Epilogue:

Twelve Years Later:

It moved.

The tiniest flutter of a still beating heart against its fuzzy chest, its pretty silver wing batting against the warm breeze that filtered through the rays of sun. He rubbed it gently, one slender finger petting its shiny plumage in a gentle effort to calm its harsh breathing. The bowl of water sat beside his small form, tepid and rippling as he dipped his digits beneath its surface before bringing them back to cool off the tiny bird.

Willow gasped, his head rearing back when the baby bird suddenly gave a shrill cry before snapping open its feathery wings and taking off. It wobbled for a moment, unsure and frightened still, before setting its sights on the familiar gutters of their home it had nested from. Willow watched it head home with a grin, bronze hair an unruly shade of copper red in the final light of the setting sun and wild where it sat around his shoulders, as though no comb would ever have hope of taming the messy locks.

He was a dirt child, as his Apa called him often; a soul meant to be softened with mud and painted in sunlight and leaves. He couldn't agree more. Never was Willow happier than when the rain fell and he could drag his brother through the patches of warm mud that sat around the back of their home. He loved the flowers his Papa grew in the Spring and the trees his Sire helped him to water that were his namesake. He loved flying with his fathers when they were in their Dragon form, high enough that the clouds dampened his wild hair and his Mama shrieked at them to come down before she had to bang a few skulls together.

It would be amazing to have wings like his Dragon daddys and his brother.

"Was it okay?"

Willow craned his neck to stare wide green eyes up at the boy now stood behind him. Though older in a sense, James was smaller than Willow, his face that of a boy barely reaching his double digits despite the impressive scarlet wings that let everyone know he had hit puberty. The blonde crouched beside Willow, small face scrunched in remorse as it searched for the little bird and blonde hair sleek where it sat against the boy's shoulders. Willow sighed and wrapped an arm around the smaller, yet older boy, rubbing his hair despite his still-wet fingers.

"S'okay, Jamie. He flew back up to his Mummy and Daddy. You can hear him, listen."

Willow watched Jamie cock his head to listen, his violet eyes widening and crinkling the scales against his cheek. His brother was special, Willow knew that. When he had been a baby and small and weak, James had grown quickly and had had to take care of him, to be careful. Just like his brother had had to mind him, so had Willow to now mind his older brother. Now it would be Willow's turn to grow big faster and get stronger while James would take a little longer and need extra help. It seemed like a fair trade to him for not having wings.

"I can hear him!" James thrilled happily, a pretty sound that had Willow's lips curving in a smile.

"You see? Lady didn't hurt him all that bad, she just wanted to play. She needs to be taught that

she's bigger and stronger and can't be so rough with others. Like us."

"So she's not a bad cat?"

Willow shook his head. As much as he disliked the feline's clingy nature and her tendency to hack up all over the kitchen floor, she was not a bad cat. She was a creature far more affectionate than most others of her kind and with a pretty coat of white that James had fallen in love with the moment his Papa and Apa had taken them to the shelter to pick out an animal. "Lady's a good cat, she just needs a stern talking to. Be sure to do that, 'kay?"

Willow watched James nod his head, mouth set in a determined line, before he stood tall and marched back into the house. The bronze haired boy watched him with a smile before slanting a look at the eight year old lounged silently in the hammock his Sire had strung between two trees.

"Are you still alive, Annabelle?"

Lazy silver eyes peered over the edge of the silken material, one pale hand gripping the hammock to prevent it tipping over. She peered at her brother for one eerily long moment, white-blonde hair almost blinding in the golden daylight. Just as Willow had begun not to expect an answer she poked her head higher and stuck her tongue out in his direction, silver eyes scowling as she slunk lower in her outdoor haven, a book the size of which would make Aunt Hermione proud clutched in her small hands.

His sister was a terrifying creature at the best of times, Willow rolled his eyes, and she didn't even have scales or wings to make her anymore scary than she needed to be when James and Willow disturbed her peace or tackled her playfully.

###

Harry snorted into the chest of the man stood beside him before darting his eyes back to the window that showed a perfect view of their back garden and the fenced area Baro had created when Willow had begun to toddle.

"Did you see her face? Merlin, where have I seen that look before?"

Erin grinned, pale blue eyes locked on the twelve year old that was crawling steadily closer to the unsuspecting girl in the hammock, his green eyes alight with glee and a bowl of water clutched in his hands. "That'd be Enka when Baro tells him to turn the light beside the bed off and go to sleep before he takes all his books away."

"Awwwww," Harry mimicked Enka's delicate whine, simpering lightly and cuddling as close to Erin as he could get, "But... But Baro, surely you wouldn't take my books, would you? I adore them more than I adore the stars..."

Erin grabbed the smaller man around the waist growling a playful growl low in his throat and casting the towel he had been using to dry the ware aside. "Don't give me that look, Enka, flower, you know that is incredibly unfair of you... I want only for your pretty eyes not to be damaged, beloved." Erin's silken tones deepened to mimic Baro's sultry voice, sounding vaguely as though the blonde had something caught in his throat.

