The next morning came quickly. Waking in Zecora's grasp, her face snuggled into my chest, made for a perfect start to my morning. The shades were still closed, but I didn't hear any wind or rain anymore. Instead, a bright patch of sunlight poked through a small break in the curtains, and Celestia's sunlight illuminated the room. I used my magic to pull the curtains back, bathing the room in late autumn sunlight. Zecora involuntarily reacted by burying her face deeper into my chest, groaning tiredly. "Wakey wakey, sweetie," I whispered, leaning down and nipping gently at her ear.

She yelped and jumped up, her mane a mess as she looked around wildly before focusing on me. She glowered ad me and jumped onto my chest. "My ears are sensitive," she whined as she hit my chest over and over again playfully.

"Hehe, good to know," I said as I smacked her flank.

She squealed and blushed. "Well, aren't you on fire this morning, my love," she cooed sensually.

"Tends to happen when you're snuggled all night next to the sexiest Zebra in the multiverse," I replied as I touched her tail and stroked it. "It's hard not to…well, get hard," I grinned.

She bit her lower lip. "If we didn't have guests in the house, I'd be all over you and never let you leave the bed for the entire day," she said sultrily, eyes lidded as she leaned in and gave my own ear a sensual nibble. I shuddered as she did this for a good five seconds before she moved away, a bright warm smile on her face. "That'll have to wait, though," she said, all trace of her saucy tone gone. "Besides, I smell breakfast!"

I sat up and stretched, letting the covers fall away. Sniffing, I smelled eggs, buttered toast, and even some breakfast sausages and bacon. "Oh shit, I forgot about Gemini and Mica!"

I went to the closet, grabbed some sweats and a hoodie that Rarity had made for me based off of my old Earth clothes, and put on her slippers. Zecora was already at the door, waiting for me as I flung the door open and rushed downstairs…

…only to find Steel Blaze and Silver Thunder in the kitchen instead. The two were busily making breakfast on the same platters as they'd used the night before. Stunned, I walked in and looked at what they'd made. I saw an entire platter of lightly buttered toast right beside one of scrambled eggs. There was a third platter of sausage and bacon as well, which caught me even more off guard. Next to it I saw a large pitcher filled with what looked like freshly squeezed orange juice. I looked at the two Ponies. "Um…good morning…?" I stammered out. "What's going on?"

Steel turned and smiled at me. "Good morning, sir!" he said jovially as he caught two plates in his magic and hovered them over to the platters. "What can we get for your breakfast today?"

Silver turned and waved his wing at me in greeting as I worked my jaw, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "You…made all this?" I asked, gesturing to the breakfast platters in front of me.

Steel nodded. "After your generosity last night, we wanted to repay you for all you did, so we decided to make your breakfast for you! I hope you'll forgive us for cooking up some of your meat, but the eggs and bread we bought ourselves."

I shook my head. "Um…it's okay, but you didn't have to do that," I said, "not that I'm not grateful, because I am, but I could have taken care of it-"

"Sir Jethro, it's our pleasure," Silver said with a bow. "You treated us better than most of our other clients. We wanted to thank you before we headed back to Canterlot."

Zecora put a hoof on my back. "It's a matter of pride for them, dearest," she said softly.

I smiled a bit, then nodded. "Well, thank you for that. The offer is very much appreciated. Since you're offering, I'd like a little bit of everything you've made today."

Steel grinned wider and telekinetically filled my plate with two pieces of toast, four sausages, three strips of bacon and a healthy helping of the scrambled eggs. Zecora asked for just toast and eggs. The skilled chef carried our plates into the dining room area where I found the three maids from the night before already eating heartily. Strawberry was the first to see me and she waved at me. "Sir Jethro! Good morning! I hope it was alright if we ate in here. You have no servant's dining area."

I took my normal seat. "And a good morning to you three lovely ladies," I said with a smile, causing them all to blush and wave back. "Don't worry about eating in here. I had the redecorators tear out the old servant's dining area. I hope you slept well. That was some storm we had last night."

"I slept like a filly," Amber said. "Winter storms never bothered me, anyway." Alright then, Elsa.

"It was like I was sleeping on a cloud," Velvet added dreamily.

"They are quite delightful, aren't they?" Zecora asked as she took a sip of her orange juice.

"Where did you get them?" Strawberry asked.

