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Willow held Papa's hand tight with one hand and squeezed the seat in front of her with the other. Flying was the one thing she could never calmly do. Papa stroked her knuckles gently, “It’s just like a stork…”

“Oh, go to hell,” Willow hissed as she squeezed her eyes tight, “Storks are not made of metal. Storks can’t blow up if you land them wrong.”

Ivor reached behind him and patted Willow’s hand, ignoring the confused looks he got from not only his double but the order of the stone. Well, the past order, apparently, they hadn’t gone through the Wither Storm yet. His lip quirked upwards. He supposed he was a lot different now than he was when he was an order member. “Willow, you know we wouldn’t bring you on a plane if it would explode.”

“Oh, I hate all of you,” Willow whispered as she kept her eyes shut. “Have we taken off yet?”

“Still on the runway, dear,” Harper replied as she turned the page of her book.

“I hate it here,” Willow chanted quietly, “I hate it here, oh how I hate it here.”

“Willow,” Papa chuckled as he stroked her cheek, “Open your eyes.”

“Papa~Thing,” Willow mocked, “Go to hell.”

“I have seen you fight monsters,” Papa tried to stop laughing, “But this is where you draw the line?”

“Next time I drive, I don’t want to hear anything about you being scared,” Willow snapped back, “If you’re okay with this metal death trap.”

“Also, this is rich coming from the man who is afraid of water slides,” Harper chuckled as she turned the page again.

“Harper,” Papa glared at the back of her seat, “Stay out of this. You don’t go to movie theaters.”

“That is different, and you know it,” Harper hissed as she turned in her seat to face him. 

Hagen glanced tiredly at Goldie, “We are going to get kicked off the plane before we even take off.”

“Maybe,” Goldie pulled her eyemask down over her eyes, “Wouldn’t be my first time.”

Effie turned to look at her, “I… I am concerned every day I am with you. Are you on a no-fly list?”

“Not unless we’re going to Cuba,” Goldie replied as she lay back in her seat.

Imelda furrowed her brows, “What happened in Cuba?”

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Harper grabbed Vexy’s hand as she ran past her in the store. Vexy pouted as she was lifted in the air and placed on Harper’s hip. Ivor chuckled as he held Damien in his arms. The double of Magnus was brave enough, or reckless depending on how you looked at it, to question it. “The hell’s with the kids?”

“Jess and Jesse wandered off, but we caught Damien and Vexy before they could get far.” Harper chuckled as Vexy gave up her fight to reach the floor and rested against her.

“So you all…trade kids?” The Ellegaard double asked. Ivor found it easiest to tell her apart from their Ellegaard. She didn’t have the scars from the Wither Storm yet. 

“More or less,” he muttered, adjusting his hold on Damien, who quietly watched as always. He felt a small victory as Damien relaxed into him. The kid was always anxious. “We have a deal, there’s seven sets of us, quote unquote, elders. If we see the kids of others, we take care of them as if they were our own. I know they would do it for me, so I do it for them.”

“Willow has saved our butts a few times with the internal healing potions,” Harper mumbled.

“It seems like…” Ellegaard paused, “You’re doing great here, Ivor.”

“I am.” Ivor smiled as he heard Willow call out to them. Jessi and Jesse held her hands, “I really am.”

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“Ivor said you protect each other's children as if they’re your own,” Soren mumbled as Haymitch placed more waffles on the table.

“That’s true,” Effie nodded. “We look out for them if their parents are not near.”

“Like mix and match,” Goldie mumbled around her cup of coffee. 

“…Ivor said you all used to be close,” Willow murmured after a moment. 

“We were.” Ivor nodded. Soren, Ellegaard, Magnus, and Gabriel all shared a look. “Like siblings. Like now.”

Harper looked at Goldie, who nodded. Effie and Imelda shared a look as Hagen tilted her head towards Willow. Willow sipped her coffee. "What are you asking?”

“Please,” Ellegaard intertwined her fingers. “They keep asking the kids questions. They keep asking Olivia why I adopted her, and it’s making her uncomfortable. The younger kids don’t know any better, but the adults do.”

“Cassie is having nightmares again,” Soren muttered, rubbing his beard. “I can’t be with her all the time, and they’re looking at her like she’s going to blow them up.”

“You want our protection.” Goldie mused.

“Not us, the kids.” Gabriel assured, “Even Petra is getting upset.”

“They are like my siblings,” Ivor spoke up, locking eyes with Goldie. “Even after all these years, we were as close as siblings.”

“Guess that makes us family, huh?” Goldie asked, turning to Ellegaard.

Magnus’ eyebrows rose, and Harper smiled. “You all are Ivor’s family. These guys- they’re our family.”

“What does this mean?” Magnus asked, leaning forward.

“Means we got a few new nieces and nephews,” Hagen said, leaning back.

“You leave Cassie to me,” Goldie smiled. “She reminds me of myself. I’ll take care of her when you’re not there.”

“They won’t be bothering these kids anymore,” Harper assured.

“Welcome to the family,” Effie smiled.

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“They are happily married,” Sasha said, standing in front of Ivor and Goldie, “so unfortunately, they cannot be separated. You know the law.”

“We’re what?” Goldie growled. Sasha kicked her calf. 

Sasha gave a fake smile to the imp demons surrounding her. " She’s teasing. Because she knows if Ivor weren’t her husband, she and he would be separated, and they would become lost in the demon world alone. And if by some chance they were married to other people, they would be very understanding of the circumstances.”

Goldie hated her life. Stuck in the abyssal plains, separated from the others. Apparently married to Ivor.

“Just to be clear, darling,” Ivor grumbled as he held Goldie’s hand and briskly walked to the exit, “if you were my wife, I would put poison in your coffee.”

“Oh, if you were my husband, sweetums,” Goldie replied through clenched teeth as they turned the corner, “I would drink it gladly.”

“This is by far the best show I’ve ever seen,” a voice followed by clapping.

“Bravo! Bravo!” Goldie rolled her eyes as another voice joined the fray.

“Paul. Effie. You’re both doing well.” Ivor grumbled, yanking his hand away from Goldie. 

“Do you two ever wonder why the thought of each other is so horrid?” Effie asked, giggling.

“Because he’s horrid?” Goldie asked, crossing her arms.

“Because she poisoned her husband?” Ivor questioned with a glare.

“Drugged him. Not poisoned.” Goldie mocked.

“Because you both have become siblings,” Papa snorted as laughter shook his body.

“If she were my sister, I’d burn my house down,” Ivor said, rolling his eyes.

“A,w you’d love me, little brother.” Goldie mocked further.

“This is why I would burn my house down,” Ivor grumbled.