Again still dark! But then if you'd read the first two chapters should be well aware of that by now :D

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!

From Hero to Queen

Chapter 3

Having Walter in her life had brought some peace and sanity back into her life. He moved into the manor with her and helped her with tasks and chores, and helped in driving the loneliness away. However it still didn't change the fact that she had her enemy's spawn growing inside her womb. Walter had tried to help her with her bolts of depression and despair, but there was really very little he could do other than offer a shoulder to cry on top and an ear to listen. Sparrow appreciated his efforts none the less and it gave her some strength to deal with it. But as even more months went by, it became clear that soon she would have to deal with something else that she was dreading; actually given birth to the thing.

"How long until it's time?" Walter asked from across the table. Sparrow was sat on her end, picking at her food and looking anxious.

"Another two months," she said quietly.

The two sat in silence at the table for a little while after that, neither attempting to eat more of their dinner. The only sound that could be heard was that of the grand grandfather clock in the corner of the dining room. But they both knew something had to be said, that this had to be brought up. Sparrow was reluctant to have this conversation though so Walter asked the question that, honestly, was both on their minds.

"What are you going to do after it's born?" he asked.

"I... don't know," she replied, truthfully.

With her due date approaching ever closer Sparrow knew she had to consider what to do after the birth. As far as she was concerned, she had two choices. She could either give up the baby for adoption or abandon it and let nature take care of it. She felt disgusted that she had even considered such a thing, but she had; countless times. After all, this thing inside of her was a part of Lucien. It was part of a monstrous man. It had caused her so much more pain and suffering that she hated it. And her dark feelings made her hate herself.

Her friend decided to leave the conversation at that and stood from his seat. Sparrow watched as he picked up his plate and her own, telling her to sit herself down as she tried to stand and help him with the dishes. She frowned.

"I can do the dishes at least Walter. I am not a fragile doll," she told him.

"Aye, you're not, but you need to look after yourself more. You overdo it far too much," he told her and Sparrow sat back down, her face turned away from him. She couldn't argue, because she knew he was right.

Sparrow often over did it, mostly on purpose, still trying to endanger herself and the thing growing inside of her. She had always hoped the second she found out she was pregnant that she'd miscarry, that she wouldn't have to endure giving this thing life. She didn't just want it out of her... she honestly wanted it dead.

And right now, at the height of her depression, she wanted that even if it meant her own death. Which is why she had caved in and actually wrote to him. If there was one man that could give her death, it was him.

Reaver.

To say he had been surprised when receiving a letter from Sparrow was an understatement. He had also been surprised that it had actually found its way to him, but then again he was the Reaver, Pirate King. People would have whispered of his presence in whatever place he chose to be in at the time and news travelled fast. And he was news worthy, no doubt about that.

Reaver had honestly thought to discard the letter at first, but his curiosity had gained the better of him and so he had read it over quickly after his rut with a random loose woman he'd gained for the evening. However after reading it the first time, he had to read it again. And again. Had Sparrow really wrote this?

Dear Reaver

I hope this letter finds you swiftly, as I have very little time left to waste. I only have a few months left before I have to do something gruelling and disgusting and something that will completely destroy me. I don't know why I'm bothering to tell you even this, since you won't care about the details. To sum up Reaver, I need you to return to Bloodstone, to your manor.

I need you to kill me.

Sparrow

Sparrow wished for him to kill her? What on earth was the woman talking about? The woman had been so full of determination and fire when he had first met her, she determined to live. She would have never of simply given up and lay down to die before. His thoughts returned to the day Lucien died, to when he had actually noticed something had changed about her. That day... something had to have happened on that day.

Oh but what did it matter to him? It was obvious she wanted to die and who was he to disappoint! Reaver turned to the woman in the bed and gave an apologetic smile.

"Well it's been fun my sweet but I must be off. I have an errand to run it seems," he said as he began collecting and putting on his clothes. The woman seemed shocked and reluctant for him to leave though, crawling over to the edge of the bed and clinging to his arm.

"Now? But we've only just gotten together. Can't you stay longer? Please?" she said, it turning into a plea. Gah, how revoltingly clingy. It had been wonderful in bed, kept him nice and warm, but it was too much for Reaver to stand now that he was bored of her. Sparrow's letter had in fact given him the perfect excuse to leave this clingy woman. Not that he needed one.

"No, duty calls. I have an important meeting that I must attend to," he told her, pushing her off his arm and doing up his shirt. However the woman didn't seem to get the message.

