With a yawn, the bronze-skinned woman rolled over. She smiled into the face of her husband, who was still sleeping peacefully beside her. Her mind pondered the best way to wake him.
At that moment, the door to their palatial bedroom flung open, tilting slightly as one of the hinges gave into the strain. A tiny body flew through the air and landed between the couple with a wolfish grin.
"Mommy! Daddy! Guess what!"
The man sat up quickly, his eyes popping open at the sudden intrusion. Sparks formed in his hand.
The woman chuckled, scooping up the little rascal onto her side of the bed before the weapon could fully materialize.
"You know better than to burst into Mommy and Daddy's room first thing in the morning! Your father shouldn't have to battle from the comfort of his own bed." She turned to the man beside her. "And you! Don't summon weapons around our nice new sheets. Little Ling will think it's playtime, and then both our mattress and your sword will be ruined."
"It's not my fault that my saintly son and a Nightmare Creature are indistinguishable at this hour of the morning." Now realizing there was no danger, the man yawned.
His weapon disappeared, and the woman gave her husband a kiss as compensation.
"Good morning, Harold," Saint Athena, the Steward of Bastion, nestled into her husband's arms.
"Mommy, is that daddy's name? Did you finally remember?" Ling's eyes opened wider.
The man smiled sadly. "No, son. Your mother does this every morning. She tries to guess, hoping that she will get it right and overcome my Flaw. Of course, that is impossible. No one can do that."
Effie furrowed her brow. "As Neph would say, who dares stop me?"
"Not me," the man raised his free arm in surrender. "I would never!"
Satisfied with the answer, the olive-skinned Saint grinned. "Tell me, Edward, what exactly do you dare to do? I expect every detail…"
Not Edward blushed, but before he could answer, the wolfish child again jumped on his parents.
"Mommy, what kind of details are you looking for? I am very good at remembering things." Ling's big eyes glistened with anticipation.
Effie tapped the pup on his nose. "Of course you are. You got your memory from your father. Didn't he, Joseph?"
Not Joseph nodded. "Indeed, he did. I can remember things others cannot."
"Quite right, Gerald." Effie patted the man's chest.
Not Gerald scratched his chin. "Do you plan to keep this up all day? Guessing my name, I mean."
"Of course not. That would be silly. I will only guess it until I get it right and remember it." The Saint of Bastion dared her husband to argue.
Instead, he smiled, warming her soul more than any cup of coffee ever could.
And speaking of coffee…
It was Effie's turn to stretch. She extended her hands toward the headboard, careful not to fracture her husband's nose. The man was resilient but not unbreakable!
"Mommy and Daddy, what will we do today?" Ling bounced up and down on his father's chest.
The man rolled off the bed quickly, causing the boy to tumble onto the ground as his father grabbed a robe.
"I am afraid there is no 'we' today, kiddo."
"What?" The child's eyes grew round as his lip jutted out. "B-but Mommy said last night that she didn't have to work today."
"That's because your father has a romantic date planned. You are too young to remember, but there used to be a holiday in the waking world called Valentine's Day. Couples would spend time together and show how much they love each other. Your father is trying to revive the tradition. Tell him, Stephen!"
Not Stephen finished checking for bruised ribs. "Yes, your mother, as usual, is right. I hope that if people see us out and about today, maybe it will inspire them to do the same next year. We can spread the love, so to speak."
"But I love you both! Can't I come along?" Ling pressed his pudgy little hands together as he pleaded.
"You'll get to spend time with Auntie Aiko." Effie smiled. "I know how much you love spending time with her!"
Ling's eyes lit up. "I do, I do! Auntie is the best. Last time she taught me how to sniff out Skinwalkers!"
Not Stephen winced. "I hope for everyone's sake that it will not happen again. I was afraid Aiko might not speak to us anymore after that incident."
"Don't worry, Alexander. Aiko acts prickly, but she's a softie deep down." Effie pursed her lips. "Way deep down."
The man raised one eyebrow at her.
