How Severus Spends His Summer Hols

DISCLAIMER: JKR owns everything that is in reference to the Harry Potter world if it is in one of my works of fiction. If it is not found in one of her creations, then it is mine unless otherwise stated. I am not making any profit from the writing of this story.

A/N~~ Hmmmm…..where to begin… dear readers you are possibly going to find this chapter quite different from the others so far. Some of you may hate it and others may like it. What I am doing is showing you more of the characters in Hols. While you will find Harry, Severus, Draco, and Lucius in this chapter, they are not the main focus. I am showing you some of a Sunday at the Wolffe’s and how Grant’s profession has taken a toll on their marriage. For those that are not aware, Grant is like Harry, he has the ability and bits to have children. I had a great deal of help with this and got it knocked out in just a couple of days. Unbroken_halo came to visit and I put her to work….grins. I really don’t know what else to say about this other than I am nervous about the reception it will get. Personally I really think it adds yet another layer to my little world. Please let me know what you think.

Also about the lj community Stirs of Echo….although you can join, it is open to anyone that would like to read and comment. We set it up this way so people could make requests of glimpses into the lives of the characters that they would like to see.

Grant sat down at the kitchen table with a bowl, paring knife and a sack of potatoes; it was Sunday and soon their extended family would be there for their regular family get together and he had a meal to fix. Damon, Merlin love his crusty ass, was watching a ball game and just as useless as tits on a boar hog as his mother used to say. Tiredly, the Lakhota began to peel the vegetables and listen as Damon shouted instructions to the television. “Old man, they aren’t listening to you, and if they ever do it will be the last game they play.” He muttered under his breath as he heard his husband call for something to drink.

The holiday weekend had passed and the Malfoys stayed on to enjoy the festivities. Summer was moving into autumn as things settled down back into what passed for normality in Echo.

Damon growled at the TV. “I heard that. You think I am deaf but it ain’t MY ears that are clogged.” The quarterback of the opposing team, damn Bears, tossed the ball and it Hail Mary-ed down the field and dropped neatly into the receivers hands. “Son-of-a-bitch. Fucking Redskins,” he sighed and turned the TV off. How in the hell was his team going to start off the season playing like a bunch of teenagers. “Grant, where’s my tea?”

“It’s in the refrigerator Damon, on the second shelf where it normally is,” he called back as he set the peeled potatoes in the bowl to be washed. “Don’t bother getting up; I’ll bring you a glass.” Grant said sweetly as he stood up and took the bowl to the sink and ran water into it. He took out a glass from the cupboard and filled it with ice and tea from the refrigerator, while he had the appliance’s door open he looked on the shelf where the three whole chickens should be setting and waiting to be cut up. Nothing. Raising an eyebrow, Grant poked deeper in the refrigerator and came up with a package of bologna and one of hot dogs. “Damon, where are the chickens I asked you to pick up from the market?” he asked as he took his husband’s tea into him.

Damon looked up at his husband. “Since you asked I can tell you they are not in the fridge.” He took the tea and drank a long sip before continuing. “Would you believe that they sprouted wings and flew away?” the blue-eyed man smiled at his mate and pulled him down into his lap. “Did you look in the freezer? I could have sworn that Randy put them in the cycle.” He scratched his silvery blond head. “You know I don’t rightly remember putting them up come to think of it.”

Grant snorted and looked at his husband. “More like you didn’t even bother stopping at the market. Dammit Damon, what am I supposed to fix for dinner?” he pushed himself up off his husband’s lap and glared back down at him. “It figures, if I want something done, I just have to do it myself.” He huffed and picked up the telephone, punching in a number, holding the receiver to his ear and then slamming it back into the cradle. “Damn market is closed, it’s after one. Old man, you had better figure out what I am cooking and do it quick.” He snapped as he turned and stalked back into the kitchen to bang pots and pans around so he felt better.

Damon sighed. He knew those damn chickens had made it into the freaking saddlebags. He got up and went outside. The cycle was parked under the tree, hiding from the afternoon sun. Checking the right side first and finding it empty,
he swung his leg over and dug through the other side. Nothing as well. The blond man stormed back into the house and went down to the basement. Sure enough in the freezer were the missing birds. “Grant, get your ornery ass down here. I found your fucking biddies.”

Sheepishly, Grant made his way to the basement and looked into the freezer that Damon was holding lid up on. He bit his lip for a moment, unwilling to let the other man have the last word. “Well, I don’t know how I’m supposed to cut them up now, they’re frozen.” He sniffed as he leaned in and pulled the bag out of the freezer. He hated it when Damon was right. He stopped for a moment and looked at his husband and Dom. “I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion, I should have come down myself and looked.” He turned to go back up the stairs to the kitchen to try to thaw the fowl out before Sev, Harry, and their house guests arrived for dinner.

Damon had been tempted to slam the door on Grant’s head while he had been leaning over into the deep freeze. However, cooler heads prevailed when he realized the man couldn’t cook from inside the Kenmore. He settled for closing the door really hard; without Grant’s head in it. Too bad the KFC was closed on Sundays; he could use a break from the bitching. Damon huffed out a breath and marched up the stairs after his sub. “You know it might help to immerse them in water; make’ em thaw faster.”

Grant looked up at the sound of his Dom’s voice and nodded as he went to the bedroom to get his wand from beneath his socks. “Yes, cold water works, if you have the time, I however don’t.” he said as he returned to the kitchen and aimed at the bird in his husband’s hand.

“You had better put that damned thing away; you think I wanna wear the fucking bird,” Damon glared at his sub. “Last time you did that it exploded and there was cooked breast stuck to the damn light fixture.” He cleared his throat. “Give me that weapon of chicken destruction.”

“Do you think you are funny?” Grant snapped as he glared at his husband. “Are you trying to say I am incapable of a simple thawing spell? That I can’t do magic?” His voice rose in pitch until he was nearly shrieking at his husband who was just staring at him like he’d lost his mind. “Then you cook dinner Sir, I’m taking a nap.” He whirled around on his heel and stomped out of the kitchen muttering in Sioux and English.

