Aero and Tajy ~Birds of a Feather~

They had been wandering around for ages in that damned house, and Talos was angry, tired, and hurting. He had several bruises on his knees, elbows and shins, and even one on his jaw where he had tripped so hard that he had actually face planted on the floor, biting his tongue and cheek in the process. Which also hurt, of course. It was no use telling Lena to quit being such an ass, because she would just turn around and continue to run him into every doorjamb in the entire house. Grumbling darkly about vases, he began to notice that his vision was improving. The ambient light in the house was beginning to increase from the pitch dark that it had been for the entire time that they had been there, and he began to really get worried. They were wasting too much time here, and it's not like they could just hunt down one of the Serenoa kids at this hour in the morning and ask where their -his- renegade brother had gotten off to. It would probably take too much time to explain why he was looking for Kol in the first place to bother with it.

Feeling along the wall, he found a doorway and looked around to where he thought Lena's general direction was, trying to spot her white shirt among the dark gloom of the expansive hallway. "Lena, just start opening every door to look for them. I'm running out of time to reverse this curse. It'll be dawn here very soon, and then it'll be too late to save anybody." Taking his own advice, he turned the handle to the door and burst in the room, trying to look through the gloom. "Mai? Kol?" If there was anybody in there, they didn't stir or make so much as a peep when he called out, so he left the door open and moved down the hall to the next one.

Kol awoke to a sudden pounding in his head, his limbs felt achy and stiff. He couldn’t come to grips as to why he would be so sore, he was pretty used to the, ahem, night time activities. Sitting up, Kol’s headache increased tenfold and he began to wonder if Talos had cursed them to death via headaches. He looked down to Mai and brushed a hand against her face. “Mai…” Kol stood and walked into the bathroom, grabbing two robes. The silken material was dark blue in color and might be a tad big on Mai, but should still work. Slipping the robe on, he walked out and handed her one. Kol took a moment to look around the room, the sudden shine of something on the wall caught his attention; two decorative blades hung on the wall in a criss cross fashion. The blades were a mates to one another and had matching designs, the only difference was one was smaller than the other and had more gold on it. The male, obviously larger adorned a silver handle.

Kol felt himself fascinated with the blades but not entirely sure why. They had been in the room since it was designed and weren’t something special…but the pull towards them was tremendous. He crossed the room where the blades hung and took them down from the wall. Once they were in his hands a sudden weight was put on his chest and his headache thrummed in a hurried frenzy. Something was wrong. Walking back over to the bed, Kol sat down and couldn’t take his eyes off of the daggers. “I…Can’t let it go.” He admitted to Mai. This must have been it, but why wasn’t he plunging the dagger into his heart or something? And then it hit him, he was to kill Mai and the more he fought the urges to hold onto the blade, the tighter his grip became. With a horrified gaze, Kol saw Mai go through the same process after she had hold of the silvery object. As the first rays of light began to filter into the room Kol brought the dagger in line with Mai’s heart. His body shook, unable to fight the pull of the curse. “I love you Mai…” He whispered, and waited for the sting of the cold metal to enter his own heart.

~*~*~*~

Lena looked guiltily at the new bruises forming here and there on Talos. She couldn’t deny teasing him was fun, and on better circumstances she thought it might be fine…but right now, she was kicking herself for being so childish. She sighed and figured she would have to make it up to him later. Taking up a light jog, Lena opened the first door on the right and looked in the room. She wasn’t shocked at how well the room was decked out, but not seeing either of the loves, she moved onto the next one.

Lena opened the next two doors without luck and when she opened the third she wasn’t expecting to find anything but as she did the glint of sun bouncing off of metal caught her eye. Two figures sat on a large bed in the back corner of the room. She had to squint to see them and once she did her heart skipped. There was Mai, holding a dagger to Kol’s heart and the same for him holding one to hers. “Talos! Talos! I found them!” She screamed back to him and entered the room. They had to be separated and without thinking Lena lunged into the bed, grabbing Mai’s shoulders and slid off the bed with her in the same momentum. Lena was thankful the dagger she was holding must have dropped on the bed for Mai no longer had it in her hands. Acting fast, Lena wrapped both of her legs around Mai’s small waist and held onto her hands. “Forgive me Mai, but I’m sure you will thank me later.” Lena wormed her way to the middle of the room with Mai, looking to see if Kol was taken care of.

Mai woke slowly, feeling sore an tense, but there was a smile on her face as she rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling with blank eyes. When she noticed that Kol wasn't next to her, she sat up quickly, instantly on alert, but calmed down quickly when he reappeared. In the pre-dawn glow of morning she had begun to regain a little bit of her sight, and could make out his dark form moving against the fuzzy backdrop of the wall behind him. Gratefully, she took the robe that he had handed her and tied it around her thin waist, watching with hooded eyes as he grabbed something off the wall. It wasn't until the daggers were within reach that she realized what they were, her eyes instantly glued to shiny death dealing devices. She had never see a weapon so extravagant, and withdrew the slim blade from its sheath almost readily, a cold pit forming in her stomach. So, this was to be it? She hardly even flinched when Kol's dagger rested against her chest, the cold metal prickling against her skin.

Her hands wrapped firmly around the hilt, she raised her own blade to Kol's chest, ready to plunge the blade into his heart the instant that the sun peeked above the horizon. "I love you too, Kol." She whispered, her voice trembling though her hands did not. "If it were different, I still would have married you." With tears in her eyes, she began to lean forward into the cold press of the blade, and then her world was totally turned upside down, almost literally. Something came flying out of the darkness of the room and knocked into her so suddenly that there was no time to brace for the impact as she tumbled off the bed and hit the floor hard, loosing her dagger in the process. She screamed and flailed at her attacker, aware that it was a thin form that held her down, though the strength in the woman's arms were undeniable. The mysterious woman had her locked down and no amount of struggling would free her, though struggle she did. Mai knew beyond a doubt that if she actually managed to escape her attacker's grip, she would simply run over and kill Kol, an eventuality that she was definitely not wanting to see, but struggle all the same she did, the compulsion of Talos's hex getting steadily stronger as the sun rose.

When Talos heard Lena's call, he immediately dashed toward her voice, nearly tripping over himself in the process but managing to keep his feet all the same. He entered the doorway just as Lena had tackled Mai off the bed, and he did the same, rushing for Kol to pin the man down. Using his running start to his advantage, he knocked Kol face down on the bed, wrenching the man's arms behind his back and managed to avoid getting battered by his black wings. With his knee in Kol's back, he surveyed the state of the room quickly, and when he saw that not only was Mai not dead but still had a very healthy pair of lungs to scream obscenities at him, a brief feeling of relief washed over him. It was put to rest quickly as Kol struggled underneath him, and he pressed all of his weight against the downed man to keep him there, desperately trying to recall the words to the verses that his mother had imparted on him. Mentally drowning out the commotion going on in the room, he found a place of calm within himself and began the chant, his voice rising and falling as he recited the ancient verses, almost as if he were singing.
Mai sat dumbstruck once the counter-curse had been recited, going completely still in Lena's arms and feeling an infinite sense of peace steal over her in those brief moments. The compulsion to kill Kol was gone, lifted from her shoulder like a huge weight that she had never known she had been carrying. The chant, or really, the song, was probably one of the most beautiful things she had heard, even if it was coming from Talos. With a small sniff, she tapped Lena's arms gently, having figured out that it was her holding her down now that the madness was gone. "You cun let me go now. I'm... gonna be alright."

Talos, however, was a different story. He had felt a supreme amount of relief once the spell had been cast, a pressure that seemed to have been pressing on his very soul lifting and leaving him feeling freer than ever. Probably the half-potent Serenoa curse dissipating, he figure with a small grin. Mai had stopped screaming and struggling, and the new-found relief he felt was further evidence that his counter-curse had worked. The moment was not to last, of course.

Sharp white-hot pain lanced through his entire body, originating at his wings. With a cry, Talos collapsed on the bed in a writhing ball, his wings flaring and jerking spasmodically and a cold sweat broke out on his face. Something was going terribly wrong inside him, triggered by the incredibly high amount of magic the unbinding spell had placed on him. Mai rushed to her feet quickly, running to her brother's side and held down his wings so that the wouldn't hurt them on the bed post or even whack her as he flailed around on the bed in what appeared to be extreme agony. With mounting horror, she watched as feathers shed from his wings onto the floor and the bed in mass. Then, the reason for the falling feathers became apparent. His wings were practically burning underneath her hands as thin finger-like bones began to grow where the now molted feathers had been, all of them connected by a thin dark brown membrane that reminded her of a bat...

