"Thanks for waiting, I know it's been a long morning." Doctor Katie smiled as she returned, flipping through whatever was on her clipboard. "Good news, all clear on the GD test and as I said earlier, everything is looking perfect on the scan."

Cain let out a long breath, earning him a pat on the shoulder as she passed to sit at her desk.

"That said, I am concerned about you Elise. You're heading towards your third trimester and it will get harder for you the closer you get to the baby's due date. Your blood pressure is okay if not a little on the lower side of things but nothing it's not abnormal enough to worry about. If you're not looking after your body, it will make you." She warned. "Please tell me you're not still in the middle of whatever goes on out there and taking on lesser duties?"

"It was a bushwalk, I got tired." I shrugged as Cain spoke at the same time.

"She was, more like at the front of it, rather than the middle."

I glared at him and he ignored it, focusing on Doctor Katie instead who sighed and put back on her serious face rather than a friendly smile.

"Plus there was a tiny hostage situation only a couple of days before," He confessed like this was some kind of church. "She's hardly stopped, not that there has been much of a chance to take things easier."

"And what part of I'm fine didn't you just hear?" I looked at Katie who seemed almost amused at this.

"The part where you should be taking on lesser duties and you have low blood pressure."

"No, it's normal. I'll eat more snacks, stop when I have to" Again I look to her for support only I don't find any.

"Do you plan on more bushwalks, Elise?" I was starting to, unlike, Doctor Katie.

"Not intentionally, but today is a new day. I also didn't plan to dress myself up in orange and dance into a psycho party gods tent to play waitress but when your friends all go missing and are being held, hostage-"

"I was waiting for the right moment. I had it handled." Cain managed to say without even opening his mouth properly.

"So did I."

"And what if you chose then to faint again or it was the Furies? You going to ask nicely for a five minute time out to rest and recover?" I ignored his sarcasm, adding my own.

"Maybe. They might be more understanding and accommodating than you think."

"I fucking doubt it." He yelled now, and I instantly noticed Katie sitting up a little straighter, less amused and more on alert. "There are so many out there that would kill you in an instant. You've gotten lucky, again, that they are lesser Powers and have been easily handled."

"Yeah, I should know since I handled them!"

Cain groaned, burying his face in his hands as the frustration rolled off him. Doctor Katie looked like she was trying to decide whether to interrupt or run for the door and I didn't blame her.

"And you shouldn't have had to. Nothing I do is helping or bringing us closer to ending this and don't even try to turn this back on me, because I know, but I don't want you to be handling it. I want you in a fucking locked box, away from all of it, before your luck runs out."

I got up, moving to stand in front of him and kneeling, I looked up at him as I took my hands in his.

"It's not just up to you, Cain. None of this is only your burden and whatever does happen next, isn't solely on you either. Together, remember?"

Doctor Katie awkwardly cleared her throat. "It sounds like you've got a lot going on, and I'll admit, there are a lot of rumours going around whenever your names are mentioned and I can only guess this is of that kind of level. But she's right Cain. You're both only human and there are limitations in what is physically and mentally possible. I promise Elise and the baby are fine. Give yourself a break."

Cain doesn't answer either of us, instead, he stands and helps me up.

"I'll see you at home." Then he's gone.

"I'd tell you to reduce your stress, but I'm not that would be possible." She frowns. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"I'll save it for my therapist. He's getting better with all of this, stuff."

"Okay, that's good. Does Cain have someone?" I only feel genuine concern coming from her.

"No. Maybe. He talks with Hades, and I'm not sure how likely he and Apollo getting all chatty is."

"Hades? Apollo? They sound like the names of gods." She smiles, yet it disappears as I just stare at her and the second she realises that's exactly who I am talking about, her face pales. "You're kidding?"

"As I said, I have a therapist. He's good with this stuff."

"Yes. Good. Great." She looks thoughtful for a second. "And Cain is like, Cain and Abel?"

"No. He's off the records. Um, Apollo's his older brother."

"Oh."

"Are we done for today?" I ask, eager to find Cain. Something told me he wouldn't be home if I went there now.

"Yes, sorry. You're good to go. I'll see you in another three weeks unless anything changes. Please try and look after yourself."

"I'll try!" I smile, and leave her office the normal way, opting to disappear from the elevator instead.

Of course, Cain isn't home and trying to find Zane proves difficult which is the clue I needed to know they were at least together. Heading the Valkyrie bar, Eric smiles as he sees me, shutting his laptop and opening his arms for a hug.

"I thought you'd forgotten about us." He greeted. "How's my girl? From the mood your lover was in when he came through, I'm guessing not so good?"

"We're fine, I think. Do you know where he went? Did he go through the portal?"

