A/N: Sorry for all the time jumps recently. I had a lot of events I needed to cover before the end of the generation, plus I wanted to show each baby as a toddler because… they’re cute 🙂 Karissa has another son named Logan, as you’ll soon find out. I really want her to have a girl… But hey, I’m finally almost done with Generation 8! This is the penultimate chapter.

About eight years later

“Say hi to grandpa, Logan!” I smiled down at my youngest boy and smoothed down his unruly orange-blonde hair.

“Hello gwamp,” he said, enthusiastically waving a hand. “I’m Logan Kalen Dunair. I’m three!”

‘Gwamp’ chuckled and waved back. “I know, buddy. You tell me every time. Man, look at how big you are now!”

“Hey grandpa!” Behind us, Link removed his arm from his brother’s shoulders and bounded up the Palace steps with ease as he joined Lily and Mac inside.

In contrast, Elias gave a little nod towards his grandfather as he went in. “Still not speaking much, huh?” dad tutted.

“No. He does talk, just… not very often.” I sighed and tried to shrug nonchalantly. “Then again, Link struggled with speech for a while but he turned out fine. Reading and writing still aren’t his strengths, but…”

“Just give it time. After all, Logan has no such trouble,” Dad smiled down at the toddler, who was babbling to himself, picked him up, and ushered us inside.

“Well, this must be a special occasion,” Lily said as the whole family gathered in the living room. “We haven’t had everyone in this house since you announced your pregnancy with Logan.”

I felt my cheeks turn red. “Um, actually…”

“We’re expecting again,” Vox said bluntly. “But this will be our last child.”

“We always wanted a girl named April Maria.” I smiled a bit awkwardly at all the shocked faces in the room.

“There needs to be a rule: no reproduction in the safe house,” dad muttered.

“Oh, stop it.” Lily swatted his arm. “The more grandchildren, the merrier!”

“I’m gonna be a big bwuther!” Logan shrieked and clapped his hands.

From behind me I heard Link groan: “Another?”

“Have you thought about what you’ll name the baby if it’s a boy? I mean, you guys kinda have a trend going on here…” Mac pointed out.

“Colton Finn,” I replied. Most of the adults in the room nodded in approval. Dad bounced Logan up and down, then asked what he thought of the name.

“Colt is a horse. My baby bwuther’s a horse.” He giggled and tried to neigh.

Link slapped his forehead and groaned again. “Was I that stupid when I was a baby?”

“Lincoln!” Every adult in the room simultaneously yelled his name.

“Yeesh, sorry… I was just wondering,” he muttered. He stuffed his hands in his pockets after fiddling with his beanie.

“No matter,” dad said cheerfully. “But remember – your brother isn’t stupid. He’s learning. Just as you once did. Now, why don’t you and Elias go play with the unicorns?”

The pair ambled off with Lily following them to make sure they didn’t get into any trouble.

“How old is Lincoln now?” Mac asked once they were out of earshot.

“Just turned eleven,” I replied.

“So that makes Elias about nine. Pretty big age gap between him and Logan.” She smiled at the toddler in dad’s arms. “What made you guys want more kids?”

Vox and I exchanged a wary glance. “Well, with the threat from the vampires and certain other people…” I started hesitantly. Everyone knew I was referring to Duncan. “We figured there’s safety in numbers.”

The front door slammed open as I spoke and Link stomped in, arms crossed, followed by Elias and Lily. “Vern isn’t here,” he pouted. “He’s my favorite.”

“Yes, he shouldn’t be.” Dad rose from his seat and handed Logan to me. The boys slid back into their seats on the couch. “I sent him to guard that ‘certain other person’ you mentioned. Duncan is banished from the Palace while you are here.”

“Duncan? Who’s that?” Link queried, peering at everyone with those inquisitive green eyes.

“Nevermind him,” Lily said briskly. “Let’s go have dinner.”

Thankfully, dinner was uneventful. Link didn’t knock his glass off the table and shatter it into a million pieces, Elias actually answered all his grandparents’ questions about school, and Logan chattered away like usual.

The boys played a wild game of tag afterwards, their shrieks and laughs filling the house. Logan, riding piggyback on Link’s shoulders, was especially loud. I sighed and turned my attention back to the dinner table.

“To the last baby,” dad said, raising his champagne glass in a toast. We all clinked glasses and drank (except for me… The irony).

A couple of glasses later, everyone walked away pleasantly buzzed, while I walked away hoping this pregnancy would go as smoothly as the last one.

“Alright you three, stand still,” a voice floated down the hallway. I rounded the corner to find Lily snapping a picture of the boys, as she did every year when we visited. “Gosh, Elias, are you taller than your brother now?”

Link made a grumpy sounding hmph!

“Just by a few inches,” Elias replied softly. He turned and stared at Link as if he had just noticed the height difference.

“I want to tell a story,” Link said suddenly. He plopped Logan in his astonished grandma’s arms and ran off to the living room, dragging Elias behind him. Everyone was circled on the couches, idly chatting, when Link burst in and exclaimed, “Tonight’s story: The Wizard’s Tale.”

“Great,” Vox slurred as I snuggled up next to him, “I haven’t heard this a million times…”

“Just listen, you dunce,” I laughed. Alcohol certainly affected him.

“There once was a great wizard named Elubarin,” Link began. “He lived in a giant mansion with his cranky sister and his really chill brother, Pan. Pan was known for doing the silliest things…”

Link acted out the story with Elias, imitating Pan’s upside-down portrait and his pranks. He ended with a dramatic reenactment of the vampires slaughtering everyone, which, if I was honest, I found slightly disturbing. Why was Link so enthralled with that morbid story?

The room was quiet after the story, mostly because Logan had drifted off. Link rushed over to his grandparents and hopped on the couch.

“Did you like the story, grandpa?”

“Hmm… It was very interesting,” he replied, looking at a loss for words.

Lily rocked Logan in her arms, then stood up and announced that we were welcome to stay the night. Dad insisted we did, so we let Link and Elias play some more until they were tired out.

Dad and I carried them up to the guest bedroom. He sat on the sofa with Elias, a content smile on his face. “I can’t wait to meet the fourth grandchild. You’re going to have a lot on your hands… But it will be worth it.”

“I sure hope so,” I laughed. “I love raising kids, but man… It’s hard enough just with these three.”

“I thought it was hard and I only had you. I can’t imagine what four must be li-”

He broke off as a voice entered our heads, one only those with violet eyes could hear. A unicorn’s. Fear welled in my throat when I heard the message, and I clutched Link closer to me.

Vern is dead. Vern is dead.