Ayden was exhausted when he got back and just went straight to bed. The next morning Tess woke up alone. She grabbed the piece of paper off the nightstand, though she already knew what it said. He had gone back to his father’s house. She sighed, though she understood. Mostly it was just weird to be away from him anymore. Since they had been living together, they had been inseparable.

She combed her fingers through her hair and went downstairs. Sera was in the living room talking to Gabe, happily answering his continual questions, which was currently about healing clerics. “Morning,” she greeted as Tess passed through to the kitchen. She came back a moment later and sat down with a roll and a piece of cold smoked ham.

“Strange to see you with your hair down,” Gabe said.

“Ayden’s not here,” Sera said in way of an explanation.

Gabe nodded.

“Where’s Matt?” Tess asked.

“He had to go see the Captain at the guild in Chendal,” Sera answered. “He’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Tess said, frowning. She hadn’t gotten to spar with him yesterday and she was itching for a fight. “Why didn’t you go with him?”

“I told Ayden I’d stay here until his father’s recovered.”

Just then Falcon walked into the room, “Hey Dad, feel like getting your ass kicked?” She smirked.

“Not today,” he said. “I’m going to be busy.”

“Tonight, then?”

“Tomorrow,” he told her. “And we can leave for the ogre hunt.”

“Cool,” she said, smiling.

Falcon nodded. “Hey, do me a favor and babysit Gabe for me,” he said, grinning at his friend.

“Eat me,” Gabe told him.

Falcon chuckled as he left the house and headed to work.

Tess sighed. “Is your dad home?”

Sera shook her head. “No. You can go a day without fighting, Tess,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“If you wanna spar, I’m free,” Gabe offered.

“No offense, but I’m wanting a challenge,” she said and he just shrugged. “So, what’d you wanna do today?”

“I’ll be fine on my own,” he told her. “I’m sure you have other things to do.”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

“She has no life away from Ayden and fighting,” Sera put in. “Speaking of which, when’s the date for the wedding?”

Tess groaned. “I don’t know. Ask Ayd, it’s his deal not mine.”

“So will you be wearing the dress or will he?” Sera teased and Gabe laughed.

“Shut up,” Tess said. “What’s with people and ridiculous dresses anyway?”

Sera just smirked.

Tess sighed. “Damn, I forgot to ask Dad to do my hair.” She looked at Sera. “Suppose I’ll just do a pony tail. Will you do it for me?”

“I can braid it for you,” Gabe offered.

Tess raised a brow at him.

“I grew up with sisters,” he explained.

She shrugged. “Okay, cool.”

Tess spent the day alone with Gabe since Sera went to help out at Aryst’s local temple. She didn’t mind, she liked him. Though she hated shopping, she took him to all the shops in town, apparently her dad hadn’t gotten around to showing him much. They also toured the temples and then he wanted to see the Mages Guild, but you weren’t allowed in there if you weren’t a mage. That was the reason that Tess had never actually met Ayden’s grandmother. The guild was her life.

They continued with more places. Gabe found the potion shop the most interesting; he was surprised to find that all the potions were in little bottles, each about three inches tall. Apparently, in video games they were as big as wine bottles. Tess had laughed at the ridiculousness of that.

After they had a late lunch at Kalos’ Tavern, Gavin found them, wanting to spend time with the newcomer instead of going to the orphanage after school like he usually did. So, a good chunk of the afternoon was spent with Gavin’s insect collection and more of Gabe’s questions.

Evening rolled around and her parents returned home. When her dad started making dinner with Gabe’s help, Tess finally decided it was time to retrieve Ayden. He had spent all day with his father as well as all of the previous evening, surely, that was enough.

Tess stood just outside the forge when she got there. She watched Ayden through the window for a moment as he picked up things and put them away. She sighed heavily before entering. “I guess I should have known.”

He glanced over at her before bending down to grab a box of tools. “Sorry… figured I’d get this place… straightened up a bit,” he said, straining to pick up the box and set it on a shelf.

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why do you do it?”

He sighed and ran the back of his hand across his sweaty forehead. “He’s not well enough to do it right now.”

“So? Let him do it when he gets better. It’s his job, not yours. You’re already taking care of him, and he doesn’t even deserve that.”

“I don’t want to argue about this, Tess,” he said wearily.

“I’m not arguing. I just don’t understand why you help that bastard.”

