A/N: I promise. I am working on this story. However, I have been working on others more. If you want me to update this before I actually do, feel free to tell me to update, but please give me about three days to do so.

Thanks

~Rissa

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I walked downstairs after I had finished my shower and felt a little better, even though a part of me was still feeling a bit down.

I bit back a small smile when I heard my daughter's screaming laughter and dipped my head closer to my chest, and my heart grew warm.

"Uncle Isen! Stop!" my daughter exclaimed with joyful laughter. "You'll make me wee!"

"Don't make my daughter wee, Isen," I said and walked into the dining room to see Isen mock biting her with two pieces of grape stuck to his teeth, "or else you can clean her up, and I'm talking about bath and all."

Both Isen and Dia looked towards me with wide eyes and mocked innocent expressions on their faces.

They didn't say a word while they looked at me, each one of them gleaming with pure innocence that they could muster behind the mischief they wanted to create.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them and smiled before I walked over to the table and sat down at the empty seat between my daughters after I ran a hand through Avery's hair and pecked Dia's cheek.

"Mom," Avery grumbled and swatted at my hands playfully. "Stop. Please, don't touch my hair."

"Hmph," I said, and a small smile appeared on my face while I nodded. "Of course." I cleared my throat and looked at the faces gathered at the table, staring at me with the same expression of worry on their face that I didn't like.

I frowned and cocked my head while I studied them, worry blooming in my chest while I thought about Jo and silently wondered if something happened to her. "What?" I asked, not hiding the worry that I felt. "Did something happen to Jo? Is she ok?"

"Oh, nothing happened to Fox, Dear," Karen said and set food down in front of me, making sure to just give me a small bit. "Now, eat up. You need to get some more meat on your bones."

I held back an eye roll and didn't touch my plate, much to Karen's distaste by the fact that she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What happened?" I asked and looked at them. "Why do you all have worried expressions on your faces if it doesn't have to deal with her?"

"Because we are worried about you," Isen said. He raised his hand to silence me, and I closed my mouth without saying a word. "We're worried about how much you can take before you break again."

Dia looked at us and frowned. Worry filled her big eyes, and I had no idea how much she understood. "Mama broken?" she asked. She pouted and cocked her head while she stared at me with eyes filled with tears. "Why Mama broken?"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes slightly. "Can we not have this discussion in front of Dia?" I asked, my voice showing how tired I was, even though I tried to hide it and was only above a whisper. "Please?"

Dia pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "I know," she huffed, and her pout grew larger. "I know."

I smiled sadly and moved a hand through her brown hair. "You'll know in time, baby girl," I said, and she pouted some more and swatted at my hands. "For right now, you worry about being cute." I reached over to pinch her little cheeks.

"No, Mama," she squealed and pushed my hands away from her cheeks while she leaned away from me. "My cheeks. No pull."

"Why not?" I teased but relented and moved my hands away from her face. "They are so pretty and cute."

"But mine," she said and covered her cheeks. "No pull."

"Ok, I will not pinch your cheeks," I said and nodded. "I will respect your boundaries of wanting to keep them to yourself."

"Good," Dia said and nodded. She waited a few seconds before she pulled her hands away from her cheeks and pointed at my food. "Now, eat." She pouted and narrowed her eyes while I let out a small bark of laughter.

"What?" I asked and cocked my head while I stared at her amused that she was telling me to eat.

"Eat," she repeated and nodded. "Eat. Eat. Eat."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled while I dipped my head closer to my chest. "And what if I don't want to eat?" I asked, ignoring the look that Isen was giving me over Dia's shoulder. "What are you going to do then?"

"Force you," she replied and nodded. "Like you force me to eat." She pouted and cocked her head, and I had to keep my face neutral even though all I wanted to do was laugh because that would be an amazing sight to see.

"But I was not forcing you to eat," I said. "I was helping you eat because you were too young to hold a spoon or your bottle."

Dia pouted before she gestured to Isen. "Uncle Isen will help you eat," she said before she pointed at my food. "Now eat."

I bit back a chuckle and slowly nodded while I picked up my fork. "Of course," I said and turned my attention to my plate. "I shall eat."

However, I didn't and only looked at the food that was on my plate.

My stomach rolled a little, and I had to try to make sure that I didn't throw up at the sight of it. I didn't want to eat what was on the plate but knew that I had to, especially if Dia did try to force Isen to feed me.

"I won't," Isen promised, catching my look and then thought. Worry filled his voice while he studied me, and I made sure that I was not looking at him so that he didn't catch what I was thinking, "but please, try to eat."

"I don't think I can," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. My stomach rolled, and I took a deep breath to make sure that I didn't throw up. "I feel as if I am about to throw up."

Isen frowned and slowly blink. He didn't say a word and looked at my daughter before he looked at me. Worry filled his eyes while he looked at me, and I had a feeling that he didn't know if he wanted me to try to eat and throw up or not eat and face my daughter's "wrath."

"I don't think your mother is feeling well," Isen said, and Dia looked at him. "Maybe it would be best if your mother takes a nap instead." He winked teasingly, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Even though she had a nap before coming downstairs to eat."

Dia frowned and cocked her head. She looked at her uncle before she looked at me.

Again, she looked at him before she looked at me and furrowed her brows further while she cocked her head. "I get baby?" she asked, and I couldn't help but smile while Michael choked on his drink.

"It doesn't work that way, Baby Girl," I said and moved a hand through her hair, biting back a chuckle. "No baby."

Dia pouted and wrinkled her nose while she scrunched up her face. She didn't say a word, but I could tell that she was a little disappointed about not having a baby brother or sister to grow up with.

"In all fairness, I want another sibling too," Avery admitted. She grinned sheepishly when I looked at her and ducked her head closer to her chest.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and slowly nodded, not having the heart to tell her no because of what was going on between Carter and I. "In due time," I promised. "Your father and I... just have to get over some... bumps in the road first, and then we can talk about it."

Isen scoffed and rolled his eyes while he scowled. He opened his mouth to say something but closed his mouth as soon as he noticed my dirty look.

The Dryad's scowl deepened and narrowed his eyes but quickly composed himself as soon as Dia looked at him. "What?" he asked and cocked his head when his niece scowled at him. He slowly blinked and studied my young daughter. "What'd I do?"

"What say?" she asked and folded her arms across her chest before she pouted because he didn't say a word about what he wanted to stay. "Say."

Isen looked at me before he looked at my daughter.

Again, he looked at me, his eyes wide before he quickly shook his head. "I can't," he said finally. "Or else Mama will kill me." He shivered dramatically, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. "We don't want that, do we?" he asked in a mock whisper.

Dia pouted and before she looked at me. "No kill," she said and pointed at Isen. "You can't."

I chuckled and dipped my head, not telling her that I physically could not kill him, no matter how much I hated him or how much of a pain in the ass he was, and sadly, he knew that. "I know, Baby Girl," I said finally, and Isen beamed. "I can't."