Sadian kissed mother goodbye and went to the door. She put her sunglasses on before opening it, stepped out into Summer in the south of Pakistan and opened her parasol. She walked lightly along the narrow street of packed sandy earth, past the rectangular whitewashed houses of concrete with their brightly painted doors, and awnings over each narrow rectangular window. Sadian saw two young children of the Wolfbreed leave their house, their older brother walking out after them with a dark umbrella open to block the sun. Sadian noted the pace of their step, their sleekly rounded figures, their dark colouring and recognized them as belonging to the Lightfoot. They saw her, but they did not speak to Sadian.
At the next alley, Sadian crossed the street and walked between houses to the next Village street. She cut through the lot of the service station where Zulfi was filling up the tank of his jeep for the commute into Karachi. Sadian waved to him. They boyish partangel smiled slightly and looked over the top of his sunglasses with two dark round eyes. Sadian ran down the next alley onto Main Street where the coffee house and the druggist and all the shops were. She stepped onto the wide sidewalk that ran along the far side of the street and followed it as other children were to the Villa.
Where the walk ended, the children followed the sandy trail at the right side of the long twisted drive, Sadian took a shortcut today, walking across the familiar drifts of sand, straight to the side of the Villa. They hadn't had bad winds in a long time, or storms coming in from the sea, and so the sand hadn't shifted all that much. She turned at its corner and ran to the tall decorated arch that shaded the front doors. She glanced out at the wide white beach and the aquamarine of the shallow waters that was the colour of Thierry's eyes, then Sadian went in through the open doors into the cool anteroom with its bubbling fountain and hanging plants.
The Village mothers, and some fathers, who helped with the schooling of the children greeted Sadian with the others and guided them to the second floor where the school rooms were. Sadian put her things in her cubby of the coat room then went out into the hall. The second floor had a floor that matched the anteroom, it was tiled in cobalt, not carpeted as the first floor was, or paved in stone as the kitchen and some lower rooms were. The plaster walls were decorated with ink and watercolour drawings done by past and present students. Sadian went down the long hall to the her homeroom. All the young children were in this room, Lightfoots, Sandrunners, young Naphaim, several young partangels, and Sadian of course, who was different.
Sadian sat in front of her computer terminal and logged-on. Every so often a helper would walk up to her chair and ask how she was doing. Sadian never needed much help. She knew how all the devices were used, she knew how to deal with error messages, she could read English and didn't have much trouble with Arabic now, she could type with tolerable speed for a child. She was quite good at math, especially at word problems, which always seemed to bother the other children, and she was quite far ahead of the Wolfbreed children and the Naphaim in her schooling. Sadian, like the angelic children, were working on lessons that other children their age would not understand for several years. Their minds and bodies matured quickly.
At lunch, Sadian walked down to the kitchen with all the other children. They gave her a plate of something Indian that they swore didn't have as much spice as the plates of the other children, and a small glass of blood. Sadian carried her tray into the large Solarium at the side of the house with the windows that darkened in the sunlight. She sat at a table with some of the angels of different ages. Some of them liked her.
There were pitchers of water, and kiwi juice today, on the tables, along with plates of spiced meat, bread, and cheese. Sadian asked for the juice, filled the glass without diluting it and then proceeded to add several spoonfuls of sugar. She knew the food was too spicy when she tasted it. They just didn't seem to understand how the spice turned her stomach. She picked out the bits of vegetable as best she could and drank lots of juice with plenty of sugar. Sadian always saved her glass of blood for last, it was like having dessert. She took a piece of bread, a slice gone hard, but it was always served so. She dipped the bread in the blood and ate it bit by bit.
Murphy was in the kitchen when Sadian passed through on her way back to school. He was nice to her, he was nice to all the children, and they all called him Murphy, but Sadian still thought him especially nice, as not all adults liked her so much. He smiled and tugged at her right pigtail. Sadian giggled. A helper came and asked her to go upstairs, so she went.
