Not once, in her wildest dreams, did she conjure up tender moments like this. As she nuzzled the top of her son's shaggy-haired head, she breathed in his scent, sighing with contentment. Seeing his small hands reach for her, she remained still as he traced the long-jagged scars that covered her face. Raven learned, quite quickly, how many mannerisms Rhett had picked up from his Father. When Rhett touched her scars for the first time, she jerked away, accidentally causing him to wail, only quieting when he completed his tracing. Finished, he leaned his head under her jaw, nuzzling her back. Jackal's wife mentioned moments like these would become rare as he grew up. In a moment of panic, she squeezed onto him a little harder, trying desperately to turn this moment into a memory. Blue-grey eyes watched her companion blow some of his bangs out of his dark eyes. Hoisting her son on her hip, she moved one of her arms towards Tobias, moving her hands to playfully ruffle his hair; chuckling with a teasing tone.

"You know Tobi, if you keep your hair this long, I'll need to put your hair up and tie it with a bow, maybe a pink one?"

Although her teasing remark was supposed to poke his male ego and encourage him to let her give him a haircut, she knew there was a chance it could backfire. Which meant she would have to purchase some bows for Tobias; once again, losing a bet to Tetradore. A long time ago, Tobias permitted her to cut his hair, and nothing bad happened, so it was possible he could allow her to do it again. Hopefully soon, because the deadline for the bet was fast approaching. Maybe if she won this time, she'll mumble a 'told you so,' while collecting the reward. Eager to show Rhett his new bedroom, she moved out of the playroom and down the corridor, leading their small family to her surprise.

Making it to his bedroom her heart nearly leaped out of her chest with joy at seeing his reaction to his new bedroom. Feeling him wiggle to get out of her arms, she lowered him to the ground, watching him waddle towards his 'blanket fort.' Quietly she watched him climb up on the bed, crawling towards the pillows near the wall underneath the canopy. Leaning in to give her husband a quick kiss on the cheek, she noticed his fleeting lopsided grin, happy to see his reaction to her small show of affection. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that familiar subtle look he had when his mind was racing to connect the dots. Even if he didn't understand how he connected the dots between a blanket fort and the cave, she knew the other side of him did. Nodding in agreement as he struggled to make sense of the surprise, she murmured while their son continued to chant 'blanket fort' repeatably.'

"Yes, I thought if I made his bed look like a cave, our son would sleep. He needs his rest, like we all do."

His absence from their shared bed did not go unnoticed. Before Rhett interrupted their sleep, she knew her mate would slip out. Sometimes, she would find him sleeping in some odd hidden place within the Ark, or Tetradore mentioned her mate was sleeping under his bed over breakfast. Without him asleep by her side, the nightmares of her past would come back to haunt her, leaving her unable to get a good night's sleep. It was silly to think that his presence within their bed was enough to keep her nightmare at bay, and yet it worked so very well. Deep down she was afraid that he would return, breaking into the fortress, harming or killing her pack, then taking her away. No matter how many times she told herself such an event could never happen, she was terrified that there could be a slim likely hood that her worst nightmare would come to life. With Rhett loving where he slept, and not coming into their bedroom, maybe it will decrease the chances of Tobias's leaving their bedroom. Walking towards Rhett's new bed she gestured towards the pajamas she laid out for him, already moving to help her son out of his day clothes and wrestling him into his new pajamas.

"Rhett let's get your pajamas on, and Daddy will pick a book for us to read before you go to bed."

While her son started to snake his arms through his pajama sleeves, Raven turned and pointed towards the bookshelf, softly requesting her husband to help out with Rhett's bedtime routine.

"Tobi, go on ahead to the bookshelf over there, and pick a book."

With Rhett dressed in his new pajamas, she quietly worked on trying to get him under the covers within his new blanket fort. Placing a gentle kiss on her son's forehead, she could hear him squeal as he moved to kiss her cheek, muttering 'story time' a few times. With a grin, she looked over and took the book Tobias handed her, looking over the title to see which one he selected. With a nod of approval on his selection, she flicked her hand in the direction of the rocking chair, letting it levitate toward Rhett's bed. Placing herself within the rocking chair, she held up the book, opening towards the first page, praising her husband before diving into the story.

"Oh look at what book Daddy picked up, Goodnight Moon! Excellent choice!"

By the end of the bedtime story, their son was fast asleep, clutching his stuffed dinosaur. Closing the book, she quietly placed it back on the bookshelf. With a flick of her hand, she levitated the rocking chair once again and moved it to the other side of the room, setting it down gently. Tilting her head to the side, she gestured towards her husband to exit. Turning the light off, she stood at the doorway, standing still and watching her son for a moment, making sure he was fast asleep. After a few more minutes with her son fast asleep, she slowly shut the door. Turning to look at her husband she gave him a big grin.

"Before I take you to our surprise, are you sure I can't cut your hair?"