Kai didn't expect much when he and Popuri announced they were expecting a baby.

Well, no, that was a lie. He expected a few things, alright.

He expected Rick to fly off the handle at him again. Oh, sure, he'd been courteous enough at the wedding, but all that meant was that he kept a tight-lipped, flat expression on his face and limply shook his hand.

That didn't really mean anything, now, did it?

Kai expected all kinds of things. Shouting, disbelief, suspicion, an insistence that they move into the chicken farm again…

He wasn't expecting Rick to invite him for a drink at the inn at eight o'clock that weekend.

But there they were, sitting in one of the far tables, a drink in front of each of them. Kai expected Rick to down his whiskey like a shot, but instead the other man held it like a safety net. Occasionally he'd take a sip, but his drinking was slow, drawn out.

Kai toyed with the toothpick that came with his cocktail. He'd already eaten the lemon and pineapple that'd been skewered onto it, usually preferring to do that first before he drank. As he ran the toothpick around the rim of the glass, Rick spoke.

"I don't get along with you."

"So I've noticed."

"Would you just–" Rick began, then sighed. He put his elbow on the table, resting his forehead in his hand. "I don't get along with you. We can't be in the same room for twenty minutes. But… You're good with my sister, I admit. She likes you."

I think it's a bit more than 'likes,' considering she's four months pregnant, Kai's brain piped up. He had to bite his tongue to keep from saying the words out loud.

"And, well, y'know… I don't want either of our kids to see us fighting. Our kids should be able to see their cousin."

That had been a part of why Rick had been surprisingly calm and supportive, Kai knew.

Two months before they were to come to Mineral Town, Popuri had taken some tests and gone to the doctor. There, they'd confirmed the suspicions they'd had ever since Popuri started to feel queasier and developed a sudden aversion to stew that she'd never had before.

Popuri had written her family right away, dropping it in the mailbox outside her and Kai's home in Lulukoko. In the envelope, she'd enclosed the first ultrasound picture, the important part helpfully circled in red.

And, to their shock, the returning letter also had an ultrasound photo.

Karen, whom Rick had married in the autumn, was about as far along as Popuri was, give or take a few weeks.

As soon as the boat had docked, the two women had just shrieked and run into each other's arms.

"Oh, Karen!" Popuri squealed, hopping up and down like a spring-toy. "We're gonna have our babies together!"

"Our kids are gonna grow up together!" Karen laughed in response.

Rick and Kai shared a Look at those words, both lightly frowning. There was no animosity, not yet, but those words did give them both pause.

Kai could tell Rick wanted to ask him about it already. He even saw the man open his mouth to speak. But then, he'd shook his head, and motioned to the rolling suitcase Kai held. "Hey, man, let me get that one for you."

"So…" Rick began, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "For the girls' sakes, and for the kids… I dunno, we at least pretend we get along?" He shrugged, almost helplessly, giving Kai a help me out here look.

Kai just sat and blinked across the table. Huh. This was unexpected.

"I'm not saying we'll be best friends or anything, but… I can stop being a huge jerk to you," Rick added, casting his eyes around the slowly-filling inn.

"Oh, wow, Rick Price admitting he was being an ass?" Kai gasped, then lifted his drink. "Damn, this must be stronger than I thought."

"Oh, screw off, I'm trying to be nice."

"You screw off, you've had it out for me for years, I'm allowed a few jokes."

Despite the barbs in their words, both men were smiling. Not friendly, but wry and sardonic. Rick rested his chin on his hand, staring at his reflection in the glass. Kai watched as his shoulders hitched slightly, then his face slowly softened. "I just… We have tension, but I don't want to drag Karen, Popuri, or our kids into it. Especially when Karen and Popuri love each other so much, and our kids… yeah."

"Yeah." Kai nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. The front two chair legs lifted off the ground as he traced his fingertips around the rim of his glass. "So. Yeah. Hatchet buried. No matter how dumb it was."

