Driving to the hospital the next day, Lan Zhan looks over to Wei Ying. His expression is much happier today, after a much needed rest. Both of his hands are holding Lan Zhan's right hand, only letting go when Lan Zhan needs to use it.

"Is Wei Ying alright with XiChen's suggestions?" He asks, genuinely wanting to know.

Last night, XiChen had stepped in with an offer to plan their wedding, saying that since he had gotten engaged with MingJue, he had done plenty of research into venue and caterers etc, and he didn't mind organising their wedding, if they were up for it. All they had to do was decide on a date.

"Yeah, I think I am," Wei Ying smiles at him. "Is it weird if I want it to happen as soon as possible now? Like I can't wait to start our life together! It's exciting," he adds defensively, when Lan Zhan huffs out a laugh.

"So all this time when I was asking?" He lets his words hang, soaking in indignation.

"Maybe I work faster when I've got a deadline? I dunno." Wei Ying shrugs. "Do you think he'll be able to pull it off? Two weeks isn't a long time."

They had decided on the 8th of December, though now that it had come to it, Wei Ying didn't mind if it was sooner.

"XiChen can do anything," Lan Zhan tells him.

It's not that Lan Zhan believes he can, but more of a cemented fact that he knows it's possible. But he can detect a little sadness.

"Wei Ying? What is it?"

"It's not important...it's just it would have been nice if we could have gotten married in the summer, at the new house. I know nothing is finalised yet, Heathcliff hasn't even agreed to sell it to us, and I get it. But... you asked me where and when I wanted to get married...and if I had a choice, well then, that's what I want." He kisses their joined hands. "It's okay though, I understand why Uncle is pushing us to hurry."

Lan Zhan thinks about it.

"Then how about we marry officially as soon as possible, but the ceremony wedding we can wait for? We can get married as many times as Wei Ying wishes to." Luckily they're at a red light, and Lan Zhan can lean over to kiss Wei Ying's cheek. "Whatever Wei Ying wants."

"But I feel silly saying it, pushing for something that others might find superfluous." Wei Ying sighs, looking out of his window.

"It is not silly." Lan Zhan feels angry on his behalf. "If my husband wants something, he's going to get it. It is my privilege to make sure of it."

They park in the hospital car park, and the moment Lan Zhan kills the engine, Wei Ying has scrambled over the gearbox to climb into his lap, peppering his face with kisses.

"You beautiful man!" He cries, continuing to apply his affections.

Lan Zhan is very proud of himself.

************

Today, there's a big difference when they enter the hospital and enter the ICU.

The chairman of the hospital is waiting for them, with a retinue of staff waiting upon him. He welcomes them to his hospital, and they make small talk, before he gets to the serious stuff.

"The girls are fortunate," he says, gesturing to the baby girls within the contained room. "As Qiren pointed out to me, last night. As you know, we still have to attempt to contact the biological parents, but we've contacted Social services on your behalf. Apparently, they've recently approved your adoption of another six year old child? That will work in your favour."

Wei Ying has already plastered himself to the glass window, watching the girls.

It leaves Lan Zhan to have to speak to this man.

"When will they be alright for us to hold them?" He asks, getting straight to the point.

"The doctors assigned to this unit say a couple of days? After that, they want to keep them here under observation for a few more days, just to make sure there aren't any complications, but they assure me the babies weren't prematurely born." The chairman smiles and pats his arm.

"Are there any classes we can sign up for?" Lan Zhan asks him, having thought about this before.

While Wei Ying slept last night, Lan Zhan was fluctuating between ecstatic happiness at finally getting to marry the beautiful man asleep in his arms, and spiralling into a panic about how on earth he was supposed to look after two newborn babies, when he didn't have a clue how to do it? Beyond the normal human functions of feeding, pooping, and cleaning them, he felt an acute pressure to protect and nurture them.

But he was well aware that simply wanting to and being able to, were two very different things.

Then he remembered his own words to Wei Ying, that no one came into this world ready armed with knowledge: so he was fully capable of learning what he did not know.

"Yes. You can inquire at the nurses' Station, and they should be able to help you. I should get going, I have a meeting in ten minutes," the chairman says apologetically. "In the meantime, if you have any questions, please address them to Nurse Harding."

