After two long days of driving, Terra suppressed an active hatred for the car. The inevitable letdown after the danger-driven adrenaline high and the demands of the growing life within her took their toll. She would have kneeled down and kissed Freehold soil if it wasn't so hard to get back up.

Haze pulled up in the evening in front of Ginny's house. He declined an invitation to come inside, then after an awkward hug, he departed. Terra had called ahead, warning them of their arrival, thus Joseph, Jay, and Moya stood with Ginny to greet them.

Ginny hugged them both as they stepped onto the porch and remarked, "No major injuries? That is an improvement."

Inside, Terra plopped down on the sofa, stretched her legs out, and let out a big sigh. "I am so done with traveling."

Will stood and recounted the tale of their adventures to the attentive audience.

After Will sat down, Terra said, "According to the mercenaries, there is a Dynasty spy somewhere in Freehold."

Ginny put on a sly grin. "It was the fabric peddler down in the square. We don't have to worry about that anymore. Joseph put the fear of God in him."

I could believe that. Replace his friendly expression with a scowl and he could be as intimidating as a charging grizzly bear.

Will said, "That's how they knew when we left town. But how did the Dynasty know we were in Freehold to begin with?"

Ginny replied, "This was where Necros was killed. It would be logical to put a spy here to watch, although it is a breach of the agreement with the Library."

Jay huffed. "An assassination team is a much bigger breach."

"The Emperor himself directed Neige to strike outside of Freehold," Terra said, "probably thinking that would not technically violate it. They still need the Library, at least for now. And they must have already known I was here to risk sending in a spy. Also, they knew the Hooded Man was with me, but they still did not know Will's name." Terra paused as a thought came to her, triggering a shudder. "There is another explanation, and it scares me — the Blue Uprising tipped off the Dynasty."

Silence cloaked the room. Joseph stated out loud what most were thinking. "Terra, that would mean the Uprising and the Dynasty are working together against you and Will."

"They both knew I would no longer support the other. And they also knew how bad we can beat them. I was counting on that, along with the Library's neutrality umbrella, for them to leave us alone." Terra dipped her head. "I am not so sure anymore."

Will frowned. "What do we do?"

Caressing her extended belly, Terra replied, "Our daughter limits our options, Will. We cannot risk her anymore, but I am not in a state to run very far."

Joseph continued the line of reasoning. "So you hide. Stay here in Ginny's house and do not venture out. It is time we leveraged the Library's influence. We will put you and Will under our protection and threaten to pull out of key areas if they do not comply. Even a threat of political action may be in order."

Terra met Will's eyes, and he nodded. "Agreed."

The eyes in the room turned toward Jay and Moya, and then back to Will and Terra. Terra's furrowed her brow. "Is there something else?"

A wide grin erupted on Jay's face. "There is one more thing. We were waiting for you to get back." He put an arm around Moya and drew her against him. "With all that happened, we decided to get married."

Will jumped up, embracing both of them. "Outstanding! Now that is something more pleasant. When is the wedding?"

"Now."

"Right now?"

"Yeah," Jay responded with a grin. "We would like you and Terra to stand with us."

Terra beamed as Will glanced her way. "It would be our honor."

Jay and Moya stood hand in hand before Pastor Joseph as he led the brief ceremony, Will and Terra standing on each side. At the end, John and Moya shared their first kiss as husband and wife to the applause of everyone present.

Later that night, Terra laid in Will's arms, her spirit refreshed. "That was wonderful. I am so happy for them."

Will pulled Terra into his arms. "You know, despite all the difficulties of this world, there is love." He stroked her belly. "And new life. Hope. We can get through this."

*****

Time moved slowly over the next several weeks. Will and Terra rarely ventured outside of Ginny's house and cabin fever set in, especially with such invitingly pleasant weather outside. Nonetheless, each intended to keep the silent promise made to their unborn daughter.

Late one night, Terra nudged Will awake. Contradicting emotions swirled in her mind and set her on edge — joy and anxiety, fear and hope.

Will grumbled, still half asleep. "Hmm, what?" Reaching toward his wife, his hand passed over the dampness. "Why is the bed wet?"

"I think my water broke."

"Hmm, okay." He jerked up. "Wait. What?"

"My water broke."

"Okay. Contractions?"