He met her gaze and she could see something snap in him. “You wouldn’t, you have Falcon and he’s about as perfect as they come. But even if he wasn’t great, he’d still be your father and you’d still love him.” He glanced at the ceiling for a moment, motioning toward where his father was upstairs. “He is my father, the only one I have. And believe it or not, I love him. He might be mean sometimes—”

“All the time,” Tess cut in.

Ayden looked away. “You just don’t get it.”

“Then explain it to me,” she said a bit snidely.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed again. “He didn’t used to be like he is now. You never knew him before my mom died. He was nice,” he told her defensively, and then smiled sadly. “He used to sit me down over there.” He nodded to a small stool against the wall. “And he’d tell me about what he was working on, or sometimes tell me stories. They were always funny cuz he’d get the moral of them all mixed up, then he’d always say: at least it’s something like that, you’re a smart boy, you’ll figure it out,” Ayden said, imitating his dad’s gruff voice but in a cheery manner instead of the harsh one he had now.

“And he loved my mom,” he said, his eyes getting misty. “He’d tell me: look at your mother, aren’t I the luckiest man in the world?” His smile turned into a frown as he bent down to pick up a couple large bolts off the dirty floor. “But then she died,” he said grimly. “And inside, so did he.” He shook his head. “Then he has to look at me and I look so much like her.” His voice grew softer as he spoke. “I’m just this constant reminder of the woman he loved and lost. And all the anger… it’s really just grief.”

He wiped away the tears that fell with the back of his dirty hand, then turned away to start straightening things on a shelf. “You might not understand, but I do. And I still love him,” he said quietly but firmly. “I know it doesn’t make how he treats me right. But love isn’t about right and wrong.”

They fell into an awkward silence then. In the thirteen years they had known each other, he had barely said anything about his father.

It was a minute before she came to stand next to him. She looked around and took a deep breath. “So… how can I help?”

He looked over at her in surprise. “Help?”

“I’m not helping him, I’m helping you,” she told him. “Just because he used to be okay doesn’t make him okay now.” She sighed. “I’ll accept it though, so long as you promise that you’ll never let him hit you again.”

He smiled at her before pulling her into his arms. “Thank you,” he breathed.

Tess woke the following morning with another note, and once again, Sera was in the living room. This time, she was alone. “Where’s Gabe?”

“Went to work with your dad,” she answered. “He wanted to learn about the guild.”

Tess nodded. “Cool. Wonder if he’ll want to join.”

Sera shrugged. “I stopped by the bakery on the way here and got you a pastry.” She motioned to the small table beside the couch.

Tess picked up the plate and sat down. “Mmm. Apple. Yum.” She took a bite then leaned back.

“I need to talk to you.”

“You already are,” Tess said around her mouthful of food.

Sera looked away. “Lovely.”

Tess chuckled. “So talk.”

Sera sighed. “I was really hoping I’d be able to wait until Ayden’s father was better, but since you can’t go more than a day without fighting… and fair enough, the ogre thing, I have to tell you now.”

She frowned in confusion. “Okay. What?”

“Tess, you’re pregnant. I felt it as soon as I touched you. That’s why I gasped when I hugged you before.”

Tess swallowed and blinked in shock. She just stared at her cousin as she tried to grasp what she was being told. Finally, shock began to turn into panic. “No,” she said, shaking her head emphatically. “I… I can’t... that’s impossible… no.”

Sera said nothing and just waited.

Tess knew she wasn’t wrong, and knew that she would never lie or joke about something like this. “But…” She blinked back tears. “How?” she asked, desperation entering her voice.

Sera moved to sit beside her. She took the plate, which was shaking in Tess’ hands, and set it back on the side table. “It must have happened when you were on Earth. You said magic doesn’t work there, and our protection against pregnancy is magical,” she said gently. “It wouldn’t have worked there.”

Tess pulled her knees up to her chest as tears began to steam down her face. “He’s gonna hate me,” she whispered miserably.

“Ayden? He could never hate you,” she said, rubbing Tess’ arm. “And it’s not your fault, you didn’t know it would happen.”

“Yes, he will,” Tess insisted, “because I don’t want it.”

“I know,” Sera murmured. It was silent for a while. “Are you wanting to get rid of the child?” she asked quietly, her tone business-like.

“How?”

“Any of the healing clerics can do it. And it’s confidential, no one would know, including Ayden,” she told her, her voice uncharacteristically emotionless.