With a cry, she began yelling at Talos, for whatever good she thought that would do. "No Talos! No! You can't turn into one of those monsters! No!" Her mantra of denial continued until she was a sobbing mess, and the transformation finally ended, Talos apparently going completely unconscious as he lay limply on the bed, breathing shallow, but steady. Fearfully, she turned her eyes down to look at the damage that had been done to her brother, and was surprised to see that it was not a full transformation. Instead, only half of his wings were bat-like, the other half still sporting the light brown feathers that she had seen on him throughout her entire life. Heaving a sigh of relief, she punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You big idiot..."

Kol had no idea what the fuck was going on. And the harsh language was definitely needed. Just as he was about to ram the weapon into Mai's chest he was torn from her by some unseen assailant. Not really sure who could have found them, Kol was about to pursue Mai when a heavy weight landed on his back. Falling face down with a grunt he was pretty lucky that the cool blade was now flat against his chest instead of poking through it. But his relief was short lived as the pull to kill Mai grew stronger by the second. Kol struggled as hard as he could as his wings flapped around like crazy that was until Talos began to spoke. A stillness came over the room and Kol stopped moving. What was going on?

Lena slowly released Mai as she wasn't so sure that the woman wasn't planning to go kill her lover. She stood and stared in awe as Talos spoke and felt a sense of peace fall over her. It was beautiful and as he finished his spell everything seemed right...until he doubled over in pain. She would have run to his side but Mai had beaten her to the punch. Her heart pounded heavily in fear for him until he had finally fell unconscious and Mai gently punched his shoulder. Sighing in relief she walked over to Mai and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Lean leaned down to brush the feathers away from Talos face. "What a stupid man indeed...but amazing too..." She smiled softly at Mai before looking back down at her brother.

Kol on the other hand laid in the bed next to the the now unconscious fellow for a long moment before quickly rising to drag Mai into his arms. He held her as tightly as he could without the fear of him breaking her small bones. "We're alright..." He mumbled. It was over.

EPILOGUE

Three months after the biggest dispute in the constantly conflicting Serenoa and Estoen families, there was finally peace between the clans. Everything had gone back to normal, for all intents and purposes to be told for this story. The squabbles between those that lived in the mountains and the city dwellers were put to a stern halt with influences from both sides working hard to cease the madness. It had been a long time since the Serenoa boys had ventured down to Turich in the dead of night to wake up the sensitive Estoen's with their high-pitched whistles, and likewise the halls of the Serenoa compound had not stank of sulfur.

In this quiet environment sat Mai, concentrating on a length of string that she was hard at work knitting into some indistinct form that would probably turn out to be a blanket by the time she was done. She lead a quiet life up here in the mountains. Literally everything was taken care of for her, either by the illusive maids that were around and about the complex, or by Kol if he was feeling particularly savvy that day. She had been unemployed for a full three months as well, but despite that was living in luxury. Her clothes weren't ripped, torn, or even faded at all. She got as many meals as she wanted in a day, and never once did anyone expect her to work for it. In fact, if she tried to help clean up or did some compulsive laundry, someone, be it the head maid or Kol would scold her for it. It was very trying sometimes, living like this.

So, to keep her hands and mind busy during the day in the hours where nothing else was going on, she had taken up knitting between lessons on learning how to read and write. When Kol had found out that she knew how to do neither, he hadn't been sure whether he should laugh or cry, and had set her up with a tutor immediately. It was tough work learning so late in life, but she was glad for it, and didn't resent it one bit. A small knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she looked up, still unused to the concept that people actually knocked in this house. "Come in." She said through the thick wooden door, resuming her knitting. It was a maid with lunch, which was expected given the time of day.

"Ma'am." The maid said upon entering, giving Mai a small curtsy before stepping over the threshold and presenting a typical small serving on a tray that represented the afternoon snack. Looking over the presented tray, Mai suddenly began to feel queasy, the feeling only intensifying as the woman walked closer with what appeared to be melted brie cheese. Her gut rolled uncomfortably, and she held out one hand to stop the maid from advancing any further, using the other to cover her mouth incase of actual vomit occurring. "Please, take it away." She mumbled through her hand, making a shooing motion with the one held up in the air.

"Of course ma'am, so sorry, I'll bring something different."

"Oh no!" Mai replied quickly, looking almost alarmed. To the stricken look on the maid's face, she smiled gently, dropping her hands to her rolling stomach. "Not today, Rebecca. It's not you I'm just not... feeling all that hungry today." Again the maid curtsied and left the room, taking the aroma of melted cheese with her. Breathing deeply, Mai closed her eyes and tried to relax, only getting up when her stomach finally became quiet. With the smallest of smiles on her face, she tilted her head back and cupped a hand around her mouth. "Kol! Where'd you go? I've got news for you!"

*~*~*~*

Blood flew from a recently severed jugular, spraying hot red blood onto the deck before the now nearly-headless man toppled to the deck in a choking writhing heap. With a grin, Talos whipped his wing out to the side, clipping a man under the chin and making him loose his balance. He took the opportunity to pounce on the man, sinking the wide head of his shorter sea axe dagger into the pirate's chest, shredding through vital organs on the way. At his back, Lena was holding her own, the two avians back-to-back in the middle of a pirate ship deck a little way out to sea. They had picked up on the rumors of a human trafficking slave trader and had gone after the crew with hardly a moment's hesitation. A few bodies had dropped at his feet, though most of his kills had been made from afar with well-placed arrows to vital parts of the body. Only about half the crew was left after the first initial barrage of arrows, the surviving half having been below decks when the attack occured.

"How're you doing over there Lena?" He called over his shoulder, fending off a wild swing from a pirate as the man tried to decapitate Talos. In the three months since he had lifted the curse and got his new wings, he had spent the first month re-learning how to fly. It was a different configuration, flying with skin instead of feathers, but at least he had gotten the hang of it before Lena could have too much fun laughing as he crashed into every tree in the vicinity. The two had left Turich again. His family (either one really) could do just fine without him and Lena hanging around making things more awkward than they needed to be. Truth be told, he just didn't want to face either of them, and had barely spoken to Yorin about the matter. It just seemed like something better discussed when all the dust had settled.

As another pirate fell to his blades, he pivoted and began working his way back toward Lena, tightening up the defense of her blind-spots and trusting her to do the same. They might argue a lot, but it was undeniable that the two made a fantastic fighting duo.

"Are you ever going to ask as a child?" Kol shot a questioning at his younger sister as he patted a hand on her bouncing curls. He got an angry stare and a 'hemp!' as an answer and all Kol could do was chuckle. His little sister was so mature acting, so responsible.

"I only have to because everyone else, besides Mai, is so irresponsible." She grumbled.

"Oh? Do you really think so little one?" He was suddenly on her, tickling her back into a corner where she would have to give into his relentless tickling fingers.

"S-Stop!" She managed to say between laughing. The girl would be in stitches soon if she didn't give in. "F-Fine! You aren't so bad as the others either!" Her curls fell around her face in a tangled mess as she tried to catch her breath.

"Much better." Kol said with a satisfied grin.

Ren got up, dusted herself off and took a few steps away from her brother. "You only wish I meant it!" She squeaked out before running down one of the many halls of the house. Kol was about to pursue the girl when he heard Mai calling out for him. Dusting himself off now, Kol made his way towards the room. His hair was a little disheveled and there was a grin on his face. He walked over to her and planted a kiss on her lips. "And what news might that be? Have you knitted me a new shirt?" He looked down at the unfinished ball of yarn.

~*~*~*~

Lena dipped low as the swing of a heavy blade passed over her head. She was in her groove and couldn't help the grin that seemed to hover on her lips as she stabbed at the kneecap of the man who was swinging around the heavy weapon. "Careful buddy, could put an eye out with that." She grinned up at him as the man howled at the sudden explosion of pain as his kneecap shattered.

Lena shot up and finished the job when she ran her short sword through the man’s heart. With a hard tug, she removed the blade from the body cavity and Lena suddenly wobbled backwards. A sudden sickness overcame her. Taking another step back to balance herself she almost bumped into Talos. "...Yeah, fine." She sounded unconvinced. Lena shook off the feeling and ran forward to the next unsuspecting pirate. Little did the man know, Lena's attack was as unexpected to her as it was to him. Without warning Lena stopped dead in her tracts and became ill. The pirate stared at the white wolf. He had never heard of the girl getting sick and was taken off guard.

