"I'm surprised you had time," she grinned, giving Lila a push. "Go on, Lila-bear, run in and put another stick on the fire so it's nice and warm for Uncle Ted."

"Okay, Mom." The little girl ran back onto the porch, pausing just long enough to make sure that they really were both following her before disappearing inside.

Brynne rolled her eyes, laughing as she guided her brother up over the porch. "I think you just made her year."

"I've had a lot of time to think lately," he said, though he didn't say why just yet, his gaze following Lila as she hurried up the stairs before disappearing back inside the house. His smile faded a little, his heart aching at the realization that he'd been away for so long. "She's grown up," he said, at least, since he'd last seen her. "Has it really been that long?"

"She turned ten this year," Brynne reminded him quietly, aware that he had missed a lot. "Good call on the Elsa doll, by the way. How the hell you got your hands on one when you were in Africa is anyone's guess, but she's gonna play with the thing until it falls to bits."

"The internet is a wonderful thing, Bree," he said with a smile. He wasn't so out of touch that he couldn't arrange to send a package every now and then. "I hear it's all the rage with little girls this year," he said, sliding an arm around her waist as she led him onto the porch.

"She's watched it so often even I can sing along," his sister groaned comically, pulling him into the house and kicking the door shut behind them. "C'mon, get your coat off and soak in the heat from the fire; I'll find you something to eat."

"Thanks," he said again as she led him inside, letting go of her to slide the bag from his shoulder and set it down on the floor near the door, for now, anyway. He paused a moment to look around. "Mum and Dad are still in the city?" he asked, curiously. As much as he'd tried to keep in touch, there was still a lot of news that missed him.

"Yeah, still in Greenham Way," Brynne nodded, leaving his other bag by the foot of the stairs. "Both stubbornly refusing to come and live on the Grove, despite the fact that it's cheaper." She snorted, rolling her eyes at what she perceived as their parents' dense intransigence. Getting a good look at her brother, however, set thought of the older generation out of her head. "You look like hell. What happened?"

He had to chuckle a little at that. Some things really never changed. He would have asked about her twin, but he wasn't sure he wanted to bring that subject up just yet, as touchy as it might be. He shrugged too-slim shoulders at her question, looking a little too pale, but feeling far better than he had a few weeks ago. "I'm all right. Exhaustion and over-exertion, I'm told. Nothing a little R&R won't cure." Considering some of the places he'd been, he was lucky that was all it was.

"If you're planning on staying here, you might not get much R&R until Lila's back at school," his sister warned him in amusement. A thump from the main room declared that the stick Lila was putting on the fire was definitely more than just a stick. "She's been asking when you'll come home for years, you know. You might not get much peace with her around."

"Has she?" he asked, turning a glance briefly toward the thump in the other room, brows furrowing, a pang of guilt stabbing at his heart. "I'm sorry, Brynne. I tried to keep in touch, really I did. It's just....When you're there, you lose all track of time. Days turn into weeks and weeks into months and before you know it, it's been years."

She shook her head, not wanting to get into this conversation when he had only just walked in through the door. "I get it," she promised him. "Go on, go and let your niece pounce on you. I need to see if Lis is still here, or if I need to exercise my rusty skills in cooking something for you."

"Lis?" he asked, arching a brow at the unfamiliar name. He thought about picking up his bag to take it with him into the other room, but thought it would be safe enough there. He'd brought a few gifts with him, but he was hoping to wait until Christmas to pass them out. "Still burning water?" he asked, a teasing gleam in his eyes.

"Hey, I can make toast now," she defended herself with a laugh, making a rude gesture in his direction. "Lisbeth; she's sort of the housekeeper, I guess. Cooks and takes care of Lila when I'm working, and I'm telling you, dust must be terrified of that woman, because I haven't seen any since she arrived."

He laughed. "Toast! I'm impressed. Should I expect breakfast in bed?" He unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off his shoulders, laying it over a chair for now with the intent to hang it up later, setting his gloves and hat down on top of it. "Are you still working for Caroline?" he asked. Apparently, she'd given him that bit of news, though he knew he had a lot of catching up to do.

"You might get something in bed," Brynne laughed, looking hopefully through the door to the kitchen. "Oh, thank gods ....Lis, could you put something together for my brother to eat?" There was a murmur of a reply, and a black-haired woman passed into view briefly, nodding her assent as she headed for the fridge. Grinning with relief that she wasn't going to have to try and produce something edible for her brother, Brynne looked back at Edward. "Yeah, I'm still her P.A. Being completely put to shame by Jon's P.A., but she doesn't mind. She's mellowed since she started having kids, too."

