Over the course of the next four weeks, Jacob began to experience a strange change come over him. More and more, he found himself secretly enjoying the time he got to spend with Nisha. More and more he found himself wishing for the time to last longer. More and more he found thoughts of the end of the month filled him with a sorrow so deep it nearly threw him into a depression. His mind was quickly becoming filled with thoughts of Nisha.

Each time the baby's magic spiked out of control, whether it was ice or fire, he was secretly happy. When it did, that usually meant that he had an excuse to be closer to her. He could touch her, feel her, smell her, hold her hand.

Every day he found some excuse to spend more time with her. He would help her study, teaching her more about her history and science classes. When she had questions about a particular math formula, he was quick to offer to help. Nisha always seemed surprised by his almost eager response to spending time with her. But she never told him to stop, never tried to push him away. She would simply smile a little and nod her head, saying something about how she was glad he was really trying to work with her on this whole partnership thing.

Each time she did, his heart both lifted and fell. Her smile made him feel giddy. But her friend-zoning made him feel almost sick with the reminder that she had no idea how he was beginning to feel about her.

When he discovered she liked anime, he spent almost an entire weekend secretly researching about that particular subject. He bought the entire collections of several highly-rated anime shows that caught his interest and had them express shipped to him. Once he felt like he was a little more knowledgeable about anime, he asked her if she'd like to watch some with him. And when she agreed, looking both stunned and pleasantly excited, he felt like he was on cloud nine.

Once the winter break hit, they binge-watched all of Inuyasha, Hunter X Hunter, Baccano!, Guilty Crown, and Attack on Titan. It was the best week of his life and he never wanted it to end. But unfortunately, by the day the humans celebrated Christmas Eve, which Others did not celebrate, they had run out of all that anime to watch. Jacob desperately tried to think of something else to let them spend time together.

But Nisha let him know she wanted to spend the holidays with her family, so she was going to spend as much time with Grace as possible the next day. She also, her voice sad, told him how she really wished she could see Jack. She was missing him, she confessed. She hadn't even been able to hear Jack's voice in all this time, since phones had no way to reach past the sheer distance to another world. After all the time they had spent together, Jacob knew that Nisha saw him as a friend, almost, more of the brother he was to her, in a weird way.

Her words, bringing up Jack, very nearly made him cry out in pain. Instead, he lowered his gaze and agreed with her quietly. She was distracted and didn't really pay attention to his response. Her sweet smile as she thanked him for the fun and pleasant anime spree made him feel a little better though. He watched her leave her room, where they had been watching the anime, in search of food as her cravings spiked suddenly. After she left, he stared at her empty bed, fighting back the emotions that coursed through him at the sight.

He closed his eyes, trying to tell himself over and over how wrong all of this was. Nisha was his sister, by law, his younger brother's wife. By the gods, she was currently carrying his brother's kid, his niece or nephew! But even so...Staring at that bed, all he could imagine was how her naked body would look on it, writhing in the sheets beneath him.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he shot up out of the arm chair that had been carried in for him to sit on, running out of Nisha's bedroom. His heart pounding in his chest, he stormed to his own bedroom, locking the door behind him. Leaning against it, he felt his knees give out underneath him. Slowly sliding to the floor of his room, he sobbed silently into his hands. It was the first time he had cried since he was a child. And the one who was making him feel this way, was making him feel so torn and twisted up inside...

She was a human.

She was his sister-in-law.

She could never be his.

But oh, how he burned for her. How he desperately thirst for the taste of her, for the feel of her, for everything about her. His hands clutched the side of his head tightly, his body shaking with his silent sobs. He could feel his body temperature rising, the final evidence to himself just how much he was lusting after Nisha.

Falling forward onto his bedroom floor, he tucked his knees against his chest and wrapped his arms around them, in a fetal position. All the while, his obsessed love, lust, sorrow, and horror swirled inside him.

* * *

Jacob woke up in the middle of the night, heart pounding. He could feel the magic, magic he had already begun to recognize, filling the air. It was so thick that he felt as if he was physically trying to move through it. Shooting up out of bed, his mind was flooded with fear. There was only one thing this could mean. The baby had caused something to happen again, something Jacob could instinctively feel was very dangerous. Not stopping to think of anything else, he rushed out of his room.

