A/N: Alright. Late update, we all know, but life does tend to take precedence over hobbies done for fun.
Hope you like this!
Chapter IX
Ineluctable
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impossible to avoid or evade; inevitable.
"Alright," Derek rallied his relatives around the kitchen table. Frances noticed that her dad's brothers, uncles Allen and Mathew, tossed glances between each other, their brother, Liz, and a smiling Anna. Frances smothered a grin; they must be ticked to have been informed of our guests at such a late notice. There were told of Abe and Red, though not of their natures and merely their presence, and left at that.
If it was one thing Frances knew of her uncles, it was that they hated being informed so late in the game. Uncle Allen's a laid-back person, though. He was probably the one that brought Uncle Mathew down from his spitting temper flare. Even so, both men looked suspicious of their surroundings as if the other two were going to suddenly appear from thin air. Frances only burrowed further into the couch cushions when they turned to look at her.
Like their brother Derek, both younger brothers bore the sharp, straight face known to the Wyatt men. Their dark eyes were sunken in and had a menacing tilt to them, but Allen's eyebrows wore that off by their seemingly constant lift upwards, and Mathew's stayed straight and narrow. Though, were Derek's dark honey colored hair was offset by graying temples, Allen's hair was nearly blond and Mathew's touched a light brown.
All three men surrounded the kitchen table, heads now bent over the list of things that were needed and planning the best stops to get in and out as fast as possible. Liz had finally retreated toward Frances' bedroom. Frances wasn't sure what the absolute hurry was, since the wards from nearly two weeks before had been kept up and secured. No Lycaon was liable to get through without some severe sense of pain.
"Frances," Anna called, "how are our guests today?" Anna had left the space of the kitchen and entered the living room on silent feet a few minutes after Liz had left. Frances was curled on the farthest end of the couch away from her father and uncle, but her mother continued to walk toward the hallway opening.
"Well, I think." Frances replied quietly. "Red's been suspiciously quiet, and I think that's because of Aunt Kate coming to visit." Frances remembered the scene almost perfectly. Red had nearly pitched a fit at knowing that his petit lover and mother-to-be was going to be exposed to yet more unknown people, even if it was the ever-trusted and knowledgeable 'Aunt Kate Corrin.' It had taken Liz and Abe hours to bring the demigod down to any semblance of peace.
"Hm," Anna hummed in response. "I'll be in our bedroom; I have to make sure the tome and its translation cover all of Kate's possible questions."
Frances grinned at her mother. "Good luck, Aunt Kate'll probably side-step you anyway."
"Doesn't she always?" Anna groused softly and disappeared into the hallway. Frances waited a few moments before standing and following her mother's foot steps. She came to her bedroom door and tried the knob, only to find it firmly locked. Frances felt an eyebrow tick and she glanced over across and down the hall toward the guest room.
"Liz?" Frances sighed. "May I come in?" As she said this, Frances caught movement out of her peripheral; Red had opened the guest bedroom door just a sliver at the sound of her voice and peeked over. Frances glared and gestured with a flat had for him to shut the door. The demigod pouted, much to her surprise, but obediently allowed the door to close with a click.
Frances quickly turned her head back around as Liz opened her door. "Sorry," the older woman murmured, "I was trying to keep away the idiots."
"It's alright," Frances teased, "now let me in before they decide to rush us." Liz faintly smiled and stepped away to allow Frances into her own bedroom. Even though she knew they wouldn't ambush from behind, Frances still felt skittish and practically tripped into the bedroom. Liz retreated from the closed door and back toward the bed against the floor. Frances followed and kneeled to sit by Liz's head.
"What did they do now?" Frances questioned softly. Liz rolled her eyes and rolled so that she was on her side and facing Frances. The blanket was tucked securely under her arms and around her torso, almost like a half-made cocoon.
"Red's being obnoxious about your aunt seeing me." Liz answered sourly. "I don't know how many times Abe and I have tried to tell him that I need to get looked at."
Frances rested her back against the wall and stretched out her legs. "Well, it couldn't have been as bad as when we told him she was coming regardless."
