About 10 minutes later, Sil came in freshly washed in clean clothes, his head hung even lower because there may be people in there who saw his bare chest and he was very embarrassed at the thought. At the same time, his Lana needed care and he didn't regret it for a single moment. He glanced for a moment to see if there was still food going into her mouth. He gave himself a satisfied nod and went to get a plate for himself. In doing so, he noted something and brought a second plate and set it in front of her.
Lana saw the plate and her face lit up. Somehow Sil must have found out about those caramelized carrots that she ate so much of but were unavailable after the Sunshield attack. He presented her with a heaping plate of them with a big smile on his face. Her eyes twinkled in happiness.
"How did you know?"
"Dobin told me about them and said if I wanted to make you happy to buy you some if I ever saw any. I wanted to make you happy so I got you some." Sil smiled at her.
Just then from behind, a meek voice was heard saying, "I'm sorry for inappropriately touching you sir."
Sil turned his head to see a female he didn't recognize bowing down toward him. He glanced at Lana who had a barely perceptible smirk on her face. He turned back to the girl said "fine" and waved his hand as if batting away a fly. He returned to his meal without giving her a second thought. Lana glared at her to ensure she understood this was not a safe place to be and the girl scampered off.
Quietly while they ate, "Quinn has declared tomorrow a day of mourning. I get three days off total before we do this push. I don't know when I'll be back so I'd like to go home with you if that's okay?"
Lana smiled and nodded. Soon she was finally full and Sil felt satisfied. "The babies will be hungry soon."
"Then let's go. I want to feed them."
Lana nodded.
Tamina was still trying to form an opinion about this strange girl. She had finished eating and had watched Lana's actions. She didn't seem like a bad person but the temper displayed was strange. Why did she get so angry?
When Sil sat with them, she thought she figured it out. Sil's head was still down but he was taking quietly with her where she had not seen him talk to anyone else, though she did just meet him. When they stood up, she stood up as well and bid them goodnight. She left before Lana's entourage which was now just her, Shalt, Sil and Caser. Fiza was waiting by the teleporter.
Mandy and Dawn were waiting on the other side when they went through. Dawn had a huge smile on her face. "Wait until you see our houses!"
Dawn grabbed Fiza's arm and dragged the poor girl off to inspect her new home.
The others went home as well. They were all tired from a long day but Lana wanted to do something special for Sil. He had been poisoned and had suffered for days. She was upset he didn't tell her but did she tell him when Pucket was after her? Nope. She kept it to keep him from worrying for as long as possible. She had no room to be angry here.
The babies were awake before they entered the house and were fussing. The couple went straight to their room with Shalt taking his post outside their room to ensure their safety. He trusted Lana's ability but figured if there was an ability that could do that, there had to be one that could counter it.
Lana carefully undid her armor which she was now using as a baby harness and handed Owen to Sil while she fed Olivia. Caser had to carry the bag with the spare formula and diapers. Carrying a backpack was simply impossible with babies strapped to her front.
Once the babies were done, Sil was burping Owen while Lana went into the nursery area. She brought out clean diapers, clean pajamas, and a book Sil couldn't quite see. He did notice the clothes matched.
She started cleaning Olivia up and getting her ready for bed. Olivia kept trying to hold her finger so Caser offered a tentacle which she couldn't get her hand around but she tried. She put Olivia in the bassinet and looked at Sil. While Owen was ready for the night-time routine, he as the father was not. He had just a few more days before he had to leave for work. Reluctantly, he got his son ready for bed and placed him next to his sister.
Lana then pulled the book out from the rim of her pants and asked her husband if he wanted to read them a story, offering him the book. Sil looked curious then he looked at the cover and recognized it instantly. His eyes watered and he took it with both hands. He held it to his chest as the tears fell. She climbed in his lap and held him.
She kissed away his tears. "His sacrifice led to this moment, My Love. Everything you have now is because of what he gave you. What he did for you. How much he loved you. Keep making him proud."
Sil held his wife tightly. She understood. They held the book open together and Sil read the first three pages and the twins were asleep. She put a bookmark in between the pages. "Keep it for when you're home. You can read it and they can sleep to the sound of your voice or even read it during the day."
She set the book down on the night stand but almost missed because Sil had turned her face toward his and attacked her mouth with a firm and loving kiss that she wasn't quite expecting. Half chuckling, she relaxed and enjoyed the tender moment with him.
After a few moments, "did you know that was the first book in a series?"
Sil was shocked, "no! I didn't!"
"The rest are in the library. Well, that book is as well but I bought that as our personal copy. I put in a whole section of comics for you and the kids."
Sil held her tight and pressed his face into her neck. She held him tightly for a while knowing he was overwhelmed. Time healed all wounds and this was one that would keep reopening until Hilston was finally dead and no longer a threat to anyone, much less Sil and his family.
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