitri."

Ivan had finished at one breast, so I switched sides, and Celeste and I continued chatting. We were on to gossip from St. Vlad's when Art stuck his head out the front door and told us breakfast was ready.

"Perfect timing!" I said, passing Ivan to Celeste as I straightened up my top. Nothing worse than exposing yourself to one of your boyfriend's Guardian friends, as I discovered early on in my breastfeeding journey when I'd inadvertently flashed Kirk while I was trying to switch sides!

"Here's my little man!" Alberta crowed as I walked in with Celeste and Art. "Come to Grandma Bertie!"

He didn't say anything, but I could see my Russian God was feeling a little put out. We usually shared the playtime and cuddles after a feed if he was home. Dimitri liked the opportunity to enjoy his son. It was also the reason I'd started expressing breast milk every now and again – so Ivan would get used to taking a bottle but also so Dimitri could enjoy the lovely warm feeding cuddles sometimes.

We'd all just sat down to breakfast when Pavel and Abe climbed the stairs onto the back deck and let themselves in through one of the French doors.

"Hmm, bacon," Abe said, flashing a toothy smile. "Any of that left over?"

I laughed. Anytime we were doing a breakfast cookup, Abe was sure to appear, so we always cooked extra.

"Check the warmer, there are extras of everything there," I said, nodding to Pavel as well.

Serving themselves, they joined us at the oversized farmhouse table. Abe looked like he wanted to demand a cuddle with Ivan, but knew from Alberta's defiant look he had no chance of wresting him from her grasp. She was admittedly doing a marvelous job of cradling Ivan in one arm while eating her breakfast with the other hand.

"Alberta you get Ivan until his nap time, Comrade you can put him down and give him his next feed when he wakes up, and Abe you get him for the next after-nap play," I said, looking at the three of them sternly.

Celeste laughed, looking at three suitably chastised and penitent faces.

"You tell them, Rose," she laughed.

"I'm just practicing for tomorrow. Janine likes to get her fair share of Ivan cuddles, and Lissa's only seen him once and has already told me she's dying to see him again. Not to mention Mase and Eddie who are taking their roles as uncles pretty seriously. Mason is all thumbs, but Eddie's a natural, he'd make a brilliant father."

There was an awkward pause. It was rarely spoken about, but as a rule Dhampir men didn't get a chance to experience fatherhood, although I suspect given a chance many might want to.

Art rescued the conversation by telling me about his conversation with Blake Aylett.

"Is that where he ended up?" Dimitri said, suddenly all ears. "I've wanted to have a chat with him." The way he said 'chat' made it clear Dimitri's fists would be doing the talking.

"Oh leave him alone," I said dismissively. "The guy has ended up working in the motor pool. I think he's been punished enough! Why do they even have Guardians in those roles?" I asked Art. "I mean, you hardly need to be a Guardian to wash and wax a car and sign it in and out."

"It's a stupid waste of resources, I agree," Art said. "But we can't get any other workers. Moroi won't work in service roles like that, and rent is too expensive at Court to employ a Dhampir to do it. Their whole wage would go on rent."

"Yeah, that's true. That was the problem when we were looking to rent if Dimitri took a Court allocation," I mused.

"How does Esme manage it?" Dimitri asked curiously.

"Her Moroi father bought her a home on the outskirts of Court. She rents out her two spare bedrooms," Art explained.

"So what other roles could be staffed by non-Guardians if you had a pool of suitable workers?" I asked.

"All sorts of things," Art said. "Off the top of my head? Motor pool, ninety percent of filing, records and clerical, most of the work of the allocations board, stores and provisions, cleaning – there's heaps of things."

"Freeing up all those Guardians would make a lot more Guardians available for active roles," I mused.

"Yes – although some of those in those roles are injured Guardians who can no longer do field work," Art cautioned.

"What percentage are you talking? Ten? Twenty percent?" I asked.

"Maybe ten? It's not a lot." Art didn't have to explain why. An injured Guardian usually ended up a dead Guardian.

