The Harcourt Family

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria did as her brother said, though she was shaken up. She swallowed, finding that her throat was very dry. She gathered Luke and Caleb, who were squalling at the top of their lungs, and slowly lowering it to sniffles. They both nuzzled their mother, and gripped her shirt. Cheria kept her head down, not wanting to face her brother. She only heard that tone when her father was angry at her. She heard it other times too, but only when there was physical abuse following it. She flinched and steeled herself for the beating that she was sure would come. Caleb nuzzled her chest, wanting to be fed after the whole ordeal with the dog. Cheria glanced down at him and gave him a pacifier. Caleb sucked on that and then snuggled against his brother. Luke looked a bit confused now that the attack was over. But he found something else to occupy his time before long.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

He waited until she changed back before lowering his arms. "Thank you" Saberlin said quietly, his tail still jumping and lashing and his ears back. "I'm sorry for shouting at you but these humans could not be allowed to be hurt. I know you would never want to hurt anyone purposefully but when the cat takes over...we couldn't risk it" he looked away, feeling bad for what he felt he had to do.

He turned to the shocked and angry couple whose dog had run up to Cheria and her cubs. "I am not sure that your dog was trying to attack us or merely chase us because of what we are, but I assure you the vet's bills will be fully covered by myself personally. Please, let us forgive and settle this in a reasonable manner. No one here is at fault. Your dog was simply doing what instincts told it to do, as was my sister. No one here is to blame"

They nodded, tight lipped and shaking, accepting the details he gave them. They looked like they wanted to argue but after seeing Cheria as a fierce lion and hearing the growl from Saberlin, they remained silent.

"Alright, but you will hear more about this" they finally said, before running off to find their dog.

Sighing heavily, Saberlin turned back to look at Fern and the others, "Is everyone alright? Cheria, I..." he frowned, "You can look up at me, you know. I'm not going to do anything. It's all over" his tone became gentler as he spoke, and a hint of hurt could be detected. Why did she react this way? He wasn't about to beat anyone. Trailing off, he remained silent, not knowing what he could say or do. What was done was done.

He gathered up the fallen items slowly, setting them in a pile beside Fern, "I suppose it's all ruined now. Let's just pack up. I'll call the driver to come and bring the car around" he sighed, brushing strands of hair out of his eyes again as the wind swished them across his vision while he pulled out the pen-phone-camera device.

****

Oka and Panthe were safe, though they also cried, one on either of Fern's hips as she held them and tried to calm the frightened yowls.

Once the people were gone and the twins were slightly calmer, Fern rushed over to Cheria's side, lightly placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry" she murmured, her eyes and voice full of concern, 'Are you okay? It's alright, I know he was just trying to protect everyone. Cheria, I think you did the right thing. You were amazing..." Fern's hand and body were trembling, along with her words, though she meant everything she said.

"No, Saberlin, wait..." Fern looked at him with a frown,"Don't let this ruin our day. If we let it ruin our day it will end on a bad note. I still have some ice cream left. Let's share"

"I'm...not sure anyone is in the mood for ice cream now" Saberlin replied frowning, folding his arms and looking at the ocean.

Fern was taken aback for a moment, then took a gasping breath as tears stung her eyes, her voice shaking with another emotion, of anger "Well this is the first time our children have ever been to the beach and they've never tried ice cream. I want their first memories to be a good one!" she declared, placing her children on the blanket and grabbing up the container holding the ice creams. She handed one bowl of vanilla to Cheria, "Here, Cheria, we can't let them wreck our day"

Getting to her feet, she thrust the honeycomb-choclolate ice cream into Saberlin's hands, "We are having ice cream at the beach together and it's going to be happy" her voice wobbled as the tears suddenly poured from her eyes.

