"What about you?" she asked. "Would it be something you would want to do, if it should come to it? I think I could rise to the occasion if I had some help."

Marcello pursed his lips. "I love babies," he replied. "You know that. I'd never refuse to take a baby. But..." he hesitated. "I think this might be awful and selfish of me to say, but I sort of want the first child we raise together to be our own."

Niabheara laughed softly and held out her palms. "As someone who was raised by a sister, all I can say is that all things told, I didn't notice any difference. I don't think Meg did either." But she nodded. "Would you consider it o'er giving the child away, at least?"

"Well, I raised half my sisters," Marcello replied. "And of course," he said. "Like I said, I'll do it if it's the best option. Just...it's not for [her sake," he explained. "It's more that when we do have a baby of our own, we'll already have done the first steps, first words, first haircut thing."

Niabheara frowned. "If we have more than one child, we'll have already done that, too," she pointed out. "I just don't feel it will spoil anything. Frankly, I hadn't e'en thought of that."

"That's why I said it was just me being silly," he answered. "I feel like I wouldn't minds so much if this were a second child or a third."

She grinned and poked a finger into his navel. "You are being silly and I still don't really understand it." She sighed, leaning her forehead against his chest. "My main concern was what would happen if she e'er wanted to take it back again. It's possible, you know."

"I don't think I would mind that," Marcello replied. "After all, if it stays with us, it's much easier than if she decides she's ready to be a mother in three or four years and the baby is off with someone we don't know so well. With us, she can still be her mother. Maybe a visiting mother, but still a mother."

She nodded. "I shouldn't like it to be the way it was when I found out about Mother. I always felt it would have been easier to know from the beginning that Morgana wasn't my real mother. I mean, it was upsetting, but when nothing really changed I more or less forgot about it." She gave him a serious look. "I didn't know you felt so strongly about having your own child," she said softly.

"I agree," Marcello replied. "I think it's better for her to know. It makes it easier for Mira, too, if she wants to be part of her life. We have some time to decide on that," he said. "Little babies don't understand mother versus aunt, anyway." He frowned then. "Didn't you?" he asked. "I thought I had been...well. Very definitive on that point. I've always said I wanted children? Don't you?"