The gardens were loud this particular early spring afternoon. Not that the noise seemed to bother Jin and Theresa. He was seated on the bench by the pond with her on his lap, and they were kissing as if they hadn't seen each other in months.

"Hey, knock it off! There are kids here, ya know!" Luke shouted down at them from a nearby tree.

Luke's strawberry blonde son, who was struggling to climb that tree, turned around to look at Jin and Theresa and fell to the ground.

"Ew! Gross! Uncle Jin and Aunt Theresa are making out again!" he complained.

Jin waved him off. "How do you think you got here?"

Theresa giggled. "Speaking of which, where are our kids?"

A surprised shout from across the gardens echoed through the air.

"That'll be them," Jin said, grinning broadly up at Theresa's sparkling green eyes. "I told them to find their Uncle Clavis."

"Oh, we're in trouble," she said, kissing him again.

Elsewhere, Yves was tangled in a net suspended from a tree, glaring down at Clavis and the five freckle-faced, red-headed children giggling beneath him.

"We got you, Uncle Yves!"

"You never saw it coming!"

"Very good," Clavis complimented, applauding the unruly bunch. "Next, we'll move on to pit traps."

"Clavis, I swear, when I get down-" Yves fumed.

"Oh, Yves," interrupted a soft feminine voice. He flushed, his deep blue eyes widening as he twisted around to see the black-haired, blue-eyed woman looking up at him, her hand covering her mouth to hide her smile.

"Grace! Th-this isn't what it looks like!" Yves protested. "I was just - this was-"

"Relax, Yves," Clavis said, laughing. "She already married you. It's not like you need to impress her anymore."

"Clavis!" Yves was too flustered and angry to say anything more. He twisted and squirmed in the net, and the branch above snapped, dropping him to the ground with a thud. The five children scattered in all different directions, laughing and squealing. One little girl ran straight into Leon's leg and fell backwards.

"Hey now, what's this?" he asked, turning around and scooping her up. "You weren't getting into trouble, were you?"

"We caught Uncle Yves in a net!" she exclaimed happily.

"Like this?" he asked, turning her upside-down and holding her by her ankles.

"No!" she answered, giggling as he carried her back to her parents.

"You want this back?" he asked, dangling her above them.

Jin and Theresa glanced up at her. Jin shrugged. "Well, I guess she's kind of cute."

"Daddy!" she protested.

"She's pretty dirty, though," Theresa commented.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Leon asked, carrying her over to the pond.

"I can't swim, Uncle Leon!"

He flipped her right-side-up and set her on his shoulder. "Then it's time to learn."

"Leon, don't you dare take that child into that cold water," scolded a green-eyed blonde sitting on a nearby blanket. She was bouncing a giggling baby on her knee.

Leon grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't actually going to do it..."

"Put me down!" the little girl protested, squirming on his shoulder.

"Fine," he sighed, squatting down and setting the little Theresa look-alike on the grass. She barreled over to the blanket, caught again by Arianna.

"Careful of the little ones," she warned.

The child took off in a seemingly random direction. Arianna watched her go with a tired smile and turned her attention back to the four babies crawling around on the blanket.

"I wish I had that much energy."

"Agreed," the other blonde said. "This one still isn't sleeping through the night. I would give anything for a nap."

"Anything?" Leon asked, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek.

"Almost anything," she corrected herself, smiling at him as he knelt beside her.

"If you want to go now, I can take over here," he offered.

"Aunt Melissa!"

The strawberry blonde boy raced over to the blanket, collapsing in a heap beside her.

"Aunt Melissa, can you teach me how to climb a tree?"

She laughed. "I just had a baby. Why don't you ask your father?"

"Luke!" Arianna called toward the tree. "Get down here and help your son!"

"My son?" he called back. "Isn't he yours, too?"

"Dad!" the boy protested.

"Okay, okay, but you better catch me if I fall, Leon," Melissa grumbled, passing him the baby and standing up. She reached down to grab the back hem of her skirt, pulling it between her legs to tuck into the front of her belt, forming strange pantaloons. "I'm not dressed for this," she grumbled, kicking her shoes off and heading for the tree. "Are you watching? I'm not going to do this twice."

"I'm watching!" the boy said excitedly.

"You just need to find a good handhold and foothold to get you started, and then..." She felt along the tree, and suddenly she was scurrying up the trunk like a squirrel, perching on a branch below Luke. "Got it?" she panted.

Leon handed the baby off to Arianna. "Okay, you'd better get down now. I'm not sure the doctor would approve of this," he said, approaching the base of the tree, although his sparkling amber eyes and wide smile said that he didn't mind at all.