“I heard that, you damn fairy.” Damon threw the chicken in the sink and pulled his own wand. A few flicks and the birds were neatly cut up, albeit still frozen. He dug in the cabinet and pulled out the flour and salt and pepper. “Fucking leave me in the kitchen alone then, Goddammit.” The former Marine stared at the frozen fowl and then back at the batter fixings. “Well, hell.”

Damon went to the fridge and pulled out the eggs and milk. He slammed the eggs down and heard cracking. “Fuck.” Carefully he opened the carton: every one of the eggs was broken. “Okay. No problem.” Damon raised his wand. “Accio, yard egg!”

A dark brown egg came flying and he neatly caught it; without breaking it this time. He got down a bowl from the counter and cracked the egg. A foul stench wafted up from the bowl. Damon looked down and cursed again. “Goddamn it.”

Damon looked around the kitchen. There in the corner was the emergency storm box. He had brought it up to check on the contents and replace the out of date stuff. Digging in the container rewarded him with a tin of powdered eggs. “Yes! At least these won’t break.” He slammed the container on the counter and began looking for the can opener.

Grant lay on their bed and read his book as he listened to his husband in his kitchen. He wondered how bad his kitchen would look when he came out later, but he’d be damned if he was the one cleaning it. The nerve of that man telling him he couldn’t do magic. Just who did he think he was?

Severus and Harry had promised the Malfoys a wonderfully prepared fried chicken dinner and they themselves were looking forward to it. Harry had woke up that morning craving one of Grant’s beaten biscuits, nothing had satisfied the young pregnant wizard’s appetite and he’d driven them all mad talking about the way the butter made them taste even better. Harry had pestered his husband to the point that he’d agreed to take them over early in the hopes Harry could get his biscuit fix.

Once they pulled into the driveway to the Wolffe farm, Harry was the first out of the truck and into the kitchen. “Grant…we’re here….oh dear Merlin….what is that smell?!?” he gasped as he turned right around and ran into Severus on the back porch steps. “Don’t go in there Husband, something is dead.” Severus looked down into the green eyes of his husband and noticed his skin tone was matching and quickly stepped to the side as Harry was sick in the small herb garden Grant grew by the kitchen door.

Lucius and Draco watched the exchange and hung back, not quite certain what to make of this spectacular meal they had been promised. Severus took one last look at his husband who was leaning against the porch railing, the colour slowly coming back to his face. “Right, something dead in the kitchen.” He took a deep breath. “I suppose I should umm…take a look.” Cautiously he opened the kitchen door and the stench that assaulted his sensitive nose nearly drove him to his knees. He pulled his wand and quickly cast an air freshening charm. Coming further in the kitchen he found Damon cursing at what appeared to be chicken parts and a bowl of flour, a pan of grease beginning to smoke on the hob, nothing else cooking, no Grant, and damn…no biscuits. “We’re here.” He announced as cheerfully as he could while he wondered where Grant was at, from the look on Damon’s face, he wasn’t going to ask.

“Go away. It’s not ready yet and I have decided to cook Grant instead,” Damon threw a leg into the sink, and it banged loudly against the stainless steel. “Shit.” He looked over at Sev and company. “You know, I think a nice sit down dinner; where no one has to slave over a hot stove is just the ticket.”

He aimed his wand at the mess he had made and vanished it all to the bins outside. “Grant!” Damon yelled up at his husband. “Dinner’s ready!”

Grant rolled his eyes and put the marker in his book, oh this he had to see. The last time Damon cooked he’d gotten food poisoning. He thought he’d just have a salad. As he opened the door, he noticed there were no smells of dinner wafting through the house. ‘Shit’ he muttered to himself. ‘He’s going to make them eat bologna sandwiches.’ He closed his eyes briefly and started down the stairs, only shaking his head more as he heard the voices of his family and their friends. “Dammit, why couldn’t he have just put the chickens in the refrigerator like always?” he muttered softly as he pushed through the swinging doors and found the food free kitchen.

Grant stopped just inside the kitchen door and rolled his eyes. “Fine, where is everything?” he asked tiredly as he pulled the ingredients he needed down to make the batter. Looking in the refrigerator he noted there were no eggs, he hung his head and bit his tongue, he’d make do. Straightening up he looked into the sink. No chickens. Okay… he opened the door to the microwave. No chickens. He closed his eyes and counted to ten before he pursed his lips and began to remove ingredients for spaghetti. He was so distracted; he hadn’t even noticed no one had said a word to him.

Damon watched his husband with an amused grin. “Put that shit away. There’s no meat for the sauce. We are going to Wheeling, my treat. Chicken sucks anyway,” Damon backed away from his husband and smiled again. “I decided you needed a break from cooking; you can resume your duties tomorrow.”

The former Marine moved to stand behind Severus. “Aren’t you going to greet our guests?” He looked around the Potions Master. “At least we won’t get sick this time.”

Grant stood stock still and let his husband pay out enough rope to hang himself with. He put one hand on his hip and smiled oh so sweetly. “Chicken sucks? It’s so nice of you to inform me of this after forty some years, you’d think you might have mentioned you disliked my cooking at some point before having to point it out in front of people.” He turned to Severus and smiled at him, a glint of teeth showing. The ex Potions Master moved to the side and left the man he considered his father hanging in the breeze, he wanted no part of Grant on a tear.

“Resuming my duties? How nice of you to allow me to leave the kitchen today, but really, do you think I deserve it, Sir?” he said as he stalked towards his husband, one hand on his hip and the other stabbing the air in front of the older man’s face. “And for your information, I was fixing vegetarian.”

Grant turned to Harry and pulled the younger man into a hug. “I wanted biscuits,” Harry mumbled as he hugged the older man back. Severus put his arm around his husband and drew him away slowly.

”It’ll be alright love, we’ll find you a biscuit, but I think we need to let them have a moment,” Severus said softly as he backed them towards the door they had just entered, making shooing motions to Lucius with his hand behind his back. This was going to get ugly.

