#alys rutherford

[shannaraisles]

Throwback Thursday

Because I’m feeling it today, and because I have WAY too much to do not to need a little distraction now and then, let’s go with this.

Remember Set In Darkness?

Today, for one day only, I will be answering any and all questions about Rory, her family, her story, and even what happened next. AND sharing the art! Portrait of Rory by @destinyapostasy, portrait of Alys by @angels767, and two portraits of Cullen and Alys by @kawereen!

[shannaraisles]

Comfort & Ploy - Chapter 3

Carver Hawke needs a girlfriend for the festive season. Filipa Trevelyan needs an excuse not to spend Satinalia with her parents. Best friends pretending to be lovers … what could possibly go wrong?

[Read on AO3]

*****

Waking from a good night's sleep after a long day was always a good feeling. Especially this morning, Filipa lazily reflected as she slowly surfaced to consciousness. Usually her apartment was frozen, so she was huddled tight beneath layers of blankets, but this morning, she was toasty warm.

Almost too warm, actually. She yawned, tilting her head as the precursor to rolling onto her back, only to realize that she couldn't actually move. That the firm pillow beneath her head was not only warm, but radiating heat, rising and falling in a slow, comforting rhythm. That the wrap of the blanket around her shoulders was not actually a blanket at all, but a firm, well muscled arm, holding her close to an equally firm, well muscled chest.

Sweet Maker, she'd cuddled up to Carver in the night. And he'd let her! He was cuddling her back and ... Andraste's knickerweasels ... her leg was thrown right over his hips, her body pressed so close to his she might as well have been inside his pajamas with him.

She should have been absolutely mortified. She should have rolled away as quickly and gently as possible. A friend wouldn't let their friend wake up in this kind of compromising position, especially when she knew he would blush as red as the fire engines he drove on a daily basis back home. But ... there was a but. There had never been a but before. Not only that; she was deliberately not thinking about what that but might be.

She hazarded a wary tilt of her head to look up at his sleeping face. He was such a handsome man, she reflected. She'd always known it. You couldn't be friends with Carver Hawke without being very aware that women had a tendency to make fools of themselves trying to get his attention. He'd never given them more than the time of day, though. Filipa had initially assumed he wasn't interested in women, but had learned later in their friendship that he was actually terrible at talking to women he fancied. If he could get laid without having to speak at all, it would be so much better for all concerned.

Filipa stopped that thought abruptly, aware that there was a sudden sharp pang in her chest at even the possibility of Carver finding anyone attractive enough to overcome his inability to talk like a human being to a pretty girl. She frowned, absently focusing on the beat of his heart beneath the palm of her hand, marveling at how steady both it and his breathing were, even when she was wrapped around him so completely. She'd be lying if she said she had never found him attractive - Maker knew she had wasted plenty of daydreams on him during the first months they had known one another - but it had never come to anything. That was why she had felt safe in agreeing to help him fool his brother this Satinalia.

She sighed softly, rolling her eyes at herself. Great, just great. You promised it wasn't going to get weird, and now it's weird. Good going, Pip.

Well, she could at least do the decent thing and untangle herself before he woke up. With careful, gentle movements, she drew her leg back from its rest over his body, delicately loosening the grip of his arm about her shoulders. But as she moved to roll away, he rolled with her, big strong arms wrapping close about her body once again to pull her back close to his chest, fitting the long line of his body to hers with a sleepy mumble.

Filipa swallowed hard, trying not to shiver at the sensation of his breath against the back of her neck, or the warm, liquid warmth that was gathering, unbidden, deep in her belly. Shit. There was no getting out of this particular embrace, not without waking him up. She was just going to have to forge through the awkwardness for his sake. It wasn't his fault she had suddenly realized for the second time that he was pretty much everything she could ever wish for in a man.

He nestled closer into her neck, sleeping lips brushing her skin, and she felt the blush begin to paint her body, starting from somewhere around her naval and rushing upward to cast her face in shades of delighted, ashamed rose. Worse, the arm he had wrapped from beneath her neck bent further around her, one large hand closing with unconscious possession about her t-shirt-clad breast.  

