Seeing Fiona like that, observing them from the remote building with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes as if she really believed that they would leave without her, made Peregrine want to walk to her and assure her that they would come back, that they would never return to Silmarea without their princess. 

But it would only make matters worse, he realised, knowing well that the stubborn woman was struggling against herself. She wanted them to go away and yet she didn't, she didn't want to leave her world and come home with them and yet she didn't want to remain here, not now that they convinced her about the existence of her other home... Fiona needed time to sort through her feelings. So he opted for a cheerful greeting, took his hat off, and bowed, his smile a promise of their return. 

"Are we going home, dragon?" Leodhais asked hopefully as Peregrine led them along the same roads they took to get to the hospital the previous day. If they left now, they could walk through the stones at night, and he would be with Annwyn in the morning...

Gilderoy's chuckle disturbed his reverie. "Of course not! Peregrine will never leave without her. And you shouldn't be thinking about leaving her here either, Leodhais. This quest is your responsibility as much as ours; you don't want to disappoint Alaric, do you?"

Leodhais growled impatiently at hearing his friend's words. "But she doesn't want to come. She said her home is here. We can't possibly drag her to Alaric against her will; she can't be forced to become our queen."

"She will come," Peregrine said. The elf was right for once; no one should be forced to shoulder the responsibilities of a ruler. But it didn't change the fact that Peregrine had decided not to leave her in this world. There was sadness emanating from her, and disappointment. She wasn't happy here. She had to at least see her other world and then decide where she wanted to live her life. Fiona might just be happier in Silmarea, but she would never find out if he allowed her to refuse the possibility of at least visiting it and meeting her father. "She just needs a little more time to make her decision. She's curious and open minded, she won't refuse a chance like this."

Leodhais let his eyes drop to Gilderoy, who nodded in agreement with the dragon's words.

"Fine. Whatever," he agreed reluctantly even as they reached the tube station. "So what are we going to do before we return here tonight?"

"A little sightseeing," Peregrine said, leading them across the busy road and into the old station building to buy tickets. "London is nothing like Alaric's Lundenwic, and I'm sure that Gilderoy will appreciate seeing the city centre. We have almost ten hours, that's enough time to show you at least a few things," Peregrine finished, smiling down at Gilderoy who beamed back as they boarded the train which was already waiting at the platform, both of them ignoring the scowling elf.

They were back at their spot in the park across from the hospital entrance that Fiona used a few minutes before ten, Peregrine eager to see the short ginger woman again, Gilderoy chattering excitedly to his tired and bored friend in tow.

Peregrine allowed them to talk until he spotted her walking through the ill-lit vestibule. "Hush. Don't let her see us immediately," he said, hoping to glean from her expression whether she was expecting to find them here again, whether she was pleased to see... him... His face exploded in a smile the moment she noticed them, a happy smile she could not hide, tugging at the corners of her lips. It was a wonderful feeling. He was about to walk towards her across the rows of parked cars when he noticed a boy running in her direction and pushed his companions back into the trees instead, attempting to hide.

An infinite stream of information penetrated his mind the moment the boy entered his life at a run, sending the night air into churning swirls floating in his direction, carrying his scent, the mysterious scent he had perceived lingering around Fiona from the first moment. Turning away from the scene unfolding in front of them, raising his hands in the air to bid a moment of silence from his surprised companions, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, even as a new scent entered his mind. Of course, the little boy would not be alone.

He allowed the thoughts to settle in his mind as fast as they reached it; he would sort through them later. Fiona had a child. It didn't surprise him; she had both the age and character to be a mother. He hadn't caught a male scent around her, which might explain the disappointed sadness he had noticed creeping in her eyes at moments. The boy's father must have left her... He gritted his teeth, ashamed of his own gender. How could a man get a woman pregnant and leave???

The absence of the father also explained the presence of the other woman now. Fiona's mother, the boy's grandmother, would have to substitute the father's role to some extent, despite Fiona's obvious independence. That wasn't surprising, either. Not for Peregrine. It might be different for Alaric... He almost chuckled. It would be entertaining to bring this Alaric's past paramour to the court where he ruled with his husband...

Peregrine shook his head to banish that thought. This wasn't what mattered now. 

He turned around again, finally joining the elf and the dwarf in observing the family reunion. What was surprising was that the boy... was a dragon. A Highlander, no less. He was absolutely sure about it now, after he caught his scent first hand. However did the woman manage to meet one of his kind? Most of them visited this world at some point in their lives, of course, but it was to hide, not to look for love or an occasion to sire children. Who was the boy's father? Did she know he wasn't from this world like her? Did she know that her child was a Highlander? No. She had no idea, Peregrine decided, recalling her reaction at his small display of magic.

