Weeks passed and Valinna was finally starting to move passed what happened in Windhelm. She took jobs to pass the time, to take her mind off of things. As she finished cleaning the house, having not been there in weeks, she changed out of her casual clothes and into her Nightingale armor. As she pulled on the boots and finished adjusting the armor, a knock came at the door.

Valinna answered the door and smiled when she saw Brynjolf standing there. "Hello, Brynjolf."

"Hello, lass. I came to check on you. The guild members are starting to get worried. You're working yourself near to death and you've been sick. I've seen it myself, lass. You need to stop, take a break." He said.

Valinna turned away and went back to the kitchen. Brynjolf let himself inside and closed the door.

"Lass, you have to take a break." He begged her.

"Brynjolf, I'm fine." Valinna said. "You and the guild don't need to worry." She opened the door that went out the kitchen to the porch and headed down the stairs into the backyard.

"Lass, you've been gone for weeks, not a letter or a note. We were worried something had happened. As Guild Master, it is one thing to go on business trips, take on jobs in other part of the Rift- even far as Solitude- but at least keep us updated. At least keep me updated." Brynjolf said, standing at the railing on her porch.

Valinna listened to his pleas as she gathered vegetables for the stew she was going to make and felt a sudden lurch in her stomach. She dropped the basket she had carried out with her and ran to the corner, near the water spicket. She dropped to her knees and started to retch, the acidity of her stomach contents burning her throat as she expelled everything within. Brynjolf hurried to her side and knelt beside her, pulling back her hair and rubbing her back.

"You see, lass? You are not fine. Something is going on with you and you have to take it easy." He said when she finished and sat up. He handed her a handkerchief and she wiped her mouth. "Let me take you to the healer and we'll see what they can tell us."

Valinna nodded and Brynjolf helped her stand. He guided her through the side gate and into the streets. Weaving through the throng of people headed to the marketplace, Brynjolf led her to the nearest healer and knocked on the door.

"Can I help you?" the healer asked. "Oh, Brynjolf, good to see you, lad. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Aye, the lass is feeling ill and needs to be checked over. Can you help us?" Brynjolf asked.

The healer nodded and led them inside. "What seems to be the trouble? What are her symptoms?" he asked, instructing Brynjolf to help Valinna onto the table.

"She has been retching, eating more than normal but can't keep it down, she's been having mild mood swings, and she's been experiencing bouts of fatigue every now and then." Brynjolf explained as the healer placed a hand on Valinna's head. "I'm worried for her, Jolgard. She's been like this for weeks, but insisted that she was alright."

Jolgard the Silk Beard chuckled and stroked the source of his namesake. "Brynjolf, you do not need to worry. And neither do you, lass." He said.

Valinna looked at him. "What's wrong with me?"

"My dear, nothing is wrong with you. You're pregnant!" the healer said.

Brynjolf watched as Valinna's face went sheet white, all color drained. He knew something was wrong when she said nothing before she stood, thanked Jolgard, and left, heading back to Honeyside.

"Did something happen while she was away?" Jolgard asked. "None of the women who have come to me have ever reacted in this way with such wonderful news."

"I do not know. She left and we received no word from her until a few days ago. She's been gone for weeks. She's been distant and quiet, taking more jobs than I have seen anyone ever be able to handle. The guild thought she was just overworking herself."

Jolgard looked at him sternly. "You need to find out what happened while she was away. Be gentle about it, though, she is very vulnerable right now. She is pregnant and should not be taking so many jobs, else she risk losing the babe. She's nearly through her first trimester. Honestly, it's a mystery how she didn't know until now."

Brynjolf nodded and thanked the healer before he hurried after Valinna. He found her wandering back into her backyard and followed her, closing the gate and locking it before he went after her. He found her picking up the basket and reloading the vegetables into the basket.

"Lass, what's going on? You should be happy. You're going to have a baby!" he said, following her up the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I don't want to talk about this right now, Brynjolf." She said, then went about cutting the carrots and potatoes. She chopped them into cubes and slices and kept chopping until she cut her finger.

