Kreinyol's Pregnancy

by Solor Barnes

Solor and Kreinyol go through a LONG pregnancy while Edward serves his sentence and is trained by Vilea, the Dark Heiress as well as Solor. You will need to read the other stories in the series first or you'll be left wondering "WTF?"

1. Solor's second child

Well, here's the next one.

But, yeah. After the last story, I've decided to continue this version of Solor's story. After all, his wife is pregnant. It's about time he actually went through the adventure known as pregnancy.

Let's begin, shall we?

Prologue

Solor, Heir to the Light, writes…

Edward's "Rehab" and training has been going along at a steady pace in the last few months. In fact, his control has improved considerably, but, there will be a need to keep an eye on my brother for a while. Vilea and I agree that he's going a tad "stir crazy" being cooped up in the Tower for the most part.

Susie's been a big help, though. She's just been there with the unconditional love and that's what we think is keeping Edward more level headed. It broke through when nothing else could. When he wished to die, Susie slapped him as hard as she could, and, while normally I would have chastised her for that…she was so heartbroken that Edward realized that he had to fight his inner Darkness. She wept heavily into her uncle's shoulder that early morning.

But, there's a twist here as well. Kreinyol is pregnant and, well, the infant will take its time to be born, meaning that we have to cope with not just her mood swings and that may tax even Edward's patience.

First help us all.

Chapter 1
[Edward's Universe - Titan's Tower]
[Two Months after Edward's Banishment]

Solor paced the room calmly, thinking to himself. It had been two months since he had begun teaching Edward to control his Dark powers, helping the older dragon work on his emotional problems and helping his family cope. Granted, now Solor knew he was a true part of Edward's family; it had been revealed about a week ago that Sol was actually one of the Dragons that helped Edward's egg form. And he couldn't help but be thrilled to call Edward his brother for real, even if they did have different mothers.

But as Edward gained more family members, the Heir to the Light had to think of his future child. Just after Edward began therapy, Solor had found out that his wife, Starfire (or whom he affectionately called Kreinyol...or "Sunfire" as a loose translation), was pregnant with his child. And while he had been thrilled at the beginning, he couldn't help but feel a little worried now. Dragon DNA was very unpredictable when it came to breeding with humans. He could only imagine how chaotic it could be when being introduced to Tamaranean DNA.

So, he had asked the native Cyborg about possibly running some simulations on his DNA in secret, asking if they could use Kori's DNA, since it was an identical match to his Kreinyol's. Cyborg agreed, and took him to the same lab Edward had visited years ago. The dragon allowed his own genetic code to be scanned and put on file, and after a moment, Kori's was brought up as well.

For a moment, the strands danced around each other, before they merged, and a single strand stood. "DNA is compatible", the AI announced. "According to DNA requirements... pregnancy is to last eleven months. Natural birth will occur, no need for a c-section, as no spines will grow on this child. There are, however, four possible outcomes that I believe you need to be informed of."

"Of course", Solor said, having gotten used to the computer developing its own personality. "Show me from least likely outcome to most likely, please."

"Of course", the computer said. The first image that arrived looked much like Starfire, only with blonde hair instead of red. Otherwise, the girl on the screen could have passed as a twin sister. "Outcome 1. Tamaranean dominant. Powers include strength, flight, starbolts, eye beams at proper age, and incredible durability. Percentage of occurring... five percent."

The next image was of a more beastly looking child. The young boy that was constructed had red hair, slitted eyes, and bronze scales. He had wings growing along his arms, and it would be possible that he could fly by simply flapping his arms. "Outcome 2; Tamaranean mostly dominant, with a small percentage of Dragon. Powers include strength, durability, fire breath, flight, Light breath, and shapeshifting. Probability reaches ten percent."

"I figured", Solor said, sighing. "It is more likely my DNA will cause my child to become more beastly... Next outcome, please."

The next image was another young boy. His skin was smoother than the last, but he had scaly legs along with wings on his back. His eyes matched Starfire's, except they were colored blue. "Outcome 3; Dragon dominant, with small percentage of Tamaranean. Powers include fire breath, flight, strength and durability, and eyebeams. Probability is raised to thirty percent."

Solor swallowed slowly, silently praying that the last outcome wouldn't be too bad. "Final outcome, please."

