“No, Teagan.”
“What do you think losing one of you would do to me? Ours is a platonic love, but you know my heart, my Omnes Videntes. Is my love for you any less than that which I continue to feel for Luca?”
Silence….
“When it is decided which of you will go, do not get caught. Do not get hurt. If it comes down to one of you or Cory or Aurek, fuck them. Blow them up so there is no one to question and return to me. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Princess,” they answered in my mind as one.
“I’ll be sick until you return to me.”
Xavier said, “It won’t be a difficult mission, and it won’t take long. Some former associates of ours have discovered the facility where the Inquisitors are being held. Vawn, Xander, and Izaac, this one is yours. Go,” Xavier ordered.
Izaac’s name in my mind sent panic racing through me. Icy fingers of fear stabbed at my heart. “Not Izaac.”
Firmly, he responded, “Teagan, I’m not a child. We will accomplish our mission, and I will return with a gift. You will not fear. You will not worry. You will be happy and content until I return.” He used his will to make his words true.
My thoughts and emotions calmed and left me confused as to what had been troubling me.
“Mommy, come paint with us,” Niklos called.
The children sat in their play area with large coloring books and finger-paints. Thunderdrop had dipped each of his claws into his paints and was dragging them across his page. He didn’t seem to be concerned with filling in the picture of a puppy with a ball. Nearby, Peter was bouncing in his walker and playing with the toys attached to it. Sitting, I helped the children paint. They wanted me to paint the grass because there was too much of it. Occupied as I was, I didn’t see the looks exchanged by Drex, Yukihyo, Zared, and Fitz. Anyway, Phillip had them partially obscured while he scanned me, and his blue eyes were filled with worry.
On the return trip to Parvac, none of us spoke of the impending war. For the sake of the children, we carried on as though nothing was wrong. Keeping the children occupied with activities and games was a job for all of us. The only way to get a break was to play hide and seek. However, we played our own version of the game. The traditional game held nothing but sad memories from my childhood for me. Instead, we would hide a favorite toy for each of the children, and they would have to find the toys somewhere on the Imperial Deck. The game usually lasted long enough for me to catch my breath.
All too soon, we docked on Parvac. Rovek and my team took their leave and left for the Academy. Papa, eager to see Momma, boarded the ship immediately to take us home. Dario had left the fancy transport he had purchased in my transport bay for our continued use which made the drive to the Palace less of an ordeal for my ladies. Papa sat between Momma and me during the ride home and asked us questions about our trip. He acted like nothing was wrong. He behaved as males of House Galerius would, not wanting anything unpleasant to trouble us. Had Quaid not been my husband, and if we had had no ties to family on Arachne, I doubted we would have ever learned of the Empire’s impending hostilities.
“Papa, have you spoken to my father-in-law, Consul Bosh, recently?”
Papa patted my knee. “I have not been able to reach him. There has been some interference. Phillip, I’m certain the ladies would enjoy one of your famous movie nights this evening in the entertainment room. Can you make the arrangements?”
“Yes, sir,” Phillip said.
And so, the subject was changed.
“Mommy! Mommy!”
“Yes, Neema?”
“Can we go swim?” she asked as soon as Zared opened the door and she saw the Palace.
“Okay. Go with Pierce and Lorca to change.”
The kids were eager to go with their nurses. Momma and Papa were eager to go inside as well, but I assumed it was for different reasons. Thunderdrop blinked at me expectantly. I gave him a nod. He wanted to go and play in the gardens. Yukihyo gave me his arm. Together, we went to my wing and did our best to get settled. A tighter bond had formed between those of us with loved ones in the Galaxic Expanse and Laconian Sectors, one of worry.
Later that evening after a family dinner, Phillip distracted us with a romantic period film that Terre and Momma wanted to see. It was all about courtly games of seduction. I fell asleep a few minutes into it with my head on Yukihyo’s lap and my feet on Fitz’s.
At some point in the evening, one of them had carried me to my bed, because that was where I was when Yukihyo woke me up.
