Who is She? - Panther's Lair

He shrugged.

"It's wha' she represents. Innocence an' childhood. She does nay wish t' make a mess o' it, an' she's afraid t' try."

He shrugged again.

"Dove's different. She worries tha' she'll make a mess o' it, an' fret like mad. But she'll do her best anyway. She's a bit odd like tha'."

Grace couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ye only make more o' a mess o' things if'n ye dinna try."

She smiled again towards the little girl in the sand.

"D' ye wish me t' talk wi' Dove?"

His brows lifted.

"About what?"

She looked up at him with a wrinkled nose.

"Ye're Granny must ken all those who have hold on ye're heart, love."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Complicated, my life has become."

She kissed his nose.

"Then it be a good thing I'm in ye're life, t' help ye through th' complications."

He laughed, then shook his head.

"Aye, but ye are still a woman."

She chuckles.

"But I be th' least complicated woman in ye're life."

His brow lifted and he laughed.

"Wrong."

He lifted one finger, then pointed to the child in the sandbox.

"Least complicated woman in my life is right there. She only cares about puppies, rainbows, an' buildin' sandcastles."

She chuckled with him.

"But she's nay a woman, an' she'll nay stay an uncomplicated girl forever. As ye're daughter, she will one day be th' single most complicated woman in ye're life."

He laughed.

"Aye. But for now, she's th' least complicated lass I ken."

She tapped his nose with a single finger.

"So let's enjoy her, shall we?"

She snugged him close once, then turned fully towards the girl.

"What ye building, love?"

"Mountain," came the small voice of the child concentrating on piling sand higher and higher.

He laughed and shook his head.

"Aye. It's th' other women in me life tha' I need protectin' from."

She grinned up at him.

"Aye. Tha's wha' ye have me for."

Then she ducked over to the outdoor faucet, filled the bucket there full of water, and carried it over to the sand.

"Here, baby. This will help ye build it higher."

He laughed and shook his head. Then a growing horror began.

Realization crossed his face.

"Grace ... " he said, a note of horror coming into his voice.

As the child squealed again and giggled at being joined in the making of her mountain.

Grace had dipped her hands into the water and was carefully dripping just enough over the beginnings of the mountain. She turned a face of mock innocence to Jamie.

"Yes love?"

He stared at her. Then he started to growl.

"I was goin' t' say ... dinna do tha'."

Rhiana, however, was busily trying to copy Grace's movements.

She smiled at him.

"An' why should I nay do this?"

He shook his head and sighed.

"Because she just had a bath before we came here, lass."

Grace shrugged.

"An' I have a bathtub here. An' clothes for th' lass. Deal wi' 't love, we're playing."

Then she turned back to help Rhiana with her mountain, and to build one of her own, to turn it into a full range of them.

He fell silent with another laugh. He felt like he was babysitting two children, but he didn't voice that one.

Rhiana, though, seemed more than happy to have the company. But she did look around and frown, looking back to Grace.

"We need trees, Granny," she said, in the most stern voice she could muster.

Grace looked back to Jamie.

"Think ye can handle gettin' us trees?"

Serene padded over to the sandbox from her make shift lair at the very back of the deep yard. She nosed at the sand, shifting it towards the child, then sneezed at the sand she got in her nose.

He rolled his eyes, but went about the yard, actually moving to break some twigs off of trees.

"Aye, I got th' trees."

The girl giggled at the panther, then looked mildly uncertain.

"Can I pet her, Granny? Please?" she asked of Grace.

Grace reached out with a dirty finger and tapped the little girl on the nose.

"Rhiana, love, she's family. Ye can do wha'ever ye please, she'll never hurt ye."

She giggled and wrinkled her nose, then she reached out a pudgy hand to pet the panther.

Jamie came back to the sandbox, twigs in hand, and began arranging them at the base of the mountain.

"Prince o' th' city, an' I'm buildin' sandcastles."