Waking up early and feeling refreshed, Oliver was glad they took a couple extra days to settle back in after seeing his friends- while he knew he could easily jump back into firing off Commissions from the 'dead stock', getting Jal and Lily acclimated to their new life was a higher priority in his mind.

After sneaking out of bed without waking anyone- a serious challenge, considering Poli and Lily were both cuddlers, and Jal stilled wasn't used to having her own room- Oliver was left with a single question...

"What am I going to make for breakfast?" He muttered softly to himself before starting to prep, mostly just following whatever impulse rose up as he looked through the fridge and pantry.

He was just putting the finishing touches on breakfast burritos, filled with scrambled eggs, sausage, onions- with a few jalapeno slices added to his- when the others came in, having just woke up...

To find him dancing along to music while he cooked, wearing an apron that said 'Kiss the Cook' over a casual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt.

"I swear, I can't get enough of seeing that." Poli sighed, taking a seat at the table. "Being engaged to a man that cooks certainly has its benefits..."

"It is a bit of an adjustment, though a pleasant one." Lily added softly, taking a seat at her spot to find a glass of orange juice- her new favorite drink- already set out for her. "Not having servants to cook and clean is actually quite liberating, in a way... Though I imagine many of my former associates would be rather scandalized at the idea of a prince cooking."

"Perhaps I should learn? Do you think you could teach me, Poli?"

"Uh-uh, no way." Poli quickly declined, smiling to take any sting out of the rejection. "I'm a decent cook, I guess, but I much prefer to work the grill. Oli is the one you should be asking; the man is practically a wizard in the kitchen- even my mom compliments his baking skills!"

"I wouldn't mind teaching you." Oliver added, setting plates before each of them- and smiling in amusement as Jal dives straight into the food, making happy noises with each bite. "I also don't mind cooking for everyone, so it's up to you, but it couldn't hurt to learn..."

"That goes for you too, Jal; While cooking isn't really necessary for everyone, it is a useful life skill."

"Aw, but you make the best food, dad!" Jal said around a mouthful of food.

"No talking with your mouth full; it is unbecoming of a young lady such as yourself." Lily chastised gently after a deliberate pause to swallow her own food. Turning to face Oliver once more, she smiled brightly. "I would be happy to learn, though... I am concerned that my lack of experience, and lack of knowledge about local food, may lead to poor results..."

"It'll be fine." Oliver shrugged. "Trust me, there is no way you can be worse than Ed and Gary when it comes to cooking!"

That statement elicited a chuckle from Poli, but only a curious look from Lily- and Oliver remembered that she hadn't heard the story yet. "Ok, there is a bit of a story there- well, a couple stories, actually. So, let me tell you about the first time those two managed to set a kitchen on fire while trying to cook..."

By the end of the story, Jal was laughing along with him and Polina, while Lily alternated between suppressed laughter and looking mortified at their shenanigans.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"That was the first time?" Lily asked in disbelief. "And you allowed them to try again? How many times have they done that?"

"Ah, only twice. I think." Oliver answered between chuckles. "We figured they would have learned after the first time, but, after the second... Yeah, we aren't taking any more chances."

"Yeah, those two... They're good guys, but sometimes..." Poli chuckled, shaking her head. "I swear, it's like they're cartoon characters."

"What is a 'cartoon'?" Lily asked suddenly, her interest peaked by the thought of learning something new.

"We can show you some later." Poli answered, patting the curious demon's hand. "Oli and his friends know like every cartoon ever made, even the Japanese ones-"

"They're called anime, hon, and are considered a very different thing than American cartoons-"

"Yeah, those." Poli cut in before he could derail things any further. "Maybe tonight, instead of watching more documentaries, we can check out some of his cartoons?"

Polina ignored Oliver's sigh of defeat- she definitely enjoying teasing him about things like that, and he knew that was what she was doing- and smiled as Lily agreed. "Awesome! So, we have a plan for tonight..."

"What do you have planned for today?" She asked, turning the conversation back to Oliver.

"I told the guys that we would clear out the 'dead stock' today, but that's not until this afternoon." He replied with a shrug. "I also need to talk to Marty about him learning the Talisman book, since I forgot about it in all the excitement of seeing them again. Beyond that... there's some shopping I want to get done, so I'll probably be out all day..."

"I was planning on taking Lily with me- if you want to go, that is." He said, turning to look at his demon girlfriend.

"If you wish for me to accompany you, I would be more than happy to." Lily said softly, lowering her head as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"I want to go too!" Jal exclaimed, bouncing in her seat.

"Sorry sweetheart," Poli held up a hand to stop the excitable girl. "but you're staying with me today. I'm interviewing some potential tutors today, and I want you here to meet the ones that pass the interview so I can see if they would be a good fit to teach you."

Oliver couldn't but smile at the adorable pout on Jal's face- the girl would go absolutely everywhere with him if she could, though he knew she wasn't really disappointed at staying with Poli; she loved both of them, but her desire to explore and discover wasn't easily contained.

Shifting in his seat, he quickly refocused on Poli. "I know you said you wanted to handle that, hon, but are you sure you don't want me to come back early? I don't mind moving things around a little..."

"It's fine, Oli." Poli quickly reassured him with a smile. "I know how important this is to you, but there's nothing to worry about."

"I know..." Oliver nodded reluctantly. He trusted Poli to handle it, and knew he was being a little over protective... But Jal was his daughter- his first daughter- and these protective feelings were both new and strange enough to leave him off balance. "I mean, you're definitely the better choice for this. You know how to interview people, and you being a former cop will cut down on any sort of stupidity..."

Getting up from her seat, Poli rounded the table to wrap her arms around her fiance. "Don't worry, hon. I've got this. Plus, I'm kind of enjoying this whole domestic thing- husband going off to work while I stay home to raise our daughter? It's kind of exciting and fun, even if it isn't what I thought I would be doing... That, and I know eventually we'll be going off on another crazy adventure."

"So... How about we embrace the suburban ideal, at least for a bit?"

Hugging her back, Oliver snorted in laughter. "Yeah, the suburban ideal: You, me... our demon girlfriend... and our devil daughter. Honestly, I kind of prefer this to the whole 'white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a dog' that all the movies talk about."

Shaking her head in amusement, Poli swatted his shoulder lightly as she turned away. "Go on hon, and have a good day- and don't forget to take our girlfriend on a lunch date!"

"A lunch date?" Lily asked curiously, even as she smiled at their interaction.

Smiling, Oliver stood from his seat and held out a hand to her. As the demon princess took his hand, he started leading her towards the door. "Yeah, so this should be an interesting explanation. 'Dating' is what we call modern courtship practices..."

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