"Mmm ..."

Abruptly, she silenced that unconscious moan with a sharp intake of breath, shocked at herself and, if she was honest, more than a little turned on by Carver's sleeping affection. She never would have guessed he was a hugger in his sleep, but then, they had never shared a bed before. This was new territory for both of them.

She was not going to take advantage of him, though. Steeling herself, Filipa gently slid her hand between his palm and her breast, carefully unfolding his arm until it lay flatter against the bed. The other, she just as gently eased from about her waist, slowly inching forward until she could clamber out of the bed without waking him. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked back at her sleeping companion, and watched as he groped for her for a moment before gathering her pillow into his arms and burying his face into it. It was such an endearing sight that, for a moment, she forgot to breathe normally, eventually forced to inhale or pass out.

"Get yourself together, Pip," she muttered harshly, turning away so that she was not tempted to watch him sleeping any longer. "You're his beard, that's all. Best friends is better than no friends at all."

Catching up her clothes, she headed for the bathroom, determined to sort her head out for the day to come so that Carver need never know just how much she had enjoyed waking up next to him.

By the time they arrived at her sister's house a few hours later, Filipa was fairly sure she had herself under control. Carver didn't seem to be any the wiser about her gloriously unexpected sexual awakening as far as he was concerned, which was just as well. She knew she was acting a little out of character, a little shyer than usual, but he hadn't commented on it. In fact, he seemed far more relaxed today than he had yesterday, an attitude that resulted in them stamping up onto the Rutherfords' porch with his arm slung about her shoulders. It was so easy to pretend with him ... too easy, she realized. Because it wasn't a pretense, for her. This is so bad. I am a bad person.

Thankfully, Mila had plans for them, roping them both into helping set up the festive tree with Alys directing things from the middle of the living room, except when she wanted to get hands on, in which case Carver was enlisted to hold the little girl up as high as she wanted to go to "fix" the decorations they had been putting up.

"So," Mila said, after pulling her little sister into the kitchen for a moment, "how long have you been seeing each other? You were kind of evasive yesterday, you know."

Filipa rolled her eyes.

"Because I don't see how the length of a relationship should reflect on its strength," she countered, determined to continue being as vague as she possibly could be. "You were technically only seeing Cullen for a couple of months before you moved in with him and Alys."

"We'd been writing to each other for a year," Mila argued. "And my relationship has nothing to do with yours. You are my darling little sister, and in order to be sure you are being treated like the goddess you deserve, I need to know all the details."

"Translation - you are desperate for gossip you can lord over Ksenia and Mama," was Filipa's sardonic reply.

"That, too." Mila was nothing, if not honest, flashing her sister a grin to soften the reality. "You seem pretty comfortable with each other, I have to admit," she went on. "Last night must have been quite the night, though. I don't think I've seen you stare this much at a boy since you were fifteen."

"And I'm going to stop you right there," Filipa said quickly, though she couldn't stop the blush from rising again. That was hardly going to convince Mila she was wrong. "What does or does not happen in bed does not need to be shared with the world."

"I feel like this was a bad time to come into the kitchen," Carver said from the doorway, hovering with a faintly embarrassed look on his face.

"No, your timing is perfect," Filipa assured him, moving away from her sister to join Carver in the doorway.

That turned out to be a very bad move.

"Mistletoe!" Alys exclaimed with absolute delight.

Filipa turned her head to find the little girl bouncing up and down on her toes, waving her hand excitedly at the mantle above them. With a sinking feeling, she followed the line of that happy hand, and sighed. Yes, of course, there had to be a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the kitchen doorframe. She should have known there would be some in this house - it was one of Alys' favorite stories about Mila and Cullen getting together, the day she had all but forced them to kiss under the mistletoe. Mila snorted with laughter, but did nothing to call her daughter off as the little girl skipped forward.

"You have to kiss, it's a law," Alys insisted. "It's not like you don't kiss normally, 'cos you're all smoochy like Mum and Dad."

