Life After Death

Quinn/Juliet: double trouble

{Quinn}

All my children smelled like licorice. I couldn't really complain; I was just as guilty as they were. Corryn relayed to me what Mikaela had said, and though it made sense, she was supposed to be back tomorrow. She had socializing to do at Vercyne, because I certainly didn't want to do it. I almost wished I had joined Westley in Feremain, but it was difficult to get away from home with young boys. Ryon was not a nanny.

"So I made her a transport spell, and she left," Corryn finished.

"Only one?" I asked, sighing heavily.

"Yes, why?"

Ryon set spaghetti in front of my sons, who were relieved that it wasn't some suspicious vegetable and dug right in without assistance from me. Lionel and Parsifal began squabbling over the tongs, but after a stern look from Ryon, they shared. Dessert was a powerful tool, but only at dinner.

"It takes two to get to her parents and two to get home," I said. "So unless she had three extras in her bag, which I doubt, she's stuck there."

"You should probably go now," Ryon remarked. "Because she's needed tomorrow and Corryn and I can watch the boys for dinner."

"Torninc Manor? A little help?" I asked, looking up at the chandelier.

A little cluster of transport spells appeared on my plate.

"Thank you," I called, pocketing three of them. "I should return in less than an hour."

"Don't you get stuck too," Ryon warned. "Or I'll sell your sons on black market."

"I might let you," I replied, and vanished to the barrier.

I ran through it and tossed a spell down as soon as I came out on the other side. Within moments of leaving my dining room, I was knocking on the door of my wife's adoptive parents. Just once, I wished days would end like I thought they should. Of course, I had married Mikaela. I should have suspected my life would be turned inside out on a regular basis.

Mikaela opened the door and smiled at me.

"I knew you'd come for me," she said. "Though I thought you might come a bit later."

"We need you tomorrow," I told her. "Can you ask your mother to watch Dinadan for a few days? Please?"

She opened the door for me. They were also having spaghetti. Dinadan was smiling with some sort of brace on his arm, wrapped in ice. Tina stood up from the table.

"I heard from the kitchen," she said. "Dinadan can stay with us. Jere will be fine with it. Will four days be enough time?"

"Plenty," Mikaela said, but glanced at me. "We were hoping, at some more convenient point, to talk to you about Dinadan's schooling. With his neutrality, he can't be around other faery children. But if it's too incon..."

"It's pretty dull around here without you or Amy," Tina interrupted. "Let's call this a trial period, and you come back to talk to us in four days."

I was relieved. This meant Dinadan could have a childhood without making everyone around him sick by just existing. I didn't blame my son, but I knew it was difficult on all of us, even Mikaela. She didn't like to admit it though.

"Your four days or our four days?" Mikaela asked, giving in.

"Our four days," Tina replied. "You two look like you need a break. Five boys is enough chaos for anyone."

"Thank you so much, Mom," Mikaela told her, giving her a hug. I linked arms with my wife and we disappeared into a field, where the barrier was waiting for us.