Saberlin stared at her, completely flabbergasted, cat slotted eyes wide as saucers. He looked at the ice cream, then to her and his anger melted away, "Oh, Fern..." Saberlin smiled, leaning over to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, kissing the top of her head, "It's okay...Don't cry. Alright, alright, I'll eat this damn thing" he laughed wryly for a moment, sighing softly afterwards. "Okay, we'll make this a happy memory." Not forgeting Cheria, he glanced over at her "Right, little sister? I'm sorry, please, have some ice cream with us. At least for the kids"  

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria finally looked up. "Thank you Fern. For both the words and the ice cream." She took the offered cup of ice cream and gently, very gently put her cubs on the blanket. Luke looked at his mother and crawled towards her, seeking comfort. Caleb rocked on his back and spat out his pacifier. Cheria retrieved it and held Caleb close to her. Once again, he nuzzled her chest and she let him suckle, though discreetly as she could with a nursing blanket. After he was done nursing, she put him to her shoulder and burped him. After that, Cheria gave him a little of the ice cream and a little to Luke. Luke sniffed it then lapped it up. Cheria looked at Saberlin and Fern. "I guess I need to explain about the past, right?" She stared at the sea and started. "It was after we got the news that mother and father died. Saberlin, you stayed at the house. I didn't. I went to the local orphanage. I was young, so I don't remember much. What I do remember is that I would get beaten if I did something wrong, and even for no reason whatsoever. I eventually got out when I was 18. I got a job, then I met James, the photographer. We hit it off when we met and he invited me to live with him. Oh course, with no where to go, I accepted. We fell in love, and made all sorts of plans to go see the world. The we had that one intimate night, and the next month I found out I was pregnant. I had all the usual symptoms, morning sickness, tenderness, and the test came out positive. He urged me to get an abortion, but I refused. I left him, and I got a low paying job that I was able to do until my 7th month of pregnancy. That's when I saw the advertisement for a housekeeper. I believe you guys know the rest." Cheria glanced at her brother and sister-in-law.  

[Incognita Ninja]

(BUMP! biggrin )  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Saberlin looked up from wiping Panthe’s face with paper towel, halfway through feeding her tiny spoonfuls of vanilla dessert that somehow got everywhere despite his best efforts not to let it. “We are most familiar with the latter half of that tale, thanks in no small part to recent events. However, there was one thing I never did understand…” he popped another spoonful into Panthe’s mouth as she made grabby hands for it, uttering raspy squeals.

“Why did you get packed off to an orphanage after mother and father died? We inherited the entire company, the entire house. There were far too many rooms for the amount of staff we have there. You could have stayed. I had hired nannies and other tutors that could look after us. Not that I needed them. Still…”

Fern was listening as she placed down an empty ice cream container and watched Oka licking the sweet melted substance of his sticky paws. “Oh, look at you two! You’ve got it in your hair…” she chuckled, “Oh, but…Saberlin, weren’t you completely absorbed in your career after…your parents…you know?” she asked, tilting her head to one side to avoid having her hair blow into her eyes by the wind.  

[Incognita Ninja]

MeyairaFirespring

"Well, I really don't remember. Maybe some of the staff thought it better if I was there, and not with you." Cheria finished feeding Caleb and Luke the creamy ice cream. Luke and Caleb yawned, their pink tongues showing. "Maybe they thought I was a distraction, me being a toddler back then." She looked at her brother. "I do have a question for you though. Why do I have a scar on my foot? It annoys me and I thought I would ask you." Cheria laid down next to her tired sons and placed them next to her belly. They made themselves comfortable and Cheria still looked at Saberlin, her eyes the same golden brown as her mothers, but with gold flecks from her father.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Saberlin thanked Fern as she handed him some wipes, finished cleaning Panthe's face and sticky mits, then helped Fern with Oka. He placed each child down on the blanket as Fern went to sit next to Cheria.

Oka had other ideas and kept trying to crawl away, wandering onto the sand only to be pulled back by his mother.

Panthe sniffed around before crawling to Cheria's side and snuggling herself in between her two cousins, pushing in like she belonged there.

