As Nate and the Greens were settling to share their breakfast and make plans not just for the day, but for a lifetime, Eli was approaching the homestead he had only left the morning before. Dale was already up, even as the sun burst over the little house and tiny farm surrounding it, feeding her chickens as they pecked and clucked around her feet. Her head rose as she heard the sound of hoof beats, one hand going to the pistol at her hip until she recognised the rider. Her brow furrowed in a slightly confused frown - he'd said he would be back, but not quite this soon. What had happened"

"Dale," he greeted her with a solemn expression, hopping off his horse to let him graze while Eli worked on convincing Dale to come back to the village with him. "Pack a bag. We're going to the village to be married," he told her, leaving little room for argument. It wasn't exactly a proposal, but she'd been the one who'd wanted to get married, and now she had her chance, abrupt as it might be.

"What?" She stared at him, mildly resentful of how far back she had to tip her head to keep eye contact the closer he came to her. "You said days. You insisted on days. And why would I need to pack a bag if we're gonna get married" Are you planning on camping outside on your wedding night or something?"

"Are you planning on getting married in your trousers?" he countered, hands on his hips and a no nonsense look on his face, which was marred by a dark circle shadowing one eye. "I thought you would be pleased. Have you changed your mind then?"

"Who hit you?" she asked him, changing the subject for a moment as she tried to get her head around what was going on. When they'd parted yesterday morning, he'd still been talking about a long engagement, if he ever agreed at all. Now, all of a sudden, he wanted to marry her" It wasn't that she had changed her own mind, but it was a very fast turnaround for someone as stubborn as him.

He frowned as she reminded him about his bruised eye and wounded ego. "It doesn't matter," he said, stepping closer, close enough to touch her, his fingers twitching though he kept his hand to himself for now. There was no point in getting greedy. "This ..." he said, gesturing to his face, "has nothing to do with it."

Dale's eyes narrowed as she looked up at him, hands resting on her hips. She might be small, but she could be painfully stubborn at times. "Uh-huh," she nodded. "Wanna run that by me again, cowboy?"

He sighed in obvious annoyance. There wasn't a lot of time to argue about this if they wanted to get back in time. He knew Cody and Brona would only wait so long. "Brona's brother. Now, do you want to get married or not?" he asked. Any other woman might have been intimidated at the way he towered over her, but not Dale. Maybe that's what he liked about her - tiny as she was, she was the only woman he'd ever met who could match his fire.

"You know I want to," she pointed out, huffing a hank of hair off her brow as she glared up at him. "You're the one who wanted to wait and see what happened. So what did happen" Are you in love with Brona, is that why you're running away from the farm now" Did your brother ask her to marry him and get a yes, so you're looking for somewhere to avoid seeing the happy couple?"

"No, of course not!" Eli exclaimed, looking just a little insulted by her accusation. "Brona is ....She's like the sister I never had. That's all. If you don't want to get married, you could at least come to the wedding with me. You owe me that much after last night."

"Didn't take you long to decide I'd change my mind, did it?" she pointed out sharply. "Did you forget this?" One hand reached up to grasp his lapel, dragging him deliberately off balance and into another of those fierce kisses of hers. It wasn't the gentle kiss he'd shared with her in the frightening darkness; it was the challenge she'd issued him in her own kitchen barely two days before.

He was as much taken by surprise by the ferocity of that kiss as perhaps she was by his sudden insistence they get married. He stumbled off balance as she pulled him into that kiss, pausing in shock a moment before his arms went around her and he returned her kiss with equal fervor, that surprised even him.

His arms about her drew her up, almost off her feet, but she clung to him as they shared that kiss, that fierce reminder that, despite outward appearances, there was more to them than simply convenience. Breathless as they parted, Dale stared into his eyes for a long moment, struggling with the unfamiliar sensations that came with his closeness, sensations Bart had never roused in her during six years of marriage. She wet her lips, feeling herself trembling as her gaze flickered to Eli's mouth briefly. "I'll get a bag," she said softly, her hands slipping down his arms as she found purchase on the ground once again.

