"Glad to hear you approve," Drae smiled as he hugged Iva back and allowed her to pull him over to her bed where he sat down in a chair that was positioned near the head of the bed. "One of my stories? All right, I'll tell you one of my stories," Drae chuckled as Angela handed Iva Winston and tucked her in and kissed her good night. She looked so tired, and adorable, and rather impatient. Drae chuckled and leaned over. 

"All right, one of my stories…" he said softly, he looked thoughtful. "Once upon a time… there was a strong and handsome bear, named Winston…" he began. "And as silly as it may seem, one day Winston decided he was going to get on a boat, because he wanted to go and find a special gift for this super pretty red bear and her little cub," he told Iva. "Well, while he was on this boat, something unexpected happened. The ship was attacked, by lots of these fish-faced people. Not mermaids, no that would have been much nicer. Well, these fish-people wanted Winston and the others on the boat to go to this very old ancient temple to get a very special treasure," Drae explained. "Well, Winston didn't have much choice, so he and his new friends went with the fish-people to this temple and went inside to try and find this treasure. Winston was down in this wet place for three days, fighting off all sorts of bad guys; creatures made of water, big worm things that liked to drop down from the ceiling and grab you, frog men, and an ogre with little mephits as his minions. Finally, after a long time of looking around and getting wet, Winston and his friends found this super treasure. But they realized that they couldn't give it to the mean fish people. Winston also knew that if they didn't give the fish-people this treasure, the fish people would get angry and try to hurt them. But Winston and his friends knew that they couldn't fight the fish people on their boats, so they decided to set a trap. They would make the fish people leave their boats and come to them inside the big water temple to fight them," Drae told him. "It was a big big fight, and Winston fought hard, and eventually the fish people got tired of fighting and went back to their boats. So Winston and his friends snuck out of the temple and used magic to fly over to one of the boats. Then, they used lots and lots of fireballs and blew up the other ships and then they sailed home. Winston found treasures to take home to the beautiful red bear and her cub. He came home, safe and sound," Drae told her. "And then Winston, the beautiful red bear, and the cub lived happily ever after," Drae said softly to the sleeply little girl. The warlock smiled and leaned over Iva and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

"Good night, Princess," he said softly, and pulled the covers up under her chin and tucked Winston closer to her. He stood up and walked over to Angela. 
"I almost don't want her to get older," he said as he slipped his arms about Angela's waist and just watched Iva sleep.

Iva would have been looking at him with suspense and wide eyes as she listened but she just looked so cute laying there with a half gone look. Every once in a while she would have her eyes go shut and her head would tilt before she woke herself back up for the song. Angela thought she was so cute as she tried to fight off sleep.

Angela sat on the opposite side from Drae on the edge of the bed. Iva was so interested in the story so she tried to stay awake even though she kept nodding off. By the end she gave Drae a tired smile. “Good night, Daddy. I love you.” She was out in a matter of seconds after the words left her lips.

Angela got up and went to Drae while he wrapped his arm around her. Giving him a whimsical look she chuckled softly as not to wake the imp, “Do not curse that on me Adraejen Porthyrius.” 

She kissed his cheek and took him out of the room. She latched the door as softly as possible. “Now I’m suppose to be yours tonight.” She put her forehead up to his and smiled. She spun him around in a dance much more elegantly then he did her. Leading him back to the room she was sure to close the door behind them. “I imagine you want to begin right?”

"I might have to wish it upon you, so long as it means she keeps calling me Daddy, Angela Rose," Drae smiled. He chuckled softly as she kissed his cheek and followed her out of the room and waited for her to latch the door. He smiled coyly as Angela put her forehead to his. 