Wiping his own hands on a wet wipe, Saberlin looked out at the sea thoughtfully, his ears moving back as though they recalled the memory of the arrow that pierced her foot 'Oh yes, that was a scar left by an incident with an arrow. I was trying to teach you a lesson on how to do archery and you...accidentally shot yourself in the foot before clawing it out"

He grimaced, that had been some wound she made. "To top things off, it also rained heavily that day"  

[Incognita Ninja]

"Ahh." She felt something (or, rather, someone) push itself so it could be next to her belly. She looked down and saw the black fur of Panthe. "Hello Panthe. I'm glad you could join Caleb and Luke." She gently stroked her fur as she pulled a blanket over the three of them. Caleb and Luke shuffled around, making room for their cousin. They snuggled up to her once she was in place.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Time Skip:

(All the kids are now toddlers aged between 2 - 3 years)

Goals to Play: First Steps, first illness, first teeth and first words - a lot of Firsts! cat_surprised

Season: Summer

Time of Day: Morning

Weather: Sunny, Breezy, Very Warm (hot enough to go for a swim)

Oka sat upon the rug that covered the wooden floor of the twin’s round nursery, playing with a peculiar toy that looked like a clear rubber ball with some kind of blue liquid inside. Upon the blue liquid bobbed a happy looking rubber ducky. The toddler quietly turned it around in his hands, fluffy ears of a leopard cub swivelling as he sniffed at it, poked it, and watched it with interest. He seemed to be quietly occupied for the moment.

Panthe on the other hand, was surrounded by a lot of different toys and couldn’t seem to choose just one. She kicked them around before she picked up a rattle in the shape of a frog and shook it a few times, studying it for a couple of seconds. Tossing the frog rattle, she then picked up a plastic book and held it upside down, turning the thick pages, before dropping that and spotting what her brother had in his hands. Crawling over to him with her tail held high and her ears pricked forwards, Panthe grabbed the rubber ball and shook it, while Oka tried to get it back, whining and swiping at the blue orb.

Quarrow the young Lypthera (the family's pet) appeared from under the crib and gently grabbed the rubber orb in his teeth, rolling it across the floor and ending the argument for a while.

Oka tipped onto all fours and crawled after the rolling orb, giggling.

Panthe sat and pouted. No fair, that was her ball!

The ceiling fans whirled a cool breeze around the room, which was light and bright with the windows thrown open on this summer’s day. Cicadas chirped and birds tweeted under a clear blue sky that held just a few puffy white clouds.

Thankfully the windows were high enough up the wall that the kits couldn’t reach them. Not that it mattered because their double crib was in the centre of the room anyway.


Fern sat in the refurbished rocking chair that matched their wooden crib, reading a book and keeping half an eye on Panthe and Oka.

Although it was Sunday, Saberlin was working down in the labs again. She’d decided not to call one of the nannies, preferring to spend time with the twins as she had nothing else she wanted to do at the moment.

“Maybe we should visit your Aunty Cheria and your cousins later today” Fern told them, smiling when Panthe turned to look at her with wide brown eyes, distracted from the loss of the toy.

The little half-cat crawled up to her mother and nudge her head against Fern’s leg with a soft grizzle. Fern picked her up, laughing softly. “Oh that sounds good huh? I wonder when you’re going to start walking missy” Fern smoothed the little girl's hair, stroking her ears lightly while Panthe played with the cotton ribbon that tied the front of Fern's summer dress.

They’d been crawling pretty well for a while now but still, it worried her that they seemed so comfortable on all fours. Saberlin reassured her it had something to do with their feline instincts telling them it was more natural to be on all fours. She hoped he was right.

Quarrow swished his paw and rolled the ball back to Oka, turning the chase into an easy game and letting out a soft grating sound that seemed to Fern like a chuckle. "Thanks Quarrow" she laughed, shaking her head. They were so easily distracted.  

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria penned her latest letter to James. She looked at her sons, Caleb and Luke, play together. She smiled. Putting her pen down, she dropped down and started to tickle them. Their laughter was music to her ears. She kissed both of them when they cuddled in embrace. "Hey, here. Try to walk." She gently put their hands on a chair and they stood up. "I wish your father was here to see this. He would be helping you stand and hold your hands while you walk." She smiled and held Caleb's hand and he took a few hesitant steps. Cheria smiled and then swooped him up. He yawned, his pink tongue showing. She kissed him and laid him on the bed before turning to his brother, Luke. "Luke, are you gonna follow in your brother's footsteps?" Luke looked at her, his grip tight on the chair. Cheria gently broke the grip and held his hands. Luke stepped out, his eyes roaming, and his ears trying to catch every sound. Finally, he gave a cry of frustration after falling down numerous times. Cheria cradled him. "Shh, Luke. It's ok, mommy's here." Luke cried for a couple more minutes and when he was finally exhausted, he laid his head on his mother's chest. His eyes were closing rapidly, so Cheria laid out on the bed and covered him and Caleb with a light blanket. She looked at her two sleeping cubs and sighed. A deep chuckle at the doorway caught her attention. She looked towards the door and smiled. "James! You came!" She almost tackled him, but checked her speed and hugged him, burying her head in his shoulder, breathing in the spicy scent of his cologne.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

