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Chapter 7/?

Beyond Hurt

a/n: Thanks so much for the reviews you guys! They really make my day so I really appreciate them.

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There was a storm, a fortnight later. An awful one.

The tall pines in the woods that surrounded their most recent camp were creaking and swaying around them in the night sky.

"Do you think it safe to stay here?" Esca yelled after an especially loud crack of lightening. The ground had quivered, as if struck somewhere near.

Marcus was huddled in a corner of the tent, leaning against his pack with a hand warily placed over his stomach. "I would feel less safe trying to leave," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the torrential rain. He was flinching every so often at the creaking of the trees, but was otherwise determined to keep up his stonewall appearance.

But Esca knew he was on edge, and perhaps the baby was too, and he watched Marcus helplessly, knowing there was nothing he could do.

In reality, there was no way they could leave. They had tied the horses under a canvas tarp between two of the pines, but neither could guess whether the poor animals had stayed or if fear had driven them to break free.

But Esca would be damned if he endured another vicious storm in a miserable traveler's tent...They had waited for Marcus's ribs to heal, and in the two weeks of rest, they had healed. Now there was nothing left to wait for, nothing to blame for their underlying plague of indecision.

"We cannot stay in these woods forever, Marcus."A loud beat of silence, deafening as it was with the rain, was the lead in for Esca's ultimate point. "And I doubt we can return to Rome…"

The soldier was silent, appearing not to have heard him save for the crestfallen sigh that fell his broad shoulders.

"We cannot stay in Rome," he said finally, "But I must deliver the Eagle myself."

A drum of thunder shook the ground ominously, as if in accordance with the Roman.

"It is dangerous for you to venture, in a city so violent and brutal as Rome, with the baby."

Marcus's eyes flicked up to his dangerously as if in warning. "I am perfectly capable."

"You should wait," Esca pleaded.

"Until the thing is out of me and running about?" Marcus glared at him. Esca clenched his jaw at the word 'thing.' He'd thought they were over this. Marcus then began to roughly rummage through his pack, "I for one would believe it to be most safe exactly where it has been determined to stay." His free hand rose to his stomach to make a point, frustratedly gripping the weight of the bump as he searched.

He at last revealed the Eagle from its burlap sack, gleaming somehow, even in the dim lamp light.

Esca stared at it, feeling something akin to hatred begin to boil in him at the sight of it. "Did another Roman not try to poison you before you left for battle last spring, is that not what you told me? The threats of death, and your dogs gutted in your youth?"

Marcus stood up, enraged, "Because of the EAGLE, Esca. Because my father lost it!" With an infuriated redness in his cheeks, and wild, livid eyes, he all but snarled at the Britain. "I was on a mission to retrieve the Eagle when this happened to me," he gestured to his middle. "I did not choose this. You said it yourself that I am forced to see it through."

Esca bit down on the inside of his cheek, nodding dumbly.

He continued, the worst of his rage having burned out."And I understand, that staying in Rome is impossible for the life we wish to and need to lead… but if I am to disappear like my father, then I must at least leave behind honor and not shame."

He sat down again, finally, holding his head in his hands. "Our son will not grow up in a world that hates his family's name…like I did. And I will abandon Rome for my lifetime if need be, but I will not condemn our son to do the same out of shame."

Esca finally understood - or at least understood that there would be no changing his mind. He walked silently to his side on the mat and sat with Marcus, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pressing a chaste kiss to his temple, wet from Marcus's red tear stung eyes.

"We will go, together," he said finally. "To restore the honor for the family that was… and then we will leave, as is best for your family that will be."

Marcus nodded against him, and the britain placed a hand on his stomach, feeling that the child was indeed scared of this terrible storm. Esca frowned, leaning closer, and began pulling back Marcus's shirt.

"Esca, what…" Marcus muttered fatiguedly, trying to tug the shirt back down to cover his tan belly, but Esca had already bent over him, and was nuzzling his nose and lips against the warm skin, humming slightly as he did so.

The Roman sighed and dropped his hands, laying back awkwardly.

"I would tell you to stop if it were not for the way that it seems to calm him," Marcus muttered just loud enough, staring up at the ceiling in annoyance. "Damn you both."

Even so, the Roman began weaving his finger tips gently through Esca's curly hair, and the blond had no intention of pulling away.

Sleep consumed them in an embrace that night, curled together under the canvas tent and violent skies.

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When dawn had crept up on their clearing in the woods hours later, Esca was awake already, his nerves about the horses having arrested his fatigue.

And so he sat, upright on the mat, chilled slightly without a shirt, as Marcus slept soundly beside him. He was on his side, one arm still under Esca's pillow, and his free arm curled over his protruding belly with the palm splayed protectively over it as he dreamt.

Esca remembered their conversation the night before, realizing just how deeply Marcus was coming to care for their child, and his lips twisted into a proud grin. With that he gently pushed himself to his feet and left the tent.

And he was right. The horses were gone; they'd fled in the storm, twisting out of their frayed leads the Seal Warriors had hand woven. Esca exhaled loudly, leaning against the still damp pain as he looked around the forest. It was lush, green, untouched… and horseless.

But he could hear the bubbling of the stream they had been bathing in, and knew that any animal would head toward a water source, once they had calmed after their fright of the thunder.

With one glance back at the tent, Esca debated whether to wake him to accompany him. But Esca would be leaping over creeks and scaling damp mossy stone, and while Marcus would insist he could do such things, Esca would rather him not.

Marcus would be fine alone, Esca realized, he was still a soldier at heart and both taller and stronger than anyone north of the wall.

But the baby leaves him vulnerable, a voice hissed in the back of his mind. He shook off the thought, knowing that if he didn't find the horses before Marcus woke, he would panic...

And so he left, disappearing into the dense woods.

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ZOMG ESCA! YEW GUYZ ARE SPOZED TO STICK TOGETHUR o_0 Who are WHAT could Esca run into in these woods? Will Marcus be alright?

And unfortunately, I'm goin' up north for a week to sail around the Great Lakes. NO INTERNETZ ON THEM LAKES no matter how great they are lol. I'll be writing up a storm though, with ye olde pen and paper, if I can remember how to work them. BEEN A WHILE lol, I DUNNO.

Please review!

-AW&HL