On Learned Ignorance

Tahir and Alexis had decided to take a walk away from the mansion so that they could both get some fresh air. The moon and stars lit up the sky, and Tahir couldn't help but notice how it illuminated Alexis's skin, made her seem to glow even more then she all ready did.

Her belly had all ready began to grow, and she looked lovely to Tahir. Never before had a pregnant woman held as much beauty as his Alexis.

He held her hand as they walked. In the current setting they spoke of nothing really, just little things that filled the day, or silly past stories.

The man had all ready told his love about Arzu's incident, and had done his best to clean the mess she had made of Alexis's room. He even bought her new belongings to make up for what his sister had destroyed. Money didn't mean anything to Tahir, and he felt horrible for how Arzu had done, especially after all that Alexis did to try and help.

He had accepted that there was nothing he could do to help Arzu now, and that the best way to help her was to let her go. Maybe accepted wasn't the right word. A realization would be the better way to phrase it.

But in this moment Tahir and Alexis were not talking of such weighing matters. In this moment the conversation was light, happy, the two simply enjoying the others presence.

The woman scouted the skies, wings flapping, a robe hanging from her talons.

She had been busy all night, telling people of the Fae's impending arrival and warning people of what they had to do.

She had saved the most difficult until last.

Telling a couple that they had to split up and dragging one away to Greece. While she was pregnant, no less. This wouldn't be any less than torturous.

Giacinto spotted the couple out in the fields and swooped low, giving a cry to alert them of her presence before dropping to the ground behind them on feet rather than talons. It took a few moments to pull on the robe to cover herself.

"Evening Alexis. Tahir." She gave them both a grim nod.

"Do you have the time to talk?"

Alexis chuckled as she leaned up against Tahir, though she still appeared worn a lot of the time tonight she felt better than most, their child liked to drain her energy, leaving her tired no matter how much she slept.

Though he belly grew faster than she would've expected, it was obviously a Lycan pregnancy, and with any hope their child would be mostly Lycan, she wanted nothing more than for them to be able to experience daylight, at least she wouldn't have to worry about them getting hurt if they stayed outside too long at sunrise.

She held her Mate's hand and nestled in against him, her other hand stroking against the bump on her stomach idly, she did that alot now, gently caring for the unborn infant.

Alexis jumped softly as the bird cried out at them, her heightened senses were still acting up due to her tired nature but that didn't bother her much, it would fade once the baby was born, plus Tahir was always keeping an eye on her.

"Evening Gia, of course we have time."

She replied with a gentle smile though the look on Gia's face did not inspire confidence.

Tahir had sensed the vampires presence, and he recognized it was not threatening before he knew that it was Giacinto.

He comfortingly rubbed his thumb against Alexis's hand when she jumped.

He loved how capable and strong Alexis normally was, though during the pregnancy he did enjoy being protective of her, he enjoyed the feeling of knowing that she relied on him during this time and he could guard her.

He too picked up on the heaviness that seemed to loom over Giacinto's mind. In all the time he'd lived in the coven he'd rarely seen the woman. That was partially because she was a vampire, but also because he hardly ever socialized with others.

He knew that she would only bother their private moment together for something absolutely important.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, raising a brow.

The woman gave a soft sigh.

"I wish I could say it was, but it isn't."

Her wine eyes flickered across the area. No one around. Just the three of them. Now she had to break the news to them. Joy.

"We have trouble that involves the two of you. You the most." Her eyes settled on Alexis. She would be in deep shit if she was allowed to stay. Giacinto didn't like the idea of that. She was an expecting mother. Any trouble was unacceptable.

"The Fae are coming." She doubted either of them knew what Fae were.

"A species far beyond our power is coming here and you are in danger."

Alexis sunk back against Tahir as Giacinto looked at her, the Vampire already felt vulnerable enough without trouble coming her way.

She wasn't use to being so tired and having her senses dulled like this, for the first time in a long while she felt as though she actually needed someone to protect her, and that was Tahir.

"Fae?"

She asked quizzically, her hands defensively stroking over her swollen stomach.

"Why am I in danger because of these Fae? I've not done anything wrong in a long while now."

She replied, her days of tearing towns apart were long behind her, she'd happily continue living off of bagged blood and the occasional animal.

Tahir put his arm around the small woman's shoulder, holding her in closer to him. His eyes remained on the Elder Vampire though, curious as to what she had to say.

His brow furrowed quizzically when she told them what would happen.

The Fae?

He'd never heard of such a race. But he'd heard of how powerful Giacinto was and if she was in danger of them, they had to be real trouble.

Tahir wondered the same thing Alexis vocalized. What had Alexis done to upset a supernatural race that neither she nor Tahir had ever heard of before? She was turning her life around, an expecting mother.