There was an hour of free time. Sadian went to the chapel and sat amid the icons of so many religions. Just a few of the older children chose to come there. Two of them seemed to have come only because it was quiet and the helpers seldom came in. So the chapel was a good place to go if you were two children wanting to sneak a kiss and not be seen.
No one ever tried to kiss Sadian.
Sadian mediated. When the helper came to say free time was over Sadian walked quietly from the chapel and into the art room. Afternoons were always spent away from the computers learning skills. Today Sadian was to study art. Their teacher was a young human man named Andy. He was American, one of Orchid's students and apprentices. He was demonstrating simultaneous colour contrast.
What looked blue against one coloured ground looked entirely green against another. The very same thing was seen to be different depending where it was. Sadian frowned. She understood this. She was the girl of a different colour. Wherever she was, she was seen as different.
When Sadian had collected her things and gone into the hall, she saw Orchid come from the door near the end of the hall, from the third floor that was his private residence. He was wearing one of his robes, the pretty white one that puddled and followed his feet over the floor wherever he walked. He was wearing slightly tinted glasses with gold frames, and the chain he sometimes wore from nosering to earring, and he was smoking. He always smelled like Father and Grandfather. He came to her and pat her head. "Good afternoon, Sadian," he said sleepily.
Sadian made a tiny bow. "Hello Orchid," Sadian said. She knew he was Lord of Karachi and Haven Keeper, but everyone tended to call him Orchid, as he didn't seem to enjoy being titled.
"Your family going out tonight?"
"I don't know, Orchid," Sadian said, "Should I ask them?"
He shook his head. "I was just wondering. You can go now..."
Sadian rolled her eyes and went to the stairs.
† † †
Trip sat amid pillows and drapery playing his guitar, drawing the sound of a heartbeat out of it, cigarette smoking at his lips. The front door opened and shut, two small feet scraped against the stone lightly, Sadian had come in from school. He glanced up as she came around the corner into the living room and stepped down the step to its floor. She smiled, pig tailed head tilted to one side. She was going to play their game. "Hello, can Trip come out and play today?" she asked.
Trip took the cigarette from his mouth, "He's in the living room playing, Dear, why don't you come in, I'm sure he'd like to play with you."
"Thank you very much, I suppose it is rather hot out today," Sadian said as she walked across the rug. She climbed up into one of the chairs and kicked off her shoes.
"Can I get you a drink?"
"No thank you, I'll just go find Trip," Sadian said.
"Oh, it's you, Sadi, wanna play?" Trip said.
She giggled happily. "What shall we play?"
Trip shrugged. "What did you do today?" he asked in his fatherly voice.
"I passed a level in math today. And we learned about colour in art."
"No fun?" asked Trip sadly.
"Not really," Sadian said. "Orchid asked me if the family were going out tonight."
Trip nodded. Maybe Orchid would go to the coffee house, or to Monique's. Trip liked the atmosphere of both places, especially Monique's which he had helped in setting up for business. It was the Village's only true nightclub, and its only bar as well. Quite a few of the villagers, though Darkling, were Muslim and so had thought a bar nothing but a temptation, but Thierry and Monique had been bored out of their minds till Orchid permitted them to open the small club.
"Can we go out for food later?" Sadian asked, "when it's not too bright?"
"Sure," Trip said. He put his guitar down and lay back. He picked up the remote from the low table and aimed it at the system. Music started. Trip looked up and questioned Sadian silently. She went into concentration. "Bauhaus?" she asked.
"Brilliant, Sadi," Trip said. She hopped from the chair and came to lay at his side. She was the most adorable creature he'd ever seen, just so very cute. The big, dark, greenish-blue eyes, the glossy brown pigtails and dusky skin...Sadi was always so warm, and her warm little fingers and warm little lips so adoring and affectionate in their touch.
The system was beeping. A call was incoming. Trip pet Sadi's face quickly before disturbing her to sit up. He aimed the remote and the large monitor flicked on, the call originated from Frankfurt, the number quite familiar. Trip hoped it was Rozz as the picture came through. It was Elowey. Trip crawled over Sadi so that he could sit in the chair and be seen by the lens. "Trip," she said when the image had gotten to her, "I have to speak to your father."
