Unexpected Realisation

Alexis sat on the bathroom floor after having thrown up for the second evening in a row. This wasn’t normal, in all her nine hundred years she had never thrown up except when she was an infant and throwing up last night had severely worried Tahir but she passed it off as nothing

She had thought about blood poisoning from taking Tahir’s blood but that would build up and get stronger over a long period of time, slowly weakening her. She didn’t feel weak, not at all; she was just tired, completely drained of energy.

The Vampire hadn’t thought of the obvious until this morning as she greeted the toilet bowl once more.

The other night down at the beach…

She buried her face in her hands, how could she have been so foolish, all these years she had avoided falling pregnant and now... now she was sitting on the cold floor waiting for the test which sat upside down on the counter to be done.

Thirty more seconds, she was counting down in her head, the heels of her bare feet bouncing nervously on the floor as she looked up at it.

Her heart raced as she reached for the small piece of plastic and pulled it towards her, she found herself holding her breath and she flipped it over.

The Vampires eyes widened as the two little red lines came into view, positive; she was pregnant with Tahir’s child.

Alexis pulled herself onto her feet, her hand pressing against her still flat stomach, she wasn’t upset, she was in shock, they hadn’t planned for this and she didn’t know how Tahir could take the news.

Her lips pursed slightly, it didn’t matter how he took it, she was keeping it, the child growing in her womb was hers and she was going to protect it no matter what.

“Tahir…”

She called somewhat shakily from the bathroom as she unlocked it and pushed the door open.

Tahir hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Alexis about Aodh. After they rested together, she had fallen ill, throwing up for the first time since she was a baby.

Tahir felt sick himself with concern, even though Alexis tried to remain calm. And suddenly the issues with Aodh were pushed to the back burner until they could figure out what was happening to Alexis.

The entire time Alexis was in the bathroom, Tahir was waiting in the bedroom anxiously. She had insisted she was fine and just wanted some privacy. All though it was difficult for him, he respected that, but remained very close just in case she needed him.

Without knowing what was wrong with his love, he had decided that he was going to escort her to Giacinto to see if she could help as soon as Alexis came out of the bathroom.

Right as the Persian man heard Alexis call out his name, he was there in an instant. He propped the door all the way open and looked down at the little vampire, his eyes brimming with worry.

"What is it? Are you all right?" He asked. Of course she wasn't all right. But he didn't know what else to say. He saw the equipment that was in the bathroom, the plastic with the red lines. But he didn't understand what it meant, having never seen something like that before.

She looked up at him, her own face showing signs of concern, but she forced a smile anyway.

Saying she was scared was an understatement, she was terrified of what he might say, what he might think. But what frightened her most was that for the first time in her life, she was vulnerable.

The child inside of her was delicate and breakable, if something happened to her then it would be effected too, and that thought struck her.

"Don't look at me with those worried eyes of yours, I told you already, I'm fine."

The Vampire moved forward and nestled into his chest, at least this explained why she had felt so ill, and why she had been constantly tired lately, her body was going through a lot.

"I know what is happening now."
She muttered, looking up at him.

Tahir could not help but be worried out of his mind for her. He loved Alexis, he would always worry for her health. Her life meant more to him then his own.

As she approached him and cuddled in close to his chest, he lets his strong arms encase her, holding her close and petting the back of her head.

Tahir's heart skipped a few beats when she said she knew what was happening now. Gently taking her shoulders, he held her back some so he could look in her eyes.

"What?" He asked, anxious to know. She had smiled, and that could either be a very good sing that she was in fact fine, or a bad sign that she was trying to lighten the load of what she had to say.

She fiddled with his shirt for a moment as he looked down at her, she could feel her heart beating heavily in her chest.

Alexis let out a heavy sigh as she tried to reign in her emotions and keep calm about all of this, she didn't what to feel, anxious, excitement, joy, fear. It all swirled around in one confusing blur.

"I'm pregnant."

She finally muttered as she looked up at him, each emotion flowing through her evident in her eyes.

Her breath hitched in her throat slightly as she waited for his reaction.

With loving eyes Tahir looked down at her. She was a small person, but in this moment she actually appeared to be little, withdrawing inside herself. Whatever it was she had to tell him he would take it strongly, for her.

The words caught him off guard though. Out of all the possibilities that ran though Tahir's mind, her being pregnant had slipped his thoughts.

He tensed up, his eyes widening a little. Silent, he held her as he let the news sink in. He was absolutely speechless. A thousand questions ran through his mind, no answers following.

Modern abortion practices were not something Tahir was familiar with. True, women had found ways to do it back when he was alive, but that was only if they were desperate. Those methods were dangerous and often very painful, and he couldn't see Alexis doing that to herself.

A father. He was going to be a father. Alexis was carrying his child inside of her, their child.

Tahir found himself at a lost for words. He didn't react at all, he only held her, not knowing what to do or think or feel.

His silence took her back, wounding her, she didn't know what she was expecting but this wasn't it, was he going to say something?

"A..Aren't you going to say anything?"

She asked, her words crackling slightly, she needed his support and all he did was stand there, still as a statue.