The man remained silent, waiting to hear further explanation from the Elder.

"They're not pro-interspecies relationships." Her eyes flickered from Alexis to Tahir and back again.

"If you were a century older you might have stood a chance. They value age more than who you're fucking. But, as it were, you're still young and you're shacked up with a Lycan."

She wasn't being as sensitive as she could have been but that was her own defence. If she started acting caring towards the younger Vampire then she was in danger of breaking apart herself. She couldn't allow that. She had a coven to keep running.

"We have a safe house for you, Alexis." She was very firm in just using Alexis' name. Tahir had to stay here. "In Greece. You and the pup will be safe."

Alexis hand reached up and gripped onto Tahir's arm, she would be in danger because Tahir and her were together? That was ridiculous, these people were not her family, they had no right to tell her who she could and couldn't be with.

"I don't see how it is any of their concern who I am 'fucking' Tahir is my Mate and the father of my child, I am not leaving him because some Fae creatures don't like it."

She replied, her voice taking on a sharp edge, she was emotional and prone to mood swings, right now she was not taking the news well and it showed.

"I'm not going anywhere without him."

She replied, her hands gripping onto his arms firmly, no one could say for sure when she would be giving birth, what if he missed it?
What if she got in trouble and he wasn't there to take care of her, she depended on him for so much at the moment.

"And what about my Brother and Aodh? Are they leaving?"

Tahir's eyes narrowed at the crude way that Giacinto spoke to Alexis.

Shacked up with?

A very low growl rumbled in the man's chest and not only the word choice Giacinto used but also the news she bore.

Before he could say anything though, Alexis was quick to defend herself. Even though he was annoyed and not very pleased in this particular moment, his heart filled with a sort of pride at how defiant and strong his love was.

He continued to remain silent. Alexis would have noticed that he doesn't talk much around people he's not very close to. Alexis seemed to be handling the situation fine thus far, so Tahir kept his thoughts to himself.

Giacinto stared at the woman silently for a few moments.

"Don't make this any more difficult than it already is, Alexis."

The woman squared her shoulders and tilted her chin slightly in a show of dominance. She was the one in charge here. She gave orders. People followed. No compromises, no defiance.

"Your brothers will stay here. As long as they do not interact with each other they have little risk of being killed. You, on the other hand, will be killed on first sight. It's not just a matter of dislike for the Fae. They loathe interspecies relationships and halfbred children."

Her lips pressed together. "Tahir must remain here. If he leaves then we will lose too many people. It's not an option to have any more people leave. Your departure is necessary. It's not just you affected by this, Alexis. Aleksandr and I are at risk of being killed for allowing you and Tahir to mate."

"You leave later tonight. Tahir stays here."

Alexis squared her own shoulder as Gia did so, despite being younger and shorter than the other woman she still looked just as imposing, she wasn't about to let herself be bullied around.

However her mouth gaped open as the woman spoke, her emotion swirled uncontrollably. She was mad, Aleksandr and Giacinto hadn't allowed them to mate it was a choice they made independent of anyone else's influence.

At the same time she was scared, someone out there wished to harm her unborn child simply because it's parents weren't of the same species. Why should a child pay for someone else's actions?

She couldn't let that happen, she wouldn't she would do anything in her power to protect her child....anything...like leaving...

"I'm in my tenth week of pregnancy, Lycan pregnancy only lasts twelve weeks normally..."

She muttered, looking down at her swollen stomach, it was a Lycan pregnancy, there was no doubt about it, her body had changed to rapidly.

"How long will they be here, what happens if I go into labor while I'm away?
Gia I can't have thing baby alone, I can't do it on my own!"

She replied, her voice rising and shaking as a tear streaked down her cheek, she was scared, rightly so, the man she had depended on for so long now might be taken away.

"I need him..."

She whispered softly, clinging onto him tightly.

Tahir's eyes widened with Giacinto's words. It made him sick to think that beings so powerful were also as cruel to slaughter innocent people because of who they chose to love.

And on such short notice too! They were being separated with only a few hours in warning? That was barely enough time to do anything, to even grasp the concept of what was happening.

Instinctively he held Alexis in closer, and for the first time since Giacinto had landed he looked down at her.

At first the had thought his ears were deceiving him when it sounded as if she was crying. But then he saw the tear fall down her face, and it made his heart drop down into the pit of his stomach.

So many thoughts and words rushed through his head, but when he tried to comprehend any of them to actually say something, he was at a loss, still in a state of shock from the news.

"Alexis." Was all that he could say. But there was passion behind the word, love and hope. By simply saying her name he tried to communicate with her that everything would work out, that they would be all right.

He had lost that hope with his younger sister.

He couldn't lose it with Alexis.