Outside in the hallway he found the walls and floor half-covered in a thick ice. Panicked, he rushed to three doors down, where Nisha's bedroom was for the month. The door was locked and he quickly picked the lock with an ice-pick. Stepping inside, he sucked in a sharp breath.

The entire room was cover in ice. On the bed, in the very middle of the room, Nisha was shivering hard. She cried out, still asleep, somehow. "Jack!" As she did, he felt another strong rush of magic shoot out. A part of the ceiling began to form more frost on it, the cold deepening. She turned restlessly, in the throes of some nightmare.

Swallowing, he slowly crept forward. She was sleeping in a pair of thick flannel black pajama bottoms. Her legs had kicked out the blanket from around her. Her top was a thin, nearly see-through white t-shirt. The cold of the room had made her nipples harden and his eyes were drawn to them like a moth to the flame. Feeling almost drunk, he inched closer as she cried out again. He could fell his body temperature rising in response to the heated lust running through his blood.

Nisha shivered harder in her sleep, sobbing quietly. Unsure what he should do, how he could help...He was torn between running far away and moving even closer. He was terrified of both his emotions and the force behind them. But...

Her eyes slowly opened and she stared up at him from where he stood over her, at the side of her bed. Her grey eyes were very obviously still half-asleep. She reached out, a look of love and joy filling her face. "Jack, you're back."

Jacob blinked, taking in the very dim light of the room. He was able to see much better than she, as he wasn't restricted by the limits of the human body. He couldn't speak, his voice locked away. He could feel the magic in the air slowly dissipating. As it did, inch by inch, more of the ice and frost began to fade away.

I should leave, he thought. She thinks I'm Jack. The danger is passing now. She should be fine. I don't need to stay here anymore, to check on her anymore. I need to go. I can't stay here! he screamed in his mind, panicked.

Nisha's cold hand grasped his. "Mmmm...you're so warm. Come closer and warm me up, Jack. I've missed you so much."

He was lost. He was helpless to deny her, to deny himself. Remaining silent, worried of what would happen if she recognized that his voice wasn't Jack's, he slowly climbed into the bed. Nisha moved up against his body and it was at that point he realized he had forgotten to put on a shirt. He was in nothing but his green shorts, having slept shirtless.

The feel of her still hard nipples against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his back made his eyes close in pleasure. He struggled to hold back a groan. She attached herself to him like a leech, her cold body trying to absorb the heat he was letting off from his arousal. Fingers itching to touch her more, he placed his left hand on her right hip, since they were facing each other, on their sides. She shifted, her body rubbing against his and he inhaled sharply.

Nisha's voice took on an intimate tone, a layer of heat filling it. "Jack...It's been so long...Touch me." She leaned her head up and kissed him.

Unable to hold it back, he groaned in response, his hand at her hip tightening. She moaned, kissing him more. His blood felt like it was boiling, he had never felt this hot before. He barely stopped himself from saying her name, instead turning it into another groan as he let his left hand slide up the side of her body. The material of her shirt really was too thin. Thin enough that he could, almost, feel her skin beneath it. She moaned at the feel of his hot hand on her, pressing her breasts harder against his chest. He deepened the kiss, letting his tongue mingle with hers.

She let out a low, sensual chuckle when she felt the hard length of him pressing against her stomach. "Jack, I see you've missed me too." Her hips shifted and lifted up slightly, grinding against him. Jacob growled in the back of his throat, pulling another chuckle from Nisha. "Are you going to make me beg for you to strip me and take me?" she asked.

Her words nearly made him loose himself right there, imaging doing just that. Oh, how much he hungered for this, how badly he thirst for this. He needed the taste of her to breathe, the touch of her skin to make his heart keep beating.

His hand slid underneath her shirt and he felt pre-cum stain his boxers as just the feel of her heavy, silken breast in his hand sent ecstasy shooting down his spine. Nisha moaned, panting, forcing more of her breast into his hand. "Touch me, Jack. Take me. Make me yours, Jack. Make me everything that I am, only with you."

He couldn't resist running his finger along her nipple, loving the feel of it. Loving the sound of her responding to his touch. But then the sour, nagging thought cut through his lust-filled brain. She was making these sounds for Jack. She was begging Jack to be with her. Not Jacob...