Although they had shared one sweet but brief kiss before this, it had been chaste and innocent compared to this. This kiss was filled with a longing and a passion he had not even realized he possessed until that moment when her kiss had rekindled the flame of desire between them. "Dale," he said, catching hold of her hand before she could slip away from him again. "I know this is sudden, but I know what I'm doing." Or at least, he thought he did. Of the three brothers, he'd felt the most confused, the most conflicted, but it was something Brona had said the night before that had brought him here today. She had asked him what he wanted, and he had realized the answer to that question was Dale.

Caught, she looked up at him, almost wide-eyed, as he offered as much reassurance as he could muster. She stepped close to him, her gaze intense on his. "I know," she said fiercely. "So do I." Her fingers squeezed his hand. "Do what you gotta do, I won't be long."

He nodded, reassured by the intensity of her gaze and the touch of her hand. He'd never been in love, and he wasn't sure what it felt like, but he knew that meeting her had changed him forever, and that his life would never be the same. "I'll finish the chores," he volunteered, knowing the animals still needed tending and there was no one else around to do it but them.

"Thank you." She wasn't just thanking him for offering to do the chores. In an instant, she had gone from alone and afraid, to being in a partnership. It made the world of difference, and despite herself, she wanted to look nice for him, not to let him down in front of his brothers. "I won't be long," she promised him again, turning to run into the house and throw a few things into a bag.

He certainly wasn't looking his best at the moment - not with the blackened eye and mussed hair. He'd been in a hurry, more concerned with getting here quickly enough to bring her back in time, and less concerned with his appearance. He'd worry about that later. He smiled as he watched her dart into the house, surprised at that, too. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled, and there he was smiling all because of a girl. Oh, when Nate found out, he was going to laugh his fool head off, but Eli didn't care.

When Dale emerged from the house, she looked nothing like the capable homesteader he'd met just two days before. Dressed in a long skirt and shirt, a jacket settled on her shoulders that emphasised her slender waist and generous assets, her hair caught back in a simple knot, she looked very much like a woman who needed looking after. "Should I saddle the mare?" she asked Eli. "Or are we riding together?"

He had just finished putting fresh hay down in the barn when she emerged from the house, his eyes widening at the sight of her. Was that the same very capable girl - no, woman - he'd met a few nights before when she'd held a shotgun on him, thinking him a trespasser" He practically had to pick his chin up off the ground at the sight of her. She really was the loveliest thing he'd ever seen, even if he was afraid to admit it. "I, uh ..." he stammered, at a loss for words. He was tempted to take her in his arms again and keep her safe beside him on his horse as they traveled back to the village, but he thought it should be her choice to make. "What would you prefer?"

She smiled faintly. "Well ....I'm not so stubborn that I won't admit to liking the idea of you with your arms around me," she chuckled, hiking her bag up onto her shoulder. "We will be coming back tonight, won't we" I don't like the idea of leaving the animals out overnight during the mutant breeding season."

He reached for her bag, partly out of instinct and partly from a sense of chivalry he hardly knew he possessed. "Yes, we'll be coming back," he replied, but they'd be coming back a legally married couple. There would be no more worrying about her losing the farm, so long as he was there. "My horse can get us there faster, but ..." He looked her over again with admiring, appreciative eyes. "It might muss your hair." And what a shame that would be.

She raised a brow, recognising the appreciation in his gaze. It was a look she had grown used to as she blossomed, but she'd never seen it in the eyes of a man she appreciated just as much. It made her feel warm under his gaze, but she was stubborn enough not to blush. "I can fix any damage when we get there," she promised him. "And, of course ....if we don't get back here tonight, there won't be a wedding night tonight." How was that for incentive to come home before sunset?

"There will be a wedding night, Dale," he promised her, stepping close enough to slide one arm around her waist and draw her close. Some might think it foolish marrying a woman he'd only met a few nights ago, but he didn't much care what other people thought. All that mattered was the two of them.

Drawn close, she did blush, surprised by how feminine she felt when he held her. Her hand came to rest over his heart as she looked up at him. "Not in any house but ours, there won't be," she promised him in return, knowing that even this little bit of defiance was a challenge to a man like him. But then again, she'd never met a man quite like him.

