Quinn was sleeping soundly when she felt the wards come down. Her eyes shot open. Finn and Erin!

"Quinn! Morning, love! Where are you? Erin wanted to eat brekkie here this morning!"

The door was thrown open. "Mummy!"

No regard for the man in the bed, Erin crawled on in to hug her mother. Quinn met Sarafinn's wide eyes.

Jonathan's eyes snapped open when he heard a child's voice. He sat up a little straighter when one appeared in the bed, crawling over Quinn. Right. This is one of the reasons I've never stayed overnight with a woman. His eyes were drawn to the figure in the doorway. He smiled slightly. "You must be Finn."

"Sarafinn Strega. Nanny and friend. And you are..."

"Mummy, why are Pepper and Rainey's pictures turned down?"

Erin flipped up the frames. She looked at Jonathan. "I'm Erin."

"Erin, I think your mum, and um..."

"Jonathan," Quinn supplied.

"...might need a bit of a chat. Let's go down to the kitchen, yeah?"

Jonathan's dark eyes watched the child climb from Quinn's lap and dash across the floor to her nanny. The woman gave him another look before closing the door. "Funny how the fact that you have children never came up in our conversations," he said, finally turning to look at her, an eyebrow raised. "I suppose that added some bastardness to the bastard."

"Oh, according to him, they aren't his children. Except they are. Well, Pepper isn't. She's my brother's child, but he didn't want her because she's a witch."

Quinn grabbed one of the frames with all three girls.

"I don't know why I didn't tell you. I guess I didn't want to seem old or matronly. It was pure vanity, and I'm sorry."

She held the picture up.

"Pepper is the eldest. Sixteen and wants to be an Auror. Rainey's my middle one, smart and sassy, and then you've met Erin. Rainey and Erin are Pellham's. I am hoping nurture rather than the nature of their bloodlines will guide them."

He grabbed the picture from her hands, peering down at the three small, smiling faces in the snap. "They all look like you," he said, looking over at her after a moment. "And you're not old, and you're certainly not matronly. If it wouldn't be terribly awkward, I'd tell you that you're a rather fit looking witch, but that would be very inappropriate."

"It would be, but thanks all the same. A woman does like hearing that. Would you like some breakfast? I'm a rotten cook, but Finn's quite good. It's rather a shame I fancy men so much. She'd have been perfect for me."

Quinn slid out of the bed and grabbed her robe, pulling it over her pajama top.

"It's a tempting offer, but I think that might be a bit awkward for your little one," he said, grabbing his trousers and jacket off the chair he'd thrown them on the night before. "She's already probably asking Finn about it. You'll have to tell me how the conversation you'll have with her goes. I think I'd find it quite amusing."

Quinn snorted. "Erin knows Mummy has friends. If anyone would be awkward, it'd be Finn. She knew I was meeting Pell for lunch yesterday, and you are most definitely not Pell. For which she'll be grateful. She never liked him, thinks he should have married me fifteen years past. Would have been nice, I'll admit, but I gave up being an honest woman long ago."

Funny how she was not that upset about it today.

"I think I am more irritated that I thought Pell was the same way, and it turns out he isn't. Well, that and the whole those aren't my children thing. More like his father doesn't want the girls to have any claims to the Avery fortune."

"Speaking as someone who gave up a fortune to be a decent human being, they're not missing much," he said, slipping into his jacket.

Quinn blinked. She knew little about him other than he was an Auror and was not overly-fond of Kingsley Shacklebolt. She would have to do a bit of research because he couldn't be related to who she thought he was related to.

Or perhaps she could just ask him sometime.

Quinn followed him down the stairs. She could see Finn peeking around the corner curiously.

"You want to have lunch sometime this coming week? My treat since you didn't let me choke on my own vomit."

He was now seeing what was rarely seen - Quinn with some of her guard down. Quinn that was funny and friendly and never was let out because she couldn't trust anyone. But he'd laid right next to her all night without doing anything. He could have murdered her in her sleep if he wanted. Not that he would.

"Perhaps," he said with a smirk. "I'll see you on Monday?" He reached for the doorknob, giving the woman in the doorway a nod.

"Monday," Quinn replied, stepping up and kissing his cheek.

It was just friendly, and he had better get used to it. He'd earned a bit of trust with her.


{SUMMARY} Jonathan finds out Quinn is a mum. Things end on a friendly note.