Please, he pleaded silently. Say my name, Nisha. Call out my name in need. Beg me to be with you. Even if it's only a faint whisper, I want to hear my name on your lips, hear you pant and beg for my touch...

His hand on her breast brushed against something solid and cold. He grew still as it did. His eyes closed and he pulled back from her kiss. His lust quickly dimmed.

The soul-stone...This is my brother's wife...What the fucking hell do I think I'm doing? I'm kissing and touching my sister-in-law...I'm pretending to be my younger brother in a desperate hope to have sex with her...

The thoughts swirling inside his mind, over and over, he shot off the bed. Nisha cried out in confused surprise, calling after him. "Jack, where are you going?"

No, not him. She was calling after Jack.

His lust died away completely, until he was filled with only regret, disgust, loathing, sorrow, and horror. Without saying a word or allowing himself to look back, he left her bedroom. Stumbling, feeling as if his heart was shattering inside his chest, he returned to his own room. Locking the door, soul-deep sobs rocked through his body. He tried to walk forward, only to trip and fall. This made him sob harder.

"Oh gods!" he whispered aloud. "I just...I just...N-Nisha...Why can't you be mine? Why can't I have you?"

Crawling along the floor, he struggled to rise to his feet. His sobs burned his lungs, making him struggle for air. His voice was choked and filled with rage. "Jack...why must you always gain everything I want? You take my birthright and you take the woman I grow to love and lust for after you've already gained her." His fists pounded against his bedroom floor. "Why?!" he cried out in agony. "Why?!"

* * *

The first of January finally came and Nisha stood in the entrance hall, shifting impatiently. She wanted to be there as soon as Jack came home. Over the past month, she had been driven crazy with how badly she missed him. With him gone, she had been forced to admit how she felt about him. Pushing aside everything that had been holding her back, she was going to tell him. She was going to show him.

The door opened and she saw his bright blue eyes, obviously startled for her to be the first thing he saw. Shrieking in happy delight, she rushed forward the ten feet, straight into his arms. He caught her, grunting in surprise. Her arms came around his neck and she rained kisses all over his face, lips, neck, shoulders, chest. Anywhere she could find.

Jack began to laugh heartily. But his laugh quickly turned into a pained groan as he squeezed her tightly against him. "Oh gods, Nisha. You're real. You aren't a dream phantom or a hallucination of my own desperate desire to see you...I can smell your unique scent, feel your..." His voice trailed off for a second. "Your larger stomach pressing against me."

"Jack," she murmured into his ear. "If you call me fat, I'll raise my knee and get you where it hurts." Then she kissed the side of his neck, just under his ear.

He moaned, chuckling again. "Wow, someone's super excited to see me. Have your hormones gotten even crazier while I was away?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm just so happy you're back. I've missed you so much. And I've been dying to tell you." She pulled back, looking directly into his blue eyes. "Jack Frost, I love you. I love you so much. I thought I was going to die, I missed you so badly. I almost wanted to die."

He lifted a hand to cup her cheek. "No, you can't do that, Nisha." Tears filled his eyes as he stared down at her beloved face, his soul soaring with joy. The soul-stone around her neck glowed so bright it was nearly blinding, humming gently against her breasts, a tender warmth coming from it. "You have no idea how happy you've made me, in this moment."

He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. His voice grew soft enough that only she could hear it, against her lips, his eyes darkening a little. "Later, I'm going to take you to bed and make love to you. I'm going to make you keep saying you love me, until you don't have the breath to speak anymore."

Her lips twitched into a grin as she felt a slow, simmering heat begin at the pit of her stomach. "You don't have to do that, though I want you to. I'm happy to tell you all the time. I love you, Jack," she repeated.

His eyes closed. "Bliss. I leave for a month and come home to find my reality has been replaced with utter bliss. Thank you, hjarta mítt." After a few seconds, he slowly lowered her to her feet. Nisha's hand latched onto his and refused to let him go. He glanced down at her face, seeing that stubborn light fill her grey eyes. He tried to fight another laugh, reminded of when he first met her as a child, in a tree. Instead he let himself smile brightly. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, love. So," he began, starting to walk further into the palace. "What's been going on for the past month?"

