Chapter Six:

Falsification

The gym was deserted, silent, perfect for escaping the tension building in the rest of the mansion. Selene may have promised Michael to stay away from her most favourite room, but that was before Matthias, before her very past returned from the grave to haunt her. Before the kiss…

She felt exhausted, the lack of sleep combined now with the stress of meeting her former brother-in-law becoming too much to bare. She had not told Michael the full truth of her history with Matthias, which meant now she lived in a constant state of fear that it would be Matthias who would tell all. These inconveniences were a trouble without being added to the fact that she was seven months pregnant.

Despite her outward anger, Selene could still not decide how she truly felt towards Matthias. The anger was obvious, but having held him in her heart for centuries as a cherished member of her past was not easy to ignore. When he kissed her, feelings came flooding back. She did not love him, but hating him now when he stood so close was easier said than done.

She chose one of the Walther P99s from the gymnasium weapons store, checking first that it was loaded.

The same gun that she had used on Matthias.

Now, suddenly, she found that she could not hold the weapon. With a hand that shook slightly, she returned the weapon to its hold and chose one of the Berettas.

Shooting Matthias had accomplished nothing. If anything, it gave another link to her past that she did not need. Everything reminded her of him. She hated herself for it. She hated herself for even thinking of him.

But she had kissed him…

Holding the cherished weapon close, Selene moved to the shooting gallery. Letting off a few rounds had always been one of her favourite ways to relax as a Death Dealer. Though shooting was officially one of her banned activities during pregnancy, now more than ever she needed to relax, she needed her old sanctuary, at least until the situation around her eased.

The double doors to the gym opened, and the scent that met her nostrils scent her pulse racing. She didn't need to hear that honey sweet voice to know that it was Matthias, no doubt in the gym for training.

Even as his footsteps sounded behind her, she paid no attention, instead continuing through to the shooting gallery. Matthias' security clearance did not allow him access to the caged off area. All he could do was stand behind her.

But those two metres were close enough for her to feel his heat, his need. She closed her eyes before releasing the first round of bullets into the targets at the end of the range.

"Selene," his voice sounded from behind her, firmer than it had been the previous night.

Ignoring him, she shoved another round into the chamber and fired it once more. He was ruining her aim, making her miss the target each time. The sound of bullets ricocheting from the metal hangers and the ceiling, digging into the cement floor, met her ears.

"Selene, we need to talk about last night."

Taking a deep breath, she reloaded her weapon. Taking her regular stance, she took extra time to aim for the target. Before squeezing the trigger, she answered his pleas.

"There's nothing to talk about." Her words were blunt, the shot that followed serving as a subject closer.

She had hit the centre of the target, the heart of her enemy. Trying to further relax into her stance, she aimed again.

"Don't try to pretend there's nothing between us," Matthias snapped.

Her finger was too heavily placed on the trigger, and the gun erupted as she spun to face him, shooting a hole in the wall.

"There's nothing between us," she snapped in response. "I feel nothing for you."

His eyes narrowed, his mouth was a thin line. "You kissed me back, Selene. Don't try and deny it."

"What happened was caused by memories and an overdose of emotion." She turned from him again, readying her shooting stance once more.

"I know you have feelings for me," he said in a low voice. "But you're just scared to admit it. Scared to hurt him."

"Leave Michael out of this," she said her voice a warning snarl. "I love him with all of my heart. I would do anything for him."

"Including kiss another man?"

Selene lowered her weapon. It wasn't the words that had stopped her, but something else.

Pain.

"You can't be so in love with a man when you're kissing someone else," he continued, unaware of her silence. "Does he even know that you were with me long before he even existed?"

Contraction, it was definitely a contraction. Still clutching her gun in one hand, the other was on her stomach.

"Does he know that you betrayed your sister, lied to your entire family, and were pregnant with my child?"

Matthias was completely unaware of her situation.

"Does he know that you pined for me long after I left?"

Another contraction. This one, she was unable to hide. She dropped the gun, crying out as both hands braced her stomach. Still she would not turn to face him. He was not who she needed right now.

"Go and find Michael," she said her voice high with fear. It was too soon, the baby was over a month too soon.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice finally registering some form of concern.

For those moments all she could think of was Michael. She had failed him, failed her most important mission. She was to carry their child safely through the pregnancy, and she could not do it.

She knew in the back of her mind that she needed to move, needed to find help. She did not need Matthias. She needed someone she could trust, someone who could help her.

"Is it the baby?" His voice was rushed, panicked. "Are you in labour?"

She hid a sob at the onset of another contraction. "Get Michael," she cried. "Go and find him."

"Shit, Selene. There's no time for me to go running around while you're here alone. You need medical help!" He seemed to briefly assess the situation. "Give me your access card. I'll come and carry you."

"No!" she snapped. She could not muffle her next cry, and cursed as it ended. "Find someone! Quickly!"

"There may not be time," he said, hurried. "Let me in. I'll have you at the clinic in a minute."

She was stuck. She did not want him anywhere near her, did not want him touching her. Yet the memory of his touch, the memory of his warm skin soothing her body at the harshest of times…

"Please," she cried. "Find someone."

"I'm not going to leave you here. Give me your pass!" It was no longer a request, but a command.