Alexis looked up at him, a few tears falling from her eyes as she took a step back from him, her hands resting protectively on her stomach.

"I'm keeping it, I don't care what you do, I'm keeping it."

She loved Tahir, with all her heart but she wouldn't give up this baby, no matter what he said or did she was going to love and protect it.

The sound of her voice made Tahir snap out of his stupor, blinking back into the reality that was before him.

His brow furrowed when he saw the despondent look on her face. The glistening in her eyes and the tear drops rolling off her porcelain cheeks caused his heart to break.

He took a step forward, again pulling the woman close to his embrace. He gently swayed from side to side, rocking her steadily.

"No, no that's not what I meant." He said in a low tone, petting her long silver hair lovingly.

"You're the person I love Alexis. If you're happy with this... then I am too." He said, honestly meaning every word. Yes it was a shock, but he loved Alexis so much, and he couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather welcome a child into the world with.

She took in a shaky breath as he stepped forward and embraced her, throwing her arms around him and holding him tightly.

Alexis hid her face in against his chest, sobbing for a moment before calming down.

"I've gone through so much, battled so many people, but for the first time I'm scared Tahir."

She muttered, looking up at him, the thought of being a Mother scared her, she wanted a child but having something so dependent on her was frightening.

"I don't know what I'm meant to do."

She added, holding onto him tightly.

Guilt swelled up inside of the gentle giant as Alexis cried out her fear. He felt like this was his fault, that he had forced his upon her. Even if it was an accident, it was his doing.

"I'm so sorry Lex." He apologized, cupping her cheeks in his hands and brushing some of the tears away with his thumbs. Gently he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"We'll figure this out." He promised. He too had seen a lot in his life. But this didn't just involve his life anymore, this involved that of a baby. He was fearless when it came to himself, but when it came to those he loved, to someone so fragile depending on him... Now that was frightening. He understood where Alexis was coming from, he was scared too.

He picked the little vampire up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, sitting down on the mattress and leaning back against the headboard. He held her in his lap so she no longer had to stand.

"What do you want to do Alexis?" he asked, looking into her eyes. She had said she wanted to keep the baby, but now what did they do? Should they get married? Is that what she meant? All though on the outside Tahir appeared to be calm, his heart was thudding in his chest with nervousness.

A small, fleeting smile pulled at the corner of her lips as she looked up at him, shaking her head at his apology.

"Don't be sorry, this..."
Was an accident, no, she didn't want to think of her future child as an accident, that would mean she held regret for what had happened, it seemed to devalue her love for it.

"It just happened, it is no ones fault."

She added, curling in against him as they lay out on the bed, shrugging softly at his next question, not fully grasping what he meant by it.

"I don't know, I just want to take each day as it comes until the baby comes, when ever that is..."

Her hand ran over her face at the realisation.
"We don't even know what species it is."

Tahir nodded his head, though he still couldn't help but feel guilty. Even if he shouldn't, he had seen her cry and that alone was enough to make him feel weak.

He pulled her hair back out of her face, even pushing her bangs back so he could kiss her forehead. The little smile that graced her face helped him calm down. Really he just wanted her to be as happy as she could possibly be. She deserved that so much.

"We'll take each day as it comes together." He said, his tone like a promise. He wouldn't bail on her for this. He could never abandon his love, no matter how heavy the situation.

"Have there been half lycan half vampire children before? Or would it just be one or the other?" He asked, furrowing his brow a little in curiosity.

"There have been, but with hybrids it is always a guessing game, they could be one or the other or a mix, it all depends which genes dominate the other."

She looked down at her flat stomach and stroke it idly as she mused over it for a moment.

"We will find out soon enough, Lycan pregnancies are much shorter than Vampire ones.

I just hope that what ever it is, that it is more Lycan than Vampire."

The small woman admitted, she wanted her children to be safe, she wanted to know that if they stayed outside playing for too long that they would be alright, the sun would not harm them.

Alexis nestled in against him, holding him close.
"I was so worried you walk away from all of this, you have so much burdening you as it is..."

Tahir pulled her in even closer and leaned back further into the bed, just cuddling her. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. With that exhale he also wanted to release any negative emotions he was having over this news. So what if the baby wasn't planed? If Alexis was okay then he was more then okay. Stunned but also, surprisingly, excited.

"You thought I'd walk away?" He asked, looking into her eyes. "You didn't leave me when my sister became ill. How could I leave you for anything, especially this?" He asked, kissing her cheek.

"I couldn't." He said, answering his own question for her. "As long as you'll want me to I'll be by your side no matter what happens."

"You'll be a wonderful mother to our child, I can only hope to be as good of a father." He said with a sheepish grin. He remembered how cute Alexis looked playing with baby Cinaed, how comfortable she was with little ones. She would be a lovely mother indeed.

"You'll be a wonderful father."

She replied smiling up at him, he wasn't going to leave or try to convince her to give up the baby, with that knowledge all of her dread and fear began to melt away.

Everything would be alright, they had a loving family behind them and despite the child not being planned she knew that they would not look down upon her.

Really they had been lucky, Vampire and Lycan Mates could try for ages to fall pregnant without success, their bodies weren't compatible, but they had managed to without meaning to.