Nisha grew silent for a minute. Her voice was quiet but firm as she spoke. "Well...It turns out that our baby is a hybrid." Jack's eyes widened at her words, glancing down at her slightly swelling stomach in shock. "So, now I not only have ice magic randomly shooting off, there's fire magic added into the mix as well. I've also been told by several people, in the last month, that I may be better off to have an abortion. According to them, I most likely won't survive this pregnancy."

Jack was stunned. He came to a complete stop, his mind spinning as he stared down at the one being that was his whole world. Only...she was slowly creating another life inside her, one that would become just as important to him, once they were born. How was he going to handle having two people who meant so much to him? And now...Now she was telling him that their child was a hybrid?

How was it even possible? Fire and ice were two opposing elements, too different to be able to come together. If anything, it should only be either a et hiemis or a hellhound, not both. In fact, he had never heard of a hybrid actually existing. The closest that was ever achieved was half-breeds with humans. But a hybrid between two Other races?

He took in how powerful the child seemed to be, how chaotically and random it's magic spiked. It behaved like he knew normal et hiemis children did. Mischievous, curious, but also very controlled by their emotions. At such a young age, they hadn't quite learned to control the surge of magic that came with their emotions. Jack wasn't sure about how hellhound magic worked, but he could see how it too would be effected by emotions. And if the child had both? Even if it made no logical sense how a unborn infant could actually have feelings, magic was involved, so why bring logic into the equation.

Was it any surprise that people would be telling Nisha to kill off the child and save her own life?

But as he stared into her grey eyes, he knew he couldn't do the same. Over the last month he had done a lot of thinking, had come to terms with this pregnancy, with the reality of becoming a father before he ever thought he would. Sighing heavily, his lips lifted into a weary smile. "Love, I'd never ask, expect, or want you to have an abortion. We're going to do this together, no matter what."

She nodded slowly. "I knew you would think the same way I did."

Running his free hand through his hair, he continued walking. "So, I see you're still alive and unharmed. Jacob kept his promise then."

Nisha smiled, startling him again. "Yep, he did. Over the past month, we've come to an understanding. He's really been acting like an older brother to me. I was quite amazed. But, in my case at least, he seems to have gotten over his racist problem."

Jack gasped. "No fucking way!" he exclaimed. "Sour-puss Jacob finally realized what a dick he was and grew up?!"

Trying not to laugh, Nisha nodded. "I can't promise if he's gotten over his dislike of you though."

Jack sighed. "He wouldn't be my big bro if he did."

They spent the rest of the winter break never far from one another. Jack was completely amazed to see Nisha's words about the change that had come over Jacob was true. He smiled, really smiled, now and again and the general air of anger that had surrounded him just a month ago was mostly gone. Mostly being the operative word. Jacob's hate of Jack and his grudge was still quite evident. But, when Jack looked into his older brother's eyes, he felt as if there was something darker hidden in their depths. What this darkness was, he had no real idea. Besides, now that he was back by Nisha's side, what did the troubles of his brother matter to him?

The only real thing that began to concern him was Jacob's sudden and new association with that Fae girl. Five days after his return, when the new school semester started back up, Jack began to notice it. More and more often he would see Jacob and the Fae girl together. More and more, Jacob would leave the WinterPalace as soon as he dropped the others off after school. More and more his brother seemed to shut out everyone else.

Jack felt a little worried, but his own life, filled with Nisha and the baby, kept him too distracted, too busy. By Valentine's Day, when the gender of the baby could be determined, both Jack and Nisha had decided to let it be a surprise. They would completely love their baby, no matter if an heir was born or if they had a daughter instead.

So, despite Quentin's insistence, they didn't have any ultrasounds run. It pissed Quentin off, but he felt confident that only a male heir could be the possibility, with powers as strong as his grandchild had. After all, et hiemis' were a male-only race and, though not completely, hellhounds tended to be predominately male as well.

The Frosts' life continued and with each passing month the WinterPalace grew more and more restless with impatience and excitement over the expected baby.

In the shadows a dark storm was brewing above the happy family.