"Oh, no." Liz snorted. "It's worse. Now he won't let me step out of the bedroom unless I tell him exactly what I'm doing. It's so annoying. I told him before that I needed space, I don't like being crowded or stared at." Frances hummed to herself, which is probably why she left the kitchen after being continually stared at by my uncles.
"I'm sorry, Liz." Frances said sincerely. "There's no cure for overprotective demigods."
"Tell me about it," the other woman snapped lowly. There were a few heartbeats of companionable silence before Liz peeked up through her hair at Frances. The younger woman merely answered the stare with raised eyebrows and a tick of her lips. Liz sighed.
"Your aunt," she whispered, "what she is capable of?"
"A lot of things," Frances began vaguely, "like we told you before, she's been studying the occult and folklore for years now, trying to find an answer that would save me."
"And she was a nurse before that?" Liz questioned again.
"Yah. Not necessarily in the area of childbirth or rearing, but it's better than nothing, right?" Frances asked with a fleeting glance down at Liz, who had completely wrapped herself in Frances' bed sheets and cover.
"It is better than nothing." Liz murmured. Frances watched as Liz slowly drifted into a restless sleep before finally moving her stiff legs and abandoning the room to the older woman. Frances didn't say anything, but Liz was starting to show signs of wear and tear. Her eyes were becoming sunken in and dark, like it was a strain just to be awake. Her body now moved sluggishly and it seemed as if every motion caused pain.
But if they're Red's kids, then maybe that's it? Frances wondered to herself as she shut the door behind her. I mean, for pity's sake, no one can ignore the fact that these twins won't be human. At least, not totally. Frances had an involuntary shiver shoot up her spine at the thought. Frances paused, she had meant to go back into the living room (the only place in the house now which she could stay in comfortably) but a thought nagged at the corner of her mind. She sighed and headed toward the guest room.
She didn't even have to knock; Red had already opened the door. His face dropped from the smile and Frances rolled her eyes, Liz was pissed. Did he honestly expect her back that quickly? Frances wasn't about to muscle her way into the room, but instead pushed the door open enough to get her face and neck through. Red glared down at her and Abe gazed at her inquisitively from his spot on the bed.
"Whatever you think you're protecting her from, it's the wrong thing." Frances muttered. Red's yellow gaze darkened considerably and she had to resist the urge to step back. This is a demigod, Frances Wyatt. Please don't be stupid enough to earn your sudden demise. Red took a step closer to the door, blocking nearly everything from view.
"And what do you think she needs protecting from?" Red growled low in his throat. For a flash, Frances could almost envision the curving dark horns that sprouted from his forehead and the crown of fire that would have rested upon his skull. She refused to step away, though, because anything Liz said would have been disregarded by Red. If a strange said it (and Frances hoped she was right about this) then at least a seed of thought and doubt would be planted.
"From your kids." Frances knew it was a nasty thing to say, but he needed to know. "Don't you realize that they aren't human? They are going to be like you, in a way. Stronger, bigger, than the average baby. And she's carrying two!"
Red bared his teeth. "And what are you saying?"
"Aside from you being a moronic demigod?" Frances snapped. "I'm saying that those children will be the death of her if she doesn't get looked at, at least by someone fluent in the occult or your literature. Yes what you're doing is all well and good, but you could kill her with whatever ignorance you're holding!" Frances inhaled sharply through her nose; only now realizing she had said all of that in one breath. Her teeth clicked together and locked, to keep her voice from sprouting any more.
Abe's hand appeared on Red's shoulder and gently coaxed the demigod out of the doorway. Frances gave a minute sigh of relief at the sight of the calmer creature and nearly sagged against the doorframe. Abe's eyes blinked sideways and traveled between the trembling demon and the suddenly very pale female. Abe's free hand fluttered for a moment in the open space and Frances wondered if he tasted the emotions between them.
"Brother Red," Abe started gently, very much like a sibling trying to reason with his brother, "Frances doesn't mean it to be hurtful. She is correct, in a way. We spoke about this." Frances wasn't shocked to hear that this type of conversation had already taken place, but she was a bit concerned when Red tilted his head away from both of their gazes.
