"You're pushing yourself."

David follows me around like I'm made of porcelain. He's obviously afraid I'll do something stupid. To his defense, I've pulled a few dumb things in my life. I've done a few dumb things this week.

As our search for Circe heats up, the more worried he gets. I'm beyond ready to find her so that this can all be over. He absolutely despises Micah and it's obvious if and when they're in the same room.

His eyes turn black and glossy at the sight of him.

He absolutely forbade Micah to be in our house. It took a lot of 'sexy time' and convincing him that Micah is our lifeline to Circe to get him to even let the kid in. He still can't be in the same room.

I can't blame him. Micah is a child caught in a battle he can't really comprehend. I don't know if I do either. But there's something about him, something that Circe wants. I want it too. I want it first.

Now, I've decided to reunite all of us. Friends, that is. I've invited everyone in our little group, with the exception of the dead and the gone. Eva offers to cook some kind of Zuppa Toscana? It looks like soup and spinach.

She happens to agree with my were-pire husband.

He worries me. I can tell he still struggles with his were-pire instincts. He hates both terms. Anger triggers a very explosive reaction. Luckily, I'm the cause of most of his anger. Or frustration, as you have it.

"You really need to slow down," Eva says behind the counter. She is stirs spinach in the concoction but still speaks, "Far be it for me to agree with your husband...in fact, you will probably do the opposite for that reason, but we don't know what effect your little 'power move' had on the babies, especially now that they're actually in you."

"I'm fine. I'm not going to put my children in danger."

"I know you're a 'big, brave dog' but you really need to listen to us. They're little versions of us, versions that are not as strong and that we need to protect." David says with a frown, "We have to take care of them and each other."

"Look, I'm not going to dispute it. I know that this might be my only chance to have children of our own. I just can't stop my life because of this. The world doesn't stop. I know that fact well."

"You're going to get fat and achy and sort of moody." Eva blurts.

"Check." David says causing me to scowl at him. He clears his throat, "The moody part."

"It's what pregnant women...people, sorry, do." Eva says as she stops stirring the pot and looks up to me, "This isn't the time to be stubborn and, in a word, you. You're married and about to have kids. It's time that you actually settle down."

"Circe—"

"Is already dead. People have gone up against us before. It doesn't end well for them." David says with a smile, "If Circe is dumb enough to come for us, she'll lose."

"I know that. But the people, the beings, that came before her always took some of us down with them."

"So, is this the new and improved you?" Eva asks, "This sounds familiar."

"Yes, the new and improved me wasn't pregnant nor was he living in Supernatural Central."

Eva sighs, "You're you. Wherever you go, whoever you meet, you are always going to be you. I love you. But you're stubborn and oblivious." She frowns.

I take a deep breath. I know she's right. They're both right but I'm not wrong. The very second I put my guard down, things will go wrong. And pizza usually gets cold.

"Fine. Cook your Goopy Carbona."

"It's Zuppa!" She snickers, "You're such an ingrate."

"You live with us."

"Semantics."

The doorbell rings and David moves away from me.

May the odds, ever be in our favor.

                                                                                                      -

"This food looks amazing," I say taking a buttermilk pie from Willa. I gesture for her and Parker to enter. They enter and join David, Charlotte, and Parker. I walk back to the kitchen, where Eva is smirking down at her phone. She's leaning on the counter, oblivious to me. I sit the pie on the table and she looks up at me before sitting it on the counter, "So, it's not Finn..."

"What?" She asks.

"Just making sure," I say as I lean on the counter beside her. I smile to her, "Whoever he is makes you really happy."

"I—"

"Let me remind you before you lie that I know you extremely well."

We both laugh, catching Charlotte's attention. She quickly moves to us and stares at us across the island.

"So, are we having a party in the kitchen? It's been a while since we all had a good time together." Charlotte smiles, "Perry with his happy, shiny life and Eva with her European sabbatical."

"A lot's changed." I nod, "Thing is...the more things change, the more things stay the same."

"You in danger? Us in danger? Yeah, it's a thing." Eva laughs, "How about the pregnant thing, which by the way is odd that you would become before us."

"Is that a sentence?"

"Grammar Nazi." Charlotte laughs.

