You're what? (Griff)

[Caitrin de Archer]

It had taken Caitrin longer than usual to get to the estate. Of course usually she would have just borrowed one of the horses from the stables, but she couldn’t this time as her condition prevented it. She had just walked back home, it was a lovely morning after all and Caitrin did enjoy walking, especially seeing as the walk allowed her time to collect her thoughts. Arthur had been quite understanding, even in his frame of mind, and hadn’t really put any pressure on her to explain exactly why she hadn’t told Griff the news before she had shared it with her friend. She had appreciated that really, because she couldn’t really explain why she hadn’t told Griff yet. It wasn’t that she was worried about telling him because of his reaction, because she was sure (or she at least hoped) that he would be thrilled with the news. They hadn’t spoken much about having a family after what had happened following Morgana’s downfall. It had hurt too much to contemplate a family after they had had a child cruelly snatched away from them. Admitting that she was pregnant to Griff was almost like making the situation real, with all the risks that came with that. Caitrin knew not all pregnancies ran smoothly, and she had already been subjected to that hardship. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to go through that again.

As Caitrin pushed the door open to the manor, one of the servants rushed forwards to take her travelling cloak off her. “Where is my husband?” Caitrin asked softly and the servant gestured towards the solar,

“In the solar with my Lord Rouland.” Caitrin inwardly groaned, what on earth was Griff doing in close proximity to her Uncle? Half of her life was now spent separating the pair. She nodded to the servant who then rushed off to complete the rest of her duties. Then Caitrin just stayed very still for a few moments. The feelings of hurt at her previous pregnancy were slowly ebbing away in her mind. In her place were feelings of hope, and excitement about this new life; hers and Griff’s child. It would give them something else to focus on and completed the rather dysfunctional family under her Uncle’s roof. She grinned to herself and ran a hand over her face, half overcome with the final realisation that there was this life within her, and in a few months she would be able to hold her child in her new arms. It was a new life, who could ever be upset about such a thing? Both hands ran over her newly swollen belly as she felt genuine excitement pulse through her. There was so much to look forwards to, and she could experience it all with Griff by her side.

Finally gathering up her courage, and compelled onwards by her own feelings of euphoria and pure excitement, Caitrin walked forwards and pushed the door of the solar open. Both men looked up at her, but her Uncle raised her eye brow at her. She couldn’t bet on it, but she was sure his eyes dropped to her belly before rising back up to her eyes. She was about to tell him to leave but she noticed what was in his hand and groaned outwardly,

“Uncle its midday.” Caitrin pointed out and Rouland took another swig of his wine, as if he was making a point,

“Well then I only have half the day in which to drink left.” He shrugged and Caitrin rolled her eyes but decided this was getting a bit off topic really,

“I need to speak with my husband.” Rouland didn’t seem fazed by this statement and just stayed where he was, and continued to drink his wine. “Alone.” She finished off, ready to pull him out of the seat herself. Jesu this was hard enough without him making it worse. Rouland took the hint begrudgingly and rose himself out of his chair, taking his wine with him, and left the solar promptly. Caitrin watched him go and then turned her eyes back to Griff and her gaze softened as a smile pursed her lips. “Griff we need to talk.” Was all that she could think to say, even though that was probably the worst thing she could have possibly said. However she was smiling so he must have known that it was nothing bad. Until he thought to answer she just looked on at him, remembering just how much she loved him, and how excited she was to be starting this family with him. This would be their family; she was sure that Griff would make a fantastic father, why wouldn’t he be?

Timeline: After Lancelot du Lac
Tags: Griff Aubert
Location: The Solar
Time of Day: Midday
Song: The King and Queen- The Three Musketeers OST
Notes: It nearly turned into flungst; you know what I'm like[/size]

[Griff Aubert]

Griff would have been a hell of a lot more grateful for Caitrin's interruption and dismissal of her uncle if she hadn't started with "we need to talk". He knew enough about women to know that was code for "I'm about to say something really bad, and it's all your fault." She was smiling though, which was...confusing. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to work out was going on. Obviously whatever she had to say was important, so he stood up because she was stood up too, but ended up feeling really awkward. If it was that important they should probably sit - that was what people were supposed to do when important news was being said, but he couldn't just sit down again so was stuck in a sort of sitting-standing limbo and was once again cursing his many limbs and his inability to know what to do with them. Fabulous, now he looked like he was attempting to dance. This is why Caitrin should know better than to tell him things.

