I watch the woman in front of me rub her hand over her belly; she has a book in her other hand and as if she knows I'm staring, she holds it up a little higher to cover her face. It's hypnotic, around and around. Cain nudges my arm, and I blink as I look at him. He looks as anxious as I feel, but he smiles for me anyway. I can't smile back.

This place isn't like the first one I had gone to. Ailin had made arrangements for us to see someone associated with the Council rather than the obstetrician I had found, which made sense. The chairs were comfortable, not broken and squeaky. The toilets were down a discreet corridor not practically in the waiting room, and it was warm, with a soft lavender scent in the room. The staff here definitely wouldn't be breaking into any cars while you waited, and they had already offered us a bigger drink selection than what the nearby cafes could, twice.

"Miss Bunting?" The gently spoken woman called from beside the reception desk, her smile bright and welcoming.

All eyes turned our way as I held onto Cain's hand like the lifeline it was. Even the woman with the book closed it to look at us; to look at me. The couple that had been a few seats down from us, pointed as they whispered to each other, and smartly looked away as Cain glared at them. Tugging on his hand, I just kept my head down and followed the doctor.

Different place.

Same nerves.

The technology on her desk was years more advanced than what Doctor Vallerie had used, and there seemed to be more of it. She didn't wear scrubs either, her attire more professional and executive; heeled pumps over crocs.

"I'm Dr Aldrin, but I'm happy for you to call me Katie." She introduced, her friendly manner doing little to help my anxiety. "I've got your file here from your previous doctor and based on this, you should be around twelve weeks?"

We both nod along, as she reads something on the screen in front of her. "How have you been feeling?"

"Tired, nauseous, but it's not so bad at the moment," I tell her.

"Morning sickness should start to fade as you enter the second trimester." Katie smiles. "And I hope you've listened to your body and taken the time to rest as you need to."

"She faint-" Cain starts to answer and I hit his arm, but he ignores me. "fainted, a couple of times last week."

If this alarms her in any way, it doesn't show as she gives Cain a slight nod and a reassuring smile as takes out the cuff and little machine to take my blood pressure before looking at me.

"Well I'm going to give you a check-up today just to make sure everything is as it should be, but it can be common throughout the pregnancy and especially in the first few weeks. What were you doing when this happened? You know you are not expected to continue your current duties. Even if you may feel okay, there are so many changes going on internally, and it can be a dangerous time. Vampires, in particular, are known for seeking out women in your condition and-"

"It had been a big day. I hadn't eaten, and I'll remember to watch out for vampires." I mumbled, ignoring the look Cain is sending my way.

"I'm going to take some blood, and we can have this analysed while we do your scan. I've got all your previous results, so we'll get a good look at how things are going. Then I'm just going to get your stats down and check your blood pressure. Are you taking a prenatal?" I nod, and Katie tenses as she looks like she's about to stand. "Did you have any questions for me before we get started?"

"Do you have to do blood tests? How much are you taking exactly, is it safe?" Cain asked, sounding completely serious as if this had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

I hadn't even thought about it.

"It is perfectly safe, for Elise and the baby," Katie answered easily with no hesitation at all. "We're just using it as a chance to see on her, make sure her body is producing the right amount of the right stuff, with no hidden nasties. We'll also be able to check the baby for any abnormalities or concerns. You're young, healthy and with no family history or concerns, I am sure it will be fine. Being Hunters doesn't change the fact that we are still human and unfortunately sometimes these things don't go according to plan, but that's why you see me and we'll get through it."

Cain stilled as she said that causing her smile to finally fade. Katie stood, excusing herself and left the room.

"Do you have any family history or concerns?" I ask him, keeping an eye on the door. "Do Powers have anything going on mortals don't?"

"Ah, no. I don't believe so." He answered hesitantly. "Conception is typically the hardest part, and mostly that's because no one wants to procreate unless it holds a purpose or gives an advantage."