It was the way she'd said "ours" that struck him dumb for a moment, unable to speak as he realized for the first time since his parents had been taken from him that he had a home he could call his own. Oh, he knew he was welcome at the Dugan Farm and that Brona considered him family, but it wasn't his - not really. Not even Dale's farm was his, but soon it would be theirs, and it touched his heart how she had chosen him to be the one to share it with. He touched a kiss to her brow, warm and affectionate, keeping his passion in check for later that night.

There was a commotion at the door, and they were treated to the sight of Mahon being shooed out of the house by his little sister. "You're in the way," Brona was telling her brother. "Be sociable." Her eyes spied Eli, and she suddenly grinned, pointing at him. "You. In here, fresh shirt, comb your hair."

Mahon looked a little put out by his sister's insistence that he leave his own house, but when he turned and found himself surrounded by a half dozen strangers, he cleared his throat and tugged on his shirt and did his best to hide his annoyance. And, oh look! There was Aedan. At least, there was one friendly face in the group and he gravitated that way.

Despite their altercation the previous day, Eli couldn't help grinning as the big man got a scolding from his sister. It was clear who ran the roost and it wasn't Mahon. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, looking to Dale apologetically. "I'm being summoned. Nate, can you look after my horse?"

As Aedan swarmed up into Mahon's arms with a loud giggle, Brona crooked her finger at Eli imperiously and disappeared back into the house.

Under the cover of Millie's quiet laughter, Dale smiled at Eli. She didn't know who the new face was, but given the state of his nose, she could make a guess. "I'm wearing a skirt for you," she pointed out to Eli comically. "Least you can do is comb your hair."

"Women," Eli murmured, with a wink to Dale, before he headed toward the house to be properly groomed.

It was Nate's turn to look a little put out now, already bathed and dressed and not really wanting to venture into the barn and risk mussing the clothes Brona had made him wear.

Mahon scooped his son up in his arms, seemingly noticing the look on Nate's face. "I'm not the one getting married today. I'll get the horse," the big man volunteered. "What do you say we go say hello to the horses, son?" he asked, turning his question to the boy in his arms.

"Yes, Papa," the little boy nodded excitedly, hugging Mahon about the neck. He had no idea what was going on, but there were lots of people and lots of smiling faces, and in Aedan's book, that was a very good thing. "Where's Mama?"

"She's in the kitchen learning to cook," the big man replied, with an amused chuckle at the thought of that. Hopefully, Brona would keep an eye enough on things that the food would be edible. The thought of Nem with a wooden spoon in her hand, rather than a sword, amused him to no end.

Dale glanced at Millie, who was trying and failing to hide a smirk. Apparently the cookery lessons weren't going exactly to plan.

"Horse!" Aedan declared then, quite happy to be included in his father's plans. He wiggled his pudgy hands at Nate with a beaming grin.

"Patience, lad!" Mahon chuckled at his son's reminder. He offered a polite nod to those gathered outside his home, hoisting Aedan on his back while leading Eli's horse to the barn.

Nate smiled and waved back at the boy while his father led him away. "What do you make of him?" he asked quietly, referring to the man, not the boy.

"He hit Eli," Dale said quietly, watching Mahon bear his son away to the horse waiting to be seen to. "But it looks like Eli almost broke his nose, so I suppose I can overlook that."

Old Man Green shook his head. "He's very changed from before he was taken to the valley," he told them all quietly. "Ten years of hard labor and oppressive regime will do that to a man. Give him a little leeway, children. All this is far newer to him than he would like to make out."

Nate said nothing more, though there was a thoughtful expression on his face. They'd all known hardship of one kind of another, but he couldn't even start to imagine what those in the valley might have been through, and it made him reconsider his opinion of Mahon. "You knew him then," Nate mused aloud, though that much was obvious. It was he and his brothers who were newcomers here, and they needed to remember that. When put in that light, would he have expected anything less from the man when faced with intruders in his own home"

"Yes, I did," the old man nodded, smiling a little as Millie sank down onto the swing seat beside him. "That valley has made him a harder man than Pax ever would have, but it also gave him a wife and a son. He will probably never speak about his time in the valley to us, but it's there for all to see. Can we really blame him for finding it difficult to trust?"

