1
“Well I think another new table is top of this week’s shopping list,” I remarked after finally being able to walk back into the club part of Afterlife. I had not long given birth to our beautiful baby girl, only twelve hours earlier and currently had her nestled fast asleep in my arms.
After the emotional birth on Draven’s council table I couldn’t help but sob with a mixture of both happiness at what we had been gifted, but also sob with grief at what the Gods had deemed it necessary to be taken away.
This had happened after Draven had picked me up with our baby in my arms and taken me back to our room so that we could share in this moment together. Then he simply took over as was his husbandly duty, something he informed me softly when I told him to stop.
But in hindsight I knew why he acted this way…it was his own way of dealing with his own grief. It didn’t matter that our babies’ souls didn’t have vessels to gaze upon after their birth. They had both touched our souls and they were all loved equally. Our only solace now was the hope that we would see them again soon and find ourselves a family three times blessed. But right now, well it was a simple case of all too much, too soon.
So instead I looked to our perfect little bundle of cute baby pink skin and tiny features, thanking the Gods for allowing us this…our own slice of Heaven on Earth.
Our gift.
It felt like the perfect ending to all we had endured. All the years of heartache and pain inflicted from both sides just to get to this point in our lives. Because saving the world aside, all we both wanted sounded the most basic of things, but something that people all around the world were granted each and every day…
A chance at happiness together.
That was all either of us ever asked for. It was all each of us ever wanted…needed. Just the simple chance to be together and live throughout the ages creating our own history hand in hand. And fingers crossed doing so without the doom and gloom of an apocalypse hanging over our heads. Of course, hearing what came next from Draven shortly after he had cleaned me up, had me believing another ‘end of days’ was on its way,
“By the Gods! There must be something wrong, for such a thing could not be produced by a being so tiny!” I frowned, sitting up quickly from the bed and groaning in the process from still feeling slightly tender. Draven growled and I rolled my eyes at his over-reaction.
“Draven, I am fi…”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, little wife of mine,” he warned making me shake my head at him. Then I shifted closer to the edge and saw what he was doing. He had our little baby’s legs up in one hand and was currently looking down in disgust at what she had produced. Of course, being around Libby and her first experience of such things, I knew what this was…
“Let me guess, is it black and looks like something an Alien from the X files produced?” I asked on a giggle. He looked up at me and said,
“I don’t know what the X files is, but it does look like something a spawn of Azathoth produced.”
“And who is Azathoth when he’s at home?” I asked in my very Northern way. Draven raised an eyebrow in that sexy way of his and said,
“He rules all time and space at the centre of Chaos and when he is at home, he no doubt does so from his black throne,” Draven said answering me in his very ‘Master of his domain’ kind of way.
“Ah another one that has a thing for thrones then…seriously are you guys all in a club or something?” I asked on a giggle. He rolled his eyes and said,
“No, not yet but I am thinking of starting a new club.”
“Yeah?” I challenged knowing this was going to be good.
“Yes, and I think it should be called, ‘husbands who like to punish unruly, vixen wives on their thrones’ club.” I laughed with an unfortunate added snort and said,
“I think that’s a little long for a club’s name, honey...maybe you could just go with the ‘Game of Thrones’ instead,” I joked. He paused looked down at our tiny baby and told her,
“You know, that’s not half bad, I think your mummy is a clever little Queen indeed.” I couldn’t help the beaming grin at hearing him calling me this. And although it had the word ‘little’ and cringeworthy ‘Queen’ attached to it, I still couldn’t help but love the sound of him calling me a mum for the first time. I bit my lip as I let the moment wash over me, then I laughed as I put on my dressing gown. I quickly slipped out of bed and walked over to him trying not to show the wince in my tentative steps. Once there I patted him on the arm and said,
“Honey, we really need to get a TV for home.” He raised an eyebrow at me and said,
“If it shows things like this on TV, then I think I will pass,” he replied nodding down at the dreaded ‘first black baby poo’. I laughed picking up the new-born wipes and said,
“Draven, you’re a half demon with a front door key into Hell, I think you can handle ‘first time baby poo’…now step to it, Mulder!” Then I slapped the wipes to his chest with a chuckle.
