Kaim paced the floor for the third time that day. Sarah was four months late getting home, and if it wasn't for the letters reassuring him that she was fine and still on her way, he would have walked himself over to get her three months ago.

She was never late.

Kaim never waited.

This was the first time he had ever had to wait for her to come home and he found that he did not like it; not one bit. The minutes, the hours, the days wore on keeping him a bundle of nerves. Often, he found himself wondering if this was what it felt like for her when he was late getting home and vowed to never do it to her again. It was miserable work being worried.

At first, it was okay. Things happened, delays were made, Kaim didn't let it get to him. The first month he only wrote to her two times to check in. She was still doing research on a disease in a faraway village and was trying her best to get it solved in a timely manner. If it allowed these mortals peace of mind, he could wait another week or two.

He received a letter in the middle of the next month, basically saying that she was going to be late but hopefully not too late. Fine. Kaim knew she was safe and he relaxed into his chair.

Two weeks later he got this:

TO: Kaim Argonar, Tosca

Still a little late. Found the cure. Making more.

S. S.

Kaim's anxiety hadn't peaked this high in a very long time. What could have held her up so long? Was the sickness that serious in the little village? He was a little worried that she herself would contract this illness, but with the cure on hand, and her immortal life and their higher than normal immune system, that worry faded away. Kaim did worry about the abrupt letter. Sarah always had a ton to say. She didn't even spell her name all the way, he thought to himself. Kaim wrote back:

TO: Sarah S., Ehstervall Village, Uhra ATTN: Vall Inn

It's odd to see such a short letter coming from you. Is everything okay? Do I need to come and get you?

Kaim

Kaim knew in the back of his head that the letter wasn't going to be instantaneous; that he would not receive a reply the next day. He almost lost his mind when it took three and a half weeks to get back to him, and all it said was:

TO: Kaim Argonar, Tosca

No. On my way home.

Kaim received that letter a three weeks ago, and he decided in the morning he was going to pull on his boots and make his way towards Uhra. Maybe he'd pass her along the way.

In the early morning, just as he wrapped the scarf around his face, there was a thump on the door. He pulled it open to see his wife stumble in. She was dusted in snow that was already melting on her heavy cloak, but she was whole and safe. "Hey!"

He pulled her into a hug, feeling like he was never going to let her go. She buried her cold nose in his neck and laughed. "I'm home!"

"You're home," he agreed, pressing her body closer. Sarah was here, and all would be okay.

. . .

Sarah knew Kaim liked to get to Tosca as soon as he could. She had known him for two hundred years now, and when he said that he was coming for a visit she could always expect him within a week. So, when that week turned into two months, she started to grow worried. I don't know why I'm so nervous, she thought to herself, peeking through her window for the thirteenth time that day. He can't die. He'll make it eventually.

Eventually ended that late afternoon. Sarah was just putting on some tea to help her jittery nerves when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly set her cup down, careful not to splash it in her excitement, and ran to the door.

There stood the weary soldier, and in his arms the reason why he was so late. "Sorry."

"He's very cute!" Sarah scratched behind the dog's ear. The little dog—he might have been just a puppy—wiggled in delight, and Kaim carefully set him down inside Sarah's house. The gray dog seemed to bounce on his heels as he scampered up onto the chair next to the door, trying to get tall enough to reach Sarah's face. She giggled as he excitedly licked her cheek when she bent down. "Name?" she asked him.

"Well, he answers to dog."

"You can't just call him dog!" Sarah itched the puppy on his back and he barked and raced little circles in her chair.

"I'm not good at naming things," Kaim said with a sigh. He picked up the excited thing and sat in his place, looking like he had aged centuries in his journey to the mountain village. The dog obediently sat on his lap, wagging his tail when Kaim laid a hand on his head.

Sarah giggled at him again, he raised a brow. "You look exhausted," she said with a hint of a smile.

"It's like looking after a child."

Sarah laughed again when the dog barked in agreement. "Well, looks like he's stuck with you!" She smiled fully when Kaim groaned as the dog barked in her favor again.

. . .

Kaim waited outside as his daughter took her time inside the Boutique Store. They were in Uhra shopping for new clothes, as he promised for her sixteenth birthday, and he regretted everything. He waited patiently, as much as he could anyway, as his daughter shopped till she dropped, as she had put it. He watched as the sun moved lazily in the sky and was at least thankful the spring hadn't yet given up its coolness just yet.

Another hour later, and the door finally ringed open. He watched as she carefully balanced boxes and bags, managing to throw his considerably lighter wallet to him. He sighed. "We're going to be late."

