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She could have sworn she had just laid down when there was a nudge at her shoulder. But Ellie was 90% confident that she’d imagined the nudge. There was no way it was real and maybe the dream of her and Lyall alone on the beach just felt that real.
“Mommy!”
Cracking an eye open, she saw her daughter sitting on her knees beside her pillow and Ellie realized quite quickly this wasn’t a dream. It was the nightmare of reality.
But Artemis’s wide grin displaying that both of her front teeth were missing made Ellie pop her head up as she assessed her daughter. “Artemis Marie, the last time I saw you, you were only missing one of your front teeth.” The six year old threw her arms around her neck causing Ellie to laugh as they crashed back against the pillows. “I missed you too, kneazle.”
“You were gone for so long this time, Mommy!” That wasn’t completely untrue, but it wasn’t the exact fact.
Her case had sent her and Pete to Minnesota for the last week. Which had left Lyall at home alone with the three scoundrels they called their children. She knew he’d had help from family and friends, but a part of Ellie had felt awful leaving her family alone for seven days. Especially when Artemis had sobbed as she’d left the week before. Then the case had taken longer than it should have to be resolved despite multiple all nighters she’d pulled. But now she was home with her six year old in her arms and no matter how tired she was, that was a small cause for joy.
Before she could ask Artemis how the last week had been, Ellie heard the bedroom door open and a loud “MAMA!” Turning she saw Lyall waltz in with their one and half year old as he looked at Artemis with disapproval.
“Artemis Marie Lupin, what did I tell you just tell you after we finished getting ready for school?”
Artemis didn’t respond. Instead her middle child was burying her face in Ellie’s neck as she turned her head and kissed the top of the girl’s head. “She’s fine, Wolf Boy.” Her husband rolled his eyes before letting the squirming toddler on the end of the bed. There was a squeal of delight as Athena used her legs to stand and unsteadily toddled up the bed until Ellie could catch her in her arms. Artemis seemed to turn her head and laugh softly as her sister clapped happily, but for the moment, Ellie’s focus was on her youngest as she whispered, “Hello, niffler. Did you miss Mama?” There was a large nod as Thena squealed again before leaning forward and placing a slobbery kiss to her lips. Ellie laughed as she shifted to sit with both of her girls. “Mmmm, I missed you too, Thena.”
Looking up from their daughter, Ellie saw Lyall tying his tie with an amused smile on his face. Then he stepped around the bed, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. “Welcome home, love.”
“Mmmm, thank you, honey.” Stealing one more kiss, Ellie moved so she could stand up while Lyall took their toddler from her while she turned to Artemis. “Come on, Mis. Let’s go down and have some breakfast so you can get to school.”
The little girl merely crossed her arms and legs as she sat on the bed, shaking her head. Her pigtails, that Ellie cringed at as she realized they’d been very uneven before Artemis had snuck into her room, swayed back and forth with her head. “I don’t want to go to school! I want to stay home with you, Mommy!”
“I still have to go to work, sweetie. We don’t want Nan firing me because I decided to stay home one day because I’m sleepy, do we?” Terror crossed Artemis’s face as she shook her head and held her arms out for Ellie to lift her up. Which she did while trying to hide her smile. As they followed Lyall down the stairs, Ellie caught sight of the remaining Lupin child laying on the couch in the living room. His face lit up when he saw his father wasn’t alone. “Good morning, crup.”
“Mom! You’re home!”
Setting Artemis down and nudging the girl to follow Lyall into the kitchen, Ellie leaned over the back of the couch pressed a kiss into his messy mop of hair. When she pulled away, she brushed back his hair, “How do you feel?”
“I’m okay. Uncle Joe’s already been by this morning and said as long as I take it easy at school, I can go.”
“How about you spend the day with Grandad?” Her son was not amused, but didn’t argue, letting her step away. Walking through the living room, she saw toys scattered on the floor as well as a few of Lyall’s papers he’d been working on with Jack in their free time laying across the coffee table. Nearly avoiding the toy truck she almost stepped on, Ellie cocked a brow at her husband as he fixed breakfast for the girls. He at least had the grace to look sheepish.
“I’m sorry, love. I thought we got everything cleaned up before bed. And what we didn’t I was going to put away after Artemis fell asleep. But I was too tir-”
“It’s fine.” She grumbled as she waved her hand at the small mess, making it tidy itself up as she stepped into the kitchen, kissing his lips. Pushing away from him, Ellie moved to stand behind Artemis’s chair and noticed the brush she must have snuck down with her. “Thank you, little love.” Artemis looked up at her with another wide grin, earning a kiss to her nose before Ellie went to work on fixing the girl’s hair.