Filipa lifted her eyes to Carver's, seeing the panic hidden mostly deep in his gaze. Oh,bugger. They'd discussed this possibility, they'd agreed they could do it if they absolutely had to. But that had been before she had woken up in his arms and realized that she was quite probably in love with her best friend.

To her surprise, however, he seemed to swallow down that brief moment of panic, a small smile quirking at his lips as he glanced down at Alys.

"One small peck do you?" he asked.

The little redhead frowned, hands on her hips.

"That's not a kiss you give someone you love," she insisted firmly.

"It's the kind of kiss you give your Dad," Filipa pointed out, jumping on this as a last desperate hope.

"But Carver's not your Dad, he's your squeeze," Alys countered in her adorably stubborn way.

"She's got you there," Mila said from the kitchen. "And you're spending too much time with Isabela, Nuglet."

"You have to kiss under the mistletoe," Alys went on, ignoring her mother's commentary from the other side of the couple she wanted to see some real affection from. "It's a rule. Something bad happens if you don't."

"Well, we can't have anything bad happening to your Auntie Pip," Carver agreed.

Filipa stared at him, genuinely shocked that he seemed so calm in the face of this blatant bullying from a child. He caught her stare, his own smile more reassuring than she could have expected, reaching out to tug her a little closer by the belt loops on her jeans.

"Maker, anyone would think you'd never kissed before!"

Mila's laugh made Filipa blush, but it did remind her that she owed Carver the benefit of keeping up appearances. She could handle this. Right?

Forcing herself to relax, she rolled her eyes, rising up onto her toes to meet him as he bent down to her. For just a moment, she almost hesitated, but Carver didn't. His lips touched hers softly, just the barest brush, before claiming her mouth with a firm, gentle kiss that sent butterflies spiraling through her body. She responded without thinking, curling her hands to his wide biceps as his hands found somewhere to rest on her back, forcing herself not to give into the glorious sensation of being kissed by Carver Hawke. Just a mistletoe kiss, nothing to get worked up over, she told herself, deliberately drawing back before she could get lost in that sensation.

Alys cheered, clapping her hands together happily, and threw her arms around both of their waists in a slightly self-congratulatory hug. Filipa snorted with laughter, automatically wrapping one arm about the little girl as Carver's hands dropped from her own back.

"That was ... weird," he murmured.

Weird. The bubble burst instantly. She had promised him this would not get weird, and here they were. It was weird, and she was pretty sure it was her fault. She shouldn't have let herself respond so eagerly to that kiss; she should have let him lead it and end it on his own terms.

"It's always weird when an eleven-year-old forces you to kiss in public," Mila assured Carver cheerfully. "Come and have a cup of coffee, you'll get over it. And no more bullying people, little miss, or I'm going to have to forget where I put the cocoa again."

"Awww ..."

Alys' complaint brought a smile back to Carver's face, at least, both of them stepping back to let the little girl muscle between them to join her mother at the kitchen island. Filipa let out a long breath, rubbing a hand through her hair. She was going to have to try harder to keep this from getting weirder.

"Wasn't a bad kind of weird," Carver added, throwing her an almost teasing grin before stepping away to join her sister for the promised coffee.

And despite herself, Filipa felt a faint flare of hope at that comment, her own smile returning as she shuffled after him, catching Alys by the waist to lift her up onto the counter and tickle the little mischief-maker for her part in that awkward exchange. So weird didn't necessarily mean bad. That was good to know.

[shannaraisles]

Comfort & Ploy - Chapter 5

Carver Hawke needs a girlfriend for the festive season. Filipa Trevelyan needs an excuse not to spend Satinalia with her parents. Best friends pretending to be lovers … what could possibly go wrong?

[Read on AO3]

*****

"Auntie Pip?"

"Hmm?"

Filipa turned toward the curious little voice just in time to get a face full of snow, thrown by the most mischievous child she had ever known. Spluttering, she batted the stuff out of her mouth, eyes narrowing at the giggling Alys.

"Oh, you're for it now, Nuglet!"