“Why?” I squinted at the male who supposedly loved me but who had woken me up way too early. Zared waited until I sat up to place a cup of coffee into my hands.
“Your team is on the way to take you to class.”
I groaned, drank my coffee, and got dressed in my cadet’s uniform. However, I couldn’t fasten my pants or the bottom of my jacket.
“Yukihyo, help me find a black skirt.”
The only one we could find was long and pleated, but it would have to do. Yukihyo called Rolf and Otto, my butlers. Quickly realizing the problem, they got to work on my closet, removing everything I had already outgrown. Fortunately, I had plenty of maternity dresses stored somewhere in the Palace.
Fitz handed me a lidded cup of decaffeinated coffee on my way out to meet my team. Thunderdrop ran to me, jumped to my hip, and climbed up to my shoulder. When they saw what I was wearing, Cedrenus, Binder, and Ross gave me skeptical looks but kept their comments to themselves.
Once I was seated and we were on the road, I asked the question that had been eating away at me. “What have you learned?”
Binder said, “The records have been searched, going back centuries, and have been correlated with the comet’s path and trajectory. No record of our involvement has been found.”
“Would it have been kept classified?” I asked.
Ross asked, “From the Inquisitors’ branch? Nothing is kept secret from us.”
“Then, what are we to do?” I ached thinking of Gram. She and Grandmother had only been reunited for such a short time. Now, what if they never had the chance to speak again?
Thunderdrop nuzzled my cheek.
“Our assignments, Teagan,” Cedrenus said as he parked.
Binder opened my door and helped me out.
When the five of us entered the building, Rovek and a few of the other instructors frowned at my improvised uniform. Thunderdrop chittered and hissed at them.
“What is this?” Rovek asked as he evaluated my attire.
“Sir, I was unable to fasten my pants.” I stood at attention and waited for him to criticize me.
Rovek said, “After completing your lessons, you will take Ensign Probus to buy black skirts or dresses, whatever she prefers.”
“Yes, sir,” my team responded.
“Chirp! Chirp!” Thunderdrop said, no longer angry.
When we arrived within the safety of our classroom, I asked, “What the heck was that? He was nice and understanding. I expected him to make fun of me.”
Binder stared at me in confusion. “Why would he or anyone behave in such a manner?”
“Um…. I’m too fat to close my pants.”
“Teagan, you aren’t fat. You carry a life within you. You shouldn’t struggle with anything, not even clothing,” Binder said as he pulled out a chair for me.
I sat, pulled up my educational program, and got to work. Thunderdrop left me to climb on top of a cabinet where he could guard the room. The day proceeded. It wasn’t until I got to my physics assignment that I ran into a problem. The image on my screen rotated in three dimensions.
“Oh,” I said queasily.
Thunderdrop started chittering a warning.
“Teagan?” Ross asked.
The floor grew larger and larger.
“We need help!” someone yelled.
I opened my eyes and saw Ross, but he was spinning. “Oh,” I moaned as I closed my eyes. I was sprawled across his lap, and he supported my back a
nd head.
Then, Rovek was there, demanding to know what had happened. The next thing I knew, I was in his arms as he carried me to the infirmary. Thunderdrop watched me from Rovek’s shoulder. “She collapsed,” he said as he laid me on an exam bed.
“I’m fine. It’s vertigo. The problem on my screen was spinning.” The tired and weak way my voice sounded wasn’t very convincing. My spider sat on my legs and blinked at my stomach.
The doctor smiled down at me. “Yes, you’re fine. Shall we put their minds at ease?” He gestured around at the nervous males in the room, my instructor and my team. Rovek was speaking into his vid-screen. I assumed he had called Eli.
Giving in, I said, “I’m not one to pass up an opportunity to look at my baby on a scanner.” Leaning back, I gasped at a sharp twinge in my side.
The doctor turned serious. “Nurse,” he called. He asked, “Did she hit the floor?”
“No, sir. I caught her,” Ross said.
Scanning me, he said, “Pulled muscle.”
The nurse took my jacket, covered me with warm blankets, and then my baby bump was exposed.
