Avalon stirred in his dreams when the scent of blood caught his attention. He twitched his nose, pressing it further into his pillow to try and hide the smell from his instincts. From out in the hall, a scratching noise sounded near the door. Shade wanted in with her owner. Sighing, Avalon felt himself begin to drift back into the haze of deep slumber. Just as he almost fell over the edge of dormancy, a soft whimper caught his attention.

Elizabeth winced in her sleep, her eyes opening as pain pressed at the base of her belly, threatening to grip her hips in a twisting sensation. She grimaced, reaching down to touch her small baby bump. It had grown substantially in recent months, now obvious as her belly button continued to protrude further each week. Her muscles hardened there, making her legs numb down to her toes as the pain rushed to overtake her senses. She gasped again.

Another movement caught his attention and he opened his eyes. The moment his vision began to sharpen, he heard her make another sound. He reached forward for her, beginning to sit up. "Liz?" he murmured sleepily. "Are you all right?"

Her head shook, curling around her belly. "Just a bad cramp," she whispered, discomfort still in her voice. She tried to breathe through the sensation, holding her stomach as if the pressure would calm her muscles.

"You sure?" he asked, touching her arm.

She shook her head again, making another quiet sound.

Avalon propped up onto his shoulder fully, reaching his hand around her side to begin to rub her stomach. He could sense her pain when her whole body cringed again, a soft squeak catching in her throat. "Breathe," he goaded gently. He heard her try to inhale and he continued to stroke her middle. She was just big enough his whole hand arched across her stomach with her new shape. "There you go."

She'd mentioned stiffness and minor pains before, but they hadn't thought much of it beyond normal symptoms. He'd been careful to watch her for anything outside of the usual, but the doctor had assured them both she was fine.

Elizabeth squirmed again as another sharp pain filled her abdomen. Her chin pressed down towards her chest as she tried to curl around her middle.

"Keep breathing," he whispered, sitting up more as he became fully alert. Avalon continued to stroke her stomach, feeling the muscles harden with a contraction. It wasn't possible. It was too early. He felt her next jagged inhale stop short before she moaned in pain. "Breathe through it, babe."

"I can't."

Avalon reached down for the hem of her oversized nightshirt so he could get to her bare skin in hopes to comfort her tightened muscles. He paused when his hand felt wet from under the covers as he found her clothing. It was warm and thick with fluid.

Elizabeth cried out in pain again, her entire body trembling with agony.

Another wisp of the smell of blood caught his nose, this time stronger than from his dreams. He wasn't imagining it. Avalon untangled his hand from her clothing and pulled the covers back, fear washing into him as he discovered the puddle of blood that had begun to color the light-grey sheets. "Oh my god," he breathed, seeing where it pooled around her thighs as her muscles shook and quivered in pain.

From out in the hall, Shade barked again. The sounds of her claws on the wooden door continued to fill the air, her barking turning into frantic whines and growls.

Elizabeth nearly screamed as another wash of torment tightened again from her chest to her knees. She wrapped her arm around the swell of her stomach, sobbing.

"Oh my god," Avalon repeated. He touched her hip, feeling her flinch beneath his fingers. Her nightshirt was covered in blood around her bottom and thighs as she laid on her side. He turned away immediately, fighting to reach the phone on the nightstand. "I'm calling the infirmary."

"No!" she moaned, her head shaking as she pressed her face into the pillow. "No, no... Seren," she begged. "I need Seren."

"Liz, you could blee—"

She cried out loudly.

The blonde-haired man growled and quickly hit the keypad, dialing the extension to reach the grand elder's room. It rang for several seconds, and Avalon wanted to snarl in frustration. His wife didn't have time.

"Yes? It's hardly four," the groggy, British accent sounded from the other end of the line.

"Seren, I need you in our apartment," Avalon said. "It's Elizabeth. Now, Seren."

"I'm coming."

