The sun was creeping towards the flat, sparsely vegetated horizon as a large, mud-spattered pickup rolled up to a small, half completed house.

Magpie leaned heavily on the wheel. He pinched his grey-hazel eyes as the house went unfocused, shaking his head to clear the weariness. A tired smile tugged onto his bearded face as he noticed three figures sitting outside.

He exited his truck, slamming the door to ensure it stuck and to further alert the three sitting some meters away. He crouched down and held open his arms.

                “Daddy!”

Magpie braced as two girls around seven-years-old smashed into him. He squeezed them until they wiggled free.

The taller of the two—her black hair in two pigtail braids—scrunched her nose at him. “Why’re you all furry?”

                “Oh.” Magpie felt his beard. “I lost the head of my razor somewhere.”

The smaller girl—her dark red hair in matching ponytails—frowned. “It looks weird.”

                “Does it?”

Each girl took a hand before Magpie had time to ponder his appearance more. He allowed himself to be dragged over to the incomplete homestead, to the third figure sitting out front.

Balter’s black hair was tied up in a messy bun. She sat in a patch of dirt in a long, piecemealed skirt. Her fingers were at work shelling peas into a jar. Her shotgun and a large, burlap duffle bag sat to her side.

Magie met her lopsided smile with a broad one as she looked up from her task. He knelt, carefully putting a hand on her growing abdomen, and gently kissing her.

She stifled a laugh. “Sorry. I’m not used to the beard.”

                “I will get rid of it.”

                “Wait until tomorrow.” Balter smirked. “You never know, we might get used to it.” She lifted a full jar. “Maran.”

The taller girl took it, settling down to screw on the lid.

                “Rouen, can you grab the other bushel from the kitchen?”

                “Sure.” Rouen shook her head at Magpie. “It still looks weird.”

Magpie frowned. “Does it look so bad?”

                “Different.” Balter thumbed it as she touched his cheek. “It makes you look older. The question is do you want to look in your thirties before thirty?”

Maran climbed onto Magpie’s back. “I don’t want you to be old.”

Rouen bounced back to the group with a basket of peas. She set them before Balter.

                “Can we go play before dinner?”

                “Just don’t go deep in the canyon this late, and if one of you is climbing, the other needs her feet on the ground.”

Maran led Rouen by half a pace as they ran off towards the canyon.

Most people that the four them came across assumed Maran and Rouen were twins despite the differences.

Maran had black hair, and skin darker than Magpie’s olive tone—like Balter’s.

Rouen had dark red hair, and skin a shade lighter than Magpie’s.

They both had brown eyes as Balter did, but the shape was the same as Magpie’s, Rouen’s being a fraction darker than Maran’s. Both girls shared a handful of small features with Magpie.

The four-month age difference was a fact that never crossed the minds of random rovers and townies.

Magpie snapped from his daze as Balter stroked his arm. He allowed her to guide him to her stomach, beaming proudly at the squirms.

                “You are much bigger than when I left.”

                “Yes, I’m aware.” Balter laughed. “You’re lucky I like you.”

                “I believe I managed enough to finish his bedroom. I should not need to go trading for some time.”

                “There’s no rush. It’ll be easier keeping him in our room the first year or so like we did with the girls.” Balter looked at the horizon. “I need to start dinner. The weather is good. We can do a camp out.”

                “I will gather your utensils.”

Magpie returned to the truck first to grab his rifle and heave a rolled carpet onto his shoulder. He discarded it in the living room area, exiting into the kitchen to grab a large pan, a slab of meat, carrots, and a knife.

Balter had moved to the fire pit as he left the house. He left her the cooking wares and returned to the truck to continue emptying the bed and back of the cab.

Magpie took his rifle and wandered towards the canyon to fetch the girls while Balter finished up the cooking.

The four of them settled around the fire pit. Maran and Rouen excitedly told stories of exploring the canyon while Magpie was gone, begging for stories of his journey to and from the Henlopen Market in exchange.

Magpie left Balter to get the girls ready for bed. He scraped the food scraps into a bucket, setting the plates and utensils aside for washing. He checked that Balter had fully disappeared—that everything was still—before digging through the burlap duffle. He extracted a beaten laptop from beneath the balls of yarn and clothing remnants.

The laptop was open to Surviving Wanderlust, now in red tones instead of pinks when the site first popped up. The newest photo showed a vast field of wheat in the middle of turning from green to gold.

