#((ooooohhhhhh i am SO excited to write that little epilogue; it is going to be SO well-deserved!))

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

And it was very clear that this was the best gift the children could've gotten that day: After blowing out the candles and having a little cake, Lon and Erika tore into their mountain of gifts with gusto, finding all manner of delights, ranging from storybooks to dolls to costumes for dress-up to a pair of lovely watercolor sets, just to name a few. But while these gifts were delightful, and there was no denying the pair's excitement over them, it was clear that their grandparents staying at Gracey Manor was the most wonderful gift of all.

And while the festivities got underway (with Lon eagerly joining his great-uncles and Wilhelm in a little bobbing for apples, and Erika asking June and Josephine if they wanted to make some spooky arts and crafts with her), Dorian saw an opportunity to speak to his best friend, saying, "I have those fabric designs I'd like you to look at, if you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all!" Randall nodded, setting aside his slice of cake as he took the designs and looked them over, only for his brow to knit together: Bottles and rattles? Little storks? Teddy bears, stars, and moons in pastel pinks and blues?

"Dorian, these are patterns for baby clothes," he frowned. "Why do you want-!!!!"

It was at that moment that it hit him like a ton of bricks, his eyes widening and his jaws dropping open as his head whipped back to look at a smiling Elizabeth and a grinning Dorian. Randall spluttered for a moment, trying to get the words out, but all he could manage to do was point to Elizabeth and stutter out, "-You are?"

"Yes," she grinned, as he then pointed to Dorian, sputtering, "Y-You...you mean...?"

"We do," the young master grinned as he squeezed his wife's hand, saying what he and Elizabeth had been itching to tell their best friends all month long:

"We're expecting!"