“Oi! I worked hard on her hair!” Lyall called so Ellie stepped away so he could see the uneven pigtails.
There was an immediate cringe from her husband followed by a sad glance at the ground. Not wanting him to feel terrible, she stepped over to squeeze his hand. “Ly, you kept them alive for a week, you fed them, bathed them, and I’m sure you did an absolutely amazing job with her hair every other day, right Mis?”
“It was okay.” Artemis said as she colored at the table and Ellie bit back her groan.
But when she glanced at Lyall he was smiling over at their daughter. “I’ll just have to learn for next time.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to her head and nudging her back to the table. “But for now, I think this is a job only Mommy can fix.”
Rolling her eyes, Ellie got back to work, fixing her daughter’s hair as Remus moved into the kitchen to help Lyall finish up with the eggs before bringing his and Artemis’s plates over, much to both of their protests. Their two school aged children ate quickly while she finished the pigtails and then were racing toward the door, Lyall on their heels. Ellie plucked Athena out of her highchair as she followed. “Eh, I want my hugs and kisses before you leave! I’ve been deprived too long.” Remus groaned, but begrudgingly accepted the kiss she placed on his forehead as he hugged her while Artemis happily pressed a kiss to her lips before tightly hugging her middle.
What her daughter said as she pulled away and skipped over to where Remus and Lyall were waiting through Ellie for a loop though. “Happy Birthday, Mommy!”
She froze, trying to do math while Athena tugged on her hair and Lyall smirked. Remus mumbled a birthday wish of his own to her, somehow using her distraction as a way to leave with Lyall, but her husband leaned over and whispered, “It’s May 11th, Starlight. Happy Birthday. I’ll pick the kids up from your parents’ when I get off. I love you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips and ushered their children out the door so quickly, she didn’t even get to say anything until she looked at a gurgling Athena.
“Did you know it was my birthday?”
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When she’d dropped Athena off at the brownstone, Joe and Jack were also dropping off Tia and Leo. Her brothers offered quick birthday wishes before jogging out the door. Her father, who had taken to watching his grandchildren during the work day in his retirement, pressed a kiss to her head before taking the third toddler that was in his care for the day. Then she was sent on her way with a promise that her family and her parents would have a belated birthday dinner later in the week. This was when she also learned her husband had dropped off her annoyed son, even if he still winced in pain at the fresh cuts and bruises from the moon the night before.
There was still a small part of her that refused to believe it was her birthday. Like how had she forgotten her own birthday? But when she sat down at her desk in the bullpen that morning, Ellie looked at her calendar and saw the date glaring up at her. May 11th, 1971. Yep, today was her 42nd birthday.
No one really said anything at the office though. Or maybe it was because she was scowling at the paperwork in front of her, but finally, not long before lunch, Parker reached over and slammed a hand in front of her. The loud bang made her jolt up from her crouched position and glare at him. Her friend merely laughed before sliding a small present over to her. “That’s from Jack, Maddie, Joe, and I. We figured you had enough on your plate and just want to enjoy Lyall and the kids tonight. But Happy Birthday, Elle.”
“Thanks.” She sighed out while gently unwrapping the present. When she saw the little framed photo of her and Lyall making Athena laugh, Ellie couldn’t help but smile. Someone had snapped it when they weren’t looking and there was genuine happiness on all their faces. Letting her hand trace down the frame, she grinned up at him. “You know, I forgot it was so close to my birthday. When Artemis wished me a happy birthday this morning, I froze. How did I forget what day it was?”
Parker’s brow rose as he looked at her in mild concern. “Maybe because you pulled five all-nighters in the last week. Or at least that’s what Pete said when he got her just before you did this morning. He lasted five minutes before your mom and Rory sent him home. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Peter Tolliver look as exhausted as he did then.”
“I think it had less to do with the all-nighters and more to do with Nick apparently waking up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare and then not letting Mara sit with him when he saw that Pete was home.” Ellie turned in surprise at Maddie’s words, but her best friend reached over to hit the third member of their chaotic trio when she saw the picture now sitting next one of Artemis and Remus on her desk. “You gave it to her without me?!”
“When you and Joe stop leaving the group presents at our house, then Jack and I will stop giving them to people without you two.”