* * *

Jacob rose up from the bed, his hands shaking. His head felt fuzzy and his mind was spinning. He glanced down, remembering as he returned to himself. He was naked, his body covered with sweat from his earlier activities. Turning on his heel, he stood at the foot of the large hotel bed, staring down at the naked body of the woman he had just screwed like he would die if he didn't. But, since he had, finally, half-gotten his one and only wish, Jacob had felt like he would die if he didn't fuck her.

On the bed, Tatiana purred in contentment, watching Jacob from heavy-lidded pink eyes. "You have quite the fever for poor little Nisha. I never realized your kind could burn like that, could hunger like that." Slowly, her body shifted and changed until she was a perfect copy of Nisha Frost. Her lips lifted into a smile, her grey eyes smoldering, her voice an exact replica of Nisha's as well. "Jacob...I'm not done wanting your touch. I need you to keep kissing me, keep taking me over and over..."

A tiny whimper slipped past Jacob's lips at the fae's words. Swiftly, Tatiana changed back, grinning widely. "What's wrong?" she asked innocently. "You've already spent the past five months fucking me almost every day. Every time, you beg me to take on Nisha's appearance, her voice. And, kind soul that I am, I finally decided to comply today. Still though, I'm very surprised at you. How can you feel so for your own sister-in-law?" she asked. She smiled wickedly. "Ah, perhaps it is because of her condition. Jacob, you naughty boy...Do you like to fuck pregnant women?"

Her hands brushed along her stomach and it grew, stretching out until it was about the size of a woman in her second trimester. She shifted slightly on the bed, smiling at the naked man who watched her with wide, frantic eyes. "Did I find your fetish?" she asked, mimicking Nisha's voice again.

Slowly, his eyes glued to her body, Jacob shook his head. His voice was broken and thick, his dark blue eyes filled with a mixture of pain and lust. "No. It's not that...I..."

Tatiana sighed heavily, letting all her tricks fall away. "Poor, poor Jacob. Lusting after the one thing he can never have..." Her expression grew menacing, a predatory smile lifting her lips. "Have you thought about my offer?"

Jacob shook his head quickly. "N-no...No," he said in a firmer voice after a tense second.

Tatiana spread out on the bed, twirling one of her thick curls around her finger. Her pink and gold eyes were nearly glowing in the dim light of the hotel room. "Are you sure? Have you really thought about it? It's such a good offer. You'll be the one with the most benefits, the most to gain out of it."

Her smile grew hungry, loosing it's playfulness. An edge began to creep into her voice. "Jacob...I've already done so much for you. I've already helped you so very much...Don't you think, perhaps, that you should pay me back? Don't you think, perhaps, that you owe me for all the things I've done for you? Why, I've done all the work, in fact. You haven't even had to lift a finger...A tongue, perhaps, but that's all..."

Jacob gulped, staying silent.

Tatiana slowly spread her legs wider, transforming back into Nisha's appearance. Her hand came down, sliding over the dark bush of hair at the V of her thighs. She moved it in a circle before pulling her hand back up. "Come now, Jacob. I'm offering you the very world and all you have to do is reach out and take it." Mortals are so stupidly stubborn, she thought wearily. But, as soon as I hit just the right weak point...Nestled in the V of her thighs a small, slim, black bottle appeared. She lowered it, until it was hovering in her fingertips over the entrance to her body. "Reach out and take it, Jacob. Reach out and take me. Come into me and make me yours..."

Jacob let out another whimper of surrender that quickly became a growl of need as he climbed onto the bed.

Tatiana's lips lifted up in a happy, sensual smile as she welcomed the hard length of him inside her once more. As he pounded into her over and over, she let the knowledge that all her carefully planted seeds were growing nicely fill her. Moaning in pleasure, feeling herself grow wet at the thought of her plans going just as she had wanted, she climaxed twice. Jacob, poor little naïve thing that he was, thought that his body had caused her to and came himself.

She grinned. What the poor thing didn't know wouldn't kill him. She felt herself growing even wetter. Oh, how long had she been hungering for something on this grand of a scale? And then, to make it completely perfect, it had fallen right into her lap. Laughing out loud, unable to hold back her all-consuming joy, she screamed in release as her joy swiftly transformed into another orgasm.

Panting, several minutes later, she struggled to fight back the impatience that was beginning to nag at her. She still had a bit of time before everything would completely fall into place. Soon, she moaned internally. Soon everything I want, everything I've bet on will happen.

