"Mal..." Frida started to say and finished off her own plate of food, still ignoring her cat, who was practically ready to jump of Frida's lap. "Esme is not insane, she's a teenager." She chuckled a little bit and gave a shrug while closing her eyes, then opened them, "Yes, I do. Absolutely. And when the time is right, of course."
Frida waved her wand and both their plates hovered into the sink and began to wash themselves. "Same here." She reached over and brought the dessert over and dug her fork into it, stealing the first bite. "Mmm...I could eat this forever." Her eyes looked into the living room and towards where the staircase was. "When do you want to expand?" She was kind enough to place the treat in-between herself and Mal so that he could have some as well.

Frida wasn't a wuss. She was up for some construction.

Malachi sat back and watched as Frida sorted out the plates and his head in one swift movement. I don't know what I did to deserve such a heavenly creature... He thought to himself as he took a sip of wine. "Well, I know better than to argue with you." He gave her a crooked smile. "When are the rest of your creatures arriving?"

He felt like he really ought to pinch himself, wake himself up. "Why don't we arrange a few days off work... maybe either side of a weekend, and tackle it then? Make it truly ours? We'll have to leave Esme's stuff alone though, she'd go loopy if were touched the sainted haute couture without her permission." He gave a wry little laugh. He loved Esme, he just couldn't understand her sometimes. He took a bite of his pudding. "Oh this was a good idea!" Malachi said out loud without thinking. He laughed, "I was never really a pudding person until I met you, but now... mmmmm." The end of his sentence trailed away as he took another bite of the tiramisu.

Frida swallowed her second bite of dessert, 'Oh my gooooosh! I need to learn how to make this.' She quickly took another forkful, swallowed again and kissed Mal on the cheek, though she left a bit of chocolate on his face. "My owls should arrive by tomorrow. I just hope they don't make a scene for the muggle neighbors." 'Shoot.' She could picture it now. Three owls all fussing by a window while the muggles watched. "I'm thinking that Poe might enjoy staying with my parents, he's solitary, and adores my father. I'll probably stop by tomorrow and get Chester and Ember. They'll make a great pair of mousers."

She raised a brow and considered the idea, "That sounds like a plan then." Frida replied with a smile and after eating another piece of her second favorite food. "What about this weekend?...I mean, it's Thursday...I could report myself as being sick tomorrow." Work wasn't horribly busy after all.
Frida chuckled lightly and nudged Bogey away with her foot, listening as he made a *Rrrrrrrr* sound in annoyance at being ignored for so long. "Best get used to liking what I do." She ate another bite, "Naw yur stuck wid me." Not that he wasn't stuck with her already before they were an official couple, but you know.

Malachi grinned, utterly unaware that Frida has left chocolate on his face. The muscles in his cheeks were starting to ache from all the smiling but he didn't care, things were going really well. There was a swooping sensation in his stomach at that moment, the realisation swooping over him that it could all be snatched away from him. He tried to ignore it, to not allow such an unsettling thought ruin the moment.

"Lots of animals, that's what this place needs." Malachi said quietly. The house had been missing that vital component: life and living things. When Frida commented about the muggle neighbours, Malachi shook his head. "We're in the city, if it's not about them, they're not interested." He took a sip of wine. "Well, with cats, I do tend to be of the opinion that they should be where they are happiest. With all creatures really." He shrugged a little. He was in the wrong department, after all. "Mousers? I don't have mice!" Malachi gave her look of mock shock.

"This weekend? Why not, I've got some days saved up." Malachi ran his hand through his hair and itched the back of his neck subconsciously. "That way... well, I'll only have to sleep on the sofa for a few nights." Malachi wanted to respect Frida, he knew that she was very traditional and so he wasn't going to assume anything. He gave her a peck on the cheek, thinking that he was going about things in the right way, for the first time in his life. He could hear the cat, but ignored him, knowing that a jealous cat like Bogey wouldn't look kindly on any attempt to charm him. "We're stuck with each other you mean." He corrected lightly, taking another bite of his pudding.

"Yes, well..." She swallowed what she was chewing. "Poe lived with my mum and dad and me since before I was on my own. I expect he'll love retirement...away from the younger cats always bothering him." Honestly, Frida had been thinking about a new home for Poe. He needed quiet, calm, and rest. Especially for his age...nearly seventeen.
Frida gave a shrug, "Hey, I'm not used to living so close to muggles. Personally, I would think it would be strange if I saw three owls fighting with each other outside a neighbor's window." She paused, giving things some thought, "Maybe we should leave a window open?"
Her eyebrows raised, "No! No I don't mean that...I meant outside. They can help scare off whatever birds and rodents that might come around the garden." She rubbed the back of her neck and blushed a little.

