WOT. The castle. Wagner family's holiday.

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((starts here))

The great hall of the castle stood empty, its far corners and the uppermost reaches of its carved and fabulously vaulted ceiling forgotten in shadows. All was silent but for the soft scrape of a footstool's feet as it walked toward a side door.

Then, suddenly there were people in the room.

Kurt looked around, blinking, his arms tightening on Wolfen as Stephan clung to him in amazed silence. "Vhat...."

Beside him, Jabez broke her silence with a soft, "Wow."

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"Vhy are you angry?" His voice softened as he looked down at her, his love dancing in his eyes.

"Because nobody understands."

"Understands vhat?" -There's more than vhat I told her?-

"I enjoyed... seeing her dead. I remember feeling like that." She laughed bitterly. "Further to that, had we been anywhere else, I'd be in jail right now.... I'm no better than she is. And you can deny it all you like but it's true."

"So because of vindictive feelings you're going to turn avay from the people who love you; who are grieving, most of them, und let Shasta win despite her death by destroying you?"

"Maybe I deserve that," she said quietly, "for not being the better person."

"Do they?" He pointed to the children.

She paused, and then promptly started crying again. "No."

"Und vhat about this vone?" His hand lay over her belly. "You're her vorld right now."

She closed her eyes, feeling tears run down her face. "I know."

"If you keep on like you are Shasta vins. Und everyvone around you who loves you loses." His voice was quiet and relentless.

"What do you suggest I do, then?"

"Forgive yourself und look to tomorrow instead of yesterday."

"I suppose," she said, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand.

Tomorrow did seem a little brighter. Even if it was a dim light in the darkness. She lifted her eyes and watched the children at play and let herself smile.

But then she looked up at Kurt and felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. "What's wrong?"

He sighed and looked away, realizing that some of the hurt had shown in his eyes. "If I had stepped forward und done something you vouldn't be feeling like this."

She smiled and shook her head. "You did plenty."

Kurt swallowed. -They're alive. Scars heal. They don't condem me for my failure to protect them. Und this isn't about me!-

His eyes glistened.

She kept smiling and pulled him down to her for another kiss. "There's nothing that you could do or not do that would make me angry at you."

He closed his eyes and focused on returning it, but the tears escaped anyway.

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Sal opened her eyes and looked at him. "I mean it," she said, lifting a finger to his face to dry his tears. "You did what you could."

The tension was broken by another happy giggle from the fish fountain as the kids took turns feeding the koi, assisted by the sentient broom. Wolfen was stuck to the centre pillar of it, swishing her fingers in the water only to crow with delight when the fish made a go for them, thinking they were food.

Sal looked over Kurt's shoulder and smiled.

He looked too, the tears dripping a little worse as he saw all three of his children happy for the first time. "Ach," he whispered, smiling. "Ve need a camera."

"You'd think I'd have one given all the photos on my wall," she said quietly, leaning back against him and watching the joy out of the corner of her eye. "Maybe we should take a cue from them?"

"They're so beautiful." He cuddled her close, tail going around her waist. "If not for the fur and tails it would be hard for me to believe that they're mine. Especially Wolfen."

"Oh they're yours," she said with a laugh. "Look at how they act."

"Vhat?" He looked down at her quizzically.

"They take so much delight in... life. They get that from you."

"Ah." He lay his cheek on her hair and watched as Jabez's slow but lovely smile bloomed at Stephan and Wolfen's laughter, then chuckled as a stream of Newfoundland- accented baby invective was hurled toward one fish who greedilly shoved another. "That's you, Leibe."

"A great set of blended characteristics we've made," she said with a smile, her own hand resting on her stomach. "Wonder if she's gonna turn out just the same?" She bit her lip as Stephan got thoroughly soaked by one of the fish as it went for more food, but as his smile didn't waver, she didn't feel the need to get up.

Not only did his smile not waver, but the fish soon were delighted and astonished by the introduction of a fuzzy little guest in their domain. Stephan chortled and reached out to gently touch them.

"Und that's his mother coming out," murmured Kurt, holding Sal a little more closely, his hand covering hers that lay on her belly.