"Na, Zane was here with Meghan. They did some, caveman grunting thing and disappeared, which had her storming out of here super pissed off too."

"So he's going to get Zane to kick his ass. Awesome. Hide the mead when they're done beating each other up." I groan, sitting beside him. "I can't stay long. I'm on strict orders to stay home and too tired to push those boundaries today."

"That doesn't like the Elise I know?" He frowned.

"That Elise wasn't nearly six months pregnant and she could sleep whenever, wherever." I looked across the bar and saw the tarot card sitting there. Picking it up it's the Empress who stares back at me. "Magician been around lately?"

"Not for a few weeks. Why?" I hold up the card. "Doesn't look like his usual set, where did you get it?"

"There on the bar."

Eric waves his hand over it, before passing it back to me. "It has his imprint all over it. Sure you're going home now?"

"Think it's a message from him?" I wonder, watching as the woman in the chair starts to resemble me a little too closely. "Okay, let me ask that again. Wanna come be my backup?"

"I'm only doing stock orders, why not?" He shrugs.

"Any idea where we'd find him?" I tuck the card into my back pocket and Eric thinks about it for a second before reopening his laptop and bringing up a world map. "Are you going to use Google Maps to find him?"

"What can I say, I'm a modern wizard living in a modern world!" Pulling out a pendulum, I saw nothing as he closes his eyes and lets it swing back and forth over his screen. When he opens his eyes, the point is pulled onto the screen. "Oh, he's in his Sydney offices."

I lean in closer, seeing the east coast of Australia is indeed where it landed. "Neat trick."

"Couldn't have done it without you," He grins before packing it all away. A second later we're in a dark office with only the city lights outside the window. "Forgot about the time difference."

"Do you know where he lives when he's here then? I don't think he's here.".

"Oh, he's still here," Eric smirks. "Come out, come out wherever you are, Magician!"

"Subtle."

I search for him in my way, while I admire the view and Eric walks around each office checking them all out. Turns out, he isn't always here and I save the I told you so as Eric comes back in.

"Don't say it."

"Okay, but I do sense something down the opposite end of the building." I shrug and take us there, I can't stop myself from flinching as I realise it's a portal.

"I forgot he does that, goes between two places simultaneously. Shall we?"

"Last time I went through one of his portals I was trapped back in time."

This was completely different, but call me cautious.

"I also forgot about that. Want me to go first?" Eric offered.

"No. I'll leave the card on his desk. If he wants to see me, he can try again." I decide. "Want to come back to my place? We can have some lunch, watch a movie while you catch me up on Valkyrie drama."

"Or you catch me up with everything else? When Deimos came through a couple of days ago, he mentioned you'd been taken."

"I like my plan better."

Just as we're about to leave, the Magician himself walks in. I'm not sure he's happy or nervous to see us there, but as he shuts the door, a faint purple light surrounds it.

"What's that about?" I ask cautiously.

"Resetting my alarms. I'd fallen asleep too, so your timing is impeccable." He mumbled, turning back to us.

"Always a pleasure, Dorian. What's with this?" I hold up the card.

"Thought it would get your attention."

"You couldn't have just I dunno, called, sent a postcard, asked Eric to pass on a message?"

"As if he would." He glared at the wizard. "I liked him better without powers. I wonder what the witch who cursed you would think of this turnaround"

"I don't really care. I was blessed by Hecate herself, so I'd love to see her response to that," Eric challenged, sitting forward slightly in the chair beside me as he glared back. "What do you want?"

"Do you know much about the tarot, Elise?" The Magician asked, moving to sit at his desk.

I ended up sitting on the edge of his desk, keeping close to Eric. "I keep meaning to read more about it, but I haven't really had the time."

It wasn't even a total lie.

"Well, my cards have been talking. A lot. Some divine power is channelling through them, and you seem to be the topic of conversation." He sighed, producing  a deck of cards. It wasn't the deck he kept locked away in his castle home, but the air in the room changed, and as he shuffled the cards I could feel the power coming from them. "You seem very well acquainted with her."

The High Priestess card fell out as he shuffled, floating across the desk to land in front of me. The triple goddess and moon phase sketchings initially made me think of the Fates only I knew that was wrong.

"Hecate."

"Correct. Something to do with this." He slid over the Wheel of Fortune card next. "But all she seems to want to do is remind you of this one. Has she told you something you may have forgotten? Are you ignoring any other messages she's sending you for her to go the effort of hassling me?"

Again the Empress is in front of me and I tried to think about the last time I saw her. Had I forgotten something like the others seemed to with their whole visit? "I saw her like a week ago. What does this card mean?"

"That's for you to work out."

"Are you sure?" Eric pushed. "If she's contacting you with a message, and we all know your connections to the cards, any idea or clues?"

