(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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[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."

[moraldyslexic]

"Yes, but tiny shoes," Lennox insisted, cuddling Flo against him carefully, his eyes closing briefly as he rubs his cheek against the top of her soft head. "Very tiny shoes, so they really won't take up that much room. You'll have to learn to forgive them, won't you?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"Oh, I probably will," said Eostre, watching as Flo burrowed against Lennox's shirt a little. "If I can forgive their father his shirt, I figure I can forgive them anything."

[moraldyslexic]

"His single shirt?" Lennox asked curiously, looking amused as continued to cuddle Flo against his chest. "Is that all Mike has? One single shirt?" It didn't surprise him, really, if that was the case.

[flowers_on_skin]

"The man might only have one shirt but he leaves it everywhere," said Eostre wryly. "Bloody man."

[moraldyslexic]

"That Mike Pinocchio, he's a regular old bastard," Lennox agreed, although his tone was more affectionate than anything and he was smiling. "Did I tell you that I saw him on Halloween?" It had been important, he thought, for them both.

[flowers_on_skin]

"Absolutely."

Eostre arched an eyebrow and tilted her head.

"You did?"

Mike hadn't told her much about Halloween at all, just come home, home to her and Tom breathless and quiet and somehow better than he had been in a long while. Somehow everything had better better.

[moraldyslexic]

"Yeah, I did," Lennox replied, swaying back and forth with Flo, feeling her breath against the side of his neck as he smiled. "It was good. I mean, not good in the way it was really good, but... good. For us."

[flowers_on_skin]

"I saw him afterwards," said Eostre. "He came home to me and Tom. He looked...exhausted...but happy. not happy. Better."

[moraldyslexic]

"He was better," Lennox agreed. Chris definitely wasn't better, not after Halloween, but he was getting there. "We hung out in the jungle for awhile. Did he, uh... tell you the things he was seeing? Before?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"He did." For a moment, Eostre's expression looked stretched and pale. "It must have been awful."

[moraldyslexic]

"I saw them, too," Lennox told her. "I saw them all over and he seemed okay. He'd made peace and then... I don't know, it was just right, I think. I was supposed to be there with him for some of it."

[flowers_on_skin]

"Things happen in the way that they're supposed to," said Eostre, sounding at peace with that. "He's better now. He's...more himself."