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Leo nodded, "well i promise not to try and eat our babies. and neither shall you." he pinched Elliot''s nose hard and moved to stand, but his hips gave ou and he sat down again, hard. "ouch. i guess my body wants to stay right here for the moment."

Ambrose knew she'd never be able to forgive herself, though she knew it was no fault of her own. She had slept peacefully while her husband and son had been tortured and raped and her daughter was left without a family. "you were hurt so much worse than I, my love." Ambrose kissed him again, pushing as much passion and love as she could into the simple gesture, "i will do everything in my power to never let you suffer again. both you and the children."

Leo snuggled into Elliot's arms, "good, because i'm in no mood to be shared. i just might bite someone's head off." he chuckled and saw Lewis sneaking up to the baby's room, a smile on his lips and decided to not say anything. if Lewis was so desperate for baby time that he left Alvaro in bed, then Leo would let him have that time.

Nix slipped downstairs and saw Leo and Elliot cuddling on the couch. for one sad moment, she felt completely and utterly alone. they all had people to hold onto and love them, and she had no one. even the triplets had each other. she shook her head and went into the kitchen, helping Tsume with the last preparations of breakfast rather than think about it.

Ambrose smiled weakly through her own tears and wiped at Greg's at the same time, "as much as i'd love to stay in bed with you all day, my love, we should get up. from my understanding, there is the issue of what to do with Reta that must be decided soon."

Lewis silently shut the door behind himself and plopped down in front of the crib that housed the two sleeping angels. Rin had wiggled out of his blanket and was half covered as he curled up against Yuki and wasn't that the cutest, heartbreaking site ever? Lewis carefully tucked the blanket around the sleeping baby and sat back to simply watch.

Leo looked down, "you have done more than enough to have 'earned'. You saved me, Elliot. anyone else, having been given a bentien trained to pleasure you and endure anything you could possibly imagine and more would have abused and used her. But you? you gave me back to myself. starting with throwing that disciplined stick out the door." Leo smiled a little and then had to cover a giggle with his hand, "You know. all this time i've wondered the reaction of the person who found that on the side of the road. a cane worth more than most men can make in their life times left on the side of the road...." he shook his head, "you made someone rich."

Ambrose sat up and cupped Greg's cheek, "The land is sick, my love. The corruption of Reta is deep, it goes clear to the elder. that land was once warm and soft, harsher than others, fools would be lost in the desserts, but it was not a cruel place. this is our chance to save the people and the land! to take it over and give it a fresh start." she smiled at him, "we can do so much good here, save so many. we will start with freeing all of the captured lands. if they wish to stay they may, but the choice will be theirs. second we begin to reclaim the land, the forest will help us with that."

Leo shook his head, "sexual drive or no when we first met, i awakened it. you were so innocent, you didn't stand a chance." he smiled a little, they both knew how true that was. "I hope you are right. that it was taken by someone good hearted that used it to help himself and others as well." he closed his eyes and leaned his head back, "i remember how much that stick hurt. it had an iron core, or something similar. it was heavy-and the king was not holding back when he used it." the king had hit him hard enough that the design on the stick was impressed into his flesh, breaking a couple ribs while he was at it. "my last true beating."

Ambrose sighed, "There is logic in that, but do you think they could handle it? our two countries are already combined with the union of our sons and birth of the twins. we could share Reta, but i worry that it would be too much for such a small country." she shook her head, "No use debating about it here. let's go, i smell breakfast cooking and i'm starving."

Leo shivered as the mark was touched, he knew it wouldn't hurt him but the instinct was too hard to fight. "Yes, now i am completely free of that life." he ran his hand trough Elliot's hair, thinking back to why he was free. "You-" he looked at his soon to be husband and then looked down, "you do not fear me? I killed a man in a terrible way...taking the liquid from his body drop by drop..." what kind of monster lie inside of him. yes, it healed and gave life, but to take it like that as well. "it seems having children makes one all sorts of melancholy and second guess everything."

"Oh, the weddings." Ambrose had forgotten, though it was partially on purpose. "Doesn't seem fair, does it? we only just got our son back and now he is leaving us. he's only sixteen and has twins, Greg! he;s still just a baby himself, how can he handle raising two himself? and the lynx isn't much older, do you think they'll be ok?" she was getting up now, running her fingers through her hair and dressing. "if our people did not need me so badly now, i'd go with them, to help."

Leo closed his eyes, Elliot could, but he never had and never would. he was too kind hearted and far too conscious of himself to take another's life. "thank you, love. we should be happy, shouldn't we. it's our wedding day, after all."

Nix poked her head into the living room, "hey you two. breakfast. stop being all lovey dovey on the couch...." she went back into the kitchen only to pop her head out again, "Leo, you can eat there. Elliot too, i guess, since you probably won't leave Leo."

Ambrose sighed, "yes. we much relish the time we have before hell breaks loose." she kissed her husband once more before heading down stairs, "Leo, Elliot. how are you boys feeling?" she asked, sitting beside Leo and hugging him before smiling at her soon to be son-in-law, "are you excited?"

Leo flushed a little and looked down as he was hugged by his mother, a rush of nostalgia flooding his sense and making his eyes close fractionally. he let himself be embraced by the woman and drunk in her scent, forgetting everything else as his mind reverted back to that of a small child in his mother's arms.

Ambrose smiled, knowing Leo was lost for the moment so she kept her arms around him. "we've some excellent barbers here in Falia. and you should really change out of those hot clothes and into some of our clothing. they are much cooler." she stroked Elliot's ear, trying to calm him down a bit.

Nix walked out of the kitchen with two plates of food, Tsume following after with two more. "Mother, Father," Nix flushed a little saying those words. how long had she longed to be able to speak them aloud? "i've breakfast for you." she handed them the plates and went to get her own.

Tsume could tell Leo's mind was else where so he put the plate on the table in front of them and then handed Elliot his own plate, grinning darkly, "I[/i[ could cut you hair, El. i'll make it nice and pretty for you."

Tsume laughed, "oh you it looks shaggy, on me it looks dashing." he chuckled as he sat down, "eat, prince. don't make Nix's hard work go to waste, wouldn't leave a good impression, now would it?"

Nix blushed a little, sitting next to her father since Leo was taking up their mother, "it's ok. you don't have to eat it..."

Ambrose smiled, "there is no need to be nervous, dear. we're all family, or we will be by the end of the day. how about you tell us about yourself while we eat?"

Oliver could sleep anywhere, it was part of being a slave, but so was waking up quickly. at the first sound of voices, he was awake, but he pretended to sleep, needing those moments to remember where he was. when it came back, he sat up, books spilling about at his movements, "I'm sorry," he said automatically, hurrying to gather the books and trying to remember where they went. he'd learned a few words, but not enough to know the order that the books went in.