"Believe it or not, Princess Luna sent me one for each bedroom in this house after I complimented the ones in Canterlot Palace," I said.

"Y-You mean, those beds are like the ones that Princess Celestia sleeps on?" Velvet asked in awe.

"Probably so," I said non-committedly. It wouldn't do if word got out that I'd seen Celestia's bedroom.

Before anyone could say anything else, the doors to the dining room burst open. We all went silent as a bitter looking Spoiled Rich walked in slowly. Her makeup was gone, and she wasn't wearing anything, like most other Ponies did on a normal basis. She quietly took a seat as far away from the rest of us as possible. Turning to Steel, I motioned him forward and whispered, "Get her some breakfast too, please?"

The Unicorn nodded, then vanished into the kitchen, coming back minutes later with a healthy serving of eggs, toast and a tall glass of orange juice. Setting it down at her place, he made a hasty retreat back into the kitchen. We all returned to our meals, this time in tense silence. I kept glancing over in Spoiled's direction, and to my relief she did eat, just not with much enthusiasm.

Not wanting the breakfast to be completely ruined by the Earth Pony mare, I turned back to the three maids. "Do you need fare for the trip back to Canterlot?" I asked. "I can give you fare."

Strawberry chuckled and waved her hoof. "You've done so much for us already," she said. "We can take care of that ourselves."

I was about to insist, but someone kicked my shin quietly underneath the table. I turned to Zecora, who was innocently sipping on her orange juice. That mare of mine, I thought as I turned back to the maids. "Very well," I said with a chuckle. Looking satisfied, Strawberry went back to eating.

"Dining with the help…typical…" I heard Spoiled muttering under her breath.

The smile on my face vanished and I turned towards her. "Care to share what you just said with the class?" I asked with a neutral voice.

Spoiled jumped when I addressed her. She turned to me and opened her mouth to speak, but when our eyes locked, she paused. Slowly, she closed her mouth and shook her head. "It was nothing…" she said, sounding like a scolded child.

I nodded. "I thought so," I said as I returned to my meal, giving the three maids an apologetic look.

After that brief interlude, Zecora and I resumed talking to the three maids, and the mood greatly improved. Gemini and Mica came downstairs a little while later, and after some introductions, they joined us. Mica sat next to Zecora and Gemini next to him. To my surprise, the young Lycan teen seemed to hit if off with Strawberry and the two talked animatedly about their homes and their favorite things to do. It turned out that Strawberry was planning on moving to Ponyville once she finished with her time at Celestia's School of Magic by the time spring rolled around. I was surprised to find she was eighteen and her job at Sweet Sorbet's was part time so she could earn enough money to find a place to live in Ponyville. I could have been wrong, but I swore I saw some sparks flying between Mica and Strawberry.

When Gemini and Mica finished, the latter thanked the chefs for their meal before they went outside for some more training. Zecora, when she finished, informed me that she was heading over to Twilight's house to talk with her about something. I kissed her goodbye and she trotted out. When the maids all finished, they joined the chefs in cleaning their plates and silverware. They also insisted on cleaning the dining room when Spoiled and I finished. The former quietly retreated to the living room once more as the maids and chefs cleaned up and gathered their belongings up.

As they were leaving, Strawberry stopped and handed me something. "If it's not too much trouble, could you give this to Mr. Mica for me? I forgot to give it to him."

"Oh? What is it?" I asked without thinking. I quickly amended my statement and added, "Sorry, force of habit. Not my business."

"It's alright, it's just my home phone number," she chuckled. "We never got to finish a conversation we were having at breakfast, and I wanted to continue."

I put the paper in my pocket. "I'll make sure he gets it," I said.

She thanked me, then headed off to join her fellow maids, leaving me and Spoiled alone in the house. I closed the door, walked over to the couch opposite the one Spoiled was sitting in. The two of us sat like that for a while, her on her haunches looking at the floor and me giving her a level stare. Finally, I spoke up. "Well, Spoiled Rich? What are you going to do?"

Startled, she looked up at me with a hardened glare. "Why do you care?"

"That's a good question, and I don't know why either," I admitted, "but since you're still my guest, your safety is paramount. Now, my offer still stands. You can stay with me all week, or go find a place to stay."

"You've done enough," she said with a growl as she haughtily stood. "I'm leaving."