He didn't bother to listen for any further words, hanging up on the grand elder. He turned back to face her, reaching to touch her body again. She continued to tremble and sob in pain. Avalon looked up to the door, gesturing at the metal hardware. "Basem datorum."

He then returned his attention to her as the locks undid themselves with magic, placing his hand over hers. When she cried out again, he grimaced. He finished stripping away the covers and moved to hover above her, balancing his weight on his knees and shins. He touched her belly again to feel another contraction. He glanced at the clock on the wall. They were strong and close together.

Both panic and his training as a medical aide fought for control of his brain. He kept his hand there, feeling her fingers grip his wrist as she whimpered in agony again. He brought his other hand up to touch her dark hair, stroking it off of her forehead. Avalon could feel her pulse as her heart thundered against her skin and in her veins.

Just as he went to comfort her, the door opened quickly, groaning on its hinges from the force of momentum. Seren Winslow appeared in the middle of the room, dressed in only sweatpants and a grey t-shirt, moving with vampire speed. He returned to the door after shooing the black German shepherd back to the hallway, closing the door just as Elizabeth screamed in pain again.

"We just woke up and she—" Avalon cut off his own words, not sure how to explain. "She's bleeding!"

The grand elder moved forward towards the bed, his attention solely on the young woman. He lowered himself down some and reached his hands for her when the coven leader sobbed in anguish again, her whole body jerking with the contraction. "You're all right," he promised his pupil, holding her still as her muscles convulsed. He pressed one hand into her shoulder as the other took over Avalon's spot on the lower curve of her stomach. "You're all right, poppet."

She gagged on her next noise, pressing her nose into the pillow again.

Seren glanced at the blood, his eyes returning to her body as he listened to its muscles.

"She's had pain before, but never contractions, not like these," Avalon babbled, going over his wife's medical chart aloud, his head shaking. "It's too early for this."

The grand elder nodded, continuing to hold her still. "She's in distress. Call down to the infirmary. I want the whole team in the O-R now."

"Is she going to be okay?" Avalon asked, unable to move as he refused to leave her side.

"I don't know, but I can't do anything up here. I need my equipment."

The younger man turned for the phone again, trying to remember the right extension for the infirmary's main line. His fingers trembled as he tried to read the directory again. He had it memorized, but the alarm that rang through his body kept him frozen. "What's happening?" Avalon repeated. "What do I tell them?"

"She's losing blood. I need to get her into surgery before she hemorrhages and bleeds out. Call the infirmary," Seren repeated, his tone firm. He stroked her body, trying to comfort her. The scent of death caught his nose and he cursed softly in an ancient language. He listened to Avalon regurgitate his previous sentence in direction, no longer stuttering as he repeated the grand elder's words a second time with more insistence before hanging up. He watched her gasp before crying out.

"I'm not waiting for them," the grand elder added, standing up. He pointed towards the closet. "Get your bag. Now."

Avalon nodded, sliding across the mattress before rushing to where the black leather satchel leaned against the baseboards. He snatched the worn handle, lifting it up to bring back to the bed. He unzipped it, pulling out the full supply of medical herbs and equipment.

"Give me twenty of Valyrian and twenty of whatever analgesics you have," Seren instructed, continuing to hold her still.

Avalon nodded, digging out a fresh syringe and then the liquified root. His hands shook as he pulled the proper measurement, trying not to use his hybrid strength in his fear. He dropped the vial onto the soft surface and immediately began to hunt for a strong pain medication. "All I have is morphine."

"That's fine. We don't have a choice," Seren replied.

The blonde-haired man immediately withdrew the drug from the vial into the syringe with the herb. He pressed the plunger slightly so the air would leave the needle and tube.

"Lower back, right into her muscle. If we don't calm her pain level and her pulse, she's not going to make it downstairs," the grand elder continued to advise as he rubbed the woman's hip, as if that would keep her from squirming in pain.