“And what exactly is a Mulder may I ask?”
“Well, you would know that if you watched awesome TV like I keep suggesting,” I told him smirking making him roll his eyes at me. Of course, so far, the only thing I had managed to get Draven to watch on a TV was my favourite movie of Jane Eyre. Of course, I had been naked at the time, so this might have been why he was so accommodating in my request for a TV in the first place.
“And as I keep telling you my dearest, if you promise to do so naked again when it’s switched on, then I will get one.” I laughed shaking my head as this wasn’t the first time we’d had this conversation.
“And as I keep telling you in reply, that if I did that then knowing you your eyes would be elsewhere…again.” I teased back, helping him with the tiny nappy and unfolding it ready to slide under the cutest bum in history.
“Then I would call it a win, win, wouldn’t you?”
“How so?” I asked discarding the dirty nappy into the nappy genie Libby had bought us, declaring it a godsend. She was then left wondering why half the people at the baby shower had nearly choked on their drinks or burst out laughing. I guess if she had known what had been happening underneath the wedding tent seven months before that moment then she would have thought very differently about the Gods…seeing as for a short time I had become a scary bad ass one.
Thankfully all the guests had little clue as to what truly happened that day. And even when they were ushered back into the tent, they swiftly had their memories of being kept safe in the ruined mansion at Witley Court erased. I don’t think I had even asked what was said to them to get them to go there in the first place. But after returning from Hell, well let’s just say, there were other matters to attend to and trying to pretend nothing had happened in front of my mortal family hadn’t been something I was able to do. Not after so much heartbreak.
Because in the end the fight hadn’t been without its losses. For not only did we have to say goodbye to Ranka, who gave his life for a cause so great, it pained me to think of it without getting upset. Just knowing that millions of lives owed the fate of the world to what we did, but to know the sacrifices made by Ranka would forever go on unknown as the hero he should be remembered by. But only our kind knew and for me, it just didn’t seem enough. I remember crying about it one night in the first few weeks after the Janus War. A name given to it by Draven, and I had to say, it fit considering we pretty much nearly destroyed the place.
But stone could be reset, wood carved, marble and doors replaced. The temple could be rebuilt, however the lives lost couldn’t and there was one life that still hung in the balance…
Jack.
Not only had we returned to find Ranka hanging on to life just for one last good bye, but there was also Jack. I couldn’t help but blame myself for what I had unknowingly brought Jack and RJ into by just being my friends. Of course, Draven wouldn’t hear of any blame I cast back at myself, telling me blame was only saved for those who caused actionable force inflicted on others knowingly. Therefore, I was not to blame for what I didn’t know. I understood this, I really did but still the sight of ripping Cronus from Jack’s body wouldn’t leave me.
Seeing his lifeless body becoming his own for the first time in months and all so he could drop to the floor like a heap of bone and flesh, was a nightmare I now faced. Because even though Jack wasn’t yet dead, it also didn’t mean he was living either. No, he was sort of caught in between two places, this world and the next, suspended in his own mind’s prison.
Draven tried to explain it to me, so that I might be able to explain it to his poor sister. He told me that Jack was so strong in his hopeless fight against Cronus, that instead of giving him full access he simply closed off his mind and locked himself away inside it. I guess it was similar to being in a coma, being kept alive in the hopes that one day he would make it home again. I would never forget seeing RJ’s face, first full of hope at seeing her brother again, to then be quickly ripped away by the reality of her new situation.
