The Baker's Assistant (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"You've done more than your fair share." Kayla said as he suddenly seemed at a loss. "Believe me, you have done so much for me."

She turned towards him, wanting to say more. She knew that they would talk later on the situation, however.

"Would you help me pack up the leftovers? We'll take some to Annie and David and some to Leon and Dazu."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yeah," he nodded and rose to help her. Annie and David's home was only a short walk away beyond the walls and they would pass by Leon's home on their way.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dropping off the meal with Dazu and Leon, Kayla spared a kiss for Lucy before bedtime. The little girl made her smile and seemed to be doing just fine under her uncle's care. With their goodbye's they made their way to Annie and David's home. It seemed all of her family were there. Her Uncle Brogan and Gerald were sitting outside on a stone bench, chatting cheerfully. Ciaran and Kate were working hard to keep Rho and Sam under control as Heather and Ashelin slumbered quietly next to the fire. Rip and Julia fawned over the baby that was swaddled tightly as Annie sat serenely next to the hearth as David hovered over his mother.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan rose when he saw Kayla and Aleister. "Hiya, sweetheart," he smiled broadly and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he shook Aleister's hand. Gerald smiled to both of them, leaning back comfortably. Kell passed them by on his way to help Ciaran and Kate. Even though Kayla didn't really know him, the dark Wolf gave her a kind smile, his golden eyes mysterious but certainly gentle.

Brogan glanced after him and to the door. "Ria an' Julia 'ave put themselves in charge in there. Tread lightly, lass." He chuckled at the idea even though Kayla could see that he was in a little bit of a happy haze at the thought of being a grandfather.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, I suppose I'm lucky it's not my baby yet." Kayla said as they entered the house.

Her first stop was to her cousin, giving her congratulations before she greeted anyone else. The baby was soon placed into her arms despite her protests, the little bundle squirming impatiently in her grasp. She saw Annie's delicate features and stark black hair, David's tanned skin tone, and the most beautiful set of brown eyes staring up at her.

"What name did you decide on?" She asked, looking towards the happy parents.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Daniel Harlan," David smiled. Daniel had been a name he and Annie enjoyed, and the middle name Harlan was in honor of David's father.

 

[heartofcourage]

"He's beauitful." Kayla said softly as she remembered Aleister holding the packed dinner.

She quickly handed Daniel back to Julia before she turned and took the basket from Aleister. "I'll go out this up for later and then I have to talk to Uncle Brogan about something." She murmured as she hurried off into the kitchen.

"How is she doing?" Annie asked as soon as Kayla was gone. "She looks exhausted."

 

[KieranSoares]

Aleister watched Kayla go with some worry of his own. "She is. In more ways than one." He didn't want to give away any of her secrets, of course, but he knew her family cared too much to be left completely out. "Heartbroken an' unsure o' the future. Tha's all I can really say."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Perhaps we could cheer her up." Annie suggested, looking up at her mother and Ria. "We could host s party at the keep for her. If I know Kayla, she doesn't have nearly all she'll need for the baby. Her friends and the rest of the family can come."

Kayla slipped outside after she had finished in the kitchen, smiling at her uncle and Gerald once more. "Gerald, can I talk to my uncle alone for a few moments?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Sure, lass," Gerald nodded, rising from his seat to casually stride back inside and join Ria. Brogan welcomed Kayla to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What can I do for ya, Kay?" He asked with a soft smile.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I've been thinking a lot lately." Kayla said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "And I'd really like Marianne to be here when the baby comes. Would you invite her to Inverness for me?"

She could have written a letter and had her there in a heartbeat. With her uncle asking, it was less likely to raise suspicions. It was a king asking for a visit from his queen.

"It would mean a lot to her...and to me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Sure I can," Brogan nodded. "I'll send it off in the mornin'." He met her eyes and then asked softly, "How are ya lately? I've been worried about ya ever since y'came home from Edinburgh."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I never thought that my life would be like this." Kayla admitted softly. "I didn't expect to fall in love with a king or have his child. I didn't expect to lose him so suddenly either. I never thought I would lose Elijah."

She was quiet as she said that, letting that sorrow pass for a moment. "I wonder if I made the right choice by pulling my baby from the line of succession. It's their birthright. Gale isn't here to protect us. Kate has ready started her studies."

"Uncle Brogan...everything had happened so quickly that I...I just don't know what I'm suppose to do."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think you've made th'right choices thus far, Kayla," Brogan told her honestly. "Th'child of a monarch needs their rulin' parent t'teach them, an' the court o' Edinburgh is no place fer a young child. It's a vicious place an' I 'ave a hard time even lettin' Kate go... I wouldn't if Gale 'adn't asked 'er. But he asked 'er because 'e wanted you t'keep yer more peaceful life. This baby 'as th'chance t'be whatever it wants t'be as it grows. It could become a member o' the Scottish courts, or be a common honest person 'r somethin' in between. But it'll be a Ghis, an' that means it'll be well-taken care of an' it won't miss out on any chance in life."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Aleister wants to have a hand in helping me to raise the baby." She blurted out suddenly, knowing that her uncles would be more understanding than her family at the moment. "And...I like that idea. I love him. He's the best friend I've ever had. I'm just...scared."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Scared of what?" Brogan took her hands in his own. "Aleister's a fine man, seems t'me tha' he cares about ya a lot more'n just a friend would."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I lose what I love." She said softly, her gaze looking down at the hands that held her own. "My heart can't take losing him too."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know, love..." Brogan sighed. "Trust me... I know tha' better'n anyone here." He'd been thinking about Cassie often lately what with Annie having her baby. "But... Don't make the' mistake I made in pullin' away. I spent near ten years after Cassandra died pushin' everyone I loved away. Julia... I didn't know I'd love her when I married her. It's only thanks t'her patience an' gentle hand tha' I softened up enough to see I needed her even more'n I'd needed Cassie. Julia made me into the man I am, an' helped shape this family an' bring us back together. I think you ought cases jus' what Aleister can do fer you, because 'e could change things fer th'better an' open up a path even Gale couldn' 'ave shown you. At least where th'two of us are concerned... It's better t'love again after ye've lost, and let more people in. Ye'll love an' appreciate them more than y'ever could have before."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We're going to talk about everything before we move forward. I want us both on the same page and expecting the same things. It's the very least that we can do." Kayla told her uncle. "Mummy and Da are still so sad about Elijah that I can't talk to them about this. I don't want them to worry."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yer Da would probably 'ave 'is head if yer Ma wouldn't." Brogan sighed. "But I think they'll warm up t'the idea before long. He's a good man, Boar's seen tha' firsthand in th' past."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I love him, Uncle Brogan. I know he's a good man too." She confessed to him softly. "The age difference doesn't bother me. We have similar goals in life. He adores me and wants to spoil the baby when it gets here. How can I turn all of that away?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't turn 'im away, love. It'll bring more heartache t'pull away." Brogan hugged her close then. "Give it a chance."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kayla hugged her uncle tightly, taking his words to heart. When she and Aleister left later that evening, she felt better about the path that they were about to take. She took his hand as they walked, squeezing it tightly. Glancing up at him, she knew that she had to make the first move. He was a man that would wait for her forever if she asked.

"I think I would like to see where our relationship can go." She said softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Aleister paused to look down at her, and for a moment he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. "... You're sure?" He asked quietly when he met her eyes. "Y'don't have to jump into this now, y'know..." He was concerned she might rush and still be too torn up about Gale.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm sure. I'm not rushing into anything at all." Kayla said softly. "I admit that I still think about him all the time and my heart still does hurt, but I know that you mean a lot to me. I want to see where we might go."