"So ninety percent of Guardians in those roles are essentially wasted," I exclaimed. "This is what annoys me. With a bit of support and training, Dhampir women could take on these tasks. Imagine if a Dhampir woman had a choice other than Guardianship or motherhood?! Or if some of those jobs could be adapted to suit a working mother's schedule? Surely as a society, we could offer Dhampir mothers something other than sex work as a way to support themselves and their kids?" I growled. "Or, hell, give female Guardians a way to re-enter the workforce if they have a baby!"

"I don't think it's that simple. I understand your case is a little different," Art said, looking at Dimitri meaningfully, "but I think other Dhampir women who become mothers are doing it out of choice. They know their options, and they make their choices. I doubt any of them who were Guardian trained would want to return to work. I suspect some choose it as an easy way of getting out of their Guardian duties."

I could see Celeste getting more and more incensed with every word Art said.

"That is such bullshit!" she snapped before slamming down her cutlery on her plate and standing up. Her eyes were flashing furiously as she sought an escape.

"Use my room," Alberta advised, as Celeste furiously left the table. Then Alberta turned to Art, giving it to him with both barrels.

"Art, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. I suggest you shut up now before you offend at least half of the people sitting here. And for heaven's sake, don't espouse these views tomorrow unless you want to be on the receiving end of a Janine Hathaway explosion!"

Dimitri and Pavel looked confused. Abe appeared ever so slightly amused. Art looked troubled – he knew he'd grievously offended Celeste, but not how.

"I'll go," I said, giving Alberta a knowing look.

"No. I will," Art said standing up. "I've apparently offended Celeste with my thoughtless words. I'll apologize," he said, putting down his cutlery carefully and standing up. "Excuse me," he said tightly.

"Celeste?"

I'd expected Alberta or Rose, but as I lay on Alberta's bed crying my heart out, it was Art's voice at the door.

"Go away," I moaned into the bed, my tears starting anew. I'd been an idiot to think a man would understand everything that had happened. The choices I'd had to make because of Stella.

"Please," he said, sounding tortured. "Whatever I said, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for saying what you think," I wailed.

"If it's made you feel like this I do," he said, sitting on the bed beside me. "Please, Celeste. I don't like seeing you upset. Please let me comfort you."

I couldn't answer him. All I wanted was his strong arms around me, but when he heard about Stella, the last thing he'd want to do was hold me. His hand found my back and started stroking me softly. It was soothing and without me knowing why, my crying eased a little. He must have taken that as approval, because the next thing I knew he was lying on the bed beside me, rolling me over to face him.

I didn't want to look at his face. I couldn't. So I buried my face against his chest, as he engulfed me. He stroked my arm, giving me time to recover a little, as he rested his cheek against the top of my head. I knew we couldn't lie here like this forever; I'd have to explain.

"I have a daughter. She's nine," I volunteered in a whisper. His fingers stopped their patterns on my arm for a moment before they started again.

"Will you tell me about her?" he asked.

"Her name is Stella, and she lives with my parents. They're raising her as my sister," I said, my voice catching. "I had her less than a year after I took my promise."

Art was stroking my hair.

"Tell me all about it, little star," he implored. "Please?"

So I told him the whole tale. About Patrick and I dating at school, my disastrous first sexual experience at graduation. My grief and betrayal when I discovered I'd been nothing more than a uterus to my boyfriend; the sickening realization that I couldn't support Stella on my own, and the heartbreaking decision to give her to my parents so she could have a safe, loving childhood.

He was still holding me when I'd finished telling him, which was something I guess. But I could feel the tension radiating from him.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. Only Rose, Alberta, and my parents know," I explained. "It's not something I'm used to speaking about."

He didn't reply, just kept stroking me.

"It doesn't make any difference to how I feel about you," he finally said in a soothing tone of voice.

I laughed derisively.

"Then why is tension rolling off you as you're holding me?" I asked.

"Because it's taking everything in me not to call records at Headquarters and track down this Patrick and tear his head from his body for doing something like that to my woman!" he growled.

"You think of me as your woman?" I said so quietly I wasn't sure he'd hear me.

"I'd like to," he said, rolling back slightly to wipe the tears from my cheeks, and gaze into my eyes. "I'm sorry for my earlier comments. There's obviously a lot more to these issues than I've considered."

I nodded, still stuck on his comments about me being his woman.

"I'd like to meet her," he said a moment or two later. "And your parents. I could easily fall in love with you, little star. I think I'm already halfway there. I want to be the man who's there for you."

