_hellokitty (_hellokitty) wrote in supernextdoor, @ 2012-06-01 22:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, 10.12.11, becky, cathair, cleo, colin |
By the light of the moon
Who: Becky, Colin, Cleo and Cathair (with Amy and Sadhbh - NPCs)
What: Preparations for the full moon
When: 10.12.11 - Wednesday, Late afternoon
Where: Cleo and Colin's house, then Becky and Cathair's house
Warnings: dartgun? And Language
Cleo had been very clingy all day. Colin was tense and she could feel it coming off of him in waves and she wanted to do anything she could to make him feel even the slightest bit better about everything that was going to go down that night. At the moment she was curled up on the sofa, in his lap, clinging to him as if that was going to make the night not have to happen. Her face was buried in against his throat and she did not want to have to leave, but she knew that arguing wasn't going to help anyone. She'd have to suck it up and do as Colin wished. That didn't mean that she had to like it.
Letting out a soft little sigh against his skin, she pressed her lips gently to his neck. "I love you," she murmured. "Everything is going to be alright. I promise."
Colin hated the full moon. It hadn't gotten any better in the last ten months. This one was even worse because he knew Cleo was upset and worried and this just sucked. Usually he had a few beers over the day to keep himself calmer, but he didn't know how booze would react with whatever the hell Cath was giving him. Better safe than sorry. Cleo and Becky didn't need anything else to worry about.
He let out a soft, bitter laugh and wrapped her up in his arms tighter. "Who you trying to convince?" he challenged wryly. "You or me?" At first the clingy had bothered him, Colin was used to pushing people away when the wolf was so close to the surface, but as it drew closer to sunset, he found himself not wanting to let go of Cleo. "I hate this," he murmured softly.
"Both?" she admitted with a little sigh. She didn't like this either. "I wish I could make this better for you," she breathed. "Easier. Something. I feel so helpless." And she did feel helpless, the worst feeling of all in her mind. She kissed his neck again and then pulled back enough to look at him, gently brushing her fingers over his cheek and letting her hand stay rested there against his face. "And tomorrow you'll get all the kisses and cuddles you'll tolerate," she murmured, trying her best to put on a smile, though it faltered slightly.
Colin sighed and hugged her again. "It will be all right," he assured her. He knew this. It just sucked how much it was upsetting her. He was used to it. There was nothing that was ever going to make the full moon something he didn't hate and dread. It was just being a cursed were. There was nothing to do for it but endure it. Hopefully, Cleo would be able to accept that after a few of them. "That sounds good," he said. "At least I won't be as wiped out and bruised up as I usually am. I might even be able to work some tomorrow." That would be nice. He hated leaving the shop in Tony's hands alone for too long. It wasn't fair. Carr had had some family emergency and he was a cursed were too. So he wasn't any help over the full moon either.
"Maybe," she agreed with a little nod. "It'll just be like going to sleep," she assured him, hoping that would be exactly what it was like. "It's better than the alternative I'm sure." Not that she wanted to think much about the alternative, thanks. "I still wish you'd let me stay in the house," she sighed. "Maybe after a few goes with this method you'll feel more secure about it. I guess if I was in your position, I'd feel the same."
He hoped it was too, but he wasn't that optimistic. His luck was never that good. Yeah, they were not talking about the way he used to beat himself up in that cage every month. But then she started on staying in the house. "Cleo, don't," he said. They'd had this argument already. He wasn't budging. Just in case something went wrong. He wasn't taking any chances with his mate or his child. She'd just have to learn to accept that.
"I'm sorry," she sighed. And she was. She didn't want to upset him, but she didn't want to leave him either. Catching his lips in a soft kiss, she then rested her forehead against his. "I just have a hard time leaving you when I feel like you need me," she murmured. "But I'll do it. It's just one night, I'll be okay." She'd have to be because as stubborn as she was, Colin was more so.
"I need you and the baby to be safe," he told her, keeping the growl out of his voice as much as he could. "That is what I need you to do for me. If I know you're safe tonight, everything will be a lot easier." Hopefully, that would sink in soon, too. Colin wasn't usually such a mule about everything, but this was something he wasn't budging on.