Eventually his arms stopped moving of his own accord, and he scratched his neck, because he clearly wasn't showing he was nervous enough already. He needed to stop fidgeting now, because Caitrin would probably laugh at him, or at least make some comment. Unless the information was as bad as he was no expecting, in which case there probably wasn't going to be any laughing. Anyway. Focus. "Right...erm...yes, talking, right...is there anything...wrong?" His voice was slightly higher than usual. This was going well. This better be damn big news, otherwise he was getting himself into a (rather embarrassing) state over nothing.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin was sure that this would all go well, but for now she felt incredibly nervous. At least she had got rid of her Uncle; that was the important thing. She could break the news to him later. She was sure he would be thrilled at the prospect of having children in the house. Really he would just have to get used to it because there was no way of preventing it now.

Caitrin raised an eye brow at Griff as he seemed to be stuck between sitting and standing. She could have helped him into a standing position, but it was so much more amusing to watch him in the state he was in. He was panicking before she'd even told him what was wrong. Caitrin wasn't exactly sure that putting him out of his misery was going to calm him down at all. And he was scratching his neck. Throughout all the time Caitrin had known Griff, she had learnt that that was one of the tell tale signs that he was incredibly nervous. Although it probably wouldn't help at all, Caitrin couldn't suppress a small laugh and walked over to her husband with ease.

Trying not to laugh again at the tone of Griff's voice, Caitrin shook her head softly and took one of Griff's hands in her own; looking down at their entwined fingers before looking back up at her husband. She half just wanted to tell him to calm down; it wasn't often that he was this nervous and the occasion was a rarity. However, as amusing as Caitrin found this situation, she didn't really like seeing Griff like this. Her own nerves were growing so she decided not to draw out this affair and decided to go for the more blunt approach. It would probably be safer for them both that way.

Breaking her hand away from his Caitrin began to feel slightly nervous again and she dropped her eyes from her husbands and just placed them at the floor. Right; now what? She took one of Griff's hands in hers and placed it on her newly swollen belly; so his palm was extended across it. Before he could protest, Caitrin looked up at him as her face broke out into a warm smile, "Griff, I'm pregnant."

[Griff Aubert]

Right. Well. Um. He could handle this. This was something he was able to handle. This was not going to make him panic. He wasn't panicking. That would be ridiculous. There was no reason at all to panic because maybe he'd just heard her wrong. Yes, that was it. She'd probably said something like "Griff I'm negligent" which didn't make any sort of sense, but this was Caitrin so there wasn't any need for sense. The fact that she'd put his hand against her abdomen wasn't helping matters. In fact it was probably making him panic more. Right. Focus. Not being helpful in any way.

He'd been staring at her for what was probably not a good amount of time. Words needed to come out of his mouth but it just wasn't happening. He couldn't be a father! He wouldn't know what to do. He'd probably drop them or forget to feed them and he'd definitely forget what they were called and then they'd grow up with insecurities and issues just like he did and then go out and flirt with anything and it would all be a never ending cycle. He was probably panicking now. "Y-you're pregnant?" This was fine. He was fine. This was nothing to worry about. "As in...you know...pregnant...right. Can I have a minute?" He pulled his hand away and walked a few paces away from her. His arms had started off folded against his chest, but almost immediately his hand had started stretching at his neck again.