"More important than me?" she asked, her voice giving away the distress that this was causing her, having been under the illusion that this had meant something. Where she'd gotten that idea he didn't know. He'd promised her a night full of pleasure and delight, and he'd given her that. He'd never said anything about him staying for long afterwards.

"Yes, far more important than you," he said without a moment's hesitation.

Reaver had surprised himself a little bit by that statement. Hmm, did he really consider meeting Sparrow important? Probably not. But he would be lying if he didn't admit he was in a hurry to see her, if only to see just why she was in such a hurry to die. He'd never understood people who wanted death. He'd done all he could to avoid it.

"Reaver, I don't want you to go!" the woman shrieked, making it clear that she felt strongly for the other and didn't want him to suddenly leave without any evidence of coming back. The Pirate King merely sighed in tiresome annoyance before taking his pistol from its holster and shooting her between the eyes without so much as blinking.

The woman fell backwards on top the bed sheets, eyes still wide in shock and blood beginning to ooze from her fatal wound. Reaver shook his head and placed his gun back at his side.

"Such a waste, but you just had to grate on my nerves... pity really," he said to himself as he looked himself over in a nearby mirror, making sure his hair was perfectly in place. He then left the place, not even bothering to cover the still naked woman up; leaving her for her family to find later.

Another month passed since sending Reaver that letter and Sparrow was growing more and more frustrated, angry, anxious and horrified. She was so close to her due date that she was starting to become ill again, the thought of giving birth to Lucien's child making her sick. She had tried to hide it, either by forcing herself to smile when Walter was around or hiding herself in Reaver's old room she had claimed for herself. But Walter knew. And it pained him to see her like this.

The man had grown fond of her over the months he'd lived with her. He had seen her at her worse, something that no normal person had seen. That and Walter had been able to get to know the woman, Sparrow, instead of the Hero of Albion. The two could be very different people, but he had learned to care for both.

So to see someone he cared so much about and respected in so much torment... it was torture for himself too. But he had made a vow and he'd be damned if he was going to break it just so he didn't have to deal with a little personal torture of his own.

Walter climbed the stairs and made his way to Sparrow's room, knocking on the door before entering. She looked up from her book, smiling in greeting. Walter smiled back, despite it being hidden before his growing hair on his face. Sparrow had learned to see past that though and knew he was smiling back.

"I'll be retiring to bed shortly. Is there anything you need before I do?" he asked. Sparrow shook her head.

"No, thank you Walter. I'll be getting into bed shortly myself," she told him.

He doubted that, considering the dark circles around her eyes. The Hero had been getting little sleep, either by choice or not he was unsure. But Walter nodded all the same, accepting her lie.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then," he said, before closing the door.

He was completely unaware that she was waiting for a certain pirate to come waltzing in and end her life.

For her to never see tomorrow morning.

Reaver arrived later that night, during a terrible thunder storm that had followed them during the last few miles of their sail and settled over Bloodstone. As soon as he reached Bloodstone's docks, he ignored everything and everyone else (despite how tempting those whores could be...) and headed straight for his old beloved Manor. He wondered just why Sparrow had bought the deed, especially considering he had promised to kill whoever bought it. Oh well, in a few minutes Sparrow would get what she wanted and he'd have kept his word. Everyone would win!

At being the previous owner he still had the key and thankfully Sparrow had either been unwilling or too unwise to change her locks. He slipped in without a sound and crept up the stairs, the only sound that of the drips of rains from his clothing, the pouring rain outside and the thunder that roared quietly, occasionally. Reaver pondered briefly at just why he was being so quiet, since Sparrow had welcomed him to come and kill her in his letter. But then again it had been a while since that letter; she could very well be having second thoughts. And it would be such a pain to come all the way here and NOT kill her. Better to be quiet and do it anyway.

He reached the top of the stairs and guessed to himself that she would have opted to make his old room her own. Reaver hadn't been wrong. When he entered the room she was sitting in the dark on the large king sized bed, her back to him. Sparrow didn't move to greet him as she spoke. So much for being quiet and sneaky.

"Thank you for coming Reaver," she said, her voice sounding a little shaky. It sounded like she had been crying.

Reaver considered not saying anything in return and merely shooting her where she sat, fulfilling her wish. But he was so curious as to what was going on and why the brave and determined Sparrow was now broken and wanting to be put down. He walked further into the room, his hand resting on the handle of his pistol.

"How could I ignore such an invitation my dear? It's not every day a Hero begs me to put her out of her misery," he told her, now standing to her side. Sparrow was hunched over, as if in pain, her head still hung down. She honestly looked pitiful and Reaver decided there and then that the look didn't suit her.