"He's asleep," Trip said. But then he noticed Elowey did not look well. "What is it?"
"Please, it's quite urgent, wake him."
"Stay online, I'll go for him," Trip said. He left the room, walked through the house to the bedrooms. He opened the door to the room his parents were sharing. The room was kept dark, just like the others, Mother was lying on her back, arms crossed over her chest, sheet covering most of her body, but Father was sprawled in his sleep. Trip called into the room, then walked to the bed. He'd grown up with Vampyres, knew that you couldn't just shout or shake them and expect they wouldn't hurt you.
"Daniel," he whispered. This was his Father's real name, and not too many people knew that, no one actually called him Daniel anymore, unless they meant to exert some power over his soul. Father's eyes snapped open, seemed to glow. "Father, Elowey is calling from Frankfurt, she doesn't look well, I think you should get up and talk to her."
He mumbled something. But Father got up. He pulled on a pair of leather pants he had been wearing for at least a week and followed Trip from the room. "Get me a drink," he said.
Trip went into the kitchen and took a bottle of Red Rabbit from the fridge. As he walked into the livingroom he saw Father's face go weird. He got this blank sort of stare and fell into a slouch. And a moment afterward Trip knew what Elowey had just told him. Salome was dead.
Trip opened the bottle and took a gulp before passing it to his father. He saw Elowey on the screen, weeping. "John," she said.
"How?" Father asked.
Elowey was shaking her head. A moment later Merideth was in view, pushing Elowey into a pair of arms. "Sweet, Trepidation..." she began, "Salome passed away while in childbirth. Her son, he was born prematurely, but he's alive."
"What should I do?" Father asked.
"Don't come here, Sweet," Merideth said, "I don't think Elowey really wants to see you. The doctors say she's headed for another bout of depression, they want to increase her medication. She really hasn't been well, but there's nothing you can do, really. I'm taking care of the baby since Elowey's taking this so badly. He's named Astoric. Don't worry, please."
"She was my daughter," Father said with red tears welling in his eyes.
"I know, Sweet. But seeing you won't help Elowey."
Mother and Thierry both came into the living room. "Salome died?" Thierry asked, surprisingly upset.
Trip nodded.
"But her baby's all right?"
"Meri's taking care of him."
"A boy?" Thierry asked.
"Astoric," said Trip.
"Good Goth name," Mother said. She came to Father and lifted him from the chair. Father was crying.
Trip sat down in the chair, he looked up slowly. "Trip," Merideth said as if surprised.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry Salome died," Trip said, felt a knot growing in his throat. She had been his sister after all.
Merideth was studying him. "Yes," she said slowly.
"Is Valerie all right?"
"Well, this has us all shaken a bit, but Valerie's been doing very well. She's going to have a girl her doctor says..."
"That's nice."
"Yes. They've nearly decided on Eva. Rozz is afraid to name her yet, you know, afraid to loose her, but Tris and Valerie are already calling her Eva. She's due in about three months."
"Oh, what about Aric?" Trip asked, "Astoric's his son isn't he?"
Merideth seemed confused. "Aric's not taking this well of course."
Sadian climbed up into Trip's lap and looked at the monitor. A strange look came to Meri's face and made Trip wonder if his daughter wasn't glaring at Meri. "I'm sorry," Trip said, "we'd better go."
"Goodbye," Merideth said.
"Is Astoric my cousin?" Sadian asked.
"Yes, Sweetie, I suppose so," Trip said.
† † †
Her back was killing her, three months to go, and there was labor to look forward to. Valerie sat down in the armchair near the fire, she'd never much liked this room, but she was often there now. She had thought it the room old women went to and quilted. Valerie picked up her chains of yarn and pushed the last loops over her fingers. The finger knitting went so fast she didn't really have to look, she could just sit back, pick at the loops of black yarn, and think on how fat she was.
Tris came into the room. He was often with her. Rozz was often in the office with Alaric, and Alaric seemed to think Valerie and Tris unqualified to advise Rozz or himself. No one else in the castle had need or great want of them. He sat on the stone hearth before the dwindling fire. It was getting cold.