"No, we're not." She peeked around her purchases and gave Kaim her most dazzling smile. He snorted but knew her smile worked when his frown dropped from his face. "Besides it's not like we're keeping anyone important waiting. At the moment."

"You say that." He grabbed three boxes from her, and they made their way to the inn where they were staying. There she unceremoniously dropped everything onto the bed and started digging around. Kaim joined in her laughter at all the silly things she bought, eventually shooing her into the bathroom to get changed. "We still need to meet your unimportant Uncle at the restaurant. I'm giving you…" Kaim looked down at his watch, then back up, "four minutes!"

"Okay, okay!"

Kaim lifted an eyebrow when she strolled out ten minutes later. She folded her hands in front of her and bobbed her shoulders cutely. "Sorry! Let's go!"

Her long dark hair was pinned away from her face, and she looked beautiful in the blue dress she chose to wear. He smiled sadly at her, and she must have noticed because in an instant she was at his side, giggling and tugging on his arm. She never liked to see him frown and he supposed he could hold it back for the next few hours.

The sound of her tinkering laugh brought him back into focus, as she pulled him out the door.

.

Kaim's brother-in-law gave him a firm handshake and kissed the top of his daughter's head. He wished her a happy birthday, and she thanked the older man kindly. They only visited Uhra once a year so spending time with her uncle was very important in their short time in the city. As the night air chilled around them, Kaim noticed just how late it was. They needed to leave now if they were going to make it, and Kaim didn't want to be late for their yearly tradition. He invited his brother out with them, but he declined. "I visited her yesterday," he said to the immortal. "You guys go on ahead. I'll see you off in the morning."

It was dark. The almost midnight hour brought no extra bodies, so they were very much alone in the streets of the city. Kaim's daughter walked close to him, covering a yawn with a hand. He smiled down to her, hand patting the one that held onto his arm.

They eventually made it to their destination, Kaim checking his watch in the torchlight above him. It was one minute till midnight; one minute till the new day. "Another year's gone past," he said quietly.

His daughter sat on the ground next to the marble stone, letting her skirt spread wide around her. She brushed her fingertips in the indentation, reading aloud, "Geraldine M. Argonar." Kaim watched as the seconds ticked on by, and then finally squatted down and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. It was midnight, and the day had begun anew. When she looked up at him, he solemnly nodded his head. She pressed fingers to her lips and touched the cool stone again. "Happy birthday, Mama."

. . .

. . .

It was day three of Sarah waking up in a cold sweat and sour stomach. She washed her face in the basin and rubbed her tired eyes. When was the last time she felt so exhausted after getting a restful night's sleep? She looked up into the mirror. No, she didn't look tired. She checked her temperature with her hand. She didn't feel warm. "I don't get sick often, but maybe this is something else?" she wondered to herself.

She made it down the steps of the mansion she shared with her husband. When she got to the ground floor, she stretched and tried to find anything else that was abnormal about her body. Other than the tenderness of her chest, which was another mystery, she found that her stomach was growling loudly. "Maybe it's the winter weather?" She frowned. That couldn't be it, but there just wasn't anything sticking out in her mind.

Knowing that she needed to get to Tosca, she threw on her cloak and made her way outside. The snow crunched softly under her boots, bringing a smile to her face. She loved the feeling of winter. The snow could grow annoying, especially so high up on the mountain, but the calm and tranquility it left in the air was something she looked forward to every year. The trip to Tosca was uneventful, though she did bump into Tatum, a little boy from the Mountain Village. He took it upon himself to walk Sarah the rest of the way to Tosca only letting her out of his sight when they met up with Kaim.

"Thank you, Tatum!" She patted his hat, and he blushed and moved out of the way of more.

"You're embarrassing the poor boy," Kaim said fondly.

"He's getting to be so big!" Sarah watched as the little boy wandered off. "Any mail?"

Kaim passed along the letters, holding one for himself. "King of Gohtza."

"I wonder what Mars needs?" She ran a hand over the royal seal. The wax was cold and stiff in the winter weather.

Kaim shrugged, tucking the letter into his shirt. "Still feeling a little sick?"

"A little. It's weird!" Sarah linked a gloved hand into his as they walked towards the Inn. She hadn't eaten breakfast yet, and she knew that Kaim had left for town ahead of her, so he probably didn't eat either. "But also, I am so hungry," she whined. "I feel like I haven't eaten in hours!"

Kaim laughed.

.

Sarah was folding her laundry when it finally hit her. She dropped the blouse she was holding and quickly made it up the stairs into her personal study. She looked around her messy desk for a little calendar. Once she found it, she started counting back the days.

She let the calendar fall from her hands. She was late. Really late. She hadn't had her monthly cycle in two months. The sickness, hunger, her aching breasts, it all made sense. She stood still, again trying to feel any difference in herself, but found none that wasn't already noted.

