It was the immediate second Lucia got into the hospital, her feral chimera tried unearthing, I had no choice but to sting her again.
The beast has always been untamed but now, it was more than untamed, it was consumed by bloodlust. I tried a communications spell but got a low, pissed off growl that replied "fuck you human, I do not reason with your kind."
I scoffed lightly and pressed on aggressiveness "if you don't let Lucia take control I will banish you to my good friend named Enzo Gabriel.." it went completely silent, a low grumble was the only reply "I'll take that as a yes."

I cut off the spell as the beast insulted the collector, calling him/them a 'child God with no decorum who hardly deserves to be called a God.' then many strings of curses.
I look at Lucia's uncomfortable unconscious expression, her back arches slightly as her expression upturns in pain, her struggling voice mumbling someone's name.

Amity goes to reply before cupping her hand over her face, I raise an eyebrow slightly.
Two nurses set Lucia on a hospital bed before hooking her up to the respirator, she gasps raspily before sighing. Skin furring over on her arm as she claws at the bed, she seems to be in a lot more pain than before, but with a communications spell there's silence. It must be a memory coming back to her.
My venom wears off, making her body wake up again. She opens her eyes and looks around, I smile with a laugh. "Luz.. I. Um.. thank you." I shake my head, she sits up as she tries to pull her much much longer hair back.
I stop her, she glares at me with her dark hazel eyes. I shake my head with a soft smile, using my summoning glyph I take the brush that'd appeared and run it through her hair.

She seems to stop in her tracks, sighing gently she closes her eyes. I let two long locks of hair dangle in front of her ears like it did before, parting her hair in the front I bring up her hair and tie it in the back. It looks quite similar to her past style but, now that it's slightly longer than shoulder length she looks like link.
the door to the hospital room almost slams open, revealing a golden eyed, auburn haired woman who seems on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Mi...Mi hermosa princesa?" Lucia asks quietly in her untrained voice, she slowly approaches the bed with a weak expression.
The woman falls almost to her knees as she buries her face in Lucia's knees, back heaving from quiet cries, hands trembling as they grip Lucia's slightly battered white shirt.
For some reason I couldn't recognize the woman, Amity seems to be in pure shock. "Amelia.. she.. she hasn't been seen anywhere in gravesfield since Lucia went missing.." I jerked my head towards Amity's whispering, Amelia? As in Amity's second eldest sister??

Lucia quietly shushes Amelia as she looks down at her, eyes desperate to find a way to cheer her up.
"Amel.. hey. Don't cry." She lifts her head up with a frown, thumbs brushing away her tears. Her thumbs trail down to the edges of her lips, me and Amity exit the room to give the two one millisecond from kissing girls some privacy. The sound of their lips parting is heard before a relieved, stressed giggle from Amelia. "I know it's a sweet reunion but, mom, mama will be here a soon." I warn with a frown, Amelia seems to be embarrassed by the thought before saying with a smile "thank you.. for finding her." I nod and exit the room.

Standing next to Amity as she sits she looks up at me, "so.. what happened in the woods? The uh.. nibble thing." I feel myself frown, "our beasts.. don't know about our personal lives until we go full form.. my.. beast. Was trying to "breed" you because your fear heightened your estrogen. The shaking was me getting back into control."

She coughs slightly at the thought of a full on manticore- might I add female manticore, not me, trying to conceive a young manticore.
"Unique..." was all she could say, I frown and pull up a chair, sitting down I lean my head on her shoulder. She kisses my forehead, "well.. I'm only yours, from normal you to you fully in control. But not to some beast that thinks it claims me."

I kiss the top of her hand, my eyebrows knit into a frown. My eyes look at the two pairs of slightly running feet, I knock on the door a few moments before mom and mama get to the door.
They look wide eyed at lucia who inhales deeply, the respirator hissing as she exhales. She looks up at mom, almost instantly sighing in a manner that makes her choke then cry. "Mama!" Nearly forgetting she's still on the breathing assistant she stands up, trapping mom in her thin, not so muscular anymore arms. Lucia seems to be shaking so much more than mom, I turn my head to see Amelia sitting uncomfortably in the armchair asleep with a relaxed expression.