Effie tilted her head. "What? Did you get close this time with your name?"
"No," Not Alexander shook his head, "I just expected a dirty joke to come out of your mouth."
"Mommy's mouth isn't dirty," Ling protested, "She brushes her teeth every night!"
"And every morning too," the Saint confirmed. "But to your point, Bruce, I am on my best behavior today. It's a day of romance, so I will remain sweet and innocent today."
Not Bruce raised both eyebrows. "All day?"
Effie crossed her heart. "At least until sundown, then all bets are off."
"I want to bet!" Ling jumped up and down.
"Ok, sweetie, I bet I can beat you to the kitchen," Effie winked at her husband. "First one there can eat the sweet rolls on the table!"
Ling's ears perked up at the challenge. "I'm gonna get there first!"
The boy bounded out of the room, shutting the door to slow down his mother from her pursuit.
Saint Athena relaxed against her pillow and smiled at her husband. "Now that I have you alone, Charles…"
Not Charles eyed her incredulously. "I thought you weren't going to make any dirty jokes today."
"I'm not joking! Ling will be digging into those buns right now, which means…" Effie stopped short as a loud knock reverberated through the halls. She sighed. "It means I'll have to answer the door to let Aiko in."
The man kissed his wife as she passed. "It's going to be an amazing day. Just wait!"
By the time Effie reached the front door, Aiko was already in the clutches of an energetic pint-sized Saint.
"Hold on, Wolfie! Calm down. Auntie here will break in two from your hug!"
Ling loosened his grip, and Aiko floated free of his embrace.
The boy pouted, "I can't follow Auntie up there!"
"Then you better be nice and not act like a little rascal!" Effie caught up her son and tickled him. "You aren't supposed to answer the door without me!"
"And don't crush guests," Aiko added, lowering back to the ground. "That part is very important."
Ling tilted his head. "Auntie isn't a guest. She's like family!"
"Don't crush family either!" The babysitter floated backward.
Effie clapped the petite Awakened on her shoulder. "He's a little enthusiastic, but he means well."
Aiko gritted her teeth. "Wonder where he gets that from…"
A handsome man strode into the room dressed in a smart button-down shirt and stylish slacks. Both women stopped their conversation to stare.
"Don't get me wrong," Aiko whispered after a moment. "I am married to my money, but I can see the appeal of waking up to that every morning."
"I agree." Saint Athena laughed. "You clean up good, Thomas. It almost makes me want to go back on my promise from earlier."
Effie winked.
Not Thomas took the compliment with a winsome smile. "I aim to please. Would you like to get ready to go? While I don't mind you going out in your pajamas on our date, I think you might mind if the rest of Bastion followed suit."
Nodding, Effie headed to her room to find suitable attire for the day. She grabbed the last cinnamon bun on her way by, munching it as she hummed.
"What are we going to do today, Auntie?" Ling bounced up and down, bumping his babysitter and nearly smashing her toes flat against the polished stone floor. "Can we get ice cream?"
"I don't know…" Aiko raised one eyebrow at Ling's father.
"Don't worry, I will cover all the expenses for today. And whatever Effie paid you last time for babysitting, I will double it."
Aiko's incredulous expression melted away. She bent down and tapped the tiny Saint on the nose. "We can do anything you like after you and Auntie run a few errands. There is a new suit I have been looking at, and today seems the perfect day for your parents to buy it for me."
Effie returned in an emerald sundress, her hair braided tightly down her back with wisps of curls around her temples. This time, it was her husband's turn to fall speechless.
She nudged him lightly. "Come on, Fredrick. Unless acting like a statue is part of your romance routine, we'd better get going!"
"Ah, yes," Not Frederick coughed. "Right this way, Madam."
Not usually one for formalities, somehow Effie didn't mind when the man bowed and opened the door for her. It was an act of affection. A statement of his love.
Effie kissed her husband as she passed by. "Thank you, Stuart."
The man smiled. "For what?"
"For being you…whoever you are."