Sal turned her head slightly to look into Kurt's eyes. "You never did tell me what she was like."

He chuckled. "Vocal. Daring. Brave. Loving. She lost her whole reality und then everything she'd come to love, und made it through vith her sanity intact."

"Remarkable," Sal said quietly. "I'd have liked to meet her."

A smile through his tears as sadness mixed with joy and was refined to peace. "She vould have gotten a kick out of being a big sister."

"Soggy doggy!" Wolfen laughed at her nephew.

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Sal's eyes travelled back to the children; she laughed softly at their antics. "And what about me? Think she and I would have gotten along?"

"Yes." There was soft laughter in the single word.

She turned back to him and saw light in his eyes. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"Your personalities vere very alike. The pair of you vould have turned Harry's or the Port Club on end."

She actually laughed, honestly, out loud, for the first time in two long weeks. "Thanks for the assessment," she chortled, her mind's eye conjuring up visions of what Kurt was describing.

She laughed until she cried and then was forced to stop for breath. "That'd have been some funny, eh?" Even the accent was coming back.

"Oh yes." He was grinning now, that devil may care one that hadn't really been around for awhile. "Especially if Logan had been there too."

She giggled, then sighed, now completely relaxed. The part of her mind that was paranoid about leaving home was nothing more than a niggling little voice that she could ignore. "Thanks."

"Und the music mix on the jukebox...." His eyes widened. "Metallica und Bon Jovi und Deep Blue Sea."

"Don't forget Freezepop," Sal said, waving a finger in his nose. Then she sighed again, looking around from side to side as though trying to figure out if they were being watched.

And Kurt gently tipped her head back and caught her lips with his.

"OOOO!" Wolfen paused halfway into the water to grin.

She closed her eyes and was taken into it for a second until her daughter's voice reached her ears, and then she started to laugh right into his mouth.

"Sorry," she said, ducking down and blushing slightly as she waved to Wolfen. "Didn't think that'd draw much attention."

He hid his face, shoulders shaking, then looked up and shook his head at their tiny shipping fan. "At least she didn't come and crawl between us this time."

"KISS!" squealed Wolfen, and fell in, cussing surprisingly as Jabez and Stephan fished her out and got her set right side up.

Sal pointed to the fountain and tried rather hard not to laugh. "See, lookit this. Lookit what you've given me."

Then the crying started. Wolfen had most likely soaked her stitches, and no matter how tough you were, that hurt. Sal winced, then looked at Kurt apologetically before getting up and going over to tend to her daughter.

Bed time

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Later that 'night' Kurt crouched on the edge of the big canopy bed, watching as Sal tucked a dozy Stephan, a quiet Jabez, and a crashed hard Wolfen in, his glowing eyes soft with contentment.

She grinned down at the children as she smoothed the blanket. "Ye sure this ain't gonna be too crowded?" She turned her gaze to an oil lamp that was fitted into a metal sconce on the wall next to the bed and concentrated as the flame shrank down, leaving the room bathed in soft, dim light.

"Lots of room," said Jabez softly, cuddling Stephan as Wolfen curled against her back.

Sal smiled again, watching Wolfen sucking on her tail-tip. She hadn't the heart to try and stop it, it was too darn cute. "Alright, then, if yer comfy, I won't try to split ye up."

Jabez smiled, then looked down at Stephan as he yawned and murmured, his little fingers grasping the front of the long white nightgown she'd found in the wardrobe. "I like it here."

"Ja?" said Kurt softly, absently twitching his tail and then curling it around his ankle as he asked God to give them a peaceful 'night' of sleep free of nightmares.

"It's quiet. And happy." Jabez turned the smile to him.

"I'm glad you like it here," Sal said, her voice just above a whisper as her eyes shone in the dim light. "I'm sure we'll find much more to do tomorrow."

"I liked it when you were talking normal, too." Those crimson eyes turned to her.

"Yes, b'y," Sal said with a chuckle. "I thinks it might stay stuck fer awhile..." She reached out and put her hand over her daughter's, grinning. Then she sobered slightly. "But yer okay?"