I didn't know what to say. It was all happening so fast, yet it felt right. So I leaned up and kissed him. He kissed me back – a long sweet loving kiss.

"Are you ready to go back downstairs?" he asked when he pulled away.

"Ugh! Everyone's going to think I'm an idiot," I groaned.

"Not at all. Everyone thinks I'm the idiot," he laughed.

I mentally disagreed, but I let him help me up from Alberta's bed, and together we straightened the quilt, so it was smooth once again. He took my hand and led me to the stairs. We were at the middle landing when he looked at our hands and me questioningly. I shrugged letting him know it was up to him. He smiled, squeezed my hand once, and we finished walking downstairs together hand-in-hand.

"We're in the lounge," Rose called out naturally, hearing our footsteps on the stairs.

We walked in holding hands, and to their credit, no one said a word. Rose smiled, as did Alberta after a moment of initial surprise. Abe and Pavel looked unconcerned, and Dimitri just raised an eyebrow.

"So I suppose I know what you're all thinking," Art started a little uncertainly, not releasing my hand.

"Dude – I think what I'm told to think," Dimitri said, giving Rose a pointed look.

It was the perfect comment to ease the tension. We all just cracked up, and nothing more was said. Art led me to a vacant sofa, seating himself in the corner before lifting his arm for me to cuddle in beneath it.

"Now, there's lots to do today… We have cooking preparations and decorating duties, so I thought we'd split up. Dimitri is going to start some of the food preparations for tomorrow, and I'm going to select a tree. Janine, Lissa, Christian, Mason, and Eddie are coming in quite early tomorrow, so I thought we could decorate the tree as something to do before lunch," Rose explained. "But that means choosing a tree!"

"I'll help Belikov cook," Alberta volunteered.

"Me too!" Abe announced, giving Alberta a mistrustful look. I think he wanted to stay so he wouldn't miss his opportunity when Ivan woke up.

"What would you like to do, little star?" Art asked me. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rose smile at his term of endearment.

"I want to help choose a Christmas tree!" I said, my mood vastly improved.

"Where are you thinking of going, milaya?" Dimitri asked Rose.

"Murray said there's a field that sells them not far from the township. I thought we'd go there?"

"Ok. But measure the height to the ceiling in here and subtract a foot for the base. And I'd like four of the Guardians to go with you."

"Comrade, it's daylight, and it's three Guardians going – I think we'll be safe," she teased her always overprotective boyfriend.

"I'm sure you will be, milaya. But it's Christmas for the Guardians, too, even if some of them are on shift and a long way from home. Choosing a tree is fun. Besides, I thought it would be nice if we got two; one for us and one for the Guardian's quarters."

"You're a good commander," Alberta complimented Dimitri, looking up from where she was cuddling his almost sleeping son. "It's that sort of thoughtfulness that sets apart a boss from a leader."

Dimitri looked embarrassed, but Alberta knew that those type of kindnesses were what made serving bearable.

"Art – you can take my truck. Put the trees in the tray," Dimitri said, fishing in his pocket for a set of keys.

"Why don't I get to drive?" Rose pouted.

"Because you don't want to scratch the paintwork on your car by hauling a tree," Dimitri explained reasonably.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it, Comrade. Why can't I drive the truck?!"

"Because that's my truck," Dimitri said obdurately.

"I remember Abe saying it was a property vehicle. So since I live here, surely that means I should be the one to drive it," she argued, looking hopefully at Abe.

"Leave me out of this," Abe laughed holding up his hands. "I'm not getting between a man and his truck."

"Fine," Rose huffed. "But I'm going to Skype Baia later and tell your Mama you're not sharing your toys," she grumbled mutinously. "I'm going to get changed into something warmer. You two might want to do likewise," she suggested to Art and me, walking upstairs.

"I think you're going to be in trouble later," Art joked to Dimitri.

He shrugged.

"It's always more fun when Rose is a little cranky," he laughed conspiratorially; and I don't think he was talking about decorating the tree!

In the end, I'd driven. We visited the human township on the way, Rose stopping in at a second-hand shop that she explained is where they'd bought most of their furniture for the cottage. The Guardians following us in the van parked discreetly down the road a little.

