"Well, this picture's ruined." Vanora looked at the newly developed photograph with a combination of disappointment and confusion. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Moffitt was sneezing. Troy was standing and shouting and using Tully's blond, fluffy head as leverage. Dietrich was grinning a little too much. Hitch looked as shocked as a kid that was just told he could have everything he wanted in a candy store. Shauna was trying to wrangle her husband and make him sit down, a rather impossible feat. Jules was trying to sit on his father's shoulders, with Anah. "I can't send this to my parents."

"Nonsense! It perfectly encapsulates what this family is like," Anah said, perched on Vanora's shoulders.

"It does, but I'd like to present us as being at least somewhat normal."

"Where is the fun in that?"

Vanora sighed. "I'm happy for Dietrich, but he really should have waited until after the picture was taken to tell us."

"It was worth it for that expression on Troy's face."

"Admittedly, yes, Troy's expression is funny, but my parents are not going to want to have this framed for a whole year. Anyone they have over is going to think their daughter married into a group of lunatics."

"You did marry into a group of lunatics, dear, but they are the best kind of lunatics."

"That's true, they are. Still, my parents won't like this, and I doubt Jack's will, either. Well, his father will think this is hilarious."

"All the more reason to keep the picture, and to be honest, your husband having to sneeze would have ruined the picture even if Dietrich had not said anything."

"Yes, but it was him and Esther announcing, right before the flash went off, 'We are having a baby,' that sent everything into chaos."

"No, it sent Troy into chaos, although he is normally quite chaotic. The fact that he sat still for all of five seconds is a miracle."

"Oh, Anah, could you not pick on Troy for more than five seconds yourself?"

Anah was quiet for a moment. "Alright, five seconds are up. I can keep making fun of him."

Vanora bit her lip, regretting taking Anah along to pick up the newly developed photos. "Fine, I'll keep the picture, but if I get a confused phone call from my mother, you'll be the first to hear about it."

"I look forward to it." Anah waited until they were heading out to the car with the photographs and several picture frames. "Now we can focus on the fact that Dietrich is having a baby."

"Yes. I already have a ton of Jules's baby things packed away in case they have a boy. Tully said he'll gather up Eleanor and Auri's old things if they have a girl."

"Dietrich must be absolutely terrified."

"He seemed quite happy at the party."

"Have you just met him?"

"No. I don't think he would've gone through with it if he was still scared."

"Moffitt was terrified even after the decision was final."

"That's true, he was. Dietrich will have more help than he could possibly imagine. He'll be fine."

When Vanora and Anah returned home, they were greeted by Jules saying, "Don't go in the sitting room, Mum, Mr. Dietrich is having a panic attack. He wants Miss Anah."

"Is Esther here?" Vanora asked.

"She's out with the horses. She said she wanted to be alone for some reason. I didn't do anything."

Vanora gave her son a quizzical look, then walked with Anah to the sitting room, where Moffitt was seated next to Dietrich and talking to him in a low voice.

"…I get that it's scary. Believe me, I went through almost exactly what you're going through," Moffitt was saying.

"You were not worried about passing something like this on," Dietrich muttered.

Moffitt glanced up when his wife walked in. "Hello, darling."

"Is everything alright, Jack?" Vanora asked.

"We're getting there," Moffitt replied. He stood and went with Vanora out to the kitchen. "Anah, could you give us a moment? Please, go talk to Dietrich."

Anah nodded, then slithered off of Vanora's shoulders.

Moffitt waited until the cobra had gone, then put his arm around his wife, talking quietly, "Dietrich and Esther had a bit of an argument this morning, after you left."

"They never argue!" Vanora said in surprise.

"I know. It was quite a shock to me, too. I went to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later hearing them arguing in German about Dietrich's depression and whether or not his child will have it. Esther told him not to worry about it, Dietrich kept worrying about it, and it was like that for a few minutes before she stormed off to the stables and he went into the sitting room."

"Did Jules see this?"

"He was in his room. He probably heard it."

Vanora sighed. "He shouldn't have heard any of that."

"It's not like he understood what was being said."

"There's tone, love. You know how much he cares about Dietrich."

Moffitt nodded. "I'll talk to Jules when I get the chance."

They both went over to the door leading to the sitting room. Anah was on the coffee table across from Dietrich, listening to him panic and fret over the possibility of his child inheriting his depression. Anah was quiet, letting Dietrich talk as long as he needed, then said, "As I said to you last year, I have no way of knowing where your depression came from, but even if it is written within you, there is no way to tell if your child will inherit it. Even if they do, they will not have to suffer as you have."

"I do not want them to suffer at all," Dietrich said.