Damon looked around at the near empty kitchen. ‘Oh Boy’, he was fucked now and not a drop of lube had been used. “Now my Grant, you know it has never been about your cooking.” He peered round the room looking for a shield. Fucking deserters, like rats on a goddammed sinking ship.

“It… it was all the chicken’s fault. And… and I made sure the mess was cleaned up.” Wait, that wasn’t getting him anywhere nor was it masculine enough for a Dom of his standing. Fucking Hell, Grant was just going to have to throw a hissy later. “Now see here…” Damon moved a kitchen chair in front of him.

The Marine cleared his throat. “You can’t act like this in front of Harry. You’ll give him ideas and then Sev will be after your ass.”

This was getting him nowhere. The look on Grant’s face promised intense pain and not that he minded that but it was his job to inflict it, not receive. He growled at his husband. “You want to have it out, BOY.” He reached around Grant and grabbed the wooden spoon on the counter. It would have to do for now, it sure as hell used to hurt when his mother had come after him with it.

“Remember who you are dealing with, boy,” Damon snarled out. “I am not in the mood for this shit, Grant, and now is not the time to have it out. You want to bitch at me, fine but not in front of the others.”

Grant watched his husband as he held up the wooden spoon, menacingly. He took a drink of water from the glass on the counter before he turned back to him. Raising one eyebrow, he looked at his Dom and slowly sank to his knees. He waited a moment and then rose once more. He stepped closer to Damon and looked up at him. “I’ve never forgotten whom I am speaking to, just once in awhile he shows himself to be an old ass.” Grant made a show of looking around the kitchen to make sure no one else was present. “Go have dinner with the others Sir, I’m not hungry and would just make things uncomfortable.” He turned around and walked back out of the kitchen, this time without the dramatic exit, he just wanted peace. All the man had had to do was say he was sorry.

Damon snarled. He stalked to the door and flung it open. “Dinner will be rescheduled.” He dug out his wallet and handed money to Severus. “Go treat yourselves and the Malfoys,” He sighed. “I am sorry you had to see that.”

Damon turned. “Harry, I’ll make sure you get some biscuits but not right now. See you all later.” He walked back into the house and stormed up the stairs as he heard the truck take off down the road.

He opened their bedroom door and looked around for Grant. “What the hell is your problem, today?” He stalked into the room. “You got a gripe with me, now spill it.”

“All I wanted to do was make a nice meal for my family Damon, that’s all,” Grant said as he sat up on the bed and looked at the other man. “I apologized to you for saying what I did. I should have looked early this morning and this would’ve never happened.” He pulled the half full laundry basket to him and began to fold the clothes. “Why didn’t you go have dinner? There’s nothing here, I need to go to the market tomorrow.” He asked as he began to put the clothing away.

Damon rubbed his face. He was angry now. “That’s all, huh? Grant, you have been moping around here all damn day. You know I would have looked for the chickens earlier if you had asked for help.” He grabbed the other man’s arm to stop him from going into the closet. “The reason I didn’t go to dinner was because you acted like an ass in front of your family. I apologized for you to them and I hope you will tell me exactly what else is bothering you because I am up to my limit, Grant.”

The Lakhota looked at his husband in horror. His behavior had been reprehensible. “I’m sorry Sir,” he whispered as he swallowed and realized how he’d disrespected the other man. He pulled away from Damon and went to his nightstand and pulled a letter from the drawer. He looked down at it before he handed it to his husband. “The woman who offered to buy out my part of the practice has backed out. I can’t retire yet,” he said softly. “All I want is to be able to take care of you and my family, that’s all.”

Damon snatched the letter and read over it. “And you couldn’t just tell me this.” He waved the letter around. “You had to act like a pissed off bumblebee and take it out on me,” He sighed. “I don’t care about the fucking practice. Close your fucking door and let them find a new doctor to drive insane with their crazy-assed whining and bullshit. Grant, if you have had enough just say so. They had problems before and they will be there still. That’s why they are patients.”

He flung the letter onto the dresser. “This shit has gone on long enough. No more. You are not going down there tomorrow. Tell them that you have a family emergency and we’ll get a lawyer about the breach in the contract. Quit stressing so much.” Damon turned and grabbed Grant’s face in his hands.

“I need you around to piss me off and tell me what an ass I have been, because I really was an ass and not because I taunted you a little.” He bent and kissed Grant softly. He stroked the man’s cheek bones and looked him in the eye. “You know I need a keeper.”

Grant simply nodded and stayed silent, he knew if he opened his mouth, he’d most likely start crying and that would only make things worse. He was ready to stop seeing patients, it had been taking a toll on his marriage for years now, and rarely had his husband spoke up about the intrusion of other people’s problems into their lives. At that moment, the pager on Grant’s belt began its shrill beeping. He unclipped it and glanced at it for a moment before he looked at his husband. “I have to call the office, someone is having an issue about who knows what.” He sighed as he clipped the annoying thing back onto his belt and gave him a sad smile. “Tomorrow, we call the lawyer, I can’t do this anymore.”

“And you are not doing it now, either.” Damon grabbed the electronic nemesis and ripped it from his husband’s belt. He flung the thing against the wall where it shattered into several pieces. “We are having issues, Grant. The other doctor can get that. You are not on call any longer.” He turned back to his husband. “Now, where were we?”

Grant gave him a shaky smile. “What did you want to eat, Damon?” he asked as he looked up at his husband. “Thank you.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for Damon to decide, and thought about everything that had been said. “Do you really not like chicken?”

Damon stared at his husband. “Oh for Christ’s sake, Grant, is the chicken all you can think about?” He began to chuckle. “I hate frozen chicken, I hate rotten eggs from the yard and I thought I had left my days with powdered eggs in back in ’65.” He shook his head. “Have I ever complained about your cooking before? He rubbed his stomach and looked down at his husband. “Grant, I know my mouth runs off sometimes. However, I love your cooking and I love you.”