Thunderdrop moved to the pillow beside my head and nuzzled my neck. “Chirp.”
“Everything is alright,” the doctor said reassuringly. His comforting tone alarmed me. The monitors made my fear audible through the thumping of my heart.
Cedrenus came to my side. “Teagan, don’t be afraid. You fainted. You aren’t hurt. They are being overly cautious out of their fear of your father, husbands, and fierce Arachnean protector.” He gave a nod of his head to Thunderdrop, who preened at the compliment. Cedrenus grinned at me.
“Yes, I wouldn’t want Eli mad at me.”
“It’s Vice Admiral Galerius who worries me the most.”
I snorted. “Dario isn’t scary.” I thought of him as being one of my gentlest husbands.
Cedrenus said, “Not to you. You’re a beautiful princess.”
I paid attention when the doctor started scanning the baby. Something was wrong. I could hear it. “Oh, no, no, no,” I cried. “It’s not supposed to sound like that! What’s wrong? Call Phillip! Hurry!”
“Princess, everything is fine,” the doctor said patiently.
“Don’t lie to me! Tell me what’s wrong!” I couldn’t lose my baby. I just couldn’t. What had I done wrong? I started shaking.
“Listen,” he sternly ordered.
I listened to the swishing heartbeat that was way too fast and erratic and willed it to keep beating. My voice trembled as I asked, “Did I pass my ventricular fibrillation onto my baby?”
In my mind, Zared said, “We are almost there. Remain calm.” He began soothing my emotions. Distance meant nothing to him.
“Princess, look here and here.” The doctor pointed at a monitor. “You hear a pair of healthy heartbeats. Do you see? You carry two healthy fetuses. Look here.” He pointed, and I was spellbound.
“My baby is okay? My babies are okay?”
“Oh, yes. Dr. Fotri and Dr. Svenson will confirm my diagnosis. You are carrying twins, and they are quite healthy. This also explains your dizziness. Your symptoms may feel exaggerated in comparison to your previous pregnancies.”
“Twins…. Doctor, can you tell? Which of my husbands do I have to thank for this miracle?” I couldn’t force my eyes away from the monitor. I had two little blobs. We had been so upset about the prospect of war, that we hadn’t asked Phillip or Dr. Savelli for new scans.
He continued his scans and tests. “You have two husbands to thank, Princess.”
“Two?”
“Yes, you released two eggs, and each was fertilized by a different father.”
“Who?” The room was silent except for the sounds three heartbeats made on the medical equipment.
“Your fetuses are genetic matches for Fitz Jiri and Dario Galerius.”
Indescribable happiness had me covering my face and crying.
“Get out of my way,” Fitz growled as he shoved someone aside. “Teagan. Teagan. My love, it’s alright. I’m here. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Chirp chirp!” Thunderdrop exclaimed as he hopped to Yukihyo’s shoulder.
My Fitz. This was the man who I had slowly grown to love, the man who became a dangerous adversary to anyone who dared to threaten me, including Uncle Kagan once, and the man who I had almost lost because of Felix Jiri. We had gone to counseling and worked to repair what had torn between us. And, Dario. The man who had defended me against a ship full of Earth Loyalists when Felix had taken us, the man who wanted nothing more than to shelter my heart against the evils of the universes. These two men had filled my womb which I had begun to fear would remain forever empty after having suffered my loss.
I pointed at the screen. I tried to tell him that I was having twins and that he was going to be a father. However, the squeaking sounds I made sounded more like a psychotic dolphin.
Fitz had a terrified expression. He held me to his chest to comfort me.
Zared said, “Fitz, she’s happy.”
Relinquishing his crushing hold of me from his chest, Fitz gazed intently into my eyes.
The doctor said, “Congratulations, Lord Jiri.”
Phillip came into the infirmary, out of breath and with his medical bag in hand. After scanning me and conferring with the other doctor, he started pounding Fitz on the back. Other than Hiroshi and Yukihyo, Fitz was his closest friend. “Congratulations, Fitz! One of the twins is yours!”
