The twins and Lexx were already asleep by the time the car pulled up to the estate, worn out from a night that had asked more of them than either had understood until the exhaustion caught up all at once. Franz carried Lily in first, Arianne following with Leo half-draped over her shoulder, and between the two of them the transfer from car seat to bed happened without either child stirring enough to notice they'd changed rooms.
Franz tucked the blankets around Lily's shoulders, checked that Leo's door was cracked the way he liked it, and found Arianne already in his own room, lowering Lexx into the crib with the same careful economy of motion she used for everything that mattered to her.
"He didn't even wake up for the car seat buckle," she said, straightening. "That's a first."