Grant sat for a moment and looked at a framed photograph on the night stand; it was one of their wedding day. He smiled gently as he reached out and traced one finger over the glass and over the still figures that were standing in front of Damon’s parent’s house. It had been so very long ago and they had gone through so much in the years since. He looked up at the older man and handed him the picture. “Did you ever doubt we’d last?”

Damon ran his eyes over the people in the frame. Had they really been that young? He looked up at his husband. “I thought there were times you were going to scalp me. Times I would have liked to kill you as well. But never have I ever doubted us.” He handed the picture back to his man. “So what’s doing, Injun?”

“My being a doctor isn’t good for us anymore; it hasn’t been for a long time,” he said as he sat the photograph back in its place. “You’ve been a very patient man, Damon, but I can’t expect you to put up with anything more and truth be told, I’m losing my sense of compassion with most people.” He shrugged and stood up. “I love my family dearly, but nearly everyone else can go to hell in a hand basket, I simply don’t care anymore.” He walked to where the remains of his pager lay on the floor, bent and scooped them up to toss them in the waste basket. He looked his husband in the eye and smiled as he picked up the phone in their room and punched in an overly familiar number and waited a moment.

“This is Dr. Wolffe,” He waited a brief moment. “Yes, I received the page and I am calling to inform the practice that I will no longer be working for them, my lawyer will be in touch this week. Good day.” He hung the phone up and walked out of the bedroom now muttering about what to fix his husband for dinner.

Damon sighed. “About damn time, Injun.” He followed Grant down the stairs. “Would you like to call Sev and see if they might happen to want us to join them?”

The younger man looked at him and smiled. “We could, or we could have a sandwich and go down to the creek to celebrate my retirement.” He wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist and pinched his ass lightly.

Damon grinned and kissed the crown of Grant’s head. “There’s chickens outside, running around taking up space. Did you still want fowl this evening?”

“Old man, if you want fowl, then I suggest you get in the car and take me to Elsie Farnsworth’s, because the hens that are running on this farm have names.” Grant sniffed as he tried to keep a straight face but just couldn’t do it. “You know as well as I do, if it walks onto our place, it’ll die of old age before we eat it.”

Damon chuckled. “You remember that the next time one of them damn things digs up your herbs looking for fucking worms.” He kissed Grant’s head again. “You might want to hose off the plants you pick because Harry weren’t feeling too well when he first arrived.” He began to laugh. “He really wanted them biscuits too.”

Grant shook his head and began to take things out of the cupboard. “Would you go poke around in the freezer and see if anything is in there fit to eat? I’m going to make the boy his biscuits. If I know Sev, they’ll be back before nightfall because Harry won’t shut up.” He began to mix up ingredients and hum to himself as he looked out the kitchen window and watched the birds in the trees.

Damon walked over and wrapped his arms around Grant and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Make a double batch. We’ll take them and a blanket and some butter and honey down to the creek.”

He kissed the side of Grant’s face. “Leave Harry’s dozen in a basket on the door with a note. ‘Gone fishin’, here’s your damn biscuits’.” Damon nibbled on Grant’s neck then pulled away.

“And would my Sir like anything to eat besides biscuits?” he asked with a shy smile as he quickly rolled out the dough and began to punch out the rounds.

Damon gave him a devilish grin. “Just you, little one, just you.”

Grant worked quickly to get a double batch of his biscuits in the hot oven, while they were cooking; he was getting a small basket of goodies together for their afternoon stroll. He was just taking the pans out of the oven when Sev’s big truck pulled into the driveway with Max and Allie right behind them. He looked up speechless as car and truck doors opened and people began climbing out with grocery bags and cases of soda. “Sir….oh hell…Damon…get your shirt back on,” he called out as he watched them come up to the back porch, little Harry in the lead.

Damon stuck his head into the kitchen then finished walking all the way in. “Why in the name of god did they bring half the goddamn town here for?” He opened the door and stepped out wearing just his jeans and barefooted.

“What in Merlin’s name possessed you to come back? Did you think I needed protection from the Red man?” He placed his hands on his hips and glared at his son and the entourage behind him.

He watched as Harry came right up to him and looked him in the eye. “Where is Grant and my biscuits?”

Damon raised his eyebrows. “I done told you I was cooking Grant for dinner. I ate all the biscuits too. What you think about that, boy?”

Harry looked at him for a moment and then looked down. “But we brought chicken.”

Damon shook his head. “Get your ass in the house, The Injun is making the damn biscuits now.” He rubbed his face and led the troupe inside the old farm house.

Severus stopped beside Damon for a moment. “Is everything alright? Harry wouldn’t settle down until we came back,” he looked at how the older Dom was dressed or rather not dressed. “We didn’t interrupt anything, did we?” he shifted the grocery bags from one hand to the other as he waited for an answer.

Damon smirked. “Why? You wanna join us?” He nodded at Sev. “He’s fine, boy. Here real soon we are going to celebrate with a shindig up at Cutty’s. Grant finally quit the practice.”

He took the bags of food from Sev. “What did you bring me to eat, I am starving.”

“Harry has had it in his head that he wants fried chicken and biscuits, so we brought what was needed for it, and you are not getting near it,” Severus grumbled as he took the bags back. “That was a waste of good food earlier and Harry puked twice more on the way to town.”

Damon snorted. “That’s what you get for knocking the boy up.” He looked at his son. “And fuck you too and the horse you rode in on, boy. My chickens and I’ll do what I damn well please with the fuckers. Now, if you want me to take your ass down some more in front of your friends, over a stupid assed bird then I
will.”

He jerked the bags from Sev’s fingers and plunked them down on the counter. “Harry, get you a damned biscuit and get out of Grant’s way. I am going to shower.” He started to storm from the kitchen, then turned back to the group.

“Sev, potatoes. Max, set the table. Allie, make sure Harry doesn’t eat all the damn biscuits. He nodded at the Malfoys. “You all are guests this time. Next time though you’re doing the dishes.” He kissed Grant’s head. “There’s your family and your nice dinner, Injun. Have fun.”

