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I press a soft kiss to her brow, and Libby sighs. “I’d say I wish we could stay here all day, but I know we’re about to be invaded in about thirty seconds.”
“That’s a rather optimistic assumption,” I murmur. “Considering the sun has been up for a whole minute now.”
And sure enough, I hear the sound of feet fast approaching our room. Were we anywhere else, my old instincts would kick in and I’d be on full alert. Luckily though, I know the intruders.
Our door swings open, and two figures come barreling in and jump onto our bed.
“Mommy! Daddy! It’s time to wake up!” our youngest, Vin, shouts as she bounces on the end of the bed. It’s amazing how a three-year-old has such an incredible lung capacity.
They both giggle and crowd around us. Libby pretends to still be asleep.
“Come on Mommy, I know you’re awake,” Delson, the older of the two, and leader of this invasion, says, poking at Libby.
She pretends to let out a loud snore, making the kids laugh.
Another figure appears in the doorway. “What did I tell you little rascals about waking up Mom and Dad at dawn?”
Sarai has her hands on her hips but the small smile on her eyes makes her look less stern. I smile at our oldest child. Our little baby who’s not so little anymore “I believe they were just following your example from when you were their age.”
She sputters. “That was always Kai's idea! He was the one always getting into trouble. I just followed him to make sure he didn’t get hurt.”
“So it wasn’t you who would always hide frogs in your dad’s toolbox?” Libby asks slyly, dropping the sleeping act.
Sarai’s wings hike up in mild embarrassment and she waves one of her hands. “No one could ever prove it. Anyway, I’ve started breakfast so Vin, Del, let’s go eat!”
The distraction works and the two little ones go running off with their sister. I chuckle and climb out of bed. “We’d better get up and make sure the little ones don’t run over everyone.”
Libby stretches and then gets up, too. “Nah, Sarai would grab them first.”
We get dressed and then head outside where we have tables set up. It is a beautiful morning in our little paradise. Jwoon III is far enough out of the way that we’ve never been bothered by pirates or shuttles or even explorers.
The children are all setting up for breakfast when we go down there. We’ve had ten children so far, though two have gone off world to see what the rest of the galaxy has to offer. It had been particularly hard on Libby at first. Over time she has accepted the fact that our babies will grow up. And when they do, they might decide that they don’t want to just stay here forever.
It is also nice that we are all but immortal now and can have more children at our leisure. I know it certainly makes things easier on Libby. And now that Vin is three, I highly suspect she’ll be wanting another one soon. I certainly am not opposed. I adore our children and seeing them running around.
We take a seat at the table, and Sarai begins instructing some of the others to help pass out food.
Sarai has become such a confident young woman in her 28 years and has taken her role as eldest very seriously. After all, being the oldest, she helped build a lot of what we have now. And she takes pride in that and does a good job helping to run things. I couldn’t be prouder.
She doesn’t seem inclined to leave our little paradise either, but rather remains content to make it better. A fact I know her mother appreciates greatly.
Once we are all seated and begin eating and chatting with one another, I take a moment to really enjoy it all. The fact that Libby and I are both alive and have been given a chance to build a life together. To have children and sit around and eat without the fear of being hunted down.
There are still dangers out there, but we’ve been granted sanctuary here. We, of all people, know the value of that.
Osian, our fourth eldest and resigned middle child, perks up suddenly. He pulls out a communication device he designed himself and smiles.
“It’s Kai and Raylia!” he exclaims. “They’re trying to call us!”
Everyone immediately rushes over to him, though no one is as fast as Libby.
Kai is our second oldest and Raylia our third. Both of them left Jwoon III a few years ago, but they call every now and then. It isn’t the same as having them there in person, but they seem happy to be out in the universe on their own.
Though I know Libby worries about them almost constantly. I suppose I can’t blame her after everything we’ve been through.
Kai and Raylia appear on the screen and wave.
“Hey, everybody!” Kai shouts. “Raylia and I were meeting up here to catch up, and we thought we’d give you a call.”
