"Go, Lora!"

With a barrage of shots from Prompto, the arachne was stunned. Lorelai leapt in, twirling her scythe and cutting off all the legs on one side of its body. The creature collapsed, unable to hold itself up. Lorelai then turned and stabbed one of her blades into its back while Prompto simultaneously shot it in the head. The daemon's body disintegrated.

Lorelai paused to catch her breath. While doing so, she found her eyes lowering to the diamond-studded silver band on her left hand ring finger. Just the sight of it made her smile and flooded her mind with happy memories. Despite the never-ending darkness that consumed Eos after Noctis was absorbed into the Crystal, the four friends still had hope in their hearts - hope that their king would one day return to bring back the light.

But even after Noctis disappeared, the other four had taken it upon themselves to hunt the daemons. While they had split up to do their own things, Lorelai and Prompto still stuck together. They had even gotten married. Their wedding was one of the few times they actually saw Ignis and Gladiolus. It was a day that brought everyone together and lifted their spirits. It was one of the happiest days of Lorelai's life. And now, she had something else to look forward to.

"Babe, you okay?" Prompto asked, going over to his spouse's side and placing a hand on the small of her back.

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Don't worry about me, sweetheart. Just a little tired, that's all."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine, really. Let's head over to Lestallum. We're supposed to meet the guys there."

He nodded and walked alongside her as she summoned a light barrier around them. It's brightness kept the daemons away as they headed back to one of the only places still up and running. The remaining people of Eos took refuge within the town. Even Wiz managed to make it there with a few of his chocobos, including Eclipse. But even though Lorelai's black bird had survived the darkness, she never took her out of Lestallum.

Once in the illuminated town, Lorelai picked up a snack along the way. It was a type of kebab with thick, chewy meat. She offered Prompto one, but he passed. They soon met up with Ignis and Gladio in front of the Leville.

"Hey, guys," Lorelai greeted, still munching on her food. "Long time no see."

Gladio grinned. "And how's the happy couple been?"

"Great!" the gunman replied, draping an arm around his wife's shoulder. "Couldn't be better! Aside from Lora-"

"Prompto, I'm fine," she interrupted, slightly irritated with him. "I'm over it."

Ignis crossed his arms. "Well then, I believe Gladio had a request for someone to join him. Is that correct?"

The tattooed man nodded. "Yep. From what I hear, there's some tough, airborne daemons hanging around the road toward Leide. I could use someone with longer range in combat."

"I would join you," the blind man began, "but I'm scheduled to meet Talcott at the old ruins of Costlemark."

"No prob!" Prompto said. "We'll go with you, big guy!"

"Actually..." Lorelai paused, thinking on it. "I think I'd like to join Ignis and Talcott this time. I kind of want to investigate the ruins for a change."

Prompto looked at her, dumbfounded. "Huh? You sure, Lora?"

She smiled. "You and Gladio are more than enough for a few daemons. Besides, I never get to see my old pal Iggy anymore."

"Your company is always welcome, Lora," Ignis told her.

Prompto sighed, knowing he couldn't change her mind. "Alright. Just be careful." He planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Love you, babe."

"Love you too, sweetheart. Let's get going, Ignis."

The group split up. Lorelai grabbed another kebab for the road. Ignis could hear her munching as they walked.

"Lora, are you still eating?" he questioned.

She glanced over at him. "Yeah. It's just a light snack. I was really wanting some kebabs."

~~~~~

Prompto glanced back at the distant light of Lestallum cutting through the darkness. He usually never split up with Lorelai, and after recent events, he wasn't too keen on letting her go anywhere without him. Gladio noticed the way his companion kept looking back longingly.

"Relax, Prompto, she can fend for herself."

"I know." He looked over at the muscular man. "It's just... she hasn't been feeling too good lately."

Gladio arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Is she sick?"

"Kinda. The last couple of weeks we barely even hunted. Lorelai had constant nausea and was too tired to move around much. She's been a lot better in recent days though. She gets a bit tired out after battle and has been snacking a lot, but she hasn't gotten real sick anymore. I think she's getting over whatever she may have caught, but I still worry, y'know?"

Gladio nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya. But she's with Iggy, so I'm sure she'll be fine."

Prompto smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

~~~~~

Lorelai and Ignis stood before Costlemark. "I don't see Talcott anywhere," the girl said, looking around.

"Perhaps he's running late," Ignis guessed. "Either way, we should wait for him before we go in."

Lorelai sighed. She casually walked up the steps. Ignis followed closely behind, listening to the sound of her footsteps. She stopped at the stone bridge with the seemingly bottomless pit below it. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a granola bar. She opened it and began eating. Ignis could hear her crunching.

"Are you eating yet again?" he asked.

"Yeah, so?" She took another bite. "I'm hungry."

He made a mental note of her odd eating behavior. "What was Prompto wanting to say earlier? He seemed terribly worried about you."

The girl bit her lip, knowing she couldn't get out of questions like that. "Well, I hadn't been feeling good recently. I was sick for a couple of weeks." She quickly added, "But I'm fine now. I think Prompto's just afraid I'll get nauseated or exhaust myself."

Ignis was thoroughly thinking over everything she said. Nausea, fatigue, increase in appetite... could it be? He remained mostly silent, only nodding and humming in reply. He believed he knew what was causing her symptoms, but he couldn't be certain. After Lorelai finished her snack, she turned and leaned her elbows against the railing. She gazed down into the dark pit.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if we'll ever see the sun again."

"Don't lose hope, Lora," Ignis said. "Noct will return. We need only patience."

She smiled. "Yeah. I guess I'm just losing my patience."

Ignis suddenly froze. He could hear faint crumbling. He listened closely, figuring out where it was coming from. In an instant, he pinpointed its origin.

"Look out!" he cried, reaching for the woman.

His hand found her arm while the other wrapped securely around her waist. He yanked her back right as the railing and edge of the bridge chipped and crumbled, falling away into the dark abyss. But in the same moment, the blind man's hand passed over the small bump of her stomach. It was barely noticeable, but it was enough for him to confirm his suspicions. He let out a quiet gasp and retracted his hands.

Lorelai sighed in relief, staring at the missing piece of the bridge she had been standing on only moments before. "Thanks, Iggy."

"Lora." His voice forced her to turn around and face him. "Are you... with child?"

Lorelai gasped in surprise. "H-How'd you..." She placed a hand on her stomach, realizing that he had felt the forming bump. She finally sighed. "Yes, I'm expecting."

He chuckled. "I thought as much. You had the common symptoms. Congratulations."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks. But promise me you won't tell Prompto, or anyone for that matter."

Ignis's smile faded. "You haven't told him? He will find out eventually, you know."

"I know," she swiftly replied, averting her gaze. "I'm going to tell him. I'm just... waiting for the right time."

"Don't wait too long," he advised. "He needs to know, in case anything were to happen."

She silently nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her. The woman's phone suddenly rang. She slipped it from her pocket and answered, seeing that it was Prompto.

"Hey, sweetheart," she greeted.

"Lora, we just heard from Talcott that Noct is back!"

She gasped, a joyful grin gracing her lips. "Really?!"

"Yeah, we're gonna meet them at Hammerhead!"

"Alright, we'll be there as quick as we can!"

She hung up. "Prompto, I presume?" Ignis guessed.

"They got a call from Talcott!" she excitedly explained. "He found Noct!"

A happy smile tugged at the blind man's lips. "Wonderful news!"

"We're all going to meet up at Hammerhead. Let's get going!"