"They will have something you did not from the very beginning—a loving family. They have not even been born yet, and already they are loved. They will see smiling faces every day, receive a lot of hugs and kisses, hear lots of laughter, and they will have the most wonderful parents to teach them how to navigate life."

"Anah, I am going to be a terrible father. Despite everything, I do not want my son or daughter to… see me while I am depressed. I-I know it has gotten better, but… I do not want them seeing it."

"That is inevitable. It is something they must learn to understand. Hiding it from them will not help either of you. Jules has seen how his father's trauma affects him."

Vanora saw Moffitt wincing a little, and hugged him. She whispered, "I never know how to tell Jules about your nightmares."

"What do you usually tell him?" Moffitt asked.

"That you have bad dreams sometimes, because you've seen a lot of scary things in your life."

"For now, that's… I guess that's the best thing to say. I wish he didn't have to… hear me screaming at night or see me looking distant if I start thinking about something bad that had happened to me during the war." Moffitt hugged Vanora tightly, and gave a heavy sigh. "Jules is quite sensitive to it, though. He seems to just know whenever I'm having a rough time, and will stop whatever he's doing to sit with me or hug me."

"You don't think Anah taught him that?"

"She may've played some part in that. I've never asked, and it doesn't matter. Hopefully it's something that he'll carry with him through life. I've seen him do it with Dietrich."

"That's always sweet to see, and Dietrich appreciates it."

"Maybe that's what he needs right now. Where is Jules? Did he go back in his room?"

"I don't know. He greeted me when I came home, then disappeared."

Moffitt looked out the window. "Oh, there he is."

Vanora turned to see where her husband was pointing, and saw Jules and Esther leaving the stables, with Jules holding Esther's hand. "You know, he's a handful sometimes, but he's so kind to everyone."

"He gets it from his mother," Moffitt said with a grin.

"And from his father." Vanora kissed Moffitt's cheek.

"Could you two go be affectionate elsewhere?" Dietrich muttered.

"Sorry," Moffitt said. "We're trying to be productive and think of ways to help you."

"I can say from personal experience that being affectionate with your wife does not exactly help in being productive. I have lost count of how many times the dishes or laundry were delayed because one of us wanted a kiss that ended up turning into a cuddle."

Moffitt looked like he was biting his tongue, then whispered to Vanora, "I think a bit more than a cuddle happened recently."

"Jack!" Vanora glared at him. "What a crude thing to say!"

Moffitt held back a giggle. "Sorry. Am I in trouble?"

"You can sleep out here tonight for that."

"Oh, I could never. It gets too cold." He gave her a rather sad look.

"Don't you give me the sad eyes. You should know better."

"I love you, darling."

Vanora sighed and shook her head. "It's honestly difficult to stay mad at that face of yours."

"See? Not very productive, are we?" Dietrich said.

"No, not really. Dietrich, I'm sorry. Jack's being—" Vanora stopped when Moffitt hugged her again, "rather lovey right now."

"Neither of you are helping," Anah said.

"I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Anah," Dietrich added.

The hugging stopped when the front door opened, and Jules walked in with Esther. The group headed back out into the living room, where Dietrich stepped forward to greet his wife. He hesitated a moment, then gave a quiet sigh. "I apologize for getting upset earlier. I should have just… listened when you said not to worry."

"I should have taken your concerns more seriously," Esther replied.

Jules spoke up. "I told Mrs. Dietrich that you'll always have me and Mum, Dad, Mr. Troy, Mr. Hitch, Mr. Tully, and Mrs. Troy and Mrs. Hitch and Mrs. Tully, and Miss Anah. Miss Anah is very good at listening." His smile quickly faded. "Please don't fight."

"Jules, we did not fight," Dietrich said. "Arguments will happen between people who love each other. It is all part of life, and what matters is how you resolve it."

"I was supposed to tell him that," Moffitt said.

"Well, I did. You are welcome." Dietrich ruffled Jules's hair. "Esther and I still love each other. There is nothing for you to worry about."

"You promise?" Jules asked.

"Promise." Dietrich didn't say anything else until Jules had left the room. "This is terrifying for both of us."

"Jules is right, though," Vanora said. "We're all here to help you, no matter what happens."

"You have no idea how much we appreciate that," Esther replied.

"My thoughts exactly." Dietrich gently pulled her closer to him.

The front door opened, and Troy came in holding up a large rolled-up piece of paper. "I made blueprints for a crib."

"How long did that take?" Moffitt asked. "You just found out they're having a baby yesterday."

"From the moment I got up this morning at—" Troy looked at his watch, "five AM."

Dietrich rubbed his face. "Oh, the next nine months are going to be… very entertaining."