"Good. I'm glad you approve." Frida said and ate one of the last bits, leaving a final forkful for Malachi to have. 'Hmm?' She blinked several times and tilted her head to the side, finally allowing Bogey to hop onto her lap. He was purring loudly and curled up almost instantly. The cat let out a quiet *Rrr* sound again when Mal leaned over to kiss Frida...though his owner reassured him and he hushed up.
"Mal, you don't have to do that." Frida said sweetly and stroked Bogey's fur. "But try anything funny and I'll clobber you." She smiled at him and laughed lightly.
Frida tossed the fork over towards the sink, where it was cleaned up like the plates. She then stood up and carried Bogey in her arms. The siamese looked like a dead-weight now...he was out cold.

"Well, he should stay with them then." Malachi's eyebrow shot towards his hairline, he'd forgotten about the fighting. "Oh Merlin... maybe we could train them to go to the back of the house?" Or... train them not to fight? He wasn't stupid brave enough to actually say that to Frida though. They were her owls, not his. When she blushed, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You might be too pretty for me, do you know that?" he said, his voice a rumbling whisper.

Malachi looked at the final forkful of tiramisu and felt a little defeated, but by the time he had thought to say, No darling, you finish it, Frida had allowed the cat to jump up on her. Instead he held the morsel pudding out on his fork for Frida to eat, thinking 'This is what couples do... isn't it?' and feeling vaguely ridiculous.

"Clobber me eh? I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Beater Bok, would I?" Not able to believe his luck, he started to put the dishes away almost automatically. "Do you want another glass, or can I put the cork back in?" He watched her carry the cat, thinking that there was little wonder the creature didn't like him.

"That's possible." Frida said and listened to Bogey *purrrrrrr* as loudly as a chainsaw, though he was fast asleep. "Or if you'd allow it, we'll make them a shed in the back...that way we don't need to worry about letting them in." Yes. That might work. "We could make a top level for them above your chicken coop." She added with a smile, remembering how Mal mentioned ages ago that he wanted chickens.
Her brows raised up, higher than Malachi's had done, "Too pretty?" 'Oh...well...' "Then perhaps I should just forget to brush my hair and bathe for the next few days?" She couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned forward and rubbed noses with Mal.

"Oh? For me?" Frida laughed and resisted the urge to eat the sweetawesome food. Instead, Frida reached out and plucked the fork out of Malachi's hand, cradling Bogey entirely on her left arm now. "I've had my share. I had eight bites, I believe you had one or two less than me...so this," She held out the fork for Malachi to eat the tiramisu, "is yours."
*snooooze* *Puuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrr* *snoooze*

"Blind-Siding Bok, actually." Frida corrected him and watched Malachi put the dishes away. "Though it doesn't mean that I don't play fair. It's just that Quidditch can be quite an aggressive sport and I took my position on the team seriously." Yep yep.
"I think I'm good for tonight." Frida said and finished off what was left in her glass...which was most of it. She had been distracted by the food and wanting to fill her stomach. Frida gave her wand a tiny flick and her large pack that was in the living room thudded up the stairs, they could hear what sounded like a door open and close as it was stowed away in Mal's bedroom.

Malachi considered Frida's idea and then smiled. "That sounds like a great idea, a mini owlry!" Lemuel liked to perch up in the trees and sleep there, but having a proper place for the owls to roost made sense. When she rubbed her nose against his, he chuckled. "I said too pretty, not too sweet smelling."

'I'm never going to win with you, am I?' Malachi thought as he contemplated the tiramisu. "If you insist, doe eyes." He allowed her to feed him the pudding and grinned, feeling stupidly happy.

"Blind-Siding Bok?" Malachi repeated with a wry grin. "I can sort of see that... you blind-sided me after all." He put the cork back into the bottle, and put both bottles back into the cupboard, cringing slightly as Frida's
bag banged its way upstairs. "I would have carried that." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. He whispered in her ear, "I love you."