Tris took a couple short logs and placed them on the fire.
"Thanks," Valerie said, he had known she was cold.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fat," Valerie said, she sighed. "I thought this was going to be such a good idea, give birth to future Goths, be Rozz's wife, but I've never been much like those other women, I've always wanted to be hunting with the boys, or hiding and chasing, or in the office in control of things. I don't like this sitting around with extra weight."
"You should make sure she knows it isn't personal," said Tris, and looked at her belly.
Valerie looked at him crossly, but she pat her belly and said, "It's not personal, Eva, I just feel heavy."
"Ya want some chocolates?"
"Do I?" said Valerie and sank further into the chair.
Tris stood and came to the chair. He took the knitting from Valerie and pulled her to her feet. "C'mon, you want some. You aren't so fat for a pregnant woman, let's go have some."
Valerie smiled and let Tris lead her through the house. They went into the kitchen where Tris got the box of chocolates from the cupboard, then left and went to the upstairs hall. They sat on the couch outside their room, eating chocolates. Aric came from his bedroom, dressed to go riding. "Going riding?" Valerie asked.
"I need to get out of here," he said, crop smacking the top of his boot. He looked bad, worse than he'd looked when he found out Valerie was going to marry Rozz.
"Ric, are you all right?"
He stopped, made a sharp turn so that he faced the couch. "I can't talk to you, Val."
"Alaric, maybe you ought to get out, for good I mean. Good things happened to me when I left home. No one would think bad of you."
Aric nodded. "You don't think mother and father would freak out?" Aric was always amusing speaking American.
"Don't worry about them. Mom's enjoying taking care of Astoric."
Aric nodded. "I thought about it." He frowned then turned slowly and walked down the hall.
"Your brother's frightening," Tris said.
"I've never been afraid of him," Valerie said, "I know he used to be really possessive of Rozz, but at the same time rough with him, you know?"
Tris nodded. "Pretty rough."
"He never hurt him badly!" Valerie realized that didn't really change the fact that he had hurt Rozz. "I suppose it was bad though. When I saw Rozz with Trip I always thought it seemed something he was doing to escape Aric, I mean he knew Trip didn't love him, not the way you do."
Tris smiled and ate a chocolate.
"You really loved him right off?" Valerie asked.
Tris nodded as he swallowed. "Well, at first I just thought him very cute, and it was the fact that Trip was there, and that Rozz was interested in me anyway that kept me thinking of him. He grew on me quickly. I knew it was real love that night. Rozz is great. You love him too. He doesn't know how much you love him, or that you always have."
Valerie shook her head. Rozz didn't know, but he had married her anyway. He wasn't going away.
Tris touched her face. Of course Valerie and Rozz no longer felt strangely dizzy the way others did, but it was shocking in some other way. Valerie froze, a chocolate held at her mouth. "And you don't know how much I love you," Tris said to her.
"You're serious."
Tris leaned close, she thought he would kiss her, but he only plucked the chocolate from her fingers with his mouth.
He was serious.
"Did you love me right off?"
"No, you grew on me," Tris said as he was chewing. He swallowed. "I love you both. I feel strange with you sometimes, because I know it's Rozz you really love, but he doesn't love you the same way."
"If I loved you as much as I love him, we'd be a couple, Tris, it's better we're a threesome, it's better we need Rozz."
"But wouldn't we both always need him?"
Valerie shrugged, not knowing. "I suppose. Perhaps you'll grow on me some more, and I on Rozz."
Tris leaned back into the couch and stretched his legs out in front of him. "I hope so."
Merideth came up the stairs, Valerie was calling her Mother less and less. "Waiting for Rozz?" she asked. The baby was bundled in her arms. It seemed the baby was always hidden in a bundle she held, or asleep in its room. Everyone said it was because Astoric had been premature, he was sickly, weak at least.
"Yes," Valerie said.
She smiled quickly. "Just going to change the baby."
Valerie felt sick.
Tris picked up her hand. "It can't be all that bad, they grow fast."