"Worried 'bout you," she admitted softly, curling her large fingers around her mother's smaller ones.

Sal frowned slightly. "I'm better now," she said, her gaze flicking knowingly to Kurt for a split second. "It's just... lots happened while you were gone."

"Yeah." Jabez sighed and gently squeezed her hand, then closed her eyes and curled around the now-sleeping Stephan. "Love you guys."

"Love you too, as'ika," Sal said softly, standing up and looking down at her kids with pure, unadulterated love showing in her face. Then she looked at Kurt and smiled widely, pointing to the open door.

'We should leave,' she mouthed.

He nodded and hopped down, then came to put an arm around her waist and a hand on her belly as he too looked down at the three in the bed for a moment before leading her out of the room and gently closing the door. "Jabez looks better."

She nodded. "Yes, she does. And so do you."

"Me?" He blinked, hand arrested on its way toward her face.

Another nod and she stepped closer, her arms going around his shoulders. "Yeah."

"Did I look that bad?" His hand continued on its way to tenderly cup her cheek.

"A little," she said, smiling up at him. "Then again I probably looked somethin' awful meself." She paused and then brightened. "Know what we needs t' do?"

"Vhat's that?" He smiled down at her, tail finding its place around her ankle.

"We need to see if there's anywhere to get a nice dinner. I think a date's in order." Her smile widened.

He pulled her close and rested his cheek on her hair, then started as something tapped him on the arm and looked down at the broom. "Er... yes?"

It bowed and pointed toward the far door.

el Date

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"Okay, that is somethin' I'll never git used to," she said quietly, surveying the broom with wonder. "Havin' inanimate objects come t' yer aid."

"Ja," he said thoughtfully, then took her hand and made as though to follow the broom, which hopped and hurried forward with the occasional check to make sure that they were still following.

She laughed. "Wonder where it's takin' us?" She kept her eyes on it, and then stopped when it did, pointing enthusiastically to a doorway. "In there?"

Kurt blinked with surprise as he took in the angles of the walls and windows and realized that they were some distance from their apartment, then he looked through the doorway and blinked again at sight of the carefully decorated balcony and the white-clothed table set for two. "Ach, it looks like somevone else vas thinking the same thing, Leibe."

Sal smirked and looked down at what she was wearing: a simple green dress with long sleeves, fitted at the waist but otherwise comfortable. It had been the only clean thing in the wardrobe that she'd liked. "Guess it's good I dressed up, I guess."

"C'mon." Grasping his hand tightly, she led him through the doorway and onto the balcony, shuddering only slightly at the way that it seemed to hang over empty space.

He seated her gravely, then paused and leaned over the railing to look at the clump of trees that floated some distance beneath the castle.

She shuddered again, and laughed, covering her eyes with her hands as she watched him lean. "Don't do that."

He straightened with a chuckle, but then remembered and sobered. "I'll ask them to move us somevhere else."

No, no, I'm fine here.... Just not when you... lean." She looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling much the same way she had almost a year ago.

"Do you realize it's been not even a year yet?" she said.

"Ja." He took his own place, starting slightly as the cello in the corner began to play a soft melody that mingled softly with birdsong and running water. "Not even six months."

"Well," Sal said with a sideways grin, "I kept track from the first day we met, really..." Another laugh. "Feels like ages, though, and I dunno if that's good or bad."

"It feels like you've alvays been part of my life." The wine bottle poured itself into two tall glasses, which then spun over to sit in front of them. Kurt frowned and tasted, but then relaxed at the sweet, sparkling taste.

Sal stared at the glass of wine and remembered her present condition, instead grabbing the glass of water that was already there. "I wish I could say the same," she said, tilting her head and watching him with a smile on her face.

"It's not vine," he said softly as the glass tinkled softly in dismay. Then he quirked an eyebrow. "Ach, but do I fit into it vell, at least?"

Yes, teasing, though he really wanted to know the answer to the question.
She lifted the wine glass to her lips and took a taste. Whatever it was, it wasn't bad. She took a few moments to savour the taste and then put the glass back on the table. Only then did she answer him.