Harry pressed himself bodily against the taller submissive, breaking out in a loud sigh and dropping his head back to let his jet black waves spill against his back. "Oh, Baro... I adore you more than I adore both my stars and my books. Let us go romp in whatever room is devoid of children until the house shakes with my cries of pleasure." Erin stiffened, his lips clamping shut over a snort of laughter as he stared down into Harry's eyes.

"Who says 'romp'?"

Harry felt his chest heaving with the force of trying to hold back his chuckles, his eyes watering until Erin suddenly grinned and winked at him, his lips parting in a very human, very cartoonish growl of appreciation. Their howling laughter paused for the briefest moment as the back door slammed open and a blur of bronze and golden-tinted skin darted past, fleeing from the room not a second later than it took for a very wet and furious looking Annabelle to stride through the kitchen, her silver eyes alight with murder and her petite form stalling only long enough to grab the wooden spoon from the table.

"That's going to end well." Erin smiled pleasantly, turning his back on the scene to retrieve his towel, one finger hooked in the band of Harry's trousers to prevent his young mate from running off after them. Harry whined, a genuine sound.

"Erin, she'll hurt him and he'll hurt her and what if they wake the twins?"

"That's what mates are for." Erin answered with a grin, tossing a stack of dried plates at Harry so that the dark haired man had no choice but to grab for them and turn towards the cupboards. "If Theo and Myvi cannot prevent one war between their own offspring, they are in no fit state to teach battle and defence to other kids."

There was a sudden clatter and a disconcerting yelp from a rather squeaky voice that sounded further into the house and Erin paused before shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "And if Enka and Baro cannot take one second from their paperwork and rest time to care for a pair of woken four month olds then they don't deserve rest or time off work."

He paused, blonde brow quirking at the silence before an ear-splitting wail sounded through the house, quickly followed by a second. The blonde nodded his head as though satisfied, wincing when his fingers had to clench in the material of Harry's shirt to stop him responding to the inhuman cries of the infants. He huffed as he dragged a chair across the tiled floor, sitting down and all but dragging his younger mate onto his lap and holding him there.

"Trust them, Harry. C'mon, beautiful, we've been working on this. Let go of some of the load, ok?"

Harry relented, quieting his whining at the sound of his two beautiful boys shrieking, alone and afraid in their cots, their greeny-grey eyes screwed shut and their brilliant blue scales no doubt clashing with their rosy cheeks and skin, midnight dark hair curled with sleep. He sat frozen, lips trembling for one awfully long second before the cries suddenly cut off and a peal of laughter had him straightening in Erin's lap. A comforting growl answered that giggle, another deeper one forcing a chuckle from the larger baby before the sound of movement upstairs had him relaxing backwards.

"Sorry, Erin. I panicked."

"Like you always do." The blonde replied with a grin, wrinkling his nose as he drew the smaller male back to nuzzle against his neck. Harry smiled, fingers gripping Erin's arm where it wrapped around his waist as the sound of small feet entered the kitchen. Harry cracked one green eye to see James smiling up at him, a fluffy white cat clutched in his small hands.

He was the equivalent of a ten year old and it bewildered Harry still how strange the aging process was for Dragonettes. For seven years he had grown and stretched and, come the eight, hit puberty and woken in the night sniffling and sore to wings nearly twice his size and a sudden decline in speech. It had taken two years before he had begun to learn to speak once more, managing both his primary instincts and a more human practice of asking questions and learning a routine. After four years, the boy could finally speak in sentences once more and had no longer needed the tutor Mureen had assigned for him. He had not aged since that night and would not begin to for another six years. By the time his baby brother Willow was eighteen and searching for a career, James would only be the equivalent of a thirteen year old boy.

It was a process that baffled and confused him to this day. Though, where it had once upset him to know James would not go to school and study as normal but instead take on an advanced tutor to learn; Harry had come to terms with it and could not deny that the process had done no harm to either Baro or Enka. In a way, it seemed almost like a small gift. Where the child had grown too swiftly from his infancy and baby bottles, the sweet-faced preteen would be around for a lot longer and retain an innocence he was sure Willow would lose in the next six years.

Harry gripped the child under the arms to pull him into his lap, cuddling both James and their little cat close as Erin chuckled at him. Harry swept pale blonde hair away from the boy's forehead. "What're you up to, sweetheart?"

James smiled at his Papa before holding the cat out to Harry. "I was telling Lady that she must be careful with things smaller than herself, like Willow told me to, Apa. We must be nice 'cause we forget how strong we are sometimes."

"Very true." Erin's grin softened to a smile, his hand reaching out to scratch the feline's head before pulling James close to kiss his forehead. "Your brother's a smart boy and you are too for understanding. How's about we let Lady out back for a bit, hmm?"