† † †
Being on the pill was a good thing, Mara thought. It freed her mind of her considerable hesitancy and fear of pregnancy. And Goddess it really was earth shattering when she came. She lay with her eyes closed again, her body still tingling and, she thought, hypersensative. She was seeing something like afterimages, flashes, shards of a dream that she would wake from giddy and hot. She wondered if this happened to everyone, or just to her.
Mara's lips were quivering just slightly. She licked at them quickly as she heard the flick and hiss of Trip's lighter. Mara opened her eyes slowly as the air she breathed filled with smoke. Trip kissed her. Mara was used to the smoky breath and taste of his mouth, as it came to her along with such pleasant feelings it never bothered her.
Mara closed her eyes again. She felt like she could sleep again. But even on weekends it was foolish to sleep in so long. Sadian needed to be fed, needed her hair combed, her mother to talk to, someone to watch over her.
"I should get up," Mara said.
"I'm not stopping you," Trip said. He seemed a bit more alert than Mara felt. He was propped up on one elbow, filling the air with the scent of cloves laced with marijuana. It must be the night, Mara thought.
"Take a shower with me?"
"Nah, I'll get one in a while," he said.
Mara climbed over him and went to their bathroom. She showered and dressed quickly. Trip slunk past her into the bathroom without a word. "I'll be out in the living room or somewhere."
"Don't feed Sadi yet, we'll go out," Trip called, the water was already running.
Mara went into their kitchen. She got a drink of water and walked into the adjacent livingroom. Thierry was siting in the chair before the system staring into the dark glass of the monitor in the dim room. He didn't move at all, didn't blink, hardly breathed. "Are you scrying in the monitor?" Mara whispered. It occurred to her that he actually was. Thierry didn't need much, sometimes he had visions with his eyes closed, but Mara knew that they often came easily when the eyes were open in a blank stare. Any dark reflective surface would do. Thierry would even scry in coffee.
He blinked. "Hello, Mara," he said. His eyes tracked to the side, looked at her as if he could look through her skull and see there playing on a tiny screen the most recent sex scene in the movie of Mara's life. His twisted smile suggested it was true.
"Monique gone to her club already?"
"Yes."
Sadian came from the hall then, rubbing her eyes. "Hi Mom," she whined. Mara sat down then and opened her arms so that Sadian walked into them and snuggled against Mara's chest.
"I actually had the sys on before. Cairo conference ended."
"What happened?"
"Nothing. No real conclusion was made. But, cloning is still restricted in most places, actually everywhere I think."
"Can they do anything to you?"
"They might try," Thierry said, "but there is nothing they can do."
"Are you certain?"
Thierry nodded. "I can't be captured, Mara. And if they come for me, they won't even find me, I'll just disappear into thin air and find a hiding place."
Mara looked down at her sleepy daughter. "Don't try to hide from me."
Thierry said nothing.
Trip came into the room then, from the kitchen. He took a bottle from the fridge. "Breakfast, Sadi," he said, "C'mon, we'll go out for diner as soon as you get dressed."
Sadian got up and wobbled to the kitchen. She gulped down half the bottle of blood before Trip told her to drink it slowly. Sadi set the bottle up on the counter then, half full. She walked to the back of the house. Trip gulped the rest of the bottle down at once as Mara passed him.
Mara helped Sadian dress and led her back to the livingroom. Trip said Sadian could pick the place they would eat at, then they'd all go to Monique's for a while.
"We could eat at the coffee house," Sadian said.
Mara looked to Trip with a smile. Sadian only wanted Orchid and Morpheus to be there, so they would play a game with her while she ate. "All right, we'll see who's there," Mara said.
They found Orchid and Morpheus sitting at their usual table, a booth shaded near to darkness by heavy curtains. There were other curtained booths against the one wall, and many other low tables throughout. Ibrahaim Lightfoot was there, the owner and host. He nodded to them with a smile as they found their own seats.