"Okay," she told him, slumping against him again and resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes still on his face. She wasn't going to argue with him anymore. There was no changing this and she knew it was for the best. "Cathair is going to bring me to their house," she assured him. "I'll probably spend the night curled up with Sadhbh. Don't you worry about me being safe, I'll be fine." That much she could promise him. "And if this is what I get to do every full moon, that's fine by me," she added. "I just want you to feel secure, Colin, that's all I want."
He really didn't want to talk about it. At all. The tension in his whole body was getting worse as it came closer to sunset. It was just the way it was. He'd learned to give the wolf some slack these couple of weeks, but until he was in the cage and she was gone, not fucking happening today. "I know," he told her, then smiled softly. "Oh good, she'll be begging them for a kitten by the end of the night." Cathair was totally a dog person. Colin considered it a little bit of poetic revenge on the Irishman. He sobered when she said that. "I will feel a lot better," he assured her.
"I wish it was tomorrow already," she murmured. "I feel sick to my stomach over all of this." She knew she couldn't even imagine what he was going through and that hurt more than anything else. Seeing him suffer and knowing she couldn't do a damn thing to stop it wasn't sitting well with her. "I'm sorry I've been attached to you all day," she told him. "I'm surprised your legs haven't fallen asleep by now."
"So do I," he admitted. And they were still talking about it. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want her to know what he was feeling. He didn't want anyone to ever feel this way. "They are," he told her wryly. "I don't care. If it makes you feel better, I don't mind at all." Anything to make her feel better and stop worrying and talking about it. Please, God.
She couldn't help but want to fuss over him. As far as Cleo was concerned, he was just as much her mate as she was his. She was allowed to fuss, damn it. She was allowed to worry. And even if she stopped talking about it, she was still going to be worrying over him. But she could tell that he was tired of the conversation, even if he didn't say as much. Sliding out of his lap, she shifted to lay on the sofa against the arm opposite of where he was sitting, parting her legs enough that he could lay between them. "Come here," she told him. "You can lay on me a while and tell me how pretty I am," she smiled.
Okay, that was not any better than talking about it. She just had to lay down and offer herself up like that when the wolf was so close to the surface, didn't she? God. Colin groaned and palmed his face, trying to ignore the shudder that surged through his body. "Baby, please don't do that," he pleaded. "It's -" Explaining it would just be worse, although hopefully the smell would be a good hint.
Sighing, Cleo sat up and faced normally on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other and frowning a little. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I don't even know what to do or how to act and I'm just making everything more complicated and harder on you and all I want to do is make it easier," she muttered.
Christ. Colin growled and grabbed her, hauling her into his arms and sprawling across the couch. "Okay, don't apologize," he told her. "Right now, I'm moodier than any pregnant woman will ever be. It is not you. Seriously. You want to make me feel better? Distract me. Just not like that because that makes the wolf way too close to the surface. Sorry."
Cleo's go to distraction for Colin was usually sex because men liked sex and that was no secret. She was drawing a blank with how to distract him otherwise so she did the first thing that came to her mind and made the goofiest face she could think of, scrunching up her nose and sticking her tongue out at him. Lighter moods would do the both of them some good.
Yeah, that was usually a great distraction. Especially with how incredibly sexy she was. But not today. He laughed when she made a face. That was definitely better. "Okay, that works," he said, grabbing her sides and started tickling her. So long as they could keep it clean and she didn't try to corner him, it should be okay. "I know you're ticklish," he told her. "Because I am and I didn't used to be. So it has to be a were thing."
She giggled, struggling a little in his grasp and doing her best to wriggle free of his tickling fingers. "No fair," she breathed between laughs. Leaning up when she saw the opportunity, she licked his cheek hoping to distract him.
Colin laughed again. "Oh you did not do that," he told her, grabbing her around the waist and rolling off of the couch to the floor carefully, her pinned underneath him. "Brat." Okay, so this was probably a bad position. But at least he wasn't so tense. He leaned down and kissed Cleo.