Magpie moved the cursor to hover over the bookmarked sites.

--

Maran chased after a white goat with long, woolly ringlets.

A large, off-white dog with dark ears whined at Magpie’s side; Magpie focused on twisting the wire fence around a new wooden post.

                “Maran, no more. You are upsetting the dog.”

Maran took to climbing into the next field where black and brown floppy-eared goats grazed.

                “Dad! Maran!” Rouen paused yards away, bouncing and waving to draw more attention to herself. “Mom says to come get lunch!”

                “Go on. I’m nearly finished.”

He watched the two girls disappear around a rock face on their way to the house. He did a final twist on the fence repair but did not follow the girls. He shouldered his rifle, patted the dog on the head, and began to walk the fence.

The pasture was small and split into two halves. One housed goats with mostly short hair, floppy ears, and usually were brown with black patches with a handful being white with brown ears. There were scatters on this side to indicate the flopped eared goats were mixing breeds, and some had mixed with the white woolly goats in the other half the of field.

Each pasture had two dogs, one that was awake and one that was sleeping in the mouth of the small, long barns.

Magpie lazily looked over both barns, feeding scraps to the dogs and checking the water levels in the trough that watered both barns. He spotted Balter rounding the rocks as he paused his search for more to do. He walked briskly to meet her.

                “You should not waste your energy trekking out here now that I’m home.”

                “Probably, but what choice did I have if you’re going to be out here avoiding me?”

Magpie scowled. “I am not avoiding. I merely am… processing.”

Balter crossed her arms, casting him a skeptical look.

                “It is not you that I’m avoiding.”

                “Yeah, Mags, I get the semantics of it.”

Magpie fiddled with his rifle’s shoulder strap. He squinted into the sun as a vulture flew overhead.

                “It has been years since I heard anything from Innit. Even longer has passed since I have set foot out of United Americas land. I cannot make sense of it if Innit is asking me to do so now, and after so long.”

                “He could just miss you. It’s not like he was great at being personable or likable. He’s probably had enough of solitude. I mean it’s been… what, seven years? Eight? Was I pregnant with Maran the last time you guys were face-to-face?”

                “She was an infant.” Magpie winced. “I would say… she was near half a year….”

Balter’s dark brown eyes rolled up as she mouthed months. She focused back on Magpie, narrowing her eyes with a frown.

                “He was there when you got Rouen?” She threw her hand up in exasperation. “Are you kidding me? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

                “It was unimportant.”

                “Oh, right, I totally buy that.”

                “Perhaps… I did not want you angry with him.”

                “Why? Because he threw a fit when you chose the girls over whatever it is he planned on getting up to?” She scoffed. “Oh no, I see the rationale to it.”

Magpie stiffened. “I asked for his help when with Rouen, and he gave it despite protest. Do not be angry with him.”

                “I can still be mad he quit speaking to you over it.”

                “It wasn’t for long.” He shrugged. “He did reach out months later. Apologized.”

                “Apologized? Innit?”

                “Told me he understood my choosing you and the girls over all else. That was the last I heard from him. I took it to mean we were friends but now our lives were in separate directions.”

Balter’s brow knit. She stared off with a small frown, the cogs moving in her head.

                “That’s… way too understanding of him.”

Magpie was saved responding by Rouen appearing around the rocks. The corner of his mouth twitched at her huffiness. He had seen the same trait, the same mannerisms it bred, frequently growing up.

                “The food went cold. Maren and me didn’t wait.”

                “Sorry, honey. Dad and I just got to talking. We’re coming.”

Magpie feigned interest in the worn pattern on his rifle to hide the smirk tugging at his mouth as Rouen shot them a skeptical and irritated glare before running off.

Balter grabbed his arm as he made to follow Rouen.

                “Musa should be here tonight. He can post a message.” She pulled him to stop him from nodding and walking off. “Try not to worry about it. He could just be bored.”

Magpie forced a smile that did not hide his apprehension.

--

The sun was set when a lime green jeep towing a capsule tent crawled up to sit beside Magpie’s truck. The jeep was scratched and dented, colored faded in spots. The hood and one of the doors had been replaced with red parts. A sloppy, black word—Ruffian—was splashed over the hood.

Magpie protested as Balter hurried from the campfire as fast as she was able. He smiled widely as she squee’d, pulling the driver into a hug the moment he stepped out of the car.

Musa straightened his skewed red frames as he stepped back to catch his breath. “J’y crois pas! You’re pregnant again!” He gave Magpie a thumbs up. “Nice one.”

