Ginny's house had an interesting problem. A ghost problem.

Under different circumstances, Ginny would have considered extraordinary measures to rid herself of the supernatural intruder. She consulted Fawn on the matter, who merely advised her to leave him be.

"This was probably his house long before it was our own, in any event."

She liked that Fawn considered this place home more than she liked to admit to.




As if to uphold Fawn's assessment, the apparition proved to be a gentle, if not loving, caretaker. In fact, Ginny noticed that large portions of the day that he didn't spend making her kitchen sink float were instead used in the nursery. If a child cried, she often found it cleaned and fed before she could scale the staircase.


As it turned out, ghosts were somewhat commonplace in Lunar Lakes. As the days passed, she found herself drawn to the charismatic poltergeist, often visiting the nursery without cause in the hopes of catching him. She discovered that his name was Haili, and he could only rest in peace if his greatest wish was released - having children and watching them grow up well. Ginny was amazed at how well that lined up with her interests.


"I have a confession," he started one day, after tucking the final toddler into the crib. "This was never actually my home. I just started coming here when I had nowhere else to go."

"Well, what happened to your original home?" She should have been slightly upset, but it was hard to conceal her zeal of getting a free babysitter.

He sighed. "My girlfriend kicked me out. I guess she couldn't handle the transition after my accident. I won't bore you with the details, but let's say that I've been keeping an eye on your kitchen sink for a reason."

She pursed her lips. "I wish I could say more than 'sorry'."

"Don't worry about it. You've already said that in a thousand different ways by allowing me to stay here. For whatever time I have left."


The more time Ginny spent with Haili, the more guilt she felt. Finally, she confronted Fawn. Her worries, her mission, and her apologies poured out in a cascade of mixed speech, which Fawn analyzed carefully. Finally, at the end of her tirade, he smiled.

"While it bothers me as a father to think of you sleeping with other men, I can tell that what you are saying is true. And if it is truly your duty to the goddesses to serve them, then I have little right to stand in your way."

His response took Ginny slightly aback. She knew that he was a man of good temperament, but his relaxed response seemed almost unnatural. "Do you really believe me?"

He laughed. "As you have most likely realized, I am not exactly human."

"No?"

"My people were forest dwellers long before man was in existence. Our ears allowed us to detect the smallest of change in our environment - including increased heartbeat, and nervous gestures. This is how I know that you are in earnest."

He grinned.

"Ever since the Goddesses turned against the world, most of my race has been rather reclusive. I am glad that there is at least one working with you to better the world. And I sincerely hope that you get the chance to do so."


And so, with Fawn's blessing, Ginny made her move on Haili.

In the meantime, her children had grown bigger.


Nix was rather solitary, preferring to play on her own for hours on end.


Kolpia was rather similar, retreating to the easel when given the opportunity.


And Virgo did not have much of a choice in being alone, what with her placement in advanced classes at Lunar Lake's local school. While she enjoyed the challenge, she did not enjoy the work.

The days passed lazily and without event.


In contrast with her first attempts, Ginny was quickly gaining skill with the brush. Her paintings helped to rack in a few desperately needed dollars.


The twins and Virgo settled into a scholarly routine.


Sooner than she would have guessed, however, the monotony was broken by all too familiar contractions.



Quadruplets! Ginny tried to hide her shock. Of course, she was thrilled, but she didn't know the first thing about the care of occult children.




Luckily, the none too human Fawn and Haili were there to help, well into the babies' transition to toddler hood. Their primary concern was of Orion. Ghost babies would mostly act like regular children, but a fairy might be prone to bursts of uncontrollable magic. Random spurts of flower plots in the kitchen and floating cribs became common in everyday life.


By that logic, they should have been concerned about Niro, who has inherited both of his father's occult genes. But he showed little signs of being able to manipulate fairy magic.




The family was fearful that Alilive would grow up fostering feelings of inferiority, a human living among supernatural brethren. They naturally spoiled her. Haili in particular could not help it - she was Daddy's little girl.


Casper was an easily pleased child, content to romp around the nursery in his walker. His temperament made raising him a breeze.


They all loved playing with older siblings.




But above all, they loved playing with one another. And they loved one another.

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