The Magician's Witch

Mental

After bringing Eilis to the police station to deliver her statement, Malid and Bakhita brought her, Aria, and Sanaz back to their house, where they met their two children, Aleah and Karim, Karim's wife Haleh, and their two kids, Kyra and Mirza. Aleah was the spitting image of her mother, while Karim was tall and lanky like his father.

Bakhita and Malid had told their kids about the mysterious circumstances surrounding how they met, and they were both excited to meet Eilis. They began to bombard Eilis with questions until Bakhita scolded them for overwhelming her.

Aleah immediately pulled Sanaz aside, whisking her away to her room, chatting at a mile a minute the whole way. Karim also made his departure, kissing Bakhita on the cheek and shaking hands with his father before helping Haleh herd their two littleones towards the front door and our to their car.

Bakhita chuckled after everyone dispersed. "You may not ever see Sanaz again."

Eilis matched her laugh, adjusting Aria on her hip. "She could use some 'girl time'. She acts far too mature for her age. And it's really no wonder, with everything she has been through."

Bakhita ushered Eilis into their open-concept kitchen, reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out a pitcher. Malid followed slightly behind, settling into one of the bar stools at the granite-covered island.

"Your house is beautiful," Eilis remarked, looking around.

Everything was tastefully understated, with hints of their national origin accentuating the décor.

Bakhita poured three glasses of a beverage Eilis recognized.

"Sherbet," she remembered appreciatively.

Aria began to squirm restlessly.

"You can put her down," Bakhita told her. "We don't have pets."

Eilis nodded, placing Aria on the floor. Aria looked up at her for a moment, then looked at the floor. She patted the hardwood with her hand, then decided she would explore this new world, and began scooting around the kitchen on her hands and knees.

"It's so strange to still see her as a baby," Malid remarked as he sipped his drink.

"It's strange to see the two of you so--mature," Eilis finished diplomatically.

"Thanks," Bakhita said sarcastically.

Eilis grinned, then took a long sip. Sweetened lemons with mint. The flavors brought back the memory of the night before her wedding when Bakhita had made this exact concoction. Eilis put the glass down, wrapping her arms around her midsection, trying to hold herself together.

Bakhita noticed. "Are you alright?"

Eilis nodded, trying to keep her bottom lip from trembling. "Just...memories," she whispered hoarsely. "You made this for my wedding."

Bakhita gave her a sympathetic look. "It's going to suck for a while. There's no way around it. Grief can be triggered by the most random things. One minute you're fine, the next minute you're a basket case. But it does get better...eventually."

Eilis nodded. She took a deep breath. She placed a hand over her belly. Her pants were only just starting to not fit.

"What kills me the most is that my son won't know his father. At least Aria knew Erik...but this little guy won't even have that."

"Wait, you're pregnant," Malid asked, spinning around to look at her.

Eilis frowned. "Yes. I was pregnant before you all left for the present day. I mean, I wasn't that far along, but if I'm right, I got pregnant either the night Reza died, or the night after when I stole Erik away from the guards...when they were bringing him back to Tehran."