#bergen_county

........

Days, not weeks, her mother had said.

Siv is bold. Siv is oft fearless.

Siv is worried Piper is going to yell at her, and Jonas is going to give that 'disappointed' look.

She opens the door, only too late remembering that while she is healed mostly by mother's balm, there IS blood on her voile. Dried blood, but that's neither her nor there.

She sees JOnas sleeping on the couch with the door to the babies room open so he can hear them. He's wearing boxers, and just boxers. The ones with birthday present designs on it that she and Piper got him for one birthday, with the words on the waist band and and an arrow pointing down that says 'THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING'

THAT makes her smile, and she begins to undress.

Fun as it might be to wake him up with a kiss while nude; she IS thinking shower.

If there was any doubt Siv was back, the trail of boots, socks, top, pants and undergarments leading to the bathroom would be proof of it. Inspection of the dried flecks of blood might add alarm, but mostly her losing socks and the like was par for the course. Even Kerri never fully got her cured of it.

Her lush blue skin is tanned from the travels at sea at parts, but the patchwork kisses Earth's star granted don't detract from her athletic frame. She's no behemoth like her mother or Dagmar, more acrobat than weight lifter or javelin hurler, but there's no denying she too is an amazon.

She knows she's pretty, oh she falls behind Sylvi, particularly when Sylvi, like batman, has prep time and make up.

But she's seen eyes on her, and she does damned well for a non sidhe. She does sigh a bit at her torso still unsure how she feels about the lactation therapy she's engaged in. She SUSPECTS at least one of her lovers likes the slight enlargement. And she does not regret helping feed the babies.

And yet she wasn't here for DAYS.

The guilt stabs her like a spearhead. She has been a bad mother and partner.

Folks are going to be upset with me, and I'm going to deserve it. Resigned, Might as well be clean when they do. And she steps into the shower

Only to suddenly hear a FLUSH and feel the water go icy cold!

A second flush, and a third, oh, if a flush can sound vindictive, it does.

"Aahhhhhhhhh" She was blue already, but she had looked SO forward to a hot shower

"Hello.. me love" A shivering attempt to be endearing as she peeks out of the curtain

"Did you find your sea monster?" Piper asks, with deceptive mildness.

"T.. two of them in fact" She says as the cold water pounds her backside from this angle. Rikki's old apartment is great, but those flushes DO mess with the shower "Only killed one. Sad story really in a way. Tell you about it after the shower?" That might buy her time to make it as sympathetic as possible. Maybe.

She hears the tap, tap, tap of a hoof on the bathroom tile, considering, then... "Meet me on the roof - Jonas is sleeping."

One last flush and surge of cold water as she goes! But then the warmth blissfully returns.

"right" She winces and shudders at the next wave, comforted by one thought She can't push me off the top. The kids would miss me and who will do engine repairs?

She does not take long to dry off and get dressed. Soon she is on the roof.

Piper is pacing when she gets up there.

Siv has dressed in one of Piper's favorite tops and leather pants. Yes, it's blatant. But Siv is not above armoring up in the right way.

"Okay, explain." Piper says, hands on her hips. Actually, hands clutching her hips, because it looks like if she didn't hang on, she might be tempted to give Siv a smack.

"I was a fool" She answers honestly "I.. a childling of all things made me feel ike an old crone. Called me Ma'am a lot.. and then congratulated me on my retirement. I ... hadn't adventured or quested in awhile, and she called attention to it. Though that hospital escpade was touch and go for awhile and I think counts for us all. I .. was upset, and my ego damaged and I went to PROVE I still had it. Instead I nearly died and almost never got to see you or the kids again."

"Why didn't you take us with you? I feel stifled and trapped sometimes too. It's a common mom thing. And Jonas could use a vacation - he ALWAYS needs a vacation..."

"I was going into danger, and didn't want to ..." A sigh "I think I wanted to prove something for ME. It was selfish. Also, baby sitter"

"You...." She huffs, and then reaches out, taking both of Siv's hands. "Sometimes I think a solution can be so obvious, it's invisible. Like how if someting is too close it's hard to see. Let's go on a journey. All of us. We'll take the Narwhal into the dreaming, and set sail. And don't you dare tell me it's too dangerous, Miss Fiona, because I have FIRST HAND EVIDENCE that a babe reared on a ship can turn out fine."

A wince "IT Is dangerous, now more than ever. The Sea monster was killing folk, I hunted it, and killed it, though it wounded me badly and hurt the ship. THEN it's mate came up. Would have ... gone badly if not for a sekie tribe coming to me rescue as they attacked it while weakened. I... got away, the Narwhal is in need of severe repairs, and I may have mad an enemy for me and my family for life"

"Then we'll deal with it. We've always had enemies, and we always will. But we're in this TOGETHER. Don't forget that, okay?"

"When your ma made an enemy of... what's that big old dragon, Skullspear? Somethign like that... did she hide you and Frank away in a safe place?"

"I know," Siv says "I love you, I love jonas and I'd DIE for our kids but... "The Piper brings up Skullspear "I think she would if she dared" WRy

"Oh fearless one, if you tried that, my love, I would give you somethign to fear."

Little, yet fierce!

"I know I know" she strokes Piper's horn wit hher hand, placating "ANd I might deserve it. BUt you DO know danger to those I love is one of the few times I FEEL fear right? And this is my mess, so if that monster killed one of our babies because of MY mistake I... it would undo me , lover. It really might"

"Then maybe we need a crew - a proper motley, to go questing with us. But we'll do it together. What good are you to our family if you go off alone and get ganked by a stupid fish monster?"

"And THEN it comes after us?"

She reasons.

"Well, we DO live inland" She points out "I mean, unless it finds a way to the swimming pool"

"Babe, you know I know that your heart belongs to the sea. And mine too, in a different way - the waves and shore and the ocean are a big part of me as well. And you MET Jonas out at sea, he's a sailor at heart. We'd pine away inland."

"I won't let our babes be raised hiding in fear."

At THAT , Siv has the decency to look ashamed "YOu're right. And I AM Sorry. I'll make it up to you and Jonas and the babies. I gave into vanity and pride." A sigh, "A childling troll made me feel old and like I lost myself... and I let her. I got into my own head with insecurity. Maybe you can help me with that?"

Piper gives Siv a fierce hug. "You're the bravest, sexiest, sneakiest, sailingest Troll that ever set foot in Concordia. Even if you were a grump, you'd still sail circles around any up and coming rivals. But you're NOT a grump, you're still in prime wilder years, you're spry and slick and HOT as fuck, even when you piss me off. And if you DID get old, why, we'd just need to head into the dreaming and find whatever Youth your ma and da found out there for a refresher. Now, come DOWN here and kiss me."

Siv enfolds the smaller kithain in her grip in return, "Thank you" And she bends down and kisses PIper with all the passion of a love and having been away for days.

(Fade to Heart SHapes and horns?)

(Fade to public indecency)