"That may be true. But if a stunningly gorgeous blonde sat next to you at the train station and she smelled like she had been swimming in a sewer, she wouldn't be as attractive any more would she?" Frida raised a brow. She wasn't very fond of blondes...there were a few exceptions, but for the most part, eh.
But it was just an example after all.

"Doe eyes?" 'Do I look clueless?' She gave a burst of laughter once she realized it. 'Yes. I guess I can be that way.' Frida tossed the fork towards the sink too once Malachi had finished with it, then it was washed like the rest of the dishes.

"HA!" Again, she gave a loud laugh. "I didn't blind-side you at all. You sat next to me at that conference...you blind-sided yourself. Silly." Frida said softly as Malachi wrapped his arms around her. "Hmmm. It weighs so much though, I barely managed to hold it up when I brought it." She sighed, "I love you too."
There was nothing but quiet for a moment as Frida rested her head on Mal's right shoulder. It was then that she realized just how exhausted she was, mentally and physically. "Are you tired too?" She asked.

Bogey's tail had started to swish from side to side, though he still appeared to be asleep most of the way. His tongue was sticking out a tiny bit as well.

Malachi frowned a little. "She wouldn't be attractive to me either way, blondes aren't my style." He had no issue with blonde girls, most of his colleagues seemed to be blonde and he got on with them perfectly well but he could never consider them anything but colleagues, even before he was with Frida.

"Yeah, y'know..." but Frida had started to laugh. 'Okay then... maybe not' Malachi thought, blushing a little and running his hand through his hair. He had only meant that she had big eyes, rather like a doe. Eyes he would probably never be able to say no to.

"Oh, of course, how silly of me!" Malachi replied, kissing her neck softly. He held her closely, content just to stand there until she asked her question. "Yeah, I am a bit, not as much as Bogey though," there was a hint of laughter in his voice. "Does he have a bed?" 'because I really don't want him on the end of ours...'

"Good answer." Frida replied with the smallest of grins, and smoothing out Malachi's hair, or tried to at least. It was true though, that not all blondes were backstabbing, boyfriend-stealing, gold-digging monstrosities.

'There goes my tidying up.' Frida thought as Malachi ran his hand through his hair. 'Eh, I'll just leave it.' She noticed something just then, "Oh! Don't be embarrassed." Frida said, trying to make Mal feel better after she noticed him blushing, "They're very cute."

"No, I suppose you're not." Frida said and looked down at Bogey with a little chuckle; he was out cold. "It's odd, I thought he'd be wanting to look around the house..." 'Stress maybe?'
She shook her head, "Nope, he usually sleeps right next to me, or across my neck." Frida said, wondering if Bogey should sleep elsewhere. She didn't exactly trust him with being kind to Malachi...'Might scratch him just for the heck of it.'
Frida gave a little sigh as she looked down at her snoozing Siamese...her buddy, then up to Malachi. "I could make him one out of some of my clothing. That might keep him happy." She let out a yawn, covering her mouth with her right hand. "Wanna lead the way?"

"That's just what your eyes have always reminded me of..." he blushed a bit more. "I know it probably doesn't make any sense." He couldn't possibly tell Frida that there was a sort of innocence in her eyes that was gone from his own, and rather sadly from Esme's too, that he needed in his life. It had been one of the first things he had noticed about her and he loved her deeply for it.

"He sleeps across your neck?" Malachi got a choking feeling repressed a shudder. "I'm really sorry my love but I don't think I can sleep with him in the bed..." He bit his lip, feeling terrible at denying the animal his favourite sleeping spot. "Lets just see how it goes, eh?" He took Frida's hand and led her towards the stairs. "It's this way."

Frida let out a little chuckle, "It makes sense." She said quietly and kissed Mal's too-red cheek. 'Deer are cute. With those big eyes and their long eyelashes...but sometimes their eyes didn't blink in sync, which makes them fun to watch.' Frida fought back another laugh and smiled, "Such a sweet comparison."

Frida nodded. Surely, allowing her cat to sleep over her neck wasn't that strange? She looked down at the sleeping feline cradled in her left arm. His tummy was facing the ceiling, and his tongue was still out a little bit, while his front paws were slightly up in the air. If Frida placed him to hang on a door or something with his front feet, it probably would have worked.
'My poor little buddy.' Frida thought and blinked a few times while watching Bogey sleep soundly. He'd slept in her bed since the first day she'd found him. It was going to be a difficult adjustment.
"'Kay." Frida replied with a nod and followed Malachi. She was careful not to jostle Bogey around too much on the way up the stairs.