Wiping her mouth, and ignoring anything Talos might object to, she ran her blade though the confused man. Then the sickness came again and the momentum she had pushed the man over the railing with Lena teetering on the edge. She held herself up with shaky arms as she became sick once more. What was wrong with her? Lena panted heavily as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Another pirate decided to take the chance to seize the momentary weakness and quietly walked up behind her. Holding the blade in the air, he prepared to ram in through the small woman.

Giggling lightly, Mai accepted the kiss easily; dropping her hands down to Kol’s and took his right hand in both of hers. “No no, silly, you know that I don’t know how to knit shirts yet.” And it was true, too. Just making a square pattern was a recently acquired talent, as evidenced by the slightly crooked pattern she had going on now behind her on the recently abandoned chair. “But, when I can, I’ll let you know immediately. No, there’s something slightly better that I’d like to tell you.” Smiling gently, she took the hand she had captured from Kol and placed it gently against her lower belly.

“I had been… suspecting it for a while, but Rebecca helped me confirm for sure just now.” Mai met Kol’s eyes, the biggest smile on her face as she gripped his hand tighter. “Kol, you’re going to be a dad. I’m pregnant.” Mai waited breathlessly to see how Kol would take the news, keeping her firm grip on his hand.

*~*~*~*~*

Talos became concerned with Lena’s noncommittal response and after pushing one of the rushing pirates back, making the man stumbled into one of his comrades, both of them falling to the deck as they scrambled. He looked around for Lena, and instead of seeing her back against his; she was over by the edge of the deck. Panic flared to life in his chest as he saw the pirate behind her ready to stab his blade through Lena. He wouldn’t make it before the pirate got to her, and in a split second of decision had cocked his arm back and threw the flat bladed knife. It spun end over end and with a dull thunk made impact with the pirate’s back.

The man couldn’t even cry out, his lungs quickly filling with blood as he fell to the deck in a heap. Sprinting across the deck, Talos yanked the blade from the fallen man and wrapped his arms around Lena’s waist. With a great heave of his wings he lifted her off the deck and over the side, plummeting toward the water. With another snap of his wings, they were heading toward the sky with the pirates yelling at them angrily behind.

Once he got a stable rhythm, he leveled out and headed toward shore, his eyes boring into Lena as they flew. “What’s wrong? I didn’t know that you got sea sick.”

Kol stared at the woman and knew something was up. She wore a huge smile on her face, the kind that could melt any mans heart. As she gripped his hand and told him he was going to be a dad, Kol couldn't even believe the words he had just heard. Several long moments passed by before the information sunk in. "Mai! This is amazing!" He said finally, leaning down and giving her a long, happy kiss. He framed her face with his hands as a large smile spread across his own face. As if he couldn't help himself, he kissed her once more before dragging her into a hug. "I suppose we should pay your mother a visit..." Kol said, not really sure how he felt about the idea. Despite Talos saving them from death he had no wish to see his half brother for the time being. Everything was still too new and unsettled and they finally got both sides of the families to stop fighting...Though Kol knew Enita would want to hear about this news and no doubt congratulate both the mother AND father.

~*~*~*~

Lena mentally scolded herself when Talos had to save her from being hacked to bits. Since when was she so careless to just stand there? Lena didn't have time to ponder the question as Talos came straight for her, grabbed her, and leaped over the railing. Lena went practically limp to make it easier on Talos as he pumped his wings to get them in the air. "I don't get sea sick. I never have...Probably just something I ate." She commented as he flew. The soft bobbing in the air suddenly turned her stomach inside out. "T-Talos...Land now. I think I'm going to be sick again." She demanded, holding a hand over her mouth to keep from being ill right that second.

She couldn't help the joyful laugh that escaped her at Kol's enthusiastic response, resting her hands on Kol's chest as the future parents simply stared at each other. Warmth blossomed in her chest at the mention of her mother, which was quickly followed by a feeling of caution. She hadn't visited her mother much since marrying Kol. With the dust settling, and the awkward knowledge that Talos was the half-brother of her and Kol because Enita couldn't keep her loins in check, she simply hadn't had the want or time to travel down to the mountain much. Of course, she had told her father and mother of her wedding to Kol, if it could have been called that, and had urged Yorin and her brothers to put an end to the fighting. Talos's heritage had been announced of course, which helped to put a stop to the nonsense, though it had created a rift between the formerly tight family. All in all, it was just better to keep out of it until everyone had come to grips with all of the changes that had been wrought. Was three months really enough to put generations of bad blood aside?

Despite whatever hesitations she might have about going back down to Turich, Mai knew that this was news that she simply couldn't keep to herself. Enita would be thrilled by the news for sure, knowing how the woman loved children so, and kept harping on her sons and daughters to get out and make families of their own so that she could get those precious grand-babies that she always wanted. With a small sigh and a shake of her head, she imagined the look on Enita's face when she was told about the news, and further imagined her mother wanting to celebrate in some way, offering motherly advice the whole time. Mai stood on her tip toes and pulled closer to Kol, brushing a quick kiss over his lips. "My ma will be thrilled to hear that she's finally getting her grand babies." At the unsure look that Kol had on his face, she smiled and tapped his hands gently. "And don't worry about Talos raining on the parade. He and Lena went off adventuring a few weeks ago, so I don't think they'll be around much."

*~*~*~*

He didn't believe that Lena had gotten so violently ill just from eating rabbit jerky. In fact, that had been what they were eating for the past week or so, occasionally broken up by some tubers that they had the luxury of purchasing a little while ago. If the jerky had been bad, then it stood to reason that he to should be getting sick, especially considering his proneness to getting ill on the decks of a sea-bound ship. That obviously hadn't been the case, and he crew more worried for Lena when she commanded him to land immediately. Her body went rigid in his arms, and he could feel the sympathy pains echoing through his own stomach.

Without a word, Talos dove for the ground and landed on the sandy shores of the beach, steadying Lena on her feet with his hands on her shoulders. He looked the slight woman over with his intense gaze, studying her pale sickly face with worry beginning to worm its way into his gut. "I don't think it's our food selection Lena." Placing his hand on her forehead and one on his own, he was silent for a moment. "It doesn't feel like you have a fever... I think you have to have a stomach flu of some kind..."

Kol sighed, happy for the news. "Those two left pretty fast, didn't they?" After Lena had saved Mai and dragged Talos back to their home Kol hadn't seen the woman. He had to admit she was pretty but she seemed rather unsocial and awkward around people she didn't know. Kol shrugged the thoughts away and gently held onto Mai's hands. "Shall we go then?" he suggested. He walked over to the closet and pulled a sweater down from the vast closet. The feel of fall was in the air and he had no want for Mai to catch a chill. Placing the garment on her shoulders, he then wrapped his arm around her and walked from the room, preparing himself to see his mother-in-law.

~*~*~*~

Lena leaned against the solid form of Talos' chest. "Maybe..." she agreed, not really in the mood to fight with him. She couldn't even remember the last time she had gotten sick, or at least this sick. She was pleased however that the next bout of sickness never came and her rolling stomach finally came to a stop. "Do you mind if we just stay here tonight? If I sleep it off, I'm sure it will go away..." She mumbled against his chest, her eyes were already closed and the sweet whisperings of sleep called to her like no other.

Mai nodded to Kol's observation about Talos and Lena's penchant for getting up and going. Really, Talos had left pretty much as soon as they had given Arthulur a proper funeral and subsequent burial, not sticking around for very long to mourn with either family that he now belonged to. It was a little disheartening to see him remove himself from the family so quickly, but if she were in the same situation, she probably would have done the same.

Raising a brow to Kol as he slipped the sweater over her shoulders, her lips quirking in a slight smile, Mai leaned into his body. "I suppose that you're going to be watching my every step for me now, hm?" She asked, making her way through the maze of halls that composed the majority of the Serenoa compound. She knew her way around for the most part now, though there was still a wing of the house or two that she hadn't thoroughly explored enough to be able to get in and out without some assistance. Kol had been dropping hints about moving out of the mansion and into their own place away from the other Serenoa siblings. Why they would even need a new house was beyond her... this one was certainly spacious enough for the nine of them and all of the maids and cooks that were also housed within the compound. Still, she didn't put it past Kol to want to go and build a castle somewhere for her, and made a point to remind herself to let him know that no such extravagance was needed on her behalf.

