Happy Birthday Kahlan!

[confessorlove]

Title: Happy Birthday Kahlan!
Author: confessorlove 
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard & Kahlan, originals
Type: Romance
Spoilers: None
Summary: Richard has a special suprise for Kahlan's birthday
Authors Notes: No Beta so please forgive any mistakes!
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just like to bend them to my will.

Kahlan was trying to hang on to the dream she was having but the insistent poking that she was feeling wasn’t going to stop. She opened her eyes and was looking into the dark brown eyes of her darling daughter McKendra. However the five year old didn’t seem her normal happy self, her cheeks were tear stained and she seemed afraid if something. “What’s wrong sweetheart,” Kahlan asked her daughter with sincere concern.

“Mommy,” McKendra said with a sniffle, “I, I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you and Daddy?”

“Of course you can sweetheart,” she said as she sat up and lifted the little girl into the bed, laying her between herself and Richard. Kahlan pulled the covers up around them as McKendra snuggled in close to her mother. “Sleep now sweetie,” she whispered as she tilted her head and planted a kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “No more bad dreams.”

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When Richard was awoken by the early morning sun streaming in the window of their little house he was momentarily surprised to find his daughter sleeping peacefully, snuggled between him and Kahlan. He smiled to himself as he watched two of the three people that he loved more than life sleeping soundly. He couldn’t resist and gently ruffled McKendra’s hair and placed a light kiss on Kahlan’s temple. McKendra hadn’t stirred under his touch but Kahlan seemed to sense him even though she was still asleep. Careful not to wake them lest they ruin the surprise he had planned he quickly and quietly made his way out of the bed and through the door.

As Richard shut the door and turned around he heard the sound of little feet running toward him. “Daddy!” He heard Michaela, McKendra’s twin sister yell, as she threw herself around his legs.

“What are you doing up this early Michaela?” he said as he smiled down at his older daughter. Though they were twins Michaela was a few hours older and took that responsibility very serious. She was always looking out for McKendra, when she wasn’t taunting her that is.

“Daddy, Daddy I can’t find McKendra,” she answered a little louder than necessary.

“Its ok sweetie, McKendra is sleeping in my bed with Mommy.”

“Oh, good. She wasn’t in our room and I got scared,” again speaking a little louder than necessary, however it was now due to relief instead of fear.

“You don’t need to be scared Michaela, she’s ok. But you do need to quiet down. You don’t want to wake Mommy up do you?”

“No Daddy, its Mommy’s birthday and she should sleep in. She lets me and McKendra sleep in on our birthday.”

“You’re right now do you want to help me with my surprise for Mommy?”

“Yes! I wanna help. What are we gonna do Daddy?”

“Come on sweetie, we are going to make your Mother breakfast in bed. Should we get started?”

He scooped up Michaela and started toward the main room with his daughter laughing as she was thrown over his shoulder.

Richard was glad that they were taking this time away from Aydindril. Spending time with his family in a little house he can pretend for just a minute that he and Kahlan aren’t the leaders of the Midlands. He can just be a father teaching his daughters the things he knows about the forest and Kahlan can just relax and not worry about the many different things that she normally has to do in her role as Mother Confessor. That is one of the reasons that they chose now for this little vacation Kahlan didn’t want some big celebration for her birthday on top of all her duties to the council. She loved being in the little house with Richard and the girls and he knew that.

Richard set Michaela down in the main room and immediately went to work starting a fire in the hearth. Once the fire was going he put some water in a kettle and set it in the fire to boil.

“Daddy what can I do to help? You said I could help.”

“I know I did. Why don’t you go outside and pick some flowers for Mommy so she has some pretty flowers on her birthday?”

“Okay Daddy,” Michaela said as she skipped out the door, eager to pick some wildflowers for her Mommy.

“But don’t go too far and hurry back,” Richard hollered after her.

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Michaela returned with a small bouquet of daisies just as Richard was spooning porridge into a bowl. “Oh there you are,” Richard said, “I was getting worried.”

“I got the flowers Daddy,” Michaela said with a note of pride in her voice. It wasn’t often that her parents let her go outside by herself and she was proud that she had done what she had been told all by herself.

Richard took the flowers from his daughter and placed them in the small vase on the tray he was putting Kahlan’s breakfast on. “They’re beautiful sweetie. Mommy will love them.” With that he walked to the cupboard and reached way into the back until he found what he was looking for. Sliding the small object into his pocket he turned to his daughter and said, “Should we go wish Mommy a happy birthday now?”

“Yes,” Michaela said as Richard picked up the tray with the breakfast on it. He knew that Kahlan would want the girls to stay with her and eat so there was porridge for them and himself on the tray as well.

Michaela opened the door for him and they both went into the room. Kahlan and McKendra were both still sleeping peacefully. Richard set the tray on the bedside table as Michaela crawled up onto the bed and snuggled in with her mother and sister.