"Well, if you are going to make it sound like a chore…" he said playfully. The next thing he knew, they were dancing down the hall. He had thought he was a smooth dancer, but Angela proved she put him to shame. Soon they were back in Angela's chambers and Angela was closing the doors behind them. The words were hardly out of her mouth before Drae was coming up behind her and slipping his arms about her waist. 
"Unless you don't want me to," he said teasingly as he began untying the sash of her robe. His own robe had been discarded almost as soon as Angela had closed the door. He lifted the robe from her shoulders before he slid his hands down her sides and began kissing down along her neck. He pulled her firmly against him and rubbed his body up against her. 

"I've longed to touch you for so long…" he whispered in her ear. 

Angela gave him a sweet smile. “No matter how old she is, as long as you never change she will always call you Daddy.” The Goddess was sure of that after seeing how attached the little girl was to her new father figure. 

When they to their room she smirked as he kissed her neck. “I always want you to. There is no doubt about that my dear.” She pulled him near by and held him by his hips. “I’ve missed you as well.” There was a sultry sound to both their voices that they couldn’t ignore. Though it was the feeling of being around each other that made Angela whole again.

They made love like they had several times and like in good parental fashion made sure they were dressed just in case. It was a good thing they had as well. Drae snuggled up to Angela as they both laid on their sides in a peaceful slumber that both had earned.

“Daddy,” sniffled Iva as she opened the door and peeked in at them. “Mommy.” There was another pitiful sniffle as Angela bolted up right and stared at the child. She opened her arms and Iva was quick to crawl into the bed with them. Angela put her in the middle of them, the child had brought Winston as well. She pushed the child’s hair softly back. 

“What did you dream about my young one?” She knew Drae would be interested too.

“That Daddy and you are going to replace me with a new baby.” Iva got even more emotional as she rolled and clung to Drae.

Drae stirred slightly when he heard the door open, but his eyes cracked open slightly when he heard the sniffle call for him.

"Iva?" he asked concerned. He sat up slowly as Angela bolted awake, and watched as Iva came to join them in bed, crying. Drae sat upright and adjusted the pillows and blankets so that there would be room for Iva between him and Angela as the Goddess put the crying child up on the bed with them. He wiped a tear from Iva's face as Angela asked what her dream was about, as it was usually dreams that brought the child to their chamber in tears. 

Iva's response astounded Drae, and he held her tightly as she rolled and clung to him. 
"What?" he asked incredulously. "Replace you? Oh, sweetheart…" he said softly as he cradled Iva in his arms, her tears dampening his nightshirt. He looked at Angela, his eyes reflecting how startled Iva's dream had left him. 

"Nothing could ever replace you…" he told Iva softly. "Even IF there was a new baby, it wouldn't replace you," he told her as he lifted her chin. "Your Mother and I would love you, just the same," he told her firmly and wiped her tears away. 

Iva crawled in the middle of the two of them. It was a fitting place made comfortable for her by Drae. Her sad brown eyes looked from one parent to the next before her tears came stronger. Drae was kind and gentle as he wiped the tears from her face. They always knew it was her dreams.

Suddenly he cradled her like she was tiny and she snuggled into him more. Angela looked back at Drae for just a moment but obviously the girl had stunned her mother as well. “Not even a new baby would replace me? But wouldn’t you need all the time in the world for him? Would you still play with me and Winston?” She sniffled more at him.

“I love you too Daddy and Mommy.” She wrapped herself around him more as he wiped the final strands of tears away. “There’s no if.” She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. “There is going to be a baby! My dreams always come true. I’m just worried you’re going to replace me. If you say you’ll love me all the say then that’s okay.” She seemed tired again. “He looks cute though when he isn’t crying.” She gave them both a yawn and moved her hand over to her mother’s belly and patted it softly.

“Shouldn’t cry so much.” At Iva's words Angela's face went white as a sheet staring off at Drae like she was taken aback by the child.

"Well, yes, if there was a baby we would need to spend a lot of time taking care of him or her, but not so much that we still couldn't play with you. And, who knows, you could always help us and play with the baby too," Drae suggested to Iva as she told them she loved them and hugged him tight. 

