The walk back from the medical corridor felt surreal.
Neither Leah nor Izana spoke much at first.
Not because they didn't have anything to say.
Because they had too much.
Twins.
The word kept replaying in Leah's mind.
Twins.
Even now it didn't feel entirely real.
Every few steps she found herself smiling again.
Then laughing softly.
Then shaking her head.
Because she still couldn't quite believe it.
Beside her, Izana was unusually quiet.
Not distant.
Just thoughtful.
Overwhelmed in a way Leah had rarely seen.
She noticed his hand brush against hers.
Then, moments later, settle lightly against her stomach.
The gesture was so instinctive that he didn't even seem aware he was doing it.
Leah smiled.
A few minutes later, he did it again.
And again.
Each time his expression softened slightly.
As though he needed the reminder.
As though touching her stomach somehow made it feel more real.
Leah reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers.
Izana glanced at her.
Neither spoke.
They didn't need to.
The moment they entered the living room, a familiar voice shouted:
"MAMA!"
Then:
"DA-DA!"
Zarek came running across the room.
Lion plush clutched firmly under one arm.
Leah laughed immediately.
"There he is."
Izana caught him automatically before he could launch himself at them with enough force to cause injury.
Zarek grinned.
Then immediately noticed something.
Mama was smiling.
Da-da was smiling.
Both of them looked strange.
His eyes narrowed.
Suspicious.
"Secret."
Leah laughed.
Izana sighed.
Apparently that investigation was still ongoing.
"No secret."
"Secret."
"No."
"Yes."
Leah sat down on the sofa.
"Come here."
Zarek climbed into her lap without hesitation.
Lion plush included.
The moment he settled, Leah exchanged a glance with Izana.
A smile tugged at her lips.
Maybe they should tell him now.
Izana seemed to reach the same conclusion.
He sat beside them.
Zarek immediately looked between them.
Very suspicious.
Very prepared.
Leah gently brushed his hair back.
"Sweetheart?"
"Yeah?"
"You remember how you wanted a baby sister?"
His entire face lit up.
"YES."
The answer was so loud that Leah laughed.
Izana almost smiled.
Almost.
Zarek bounced once.
"Baby sister!"
"Maybe."
Zarek froze.
Maybe?
That wasn't the answer he wanted.
Then Leah continued.
"Mama has babies growing in her tummy."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Zarek stared.
Then gasped.
A dramatic toddler gasp.
His eyes became enormous.
"Baby sister?!"
Leah laughed.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Maybe."
Zarek looked at Izana.
Seeking clarification.
Izana nodded once.
Then said:
"Actually..."
Zarek waited.
"Babies."
The room became quiet.
Very quiet.
Zarek blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then:
"...Two?"
Leah nodded.
"Two."
Another pause.
Then:
"TWO BABIES?!"
The entire mansion probably heard him.
Leah laughed so hard she nearly cried.
Izana finally smiled properly.
A rare sight.
Zarek jumped off the sofa.
"Two babies!"
He began running circles around the room.
"Two babies!"
Then suddenly stopped.
A horrifying realization struck him.
"What if two sisters?"
"We don't know."
"What if two brothers?"
"We don't know."
"What if one sister?"
"Maybe."
"What if one brother?"
"Maybe."
Zarek thought very hard.
The gears visibly turning.
Then he nodded firmly.
"Need more toys."
Leah covered her face.
Izana looked away.
Neither could argue with the logic.
The next person to discover the news was Elias.
Which happened entirely by accident.
Leah was still smiling.
Izana looked happier than he had in years.
And unfortunately, Elias was observant.
Very observant.
He lowered his newspaper.
Slowly.
Then looked at both of them.
"What happened?"
Leah immediately failed at pretending.
Her smile widened.
Izana remained calm.
Mostly.
Elias narrowed his eyes.
Then looked at Leah.
Then Izana.
Then Leah again.
Realization appeared.
Slowly.
"...Ah."
Leah blinked.
"That's all?"
Elias chuckled softly.
"You both look far too happy."
That was fair.
Leah exchanged a glance with Izana.
Then quietly said:
"I'm pregnant."
Elias smiled immediately.
Warm.
Genuine.
Happy.
The kind of smile that rarely appeared.
Then Leah added:
"Twins."
The newspaper slipped slightly.
Elias blinked.
Twice.
"Twins?"
Leah laughed.
"Twins."
For a moment, Elias simply sat there.
Processing.
Then his smile returned.
Even softer this time.
His eyes shifted to Izana.