However, this changed everything. He couldn't leave them here, even if Fiona really wanted to stay. The boy was in danger in this world, without knowing his origin, without training. It was only a question of time before he would be noticed and hunted, and his mother, too, if she got in the way. Peregrine needed to protect them. He needed to take them both to Silmarea as soon as possible and deposit them in the safety of Alaric's castle. No Highlander would attack them there.

"What's going on?" Gilderoy whispered worriedly, his brown eyes reading the display of emotions playing across Peregrine's face.

"The boy is her son, and he's a Highlander. She has no idea," Peregrine informed, sharing with them the most important facts.

Leodhais gasped, gathering fast what this meant. "They are in danger here. We must take them to her father without a delay," he whispered.

"Exactly. And her mother too, she's marked by the boy's scent just like Fiona," Peregrine added in a whisper.

"But... Alaric is married..." Gilderoy mused, imagining the family drama this might cause. If the situation wasn't so serious, he would laugh.

"They'll have to sort it out among themselves," Peregrine added, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. It seemed that the king was going to get a lot more than he had asked for from this quest. "Now let's introduce ourselves. And remember, both of you, the sooner we persuade her to come to Alaric with us, the better."

Gilderoy nodded seriously while Leodhais looked over his shoulder into the dark trees as if he were expecting a Highland Dragon to pounce at them here and now. 

"Fine. Let's do this. I want to go home," he muttered, following the other two around the parked cars towards the family of three talking in hushed but excited voices in front of the hospital's vestibule. 

"Well, you can as well meet them, suit yourself, mum. But they are leaving tonight," Peregrine heard Fiona say to her mother, and he loved the fire hiding under those words, sparkled by the anger caused by the fact that she wasn't able to change this situation. Too many things were out of her control, and he understood her frustration. 

Her surname was Murphy, and her mother was set upon being taken to the man who had sired her child years ago, he gathered from the stream of words forming the blonde woman's reply. Goodness, she didn't look much older than her daughter, at least not in this moment, the way she was dressed, with all the makeup she wore on her face, well visible even in the orange streetlights. Had she spent her life waiting for Alaric to turn up at her doorstep and take her home with him?

Sighing, Peregrine shook his head to free his mind from the sad thought even as he heard Fiona protest, when her mother insisted on them all leaving with him and his two companions. He smiled; he didn't expect anything else from Fiona. She wasn't going to make it easy. What a shame that they didn't have enough time to convince her slowly and gently... She would have to understand and agree fast...

The boy claimed Peregrine's attention before that thought was finished. His eyes travelled from Fiona's hands closed protectively on the shoulders of her son, who stood between his mother and them just as protectively. Their mutual love was breathtaking to observe. They were inseparable just like they should be, standing united just like the boy's father should have stood with them. Peregrine didn't regret that the man had left them for himself. He liked the idea of Fiona being single. But he loathed the unknown dragon for having broken her heart, for filling her eyes with sadness she would never quite forget, for having left this boy, loved and well cared for, but fatherless. They didn't deserve any of that. 

Peregrine inhaled deeply as he met the boy's eyes the moment he called him some name coming from his imagination, only to be scolded by his mother an instant later. The child had the bluest eyes he had ever seen, and his manners, so unusual for children his age, were another hint at his origin. And he had no idea... Peregrine would have a lot of work to teach him. He might have to stay around the two for a while even once he brought them to their father and grandfather. 

He watched with a raised eyebrow as Freddie got the ring from his mother easily; the kid seemed to care more about it than the woman. Was it a sign? Was he the heir that Alaric wanted? Should Fiona not accept her role of the queen, it would make things easier for him... He shook his head again, finding himself staring into her eyes full of rebellion against the situation she had found herself in, challenging him to make her obey.

Despite the seriousness of the moment, a corner of his lips lifted in accepting her mute challenge. He would bring her to Silmarea. For her own good. And the boy's. And his own.

As their group broke into three couples headed for the park-- Leodhais offering his arm to the mother, Gilderoy walking next to the daughter just like the night before-- Peregrine bent to come eye to eye with the boy.

"What was the name you gave me, Master Frodo?"

The boy's eyes lit up as he started to explain, the two dragons preceding the rest of the group on the way to Fiona's flat.