Jeffersons' Home.

Knock Knock Knock!

"Come in!" Sam called from the couch.

The door opened and revealed the tired and worn face of Skeeter. Sam cocked a brow at his friend as he dragged himself over and sat down in a chair with a relieved sigh.

"Long day?"

Skeeter groaned.

"Long week."

Sam grunted and took a sip of his beer.

"Been there."

"Oh? So you've had to deal with some very irate dwarves that demanded weapons that you didn't have and had no way to make more? Or how about some army grunts coming by and givin' you the third degree about the weapons you're makin'? Or how about gettin' your shop windows broke by rocks from folk that don't take too kindly to you helpin' out certain folk? Or how about-"

"Okay! I get it!" Sam said as used Skeeter's moaning to get up and retrieve a couple of fresh beers for the two of them.

Skeeter thanked him and took a welcome swig of the drink. The two sat there with silence being the only thing occupying the air. Well that and the sound of Millie fixing dinner in the background. Skeeter turned around in his chair with a tired groan and peered at the bun of red hair that seemed to slide from side to side across the counter as the halfling woman moved from cabinet to cabinet searching for things.

"Evenin' Miss Millie." Skeeter called out.

"Oh 'ello Skeeter! You 'ungry?" The little bun of hair called out.

"I wouldn't want to make more work for you."

"Nonsense! Ain't no work fer me! We'll 'ave plenty o' food ta go 'bout!"

"Just let her feed you. She won't take no for an answer." Sam said as Skeeter tried to argue.

Skeeter sighed.

"That would be lovely Miss Millie."

The red bun hummed happily and continued running around the kitchen, leaving Sam and Skeeter to catch up.

"So how was Thanksgivin'?"

"It was good. And weird. But that's not exactly new 'round here." Sam replied with another sip of his beer.

"Really? Havin' turkey with a buncha lizardfolk seems pretty normal." Skeeter replied sarcastically.

"Ha. Ha. Wasn't turkey though."

"Really? What was it? Bear?"

Sam scrunched up his face in thought for a moment.

"Manticore."

"Manticore?"

"Think mountain lion with a tail of a scorpion and bat wings."

Skeeter hummed as he got the picture.

"How'd it taste?"

"Pretty spicy actually. Though I'm not sure if that was a natural flavor or if because Mortimer wanted to pour over a pound of spice on the damn thing." Sam huffed.

Skeeter cocked a brow as he sipped his drink.

"Morty was there?"

"Unfortunately."

"How'd that go?"

"'Bout as well as you'd expect. Pain in the ass from start to finish. Shit couldn't stop talkin' if his life depended on it." Sam complained.

Skeeter chuckled.

"How'd Jeb take you all showin' up?"

"Like someone who wasn't expectin' family to show up would take it." Sam said with a chuckle of his own.

"So, polite and friendly but still confused and inconvenienced." Skeeter said with another chuckle.

They sat there for a minute just drinking and enjoying the peaceful moment before Skeeter spoke up again.

"How was Jeb?"

"He was... alright." Sam said with a measure of reservation.

"Alright? Last we saw him he looked 'bout ready to raise hell." Skeeter said.

"I know! He's just-" Sam started before sighing.

"He's better than I feared he'd be. Not as good as I hoped he'd be. So all things considered. He's alright." Sam stated.

Skeeter hummed and let things be. If Sam didn't want to talk about it he wasn't going to force it out of him. Especially with how sensitive things have been with the Jefferson family lately, Skeeter thought. So they nursed their drinks some more before Sam chuckled about something and turned to Skeeter.

"So I'm gonna be a grandpa."

"Really? How'd that work out with Jeb and his lizard girly friend?" Skeeter asked.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Who says it's Jeb?" Sam asked half joking.

Skeeter cocked a brow at his friend. Sam sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't have a fuckin' clue how it happened. Or how it's entirely possible. But things have a way of happenin' in this family."

"So how'd you find out?" Skeeter asked.

Sam laughed.

"So get this! He invites me into his home. That dusty old administrator buildin' at that fishin' lodge we used to go to way back when? He's stayin' in there. Anyway, he invites me in so that we can eat with his little scaly girlfriend. Then while we're eatin' he points towards this clutch of black eggs and basically says 'oh by the way, there's your grandkids'!"

Skeeter laughed.

"What a dork!"

"I know! I smacked him for droppin' it like that!" Sam laughed with his friend as he took a swig of his beer.

"He was fuckin' terrified." Sam said after a moment.

"Most folk are when they first become parents."

"Yeah. Hell, so was I when I first learned I was gonna be one! I swear I lost more of my hair durin' those months than I did from anythin' else. But it was worth it. HE was worth it. Him and Sammy both were." Sam stated resolutely.

"Think he'll be alright then?"

"Yeah. He's a good kid. He'll be fine. He'll be a damn fine daddy too I'm sure."

"Remember tellin' my sister that when she found out her boy was goin' to be a daddy too. Seemed like she was more scared than he was!"

