"So you think they're really decorating down there?" Melanie asked as she grabbed a juice from the refrigerator. Since her capture by the Hunters and subsequent rescue by Keith, who led a coalition of Thornblood warriors, Aklark Bear warriors, and Kimberly in a heavily armed attack helicopter, she had found herself with an insatiable appetite for fresh fruits along with her baby inspired the desire for rare meats. Thankfully, Keith's more than adequate bank account made sure that she came home to a fully stocked refrigerator of locally grown organic fresh fruits.

"Oh, they'll get to it eventually," Keith said. He probed his Link to his sister and found that it was sealed off on her end. He could break through, but it would be rude and unnecessary. "Although it looks like they might be doing some other things too."

"Good for them," Melanie said, draining half the bottle. "If I didn't need to first drink then and then ironically pee like a racehorse, I'd be up for it too. Our son seems to have a habit of kicking me right in the bladder on a regular basis."

Keith came over and rubbed Melanie's stomach, kissing her cheek before looking at her, his amber eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay? He isn't hurting you, is he?"

"Not at all. He's a good little baby, he's just squirming and getting his exercise. He's going to be big and strong like his Daddy." Melanie wrapped her arms around Keith and laid her head against his chest, listening to the quiet bass thud of his heartbeat. "You can feel him, can't you?"

"Yes I can," Keith said. It was true. While Melanie's Link with their son was stronger, and would be for a good portion of the first two years of the baby's life, he could sense his son growing inside of her. I love you, my little boy.

The flood of warmth that came over the Link made tears of happiness spring into Keith's eyes, and he blinked them away quickly. I know, my son. I'm looking forward to seeing you too. Mommy and I are both looking forward to it. So is your Aunt Kimberly.

There was a quick flash of recognition, and Keith smiled again. Kimberly would be very happy to know she was already known to her little nephew, a pleasant side effect of her being Keith's twin. That's right.

"He's very well loved," Melanie said, reaching up to stroke Keith's cheek. "As am I."

"You're the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," Keith replied, kissing her fingers. "But before we get carried away, let me ask you something."

"Oh, what's that?" Melanie said with a smile. Getting carried away, as Keith put it, was always pleasurable, and usually ended up with both of them fully naked, wrapped up in each other's arms. As tempting as the idea was, she knew she wanted to wait at least a few hours. The drive from Lockwood Manor to the Towers may have been comfortable for a car ride, but it had still been hours sitting in a car. She wanted to be rested and ready for both of them to enjoy themselves. Besides, with a baby coming soon, a quickie before dinner was more difficult than it used to be.

Keith smiled as he read the train of her thoughts. "I was thinking the same thing. But I wanted to ask you about getting a gift for Edward and Kimberly. What do you think would be a good Mating present?"

Melanie thought. "That's a tough one. I mean, money is practically no object for either of you. I don't even know if you even have separate bank accounts, or just draw on a single Clan account."

"Actually both," Keith said. "For anything corporate related we both draw off the Clan account, but we do have separate spending accounts that are paid for through Clan funds. It's not much, a living stipend really. The tradition for Clan Alphas was to be as fully integrated into Clan finances as possible, to give the Alphas a reason to devote themselves fully to growing the strength of the Clan. We have some things in our personal accounts, but not much. You've never thought about it before?"

Melanie laughed and finished her juice, setting the bottle in the sink to be washed and recycled later. "Not really. Keith, as luxurious as all this is, and as awesome some of the experiences you've given me are, it's not about the money. It has never been. Sure, riding in a super helicopter or sleeping in our suite at the Manor is great, but I don't need to ride in a helicopter to love my life with you. What I need is you, our Sister, and our baby."

"And Edward?" Keith asked as they walked towards the living room. Keith knelt down and started to build a fire, a habit he enjoyed doing despite the fact that the pit came with a natural gas starting system that could fully automate the entire thing.

"He's a good guy," Melanie said. "Kimberly seems to be taken by him, and in time, I bet we will too. By the way, you two made quite a pair fighting those guys down in Mexico. A gigantic bear and a gigantic wolf wrecking shop on a bunch of assholes who deserved everything they got. Very impressive."

"We did make a pretty good tandem, didn't we?" Keith asked. "You know, it was almost as much fun as when you, Kim and I took down those corrupt cops a few months ago. Who knows? Maybe before this is all said and done, the four of us get to really kick some ass."

"I guarantee you that," Melanie said, smiling as Keith finished his fire building and starting it with a single match. She settled herself onto the light brown leather of the ring couch and crossed her legs in front of her. "Congratulations. It's a beautiful fire."

"Thanks, but you know I do this all the time," Keith replied. He stood up, his knees popping with the motion. "Whoa. By the way, what about needing to pee?"

Melanie shrugged and leaned back. "Your son took his feet off my bladder, I'm good for a few minutes. In the meantime, I'd really appreciate it if my Mate joined me on the couch for a few kisses before we have to think about dinner. I promise, no getting out of hand, just a few kisses. In anticipation of later."