James tensed, preparing for a full on tackle when she started to run towards him but he relaxed at the last moment as she embraced him instead, returning her hug as he wrapped his arms around her. One rested upon her waist, the other around her shoulders. “I missed you” he replied, leaning in for a kiss, “Of course. Now that I have ‘permission’, I can come whenever I want”

He pulled away, glancing towards the twins who looked sound asleep. Good, that meant more time with Cheria. A smirk followed the thoughts of ideas of things they could do together. One thing did concern him, however.

“Why are they asleep on your bed? Did that miser not give them their own rooms?” He was talking about Saberlin. The words were light, half joking. He had to admit though; he still didn’t like her elder brother very much. It could have just been the Cat disliking being in the other’s ‘territory’. After all, he had been allowed to date Cheria these past months, so long as he promised to marry her. Which made the fact they were now engaged a very good thing.

Still, he’d only been in the mansion on a few occasions, preferring to go out or back to his place than stay here. Hence the reason he didn’t know its layout. A maid or butler showed up to escort him to Cheria on these visits, (wherever she was in the building or grounds) every time. He was never left alone on the premises, probably Saberlin’s doing.

***

Swish, went Quarrow’s mossy tail, batting the ball across the nursery. The Lypthet’s eyes gleamed as he continued the game with the young leopard-human, careful to sheath his claws in case the rubber globe popped and blue liquid would leak everywhere. This was like when he played 'fetch'.

Fern still sat in the rocking chair with Panthe, who was now trying to turn the pages of her book, losing where she was up to in the story while Fern tried to get her book back. So it wasn’t surprising that she missed it when it happened.

Oka crawled as fast as his legs and arms would take him, falling upon the target that Quarrow sent towards him with a squeal, almost banging his head on the crib he landed near.

The ball was slightly too big to be captured. It popped out from under him and swirled over the rug onto the floorboards, rubber ducky sloshing inside, coming to a stop against the wooden toy chest. “Nyar” the toddler made a cattish sound of protest and rolled onto all fours, pausing for a moment to look at it with slotted champagne eyes. He grabbed onto the side of the crib and tugged himself to a standing position, like Mummy had been showing them. Hold onto things and stand up.

Still, his focus was fixed on the toy. Letting go of the crib, he teetered and took one wobbly step towards the toy, then another, arms flailing, managing to take almost three more hurried steps before faltering onto the ground and crawling the rest of the way.

***

Saberlin was vaguely aware of the goings-on in his household at present, thanks to security cameras and informants. He was mostly fixated on the current moss samples taken from Quarrow, which he was still finding new ways to use.

A month or so earlier, Firaish’s body had been restored and the man had left a lot more satisfied than previously, or maybe the same. He seemed to be in as foul a mood as when he arrived when he left, but at least he had his original body back, and in better condition, with upgrades! Saberlin had been most pleased about that. It was less energy consuming to run, regenerated faster, was lighter…and a little extra powerful. Hopefully the employer of that mercenary would be pleased with the handiwork.