Giacinto's strong act cracked at the sight of the tears.

She strode forwards quickly, stopping in front of the woman and cupping her cheeks, stroking away her tears gently. She didn't want to see any of her Vampires cry. She couldn't handle seeing someone so close to her cry.

"Alexis, love, calm," she murmured softly.

"I don't know how long they'll stay. Weeks. Months. They stay as long as they want to stay. They spent a year with me once." The longest year of her life. Though she knew that they wouldn't stay that long. She just hoped that their stay was a short one on their terms. A few months at most.

"I know you need him, Lex." Everyone needed the father of their children to support them. She knew that only too well. "You won't be alone over there. Moe will be there. She can help you. She will help you. You'll have maids helping you. Lycan. Moe's family. They'll look after you."

Her eyes flickered up to Tahir. "We can try to bring him over for the birth but he won't be able to stay long. A day. Two if we push it. If we can even get him over at all."

Alexis sniffled softly as Gia tried to sooth her, but her joyful thoughts of having her entire family around her once the child was born were quickly vanishing.

She would be in a foreign country, away from those she cared about, expected to know how to look after a new born, what if the baby was completely Lycan, she wouldn't know what to do, she knew about Vampire children, how often did normal children actually eat, what did they eat? She had no idea.

"It's not the same."

She muttered, having Moe and maids there wasn't the equivalent of having the father of her child there, her brother.

"You can't do that to him."

She whispered, her voice cracking, Tahir would get to see his child for a day before he was ripped away from them, that was cruel, beyond cruel and they would have no idea when they would see one another again.

Alexis turned around in his arms, burying her face in his chest as she held him tight, the bump of her stomach pressing up against him.

She let out a shuddered breath, what if he didn't get there in time, the next time she would see him, her womb would be empty once again.

Tahir appreciated the sudden change in Giacinto's attitude towards Alexis. In one moment she had seemed disconnected, the next caring and understanding. This was the way that his beautiful Alexis should be treated though, especially while she was vulnerable like this.

The Persian man's frown grew when he heard that these Fae creatures could potentially be here for a year. From the way they sounded, a day in their presence would to be too much.

His eyes quickly looked down to meet Alexis when she expressed worry for him. Here she was, being told such things while she was in her weakened state, and yet she was worried for him.

"Don't worry about me." He said, his voice low so only those with supernatural hearing such as the two around him could hear. It didn't matter that they were the only one's there. Tahir knew that if he allowed himself to speak up he would snap and start yelling.

He wrapped his strong arms around her once she turned into him, her long silver hair to try and soothe her. With despondent eyes he looked over at the Elder Vampire.

He knew that she wouldn't be asking this of them unless it was absolutely necessary. With a sigh he turned down and held Alexis closer to him. Using his free hand he reached down and caressed her large stomach, to take in one of these last memories he'd have of her like this. To try and feel the life of their child still blossoming inside her womb.

He wasn't worried for himself. But the idea of Alexis being in a situation of having to chose between impending death or facing her first pregnancy (with a lycan child no less) alone, now that worried Tahir. That made him feel sick with worry.

"I know it's not the same. Trust me, I know."

She had had to deal with numerous pregnancies alone. Completely alone. Lex had her niece. She had people that had dealt with Lycan pregnancies their whole life.

She had someone.

"I don't want to do it to, Alexis." Her voice was soft, sad.

"Do you really think I'm so cruel that I would only allow a father to see his child for a day for shits and giggles? If it were up to me you wouldn't have to leave. If it weren't so risky, I'd have Tahir go along with you."

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "We have too many people leaving already. We can't afford to have more than the necessary people leave now. They'd notice so many people missing."

They had made a huge blunder with Moe and Zeke. They couldn't afford to do that again.

Giacinto sighed again, eyes flickering away.

She looked up at Tahir with sad eyes as he tried to comfort her.

"I have to worry about you, you wont do it yourself."

Tahir was too selfless to think of himself before the ones he loved, it simply wasn't in his nature and she knew he would do anything for her even if it came at personal sacrifice, like he was doing now, he was going to let her leave knowing there was a strong chance that he would not see her again for a long while.

Their child could be born and grow up without him, Lycan children grew so quickly, in two months he would already look six months old, he would miss his kids childhood in order to keep them safe.

"I know you're not that cruel Gia...it's just..."

She signed heavily as her eyes flicked back up to her Mate, tears welling in her large golden eyes as she stared up at him longingly, her hand reaching up to stroke over his chin lovingly.

She wanted Tahir there for everything, she wanted her child to have a father, not spend the beginning of it's life separated from him.

If the Fae stayed for a long time what else would the Lycan miss? His child's first words, first steps, if he couldn't come to Greece in time, it's first breath...

