And Two Makes Five

[Kate Archer]

Kate closed her eyes, hoping in vain for a few moments of respite. When Kate first brought Branson in to the world almost two years ago she could never have imagined how different things would become. As new parents, Stefan and she had been thrown very much into the deep end. But despite it all, the last two years were probably the happiest in Kate’s life. It was almost scary how fast time was passing. She couldn’t believe her baby was now almost two. He was so big; she didn’t want him to grow any older. Well maybe past the age of two. She didn’t realise how easy it was for toddlers to get distracted. Whenever they went out for a walk, the usual route would take around three times longer. In Branson’s eyes everything was so new, it had to be explored. That may mean stopping at each tree in a forest or turning over each rock or stone along the path. It was endearing but things just took so much longer, never mind that the whole house had been baby proofed. But it was to be expected and one thing you learned as a parent was to have patience.

Kate had a half day at school today so she had decided to take Branson to the Obsidian harbour. It was a lovely autumn day and she knew how much he loved the sea. She had stayed up late last night to finish all her school work so she could fully enjoy the day. Branson, however had not been in the best of moods as she had told him he wasn't allowed an ice-cream till after his lunch. Needless to say he wasn't pleased and she had spent the last ten minutes attempting to sternly console him. It was times like this she found most difficult as a mother. She hated to see him upset and all she wanted to do was bring him straight to the ice-cream parlour but she knew she had to introduce some sort of discipline otherwise it would adversely affect him in the future. Opening her eyes she smiled down at her son and took him up in her arms. He resisted slightly but she walked to the edge of the harbour and sat down, her legs hanging over the side. She sat him on her lap so he was looking out over the sea and then began to tell the story of How to Train Your Dragon complete with sound affects. It didn't take long for the ice-cream to be forgotten and Kate smiled as she watched her son's blue eyes widen, his mouth agape.

Although the last two years had been difficult, they had been some of the most rewarding. Stefan had possibly blossomed into fatherhood and it warmed her heart and if possible made her love him more. They had made and learned from their mistakes together. Kate loved their little family and in the last few months she and Stefan had begun to consider adding to the family. They were fairly comfortable financially and Branson was at a good age. If they were ever going to have children now would be the right time. And indeed, just one month ago Kate had found out she was pregnant. Stefan was of course delighted and he was meeting her today, after work. She had been to her first scan today and she had some exciting news for him. She was still in shock although with her family's history it was to be expected. She was unsure how Stefan would take the news as it was a scary prospect. But he had learned so much with Branson, they both had, so she figured after the initial shock he would be as happy as she was. He was due any moment but Branson loved these stories so much she continued, enjoying the sun and the sound of her son's laughter.

 

[Stefan Archer]

There had a been a little flutter of nervousness when Kate had told him that she was pregnant again, of course there was a flurry of excitement, but the nervousness seeped in. The man couldn't help but think about how things had been good with just Branson but another child would complicate things further. If either was to fall ill or die, then Stefan could only think of what had become of his father, and how he had been happy to not have to worry about a younger sibling throughout. However, Kate came from a larger family and she had a support network that would help them and it put some of his mind at ease, but of course Stefan would worry. Each day with his son was a beautifully magnicifient day, every minute he spent with his wife was a lovely reminder of how perfect she was to him, how lucky he was and he knew in his heart that they would manage just fine, the two of them with another baby, he thought the world of Kate and seeing her blossom into motherhood had been a joy to watch, it had been a lovely thing to see. There was a certain excitement to everyday, watching the boy grow from a tiny wrinkly baby to the young boy he was becoming, and he knew as the years passed he would miss when his son would nap or sleep nestled against his chest.