I nodded along, looking at the Magician hopefully.

"The Empress is one of the Major Arcana, the third card in a deck, right after the Fool and The High Priestess. They're powerful cards." He starts.

"What is the fourth?" Eric asks, not impressing Dorian at all.

"The Emporer of course. Then if you must know, because I'm sure you're bound to ask, the Hierophant and then the Lovers. Am I a messenger or your tarot teacher of the day?" He snapped. "Anyway, our very own High Priestess is expecting her Empress to work it out. Look at the card, what jumps out at you? What does it have to say?"

He looked at me expectantly, and I realised that was exactly what he wanted me to do. I thought he was like Penny when she discussed horoscopes and would up explaining each sentence that was clearly made to be flexible for it to fit in with what you wanted it to. The impatient tap on the card a second later told me I was wrong.

"Oh, you're serious? You want me to look at the card?"

"Yes. Get your message and then go." He huffed, before returning to glaring at Eric. "Where is your Emporer?"

"So you're definitely implying we're these characters?" I fished for a clue as nothing was happening. I wasn't sure what was meant to be happening, but I had a feeling it wasn't this.

"Why wouldn't I?" He cut the deck and held out the Emporer. Like the Empress, there was an uncanny likeness to be found in the drawing of these people.

I focused on the card, half expecting it to start to talking only it never did. Her staff thing was in the shape of a snake. Twelve moons were in the sky behind her, weird. Did she look pregnant or was it how she was sitting?

"I'm not getting anything. I mean, I get the snake thing and knocked up vibe, but I dunno. Does she like, is that corn or wheat or something?" I look to Eric for help but he looks as confused as I do.

"Give me strength." The Magician mumbled. "This card is all about the divine feminine and all of that strong, nurturing female energy. She creates life. She comforts. She heals. Look at her sitting there, so confident and powerful because knowledge is power and she knows it all. Actually, you're right. Clearly, you know little, so I'm not sure how any of this relates to you apart from the fact clearly you are also fertile and perhaps, too passionate with your sexuality."

Judgy McJudgy has entered the building.

"Wow, I forgot how much of an asshole you can be." I roll my eyes. "Yes, Captain Obvious, I had sex, and guess what, now I am pregnant. Thank you for pointing that out. We're done here."

"Elise, stop. I apologise. But it's true, this is literally the embodiment of all that it is to be female."

"Pretty sure it's not. Not all women have babies, and sit around like they know everything in a field of grass."

"We're not talking about the billions of women on this planet. We're talking about you and what Hecate wants you to get from this card." He pointed out. "Maybe I'm looking at this wrong."

He gathered all the cards up and started to shuffle them again. Closing his eyes, his hands only moved faster, and glancing at Eric he just shrugged. Finally, he stopped, fanning them out in the gap on his desk and motioned to the cards.

"Left hand, pick three." He ordered.

"Always with the threes," I mumbled but did it anyway.

Once done, he put the other cards to one side and then flipped the three I picked over. The High Priestess, Wheel of Fortune and The Empress.

"Great shuffling."

"What will be, will be." Dorian stood up to look over the three cards. "They are all Major Arcana cards, so whatever is up for discussion here is a big deal, and will have a significant impact."

"Which is what exactly?"

"The Wheel seems to keep finding you. Do you remember the first time you touched my cards?"

"That sounds like a cheesy pickup line from a bad date, but yes. It was rather unforgettable." Eric looked at me, expecting more but I ignored him.

"Tower, Wheel, and Strength." The other two cards appeared above mine. "Big change, undecided fate, but you were strong enough to get through it. I'm sure that's how it went."

"And let's focus on today, shall we? I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Fine, focus on the right things. Be careful where you are putting your energy, what you are nurturing. You already know the answers, and yet the wheel is never set. Something finishing, something starting. The Wheel will always continue to turn."

"What about the High Priestess then, where does that fit in?" Eric asked, which I'm glad he did because I hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

Dorian picked them both up, inspected each card closely and failed to hide the surprise on his face. "There are many changes to come, some of which are still greatly unknown."

"I call bull shit. What do you see?" I demanded.

"It's all going to the next level, Elise. I hope you're ready for it." He gathered up the five cards. "This has been a blast, but I have a conference starting in, three hours and I do need sleep. You need to get home, otherwise Hanged Man for you."

The card fluttered by my face before he snatched it back up. "I'm kidding. But there will be trouble on the horizon."

He was out the door before either of us could stop him.

"Well, that was pointless." I sighed.

"You didn't get anything from that?"

"Who knows. I'll think it over, but he's right. We need to go."

I put out some bread, dip and fruit while Eric manages to get the TV on just as Cain and Zane appear. Eric pales, while I busy myself covering carrots in hommus before looking at them.