She bent to scoop up a handful of snow herself, ducking as Alys tossed another snowball her way. It hit her shoulder, scattering soft crystals everywhere, but Filipa was already straightening up with her own snowball, taking aim as Alys squealed and ran for it over the snow. The ball hit the redhead square in the back, making her shout with laughter again as she grabbed for more herself. Babysitting unexpectedly for an afternoon was turning out to be fun.

"Carver?" she called back toward the house.

There was a pause before the kitchen window opened and the tall man leaned out, tilting his head toward her as another snowball smashed against her hip.

"This might take a while," Filipa informed him with a grin and a wink, chuckling as he laughed and ducked back inside out of the cold.

Alys' own grin faltered a little when she saw the size of the snowball her aunt then started to put together.

"Nooo! Uncle Carver, you havta save me!"

Filipa took off running after the little girl, already breathless with laughter at the squealing that erupted from her sister's little girl in the face of being thoroughly beaten in a snowball fight. It seemed as though Alys wasn't used to people fighting back for real. She certainly screamed loudly enough when her aunt brought the big snowball down on her head, cackling along with Filipa at the ridiculous playtime she had initiated.

"No fair!" Alys complained through her grin. "You've got longer legs than me!"

"You started it!" Filipa countered, scooping more into her gloved hands.

She grunted as Alys barrelled into her, knocking her off her feet and into the snow on her back, her half-made missile disintegrating in the fall. As Alys scuttled off, she sat up, patting the snow out of her hair.

"Who's cheating now?" she demanded, only just getting her hands up in time to fend off another attack aimed straight for her face again.

"It's not cheating when it's me, because I am cute!" was the counter.

Filipa laughed as she rose onto her feet, swiping packed snow off her backside.

"That is not a good enough excuse," she argued in amusement. "I'm at least as cute as you!"

"Betcha my Daddy doesn't think so!"

Alys ducked as Filipa tossed more snow her way, snickering happily. None of them had been expecting Cullen and Mila to be called back to the zoo, but then, no one could accurately predict the birthing habits of Antivan tigers, it seemed. It was a pretty huge compliment to be trusted with Alys and their home, and with Carver busy in the kitchen, no one was going to go hungry. Filipa was well aware that she was a hopeless cook - left to her, Alys would have been eating take-out tonight while her parents hovered over a laboring tigress.

Game over was called, however, when Alys managed to get a handful of snow up and underneath Filipa's coat, leaving droplets of freezing water to trickle down her back and soak into her shirt.

"Fine, you win," she conceded, catching her niece about the waist to swing her around to face the house. "And your lips are going blue, so we're going inside, Nuglet."

"That was fun!" the little redhead exclaimed as they tramped over the porch, kicking the snow from their boots before stepping inside to divest themselves of said boots, coats, hats and gloves. "Daddy says Mama liked to play in the snow, but when him and Mum play, they always let me win. I like winning for real."

"I still maintain that you cheat," Filipa assured her, smiling warmly.

It felt strange when Alys referred to her birth mother, Rory, but it was getting easier to deal with. Rory's death had left a hole in Cullen and Alys' lives that Mila was adamant she would not even attempt to fill, instead making her own space alongside the memory of the woman who had made them both so happy to begin with. Still, it was a good thing that both mothers were so precious to Alys. Filipa could not be happier for her sister to have found so warm and loving a home to be a part of.

"Maker's breath, look at the state of you two," Carver said, peering at them from the kitchen door. "Just as well I made cocoa, isn't it?"

Alys' eyes went round with hopeful excitement.

"Real cocoa?" she asked. "With real chocolate and marshmallows?"

Carver grinned at her.

"What do you take me for?" he replied. "I'll have you know that I refuse to drink cocoa made with powder, thank you so very much."

"Go wash your hands," Filipa told her niece before Alys could pounce on Carver and give him one of those hugs that seemed to completely flummox him. "I'm going to steal one of your mum's tops, since mine is mysteriously soaking wet."

Snickering cheerfully, Alys obediently disappeared upstairs in the direction of the bathroom, leaving Filipa usher Carver back into the kitchen so she could reach the laundry room. Mila was hardly going to begrudge her a spare top after an emergency babysitting afternoon.  

