"GAH!" Jordan yanked his hair.
"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God." Gerald doubled over.
"Well, that was rather fun to watch."
"FOR YOU, MAYBE!" Both men yelled at Elunara at the same time.
"You know, it has to happen eventually."
"They're only thirteen!" Gerald gestured.
"Damned Nara is fifteen, almost sixteen!"
"Abigail IS sixteen!" Gerald raked his hands through his hair.
"Ok, breathe." She put her hands on both of their backs. "Breathe. Lulu is oblivious to all of it, and William is only mildly crushing on Lulu. Your babies are safe from dating disaster at the moment."
"At the moment." Jordan muttered.
"Your more pressing issue is both children's magical abilities have come to the surface.
"Ugh." Gerald sighed. "My stomach is in knots."
"We've gotten to it early enough that we should be ok. You know me, I'll monitor them." She giggled. "I think it'd be adorable if our kids got married."
"GAH!" Jordan scrubbed his hands through his hair. "Do NOT mention the M word!"
"I know you're both protective of your children because of all we've been through for them, but we know that has always been on the table somewhere." She hugged them both. "Don't worry, daddies, your children are safe."
Somewhere else at the moment, Bradly had Lydia draped across his lap, as he ran his hands up and down her sides. He ran his tongue softly across her lips. "Mm, I could do this all day."
She giggled. "Hold on, I'll get the door."
He tracked her movements across the room and out the door with a sigh. Eyeing his closet, he strongly debated going outside, but to have Lydia in his bed for the day? Heaven.
When the door opened again, he jolted up right. "General Jerry, General Louis! Sirs!"
Jerry waved his hand. "At ease."
"We came to see how you were doing." Louis's voice was quiet, his eyes sad.
"You can sit on the bed. It doesn't bother me." Bradly sighed.
They sat, and Jerry raked his fingers through his hair. "We're horribly sorry this happened to you..."
"If only we'd known..."
"I'm going to stop both of you there..."
Lydia kissed his cheek. "I'm going to see the babies. I'll come if I'm needed." She slipped upstairs.
"I don't blame either of you for what happened." Bradly shrugged. "You couldn't have known he'd turn out like that. Hell, look at my parents, and I still find myself mimicking the behaviors of my birth parents. It recently came to my attention that I'm a complete asshole. Lulu thought I hated her, and I never bothered to try and keep my hands on Lydia. It is what it is."
"You're a good kid, Bradly." Jerry sighed.
"Thank you for..." Louis swallowed hard and closed his eyes. "Thank you for a quiet execution."
"I just want it to die with him." Bradly rubbed his neck. "I think you should know something though." He picked at his blanket. "You see, before Bryan got... truly terrifying, he used to talk about how much he envied you guys."
"What?" Jerry blinked.
"He loved you guys with all of his heart, and he was often jealous of your "perfect relationship", and wanted to use it as the cornerstone of our relationship. Sort of the pedestal of example. He wanted someone who could love him so completely like you guys loved each other. Even when he was pouty, there was this note of frustration that I wanted to continue on with Lydia. Sometimes, it was this pouting that made me feel too guilty to defy him. He used to call me his Jerry to his Louis." Bradly's tone was reflective, his voice quiet. "It was one of those strange cycles, where I'd go there specifically to break up with him, and he'd get going on the topic, and I'd feel bad, and never get around to the truth. Sure, I was worried my mother, or you guys would KILL me for hurting Bryan, but it was his... guilt that truly held me captive."
"I don't know what to say."
Bradly shrugged. "In the early days, it was easy, I liked him well enough, and I figured I could get behind this idea. I knew I still wanted Lydia, but I was stupid. I, not only neglected her, I fucking insulted her to the point she dumped me again. I lost out to Darguni, and I thought it was Darguni's fault. Then Lydia bitch slapped me into next Tuesday, and our relationship picked up. Bryan... Bryan got desperately clingy. I was getting worried about going to his house. However, he got obsessed with that statue." Bradly shifted uncomfortably.
"It was a relief honestly, I could break away. However, Lydia was pregnant and... the relationship kind of fell again. I tried, believe me I tried... but Bryan finished his stupid statue, and Lydia had her babies, and was having an awful time with Dargek's leg... So, she and I had nothing for a bit, but he had ramped up again, and I was barely ever able to escape back home. I spent more nights with him than I care to mention. His... actions got more perverse, more terrifying, and yet I couldn't fight anything he did to me. I started hiding at home, get off from work, climb in bed and hope it was a bad nightmare.