This was happening. He was going to be a father. He was going to have a family with Caitrin. This should be exciting and happy and feel like the sun in the middle of winter, but he couldn't help but think about Caitrin's miscarriage. It had been a year, but the emotions were still raw, he still found himself wondering what it would have been like. And here was his chance. Here was Caitrin telling him they were going to have a child, reassuring him that there was always something good. When he turned back to look at his wife he was no longer panicking quite so much - although he was still convinced he was going to drop them - and a smile was trying to break through as he was still biting his lip. But his hand was no longer fidgeting so he walked back to Caitrin, back to his wife, back to this wonderful woman and put his arms around her waist to hold her close to him. "I'm going to be a father...this is going to be fine though, isn't it? I mean...we are more than capable of keeping a life...alive, aren't we?"

[Caitrin de Archer]

For a few moments there was nothing but silence, and Caitrin felt her eyes widen; Jesu, had something changed? Did he not want a child after all? She bit her bottom lip nervously, and just found herself staring back at him rather unhelpfully. For a few moments Caitrin was worried that Griff was angry with her, or perhaps that he didn’t want the child. But then when he spoke she felt herself relax. He had just been shocked, really, Caitrin should have been ready for that. After all, she had had days to get her head around the news, but she had only really given Griff about five seconds to process the news before jumping to a conclusion. She nodded as he repeated her words back to her. Yes, she was pregnant, Jesu it felt like it had been a long struggle to lead them to this point. Griff would soon become a father, the father of their child. Catrin half took a step forwards to embrace him but stopped as he broke off, asking for a few moments to gather his thoughts.

From where she was stood, and now that she was relaxed, Caitrin couldn’t help but grin at her husband’s reaction. She put her palms together and rested them on her lips, trying to suppress a laugh, “Well what did you expect was going to happen?” She jested, her words too entwined with her laughter to ever be considered seriously. Of course she was merely jesting about the intimacy of their relationship more than anything else. It hadn’t seemed to lead to anything in the past, well apart from her miscarriage, but now she could relax because she was pregnant, and there was nothing more to worry about. Since her miscarriage, Caitrin had always had the sense of hindsight, what if the child had survived? She would be stood here a mother now, instead of worrying about her husbands reaction to her condition. It now seemed like that entire event was getting blurred in her thoughts. It still hurt, Jesu it hurt to think of the child that could have been. However, perhaps now was the time to focus on this new life, with Griff. He was here with her now, and she loved him more than anything else. It felt natural for them to be in this situation together. They could do things so differently this time, she was sure she could get through these months as long as he stayed by her side.

Caitrin just felt a wide smile break out across her face as her husband walked back towards her. He was still panicking, which shouldn’t have amused Caitrin as much as it did, but she rubbed her hand over her belly proudly before raising her eyes back to lock with her husband’s. “And I’ll be a mother," she pointed out, beaming as she said it. Of course it felt like she was already a mother as she was the one carrying the child, however until she actually held their child, it almost didn’t feel real in a way. She slipped her arms around Griff and pulled him closer towards her so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. “Well, we’ve managed to keep ourselves alive.” She chuckled and kissed the exposed skin at Griff’s neck softly, “I’m sure that you will make a fantastic father, but if you are worried, we only have a few months to put your mind at ease.” Caitrin probably should have noticed that she was pregnant before she had hit around the four month mark, but she hadn’t wanted to presume anything; it had felt safer that way. Then again, the physician had been unsure exactly how far along she was, as he believed it was somewhere around the four to five month mark. That was neither here nor there though, the important thing to Caitrin was that Griff was by her side during her pregnancy. She knew he would make a fantastic father, she just had to make him see that.

[Griff Aubert]

If this makes no gramatical sense it's because I was too busy grooving to Elvis Costello.

The news was still being digested completely, but then that was hardly surprising. It wasn't every day Griff was informed that he was going to be a parent. He had to keep repeating it in his head. In a few months time he'd be a father. He'd have a child, a proper family with Caitrin. It all seemed so surreal. Obviously he was aware that this could happen - he wasn't that much of an idiot, he just wasn't expecting it. It was all rather a lot to take in, especially when one was as...well, Griff had never been famed for his maturity and ability to deal with adult situations. And now he'd just been thrown into one - a happy one, no matter how terrifying it was, it was always a happy situation - and he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He wasn't quite sure what to say either, but he had to say something more encouraging than "Can we keep this thing alive?".