Cleo smiled into the kiss, surprised that he'd put them in this position but not really complaining much. She returned the kiss plenty eagerly and when she pulled back, she smiled up at him. "You wouldn't have me any other way," she reminded him.
Yeah, he was trying really hard (yeah) not to think about her pinned under him. Although when she kissed him back like that, it was obvious he was going to have to move. "I want you any way I can have you," he reminded her, then groaned. "Okay, you are too sexy. This is not a good thing today." Letting out a sigh, he rolled off of her. "Next full moon, we'll work on your brakes or something." Not that that would help and in the context sounded dirty anyway. God.
Cleo let out a little sigh. "Maybe I should invest in a burka for full moon purposes," she commented, glancing over at him. "I can try to be less sexy?" she offered. "I have some baggy clothes somewhere..." She wasn't really sure how she could help in that situation. She wanted to just offer herself up for a quick roll in the hay, but likely that wouldn't go over well with him at this point. "Damn my genes for making me so damn gorgeous."
"Wouldn't help," he assured her as he got up off the floor and offered her a hand up. "You still smell awesome." He snickered and shook his head. "Yeah, damn them," he said. He wrapped Cleo up in his arms, pressing his forehead against hers. "I love you. I really do."
She smiled at him and nodded. "I know you do," she murmured. "And I love you back just as much. Remember that, okay? You're my mate, it's only proper," she breathed. "I'm trying really hard not to want you," she admitted softly, eyes on his. "I think next full moon I might have to leave sooner. Not that I want to, but I know this isn't easy."
Colin sighed. "I know, baby," he told her. "I can just feel it. It's hard to explain, which sucks because nobody else would understand. If you weren't totally committed to this, I'd know." The wolf knew tons of shit he couldn't quantify and it really sucked when they had to deal with his non-were family. "I'll suffer," he assured her. "I'd rather have to and have to behave myself then be here by myself missing you until I'm unconscious."
That honestly made her feel better. "Good," she murmured. "I'm glad you know. I'm one hundred percent committed to this and to you and to our family," she smiled. "And I feel better knowing that you know that. You know I worry," she sighed. "It's in my genes to worry I think. I just don't want you to ever feel like this is one sided because it's not." She was glad that he didn't want her to leave sooner too and she breathed a little sigh of relief. "Good," she said, chuckling a little. "I didn't want to leave earlier. Missing you is a feeling I want to experience as little as possible."
Colin sighed and took her by the shoulders and made her look into his eyes. "Cleo, I know its not," he told her. "I just know. It's a thing. I think it's the wolf. If you weren't into this 100%, the wolf would know and I'd be worried about it constantly. Since I need you. But that is the last thing I worry about. So I know, okay?" Really, he knew. "You worry way too much," he told her. "It's not good for you or the baby." He kissed Cleo softly. "Exactly. If I sent you away earlier, the wolf would be pissier and I'd be having a mild panic attack. The thought is giving me a mild panic attack. Let's just not and say we didn't, okay?"
She nodded a little. "Okay," she told him. "I'll work on it, love, I will." She'd try and that was all she could really do. She returned the kiss just as softly and decided that it was time for a subject change before panic set in. "I called my mother today," she told him. Perhaps talking about that would be surprisingly less stressful. "I told her, well, I told her everything," she smiled. "This morning. I figured I'd just tell you everything tomorrow, but now is as good a time as any, right?"
"I know," he said. "That's why I decided to give your car's engine a tune up. So I couldn't eavesdrop." He was curious, but he had a feeling it had gone good. Or else Cleo would have been miserable and crying in his lap all day. "What did she say?" Okay, the suspense was not helping, but he was forcing the panic attack down.