The last outcome was probably the most monstrous of them all. While the others were mostly human looking, it was quite obvious this outcome was not. Sure, her upperbody was human looking, but that was the only bit. Her hair was as long as Starfire's, her eyes the same shade as her mother's but the pupils were slitted. Her back held a pair of wings, almost as large as Solor's in his hybrid form. But her most defining and obvious feature was the meter long tail that replaced her legs. "Final outcome. Half Tamaranian, half dragon. Powers consist of flight, fire breath, strength, durability, and starbolts. Probability of occurring is greatest, at fifty five percent."

Solor had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming in anguish. He did, however, hit his fist into the table in the lab, growling lightly. "I knew it", he said, letting his sadness get the better of him. "If the computer is correct, and this is my child... she will never have a normal life. She will have to be homeschooled, and it could be a very long time before society would accept her." He did manage to let out a low groan, his face landing in his hands. "Computer... there is no possibility of the final outcome having shapeshifting, is there?"

"Negative", the AI responded. "Unlike Raven and to some extent Edward, your powers are completely based off of genetics, instead of magic. Each power is mapped to a genome, and I can determine what each controls."

The AI decided to show Solor what was meant and took some time to explain where each power would likely be based at with the most likely outcome.

"That's what I thought..." He wasn't sure what to do at this point, and pulled out his communicator. "Brother, I need your help. I need you to come to Cyborg's lab."

"I'll be right over, Solor," Edward replied and the screen went dark.

"You want to tell Edward before your wife?" Cyborg asked. "Don't you think she'd like to know?"

"Of course", Solor replied. "She's arriving later today to visit Edward, the first time she's seen him since the announcement. I plan on having the results still up to let her know what to expect in the future. I just... I need to tell Edward. I want to know what I can do to help my child."

Cyborg nodded his head, "Considering Edward's the resident dragon and probably more knowledgable, I can see your logic."

Edward entered the room a few moments later and asked, "What is wrong, my Brother?"

"We've got a problem," Solor said glumly, "Remember when we said that the DNA differences were unpredictable?"

"Of course," Edward replied.

Solor said, "Computer, rerun the simulation and replay the results for Edward, please."

"Of course," the AI said and spent the next several minutes repeating itself.

At first, Edward smiled, then, it faded hearing the low probability of a Tamaranian dominant child.

"Five percent," Edward mused, "Not very likely, but, that is obvious. Next please?"

The second one, but, the first with more pronounced dragon features got an eyebrow raised for a moment.

"10% odds," Edward said, "Not the greatest, but, if the baby's wings are functional and bone structure was light, this child could fly or more likely, glide. Then again, if the genes are Starfire dominant, the wings would be more for show or he could be taught to use them for attitude control. Next, please?"

The boy with the 30% chance got an eyebrow raised. "Not too bad, Solor," Edward said, "Would this one have shapeshifting, Computer?"

"Limited shapeshifting, I think," the AI said, "It would depend on how Solor's genes are dominant over Starfire's. If totally dominant, this child would likely inherit most of Solor's abilities, and a few of Starfire's. But, I would caution you that 30% odds are not favorable. Edward, the final choice is why Solor asked you to come over."

"Let's see," Edward replied.

What emerged with the narration got Edward to sit down to think.

"Greater than 50-50," Edward said, "Any morphing?"

"I'm afraid not," the AI said, "This child will be at a far worse disadvantage than you'd think. Physically and emotionally. I am sorry." The AI actually did sound sorry, too.

Edward said, "Solor, there's no way, right now, that the baby could ever be taken to Lair. What I need to say, Brother, is difficult to say and I know will be difficult to hear. But, you need to hear me out without emotion.

"Taking this one to your universe and to the Circle will guarantee the execution of this child. They will see her as an abomination to the First. She will be shunned at best by the Dragons of Lair...at worst, even if she is not killed, she will not be accepted, taunted and bullied to the point that she will wish to die.

"Computer, show me a 3D display of #4, please."

The AI took a moment to figure out all the details and a 3D version of the most likely outcome would look like.

"Rotate the image, please," Edward said, "On the vertical axis."

The image spun around for a few moments and Edward said, "There's a reason for this."

