1. Waiting

I do NOT own the Black Jewels Trilogy or any of the characters. Any characters you do not recognize, however, are MINE!

Daemon Sadi growled as he paced back and forth in front of the closed doors. It had been over twelve hours since he had been shut out of the room. The door opened and he held his breath, but the Black Widow Healer shook her head as she hurried away. Daemon resumed his pacing.

Lucivar rounded the corner and chuckled as he watched his brother.

"Come on Daemon, we both know it will be a while longer."

Daemon snarled at his brother, feeling himself rising to the killing edge as a wave of pain hit him from the Ring of Honor.

"How can you stand it?" he demanded. Lucivar smiled.

"The boyos are gathered in the High…I mean your study, getting drunk. You look like you could use a few gravediggers yourself." A flask appeared in front of Daemon. He growled but grasped it and twisted off the top. He upended the flask and gulped down the potent liquid.

"Come on Bastard. Karla will come find us when it is time." Lucivar pulled his brother away from the door and dragged him to the study.

Khardeen, Chaosti, Aaron, Kaelas, Ladvarian and Saetan looked up. Saetan smiled when his sons entered.

"Ah. How is it going, Daemon?" Saetan asked. Daemon shrugged and took the glass of brandy his father offered.

"I don't know," the Black Jeweled Warlord Prince replied, draining the glass. "Gabrielle and Karla shoved me out of the room as soon as they arrived and haven't let me in since."

Lucivar laughed and grabbed a glass. "They did the same thing to me. Don't worry, she'll be fine."

The other males murmured their agreement. Daemon grunted. Saetan put an arm around his son's shoulders.

"It is always hard, the waiting. All the things that could go wrong run through your head and you find yourself wondering if it is worth it." He grinned at the terrified look on Daemon's face. "But it is namesake. It is."

"Now Uncle Saetan, stop scaring Daemon," Aaron teased. "And Lucivar, don't you dare give him that gravedigger. Jaenelle will have our hides if he is drunk."

Everyone laughed as Lucivar let out a string of Eyrien curses.

"Well, I am glad you boyos are having a good time, but Jaenelle wants Daemon." Everyone froze and slowly turned toward the door. Karla gave them a mischievous smile. Daemon stood still for a moment then bolted.

He raced through the corridors and slid to a stop in front of the doors. With a blast of power from his Jewels, the doors flew open and he raced inside.

"Whoa, slow down," Gabrielle ordered as he raced into the bedroom. Daemon ignored her and focused on Jaenelle.

She was propped up on the bed, her blonde hair limp and dark with sweat. Her eyes were tired but she smiled when she saw him.

"Hi sweetheart," Daemon drawled, climbing onto the giant bed to sit next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she replied. "Tired but happy. Do you want to meet your daughter?"

Daemon nodded, not trusting his voice. Gabrielle gently handed him a bundle of pink blankets. He gazed at the tiny face.

The baby's skin was pink and the fuzz that covered her head was blonde but darker at the roots. She opened her eyes and Daemon was amazed to see her irises were a deep, burnished gold. Daemon felt his heart constrict with love for his baby daughter. His eyes widened when he breathed in her psychic scent and realized she was a Queen and Healer. A hint of power let him know she would likely be a natural Black Widow when she grew up.

"She is as beautiful as her mother," he breathed. Jaenelle smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I think she will have your coloring," she said. Daemon chuckled.

"As long as she doesn't have my temper, I am fine with that."

"Have you decided on a name?" Gabrielle asked as she vanished the blood soaked sheets and prepared to leave. Daemon looked at his wife.

"Tersa," Jaenelle said quietly. "Tersa Rose Angelline."

Gabrielle nodded. "A good name." She smiled. "I will go inform the others."

"Thank you Gabrielle," Daemon said. "Oh, and tell Lucivar that if he knocks before I say he can, I will blast him straight to Hell."

Gabrielle smiled and slipped out of the room. Jaenelle closed her eyes.

"You can be so kind sometimes." Daemon grinned and shifted the baby in his arms.

"Yup." He put and arm around her and pulled her close. "But I don't care. Lucivar can go to Hell."

He watched as Jaenelle drifted to sleep, exhausted from the delivery. Tersa soon followed suite. He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes. As he fell asleep, he made a promise to himself.

He would do what ever it took to help his daughter grow strong and lead a happy life.

é é é

Saetan and the other males grinned at each other when Daemon rushed out of the study.

"So, Karla." Lucivar cornered the Queen and gave her his lazy, arrogant smile. "Are you going to tell us yourself or are we going to have to dig it out of you?"

Karla grinned. "It is a girl."

All the men stared at each other. A daughter for Daemon and Jaenelle?

"Are there any signs of…?" Saetan trailed off. Karla nodded and her smile grew.

"Aye. She is a Queen and natural Healer. And, I suspect she will be a natural Black Widow."

"A…a Black Widow?" Lucivar asked, sounding choked.

"Well, what do you expect, considering her heritage?" Chaosti retorted. Lucivar shrugged and smiled.

"So, when do we get to see her?"

"Not for a while, Lucivar," Gabrielle said as she entered the study. "Daemon said if you disturb them, he will blast you through Hell."

"Ouch. Someone is in a bad mood."

"Did they name her?" Saetan asked before Gabrielle could come up with a retort.

"Tersa Rose Angelline is her name."

"Angelline?" Lucivar looked up from pouring another brandy. "Why Angelline? I though they had decided on SaDiablo."

Saetan cleared his throat. "I suspect Jaenelle wants to honor the old ways, where a female child would take the mother's name."

"Well, Jaenelle told me that was her name." Gabrielle shrugged. "I am going to get some sleep. Wake me up in time for breakfast." She nodded to the men and left, Karla following soon after. Saetan looked at the men.

"Well boyos, lets go to bed. We have all had a long day and need our rest." They nodded and departed.

Saetan sighed as he stretched out on his bed. He could tell his new granddaughter was doing to be a handful. But he was ready. Sweet Darkness, he was ready for anything after Jaenelle.