"Well, she's thrilled about the baby. She says it's a boy because she can 'feel it'," she laughed. "I think she's crazy, but I guess we'll see. She finds it hilarious that you're a wolf and is going to tease me forever with things like 'do you fight like cats and dogs?' and the like. I emailed her a picture of you and she says that you need to eat more, you're not chubby enough. And she promises to come to the wedding." There, all of that should make him feel better. Well, at least most of it. "She thinks I'm not feeding you enough and demands that I let her send me a copy of her recipe book so I can 'fatten you up'."
Colin laughed. "Did you tell her how much I eat?" he chuckled. "Not that I'll turn down more food. Ever. But clearly she needs to spend a few days with us." Colin rarely stopped eating and had never been able to gain weight worth a damn. He ate whatever he wanted and listened to his sister bitch her entire life how unfair it was. Because Becky had any problems that way. "I am a bit worried about her obsession with fattening me up. There's not a recipe in there for werewolf, is there?"
"I did, but she says that you're still far too 'scrawny'. I told her she's being ridiculous, but I figured you wouldn't turn food away," she grinned. "And no, there's no werewolf recipe, you goof," she laughed. "I wouldn't let her eat you. You have a baby on the way to help me take care of. And if he eats half as much as you, you might have to do some overtime," she teased.
He chuckled again. "I will never turn away food," he said. His stomach had enough of talking about food and not having any and issued a protest. He groaned. "Okay, do not talk about food. Cath told me not to eat anything after lunch, just in case the sedative made me sick." So he had been good and fasted since noon. Which probably wasn't helping his mood any. "Where the fuck is he anyway? It's getting late."
Cleo lifted her hands and put them against his chest gently. "He'll be here," she told him. "Any second most likely." She wanted to tell him to calm down, but she didn't. She hoped that just trying to calm him with her voice and a gentle touch would be enough without making him feel attacked or anything of the sort. "How bout I get you some water?" she suggested. "Sit."
Her words and hands were soothing. The wolf didn't consider Cleo a threat, especially when she was being careful. "No," he told her. "That requires letting go of you." Yeah, the was the bond having a hissy fit because he knew she was leaving. And as predicted, his phone buzzed and beeped with a text message. He dug it out of his pocket. "He's on his way. About damned time." He leaned down to kiss Cleo. "I miss you already. As lame as that sounds."
"It's not lame," she assured him. "I know how you feel. At least in the missing you already part. But it'll be over before you know it and I'll be waking you up for breakfast, okay? And kisses. Lots of kisses." Alright, enough talk about that before she wanted more of his kisses. "What would you like me to do?" she asked him. "What'll make this easier to get through?" She didn't want to think about the fact that it wouldn't be long now before she'd have to leave him. She'd already packed herself a bag with clothes for the next morning and left it by the door for Cathair to bring along when they left after he made sure the sedative worked. At least that part was out of the way.
Colin sighed. It was basically time and they needed to quit stalling. "Let him in," he said. "I'm going to go get in the cage." He kissed her one more time, then headed towards the basement, stripping off his shirt as he went. He'd leave the sweats he was wearing on, but he'd found out from experience tearing through too many thick layers of clothing sucked. He didn't expect not to shift and so it was best to be stripped down as much as possible.
It was hard to watch him go, but they were stalling and she knew it. The faster they got this over with, the faster the next morning would come. She paced for the next few minutes until Cathair knocked at the door and she headed over to let him inside. She doubted he was looking forward to this any more than she was and seeing how tired he looked worried her a little. She felt badly for having him come over, but Colin needed him. "You look like you had a long day," she said softly as she closed the door behind him. "Colin's downstairs," she added. "I'm not sure if he wants me to see him in the cage or not," she admitted. She wanted to hold onto him until he went to sleep but she doubted that would be possible.
"Evening," he greeted Cleo. "That was yesterday, but yes." His voice was still rough and breaking, but six hours of chanting did that. He was drained from the circle and glad such measures weren't necessary for Colin. He wasn't certain he could manage that twice in a row, at least not by himself. He really needed to find a proper coven, if such things existed over here. Americans as a whole disliked too much order and organization. "That's up to you, colleen." he said. "You can wait until he's under, then give him a proper good-bye kiss, that way he doesn't know."