"Suit yourself," I said as I stood as well. She went back to the room she'd slept in, presumably to grab her stuff from the night before. "I do wish you well, despite what you think of me," I added. She stopped and I continued. "I don't expect us to be friends, but I do hope that, someday, we can at least find some common ground where we can tolerate each other at least."

"That…will never…never…" she trailed off, apparently unable to finish the sentence.

"Never say never," I said as she retreated into her room.

I went to the door and opened it, letting the cold, damp morning air in. The sun was shining on the grass and water fell from the gutters and the tree outside. The air smelled fresh and clean and I watched as my breath exhaled visibly. I turned back and stood in front of the door frame just as Spoiled came out. She approached, then looked up at me. She opened her mouth, but I held up a hand. "Before you go, let me give you some advice: never be cruel, and never be cowardly. Hate is always foolish, and love is always wise. Always try and be nice, but never fail to be kind." I stepped aside. "I don't know what might have happened in your past, and frankly it's not my business, but I know this much: I know your husband well enough to know that if he fell in love with you, there must have been something good he saw. Find that piece of yourself, and let it flourish. Feed it, let it grow. Be the mother Diamond Tiara deserves, and be the loving wife Filthy Rich needs and wants."

Her scowl returned, and she stormed off past me, making her way towards my gate. I watched her open the gate and slam it shut. Sighing, I closed the door, leaned against it and looked up at the ceiling. Today might just be a long day…

The cobblestone streets of Ponyville were drenched with the remnants of the rain from the storm, and Ponies were going to and fro, just business as usual. I decided that, before some studying with Twilight, that I'd go for a walk through town. I received plenty of 'Good mornings' and 'Hellos' from passerby Ponies, and I greeted them back automatically, but my mind was not quite focused on them. I couldn't really get Spoiled Rich out of my mind. I knew it wasn't my business, and I knew better than to intervene, but a part of me was worried. I knew in the show she never really changed her ways even after Diamond Tiara's reformation, but the marriage never got so bad as to be threatened like this.

I continued walking, trying to put her out of my mind. I had other things to worry about, such as the council in a week at the Castle of the Two Sisters. I'd done my best to make the best impression as I could, but she was as stubborn as a mule in her beliefs. So why am I so fucking worried?!

It wasn't until I was inside the store that I realized I had walked straight inside Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargains. The store wasn't as busy as it normally was, but the shelves were a bit bare. Probably some storm preppers came in last night, I thought. I saw a couple of Pony employees restocking shelves, and a cashier at the register. I walked up and down the aisles, half paying attention to the products on the shelves. I grabbed a few things I knew I needed, like eggs, milk, bread rolls and butter, and took them up to the register.

But by that time, Filthy Rich was behind the till. We locked eyes, and he must have seen something in them because his customer service smile dropped. "Sir Jethro? Is something wrong?"

"Just…preoccupied," I said.

He began ringing me up. "Is it about last night?" he asked.

I sighed and nodded. "It's…well, she stayed the night last night because of the storm. And before you ask, I offered to let her stay."

Filthy's face went hard, but he nodded. "Thank you for that," he said.

"I know it's none of my business, but how are you and your daughter doing?" I asked.

As Filthy bagged up my groceries, he sighed. "Diamond…she took it very hard. I let her stay home from school today, but I can't just let Spoiled get away with stuff like that from now on. Diamond's a good girl deep down, I know she is, but Spoiled's just…" He looked down and inhaled deeply. "I love her very much, but her behavior has gotten worse over the years. I want the old Spoiled back."

"Well, I hope that happens too, but it might take a while," I said. I then proceeded to tell him, in detail, just what had happened the night before after he'd left. I didn't leave anything out, not even the part where I slapped her.

"I'm extremely sorry about her," he said apologetically, "but I'm glad she had a warm place to stay last night. And I'm glad you helped calm her down. She's had bad experiences with storms."

"So I gathered," I replied.

He nodded. "I am really grateful to you. You had no obligation to let her stay the night, especially after she insulted you and your marefriend."

"No, I didn't, but having a conscience can be a bitch sometimes," I snarked.

Filthy snorted and nodded. "Agreed."

I put down the appropriate amount of bits on the counter, but Filthy pushed them back. "It's on me today. Please."

There was something in his voice that kept me from insisting I pay. Probably some of that Pony pride I'd been seeing. Slowly, I pulled the bits back and put them in my change pouch. "Thank you, Mr. Rich. And I wish you the best. I hope she does change."

