Miriel was still straightening our shelves when I scooped her up, stilling the busy hands and smothering her protests with my lips. Slowly, she began to relax into my arms and I carried her over to the rocker by the fire. Merry and Cincall had crafted it for us as a bonding gift and we found the rocking motion quite soothing.

"Our home looks fine, beloved. Father will not find fault when he visits, rather he will smile and settle upon our settee for a long talk." I stroked her hair and felt her sigh against my throat.

"What if he hates me?" Her voice was so unsure that I felt my heart give an extra thump.

"He will love you, Miri, just as Elladan and I love you." I kissed her silky hair and smiled. "He gave up long years ago on either of us finding a mate. And when he realized that it was our love for each other that kept us from settling, I think he truly put all thoughts of our bonding to another away. Was his letter not loving and welcoming?"

She sniffed and nodded. "It was so sweet when he thanked me for loving both of you. And when he wrote that he 'finally' had gotten you off his hands, I almost laughed. But now he'll be really seeing me and what if he doesn't like what he sees?"

I chuckled. "Father can present a very stern face when he needs to and after centuries of keeping the peace among our kin, he can be a little . . . autocratic. But part of that is simply his natural reserve. Elladan and I were of no help when it came to councils and diplomacy. He bore that burden alone save for Glorfindel's support. My brother and I owe him our father's sanity. His love kept Father grounded and sheltered just like you now do for us."

Her head came up and those beautiful blue eyes looked into mine. "I love you both very, very much. Do you think he's all right about our babies?"

"I expect he's ecstatic." I laughed. "He loves Eldarion, Arwen's son, so I expect he'll be over the moon when we tell him that we're having twins. Haven Bless Lorrin for being able to see both of them and telling us about them."

A distant horn brought both our heads up and Miri scrambled off my lap while hastily brushing her dress into order. Elladan burst through the front door a moment later. "The sentry at the outer marker saw them coming."

"Good, let's go meet them." I slung my cloak over my shoulders while my brother helped Miriel on with hers. They kissed tenderly for a moment and I smiled at how beautiful they were together. Then it was my turn and I tasted Elladan's lips with the joy that had been ours for so long.

We all took courage in the love that we shared among us and then we hastened from our cottage to make our way to the guest hall. The last snow had melted away in the lengthening sunlight and everything looked muddy except for a few sprouting plants in the herb garden that Sam was tending so carefully. He seemed pleased with their growth and hopefully they meant that true spring was on its way.

The hobbits were just leaving their homes when we passed so we slowed our pace to theirs and caught up on the welcome news that Elanor was cutting another tooth. The little blond sprite grinned up at us, showing off her two front teeth and the little white scallop that was her third. I had a vision right then of our little girl smiling up at me and I felt my heart melt.

Perhaps I was not so cold of heart as I'd once imagined. We walked on in contented silence and found Legolas and Gimli with their twins already waiting at the guest hall. The fires were blazing in all of the rooms and the doors stood open to welcome our latest guests to Friendly.

How very odd that it was our home now and Father would be the visitor. I looked around at the family and friends that had gathered together in this enchanted valley and thought it rivaled Rivendell for splendor. There was not so much built up as there but I liked that better. Here was room to think and walk and raise a family. There hadn't been many children over the last century or so in my old home.

And we were definitely having a baby boom. Legolas had set us all three down and told us of Gandalf's most unexpected pregnancy. Miriel had told us later that she had expected our eyes to pop out and bounce onto the silky blue rug. I expect she was right because all I could do for a long moment was open my mouth and breathe.

All because Narya had decided to get her wearer with child, I thought with a grin. It appeared that Miriel and Gandalf might be sharing a nursery. How very odd that was and how very worried Perri was for his lover. I'd never met the young Elf before he came riding in to join our family here in Friendly but he was a childhood friend of Legolas' and that was good enough for me.

The two of them were sweet together and I liked the way he took care of the older wizard. The sound of horses brought me back to where we waited and I stepped outside to catch first sight of them. My breath caught when I saw Father in his leather riding gear, knee to knee with Glorfindel. "Father!"

***********
Elrond
***********

"Elrohir!" I swung down and into my son's arms and almost burst into tears. I'd been having that silly urge to cry for almost a month now. His arms were hard around me and I hugged him close. "My dear son, how kind of you to greet me."

"I'm not the only one, Father." He let me go and turned to his brother and a beautiful little Elven girl who looked scared to death of me.