He actually morphed to look like the 3D image and said, "There's likely no way that this child would be able to walk with a tail instead of legs. She might have to move about like Medusa of the old Myths."

Edward demo'ed that by using his arms to drag the rest of the body along, using the tail much like a serpent would. He tried out the wings and while they certainly got Edward into the air, it wasn't the most graceful at first and the landing was difficult.

Edward morphed back as Solor covered his face and shook hard.

"Filkiin, I could be wrong here about how this child would get around," Edward said gently, "And I hope that I am wrong here. Like you, I would want this baby to have enough advantages to cancel out the disadvantages. he or she will be a unique hybrid regardless of what the final outcome is."

Cyborg realized that Solor was needing privacy and said, "Solor, we're here when you want to talk to us. I will keep this between us. I'll let you guys talk in private."

Edward nodded, "Thanks, Tin Man." Cyborg left then.

"It's just us, Brother," Edward said, "Computer, you will not reveal any of this to anyone, and encrypt this research to my voiceprint or Solor's. It is not to be divulged without a direct order from me, Solor or God Himself. Am I clear?"

"Understood, Edward," the AI said.

"Brother, I know this is hard for you to take in," Edward said gently, putting a hand on his half-brother's shoulder. Solor lifted his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Edward sat down next to Solor and gently pulled him in, "Let it out, Brother."

And, Solor did just that and wept, "W-w-what have I done?"

"You've created a life," Edward said, "You said that it would not matter what the baby looks like, and, Filkiin...That goes for me as well. This child shall be loved all the days of her life and protected. Even if the Circle does not want to protect her like they do with Susie, this child has a ton of mortal and one immortal protector. The First is certainly giving you a test that, personally, I know that you will pass."

"W-what will Kreinyol think?" Solor asked, "Or Soskrein?"

"If she is anything like Kori here, she will love the baby unconditionally," Edward said, "Look at Silkie. Our Kori doesn't care that Silkie is a rather large caterpillar. As soon as Beast Boy asked her to take care of it, she assumed a k'norfka role. Kreinyol will not care how her bumgorf is born and will not care how the baby looks. Do not underestimate her capacity to love.

"Same goes for Susie. She will love having another sister, and this will be a for-real sister. One that, in her mind, might replace the baby girl that Oblaan sacrificed."

Solor sighed, and gently put his hands in his lap. "I was foolish to think that this would end well", he told his half brother. "But... I will see this through to the end. No matter what... I will love my child. And I will do whatever I can to help and protect her. Even if I have to home school her, raise her exclusively in the tower until she is strong enough to leave the walls.

"I do, however, think that she'll be able to walk, to a degree." He took his turn, morphing his legs into the tail as seen on the 3D model. He showed that he was able to keep his upper body upright, and still slithered along the floor. "Granted, this isn't exactly easy, but it is possible." He then sighed. "Should I tell Father, then? I know he is a member of the Circle, but he should hear of this..."

Edward pondered it and replied, "Good question, man. Telling Dad of this is sure to get back to the Circle and he would have to recuse himself because this is his grandchild we're talking about and since Vilea is not a full member and cannot vote, it would be a split decision from 3-2 or 4-1 or, of course a 5-0 vote. I don't know how they would vote this time around. It's not as clear cut as I was or even Susie seeing how we're turning out. It's a toss-up. They've allowed Susie and I to live, and I doubt they will want to harass me over Callisto. Rae's been taking the time to learn from Zatanna and Dr. Fate on how to not only get through a block to teleportation and Tears, but, how to block them as well. As much as I'd hate to ask her to, she'd block the inter-universal tears and with her powers, I don't think that the Circle could overcome it if there was a threat to our child and I would support her over even our father.

"And, unless you get him to swear to keep it a secret, I would not say anything for a little while. At least until we're sure what the baby will look like."

Solor nodded. "Kreinyol is coming to visit today... I know I have to tell her. I simply hope that she will take this better than me. It would break my heart if she did not want this child, knowing what I know."

Edward knew that Solor's wife would want this child regardless, but knew better than to try to convince him. Sometimes, you just want to hear it from the source. "Very well. I hope she's doing alright. Did the computer say how long the pregnancy would last?"

"Eleven months, according to our genetics", Solor confirmed.