It's the same kind nurse who brought them here yesterday.

Lan Zhan quizzes her on what they should expect, and she answers his every question in detail, and then she laughs.

"While they're here and under observation, both of you should do whatever you need to, because once they come home with you, you won't have any time to spare. There's no such thing as personal time when there's a newborn in the house, and you're gonna have twins!" She winks and leaves them to it.

"It won't be like that for us," Lan Zhan reassures Wei Ying. "Both Uncle and XiChen have promised to help us."

Wei Ying nods thoughtfully. "Yeah...I know, but if it's possible, I'd like to do as much as I can myself, for both of them. With you," he smiles broadly back at Lan Zhan.

"Mn. Together."

They stay for another hour, watching the doctors do their rounds and then the nurses checking up on the tiny patients in the room, before Wei Ying turns to Lan Zhan.

"I think the nurse is right, there's something we need to do, before they come home with us."

"Whatever Wei Ying wants," Lan Zhan promises him.

"Okay, then let's go and see Heathcliff. We can come back with the boys a bit later."

"That's a great idea."

"We'll have to go shopping for them, as well. Maybe A-Yuan and JingYi would like to help us with that, too?"

"Mn."

They leave the hospital after doing what the nurse suggested about classes, and the nurses at the station are extremely helpful, cooing over the soon to be parents of newborn babies.

Then they're in the car and on the way to see Heathcliff.

****************

Today, the path to the house is clear and easy to see, as they manoeuvre the white Sports car into the usually hidden gap. It's a smoother ride too, something they both notice but neither chooses to comment upon.

Heathcliff is sitting on his porch, in his rocking chair almost as if he's waiting for them. When he sees their car pull up, he grins and waves at them.

It's chillier today so he's wearing a thick flannel shirt and an old pair of jeans.

"Howdy folks!" He greets them as they walk up to him.

This time, he has hot tea waiting in a thermos flask for them, empty mugs, and a plate of muffins.

"Your wife's recipe?" Wei Ying asks him, and Heathcliff looks pleased that he remembered.

"Yep. Try them." He doesn't mind when Lan Zhan politely declines, and Wei Ying has to be the friendly one.

They chit chat about inconsequential things, moving from the weather to car preferences.

"Ya'll have to invest in a four-wheeler when you move in," he remarks, casually.

When, not if.

Wei Ying tries and fails not to get his hopes up.

"We would have come earlier but we were at the hospital," he says, and then of course, he ends up explaining what had happened yesterday.

Heathcliff looks proud of them. He scratches his chin thoughtfully.

"The thing about kids is, ya never know when they're going to come along. My wife and I went through the organic route, but she was four months along when we found out about the first one. We were better prepared with the second, and the third one was a welcome accident." He guffaws loudly. "That would be Tom, who I'm gonna move in with, when I leave here. I'm guessin' ya'll gonna need this place empty sooner rather than later?"

Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan blankly, never expecting it was going to be so easy as this. He also looks as nonplussed as Wei Ying, so Wei Ying decides to cut through to the root of the matter.

"The thing is, we don't want to rush you," he says quickly. "I think it'll be easier to live where we are until the babies are a little bit older, only because we're gonna need all the help we can get. But we're going to get married on the eighth of December. You know, it would be cool if you could come and celebrate with us," Wei Ying tells him, surprising himself, and Lan Zhan. He hadn't planned on inviting him, but now it was out there in the open, and Wei Ying found that he didn't mind at all.

"Mn, Heathcliff is welcome to join us," Lan Zhan agrees easily.

Heathcliff looks pleased about it, though he doesn't say he will come or not. They exchange numbers, though.

They chat some more and then Heathcliff rises.

"Let me show ya'll around. Outside or inside first?"

"Outside?" Wei Ying says, as the surprises keep coming out of him.

"Fine by me," Heathcliff replies, and begins the tour.

He leads them around the back of the property where the field stretches out far and wide. There's a utility shed, a garage and a huge barn on one side, and to Wei Ying's delight, there's a little creek that runs across the field a way back.

"That creek marks a natural boundary of what will be your property," Heathcliff explains, gesturing with his hands. "There's freshwater fish if you're into fishing, and it's a natural magnet for the local wildlife, especially in the hotter months."

