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2187, Alenko family orchard, British Columbia, Canada, Earth
Mornings at the orchard have a certain rhythm to them, but it’s one Caleb Shepard falls into readily enough as he, Kaidan, and the kids settle in together as a family. Rising with the sun, breakfast to feed the crew, followed by whatever the day has in store for them. Nothing as dangerous as taking on the reapers or as complicated as negotiating an alliance between the turians and krogan, just different.
Some mornings are easier than others which usually depends on what kind of night the kids have had. Bad dreams and nightmares have a tendency to linger long after waking – Caleb knows that well enough from his own experiences – and mornings after can be far more of a struggle to get through than they should.
“Hey there.”
In the middle of shaving, Caleb glances up at the reflection in the mirror the moment Kaidan’s voice drifts into the bathroom. He can’t not smile at his husband when a mug of steaming hot tea is set within easy reach. “G’morning.”
Instead of departing immediately, Kaidan folds his arms across his chest, his own mug in one hand, and leans a shoulder against the wall. Chuckling softly, he completes the ritual started in the early days of their relationship. “Aye, better now.”
Caleb washes the residual shaving foam from his face before reaching for his mug and taking a cautious sip of the aromatic tea he’d been given before they left Ireland. Closing his eyes, his mind drifts back to memories of morning among the green, rolling hills, and a fair bit of ‘magic’ that had helped them along the way. And somewhere, he heard the distant but still familiar voice of Nan as she reminded him every day, Family is everything.
If she only could see him now. “Where are the kids?”
Kaidan’s eyes are locked on him and for a moment, Caleb isn’t sure if his husband heard the question. In the next, a slow, steady smile spreads across Kaidan’s face as he reaches over and runs his thumb across the lobe of Caleb’s ear. There’s a casual grace to the touch that sends a shiver of delight down Caleb’s spine. “You missed a spot,” Kaidan explains, slowly drawing those same fingers to trace lightly along Caleb’s jaw.
Visibly shivering now, Caleb snags him by the wrist and pulls him close to steal a quick kiss. The warmth in the chuckle that follows flows through him like a fine wine. “What would I do without you always watching my six?”
As close as they are now, Caleb can feel his husband’s grin, his lips pressing against Caleb’s lower lip one last time before taking a step back. “You’ll never have to find out.” It’s a promise he makes every day they’re together. A reminder of just how close Caleb had come to not finding out. “The kids are downstairs. Mom’s making them breakfast, last I checked.”
Almost as if summoned, soft footsteps pad across the wooden floor of the bedroom stopping just short of the bathroom door. A moment later, a small face wreathed in sun-kissed copper curls that reach well below her shoulders peeks around the edge. The small movement is enough to catch Caleb’s attention in the mirror, and he turns, gesturing her into the room. “Mornin’, darlin’.”
Niamh hesitates briefly before stepping inside. When she does come, she’s dragging a teddy bear nearly as large as her in one hand. Caleb’s heart warms at the sight and a smile spreads across his face. His daughter and the bear, a gift from Abby and Coats, have become fast friends since their initial meeting in Ireland. Setting his mug on the countertop, Caleb crouches down to her eye level. Her somber green gaze is nothing unusual, but there’s an unexpected sadness filling them and he frowns. He gently brushes a few stray strands of hair from her eyes as he asks, “And what great adventure have you and Mr. Teddy been off to this mornin’, hmm?”
Looking directly at him, she asks, “Daidí, why d’I have spots?”
Startled, Kaidan is the first to ask in bewilderment, “Spots?”
Caleb lightly brushes his fingertips across Niamh’s cheek. “Your freckles, y’mean?”
She nods, slow, sorrowful. “Mr. Teddy doesn’t have spots. You don’t. Papa doesn’t. Tadhg doesn’t.”
Rising to his feet, Caleb scoops her into his arms and settles her against his hip. As he turns them to face the mirror, his gaze briefly lands on Kaidan whose eyes are wide. Mr. Teddy makes it about halfway up to Daidí’s height before Niamh loses her grip on him. As if suddenly remembering he can help, Kaidan swoops in to catch the giant plush.
“Spots, is it?” Caleb echoes. Niamh nods, tears welling in her eyes. Cracking a wide smile, he murmurs, “Darlin’, these aren’t spots.”
Her brow furrows in confusion.
“Spots are there because you spill something,” he explains, tweaking her nose using his thumb and finger. She doesn’t giggle – not yet – but she does relax a bit in his arms. “Or p’rhaps, because you’re like a big, wild cat that runs very, very fast.”
Niamh scrunches her nose at him, this time a very soft giggle escaping.
Caleb looks beyond her again at Kaidan, noting the curiosity as his husband continues to watch all while a hint of a smile graces his lips, too. Turning his attention back to their daughter, Caleb lightly touches his fingertips to the freckles again; one after another, after another across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose and down the side of her neck until the fabric of her clothing hides the rest from view. “No, mo stór, these are not spots.”
Her eyes never stray from his face. “What are they?”
And that’s when Caleb knows he has her attention. “Athair would tell you they’re angel’s kisses, put there to keep you safe from harm.”
Her eyes widen, but it’s Kaidan who speaks. “Angel’s kisses?”
Caleb spares him a quick grin. “Aye, mo ghrá. You know how we Irish are.”
Kaidan simply snorts and adjusts his hold on the teddy bear.
Turning back to Niamh, Caleb tweaks her nose again, delighted when she giggles a bit louder this time. “But these are no mere angel’s kisses, are they? These are something very special.” He leans over to ghost a quick kiss to her cheek. “You’ve been blessed by the aes sídhe, the descendants of the Tuatha dé Danann, mo st. These are fairy kisses, the mark of someone who’s truly favored by the fair folk.”
She sucks in a quick breath, and her hands tighten around Caleb’s neck. “Really, Daidí?”
“Aye,” he replies solemnly, “really.”
She stares in the mirror for a moment then looks over her shoulder at Kaidan, silently asking for his opinion. Kaidan hefts the bear up onto the countertop as he moves up next to her and Caleb, sliding an arm around them both. “Kind of hard to argue with that kind of logic,” he replies as he presses a kiss to the top of her head and then to one fairy-kissed cheek. “Daidí is the expert on this, after all.”