Edward blinked. "That... is a long time."

"It's a half dragon. At this point, I care more about how she'll look than how long before she comes into the world."

"You're pretty sure you're gonna have another daughter, aren't you?" Edward asked, smiling lightly.

Solor couldn't help but chuckle, starting to be at ease again. "Call it a father's intuition", he replied. "Feel free to go back to your lesson, I know I interrupted Vilea, and she won't be happy with me if I keep you for too long."

"All right, man," Edward said, "She kind of glared at me when I took off and she will want to know what was so important." He sighed, "I'll have to tell her as well and hope she doesn't say anything to the Circle. She may not be an empath, but, she has this uncanny way of knowing things anyway."

Edward stood up and said, "I'll see you later on." He headed back to where Vilea was waiting for his return.

Once he had returned, Vilea was tapping her finger against her arm, giving him a look that said, "Spill it." She said nothing, only gave him that look until he decided to tell her what happened. After hearing everything, though, her face fell, and she lowered her arms. "I'm sorry to hear that, Edward... I know Solor has been looking forward to this new hatchling coming into his life. Since this is a matter concerning him and Kreinyol more than you... I don't think I have to report it. This is Solor's secret; let him share it when he is ready to."

Edward replied, "Thanks, Vilea. I appreciate this, and, I know Solor does as well. I just hope that the AI here is wrong, but, I don't think it will be. Before Cally was born, the AI was able to accurately predict what would happen. It missed one thing, and that was that Rae wouldn't be able to have a normal delivery without Cally's ridges tearing her up in the nether regions and possibly killing her.

"I know you're on probationary status, but, can you tell me how the Circle could possibly vote? I mean, if they see this child as an abomination, would they have to kill this baby? It would tear Solor and Kreinyol apart emotionally, and, probably me as well. The baby didn't get to choose what he or she would look like."

Edward sighed, "I know I changed your entire society and in many ways, for the better. But, most of the Circle is well steeped in the older traditions and laws that predate all of us, except for Oblaan who likely voted in some of the ancient laws anyway. Not a dig at him, though. If he was the First of the Darkness, then, yeah, it is logical that he did have a say before he was expelled."

Vilea sighed. "They would potentially want to kill the child, unfortunately. The only one who may want to keep it alive would be Life, because she'd be curious how a creature like this would interact with the rest of the world. Otherwise, Solor would be told to give up his child for execution. If she is to live in Solor's universe... she will need to be kept secret."

"And if the child were to be raised in, say, a different universe? Could they try to enforce this anyway?" Edward said, "Rae and I already agreed to be the child's godparents and if need be, I know we'd raise this one with the same love that Cally and Soskrein get. I am not sure that I could agree to help the Circle kill an innocent child, Vilea. I have taken an oath not to kill an innocent dragon or a defenseless one and this child fits that rule. I think Susie asked me why I would have changed my mind and I can't go back on that. How would we tell your daughter that her sibling would have to die? I do not think that even I have that type of strength to look her in the eye and tell her that Grandpa was powerless to save a sibling's life ... and that I am just as powerless. After that incident, does the Circle still trust me or am I as trusted as Oblaan...Meaning not trustworthy at all?"

Vilea shook her head. "Edward, you are definitely still trusted. Many members of the Circle are awaiting your return, and while they do not hold you in as high esteem as they did before, that can be earned again. But as for the child... Edward, if you agree to care for her, they will try to take her from you. Solor told me what happened before. It didn't matter that you were raised in a different universe, they still tried you as a Child of the First. They will no doubt ask you to give her up as well. And as much as I would break at seeing my daughter cry, one of us would have to tell her that yes, we are unable to do anything to help this child. The only way that Solor might be able to keep his child..." Vilea let out a low sigh. "He'd have to give up being the Heir of the Light, which I know neither you nor he wants. Sol would have to find a new Heir if he wants to keep this child alive."

Edward bit back a snarl as his anger started to come to the surface. He still remembered that trial where he had to defend himself and Solor. It cost them the time to prevent Trigon's summoning and the indignation when Grand Earth insisted on trying them...and basically kidnapped Edward and the entire population of Lair still burned at him.

