The Age of The Masrui

“I’m sorry I’ve not made you feel like a priority, I’m so sorry.” Caliban rubbed her back gently. “I promise... I promise from now on you and the kids are the priority, like you should’ve been all along.”

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“Have you not spoken to your therapist since it all happened?”

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“Happy...” Astrid smiled softly, kissing her daughters forehead before offering her over to River.

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Bella moved her hands to the hem of his tshirt, pulling it up and off over his head as she ran her hand down his chest.

"I may as well move in with my therapist," Sienna snorted, "After however many years the uses of them wear off, especially things like this - no exercises or change of mind sets is ever going to fix this."

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River just raised an eyebrow, taking the baby off of Astrid and cradling her close to her chest.

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Darya nodded subtly.

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"Do you want this?" Ronan breathed, "You keep thinking you do and then you get nervous."

“I want it, I need you.” Bella nodded, gently pushing him towards the sofa and straddling him once he was down, moving to kiss him deeply again.

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“We’ve all got names that aren’t exactly Jessica or Chloe or James or David mm?” Astrid laughed softly. “Not saying we want her name out there... Levi’s name is special to us and we want hers to be special too...”

Dane rested his chin on River’s shoulder, turning to kiss her cheek gently.

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“I know I’ve let you down, but I’m here... and I’ll do what I can...”

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“What do you need from me Sienna?”

"Just stay here for a while, lets just... rest." Darya whispered, closing her eyes as she added quietly; "I'm tired with you being back and forth so much, so you must be exhausted too."

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"A - A hug would be nice."

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River lifted her gaze up to offer Dane a warm smile, before scanning the room and nodding towards a photo on the side of her and Reid's mother in suggestion.

"Sophia... means Wisdom more than Happy and it isn't really out there but...." Reid grimaced. "I suppose the meaningful thing works."

River passed the baby to Dane then so she could sign; Levi is for Astrid's family, we should get something for ours.

(( Brb. My brother just got a new car so I need to go and see what it is like ))

Felix hesitated before opening his arms out to her.

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“We can rest now, we’ll turn the alarms off for the morning mm? Just sleep as long as we need.”

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“Sophia is beautiful.” Astrid nodded with a small smile, turning to Reid. “If you don’t want to, if it’s too painful hearing her name it’s okay though, we can honor your mother another way.

“I don’t think naming a baby is competition, love.” Dane chuckled, though nodded with the sentiment. “I had no input with Rhys, Bella named him entirely but I wasn’t bothered, I liked the names.” He hummed as he gently cradled the baby.

Everything is a competition, silly. River signed with a quiet laugh before turning her attention onto Reid and Astrid once again; She looks like a Sophia too me.

"Sophia, we can... yeah." Reid whispered with a small nod. "If that is okay with everyone. I don't want to be bulldozing the name decision."

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"That sounds perfect."

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Sienna stepped forward into the space his arms offered, slipping her arms around him and resting her chin on top of his shoulder gently.

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"Mm, okay." Ronan hummed, tilting his head to the side to kiss down her neck.

“As long as you’re okay with it, hearing it, I think it’s a beautiful name.” Astrid smiled.

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“I’m sorry for neglecting you.” Caliban kissed her forehead gently. “You are important to me, don’t ever think otherwise.”

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Bella tilted her head back, breath catching in her throat before she moved to pull her top off, throwing it to the floor.

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Felix wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.

"You're just trying to be good to everyone, be around for everyone; like you always do." Darya whispered, "It is part of who you are, I feel terrible for complaining about it."

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"Okay then," Reid whispered, smiling warmly then. "Sophia it is."

River grinned, clapping her hands together in excitement. I can't wait to take her out shopping. Her, Esme and I can have full days out - nails, hair, dresses, afternoon tea.

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Ronan ran his fingertips down her side as they faded to black together.

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"I've missed you..."

“We’re a team, and I’ve not been acting like it.” Caliban shook his head. “I’m here for you to complain at, to, about... don’t feel awful.”

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“I’ve missed you too…”

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“Sophia…” Astrid nodded with a grin.

“Oh here she goes.” Dane laughed, moving to sit down on the armchair.

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“I love you...” Bella breathed after as she lay with her head on his chest in their bed. “More than you’ll ever know...”

"How have you been? How is school - what have you been doing other than school? Update me... Tell me everything." Sienna whispered, closing her eyes.

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"I love you too, Bells." Ronan whispered, smoothing her hair down gently.

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Darya brushed her thumb against his knuckles quietly, whispering, "It was just a really bad day.. Ollie going missing, and then your fit later that night. I thought I was going to lose both of you, all in one day and... you say its fine and none of it was a big deal but it was - it all was."

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You wait until we have a kid. You don't even know 'here she goes' yet. River signed with a grin.

"Mm, you two are going to get that serious?"

“It’s scary for me too... but we just have to try and act like it isn’t so the kids don’t click on... I’m hoping the medication I’m on will stop it happening again.”

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“We’re gonna be okay aren’t we?” Bella asked quietly, tilting her head up to look at him.

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“We’ve spoken about it. I already have Rhys so if River decided she didn’t want any that would’ve been okay, and she didn’t at first, but she’s warming up to the idea.” Dane smiled brightly. “But we are already that serious Reid. I know we kept it quiet but we were together for a year before everything happened, then a year off - not through our choice - and now another year on. We’ve been serious for ages.”