"Me too, Sir Jethro…me too…"

I dropped my groceries off back home and went for a walk to the park. It was noon, now, and I saw a few Ponies walking around the small artificial pond that they'd dug up by hoof near the beginning of Ponyville. I saw Lyra and Bon Bon enjoying a small walk together, and they both waved at me as they passed. I waved back, then leaned back and inhaled the crisp air.

After a few strolls around the park pathway, I found a relatively dry bench up one of the small hills overlooking the park, hiked up and sat down, just taking in the relative peace and quiet of the post-stormy day.

It wasn't long before someone walked up and gently tapped my leg. Looking down, I saw Vinyl Scratch looking up at me. Her shades were gone, and she had a concerned expression on her face. She made some motions with her hooves, and I read, You cool, bro?

I chuckled. "Eh, I've been better," I said. "Just a long night."

Dinner was a bust, huh? She asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," I replied.

She hopped up onto the bench next to me, then said, Pretty sure anypony could have told you that, dude. She gave me a small smile at that.

I chuckled. "Yeah, probably. But I had to try."

Hey, whatever you wanna do is chill with me. You're a cool stallion.

"Heh, not that cool. But thanks anyway, Ms. Scratch."

First name is fine with me. You're a friend. You get first name privileges. She tapped my arm playfully, pulling her shades out of the small one-sided saddlebag and sliding them on, giving me a grin.

"You just don't let anything get you down, do you?" I asked with a wry grin. "How? I'm envious."

Dude, I have a job I love, a house with an amazing friend, and I get to make Ponies happy. I don't need to talk to do that. Sure, it'd be nice to talk again, but I love life!

I chuckled. "You're just like Pinkie."

Nah, that mare's too wild even for my clubs, she said with a scoff and smirk.

"Guess not everyone can handle her," I said.

"I want you to handle me!" Pinkie jumped out from seemingly nowhere, sitting into my lap and looking down at me with a wide happy grin. "Hey Jethy!" she shouted, putting her forelegs around my neck.

A genuine smile creeped up my lips. "Hey, Pinks."

Vinyl was silently laughing as she signaled, See what I mean?

"Eh, I've just come to learn that when it comes to Pinkie, expect that anything can happen," I replied.

Pinkie gasped in shock. "You can talk to DJ Pon-3?!"

"Anyone can talk to her," I chuckled, "but I think you mean understand her. Yes, I can understand PSL."

Pinkie squeed and bounced up and down on my lap over and over, giggling. "That's like the super duper coolest thing evar!"

"…Did you just say…evar?" I asked stunned.

Vinyl was silently laughing her ass off as Pinkie continued bouncing on me. She managed to get out Get a room.

I realized just what Pinkie was doing might look like, so I grabbed her and lifted her up. "Okay, Pinks, time to take a chill pill."

She made a Pinkie Pie brand thoughtful face, then said, "Nah, if I did that, I'd stay in bed all day with the munchies! Later, Jethy!" She planted one playful kiss on my lips before bounding off, humming, of all things, the My Little Pony theme song.

I watched her go, mouth agape. "Wait…Equestria has weed?!"

"Monkey-man! You're late," Spike grinned up at me as we fist bumped. I'd spent about an hour in the park with Vinyl, talking with her about a few different things, like our tastes in music and she even listened to me as I recounted the evening, minus Spoiled's fear of storms. In her hip lingo way, she told me she was impressed and that if Spoiled couldn't see the effort I put in, then she was a lost cause.

"I don't recall ever setting a time officially for our meetups," I said.

In a flash of light, Twilight was directly in front of me, eyes wide with anger. "Jethro Edward Bethridge! You're late!" I was beginning to regret telling her my middle name, because she only ever used it if she was particularly cross with me.

"Told ya," Spike said, walking towards the kitchen as he threw a small gem up in the air and catching it in his mouth. How that little drake managed to actually chew down on a gem was beyond me. I'd even tried once out of curiosity, and gotten a sore jaw for my trouble.

I raised my hands in defeat. "Fine, I'm late! But to be fair, we never set a time to meet. Officially."

She huffed and glowered at me. "Okay, fine, but from now one, I'd like you here at the regular time. And that makes it official."