Malachi led the way upstairs, past what was clearly the door to Esme's room as it had a large picture of a shoe pasted to the door. "That's her idea of a subtle hint for her Christmas present... she's kidding herself if she thinks I'm buying her those." He opened the door, revealing what was essentially a library with a double bed in middle of it. "Yeah... I think expansion is the key." He mumbled as he realised Frida's bag made it look cluttered on top of all the other things he had managed to cram into the room.

"I'll just..." he grabbed his pyjamas, "go brush my teeth." He pecked her on the cheek and went back downstairs to change and use the bathroom.

Frida started to chuckle as she spotted the picture, "At least she doesn't leave you completely in the dark." Oh yes, it was always difficult to buy presents...especially when you had no idea what the person wanted.

She looked around the room and eyed the vast number of books in the room. "Wow." Frida mentioned under her breath, slightly caught off guard when Mal pecked her on the cheek and walked out again. Apparently she had missed what Malachi had said about brushing his teeth.
Frida looked at Bogey, who was still sound asleep and cradled in her left arm. 'Right.' She gave her wand a flick and her bag opened up, spilling out a few bits of clothing. 'Shoot.' Frida summoned a very soft white robe, one that she used almost every day and rolled it up, and curved it into a circle so that it looked like a poofy white nest. 'We'll see if this works.' She gently placed Bogey into the middle of it. The cat stretched a little bit, purred, and nuzzled into the fabric. Frida glanced at the bed and as carefully as she could, levitated Bogey and his makeshift bed to the side that was farthest from the door.

'Good boy.' Frida pecked the Siamese cat's head and tiptoed to her bag again, pulling out her tank top and sweat pants and changed as rapidly as she could, while also taking out her favorite blue pillow. She had also taken out a premade packet of food and emptied it as quietly as she could into a little silver dish for Bogey to munch on if he became hungry.

She practically had to force everything back into her large bag again, then zipped it shut.
Not bothering to go downstairs to brush her teeth, Frida took out her compact and wand and cleaned each of her teeth idividually with a careful charm.
Silently walking over to the side of the bed where Bogey slept, Frida sat down on top of the covers and removed her new locket, and, after some debate, her ring. She would hate for anything to happen to either one over night. The woman placed them on the sidetable after stacking some books so they were out of the way.

Finally, Frida pulled the covers over herself and rested her head on that blue pillow of hers. She yawned, reflecting that it had been an excitingly eventful day.
Within moments, Frida was sound asleep. Unable to even wish Malachi good night.


---------End Scene---------

----------------New Scene; Months Later


There was a burst of green light from the fireplace as Frida used the floo to get home after work. Usually she hated the floo system, but she didn't feel like walking from around the corner to get home after apparating...and flying was out of the question right now.

She could smell something cooking in the kitchen, and heard the sound of cookware being moved. As usual, Bogey was the first to welcome Frida home. He purred loudly and wound his way around Frida's legs before the woman scooped the cat into her arms. She spotted Ember and Chester snoozing on the couch; Ember of course looked rather graceful, while Chester was sprawled out on the cushions.
Frida chuckled a little bit and felt a sort of swoop in her stomach as everything seemed to hit her finally. 'Right...no worries then.' She hung her little bag on a coatrack and quietly entered the kitchen, where she spotted Malachi and smiled, "How long have you been home before me?" She had asked and hoped that he would be home earlier, but if he had arrived hours before her, he might be in a little bit of trouble with his own boss.

The entire time since being scooped up, Bogey continued to pur loudly with his eyes half closed. He clearly enjoyed the 'Me time' with his adoptive human mother.

Malachi had been home for a little while and had managed to cook most of the food for their romantic evening meal before he heard Frida Floo in from work. The sound confused him and he dropped the spoon he was holding, splattering sauce all over the floor. 'She doesn't like the Floo' he thought, cleaning up the mess and throwing the spoon into the sink with a 'clang'. "Not long. I picked up a tiramisu rather than try and make one. I was going to try and tidy up a bit before you got home."

Malachi looked at the contented Bogey in Frida's arms and grinned, scratching the cat behind the ear and kissing Frida on the cheek. "I've already laid the table, dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Do you want a glass of wine?" Malachi had suspected that something was going on at lunch and he was beginning to formulate an idea of what, Frida's use of the Floo Network adding to his suspicions. He didn't dare get his hopes up though...