"Do you have any aversions to needles, Elise?" Katie asked as she came back in.

"No." She nods, and the nurse behind her brings in a little trolley. It's over before I can think about it, and she's onto the next task.

"Blood pressure is perfect, but try snacking if you can't stomach big meals. Keep it light and healthy, and have lots of water. You don't have to stop exercising, just watch what you're doing and listen to your body." Katie explains. "Speaking of water, how's your bladder? Nice and full?"

I hadn't been thinking about that either but now that I was, I instantly felt uncomfortable.

"I don't know if nice is a word I'd use to describe it."

"Perfect. Come on over and we'll have a peek inside."

Katie closed the blinds before going over to pat the bed that was against the back wall, and instead of walking towards it as Cain did, I just stopped. Despite the protest, my bladder was now holding my body hostage too, a new wave of numbness washed over me and I didn't know how I was supposed to do this. Matt's picture was still in the front of my mind and I thought about the woman in the other room with her round belly, rubbing it around and around. This still wasn't real. Apollo and Cain were wrong, there was no second heartbeat. Even Dr Vallerie had said HCG levels could change for a bunch of reasons and maybe I was just having early menopause after all.

"Elle," Cain says softly. "Are you ready?"

No.

I was not ready.

He looked at me with so much love and trust that was going to be ruined when we realised this was nothing after all. He wanted this. He wanted more. I thought about having to tell everyone it was a false alarm, just my body fucking with me now because having the rest of the world do it wasn't enough.

"Stay with me, love. I'm going to be right here with you for every second of it, okay?" He promised, kissing my forehead before he held me tight.

It wasn't even the fear of what we'd find now that kept me in place. It's what it meant if he was in there, which was a million times worse than nothing at all. I loved this stranger and promise of what could be more than anything I'd felt or known before. Ever. How could I see him, while knowing how it ends before it could truly begin?

"Did you want to do it another day?" Cain asks, ignoring Katie as she asks us for the second time if we're okay.

"No." That would be even worse.

I'm up on the bed and Katie asks me to lift my shirt. The gel is cold, and as she applies the slightest bit of pressure on my stomach, I pray I don't actually pee myself right now. I focus on the probe that rolls back and forth over the gel, unable to bring myself to look at the screen or Cain, who is holding my hand so tightly it's a welcome distraction from the current state of my bladder.

"Here we go," Katie sounds relieved and looking at her, she is completely transfixed to the screen, pushing some buttons on the little panel beside her as she expertly moves the device back and forth. "And there's your baby."

She sounds so proud of us.

Cain leans closer and as I look up at him, he looks down at me which makes the world stop. I have never seen him look like that before, and he's never looked at me the way he was now. The night we finally got together had been like this. It was a turning point, one of those moments in life that changes everything. It hits unexpectedly, like a tornado and an earthquake at the same time and you're left wondering if it even happened and if it did, how did you just survive that?

His mouth opens as if he has so much to say, only the words don't follow. His eyes are bright yet glossy as a few tears slip out the side and down his cheek. Cain's presence lightens, it fills the whole room in a new way. He's glowing and hopeful, I've never felt so loved or powerful because it's as if I just handed him over the world and it's everything he's always wanted.

"Let me just get this ready," Katie mumbles, clearly timing her interactions with us as she otherwise isn't even there. The sudden galloping, whooshing sound that blasts from beside me makes me jump. "And that's your babies heartbeat. Beautiful and strong guys. We've got around 150bpm!"

"Wait, that's his heartbe-" My head snaps around to her so fast I feel it crack, but I don't look at Katie. The screen grabs my attention and the grainy black and white lines and lump make no sense until it does. "It's so fast."

"Babies beat twice as fast as ours. It's totally normal." Katie explains, happily explaining it to us but I can't hear her over the sound.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

I can see his head, his body; tiny arms and legs. It spins and flickers around in the black pool, and looking away I look down as if I expected to be feeling all of those little dance moves as he doesn't stop. Staring at the screen, he stills, settles down against the curve as if he needs to take a break from the little show we just witnessed.