Somehow Caitrin was managing to calm him down just by putting her arms around his neck. Even he didn't know how that worked, but he was definitely grateful for it. She seemed to have a nack for that sort of thing. What she clearly wasn't very good at was not over-estimating his future abilities as a father. In the few moments since she'd told him the news, he'd already managed to convince himself that he shouldn't ever be left alone with the baby. He could barely look after himself. "That's not all that convincing." He replied. It probably wasn't the reaction she was hoping for, but it was the one she was going to get. It was going to take a lot more than her just telling him that he would be a good father to make him believe it. She'd be a wonderful mother, of that he was certain, and he'd just stand in the background trying to not get in the way.

He was aware that he wasn't being terribly enthusiastic about this. In fact, the only emotion he was openly displaying was panic. He didn't want Caitrin to think that panic was his only reaction. It might have been his first, and at the moment it was his most prominent, but it certainly wasn't the only one. Griff wasn't exactly one for understanding his emotions at the best of times, and he certainly wasn't one for expressing them, but this was Caitrin so he was going to at least attempt to express himself. "I'm not...dealing with this very well." That was, of course, an excellent start. "I mean...what I'm trying to say, is that yes, I'm terrified. But I'm also just...happy." There. He'd said it. "We're going to have a family," for a moment his mind wandered to memories of Caitrin's first pregnancy, the child that had been taken away from them, and he decided that nothing was going to happen to this one. That simply wasn't going to happen. "We're going to have a family," he repeated and then added, "And I won't let anything stop that."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin faltered slightly as Griff told her that her words weren’t exactly convincing. She had hoped it would stop him being so panicky, because she really didn’t want to remember this moment like this; with Griff embracing the news rather than panicking about it. What Caitrin found the most irritating about his panicking was that she wouldn’t be able to put his mind at ease until she actually handed their baby over to him. She had no other way of convincing him otherwise that he would be a good father. “You’ll be fine when the baby is here.” She was trying to sound reassuring but she felt quite sad in a way as well that Griff was so convinced that he wasn’t going to be the father she knew he could be. Caitrin caressed the back of her hand against her husband’s cheek; it was only a small intimate gesture, but she just wanted him to know that she believed in him, even if he didn’t.

It was quite obvious that Griff wasn’t handling this news well at all. For one, he wasn’t giving a particularly encouraging reaction. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting from Griff, but she had expected him to be happier than this. She downcast her eyes for a few moments as he spoke, but raised them again as he said that he was happy. “Do you need another few moments?” She asked with a soft wink, because clearly the first go had not given Griff enough time to come to terms with the fact he was going to be a father.

She smiled at Griff and began to rest her head gently on his shoulder, just enjoying being so close to him before he spoke again. Caitrin looked back up at her husband for a few moments, and really considered his words. Biting her lip, she just buried her head into his arm, and slipped her arms around his waist just to keep him there, “Is that a promise?” She asked with a wide smile. She hadn’t ever heard Griff quite so determined about anything before, but of course the memory of the miscarriage was still pulling at the back of her mind and she supposed it must have been in her husband’s thoughts as well. It would be so different this time though, they would get through this together, instead of being isolated. She was sure that he would support her through her pregnancy, and even if he didn’t believe it yet, she knew he would make a fantastic father. Drawing back from Griff slightly, she placed her hands on his hips and just looked up at him, showing him how proud she was to be carrying their child, and after a few moments she finally braced her words, “I love you.”

Really she didn’t tell Griff enough that she loved him, she could probably count on one hand the amount of times it had passed either of their lips. It wasn’t because they didn’t love each other any less, it was almost like sometimes it didn’t need to be said, sometimes they knew from the look they were given, or an action, or something like that. But now it was important, they were both on the edge of quite a large change in both of their lives, and she wanted Griff to know right here and now that she loved him, and that she would never stop loving him.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff simply nodded at her words. He still wasn't convinced - it was going to take a lot more than a few words from her to make him feel any more confident, but he decided to say no more about and just accept what she was saying, otherwise they'd end up going round in circles. The only way they were truly going to find out what kind of parents they were going to be was by actually doing it, which was a rather terrifying thought. Neither of them had particularly fond memories of growing up or loving parents, something that obviously filled him with even more confidence.