"Where have you two been?" I ask.

"We went for a run," Cain answered, looking at us suspiciously. "What have you been up to?"

"Catching up on Valkyrie gossip." I look at Zane, smirking. "How's Meghan?"

"Don't go there, Sunshine." He warns.

"Oh I will, but later."

"I've got to debrief a new team, in like twenty, can someone send me to Huntington's?" Zane quickly asks.

"Thanks for everything." I hear Cain tell him, as they do one of those weird fist bump half-hug moves and then Zane is gone.

Eric is sweating and he is looking so nervous I feel like we've up to something really bad, so when he suddenly declares he has to go finish his stock order, I let him go.

"What have you been up to? He looks like he just murdered someone and got you to hide the body." Cain mused, taking Eric's place on the couch.

"He did, but I can't tell you any more than that or you'll be counted as an accessory." I shrug, going back for more dip. "Good run?"

"Yeah." He sighed, looking tired. "I'm going to shower, fancy joining me?"

"Nope. Sorry, food before dudes."

That makes him smile, and as soon as he leaves the room I breathe easier. Now I've started eating, I realise how hungry I actually am and by the time he comes back, a quarter of the bread is gone and all the carrots. He sits closer this time, and he used that body wash again which has me regretting not joining him in there after all.

"I'm sorry about before."

"Me too." I paused. "And you don't have to apologise. I get it."

"What are you sorry for?" He frowned, giving me his full attention now. "Why was the bartender here?"

"Visiting."

"Elise," Cain groans.

"He's a trusted friend, I'm allowed to have visitors," I argued, but I caved. It wasn't going to be a secret, I just wanted to try and process it first. "And he came back here with me after we went and saw your pal, the Magician."

Oh, that really got his attention now.

"It wasn't planned. I went to the bar, looking for Zane as that's where I ended up, and Eric said I just missed you guys, so then I asked Eric if he wanted to do lunch, but a tarot card was on the bar and so we decided to return it to him. Which we did."

"Staying out of trouble then? You do remember him taking you back in time and-"

"And following your orders when you went next-level crazy. Yeah, I remember. You were saying?" Cain went quiet, choosing to get some dip while motioning for me to keep talking. "He thinks that through the cards he's getting messages from Hecate and he pulled some cards for me, then got me to do it and I got the same ones and we had a chat which was kind of pointless, and here we are."

"Why wouldn't Hecate just see you?"

"I don't know. I didn't even understand or really receive any messages anyway, but he reckons there was something to it." I shrug, practically crawling onto his lap now. "Why do you smell s good?"

"Please don't lick me." He tensed as I put my face against his neck. "What cards did you get?"

"Wheel of Fortune, Empress, which is me by the way and I think that sounds so much better than Queen. And High Priestess."

"And he couldn't explain the cards?"

"He tried, but it wasn't clear." I kissed his neck, eager to forget the cards. "He seemed kind of excited by the end, something like, many changes to come and it's going to be next level."

"Doesn't sound too helpful." Cain agreed. "I might look into it myself."

"Sure, you do that. He's in Sydney at the moment." Cain turned his head at the right time for our lips to meet halfway. Within no time we were both breathless as we parted. "It's nearly five. We were going to go back and join Kara visiting the Others."

"Doesn't this seem like a better idea?" I had to agree with him.

"Hands down, but those people have been through a lot. We all need to be there." I hated the words as they came out of my mouth. "But you know, if we're quick?"

"And Doctor Katie didn't say anything-" He started a little anxiously.

"No!" I groaned, frustrated his shirt wasn't coming off fast enough. "It's fine. I'm fine. Blueberry's fine. This is beyond fine."

"If you say so." Cain didn't hide his amusement, and I didn't hide my passionate sexuality so I guess the cards had a message after all.

Even Kara noticed when arrived slightly late to the agreed time.

"Why do you have bed hair, and is that a hickey on your neck?" She gasped in fake horror. "Also, you're late."

"Shit." I slapped Cains arm who only looked much too happy with himself. A second later, I ended up pulling my hair into a ponytail and ignoring the eye rolls Kara sent my way. "How are you feeling now, Drunky McDrunky Pants?"

"Good actually, Apollo killed off the hangover." She hesitated. "About yesterday, thank you. I don't know what else to say."

"That's enough." I smiled at her. "Ready to do this, Queenie?"

"Yeah, good thinking by the way. I should have you handling my PR." Kara relaxed.

"Maybe. I'm determined to make them all love you how I do."

And they would because I knew they'd all see what I did one day too. I hoped Kara would as well.

_________

Just a slightly smaller than usual chapter because I had to end it somewhere otherwise this would have ended up being massive!