"Tamsin - wake up." I whispered again - nervously.

I shoved her pale arm as she groaned at the disruption to her sleep. "Tamsin, seriously! Wake the fuck up, like now." I half growled, my heart feeling like it was about to jump out of my chest with each beat as I shook her long, slim sleeping frame.

"I know my chi is like Scooby snacks or whatever for you and the baby, but seriously Bo? 1am?" she sighed, rubbing her eyes as she finally rolled over to look at me. "Oh shit-" she exclaimed as soon as she saw the frightened look plastered on my face. "Don't tell me it's happening already?" she nervously exclaimed, sitting up from the bed as she waited for me to reply.

"Okay, it's not happening already." I said unconvincingly, squinting my eyes and inhaling a sharp breath as another ripple of pain took control of my body. "How was that?" I asked, curious about my own lying abilities.

"Bo, is it time?" Tamsin asked with conviction and sincerity, fear and excitement lingering in her big green eyes.

"I think my water broke a minute ago." I answered, frozen to the spot as the neverending steps of the birth plan Tamsin insisted we practiced like a military operation suddenly flew out of my head. "I-I don't know what to do Tam." I added, wondering whether we should be making a quick dash to the truck right about now or worry more about changing the now soaking wet bed linen.

"Oh god-" Tamsin trailed, fumbling with the covers as she moved closer towards me, clearly trying to maintain some composure as she mentally ran through the steps she'd carefully and meticulously planned for this moment. "Are you sure your waters have broken? Are you having contractions?" she asked, placing her hand on my cheek, gazing at my facial expressions as her other hand touched the side of my stomach, if it was anybody else's palm so intimately close to the bump under my shirt I would probably break a finger or two, but with Tamsin it was different, with Tamsin it was comforting and made me feel safer.

"Either that or I've suddenly pissed my pants?" I deadpanned as she rolled her eyes at my attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm not sure, I think I'm having contractions-" my sentence was cut off by a whimper escaping my lungs as the sudden tight pain in my stomach as I leaned forward, putting a hand on the valkyrie's shoulder to steady myself. "Shit, yes- contractions are definitely happening babe."

"Okay, right." Tamsin mumbled to herself as she tried to think up a course of action. "Okay, okay." she kept repeating, more for her benefit than mine - it was kind of cute seeing her so panicky and flustered, not that she hadn't already been an overprotective nervous wreck the last few months - standing in between any potential threat and the curve of my stomach, and of course with Tamsin on high alert - everything was a 'potential' threat. "I'm going to run you a bath and call Lauren, will you be okay staying here for a sec?" she asked sincerely, edging closer towards me with concern as if I might suddenly fall over and give birth the second she leaves the room.

"I'll be fine, if I need you I'll use the bat signal." I reconfirmed with affection towards the nickname we'd given to the new power we'd acquired, since I've been pregnant it's almost like me and Tamsin are mentally connected- like we can hear each others thoughts sometimes, my breath hitched slightly as she jumped off the bed to run the bath, taking her phone with her as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

. . . . . . .

My fingers clung to the sides of the bathtub periodically as ripples of pain turned into waves crashing over me, threatening to drag me to a place where I was out of my depth, Tamsin sat at the side of the tub, stroking my hair whilst she called Lauren again for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, Lauren? I think it's time - she's like fifteen minutes between contractions." she paused as she listened intently to whatever Lauren was saying. "Yes, I know you said Fae birth is more intense but dude seriously she looks like she might pass out and I can't get her to feed." she explained as I tried to relax in the warm water, the pain radiating from my centre was too distracting for me to lock on and feed right now. "Okay, okay, no problem. Thanks." she said, putting down the phone as I focused intently on her side of the conversation. "I'm taking you in, come on." she explained, offering me her arms for support as I tried to get out of the bathtub of my own accord before my knees buckled under the pain.

"Tam, promise you won't let anything happen? I'm kinda scared." I admitted, staring at her as I knew my eyes were betraying me and watering with tears at the corner as she helped me out the bath.

"You have my blood oath, you know that don't you? Like I'm physically incapable of allowing anything to happen to you, like you haven't forgotten that right?" she asked with a slightly serious tone, her eyebrows furrowing like I might of just forgotten our bond in the mists of childbirth induced pain.

"I know, I know that- just promise me you won't let them cut me?" I finally admitted, patting myself down with the towel as I avoided her eye contact. She held my hips for support before I felt her smirk without so much as looking at her face.

"I have seen you wipe the chi from gangs of under Fae on the blink of an eye, battle entire armies of Hell's undead soldiers like it was game sport- and you're still scared of that episiotomy video? I told you not to watch Discovery channel with Kenz." the blonde laughed, rubbing my lower back as I let out a huff.