Maddie only huffed as she settled down at the desk beside Ellie’s, a soft smile slid onto the other woman’s lips as she looked her way. “Happy Birthday, Elle! Lyall and the kids get you tonight, but we’ve already informed Mr. Lupin that our children’s beloved Nan and Grandad will be babysitting this weekend so we will all be going out to celebrate.”
“Mads, I appreciate the sentiment, but I have a feeling Ly’s going to be on duty this weekend at Ilvermorny now that I’m back.”
“He isn’t. He’s already talked to Zeller.” Parker commented, leaning back in his chair. “Your grandfather really created a legacy of hiring teachers with young families and Zeller is keeping up the tradition. Good on him honestly, makes me proud that David has already said he wants to go to Ilvermorny so long as the letter comes. Jack was only mildly disappointed.”
A grin pulled at her lips as she leaned back. “Well you’ll be happy to know Remus is still adamant that he’s going to Hogwarts because of a certain visit by my least favorite staff member.”
Both of her friends laughed and before they could continue, her mother was walking towards their desks with a smile. Even with the gray streaks in her hair and the few wrinkles marring her skin, Tina Goldstein was still one of the most beautiful people Ellie had ever seen. Or maybe she was biased. It was her mom after all. “Elle Belle! Happy Birthday!”
“Thanks, Mom.” Accepting the hug and kiss to her cheek as she stood, Ellie grinned softly. “Question, have you ever forgotten your own birthday?”
The cocked brow she received in response made it clear her mother thought she was the crazy one. “I haven’t. Then again I always had little gremlins that wouldn’t let me. Or they ruined their father’s surprise.” Her mother patting her cheek was the most condescending action Ellie had ever witnessed. Rolling her eyes was the only correct response which got a laugh from her mother and friends. “Ellie, you are beyond tired. I just read your report. It’s fine the way it is. Go home. Sleep. Cuddle my grandchildren. Enjoy your birthday”
“They have a routine, Mom and I can’t just-“
“I’ll take her to get Thena and Remus, Tina. Elle, we will make sure Lyall knows he just needs to get Mis from the brownstone.” Before she could argue, her best friend was shoving her towards the door. The next thing she knew, she was halfway to her childhood home as another large yawn flew from her mouth.
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When they had gotten back to Long Island, Remus listened to her and went upstairs to rest. She’d sent him to his room with another one of the potions Joe and Walt had concocted to help with his post-moon healing which her son seemed relieved to realize they weren’t out as previously thought. Once it was just her and Thena, Ellie discovered birthday letters from her aunts and uncles, her cousins, the friends she hadn’t seen that day, and her two siblings that were off traveling abroad with their significant others. In an aside in Stella’s letter, she read a note from a very happy Tommy Jackson letting her know that when they got back next week they hopefully wouldn’t just be celebrating her birthday.
Grinning, she bounced her daughter and said, “I think Uncle Tommy is about to your official uncle, Thena. How do you like that?”
“YAY!” The exclamation came out a little wonky, but Ellie just grinned. Then a yawn hit and Athena watched her in fascination before whispering, “Mama seepy?”
“Mama is very seepy. Why don’t we go count the stars in Daddy and I’s room?” Athena nodded rapidly so Ellie jogged up the stairs, making the little girl laugh with her antics as they neared the bedroom. It didn’t take long for Athena to fall asleep curled up on Lyall’s side of the bed surrounded by pillows while Ellie took the time to watch her daughter. She and Lyall had agreed they hadn’t wanted another child after Artemis came into the world. That was majorly due to the chaos of raising two children while one of them was a werewolf. They’d both been too scared a third child would take them away from Remus if he needed them or Artemis if they’d be preoccupied with the baby and Remus. But then two years ago when she’d discovered she was pregnant again, neither of them had been too disappointed. Remus and Artemis were older, they wouldn’t have three under five running around. AND their kids had taken the news and the birth of their little sister better than ever expected. So getting to spend her birthday with the little daredevil of her youngest was exactly what Ellie needed. Her hand moved to rest on Athena’s back, rubbing up and down as the one year old rolled closer. Ellie felt her own eyes begin to droop and it wasn’t long before she too entered dreamland.
She wasn’t exactly sure how long she got to sleep this time, but when she woke up it was in a very similar vein to the way she was woken up that morning. Artemis sitting on the bed poking her. “Mommy! Moooooooooooooooooooommmm! Wake up! Daddy is making your favorite for dinner and then he said we can have cake!”