Brynjolf reached over and took the knife from her hand and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her finger. "Lass, tell me what's going on. I'm worried and not just as your second, but as your friend."

Valinna used a quick spell and healed the cut on her finger and looked up at him. "Don't push this, Brynjolf. Please, just let it go." She said, then turned back to continue working on the stew.

Brynjolf grabbed her arm and pulled her back, but Valinna slid quickly out of his grasp and slid behind him. "Lass?"

"Don't touch me!" She snapped, tears filling her eyes as she suddenly envisioned Ulfric grabbing her and not Brynjolf. "Please, just don't…"

Brynjolf knew he couldn't leave her alone, not like this, so he advanced on her, backing her to the table until she nearly fell over. He caught her and pulled her into his arms, holding onto her tightly. He hugged her tighter when she began to cry, letting her anguish and fear, her guilt and her remorse finally flow from her eyes. She cried and cried, her sobs muffled in his chest. Brynjolf let her cry, knowing she had been holding back something. Whatever happened was enough to make her crack and he knew Valinna to be strong enough to not let something get to her. She was so free spirited, yet she restored the honor and name of the Thieves' Guild, exposed Mercer Frey for who and what he really was, and proved herself more than capable as a member of the guild. After naming her the new Guild Master, the entire guild welcomed her and looked to her for everything. She found them jobs, took jobs herself and refused to simply sit behind a desk and watch, and she was always fair to the guild. She brought more gold into the guild to where the coffers were filled with so much gold and coin that it was spilling out of the chests and the Ragged Flagon was filled with clients she had found. Valinna Windrime had restored everything that made the guild what it was and everyone loved her for it. She never took a job personally, never let failures get to her and she always strived to improve upon each and every guild members' skills and make them worth more to themselves and to the guild. Seeing her like this after everything she had done, after everything she had been through- especially after being made a Nightingale along with himself- was nearly heartbreaking.

After a while, Valinna quieted down, having cried her fill. She pushed back from Brynjolf and looked up at him. "I'm sorry…"

Brynjolf reached up and wiped away the tears, then kissed her forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Valinna looked away for a moment. "I don't know I am ready to…"

"Are we ever ready for anything, lass?" he replied, a soft smile on his face.

Valinna managed a smile at that. "Very well, but if I tell you anything, you have to stay and help me with dinner. I promised Rune a taste of my stew and I figured the others would be hungry."

Brynjolf loved her cooking, Valinna often bringing treats and meals for the guild or helping Vekel in the Ragged Flagon. He never had as much room as she did to cook, so Valinna often cooked for the guild and brought it to Velken to disperse amongst the members. "Sounds like a deal."

Valinna gave him instructions and while they worked, she told him of what Ulfric Stormcloak had done, what he had said, and how she didn't know what to do next now that she knew she was pregnant.

Brynjolf listened to her instructions and listened to what she said as he cut the meat and added it to the bubbling broth. He could not believe his ears when Valinna told him that Ulfric had raped her.

"I don't know what to do now, Brynjolf. I am carrying his child and I don't know if I should tell him, or keep the child a secret from him." She said, sighing sadly. "I wasn't ready to give myself to anyone yet. I was saving myself for someone I loved and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And now he has taken that away from me."

"Will you keep the babe?" Brynjolf asked, looking up at her. "Or will you give it to another, someone who will care for the baby as if it were their own?"

Valinna looked at him. "I don't know, Brynjolf! I'm not ready to be a mother!"

Brynjolf sighed and came over to her. "Whether you are ready or not, you are going to be a mother. Never before have I seen anyone care as much about the guild as you do. You would be a good mother."

Valinna felt tears brimming her eyes again. "But what if I can't raise them right? I'm Dragonborn, a Stormcloak, and the Guild Master of the Thieves' Guild. How can I raise a child in a land strife with chaos and war? What life can a thief give to a child?"