"Looks like the King needs help with some sort of gang that has sprung up in Gohtza." Kaim poked his head inside of her study. "Want to go?"

Sarah didn't move. "Sarah?" She jumped.

"Hmm? Sorry." She turned around, hands behind her back. "S-sorry. No. I better not. I mean. I need to check…on…something," she finished lamely. She hoped her smile she plastered on her face after didn't look too crazed. "And I have some writing to finish too! You go on without me."

Kaim gave her an odd look. "Well, I'm not leaving for a few days, just let me know if you change your mind." He closed the door, leaving Sarah alone again.

She glanced back down to the calendar that sat haphazardly on her desk, one hand moving to sit on her abdomen. She had stopped taking the normal precautions to avoid this kind of situation almost five years ago. Her and Kaim had been traveling as of late, and between that and research she totally forgot that she was no longer trying to prevent any children. She stared down at her hand, and she found a little smile come onto her face. Could I really be pregnant?

. . .

Kaim paced the edge of the forest. His team was missing, not meeting at their rendezvous point. It was late morning, but they should have been there before the sun crest the horizon. He peered out again, hand shielding the morning sun. Sighing when he saw no group, he decided to go against orders and turn back.

This mission should have been simple. Retrieve a stolen artifact from some thieves who took from the King and Queen of Gohtza. Kaim had done these kinds of missions before and generally came back unscathed. This was different. He could feel it in his gut as he strapped his dagger onto his belt. The hood he pulled up should shield his known face from any stray enemies. Hopefully, the mortal mercenaries were alright. He didn't feel like burying anyone today.

. . .

Sarah held her skirts in one hand as she charged down the street. She was running late, cursing the clock that failed to ring this morning. I'm going to miss the boat! I can't miss this boat. This is my only chance!

She huffed and puffed her way through the throng of people, apologizing if she ran anyone over. Of course, it was going to be busy, and of course she forgot her bag at the hotel she stayed in. She would just have to buy a whole new set of clothes when she reached her destination; thankful she hadn't left her purse along with it. She cursed the day again and shimmied through a couple having some sort of argument. She didn't even turn around to apologize as she heard the chime ring noon. Sarah could almost be embarrassed by the string of expletives that ran out of her mouth if she wasn't already frustrated with how her morning had gone. She found herself running the rest of the way to the docks.

Sarah watched miserably as the one boat she needed to still be there, sailed away onto the seas. "Sorry ma'am," one sailor said to her. "You missed it by fifteen minutes."

In anger she crinkled her ticket to The Free Ocean State of Numara. "Damn." She had been trying to get to the faraway paradise for a century now, and her one time she was able to procure a visa to get there, she woke up three hours later than she expected. Now it was going to take her possibly decades to get another admittance into the country, with the impossible visitation laws that were set. She kicked a stone into the water. "Damn-it-all!"

. . .

It was late in the afternoon on a very hot summer day. Kaim was sitting on the soft grass, back leaned against a tree. He was watching the clouds roll on by and listened as the waves crashed against the cliff in the distance. Sarah was softly snoring beside him.

With Cooke and Mack grown and off on their own adventures, it left the immortals at peace. With another birth announcement from Queen Ming and Prince Jansen of Numara, it left a little ache in Kaim's heart. How could he know that Sarah was ready, or even wanted to have children again? He didn't know how to ask, so left the subject be.

That was three years ago.

When he felt his wife stir from her nap on his lap, he looked down. Sarah yawned, and slowly rose from her spot on Kaim. "It's such a nice day."

Kaim hummed in agreement. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His lips lifted into a smile when Sarah laced her hand in his. She moved her head to this shoulder, and he leaned his own on top of hers. They sat like this for another few minutes, and Kaim wondered if Sarah had fallen asleep again. She seemed so tired recently.

"How old are we again?"

Kaim answered without thought. "One thousand and forty-three."

"Seems like we've grown old," Sarah said with a laugh. "Laying out here in the sun like old cats."

Kaim laughed along with her, saying, "Not too old though. It's not that late into our immortal lives." He pulled her hand to his lips and laid a little kiss. He could feel her smile onto his shoulder.

Sarah shifted, lifting his hand and placing it on her stomach. Kaim's eyes popped open. There was the tiniest of bumps. "Not too late for this, right?"

Kaim looked down at his hand, a wetness coming to his eyes unbidden. He gently unwrapped himself and sat in front of her on his knees. He laughed when he saw her brow crease and kissed the corner of her mouth. "Never too late."

He pressed a kiss to her lips, lingering for as long as he could.