"I reckon not," Nate replied with that thoughtful frown again. It hadn't been easy for him or his brothers to trust either, but that was before they'd met Brona and before she'd brought them to Pax. "I 'spect he's a lot like Eli," he mused further, though whether that was a good or bad thing, he wasn't too sure.

"Explains the matching bruises," Dale muttered, finally walking up onto the porch. She was small enough when everyone was on one level; standing on the ground when everyone else was on a raised platform just made it ridiculous. "Brona kicked you three into line, I'm pretty sure she can do it to her own brother."

Millie giggled quietly at that suggestion. "I think Brona might be a little bit distracted with her husband for a while," she offered shyly.

Nate knew this was Dale's one and only chance to ask him anything she wanted to know about Eli, but he wasn't going to share any secrets or volunteer any information unless she asked for it. "Eli's not as bad as he seems. He's a little gruff at times, but he means well. He took over raising us after Ma and Pa died, and I reckon he didn't have an easy time of it." That was all he said on the matter, for now.

Dale considered Nate for a moment. She didn't really want to pry, assuming that anything Eli wanted her to know, he would tell her in time. "He's not good at letting other people look after him then," she mused, more a statement than a question. "Will he have trouble settling in one place?"

"I reckon not. He was happy back home on the farm, until ..." Nate trailed off a moment. There was obviously more to their leaving than just their parents' deaths. "All he's ever talked about, when he's not hunting mutants, is finding a place to settle down and farm again, but most of the villages ain't very welcoming to strangers."

"Pax isn't most villages," Millie said gently, tangling her fingers with Nate's as she smiled at him. There was the same shy tenderness in her gaze when she looked at him that others had noticed in his eyes when he looked at her.

Dale kept her mouth shut on that point, however. She didn't remember Pax being all that welcoming to her when she'd arrived here eight years before.

"That's because of Brona," Nate pointed out. Though he didn't discount what Millie was saying, he thought she and her grandfather were more the exception than the norm. He didn't know Dale's story, nor did he have to, but he wanted her to know that Nate was a man of his word, first and foremost. "If it wasn't for Brona, I s'pect we'd have moved on by now." He returned Millie's smile, his fingers tangled with hers before turning to Dale. "There's a fire burning inside Eli. After Ma and Pa died, all he wanted was revenge, but there ain't no bringing them back, no matter how many mutants we kill. It's like a wound festering in his heart that'll never heal. Maybe you can help him with that, Dale. Me and Cody never could."

"It's the fire that makes him who he is," Dale said thoughtfully. "Maybe it just needs steering in a different direction." For some reason, she found herself looking at Nate and Millie's joined hands, and a small smile touched her face. Oh yes, Eli had fire, all right.

"Maybe," Nate admitted. "If it wasn't for him, I s'pect me and Cody wouldn't have made it. That's a debt I can never repay," he told her, not offering any details about why he felt that way. Eli was his elder brother, and there wasn't a doubt in Nate's head that if it wasn't for Eli, they wouldn't have survived.

"He'd never ask you to repay it," Dale told him. She might not know Eli all that well yet herself, but she knew enough to be sure of that. "Just be happy in your choices, and that'll be enough for him, I'm sure of it."

Nate nodded, knowing that much already. Pax was a fresh start for all of them, and for the first time in years, he was hopeful.

It was Cody's turn to add his two cents as he stepped out onto the porch, looking about as clean as he was going to get. He was clearly the youngest of the three brothers, and he had finally wrenched himself away from the women so they could fuss over Eli, while he acquainted himself with his new family members. "Eli's making such a stink about his hair, you'd think he was six," Cody remarked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I've been on the receiving end of Brona's comb," Millie warned with a surprisingly impish quirk to her smile. "If you don't hold still, she pokes you with the teeth where it tickles most."

Old Man Green laughed, rolling his eyes. "That's what comes with experience," he assured his granddaughter cheerfully. "Wait until you have a toddler or two to comb."

Cody smiled at the obvious affection between Millie and her grandfather. Brona had told him enough to know who was who, and he offered a hand first in respectful greeting to the old man. "You must be Mr. Green. I'm Cody Mullen. Brona has told me a lot about you."