Brynjolf cupped her cheek in his hand and wiped the tears away. "Lass, you are a very strong person and I have seen you overcome more trivial things than this. You can be a mother and you can raise this child to be a good person, even in this world. Keep the child, raise it with the guild. We're a family and we can help you look after the child, help you teach them right from wrong. We can take care of the child, as we always have taken care of you. You won't be alone in this, Valinna. I promise."

Valinna put a hand to his and smiled. "What would I ever do without you, Brynjolf?"

"Well, for one thing, you wouldn't be stuck looking after us mongrels." He replied, chuckling.

Valinna laughed and smiled. "Well, someone has to do the job, now don't they? Besides, you're right, the guild is family."

"Exactly, so let us help you get through this." Brynjolf said. "Whether you tell Ulfric Stormcloak about the babe is your choice, but I'm not letting you off the hook on the rest when it comes to the guild. Vex has been talking about kids lately, so this would be a perfect chance for her to see what she will be getting herself into."

Valinna laughed again and looked at him. "Thank you, Brynjolf. I mean it."

Brynjolf hugged her and smiled. "Of course, lass."

Valinna wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't think I could ever have done this on my own."

Brynjolf looked at her and smiled. "I'll always be here for you, lass, until Arkay take me to Sovngarde."

Valinna felt so safe around him, so taken care, protected. He really did mean everything to her, but she didn't know how to tell him.

Brynjolf had been thinking the same thing as Valinna, for months, but never knew how to tell her. It infuriated him that someone would dare touch her, let alone rape her, and it infuriated him even more to know it was Ulfric Stormcloak, the man who Valinna had grown up with, fought beside, trusted more than anyone. But Brynjolf was willing to look passed that to help Valinna raise the child she was carrying. He loved her and would love this child as if it were his own, whether he told her how he felt or not.

As the two contemplated their feelings for the other, the tea kettle whistled and Valinna broke from the allure of Brynjolf's eyes to check on dinner and make the tea. Brynjolf came over to help her, broken from the spell as well, and took the pot from the fireplace and placed it on the counter. Valinna grabbed the lid for the pot and stuck a ladle, a couple tea bags, and some bread she had made fresh earlier that day into a basket. Grabbing the tea kettle, she looked over at Brynjolf as he lifted the pot and headed for the door.

"Ready?" she asked.

He nodded and she held the door open for him as they went to the porch, down the stairs and through the back gate. Valinna locked the doors as they closed them, locked the gate, and walked with Brynjolf towards the secret entrance to the cistern in the cemetery. They walked silently until they reached the tomb concealing the entrance and Valinna pushed on the Shadowmark to open the way into the hall.

When the entrance opened, the Guild Master and her second went down the stairs and stopped before the ladder leading into the cistern. Valinna pulled the chain on the wall and closed the entrance, then summoned her candlelight spell to illuminate the area. She pulled back the wooden door covering the ladder down and told Brynjolf to climb down first and she would hand him the pot.

Brynjolf reached the bottom of the ladder and reached up as Valinna lowered the pot down to him. "Alright, lass, now you come down."

Valinna hooked the basket around her elbow and climbed down, trying not to step on the hem of the cloak that came with the Nightingale armor. She had put the brooch her mother gave her on the cloak to keep it in place and smiled when she caught a glimpse of it as she climbed down the ladder. She reached the bottom and went down the hall and into the cistern where she saw Brynjolf making his way across the bridge and out into the Ragged Flagon. She hurried to catch up to him and opened the door that led into the tavern.

"Valinna, you're back!" Rune said, greeting her. "And you brought food?"

"Hello, Rune. Aye, I brought you that stew you've been bugging me about and some tea." She replied, smiling.

Rune was such a sweet young man. He hugged her and ran over to Vekel and waited impatiently for him to be given a bowl of the stew. He turned and saw Valinna pull out a loaf of bread and the ladle she brought, as well as the tea bags. She liked to make her own tea, growing the herbs in her garden and drying them. Valinna handed the ladle to Vekel and grabbed a knife to cut the bread. She had made enough bread to feed the thirteen members of the guild, plus herself, Dirge, and Vekel. She laid out the sliced bread on a plate Vekel handed her and she stood back as the guild crowded to get a bowl of her stew.