Orchid smiled warmly as they sat down. David wasn't with them, he'd gone to Islamabad on business a few days ago. Morpheus had some Tarot cards on the table and was in the middle of telling a story to Orchid. Mara gathered he was telling a tale involving an angel named Raziel and Stonehenge. He put he cards away then and asked Sadian if she might like to play Parchessi with him.
Sadian laughed happily as Benazir, Ibrahaim's daughter, came to their booth for their orders. Trip ordered for them as Morpheus set up the game. Mara agreed to play one of the four colours, Orchid played with them as well, but he wasn't in the habit of touching his pieces, he just glanced at the board every so often and dice rolled and pieces moved. Mara always suspected he controlled the rolling of the dice a little much.
Orchid won the game, but Sadian didn't seem to mind. She found Morpheus generally entertaining. Mara supposed it was understandable, he was child-like and unthreatening, he was pretty, he had wings, he told amusing jokes and stories in American, and he could do quite amazing things like make little dancing figures appear in the palm of his hand or with a finger passing over a pile of spilt salt make the grains form any number of shapes.
When they had finished dinner, they walked together down the street to the outskirts of the village. There standing alone on one side of the road that ran to the horizon, toward the highway that would run into Karachi, was a square building of bare concrete, black awnings over door and single large stained glass window of abstract coloured shapes. The name Monique's was screened on the front of the door's awning.
Inside a few people were sitting about at small low candle-lit tables and on pillows. Zulfi was lying back drinking. Monique sat on a stool, up on a small raised stage, plating an acoustic guitar and singing in French. Mara followed Trip then, took the seat he offered her at a table near one wall. She saw Thierry took a seat near the bar, and that Orchid and Morpheus went to the corner, where the low couches and pillows had no tables near them but a tiled floor and then the stage.
Trip went to the bar and he brought them back drinks, he and Sadian were drinking blood, only her's was mixed with simple syrup, his with vodka. Mara didn't know how they could drink the stuff.
The door opened with a chime. Mara glanced up. David was there, and two humans with him. Orchid squealed from his couch. "Jinnah!" he said. The bearded Arab smiled and clasped Orchid's hand as he came to greet them.
Orchid kissed David then, quickly, and he turned to the woman and kissed her hand. Mara thought then she recognized them from newscasts. The man was of course Jinnah, their Governor, and the woman his second wife, the one most involved in politics. Mara thought her name was Victoria, she did look like she might be part English, an Anglo-Indian.
"You surprised us," Orchid said.
Jinnah was looking toward the couch. Mara lowered her head and turned casually as she could to the couch. Zulfikar seemed interested in the Governor. Orchid was leading him toward the table. Trepidation stood, and so Mara did. Orchid introduced them, "This is Trepidation and Mara."
Jinnah extended his hand, looked stricken as soon as he had, politician's smile fading. Trip just nodded politely and stepped aside. Mara forced herself to smile and took Jinnah's hand. His wife gave Mara her hand then and smiled. "My wife, Victoria," Jinnah said.
Jinnah put an arm about Orchid and walked to the couch with him. Orchid ordered Zulfi to fetch them some drinks, and Zulfi rushed to obey. Victoria lingered at their table.
"You may join us if you like," Mara said, gestured to the seat that was opposite Trip.
Victoria nodded and sat with them. "Shi Vampires?" She asked as she looked at Trip.
"Yes," he answered slowly.
"I read about you in the new version of Opium's Story of the Sidhe. Of course then I saw all the news stories, but they hardly seem slanted to your advantage," She spoke British with an Indian cadence. "It an honor to meet you, I've been interested in Darkling affairs for some time. Treasure and I have been working together in Islamabad on some legislature, and I hope to influence everyone that I can to go along with his plan to have a monument built in the Capital to our Darkling."
"I'm not really involved in politics," Trip said.
Victoria frowned. "Aren't you? Well, forgive my directness, but you ought to be. Politics effect every one of us, and if you don't push to have your rights protected, you'll loose them."
"You sound like my father."
"Yes, he was the first Leader of Goth. I have never met him, tho I have communicated via computer with Quickening. Treasure often speaks of her."
"What do you talk to my mother about?" Trip asked.