"So cocoa before dinner?" she asked, ducking into the laundry room to grab the first clean top that came to hand.

Carver was already back at the stove, stirring the contents of the saucepan. She had to admit, it smelled delicious. He had almost certainly added spice to it as well as using real chocolate.

"It's going to be at least an hour before dinner's ready," he said absently, glancing over as she came back into the kitchen.

"Oh, I guess that's not so bad, then," she agreed, pulling her shirt off over her head.

She missed the sudden catch of breath in his throat, dropping her wet shirt onto the table so she could pull Mila's dry one on instead. It wasn't as though they hadn't changed clothes in front of each other before; it happened all the time in the firehouse, and she was determined not to act as though anything had changed between them. After all, she was the one with the emotions making themselves known. He didn't deserve to have her feelings sloshed all over him.

Pulling her hair out of the collar of the shirt, she turned back toward Carver, only to find him staring at her. And ... is he blushing? He was. Carver, her best friend who never seemed to have noticed she was female before, was blushing at the sight of her changing her top in front of him. Despite her best intentions, Filipa felt herself grin.

"Enjoying the view there?" she asked innocently.

Carver cleared his throat, jerking his gaze away from her to the cocoa on the stove-top. Even his ears were pink. Blessed Andraste ... he likes me, she realized, feeling happy warmth blossoming in her chest. He actually fancies me! How in the Void did I miss that?

"You don't need to be embarrassed," she added, moving closer to gently nudge her shoulder to his arm. "I generally enjoy the view from here, too."

All right, so maybe it wasn't the best way to broach the subject of mutual pining, but it was worth it to see his mouth drop open in genuine surprise. She had rendered Carver Hawke speechless. If she wasn't so delighted about the actual cause of it, she would definitely have made a show of marking the date in her diary.

"Are you going to smooch?"

Alys' interruption might have been perfectly timed. Filipa was pretty sure neither she nor Carver were quite ready for this conversation, nor was it something they should talk about in her sister's house when Mila and Cullen could walk in at any moment, not to mention be overheard by a nosy little girl. She smiled at Carver, winking at him, and turned to Alys as he reached for the mugs.

"No, Nuglet, we are not going to smooch," she informed her niece, wrapping an arm about the girl's shoulders. "You and me are going to choose a movie for everyone to watch while we have cocoa and wait for dinner to be ready. Sound good?"

Alys nodded, tucking her shorter arm around her aunt's waist easily. Filipa was pretty sure the kid was tired from playing outside in the cold, but was at that age where she would never admit to needing a quick nap to recover from having fun. A movie and a warm drink should sort that right out. Carver seemed to have recovered as well; he turned to follow them, three mugs clasped securely in his large hands.

"Let's get to it then, shall we?" he suggested, gesturing with the mugs for the two ladies to go ahead of him.

Predictably enough, Alys was fairly insistent on watching "A Muppet Satinalia Carol", a movie that Mila also loved and apparently Cullen was very good at appearing to tolerate with good grace. He was subjected to it multiple times every year, after all. Filipa, however, had no objection to the silly movie, settling down onto the couch with Alys curled up under her arm. Carver hesitated only a moment before easing his long frame down onto the couch beside Filipa, comfortably settling his own arm about her shoulders.

She glanced up at him, absolutely certain she was blushing but stubborn enough to smile through it and brazen it out. He smiled back down at her, and turned his attention to the screen, lifting his cup to his lips. Grinning to herself, she turned her own attention to the movie, relaxing into the couch and the nonchalant cuddling on either side of her.

They might have started this as a means to an end, but that end had definitely altered now. Now all she had to do was work out exactly how to break it to Carver that this relationship of theirs was real.

That might take some planning.

[shannaraisles]

Face claim for a fifteen-year-old Alys Rutherford - Sadie Sink (edited to change eye color)

[shannaraisles]

Don’t ask me why, but I suddenly have Alys in mind! ~chuckles~ And thought, well, it’s a sort of Throwback Thursday, right? And I have these gorgeous arts of her (and her daddy!) to repost and share!