"Yeah, sorry. Long night, is all," I said as I entered the library and walked over to the couch in the center of the room, taking out my laptop.

Twilight's expression became one of worry. "Right, last night was that dinner you had with the Rich family. How did it go?" She moved up and sat next to me. I'd noticed recently that she'd actually begun sitting somewhat like how Lyra sat, at least for a little while.

"It started out alright," I sighed. "Then went to shit."

She winced at my choice of words, but put a hoof on my thigh gently. "Wanna talk about it?"

For the third time that day, I recounted the events of the previous evening. Twilight's worry turned to anger when she heard what Spoiled had said about me, and by the time I was done, she looked livid. "So…yeah," I finished. "That's the story."

Spike had joined when I'd first begun telling the story. "Wow…Spoiled Rich really is a bitch, isn't she?"

Twilight gasped. "Language, Spike!"

"He's not wrong," I said. "But I don't know why I'm so worried about her."

Twilight refocused on me, then leaned against me, one hoof around my back comfortingly. "You have a good heart, Jethro," she said kindly and softly. "If somepony like Spoiled can't see it, that's her loss. But from what you've said, you treated her well, and never raised your voice except when she insulted Zecora."

"I can take a lot of insults, but you insult my loved ones, I will defend them. And that includes the two of you."

Spike gave me a thumbs up and Twilight blushed a bit. "We love you too, Jethro," she said with a warm smile.

I put an arm around her and hugged her close. "Thank you," I said with a smile of my own.

"You aren't leaving me out of this!" Spike said as he rushed over and leaped towards me.

I caught him with my free arm and hugged the young Dragon. "Never, little dude," I said as I gave him an affectionate noogie.

"You'll mess up my spines!" he huffed as he tried to push my hand away. From beside me, Twilight giggled.

"They're spines, dude," I laughed as I released him. "They won't just go everywhere like hair."

"Tell me about it," he said. "I remember having hair as a human on Earth. Painful stuff."

"I like having hair, thanks," I grinned. "Besides, I was actually going to do something a bit different today instead of studying old rulers. Although I guess this could be a good way to learn a lesson too."

Twilight's ears perked up. "Really? What is it?" she asked.

"Well, first of all, I need to tell you that what I'm about to show you is all fictional," I said as I opened the laptop and turned it on. "The world I'm about to show you isn't real, and neither is the simulated violence within it. It's rated for more mature audiences only, but I don't see any reason why Spike here wouldn't want to see it. After all, there are dragons in it, although they play the part of bad guys."

Spike crossed his arms and huffed. "I'm not an idiot, monkey-man," he said with a small pout. "I've read plenty of comics where the bad guys were dragons."

Twilight was rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Well, what are you going to show us?"

I grinned and pulled out my Xbox One game controller, and used the spell Twilight taught me to project the screen holographically above the room. The screen was black, then some epic sounding drums began to play, followed by some choir. "Today, we explore the vast world known as Skyrim as the Dovahkiin, also known as the Dragonborn. Now then, let's go." I hit New Game.

It never mattered just what world we were in. Video games tended to suck up time. Twilight and Spike were equally enthralled by the video game, and Spike even remarked on how amazing the graphics were, which made me laugh when I explained that the game was over ten years old and game graphics had since improved. When I mentioned Star Wars video games, he all but pleaded to be allowed to come over and play some at my house sometime.

I let Spike use my controller and play for a while, but cautioned him not to damage it since I couldn't replace it for another three years, that was, if the history of the parallel Earth through the Stargate held to my understanding of history. Sure, I had a spare controller at home, but I didn't want to lose any of my tech.

Twilight even took a turn, and I saw just how versatile her magic could be. Her reflexes were incredible, and even at a low level, she managed to take down a dragon and kill an entire band of extortionist bandits. For the most part, though, the studious mare was taking down notes on the Skyrim country, its races, magic, and political environment, the latter of which we actually talked about since the game designers had made it so that neither side was either good or bad, more like a mix.

When dinner rolled around, the three of us ate a quick meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as Spike and Twilight talked animatedly about the parts of the game they both liked. I watched the two of them with an amused expression. They really were like siblings, or perhaps like mother and son. They did act a lot like family when it was just the two of them.

