Two days of easy hiking took them to the refuge that Noah had promised. By the time they came to the small and hidden valley, Noah was recovered from the exhaustion of his mad run, and Stephanie's nightmares about her time with the snakes were slowing to a stop.
"This place is terribly isolated," Stephanie said, looking around, and Noah shrugged.
"It's safe," he said, "and I think you will find that it is less isolated than you might fear.”
She started to say something in response, but then there was a delighted shout. Marnie and Jessica burst from the trees, looking as healthy and happy as Stephanie had ever seen them, and to her shock, they both wrapped their arms around her.
“Oh my god, you're here, you're safe,” Jessica cried. “We were so worried about you!”
“When Marcus told me that you were pregnant, I wanted to march right back and make sure that you were all right,” Marnie said, her eyes large and sad. “We couldn't stop thinking about you the whole way here.”
“I'm fine, well, I'm fine now. I hiked out on my own, and Noah found me...” Stephanie decided to keep her story of torment from the snake shifters to herself, at least for now. At the moment, it was still too new and raw. She glanced over to see that Marcus was talking with Noah. Noah, even in his human form, looked somewhat dire, as if he would like nothing more than to cuff the other man, but at least he was listening to what Marcus said.
Soon enough, she and Noah were escorted to a small stone cottage set deep into a shadowy glen. There were a few other cottages nearby, but Stephanie fell immediately in love with this one. There was a charm made of gold-colored ribbons and bells above the door, and it immediately made her think of Noah's eyes.
“Welcome,” he said softly, and he guided her in.
To Stephanie's surprise, she found that it was an utterly modern little house, a strange thing to find in the heart of the wilds. There was a real kitchen and a bedroom with an enormous bed at the center of it, a snow-white comforter over the top and drapes of mosquito netting giving it a gorgeously fairytale feel.
“I can barely believe this place is here,” she said, falling down on the bed, and every inch the smug lion, Noah curled next to her.
“It is yours because it is mine,” he said. “This is my home when I am not traveling for the Council, and this is where we shall live.”
Stephanie turned her head to regard him warily.
“You... you know that this isn't a done deal, right? We...we've not talked about anything in detail.”
He looked at her curiously, and it struck her that he was not even perturbed. There was something patient and endlessly enduring about Noah, something that struck her as more lion than human.
“You love me,” he said calmly. “I can feel it. Why wouldn't you stay with me?”
“You love me too,” she protested, and he nodded as if it was a given statement, something that did not require discussion.
“Of course, I love you. I need you like grass needs the sun, like people need water. Why shouldn't we stay here, where it is safe, where your skills can be of value?”
Stephanie had heard from the other women that the local village was well on its way to recovering from the plague that had afflicted it, but there would, of course, be other issues to be treated, and nearby villages to administer to as well. She knew that her skills would be in demand, and she relented for the moment.
“We can try this...” Stephanie said hesitantly, and Noah grinned enormously, gathering her into his arms.
“Good,” he said, and then he started kissing her.
Stephanie let go of her doubts for the moment, but still they lingered, ready to pounce out at her at odd moments from the back of her head.
*
For a span of six months, things went smoothly. Stephanie was happier than she had ever been. She went with Marnie and Jessica to the village to help the villagers with their recovery, and they in turn grew closer to her.
Jessica quietly confided in Stephanie that she and Marcus were trying to conceive, inspired by the idea of Stephanie and Noah having a family.
“It's something that I've always wanted, and I know he wants it too... we were both just wary of whether it would be a success with a human and a shifter, what would happen if the baby was only human, you know.”
When Stephanie reported that to Noah late that night, he snorted.
“No such thing as a 'just' a human, not when you're born of people like Marcus and Jessica,” he said. “Any child with their courage and strength is a sight for sore eyes in this world.”
“And for yourself?” Stephanie asked, finally daring to voice her fear. She cradled her hand over the now-distinct bump, feeling their child shift lazily under her touch. “Will you be satisfied if our baby is just an ordinary human?”
Noah's fierce golden gaze softened a little, and he dragged her close.
“Any child that has you for a mother will never be ordinary,” he promised. “No matter what our child is, I will welcome her, love her, and protect her for all her born days.”
Stephanie was content with that, but sometimes late at night when Noah slept, she tangled her fingers in his golden hair and wondered. Would her daughter truly be a priority for her father if she couldn't transform, if she had to reach for him with delicate human arms, if she would never be able to run and leap by his side?
As her pregnancy drew on, she supposed that that fear was responsible for some of her frustration and moodiness. She never became unfriendly or mean, but she could feel herself becoming more distant with her friends and even her lover. She knew that she was worrying them, but every effort to bring herself back into the circle felt strange and awkward.
That was perhaps the reason why she exploded so badly when the word came through from the Council.
“It's a simple action on the coast,” Noah told her, packing his gear. There was something she hated about it, that he was going as if it was a foregone conclusion, as if she would, of course, be happy to be on her own for however long it took them to finish their mission. “I should be back in two weeks.”
“Three weeks is when I'm due,” Stephanie said, her voice as level as she could make it. “Are you really going to tell me that you're going to miss our child's birth? Are you telling me that the precious Council is so very important to you that you refuse to stay?”
Noah looked at her curiously, and somehow, there was nothing in his eyes that said he understood what a betrayal this was.
“I will be back long before the little cub arrives,” he said. “Have faith.”
