(Untitled)

[flowers_on_skin]

They say that, short of having somebody die, moving is the most stressful thing that you could do in your life. Eostre hadn't found it particularly stressful, but only because she'd spent the day in the kitchen with the girls and the air conditioning and let the boys do the majority of the heavy lifting

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[sly_magus]

Even though he was thankful to have a room Raistlin couldn't stand the Compound most of the time, and it had only gotten worse lately, so he was walking around the Island more than normal. While it was hard on his system it cleared his head and he was thankful for that.

He didn't smile often, unless it was in a wry way at someone else's, usually his brother's, expense, and lately he had even less to smile about but he couldn't help grinning as he noticed Eostre. "Hello." He walked over to where she and the babies were.

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre looked up at the familiar sound of his voice and turned towards him slightly.

"Oh, hallo, love." A broad and genuine smile spread across her face. "I was just introducing the girlies to our new place."

[sly_magus]

The tree was large, but its branches were not as thick as the Valenwoods in Solace. "It looks as if it is coming together quite nicely." It didn't matter how much still needed to be done, because there was already a feeling of home about it.

[flowers_on_skin]

"It isn't so bad, is it?" Eostre couldn't stop smiling. "It'll do, for me and the girls and Peter. I just wanted to be close to the tree."

She shrugged.

"How've you been?"

[palmthemoon]

Shadow had a hard time keeping away from the tree. Like the House on the Rocky, a place of power, except that it really wasn't. Just a tree. Just a tree that he had spent nine days dying on. He'd thought maybe after that he'd keep away from it, but apparently not.

It was Eostre's place now, and Shadow didn't want to disturb that. Not the house and not this perfect little family she'd built for herself.

He'd tried to keep away from her, but, same as with the tree, Shadow couldn't quite manage it.

He stepped into the clearing quietly, but the sight of Eostre introducing her daughters to their house stole his words from him.

[flowers_on_skin]

"Nothing will come into this house that can harm us," said Eostre, half singing, half whispering. "A blessing on this house, girls, and a promise..."

She kissed Mack, then Flo, taking a deep breath and inhaling the girls' smell.

"I will end anything that tries to hurt you or your brother."

[palmthemoon]

He should go. This was a quiet moment, a private one, and he should leave them to it.

Shadow turned to leave, but a stick cracked under his foot as he took the first step.

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre looked up at the sound, her green eyes, for a moment, wide and wary. Her face relaxed when she saw that it was him.

"Hello, love."

In her arms, Flo and Mack squirmed and squawked.

[elflordmcgee]

Tim wasn't sure what he was going to do. After the terror that was Halloween and after Tony showing up, he wanted to do something, he just wasn't sure what. So he'd gone on a walk. By himself and not in any specific direction. Almost funny, then, that he should come across her. He knew her by sight, of course. He'd seen Abby with her. They'd just never met.

He wasn't sure what she was doing, so he remained quiet, just watching her.

[flowers_on_skin]

"This is our place," said Eostre to her daughters, her voice soft. "This is the place that your father built for us and for your brother, and no harm will ever come to us here. This is my place, and I promise that no harm will ever come here."

If she realised that he was there, she didn't give it away. She just stood with her daughters and looked up at the branches of the tree.

[elflordmcgee]

Tim blinked. He hadn't thought he was being sneaky, but he didn't like the fact that she didn't know he was there. He didn't want to scare her, after all. So he cleared his throat enough to get her attention. Of course, he wasn't sure what he was going to do when he had it.

[flowers_on_skin]

She looked up, her green eyes wary for a moment and then turning questioning. She recognised him. She seen him with Abby, though they'd never met.

"Hello," she said, with a smile, though, with her arms full of babies, she couldn't wave. "We were just finishing our move."

[m_pinocchio]

Working with help, it's still amazing how fast it's all come together. But he'd had help, and then there had been days where he'd done little else but work on it, because it kept him from thinking too hard. And then it hadn't been that it was a distraction, but that it made him feel centered and whole to watch it forming under his hands.

And now he stands back a few yards and watches her with it. He's giving her space. He's built it, or at least part of it, but it's not his. He doesn't need to introduce himself to it.

He glances up; the trunk looks almost as though it's splitting the roof, moving up through the house and impaling it as it does so. But it's stable. Built to last. There's still work to do here and there, details to see to, the roof to finish and some carving over the door he wants to try, but the structure itself is there.

And now she and they are too. So he watches her and them in silence.

[flowers_on_skin]

"This is the house that your daddy built for us, and your brother, and no harm will ever come here." She kissed one girl's head, then the other. "No harm will ever come to us here. I promise. I'll end anyone who tries."

She looked up at him as she said that last part, and, for a moment, there was no warmth at all in dark green eyes.

A promise made. A promise kept.

[m_pinocchio]

He meets her gaze, sees it, everything in it. He nods. Understands. Very little frightens him now.

He steps forward, slow, like he's ready for her to tell him that she needs more time. "Think we got everything," he says quietly. "You need anything else?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"Just you," said Eostre, turning towards him with the girls in her arms. "I imagine that Abby and Tom will be along soon enough. Lords only know where Peter's gotten to."

[moraldyslexic]

Finally, with the last load Lennox thought he could possibly carry, he arrived at the new house for Eostre and dropped everything he was carrying -- in a mostly graceful fashion -- then let out a long, pained breath.

"You have too much shit," he informed her, then held out his arms for a baby. Either one would do.

[flowers_on_skin]

"It's all the girls'," said Eostre, the spell broken now, but with good reason. Without hesitation, she twisted to hand Flora to Lennox. "And Peter. That child is a total hoarder."

[moraldyslexic]

"You hear that your mom is blaming having all this stuff on you?" Lennox asked as he took Flo into his arms carefully, resting her in the crook of his elbow and shoulder. He was good with babies, he'd always been good with them, but they were easy. "You're too little to be blamed for stuff."

[flowers_on_skin]

"You'd think that," said Eostre, her mouth tight with a smile. "You'd think that, and then, before you know, they'll be five and there'll be no room for me or Peter in the house."

She rubbed her free hand over Mack's back.

"It'll be all shoes."