"Now, what's this about?" he asked. Sparrow stiffened and looked up at him, a little surprised and frustrated.

"Can't you just kill me?"

"I could but where would the fun be in that? I'd rather we had a little chat first, we had very little time before that whole Lucien thing," he said and he noticed her withdraw at the mention of the mad man's name. Now that was interesting...

"Fun? There is no fun in this. There's no fun in any of this Reaver. I just want it to end. Please, can't you just do what you do best and kill without hesitation?" It had started as a demand, but it had faded into a plea. That did it for Reaver; the Sparrow he had first met would never have pleaded. He grabbed a hold of her shoulder and forced the woman to stand up and look at him properly, he about to say something.

But any and all things he was about to say died in his throat as lightening flashed and filled the room with enough light to enable him to see what Sparrow had been hunched over; a large round belly.

She was pregnant. Heavily pregnant.

Reaver immediately let go of her and took a few steps back, his brown eyes fixed on her swollen abdomen. He was actually in a true state of shock, something that was extremely rare since he normally didn't bother to care enough to be shocked by anything. But this did. Firstly because he had never seen nor heard of Sparrow be with any man. In fact, he was sure she had mentioned she was a virgin once during their brief time together, which of cause had led him into asking if she wished for him to fix that little problem. She had angrily declined back then. So, how she was pregnant now baffled him. And secondly, why on earth was an expected mother asking him, pleading with him, to end her and her unborn child's life? And Sparrow, of all people! It didn't make sense!

Lightning flashed again and thunder roared angrily outside. However it did little to interrupt the situation between them. Reaver was still staring down at her stomach and Sparrow couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop looking at me and just do it!" she demanded.

The Pirate King lifted his gaze from her stomach to her face, he still looking stunned at the situation he'd found himself in. His hand was still on his pistol but for some reason, he was reluctant to pull it free of its hostel and use it. He'd killed many people in his life, men, women and even some children, but never a pregnant woman; or at least not a very noticeably, heavily pregnant woman. Not a pregnant woman he actually personally knew and felt SOME connection to, even if it was simply because they were both Heroes. But she was demanding for death... he should deliver. But he wanted to know why. For some reason that he couldn't understand, he wanted to know why such a normally strong and moral woman wanted to kill herself and her child.

"Why are you so eager to die and take the thing with you?" he said, gesturing to her large stomach.

"Because it's exactly that. It's a thing. A thing I didn't want," she told him. Reaver seemed a little bored at hearing that, putting face that showed as much.

"Oh is that all? Well then should have used a condom my dear. Wonderful little invention, I use them myself all the time," he said, actually mocking her. Well if she was foolish enough to allow an accident like this to happen, he felt she should be mocked. However Sparrow's next comment threw him completely.

"I had no choice in the matter. Lucien raped me,"

Her bluntness hadn't only surprised Reaver, she had surprised herself. But she had felt so angry at the pirate for mocking her for something she had no control over she had wanted to shut him up. And it did just that, since the Hero of Skill was standing there simply staring at her again, lost in thought. Lucien had raped her... it certainly answered a lot of questions; from her behaviour back at the spire to her asking for him to end her life. Reaver guessed that Sparrow didn't feel too fondly towards the baby she was carrying, the baby that was undoubtedly Lucien's.

With his questions answered, he took hold of his pistol.

"You sure you wish for me to kill you, Sparrow?" he asked, stepping closer to her. Sparrow fought the instinct to move backwards, to put space between her and Reaver; a man. She nodded, looking determined. But she also looked scared, and Reaver saw that.

"I do," she said, though her voice was quiet, shaky and unsure. She shuddered as the barrel of the gun was brought to the side of her head.

Reaver had closed the gap between them; all that was really stopping him from touching her was her round stomach.

"All I'd have to do is pull the trigger. Just with a little twitch of my figure and you'd die," he whispered, his face mere inches from hers and his breath tickling across her lips. Again she shuddered, though was unsure as to why she did so this time. It could have been for a number of reasons at this point, what with a gun pointed to her head and a man being this close to her. And not just any man, but Reaver.

Sparrow stared right back into his eyes, trying to be strong despite just how scared she was. She was scared, angry, ashamed and disgusted and oh so many other things. But that didn't matter, not anymore. With just one pull of his finger, Reaver would end it all for her. And for a brief moment, Reaver would actually be the best friend she'd ever had.

That sudden thought disturbed her greatly. And then she felt something that suddenly instinctively made her push Reaver's gun away from her head.

She felt the baby kick.