"Like old times." Eva says. She nods to the group, "If we're having this whole 'pow-wow' without the guys—"

"Uh—"

"Shouldn't we invite Willa?" Eva asks, "I mean, it's weird. She's weird. But not like us, weird. Weird weird."

"You do know that I'm a witch, Charlotte's a fairy and my husband is a wolf-vampire hybrid."

"Still. She sees death and screams but not in the sexy way." Eva says, "It's unsettling."

"I like her." Charlotte says with a nod, "I'm going to get her."

We both nod as she bounds over to Willa. Eva shifts uneasily.

"While she's gone, how is everything?"

"You mean the chronic pregnancy? Or the vampire-werewolf husband?" I say looking to her. She's wearing a very condescending smirk and I roll my eyes, "I'm dealing."

"Like you dealt with death? Or like you dealt with depression?"

"Thanks for reminding me of that."

"I just—I worry about you. I know I ran off to Europe—but I never stopped thinking about you. Or Charlotte. Or anyone. I'm worried about everyone but after a while, I just..."

"Disconnected? It's not a crime."

"Have you heard from the vampires? I just ask because—them bringing you back here is a bad omen." Eva frowns, "And the kid, you know the one that got your husband killed, isn't the type of person—"

"He's a kid haunted by a powerful force of darkness."

Eva's eyes widen, "That's what this is? You see a bit of you in him. It's not the same." She says angrily, "I love you for your optimism, which I've sorely missed, but something is off with his situation. Why, of all people, would Circe come to him?"

I shrug, "I don't know. I do know that this isn't a time to push people away. While he's not innocent, he's not evil." I frown.

She eyes me, "I don't know if you're planning something or if you're just insane."

"I'd vote insane." Charlotte says appearing with Willa, "I always vote insane."

"Hey, Willa." I say with a smile, "How are you?"

"I'm okay. A little out of sorts but—"

"How so?" Charlotte asks.

"I don't know how to explain it. It's like—like whispers and white noise." Willa frowns, "I've been having dreams about—it's not important."

The doorbell rings.

"Probably not." Eva says as she moves past us.

Charlotte and Willa look to me and I avert my eyes. Around this time, I hear arguing at the door. Everyone's eyes jump to the scene. Apparently Micah has shown up. One of two of my surprise guests. I move past the counter and to the scene. Micah is about to walk away.

"Eva." I warn. My eyes fall on Micah, "Hey, you made it. Don't mind my friend."

"You invited him?" David's voice says behind me. It's the first sign that this was a bad idea, "You invited him into my house! What the—Fu—"

"Okay, everybody shut up! I invited him. Deal with it."

"Can I please talk to you?" David asks with a very angry edge.

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him." Eva says as she pulls him in by his collar.

David pulls me onto the porch. He walks to the edge porch and looks down onto the street. I know he's truly angry. I know he's trying to keep his anger in check. It's a good idea. I'm startled when he takes a very large breath.

"What were you doing? This kid is—I thought we agreed—"

"I can't hate him."

David whips around to me, "You can't? You can't hate the guy who killed me?" He asks.

"Do you remember who I was? The things I did?"

"You—this isn't about you!"

"No, it's about you. It's about us!" I say angrily, "We've lived in darkness. We've fought our way out of darkness. We've come such a long way and I don't want to go there again. I don't want you to go there."

"So, I'm just supposed to make small talk? Pretend he didn't—"

"I'm asking you to forgive him."

"I—I did. I just don't want to be around him. At all."

"I don't have an answer for you. I can't make you feel any other way than how you feel. I just know that if I turn my back on this kid, if I let Circe sink her claws into him, I won't be able to forgive myself or you."

"So, that's it then? What you want goes before what I feel?"

"David—listen to me. We will fix your hybridism. We'll bring you back."

"Right."

I take a few steps forward and grab his hand, "Do you trust me?" I ask.

David glares at me, "Okay but this is worth like guaranteed sex for the next six month."

"Agreed but you were probably going to get that anyways."

"Damn you."

"Did I miss something?" Frederick says as he walks up the walk way."

David looks to me and I smile to him.

                                                                                                        -  

Later in the night, we've eaten dinner and are sitting by the fire, recounting the stories of our youth. It makes me realize how long ago it was, how young we were then. And how young we still are.

