He was speechless.

"Wha..." Ryan sputtered.

"Edward!" Catherine chastised her husband before turning to Marlissa. "Please forgive him for his bluntness, dear."

"What?" Edward huffed. "You've been complaining about wanting grandchildren since Madelaine..."

"Dad!" Ryan interrupted.

But before things got out of control, Marlissa's warm smile calmed the brewing tension. "We have not seriously discussed the subject of children yet since we are newly married, but yes I would love to have children," she paused to look at her husband before continuing, "...one day."

Ryan was taken aback at the revelation -- they had never discussed children since their marriage was not real in the eyes of the law nor God but was more of a pact between a mortal summoner and his demonic thrall -- and he stared at Marlissa. Could they have children in their unnatural union?

Marlissa winked at him.

"Well, that is good to know, dear," Catherine smiled, patting her daughter-in-law's hand. "Now, please tell us how you two met!"

Ryan decided to let his wife do the talking since she was more eloquent than him -- the art of subtle seduction was in her very nature.

"We met in Paris -- I was there on a modelling shoot and Ryan was at the Louvre," Marlissa explained. "He saw me in a cafe..."

"Le Café Plume," Ryan interjected to add some credence to her story, as he had visited that particular café a number of times when he went to the Louvre.

Marlissa continued, giving her husband an assuring smile, "...and asked me in French, 'Do you mind if I share this table with you?'"

"How is your French?" Catherine asked.

"I am fluent," Marlissa replied.

"And how is his?" Catherine chuckled, looking at her son.

"C'est très bien!" Marlissa giggled, looking at Ryan. "But he has a very slight American accent."

"Brilliant!" Catherine clapped, smiling at Ryan.

"Did he know you were a model?" Edward asked.

"No," Marlissa shook her head. "I guess an an archaeologist he does not follow haute couture fashion."

Ryan shrugged with a smirk. "I did know she was gorgeous."

"Even I could tell that," Edward laughed.

"He takes after his father, dear," Catherine explained, looking at her husband and son, not impressed with their choice of clothing. "How long was your courtship?"

Marlissa looked at Ryan before answering. "Given our schedules of travelling around the world we dated for a few months..."

"Mostly long distance via email, text messages, and Skype," Ryan added, knowing his wife knew nothing about contemporary technologies.

Marlissa understood why her husband interjected and smiled at him before continuing, "...before he proposed to me."

"Where did he propose, dear?" Catherine asked taking her daughter-in-law's left hand to examine the engagement and wedding rings on her elegant, long fingers.

Marlissa glanced at her husband before answering. "He brought us back to Le Café Plume and asked me to marry him."

"That is so romantic, dear!" Catherine exclaimed and looked at her husband. "Darling, tell Samantha how you proposed to me thirty-five years ago."

"I took us to Old Royal Observatory and asked for her hand in marriage under the old Victorian equatorial telescope," Edward explained. "She said yes, of course, and we had a small civil wedding. Nine months after that we had you, Ryan."

"Edward..." Catherine scolded.

"Well, it's true!" Edward scoffed.

Ryan was flabbergasted -- he did not need the image of his parents having sex to conceive him...