"How is he anyway?" Sam asked.

"Still in the Foreign Legion. This is his last tour before settlin' back here. His girl's been houndin' him to come back and stop playin' soldier." Skeeter said.

"Good on her. Where they'd be stakin' camp?"

"Last I heard she was talkin' 'bout movin' 'em here." Skeeter said and took another sip of his beer.

"Why in God's name would they want to do that?" Sam asked.

Skeeter shrugged.

"Because I offered. Don't got no lil ones o' my own yet and I need to leave the store to someone. Figured havin' him tendin' shelves and moppin' floors would be a good change of pace for him. She agreed and liked the idea of movin' somewhere quiet."

Sam snorted.

"Ain't exactly quiet 'round here anymore."

"The place has always been like that, Sam. A bit of excitement now and then, then it's dead quiet for years." Skeeter said, though there wasn't much surety in his voice.

"Nah. There's somethin' in the air lately. Don't tell me you can't feel it too. This bout of tension and violence ain't endin' anytime soon. Mark my words. It'll only get worse before it gets better." Sam declared.

Skeeter nodded solemnly and raised his half empty beer bottle.

"To the land soaked in the blood of brothers."

Sam clinked his glass against his friend's.

"To the land soaked in the blood of brothers."

They took a deep swig of their drinks and sat in the solemn silence that filled the air alongside the sounds of Millie happily humming while she cooked, unaware of the grim and bloody toast. Then footsteps sounded from down the hall and Sammy emerged into the dimly lit living room.

"You're drinkin' again?"

"Well it's either that or watch tv. And ain't much anythin' good on tv anymore." Skeeter stated.

Sammy rolled her eyes and marched towards the kitchen. Skeeter turned and looked at her as the more brightly lit kitchen showed her more darker ensemble.

"Jeez, you goin' through your gothic phase now?"

Sammy snorted and ignored Skeeter's teasing and continued towards the kitchen and helped Millie prepare dinner. Skeeter turned to Sam with a cocked brow.

"The hell happened to her?"

Sam turned in his chair and looked at his daughter. Her normally bright princess pink dress was now a much more subdued, but still eye-achingly, red. But he could tell she's tried to snuff out the color a little bit with some dye and paint. Making it look more like clotted blood. He also noticed she had a couple of dark streaks in her otherwise blond hair. She was also wearing darker shades of makeup on her face rather than the usual cosmetics.

"You alright princess?"

"I'm fine pa! And don't call me princess anymore! I'm not a kid!" Sammy snapped as she continued to assist Millie.

"Alright, just how are you feelin'?" Sam asked.

"Fine!" She hissed.

"You're just dressin' different is all, and you're spendin' more time in your room lately. You sure you're alright?" Sam asked again.

"I said I'm fine! Just 'cause I change how I look don't mean somethin's wrong!" Sammy huffed before storming off back to her room.

"Still acts like a brat." Skeeter said.

Sam sighed and rubbed his face.

"Yeah. She's started dressin' like that when we came back from Jeb's. She's been more... volatile too."

"Did somethin' happen between 'em?"

"It was a good somethin' from what I figured. She was feelin' lonely and abandoned when Jeb left without tellin' us. She confronted him and they made up from what I gathered. She was happy and her usual self the rest of the time and even on the way back, though a lil quiet."

"So what do you think it is? Hormones?"

"God I hope not. Goin' through a girl's puberty once as a single father was already a nightmare, I don't want to go through a round two!"

"So what do you think it could be? Drugs? Alcohol? The MTV?" Skeeter said half joking.

Sam snorted.

"Only place to get drugs would be the hospital. Alcohol maybe. But she's never been a big drinker like some of us. Nothin' good on MTV anyway. Guess she could just be movin' on from her pretty princess phase."

"Pretty princess to goth. Not as strange as it sounds." Skeeter agreed.

"I just hope she doesn't go too crazy with some of the stuff they do. Last thing I need is to find out she's gettin' her body pierced head to toe or, God forbid, hurtin' herself."

"I'm sure it's not that extreme, Sam. Girls that hold onto that pretty princess stuff for so long usually end up goin' the opposite direction to get out of bein' seen as a kid. She probably just wants to look, and be seen, as bein' more mature." Skeeter said.

"I just hope she doesn't go overboard tryin' to seem mature. Plenty of folk end up in deep shit from tryin' to act like they're mature." Sam said.

"Ah the right of passage of bein' immature to prove you're mature. As is tradition." Skeeter proclaimed sarcastically.

Sam sighed as Millie came into the living room and gave him and Skeeter hearty bowls of soup before returning to the kitchen and retrieving her own before joining them.

"Where'd Sammy run off ta?"

"In her dark lair." Skeeter pointed with his spoon jokingly down the hall.

"Oh poor dear. I should see ifin she's 'ungry." Millie started before Sam stopped her.

"No. Let her have a minute, then I'll go check up on her."