Terra replied, "Not much yet, but they may start soon. Usually they... Oh!" Terra grasped her belly.

"Contraction?"

"Definitely."

Will gazed at Terra for a few moments, breathing quick and shallow. Finally, he said, "Should I call Liz?"

Terra waved her hand. "No, not yet. She said to wait until they are... Oh!"

Will's eyes widened, and he became like a statue.

Terra patted him on the back. "Hang in there with me, Will."

"I know you said you didn't want to do this, but could you use the aura to make sure everything is good?"

Terra nodded and closed her eyes, passing into the aura. A smile rose on her face. "There's our girl! She's fully descended and knocking at the door. Everything's good. Will, she is so beautiful!" Another contraction knocked her out of the aura. "Ummm..."

Will leaped out of bed. "And it appears she is also impatient. There were hardly two minutes between those contractions. I'm calling Liz."

After the pain dissipated, Terra motioned Will back. "Don't call yet. Sometimes they cluster. I could be... Oww! Oww! Oww! I take it back. Call."

Will snatched up his viewer and touched a pre-programmed button. "Liz? I think it is time... Her water broke... About every 2 minutes, and hard..."

Terra jerked up. "Ohhh!"

"Yeah, that's her... Okay, see you soon."

Will turned to Terra. "Liz will be here in about 5 minutes."

Ginny poked her head in, a gleam of excitement in her eyes. "Is it time?"

Terra arched her back and lifted her knees. "Oh!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Will motioned to Ginny. "Help me move Terra. Liz is on her way."

With Will and Ginny on both sides, Terra gingerly walked the few steps to a gurney placed in the room just for this purpose. They tilted the bed up, placed a pillow behind her head, and covered her with a light blanket.

After three more contractions, Liz walked in without knocking. "Let's see what we have here." She pulled up a stool and turned toward Will. "How long ago did the contractions start and how far apart are they?"

"About twenty minutes ago, and they are less than two minutes apart now."

Face paled, Terra said meekly, "I really need to push."

Liz shook her head. "Not yet. Do your breathing technique."

Will stood frozen beside Terra with a blank look on his face.

Liz turned her eyes up to him. "Will, go up to the head of the bed beside your wife and help her regulate her breathing. Like we practiced."

Moving stiffly, Will's eyes widened further. "Bed. Breathing. Right."

Zoe walked in as Liz lifted the blanket to examine Terra. "Hmm. Terra, you're just about fully effaced and dilated. This little girl is not messing around. It's showtime."

Terra grimaced. "I feel a push coming."

"Go for it."

Terra bore down as Will supported her. After the contraction passed, he bent down and rubbed her shoulders. Terra's mind blanked of everything but giving birth — all anxiety and fears faded with this singular purpose.

Four more contractions later, Liz remarked, "She's coming! You're doing good Terra."

With the next contraction, Zoe caught the baby as it emerged. Nearly at once, a high-pitched wail filled the room. Liz suctioned remnants of fluid from the baby's mouth and nose, triggering another wail. Terra gazed up at her husband as tears of joy streamed down his face.

Liz smiled. "She looks good. The lungs and vocal cords most definitely work."

After applying the clamps, Liz motioned to Will. "Father, would you like to cut the umbilical cord? It's okay if not."

"I would."

Liz dropped her jaw at his answer. Terra knew he had mentally prepared himself for this moment, despite his squeamishness. He took the surgical scissors from Liz and cut the cord, fully separating his daughter from the womb.

Liz checked the baby girl over and handed her to Zoe. "She looks perfectly healthy."

Zoe wrapped the squirming newborn in a warm receiving blanket and gently handed her to Terra. Zoe noted the wet area on her scrubs. "The bladder works too. Your daughter just peed all over me."

Terra's face flushed as she cradled her daughter. A smile filled her face as she marveled at the new life in her arms. Will reached down to gently touch little wiggling fingers.

Terra cooed, "Welcome, little one. Know from the very beginning that you are loved."

Pulses of pure joy surged through Terra, lighting up even the darkest recesses of her being.

After a moment, Zoe asked, "What is her name?"

Terra and Will looked at each other, wrinkling their foreheads in confusion.

Zoe lifted her eyebrows. "Really? You didn't think about this yet?"

A smile came over both Terra and Will and they spoke in unison. "Anna!"