Lord of time (chapter 41-107)

96

'There's no need to holler, I can hear just fine, regardless of where I am' Death commented, sounding entirely too amused for Hadrian's liking. 'And just because the war is over...doesn't make me any less busy.'

'You're trying to avoid the subject' Hadrian said dryly, 'I'm pregnant, care to explain?' anxiety thrumming through him. He was bloody pregnant; he had a life growing inside of him. Surely, surely, it was impossible...he wasn't by any means a normal wizard; he'd greeted death more than twice now. He wanted to rage at Death, to have him materialise so he could curse him to hell and back.

'Everyone always assumes that Death is Death...what people, even you, fail to realize that without Death that could be no...' trailing off purposefully.

'Life' Hadrian breathed, 'All this time...I've been able to...' fall pregnant?

'It's all a natural progression,' Death said, his tone becoming rather soft and fond.

'But I'd lose it...them...wouldn't I?' Hadrian thought, pressing his hand against his stomach as Tom probed through the bond, sensing his turbulent emotions.

'The child will not carry your immortality, that is correct,' Death explained, 'But as a Master Of Death...one must become accustomed to losing people they care for. Death is nothing to be fearful of, it's a part of life, for without Death...there would be no reason to live life to the fullest.'

Hadrian inhaled shakily, 'Why give me this gift as you see it...I don't want to watch my family die before my eyes!' truly horrendously angry at Death's manipulations.

'But you will see them die, Aiden, Fenrir, Abraxas, Orion, Walburga, Lucius, Sirius, James...' Death said, it was a cruel kindness really. 'Enjoy your life with them, every single moment...because life is precious and so many people waste it.' too many people waste their talents and what they could have done...yes, so much waste.

Hadrian swallowed thickly, closing his eyes, feeling sick to his stomach. He knew all this; he just didn't like to think on it overly much. The thought of losing anyone he cared so much for...hurt so badly. How could anyone think this was something good? The thought of losing the baby in the future was indescribable.

'Put it this way, do you imagine for a moment your parents regretted even a second of the life they gave you?' Death commented, 'I can tell you now, that they didn't, they could have done it all over again. You were so worth it to them. You had so little time together...here you're going to get significantly longer with your child,'

Hadrian's breath hitched at your child mention, his and Tom's. A child of their blood, his minds eye traitorously imagining what they'd look like. He and Tom had looked alike - besides the eyes - when they were younger. Wavy dark hair, handsome aristocratic looks that spoke of long distinguished magical lines. Although, he'd never really considered himself anything, let alone handsome.

A little boy that looked exactly like Tom with his eyes...or a little girl with his looks and Tom's eyes. Longing shot through him with surprising intensity, he wanted that baby, would already do anything for it.

The anger he felt at Death drained, like a burst balloon.

Would it be worth losing him or her when the time came? It was breaking his heart just thinking of Fenrir passing. Luckily, accepting his wolf entirely, as he did, there was no danger of premature aging, and without the wolfsbane...he'd live an exceedingly long life. Plus, it wasn't as if Fenrir was old yet, he was younger than him.

'As the old human adage goes, its better to have love and lost, than to have never loved at all' Death commented, a bit of a hypocrite since he had never felt love or lost anyone he truly cared about. Hadrian was probably the closest he had come to caring...and it's not like he'd be in any danger of losing him either, for he was now an immortal being. The sooner Hadrian accepted that, the easier it would be. To deal with the immortality and the fact he wasn't normal anymore. 'As ever, the choice is yours, as it has always been' with that Death faded away, leaving Hadrian the only being in his own mind.