A butler opened the door for them as they approached the main entry hall, and as Mai stepped over the threshold, she took a huge breath of the chilly autumn air. Through the sea of green and yellowing trees was Turich, her home and family. With a smile to her husband, she spread her wings and took off for the tiny village.

*~*~*~*

If Lena being sick had worried him, then Lena not arguing with him had Talos really feeling scared. Lena had to be really off her game if she wasn't going to comment about how stupid it was of him to suggest that she was sick, or something else that was likewise preposterous. "Yeah, take it easy, and I'll set up camp and get a fire going." He replied softly, bending down slightly so that he could gather her small form into his arms and simply carried her off of the beach and away from the pounding roar of the ocean as it crashed onto the beach. Once they were in the shelter of the forest where the wind wasn't blowing so hard, he set Lena down on the ground gently. "Stay here and get some rest... I'll go get our stuff and be back."

With a final glance over his shoulder, Talos took off to find the lake that they found the first time around and located their belongings that they had left behind before going to raid the pirate ship. Lugging both sets of gear over his shoulder, he returned to where he had left Lena and set down all the equipment. "I'll get a fire going and make some soup or something." He said upon landing, walking over to Lena to check on her again.

Kol only grinned at Mai's comments about him watching her like a hawk. Of course he was going to, his beautiful wife was carrying his child and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if harm came to either of them. Kol stepped onto the porch and inhaled the cool air that the change of the season had brought. Winter would be fast approaching and that would mean less chances for Mai to see her family before winter storms would wreak havoc on the mountain side. With a few hard strokes of his black wings, Kol was in the air and flying along side Mai.

It only took a short while to fly the familiar route to Mai's home village. It being in the middle of the afternoon most of the village was out and a about doing their normal work. Kol had to admire the simple people that went about their routines in a methodical manor to put food on their families table. Kol landed outside of the Estoen home and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. Looking behind him he saw two or three sets of eyes staring at him intently. Sighing, he turned back around and ignored the children. "After you, my lady." He said to Mai.

~*~*~*~

Lena didn't bother to say a word as she was carried into the shelter of the forest, she just simply couldn't care at the moment. Once Talos had gone to retrieve their belongings, Lena shut her eyes and let the cool air of the day wash over her. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and couldn't understand what would bring on the sudden illness.

By the time Talos had returned, she was sitting up against the tree and feeling considerably better as if it had never happened. Not wanting it to return though she nodded as Talos volunteered to make fire and soup. The rest of the day passed uneventfully and Lena had gone to bed rather early snuggled against Talos. She was rather confident she was over whatever bug that had wormed its way into her system and slept soundly.

As the morning light played on Lena's face, she slowly awoke and realized Talos was no longer laying next to her. Sitting up she quickly looked around and found him cooking some of the dried meat they had left over. Lena walked over and stretched her arms over her head. "Mornin'-" Lena tried to greet him but as soon as she stepped within five feet of the camp fire the smell of the roasting meat hit her. Within seconds Lena's stomach turned inside out. "Oh god." Was all she said before running twenty feet away or so and becoming violently ill once more. Ten minutes so past until Lena was sure she was done throwing up what little she had left in her stomach and she crawled away from the results of her being ill. Lena sat against a tree and was panting as doubts about the stomach flu being gone flew from her mind. "Damnit..." She mumbled.

Mai saw her brothers from a long way off, despite their rather poor attempts at hiding when they saw Kol and Mai flying over. When they landed, she shot a glare at the three just barely hiding behind the corner of their neighbor's house, and when they returned the star and saw that she wasn't backing down, they averted their eyes and dispersed into the streets of Turich. With a small aggravated sigh and a shake of her head, she walked through the front door, tapping once on the frame as she did so. "Ma! Pa! Are you in here?" She called.

A sound like a startled cat came from the laundry room, and amongst the dull thunk of clothes sliding to the floor and a soft stream of cursing, Enita appearing in the hall way, looking disheveled and a little tried. When she saw Mai and Kol, however, she perked right up and walked over, brushing out the wrinkles in her clothes. "Oh Mai! Kol! Iffin I woulda known that you were plannin' on comin' over, I woulda made myself a tad more presentable ter ya." She looked eagerly between the two, and when there was no immediate forthcoming explanation for their presence here, she smiled uncertainly. "So, what're you in town fer? It's been a while since I seen ya Mai."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that ma." Mai replied, an honest apology in her voice. "Things have just been a little on the busy side. But! I've got some good news for you." Enita arched a curious brow at this, folding her hands together and waiting patiently for her eldest daughter to continue. Mai laced her fingers with Kol's almost unconsciously, smiling widely before imparting the knowledge on her mother. "Ma, I'm going to be a mother."

For a moment, Enita was struck dumb, then she screamed with joy and launched herself at her daughter, almost crying as she hugged the younger girl tightly. "Oh Mai! My little baby, I'm so proud of you." She said, releasing Mai for only long enough to embrace Kol instead, squeezing him tightly as well. "And you!" Enita detached herself again, taking a small step back and pointed menacingly up at Kol, or well, as menacingly as she could given her small stature. "You better be a good daddy, ya hear? Or I'll take my Mai back 'an look after 'em myself!"

*~*~*~*

That morning, Talos woke before the sun rose. He couldn't precisely say why he had done so, but after spending his first few waking moments simply looking at Lena, he knew why. He was really worried about her, the tension he felt over her health keeping his sleeping light throughout the whole night. When the sun struck his face then, he had been hyper aware of the light, and simply rose, unable to sleep any longer. With a small sigh, he tucked an errant lock of hair behind one of Lena's ears and went about making breakfast, rummaging through their combined packs for food. They were out of vegetables again, so he had to make due with more meat. Hopefully, Lena would be fine with it. She hadn't reacted badly to the meat before, so he could only hope that it really was just a bad batch of it.

He was half way through cooking it when he heard Lena stir and get up, offering him a soft greeting that he nearly returned in kind, but stopped half way through forming a "Good Morning" when he saw Lena's face go green. It didn't stop there either, for she quickly turned and ducked behind a shrub, and he could only rush to his feet, standing pensively near by and wait for her to quit coloring the bushes with the contents of her innards. Talos knelt next to her when she had recovered herself, placing his hands on her her cheeks and forehead, again trying to see if she had an outrageous fever. When he could find nothing of the sort, his brow knotted in frustrated confusion. "Lena, we're heading back to Turich if you can fly. I don't know what you've got, but you're obviously sick. We can find a doctor and medicine there... we should have enough money left from that last pirate raid to get you some treatment." Though he spoke softly and kindly, his voice held that edge that would let Lena know that he was not going to back down from this without a very serious fight. He was concerned, even frightened for her, and he wasn't taking chances.

Kol let to two woman share the moment of rejoining one another in silence and returned the hug happily as the small woman congratulated him. As to her warning, Kol couldn't help the grin that snaked its way onto his face. Then he looked to Mai and back to Enita. "I will keep your warning in mind, my lady, but I seriously doubt you will ever have to go through with it. I love Mai more than life itself and would never do something purposely to lose her let alone my future child." Kol said in a soft tone as he locked eyes with Mai and then placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

~*~*~*~

Lena looked away from Talos' piercing gaze. She didn't want to waste money on medication or waste more time flying back to Turich and then back to continue their raids. During this time of year, the docks were in full swing with men getting their lasts trading deals done before the first snow of the year hits. The two of them desperately needed the money for food and new winter clothing as well. The thin material of her current clothing would not be sufficient against the biting winds of winter. But...whatever this was...it was sapping every bit of energy and every bit of the contents in her stomach...She couldn't deny that. "Give me a few minutes..." She said softly, there was a slight edge of annoyance to her voice but not much in the way of resistance.

Enita watched the two interact with a blissful look on her face, clapping her hands together. "Oh wonderful! I'm so so happy fer ye both. But how long 'ave I got ye fer? I've gotta tell yer pa Mai, he'd be over-joyed to hear the news!" She was practically bouncing now, hardly able to contain herself she was so excited. "Oh, an' when ye get further along, we'll 'ave ter throw a party ter celebrate..."

Mai giggled at her mother's eagerness, and squeezed Kol's hand gently, leaning in to him. "We have until before sunset, ma. Where is pa? Out in the market?"