The sound of the moving waters is particularly musical, a soothing melody of splashing currents obstinately pushing against the loose smooth stones in its way. The water is clear and they can see right to the bottom of the riverbed without any hindrance. Today, the creek water mirrors the grey sky as the clouds obscure its usual pale blue colour.

A magpie cackles in the branches of an overgrown oak tree, its trunk easily the width of two grown, adult men holding hands, so roughly three metres in circumference. When they look up into its thick branches, its leaves already turning bronze from gold and trembling precariously at the slightest breeze, they spot a couple of mischievous chipmunks and a red squirrel with fuzzy ears watching them thoughtfully.

"It's very peaceful," Wei Ying murmurs, breathing in deeply.

His whole body has become relaxed, and he feels lighter all of a sudden.

"That there be a good sign," Heathcliff chuckles, leading them away from the creek. "We used to keep stallions and mares in those two sheds, but they're empty now. It's something to think about if ever ya'll get the chance. I still keep ma chickens, Henrietta is the leader of the pack, and she keeps Jack under her thumb."

"Jack?"

"Our rooster. He doesn't like company, so it's a surprise he hasn't come out to scare ya'll off yet."

There's a fenced off area that contains three low roofed properties in a group with a generous central space in between them. Evidence that this must be where Heathcliff feeds his chickens is all around them, from the water trough to the yellow bins marked with 'Feed' painted on the outside of them.

"Chickens in there, bunnies in that one," Heathcliff points out.

Wei Ying had been watching Lan Zhan and therefore he caught the immediate interest and softening of his eyes as his feet naturally brought him closer to that particular building.

Heathcliff owned at least twenty bunnies, three that were the bigger Flemish long-eared ones among the varieties hopping from one fun area to another. A few of them binkied, others flopped onto their backs and more than one inquisitive bunny began chewing on the hem of Lan Zhan's trousers.

Completely captivated, enthralled by these soft wonder-buns of floof, Lan Zhan was lost to their charm. Wei Ying thought if he hadn't been sold on buying this home from Heathcliff before, right now after meeting these friendly creatures, Lan Zhan was ready to sign on the dotted line.

He snickered to himself and looked up to find Heathcliff watching him back.

"So, you said you were moving in with your youngest? What are you planning to do with all these friends?" Wei Ying ventured, finding his eyes being pulled to wherever and whatever Lan Zhan was doing.

He looked so cute!

Such a far cry from a lethal vampire, a killing machine, if Wei Ying was going to be honest, and yet the stark contrast was incomparable.

"They'll come with the house, it's part of the conditions of buying the place. And," Heathcliff tapped the side of his nose as if he was telling Wei Ying a secret. "That's the whole point of me moving out. Tom doesn't have the space, and besides, he wants me to take things easy now. I can just about manage to look after myself, and it's getting hard, taking care of them, too."

Wei Ying nodded sympathetically.

Old age meant less freedom, less agility and less capabilities; he fully understands why Heathcliff has to let his animals go.

That doesn't stop it being any less sad, though.

"When I move in with him, it's going to be nothing short of glorified babysitting, but to tell you the truth, my retired ass is looking forward to it. Here, pottering around on ma lonesome is just making me miss my old lady more. My son keeps telling me that's not healthy, but then his wife is still alive and kicking." He sighs mournfully. "If I've any regrets, it would be that this body has seen its best days already, and there ain't nothing you can do about that. It'll be nice to have a bit of noise around, if you catch ma drift."

He taps Lan Zhan on his shoulder, and Lan Zhan actually pouts, knowing why he did that.

"Ya'll wanna stay here?" Heathcliff asks him, uncertainly.

"We can come back to say goodbye," Wei Ying coaxed him to his feet, though it doesn't stop him gazing longingly at the door when it closes behind them with a solid thump.

"Not goodbye," Lan Zhan whispers, so that only Wei Ying hears him.

"Why?"

"It's not a good word. We can say, 'see you later', it is much better." Lan Zhan informs him adamantly.

"Fiiiinnnneee, we'll come back to say 'see you later', just before we leave," Wei Ying promises, grinning from ear to ear.

That apparently pacifies him enough to pay attention now, to what Heathcliff is telling them.

