A/N: Thankyou for reviews, usual disclaimers and threat/ plea apply. Thanks also to marneus for helping relieve my pissed-off-ness after a frustrating day. :) ~ Mika

Jak half-carried, half-dragged his daughter to the Buggy as purple lightning crackled dangerously around her. His heart was riding high in his throat and suffocating him, but he remained calm as he lifted her into the back. She convulsed, letting out a spine-freezing scream.

"Hang on, Nel!" he yelled, almost beating the vehicle into life. Daxter braced himself, clinging on as the vehicle broke numerous Hover laws in the first ten seconds. Jak didn't care whilst his daughter's and unborn grandchild's lives were at risk. The vehicle screamed to a halt as close to the hospital as allowed and several green-clad people ran out towards the car.

"What happened here, sir?"

"All that happened was sh-she got upset and...she doubled over," Jak stammered. The medic nodded. He knew about the Princess and her combined conditions – the pregnancy clashing with the Dark Eco in her veins. He checked her vital signs.

"Okay, we need to take her in and stabilise her, find out exactly what's wrong. It looks like a case of Eco poisoning, but we can't be sure."

"Eco poisoning?" Jak's voice rose a few octaves. "How can that be?" His question went unanswered, however, as four medics lifted Jakuelynn onto a gurney. He followed them into the hospital until they pushed his daughter into a restricted section. He stared at the doors long after Jakuelynn had disappeared through them, letting his legs carry him to the nearest waiting room and prepare for a long wait.

~x~

Deep beneath the Central Volcano, the Wasteland

Someone pounded heavily on the door. The booms echoed all around the caves, even bouncing off the hot rock that formed the ceilings.

"Enter!" It commanded monotonously, flexing an arm.

A short, stocky man entered as the doors slowly and heavily swung open.

"Ah, you. What of the Princess?"

"Details are scarce, I regret to say," the man said smoothly. "I can tell you that she is in the hospital being treated for Eco poisoning."

"Well, that is a surprise. Surely as a Channeller, she would not be susceptible to poisoning?"

"Ah, but there is one vital detail that I caught today. Something that the Princess and her father are trying to keep from getting into the ears of the city's population. Or should that be another thing, considering the secretive status of her...ahem, Darker side."

It sat forward, displaying almost human qualities. "What would that be?"

"She is expecting a child." The man watched It as Its head jerked in surprise.

"She is pregnant?" It responded, a rise in Its voice at the end.

The man nodded, sighing. "Yes, she is."

"How far along is she?"

"She is almost two months gone." The man strolled around the chamber, hands behind his back. He watched Its face for a hint of a reaction. "Another month or two and she will be showing."

"That is interesting." It tilted Its head to one side as if contemplating something. "Well, we've managed to destroy the boy. Obviously that's his seed growing in her..." It broke off, growling mechanically. "We must destroy both of them. The girl and the child."

The man gave a short nod. "It will be done."

~x~

She heard voices as she awoke, but her ears felt like they had plugs in them. Below the waist, it was as if her legs had completely disappeared. A wriggle of her toes soon set that right, however. She checked the rest of her body as she woke up – no aches and pains and the balance of Eco in her body was just right, she saw as she checked her monitor. Her hand flew to her stomach as she remembered her baby.

A gentle voice caressed her ear as she regained her senses."The baby's fine, Nelly. He or she is amazingly resilient,"

"He," Jakuelynn croaked, sitting up and resting her hands over her stomach. "The child I'm carrying is...is a little boy." She looked at the source of the voice and plunged straight into a pair of deep blue eyes. "Father...it's you."

"I've been here since you were brought in," he replied quietly, staring at his feet. "Did...Did Deimin tell you that the baby's a boy before he died?"

Jakuelynn nodded, the pain resurfacing in her heart at the mention of his name. "Father...what happened to me? I don't remember anything beyond breaking Yuhmer's nose."

Jak smiled briefly at the memory. "The medics said you were poisoned by the Dark Eco in your blood. It seemed to turn and attack your immune system. They've never seen anything like it, even with previous Channellers." He put a hand on her shoulder. "It shouldn't happen again, with any luck."

"And my son?" she whispered. She saw her father twist to one side, pulling some sheets of what looked like paper out and shifting himself closer to her bed. They were photos of what looked like an ultrasound scan.

"These are the ultrasounds they took after you were brought in. This is the thing that made them scratch their heads. There, I think, is the baby...See that perfect white ring?"

Jakuelynn had to squint to see it, but see it she did. "I do now."

"That's Light Eco."

She looked at her father. "You mean this...happened after I flipped?"

"No-one knows when it happened. They just know it prevented any Dark Eco in the blood from getting in the baby's system. Whether your body reacted to form the shield or the baby's did, nobody can work out." He smiled.

"E...either way, it's good news," Jakuelynn gasped, feeling winded. She had expected to wake up and be told she had lost the baby. She smiled for the first time in a week, spotting white sunrays paint her hospital bed. Just minutes ago, it had been raining – not heavily, but raining all the same. She was never one to believe in the supernatural, but she felt as if there was another presence in the room close to her, holding her tightly. She rested her head back on the pillow, sighing deeply.

Thank you, my love.