He arched a brow, wondering what that something might be and assuming she probably meant a certain niece bouncing on him to wake him or maybe a bit of burnt toast. His attention was drawn momentarily to the brief appearance of a dark-haired young woman he had never seen before, whom he assumed must be the cook. He'd expected an older woman, not someone as young as they were, though these days he was feeling a little old. "We're getting old, Bree," he said with a sigh. "Old and mellow." He was almost thirty-four years old already and unsure how he'd gotten there. He felt suddenly tired, the long journey catching up with him. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"You don't need to ask, Teddy," she pointed out mildly. "You're family, make yourself comfortable." One hand waved him toward the living room, where the flickering fire and brightly decorated Christmas tree made for a warm welcome. Lila was sitting in front of the fire, making the most of her license to fiddle with the flames as she poked small twigs into the crackling heat.

"Does she?" Edward asked, eying his sister skeptically, with a teasing gleam in his eyes. "I will have to take pictures," he said, knowing how difficult it was to get Brynne into a skirt. "Do you think I'd be welcome?" he asked, uncertainly. He wasn't sure if anyone would even remember him or recognize him after all this time.

"With Lila there to big you up and Mum telling everyone about her amazing son who is saving planet Earth all by himself?" Brynne snorted with laughter at his uncertainty. "There's no way you wouldn't be welcome. Hell, I've even seen Gigi roll up once, and she was made welcome easily. Don't be so worried, Ted. Family's family."

"It's been a long time, Bree," he pointed out, his smile fading a moment. "And I'm hardly saving planet Earth, but I hope I'm making a difference, however small it might be." He turned quiet a moment, before changing the subject and turning it back toward Lila. "So, tell me, Lilabean....Are there any boyfriends yet, or are boys still yucky?"

Brynne smiled but said nothing, stifling a snicker at Lila's predictable reaction to being asked about boyfriends. The little girl screwed up her face, sticking her tongue out. "Boys are dirty," she informed her uncle with a fair amount of authority. "And they kick."

A gentle knock sounded on the door of the living room, drawing their attention to the woman who had not yet been introduced, standing there with a covered tray. "Oh, Lisbeth," Brynne smiled. "You're an angel. This is my brother, Edward, he's going to be staying here for a while."

Predictably, he laughed at Lila's estimation of boys. He had yet to ask his sister if she was seeing anyone, but he had a feeling that might be a touchy subject. "I'm a boy, and you're snuggled up to me!" he pointed out, reaching around to tickle Lila's sides, grinning up at the woman who was being introduced to him, a few wayward curls falling into his face. "Hullo!" he greeted her amicably, not pausing in his tickling.

Lisbeth proved to be a woman not too distant from his own age, slender and quiet, with a smile that lit up her face as she watched uncle tickling niece without remorse. "Hello," she nodded to him, her voice lilting with a Spanish-sounding accent. "I did not know what you would like, so I made bacon, scrambled egg, tomatoes, and toast." She set the tray on the nearby table, nodding to them once again. "I will be going home now, if there is nothing else you need, Miss Granger?"

Brynne shook her head warmly. "No, that's fine, Lisbeth. Thank you."

"Sounds perfect!" he said, his stomach growling to remind him of its existence and that he hadn't fed it in a few hours. "Thank you, Miss..." he trailed off, not knowing the woman's last name and not knowing her well enough to call her by her first name. He paused in his tickling to look up at her thoughtfully. She was pretty, that much was certain, and more than likely taken.

"Just Lis," she assured him, wiggling her fingers in goodbye to Lila, who was still wriggling excitedly on the couch next to Edward. "I hope you have a good night, Mr. Granger, Miss Granger. Lila."

"Night, Lis!"

Laughing at the excited farewell, Lisbeth left the room, drawing the door closed behind her. "That's Lis, she makes the best cookies ever," Lila declared then, looking up at Edward. "And she never burns the toast."

"Ah, but can she make a proper cup of tea" That's the real question, isn't it?" he asked, as he slid off the couch to settle himself on the floor beside the coffee table, crossing his legs to make himself comfortable.

"Tea's disgusting," Lila offered, scooting to the edge of the couch to lean over and watch as the tray was uncovered. There was a cup of coffee there as well, with a bowl of sugar and a jug of cream for him to add to taste, in addition to a plate loaded with food.