"Do you need another few moments?"

No, he didn't need another few moments, he needed many, many moments, preferably alone to gather his thoughts but she was winking at him which meant she'd only tease him if he said yes. She had a habit of doing that sort of thing, a rather irritating one. "No, no it's just a shock is all. But a good one," he replied, a genuine smile across his lips, "A very good one." In all honesty, once he got passed the sheer panic and feelings of inadequacy, he was beginning to become rather excited at the prospect of being a father - having a Mini Griff to train would no doubt be a constant source of entertainment. Caitrin would just love that which gave him all the more incentive to do it.

He ran a hand through her hair as they both stood there, just content being with each other and thinking about their future, about their family and it was not for the first time that Griff found himself thinking just how lucky he was to have Caitrin - mad, stubborn, fantastic Caitrin to brighten his days - and nights, of course. As she spoke, a smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Have I ever gone back on a promise?" There was a pause as he considered his own question, "On an important promise." He corrected himself quickly because no doubt she'd only list all the time he had indeed gone back on a promise but those weren't proper promises so it didn't matter and he was going to talk to Lucan about the-

"I love you."

And just like that all the thoughts disappeared from his head and all that mattered, all that he was aware of was Caitrin. He'd never understand how just those three simple words said by her could have such an effect on him, but then maybe that was the beauty of it. They just did, not understanding necessary. "I love you too, Cait. Always will."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin knew Griff would make a good father, it would take some more persuading than her just telling him, and of course it might take a while for him to settle after the birth, but she had faith in him. Well, this was his baby as well, so he would have to have some input into the child’s life, and any children they had after this one. She ran her fingers fondly across her belly and just smiled at her husband. After everything that had happened with the miscarriage, it was nice now to think they had this new life to look forwards to. This was hope in a way, and it meant that they would have their little family after all. Though Caitrin hadn’t had a particularly fun upbringing, but then again neither had Griff, she was determined to get this right. She would try to be such a loving mother, and she would never let her children pass her by without them knowing how much they were loved. She already felt so much love for this little life within her, and that love would just swell and grow.

It was often all too easy for Caitrin to tease her husband, and this was no exception. She was half smirking at his reaction, she had expected him to be surprised of course, but not as surprised as he was. After all, they hardly slept in different beds, and the heat of the marriage bed had never left them, so what was he expecting to happen? Men… But then he smiled, a genuine smile, and Caitrin knew that the news had finally sunk in. It meant more to her that Griff was excited about this news as well than anything else. She didn’t want to do this alone, she wanted this experience to happen with Griff by her side. She was looking forwards to becoming a mother, so she hoped Griff was looking forwards to being a father. “Well as long as you do think it’s a good shock.” She said in jest, knowing that his words had been genuine.

She couldn’t help but smile as he put a hand through her hair, she loved it when he played with her hair. She couldn’t explain why, it just felt comforting in a way. Caitrin squeezed her arms around his waist and smiled into his shoulder, inhaling his warm scent. She wanted him to know how much she loved and appreciated him right now. There was nowhere else she ever wanted to be than wrapped up in Griff’s embrace. He just made her feel safe, and wanted and loved. She was going to protest about his promises, but she felt like it would ruin the moment somewhat. “Then I shall hold you to that promise.” Her eyes were sparkling, she knew Griff would protect their little family, or at least try to. As he whispered the words back to her, Caitrin felt her stomach turn. She couldn’t believe how much effect the words had on her still, after all this time. “Good thing we got married then huh?” She pointed out, and leant up to give Griff a short kiss, but when she had pressed her lips to his she didn’t want to let go; she never did. However, there was something niggling at the back of her head.