Magpie laughed as Balter playfully smacked Musa in the chest, and at Musa’s faux wounded expression.

                “You brat. I was last time I saw you.”

                “Yes, but you didn’t show yet and Maggy was not here.”

Magpie pulled Musa into a brief, one-armed hug. “Good to see you well.”

                “Same.” Musa peered at the campfire. “Where are the girls?”

                “Bed. I am certain they’ll be up early. Or soon, should they have heard us.” Magpie gestured towards the fire. “Come, you must be starved.”

The three adults gathered on the seats by the fire. Magpie sliced meat off the charred Gila monster, grinning and laughing at Musa’s travel story. Balter interjected at places to doubt his tale, add insight from her own time on the road, or mirror his emotion more strongly.

                “The travel is fun, but only due to knowing I have a place to park when I need it.” Musa pointed his fork at the house. “The homestead is come along nicely. How much is left?”

                “Nothing if Mags would stop being nitpicky.”

                “Adding a room for our son is not nitpicky. You are the one who cannot make decisions about the eating area.”

                “That’s because it’s hard to beat the open fire under the sky.”

Magpie smirked. “I cannot argue that.” He threw a piece of kindling on the fire. “I’m adding another room. It would be too much hassle having the boy mixed with the girls.”

                “That would save adding on later.”

Balter rolled her eyes. “You both are way overthinking things. We could live out of the jeep and be fine. We did it before.”

There was no arguing that fact. The three of them lived out of Balter’s jeep and pop tent for years, and only started to take long stretches camping in place after Maran came along. Those stretches extended once Rouen was around, but it wasn’t until both girls were walking and talking—able to run off and cause trouble—did he and Balter make the choice to set down roots on her parents’ land.

                “Uncle Musa!”

Maran bounded from the shadows. She jumped on Musa’s back, putting him in a stranglehold.

                “Ma chérie!” Musa pulled her up and over his head, knocking his glasses crooked. “Where’s your sister?”

Rouen dragged into the firelight, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She gave them a sleepy smile and an incoherent mumble. She shuffled into Musa’s hug.

                “Okay, girls.” Balter climbed to her feet. “You can hang all over him tomorrow. Back to bed.” She herded them away from Musa. “Uncle Musa and Dad have a lot of catching up.”

Magpie stood. “We shall wait.”

                “Yeah, I’m good sitting this out.” Balter kissed his cheek. “Don’t stay up too late, guys.”

Magpie picked at some meat left on a leg. He kept his grey-hazel eyes down, listening to Balter and the girls retreating.

                “This is about Innit’s message to you, no?”

                “It was that obvious?”

                “Only to anyone who knows you and Innit.” Musa smiled. “Don’t worry.”

He exhaled as a weight lifted. There was the concern over why Innit reached out, but also worry over Innit’s safety. He had ignored that the best he could.

                “Have you spoken with Innit?”

Musa frowned at Magpie as if he was crazy.

                “I suppose that was a foolish question…. You have been over that way recently, I wondered if he reached out to you first before posting a message publicly.”

                “I suspect Innit spares no thought to me like how I don’t think of him.” Musa shrugged. “He was part of your life, not ours. Just a blogger Balter sometimes teased when we crossed paths.”

                “Fair enough.”

Magpie tossed the leg bone into the fire. The flames rose and licked at the bits of meat he failed to pick off.

                “You want to ask if I could know why Innit wants to talk, no?”

                “There is reason then?”

Musa squirmed. “Have you…? Your sister….”

Magpie’s heart dropped into his stomach. He lunged for Balter’s sack, digging out her laptop.

                “You can’t find word there yet. I only hear whispers now.”

He swallowed roughly. “What whispers?”

                “Infertility.” Musa shrugged. “That we knew would come. She told you as much the last time you saw her.”

Magpie stared through the flames to the house where Balter was re-tucking the girls in. Seven years was a long time, a completely different life ago. He never wanted that separation. He was reluctant about it at times still.

                “Is my sister in danger?”

                “That I don’t know. She well could be, but I don’t see Innit reaching out for that.”

                “Then…?”

Musa shifted. The firelight reflected off his glasses, making it difficult to tell where his brown eyes were focused.

                “It is only whispers, as I said. Gossip. Idleness.”

