Park near the Vaight Cottage ((Fixed Future))

A small park near the Vaight Cottage.

A park that has a playground.

A garden.

And park benches.

And a fountain.

And a yellow brick road!

((lol))

Zephir blinked, sticking close to Darius.

"Go on boys." Darien grinned, giving Darius and Zephir gentle pushes in the back. "Go and play."

Zephir didn't move, glancing at Darius.

Darius grinned at Zephir. "Come on Zephy, let's go on the swings!" And with that he ran towards two empty swing seats.

Diana smiled after Darius, hanging back.

"Alright." Zephir followed at a slower run, hesitantly sitting in the swing next to Darius.

Darien grinned, turning to Diana. "Kids eh?"

Darius had a bit of a problem sitting down on the swing so he just basically ran into it, his belly on the swing seat. He prefered this position anyway, it made it seem like he was flying. "Weeeeeeee!"

"Yeah kids," Diana said her eyes on Darius and Zephir.

Zephir raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you meant to sit on it?" Though a hint of a smile played around his mouth.

Darien grinned, sitting on a nearby bench.

"No." Darius said impishly, smiling as he moved back and forth.

Diana sat by Darien. "What are we going to do?"

Amusement twinkled briefly in the boy's eyes as Zeph began to swing, pushing off from the floor with some difficulty.

Darien glanced at the floor. "I don't know. But if Zeph isn't my son, Celina should just leave us be."

"Go higher Zephyyyy!" Darius said. "'tis fuuuuun!"

"How sure are you that he isn't yours?" Diana asked.

Zephir hestitantly began to swing, flying higher and higher, a slow grin spreading over his face.

"It doesn't add up. The months that is." Darien replied, watching the boys swing. "I don't know why Celina insists he's mine."

Darius continued to swing laughing as he did so.

"He could have been premature..." Diana supplied. "I mean... Darius was."

Zephir swung higher, trying to go over the top of the bar.

Darien paused. "Uh-I just don't know. I just need to know for a fact whether he's mine or not. I don't trust Celina."

"Wow Zephy..." Darius said slowing down as he watched him. "You're high!"

"I don't trust her either," Diana said then she looked at him. "But what if he is yours?"

Zephir blinked at the new nickname, but decided he liked it. He swung higher, now level with the bar. "I'm gunna go all the way over." He called to Darius, deep in concentration.

Darien paused. "If he is...Well...I...If he is...I don't want him treated like Celina treats him anymore."

Darius by now had stopped swinging and simply watched Zephy as he attempted his endevour. "Careful Zephy..." Darius whispered in awe and worry. Zephir was one of the coolest person's he'd ever met!

"I know what you mean," Diana said, frowning. "He seems so... weighted down by the weight of the world... he needs to be more carefree..."

Then something occurred to Diana. "If he is your son... the Casillas... they won't be too happy."

Zephir swung more ferociously, now managing to go slightly higher than the bar, although still not over it. Determination adorned his features and his eyes narrowed in concentration.

Darien nodded. "I don't blame them...If he is mine. But...I just...Uh...I don't know." He buried his face in his hands.

Darius held his breath.

Diana's eyes were glazed and unfocused. "They'd... they'd want me to leave..."

Zephir fought to keep his eyes open as the swing soared over the top of the bar, fear gripping him as the swing slowed, dropping like a stone...Zephir loosened his grip on the chains as he began to slide off the seat...

Darien scuffed the floor with his shoes, feeling almost guilty as he hoped with all his heart that Zeph was not his son.

"...Do you want to leave?"

Darius was frozen at his place. He could see what was happening but felt... petrified.

"They would want Darius to be raised as a Casillas instead..." Diana was still unfocused, absorbed at what she was sure her Grandfather would command. "They... would change his last name... bring him to Spain... they would severe all ties with you..."

The seat swung under the bar, but flicked sharply. Zeph felt the chains slip forwards, the seat travelling forwards under him, and started to fall backwards. He was stunned as he saw the seat carry on it's journey, without him. Zephir felt the air all around him as he fell towards the ground.

Darien almost jumped to his feet, but held himself in place. "...No...Please no..." His voice was barely more than a whisper. "Not my boy..."

He swallowed. "But-Zeph isn't...he's not...He's probably not mine."

Darius had both of his hands on either side of his cheek in anguish. He suddenly felt a burst of emotion erupting from him and eloping Zephir, protecting him from the impact that was sure to come.

Diana was brought back to the current situation and looked at Darien with hurt in her eyes, "But the fact that he could be..."

Zephir blinked as he fell...onto a cushion...of sorts. The cushioning charm stopped the boy being injured, and he glanced across at Darius.

Blinking, he scrambled to his feet. "...You-You...Was that you?"

Darien grimaced. "I know. But I...I just...If he's not mine-nothing might've happened!" A tiny glimmer of hope. All he had.

But Diana was distracted and wasn't able to answer. She was too busy watching Zeph fall from his swing to the ground. She stood up and was about to cast a cushioning charm, only to find that it was already casted.

"I..." Darius blinked surprised and glad that Zephir didn't get hurt. "I... don't know! I didn't know what to do! You were falling and falling and... I wanted to help you...." Darius looked at Zephir.

Darien glanced at Diana. "Was that you?...Or was it..."

Zeph almost smiled. "...Thanks." To his surprise, as his feeling he recognised to be gratitude grew, the painful spikes of some weird guilty feeling also grew. "You-Thanks."

"You're welcome," Darius said smiling at Zephhir.

"It wasn't me," Diana said beaming at Darius. In fact she went right up and hugged him. "Did my little baby just do magic?" She hugged him tighter.

"I'm not surrre." Darius said blushing. "I fink so."