And for a brief moment something emotional appeared there.
Something reflective.
Proud.
"I remember when you were smaller than Zarek."
Izana remained quiet.
Elias continued.
"And now you're going to have three children."
The reality of that seemed to hit both of them all over again.
Three.
Three children.
Elias smiled.
Then quietly said:
"Your mother would've loved this."
The room fell silent.
Leah looked at Izana.
His expression softened immediately.
Because he knew.
He knew she would have.
And for a moment, despite all the years that had passed, the loss still felt close.
But so did the love.
And somehow that made the moment even more meaningful.
Unfortunately, Dante found out next.
And Dante handled the news exactly as expected.
Poorly.
Very poorly.
He walked into Izana's office carrying paperwork.
Set it down.
Then noticed Leah sitting nearby.
Both of them looked suspiciously happy.
Dante immediately became concerned.
"What happened?"
Leah smiled.
"I'm pregnant."
Dante nodded.
Reasonable.
Expected.
Given recent events.
Then Leah added:
"Twins."
Silence.
Dante stared.
A very long silence.
Then:
"No."
Izana didn't even look up.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Dante looked personally offended.
"There are already enough Grimshaws."
Leah started laughing.
Izana continued reading his paperwork.
Dante pointed at him.
"You are taking this suspiciously well."
Izana finally looked up.
For perhaps the first time all day, his expression softened visibly.
"We're having twins."
Dante stared.
Then sighed heavily.
The sigh of a man realizing his future had become significantly more chaotic.
"I need a holiday."
Nobody felt sorry for him.
That night, the mansion finally grew quiet.
Zarek had eventually fallen asleep after spending several hours explaining the situation to his stuffed animals.
Apparently lion plush was now responsible for teaching the babies important life lessons.
Leah hadn't entirely understood the details.
Neither had Izana.
But Zarek seemed confident.
So perhaps it was fine.
Now, however, the house was peaceful.
Just the two of them.
Leah lay comfortably against the pillows.
Watching Izana.
He sat beside her.
One hand resting lightly over her stomach.
The gesture had become constant.
Almost unconscious.
As though he couldn't help himself.
Leah smiled softly.
"You used to do that."
Izana looked up.
"Do what?"
"Talk to Zarek."
Something warm appeared in his eyes.
Immediately.
"I remember."
Leah remembered too.
Every night.
Every morning.
Without fail.
He had spoken to their unborn son.
Told him stories.
Read books.
Talked about his day.
Made promises.
As though Zarek had been listening the entire time.
Maybe he had.
Slowly, Izana shifted closer.
Then carefully leaned down.
Leah's breath caught.
Because she already knew what he was about to do.
A soft kiss touched her stomach.
Then another.
Gentle.
Tender.
Full of love.
Emotion tightened in Leah's chest immediately.
Because she hadn't seen him do this in years.
Izana rested his hand there.
Then quietly said:
"Hello."
The room felt impossibly still.
Leah felt tears sting her eyes.
Because his voice sounded exactly the same as it had years ago.
Warm.
Protective.
Loving.
A side of him almost nobody else ever saw.
He smiled faintly.
"Your brother has been waiting for you."
Leah laughed softly.
"He has."
Izana nodded.
"Very impatiently."
"Very."
Another kiss.
Then he continued.
"Take care of your mother."
Leah wiped at her eyes.
Completely failing to stop herself from getting emotional.
Izana's hand remained over her stomach.
Steady.
Protective.
His voice softened further.
"I'll take care of all three of you."
Leah's heart nearly broke.
Not from sadness.
From love.
Because he meant every word.
Every single one.
Just as he had meant every promise he made to Zarek.
Years ago.
When they were younger.
When everything had felt uncertain.
Now he was making those promises again.
Not to one child.
But two.
Two tiny heartbeats.
Two tiny lives.
Already loved beyond measure.
Leah gently threaded her fingers through his hair.
The movement made him look up.
She smiled through tears.
"You already love them."
There wasn't even a second of hesitation.
Not one.
His hand remained against her stomach.
His eyes softened completely.
And quietly, honestly, he answered:
"I always will."
Then he leaned down once more and pressed another kiss against her stomach.
As though introducing himself.
As though reminding the twins they weren't alone.
And later, long after the lights had been turned off and the mansion had fallen silent, Izana remained there beside Leah.
One hand resting over hers.
Still talking softly to the babies.
Just as he once had with Zarek.
And for the first time since learning the news that morning, the reality finally settled fully into his heart.
His family was growing.
And he couldn't wait to meet them.