"Bite your tongue!" he told Lila with a feigned gasp of shock. "What have you been feeding this girl, Bree" We were practically raised on tea!" Ah, well, no tea, but there was a steaming and fragrant cup of coffee, which was almost as good as tea, if not better. At least, it would serve to warm his insides and perk him up a little bit after the long trip. He stirred in a little sugar and cream and lifted the cup for a sip, sighing in pleasure at the taste of it. The coffee in Africa was never like this.

"Yes, and for a while we were both living on plain water," Brynne pointed out. "She's developed a taste for cocoa, though. Is that acceptable?"

Lila giggled, crawling across the couch cushions to cuddle up against her mother. "Only if it's got marshmallows and you get a mustache."

"Is there any other way to drink hot cocoa?" he asked, grinning over his coffee mug before setting it down to start on his breakfast or dinner or whatever it was. It didn't really matter what it was called, so long as it filled his stomach. It would take a few days before he got his days and nights straight. "Oh, God, I've forgotten how much I missed real food," he said as he tore into his eggs with enthusiasm. It wasn't that they didn't have food where he'd been; they just didn't usually have the kind of food he was accustomed to.

"Lis makes magic happen in the oven," Lila nodded in agreement.

"Hey," Brynne protested in amusement, "are you saying I don't?"

Lila seemed to consider this for a long moment before she offered up her answer. "No, you make magic happen," she assured her mother. "But it's magic that makes me feel sick."

Edward grinned around a forkful of eggs as he listened to the two of them tease each other good-naturedly. Brynne seemed so much happier than he remembered her being, and he suspected Lila had a lot to do with that. "Perhaps if I can convince Lis to let me, I'll make you my famous blueberry pancakes."

"You used to love my burned eggs on toast," Brynne objected to Lila's complaint, though she was laughing a little too hard for the comment to make much sense at all.

Lila snickered, shaking her head. "I was humoring you," she informed her mother, taking the poke in her side with good-natured resignation. At the prospect of blueberry pancakes, however, she perked up once again. "What, can you flip them and everything?"

Rising onto her feet, she followed him, hands tucked into her back pockets as she listened with half an ear to Lila's progress upstairs. "No, of course I don't mind," she told him, frowning at the silly question. "It's a wonderful Christmas present, to have you home, even if it's only for a little while. You do realize Mum is going to pout when she finds out you came here first, though, right?"

He sighed as he set the tray on the counter and turned on the faucet to fill the sink and clean up the dishes. "I need a few days before I see her. You know if she sees me like this, she's going to fuss and worry, and she worries enough." It was no great secret that their mother hadn't been very happy about his decision to leave Rhy'Din, though she seemed to have come to terms with it eventually. "How are they?"

Brynne's smile was resigned. "They're Mum and Dad," she answered. Not a particularly helpful response, perhaps, but it did fill in blanks easily enough. "Dad finally retired this year, so he's taken up gardening to fill his time. Don't get him started on roses, you'll never see the end of the conversation. And Mum ....well, she's got all her volunteer work and her quilting bee. Mum never changes."

"Thanks for the warning," he replied with a grin as he submerged the plate in the sudsy water and wiped it clean. "What about you? Anything new?" he asked, not want to pry too deeply. Though they'd kept in touch via letters, there was still news he was sure had gone unshared.

Leaning a hip against the counter, she crossed her arms, eying him from beneath a raised eyebrow. "No, I don't have a boyfriend, lover, fiance, or secret husband," she informed her brother with a faint smirk. "Or girlfriend slash wife, either. Speaking of ....met anyone who's swept you off your feet recently?"

He snorted in reply to her question. "Hardly. Even if I did, I wouldn't have time for it." He turned his attention back to the dishes so he wouldn't have to meet her gaze, as she read him like a book. "You know my lifestyle isn't exactly conducive to a lasting relationship, Bree," he reminded her, though he wouldn't deny it would be nice to have someone to share that life with. Of course, every now and then, he'd meet someone who showed interest, but it never seemed to last.

"Maybe you're just too picky," she teased him gently. Her own track record with romance wasn't exactly inspiring, she'd be the first to admit, but she had come out of her disaster with a daughter she adored. Edward was alone, and that made Brynne, at least, very uneasy. "Or maybe you just need to decide once and for all what it is you want to be doing. Do you want to settle down somewhere, or do you want to keep doing what you're doing" Because those options appeal to very different people."