A stampede of silver- and brown-headed children tore across the grass between the blanket and the tree, momentarily drowning out any further conversation as Melissa dropped into Leon's arms.

"Hey, don't-"

The splash came before Lydia could finish. She shook her head and seated herself on the blanket, leaning in to pat two babies on their heads.

"I'm so glad these ones are girls," she said in a distinctly defeated tone.

"Please tell me you're not having any more kids," Arianna said sympathetically.

"Oh, absolutely not," Lydia said firmly.

"You said you liked twins," Nokto commented, standing over her with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the six boys splashing in the pond.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect to have four sets of them!" she replied. She picked up one of her girls and cooed, "Don't you worry. Mommy's never letting Daddy touch her again."

"Aw, Lydia..." Nokto pleaded, squatting down to pick up his other girl. "But they're so cute."

"Don't let him sweet talk you," Licht warned her as he walked up to them.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I think I'll get a chastity belt and wear it for the next twenty years or so," she teased.

Nokto sighed heavily, faking a pout. "If you want Nadia to be any fun, you'll keep her away from this one," he told Licht.

"I don't think she's going to be any fun for a while," Leon commented, laughing.

"More twins," Lydia groaned. "Now, listen carefully," she said to the baby in her arms. "If you want to live a long, happy life, you'll stay far away from any man who is a twin. Okay?"

"Look! It's Uncle Licht!" shouted one of the boys splashing around in the pond.

"Away from the babies!" Arianna shouted. "Now!"

Licht laughed and took several large steps away, just before six soaking wet, laughing boys tackled him to the ground. He really didn't stand a chance. They tickled him mercilessly as the others looked on.

"Okay, I see your point," Nokto said to Lydia.

Everybody looked to be having fun, except for the birthday girl. She stood away from the others, her arms crossed over her pale blue dress, her long blonde hair pulled back in a braid, her crystal blue eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Where are they?" she snapped, turning to look up at Julius.

"They're coming," he promised, wincing as the little black-haired, green-eyed girl in his arms tucked a rose into a gap in his armor.

"Ava, you're forgetting about the thorns," Evelyn scolded.

Ava's eyes widened, and she pulled the rose out quickly. "Sorry, Mister Julius."

"It's okay. Why don't you go play with the others?" he suggested.

She shook her head and wrapped her little arms around his neck. "They're too loud," she said softly.

"It's my birthday," Evelyn complained, scowling back at the palace. "My tenth birthday. Why are they taking so long?"

Ivetta smiled, looking through her bedroom window at her grumpy daughter as Chevalier finished lacing up her dress.

"Chevalier, we'd better get out there. Evelyn is getting angry."

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck. "You're still tired."

"Yes, well, that's to be expected." Ivetta sighed. "Olivia's first night in her own room, and a thunderstorm brings Evelyn and Ava in here with us."

"Come," he said, taking her hand and pulling her away from the window.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Ivetta muttered, watching Chevalier reach for the miniature sword on his desk.

"It's what she wanted," he replied.

"Still, it's a sword. Just because she wants to be just like you-"

He leaned in and kissed Ivetta on the cheek. "She's responsible enough."

"Responsibility doesn't have anything to do with it."

"We already had this discussion."

"I know," Ivetta said with a heavy sigh.

Chevalier looked as cold and imposing as ever as he walked out to the gardens, even with Ivetta on his arm. His aristocratic bearing, impassionate expression, and piercing blue eyes were enough to intimidate anybody, even before they saw the sword belted at his hip.

Anybody except his daughters.

"Daddy!" Ava squealed, her green eyes lighting up as Julius set her down. She raced across the lawn to greet Chevalier, but Evelyn shot her a cold glare that stopped her in her tracks.

"You're late," Evelyn scolded Chevalier, looking up at him imperiously, as if she was at least as tall as him and not barely up to his waist.

"Evelyn," Ivetta said softly, though there was a warning in her voice.

"But it's my birthday, and I've been waiting with all these children," Evelyn protested, as if it were an affront to her nature to lump her in with the other kids.

"Perhaps you'd prefer we do this another day," Chevalier said coolly. "When you haven't kept your mother up late."

Evelyn's lips pursed into a pout, but she held her tongue.

"Can I see Daddy now?" Ava asked, chewing nervously at the tip of her index finger.

"Yes, you can see Daddy," Ivetta said firmly.

Ava's face lit up in a smile, and she ran past her big sister to be swept into Chevalier's arms. His icy facade immediately cracked and shattered.

"How's my little Ava?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Here," she said shyly, holding out the rose.

"For me? But it would look so much better in your hair," he said, smiling softly.

"I'll do it," Ivetta offered, taking the rose and winding it into Ava's braid with practiced hands.

