Twisted Love

A little too eager...

When Diane awoke from her forced slumber, she was still in Merlin's secondary lab in the Boar's Hat attic, but instead of just Merlin being there with her the room now had Elizabeth and Meliodas present. The couple were sitting in chairs next to the daybed that Diane was laying on, and had wide eyes that were anticipating news.

"Lady Diane, Lady Merlin said she got the results but was waiting for you to share them yourself. We are dying to know!", said Elizabeth. Meliodas nodded in agreement as he was growing increasingly nervous for his comrade who had been very sick the night before. Diane turned to her two friends and tried to confess the truth without crying again, "I...am... pregnant. You were both right."

Elizabeth and Mel started to clap excitedly and shot "I told you so" glances at each other, then turning their attention to congratulate their friend. Meliodas said, "Diane, as long I have known you, you wanted babies, so we are excited for you. We better be the godparents too, no sin can protect your kid like me. No offense, Merlin. Hahaha." Merlin shot the Captain an annoyed glared at his comment then subtly let out a laugh.

Diane looked at Captain, then down at the floor. She was happy that her friends were excited, but wondered if they still would be knowing it was Howzer's baby, her ex-boyfriend. The serpent sin began to cry, and much to Elizabeth and Meliodas' surprise, the usually no-nonsense Merlin placed her hands on Diane's shoulder and started to gently rub her back in support to ease her sadness.

"Elizabeth... Meliodas... I don't want to tell anyone yet about this.", muttered Diane beneath her breath. The two gave a puzzled look as to why she would not be shouting it to the rooftops or telling King, who would likely be thrilled... that is until she spilled the reason.

"Merlin tested the blood and has found it is half human, so this isn't King's baby. This is Howzer's baby. I am not sure what I should do. I am too afraid to tell King right now. I don't want to tell anyone to be honest. I broke up with Howzer, so this feels so wrong.", said Diane solemnly.

Elizabeth ran over to Diane and hugged her as she said, "Diane, I would love to be in your baby's life, no matter who is their father. I'll be here for you whenever you need me. We won't tell a soul until you are ready." Diane squeezed her friend and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek for her kind heart that meant the world to her. Meliodas then added in, "Yeah, Diane. We will keep our mouths shut. My word is my bond, and I don't like to break promises to anyone. I know this doesn't help... but you never know how King will respond, he may surprise you. As much as Howzer is a thick skulled, he might not make a bad dad. Try to stay positive."

Diane thanked the Captain for his kind words then smiled at the couple and Merlin for their support. Merlin winked back at her and said, "So when will you tell the dad? And if you aren't telling people yet... that means the four of us will have to find the minerals from the earth we need to make your giant prenatal vitamins. There are 4 locations where I have mapped that these minerals are found."

Meliodas said to Diane and Merlin, "Don't you worry about it. The rest of the team will find them this week. I will send us on small missions throughout to collect them and return them to you next Saturday morning." Merlin nodded in support then chimed in, "Three more things I will do before I leave. The first is cast a spell to protect Diane's mind and spirit from aura reading, so Elaine will not be aware of the pregnancy until she is ready to share herself. The second is an ancient herb that will help Diane have less morning sickness, while the third are more shrinking pills for Diane to use when she needs to make her pregnancy easier." The serpent sin thanked her, and the three of them walked downstairs to see Merlin out the door.

King and Ban were downstairs drinking some ale and playing Chinese checkers when they went down and King asked, "*Hic* What was that about? Why was Merlin here?" Meliodas took the initiative to respond so Diane and Elizabeth would not feel the stress of coming up with an explanation and said, "I invited her over to task her in making some useful potions for me. This week our mission will be to find the minerals for the potions. It is of most importance we do so by the weekend. The two men nodded at their captain and kept playing.