Top two are obviously by the superb @kawereen, the second one of which was a birthday present from @kagetsukai! And the bottom one was a surprise birthday present by and from @angels767! And I’m still in love with all of them!

[shannaraisles]

May I pretty please request 26 for Mila and Cullen? Please and thank you. :D

Oooh, a fireworks kiss. That should be fun - thank you, lovely!

Bright lights, sharp colors, flashing across the sky, were reflected on the snow that covered the garden and hillside beyond. Cullen lit the last of the fireworks and dashed back inside to the warm, closing the door to the tune of his daughter’s giggles. Alys was pressed to the patio-door, her breath fogging up the glass as she waited for the fizzing spark at the end of the garden to snap upward and explode high above in glittering arcs. She didn’t even glance up as her father stroked her hair.

Behind her, Mila was grinning at Cullen, reaching up to brush the snow out of his hair.

“Such a brave daddy, going out in the cold to make it special for his girls,” she teased, tugging the scarf from around his neck.

“Oh, anything for my girls,” he responded, his own grin warm beneath the chilly red of his nose.

A nose he pressed to Mila’s neck as his arms wound around her, filling the house with the sound of her squealing laughter, preventing her from escaping until his breath had heated her throat with teasing wickedness. Shuddering in his arms, she glared him affectionately, only just aware of Alys’ cheer as the rocket screamed into the sky to explode in shimmering sparks.

“I hate you,” she muttered to her lover.

Cullen only grinned, pressing a slow kiss to her lips as he drew her in closer, gloved hands dipping beneath the hang of her loose sweater when she arched into his kiss. Above the house, the last of the fireworks sang and shone, and finally Mila drew back from that kiss, narrowing her eyes playfully at Cullen.

“Fine,” she conceded. “I love you. Better?”

He chuckled, kissing her nose as his arm opened to accept Alys’ joyful hug as well.

“Better.”

[Festive kisses - prompt me!]

[shannaraisles]

I am possibly the most excited person in the world ever, because the gorgeous genius that is @kawereen brought Daddy Cullen and his daughter Alys to life! Aren’t they adorable?! It’s 4am, and I’m having to stop every few minutes to squeal into a pillow so I don’t wake anyone up! I’m seriously delighted - they’re so cute!

I cannot recommend @kawereen enough - go make a commission! The process was so easy (speaking as a very anxious person), and comfortable! And look at the magic created with my random request! Thank you so much, lovely. I’m still squealing!

Oh, and as an afterthought ... this is the Alys who is Rory’s daughter, for anyone who thinks I’ve just pulled a baby out of my arse. She appears in newborn form at the end of Set in Darkness!

[shannaraisles]

Prompt!!! :D Cuz I'm thirsty for more Cullen/Mila and I cannot wait :D I would like to see the first time they (or one of them) say "I love you" :D

Slightly longer than expected, prepare for a cut! Thank you for the prompt, I love these guys!

“… Damn. Is he all right?”

Alys looked up from her coloring, curious concern covering her face at the sound of her Daddy’s worried tone. She knew he was talking to Auntie Mia, but it didn’t sound like it was a good sort of talk. He was pacing, one hand rubbing through his hair. He only did that when something happened that was unexpected and he didn’t know what to do.

“Well, I’ll call Mila and make other arrangements,” he said after a pause. “No, Mia, stop that. It’s no one’s fault. A date can always be rearranged; you can’t ask the ‘flu to come back at a more convenient time.” He chuckled faintly, but Alys could see the anxious line of his frown even as he made his voice lighter for her aunt’s sake. “It’s fine, Mia. Look after your boys. And yourself - no point nursing them back to health if you succumb. I’ll call tomorrow. Night.”

Hanging up the phone, he turned to Alys with a disappointed expression. “Liam and Uncle Gav have the ‘flu, Nuglet,” he told her, “so you can’t go to their house tonight.”

Alys frowned herself, just as disappointed as he was.