"This must be Miriel. My dear daughter, how very beautiful you are." I gathered her into my arms and she burst into tears while strangling me with her arms. "There, there, Miriel, I love you already and I've just met you. I can see that you love my sons and they love you, so don't you worry about a thing. We're going to be friends in no time at all."

"Th-thank you, Lord Elrond. I love them both so much." She sniffed a bit and I handed over my handkerchief.

"Absolutely not, child, I can't possibly be 'Lord Elrond'." I wiped a tear from her soft cheek and smiled at her beautiful dark eyes. "I'm just Elrond or Father or whatever you would like to call me. Although, I hear that I'm going to be a grandfather again and I must admit that that title is almost my favorite."

"Father," she nodded with another smile and Elrohir cuddled her close while his brother hugged me tight.

"Elladan, you're not to squeeze the stuffing out of me. The ride has already bounced me enough." I returned his hug but suddenly the ground felt like it was moving and I must have trembled because he stepped back a bit.

"Father, you look like you need to sit down." He said bluntly and I nodded while the blood all seemed to drain down to my boots. Then Glorfindel was there and he'd swept me up in his arms and carried me inside the warm guest hall. I must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing I knew, I was lying on a soft bed while my lover held a glass of cool water to my lips.

My sons watched us anxiously from the foot of the bed while their wife took my pulse. I tried to smile reassuringly at them but I really needed to just lie quiet for a while. Legolas, bless his heart, tiptoed in and told us that they were taking care of the six riders who'd journeyed with us and our horses. He winked at me so I knew that he was aware of my secret.

Now we just had to tell the rest of my family.

**********
Miriel
**********

Lord Elrond wasn't at all the way I'd pictured him. The boys had told me stories about him, about his wife leaving for the Havens, about his battles in the First Age, all sorts of stories that had me shaking in my slippers. But they hadn't told me that he had the softest dark eyes or that his hug would be so warm and welcoming. I loved him already and we'd just met.

I could tell that the trip had been wearing on him but there was something more. The tall blond Elf had been right there as if he'd known that Elrond would falter. I'd taken his pulse and it was too fast. Perhaps they hadn't eaten for awhile and he was experiencing the lightheadedness that sometimes came from fasting, I thought and felt his pulse begin to slow.

"I'm fine, just weary of travel and desirous of a nap." He reassured us but I could see that his companion was worried. "Maybe a bit hungry, too, I don't suppose there's any fruit to be found just yet?"

The little needy note made me smile. "I can recommend the apples of Friendly. And there is a feast being prepared for dinner so we can promise to feed you well shortly."

"Oh good, apples are just fine. Glorfindel, quit fussing. I'm all right." He said a bit crossly and the tall Elf chuckled and leaned in to kiss him quiet.

Once that had been accomplished, Lord Glorfindel looked at me then at the boys. "Your father and I have something to tell you all."

El' and 'Dan sat on the foot of the bed and nodded at him. I found Elrond grasping my hand tightly and I held it in both of mine, wishing I could send calm to him through my touch.

"There's no easy way to say this so," he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Elrond is pregnant with my child."

Silence. The fire snapped and crackled on the hearth but that was it. It was like we were all holding our breaths until something had to give.

"Father?" El' and 'Dan spoke in unison and I had to giggle at the shocked sound. "Miri?"

"Congratulations, Father and Glorfindel. It looks like you and I will be going through this whole wonderful . . . beautiful experience together."

Elrond was crying and it was my turn to wipe his cheeks with his handkerchief. I felt like a true mother at that moment and realized that one day soon, I'd be doing this for my son and daughter. Glorfindel hugged his lover close but his eyes stayed on my bondeds, who hadn't said another word.

"Was it Vilya?" Elrohir asked quietly.

Glorfindel nodded. "It appears that all three rings decided to give their wearers a child. It's a girl."

"A little sister?" Elladan finally smiled. "I hope she has Del's hair. This family could use another blonde."

"All right, this is very, very strange but then I guess I should expect that. Did you know that Miriel's carrying twins?" Elrohir rubbed his cheek slowly then reached down to pull of his father's left boot while 'Dan pulled off his right.

"Really? Another set of twins would be wonderful, Miriel. Bless you." Elrond beamed up at me and I leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Lorrin says that our son is Elladan's child and our daughter is Elrohir's. How nice of you to give her an aunt their own age." I teased him a little and Glorfindel chuckled. He really did have the most beautiful smile.

