Authors Notes: This has been a long time come and sorry to anyone who has given up on this story but I still have chapters to publish and hopefully I will be getting back on track. Hope everyone enjoys this new fragment. Its rather short but they should get slowly shorter. As always please read and review!
Chapter Two.
"Did you hear that noise?" Beatrice asked alarmed, rising from the sofa to look out of the window.
From the armchair by the fireplace Bertrand looked up as his wife spoke and rose to join her at the window, peering into the darkness outside.
"It's nothing" he said gently, guiding her back to the sofa and helping her lay back down. Placing a hand on her round belly he smiled at the movement beneath his touch.
"He's going to be a spirited little chap" he said with a grin and moved back to the window to draw the heavy curtains.
Beatrice smiled and tenderly caressed her ever growing bump, "You seem so positive this one's going to be a boy." She teased, "You said the same thing when Violet was born."
Her husband's grin widened, "Which just goes to show it's my turn to be right. Which do you want? Boy or girl?"
"I'd like a boy too." She said, "Although hopefully he won't have your silly nose."
Bertrand laughed at his wife's banter, "You said you liked my silly nose" he retorted.
His wife grinned back but it was an expression which did not quite reach her eyes, which then wandered worriedly back towards the window. "Are you sure there's nothing out there?" she asked softly, "I could almost swear I heard footsteps."
Bertrand frowned as he strained to listen to the noises outside. "Do you want me to check?" he asked gently.
"Yes...no...wait." Beatrice fumbled for an answer and sighed, "I'm being paranoid."
"For good reason" Bertrand replied, "But for now we've left that life behind us. We have to focus on Violet and the new baby."
"But that's what I'm afraid of" Beatrice said sitting up, "That we can never escape out pasts. I told K that I refuse to keep running but it seems to be our fate."
Bertrand crossed over to her and knelt down beside the sofa, taking Beatrice's hand in his. "Bea when I married you I promised to do more than love, honour and obey. I promised to protect you and our family. You don't have to run or do anything you don't want to. And then we the children are older we can continue with the noble work our friends are doing. But for now we have to think of the children and help them grow into the honourable people I know they'll become."
Beatrice looked impressed at her husband's speech and lent forward to plant a kiss on his nose.
"Thank you" she whispered, content to let the noises outside fade away into the night.
"So," Bertrand said with a smile, "What do you think of the name Klaus?"