86. Infectious happiness

[Sinclair]

"Sinclair, wait up!" Maeve yelled from the driveway, gasping for breath when she finally caught up to me, putting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you run. Are you alright?" I asked her, cupping her chin to pull her head back, searching her eyes once her gaze met mine.

"Really, Sinclair? You aren't supposed to be checking on me; I'm supposed to be checking on you. Are you alright?" She growled, slapping away my hand with a roll of her eyes.

"I am fine, Maeve. Come and sit." I said with a shake of my head, taking her arm as I lead her to the nearest tree, raising an eyebrow when I saw the way she was glaring at me.

"Stop lying. We both know you aren't alright. I mean, bloody hell, you've just had a bomb dropped on you! I can't pretend to know how you feel, but I can understand why you're so upset."

"It's fine-" I started to say but stopped myself with a sigh, shaking my head with a meager shrug. "It is a betrayal like none other I have ever felt. I know they are children, but they are more than mere children, Maeve. They know what they did was wrong, and that's why they kept it a secret until now."

"Aye, you're probably right. As I said, I fully understand why you're upset. What the twins did was fucked up on so many different levels." Maeve responded with a sigh, biting her lip as she watched me, then held her hand up, motioning with her index finger for me to come closer.

"Maeve, I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I thank you wholeheartedly, but you do not need to," I said, trying to protest, but found I was moving towards her, despite my refusal.

"Come here, and let me love you, recreant prick." She growled in response, narrowing her eyes into slits as she watched me, grinning when I nodded and moved closer.

"Will you?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow as she draped her arms over my shoulders, pulling me down so that she could kiss me.

"Will I do what?" She mumbled against my lips, pulling back slightly so that she could watch me, her eyes locked onto my lips as she caressed my cheek with her thumb.

"Love me, even if I am a recreant prick?" I asked her, putting my hands on her waist, searching her eyes as she thought about what I'd said for what felt like an eternity of silence. *'Usually people do not need to think about whether or not they love someone, and so I suppose I have my answer.'*

"Don't look at me like that, Sinclair. That's not fair. You didn't even let me answer."

"I am not trying to force an answer from you, Maeve, but your non-response was a response," I responded, then sat on the ground, resting my back against the tree as I pulled her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her, trapping her back against me.

"I do really like you, Sinclair. A lot more than I ever thought I could. After what happened between us, I just can't help worrying about everything." Maeve responded as she readjusted the way she was sitting on my lap so that she could rest her head on my shoulder, looking up at the sky through the trees.

"I do not need to question how I feel about you, and that is what worries me. I could tell there was something wrong with how I felt for Mercy from the moment I saw her. I tried for months to figure out what it was, but I never could. The twins had many an opportunity to come clean, and they chose not to."

"It worries you because you think the twins might have done something, again? We all know they can't do anything to me unless I let them. Is that not enough to satiate your worries?"

"It does, in a sense, yes," I said with an affirmative nod, watching a small sparrow fluttering about in a nearby nest, allowing silence to hang between us for a few moments before saying anything more. "Maeve, after what happened, I feel as though I am making your life more perverse than it should be. I apologize from the depths of my being, as I wish I weren't the reason your life was so tumultuous."

"Tum- Oh, stop it, you glorified teddy bear!" Maeve giggled out, leaning to her left so that she could look back at me, her eyes alive with laughter as she watched me. "There is nowhere I want to be, more than here, with you. I can do without Rafferty, though."

"Glorified teddy bear?" I repeated with a grin, chuckling softly as I tried to mimic the way she'd said bear, but got nowhere close, despite my best attempts.

"Aye, you're as big as a bear and cuddly, too. Were humans really this big back in your human years, without gyms?" She asked, pulling my arm from my side, wrapping her hands around my bicep, showing me that her fingers couldn't touch around it.

"So, I am bigger than the average man. I know this already, Maeve, as do you." I replied with a wink, laughing out when she turned her head away, trying to hide her blush. "I am only curious why I'd be considered a bear for being large?" I chuckled, pulling my arm out of her grasp, drawing her to lean back against me, pointing out the sparrow's nest to her.

"Because you're like a bear. An insane and savage one, but a teddy bear nonetheless." Maeve said with a sigh, resting her head on the right side of my shoulder so that she could still watch the birds as I was, nuzzling against me with a small breath of content.

"I am prone to committing crazed acts, I suppose," I said, wrapping my right arm around her waist, caressing her cheek with my left thumb, holding her against my chest as I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature surrounding us.

"I love you, too," Maeve whispered in my ear after a few minutes of silence, then kissed my jaw before pressing her face into my throat, one arm around my shoulders, and her free hand resting on the fabric above my heart.

I smiled softly when she said this but did not respond and let the peaceful silence remain instead until I heard her heartbeat evening out, and I knew she'd fallen asleep. I peered down at the sleeping woman in my arms, my breath catching in my throat as I watched her, listening to the sound of her heart beating as I watched her chest rise and fall. It wasn't until now that I could see the light emanating from her stomach, causing me to gasp out softly, as I could finally see it.