"Why are we acting like it isn't when it is only us then, I understand it with the children but why aren't we being open with each other? You could die, one of those could kill you..."

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"Of course we are, we're just readjusting that's all... it isn't a big deal."

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"I didn't mean that you weren't." Reid grimaced. "There are just levels, that's all. I could never picture River properly settled down with anyone. It's... bizarre."

“Because if I die now I’m leaving them behind, you behind. My sister, my brothers...” Caliban shook his head, “I don’t want to think about dying Darya. Not when I wasted so much time without you and we’ve only just started our lives together. I don’t want to think about leaving you.”

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“What do you need from me?” Bella asked as she propped herself up to look at him properly, taking his hand and bringing it to her lips, kissing the palm of his hand.

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“Well I’m here and we’re settled.” Dane shrugged. “We’ve discussed everything, marriage, kids, all of it. You never saw her settling down before because she didn’t have the right person to settle down with, now she does.” He reached for Rivers hand with a smile.

"We have to, we have to. It is on both of our minds, we can't pretend like it isn't. At least if we talk about it then we can stop lingering on it. We need to talk about what happened, we need to talk about what will happen if it happens again."

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"Just time, patience - nothing that you don't have plenty of. I just want you to be happy, Bella.. I - I can't cope with this not talking to me thing you've been doing. It just builds up then. Feels like we are two separate beings and it hasn't felt like that in a long time."

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"Just... don't hurt her." Reid whispered. "Please."

“Don’t do to me what they did to Dane... don’t leave me like that. If it happens.” Caliban swallowed thickly then. “I know he woke up but most people, literally everyone else, doesn’t wake up like that... I don’t want the world to stop around me if it ends up like that. Just... let me go. A few weeks if the kids need time to say goodbye but don’t have it be any longer. My will is up to date anyway, I review it all the time - just in case, I’ve always done it...”

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“Just didn’t wanna put on you when you’ve just come back to me.” Bella rested her hand over his heart. “You’re the other half of me...”

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“I’ve no intention of hurting your sister.” Dane assured, squeezing River’s hand gently. “I love her.”

"Just give up on you? I - No.. no Cal." Darya mumbled, shaking her head in the negative as she squeezed his hand gently. "I wouldnt be able to do that."

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"Mm, that is very soppy." Ronan laughed quietly at that.

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River smiled warmly.

“Darya nothing scares me more than the thought of being held in limbo for the rest of my life like that. Of holding you all in limbo like that... if it happens I need you to let me go.”

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“You knew I was soppy before you fell in love with me, had kids with me and married me.” Bella grinned, leaning up and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. “And you did it all anyway, so only yourself to blame for the lifetime of soppiness left.”

"And if I give the okay to turn machines off when there was a chance you'd be okay? Miracles happen.. look at your brother. Look at the amount of times he has had to be put in a coma and woken up. I-" Darya swallowed thickly, sitting herself up and putting her head in her hands. "I can't lose you. I couldn't raise twins without you."

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Ronan laughed quietly, kissing her back gently. "We should roll out of bed before all the kids get home, hm? Make ourselves look more appropriate."

"And if I give the okay to turn machines off when there was a chance you'd be okay? Miracles happen.. look at your brother. Look at the amount of times he has had to be put in a coma and woken up. I-" Darya swallowed thickly, sitting herself up and putting her head in her hands. "I can't lose you. I couldn't raise twins without you."

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Ronan laughed quietly, kissing her back gently. "We should roll out of bed before all the kids get home, hm? Make ourselves look more appropriate."

“And with everything on our side you won’t have to - you’re the one that wanted to talk about this Darya.”

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“We could,” Bella hummed, kissing him again gently. “Or we could do something else...”

"It's things we need to talk about, that's why." Darya whispered, "We should of done it ages ago, it's important. I wouldn't of known your preferences with life support and things.. now I do. What about.. what about funerals? Any preference there?"

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"Like what?" He hummed against her lips.

“No, none. Do what you want with my body once I’m gone, just don’t do any of that weird shit like get a tattoo with my ashes.” Caliban grimaced. “And don’t scatter me somewhere public either where some poor guy is probably gonna get dust on his ice cream; always thought it was inconsiderate when people just rocked up to the beach and shook a urn out.”

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Bella moved to tangle her hands in his hair, deepening the kiss.

"I'll have to call up my tattooist and tell him the deal is off then." She laughed humourlessly. Leaning down and resting her head on his chest once again.

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"Oh..." Ronan hummed.

“Don’t bury or burn me with my rings... you’ve got my moms ring, I would’ve liked to have worn my dads but he insisted on keeping all his shit with him.” Caliban smoothed her hair down gently. “Grace keeps hers and Aidens on the chain together doesn’t she, Margot still wears her wedding ring and has Caius’ locked in the vault in the office... do what you want with mine - give it to the kids or keep it and wear it or just keep it safe but it’ll be no use in the ground with me... what is it you want, with all of it?”

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Bella laughed softly, pulling him closer as she faded to black with him.

"Memorial tree.. not a huge garden or a stupid bench or something, a tree. I want a tree buried, wherever my body ends up - ashes or otherwise." Darya whispered. "When my father died he wanted to be spread at some pretty national park but we could never find the spot again so it is next to impossible to ever go back. I like the idea of people having somewhere to go."