When Lydia and I started connecting again, Bryan... Bryan apparently fucking lost it. I guess you know from there." He shook his head. "The one thing I've ever known for sure... was how much he loved and respected you guys. It... HURT him that he was never successful in the guard, and I think he was so busy chasing an ideal, that it just snapped his mind."
Jerry buried his face in his hands, and tears streamed down Louis' face.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you." Bradly's voice was quiet as he sighed.
"No. No, I'm glad you told us the truth." Jerry shook his head.
"I think you guys made great parents, and there was just no way of knowing how it would turn out in the end." He shrugged. When Louis wrapped his arms around him, Bradly just blinked.
Louis' voice was hoarse. "Thank you."
"I'm sorry you lost your son." Bradly whispered.
Lydia made her way upstairs and blinked at Tulani leaning against a crib. "Oh, Hello."
Tulani wiped her face. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, don't apologize." She stepped beside the other woman. "Come to see the babies?"
"Well, I..."
"Did you need them for measurements?"
"No." Tulani sighed. "I'm not sure you're aware..."
"Of?"
"When Darguni was born... Elunara was incapable of nursing him, so I did it."
Lydia blinked. "He never told me that."
Tulani smiled sadly. "You see, I think its common knowledge that slavers destroyed my body, so I would never be able to have children. But I so desperately loved them. I wanted one more than anything I ever have in this world and I... I..."
Lydia wrapped her arms around Tulani. "Tell me the rest." She whispered.
"When Elunara found out she was pregnant, she was hysterical. She wanted to destroy..." Tulani shook her head. "Grogek and I convinced her otherwise. When she had the baby, she was just so completely lost. I essentially raised him from the day he was born, until the day he came though that portal a changed child."
Lydia considered. "You are as much their grandmother as Elunara is."
"I never thought I'd get to see grandchildren."
"You know..." Lydia rubbed her cheek on Tulani's shoulder. "If you ever want to hold them or take care of them for a little while, I wouldn't mind. In fact... I don't understand children at all. Maybe you could teach me."
"I'd like that." Tulani hugged Lydia.
"In fact, can you watch them now? Bradly needs me again."
Tulani blinked. "What?"
"I can feel emotions. I feel how sad you are, I feel how sad Jerry and Louis are... I can feel their guilt, and a few other things. It's very strange. I'll explain later. Bradly needs me now." Waving her hand, she ran down the stairs.
Bradly had his face buried in his hands. Lydia launched herself on to the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Oh, Gods, Lydia it was awful... to be faced with their guilt and their grief." He shook his head. "How do you stand it?"
"Like my whole body hurts." She whispered. "But, Momma is teaching me how to control and filter it."
"I need you." He whispered.
"I'm here." She breathed.
He tugged her face up to his, and crushed his mouth to hers. The power of his need drove him to take possession of her mouth, even as his hands slid down her body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded in kind, offering herself up to him. Yanking off her shirt, he went back for her mouth, as he tugged her skirt down. She scooted up into his lap so that he could free the garment. His hand found her wet center, and he groaned into her mouth as his fingers worked their way through the soft folds. He pressed her back against the pillows, shifting her body so that she was under him. He shoved his sleeping pants down his hips and on to the floor.
Pressing his body to hers, he devoured her mouth, dancing lips, scraping teeth, and searching tongues. Little by little, he slipped himself into her waiting wetness, as his hands roamed her body, enjoying the soft flesh beneath his hardened hands. She gasped as he buried himself completely into her. Around his waist her legs went, as he pumped himself in and out of her wet center. Slow at first, he built up his speed, as his desire for her intensified. When she was practically screaming his name, he let himself go, triggering a deep shudder in her.
Her nails raked down his back and he jolted. "Ow, shit."
"Oh, GODS! I'm so sorry! I forgot!"
"What?" He blinked.
She held up blood covered fingernails. "These stupid things are just too damned sharp."
"Uh..."
Wrapping her arms around him, she concentrated with all of her might to heal the damage.
"I'm a little confused."
"These damned things are sharp. Like, even Elunara has no idea why they are as they are. But I can even cut Grogek's arms... pretty badly."
"Freaky."
"Ugh, tell me about it. I have to be extremely careful just to scratch an itch, or I slice myself open."