Harry watched the old Dom with wide eyes and dropped the biscuit he’d had in his hand and went to start peeling potatoes since the ones Grant had peeled had been vanished along with Damon’s disaster. He kept his mouth shut and his head down, vowing to himself not to say another word to the cranky man across the room. He sat quietly at the kitchen table and began working his way through the bag while Severus helped Max and Allie talked with Grant while they breaded the chicken and put it on to fry.

Damon reached around Grant and grabbed two biscuits and the butter from the fridge. He went over to the table and set the plate in front of the little sub. He pulled the potato and paring knife from the young man’s hands. “Eat your biscuits, little one.” He kissed the top of Harry’s head and turned to Sev. “Here peel the damn potatoes while the boy eats.” He left the kitchen.

Severus sat down at the table and smiled at his husband, nodding to him as the younger man slowly picked up one of the pieces of bread. “Go on, eat.” He worked at the task and motioned for Lucius to join him while Draco stood at the counter and watched the intricacies of fried chicken.

He watched his young husband for any lingering effects of his earlier upset stomach and was pleased to see him tucking into his snack heartily. Severus turned to watch Grant for a moment and noticed a small picnic basket setting on the counter beside the bread box. A basket he knew belonged on the shelf in the laundry room. He stood and went to stand behind Grant, leaning down to whisper in his ear. “Did we interrupt something by coming back?,” he asked as he motioned to the basket.

Grant smiled more to himself than Severus and shook his head. “Nothing that can’t be picked up in a little while, Little Bird. Now do you have the potatoes ready?”

Severus stood back up and patted the older man on his shoulder, “If you’d like for us to go, just say so.” He reached into the cabinet under the counter and pulled out one of Grant’s pots for the vegetables. “I have it under control, no worries,” he said as he took the pot to the table and dumped the potatoes in.

Damon came back into the kitchen, freshly showered. “Hell, no you are not leaving.” As he passed by Harry he rubbed the young man’s hair. “Harry wants fried chicken and biscuits and by gods he’ll get them.” He stood next to Grant and nuzzled the man’s neck. “Can I help?”

Grant leaned into the older man and turned his head to look up at him. “Now he wants to help,” he laughed and tipped his head to present his mouth to his husband. After a gentle kiss, he handed Damon a can opener and pointed at the pantry door. “I need green beans, three cans, please, and bacon.”

Harry’s eyes widened, he knew what that meant. Grant was frying green beans and he’d be eating most of them. He let one hand drop down to rest over his tummy and he smiled at his husband. “You can’t have any, I get them all,” he said sweetly. Allie swatted the young man’s shoulder.

“I like them too, you know,” she laughed as Max came up behind her with Sarah in one arm.

Max gave Sarah to Allie and the plates, glasses and silverware that had been floating behind him followed him as he exited the kitchen. “We all like Grant’s cooking, now quit fighting and pay attention. You guys get to duplicate this next week.” He laughed as the swinging door closed behind him.

Damon snorted as he began to open the cans. He set them to the side and laid the bacon out in the skillet. He drained the water from the green beans and set the cans next to the stove. “There you go, Injun. Anything else?”

Grant looked around his kitchen for a moment and noticed the older Malfoy standing out of the way and watching, he pointed at him and smiled. “I need you to fetch the pies from the safe in the laundry room through there,” he said and pointed the way as he turned back to the chicken on the stove. “Draco, you need to get the flour and milk for the gravy, you’ll find it all in the refrigerator.”

Damon’s husband pulled his stool up and sat down and watched his family around him, a smile on his face. This was what he’d been needing all week. He held one hand out to his Dom.

Lucius stared at the older man. “The what?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Come, father. It’s a storage cupboard; usually cooler than the rest of the house.” He took out the milk and flour and set them on the counter. “I’ll show you.” He raised an eyebrow at his father. “You getting quite an education here with out your elves.”

Draco turned back to the old Indian. “Sir, will you be using a roux or making a cream gravy? I’d like to watch when I get back.”

He walked over to Lucius and was cuffed around the ears for his cheek. “Lead the way you, spoilt brat.”

Grant just shook his head as he watched the father and son go into the laundry room. “Draco, it’s just chicken gravy, nothing fancy, you sop your biscuits in it.”

Harry had gotten up and was poking at the bacon on the stove. “How crispy do I let this get?,” he looked at the pork suspiciously and earned a laugh from Damon.

“Not very,” Allie said as she joined him and bumped her hip against his. “I’m eating them all.”

“Are not,” he snipped back and swung his hips back into hers. The two teased and taunted each other as she showed him how to make one of the dishes he so dearly loved. Grant watched them fondly and held his husband's hand, as he listened to Severus and Max setting the table in the dining room.

"It's nice have a house full of kids, isn't it?" Grant asked softly as he leaned back into Damon and sighed contentedly.

Damon rubbed Grant’s shoulders. He kissed the top of the dark hair and laid his head down. “I suppose. Are you happy now?”

Just then a clatter from the dining room made them all jump. Draco and Lucius came back into the kitchen each with a pie in one hand, wand in the other.

Damon growled and went into the next room. Max and Severus were at opposite ends of the table and each had their wand drawn; the forks lined up on one side and the spoons on the other. A serving spoon hopped forward and flew across the table as a plate shot up and intercepted its path. The spoon clattered to the table and whined as it got back in its place.

“What the hell are you two idiots doing?” Damon stood with his hand on hips.

The swinging door opened behind the Dom and five heads poked out the small crack. Harry stared wide eyed at the battle going on the table and Grant shook his head.

“Yup, typical Sunday Dinner.” He turned back to his chicken and let his Dom deal with the errant children. “It’s nice to have a full house.”

Harry couldn't believe his eyes; there was Severus the man who had never cracked a smile in the seven years he had taught him, playing like either Fred or George Weasley. How well he remembered that night and how loudly Molly had screamed. Probably a good thing she wasn't here right now; he didn't think either man would get out of this unscathed.