The mere thought of it was heart breaking, she didn't want to go, but she couldn't risk their baby's life either.

"I don't want to leave you."

She whimpered softly, clinging onto the man's shirt tightly, hiding her face in against his board chest.

Tahir held her closer, wanting to say something to comfort her, but there was nothing that he could think of in this time. There was nothing comforting about this. It made him sick with anger to think that because of his race he would have to miss seeing his child's birth.

It made him even more sick to think of Alexis all alone, having to raise a lycan child without him there to help her and support her. He had wanted to be there for her, to care for her and the baby. Bring them food, rub Alexis's feet, pamper her and make her feel like a queen after her body had been exhausted from labor.

He looked back at Giacinto.

"You said Moe's family is going to be there... why does she get to take her family and not Alexis...?" He asked, trying not to sound bitter.

If anything Alexis needed him more then Moe needed her husband there. She had lycan blood in her. Furthermore, Zeke had at least been able to be there for his children's birth. He had been there to raise them for most of their infancy.

But now there was a possibility Tahir wouldn't see his own child at all, let alone witness the baby's first breath. And Alexis would be alone to care for the child without anyone blood related to her.

That was sickening to Tahir.

This whole thing was an absolute mess, this wasn't what she had wanted when she thought about having the baby. She wanted Tahir there every step of the way, holding her hand and guarding over their child, caring for it the way only a father could.

Then there were her brothers, it would be a long while until they got to meet their niece or nephew.

Maybe the two of them could just slip away in the night and leave the mansion until the Fae left then come back, that wasn't going to work, there was only so far they could travel by night and she suspected that Gia would be watching out for any such actions.

The small Vampire gripped onto her lover's hand and placed it over her swollen belly, holding it there gently, if they were going to be torn apart she wanted him to have as much contact with the baby as possible.

"Surely one less person will not be that noticeable?"

She replied, couldn't Gia simply have more of her servants wandering the halls to make it look like their numbers were greater?

Her sharp red eyes turned to Tahir.

"Do not attempt to guilt trip me," she replied firmly in response to his questioning.

She wasn't in the mood to take it. She had given orders. She felt shit because of those orders but they were the orders that everyone else was under. Partners needed to split up. Pregnant women and women with infants were to get out of the country. All else were to stay here.

"I was not the one that dealt with their family. If you want to ask anyone why, ask Lycus. But, as it were, you are being told of the circumstances by me and you will do as I say. I will not be bending to your demands."

Right now she couldn't afford to look weak or allow anyone to bend her will. Not with the Fae so close.

"Alexis leaves, you stay here." Her eyes flickered to the Vampire then back to Tahir.

"I asked a question. Any guilt you feel is brought upon by yourself" Tahir responded, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

It took everything he had to not start yelling at the Elder vampire. He knew that this wasn't her fault. But the fact that she was the one telling them of this news was enough to make Tahir hate her in this moment. Especially with how curt she was being.

Alexis simply shook her head and buried her face in Tahir's chest, she felt sick, the worry and sadness welling up inside of her making her feel physically unwell, and her current state only amplified that.

The silver haired Vampire was speechless, what was she meant to do, there was no changing Giacito's mind and the only option she had that meant staying with Tahir meant risking her life and the life of her baby.

Their one good day together had been ruined so quickly, she had felt fine, good enough to walk around instead of being cooped up inside and now...

Now she sat down on the grass, still holding onto his hand tightly but not trusting herself to be able to stand upright without falling over much longer.

"Yes, I feel guilt for this and I don't need you making me feel worse because I have no control over this."

She gave an angry hissing sigh as she looked away from the two of them.

All she had ever wanted was what those two had. Someone that would stand by her and a child. Her own child that she could hold in her arms and love and adore and watch grow up.

She wasn't always a spiteful woman. Tearing lovers apart when they were expecting a child was a cruel feat that she just couldn't ever feel anything but guilt for doing.

"Go look after her. She needs it," she muttered softly, turning back towards the mansion.

"You leave tomorrow evening and sunset. Get packed up."

The woman disappeared in a flurry of feathers, leaving just the thin robe she had been wearing behind as her wings took her back to the mansion.

When Alexis sat down on the grass Tahir was quick to do the same, rubbing her back with his free hand. He looked back up at Giacinto when she spoke. He couldn't be mad at her, even if he wanted to be.

It wasn't her fault this was happening, and though he still didn't understand why Moe got to take her husband, he wasn't going to question Giacinto any more.

The Persian man nodded his head to her words, looking back down to Alexis after the Elder Vampire flew away.

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, still holding her hand and rubbing her back to try and comfort her.

"Everything is going to be okay." He said softly. He didn't know if he believed that, but he hoped for it more then anything.