Chapter 1

Sasha impatiently straightened his glasses, wishing it were cooler and wishing he hadn't been talked into being an instructor again. But the person who asked him knew all his weak spots, and had used them all against him. Besides, he had signed up in November; July seemed so far away...

The first of the buses arrived, and piles of children began to swamp out. Sasha winced as he spotted a particularly dirty child with a runny nose look around blankly. Everyone knew that he disliked children in general, but messy children were his pet peeve. A flash of brillant color caught the corner of his eye, and Sasha turned to look at Milla. From the neck up, she looked almost identical to the way she appeared last year. But below her neck, her stomach was protruding in a firm, smooth circle. She struggled up the hill, one slender hand on her back, one on her belly, and stopped to gasp in air before she spoke.

"Has Razputin and Lili came yet?" She asked hopefully. "I want to be the one to tell them the good news." For a moment, Sasha simply stared at her, then shrugged and walked down the hill towards the forest. "Sasha?" Milla called, struggling to catch up. "Sasha!"

"What?" He asked briefly.

"It will be okay, darling. I'll keep the children away from you." She promised, taking his larger, calloused hand in hers. "I promise." For a moment, both seemed lost in thought; abruptly, Sasha calmly touched her cheek and hurried back down the path. He hoped no one would actually come visit the lab until he could get it looking more...well, more the way it had been before. Not surprisingly, a figure was slumped in his favorite chair, and Sasha sighed, mentally bracing himself for the long list of questions the boy would have.

Raz stood up, frowning. "I thought you hated color!" He called in confusion. "Why the redecorating?" Both people glanced around the newly refurbished room; several low, plush beanbags in shades of pink and orange slouched in one corner, opposite a taller purple chair that had clearly been used often. Multiple colorful abstract art pieces hung on the plain white walls, in matching frames, and even Sasha's normally disorganized paperwork was stashed away neatly in colorful plastic boxes or plain white file cabinets. Raz wrinkled his nose. "It's so colorful in here now." He complained.

"I know." Sasha sat down on his favorite seat, a plain gray stool, and sighed. "I don't know what possessed me." Liar. Some small voice in his mind insisted. You do too know what possessed you! He glanced over as Raz began to look through a few loose papers, then shrugged as he tried to remember what he kept on that particular table. Something was warning him it involved a particularly hushed secret...

"Sasha." Raz's voice called him back to reality. The boy was holding a small picture frame, staring down at an ultrasound. "Is this what I think it is?" He asked, holding it up for the world to see. "Is someone having a baby?"

"I guess you haven't seen Milla." Sasha took the frame and placed it on a high shelf. "I think she gave everyone copies."

"Oh." Raz pulled a second frame from behind his back, smiling slightly. "Then how do you explain this?" He asked, holding it up but staying just out of Sasha's reach. His green eyes flicked down to the picture. Milla, in a short and fashionable white dress, held a cluster of brilliantly colored calla lillies; more lillies secured the short gauzy veil that hung down to her shoulderblades. For once, her brown hair was bound up; a few tendrils hung down near her face, drawing attention to her radiant smile. And beside her...Sasha wasn't smiling, but he certainly looked happier than Raz had ever seen him. His ever-present sweater was, surprisingly, gone; instead he wore a simple white shirt and a black suit. No tie, thankfully, but he did have a white lilly on his jacket. Both of them were holding up their left hands, pointing at their rings; Milla's was a brillant gold, a huge diamond surrounded by colorful gems, Sasha's was a simple gold band.

"Um..." Sasha stared at the picture helplessly. It was, he knew, evidence proving him guilty. "I don't know."

"Did you marry Milla?" Raz persisted. He looked at the band on Sasha's hand. "You did, didn't you?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Sasha muttered. "Then again, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly."

"Hm?" Raz shot Sasha a surprised look. "Too excited about the wedding?"

"Let's just say alcohol doesn't sit well with me some days, and Milla knew it." Sasha shrugged. "It's kind of late to worry about it, anyway."

"I know!" Raz crowed delightedly. "You have a bun in the oven, Sasha! The baker will deliver it to you soon!" Then his face paled. "Oh, no. What will the kid be like?"

"Probably have split personality disorder." Sasha grumbled. "Come on, let's go. Milla will be here any minute, and she'll kill me if she finds out that I told you..." He froze as Milla walked into the light from the shadows. "Milla." Sasha said, trying to look pleased. "Hi."

"Hm." She purred. "Razputin, go outside for me. I don't want you to get sick when you see all the blood."

"No one's bleeding." Raz pointed out.

"Oh, that's about to change." Milla promised, steadily advancing on Sasha. Raz sprinted up the stairs, shutting the door behind him.

"What?" Sasha asked uncertainly.

"Oh, nothing." Milla sat down in her chair. "I figured you'd tell Raz. But listen to me, Sasha. We've got bigger problems than your loose lips."

What she said next made Sasha go cold.