Propping her head up on her hand, Ellie discovered both of her daughters sitting in the bed. Athena was sitting up, grunting agreements with her sister while Artemis was on her knees, hair slightly askew from playing too hard at recess and the dress she’d worn to school still on. Cocking a brow at her oldest daughter, she held out her free hand for the girl to play with. “You know, Mis, I’m not a fan of these wake up calls when I’m very tired like I am today.”
“But, Mommy, it’s your birthday! We have to celebrate! Grandad even said he and Nan might stop by for cake!”
“Oh he did, did he?”
Her father had offered to swing by with a cake from her aunt and uncle’s bakery when she’d picked up Thena earlier that afternoon. Well, it was less of an offer and more letting her know that he’d been informed by her husband that he’d dropped the ball on the cake and needed some assistance. Not that she was complaining. A cake from her Uncle Jacob? Possibly more people to distract her six year old after dinner so she could sneak upstairs and hit the hay early.
But Artemis looping her arms around Ellie’s neck made her forget all about her glorious plans for sleep. “Mommy, come on,” the way the girl drug out the letters of each word made Ellie inwardly cringe as she realized Artemis had indeed inherited her dramatics. “Daddy said dinner would be ready soon.”
“Actually it’s ready now.” Looking over her shoulder, she discovered a grinning Remus holding out his hand to his little sister. “First, Mom, I feel a lot better. Now, come on, Mis. Mom can carry Thena down while we help Dad set the table.”
“I don’t wanna!”
“Artemis Marie,” her voice was quiet and full of warning. The six year old stuck out her bottom lip while making her eyes real wide. If she were Lyall, the puppy dog face would have worked, but Ellie wasn’t her husband. Even if she wanted to give in. Instead, she pressed a kiss to her nose and lifted her off the bed. “Please help your brother while I get Thena and I ready for dinner. And it’s my birthday, young lady. You can’t say no.”
There wasn’t a spoken response as Artemis trudged after a now laughing Remus. Refusing to give Artemis the satisfaction of acknowledging her, Ellie turned back to Athena, lifting the toddler from the bed and stepping across the hall to the nursery. “Let’s get your diaper changed, niffler.”
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Lyall grinned widely when Newt and Tina arrived just after dinner with Eleanor’s cake. He’d completely forgotten he wouldn’t have time to pick it up after work that day, but luckily his in-laws were always happy to help. Even if he’d leaned on them more than the three of them would admit over the last week. But it was all worth it to see Eleanor’s face light up at the sight of the beautiful chocolate cake Jacob and Danny had made for her.
The sight was only made better by her tugging their children around to help blow out her candles as was their family tradition. Watching her lean her head against Remus while Artemis and Athena sat on her lap, candle light illuminating their faces, was the best sight he’d ever seen. He’d heard the sound of a camera at one point before Tina whispered, “Get in there, I’ll get copies to you all soon.”
So he rose, stepping over, to press a kiss to his wife’s cheek as her mother took another picture. His focus was all on her though. “Make a wish, Starlight.” Her eyes closed before she leaned forward, the girls following her lead as she blew the candles out. Athena clapped happily as Remus stepped over, plucking his youngest sister up, while Artemis slid out of Eleanor’s lap, skipping over to Tina to ask her Nan if she saw how she’d helped her mother. Eleanor simply leaned back into him with a content sigh. Newt took the cake over to the counter, asking how big of slices for the little ones.
“Oh, Mis and Remus both can have a small piece, but Thena does NOT need any, Dad.” His father-in-law looked at his daughter with doubt written on his face and Lyall fought a laugh. In front of him, his wife was reaching back to pinch his leg before acquiescing. “Fine, the smallest piece imaginable. And I mean smaller than any piece you used to think was small for me and the twins. And YOU are feeding it to her and dealing with the mess.”
“Happy to, little love.”
Lyall practically felt the eye roll, but he tilted her head up to distract her. “Cake or presents first for you?”
“Oh, you all didn’t need to get me-”
“Mommy!” Artemis cried happily as she slid into her seat next to Eleanor while Tina sat next to the six year old, already watching her warily as New sat the cake down on the table. His daughter was not deterred by her grandmother’s cautious eye though. Rather, Artemis pointed at the three matching presents sitting on the small buffet they kept along the far wall of the dining area. “Open my present first!”
Remus shouted in agreement with his little sister while Athena nodded seriously in the boy's arms. In front of him, Eleanor shrugged, looking up at him again. “The children have spoken, Mr. Lupin.”