"We used to keep pigs in there, but sold them off long ago." Heathcliff gestures towards the third building, and then closes the fence door behind them, securing it with a padlock. He waves in the general direction of the sprawling fields past this enclosure. "And as ya'll can see, there's plenty of grazing pastures if ya'll decide on bringing the horses back someday. Otherwise, it's nice to take a stroll in the evening now and again. See plenty of nocturnal creatures too. I've spotted the occasional housemartin, but ferrets and foxes are more common. Take a stick if you venture out."

"Are they likely to bite or attack?" Wei Ying is thinking about the boys, and later on, the girls when they can walk.

"Nah, they like to keep 'emselves to 'emselves, most of the time. But in winter, times get hard and there's not much to hunt, that's when they get bolder. The way I see it, they got empty bellies just the same as me, and if it's no hardship, then sharing what ya got is no bad thing. At least it keeps ma chickens safe."

There must not be anything else to see because Heathcliff is bringing them back to the house.

This time, they approach from the back of it.

It's a wrap-around porch and Heathcliff seems to spend an ample amount of time here as well. A couple of murder mystery books lie on the little table next to a handwoven hammock secured from the rafters.

More windchimes tinkle at each corner, giving the old ranch house a whimsical vibe.

They climb up the creaking short steps to the back door and Heathcliff opens it easily, swinging the screen door after it.

Wei Ying notices the catflap and comments on it.

"I have two Maine Coone Tom cats. They'll come with me," he assures them. "We're far too attached to each other to let go now," he explains, as a huge cat with granite coloured fur comes bounding towards them. "This is Smoky," he introduces them, picking up the cat from weaving in between his legs. "And that there is Juniper, or Juno for short. They might not look it but they're past twelve years of age. I get the feeling that when we pass, we'll pass together."

It takes Wei Ying a moment to understand that he's talking about dying, and when he does, Heathcliff has moved on from that topic.

"Let's go right to the top, shall we? This property has three levels up, and a generous basement below."

Heathcliff takes them up three flights of stairs to an airy attic which he's obviously using as extra storage space at the moment, for old furniture and boxes of memorabilia, if the writing is anything to go by.

"Have you lived here long?" Wei Ying asks him, looking around.

In spite of Heathcliff saying he couldn't look after the place, it's surprisingly clean with nary a cobweb in sight, let alone their creators. There might be a little dust and a musty smell in the air consisting of old things and mothballs, but that was about it.

"Nigh on thirty years. I can feel ma way around even in the dark," Heathcliff boasts. "When the kids were teenagers, they briefly toyed with the idea of making this space into some kind of den, but then life caught 'em up and they never got the chance. The house won't mind if ya'll wanna make changes, though ya might wanna do it respectfully, like." He does not elaborate.

"All of this will go, unless ya'll interested in having a looksie," he continues, turning around to go back downstairs.

"We'll let you know," Wei Ying tells him diplomatically.

The first storey is a maze of bathrooms and bedrooms, ten in total.

It's very much a modern design, with themes present in each one, artful and pleasing to the eye.

"It's much nicer than I thought it would be," Wei Ying blurts out before thinking, not realising that it could sound rude.

But Heathcliff just laughs quietly to himself.

"She'll be pleased ya'll think so," he replies, chuckling.

He even takes them to his own master bedroom, one that has wide open windows to let in lots of natural light, and overlooks the creek.

It is simply furnished, mirroring the present occupant's personality.

There's a king sized bed in the centre of the room, against the wall of the entrance. The throw is a complex pattern of patchwork cotton, two pictures in one if you looked carefully enough. The secondary picture seems to portray the overgrown oak tree outside, the head of its bulk separated into quarters depicting each of the four seasons in all their glory, against a vivid blue sky.

It's a stunning piece of art and hard work.

"My wife." Heathcliff says, by way of an explanation, when he sees Wei Ying looking.

There's a bedside cabinet on both sides of the bed, but only one lamp on presumably Heathcliff's side now.

"Walk-in closet," he points to a door on the other side of the room. "Fully equipped panic room, too. Though the house is plenty protection by itself, and we've never had to use it." He doesn't bother showing them any more here, and Wei Ying doesn't want to appear nosy or rude.

Heathcliff diligently shows them each room though, gesturing at the bathrooms and suggesting that once you'd seen one, you'd seen them all, and although Wei Ying disagrees, he thinks maybe Heathcliff might be tired by now, so he doesn't insist.