Before Enita could reply to the query, the door opened behind them, revealing Yorin who looked a little beaten up and rough around the edges. Even though it was only a little past noon, he had been working hard and was exhausted by the hard labor. When he saw Mai and Kol standing just inside the doorway, he instantly became rigid, his gaze fixed on Kol. However, after receiving a glare from both Enita and Mai, he took a deep breath and relaxed, striding into the hall. "It's good to see you again Mai." He said gently, embracing his daughter. When he turned to Kol, he hesitated, unsure what to do with him, then simply held out his hand to shake. "Kol." When that incredibly awkward gesture was over with, he looked back to Mai and then settled his gaze on Enita. "What's the occasion?"

"Mai is pregnant!" Enita yelled, the information apparently bursting from her like something that was too big for its container that had been restrained for too long. "Oops! Sorry dear... It just got away from me..."

Yorin stared hard at Mai, eyes wide, then switched his gaze to Kol and with the faintest of grins clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "You've got yer work cut out fer ye, trust me."

*~*~*~*

Talos nodded tersely to Lena's request, standing slowly. "Alright, rest a little then. I'll pack up the gear, and then we'll leave." He patted Lena gently before returning to the cooking fire and kicked dirt over it, pulling the strips of meat he had been cooking off and eating them himself. It made no sense to let it go to waste, after all. When he got everything packed and both bags settled on his shoulders, he helped Lena to her feet and absolutely refused to let her carry either one of them. They took off quickly, heading north-bound for Turich, and hopefully a cure to whatever illness had gotten hold of Lena.

!¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!

The small village was in much the same condition that it was always in. The market was full, people were going about their every day lives, and the home that Talos returned to was still in as much disrepair as he remembered. Actually, scratch that, it had improved a little. There were new shingles on the roof, and some of the drafty side-paneling had recently been replaced. Curious, he wondered what sort of money they had stumbled into at home that would have prompted the small improvements, and decided that it would be among his list of questions once he got down to ruthlessly interviewing his mother about who he could turn to that might be able to help Lena. The trip from the coast to Turich had taken a few days, and every single morning, Lena had woken up and immediately threw up behind the nearest bush almost as if it had become a force of habit.

Primarily, Talos had just been worried, but now he was deeply concerned for her health. She was getting weaker every day, thanks in no small part to the fact that she couldn't keep down breakfast, and sometimes even lunch was a problem. Hopefully, it was just a really bad case of the flu that she could get over with some bed rest, but as the days had worn on and she wasn't getting much better, his hopes of finding an easy solution to the problem had begun to evaporate. "Not much further now." He said to Lena, watching her from the corner of his eye, ready to catch her at a given moment if she looked like she was going to falter. Upon entering the house, he got a little shock at all of the people standing in the hallway.

His father, or rather, Yorin, was fairly blocking the door, and sharing airspace with him was Kol, of all people. Mai was close at hand, and his mother looked absolutely overjoyed at something, practically bouncing on her heels in excitement. He tried his best not to get caught up in all of the awkward staring, but found that it was to no avail. After all, he had been absent from home for a good month and a half, and his not-biological father and half-brother were there. He exchanged a quick nod with Yorin and spent a moment looking at Kol, taming the urge to reach out and grab the nearest heavy object and throw it out of him. Tearing his eyes off of Kol, he looked to Enita, who had calmed down a bit. "Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, but Lena's sick. She needs a bed to rest in."

Kol wasn't exactly sure how to act around his new father-in-law and it was reasonable to be that way. The man had killed is father, under good intent of course, but the event still happened...and then the man had lead the last war between the families giving Enitan a long and deep scar on his arm. But, this was a joyous event and for Mai he wanted this to work more then anything. When Yorin finally grabbed his shoulders and somewhat gave his blessing Kol released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you, good sir..." He mumbled. Kol was actually comfortable with the change in atmosphere until someone barged into the door. Talos.

The man looked absolutely terrible, deep lines of concern rimmed the edge of his mouth and his eyes held a great amount of worry to them. Until they landed on him, they measured him up and for a moment a spark of anger was there and as fast as it came it was gone with the announcement of the sick woman.

~*~*~*~

After Lena landed, she took just a few minutes before she wanted to keep walking. The last few days she had no energy to do anything but get sick and then continue their journey. Now that they were finally here the last hundred feet seemed like an eternity. When Talos confirmed that they were almost there she just nodded in response. Talking just seemed like a waste of energy that Lena didn't have to use. She walked in the house with Talos and kept her head down as he took a moment looking around the room and then spoke to his mother. Lena was pale and she had dark circles under her eye and now she had a hand on Talos arm to steady herself. "Talos..." Was all she could get out before the edges of her vision grew dark and then finally that was all there was. She felt herself falling but never felt if and when she hit the ground.

Lena's soft voice alerted him to the imminent danger that she was in of passing out. He just barely turned his head to look at her before she went limp and started falling. Gasping in surprise, he quickly managed to get his arms around Lena and slow her fall, stopping her before she hit the ground. Gathering her light form in his arms, he took note of how light she was now compared to the last time that he had picked her up, his gut tightening in response. Was she dying? He couldn't bear the thought of Lena dying in his arms like this, and gripped her tighter, rising to his feet on unsteady legs.

"Oh no!" Enita pushed her way through Yorin and Kol, coming to Talos's side quickly and placing a reassuring hand on his forearm. "This way Talos, ya cun put 'er down in the girls' room... Only Anna-Marie and Josephine are left in there now, so we've got an extra bed..." There was silence as Talos followed his mother into the room and set Lena down on it after Enita had pulled back the covers. They tucked her in as best they could, and Enita told him to wait as she went out to talk to the others in the foyer. Dully, he heard them talking but paid no attention, his focus on Lena's pale face, seeking out her limp hand and intertwining their fingers.

Time seemed suspended there in the quiet room with only the sound of their breathing for company, but eventually Enita came back. She settled down on the second bed, watching Talos carefully as he sat like a silent sentinel over Lena's still form. "So, what's wrong with 'er?" She finally asked, startling Talos out of his distant thoughts.

"I don't know..." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders. To Enita's look that clearly stated his explanation wasn't enough, he sighed and continued, resting his forehead in the palm of his hand. "A few days ago, we were out at sea on a ship. Normally, Lena doesn't get seasick, but that day she did. At first she said... that it was something that she had eaten probably, and getting a good night's sleep would take care of it but... Well, as you can see, she didn't get any better. For the past few days, every morning she's been up at the crack of dawn and throwing up. She can't eat breakfast, and can only eat lunch half of the time, but usually she's better in the afternoons and evenings. I just don't know. One moment she's fine, and then this-" Talos gestured vaguely to Lena's unconscious form, a note of defeat in his voice.

For a long moment, Enita was silent, considering the situation. She stood after a little while, walking to Lena's bedside and pressed her fingers to Lena's abdomen experimentally. "How often do ya an' Lena make love?" She asked bluntly, continuing her examination of the unconscious woman.

"Ma!"

"Answer me straight, Talos."

The horrified look on his face melted into a contemplative one as he mumbled darkly under his breath. "A lot." He finally mumbled, looking a touch embarrassed to be discussing this with his mother.

"Mmm..." She simply said, and resumed her seat, folding her hands in her lap and leveling her gaze on Talos. "Well Talos, I don't think that Lena's sick at all." When Talos looked confused and like he was about to protest, she held up her hand to keep him silent. "Naw, if it what I think this is, then it's perfectly normal. Lena's probably pregnant Talos. Yer gonna be a daddy. Jus' give 'er some rest 'an try not ter feed 'er anythin' that smells too strongly, 'an she'll be okay."

Enita had a hard time gauging Talos's reaction to the revelation. At first, she could get absolutely nothing from him, a blank look on his face. Then, he cracked, a short terse laugh leaving him as he picked up Lena's hand off the bed, pressing it to his lips in a kiss. "I'm sure she'll be absolutely thrilled to hear about it when she wakes up." He whispered, carefully setting her hand back down on the bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me ma, I'm gonna go pass out in the other room..." His voice trailed off as he stood, making good on his word and leaving the girls room in favor of the one next door.

With a small smile, Enita chuckled and stood as well, tucking the covers in tighter around Lena before exiting the room as well, closing the door behind her with a soft click. "What a day."

Epilogue Part two

Kol quickly paced about the hallway, stood in one spot for a moment and nervously twitched about before pacing once more. This was it; Mai, his beautiful wife was giving birth to his child and he was pretty much useless to help as he heard random screaming coming from the room Mai was in. Enita had gone in as soon as Mai said something about the water breaking. Kol, having no idea what that meant, checked almost every toilet in the east wing before someone had stopped him and brought him back to the cursed hallway he was now pacing in. Kol would be voicing his anger if he wasn't sharing the space with Yorin. Him and Enita had been staying there the past week in preparation for the coming child and in honesty it was Kol's idea. He wanted her parents close not only to comfort Mai but for their knowledge in child birth. Their presence was greatly needed.

