The Latest Expansion (invite only)

Xeph heaved a sigh of contentment as he and Nikhila lounged on their comfortable couch in the great room of the house they had built in the Long Run. He would have put his arm around her but, alas, they both had their hands full.

Xeph held a sleeping Noah in his arms, the little boy snugly swaddled in fleece and tucked into his father's safe embrace. Nikhila leaned against Xeph but she, too, had her arms full of new baby Avery. They were watching the Grinch, the good version with Boris Karloff, but the babies were asleep so it was just the grown-ups indulging in the Christmas special.

Xeph had insisted they put up a Christmas tree already, and so they had. It was huge, decorated in strings of popcorn, garlands of red and silver and gold, and ornaments of spun glass. It sparkled merrily with lights.

It hadn't snowed yet but the air was heavy with the scent. It would in the next few days, and it would be wonderful. It was going to be a wonderful Christmas.

Xeph laughed to himself.
"Last year we thought we were going to have Christmas with one baby." He grinned. "Surprise."

Baby Avery had been born only a few days ago, the first little girl in a very very long line of Hammerthynn boys. Xeph hoped she was all right with a lot of older, very protective, cousins. Since Noah had been given his father's name as a middle name, it only made sense to name the new child Avery Lily. Xeph's only complaint was that 'Alsh' wasn't as cool a nickname as 'Nish' but Nikhila had dismissed his complaint as irrelevant. Mother's prerogative, he supposed.

Nikhila 12 years ago
"I do love it when you're open minded.”

She half laughed half teased. It was something she loved about him though, not the only thing but one of them. Nikhila knew how lucky she was, she'd been in love once in her life and this was it. Even when they'd been apart she hadn't wanted any one else. And now they had not just once but twice proven that love.

Snuggled closely against her mate, Nikhila ordinarily would have simply climbed in his lap and been rather forward about things, tonight she simply inhaled deeply letting her mate's scent envelope her. There was no doubt that she was home, where she belonged.


"If you don't know where to find one, I'm not going to help you look, jealous you know...”

She smiled dreamily as she watched Noah yawn but jabber a bit reminding them of his presence. It was hard to believe that he'd be a year old in just a bit more than a month.
Xeph 12 years ago
"That just encourages me to keep being more of the same," Xeph said honestly. "See how good for me you are?"

Never mind the overall contentment and happiness, the family, the everything. Nikhila was good for him in so many ways.


Her next statement made him laugh. "I think I like you a little bit jealous," he said. "Reminds me not to stray with any of my five dozen girlfriends."

Xeph grinned, hugging Nikhila close. She knew how much dating there'd been over the years. He indulged in a minor Jayne moment - let's see, nothing from nothing... carry the nothing... oh yeah, none.

They lapsed into a comfortable, cozy silence, the four of them on their soft sofa in the great room of the house they'd built here among their Pack. For a first Christmas as a family, Xeph thought they were doing pretty well. Better yet, he was free of the influence of vampires, something he was a little afraid would never happen once the jackal had gotten to him. He seemed to be keeping his word so far though, and Xeph had seen nothing of him in the past few months.

He gave a happy sigh. This was the perfect way to end one year. Hopefully the next one would be just as good; he couldn't imagine it would be otherwise with his family around him, immediate and extended. And now there was a little girl to coddle and spoil... well, it made Xeph a happy wolf.


((ooc: all out))