Cleo shook her head a little. "He can read me like a book," she told him as she led the man through the house towards the basement and down the staircase. "He'd know. He always knows." Drawing in a little breath, she motioned towards the bottom of the stairs. "I guess it's up to him what he wants me to do."
Cathair nodded, stepping forward to give the girl a little hug. She looked as if she needed it. "Piss on what he wants," he told her wryly. "The stubborn prat can't always have his way. I'm more worried about what seeing him in there will do to you. It won't be easy, but the decision is yours. What's he going to do about it? He's in a bloody cage."
"You know I can hear you," Colin called irritability. He didn't say either way what he thought, but he did want to remind them he wasn't fucking stone deaf and sound echoed around the basement anyway.
Cleo did need that hug and she sighed at Colin's response. "I'm well aware that you can hear me," she told him. "And I'm staying, whether you like it or not. At least through this part. And I'm doing so because I love you." Drawing in a shaky little breath, she let go of Cathair and looked up at him. "Alright," she told him.
The Irishman rolled his eyes at his brother-in-law-to-be. "God knows what you see in him," he teased her. "All right." He shouldered the bag he'd brought with him. "But for both of our sanities, stand back. Because it's always dicey, how he'll react the first time. Especially as he's not keen to the idea in the first place."
Yeah, that wasn't making Colin feel any better. He was leaning against the bars, waiting. He nodded to Cathair as the man entered. "Let's just get this over with," he grumbled irritably. He wasn't sure how Cath planned to do this, and he suspected it was on purpose. "Let Cleo lock everything up," he told the Irishman. "The wolf doesn't like you." Surprise, surprise.
Seeing Colin in a cage wasn't something that Cleo ever wanted to have to witness, but she knew that she needed to. That didn't prepare her for the way it felt to actually witness it, however. She put on a brave face and looked at her fiance, then at Cathair. "Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."
Cathair wasn't surprised. Colin had never liked him, most likely because the wolf considered the older man a threat. He'd stolen Colin's alpha female away and well, it took a predator to recognize one. The wolf was well aware how dangerous Cath could be, even without Colin's conscious knowledge of his skills. He nodded towards the cage, since he could use that as a distraction as he got ready.
Colin was kind of ticked Cathair didn't rise to the jibe, but not surprised. "Wrap the chain between and around the door side and frame," he explained. "There's two padlocks, use them both." He'd very carefully constructed his cage so it was nearly impossible to get out of. For a reason. "I love you," he added as an afterthought. He kissed Cleo and then practically stalked to the other side of the cage.
That's when the dart hit him in the neck. No warning, he'd actually forgotten Cathair was there for a minute. Damn. He ripped the dart out, growling softly. "You could've warned me, bastard," he snarled as he crushed it in his hand.
Cathair lowered the dart gun and set it down on the table. "Then you might have dodged," he reminded him. "You've a few minutes, love," he told Cleo. "I'll be outside until he's out." He could pack up when Colin was unconscious and they were ready to go.
It was all a matter of seconds really but it felt like decades to Cleo, every little action burned into her memory from the feel of the bars of the cage to the sound that the dart made when it cut through the air. She flinched slightly as it hit Colin and she watched him crush the thing in his grasp. She let out a soft sigh of relief when all the lashing out he did was a growl.
"Alright," Cleo told Cathair, nodding a little and watching him leave before turning her attention to Colin again. She was trying desperately not to appear as upset as she was, but the glassiness over her eyes was telling enough. Not even counting the fact that he could smell it on her. "I love you," she told him softly, pulling the chain back from around the door, having not attached the padlocks to it yet. She knew that it would likely upset him a little, but damn it, he was loopy already and she wanted to say goodbye properly. Pushing the door open, she slipped inside of the cage and moved towards him, kneeling down and taking his face in her hands, catching his mouth with hers. "I love you," she whispered again. "It'll all be over soon." Which just made her more upset to see him in such a state and to be unable to do anything about it. She knew this was for the best, for all of them, but her heart still ached.