Kol only stopped moving at the sound of a child crying. His heart thudded loud in his ears and Kol felt as if he couldn't breath. As he was about to force his way into the room, a second set of cries filled the room and a confused look covered Kol's face. He put his hand on the door and waited for Enita to tell him he could come in. For the first time in his life, Kol could not enter a room in his own house for the fear of his mother-in-law removing that vital parts of his body if he wanted more children later in life. So he would wait, and listen to the cries of his child until he was allowed in. He shot a nervous glance to Yorin and his hands itched to grab to door knob.

~*~*~*~

Lena was laying on one of the plushiest beds she had ever been on. It was as if the clouds themselves had gone into making this bed. After Lena had been told she was pregnant it took some serious convincing and then even more to convince her that the child was not some demon sucking all the goodness out of her and making her sick. She giggled at the memory and traced her hand over the small mound that had formed over the past few months. Lena had began to worry though because compared to Mai she was still a twig. Maybe something was wrong with her? After a few more weeks of being sick every morning, it subsided, and aside from the few pounds she had gained, everything went back to normal for awhile. That was until Talos began stopping her every move to go out and do something that wasn't either in the house...near the house...but eventually she did get to move! TO ANOTHER HOUSE. Mai had insisted on them living with the couple in their new home not too terribly far from the lavish castle they already had. It was sorta acceptable due to a week ago she had passed out in one of the many hallways of the house after a visit and wasn't found till dark. When Talos tripped over her. Enita said it was because she was over working herself and was completely normal. Lena couldn't understand HOW she overworked herself though...She felt like she had done nothing in a month. To keep from getting another headache, Lena agreed to stay in bed and often just laid with Talos like she was now.

Lena shook her head once more at her thoughts and idly ran a hand through Talos' now short hair. Soon after the drama of everything Talos felt it was time for a change, and it was in his hair. She couldn't deny she loved it and would occasionally ran her hand through it just because she could.

Yorin watched the blond man pacing, his arms crossed and eyes hooded as he sat in the hallway outside the bedroom door. Two arm chairs had been dragged out from either a nearby room or a library or somewhere for the singular purpose of having the two men sit on them. However, the second one that had been set aside for Kol hadn't been used but for a few minuets in the beginning. The moment that he heard Mai's first scream of pain, he had bolted up-right and tried to get in the room. He had almost succeeded too, but little Enita was there immediately, pushing him out of the room forcefully and giving him a stern talking to that involved several threats, one of which was the imminent removal of his "baby making stick" if he tried to come in again without her permission.

He couldn't help the small chuckle that came to his mind at the thought, recalling a day in time so very long ago when Enita had been pregnant with their first-born, Arthulur. Yorin had been in much the same state of distress, and it took the midwife literally giving him a beating and some very wise words from his now deceased father to get him to stay outside of the birthing room. He had been a nervous wreck for Talos and Mai's births too, but after his fourth child (or third, depending on if you counted Talos or not) he had calmed down quite a bit. However, he didn't bother to tell Kol any of this. It was the right of all new fathers to worry themselves into the ground when their wives went into labor for the first time.

When the child cried for the first time, he watched with some faint amusement as Kol went still, listening to the sounds of his firstborn first noise. A soft smile graced his face as he thought of all the crying the babe would bring in the future but wisely kept silent about the matter again, rising from his seat to congratulate the new father. He was stopped from giving his full congratulatory speech though by another piercing from Mai that ripped through the entire hallway. That certainly wasn't normal. Yorin, who had been very calm throughout the whole thing thus far, was very tempted to join Kol in pacing now when the screaming of mother and child continued for apparently no reason, a single maid rushing out of the room and past them without saying a word. She disappeared into the depths of the house, then reappeared with a set of towels and locked herself back in.

Finally, the screaming stopped and there was a second set of lungs added to the first, the babies crying in tandem now that they were out in the open air. Heaving a great sigh, Yorin did get the chance to congratulate Kol this time. "That's Mai, always over-achevin'." He said with a laugh, clapping his son-in-law on the shoulder and patted him gently as the young man hovered with his hand on the door, waiting. "Congratulations Kol. Seems like ye've got twins ter deal with now."

The door opened, Enita stepping out of the room and practically into Kol with a bundle in her arms that was squirming and crying, though not as loudly or with as much vigor as before. She looked so happy that she was literally crying, and just behind her was the maid from before, a second wrapped baby in her arms as well. "Congratulations Kol." She sniffed, holding out the baby in her arms for Kol to take. "Ye've got a healthy set 'o boys. Mai did good. Just wait a few minuets, and we'll let ye see 'er." The second baby was handed to Yorin, who held the infant carefully in his arms, supporting its head and rocking it gently to get it to cease its crying. "My grandson." He murmured, smiling faintly, Enita sticking close to his side and smiling at the twins, looking absolutely overjoyed with both boys being held by father and grandfather.

*~*~*~*

For the better part of the day, Talos had been dozing on and off, an event that was very easy to do considering what sort of luxury the two had been afforded by Kol and Mai. Mostly Mai, actually, who had begged Kol to let them stay and practically forced Talos and Lena to do so. It was hard to say no to a pregnant woman, he was beginning to understand. What wasn't hard, however, was doing his damnedest to make sure that Lena was getting adequate bed rest, despite her protesting. After she had passed out in the manor, he had been watching her every move like a hawk, constantly forcing her back to bed when she got these independent notions that she should be walking around outside the house. Maybe he was being over-protective of Lena, but at the same time it was hard not to be. She hadn't taken to pregnancy as well as Mai, who even during the period where morning sickness (why they called it morning sickness, he would never know, because Lena was usually sick all day long during that time) was common, she really didn't seem to have that much trouble, and had made a habit of eating everything in the house. It wasn't unusual to hear his sister rummaging around the larder at two in the morning for food, and in fact it was hard to not hear her coming. Her tiny little body had swelled to amazing proportions in these last few weeks to the point that it was hard for her to judge just how far out and around her pregnant belly really swelled. She had by been constantly knocking things over, be it chairs or vases or other people.

His lazy day had actually been put to an end by Mai when a maid came in earlier that afternoon, addressed him as "Master Talos", and then promptly informed him that his sister was in labor. Now, he was laying next to Lena in a peaceful comfortable silence, his hand on her belly, feeling what he supposed was the knee or elbow of his child through her skin. He couldn't help wanting to touch her, and often did in moments like these when it was just the two of them sharing a rare moment of silence. Lately, Lena had been too tired to argue with him over not being able to get up and around, which was both welcoming and disturbing. It was good because he was absolutely certain that stress had to be bad for the baby, and in such a fragile state, Lena couldn't afford stress. Compared to Mai, Lena was tiny, even in the final stages of her pregnancy and ready to give birth any day now. She hadn't grown all that much around the middle, and it had begun to worry him, even though Enita had attempted to comfort him time and again that Lena and the baby would be perfectly fine. In the very back of his mind, he was worried that she might not make it through the birthing process, seeing all of the difficulties she had been having up until now, but he was smart enough to not voice his feelings. Speaking them gave them life, and again, there was no need to add his fears on top of the ones that Lena had to be having as well.

When it all came down to it, there was really just this; he couldn't stand the thought of loosing his wife and child in one fell swoop. Yes, when he found out that Lena was pregnant, he had proposed to her almost immediately. It took some convincing to get the woman to agree, stubborn as she was, but eventually Talos had made her see the sense in it. He wasn't so crass as to want to see his child become a nameless bastard, and had eventually made Lena see the light too. The ceremony hadn't been anything special at all, just a very small family wedding in the local chapel. Even the rings, which had been given to him by Mai were very plain. She had known that he wouldn't accept something so extravagant as the one that Kol had gotten for her once the dust settled. Even she had taken a while to come to grips with the finery. Instead, two simple unadorned silver bands had been given to the couple as her wedding present to them. Talos still wore his, the little metal ring now an afterthought since it was just so a part of him after wearing it so often for so long.