"Measuring at twelve weeks, three days and now he's still, I'm going to take a few pictures just to check the baby. You'll get a printout of these, and a CD copy. There isn't anything here I am worried about, he - was it? He looks perfect." Katie gushes.

"He is." I agree.

I look at Cain again and his mouth is instantly on mine. I taste my tears, or maybe they're his and I don't want to leave this room. I don't want to go back to the real world. I just want to sit here and watch Blueberry until the second I can hold him in my arms.

"That's it for today. We'll get you back in around twenty weeks for another check-up, but of course, any concerns or gods forbid, any accidents happen, call me anytime. I'm just going to check the other tests and get your prints." Katie switches the machine off, and the room goes silent as she passes me some paper towels and I start to wipe off the gel. "Bathroom is just through that door, Elise."

Right. Toilet.

Cain helps me slide off the bed, and I don't bother to fix my pants as I'm still wiping off the gel, and rush to the bathroom in record time. Coming back in, he's sitting on the edge of the bed looking like Santa completed his wish list and more this year. He opens his arms and I instantly fill the space, unable to fight off his excitement. It's too contagious

"That was, amazing." He finally says.

"Did you hear his little heart?" I smile back at him.

"And he waved. He waved at us like he knew we could finally see him." Cain laughed. "I never, I just, I hadn't expected it to be like that. He's not a Blueberry anymore, he's got little legs, and a body and a head, and legs!"

"All very necessary things to have." I agree, once again looking down to where he was hidden away expecting to see, feel, something more than the tiny bulge that was simply making my jeans feel a little uncomfortable. "Cain, we're having an actual baby."

"Yeah, we are."

I was glad Katie wasn't here right now, or anyone as we just stared at each other like grinning fucking lunatics. Not that it mattered as we still were by the time she came back.

"So tests came back fine, the baby is looking very happy in there, no points of concern with the placement of the placenta and well, everything is looking great, which I am sure is a big relief for you both. Elise, take it easy, and if you are feeling dizzy or faint, especially with no obvious reasons, call me. This is for you." She hands me a blue folder as she sits down. "There are all the usual leaflets about nutrition, baby development, what happens next and also a list of our appointments. All will be reconfirmed before the date so feel free to make any changes. Otherwise, we're just about done for today. Did you have any other questions?"

Cain sat up straighter, shifting uncomfortably and I wasn't sure where this sudden mood flip had come from.

"I had just, one thing to ask." He started, and Katie smiled encouragingly at him as we waited for him to continue. "Can we, ah, should we still be, you know, doing that, now?"

I hid my face in my hands as Cain couldn't hide his blush. Credit to Katie, her face remained completely neutral.

"There are no complications we need to be mindful of, so as long as you both consenting and comfortable to do so, you two can continue doing, that." Her voice wavered, not able to disguise her amusement completely. "Towards the end, it may, difficult, and I don't advise spending time on your back, Elise. It's also thought semen can help induce labour, so be mindful of when, and how. If in doubt I'm happy to discuss any future concerns as they occur. Otherwise, go for it."

"Oh. Good. I mean, something to think about?" Cain looked at me and I just shook my head, unable to stop myself from laughing at him. "I think we should go."

"You do that," Katie smirked. "I'll see you two next time."

"Oh, that was hard to watch." I teased him as he shut the door behind us.

"I had a question. She answered it." He shrugged.

"I already sussed it out with Raya, you could have asked me." His blush reappeared. "Though she did say by midway I would have replaced you with a body pillow and if I am like her, I won't even be thinking about doing, that, by then either."

"No body pillows then." Cain stopped as we hit the elevator, holding me against him on the way down. "Just in case, I am going to cancel on Zane and can spend the afternoon together."