"Edward," Vilea said calmly, "I cannot imagine what you feel right now, but, you cannot act against the Circle any more than Solor can."

"I know, Vilea," Edward said, "I fear more for Solor and Kreinyol's sanity and safety. You have not been around Tamaranians as long as I have and once she accepts this child as hers in her heart and soul, she will not care what the Circle wants or decrees. She will fight and, worst case situation is that she calls for backup from her own k'norfka who happens to be the emperor of Tamaran. Tamaranians have more advanced weapons than we do and this could explode into an interplanetary incident. That happens, Heiress, and the loss of life over a hybrid that the Circle deems is an abomination will make World War II look like a street fight! It would force the entire Green Lantern Corp to intervene and they are not at all like the Green lantern watching over Earth's sector! They would take no prisoners, Tamararian, human or dragon. The mortal world there is still wary of dragonkind, correct? Reason I ask is that brute force will not work with an angry Tamaranian. Starfire's almost as strong as I am, and Galfore is all muscle. It would take the Circle itself to try to repel an invasion, just to enforce a decree that Solor's child must die! How in Oblivion do I tell them that the Circle would not allow their firstborn to live whilst My niece and I were allowed to live? How do we crush their hopes and dreams and expect to be forgiven?!" His sadness was clearly visible on his face.

"I played God, Vilea! I killed one of your whelps and for NOTHING! Trigon was still summoned with Whelp #2...and I was seconds away from killing the best thing that's happened to Solor's team. I will NOT be a party to the death of another innocent baby dragon, no matter how it looks, and you can take that to the Circle for all I care! I took a vow before the First never to do that again and I came so close to reneging. Had Susie not been forced to attack me and got me to stand down, I still could have attacked Tokyo and deep down you know that. I would have been damned by the First for breaking my vow."

Vilea shook her head and put a reassuring hand on Edward's shoulder. "It wasn't for nothing. You did set us back a bit, as the second whelp hadn't hatched yet. And I can only hope that the Circle's viewpoints will be different this time around... but there have been many hybrids put down due to their power, or lack of intelligence. Many hybrids, however, managed to escape their wrath, and while dragons do hunt them down, they still thrive." She began counting on a claw to list them. "Vampires, lycanthropes, changelings... You'd be surprised how many hybrids still exist today, due to sheer luck that they hadn't been caught thousands of years ago."

"The Tamaraneans, on another hand, are a foe we have never faced before. If Sol was able to meet with this Galfore you speak of before meeting his granddaughter... then perhaps he'd be convinced to allow her to live. You say that they are very strong, correct? Dragons value strength above all else. Even if we do not see eye to eye at all times, it could be that we'd be able to work out a treaty between the two races." Vilea tapped her chin gently, thinking. "Granted, there is only so much a dragon is willing to put up with, and many prefer not having to answer to another for their actions. The only exception is the Circle, because they are the strongest of us all.

"As for dragons not being as trustworthy... Edward, you know that to be true. You didn't need to ask that", Vilea said, sighing. "The incident at Fuji was a massive step backwards. Japan is starting to refuse service to Dragons, and it is taking many diplomats to try to calm the public, and assure them that it was a one time incident. The only country who has not completely changed their mind is America, seeing that the President was saved by you and Solor."

Edward sighed, "And that is my fault. Had I not lost control, things would have been different. I wanted to protect the Japanese as much as possible, and I blew it, Vilea. And, the rest of our people are paying the price. My planning for that included protection of the Japanese people. You know this, though." He bent over, "In Japan, they have a nearly 1,000 year old tradition of seppuku. I'm sure that you know what that is. But, even my sacrifice in this manner would not undo the damage. I wish that I could go back and correct what happened; try to make amends. But, with me in exile, that's not possible and the wounds there can't heal. I got lucky here where most countries do not mind a single dragon or even the presence of a few others now because of how I presented myself from the beginning: A Good Guy...a hero figure. But, over there, my name is 'Mud'. And the other Dragons are paying this price in my place.

"But, if the Circle is willing, I will try to set up a meeting with Galfore and someone from the Circle, or the entire Circle. Or, better yet, we can ask Solor to do that. I noticed that he and Galfore get along quite well. In fact, they get along a little better then when Kori's Galfore and I started. It's a long story, but, let's just say, I know how powerful he is. I was forced to challenge him in battle and it would have been a draw had he not given up willingly. I was not challenging for the crown, but, Kori's freedom. After that, yes, we became friends. Kori's happy with it, Galfore is a good man in either universe. He and Sol should talk as equals.