Fitz seemed to grow by two feet and sixty pounds. “I’m going to be a father?” He turned to me and looked down at me with naked love and devotion. “You’re giving me a child?”
I tried to tell him that he had given me one, a child I had wanted more than anything, as had Dario, but it came out as blubbery gibberish.
“Yes, perfect. Call Dario and tell him just like that,” Yukihyo said as he chuckled and handed me his vid-screen.
Dario, unlike Quaid, answered immediately. I told him our news, but since he couldn’t understand me, he looked upset. Fitz took the vid-screen from my hands. “We’re having twins! You and I each fathered one of her children! We’re having twins!”
Dario covered his face. When he removed his hands, I could tell he had cried.
Managing a word, I said, “Look.” I pointed.
Fitz turned the vid-screen to the monitor and showed him our babies. Phillip pointed out to them which one was which.
More in control of myself, I asked, “Can you tell if they are boys, girls, or one of each?”
Yukihyo wiped my eyes and got me to blow my nose.
“We should be able to tell in a couple of weeks, Cupcake.”
“Are they okay? Are you sure?” I asked as I covered my stomach with my hands.
“They are perfect,” Phillip promised. Then, he laughed. “Oh, Cupcake, you’re gonna be huge.”
They all laughed.
Yukihyo asked, “Is Teagan alright?”
Phillip said, “She pulled a muscle, but she’s fine.”
With a fiercely protective look on his face, Fitz bent down to pick me up.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m taking you home.”
“No, I have plans. My team will take me home later.”
Horrified, Fitz exclaimed, “You need your rest.”
“Fitz, I’m fine. I have work to do.”
“But….”
“No buts. I’m sorry that I frightened you. I’ll be home later.” I kissed him. He didn’t seem to have any notion of budging. “Fitz, I’m not just a baby maker. I’ve got stuff to do. You can rub my hip for me later.”
Zared chuckled at him. “She is safe here. They won’t let anything happen to her. Look around. Does she look protected? There are other matters to which we can attend.”
“Thank you, Zared,” I said. He came closer and kissed me, sharing his joy over our good news.
Phillip asked the doctor, “Have there been any other instances of twins in the Probus line?”
“Yes, generations ago, before female births started to decline,” he responded.
Fitz carefully placed me on my feet.
I straightened my clothing. “Cedrenus,” I called. He came to my side, and I took his arm. “I think I’ll put my physics work off. It’s too dizzying.”
Binder said, “I can disable all of the animations in your programs so that you can manually control them.”
“Thank you. That should help.”
Ross said, “I’ll find you a different chair, one with arm rests so you’ll have something to hold onto. I don’t want you to fall again.”
“Good. That was embarrassing.” I waved bye to my husbands. They watched me go with varying expressions from amusement to chagrin. Rovek followed us to our classroom. I said, “Well, it’s no wonder my pants didn’t fit.”
“Chirp! Chirp!” Thunderdrop was proud of me and showed me an image of a large egg sack.
Rovek said, “You carry within you the children of two of the most powerful Houses of the Empire. You only thought you were well-guarded before.”
I kept a tight grip on Cedrenus. He noticed when I started to lose my balance. “Unsteady?” he asked.
“A little. Can we get a snack before we get back to work?”
Rovek stopped and turned. We changed the direction of our walk to follow him and ended up in the cafeteria. Rovek took a tray and some silverware. When I reached for one, he stopped me. “This is for you.”
“Oh, thank you.” Dryly, I said, “I’ll be sure to mention to Tracy how gallant you have been today.”
“Thank you,” he said with sincerity. “Now, what would you like?”
I pointed to a noodle dish that was being served. The creamy sauce seemed to gently swaddle the shrimp and green vegetables within it. “Could you add some more to that, please?” I asked the server. “Okay. That’s good. Thank you,” I said as the mound on the plate became substantial. Rovek started moving down the line. “No! That’s all I want. Please, just let me have it.” I felt desperate.
He raised an eyebrow at me and carried the tray to a table.
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