"Just- promise me? Okay?" I gave a final grunt before another pained cry racked my body, the threat of being dragged into depths that would drown me in the never leaving my mind as I struggled to keep myself up right - until a pair of long pale arms snaked under my own helping me stand up, and a warm body pressed to my back reminding me of her unquivering presence keeping me afloat through all of this.

"Okay, okay I promise you. Let's just get you to the hospital okay?" Tamsin offered, holding me close as she practically carried me to the bedroom.

. . . . . . . .

"Bo, a few more pushes and she'll be here." Lauren encouraged from the bottom of the table as I stood at Bo's side, giving her as much of my Valkyrja strength as I could part with as my hand went numb from all the squeezing.

"Bo, seriously - if the Druid has to grow me another hand after today I'll kill you babe." I joked, kissing her forehead as her face contorted into that awful expression again, the one that made me wish I could take all of this pain from her so she'd never have to hurt again. It was natural for a warrior to want to protect their Queen from threat, 'but how do you possibly protect someone from something inside of them?' I thought.

"Tamsin we need to do something, her BP is dropping and she's getting tired, if it keeps going this way we're not going to be left with a whole lot of options." Lauren explained as I threw caution to the wind and climbed into the bed with Bo, creeping behind her so her back was pressed to my chest as she turned to press her face into my neck, sharing one of the few intimate moments we allowed ourselves with each other as she breathed in my scent.

"Tam, remember what you promised. Don't you let her cut me." Bo whimpered into my neck as I stroked her sticky skin.

"Dude, seriously- you're like a human first aid kit all you need to do is feed on chi and your body heals itself, you won't even be able to tell." I tried to soften her as she threw me a look that dared me to disobey her. "Okay, okay, I promise babe." I agreed again, kissing her cheek as I felt her body tense from another contraction, I could feel her growing weaker in my arms as her body fought to preserve some energy for the final pushes.

"BP dropping." I heard Lauren comment to a nurse who poked her head around the curtain to see the monitor attached to Bo growing a little crazier. "Tamsin, unless you've got a miracle up your sleeve we need to start thinking about a c-section and we need to think about it quick." Lauren explained as I looked down at mighty warrior queen in my arms who'd practically curled herself around my body as the pain grew too much for her to handle.

"I think I might have something." I finally admitted, closing my eyes for a moment as I tried to clear my mind and unleash my inner Valkyrja, one of the pros of being bonded was the ability to share some of our powers - although it wasn't something I particularly wanted to practise with on the mother of my child. Hard times called for hard measures.

I opened my eyes, aware that I'd shifted to my natural appearance as I looked down at my wife, capturing her gaze as she became entranced with my hollow eyes, only instead of pushing feelings of doubt and dread through the recesses of her mind - I had the ability to do something else, to fill her with love and happiness just like she can do with her powers. "Listen to me Bo, you can do this okay? I've got you." I promised her, breaking my stare as I let my face turn back to it's human appearance - I hate shifting in front of people, the way they look at me like I'm a monster - I think that's the thing I'm scared of the most for our child, if they inherit my powers rather than Bo's.

"Another contraction coming Bo." Lauren called from the bottom of the table as I felt the succubus in my arms breathe in a deep breath and ready herself as she pushed, digging deep and going hard, the sound of her screams made me want to disappear to the happy place in my mind, the knowledge that I couldn't protect her from this tore me apart piece by piece, but I was in awe - watching this beautiful creature put herself through Hell and back to give me a child.

Then a different scream filled the air, it was higher in pitch, it was new, it was Heaven to my ears.

"Bo you did it! She's here!" I bounced excitedly as the brunette flopped back with exhaustion, I watched with intent as Lauren wrapped her in the white and cream blanket we brought with us, placing her on Bo's chest, needless to say my vision was blurry from all the tears.

"Congratulations mommies." Lauren smiled as she left to give us some privacy.

"Bo, I love you." I sobbed, tracing my fingers over our daughter's features, noting how furious and angry her little face looked as she screamed away.

"I love you too." Bo grinned, resting her head on my arm as we both stared down at her. "Like mother, like daughter." Bo surmised through a gentle smile, rocking the little girl in her arms.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She hates being woken up too." Bo laughed as she settled the infant in her arms like a pro.

These fleeting moments felt like they were moving in slow motion, I felt like I was looking at my life through an Instagram filter or something, 'My kind are born to serve, fight and expire. Not to love, cherish and protect.' I thought as I looked down at my family, knowing now what true happiness was in it's purest definition.

"Ayla? Ayla Sif Dennis?" Bo whispered looking towards me, as if she was silently asking me if I was sure the name still fit.

"Ayla Sif Dennis." I confirmed. "Sif for short." I grinned, happy to share Scandinavian heritage with this tiny little person.

"You're going to make a great mommy Tamsin." Bo commented as she stroked the fine hair on the side of our daughter's head.

"Only with you at my side." I whispered too quiet for either one of them to hear me.

Should I write more? Do you guys want more or is it better as a one shot?