Fallen Angel

Chapter 12.2

Joan blinked against the bright lights of the room. It took her a moment to make out her surroundings. She was back in the infirmary. Hypatia stood at her bedside and helped her sit up.

"Easy now," she said. "Make sure not to exert yourself, dear. Wouldn't want you to have another bleeding."

"What?" Joan's heart sank. "Is the...? I mean, what about...?"

"Perfectly fine, don't worry." Hypatia smiled reassuringly. "Perhaps it's time we share the good news with the rest."

Only then did Joan notice the others standing at the end of the bed. They all looked so worried, especially Olympe. The Frenchwoman was holding on to her husband, her eyes still red from crying. Joan met Anne's gaze. Now seemed as good a time as any.

"Go ahead," she said with a nod.

"Joan didn't come to us alone," said Anne to Juan, Olympe, and Richard. "We've only just discovered that she's expecting."

All three stared at her, their expressions blank as they processed the news. Then Olympe shrieked with excitement and nearly pushed Juan into Richard as she rushed to sit with Joan. 

"You mean we'll have a petit bébé with us again? Oh, how wonderful! Je suis si heureuse pour toi, ma chère!"

"Ay madre, now she'll want another one," groaned Juan to Richard, who chuckled at his friend's remark.

Olympe had the grace not to react to his comment, but threw him a stern look over her shoulder. Juan held up his hands in defeat and winked at her. She tsk-ed, the corner of her pinched lips going up into a smile, before turning back to Joan.

"You must have been high in rank to have been able to come to Earth for several days for this to have happened. I'm curious to learn of the mortal man who could entice an angel."

"It, um... didn't exactly happen here on Earth," admitted Joan.

Olympe blinked and tilted her head. She looked at Hypatia, Juan, and Richard, but they seemed as confused as she was. They all turned to their leader, hoping that Anne would offer an explanation. 

"Some things are still unclear on the 'how', but Joan's child was conceived in the Vale," she said. "She was on her way down to join the Nephilim with her lover when Michael found them and took her wings."

Juan's mouth dropped, while Olympe and Hypatia both gasped. Richard kept some of his regal composure, but he, too, was puzzled at the revelation. 

"Hold on," he said. "I thought that as long as an angel stayed in the Heavens, such a thing couldn't happen? That it could only happen to the Nephilim because our bodies adapt to the Mortal Realm. And now you're telling us that angels can, in fact, have children, regardless of where they are and if they yet hold their grace?"

"As I said, we're still trying to figure that part out," said Anne. "Thomas spoke with Raphael, and he was as amazed by this as you all are."

"Bewildered, more like," commented Juan. "Who's the father?"

"Doesn't matter right now," answered Thomas. "We all agree it's something extraordinary, but the Lord clearly has a plan for the child if He allowed it to be conceived. Let's recheck our defences and make sure nothing can penetrate them. We're not just protecting a Fallen Angel anymore, but also a celestial child. Best prepare for everything."

They nodded in unison and bustled about. Joan had had her doubts about Thomas after he interrogated her, but now she silently thanked him for keeping the identity of her lover secret. He must have realised, as she had, that a certain number of things were suspicious in her situation. The 'how' was a significant question mark. But what if the 'how' was related to the 'who'?