Magpie stared pointedly, his grey-hazel eyes piercing through the smokey night and dim firelight. Musa’s reluctance stiffened his shoulders and caused his fingers to twitch towards the old rifle lying at his side.

Musa was not normally swayed by chatter. His suspicions on why Innit reached out was more than rumors.

Innit was also too cautious to simply extend word on something vague.

He braced to receive Musa’s update.

--

It was long into the night when Magpie entered the house; the nightshift dogs alerting had him checking on the flock and walking the fence for any sign of breech. He was careful with his steps as he navigated the living room, knowing Musa was sleeping somewhere on a bedroll and hoping he had the sense to be against a wall.

He peeked through the doorway of a small room bearing a flickering lantern. Two small mattresses were stuck inside, each bearing piles of blankets but only one held the room’s occupants.

Magpie checked both girls were adequately covered before retreating to the only room with a bed. He slid in, slowly pulling at the blanket to not disturb Balter.

Balter rolled over and slipped her arm around him. “Goats or chickens?”

                “Goats. All accounted for. The dogs must have frightened the coyotes before they came too near.” He rubbed her hand with his thumb. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

                “Your son woke me.”

Magpie stifled a laugh at the prodding he felt in the small of his back. He pulled Balter’s hand to his lips.

                “I apologize on his behalf.”

They lay still and silent. Magpie continued to rub her hand while Balter squeezed him gently.

                “Musa told me his suspicions.”

                “I had asked him not to.”

                “And that’s exactly why he did.” Balter sat up. “So? When are you going?”

                “I never said I was.” Magpie sat up and put a hand on her stomach. “I greatly dislike the idea of leaving when you are this far along.”

                “He’s not coming for a couple of months.”

                “The drive is long.”

                “I know that way better than you do.”

                “What if he’s early?”

                “Well, we’d both be in trouble whether you were here or not being this far from anything.” She grabbed his face with both hands. “I’m fine. He’s most likely fine.”

                “Most likely?”

Balter laughed shakily. “Sorry. I can’t see what’s going on in there. It feels fine, just like with Maran.”

Magpie took her hands from his face, squeezing them lightly. “Even so, I cannot risk getting sucked into something with the girls so young and you due.”

                “And I’m saying you should leave within the week so that you get back sooner. I know you, Mags. This will eat at you until you can’t help but check it out, and then I really will be worried about giving birth without you around.”

He did not counter her. He kissed her hands and rolled over. He nestled in the blanket, feeling the weight of her and his unborn pressed against him. His eyelids drooped with heaviness.

                “There’s no way Innit would have kids, right?”

                “…What?”

                “I keep wondering why he’d apologize.”

Magpie laughed, quickly turning into the pillow to stop from waking Musa and the girls.

--

The headlights cut the dusk, crossing Magpie’s dashboard and stirring him from his half-asleep boredom. He recognized the slate gray Cadilac’s lights before the old car crawled to stop three meters from him.

He stepped from the cab of his pickup, shouldering his rifle. He cautiously walked forward, his pace quickening and a smile slipping seamlessly onto his face as the car’s driver climbed out.

Innit’s platinum blond hair was a shade darker—but that may have been obvious only to Magpie’s sharp eyes—and no longer closely cropped to his head. It was short but gave an air of ease and maturity. His pale face sported a touch of red, as if Innit had been outdoors in the sun often and recently, and stubble.

Magpie threw his arms around Innit’s shoulders, and received an embrace in return. They laughed as they stepped away.

                “I cannot believe how long it has been!”

                “You grew a beard!”

                “Oh, no, I haven’t.” Magpie rubbed his furry chin. “I only do so while traveling.” He gestured to Innit. “Are you trying to grow one?”

                “Ouch, Magpie, that stings.” Innit smirked. “I ain’t blessed in that department. Just always like this no matter how long I leave it.” His smirk wavered. “I honestly wasn’t sure I’d see you.”

                “I needed convincing. Balter—.”

                “Oh, y’all still together then?”

Magpie glared.

                “Don’t look at me like that. I was tryin’ to be conversational. I reckon it’s good y’all stuck together since you were bringin’ Alouette’s kid to her to raise.”

Magpie stayed bristled. He waited until Innit sighed, groaned, and searched for something else to say before he relaxed his posture. He chuckled, coaxing Innit to do the same.

                “You ain’t got to worry me like that.”

                “It is too easy, but still too fun.” Magpie’s joyful expression waned. “But, I suppose this is not a visit for all fun. You would not reach out only for that.”