Micah, Willa and Fred are in awe of some of the stories. I'm kind of awed by them myself. As the night winds down, I realize it's getting late and Micah needs to get home. Willa and Parker offer to drop him off at home.

Parker promises to keep the rudeness to a bare minimum.

After they, as well as Frederick are gone, Porter, Charlotte, Eva, David and I continue to talk. Talk turns to baseball and I literally have to pinch myself to stay awake. I excuse myself to get more cleaning done.

As I'm loading dishes in the dishwasher, I hear a chuckle. I turn to see Porter smirking at me.

"It's—you're doing housework. True, it's just loading a dishwasher..."

"Is there something I can help you with, Porter?"

"I just wanted to see how my niece or nephew is doing. And my brother." He says cautiously, "You're not going to try and punch me, are you?"

"There's always a chance."

"I don't think it's a good idea to have that kid around. Especially with you being—and having a kid." Porter frowns, "David's obviously not thrilled. I get it. He reminds you of yourself but he killed—"

I slam dishes down on the counter, "I know very well what he did! Why does everyone think I've forgotten or that I can forget?! He was sent here to kill my husband. Did a really shitty job and now he's not the same. But that's the thing. My first instinct was to flay him alive."

"Maybe you were right."

"I've lived in harmony with my husband. Going after him would be a huge step back. Somebody's going to pay but it'll be the psychopath that sent him." I grab my stomach as a sharp pain shoots through it.

"Hey, you okay?"

I feel dizzy a bit. I have to lean on the counter before finally slipping to the floor. Porter walks over and bends down to me.

"Yeah, just a—Wow."

"I'm getting someone."

"Port, no. It's—it happens."

"What?" He asks, "For how long?"

"A while now."

"You do know you have to tell David." He says angrily, "Like now. Like no option."

Before I can rebuff him, David walks into the kitchen, about to say something. He stops mid-sentence. He walks over and kneels to me, "Hey, what's going on?" He says looking up to Porter, "What happened to him?"

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."

"It's been happening to him for a while." Porter says folding his arms over his chest, "He was just about to try to convince me not to tell you."

David grimaces at me.

I quickly roll my eyes, "I was actually about to tell him he's absolutely right." I say as David helps me to my feet, "The 'mystical pregnancy' was all fine and well until Queen Circe stepped off her island and put the actual fetuses in me. Thing is, men aren't supposed to have fetuses in them. There's no room. So, the magic sustaining the spell is draining me slowly."

"What do we do?" David asks, "And when did you figure this out?"

"Abort the pregnancy?" Porter asks, "Undo the spell."

"I'm not undoing a mystical pregnancy. It's two fetuses. And while I'm pro-choice, I don't want a mystical abortion."

"If the spell is feeding off you, it may need to be considered."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Porter says softly.

I roll my eyes, "Okay, one of the byproducts of a mystical pregnancy is that my powers spike. One such power is empathy. I can literally feel you feeling guilty and it's useless." I look to him, "You did something extremely weird and it changed the way I see the world."

"So...this whole thing with Micah..."

"I meant what I said. I don't forget anything he did. He's just small fish."

Guilt is second only to anger. Once again I've made David angry. It sucks to know that I'm the cause of all of it. I think my hormones are out of whack. As I'm staring at them, they begin to sob. It surprises me and I stare on at them.

It hits me that my empathy is affecting them.

"Sorry." I say with a nervous smile, "Porter can you give us a minute."

I watch as David reigns in his emotional overload. As he sniffles to a stop, I try to hold back a chuckle.

"It's not something I was hiding. I just didn't want you to overreact." I rationalize, "I just didn't want to have to explain that the babies is not a burden on me. We're having twins and every piece of magic has a price."

"So, you're okay?"

"A little stressed but yeah." I nod, "Sorry that I keep making you angry."

"Is that why I just cried like a little bitch?"

I nod.

"Thank God." He says with a sigh of relief. I stare at him, trying to rationalize his reaction. He coughs before saying, "Not that you're sad...that I wasn't...why the sad?"

"I keep making you angry. It sucks."

"Butter makes me angry, so don't take it personally." David smiles, "You may be the only thing that makes me happy right now."

I smile.

"We should really look into this househusband thing."

"No."