Breaking away from Griff, Caitrin smiled up at him, “I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure.” She then said softly. After all, she hadn’t been well with morning sickness for months now, but her maids had helped her hide it. She hadn’t ever wanted to get her hopes up that she was pregnant just to have them dashed. It had taken her long enough to seek medical advice from Gaius because she’d been worried that he would turn round and tell her that she was ill, and not pregnant. She had known for months though, in the bottom of her mind, she had always known. However, she hadn’t wanted to raise Griff’s hopes as well if she had been mistaken, especially after the miscarriage. She knew he had taken it badly, as had she, but perhaps this could be their way of getting past that patch in their life. There was this new life now for them to focus on, “Should we tell my Uncle?” She asked playfully, taking Griff’s hands in her own, “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.”

[Griff Aubert]

Caitrin was pregnant. It was an awful lot to get his head around. He'd gone through shock and slight confusion, and ventured into the realms of extreme fear and excitement simultaneously and it still felt weird to think the words "Caitrin was pregnant". He supposed it would take an awful lot of getting used to, in fact, he'd probably only start getting used to the idea when the child was married off and living their own life.

"Of course it's a good shock." he replied, the smile faltering slightly. Had Caitrin been worried about his reaction? Surely it was natural for him to be nervous and probably not take the news quite so calmly as she would like him, but they were going to have a family, how could he possibly see that as anything other than a good shock? It was a large one, and one that hadn't sunk in yet, but that didn't detract from it being good and something to look forward to.

She was smiling up at him, and although they were both happy, he was well aware that this particular smile was caused by his current actions. He knew she liked him playing with her hair which was part of its attraction. His hand moved to her back as she leant into him, holding her close, enjoying the moment of just being with her, like this, not having to worry about anything (apart from the child, obviously) and just...being happy, purely because of her and the way she made him feel. "You think?" He asked with a small laugh at her comment about them getting married. It seemed like they'd come such a long way, fought so hard - with the world, with each other mainly - to get to where they were today. He could say with complete honesty, that he knew every inch of her, and loved all those inches too. "I had thought it a good idea when I suggested it."

She broke away from him, and he was slightly put out because he'd been rather enjoying that moment. She smelt nice. And then she completely ruined the mood by mentioning her uncle. Why would you do that, Cait? he thought, trying not to let the image of her uncle's no doubt disapproving face when they told him. "Oh he will be ecstatic. But, I don't care." He said firmly, a smile on his lips. Caitrin and Griff were married and expecting a baby, and Rouland was just going to have to live with that. So there, he thought rather petulantly. Hmm. If he was going to be a father he probably had some maturing to do.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin released a small breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding. After all, she had been quite nervous about Griff’s reaction. They hadn’t really ever spoken about a family, because every time they had it had just led them back to her miscarriage and all the guilt and pain that came with it. She couldn’t bring herself to think about that now, because there was a new life for them to be excited about, and care about. This was all going to be fine, and they were going to be parents and do everything right this time. “Good, I think it’s a good shock too.” She replied with a small, warm smile and pressed herself up against her husband. This was her little family, and she loved it; that would never change.

The fact that Griff had been the first man that Caitrin had fallen in love with made it quite natural that he should be the one she had been holding out for. Though they’d got engaged, it had been a harder fight to get them both up the aisle. All of that was in the past though, and she loved Griff with every fibre of her being. She couldn’t imagine spending her life with anyone else, and she didn’t want to imagine that either. Griff was just everything to her; he was the first thing she thought of in the morning and the last thing at night. “Well, I could have said no to your suggestion.” She jested with a glint in her eye. There was no way that she was ever going to say no to Griff when he had proposed to him. She had made him repeat the proposal traditionally, but she would have never rejected him. She had been waiting for him to ask her, and he really had made her the happiest woman alive.