Tess looked at her cousin, first with surprise, then with hope. She pulled her legs up, put her head on her knees, and thought. Finally, she took a deep breath and then gave a whiny moan. “I can’t kill a child,” she whispered.

Sera nodded. “Are you sure you wouldn’t want to keep the child?”

Fresh tears came as Tess shook her head. “No. All I’ve wanted to do with my life is travel the world, fight, kill monsters. A child would ruin everything. I know I sound horrible and selfish, but I never wanted kids. I don’t wanna be stuck taking care of it. I wanna be out there, doing what I’ve dedicated my life to doing.”

“I understand. Maybe we can find a good home, a loving family that wants a baby,” she suggested.

Tess nodded. “Yeah.” She took a deep shaky breath and wiped her face, but more tears came as soon as she thought of Ayden. “He’s gonna hate me,” she repeated.

Tess was sitting on her bed with her legs to her chest, staring out the window when Ayden got back that night. “Tess… what’s wrong?” he asked when he entered the room. He sat in front of her, looking worried.

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath. “You’ll love me no matter what, right?” she asked, not looking at him.

“Of course I will,” he promised.

“Even though I never want kids?”

He frowned. “Yes. I’ve always known that.”

“But… do you want kids?”

He shrugged. “I’m fine with the way we are, just the two of us and the open road.” He tried to say it lightly.

She took another deep breath but didn’t say anything. She just kept staring off into the distance.

“Tess, what’s this about? Have you changed your mind?”

“No.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

It took her a minute before she got the words to come out. “I’m pregnant,” she mumbled.

“P-pregnant?” he asked. “But… I don’t… how?”

“Our prevention here is magic,” she said quietly. “So it didn’t work on Earth.”

It was silent for a while as he absorbed this. Finally, he asked, “So… what… what are we gonna do?”

“Don’t hate me,” she whispered.

He rubbed her leg comfortingly. “That’s not even possible.”

“I…” She had to force herself to breathe normally. “I don’t… want it.”

“You’re not thinking of…”

“No. I can’t do that,” she assured, knowing what he was thinking.

“Good,” he said, relieved. After a moment he asked again, “So, what are we gonna do?”

“G-give it away?” she said, it was barely audible.

“Like the orphanage?” he asked, obviously not thrilled with that idea.

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want Mom to know. She’d hate me for not keeping it.” She glanced at him with wide, fearful eyes. “Do you hate me?”

He leaned closer so he could brush some of her tears away. “Never.”

She cried more in relief. “Are you… okay? With… not keeping it?”

“Yeah, whatever you want, Tess.”

She looked away again. “We can find it a good home. Not here though.”

“How can you keep your mom from finding out?” Ayden asked.

“Sera says we can stay with her and Matt,” Tess answered. “And she’ll help us find someone who wants it. We can just act like we’re off adventuring for a while.”

“We’re never gone that long,” he pointed out. “They know how homesick you get. Especially since we went to Earth and stuff.”

She sighed. “Well, we can just stay here for a while until… until I can’t hide it anymore. Then we can say we’re leaving like normal and go to Chendal.”

“What about Gavin? When your dad takes him to visit Matt, they’ll see you.”

She groaned. “I’ll have to tell Dad.” She buried her head in her arms. “I’ll ask him not to tell Mom and maybe Matt wouldn’t mind coming here to visit Gavin a few times.

“Cael and Lotus visit Sera too,” he told her. “They’re understanding, they—”

“No,” she said firmly and started crying again. “I don’t know… I just… I don’t know.”

He moved so that he was sitting behind her and pulled her into his arms. “It’ll be okay,” he murmured. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Tess, that’s the third time you’ve asked me that today,” Ayden pointed out. He had only spent half the following day with his father. He didn’t want to leave her alone for too long when she was so distressed.

“Sorry.” She sighed and leaned back against the headboard. “So… you’re okay?”

He glanced up from where he was sitting on the floor, folding laundry, to roll his eyes at her. “Yes. I’m okay.”

“What if you’re lying because you… um… I don’t know… to be supportive or something.”

He shook his head as he put a folded shirt in the dresser drawer. “Why would I want a kid when I already have you to take care of?” he teased.

“You don’t have to take care of me,” she said defensively.

“Okay, then come fold these,” he told her. They stared at each other for a minute. Finally, he smirked. “Have you ever folded your own clothes? Made your own food? Made your own bed for that matter? How many times have you even brushed your own hair?”