A low growl sounding in his ears made Saberlin realise he was still annoyed at the memory of that person and he shook his head, turning back to the new crushed powder form of the moss samples he was working with. “Sandy, could you hand me another batch of those test samples? I need to check the reaction times when this is applied to different tissues”  

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria laughed, the twinkle returning to her eyes. It their private joke and she loved it. "Well, this room does have a nursery attached, but I put them there because it was closer to my desk. Besides, I can watch them easier that if they were in the nursery." She returned the kiss and let him hold her."I have forgotten how good your kisses are." One of the twins began to wail, and she broke away from James, but not before she gave him another kiss. "Come hold one of your sons." Cheria led him over to the bed and picked up Caleb and held him out to his father. James took him and held him the way he saw Cheria hold Luke, the wailing one. Caleb recognized his father's scent and snuggled into his chest. Luke cried, his face flushed and his voice became raspier. Cheria bit her lip as she tried to calm him down. When he finally calmed down, he gripped his mother's shirt to hide. He started to shiver, even though his body was hot. "James? Could you go down to the medical bay with me? I think Luke is sick." She grabbed a light blanket, Luke's favorite stuffed animal, and a squishy teething ring. "Caleb's things are in a bag, by the door, James. If you could grab it on the way out, it would be appreciated." Cheria kissed Luke's forehead. "It's gonna be ok, Luke. Mommy has you."
She led James down to the medical bay, and was admitted right away. Luke was taken from her, along with his favorite things. She took another teething ring out from Caleb's bag and gave it to him to chew on. "They are cutting a new fang, and Saberlin has lent me some teething rings for them." She cooed at Caleb, making him giggle. Getting tired, both Caleb and Cheria snuggled into James and fell asleep.

Sandy nodded. She handed him the samples and looked up when a nurse walked through. She furrowed her brow, nurses don't usually walk through here, unless someone who was close to Saberlin was sick. As he said (some time ago), he had informants."Sir, a nurse is coming. I think she wants to talk to you."


"Saberlin? I came from the Med Bay, and your nephew, Luke, is sick. He's running a high fever, around 100 degrees F, and I think you'll need to comfort the mother so she doesn't worry. She's with James Lopez with your other nephew, Caleb. Just thought that I'll tell you, sir." With that, she turned around and left the area, leaving as quietly as she came.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

((It was their private joke? Huh? That wasn’t meant to be a joke. Lol.))

James grabbed Caleb’s bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder before he followed Cheria to the medical bay, watching as they took one of the hidden elevators to the lower levels of the mansion. He didn’t say much on the way there. Cheria had told him about the labs and attached medical facilities.

Apparently, they catered to special cases normal doctors couldn’t deal with, (along with the normal sorts of ailments but with abnormal patients). He’d never seen it until now, or known any of the routes to get to it. ‘Check for elevators hidden behind tapestries and old statues…got it,’ the jaguar thought bemusedly, shifting the weight of sleepy toddler in his arms and adjusting the bag strap. “It’s probably just a cold” he murmured reassuringly to his fiancé.

When they got to reception, however, the nurse behind the desk took one look at Luke and went to fetch a doctor. The next thing he knew, Luke was taken from them and whisked into one of the beds in the children’s ward.
Following down the hall to the room, James dropped Caleb’s bag and took a seat on one of the couches provided (it was a kid’s couch but nevertheless).

He looked down at Caleb, whose eyes had closed as he slept peacefully; unaware of what was happening around him. James brushed one of the tiny ears then glanced at his twin in the bed, noting the little rails that ran around it like a small crib but low enough the medical staff could easily lean over it.
Caleb was being given medication and hooked onto a small drip. ‘Maybe it’s the flu. He must be a bit dehydrated from sweating. He seems weak and lethargic so I bet that’s what they’re concerned about.’ James’ ears laid back. He tried not to show signs of worry…but poor Luke looked very helpless, lying there with his favourite snuggle toy stuffed under one arm. Cheria leaned against him and he shifted to make room for her. She must not have had much sleep last night. Soon he was the only one awake to watch the boy.

He looked around the room with its colourful, patterned curtains, pictures on the walls and even the bright blankets on the gurneys or whatever those weird beds were called. It looked almost like a child’s room except for the medical equipment on the walls and around the place and the staff coming in and out. He hoped Caleb wouldn’t catch anything off Luke.

***

After a couple of moments, Saberlin forced himself to break away from his task. He glanced up from sprinkling powdered moss mixtures on the samples and placed his note pad down, slipping the pen into his lab coat pocket. He removed the safety goggles he’d been wearing and pulled the fabric mask down so it hung around his neck. No sense breathing in the powders when the mixture was still being tested.