He sighed at the question, which had been asked him countless times before, not only by his sister but by nearly everyone he knew. But he didn't want to get defensive or into an argument about it - not today, when he'd just arrived home. He had to admit, there were times when he was torn, times when he wondered how long he wanted to keep doing what he was doing, but then he'd realize how much he was needed. Then again, he wasn't getting any younger. "I don't know what I want, Brynne. Sure, it would be nice to meet someone, but settling down?" He shrugged before turning toward her, a serious expression on his face. "I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I'm really making a difference there, Bree. I feel like I'm needed."

She sighed, turning her own eyes away from his earnest expression. "I know," she admitted. "But I can't help worrying. Most guys your age have a stable job, a home, solid things in their life that they can hold onto, but you don't. Teddy, you don't even have a girlfriend, and surely there must have been someone over the years?"

"I'm not most guys, I guess," he replied with a faint smile. "Try not to worry so much, Bree. I'm fine. Really, I am. So long as I have you and Lila, what else do I need?" he said, bumping against her arm before turning back to finish cleaning up the dishes. "Maybe I'll settle down someday, but what would I do' I can't really see myself working in a hospital. A clinic maybe. Somewhere where I'd feel useful, needed."

"Well, have you ever thought of setting up a clinic in one of your needy places?" she asked, not intentionally racist but never that up to date when it came to just where her brother was in any given month. "It's not like you're hurting for money, and I'll bet Humph would stump up the initial capital to get you started."

"In Africa?" he asked, with an arched brow as he drained the water from the sink and wiped his hands off on a towel. There were certainly plenty of places that could use that kind of help. Countless places, really. "It's a little more complicated than that when there's politics involved."

"Surely there are other places where the politics aren't so complicated and people still need you?" she pointed out curiously. It wasn't often they could have this conversation without arguing - maybe she'd grown up a little.

"Most of the time, it's because of those politics that people are in such need. And then, there's fear. Ebola is a real problem right now. It's really terrible, Bree. People are dying. It's a real mess." He sighed again, as he folded the towel and set it on the counter. He wasn't infected. That wasn't why he'd been sent home. It was exhaustion that had been his biggest enemy - too much work and too little time to rest.

"I'm not going to pretend to understand, because I don't," she admitted reluctantly. "But I do worry about you. Mum and Dad do, too. And look at yourself, Ted - you're practically a walking skeleton. How can you help other people when you're getting worse and worse at looking after yourself?"

"I know," he admitted, taking a lean against the counter as he turned to face her. "I can't be in ten places at once. There just aren't enough of me, and I'm exhausted. That's why they sent me home. I'm not to come back until I'm well again," he told her, frowning in dismay. If I ever go back, he thought to himself. "I've been thinking about it all the way here. I just don't know what to do anymore. It's all I know. I've spent the last ten years of my life helping people. It's what I do. It's in my blood. I can't just give that up. It would be like asking an actor to stop acting or a painter to stop painting."

"You need to talk to Jon and Helena, then," Brynne muttered with quiet irony. Actually, Helena might have some relevant advice, she realized, remembering that now the family's quietest artist was painting surf-, skate-, and snow-boards for a living. "Well, there's no rush while you're here, is there" You're going to be recuperating for a few months, at least, and you're very welcome to stop right here if you want to. But for now, I do believe there's an impatient little madam sitting on the stairs in her pajamas, waiting for you to tuck her in."

Or a writer to stop writing, he thought to himself. He had kept a journal over the years that he'd been thinking about editing and publishing, but he hadn't had time to think about it much until recently. It was as if the illness had forced him to step back and re-evaluate his life. He'd given Africa ten years of his life. Maybe it was time to let someone else take over for a while. "Patience never was one of our best traits, was it, Bree?" he asked with a smile as he wrapped her in a soft hug. "Thank you," he told her, grateful not only for her welcome, but her understanding and advice.

"No, not really," she chuckled, wrapping her arms about her big brother affectionately. "Go on, go and cuddle up with your over-excited niece. I'm going to see if I can find where Lis has hidden the marshmallows." She flickered a grin at Edward cheerfully. "Just don't tell Lila we're having cocoa."

"Not a word!" he promised, making a motion of zipping his lips closed. It felt good to be home after so many years away. He just hoped the rest of the family gave him even half the welcome that she had. "One chapter, I swear!" he promised, so long as he didn't fall asleep reading, which was always a possibility. Then who would be doing the tucking in"

((Fresh prodigal, home for Christmas! Many thanks to Edward's player!))