Both ate quickly and were eager to get back to the paused game. I, on the other hand, was all too engrossed in my sandwich to return right away, and since the stipulation I'd made with them was that I would have to be in the same room while they played or watched, they waited impatiently. I came back after washing my hands, probably a bit longer than was necessary, but teasing Twilight was becoming fun for me. That adorkable mare.

When nine in the evening rolled around, I called it a night despite pleas from Twilight and Spike. I promised that I'd come by again soon so we could play that, or perhaps another game. I packed up my laptop and said goodbye to the two, thanking them for the meal.

The stars were out in abundance despite the street lamp glow. The Milky Way spread its sea of stars above me, and I could see Orion just beginning to rise in the east. The night was cold and I saw my breath in the air as I walked down the streets back to my house. A few Ponies on their way home greeted me jovially, and I even saw one stumbling home drunk, but declined my help when I asked if I could take him home. He did thank me for the offer.

When I got home, Scarlet was sitting in the living room, using her wings to scroll through the internet on her new laptop. Currently, she was watching some Hellsing Abridged and laughing hard. "I'm home," I said as I closed the door and set my laptop bag down on the other empty couch.

She turned and waved with her spare wing. "And what sort of time do you call this?" she asked in a decently good approximation of River Song. I'd learned recently that she was a decent vocal impressionist.

"I lost track of time playing Skyrim with Twilight and Spike," I said as I removed my jacket and hung it up. "How was your night with Derpy?"

"It was a blast!" she said happily. "I showed her the first Kung-Fu Panda movie, and she loved it! Then I found a fan song about her online."

"Oh? What song?" I asked. Scarlet opened a new tab, went to YouTube and typed in Hay Miss Derpy. For the next four minutes, I listened to the lyrics and bobbed my head to the beat. When it finished, I had a wide grin on my face. "Wow…that's a gorgeous song. What did she think?"

"Cried her eyes out," Scarlet said with a small smile. "That poor mare couldn't really believe that anyone in another world could think so highly of her, even though it was just a fansong. She was so happy."

"She deserves to be happy," I said. "I'm glad your time with her went well. I'm heading to bed."

"Before you go, could I ask a question?" she asked.

"You just did," I deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. "You're a riot. No, come on."

"Heh, alright. What is it?"

"What's Fallout: Equestria?"

I pursed my lips. "It's a pretty famous MLP fanfiction series. There's a video game series on Earth called Fallout that I've never played, and I've heard about Fallout: Equestria before, but I never read it since I wouldn't get any references. From what I know about the Fallout video game, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world after a massive war. So maybe that fanfic is the same."

She nodded in understanding. "Hmm…I see."

"Why do you ask?" I asked. She pointed to one of the videos on the screen, the title of which read Hay Ms. Derpy (Cover for the Fallout: Equestria radio adaptation featuring Metal Mare and Atticus). "Ah. That makes sense."

She nodded. "Well, it's been a long day for me. I'm going to bed." She grabbed her laptop and headed upstairs, swaying her flanks as she walked away. She looked over her shoulder and blew me a kiss. "Sleep well with that image in your mind, big boy."

"I'm almost afraid of what you'll become when you go through estrus," I shuddered in fear.

"Guess you'll have to wait until spring," she crooned as she trotted upstairs.

"Goddamn that mare…" I groaned as I grabbed my laptop bag and headed upstairs, humming Hay, Miss Derpy. It was a good song, and I was glad Derpy could find something good in it.

The moment I reached the second-floor landing, I saw some light coming from behind my bedroom's double doors at the end of the hallway. As I made my way over, I smelled some sweet fragrances coming from my room. It smelled a lot like flowers, if I was honest. Flowers that were found in the Everfree Forest.

My frown turned into a smile as I approached and gently opened the door. There were flower petals on the floor surrounding the bed, candles lit on the desk, end tables, and dresser. And right on the bed lay Zecora, lying in what had to be the sexiest pose she could pull off in her normal form. She looked up and batted her eyelashes at me, slowly lifting her tail from where it was hiding the goods. "You're late," she cooed softly as she winked at me.

Slowly, I put down my laptop bag, closed and locked the doors behind me, and cast the cone of silence spell. "Not too late, I hope," I said with a rising grin.

"Never too late." She licked her lips and gently patted the bed. "Come to bed, dearest."

I gently approached the bed…

Next chapter might, once again, be a bit delayed since, as per normal, a clop chapter and a normal chapter following always will come simultaneously. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!