Victoria laughed shortly. "We met originally on the art net when we were both in school, recognized each other over the years on various systems, I was already married to Ahmed during the war. I followed news of the Goth in Lady Merideth's pictorials. I didn't know Orchid then, I might have gone to him...maybe he would have sent the jets the Arabian states had put at his disposal to threaten Russian earlier and shortened the war. I understand it was very hard for the Goth in Gaul, toward the end."
Mara looked at Trip, he seemed as impressed as she felt, more. He was staring at Victoria. "Yes," he said.
"She says that the next Leader may actually be a friend of yours, though it isn't a definite thing yet."
Trip only nodded.
"Well, if Rozz is named Leader, Jinnah and I would certain like to meet him. It's true he has a, how would the Goths say it, a lover? One of the Jewels?"
Trip nodded and glanced at Mara.
Victoria laughed, "Oh, but you are a Jewel also."
"Yes," said Mara shyly, "after a fashion."
Victoria nodded. No need to say that she was a clone, all the educated world knew it.
Mara looked toward the couch then, noticed Zulfi was sitting quite close to Jinnah and felt that there was some bond between them. Victoria said, "Majnun doesn't know of course, In Arabia, we don't keep lovers publicly, not the way they do in Goth, or even in America."
"You seem tolerant." Mara said as she looked at the couch. Jinnah kissed Zulfi, as one kisses a lover, and afterward he looked toward the table and his wife, and blew a kiss to her.
"It must be all my time spent in the Village," Victoria said.
† † †
Rozz shook him awake shortly before dawn. Tris found the sleep hard to shake, wanted to sink back into the pillows, into warmth. But he realised only then as he shifted his weight that the rest of the bed was cold, he was alone, but for Rozz standing beside the bed already dressed and grinning. "She's had the baby!" he said.
Tris rubbed his eyes, felt his wings pushing from their sheath of skin. All his feathers ruffled then fell into place. "Where are they?"
"Tris, I've got a daughter! They're in her parent's room, Valerie didn't make it any farther. Come see them before they got to the hospital and see the doctor." His hands closed on Tris' arm.
Tris slid out of the bed. Rozz stepped back to the chair and took a shirt from it. He reconsidered looking at Tris' wings. Rozz brushed his forelocks behind one ear. Such a cute young father.
They went down the hall to Alaric and Merideth's bedroom. It was a large room, impressive, warm. They had a fire going, Valerie was on the bed with one bundle. Merideth was sitting before a monitor with a larger one, on the phone. Tris went to the bed.
"Hey," said Valerie, she looked really funny, but beautiful. The baby was tiny, a lump.
The tiny red lump was crying softly. "She's hungry," Tris said, he could feel it. It made him just a little hungry.
Valerie rolled her eyes. Tris laughed, he couldn't help it. And he couldn't really imagine Valerie wanting the lump sucking at her breast. Though, it was easy to imagine Lump Eva wanting it. He leaned over the bed and kissed Valerie.
Tris looked at Eva again, so strangely coloured and small. She would grow up to be like her parents. Strange that she might be as strong as her mother, as effeminite as her father, well, interesting. Tris turned his head, Rozz was glowing, gazing at his baby, grinning stupidly. "You gonna the hospital with her?"
Rozz nodded.
Tris stepped back and let Rozz join his family. He walked across the rug, crossed his arms over his stomach though he wasn't cold or in pain. Merideth had her son on the phone. He'd moved to Berlin, was always being hounded by the paparazzi.
Tris wanted to touch someone. He went to Rozz and wrapped his arms about Rozz's waist. Rozz lifted his arms and held Tris, his fingers burned into Tris' shoulders. "I wish I had a child."
Rozz laughed softly. "Tris wishes he had a child," he said.
"You too can fuck Valerie, do so now and in nine months she will deliver to you a small child of your very own," hysterical impression of a off hours television ad.
Tris smiled to himself and kissed Rozz's neck. "You gonna let me do it?"
"Why not, she's a girl, and she's already ours."
"I feel so appreciated," Val said.
"No, Val, I think we're yours," Rozz said.