Though she had been the one to suggest it, now she thought about it, telling her Uncle the good news wasn’t actually that appealing. He wouldn’t exactly sweeten his mood, and she wanted to be excited about the news for the moment and enjoy it with her husband. She didn’t want this euphoria to be ruined because of her Uncle. There wasn’t much her Uncle could do now anyway, he couldn’t exactly prevent the fact she was pregnant. The small rounding of her belly was going to be a source of joy for her and her husband for the rest of their lives. They were going to get this so right, and their child would be loved. “Well, he doesn’t have to know straight away...” Caitrin’s words were laced with the usual air of suggestion that took hold when she was faced with her husband. Her hands slipped round her husband’s neck and her lips pressed against his. “We could always celebrate without him.” Still the suggestion was incredibly obvious, and it would be hard for Griff to not get her drift. They were never particularly subtle about things like this, and this child hadn’t been born out of one night of duty. No, there was as much heat between their bed sheets as there always had been.

[Griff Aubert]

Yes, Caitrin could have said no to his suggestion, but she wouldn't have meant it. How could she? He was a fine specimen, more than fine, and she was lucky to be married to him, just as he was even luckier to be married to her. He still wasn't entirely sure what he saw in him - he was annoying and insecure and spent all his time running away from his problems, but she'd still chosen him, she'd still wanted to marry him. She was mental, but he loved her, more than anything. And now she was carrying his child, their child, their family. It was something he'd never expected to have. When he left Glouchedon he'd left the idea of having a normal life, of settling down and just being happy. He'd accepted the fact that he'd just wander and not fit in anywhere, never have a home. But he'd found one in Camelot with Caitrin, his Caitrin and she made the world a better place, it was as simple as that.

But he was going to say this, because well, that wasn't the first thing that sprang to mind and Griff was in the habit of saying the first thing that popped into his head. Well, usually it didn't pop into his head, it just came out of his mouth without engaging with his brain. At least his words did enter his mind this time. "Wasn't that much of a gamble really." That wasn't strictly true, or true at all really because he'd never had anyone in his life like her, who loved him like she did, and it took quite a while to get used to. But here she was and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Griff rolled his eyes at Caitrin's words, or rather the tone of her words, but there was a smirk across his lips. They really were as bad as each other, no wonder she was expecting a child. His arms automatically found her waist, and he tilted his head, a questioning look on his face, "Lady Aubert, if I didn't know you better I'd say you were attempting to seduce me."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin still found it quite overwhelming to be in this situation. When she had been growing up in Mercia, she had never thought to settle down or to ever have a family of her own. Her father had always been quite clear that she would only be used to better his own position, and there had been a time that Caitrin had been worried that he would never let her go. After all, she had been one of his favourite play things in a sense. When he had been annoyed, he had merely sought to relieve his anger, and she had always been in the firing line. She could never understand why he hated her so much; he had never treated any of her siblings like that, yet he had treated her so differently. Caitrin was sure that she could never harm any of her children; of that she was certain. She ran her fingers over her rounding belly. The child within her would never grow up thinking they were unwanted, or unloved. Caitrin would never lay a finger on them to cause harm; they would be so loved. She and Griff would create such a loving home here, and their children would benefit from it.

She smirked at Griff’s words, he was right really, he hadn’t gambled much with asking her to marry him. Caitrin had been completely smitten by him from the off, but hadn’t really admitted it to herself for some time. She was still completely in love with him, and no one and nothing would ever change that. Caitrin found her smirk changing into a warm smile, and she entwined her fingers within her husband’s. She was so lucky to have him by her side, and this child would just cement their happiness, “And here’s me thinking I had been so subtle with my affections.” Caitrin rolled her eyes across her husband and couldn’t help a small laugh, as she knew as well as anyone that she was anything but unsubtle.

Seduction was quite a large part of their relationship in some ways. There was no one who could ever accuse them of being passionless, so it was really no surprise in the fact that she was pregnant. The only surprise was that it had not happened sooner. Of course she had been careful while they had been courting, but once they had been tied together in marriage she could see no reason to continue taking items to prevent pregnancy. As a herbalist, such things had been easy to make and maintain throughout their courtship. Caitrin took her hands out of her husband’s and smoothed them up his body, until they reached his cheeks. She drew him closer to her, and pressed her lips up against his, and swiftly deepened the kiss. After a few moments, Caitrin drew back, but only slightly, and her eyes remained closed, “I’m not attempting; I’m succeeding.”