Richard sat down on the edge of the bed and kissed Kahlan’s forehead, moving a lock of hair as he did. Kahlan’s eyes fluttered open at his touch and she smiled up at him, staring into those chocolate eyes she loves so much. “Good morning Richard,” she said in a dreamy far off voice.

“Good morning my love, Happy Birthday.”

“Yes Mommy, happy birthday,” Michaela echoed back as she started to shake her twin awake. 

McKendra opened her eyes and turned to her sister and said, “You can quit shaking me now! I’m awake!”

“Oh alright,” replied Michaela.

“Good morning to you too sweetie,” Richard said to his other daughter as he leaned across Kahlan to kiss McKendra’s cheek.

“Guess what Mommy,” Michaela asked.

“What sweetheart?”

“I got to help Daddy make breakfast,” she said with a note of pride in her voice.

“Wait you got to help Daddy,” McKendra said. “How come I didn’t get to help?”

“Daddy likes me better I guess.”

“Girls you know that I love you both the same. McKendra you didn’t help because you were asleep. That’s the only reason. Michaela wouldn’t have helped either if she would have been in bed. Now why don’t we eat before the porridge gets cold?” With that he handed his daughters each a bowl before handing Kahlan hers.

“Breakfast in bed, Maybe I should have my birthday more often.” Everybody laughed at that. “And Richard you even brought me some of my favorite flowers,” Kahlan said as she reached for the daisies to smell them.

“I picked them Mommy,” Michaela said, wanting to show that she had done something special for her.

“Well Michaela they are beautiful. You did a very good job.”

“I would have picked flowers too Mommy but Daddy didn’t wake me up!”

Michaela shot her sister a smug look that easily read as I did something special and you didn’t. Richard caught this look and knew that the girls would start fighting soon if he didn’t intervene but before he could Kahlan set her bowl on the bedside table and grabbed both of her daughters, holding them tight to her chest as she started to tickle them. The girls wiggled and squirmed in her arms but she didn’t let go until she was sure that the fight that they were about to start was the last thing on their minds.

Richard watched in amazement as his daughters untangled themselves from their mother’s grasp and quickly crawled toward him, thinking he would protect them from their mother. All three were laughing and smiling brightly when Richard decided now was as good a time as any to give Kahlan her present. He scooped up McKendra and put her on his lap and Michaela flung her arms around his neck undoubtedly wanting him to join in their game. “Girls,” he said, “how about we give Mommy her present now.”

“What present Daddy,” the girls said in unison.

“Yes, what present Daddy,” Kahlan mimicked. “I told you that I didn’t want a present.”

“Kahlan, did you really think that I wasn’t going to get you a present for your birthday? I thought you knew me better than that.”

The girls had gotten suddenly quite. They didn’t want to disturb their parents when Mommy and Daddy were taunting of each other. It was too much fun to watch.

Richard reached into his pocket and withdrew the small box that he had removed from the cupboard earlier. He handed the small box to Kahlan as he said, “Happy birthday.”

Kahlan took the box in her hand and carefully opened it. Inside was a small ivory colored heart, not any bigger than her thumb nail. The heart was hanging from a delicate gold chain. It was the most beautiful necklace that Kahlan had ever seen. As she lifted if out of the box the girls started in. “Oh that’s so pretty Mommy,” said McKendra as Michaela said, “That is the prettiest necklace ever.”

Richard took the chain from Kahlan’s hands and clasped the necklace around her neck.   She reached up and held the little heart between her fingers as she stared deeply into Richard’s eyes. “Richard,” she said, “this is beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“You will never be able to guess.”

“Really? Why? Where did you get this?”

“I’ve had it for a very long time. I just now figured out how to give it to you.”

As she sat there holding the ivory heart in her hand something inside her told her that the heart seemed familiar. She didn’t know what made her do it but she reached out with her free hand to touch Richard’s tooth pendant. Once her hand felt it she knew she was right and the smile on Richard’s face was a dead giveaway. “This,” she said indicating the heart currently hanging from her neck; “This is part of yours isn’t it?”

Richard just smiled for a minute and then ran a hand through his shaggy hair and said, “I really didn’t think you would be able to guess.”

“Daddy, Mommy’s necklace is part of yours,” McKendra asked with a dubious look on her face.

“Really Daddy,” chimed in Michaela who had moved from hanging on Richard and was now in Kahlan’s lap, trying to get a better look at her mother’s birthday present but Kahlan still had her hand tight around it as her eyes began to shine with tears.

“Yes really girls,” was Richard’s answer.

“How,” Kahlan asked, her voice breaking with emotion as the first tear started to roll down her cheek.

“Zedd,” Richard answered simply. “I wanted you to always have part of me with you so I had him use magic to take some of my pendant and make one for you out of it.”

Kahlan leaned over and kissed him then almost forgetting the children sitting in their laps until the girls squealed, “Eww gross!” Kahlan and Richard broke apart and laughed as Kahlan thought to herself, “This is the best birthday ever.” And it was spending time with her family was all she could ask for and more.