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Now very few people knew that Howl, wizard though he was, was easily bribed. By two things, really. Romance, and ice cream. There was also something else, however, that convinced him. Kali had a secret? What was it? Was she secretly gay? Was she no longer interested in Lance? Was she finally going to make him god father of the child she didn't seem to know existed within her womb? He decided it would probably be the latter--though he wouldn't give up hope that Kali had lost interest in Lance.

"A secret just for me?" the teenager asked, intriged. "And ice cream? I'll be there in five minutes."

True to his word, Howl was there--four minutes and forty five seconds later. He knocked on the door. "Kali?" he asked, opening the door. "What's the secret?"

"I want the secret first," Howl said, crossing his arms. He studied her and smirked. "But I think I can guess your secret," he said equally as myserious. "Why don't you tell me now, and we can have ice cream in celebration?"

"Summoned a passing wind," Howl said. "Nothing new. It's an old trick. I've used it often enough. I can teach it to you, after you tell me what the secret is." He bent down to take off his shoes. "Why won't you tell me now?" he asked, walking over to the couch and plopping down beside the red headed mage.

"Are you about to declare your everlasting love for me, Kali? Because I don't know if my stomach could take it."

Howl took the spoon and stared at her for a moment. "Oh, I know," he agreed immediately to her statement that she was about to become horribly fat. He didn't seem to realize that it could have been taken as being rude. "Oh, the spell's simple," he agreed. "I taught it to Sophie before the djinn stole the castle, you know." Sophie had been supposed to rest too, but it hadn't happened that way.

He just hoped he wouldn't need to turn Kali into a cat to save her life.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and plastered a smile on his face. "Congratulations!" he said, hoping to sound almost as excited as Kali did. Kali was having a baby? Well, he had known that months ago. Kali was having a baby! His eyes glinted with much more genuine excitement. "I'm godfather." No question about it. Howl simply was.

Howl returned the hug, grinning. She had agreed! She had made him godfather after all! "You're my best friend, too," he said. He lowered his voice, as if to tell her a secret. "And Kali?" he said, "No matter how big the baby makes you, you'll always be the most beautiful mage I've ever met."

The wizard stared at the tub briefly, measuring its size with his eyes. Eat an entire tub of ice cream? He needed to gain a few pounds anyway, or Sophie would begin to rant about how thin he was. (His father had gone on that very rant only that morning). He smirked. "Let's do it."

Howl beamed. Really, he felt the same way. Except that Kali was like a sister he actually liked. Megan had never understood him--but then, he had never really bothered to let her. "I love you too," he said. He took a bite of ice cream and swallowed.

Howl paused, and with a hastily muttered spell, he grinned. "It's a boy," the wizard said with finality. He went silent for a moment, before frowning slightly. He had done this before, hadn't he? With Morgan. He remembered Morgan, but the memories surrounding that were still fuzzy. "Dangerous," he said at last. "Making a pregnant, red headed witch--or mage, angry is extremely dangerous."

He thought about her question, this time more seriously. "It's hard at first," he decided. "Name deciding, buying things for the baby... It's worth it, though. Definitely worth it... I miss Morgan, Kali." He sighed and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Everyone says he'll be here soon," Howl muttered. "But what kind of soon? Next year? Tomorrow? The day after? Months from now? Darcy once got upset with me for asking about him, you know? When she invited me to the caves. I think they live there... She said my life here wasn't so bad. I wasn't saying it was--" He gave her a gentle, gentle squeeze, being mindful of the newly forming human being within the mage. "Even if she does bring Morgan though, he'll be going to another family.

"Does the proposal five years ago count?" the wizard wanted to know. "If so, yes. ...No. I'm terribly nervous, Kali. I prepared myself and everything... I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and then I saw her and I blanked completely." He sighed. "Whenever I propose, the wedding's in May. May first. You and Lance are coming."

"I suppose..." Was all Howl had to say to Kali's logic. Morgan would be safe, he figured. Even Darcy wasn't stupid enough to put the toddler somewhere he'd be unhappy and hurt. For surely she knew that if that happened, Howl would kill her.

"It should," Howl complained. Five years ago should have counted, because he had proposed. Once. "I don't know, Kali.. I just have a feeling. What if she's really fallen for Prince Justin, like half the fanfictions about us say?" He smirked and shook his head. "I was more nervous the first time," he admitted.

"The wedding has to be in May," the wizard said with a frown. May was important. He'd first met Sophie in May. He took a bite of ice cream in attempt to show he was ignoring her, and swallowed. "There's soon again. Alright, I'll propose soon." Slightly concerned that Kali would die if he didn't propose, and even more so that he knew the baby couldn't possibly be born by May and so survive, he said, "I'll propose this week."