"I meant that you had all these ideas about it," she said. "About wanting to raise your own, that it would be different if they were someone else's rather than ours. I ne'er . . . I do want to have children some day," she said, "and of course it would be nice if they were our own. But my thoughts were more . . . you know, just a child. A baby. It wouldn't matter to me if it was my own or not."

"Well, if we can't, then of course I don't mind," Marcello replied. "But don't you...want a baby who looks like you? Like both of us? Who's a part of both of us? That's...it seems important to me."

"Aye, it's important. Just not the most important thing. As far as I'm concerned, any baby we raised together would be our baby. That would be the most important thing to me." She sighed deeply. "It's the reason I'm hesitant about Mira's baby. I'm afraid it wouldn't be like that. It would be more that we were only keeping it for her."

"Oh." Marcello frowned. "So it's the opposite of my reasons for being hesitant. Well," he said, smiling at her. "We both have our hesitations, we'll do it if it's the best choice, but if not, it's nothing to worry about. Is that all right?"

She nodded, looking far less worried than she had when she had first approached the subject. She actually seemed a touch grateful. "It's all we can do, really." Spontaneously, she squeezed him around the waist. "I love you."

He hugged her back. "And I, you," he replied. "Don't worry, love. Between the two of us, we'll manage everything. If I didn't believe in you, I wouldn't have married you."

"I fear you give me far, far too much credit, my love. Most of the time I feel I just sort of flail wildly at things. Occasionally I even hit them." She let him go. "It's just that I realized there are still so many things we haven't talked about yet. Important things. Like finances." She gave him a shy look. "And how we feel about babies."

"We'll take them as they come," Marcello replied. He smiled at her. "I feel like we know enough of how the other would raise a child just from having Tristan that little while. I'm not going to love you or love any child less if we adopt a hundred orphans than if we make one together. I just think making one would be exciting."

She gave him a demure look. "It's been pretty exciting practicing making one." She poked his stomach.

"Mmm," he agreed, and slid his hands to her hips. "Well, we can have all the practice you want. Practice makes perfect, and all."