Never In Doubt

Summary: Wolf and Virginia's young child is born, and all seems to be going well for the couple. However, when after much deliberation they decide to travel back to the 9 magical kingdoms so that their baby can meet her grandfather, they make a strange and tragic discovery.

Disclaimer: I don't own The 10th Kingdom or any of the characters in it, except for the ones who are obviously not in the series. [I'm not going to mention them for story purposes! But if anyone wants a full list of which characters are copyright and which are mine then just message me. People who've watched 10th Kingdom should know anyway. And if you are reading this fic, I'm guessing you've seen it… The song which inspired this fic is called 'Babylon' by David Gray and an excerpt is seen at the beginning of chapter one.

-x-x-x-

Chapter One – Amazing Grace

'If you want it,

Come and get it,

Crying out loud.

The love that I was giving you was never in doubt.

Let go of your heart,

Let go of your head,

And feel it now.

Babylon.'

Two bright blue eyes blinked themselves open slowly, as the first rays of dawn broke through the endless darkness and made their way slowly into the clinical, white room. Short ragged breaths and a quick prayer broke the silence. There should have been a marvel at the peace that was present, but instead there was an anxious feeling which hung in the air. After what seemed a lifetime, a shrill and piercing noise broke the silence. A scream which continued into a frenzy of yelps and cries.

Virginia Lewis smiled, her head dropping back onto the pillow in relief. "She's okay. Thank you. Thank you."

Beside her the doctors bustled quietly, in an organised and practised fashion. Things seemed to whizz past Virginia in double time, her senses temporarily numb. Eventually, a small bundle was handed to her. It was so light she was frightened that it was all part of her imagination. But as two cobalt eyes gazed back at her innocently, she felt all her inhibitions melt away with the dawn of the new day. Her beautiful child was here and alive. She'd waited so long to meet her; months of tortuous book reading, uncomfortable nights and indescribable sickness were forgotten in an instant. None of that mattered anymore. Her tired body ached all over with the strain of the past few hours, but even that seemed to be stricken from her thoughts. It was incomparable with the feeling of absolute bliss which tore through her as she looked down at her daughter.

Suddenly, she felt a presence by her side. Her blue orbs, now filled with salty tears, flitted upwards. Wolf smiled lovingly at her. Virginia sniffed and let out a few more tears and sobs, with a smile. His arm snaked round her shoulders and he looked down at their daughter as she turned the child towards him. Wolf let out a light gasp and ticked the girl's chin with his hand, and she grabbed his finger softly. He blinked back his own tears of pride and happiness and snuffled. Virginia knew how he felt and nuzzled closer to him, her head nestled on his chest. She wanted it to be like this forever. Time was standing still for these few precious moments, so they could savour the feeling.

But such a perfect moment cannot last forever, even with all the wishing in the world. Wolf's soft tones broke their silence.

"What will you call her?"

Virginia only faltered for a moment. Her finger trailed round her daughter's forehead to her chin slowly. Then, just before leaning down to kiss her and hold her close, she whispered:

"Her name is Grace."

-x-x-x-

Three weeks later…

The cot swung back and forth on its hinges, pushed by the loving hand of a mother. Virginia slowly smiled, seeing Grace's eyes gradually close and her soft snoring begin. Gently she released the cot, allowing it to sway very slightly of its own accord. Pulling the covers up carefully, she kissed the small baby's forehead and retreated from the room. Wolf was curled up on the sofa in their small apartment, obviously having dozed off in a spare moment. He'd wanted to take a hands on approach to the child's upbringing but it was taking its toll on him and Virginia knew it. She grinned at him fondly, not wanting to disturb him. But her entry into the room must have disturbed the air, as his dark eyes blinked open groggily. He saw the young woman looking at him and rubbed the back of his head guiltily.

"Sorry, Virginia! I guess I just drifted off…" he muttered, stifling a yawn.

Virginia dropped down lightly onto the couch next to him. She laughed briskly before poking him in the stomach.

"It's alright. Grace is asleep now anyway."

She kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet up onto the cushions, resting her head on his shoulder delicately. Wolf's arm reached round and pulled her close. He sniffed her hair out of instinct and she felt the safety net around her that she always loved. It made her feel invincible.

"How are you feeling?" asked Wolf, in hushed tones. Virginia's eyes closed and she felt tiredness seep over her.

"Exhausted," she replied, her mind wandering. "But I'm alright. How about you?"

"I'm…well…you know," began Wolf slowly. His tones made Virginia's eyes open abruptly. She knew her husband well enough to know when he was lying to her or avoiding something. She pushed herself around to look at him properly.

He had a sad expression on his handsome face, and she could see the fatigue in his eyes. She knew to tread carefully, but he was obviously trying to tell her something and she wanted to know what was bothering him. Gently she placed a hand on his chest.

"Wolf, what's wrong?"

His eyes faltered and looked down to the floor. She tilted his chin upwards, so he was forced to look her in the eyes. She kept her gaze steady and manoeuvred herself closer to him. "Talk to me."

"It's coming around to that time again."

Virginia's small hand dropped like a stone down to his chest again. She felt her mouth opening slightly. She'd dreaded this moment, but secretly had always known that it was coming. Blinking back any selfish emotion she pressed her forehead against his.

"It'll be okay, I promise."

"It won't be okay though," whispered Wolf, his eyes still locked on hers. "I could hurt you…or Grace…"

Biting her lip, Virginia knew that Wolf was speaking the truth. As much as she loved him, the wolverine side of her husband scared her. When she'd been pregnant she'd had to trust him and he'd left to go away to preserve his wife and child. She'd always hated it, but it was only whilst the moon was full. The pain she felt when he left was only equal to the relief she felt when he returned safe and sound. She didn't want to have to do this for the rest of her life.

"Wolf, we can't keep on doing this forever."

"It's only for a few days, Virginia. I'll come back, I promise."

Slowly, Virginia pulled back from him and felt the pain and anger rising in her throat. "But what if you don't? I don't want to lose you. It's not fair. We need you. I need you."

"Virginia…" began Wolf weakly, his hand stroking her pale cheek. His pain was equal to hers. He never knew what he was capable of. Much of what he had done the past nine months when the change had occurred was a blur. He'd made sure to ostracise himself from the world in a way he'd learnt from a young age. But he knew his promises of returning were empty. In total honesty, he didn't know whether he would even come out alive.

Virginia felt some tears leak down her pale cheeks. "We still don't know how Grace is going to act."

Wolf realised the truth in this statement. There was a huge possibility that Grace could suffer the same problem. He couldn't leave Virginia on her own to deal with that. There seemed to only be one option.

"I'll have to stay then…"

Virginia knew that neither option was wise. She could lose her husband who she loved with all her heart forever. Or she could lose Grace to Wolf's evil. To make problems worse the unknown element of her daughter's genetics was looming. Virginia's mind was working overtime to try and think of the most logical solution. But logics seem to be futile in matters of the heart. Suddenly, inspiration.

"Unless…"

Wolf's distracted face looked up towards her. "Unless what?"

"Unless we go back…"

Wolf looked even more unsure. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean we don't know what troubles could be lurking in the other nine kingdoms…is it going to be safe for Grace?"

"Grace isn't going to be safe no matter what we choose. We've just got to decide what the most logical option is. If we go back to the nine kingdoms, there's just a chance that Wendal might be able to help us. There is so much magic there, it might just save us all…"

"I suppose that make sense…" admitted Wolf, reluctantly.

"Plus it'll give Grace a chance to meet her Grandpa," whispered Virginia, her tones rapidly shifting to excitement. "I haven't seen Dad for so long."

"Tony? Ohh, but you know how he reacts to us…"

"Wolf," began Virginia sternly. "He is my father. He is Grace's grandfather. I know he's not perfect but I love him. I've wanted to see him for so long."

Wolf knew that Virginia was right. He unwillingly relented. "Alright. We'll go tomorrow."

Amidst the soft snores of their daughter, neither Wolf nor Virginia could possibly perceive the journey that lay ahead of them.

-x-x-x-