Abe continued, regardless. "Liz hasn't said a word, but we can see it, Red. I can feel it. Your children, as much a miracle as they are, are eating her alive." Despite knowing what was happening to Liz, Frances still felt a punch to her gut at the sound of someone else confirming it. Red sighed harshly through his nose and steam almost formed in front of him.
"She will receive no better care than here, Red." Abe soothed. "It's a fortunate turn of events, despite everything else. We couldn't well take her to a doctor in the city, for more reasons than what's obvious."
Frances finally found her voice again. "My aunt Kate is a good doctor. Her personality is… well, rough, but she's very matter-of-fact and gets to the point quickly. She won't sugar-coat anything, Red. You have to trust her knowledge on this, because it's all we have."
Red's eyes snapped back to Frances and he stared. For some reason, Frances felt it to be a test. Instead of backing down like her mind demanded she do, she stood firm and kept her gaze straight. Not defiant, but completely sure. After what seemed like an hour, Red invisibly nodded his head and turned his gaze away and stomped deeper into the room. Abe suddenly filled his place and held her firmly by her arms. It was then that Frances noticed her legs had been shaking.
"You know," She muttered softly, "he's really scary when he wants to be."
Abe almost smiled.
A couple of hours after her confrontation with Hellboy, Frances found herself standing on the front porch with her mother and Liz. All three of them watched as the Wyatt men climbed into the truck with the hooked up enclosed trailer and reluctantly backed away from the house. Frances felt her mother sigh and shudder almost unnoticeably. Liz tucked her head down to her chest and sighed louder.
"How long will they be gone?" Liz asked neutrally.
Anna shrugged. "Best case; they're only gone for four hours. Worse case, they won't be back until eleven tonight." Liz shifted uncomfortably and Frances could only guess at why. Though the wards around the main acre were secured for the umpteenth time before the men left, there was a noticeable shift in power once they finally disappeared from the land.
"The wards have gotten just a tiny bit weaker," Anna muttered into the afternoon air. "My husband owns this land, and used his own blood to set up the wards. Because he left, a portion of the power goes with him."
"Will the Lycaons know this?" Frances asked for Liz. The older woman thanked her with a small and twisted smile. Anna was silent for almost too long before finally sighing loudly and nodding.
"They are mythical creatures. They would have felt the shift in power and assume we have moved or are moving. They'll come to investigate, but they won't be able to get to us. As long as we're not outside, they shouldn't be tempted to try." Anna explained with a tranquility both other girls wished they could feel. Anna inhaled deeply before turning and ushering all of them back into the house and out of view.
Liz stumbled on her way in and her slender hands instantly cradled her stomach. Anna was beside her and held up most of her weight and then silently moved her toward the couch. Once seated, Liz's head lolled back and she stared up at the ceiling as Anna left to the kitchen for something. Frances gingerly stepped around Liz's feet and took a seat beside her.
"I don't know what it is," Liz muttered, sounding close to tears. "I'm not even four months along and it feels like something boiling in my stomach."
Frances swallowed. What do you say to that? I don't even know what normal pregnancy feels like.
Anna returned with a mug of something hot, the steam curled just inches from the surface before disappearing into the surrounding air. Liz took it gingerly and sniffed it. A smile blossomed on her face and she drank with no question. Frances turned to her mother and the oldest woman simply mouthed: 'tea.'
"Kate should be here tonight." Anna started softly. "I've told her about Frances sudden chance in Fate and of your predicament. Only," Anna quickly interrupted, seeing the look on Liz's face, "that you are carrying what we assume to be Fallen children. She'll take her assumptions from that."
"Fallen children?" Frances asked, her curiosity winning over.
"Children of demonic origins." Anna said neutrally. "As well-meaning and kind as Red is, one can't deny what he is, and that is a demon." Liz's face twisted and Anna was quick to place an apologetic hand on the younger woman's arm.
"Momma," Frances suddenly realized something, "how is Aunt Kate going to get past the Lycaons?"
A/N: Short, I know. It's all I could write on short notice. Only realized yesterday that my next Thursday was quickly upon me.
"This must be Thursday," said Arthur to himself, sinking low over his beer, "I never could get the hang of Thursdays."
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams.
As late as this is, I hope you enjoy it.
