The angel and her demon

~Arrival of an Alliance~

Amber's POV:

Later that day

I lay down on the table ask I ask the doctor, "How is everything looking in there?" The doctor says, "Fetal heart rate, excellent. Amniotic fluid levels, superb."

She smiles at us as I pull the sheet back over my stomach, and she removes the ultrasound device remote from my stomach. Our baby is getting so big as we see it on the screen.

She looks at us and tells us, "Your babies are beautiful." Michael says, "Thank you..." before realizing, "Wait, did you say "babies?" She smiles, "That's right. You two are having twins."

That is a huge shock to the both of us, but it is a wonderful one. Michael, who sits next to me, asks the doctor, "Going forward, anything special we should do?" She advises, "Avoid special as much as possible. Amber needs her rest and relaxation, nothing more."

I say, "That sounds ideal." The door opens, and in walks my mother and Sera, "Hello,can we get a peek?" She asks, but Michael gets up and moves the screen out of their sight. Mom, "I would love to see my first grandchild." Lola, "Can you print a copy for auntie Lola?"

Michael stands up, "If you want to know if it's a boy or a girl, you'll be disappointed." They all grow disappointed as Sera says, "Foiled...again." Michael smiles, "Try harder next time."

That night

Michael takes me out for a ride on a horse-drawn carriage, "Just what the doctor ordered." Michael points out, "Nothing is more important right now than time to ourselves. I want you and your siblings to have the best of everything, including sleigh rides."

I say, "I've been thinking." He says, "Oh no. That's dangerous." We laugh, "I'm serious about this one, though. I want the babies to have a normal life, as normal as possible."

He says to me, "Whatever normal is, that is how we will raise our children." I say, "Still, I went to public school and I played with neighborhood kids." He says, "And I was homeschooled and was raised by my grandmother in a haunted house."

I add, "I was riding the bus by myself when I was ten, and I ate diner food." He says, "I had babysitters to make sure I ate my vegetables. You can't get a word out of them now, because they are dead now, unfortunately."

I say to him, "Hey, what's unfortunate is that you couldn't pick your parents." He smiles, "Yeah. I turned out all right." I smile, "So did I." He says, "We'll have to find a new definition of normal together."

I ask, "No homeschooling." He clarifies, "No homeschooling." He puts a condition down, "But no bus riding, either." I shrug my shoulders, "Okay. We will cross that bridge when we come to it."

When we arrive back at the house, everything is being set up, "Mom? What's going on?" She says, "Oh, darling. With an eye to the Rosenbaums' official visit and treaty signing, proceeding as smoothly as possible. We feel a review is prudent."

My mother looks to my cousin, "Mallory, if you please?" She smiles, "The centennial treaty. It renews an ancient truce between witches and witch hunters. It dates back to a war 600 years ago."

I point out, "The war over Silk Road trading routes. It was a fearsome and brutal war with no end in sight. Finally, on Christmas Eve, 1419, as Supreme of the witches, Esmeralda Circe,and leader of the witch hunters, Clyde Birch- inspired by the season of peace and goodwill, found a way to end the conflict."

Mallory, "Just before midnight, on that fateful Christmas Eve, 1419, the truce was declared and the treaty was signed." Queenie rolls out the treaty as Mom says, "The treaty, Michael, Amber, to honor the peace and friendship between us protecting each other. The treaty has been ceremonially renewed every 100 years since without fail."

I say, "It has been under our protection since 1919." Mom, "And after signing, it goes back to the witch hunters for the next 100 years." I can see how much this means to my mom, seeing as though my father was a witch hunter, and she never even knew about it, seeing as though she and I are witches.

I admire the treaty, "It sure is beautiful. The signatures of every leader. Both supreme witch and witch hunter." Mallory, "This dates back to the 15th century." Zoe, "Be careful. They are our closest allies, but in many respects, they are quite traditional."