Ember lifted his head when he heard the spoon hit the floor, and he eagerly hopped down from the couch to investigate, though he arrived too late and settled for staring at Malachi...begging for spoils.

"You did?" Frida pecked Mal on the cheek and smiled a little, "I suppose it's better than having it all over the walls. Thank you." Her stomach started to growl a little bit, thankfully it was very quiet. 'Tidy?' She glanced around, the house wasn't unkept really, it was just lived in, though still organized. A few envelopes on the smaller tables, a couple cat toys in one corner, and a light jacket that was laid over a chair. "You don't need to do that, I'll set off a couple charms before sleep."

Bogey opened his left eye enough to watch what the man was doing. He still wasn't totally fond of Malachi, but Frida liked him well enough, so he had to tolerate him. Bogey continued to pur as though nothing were bothering him.

'Hmm...' "That's sweet, Mal, but I think I'll just have some water or something." Frida smiled again and added, "Don't want to have it too often or it won't be as much of a treat anymore." She nodded her head as though it were an actual fact and gently set Bogey on the couch, her eyes spotted Ember who was seemingly following Malachi around. "You didn't give him people food did you?"

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" Malachi asked her with a grin. He would have teased Frida if things were the other way around, it had been pretty funny after all. His grin softened to a smile, "I just wanted things to be nice for you, spoil you a bit." Malachi still had to pinch himself that she was his wife, that she had agreed to spend the rest of her days with him.

He blinked a few times, a feeling of hope swelling within his chest. "One glass of water coming up." Malachi didn't push the issue, didn't point out that they were supposed to be having a romantic night in which was a treat. He poured himself a glass of water too, adding ice and slices of fruit to the glasses and passing one to Frida. "Fed who? Ember? Nah, he was just hoping to get to the sauce before I had a chance to clear it up. Do you want to go sit down while I serve? Or umm, freshen up? I mean, you don't need to for me." He was hoping, wishing that he was right. He kissed her on the cheek again and went back to the cooker, turning off the heat and starting to transfer the pasta into the warm dishes and pouring the sauce over it.

"No, never." Frida said while laughing a little bit. True. The chocolate had messed up her clothing horribly, but it certainly wasn't a boring afternoon. Nor was getting the stains out of her second favorite pair of socks. "Just as long as you aren't going to get in trouble with your boss, then I'm okay with that." She had lightened up as far as the spoiling went, and allowed it more often; unlike the first time Malachi had tried to spoil her.

"Mhm, Ember." She said kindly as she accepted her glass of water, taking a small sip out of it. Frida chuckled as Ember stood on his back legs and rested his front paws on Malachi's right leg as if to say, 'Where's miiiiine?' before Mal went back to finishing up. "I suppose I could sit down. I'll just wash up later."
As Frida sat, she was secretly wishing that it were possible to run, or rock climb, or do something remotely active and healthy. But Frida was so drained that thinking about it too much more was making her tired. 'Darn, stupid lack of energy.' It was going to drive her mad, surely.
She started to smell the food even more as Malachi started plating it out, 'I'm so hungryyyyyy.' "Hurry up, Mal. I'm wasting away." Frida said and started to laugh again, despite how true the statement seemed to her.

Ember settled himself under the dining table near Frida's sock-covered feet. He blinked his large golden eyes and sniffed the floor, remembering that he had received people food a couple times before in this exact place.

Bogey watched from his place on the couch, and Chester was still out cold.

Malachi chuckled. "It wasn't my fault I was distracted by the arrival of my stunningly beautiful wife, is it?" He carried on fussing over the food. "Listen, you come first, every single time." He told her, a rare serious note creeping into his voice. He was working long, hard hours at the moment, doing the work of three division heads. If he couldn't have a few hours with his new wife then it was a rather sorry state of affairs.

Malachi plated up the linguine and meatball marinara, having been careful to get her favourite Swedish meatballs from the deli around the corner from the house. He had put parmesan cheese on the table with the salt and pepper. Also on the table was a vase of forget-me-nots.

"Wasting away," Malachi murmured quietly, with a small chuckle. "We can't have that now, can we?" He put the plates down on the table and stooped at the waist to kiss her properly for the first time since they had left for work. Pulling away, he took his seat at her side. "Tuck in," he told her, picking up his knife and fork.

