Chapter Text
The conversation had started simply enough. Ricken had noticed that Morgan’s axe had broken, so he headed to the convoy to get a new one for him. After that, he and Cherche had moved to give it to him. And when Morgan moved to take out another enemy, he’d said it.
“Thank you, Grandmother and Grandfather!”
(After the battle, Lissa remarked that the looks on their faces had been priceless and that she wished Libra had seen so he could draw it)
“Sometimes I forget that that boy is my son’s son.” Ricken mused as he and Cherche were lying in bed that night. “And that that makes me his grandfather.”
"Indeed." Cherche nodded as she looked up at the ceiling. "I'd accepted the idea that I might not ever get married, but hearing Morgan call me grandmother was still a shock."
When Gerome and Robin came to them and said they were getting married, they’d both nearly had a heart attack. They'd practically had to stalk Gerome to get him to talk to them after battles, so finding out he'd fallen in love with the tactician who was at least partially responsible for his existence had been something of a shock.
Still, they were happy that their son found someone he loved, so the two of them gave their blessing after Cherche (with the same pleasant smile she always wore) threatened to feed Robin to Minerva if she ever broke her son's heart. The wedding was small, only attended by their fellow Shepherds. At the very least, everyone had a good laugh when Robin was escorted down the aisle by her much-shorter father-in-law-to-be.
Then Morgan had shown up, and for the first time since they'd met, Gerome swallowed his pride and came to Ricken for advice. It had felt weird giving advice to his son who was older than him, but Ricken had felt good.
It would have been nice for Gerome to ask if his father was decent, though. Alternate universe or not, there's just something scarring about walking in on your parents having an... intimate moment. Several days later, Ricken learned that the reverse was also true.
Then Morgan and Noire sat Gerome and Robin down with Donnel and Tharja and told them they wanted to get married. Gerome was forced to confront the fact that one of his childhood friends was marrying his son.
When he asked Noire about it, she couldn't really answer herself. All she could explain was that Morgan made her feel special, and that she was drawn to him. Gerome had already given his blessing, so he couldn't very well argue about it, especially considering the fact that his own wife had charmed him in her own way. That was another way Morgan took after his mother, he supposed. Plus, even he had to chuckle as he watched Donnel escort Noire down the aisle, being much shorter than his daughter.
And if you thought walking in on your father or son having sex was traumatizing, just imagine how bizarre it feels to walk in on your grandfather or grandson.
A few months before they faced Grima, Cherche learned that she was pregnant. As a result, she and Ricken were both kept out of the final battle. Still, they had seen Robin rush ahead of Chrom, and they both knew very well what it meant. Cherche had given a low growl and stroked Minerva as she rubbed her belly with her other hand. She quietly promised to give Robin a good scolding when she returned.
They kept a close eye on Gerome and Morgan in the months it took to find Robin after Grima's defeat. Though everyone had been confident that she would return, Ricken and Cherche both understood that they needed to be prepared in the event that she didn't. Fortunately, Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick returned one afternoon in late August with the tactician in tow, the Mark of Grima gone from her hand. She was in time to witness the birth of her husband's alternate self. All in all, it was a very joyous occasion, though Morgan complained to his wife that his father kept dragging his mother off to some corner of the castle and wouldn't explain what they were doing.
Morgan's confusion and annoyance remained until one morning when Ricken found him seated in the dining hall wearing an expression not unlike that of a war veteran.
"I... I walked in on them!" He practically yelled, and Ricken was privately grateful that the dining wall was empty save for them. "I walked in on my parents... They were..."
He let out a horrified yell as he buried his face in his hands.
Before Ricken could say anything, Morgan lifted his head with wide eyes.
"I just considered something." He gasped. "Grandmother wasn't pregnant at the time Father and I walked in on you. But we found out she was pregnant a couple months later. That means there's a good chance that I witnessed my own father's conception."
For a moment, Ricken and Morgan just sat there pondering the information.
"Maybe we shouldn't mention this to your father." Ricken quietly suggested, and Morgan nodded.
Unfortunately, Gerome had been standing just a few feet behind them. The three of them privately agreed to try pushing the memory to the back of their minds.
Two months after the Gerome of their timeline was born, they learned that Robin was pregnant. When Ricken considered the dates, he gave his son a sly look, and Cherche saw Gerome's face turn red under the mask. For all his coldness, it was clear that Robin's pregnancy came about from a desperation to hold his wife again after coming so close to losing her. It wasn't like his fears were unfounded, either. The need for the Shepherds hadn't disappeared along with Grima. There was still the issue of bandits and leftover Grimleal. The Shepherds were still needed as much as ever, and pregnancy did little to hinder Robin's dedication to her job as the army's tactician.
On an evening in late March, Cherche heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, she saw her grandson looking like he'd seen a ghost.
"I... walked in on Mother and Father again." He said, and she gave a small nod as she moved to let him in. "I just don't understand... Mother's pregnant!"
"Sometimes pregnancy doesn't hinder a person's sex drive." Cherche calmly explained as she prepared tea. "For some, it can actually increase it."
"Isn't it dangerous, though?"
"Not necessarily. As long as you're careful, there shouldn't be any harm to the mother or child."
Morgan gave Cherche a worried look before very slowly asking.
"Please tell me you aren't speaking from experience."
"My lips are sealed, Morgan."
Despite acting traumatized, Morgan bounced back rather quickly and the issue of pregnancy didn't come up again until early May.
“He’s adorable.” Cherche cooed gently at the newborn in Robin's arms.
“Isn’t he though?” Robin grinned at her.
“I wonder what my parents would say if we took Morgan to them and told them he was their great-grandson?” Ricken mused to himself.
“Don’t.” Donnel put his hand firmly on Ricken’s shoulder. “My ma fainted when we introduced her to Noire. When Noire told us she was pregnant, Ma nearly had a heart attack.”
“Pregnant?” Gerome and Robin turn to look at Noire, then at Morgan, who rubbed his head sheepishly.
“You didn’t tell ‘em?” Donnel looked incredulous.
“Well, since you and Dad were having a kid, I thought maybe Noire and I should have one, too!” He said cheerfully.
“But we wanted to wait until the Morgan of this timeline was born before we told the two of you.” Noire’s face was red, but she looked excited.
“I just had my first child and I’m already going to be a grandmother.” Robin’s face suggested she wasn’t entirely there.
“I’m going to be great-grandfather.” Ricken’s face was similar.
Well, their family tree (which had already encompassed three generations in the short time that it existed) promised to be a lively one, at any rate, Cherche decided as she stroked Minerva's neck.