                “Reckon we both ain’t the type to meet up just for a chat.”

Innit ducked into the Caddy. He emerged with a smaller cooler bag. He held it up sheepishly.

                “I reckon you’re starved from the drivin’ and waitin’.”

                “You brought me food?” Magpie tilted his head. “Odd. I was always the one to keep us fed.”

                “Don’t go rushin’ to judgement! It ain’t my idea. My wife packed me extra sandwiches.”

There was a disconnect that made it difficult for Magpie to understand what Innit said. He tried to weed out Innit’s accent from each sentence, and then each word, to figure out where the problem was.

His grey-hazel eyes searched for clues on his friend’s angular face; the sky-blue eyes narrowing at his extended staring but otherwise calm.

Magpie fell upon Innit’s left hand, it gripping the strap of the cooler bag. There was a small mark on the second to last finger, between the base and middle knuckles that resembled the letter K.

                “Is that a tattoo?”

                “Oh, yeah.” Innit switched hands to better hold up his left one. “I ain’t one for jewelry and with stickin’ my hands in machinery at any point for some extra cash, it ain’t a great idea for me to pick up the habit. We just got our first initial tattoo’d in place instead.”

                “You and?”

                “Uh… my wife?” Innit laughed. “How tired are you?”

He looked from Innit’s mouth—trying to decipher the word tripping him up—to the bag of sandwiches to the tattoo. His jaw dropped.

                “You married? I cannot—. Who? Have I met her? May I meet her?”

Innit stiffened. “It ain’t that surprisin’.” He frowned, looking elsewhere. “Well… I reckon it is since we ain’t seen each other in years.” He shrugged. “She’s an assistant librarian. We had a quick thing that ended bad before it went anywhere. Reckon everything that happened back then was too raw still.”

They lapsed into silence over the nonchalance of Innit’s statement. They took the opportunity to drift away from the Cadillac, walking with no direction.

                “How is it you married if things did not go well?”

                “She—Kalon—reached out when I was driftin’ through the area near two years after I ran out on her.” Innit crossed his arms tight. “How old is Alouette’s kid now?”

                “Recently seven. Why?”

                “My boy is on the tail end of seven.”

Magpie halted, his rifle slipping off his shoulder. He caught it instinctually before it hit the pavement. His eyes were wide and wild as a grin overtook his face.

                “Balter will try to tell me she was right, but will be too shocked.” He lightly touched Innit’s shoulder. “I am happy for you.” He pat him and started walking again. “My biological daughter is also seven. Between the two.”

Innit smirked. “That’s right, you made mention of Balter havin’ your kid when we were snatchin’ Alouette’s.” He uncrossed his arms, his shoulders relaxing. “I got two girls too. Five and two.”

                “You have three children?”

                “Four, if all goes well the next half year.”

Magpie sank onto a metal bench surrounded by a rusted-out frame of a bus stop. He took the sandwich Innit offered.

                “Balter is due with my son in some weeks.”

                “A boy, huh? How’re you doing with that?” Innit threw the last bit of crust out into the dark. “Scares me as much as with havin’ girls if I’m honest. Probably why I ain’t got a preference for this next one.”

He smiled bitterly. “We lived too much for too young.”

                “If that ain’t the understatement of the decade.”

They listened to the waves lapping the shores of Sangatte as the stars twinkled above.

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

Way, way, way overdue and way longer than I was expecting/aiming. All the looking ahead with Ace and the gang made me want to do one with Magpie. I said soooo long ago that no one will remember, but I had this image of Magpie coming back from wherever and being greeted by a little girl/young daughter. I also had a really strong recurring scene of the daughters and him being joined by Balter (clearly after I was 99% sure they'd be a thing so sure they'd also have a daughter together) and Balter being pregnant. Which worked out since I wanted Magpie to have a son. But I'm thinking the bigger 'wut?!' is Innit. There is so many things that would need to happen certain ways for that to end up being his future, but it is in the realm of possibility. And it all stemmed from some years ago, boredly doing a dollmaker where the guy was blond and the wife was pregnant and there was the option to add three other kids. Just maxed everyhing out and then was like... Innit's blond... hmm. (If his wife's name is at all familiar, she's Bex's "researcher" from his extremely loose network of people. The wife in the maker was a brunette, and the only other brunette was Branch which was just a huge nope.)

I started this when I was still pregnant. Around when Magpie is telling Maran to leave the goats alone is when I went in to the hospital.

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