She wasn't sure when the tears started, but they slipped down her cheeks and she let her fingers brush back through his hair. "It'll be okay," she promised him. "Everything will be okay."
What the fuck had Cath shot him with? Colin wanted to get mad, but fuck the stuff had already gone to his head by the time he'd crushed the dart. He staggered and slid down the bars, glaring at the Irishman as he basically walked out and left Cleo alone with him. "Asshole," he growled, although even that was slurred and he couldn't put any venom behind it.
He tried to get up when Cleo stepped into the cage. "Cleo-" he protested groggily. This was not what they'd agreed to, dammit. "I-" Okay, he couldn't hurt a fly right now, and he realized that he'd been whammied with more than just a sedative. "Fucking witch." Well, at least it was effective.
He sighed and relaxed, letting out a soft whine when she stroked his hair. "Love you," he murmured sleepily. He could barely keep his eyes open already. Jesus.
Cleo was determined to stay with him until he was out. So she continued to gently stroke his hair as comfortingly as she could manage. "Shh," she breathed. "Sleep now, love, I'll be here in the morning when you wake up." And she fully intended to keep that promise.
Colin lasted about a minute more before he slumped in her arms and started snoring. Cathair had stepped back in the room. "We should prop him up as best we can," he said. "Although it may not do much good. I stuck as many anti-violence and anger spells in that potion as I could." He's had weeks to prepare for this and had done so very carefully. "When he broke the vial, he activated all of them." Which of course, Cathair had been hoping for. "But hurry, the sun's nearly down." Not that she didn't know that.
She knew. She could feel it in her own bones even as she did as she was told and propped Colin up in the least uncomfortable looking way she could manage. Once she was satisfied, she kissed him again and reluctantly got up from the cage floor and walked out of it. She would have chained and locked the doors but she didn't want to take any chances so she left that to Cathair as she took a moment to recover a bit from all that had just gone on. She went through to their bedroom, finding the shirt that Colin had taken off and holding tight to it for a moment.
"Carry this with us," she told Cathair when he came into her view again. "I don't think I can manage without smelling him," she admitted with a choked little noise as she handed over the shirt to him. She didn't say anymore to the man, not really capable of speaking anymore than that. So she didn't bother trying and saved the moon it's job of shifting her and did so on her own. Wriggling herself out of her clothes once she was shifted, she slid between Cathair's legs, brushing against him and letting out a pitiful mewl. If this was as emotionally exhausting for her, she didn't want to think about how Colin felt.
Cathair carefully chained up the cage door, locking it securely. He'd never seen Colin's cage before, and he was rather impressed but the construction. The boy hadn't messed about, that was for certain. But just in case, he broke out a vial from his bag and dropped a few drops of Colin's blood on the locks, warding them against him for just the night. It was just one more precaution, although it took it out of him.
He nodded at Cleo's request, picking up the shirt in question. "Of course," he agreed. Anything that would make this easier for her. Colin wasn't feeling a bloody thing if all of his spells were working correctly. Unfortunately, Cleopatra didn't have that luxury. He smiled softly and picked her up. "It'll be all right, colleen," he assured her as he stroked down her back and scratched behind her ears. "Let's be off. Sadhbh has made you a nest of pillows and blankets on her bed. At least you'll not have to sleep alone."
That had Cleo purring. Sleeping alone wasn't something she wanted to do and if she couldn't have Colin to curl against, Sadhbh was a fine stand in. Like anyone could be unhappy getting snuggles from the cute little redhead. Cleo was no match for the adorable girl, that was for sure.
Cathair smiled a bit at the purring. Yes, he figured that would be a good consolation, although his daughter had come up with it on her own. Clever little bit she was. He set Cleo down so he could go pack up his things and check Colin one more time, then headed up the stairs to make certain the place was properly locked up and collect Cleo's bag. There was no way anyone would be able to tell from the outside that Colin was sleeping unawares downstairs. Another blessing.