"I had no life before you," she said quietly.

"Ach," he said softly, reaching across the table and taking her hand as an apron set two plates of finely sliced roasted turkey and trimmings in front of them.

"So I guess that yeah, you do fit into my life rather well." She stared into his eyes unwaveringly. "And I don't think I'd have come back if you weren't around."

She was speaking around corners, but she hoped he knew what she was getting at.

He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers, then chuckled as the salt celler seemed to tiptoe over to her, its little spoon rattling shyly. "Your reputation has preceeded you, Leibe."

She shivered slightly, blushing, and took her hand back in order to season her food - with just a little less salt than normal. Then her hand was right back where it was before, and she was still staring at him with that smile on her face.

He sighed and smiled, and then his plate was beside hers, and his chair was next to hers as he held her and asked a blessing on the meal.

She waited for him to finish what he was doing and then spoke. "So. How're ye doin'?"

Re: el Date

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"Better," he said honestly, wondering at the way that the reply seemed somehow out of place.

She lifted her glass to her lips again. "Only better?"

"Better is good." He tore open a soft roll and buttered it, then offered her the top half.

She smiled and took the roll. "Yes, it is." She took a bite; the roll wasn't half bad, and the butter was nice herbed stuff. "I just wanted to know; goodness knows I scared ye half t' death..."

"You did. But I've been scared vorse." He took a forkfull of the turkey and lifted his eyebrows at the taste. "Hmmm."

She took a cue from him and also tasted her turkey. "What are you hummin' fer? This's delicious!" She elbowed him in the ribs gently and snickered. "Wonder if the apron cooked it?"

He gasped slightly and curved away from her elbow, then had another bite. "That was a sound of appreciation. I haven't had something this good at high class restaurants."

"Oh," she said, teasing. "I didn't realize you were such a connoisseur of turkey." She decided to leave him to eat in peace and concentrated on her own plate. Even the dressing was made just so, with the flavour of Mt Scio summer savoury throughout. She wondered where they'd acquired that. "I ain't never had somethin' like this period," she said with a grin. "Guess I won't be cookin' while I'm here."

"Vic vould be trying to get the recipe by any means necessary." He chuckled, then remembered what condition they'd left their friend in and sobered slightly.

She turned to look at him. "He'll be fine," she said simply, resting her hand on his knee. "Don't worry."

"I'm not," he said softly, picking up his knife. "I've seen his double come through vorse. Und Gott has everything under control."

She watched him for a moment and then nodded. "I know," she said. "I just wanted to... reassure you for a change."

He chuckled, then stabbed one of his baby carrots and offered it to her.

She also laughed. "What's this about?"

"Vell," he said innocently. "Sharing makes things taste better, but the turkey already tastes good, und you have your own, so...."

"Brat," she said, eyes alight with laughter as she took the carrot.

"Ah, but a cute und fuzzy brat." The corners of his mouth twitched.

"No argument there," she said, going back to her plate. "Though I think 'cute' is too meek of a word to describe ye," she said, grinning impishly.

He blushed beneath his fur. "Vell, that's only fitting, then."

She was laughing outright. "What's to blush about?"

He looked to the right, and then to the left, then glanced at his mostly empty plate before dipping his head and trying to change the subject with a kiss.

She had the breath taken out of her for a moment as he kissed her, and had every intention of staying that way for as long as she could. Then she remembered that he'd cut her off.

"Hey."

"Hmm?" He looked at her with a soft smile, those golden eyes dancing with laughter.

"We were speaking," she said, making a great show of being stern, "of your tendency t' blush needlessly. An' then ye cut me off. That's rude, b'y."

"Forgive me, Meine Leibe." The corners of his mouth turned up further as his thumb gently stroked her cheek. "I vas overcome by your beauty und couldn't help myself."

"Stop that," she said with a giggle, feeling her own cheeks start to burn. She hunched her shoulders and stared at the ground.

"No. Let me see your eyes," he said softly, dipping his head so that he could see her face.