"It's funny, Vilea. Over here, I was actually friends with a vampire. I officially met him in 1720, if memory serves. But, I ran across his sire in the year 40 AD when I aided a warrior named Xena in defeating a force that required Dragon assistance. But, imagine my surprise in 1720 to run across Lucius again...then called LaCroix. LaCroix did not know that I had followed them to a witches' Sabbath when they interrupted it and took them all down.

"After that, I made the acquaintance of his son, Nicholas. It wasn't until 1750, though, that we met again. We had exchanged out respective secrets, and the only reason I am able to tell you...Nick was killed a few years before I joined the Titans. At the time, he was working hard at his own personal redemption. He became a policeman in Toronto before moving on to a bookstore in Chicago. He was tired of being a vampire and having to kill mortals. But, Vilea...He did redeem himself. From what I understand, he was welcomed to the side of the First with open arms. Actually, I still keep in contact with their community, having gained their trust over time."

Vilea nodded. "True. But when we can return you to your birth universe, then you can begin working on your image and repairing the damage done. As long as you are willing to help out, then you shall be redeemed. It may take a while, but you can gain their trust again." She wrote down a few notes, mostly for herself. "As for everything else... time will tell what will happen. Perhaps you should prepare to aid Kreinyol? Even though her pregnancy is in the beginning stages, she is highly emotional, from what Solor has told me.

"Your vampire friend, if he found his redemption, and your sister-in-arms Xena found their redemptions, then, I know that you will be able to be redeemed from this fiasco. Take strength from your friends from the past, Edward.

"Didn't Xena have a daughter?"

"She did," Edward explained, "Her name was Eve, but, the first time we crossed paths, she was Livia and a protege of the aforementioned Lucius. More like his adopted daughter. I, of course, knew that she was also Xena's daughter, so, while I neutralized the Roman soldiers, I spared her life, for Xena's sake. When I met her again many years later, she had been cleansed and became Eve. At first, I didn't know that and prepared to fight her, but, stood down when she explained that she was no longer Livia. I stood down and we both helped an Amazon sister who had been attacked by Ares. When my arm touched Eve's, I knew that I had done the right thing and forgave her. We became friends as she also worked on redemption."

Edward sighed, "But, I never knew, until now, how hard redemption really is, Vilea. I had failed with the Callisto here, but, not due to any mistakes I made. Xena, when I met her, was well on that path, thanks to her best friends. Solor, I was happy to help in his redemption. But, between us: He did not have to repay me. He already had, with interest. But, you and he have overcome your own issues towards one another. You both are helping me when you could have turned your backs. I certainly gave Solor more than enough reason to not help me. You, I can understand repaying a debt...one that I told you was repaid with interest as well. Don't misinterpret, though: I'm not going to stop getting this help from all of you. Rae is good, but, she would be overwhelmed trying to keep me on an even keel. My inner Darkness, would swallow her and I still fear losing her for good."

Edward shuddered at that thought and remembered how his anger erupted like the Yellowstone Caldera when he found Rae's lifeless body.

Vilea looked at Edward and pulled him into a hug, "Edward, these feelings will always be with you and you have come a long way in your redemption path in the last two months. The Light within you outweighs the Darkness that my father cursed you with. But, our job is to help you turn this curse into a blessing. I am curious, though: What about your thoughts for Solor's mate? I've noticed that Starfire's powers seem to be tied to her emotions, for example."

"Both Kori and Kreinyol are emotional beings, Vilea, their powers are directly linked to their emotions. To fly, they have to feel the joy of flight. To fire starbolts, they has to feel righteous indignation or righteous anger. That's going to be the biggest problem here, I think. Her strength is fueled by boundless confidence. I've seen when Kori loses the joy of flight...she falls like a rock. Even when there is minimal joy of flight, she's basically grounded.

