RETH

Elia blinked.

He held her hand, kissed her palm, marveled at it. He finally understood.

"He wants you to submit to His plan, to see the good in it Elia. Accept that and… and He's giving us time.

"

Her throat bobbed and she blinked again.

"But… accepting that means… means going back.

"

"You will have to go back anyway, Love. You know that. This isn't… this isn't permanent.

"I know but…

" her face crumpled and she began to shake, her weight suddenly less.

"Don't! Elia! Please! Give over to this, to our fate. Whatever it might be!

"

"But we can't know!

"

"No, we can't! We can only trust that the Creator does, and that this… this time is a gift. Please, love, stay with me. Submit, Elia. Stay with me!

"

"I… I…

" She stared at him, pleading, and he saw the moment she understood. And then she submitted to it. She gave up control.

Her eyes closed, and her forehead crinkled. She cried then, great gulping sobs, the kind that hurt her throat. And she clung to him, her hands buried in his hair, her body jerking with the cries.

"Love, love you're still here. I'm here. We're here.

"

"But for how long. Reth, it is KILLING me to be apart from you. I don't know what to do.

"

"Just accept, my love. Accept what time we have here and love me. I love you, Elia. I will never stop loving you, no matter how long we are apart, or how far.

"

"I love you, Reth.

"

"You're my life, Elia.

"

They held each other for a long time, Reth thanking the Creator that she'd stayed and was solid again. He held her until her sobs became hiccups, which eventually soothed to sighs.

He held her while she stroked his skin and kissed his chest, and murmured her love against his neck.

And he held her when she curled up in a ball and shivered.

A long time later, when her breathing had returned to normal, she finally lifted her head and met his eyes.

"Okay… I'm ready. Whatever this is about… whatever this is leading to… I'll do it. But... this is so hard, Reth. Not knowing the future. Not understanding the present. It is so hard.

"

"I know, love, I know.

" His heart leaped and sank in the same breath. He put a hand to her beautiful, flushed face and kissed her deeply.

Then he sighed.

"Tell me what you have been doing. What you've learned. Tell me about shifting, tell me everything, Elia. Tell me how you are.

" His voice cracked on the last word and she took his hands and pulled them to her mouth, kissing his knuckles even through her tears.

"Aren't you afraid I'll be taken away? Shouldn't we talk about something more… important?

"

"I am trusting that we will get the time we need now, Elia. I have to. There is nothing else I can do. But… tell me about Elreth. Tell me about becoming a mother. Tell me anything that's on your heart.

"

She smiled, and for the first time, he saw the old light in her eyes.

"It's incredible, Reth,

" she whispered.

"Everything is different, even though nothing has changed. I can't… I can't explain it to you. My body is alive with her. She moves and I feel her. She sleeps and I know I'm cradling her. She gets startled when there's a loud noise… I never imagined she would be so aware!

"

"But…

" he was confused.

"You're not even three months in. How can you feel her so clearly? How could I feel her?

"

Elia's brow pinched into lines.

"Something is… different,

" she said carefully.

"We're looking into it with the help of the Guardians. But Reth… this isn't going to take the ten months of the Anima pregnancy. It won't even be the nine of a human pregnancy. I think… I think I'm halfway through already. I looked up one book about a normal human pregnancy, and I have all the markers of someone who has been carrying their baby for six months. Do you think… do you think maybe I got pregnant earlier and you just noticed it that day?

"

He shook his head vehemently. He knew. The Creator had shown him. He'd felt it.

"No, Elia. And besides if you had been that far along before you left Anima we would have already known.

"

She slumped.

"I know. You're right. I just… I didn't want this to be something so unknown.

"

Reth sighed.

"Unfortunately it seems that our entire lives are to traverse the unknown right now. That's why I pleaded for him to bring you here, Elia. That's why I begged for this time. I needed to see you, to explain things, to… I just needed to be with you and without the rush.

"

"Reth, you're scaring me,

" she said in a small voice. She tried to pull him in again, but he shook his head and kept her where he could see her.

He dropped his eyes to look at their clasped hands and swallowed the tears that rose when he saw how small she was.

"I prayed for this, Elia. To see you, to speak with you. This is real. It is impossible, and it's real. And it is necessary. I had to see you. I couldn't wait. The Creator knows I needed this chance because I couldn't know… I couldn't know what tomorrow will bring.

"

She waited, but he couldn't find the right words to say more. After a few seconds of staring, he screwed his eyes closed and pressed his forehead to hers.

Something cold settled in her stomach.

"Reth, what is it? What's going on?

"

"I needed to see you, because I needed to tell you… many things,

" he said hoarsely.

"Tell me what? I'm here. Tell me.

"

His throat bobbed. He stroked the side of her face and met her eyes again.

"Tomorrow… in a few hours… is a very, very important, and very dangerous.

"

"Why? Why is more dangerous than before? What's happening?

" her voice was high and thin with fear.

He cupped her face and held her gaze.

"Because tomorrow, Lerrin and I fight to the death. Only one of us can walk away victorious.

"

*****

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