Entangled

Chapter 12

Author's note: Sounds like the Rumble was... disappointing, so it's a good time to post this. It might seem great in comparison! *L*

Seth knew he wouldn't have much competition when it came to driving, and he's grateful for that. Not only does it give him something to focus on, it also keeps his hands busy. They feel like they're shaking hard enough to make the steering wheel jiggle, but neither Becky nor Sasha comment on it. Because they're being nice. Even his harshest inner-critic voice lacks intensity at the moment. They're all in their own little worlds—maybe for the last time, he realizes, since whatever the witch finds will change them all no matter what.

This could be one of the last times we get to be just... us. It's a daunting thought, one that dredges up all sorts of feelings and thoughts Seth isn't necessarily proud of. Jealousy is at the fore, sharp and fiery: he's had so little time with Becky—and with Becky and Sasha together—and he's not ready to share them. Numbing confusion isn't far behind: he's barely held his best friend's children, so how is he supposed to know how to change a diaper or do any of those tasks that have to be done for a baby over and over for months on end? Underneath those roiling feelings, however, is something deeper and more baffling: curiosity. Some of his closest friends have children: Roman, Marek, countless others in the locker room. He's seen first-hand how fatherhood changed them. How can he not wonder what kind of father he would be? And, knowing his history, how can that wonder not turn to worry?

"Seth?" Sasha's in the passenger seat and she reaches over, gently covering his hand with hers. "That was the turn-off for the coffee place."

"What? Shit." Seth glances at traffic on the highway and is grateful it's not too heavy yet. He's able to get to the far left lane without cutting anyone off and then he does a U-turn at the next available turn. "Sorry," he mumbles. "Wasn't paying attention. I thought the GPS would have dinged."

Sasha leans across the centre console and kisses his cheek. "You shut it off, remember?"

He doesn't. His mind is layered in fog. Normally he has an instinctual idea of how fast he's driving, of how close the nearest vehicles are, but now he feels like he's in a bubble. Maybe Sasha should drive back, he thinks. When they pass the coffee place's turn-off from the other side of the road, he swears softly. They'll probably have to backtrack at least five minutes. "We'll end up going past the doughnut place too," Seth says, taking a deep breath so he doesn't start swearing. Tensions are already running high and he doesn't want to add to Becky's anxiety. "Anyone want to stop there instead? Their coffee is... well, it's probably drinkable."

Sasha turns and looks back between the front seats. "Becks?"

Becky shakes her head. "I'm good. The hotel coffee isn't sitting so well, so I probably shouldn't add anything to the mix right now. If either of you want to get anything," she adds quickly, "feel free."

When Sasha sits back, Seth steals a glance at Becky in the rear-view mirror. Did she always used to sit with her arms cradling her stomach? He keeps watching her for signs, but now he can't recall her simplest habits. "I'll just get another coffee. Sasha, you?" He's not sure how involved the witch will let him be, so at least a coffee will give him something to focus on other than his phone.

Sasha pats his leg. "I'm good. Just coffee for me," she adds, meeting Seth's gaze and jerking her head subtly back at Becky. Seth's not sure if that's supposed to be some sort of code, so he doesn't reply.

As Sasha tucks her hair into her baseball cap, Seth turns his focus to the road, making sure not to miss the turnoff they need. Luckily, the coffee place's drive-thru lane is almost empty except for someone up at the window receiving their order, so he can pull up right to the microphone. He gives his order first before leaning back so Sasha can read the menu. "Becks," he says, craning his neck so he can see Becky in the back seat, "did you want another coffee?"

"I... sure." Becky's looks vaguely surprised, as if he had just woken her up. "But just something simple, something one of you would have if I don't feel up to it."

"Okat." Seth quickly picks out a drink for Becky—something he's pretty sure doesn't have too much caffeine—and adds it to the order. "I'm paying," he says firmly as he proceeds to the pick-up window. If it's up for debate, their drinks will be cold by the time they decide.

To his surprise—and relief—neither Becky nor Sasha argue the point, so he's able to pay with a minimum of fuss. Once he brings the drink tray inside the SUV, he hands it to Sasha. "Did you want your coffee with you, Becks?" Sasha asks. "I can keep it in the tray up here too."

Seth knows he must look confused, because Sasha meets his gaze and subtly taps her nose. Ah, right, he thinks as he exits the drive-thru lane and gets back onto the main road, making a point of turning on the GPS this time. Pregnant women can be more sensitive to scents. There's so much to learn, so much to remember.

"Um, up front with you, if you don't mind." When Seth glances up at the rear-view mirror, he sees Becky fidgeting in her seat. "I don't want to have too much to drink," she adds. "And don't forget we still have water...."

Between the bottled water Becky grabbed from the hotel and the drinks Sasha bought along with the pregnancy tests, they probably have enough to drink for two days, but Seth doesn't say that out loud. Even with the GPS, he finds himself double-checking every road sign they pass. "We should be two turns away now." Everything looks familiar, and he doesn't want to miss the turnoff again. He and Sasha are supposed to be helping Becky stay calm, after all, not making her more nervous.

"She said the GPS might not be too helpful on the side roads," Sasha reminds him, "but she's got a big orange dinosaur sculpted out of scrap metal out front, so... we shouldn't be able to miss it."

Most supernaturals Seth knows are a bit quirky; he always assumed it came with the territory of looking human and being other. He can't quite figure out the connection between witchcraft and dinosaurs, though. "Why a dinosaur?"

"Why not a dinosaur?" Becky challenges, typing something out on her phone before tucking it in her purse.

"I guess...." Seth turns at the proper exit this time, following increasingly rustic roads as Sasha calls ahead to let Mina know they're close. When the promised dinosaur looms into view, Seth is vaguely disappointed that the mailbox looks like any other one he's seen on a rural property. You can have a guard dinosaur and not a fancy mailbox? he thinks to himself, wincing with every rut he drives through and every bump they go over.

Nothing on the farm screams witch. The buildings aren't all painted black; the two barns are the traditional red, and the house is a weather-beaten white with a bright turquoise door. There aren't any symbols scorched into the earth or scrawled on walls, and Seth can even identify the majority of crops he can see in the distance. The woman standing on the porch looks just as average, with her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail and jeans faded by work, not for fashion. "I'm Mina," she calls out when Seth parks the SUV. "I've got tea on, but nothing fancy...."

Becky is the first one out of the SUV and she's already walking towards the house. "Hi. I'm Becky. They got coffee on the road, so they're good...."

Seth is so busy watching Becky chat with the witch that he doesn't realize Sasha's beside him until she hands him his coffee. He barely notices the drink tray on her seat before she shuts the door. "She's overwhelmed right now," she tells him softly, lowering her voice. "Don't overanalyze anything she says or does right now, okay? She doesn't mean anything by it."

"I know." Seth scans the property one more time before starting to walk towards the house, Sasha easily keeping pace. "I just... there's no good answer, is there?" His voice goes quiet, solemn as he realizes how serious things are about to get.

Shaking her head, Sasha takes a sip of her coffee. "Not with this, no. It'll be weird for all of us."

Understatement of the year, Seth thinks. The possibility of a pregnancy within their pack had never really occurred to him, and on the off chance it did, he was always more worried about it being Sasha, since she's married. "I just don't want her to...."

"I know." Sasha pats his arm. "We just have to be there for her no matter what. And we all have to promise to listen to each other, even if we don't like what someone has to say."

Seth knows he has a lot to learn, especially if Becky is pregnant and wants to keep the baby, so he might as well start with getting better at accepting advice. Difficult as that is, he imagines diapers will be far worse.