Harry wormed his way from the blonde's lap, setting their son on his feet and smiling at the pair before wandering off towards the main body of the house. The living room was empty, the television flashing a bright cartoon and the sound muted. The dark haired man sighed as he made his way down the main hall towards the training room.

In the room lit by so many windows and the panels of light that hung from the ceiling, Harry grinned at the picture before him of Annabelle held in Myvi's punishing hold, his dominant's blue eyes hard as she listened to the snappy blonde child recite the family rule written on the wall beside the training pads.

"Family must not hurt one another. We are blood, we are kin, we are one." Annabelle sniffled, lips pouting as she kicked her legs in Myvi's hold, no longer looking to be free but the idle swing of a child who understood that they had been bold. "Mama, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit him but he got me all wet."

"Wet clothes can be dried. Jokes can be dealt with and the joker can be punished if he has caused harm." Myvi's low voice sounded out, her blue eyes softening as she looked down at the tiny little girl with Erin's blonde locks and Enka's silver eyes, "what cannot be fixed is trust broken by violence and cruelty. You reacted in hurt with anger and that is wrong, especially to your sibling. You could have seriously hurt him, Belle."

Harry's eyes flicked from where Annabelle sniffled regretfully to where Theo sat on a cushioned mat, Willow's small form wedged between his legs as he pressed gentle fingers to the rapidly swelling bump on the boy's forehead, no doubt caused by the wooden spoon discarded on the floor. Willow was sniffling, curled against his Sire's chest in a momentary lapse of maturity and throwing Annabelle hurt-filled glares as Theo soothed him and rubbed his back.

"I'm s-sorry W-Will... Willow," Annabelle wailed, kicking out with her legs until Myvi put her down and she raced to her brother's side, curling up in what they all knew was merely a temporary show of love and affection; Annabelle was a being far too content with her own company not to try and drive her siblings away at times. Still, Willow smiled down at her, green eyes ever forgiving as he pulled the little blonde against him and kissed her forehead.

Harry backed away with a smile, hand scrubbing against his nose as he made his way back to the hall and turned suddenly to swing onto the landing. Slender hands gripped his middle, hauling him upwards until he sat perched against someone, thighs spread to each of the Dragonette's hips as a low growl of approval met his ears.

"Baro! Put me down!"

Baro merely chuckled, blood red hair pulled in a loose plait that let strands frame his pale face and violet eyes flicking first to Harry and then to Enka as the smaller Dragonette moved past him with a baby cradled in each arm. Harry huffed as he was carried like his children back to the empty sitting room and dropped into the plush couch he and Erin spent most evenings in. He grinned, spreading his arms wide as one baby was given to him and then the other, their chatter-like noises drawing a coo from his own lips.

Beren shrieked up at him, green eyes flashing grey as he slapped his hands against Harry's chest and hoisted himself into an almost sitting position, his lips spread to show off his toothless gums. The larger of the two boys had a smattering of azure-blue scales across his right eye, bright and alluring as Baro's vivid red but with a shimmer not unlike the silver scales that decorated Enka's pale thighs and bled to white above his knees.

Olyn, the smaller twin and often the quieter of the pair, had no visible scales beyond the faint baby blue in the centre of his palms. His wings, however, were a shade darker than his brother's and he played with the edge of one happily where he lounged against his Papa's chest, eyes still dull with sleep.

"My beautiful boys."

Harry gave an indignant whine as Olyn was suddenly grabbed from his chest, Erin's mouth coming down to land on his before the blonde stalked away with a simple: "He's my beautiful boy, yes he is, yes he is!"

"We did not gain two puppies, Erin, precious, please do refrain from coddling the children."

The blonde snorted, sticking his tongue out at Baro and clutching the baby close as he settled himself in the new loveseat they had acquired only four months ago when Harry had gone into labour and broken his waters all over the old one without even realising it. Enka stole the second infant before settling in beside the blonde, his silver eyes bright as he wrapped the baby in slender arms and listened to Beren talk nonsensical sounds in his ear.

Harry felt himself leave the chair enough so that Baro's body could scoot beneath his own, his torso twisting to lean his head against his Dragonette's chest. The rumbling purr eased his muscles as nothing else could, drawing a sigh from his lips as he cuddled closer. Nothing could draw away from this perfect moment that was his life. Never before had he been happier nor could he ever imagine himself with a life devoid of the people and children now around him. Everything was perfect.

"Oh, Baro," Erin's voice cut across his peaceful haze suddenly, drawing a narrowed glare from the green eyed man.

"Yes, Erin?"

"Harry was wondering if you'd fancy a romp later."

###

A/N: This story is, as of now, complete. However, I do think I'll be coming back to it at a later date, either with one-shots dealing with life with Harry's mateship or add-ons that occur after the epilogue. I just want to thank everyone that reviewed and had such an interest in this story. For those who were kind of disappointed by the lack of smut, I'll be creating an AO3 account soon that will have added bits. Thanks again people and I hope you enjoyed it ^^