Severus turned to Damon and gave a big cheesy grin. "I had to show him that I knew what I was talking about and that American football is no match against Quidditch."

Harry snorted at that remark. "I’d believe that Sir, if you knew what you were talking about." He walked into the dining room and peered down at the table. "You don't even have the right number of players," he smirked and then turned to walk off, leaving Severus staring at him like he'd grow second head.

Damon shook his head. “Set the table, no more battles, Quidditch or football. You want to do that go outside. Dinner will be ready soon enough and I am hungry.”

He turned and went back into the kitchen to find Draco and Grant head to head at the stove and Lucius once again standing off to the side. Harry and Allie shared the mixer and whipped the potatoes. Damon picked up Sarah and passed her to Lucius. “Would you please?” He pointed out the back door, “There’s a tire swing out there. I don’t want her getting popped by the grease.”

Lucius took the small child. She had Max’s red hair and Allie’s brown eyes. Lucius found himself smiling in spite of it and he realized he sorely missed Evette. “So little Sarah, what say you to letting the breeze blow our hair as we swing through the tree?”

The little girl gave him a gapped toothy grin and nodded. She reached up and toyed with a gossamer strand of blond hair as Lucius toted her out the back door.

Allie looked out the back window and watched as the foreign wizard gently placed the child in the tire swing and began to push her to and fro. Sarah's laughter could be heard in the kitchen over the sounds of their own chatter, she smiled as she watched and then went back to keeping Harry from destroying the potatoes completely. Harry had followed her gaze and smiled as well.

"He really seems good with kids. Severus says that he spends a lot of time with Draco's daughter, Evette."

Severus came back into the kitchen, walking up behind Harry and then placing his arms around his waist before putting his chin on his shoulder. "What is ready for me to take into the dining room?" He asked as he looked at the big bowl of potatoes and then at the platters of fried chicken.

"Do you honestly think I trust you take anything in there where you and Max will be alone with the food?" Grant laughed as he took the pan that he and Draco had just made gravy in and poured it into a serving bowl. "You just go and wash up, we'll take care of getting everything to the table." He pushed his boy out of the kitchen, laughing as he turned back to the others. He really was a much better mood.

Damon took the biscuits and a platter of chicken to the table. He set them down and glared at the red headed man. “Go clean–up and tell Lucius and Sarah that supper is almost ready; they’re out on the tire swing.” He folded his arms across his chest. “No water fights either, Sev’s already in there.”

The older man turned to the kitchen. “Alright, I’m on guard duty bring the rest of it out.”

Soon the table was laden with their Sunday meal and everyone was gathered around laughing and talking as they ate. Nearly an hour later, Harry leaned against Severus and sighed in happiness while he poked at his piece of pie with a fork, he whispered the words to every expectant father dreads hearing.

"Do I look fat?"

You could've heard a pin drop as the silence fell over the table like a funeral shroud. Severus froze with his glass of tea raised to his lips, every eye was on him.

Severus set the tea glass down and looked at the young man leaning against him. He looked across the table at Draco’s smirk and Max’s body started to shake from contained laughter. Grant was looking at his plate and Damon was pale. The only one on his side was Lucius who was emphatically shaking his head no; even Allie was looking at him expectantly.

He licked his thin lips and smiled down at his sub and husband. “No, little one, You are taking care of our baby. It’s her that’s going to be fat.”

Harry pulled away looked at his husband. He raised one eyebrow, "You think our baby is fat?"

Across the table, Allie's mouth fell open as she looked at Severus and she shook her head. A few seats away Grant sighed before gathering his and his husband's plate and quietly pushing away from the table, he didn't want to see the carnage. Nudging Damon on the shoulder, he tried to get him to join him in the kitchen, but the stubborn old fool wouldn't listen.

Harry fixed Severus with a glare and spoke again. "I'm waiting for an explanation Husband ."

Damon waited for Severus’ answer with the rest of them. He had known the boy had put his size twelve’s in his mouth and wondered if he could dig it out now. It looked to be shoved up all the way to his knee.

Severus smiled down at his husband. “Of course, little one. A beautiful, healthy cherubic little angel, that you slaved over for nine long months. With your amazing eyes and sweet smile.” He cut his eyes to Max and Lucius.

The blond man made a come hither motion and Max just shook his head.

He turned back to Harry. “She’ll have your sunny disposition as well too, Harry.” He was in deep and he knew it but the nonsense kept pouring forth from his mouth. “You are radiant and I love seeing you enjoy life again.”

The sound of a harsh laugh from the kitchen rang out and Allie's snort of derision was plainly heard as well. Harry narrowed those amazing eyes at his husband and crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips. "Such pretty words..." he began as Draco cut him off.

"Pretty words my arse, Sev is just like the rest of us. He doesn't want to be cut off," Draco laughed as the other man glared at him. "What? You know I'm right then and I did the same thing."

Harry glared at Severus and picked up his plate and started to get up.

"But Harry, honestly, you are not fat. You finally looked like something besides an anorexic street urchin, keep eating," the younger Malfoy drawled as he smirked at Severus.

Severus looked up at Harry and pulled him back down into his lap. “You shouldn’t ask questions that you don’t want the answers to, my Own. Draco is right.” Severus nuzzled the younger man’s neck. “Beside, none of my children will ever go without and neither will my husband.”

Damon shook his head and stood. He went into the kitchen and found Grant washing the dishes. “You nearly instigated a riot in there. Why do you wanna ruin a perfectly nice evening?” Damon pressed up against Grant and wrapped his arms around the other man. “Do I have to take you out behind the woodshed?” He grinned against Grant’s cheek.

Grant pushed his hips back against his husband and smiled. “Not the woodshed, but maybe a walk down by the creek would be nice?,” he murmured as he turned in Damon’s arms and tipped his head back to kiss him. “We could leave the dishes and I’ll do them in the morning, the kids can find their way out,” he purred as he rubbed himself over the older man. He wasn’t paying any attention to the kitchen door until he heard a cough and looked up to find several pairs of eyes looking at them.