Dark circles covered her lower eyelids, showing exactly how stressed she'd been.
I ask for Lucia's jacket who looks towards Amelia, handing me the black soft inlined jacket I drape it over Amelia for Lucia. She stirs a moment before wrapping the bulky jacket over her petite body, I hug Amity close as Lucia receives multiple cheek kisses from Eda.

Lucia sits on the bed and guides her eyes to my own, she's got the brightest light shining in her eyes. I feel myself smile before suddenly redirecting my attention to Amity, she's resting on me with heavy eyelids.

I focus my attention to only summon my wings, the fluffy flying appendages wrapping around Amity. I hold her up like a small child at my side as she leans her head onto my collarbone, mom seems shocked by my actions. I shrug and cocoon Amity's body more, a singular purr resonating from my throat.
She adjusts a little before falling asleep, I make my way to the little loveseat that's empty and nod, mhm and nuh-uh to the simple questions given to me. Lucia points at Amity with a confused expression, I point to my stomach then rub a large circle around it in the air.

Jerking her whole body to mom, she makes the arm gesture that resembles holding a baby, mom whistles the 'rockabye baby' lullaby near silently since theres two sleeping girls in the room.
Lucia cups her hand over her mouth as mom fills in the gist of it, she is shocked, then smiles gently. Resting my chin ontop of Amity's head I smile, she grumbles a little, tired mumbles coming in whispers towards me. I chuckle a bit, Amelia stirs in the armchair, her tired eyes guiding to her now found and not lost girlfriend.
Lucia is.. calm, staring up at the ceiling. She looks exhausted from being trapped in her beast but, with her being prisoner for seven years, she says to Amelia while her eyes still stare so far off from her. "You are very tired Amel.. I can tell."
I look over to see mom and mama have exited the room, Amelia scoffs quietly before looking away to chuckle in a manner close to pure distress. "You went missing for two years over half a decade Lucia. Camilla set up a funeral for you after the first two, because she thought you were kidnapped for those years.."

She tries to tame her slightly messy hair, "I.. left my family, your.. family, because I couldn't take it Lucia. I was weak.. I am.. weak."
Lifting up a sound barrier around Amity, Lucia damn near tumbles off my hospital bed, she winces as the tubes pull in her sinuses. I sit back shocked as Lucia carefully pulls the tubes from her nose and kneels in front of Amelia. "You are not.. you.. you-" she inhales deeply as her breath becomes raspy, "you are a goddamned Blight. Strongest family in the entire state of Connecticut."

Coughing slightly she takes in a deep breath again, "who cares if you fell to your knees in front of me? You rised up. If you fall again, you bet your ass I know you're going to.."
Standing up she takes Amelia with her "you're going to rise up." Her back hitches, coughing heavily she lightly pounds her fist onto her collarbone. After about the fifth thud she makes a noise equal to choking on jell-o, bringing up the trashcan she lets the dark coagulated blood fall into the empty trash bag, I can smell it.. a mixture of her own and a small bit of.. rabbits blood?

"Thanks for biting my neck by the way Luz-" Lucia remarks sarcastically, I look at her fully and say with a frown "in my defense your chimera was about to maul Amity because it smelled her estrogen, the neck is the weakest point and I needed to sting your beast."

Amelia looks at me with confusion "does she have a higher estrogen level or something?" I breathe deeply to take in the scents of the room, "you could put it that way for now.."
I wrap my arms around Amity's waist and purr, she wakes up almost immediately, literally slapping the sound barrier away she pushes me away and hisses "CAREFUL! at least be full human before trapping my waist in a damn bear hug!"

I pull back with my hands raised in defense "lo siento, lo siento hermosa! I didn't realize I was hugging you so tight- did I hurt them?!" I say in immediate worry, she looks down and chuckles softly at my panicked manner "they're fine.. just.. don't squeeze my guts out next time."

Looking away with a guilty expression Amelia asks in a squeak "you're.. you're pregnant?" Amity seems to crumble like that word is her weakness, smiling for a moment she nods.
She seems to go immediately silent, I chuckle softly and cock my head. "Why don't you two go to Hexside for awhile? You look like you really need to socialize.." I ask with a joking tone, Lucia bites her lip and looks to he side. "I don't know..." was all she could say.