"This is my friend from Montana, Celeste," Rose said, introducing her to the proprietor, "and her boyfriend Art. Art, Celeste, this is Murray."

Celeste had smiled at me nervously when Rose had said boyfriend, looking for a reaction. I'd smiled and shaken the man's hand, draping an arm around Celeste.

"Went to a farmhouse sale the other day, Rosie," Murray said fondly, shuffling back into the depths of his shop. "No one else was buying the house stuff, so I bought up the whole place. Lots of good stuff, but I thought of you when I looked at the things in the attic. Lots of beautiful original German glass baubles," he said. "They'd have to be at least eighty years old. Anyway, I put them aside for you," he said, opening an old suitcase to reveal the treasures. "They're made in Germany before the second world war."

They were truly something else. Shaped like grapes, acorns, pinecones, elongated icicles and in bird shapes, these ornaments made the modern ones look like the cheap replicas they were.

"Murray they're beautiful," Rose enthused, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"I'm glad you like – they're a Christmas gift for the little man. Speaking of which, where is he today?"

"He's at home with his surrogate grandma. She's annoying everyone by refusing to hand him over," Rose laughed. "I can't accept these, Murray. You're far too generous!"

"Nonsense. Christmas ornaments take forever to sell. And when they do it's one at a time and people haggling over a dollar or two. This is a set; it deserves to stay as one. Ivan will enjoy looking at the tree with all these on it," Murray argued.

Eventually, Rose relented, but not before giving him a huge hug as well as the large box of homemade shortbread she'd brought for him. After that, she got the directions to where Murray assured us the best trees were available, even on Christmas Eve.

The trip had been glorious. Choosing a tree with Celeste and Rose had been a lot of fun. We split up from the other Guardians as they chose their tree and we chose one for the cottage. Rose behaved as though Celeste and I cuddling and mucking around in the snow were completely normal. She didn't ask any awkward questions; just accepted us and the affection we were sharing. I wasn't stupid enough to think her reaction was typical of other Dhampir, or Moroi, but it was welcome nonetheless.

We stopped at the bakery at the little township on the way back through to pick up a box of bagels and croissants she'd ordered for tomorrow.

Back at the house, Abe was playing with the baby while Alberta and Dimitri stuffed the turkey and Dimitri fussed with his grill – he was going to smoke some meats to serve cold with the croissants tomorrow for breakfast.

Rose and Celeste were busy hanging garlands from the balustrading and fashioning a Christmas wreath for the front door. Alberta was occupied making a batch of her apparently famous gingerbread biscuits, which none of us had ever known her to make, so I accompanied Belikov outside to the grill.

"So. You and Celeste, eh?" he asked, not looking at me as he carefully fanned the wood chips in the base of the barbecue.

"Yep," I said. I knew she'd been his partner for quite some time, so I was waiting for the third degree.

"She the younger woman you were thinking about a while back?" he asked brusquely.

"That would be her," I acknowledged.

"So it's more than a spur of the moment thing?"

"Yes. I'm growing to care for her very much."

"Good," Dimitri said, turning to me with a smile. "She's a good woman and deserves to be treated properly. And I'll never hear the end of it from Rose if you mess it up, so do me a favor and don't, ok?"

Something about Rose using the breast pump was sexy. I'd never mentioned it to her, but I think my eyes had dropped to her chest one too many times for her to be unaware of the effect it had on me. We were about to go to bed, and she was dressed in one of her kimono dressing gowns, sitting sideways on the armchair in front of me, her legs hanging over one arm. The machine was pressed against one of her breasts, making a rhythmical whirring noise as it pulled the nipple into a tight peak, teasing milk from her beautiful globe.

"Abe's got some good bottles of champagne for tomorrow. With this, I'll have enough milk for Ivan for the whole day. I'll do the morning and mid-morning feeds, but I might have a glass or two of champagne over lunch, and then we can bottle feed until it's out of my system."

"You're loving having everyone here, aren't you?" I asked.

"I am. It's so much better than last Christmas. I was so sad and frightened last year. With you gone, and Tasha and then finding out I was pregnant. I just feel we've earned a good Christmas."

"What was this morning with Celeste all about?"

My beautiful woman looked at me cautiously.