With a grin, Tahir laid all the way back on the bed and rolled onto his side so that they were facing one another.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" He asked, the excitement growing as the initial shock of the news began to ware off.

Honestly Tahir would have been glad to have a boy or a girl. In this day and age women were not as held back as they were before he was cursed to his sword, and really the gender of a child didn't matter at all. Still he was curious as to what Alexis thought.

"A little girl would be fun, bossy like her Mother, forcing her Daddy to play dolls and dress-ups with her.
Oh! and imagine your face the first time she would bring a boy home."

Alexis grinned as she teased the man, she could imagine Tahir with little fairy clips in his hair one day, then snarling at some young man that wanted to date her the next.

"But then a little boy would be fun too, he could run around in the woods with Cinaed and Luka.
You'd go hunting, and fishing, camp out under the stars.

Though gender roles aren't as defined now, I'm sure either would still run about and play fight with the other children."

As long as it was happy and healthy, she didn't care what gender or species it was, though Lycan was more appealing.

Tahir couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at Alexis's words, imagining him playing dolls with a little girl. He would do it too, if that's what his baby would want. But only the baby and Lex would be allowed to see that.

The mention of Cinaed and Luka made Tahir think of Aodh again. He really wanted to talk to Alexis about what had happened and get her opinion on it. After all, this child was going to have the elder lycan as an uncle.

"Alexis... there is something I've been wanting to talk to you about." He said, his tone a bit more serious again.

The thought of seeing Tahir playing with a child, boy or girl, was an adorable thought, something she was looking forward to seeing.

He was awkward with Cinaed but with his own child he would quickly learn what he could do with them.

Seeing the two of them now it was hard to imagine that they had been upset and speechless moments before.

"What is it?"
She asked, looking up at him.

"It's about Aodh..." He started, being hesitant. He didn't want to cause her to be upset, ever. But especially now that she had just found out she was pregnant. Maybe this was a horrible time to bring it up. He cursed at himself inside his head, feeling that he should have just bit his tongue and saved it for another day.

"It's about what happened with Aodh." He said again. He had all ready started and there wasn't much use in backing out now. He was quiet though, waiting to see if she was okay talking about it or not. If she wasn't then he was sure she'd let him know.

Her brows furrowed slightly as he spoke, nestling in closer against him.

"About Aodh?"

She gave a soft sigh as he continued, oh yes, the two of them were nearly at each others throats the other day, though they were still quite tense Aodh had let Tahir around the pups and their family so his grudge couldn't be too bad.

"What went on between the two of you? I know Aodh can be very abrasive but he is normally quite friendly, on his good days."

"It was back in September of last year. In the city." He started, gently rubbing Alexis's shoulder. "A boy had upset him, thrown gum in his hair. I guess there was a special family tradition to him to not cut his hair, and the kid made it so he'd have to. Well, I understand why he was upset. But he nearly killed the human. He was just a kid, not even in his twenties." He explained, feeling heavy about the memory.

"I intervened and said somethings that I'm sure Aodh didn't appreciate..."

"I follow orders Alexis, and if my beta wanted me to do anything I'd do it, unless it involved hurting someone I loved or a defenseless person. I can't respect that, I can't follow it." The Persian man rested his hand on her stomach lightly, his thumb caressing it affectionately.

"Our child will be his nephew. My family will be his family. I don't want there to be any bad blood between us, but I don't regret stepping in and stopping him. If the situation were to happen again, I'd do the same thing over."

Alexis pursed her lips slightly and nodded as he spoke, now she understood, Tahir's actions were a direct challenge to Aodh's authority as pack Beta, he must have insulted Aodh as well as challenge him, it was well within Aodh's rights to kill the boy.

Her hand rested on his, stroking it softly as it lay against her stomach.

"You should've let him just kill the boy, but what you did was very admirable, I'm proud of you."

She added, leaning up and pecking him on the cheek before settling back down and curling up against him.

"You have to remember that we all kill humans at some point, don't risk your life for them because they would not do the same for you."

She added, nuzzling up against him.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

Tahir stared ahead, his brow a little furrowed. Alexis seemed to agree with Aodh's actions. The fact that the boy was a human just made Tahir think that it was worst to kill him. He was totally defenseless against a powerful beast like Aodh, it would be like killing a baby or an cripple.

"I was a human. My family were humans before they were killed." He muttered, still staring ahead. He didn't like to talk about his family with anyone, but Alexis was his soul mate and he knew he could tell her anything and everything, even it it would be painful for him.

"I'm so sorry Tahir."

She muttered softly, stroking his face with her small dainty hand, she knew he was a turned Lycan, his eyes were evidence enough of that but she rarely thought of him before he was changed.

"It must have been hard to see, and I can sympathize with the boy but not all of them are worth saving.

I suppose my opinion is a little biased, I've never been human and I never will be human.

I grew up being taught that they were merely food, when you know no better it is hard to think differently, granted I'm older now, I know better than that and I've tried to change my ways but not all of us can adjust."

She hoped he didn't think less of her for thinking that way but he knew what she was and what she needed to do in order to survive.