After War Storm

Cal

But then Mare started to cry. I immediately pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry, Cal," she gushed "I'm so so sorry."
"Sh, Mare. Everything's fine," I comforted her. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"
"I should have told you," she sobbed, staring at the floor. "It's so unfair to you and I feel so guilty about-"
"No, Mare," I cut here off. "There's nothing to feel guilty about."
"But I've kept you from your child because of my own needs. I've been so selfish."

"Mare," I took her chin in my hands and forced her eyes to meet mine. Hers were full of tears and I almost began to cry with her. Seeing her upset made me upset. "Don't you ever think you have done anything selfish or wrong. We agreed to go our separate ways and no matter the consequences of that decision it was what we agreed. We told each other not to wait yet we both did. Mare, even though we have a child, you still came back. You could have stayed in Montfort but you didn't. You did what you needed to do and we needed that time apart. You didn't do anything wrong. You have never done anything wrong and never will. You are the most amazing person I have ever met and I love you no matter what."
"Oh, Cal," she whispered, setting Ti down and wrapping her arms around me. "I love you too." My heart swelled at those words and I did what I'd been wanting to do for months.

I pulled back from the hug and crushed my lips to hers. It was the best moment I'd had in years.

Mare pulled away first and picked Ti back up. "I have to ask," I said "is Ti short for anything?" Mare rolled her eyes at me. "What do you think? Of course I named him Tiberius, what else?" She smiled sweetly at me and I smiled back. After everything, she had still named him Tiberius. "Well, Tiberius VIII to be more specific."

Ti waved his hand around and suddenly the fire around my bracelet started to grow. I put the fire out and controlled the sparks to stop Ti from setting another person alight, or destroying the airfield. "This is why I never got him a bracelet," Mare explained.
"It's okay," I said "I'll teach him to control it."
"Dada?" Ti asked in an adorable voice.
"Yes," Mare whispered to Ti "That's him." Ti reached his hands out towards me and Mare passed him over. I still couldn't believe I had a son. I wished my mother was here to see this, she would have loved it. I hoped she would have. I hoped she'd be proud of me and what I've done. I hoped she'd love Mare though it couldn't be anywhere near as much as I did. She would love her, because I loved her. That was how I had been told my mother was, by Julian. What I would give just to see her.

"Shall we head back to the palace?" I asked Mare.
"That sounds good. Do you want me to take Ti."
"No I'm fine, thank you. It's nice." I smiled at her and she followed me across the tarmac to where everyone was waiting inside.

"Did they catch you up on who this is?" I asked Julian nodding at Ti.
"Yes," Julian smiled widely "he's my nephew. Can I?" He asked reaching out to Ti. I turned to Mare.
"Of course," she said as she tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing her ear covered in earrings. I passed Ti to Julian and the others were all focused on the little boy. That's when I realised that one of Mare's earrings was red; she'd kept it. My smile brightened and Mare turned to me with a confused expression. I pointed to my ear and mouthed to mouthed it word 'earring'. She blushed but smiled.

"Shall we head back now?" I asked. "It's getting late."
"Good idea, Cal," Julian said and we all headed back to the car and drove back to the palace.

Ptolemus, Wren, Evangeline and Julian has all gone off to their rooms and I was walking with Mare (who was carrying Ti) and taking her to her room. We walked in silence neither of us sure what to say anymore. We stopped outside her door but she was staring at the next door along. "Isn't that your room?" She asked and a blushed a light silver.
"Yes," I answered simply. She narrowed her eyes at me before laughing and turning to her door. "Good night, Cal," she said flirtatiously and walked into her room shutting the door behind her.
"Good night Mare," I whispered though it was too late for her to hear.

I went to bed that night feeling happier than I had in months, if not years. Mare was here, we were finally together. And I had a son. An adorable son who was a Burner like me, the only other Burner in Norta and one of the few remaining in the world. I drifted off the sleep with my thoughts fillies with Mare as were my dreams that followed.

-~-

I woke to the sound of screams. Jolting upright in bed, I could hear someone screaming and it sounded very close. With a sudden realisation of horror, I recognised the voice as Mare's. "Cal!" She screamed. I was immediately up and by my door but stopped when something hit the wall between our bedrooms, forming a massive hole in it, illuminating the room with a bright purple light. That was Mare's lightning.

I jumped through the large hole in the wall and Mare was lying on her bed shaking and screaming and shooting sparks around the room but she was asleep. Did she have nightmares like I did? And she'd screamed my name. Were her nightmares about me?

Ti was crying in his cot but I needed to wake Mare up first. I cautiously approached her, avoiding the sparks flying from her.
"Mare!" I shouted. She didn't wake up. As soon as I was close enough, a crouched down next to her and shook her, repeating her name.

She woke with a start and clutched my arm. "Cal?" She whispered.
"I'm here," I told her gently. "Bad dream?"
"How did you know?" She asked. I turned to look at the massive hole in the wall before turning back to her. Her eyes were wide. "I did that?"
"Yes," I laughed. "Plus the screaming and almost killing me as I tried to wake you up."
"Oops. I better get Ti, try and calm him down."
"I'll get him," I said as she started to stand up.

I lifted a crying Ti out of his cot and brought him over to the bed. I sat down next to Mare as she had sat up, even though it was a double bed. Mare was about to take him off me but I let my warmth deep into him and it calmed him down though I wasn't sure why. I mean, it would work with an ordinary baby but as he was a Burner it shouldn't have made much difference. I suppose he isn't in control of his powers.

"That was helpful," Mare said "sometimes he can take hours to calm down."
"Glad I could help."
"What time even is it?" Mare asked. I checked the clock on his bedside table and it read 3.02am.
"Three in the morning," I told her. We sat in silence for a few moments. Why was it like this? We had spoken a lot on the airfield but since then I couldn't think of anything to say. I wanted to ask about her time in Montfort, about how she was, how everything has been but I didn't. All I could come up with was: "I better leave you to get some sleep."

I stood up but she grabbed my arm. "Cal, I don't think I can sleep on my own without the nightmares."
"You can come in with me, if you want." Why did I have to be so awkward?
"That sounds nice." She smiled and stood up with me. I carried Ti's cot through the gap in the wall and Mare placed him in it.

We lay in the bed together, her curled up in my arms. And that's how we both fell asleep, lost in each other's embrace.