I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to see the baby, because of its light nature, in comparison to my dark character, but now I could faintly see the thin white glow radiating from her stomach. *'Our baby, after so long of mourning the passing of the son I never met, and my beautiful girls. I cannot wait to meet you, my son. Wait, son?'* I thought, my eyes widening in surprise at the thought, but somehow, I knew I was correct. Though I didn't understand how I knew, I knew that the child would indeed be a boy, as was the one I was to have.

"What's wrong?" Maeve suddenly whispered, surprising me, as I hadn't heard or noticed that she'd woken up, and was watching me curiously.

"I can see the light that Rafferty was referring to," I responded, circling the air around her abdomen to show her where the light was, smiling when I saw the surprise and love in her eyes. "I think it's a boy."

"A boy? That would make me so happy! To be able to give you a baby boy? Oh, I hope it is a little boy. I know he was supposed to be called Ciaran, but now someone else has his name. Did you and Victoria have another name in mind?"

"We did, but this is not the child of Victoria and I. It is our child, and so, his name should be of our mutual choosing." I responded with a shake of my head before setting it against the tree I was leaning against, looking down into her beautiful meadow-green eyes.

"Alexander Sinclair Beaumont the second?" She offered, hiding her face against my chest as I growled.

"You know the dislike I have for my name, Maeve. I would never force my child to live with it as I have. Is that the surname you'd like to give our child? It is one I have not heard in centuries. I do not believe even Lucifer knows of my full name as you do."

"I know, I was only playing with you. What about Oswyn? I'm trying to think about ancient names, and it's a lot harder to do than I thought it would be." Maeve said as she sat up and clasped her hands above her head, leaning to her left, groaning as she stretched out.

"Oswyn? Maeve, we have months yet to pick a name, and it does not need to be an old one of English origin, just because I am old and of English origin." I laughed out as I watched her, then waited for her to stand so that I could do the same. I looked towards the mansion but shook my head and took Maeve's hand, walking to the left, further down the road away from the people I knew were waiting for us inside.

"I'm glad you finally admitted that you were old- Ah!" Maeve gasped, trying to run away before I could react, but to no avail, as I caught her immediately, trapping her arms across her chest as I growled in her ear, trapping her body against mine.

"Care to try again?" I asked her, chuckling as she fought to try to get free, an adorable but ultimately futile attempt.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to, Sir. Gah, how are you so strong? This is just a cruel joke of nature!"

"I am a cruel joke of nature, Maeve. I was sure you'd figured that out by now, but I see that I was wrong." I said, nibbling softly at her throat before releasing her, taking her hand in mine before she could get too far away.

"So, what origin do you want it to be? If it's not English, it would be Irish, then. Oh! What about Ciara if it's a girl? It's the female version of Ciaran!" Maeve gasped as she came to a stop, nearly jumping up and down from excitement as she spoke.

"We spell it the same way as Ciaran?" I asked, trying my best not to let her excitement get to me, but found it hard not to, as it was incredibly infectious. "Ah, possibly. But I still feel as if you feel obligated to give our child that name, and so maybe we should stray as far from it as possible? If it is a girl, we could give her your middle name. Aoife Ciara Beaumont?"

"Well, you said you think it's a boy, so what about Rian? It means little king, and so, it's pretty fitting, isn't it? Or there's always Tiernan if you want to go way into uncommon Irish names."

"Tiernan? There is a name I have never heard. Do you know of its meaning?" I asked as I stepped in front of her, crouching down so that she could jump onto my back.

"Little lord. His daddy is the king of recreants, after all. Oh, wait, what about the evolution that Rafferty keeps talking about?" Maeve asked as she jumped on my back, wrapping her arms around my chest, setting her chin on my shoulder as I stood and began walking forward.

"I was planning on stepping back from the king of the recreants and allowing Hanna to move into that position. Or rather, I was not planning on it, but I have been giving it quite a bit of thought since last night."

"You're planning on stepping back because of the baby?" She murmured sadly before shaking her head, tightening the hold she had, pressing her face into my back with a sigh.

"It is not because of the baby. It is for the baby. I know the things Lucifer must do as the king of vampires, and if I step fully into that role, I fear I will become the man I do not wish to be. Not anymore." I said, trying to look at her over my shoulder, but couldn't, as she refused to look up at me. "You know of the things I have done and the things I could do, should I so desire it. I have not been a man deserving of love for a long time, Maeve. I do not wish to be that man anymore."

"But I love you. Doesn't that count?"

"I know you are afraid of me, Maeve. You have been from the moment you met me. It's the reason you were so drawn to me the first time we met. I do not wish to see the fear in your eyes anytime you believe I am angry."

"I'm not scared of you. If I was scared, why would I be with you? That doesn't make a lick of sense."