“Does that mean you won’t go out with Mila, just ‘cos you have to stay with me?” she asked. That wasn’t a good thing - Daddy had been excited about going out for the evening with Mila, and she’d been excited about them going out together as well.

Her Daddy sighed, nodding. “It looks like it, love,” he told her, offering a smile meant to reassure the little girl in front of him. “But it doesn’t mean I won’t ever go out with her again, so stop looking like that. I do have to call her to cancel, though.”

“Can you put her on speak-it?”

“Speaker,” Daddy corrected gently, pulling the phone from its cradle again. “Yes, if you want me to. I don’t think we have anything to say that isn’t for little ears.”

“My ears aren’t that little,” she objected, putting a hand up to feel one of said sensory organs as her father tapped Mila’s number into the phone.

He set it down on the table and sat down beside her, letting her crawl up into his lap as the ringer buzzed. It buzzed four times before it stopped, a distant familiar laugh getting louder as Mila raised her phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“It’s us!” Alys burst out before Daddy could say anything. “There’s things gone wrong and it’s awful!”

“And hello to you too, Nuglet,” was Mila’s reply. “What’s happened?”

Daddy laid a gentle finger on Alys’ lips. “My sister’s house has the ‘flu,” he explained regretfully. “I’m afraid there’s no babysitter for tonight, so unfortunately I have to cancel.”

There was a very brief pause. “I’m confused,” Mila’s voice said. It sounded like she was smiling. “Why do we have to cancel?”

“‘Cos you can’t go on a date with me there, ‘cos I’m not romanticable,” Alys informed her. Grown-ups were so stupid sometimes.

“Really?” Mila didn’t seem convinced. “Seems to me we just have to change our plans, that’s all. Unless you don’t want to come to the fair with me?”

In that instant, Alys took it all back. Grown-ups were not stupid; some grown-ups were geniuses. “The fair?” she burst out, excitement taking over as she looked up at her Daddy hopefully. “Can we, Daddy? Please?”

Daddy looked surprised, but pleased, too. “Well, that all depends,” he said, the frustrated sound gone from his voice. “Am I invited to the fair, too?”

“I don’t know,” Mila drawled in reply. “What do you think, Alys? Should we take your dad to the fair, too?”

Alys tipped her head back to consider her father, who was looking down at her with smiling expectation. “If he promises to behave and be fun, he can come,” she conceded finally, letting out a loud squeal of laughter as Daddy’s fingers wriggled into her ticklish sides.

“I feel so loved,” he chuckled back.

“Aww, she loves you, Cullen.” Mila’s grin was audible as she answered. “She just knows you, too.”

“I am not that boring,” he defended himself, still laughing even as Alys calmed down.

“You can’t be that boring,” Alys agreed. “‘Cos otherwise Mila wouldn’t love you, and she does love you. Don’t you, Mila?”

She didn’t understand why everything went very silent for a sharp moment; why Daddy suddenly looked like someone had stepped on his favorite mug, wide eyes staring at her in horror. Then Mila’s voice came back, quiet and gentle in the way she was when she had really been thinking about what she was going to say.

“Yeah, Alys,” she agreed. “I do.”

Daddy’s hand reached out, snatching up the phone and turning the speaker off to raise it to his ear. Alys scowled at him. Grown-ups were always leaving her out of things like this, and this was a good thing. She liked Mila, and Daddy liked Mila, and Mila loved Daddy. So why did Daddy look like someone just kicked him in the shins?

“You don’t have to agree -” he was starting to say, but a burble of sound suggested Mila had interrupted him.

And something amazing happened to Alys’ Daddy’s face. He went pale, and then red, almost like he was shy of something he had heard. A slow smile crept over his face as he raised his free hand to his neck, rubbing hard while a faint huff of laughter left his lips. Then his arm wrapped about Alys, hugging her tight against him, but the words he spoke were for Mila.

“I love you, too.”

Alys grinned to herself, hugging into her Daddy’s chest as he laughed with Mila. She didn’t mind being left out if that was what they were talking about. And they were going to the fair, all of them, like a proper family. A proper family that loved each other. So that was just perfect.