Downstairs, Heathcliff starts in the huge kitchen.

"My wife said the heart of any home was its kitchen, and she was right. We used to spend more time here than any other room in the whole house. I learned how to cook here, and so did our three boys." Heathcliff shoots them a mischievous look. "Ya'll seem like city folk... either of you cook?"

Wei Ying points at Lan Zhan, beaming and reaching for his hand.

"That's good. There comes a time in everyone's life when takeout becomes boring." He leads them through the kitchen and into an open dining room.

A slab of redwood, varnished and spectacular is his dining table, with eight matching chairs.

"I thought redwood was a protected variety?" Wei Ying asks Heathcliff, his hand stroking the smooth surface.

"It is. But this is from a naturally fallen tree. The government carefully tracks each piece and when it's sold, a tracking serial number is engraved on the underside, to prevent thieves from just going to the redwood forests and helping themselves."

"Oh, good."

Lan Zhan looks around, fascinated.

It's a spacious area, and he can imagine it without the knick-knacks littering the side cabinets, and the miscellaneous things precious to the man inviting them into his personal territory.

Each item holds a story and probably fond memories for him; how hard must it be to know he has to move on?

It's like closing the door to his past and opening another one that shows him his future.

Heathcliff is nothing except a practical person. Perhaps living on the ranch in its heyday has made him like that, someone who is used to living in the moment, taking the highs and lows in his stride.

Lan Zhan thinks about what it will look like after he and Wei Ying move in with their four children.

Wei Ying is much the same, his vivid imagination providing a clearer picture. In his head, he can see a pink tricycle discarded in the lounge that they've moved onto. He can see Lan Zhan sitting in one corner of the plush sofa, reading while carding his long, beautiful fingers through Wei Ying's own hair, as he lies with his head in Lan Zhan's lap, fast asleep.

His gaze drifts towards the expansive windows, and he can see another day, perhaps at the height of summer where A-Yuan and JingYi might be playing football out on the lawn.

What strikes him is how easy it is, to see these flashes of the future.

They might not be premonitions, but that doesn't make them any less likely to come true.

The lounge might be equal in size to the kitchen, with ample seating. The furniture looks accommodating and well-worn, nonetheless comfortable to use. All of it is granite coloured leather, contrasting well with the golden beech flooring. There's a stone fireplace with a crackling fire burning away. Whatever wood Heathcliff is burning, it has a pleasant fragrance.

A huge TV screen is mounted above it, and the mantelpiece underneath it has framed pictures of Heathcliff and his family resting upon it.

Wei Ying asks after them, and Heathcliff patiently, proudly introduces them, telling him a bit about his three sons and his wife.

How strange but fitting that this home holds him as carefully as he too, embraces living here with a warmth that has nothing to do with the merrily burning fire?

Heathcliff's personality comes shining through, an invisible presence that reflects the things he likes and doesn't like, giving them an insight into what he's really like. A simple man, intelligent enough to step back from the foibles of a complicated lifestyle, so different from the kinds of people obsessed with their image in society and how they could become even more successful, even more wealthy, and losing a vital part of themselves in the process.

Heathcliff did not seem to care about that.

And it was refreshing to see it, live as it were. With Heathcliff, you saw what you got.

There's a hidden door to one side, and when Heathcliff opens it, flicking on the lights, they see a narrow carpeted staircase leading downstairs.

It leads to the basement, which Heathcliff has been using as another storage area.

Boxes are carefully stacked one on top of another, labelled with either TOM, STEVEN, or MARK.

"My wife wouldn't let me throw anything out when it came to our kids," Heathcliff explains.

And yet, no box bears her name.

"Gave away her things to a charity," he says, even though they haven't asked him about her. "Too painful to keep looking at," Heathcliff turns around to go back upstairs.

A person could still be missed even if there wasn't anything of theirs around. It's kind of sad, how Heathcliff has been living here, all by himself with nothing but his memories of his wife to keep him company.

Wei Ying can understand why his children are worried about him, and want him to move in with them. He's glad that Heathcliff has Smoky and Juno for companionship.