"Is that so? Why did you flinch when I stopped walking a moment ago? Why do you reek of fear any time we are in an enclosed space together? The fear you have of me arouses you, and that is why we are together. I do not need my recreant ability to read simple body language. If you must argue, then do so at will. I know I am not wrong."

"You've known the entire time that I fear you? And you still stayed with me? Why?" Maeve asked after a few moments of silence, tapping my shoulder to tell me to let her down, looking up at me as she waited for my response.

"The only being I have come across that does not harbor an ounce of fear of me is Rafferty. I guarantee you, if you watch the group while I am in their presence, you will see that even the twins are afraid of me." I responded with a shrug, trying to act as if it did not bother me, while in reality, it troubled me more than I could ever admit.

"You didn't answer my question, Sinclair. If you know that I'm a little scared of you, why have you stayed with me?"

"Because your fear is not emanating from a place of a hostile intention. Your fear of me stems from desire and want. Why would I refuse myself a woman who wants me so badly that she fears even her own desire? That is what does not make a lick of sense, Maeve." I responded with a small laugh, watching as the worry left her eyes and was replaced with embarrassment.

"As I said, you're an insane and savage teddy bear. It's scary, but in all the best ways." Maeve said with a shrug, then turned around to look in the direction we'd been walking from, holding her hand out to me. "I know you feel betrayed, Sinclair, but I can't let you lose the people you care about and who care about you. Not without a fight."

"I had no intentions on never speaking to them again, as that is a punishment that does not fit the crime, but I cannot be so quick to forgive. Not this time." I said, but took her hand and allowed her to lead me back towards the house.

"I don't think anyone expects you just to act as if it did not affect you. I am only saying, I know you love those twins and that entire group. You are a big part of that family, Sinclair, and you've already lost one. You don't need to lose the only one you know." Maeve said as she slowed down her pace, resting her head on my arm as we strolled slowly forward, not in any particular rush to get back.

"I feel as though there is something you are hesitant to say," I said after a few moments of waiting for her to say anything more, but found that she did not seem to have any intentions of doing so without being prompted.

"When I was almost dead, I could still see and hear, as I couldn't heal, but I couldn't die either. That's another thing I need to tell you, but when Mercy told Rafferty to stop, your eyes were purple, like his."

"Purple? I will ask him what that means, but I believe he will refuse to tell me, as he seems to enjoy doing. What is the other thing you wish to tell me?"

"Aye, purple. And now that you can see the baby's light as Rafferty can, do you think that means that you're going to evolve soon? At this point, he needs to stop being so secretive. It's really worrying me that we have no idea what to expect and if there is something we need to do to help you."

"It worries me too, but I will not allow it to be the only thing I think about. We have a life ahead of us to think about, Maeve. If we spend all of our time worrying about me, the time we have will pass before our eyes. What worries me is that you were still alive, even without a heartbeat."

"I think the baby is the reason I couldn't actually die like I usually would. Remember when I said if I died, then the baby would die too? Well, I don't think I can die at all while I'm pregnant. I wish I could try to explain it, but I can barely understand it myself. It's like something was holding my soul in my body, refusing to let it go."

"Is that so? If I think about it, it makes sense. You cannot die because you are with an angel and not any mere child." I agreed with a nod, then came to a stop, narrowing my eyes in thought. "Maeve, do you wish to stay?"

"Stay? Well, you know how much I hate being stuck in one place, but this is your family, Sinclair. I want to go wherever you go." Maeve responded, watching me in confusion as she waited for the reason as to why I'd asked.

"If we stay in wait for Rafferty to regain his strength, we may reason with ourselves why we should not leave. Not to mention, our presence, along with Rafferty's, may make everyone else feel as though they must stay nearby, should anything happen."

"You don't want to leave because of the twins and what they did, right? I just want to make sure you aren't asking because of how you're feeling right now. Decisions made out of anger are rarely looked back on with a smile." Maeve said, her eyes far off in thought as she looked past me and into the unknown.

"It is not because of the twins, Maeve. I do wish to take our leave so that we can begin our lives together, however."

"Okay, well, let's go, then." She responded with a nod, smiling when she saw my grin, holding her arms out so that I could pull her into a hug. "Do you want to leave after dinner?"

"Yes, we can leave after dinner. Where would you like to go? I suppose our decision will also depend on Rafferty."

"Maybe we should go home to Ireland? You've been saying since we met that you wanted to see where I was born and raised, and since Ireland is where fae originates from, I have the feeling the island is hidden somewhere close by. I'm sure if it made me so strong, it will be the boost Rafferty needs to stand on his own."

"I cannot wait to begin the rest of my life by your side, nor can I wait to meet Tiernan. Yes, I very much like that name for our child." I said as I picked her up with a laugh, putting a hand on the back of her head as I brought our lips together, unable to stop myself from smiling, as I was finally truly and utterly happy. *'For the first time in centuries, I look to my future with an enthusiastic smile on my face and not a worry in my heart for what troubles may lie ahead.'*