Nodding, he turned, lifting the three presents and bringing them over to the table. As he rubbed his hands on her shoulders and upper arms, Lyall explained, “These are a bit of a combined birthday and Mother’s Day gift from Remus, Artemis, and Athena. There’s still a small surprise on Sunday, but they agreed they wanted you to have these today.” Her brow scrunched as she grabbed the smallest of the flat, round discs and carefully opened the wrapping paper. Lyall watched as her confusion grew at the sight of the garden stone now sitting on their table until she saw the handprints, initials, and the date. Then she tugged the other two over quickly to see two more similar stones only these handprints got progressively bigger and had initials matching Remus and Artemis on their respective stones. Eleanor looked at him with little tears in her eyes. “You said the garden was too boring and needed some decoration. We thought you’d like this. That way there would always be a piece of them with us here even as they grow up.”
“I love it,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his lips before rising to kiss each of their children’s heads. Artemis was happy to return her mother’s affection, his little kneazle had missed Eleanor something fierce the last week and that was quite clear with how she didn’t want to let her mother out of her sight that day. So Lyall wasn’t surprised when his daughter abandoned her cake to help his wife with the present from Newt and Tina. It was a new journal set that contained two bound journals, one for work, one for pleasure. “Thanks Mom, thanks Dad, I, ahhh, I, haaa, really needed a new journal.”
Her yawn made him really look at her. The bags under Eleanor’s eyes were more pronounced than he’d realized. So he looked at his mother- and father-in-law, who both had looks of worry in their eyes. That spurred Lyall into action as he lifted Artemis from her lap. “Love, why don’t you head upstairs? You must be exhausted from the last week and-”
“I’m fine. I can help clean u-”
“Ellie, honey, it’s your birthday.” Tina smiled softly at her eldest child and Lyall was suddenly grateful he had backup. Not for helping with the kids as his in-laws most likely would do even when he refused them, but because Eleanor was a bit of a menace of her own when she got an idea into her head. No one knew that better than Newt and Tina Scamander. Which meant there was honestly no one better at helping him convince her to take care of herself than her parents. “Dad and I will help Ly. You go upstairs, take a well deserved bath or shower or whatever you feel like, and then go to sleep. You’ve earned it, Miss Forty-Tw-”
“Ehhh, I get it. Go take care of myself, we don’t need to throw out the age.”
That was all it took to get her upstairs. It was a surprise that Lyall hadn’t anticipated. What he anticipated less was twenty minutes later after Remus had gone to his room to read, Artemis and Athena thoroughly distracting Newt in the living room, his mother-in-law shoving him towards the stairs. “You too, Lyall. You’ve been working hard all week between Ilvermorny and here. Go, be with your wife for a bit. Newt and I can handle the kiddos until bedtime. It’s only 6:30 after all.”
Blinking in surprise at the clock, Lyall discovered she was right. Hurriedly, he dashed up the stairs, knocking on Remus’s door to let him know if he needed help to ask Nan or Grandad first then come to them if he still needed assistance. He barely waited for the acknowledgment from his son before he was striding into the master bedroom. The stars on the walls seemed to be twinkling brighter as a lovely voice filled the air, as if they sensed that the reason they’d been painted was finally home. Smiling up at the galaxy within their room, Lyall stepped over to lean against the bathroom door. Eleanor was sitting in the bathtub, her entire body except her head and neck submerged in a steaming bubble bath with a few fragrant candles lit along the windowsill the tub sat beside. Her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head with a few wavy pieces falling out to frame her face. All in all, she looked beautiful. And at peace. Oh she’ll be out before dark.
“I resent that, Mr. Lupin.” Stepping over to her, Lyall cocked a brow at the sleepy tone of her voice. “Oh shut up, Wolf Boy.”
“Mmm,” he hummed as he pulled the small stool they kept in the bathroom over next to the tub, perching on it, so he was sitting next to her head. “I missed you.”
Her left hand rose from the water, reaching for his as she whispered, “I missed you too. All of you. Our friends and family, the kids. Mostly the kids. But you were pretty high on the list as well.”
“So long as I’m above Maddie and Park, I’ll feel honored.” The laugh she emitted was a melody he’d memorized long ago, but it still put him in a trance. This time it compelled him to lean forward and steal a kiss. Not one of their quick pecks that they’d shared all day, but a real, true kiss. One he hadn’t given her in over a week. As they pulled apart, Lyall realized his hands were now threaded in her hair while their foreheads rested together. “Merlin, I didn’t realize how much I missed you until right now.” She smiled at him, nipping at his lips again before tugging him toward the bath. “Oh, no, if they need one of us-”
“Lyall, my parents raised five children, who I’d argue turned out pretty okay. I mean Ollie’s a bit of a mess, but hey, that’s why we love him!” He let out a silent laugh as he let her tug him again. “They can handle our gremlins for two hours until bedtime.”