Avalon nodded, exhaling an unsteady breath. He rolled his wife's bloody clothing upward, finding more had continued to color her legs. He quickly exposed the small of her back and waited for her contraction to die before pressing the needle into her skin. He pushed down on the plunger, cringing with the motion as she yelped.

"Good. Bring it with you," Seren praised, his voice almost toneless as he concentrated on the woman. He leaned down again and began to slide his hands around her body carefully. Elizabeth squeaked as he moved her. When he lifted her off the mattress, she screamed in pain. The grand elder pulled her up into his arms, settling her fragile body against his torso carefully. "Get the door."

Avalon sped to the door, opening it for him. He felt the draft as Seren moved past him with vampire speed for the servants' staircase. The younger man saw Shade skirt out of the way, beginning to bark again. He rushed back to the medical kit to push the vials back into their spots in his bag, leaving the used syringe on the bed. He gripped the bag tightly and ran out into the corridor to follow the pair. He glanced at the animal once before taking off after his mentor. He pressed himself to move quickly, but he would never catch up to Seren's pace.

He hit the bottom of the stairs when he heard the infirmary doors swing shut as someone else reported for duty. He rushed to the door and quickly shoved it open, using his bag as a shield. He paused in the doorway just long enough to see the elder finish settling her on a gurney off to his left, almost in the same place where he had laid once upon a time. He rushed to her side, leaving the satchel on the ground as he pushed his way between a nurse and his wife. She reached up for him in the same moment she cringed back into the portable mattress. She whimpered, making him immediately grip her outstretched hand.

"I'm here," he promised. "I'm right here, Liz."

"We need to move, people," Seren said above the noise as the staff continued to place medical monitors on her body. "I need the O-R up now."

She rolled onto her side, crying out again as another round of pain racked her body.

"We're going to need coagulants, blood bags, and the full kit," Seren continued as they began to move the gurney. Two nurses joined him on his side of the moveable bed, the doctor taking up space beside her head next to Avalon. A nurse took up the fourth corner of the bed, his hands immediately taking up position to grab the footboard for transport.

"Administering round of morphine and Demerol," the doctor announced.

Elizabeth made another sound, and Avalon immediately grasped the oxygen mask that laid on the bed, not able to be hooked up while the staff rushed to get her into the operating room. He could feel the pure air around his fingertips and he quickly held it over her mouth. She continued to look at him, her eyes becoming heavy as her blinks became longer.

"Anesthetic administered," the following action was announced.

Elizabeth winced as the needle left her skin. She gripped his hand tighter.

"You'll be okay," Avalon tried to reassure her, seeing the fear in the corners of her eyes. "I love you."

He watched her lips move from behind the oxygen mask, mouthing the three words back to him. A few tears slipped down onto her cheeks, catching on her pale skin and rolling into her hair. He stroked her face and then kissed her fingers as they rolled up to the operating room. He continued to comfort her while the team around him began to suit up with their operating scrubs and safety precautions.

"I love you, Elizabeth," he repeated, watching her face. "I do, with all my heart."

She tried to speak again from behind the oxygen mask before her eyes closed...

A couple nights after the mission, I climbed out of the SUV once we reached a stop in the L2 garage of the London coven house. I sighed as my feet hit the ground, feeling like the previous week before my trip was long forgotten history I no longer needed to worry about. I had glimpsed for the second time what the supernatural world had become. Any childish worries I had the week before were no longer valid. I had come close enough to our enemy that I now understood why I had begun to campaign for change with the Shadow Stalker government. There was a reason that the grand elders of my bloodlines had pushed for centuries to bring a prophet to the throne.

When Thaddeus and I had gotten back to the cliffs on the coast of Ireland, we had found a bloodbath waiting for us. Contessa and Brian had been able to hold their own long enough for the Moon Worshippers' unit to retreat in search of me. Brian had been heavily injured with a bad bullet wound to the leg and another to his gut, but he had recovered after some extensive medical aid. We'd packed up whatever was left from our expedition and headed for the Irish coven house within Belfast, rushing to return to where there was safety in numbers.

