"You can't fuck all the time," he objected, nuzzling at her ear. "Even I know that." He rubbed at his eyes. "I either need to sleep, or commit to staying awake. You're all warm and cozy from being under the covers." He voiced it as a complaint.

She snuggled up against him. "I need to sleep a few more hours at least. Yesterday was long. At least everyone else was up half the night, too," she said. "No one will miss you if you sleep in. Are you going on the hunt?"

"Probably, if anyone decides to go through with it," he said. "I think it's required now. Pretending everything is normal."

"This is the new normal," Dierdre told him quietly. "Or it will be. It's going to get...well. More normal? Eventually. I don't think people are pretending. You just go one."

He gave her a wistful smile. "More normal, huh? Sounds nice." He kissed her temple, then stood up. "It's better than the last normal, anyway."

"Well, I mean, once they find Morgana's little girl and the guests leave...Which normal was that?" Dierdre asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "The one where you were a rat?"

Dierdre laughed. "That was not ever normal," she answered. "Especially since it was only two days."

"It was long enough for you to go from one small bump to one big bump," he said darkly. "It was too long."

Dierdre kissed her fingertip and pressed it to his lips. "If it means the pregnancy goes quicker, and that the babies are through the worst part, I'll be grateful," she said. "With twins...you can lose them easily early. The later on it goes, the more likely they are both to survive."