She looked somewhere between huffy and devastated. “I would if I had to,” she mumbled.

“Yes and you’d have a messy room, dirty clothes, knotted hair and you’d probably poison yourself with your own cooking.” He put away another shirt and then went to sit in front of her. “And you know what?”

“What?” she grumbled.

He smiled. “I’m glad. I like that you suck at doing all those things.”

“So you can be mean?”

He chuckled. “No, so I can be the one to take care of you.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “Maybe it sounds dumb, but all I want is to take care of you. To love you.”

She stared at him for a moment, and then suddenly burst into tears.

He automatically pulled her close and held her. “What’s wrong?”

She sniffed. “You’re wonderful.”

“So you’re crying?”

“I’m just so useless,” she muttered. “You do everything and all I do is fight and… and I can’t even do that now!”

Just then, the door opened. “Tess?”

“Get out!” she snapped at her little brother. Gavin looked at her, wide-eyed, for a second and then ran out of the room, closing the door behind him for a change.

“You’re not useless,” Ayden told her. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad either. I was just trying say that I like doing stuff for you.” He sighed and kissed her hair. “And we’ll be out there fighting again before long.”

“Eight months is forever,” she said, sounding like a temperamental child.

He just continued to hold her, caressing her back.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. “Go away, Gavin!” But it was Falcon who opened the door. She sighed. “Sorry.”

He nodded. “I see why Gavin’s worried,” he said, looking at her tear streaked face.

“I’m fine,” she grumbled as she pushed away from Ayden to wipe her wet face on her sleeve.

“Okay,” Falcon said, “just thought I’d check.” He backed out and slowly closed the door.

“Dad.”

“Yes?” He stepped back inside.

She asked him to stay with her eyes but said nothing.

“I’m gonna go check on my dad, if that’s okay,” Ayden said.

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’ll be back later.” He gave her a quick kiss before he stood.

As soon as he left the room, Falcon went to sit beside his daughter. “I haven’t seen you like this since our boat ride back from Malluk’s temple,” he said pointedly. “And that worries me, so out with it, quickly.”

She swallowed hard and then took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant but I don’t want a baby so I’m giving it away and I don’t want mom to know because she’d be sad that I’m not keeping it and right now I feel useless because the only thing I can even do is fight and now I can’t do that and everything just sucks,” she told him in a rush.

He sighed with relief. “Not as bad as I thought.”

She frowned at him, “Like I’d make a mistake like that again,” she said, offended.

“Didn’t say you would, just thought it’d be worse than a baby. So, how does Ayden feel about this? Is that why you’re upset? Does he want to keep it?”

“No, he’s okay,” she answered. Then she explained how she got pregnant in the first place, and how they would stay with Matt and Sera when she started showing. “So, then Mom won’t find out.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Tess, I don’t keep secrets from your mother.”

“But it doesn’t matter.” She whined. “She doesn’t need to know. It would just make her upset and… and she’ll hate me for not wanting the damn thing.”

“She won’t hate you.”

“She won’t like me very much.”

“I’m not keeping it from her,” he said.

She started crying again. “But why?”

“Because she’s my wife,” he explained. “And you don’t keep things from your partner. Would you want Ayden to keep secrets from you?”

“I don’t care,” she said defiantly.

“Yes, you do.”

“But it’s stupid!” she huffed, her voice growing in volume. “I don’t see why—”

“Stop,” he said firmly and she did so immediately. “You’re nineteen, not two, don’t start throwing a fit." His voice was both commanding and warm. “I’m not keeping anything from your mother, and that’s final. She won’t be thrilled about it, but it’ll be fine and you know she won’t hate you.” He sighed then. “I can tell her for you, if you want.”

She stared down at her quilt and nodded.

“There’s no getting away from the family knowing, meaning Cael and Lotus too,” he told her. “But no one else has to know if that’s what you want.”

She nodded again. “What about Gavin?”

“It’d be best not to tell him. He’s too young to understand.”

“Okay.” After a moment, more tears began to fall. “I’m just… scared,” she admitted in a whisper.

He lifted her chin so she would look at him. “It’ll be okay,” he promised. His voice, as always, was strong and confident, yet tender and loving. She gave him a very small smile and moved into his arms. He held her close and she sighed. Her father’s embrace gave her a comfort that nothing else in the world could. When she was there, she knew everything would be okay, because he said it would be.