He got to the top of the steps and wasn't able to fully take in the rooms occupants before elan dashed to him, stopping only when she hit his body. The moment she did, she wrapped her arms around his hips and tipped her head back to catch his eyes.

"Maddie and me made cookies!" she cried.

"Is that so?" he asked softly, putting a hand to her thick hair.

"Sugar!" she stated excitedly.

"Are they good?" he asked.

"They are!" she exclaimed, then added excitedly. "And we rolled them in pretty colored sugar crystals so they're all blue and pink and green!"

"I can't wait to try one," he told her.

"It's safe now," she replied authoritatively. "But Chris has a burnt tongue. Maddie told him to wait until they cooled but he didn't listen." She grinned. "He still said they were yummy."

Apollo smiled in his daughter's eyes and slid his hand to her cheek where he brushed it affectionately with his finger.

Her grin turned into a smile and she let him go but only to move to his side and take his hand.

That was when Apollo fully saw all that was happening in the great room.

And that was when Apollo went completely still.

This was because the fire was burning merrily in its grate. A soft snow was falling outside the windows. Laures, Alek, Draven, Derrik, Remi and Gaston were lingering around chairs and a table that had been arranged in the center of the s.p.a.ce. Off to the side, up the steps and almost hidden around a corner, Hans and Loretta were in each other's arms, faces close, attention absolutely not focused on what was happening twenty feet away. And Meeta was sitting in a chair, eyes on the action in the center of the room.

And the action was Achilles sitting opposite Madeleine, a game of ricken set up on a table between them, Christophe sitting in a chair pulled close to Maddie's side.

His Maddie had her eyes to the board but her hand resting on her rounded belly.

Achilles made a move. Christophe and Maddie studied the board, then Chris leaned deep, hanging over the side of his chair to whisper into Maddie's ear.

Maddie looked to him. "You're sure?" she asked.

Christophe nodded.

She leaned in and whispered in his boy's ear.

When she pulled away, Apollo saw his son grin at his wife. "That's better."

She turned back to the board, her lips curled up, and made her move.

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," Achilles muttered.

Remi hooted, "Get out of that one, Lees."

Achilles looked to Christophe and Madeleine. "You two are a formidable pair."

Maddie grinned at Achilles before she turned and lifted her hand, palm facing Chris.

His son lifted his hand and smacked it.

And Apollo's chest expanded so sharply, he thought it would burst.

Because there she was. His dove. His Maddie. His wife.

In a warm, safe place where she was always welcome because it was her home, surrounded by love, making memories of laughter and happy times.

And there was his son, right next to her.

A formidable pair.

Suddenly, she turned to him, smiled and called, "There you are."

Apollo didn't move.

For in her eyes he saw nothing. No darkness. No despair.

He'd mined those depths and nothing but light shined through.

He'd given that to her.

It had been the most important mission of his life.

And he'd bested it.

He swallowed past the thick in his throat and called back, "Indeed."

It was then he felt his daughter tugging at his hand.

He let her lead him to his family.

He pulled up a chair on Maddie's other side and allowed his daughter to crawl into his lap.

When she did, he wrapped his arms around her.

And then he watched Christophe and Madeleine beat Achilles at ricken.

And directly after, sitting in the heart of his familial home, his wife and children safe, close and happy, with great contentment, Apollo Ulfr listened to his family's laughter ringing in the air.

Maddie I was sitting on the sofa, reading a letter from Finnie.

Or I was trying to. She'd written it on the deck of Frey's ship so the salty sea air had made the letters bleed.

But I got the jist of it and the jist of it was that apparently, dads with sons stopped being idiot dads when they had daughters.

Or at least they weren't idiot dads with their daughters.

I could tell by Finnie's stories of how Frey was with their Alyssa.

Added proof were the stories I read through Circe's letters of how Lahn was with Andromeda (then again, he wasn't an idiot dad with Isis, either; just Tunahn).

And last, from what I'd learned through Cora's letters of how Tor was with their little Dara.

I was grinning as I was nearing the end of Finnie's tales of Frey turning from idiot dad to an overprotective one when I felt movement in the room.

I looked up to see elan entering.

She walked directly to me, threw herself on the sofa beside me and crossed her arms on her little girl chest.

I knew what that meant.

"I take it the carriage is ready," I remarked and she tipped her head back to aim her jade eyes to me.

"Do I have to go back, Maddie?" she asked on a pout.

"I'm afraid you do, honey bunch. School is important."

She aimed her eyes in front of her and kept pouting. "I don't know why you stay all the way out here in the country when Papa has a house right in Benies."

I didn't know either. Except that it was peaceful here. And I suspected my husband, as any soldier would in a time without war, needed peace.

"Maybe I can talk your father into moving there for a couple of weeks so you and Chris can come home after school rather than staying there," I offered. "And on the weekends we can go shopping, and have a pastry in a cafe, and maybe he'll take us for dinner at Le Pont de L'eau."

Her head shot back and I again got her eyes. "Would you?"

"Anything for you," I replied and it was absolutely no lie.

Her face lit.

And my sweet elan's face lit often, but I suspected this time it was because she knew what I said was true.

A voice came from the door.

"Hurry up," Chris called. "The carriage is waiting."

elan started pouting again but I put the letter aside and got up from the couch, grabbing her hand and tugging her up with me.

We walked hand in hand to the door as Christophe watched, his eyes aimed to our clasped hands.

He never missed anything. Not Chris. He was ever watchful.

As any good soldier or writer would need to be.

He moved out of the door when we arrived. He then fell in step on the other side of me as we made our way to the front door.

I thought I would get used to it, the contentment, the calm that came from the absolute understanding that I had everything.

Walking to the door with Chris and elan, marveling at the sweet sensation of having them in my life and having them accept me in theirs, I knew I'd never get used to it.

And I knew why.

Because it got better when Chris opened the door and my husband, standing on the steps waiting for us, the sun shining on his dark hair, his green shirt opened at the collar, his brown breeches fitting him way to well, turned our way.

His warm, contented eyes slid through me before he looked to his kids.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I'm ready," Chris answered.

"I'm never ready to go back to school," elan groused.

"We'll see you at the week's end, precious girl," Apollo told her. "Now, give Maddie a kiss and let us be away."

elan let my hand go but only to turn to me and give me both of her arms.

I bent to her and gave her mine as well as a kiss on the cheek.

She touched her lips to mine before she let me go and dragged her feet as she walked to her father. Her step lightened when he lifted a hand to her and she reached out to take it.

Chris turned and looked up at me. "Until the week's end, Maddie."

I lifted a hand and again marveled at the sensation of how beautiful it was when he allowed me to bend to him and cup his jaw.

"Look after your sister," I told him softly.

"I will," he replied.

I gave him a smile.

He smiled back.

I marveled at the sensation that caused too.

I dropped my hand and Chris turned, sauntering with his father's grace to the carriage elan had already entered.

I moved to Apollo, put a hand on his stomach and tipped my head back.

He took the invitation and dropped his to touch his mouth to mine.

"I'll return in a few hours, my dove," he said there.

"See you then, baby."

He grinned against my lips.

I returned the favor.