Saberlin listened to what the nurse reported and thanked her before she walked away. Stretching out after leaning over samples for most of the day, he then scratched the back of his neck and sighed. It was bound to happen sooner or later. He was surprised they hadn’t caught something already with them putting everything in their mouths. Then again, he did have the toys and rooms cleaned every day and Fern was always keeping their hands washed. Cats had high immunity to most things. He also thought that because they were fed breast-milk, that would have helped boost the immune systems as well, from the start. So why was Luke suddenly in the med-bay?

He doubted he’d need to comfort Cheria when James was with her and she was surrounded by experienced and helpful staff members, but he was pleased at being filled in on the situation and resolved to visit them on lunch break.

“Aw, that’s no good, Sir. How old are they now? Poor little thing” Sandy interrupted his train of thoughts with an apologetic tone and a look of genuine concern. “I noticed how big they were getting. Time’s flown fast, hasn’t it?”

She chuckled, taking notes on what was happening with the samples she’d been working on, using a liquid solution in an eye-dropper. It was a new cure for a peculiar condition that had recently emerged that affected hybrids (half-animals, anthros and other alien species, to be specific). Considering her samples were giving off different coloured smokes, she wasn’t sure the experiment was going the way they wanted.

Saberlin smiled, pulling his mask and goggles back on and reaching for his pen again. “Well my nephews are about two years old now. Panthe and Oka are just a few days behind them. Yes, it has flown” he shook his head, “They’ve almost got all their teeth now,” laughing, he held up his tail, showing her the bandages wrapped around it from all the kitten bites. “These don’t deter them”

***

“Sir?” A female doctor had approached while they waited and James looked up at hearing someone speak to him, straightening a bit awkwardly to wake Cheria with a light shake.

“Ms Cheria, Mister Lopez, let me just fill you in on how your son is doing. Luke has a bit of a fever, which should come down on its own after a while but we’re just going to keep him in here for observation while the medication sets in. He’s also fairly dehydrated so we have him on a solution to help restore the fluid levels. Other than that, we will probably keep him here for about a day, maybe two. At this stage we can say it looks like probably a virus, perhaps the flu but we just want to make sure he’s okay and nice and comfortable before we discharge him from the hospital” she smiled, flipping over the page on her clipboard.  

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria roused a bit, her eyes still closed as she slumbered on. She WAS tired, but it wasn't for lack of sleep. She was getting enough sleep during the night, but since she has been getting stressed during the day, and this with Luke getting sick, she was getting sick herself. Only she didn't think she was, only because she was eating alright and sleeping well. She opened her ears and grimaced. "James, can you lower the lights?" She had to whisper that, since her head was pounding. She caught the last of the nurse's words, before she actually blacked out. She didn't feel anything, even though she was laid out on a gurney and wheeled away. Her tail, normally flickering, was still and limp. A doctor came and took her pulse, she was still alive, very much so. He nibbled on his lip before sending one of the nurses to get her brother and another to inform her fiance. He was there when her mother fainted due to the same sickness. He needed her brother in order to ask him that one question: Is this that one illness that he is working to cure? If so, then Cheria may be at greater risk than he thought, though her mother recovered with just a bit of the rare medicine that they had. And, if he remembered correctly, Cheria had a fever when she was a baby. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. Still, better safe then sorry.

A small nurse quickly trotted to were James was sitting with his son. "Sir, Mr. Lopez? Mistress Cheria....well.... the doctor didn't tell me much, but she looks like she is in a grave condition. If you would follow me...." The nurse led the way back to were Cheria was. Caleb woke up right before the nurse came and got James. He gripped his father's shirt. He didn't like to be roughly bounced. When the bouncing stopped, he glanced around. "Ada?" He didn't recognize the surroundings.


The other nurse that the doctor had sent out slipped into the room where Saberlin was working. "Master Saberlin? The doctor requests that you come to... ah, your sister's side. I can't tell you all the details at the current moment." She turned, waited for him to follow, and then almost ran back to the med bay.