"I'm choosing to ignore that last sentence." Rick finally took a proper drink of his whiskey, tilting his head back as he took a long pull. Exhaling deeply, he put the glass back down and leaned back. "So, about what Karen said, though; the kids growing up together? Did you and Popuri talk about that yet? Drifting may work for you, but a kid needs stability."

"Oh, nah, nah, don't worry, me and Poppy talked about that as soon as we found out." Kai let his chair legs drop as he leaned against the table. He lifted one hand to flag down Ann, indicating he and Rick wanted food. "So, the plan is to stay here in Mineral Town while Poppy has the baby, and for the first three or four years. Then we'll spend winters in Lulukolo, and the rest of the year here."

"Hm, that's not how I would've done it, but if you both agree…" Rick shrugged.

"Yeah, well, Poppy doesn't want to stop traveling entirely, and she loves Lulukolo. We usually travel somewhere new every season, but we're willing to just stick between two places from here on out. And I still don't do well with the cold, so yeah, winter here is gonna suck… But eh, it'll be worth it."

"We gotta get you a good coat. Get you one of those puffy insulated ones, those things are a dream."

"Goddess, I'm gonna look ridiculous, aren't I? How much insulation are we talking about?"

Years later…

Seven-year-old Victor stood on the beach blanket, one hand shielding his dark green eyes as he watched the ocean. On the blanket proper, Karen and Rick were more composed; the former was reading a borrowed paperback as she waited, and the latter was squirting sunblock into his palm.

"Okay, come here, Vic," Rick said, dragging the fair-haired boy closer to him. "If you're not going to wait under the umbrella, at least put this stuff on."

"Aw, Dad! I hate that stuff, it smells like coconuts!"

"It's either that or you look like a lobster for three days. Eyes closed," Rick prompted.

"Lani doesn't need sunblock," Victor complained, but he dutifully shut his eyes.

"Lani does need and use sunblock, we've all told you this." Rick sprayed the sunblock over Victor's face, carefully rubbing away from his eyes. "There, you can open your eyes again."

Victor did just that, wrinkling his nose and sticking his tongue out. "You sprayed it up my nose!" he whined. Then something caught his attention, and he looked back to the sea. "Oh! The boat! Dad, Mom, it's the boat!"

Sure enough, the white ferry had finally started to appear in the distance. Rick and Karen weren't in a hurry, as they knew it'd take another seven or eight minutes to dock, but Victor ran for the dock immediately.

"Lani!" he called out, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting towards the little white dot. "Lani, can you hear me? LAAAAA-NIIIIII!"

Karen looked up with a wry grin. "How much you wanna bet Lani's doing the same thing?" he asked.

"Oh, that's a sucker bet."

And yes, as the ferry came closer and closer, they could indeed see a small, dark-skinned figure leaning against the railing. There was a very faint noise as it approached, as if Lani was also shouting.

Closer still and they could see and hear her clearly. Her curly black hair danced about her face in the summer breeze, and her hands were cupped around her own mouth as she shouted. "VIIIIIC! VIC, CAN YOU HEAR ME? VIIIIICTOOOOOR!"

"I HEAR YA, LANI! HIIII!"

"VIIIIIIIC!"

"They're gonna lose their voices," Rick muttered.

"I doubt either of them care," Karen said with a shrug. She stood up, putting her book into her shoulder bag. "Alright, let's go greet them."

When the ferry pulled in properly, Lani and Victor nearly fell over from the force of their running hug. Neither of their parents said anything, having long given up on trying to reign them in. Instead, Kai and Popuri allowed Victor to tug Lani by the hand down the dock, the two of them chattering away like birds.

As Karen and Popuri laughingly embraced, Kai and Rick regarded each other silently.

Kai was the first to act, inclining his head towards their retreating children. "They're gonna lose their voices by the end of the day."

Rick let out a braying laugh, reaching out to take Kai's luggage. "Damn right, they are… Hey, man, let me get that for you."