The fourth Hero stood there completely still for a few moments, still staring up at Reaver but with a new found shine to her eyes. They stone even brighter as she felt it again, the baby's kick. Reaver stared back and watched the emotions dance in her eyes. It was beautiful and frightening to watch, seeing such raw emotions in another person.

Reaver was unprepared for what happened next. The woman threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close, her stomach pressed against him. It was terribly awkward and unwelcomed. Reaver had half a mind to shoot her for the impulsive act. However with her pressed up against him, he felt the next kick against his own abdomen. It froze him on the spot.

"I can't do it," Sparrow gasped against his wet shoulder as she felt the baby kick inside of her. She felt over run with guilt and shame as it continued to let itself be known at that moment, as if trying to loudly protest to the situation they were in. As if trying to plead with her, to tell her something; it wanted to live. It was fighting to live. Sparrow couldn't believe she had been so close to killing herself, and it. She'd had turned into such a monster.

The Pirate King merely stood there for the longest time, not moving to hold her in return but also not moving to pull away. It surprised her greatly and she considered it a good thing. This was probably the closest thing she'd ever get to a hug from Reaver in her life.

"I can't do it," she whispered once again, her face pressed against his shoulder, her hands clinging to the wet fabric of his coat. She knew she would be soaked in return, holding him so tightly when he was fresh from the rain outside. But she didn't care. Right now she just wanted someone to hold on to. Even if it was Reaver, of all people.

She felt something wrap around her shoulders, much to her surprise and bewilderment. Was Reaver... hugging her back?

Suddenly the door flew open and the two swiftly and instinctively pulled apart and their stances were that of someone ready for a fight. However Sparrow relaxed a little when seeing that it was Walter there, but she couldn't relax completely. The man had a rifle aimed for Reaver's head. And he in turn had his pistol aimed for Walter's.

"What do you think you're doing pirate? Forcing yourself on a pregnant woman, is there no end to how low you will go?" Walter yelled, convinced that Reaver had snuck in to cause nothing but harm to the forth Hero. Reaver scoffed at the accusation.

"As if I would need to force myself on anyone... Men and women come to my bed willingly," Well, save for the odd one or two, who he'd end up blackmailing or something equally sinister; though they ended up being willing by the end of the night. He really did have bragging rights to say he was an amazing lover.

"Walter calm down. I'm alright," she said, though realised that her appearance wasn't helping the situation.

In hugging Reaver her nightclothes had darkened where the rain from his clothes had soaked into hers. To Walter, it was probably proof that Reaver had tried to do something. The two men continued to have their guns aimed for the other, neither giving any hints of backing down. So Sparrow stepped between the two, forcing them to break eye contact. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, since Reaver could never well just shoot her if her action annoyed him. But she was betting that he wouldn't do that.

He hadn't shot her before, when she had given him every chance to, after all.

The two finally lowered their guns, though both were still on guard. Sparrow looked to Walter and smiled at him, silently thanking him for lowering his gun and for trusting her. When she turned back to Reaver, she was greeted with a heated glare that had a hint of torment and hate. It actually threw her a little, to get such a look from Reaver.

"What a waste of my time..." he mumbled to himself before moving past Sparrow and shoving past Walter.

For some reason Reaver's cold retreat caused Sparrow much distress but she refused to show it. Instead she merely walked out into the hall way and looked over the railing and watched the pirate leave. Thunder roared loudly from the storm outside.

"Are you sure you're ok? He didn't hurt you?" Walter asked, the man now beside her at the railing also.

She looked up and saw the concern on his face and she smiled and nodded, telling him she was fine. Sparrow didn't tell him the true purpose of Reaver's visit, knowing that it would only cause Walter more distress and worry. The man would start a suicide watch and never leave her be! All she told him was that she had written to him for help. Walter laughed mockingly.

"Help? How could a man like that be of any help?"

Sparrow stared off at the door that Reaver had left through, it still slightly open and the sound of the rain pouring louder than ever. She smiled to herself and for the first time since she'd found out she was pregnant, placed a hand onto her swollen stomach. It was still a monster's child but at least, thanks to her encounter with Reaver, she had realised that it was just that. A child. She may still hate it because of who it belonged to and how it came to be inside her, but it was still a child and somehow Reaver had helped her see that. Unknowingly, of course, but he'd helped all the same.

"You'd be surprised,"

TBC

I have no idea what to write here that I haven't already written in other chapters! lol Ok, again, see any mistakes, let me know. Also, please tell me if you think Reaver is in character or not because he's actually a BITCH to write. Fun, but still a bitch. Hope you've enjoyed!