Rolling his eyes, he stood, gesturing her further as he began stripping, “Scoot up.” His wife smiled happily, moving up so that he could slip in behind her. Once he had, Eleanor leaned back so she rested against him. His hands ran down her arms until their fingers laced together and they just sat there, enjoying the other’s nearness. “Mmmm, we should do this more often.”
“Non-sexual bathtime? We do that all the time.”
“Well, I meant romantic, non-sexual bathtime personally.”
The snort of laughter made him smile, his lips moving on their own accord to press a kiss to her shell of her ear. A gesture that had her crossing their arms over her middle and leaning back even more. “You know, even though I forgot it was my birthday for a minute there, I have to say, this is the best end to the day. Our children being happy and healthy, a wonderful set of gifts from them that we all know will make me cry every time I look at them and realize how small they once were. And most importantly, you.”
“Me? What about me?”
“Just all of you. The way you stepped up this week and took care of them. And yes, I know they are your children too, but I know doing it solo can be rough, even if everyone was around to help a bit. Honestly, I don’t think I would have gotten through this week without you, knowing you were home, making sure the rugrats were cared for, helping them make those stones, just all of it.” She’d turned her head enough to look at him and Lyall felt a blush rising up his cheeks that just made her smile turn slightly mischievous. “And of course, you are easy on the eyes. Not just anyone can be Ilvermorny’s sexiest professor in history.”
And just like that his blush was gone and a scowl formed on his lips. “This is why I need to get younger teacher friends. Your aunt and Achilles tell you too much.”
“Oh, that came directly from your guest lecturer, Mr. Jackson D. Scamander.”
“I’m going to kill him.”
“He has two children and a Parker at home, not to mention their half of your little menagerie project you two have been concocting. I don’t think you’d get a hand on him.”
Deciding to change the subject, Lyall summoned a small, wrapped present that he’d left hidden in the drawer of his nightstand. Her brows rose as he placed it in her hand. “My present to you. And don’t argue. Please.” Rolling her eyes, Eleanor leaned over the side of the tub, carefully to not slosh any water out. Lyall watched with a small smile on his face as she opened the box and brought a hand to her lips. “What do you think?”
“Oh, it’s perfect, Lyall. Thank you.”
“Now we’ll be with you even when you’re gone.” He leaned over, lifting the locket he’d charmed to be indestructible out of the box. Eleanor gently closed the small trinket so the pictures of them from their wedding and a recent family portrait were no longer outward facing as he clasped it around her neck.
She turned full around, kissing him before murmuring, “You’re always with me. But I appreciate the sentiment.”
Lyall tucked a stray piece of hair out of her face as he whispered, “Happy Birthday, Elle. I love you.”
“I love you too, Ly.”
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The third time Ellie woke up on her 42nd birthday, it was minutes away from being midnight according to the clock on her nightstand. And as anyone would guess, the culprit of waking her up was once again Miss Artemis Marie Lupin. This time though, Ellie saw her daughter rubbing tears away as she clutched her stuffed kneazle tightly. “Mis, what happened?” Her voice was a groggy whisper as she tried to avoid waking Lyall up.
“I had a bad dream, Mommy.”
Immediately, her Mommy sense spurred into action as she pulled back the covers and sat up, lifting Artemis into bed next to her. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Her daughter merely shook her head so Ellie kissed away the tears and brushed back the brown locks of hair. “How about you stay in here with me and Daddy tonight? We can help keep the creepy-crawlies away.” Artemis nodded, burying her head into Ellie’s neck. Carefully, she shifted so that the six year old laid between her and Lyall, causing her husband to stir for a second. His head lifted in surprise so she just whispered, “Be on the lookout for any creepy-crawlies, Daddy. We’re helping Artemis fight them off tonight. Like a team.”
Lyall nodded, wrapping an arm around Artemis and kissing the back of her head. “Well, I’m just glad I have our brave little huntress to protect me from them.”
That made their little girl crack a smile before Lyall was headed back to dreamland. Ellie saw Artemis’s eyelids getting heavy again, as if the reassurance of her parents being beside her was all the girl needed. Kissing her forehead, Ellie settled in beside her, halfway to sleep too when Mis whispered, “Mommy?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Happy Birthday. I love you.”
A corner of her mouth tugged upward as Ellie whispered, “I love you too, Mis. And thank you.”