A unit of the Irish coven leader's men had even accompanied us back to London the following night.

I inhaled an uneasy breath as I followed Thaddeus and Brian for the door to the coven's stairwell. I hung back a few steps as I descended down towards L5. Thaddeus kept glancing over his shoulder at me as he continued to talk to Brian and one of the guards that accompanied us down to the Winslow floors. I tried not to listen in, too busy trying to come to terms with what had happened.

I wondered who had killed Dominic in the Moon Worshipper caverns. I had noticed upon second inspection that the stake in his chest was adorned with a few Moon Worshipper symbols. Someone in his own party had killed him. And I wasn't sure why. But the moment my mind blanked of trying not to remember the details of his dead body, the memory of the man with the foreign accent standing over me filled my subconscious. I couldn't sleep without seeing his dark silhouette. His accent had sounded different than any other I had ever heard before. But no matter how hard I tried to remember details of his face or his body, I couldn't recall any concrete visions of him.

"You squeeze back in there and wait until you can't hear us. Then go back to the caves. Be quick. Go!"

He had saved me, willing to help me hide until the rest of the enemy forces had moved on.

Who are you?, I thought silently as I followed Thaddeus down to L5 where the Winslow coven conference rooms waited. Why did you help me?

Brian went a separate way with the English coven's guard and I continued to follow my mentor towards our floors.

"Eris," came the sound of my father's voice, and I looked up as I passed the threshold from the staircase to the conference room floor. He was standing just outside the council meeting room, a look of relief on his face.

Without the ability to restrain myself, I moved towards him quickly, letting myself be engulfed in his bear hug. I'd only been gone for a few nights, but my brush with danger was enough to drive me back into his waiting embrace.

After their months apart in separation, Avalon had kept his word to get Dad to fly back to London and reconcile with Mum. They had spoken after he arrived, as Father apologized profusely for the things he's said and done. It had made her cry as he got down on one knee in full responsibility for his guilt. But Mum didn't let him sleep in her bed during the daylight hours for two weeks before she broke down and asked him to come back to their suite. Once they were reunited, her health improved as she fully regained her immortal vitality.

It hadn't taken them long to be back on the same page as they settled into their old home. The British coven was the exact opposite of the United States' coven house. It was made of metal and stone, the structure sunken into the earth to only have a small portion still above the ground. It had taken some getting used to when I went through my nightly routine with Thaddeus and Mother during the months since our arrival.

"I'm so happy you're okay," Dad said softly from above me, and I could feel his lips moving against my hair. I nodded in reply against his shirt. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," I whispered, not ready to open my eyes as his smell engulfed me. My voice wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be, but I couldn't help the need to tremble in his arms as reality set in around me once again.

From above me, I heard him sigh. He hugged me a little tighter for a moment.

"Where's Mum?" I asked into his chest, my words muffled. I lifted my head when I picked up on movement, and I turned just in time to see her step out of the conference room. She was smiling, but she looked sad. I sighed in relief. Without waiting, I moved over to her and immediately opened myself to her hug. I bowed my head down to rest on her shoulder, trying not to shiver.

I was home, and I was safe.

"You're okay. It's all over," my mother said, as if knowing where my thoughts were. "I'm so glad you're all right," she added.

"Me too," I answered softly. I pulled back so as not to crowd her belly. I wondered how much Thaddeus had told them over the phone.

"What happened?" my father asked from behind me as we stepped into the conference room. He closed the door when Thaddeus nodded to it. "I thought we had secured the location."

Thaddeus sighed heavily as he poured himself a glass of brandy from the waiting refreshment tray on the large oak table. "So had I," he answered honestly.

I found a seat at my mother's urging and perched on the end of the chair cushion. I wasn't ready to relax entirely; I still felt on edge. I glanced up to see my parents both take a seat just as Kearran Silverstone came into the room, Marcius Augustus in her shadow.

"What happened?" the blonde third-in-command asked as she took her usual place around the table.