“What if it takes longer?” she said, her voice rising. “First children often arrive quickly. What if there is trouble when she is to be born? I am not young for my first...”
Noah shook his head, returning to his packing.
“You are overly worried,” he said, not even looking at her. “I would never miss her birth. I would never leave you alone.”
“But you are!” Stephanie cried, furious. She was angry because it was better than being afraid. Her hands shook. “You are choosing the Council over me!”
That he heard.
Noah spun around, and there was a terrible rage on his face.
“Never say that to me again,” he growled. “My loyalty and my love to you are unquestioned, or should be.”
“Tell that to the Council,” Stephanie said, not faltering at all. She could feel the fury fueled with grief that he would leave her like this. It stung so badly that she wanted to weep, but she would not permit it. Instead, she laid both hands over her belly and looked up at her man challengingly.
“Tell the Council that your child and your woman are more important than they are to you. See how far you get.”
She hadn't known that Noah could roar in his human form as well. She was shaken by the force of it, and then he transformed into a lion. With a single bound, he like a mountain had settled over her heart. Her words tasted like poison on her lips, but she had no idea how to spit it out. All she could think about was the fact that Noah was leaving her and their unborn child, and god only knew when he would be back.
She lay there for hours, and perhaps she slept. When Jessica came to wake her, there was a darkness to the sky that hadn't been there before.
“Come on,” Jessica said. “Noah hunted.”
She was startled, but allowed Jessica to guide her along the path to the village, where there was a cook fire smoldering. A pair of fat antelope, skinned and dressed, were roasting in the pit, and she saw Noah across the fire, his face impassive, but his eyes bright.
“The villagers say that he has hunted and killed enough for everyone to have a full meal and far more,” Jessica whispered. “No one knows why he did it...”
“I do,” Stephanie said, and she went around the fire to meet Noah.
“Do you understand?” he asked, his voice gruff, and he seemed relieved when she touched his chest, settling herself close to him.
“I do,” she said. “You will provide for me. You can provide for a village, you can care for a village, you can care for me. You will return to me and our child.”
“Yes,” he said with relief. “Stephanie, you are my heart. You are the light of my skies. I will return to you for the birth of our child.”
“I know you will,” she said, and she leaned up to kiss him.
*
“Okay, hang on Stephanie, you're almost there! You're almost fully dilated, it won't be long now,” said Jessica, wiping Stephanie's lank hair away from her eyes.
Stephanie groaned and panted. Screaming had been left far behind. Now she felt simply as if she were suspended in a terrible hell, giving birth to a daughter without any relief in sight.
“Honey, honey, you're doing great,” Marnie said comfortingly. “You're doing so well...”
Stephanie clung to Marnie's small hand, but she couldn't respond to the encouragement at all. She was exhausted. She had nothing left, and in the center of her was a terrible emptiness.
“Where's Noah?” she asked. At this point, she didn't care if she sounded like a helpless door mat. She had asked the question a countless number of times, and each time, the response had been the same. Marnie or Jessica shook their heads sadly, and she had fallen back distraught on the pillow.
“It's going to be okay, it will be,” Jessica said desperately, her skilled hands touching her gently. “It will be, you're doing well...”
But Noah isn't here, he said he would be here, but he isn't...
Just then, an enormous roar filled the air, so loud it seemed to shake the earth the medical trailer rested on. There was a tearing sound as Noah ripped the door open, just now transforming into a human, and completely naked.
“Hands! For the love of god, wash your hands!” Jessica snapped.
For a moment, Stephanie thought that Noah would ignore her, but he did as she said, scrubbing his hands hard and even taking a pair of trousers stashed in one of the small cabinets.
He came to her, and in that moment she felt a surge of strength go through her. She clung to his hand, she looked into his deep golden eyes, and she could feel a lion's ferocity fill her inside.
“I am so sorry, my love. Forgive me,” he murmured, kissing her hand. “Forgive me...”
“You're here now, that's all that matters,” she murmured, “I love you, Noah, I love you so...”
Noah opened his mouth to speak, and then Jessica was interrupting.
“You're dilated all the way now, hon. Want to try to push?”
“I think I have to,” Stephanie panted.
“All right, then, Noah, get down here, because your baby is coming!”
Stephanie pushed with what felt like the last of her strength. She shut her eyes tightly, and she reached for the leonine ferocity that had appeared within her. She was the mate of a lion shifter, she was a skilled doctor, she was not going to let this defeat her...
She was screaming with the pain of it, and then there was another voice screaming as well, new and beautiful, taking her first breath in the world.
“Oh god, is that... is that...”
There was a flurry of motion, and she could see Jessica showing Noah where to cut the cord. Then he was bearing the cleaned newborn to her, and in awe, she lifted her shirt so that her little one could lie on bare skin.
“She's a beautiful girl,” Noah whispered, and he kissed Stephanie gently on the forehead, coming to sit as close to her as he could. With her daughter crying lustily on her chest and her man by her side, Stephanie could feel a circle complete itself.
It's love, she thought. It's a pure and wild love...
She smiled at Noah, and she relaxed into the arm he threw over her shoulders.
“You are mine,” he whispered, and this time, she gave herself over to it.
“And you are mine,” she murmured in turn, looking forward to raising their daughter together and sharing a long life with a love that shook mountains and overran rivers.
The End