Biting her lip against another contraction, she turned to face him. She slipped her security pass from the pocket of her shirt and handed it to him through the wire mesh. As his word had dictated, he used the pass to enter the cage, reaching her side in seconds.

"Just breathe," he murmured. "Deep breaths. It's probably a false alarm. Don't worry."

She nodded, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Go and find Michael," she whispered between breaths. Her words were cut by a cry.

Matthias scooped her into his arms, exiting the gym at immortal speed.

"I'll have him found," he assured her as he ran. "But firstly, you need to get to the clinic."

Michael had started running before the phone hit the floor. He received urgent word that Selene had gone into premature labour. He cursed himself for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He should have been watching her.

Only a small part of him caught the fact that she had been found in the compound's gymnasium, brought to the clinic by the mysterious lycan from his love's past.

At that stage, no part of him further examined the fact that Selene's past brother-in-law had been present when she had gone into labour.

At that moment, the only thing that mattered to Michael was the health and wellbeing of Selene and their unborn baby.

It was early, too early for Selene to be giving birth. Thinking back over his medical studies, Michael tried to determine whether their child would survive at this early stage. It would be a close call.

Closing in on the clinic, he did not want Selene to see him upset. He needed to be strong, needed to remain strong for her.

The first person he saw in the clinic was Matthias. The lycan stood to greet him as Michael entered through the security doors.

"Michael," he said by way of greeting, his voice containing that trace of apology that medical residents were taught to use when dealing with bereaving family members. "I'm so sorry. I brought her here and called you straight away. She-"

Michael did not let him finish. "Where is she?" he demanded in a quivering voice. "Where's Selene?"

Matthias' hands gripped Michael's shoulders, and he found himself looking eye-to-eye with the lycan.

"Calm down," Matthias said, his voice firm. "She's in with the doctor now. It looks like she's in labour. Michael, she-"

Michael did not wait to hear the end of the sentence. He had worked out where Selene was. He pushed himself free of the lycan's grip and headed through to the examining rooms, Matthias' voice calling after him.

The first two were empty, and he hastened his journey to the third room. A nurse exited moments before he entered, no sounds of commotion greeted him as he reached the doorway.

There was no blood, no death, no sense of impending doom.

Just the subtle beats sounding from the foetal monitor. At the foot of the bed, Dr. James Coran was examining Selene. He looked up as Michael entered, and smiled.

"It was a false alarm," he said in a cheerful voice, completely betraying the mood of the room. "A few minor contractions, only slight dilation. They've settled now, so she should be fine."

Heaving a short sigh of relief, Michael looked at Selene. Hair was stuck to her tear-stained cheeks. Her eyes were rimmed red. He could barely recognise her as the woman he loved. Except for those soulful, endless brown eyes. When they looked up at him, his heart broke.

"Michael," she whimpered. A hand that rested on her stomach reached out for him, kicking him into motion as he took her hand in his. He planted a kiss on it softly.

"Oh, honey," he said. His voice defied the strength he tried to display. "Are you okay?" He kissed her forehead, running his free hand down her face.

She shook her head, her lips trembling as she tried to stave off her tears. "I'm sorry, Michael," she cried. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

He shushed her, stroking her cheek, removing damp strands of hair from her face. "It's not your fault, honey. Everything's okay. It's going to be fine."

Again she shook her head. "It's my fault. It's happened. It's happened before. I can't…" Her voice broke at that point, and she laid her head against his hand, closing her eyes.

He wanted to kiss the tears from her cheeks, gather her in his arms, and hold her until the pain passed. As it was, he noted she was already hooked up to an IV, and was still being examined by the doctor. He could do little more than hold her hand.

"You're going to be fine," he whispered against her cool skin before placing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Coran looked up at that point, his green eyes warm. "Everything looks fine," he repeated, removing his gloves. "I can assure you that the baby won't be going anywhere just now."

Michael pressed a firm kiss to Selene's hand, still tightly gripping his own.

"It's okay?" Selene asked. "The baby's okay?"

The doctor gave another warm smile, moving to the bedside. "Perfect, just as it should be."

Now relief filled Selene's face and she once more closed her eyes, resting her head on Michael's hand as she sobbed silently.

Michael shushed her as he stroked his hand through her hair.

The doctor put a reassuring hand on Selene's knee before moving to leave the room.

"I want Selene to remain in here overnight for observation," Coran said. "Just for precaution." This was his form of farewell, and with that said he walked away.

Michael heaved a sigh of relief before turning his attention to the most important task.

"Selene," he said softly. "Look at me."

Slowly, her face rose. Slowly, her eyes met his. Red-rimmed and watery, yet he could not mistake those chocolate pools.

He smiled. "Everything's fine. You're okay."

"I was scared, Michael," she said softly. "I didn't want to lose our baby."

He kissed her forehead again. "You're not going to lose the baby, Selene. Why would you think that?"

A glimmer of something flickered across Selene's eyes. Fear. Guilt. Michael could not put a word to it. It appeared only for an instant, but he was certain he had caught that slight glimmer.

"Get some rest," he said, stroking his hand across her forehead. "I'll stay with you."

Her eyes seemed to search his in silence for a moment. She did not seem to find whatever it was she was looking for.

"I love you," she whispered.

And with that, her eyes closed.

Leaving Michael with more questions than he knew what to do with.

And presumably one individual who would be able to answer them.