"Cute, Mal." Frida said, which seemed to have become a sort of catch-phrase over the past six months, even before they had been married. She smiled a little bit before adding, "As long as Esme comes before me, then I'm perfectly okay with that. Children always come first." Frida sipped her water and started giggling as Ember started to rub his head on her ankle. "Stop that you." She whispered and gently moved Ember away from her. It wouldn't be good if Frida started choking from laughing and drinking at the same time.

'Food!' Frida thought happily as her eyes widened with the excitement of having a plateful in front of her. "Awww, this is so sweet of you, Mal." She said as she noticed the right sort of meat used in the dish. Of course Malachi would know how much Frida disliked anything other than the Swedish meatballs, especially after she pushed about seven of them away from her pasta at a family dinner a couple months back. 'Frida'll just pick them out' Was what her aunts said when discussing what foods to prepare for reunions, which were becoming more frequent again.
As her eyes looked up, Frida spotted the flowers. Her hand instinctively landed on the locket around her neck, and she smiled softly.

"No, Sir. Not at all." She replied comically and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. There was a sensation close to butterflies flying around in her stomach as Malachi kissed her, then sat down next from her. 'Should I just blurt it out?' She wondered, biting her bottom lip for a moment before starting with her dinner. "Thank you, love." Frida ate a couple bites, then stopped, suddenly feeling rather shaky. That stupid guilt-trip was getting worse again from what Frida had failed to tell certain people. The certain people being her own husband mostly.
"Hey, Mal?" Frida asked and started to push some pasta around on her plate, "There's something I have to tell you."

Ember turned his attention to the other human, who also sat down at the table. The cat rubbed his face against Malachi's left leg before flopping down on top of the man's feet. He always did like Malachi. He was always so warm.

Malachi simply nodded to Frida's comment about Esme. It was more complicated than simply putting his daughter first. He always thought about Esme, what she would like and so on but she was almost 17 and he was convinced, possibly out of self protection, that she would be gone as soon as she could, back to France where she would be happier. Therefore, Frida came first. She wasn't going to leave him.

Malachi smiled softly. "You deserve the best, that's all." Malachi watched Frida closely as he ate, knowing that she was picky and hoping that he had got it right for her. He looked down at Ember who was tickling his legs and feet and shook his head a little. He was still getting used to having the cats around. He noticed that Frida seemed... nervous? Squirmy? As though she had something to tell him. That thought was confirmed and the feeling of hope in his chest expanded a little further. "What's that then Doe-Eyes?" He teased gently.

Frida had started to cut her food into tiny pieces unintentionally using the edge of her three-pronged fork. It was one of those behaviors she adopted and chose to use when she was nervous about something...at least when there was something edible in front of her. If it were unimportant papers, she might have started to tear the edges.

'Just say something else....Maybe wait one more month.' She tried to convince herself, thinking that maybe if she waited then everything would go without any speedbumps or complications, or worse. It was as though Frida was afraid of jinxing everything if she talked to anyone about...it.
"I...um..." Why was this to hard?! It didn't make any sense at all. She was Malachi's wife, right? It should be simple to just say what was happening and get on with it, right? 'Pfft.'

Frida leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes for a moment while taking a deep breath. 'I just won't say the one word.' It was sad that she was so afraid of a simple phrase, but that was Frida's experience with it several years ago. 'Just...don't say much.' That seemed to set her on the right track, and with that little thought Frida reached over and held Malachi's right hand, making sure that there was no eating utensil in it. She then carefully placed it over her stomach, "It's three months...yesterday." There was a little smile tugging at her lips, but it wasn't able to come fully yet. 'Please don't be mad.' Frida knew she should have told him a month and a half ago, when she first found out...but she was afraid to do so. She had learned the hard way that allowing yourself to become too dreamy about something, or hopeful, could only backfire.

Malachi watched Frida struggling with both her food and her words, trying not to frown. He wanted to help her but if he was wrong... that could cause such a lot of upset between them. He chewed his lip, trying to work out what to do.

Suddenly, she was taking his hand and placing it on her abdomen. 'Three months? She must be so nervous...' Malachi wriggled his toes to make the cat move before standing up and lifting Frida into his arms, quickly settling down his chair again, leaning his forehead against hers. He kissed the tip of her nose and murmured "Hello Mummy." He smiled broadly and just held her closely, thanking Merlin, Circe, Hecate and every other force in the cosmos for bringing Frida into his life. "I love you sweetheart," He murmured, "Thank you so much."