Taking Cody's hand, the old miller squeezed rather than shook. "Told you what a dirty old man I am, has she?" he laughed. The days' events might well have carried him along with them, but he was very happy about the whole affair. "If I was twenty years younger, I might have given you a run for your money there, lad."

Of course, they were all treated to the sound of Brona forcing her big brother into a chair and threatening him with no dinner if he didn't sit still and do as he was told.

Dale bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the sound of a fully grown man being bullied by a girl not even twenty, stepping close to Eli's side as she did so. "The preacher's here," she told him quietly, watching as Millie shooed Nemone, Aedan, and Cody out of her way, and elected Nate to lay the table.

Eli nodded, to acknowledge he'd heard. If anyone was going to get cold feet, now would be the time, but it seemed that Eli was as determined as Nate and Cody to go through with this. For the first time in his life since his parents had died, he felt an odd sense of freedom, though some might think getting married would make him feel the opposite. "I'm ready when you are," he whispered back, giving her small hand a gentle squeeze.

She felt her lips curve into a smile as she looked up at him, reassured now he had returned to the group. "We should probably wait for the others to be ready, too, don't you think?" she teased in a low tone, unaware that the understated warmth she felt toward Eli was there for all to see in her smile.

"I'm the eldest," he replied, wondering if there was a certain pecking order to getting married, or maybe they should let the youngest go first, since Cody was the one who'd been the first to propose. He wasn't comfortable with public displays of affection, but he touched a kiss to her cheek, just because, knowing how hard this was for her - and yet, this was what she'd wanted.

She leaned closer into him, pressing her cheek against his arm. Though she had been through this once before, Dale had not actually married into a family with Bart. Eli came with brothers he loved and interacted with, and through them, connections with two of the more important families in Pax, families who were very welcoming in their own way. It was an entirely new kettle of fish for her.

There was a thump from the stairs as Brona reappeared, smoothing her skirt and grinning at the gathered group with her brother in tow. "Everything under control?" she asked innocently.

Mahon was grimacing behind her, towering over his sister by at least a full head. He didn't look particularly happy, but it was hard to tell with him what he was really feeling. His hair, at least, had been somewhat tamed, pulled back from his face and tethered at the back of his neck, though he had not allowed her to trim a single inch, and he was dressed in clothing more appropriate for a gathering than mucking out the stables.

Eli tipped his head close to Dale, his voice a soft whisper. "Doesn't look too happy, does he?" he asked her with a smirk. Oh, he was going to have too much fun riling up the big man.

Dale swallowed a laugh, deciding then and there that it wouldn't be a good idea to be caught mocking the man who had blackened Eli's eye the day before, and squeezed his hand warningly, her eyes dancing with amusement.

At the oven, Millie smiled over at Brona. "Everything is under control," she promised the younger woman, shying away from Mahon a little as Nemone found her way over to her own husband, their son in her arms.

"I think we should probably get on before anything else burns, shouldn't we?" the redhead suggested, looking around at the group.

Mahon's expression changed as Nemone joined him with Aedan in her arms. Brona could have chosen another day to give Nem cooking lessons, but Mahon wasn't about to comment on it. "Come along, love. Let's go keep Old Man Green company," he suggested, though he wasn't entirely alone now that the preacher had arrived.

That left the three couples alone together in the kitchen. And what a contrast the brides made to one another - Brona, confident and smiling, the most at ease with everything that was going on; Millie, tall and shy, still half-hiding behind Nate as she clung to his hand; and Dale, petite and a little aloof, straightening her back as though challenging the event that was about to happen. Brona grinned at them, tucking her arm through Cody's. "So," she said cheerfully. "One at a time, or all at once?"

"All at once!" the trio of brothers replied in unison, followed by laughter at the unexpected chorus of joined voices that was almost worthy of a small church choir. Eli looked almost relieved. There didn't seem much point in them saying their vows individually when they could do it all at once.

Brona rolled her eyes, laughing at the three of them. "I guess that decides that, then," she chuckled. "Here we go, ladies ....time to make the Mullen family twice as big in one afternoon." She gave Cody a gentle tug into the main room, knowing that the others would follow them.

