December 2049

As Kat replaced the flowers in her mother’s vase, Julian knelt down in front of Nora with his baby girl. “Say hi to Grandma, Carleigh.” The six-month-old baby cooed and slobbered while patting her grandmother on her legs. Nora’s face lit up as bright as the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. A barely pregnant Katherine padded over to sit beside her mother while their daughter entertained them all with her babbling. Neither of them had planned on Kat getting pregnant so soon after Carleigh Brooke Di Pietro had been born, but the gods must have thought they should hurry things up if they ever wanted to hit the number nine mark.

Their daughter was born in April, three months after Frey and Abbi welcomed their son, Jonathan Matthew, into the world. Katherine was carrying another child, and until that morning, she hadn’t known it. Julian had been lying on the sofa with his head in his mate’s lap while she ran her fingers through his hair. They were relaxing in the living room, stealing a quiet moment while Carleigh was napping. At first, Julian thought there was something wrong with Kat when he heard the beats of her heart skipping. When he listened more intently, he realized it wasn’t her heart he was hearing but their unborn child’s beating with hers. Julian couldn’t contain his excitement and had jumped up from the sofa and shouted, waking Carleigh up. When he told Kat what he was so happy about, she gave a little shout of her own.

Three months after Kat began visiting her mother, Nora said the first words she’d spoken in over twenty years. Three months after that, with Kat’s blessing, Stefan took Nora to live with him. She wasn’t on any type of medication that required a nurse, so Stefan took her home and hired someone to help with things like bathing and her hair. Other than that, he took care of her around-the-clock. After meeting with the man a few times, it was clear to Julian he was loyal to Kat’s family and had remained so even after Salvatore had been murdered. Dedication such as that was hard to find, especially in humans.

Nora rarely spoke, but when she did, it was coherent and full of love. She always had a smile on her face whenever they visited, but never was it brighter than when Carleigh was in her line of sight. Julian understood how she felt. Only Katherine made his insides melt as much as his baby girl did. He was still completely infatuated with his mate, even after a year and a half, and he had a feeling that would never change. Kat still got down when she thought about being a clone, but Julian did his best to remind her she had been put on Earth for a purpose – to be his mate and Carleigh’s mother. Julian always knew he would want their first daughter to have Kat’s original name, and when he suggested it, it went a little ways in helping Kat heal.

Julian and Nikolas had searched the archives for someone to take Landon’s place behind the computers. He still felt as though he was less than competent to oversee the safety of the Clan, but with time and the encouragement of his brothers and cousins, Julian went back to work at the lab full time. He was also convinced that moving out of New Atlanta could wait.

Katherine split her time between visiting her mother, developing pictures in the dark room he had Rafael build for her, and sitting at the lab with him learning about computers. Once Carleigh was born, Kat continued with the things she loved doing, only then she had a little helper. Her love for the camera had only grown after she printed off the first photos she had taken that day in their back yard. She had such a natural talent behind the lens that the other mates begged her to take photos of their children.

When Kat unpacked her belongings from her apartment, she had brought two photos from her time with the Praters. Now, their walls were filled with pictures of not only them and Carleigh, but all their immediate family as well. Julian never tired of seeing the smiles of their extended family all around their home.

Stefan had hired a caterer for their lunch. Julian insisted he had no problem cooking for everyone, but Stefan wanted Julian to be able to relax. It had been odd at first, getting to know the former mobster, but Julian had grown to admire the human tremendously, especially when he realized how much Stefan loved Katherine. He considered her to be his daughter, and the love in his eyes was evident when he looked at her as well as Nora. When Carleigh was born, Stefan was right there in the waiting room with the rest of the family. They had yet to tell him the truth of the Gargoyles, but since he was still young by human standards, they would eventually have to confide in him since they wouldn’t be aging, and he was a big part of their lives.

It wasn’t long after Julian and Katherine met Stefano that Deputy Director Joseph Long was murdered inside FSM. Not only that, but the female guard who had tortured Katherine was also found dead inside her home the next day. Julian had wanted them both to suffer, so it didn’t bother him they met their end in unnatural ways. He had a feeling Stefan was responsible, but he never asked. It didn’t matter.

When Stefan came into the room to tell them lunch was ready, Carleigh held her chubby arms up and said, “Papa.” Stefan gladly took her from her father and danced around the room with her singing a silly Christmas song. The sound of his child’s laughter was music to Julian’s ears. To him, there was no better sound. Well, maybe the noise Katherine made when she orgasmed. He would be hard pressed to choose between them.

Julian helped get Nora situated at her spot at the table while everyone else took their appointed seats. Carleigh’s highchair was wedged in between him and Kat so both could take turns feeding her. They were partners in all things, but especially when it came to their child. Julian had changed as many diapers as Kat had. He took the night shift more often than not considering he didn’t need sleep being a Gargoyle.

Once they had finished the catered lunch, they gathered around the tree and opened presents. Technically, this was their second holiday together, but the first one hadn’t been spent as a family since they were still getting to know each other. Kat’s present to her mother was a pearl bracelet. For Stefan, she had framed a photo of him holding Carleigh in the hospital. Of course, Stefan went overboard with his presents for the baby, but Nikolas had already warned him that’s what grandparents were for. Since Nora and Stefan were the only grandparents Carleigh had, Julian welcomed the gifts. When it came time for Kat to open her present, Julian felt the mood change. He reached out with his senses and found that Stefan was on edge. When Kat opened the large box, she pulled out an urn. With tears in her eyes, she asked, “Is this…”

Stefan nodded. “Your father’s ashes. The Fiores have a family plot, but after what happened, I thought this would be best so one day I could share him with you. I’ve kept them for you all this time, Katarina. I hope you find it an appropriate gift.” Katherine couldn’t hold back the tears as she stood to hug the man. Julian concentrated on his daughter and Nora, trying to give the two of them as much privacy as he could while in the same room. Stefan had recounted many stories to Kat about her father. Salvatore Fiore had been more in love with his baby girl than his wife. Julian didn’t understand that part at all, because Katherine was everything to him. But he did understand the level of devotion Sal had toward his Katarina. Being a father changed your outlook in ways he never would have imagined had he not had his own child.

Stefan had that same devotion. When Kat was a baby, Nora hadn’t been well enough to take care of her, so Stefan took over the role of nanny. He sang to her back then the same way he sang to Carleigh. Julian had no doubt the man would lay his life on the line for either of them.

They all sat quietly watching Carleigh play with her things until Nora began to tire. While Julian and Kat packed their new SUV, Stefan took Nora to her room for a nap. When he returned, he carried Carleigh outside and placed her in her car seat like he had so many times before. After closing the back door, Stefan pulled Katherine in for a hug. “I love you, my Katarina. Thank you for giving me a chance to be in your life,” he whispered. Julian only heard it because he was a Gargoyle.

“I love you too, Papa.” Kat kissed the man on his cheek then wiped the lipstick off as she did every time they were together.

“Julian, take care of our girls.”

“You know I will. Thank you for a wonderful day, Stefan.”

“Thank you, my son.”

Julian was still getting used to that, but if truth be told, it made him feel good inside. Not only did he have a beautiful mate who made him happier than he could imagine, he also had a healthy baby girl, another child on the way, and a family that was getting larger every day. Life didn’t get any better than that.