Damon ignored his son. “You know where to door is; don’t let it hit your backsides on the way out.” He took Grant’s hand and brought it to his lips. He led his sub out the back door and stopped in the waning sunlight under the tree.

The Dom bent and gave Grant a tender, deep kiss and started walking once more towards the back of the property.

Grant stopped him for a moment by the barn. “Don’t you think we should grab a blanket or anything else?” he asked, almost shy again after half a century with his man. He cherished the times they spent as simply mates, not that he wanted it all of the time, but it was a nice change of pace. “How were you planning…” he left the question unspoken as he felt Damon tugging the hair tie out of his hair and pulling his braid loose.

Damon pulled Grant close, hands carding through the long still dark strands and removing the snarls. “It’s been warm all day, My Injun. How about a dip in the creek?” He nibbled on Grant’s ear.

Grant purred and nodded as he took his husband’s hand once more and followed him along the well marked path. The walk was pleasant and he pointed out the seedless blackberry bushes he’d planted early that spring that were doing well. They could still hear the sounds of their family back at the house as they walked along. “I’d like to be able to do this more Damon,” he said softly as he twined his fingers with his husband’s, feeling like a huge weight had been rolled off of his shoulders.

Damon grinned. “We will, Grant. Soon it will be well into fall and the leaves will turn.” He steered his love down to the creek bed and turned him so he could begin to undo the buttons on Grant’s shirt. “We’ll have the stuff to do at the bar of course but we can stay in bed late the next morning and be lazy.”

Damon grinned as he spread the folds of cloth from his husband’s chest. He bent forward and licked a stripe of wetness across his smooth chest, then took one pert nipple into his mouth.

Grant smiled and ran his fingers through Damon’s thick graying blond hair. “I feel like being lazy right now,” he chuckled lightly. “I feel like just laying here in the grass and letting you do all the work.” He pulled his husband back up and kissed him deeply before he did just that, sinking down into the waist high grass and looking up at him with a smile. “Join me?”

Damon nodded and knelt beside his sub. He reached forward and unbuckled the leather braided belt and opened his trousers. He looked up at Grant and grinned. He lifted Grant’s leg and slid the loafer from the slender foot and pulled the sock off as well. He massaged the straight toes and rubbed the top of Grant’s ankle.

He repeated all this on the other side and then glanced back up at the Indian. “Lift.” Damon removed the trousers and underpants all in one go. He then pulled Grant to a sitting position and slid the shirt from his back. Quickly he stood and shed his clothing.

Pulling Grant up from the ground, Damon swung him up into his arms and carted him into the creek. About half way out, he dunked them both under the clear warm water.

Grant watched his husband from half lidded eyes while he undressed him. He instinctively wrapped his arms around Damon’s neck and rested his head on the older man’s shoulder as he was carried into the water. As the water closed over his head, he clung tighter and closed his eyes, entrusting his safety to the Dom in whose arms he lay.

Coming up out of the water, he opened his dark eyes and looked at Damon. “Do you like the wet dog look on me?” he laughed as he tipped his head back and got his hair out of his face, he should’ve pulled it back into at least a pony tail for swimming.

Damon nodded and knelt down once again allowing the water to take Grant’s weight from him and freeing up his hands. He carded his fingers through the dark strands floated about them as the current moved lazily around them.

Damon bent forward and kissed Grant, softly, running his hands up and down the slick man. He pulled Grant’s legs around his waist and rested his backside on his knees, content to just kiss and hold the other man for a few minutes.

Grant sighed into the kiss and closed his dark eyes; he loved these romantic moments when he could get them. He could hear the night birds begin to sing as twilight began to fall, he nestled his face into the crook of Damon’s neck and began to kiss him gently, feeling the man’s heart beating beneath his lips. He shifted his weight on Damon’s lap, not wanting his legs to go to sleep and caused them to overbalance. Grant shrieked loudly as they were dunked under the water once more.

Damon brought them up, laughing. “I had us balanced and you tipped us ass over tit.” He moved them out a bit deeper so he could stand and still have the weight balanced out in the water. He once again wrapped Grant’s legs about his waist. He reached between them with one hand and fisted Grant’s small cock.

Damon captured the other man’s mouth once more and his hand gently moved over the hard wet flesh.

Grant’s whimpers were poured into his husband’s demanding mouth as he felt his cock played with. It felt so good, so free like this in the open with Damon. He wrapped his legs tighter around the man and began to rock his hips against the other man as Damon pulled the moans and whimpers from his lips. His fingers wound together behind Damon’s neck as he clung to him, his eyes closed, his senses becoming sharper as his body responded to Damon.

Damon slid his fingers lower over the tight ball sac and down beneath them. He dipped the long digits into the cozy place and moved them back and forth. He cupped Grant’s bottom and shifted him down on to his cock, sliding slowly between the warm lips and into the tight wet heat. Damon groaned against Grant’s skin and held the other man tightly to him. He kissed the smooth damp skin and tasted Grant and clean creek water from the mountain. “Sweet, sweet Grant.” He breathed across the other man’s ear.

Grant’s eyelids fluttered as he realized his husband was entering him, he tipped his head back and whimpered out his pleasure as he felt his body opened up slowly and gently. “My Damon…my Damon,” he cried out as he moved his hands from where they clenched each other to rest on the blond man’s shoulders. He moved his legs to take Damon deeper and then began to raise and lower himself slowly, using the water as an aid in the impromptu acrobatics. His back was bowed as he pushed himself down on his man and rocked his hips, not only giving himself more pleasure, but he knew how much Damon liked it as well.