The boys were covering their father up with one of Tilly's soft blankets and I tucked in one side while Glorfindel tucked in the other. His voice was soft against his lover's temple and I sighed at how beautiful they looked together. "Rest now, beloved. I'll find you something to eat while you take a little nap."

Elrond's eyes were already closed and I slipped off the bed after tucking his hand back under the rose colored quilt. Elrohir gathered me into his arms for a hug while Elladan motioned Glorfindel to come with us to the outer room. Once there, they both hugged him with soft congratulations and quiet questions about how Elrond was really feeling. The golden Elf answered all their questions then returned to his lover with a kiss to my cheek and his own welcome to the family.

I had so many questions that I didn't know where to start. I would be tracking Lorrin down soon but for right now, I needed to take my husbands back to our cottage and seduce them. Finding out that my father-in-law was going to have a child had made me begin to burn deep inside where only they could put out the fire. Something in my glance must have given them a clue because they rushed the explanations to the others of our extended family and almost pulled me out the door.

The small babies inside of me made me feel heavier in front but they hadn't quenched my urge for lovemaking at all. In fact, being pregnant seem to have increased my need for both of them. And when I could take no more, I would lie back and watch them make love to each other. I had to be the luckiest Elf in Middle-earth to have two such beautiful lovers who loved me, too.

Once inside our little home, Elrohir swept me up in his arms while I laughed out loud. Elladan took all our cloaks and soon joined us on the big bed where our clothes flew every which way until we were gloriously naked and sliding against each other. That always felt so good that it took us a moment to find our way into our favorite position.

'Dan scooted up behind me while El' slid his arms around us both from in front of me. His lips are always so sweet when they nibble on mine while his brother licked my shoulder and tongued my earlobe. My hands were busy stroking over El's chest and his surprisingly sensitive nipples.

But then I couldn't talk because mine had grown so amazingly sensitive that sometimes I came with just a gentle suckling from one or both of them. El slipped inside of me so quickly that I moaned and rocked forward to seat him more fully. That was what I needed. Even better would be 'Dan . . . oh there, his hands were just right, sliding up my sides to cup my breasts.

"Miri-love, we're so glad that you're ours." He whispered in my ear while his brother drove me right out of my little mind.

"Yes, I'm . . . glad . . . I am, too." I had to use my breath for moaning then while El' and 'Dan kissed around me. This was going to be oh, so good.

**********
Elrond
**********

Del cuddled me close, his hands stretched over my stomach where our child was growing while I stretched and opened my eyes. Looking around the room, I saw roses everywhere. Woven into the quilt covering me, carved up the four posters of the bed, growing on the windowsill, they covered the room like a garden grown amuck. I smiled and wondered if Sam had anything to do with it.

"You're feeling better." Glorfindel kissed the back of my neck and I turned to face him.

"Finally," I leaned in and feasted gently on his mouth. My stomach growled between us and he chuckled, pulling away to brush a curl behind my ear.

"You frightened me a little, beloved. Please don't keep me in the dark when you're not feeling well. I'm here to take care of you." His blue eyes were so beautiful that they stole my breath away. "If you feel up to it, I'll go and find some of those apples that you thought sounded so good."

"Not enough, Del, I'm starving." I sat up and stretched again. "Miriel is a pretty little thing, isn't she? I liked the way she took the news. Do you think the boys are all right with their new sister?" I slid off the bed and made sure that the dizziness had gone away. Lorrin had said that my body would slowly find a new balance while the child pushed my internal organs around so she had room to grow.

He chuckled and joined me, threading his fingers through my hair while I purred for him. "They seemed fine. We'll talk more after dinner. Their news surprised me though. She carries twins and they already know there's one of each. Lorrin is an amazing healer. We need more like him now that Middle-earth is experiencing a rebirth."

I caught the pun and stuck my tongue out at him. He caught it and nibbled until we were kissing anew. I've kissed him for centuries and each one still seems better than the one before. But my stomach growled again and I pulled away apologetically while he laughed at me.

"Dinner now, beloved. Let's go and find the others after you wash away the trip. Gloin said that they have abundant hot water so let's find some so we can go fill your empty stomach." He patted my waist. "Don't worry, sweetheart, we're going to feed you soon so your father can ravish your mother in this nice new bed."

It was my turn to chuckle. That was something new, Del talking to our child. But I liked it and she did, too. I could hardly wait until she first moved although Lorrin had said it would be another two months or so before she developed enough. The aches and pains were nothing compared to the joy of seeing her grow.

I could hardly wait.

********************
The end of part six