Amity raises her hand as if in middle school again, her expression is sheepish and shy. "I.. I am refurbishing a sorority house.. it'll be opened for students soon. I just have to go through the last bit of financial paperwork." I look at her with an eyebrow raised, she immediately looks like shivers went up her spine.
"I ah- um.. I have just been a little cautious about the baby and I didn't want to overwork myself. I have a team of people my mom hired finishing for me."

I smile just faintly and close my eyes, "so that's what those huge manilla folders have been for the past two months.." my voice murmured, Amity lightly hits my arm through embarrassment as I chuckle.
Lucia looks at her arms and frowns "well sadly.. I'm not really a beefcake anymore. So I feel kinda useless on my end."

Amity perks up with a sly smile "you could be my interior designer! Last time I remember you were a nerd for calm, modern or hell even fancy color schemes."
Lucia's cheeks fill with a blush, flustered by- in her perspective honestly- the compliment. "F-Fine." was all she could mumble.

  
It was habitual after that night, Lucia helped Amity out with the large- very large sorority house and often marveled about the idea of her becoming an aunt, then I took Lucia to the gym so she could regain her strength. Girl could barely lift up two gallons and often hid away to insult herself for being weak.

Vee is out of state- well actually country- abroad in Alaska with a class so she doesn't know about Lucia yet. Amelia was constantly at her parent's manor to reconnect who were glad she was sparking the initiative, they often thanked both me for finding Lucia, and thanked Lucia for being Amelia's reason to stay.
So much so a second dinner party was reserved at the manor, Odalia begged me to use the suit she got me to which I happily accepted.

But, right now.. it was three hours till then and I was looking for Lucia, she'd walked off saying she had to smoke but didn't return.
I turned a corner to see Lucia sitting on the hardwood flooring of the house while covering her ears, she was mumbling obscenities and insults at herself. Crouching in front of her I grab her hands, she looks up at me with faded, glossy near hazel brown eyes.

"Hey.. Lucy.." I wipe her tears away, she frowns and looks away. "You don't need to cry Hermana mayor, nobody here is expecting you to lift up five bags of dry plaster in one go.. they're not even expecting you to pick up a stick."

I continue to wipe away her tears as she rubs the soft skin on the underside of her wrists together, making an X with her arms. "Hey, stop that-" I start firmly, grabbing her wrists and pulling them apart. "I don't want you to hurt yourself.. you know.. everyone here is just glad you're tapping furniture and paints options on a tablet. They look at you and don't see someone weak, they see someone who literally went to court to prove that she wasn't dead, they see.. a survivor."

Standing up I hold out my hands, "now come on.. we're late for the gym. You love it there I can tell."
She takes my hands so I can pull her up, a small smile on her face. She follows me to.. where my car should be, I look around with confusion. Amity enters my vision and tosses some keys at me, I look down at the symbol. "AMITY NO! Do you want your Alfa Romeo to get jacked??!" She snickers softly and sets a small packet of papers on my chest, "not mine, yours. You liked metallic grey yes?" My heart seems to stop, she chuckles at my wide eyes, speechless expression "don't worry your car is being towed to my place, the front axle gave out on the way to Home depot."

She turns my head to the convertible Alfa romeo, I try to hold in the nearly erotic toned growl but fail so terribly "goddamn look at that gorgeous machine-" I say in a deep, strained voice.
Lucia snorts to the wide open fact that I'm being basically horny over a car, Amity gives me a quick kiss before heading inside.

I deeply inhale the new car smell as I buckle myself up, "you hear that romeo? That's your fate of becoming a giant menthol Juul pod.." I joke with a smile, Lucia seems to fall into a fit of giggles.
She stops to look at my Juul she'd borrowed, the nonbinary sticker on it making her eyes go wide. "Holy shit you're nonbinary?!- I'm so sorry I've been calling you a girl this whole time!"

Laughing in pure delight I say reassuringly "dude- it's fine. I go by she/they, mostly feminine pronouns at the current moment but I am perfectly fine being referred to as she, her. The only part I enjoy is Amity calling me her partner."

She takes a drag as I turn over the engine, pulling out carefully since I'm not used to the pedals yet, I head down the asphalt road to the college and out to the highway.