"She's a mother too, Dimitri. Has she ever spoken to you of her sister? Stella?"

I nodded. She was the fondest big sister I think I'd ever met. Oh...

"It's ok. She told me I could tell you," Rose continued. "It's a long story, but her first boyfriend's family have this weird thing where you have to produce Dhampir offspring to help maintain Guardian ranks before you're allowed to marry. He was in love with his Moroi girlfriend so lied and convinced Celeste he was in love with her to get her pregnant."

"The Ellifrets," I said darkly. "They're a group amongst the Moroi. A bit like a fraternity I guess? They're in Russia, too. Once the woman is pregnant, they leave her like she is nothing, not helping to support the child or the mother. Young Dhampir women would die giving birth because they couldn't afford the hospital fees so would give birth at home alone. That's how Mama became so good as a midwife – before the state-run birthing hospitals, she would help them."

"Was your father…?"

"No. He actually cared for my mother, in his own way. He'd visit and bring ridiculous expensive presents for us kids, but always the wrong size or for the wrong age. Mama and Babushka would be struggling to keep us clothed and fed, and he'd bring a three-hundred dollar doll for one of the girls. It was ludicrous." I could feel my mood souring even thinking about my father, not that the man deserved the epithet. He was no type of parent. In fact, the only thing he'd taught me about being a man or father was that I wanted to be as least like him as I could be.

Rose could read my dark expression and stood up.

"Come sit over here, Comrade," she coaxed. "I need your help."

Obediently I sat on the armchair where she'd been sitting, smiling when she perched herself on my lap. She disconnected the breast pump from one breast, capping the bottle of milk and putting it on my side table before attaching a fresh bottle to the unit and positioning it on the other breast.

"I thought you might want to hold this for me," she tempted, looking at the pump then me saucily.

I nodded, taking it from her and holding it in place; watching in fascination as it coaxed her nipple into the chamber, a thin watery milk spurting into the bottle. Then my eyes wandered to the breast she'd just drained. It still looked plump and nubile, its nipple erect and slightly moist from the milk it had recently relinquished.

"Does seeing me express milk turn you on Comrade?" she asked me, watching me from beneath her lashes.

"A little bit," I admitted. I could feel myself blushing.

"Don't be embarrassed," she cooed. "Seeing you wearing a tool belt does all sorts of things to me!"

"I'll remember that," I laughed.

We sat cuddled on the armchair together, me watching in fascination as she pumped milk to nourish our child.

"So what do you think is going to happen with Art and Celeste?" I asked in an attempt to divert my prurient thoughts.

"Well, she's not going to want to leave St. Vlad's. Stella is going to go there, so Celeste is holding out for that – she can't wait to see her every day. I can't see Art seeking an allocation at St. Vlad's, so if it's serious, I guess it will be a long distance thing for them for a while?"

"It's a pity, but you're probably right. With Art's seniority, anything at St. Vlad's would be a step backward for him. He'll probably request a new allocation in the New Year, though. Guarding the Badicas while they live at Court is a waste for a man of his rank."

Rose had her head tucked under my chin, resting against me peacefully.

"I hope it works out for them. They both deserve to be happy," she murmured. The yield of milk from her breasts had slowed down to next to nothing, so she switched off the pump. "I'm done. Do you think you could take the milk down to the kitchen, Comrade?"

I obliged, slipping down the stairs to fridge the precious liquid before coming back upstairs. Ivan was asleep in his room, and the door to Alberta's room was closed, although there was a sliver of light evident under her door. I quietly let myself back into our room to find a surprise waiting for me. The lights were out, but there were candles all around illuminating the space. Roza lay naked in the middle of our bed, wearing nothing but a provocative expression.

Quickly closing and locking our bedroom doors, I looked at the girl I loved, the mother of my child and the woman of my dreams.

"Comrade?" she said, holding out a hand to me, "come to bed. I want to show you how much I love you; how much I appreciate everything you do for me. Consider it your first Christmas present!"

I wasted no time discarding my clothing. I wanted her every bit as much as she wanted me.

"It's not Christmas for another forty minutes," I muttered as I lifted the blankets back so we could both climb into bed.

"We'll still be going then," Rose promised, pushing me onto my back and climbing on top of me.