* * *

It was mid June now and Nisha was so big, she felt like a house. Thankfully, it was summer break, so she didn't have to stress about school anymore. Instead all her energy was devoted to taking care of herself and the baby. And it was on this day that her long wait finally came to an end.

On June 12th, Nisha went into labor. While everyone else rushed around her in a panic, she felt a sense of calm come over her. She'd been waiting, fighting for this for the past seven months. It had been incredibly hard, trying to juggle everything in her life, plus a baby with crazy powers. But now that she had reached the end, she felt both happy and relieved.

Becoming a parent would be just as difficult, especially with such a troublemaker of a child. Even so, Nisha was ready for it. She was excited for it. First, though, she had to get through the not so fun part of labor. Inhaling a deep breath, she let it out slowly. Staring around her, she took in the frantic, panicked scene.

Jack was moving to help her out to the car, but Jacob suddenly got in his way, offering his help, the older guy's dark blue eyes filled with worry and apprehension. Jack glared at his brother, giving him a funny look. The two began to argue in hushed whispers.

Her temper shot up, flaring to life. "Okay, all of you get out of my damn way. I have a very urgent appointment with a hospital bed and none of you are helping in the slightest," she ordered. Both Jack and Jacob blinked at her tone. Shoving past them, she inhaled deeply again. Her voice dipped into a low murmur, talking to the baby. "Okay, baby. You got to help me here. Help me get to the car so we can both work on getting you out into the world to meet one another."

Opening the door, she was hit with a blast of freezing cold air, shuddering violently in response. But just as quickly, she felt a very powerful surge of magic well up. Her body grew warm, her temper still alive. At the same time, the wind that had slammed into was pushed back ten feet. A bubble surrounded her, keeping the wind and snow away. Her body temperature swiftly rose higher, her feet most especially. Where she stepped, the ice melted. Going slowly and a little cautiously, she walked the fifty feet to where the car was parked, a servant already behind the wheel.

The rest of the family was stunned into silence upon seeing her leave on her own. Swallowing down his fear and a little bit of his temper from worry, Jack swiftly moved forward to catch up with her. The rest of the family blinked at one another before moving to get into two other cars that were sitting out, ready to go with more servant drivers.

At the hospital, Nisha was in labor for ten hours. It was the hardest, most painful, most exhausting ten hours of her life. Jack remained by her side the entire time, his cold hand in hers, acting like a rock to keep her grounded. While he sat there, torn between worry, terror, and excitement at getting to finally meet his child, he told her he loved her over and over. Even when her temper got the best of her and the baby's magic made her body heat spike until it was painful to touch her. He refused to let go of the hand of the woman he loved, the woman who was currently fighting to bring a new life into the world.

The doctor instructed her to let out one last push, holding the baby's small head as he stood between her legs at the end of the bed. Letting out a loud scream-groan of pain and exhaustion, Nisha did. The baby slid out completely, bloody and wailing as loudly as a banshee. Shifting his hold, the doctor gently lifted the baby up so Nisha and Jack could see, still connected by the umbilical cord. "It's a boy!" he proclaimed, before taking the scissors a waiting nurse held out and focusing on freeing the child from its mother.

Jack had a wild look in his eyes. "A-a boy...okay. I have a son," he told himself in a soft voice. "Hot hell..."

Nisha started to respond, feeling a tired chuckle bubble up. But just then, she let out another pained groan as the instinct to push hadn't left her yet. Her hand squeezed Jack's hard and he froze, staring back into her face. Her grey eyes were exhausted, but also filled with surprise. His own blue eyes grew wide as his tired brain began to put two-and-two together. "Oh fuck...no..."

The doctor turned back from handing the baby boy to a nurse. His own eyes grew wide. "You were pregnant with twins?" he demanded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Jack glanced over at the doctor. "We didn't know a thing," he explained in a strained voice. "W-we wanted it to be a complete surprise..."

Laughing wearily, the doctor quickly moved back into position. "Well...Surprise!"

Nisha' voice came out as a choked, angry growl. "Both of you...s-shut the fuck up..."

Dutifully, both men dropped the subject. The doctor instructed her to push two more times. The second infant in his hands, he chuckled lightly. "A girl," he told the couple, handing the newborn over to a nurse.