Keith smiled and sank down next to her on the well-padded couch, taking Melanie's hand. "In anticipation of later."

* * *

The twin rotor mini-helicopter circled the top of the Lockwood Tower, its small engine humming compared to the normal whirling roar that Keith associated with helicopter landings on top of the Tower. I guess to each their own, he thought as the tiny helicopter settled like a hummingbird onto the pad. The dual contra-rotating sets of blades, so low to the ground that Keith wouldn't even think of approaching it they had stopped turning, slowed down, the engine cutting off.

As he waited for them to stop, Keith took a moment to appreciate the form of the personal aircraft. Painted in blood red and black, it looked like a sports car if you discounted the rotors on top, with an aggressively pointed nose, curved struts, and a tail that helped more for balance than anything else, it was impressive, he had to admit. If the modified Bell 222 that he and Kimberly flew, a replica of Airwolf was dangerous, this was its little brother, just as fast, just as maneuverable, and only missing the firepower.

Keith was surprised when the darkened windshield opened and out stepped his Second Mate, Akiko Thornblood. Coming from a very long line of purebred Lycans, she had only months ago been an enemy. But through the attack of the silberjagger and the death of her Mate, she had come into political alliance with Keith and the Lockwood Clan.

It was that alliance, along with his becoming Alpha Male of Clan Thornblood, that caused Akiko to arrive a day early for the Gathering. The formal arrivals and pre-Gathering social was scheduled to begin at noon the next day, with the social beginning at seven in the evening. Still, despite the irregularity, it was good to see Akiko. She had proven herself as loyal an ally as she was fierce an enemy, and Keith was glad to have her on his side for the Gathering.

"You look surprised, Keith," Akiko said as she closed the side hatch on her helicopter, slinging a small backpack over her shoulder. "When I said I was bringing in a small helicopter, what did you expect?"

"I didn't expect you as the pilot, honestly," Keith replied, offering his arm in friendship. They clasped forearms in a very old gesture, borrowed from the Romans, that was used for those who were more than friends, but blood allies or more. "How long have you had your license?"

"I completed my pilot's training when you were still watching Saturday morning cartoons," Akiko said with a gentle laugh. Although she was still stunning, looking hardly a day over thirty, she was apparently seventy years old. "When you were sitting around with your sister dreaming about flying that Wolf of yours, I could have gone on the set and actually flown the original."

"I only learned because Nioclas thought that it’d be a fun skill to pick up one summer. I agreed, and we had a lovely time learning on a Bell Jet Ranger. While I wouldn’t feel comfortable flying a large helicopter like a Blackhawk or larger, I’ve kept my skills sharp on smaller stuff like this one here."

Heading towards the door to the stairwell that led to his penthouse, Keith glanced at Akiko. "Can I ask you something, Akiko? Forgive my ignorance, but your speech pattern is rather unique."

"Oh, how so?" Akiko said. "I thought I'd done a good job of eliminating any Japanese accent from my speech. Are you picking any up?"

"No, none at all," Keith replied, a bit chagrined. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. What I meant was that you speak with a mostly American accent, but I sometimes pick up European in your speech patterns and intonation. Did you spend a lot of time in England or something?"

"Actually, Europe came to me," Akiko replied. "As a young child, my father knew that despite his pride in being a Japanese Lycan, English would be the dominant language of commerce and Lycan Gatherings for the future. Since he hated Americans, I’m sorry to say, he hired and brought in the finest in English language education from Great Britain to teach my brother and I. Our instructors drilled us for two hours a day, five days a week from the age of four, and when I became a junior high school student, he paid for tutors to not only continue to instruct us on English but also for half of our regular education to take place in English."

"I see. There is much I need to learn about you, I think." Keith opened the door and led Akiko inside. “Do you have any more bags than just that backpack?"

"My assistant will be arriving tomorrow early. They will be bringing the rest of my belongings. Don’t worry, though, I packed light, only two suitcases. After seeing how the rest of the family was at Lockwood Manor, I relish the chance to let my hair down some."

"I see. I had noticed that when you are acting as Alpha Female of Clan Thornblood, you tend to be much more dressed up. Very elegant, and a little bit Gothic. I had my tailor create some suits that would fit the motif, hopefully, a blend of traditional Lockwood and Thornblood styles."

"You didn't need to do that, but I appreciate the gesture," Akiko said. "Part of it was because Nioclas was very into the whole Lycan Gothic history. I think part of him actually enjoyed being called a werewolf. After a while, if I wasn't dressed in such a manner for official duties, I just started to feel underdressed."

Keith reached the bottom of the stairwell and punched in his security code. "Remind me to get you a personal code for the door. It's solid core steel, quite an effective form of security I think. If you have a personal code you wish to use, we can get you one tomorrow morning. I let Kimberly take care of all that stuff.”