"Tempting, but I am meant to be meeting Penny and Raya. I'd feel bad cancelling on them since I've hardly seen Raya lately and Penny's been away." His mouth found that sensitive spot on my neck, and I regretted everything I just said. "I'll be waiting for you at home later."

"Any chance of me changing your mind now?"

"Nope."

"Fine. Tonight, you're mine." His kiss leaves my lips tingling and as he disappears, the elevators open into the foyer.

I hesitate for a second, before hitting the close doors button and heading back up. Taking a photo of the scan picture, I send it out to my family and my phone is exploding with messages back as I go back up where Katie is talking to the receptionist. She motions me to follow and we go back into her room.

"I saw your note, what's up? Is everything okay?" Her corner was written all over her face. "If you need-"

"I just have a question, it's just one I'm not ready to talk about with him yet." I instantly feel guilty but push it aside.

"Okay, what is it?"

"If something was to happen to me, would the baby survive? Like, I dunno, about this far along." I hold my hands out over an imaginary bump. "I was trying to look it up this morning but there didn't seem to be any kind of info on it."

"Elise, I know how scary having a baby and our life is. I mentioned the vamps before as a precaution, but we have things in place to help keep you safe. If you're worried-"

I cut her off. "No. It's not like that. I just need to know if the baby will survive if I don't."

Katie seemed to think about this. "Twenty-four weeks and chances of fetal survival increase from there if born prematurely. There would be so many factors to consider, including the nature of your death and how quickly we could deliver and support the baby."

"So, I'd need at least another twelve weeks for him to even have a chance if you can get him out in time." Hiding in the Underworld was becoming more appealing.

"Well, I guess, yes. It's not something that happens very often, if at all. If this is a concern, I can speak with President Ailin and discuss setting up your confinement period early. You don't need to be out there, fighting and-"

"I do because Fate isn't giving me any other options right now, and I've got twelve weeks to sort it out." I shrug. "Thank you for today, Dr Aldrin."

"Elise, wait! We-"

I'm gone before she can finish and going to Raya's I don't even feel bad for lying about how tired I am, how sick I'm feeling with promises of going home straight to bed. Instead, I'm sneaking into a council storage facility, where access was extremely limited and the collection of items stored in their secretive, climate-controlled basements were priceless. There's minimal security down here, no guards. There wasn't a need for it since these were all off the record and I had only found out about it when I'd been snooping around for the portal stones last year. Why I decided to come here now though was still a mystery, but for some reason, Dad talking about history with Apollo last night was still on my mind.

I am a Bunting. Alistair and my other ancestors reached their career peak if they got something worthy of being put away down here yet who would even know? Apart from bragging rights to be passed down through our own family that had ended up as bedtime stories for Jordan and me as kids, our family kept things on the down-low. I thought about the differences Penny had pointed out about our families and realised just how right she was. Some finds had to be public knowledge, but so many more were not. Those were what I wanted now; something the Powers left behind when they went back to their realm. A weapon, a clue, something to rival Perseus shield for when we next saw the Furies.

Row after row I went up and down, frantically searching for something I didn't know anything about. The sensor lights flicked on and off as I went through each block and eventually I knew it was time to give up. The disappointment was like a bad taste in my mouth and taking a break to think about what to do next, I climbed up onto one of the many ancient Egyptian tombs down here. My legs were tired, my boobs were sore, and as I sat there the lights flicked back off so the whole room was back in darkness. I let it stay that way, more frustrated now.

Why couldn't a big old Trojan horse be sitting down here waiting for me? Maybe some arrows on the floor that said this way and took me on a maze-like hunt to the golden ticket.

I'm about to leave when the lights flick on in this block and temporarily blinded, though as I tentatively open my eyes, I'm almost positive I don't want to. I don't need to see Cain to know how pissed off he currently is and to work out how much trouble I'm in, I go for my phone to see no signal and it was nearly two in the morning.

Shit.

It hadn't felt like it had been that long, and I wondered what my opening statement should be as I finally dared to look at him. The silence was deafening and I coughed slightly to clear my throat.