His attention was brought back to the present when the baby moved under his hand, readjusting itself within Lena's womb before becoming still again. That too was normal, Enita had said when Talos had inquired about it once. The baby had been kicking furiously for a while, the look that Lena would get when the baby squirmed priceless, but over time, it hadn't done quite so much any more. His mother told him that it was because the baby simply didn't have the room to be squirming around anymore, especially with Lena being so small in such a late stage. He slid his hand over her stomach to find where the little thing had gotten to, a soft smile on his face. "It's hard to believe that our child is in there..."

To say Kol was surprised when Enita had opened the door was an understatement. Kol was pretty much already in shock from his father-in-law telling him he had twin and he was staring at the men when the door had opened. With one of his children now in his hand, he couldn't help but to run his hand down the soft skin of his face to prove he wasn't dreaming. "He- They are my sons..." He said more to himself than anyone. "Thank you. Thank you for everything." Kol choked on the sudden emotion that rose to greet him as he spoke and wisely shut his trap. He walked over to Yorin to look at his other son and smiled warmly. "Mai...She is alright?" He asked Enita. Kol had figured that woman wouldn't be out there with such a happy look on her face is she wasn't...but Kol could never help the worry that sometimes wormed its way into his gut and even more so now that his wife had given birth to twins!

~*~*~*~

"Your tellin' me. Try carrying the damn thing." She teased him, Lena couldn't help the smile on her face. Talos' fascination with the child kicking was kinda....cute. He often would comment on how he still could not believe there was a child within her body, let alone it be his. Well, there better be a damned kid in there. It had given her a lot of trouble over the past couples of months, not to mention the indigestion. But, in her own little corner of her mind Lena was happy to be a mother, and a wife. It would be a cold day in hell before she ever said it, but what woman wouldn't actually be happy?

"Lets go see how Mai is doing, hm?" She suggested. "I pinky promise that if I even get a little tired you can carry me, okay?" She stopped him before he could protest, the man really needed to at least let her see what kind of monsters got popped out, and congratulate the mother and father for doing so.

~*~*~*~

The next few days dragged on as Lena waited for her child to be born. With Mai and Kol being busy as new parents she didn't see much of anyone but Talos. And his constant nagging grew tiresome. As Talos drifted off for his now customary afternoon nap, Lena slowly and quietly wormed herself out of the bed and into a standing position. Placing a hand on her stomach, she smiled and walked into the hallway. "Your daddy is going to be a problem, little one," She spoke to it as she walked about the hallways, "Something tells me whatever your gender may be, he will tie me and you down to keep us from getting hurt. And God help us all if you are a girl." Talking to her stomach had became a ritual after Enita told her it was good for the child. The first few times, she had to admit it was weird and refused to do it around Talos but eventually it passed and she often spoke to him/her.

Lena had been walking around for a good hour when suddenly a sharp pain exploded in her lower abdomen and back. The pain pushed every bit of air out of her lungs to where she couldn't even speak. Finding the nearest wall in the expansive hallway, Lena stifled a scream as another wave of pain hit her. Oh god, was this it? As she asked herself that, Lena felt warm liquid run down her leg and she could have sworn she peed herself. Looking down and passed her little baby bump she saw that wasn't the case at all. Bright red blood poured from her, dripping down her leg and onto the floor. "There is...no way...this is normal..." Lena's heart tightened painfully and another contraction came. Lena found the fight in her. She needed to get back to Talos or at least bring him to her so she sucked in as much air as she could after the contraction had passed. "TALOS!" She screamed at the top of her lungs in hopes of SOMEONE hearing her in this huge house.

Lena leaned heavily against the wall down as she panted now. She let out a low groan, why now? Why couldn't the damn thing wait until she had returned to her room. This time, Lena knew her anger stemmed from fear. She couldn't stand the thought of losing her first child and would refuse to ever have another one again if it did happen. But those thoughts were kind of irrelevant and useless. She was only adding to her fear as she stumbled down the hallway back towards her room.

Seeing his nephews for the first time had been quite an event. Not only because he wasn't expecting two of them to pop out, but because Yorin and Kol seemed to actually be getting along. Whatever had gone down while they were waiting for Mai had settled some of that lingering distrust and anger between them. Mai had looked so tiny on that huge bed, one of the little boys cradled in her arms while the other was being guarded by Kol, who looked like one of the happiest men on Earth at the moment. Something about that moment quelled any desire to dredged up old feelings of hatred toward the man, and for the first time, he simply just smiled in his presence. It was a heartwarming scene, quickly made awkward by Mai's insistence that he and Lena hold one of the twins "for practice", she claimed. He never could have imagined how little the infants were, or how incredibly delicate they seemed. The one that he had in his arms squirmed a little when he was handed over, but otherwise remained asleep. Seeing Lena holding the other one practically broke his heart. In a few day's time, that would be their child in her arms.

Once they left the room, he couldn't help but to kiss her, more eager now to see their own child. However, the babe seemed that it wanted to stick around for a few more days, and it remained within Lena for a good few days after Mai had given birth. Of course, that old worry that Lena wouldn't make it began to grow again after the high point when the twins were born, but he kept those thoughts to himself and simply made sure that Lena was getting all rest possible. Being so vigilant was exhausting, and in the afternoons he dosed, which gave Lena the perfect opportunity to sneak away without his noticing. His peaceful rest came to an abrupt end when Lena's scream echoed down the hall, waking the resting man from dead sleep. His first thought was that it was a bad dream brought on by his fears about Lena's health, but upon discovering that she was no longer sleeping at his side, he bolted out of bed with his heart pounding in his throat.

Talos took off down the hallway where he had heard her voice coming from, arriving on the scene to see what appeared to be a pool of blood behind Lena, the red liquid staining her pants as she weakly tried to walk. "Lena!" He hissed, quickly gathering the woman up into his arms and brought her back to their room. Her face was twisted in obvious pain, and his heart ached for her, feeling a certain amount of guilt know that he had a hand in her suffering. "Just stay right here and try to calm down." He said quickly, making sure she was as comfortable as he could get her in a few seconds. "I'll be right back with the midwife." He placed a palm on her cheek gently, then fairly dashed out of the room in a desperate search for the midwife and his mother, or anybody that might know where the two were located. He came across Yorin first, the man having been roused by the scream and had headed in that direction. "Pa!"

"Talos! What's wrong? I heard someone screamin' over 'ere."

"It's Lena. She's gone into labor, and there's a lot of blood." Talos relayed quickly, his fear strongly coloring his voice. "Where's ma and the midwife? We need them immediately."

Yorin went pale when he heard that Lena was having complications already, catching onto Talos's nervousness. "I don't know where the midwife is. I'll go get yer mother an' bring 'er to Lena while you look for 'er." They parted quickly, Yorin heading back the way that he came, and Talos running down the hall calling for the midwife. A maid heard him passing and directed him to the woman, who looked very startled at Talos's disheveled appearance, made only more worried when he described Lena's condition. With the midwife in tow, Talos ran back down the hall, having to slow his pace a little so that the woman could keep up with him. When he arrived back at the room, Yorin was waiting outside, his face drawn into a worried look. Ignoring him briefly, he escorted the midwife inside and immediately rushed to Lena's side, trying his hardest not to look too hard at the bloody mess on the bed.

"An' what do you think yer doin' in 'ere?" Enita said, leveling a glare at her son. When he tried to reply, she simply grabbed him by the arm and dragged the man to his feet, unceremoniously pushing him out the door. "If anythin' happens, ye'll be the first to know. But this ain't no place for a man that cain't help us out in the birthin' process any an' whose just gonna hover 'round the bed like a ninny. This is woman's work, Talos, there ain't no place for men here."

Surprised by the vehemence in her voice and the strength in her arms as she manhandled him out of the room, Talos could only look over her at Lena. "I'll be right outside Lena! I love you!" Then the door was promptly slammed in his face and locked so that he couldn't simply burst in at will. Closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead against the door and could only listen to what was going on inside, every scream that Lena made echoing in his ears.

Yorin startled Talos out of it, grabbing the younger man by the shoulders and leading him away from the door and against the wall."She'll be okay, son. Yer ma's as good as any midwife I've ever seen, an' that mousy lass they've got in there ain't so bad either." They were encouraging words, but they fell on deaf ears, Talos simply staring at the floor with his hands clenched into fists. Sighing, Yorin patted him on the shoulder, dipping his head slightly. "Lena's a tough girl, Talos. That one's strong willed, an' she won't be goin' down without a fight. Everything'll be okay."

A soft dry chuckle escaped Talos then, and he met Yorin's eyes, looking incredibly tired. "I just... don't know what I'd do without her, pa."