"Put it like this, when Nightmare tried to banish me to that third universe, Solor reached his 750th Birthday and despite our best efforts, the girls were all exposed to his runaway pheromones. Starfire was driven mad to the point I ended up having to restrain her to protect that version of Solor. After he left, she started to come back to her senses, but, was so heartbroken because Solor was not willing to return the feelings, her flight powers were disabled. I gave her a lift beck to the tower to show her that I was not mad at her and because regardless of where I met her, she is one of the sweetest, loving beings I have the honor of knowing. But, try as I might, I can't return there to see how they are doing. Solor there had just invited her to dinner when Susie opened that Tear. Since then, my efforts result in the Tear collapsing after a second. Even Raven in your reality can't open a Tear there. That leaves me with praying that they will be all right regardless."

Vilea listened to his words carefully, thinking about it. "Well... to explain that, sometimes there are universes that are never meant to be altered. Those are labeled as Prime universes, but granted, those are not the original, if it makes sense. Basically, the story for that Universe is still being written, and the history is not quite carved into stone yet. There may be a time that this Prime universe opens up for you once more, but for now, it is rearranging so that the story is not altered. Should you be able to return... it may be as if you never were sent there.

"And for Kreinyol... well, Solor told me how her powers work. I'm saying that her hormones are affecting her mood swings. She's very emotional, even for her", Vilea finished, letting a low chuckle escape. "She has never displayed morning sickness or being ill during the pregnancy, but she can become furious at the drop of a hat. It's gotten to the point that the team is afraid to let her out on missions, in case she becomes too angry at a villain."

Edward nodded, "Understandable. I wonder if they would agree to a temporary swap. Kori would fit in there quite well, as long as she doesn't reveal their future. With the two universes not being in perfect sync timewise, Kori would have to be extremely cautious and not reveal how any missions go. I had the same issue in that other universe. I didn't dare reveal anything major or risk a predestination paradox.

"And, if this third universe is truly the Prime Universe and the Tear that you or a counterpart of yours forced Raven to open up did split these universes apart. Meaning his original universe and the middle one where you, he and I are part of. I guess what I am saying is it's for the best that I do not return there. I changed your society, as I mentioned, just by returning. I was not intending for that to happen. I went there to help Solor out of the hell you and Oblaan put him in and aide in his own recovery. For the first time in his life, he had to accept help to recover his inner strength. Vilea, he was as broken in spirit as I am. But, both of you are helping me...repaying any left over debts and I am grateful to you both." He said the last to take any sting out of what he had said, and to show that he was not angry at his half-sister.

Vilea nodded, smiling at him. "As we are grateful for the aid you have given us." She looked at her watch. "Well, Kreinyol should be arriving soon... perhaps you should suggest to her what you have told me about the switch? While Raven has the Tear open, we can also bring over Soskrein for an extended stay as well. From what I understand, Mally does love her, but even she can only spend so much time chasing her all over the tower", she said, giving another low chuckle. "She also wished to send a message to you; she has been chosen to become Life's Heir. She wished that you were there for the ceremony, but she wishes you well, along with your wife and child."

Edward smiled after a moment, "I am happy for her. After what she accomplished, she deserves the title. She deserves to have that century of her life back. Mally will make a great heir and eventually Grand Life. It's a title that is well earned. She's certainly earned a place in my own extended family, just by restoring Rachael. When you return to Lair or talk to Grand Life, please, tell Mally that I am very happy and proud of her. Then, when I am allowed to return, I shall tell her this personally as well.

"Had Grand Life not rescinded her offer, I would have withdrawn regardless and petitioned that she take my spot, regardless. This will benefit her, very well.

"Mally will have a long life regardless now, and it will be a blessed one. I am certainly not angry that she is an Heiress. I would still be eligible for the other slots at some point. But, not until I know that my Dark Side is not going to emerge without my still being in control of it, and not the other way around. I NEVER want to be that monster again! And not because my Father threatened my life. Because that is not who I am.

"And, yes, I think Susie will love to spend more time here. I'll ask Solor to contact them and both come over for an extended stay. Kori will understand the need to switch for a few months or a year...I hope."

"As long as she is visited by Nightwing every now and then, I'm sure she will", Vilea replied. She started walking over to the door. "Come. Let us welcome your sister-in-law. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

With that, the two dragons started heading for the ops center, waiting to break the news to Solor's wife.

It would not be pretty...