Valinna smiled, knowing that she was truly with family here in the tavern with her guild and knew they loved her cooking. She talked with some of the guild members, but when she got a moment to herself, she felt sick again and slipped away silently to find somewhere that she could be alone. She hurried through the passageway and back to the now empty cistern and leaned over the edge of one of the bridges. She retched into the already murky waters running through the cistern and coughed as the acid burned her throat again. She put a hand to her belly as she stood up straight and wiped her mouth.

"What's going on, boss?" Vex said as she came out into the cistern. "I saw you slink off in a hurry and wanted to make sure that you were OK."

Valinna looked up at nodded. She and Vex had become really close, especially after what happened with Mercer Frey. Since Valinna had taken over the guild and rebuilt it, restoring its honor, glory, and reputation, Vex had grown closer to her and respected her. Valinna would think she could go as far as calling Vex her best friend. While she had traveled with Lydia many times and been through much more with her, Valinna never felt close to Lydia. She was always sarcastic and condescending and got along better with Calder than she did with Valinna. They were even talking of getting married. Valinna was happy for them, having known them a long time, but she found a real connection with people in the guild, more so than anywhere else she had been.

"Is it the babe?" Vex asked.

Valinna nodded. "How did you-"

Vex sat with her. "I could tell by the way you held yourself. I've been watching some of the women that pass through Riften, pregnant or about to give birth. It is interesting and makes me wonder what I am missing out on as a woman. But then I remember how little I get along with men and I laugh at myself for being foolish. It's good news, though, that you are to be a mother."

Valinna nodded and looked up at her. "I know, but it's still a shock at the moment."

"You never noticed before?" Vex asked. "I guess it would make sense, none of us did. This is great! We'll have a little one running through the place. We'll have to hide the weapons and such, just to be safe."

Valinna shrugged. "Perhaps, but I'm just not quite ready to tell the others yet."

"What about the father? Does he know?" Vex asked, not knowing the story.

Valinna looked up at her, forgetting she didn't know, then turned away. "I will not be telling him. He doesn't deserve to know."

"Did something happen, Valinna? With the father?" Vex asked, pulling Valinna over to her desk and sat her down. She pulled up a chair and sat next to her, holding her hands in her own. "You can tell me, boss. What happened?"

"He raped me, Vex. After everything I have done for him, after everything I have fought for in his name and done to protect him." Valinna said, looking at her friend. "He doesn't deserve to know that he will be the father of a child when he stole my virginity away from me. I was waiting to give it to someone special, someone that I love, and now I can never do that. I am spoiled, impure. What man would ever want me now?"

Vex sighed and looked at her. "I know one man who has his eye on you, more than the others. The way he looks at you is so sweet and tender." She said. "I won't spoil the surprise and tell you who it is. Now, do you want me to make this man pay? Tell me who he is and he will regret ever touching you, regret even looking at you."

Valinna giggled at that and smiled. "No, Vex, leave him be. He will pay for his crimes by his own doing. If I know him, he's suffering enough as it is."

Vex put a hand to her cheek. "Valinna, I will keep the father a secret, as well as what he did to you. We are all a family here and we'll help you take care of yourself and we'll help you take care of the baby. We'll help you raise the baby to be able to survive in a world like this. It may not be the best life to grow up as a thief, but at least the baby will have you and will have all of us as family to love and protect it."

Valinna nodded. "You're right."

Vex nodded. "Now, do you want to come back with me and eat with the others?"

Valinna shook her head. "I think I need to be alone for a bit. I'm going to go ahead and go back home, take it easy. I might come by again later, but if I don't I'll be home if you need me. Tell Brynjolf thank you for me?"

Vex nodded and helped her over to the ladder. "Promise not to do anything I wouldn't do?" she said as Valinna started to close the door at the top of the ladder.

"I promise, Vex." Valinna said with a smile, then closed the door and pulled the chain, exiting the secret entrance to the cistern. She made sure that no one was around and waited for the entrance to close before she set off home.