a picture's worth a thousand words

[red_ponytail]

Today, Bill was 26 years old. He'd been trying not to think about how it made him that much closer to thirty. It really didn't bother him all that much, except in the sense that he was growing older without his family nearby. Birthdays seemed to really bring to mind how much he missed his parents, his sister, and the rest of his brothers. Fred and

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[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre walked into the rec-room with both of the twins balanced carefully in her arms and made a bee-line for the couch.

When she saw Bill's familiar face, she smiled, as she began the complicated manouver of getting both girls down and propped up with cushions.

"Hello, handsome Uncle Bill."

[red_ponytail]

Bill looked up from the picture, still stunned by what it had shown him, but he couldn't help but smile crookedly at the sight of Eostre and her girls.

"Hello, lovely Eostre and little ones," he replied before moving to help her get the babies settled, thinking it was rather ironic she'd chose that particular adjective to describe him at that moment. "How are we all today?"

[flowers_on_skin]

She couldn't help but smile, at the easy way that he handled the girls, and the way that Flora smiled at him.

"We are lamenting a general lack of cake," said Eostre. "Well. I am."

She reached up and smoothed a strand of hair back from Bill's face.

And how are you?"

[red_ponytail]

"Maybe someone should do something about that, then," Bill said, before leaning over to press a kiss to Eostre's and each of the girls' foreheads in turn.

"I'm all right," he replied. "Just got a bit of a shock, but fine otherwise."

[flowers_on_skin]

She smoothed the side of his face fondly.

"Shock?" She arched an eyebrow firmly. "Do I need to give someone a talking ot?"

[red_ponytail]

"No, love, but thanks," Bill said with a fond smile. "I just got a little gift from the island, and it threw me a bit." He slipped the photo out of his back pocket, where he'd stuck it to have both hands free to help with Mack and Flo, and handed it to Eostre.

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre took the photo and looked at it. She blinked, glanced up at Bill and blinked again.

"Oh, my darling," she said, finally, very softly.

[red_ponytail]

Bill gave a half-shrug. "It was a werewolf, that did it. He wasn't transformed at the time, so he didn't turn me." He let Flo grab one of his fingers as he spoke. "I already knew about it, that it was going to happen, but seeing it like this-" he gestured to the picture- "just suddenly showing up, well, was pretty fucking shocking."

[flowers_on_skin]

"Don't say fuck," said Eostre, absently, still looking at the photograph.

Eostre's mouth twisted like she tasted something bad, and she reached out to lightly squeeze the back of Bill's neck.

"And look at you here, still beautiful. Put it down to a bad dream."

[red_ponytail]

"Sorry," Bill replied, automatically. He was silent for a moment, just looking at Eostre, and then he nodded.

"You're right," he said. "Bad dream, that's all it'll ever be."

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre squeezed again, under Bill's hair and then let her hand slip lower, over his chest.

"And bad dreams do not hurt us."

[red_ponytail]

It was no wonder so many people loved Eostre, when she was such a comforting presence. Bill covered her hand with his own, and with the other slipped the photo back into his pocket. "Over and done," he said, happy to have the thing out of sight. "I'd rather focus on what's here, and real, and beautiful."

[flowers_on_skin]

"Like me?" teased Eostre, threading her fingers with his and squeezing his hand. "Definately like my girls."

[red_ponytail]

"Naturally, Eostre, both you and your girls," Bill said with a grin and a wink, squeezing back.

[flowers_on_skin]

"Cad," said Eostre. "You're the sort of boy who gets girls into trouble."

[red_ponytail]

"Who, me? The very idea!" Bill replied, putting on a fake posh accent and a mock affronted look.