A/N: This one wasn't requested, but was mentioned in the main story so decided to give more background for it.

Continuation of Relaxation.

Saberin: Yep, added to your personal list of suggestions.

Gold: Oh, Jenny and Gilan. What a fickle pair :P

Raider: Hm...I'll put that one one the oneshot request list :)

Disclaimer: I'm not John Flanagan. Or Kiera Cass. Or John Green.

030: Pain

Mark brought out Gilan and Alyss's food just as the second rush of castle officials came in. Several stopped by their table to exchange pleasantries (sometimes accompanied by complaints they thought a Ranger, Courier, or Battalion lady should see to). Lina sat back in her chair as they ate.

"Alyss, don't let me forget I have a present for Daniel," Gilan carried on.

"What'd you get my son?" Alyss demanded suspiciously. Gilan grinned.

"You don't trust me."

Alyss didn't hesitate. "No."

Lina smiled as they bantered. She tried to enjoy the lunch and ignore the tightness in her back.

"Will I approve of it?"

"Will would."

"But will I?"

"Isn't one out of two enough?"

Across the restaurant a man stood. He shuffled through his purse, left a copper coin on the table, and made his way for the door. Ever vigilant, Mark scurried over to turn the table for its next patron. He picked up the coin and studied it for a moment, checking over the tab.

"Sir, this isn't enough," called out as he went to follow him.

The man ignored him, walking faster.

"Sir…"

He elbowed Mark's face sharply and then took off in a run. Gilan reacted, breaking his conversation with Alyss mid-sentence to chase him down. The man overturned two tables in attempt to slow the Ranger. Gilan hurdled them with ease. He threw his full weight at the would-be bouncer and pinned him to the wall.

"Get Jenny," Gilan ordered a nearby serving girl staring with wide eyes. She nodded and rushed back to the kitchen. Gilan put the man in thumbcuffs and went about searching him, deciding now was good a time as any to make an example to those who were considering something similar. Jenny came out obviously cross about being disrupted.

"What happened?" she asked. A usual customer replayed the events to her as Gilan questioned the man. He found his purse and took out the appropriate money.

"What would you call a fair tip?" he asked the man. "Four pence?"

"Yes Ranger, sir, four is fair."

Gilan counted out six and handed it over to Mark. "Two extra for bloodying his nose."

The man opened his mouth to protest but wisely snapped it shut. Gilan passed the remaining balance to the young woman keeping up the money box. Jenny's concerns over the money melted away once she noticed Mark bleeding. She began yelling at the thief with the intensity of a chef who slaved over hot ovens every day. Gilan held the thief's arm so he had no choice but to endure Jenny's anger. Several of the castle officials around the restaurant chuckled with approval.

"Lina?" Alyss asked.

Lina gripped her stomach tightly as she leaned forward. Alyss stood and went to stand beside her, rubbing her arms.

"Lina?" she asked again.

"It hurts," Lina managed to whisper. Alyss nodded with understanding and reached to rub her back.

"Breathe," she said softly.

Lina tried to control her breaths. Alyss continued rubbing her back, glancing over her shoulder at Gilan and Jenny. Their scene blocked the clear path to the stairs. Alyss knelt down so she wouldn't draw attention.

"What hurts?" Alyss whispered.

"Here," Lina replied with her eyes squeezed shut. She held her hand just under her stomach. "And my back."

Alyss looked back again. Gilan now noticed them. He gave orders to a uniformed captain who took custody of the thief and made a beeline for Lina as Jenny continued her tirade out the door. Her staff moved to clean up the mess he'd made.

"What's wrong?" Gilan asked softly as he knelt with Alyss.

"I think she's going into labor," Alyss whispered back.

"No," Lina said in a tight voice. "No, it's too early."

"Get a midwife," Gilan ordered. He took Lina in his arms and lifted her up. Lina clenched her jaw as he carried her upstairs, gaining more and more attention from Jenny's patrons. Jenny herself fell silent mid-rant and followed Gilan up the steps. She raced around him and unlocked the door to her room on the far end of the hallway.

Lina cried out as he set her down.

"Lina?" Jenny asked gently. "What can we do?"

Lina couldn't answer. The pain in her back became so intense she couldn't think. Besides, even if she could, Lina had no idea what could ease such intense pain. Alyss arrived with a midwife, not the one who usually tended Lina but that didn't matter. The woman set her bag aside and knelt next to the bed.

"Get her sitting up," the woman ordered. Jenny sat on the bed so Lina could lean against her.

"She said it's too early," Gilan told the midwife.

"It is. We need to make her comfortable until this passes."

After two hours of intense pains, they finally did pass. Completely exhausted, Lina lay down without argument.

"Once she's rested, take her straight home," the midwife instructed. "I'll alert her usual midwife to check up on her tomorrow. Be sure she stays in bed until then. Don't let her climb steps or do anything strenuous to get home. You may need to just carry her, Ranger."

Gilan nodded. "What do we owe you for your services?" he asked. The midwife shook her head.

"To tend Lady Lina? Nothing. Because of her my young niece isn't afraid to be strong."

"How about a good meal?" Jenny offered. The midwife didn't have to consider it long.

"Now that I can't turn down."

The two exited the room without further discussion. Alyss sat on the bed facing Lina. The midwife had put a cloth soaked in tea over her forehead in efforts to calm her. Now Lina barely kept her eyes open.

"I'll go to the school and let them know you're not returning," she assured her. "Lady Brylee and Sir Huxley will take over starting tomorrow morning."

"Can you go dismiss the girls? They may still be waiting."

Alyss nodded. She pat Lina's shoulder soothingly. "I'll take care of it. You rest."

Gilan knelt down so she wouldn't have to look up at him. "Any more pain?"

Lina shook her head. "Not like before."

"Do you want me to stay until someone else can come up?"

Lina closed her eyes, trying to form an answer. On one hand, Gilan was doing the work of two and had already delayed his duties sticking by her during the intense false contractions that became so close to turning into real contractions. Still, the concept of being alone if the pains came again frightened her.

Without warning, they heard a soft knock on the door. It opened slowly. The visitor stepped in uncertainly.

"Ranger, I can stay with her."

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I heard that Lina was injured by someone trying to steal from the money box. I came to see if she was alright."

Lina opened her eyes to slits and smiled when she saw Evie. As for the story she gave for being here, rumors truly did escalate fast at Redmont.

"You can stay," Lina whispered. Gilan nodded and left. Evie took Jenny's chair from her desk and sat next to the bed.

"I guess you'll leave earlier than next week, huh?" Evie asked.

"Yes," Lina answered. Evie swallowed hard.

"Are you…hurt, Lina?"

The fear in her words touched Lina. "I'm fine," she assured her student. "I just have to rest until the baby comes."

Evie nodded.

"You know ditching lessons will earn you a punishment, right?"

Evie shrugged, clearly not caring. "I wouldn't have paid attention anyway."

Lina knew voicing her approval would spell trouble later so she kept it quiet. Abandoning lessons to come to the aid of another wasn't an action to be taken lightly but Evie's heart was obviously in the right place. She'd known what she risked and did it anyway. She'd accept her punishment when she returned without hesitation or argument. She'd make a good addition to the Charmed Battalion one day.

"I'm going to sleep," Lina told her. "I think Jenny has some books on her shelf over there if you get bored. I'm sure they're mostly cookbooks."

Evie shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you."

Yes. Evie would go far indeed.