Alexis and Gareth had been married over twelve years with no children. Their desire had always been to grow their family, but that blessing had never come. So even though Sean was basically full grown, they threw all their efforts into raising him with all the love and affection they held.

Alexis was true to her word and taught Sean to read and write. Gareth taught him the finer points of farming. The boy quickly discovered that the 'unintended consequences' of the vial included heightened senses. He used these abilities to hone his hunting skills in his free time, bringing fresh game home to his elated adoptive mother. The biggest surprise came to Sean as he looked in a stream one day. His normally brown eyes were replaced with silver and seemed to be glowing. He asked Alexis about it later that day.

"Oh honey, you arrived that way. I just thought that's how they were. You say they used to be brown?" the blue-eyed woman kissed him on the cheek. "It does not matter to me what color your eyes are, but I will say they remind me of my great-grandfather. I only have one memory of him as a child, but his eyes looked like liquid lightning too."

Silver stared at his adoptive mother's eyes as he thought about her statement. It was then he noticed the slightest sliver of silver among all the blue flecks. 'What a curious coincidence!' "I would like to hear more about our family," he said.

Alexis nodded. She loved hearing Sean say 'our family.' "I can tell you anything you want to know as soon as you help me finish chopping these vegetables. Put those hands to good use!"

-------------------

On the commemoration of Sean's eighteenth birthday, Gareth gifted Sean with a beautiful handmade knife. Since they were unsure of the date, they picked a day in mid-summer and celebrated wholeheartedly. The entire village came in and the families danced and sang to the rousing tune of a mandolin.

They placed flowers over his neck and wished him blessings for his life going forward. Sean had never been so delighted as he learned the different jigs. He fell back in the grass when he was done with a hearty laugh. 'This is how life should be,' he mused. 'Whole and loved and happy.'

A month later, Gareth and Alexis shared a happy secret with their son. Alexis was going to have a baby! The blue-eyed woman assured Sean that this child would never take his place, but he waved her concern aside. "I am going to get a brother or sister. How could I possibly be unhappy?" Indeed, in a house where love abounded, jealousy truly had no place.

Time passed joyously for the little family as they prepared for the arrival. They even completed a small cabin behind the house for Sean to live independently. "You are welcome to stay in our house anytime you like, but you are more a man every day, and I think you might appreciate some privacy. Plus babies are noisy," Alexis added with a wink.

Sean appreciated the consideration, and he worked hard to help get things prepared for the new arrival. As Alexis's belly grew, he even took on more of the household chores to keep his mother from overexerting herself. "I could get used to this," the pregnant woman joked.

When the day came for Alexis to give birth, Sean and Gareth paced restlessly outside the house. They could hear the woman's screams as they grew more intense. Every so often they paused, exchanged worried glances, and resumed pacing. This went on for most of the day. Finally the screaming stopped. The men froze. A new sound pierced the air: a baby's cry!

Sean and Gareth hugged heartily before entering the house unannounced, bumping shoulders as they both tried to go through the door at once. The midwife scolded them briefly and tried to shoo them out, but Alexis beckoned them to the bedroom. The men entered with such care and quiet that a pin drop would have startled them.

On the bed, Alexis was drenched in sweat and her long, braided hair was matted to her head. Paler than usual, her cheeks were flush with exhaustion and pride. In her arms a small bundle lay moving and cooing. Sean was in awe of the scene. No longer satisfied with the quiet entry, he wished that a huge fanfare or the King's own messenger had announced the little arrival.

"The baby is a girl," Alexis said quietly. A little hand reached up and brushed the new mother's face before Alexis tucked it back inside the folds. "Do you want to meet her?"

Sean motioned for Gareth to move, and the tall man happily obliged. Alexis held out the child to the new father and he took her in his arms like she was made of glass. Indeed she was much more precious than that. "Hello daughter," Gareth said with tears streaming down his face. "I am your dad." The four remained silent for a moment, frozen in time. Sean did not think he could be happier, but then his father looked his way.

"Would you like to hold her?" Gareth asked, unable to hide his joyous smile. "I am sure she would love to meet her brother."

"Me?" Sean asked, concerned. The thought of holding the baby had never actually occurred to him, and now he was not sure that he was up to the task. "I can't. I'll drop her." He took a step back, afraid that even breathing on her might harm the tiny baby.

"Go get a chair." Alexis instructed him. She pointed to the main room. "I promise you will not break her if you are careful." Deciding to trust her, the young man obeyed.

Returning with the chair, Sean sat by the bed. Gareth lowered the baby into his arms carefully. Sean's whole body stiffened, but soon relaxed as he beheld the miracle in his arms.

Because Sean had never been around a baby, he wasn't sure what to expect. But after a moment with his own sister, he decided she must be the most perfect baby in the whole world. She was tiny, long and lean. Her skin was lighter than Sean's, much like their mother's, and two clear blue eyes stared curiously toward him. If Sean had known more about babies, he would have known an alert and attentive newborn is exceptionally rare, but he smiled back at her none the wiser.

The child's little hand escaped the swaddle once more. Instinctively, Sean moved his finger so that he could touch her delicate palm. The girl's hand closed around his finger and held it. Sean looked up and saw his parent's crying happy tears. He realized his own face was wet too as a small droplet landed on the swaddling cloth.

"What's her name?" Sean asked, finally pulled from his reverie.

The dimples on Alexis's cheeks deepened. "Gareth and I spoke. We think you should name her."

Sean's eye's widened. His mind raced. 'What did she say? Me? Oh, I better think of the best name ever. Esther? Kaitlyn? Olivia? Think, Sean, Think!' He looked down at the strangely expectant eyes of his sister. 'Oh little one, you are so safe, loved and wanted. This is your safe haven. I will keep you safe, Haven.' "Haven," he announced with a happy sigh. "Her name is Haven."

"Haven?" Gareth asked. "I rather like the sound of that." He leaned over his daughter and kissed the top of her head. "It is good to meet you, Haven." The two men stared at the baby in wonder as she wriggled before settling off to sleep.

Alexis cleared her throat. "If you two are done monopolizing Miss Haven," she said in mock scolding. "I would like another turn holding her."

"You held her for nine months," Gareth answered with a lopsided grin, "Let someone else have a turn!"

One look at his beautiful wife told him to return the child to her mother. He gently rested Haven on Alexis's chest, kissed both the ladies of his family and hurried out of the room with Sean in tow.