The Delacours: Part Deux

forty-three.

After everything that happened in Steph's office and everything we had learned, I wasn't sure which one of us was more upset – me at learning that the sweet little boy I helped raised for a few years turned into my worst nightmare and that I disobeyed a direct order, or Val learning just how out of control the Brotherhood was right under her nose as the Eminence after she spoke with Jacques and Sebastian. The discomfort I was feeling back in Steph's office had returned again as we were getting ready to head downstairs with Steph and Nat. I knew Val was already stressed, and I didn't want to say anything but I must have showed it on my face.

"Liz, are you okay? What's going on?" I took a deep breath.

"I keep feeling this weird pressure. It doesn't hurt, but it's annoying enough..."

"'Pressure'? Like period cramps?"

"Val, it's been a long time that I've felt period cramps but no, I don't think so. It's just pressure." She put her hands on my belly – they glowed lightly. She took a deep breath.

"Is that why you've been so uncomfortable? I've never seen you really switch positions while you were sitting or lying down. The pressure goes away when you move?" I nodded placing my hands on hers.

"Please don't tell me I'm gonna have this baby right now... It's too early, right? And Zane would kill me," I said, trying to laugh it off. She smiled and shook her head.

"No, I felt those pains myself... it's just your body practicing what it needs to do when the time comes... If it's sharper pains or it doesn't go away, then we might need to worry."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. She leaned in to kiss me. "Are you okay?"

"I just can't believe I never knew this was this bad! I know Tristan was a piece of shit, and they believe him to be some sort of god to them, but he probably would've gotten rid of them himself because he was such an egotistical jerk-off." I could hear her heart rate skyrocket as she spoke. "I can't believe I took so long to kill him. I should've just become Eminence. I could have avoided this entire thing. If he didn't become Eminence, he wouldn't have tried to eradicate supernatural beings. The Brotherhood wouldn't have amped themselves up by glorifying his bullshit! They would have never gotten the idea to even try this on such a large scale."

"Val." I said, trying to calm her. "Sure, all of that wouldn't have happened... But neither would me meeting you. Neither would Aria and Ray have become a family with kids. Neither would us becoming a family with Chris and Zane. Neither would our kids."

"Odette would be here..."

"And I probably wouldn't have. I hid my fucked up mental state after Jackson pretty well. I went ripper when you left, Val. I was still really fucked up with what I had to do to him for a long time. If I hadn't met you, it probably would've only been a matter of time before I'd gotten myself thrown into the Maze or staked or I don't know what. Fuck those prophecies – you chose what you needed for yourself at the time, and it's resulted in this," I said, gesturing to my belly. "We wouldn't have gotten here if all those other choices weren't made."

"I know. But now it's not just the fate of the fae that I control. I'm fighting for the lives of all supernatural beings... again. And I don't know what to do." Her eyes watered and the tears fell quickly. She pulled away from me and sat down on the bed.

"I don't know either, but we'll figure it out. We always do." I sat down next to her and put my arm across her shoulders and rubbed her back.