To that, he received a comforting squeeze on the shoulder and a nod. "Aye, it's hard tryin' to think of a future where yer wife ain't sharin' it with ye, especially if you really love 'er. Enita had a hard time when she was carryin' ya, an' I nearly went crazy worryin' fer her. But, she made it, 'an look what I got? You might not be my blood son Talos, but you turned out alrigh'."

Talos was shocked into silence by Yorin's statement for a moment. Ever since he had found out about his real parentage, the two had been skirting around the subject, making things more than just a tad awkward whenever they had to be alone together. "Pa... I thought..."

"Thought that I hated ya when I found out?" Yorin filled in for him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, I was a little angry at first when Enita told me the whole story. But I'd been yer pa fer 22 years, 'an I got to figurin' that findin' out that ye weren't mine shouldn't 'ave changed anythin'. It's Enita that I shoulda' been mad at, not you. Ye can't help what sorta mischife yer mum got up to in the past, after all." He shrugged then, apparently out of philosophy to impart on Talos. "Whatever the case, you never done nothin' but made me proud Talos, 'an a father cain't ask fer more than that."

Lena couldn't tell how long each wave of pain lasted, she simply pushed through till it stopped for a moment. She had never felt the kind of fire storm of pain like this, ever and what made it worse is she was getting queezy and dizzy. She couldn't understand half of what the frantic people were saying around her and simply tuned them out unless they seemed really persistent. Lena briefly locked eyes with Talos as he was dragged out of the room and heard him say something along the lines of an "I love you." A smile flickered on her face, happy to hear it even in this time of chaos. Though her soft smile twisted into a look of pain as another contraction came on.

Someone was yelling at her to push, and damnit, she was trying as hard as she could. It was hard to breath and even harder when she pushed. The pleasant thought of stabbing Talos drifted into her mind. He did this to her and he was going to pay. Her thoughts of revenge would have to wait because as soon as she heard the first cries of her child, she felt extreme fatigue overwhelmed her and she herself could finally stop screaming. She laid there motionless, but listened to her child's distant cries. She had done her job, right? If only she could sleep a little...she was sure everything was in good hands...Her thoughts became hazy as her head lolled back against the bed.

Lena had lost a good amount of blood and with the birth of her child more poured out from her. Her breathing became shallow and her heartbeat was a light flutter in her chest as her face became a pale ashy color. "Talos..." She mumbled almost incoherently, she wanted to see him...see the look on his face when he saw their child. "Talos.." She tried to say with more conviction, hoping one of the woman would listen to her. She had no idea if she was really even saying his name out loud but she could only hope.

It seemed like they had been waiting forever out in the hall, listening to the sound of Enita and the midwife yelling over Lena's screaming. Talos had taken to sitting against the wall with his head bent low, simply listening to the commotion inside the room with an attentive ear, though he looked like he was half asleep. Yorin stood guard as well, taking a seat when a couple of men had dragged one of the armchairs from before into the hallway. Talos paid no attention to them, keeping his seat against the wall and hardly moved save to breathe or cringe when a particularly harsh scream emitted from the room. Finally, the noise stopped, and there was a moment of silence, then, the most amazing thing he could have heard: the cry of a baby.

Immediately, he was on his feet, and pacing just a few feet away from the door, waiting impatiently for when Enita would unlock the door and let him in. When she finally opened the door, she looked worn and worried. "It's a little girl Talos. She's healthy an' fine an' beautiful." Enita's voice trailed off then, hinting that there was more to the story.

"But what's the matter?" Talos couldn't help but ask, feeling the tension multiply and make knots in his gut and squeeze his heart.

"It's Lena." Enita replied quietly, her voice gentle as she placed her hands on Talos's forearms to steady him when he blanched suddenly. "She started bleedin' real bad an' is real weak. We got staunched the bleedin' but... She's been callin' ya." Enita let Talos go then, watching as he skirted around the blood-soaked sheets that they had pulled off the bed and made his way to Lena's side, kneeling next to the bed and placing his hand on her forehead.

She looked like a wreck, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat and skin an alarming shade of gray, but she looked much more peaceful now, for which he was grateful. Over in the corner, the midwife was bathing their child, getting the mess of the afterbirth off of the little girl before wrapping her up securely and handed the squirming bundle to Talos. For a long while, he could only stare at the cloth-wrapped form, almost unsure how to react to it. Then he smiled and traced the tiny face with a finger down to her hand where she grabbed the appendage, squirming a little more before falling still. Talos choked on the sudden emotion that welled up in him then, raising his gaze from the little fist wrapped around his finger to Lena's pale face, holding up the child a little bit so that she could see if she opened her eyes. "Look Lena, it's a little girl, our little girl. She's so tiny and perfect and-" He couldn't speak any more, his throat closing off temporarily and he raised his free hand to his face, wiping away the unexpected tears that had gathered there. "Stupid..." He muttered, reaching out and grabbing Lena's hand gently. "This is the wrong time to be crying."

Lena looked weakly over to Talos and down to her little girl. A girl...she smiled, they were in trouble now...They had no idea what to do with her. Then her thoughts were back on Talos. "Why are you making such a terrible face?" She asked softly as she lifted a hand to place on his face. She gently stroked away the tears with her thumb. "You want to make your daughter think your not a man too?" She had never really seen Talos cry and even more seen him in such a fragile state.

"Silly man...I love you too..." She whispered as her hand dropped from his face and her eyes closed. A faint smile hovered on her lips as she could no longer keep her eyes open. She simply just wanted to sleep forever. The pull on her body was too strong to resist the commands.

Kol frowned as he leaned in the doorway of the room. Yorin had informed him of what was happening and he honestly couldn't even bare to think how he would feel if it were Mai on that bed right now. It was a wonder that her small body took so well to the twins. The only thing hurting was his food supply, which he could easily replace. A human, wife, a friend...you can't replace with all the money in the world. Talos looked like as much of a mess as Lena did and no words could come to think in thought of comforting the man. He looked to Yorin with concern before he heard the soft crying of one of his boys. "Please inform me should...something happen." Kol said to his father-in-law before walking down the hall where the boys were located. If one was crying, the second would be close behind.

Warmth blossomed in his chest when Lena opened her eyes and began to talk, even if it was just to berate him for crying over their newborn daughter. That small joy was quickly put to an end however when she went still and appeared to have drifted back off into sleep. "Lena?" When there was no response, he began to panic again, putting his hand on her shoulder and shaking her gently. "Lena! Don't you dare die now. Not now."

Enita was at his side quickly, pushing him away from Lena's bedside and making him rise, shepherding him out the door once more. "Talos!" She hissed, the midwife backing him up this time. "Lena's lost a lot 'o blood an' she's tired from givin' birth. Let 'er sleep if she needs to. Take care 'o yer baby girl fer now 'an let Lena rest." Then he was on the other side of the threshold again, only able to look at Lena over the heads of his mother and the midwife. Turning, he met the gaze of Yorin, who didn't bother to hide his concern, looking Talos up and down before settling it on the baby in his son's arms.

"Can I?" He asked cautiously. Talos nodded and carefully handed his daughter over to his father. Seeing Yorin hold the small bundle instantly transported him back to years ago when one of his younger or sisters had just been born and Yorin, the proud father had been grinning from ear to ear and displaying his new child for all to see. Talos didn't feel much like grinning right at the moment with Lena practically on her death bed. But, it was impossible to not feel proud of her, especially when he looked at their little girl as she slept in his father's arms. Tonight, he decided, he would simply pray that she made it out alright.

*~*~*~*

A few weeks later there was a small gathering on the steps of the front entrance way. Kol and Mai were out there, their twin boys in hand. They had been dubbed Ilario and Tristan, and upon Mai's insistence, had been color coded so that she could tell the two identical boys apart. Ilario, the older one, was currently wrapped in a light blue blanked and was looking around with huge eyes at everything while lying quietly in Kol's arms. Tristan, the second born boy was in a green blanket and was still sleeping, cuddled against the warmth of his mother's breast against the slight chill of the autumn afternoon. "But really Talos, do you have to go now? Winter is so close..."

"Yeah, we've intruded on your house for long enough." Talos replied with a faint smile, taking a step forward and hugging Mai around the baby cradled in her arms. To Kol, he simply offered a handshake. "Thanks for your hospitality." Lena was behind them, looking tons better than she had after giving birth. She'd gave them all quite a scare, especially Talos, who had taken to pacing outside her room when he wasn't taking care of the newly dubbed Oriana.