"Oh? Is she busy tonight?" Akiko asked, stepping into the penthouse. She stopped, taking in the large space with natural tones. "I'm impressed, Keith. I like the natural feel of the decoration and everything. It's a true sanctuary from the city surrounding you."

"Thank you. As for Kimberly, she and Edward are working on arranging her quarters on the floor below us. They’ve decided to paint the main living room themselves, funnily enough. So while we're going to have a lot of workers in here after this Gathering, she insists on doing some stuff herself. Since those quarters are going to be for you as well starting tomorrow, she wanted to make sure the paint was finished and dry. I think it’s a bit of a pride thing, you know."

Keith led Akiko to the central sofa and took her bag. "I'm going to put this in your room for tonight. It's my guest room right now, but it’ll be the baby's room. We haven't moved the bed out yet, though, so you should be able to sleep comfortably."

Akiko started to object, and Keith raised his hand, cutting her off. "No, it's not a problem. Really. You’ll be treated with the respect you deserve. I know it's a bit strange, but I hope it works out. Besides, I'm sure you're going to be doing just as much juggling when we visit Thornblood Hall. Wait here, I'll check on Melanie. She was taking a shower when you said you were coming in for a landing."

Akiko nodded and sank back into the sofa. Keith disappeared, leaving her to her thoughts for a moment. She shook her head as she thought of the way Keith was compared to Nioclas. If Keith had visited Clan Thornblood when Nioclas was alive, even if he was a close ally, Nioclas would have greeted him formally, with a full compliment of servants and a certain sense of separation. In all honesty, it was this formality that had allowed Akiko's father to allow her to leave her Clan to join a non-Japanese Clan, regardless of the love the couple shared.

With Keith it was different. While at Lockwood Manor he had carried himself with a certain sense of formality that was expected of any Clan Alpha, he did it with a sense of debonair informality that Nioclas could never have pulled off. Here, in his private home, he was even more informal, but at the same time, his informality wasn't offensive, but rather welcoming. She truly felt like Keith was taking steps to bring her into his family, and not treat their joining (both of them had agreed not to refer to it as a Mating in private, out of respect for the true sanctity and closeness of the act) as just a political maneuver on their parts.

Akiko was so deep in thought, she was surprised when Melanie came out, her hair still damp, dressed in a pretty smock and pants that were probably the most formal housewear she could still fit into. "Akiko, I apologize about not being out earlier," she said, coming around. "Unfortunately, getting buttons done is a lot harder right now. Keith actually found me in the bathroom with a cramp in my shoulder trying to get the last buttons on this stupid thing done. Honestly, what idiot puts buttons on the back of a pregnant woman's clothing?"

"You didn’t have to do that for me," Akiko said, standing and coming to clasp hands with Melanie. She was surprised when the shorter woman pulled her into an awkward hug, her stomach coming in between them.

"You're my Sister now, remember?" Melanie said. "Tomorrow is plenty of time for Lady this and Lady that and measured looks. I'd rather spend the rest of the evening with the woman who showed me that she loves maple syrup so much just a week ago."

Akiko returned the hug, careful not to squeeze too tightly. "All right. Then may I ask, why’d you feel the need to cram yourself into that outfit?"

"Because the only other things I have to wear around the house are sweat pants, and that I refuse to do.” Melanie sighed and rubbed her belly. "He's growing like a weed. Seriously, my waist is a whole inch larger than it was just last week."

Akiko chuckled and led Melanie over to the sofa and helped her down. "I understand, I was much the same way, even if I am taller. I have an idea, give me a minute."

Getting on her cell phone, Akiko called a phone number and spoke in Japanese for two minutes, before nodding to herself and hanging up. She tapped away at the screen for another minute before putting the phone away. "Excellent. You’ll have it by the day after tomorrow."

“Have what?" Melanie asked curiously. "And if you have a chance, do you think you could teach me some Japanese? I've always found it a beautiful language."

“Of course, I’d be honored. I was talking to a tailor I know in Los Angeles. He's the son of Japanese immigrants and is one of the best craftsmen in North America. He stocks a selection of kimonos that he handmade in the old style. I asked him to send over two of them, stock sizes unfortunately since he can't get precise measurements, but one in a casual, and one in semi-formal style. I think you’ll love them, they’re very comfortable and stylish. Best of all, they adjust because of the overlapping front. You can wear it all the way until you have your son."

Melanie's hand came to her chest, and she smiled deeply before bowing her head. “Thank you. I’ll wear it with pride. I don't know about wearing it at the Gathering, though, we’ll see.”

Akiko tilted her head in thanks. “Oh, a little secret, one that I used when I was pregnant. If you want, take a pair of shorts or knee length pants and you can wear them underneath comfortably. That way you don't feel like you’re walking around in a robe all day."

Melanie leaned back and laughed, until the baby kicked, hard, and she groaned. "Okay, okay. No more shaking, I got it."