When Iva announced that there was no If about whether or not there was going to be a baby, Drae looked at Angela, in surprise. "No, no, Iva, we would never stop loving you," Drae said quickly, still looking at Angela. He mouthed "Pregnant?" to her, looking quite incredulous as Iva continued to announce, with a tired yawn, that the baby was cute when he didn't cry, and was patting Angela's belly. 

Clearly Angela was as surprised by this news as Drae was, because she was paler than Drae had ever seen her before. Drae suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to laugh, the entire scene was too comedic, but at the same time, the shock of finding out, from Iva of all people, that Angela was pregnant kept him speechless. 

He patted Iva's back lightly to help her fall asleep, having a wordless conversation with Angela about what the hell had just happened.

Iva appeared pleased with Drae’s efforts at calming her down. There was a certain comfort that the man could give the child that her mother could not. Angela gave both of them a smile and pet the child’s red hair. Waiting for when the child looked away from her Angela mouth back that she wasn’t sure. The magic that normally was in control was not for once. Angela simply hadn’t planned it, not that she would prevent it from happening.

This would be a surprise child if she was. She kissed the top of the child’s head and looked at Drae with a level of disbelief. How could the Fertility Goddess be one upped by her own child? The seer gift was certainly amazing but Angela wondered if Iva didn’t see her future but the baby’s? She laid her head down and pulled the blankets up. Mouthing to him she told him to get some sleep now. They would figure it out in the morning.

-

The morning had came but it went as well. If there was a baby her powers were being blinded maybe by the fact she had played god all these years. She wanted to be surprised and she was sure Drae did as well. So they had waited patiently to see if Iva had been correct. A month went by and then two and still she did not bleed.

She sat there in her bedroom and rested on the bed. Her hands were on her belly. “Well, she certainly was right wasn’t she?” Angela laughed a bit and smiled towards Drae. “She said he though… Do you really think we would have a son? They are so rare for Rosenites..”

It was rather amusing seeing the Goddess of Fertility so stumped as to whether or not she was pregnant that it made Drae chuckle to himself on several occasions. As it happened, Iva astounded them both, and after two months is was an apparent fact; Angela was indeed pregnant. He marveled at the young child's gifts. It was true what she said, and he had noticed it more and more, often times, her dreams did come true. 

Drae sat in a chair next to Angela as she rested on the bed. He chuckled. "Yeah… yeah, she was," he said as he reached over and took one of Angela's hands. "Iva has a remarkable gift, that's for sure," Drae smiled. He looked at Angela and raised an eyebrow when she mentioned that Iva had said the baby was to be boy. 

"Well… I mean, it isn't out of the question. You do have sons, after all. Not NEAR as many as you have daughters, but… four sons to one Rosenite woman, that is pretty good. So I would say that the odds of us having a boy is not as impossible as it may seem," Drae explained. "Besides that, Iva's been correct so far, so why should we doubt her now? I'm rather thrilled at the prospect of having a son," Drae smiled. "Undoubtedly, he'll have your eyes and hair."

Iva was a gift that not even Angela had fully expected.  Chuckling she took his hand softly in hers. “I never imagined it to be able to predict her own sibling. We’ll have to reassure her that we’ll spend lots of time with her still. It will be a lot of work.” She felt nervous at the thought but chuckled.

Tilting her head at him she laughed. “Not exactly one in four but.. I only have had five sons out of all of my children… It does make me a bit skeptical.” She was glad that the warlock was able to comfort her. She leaned over and rested on his shoulder. The goddess laughed a bit as she kissed his cheek. “What man isn’t excited about having a son?” 

Thinking about what the baby would look like Angela laughed. “I don’t know… Perhaps I would like him to look like his handsome father.” She lifted her freehand up and stroked his hair. “We’ll have to see what the fate strings have in store for him.” 

Getting up she pulled Drae to his feet and sighed softly. “We should go for a walk in the gardens. Might do us some good getting some fresh air after all the excitement.” She moved his hand to her belly and chuckled. “In a few months, you’ll be able to feel him. Exciting isn’t it?”