***

Slake swirled the wine in his glass, bored out of his mind. He didn't belong here, this kind of thing just wasn't his style. He shot an acidic look at Falcone over the rim of his glass, nauseated by the man's schmoozing ability and annoyed at his snide comments. On his left Duke was, at the moment, involved in a discussion with the Leader about some boring administrative topic or other. The rest of the table was lined with the council members and their families. Slake let his gaze travel down the length of the table. Anya Goldfeather was certainly coming along nicely, though Slake found her vapid personality was exceedingly boring and intolerable for more than five minutes. She was certainly fun to look at, though.

As was Faida Puckroft, and the girl obviously knew it. Slake wondered with a hidden smirk if her father's skills had gotten so rusty that he couldn't manage to steal clothes that fit. Her outfit looked as if it were ready to burst at any moment. She aimed a coy smile in his direction and he gave her a rouguish smile. His attention was still on Faida's strained seams when he abruptly realized that he'd been spoken to.

Sienna Solaris looked at him expectantly from her father's side, one eyebrow cocked in a petulant look that let him know that she knew exactly what he was thinking. He fixed a smirk on his face that said he didn't care one bit what she thought she knew, before answering her.

"Oh, I don't see any reason why women shouldn't be allowed on team heists," he said lazily, tipping his chair back on two legs. "As long as they don't destract the male members of the team from their job."

"If that be the case," Sienna said smoothly, "Then why shouldn't the male members of the team be the ones that are removed, since they are so unproffessional as to let themselves be so easily destracted."

Slake switched to his most dashing smile. "Were the lady as lovely as you, there is no man alive that would not be distracted."

Sienna laughed shortly. "Then perhaps men should be removed from the teams altogether, since they are all so easily swayed."

The Leader laughed. "Best keep an eye on that one, Melorn, she's got spirit."

"I try," Melorn Solaris said dryly, glancing at his daughter, "I fear she is rather a handful for any man." There was affection in his grey eyes as he patted her hand.

Still chuckling, the Leader shook his head. "I wish you luck, old friend."

Slake caught Sienna's eye and raised his glass to her. "To you, Lady." Sienna nodded graciously. Suddenly she grinned devilishly and winked at him over the rim of her own goblet. Slake blinked but covered his surprise quickly, hoping that any evidence of the sudden warmth in his face would be blamed on the wine. He took a rather large swallow and almost choked on it, catching Duke's attention. Duke frowned and pounded him on the back.

"You okay?"

Slake nodded, waving him off irritably, and nearly knocking over Duke's glass where it sat on the table at his elbow. Fortunately Duke saved it. Slake tried not to slump in his chair as Duke gave him a what's-gotten-into-you look. His friend turned back to his conversation, and Slake's gaze wandered inadvertantly to where Sienna was pretending not to notice his sudden clumsiness. For an instant their eyes met, and a half-formed thought tugged at the back of Slake's mind before he found an excuse to look away.

***

She was beautiful, with thick reddish-brown hair that fell halfway down her back, laughing dark eyes and rusty-colored feathers that were smooth and soft to the touch. Her smile was enough to make him feel faint, her laughter like elusive music. Her insight was phenomenal, she could take even the most clear cut argument and turn it totally around--

And her wit was frustrating him to the point of killing someone.

They were out on a hill, overlooking the lights of a small city below them, under the stars. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to maintain his cool as she all but smirked at him, obviously enjoying herself at his expense. He'd been courting her--or trying to--for almost a year, and she let him get so close he could almost taste her kiss, but always stayed just out of his reach. It was driving him mad. She had a counter for every line in the book, and Slake wasn't known for unoriginality. Every soft word, every compliment, was sent back with just enough encouragement woven in with the often harsh or teasing response to keep him on the edge.

"Why do you play these games with me, Sienna?" he finally asked her, taking her by the shoulders and making her face him. She looked up at him with a coy smile.

"Because I know how much you enjoy a challenge, Slake," she chided. "An easy victory is never as sweet." She paused for a moment, and her eyes were suddenly soft. "And I want this to be sweet," she whispered, reaching up and touching his lips with a fingertip before rising on her toes to kiss him. Before Slake's mind even registered what was happening, his arms were around her, returning her kiss with passion as her arms slipped up around his neck. He felt as if he were holding fire, she filled his perception until he was aware of nothing else. Slake's head swam as they parted, only one clear thought in his head.

"I love you, Sienna…"

***

The proud couple stood together, their arms around each other, looking down into the nest of soft cloth they had made in the bassinet. The newborn duckling sighed in her sleep, and Sienna reached down to touch her sweet daughter tenderly.

"I'm so proud of you," Slake whispered in her ear. Sienna smiled and snuggled against him.

"I love you," she sighed. Slake smiled. He never tired of hearing that. The smile faded as he looked back down at their firstborn.

"What?" Sienna looked up at him, concerned.

"Do you want me to stop thieving?" he asked her seriously, turning her to look at him. "For the sake of our friendship, especially if your father asks him as well, I think Duke would let me take a sort of quasi-retirement, only going out when he really needs my help."

Sienna stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Slake said resolutely. "Sienna, there is nothing in the world I love more than you and this baby. I don't kid myself, Sienna, what I do is very dangerous. If I get caught, or worse--"

"Then this baby will still have one parent who loves it very much, and it will grow up hearing about its brave, wonderful father who died doing his duty as a Brotherhood thief. I knew the risks when I married you, Slake, and it wouldn't be fair to ask you to give up your life now. My father's a thief too, remember? I know what it's like to grow up knowing your father may not come home again--but I also knew that if I tried to take that away from him, it would be taking away part of what made him who he was." She traced the end of his beak with a fingertip. "I love you, Slake, and as horrible as it would be for this child to lose you, I think it would be even worse to keep her from knowing you. All of you."

Slake looked down at his wife, speechless. A slow smile spread over his face and he tightened his arms around her, pulling her close. She hugged him back and yelped when he picked her up, laughing as he tossed her over his shoulder to carry her off, ignoring her half-hearted protests.