The worry he felt towards bringing another child into this harsh world was just simply natural, but he had difficulty expressing it, he loved Kate, he loved Branson and he loved his growing child but there was a fear that things had been good for too long and every new piece of happiness afforded to him would just result in an even greater fall. His fears were slightly unfounded, things could always go wrong but he was sure that it would be unlikely to happen to him again, and if it did he was in a much better position to deal with it. It sometimes surprised him how long it had been since his childhood, how long ago that felt and yet how often he thought of himself as not far from when he had been a scared young boy. The thought of what could happen, of the fear of loosing his beautiful family, the horrors he knew existed in the world and within people, Stefan wanted to provide nothing but the best for his family and a new addition added to this fear.

The librarian wandered through Obsidian Harbour to meet with his wonderful family, the people whom he cared about most in the world. He had begun to think about the future, he was very happy in the job he was in, but the addition of another child made him question whether it was the right job for him, whether it brought in enough so that he could help provide for his family. The man loved his job, there was something so satisfying to him about tidying the books, in providing order to that quiet place. There were only occasional moments when he felt like he could do more with his life, but Stefan still had the odd bad day, or the odd occasion when he just didn't feel as motivated about anything, where the memories would replay far more clearly, and he knew in his job it could be easily managed but he couldn't imagine standing up in front of a class, or having more serious work to do. There was a lot he needed to think about in the coming months with this new child on the way. Stefan spotted the pair sat on the edge of the harbour, with his son in his wife's arms. Stefan wandered over to them and sat down in the space next to them, pressing a kiss to Kate's cheek and one to his son's head before putting his arm around her, "Hey buddy, you being good for mummy? How was the scan?" Stefan had been disappointed to miss it, but he knew he would make the next one and ones after, the suddenness of her pregnancy had just come when things couldn't be moved around too much.
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I'm sorry about how late this is, life is just like

 

[Kate Archer]

With Kate's family history it probably shouldn't be that much of a shock. If you looked back at both her family lines there are twins dotted throughout. But generally , in most cases there had been breaks in the cycle. Kate and Sara were an example of this, neither of their parents were twins, it was their grandparents. But then her parents had two sets of twins which had never happened before. All in all clearly their generation was not being skipped. She was looking forward to telling her siblings, they all knew what it was like to grow up with a twin. Its different in every case. Some day identical twins have more of a connection whilst others disagree. None of the Moons were born identical but as Sara and Kate grew older they had started to look much more alike. Where as Ryan and Star had always had blond hair and blue eyes. She often wondered what her younger brother and sister were off to. She only heard from them rarely, Star always ringing/writing from a new country and Ryan between his gigs. It was the lifestyle Kate had dreamed of when she was younger. She had always wanted to travel the world and possibly finance her travels by singing at gigs. As a child she had never imagined settling down and having a family. But she wouldn't give up what she had for the world. She was overjoyed with the way her life had turned. She had a wonderful husband, an absolutely beautiful son and two new children on the way.There was nothing better then watching your child grow , it happened so fast which was the scary thing but Kate was going to make sure she documented and enjoyed every part of it.

Including right this minute. Kate took out the phone she used for her muggle job and took a quick selfie of Branson and herself by the sea. She laughed at the end result, Branson wasn't interested in the camera at all but she preferred the candid shots. She then took out the camera they had bought here in Obsidian Harbour when Branson was born and took another few shots. She was about to put the camera away when she felt Stefan kiss her cheek and sit beside them. Her grin grew wider and she returned the kiss on his cheek. She could feel this was going to be a good day. This was the perfect setting to inform Stefan of their new , happy news. She was slightly nervous, almost as nervous as she had been when she first told Stefan she was pregnant. But it was such a beautiful day, the sun was shinning , they were by the sea and their beautiful son was in her arms. She looked down at Branson "He is now that I'm telling him all about the dragons that live out on a faraway island in the middle of the sea"She said snuggling her son and giving him a big kiss on the cheek. She looked up at Stefan when he asked about the scan and she started "The scan was good, everyone is healthy and all signs are excellent" she stopped and looked at Stefan for a few seconds, she then leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips "I love you"She whispered. She sat back and looked out and the sea before turning back to Stefan,a huge grin on her face. "I did learn something new on the scan though.." she took his hand "the two heartbeats of our two new babies are very strong"

