Kailana was an energetic woman who seemed to enjoy being with people. She spent most of the day helping Selena and Cedric get the food and supplies ready for the trip back. She had a few spells, but she mostly just helped the children make funny things happen to their toys. The children cheered as she played with them, along with any other adult of their group they could snag. Their faces were bright smiles despite how they'd been found.

Daisy knew she'd taken most of them in without much pause. Now that it came to the morning when they'd be going home, she wondered if she should let some of them return to their own homes. She reached out, gently catching one dashing little gerbil of a boy. "Hey, just checking, but where do you normally live? You want to go back, don't you? To your family?"

He blinked at her and shrugged. "Don't have anyone else." He looked up at her and waved his hands towards her. "Don't have a family. I like the one I'm in now." He rushed up to hug a leg, then dash off after the others.

Daisy tried the others, getting variances of the same answer. They either didn't have parents, or they didn't like their old parents and were quite happy to join Daisy instead. "Do your parents know you're coming with me? I'm not trying to literally kidnap here."

He laughed softly as he dashed past, grabbing a plate of food from Selena before darting off. "They won't care. We'll be good for you."

She tried the question on all of them, though some were a bit harder to get an answer from than others. She let out a weary sigh and went for Cedric instead. "I'm collecting children, and I'm not trying to. What's going on?"

Cedric was quiet a moment, considering. "You did this once before, didn't you? In that dungeon you almost got lost in. The monsters started just coming up to you, some of them, and wanting to stay with you."

"Oh." Daisy hadn't thought about that. "Dang." She willed the control for her pheromones and saw it had never been turned off. "Dang!" She reached out, tapping it off. "I have no idea if that'll make them go away or not."

"You don't want them here?" He laughed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I think they're cute. Besides, you've got plenty of milk for all of them." He gave her chest a squeeze as he said it.

She darkened rapidly at that. "I do, but I'm not a walking cow." She snorted at that thought. "I'm a walking mouse. Let's just relax, and maybe, with that off, some will wander off."

A little time later, everyone was fed and the children seemed happier than ever. None had left her care. All were happy to be in the same family. "They're adorable, but I was not ready for this." Daisy threw up her hands, just to find a child there when she brought each arm down. "Why are you so dang cute." She kissed either of them on the cheek. "I can't just turn them away."

Cedric smiled at her. "They seem to have a place they'd like to stay. If it makes you feel better, we'll make sure they can leave if they want."

Daisy let out a slow breath and shook her head. "I don't think they'll want to go unless I get mean, which I wouldn't do." She drew the human boy up into her lap, bouncing him gently. "Each one is precious, and, by golly, I'll be the best I can be. I was an uncle once, not the first time I've had parenthood foisted on me."

She rubbed his head gently. He snuggled in. "You're all coming home with us, but I'm going to make sure you are fed and taken care of. So we're going to have to work out how we do that, alright?"

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Bellin swung by, arms moving with his broad steps. "Most of them are tuckered out and passing out. We can collect them, ma'am."

Daisy looked up at the broad-shouldered human male. "Don't ma'am me, it makes me feel old." She shifted the boy to rest in her arms. "Go with Bellin, dear one. Time for nighty night." He gave a nod, but he was so tired that it took the large man to lift him from Daisy's arms and carry him to bed. The boy fell into an easy slumber before he even reached it.

She smiled at the sight, yawning herself. "There are worse curses than a big happy family." She could see that family number, grown since the start of their trip. It was all the people with her. She shivered gently, knowing that number was filling her with feel-good chemicals. She was wired to love families, build dungeons, and entertain foolish adventurers that stopped by.

She curled up. Cedric was there in a moment, as if knowing she'd want someone to cuddle. He hugged her tight. "I've always wanted a big family." He gave her a kiss between the ears.

Daisy perked at that. "You did? You always seemed so quiet, not really the family person, I figured, but please, tell me more about your wish."

He gave a nod, resting against her shoulder. "Well, yeah. I guess it's kind of weird. I know there are people who love having no one around to bother them. No ties, nothing holding them back from going where they want or doing what they want."

Cedric reached to squeeze her hand. "But being with you, then everyone else, made me realize how much I had been missing out. I didn't know how much I wanted it until it was right in front of me. I guess I was afraid too, or just nervous. Didn't think it'd happen for a guy like me."

His ears sank a little to either side. "I was made to get a job done. Me, surrounded by a loving family that loves me for me? It still feels impossible, like I'll wake up. But every morning, there you all are, still happy that I'm there. And I am. And I never thought I would have this, but I do." His eyes shimmered softly as he looked at her. "And it's all because of you."

Daisy leaned in, patting the top of his head gently, then down his cheek. She touched noses with him and they settled in together. She felt something flop against her, Selena claiming her back. Sharing warmth with her family, she faded with them for the next morning.

***

Morning came with a metal boot nudging against Daisy. "Wake up."

Daisy opened her eyes, scrambling for her feet. "What?" She saw the lady commander. "Oh, you scared me. What's up?"

She leveled a finger at Daisy with a smirk. "I don't think you realize what you did."

Daisy blinked slowly. "Failed a negotiation on account of sudden arrow?"

The commander shoved Daisy, not that it did too much. "Hardly. They figured if they could get rid of you, the rest of us would be easy. They got a good hit, right where they wanted it. We fought around you, not giving an inch, then you stood right back up without any of us involved." She laughed at some mental image. "Should have seen the look on his face when you first got up, like seeing the dead rising it was. Shocked him so bad, he gave up, spirit beat right out of him. They couldn't beat us without you. They had no chance with you ready to rejoin us."

She spread her arms out in a wide gesture. "We won!"

Daisy blinked slowly, rubbing the back of her head. "That's a hell of a way to win."

The commander punched Daisy's side. "A win is a win. If you were one of mine, I'd yak your ear off, but you're not. You did just fine for outside help."

Daisy looked around, rubbing her neck where the arrow had struck. It didn't look like anyone was still around, except for the children she had been left with. "So, we're going home? I see less soldiers than yesterday."

The commander waved back where they had marched from. "Most of them started off the soonest they could. The fighting's over. Time to get home."

Selena whistled sharply. "You heard the lady, time to get moving!" She had the children up and moving with the help of their new assistant parents.

Daisy imagined returning home with so many surrounding her. "This will be awkward to explain to Theo."