Cleo made her way up the stairs and watched Cathair as he moved about collecting his own things and hers. She watched closely to be sure he didn't forget the shirt which was, to her, the most important piece of all. Satisfied once that was in the car, she padded out the door and let him lock it up. She followed after him to his vehicle and hopped inside when he opened the door, jumping up on the passenger side seat and pawing at it for a moment before deciding it was comfortable enough to curl up on, which she did. Thankfully the trip would be a short one.
No, he hadn't forgotten the shirt. He set it on the seat next to her, then buckled himself into the car. The trip was indeed short and he knew Becky and Sadhbh were waiting for them. Getting the bags from the SUV, he let Cleo out. That was when his daughter came rushing out of the house towards the vehicle.
"You're back!" she said. "Is Uncle Colin all right?" Her father nodded, and the little girl crossed herself and offered a little thank you prayer for that. She knelt down by Cleo. "Are you hungry? Supper's on. You're allowed to eat at the table, because you're not really a cat."
While she didn't feel exactly happy, she did feel much better with the little girl to distract her from her worries. She looked up at Cathair and then at the shirt before brushing against the little girl. She could stand to eat. She hadn't wanted to eat in front of Colin when he was trying to do as Cathair had asked him to.
Cathair hadn't forgotten. "Here," he said, handing the shirt to Sadhbh. "Take Cleo into the house. Then we'll have supper."
Sadhbh complied immediately, draping the shirt over her shoulder before she picked up Cleo. Who was luckily not a very big kitty. "Don't worry," she told her. "I'll be careful." She didn't want to hurt the baby after all. She started towards the house, still chattering. "We're having Hamburger Helper. It's good."
The Irishman shook his head at his daughter, locking the doors of his SUV and following them in. Saints, it was good to be home. He was even more tired than he had been when he'd gotten there, the ward he'd put on the locks was probably more than he should have done. Dropping Cleo's bag in the living room by the sofa, he kept his bag. He'd put it away as soon as Becky had her chance to question him and fuss a bit.
Fussing and questioning was certainly going to come. Dinner was finished and she sat the last of the plates on the table when Cathair entered. "Wash up for dinner, Sadhbh," she murmured to the girl. It would give her a few moments to be able to ask about her brother. She sighed as she looked over him upon entering the living room. He was more tired looking than he'd been before he left and he'd been fairly bad off then. "How did it go?" she asked him, slipping her arms around his middle. "Is he alright?"
"Yes, Mum," Sadhbh said automatically as she set Cleo down. "Come on, you have to wash your paws. Cause you're a person and it's good manners." She headed to the bathroom as ordered, expecting Cleo to follow.
Cathair chuckled and shook his head, before turning his attention to Becky. He wrapped his arms around her. Saints, that felt good. "He's fine," he assured Becky. "Couldn't have gone better. All the spells I set up seem to be working. He'll likely not have slept so peacefully in his life." Which was a small blessing. "I'm more worried about Cleopatra. This has to be hard for her."
Breathing a small sigh of relief, Becky nodded. She was worried about Cleo too. She knew how she felt about leaving Colin there alone personally and could only imagine how difficult it was when it was your fiance, the father of your baby, and not just your brother. "She's a strong girl. She'll make it through alright. And Sadhbh will keep her mind off of it. And Amy," she smiled, attention going to her daughter as she let go of Cathair. She was playing with a noisy toy that she could have sworn she'd left at Colin's house. "Hopefully she doesn't pull her tail too much."
"I know, mo chroi," he told Becky. "But I still fret." Yes, the girls would be a fine distraction for Cleo. "If I fall asleep at the table, poke me. I likely shouldn't have put up that last ward, but better safe than sorry." He kissed Becky. "I need to put up my bag, then scrub up for supper. I'll be back up in a minute."
"I think an early night is in order for all of us," she murmured. Nodding she gave his behind a little swat. "Go on, hurry up," she smiled, turning and moving to collect Amy from the floor so she could get the girl settled into her high chair. She was determined to do what she could to keep everyone's mind off of the moon and onto happier, lighter topics. Morning would come soon enough and then they could go back to normal for another month. Or at least as normal as they could in this family.