Her cries of anguish could be heard like a tormented wave crashing through the halls of Afterlife. I had heard it and bolted from our room to where she was so that I could catch her shaking form in my arms. Thanks to my new vampire speed, I made it before she hit the floor. In that moment I couldn’t help feel for not only her but also for Seth. He was stood a few steps away looking as if he had unknowingly just delivered the killing blow himself. He reached out to her and whispered her name only to have RJ scream at him. She cursed ever knowing him and told him to leave her alone. I bit my lip just to hold in the regret I wanted to voice that I knew she would feel later. But right then that wasn’t my place. So, I held her head to my shoulder as she sobbed out her grief and I mouthed the words, ‘Give it time’ to him before he left the room. He did so asking only one thing of me…
“Take care of her.” And then he was gone and as far as I know, he hadn’t been seen since. Jack still hadn’t woken up and RJ still hadn’t lost hope or left his side, now living in Afterlife with only that hope keeping her sane. In the end both Draven and I had each made a vow that day, mine was to keep her safe and Draven’s was that he would do everything in his power to bring Jack back to the land of the living. So far, we were both still working on those vows.
But for now, right at this minute another life needed our attention and I smiled at the sight of Draven carefully re-dressing our little girl. It was one of the sweetest sights I had ever witnessed and I momentarily lost my train of thought as to what we had been talking about.
“You get to watch your unrealistic shows and I get to watch my very real naked and beautiful wife.” He whispered this last part in my ear with our baby cradled to his other shoulder. Then he placed a sweet kiss on my cheek and in that one blissful moment, life seemed utterly complete.
“Now back into bed with you,” he demanded, making me try and hide a smile before giving him a fake groan. Once I had been carried back into our bedchamber he had made sure I was comfortable, ignoring me when I complained about getting blood on the sheets. He had been placing a pillow at my back and then once I said it, he promptly gave me a ‘Draven Look’, one I thought best not to argue against. I had wanted to point out that I was now a vampire and therefore healed quite quickly but I stopped myself, knowing how I couldn’t take this away from him. Taking care of me gave him pleasure, so I didn’t want to spoil this moment for him.
So, he left me with our sweet girl in my arms so that he could tend to me. This didn’t only mean washing the blood from me but also examining me and playing doctor…and not in a good way. More like in the most embarrassing way possible. I made the mistake of asking him wouldn’t it be better to see an actual doctor, to which he started his response on a growl, followed swiftly by a lecture…
“Keira, do you really think there is someone better qualified out there when I not only hold a Medical Doctorate and have for quite some time now, but also spent the last nine months learning everything there is to know about giving birth to a child…including aftercare?” he said sternly and I had to agree with him. Following medicine, I found out, had been a kind of hobby of his and when he found out that I was pregnant, well it kind of opened up the baby medical gates, flooding my life with annoying pregnancy facts. If anything, I had just wanted to burn most of the books he read and one argument we had in only the first trimester was exactly what I did one day in the library.
He had been explaining to me how there wasn’t one single reason for morning sickness and he asked if he could study me for the weeks ahead to see if he could find the reasons why. My answer had been quite blunt as I had simply plucked the current book from his hands, walked over to the fire, thrown the book into it and said,
“No.” Then I had walked back out of the room again. He found me minutes later throwing up in the toilet asking me if I wanted a ginger biscuit…my look had said it all.
Okay, so had I mentioned about the angry pregnant lady bit, right? Well thankfully Draven did know the reasons behind this and let’s just say, that he definitely didn’t want to ‘study’ me for it.
So back to post first nappy change and that was Doctor Draven issuing his orders making me groan as I did so. He placed our girl in her swinging crib that was next to our bed and before I even had chance to bend my knee to step up, he had me in his arms and was lowering me down like I was fine china.
“You do know that I am not going to break…right?” I asked in an amused tone, telling him that I found his actions sweet but unnecessary.
“Yes, but I also know the changes that a woman’s body endures after the strain of having a baby and these include…”
“Seriously Draven if you continue that sentence and it includes words like, vaginal, pain and discharge then I am going to stop you right there before I swear off sex for life…and I have been told…it’s a very, very long life together.” I said this last part leaning in closer to him as he fussed with my pillows again. He paused mid fluff (not a sentence I would have ever have thought to have put together in my mind when referring to Draven) he then leant closer to me and said with a smirk,
“I have told you once before, lying is a sin you know.” At this I laughed and retorted with,
“Yes, and so is pissing off your wife, so quit being a pussy and man up, Commander!” I teased back looking down at his man package with a naughty wink. I couldn’t help but bite my lip when I heard that aroused growl I had been waiting for.