Millie hung back, allowing Dale and Eli to follow immediately as she looked into Nate's eyes. "I need to know," she whispered to him softly. "I'm sure, and that won't change. But are you sure this is what you want' That I'm what you want?"

Cody led Brona into the main room without hesitation, as did Eli, though he was feeling a strange sense of nerves he couldn't recall ever feeling before. Nate hung back, waiting for Millie, a small frown on his face at her question. He turned to face her, taking her hands in his, ready to promise to protect her and take care of her and love her for all the days of their lives, alone or in front of family and friends. "I'm sure, Millie. Why would you think I'm not sure?"

"Because no one's ever sure about me," she reminded him in that same soft whisper, curling her hands through his as he looked at her. A small smile touched her lips. "I don't want to trap you into something you'll regret, that's all."

"I'm sure, Millie, and I ain't gonna regret it. You're the sweetest, smartest, kindest, prettiest girl I ever met. Why would I not wanna spend my life with you? But are you sure about me" I ain't got much to offer. I ain't got no money, and I'm not as smart as Cody or as brave as Eli," he pointed out, not for the first time, giving her a chance to back out now before it was too late. But they'd been over all this already, and neither had changed their mind yet.

She shook her head, leaning in close to brush the tip of her nose to his. "I don't want you to be like them," she told him. "You're you, and that's someone I'm gonna always be glad to be with. I'm not changing my mind, Nate. I promise."

"That makes two of us then," he replied with a soft smile that was full of affection for the gentle woman in front of him. "I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't sure, Millie. I'm not changing my mind either. Promise."

Her smile blossomed at his reassurance, fingertips squeezing his hands as she drew in a deep breath. "All right, then," she said quietly. "Let's get married."

He mirrored her smile with one of his own. Was he really about to do this" It seemed unbelievable, but in a good way. "Millie, I know we just met, but I know what I'm feeling, and my heart belongs to you."

"I feel the same way," she murmured to him, her cheeks brilliant with that soft blush once again as she kissed his cheek. "C'mon, before someone starts yelling for us." Hand in hand, they moved to join the others in the main room - the three couples in a loose semi-circle before the preacher; their witnessing family sat comfortably on chairs and couch nearby.

Reverend Aymes smiled as the last of the group joined them, his hands clasped about his bible. Hasty marriages were a regular enough occurrence around here that he was not concerned, and Mahon and Mr. Green had already assured him that there were no objections to the youngest of the group marrying. "Are we ready to begin?" he asked, bestowing his best smile on the couples before him.

A small murmur of assent rippled through the small group gathered before the preacher, each couple with hands clasped, ready to make this first step toward marriage, toward a life with the one who held their heart.

Reverend Aymes smiled at each of them, taking note of each set of clasped hands before he began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here, in the sight of God, to join together these men and these women in holy matrimony," he began, glancing briefly at Mahon and Old Man Green before continuing. "There being no objections?"

"No objections," Mahon replied, dutifully. He had little choice but to trust his sister's judgment and her heart. Who was he to tell her who to love" He and Eli had gotten off to a bad start, but it was Cody she was marrying, and he hoped that in time, they would all come to be friends.

Beside him, the old miller grinned as he shook his own head. "No objections here," he assured them, winking at his granddaughter as Millie breathed a swift sigh of relief. Brona flashed her own brother a dazzling smile, a silent thank you, before returning her own gaze to the preacher.

It was Brona's smile that made Mahon know he was doing the right thing. All he wanted was to make his little sister happy, and if he could do that by giving her away to another, then so be it.

"Well then ....Eli, Nathaniel, Cody," the reverend nodded to each man. "Do you take these women to be your lawfully wedded wives" Will you love, honor, and keep them in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep them only to you, as long as you both shall live?"

As far as the grooms were concerned, each man answered the preacher's question a little differently, rather than in an echoed chorus of voices, but each of answered to the affirmative, promising to take each woman to their heart, to love, honor, and protect her so long as they both lived.

The same question put to the three brides was answered in the same variety of ways, each one with their own take on which words should be used to confirm that promise to belong only to one man for the duration of her life - the man holding her there in that moment of time.