Cheria woke up a few hours later and looked around. She was confused. Why was Saberlin here? And James? Where's her cubs? She started to hyperventilate, and the machines started to beep loudly. That did it. Cheria jumped, her fur sticking out.
Caleb heard the machines beep loudly and suddenly. "Ada!" He screamed. He turned into James's chest and continued to cry, his tears soaking the front of his father's soft cotton shirt.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

James tried to follow after Cheria when they wheeled her into a separate ward but he was denied access. Someone would need to stay with Luke, plus there was the factor of limiting exposure to those not already infected with the virus. Unsure what to do, torn between the three people he cared about, James chose to remain in the children’s ward with the twins, sitting back down on the couch with Caleb. Despite his efforts to sit down carefully, the movements jostled the boy into waking right before a nurse came in to tell him something.

He glanced back at Luke, reluctant to leave him should he wake up in this alien territory with no one recognisable around.

Grabbing Caleb’s bag, he followed the nurse down the hall with the boy clinging tightly to his shirt. James tried not to wince and pull away from the toddler’s sharp claws. They were digging into his flesh. Kid must have been scared in such an unfamiliar place, with medical scents and sounds and strange machines and furniture. Not to mention what was happening to his twin and his mother. James wasn’t sure how much Caleb could understand.

He rubbed his son’s back consolingly as they entered the room with the beeping machines, “It’s alright, Caleb. They are going to make Luke and Cheria…I mean, Mommy, better.”

James wasn’t too great with kids just yet but he’d seen Cheria interact with them and tried to copy her tactics. “The doctors are helping her and Luke.”

***

Saberlin was again interrupted from his experiments by another of the medical staff.

"Master Saberlin? The doctor requests that you come to... ah, your sister's side. I can't tell you all the details at the current moment."

He shoved the safety goggles up on top of his head and sighed, pushing platinum strands away from his eyes. They were so close to working out this formula into the final powdered solutions. Looking at a clock on the wall, he noticed it was around 12:45pm, time for lunch break anyway, “Okay, thanks, I shall be there right away” He stood, peeling off the disposable gloves he’d been wearing and dropping them in the bin on the way out, boots tapping the floor as his lab coat swished around him.

Taking the teleporter to the medical bay (it was faster than taking the elevator and they were still testing the teleportation systems out by trialling, plus it came in handy for emergency situations involving lab accidents), he spoke to the desk staff and was led to the doctor taking care of Cheria. “Doctor Wincreed, what is going on down here? I was called away from a very important analysis. Is Cheria okay? How is Luke?” he questioned, wanting to know what it was immediately, his ears lowered with concern.

***

In the meantime, Fern had no idea what was happening with the rest of her family. She was a bit too preoccupied looking after their toddlers.

She had taken Panthe and Oka down to the kitchen so they could have lunch together and the twins were wearing large bibs, currently sat in their highchairs eating, (and making a spectacular mess of) their meals as they discovered the joys of new foods.

Today it was mini pumpkin pies, mashed potatoes and vegetables. Their hands and faces were messy and they seemed to enjoy redecorating the walls and floor but at least they were happy. Fern kinda wished she'd served them fruit salad or fish sticks by this point.

“Hey, you two, I hope you’re eating some of that food” Fern mock scolded them, hearing giggles in return.

Quarrow had followed them to the kitchen and was eating whatever scraps fell onto the ground, while Fern tried to eat her lunch, sitting next to the twins so she could supervise and keep things remotely civil. “Maybe we should have made something with meat in it, what do you think?”

“No, no, no!” Panthe shook her head and laughed, waving her tiny spoon that was clasped in one fist. She didn't care what the question was, she just wanted to play.

“No!” Oka parroted from around the mouthful of pie he was chewing. “Mama?”

Fern smiled, “Yes, Oka? Don't talk with your mouth full, darling”

Oka grinned, waving a hand that spilled peas across the highchair, “No!”

Quarrow gave a snort and rolled his eyes before he turned back to licking a glob of mashed potato off the floor. Meal times were always interesting in this house.

“Okay, no more being silly. Let’s eat our food properly,” Fern told them, firmly yet kindly, demonstrating by eating some of her own in slow motion. “Yum. See, it’s good. Put it in your mouth, like this”

After lunch, she decided, she would take them outside and give them water to play in. Maybe a paddling pool or some buckets and a few water toys. It was a nice enough day to.