"So, I had planned on being home by eleven." I start, his eyes are dark and unreadable. "I kinda lost track of time."

"You found her," Kara exclaimed a second later. "Wait, where are we?"

Double Shit.

"Council storage," I tell her.

"Oh. So how come we couldn't find you?" She frowned.

"This place is hidden by very particular wards. I managed to get a read of her outside, and then broke them to get in." Cain stated. "Ailin has been alerted."

"How did you get in?" Kara looked confused.

"I just came in?" I didn't think I had broken any wards. I wasn't sure I'd have known even if I did. "I used the door."

"Not the time, Elise." She warned.

"But I did. I came in back that way somewhere, through the door." I look at Cain. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"I'll see you two later, tonight?" Kara asked Cain, who nodded. She vanished and he exploded.

"Do you have fucking idea what we've just gone through, Elise!" He moved closer as I slipped down off the tomb, boxing me in against it. "You were gone. We couldn't sense you, Raya said you never went there, as you weren't feeling well. I thought Portia might have come while I wasn't there and-"

Triple Shit.

"I'm sorry, I am so fucking sorry. I didn't know, I didn't think I'd be this long and I just got this urge to come here. I thought, there might be something left from the Powers or someone like them, that we could use against the Furies or even the Fates. Like a backup copy of Persues shield or something." I wrapped myself around him, hating how the last few hours must have been for him, them. "It wasn't on purpose, Cain, I'm sorry."

I could feel how shaken he was, the anger and fear were suffocating being this close. Slowly his arms dropped around me, and I was held back just as tightly.

"There's nothing of use here. If you'd talked to me about it, I could have told you that and saved you the trouble." He sighed. "I'm just glad you're fucking safe."

We stood there for a couple of minutes until I felt he'd calmed down. "How do you know?"

"Who do you think oversaw all of this? When certain objects appeared from time to time, we'd always get involved. Portia suggested this. We used historians and treasure hunters to do all the hard work for us and if anything of use came by, we'd do what we could or needed to do with it."

"Clever." I frowned. "Wish I had known that before all of this. I'm sorry, a hundred times, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. How about we go home? You look tired, and you were told to take it easy today."

I was tired, and hungry only as he let me go and stepped to the side, something opposite me grabbed my attention. They were eyes I'd recognise anywhere.

"Hold that thought."

"What is it?" He follows as I push aside an old wooden crate lid for a clearer look at the woman on the square pot.

"Look familiar?" I ask him, inspecting the stone engraving. "What's Kheimon mean?"

"Winter."

I attempt to move the pot, bowl, thing and fail. It's too heavy and so move into the space between items on the shelf to look at the other female statues moulded into the relic.

"hthinoporon," is next, and looks oddly like Adala. The next one's face has been broken off as is quite damaged and I don't find anything familiar about the final one. "Theros and Elar."

"Autumn, Summer, and Spring," Cain tells me, helping me down.

"What is this?"

"I think, but I'll need to check, it was rumoured to have once held the tree of life." He shrugged. "It's an old pot, but the story that went with it was worth investigating at the time."

"Winter and Autumn look just like Nieve and Adala." I look at Nieve, and with her hands see a stick she's holding, only it doesn't have an ending and moving my head around the sides, its a continuous line around the whole thing. "Tree of Life. The seasons. Cain, think about it. What do they represent? Maiden, Spring. Mother, Summer and Autumn I guess. Crone, Winter. This is the thread of life." I point at what Nieve is holding. "There really were four and this could be the only other piece of evidence of it!"

"This could change everything. This is what we've been looking for," he said slowly.

I got goosebumps a second later, and looking at the pot I was sure it wasn't a matter of could change everything but that it just did. I let out a squeal, jumping at him as he caught me and the smile that appeared on his face matched my own. I had no idea what it all meant exactly, but right now it didn't matter because it had just given us something powerful.

It gave us hope.