Conclave (Hypernaturals 3)

Riding With the King

In the parking lot, I was rather surprisingly told to ride back in the front seat of the Suburban. I wanted to help with Rachel so I resisted. I wanted to be with Rachel and Helen and my wife. I went because my wife told me "Adrian. Trust. We'll see you at the house. Helen and Morgan will make sure Rachel's head stays still. I am driving. Nothing is going to happen. You did your part, my dearest love. Let us do ours."

I had no way to argue with that. Not from her.

Denise drove. Carol and Anne sat in the middle row.

I wondered why I am in this car. Denise made that clear as soon as we were in motion. She said as we pulled on to the road. "We're not going to say anything Adrian. You should know that."

I looked in the mirrors at the Honda and wished I was in it. "Say anything about... What?" I asked.

"You. Want you can do. Children we mean. You will get full credit for taking out William. Extra credit even."

"Oh.. That." I am being stupid. I forgot that is out there. Pre-killing issue. "Thank you, Denise." I looked in the back seat at Carol and Anne "You two are OK with that?"

Anne gave me a smile. I am slightly unready for smiles. Not right now. Not with everything that had just gone down. "Adrian: We are very OK with that. We are Crew. We know how to keep secrets better than anyone." Anne said warmly.

Carol added "Don't misunderstand this next part. Someday, I may come to you. I may ask you to help me have a child. You can absolutely say 'no'. It is not a condition of my silence."

Denise said "Well. Sure. I might ask that boon someday too. Not when I'm on the hit squad though. Later. Like Carol said, you can say 'no'. Jessica can say 'no'. Helen can say 'no'. It won't change anything. You and your families secret is safe with us. We would keep quiet no matter what, but you know what? Rachel wants it that way too. She is Council, and she kept this on the down-low. Who are we to question that? Like she told that bastard before the fight: The Council knows. Helen and Rachel are Council. They are OK with it. We are too."

Anne looked over the back of her seat at the body in the bag there. "I would have liked to be able to question him. So much about the old world he saw. The history he was there for. At the same time, I am glad he is dead. Rachel is my friend. She is barely alive. Thank god your wife is a Doctor. Know what else? If he was questioned by anyone, he would have sold Adrian down the river. Better that bastard died, because now that I think about it, he needed to anyway."

Carol added a new subject. "I have rarely seen anyone that fast before. It seems you are a very different kind of male, Adrian."

"Not a very strong one." I said ruefully. I looked at my bandaged hands

"No, but you used your speed and reaction time to compensate. It was smartly done. I say that as a professional. I would not want to fight you I think. Not after what I just saw." Carol is being more effusive than I have ever heard her be.

"So, what will you tell Victoria and the rest at the Conclave?" I inquired

Carol gave a little shrug. "Most everything. The negotiations with the Sirens, the maneuvering... All well played. You are the perfect Liaison. The battle. Everything other than the part about you getting Helen and Jessica pregnant." Now Carol looked at me closely and gave me a conspiratorial grin "Helen, by the way? How did you manage that?" Carol asked.

I shrugged. "Wasn't ever the plan. I did not know about the possibility. I did not know it could happen at all."

Denise jumped in "Yes, but getting Helen into your bed. That must have involved drugs or something. Right? Not that she has never been with men before but. Wow. All I am saying there."

I, of course, knew about that. "Helen is more open to that kind of thing when you are sleeping with the woman she loves. I would try and convince you that it was not my idea and that I was sort of pushed into it, but most would think it unlikely that I, a perfectly ordinary man with normal sex drives and all would turn down a chance to bed such a cute little woman, etc., etc."

Anne laughed at that. "Perfectly ordinary? In what way? Give me a break. I have no trouble believing you didn't want to take Helen to bed. You probably lived in fear of her."

I am surprised I could laugh, but it came up from nowhere. "Still am. Hey, can we stop at that Taco Cabana up there? I need a few burritos. Eight or so.". Denise expertly maneuvered us to the late-night Taqueria, killing speed and making a smooth turn as if it had been the plan all along.

It turned out I am not the only one who is hungry. Fifteen large burritos died that night. Anne, while eating her second caught a look from me. "What? Watching you in action is hungry work."

As we drove along, munching, I thought about it. Our conspiracy grows. They are going to keep me safe. They are not going to tell anyone. I am pretty sure even being tortured they would never spill the beans. Still, I owe them for that silence.

I tried to not let too much reluctance enter my next words. "You all... I want you to know that I cannot even begin to tell you how much it means to me that you will keep this baby thing under wraps. I know you are sworn to the Council..."

Denise waved off what I am trying to say. "Don't be silly. As we said, everyone on the Council that needs to know already knows. Besides, Rachel wants it this way."

Carol and Anne agreed. "Absolutely." Anne said

Carol added "Besides, we OWE you, Adrian. You took out the fucking big bad of our lives. That's a debt that cannot be repaid. That asshole has been the scary bedtime story for millennia. Good goddamn riddance. Now maybe we can move on."

I had to agree with that point of view. The world is better without William in it. Still, I did not finish what I intended to say. "Anyway, I want you all to not take this as me being cocky or trying to make a pass at you or anything. I owe you. All of you. If you someday want.. Well... Jessica will not mind. That I know as sure as I am sitting here with a burrito and a dead body in the aft compartment. Besides all that, this is Jessica. If anyone can figure out how this works, and a way to get me physically uninvolved, it's her."

Denise looked at me closely. Made sure I was paying attention. "I will ask again, if and when the time comes. I am trying to be done with taking you for granted. If Jessica figures out a better way, all the better. I am not saying you would not be interesting in bed. I am saying that I will want a baby someday, and I will take it however I can get it."

Carol agreed. "Absolutely. You do not owe me anything. I will ask very, very nicely when the time comes. I also know already I will want to have a baby if I can. I can't believe I might have a chance to make that real. But I will ask. You can say 'no'. I will also wait to see if Jessica gets a less personal way of it working too. Ditto the comment about it not being about you. I would love to have sex with you, but not at the price of everything else, and I do NOT want to take you for granted either. I sat in that hot tub. I do not want to be like that."

"Thank you. I won't say 'no'. Jessica won't either, in case you are ready before the tech is."

Anne asked: "What about Helen?"

I did not quite get that one. "What about her?"

Anne thought my stupidity was cute apparently because she smiled again. "Will we need to ask her too?"

"No idea" I admitted. "One thing though. This is not negotiable. I will not say 'No'. However, you asking means we are family. I have to be in any babies lives we have. Any of you and I have a child, be ready to live with us for twenty years. Not as a lover or anything. This is not sexual blackmail. We will be co-parents. A child with me means I am involved. I am their Dad. Natural or Jessica induced. I am not a sperm donor. I am their Dad."

That caused a few glances.

Anne said to that: "Agreed. I would have it no other way."

"Ditto." Denise said.

"Same." Carol said.