Evelyn watched, her resolve wavering in her eyes, until the little girl inside finally won out. She ran toward Chevalier and tugged on his cloak.

"Me, too, Daddy!"

He passed Ava off to Ivetta and scooped Evelyn up, kissing her on the cheek as her face broke into a big smile.

"Happy birthday, Princess."

"Hey, looks like we're just in time!" called a familiar masculine voice.

Chevalier and Ivetta turned to see Rio and Belle coming down the cobblestone path, their own brood of blondes and brunettes in tow, and one markedly different child in Belle's arms.

"Maria!" Eve shouted. "Daddy, put me down!"

He complied, and Ivetta set Ava down, too. Maria, a brunette about the same age as Evelyn, ran to meet her with a big hug. Ava hung back, clutching at Chevalier's cloak nervously.

"It's okay, Ava. Don't you remember Uncle Rio and Aunt Belle?" Ivetta asked encouragingly.

"Uh huh," Ava said, chewing at the tip of her index finger.

"Look how much you've grown!" Rio exclaimed, squatting down in front of her. "The last time I saw you, you were this high!"

She smiled shyly, not looking away from his friendly blue eyes to the spot he marked in the air with his hand. "Really?"

"Really. I bet you're taller than my Lizzie now. Wanna come see?"

He offered her his hand, and she looked up at Chevalier.

"Go on," he prompted.

She looked back at Rio and nodded, taking his hand. He led her over to his kids while Belle crushed Ivetta, and the child in her arms, in a bear hug.

"Oh, I missed you!"

"I missed you, too," Ivetta said, laughing as she hugged Belle back. "Is that you, Dante?" she asked the shy little boy with milk chocolate skin, thick black curls, and bright blue eyes. "You've gotten so big!"

"You're telling me," Belle said, shifting him in her arms. "Why don't you go play with your cousins?"

Unlike Ava, he didn't need more persuasion than that. He was in motion as soon his feet hit the ground.

"I still can't get over the fact that Silvio had to go overseas to find the right woman," Ivetta giggled.

Belle giggled, too. "Aisha's due any day now, so I volunteered to bring Dante and give them a break. So, what have I missed?"

"Is that my present?" Evelyn interrupted, looking with wide eyes at the miniature sword in Chevalier's hand.

Belle looked at it, too, and her brown eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"It's from your father," Ivetta said, shooting a glance at Belle.

"This was my first sword," he said seriously, squatting down and belting it around Evelyn's waist. "I don't want you even unsheathing it unless I'm with you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Evelyn said, nodding eagerly. "When are you going to teach me how to use it?"

"Tomorrow."

She clapped her hands together and hugged him around the neck. "I'm going to beat that Edward von Obsidian the next time he comes to visit."

Ivetta pursed her lips and motioned to Belle to follow her a short distance away.

"A sword? Really?" Belle asked.

"She's going to be the queen of Rhodolite, and that means she needs to learn to use a sword, just like her daddy," Ivetta replied, mimicking her daughter's words. "And Edward got a sword for his eighth birthday, and she's two years older than him, so she should get a sword, too."

Belle giggled, looking over Ivetta's shoulder at Evelyn, who was prancing around the gardens and showing off the sword belted to her side to her cousins. "She and Edward really get along well, don't they?"

"They're always together whenever they get to see each other, and they write back and forth, too. They're either best friends or bitter rivals, nothing in between," Ivetta confirmed. "Have you seen Gilbert and Elise together?" she asked with a knowing smile. "They're getting along well, too."

Belle smiled. "Not all arranged marriages have to be loveless. They definitely seem to be getting closer all the time. And what about Keith and Janet?"

"That's an interesting pairing. Did you know she was one of Nokto's lovers?"

Belle snorted. "What Rhodolitian noblewoman between the ages of thirty and fifty wasn't?"

"True. I guess I just would have never thought they'd work out. He's so shy, and she's so...not," I finished lamely, unsure how, exactly, to describe the bold, sensuous woman who zoned in on Keith at a previous goodwill gala.

"Well, opposites attract. So, how are you doing? The last time I saw you, you and Olivia were at death's door," Belle said, searching my face.

"That was six months ago," I said, smiling reassuringly. "Olivia had a rough start, but she caught up quickly to where she was supposed to be. She's on the blanket over there with Lydia, Arianna, and Melissa."

"Ah, yes. I'm surprised Sarah isn't there. Unless..." Belle trailed off, looking at me nervously.

I nodded sadly. "She miscarried again. Chevalier gave her and Sariel some time off."

Belle sighed. "I was afraid of that. I know they really want to have children, but don't you think it's about time they started looking into adoption?"