"I like to sit out here," Heathcliff says, opening his front door and before he settles down on his old rocking chair, he pulls out his visiting card from his shirt pocket. "Give that to your lawyers. They can talk to mine, and we can let them hash it out."

************

The shopping trip is amazingly successful.

A-Yuan and JingYi are enthusiastic big brothers already, even though neither Wei Ying nor Lan Zhan have expressly called them that. They don't want to jump the gun by saying something like that and jinxing their application to adopt the twin girls.

They buy cribs and bassinets, tons of baby grows, towels, clothes, and the boys go crazy in the toy section.

Lan Zhan buys them whatever they ask for, and it's Wei Ying who has to be the voice of reason.

He tries to pull Lan Zhan aside to explain to him that he does not have to put everything the boys look at into their cart. Lan Zhan genuinely doesn't see anything wrong with what he's doing, and he pouts.

They end up buying everything.

***************

Both A-Yuan and JingYi are ever so serious when it comes to visiting time in the hospital.

Their wide-eyed curiosity is endearing as they whisper question after question to their parents.

"When will the babies get better?"

"Where are their mummies and daddies?"

In some cases, the other parents were there, and it wasn't as distressing as when they finally got to the ICU.

Nurse Harding happened to be walking past just then, and she smiles when she reports that the girls will be moved into a children's ward tomorrow, that the doctors are pleased with their progress.

"You might want to think of names...just sayin'", she winks at them and moves on.

"Ah...names..." Wei Ying swallows hard. "I'd forgotten about that."

"Mn." Lan Zhan agrees.

That's another thing to put on their list.

"We can explore possible options tonight," Wei Ying says, wondering how the hell one did that sort of thing.

The girls would be lumbered with whatever they chose for the rest of their lives.

"We'll think of really good ones," Lan Zhan tries to reassure him.

Wei Ying settles for simply smiling, though it doesn't hide the panic he's feeling at such a monumental decision. In many ways, it was easier to agree to adopting the babies, than thinking about what their names will be.

****************

Books are spread out in front of them, as Uncle Qiren plays Ludo with JingYi and A-Yuan, and the new parents scramble to find something suitable.

"Suibian?" Wei Ying jokes, and he gets a scowl from Shifu, and a quiet glare from Lan Zhan, code for "That's not helping"!

Wei Ying has flicked through so many books that he fears his eyes are suffering from double vision, and there's no breakthrough in sight. Nothing seems right for their two little stars, and is it bad that he's already thinking of them as their babies?

He feels fiercely protective over them too, because his having the dream of finding them in the first place, especially because they were left by their mother who obviously did not want them, sparks a possessive streak deep inside himself. Being an orphan himself only added to that, and he's promised himself that he will never let his girls feel unwanted in their lives.

Ever.

Wei Ying knows Lan Zhan feels the same, if that protective gleam in his golden eyes is anything to go by.

He flops onto his back with his head landing in Lan Zhan's lap, wailing (quietly because of Shifu).

Lan Zhan strokes his hair absentmindedly, looking through a thick book that makes Wei Ying want to close his eyes.

He's got half a mind to call them Baby number one and Baby number two, until they are old enough to pick their own names, but he knows better than to voice his thoughts.

"Seriously though, why is it so hard?" He moans, getting a disapproving look from Shifu.

"A-Yuan, it's your turn," Wei Ying hears him say.

When he opens an eye to see why A-Yuan isn't playing, he's shocked to see the boy bring him a children's book on flowers.

"JingYi likes yellow flowers," he says, pointing at one. "And I like this one. Juhua, and Meihua."

"Chrysanthemum and Plum blossom?" Wei Ying sits up, grabbing him and sitting him down in his lap.

"What do you think?" JingYi wants to know, standing up and coming towards them.

Wei Ying risks a look at Shifu, and he's smiling proudly.

"Well, it could be worse. We could call them orchids, but then that would be Lan Lanhua," he snickers.

Everyone glares at him.

"They are good names." Lan Zhan says. "The Chrysanthemum means happiness and vitality. The plum blossom symbolises resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. Both reflect what our daughters have gone through, and our good wishes for them."

"Then it is decided," Shifu says. "Lan Juhua and Lan Meihua."

Wei Ying feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders as he looks around in relief. They are good names.

"Great! Now, play with us!" Both JingYi and A-Yuan pull them into their game.