 

[Stefan Archer]

The smile that made it's way to Stefan's face as Kate spoke was just one of pure love for his wife and son, they were perfect people in his life, and he knew how lucky he truly was to have such people. He looked down at the boy and said, "Is that so Branson?" with a broad smile upon his face, it was such an easy time for them, though raising Branson came with a lot of issues, and there were some more difficult days, he couldn't help but admit that it wasn't too hard, it was so rewarding, and he loved them both so much that he found it easier. Far easier than Stefan had ever thought it would be, the fears about raising a child had been mostly unfounded, he always wanted to protect his son from the evils of the world and Stefan worried a lot but those he figured were actually pretty natural. His attention however was taken back by Kate, and Stefan listened intently to her words. It had annoyed him to no end that he hadn't managed to get the time off for her and the scan, but it had been a rather sudden thing. Stefan knew he probably could've pushed to get it, but he didn't particularly want to, it was better that he hold on to that kind of thing for a real emergency.

The librarian was slightly taken aback by the kiss that was placed on his lips by her, just because he hadn't been expecting it, but he leaned into it and found himself smiling because of it. Leaning back from her he kept his gaze on hers, "I love you too," Stefan returned the moment she said it, wondering a little where this was going and he feared what she was about to say, what could she had learned in the scan, and he felt himself almost freeze at her words, "Two? Twins?" Stefan had to admit that it made sense, since Kate was a twin and her family had twins, but he hadn't expected it to happen to them, for some reason he had thought they'd be immune to it. But, two kids at once? That would be some ridiculous responsibility, it would be triple the work rather than double the work. He was excited for it, two babies, two children would be coming into their lives, and Stefan had always wanted to have a large family, once he'd gotten over his slight fears about himself being like his father, a large family had seemed right, but this was two at once.

"Wow," was allhe could find the words for, but he was happy about it, ridiculously nervous again, thinking about the house and whether or not they were going to have to move, thinking about his plans to change job and he knew he really couldn't afford to not be in work, he had to pull his weight in this family, especially if they had two kids on the way, "I can't believe it," Stefan said, he looked down at Branson who sat content in his mother's arms, and he just put an arm around Kate's shoulders pulling her in slightly and smiled, "Two babies," he couldn't help but wonder what kind of strain that would put on Kate and her body, to have two kids growing inside of her, "I guess we need a bigger house," he joked, Stefan was happy of course, it was written all over his face, he was nervous but he was excited, perhaps now was the time to ask for a raise from work, "I can't wait to meet them,"​

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[Kate Archer]

Kate loved when Stefan smiled. It just reminded her of how far they had come since their first chance meeting on a bench not too far from here all those years ago. It was hard to believe that it was indeed seventeen years since they had first met. Kate sometimes thought life was going to fast. Hogwarts had been filled with trauma and hurt but at the end of the day she gained many life experiences and she was who she was today because of her time there. It was just hard to believe it was ten years since she had left the school. You don't realise how big the world is until you're thrust out into it. The last ten years had been challenging but in different ways. She now had an absolutely wonderful husband, a beautiful baby boy, a comfortable job and two new babies on the way. Sometimes she was grateful for all the drama in school as that seemed to be their bad luck. They had gone through so much then, they were reaping their rewards. Kate wasn't naive enough to think they were going to be this lucky for the rest of their lives. Bad things would happen she just hoped they weren't catastrophic but she knew as long as she had her family everything would be okay. She was lucky enough to have her own family. She loved how it was growing and she know she would grow with it. Kate was slightly nervous about bringing two babies into the world, especially after the complications with Branson. In a way it was almost like being pregnant for the first time again. Of course she knew what to expect she just didn't know how different it was when it came to twins. She knew she would get herself into a mess if she continuously worried so she just leaned down and kissed her baby boy on the head. She was looking forward to telling him about his new brother/sisters. She wondered how he would take the news, but she knew at the end of the day he would love them and protect them fiercely.