The halfling woman nodded and the three of them dug into their hearty soup. Idle chatter and the refilling of beer bottles filled the space as the three of them enjoyed one another's company until bowls, bottles, and ambition for idle chatter grew empty. Skeeter turned to Sam and Millie.

"Thanks for dinner and company you two."

"No problem Skeeter."

"Aye! Yer welcome 'ere anytime!"

Skeeter chuckled and got up to head out while Millie insistently took his dishes and made her way towards the sink. Skeeter opened the door and turned to Sam with a smirk.

"So I heard some of the folk from that lil party of yours were expectin' already. That mean Jeb and Sammy are gettin' a siblin'?"

Sam huffed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm too old to be havin' another kid. I sincerely doubt-"

"Oh could you tell?! I've felt it fer a couple weeks now!" Millie said excitedly as she came back into the room and held Sam's arm.

"What?" Sam asked with confusion.

"Oh I wanted ta wait a wee bit longer befer tellin' ya just ta be sure! But I think I'm with child!" Millie said excitedly as she embraced Sam, who looked like he had just been hit by, been struck by, a smooth criminal.

Skeeter's brows rose in surprise, he had only been half joking. Yeah he heard some of the folks that went to that festival with the halflings were talking about pregnancies, but he didn't think Sam and Millie would actually produce one!

"Uhm, congratulations?"

"Oh thank you! I'm so excited! We'll 'ave a wonderful weddin'! A nice feast! Lots o' kith 'nd kin!"

"What?" Sam said as he blinked while continuing to look like a fish out of water.

"Oh, we winnae get much o' a dowry though. A cousin would step in as is proper ta afford tha bridal price but dinnae expect it ta be as big. But it dinnae matter! We 'ave a nice 'ome 'nd dinnae need a large sum fer a new 'ome like most newly weds!"

"What?" Sam asked again with just as much confusion as before.

"Oh we 'ave ta tell Sammy! She'll be so excited ta 'ave a younger siblin'!" Millie declared and patted Sam's arm excitedly while she beamed.

"Well, guess I'll leave you lovebirds to plan out the weddin' and baby shower. Send me an invite so I can see about gettin' some vacation days from the dwarves." Skeeter said with a chuckle and left.

"What?" Sam asked again as he blinked and looked down at Millie.

"Oh I'm so excited!" She said and pecked Sam on the lips before trotting off towards Sammy's room.

"This is jus' tha beginnin'! We'll 'ave a right proper clan o' lil ones runnin' 'round befer too long!" She called out.

"What?"

Millie hurried over to Sammy's door and knocked on it rapidly.

"What?!"

"Oh dear, we 'ave some exitin' news!" Millie called through the door, she would've walked in but human doors were a little awkward to open and she knew how much girls valued their privacy from time to time.

The halfling heard some movement, some clattering, and some cursing from the other side for a moment before the door cracked open to reveal part of Sammy's face.

"What news?"

"Oh open tha door dear! Come on out so we can celebrate!" Millie cheered.

"Maybe another time. I'm... busy with somethin'." Sammy said cryptically.

"You sure dear? You've been in there all day, dinnae you wanna come out fer dinner?"

"I'm fine Millie. What're you excited about?" Sammy asked a little annoyed at all the 'are you alright's she's been getting today.

"Oh?! Well, yer gonna be a big sister!" Millie cheered excitedly.

"Oh." Came Sammy's muted response.

"Oh? Aren't you excited dear?" Millie asked, her energy from before draining slightly.

"I mean, I guess? I mean I'm happy for you. I am." Sammy said.

"Dinnae you wanna come out? Dinner is done 'nd we'll be celebratin' 'nd talkin' 'bout our new family?" Millie asked, trying to get Sammy to come out and participate.

"Nah. I have some stuff to do. You guys have fun though. Congrats. You'll be a better ma than mine or Jeb's." With that Sammy closed the door to the halfling woman.

Millie deflated and turned away from the closed door and made her way back down the hall. Sam seemed to break out of his stupor after listening in on their conversation. He picked up Millie and put her on his lap.

"She's excited. It's just alot to take in at once."

"I know. OH?! You dinnae think she believes tha wee one will replace her does she?!"

Sam snorted and smiled.

"I doubt it. She's just goin' through some things right now is all. Give her some time."

Millie nodded and her smile from before returned and she leaned against Sam while he looked down at her and sighed. A father again, he thought. He never thought he'd get married let alone have another kid. Yet from the sounds of it, he was going to do both before too long. He'll have to get a message to Jeb about this. He was sure Jeb wouldn't care anymore than Sammy would. Probably for the same reasons. Jeb and Sammy were both adults and both had their own problems to deal with. The idea of their father having another kid and a wife wasn't at the top of their lists of priorities. He was sure they'd be happy for him, but they were adults and he wasn't getting any younger.

"So, guess we should start plannin'?" Sam asked with a mixture of trepidation and excitement at the prospect of being a husband and a father once again.