“You play with fire, little Vixen,” he warned and my smile grew.
“Oh, come on, you know I have already started to heal and besides…” I paused so that I could grip the front of his shirt and pull him close enough so I could speak over his lips,
“…This kick ass Vampire Warrior Queen likes her King sexually demanding…and hard.” Then I licked out along the seam of his lips before he finished the action in a bruising kiss, one that had me releasing a moan in his open hot mouth. Then just as he banded an arm around my back pulling me tighter to him the sweetest little cry alerted us to the fact that in this room, we were no longer alone and wouldn’t be for quite some time. My smiled ended the kiss and it turned into a perfect moment to speak the words that I knew he would hold with him for the rest of our lives…
“Someone wants her daddy.”
After hearing himself being referred to as ‘Daddy’ for the first time the look on his face was one that I would never forget for as long as I lived…thankfully, something that was considerably longer than what I had thought it would be nine months ago.
It was a different tenderness that I had never seen before, one reserved for only one person…his child. It was a beauty beyond words and it took my breath away. Draven turned towards our little girl and lifted her from her crib with the level of care that only came from an adoring love that knew no bounds. Draven might have been a King to the rest of the world but in this room, he was simply a man who felt as though he had been bestowed the greatest gift from the Gods…
A family to love.
Back in Afterlife,
“I am not getting rid of the place you had our child,” Draven said in reply to the first comment I made when walking back into the club with our baby girl to present to our unique world.
“Yes, and I am not having everyone we know sat around the place… I had my legs spread wide with my vagina on show as I pushed our baby from a place only YOU know intimately.” I leaned into him and whispered this last part so only he would hear. He had looked as though he had been about to argue but the second the whispered words left my mouth he firmly locked his jaw before saying,
“I will have it moved into storage immediately.”
“Yep, thought so,” I commented dryly as we both stepped into the room to announce our sweet Amelia Faith Draven to the rest of the Family.
In the end, asking Draven what we should name our child wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. But then again, I suppose with nine months to think about it, then for most parents who don’t know what sex they are having, it only really comes down to two names. Of course, during my pregnancy and one of my ‘softer’ moments, we had spent one evening thinking up names.
This was after I had convinced him to help me put together the crib by hand. At first, he thought I had been joking and with a simple swipe of his hand it was complete. Then the irrational side of hormonal pregnancy kicked in and I began to cry.
Draven had looked as though he had been caught competing in a kitten kicking competition and with a horrified look the crib instantly crumbled back into a million pieces. Okay, so that was a slight exaggeration but hey, it was from Ikea, so it was close.
I admit, once again I had got it into my irrational pregnant mind that I needed to go baby furniture shopping. I also knew I wouldn’t have got away with dragging Draven around the reasonably priced Swedish megastore, no matter how many tears labelled emotional blackmail I shed. So, instead I dragged my personal time travelling posse, Pip and Sophia with me.
I would have also asked Ari if she had been around, which unfortunately, she wasn’t. I wasn’t bitter or upset about this as I knew her and Vincent were currently dealing with their own ‘Fated’ issues. Or at least this was the most my overbearingly protective and stubborn husband would tell me. I knew something big was going on with them but with me being pregnant meant Draven had deemed everything too much for my overemotional state to deal with. And thanks to the damn baby book, stress was a big no, no.
So, Ikea it was and to make it ‘Stress Free’ we had also declared it a ‘No Husbands Allowed’ occasion. Or at least I tried to, but the most I could get away with was doing it without my husband around as Zagan and Ragnar were sworn to protect me whenever Draven wasn’t there. And as for Pip, well since her unknown disappearing act 2000 years into the past, well let’s just say she was lucky she didn’t find herself shackled to Adam’s wrist for the next thousand years as punishment.
No instead he just forbade her to go anywhere without him. Pip had sulked for weeks and did so up until the next big thing happened to take her mind off it, which just so happened to be me giving birth.
But before the baby arrived there was something else to take Pip’s mind off overbearing demon husbands…
Lots and lots of shopping.