She could see the shock on his face, she knew his facial expressions as well as her own. Her heart stopped for a minute, nervously awaiting his response. It was a lot to take in, when they nurse had told her she had been rendered speechless. Hundreds of questions had flooded her mind. She was delighted, she would love girls, she would also love to have identical twins. She would find it kind of funny but neither of her siblings had been identical so the chances were slim. She was looking forward to telling them, they would find it hilarious also. Another set of twins to add to the Moon family tree. Kate could see that Stefan had hundreds of questions also, she squeezed his hand and bit her lip. "Yes, two babies in here" she pointed at her tummy as she said it. It always amazed her how females carried babies, it was such a beautiful process but so hard of their bodies - as Kate knew to her cost.

Kate's heart relaxed when she saw his face relax. She saw the joy and the smile form and the knot she had in her stomach disappeared. "Yes I know, I suppose we should have had some idea but it's a complete surprise"She gushed out, her joy at becoming a mother again shinning through. She leaned into him, instantly relaxed with his arm around her. Everything was perfect, this moment was perfect. She took out the camera once more and took a picture of them both, she wanted to remember this forever. She laughed "Nothing magic can't fix"She winked , once more appreciating the easiness of life with magic. She wondered how she lived all those years without them. "Neither can I, more mini versions of us"She agreed, leaning up and kissing him once more. Branson took that moment to turn around, clearly annoyed that the story hadn't continued "Look at that frown"She joked giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't you want to give your dad a welcome hug?"

Soz for the delay

 

[Stefan Archer]

There was so much to think about really, Stefan couldn't help but think that about what was happening for them, but he had faith in Kate, and he had faith in them both in their ability to do this, to pull through and manage to be just fine by the end, after all so far they hadn't failed too badly with Branson and though he was still very young, Stefan couldn't help but know in his heart that this would be fine too, it was would be more work but neither of them had been daunted by the prospect of working hard, her hufflepuff hard work, and the fact she was a teacher meant she really was a perfect mother to Branson, and Stefan knew he wasn't doing as badly as what could be done. He could be doing worse that was the honest truth. The man help her gaze for a long moment, smiling softly towards her and just feeling so at ease with this perfect woman, his son and future children. They should've have had some idea, but honestly Stefan hadn't really been thinking about when they'd be having more children, this was just a good coincidence really, "We didn't, but we're thinking about it now," the man admitted with a soft smile at her, "We'll think about it as we go forward and ensure we have two of each, which is all that's important," it was a simple matter of just having double what they'd had before, and he was sure if others before them had managed it that they too would be perfectly capable of managing it.

The librarian glanced between the two, smiling with easy warmth at them, because his family was in his mind the most perfect family in the world, there was nothing that could compare to all that they gave to him. Stefan smiled for the picture and then looked down at his son, the little expressions the boy made mirrored Kate sometimes and then other occasions him. It was in a way odd, but also so perfect. So the prospect of more of that, of more little faces with absolute trust, of the little moments when the firsts happened, and the joy of hearing the laughter, of the little kisses, just everything about it was perfection. He held out an arm to the boy at the offer of a hug, and the young child seemed to welcome the invitation to wrap his arms around him and give him a kiss. Stefan returned the affection with ease, putting a protective arm around the child to ensure he wouldn't fall, and eventually once the child was seemingly done with the hug, kept the protective arm around him as the little body settled himself upon Stefan's chest, the little body laying comfortably against his chest, "Let's hear more of the story, I'm sure Branson is just raring to hear what happens," Stefan said to Kate, much to the excitement of Branson who had seemed enthralled by the story. It was a perfect day, and all worries that he'd had in the day, all the worries that grew from the future children just faded away, the here and now was always the most important part of life in his mind, plan for the future, but live with the moment. He couldn't help the look of pure love on his features as he looked at Kate, or his son, and now at even the thought of the two little twins growing inside of her.
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