All three of them waited in tense silence for two minutes. When Nisha did not feel any more pricks of pain that signaled to keep pushing, she slumped back against the hospital bed. "Thank God, it's over," she muttered tiredly.

Jack and the doctor both sighed softly in relief, feeling just as tired. Straightening, the doctor began the rest of his duties. A minute later, a nurse came over and handed out the little boy to his mother. Nisha cradled him in her arms, feeling utter amazement at the tiny, beautiful life in her hands. Jack and Nisha had already settled on a boy and girl name, though neither of them had expected to have to use both. "Hello, Aiden," she greeted her son.

Jack stared into his son's turquoise-colored eyes, evidence that he wasn't human in the slightest, somehow. Aiden screamed in rage for a few more seconds before beginning to settle down at the feel of his mother's warm skin. Nisha glanced over at Jack. "His skin isn't cold in the slightest," she told him. "He's room temperature, surprisingly."

The second nurse gently lowered the baby girl into Jack's arms. He stared down into her grey eyes, exactly the same shade as her mother's. His daughter was much quieter than her older brother. She gazed up into her father's face before a slow little smile spread over her small face. She giggled, kicking out her limbs.

Jack was lost, feeling a tender, all-consuming love wrap around his heart at the sight of his little girl's smile. "Welcome into the world, Sera," he choked out, fighting tears.

Sera smiled more, reaching out her hands for him. Shifting his hold, he let his finger be captured in her tiny fist. His heart began to melt at the sight as the heat of her body cut through the cold of his skin. "Sera's warmer than a normal human, but not dangerously so," Jack reported.

Nisha sighed in relief. "That's good then. I was worried." She smiled down at Aiden. "Not even ten minutes old and already you're a big brother."

Jack swallowed. "So...now the real question is...Are they both hybrids, only one is, or was all that crazy magic caused by the fact that you had two babies?"

Glancing over at Sera in Jack's arms, Nisha sighed. "I honestly have no idea...I'm feeling all the weariness start to hit me now though..."

Jack turned to the nurse that was still in the room, the other one and the doctor having left a few minutes before. This nurse had brought in a chair for him to sit in, two hours earlier, when the strength in his legs had begun to tire from standing for so long. At his voice, she turned to look at the couple. "I apologize for having to ask this of you, but could you tell our family and let them know the situation? Right now...I don't think I have the strength to stand and I don't want to leave my wife's side."

The nurse lowered her head in a quick nod. She recalled that this couple was part of the Frost family. Even if she had wanted to say no, though she saw no reason to do so as it was a simple enough request, she couldn't have. "I'll go tell them right now. But they'll have to wait on visiting." Her eyes turned to Nisha, lying wearily on the bed, covered in sweat. "Lady, you will most likely need to feed the twins in a few minutes," she told her. "I'm sure their hunger will hit them very soon, now that they are out in the big world. Also, congratulations. You have two very healthy children and no complications came up from the labor." Smiling gently, the nurse turned and left.

Out in the long hallway, it only took her three minutes to arrive at the waiting part of the maternity ward. Coming out of the double doors, her eyes fell upon a group of five, all huddled together, their faces drawn with a mixture of worry, excitement, and weariness. Smiling brighter, she walked over. "You are the family of the Frost's, are you not?" she asked.

The older man, his blue eyes tired, nodded. "Yes. Is everything okay? The last we heard, things were still in a limbo."

The nurse smiled. "Things went wonderfully. A baby born was born-" she began.

The older gentleman interrupted her, letting out a happy whoop. "Yes! I knew an heir would be born. The baby couldn't be anything but a boy!" he cried out in triumphant.

"-first," the nurse emphasized after his interruption. The family's eyes all grew wide in shock. "A baby girl was born a few minutes later. Both children and the mother are doing well, though she will need some more time to recover. Until then, we must ask that you hold back your eagerness to see them. I will return within the hour and let you know when it is okay to go back and see them. Congratulations. I'll be sure to return in awhile." Turning on her heel, she returned to the main part of the maternity ward.

The Frost family began to celebrate, giddy with relief that everything had gone well and amazement over the news of twins.

Placing a smile on his face, internally, Jacob was panicking. Fear shot down his spine and his mind spun the news over and over in his mind. Twins...