Damon moved them along with Grant’s motions to the current of the water. Lazily and easy he helped Grant ride him. He nuzzled the skin in front of him and licked along the line of Grant’s throat. He groaned aloud as Grant began to speed up his motions. Damon looked around in the darkness and felt out with his foot for the long sand bar. Without removing himself from Grant he walked to the tiny mound of sand and readjusted his hands on Grant to take back the weight as they were lifted up out of the water. He knelt, turned and leaned back on the wet sand. He guided Grant’s legs to the side of his hips and lifted the Indian higher. “Ride me sweet, sweet Grant.” He let go of the man and watched as his cock disappeared into his husband.

Grant looked down at his husband and fixed his dark gaze on the man. “Do you want to watch?” he asked huskily.

“Always.” Damon answered.

Grant smiled at him and then reached down to cup his sac out of the way so Damon could watch as his cock slid in and out of him, the wet lips spreading and grasping at him as he rode him faster. The smaller man leaned back and balanced himself by putting his other hand on his husband’s thigh as he moved faster, making sure to give him the little twist of hips he knew Damon loved so much.

The small submissive had his head tipped back and his eyes closed as he cried out his pleasure, his voice steadily getting louder as he got closer to his release. His fingers were digging into Damon’s thigh, and his back bowed as he made sure the man could see everything.

“Hold on.” Damon shifted his legs and spread his legs as his knees came up to cradle Grant’s body. “Touch yourself, for me baby.” He grabbed Grant’s hips and moved the other man faster along his cock. “Show me how much you enjoy this.”

A low keening cry filled the night air as one finger began to stroke his clit, his hips jerking in response to the stimulation. His other hand, no longer needed for balance was clenching Damon’s arm as he wriggled and squirmed on the man’s cock. “You feel so good,” he breathed as he pulled his finger away for a moment, it was nearly too much. He shifted his weight and helped Damon by leaning forward to ride him faster.

“Place one hand on your prick, Injun.” Damon told him as his fingers dug into the other man’s hips. “Come for me, baby. I want to watch you.” He dug his head back in the sand and looked up at the Lakhota’s face. He moaned at the look of concentration he found there. “Go on baby. Let go.”

Biting his lower lip, Grant wrapped one hand around his cock and began to stroke it while he used his other hand to touch where Damon was thrusting into him, rubbing and petting faster. “Sir….Damon, I’m…” he choked out as his back arched and pearly seed spurted from his cock and over his fist. He pushed himself down harder on Damon and his fingers as he nearly sobbed in pleasure while he shook.

Damon felt the clinching muscles and the hot release sear across his stomach. He bucked up into Grant a few more times before holding the man still and released deep inside him. He gasped out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding and pulled Grant down to lay on him. He kissed the damp hair and rubbed on Grant’s back. The water lapped at his sides and feet a soothing motion and he sighed contentedly.

“You okay, my Own?” Damon asked softly as he felt the man give an entire body shiver.

“I’m perfect, my One,” Grant said as he pushed himself up to look at his husband. “Thank you.” It had been a while since he’d felt that pampered and he was savouring the moment.

Damon chuckled. “I am glad you feel better.” He opened blue eyes to look at Grant. “Would you like to venture back and hit the showers? They should all be gone now.” He grinned at his husband. “We can play with bubbles there.”

Grant sat up carefully, aware that he still had his husband inside of him and stretched his arms over his head, when a beam of light cut across the creek, followed by several others. They could hear crashing in the underbrush and voices getting closer. “I thought they left?” Grant said in horror as he rolled to the far side of his husband and remembered his clothes were on the other side of the creek.

“I know they’re down this way, I heard Grant scream!” that was Max.

“Are you certain this is a good idea?” Severus called back as he swung the torch light around and spied a shoe on it’s side. “Shit.”


‘Fucking assholes.” Damon cursed and grabbed Grant’s hands. He dragged the other man back into deep water and lowered them until just their heads were sticking out of the water. He moved them under a low hanging willow branch and peered through the branches. “What the hell kinda of idiots go on a damned treasure hunt in the fucking dark? I hope they fall in somewhere.”

The brush by the willow rustled and Harry peered down at the older couple. “Actually Sir, Max heard Grant scream and he was concerned he was injured,” the little pregnant wizard grinned down at them and then averted his eyes. “We were just making sure everything was alright.” He let the branches go and close up again before he moved back to the path. “I found them and they are okay. I think they’d prefer it if we left now.”

“You’re damn right I want you yahoos to leave. What did you think I was going to do to him? Drown him?” Damon yelled out in the darkness. He looked back at Grant. “And you wanted more kids?”

The smaller man pressed against him in the water and kissed his cheek. “Always, and you know you do too, you old goat,” he murmured as he watched Severus put an arm around Harry and start to lead him back up the path while Max gave the water a considering look before following the others.

He moved out from under the willow and smiled to his husband. “I love you, Damon.”

“Severus, no!” Harry’s voice rang out and the tall pale man came running back over the bank and jumped into the creek, naked as a jay bird. Harry appeared over the side without his shirt on and looked down into the creek.

“All right!” Max bellowed. “We are swimming.” The big man followed his friend shedding his clothes as he went. The resulting splash drenched Harry standing on the bank and Allie as well when she came up next to him with Sarah.

Draco and Lucius came up beside the two pregnant ones and peered out into the water. Draco turned to look at them and asked. “Are you well? Is the water cold?” He looked back to the water and watched Severus. “This is an American thing, correct?” He asked his father.

Draco gawked as he watched the other man struggle to get his shoes off. “No son, this is something I haven’t done in a long time.” He shed his robes and ran for the water.

Damon rubbed his face. “Goddamn. I thought Lucius would have more sense than this.” He watched the cultured wizard strip down and head for the water. “At least the others have more sense than these idiots. Why is it always the adult ones you have to watch out for?”

Grant smiled at him and kissed his Dom’s frowning mouth. “At least we finished before they arrived.”

“Thank Merlin for small miracles.” Severus said as he surfaced next to the older couple.

Damon shoved water in the pale man’s face. “Go away, you brats.” He pulled Grant back behind him as Lucius splashed into the creek. The older couple lazed about in the water as they listened to the sounds of their family’s laughter and shouts fill the night air.