"Yes," I said, sighing heavily, "but it's not my decision to make."

There was an awkward silence between the two women until Chevalier rejoined them. He took in their long faces and slipped a comforting arm around Ivetta's waist. "Have you told her the good news?"

"Oh, you're right," Ivetta said, smiling gratefully up at him. "Licht's wife, Nadia, just gave birth a few days ago - to twins."

"Oh, my," Belle said, giggling.

"I know. It's already impossible to keep track of Nokto's. And there are a few new babies around since the last time you were here. Leon and Melissa had their first, Luke and Arianna had their second, and poor Lydia had her fourth set of twins. And Yves just married Grace, the noblewoman from Obsidian - her husband died, and he didn't waste any time proposing. She's around here somewhere. But the big surprise is Clavis."

"Oh, no. Don't tell me he and Regina are engaged," Belle asked, her brown eyes wide.

"Not quite," Ivetta said slowly. "They've been on again, off again for a while, and she's been his partner in crime quite a lot recently, but she pulled the ultimate prank on him when she ended up pregnant."

Belle clapped her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. "You're kidding."

"Afraid not. They eloped, but I haven't seen her around today, which worries me. She's probably helping him set up something big."

"Sorry to interrupt, but somebody's getting fussy," Leon said, walking up to the little group with a squirming baby in his arms.

"I'll take her," Chevalier volunteered.

"No, it's fine," Ivetta said, taking the baby first. "You just make sure your daughter doesn't accidentally stab somebody."

He chuckled and gave Ivetta a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll teach her to dance, too."

"Without the sword," Ivetta called after him as he walked away. "He's such a pushover when it comes to his girls," she muttered, rocking the baby back and forth automatically.

"Well, since that includes you, I don't think you have too much room to complain," Belle replied, leaning over to look at the baby. "So, this is Olivia? I think you have another Chevalier here."

"Not quite," Ivetta replied. "His hair, but my eyes. You can't see them now because she's overdue for a nap."

"Mommy," Ava said, tugging on Ivetta's skirt.

"What is it, Ava?"

"The cake is here!" Leon bellowed, his voice echoing around the gardens. All scattered children converged on a single point while the adults looked on and called the occasional name in warning. Almost all scattered children, anyway. Ava was chewing on the tip of her index finger again, peeking around Ivetta's skirt to watch the crowd with a distinctly worried expression.

"Oh, Ava." Ivetta squatted down to look her nervous little girl in the eye. "Don't worry. You'll get some cake, too."

"Here, Ava," Evelyn called, carrying two plates with her. Ava's face broke into a big smile, and she ran to her older sister to get her plate.

"Is that really what you were like as a child?" Belle asked, giggling.

"That's exactly what I was like as a child," Ivetta confirmed, straightening up again. "You'd better get some cake before it's all gone."

Chevalier came to Ivetta's side again as Belle left. He brushed the hair back from her face and gave her a soft kiss. "Would you like to go to Benitoite for your birthday?"

"Couldn't we go sooner?" Ivetta asked, smiling up at him. "Without the children?"

"Nokto was already planning a trip to Benitoite," Chevalier replied. "He has agreed to stay here so we can go. It should be easy enough to move it up."

"Oh, I couldn't do that to Lydia!" Ivetta exclaimed. "The poor woman has eight kids. I only have three."

Chevalier smirked. "She wasn't going anyway."

"He was going to leave her alone with that bunch?" Ivetta giggled. "In that case, let's go, and please make sure to leave him lots of extra work."

Chevalier wrapped his arms around Ivetta's waist and pulled her close. "Consider it done."

"Careful," she warned him, looking down at Olivia's sleeping face between them.

"I know." He kissed her again, leaning over Olivia to do so. "You need a break."

"I just need to sleep undisturbed through the night," Ivetta replied wearily.

"Every night?" he asked, smirking.

She blushed. "Well, maybe not every night." She looked down at Olivia again and smiled sadly. "It's too bad she's our last one."

"The doctor nearly had to operate," Chevalier reminded her. "You and Olivia were under twenty-four-hour care for a week."

"Yes, but it was worth it," Ivetta said with a sigh. She looked back up at Chevalier, her green eyes shining as they met his. There were a few fine lines on his face that hadn't been there ten years ago, but his crystal blue eyes were as clear, and his embrace was as secure as it had always been. "It's all been worth it."

"I agree."

His warm kisses were another constant in her life.

"I love you, Ivetta," he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I love you, Chevalier."

The gardens were loud that afternoon, filled with numerous children and tired adults, but in one little corner, there was just enough peace and quiet for Chevalier and Ivetta to enjoy a few uninterrupted moments together.